CHAPTER 8

REPTILIAN RUMBLE

The sun was setting and the cloudy sky grew darker each moment. The city's bright lights fell upon the museum rooftop, eerily illuminating everyone on it.

"Didn't think Armadillo would have the guts to bring you in," Sting Chameleon cackled darkly.

"At least he was man enough to come out and challenge us, instead of skukling in the shadows," Darren growled. "You're nothing but a scumbag!"

"And proud of it!" Chameleon snapped. "I can't wait to get back to the boss with this sweet little prize!" He laughed creepily and flicked his tongue at Iris.

"Ugh!" Iris fumed. "There's no way I'll be going with you now!"

"Fine, then," Chameleon said as he thrust out his arm cannons. "Looks like I'll do this the FUN way!"

Sting Chameleon leaped at Iris with a barrage of laser blasts. Iris managed to avoid the artillery and countered with a saber blow to the shoulder. "Oooh, feisty!" Chameleon cackled as he rubbed the damaged spot. "You're gonna have to do more than tickle me, though!" Without warning, he opened his mouth and launched his lightning-fast tongue straight at Iris.

"She's no ice cream cone, buddy!" Sharon snapped as she fired her Sonic Tentacle weapon, lassoed Chameleon's wayward tongue and brought it to the ground. Chameleon snapped his neck back, and his tongue- and Sharon- went flying backwards. He then leaped up into the air and lashed Sharon with his tail, sending her crashing back to the rooftop.

"Sharon!" Darren cried as he helped his friend up. "Are you OK?!"

"I'll live," Sharon grunted.

"M'heee!!!" Sting Chameleon chortled. "This is what I was warned against?! Please! I'd like to stay and slaughter, but I've got something else to grab, too!" With that, he shimmered and vanished.

"What the?! Where'd he go?!" Iris asked as she looked around frantically.

"I bet he just ran off," Sharon growled. "Jerks like that always hit and run..."

Snake Man stood absolutely still and stuck his tongue out. Suddenly his eyes widened in alarm. "He's going into the museum!" he exclaimed as he ran to the side of the roof and leaped over.

"What? Into the museum?" Smith asked. "What could he possibly..."

Everyone looked at each other nervously. "The syrum!!!" they all exclaimed.

Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass pierced the night. Instantly Iris and Sharon were vaulting off the roof towards the museum entrance, while Darren and Professor Smith headed for the service elevator.

When Iris and Sharon reached the main entrance, they found Snake Man looking at several smashed windows. "No! Why'd you have to break the windows?!" he yelled angrily.

"What's wrong, Snake Man?" Iris asked. "They're just windows!"

"The museum board was tough enough on Professor Smith when he relocated his Reploid lab here," Snake Man sighed. "If Sting Chameleon wrecks the museum, they'll throw him out and fire all of us for sure!"

"So, it's not just the syrum at stake here!" Sharon gulped. "Come on, let's go after him!!!"

Iris, Sharon and Snake Man charged into the museum and looked around. Things were deathly silent; only the night winds blew.

"So quiet..." Iris said. "Do you think..."

"Hey!!!" Sharon yelled. "Lizard-breath! I know you're in here! Why don't you come out and fight like a man?!"

Snake Man closed his eyes and stuck his tongue out again. After a few moments, he motioned towards the stairs that led to Smith's lab. "Someone's over that way," he said.

"How do you know, Snake Man?" Iris asked.

"Like real snakes, I can use my tongue to detect vibrations," Snake Man explained. "So, I can literally feel people's footsteps... Come on!"

The three Reploids ran over to the stairwell and looked around. "I dunno, Snake," Sharon said as she looked around. "Nobody's here..."

"I was sure I heard something over..." Snake Man started to say. Just then, he gave a startled yelp and shoved Iris to the ground just as Sting Chameleon's iron tongue lashed out from out of nowhere and knocked a crater in the ground.

"Whaaagh!" Iris cried. "Where'd THAT come from?!"

The air around the stairwell shimmered and Sting Chameleon appeared clinging to the wall, clutching Professor Olson and the syrum chips. "Lookie what I got!" he cackled in a singsong fashion. "Now, give up, or this dude's toast!"

"Guys, stop him!!!" Olson yelled. "I just figured out how to assemble that thing!"

"Let Professor Olson go!" Sharon yelled angrily. "What'd he do to you?!"

"Wrong place, wrong time!" Chameleon replied. "Now give up, or I do to him what I did to 'Dillo!"

Suddenly, Sting Chameleon felt a sharp pain in his arm and glanced down; A long, mechanical cobra had launched from Snake Man's arm cannon and snagged him like a grappling hook. "Kyeeee!!!" Chameleon shrieked as he furiously struggled to free himself. "Let me go, fiend!!!"

"Release your hostage," Snake Man growled angrily.

"G'rrrr! Fine!" Chameleon said as he dropped Olson and snagged the chips. "I've got what I need, anyway! G'yee hee hee hee heeee!!!" Quick as a flash, he leaped from the wall and vanished again.

"Hey, get back here!!!" Sharon yelled.

"Just make me!!!" Chameleon's voice echoed. Just then, the dinosaur skeleton in the center of the main hallway teetered, then crumbled into a mess of bones, sending dust flying everywhere.

"Agh!!!" Snake Man cried. "No! I slaved for MONTHS to assemble that brontosaur!!!"

"We have to get Chameleon out of the museum, so nothing else gets smashed," Iris said.

"But he can turn invisible!" Sharon exclaimed. "How are we gonna fight him like that?!"

"Don't worry, Sharon; I have a plan," Iris said as Professor Smith and Darren appeared behind her. "Ah! Darren! Just who I wanted to see!"

"Huh?" Darren asked.

"Snake Man, Sharon and you go and get Sting Chameleon to follow you out the main entrance," Iris said. "We'll take care of the rest!"

"Me?..." Snake Man asked.

"You know this museum really well," Iris said. "AND you can actually hear Sting Chameleon! You're the optimal choice!"

"But..." Snake Man said. "I've never fought before..."

"Don't worry about it!" Iris said. "I believe in you, Snake Man! Now, go get 'im!"

"...OK, Iris," Snake Man said as he gave her a determined look. "You can count on me!"

"Nice sentiment," Sharon said with a grin. "C'mon, Snake! Let's teach that overgrown lizard a lesson!!!"

"Nobody's going to wreck this museum while I'M here!" Snake Man growled as he balled his fists and followed Sharon down the hallway.

Sharon and Snake Man ran through the dinosaur and sound wave exhibits, with Snake Man listening hard all the way. When they reached the space exhibit, though, they both looked around, frustrated.

"Man!" Sharon huffed. "Where IS he?!"

Snake Man glanced back and forth, his tongue outstretched and tingling with tiredness. Suddenly, he looked straight up and fired his arm cannon. A loud yelp came from the impact zone, and Sting Chameleon materialized.

"Ow!!!" Chameleon snarled. "You're sure a pain, snakey!"

"Get out of the museum!!!" Snake Man yelled angrily. "There's nothing in here for you!!!"

"Bein' able to find me, even with my camouflaging powers..." Chameleon sneered. "You sure know how to push my buttons, snakey... But I know just how to push YOURS, too!" He fired his tongue and lashed the wire holding up a model of Saturn. Snake Man watched in sheer horror as the model plummeted to the ground and shattered like glass.

"Why you little!..." Snake Man fumed as his eyes grew furious and a vein pulsed on his forehead. "I'm warning you!!!"

Chameleon's mouth curled into a poisonous smile. With another flick of his tail, three more models smashed to the floor. "Warning, shmarning!" he chortled as he leaped onto the ceiling and fired more green blasts, which blew several more divots in the floor.

Snake Man's eye twitched, and his teeth ground together. "OK, that's it! Now it's personal!!!" he snarled. He aimed at an outcropping, fired the cobra grapple and hauled himself up so that he was face-to-face with Sting Chameleon. "You're going down!!!" he declared.

"Snake Man!" Sharon called.

"Go out and help Iris!" Snake Man shouted. "I'll deal with this jerk!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Chameleon laughed as he disappeared again.

Snake Man stuck out his tongue, waited for a moment and fired off to the right. Sparks flew, and Chameleon reappeared. "OW!!!" he snarled.

"Don't you get it?!" Snake Man asked. "I know where you're going to be! That camouflage stuff won't help you!"

"Fine, then," Chameleon said as he flicked his tail and sent a barrage of spines into the wall above Snake Man. "We'll just fight my favorite way... Dirty!"

Snake Man sent his grappler plunging into a light fixture and swung to it. Sting Chameleon fired more green volleys, but Snake Man held firm.

"Fine!" Chameleon snorted. "So you can hear me. Big deal! Look at yourself! You're hanging by a thread with no place to go!"

"Oh, yeah?" Snake man said as his other arm shifted into another cannon. Chameleon didn't have time to react as Snake Man fired another grapple and caught him around the middle, then flung him to the floor.

"Agh!" Chameleon snarled as he smashed to the linoleum. "You sneaky!..."

"High praise from you," Snake Man said. "Come on, let's go!"

Sting Chameleon charged across the floor at Snake Man, swinging his tail and firing bullets every which way. Snake Man took several hits, but kept leaping away. He led Chameleon back through the rooms to the main entrance.

"You're at the end of your rope, snakey!" Chameleon laughed. "Your museum's a mess, and I'm about to get off scott free with yer precious chips! HA!!!" Chameleon leaped into the air and aimed his arm cannons straight down at Snake Man.

"Oh, yeah?!" Snake Man shouted as he aimed upwards. "I've still got the Search Snakes that Dr. Wily gave me!"

Snake Man fired two mechanical, green snakes, and Sting Chameleon screeched in pain as they plunged their fangs into his cannons and tore them off. The four chips sparkled in midair as Snake Man reached out to grab them...

"NOT!!!" Sting Chameleon yelled. His tongue flew out, snapped up all the chips and retreated back into his mouth.

"Hey!!!" Snake Man yelled.

"You may have got my arms, but I've still got plenty of tricks!!!" Chameleon laughed as he leaped backwards. Snake Man quickly fired his grappler and snagged Chameleon again just as he landed a foot outside of the museum.

"You're history," Snake Man growled. "Just give up!"

"No way, you idiot!" Sting Chameleon chortled as he looked around. "Can't you see that I'm outside?! There's too much noise for you to hear me out here!!! So long, fool!" With that, he promptly vanished and shook off the grapple.

"Iris, now!!!" Snake Man shouted.

"Meh?!" Chameleon's voice asked. Suddenly, an avalanche of snow came pouring down from the outcropping above the museum entrance. Snake Man looked up and grinned; Iris, Sharon and Darren were standing on the outcropping, each clutching a shovel. The fallen snow had covered everything on the sidewalk, including Sting Chameleon's surprised form.

"Ha! Can't disappear now, eh?!" Sharon laughed. "OK, Iris!"

Iris and Sharon pummeled Sting Chameleon with plasma blasts until smoke poured out of his body. "Eeeeyyyaggghhhh..." Chameleon reeled as he staggered around outside. "I'm so gone!"

"Snake Man, go for it!!!" Iris called.

"Got it!" Snake Man shouted as he aimed at Sting Chameleon and fired. A single Search Snake flew out and blew a hole in Chameleon's stomach. The crooked beast blew to smithereens, sending shrapnel across the pavillion.

"YEAH!!!" Darren cheered. "Go, Snake Man!!! You rock!!!"

"Heh!" Snake Man chuckled. "I guess I did do pretty well, huh?..."

Sting Chameleon's surprised-looking head rolled to a stop right in front of Snake Man. Snake Man picked it up, opened its mouth and removed the stolen syrum chips. "Case closed," he said as he tossed the head away.

"Not quite," Iris said. "Get Chameleon's weapon drive! You can adapt a skill of his into your own systems!"

"Oh?" Snake Man asked as he picked up one of Chameleon's arms and studied it. "Really? Cool!"

"Iris! Snake Man!" Professor Smith exclaimed as he ran outside and looked around. "Oh, thank God you're safe... Geez, what a mess."

"I know..." Snake Man said as he shook his head. "I couldn't protect the museum... I'm sorry, professor."

"It's all right, Snake Man," Smith said with a smile. "Thanks to you, nobody was hurt, and the actual damage wasn't anything a late-night cleanup won't fix. Did you get the chips back?"

"Yeah," Snake Man said as he handed the four parts to Smith. "Plus I found Chameleon's weapon drive."

"Wonderful!" Smith said happily. "Come on back in! Professor Olson's figure out how to assemble the syrum! And while he's doing that, I'll install your new weapon."

"Cool!" Sharon said as she helped Darren down to the ground. "Lead the way, professor!"

Everyone headed back into the museum, but Iris and Snake Man trailed behind. "You did a good job today, Snake Man," Iris said. "Thanks."

"I should thank you, really," Snake Man replied. "You gave me a chance, and I'm really grateful for it."

Iris smiled warmly. "Any time," she said. "And I hope you'll come with us to find Zero now..."

"Well," Snake Man said as he looked around. "The museum's pretty smashed up now... Someone's gotta stick around and fix it..."

"I bet you can clean it up without any trouble!" Iris said. "And I'll help you!"

"Thanks, Iris," Snake Man replied. The two friends headed down the stairs towards Smith's lab.

"There we go!" Olson said as he attached the last two computer chips. "It turns out that these chips form a cube! How about that?"

"Wow," Darren said. "Nice work, professor."

"Now we just have to figure out where Zero's buried..." Sharon said as she scratched her chin.

"And when we find that place, we'll find X, too," Iris added. "He'll be a big help in the search!"

"There we go," Professor Smith said as he backed away from his work table. "Sting Chameleon's weapon drive is installed."

"Thanks, professor," Snake man said as he got off the bench. "So, uh, what can I do?"

"Actually, I'm not really sure..." Smith said. "I mean, you could have the green lazers, or the spikes..."

"Ross!" Professor Krein cried as he ran into the lab. "The museum board wants a word with Snake Man and you about what just happened! Man, do they sound mad!!!"

"Ulp!" Snake Man gulped, and promptly disappeared.

"...Woah..." Darren exclaimed.

"...What?" Snake Man's voice asked. "...Wait... WOAH!!!"

"...I guess that answers your question," Smith chuckled.

Everyone had a nice, long laugh.

"Seriously, though, they sound really pissed," Krein repeated.