Chapter 10: A Bright Outlook

"Oh, sure. You're the fastest of us, I'll give you that. But that's not everything, Quick Man. One blast of MY specialty will stop you in your tracks, and then you're at my mercy. You might want to think about that a bit." -Robot Master Flash Man, during the Second Robot Rebellion

"Got any... threes, Elias?" Bright Man asked cheerfully. The former head of the Rio De Janiero power plant shook his head.

"Go fish, I'm afraid. Any Kings, Carl?"

"Frackit! I'm out." The burly man groaned, forking over his last card. Kelly, the only female playing, thought for a moment, then smiled.

"Got any... fives, Bright?" The three humans all waited on the Robot Master's response. He was still smiling.

"Go fish."

"Nuts!" Kelly drew a card, and for a split-second her face fell before she fixed it. Unfortunately, this was not lost on Bright Man.

"Hmm... I don't suppose YOU have any threes now, Kelly?" She simply nodded dismally and gave him her card, completing his set and emptying his hand. "YES! Looks like I win this time, boys and girls!"

"Good job, Bright." Elias congratulated his captor. "Shall I shuffle and deal again, everybody?" All three nodded.

"Please do. I would shuffle myself, but... you know." Bright Man shrugged sheepishly. Elias nodded as he began to work with the cards.

"I still find that a little hard to understand, you know. Humanity's greatest technological accomplishment to date, and you can't shuffle a deck of cards. You're different enough from what all of us thought Robot Masters would be like as it is, you know..."

"Computers have been programmed to play card games ever since the late twentieth century, you know." Bright Man reminded them. Carl chuckled.

"Yeah, but not like this."

"It's not so much that you CAN play cards, as that you WANT to, Bright Man." Kelly explained. "That's got nothing to do with your programmed instructions, and yet you do it anyway. Why?"

"Well... it's complicated." He thought for a moment as to how best explain it. "Really, it's a combination of several things. First, I was designed to emulate a rather cheerful personality. Second, while Doctor Cossack removed the three Rules of Robotics from my programming, he did instrust me not to make your situation as hostages any worse than it has to be. This is a logical extension of that. Third, there is nothing else for me to do at this moment, and this is more... I believe the word is interesting... than just going over my own subroutines."

"You mean just sitting there and thinking?" Elias started dealing out the cards. Bright Man shrugged.

"You say potato, I say potahto." He turned around and blinked as a squat green robot approached. "Yes? What is it?"

"There is an incoming call from Doctor Cossack." The Dawnpon-type robot told him. Bright Man frowned.

"Right now? Oh, drat. Sorry, folks, but I'm afraid the card game's going to have to be postponed."

"Hey, that's okay." Carl waved him off. "We know what your real purpose here is. Go talk with the man, we can wait."
"Thanks." Bright Man smiled again as he followed the Dawnpon back to his control room. Dr. Cossack's face was already onscreen as he walked in.

"Bright Man, where were you? This is no time to be goofing off!"

"Apologies, Doctor. I was playing cards with some of the hostages, as there seemed to be nothing better to do." The round Robot Master explained.

"You were playing-" Doctor Cossack started to yell, but stopped himself. "Never mind. The point is, right now we've got more important things going on than playing cards, Bright Man. Drill Man has just been killed. You and Pharoah Man are the only ones left now." Bright Man nodded.

"I realize this. And this situation is made worse by the fact that Mega Man controls Toad Man's Rain Flush. As you know..."

"Yes, yes. Your structure cannot stand up very well to an acid bath." Dr. Cossack confirmed. "I don't mean to insult you, Bright Man, but we both know that at this time, Pharoah Man has a better chance of defeating Mega Man than you do. He is simply the more powerful model."

"I understand that, Doctor." The orange Robot Master agreed. "However... Pharoah Man's location also has the Balloon Utility. If Mega Man goes there first, gets his hands on it and makes it out alive, then a great deal of my setup here would become basically useless."

"True..." Dr. Cossack sighed. "But still. I maintain that it would be better for all of us if he attempted to fight Pharoah Man now. As for the Balloon... I'll call the Lights again. Maybe I can use that to my advantage with the right wording, like I did with those Energen Crystals... Ring Man almost won."

"Hey, it's worth a shot, at least." Bright Man affirmed cheerfully. "Still... I'll stop playing cards and start keeping a full-time watch on my robots and defenses, in case he does come here after all. Better safe than sorry... one of the hostages told me that one." Dr. Cossack chuckled.

"It's good advice. Be careful, Bright. I've lost too many of you already... you and Pharoah Man are all that keeps this Rebellion going... and that, in turn, is all that keeps..." He sighed, eyes closing. "Well... you know." Bright Man nodded solemly, all traces of jocularity gone.

"I know, Doctor. It will be okay... everything will come out okay in the end." Cossack opened his eyes.

"I wish I could be as optimistic about it as you... I'm afraid I am much more concerned about the end result of this."

"You were the one who programmed my optimism." The orange Robot Master reminded him.

"True, once again... that's twice you've gotten the better of me." Dr. Cossack smiled for only a moment. "At any rate... I'm going to let you go now and make that call to the Lights, Bright. Keep doing your job."

"Until my dying breath, Doctor... even though I don't breathe." Bright Man saluted sharply. Dr. Cossack nodded in farewell before the connection blinked out. "Well, then... I should get busy..."

"Yawn... morning, sis." Rock greeted Roll as he rose from stasis. "Any explosions while I was out?"

"Not particularly." Roll was turned away, working on a computer. "Aside from all your Master Weapons, that is. Dad accidentally poured motor oil into them. Sorry about that."

"Har. Har. Har." Rock jumped out off his capsule. "You need coffee. That, and the ability to process it. But caffiene would help your attitude a great deal, missy. And you know it." His sister rolled her eyes.

"The modifications would be more trouble than they'd be worth. And speaking of such things, keep in mind that me and dad are responsible for fixing you and Rush up after each fight, brother mine."

"Point duly noted." Rock looked out a window. "Lovely morning. Pity I can't stick around to enjoy it... and about Rush. Where is he?" A moment later, he was answered by recieving a rocket-powered package of red-furred canine happiness in the face. Dr. Light laughed as he watched his younger robotic son being assaulted by a series of vigorous face-lickings.

"Right there, Rock. The black Energen Crystal replacement was one hundred percent successful. Rush seems happy to have his Jet mode back, don't you agree?" Rock pushed the dog off.

"Yeah, you could say that. Under that same line of thinking, you could say that the Pacific Ocean seems to have a lot of water in it." He blinked. "Wait... I just realized something. I didn't see Eddie at all in Drill Man's place... where was he?" Upon hearing this, both Roll and Dr. Light's faces turned downcast. Rock noticed this immediately. "What... is it?"

"He did go to Drill Man's, Rock." Dr. Light finally said. "But before he could meet up with you... he took a plasma shot." Rock's eyes widened.

"Oh, hell... is he...?"

"He'll be okay... eventually." Roll reassured him. "The shot didn't burn away anything vital. Still, it's pretty deep; it will take a while to repair. We should have upgraded his durability before now, damn it..."

"Well, now's the time to take care of that." Her brother declared firmly. "After he's completely repaired, juice up his defenses right away. I don't want him going out again unless he can take a stray shot or two, you understand me?" Roll and Dr. Light both nodded solemnly. "Good. Now, then. Who to go after next, Bright Man or Pharoah Man.... decisions, decisions..."

"Better put that thought on standby, bro." Roll suddenly recommended. "We've got an incoming call."

"Let me guess. Cossack?" Rock guessed grimly, shifting into his armor. Roll nodded.

"Got it in one. Shall I put him on?"

"Yeah... I was wondering when he was going to make another one to open his mouth again." Mega looked at the vidphone as the familiar face of the Russian doctor appeared, smirking as usual.

"Hello again, Mega Man. Roll, Tom. I just thought I would say hi.... it's been a while. I trust you are enjoying the Rebellion, Mega Man? My Robot Masters put so much effort into it..."

"Save it." Mega growled. "I'm not in a particularly good mood right now; one of your robots hurt a good friend of mine."

"Oh, what a shame!" Dr. Cossack's hands flew to his face in mock chagrin. "One of your friends being hurt... why, I can't imagine what that must feel like..." He dropped his hands and shifted his expression to an angry glare. "Oh, wait... yes, I can... from when you killed my Robot Masters!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Mega waved a hand dismissively. "They were bad guys, I'm the good guy, we had to fight. It's a pretty simple concept. Was there a particular reason for this call, or did you just want to debate morality?"

"Oh, there is a point." Cossack assured him. "I heard that you acquired the Wire utility from Dive Man's old ship... it is a rather handy little invention, isn't it? I'm quite proud of it..."

"Skip to the point."

"My, aren't we gruff." Cossack chuckled, amused. "Well... to be direct, there is another utility, much like the Wire, built by me to work with a Variable Weapons System. I call it the Balloon utility."

"And this marvelous utility can be yours for the low, low cost of ninety-nine ninety-nine! Call 1-800-COSSACK! Order now!" Mega imitated a buffoonish infomercial salesman. "Could it be, doctor, that this 'Balloon' is at one of the two remaining locales under your Robot Masters' control?"

"Sharp deduction, my robotic friend." Dr. Cossack sneered. "You are correct. The Balloon is being held at Pharoah Man's domain, in the Egyptian Valley of the Kings. If you want it, go there."

"All right. Recommendation duly noted." Mega glared back. "Now, is that all you have to say?"

"It is for now. However, if, and that's a very big if, you manage to destroy both Bright Man and Pharoah Man, I'll be calling you again for another chit-chat about our future. I'll see you later, or I'll see you in hell, kid!" Laughing loudly and mockingly, the Russian doctor killed the connection. Roll grunted and moved away from her computer, looking at Mega.

"So. The Balloon's at Pharoah Man's... which one are you going to first, then?" Mega smiled at her.

"Well, after going over this logically... I've decided on... Bright Man first, then Pharoah Man."

"Ah, good. My thoughts exactly. See, you can improve in time, bro." Dr. Light just blinked.

"Um... mind explaining your logic there?"

"It's quite simple, really." Roll told him. "Last time Cossack made a call, it was about Energen Crystals at Toad's and Drill's. Those two were probably the weakest of the five remaining at the time, so the whole point was that Mega would THINK the Crystals were a trap and avoid them... falling into the REAL trap of fighting Ring Man, who was quite tough. This time, the Balloon's at Pharoah Man's. If Cossack was pulling the same trick, it would be best to go for Pharoah and call his bluff. However, Cossack is not stupid. He won't pull the same trick twice. Thus, Bright Man is the better choice." Dr. Light just scratched his head.

"Well, if you say so... you're the ones with the computer brains, after all. Leaving now, Rock?" Mega nodded, calling Rush over.

"The sooner I get this over with, the better..."

"Looks like all the lights are still on, at least..." Were Mega Man's first words upon arriving in the power plant. He chuckled at his own words a moment later. "Duh. This IS Bright Man, after all. Concentrate, Mega. No use having your head stuck in the clouds... you got work to do." A squat green robot with a pipe on top of its head waddled towards him, and Mega shot it. As it died, the pipe fired a flare into the air which exploded in a flash of light, but didn't do much else. The blue hero blinked. "I wonder what that was all about..." Shrugging, he went on. The next foe to cross his path was a globular robot modeled after a firefly, with a bright bulb on its underside. Like the first, it did something when blasted, but this time much more nasty; all the lights turned out, leaving Mega in complete darkness. Trying out a few interesting words he had learned from Blues, he stumbled onward, groping blindly.

"How the hell... blasted things must have originally been made to control power here... but how do I turn it back on?" Something smashed into him in the dark, causing the blue hero to fall down and get trampled by whatever it is. Now quite irritated, he blew the unknown attacker away with a charged shot, then winced as the bright light of the flare hit his optics, followed by the rest of the lights turning back on. "Oh... that's how. Those two types must be designed to work together... fireflies lessen the power, flare-heads increase it. I think I've heard of these models before... 100-Wattons and Dawnpons. Seems like an overly complicated design to me, but I'm a robot, not a robotocist." Unfortunately, as it turned out, Bright Man had made some modifications. The flare-headed Dawnpons were mostly harmless, their only method of attack physical contact, but the 100-Wattons, when ignored, would drop a glowing chunk of metal which promptly exploded into shrapnel that went everywhere. More than once, Mega had to grit his teeth and force his own arm down seconds before it released a plasma blast that would kill a Watton and turn out the lights. Suicidal thanks to all the pits around. Finally, though, he made it through to a different area. Here, the entire floor was covered with deadly spikes wall-to-wall for a stretch of about fifty feet. Disposing of an annoying sentry designed like a native american totem pole that had a cannon in each of its four heads, Mega found a grasshopper robot the size of a horse waiting for him. It made no moves to attack, simply watching him as he approached, making a friendly chirping noise.

"What's with this guy?" Mega muttered. The grasshopper waited patiently, and for the first time he noticed it had a sort of platform built onto its back. "Am I supposed to ride this thing across the spikes, or something?" Shrugging, he jumped on. Immediately, the grasshopper launched itself forward in a powerful jump. Mega hung on for dear life as it came close to colliding with another totem pole, then turned around at the last moment and went back the way it came. The blue hero groaned resignedly. "Looks like I'll have to take it out before I can go on..." Several missed charged shots later, he was able to wipe out the totem pole, and the grasshopper happily delivered him to the other side. Mega woozily climbed off. "Sorry, pal, but you're not getting a tip for that ride..." Climbing up a ladder, he found that the next thing he had to tackle was basically a giant killer lottery ball machine that not only launched bombs from its "tumbler," but also had a plasma cannon built into the front. And it was heavily armored. THAT spot of trouble knocked off a good twenty percent of his energy. A few dropping spinning cocoon robots on the next floor later, the blue hero emerged into a hall that split two ways. The straight wall went ahead, but a ladder led downwards.

"Hmm... the straight path or a detour. Better go low, I suppose." Climbing down the ladder, he found himself in a kind of basement. It was only dimly lit, but in the dark he was able to make out a great deal of large and complicated-looking machinery along the sides of the passage, with many thick tubes and connections going into all the walls. "This seems important... if I blasted it, it might bring everything here down." He levelled his buster at it for a moment, then sighed. "Can't risk it. No telling what else will come down with it... might as well go on.... oy." Large sections of the floor had been gouged out, leaving deep, wide holes. The only way across was a red mobile platform set on one end of a semicircular track. "This looks even worse than the grasshoppers... no helping it, I guess. Tallyho!" Leaping on, he assumed a surfer's position as his ride coasted down the track and up the other side... and off into space. Yelling, he was barely able to jump off and clamber onto another one before he would have plummeted into the void along with the first. And the second one behaved exactly the same. Two more close escapes later, the blue hero finally landed on a green one at the other end of the basement that stayed on the track. From there, it was an easy leap back on to solid ground. He took a moment to regain his senses before looking ahead. The bad news was it was a dead end. The good news was it had a single E-Tank waiting as a prize.

"I don't think this was exactly worth it..." He muttered, grabbing the item before turning around. All the tracks were vacant. "Um... how do I get back?" Mega thought for a moment before smacking himself in the head. "DUH! Geez, I must have taken my stupid pills today... yo, Rush!"

"Ruff!" Barking once, Rush teleported in and looked at his master quizzically, asking which form to take.

"Let's try out your Jet mode!" Rush smiled; that had been his favorite before. Hunkering down, the robotic dog's body converted into a jetboard. Mega jumped on and rode easily back over to the basement entrance. "Looks like this works perfectly too, boy. Too bad we had to wait so long before getting it, but oh well, right?" Rush barked again in agreement as he teleported away again and Mega climbed back up to the main floor. More grasshoppers on spikes awaited. Mega smiled. "Sorry, boys, but I think I'll ride the friendly skies this time around... sound good to you, Rush?" Rush returned and eagerly carried his master over spikes, grasshoppers and totem poles alike without any trouble whatsoever. At the end of the ride, though, he was panting heavily. Mega was quick to notice this. "Getting tired, boy?"

"Arf..."

"Awright, then. You go back home and rest, okay? I think I can handle the rest of this myself. And if Eddie's back up, say hi to him for me." Rush barked one more time and left. Mega climbed another floor, slid through a low pipe, and went up again to the top floor. At the far end of another hall was... well, it was too dimly lit to see. But there was an excellent chance that the usual metal shutter, Bright Man and the hostages were all back there, in that order. Mega looked closer and winced. The entire floor was missing, set up with more half-track platforms. "Aich... I should have just taken the grasshoppers and had Rush help me across here. Well, no use crying over spilt milk, or however that saying goes..." He jumped on one and began riding across. "Hey, at least it can't get any worse... god damn it all." He glared at the approaching 100-Watton firefly-bot, even as it dropped another shining shrapnel bomb. "I should have listened to Blues when he told me to NEVER say that..."

"Good morning, Doctor Cossack." The computer greeted its master with preprogrammed words. "Did you sleep well?"

"No, computer. I did not." The Russian doctor had seen better days by almost anybody's standards. His beard was scraggly and untrimmed, his glasses were tilted askew and his lab coat was dirty and stained. He looked exhausted, even though he had just slept for twelve hours. "That nightmare came back again... it never leaves me. I don't think it ever will..."

"Perhaps not." The computer responded dully. "I am only a machine, doctor. I possess no knowledge of such things, even to a limited degree like your Robot Masters. I simply carry out functions."

"True, true..." Cossack sighed. "Very well. Computer, have one of the robots bring me up some hot coffee... I'm going to need it. Might as well have some breakfast made too, I suppose."

"Acknowledged."

"All right then... now, which of the remaining attack sites did Mega Man go to this time?"

"Bright Man's domain, in the Rio De Janiero power plant."

"Damn it ALL!" Cossack went on to yell some more severe curses in his native tongue, slamming his fists into the walls as he did. After that, he took a few minutes to calm down, beathing heavily. "All right... easy. No sense in getting worked up... that won't do anything. Need to concentrate... think calmly." He sat down in his chair in front of the computer. "Very well. Assume the worst... that Bright Man will be killed, and Pharoah Man after him. Computer, when will that coffee be arriving?"

"About five minutes, doctor."

"All right..." The russian doctor slumped in his chair, brooding over his thoughts while he waited. This was not the first time he had been dragged down with his own dark thoughts for extended periods of time. More than once, Dr. Cossack had regretted starting this Rebellion in the first place. It had not gone at all like he had thought it would; by his calculations, his superior Robot Masters should have triumphed over Mega Man early on. But instead, Mega Man had defeated one... then two, then four, then six. Now, only Bright Man and Pharoah Man remained... and it was doubtful that they would be able to succeed where the other had all failed. Within half a week more, all the hostages would be freed, and Dr. Cossack knew what would happen then. The robotic "hero" in blue armor would come marching inexorably into his castle, leaving nothing but destruction in his wake. If Mega Man got to Cossack... then... the Rebellion would be a failure. Dr. Cossack's eyes glinted at this thought. No, that could not happen. The Rebellion MUST not be a failure... there was too much riding on it for him to even conceive of that possibility. More than Mega Man could ever know... and for all of that, for everything behind the Rebellion, Mega Man had to die. Neither he nor Cossack had any choice in the matter... this had gone beyond them. It was down to... Dr. Cossack broke off his thoughts as the door behind him opened. A Skeleton Joe with a large mug of coffee in one hand and a plate loaded with food in the other walked into the control chamber.

"As you ordered, Doctor."

"Thank you. Return to your post." The Russian doctor took the delivery and watched the robot walk away to follow his orders. Taking a deep swig of the caffiene, he set both down on a desk before turning back to the computer. Time to prepare for the coming assault. "Computer, report the general status of all four Rings."

"The first ring is on full alert, as always... nothing of importance has happened since you last checked, doctor. It seems everybody who would consider attacking remains quiet so far. The second ring had a little accident three hours ago..."

"An accident?!" Cossack leapt to his feet. "What the hell do you mean, an accident?!"

"A malfunctioning Dokuron crashed into a wall and self-destructed, taking out a portion of it. Repair robots are already fixing the problem... it should be completely sealed before the day is out."

"Hmph... good. Even if it takes longer than expected, it'll be taken care of before Mega Man gets here... just make sure that does NOT happen again, computer. Otherwise, it could jeopardize the entire defense setup. Continue with your report. How are the third and fourth rings?"

"Third ring is doing well... no real difficulties." The computer resumed talking about the four rings of the castle defense as if there had been no interruption. "The only aberration was three hours and forty-one minutes ago, when a patrol robot accidentally slipped on some melted snow and went over the walltop. It was destroyed, but its replacement was sent out immediately. As for the Fourth Ring... there have been no occurances out of the ordinary whatsoever, aside from that Skeleton Joe bringing your order up. It is back at its sentry position already, by the way."

"Good." Cossack bit into a sausage. "All right, computer. The moment Mega Man departs for Pharoah Man's domain, I want this to be done. Bring up ALL the robots in the fortress, every single one. Even the reserves. Assign them all to the most logical guard positions, then put each and every one of them in all the Rings on full alert. I don't want a FLY to get in here without being shot down, do you understand me? Complete and total lockdown." The computer hummed.

"Understood. Instructions stored and ready to be initialized once the event has occured." The Russian doctor nodded and took another drink of coffee before speaking again.

"Very good. Now then, I want you to bring up the schematics for all of my Fortress Guardians."

"Done." On the main screen, four diagrams appeared, each showing the internal workings of a massive robotic monstrosity. These were not Robot Masters... they did not possess complicated brain workings or humanlike structure. No, they were just robots... but what they lacked in sophistication, they made up for in raw power. Fortress Guardians had been used in the days of Dr. Albert Wily's Robot Rebellions in his Skull Fortresses, and despite how much Cossack loathed following that man's example, it was the choice of wisdom. At the end of each defense ring, a Fortress Guardian would be waiting for Mega Man, and destroying it would be the only way the blue robot would be able to continue onward. A huge, flying moth with a drill-like tail... a block the size of a room that could split into three portions, each capable of crushing a mack truck with its force times mass... and two insectlike wall-crawlers with multiple plasma cannons, some of them more powerful than even one of Mega Man's charged shots. Dr. Cossack didn't much like such things designed solely for the purpose of destruction, but they were a neccessary evil. And they all seemed to be in perfect working condition as well, so that was something good, at least. The Russian doctor finished eating his breakfast as he went over the schematics carefully to be certain. Everything seemed fine.

"All right. Computer, put the Fortress Guardians on full alert as well... oh, and make sure no guard robots enter those rooms and get themselves blown up, all right? No point in wasting them." Dr. Cossack leaned back and steepled his hands, sighing. "Well, at least if Mega Man comes, we'll be prepared for him in full. I've done all I can... it's down to fate now."

"Oh, hello, Mega Man. Please, come in." Bright Man greeted his opponent cheerfully. "Your armor... it's red and grey. I'm guessing you have Drill Man's weapon equipped?"

"Correct-a-mundo." Mega pointed his buster directly at Bright Man. "The Drill Bomb. Want some?"

"Oh, by all means, go ahead." Bright Man chuckled. "I'll tell you now, though, it won't do you much good. My frame is designed so that it's very explosive-resistant. You'll have to use something different to beat me."

"I'll keep that in mind." Mega growled. "One other thing, though, first. The usual question. Hostages?"

"Also as usual, in a room behind this one." Bright Man countered. "It used to be an employee lounge, I believe; beyond this point, I haven't done any-ah, shall we say-remodeling."

"No guards or anything at all?" Mega asked, obviously taken aback. The orange Robot Master shook his head, still smiling.

"None. The honor system's worked for me. They've all been pretty good about the situation, really. Any more questions, or shall we get started? No sense putting it off and all that, right?"

"Couldn't have said it any better myself, buddy!" Mega grunted, firing off a Drill Bomb. Bright Man stood his ground, taking it full in the chest, and suffering little damage before launching himself into the air to try and crush Mega.

"I hate to say I told you so, but..."

"Skip it!" Mega snapped, sliding out from under Bright Man's weight. Rats. If the Drill Bomb didn't do squat, doubtful the Dive Missile will, either... it might seek out his weak points, but the minimal damage wouldn't be worth it. "All right then, let's switch to an old favorite!" Turning grey and white, he lobbed a clod of the Dust Crusher. Bright Man grunted as his bulb took the hit, but didn't falter.

"I'll admit, that one hurt... but it's not enough! I'm afraid it's time to excise your eyes!" For a brief second, Mega saw the humongous bulb on top of his head glow. And then, everything that he saw was screaming blistering burning bright white light pain. Howling words that would have made Dr Light blanch, he fell over clutching at his fried optics. Bright Man chuckled. "That's MY signature weapon, friend. The Flash Stopper. It's a flash, and it stops you; get it? Oh, don't worry, it's not permanent. You should start to recover in about fifteen seconds. However, I'm afraid I can't just sit here and let you scream." Changing his left arm into a plasma cannon, he launched several bullets at Mega. Rather pissed at this point, the hero climbed to his feet.

"Try some of THIS, you lunatic!" Forming a Ring Boomerang, he expertly threw it... in the wrong direction. Bright Man started laughing uncontrollably.

"Ha ha ha ha ha-you need to work on your aim, Mega Man-ha ha haOW!!" The round Robot Master stared down at the opened cut on his arm. Mega seemed to have stolen his smile.

"I traced the sound of your voice. Eyes aren't everything, you know."

"Very good..." Bright Man smiled once again. "But I know better now! Time for me to play the silent game!" Flashing his bulb again, he followed it up with more plasma shots, further hurting Mega.

This... is a problem. He thought. I can't even hit him with my strongest weapons... dammit, I wish there was some way to attack... without needing... to aim... Without a word, his colors changed to green and white, and he launched a pod into the air. Bright Man watched it go.

"Eh? That looks oddly familiar-ARGH!!!!!" Upon hitting the ceiling, the Rain Flush pod had exploded into a rain of acid that washed over the entire room. Mega Man had gotten an immunity to the compound along with the color change when he used that weapon, but Bright Man was not so lucky. He rolled on the ground, hissing sounds coming from all over his armor. Mega Man immediately fired off another, and then another once that one was finished. Each time poor Bright Man tried to struggle back to his feet, the next wash of acid knocked him back down. Finally, the bulb on his head broke. Mega walked over to the defeated Robot Master.

"So... I have fallen as well." Bright Man groaned without looking up. "That is the way it goes, I suppose... finish it, then." Mega nodded once and ended it with one charged shot between the eyes before taking the Weapons Chip. Taking its power, he looked at his reflection in a screen. Purple armor for the Flash Stopper.

"It'll do." Opening the door behind the control room, he soon found the hostages. A large man with curly black hair greeted him.

"You would be Mega Man... I'm Elias Salguerdo, the manager of this place. I... assume that you killed Bright Man?"

"I'm afraid so." Mega nodded. "Why...?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Another man sighed. "It's just that... he didn't seem like a bad sort, for a Rebellion Robot Master."

"He may well have been." Mega agreed shortly. "But it wasn't really his fault. Cossack is the one who's really to blame... not Bright Man, or any of them. They were just pawns in his game."

"Pretty sick game, if you ask me." A man in a security officer's uniform grunted. Mega nodded in agreement.

"I'm not a fan of it either. It'll be over soon, though... just one more Robot Master left, and then I can take it to Cossack himself."