Chapter 16: The Ultimate War Machine
And they say that
A hero could save us
I'm not gonna stand here and wait
"Nine minutes..." Break Man muttered, leaning against the wall of the Yellow Devil's room. It had been nine very long minutes since Mega Man had departed, charging on further ahead into the tower of Skull Fortress, leaving Break Man behind. One more, and then he could finally follow, operating under the excuse that the blue hero had trapped him under the cyclops' remains. The red robot had even thrown himself at the rocks a few times in order to acquire some bruises to make it more believable. It was a painful but effective ruse; Dr. Wily would have no reason to doubt his story and would just blame it on incompetence.
"He's rather quick to point out failures in others while ignoring his own.." Break Man noted. This time, though, he wanted that to happen; taking advantage of Wily's assumptions was what would make the plan work. Until then, though, he waited. Break Man had calculated the time well; ten minutes gave Mega enough of a lead that he would only be able to catch up to the hero at the very end, in the underground lair where Gamma lay dormant. That way, he'd be there for the end but wouldn't have to confront his rival again before then. They'd arrive at Gamma's resting place within minutes of each other. And there, if neccessary, the two of them would face down Dr. Wily, and stop Gamma from being unleashed. No matter what the cost, Gamma HAD to be destroyed before Wily could use it for his insane ambitions. Break Man shook his head; when the mad doctor had brought in Gamma, that had been the final thing that had convinced the red renegade that he was on the wrong side.
"He just totally dropped all his pretenses... completely forgot to try and keep me fooled that he was the good guy here, and just kept barking out orders like I was another one of his mindless corrupted flunkies." Break Man remembered. "Not very smart of him; I guess the thrill of almost holding ultimate power was too much for him to keep that illusion of goodness up. Take that, and then add everything I saw of what Mega was really like all the times I met him, and it really doesn't take a genius robotocist like dad to figure out that the bad doctor wasn't on the up-and-up. Fortunately, it wasn't too late when I discovered that, and I was able to get to the blue boy so I could help him out here. Now, with the two of us working together on this, we might just have a slight chance at beating him... and the world might have a slight chance of surviving as it is." He frowned darkly, reminiscing further.
"Argh... how could I have possibly been so stupidly gullible as to fall for those tricks in the first place? Geez, I was raised better than that! Well, at least they all made the mistake of trusting him too, so at least I'm not the only one. Still, it's gonna be embarassing when I tell them about it all. Hmm... maybe I'll blame it on all those years I spent trudging through the jungle without any success in getting out... from what I know of such things, that kind of ordeal would scramble most people's brains pretty badly. Excuses, excuses..." The red robot sighed. "Well, it's no use obsessing over the past. That's just a freakin' waste of time and energy, and chewing myself out over dumb mistakes isn't accomplishing anything. What's done is done; I need to focus on the here and now. And right here and right now, ten minutes have finally passed and I need to get going so I can catch up to blue-boy." Break Man got up and moved towards the exit. Once there, he paused and looked over at the pile of rubble that was all that remained of the Yellow Devil for a moment. "Sorry, one-eyed bro. You were on the wrong side." Turning away, he walked on, going through the door and climbing up the ladder to the tower.
"He probably had to use his doggy to get onto that upper balcony..." Break Man muttered, looking up at the overhang above him. He smiled. "Fortunately for me, I know better." He stepped on a certain section of the floor, which sank down as a ladder popped out of the wall. He passed the wreckage of the New Shotman guard without comment, wriggling through the pipe. On the way up to the next floor, however, he couldn't resist remarking on the walls his blue rival had blown away with the Hard Knuckle. "Oy! It's bad enough he's blasting all the robot guards; does he have to destroy the architecture too? That boy's a natural disaster..." Still muttering to himself, he reached the top. Just to be sure, he checked the obvious place where he had placed an E-Tank. Sure enough, Mega had nabbed it. Smart boy. I just hope he got the ones I put over the big pit in the Second Ring... I forgot to check on those ones. The red robot moved on, hoping that Mega had taken out all the Holograns.
"I don't really fancy having to run through here with those spacy holograms right about now..." Break Man muttered. Fortunately, he was right; the hero had been thorough, and every single Hologran was wasted. Jumping down a couple levels, he frowned at the pair of destroyed Bikkis. "Hey, I used some good spraypaint on those guys. Blargh. That guy really needs to get a sense of artistry." Climbing up the ladder, he frowned and glared disapprovingly at the spike-filled chamber with the moving platform chains. I so do NOT have time to monkey around with all of this. I'm a robot, not a freakin' chimpanzee. Mega must have used some fairly severe cuss words when he came through here. At least he made it; there's no body. However, I'm not going to go through the thing while it's on; there are advantages to being the man on the inside. Feeling around the wall, he soon found the secret panel that held the shut-off switch. Upon his pressing it, the chains of platforms ceased their movement, and hung motionless in the air. Break Man chuckled and began hopping up.
I probably shouldn't tell blue-boy about this... he probably had some trouble here, and if he finds out how easily I made it, he might turn homicidal on me. I've fought him enough already. Reaching the top, he opened the metal shutters that led to the next Fortress Guardian. "Hey, HR-3! You there? HR-3, it's me, Break Man!" There was no response. Looking around, Break Man soon discovered the weapons pod and its two flying support guns lying on the ground, dead. "Too bad for you, buddy. Mega was better than you, too, it seems." The cycloptic robot rolled his eye. It's probably really stupid of me, but part of me kinda wished he'd suffer some sort of crippling defeat or something. Anybody who wins ALL the time annoys me. He closed his eye. No, no, get off that line of thinking. If we're too late, that stupid idea might come true at Gamma's hands, and that's it for the planet. Very, very bad idea. I doubt I could live with the guilt of helping to bring it around. I hate suicidal possibilities. The red robot sighed and walked forward, past the smoking remains of HR-3.
"Well, I'd better get moving already. Wonder how far the blue boy's ahead of me by now... I really hope he didn't take a wrong turn somewhere."
***
"I really hope I didn't take a wrong turn somewhere..." Mega Man muttered, looking around as he picked up the last of the numerous Weapons Energy pods he had found lying on the floor. He was in a dark, dreary tunnel; grey bricks and pipes made up the walls. "It'd be just like Wily to have the path lead off into the sewers or something instead of to the top." He shrugged. "Well, don't know until you try. Geronimo!" Jumping down a level, he was confronted by the most junky-looking robot he had ever seen. It was basically humanoid, but seemed to be made of grey slag. As he stared, a giant stone block fell from the ceiling into the robot's raised hand, and it chucked it at him. THAT got his attention. Mega jumped, but he was only partially able to dodge; the block smashed into his legs, sending him sprawling forward. Swearing, the hero blasted the junk golem with his arm cannon, but the shots didn't fell it.
"Thick armor under all that slag, huh?" Mega muttered. Then he changed to the Gemini Beam and pierced it straight through. "Oh well. At least that answers my question; Wily wouldn't have bothered putting such a tough sentry here unless this was the right way." The hero encountered several more of the junk golems on his way down, and dealt with them all the same way. At the bottom of the passage, a metal shutter stood in his path. Walking through, Mega found a teleporter pod.
"Of course Wily's still using them..." Mega growled. "Never mind that they're unsafe for humans. He's nuts." Shaking his head, he entered. When he popped out of another, he was facing a short, straight hall with a hole in the floor at the end. Above the hole, attached to the far wall, was... a television? "What the-?" As he looked at it, a familiar emblem materialized on the screen. Dr. Wily's insignia. The emblem receded into one corner of the screen, replaced by the mad doctor.
"Greetings, people of Japan, America, Canada, Britain, and every place else in the world. I assume that most of you already know who I am. For the benefit of the uneducated, though, my name is Doctor Albert Wily. Yes, the same Dr. Wily who tried to conquer the world twice, and failed. The same Dr. Wily who was released by gullible fools. And the same Dr. Wily who now holds the world in the palm of his hand." He shook his head, grinning.
"As many of you know, I have been recently working on the Ultimate War Machine, Gamma, with my old partner, Doctor Thomas Light. It was supposed to be for protecting the world, to make sure it was never threatened again. At least, that's what the United Nations believed." The mad doctor laughed. "IDIOTS! Gamma is now under my absolute control, and shall be brought to life within minutes of when this message shall be displayed. Once that has come to pass, I shall assume complete domination over the entire planet. Any attempts to resist will be obliterated. Gamma is an undefeatable weapon; it was designed to be the ultimate weapon, and if I do say so myself we succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. And don't get any ideas about nuclear weapons; Gamma has a teleportation device. One moment we're in Japan, the next we're in Ireland, the next in Brazil." His threatening tone slid away to be replaced by unholy glee.
"There is absolutely no way you can stop me! You trusting morons, you have set yourselves up to be conquered! Within a year, I, Dr. Albert Wily, will stand unopposed as the complete master of Earth, with Gamma as my throne! I spoke the truth when I promised the world that Gamma would make sure there would never be another Robot Rebellion. There will never be another one, because they are obsolete! Gamma is all I need! I won't invade your countries with armies or cut off your power or hold your leaders hostage. I will simply destroy everything that does not bow down to me! Oh, and one more thing. I imagine that some of the more optimistic of you fools are counting on that little blue pipsqueak, Mega Man. Well, give it up. He shall be the first to die!" Wily sneered.
"Rock, I'm hoping you're watching this. Please, come on over! Your dear Unky Al is waiting for a visit, and he's got a new cousin for you! You'll be best friends, I know! I'll even take you two out for ice cream, since you were nice enough to forgive me for my past crim-"
Mega Man destroyed the television with a single blast of plasma. But try as he might, he couldn't destroy the images that were forced into his brain. I trusted him... I thought he was back to normal... I thought he could be good again... I forgave him... AND HE SPITS IN MY FACE. All I did... all the chances I and the rest of the world gave him... and he still remains the madman, the murderer... he'll never change, he's gone forever...
"Wily..." Mega Man whispered, shaking with fury. "I swear that you will pay for this... no matter WHAT it takes!" He jumped down the hole in the floor and found himself in a brightly lit room. A metal shutter led out, but it was locked. The main feature of the room, however, was eight identical teleporters spaced evenly around. "He's going this route again... guess he liked it better." Each teleporter undoubtably led to a Sennet Robotics Robot Master. In the previous two Rebellions, Wily had also put each of his lackey Robot Masters to guarding the end of the Skull Fortress. In the First, they had been in a set order; the Second had used a room with eight teleporters. Apparently, he had liked that better. Picking one, Mega stepped into it.
"So, there you are..." The Pinhead on the other side of the small room growled, turning. "It's about time! I was bored out of my skull waiting. But now, it's rematch time! Prepare yourself for the wrath of Needle Man Mk II!" Mega's rage was momentarily replaced by amusement.
"You know, you're not really Needle Man. I killed him. You're just a Pinhead who Wily programmed to think he was Needle-nose." The Pinhead stared at him for a moment, then chuckled darkly.
"You know, even if I believed you, I wouldn't give a shit. All that matters now is us fighting. Make it a good one, brat!" With that challenge, he launched himself into the air and began firing the Needle Cannon. Mega sighed as his colors lightened to frost blue and white.
"I shoulda known you'd say that..." The Gemini Beam bounced off the wall and hit Needle Man II in the back of the head. Screaming, the Robot Master fell to the ground and got hit by another. Enraged, he jumped forward, intending to impale Mega Man on his headpiece... but before he could bend over, an intense pain filled his entire body, and he looked down to see a smoking hole through his chest. He forced his eyes up to meet Mega's again... and smiled.
"Yeah... that was... a good fight. Little... short, though. Next time... make it... longer..." His eyes rolled up, and he toppled over, dead. Mega shook his head and left without saying anything. Back in the teleporter room, he noticed for the first time that there were eight lights above the metal shutter. Seven were green, and one was red.
"Hmmm..." Shrugging, he entered the next teleporter. A Magnus glared at him.
"Mega Man! You beat me by luck last time... this time, you die!" Without waiting for a response, he leaped forward.
"Same old cocky Magnet Man..." Mega muttered. "Let's see how your systems handle some extra wattage." Sliding under his enemy's jumps, the hero turned and fired some Spark Shots. Magnet Man II just laughed.
"Bring it on... YAAAAH!" The robot master writhed as several thousand volts were violently blasted through him. "You think that's funny?! Right back atcha!" He leaped up and fired Magnet Missiles, which Mega dodged with some well-timed sliding before shooting more Spark Shots. Furious, Magnet Man II crouched and activated his own personal magnetic field. "Your zaps can't hurt me now! Come to papa!" He gloated. He was obviously unaware that his field just drew the Spark Shots in faster. He didn't even have time for a scream before he exploded.
"Next." Upon returning to the teleporter room, Mega discovered that two of the lights were now red. "Aha. As I thought... beat 'em all, and the door opens." He shrugged again and entered the next teleporter.
"Mega Man!" The two Gemini Models yelled in unison. "There's no Break Man for you this time... you're going down!" Mega just smirked as his color and weapon changed.
"Two against one. Oh look, I'm green with envy." He raised his arm cannon and created a Search Snake. "Oops. There's my teammate. So much for your numerical superiority, eh?" Before the Gemini Men could attack, they were quite literally covered in snakes. The result was obvious. Whistling, Mega Man left and entered the next teleporter. The Smashbody inside didn't even bother with banter; he just attacked by launching his fists. Mega slid the first, jumped the other, and responded with Magnet Missiles. Growling, the foe launched himself upward to try and squish the hero. Mega slid out of the way, and when Hard Man II landed, blasted his backside with more Magnet Missiles. The huge Robot Master groaned, then fell over and didn't move. The next teleporter presented Mega with a Spinstrike.
"IIIIIIIIT'S SHOW TIME!" The Robot Master screamed. "Welcome to the Wily Bros. Six-Ring circus! We hope you enjoyed the lion tamer, human cannonball, acrobats and elephant! And now, for our next act..." He launched his deadly tops, which zeroed in on Mega.
"The clown act..." Mega muttered, sliding to dodge. "And speaking of elephants, try some of this, ya loon!" He fired a Hard Knuckle straight into Top Man II's face. It smashed him into the wall. As he extricated himself, the Robot Master was laughing.
"Thank you, thank you! And now, a repeat performance!" Spinning wildly, he launched himself at Mega at top speed. Mega jumped, landed, turned, and gave him another Knuckle sandwich.
"I wish I could do that..." The hero complained as he advanced on his felled opponent. "Your weapon sucks for me." Top Man smiled up at him.
"Sorry, kid, but circus souveniers have a no-return policy! This show is over, but it's almost time for the final act! Get to your seats!" He cackled as the final Hard Knuckle punched his head clean off his shoulders, and Mega went on to Teleporter #6. However, upon entering, he discovered something odd. The room was empty; no Robot Master was inside. Mega frowned.
"This smells bad..." He went back out to the teleporter room. Looking around, he spotted a movement out of the corner of his eye. Instantly, he changed weapons, and the Ripwood found himself facing a Top Spin instead of the easy kill he had anticipated. Slamming into a wall, he sputtered.
"What... but... how did you know it was me?"
"The only ones left are you, Spark Man and Snake Man." Mega answered him. "Neither of those two is big on stealth. Thus, when I saw a surprise attack, I knew it was you."
"Clever..." Shadow Man II grudgingly admitted. "But I have other tactics." He threw a deadly ninja star. Mega ran forward, hurdled it, and smashed into Shadow Man in another Top Spin. This one was fatal. Dusting himself off, the hero entered the seventh teleporter.
"So you've come..." The Zapplug glared at him. "Well, you may be able to beat me, but I won't go down easily!"
"Finally, a realistic approach." Mega murmured approvingly as he readied the Shadow Blade. "Let's make this quick... I have a weapon of mass destruction to catch."
"Yeah, sure, whatever..." Spark Man II muttered as he bounced forward, releasing a storm of small sparks. Mega leaped forward as well, and calmly sliced the unlucky Robot Master's head off.
"Only Snake Man left..." The hero smiled as he emerged back in the teleporter room and readied the Needle Cannon. He calmly entered the eigth teleporter and waved at the Serpos. "Hey! How about some needles?"
"..." Snake Man II glared without speaking for a few moments. "You knew it was me before you even came in. I'm the last one, aren't I?"
"Yup." Mega nodded. The Robot Master sighed.
"Figures. All right, let's get this over with." Fifteen seconds later, Mega returned to the teleporter room to see the metal shutter open. Walking in, he soon found one last teleporter, which he entered. A moment later, he was on top of the central tower of Skull Fortress. The view was suberb, but that wasn't what he was here for. Looking around, he discovered a thin bridge extending out over the side of the tower to a small building that was somehow unsupported by anything except the bridge.
"Must be made of pretty strong metal..." Mega muttered to himself as he walked across. The building contained some energy, both for himself and his weapons, and a hole in the floor. Gathering up the items, Mega jumped in. He landed on a tower he had seen from the outside at the beginning; it was designed to resemble a giant femur. "Finally... it's come down to this again. All right, Wily. Where are you?" For a moment, there was no response, and he feared that he had come too late, that Wily had already completed Gamma.And then, he heard a loud clank behind him, and turned to see a giant machine facing him down. The latest Wilymachine was completely different than the first two; it slightly resembled a giant, metallic crab minus the claws. The main body was bright orange, and above it was a heavily armored red dome. A pair of stalk eyes glared at him from the sides, and below those were its method of moving; a set of huge blue metal pins that acted as legs. Below, on the underside, was a rotating plasma cannon.
"I'm right here, Rock!" A speaker cackled. "So you beat the clock... well, it matters not! I'm going to crush you with my Pinbot!"
"Wily..." Rock said quietly. "You're the one who's going down. For betraying the world who gave you another chance... the family who accepted you... and your enemy who forgave you!"
"Oh, what a shame." Wily laughed within his Pinbot. "I can't be blamed for your pitiful delusions! If you chose to believe I had given up on my dream, that's your fault!" His voice grew threatening. "Now hear this, Rock! I will NEVER give up! If you defeat me here, I will come back! Every time, again an again, until you are dead and I rule the world!" The speech took on a mocking note. "Unless, of course, you were to kill me... but that would violate your Rules of Robotics, wouldn't it? A robot must not harm a human being, and all that. Face facts, Rock! You can't stop me! However, the converse is decidedly not true, as I shall now demonstrate! Die, Rock!" The Pinbot advanced, walking crablike sideways, and the plasma cannon on the bottom sprang to life, firing spiraling blasts.
"Your calculation has one flaw, Wily!" Mega Man yelled as he ran to the side to avoid the first shot. "I CAN stop you, and I WILL!" He returned fire with his own arm cannon, aiming for the gun on the underside. "This is it, Wily... this is the end for you, and your sick plans!" Dashing between the Pinbot's legs, he fired several shots into the cannon point-blank. Unfortunately, this also left him open to opposing fire. The blast smashed him back, straight under one of the legs which was rising up in a step. The hero rolled aside inches before getting impaled. As he rose, another plasma shot hit his right arm. He ignored it and returned fire, dodging around the Pinbot instead of moving in again. The plasma cannon could rotate 360 degrees, but the machine's actual movement could not boast the same. Thus, Mega's opponent was largely immobile. The outcome was fairly predictable.
"It's not over yet, fool!" Wily screamed as the plasma cannon exploded, setting off a chain reaction that also wiped out the eyes and the shielding on the upper dome, revealing a dome of the same glasslike material that had been built around the cockpits of the other Wilymachines. Although it looked fragile, the unknown substance was incredibly sturdy, and it would take a lot of shots to destroy it. And inside the dome, seated before the controls of the Pinbot, was Dr. Wily. "Try this on for size!" He pushed some buttons, and the now-vacant sockets that had held the eye stalks were revealed as more plasma cannons. "Go ahead! Try and attack!"
"Gladly!" Mega Man yelled as he fired. And the shot was deflected by the plasma-deflective lower body's armor. Wily laughed.
"Imbecile! How do you expect to defeat me if you can't even hit me?" Mega cursed; the lower body would block any attempts at his attack unless he moved to the edge of the towertop, and allowing himself to be cornered like that was, quite frankly, suicide. "You can't! It's that simple! None of your Master Weapons can hit me up here! Your only choice is death! And oh, how disappointed the people oft he world will be... they're watching us now, you know."
"What?!"
"Oh, yes!" Wily gloated. "There are a dozen video cameras watching this fight, transmitting it live to every television channel in the world! All the people on this planet will fall in despair as their champion dies at last! Some hero!"
"Hero..." Mega slowly smiled as he realized how he would win. "Once again, Wily, you forgot one thing. All too often, there's one thing about superheroes... they can fly." He whistled, and Rush appeared by his master's side, transforming into jetboard configuration. Before the doctor's stunned eyes, Mega stepped onto the dog's back and blasted off through the air. "Now, let's see how YOU handle an opponent who can rise higher than you." He snarled.
"Come on then!" Wily screamed. "You shall still die!" The plasma cannons on the Pinbot sprang to life, firing upon Mega Man and Rush like snipers shooting at a plane. The robot and his dog dodged and weaved, soaring around the plasma fire before swooping in and strafing Wily in the Pinbot's dome top. Cursing, the mad doctor swiveled his cannons to hit them, but they were already gone, back up in the air behind him. As they made a wide turn, Wily fired once more, punching the buttons in the cockpit frantically. It seemed like the air was filled with a storm of plasma. Mega and Rush moved up and down as they turned; although they couldn't dodge all the shots, only a few struck the blue hero as he and his ride moved back down once more and blasted Wily again, causing the doctor to howl in rage. Now in front of the machine again, Mega and Rush made a wide turn in the air for another attack.
"Give it up, Wily!" Mega called to his enemy. "We've got you beat! Admit it!"
"NEVER!" Wily screeched, spitting brown froth. "You will NEVER defeat me!" The doctor redoubled his plasma assault once again. A shot hit Rush in the side, and the dog howled in pain.
"Rush! Are you okay?" Mega yelled, concerned. The robotic dog whined and slowly began descending. "Oh no... Rush, stay up!" But it appeared the dog's jets had been damaged, and he couldn't stay up. Inevitably, he fell down towards the waiting Pinbot. Dr. Wily laughed in victory.
"NOW who's got who beat?! Your access to the sky is gone, and your life with it! Any last words?"
"Rush, get out of here!" Mega Man commanded as he leaped into the air.The faithful dog teleported out, complying. Wily's eyes grew wide; the blue robot was not attempting to steer away from the Pinbot as he fell, but was instead moving TOWARDS it! The impact of his body against the glass dome shook the whole machine. Wily stared in awe.
"What are you DOING?" Mega didn't respond; he just gave the shrinking doctor a grim stare as his colors changed to dark blue and white and he unleashed an explosive Hard Knuckle point blank into the dome. The detonation completely destroyed the dome; fragments of it were driven into the nearby controls, and the cockpit began to smoke and sputter. Wily frantically wrestled with the controls, but it was no use; explosions were heard within the Pinbot's workings, and smoke poured out of the plasma cannons. The machine's legs stopped moving, and slowly, it slid down on them with a horrible screeching noise. The impact of the Pinbot smashing into the ground was the final bit of damage. Covering his head with his hands, Wily leaped out of the cockpit seconds before it erupted in fire. He landed on all fours, and turned his head to stare at his machine, which slowly tipped over the side of the tower as it was consumed in explosions. The Pinbot remained in the air for several moments before it landed in the desert below with one last, giant explosion, nothing more than a flaming wreckage of the war machine it had once been. "No..."
"Oh, yes." Mega Man snarled as he landed in front of the mad doctor. "It's all over, Wily. You've lost." He strode forward and grabbed Wily's arm. "Your plot to use Gamma has failed... and you're never going to trouble the world again."
"No..." Wily whispered, covering his face with his free hand. "No... I... I did it again... Rock... please forgive me..."
"You DARE to ask that?" Mega Man yelled. "After betraying me, betraying us all, you DARE ask for forgiveness?!"
"Yes..." Wily moaned. "Yes, I do..." Suddenly, his head sprung off his shoulders on a spring. "YES! YES I DO! BWA HA HA!" The doctor's head bounced around crazily, tongue flapping out and eyes goggling. Mega jumped back, cursing.
"What the HELL?!"
"What's wrong, Rock?" The revealed robotic fake cackled. "I thought the world decided my head wasn't screwed on right years ago!"
"A fake..." Rock gritted his teeth. "Just a fake! A delaying action! DAMN YOU!" Without waiting for a response, he blew it into scrap. "Clever move, Wily... but you're not getting away with this..." Draining an E-Tank to recover from the battle, he looked around the tower, soon found an elevator and entered it. It moved down, and the hero disappeared from view. "So he's dragging it out to the bitter end... well, then, that's how it will be. A few minutes more doesn't matter... Wily, you're finished."
And in the darkest levels of the fortress, Gamma stirred.
***
"Oh, and one more thing. I imagine that some of the more optimistic of you fools are counting on that little blue pipsqueak, Mega Man. Well, give it up. He shall be the first to die!" Wily sneered. "Rock, I'm hoping you're watching this. Please, come on over! Your dear Unky Al is waiting for a visit, and he's got a new cousin for you! You'll be best friends, I know! I'll even take you two out for ice cream, since you were nice enough to forgive me for my past crimes!" The mad doctor broke into insane laughter; laughter that sounded to Roll and Dr. Light almost exactly like that of his deranged robotic son, Doc Man. To Vinkus, Dr. Corbun and Mr. X, who had never met the mechanical psychopath and were completely unaware even of his existence, Wily's laughter sounded simply like the maniac he had been revealed as. It was quite a while before he could recover enough to speak again. "Make no attempts to resist, as they will only get you killed. Gamma is completely unstoppable! Now, as of estimated 7 PM Japan time, the world is MINE to command!" He sneered at the screen once more. "Tom, Roll, I'm hoping you're watching this! I'll be paying a call on you first of all; I have to introduce you to the newest member of our family!" The screen faded to black accompanied by a second torrent of laughter. The five assembled stared at it for several minutes before Roll spoke.
"To use a term you probably don't like, dad... we are royally screwed." She threw her hands in the air and laughed helplessly. "This is it! It's over! We're dead! The planet Earth is toast! And you know what the best part is? If the two of you had listened to HIM," she pointed at Vinkus, "None of this would have happened! He was right! He was smarter than you when it came to judging these things! VINKUS!" She collapsed into a chair. "Damn it, dad... why couldn't you at least build tear ducts into us? The world is ending, and I can't even cry about it..."
"Wait, wait! Hold on!" Mr. X pointed at a clock excitedly. "Thomas, is this set accurately?" Dr. Light frowned.
"Yes... why on earth does it matter?" Dr. Corbun stared at the timekeeping device.
"Why does it matter? Are you blind?! Use your eyes, man!" He pointed as well, and the others looked. The clock read 6:45. "It's not 7 yet! By his own estimate, Gamma isn't complete! And whenever he made that recording, Mega hadn't died yet! There's still time, and there's still a chance!"
"So it's all relying on Rock again..." Roll whispered. Dr. Light nodded soberly in agreement.
"It's always relied on Rock, Roll. We already knew that. It just seems so much more pressing now, when things are so close to disaster... fifteen minutes away." The normally sedate doctor suddenly scowled furiously, and with a scream of rage he punched a sofa cushion so hard it exploded, scattering down all over the room. "AND WE DON'T KNOW A DAMN THING ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON THERE! ROCK'S RISKING HIS LIFE, THE WHOLE WORLD, AND WE CAN'T EVEN SEE HIM TO KNOW IF HE'S STILL ALIVE!" Dr. Corbun and Mr. X each took one of Dr. Light's arms and moved him towards a chair, trying to calm him down.
"I know, Tom, I know." Dr. Corbun told him. "I'm just as angry about it as you are, but there's honestly nothing we can do about the whole sorry mess. We just have to trust that he can do it..."
"That's easy for you to say!" Dr. Light snapped. "It's not YOUR son who's out there risking himself! Why don't you go ram yourself down a loo back home, you tea-sloshing limey!" Dr. Corbun drew back, and Mr. X frowned.
"Tom, stop it. You're losing your head. Trent didn't deserve that."
"I know..." Dr. Light sat down and wiped his brow. "I'm sorry, Trent. I guess the pressure just got to me..."
"It's fine." Dr. Corbun waved nonchalantly. "I don't blame you for being upset... this is a very tense time for all of us. I think the world hangs dangerously close to the brink of annihilation more in this single hour than in any since World War III ended... and our only weapon is your son, a small boy in blue armor. But that small boy may be the most powerful weapon on the planet. We have to believe in him, Tom... we have to believe he can do it. That Rock can save the world."
"Believe in a robot..." Vinkus muttered, speaking for the first time since the dreadful broadcast. "Rely on a robot to save the world..." His cell phone began ringing (computer-run video phones were still not portable), and he answered it. "Hello? Yes, this is Vinkus... yes... yes... all right... yes, I saw it... yes, I agree... okay... mm-hmm......... What?! They're going to WHAT?... I see... and we're letting them?... Well, all right, that is true... yes, I see... very well, I agree. Go ahead... I'll be right down." He turned it off.
"Who was that?" Roll asked curiously. Vinkus frowned, rising from his seat.
"That was the rest of the United Nations council... They're authorizing the use of nuclear weapons by the American government to take out Skull Fortress. The attack won't be able to hit before 7 o' clock, but they're hoping Wily's estimate was too optimistic, or that he'll hang around his place for a few minutes afterwards."
"Nuclear weapons?!" Dr. Light choked. "If Rock's still in there... he'll be killed as well!"
"I'm afraid that we have no other option..." Vinkus told him. "The entire planet is at stake... the risk here is simply too great to rely solely on one robot. If there is even a slight chance we can destroy Gamma by nuking Skull Fortress, than we must do so immediately. We must do anything that is needed to save the world... even if it means sacrificing Rock." The politician took his coat off the coatrack. "I'm afraid that I will need to be leaving at this time... the UN requires all the council members to be assembled at least in holographic form at the time of the nuclear attack. Pray for the future of this planet, all of you..." He walked out without another word. Dr. Corbun nodded grimly.
"I hate to say it, but he's got the right idea. We've already established that staying here isn't accomplishing anything, and there are some things I need to take care of elsewhere also... I'll be going too."
"And I as well." Mr. X nodded. The two of them moved towards the door, then stopped, turning to look back at the Lights. "We shall pray for Rock's success with all our hearts, my friends."
"Thank you." Roll said simply. The two men nodded, then walked out, shutting the door behind them (unlike Vinkus). After they had left, the female robot turned to her father. "Well, it's just the two of us again." An annoyed beep of protest down near her feet made her smile for a moment. "Sorry abour that, Eddie. I meant to say, it's just the three of us again."
"And all we can do is wait..." Dr. Light said quietly. "Wait, and hope..."
"That's what we always do." Roll reminded him gently. "We helped Rock out to get him this far... but now he's on his own for the final run that decides it all. We're just gonna have to trust him... that he can do it."
"Yeah..." The doctor sighed. "But I wish there was at least one person... somebody in the world who could help him out now."
***
A slight thud signified that the elevator had reached the bottom, and a moment later, the doors openes. Mega Man walked out and looked around. The room he was in was filled with various supply materials that were scattered around everywhere. He was easily able to refill all his weapons, and even managed to find one last E-Tank, giving him two for the end. The hero then cast his gaze to the metal shutter at the far end of the room. "I wonder where Break Man is... but I can't delay any longer. I'm here, Wily. I'm here for you... and Gamma." He walked through, and entered the vast underground chamber where the Ultimate War Machine rested. He emerged on a girder, in the scaffolding high up. The room had almost no lights on, so most of Gamma was covered in darkness. He could only see what was high up, near him; the dark blue chest with red shoulders that continued down into unseen arms. On top of the chest was a strange, giant hinge with two orbs above it; some kind of weapons system, most likely. And above those... the relatively small (as big as Mega Man's entire body), dark blue head. As the small robot approached... Gamma's eyes opened.
"No..." Mega whispered in horror. "No, I'm too late... he's active..." Gamma glared down, but did not move any other part of his body. His jaw began working without making any noise, and plasma bullets began flying out. Mega dumbly moved out of the way. "I've failed... I've failed the world... and I'm dead... any moment now, he'll stop toying with me, and crush me like a flea..." But Gamma didn't. He just kept spitting those plasma bullets as if they were all he had. After a couple minutes of this, Mega frowned. "Something's up. Why isn't he even moving? Wait..." He ran over to the War Machine and placed his hand against the metal chest. It was cold and lifeless, not showing any signs of energy. "Does this mean..." He stared up at the angry head in astonishment. "The head is the only part that's active! The rest isn't up yet! Which means..." A slow, fierce grin came to the hero's face. "Which means I can still win this." Running over to the far side of the girder on which he stood, Mega clambered onto another, high piece of scaffolding which jutted out to Gamma's head like a walkway. Obviously, this was how Wily had worked on the head. It was truly fortunate that the mad doctor hadn't thought to remove it afterwards.
"Why do you persist in this?" Gamma spoke for the first time. "Your current actions are incorrect. There is precisely 0% chance that you can destroy me. Do not delay what will happen."
"I thought they said you weren't going to have a mind of your own..." Mega muttered. "Looks like Wily's been making more than a few changes..."
"Resistance is futile." Gamma answered mechanically.
"Oh, button it!" Mega yelled, firing back. His plasma bullets simply bounced off.
"I have been constructed to be immune to all your weapons systems." Gamma told him. "Resistance is futile."
"You already said that!" The hero yelled, trying the Magnet Missiles and the Needle Cannon. Both were ineffective. As he switched to the Spark Shot, something hit him in the gut. "OW!" What he had taken for ears on the sides of Gamma's head had been revealed as plasma cannons.
"It is as I said. Your weapons are ineffective. Your forcing me to repeat myself wastes energy. Stop and be destroyed."
"Geez, you're straightforward..." Mega growled. The Spark Shot and the Gemini Beam were both ineffective as well. "I'll be you don't even know how to... hey..." He raised his voice. "HEY, YOU! How much time is left until your main body activates?"
"..." Gamma blinked. "Exactly sixty seconds remain until Gamma is brought to life."
"Sixty seconds..." Mega repeated dismally. "No! Gotta finish this first... there's gotta be SOMETHING that works on you!" Whatever it was, it wasn't the Search Snakes. With a growing sense of desperation, he released a Hard Knuckle. The heavy explosive flew straight and true into Gamma's head before detonating... and blasting away a layer of armor. Gamma's mouth hung open.
"Error! Error! Chances of your destroying me are now 30%! Impossibility! Changes in possibility are inefficient!"
"Ah, go to hell!" Mega laughed, firing more Hard Knuckles. Each one destroyed another armor layer. "You're not so invincible after all... as a matter of fact..." The final layer of armor was destroyed, exposing the inner circuitry, and Mega Man was ready. As he turned purple, the hero created a Shadow Blade in each hand and leaped forward towards the stunned head. "YOU'RE DEAD!!!" There was a flash of light as Mega flung the blades into Gamma's brain. He landed on the lower girder that he had walked in open, then turned to see the so-called Ultimate War Machine. Gamma was staring straight out, ignoring the small blue robot.
"In... con... ceiv... ab... le..." His eyes dimmed over, and the head of Gamma exploded violently, scattering pieces of itself all over the vast lair but leaving not a trace on the body. The hole that remain above those dull orbs didn't smoke or sputter; almost as if the head were not attached...
"I did it..." Mega whispered. "Gamma is gone. Now, there's just Wily... where are you, you madman?"
"RIGHT HERE!" The scream came from above, and Mega stared in disbelief as a spiked, bloodred metal cap fell from the dark ceiling onto the hole. A cap...
"No..." Mega Man choked, seeing what he had not seen before. What he had taken for a weapons system, between the chest and the apparent head. The hinge... a lantern jaw. And those orbs... the eyelids rose, revealing yellow pupils on a white background. And on top, the headgear, with a single clear spot, revealing a single, aged human behind controls. WILY.
"Did you like my false head, Rock?" The insnae doctor giggled. "As if I would build Gamma's head so pathetic, or give him even a semblance of free will... no, I learned my lesson from Doc Man! I am Gamma's brain! And now... HE LIVES!" With a horrendous creaking, the gigantic, humanoid machine moves its arms and flexed its legs. Hundreds of weapons popped in and out again, being tested, all over the body. And in the darkest levels of the fortress... Gamma rose.
"No..." Mega Man said, so quietly that not even an elephant would have been able to hear him had he been standing right next to it. "NO.... NO!"
"YES!" Dr. Wily cackled. "Gamma walks! He is alive! He is mine, and so is the world! I have won at last, the planet trembles with my footstep! And you, tiny, insignificant little Mega Man..." The head nodded so that Wily could look directly into his hated foe's eyes. "You... LOSE. Game over."
"No..." Mega Man erked out. "I will not give up... NEVER! I destroyed your machines before... every last one! I will NOT fold now! Prepare yourself Wily... for one last fight!" He drained an E-Tank to recover from the fight with the fake head, and readied his arm cannon. Wily looked down at him... and began laughing hysterically.
"You don't get it, do you? You fool, those were simply war machines! What I have here is a mechanical GOD! Gamma is the ultimate weapon... he is immortal! You are pathetic compared to him... you are less than a flea! You should consider yourself honored that you're barely, minisculely worth the trouble of being squashed!" The mouth sprang to life, and began firing huge plasma blasts. Mega ran, desperately jumping and sliding to avoid them as he selected a weapon.
"I've defeated you at every turn, and you don't consider me an opponent?" Mega yelled scornfully, accompanying his challenge with a storm of the Needle Cannon that would have caused an elephant to bleed to death within moments. "Well, then, what DO you think of as a worthy adversary?"
"Oh, I don't know..." Wily grinned as every single needle broke against the invincible command module he occupied. "Perhaps... the entire United States Army? All at once?"
"What?!" Mega choked as he turned to the Magnet Missile. "They would drag you down with sheer numbers, moron!"
"Oh, I don't know..." Wily laughed as he punched a button. An electromagnetic ray was emitted, and the Magnet Missiles flew drunkenly off towards the ceiling. "Numbers don't mean much when you can't even harm your enemy. I wonder what it will be like to use a tank as a football... it sounds fun, especially if I stuff as many people into it as possible first! It might take me a while, yes, but the length of the battle is all that would make it fitting! And speaking of which, this battle has gone on too long!" The mad doctor flipped a switch, and the plasma blaster in Gamma's mouth turned off. "Let's give something else a shot, shall we?" Hatches on Gamma's shoulders opened, and from each came a missile battery. Mega's eyes widened.
"SHIT!" He dived to the side as they all fired at once, completely obliterating the section of the girder on which he stood. Wily laughed, and Gamma's jaw moved up and down as well in mocking imitation. Mega growled and changed his weapon again. "Let's see how you like some explosives of your own! It's worked against everything so far... and now, it'll finish the job!" He fired the Hard Knuckles as the missile batteries returned fire again. To dodge, Mega dived off the girder her was standing on, towards a lower piece of scaffolding. As he fell, he heard the explosion of the Hard Knuckles. Landing, he looked up; the head was completely covered in smoke. Please be damaged, please be damaged, please be...
"BOO!" Dr. Wily screamed as Gamma bent over, bringing the head down to Mega's level and out of the smoke. It didn't even have a scratch on it. "Looks like you little firecrackers have failed you! I suppose I could taunt you with my explosives... but no." The missile batteries receded... and other hatches to their sides opened. "I'll just give you the cold shoulder instead!" The barrels that came out focused on Mega, and began emitting cryogenetic gas. If those even touched him, he would be instantly, irreversibly frozen. Dead. That could not be allowed to happen.
"So we're in a cold spot..." The blue hero said to himself as he moved out of the way of the slow-moving gas. "Well, this should warm your heart!" He became a wintery blue and white to match the attack being used against him, and pointing his arm upward, he fired the Gemini Beam. The slim, straight beam of light zipped towards Wily... and was deflected. "Damn!" Mega smiled grimly. "Well, at least he can't hit me either... those freezing gases are too slow."
"You're right!" Wily yelled. Mega jumped and slapped himself; he had forgotten how close he was to the control pod. "Thank you for informing me of that, Rock! Since you're so insistent about finishing this, I shall be overjoyed to oblige you!" The cryogenetic gas shut off, and the emitters slid back in as Gamma stood up straight once more, putting Mega at the abomination's waist level. The hero didn't waste time waiting for him to prepare another deadly weapon; he pointed his arm cannon upward toward the control pod high above him, and let loose with some Spark Shots. The electrical blasts slammed into Gamma's cranium, and dispersed harmlessly. "Idiot! Did you think I would not shield Gamma against electricity?!"
Not good. Mega thought dismally. The only two weapons he had left were the Shadow Blade and the Search Snake, both short-range. And he had no way of hitting the head now! The old despair began creeping over him... until he saw the ladders. A pair of ladders built into the walls, going upward! Desperately, he turned towards the one on his left and began running.
"Oh, no you don't!" Wily taunted him, bringing a fist up to point at him. "I may be electrically shielded, but YOU are NOT!" On the underside of the forearm, something emerged; an electrical pulse blaster. Laughing once more, he fired at the little blue pest... except Mega wasn't there anymore. As soon as the weapon had began emerging, he had u-turned and was now climbing up the other ladder, the one on the right. Howling, Wily shifted his fire, but Mega was already climbing up. As he was about to fire, the mad doctor suddenly had an idea, and he smiled. "I think I'll play with you a little more..." The electrical pulsers receded, and from the upper sides of the forearms, other weapons came out. Flamethrowers. Face lit up with glee, Wily had Gamma cover the bottom of the ladder in waves of fire.
"Idiot..." Mega smirked as he climbed higher. "Metal doesn't burn... oh, no." He groaned in sudden realization. The only metal parts of the ladder were the anchors that held it against the wall; the rest was WOOD! "YAGH!" With a cry of horror, Mega frantically scrambled upwards as the fires advanced. Finally, he made it up to the overhanging scaffolding that he had stood on to eliminate the false head. He jumped off onto it just as the ladder collapsed in flames, and pulled out his Shadow Blade. Wily clapped.
"Very good, Rock! You made it up! As a prize, I'll let you take a shot, free of charge! Go on ahead!"
"If you insist..." Mega threw the Shadow Blade he held straight at Wily's grinning mug. It shattered against the control pod. "DAMN IT ALL!" The mad doctor shook his head and made a clicking noise with his tongue.
"Oh, Rock, why don't you listen? I told you Gamma was invincible, and I was right!"
"Not yet..." Rock whispered threateningly as he became green. "That hasn't been proven yet, you madman! Say hello to my little friend!" He threw a Search Snake, and it landed on Wily's head. The mad doctor stared at it.
"You think THAT little nothing is going to beat me? HA!" The Search Snake crawled forward and disappeared into the space between Gamma's chest and his head. "Eh? What is it-" There was the sound of an explosion from deep within Gamma, and smoke began pouring out of the gap. "WHAT?"
"Looks like your invincibility is highly overrated." Mega quipped. The mad doctor rounded on him, eyes blazing.
"ENOUGH!" Gamma's hand swept up, and with a cry of surprise, Rock dived off it moments before the entire section of scaffolding was crushed in Gamma's grip. Wily didn't let up for a second as his enemy landed on the waist-level girder; Gamma's belt moved upward, revealing a ring of lasers around its waist. Mega's eyes widened.
"CRAP!" Frantically, he leaped towards the remaining ladder on the left wall and clung to it as the lasers obliterated the girder. Panicking, he tried to climb up higher, but Gamma ripped out the ladder above him with one hand, and the ladder below him with the other, leaving Mega clinging to the tiny portion that remained in despair, with nowhere to go. Wily laughed in triumph.
"You have harmed a god, Mega Man! For that, you shall perish! Goodbye, Mega Man!" The spiked fist swung towards him, wristblades out in case he should try to jump over or drop under. In less than a second, he would be dead; nothing more than a smear on the wall. And there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had lost.
"No..." Mega Man croaked. Time seemed to slow down as the fist of his death moved towards him, as he thought what he knew would be his last thoughts. No... nothing works, and I am dead... Wily has won, has claimed the world, for none can dispute Gamma as his reason of domination... I have failed the world... I have failed my family and friends... I have failed myself. I couldn't do it, I'm no hero, I'm not Mega Man, I'm just stupid, pathetic little Rock with his Master Weapons that couldn't work. Needle Cannon, Magnet Missile, Hard Knuckle, Gemini Beam, Spark Shot, Shadow Blade, Search Snake... none of them worked. A glimmer of a thought came to him. Wasn't there one more? Something wrong with it... something broken... the Top Spin. That malfunctioning, incomplete slag... He had an odd idea, and laughed. Why not? Might as well go down with some semblance of hope! And at least they can say I fought to the very end... I'll do it! Here I come, Wily!
To this day, what happened at that moment has never been fully explained. The best theory offered is that Rock's spirit, his decision to go down with one last attack, spread through his robotic brain down the circuits to the weapons data as he selected it, and somehow purified it.
TOP SPIN FULL FUNCTIONALITY RESTORED. The message flashed across Rock's vision, and he froze. The fist was now no more than ten feet away, and time was still slow.
Full... functionality... restored... As he realized this, he suddenly saw. He saw how he might win. It would be the biggest gamble of all time; banking everything on an ability he did not even know. And chances were likely that it would prove too much for him, that he would die anyways, in effect commiting suicide. But it was a chance... for the world. Rock mentally opened up the command menu for his innermost workings.
TRANSFER ALL MASTER WEAPONS ENERGY TO TOP SPIN! He commanded.
WARNING: REQUESTED COMMAND IS CRITICALLY DANGEROUS. WILL RESULT IN PERMANENT LOSS OF ALL MASTER WEAPONS DATA. HIGH CHANCE OF TOTAL SYSTEM FAILURE FROM ENERGY OVERLOAD AS WELL. CONFIRM?
YES, DAMN IT ALL! The fist was no more than five feet away now.
CONFIRMED. TRANSFERING MASTER WEAPONS ENERGY... NOW. The other seven Master Weapons energy bars faded from his view, and the energy for the Top Spin began glowing with blinding white.
"HERE GOES!!!" Screaming, Rock launched himself off of the ladder, directly at the fist, clad in colors of shining gold and silver. And then he began to spin. He span faster and faster, and as he span, he began glowing with energy. His speed increased too fast to see; in less than a second, Rock could no longer seen, and had become a whirling dervish of glowing light, launching itself straight at the fist that would spell his doom.
Gamma was the Ultimate War Machine, and his armor had been built as such. He had been designed to withstand any method of attack. He had been designed to take anything short of a nuclear weapon without a scratch. He had been designed to be invincible. But Gamma had not been designed with the full force of a power strong enough to destroy a city concentrated on one small point in mind.
The whirling spirit of energy that Rock had become collided with the fist that could squash a building, but he did not stop. Indeed, he could not stop. He bored into the fist, through the multiple layers of ten-foot-thick armor of the strongest alloys, and he sliced through it as if it were cheese, emerging through the shoulder with a horrible grinding noise. Dr. Albert Wily's jaw reached the floor, and his eyes looked as if they were about to fly out of his head into the stratosphere. He fell back, toppling out of his chair and clutching his chest, as Gamma's right arm fell away, nothing more than a detached hunk of slag. Rock hovered in the air above the sparking hole for a moment. Just a moment, nothing more, without stopping his intense spinning for a second. And then, he struck again, blasting into the right shoulder and traveling down the length of that arm as well before blazing out of the palm. The other arm didn't even bother falling off; it just exploded into nothingness. Rock didn't stop there; he systematically went for the legs next, crisscrossing between them from the bottom up to the torso, leaving them the equivalent of swiss cheese.
"No..." Wily choked. "No, you shall not win! I still have the main cannon!" He stumbled forward and pressed a button, and Gamma's chestplate slid down, revealing a blaster the size of several city buses. Energy began coalescing about it, as it prepared to fire a blast that would obliterate Skull Fortress and continue onward for fifty miles before disappating. Rock hovered in front of it for a moment, still spinnning, then charged forward, meeting that horrendous blast head on. Wily cheered as he saw his nemesis disappear.
"YES! DIE, ROCK! DIE!" And then, the cockpit began flashing red, and klaxons blared. A message flashed on a monitor.
MAIN CANNON DESTROYED. ENERGEN CRYSTAL CORE BREACHED. FATAL DAMAGE TO ULTIMATE WAR MACHINE GAMMA.
"NOOOOOO!!!!" The mad doctor howled. From below, he heard a horrible grinding. And then, the spinning blast of energy emerged from the floor. Wily had only a fleeting glimpse of a face filled with terrible rage before something gripped his arm, and he was dragged after Rock as he blasted through the top of the control pod. The two of them fell down, Rock's spinning finally stopped. And behind them, the Ultimate War Machine toppled over, explosions covering its entire remaining body. The two of them landed on the meager remnants of the first girder, the one that was connected to the outside room. Rock held Wily's arm in his hand; he had pulled him from Gamma seconds before the explosion. The mad doctor backed away, trembling from the power he had just seen displayed.
"Rock... Rock..."
"A robot must not harm a human being." Rock sighed. "I know. That's why I saved you. Don't even try to plead or beg; it won't work. You're through, Wily."
"Rock..." Wily said again, still backing away. Suddenly, Gamma's body detonated, the Energen Core finally exploding, and the entire wall it was up against was blown away. The chamber began collapsing. Wily looked around frantically.
"Rock! We need to get out of here! Teleport!"
"A robot must not harm a human being!" Rock yelled. He dove forward, trying to grab the doctor again, but he was too late. A massive clod of rubble fell from the ceiling, directly at Wily, who screamed and reached out his hand.
"NOOO! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! ROCK, HELP ME! SAVE MEEEE!" And then, the rubble landed, squishing the insane Dr. Albert Wily into a pancake. Rock stared dumbly at it.
"He's dead... Wily's dead..." Was it relief in his voice? Fear that he would be blamed? Or even sadness? We shall never know. For at that moment, another massive clod of rubble fell on Rock as well. He didn't even scream. A moment later, the metal shutter opened, and a single humanoid figure came through.
"Mega Man? Where are yo... oh, no!" He ran forward and shoved the crushing clod off. "He's still alive... barely... what the?" He touched Mega, and the blackened armor completely fell off, revealing that his entire skin was covered in horrible energy burns. "What did you DO to yourself? And where's Wi-" His gaze traveled over to the second pile of rubble in horror. A trickle of blood was there. "No... too late..." He bowed his head in mourning, then picked Rock up. "I need to concentrate on the living... on saving his life." He teleported out, bearing the clinging-to-life Rock with him and leaving Skull Fortress to collapse.
A moment later, the nuclear strike obliterated every trace of Skull Fortress, of the Ultimate War Machine known as Gamma, and of Dr. Albert Wily.
