Velvet Rain
Chapter Five: Turnabout
By: Bibly

When Rock and Bass spotted the Light compound in the distance, light shinning softly from a few of its numerous windows, they glanced at each other. Rock's face was shrouded in worry, scared that something would happen to Bass and he would lose control of himself again. Bass himself seemed like his old self. His expression was unreadable, but Rock could almost feel the determined – yet…scared? - aura he gave off. "Bass…," Rock whispered, but was immediately interrupted by Bass speeding past him and dragging him behind him. Rock nearly lost his footing on numerous occasions. "Bass!"

"We need to hurry, Rock!" Bass shouted as he bolted up the small porch that stood before the door and headed straight into the lab. Just as he had thought, Dr. Light was still up, working on who knew what. "Dr. Light!" he shouted, scaring the old man.

Dr. Light spun around and looked at the two. They were panting, having run so far. "What's wrong with you two? You both look like you've run a marathon! Not that it should faze either of you, anyway."

"Dr. Light, you MUST reprogram me!" Bass demanded, clenching his hands into fists.

The good doctor stared at him, surprised by his crazed statement. "…What? Why?"

Bass forced his eyes closed tightly. "Because…because my programming is resurfacing."

"…Resurfacing?"

"Dad, please!" Rock shouted, walking up to him. "Please reprogram him! He's not actting the way he did before, and his programming is tearing him apart!

Dr. Light looked at the violet-haired bioroid. He watched as he gazed back up at him, his eyes glistening with a sense of determination, and yet he could clearly see that the young red-eyed bioroid was worried about what may take place at any given time. Weeks ago, Dr. Light would never have imagined that an emotion such as worry could be shown on such a cold face. He had been proved wrong, however, and on numerous occasions. He placed his pen down on his notepad as he nodded. "I'll do what I can."

Bass nodded in return. "Thank you." Moving across the room quickly, he lay on the table that stood in the center, ready to go through whatever he had to in order to achieve happiness.

"Rock, you're going to help me out here, since Roll is out getting some last minute groceries," Dr. Light stated, getting out a large amount of tools and other instruments he would need in order to accomplish what he was asked to do.

Bass smiled to himself when he spotted Rock gazing down at him. His angelic face was now completely immersed in worry and fear. The Wily 'bot touched his cheek tenderly. "It'll be alright," he murmured. "Everything will be fine."

"Now I need to you shut down for a while, Bass," Dr. Light commanded.

Doing as he was told, Bass slowly began to shut down. He listened as the usual murmur of his circuitry fell silent. Just as he felt his consciousness slip away, he was jerked awake, his mind burning with an unbelievable pain.

~ * - - - - - - - - - - * ~

Tenguman's boots slammed against the ground as he dashed down the hall. After ramming into a few Sniper Joes and Metools, he was beginning to get a bit grouchy. Upon coming to the main entrance, he burst forth into the darkened world, continuing to run until he was outside of the protective shield the crazed doctor had surrounded his fortress with. Locking onto the location he was given, he disappeared in a beam of light.

His boots hit the grass-covered ground softly as soon as he landed. Looking about, he realized he was in the middle of a forest. He blinked a few times, then cursed to himself. Without another moment's hesitation, he bolted in the direction of the soft flicker of lights he saw in the distance, ignoring the massive amounts of light that came flooding from the nearby city. A large grin spread across his lips behind his mask as Tenguman came before the Light compound. Time to die, boy.

Tenguman dashed across the lawn, searching for any sign of the Blue Bomber. Most of the lights were off within the house, which was somewhat of a good thing, since it would give him good reason to destroy the whole house in general – not that he didn't already have one, anyway. Before long, he came across a rather large section of the building from which light flooded from. Chuckling to himself, he slammed into the nearest wall, listening to the bricks crumble upon contact and his chuckling grow into an insane laughter.

~ * - - - - - - - - - - * ~

Bass screamed in rage, lashing out at the numerous test tubes and other equipment that stood within arms length. Rock stood before Dr. Light, his trademark blue armor stretched across his body as he tried his best to keep anything from happening to him.

"Bass, please stop it! Bass!" Rock shouted, his attempts in getting him to calm down futile. He watched as his love was enveloped in a flash of light, soon to reveal his own black armor. His teeth ground together, tears welling in his eyes. His programming.., he thought. He can't fight it anymore…! "Bass, try to fight it! Please! Just until you shut down!"

A loud roar escaped the ebony bioroid's throat as he gripped at his head, rearing back in severe pain. "…I'm…trying…!" he forced out, his teeth bared. He thrashed about wildly, crashing into a nearby cabinet. He slowly slipped to the ground.

Rock started towards him, concern shining brightly in his blue eyes. "Bass! Bass, are you okay?!"

Bass was off the floor and lunging towards him in a split second. Without a second though, he grabbed onto the Blue Bomber's arm and aimed his buster cannon at his head. A loud slam surprised him, and caused everyone within the room to gaze at the offender.

Blues stood in the doorway, his red and gray armor stretched across his body as he stared at the scene before him. His eyes widened behind his sunglasses. How was this possible? There was Dr. Light, standing in the corner of the room, fear-stricken and white as a ghost, and near him stood Rock and Bass. But Bass…they weren't in any sort of embrace that would make them appear to be a happy couple. If he hadn't had barged in at that very second, Blues would have become brother-less.

"What in all hell is going on?!" Blues shouted, staring at Bass. His reply was nothing more than an ear-piercing roar. Rock was flung to the side as Bass bolted towards the elder Light sibling, charging his buster cannon until Rock's angelic voice reached his ears.

"STOP IT! PLEASE!" Rock shouted between sobs as his cheeks began to burn and turn red. "Don't give into it! Please, Bass! I love you!"

Bass suddenly stopped and gazed back at him, bewildered. Why was he suddenly taken aback? Rock had stated that he loved him before, hadn't he? Then why? Why?! …Was it…was it those tears? But he had cried for him once before. So why now? Why were those tears effecting him?

The moment of silence was interrupted by flying debris and a loud, crazed laughter. Tenguman slammed into Blues, sending him flying into the opposite wall and just barely missing Dr. Light. "Time to die, ya fucking annoying bastard!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. He glanced to the side and spotted Bass staring at him, his teeth bared, his shoulders hunched over, and his cold, blood-red eyes boiling into his own. Tenguman gasped. "It's YOU! What the hell –?!" Slowly, everything clicked into place. Bass had been missing for weeks, and here he comes, crashing into the Light household to find the ebony bioroid himself. If Bass were a true Wily 'bot, then he would have returned home, but he didn't, and it was now obvious to Tenguman as to why that was. "You tra –!"

Another loud roar filled the night at Bass grasped at his head in pain. He lunged at Rock once more, blood and death his only goal.