Somewhere out there, a doggy is chasing his little tail...right into traffic.
Beneath this great big sky, an idiot is burning himself with a nice warm cup of McDonald's watered - down coffee.
But none of those happy things are happening here...because it's Auntie Draco's story time!! Huzzah!
Yes, I know we just recently gathered to hear the heartwarming tale of Zero Tolerance. But this 'ere's a new tale! It's fresh! It's 100% Uh - Huh! It's the PREQUEL to ZT! Yee haa! So break out the apple juice (yes, apple juice; when I served you children ale last time, yer parents gave me hell), and listen as I spin my yarn....(Hey! I see you sneaking out! Get back in here! Suffer and perish like a good little child.)
Somewhere on this planet of monkeys and apes, a sleek black and yellow robot wanders, looking for blood. His eyes mean death. His hands could choke you like a chicken. And he has a funky cool helmet. He's an infamous bugger who goes by the name of Bass. Of course, many of you know him deep down inside yourselves. It's an icky, bloody place, somewhere close to your bowels. That's where you know him.
You may be thinking..."Who is this 'Bass'? What does he want? And whatever happened to Pez candy?"
Heh..I assure you, my little hatchlings, that there are logical answers to these questions. Bass is indeed Wily's robot, and he plays an integral role in the creation of....Oops, there I go again, blowing the plot in an intro. So, little uns, buckle your seatbelts, man the lifeboats and pray to your God. Because this is where I take you far away on a journey where we will come to the shocking realization that.....
by Red Draco
"Now where was I...? Oh yeah. What a nice day..."
"Welcome to the abode of the Damned." The knight rasped. "Do you have an appointment?"
"To hell with the appointments! I'm Bass!" The sleek robot snarled.
"That's nice, but I really don't care. I just want to see Shade."
Bass looked at the canine sternly. "Stop that. You're supposed to be a fierce attack dog! Sit down."
Gospel cocked his head at Bass and panted.
Gospel rolled over to have his tummy scratched.
"Nah, Flagg's a good bird. Usually. So what's new?"
Bass' face fell. " The Doc's not that good, I'm afraid."
Shade Man frowned. "Ah. That's too bad. Perhaps it is his age?"
Shade Man considered this. "Tell me your plan first."
Shade grinned again. "I like, I like. What do you want me to do?"
Shade raised a questioning eyebrow. "Shoot you?"
"Yeah. Just give me a small shot on my shoulder."
"Oh! You nasty old robot! How dare you? Mega Man's gonna get you for that one!"
Both the evil bots shared a laugh.
"Well, I'm off to meet Mega Man!" Bass said, once he had calmed down. "Thanks, Shade."
"Not a problem. By the way...."
"How do you know where to meet Mega Man?"
Shade's normally bleached face went paler still. "What?"
"Lights, camera, action!" Bass thought to himself.
As soon as he was in striking distance, Gospel launched himself at Mega Man with a tremendous howl.
"Yikes! Down, Lassie!" Bass heard the blue bomber yelp.
Bass' heart gave a wild leap of excitement when Mega answered him.
"No. We're a team. Dr. Light would be glad to fix you up."
Bass bowed his head so that Mega wouldn't be able to see his wry smile.
"Thanks. I'm glad I have a friend like you...."
"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day to be neighbors..."
"Would you mind shutting up? Your singing leaves much to be desired."
"We - ll....okay. But only 'cause you're my sis."
Protoman shrugged his plated shoulders. "Whatever. Shoes or no, Mr. Rogers still scares me."
Although Roll couldn't disagree with that remark, she decided to change the uneasy topic.
"I'm not surprised, since you can't see any of it with that visor in front of your eyes."
Proto became offended. "Hey. Don't dis the visor. It's my friend."
Roll grinned. "But how can you SEE anything?"
Roll nodded a bit sadly. "Maybe I could have a talk with him."
Roll nodded in agreement. "I don't see why Rock just doesn't kill him."
"Don't ever....ever....EVER SAY THAT!" He hissed frantically.
Roll seemed confused, and with good reason. "Why...? What did I say?"
Roll looked at her brother dumbly. "But why?"
"I take it you don't know too much about the Rules of Robotics?"
Roll had to admit that she did not know very much.
"Oh." Roll said. She seemed to be feeling a bit guilty about bringing up the whole topic.
An uneasy silence was the only answer from Roll. Proto shifted uncomfortably.
"All right. I trust you. Light told me that he's working on some plans for a new robot."
Roll seemed disappointed. "That's not so unusual."
"No, my ignorant little sibling. Not just ANY robot!"
Roll's interest sparked again. "Go on."
"So?" Roll interrupted again. "A strong robot is nothing to write home to mother about."
Roll still did not seem too impressed. "A robot with emotions? Big deal. We have emotions, right?"
"I think that sounds wonderful," Roll said as she took all this in.
Proto gazed off into the distance again and frowned suddenly.
"Yeah. And here comes one of those problems."
Proto was engulfed by a red beam, then gone.
"Oh, that's my new invention. It's called the Energy Balancer, and it's function is to --"
"'Energy Balancer'? That's a stupid name. What's that?" Bass pointed to another object.
"That's my laser cannon. It's very handy for --"
Bass became offended. "Sorry. I can't help it if I'm inquisitive."
"No thanks needed. It was a simple procedure."
Light involuntarily winced at the sight of his hard work splattered all over the floor.
"No...and sometimes you can't win AT all..."
Bass looked up. "Hm? What was that you said?"
Bass managed to lift up the fallen shelf and squirm out from under it.
"I'm alright. Really, I am..."
"Bass...WHAT is...going...on?" Light demanded.
Dr. Light frantically renewed his struggle to get out from under the table. "Get away from there!"
Bass simply tossed the bomb he was holding up and down like a black baseball.
"Give those plans back to me!" Dr. Light cried desperately.
"Holy Queen Mother! What's been going on here!?" He demanded angrily.
There was a small pause from the other end.
"Again? This is the third time this month! Bass, you have to learn to tolerate idiots more."
"Hey!" Bass cried out suddenly.
Snake looked at Bass in amusement. "Is something the matter?"
"Cool! A real python!" Bass remarked.
Snake nodded and grinned with pride. "Yes. He's my new pet."
"What's his name?" Bass inquired as he (carefully) pet the triangular head of the python.
"Have no fear, Bass is here!" Sang the ebony bot.
"Wow, you know what Bass? You're right! Now leave me alone. Go water the plants."
"Ah, Bass. My last and greatest creation. I really outdid myself with you. You're so humanlike.."
"Yeah. Those were like, uh, the golden times Doc." Fire Man grunted from behind.
"Gee, what could be more fun than eternal damnation?"
"Do your worst." Wily challenged his creation in a growl.
Bass pounced on that gladly. "Very well then. Doc, will you look at these sheets?"
"Doc, will you look at these sheets?"
"Doc, will you look at these sheets?"
"Doc, will you look at these sheets?"
"Doc, will you look at these sheets?"
Wily's head jerked up. "You took these away in front of Light?"
"Do you have ANY idea what these plans are?"
"Ah...no. I honestly have no idea what they are."
Bass smiled wryly. Wily seemed to be getting back to his old, scheming self again.
Wily's huge grin twisted to a frown as he looked at the crinkled plans again.
Bass pretended to be interested in the old human's ramblings. "What happened to him, Doc?"
"Oh, I got bored with X, so I fed him to my pet alligator." Wily said absently.
Bass grinned. "You're a good man, Doc. You have quite a heart."
Wily paused in his raving. "Yes Bass?"
Bass smirked and removed his helmet with a sweeping mock bow. "Anything you say, mein Wily!"
m'boy, but I have to work a lot."
"Because we need money to buy things."
"Why do we need money to buy things?"
"I will," Paul muttered, dejected.
Alex gave a satisfied nod, and resumed getting ready for his departure to work for the afternoon.
"Bass, we have a slight problem with our 'reploid'.
Bass' interest flared up again. "What's the plan?"
Wily hesitated for a second. "I could probably turn a human into a reploid."
The quizzical expression glued to Bass' face requested more info.
"'More machine than man...'" Bass echoed. "Cool! Just like Darth Vader!"
Bass studied the liquid with interest. "What is this stuff?"
"One of my newer inventions. I call it 'Nullifier..'"
"What the hell do you want? Let him go NOW!"
"I'll go," Alex grunted. "just leave him alone."
"Watch what happens when I stick my tongue in this electrical socket!"
"No Pollux, I really don't think you should --"
"All right Pollux, you da man!" Someone laughed.
"Hey, Snakester. How's my baby brother doing?" Bass motioned towards Alex.
"So far he's fine. You said that his name was Alex?"
Snake Man shuffled around to read the information behind him.
"Robotic heart is functioning at 100%, and circulatory fluids are being distributed as needed."
"Titanium X armour has been forged and donned."
"What colours were chosen for the armour?"
"Red and grey are the primary colours of the protective gear. It also sports gold trimmings."
"Okay! The arm cannon is in place. It should correspond with the reploid's battle programs.
"Bass, Shadow Man just said that my mother was a tuna can. Do somethiiiiing!"
Bass beat Fire Man severely before he observed the phenotype of his brother.
"Anyone seen the Doc? I want to ask him a few questions."
"Really?" Bass said, a trifle bitterly.
Bass grinned wickedly. "You leave that to me."
Night silently swallowed up Skull Castle, and Wily grudgingly decided that he had better tidy up a bit around the fortress before turning in for the night. He was in the process of discarding a half - eaten box of stale donuts just as Bass burst into the room, his face wreathed in smiles. Behind the bot, a red and silver figure stumbled awkwardly, unsure of its steps. Bass skidded to a stop, spread out his arms and began to talk like a madman. "Doc! The reploid woke up! Isn't this amazing? Doc? Doc! Oh man, he fainted. I hate it when he does that. I'd better get some water...no, wait, he's coming to." Bass extended a hand to help the old scientist back on his feet.
"Buh - Bass...the reploid...it's awake?"
"Appears so."
"Holy Mother Takhisis! I don't believe it!" Wily scrambled back to his feet with the aid of Bass. He regarded his creation with narrowed eyes. "Why won't it speak? And why did it move so clumsily when you busted in?"
Bass suddenly seemed proud of the fact that HE would actually be able to explain something to WILY for once. "I think that a newly - activated reploid is a lot like a human infant. It has to get used to its new body, and learn about the skills it possesses. This fellow's progressing rapidly," - Here Bass jabbed a finger at Zero - "he's already walking. And he's not talking, because he's too busy thinking."
Wily's worn heart raced. Thinking? Could that be true? Sure enough, when he looked at Zero, the reploid was squinting at a contraption resting on a small table, as if he were thinking about what use that object might have. Wily slowly turned back around to Bass.
"Thinking?"
Bass nodded as a twisted grin worked its way to his face. "THINK - ING! And who knows what else he can do?"
Wily clutched his chest. "Okay, Wily!" He coached himself calmly. "No time for a heart attack now! We have a lot of work to do." He steadied himself. "Zero!" He barked sharply.
The reploid suddenly snapped out of his trance and whipped around to face Wily. "Sir?"
"Do you know who I am?"
"Yessir. You're the one who gave me life, or so my brother Bass told me. I plan to serve you in any way I can." The reploid punctuated the sentence by performing a little bow. Something else seemed to cross Zero's mind as he grimaced and said, "I plan to serve you even though you're a human. But since you created me, my loyalty is with you."
Wily hardly dared to hope. "Is something wrong with humans?"
"Well...yes. Shortly before I was pulled into birth, some sort of black entity appeared to me in my dreams and explained that all humans are evil, and need to be destroyed." Zero raised his arm cannon above his head for a dramatic effect. "I plan to do just that."
Wily's twisted grin seemed to reach from one end of the country to the other. "Well, isn't this a happy coincidence? That's the plan I had in mind for you! But don't destroy ANYTHING yet. Nothing. There's a time and a place for that, y'hear? Here's what my immediate plans for you consist of: You will remain awake for four months. During this time, Bass will teach you what kind of skills you posses." Wily helpfully pointed Zero in Bass' direction, who waved at the reploid with unworldly enthusiasm. "After those four months, you will be sealed in a capsule where you will become dormant for at least 30 years. When you wake up in the future, nestle yourself in society, then kill all you want once you're comfortable. Did you get that? Do you want me to write it down?"
The reploid's response was a flabbergasted stare. Another reflection of the emotions he was feeling. "Why does my future appear to be so odd?"
"I have my reasons. Now, listen: I hope your weapons work okay." Wily picked up Zero's right hand, the one containing the arm cannon. "This is a pretty damn good shooter, if I say so myself. Are you able to change between your cannon and your hand with ease?"
Sure enough, Zero switched between his hand and his weapon with a fury that would have shamed Inspector Gadget. He felt a strong surge of pleasant energy flow through him as he did this, which would have been the human equivalent of a testosterone - rush. The surge melted away his bewildered feelings.
"Very good, very good." Wily cheered on the crimson reploid. "I hope your emotions work as effectively, too. Let's test." Wily's eye fell on Bass, who was daydreaming while staring at the ceiling, obviously entranced by the thought of what Zero could do to the future world. Wily snuck up behind the black robot and pushed him with youthful energy. Bass screamed as he toppled over like a stack of cans, and landed on the lab floor with a resounding crash. Zero began to laugh hysterically. Humour. Wily then swung a fist into the reploid's jaw. Zero's grin immediately flipped over and became a grimace of anger. He remembered just in time not to retort against his master. Anger.
"Well Bass, what do you think?" Wily questioned of the black bot, who was collecting himself from the fall. "His weapons are fine, and his emotions are fully functional." Bass' pride was a bit hurt after having the experience of being the butt end of one of Wily's jokes. Nevertheless, he responded. "I think he's ready, Doc. It's just a matter of keeping him convinced that humans are evil, and letting him know what powers he possesses. I'll take over from here on. You've done well."
Wily sighed deeply as he turned around. "We've done it. We have a reploid. The future is going to have some serious problems, as will Light's reploid. But that's not my concern. My work is done. I can rest...now."
And so, time passed as it had a funny habit of doing. Spring seamlessly melted into summer and Proto, Roll and Mega could be found on the steps of Light's lab. They'd just been in the process of a rousing game of indoor hide 'n seek, when Proto had accidentally knocked over a few fragile articles while trying to tag Mega 'out'. Light went slightly berserk, and threatened to hang Proto from the rafters by his scarf if he didn't go out to get some 'fresh air'. Proto was upset that such a good game had to be broken up, and when he got outside, he vented his anger by throwing stones at various things. He was still doing this when Roll brought up an interesting question beside him. "We haven't had any trouble from Wily in the longest time. I wonder what he's up to." Proto's heart lurched. The very same question had been ripping around in his mind for ages. However, he had recently pushed it to the back of his mind; it would be a shame to spoil such nice weather by thinking of the evil scientist.
Mega piped up. "I don't know what he's up to. Maybe he's slowing down because he's old. I'm not going to bother him if he doesn't bother me first...it would be like throwing rocks at a bee's nest."
Proto grinned wickedly as he chucked another rock into the empty air. "I've heard rumours about why Wily has been so silent."
"So have I," Roll chimed in. "some of them are pretty wild."
"I heard he was abducted by a hoard of tentacled aliens."
"I heard that he was killed by the Mafia."
"I heard that he ran away to join the circus."
"I heard that he was ground up and served as hamburgers at McDonalds."
"I heard that he quit the crime game and became a male prostitute."
Roll gave her brother a sidelong glance. "Somehow I doubt that."
Proto shrugged off Roll's criticism. "Believe what you will, but I think we all agree on this: I don't like this silence. I don't like it at all. Wily could be up to something BIG, providing that none of those wonderful rumours are true. I think I'll scout around the city for a bit and see what's up."
Now, fast forward a bit and cue in on Wilyland's famous Robosaur Park, headed by the infamous Slash Man. It was a huge tourist attraction, even if the dinosaurs within were only robotic. The park itself was large and roomy, a perfect dwelling place for the mechanical T - Rex, Stegosaurs, and Velociraptor pack that resided there. Above the park entrance there hung a crude, hand - painted sign that screamed 'Welcome to Robosaur Park!'. Beside the gargantuan wooden gates of the entrance there was a weathered, smaller sign that welcomed visitors to the park, and listed off several rules to make their stay more enjoyable. Slash Man himself had constructed the sign, and he was exceedingly proud of it:
Slash himself was parked up in a tower that loomed high above the park, where he could watch the ongoings below him with ease. The dinosaurs were his children, and he watched over them with his life. Today, the wild, spiky orange and grey clawed bot regarded the park drowsily while laying on his rope hammock. There were few spectators to marvel at the wonders of the place that day. Slash secretly didn't like to see the park so empty: he enjoyed having people around to gawk at his dinosaurs, and it was nice to have human company once in a while. Affected by the intense heat of the day, Slash began to drift into a light sleep. He was violently brought back to his senses when someone suddenly swung his hammock back and forth with lust. Slash was spilled to the ground with a hollow clang. Irritated, he glanced upwards to see Bass towering above him. His irritation was immediately replaced by icy terror.
"B...Bass! What's wrong?"
"Have you checked your e - mail lately, Slashy?!" Bass snarled viciously.
Slash was forced to admit that he hadn't. Bass picked up Slash by his scruffy neck and sat him down hard in the chair in front of his computer. "I recommend you check your mail NOW." Bass said in a monotone voice that still managed to be threatening.
Forcing himself to stay calm, Slash began to boot up his computer when his massive claws got in the way. With a mild curse, the orange robot sheathed the deadly weapons and guided his mouse to the email icon on his monitor, as Bass had clearly instructed. Sure enough, Slash had one email message for himself from Elecman, the electrifying robot (bad pun again!) who powered the nuclear power plant on the edge of the city. Bass still hovered over Slash, his eyes boring invisible holes in his back. Slash found it difficult to retain his faux mask of calmness as he read the email:
Like a maroon and silver mouse, Protoman impatiently scurried and jumped between and around the towering building tops that dotted the city. He was looking for something...ANYTHING...that would explain the reason for Wily's uncanny silence. It was a wee bit irritating: he had turned over every rock searching for an explanation, but had come up empty handed. Perched high above the main street of the city, unseen to eyes, Proto gave the passing sea of traffic and general hubabaloo below one last careful scan with visored eyes. He was about ready to call it quits.
"Let's see here." he thought idly. "There's two disgruntled motorists down there shouting murderous threats to each other....not like that's anything new...oh, there's a colourful band of vandals spraypainting wonderful words from the English language on that skyscraper wall. Maybe I should go and stop...naw, nuts to that. There's some kids down there playing ball...there's a bot cleaning up some rubbish from the streets...there's a young human couple who are...uh...okay, that's none of my business. I don't think they want an audience. There's a pack of raptors attacking a bus filled with screaming passengers...there's...hey, waitaminute!"
Proto's alarmed glance swept back over to the bus that had occupied his last thought. Making sure that no one was occupying the rooftop with him, he lifted his trademark visor up a bit to get a more detailed look. Because his eyes were so used to seeing in blue and black, the lights and colours of the outside environment blinded him slightly. Ignoring the protest from his optics, Proto leaned over to get a better look at the dormant bus.
Sure enough, a medium sized pack of robotic reptiles was circling the vehicle, much to the displeasure of the panicked people inside. The raptors came in a dazzling variety of colours, markings, and sizes, very much like a box of assorted cookies. The heat and light of the midsummer sun reflected on their pseudo - scales, causing a near - blinding glare.
"Well now. THERE'S something you don't see every day. Unless I miss my guess, those little fellows are from the Wilyland Robosaur Park. But they should be confined to the park. Who let them out like an idiot?" The rapotrs had tired of the 'circle - around - the - bus - and - scare - the - passengers - to - death' game that they had been playing, so they began to start CHARGING into the vehicle. Some of the robotic reptiles pushed their heads against the bus, rocking it back and forth like a pack of rioters. Proto was about to leap down from his post to help the occupants of the bus when another question crossed his mind. "Are there any more of these dinosaurs?"
As if on cue, an earth - shattering roar sounded from behind the visored bot. Terrified, Proto whipped around and gawked in disbelief at what he saw. A mechanical T - Rex was lumbering around the streets about 10 blocks away from him. Despite its distance, Proto got an excellent view of the behemoth swaggering from side to side as it destroyed as it pleased. Proto valiantly decided that NOW was a good time to help some of the panicked citizens scattering below him.
"I'm pretty sure that this is the work of good 'ol Doc W." He muttered grimly. "No wonder he was so silent. He was preparing to...release killer robotic dinosaurs to terrorise the people in the city." Proto paused. "What a stupid thing to do! Why not just come barrelling down the street in a two - storey tank? It would be easier. I guess humans do dumb things as they get older. I remember when Light's mother was still alive and used to reside in the Old Folks Home, she used to do nothing but knit, even though no one needed any clothes of any kind." Proto fondly touched the scarf that encircled his neck like a friendly python. "Well, she was a good woman. Thanks to her crazy obsession, my neck is always warm. Now, time to play hero!"
Across the city, the famous scientist Dr. Cossack hummed contentedly, even though he was swamped with work. It was such a nice day. Nothing was going to spoil his mood! The red - haired man glanced idly out of the seventh - story window that enclosed his office. He had always loved to look at the city spread in front of him. Therefore, it is understandable why blanched a bit when he saw a giant dinosaur taking up most of his beloved view.
The giant reptile locked its luminant, yellow eyes with the scientist's terrified ones. Man and beast stared at each other for a full minute, neither one moving. Finally, the leviathan lost interest in playing a staring game with a red - haired Russian scientist, and bellowed off to search elsewhere for dinner. When the animal was gone, Cossack removed a fine hankerchief and a small card from one of his many lab coat pockets. He mopped his sweaty forehead with the hanky. Then, shakily, he called:
"Kalinka! Kaliiiiinka! Come here, will you?"
Kalinka, Cossack's daughter, entered. She was a young thing, hardly over ten years old. She was as inquisive as any girl her age could expect to be, but to her life was to be taken seriously. "You called?"
"Yes. I don't mean to worry you, but your daddy has been...seeing things. Yesterday, a carnivorous laptop computer chomped on my ankle, and the day before that the flowers were talking to me. Today, I had a staring contest with a dinosaur. If daddy starts to do something rash one day, like say, oh, throwing bricks at pedestrians on the street below, call this number. I pray you won't have to call it; hopefully, I've just been working too hard." Cossack handed his worried daughter the card that he had extracted from his lab coat earlier. Kalinka studied it with concerned interest.
"Hey dad...what's a 'mental institution'?
"I have a very bad feeling that you're going end up visiting me there soon enough, dear."
"Get back! Back! Away from the bus, I say!"
The leader of the velociraptor pack whipped around to see what individual dared challenged him. Finding nothing more interesting than a maroon robot waving his arms at him like an idiot, the robotic reptile returned to stalking the bus with his cohorts.
"No! Bad dinosaur! I told you to stop! No soup for you!"
Proto was about to learn a valuable lesson: velociraptors, robotic or not, didn't care for discipline. The pack leader, a towering red - and - beige beast, whipped around again with unearthly speed and raked its huge foretalons in the air in front of Proto, missing the stunned bot by hardly half an inch. Proto's heart lurched as he watched certain death pass him by a hair's length. Before he could recover from the shock, he felt something tighten around his neck like a noose. He managed to crane his neck around just enough to see that the raptor had gripped his precious scarf in its deadly jaws and was pulling at it with tremendous strength.
Needless to say, Proto began to feel a slight need for air about 30 seconds after the raptor had tightened the scarf around his windpipe like a hangman. Proto tried one desperate strategy: he pulled, trying to beat the dino in a contest of brawn. In response to Proto's sudden struggle, the raptor emitted a pleased squeak, and pulled back even harder. Tug of War. Proto became enraged: the damnable lizard thought it was a game!! The rest of the raptor pack had lost interest in the destruction of the bus and scattered here and there to cause other mischief. The doors of the bus slid open with a hiss of dragon's breath, and the terrified captives of the raptors surged out of them.
Proto had one last option: He had to get out of his scarf, or die in it. With an expression of utter defeat and regret, he managed to slip out of the ever - tightening noose, then ran. He wanted to blast the raptor to retrieve his trademark scrap of clothing, but then he knew that the rest of the pack would come to the leader's aid. Then there would be big trouble.
The raptor fell back a bit when the other end of the 'rope' went slack. Pleased that it had won the game, it began to shread up the scarf. The creature found out quickly that the scarf wasn't edible: so, leaving the yellow memento on the deserted street, it sprinted off to find something more tasty than wool.
Slash Man ran like a man possessed. He leaped over rooftops on all fours, an uncanny skill that only a jungle animal should have had. His breath surged in and out of his systems rythymatically. Beneath the rasping, he could hear Bass' frightful words echoing in his head: "if you don't get those freakin' fancy animals back in this freakin' fancy zoo, I'll personally rearrange your freakin' FACE!" Slash man paused in his mad sprint and sat upright like a chipmunk. He closed his eyes and listened for an audio clue as to where his children might be. Some twenty blocks away, Slash heard a earth - trembling roar. The T Rex! Slash quivered with excitement.
"Hold on, Sarah! Daddy's coming!"
Slash lunged back into action. His feet barely touched the ground as he sailed over rooftops and jumped over the gaps that yawned between the structures. Very soon indeed, he saw Sarah. The behemoth had obviously just snacked on something (or someone) and was preparing to swoop down on a little child who stood dumbstruck before the beast. Just in time, however, Slash landed on his pet's head with a hardy metallic thump. Sarah instantly reared her giant head, and expressed her displeasure with a bellow. Slash talked calmly to the T Rex:
"It's okay, Sarah...it's me. Now be a good dinosaur, and calm down."
Sarah recognised this soothing voice, and immediately carried out Slash's request, for she loved him. When Sarah had cooled down enough, Slash turned his attention to the frozen child before him.
"Listen kid, I'm sorry if Sarah scared you out of a year's growth. Here..." Slash man dug into his pockets. "Three free passes to my park! Bring the kids! Oh wait..you ARE a kid. Nevermind." The passes fluttered down from Slash's clawed hand and came to rest on the sidewalk before the kid. The child found his voice. He held up a navy blue leash that was frayed at the very end, and stained with minute drops of blood. "Your dinosaur ate my dog!"
Slash man shrugged. "Sorry, kid. They can't all be Barneys."
Proto swore bitterly as he watched a large pack of chicken - sized compies leap and shriek as they closed in on him. Battling robotic dinosaurs was not something one should do single - handedly. One of the tiny but deadly lizards lunged at Proto with its maw open, sharp teeth on display. Proto kicked the scavenger square in its chest. It tumbled backwards like a scaly ball. The rest of the pack surged forward, hissing, claws unsheathed.
"This is it." Proto thought glumly. "I'm dead. It's all over. Killed by a bunch of chicken - sized, robotic dinosaurs. Of all the ways to go!!"
The earth suddenly trembled, and a cheerful voice wafted above the rumbling sound:
"Hullloooooooo!"
Proto couldn't believe his eyes. He watched as the pedestrians (the few that were left on the dino - ravaged streets) flung themselves this way and that to get out of the way of Slash Man, who was perched happily on the head of a giant T Rex. The compies lost all interest in Proto, and surged around Slash and Sarah, squeaking and jumping like children around their father who had just returned from work. Proto hailed the orange - maned robot.
"Hey, Ace Ventura! We usually don't let two - ton pets wander the streets, you know!" His visor flashed in annoyance. "I know." Slash Man called down. "I'm sorry. These fellows escaped from my park when Elecman shut off...oh, never mind...it's a long story."
Proto nodded in understanding. "Want me to help you take these critters back to the park?"
Proto could see Slash Man's distant face light up. "Sure! That'd be great of you. Climb aboard on Sarah." At a word from her god, Sarah offered Protoman her tail to help the bot scale up her back. Proto hesitantly took the Rex's generous offer, and scurried up to Sarah's head and seated himself behind Slash. He looked down from a dizzying height. He could see the compies swarming around Sarah's gargantuan hind paws. Slash grinned as he saw Proto blanch in fear from the height of the drop. "Just hang on tight! Away we go!" Sarah started forward. It was a jerky ride, like riding a ship in a storm. The compies marched in military fashion far below. The whole thing looked like a Jurassic parade. Proto hung on for dear life, but Slash looked as comfortable as a man in an armchair. Proto cursed himself as dull company: He decided to start up a conversation with Slash.
"So...all these dinos yours?"
Slash nodded with pride. "Yep. They're my children. I've named them all."
Proto was impressed. "Every single one?"
"Yes. This here's Sarah." Slash patted the T Rex's massive head. Sarah purred in response. "As for those compies down there..." Slash jabbed a finger towards the green swarm below. "Well, there's Dennis...Brad...Mavis...Brad..."
Sweet Intoxications
It's narrator hour! Whee! Hey, I'm sitting here telling this story, I gave life to the characters that you love so much (well, except for those that are actually featured in the games. I had to say that so that Capcom wouldn't sue my scaly hide off). Ya'll are never gonna guess what happened today! I got my third - and last - Hepatitis B shot! This was the worst one of 'em all. The culture that they inoculated us with was extremely strong. Heh...you should've seen the girl who got her shot before me! The nurse poked the needle into her arm, and as the vaccine was injected, the girl's eyes got wider, and wider and finally she screamed, "AAAHHH, Goddammit that HURTS!" Then my turn came around. As I rolled up my sleeve to take my shot like a good hatchling, the nurse got all flustered and asked me if I was pregnant (No, I'm not fat, they have to ask every female they inoculate). I pointed to my male friend, who had come to get jabbed as well, and said "No, but HE is."
Torontonian nurses have no sense of humour.
The good news is, I got a cute little keychain. It has a picture of a cartoon virus on it, and under the disease in sprawled handwriting, there is a slogan that states 'Get the Vax!' as if getting a Hepatitis B vaccine is as thrilling as a roller coaster ride to hell and back. I say it would be more accurate if the keychain stated 'I got jabbed three times and all I got was this crappy keychain!'. My friend said it should say 'Bite me, I'm vaccinated against Hepatitis'. In the same vein, I don't think that diseases have googly - eyes like the one featured on the keychain. I'm under the impression that you people don't care. On with the story! This is an important chapter, and I'm only gonna write it once, so read it carefully!
The heavy titanium gates clattered loudly as Slash Man shut them behind the compy pack he had ushered into the pen. He spoke to Proto in a loud voice in an effort to be heard over the din.
"Thanks for your help, Proto. It's a good thing I got all the dinosaurs back into the park, or I really would have been up a certain creek without a paddle."
Proto stifled a yawn as he watched some mets repair the electric fence that Slash's scaly friends had torn down. " 's no problem. So, what now?"
Slash offered Proto a puzzled glance. "What do you mean 'what now'?"
"I mean, what do you have planned for the rest of the day?"
Slash shifted his eyes nervously and stared at the grass that was stamped with small dino - footprints . He extracted a rapidly melting chocolate bar from one of his pockets, broke it into bite sized pieces and handed them one by one to the eager tide of squeaking compies inside the den. "Uhm...nothing...really...the park is closed to the public until those mets finish that fence...maybe I'll do laundry and...and..stuff..." Slash's voice trailed off pathetically. He did not want Proto to know what the rest of his day consisted of. In truth, there was a wing - ding of sorts going on in Skull Castle to honour the creation of the first member of a species that would ultimately lead to the demise of the human race: A 'reploid' named Zero. Slash had planned on attending the party. But the whole 'reploid' business was to be kept under wraps. Slash had been forbidden to tell anyone about it, least of all Mega's brother. "I...I'll catch you later, Proto!" Slash finished up quickly and bounded out of sight on all fours. Proto raised an inquisive eyebrow at the clumsy, hesitant speech and sudden departure of the beast - bot, but he shrugged it off. He decided he would make sure everything was secure in the park before he would head home.
"So Wily WASN'T really responsible for the dino - rampage." Proto muttered thoughtfully. "Guess I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."
Although the weather was beautiful, a chill shuddered through the visored bot. "Damn, I miss my scarf! I'm freezing!!"
"Proootooo!"
Mega's call drifted eerily through the rubble strewn on the abandoned street before it bounced back to him in a hollow echo. He got no response. Not discouraged, he took another deep breath:
"PRRROOOOOOTOOOOOOOOO! Come out, come out, where ever you are! Show your ugly face!"
Still no response. A hint of fear and worry began to trickle into Mega's heart. "Aw man! Something BIG has been happening here, and knowing Proto, he got caught up in it when he went 'scouting'."
The wind sighed warmly, symthesizing with Mega's concern. It also bore a bright yellow object, and dispensed it gently at Mega's feet. It appeared to be a dirty article of clothing. It was tattered...it had obviously witnessed a huge battle, and the victor had torn it to shreds. Despite this guise, there was no mistaking the object for what it was:
"Proto's scarf?"
"A toast!" Cried Bass has he thrust his fine goblet of violet hued wine into the air. "To Wily, the creator of the reploid species!"
The robots present responded to Bass in one resounding voice: "Aye!"
Bass clapped Wily on the back. "You're a genius, Doc!"
Wily did not answer. Indeed, he was turning an interesting shade of green. He was on his fourth cup of wine, and the old fellow was zombied right out of his mind. Still, he managed to offer the robots a weak, lopsided smile. The cheering of the robots doubled, and turned into an all - out roar of joy. Zero, who sat to the right of his creator, regarded his crazed brothers with frightened eyes.
"Life goes on!" Bass remarked cheerfully as he quaffed back the drink. Once their superior had finished his drink, the rest of the robots started on theirs as if on a signal.
Slash jumped right on the table and actually lapped up his wine like a dog drinking out of a toilet bowl, only much stranger.
Shade Man sat silently. There was a hint of disappointment in his eyes as he stared at the wine before him. He would have preferred a drink more along the lines of fresh virgin's blood, but he still sipped the wine without complaint. He saved a wee bit for Flagg, who was perched happily on his shoulder. The raven helped himself, then raised his grotesque head and cocked a sharp eye at Bass. Bass merely glared back at Flagg with venomous hate in his optics. No one was really sure what Flagg and Bass had against each other.
There was an audible thump next to Bass. Wily had completely passed out.
Mega's thoughts whirred. The hand that clutched his sibling's tattered scarf was hit with tremors. The markings on the scarf reported that Proto had gone to that Great Big Robot Factory in the Sky, compliments of the dinosaurs that had stormed the city. Mega just knew it. His next black thought surfaced: Who had released the dinosaurs?
Wily. No doubt.
Wily had released the dinosaurs to destroy the city -
- and the dinosaurs had killed Proto.
Unbridled rage blossomed in Mega. "I'VE - HAD - ENOUGH!" He wistfully looked down at his arm cannon. One single shot would put an end to the old man. One shot...and it would be over. However, common sense suddenly quenched Mega's thirst for revenge. He knew that killing Wily would be more trouble than it was worth. Robots couldn't break the first rule of robotics, yadda yadda yadda. If he were to kill Wily, he would probably be deactivated. And even if he wasn't, the media would probably make his life a living hell. Mega began to despair. He couldn't just let Wily walk away with this. SOMETHING had to be done...
An idea lit up in Mega's eyes. "I know! I'm going to go to Wily's castle and tell him off once and for all!"
"She's got a smiiiile that, it seems to me, reminds me of childhood memorieeees, where every - thin' was as fresh as the bright blue sky..sky...sky..."
Castor grimaced sourly at his twin's off - key caterwauling. But he did not complain. The duo was situated outside, guarding the fortress as per usual. As a result, the worst of the god awful sound was mercifully carried away by the wind, far from Castor's ears.
"Now and theeeen when I see her face, it takes me away to that special place, and if I stare to long, I'd prolly break down and CRY!"
Castor's patience had been stretched paper thin. Kindess only went so far. "Hey Pollux.."
Pollux stopped his noise. Yeah?"
"You remind me of something."
Pollux puffed with pride. "A great opera singer?"
"No. A cat in heat."
"HEEEEY! That's so MEAN!"
"I'm just telling the truth." Castor stated mildly. "Now, if you had been watching for intruders rather than singing dumb songs that date back to the twentieth century, you would have noticed that someone is approaching the castle." Castor pointed a lazy finger at an unidentified shadow that was coming rapidly towards them. "Whoever it is seems pretty peeved. Wonder who it is."
Silence followed Castor's inquiry as the shadow became more and more recognizable. Pollux suddenly made a strangled, choking sound. "It's...it'sssss...Mega Man...!"
The little blue bomber came striding down the path to the castle like a king. He meant business, judging by his unwavering speed and focus on the hateful structure that loomed before him. Both twins leapt to their feet in unison. Completely forsaking his duties as a guard, Pollux dove into some bushes beside him.
"POLLUX!" Screamed Castor hysterically. "Get back here! We have to keep Mega out and guard Wily!"
"Screw that! Wily can defend his OWN blasted castle," was Pollux's cowardly response from his sheath of leaves. "I quit!"
"You CAN'T quit, you IJIT!"
"JUST TRY TO BLOODY WELL STOP ME!!!"
Castor thrust his hand into the bushes and groped around until he found one of his twin's gem - gilded boots. He began to pull it in a futile effort to drag Pollux out. "Pollux! Get out NOW, or I'll...I'll...tell Wily that YOU were the one who tried to shave Zero's head!"
Pollux blindly delivered a lovely kick to Castor's shin. "YOU DO THAT AND I'LL RIP YOUR STINKING GUTS OUT!"
Castor cried out and doubled over as the kick found its mark. When he regained his composure, he began to make up some great adjectives to describe his brother using words that were certainly not suitable for table talk. The Gemini Men were too busy bickering to notice that Mega Man had soared by them and had entered the fortress a full two minutes ago.
Mega plowed relentlessly through the fortress, propelled by his animosity for Wily. A batauntaun suddenly dove at him, fangs glistening. Mega blasted it. A sniper joe leapt at him out of the shadows. Mega blasted it. A tour - bot welcomed him warmly to Skull Fortress. Mega blasted it. Oops. Two out of three ain't bad. When Mega reached the formidable but familiar staircase that wove its way to Wily's chambers, he did not break his pace. He shot up, skipping every other step. Now a tunnel - like hallway stretched before him with massive steel doors at the tail. Mega was just about to start down the hallway when something lupine, purple and silver casually strolled across his path.
"Gospel?"
Devoid of his master, the robodog stood stock still and looked at his nemesis with a perfect picture of terror in his eyes. He didn't want to fight Mega without Bass there to instruct him. So, in hopes that Mega would leave him alone, Gospel flipped on his back and played dead. Mega shook his head, stepped over Gospel's faux corpse, and continued down the hall. He crashed through the heavy steel doors to the chamber. There, he was met with a pretty interesting sight. Several robot masters were in a small cluster around a fine table, celebrating some sort of occasion. In Mega's fevered mind, he thought they were celebrating the demise of his brother. Rage boiled within him.
Upon hearing the door crash open and seeing Mega standing in the large doorway like a small but deadly omen, the robots were a little slow to react. The wine they had just consumed probably played a factor in that fact.
Suddenly, with a noble battle cry, Snake Man flung himself at his enemy. Mega greeted the serpentine robot's onward rush by grabbing Snake's wrist, twisting it, then flipping him on the ground with a hollow clang. Monty the Python was flung from Snake's neck. The vile serpent lay in thick coils on the floor, stunned for a bit. Now that he was deprived of his master's body heat, he had adjust his own body temp to the cold stone he rested upon before he could take off.
Several other bots surged forward to challenge Mega, but he fought them like a berserker. His power seemed to have doubled in his wrath . One by one, they all pretty much 'got theirs', as the expression went. Eventually, the flood of warriors waned. Only Bass remained standing, seemingly undaunted by Mega's inhuman acts of strength. He was Wily's last bodyguard, and he was determined to let no harm come to his master. The intoxicated Wily was shaking and shuddering like a wounded guppy. Mega got a perfect view of his terrified, ages - old nemesis, but there was one thing he did NOT see. Beside Wily, but shielded from Mega's sight courtesy of Bass' oily - black body, was a certain crimson and gold figure who was watching the fun with with quiet awe, his humanlike eyes taking in every detail of this blue attacker...
Bass smirked diabolically. "Well, well WELL! If it isn't the tooth fairy!"
Mega's expression of anger melted into confusion. "What's THAT supposed to mean?"
Bass shrugged his plated shoulders. "Well, I don't rightly know. But it sounds good, don't you think?"
Without a pause, Bass delivered a jarring kick to Mega's stomach. Unprepared for this action, Mega reeled backwards and doubled over. A split second later, the happy end of Bass' arm cannon was aimed right at Mega's face. It was all over. From miles away, Mega could hear Bass triumphantly stating, "He who hesitates is...um...what's that word...lost! Yeah, that's it!"
Suddenly, Bass' arm cannon jerked back with a curse and a scream. Mega dared to open one eye. He couldn't believe the sight he was met with. There was Flagg, Shade Man's infamous pet raven, hurling his body at Bass like a missile of feathers and talons. Bass echoed Flagg's scream as he wildly flailed his arms this way and that. Mega saw his chance. A sharp report rang out as he fired two shots aimed at Bass. The first one quite unexpectedly hit Bass' vital point, and felled the black bot instantly. Flagg fluttered off and perched ominously on the rafters, unhurt. He set at once to preening his ebony feathers. Mega's second plasma shot, however, sailed right past Bass' collapsed body, and hit Wily in the chest square and true. Wily sailed back in his chair a few feet, then toppled over. He was dead before he even hit the ground.
The air around Mega seemed to crash. Everything was silent. Nothing moved. Time was still. Only the grey ribbon of smoke that trailed lazily from Mega's warm cannon was real. From Mega's feet, Bass' muffled voice parted the curtain of silence with the awful truth:
"You've killed him, Mega."
These words hit Mega like an arrow. They snapped him out of his deep trance. "But...I didn't mean to...he...I...you..."
"You've broken the first rule of robotics to do what you've always wanted to do. You must be very proud." Bass' voice was devoid of emotion.
"But..."
The nearly forgotten pile of damaged robots that had made the mistake of challenging Mega earlier untangled itself. Those robots that still had the energy needed to stand up and walk began to lurch eerily like zombies, not towards Mega, but towards their master, Wily, who lay weeping blood. Their voices rose and twisted together into a quiet but terrible chant. "Killed him...Killed him...Killer. Killer. Killer."
Mega tried to explain that the second shot had been meant for Bass, not Wily, but the words died on his lips as he faced their accusing glares. No one would believe him. It was a well known fact amoung humans and robots alike that Mega had come close to expressing his venom for Wily with his arm cannon more than once.
These thoughts wandered in Mega's mind, disturbing him greatly. So greatly, in fact, that he hardly noticed the large, crimson and gold robot that crouched by the still - warm body of Wily. The odd robot turned away from Wily's sickening corpse with an expression of grief that none of the other robots seemed to wear. The robot's expression of regret melted into hatred as he turned his eyes on Mega. The eyes were incredible. They seemed to have a humanlike glitter of intelligence and emotion in them. They searched Mega, found him, and marked him...
The whole excitement and overall nuttiness of the day was too much for Mega to handle. His confusion and fear merged into an immeasurable terror. He backed up a step. Then another step. The robots were too concerned about their master to worry about him.
The stricken Bass had a dull, knowing smile plastered to his face as he looked at Mega freaked expression from his odd viewpoint on the floor. Mega had killed a human, and if the authorities found him, it was over for the blue guy. "Knowing Mega, he would turn himself into the authorities." Bass thought with disgust. A robot that broke the first rule of robotics ('A robot must never kill a human, no matter how big of a screwball that human is'), ergo, he would have to suffer the consequences.
Mega continued to slowly back out of the near - silent room. Still no one pursued him. Only Bass stared after him gleefully, and the odd crimson robot still tacked his deadly eyes on Mega. Suddenly, the crimson robot took one slow step towards Mega. It was at this point that Mega turned right around and broke into a blind run like a child frightened by a stranger. He was nearly halfway down the huge staircase he had ascended earlier when he finally teleported to the temporary safety of Light's lab.
"I'm telling you! The ticket to world domination is to own the electric company and the railroads! After that, it's only a matter of time before I can take over the prisons! Then, I shall be unstoppable, and I will lord over every sorry creature on God's green earth from my four - star hotel on Boardwalk!!" Proto bashed his armoured fist on the shaky table to underscore his point.
Roll calmly motioned for her brother to sit back down. "Proto, settle, settle. Stop taking this so seriously. It's only a Monopoly game."
A sheepish smile surfaced on Proto has he found his seat. "Sorry. I just got caught up in this." He picked up the game dice and rattled it in his hand. "C'mon, lucky seven! Daddy needs a new scarf! He lost his old one to rabid raptors!"
With a skilled flick of his wrist, Proto sent the dice tumbling across the board. "Aw MAN! Snake eyes! At any rate, I get to pick up a 'Chance' card!" Proto nicked the first card off of the orange pile and examined it. "All right! Second place in a beauty contest! I guess no one can resist my good looks!"
Roll muttered something under her breath about the beauty contest being judged by a bunch of jungle apes. Proto was to busy strutting up and down the playroom like a stuck up model to pay any heed.
When he had finally tired of showing off to no one in particular, Proto returned to the game and stayed in his amiable mood...until he landed on Park Place, which was owned by Roll. To make matters worse, the block of land sported the dreaded barn - red Hotel game piece. Roll saw Proto's awkward position and began to laugh cold - bloodedly.
"All right, Brad Pitt! Cough up the money!"
"Don't I get a discount for being family?" Proto pleaded.
"No. I hate freeloaders."
Proto shrugged. "Oh well. Can't win 'em all, I suppose!" He began to dig around in the mixed - up pile of play money beside him to pay for his stay. This was quite unlike Roll, who had her money set up all tidy and easy to access.
Suddenly, Proto stopped rummaging around. He gaped at Roll with a shocked expression. "Roll! Look behind you! Isn't that Howard Stern?"
Roll looked about her frantically. "Where?!"
With his sister's eyes temporarily off the game, Proto casually sent a hand sweeping over the game board. Game pieces, houses, hotels and cards fell around them like coloured rain. Roll jerked back around and threw her sore - loser brother an angry glance.
"PROTO!"
"What?! My hand slipped! It's a nervous twitch, and I'm a little sensitive about it if you don't mind!"
The cozy room was suddenly filled with the characteristic hiss of a teleportation beam. Within seconds, a rather bewildered looking Mega Man materialized in front of his siblings. Proto broke out into a grin.
"Hey, Rocky Horror! Wassup?"
The instant that Mega's eyes swept over Proto, his face drained of all colour. He pointed to Proto with a trembling finger. "Yuh...uh...you're...suppos t' be....duh...duh...."
Proto removed his helmet and clapped it against his chest with a mockingly solemn expression. "That's my brother speaking. What a way with words!"
"You...you're supposed to be DEAD!" Mega managed to spit out in a strangled half - scream.
Proto stole a sorrowful glance at the game board he had upset earlier. "Ah yes, how I do wish I was dead..I owe Roll quite a bit of money. Can you lend me five thousand, Rock? I'll pay you back tomorrow, I swear."
Mega lunged towards Proto and grabbed the startled bot by his shoulders. He tried to look directly into his brother's eyes, but all he saw beyond the visor was his own terrified expression.
Proto squirmed slightly under Mega's hold. "Uh...Rock? You're my brother and all, but you're invading my personal space, and I don't really care for that. What's your problem? What do you mean I'm supposed to be dead?"
Mega somehow regained enough of his composure to collapse into a chair and tell his brother about the torn - up scarf he had collected on the ruined city streets, and about how he had been worried sick that Proto had fallen victim to the dinosaur attack. Proto beamed hugely as he heard this.
"Awww...isn't that sweet? Rock was actually WORRIED 'bout me!" Now it was Proto's turn to invade Mega's 'personal space' as he swept his brother up into a bear - hug.
Mega struggled to free himself from the affectionate clasp. "So then...what HAPPENED? Where's your scarf?!" Mega managed to croak.
Proto let Mega get a little air. "Well, it turns out that the dinosaurs that had a walk through the city were fugitives from Slash Man's Robosaur Park. The electric fence had been shut down, and Slash didn't monitor the activities of the dinosaurs close enough. Ergo, the dinos escaped. I met up with Slash Man. He's really sorry that he leveled the city, and he gladly took up my offer to help him put the dinos back. As for my scarf.." Proto's voice became laced with regret, "..well, before I met up with Slash, a nice little robotic velociraptor decided to play 'Tug of War' with me, which turned my scarf into the equivalent of a noose. I had to give the raptor my scarf. Unfortunately, air is a bit more precious than a scrap of clothing."
"Yeah, life's like that." Roll sighed.
Proto let go of Mega. To his surprise, his brother collapsed to the ground like a blue sac of potatoes. His eyes seemed vacant. "I haven't finished telling you what happened after I found your scarf." He said in a faint whisper that still succeeded in sending uneasy chills up Proto's spine.
"All right then...go on." Proto egged.
All energy seemed to be drained from Mega now. He leaned his head against the table leg situated conveniently beside him and quietly told his siblings about how he had gone to Skull Castle to tell off Wily for killing Proto, and ended up killing the old fellow quite by accident. There was a slight pause after Mega had finished. Proto and Roll exchanged exasperated glances. This whole awful situation seemed to echo the conversation they had had a while back about Mega's emotions taking control of him, resulting in Wily getting hurt.
"Rock...it WAS an accident that Wily died, right?" Roll tried to keep her voice steady, but there was a note of urgent terror in it.
Mega only nodded numbly. "What's gonna happen to me now? Will I be deactivated?"
"I don't think it'll happen if it was an ACCIDENT." Proto tried to sound hopeful, but he knew it was useless. There was no proof that it had been an accident, and Mega was not known to love Wily. Some folks were certainly going to assume that he had killed the old scientist on purpose. And since Mega had assumed that Proto had been killed by Wily...well, that was just the final blow of the executioner's axe. Proto could hear the accusing voices now: "Mega Man had killed Wily to get revenge for his brother's death."
"Maybe Wily's robots who witnessed the death will confess that Rock hadn't shot Wily on purpose," he mused mentally, but he wisely ended up just chalking that prospect under "Things that probably wouldn't happen even if Hell froze over". Everything seemed to be in a messy - mushy - mix - up...a row of toppled dominos, all set off by Slash Man's carelessness.
Roll's expression finally reflected her true feelings of fear for her brother's future as she sat down next to him and put an arm around his shaking shoulders in a fruitless effort to comfort him. "I'd be lying if I said that everything will be back to normal someday, Rock."
Bass drifted in and out of consciousness as his systems attempted to repair his extensive damage caused by his short battle with Mega. He became quite awake, however, when he heard some dull clanks being emitted from the top of his helmet. He craned his neck around just enough to see that Flagg was pecking angrily at his gold - finned headpiece.
"Oh, get the hell away from me, you vulture! Go make life miserable for someone else. Here, eat Wily's corpse; he's dead anyway." Bass growled weakly.
With these words from his enemy, Flagg unfolded his grand wings a bit and snapped his beak open and shut just inches from Bass' nose.
"rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUFFFF!" Bass barked.
Flagg disappeared in a frightened black whirlwind of feathers. Bass grinned in spite of himself. He slowly hauled his battered body up into a standing position. He limped over to the small cluster of robots that mused over Wily's fallen body. Slash Man saw Bass standing over him like a black entity favouring its right arm.
"Sooooo....now what?" The wild orange robot questioned of his superiour.
"What do you mean, 'now what'?"
"Are you sure that Wily's dead?"
"Well, he's stopped breathing and his body's gone cold! I think that makes it a bit bleedin' obvious!" Bass snarled.
Slash shrugged. "Well, maybe he's just holding his breath."
"Maybe he's....WHAT!? My God, you're IMPOSSIBLE!"
Unnoticed by his brothers, Zero sat huddled with his knees against his chest in a dark corner near Wily's still form, a victim to his superiour emotions. His father was dead...what was left for him?
Slash spoke up, temporarily renting the mist of gloom that surrounded Zero.
"Well, Bass, if you're so smart, tell us what to do with this body. If we want to bury it, there's a big rubber tree plant with a very large flower pot to it just outside of this room...I think he just MAY fit if we break a bone here and there...."
"Are you insane!?" Bass shrieked. "Don't you see an opportunity here? Mega shot Wily, and he may think that he's won. But all we have to do is show Wily's body to the media and tell them the truth....that Mega killed him. To put it bluntly, Mega is pretty much screwed."
Slash Man sprang up and punched the air with his clawed fist. "Huzzah! Bass, you're brilliant! I think-- "
Slash never had a chance to tell Bass what he thought, for as soon as he had uttered that last phrase, his optics suddenly went dim and he pitched over and fell flat on his face.
"Sir Slash! What in the order of the Kingfisher and the Rose has happened!?" Knight Man managed to spit out seconds before he crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap. He was followed almost instantly by Cut Man.
"Oh no!" Bass groaned faintly. "Not now! Not NOW!"
Snake and Shade Man pounced on Bass immediately. "Bass, you know what's going on! Why are all the robots shutting down!?"
"A while ago, Wily told me that there's a chip of some sort in all of us that would cause us to shut down one by one when he died." Bass' voice was flat. "I don't know how the chip would work, but it seems to be doing its job with ease right now!" Bass finished just as Toad Man croaked at his black boots (Bad pun #3! I deserve to be shot!). Bass could feel his own systems begging to shut down under the sudden, sleepy lure that the mysterious chip cast upon them. Bass sympathized with his circuits, but he used all his will to sternly command them to stay functional. Snake Man and Shade Man were apparently doing the same judging by the way they swayed and blinked rapidly.
"I can't shut down now!" Shade Man wailed. "So much blood to drink! So many humans to assimilate into my Unholy Vampire Army of the Night! Besides, what will Flagg do without me!?"
"Get caught in some power lines, I should hope." Bass muttered under his breath. He bit his tongue as he felt himself nodding off.
"Never mind your bird!" Snake Man echoed Shade's pathetic whine. "What about my Monty?"
Bass waved his arms with the strength he had left. "What about Wily!? The media! We gotta...gotta...oh, who am I kidding?" Bass began to succumb to the will of the chip, as did Snake and Shade.
Zero, the only robot in the room who did not posses the chip, was suddenly pulled out of his grieving for Wily by a terror that was spawned while he watched his brother and teacher, Bass, sink to the ground like a wilted black weed.
"Bass!" He cried as he scrambled frantically to his brother's side. Bass opened his eyes slightly when he heard Zero's voice. He offered the crimson figure a weak smile.
"Sorry, buddy....it's the end for me. I haven't taught you everything I would have liked to. I can only do one more thing before I go. Fetch me that phone over there." Bass motioned towards a cell phone that rested on a nearby table. Zero did as he was told. Bass pulled up enough strength to dial a number and hold the phone up to his ear.
"Hello? Is this the Daily Blah newspaper? Good...this is Bass. Yes, the same Bass that was created by Wily." There was a slight pause on Bass' end. "Well yeah, it's probably the same Bass who drove the tank through your living room window, too. What did you say your last name was? Winnik? Yes, I'm pretty sure that it was me who did that. No, don't hang up on me, you fool! Listen! Wily's been shot by none other than - get this! - Mega Man. He's pretty much sealed the fates of the rest of us robots, too. I figured that my last action should be to bring this event into the light.....yes, Wily's dead. Yes, I'm sure. No, he is NOT holding his breath! Okay? This is the story of the year! Are you gonna report it, or do I have to call up the Weekly Star? I bet they'd be interested!....Heh heh...I thought so! When you enter the fortress, be careful of the alligator pits, the killer bee nests, and the psycho robot guards that're armed to the teeth. Okay Mr. Winnik, you have yourself a nice day, you hear? Bye!"
Bass let the receiver slip out of his near - lifeless fingers. He turned his head away from Zero. He was actually getting a little emotional over leaving the reploid. "Listen, Zero. Soon enough, reporters are gonna be swarming here. You'd best not stay. They'll ask you questions that you won't be able to answer. Wily mentioned earlier that he planned to shut you in a capsule at the end of a period spanning four months, after which you'd shut down automatically, much the same way I am now. That capsule is hidden far, far downstairs, in storage room 7-G, behind some loose bricks in the north wall. I would tell you to enter it now, but since you'd end up just standing there until four months was up, you'd probably become bored out of your skull. Therefore, I think you should get out into the world and learn a bit more about it. Learn what I couldn't get a chance to teach you. You'll be fine...just remember..." At this point, Bass' eyes became quite alert as they locked with Zero's. "NEVER ever tell ANYONE that Wily created you. Do you understand? And until you wake up from your 30 year hibernation, don't harm any humans! No matter how much they sicken you. Don't do anything to arouse suspicion, or you'll blow the whole deal. Once four months are up, just come back to the fortress...I pray that it'll still be left intact. Then enter the capsule. If the fortress is destroyed and you can't enter the capsule, find somewhere else to hibernate. The only problem with that is I don't know when you'll wake up. The capsule is designed to pull you out of your sleep at an appropriate time. Okay?"
Zero's body shuddered with sobs, but he managed to nod.
A grin played on Bass' mouth as he observed his brother's grief. "Just remember, Zero...you're a reploid. Superiour to humans in almost every way. Use that knowledge and make me proud." Bass ceased breathing as he submitted to the will of the chip.
A deathly silence settled over the room. Flagg perched on the immobile chest of Shade Man and mourned his master with a woebegone cry that would have shattered anyone's heart. Zero mimicked the bird's cry as he hunched over the body of his ebony brother. While Bass' directions were still fresh in his mind, Zero felt hopelessly lost in a dark wood of confusion.
His weeping passed like a storm. He sat silently as the light of reason began to penetrate his dark clouds. The light touched Bass' last words and illuminated them with startling brilliance. Zero stood up and gave not a backward glance to his fallen brothers or father as he headed towards the entrance of Skull fortress. The training was over. His real life was to begin now.
He was a reploid....
And he would make Bass proud.
Proto frowned hugely as he regarded the swelling sea of TV and newspaper reporters that swarmed before the main doorway of Light's lab. A muffled roar of miscellaneous voices rose from the crowd, but every individual was generally asking Proto Man to grant the same request: they wanted to know exactly what had happened when Mega Man had killed Wily. Accident or not, Wily's death was big news.
Proto began to sway a little, feeling oppressed by the flashing camera bulbs and sound of rattling papers that emanated from the tangle of people. He never took well to crowds, noise or confusion, and the very scent and stand - offishness of most humans always gave him an icky feeling in the back of his throat.
The tide of reporters was creeping up to the door of the lab that Proto stood in, much to his dismay. Their glittering eyes and eager expressions reminded Proto uneasily about the pack of compies he had faced not long ago. Frustrated, he waved his arms at the persistent buggers.
"Go away! We're...closed or...or...something!" He shouted angrily.
One of the reporters in front, a young human male, tossed Proto's advice right over his shoulder and into the wind as he took a step closer. "Proto Man, how do you feel about the fact that your brother murdered Wily?"
"For the fifteenth time, he didn't 'murder' anyone, you ijit!" Proto snarled, but his voice was lost in the growing din. He raised it again. "Wily's death was an accident. Now get out of here! ALL of you!! Go home and curse your mothers for ever bringing such slow, deaf idiots as yourselves into this world!"
"Please, just one interview with you!" One of the reporters pleaded.
"No! Go home!"
"How about Dr. Light? Can we speak to him?"
"No. The Doc has...uh, the Doc has ebola."
"Impossible!" The reporter scoffed. "That disease was wiped out ages ago!"
"Yeah, well, uh...this is one of those new strains. You know, the magical kind."
"Okay, whatever. What about Mega Man? Can we speak to him?"
"Dear Creeping Gods, no! Mega Man has...has...forgotten how to speak English."
"How can that be? Robots don't forget!"
Proto offered the bewildered reporter a wry grin. "I guess that makes Mega special, doesn't it?"
Back inside the lab, Mega was a mess, which is a hell of a lot less funny than that may sound. He was trembling, and wearing the expression of a whipped dog. The sounds of the activities of the reporters outside wafted to his ears, constantly reminding him of what waited for him out there. A pack of half-starved wolves, ready to tear him apart in a second with inquires.
Doc Light leaned heavily against one of the lab walls near his frightened 'boy'.
"All right, Rock." He drawled. "Calm it down, and tell me again, in your own words, what happened..."
Mega was a little reassured by the monotone yet soothing voice of his creator, so, in a shaky voice, he told the story of his 'revenge' all over again. As Mega concluded his story, Light rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. There was the ol' migraine attack again. "Okay, folks...let's not panic. It was an accident. Maybe everything will turn out all right."
Light was interrupted by the familiar clang of metal boots echoing down the hall. A cranky Proto Man bust into the room. Wordlessly, he headed to the kitchen, and stormed out a few minutes later, brandishing an armful of potatoes. The maroon and silver bot was muttering something about "Getting rid of those damned reporters even if he had to stoop to juvenile acts to do so." Seconds later, muffled shouts and dull explosions could be heard as Proto gleefully whipped the tubers at the reporters, cleansing the doorstep of them, if only temporarily.
Mega shifted uncomfortably, and cleared his throat. There was one scrap of info he had been withholding from his family this whole time, and that was about that odd blond-haired robot he had encountered shortly after Wily had bought the farm. He had withheld the info until now, because the sight of that robot had seriously scared him halfway out of his mind. There was something about it that he couldn't put his finger on. It was as if the robot had radiated a disarming, malignant power that was almost unworldly. And those penetrating eyes didn't belong to any sort of regular robot. When Mega tried to recall them, the memory summoned an immeasurable fear into his heart, a feeling he didn't really enjoy.
"Doc...?"
"Yes?"
"I didn't tell you this before. I met a new robot when Wily was...uh, iced."
Light dismissed this with a simple wave of his hand. "Never mind that. Wily was always dingaling with mechanics, and always coming up with new warriors..."
"No Doc." Mega's voice was quiet. "This was different. Much different."
"What was so different about it?"
Mega suddenly looked small and helpless, as if his soul had been yanked out of his body by the devil. "It was...just...I don't know! It was just so humanlike. Hard to explain."
All the air rushed out of Light's weary lungs. His head began to throb at Mega's last words.
Mega and Roll looked at the Doc with concerned interest. "Something wrong, Doc?"
Dr. Light did not answer. His mind seemed to be coated with a fuzzy panic. He steadied himself a bit fixed his eyes on Mega.
"Rock..you said that this robot was 'humanlike'? In what way?"
Mega shrugged. "It's really hard to explain. Its actions and emotions seemed richer and more real than any of the other robots there. Like a human or something."
Dr. Light's world crashed. This was it. Wily really HAD used those reploid plans that Bass had stolen so long ago. He had built a reploid. Dr. Light didn't doubt it, even if Mega's description of the robot had been vague. And there was little doubt that the reploid would be put to ill use. Even if Wily was dead now, there was an excellent chance that the twisted scientist had told the reploid what to do with its future life, i.e. kill humans, cause general destruction. Also, there was a vital hibernation period of at least thirty years that reploids needed to go through to make sure that their advanced minds will develop enough to be able to tell the difference between right and wrong. It was crucially important that they had judgment, as a reploid's conscience was the only thing that would keep it from blasting all sorts of neat stuff. Dr. Light had written that clearly on his notes. He prayed that Wily would at least have HIS reploid go through the hibernation process so that it would be a bit more stable.
Dr. Light fell into a chair behind him and did some quick calculating in his head. He was sure that Wily WOULD have the reploid hibernate. Wily was a lot of things, but he wasn't stupid. On the notes, Light had indicated that he was going to put his own reploid into hibernation, should he ever create one. Wily would likely realize that an unstable reploid is not a happy reploid, and would do the same. Oh, this was going to be a fun future.
"Hey Doc. You die?"
Mega Man's inquisitive voice brought Light's thoughts thundering back to the present. Roll stood beside her brother, a look of concern etched into her face.
The Doc snapped out of his trance and began to speak in a hushed voice. "What you saw at Wily's fortress, Rock, was not a robot. It was a reploid. There's a world of difference, and I'll explain it to you later. But I'll tell you this much. Reploids are dangerous. Very much so. I should know: I created the plans for the construction of one, but I never carried them out because I was fearful of what they were capable of. But your little friend, Bass, stole them a long time ago when he ransacked the lab. Back then, I told you he hadn't really taken anything of very great value, but I was lying. Wily has obviously created a reploid that'll wreak havoc in the future. I can't allow that to happen. I created the plans, and they were my responsibility. I have to find some way to retaliate." He slowly rose to his feet, his body creaking in protest to this movement. Sighing, Light was reminded that he had little time.
"Rock, hear me out for a second...."
Proto was painfully aware of the fact that he was running out of creative ways to scatter the reporters from Light's door. He involuntarily cried out as the flash from a camera lit up the world for a second. Even with his visor, Proto was extremely sensitive to light.
When the spots cleared, Proto was suddenly hit by an idea that made no sense at all. In other words, it was perfect. He dashed inside the lab as a streak of silver and returned to the reporters with a cellphone in his hand. He fixed the journalist in the front of the mass with a friendly smile.
"Hey. Your mother's on the phone."
At these words, the reporter's eyes grew to twice their normal size. A scream escaped him as he whipped around 180 degrees and began to claw his way into the crowd.
Proto chuckled as he listened to the dialtone in his ear. "I'm surprised that worked. Maybe his mother was a psychotic rodeo clown. Wouldn't surprise me. Humans are so messed."
John Winnik, a famed journalist from the popular newspaper known as the Daily Blah, averted his sickened gaze from Wily's cold body to the unconscious forms of the robots strewn around him in an uneven pattern. Several reporters milled about the fortress, writing down various points, snapping photos, etc. John's partner, Sean Mac, whistled as he regarded the mess.
John turned to his friend and jabbed a finger at the jumble of robots before him. "Do you know which one of these is that bastard, Bass?"
Sean shrugged. 'No clue. Why?"
"I was hoping to pry off his arm and use it to patch the gaping hole in my living room window! I'll never forget that tank attack."
"Mmm. How touching. So what's gonna happen to this lovely fortress now that Wily is kaput?"
John peered at the dripping, dank grey stones that surrounded him, and breathed of the unpleasant, stale air that swathed him. "I guess we'll just have it torn down, and give the robots to the Robot Museum. This place is an eyesore."
Sean nodded in agreement. "Uh, so...you gonna take a picture of Wily's body, or what?"
John was taken aback. "No thank YOU. Why don't you do it?"
"I can't point a camera to save my life! Besides, I thought Sy was your photographer."
John snorted. "Yeah, well, Sy ain't here now, is he?!"
Sean shook his head numbly.
John roused himself and clapped Sean on the back. "Tell you what! I'll take the picture of Wily's body, and you go call Sy's wife and tell her that her husband was devoured by a booby- trap full of alligators! Sound fair?"
Proto was thankful for the onset of night. It was the time of day that the reporters shuffled away from the Lab and allowed Proto some peace and quiet until the reporters would return at dawn's first light, and the torture would begin anew.
The night was perfectly still and the sky was crystal clear. Proto gazed up at the starts which hung in the ebony blackness like majestic, shimmering lamps, tributes to an awesome, ages-old heavenly power that no race on earth could completely comprehend. Taurus and Orion were locked in their eternal, starry battle, as were Draco and Hercules. A dreamy smile crossed Proto's face as he fell to his favourite pastime: counting stars. "One...two....three...four...five...six...seven...eight..."
Proto was interrupted at seven hundred and three by a sullen clang beside him. He turned his helmeted head to see Mega Man sitting next to him. The small blue bot looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
'Something wrong, Rocky Horror?"
"Yeah." Mega's voice was unusually heavy. "Light just gave me a sneak preview of the future, and it doesn't look pretty. Did the Doc ever explain to you what a reploid is?"
Proto recalled the argument he had had long ago with his creator about the safety of the plans. Slowly, he nodded.
"Well, " Mega continued, "it seems that when Bass ransacked our lab all those months ago, he stole the Doc's plans for a reploid, and Wily built one of his own. The Doc didn't tell me that the plans had been stolen at that time, because he didn't want me getting too 'angry'. I don't know what he was talking about when he said that."
"Hmmm...that's a bugger."
Mega picked up a rock and threw it into the darting shadows of the trees. "I haven't even gotten to the worst part. The Doc says that the reploid is probably even stronger than me. Besides that, we have NO idea when it may attack. Reploids' minds are very advanced but also very unstable. Because of this, a reploid may attack anyone...even its own creator. But if it hibernates for at least thirty years, its mind will become more secure. The Doc says he has reason to believe that Wily's reploid will go into hibernation and wake up in the future to cause trouble, which is most likely what Wily wants it to do." Mega paused. "Dr. Light wants me to be around in the future to retaliate any attacks the reploid might make on society."
"That's a great idea!"
"No. Let me finish, Proto. The only way for me to fight a reploid is to become a reploid myself."
Proto looked blank. "What do you--?"
"Dr. Light doesn't have the time to build a complete reploid, and even if he did, he lost the plans to Bass. But since my mind is almost as advanced as a reploid's, he says he remembers enough of his plans to turn ME into one quite easily. Then he'd put me into thirty year hibernation. There's a very good chance of it working...but I'd lose all my memory of my life as a 'bot."
"But that would....suck!" Proto mentally cursed himself for not using a word that was a bit more compassionate.
Mega stirred. "Yes, it would. But I'm going to accept."
Proto actually became frightened at the thought of losing his brother. "No! You can't. I'LL take your place!" He said lamely.
"Wow, one of your first unselfish acts towards me! Excuse me while I have a heart attack." Mega grinned teasingly. "Anyway, this is something I need to do. Humans in the future are gonna need to be protected against this 'reploid', and I'm the only one who can do it. I WANT to do this. Wily may be gone now, but that doesn't mean that crime etc. will just vanish into the air. You need to stay and protect this time period. I'll handle the future. Don't worry."
The brothers sat in silence for a second, listening to the distant whirr of crickets in the evening's heat. Proto's voice ruined the fine stillness.
"So...is the Doc gonna transform you right away?"
"No. First I gotta pay a visit to Auto's shop and get the right materials."
"Hm. On your way, you think you could stop at K-Mart and fetch me a new scarf...?"
"Hey...buddy...are you gonna pay for that?"
Zero disgregarded this question as he pocketed an energy canister.
The robust green and yellow robot behind the counter of the popluar robotic supply store known affectionately as 'Big Eddie's' cocked his head and frowned at the tall, scarlet robot that browsed freely amoung his wares. The odd stranger picked up some sort of nick-nack that Auto could not identify from his viewpoint. He got a perfect view, however, of the stranger examining the object, shrugging, and discarding the item over his plated shoulder. Auto nearly freaked, which was very unlike his humourous nature.
"Hey, come ON!" Auto exclaimed as he waddled from his lair to see what damage the robot had caused to the object. "Don't throw stuff around like a Fishwife! Do you think nuclear atom splicers grow on trees?"
"Hell with you, fat boy."
"That's not very nice."
"Ask me if I give a damn." Zero pocketed another small item to punctuate this statement.
Auto sighed. Usually, almost nothing could daunt his good nature. This newcomer, however, was doing a very good job of undoing the happy-go-lucky air that surrouned the store owner. He realized that Eddie himself was going to have to handle this loser...
Zero shuffled around the contents of another shelf . Annoyance welled up within his systems as he did so. Garbage, garbage, garbage. This cheap store didn't have what he was looking for, although Zero himself didn't have any idea what he WAS looking for. To vent his frustration, Zero pulled some stuff off the shelf and let it slide onto the floor. He felt a tiny glimmer of satisfaction as he listened to the resounding crash.
As Zero stood ankle-deep in the debris of his destruction, he thought about how messed up his life had been since Bass had gone bye-bye. Without his ebony brother to lead him, Zero was pretty much lost. Sure, he would automatically deactivate in four months...but what was he to do until then? Eat stale fruitcake? Run up and down the city streets naked, screaming that Big Bird was coming to kill him? Obviously not. Bass had warned him to behave. But only seven days had passed since Zero had left Skull Castle, and already he was screwing up royal.
One thing was certain: Zero had turned nastier since his departure. The loss of his father and brothers had not been good for his mental health. Besides that, now that he wandered the city streets, he found himself surrounded by humans. Humans. The very word dripped slowly into his circuts and tainted them with hate. He would never forget that mysterious, swirling entity that had hovered above him like a formless omen. He would never forget the entity's voice, which had sounded like gravel being shifted back and forth in a wooden bucket, telling him that humans were evil. And now that he actually had contact with them, Zero hated them. He hated their recklessness, their backstabbing nature, and the way they made themsevles out to be such a big screaming deal. Zero found that as each day passed, it got a little bit harder to refrain from going berserk and introducing a few dozen humans to the happy end of his blaster. But common sense was always there, nagging him and scolding him. He could not do any killing of that sort...not yet.
Zero was pulled back into reality as a thin, unplesant feeling cut through him. It was a feeling we all get at one time or another: Zero felt like he was being WATCHED.
But watched by what? Zero looked up down and around and finally at his armoured boots. There, standing no higher than Zero's knee, was the oddest creature he had ever laid eyes on.
"Hey. Innkeeper. You've got rats." Zero's monotone voice betrayed his actual feelings of surprise.
"That's not a rat, buddy."
And, indeed, it probably wasn't. The little creature was a bright, firetruck red. Its head bore a crest that was almost suitcase shaped, and looked hollow. While the thing had no arms, it had two legs. It continuosly rocked back and forth on those legs in a rhythm that was as steady as the tides themselves. Its large eyes blinked in a manner that kept perfect time with its rocking. Those eyes were now looking directly at Zero, fixing him with a menacing glare. Zero felt a little bit overwhelmed. Zero didn't know many knee - high, dancing pieces of luggage that could deliver the 'evil eye' like this one did.
"Hey big guy...who is this little freak and what does he want?"
"That," said Auto, "is Eddie, robot 72080 of the Flip - Top breed. He is requesting that you return the materials that you stole."
"What's he gonna do if I don't? Blink me to death?!" Zero snorted as aimed a swift kick at the small, seemingly defenseless form before him. To his surprise, the suitcase sidestepped the attack and retorted by delivering a head butt to Zero's knee. The crimson reploid yelped as his knee gave way and spilled him onto the item - strewn floor. All the items he had stowed away in his armour rolled out and became lost in the clutter.
Above him, Auto broke into peals of laughter. He offered one of his big hands to Zero. Zero grudgingly accepted it and scrambled to his feet. Then, without hesitation, he aimed his arm cannon at Eddie.
"Hey!" Auto said sharply, smacking Zero's cannon away from his friend. "That's not nice! Now come on. Let's have a little chit chat. I have a feeling you need one."
Zero lowered his arm cannon, surprising himself. He felt a little reassured by Auto's friendly tone, so he accepted his offer. He felt lost and confused, and needed a friend to talk to, even if it was a big, dumb, fat robot that was painted the colour of mucus. However, he was wisely selective about what he told the big bot.
"My name's Zero. I don't really know who I am. My creator abandoned me, and I've just been wandering around for the last little while."
Auto's normally blank eyes suddenly brimmed with regret. "Aw, you poor thing...you're an orphan."
"Yeah, I guess you could say that."
Auto pounded Zero on the back, knocking the wind out of the reploid. "Well, that's enough about you! I'm Auto, and the store you stand in is called Big Eddie's! Not to toot my own horn, but we're pretty renowned! We supply Dr. Light himself with a large amount of materials!"
Zero's circuts froze with a chilling hate. Dr. Light. He had heard that name before. But where? "Dr. who?"
"Oh, you haven't heard of Dr. Light? He's famous! He's the creator of Rock, Roll, Tango, Beat..."
Unbeknownst to Zero but knownst to us, Rock was Mega Man's real name. But since Zero didn't know that there was any relation at all between the two names, he merely smiled, the first one he had cracked in a long time. "That sounds a lot less like 'Dr. Light's Creations' and more like 'Mr. Holland's Opus'.
Auto bellowed as if he had heard the best joke in the world, and slammed Zero on the back again. This time, Zero went staggering nearly halfway across the store.
"I like you, buddy! And Eddie likes you too."
Zero recovered himself. "Eddie? That dancing suitcase that I nearly shot? He talks?"
"Well, not really. But he's my best friend..."
"You're best friends with a mute, knee - high briefcase?" Zero slowly began inching towards the door in case he had to make a break from the loony bin he was currently enclosed in.
"Yeah, Eddie helps me run the store." Auto said cheerfully. "Even though he can't talk, I understand everything he's trying to tell me!"
Zero's curiousity finally overshadowed his uneasiness. "How do you communicate with him?"
"One blink means yes, two means no."
Zero couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Auto lumbered towards Zero again and threw his thick arm around the reploid's shoulders. "I can tell I'm scaring ya, buddy. You can leave now if ya want, but afore ye go, could you please help me clean up the mess you made with your temper tantrum?" Auto motioned towards the shelf that Zero had pulled down.
Disgusted, Zero peeled Auto's massive arm off of himself. "Why do you keep on making physical contact with me, Auto? Are you coming on to me or something...?"
Auto's booming laugh ensued. Zero became slightly annoyed. Didn't this guy take offense to ANYTHING? Zero realised that he could probably throw a brick at Auto's head, and the guy would still be laughing. It was highly irritating.
Nevertheless, Zero agreed to help Auto clean up. Eddie tagged closely at Zero's heels like a puppy while the reploid put items back on their designated shelves. He was obviously making sure that nothing was ripped off again. Zero was contemplating on whether or not his leg should 'accidently' thrust out behind him and kick Eddie in the face, when a nearby object that bore a brilliant lustre caught his eye. Zero dropped the armful of supplies he had scooped up, and walked in a trance to that shining object like a moth to a candle. It seemed to be calling his name. As he got closer to the object, he saw that it was a cylindrical handle of some sort of sword that lacked a blade. Very unusual, but Zero still streched out a tentative hand and drew the object towards him. It felt cool to the touch, and it was a healthy weight. Zero's hand seemed to become one with it, but he still was in the dark about just what it was...
"Hey Auto - Man. What is this?"
Auto looked over his shoulder. When he saw what Zero possesed, he waddled over to him. All the salesman instincts within him awoke with a vengence.
"Isn't that a peachy little thing? It's the newest weapon on the market, and that's the sole one I posses. They were recently built to honour 'Lucas', the great god who was said to exsist way back in the 20th century. It's called a 'lightsabre'. You see that funky little button near the hilt? Push it."
Zero did as he was told, and he got quite a start when a pulsating blade shot out of its lair. The blade emanated a harsh, neon green light. Zero instinctively gave a swipe with the blade. There was a deep - throated hum from the sabre as well as a faint trail of lime - coloured light in its wake. Zero was held in thrall by the wonder of the weapon. He had to have it.
"That's the lightsabre!" Auto boomed on like a commercial. "Share it with your friends, scare your gramma with it! It comes with a neat sheath that is genuine leather! I'll let it go for a...somewhat low price."
Zero's face fell. He didn't have any money, and he knew he couldn't steal this weapon. It was obviously worth a lot, and Auto would never let Zero just walk away with it. Yet, something had to be done. The lightsabre now owned Zero. It held him with its beauty and power.
"I have no money, big guy...but I'll tell you, I just HAVE to have this. Isn't there some way you can just...give it to me?"
Auto frowned thoughtfully. "I'll tell you what. We'll barter. I need some help around the store. We're busy lately. You help me around the store for a few months, and I'll let you have the sabre. Deal?"
Zero considered this. It was still four months before he would be shut down. If he worked with Auto, he could pass the time and earn the lightsabre he loved. Two birds with one stone. The drawback? Zero knew he was going to have to summon every bit of will he possesed to keep his sanity while working with Auto.
Still, the pros outweighed the cons, and Zero accepted.
Auto pounded Zero on the back once again. Grimly, Zero realised that if Auto's outlandish behaviour didn't cease, he was going to have to do some pounding of his own.
"Great, Zorro! Glad to have you aboard!" Auto quipped.
"My name is Zero."
"Ah, whatever."
And so, time went on slippin' into the future, and Zero got a taste of what it was like to work. He didn't particularily care for labour, but what the hell, it gave him something to do. He carried his new lightsabre with him wherever he went. Auto gave him the leather sheath he had mentioned earlier, and the sabre now took residence on Zero's back.
One fine day, about three months after he had begun the working life, Zero found himself carrying a large table on his back. He was huffing and creaking under the burden while Auto stood thoughtfully, thinking of where to put the simple piece of furniture.
"Okay, big guy." Zero panted brokenly. "This thing ain't exactly light. Tell me where to drop it."
"In a second. Do you think that table would look better by the door, or near the window?"
Zero could feel acidic words rising in his throat and coating his tounge, just begging to be spit out, but Zero wisely swallowed them. "This isn't exactly a life or death desicion, Auto. Please hurry and decide before by shoulders break off."
"All right." Auto said reluctantly. "Put it by the door."
Zero promply did as he was told, glad to get rid of the weight.
"No...wait...I've changed my mind. Put it by the window."
Zero's temper began to mount. He wasn't a bloody beast of burden! Gritting his teeth, he snapped a leash on his lashing anger and held it back, an action that working with Auto had forced him to practice. And he was getting better at it, too. Wordlessly, Zero heaved the table onto his shoulders again and plunked it down by the window.
"No wait...change of heart. Put it by the door again."
"AUTO! MAKE UP YOUR FRACKIN' MIND!!"
"Sorry, I can't help it if I'm indesicive!"
Zero sighed and picked up the table again. He staggered over to the door and placed it there neatly while fixing Auto with an icy glare. "There you go, your Majesty. Is that kosher?"
Auto beamed. "It's perfect! Thanks Zippo, you've been a great help!"
Zero had just about given up on correcting Auto when the big bot got his name wrong, which was almost always. "Glad to be of service." He sighed. "Now, I'm going to my room to fetch something. I'll be right back."
Auto nodded and waved him off.
Zero trooped off to his small bedroom and fetched his lightsabre and sheath. He had been forced to remove them while he had been moving the table. He hummed contently as he started back to the main store. Auto was a dork, but he was nice, and life wasn't so bad after all. Even Eddie had been agreeable lately, despite the spat that he had had with Zero all those weeks back.
When Zero saw the customer that was now browsing in the store, he froze. He expertly dodged into the shadows of the corridor mouth that yawned into the main room. Swathed in partial darkness, he felt a little bit better. He could not allow this customer to see him...not if Bass' plan was to go smoothly.
The customer was Mega Man. The little blue bot was locked in a seemingly heavy conversation with Auto. Zero could not hear the words exchanged between the two, but Mega seemed to be bearing bad news, judging by the unusually downcast look in Auto's eyes. Suddenly, Auto swept Mega into a massive bear-hug. Zero smiled without humour. It was just that Mega's struggling little body in Auto's gargantuan arms reminded Zero of a rabbit caught in a bear-trap.
Mega finally departed about fifteen minutes later, his arms loaded down with complex- looking materials. Zero let a sigh ease through him. He stepped out of the maw of the corridor and looked at the door casually. Despite the fact that his heart was still crashing against his ribs, he managed to keep his voice at a neutral tone. "So that was..."
'Mega Man." Auto finished off sadly. "One of my bestest buddies. He killed an evil tyrant named Wily, quite by accident."
"It was no accident!" Zero almost shrieked. Thankfully, he caught himself before he did so. Instead, he said, "Yeah, I've heard of Wily. From what I've been told, he deserved it." Zero immediately bit his tounge.
"The media hasn't left the poor Blue Bomber alone since then." Auto sighed. "So he's sorta...leaving. He wouldn't tell me exactly what's going on, though."
"Good riddance," Zero thought bitterly.
"But he DID give me some good news. Skull Castle has recently been torn down."
Zero's world silently crashed. His face drained of all colour. Luckily, Auto wasn't looking at him as this occoured. For his own safety, Zero pulled his casual face back on. "Well, I'm...glad to hear that. What do you suppose happened to all of Wily's bots that were in there?"
Auto shrugged. "That's the funny part. They were all deactivated when the reporters got there. Even Bass and his dog."
Bass. The very word brought a wave of loneliness crashing upon him.
"The only living things that were found in the Castle were a large raven and a rare python. I don't know what happened to those two."
Zero inwardly sighed as a tide of fond memories engulfed him. Flagg and Monty. "But what happened to the robots? Where are they now?"
"Uhm...Mega mentioned that they were shipped to the Robot Museum, I believe."
A sliver of ice worked its way into Zero's heart. What a fate for his brothers. Zero had once been to the Robot Museum. It hadn't been a nice experience....seeing his relitives and ancestors poised stiffly on display with faux expressions of bravado plastered on their faces for eternity had given Zero the creeps for a good long while after that. Their glassy, meaningless eyes were forever pegged on an unseen threat. Zero had hated it.
"Something wrong, Zilcho?" Auto's voice sounded concerned.
"Zero." Zero corrected automatically. "And no, nothing's really wrong. Just a little...tired out."
"Hm. Get some rest, why don'tchya!"
Wordlessly, Zero complied and lurched back to his room like a member of the undead. On his way, only one thought now pounded painfully on his mind: If Skull Castle was gone, where was he to hibrenate when the time came? His last days were on their way.
"Whelp...I guess this is it, Rockster."
"Yeah." Mega sighed heavily.
Mega, Proto and the rest of the dispirited clan were regarding the sea-blue capsule that loomed before them, exactly 8 by 14 feet.
Mega gulped. He knew that he was to enter this capsule for his own good and for the good of the future, but part of him resisted. Damned new emotions. Mega looked down at himself. He was now a reploid. His mind and body now had limitless power, which he could pracically feel ebbing from himself. A nameless power that was extremely dangerous.
Mega regarded the capsule again with narrowed eyes. Once he entered that thing, he'd be plunged into a 30 year sleep, during which most of his memory would be wiped. Did he really want to go through with this?
Light prodded at Mega's slugishness. "Come on, Rock. Step into the capsule. You've already said your goodbyes."
Mega took one hesitant step towards the yawning mouth of the capsule. He threw a quick glance at Proto, who gave his brother the thumbs up. "Don't worry, Rocky Horror! I'll look after the city while you're snoozing. I just hope I don't screw up royal. I'm kidding! hehehe!"
Mega returned the smile, and finally summoned up enough guts to step into the capsule. Light closed the door calmly, if not a bit tearfully.
"And that is that." Roll sighed when the hydrolic hiss of the door subsided. "I just hope that no one is going to bother him for 30 years. What will we tell the reporters when they find that Rock's missing?"
"We can tell them that he ran," Light said grimly while he pecked at some keys at his computer. "Not very noble, but that's the best I can think of at this time."
"Oh no!" Roll nearly wailed. "Then everyone will think he DID kill Wily on purpose."
"Everyone already thinks that." Light mumbled. "Now, silence please! I have to finish this warning in case anyone finds the capsule before 30 years is up." Light returned to his typing, dictating to himself as he did so.
""X" is the first of a new generation of robots that contain an innovative new feature...the ability to think, feel, and make their own decisions..."
Cloaked in the blackness of the moonless night, Zero stole one final glance at the store that had served as his home for four months. Big Eddie's. Zero was definately going to miss Auto, although he hardly admitted it to himself: the big bot was one of a kind.
Zero found himself in the heart of the city. The place was calm. There wasn' t a trace of the ruckus that usually covered the streets. Only a few cars whispered by every five seconds or so.
Streetlights placed soft orange islands on the black street. Zero dodged from one to another, heading towards his destination. Within minutes, it was before him.
The subway station.
Surely, this place could provide him some bedding for thirty years. Hopefully. Zero plunged into the station and glanced around. A few humans milled about lazily, none taking much interest in Zero.
Zero made his way down to the trains. The ticket collecter was in his little booth, reading a magazine that seemed to hold all his interest. Therefore, it was no trouble for Zero to slip by unoticed.
As he neared the tracks, Zero saw a subway charging and snorting down them like a mammoth steed. He waited patiently as the train roared in, emptied its passengers, loaded a few on, and resumed its dreary course. The place was deserted. Zero prepared to make his move.
Making sure his lightsabre was strapped on securely, Zero lept onto the tracks and darted into the tunnel that the train had entered. He traveled down the murky chamber, his eyes searching for appropriate bedding.
There! A nook! Zero flattened himself against the wall as he traveled deeper into it. Suddenly, sleepiness tugged on his circuts. Panicked, Zero began to speed up his journey.
The nook made an 'L' shape. In the inky darkness, Zero felt along the wall, turned the corner and finally settled. This was to be his home for the next 30 years or so. He muttered a short prayer, hoping that the nook he rested in was really as unused as it appeared to be.
Zero remembered Bass telling him that, without the capsule, Zero wouldn't awaken in exactly 30 years. It might be a bit more. It might be a bit less. The chip that Wily had planted in Zero at birth would take care of the job of putting him into a long sleep: hopefully, his systems wold be smart and would wake him up at the appropriate time.
This concern was still settled on Zero's mind as he succumbed to the lull of the chip within him. He closed his eyes. The only ones to witness the beginning of his long hibernation was a family of mice who now had a big red robot sharing their nook, much to their disgust.
Continued in Book 2...