A small blue robot dashed across the cage-like assembly of catwalks and outstretched beams, a city-sized powerplant unfolding before him. The plant was a marvel of clean energy symbol of international unity, generating more energy than any other facility in the world and distributing that energy across the New European Union. But now that Elec Man had taken over, the plant had become an electrified fortress. The several mile-wide and several hundred-foot-tall power plant was record-setting for its size, its skyline resembling a distant, shadowy castle even from miles away and Elec Man's modifications had caused once safe generators to launch dramatic arcs of white-hot electricity. They complicated aerial observation of the facility and most approaching from most angles nearly impossible. It was a genius defense, though knowing Elec Man, it was likely done as much for the sake of theatrical flair as it was for its practicality. With his powers, combat was more game to Elec Man than survival, but Rock remained undeterred. Getting to the center of the plant, to Elec Man, would mean getting another opportunity to save one of his brothers, or at the very least destabilize their efforts. And, if either failed, he would be able to restore energy to a significant part of the continent.
Watchers, a swarm of heavily-armed security drones flocked behind him in hot pursuit. The polar eyestalks of their planetoid bodies that once produced small shocks to scare away nesting birds from the plant had been overloaded and were now assaulting Rock with a hail of lightning bolts.
"You're nearing the testing facility for the Magnet Beam. If you're quick, you should be able to... ack... qui...k..."
His comms hissed with static as beams of electricity sailed over his shoulder, the surge of electricity scrambling his connection to the lab. Another bolt seared his leg and yet another shot into a control box in front of him, filling his vision with sparks and scrambling his heat and navigation sensors. he brought his forearm in front of his face, blocking the glare for a moment only to misplace his steps. He lost his balance, tumbling off of the beam and falling for some time before crashing through the roof of one of the plant's buildings. He passed through several layers of scaffolding, roofing, and insulation before hearing the definitive CRACK of the floor's linoleum tile.
A frantic voice spoke in his ear as he forced his stiff body up from the floor—a voice that he was starting to wish had stayed scrambled.
"Rock, the watchers! Get out of there!"
Moving from the floor with a grunt, Rock dashed to the door and put himself quickly on the other side, holding the door shut behind him. Rock heard the sounds of several small metal bodies colliding with each other and with the door, but none strong enough to break through it. The Watchers were fierce, terrifying even, but when faced with the heavy door, they turned away.
Dr. Light came over the comm, his voice seated in gruff irritation.
"Rock, I told you this would be too dangerous. Please, you need to reconsider this attack."
The robot righted himself and began to walk down the hall, refusing to respond partially out of pride. For a few moments, the sound of metal feet clapping against tile was the only sound they heard.
"I can do this." Rock finally responded, hoping to reassure himself as much as he was the doctor. Dr. Light kissed his teeth, shaking his head at the screen. He'd been so used to thinking of Rock as a child, but now he was starting to feel more like a teenager.
The doctor leaned into the mic once more, his tone unchanging. "I understand you want to fight Elec Man, but the fight will be incredibly difficult without Cut Man's schematics. You will be out of range for a teleport signal soon, if you choose to retreat now you'll be trapped."
For his entire life, Light's voice had been a comfort for him. Even when giving him and his sister orders, there was always a certain pleasure, whether programmed or learned, that came with doing what he asked. But with Cut Man attacking a long-evacuated skyscraper and the other Robot Masters, Ice Man and Fire Man in already desolate locations, it seemed clear to Rock who his first priority should be. Going against the order his father had given him was uncomfortable, and promised to be painful, but that wasn't of concern to Rock. What concerned him was saving lives. Though, he still wasn't sure what he would do when he met Elec Man.
"You have your list doctor, but I have mine. And Elec Man is next. I don't care if you don't own stocks in this power plant or whatever, winning this fight would mean bringing electricity back to billions of people. It could turn the tide against the other masters! Especially if Elec Man is their true leader like the others said…"
Dr. Light rolled back in his chair, deflated by the accusation. But there was no way he felt he could argue with the boy, and he had no desire to. He could admit that he was human, that he sent Rock to reclaim the Robot Masters that were the most prominent in his mind. He could also admit that some of the sites that he masters were attacking, like the facility where Bomb Man was hiding and the city where Cut Man was attacking, were important financial assets to him, but that would only be part of the truth.
He sent Rock to Bomb Man and Guts Man first because he knew their schematics would do a great deal for Rocks' arsenal and because the two bots would help a great deal in the reconstruction effort if Rock had been able to bring them to their side. However, he did not feel that he would be able to convince Rock at the moment. Light resigned, bit his tongue, and spoke in a neutral tone. After all, if he could not dissuade the boy from moving forward, he had the responsibility to offer him an alternative.
"You're right, Rock. You're doing the right thing. But Elec Man's Thunder Beam burns hotter than the sun. If things get bad in there, you can run back towards the outskirts of the facility and I'll teleport you back here. I can't save you if you're trapped in there with him."
Rock hummed in thought. Things would get bad in there without the Rolling Cutter, there was no doubt about that, but running away from a hard task wasn't something he was programmed to do. Though, then again, neither was killing Robot Masters. Maybe he would consider retreat if it meant he had a better chance of beating Wily.
"Okay," He said, his voice weak. The fear he had been hiding for so long was beginning to leak out, quivering in his tone, "I'll remember that."
His voice echoed in the hall. The doctor became silent for a moment. Then, to Rock's surprise, he chuckled.
"So this is what it's like looking after a teenager, eh? I pity the fathers that had to come before me."
Rock couldn't help but laugh with him. He needed it. But it was time for them to get to work.
"Please. Now, what's this about a Magnet Beam?"
The Magnet Beam was an experimental device that used electromagnetic pulses to shape metal but had limitless combat applications. It would be invaluable in the fight against Wily and his robots. It would maybe even help against Elec Man, if Rock was willing to return to the lab.
Light swiveled over to a nearby screen and resettled his glasses, scanning the display. Bare cement halls twisted through the facility, some clean and well-lit where light fixtures in others had burnt out or there were papers scattered across the floor. It was evident that the plant's maintenance staff had left in a rush. Noticing the black scars on the walls and smell of ash, Rock just hoped that they were able to escape. When Rock was a mere building away from the facility housing the Magnet Beam, he activated Guts Man's weapon—the Super Arm—and tore out a section of the wall in the hallway as well as the wall to the Magnet Beam's test room creating a doorway that he strode fearlessly through.
Unlike the other rooms of the facility, this room was pitch black, broken only by the occasional blinking of machine light. Any screens in the room were darkened or smashed, and the lights switch wouldn't work. It was always possible that Rock had damaged the wiring in the wall with his Super Arm, but both Rock and Light both suspected a trap. The room was round, with a metal structure in the center, pointed at a metal slab near the wall. Consoles that were presumably used to control the machine sat nearby, though it was hard to properly define anything in the room beneath its veil of shadow. There were several areas of the room that were completely engulfed in darkness. He found two doors on the far end and left side of the room. Rock and Dr. Light both began conceiving escape routes in their minds.
Rock moved towards the center pedestal, glancing apprehensively at the shadows, and found a machine not unlike his buster, though slightly more unwieldy. The metal panels nearby it, seemingly used for testing, had holes bored through their centers. He took the machine in his hands, lifting it gently as to not disrupt the wires attached to it.
"If you take that back to the lab, we might be able to reverse-engineer it into a weapon to use against Elec-Man." The doctor commented. Rock gave a quick tug to a bundle of wires dangling from the beam that plucked them from the pedestal. He noted that there was no alarm, "I know you'd rather have me go in with a good weapon. But I'm not leaving until I speak with him."
"Speak with—" Light spat out in disbelief. Rock began to notice interference floating in over the gruffness of his voice. It was thin at first, then choked his voice like a fog chokes light, "If we …n't able to convince the …s, what …. think we'll be able t… conv… nce… im…?"
Rock called for the doctor, confused for a moment before he felt the warm buzz of electricity in the air. It reminded him of when he was grazed by one of the watchers' shots. He yanked the Magnet Beam away from its pedestal and clutched it to his chest with one arm. He changed his other into a buster. He pivoted his foot towards the door to his left, ready for anything.
Light sparked in the corner of the room, like a spark in an electric socket; quick, aggressive, white-hot. It spiraled out from a central point, crawling around a form in the shadows. The burning threads revealed only small glimpses of the form they crawled across, but Rock didn't need to see his body. He knew exactly who was standing there. The Robot Master with the foresight to orchestrate a trap like this long in advance. The Robot Master who couldn't resist a dramatic entrance.
The lightning flowed downwards from the figure's body, splitting as they traveled down a pair of shadowed forearms. Reaching the hands, they swelled into orbs of electricity that illuminated his side of the room in full, like a pair of spotlights flashing to life in his palms. It was only then that Elec Man turned on the lights in his helmet; the shape of a yellow domino mask, adorned in the center by a lightning bolt that pointed upwards. In the depths of the mask where two pure white lights that bore into Rock. Before, he had thought of them as the confident eyes of a showman, but now they felt like a pair of headlights speeding towards him on an empty road.
"Sorry to cut you off doctor, but you've been on stage far too long. I nearly missed my cue!" Elec Man smiled, his glowing face pouring with a sophisticated smugness. White fabric swayed, the lightning bolt on his chest flashing between them. A thin red body armored with black panels made to look like boots and a cowl of insulated black rubber stood before him. If Rock didn't know better, he would think he looked like a superhero.
The fibers that ran down the lengths of his arms—usually glowing a bright electrical yellow where they were not covered by bands of black rubber—seemed muted, seemingly covered by the same white fabric; a technician's lab coat. It flowed behind him like a cape.
"Elec Man—!"
A quaking fear began to overtake his servos as the doctor's cries were muffled, broken, and silenced in his ear. As much as he wished to defy the doctor, his presence was still a comfort. A pair of hands on the bike seat. Elec Man smiled at him with a faux empathy.
"Well? You wanted to go off Light's script, improv a bit—This is your big break!" He laughed, tossing his arms outward in a grand flourish of movement as lightning struck the walls, raining sparks and burnt plastic-like confetti. Light fell behind him, shining through several holes burnt in the fabric of the lab coat. Holes made by the Thunder Beam. Rock shuddered, but still brought up his buster.
"I just—I just want to talk. The other masters said that you were the smartest, that you co—" Rock began to stutter, "You coordinated everything. I need to know if—if—"
"Sorry, that wasn't very convincing," Elec Man laid a finger on the barrel of the buster, giving his brother an endeared smile as he pushed it away. "Do you want to give it another shot?"
Rock's buster was visibly shaking and no longer on his target, but he was unable to stabilize it as his other handheld the Magnet Beam close to his chest. He knew it wouldn't save him, but it gave him even the slightest edge in their fight, he knew he couldn't risk letting go of it. It was his only lifeline now.
"This—This isn't a game."
Elec Man grinned, "No, but it's a great show, isn't it?"
Rock's feet began shuffling back involuntarily as his brain began to overload. Diplomacy seemed hopeless. His chances of beating him were already slim. He shouldn't have come here.
He took a step back, and, to Elec's disappointment, began warming up his buster.
"I don't want to fight you, Elec Man." Rock pleaded, but Elec Man only continued to glare, the white eyes of his mask staring through the boy like daggers. He gripped the side of the buster tightly, keeping it pointed towards the wall. Luckily, that's where Rock was aiming.
The blue bomber planted his feet, being sure that they rang loudly against the ground in hopes of throwing Elec Man off his guard and made a frantic swatting motion with his buster arm, firing wildly. Elec Man dodged, releasing his grip on Rock's buster so that he could spin away dramatically before ducking under the blue bomber's second volley of shots. He then moved to his mark, sprung up, and prepared to strike, only to realize that Rock had disappeared. Metal footsteps could be heard through an open door to his side.
Elec Man grinned at the empty darkness on the opposite side of the pedestal. If there was anything a thespian respected, after all, it was a great ad-lib.
As Rock ran sobbing down the hall, his mind screaming in equal parts fear and frustration. This was his chance to prove he was capable, not only to Light, but to himself, and he ran away.
Rock looked back down the flickering hall as his brother rounded the corner, appearing between the flashes of the overhead lights, the fluorescents malfunctioning as he neared.
"Come on Rock, you can't get up now. It's not even intermission yet!" Thunder cracked like a gunshot as a focused burst of electricity shot towards him, impacting a nearby wall. Heat and static and chunks of cement danced around him, throwing him into a daze. But he kept running.
"Where ya going, Rock? I know you don't have to use the bathroom!"
In the flashes of white, Rock could now clearly see his brother's body. Burnt streaks and spattered brown stains crisscrossed his legs and torso, and his upper-half was cloaked in a wide, unbuttoned lab coat, flapping with every exaggerated motion. It any other lighting, the coat would flow softly behind him, but to Rock, it seemed to flash from side to side. Each flash brought him closer. But what scared Rock the most was that, despite his languishing movements, Elec Man was keeping pace.
Rock burst through a pair of double doors, running up a staircase lit dimly by emergency lights, realizing all too late that he had become cornered. At the top of the stairs was a single pair of double doors and he shot them open, revealing the plant's control room. Elec Man's bed of operations and his home for most of his life. It was the worst place he could be.
The control room was a pit of damaged screens and smashed control panels, where the scorched paths of lightning bolts tangled the room like the branches of a dead tree. A body of the scientist was thrown into a corner. Aside from the white glow of the few working screens, the room was showered in the red-orange glow of some kind of hazard light in the ceiling.
For a moment, however, Rock was out of range of Elec Man's magnetic field, and his comms crackled to life. "Rock? ROCK! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"
Rock's eyes widened, "Dad—!"
Light spoke hastily, anticipating the return of the interference. But his voice was already starting to fade. "The Magnet Beam can be powered by the plasma from your buster! There should be available connection points if you open up your buster using your maintenance routines. I didn't tell you earlier because I thought you would be able to return to the lab, but you can make the connection without it!"
Without question, Rock immediately opened his buster and connecting the loose wires from the beam to his systems. As he worked, he kept an ear to his comms, listening to Light's voice. It was beginning to fade. "You need to use… magnetic field …disrupt Elec…n's…"
"It can block his beams?!" Rock questioned, making the final connections. But Light's voice had already disappeared, leaving him alone once again in the dimly lit coffin of the control center. He finalized the connections, welding the beam to his arm with his buster's plasma just to be sure. It was completely secure and would be able to switch between his Plasma Beam and the Magnet Beam on a whim. Though he wasn't sure if he would be able to use it offensively, it would work like one of his standard weapons. Even though he had an experimental electromagnetic field generating device jerry-rigged to his body, just having that little bit extra power filled him with confidence. Confidence he would need.
Double doors smashed open at the bottom of the stairs and the screaming, crackling roar of a lightning bolt filled the stairwell. Rock turned towards the stairwell, petrified as Elec Man shot to the top, the doors blown off their hinges as he blasted them with his Thunder Beam. Making his dramatic entrance.
Rock was scared, but he wasn't going to back down and he wasn't going to run, even if his chances of winning were extraordinarily slim. Just as an actor placed on an unwelcoming stage, his best chance of survival was not to exit but persist. Elec Man was here. It was showtime.