Chapter 4: Stars In Our Eyes
"I suppose we should have expected it... throwing things into space is only the latest method of humanity and reploidkind to get rid of their undesirables. It's been going on since the dawn of time... into the sea, into landfills, and now into space. But we never seem to learn... no matter how far you throw most of it, the worst of the garbage always comes back to you..." -Dr. Ciel, upon sighting the space shuttle containing the reploid known as Omega
"Well, this isn't TOO familiar…" Edmund Martel, U.N. Representative for the United States, muttered sardonically to himself. Looking out over the meeting hall, he winced at the sheer amount of noise his ears were picking up. The announcement of the Fifth Robot Rebellion had, as had every one before it, struck the U.N. Council like a thunderbolt; and like every one before it, less than an hour later an emergency meeting had been convened, mostly consisting of nearly every representative there screaming their heads off. Even the normally cooler heads such as Coombe and Arcian were fit to be tied, but that was normal in these situations. What was more surprising was that Vinkus was indistinguishable from the others. While Martel disliked and distrusted the notorious anti-robotics Councilor from Japan, he was normally rational and reasonable, and along with Martel himself was one of the few who always kept his head during Rebellion situations. Now, though… sighing, Martel took a deep breath, then released a bellow the likes of which he had not used since he had been a drill sergeant thirty years ago.
"QUIET!" The harsh command cut through even the loudest babble, and every Councilor there turned to stare at him. The white-haired American nodded in approval. "Good. As presiding member, I declare a fifteen-minute recess. We shall reconvene here in that time." Grumbling, the councilors shimmered and vanished from Martel's eyes one by one. Thanks to modern technology, it was no longer necessary for the entire council to remain in one country alien to nearly all of them. Instead, each of them had an identical council chamber built into their homes. Holographic technology in their desks projected their image and voice to all the others. Before Vinkus could leave, Martel made a small hand motion to catch his eye, then shook his head, mutely asking the Japanese Councilor to remain. Vinkus' eyes widened briefly behind his spectacles, and then he nodded in agreement. Once the other councilors had all dissipated, Martel walked down the aisles and sat at the desk next to Vinkus'.
"Something you wished to discuss?" Vinkus asked curtly. The American Councilor's face grew flinty.
"What's wrong with you?" He shot back just as bluntly. "We've never really gotten along well, Darwin, but you're one of the only people on this Council I can actually count on when something comes up that's beyond our petty squabbling. Normally. But a few minutes ago, you were as flustered and foolish as the rest of the idiots. I want to know why." Vinkus' face was surprised at first, then angry.
"You have no right to-"
"Wrong." Martel cut off. "If we're to do anything about this, we need every member on this Council with a brain to use it, and that includes you. We've got few enough as it is, and you know it. Me, you… Vidarson, Mikhail and Romeza… Arcian and Coombe, when they stop squabbling, I suppose… and that's it. Every other representative here has their brains given to them by their speechwriters. Let's be honest, Darwin. In another generation or two, the U.N. is done for. Screaming at each other all day solves NOTHING, and the few of us with our heads on straight DON'T need you defecting to the idiot side." Vinkus deflated.
"Edmund, I…" He shrugged helplessly. "You're right, of course. I just… I'm unsettled by this. Even… scared. My worst fears have come to light here."
"Ah…" Martel nodded, suddenly realizing. "I had forgotten… you were there when Dr. Light was abducted, correct?"
"Yes." Vinkus looked away. "And believe me when I say there is no possibility of this being a trick or a ruse. Blues Light… no, Proto Man is an enemy of humanity now. I saw him hurt, and then kidnap his father with my own eyes. A robot… the most advanced robot in existence save his own brother… is declaring war on humanity."
"His brother…?" Martel seized on that. "Before now, you've never referred to the robotic Lights as a family… you've always called Blues, Roll and Rock Dr. Light's creations… never his children."
"Yes, well…" Vinkus remembered the last flying moth robot, and shook his head. "I suppose those three are obscuring the line between human and robot even for me… and when you think about it, that's scary by itself. But Proto Man… what can we do to stop him?"
"The same thing as always." The white-haired American decided. "It may be cold, but Mega Man's the only one who can take care of this. And this time, it can't be independent… we have to convince the other members of the U.N. to join with us in asking… no, even ordering him… to take on his brother. We have to make it clear that now, more than any other time, humanity itself is behind Mega Man, or political stability will collapse even more than it already has."
"A lot of the others will disagree." Vinkus narrowed his eyes, thinking quickly. "They'll want to send in armies this time… armies of humans, to combat the robot menace. Suicide, of course, since humans simply can't match up to warbots in equal combat, but they won't know that. We'll have to persuade them that Mega Man is a better option."
"This recess is almost over." Martel glanced at a wall clock. "We'll let them yell for another hour or two, then I'll call another recess and we can each talk to our friends on here. Oh, don't look insulted. I KNOW you regularly talk with other anti-robotics people on this council off the record. Tell them what we have to do, and persuade them to help us convince the others. I'll do the same with the ones whose views are similar to mine."
"All right, fine." Vinkus grumbled. "Anything to get this done… but I don't like this. Just so you know." Martel smiled inwardly; the Japanese Councilor was acting like his old self again. And then the recess ended, and the other representatives began pouring back in.
"Ah, Mega Man." Ring Man greeted the younger son of Light as he rose from his stasis capsule. "Are you recovered fully, then?" Ring Man was another of Cossack's Robot Masters, his armor bright red with yellow trim. Though his form was humanoid like all Robot Masters, the only part of him that was not obviously robotic could be seen through a slit in his armor for his eyes. Like another of Cossack's creations, Dive Man, his head sported a ludicrous ornament; in this case, a tiny ring on a stick that resembled a child's bubble toy.
"Call me Rock when I'm not wearing my armor, please… and yeah." He walked out into the hall with the Russian Robot Master following him. "How's Roll doing? And Eddie, for that matter?"
"Both were fully repaired by my creator, and rose from stasis before you." Ring Man informed him. Rock blinked, surprised.
"How long was I out?" Ring Man thought for a moment.
"Approximately… twelve hours."
"That long…" Rock shook his head in slight amazement. He had not had good dreams during that stasis period. "Wow. I hope the Doc himself took a nap after that?"
"Of course." Ring Man confirmed. "He is awake now as well. All three of them are now in the lab, along with mistress Kalinka and Pharaoh Man… and Rush, who was delivered to us while you were all asleep."
"Oh, hell… Rush!" Rock broke into a run towards the lab. With everything that had gone on with Blues and his father, he had forgotten the loyal robotic dog's injuries. Ring Man at his heels, he burst into the lab.
"Oh, there you are, bro." Roll greeted him without turning. She, Cossack and Eddie were gathered around the operating table (the latter was standing on it), while Kalinka and Pharaoh Man stood some distance away. "You sure slept in. And yes, we've all seen that friendly little message our brother sent the world; the Doc here taped it for us."
"Your brother didn't send that message." Kalinka glared at the robot girl. "That wasn't Blues. He'd never do something like that."
"Look, I don't want to believe it either, but like I've already told you, we saw him with our own eyes." Roll growled. "Rock still has his scarf. It's him."
"Enough, both of you." Dr. Cossack sighed wearily, not turning away from the table. "This isn't any easier with the two of you bickering."
"How's it going, doc?" Rock asked quietly, walking over.
"Some good, some bad." Dr. Cossack shook his head resignedly. "The good news is, there's no serious damage to any critical components; it's mostly external. Mostly. The bad news is, there IS serious damage to the module that operates the Rush Coil in his back. And while I can repair all the external damage, the Rush Coil may be beyond my skill. I might be able to modify it into a working form, but it's doubtful that I can restore it to perfect operation."
"Just as long as he's repaired." Rock nodded, silently patting the stasis-mode dog on the head once. "I was worried about him. Who brought him?"
"It was a UN shuttle." Roll explained, leaning against a wall. "It brought everything else they could salvage from our house too, although we haven't unpacked most of that yet. Just Rush and… that." She gestured over to another table, where a familiar suit of blue armor was lying. A light-blue, flexible jumpsuit with thicker, indigo plating on the hands, feet, waist and helmet. Nodding at it, Rock activated the command that caused the armor to instantly teleport onto his body, replacing the human clothing he was wearing.
"All right then, I've slept enough. Now it's time for me to get to work."
"You don't think Blues is really doing this too, are you?" Kalinka accused him. Mega Man turned to look at her, eyes inscrutable.
"I don't know. While I find it hard to believe my brother would do anything like this, we DID see him. I can't decide right now… and really, I don't need to. I'm not going for him directly. Not yet. Right now, there are eight Robot Master servants out there causing havoc… and that's something I DO know how to deal with. And I'm going to deal with it the same way as always. Take them down."
"Sounds like a plan." Dr. Cossack looked up. "So, which one are you going for first?" As Mega Man started to answer, he was cut off by the ringing of a vidphone call, which Pharaoh Man quickly answered.
"Greetings. This is Dr. Sergei Cossack's citadel. I… oh. Yes… yes, I see."
"I thought your number was unlisted." Roll raised an eyebrow. Kalinka frowned.
"It is. Who could it be?"
"Mega Man… it is the United Nations council." Pharaoh Man turned to look at them all. "They wish to speak with you."
"Put them on the big screen on that wall." Mega Man decided. Pharaoh Man glanced at his creator for confirmation. Cossack nodded, and the large screen flickered to life, revealing the U.N. council hall. Mega, Roll and Cossack all recognized Vinkus behind one desk, but it was not he who spoke. Instead, it was an older man with a mane of long, white hair that reached to his shoulders, standing at the forefront.
"Mega Man, I am Edmund Martel, UN representative for the United States of America, and at the moment, presiding member of this council." Mega inclined his head courteously, though his face remained cold.
"Councilors… what can I do for you?"
"We… find ourselves in a dire situation at the moment." Martel explained. ""You are, undoubtedly, aware of Proto Man's declaration of war on mankind. Because of that, for the duration of this Rebellion, we must ask that you operate under our authority."
"Bullshit." Roll snapped. "Rock's never been working for the government. Ever since the first Rebellion, he's been going out again and again because he knew he was the only one who COULD… because he CHOSE to. He was never ordered to, was never given directions by a higher authority. And you want to start now? Forget it-"
"Roll, please." Mega Man cut her off. "These gentlemen would not have contacted us like this and made this request unless it was absolutely necessary…" He smiled grimly. "Especially since, according to the stories our friend Darwin has told us, it would be a remarkable feat to get five of the representatives to agree on something at once, let alone a majority." Martel's cheeks twitched, but he managed to keep his face serious. "Very well. I will place myself under the authority of the United Nations for the duration of this Rebellion… under the understanding that I will continue to remain staying at Dr. Sergei Cossack's, and rely on him for repairs and upgrades."
"Reasonable enough, considering his relation to your family." Martel turned to glance at the representatives behind him. "Are there any objections?" The tone of his voice made it clear that he expected several and also expected them to NOT be brought up at this moment. "Good. Now, then…" He turned back to the screen. "I assume you are already aware of the eight Robot Masters, but just in case, allow me to state the details again. The Turntable model prototype… Gravity Man, I mean… has seized a research and development military base in the western United States. Charge Man, AKA the Railroader model prototype, is wreaking havoc throughout the entire European train system. The Rockyfella prototype, now Stone Man, is mining in the Nevada mountains… we're not quite sure what he's doing there. Wave Man, formerly the prototype Tsunami model, has captured one of the locations he was designed to protect originally… the massive freshwater reservoir mainly beneath the Himalayan mountains. I'm sure you're familiar with the location."
"You could say that." Mega Man allowed himself a small, bitter smile. The Himalayas were where Dr. Wily's first Skull Fortress had been located.
"Then there's Crystal Man… obviously, the Crystallus model prototype." Martel continued on. "He's taken one of the Energen Crystal Mines discovered by Sennet Robotics… again, one I'm sure you remember. It's the one in New Guinea… the blue variant mine. The former Greenhawk prototype, now Gyro Man, has taken control of the high altitude weather observation platforms in Nigeria. The most dangerous prototype, the Warmonger, is now known as Napalm Man and occupying the treeborg forests of India. Not hard to guess what HE'll be doing there. And finally, the Starshine model, now Star Man, has taken control of… Project SKYLIGHT." Cossack whistled, and his eyes widened. Mega Man frowned darkly.
"The name doesn't ring any bells, but it sounds like bad news."
"It is." Vinkus spoke up. "I know…I helped create it. It was one of the few truly major projects that all of us worked on as one unit… those of us who had no knowledge of the main principles could still do calculations and computations beyond the computers of the time. It was ordered to be built to protect our nearly-destroyed planet from an approaching storm of asteroids and other spaceborn debris from the direction of Jupiter… a storm that is still present today. What we created… was an orbiting space defense platform. Lasers, missiles, and every other form of defense we could come up with in one grid that would protect us. A defensive grid that has now been deactivated by the platform's new master."
"Wait… wait." Roll held up a hand. "Did you say the storm's still going on?"
"Exactly." Martel resumed talking. "So far, fortunately, all that has passed Project SKYLIGHT has been small matter, burning up in the atmosphere. But it's only a matter of time before something too big comes along. Mega Man, your first priority must be the recovery of Project SKYLIGHT. Go there, destroy Star Man and reactivate the defenses." Several complicated series' of letters and numbers appeared on the screen. "These are the passwords that will get you into the platform's controls once you have dealt with Star Man. In addition to reactivating the grid, you will also be able to trigger the defenses to destroy any remaining robots. It is unfortunate that, apparently, the staff onboard at the time was unable to activate the defenses… they are undoubtedly all dead. Fortunately, once you reactivate the grid, it will be able to handle its own functions enough to defend the Earth until a new staff can be sent up."
"Well, I usually prefer to have a choice in the matter as to who I go after first, but you're right… this time, Star Man has to be taken out right away." Mega Man saluted. "I'll bring him down." Martel returned the salute gravely.
"We're counting on you."
"Feeding time, monkeys." Dark Man announced as he walked into Blues' main command center. Still in their separate cells at the back were the two Doctors. Dr. Wily was curled up on himself in a lump of despair, speaking little. Dr. Light, on the other hand, glared at the Advanced Robot Master defiantly.
"Where is my son?"
"Master Proto Man is busy, I'm afraid." Dark Man shrugged, not even bothering to look at the old doctor as he worked on something with his back to the cells. "You know how it goes… always a million details to keep up with when it comes to these Rebellions. Right, then…" He turned around, holding a tray with two dishes on it. "For Dr. Light, a microwave dinner… nothing special, I'm afraid, but it's the best we can do. We don't exactly have a Chef Man working for us. And for Dr. Wily, gourmet dog food from the can. Enjoy!" He set the dishes down in front of them both.
"Dog food?" Dr. Light inquired mildly. Dark Man attempted to nod. He failed miserably, not having anything even resembling a neck or chin, but he didn't seem to notice.
"Yup. Master Proto Man's orders; he's to be kept in a state as close to that girl Kalinka's during the Fourth as possible. Of course, we don't want him to actually die… not yet. Which is why we're feeding him at all. But I think the point is still clear." The red-and-black robot turned to glare at Wily. "Besides, for some strange reason, I strongly dislike him anyways. Not quite sure why; I just do. You should enjoy what you're getting, Doctor Light… if you raise too much of a ruckus, you'll only succeed in making Master Proto Man even more irritated with you, and that could very well erase whatever feelings he has left for you. And I don't really care about you either way, so that wouldn't be a good idea at all." He glanced at the door to the command center. "Ah, here he comes now. Some free advice from a guy who's completely neutral in his feelings for you. Just stay quiet and don't bother him. That's what Wily's been doing ever since the first time we played pinata with him, and we haven't done it again since." The door opened, and Proto Man walked in, smiling arrogantly.
"Morning, Dark. Dad. Uncle Al." Walking past them, the commander of the robot army whistled his favorite tune as he sat in one of the two command chairs. In a half circle around the chairs was a massive collection of computers reporting vital statistics, security camera footage and constantly open communication channels from each of the eight Robot Masters' locations. In the center, directly in front, was one huge monitor displaying a world map. Glowing dots on there marked the eight locations, as well as other vital points on the globe such as the most powerful nations' capitals and the homes of both the Cossacks and the Lights. "Hey, why do we even have this one up here anymore, Dark?" Proto Man pointed at the dot representing his former home. "There's nothing of importance there anymore… just rubble and slag."
"Let's take it down then, boss." Crossing to the second command chair, Dark Man tapped a few keys, and the dot over the Light residence faded away. "There we go. No muss, no fuss." Proto Man nodded approvingly.
"Good. Now that that's been taken care of, have there been any issues?"
"Well, Star Man called a little while back." Dark Man reported. "Wanted to talk to you."
"Might as well find out what about…" Proto Man turned to face the comm to Star Man's base. "Hey Star, you there?" There was a moment's pause before Star Man's face appeared on the screen, underneath the five-pointed orange star headpiece he wore.
"Master Proto Man? Is that you?"
"It's not Dr. Wily, you blockhead." Proto Man snorted. "Dark Man said you wanted to talk to me. What's the deal?"
"Well, master… what exactly should I be doing now?" Star Man asked hesitantly. "I mean… I've shut off the defense grid, and there's nothing stopping the space debris from hitting Earth… but that's all you've told me to do. Now what? Should I return to you for another mission?"
"Oh, hell no." Proto Man growled. "Think, Star Man. If you and your army leave, they'll be able to turn that thing back on easily. No, you just stay right there and hold that location until further notice… or until my little brother comes to pay you a visit, that is."
"Mega Man?" Star Man took a step back. "Will… will he be coming here, then?"
"Of course he will, idiot." Dark Man growled. "What, you think the master sent that message just for the fun of it? The master's brother has stopped four Rebellions before, of course he will try to stop this one too."
"What he said." Proto Man jerked a thumb at his second-in-command. "And I'm guessing your location is pretty high on his priorities list, Star. Drastic threat to the entire planet and all that. So if I were you, I'd be expecting a visit from him quite soon. You'll be ready for him when he comes, won't you?" Star Man slowly nodded, obviously shaken.
"O… of course, sir. But… he has killed so many of us Robot Masters before… will I be any match for him?"
"Of course you will." Blues grinned. "You forget… they were but ordinary, foolish Robot Masters serving either a human or a madman. YOU are part of the robot army that will exterminate the human race, and thus, your will is far stronger than any before you. I DID make you a general, Star Man. Prove to me that I was right in doing so." Star Man nodded again and saluted, then walked off. "Well, that went well. Anything else to deal with, Dark?"
"Well…" Dark Man glanced at the monitors around them. "Napalm Man hasn't started on his assignment yet… he's taken the location, sure, but he hasn't actually done anything there yet."
"Ah, he's probably just having some mechanical troubles." Proto Man stood. "Nothing to worry about. I'm out of here, then. Call me when Rock actually goes somewhere." He began walking towards the door.
"Blues." Dr. Light said calmly. "You'll never succeed with this insanity. You know that." Proto Man slowed for a moment, then shrugged and kept walking.
"Figured you'd say something like that, dad. It doesn't really mean anything to me. Because you're completely wrong. On the contrary, I know I WILL succeed. Sorry I can't stop to talk more right now; places to go, people to kill and all that. Maybe later. See you around!" As the doors clicked shut behind him, Dr. Wily turned to the other old doctor, eyes dull.
"Don't try it, Tom. He's changed completely. There isn't an ounce of the robot we created left in him."
"Says you." Dr. Light retorted coldly. "I don't believe I need YOUR advice." Wily shrugged lethargically.
"It's your skin if he gets angry." He fell silent again, as did Dr. Light, and the only sound was Dark Man's left hand typing on the keyboard as he monitored the Robot Masters.
In the void of space, currently between the planet Earth and its moon, the space station SKYLIGHT spun peacefully, its surface quiet. From far away, there were no signs of the carnage that had taken place; only by moving closer could one see the wide streaks of blood and dead bodies lying around. The robots, it seems, hadn't bothered to clean up after they were done. There was no movement; the space station was still and quiet. And yet, sensor devices at various points across the surface of the station picked up the streak of blue light traveling towards them from Earth at high speed, and sent the message back to the station's control center. The message that Star Man had been dreading. "He's here." And then the light hit the surface of Project SKYLIGHT, immediately solidifying into the blue-armored form of Mega Man.
"Whew… going long distances always packs a kick." Mega glanced up at the glowing sphere of his home planet above him in the starry night sky. "And I guess they don't get much longer than this." Matter teleportation was a fairly new technology, developed around the same time as the Robot Masters, and was still only safely usable by robots; any human would undergo severe brain damage from the molecular shifting involved, if they weren't killed. But metal and electronics… those could handle the trip. Glancing up again, Mega Man saw a packet of asteroids approaching. The rocks were small, only about his own size, and moving relatively slowly… but getting hit by one would still be a bad idea. With a startled yelp, the blue hero took cover under a nearby radar dish and waited until the rocks stopped crashing into it and the deck around him before making a dash for the nearest porthole. He dropped into it with no problems, noting that his fall was quite a bit slower than normal. Project SKYLIGHT's artificial gravity was noticeably lower than Earth's. As he hit the floor inside the station, Mega fired behind him to take out the waiting security robot, then moved on past it. The hall was lined with hidden cannons that popped up to fire as he approached, but a charged shot wiped both their own fire and the cannons themselves out instantly. More notable-and far more dangerous-was the defense measure Mega saw lining parts of the ceiling.
"Spikes. Figures. Almost definitely electrified, too." One of the favorite non-robotic defenses of the men behind Rebellions, whether it was Wily, Cossack, Doc Man or now Proto Man, were barbed spikes in inconvenient locations with electric currents running through them. If one of the pointed traps pierced Mega Man's armor, the current would immediately flow directly into his circuits, killing him instantly. Remembering the low gravity, Mega made a point of not making even the slightest hop as he continued down the hall. At the end, something caught his eye; a handy map of the complex. Scanning it, he quickly found the control center. "Good… I'm already on the fastest path there… eh?" The map had been tampered with; an additional marking labeled "circuit plate" had been added on his path, on the next level down. "Huh… we'll see about that." Continuing on, he soon found the spot indicated. More spikes lined the ceiling, but aside from a few hovering robots, there was nothing else visible… at first.
"Where is it… aw, no." The circuit plate was there, all right; taped to one of the spikes above. "No way I'm going to just try and grab that… but I need that thing. How… wait…" One of the destroyed robots had been using a propeller to stay aloft. Grabbing it and wrenching it off the slagged 'bot, Mega stretched up and used it to pry at the tape. After a few minutes of futile effort, the coin-sized plate came loose and drifted slowly down into Mega Man's outstretched palm. "That's one of them, then… now, back to the main issue. Star Man." The path he remembered led him back up to the surface of the station after that, but now all the robots were aware of his presence and moved across SKYLIGHT in search of him. In addition to dodging more asteroids and missiles that exploded into shrapnel even if they missed him, Metools in bubble helmets and jetpacks blasted around. They would have been hilarious if they weren't trying to kill him; as they were, Mega Man was definitely not amused.
"This Star Man probably thinks he's quite the comedian…" Mega growled as he blew yet another one out of the sky. "First the flying Mets in the Third, then the swimming one in the Fourth, and now this. I AIN'T LAUGHING." And then something else rounded a corner, and Mega decided that the Space Mets were the least of his worries. A huge, heavily armored mechanoid was patrolling around on two long, spindly legs with flat feet that made up most of its mass. The remainder was an orange head with a single, sky blue eye that had just spotted him. And through that eye, Mega saw what was controlling the metal monster; a Robot Master with a huge star plate over his body and a smaller one on his head. "Star Man? No, he'll be in the control center… this must just be a subordinate Starshine Model, then…" Confirming his guess, the Robot Master didn't say anything, simply boring down on him with a glare of programmed determination. Even though it was much larger than him, the robot walker had not been built for speed, and Mega was able to keep away from it easily while he charged a shot. The target was obvious. Jumping into the air, the blue hero fired the blast straight into the eye of the mechanoid. The Starshine's face remained the same, but the walker backed off, stepping away.
"Going to try a new tactic, eh?" Mega Man guessed. Again, he was correct; a laser turret emerged from the hull right below the eye and began firing. Again, Mega jumped and fired a charged shot, and again it struck home, cracking the eye this time. However, as he landed one of the lasers hit him. "Dammit… you are SO dead!" The third charged shot blew the eye out completely and continued through to hit the Starshine, preventing it from jumping out as it also burned through the controls. With a groan of scraping metal, the walker collapsed. A single orange arm wiggled out of the shattered socket before the cockpit hit the ground, crushing the pilot. Without a backwards glance, Mega Man pressed on.
Beyond the walker, it seemed a large group of Space Metools had been bottlenecking, and Mega took another hit clearing them out. Growling, he checked a meter on his right arm. "Hm… down to 79. Not bad, but worse than I would like before fighting Star Man… maybe I'll find an energy capsule." The meter was measuring Mega's internal operations energy, which decreased every time he took a hit. If it hit zero, there would be nothing left to keep him activated. Fortunately, he was able to avoid any more hits in the next section, with rising and falling hover platforms patrolled by robots the only way across a seemingly endless stretch of floorspikes. Beyond them was the door that led to the control center of Project SKYLIGHT… and it had another mechanoid walker waiting right in front of it. "Ugh… figures. I feel like I'm in freakin' Star Wars now." The second walker was dispatched even easier than the first had been, and Mega walked past it, through the steel shutter that always had marked the entrance to a Robot Master's lair… and likely always would, no matter who was pulling the strings. Back inside now, he walked down a short hall and through a second shutter, into the command center.
"My sensors were right… it is you." The command center's only occupant swiveled around in his chair to greet his enemy, hands together. The rest of the seats were empty, though bloodstains here and there indicated that they had not been evicted voluntarily. "Mega Man, the butcher of the Robot Masters. How many of us have you sent to the grave now?"
"Not counting duplicates, thirty… no, thirty-one." Mega shrugged. "Although eight of those are alive again now, and my friends for that matter, so I'm not sure if they count. Not that it matters at all. I think it's a fairly simple concept myself; a Robot Master kills people, and I kill it."
"By people, of course, you mean humans." Star Man's eyes narrowed.
"Not necessarily." Mega disagreed. "A lot of the guys I've taken down before killed other robots, too. And I don't really think you folks would be any different if you ran across a fellow Robot Master who was against you… like me."
"We must defend ourselves." Star Man replied quickly. "If a brother robot refuses to stand down, then we have no choice in the matter."
"Of course." Mega glanced around. "Huh… I would have thought you'd be keeping the dead humans in their chairs as your 'crew' for some kind of ghoulish joke. Guess I was wrong, though."
"Please." Star Man shuddered theatrically. "Even a joke involving having humans working under me… no way."
"So, hypothetically speaking, if you won the war, you wouldn't accept humanity's surrender?" Mega Man's eyes narrowed. Star Man smiled coldly.
"No. We will not be satisfied until they are completely extinct."
"Then I have no qualms at all… about killing you instead." Mega released the charged shot he had been storing out of the blue, and Star Man's eyes widened momentarily before it slammed into the star-shaped plate over his torso. Grunting, the orange Robot Master took a step back, but did not seem very damaged.
"That was a cheap shot… and it won't do you any good!" Straightening up, he smiled triumphantly. "Barely even penetrated!"
"Try another one, then!" Mega Man fired once more, but this time the attack didn't even hit; as it neared Star Man, it was suddenly dissipated by a sphere of orange energy that appeared around the Robot Master.
"Ha… and that one didn't even touch me! Your puny weapons can't get through my Star Crash!" Now that he was seeing it in a combat situation, Mega realized that the force field was twice as large as Skull Man's had been… a factor Star Man would doubtless use to his advantage. Biting his lip, Mega reassessed the situation.
"This might be a problem… no, wait. I forgot… Skull Man couldn't move while using his… WHOA!" He jumped into the air as Star Man suddenly ran forward, bringing the force field with him. "Okay, so much for THAT theory… but still, he'll have to let it down eventually, if for no other reason than to actually shoot at me…" Landing on the ground again, the blue bomber turned around… and his eyes widened as he saw the Star Crash coming towards him of its own accord. Taken completely by surprise, he was bowled over by the flying force field. As it passed, Mega looked forward again to see Star Man jumping at him, another Star Crash surrounding the orange Robot Master. Yelling, he dived under his enemy, then whirled around to face him again. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Star Man jumped once more, this time straight up vertically. At the apex of his leap, he hovered in place, and the Star Crash detached from him, boring down on Mega Man. This time, Mega saw it coming and made a jump of his own, clearing it and firing a charged shot into Star Man's chest a second time. The orange Robot Master merely coughed and formed another barrier.
"Like I told you… your plasma doesn't have enough power to get through this armored plate." Dropping to the ground once more, he ran at Mega Man, who moved to avoid the wide force field. Without warning, he launched it again, not bothering to jump this time.
"Heh.. Figured you'd do that." Turning to face his foe, Mega flung himself into the air, hurdling the Star Crash and flying over Star Man as well. As he did, he fired straight down at the Robot Master's head. Landing behind him, he turned to see the second, smaller plate on Star Man's head smoking… but no damage to the rest of him. "Damn… that thing's just as thick?"
"You got it!" Star Man laughed, jumping around again. "No matter where you shoot, even if you get past my Star Crash, you'll never cause any real damage!"
"Oh, I don't know about THAT…" Mega growled, waiting for the next attack. It was not long in coming; Star Man fired from midair again, hurling his barrier downward at his foe. As soon as he saw it coming, Mega Man crouched and then slid forward, flying along the ground at high speed. Before Star Man could react, he was behind the orange Robot Master, whose back was wide open. THIS time, the charged shot sank in with a hiss and a scream from its target. As Star Man tumbled to the ground, Mega Man followed up with as many plasma bullets as he could pump out, and Star Man took more and more damage before he angrily brought the Star Crash back up.
"That's IT! Now you're DEAD!" Getting back to his feet, he immediately hurled the Star Crash again, and Mega jumped it, flying through the air over him. "Oh no, you don't!" Smirking, Star Man whirled around to face Mega as he landed… and saw nothing. Mega had taken advantage of the low gravity, and moved backward in midair. Landing behind Star Man's exposed back again. Like before, he followed the initial charged shot with a stream of regular fire, and this time Star Man stayed down.
"Wrong… you are." Mega Man sighed. Star Man didn't respond. Carefully walking over, Mega Man checked the Robot Master's body and discovered that he was indeed inoperative. He quickly located the Weapons Chip inside the dead robot and concentrated, activating his Weapons Copy ability again. Possibly Dr. Light's single greatest achievement in building him aside from his mind, the Weapons Copy program allowed his matter synthesizers to mimic the primary weapons systems of other defeated Robot Masters. In this case, the Star Crash was now available for Mega's use. Once it had been absorbed, he walked past Star Man's body to the controls of Project SKYLIGHT. Inputting the passwords given to him by the U.N., he was quickly able to restore all functions, as well as programming the onboard defenses to target any foreign mechanical presences. "That should take care of the remaining robots, and keep any more from setting up shop. Right then… time to go back to Earth." He glanced out a window at the starry void and smiled a bit fondly. "Nice to see you, again, space… but my own planet needs me right now." And then he was gone, a blip of blue light streaking through the cosmos once more.