Standing in the aftermath of the battle of Deacon's parade, Proto Man's arms felt like lead weights next to his sides, but he smiled as though posing for photos while Chief Fibes spoke harshly to Dr. Light about 'Proto Man's current situation.'
Less than an hour earlier, it had been agreed between Senator Wolfe, Mayor Hill, and the New York State police chief that Dr. Light was to assume guardianship of Proto Man. It was perhaps presumed (though Dr. Light had said nothing about it) that Dr. Light would reprogram Proto Man, which had put the authorities further at ease. To them, it was transferring Dr. Wily's bomber robot to Dr. Light's custody. Dr. Light was both the most accomplished roboticist they knew and inventor of the bomber robot and therefore would be best equipped to rehabilitate Proto Man. As for what capacity Proto Man could act as a combat robot, that remained to be seen—though aiding Mega Man against Dr. Wily seemed mutually agreed upon as acceptable for the present.
To Dr. Light, this was about accepting his first son back. Proto Man could sense it from the shy way Dr. Light smiled at him, the way Dr. Light had taken over most of the talking as they smoothed things over, and the secrets they were both still keeping from the world. This was the true reality of 'Proto Man's current situation.' It was almost as if there was a secret exception to the rules—an exception Dr. Light had arranged and that Proto Man had never asked for or wanted, because Proto Man had never planned to return. Never planned to act like Dr. Light's son, secret or not.
It was going perfectly for Dr. Wily's plan—yet Proto Man hated all of it.
Fibes was not happy with the arrangement either (which he felt was being forced upon him without his input or approval). Like most cops he hated Proto Man, and told them he would not hesitate to order all of New York City's robo-officers to attack Proto Man if Proto Man showed even the slightest sign of lawbreaking.
Proto Man just smiled at Chief Fibes, then made an eloquent and poignantly worded apology about the time they had used the dream transmitter to coerce Fibes into aiding Dr. Wily's plan, and hoped they'd be on friendlier terms in the future.
Dr. Light looked quietly encouraged at Proto Man's words, yet their true meaning wasn't lost on Fibes. During the dream-hijacking encounter, Fibes had also confessed to have taken illegal bribes from the Syndicate in exchange for classified police intelligence on Proto Man.
Fibes backed off, tugging unconsciously at his collar. The police could have been a big, annoying obstacle, but Proto Man knew Fibes at least would reconsider causing trouble for Proto Man while Proto Man had dirt on him. With one last gruff yet mumbled warning, Fibes climbed into his police cruiser and sped off.
Down the street, Proto Man could see Mega Man whispering to Roll while shooting Proto Man dark looks, and waved at him. Mega Man was welcome to end this farce at anytime!
But at present, Proto Man had been invited back to the Dr. Light's laboratory. A few restrictions would be put in place (such as barring him from the computer mainframe and locking up all the weaponry and anything valuable), but otherwise Dr. Light and Roll were treating him like a human relative coming home from college for the holidays. Only Mega Man was watching him with any trace of suspicion—Proto Man could feel Mega Man's eyes upon him at all times while Roll and Dr. Light fetched their car from the parking garage.
"Wait, before we go, I gotta get my stuff," Proto Man told Mega Man, then turned his back on him and strode briskly off toward an alley.
He expected Mega Man to follow him, but instead Mega Man just watched him with folded arms. It was not a act of trust; Proto Man was still within the lines of several robo-police squads. Still, Proto Man risked a brief comm call as he stooped down to collect his belongings.
"This isn't working, Doc," he hissed into his communicator. "Mega Man's already on my case. He's always been that way." Always hated me. "Sorry, I tried—but we need to abort."
"You must try harder, my boy," Dr. Wily replied soothingly. "Persuade that blue busybody you are every bit of a mundane hero as he could ever hope you to be; the humble samaritan Dr. Light programmed you to be. I have total confidence in you!"
Proto Man's fist tightened. He didn't need Dr. Wily's confidence, he wanted out of here—
"I know what this is about," Dr. Wily added. "You don't like going back to that humdrum domestic laboratory with your dopey second-rate creator and his obsequious creations. I promise you this: when I take over the world, you will not only be second-in-command to the greatest scientist of all time, you shall hold the most powerful position of any machine in the world! Legions of robots will answer to your command, the humans forced to obey you under my law! The world as you know it will be history, and you, and I, and the rest of my robots will be on top."
Dr. Wily's words were meant to be encouraging. Proto Man supposed it was touching. And yet…he didn't want to take over the world. He was happy the way things were at Skull Fortress. Yet his annoyance at Dr. Wily faded a bit. "Thanks for at least getting where I'm coming from," he said wearily yet sincerely. "I eagerly await the rest of your plan, especially the parts where I get to fight."
Dr. Wily laughed. "Patience! You will not be disappointed. But for now, work on their trust. Spend quality time with your family—it will make victory all the sweeter."
Proto Man ended the call and returned to the street where Mega Man, Roll, and Dr. Light were now waiting for him with Dr. Light's brown Cadillac, a lumpy canvas duffle in hand. "All I had at Skull Fortress," he told them with a shrug. "It's already been searched by the police," he added to Mega Man, who had immediately seized it.
Mega Man said nothing, his eyes on Proto Man as he felt it. Then he held it out for Rush to sniff for bombs, before grudgingly returning it to Proto Man.
"See?" Proto Man asked sweetly.
"Better safe than sorry with you," Mega Man replied without shame.
"Hey." Proto Man aimed a friendly punch at Mega Man's shoulder, which Mega Man coldly dodged.
Dr. Light cleared his throat, shooting Mega Man a pleading look and nodding toward the Cadillac. "Well then, now that that's settled—shall we?"
Proto Man slung the duffle bag in the trunk. But as he reached for the silver handle on a back passenger door, images began flashing through his mind, followed my a flood of long buried feelings. It nearly froze him to the spot. With unwelcome clarity, he remembered the last time he had ridden in this car with Dr. Light, back when he was Dr. Light's lab assistant...
Get a grip, he told himself firmly, quashing the memories back down before forcing himself to enter the car.
"I suppose Wily isn't a Deacon supporter and wants to ruin his chances to become governor," Mega Man muttered dryly as they drove along the interstate north of New York City.
"I have no idea what Wily's up to with Deacon, but it's supposed to be big," Proto Man answered, which was ironically true. All Dr. Wily had directed Proto Man to do was just act like a good boy and gain the Lights' trust. The rest of his plan he was only revealing in incremental teases with the same dramatic panache of a television serial. Normally, Proto Man was amused by Dr. Wily's theatrics, but today it made him impatient. This mission was like wading through ice cold water while pretending it was pleasant, or pretending to be attentive during a five-hour lecture on switch diagrams. "Don't think your endorsement for Deacon helped much, Doc," he added to Dr. Light. "He hates everything you do."
Dr. Light nodded somberly. "I should have known Wily would try something like this. We must be on our guard!"
They soon reached the long driveway leading up to Dr. Light's laboratory. As they exited Dr. Light's brown Cadillac, Proto Man gazed out at the rolling lawns of countryside that surrounded the laboratory, which were beginning to turn brown and crunched slightly under his titanium boots. He had been here three years ago, no armor, secretly sneaking out at night to test his robot abilities. It looked so small. More memories began to press in on him. Waking up at eight. The binder of blueprints. The paper airplanes. Beethoven. Television and video games. Pretending to be the perfect human lab assistant. The pointless, endless cycle. If it hadn't been for Dr. Wily...
Suddenly, Proto Man funneled every bit of bitterness into a summery tone.
"Ah, memories," he said, turning to Dr. Light, Mega Man, and Roll. "You know, deep down, I always regretted leaving here."
"You always regretted it, huh?" muttered Mega Man.
"Yeah. Skull Fortress doesn't have any babbling brooks, green trees, or singing birds. Just lots of rocks, armadillos, and endless desert." Proto Man waited a moment, looking back at Dr. Light's yard, imagining it on fire, then sighed dramatically. "I…did so many stupid things over the years, said things I didn't mean…" He scuffed his boot against the ground. He would have to give Dr. Wily credit for being right—he was a good actor.
Mega Man continued to glare at him, Roll was smirking in a self-satisfied way—he avoided looking at Dr. Light, but it was Dr. Light who spoke in a tentative voice. "It's okay, we can't talk about that later. Please, come inside."
Proto Man felt strangely out of body as he stepped over the threshold into Dr. Light's laboratory. His feet were moving of their own accord as though through a familiar nightmare. His smile felt plastered on his face, his emotions were detached, unaccessible.
"Yay! Proto is home!" shrieked Eddie, almost tripping Proto Man as he zoomed circles around his shins in a frenzied tap-dance. "You need energy from your battle against Wily, yup yup!"
Proto Man quickly caught the energy can that had suddenly shot toward his face like a bottle rocket. "Oh, hey buddy." Resisting the urge to kick him, Proto Man bent dow to pat Eddie on the head. He was surprised Eddie didn't flinch away from his hand, for the last time Proto Man had touched Eddie, it had been to remove his memory chips—but then again, Eddie wouldn't remember that. "I suppose Pippi's around here somewhere too?"
"Yes, he is," said Dr. Light, smiling. "I'm glad you two are getting reacquainted. I had always hoped—well, nevermind that now." Dr. Light shook his head then beckoned Proto Man to follow him up the stairs, Roll and Mega Man trailing behind. Dr. Light swung open the first door to the left of the second floor hallway. "I called ahead to ask Doris to clear out your old room for you. It's not much…"
"It's perfect! Brings back so many more memories of the good 'ol days!" Proto Man said enthusiastically, looking around the barren room.
He had no clue what to say or do next. He felt waves of hostility from Mega Man, obstinate support from Roll, and oppressive hopefulness from Dr. Light.
"Well, I have some work to do," Dr. Light said finally. He appeared to be blinking back tears. "You three have some catching up to do. I'll leave you to it!"
He hurried off down the stairs toward his office. Mega Man's eyes followed him until he had disappeared from view, then locked onto Proto Man with the intensity of a laser.
Proto Man couldn't be more relieved that Dr. Light had left. Dr. Light hadn't brought up anything from the last time Proto lived under this roof nor had tried to hug him or call him 'son.' Yet. Why was the old fool buying into this? Why had he always bought into Proto's supposed 'good nature?'
Proto Man quickly shut off that lever of frustration as he turned toward Mega Man and Roll. He grinned widely like a game show host. "Alright, kiddies, whacha wanna do?"
He braced himself to field questions, tell assuring lies, wax on about how awful Skull Fortress was and how badly Dr. Wily had treated him and how grateful he was to be taken back despite everything, play monopoly or put-put golf—whatever it took to get through the next few painful hours.
"Don't call us 'kiddies,' you're only eight months older," Roll rebuked him with an affectionate smile.
Mega Man just stared coldly at Proto Man, as though expecting Proto Man to steal something at any second.
Roll stepped in front of Mega Man. "Well, it's Saturday," she announced importantly, as though this had special meaning.
Proto Man's smile faltered, sensing danger. "…So?" He barely kept track of days at Skull Fortress.
"'So'…it's the Saturday before Halloween," Roll pressed, her eyes flashing with an almost malevolent light.
"Oh no…" groaned Mega Man.
"Mega and I were planning to go to a Halloween party, like the humans do," Roll continued loudly as though to override Mega Man's interjection. "You should come with us."
Of all the things Proto Man had been prepared to do, he wasn't expecting this, and was now experiencing the same sweep of dread as though he had just stepped on a landmine. "Oh, gee—that sounds swell, but I wouldn't want to impose—"
Roll gave an innocent shrug. "Wouldn't be imposing. We have no choice but to bring you, really—we need to keep an eye on you, after all."
"But I don't have a costume—"
"We can stop somewhere along the way. C'mon, Proto, this is your chance to hang out with us, have some fun, just like what real human siblings do—please?" Roll wheedled, wringing her hands. "It'd go a long way to prove you've really changed sides," she added with a pointed glance at Mega Man as if expecting him to back her up. "Show us that you like humans now and have left Wily's stupid robot rebellions behind ya."
"…Alright, alright! If it means so much to you," relented Proto Man, feeling incredibly obligated.
As Proto Man headed up to his room to change out of his armor and into 'something human,' Mega Man pulled Roll aside.
"You still want to go to a party now that Proto Man is here?" he hissed. This seemed reckless, even for Roll.
"Especially now that Proto Man here!" Roll responded enthusiastically. "C'mon, Mega, we gotta show him how fun it is to be with us, and that means going out and doing fun things."
Mega Man looked up the stairs that Proto Man had climbed up. "Fine, but if he pulls a blaster on us and we wind up in one of Wily's weird death traps, I'm fully blaming you."
"He's just as likely to do that here as anywhere else," Roll pointed out, grinning triumphantly. "But don't be such a downer, Mega. This will be fun, trust me."
Proto Man hated the idea of dressing up and going to a Halloween party. He wasn't sure why Roll wanted to go so bad—they'd be the only robots there, and would have to pretend to be human the whole time. He in particular would have to be careful they weren't discovered impersonating humans, less he wind up in the news for the wrong reasons and ruin Dr. Wily's plan (a tempting prospect, if only it didn't involve showing his real face to the public). He hoped Dr. Wily appreciated what he was doing for to help his world domination plan.
Resigned to his fate, Proto Man went up to his room, shut himself in his closet, and lifted his communicator. If he had to make an idiot of himself, he'd like company.
"Proto Man to Elec Man."
"…Where are you? You sound like you're calling from within in a closet," came Elec Man's dry response.
"Yeah, I'm at the Lights; not like I can make a call to my criminal associates at the dinner table," Proto Man replied, feeling annoyed and foolish, but not half as foolish as he was about to be. "Listen, Roll and Mega want me to come with them to a human costume party. You know, because it's Halloween or whatever."
"You're doing human stuff? Why?"
Elec Man's tone of voice indicated that he was both skeptical that this would benefit Dr. Wily's plan or that Proto Man would enjoy doing 'human stuff'. His skepticism was well founded. "All part of the act," Proto Man replied, a bit helplessly. "I could use a little help with this. …W-want to come? You could go as a vampire," he suggested as though this would even out his case.
"…What is with you and vampires?"
"Nothing, it'd just be an easy halloween costume for you is all," Proto Man fumbled, thumping his head against the closet wall. He could tell Elec Man was becoming less and less impressed. "You're almost as human as I am," he added pointedly. "Apparently humans think parties are fun. Just thought you'd like some time away from work to just hang out."
He was echoing the words Roll had used on him to talk him into doing this. It sounded incredibly stupid coming out of his own mouth.
There was a long pause. For a split second, Proto Man thought Elec Man was actually going to agree, but then he said, "You're doing sibling stuff. If I want to do something like that, then I'll do something with Top Man."
"Oh, okay," replied Proto Man, mollified and still feeling awkward. "Heh. First time I've heard you acknowledge Top Man as a sibling."
"…Shut up."
"Hey, it's cool! Wish things were going that well with my brother right now. Anyway, if you change your mind…" He stiffened, hearing a knock on his door. "Shit, gotta go," he whispered, ending the call.
When Proto Man emerged from his room, he was dressed in casual clothing. His copper-red hair in its messy side part was both stylish yet careless. Mirrored aviators concealed his eyes, and his hands were stuffed in the pockets of a worn brown leather bomber jacket. Mega Man looked the outfit over. Of course this was what Proto Man wore, he thought dryly. The style suited him completely.
"I told you he's kinda a dork," Roll snickered softly to Mega Man, nudging him in the ribs. "You're not really going to keep those sunglasses on, are you?" she called to Proto Man. "It's night out!"
Proto Man shrugged, smirking. "In case you couldn't tell, I don't like showing people my face."
"Why?" Roll laughed.
"Ruins my cool."
"You are such a loser. No one thinks you're cool."
Mega Man said nothing. Though Proto Man had defied his expectations by willingly taking off his helmet in front of them in a semblance of trust and vulnerability, Mega Man still sensed a barrier between them that he doubted was his imagination. He wished he could see Proto Man's eyes and the secrets they revealed. Still, Proto Man feeling out of balance about this situation was something in their favor if Proto Man decided to pull a stunt.
Roll drove them to the Halloween party in their red Aerohead convertible. It was taking place in the basement of an old apartment building nearby the Light University campus. Students from both Light University and the University of Robotics were already crowded there, and welcomed Mega Man, Roll, and Proto Man to join them enthusiastically. Though many of them were aspiring roboticists, no one noticed that the three advanced-androids were not in fact human.
Roll's Bitcheyes Morgan costume (which made her almost unrecognizable) had won her cheers of admiration. She was wearing a vibrant violet wig, which hung in grungy waves down her back, had stenciled temporary tattoos over her synthetic skin, put extra piercings on her ears, nose, mouth, and eyebrows, and wore a studded leather outfit that looked like a combat suit out of a sci-fi comic.
As Roll danced enthusiastically within the center of the crowded room, Proto Man and Mega Man hung back next to the wall, each holding a red solo cup filled with beer that neither could drink. A few sophomores tried (unsuccessfully) to get Proto Man to come dance with them while teasingly calling him 'Shades', meanwhile Mega Man was completely ignored.
"Don't like parties either?" Mega Man asked Proto Man, speaking loudly to be overheard over the thudding music.
Proto Man smirked. "Don't like crowds," he called back. It sounded like an honest answer. He made a sweeping gesture at Mega Man, who was wearing a white lab coat buttoned all the way up, rubber gloves that went up to his elbows, and safety goggles with an elastic strap. "So...you're a scientist."
"Chemist, actually," Mega Man answered proudly. "After the wolf-bot thing, dressing up as halloween monsters doesn't really appeal to me." He shot Proto Man a reproachful look. "I'd rather go as something I'd like to be."
Proto Man snickered. "Could you be more boring?"
Mega Man shrugged unabashedly. "And you are?" he asked, for Proto Man did not appear to be wearing a costume at all.
"Vampire," answered Proto Man. As if to prove it, he spat out a pair of plastic fangs into his hand and showed it to Mega Man. It looked like the kind you got out of a machine at the front of a store, otherwise Proto Man had spent no effort on his costume. Mega Man, who hadn't been expecting that, snorted, his beer spilling, then they both started laughing.
"Hey you, nice nerd costume," a human in a blue M&M costume called over to Mega Man.
"He's a chemist, best type of scientist there is," Proto Man fired back.
"Yeah, whatever dude," the human replied, waving a hand dismissively before stumbling off toward the beer keg.
Proto Man shook his head. "I actually know a chemist. Cool guy," he told Mega Man.
Mega Man didn't comment. He wondered if Proto Man had just made this up to feign getting closer. Even if he hadn't, any 'cool' chemist Proto Man knew would likely be a criminal of the worst degree.
The music continued to blare around them, the black lights flickering above them, Roll's hair whipping around like a windmill as she danced while Proto Man rejecting three more offers to dance.
"How much longer we gotta do this?" Proto Man asked finally, rubbing a shoulder and cricking his neck in boredom.
"I dunno," Mega Man admitted, glancing over at Roll, but for once didn't mind. This almost felt like a normal night between siblings. If only it were real.
Then he noticed that Proto Man appeared to be scanning the crowd. It had been difficult to notice at first, for Proto Man's aviators hid his eye movement, yet there was an unmistakable stillness in his expression as his head panned back and forth like a security camera.
"Are you looking for someone?" Mega Man asked, growing suspicious.
"No," Proto Man responded in a dull voice.
Mega Man didn't trust this. Thought of ambushes clouded his mind. It would be easy for Proto Man to relay to Dr. Wily at any point in time what they were doing, and for Dr. Wily to use the situation to his advantage. He'd have to remain vigilant, and was glad for the armor he was secretly wearing beneath his costume and the helmet stored in his canvas backpack.
"Hey!" Proto Man shouted suddenly, interrupting his thoughts.
Mega Man's head snapped in the direction Proto Man was looking. The human in the blue M&M costume was now dancing closely to Roll. Proto Man had stalked over. The human instantly shuffled off, making loud, sarcastic apologies. Roll began shouting at Proto Man, telling him to mind his own business, and Proto Man was arguing that she needed to have more common sense. It was making a bit of scene. Mega Man smirked again, watching them, not wanting to get involved in either side. He had a feeling they'd be leaving early after all.
They didn't immediately go back to Dr. Light's laboratory—they took a long walk through the suburbs and countryside north of New York City, taking short cuts through private property and stopping once to throw rocks through the broken windows of an abandoned factory sitting in the middle of nowhere (despite Mega pointing out how illegal this was). They probably would have stayed out all night had it not been for Mega Man's insistence that if they didn't go home soon, they might get arrested for trespassing.
Later, Proto Man lay restlessly in his twin-sized bed, looking around at the grayish-blue walls, the white curtains hanging in front of the closed window. He had placed his armor on the nightstand where he could see it—had even left on his gray titanium skin rather than change into the pair of flannel pajamas Mega Man had lent him.
How the hell had he ended up back here? A strange, prickling sense of failure and hopeless crawled through his circuits, blotting out the experience of walking back in the dark with Mega Man and Roll from his mind. He would rather have camped out under the stars than return at all. Why did Mega Man have to be such a law-abiding dweeb? They had been having fun out there, hadn't they? Mega Man was in the room next to him, probably listening to every sound Proto Man made. If Proto Man tried to unlatch the window and sneak out, there'd be trouble. Mega Man would be like Eddie had been, back when Proto Man was just Proto, only much, much worse.
Proto Man sighed, sinking into his pillow, and waited for the sun to rise.
From within his laboratory at Skull Fortress, Dr. Wily was reviewing news footage of Proto Man tying Cut Man and Guts Man to the giant helium parade balloons then blowing them up, one arm draped lazily over the back of his chair. Deacon's parade had been recorded for prime time television, so the battle (and most importantly, Proto Man's heroics) had been caught on camera with all the right angles, the news of Proto Man deserting Dr. Wily spreading like wildfire.
Cut Man and Guts Man stood on either side of Dr. Wily. It was the first time they had ever watched themselves on film. They didn't get it; Dr. Wily was enjoying this as much as if it had been Mega Man that Proto Man had humiliated, or if Dr. Light were to take a pratfall on his way to make an important speech.
"Aw, why did he have to make us look so bad?" complained Guts Man finally, glaring at the monitor.
"Realism, Guts Man, realism!" Dr. Wily replied jubilantly. "Proto Man must convince the world that he's become one of those nauseating do gooders."
He flipped to battonton spycam footage. The triangular pediment, large stone dome, and stately lawns of New York City's historic art museum snapping onto the monitor. The news from the parade had stewed long enough, time to further cement Proto Man's new image as Mega Man's ally.
"Elec Man, Heat Man, Needle Man, attack the city museum, now!" Dr. Wily barked into a communicator. He smirked at Cut Man and Guts Man. "Now…Proto Man to the rescue! And, once Proto Man proves he's a real goody goody hero, I'll begin phase two of my master plan!" Dr. Wily laughed gleefully.
The museum had been under attack for only a few minutes before the Emergency Satellite Scanner sounded an alert through Dr. Light's laboratory.
Proto Man volunteered like a shot to go fight off Dr. Wily's robots, and Roll followed suit. Mega Man hesitated. He could not think of a reason why, if Dr. Wily was targeting Deacon, he would be ordering his robots to attack an unrelated museum. It felt of a trap, one they'd be walking into with Proto Man in a perfect position to strike.
"Might be good if someone stays behind with Dr. Light in case Wily's trying to lure us away from the lab," he muttered to Roll.
"What, you looking at me?" she demanded, indignant.
"Please," said Mega Man, thinking that if Proto Man were about to double cross them, he'd rather be the one out there to bear the brunt of it. At least he took this seriously. "But stand by in case we need backup."
"Alright, I'll stay behind—" Roll consented, folding her arms and smirking at him, "—But only because I think you need quality time with Proto more than I do. In return, do me a favor and at least try to have fun out there for once, will ya? It won't kill ya."
Mega Man smiled back. "It might."
"Hey sis, if you're staying behind, mind if I take your skycycle?" Proto Man called from the other side of the laboratory. He had already grabbed it by the handles and heaved it toward the center of the room, directly beneath the canopy exit in the egg-shaped roof. Again, Mega Man had the keen awareness that Proto Man knew what Mega Man was doing as he smiled radiantly toward them.
"Alright, but be gentle!" Roll told him gruffly. "Any dings or scratches, you're buffing and waxing her until she shines like a mirror, got it?"
"Aye aye, captain." Proto Man looked over at Mega Man. "Ready to go, bro?"
"Yeah, let's go," muttered Mega Man.
Proto Man did not talk along the way, his scarf flapping behind him as he took the spot Mega Man was used to Roll taking. Though it was sunny, it was cold and every now and then a big, puffy gray cloud would cover the sun, like the crisp bite foretelling winter. Ahead, two plumes of smoke snaked upward. They could hear the crackle of electricity, the roar of fire, and the whistle of something that sounded like javelins hurtling through the air.
The three Robot Masters hadn't yet breached the museum's defenses when Mega Man and Proto Man finally arrived. Mega Man could see robo-security had barricaded the front door and were huddled behind hedges and statues, but these simple drones wouldn't last long against the assault of three Robot Masters. Likely, the museum visitors were still inside, taking cover. An old, patinaed fountain of trident sitting with a large fish stood in its entrance, water gurgling into the square, coin-strewn basin.
Mega Man's eyes darted around the museum property, assessing the situation. He didn't recognize two of the Robot Masters, but he remembered Elec Man (specifically how badly a Thunder Beam shock hurt) and began to feel a nervous about how this would turn out. He didn't have long to contemplate strategy, however, as both Elec Man and a boxy red and yellow Robot Master turned toward him. They began firing, Elec Man shooting Thunder Beams while the other Robot Master spit out bursts of flame like a flamethrower, the energies criss-crossing around him like being caught in a fireworks show.
Proto Man hovered next to the museum's stone dome. The smell of smoke after the long hours in the laboratory excited him. He was glad Elec Man had come to help control the battle in their favor.
Newcomer Heat Man was also proving to be a formidable fighter, despite his stature—for Heat Man was short like a human kid and had a voice to match. Yellow boxy armor enclosed his body like a lighter costume, its lid resting on top of a head the size and shape of a bowling ball, which gazed sourly out at the world. The rest of his armor was a fiery cayenne red. Together, he and Elec Man had Mega Man at bay in the sky, just as planned.
Proto Man heard the whistling of Needle Cannon and raised his arm, the sharp pinecone-sized projectiles glanced off his gauntlet with a ringing ping.
Needle Man's eyes stared beadily up at Proto Man. He had been a rogue robot that Dr. Wily had recently picked up from the underground. Needle Man was tall and broad, with thick dull blue armor and two heavy permanent arm cannons. In place of a conventional head, three sharp needles stuck out like blue construction cones from atop his shoulders, while his large dinner-plate sized eyes were inset in his torso, so that while he was taller than the other robots, Heat Man was the only one he didn't have to look up to.
"And once I finish ya off, I'll be Dr. Wily's favorite bot!" he announced, gesturing sweepingly with his cannon arms. He had squeaky voice that sounded like a human talking into cupped hands. It was extremely unintimidating.
Proto Man smirked down at him. "Smooth move, pinhead, except for the fact that I'm on your side?"
"Oh, yeah," Needle Man muttered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with one of his blaster arms as Proto Man leapt lightly from the skycycle to land next to Needle Man.
Proto Man opened the red dome-like access panel just below Needle Man's eyes. "Sorry pal…gotta make it look good!" he said, grabbing a handful of vital circuitry and yanking. Needle Man bellowed, then fell backward with a loud thud, sparks spewing from his body.
Dragging Needle Man with him, Proto Man returned to the skycycle, then sped toward Elec Man and Heat Man.
"Elec Man, what took you guys? They're driving me nuts!" he hissed to Elec Man as he fired at Heat Man.
"…The Lights? It's only been a day," muttered Elec Man, throwing a charged Thunder Beam that Proto Man only barely managed to dodge, the scorching heat a little too close for comfort against his armor.
"By the way, I'm going to throw you in that fountain," Proto Man replied. "Sorry."
"Wait—"
Proto Man gave Elec Man a sharp shove, pushing him head over heals into the cold water, which (triggered by his design defect) would deplete all of his energy. Then he strafed past Heat Man, stealing his weapon while throwing Needle Man's body at him to bowl them into the fountain as well like a neat package of defeated Robot Masters.
"Cool your circuits, bots!" he quipped loudly.
Mega Man glanced over as Proto Man drew the skycycle level with him.
"Nice going." He wasn't sure what else to say. The battle had lasted less than thirty seconds. Mega Man had spent most of that time clumsily avoiding being simultaneously electrocuted and burnt to a crisp until Proto Man had intervened. Once again, Proto Man had mercilessly defeated his (allegedly) former allies in the same crass manor he had dispatched of Cut Man and Guts Man.
"All in a day's work, little brother!" Proto Man responded cheerfully.
Mega Man looked down. He could hear the wail of sirens converging on the scene. A news crew was pulled over on the curb, a camera pointed up at them. It was likely filming clips of Proto Man saving the day that would be displayed over and over again on the news—
With a whoosh of air like a cyclone, the Skullker had came sweeping down behind them. They barely had time to turn around as a cannon lit up from its open jaw—a laser flashing between them. Proto Man had brought the skycycle sharply up (making good on his promise to bring it back to Roll unscratched) but Mega Man and Rush had been grazed, and were sent flying across the park to land in a mulchy tangle inside a dry thicket of rose bushes. But Dr. Wily was not after them, he was recovering the fallen Robot Masters. The He quickly swept down to the fountain to pick them up with his red tractor beam while robo-officers peppered the Skullker's sides with their laser pistols.
"Mega!" shouted Proto Man, who had pulled the skycycle to hover ten feet above him. His face looked grim as he leaned over to check on Mega Man. Meanwhile, the Skullker suddenly climbed altitude as it blasted west. Proto Man's head snapped toward it with a growl. "Don't worry bro, I got this. Just stay put!"
Without another word, the skycycle shot like a rocket in pursuit.
"Wait!" Mega Man called uselessly after him. He was not that hurt, but the growing crowd of onlookers had cheered Proto Man on. "…Damn it." He muttered, standing gingerly up and sweeping dead leaves from his armor. Proto Man could at least bother to be less obvious about this.
Shortly after ditching Mega Man at the museum, Proto Man rendezvoused with Dr. Wily in the Skullker, which had landed hidden in a forest just outside the city—the tall trees still leafy in shades of maple sugar.
"Award winning performance, Proto Man," Dr. Wily congratulated him from within the cockpit. "And now, for phase two of my brilliant plan."
Proto Man was perched on the edge of storage compartment facing Dr. Wily. "What is it?"
Dr. Wily held out his hand. In the center of his palm rested a jet black square. "A scrambler chip. Plant it Mega Man. The effect it will have on your tiresome little kid brother should make your job even easier."
Proto Man took the scrambler chip and looked it over. Without needing explanation, he knew exactly how it worked. There was a design flaw with the ear receptor of the bomber robot's helmet, the point at which the helmet linked with the electronic brain. He remembered Mega Man originally telling him about the design flaw—as bomber robots, it was a weakness they shared. This chip clearly capitalized on this defect. Though it was the size of a lego tile, it had little magnets for gripping, a cloaking device to camouflage its whereabouts, and once placed, its scrambling properties would make it impossible to detect by scanners.
"Will it kill him?" he asked casually.
"No, but it will put him out of commission with a nasty headache," Dr. Wily answered, grinning evilly. "Think of a human with the flu."
"Can't relate, not human."
Dr. Wily was thoughtful for a moment, looking down at the chip. "...Do you want something that kills him?"
"Don't worry, I got it," snickered Proto Man, taking the chip.
Before leaving, Proto Man went to the fuselage of the Skullker where the Robot Masters were recuperating.
Needle Man was lying spread eagled on his back. Heat Man was slumped next to him, his round face screwed up like a shriveled pea.
Proto Man stepped gingerly over them towards Elec Man, who sat crouched against one of the purple walls with his eyes closed, and held out an energy can. "Here. Sorry again about pushing you into the fountain."
Elec Man cracked one eye open to look at him. "It's okay—next time I'll push you into a plasma energy draining pond," he replied dryly, cracking the tab. He took a long drink as Proto Man sat down beside him.
Heat Man stirred, noticing Proto Man's presence for the first time, and shot Proto Man a crippling scowl.
"Hey there new guy," greeted Proto Man, assuming Heat Man had a similar background to Needle Man.
Heat Man continued to scowl at Proto Man, his green eyes like sour grapes. "I'm not new. Dr. Wily built me after Snake Man."
"Oh. …Huh? You've been at Skull Fortress all this time? How come I've never heard of you?"
"Cause I like to keep to myself," Heat Man snapped with emphasized annoyance. "I spend all my time in the manufactory away from everyone. I'm in charge of waste disposal and melting down metal."
Proto Man didn't recall this. Very few robots went to Skull Fortress's manufactory, he himself had only been there one time to threaten Top Man. He regarded this hermit Robot Master with impressed amusement, wondering if Dr. Wily had only just remembered his existence.
"Uh, cool. Well, welcome to your first mission, and, uh, sorry about beating you up too," Proto Man added with a friendly smile.
"Up yours, jackass," Heat Man shot back before screwing his eyes shut again and pointedly ignoring them.
Elec Man had finished the energy drink. He gave Proto Man a skeptical look. "…Isn't anyone keeping an eye on you?"
"Not really, just Mega."
"Typical."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing."
"…Didn't sound like nothing."
Proto Man rested his head back against the concave wall of the fuselage. He felt reluctant to leave. He wished Elec Man were more talkative, but there was something closed off in Elec Man's manor as he regarded Proto Man for a moment.
"If you stay any longer, they'll get suspicious."
Proto Man shrugged. "I'll just tell them I was rescuing puppies from trees."
"Doesn't sound very convincing."
"Doesn't have to be." Proto Man hesitated, then added, "Why don't you come with me? We'll pretend I captured you—that can be my alibi. Then you can be in on the act."
He felt if Elec Man came one in this mission, it would start to feel normal. It would alleviate his anxiety about pretending to be a good guy, at least (though a part of him was embarrassed for Elec Man to witness the suburban-like environment he was grown up in. But then again, maybe Elec Man would finally get why he hated it there).
"You know that won't work—" Elec Man protested, looking quickly away as though he had been burnt.
Proto Man continued on determinedly. "Wily won't care. Two agents are better than one, right? And I won't have to dunk you in any more fountains—"
"Proto Man, they'll want to reprogram me. I'll reveal the entire plan, then some incriminating things about my creator—and while you may not care about Centum, I do. Besides, I don't want to do it."
Elec Man said this with a harsh sternness, yet he wouldn't look at Proto Man.
This line of logic was sound, but it wasn't what Proto Man wanted to hear. "Okay, okay, I was just…whatever," he said, standing up and trying to play off how he felt. "But see you around, okay?"
His hand gripping the scrambler chip tightly, its sharp corners digging into his titanium skin, he quickly hurried from the Skullker.
"What'd ya mean you lost him?" Roll's voice crackled from Mega Man's communicator. "You're the one who said we should keep an eye on him!"
"I know, I know," Mega Man sighed. He was flying with Rush above the tops of the skyscrapers, scanning the horizons for Proto Man, the Skullker, or any signs of battle, yet the city had resumed its normal bustle, the monorail snaking between the buildings, sunlight twinkling off the ocean. "Dr. Wily took me by surprise in the Skullker, then Proto Man took off after him."
"Yeah, it's been on the news," said Roll. "He's wracking up a ton of positive press between this and the parade. They think Dr. Light reprogrammed him. It's like everyone forgot he used to be a criminal."
Mega Man said nothing. That was what he had been afraid of. Worst yet, he imagined that Proto Man had made it look like he didn't even need Mega Man.
"I know you're worried, but at least he's beating up bad guys, isn't he?" Roll put in encouragingly.
"I guess," muttered Mega Man. Kinda ruthlessly. "Wait, hold on…he's trying to contact me, talk later," he added, ending his call with Roll to accept Proto Man's. It was strange having his communicator linked with Proto Man's…strange and dangerous. "Where are you?" he asked coldly.
Proto Man's voice was mulishly friendly. "Chased Wily almost to the border, but the skycycle couldn't keep up. Sorry, bro, but he got away again."
"Fine, whatever."
"Hey Mega, I'm chilling in a park, feeding some pigeons and people watching. It's a beautiful day out, why don't you come join me?"
Mega Man hesitated. "Which park?"
"The one that got overrun with skull tanks back when Wily invaded the city with the Robo-Spider."
Mega Man sighed, rubbing the temples of his helmet. "…Pelham Bay Park?"
"Yeah, that one. See you in a few?"
The comm call abruptly ended.
Rush was idly circling Manhattan, gazing with interest at a flock of geese flying in south a hundred yards to their right. Part of Mega Man wanted to stand Proto Man up (or even call Chief Fibes and report Proto Man's location), but instead he called Roll back and tell her where he was headed, feeling the same apprehension of someone about to drive head first into a storm.
Proto Man waited for Mega Man at an iron bench beneath a shady grove of elm trees. He had been careful to pick a less crowded spot, wary of tourists that might mob him (with reason). It was one of the few places in the city where the wind could be heard rushing through the dry leaves like the gentle roar of the ocean.
Proto Man leaned back on the cool bars of the bench. He had once beheaded a statue of Beethoven in Central Park. His first criminal act. His thoughts lingered on this memory, strange, small, distorted, and rotten. Dr. Wily's scrambler chip was between the tips of his index and forefinger, like a magician about to do sleight of hand with a dime. In that moment, it felt like a talisman.
He quickly wiped these thoughts from his mind. Mega Man was walking down the wide sidewalk toward him, Rush trailing behind. Without looking at Proto Man, Mega Man slumped into the seat next to him.
"Alright, we're here. What do you want?" Mega Man uttered in the resigned voice of someone who just wanted to get this over with.
Proto Man ignored his attitude. He had expected worse. "I just wanted some time with my brother," he said brightly, throwing an arm around Mega Man's shoulder. Then he gave Mega Man a playful shove. "…You little dope."
These gestures, Proto Man's constant upbeat attitude, and excessive use of terms like 'bro' and 'little brother', all mimicked what Proto Man vaguely recalled siblings doing in sitcoms (back when he had watched sitcoms in Dr. Light's laboratory because he was bored out of his mind and could find nothing else to do). It was all a joke, yet, it seemed to be working. Mega Man had not flinched from his touch as expected this time. A reluctant smile even spread across his face as he shoved him back. Then, they burst into laugher, slipping into the same sudden familiarity they had shared at the party the night before. Rush, reacting to their emotions, began wagging his tail while jumping up to lick their faces.
Mega Man bolted up suddenly. He walked a few paces away from the bench, his back to Proto Man, eyes on the sidewalk, face drawn.
"For a minute I forgot myself…you're more twisted than a car wreck."
Proto Man stood up too, feeling a bit annoyed at the sudden tonal whiplash. Though this was all an act, he was still frustrated Mega Man would not cut him any slack, and now would have to act even harder to keep this up.
"Why would you say that?"
"Because you're not acting like yourself! Even I don't act this good all the time."
Rush had stopped wagging his tail. He lay flat on the sidewalk with his head between his paws, his ears flat as his eyes flickered mournfully between them.
"Well I'm angry now, is that what you want?"
"Yeah, it's the only way to get a sincere word out of you! Otherwise you're just full of shit."
His fists clenched, Proto Man stalked closer to Mega Man, whose head was still bowed toward the sidewalk, prepared to get in his face. "Hey, I'm doing my best to go straight and you still mistrust me? You think you're too good for your brother."
He had raised his clenched fists. Though he was pretending to be hurt, he still hated this whole stupid charade. They both knew Proto Man was acting, and Mega Man hated that Proto Man was here at all. Time to take this to its logical conclusion. Perhaps Proto Man could still salvage Dr. Wily's plan by taking out Mega Man early. If not, too bad. He waited for Mega Man to hit him, silently daring him to make the first move…
Mega Man's hand closed over one of his, with a brief, unexpected squeeze, his eyes looking up to gaze into Proto Man's. It was the kind of look even a mirrored-visor couldn't guard against.
"You've got it all wrong," Mega Man said quietly before letting go and looking away again. "I've always wanted a real brother relationship with you."
The park was still save for the wind and distant traffic. Proto Man's arms had fallen back by his side as he stared at Mega Man's bowed profile, studying him.
"Y-y-you do?"
Mega Man was silent for a moment, still as ice. "When I first met you, I thought there was good in you. Then I realized what a self-serving jerk you can be—yet you still have natural heroic qualities, however much you deny and bury them." Mega Man paused again. "I want a relationship with the real you, not this phoney smarmy weirdo you think Dad wants you to be."
Proto Man wasn't sure how to take this. None of it was lining up. Mega Man had always hated him for being a criminal, for choosing his own freedom and happiness—but now that he was acting the opposite, a by-the-book hero, Mega Man was saying he liked the real Proto Man? He should say something, change the course of this conversation that was going dangerously off the rails but his electronic brain had stalled, and Mega Man continued to press in on him.
"Here's the thing, Proto. You're painting this picture like you had it bad at Skull Fortress, and that's why you left. As if you think that's enough to for us to think you're a hero. As if it wouldn't be more heroic to be honest and admit you are giving up something you want by being here."
Was Mega Man trying to trick Proto Man into confessing? "Why did you even come out here?" he demanded in a low voice.
"Because I like having you around, and I don't want you to leave again," Mega Man returned, voice rising. "And I'm not the only one who feels that way. Though she'll never say it out loud, Roll prefers your company over mine."
Proto Man snorted. "Chh, that's not true. Why would she like me better?"
"Because you're fun, and I'm not," Mega Man answered dryly. "And then our Dad…" He trailed off, shaking slightly. "How are you going to feel when you uncover what's really going on?"
Proto Man wasn't sure what to say. It felt like any word would be damning. Mega Man was getting emotional, and it was making him uncomfortable. A few humans strolling through the park had stopped to stare at them, then, realizing who Mega Man and Proto Man were, turned around and quickly hurried away.
Mega Man seemed not to have expected an answer. "But you know what? This isn't about you or what you want. You know why we're all going along with all this? Because we really care about you, and you are just taking advantage of that." Mega Man heaved an exhausted sigh. "…And you don't care. Nothing like that matters to you. You've made that clear."
"Mega…"
Mega Man began striding briskly off down the sidewalk. "I gotta go on patrol," he called coldly without looking back. "For some strange yet completely coincidental reason, Wily's bots seem to be especially aggressive lately. Have fun feeding pigeons."
Rush gave a soft whine, then padded quietly after Mega Man, leaving Proto Man alone on by the bench.
A gray pigeon bobbed hopefully up to Proto Man's boot.
"Scram, birdbrain. Go find some other lonely schmuck to mooch from," he muttered listlessly.
He looked down at his empty hand, which moments earlier had deftly planted the scrambler chip on the inside of the circular ear receptor on Mega Man's helmet…but that wasn't what was bothering him.
Earlier, he had been reliving every day of his life as Dr. Light's lab assistant, the misery and frustration clouding every action like a dense fog. But now he was replaying the memories after meeting Mega Man—Rock—and thinking about how Rock had wanted to be on the same side all along, with 'the real him', even through everything Proto Man and Dr. Wily put them through.
Proto Man wished he had never agreed to this mission. For the first time since he left Dr. Light and donned the red and gray titanium armor, Proto Man felt guilty.
To be continued…