Sigma and Sting raced back to the city where the two teams of remaining mavericks had set up a base.
Vile was standing guard at the door as Sigma helped Sting get upstairs where the rest of the mavericks were waiting. They all fell silent as Sigma walked in, heavily damaged, and moved to the front of the room
"My friends..." Sigma said with a ragged breath.
"There have been complications..."
Sigma went on to explain the loss of 3 of their maverick comrades and the evil people who had destroyed them.
"There are five of them! You already know two of these worms from our own time, that blasted X and Zero!"
The rest of the mavericks booed and taunted the names.
"But there are 3 others, heroes in their own right in this time. They are known as Bass, Protoman...and Dr. Light's first robot creation...Megaman!"
The mavericks hissed and booed again, the very sound of Megaman's name like a bad taste in their mouth.
"I'll melt them down to scrap!" Magma Dragoon yelled in fury.
"I'll tear them apart!" The Slash Beast exclaimed.
"I'll fry their systems!" Spark Mandrill declared.
The rest of the mavericks started hurling threats and insults.
There were now only 9 mavericks left:
Sting Chameleon, Magma Dragoon, Slash Beast, Spark Mandrill, Blizzard Wolfang, Blaze Heatnix, Shield Sheldon, Wheel Gator and Neon Tiger. As well as Vile and Sigma, that made 11. 11 out of the 14 that showed up just over an hour ago.
~We're going to need some help...~ Sigma thought to himself, when suddenly he realized something.
"Vile..." Sigma said to him softly.
"Yes Sigma?" Vile asked him.
"You will accompany me to Dr. Wily's lair. We shall inquire him of some aid for this mission..." he smiled.
"I'm sure he'll be more than happy to oblige." Sigma said finally with a low, dark laugh.
Wily was sitting quietly in his lab, going over his last humiliating defeat at the hands of Megaman and his pals...
"Even that damn Megaman couldn't get through, neither Protoman...not even Bass! The plan was infallible!" He began to shout out loud until suddenly there was an explosion.
"What's that?" He demanded as he looked to his monitors.
There were two mechanical beings...one that was tall and wore pretty distinct armor...and another who was a little shorter and reminded Wily of a character from a really really old space movie.
The tall one looked into the camera and spoke.
"Dr. Wily? I know you can hear me so I suggest you open up and let us come in to talk to you...we have a proposition to make."
Wily looked at these two strangers...they weren't your typical robots that was for sure...but were they Light's new creations?
~No way...~ Wily thought.
Even though Wily was insane he still was a genius and he could tell simply by looking at the make of the robot that it couldn't be Light's. It was far too advanced on different levels to be anything of his, Coassack's or Light's... so whose were they?
"I would advise you to open the door now Wily...before I blast it open." The small purple one said.
Wily got onto the intercom.
"Very well...but answer me one thing first...who are you people?"
Sigma smiled gently.
"We're the answer to your prayers old man, so open the door."
Wily growled and opened the door as Sigma and Vile stepped into his lair.
*
"We've got to do something!" X exclaimed.
"Well..." Bass said carefully.
"You are pretty strong...I think we could make it through Wily's lair with these guys along...what do you think Protoman?"
Protoman looked over the two warriors.
"Yes...they should do." he said in agreement
Megaman thought for a moment...
"We should probably head to Cossack's lab first...Wily didn't mention Kalinka so she could still be there and probably offer us some help." Megaman said.
Protoman and Bass nodded while X and Zero looked at each other.
"Well...I don't know..." X said slowly.
Megaman turned and stared at X.
"Why not?" He demanded...the other two looking at him with the same amount of annoyance.
Zero was thinking the same thing as X so he explained.
"Sigma isn't your typical bad guy ok? If we give him just an extra 10 minutes of time to execute his plots he can end up having a huge advantage...and we can't afford that." Zero said.
"Well if we go to Cossack's then we can get powerups and thus help even out the score..." Protoman explained.
"Yeah...we're not completely useless ya know..." Bass objected.
X nodded silently.
"Very well...but we must make it quick...and then locate Wily's base...where I have a feeling Sigma is hiding out..."
The five heroes walked out of Dr. Light's lab slowly heading towards Cossack's lair.
"Where is that thing?" Kalinka asked herself as she rummaged through her dad's old inventions.
All of these "old" inventions could have easily won the nobel peace prize.
"Check near the bottom..." Cossack called grufly
She threw aside priceless machines and old weapons until she squealed with excitement.
"AHA!" she exclaimed.
She pulled out a large rifle and cocked it...aiming it at the wall.
"Daddy's instant disintegration rifle X-1560...this should do nicely!" She fired a shot as the entire wall in front of her disintegrated, the ceiling caving in over where she shot the blast.
"Perfect!" She said as she headed out the door and noticed five robots coming towards the lab...3 small ones and 2 taller ones. She took aim with the rifle and was about to pull the trigger when she heard a familiar voice.
"KALINKA! ITS US!" Megaman shouted.
"Oh god..." she said as she realized what she almost did.
The five heroes got closer and finally stopped right in front of Kalinka.
Kalinka looked up to X and Zero...surprised at their build and to be quite honest...their looks too.
"He..hello..." Kalinka said...blushing.
"Hello." X said with a warm smile.
"Greetings..." Zero said...not really wanting to be sitting around like that.
"Kalinka?" Megaman waved his hand in front of Kalinka's love struck eyes.
"Helllooo?" snapping his fingers until Kalinka finally came back from that world of love.
"Oh..uh sorry...what did you say?" Kalinka asked.
Megaman sighed.
"We need some upgraded armor and weapons... did your father have anything made for us?" Megaman asked.
"Oh...upgrades...yeah..." Kalinka still staring at X.
X shifted uncomfortably as he walked further into Cossack's lab.
"Where would their new upgrades be?" X asked softly.
"Uhhh...its uhhh..." Kalinka stuttered.
"Oh for the love of god, I think I"m gonna be sick." Protoman said...feeling incredibly jealous of X...who was getting all of the attention that he wanted.
"Please Kalinka...let's just get our upgrades..we have stuff to do!" Bass exclaimed impatiently.
Kalinka shot a glare that, if they weren't robots, would have killed them instantly. Then she turned to a closet behind her and opened it shoving things aside...
"DAD! WHERE IS THE BLASTER MODIFYING CHIP?" she yelled.
Cossack grumbled.
"Box on the left..."
Kalinka dug back into the closet as she reached far into the back and found a small box. It said on it DO NOT TOUCH-INCLUDING KALINKA.
She smiled and pulled it out.
"I think what's in here is probably what you're looking for..." she said with confidence.
She opened the small box and there were three small microchips in it.
"Yup..." she picked one up gently.
"These are daddy's latest cannon programs...it focuses on the cannon and offers your buster arms more resistance to energy internally so you can charge up bigger blasts and fire bigger blasts with your regular shots."
The three small heroes smiled.
"Now this is more like it..." Bass said with a smile as he opened his buster arm and gently put the microchip in.
"Ah, yes...its been a while since I've had a buster upgrade..." Protoman says as he installs his microchip.
X and Zero both look at their buster arms...
"Doesn't look like we upgrade our busters that way..." X said like a dissappointed child.
"Guess not..." Zero said.
"Its ok guys, really...I saw your blasts and I'll bet they still are more poweful than ours...in fact I know they are." Megaman said.
X and Zero smiled.
"Now that we've gotten what we needed...how about we head to Wily's base? I have a feeling that your friends will be there too..." Megaman said cautiously.
"Yeah...I wouldn't doubt it...Sigma seems to be very inviting to any other evil genius ready to take over the world...I'm sure he's offering Wily his men as we speak..." X said with a growl.
*
"I will offer you my men in exchange for your cooperation old man..." Sigma said spitefully.
"That is, if you wish to live." he finished coldly.
Wily grimaced and turned back to his computer.
"What is it you want from me?" He demanded.
"Simple Doctor...I want you to build me a warrior."
Wily laughed.
"Why didn't you tell me? I have dozens waiting right..." he began but Sigma cut him off.
"No...not those damn toys...I want a real warrior...like the one you're working on in the bottom floor." Sigma smiled.
"How did you know about that..." Wily asked in wonder.
"I want you to finish him...and grant me complete control over him...understand?" Sigma demanded, while Vile held his massive cannon to Wily's head.
"Fine...fine..." Wily said as he walked towards the elevator that lead to the bottom floor, where he was working on his most advanced project...
Project ZERO.
Protoman, Bass and Megaman all went over the layouts of Wily's base with X and Zero.
"I believe we should all take a different route...no doubt that if we're all together that Wily will have a trap set up for all of us...if we come in from all directions he'll be overwhelmed."
Protoman chuckled as Megaman spoke.
"Yeah...Megaman is the expert at infiltrating Wily's base after all..." he said with a laugh.
"Whatever happens we need to get in there to find out what Sigma is doing..." X said with a wave of determination.
"There are entrances here...here and here." he said, pointing to each of them respectively. One from underneath, one straight down the middle and one from above.
"X...you and Zero can take the straight forward road...seeing as how your strength could help you get through their easier..." Megaman stated.
X and Zero nodded in agreement.
"Protoman...you'll come with me from the top..." Megaman told him.
"If you think so..." Protoman agreed reluctantly.
"Bass, you're going solo...just like you prefer...through the bottom...make sure you keep Treble close."
Bass scoffed.
"Please...don't make me laugh. I know who and what I should do for this mission...I don't need advice from you."
Megaman shrugged off the harsh comeback and stood.
"Do you have any reason why Sigma might be offering help to Wily?"
X shook his head.
"Whatever it is...it will end up getting everyone hurt if we don't stop him...that's for sure."
Megaman nodded and smiled. Then he turned to his friends behind him.
"Come on guys! We're heading out!"
Wily, Sigma and Vile went through layers and layers of defense walls and passcodes before finally arriving to his most secret laboratory sector. Inside a capsule in the center was just what Sigma expected...Zero.
"Perfect...absolutely marvelous!" Sigma said.
"Don't even think about waking him up! I haven't done all the tests...god knows what he'll do if you try to get him out."
Sigma looked to Wily and smiled.
"I have a feeling it'll be just fine..." he chuckled.
"I can't! I won't let you interfere with my greatest invention ever!" Wily shouted.
"I'm afraid you have no choice doctor...either cooperate or you can kiss your entire lab goodbye...including this experiment...understand?" Sigma stated coldly.
Wily growled and mumbled under his breath.
"Damn you...I hope the first thing he does is kill you..." Wily said with a growl as he went to the central control panel.
Sigma turned back to the capsule.
"My beautiful Zero...ready to come work for me?" Sigma asked as he began to laugh...his bellows echoing through the empty stillness of the labs...the toughest robot masters pulling back in fear of this hideous laughter...the laughter of a wild beast.
*
Five warriors walked slowly over the hill as Wily's base came into sight. Treble trailing behind Bass
X and Zero stood on the ends while Protoman was on Megaman's right and Bass on Megaman's Left. They all stood silent for a moment before megaman said
"That's it..."
X looked at it...and sighed.
"That's it?" He said with a touch of disconcertment.
Megaman,Protoman and Bass all looked at X.
"What do you mean 'That's It?' This base is the hardest building to enter in the world...a 100 man army couldn't get into this base...its designed to hold off up to 1000 people!" Bass shouted...getting angrier by the word.
X looked to Zero...but Zero seemed to be off in a different world when looking at the base.
"Zero? You ok?" X asked in concern.
Zero shook his head and blinked a couple times.
"Oh...sorry. What were you saying?"
~That's odd...~ X thought.
~Zero is usually in top shape during a mission...this isn't like him.~
"Alright guys!" Megaman ordered.
"Let's split up and get going!"
Everyone nodded as X and Zero headed straight with Protoman and Megaman and Bass took off to the lower route.
*
~I can't believe that we're doing this again...with two weirdos from the future to boot...~ Protoman thought to himself as he ran alongside Megaman, X and Zero.
He looked over to Zero...and then to X...before looking straight ahead again.
~Something's fishy about them...I don't know what...but I plan on finding out!~ He told himself as he ran swiftly over the rocks.
*
~I can't believe this is all that they have to deal with...Sigma's base makes this look like breaking into a piggy bank.~ X smiled to himself as he looked over to Megaman and Protoman.
~Then again, for this time this base is the most advanced laboratory on the planet...so they do deserve commendation~
X smiled, the splitup point was approaching fast.
*
~What's Protoman looking at me for?~ Zero thought as he ran, he saw Protoman out of the corner of his eye looking at him like he was an alien.
~Well, I guess in a way I am an alien...I do come from another world.~
Or maybe he thought he was a monster...
*a red monster*
suddenly Zero slowed to a walk...stopping for a minute.
"What are you doing Zero?" X asked.
"A...red monster?" Zero asked in a daze.
"What are you talking about? We need to move...NOW!" X commanded.
Zero snapped out of it after X shouted the order to move.
"Yeah...sorry."
Zero ran after X...becoming more and more disturbed by what he was hearing in his head...the whispers that continued to haunt his dreams.
*
~This should work out perfectly...~ Megaman thought optimistically.
~X and Zero can more than take care of any problems that show up on the main road as we attack from three different directions...Wily won't know what to do!~ Megaman smiled broadly.
Suddenly he noticed that Zero had stopped running...he turned.
From far away he heard Zero mutter
"A...red monster?"
Megaman felt a chill run up his spine...but why?
After a moment Zero began running again...but Megaman was worried about what Zero had said.
~What kind of evils are waiting for us in there?~
Finally X,Zero,Protoman and Megaman stopped at the split up point.
"This is it..." Megaman said...nodding towards the central path and then nodding towards the path to the higher entrance, where he and protoman would be heading.
X and Zero nodded.
"I'm sure Sigma's got something up his sleeve...you two be careful ok?" X said with concern.
Megaman smiled and nodded, as did Protoman.
"You watch out for yourselves too..." Megaman replied.
X smiled as he motioned to Zero.
"Let's go..." X said as they took off dashing down the central path.
*
Megaman and Protoman watched them dash off as they took running to the right, towards the higher road.
"Incoming!" Protoman shouted as a few metools came strolling down the path and set up a defensive line, about 5 metools long and 5 metools wide...25 in all.
"Let's do it!" Megaman shouted as he aimed and charged his buster cannon.
"Yeah!" Protoman charged his as they waited for the moment to come, the moment of opportunity...
The metools all shifted with predictable accuracy and the two warriors fired their massive plasma blasts as they tore through the metools.
Protoman and Megaman ran through the torn remains of their former enemies and came around to the side door. Megaman backed up slightly and then slid, pushing off the ground into a frontflip he kicked the door with such incredible force the whole thing came flying in like a piece of cardboard.
The two warriors stepped in and were struck with shock at what they saw...
*
X and Zero blasted their way through the obsolete enemies left and right, metools going down with a quick sabre slash here and there. They came to a huge steel door.
"Well...Zero you can try first..." X bowed out of the way so that Zero could take a shot.
"My pleasure..." Zero said with a chuckle as he unsheathed his Z sabre.
Closing his eyes he concentrated as he held his sabre out...
"ARRRGH!" He yelled as he charged at full force and performed his Z slash.
It took a moment but the door soon fell to pieces and instantaneously plasma started flying out of the room in volleys of energy.
X and Zero both jumped into the room and flipped to different sides and as they stood noticed a few familiar faces...
*
Bass came across the underground entrance and called for Treble.
"Treble! Come boy!" He shouted as Treble came near he began the transformation form, his wings taking form as he floated back a few feet and aimed his buster.
"Bass Blaster!" He shouted as a huge blast of plasma melted everything in its path ahead of it for a good 15 feet, completely obliterating the door.
He floated in slowly...the transformation already sucking away at his energy.
"Treble...that's enough for now boy..." He said gently as Treble reverted and fell to the floor on all fours.
~Its too quiet...~ Bass thought as he walked slowly...treble trailing slightly.
*
The shadow watched from above and smiled slowly, watching his prey slowly walk closer and closer to death...surely this would be fun...
*
Megaman and Protoman stared down the 4 Robot masters...
GeminiMan, TopMan, HardMan and Gutsman stood in front of the next door.
"It seems we have some uninvited visitors!" Gutsman bellowed.
"Yes...let's get rid of them!" TopMan declared.
"Not until we have some fun..." GeminiMan snickered.
"Yeah! Fun!" Hardman laughed stupidly along with the others as he slammed his fists together.
Protoman and Megaman looked to each other and smiled.
Looking back to the robot masters they each rolled in the opposite direction of each other and stood.
"Bring it on you filthy tin cans!" Protoman shouted as he loosed a massive plasma blast.
The four robot masters scattered...from mid-air Gemini announced the plan.
"TOP! You're with me! Hardman and Gutsman you take care of megaman!"
The others nodded as both Protoman and Megaman were surrounded by the robot masters.
"Ready for plan B Megaman?" Protoman asked him worriedly.
"Sure!...What's plan B?" Megaman said softly.
Vile was standing guard at the door as Sigma helped Sting get upstairs where the rest of the mavericks were waiting. They all fell silent as Sigma walked in, heavily damaged, and moved to the front of the room
"My friends..." Sigma said with a ragged breath.
"There have been complications..."
Sigma went on to explain the loss of 3 of their maverick comrades and the evil people who had destroyed them.
"There are five of them! You already know two of these worms from our own time, that blasted X and Zero!"
The rest of the mavericks booed and taunted the names.
"But there are 3 others, heroes in their own right in this time. They are known as Bass, Protoman...and Dr. Light's first robot creation...Megaman!"
The mavericks hissed and booed again, the very sound of Megaman's name like a bad taste in their mouth.
"I'll melt them down to scrap!" Magma Dragoon yelled in fury.
"I'll tear them apart!" The Slash Beast exclaimed.
"I'll fry their systems!" Spark Mandrill declared.
The rest of the mavericks started hurling threats and insults.
There were now only 9 mavericks left:
Sting Chameleon, Magma Dragoon, Slash Beast, Spark Mandrill, Blizzard Wolfang, Blaze Heatnix, Shield Sheldon, Wheel Gator and Neon Tiger. As well as Vile and Sigma, that made 11. 11 out of the 14 that showed up just over an hour ago.
~We're going to need some help...~ Sigma thought to himself, when suddenly he realized something.
"Vile..." Sigma said to him softly.
"Yes Sigma?" Vile asked him.
"You will accompany me to Dr. Wily's lair. We shall inquire him of some aid for this mission..." he smiled.
"I'm sure he'll be more than happy to oblige." Sigma said finally with a low, dark laugh.
Wily was sitting quietly in his lab, going over his last humiliating defeat at the hands of Megaman and his pals...
"Even that damn Megaman couldn't get through, neither Protoman...not even Bass! The plan was infallible!" He began to shout out loud until suddenly there was an explosion.
"What's that?" He demanded as he looked to his monitors.
There were two mechanical beings...one that was tall and wore pretty distinct armor...and another who was a little shorter and reminded Wily of a character from a really really old space movie.
The tall one looked into the camera and spoke.
"Dr. Wily? I know you can hear me so I suggest you open up and let us come in to talk to you...we have a proposition to make."
Wily looked at these two strangers...they weren't your typical robots that was for sure...but were they Light's new creations?
~No way...~ Wily thought.
Even though Wily was insane he still was a genius and he could tell simply by looking at the make of the robot that it couldn't be Light's. It was far too advanced on different levels to be anything of his, Coassack's or Light's... so whose were they?
"I would advise you to open the door now Wily...before I blast it open." The small purple one said.
Wily got onto the intercom.
"Very well...but answer me one thing first...who are you people?"
Sigma smiled gently.
"We're the answer to your prayers old man, so open the door."
Wily growled and opened the door as Sigma and Vile stepped into his lair.
*
"We've got to do something!" X exclaimed.
"Well..." Bass said carefully.
"You are pretty strong...I think we could make it through Wily's lair with these guys along...what do you think Protoman?"
Protoman looked over the two warriors.
"Yes...they should do." he said in agreement
Megaman thought for a moment...
"We should probably head to Cossack's lab first...Wily didn't mention Kalinka so she could still be there and probably offer us some help." Megaman said.
Protoman and Bass nodded while X and Zero looked at each other.
"Well...I don't know..." X said slowly.
Megaman turned and stared at X.
"Why not?" He demanded...the other two looking at him with the same amount of annoyance.
Zero was thinking the same thing as X so he explained.
"Sigma isn't your typical bad guy ok? If we give him just an extra 10 minutes of time to execute his plots he can end up having a huge advantage...and we can't afford that." Zero said.
"Well if we go to Cossack's then we can get powerups and thus help even out the score..." Protoman explained.
"Yeah...we're not completely useless ya know..." Bass objected.
X nodded silently.
"Very well...but we must make it quick...and then locate Wily's base...where I have a feeling Sigma is hiding out..."
The five heroes walked out of Dr. Light's lab slowly heading towards Cossack's lair.
"Where is that thing?" Kalinka asked herself as she rummaged through her dad's old inventions.
All of these "old" inventions could have easily won the nobel peace prize.
"Check near the bottom..." Cossack called grufly
She threw aside priceless machines and old weapons until she squealed with excitement.
"AHA!" she exclaimed.
She pulled out a large rifle and cocked it...aiming it at the wall.
"Daddy's instant disintegration rifle X-1560...this should do nicely!" She fired a shot as the entire wall in front of her disintegrated, the ceiling caving in over where she shot the blast.
"Perfect!" She said as she headed out the door and noticed five robots coming towards the lab...3 small ones and 2 taller ones. She took aim with the rifle and was about to pull the trigger when she heard a familiar voice.
"KALINKA! ITS US!" Megaman shouted.
"Oh god..." she said as she realized what she almost did.
The five heroes got closer and finally stopped right in front of Kalinka.
Kalinka looked up to X and Zero...surprised at their build and to be quite honest...their looks too.
"He..hello..." Kalinka said...blushing.
"Hello." X said with a warm smile.
"Greetings..." Zero said...not really wanting to be sitting around like that.
"Kalinka?" Megaman waved his hand in front of Kalinka's love struck eyes.
"Helllooo?" snapping his fingers until Kalinka finally came back from that world of love.
"Oh..uh sorry...what did you say?" Kalinka asked.
Megaman sighed.
"We need some upgraded armor and weapons... did your father have anything made for us?" Megaman asked.
"Oh...upgrades...yeah..." Kalinka still staring at X.
X shifted uncomfortably as he walked further into Cossack's lab.
"Where would their new upgrades be?" X asked softly.
"Uhhh...its uhhh..." Kalinka stuttered.
"Oh for the love of god, I think I"m gonna be sick." Protoman said...feeling incredibly jealous of X...who was getting all of the attention that he wanted.
"Please Kalinka...let's just get our upgrades..we have stuff to do!" Bass exclaimed impatiently.
Kalinka shot a glare that, if they weren't robots, would have killed them instantly. Then she turned to a closet behind her and opened it shoving things aside...
"DAD! WHERE IS THE BLASTER MODIFYING CHIP?" she yelled.
Cossack grumbled.
"Box on the left..."
Kalinka dug back into the closet as she reached far into the back and found a small box. It said on it DO NOT TOUCH-INCLUDING KALINKA.
She smiled and pulled it out.
"I think what's in here is probably what you're looking for..." she said with confidence.
She opened the small box and there were three small microchips in it.
"Yup..." she picked one up gently.
"These are daddy's latest cannon programs...it focuses on the cannon and offers your buster arms more resistance to energy internally so you can charge up bigger blasts and fire bigger blasts with your regular shots."
The three small heroes smiled.
"Now this is more like it..." Bass said with a smile as he opened his buster arm and gently put the microchip in.
"Ah, yes...its been a while since I've had a buster upgrade..." Protoman says as he installs his microchip.
X and Zero both look at their buster arms...
"Doesn't look like we upgrade our busters that way..." X said like a dissappointed child.
"Guess not..." Zero said.
"Its ok guys, really...I saw your blasts and I'll bet they still are more poweful than ours...in fact I know they are." Megaman said.
X and Zero smiled.
"Now that we've gotten what we needed...how about we head to Wily's base? I have a feeling that your friends will be there too..." Megaman said cautiously.
"Yeah...I wouldn't doubt it...Sigma seems to be very inviting to any other evil genius ready to take over the world...I'm sure he's offering Wily his men as we speak..." X said with a growl.
*
"I will offer you my men in exchange for your cooperation old man..." Sigma said spitefully.
"That is, if you wish to live." he finished coldly.
Wily grimaced and turned back to his computer.
"What is it you want from me?" He demanded.
"Simple Doctor...I want you to build me a warrior."
Wily laughed.
"Why didn't you tell me? I have dozens waiting right..." he began but Sigma cut him off.
"No...not those damn toys...I want a real warrior...like the one you're working on in the bottom floor." Sigma smiled.
"How did you know about that..." Wily asked in wonder.
"I want you to finish him...and grant me complete control over him...understand?" Sigma demanded, while Vile held his massive cannon to Wily's head.
"Fine...fine..." Wily said as he walked towards the elevator that lead to the bottom floor, where he was working on his most advanced project...
Project ZERO.
Protoman, Bass and Megaman all went over the layouts of Wily's base with X and Zero.
"I believe we should all take a different route...no doubt that if we're all together that Wily will have a trap set up for all of us...if we come in from all directions he'll be overwhelmed."
Protoman chuckled as Megaman spoke.
"Yeah...Megaman is the expert at infiltrating Wily's base after all..." he said with a laugh.
"Whatever happens we need to get in there to find out what Sigma is doing..." X said with a wave of determination.
"There are entrances here...here and here." he said, pointing to each of them respectively. One from underneath, one straight down the middle and one from above.
"X...you and Zero can take the straight forward road...seeing as how your strength could help you get through their easier..." Megaman stated.
X and Zero nodded in agreement.
"Protoman...you'll come with me from the top..." Megaman told him.
"If you think so..." Protoman agreed reluctantly.
"Bass, you're going solo...just like you prefer...through the bottom...make sure you keep Treble close."
Bass scoffed.
"Please...don't make me laugh. I know who and what I should do for this mission...I don't need advice from you."
Megaman shrugged off the harsh comeback and stood.
"Do you have any reason why Sigma might be offering help to Wily?"
X shook his head.
"Whatever it is...it will end up getting everyone hurt if we don't stop him...that's for sure."
Megaman nodded and smiled. Then he turned to his friends behind him.
"Come on guys! We're heading out!"
Wily, Sigma and Vile went through layers and layers of defense walls and passcodes before finally arriving to his most secret laboratory sector. Inside a capsule in the center was just what Sigma expected...Zero.
"Perfect...absolutely marvelous!" Sigma said.
"Don't even think about waking him up! I haven't done all the tests...god knows what he'll do if you try to get him out."
Sigma looked to Wily and smiled.
"I have a feeling it'll be just fine..." he chuckled.
"I can't! I won't let you interfere with my greatest invention ever!" Wily shouted.
"I'm afraid you have no choice doctor...either cooperate or you can kiss your entire lab goodbye...including this experiment...understand?" Sigma stated coldly.
Wily growled and mumbled under his breath.
"Damn you...I hope the first thing he does is kill you..." Wily said with a growl as he went to the central control panel.
Sigma turned back to the capsule.
"My beautiful Zero...ready to come work for me?" Sigma asked as he began to laugh...his bellows echoing through the empty stillness of the labs...the toughest robot masters pulling back in fear of this hideous laughter...the laughter of a wild beast.
*
Five warriors walked slowly over the hill as Wily's base came into sight. Treble trailing behind Bass
X and Zero stood on the ends while Protoman was on Megaman's right and Bass on Megaman's Left. They all stood silent for a moment before megaman said
"That's it..."
X looked at it...and sighed.
"That's it?" He said with a touch of disconcertment.
Megaman,Protoman and Bass all looked at X.
"What do you mean 'That's It?' This base is the hardest building to enter in the world...a 100 man army couldn't get into this base...its designed to hold off up to 1000 people!" Bass shouted...getting angrier by the word.
X looked to Zero...but Zero seemed to be off in a different world when looking at the base.
"Zero? You ok?" X asked in concern.
Zero shook his head and blinked a couple times.
"Oh...sorry. What were you saying?"
~That's odd...~ X thought.
~Zero is usually in top shape during a mission...this isn't like him.~
"Alright guys!" Megaman ordered.
"Let's split up and get going!"
Everyone nodded as X and Zero headed straight with Protoman and Megaman and Bass took off to the lower route.
*
~I can't believe that we're doing this again...with two weirdos from the future to boot...~ Protoman thought to himself as he ran alongside Megaman, X and Zero.
He looked over to Zero...and then to X...before looking straight ahead again.
~Something's fishy about them...I don't know what...but I plan on finding out!~ He told himself as he ran swiftly over the rocks.
*
~I can't believe this is all that they have to deal with...Sigma's base makes this look like breaking into a piggy bank.~ X smiled to himself as he looked over to Megaman and Protoman.
~Then again, for this time this base is the most advanced laboratory on the planet...so they do deserve commendation~
X smiled, the splitup point was approaching fast.
*
~What's Protoman looking at me for?~ Zero thought as he ran, he saw Protoman out of the corner of his eye looking at him like he was an alien.
~Well, I guess in a way I am an alien...I do come from another world.~
Or maybe he thought he was a monster...
*a red monster*
suddenly Zero slowed to a walk...stopping for a minute.
"What are you doing Zero?" X asked.
"A...red monster?" Zero asked in a daze.
"What are you talking about? We need to move...NOW!" X commanded.
Zero snapped out of it after X shouted the order to move.
"Yeah...sorry."
Zero ran after X...becoming more and more disturbed by what he was hearing in his head...the whispers that continued to haunt his dreams.
*
~This should work out perfectly...~ Megaman thought optimistically.
~X and Zero can more than take care of any problems that show up on the main road as we attack from three different directions...Wily won't know what to do!~ Megaman smiled broadly.
Suddenly he noticed that Zero had stopped running...he turned.
From far away he heard Zero mutter
"A...red monster?"
Megaman felt a chill run up his spine...but why?
After a moment Zero began running again...but Megaman was worried about what Zero had said.
~What kind of evils are waiting for us in there?~
Finally X,Zero,Protoman and Megaman stopped at the split up point.
"This is it..." Megaman said...nodding towards the central path and then nodding towards the path to the higher entrance, where he and protoman would be heading.
X and Zero nodded.
"I'm sure Sigma's got something up his sleeve...you two be careful ok?" X said with concern.
Megaman smiled and nodded, as did Protoman.
"You watch out for yourselves too..." Megaman replied.
X smiled as he motioned to Zero.
"Let's go..." X said as they took off dashing down the central path.
*
Megaman and Protoman watched them dash off as they took running to the right, towards the higher road.
"Incoming!" Protoman shouted as a few metools came strolling down the path and set up a defensive line, about 5 metools long and 5 metools wide...25 in all.
"Let's do it!" Megaman shouted as he aimed and charged his buster cannon.
"Yeah!" Protoman charged his as they waited for the moment to come, the moment of opportunity...
The metools all shifted with predictable accuracy and the two warriors fired their massive plasma blasts as they tore through the metools.
Protoman and Megaman ran through the torn remains of their former enemies and came around to the side door. Megaman backed up slightly and then slid, pushing off the ground into a frontflip he kicked the door with such incredible force the whole thing came flying in like a piece of cardboard.
The two warriors stepped in and were struck with shock at what they saw...
*
X and Zero blasted their way through the obsolete enemies left and right, metools going down with a quick sabre slash here and there. They came to a huge steel door.
"Well...Zero you can try first..." X bowed out of the way so that Zero could take a shot.
"My pleasure..." Zero said with a chuckle as he unsheathed his Z sabre.
Closing his eyes he concentrated as he held his sabre out...
"ARRRGH!" He yelled as he charged at full force and performed his Z slash.
It took a moment but the door soon fell to pieces and instantaneously plasma started flying out of the room in volleys of energy.
X and Zero both jumped into the room and flipped to different sides and as they stood noticed a few familiar faces...
*
Bass came across the underground entrance and called for Treble.
"Treble! Come boy!" He shouted as Treble came near he began the transformation form, his wings taking form as he floated back a few feet and aimed his buster.
"Bass Blaster!" He shouted as a huge blast of plasma melted everything in its path ahead of it for a good 15 feet, completely obliterating the door.
He floated in slowly...the transformation already sucking away at his energy.
"Treble...that's enough for now boy..." He said gently as Treble reverted and fell to the floor on all fours.
~Its too quiet...~ Bass thought as he walked slowly...treble trailing slightly.
*
The shadow watched from above and smiled slowly, watching his prey slowly walk closer and closer to death...surely this would be fun...
*
Megaman and Protoman stared down the 4 Robot masters...
GeminiMan, TopMan, HardMan and Gutsman stood in front of the next door.
"It seems we have some uninvited visitors!" Gutsman bellowed.
"Yes...let's get rid of them!" TopMan declared.
"Not until we have some fun..." GeminiMan snickered.
"Yeah! Fun!" Hardman laughed stupidly along with the others as he slammed his fists together.
Protoman and Megaman looked to each other and smiled.
Looking back to the robot masters they each rolled in the opposite direction of each other and stood.
"Bring it on you filthy tin cans!" Protoman shouted as he loosed a massive plasma blast.
The four robot masters scattered...from mid-air Gemini announced the plan.
"TOP! You're with me! Hardman and Gutsman you take care of megaman!"
The others nodded as both Protoman and Megaman were surrounded by the robot masters.
"Ready for plan B Megaman?" Protoman asked him worriedly.
"Sure!...What's plan B?" Megaman said softly.