v1.7

"...you don't feel this at all?" Crystal Man asked, blinking repeatedly, dumbfounded.

"No..." Centaur Man answered, "What are you doing?"

"He's prodding you with a knife," Metal Man answered. Crystal Man scratched his head and poked Centaur Man higher up in his back, finally receiving a sharp yelp as a reaction.

"Weird..." he muttered, "You've got one huge numb spot right near the base of your spine."

Centaur Man half-glared at him over his shoulder and grumbled, "I told you that. I saw him take out some of my nerves."

"Shit..." I swore, catching their attention as I stepped into the room, "One problem after another...he's going to study that and likely figure things out from there. And unless ours work differently from humans, your nerves aren't going to grow back." He quite obviously resisted wincing.

"If I'd known that this was going to cause so much trouble, I wouldn't have said anything to him..." he sighed, returning to swinging his feet like a bored toddler as he sat on the examination table, tail swaying every now and then.

"Well, it's too late now." I shook my head. "But at least it'll be easier for you to get around in parts of Wily's castle whenever we attack now..."

"What are you doing in my clothes?" Metal Man asked. The Voice broke into a fit of cackling, and I cringed. Crystal Man was going to kill me.

"I...um...followed Dr. Light and Rock around today." I looked away from them, rubbing the back of my neck. You know the "look" that human women are infamous for using when they're mad at their boyfriends or husbands? I was getting it times three. Four, actually, since Ring Man was still behind me. I could feel Magnet Man's grin from the next room. Did I mention that he doesn't like me? "...can I defend myself before you all scream at me?"

"Let's hear it." I never thought I'd hear Metal Man growl like that. Almost made me want to slink away with my tail between my legs. Almost.

"I found out that they know something's going on here, and Rock's going to storm the place tomorrow or the day after."

"Aw shit..." was the response. Actually, Metal Man said "aw crud".

( He is the one who keeps threatening to wash your mouth out. )

Very true. I don't think I've ever heard Metal Man swear.

"The security systems aren't online yet," Crystal Man growled, "And there are only a few Mets up and running."

"If Centaur Man wasn't down, we could attack tomorrow..." Ring Man sighed. Centaur Man's shoulders hunched. He looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere and die.

"No..." I answered, "I don't think we could." I looked at Metal Man and Centaur Man. "Unless you two have finished planning the attack."

Metal Man ran his fingers through his hair and answered, "We haven't gotten all the kinks worked out yet...but we've figured out which Robot Master we need to use." He looked around me to Ring Man. "Be ready to control Toad Man whenever we do attack just in case Elec Man or I can't for some reason." Ring Man nodded.

"Are we going to fight him or hide when he comes...?" Centaur Man asked, looking up from where he'd been staring at his feet.

"I move for hiding," Crystal Man muttered, "He's always won before, and if he manages to get either Ring Man's or Metal Man's weapon, three of us are screwed." Metal Man and I cringed at the thought. Both of us and Crystal Man were weak against blade weapons, especially Metal Man and myself. One direct hit with his own weapon would kill Metal Man, and three direct hits would kill me.

And it was very true that he always won. Every one of us had suffered a beating by his hands once before. I remembered my fight with him as if it had happened just a few minutes ago. I also remembered being coherent the whole time after he defeated me. My chest and stomach were torn open, my left arm from just below the elbow was gone, and my spine had been severed. And I had been coherent from the moment he defeated me until Dr. Wily and Cut Man found me seven months later. I still had nightmares about the pain and seeing shadows crawl around on the walls. The Voice claimed to be the only reason why I had survived.

I'd always felt alone back then. None of the other five in my army were alive like me, and I had to hide it from Dr. Wily, so I was constantly feeling lonely. Then Dr. Wily built the second army, and, with them, the second Kaiser. Metal Man and I had quickly become friends, and I welcomed the company. When Dr. Wily sent him out to siege the robot factory, I had followed him. I knew Rock would defeat him, but I didn't want to lose my only friend in the Skull Fortress. I remember hiding behind a loose panel in the wall and watching them fight. Rock always had been a good fighter, but compared to Metal Man's style, he was sloppy. Very sloppy. Metal Man always waited for him to make the first move, jumping out of the way and returning fire with the grace of a swan. In my opinion, Rock fought like he was old wooden boards tied together with rotting rope, clunking together awkwardly; whereas, Metal Man was liquid metal, sliding along the floor and flowing through the air smoothly. But even that hadn't saved Metal Man. I remember seeing Rock tackle Metal Man and fire the last shot. Metal Man had stumbled backwards, his right tibia and fibula snapping like twigs and his chest and back exploding outwards as he collapsed. Rock dug around in his chest for a moment before taking out the matter transfer chip that powered Metal Man's weapon and teleported away.

Had I not been there to take Metal Man back to Skull Fortress, he would have suffered the same fate as I had; lying in the darkness in excruciating pain until someone either rescued him or killed him. Dr. Wily had repaired him, although I think he was confused as to why I didn't bother to bring anyone else back when they were defeated.

Oh, and the Robot Masters in the teleporting hatches? Solid holograms. Every one of us has only fought Rock once.

( You're rambling. )

I shook my head and said, "I don't know...if we stay, we'll fuel his suspicion that there's something going on here, but if we hide, he's likely to snoop through the computers and discover what we've been doing."

"So he'll know something's up, anyway..." Ring Man muttered.

Metal Man crossed his arms and spoke, "I say three of us stay, and three of us hide. If things start looking bad, the three that encounter him retreat and wipe out what we've done to the computers. We'll have to start over again from scratch, but he won't be able to figure out what we've been doing." The four of us nodded. It was as good a plan as any and made sense, although I knew Magnet Man would be pissed if he had to redo all of those cryptograms. I didn't blame him.

"But who's staying, and who's hiding?" Centaur Man asked.

"Well, you're definitely out," Ring Man answered, "And Crystal Man and Magnet Man have been away from Skull Fortress too long. Wily's probably really suspicious about them by now, so they should go, too." Crystal Man didn't look happy about it, but nodded anyway. "So that leaves me, Elec Man, and Metal Man."

"Right..." Metal Man muttered, "Okay...now with that out of the way...Elec Man?"

"What?"

"Get out of my clothes."

* * * * *

Rock grumbled and sulked as he connected his Playstation back to the television, mentally kicking himself several times for not having his guard up. A select few of the security cameras had caught at least a glimpse of Elec Man as he had wandered aimlessly through the hallways, a pillowcase slung over his shoulder and a mischievous glint in his gold eyes. He had expertly avoided most of the cameras, but had purposely walked in front of one or two others, as if rubbing in the fact that he had broken in so easily. He had even stopped in front of one briefly to stick his tongue out at it, mocking Dr. Light, Rock, and Roll.

"He was probably staking out the lab the other day..." Roll muttered as she assessed everything that had been stolen and brought back, making sure everything was where it should be. She disappeared into the kitchen for a brief moment before running back out. "He took my recipe box!" Rock blinked, then shook his head as he finished reconnecting his Playstation and checking to make sure all of his games were where they should be. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, the clock on the wall reading three o'clock in the morning.

Dr. Light stepped into the room and spoke, "That wasn't all he kept." Rock and Roll immediately looked at him, interest captured. "He also stole, and kept, the plans to that experimental space transport I've been working on. The single-passenger one that I was going to use to upgrade Rush. And the plans to the hoverboards I was going to make for you and Roll."

Rock blinked. "Why would Wily want that?" he asked.

"Probably to upgrade Treble," Dr. Light muttered in response, "Or something even more dangerous." He shook his head. "I have a feeling this has something to do with the activity at that old fortress. You need to see what's going on there, Rock. And soon."

Rock nodded and answered, "I'll do it first thing in the morning." He yawned again. "No way I'll be able to do anything right now." Dr. Light nodded.

"First thing in the morning."

* * * * *

"Whoever that is, STOP SNORING!!" Metal Man all but screamed from down the hall.

Magnet Man snorted and groaned, "I've been up almost forty-five hours straight. Sue me!"

"Well, then find me a lawyer!"

"Shut up, both of you!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Irritable? Me? Not that I could sleep, anyway. Reason number one being that armor is very uncomfortable to sleep in. I honestly don't know how Metal Man does it every night. Then again, he doesn't have a huge chestplate keeping him from turning over easily.

( He does have all those sawblades, though... )

Very true.

Reason number two being that I was too worried about not knowing when Rock was going to storm the fortress. And how we were going to keep him from figuring everything out. And how we were going to survive if we got into a fight with him. As I said, we've all only fought him once before, and that was before our bodies developed a bloodstream. Now we had to worry about losing too much blood.

( I don't know...since you didn't bleed before, he might freak if he finds that you bleed now. Might make him easier to detain. )

I wished I believed that. Plus I wouldn't put it past Blues to show up tonight or just before Rock left to inform him that he knew that I had been spying on them. In fact, I wouldn't put it past him to be spying on us. I still think Ring Man took his sneaking lessons from him.

( Just go to sleep. We'll figure all this out in the morning. )

"Whose stomach is growling?" Ring Man called.

Oh yeah. That was reason number three.

"Not mine," Crystal Man yawned.

"Nope," Centaur Man answered. Metal Man just grumbled that his wasn't, and Magnet Man snored.

"Elec Man?"

Indigestion is a wonderful thing.

* * * * *

The smell of hazelnut and French vanilla floated through the air, the hallway filled with the intoxicating combination of odors that seemed to have a power all their own to draw sleepyheads to the kitchen and find out what that wonderful smell was.

Thank god. Someone finally got the coffeemaker working.

Walking into the kitchen rewarded me with a wet dish towel to the face. "Oops," Crystal Man spoke, "Sorry, Elec Man."

"Well, I'm awake now," I muttered, pulling the dish towel off of my face.

"What do you want?" Ring Man asked, "Hazelnut, French vanilla, or regular?"

"Hazelnut," I answered, sitting down beside Centaur Man at the bar in the middle of the room. The kitchen was clean -- spotless, to be exact -- and overflowing with the smell of hazelnut and French vanilla. Magnet Man wasn't in the room, probably working on the cryptograms. Ring Man was at the coffeepot, waiting for the hazelnut to finish brewing while Crystal Man was picking stuff from the cabinets, making sure what was still edible and what wasn't. Most of it wasn't. Metal Man was cleaning the oven, and Centaur Man was just sitting at the bar, standing up every now and then to walk a few steps around the bar -- holding onto the edge and lashing his tail to keep his balance -- to strengthen his legs and slowly learn how to walk on his own.

"How are we going to buy groceries?" Metal Man asked when he looked up from the oven, walking over to the sink to clean off the crap from the oven that had gotten onto his hands. It was then that I noticed that I was really the only one in the room who was fully armored. Metal Man's literally blood red hair was frequently getting in his face. Ring Man's light brown hair was a perfect contrast to his malachite green eyes. Centaur Man's hair was also light brown, long bangs falling over his face to hide his left, soft blue eye.

"That's a good question..." Centaur Man muttered, yawning, "We don't have any money."

"Well, food isn't really vital, anyway..." Crystal Man pointed out, "We can do without it."

"Maybe we can steal one of Wily's credit cards..." Metal Man offered, "Or sell this dopey-looking helmet of Elec Man's." I barely had time to react to what he said before he stole my helmet and ran across the room with it. I chased him around the kitchen for a few minutes, but he refused to drop my helmet, and in the end I had to molest him to get it back (it's not what it sounds like, I swear).

( Oh, yes it was. )

Okay, so it was. But he got a good laugh out of it.

Magnet Man came into the kitchen about the time I sat back down, bright red -- almost candy apple-colored -- hair falling down over his orange eyes. He glanced around the room and said two words which made Centaur Man fall flat off of his bar stool, Ring Man almost burn himself on the coffeepot, and Metal Man bang his head on the inside of the oven.

"Rock's here."

* * * * *

The Fortress was completely silent, covered with layers of dust. The fact that he had appeared in the Fortress instead of outside in the courtyard was a surprise in itself. The ghostly silence was an even bigger surprise. The biggest surprise, however, was the complete and total lack of activity. The last time he had been in the Fortress almost eight years past, he had been attacked from every direction, especially on this floor -- the second.

Rock slowly stepped forward, glancing around cautiously as he neared a ladder which he knew would lead him down several floors toward the room where he had fought his solid hologram. A wave of nostalgia fell over him as he climbed down the ladder, remembering how he had fought for his life for the first time and how he had been forced to fight and kill his family. It all seemed so long ago. Seven other wars had come and gone since then, each with a new army of enemies. To be back in the Fortress that started it all and to see that it was still standing...

Rock shook his head and descended down the final ladder, dropping down into the darkness.

The multi-colored lights in the walls flared to life, most broken or dust-covered, none nearly as bright as they had once been long ago. Rock squinted against the new light for a moment until his eyes adjusted, eyes narrowing upon seeing what awaited him.

Metal Man and Ring Man stood still, Ring Man's arms crossed over his brown and blue chestplate and Metal Man's hands resting on his lithe hips. Their faces were hidden behind the facemasks of their helmets, but their eyes were visible, Ring Man's malachite green eyes aware, Metal Man's fire red eyes blank. Rock could not keep himself from blinking. He had never known Dr. Wily to cross the different armies. To be honest, he had expected a whole new army once again. Seeing two members of the second and fourth armies together was a strange, and almost unnerving, sight.

"So..." he spoke after a moment, wondering why neither one of the Robot Masters had moved, "I don't suppose you'll just tell me what you're doing here, will you?"

"Nope," Metal Man answered, still unmoving. From Metal Man, Rock expected the hesitation, just as Metal Man had hesitated and awaited the first attack around seven years past. Ring Man, however, Rock had expected to attack the second the blue robot had entered the room. He finally decided that thinking about it confused him too much. "Of course, you didn't really expect us to tell you willingly, did you?"

"Not really," Rock countered, "I just thought I'd ask."

"I suggest you leave now," Ring Man spoke, taking a step closer, "and let us get back to our business."

Rock shook his head, shifting his right hand into an arm cannon as he countered, "Your memory block must have been damaged when I last fought you, otherwise you'd remember." He began charging his cannon, and Ring Man and Metal Man slid down into their fighting stances. "I don't quit."

* * * * *

"Are you sure the water valves are closed?" I said into my communicator for probably the fifth time.

"Yes, I'm positive," Crystal Man answered patiently, "I know your armor isn't waterproof, so I turned off the water to that ring when we first agreed on this Fortress. So stop worrying." I sighed and shook my head. That was easy for him to say. After a nasty incident involving Bubble Man, Dive Man, and a water hose about three years ago, I had a severe case of hydrophobia. In my armor, my generator was open and it was not waterproof. If my hands get wet while I'm in my armor, I'm screwed. If I use my weapon while my hands are wet, I risk my arms imploding. Guess what almost happened during that little "incident"? I think I had a good enough reason to be uneasy as I sat in the room of the third ring where Rock had fought Bubble Boy -- as the Voice "affectionately" called it -- so long ago. The room used to be filled with water, and still had a few stagnant puddles in the corners.

My hydrophobia really depends on the situation. I'm okay as long as I'm not in my armor and know that I won't be in danger if I get wet, so I'm able to take a shower without having a nervous breakdown. But if I'm in my armor and I'm anywhere where I might get soaked, I panic. Unlike Rock, I can't just hit a button or say something and instantly be out of my armor and in civilian clothes. Nope; I have to actually change by hand. I can recall my armor to go over my clothes, but not the other way around. Go figure.

"Ring Man and Metal Man just retreated," Crystal Man spoke, making me jump. Jumpy? Me? "Rock's headed your way."

"Right," I answered, "I'm turning my communicator off now. You, Magnet Man, and Centaur Man get out of there."

"Centaur Man said he's staying behind to wipe out the cryptograms from the hard drives just in case Rock gets past you."

"Okay. Elec Man out." Crystal Man probably tried to say something else, but the communicator was off before I gave him a chance. I needed to calm down. The sound of water dripping from the walls and ceiling and the thought that the valves might not be closed after all was sending me into nervous convulsions, my hands starting to shake. Damn it. Phobias suck.

( Calm down. Leave this to me. )

Huh? What are you talking about?

( Exactly what I said. Settle down and leave this to me. )

I tried to say something, but couldn't as darkness suddenly surrounded me.

* * * * *

Rock found himself confused. Where was the water? He distinctly remembered this floor being filled with water all those years past. He shook his head and continued running, dismissing the thought with the answer of perhaps the valves were broken. His mind went back to the fight he had just come from. The fact that Metal Man and Ring Man had retreated disturbed him. Robot Masters were designed and programmed to fight to the "death", but Rock had only injured them.

Something else both confused and disturbed him. The bright red fluid that had all but gushed from their wounds had not been oil. Nor had it been any other fluid normally found in robots. In fact, Rock knew that the fluids had not been a part of them when he had first fought them so long ago. It almost looked like human blood...

His thoughts were broken when he reached the gate leading to the room where head fought the final robot of Dr. Wily's first army. He took a deep breath, slowly let it out, and entered.

The room was empty save for Rock, a stack of metallic crates, and an olive green form standing on top of the highest crate. The form was almost feline in appearance, olive green fur covering a lithe, muscular, cougar-like body, face pointed into the muzzle of a ferret, small, rounded ears alert. Its bushy, ferret-like tail swayed slowly behind it, bright white eyes clearly visible against the "mask" of darker green fur on its face. Lying on one of the bottom crates, eyes closed, was Elec Man, lying on his stomach, body limp and lifeless.

"E-Elec Man...?" Rock stammered, glancing back and forth between the fallen Robot Master and the strange creature atop the pile of crates. His gaze stopped on the creature. "What did you do to him?"

"We played King of the Mountain. He lost," was the answer, "And I believe it is time for you to leave, Light." Rock yelped and scrambled backwards as the creature unsheathed its claws and leaped at him, tackling him to the ground, large paws pinning his shoulders to the floor. Rock howled, trying to fire his arm cannon at the animal who all but grinned at him, white fangs bared as it locked Rock's blue-green eyes with its own. Rock ceased struggling, almost hypnotized by the creature's blank white eyes. "You saw nothing," the creature whispered to him, a deep purr rumbling in the back of its throat, "You heard nothing. The Fortress was empty save for Elec Man, whom you defeated in battle. You especially did not see me." It tilted its head. "Am I clear?" Rock nodded limply. "Good. You may leave now."

A panel in the floor opened, revealing the ladder to descend further into the Fortress. The beast grinned again and released Rock, leaping down the only exit and leaving the two robots alone.

Rock blinked blearily for a few moments, his mind clouded. For a moment, he barely recognized the room he was in, confused and disoriented. He slowly sat up, rationalizing as he realized where he was, trying to remember why he was there. His first glance around the room confused him, first thinking he was trying to defeat Dr. Wily the first time all over again. When his gaze fell on Elec Man's still form, he blinked, finally remembering what he had been sent to the Fortress to do.

But what happened...? Rock rubbed his face, trying to remember what had happened. He vaguely remembered going through the second ring, finding it empty, and descending down to the third. That's right...and I fought Elec Man. He nodded, looking back up to the still Robot Master. Except for him, this place has been silent as a tomb... Rock shook his head again and glanced at the open, vertical shaft in the floor that lead down to the main control room as well as the area where he had fought Dr. Wily the very first time. Might as well... He stood up, steps wobbling slightly from disorientation as he slowly and carefully made his way toward the shaft and descended down the ladder to finish exploring the Fortress.

* * * * *

"Damn," Centaur Man swore as he watched the small dot on the monitor in front of him disappear from the third ring of the Fortress, marking that Rock had defeated Elec Man. He sighed, switched screens, and began typing in the codes needed to delete all changes made to the hard drive. It took almost ten minutes, but he typed in the final code needed to enact the wipe, finger hovering over the 'enter' key to make the coding official.

Centaur Man blinked when he thought he saw something move behind him in the reflection of the monitor, but did not have time to react before something struck him at the base of his skull and he was surrounded by darkness.

His attacker pushed him out of the chair he had been resting in and deleted the coding he had typed into the computer, instead typing in a new set of codes.

Block all outgoing communication signals
-- Outgoing communication signals blocked
Activate second ring defense system
Mode: Berserker
-- Activated | Defense Mode = Berserker
Activate spike walls
-- Activated | Walls closing
Activate third ring defense system
Mode: Berserker
-- Activated | Defense Mode = Berserker
Activate water system
Room: Enforcer
-- Robot Master found in Enforcer room. Open sewer valves in Enforcer room? Y/N
Y

* * * * *

"SHIT!!" Ring Man swore as he and Metal Man scrambled backwards. All of the gates in the area had closed without warning and the left wall had suddenly become littered with spikes, the sharp points sparking angrily as the spike-lined wall began to push inward.

"Centaur Man!" Metal Man barked into his communicator as he and Ring Man backed away from the approaching danger, "Centaur Man, what's going on?!"

"Centaur Man, what the hell are you doing?!" Ring Man yelled into his own communicator.

"He's not answering!" Metal Man growled, jumping slightly when his back touched the bare, opposite wall. His injured, left arm was covered in circulatory fluids as were Ring Man's injured legs, mere air setting his nerves on fire.

"No shit..." Ring Man snarled, switching his communicator to a different frequency, "Crystal Man! Do you copy?" Static was his only answer. "Damn it..." he swore, glaring at the slowly-closing spiked wall. He knew from witnessing Metools and other minor robots slip on the edges of pits that the spikes were designed to stay razor sharp no matter how old they were, and that the electrical charge housed within them, if it penetrated his armor and skin, would cause a chain reaction and cause him to self-destruct. He had seen Junk Man succumb to the spikes once before, and had had nightmares of it for almost a week afterwards.

"Have you tried Elec Man?" Metal Man asked. He could already feel his mechanical heart pounding against his chest as artificial adrenaline coursed through his veins. The wall was moving at sluggish speed and was still at least twenty feet away, but there were no exits to the room -- not even a ventilation shaft in the wall they could climb into.

"He's got his communicator turned off," Ring Man hissed in response.

Metal Man paused for a moment before gulping quietly and asking, "There's no way to destroy those spikes, is there?"

"Not that I know of."

"Joy."

* * * * *

My shaking earlier at the mere sound of water dripping in the distance may have been pathetic, but my utter panicking right now probably looked really sad. But hey. I did mention that I'm hydrophobic.

Water was pouring down from the two valves in the ceiling, rapidly flooding the floor. I had awakened from whatever the hell had knocked me out just in time to see the valves open and water pour from them like artificial waterfalls. Panic city.

"Damn it, damn it, damn iiiit," I kept muttering over and over again as I scrambled to the top of the stack of metal crates in the center of the room. My hands were shaking so much, I lost my grip on my communicator when I tried to turn it back on, and it went flying away, sinking into the water. I sure as hell wasn't going to go after it. The mere thought sent cold chills through me. My stomach twisted violently, my heart threatening to jump out of my chest. If the water didn't get me, I'd die of a heart attack.

I'm not sure which death I preferred.

* * * * *

"Oh, crud. Ring Man, don't do this," Metal Man hissed, "It's not going to do any good. Don't do this!"

"I can't help it!" Ring Man managed to choke in response as he tried desperately to calm himself, his lungs threatening to make him hyperventilate. He pressed his back against the bare wall as tightly as he could as the spiked wall closed in, only three feet remaining between the sharp points and the Kaisers' chestplates.

Metal Man hissed and all but screamed into his communicator, "Centaur Man, are you there?!"

Ring Man's right hand lashed out, clutching Metal Man's left hand tightly, grip shaking. "I'm sorry I broke your flute two years ago," he stammered. Metal Man blinked at him, but returned the tight grip, squeezing Ring Man's hand in a vain attempt to reassure him.

"I'm sorry I smashed Kalinka's harp," the older Kaiser returned, "It was a stupid, inconsiderate attempt at revenge, and I'm sorry." Ring Man nodded, squeezing his eyes shut as the tips of the spikes closed in to only two feet.

* * * * *

I probably really looked stupid, but at the moment I didn't care as I huddled up on top of the tallest stack of crates in the room which rested in one of the corners. The water was engulfing the top crate in the center stack, and I was shaking so bad I couldn't even stand up anymore. Believe me; you've never known true fear until you've been surrounded by your worst phobia and knew that you were going to die from it. I hated it. I hated feeling so helpless, but there was nothing I could do about it. The only exit to the room was sealed. And it was under the water, anyway. The gate was one-way -- it could only be opened from the outside. I briefly wondered if Rock had snuck past me while I was unconscious and did this.

But as the water finally submerged the center stack of crates and started on the crates just under the one I was cowering on, I decided I didn't care.

* * * * *

Centaur Man groaned, pushing himself to his knees as he rubbed the back of his neck, cringing. What had hit him? He vaguely remembered seeing something move behind him in the reflection of the monitor, but he had been knocked unconscious before he could do anything about it, before he could even turn around.

He glanced around the room, blinking upon seeing Magnet Man lying on the floor across the room, unconscious. I thought he went with Crystal Man... Centaur Man shook his head. There was no one else in the room. I must have taken too long to type in the codes...though I didn't think it was Rock's style to sneak up behind you... He shook his head again, dragging himself into his chair and looking up at the monitor.

"...what the-?!" he yelped upon seeing that the defense systems of the second and third rings of the Fortress were activated and at their highest security level, the third floor's Enforcer room being flooded with water, and the second floor's spike walls closing. "B-But..." he stammered, coherent thought trying to win over the initial shock, "Elec Man, Ring Man, and Metal Man are still on those floors..." Centaur Man practically slapped himself and quickly typed in the cancellation codes, hoping he was not too late.

* * * * *

Hydraulics groaned and gears whirred noisily before the spike-lined wall ceased moving, the tips of the spikes ceasing their angry sparking. Ring Man and Metal Man slowly cracked open their eyes and stared at the wall, almost disbelieving. It had ceased moving, stopping just over seven inches from contact.

Metal Man released a breath he could not remember holding, tension causing his legs to quake. "C...Centaur Man...?" he whispered, voice shaking as if he was afraid his voice would cause the walls to finish closing, "C-Centaur...M-Man...is that y-you...?"

With a loud hiss of hydraulics, the spikes disappeared into the wall which began sliding backwards, away from the trembling Kaisers who dropped to their knees as their quivering legs finally gave out underneath them. Metal Man shakily took his helmet off, rubbing his face. Ring Man threw his helmet away and threw up, whimpering. Metal Man crawled over to the younger Kaiser and wrapped an arm around his shoulders to which the Russian robot responded by clinging to his elder, hiding his face in the bend of Metal Man's neck and sobbing, ignoring the persistent and eventual cutting by the sawblades on Metal Man's shoulders, ignoring the sharp teeth of the sawblades as they dug into his artificial flesh and drew blood. Metal Man raised a trembling hand to rest behind Ring Man's head, tangling his fingers in the younger Kaiser's soft brown hair.

A faint laugh resounded in the back of Metal Man's mind, and the red Robot Master hid his face in Ring Man's shoulder, taking his turn to let the relief wash over him and let the tears escape.

* * * * *

I couldn't move, my joints refusing to budge, my heart threatening to tear out of my chest. The water had stopped, the edge of the crystal clear depths just two inches from submerging the crate I was sitting on, curled up into a fetal position and lodged tightly into the corner.

Phobias suck.

I could see my communicator down at the bottom of the "pool", a small light flashing, signaling that someone was trying to contact me. Despite how far away it was -- and the fact that it was beyond submerged -- I could still hear it. Barely, but I could.

"Elec Man?!" Centaur Man's voice was saying, fading in and out. My communicator wasn't supposed to be underwater, you understand, so it wasn't waterproof ( Like you ). "Are y...okay? I'm...nding Crystal M...to get yo...t of there...Just hang on, El...Man!"

Okay. Someone was coming to take me out of here. Everything would be okay then.

A drop of water fell from the closed valve in the ceiling, making a loud splash and almost making me scream.

Phobias really suck.

* * * * *

"Are you guys okay?!" Centaur Man howled, stumbling over to the two trembling Kaisers, holding onto the wall to prevent from falling when his legs ceased cooperating. Magnet Man stood behind Ring Man, gently rubbing his arms while Metal Man's legs gave out underneath him, dumping him into a chair. Centaur Man gripped Metal Man's arms. "Are you okay...?"

"I will be..." was the shaky response. Centaur Man looked at Ring Man who just nodded before turning around and hiding his face in Magnet Man's chestplate, shivering in the elder Kaiser's embrace.

"God, I don't know what the shit happened," Centaur Man sighed, rubbing his face, "I was hit from behind, and when I woke up..." He trailed off, gaze fixed onto the floor.

"It was Rock," Magnet Man spoke, "I saw him type in the codes. I tried to stop him, but..."

"What were you doing here, anyway?" Metal Man asked, "You were supposed to be with Crystal Man back at Wily's Fortress."

"I came back to make sure Centaur Man got out okay," was the monotone answer, "Since he still stumbles a lot." He left the subject there, concentrating on rubbing tension out of Ring Man's trembling shoulders.

Metal Man looked down at the floor, then abruptly glanced back up, looking to Centaur Man and demanding, "What about Elec Man?"

"Crystal Man's finding a way to get him out," Centaur Man answered.

"Correction, he's in the medical bay," Crystal Man spoke as he entered the room, brushing back his dark blue hair. "I'm glad I was able to swipe that medical equipment from the Tokyo hospital. It's going to prove quite useful even though it's made for humans."

Metal Man did not seem to hear the last comment as he forced himself to his feet and left the room.

* * * * *

( Maybe you should take that off now... )

I'll take it off when I'm good and ready, I countered heatedly even though the room was starting to look rather psychedelic. I'd always wondered if too much oxygen would make us go dizzy like it did humans. I wasn't dizzy, but colors were starting to look rather...off. Reds looked pink, yellows looked orange, and blacks almost glowed. Crystal Man had shoved the oxygen mask at me when he dragged me to the medical bay after rescuing me from the flooded Enforcer room. He and Ring Man had both studied medical and theraputical practices in what little spare time they'd had for the past week or so, so I trusted his assumption that a few minutes on oxygen would help calm me down.

( Dude, you're starting to sound like you're on drugs. )

Okay, that was a sign that I'd been using it too long -- especially since the walls looked like they were breathing. I took the mask away from my face and turned off the oxygen tank, rubbing my eyes in an attempt to get the world to look normal again. The "medical bay" was really just a large room we had turned into a type of field hospital with the medical equipment Crystal Man had insisted upon stealing from the Tokyo hospital. If I didn't mention that before, it was because I forgot.

( Or you were high off oxygen. )

That's enough out of you.

"Elec Man?"

I looked up just as Metal Man walked into the room. His steps were shaky, and he kept one hand out to grab something if he stumbled. Apparently I wasn't the only one who just had a near death experience. His pale skin was even paler than usual -- something I'd never thought was possible -- and his eyes...those gorgeous, red eyes were wide, pupils large. His bright, fire-colored eyes were filled with near-trauma. What had happened to him and Ring Man while I had been trapped?

"Elec Man?" he repeated. I blinked, realizing that I'd been staring at his eyes again. I really needed to stop doing that. "Are you okay? Centaur Man told us what happened to you."

I nodded, answering, "Yeah, I'll be fine...what happened to you and Ring Man?" He explained everything that had happened, from the fight between them and Rock to the spike-walls to Magnet Man's explanation. It didn't help the large lump of worry in my stomach any, to say the least.

"But," he continued, "Centaur Man said that all of the cryptograms are still in tact. He was ambushed before he could delete them, so we don't have to do any of that over again."

"There's a plus, at least..." I muttered, crossing my arms and looking down at the floor, "But I just don't get it...this isn't like Rock...he doesn't do anything this...well...sneaky."

Metal Man shrugged. "He did this time, apparently...Magnet Man says he saw Rock hit Centaur Man and execute the commands that flooded your room and nearly skewered me and Ring Man." I shook my head. It just didn't make sense. Metal Man, sensing my reluctance on the topic, changed the subject, "We have everything we need to attack, Elec Man. We just need your command."

My command...well, I was sort of the unofficial leader of the Kaisers, much to my dismay. I brought them all together and convinced them that the war had gone on far enough and that Wily was wrong. So I guess they did have a good reason to look to me as their leader. That doesn't mean that I like it, though.

"I'm not giving the command just yet..." I finally answered with a small sigh, "We need to get our bearings straight again. You, Ring Man, and I all need to recover from what happened today." He nodded.

After a moment, he looked up and stated, "Earlier, Ring Man and I noticed that there's a carnival of sorts going on in the city this week. Ring Man suggested that it might be a good place to relax for a day if we ever got the chance before it left." I couldn't help but blink. It was a sudden statement, but novel. And a good idea. We all looked human enough -- with the possible exception of Crystal Man, but that could be passed off as weird makeup -- so we could blend in almost perfectly, and it would be a good place to ease tension. And besides, I'd never been to a carnival before.

( Can we go? Can weee? )

Why not?