The first Drache docked at Nino Island, on the boardwalk-like complex
outside the tower that housed both its water-filled ruins and the carbon
city above. Upon arrival and landing, the ship's occupants-Sera, Jiji,
and MegaMan-disembarked and headed for the interior of the tower.
"You two get ready to enter the ruins while I go and speak with the one
who is in charge of this city," the former Mother unit of Elysium said,
then paused and amended, "On second thought, you both had better come
with me. It is important that you two hear what I have to say as well."
Once inside, MegaMan lead his foes-turned-allies to the second level of
the huge tower, where the main city-and the mayor's office-was located.
The mayor of Nino Island was, in fact, the Guildmaster for the elite
Digger's Guild, the official Diggers' club.
The city itself was constructed along the edges of the tower, with the
entrance to the Nino Ruins in the center of the plaza. MegaMan saw
that the entrance had been not only sealed shut, but the outer doors had
been reinforced with wooden planks concrete as well. Ruined Reaverbots
littered the near-empty plaza, giving an idea as to how bad the
situation with the Elder System had become here. A loud, steady banging
resounded from beneath the sealed doors.
Upon entering the Guild's main office, the young Digger noticed that
the desk on the right was occupied by a nervous, watchful young lady.
The doors nearby-which once lead to the Nino Sub-ruins-were sealed off
with concrete and wooden planks similar to the ones covering the ruins
outside, and topped off with a sign stating RUINS CLOSED OFF UNTIL
FURTHER NOTICE. The doors next to these, which lead to the Guild testing
rooms, were likewise sealed shut. A couple of dead Zakoben lay in the
corner. MegaMan felt a small chill in his belly; apparently even the
experienced S-Class Diggers of Nino were having trouble with this new
threat.
The trio entered inner office, where the Guildmaster himself was. Sera
and Jiji introduced themselves (the Guildmaster had already met
MegaMan) and requested a quick, private conference. The Guildmaster's
assistant was promptly shooed from the room.
"Alright," the bearded mayor of Nino stated. "Now that everything's
squared away, what can I help you with?"
"Evacuate the city." Sera replied bluntly.
"What?" The Guildmaster looked at her, baffled. MegaMan glanced over
at Jiji, confirming that Sera was the only one in the room who knew what
she was talking about.
"Evacuate Nino city," the Mother unit repeated. "Immediately!"
"Why? I thought you came here to save us!" the Guildmaster protested.
"We're here to save Terra," Sera replied, then explained, "You see, we
are attempting to deactivate the barrier surrounding the controls to
the Elder System, which is what has been threatening the world recently.
In order to do that, we need to access and deactivate three control
stations located at three different islands, including this one. However,
" She glanced over at her companions to make sure they got the message
as well, and continued, "once the station is deactivated, it will begin
an automatic self-destruct program, powerful enough to level the ruins,
and the city with it. We're not sure whether or not we will be able to
stop it, so I recommend that you evacuate everyone from the city for
safety measures."
The decision took only a moment to make, then the Guildmaster was
reaching for the intercom, and making the city-wide announcment:
"THIS IS THE MAYOR ORDERING THE IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF NINO
ISLAND CITY. REPEAT: THIS IS AN ORDER FOR IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY
EVACUATION. PACK EVERYTHING YOU NEED, AND GET AS FAR AWAY FROM THE ISLAND AS
POSSIBLE. MAKE NO PLANS TO RETURN, AS THE CITY MAY BE DESTROYED. THIS
NOT A DRILL! PACK FOR PERMANENT DEPARTURE, AND EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"
His voice reverberated throughout the walled-in city, followed by the
murmurs and bustle of people packing their belongings. Ships in the
docks below hummed to life, preparing to take Nino's inhabitants to
safety.
"Thank you!" Sera told the mayor. "Now, as I said before, we need to
get inside the ruins. Could you please order some of your workers to
open the entrance?"
"If it will save the world, I most certainly will!" the Guildmaster
exclaimed, and gave the order.
***
The concrete barrier blocking the entrance to the ruins was broken
apart, and the badly-dented doors underneath opened in half an hour. Sera
returned to the Drache and its Spotting equipment, while her companions
descended the ladder into the ruins and began their quest.
MegaMan paused in the huge room just inside the entrance. According to
Barrel, this was where the blue-armored Digger had been discovered as a
baby almost sixteen years ago. Even though MegaMan knew he had existed
for centuries, if not milennia, he nonetheless considered this room to
be his birthplace. After all, it was where his current life began, and
the young Digger took a few moments to reflect upon this...until the
HammuruDoll a few yards away interrupted his reverie, and brought his
mind back to the present with a jolt.
[I don't remember any HammuruDolls in here!] MegaMan thought in a wild
panic as the great robot bore down on him. He charged up his buster,
and unleashed several bolts of plasma at this new threat, aiming for the
head. The majority hit their mark, and the HammuruDoll hesitated. The
former Purifier knew from experience what it means when a HammaruDoll
pauses for more than a second. He leapt quickly to the right, just as
the giant Reaverbot's massive, mace-tipped arms crashed down, chipping
the concrete floor where MegaMan had been standing only moments before.
Meanwhile, MegaMan allowed his life-saving jump to end in a prone
position on the floor, and rolled to the side, away from the HammaruDoll's
subsequent pounding on the floor. The great bludgeons on its arms
struck again and again.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
MegaMan could feel the breeze from the last blow, indicating a very
narrow escape. He rolled onto his back, and aimed for the Reaverbot's
eye. A series of purple energy spheres beat him to it, however. Glancing
over his shoulder, the young Digger saw that Jiji had transformed into
his Fiiru form, and was firing away at the giant beast.
The HammaruDoll turned toward this new threat, something akin to rage
gleaming in its single eye. Its massive arms were raised once more,
aiming to bash Jiji's head in. Moving incredibly fast for a creature of
his size, the Servitor skittered out of the way, and clamped his massive
jaws down onto the Reaverbot's crushing limbs. With the behemoth thus
effectively restrained, MegaMan was able to run up to it and fire at
its weakened shell with abandon. The HammaruDoll struggled at first,
then grew still, as the black smoke of Reaverbot death rose from its
ruined shell.
"C'mon! Let's get out of here!" MegaMan ordered, as he headed for the
nearby corridor, and out of the room. Jiji changed back into his
humanoid form-the corridor was too small for his large Fiiru
configuration-and did the same.
As soon as the two were safely in the corridor, out of the
HammaruDoll's reach in case it came back to life, their communicators crackled to
life.
"This is Sera," the voice at the other end greeted. "Are you two
receiving this communication? MegaMan? Jiji?"
"We read you," MegaMan responded. "Why didn't you tell us about the
HammaruDoll?"
"Why? Did you not see it?" Sera asked innocently.
"Yes, but it's the Spotter's job to warn the Digger of any danger,
whether he can see it or not!" the former Purifier nearly yelled at her.
"Ohhh!" came the guilty-sounding apology. "My apologies. I'm afraid I
still have much to learn about Spotting. Anyway, getting back to the
mission, the entrance to the Elder Ruins is located approximately two to
two and a half miles to the northwest. It has been electronically
shielded so that it doesn't appear on any maps or Spotting equipment, but I
have the layout in my memory banks, so I can lead you to it. Sera
out."
"Roger," MegaMan replied, then turned to Jiji. "Let's go!"
With that, they turned and headed in the direction Sera had mentioned.
***
MegaMan and Jiji ran down the brick-lined hallways, destroying an
occasional Reaverbot along the way. At first, they sprinted down the
corridors with no trouble at all. But after about forty minutes, MegaMan
started to feel the need to rest: his breaths came in gasps, and his legs
started to ache. His throat felt as though it were made of sandpaper.
"Say...Jiji...(pant, pant!) Do you think we could...stop and rest a
minute?" MegaMan stammered out. His companion only glanced back
disdainfully, but did not even slow down.
"Please?" MegaMan wheezed. By this time, a cramp was gnawing through
his side, and his lungs were starting to burn.
"You're not tiring already?!" Jiji asked incredulously, without looking
back.
"We've been running for forty-five minutes!" MegaMan protested. "I
need a break!"
"We cannot afford the time for a break," came the reply. "Terra is
being destroyed even as we speak."
Yes, but...!" MegaMan started to object, but was interrupted by a
Fishurudot leaping up and trying to take a bite out of him. The young
Digger stopped and dispatched of the beast, only to have the exhaustion
overtake him completely. He sank to the ground, gasping for air. Jiji
kept going.
"Hey! Wait up!" the former Purifier called, but to no avail. Sighing,
he reluctantly climbed to his feet, and tried to catch up.
[Why couldn't I get paired with someone else?!] MegaMan wondered
miserably. [Why this guy?]
Fortunately, Jiji had stopped a few yards ahead to wait. He didn't
even look out of breath.
"What is wrong?" the Servitor unit demanded. "Why are you unable to
keep up? A mere Fourth-Class Purifier unit would be at the entrance by
now!"
"I'm not a Purifier anymore," MegaMan grumbled. "I'm part human now!
And my human part needs a break!" With this, the blue-armored Digger
uncorked his canteen and gulped its contents, the water cool and
refreshing down his burning throat.
Jiji scowled for a moment, then turned and resumed his trek toward the
Elder ruins entrance. Cursing softly, MegaMan resealed the canteen and
followed, a bit vexed at having his rest interrupted prematurely.
***
"...and extra ammo," Teasel muttered, studying the list in his hands.
"Babu," Bon confirmed, holding up the cartridge.
"That's it!" the elder Bonne exclaimed, crumpling up the list. "Let's
go!" The two pirates picked up their supplies and marched toward the
gaping entrance of the Shala-Kun ruins. Teasel could feel the cool,
earthy breeze drifting out, soothing his sweaty face and improving his
mood.
[Well, here we are, saving the world again!] he thought cheerfully.
[Twice in a lifetime! I wonder if maybe that means something?] He let
his thoughts drift towards this new idea, only to have them interrupted
by a panicked scream. The green-armored pirate snapped out of his
daydream just in time to see a youngish man with messy brown hair coming
racing toward him, panic shining in his eyes.
"Re...Reaverbots!" the newcomer gasped. "Loads of 'em! Everywhere!"
He stumbled to a stop in front of Teasel and Bon, gasping for breath.
Yuna peeked curiously out of the Drache hovering above.
"Whoa! Whoa! Easy there!" Teasel said, grasping the young man by the
shoulders. "What's all this about Reaverbots?"
"I just said, there's tons of them down there!" the newcomer yelped.
"Didn't you hear me?!"
"What kinds?" Teasel asked.
"Dunno what they're called exactly," came the reply. "Big dog-things,
and huge tanks, and some I can't even describe!"
"Don't worry, Mister,uh...." Teasel prompted.
"Dantz."
"Right, Dantz. Don't worry, we're going in there to try and get rid of
them.
Dantz's eyes nearly popped out of his head in sheer disbelief.
"Get...get rid of them?!" he spluttered. "How are you going to do
that? There's zillions...!"
"Yeah, yeah, zillions of them," Teasel grumbled irritably. "We've
already established that. Look, don't worry about it, ok? We're going in,
and we're not coming out until we've done our part to make Terra a
safer place, understand?"
"Babu!" Bon crowed. Dantz still looked skeptical, but he seemed to
accept the pirate's boast. He went over to a nearby pickup, and sat down
on the runnerboard to take a long swig out of his canteen.
"Well, let's go," Yuna called from the Drache. "The sooner we get
started, the sooner we're finished." Teasel and Bon nodded their
compliance, and headed through the entrance. Dantz watched them go.
"How can just two people defeat all those Reaverbots?" he mused.
Yuna's reply startled him.
"You'd be surprised at what enough determination can do," she explained
to the harried Digger. "After all, I once witnessed a single
individual saving the entire world."
"Really?" Dantz's interest was piqued.
"Yes," the Mother unit told him. "But now's not the time for
storytelling. I've got some Spotting to do, so if you'll excuse me...."
"Hm? Oh, sure." With that, Dantz placed his canteen back into the
holding ring on his belt, and climbed into the pickup to leave.
***
"All systems are ready," Roll announced from aboard the Drache on Tonje
Island. "But according to these readings, there's nothing in those
ruins that resembles the room Yuna talked about before we left." She
leaned over the electronic screen, puzzled.
"Mistress Yuna instructed this unit to tell you that the entrance to
the Elder ruins is electronically barricaded," Gaga told her. "Just
direct us to the coordinates she gave you. It will be there."
"All right," Roll answered doubtfully. She didn't like not knowing
what was going on.
"If everyone's ready, can we get moving?" Tron Bonne demanded. "Yuna
said that it was going to take about a day or so to get through, so the
sooner we get going, the better!" Her companions agreed to that.
Gaga and Tron stood before the wind-worn entrance to the Lemke ruins.
The nearby town of Yaschichi had been plentiful where necessary replies
were concerned, but sorely lacking in courtesy, so it had taken them a
good three hours of running around to get the necessary equipment.
Needless to say, patience had been worn thin, and they still had at least
twelve more hours to go.
After making one last systems check, Tron powered up the Gustav III and
armed its weapons. The mecha had been retrieved from the shores of
Calbania Island the night before, and it had taken the second-youngest
Bonne all night to restore it back to optimal condition. Now she settled
herself comfortably in its leather seat, and made a quick roll check on
the six Servbots-#'s 1, 17, 20, 22, 40, and 41-that would accompany
them into the ruins.
"All right, let's move out!" the teenaged pirate announced, and steered
the Gustav toward the entrance, opened it, and marched down the
dust-clogged hallway, the Servbots trailing behind, and Gaga bringing up the
rear. Almost right away, a swarm of Cannams lurched toward them, lenses
glinting evilly. Tron barely had time to squeeze off a Beacon Bomb
before one of the spiderlike robots jumped onto the Gustav's front and
pounded away at its hull.
"Well, we're certainly off to a terrific start," Tron grumbled
sarcastically. She yanked the main control column towards herself sharply,
tilting the Gustav backward. The added momentum of the Cannam threw them
both to the ground, where Tron immediately rolled the mecha around by
throwing her weight side to side. The Reaverbot let out a shrill yelp
before the Gustav's weight crushed it into tinfoil.
[When attacked by a Reaverbot,] Tron thought wryly, [stop, drop, and
roll!]
Speaking of Roll, Tron abruptly realized that the Spotter's voice was
yelling through the speakers.
"Didn't you guys hear me?" Tron's rival yelled. "I said that there
were Reaverbots all over the place!"
"Thanks, but we kinda figured that out on our own!" Tron retorted, then
turned the Gustav's head to the side. From where she was lying, the
young pirate could see the silver bird-dragon that was Gaga incinerating
what was left of the Reaverbots with his flame breath. That done, he
turned and asked Tron if she needed any help, which she declined.
Pushing the Gustav back onto its feet, the pirate girl made a quick
check to make sure all the Servbots were present and accounted for, then
continued on the way. Gaga, she noticed, was content to remain in his
dragonlike Fiiru form. For a few minutes, Tron watched him striding
easily alongside the Gustav, occasionally falling behind when the
passageway got too narrow for the both of them.
When she had first seen the Servitor unit back during the attempt at
the Mother Lode, Tron had watched him closely, both at the press
conference she and her brothers snuck into, as well as later on, when he helped
rescue them after Jiji's attack on their ship. Both times, the young
pirate girl had gotten a good look at the silvery creature, her
fascination with all things robotic coming through, and studying him as closely
as possible. For this reason, the upgrades Yuna had given him were
noticeable to Tron almost right away.
The biggest difference by far was the addition of hind legs to the
formerly birdlike form; Gaga's torso had been lengthened somewhat to
accomodate the new limbs, and the addition was jointed, allowing for more
flexibility. The legs themselves were as long as his wings, and shaped
like those of a terrestrial animal, such as a dog or a cat. The legs
stood on four-toed animal paws-three toes in the front, one in the back,
higher up. Each toe was armed with a sickle-shaped, retractable talon,
as razor-sharp and deadly as it looked. With his wings acting as
forelegs, Gaga moved easily in a quadrupedal gait. There were other
differences, too, but much less noticeable; the blades on his muzzle were
raked back, giving him a more streamlined appearance, and the muzzle itself
was slightly shorter and narrower. Tron assumed that his counterpart,
Jiji, had received the same upgrades.
[Man, I wish I could have gotten MegaMan to come with me,] the pirate
girl thought unhappily. [Then again, it's not every day I get to work
with a Reaverbot.] Allying oneself with other, more ruthless pirates
was nothing compared to going on a Dig-or something close enough to a
Dig-with a friendly Reaverbot by her side. Especially a Reaverbot such as
this. Still, having MegaMan along would have been so much better!
Acting on a sudden impulse, Tron fired a Beacon Bomb at Gaga, to see
what would happen. As soon as the Bomb struck, the Servbots scurried
over, climbed onto the Servitor's back, and rode him like a horse. Gaga
glanced over at his passengers curiously, but didn't slow down. The
Servbots, for their part, were having a great time. Tron smiled at her
robotic children's antics, especially when the silvery Reaverbot gave her
an odd look. But no one said anything, and their pace was not slowed.
"According to my scanner, the wall at the coordinates Yuna mentioned is
too thick to penetrate with any drill or gun. In fact, it looks for
all the world like an outer wall," Roll mused.
"Well, if she says it's there, then it's there!" Tron argued.
"Well, yeah, but...never mind! It looks like you're just a few feet
from the entrance to the Elder Ruins. Just a few steps more...a few
more...there! Try and punch through the wall there!"
"Try and punch through it, she says," Tron grumbled, eyeing the
very-solid-looking wall in front of her. She punched the Gustav's huge fists
at it, even though she expected the barest shudder-and nothing even
remotely resembling breaking-that resulted.
"Allow me," Gaga asked, motioning with the forepaw on the end of his
right wing for Tron to stand back. She obeyed, and watched as the
Servitor lunged at the thick barricade, his sharp beak digging into the
stones it was constructed of. He continued burrowing through, until half of
his muzzle had vanished into the wall, then opened the great jaws wide,
plowing even more stones out of the way. Once the hole was large
enough, the Servitor unit employed the razor-sharp talons on his hind paws
as well, using his wings and tail for support. Soon, the hole was a
good nine feet around, allowing for everyone to pass through. Tron
watched all this with unconcealed amazement.
[Wow!] she thought. [Maybe I got a good partner after all!] She
guided the Gustav through the new passage way, Servbots trailing behind.
outside the tower that housed both its water-filled ruins and the carbon
city above. Upon arrival and landing, the ship's occupants-Sera, Jiji,
and MegaMan-disembarked and headed for the interior of the tower.
"You two get ready to enter the ruins while I go and speak with the one
who is in charge of this city," the former Mother unit of Elysium said,
then paused and amended, "On second thought, you both had better come
with me. It is important that you two hear what I have to say as well."
Once inside, MegaMan lead his foes-turned-allies to the second level of
the huge tower, where the main city-and the mayor's office-was located.
The mayor of Nino Island was, in fact, the Guildmaster for the elite
Digger's Guild, the official Diggers' club.
The city itself was constructed along the edges of the tower, with the
entrance to the Nino Ruins in the center of the plaza. MegaMan saw
that the entrance had been not only sealed shut, but the outer doors had
been reinforced with wooden planks concrete as well. Ruined Reaverbots
littered the near-empty plaza, giving an idea as to how bad the
situation with the Elder System had become here. A loud, steady banging
resounded from beneath the sealed doors.
Upon entering the Guild's main office, the young Digger noticed that
the desk on the right was occupied by a nervous, watchful young lady.
The doors nearby-which once lead to the Nino Sub-ruins-were sealed off
with concrete and wooden planks similar to the ones covering the ruins
outside, and topped off with a sign stating RUINS CLOSED OFF UNTIL
FURTHER NOTICE. The doors next to these, which lead to the Guild testing
rooms, were likewise sealed shut. A couple of dead Zakoben lay in the
corner. MegaMan felt a small chill in his belly; apparently even the
experienced S-Class Diggers of Nino were having trouble with this new
threat.
The trio entered inner office, where the Guildmaster himself was. Sera
and Jiji introduced themselves (the Guildmaster had already met
MegaMan) and requested a quick, private conference. The Guildmaster's
assistant was promptly shooed from the room.
"Alright," the bearded mayor of Nino stated. "Now that everything's
squared away, what can I help you with?"
"Evacuate the city." Sera replied bluntly.
"What?" The Guildmaster looked at her, baffled. MegaMan glanced over
at Jiji, confirming that Sera was the only one in the room who knew what
she was talking about.
"Evacuate Nino city," the Mother unit repeated. "Immediately!"
"Why? I thought you came here to save us!" the Guildmaster protested.
"We're here to save Terra," Sera replied, then explained, "You see, we
are attempting to deactivate the barrier surrounding the controls to
the Elder System, which is what has been threatening the world recently.
In order to do that, we need to access and deactivate three control
stations located at three different islands, including this one. However,
" She glanced over at her companions to make sure they got the message
as well, and continued, "once the station is deactivated, it will begin
an automatic self-destruct program, powerful enough to level the ruins,
and the city with it. We're not sure whether or not we will be able to
stop it, so I recommend that you evacuate everyone from the city for
safety measures."
The decision took only a moment to make, then the Guildmaster was
reaching for the intercom, and making the city-wide announcment:
"THIS IS THE MAYOR ORDERING THE IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF NINO
ISLAND CITY. REPEAT: THIS IS AN ORDER FOR IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY
EVACUATION. PACK EVERYTHING YOU NEED, AND GET AS FAR AWAY FROM THE ISLAND AS
POSSIBLE. MAKE NO PLANS TO RETURN, AS THE CITY MAY BE DESTROYED. THIS
NOT A DRILL! PACK FOR PERMANENT DEPARTURE, AND EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"
His voice reverberated throughout the walled-in city, followed by the
murmurs and bustle of people packing their belongings. Ships in the
docks below hummed to life, preparing to take Nino's inhabitants to
safety.
"Thank you!" Sera told the mayor. "Now, as I said before, we need to
get inside the ruins. Could you please order some of your workers to
open the entrance?"
"If it will save the world, I most certainly will!" the Guildmaster
exclaimed, and gave the order.
***
The concrete barrier blocking the entrance to the ruins was broken
apart, and the badly-dented doors underneath opened in half an hour. Sera
returned to the Drache and its Spotting equipment, while her companions
descended the ladder into the ruins and began their quest.
MegaMan paused in the huge room just inside the entrance. According to
Barrel, this was where the blue-armored Digger had been discovered as a
baby almost sixteen years ago. Even though MegaMan knew he had existed
for centuries, if not milennia, he nonetheless considered this room to
be his birthplace. After all, it was where his current life began, and
the young Digger took a few moments to reflect upon this...until the
HammuruDoll a few yards away interrupted his reverie, and brought his
mind back to the present with a jolt.
[I don't remember any HammuruDolls in here!] MegaMan thought in a wild
panic as the great robot bore down on him. He charged up his buster,
and unleashed several bolts of plasma at this new threat, aiming for the
head. The majority hit their mark, and the HammuruDoll hesitated. The
former Purifier knew from experience what it means when a HammaruDoll
pauses for more than a second. He leapt quickly to the right, just as
the giant Reaverbot's massive, mace-tipped arms crashed down, chipping
the concrete floor where MegaMan had been standing only moments before.
Meanwhile, MegaMan allowed his life-saving jump to end in a prone
position on the floor, and rolled to the side, away from the HammaruDoll's
subsequent pounding on the floor. The great bludgeons on its arms
struck again and again.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
MegaMan could feel the breeze from the last blow, indicating a very
narrow escape. He rolled onto his back, and aimed for the Reaverbot's
eye. A series of purple energy spheres beat him to it, however. Glancing
over his shoulder, the young Digger saw that Jiji had transformed into
his Fiiru form, and was firing away at the giant beast.
The HammaruDoll turned toward this new threat, something akin to rage
gleaming in its single eye. Its massive arms were raised once more,
aiming to bash Jiji's head in. Moving incredibly fast for a creature of
his size, the Servitor skittered out of the way, and clamped his massive
jaws down onto the Reaverbot's crushing limbs. With the behemoth thus
effectively restrained, MegaMan was able to run up to it and fire at
its weakened shell with abandon. The HammaruDoll struggled at first,
then grew still, as the black smoke of Reaverbot death rose from its
ruined shell.
"C'mon! Let's get out of here!" MegaMan ordered, as he headed for the
nearby corridor, and out of the room. Jiji changed back into his
humanoid form-the corridor was too small for his large Fiiru
configuration-and did the same.
As soon as the two were safely in the corridor, out of the
HammaruDoll's reach in case it came back to life, their communicators crackled to
life.
"This is Sera," the voice at the other end greeted. "Are you two
receiving this communication? MegaMan? Jiji?"
"We read you," MegaMan responded. "Why didn't you tell us about the
HammaruDoll?"
"Why? Did you not see it?" Sera asked innocently.
"Yes, but it's the Spotter's job to warn the Digger of any danger,
whether he can see it or not!" the former Purifier nearly yelled at her.
"Ohhh!" came the guilty-sounding apology. "My apologies. I'm afraid I
still have much to learn about Spotting. Anyway, getting back to the
mission, the entrance to the Elder Ruins is located approximately two to
two and a half miles to the northwest. It has been electronically
shielded so that it doesn't appear on any maps or Spotting equipment, but I
have the layout in my memory banks, so I can lead you to it. Sera
out."
"Roger," MegaMan replied, then turned to Jiji. "Let's go!"
With that, they turned and headed in the direction Sera had mentioned.
***
MegaMan and Jiji ran down the brick-lined hallways, destroying an
occasional Reaverbot along the way. At first, they sprinted down the
corridors with no trouble at all. But after about forty minutes, MegaMan
started to feel the need to rest: his breaths came in gasps, and his legs
started to ache. His throat felt as though it were made of sandpaper.
"Say...Jiji...(pant, pant!) Do you think we could...stop and rest a
minute?" MegaMan stammered out. His companion only glanced back
disdainfully, but did not even slow down.
"Please?" MegaMan wheezed. By this time, a cramp was gnawing through
his side, and his lungs were starting to burn.
"You're not tiring already?!" Jiji asked incredulously, without looking
back.
"We've been running for forty-five minutes!" MegaMan protested. "I
need a break!"
"We cannot afford the time for a break," came the reply. "Terra is
being destroyed even as we speak."
Yes, but...!" MegaMan started to object, but was interrupted by a
Fishurudot leaping up and trying to take a bite out of him. The young
Digger stopped and dispatched of the beast, only to have the exhaustion
overtake him completely. He sank to the ground, gasping for air. Jiji
kept going.
"Hey! Wait up!" the former Purifier called, but to no avail. Sighing,
he reluctantly climbed to his feet, and tried to catch up.
[Why couldn't I get paired with someone else?!] MegaMan wondered
miserably. [Why this guy?]
Fortunately, Jiji had stopped a few yards ahead to wait. He didn't
even look out of breath.
"What is wrong?" the Servitor unit demanded. "Why are you unable to
keep up? A mere Fourth-Class Purifier unit would be at the entrance by
now!"
"I'm not a Purifier anymore," MegaMan grumbled. "I'm part human now!
And my human part needs a break!" With this, the blue-armored Digger
uncorked his canteen and gulped its contents, the water cool and
refreshing down his burning throat.
Jiji scowled for a moment, then turned and resumed his trek toward the
Elder ruins entrance. Cursing softly, MegaMan resealed the canteen and
followed, a bit vexed at having his rest interrupted prematurely.
***
"...and extra ammo," Teasel muttered, studying the list in his hands.
"Babu," Bon confirmed, holding up the cartridge.
"That's it!" the elder Bonne exclaimed, crumpling up the list. "Let's
go!" The two pirates picked up their supplies and marched toward the
gaping entrance of the Shala-Kun ruins. Teasel could feel the cool,
earthy breeze drifting out, soothing his sweaty face and improving his
mood.
[Well, here we are, saving the world again!] he thought cheerfully.
[Twice in a lifetime! I wonder if maybe that means something?] He let
his thoughts drift towards this new idea, only to have them interrupted
by a panicked scream. The green-armored pirate snapped out of his
daydream just in time to see a youngish man with messy brown hair coming
racing toward him, panic shining in his eyes.
"Re...Reaverbots!" the newcomer gasped. "Loads of 'em! Everywhere!"
He stumbled to a stop in front of Teasel and Bon, gasping for breath.
Yuna peeked curiously out of the Drache hovering above.
"Whoa! Whoa! Easy there!" Teasel said, grasping the young man by the
shoulders. "What's all this about Reaverbots?"
"I just said, there's tons of them down there!" the newcomer yelped.
"Didn't you hear me?!"
"What kinds?" Teasel asked.
"Dunno what they're called exactly," came the reply. "Big dog-things,
and huge tanks, and some I can't even describe!"
"Don't worry, Mister,uh...." Teasel prompted.
"Dantz."
"Right, Dantz. Don't worry, we're going in there to try and get rid of
them.
Dantz's eyes nearly popped out of his head in sheer disbelief.
"Get...get rid of them?!" he spluttered. "How are you going to do
that? There's zillions...!"
"Yeah, yeah, zillions of them," Teasel grumbled irritably. "We've
already established that. Look, don't worry about it, ok? We're going in,
and we're not coming out until we've done our part to make Terra a
safer place, understand?"
"Babu!" Bon crowed. Dantz still looked skeptical, but he seemed to
accept the pirate's boast. He went over to a nearby pickup, and sat down
on the runnerboard to take a long swig out of his canteen.
"Well, let's go," Yuna called from the Drache. "The sooner we get
started, the sooner we're finished." Teasel and Bon nodded their
compliance, and headed through the entrance. Dantz watched them go.
"How can just two people defeat all those Reaverbots?" he mused.
Yuna's reply startled him.
"You'd be surprised at what enough determination can do," she explained
to the harried Digger. "After all, I once witnessed a single
individual saving the entire world."
"Really?" Dantz's interest was piqued.
"Yes," the Mother unit told him. "But now's not the time for
storytelling. I've got some Spotting to do, so if you'll excuse me...."
"Hm? Oh, sure." With that, Dantz placed his canteen back into the
holding ring on his belt, and climbed into the pickup to leave.
***
"All systems are ready," Roll announced from aboard the Drache on Tonje
Island. "But according to these readings, there's nothing in those
ruins that resembles the room Yuna talked about before we left." She
leaned over the electronic screen, puzzled.
"Mistress Yuna instructed this unit to tell you that the entrance to
the Elder ruins is electronically barricaded," Gaga told her. "Just
direct us to the coordinates she gave you. It will be there."
"All right," Roll answered doubtfully. She didn't like not knowing
what was going on.
"If everyone's ready, can we get moving?" Tron Bonne demanded. "Yuna
said that it was going to take about a day or so to get through, so the
sooner we get going, the better!" Her companions agreed to that.
Gaga and Tron stood before the wind-worn entrance to the Lemke ruins.
The nearby town of Yaschichi had been plentiful where necessary replies
were concerned, but sorely lacking in courtesy, so it had taken them a
good three hours of running around to get the necessary equipment.
Needless to say, patience had been worn thin, and they still had at least
twelve more hours to go.
After making one last systems check, Tron powered up the Gustav III and
armed its weapons. The mecha had been retrieved from the shores of
Calbania Island the night before, and it had taken the second-youngest
Bonne all night to restore it back to optimal condition. Now she settled
herself comfortably in its leather seat, and made a quick roll check on
the six Servbots-#'s 1, 17, 20, 22, 40, and 41-that would accompany
them into the ruins.
"All right, let's move out!" the teenaged pirate announced, and steered
the Gustav toward the entrance, opened it, and marched down the
dust-clogged hallway, the Servbots trailing behind, and Gaga bringing up the
rear. Almost right away, a swarm of Cannams lurched toward them, lenses
glinting evilly. Tron barely had time to squeeze off a Beacon Bomb
before one of the spiderlike robots jumped onto the Gustav's front and
pounded away at its hull.
"Well, we're certainly off to a terrific start," Tron grumbled
sarcastically. She yanked the main control column towards herself sharply,
tilting the Gustav backward. The added momentum of the Cannam threw them
both to the ground, where Tron immediately rolled the mecha around by
throwing her weight side to side. The Reaverbot let out a shrill yelp
before the Gustav's weight crushed it into tinfoil.
[When attacked by a Reaverbot,] Tron thought wryly, [stop, drop, and
roll!]
Speaking of Roll, Tron abruptly realized that the Spotter's voice was
yelling through the speakers.
"Didn't you guys hear me?" Tron's rival yelled. "I said that there
were Reaverbots all over the place!"
"Thanks, but we kinda figured that out on our own!" Tron retorted, then
turned the Gustav's head to the side. From where she was lying, the
young pirate could see the silver bird-dragon that was Gaga incinerating
what was left of the Reaverbots with his flame breath. That done, he
turned and asked Tron if she needed any help, which she declined.
Pushing the Gustav back onto its feet, the pirate girl made a quick
check to make sure all the Servbots were present and accounted for, then
continued on the way. Gaga, she noticed, was content to remain in his
dragonlike Fiiru form. For a few minutes, Tron watched him striding
easily alongside the Gustav, occasionally falling behind when the
passageway got too narrow for the both of them.
When she had first seen the Servitor unit back during the attempt at
the Mother Lode, Tron had watched him closely, both at the press
conference she and her brothers snuck into, as well as later on, when he helped
rescue them after Jiji's attack on their ship. Both times, the young
pirate girl had gotten a good look at the silvery creature, her
fascination with all things robotic coming through, and studying him as closely
as possible. For this reason, the upgrades Yuna had given him were
noticeable to Tron almost right away.
The biggest difference by far was the addition of hind legs to the
formerly birdlike form; Gaga's torso had been lengthened somewhat to
accomodate the new limbs, and the addition was jointed, allowing for more
flexibility. The legs themselves were as long as his wings, and shaped
like those of a terrestrial animal, such as a dog or a cat. The legs
stood on four-toed animal paws-three toes in the front, one in the back,
higher up. Each toe was armed with a sickle-shaped, retractable talon,
as razor-sharp and deadly as it looked. With his wings acting as
forelegs, Gaga moved easily in a quadrupedal gait. There were other
differences, too, but much less noticeable; the blades on his muzzle were
raked back, giving him a more streamlined appearance, and the muzzle itself
was slightly shorter and narrower. Tron assumed that his counterpart,
Jiji, had received the same upgrades.
[Man, I wish I could have gotten MegaMan to come with me,] the pirate
girl thought unhappily. [Then again, it's not every day I get to work
with a Reaverbot.] Allying oneself with other, more ruthless pirates
was nothing compared to going on a Dig-or something close enough to a
Dig-with a friendly Reaverbot by her side. Especially a Reaverbot such as
this. Still, having MegaMan along would have been so much better!
Acting on a sudden impulse, Tron fired a Beacon Bomb at Gaga, to see
what would happen. As soon as the Bomb struck, the Servbots scurried
over, climbed onto the Servitor's back, and rode him like a horse. Gaga
glanced over at his passengers curiously, but didn't slow down. The
Servbots, for their part, were having a great time. Tron smiled at her
robotic children's antics, especially when the silvery Reaverbot gave her
an odd look. But no one said anything, and their pace was not slowed.
"According to my scanner, the wall at the coordinates Yuna mentioned is
too thick to penetrate with any drill or gun. In fact, it looks for
all the world like an outer wall," Roll mused.
"Well, if she says it's there, then it's there!" Tron argued.
"Well, yeah, but...never mind! It looks like you're just a few feet
from the entrance to the Elder Ruins. Just a few steps more...a few
more...there! Try and punch through the wall there!"
"Try and punch through it, she says," Tron grumbled, eyeing the
very-solid-looking wall in front of her. She punched the Gustav's huge fists
at it, even though she expected the barest shudder-and nothing even
remotely resembling breaking-that resulted.
"Allow me," Gaga asked, motioning with the forepaw on the end of his
right wing for Tron to stand back. She obeyed, and watched as the
Servitor lunged at the thick barricade, his sharp beak digging into the
stones it was constructed of. He continued burrowing through, until half of
his muzzle had vanished into the wall, then opened the great jaws wide,
plowing even more stones out of the way. Once the hole was large
enough, the Servitor unit employed the razor-sharp talons on his hind paws
as well, using his wings and tail for support. Soon, the hole was a
good nine feet around, allowing for everyone to pass through. Tron
watched all this with unconcealed amazement.
[Wow!] she thought. [Maybe I got a good partner after all!] She
guided the Gustav through the new passage way, Servbots trailing behind.