A/N- Ahhh!!!! Sorry for taking so long to push this part out! I had some serious writer's block going on here!

The first part of this is the other half of Forte's original dream sequence, with a bit of the middle removed. It was just far too long to use all at once, so I divided it this way. I don't know if it necessarily worked, but I kind of liked it at the time. Now I am leery. We are coming to a closing here, with two more chapters left. Before I post the next chapter, I want to hear some opinions on something here. Consider it a mini-poll. A certain scene in the next part is extremely graphic ( pure hentai fun. lol), far more graphic than anything i've read in the NC/17 section as of now. So my question is this. Should I:

a.) Boost the rating up to NC/17 and post the entire, uncensored scene

b) Keep the fic at the R level it's at now, edit the next part a tad, and keep it more mainstream for those who don't want to read something quite as graphic as that, and make a seperate copy of the chapter in the NC/17 section for those who'd like to read the more hardcore version.

c) Just put up the censored version, and e-mail the uncensored chapter to whoever feels like reading it in full

Give me your thoughts on this, okay guys??

Countdown

Forte grit his teeth, the beating was unending. Every time that wrench drew back, it was only to strike him again, adding further to the damage Rock had already caused. 'What in the hell are you doing, old man?' he thought, resting his cheek against the wall, face refusing to show what his aching body was telling him.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he heard the wrench clatter to the ground, and Wily's forearm rested itself against Forte's back, it's owner's rage cooled, to be replaced by exhaustion brought on by the man's aging body. He stayed that way for a few minutes, panting. Finally, Forte spoke, seeing he would have to be the one to break the silence.

"Are you finished?" He asked calmly, but with a hidden shakiness in his voice. Slowly, he turned around to face Wily, both faces a mirror of the same irritation. "You damned old man, you dented me." Gripping his shoulder lightly, he helped the tired, aging man over to a spare repair table. "You're getting weaker. You're not dying or something, are you?"

Wily took a seat on the repair table, hunched over slightly, rubbing his forehead. "No, Forte." He grumbled, annoyed. "Though I'm likely to be dead by the time you manage to beat Rockman. I'm getting... old. Why can't you destroy him? I create you with one simple task, and you've failed at it every time! I can't possibly take over until-"

Forte shot him a nasty glare. " He's just been lucky. I'm your greatest creation, Wily. Have more faith in me."

At that, Wily grabbed him by his lavender locks, and dragged him, still sitting, over to a table on the other side of the room, shoving his face right up to the strange incomplete bioroid he had been working on lately. At least, he thought it was a bioroid.

"Do you see this?" He barked, holding Forte so close to his new project, their foreheads touched.

Forte nodded numbly, staring down into those cold blank eyes, staring up at nothing, waiting to be activated. "Yeah, I see it. Your taste in women frightens me.."

"HE is my greatest creation!! Not you! Not anymore!" He growled, releasing his hold on Forte. He walked back over to the other repair table, and began pulling out tools. "I'll give you one last chance, Forte. God knows why, but I will. You fail me, and I'll be using you for spare parts, got it? Come back with Rock's head, or come back for disassembly. I created you, and I'll destroy you just as fast."

Forte got up silently, nodding. He knew better than to say anything. This time the old man was serious. Now wasn't the time to press his luck. He cast a glance down at the table once more, before walking over to Wily. He couldn't help but feel impressed, despite his comment. 'So lifelike...'

Not a word was spoken between the two as Wily began to repair the damage Rock had done to Forte in their battle. Forte stared on at his replacement, trying not to feel every twist of a screw, every pull on a wire, focusing instead on those blank, fierce blue eyes.

'.... I've been replaced. I'm obsolete... '

He brought his attention back to Wily, who was opening up his chest cavity. Raising an eye slightly, he inquired, "What are you doing?" For a fleeting moment, panic struck him. The old fool had changed his mind! He was going to disassemble him!

"Upgrade." Wily explained, reaching for one of Forte's chips, to switch it with one he had in his hand. "New updated chip. I hope it helps you. Don't fail me again."

Forte narrowed his eyes, which gleamed an angry gold. "I won't lose!!"

Then everything went black as his chip was pulled out.

Forte groaned softly. "... I have to stop waking up this way... Damned dreaming state.. " he grumbled. Leaving his eyes shut, he lay there quietly, scanning over his body. His chest was healing up nicely. A few days, tops, and he'd be completely recovered. Not bad for having just been on the brink of death. Good old Wily. At least, he had been good old Wily, until he'd threatened Forte those few days past. 'That damned old man... Who does he think he is??' He scowled darkly. 'Thinking he can replace me that way. I'll show him who's the greater creation.'

".... Forte?" A soft voice cut into his thoughts.

He stiffened slightly. Rock's hand lay on his back. Rock was touching him, trying to get his attention. He opened his eyes, but continued to lay there, looking ahead. "... What?"

"Your back." The hand continued to caress Forte's synthetic flesh gently, each finger seeking out more dents, gashes, and bruises.

"What about it?" He asked. He was starting to get uncomfortable, heat brightening his face slightly. 'His hands are so deft..'

"It's dented. And damaged. " The hand ran itself over small dents in the metal under his flesh.

"Heh. Hardly." Forte grumbled, sitting up slightly. He'd had enough of Rock feeling him up for the time being.

Rock sat up as well. "When'd you get those?" He asked, thinking back to all the fights he'd recently had with Forte. Had he done such a horrible thing to him?

Forte shrugged slightly, glancing at Rock. " I had a bad run in with a wrench." he stated, grabbing Rock's nearly healed hand.

Rock just shook his head. "I'm not surprised. I always knew Wily would take a wrench to you sooner or later. That's just not how I expected." he exclaimed.

Forte let out something similar to a growl, and pulled Rock's hand closer, grabbing a knife Rock had used on him, and used it to cut his wrist wide open, grinning when he heard him cry out.

"What are you doing?!" He cried, struggling to get free.

Forte simply held him in that iron grip, pulling out some wires. "I'm fixing your buster. I want my fight. Soon. I'm almost healed."

Rock squeezed his eyes close, and waited in silence.

Rock watched in fascinated silence as Forte, who's steely grip he was for now held captive to crossed wire with wire, pulling others apart, taking millimetres off here and there, and tied ends off. It was easy to tell Forte knew what he was doing. It made sense, he guessed, for someone obsessed with killing him to know how to get a weapon back online. Still, it was haunting. He went about his work so fast, and with such accuracy and precision for the primitive tools he was using.

It seemed to him that only minutes had gone by before Forte was tucking the last wires back under his skin, but in actuality, the sun had almost set. It must have been over an hour. 'Have I been watching him that closely, not to notice?'

"Try it." Forte stated, leaning back against a thick tree trunk, waiting.

Rock nodded slightly, and recalled his armor. "Okay." With a simple command, Rock's hand retracted to become his blaster, even faster than it had before it was damaged. He stared down at it, surprised. "It works better than before...."

Forte rolled his eyes. "Light spent too much time drilling peace into you, and not enough time perfecting his weapon." His eyes had a strange gleam in them, and he pored over Rock, watching him.

Rock felt his cheeks turn pink slightly. That gaze was disturbing to him. "Well... Uh... Thanks, I guess.."

Forte grinned, letting his lip slide back from his fanged teeth. "No, try it. Use it. Better make sure it works."

Rock sighed slightly. ".... Alright. Stand back, then."

Forte leaned back against the tree, watching Rock take stance and fire, again, and again. There was something exciting about the way Rock's light, powerless looking body snapped every time he did so, with so much hidden power. He couldn't help but feel turned on by it.

Above him, hidden deep within the foliage of the tree's top, sat another figure, this one watching Rock with worry. He knew Forte knew he was there, but neither said anything for several long moments.

Finally, Forte spoke up. "He's mine, for now. We're going to have our final battle... tomorrow... After that, feel free to come pick up the pieces."

"I will.... But Rock won't lose." The figure stated, dropping to the ground and standing next to Forte, facing the other direction. "Rock could never lose to you." Silently, the figure walked into the forest, fading into it.

Forte gripped the thick tree branch he had been hanging onto for support so tightly it snapped under the pressure.

"Damn you, Blues! I'll kill him!"

However, even as he said it, a part of him doubted it.

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