Chapter 14: The North Skull

"Is she stabilized?" Were the first words on Blues' lips once Dr. Cossack emerged to meet the robot brothers again. After Wily had fled, the russian robotocist had taken his daughter to his own living quarters in the castle, leaving Rock and Blues in a lounge-like room. Neither of them had turned on the television; they had simply removed their helmets, sat on the couch and waited. It had been an hour. Now, Cossack's face looked very tired, but strangely calm. Rock was willing to bet that the Cossack had taken some kind of sedative for himself, but his hands still shook.

"Yes. Kalinka is asleep... and she is out of immediate danger. She will live... something for which I must... thank you, Blues." He crouched onto his knees. "I owe my daughter's... and my own-"

"Stop that." Rock interrupted sharply. Though his helmet was off, his eyes still held the particular hardness that was always there during the Rebellions. "Get up. That makes you look like... HIM." Cossack immediately scrambled to his feet, and Rock looked away, the fire in his eyes dying. "Sorry... it's just..."

"I feel the same way." Cossack nodded. "Besides... I owe you more of an apology than I can ever give as well. Both of you... you have done more than you ever should have, one way or another because of me and my daughter. I made you fight once more, Rock... I tried to kill you. I made you fight another Rebellion. And Blues... you risked your life as well to bring my daughter back to me alive."

"You're wrong, doc." Blues shook his head. "It wasn't your fault. None of this was. You were just as much of a victim as those hostages the Robot Masters took, and your daughter moreso. The one, sole man who was responsible for this is Wily. Nobody else. It all comes down to him... almost always has, save for... well... nevermind."

"The Third Robot Rebellion, and Doc Man?" Cossack interjected. Rock looked at him in surprise.

"You know about him?"

"Wily told me everything about the previous Rebellions... he seemed to think it would help me put on a better show." Cossack shook his head. "I know it all... don't worry, though. Nobody else will learn of Doc Man." Blues nodded.

"Good. We want to keep that a secret... if the public learns that a robot, even an insane Advanced Robot Master abandoned by Wily, lost the First Law and killed all those Sennet guys of his own free will... well, let's just say it wouldn't be good. It's going to be a long, long time-if ever-before humans can accept robots without the Laws." He paused for a moment. "I assume your Robot Masters knew about Doc Man as well?" Cossack nodded. "Hm. If the rest of the family doesn't have any objections, you can tell Kalinka too... she knows more about this whole mess than anybody else already. But that's it."

"I think we can rely on her discretion as well as your own." Rock agreed. "Dad will agree as well. Roll would normally raise an argument about telling anybody who didn't already know, but I think she'll be glad to have another girl in on the secret." Cossack blinked.

"You trust me that much, just like that? After all I've done?"

"It wasn't you, really. I know that." Rock explained. "Wily had you by the throat. You did what you had to to save Kalinka... as a matter of fact, that's WHY I know we can trust you. In your position, if I was human... I can't honestly say I wouldn't do the same. You are a good man, Sergei Cossack, despite what you've done... and now that's just about over with." Cossack smiled sadly.

"Thank you... both of you. I... everything I have is yours. If there is anything I can do..."

"There is." Rock rose to his feet. "Do you have a stasis capsule around here? And the neccessary tools to repair Advanced Robot Masters?" Cossack slowly nodded after a moment.

"Yes... I still have the capsules my Robot Masters used back when they were staying here. And the tools for repair... they should work as well on Advanced Robot Masters as they do on normal ones, provided one of you assists me with the parts of your circuitry that I don't know."

"Good." Rock looked at his brother and the doctor. "Here's what we're going to do, then. You know where Skull Fortress IV is?" They both nodded. "All right. Blues, you get into a stasis capsule." He held up a hand to stop the older 'bot's complaint. "No. You've been on the run for two weeks... you're almost in as bad shape as Kalinka. There is no way in hell you're going anywhere dangerous, ESPECIALLY not Skull Fortress. Stasis capsule, Blues, and that's all there is to it." Blues looked at his feet and muttered a few choice words, but didn't argue. "I, however, don't have time for a rest. Doctor, I'll need you to do some quick repairs on me... that and an E-Tank, and I'll be ready."

"For Skull Fortress?" Cossack asked. Rock nodded.

"Got it in one. Doc, Blues, what do you know about it?" Blues thought for a moment.

"Well... I'd suggest avoiding the front entrance... probably way heavily guarded. Same with the hole I made busting Kalinka out... if it's not repaired, it'll have tons of sentries. No... the best way to get in is on the east side. Look for a reddish tower with a huge slot near the top of it. It's the only tower whose base isn't protected by the outer wall. If you can figure out a way to break in there, you'll be right into the Second Ring, skipping the first one entirely."

"There are four rings." Cossack continued. "The first one, encompassing most of the ground floor, is... was... guarded by the other Melee Moth." He glanced at Blues. "You'll have to tell me how you got that once we have the leisure. The second one goes through the east towers towards the center of the fortress, and the third from there to the west towers. The fourth ring... I'm afraid I don't know anything about that, or the other Guardians. Blues...?" The elder robot shook his head.

"Sorry, I'm afraid not..."

"That's okay." Rock smiled faintly. "That's more than enough. All I need now is some way to break into that tower..."

"That, I do know." Cossack turned to a console in the wall and keyed in some instructions. "I've got a powerful bomb here. It's large, heavy, and it's not robotic, so it wouldn't be much good for fights, but it can do quite a number when it comes to structural damage. After your repairs, I'll show you how to use it."

"Excellent." Rock nodded. "I guess we should get started on that, then..."

"Wait." Blues held up a hand. "Before I conk out... Cossack, what will you do after Rock leaves?"

"I will call the United Nations, and offer my complete and total surrender on the condition that they send in a Medevac helicopter for Kalinka." The russian robotocist decided firmly. "Once I am in custody, I will tell them everything."

"They'll find Skull Fortress IV as soon as you tell them where to look." Blues nodded in approval. "There's no way you'll catch the blame for this once the truth comes out... especially once me and Rock give testimony."

"I certainly hope so." Cossack sighed. The elder robot clapped a hand onto his shoulder.

"It'll be okay. Oh, one more thing... if you don't mind, I'd like to use your phone for a moment..."

"..." Roll didn't say a word as her father descended the staircase in the morning. She simply sat in her chair, tapping her foot at a rapid pace, as she had been doing for several hours before. Dr. Light walked past her to the coffee pot and didn't speak until he had downed a good amount of the liquid.

"Uh... morning, Roll."

"How could you sleep?" Roll mumbled, staring at her feet. "With Rock out there at Cossack's... putting his life on the line more than with any of the Robot Masters... and he's still not back..."

"How could I sleep, Roll?" Dr. Light looked into his mug for a moment. "The answer... I trust Rock. I trust him to succeed and to come back alive... I know, beyond all doubt, that he can... that he will do it."

"It must be nice to be able to reduce it to such simple terms..." Roll sighed, shifting her gaze to a window. "But I'm afraid I can't do the same. I worried too much... I didn't get an ounce of stasis last night."

"Oh, I worried myself." The elderly robotocist assured her. "It's just that after a while, I dropped off at my desk. Got ink in my beard... fortunately it washed right out in the shower..."

"You never would have dropped off if it had been Wily again..." Roll said, half-accusingly, then. "If this was a Skull Fortress that Mega was at... you'd be just as restless last night as I was." Dr. Light thought about that for a second, then nodded in agreement.

"Yes... you're right, Roll. But this is not Wily... it's not a Skull Fortress. Cossack... he's a threat, he's the villain, yes. But he didn't have that same spark of lunacy that made Albert and Doc Man such worries. Without that... Rock is in no real danger compared to those times as long as he keeps his wits about him. And you know that he'll never fail in that regard."

"True..." Roll admitted. "But still... he's not back yet. Not even any news at all... I have to worry." A beeping noise near her foot made her smile briefly. "Well, at least you stayed up long enough for us to get that armor into Eddie..."

"True." Dr. Light smiled as well. "If... whatever gods there are forbid... there is a fifth Rebellion, Eddie will be able to take the heat enough to get in, deliver the goods, and get out. Like Rush, except Eddie doesn't dig up your azaleas."

"Fortunate. Eddie also doesn't get chased around the house with a shovel." The robotic girl commented. Further discussion was interrupted by the chirp of the vidphone announcing a call. She immediately ran over to it. "Source... no way. It's from Cossack's castle!"

"It's probably Rock, calling to tell us he's won the fight and Cossack's out." Dr. Light suggested. Roll nodded.

"I'll put him on." The screen flickered on, and they both jumped in surprise. It was not Rock's face on the screen. "Blues?!"

"Unless you know many other Advanced Robot Masters with penchants for shades and scarves." Blues cracked once before becoming serious. "Yeah. I'm here with Rock and Cossack."

"Is the fighting done?" Dr. Light peered over his daughter's shoulder. Blues chewed on that one for a moment.

"Weeeeeeell... yes and no. Rock and Cossack are done fighting... but there's still more fighting to be done. A lot more. But those two are finished... as a matter of fact, they're on their way to becoming friends, I think."

"...Huh?" Roll struggled to process that, unsuccessfully. "Wait... how... who... URRRGH. What are YOU doing there?"

"About to go into stasis." Blues responded pleasantly. "It's been a nasty couple weeks for me... trekking through the wilderness here with a little human girl. Then we blasted through the ceiling on a giant robot moth, and then..."

"Blues!" Roll interrupted him firmly and angrily. "You're just confusing us even more! Tell us what's going on, plain and simple, in the proper order!" Behind his shades, the exhausted Robot Master's eyes flashed.

"All right, FINE. You want to know what's going on, plain and simple, sis?! WILY'S ALIVE." That sentence hit the two Lights like a thunderbolt, and they both went chalk white, as still as statues. The mug tumbled from Dr. Light's nerveless grasp and shattered on the tile floor, spilling scalding coffee over both their feet. Neither of them noticed in the slightest.

"Albert... alive?" Dr. Light choked out finally. Roll was still too stunned to speak.

"Yeah. He's been behind this thing from the start." Blues continued to explain. "He's been jerking around Cossack the whole time using his daughter Kalinka as a hostage. I found this out and liberated her, then brought her here just in time to stop Rock and Cossack from killing each other. Right now, Cossack's performing some quick repairs on Rock... he's leaving for the fourth Skull Fortress within the hour."

"Another Skull Fortress..." Roll slumped to the floor. "Another Wily plot... it never ended... it was all a lie..."

"I'm afraid so, sis." Blues sighed. "Life sucks sometimes. You might have noticed I'm tired as hell, so I'm afraid I can't sugercoat this. Anyways, if you guys don't mind... call Vinkus and tell him to have the GDC check out these coordinates." He rattled off some numbers. "That's where Skull Fortress IV is... we figure if the GDC finds out it's there beforehand, they'll be much more amenable when Cossack calls them with his offer to surrender in exchange for a medevac for his kid. Which he's going to do as soon as Rock's off, so sooner is better."

"We'll handle it." Roll promised, rising. "You get some rest now, bro." Blues nodded and hung up. Dr. Light raised an eyebrow.

"Quick recovery..."

"I'm a robot." She told him primly. "Right now, moving and helping Rock takes priority. Once we've done all we can, THEN I can freak out and go into depression." She smiled briefly. "Sometimes it helps to have an overly logical side. Now, then. Let's call Vinkus... then get Eddie ready for warping."

"Skull Fortress?" Dr. Light asked, face grim. She nodded.

"Exactly. Rock's going to need all the help he can get."

Skull Fortress IV was, to put it in the nicest possible terms, an eyesore. Half-covered in snow but still visible, stone stairs led up to the front door which was gaping widely open, inviting entry. On either side, walls of brick and steel ran around the entire complex, barricading it as well as if it had been on another world; only one red metal tower was partially outside the wall. Behind the walls, metal towers of various sizes and colors rose, topped with massive weapons. There were even a pair resembling human femurs. And dominating it all on the front above the door was a familiar humongous skull shield leering down, with Dr. Wily's insginia etched on the forehead. To the right of the main entrance, a smaller, second door led inside.

"That must be where Blues broke in..." Mega reasoned from his spot on a hill half a mile off. "Wily fixed it up... looks like he wants me to go in there. Too bad for him, I've got other options." He hefted the huge black orb sitting next to him and started towards the outer tower. It took him fifteen minutes to move the explosive to the tower; fortunately, there were no robotic guards outside the fortress itself. The significance of this was not lost on Mega. "He's not trying to keep me out of the Fortress... he WANTS me to come in." Setting the bomb up against the outer wall, he dialed in instructions on a keypad. "I'll have to oblige him." Pushing the last button, he turned and ran away from the fortress. Half a minute later, there was an explosion loud enough to be heard back at Cossack's. Looking back, Mega waited for the smoke to clear, revealing a hole ten feet around in the tower wall. "All right... it worked. I'll have to thank Cossack for that..." Walking in, he began climbing up the piping inside. The walls were green tiled, and he made his way across silver pipes and yellow tanks.

"This tower must be for the water supply or something..." Whatever it was, it was packed with Metool robots, all with plasma-deflective helmets. Some just stood up and fired plasma bullets, some jumped around and spewed three-way shots, some spun and danced in place while emitting rapid-fire streams... they all fell to Mega's buster. Soon, he reached a hall connecting the tower to another one he had seen from the outside, a very tall light-blue. Glancing out a glass window bigger than he was, Mega observed an aquarium-like tank filled with water. He ignored it and moved forward to the next tower, destroying every Metool in his path. At the end of the hall, huge openings in both the ceiling and floor led on up or down the tower. Mega thought for a moment, then shrugged and jumped below. With a splash, he landed in crystal-clear water. Something sharp below caught his eye, and the blue hero twisted to avoid several deadly spikes. "Figures. Wily's still as repetitive as always... water always hides spikes with him." The underwater passage continued, sloping slightly downward. Mega guessed it would lead towards the center of the fortress. And the whole length was dotted with spikes of which just one touch would be fatal. "All right then... I'll use my usual as well. Rush!" Plunging into the water, the red dog immediately went into Marine mode. In the minisub, Mega was easily able to avoid the spikes as he destroyed more of the underwater Metools he had originally found in Dive Man's stage. Once on the other side of the tunnel, he found a switch in the wall.

"Pipe open/close? Hmm..." Rush grabbed it in his jaws and pulled it down. Immediately, the water began rushing back the way they came. Rush strained against the flow and quickly yanked the switch back up before whining. Mega smiled sheepishly. "Guess that was a mistake... eh?" Above, the pipe led upward, but the water had receded so that it stopped just above them. "Or maybe not... thanks, Rush." Dismissing the dog, he climbed a ladder out of the wet stuff. The next ladder up hung high up on the other side of the room. "No way over... or so it seems." A moment later, a metal block about three feet on all sides suddenly appeared, floating in the air. The blue hero groaned. "I knew it." One of Wily's oldest, strangest and most annoying tricks was the disappearing blocks. Using some technology only he knew, the blocks would appear and then disappear in the exact same spot, usually in groups of six, forming a makeshift "bridge" onward. Watching them carefully, Mega gauged their locations and timing, then jumped across to the ladder. Another set awaited him further up, this one above spikes. "First time was warmup... now they play for keeps." Fortunately, he was able to cross this one as well. The pipe turned horizontal again, and a few Metools left in some pools of water formed by cupped pipes later, Mega arrived at a metal shutter. "Time to see what kind of Fortress Guardian Wily has for me today..." Inside the darkened room, only one obstacle was waiting for him on the ground. A Metool's hard hat, lying on the ground. About twenty feet wide. Mega stared at it for a second before grunting and firing an uncharged shot, which bounced off.

"Thought so. Well, this is blunt enough..." As the Mammoth Metool raised its helmet, the blue hero delivered a charged shot right between the eyes and followed it with rapid-fire plasma bullets. Underneath the helmet, it looked just like an ordinary Metool; huge, staring eyes and a circular mouth over a pair of clownlike feet. The only unusual characteristic was a pair of ear-bolts. It stared at him for a moment, taking the fire without comment, then leaped into the air with surprising height for a robot the size of a mack truck towards Mega, who instantly backed up. The impact as it hit the ground in front of him knocked Mega off of his feet onto his rear. It also shook several normal Metools out of the rafters onto the ground, which immediately charged at him, while the Mammoth Metool lowered its helmet, becoming impenetrable once more. Mega wiped out the normal Metools, then stared at the ground; the Mammoth Metool had created a crater as wide as itself in the metal flooring.

"Good grief... if that thing lands on me, it's game over. Better pick this up..." Switching to the Dust Crusher, he waited until the Mammoth Metool revealed its face again, then began liberally spraying it with crud. After patiently enduring this for a few seconds, it jumped again, and Mega slid under it and out of the way. Again, normal Metools fell from above, and Mega was busied with exterminating them while the leader hid. The third time it showed itself, Mega was ready with Ring Boomerangs, and deftly sliced off one of the earbolts. When the Mammoth Metool hit the ground this time, Mega was ready; he jumped to avoid being stunned by the shockwaves, and was thus able to remove the other earbolt before the Metool lowered its helmet. "Almost there now..." The Mammoth Metool raised its helmet one last time to behold Mega Man holding a massive ball of solar energy over his head. It did not react in anger or fear; it simply stared, accepting its fate, as the Pharaoh Wave ripped into one side of the head and continued through to exit the other. The only sound it made was a sigh as the burned-out husk collapsed beneath the heavy helmet.

"Well, that wasn't too bad..." Mega decided as he moved towards the exit that lead onward. "Wily must've sent all his good Guardians to Cossack's... at least, I hope so... no clue how long I've still got to go."

"Order! Order!" Counciller Martel from the United States glared down at the assembled United Nations committee, which resembled nothing more at this moment than a school of piranha exploding over a dead cow. On the monitors of each and every one of their desks, the same image was showing. Skull Fortress IV, seen from satellite camera. Five minutes ago, Darwin Vinkus from Japan had called an emergency meeting and, with trembling hands and sweat-fogged glasses, revealed the Fortress. Following thirty seconds or so of complete and total silence, the room had shot to the opposite end of the audible scale, and had remained so ever since. Martel and Vinkus had tried to calm them down ever since, but their voices hadn't even been heard, and the American representative was starting to lose his almost legendary patience. One representative attempted to tackle another, and even though it failed miserably (since to each other, every other counciller was a hologram), that was the last straw. Ripping open his desk, Martel pulled out a compressed CO2 air horn and sounded off. The 120-decibel shriek caused even the most bersek member to clutch their ears and stop talking. Martel waited for the screams of pain to die down before glaring at all assembled with contempt. "We WILL have order!"

"I believe the point has been established, Counciller Martel." Vinkus replied weakly. "Could you at least have warned ME first? I didn't have time to get my earplugs out."

"Even if I had, you wouldn't have been able to hear it over that clamor." Martel sighed and put the horn away. "Ladies and gentlemen, now moreso than any other time, we MUST remain calm. We are not some classroom of first-grade students, erupting in disorder while the teacher's out. We are the United Nations Council, people! We represent the entire world here, and we can NOT dissolve into that kinda of chaos, no matter WHAT happens! Am I understood?" The other members muttered their agreements, and Vinkus laughed cynically.

"Edmund, were you ever a drill sergeant?"

"Not now, Darwin." Martel steepled his hands. "Very well. The evidence on all our screens is as clear as a sliding glass door, and as blunt as a brick to the face. Another Skull Fortress, running in full operation, can mean only one thing. Doctor Albert Wily is alive and unwell." He glanced at Vinkus. "Counciller Vinkus, you were the one who called this emergency meeting, and who presented this... evidence, I suppose you could call it. How did you become aware of its existence?"

"By means of a phone call shortly before the assembly." The Japanese representative explained. "The call was from Doctor Thomas Light and Roll Light. They politely requested that I have a satellite zoom in on a specific set of coordinates, and that it held information of the most vital importance to the Rebellion. Even though Mega Man had already left for the castle of Doctor Sergei Cossack to bring an end to said Rebellion, I valued the word of the Lights enough to check it out. This is what I found... in Russia, approximately north of Cossack's castle. I immediately called this meeting in order that the rest of you may see this as well." Another counciller, from France, politely raised his hand.

"Speaking of Cossack... has there been any word from him or his castle since Mega Man departed?"

"No official news, no." Vinkus shook his head. "However, there is fairly strong evidence that Mega Man has left that location for Skull Fortress." The french representative frowned.
"And that would be?"

"The gaping hole in the east wall." Vinkus answered dryly. At that moment, Martel's desktop phone sprang to life. He stared at it for a moment before answering.

"What? Oh... yes? Yes? I see... I suppose... very well, just a second..." He covered the mouthpiece and looked at the council. "Ladies and gentlemen... Doctor Sergei Cossack requests to speak with the general assembly over the holovid. Do any object?" None did. "All right... put him on..." A moment later, the bearded robotocist's now-familiar face appeared on the viewscreens, looking tired and defeated.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the United Nations, I.... I assume that you have already discovered the existence of Skull Fortress IV. With that in mind, I would like to offer my complete and total surrender... on one simple condition."

"And that would be?" Martel asked warily.

"That a Medevac helicopter be sent to my castle, where it will be permitted to land safely, and bring a patient to the nearest hospital. Once that is done, I will place myself in your hands."

"May we ask who this is for?" The english representative asked before anybody could stop her. Cossack sighed.

"It... is for my daughter, Kalinka Cossack. She has been kept in extremely poor conditions for some time now, and requires immediate medical attention. I care nothing for myself as long as she is safe."

"Doctor Cossack." Vinkus' tone was respectful, but deadly serious. "I must ask... is it true that Doctor Albert Wily remains alive?" The question hung in the air like a bad smell for a moment before the russian robotocist nodded.

"I am... afraid so. Albert Wily has been alive since the Third Robot Rebellion, and remains so at this moment."

"Then... was he the one responsible for... for your daughter's condition?" Vinkus stopped himself from saying for this Rebellion at the last moment. Again, Cossack nodded after a moment.

"Yes."

"I believe we have only one more question before we vote on your offer, Dr. Cossack." Martel looked directly at the screen. "Where is Mega Man, at this moment in time?"

"He is currently at Skull Fortress IV, attempting to bring Wily to justice."
"Thank you, doctor." Martel nodded. "We will have an answer for you in a moment." The vote took less than sixty seconds; it was a unanimous yes on accepting the terms. "Very well. Doctor Sergei Cossack, the United Nations accepts your surrender. A medevac helicopter will be arriving shortly, to bring your daughter to a hospital in New Amsterdam. It will be accompanied by law enforcement to bring you to the same city for your trial."

"Thank you... all of you. And for what it is worth... I'm sorry." Cossack bowed his head in gratitude. Martel inclined his head in return.

"Am I correct in assuming that Rock Light will be appearing at your trial to speak on your behalf, if he survives?"

"I have the fullest confidence that he will... and his brother, Blues Light, will as well." Cossack answered. This caused a few eyebrows to be raised, but there was no other commentary, save for Vinkus, and he spoke only under his breath, so that none could hear him.

"Very well... and may whatever gods exist in this cursed, robot-filled world have mercy on your soul, Cossack..."

"Let's see... three tunnels..." Mega surveyed the hall ahead; three low tunnels that he would have to slide through, in a staricase succession. "Let's go with the highest." Sliding through, he emerged onto open air, and was barely able to clutch onto the edge of a ledge and pull himself up before falling on the spikes below. "Phew... close one. Good thing I didn't take the low tunnel..." Jumping over a low wall of the same spikes, he grabbed onto the rungs of a ladder and climbed down. The next few rooms down also had spiked floors, with small holes that he had to drop down to reach the next one while dodging ladybug robots trying their utmost to slam into him and knock him to his death. By the time he made it to the bottom, he would have been sweating bucketsful had he the glands for it. Instead, he just shook his head and kept going forward, using pods of the Rain Flush to clean up the buzzaw Gabyools. A ladder hanging far over a spike-filled pit at the end of the hall was easily surmounted with the Balloon utility, and in the next room up, Mega found a welcome surprise from an old friend.

"Eddie?!" He stared. "What are you doing here?" The little brown suitcase robot turned around, saw him and ran forward, beeping happily.

"Beeeep!"

"Heh... yeah, I'm glad to see you... at least one friendly face here." Mega smiled. "You DID get the armor upgrade already, right?" Eddie nodded. "Good! Whaddaya got for me?" Flipping his top, Eddie revealed an E-Tank. "All RIGHT! Idunno where you got this, but thanks!" Mega pocketed it. "When you get back, tell the others I've got the situation completely under control. Wily's going down." Eddie nodded and departed, and Mega continued up and then right, through another passage connecting towers. Mummiras like from Pharaoh Man's caves popped out of the wall and attempted to run interference, but didn't succeed in much aside from being annoyances. Climbing to the top of the next tower only took a few minutes after he had arrived there. "Let's see... by my calculations, I should be at the top of that tower with the satellite dish... so this passage should be taking me into the red one with the huge cannon..." He frowned as he saw an annoyed-looking robot that resembled a giant lottory ball machine glaring at him from the other side of a bed of spikes. The large robot had a plasma cannon in its mouth and could launch the lotto balls like bombs, but it wasn't able to knock Mega onto the spikes before it was destroyed. Another one a little ways behind it was no more successful, and with its destruction the next metal shutter was revealed.

"Wonder what's in here..." Mega muttered as he entered. He took one look and groaned. "I had to ask." On a slightly higher platform, the next Fortress Guardian glared down at him; a humongous piece of artillery in blood red. A very nasty-looking cannon jutted out of the front below the glaring eyes, and above them was a box-shaped port that looked like it would launch bombs. Which it promptly did. Running out of the way, Mega began peppering the Twin Cannon with plasma bullets. Each and every one bounced off harmlessly. "Grr... tough hull, eh? Well, let's try something different then..." Moving to the Drill Bombs, he tried the penetrating explosives, but their heads weren't able to penetrate the armor either. "Maybe some of THIS, then?!" Ring Boomerangs were unable to even scratch the armor. "What WORKS on you? Wait... maybe I need to look for a weak point..." He looked up at the Twin Cannon nervously, and it glared back. "Lotta looking to do... and YOWCH! Still gotta dodge those bombs! Think logical, think... oh, I know..." Snickering evilly, he released his full stock of Rain Flush pods and watched the Twin Cannon closely. One spot seemed to be affected slightly more than the rest... right below the bomb-launching port... "Aha!" Turning on the Balloons, Mega created one and jumped on. At which point the Twin Cannon used its other weapons. The massive barrel came to life and spat out a fireball bigger than Mega. Yelping, the blue hero dived off his Balloon as it was incinerated instantly.

"That... is a problem." Frowning, he created another Balloon. This time, though, the moment he jumped on it, he made another on a higher level, and jumped from the first to the second, which was above the front cannon's firing level. "Aha!" Set right below the bomb launcher was a small green bulb. "The weak point's that, eh?" He gave the bulb a double-barrel shot of Drill Bomb, then stared up at the Twin Cannon's own bomb. "Aw, crap." The explosion sent him flying straight into a fireball. Wincing, he picked himself up off the ground. "Oh, this thing is SO going down..." Running to the back of the room, he fired several more Drill Bombs at the space where the bulb was, then created another pair of balloons. Jumping up them, the blue hero formed a Ring Boomerang in each hand and, bellowing like some norse god, leaped at the bulb. The flash of light as it shattered was almost as bad as the Flash Stopper, but the Twin Cannon instantly died, the pupils in its eyes fading. Mega landed neatly on the ground and nodded.

"That bulb must have controlled the entire apparatus... when it broke, so did the rest of it, I guess. It's all slag now, though..." Looking around the room, he scratched his head. "Now, I just gotta find the way outta here..."