"M…M…Master Forte?" Rock asked. Forte remembered the time. Rock had been staring silently at him and his bed, cold. It was January, after all. Forte rolled his eyes. Why had he done this?
"It's two in the morning, trophy. What is it?" Forte slowly awoke from his dream. He had been fighting a war alongside a strange figure.
"Can I use the restroom?" Rock asked, quietly waiting for a response.
Forte grinned. "No," he responded. With any luck, Rock would demand a re-match and fight. The plan was to make Rock as embarrassed as possible. It was failing. Oh well.
"Okay," Rock said, slinking down next to Gospel, who instantly drew him close with his paws. The warmth was probably a comfort to him, considering Forte placed the mattress-bed over the heater.
Forte fell back asleep. He was awoken again when he heard a flush from the toilet. He instantly jumped up. "How-" he paused, knowing Rock had seen him shower. Of course. Rock wasn't stupid.
Forte waited for Rock to re-enter the room. "Idiot," he said. Rock jumped, but soon was jumping from the pain of the bracelets. Forte grinned as Rock tried to hold in a scream.
"Don't scream, Rock," he said. "Or you'll get a higher level of pain." He loved this stupid little invention- whether thoughts, buttons, or words would activate it. He was reluctant to take it until Quint was on a mission to destroy Rockman. He then accepted right away.
Rock struggled to hold all of the pain inside in, but little whimpers could be heard. Forte decided to let Rock end with this amount for tonight. It wouldn't help his leg any. Rock felt the pain stop and passed out. Forte slowly opened the drawer, pulling out a long knife, looking at it. "Well, well, my friend. We have a deal. I don't have to clean you anymore."
The knife seemed to speak to him, but he shrugged it off. "I went. I saw. I conquered," Forte responded to it. "As you can see." The knife responded only to Forte. Forte grinned. "It's a deal, then."
"Forte," Rock muttered, shaking him. "Forte, there's someone here to see you. Metal Man, I think." Forte's eyes snapped open. "Under the bed, now. Gospel, hide him." Rock went under the bed instantly. Gospel sleepily walked over to where Rock was and sat in front of view from the door.
"Did you answer it?" Forte asked quietly. Rock shook his head. Forte nodded, then called on his armor.
"FORTE!!!" the voice yelled. "What, were you out drinking again?"
Forte gave a grin to Gospel, and opened the door. "Hey, Met-head." Metal man flushed red. "Look. I heard this weird rumor last night. You have Rockman's helmet. You handed him his defeat."
"He has been de-feeted," a familiar voice spoke up. "hahahah…" it faded off, knowing no one else thought it funny.
"Har har, Clown man," Forte responded coolly. "I'll get out the helmet if you like." Rock realized slowly that people weren't buying Forte's story.
"No dice, school color boy," Clown man snapped. "I just want you to know that this doesn't mean you're safe. Wily doesn't know yet." He made some sort of gesture.
"Let him keep scheming. Who could it hurt?" Forte gave a grin.
"Let him keep scheming? Do you know what he comes out with?" Metal Man hissed. "Things like this new thing, with 'free will'…"
Forte laughed. "Look, guys, the last thing he can deal with is free will. That's why we're all here. Go. I get the message." The two turned to leave, then Metal Man turned back. "I'm watching you."
Forte flipped him off and shut the door.