Chapter XVIII – Friendly Fire
'Damn, I hope he believes this crap' Bass thought nervously. Sigma seemed to be thinking over Bass' last answer. After what seemed like an eternity, Sigma started laughing.
"You are just like my loyal general here, Vile," said Sigma, indicating the blue Maverick. "Both of you want to destroy X, though for different reasons. Perhaps I could find a use for you after all."
"Nobody uses me," Bass hissed, raising his Buster towards Sigma. I came here because I thought you could be of use to me.
Vile's shoulder cannon started to hum, but a look from Sigma made him power it down. "Is that so, robot? You know my name, but you obviously don't know who I am. An ancient piece of machinery like yourself stands no chance against me, the most advanced Reploid on the face of the planet."
"I seem to recall that a certain blue robot has defeated you . . . how many times?"
"You're obviously the original Wily-Bot. Only he would program a robot to not shut up when it's in his best interest."
"Of course I'm the original. Who actually remembers Bass in this day and age? Wily and his Robot Masters have become nothing more than a myth."
"You have a point. Now what should prevent me from destroying you right now." Vile started to charge his cannon. "If you are who you claim you are, then you pose a threat to my rule."
"I'm not interested in megalomaniacal fantasies. As long as I am the one to destroy MegaMan, then I'll be content to let you play the leader. You known that I am a valuable ally."
Sigma thought over Bass' words. 'Surely, he is not powerful enough to fight me. X may have been able to, but Wily's creations were always sup- par to Light's.'
"Agreed. If you work under my command, then I will make sure that you will be the one to destroy X."
Vile, whose cannon was still charged, turned to Sigma. "But Master, you have already granted me that right. I have waited for a long time to rid myself of that pest."
"Our friend here has been waiting longer than you have. Be content that if he fails, then you will get your chance. I thought that being destroyed twice would make you more eager for someone else to weaken X first, not less."
"My impatience grows with each passing moment, every moment that X still walks the earth!" growled Vile. He fired his charged cannon at a wall, then stormed out of the room.
"I hope all your lackeys aren't as high-strung as that pyro," said Bass.
"Most of my 'lackeys' won't do anything unless ordered. The area commanders, though, are a different story. You could probably find them in the recreation room."
Bass left the room. Obviously, the recreation room was from before the Maverick occupation, and must now be an officer's lounge. Bass walked around for a minute before realizing that he had no idea where the rec. room was. He knew it would be useless to ask one of the zombies walking around. He thought that a room for miners that are off-duty might be closer to the surface. And sure enough, a sign on one of the higher levels pointed the way to the rec. room.
The recreation room had been converted from it's original use to something more along the lines of a target range. Some of the walls had been knocked down, and at the far and of the now huge room were a bunch of Mets, lined up. The Mavericks seemed like an interesting bunch. There were a variety of animals and elements represented, though of what purpose they could have had before they joined Sigma's ranks were sometimes confusing. The leader of the undersea division was an otter that had apparently been designed to help clean oil spills. Sometimes it was easier. The electronics expert was humanoid in appearance, and the arctic captain was a polar bear. Surprisingly, Dragon was among them, still in his super adapter. Bass decided to ignore him, because it might cause trouble if the ancient robot was friends with a relatively new Maverick.
Bass walked up to a pile of scrap that was acting as a low wall for the target range. He fired four shots, and each hit a Met, knocking them off the far platform. The Mets immediately climbed back up, obviously not programmed to do anything but be shot at all day. Bass had already had enough practice shooting in his normal form. He whistled at Treble, who seemed to know what was going on and dived into Bass' back without the command. The transformation attracted the attention of the Mavericks, who all stared at the Black and purple Reploid. Dragon walked over to him.
"Damn. What type of trick was that? Where'd your dog go?" Dragon must have been playing stupid. He could see that they other Mavericks were going to ask the same thing.
"That would be some very old technology," answered Bass. "Technology that makes me infinitely more powerful than any of you."
"I beg to differ," replied Dragon. "I bet I could kick your ass in a match."
'Dammit,' Bass thought. 'This idiot must have established himself as a hotshot among these guys.' "Fine, I'll take you up on that. You'll be sorry that you are fighting the most powerful robot to walk the earth."
"Is that so?" Dragon smirked as he said it. "Stronger than Sigma himself? Why aren't you in charge then?"
'This must be why Sigma didn't want me claiming that. Now those Mavericks think that much less of me.' "Because I'm not interested in taking over the world, simpleton. My only goal is to destroy MegaMan."
Dragon's eye twitched when Bass said that, so he winked to reassure Dragon that he was only putting on a show. "Hah. Strong words. We'll see who's stronger. Come on, guys."
Bass, Dragon, and the assorted Mavericks went out of the rec. room. From where Dragon was leading them, it seemed like they were headed back to Sigma. Sure enough, they were at the fancy doors. Dragon knocked loudly. The door swung open.
"Who dares disturb my private sanctum!" bellowed Sigma.
"Cut the crap, Baldy," said Bass. "This twerp over here thinks he could beat me in a fight. I need your permission to knock some sense into him." Bass realized that he was slipping more easily into the role of a cocky Maverick. If he wasn't careful, his original programming might take over.
"You wish to fight with my newest captain? Go ahead; it has been too long since I last saw a battle between Reploids."
The top level of the complex was open to the air, which provided a suitable place for the challenge. Many of the Mavericks had gathered to watch, as most were becoming restless from the lack of any action. Sigma was behind an energy shield, so that he would not be damaged by stray shots, or a riot. A large circle had been cleared, and Bass and Dragon were facing each other from opposite sides. Treble was standing on the side lines, much to the surprise of the crowd. If Bess was supposed to be strongest when merged with the wolf, why was he not now?.
'What the hell were you thinking, Dragon,' Bass thought. The last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself. He started charging his Buster, then dashed around the edge of the circle. Dragon fired a tornado, and Bass got caught in it. Rising into the air, he used his dash thrusters to maintain a balance while the winds tried to flip him around. Bass suddenly activated his dash, and zoomed out of the storm. He fired a charged blast at Dragon, and followed up with a volley of normal shots. His opponent deftly dodged the attack, and fired his own Buster. The shot missed, and hit one of the Mavericks waiting outside of the arena. He flew backwards, and dropped his weapon, a beam sword.
Bass dashed towards Dragon, his legs moving similarly to those of a person roller blading. Dragon jumped to avoid a collision, and Bass took the opportunity to fire into his back. Dragon lost control over his jump and fell flat on his face. Bass walked over the Dragon and pointed his Buster at him.
"Do you yield?" asked the black Reploid. He may have to act cocky, but he didn't want to kill his friend. The crowd was silent; amazed that one who was supposed to be ruthless could be letting his opponent go free. Dragon got onto his ands and knees, and grinned.
"No," he said, activating his beam sword and swinging it so that it sliced off some of the heat syncs on the F-Buster. Bass stumbled backwards, clutching his gun. The crowd started cheering, since the battle wasn't yet over. Sigma was frowning, as Bass seemed weakened against this Reploid.
Bass looked at Dragon, and dashed away. Dragon gave chase, and Bass lead him around the battlefield. He remembered seeing the beam sword fall from the Maverick that was damaged. He made a sharp u-turn, and Dragon went flying past. Bass ran over to the fallen sword and activated it just in time the block a blow from Dragon. The white beam of Bass' sword clashed against the silver one of Dragon's. The two started swinging their weapons at each other, and seemed to get nowhere. They were equally matched.
Sigma wasn't frowning anymore, though he was still upset at Bass' offer for surrender. With the fighting continuing on, he wondered whether he had either underestimated Dragon, or overestimated Bass. He was distracted from his thoughts when he heard the clash of the swords nearby. Bass and Dragon had managed to work their way over to Sigma.
'That's what he wanted!' thought Bass. 'We're close enough to Sigma that we might be able to attack him without looking like we meant to.'
While Bass was distracted, Dragon knocked Bass' hand hard with the flat of his sword. For it the have a safe side as well as an attacking side meant that Light must have understood the plasma technology very well. The white beam sword flew towards Sigma, bouncing off of the energy shield and giving him quite a shock. Now unarmed, Bass hopped backwards and ducked as Dragon slashed at him again. While he was close to the ground, Bass swung out his leg and kicked his opponent. The white Reploid fell on his back, and Bass jumped forward and grabbed his forearm. With Dragon's beam sword against his own neck, Bass asked again, "Do you yield?"
"Yes," Dragon, stated calmly.
Sigma warped out of the energy shield and onto the battlefield. "Well? Aren't you going to finish him off?"
"Why should I?" replied Bass, backing up and letting Dragon stand. "Is there a need to destroy my allies, when it would be easier to kill my enemies when they are still alive?"
"A warrior and a philosopher, an interesting program. I'm impressed by your ruthlessness in battle, but your actions afterwards are not, how should I say it, preferable."
"I repeat, I will not kill my allies if I can help it. I would not offer surrender to an enemy."
"Make sure that you don't," Sigma said as he walked back into the complex. Dragon dusted himself off and said, "Well, that was fun."
"Shut up, you," Bass said as he hit Dragon in the back of the head. "You busted my Buster!"
"That's not funny."
"It was worth a shot."
'Damn, I hope he believes this crap' Bass thought nervously. Sigma seemed to be thinking over Bass' last answer. After what seemed like an eternity, Sigma started laughing.
"You are just like my loyal general here, Vile," said Sigma, indicating the blue Maverick. "Both of you want to destroy X, though for different reasons. Perhaps I could find a use for you after all."
"Nobody uses me," Bass hissed, raising his Buster towards Sigma. I came here because I thought you could be of use to me.
Vile's shoulder cannon started to hum, but a look from Sigma made him power it down. "Is that so, robot? You know my name, but you obviously don't know who I am. An ancient piece of machinery like yourself stands no chance against me, the most advanced Reploid on the face of the planet."
"I seem to recall that a certain blue robot has defeated you . . . how many times?"
"You're obviously the original Wily-Bot. Only he would program a robot to not shut up when it's in his best interest."
"Of course I'm the original. Who actually remembers Bass in this day and age? Wily and his Robot Masters have become nothing more than a myth."
"You have a point. Now what should prevent me from destroying you right now." Vile started to charge his cannon. "If you are who you claim you are, then you pose a threat to my rule."
"I'm not interested in megalomaniacal fantasies. As long as I am the one to destroy MegaMan, then I'll be content to let you play the leader. You known that I am a valuable ally."
Sigma thought over Bass' words. 'Surely, he is not powerful enough to fight me. X may have been able to, but Wily's creations were always sup- par to Light's.'
"Agreed. If you work under my command, then I will make sure that you will be the one to destroy X."
Vile, whose cannon was still charged, turned to Sigma. "But Master, you have already granted me that right. I have waited for a long time to rid myself of that pest."
"Our friend here has been waiting longer than you have. Be content that if he fails, then you will get your chance. I thought that being destroyed twice would make you more eager for someone else to weaken X first, not less."
"My impatience grows with each passing moment, every moment that X still walks the earth!" growled Vile. He fired his charged cannon at a wall, then stormed out of the room.
"I hope all your lackeys aren't as high-strung as that pyro," said Bass.
"Most of my 'lackeys' won't do anything unless ordered. The area commanders, though, are a different story. You could probably find them in the recreation room."
Bass left the room. Obviously, the recreation room was from before the Maverick occupation, and must now be an officer's lounge. Bass walked around for a minute before realizing that he had no idea where the rec. room was. He knew it would be useless to ask one of the zombies walking around. He thought that a room for miners that are off-duty might be closer to the surface. And sure enough, a sign on one of the higher levels pointed the way to the rec. room.
The recreation room had been converted from it's original use to something more along the lines of a target range. Some of the walls had been knocked down, and at the far and of the now huge room were a bunch of Mets, lined up. The Mavericks seemed like an interesting bunch. There were a variety of animals and elements represented, though of what purpose they could have had before they joined Sigma's ranks were sometimes confusing. The leader of the undersea division was an otter that had apparently been designed to help clean oil spills. Sometimes it was easier. The electronics expert was humanoid in appearance, and the arctic captain was a polar bear. Surprisingly, Dragon was among them, still in his super adapter. Bass decided to ignore him, because it might cause trouble if the ancient robot was friends with a relatively new Maverick.
Bass walked up to a pile of scrap that was acting as a low wall for the target range. He fired four shots, and each hit a Met, knocking them off the far platform. The Mets immediately climbed back up, obviously not programmed to do anything but be shot at all day. Bass had already had enough practice shooting in his normal form. He whistled at Treble, who seemed to know what was going on and dived into Bass' back without the command. The transformation attracted the attention of the Mavericks, who all stared at the Black and purple Reploid. Dragon walked over to him.
"Damn. What type of trick was that? Where'd your dog go?" Dragon must have been playing stupid. He could see that they other Mavericks were going to ask the same thing.
"That would be some very old technology," answered Bass. "Technology that makes me infinitely more powerful than any of you."
"I beg to differ," replied Dragon. "I bet I could kick your ass in a match."
'Dammit,' Bass thought. 'This idiot must have established himself as a hotshot among these guys.' "Fine, I'll take you up on that. You'll be sorry that you are fighting the most powerful robot to walk the earth."
"Is that so?" Dragon smirked as he said it. "Stronger than Sigma himself? Why aren't you in charge then?"
'This must be why Sigma didn't want me claiming that. Now those Mavericks think that much less of me.' "Because I'm not interested in taking over the world, simpleton. My only goal is to destroy MegaMan."
Dragon's eye twitched when Bass said that, so he winked to reassure Dragon that he was only putting on a show. "Hah. Strong words. We'll see who's stronger. Come on, guys."
Bass, Dragon, and the assorted Mavericks went out of the rec. room. From where Dragon was leading them, it seemed like they were headed back to Sigma. Sure enough, they were at the fancy doors. Dragon knocked loudly. The door swung open.
"Who dares disturb my private sanctum!" bellowed Sigma.
"Cut the crap, Baldy," said Bass. "This twerp over here thinks he could beat me in a fight. I need your permission to knock some sense into him." Bass realized that he was slipping more easily into the role of a cocky Maverick. If he wasn't careful, his original programming might take over.
"You wish to fight with my newest captain? Go ahead; it has been too long since I last saw a battle between Reploids."
The top level of the complex was open to the air, which provided a suitable place for the challenge. Many of the Mavericks had gathered to watch, as most were becoming restless from the lack of any action. Sigma was behind an energy shield, so that he would not be damaged by stray shots, or a riot. A large circle had been cleared, and Bass and Dragon were facing each other from opposite sides. Treble was standing on the side lines, much to the surprise of the crowd. If Bess was supposed to be strongest when merged with the wolf, why was he not now?.
'What the hell were you thinking, Dragon,' Bass thought. The last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself. He started charging his Buster, then dashed around the edge of the circle. Dragon fired a tornado, and Bass got caught in it. Rising into the air, he used his dash thrusters to maintain a balance while the winds tried to flip him around. Bass suddenly activated his dash, and zoomed out of the storm. He fired a charged blast at Dragon, and followed up with a volley of normal shots. His opponent deftly dodged the attack, and fired his own Buster. The shot missed, and hit one of the Mavericks waiting outside of the arena. He flew backwards, and dropped his weapon, a beam sword.
Bass dashed towards Dragon, his legs moving similarly to those of a person roller blading. Dragon jumped to avoid a collision, and Bass took the opportunity to fire into his back. Dragon lost control over his jump and fell flat on his face. Bass walked over the Dragon and pointed his Buster at him.
"Do you yield?" asked the black Reploid. He may have to act cocky, but he didn't want to kill his friend. The crowd was silent; amazed that one who was supposed to be ruthless could be letting his opponent go free. Dragon got onto his ands and knees, and grinned.
"No," he said, activating his beam sword and swinging it so that it sliced off some of the heat syncs on the F-Buster. Bass stumbled backwards, clutching his gun. The crowd started cheering, since the battle wasn't yet over. Sigma was frowning, as Bass seemed weakened against this Reploid.
Bass looked at Dragon, and dashed away. Dragon gave chase, and Bass lead him around the battlefield. He remembered seeing the beam sword fall from the Maverick that was damaged. He made a sharp u-turn, and Dragon went flying past. Bass ran over to the fallen sword and activated it just in time the block a blow from Dragon. The white beam of Bass' sword clashed against the silver one of Dragon's. The two started swinging their weapons at each other, and seemed to get nowhere. They were equally matched.
Sigma wasn't frowning anymore, though he was still upset at Bass' offer for surrender. With the fighting continuing on, he wondered whether he had either underestimated Dragon, or overestimated Bass. He was distracted from his thoughts when he heard the clash of the swords nearby. Bass and Dragon had managed to work their way over to Sigma.
'That's what he wanted!' thought Bass. 'We're close enough to Sigma that we might be able to attack him without looking like we meant to.'
While Bass was distracted, Dragon knocked Bass' hand hard with the flat of his sword. For it the have a safe side as well as an attacking side meant that Light must have understood the plasma technology very well. The white beam sword flew towards Sigma, bouncing off of the energy shield and giving him quite a shock. Now unarmed, Bass hopped backwards and ducked as Dragon slashed at him again. While he was close to the ground, Bass swung out his leg and kicked his opponent. The white Reploid fell on his back, and Bass jumped forward and grabbed his forearm. With Dragon's beam sword against his own neck, Bass asked again, "Do you yield?"
"Yes," Dragon, stated calmly.
Sigma warped out of the energy shield and onto the battlefield. "Well? Aren't you going to finish him off?"
"Why should I?" replied Bass, backing up and letting Dragon stand. "Is there a need to destroy my allies, when it would be easier to kill my enemies when they are still alive?"
"A warrior and a philosopher, an interesting program. I'm impressed by your ruthlessness in battle, but your actions afterwards are not, how should I say it, preferable."
"I repeat, I will not kill my allies if I can help it. I would not offer surrender to an enemy."
"Make sure that you don't," Sigma said as he walked back into the complex. Dragon dusted himself off and said, "Well, that was fun."
"Shut up, you," Bass said as he hit Dragon in the back of the head. "You busted my Buster!"
"That's not funny."
"It was worth a shot."