It was a gray night filled the dense sort of fog that swallowed street lights and turned even familiar people and buildings into obscure shadows. He was walking along the train platform, gripping his child's hand tightly to ensure they did not get lost or separated, when his child halted suddenly on the spot, small fingers curling urgently into the hem of his coat.

"Dad, there's a kid on the tracks…"

He looked over to where his child was pointing. Though the fog was thick, he could see the tracks clearly from his vantage point. A small boy hopped between the rails, as though immersed in a fun game of his own invention. He had seen that kid here before.

"He is being foolish and the police will take care of it." He urged his child along, not wanting either to become involved.

…It was an absurd thing to say. My family depends on me, so I cannot chase after him, he told himself more frankly. This obligation was more solid, an unnegotiable fact.

His child wouldn't move, still watching the kid on the tracks. "But Dad, he'll get hit!"

He stiffened uncomfortably as his child's face burrowed into back of his knees. He himself was struggling, trying to steel his heart up against the kid's stupid behavior, but he felt it begin to fracture under the strain.

"Stay here, don't move."

He leaped down into the tracks. "You can't play down here, it's dangerous," he called to the kid.

"It's no big deal, I do this all the time."

"Come here."

The kid looked up at him with amber, spiteful eyes, and sneered. "I don't listen to grown ups."

"Please."

The kid's eyes flickered briefly over to the platform, looking at it as though it were a distant and barren shore. "It's stupid up there. No one gets it."

"It's not stupid. Come with me and I'll show you."

The kid continued his game as though he hasn't heard. He'd have to catch him. He sprang forward, but the kid retreated further away from the platform.

The tracks began to rumble, small pebbles jumping up and down as the rails vibrated like guitar strings. A light pierced the fog above. The kid froze, staring blankly but without fear at the train speeding toward him.

"No—!"

He lunged at the kid, grabbing his arm and pulling, but the kid was immovable, inexplicably rooted to the tracks. Then, on instinct, he thew himself over the kid, acting as shield as the train's screeching brakes filled his ears, collision eminent.

"Dad!" screamed a voice from the platform.

He woke with a start, glaring at the silent darkness surrounding him like cloak.

Well I don't want to know what that dream was supposed to mean, he thought crisply as he sank back into his pillow. "…You colossal idiot," he added aloud as he tried (unsuccessfully) to fall back to sleep.

Episode 26: Bro Bots

Summer had dwindled to its end in New York. Leaves were changing colors, humans were placing pumpkins on their porches, and Roll had been trying to talk Mega Man into going to a Halloween party with her at the end of October.

"Who do we even know who's throwing a party?" asked Mega Man skeptically as they trudged noisily through fallen leaves while taking Rush on a walk outside Dr. Light's laboratory.

"No one, we'll just go out," Roll replied, her hands thrust in the pockets of her hoodie. "There'll be tons in the city that won't need an invite. Just don't be a geek, Mega, and you'll blend in."

Mega Man thought of the dark parties crammed with drunk humans dressed as witches and vampires while dancing to deafening music and could not think of anything that sounded less fun. He'd rather stay home to hand out candy to any trick-or-treater who ventured all the way out to Dr. Light's residence in the country. He would even watch a horror movie with Roll (so long as it wasn't too gorey). "What are you planning on going as?"

"Bitcheyes Morgan from Nightmare Fuel," Roll answered without hesitation. "You could go as Grendel, their drummer."

"Grendel? Wouldn't I have to shave my head for that?"

"You could wear a bald cap," Roll suggested, looking ecstatic that Mega Man had correctly remembered the name and appearance of a member of her favorite band.

Mega Man laughed. "No way!"

He looked up into the periwinkle autumn sky, his mood sobering. Proto Man's third 'birthday' had come and went on September twenty-eighth without mention. Mega Man felt a little bothered by this. True, they had never acknowledged Proto Man's birthday before…he doubted even Proto Man acknowledged his own activation date any more than Proto Man acknowledged Dr. Light as his creator. Still, Mega Man remembered last July when Proto Man had snuck two birthday presents for him and Roll (a Lincoln memorial pencil sharpener and a Nightmare Fuel ponytail cuff still secretly stowed in his nightstand) and lay awake that night anyway.

"It's been awhile since we've heard from Wily," he said aloud. "…You don't think he's up to something really bad, do you?"

"Could be, but I'll bet he wanted to hide his face after being outsmarted by Otto Raptor and Tar." Roll smirked. "Had to be real humiliating to get brainwashed and mutated into a lion creep, have his entire army reprogrammed, and his second-in-command forced to work with us, only to have to run away without accomplishing anything. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Wily lost his nerve and ran out of ideas for taking over the world."

Mega Man pondered this possibility. Defeat from the Lion Men must have been a crushing blow. Dr. Wily had also just lost Snake Man (his first Robot Master) in the scheme before that, and nearly destroyed the world in the scheme before that. Maybe Roll was on to something, but he wouldn't get his hopes up, just in case.

Meanwhile, Dr. Light had been busy with safe guards to prevent anything like the Lion Men from happening again. Though he spent most of September in his office making phone calls, he seemed pleased. He told Mega Man and Roll that big, exciting things were happening in politics, though he had told them not to worry, just to relax and enjoy the changing of seasons.

Things were quiet at Skull Fortress. Just like after Red Gulch, Dr. Wily had once again lapsed from his usual scheming to focus on a top secret project that he wouldn't share with anyone, not even Proto Man. The only clue Proto Man had had was once catching a glimpse of a white gloved hand hanging off a lab table before Dr. Wily quickly tucked in back beneath its tarp covering.

"…New robot?" Proto Man had asked conversationally, nodding toward the figure shrouded beneath the tarp.

But Dr. Wily remained enigmatic. "This project won't be ready for awhile. I am in no rush. It shall be a surprise." He patted the tarp lovingly.

"Cool, love surprises," Proto Man responded lightly.

At the same time, Proto Man recalled that the glove of Snake Man's non-blaster arm had been white, and the last time Dr. Wily had kept a robot hidden beneath a tarp, it had been a literal Franken-bot. Whatever was under the tarp now even looked the same size of an average Robot Master—around Proto Man's own height and build. It was suspicious. He should investigate this (especially after how his and Dr. Wily's carelessness had caused the fiasco with the Lion Men)—but he shrugged it off. Too much common sense meant less adventures, he always reasoned.

Besides, he had been distracted lately, Dr. Wily's secret project fading to the back of his mind.

Elec Man had been spending more time in the western hangar, where Proto Man liked to fix and experiment on fighter jets. Elec Man had always been nearby (his personal quarters were located on the floor just above) yet it had started one day, not long after their return from Hawaii, when Proto Man heard Elec Man leafing (uninvited) through the draft blue prints of a fighter jet Proto Man was working on. Proto Man later discovered that Elec Man had completely marked up his diagrams, pointing out different things he could be doing with the wiring for more power in a lighter frame. Impressed, Proto Man wrote over these notes with his own comments. They began going back and forth in this fashion like a competition, each pushing the design further in speed and maneuverability, with Elec Man's contributions in electrical systems and propulsion naturally complimenting Proto Man's talent in structure and aerodynamics. Once, Elec Man had even helped Proto Man with the weapons upgrade of all small silver fighter despite the dirty nature of being a jet mechanic.

"You never told me you were into jets," Proto Man said skeptically, looking over at Elec Man as they fitted a new laser canon next to the undercarriage while lying on the oil-stained floor.

"They're fine," Elec Man responded with the same lofty air someone talked of mowing the lawn.

"Oh? Then what do you like?"

Elec Man only shrugged. "Your designs are impressive, Light."

"…Likewise."

It was five weeks after their blunder with the Lion Men when Proto Man finally got a call from Dr. Wily to report to his office. Dr. Wily rarely called anyone to his office, and it was then that Proto Man realized he hadn't been checking on Dr. Wily as much as he used to. For once, Proto Man had been cool to just chill out for a bit as he worked on fighter craft with Elec Man.

Proto Man walked up the familiar rusty steps of Skull Fortress's industrial staircases, still running the diagrams for a thermodynamic propulsion system in his mind, and knocked on a steel door. The door slid open, revealing a dark, cave-like opening.

Dr. Wily's 'office' was a cramped, sinister room, lit only by the flickering light from a grid of CRT televisions, which Dr. Wily had hooked up to personally monitor large numbers of news channels at once. Dr. Wily sat in a purple swivel chair, completely concealed from view by its dramatic wingback. It was silent save for the high-pitched buzzing of the muted CRTs. Proto Man instinctively had a bad feeling about this.

"Uh…you called for me?"

"Your heroics have been on the news," came Dr. Wily's dry voice.

Proto Man's eyes flickered up to the montage of screens. He himself barely paid attention to the human news, while Dr. Wily consumed it as if it was a primary life sustenance, constantly searching for mentions of himself. But Dr. Wily was not on the news—Proto Man was. Clips from various news sources (mostly out of Hawaii) were labeling Proto Man as the hero who had saved humanity from the Lion Men. He watched for a moment, his mouth parted. Then, feeling angry, Proto Man scoffed. How stupid could humans be?

"'Heroics?' What, you mean when I went up against the Lion Men? That was nothing, and barely anyone saw that!"

"Word travels."

Dr. Wily hadn't turned around yet. Proto Man's bad feeling grew.

"I can fix this. It'll be a cinch, I'll just rob every bank in New York City, take some hostages, deface a few landmarks…I'll be back on the most wanted list in no time. Just think of the headlines: Dr. Wily's most terrifying creation strikes again."

The back of the chair still faced Proto Man.

Proto Man sighed. "Doc, don't be angry. I know how that looks, but I had to team up with Roll to get rid of the Lion Men. And it sucked. It's not like I'm leaving ya or anything—"

Dr. Wily revolved slowly to look at him. Proto Man almost recoiled—the twisted grin on Dr. Wily's face was unexpected and alarming. "Angry? How could I be angry at this! Don't you see how perfect it is?"

Proto Man stared, thinking of all the sopping accounts of his heroics and cringey op eds he had just glimpsed en masse. "…No…?"

Ignoring Proto Man, Dr. Wily stood up and began pacing in front of the monitors. "I have never questioned your loyalty less (as if there is a better place in the world for a robot of your caliber)! You were clever to trick those Light brats into helping you, and you can do it again." Dr. Wily laughed, his voice reverberating against the heavy cables that lined the walls. "I should have thought of this long ago. It is too perfect, too deliciously evil." He stopped pacing, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "I have formulated a plan, a brilliant plan—and the star of it is you, masquerading as a hero."

"Uh…what?"

"You'll use your so called 'sibling bond' to get close to Mega Man and the rest of the Lights," Dr. Wily explained patiently. "Pretend to have become one of them. Then, when I give the word—" Dr. Wily tilted his head downward so a shadow passed over his face, his grin stretching beyond the limits of a normal human grin, "—We'll flip the script. They'll never see it coming!"

Proto Man's mind had still not caught up. He had been prepared to assuage Dr. Wily's fears of betrayal by going on a crime spree. Proto Man enjoyed crime sprees. This was much, much worse. It sounded like work. "Hold up, Doc. You're giving me waaay too much credit. I can't trick the Lights into thinking I've changed sides. No one's that good of an actor!"

Dr. Wily wagged a finger. "Don't be so modest. They trusted you to help out against the Lion Men, this is just taking it to the next level, raising the stakes. Of course, it will be risky, but I have every faith you will handle this challenge beautifully."

Proto Man began turning this idea around in his head, opening his mind to the possibilities of bluffing his way into the good guy's ranks before ultimately taking them down from the inside. It'd be a game, really—no more serious than that. Likely a short one. Roll wouldn't believe him for long. Mega Man already hated him, this wouldn't make that situation worse. And Light—whatever. This would end the same as any of Dr. Wily's schemes, likely with a big climatic battle between Proto Man and Mega Man. That would be fun, and Proto Man's name would be cleared as a villain again.

…And maybe, just maybe, while he was pretending to be on the same side, Mega Might might see he wasn't so bad…

Proto Man's mood began to loosen. "Alright, I'll play the part of a boring good guy so you can get do whatever your scheme is this time," he relented dramatically with a sly smirk.

Dr. Wily clapped a hand over his shoulder, looking pleased. "You'll see! This time we will not fail!"

"So, you're doing it," Elec Man stated quietly when Proto Man told him Dr. Wily's next idea.

"Yeah. I figure it'll blow up really quick anyway."

Elec Man said nothing. They were standing in front of the window wall in the office of Elec Man's personal quarters. The glass had an unnatural cleanliness that made it appear as if there was nothing between them and the radiant badlands, which were currently a rich sepia from an overcast sky.

Proto Man shifted uncomfortably. "…Something wrong?"

"No."

"It's not like anyone will really believe I'm a good guy."

"They might if you ever gave an effort."

Proto Man looked over at Elec Man's desk with its tidy stacks of documents and high tech computer, then at the door he had come through, unconsciously clenching his fist. He hesitated. "Say uh…you wouldn't want to help out with this mission, would you? You don't have to if you don't want to," he added hastily, but he didn't like the awkward tension he sensed building. This would be just like any other scheme.

"What do you need me for?"

"Backup. You know, in case things get dicey. I want someone I can trust around."

Elec Man scrutinized him for a moment. "Fine."

"Cool." Relieved, Proto Man turned to leave.

"Who else is going?" Elec Man called after him.

"Cut Man, Guts Man, and two new bots I haven't met yet." Proto Man gave a slight shrug, then snickered. "This is going to be a total shit show."

It was a crisp, clear day in New York City—the perfect weather for a parade.

Human sized robots in cartoon costumes traipsed ahead of large floats draped in silk banners. Red, blue, and yellow squares of biodegradable confetti fluttered though the air like snow. It was corny and over the top—yet the group of humans who packed the sidewalks loved it, clapping and cheering while chanting "Hurray for Deacon, he's our man!" or "Mitchell! Mitchell!"

The happy roar pressed against the wide second-floor window of the conference suite Dr. Light had reserved to watch the parade with Mega Man and Roll.

"Wow, that crowd really like Dr. Light's robot parade—and Mitchell Deacon," commented Roll, her hand against the cool glass as she looked down at the parade, Rush sitting at her side.

Dr. Light sat at the conference suite's long green couch sectional, smiling in his usual reserved content. "He's the best candidate for governor we've had in years."

Deacon was running against incumbent Governor Parson, who had never recovered from surrendering power during Dr. Wily's second world conquest scheme (involving controlling New York City's electrical grid with a joystick) and had been blamed for the damage caused by later schemes ever since. Sick of the government's incompetence and seconding Dr. Light's public endorsement, the New York populace saw Deacon as a welcome change.

"Even the city's top brass turned out to support him," put in Mega Man, who was perched on the couch's back, watching the parade out of the corner of his eye. "Deacon won't have any trouble winning the election."

Deacon himself sat in the center of an open backed ivory convertible lined in crushed red velvet which resembled a jewelry box cruising slowly down the street below. Senator Wolfe, the New York State police chief, Mayor Hill, and the fire chief sat in the other seats, while a chauffeur in a smart blue uniform drove. Deacon looked ecstatic, his hands stretched to the sky like a football player who had scored the winning touch down, his mouth open in what looked like a joyous shout while the others waved, grinning broadly. The mood was infectious. Change was in the air, the future felt bright—

A skulltank burst from the polyvinyl wireframe and floral sheeting of a snail-like float with Deacon's head, like a parasite breaking through the skin of an overripe fruit.

Cut Man stood on top of the tank. "Hey Deacon! I'm going to make you one sore loser!" he shouted over the noise of the crowd.

The skulltank's skeletal canon fired a blazing green laser over the ivory convertible. A twenty-foot tall drone with the likeness of Deacon staggered, its white sash tearing as it toppled backward on the concrete, an arm falling off as it burst into flame.

Mega Man and Roll bolted toward the stairs.

It wasn't apparent how (…or why…) Dr. Wily had swapped the chassis of a gaudy parade float for a skull tank, yet one gleamed in the broad daylight of Jupiter Street, crushing a delicate swan float beneath its heavy treads. The crowd screamed, scattering for cover as the smell of burning rubber filled the street.

As Roll and Mega Man exited the office onto the confetti covered sidewalks, a second skull tank with Guts Man was rolling down the opposite side of the street, blasting floats and security drones out of its way. The ivory convertible containing Deacon and the city officials were trapped between the two tanks, the chauffeur gripping the steering wheel tightly, frozen in terror.

"This is going to be tricky," Mega Man muttered to Roll.

"You save Deacon little brother and I'll make toasters out of those two yahoos!" called a familiar voice from above.

Mega Man looked up. Proto Man had leaped from the top of a building, his scarf flapping behind him, before landing on the cannon of Guts Man's skull tank with the catlike grace of an acrobat jumping on a teeterboard. The force of impact caused the skull tank to flip. Bellowing loudly, Guts Man catapulted through the air before crashing on top of Cut Man with a loud clang.

Mega Man blinked. Proto Man's helping me? he thought sardonically. What's wrong with this picture? He and Roll exchanged startled glances.

But as they were deciding what to do, Proto Man was making quick work of Guts Man's skull tank, disabling its laser canon with his blaster before tearing open its hatch to take out the attack-bot driver.

Casting Mega Man an 'I-guess-we're-doing-this' look and a shrug, Roll raced over to the smoldering Deacon drone and began fighting the flames with a fire extinguisher from her utility arm. Mega Man turned toward the ivory convertible.

"C'mon! You can take shelter over here," Mega Man called, waving them toward the office building.

No one moved. Senator Wolfe, Deacon, and the other officials were watching the fight, their mouths hanging open. Mega Man glanced back. Both skull tanks were battered and smoking from plasma fire, while Cut Man and Guts Man scrambled clumsily backward down the street, tripping against float wreckage and fallen street lights.

Proto Man himself was difficult to keep track of as he darted through the fray like a red flash. "Hey, little brother! Follow my lead," he called as he landed lightly next to Mega Man before leaping toward the dangling handling lines of the helium parade balloon that loomed motionless above like a pink teddy bear-shaped cloud.

In a dreamlike daze, Mega Man followed suit, swinging from the handling lines like jungle vines as he pulled a giant balloon man in a top hat closer to Cut Man and Guts Man.

There was a brief fight in which Mega Man barely fired a shot before Proto Man had taken down both Cut Man and Guts Man, who lay in a jumble on top of a torn off skulltank door. Then, before they could get up again, Proto Man tied them them up with the handling lines. He only paused for a moment as he pulled the knots taught, giving Mega Man a small, playful smile. Then he looked back at the balloons.

Unlike normal parade balloons, Dr. Light had equipped these with sensors that automatically guided them safely through the buildings. The handlers that had marched below were just part of ceremonial tradition. But when Proto Man shot out the piloting mechanism and the safety rope anchoring them to a tractor below, they began to rise rapidly.

Mega Man and Proto Man stood side by side, their heads tilted up to the balloons soaring above the buildings.

"I'll get you for this, Mega Meddler!" Cut Man screamed from the skulltank door, which floated like a raft through the air. "You and your turncoat tin can brother!"

Proto Man casually slung an arm over Mega Man's shoulder. "Let's celebrate our teamwork with some fireworks," he murmured lightly.

Mega Man heard the soft clicking of a blaster forming and flinched reflexively. The cannon had fired right next to his ear. An electric blue plasma bolt hit the helium balloons and exploded, and the specs of Guts Man and Cut Man's bodies went sailing off toward the ocean.

Shaken, Mega Man stared at the angry red fireball in shock, then glanced sideways at his brother's impenetrable visor.

Proto Man was smirking.

Mega Man glared down at Jupiter Street, watching a clean up crew sweep debris from the sidewalks and toss torn bits of vinyl into dump trucks, his head spinning with tangled, confused thoughts.

They had returned to the second floor conference room with Deacon, and Proto Man had followed them. No one had questioned this; Mega Man was sure Roll and Dr. Light were just as perplexed as he was. Rush had growled at Proto Man at first, but even he had relaxed, sniffing in Proto Man's direction curiously as though he were just an unfamiliar dinner guest that Rush just needed getting used to. The whole thing was bizarre.

Deacon sat on the couch. He had broad shoulders and a large frame, a round goatee, his thick black hair was combed back from his forehead, and he wore a plain brown suit and tie. Mega Man and Roll were mostly familiar of Deacon through his dorky, low budget campaign commercials, which ranged from him pretending to lose a checker game against Popcorn (his pet terrier), getting his favorite slice from his family's pizzeria (pickles and anchovies), to his years in public service and political agenda (pro education, pro healthcare, pro infrastructure). Deacon was in his forties, had lived in New York his whole life, and had played tuba instead of sports in high school. Part of his public appeal was his open face with soft black eyes that tended to quickly reflect any emotion he was feeling.

"I want to thank you all for saving my life," he said, looking around with a cheerful smile. "Especially you, Proto Man."

Mega Man jerked, wrenching his head around to look at Deacon and Proto Man, his eyes narrowing. True, Proto Man had done most of the work—but was everyone really going to buy this?

Proto Man smiled and replied in a sickeningly humble voice, "My pleasure. I knew Wily planned to sabotage the parade. I'm just glad I could help my brother to help you."

At this, Mega Man crossed his arms.

Deacon nodded, his eyes sparkling. "Never thought I'd see New York's most wanted robot turn hero. Guess the rumors coming out of Hawaii are true. Unbelievable."

Mega Man waited until Deacon had driven off in the ivory convertible before opening his mouth.

"You have some serious explaining to do, Proto Man," he said, glaring into the mirrored visor. They stood in the middle of the street, which was now clear of the parade's wreckage but still closed to traffic. Police patrols were clumped at the perimeter of the crime scene, watching Proto Man warily, but they kept their distance, apparently trusting the situation to Mega Man.

Proto Man turned toward him, smiling pleasantly. "I've realized how much I miss my little brother by being such a bad bot."

"What about Wily?"

"He's history."

"What do you mean?"

Proto Man sighed heavily, as though dredging up old news. "He was pretty angry about me teaming up with you guys. Shoulda seen it coming, Wily's always been a jealous control-freak, but I kept telling him he was blowing it out of proportion. We fought over it for weeks. Then…I had enough. I didn't feel like committing crimes for his stupid schemes anymore, especially after how out of control the last few got (Wily'll destroy the world before he ever controls it). So I left, and he reprogrammed all of the Robot Masters against me." Proto Man shrugged.

Roll hadn't said much, but she had been watching Proto Man smugly, her utility arm hanging loosely at her side. She looked extremely unsurprised by Proto Man's tale, even amused.

Mega Man felt frustrated. Sure, all of this sounded plausible. After all, no one completely understood Dr. Wily and Proto Man's relationship or how Proto Man could stand being his second-in-command in the first place, but there was something about the way Proto Man was acting he couldn't trust...

To Mega Man's surprise, Dr. Light cast a tie breaker vote of confidence. "It is possible Proto Man's sincere," he whispered to Mega Man, as though reading his thoughts. "After all, I programmed him with the same principles of conscience, compassion, and self-determination that I programmed in you, Mega. Maybe it just took him awhile to find his way."

His eyes were shining earnestly. For Dr. Light, this was less about the possibility of it being trap, but more that he could not reject any time his oldest son chose to spend with them. Mega Man remembered he had once promised Dr. Light to bring Proto Man back from crime, and his middle squirmed. Though he was still highly skeptical, Mega Man couldn't find the words to shatter Dr. Light's new found hope.

"C'mon, bro, give me a chance!" broke in Proto Man, stepping toward Mega Man. "Soon I'll be an even better hero than you."

…Whether this was all an act on not, Mega Man felt Proto Man was really pushing his luck, and scowled.

"You can stay with us…on a trial basis," Dr. Light said decisively. Though he emphasized the stipulation, he smiled tenderly at Proto Man.

"Welcome, Proto Man," put in Roll, grinning.

Rush gave a joyful bark and trotted over to Proto Man, his head lowered and his tail whipping back and forth.

Mega Man had never felt more betrayed. His gaze slid from Rush to Proto Man, glaring at him in a way that he hoped clearly conveyed that he was not convinced and he would be watching Proto Man like a hawk. To his great annoyance, Proto Man stood his ground, and smiled easily back.

"Gee, thanks everybody!" said Proto Man, crouching down to scratch Rush behind the ears. "You won't regret it."

Mega Man looked up at the whispy clouds in the sky. "We'll see about that," he muttered to himself.

Though it seemed unlikely Dr. Wily would strike again soon, they lingered for a bit in the middle of the street. The New York State police chief had been convinced by Proto Man's heroics, and had ordered his officers not to arrest Proto Man. Mayor Hill had given similar instructions to Chief Fibes, head of the N.Y.P.D. It was all coming together smoothly for Proto Man, much too smoothly for Mega Man's liking. He wanted a private word with Roll without leaving Proto Man alone, which would be tricky.

Fortunately, he found his opportunity quickly. Chief Fibes had rolled up in his police cruiser, and had engaged Dr. Light and Proto Man in conversation, his face looking grim. While Proto Man was under Fibes's watch, Mega Man could speak freely with Roll, all while keeping Proto Man within eyesight.

"What's eating you, Mega? I thought you'd be happy about Proto Man," she muttered, looking at him critically. "Oh come on, don't tell me you didn't see this coming."

"No, I didn't," Mega Man answered bluntly.

She rolled her eyes. "Well of course he ditched Wily. The only shock is he hadn't sooner."

"Has he really though? Or is this just a part of an elaborate, multi-step scheme of Wily's? Every time Proto Man speaks, his voice is laced with sarcasm."

"Is it?" Roll scoffed. "I think you're reading too much into it, that's how he always talks—" (Mega Man had to admit she had him there), "—Besides, you saw how well he trashed Cut Man and Guts Man."

Mega Man strongly disagreed with the heroic merit of how Proto Man had handled Cut Man and Guts Man. He wanted to say, 'You don't know Proto like I do,' (which was very true as Roll had never made an effort to get to know Proto Man until very recently) but he knew how that would sound and would make her even more stubborn and determined to be right, regardless of the danger. "I thought we agreed not to fight about him," he said instead, smirking despite himself.

"We won't, but yeesh, Mega—if we do things your way it'll take forever! This is what I said earlier, he needs a push. I say if he wants to play hero, let him play hero! Just…don't scare him away."

"I won't. I don't want to—" Mega Man sighed unhappily, "—But this is so fake, and I just want to make sure someone else sees what I'm seeing."

"I do. Give me some credit, Mega, I'm not a total idiot…but let's ride this out. Once Proto experiences how awesome it is to be a good guy, he won't want to give it up. You've already seen the positive press he's gotten."

"Not everyone likes being in the spotlight." Mega Man looked over at Proto Man, who was talking animatedly to Fibes. Fibes looked grudgingly mollified, Dr. Light encouraged. The feeling in his chest would not budge. "I want you to be right. It just goes against everything I know about Proto."

Roll shrugged, unconcerned. "So we'll keep an eye on him."

"He's a master criminal. That's not exactly going to be easy."

"He's not that smart. Don't over estimate him."

"Don't underestimate him."

"Relax. If he's lying, we'll make sure he regrets it. The creep may have grown on me, but he's still my brother and I wouldn't hesitate to knock him into the next planet if he decides to be an idiot."

Mega Man looked at her for a moment, but then smiled. "Okay."

Fibes was getting back into his cruiser, shaking his head in annoyance. Proto Man looked over at them, smiled, and waved. It was as if he knew exactly what they were discussing, and was completely untroubled.

Mega Man stared steadily back.

To be continued…