Rock, Hadrian, X, Zero, Roll, and Iris each sat patiently in the waiting room of the Reploid Repair Ward at Maverick Hunter Headquarters. All of them had been given a clear bill of health from Lifesaver himself and had rested for the last couple of days to allow their Auto Repair Systems to do their thing. Bass, however had been in a much worse state of affairs and had stayed in critical condition for the last week. Each of the six robots was lost in his or her own thoughts.
Finally, the gate opened with a clank and Lifesaver emmerged with a rare grin. He was actually quite an imposing Reploid at seven feet tall and a face that was drawn in a serious expression ninety percent of the time. "That Bioroid's systems are amazing!" he said almost to himself. "No Reploid could have survived the internal damages he took without extensive surgerymany of his systems had been burned completely awayand yet he had literally regrown much of them just by hooking him up to a supply of energy!"
Zero and Iris dropped their jaws. Unlike Rock, Roll, and Hadrianwho were Bioroids themselvesand Xwho now remembered what it was like to be onethey had no idea that a living machine could do that. "In fact," Lifesaver went on. "Here he is now."
The tall Reploid doctor scuffled aside and allowed Bass to enter the room. He was in a plain black tee shirt and geans and wore no helmet, allowing his somewhat wild blonde hair to go free. "Bass!" Roll cried as she leapt from her chair to engulf Bass in a monster bear hug.
Bass laughed. "Hi Roll." Then he looked up with a somewhat unreadable expression on his face. "Hi, Rock."
Rock grinned, but remained silent.
Lifesaver grew stern. "If you have any ideas of going home, now, you can forget it. Bass's systems are almost up to their peak, but they are still somewhat weak. Any usage of the alien energy inside of him during the next twenty four hours or so, even a minor usage, could put him right back here. He will be able to take you home tomorrow at the very earliest."
X looked about to object, but realized the futility of it and said instead, "Well, as long as you're gonna stay here, you might as well join the party."
"Party?" Rock asked confusedly.
X nodded. "A war is pretty stressful both on the body and in the mind, you know."
Rock grinned. "Boy do I," he muttered.
"Well, in order to try and keep some semblance of sanity around here, we throw a party at MHHQ after all major battles. Just to allow the Hunters involved to relax."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Hadrian asked excitedly. "Let's party!"
Rock whistled appreciatively when he and the others entered the recreation hall. The place was packed, and music played in the background thanks to a small group of Hunters who had formed a band. Zero and Iris wandered off instantly to dance, as did Bass and Roll. Hadrian grinned at his brother. "Nice shindigs, eh?" he asked.
Rock nodded. "Very nice."
Before anyone else could say anything a cry interrupted them. "Omygosh! It's Protoman!"
X, Rock, and Hadrian turned to find a young blonde woman running toward them. Hadrian coughed. "Er, do I know you?" he asked.
The woman laughed. "The name's Kallie. Kalinka Cossack was my grandmother! I've wanted to meet you my whole life. C'mon, let's dance!"
With that, Kallie grabbed Hadrian by the wrist and dragged him off to the dance floor. Hadrian cast a look at his friends behind him that clearly said help me! but X and Rock merely shrugged and tried their best not to laugh outright. "C'mon," Rock chuckled. "We might as well find a table."
"I must say you took the news really well," Rock was saying later.
X blinked. "What news?"
"Well, that thing about Zero being created by Dr. Wily. If I had known that my best friend was made by that scumbag, I don't think I'd take it as calmly as you did."
X grinned. "Well, we did have other things on our mind, and I was still recovering from the thought that I might actually get to meet Dr. Light."
Rock smiled sadly. "Sorry he wouldn't have been able to answer any of your questions."
X shrugged. "S'okay," he admitted. "I've gotten over it. Anyways, I guess I've learned that it doesn't matter what a persons origins are so much as the person he is now." He grinned. "Now, what's up with Bass. Id've thought you'd object to your sister having a thing for your number one rival."
Rock sighed as he watched the two in question dance. "Y'know, it's not even Bass that has me worried as such. When we get back home, the two of us will be on opposite sides again. I don't even know how I'm gonna respond to that, let alone Roll." Rock sighed again. "I think my life got a whole lot more complicated."
X smiled wistfully as his gaze shifted to Zero and Iris. "Gee, why does that sound familiar?" he muttered under his breath.
Rock changed the subject. "This music sucks," he spoke up. "I say we go and do something about it."
X grinned. He knew what Rock was thinking, but he asked anyways. "Like what?"
Rock grinned.
During a brief intermission, Rock, Hadrian, Zero, Bass, and X stepped onto the stage. "Okay, boys," X said cheerfully. "Our turn."
One of the Reploids turned to him in surprise. "You're kidding, right?"
X grinned. "Watch how you talk to your commanding officer, Crash."
Another one made a very impolite noise. "X, we're all off duty and you know it."
X shrugged. "Maybe so, Burn, but that changes in a couple of days, and I have a very good memory."
Not much more convincing was needed to get the band to surrender their instruments. Hadrian went over to the electric keyboard. "Woah, momma!" he gasped. "Lookie at all the special effects on this thing! I think I'm in heaven!"
Zero situated himself a the drum set, as Bass took (what else?) bass guitar, and Rock and X took lead and backup guitar respectively. Rock tapped the mike before him. "Okay, guys, gals, and 'Ploids!" he said. "You're previously scheduled program has been interrupted by us, Cold Steel! Now prepare to rock!" Cheers went up among a greater portion of the crowd. "We're gonna start with a golden oldie that I think fits the occasion." Rock then turned away from the crowd and gave the rest of the group the tempo, then the song started. "It's the end of the world as we know it! It's the end of the world as we know it! It the end of the world as we know it, and I feeeeel fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!"
The next day, it was decided that Bass was well enough to take those of his time period home. They all gathered outside of the Hunter Tower, along with X, Zero, Iris, Colonel, and Tengu Man. Dr. Wily sulked at a distance as the others said goodbye. "You sure you're gonna be okay in this era?" Bass asked Tengu Man.
The taller robot shrugged. "Sure. Now that I'm a Reploid, I don't really belong in the past anymore, and since I beat that Maverick Virus thing, the Hunters have taken me on, so it's not a big deal."
X and Rock gripped hands. "Well, see ya," Mega Man said with a grin.
X grinned. "I hope not."
Bass gave Zero one last brotherly embrace, then separated from the group a ways. "I guess we can't do anymore damage around this popsicle stand, so I say it's time to blow this joint."
With a quick set of commands in his teleporter, Bass summoned another vortex, now blue instead of purple. "Good guys, first," he remarked with a smirk. "This'll take you to Dr. Light's lab." Dr. Light, Rush, and Roll went through first, and Hadrian and Rock were about to follow, when Bass stopped them. "Oh, by the way. Check your closets when you get there. I left Cossack and Kalinka tied up in one of them. The two brothers smirked and nodded before leaping into the funnel of light. "Okay, Doc," Bass nodded to Wily. "Your turn."
"It's about bloody time you got to me!" Wily yelled angrily. "I created you! You should have put me above all the others! I ought to shut you!"
"Aw, shut up!" Bass interrupted as he pushed the old man in before he could continue. Finally he turned to the assembled Reploids. "See ya!" He said with a grin and a salute before he leapt in after his creator.
"Well," X stated. "I guess things are gonna return to normal around...waitasec!" X noticed that the warp had yet to close. In fact, it was beginning to draw the air around it into itself, like a vacuum.
"That can't be good," Zero agreed.
Suddenly the vacuum effect intensified, and Iris, by far the lightest of the group, was sent hurtling toward the warp. "Heeeeeey!" she cried out in surprise.
"Gotcha!" Zero quipped as he managed to grab one of her hands with both of his own. Zero was being anchored by X, who had one had around his partner's waist and the other around a street light. Tengu Man and Colonel were far enough away to not be affected by the suction.
"Zero, I can't hold on!" Iris gasped a split second before her hand slipped out of his. With a scream, Iris literally flew backwards and into the warp.
"Iris!" Zero yelled as he wrenched X's arm from around his waist and leapt in after her.
X shook his head. "Man, I just know I'm gonna hate myself in the mornin'..." he muttered before he let go of the light fixture and allowed himself to be sucked in as well. Once he had entered the warp it dissapeard, leaving Colonel and Tengu Man staring in shock.
Before any of them could find their tongues, a voice spoke up from behind. "'Scuse me, do either of you know how I could get in touch with Mega Man X?"
"Sorry," Tengu Man quipped wryly as he turned around. "Just missed him." When he saw who had addressed him, Tengu Man was rendered speachless again. Standing before him was a rather small and wiry man, about X's height and build. He wore a leather jacket, faded blue geans and wore a pair of sunglasses, which matched his midnight black hair perfectly. Most telling about him was that he wore a yellow, moth eaten scarf around his neck.
The newcommer groaned with a wry grin. "I don't believe this. After all this trouble I
went through to set up a family reunion, my little bro up and skipped the party!"