Chapter 8: Magic Plasma Marksman
"All Maverick Hunters! According to reports, SIGMA has appeared in broad daylight and is currently engaging X and Zero! I don't know why he's come out into the open, but this could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to stop his latest plans before they even begin! Here are the coordinates..." -Maverick Hunter Alia, during the beginning of the Eurasia Maverick Uprising
Neither Proto Man nor Dark Man was present in the command chamber at the moment, leaving the two old human doctors to their own devices, and neither of THEM was much interested in conversing with the other. Instead, while Dr. Wily simply slouched in his cell, Thomas Light's eyes roamed the room, taking in every detail and looking for something, anything that could be used to his advantage. However, once one actually looked at the control chamber in detail, there really wasn't all that much to see. The twin cells at the back, of course, were not standard issue and had doubtless been added early for this purpose. Proto Man thought well ahead, it seemed, and had made sure to have those completed first, even though the same could not be said for the rest of the room, which was only partially completed; the walls were obviously under construction, with large missing segments of plating revealing gutted wiring.
The half-circle of computers that was the heart of the room was only differentiated by the one in Cossack's Citadel and every Skull Fortress-and most likely in the abandoned basement where Doc Man had lived, though Dr. Light had never asked-by the presence of two chairs instead of the standard one. The inclusion of Dark Man as a clear second-in-command had been Proto Man's only deviation from the overall pattern of Rebellions so far; there had been two masterminds with separate goals before, or one man being forced to take the heat by another, but that had been it. Dark Man's position was a new one, and doubtless a very dangerous one, although for all his time in the enemy stronghold Dr. Light really knew no more about the strange, dome-headed Advanced Robot Master than anybody else. As if summoned by the aged doctor's thought process, Dark Man entered the room at that moment. For a moment, Dr. Light was surprised; the base of the dome that served as Dark Man's head was blank, showing no signs of ever having supported his blazing golden eyes. After a second, though, he heard the blood-red Robot Master yelling, and realized that the dome had simply swiveled around to glare at somebody behind him in the outer hall.
"And make sure it's built EXACTLY to the specifications!" Dark Man hollered. "We're not exactly going to be able to give it a test run!" The door shut, and his eyes turned back to the front. "Ugh, I hate dumb construction 'bots. If either of you two has any old Guts Man models lying around, I would really appreciate borrowing them right about now."
"Ah… sorry, no." Dr. Light replied mildly. Dr. Wily merely grunted.
"Figures." Dark Man muttered sourly. "Oh well, it was worth a shot." Grumbling to himself, he sat down in his usual seat.
"I assume my son will be along shortly as well?" Dr. Light inquired.
"He'll be here when he wants to. You just sit quiet and be a good caged monkey." Dark Man replied.
"Call from the master." The computer informed him in a dead monotone.
"Huh!" Dark Man yelped, surprised. "A call from… the boss? That's… unusual…" He flipped a few switches and pressed a few buttons. "All right, put it on." There was a moment's pause, a crackle of static, and then Proto Man's voice came from a speaker.
"How are things going, Dark Man?"
"Well… we're trying, master." Dark Man replied nervously. "But, well, four of them are dead…"
"I know, fool." Proto growled. "I know all about that. It means nothing. Continue with the current plan. How is the fortress?"
"Nearly completed, sir." Dark Man answered with a tiny note of pride creeping into his voice. "All that's left is this tower… it should be done within a day or two."
"Good… even if the other four bungle things as well, that should still give you time to prepare for his coming." Proto Man admitted. "Well done. And the… prisoners?"
"They're still here, of course." Dark Man continued.
"Good. Remember, keep Tom in fairly good health… I may need him later. And make sure he knows nothing more than he has to."
"Got it." Dark Man confirmed. "What about… uh… Wily?"
"Oh, he doesn't matter quite so much." Proto replied, sounding amused. "Just don't… kill him."
"I'll make sure not to." The dome-headed Robot Master confirmed. "Anything else, boss?" Proto Man was silent for a moment, apparently thinking.
"Oh, yes. About that little thing with the nukes..." Dark Man took a step back. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. This time, I'll let it pass; they're not really my style anyways. But try anything like that again, and I'll send you right back where you came from, and I'll do it piece by piece, as painfully as possible. Am I clear?"
"Cuh… crystal, boss." Dark Man stammered.
"Good. I'll be in touch." There was another hiss of static, and then silence. Nervously, Dark Man glanced at the computer screens around him.
"Looks like nothing's wrong here… eh?" He stared at one screen. "What's going on here, now? This isn't one of our territories…"
"What is it, then?" Dr. Light asked, curious.
"Someplace in Africa…" Dark Man replied absently, not turning away. "This screen's programmed to scan the news for anything that might be of interest to us… but it's not very sophisticated, so it almost never has anything useful-AHH! Oh, SHIT!" He jumped to his feet, swearing like a sailor. "No, no, no, no, NO! What is he DOING? This is very, very bad!"
"Is there a problem?" Dr. Wily inquired mildly.
"Shut up! No time to banter with idiots!" Dark Man yelped, more to himself than to either of them. "Damn it, WHY? Why NOW? He's avoided this so far, why did he have to… no! No time to ask questions either! Got to move, NOW, before the UN or Mega Man get there first, or everything will be ruined!" He made an obvious effort to compose himself. "Computer, drop teleport shield!"
"Acknowledged." The computer informed him. Instantly, Dark Man melted into a beam of blood-red light, teleporting away to the location of whatever he had seen that had disturbed him so much. Had he remained in the room for just a bit longer, however, and looked around just a bit more, he would have seen something else that would have added to his tension of the moment. Dr. Thomas Light had been staring at him carefully, his eyes narrowed in thought, and remained staring at the place where he had stood even after he was gone.
"Something up, Tom?" Dr. Wily asked, glancing over at his fellow prisoner. But Dr. Light didn't respond; he simply crouched on his cot, mind racing.
"Halfway done." Mega Man sighed as he sat in an armchair in Dr. Cossack's living room. "Problem is, maybe it's gloomy, but I get the feeling that none of them so far have been the real bruisers."
"Well, you HAVE fought your share of tough guys over the years." Roll reminded him as she flipped through channels on the television idly. "And it's too much to hope for to think that Blues just picked a team of wimps. If none of the four you've taken out so far seemed like a match for, say, Ring Man or Bright Man, let alone Pharaoh Man…"
"They haven't." Mega shook his head. "Any of those three could have taken Star Man, Gravity Man, Stone Man or Charge Man down. Admittedly, our current benefactor's much better than US's designers, but still. No, I think the majority if not all of the four left will be tough nuts to crack."
"Probably, but what ya gonna do about it?" His sister shrugged. "At least this way you have a good supply of Master Weapons to take against them when the time comes. Speaking of that, when do you suppose the UN will be calling again?"
"Who knows?" Mega shrugged back. "They normally time their calls pretty punctually after I wake up from stasis and a repair job… Vinkus has probably seen it enough times to tell them how long that takes… but it's been a couple hours now, hasn't it?"
"Guess they just decided you deserved a break after doing this much." Roll guessed. "Wait, these are politicians we're talking about. More likely, all their meeting chambers collapsed simultaneously and they're waiting for the repair squads."
"Now that is an unfair stereotype against politicians, young lady." Dr. Cossack chided, smiling, as he walked in. "Probably true, though." He added.
"Hiya, doc." The Blue Bomber greeted him. "Kalinka still asleep?"
"Yes, she's sleeping late." Cossack nodded. "She isn't taking this well, I'm afraid." Roll didn't respond, continuing to flip channels. "But we must move on, nonetheless."
"Yeah." Mega agreed, smiling as Rush and Eddie bounded into the room behind the doctor. Rush immediately ran over to have his ears scratched, while Eddie simply glanced around the room. "Let me guess, Ed. You couldn't get on the train."
"Beep." Eddie nodded in agreement.
"Well, the others should be accessible to you." Mega predicted. "Wonder which one I'll be hitting next… or should I say, which one the UN'll send me after next."
"Well, Wave Man and Crystal Man aren't really huge problems at the moment." Cossack reasoned. "They could cause big trouble if let go for extended periods of time, but in the short term, they're not as hazardous as Gyro Man and Napalm Man."
"And Napalm Man's about as bright as a frozen waffle… so it'll likely be Gyro Man." Mega predicted.
"Never mind Gyro Man… look at THIS!" Roll suddenly broke in, eyes glued to the set. Mega and Cossack both immediately turned to look as well. It was a news broadcast, showing a ruined town that was about half-swallowed up by jungle foliage… some place in either South America or Africa. What appeared to be an angry mob was the main point of attention, the camera following it from above… helicopter, most likely. The mob's attention was focused on one short man… no, it was a young teenager, clad in red and grey…
"No way…" The Blue Bomber breathed. Roll was silent, as was Cossack as he too saw the oversized sunglasses, bright yellow scarf and familiar face of the mob's target.
"…Positively identified as Blues "Proto Man" Light, the first Robot Master ever created and the apparent force behind the latest, Fifth Robot Rebellion…" The announcer was droning. "Although the media's attention has only been recently called to this, apparently this event has been going on for several hours now…"
"What is he THINKING?" Roll muttered. "He might be insane, but he's never been an idiot… and not even he's a match for THAT many humans by himself. There's got to be hundreds of them!" That realization had apparently struck Blues as well; the cocky sneer he had so often adopted recently was gone from his face, replaced by confusion and a stark fear that spoke all too clearly of the knowledge that if he was caught, his metal body would be torn to shreds.
"He'll try to get some distance from them first…" Cossack guessed. "Then once they can't see him at every moment, he'll find someplace to hide…"
"Why doesn't he just warp out?" Mega muttered. "Is his teleport device damaged?"
"Authorities are uncertain as to why Proto Man has appeared in the open in this manner…" The announcer continued. "United Nations forces are even now being dispatched to take him into custody…"
"THAT's why they haven't called me!" Mega yelled, slamming his fist into a coffee table. "They've been focusing on THIS! They want to apprehend him themselves, and they don't want me having anything to do with it! Where is it… come on, where is this going on…" His sister turned to stare at him incredulously.
"You're not thinking about going there, are you?"
"I'm not THINKING about it, I'm going to do it." The Blue Bomber replied angrily. "The UN decided to keep me out of the loop on this, but I'm going there anyways and if they don't like it, sucks to be them. I'm NOT just sitting here doing nothing. I have to talk with Blues, before it's too late… I don't know what he'll do when I get there, but it'd be better than what would happen if the UN troops get there."
"But if they apprehend him, wouldn't it stop the Rebellion?" Cossack reasoned. Mega snorted.
"Not happening, doc. For some reason, Blues is by himself now, but if an army of UN troops gets near him, the rest of his subordinates will join him there no matter WHAT he's told them… and then we'll have a slaughter almost as bad as all of the deaths so far combined. No, I have to get there first, and head that off… no matter what I have to do. Come on, you dumb newsies, where is it…"
"As far as we have been able to gather, the scene began when Proto Man walked into the city of Khouribga." The announcer answered. "It is uncertain what his intentions were, but upon the mob's formation, he stole a motorcycle and fled northwest, to the ruins of Casablanca…"
"Casablanca." Roll snapped her fingers. "That's in Morocco… Africa!"
"I'm off, then." Mega put his helmet on. "If the UN calls, give them my regards… and the finger, while you're at it." In a streak of bright blue light, he was gone.
Nearly forty years ago, in 2040, the dreadful Third World War had ended. The Second Rainbow had been founded to restore the nearly-destroyed planet. And while its achievements pulled the planet back from the brink of death… it could not restore everything. Even now, many cities that had been highly populated before the war remained nothing but ruins and rubble. Las Vegas, one of those in the United States, had been seized by a Robot Master named Spark Man during the Third Robot Rebellion, and Mega Man had gone to the wreckage of the once-famous city to destroy him. Now, spurred by a necessity even more vital than that had been, he returned to another city that was now home to nothing but the past. Casablanca, in Morocco, had even had a famous movie named after and set in it during the twentieth century. But that was before the war that had reduced it to a cluster of empty, uninhabited stone shells, overgrown and choked by jungles that had halfway erased thousand of years of human civilization in less than half a century. The street Mega Man appeared in was deserted; there was not a single sight nor sound of Proto Man, or of the mob that was chasing him.
"Damn." The Blue Bomber shook his head. "Got to hurry up and find them, fast… eh?" He frowned and examined the ground more carefully. Casablanca was not heavily populated, obviously… and yet, the ground was covered in footprints. Recent ones. "They went past here. I just have to follow them… damn, I wish Rush had his Jet mode…" Running down the path, he followed the footprints for several minutes, until in the distance, he heard the sound of angry yelling… a lot of it. "There's the mob… and it sounds like they haven't caught him yet." Abandoning the footprints, he ran in the direction of the sound. "I just have to get there first!"
"Easier said then done, hero!" A familiar voice yelled from behind him. Mega Man half-turned, then winced as plasma bullets burned into his back. Dodging to the side, he looked around angrily, and soon found his attacker. Standing on a mostly intact roof, Dark Man glared down at him from a sniping position, the massive cannon of his right arm smoking from the barrel.
"So you're here too, huh?" Mega Man smiled coldly. "Nice to finally meet you in person. I'd love to stay and chat with you, but I'm afraid I don't really have the time right now. I kinda need to have a little family discussion with my brother. I'm sure you understand."
"Oh, I do. Don't worry." Dark Man would have smiled back, had he a mouth. "And I'm sure you understand that it's MY job to do whatever the hell I can to keep you away from him. I don't know what my master's doing here, but I'll be damned if I let you through to him without a fight!" The cannon fired again, releasing a stream of small plasma bullets. Diving aside, Mega ducked into an alley.
"Dammit… of all the times to get ambushed…!" The Blue Bomber growled, pondering his options. For a moment, he considered running again… but then he shook his head. He would just lead Dark Man right to his master, and the two of them together would obliterate the mob. The second-in-command had to be neutralized first, and quickly, so that he would still have time to get to Proto Man before the UN did. Turning back, he saw that the enemy Robot Master had not moved; he remained standing on the same roof as before. "What is he doing?" And then, impossibly, he felt the searing pain of plasma again… in his back. Whirling around, he scanned the alley frantically. Nothing was there… but on another rooftop, a good deal away, Dark Man stood. "What the… how'd you get THERE?"
"Ha ha ha! Surprised, Mega Man?" Dark Man called. "You can't run from me… I'll find you no matter where you run!" As if to drive the point home, he fired another burst of plasma bullets. This time, Mega watched them closely. As they neared him, pain struck his back again. Yelling, he slid under the first series of shots as they blasted past, splattering against a wall. Turning again, the Blue Bomber saw Dark Man behind him on a roof once more.
"Instantaneous translocation!" Mega's eyes widened. "This is impossible!" Teleporting took time, and was clearly visible; that was obviously not what Dark Man was doing. And yet, there was no means to explain his movements in any other physical law. "How are you…?"
"Call it magic, if you want." Dark Man shrugged. "It's unimportant. You can't hide from me, Mega Man. No matter where you go, I'll hit you!" He disappeared, and again the plasma bullets zeroed in on the Blue Bomber, who activated the Star Crash to ward them off.
"This won't work forever, though…" He realized. "Got to beat him, and fast! I'm just glad he can't charge his shots, it looks like…" The long, narrow permanent barrel on Dark Man's right arm was different from an ordinary Buster, and Mega was willing to bet it held some capabilities he hadn't seen yet. For the moment, though, the "instant translocation" was enough to worry about. "This can't be magic… there's no such thing. Don't try to run away… just figure out how the trick works." Getting close to Dark Man seemed like the best plan…
"Using a shield? That's not fair at all!" Dark Man's voice suddenly boomed from behind him. Mega Man turned, startled, then grunted as the dome-headed Robot Master's single hand smashed through the Star Crash and grabbed his arm. A moment later, his pain sensors erupted as Dark Man flipped him overhead and brutally slammed him into the ground. Forcing the pain aside, Mega activated the Power Stone. The heavy stones slammed into Dark Man's body, and he jumped away to a rooftop, growling. He fired again, and this time Mega was unable to move fast enough to dodge.
"What's your beef anyways, you lunatic?" Mega yelled at him, wincing and preparing for the next sniping. "Why the heck are YOU doing all this? My brother I understand, and the others are just reprogrammed, but what's up with YOU?"
"My story?" Dark Man chuckled. He relaxed his arm gun and stopped firing for the moment. "I'm not really that sure about it myself. To be honest, I don't really have anything against humans myself, as a general rule. That's not to say I LIKE them; it's more indifference. Really, I know only two things that matter. First, I owe my master big; I will do anything and everything he commands me too. WHY I owe him is something you don't really need to know just yet, if at all. And second, I know that I… hate… you. Maybe that was implanted in my mind when the master reprogrammed me… but I doubt it. It seems too natural… too much a part of me, of who I am. So there you have it. As long as I'm fulfilling those two desires… to serve my master, and to make your life miserable… I don't care WHAT else happens! To me, to you, or to the entire goddamned WORLD!" Laughing, he resumed firing.
"This is so NOT good." The Blue Bomber muttered, sliding away from the fire and draining the E-Tank he had acquired at Stone Man's. "Not good at all. How did he get behind me so fast… it's almost like…" Slowly, his eyes narrowed. "Almost like Doc Man…" His colors shifted to purple and white, and he turned the Gravity Hold upon the Robot Master standing on the roof several buildings away. There was absolutely no effect whatsoever; in fact, Dark Man showed no signs of even feeling it. There was, however, a slight thud down the street, around a corner. Turning it, Mega saw nothing there. He smiled inwardly. Just as I thought… and I almost fell for it. Silent, he watched Dark Man on the roof disappear again, and he waited for the bullets to come… but this time, right as they made they hit him, he whirled around and fired a charged shot back. Not at Dark Man on his roof, but at the empty air where the bullets had turned. And to his satisfaction, the result was a pained grunt.
"Got you!" Mega yelled triumphantly as he crouched to the ground and slid forward, his colors shifting once more to a salmon pink and white. But that wasn't all that changed; he blazed along the ground with twice the speed, and his leading foot was covered with a blazing spearhead of energy. He hit the empty air where he had fired before, and with a cry of pain, Dark Man appeared, falling over.
"How did you… know?" The dome-headed Robot Master wheezed.
"I've fought a guy with tricks like yours before." Mega Man growled. "His name was Doc Man."
"Doc Man?" Dark Man turned his head around to stare at him. "I… never heard of him…"
"I would have thought your boss would have told you… he helped me kill him." Mega informed him. "And he apparently taught you how to pull the same tricks. That 'you' on the roofs was never real, was it? Make yourself invisible, then project a show to keep my attention distracted… some means of throwing your voice, too, then make up a story about how you keep moving around so fast while all you're doing is following me around and shooting me in the back… illusion of you, illusion of sniping." He chuckled disdainfully, glaring down at the Robot Master sprawled in the dirt below him. "You're no magician. You're just a damn HOLOGRAM USER."
"You… you're unbelievable." Dark Man said after a moment. "Now I know… why my master is so fixated with your defeat."
"I guess you do." Mega nodded. "Too bad you won't be living to see if he does it. Any last words?"
"You can't be serious…" Dark Man laughed. "You don't actually think that was enough to bring me down? And more important… you don't actually think I'm still here, do you?" The Blue Bomber blinked, then cursed as he swept a foot through the image of the Robot Master. Nothing. Down the alley, another Dark Man appeared, this one holding something that glittered in its single hand, something that he tossed at the Blue Bomber. "I will concede today's fight to you… and give you this, as your spoils for defeating me… but I'm not done with you yet by a long shot! We'll meet again, Mega Man!" Both Dark Man shimmered and vanished. Mega Man caught the small, coin-sized object Dark Man had tossed to him… the fifth stolen circuit plate… then slammed his fist into the wall.
"He got away…"
"Who got away, bro?" An exhausted voice asked. Mega slowly turned around. There, standing alone at the other end of the hall, wearing torn street clothing and a confused frown… was Proto Man.
"So, you've actually been building this for about a year now?" Dr. Corbun asked his friend, gazing around at the nearly-completed building around him. Mr. X polished his sunglasses, smiling in pride. They were at the scene of the billionaire's secret project, and were aiding the building crew. It was mostly made up of construction robots, but here and there was a human for tasks too complicated or vital for the simple-programmed 'bots. Mr. X and Dr. Corbun were giving directions rather than actually laboring, but they DID both have bright yellow hard hats.
"Indeed I have… and now it will be used for a much grander purpose than simply being the legacy of a foolish old man."
"Amazing…" The british Doctor whistled. "Did the government complain much?"
"Once I promised that all the weapons systems would be removed, they agreed easily." Mr. X smiled a bit craftily. "I don't think it even reached Darwin at all… which means he'll be just as surprised as anybody else, come opening day."
"And isn't that a shame." Dr. Corbun grinned. "This is awesome, my friend… especially this hall right here. Where ever did you find them all?" The billionaire's smile grew impish.
"Let's just say you'd be amazed what you can find on E-Bay."
"Very funny." Dr. Corbun snorted. "Now, seriously."
"Some of them, as you'll recall, I asked YOU for about a year back… inactive models that had never even been completed." Mr. X explained. "I did the same with Thomas and Lighttech. The rest… I hired a professional sculptor. Those ones aren't even actual robots… they're just dummies. But they all LOOK very impressive, don't they? Enough for our purposes, at any rate?"
"For the opening, since we're on short time, maybe." Dr. Corbun thought for a moment. "After this whole mess settles down, though, you might want to look into hiring either Lighttech or my own company to make some actual replicas. They might not be anywhere near the real thing, but they WILL be robots… and considering what this place is…"
"I had not thought of that." Mr. X admitted. "You'd think I would, what with everything I've picked up hanging around roboticists like you, Tom and Sergei… and Al."
"You've been paying attention?" Dr. Corbun asked, surprised. "I thought you just tuned us out when we talked robots, like Vinkus does."
"Not my style, my friend." Mr. X chuckled. "No, I've paid attention every time. Quite interesting, really."
"You don't say." Dr. Corbun smiled, interested. "Ever considered trying to build one yourself? A Robot Master, I mean?"
"I've considered it." Mr. X admitted. "But I've been busy with this. Perhaps after it's done, though… well, we'll see." The British roboticist nodded.
"It's not like you'll have any shortage of knowledgeable buddies to call on for help if you need any."
"True." Mr. X agreed, stroking his beard. "Well, that's for after this is done. Do you think we'll be able to finish it in a couple days?"
"Oh, absolutely." Dr. Corbun assured him. "This is remarkable progress considering we're keeping everything completely under wraps. It'll be done in time, no worries."
"I hope so." The billionaire sighed. "Then we just have to figure out how to talk Darwin and the rest of the United Nations out of tearing it down right away."
"Oh, Vinky wouldn't do that." Dr. Corbun assured him, twitching his mustache. "He might throw us in the overnight lockup, but he wouldn't shut it down."
"Very funny." Mr. X rolled his eyes.
"I thought so." Dr. Corbun's smile faded. "Seriously, though, I don't think we have to worry. Despite his normal beliefs and actions, Darwin does seem to understand the necessity of putting a leash on anti-robot sentiments at the moment, and he'll know this will do that. And if HE wants it to happen, then he'll be able to talk the rest of the UN into letting it pass one way or the other."
"Perhaps." Mr. X murmured, watching a passing construction robot. "I just hope this positive change of opinion towards robots in him lasts, and does not leave him once the Rebellion is over."
"You hope so too, eh?" Dr. Corbun agreed seriously. "I think it has something to do with Tom's children… he doesn't seem to look at them entirely as robots anymore, and I think that's a step forward." The billionaire nodded.
"Indeed… and I hope he continues to take more steps forward now that he has taken this one, until he no longer hates robots simply for being robots. Otherwise…" He fell silent.
"Otherwise?" Dr. Corbun asked after a moment.
"Otherwise…" Mr. X sighed. "Otherwise, I'm afraid he will take steps backward instead… and in the end… become something I would rather not think about. I saw men like that in the Third World War… far too many of them, and often closer than I now wish, through dealings that I regret even more. And I pray with everything that I have, everything that I am, that Darwin does not end his life like that."
"I won't argue with you on that one." The British robotocist murmured. "He and I don't get along a lot of the time… but he's still a friend, and in at his core… hopefully, a more decent man than any of us know, even him. Because the alternative to that… is not one I care for any more than you do." Neither of them spoke for a few minutes after that; they simply watched the construction robots continue their work. Finally, Dr. Corbun sighed and stretched. "Well, this dreary talk isn't getting anything done. We should get back to work on this."
"True, true." Mr. X straightened his hard hat, and the two men walked off to another room in the building. "So, you think we'll be done soon?"
"Tomorrow." Dr. Corbun assured him. "If we all work our tails off, that is. You might have to pay the building crew a little extra, but…"
"But I can afford it." Mr. X finished, smiling. "Very well, then. We set our sights on finishing tomorrow… and then the next day… we open."
"We might have to consume some truly staggering and probably hazardous levels of caffeine, but we'll do it." Dr. Corbun agreed happily. The two men bent over a diagram of one room that Mr. X pulled out of a briefcase and began arguing excitedly over minor details on it, and before long the depressing conversation had been completely forgotten by both of them.
"Proto." Mega Man muttered, turning to face him.
"What are you doing here?" Proto Man muttered, starting to walk towards him. "Never mind that, I need your help. My warp generator's damaged, there's a bunch of crazy humans trying to kill me, and… WHOA!" He stopped instantly, and for good reason; Mega had pointed his Buster at him, and was clearly holding a charged shot.
"Not going to be THAT easy, bro." Mega shook his head. "I've had my fill of unpleasant surprises for today, thanks."
"Rock…?" Proto Man held up his hands. "Okay, let's… let's just calm down here. Look, I don't even have my Buster armed. I don't know what you think I was going to do, but it's not happening now, okay?"
"So you say." Mega growled. "But for all I know, you've got some new weapons installed that you don't need your hands for… or maybe you've got some more buddies like Dark Man lurking around here somewhere. Forgive me if I don't take any chances, Proto."
"Can't you at least call me Blues?" The eldest child of Light asked. "I don't call you Mega while there isn't a Rebellion going on, is there?"
"Exactly." Mega nodded. "And whose fault is that, eh, PROTO?" Proto Man's face appeared to scrunch up in confusion, then realization.
"What… oh, no. Another Rebellion? Whose strings is Wily pulling this time, bro? And why the heck would it make you consider shooting ME?"
"Wily's not pulling any strings this time." Mega shook his head. "Kinda hard to do that from the jail cell wherever you're keeping him… or did you forget you already showed me that?"
"…" Proto Man stared at him for several moments silently. "…I get it. It's me this time, isn't it… I'm the scapegoat here. THAT'S why the mob was chasing me. And somehow… they've even got you bamboozled again."
"You always were bright, bro." Mega Man smiled coldly, acting far more confident than he felt… if his brother WAS the enemy, he couldn't let down his guard for even a second. "Except now, it seems. Nice try playing innocent… but having absolutely no idea what's going on? Yeah, right. If you really were just being impersonated… you would have known. This Rebellion isn't exactly a government secret… everybody knows about it. And you, who found out about Wily's being behind the Fourth, didn't even know a Fifth Rebellion had started? I don't think so, big bro."
"Rock." Proto Man started to back away. "You're… you're starting to worry me here. You know it's Wily… you know it's a trick. It always is. It's always Wily."
"You're going to have to think up of something better than that to fool me again, Proto." Mega took a step forward, slowly advancing on him. "For a while, I wasn't sure… I think I was the biggest holdout except for Kalinka Cossack. But now that I've come here… this entire thing with the mob was just a trick, wasn't it? To get me to fight your little sidekick, then you. Except I didn't fall for it… now, YOU'RE the one who's trapped."
"…Rock." Blues backed away. "Look, what do you want? You want me to come back with you home? I'll do it. You want dad and Cossack to go over my CPU, make sure nothing's messed up in there? I'll do it."
"You'll come, huh?" Mega muttered, pausing. "Just like that?"
"Yeah. I'll even let you tie me hand and foot." The eldest son of Light continued. "Whatever you want. Think, Rock. Have there been deaths in this Rebellion? Human deaths?"
"Yes…" Rock's eyes tightened. "Far too many."
"Then if I was behind it, I would have to have broken the First Law." Blues reasoned. "But you knew I was here… so you saw me RUNNING from that mob, right? I never once shot at them while doing so… not a single bullet. I could have whittled them away while keeping out of reach of the mass… if I didn't have the First Law."
"You… didn't." Mega whispered. "You never hurt… anybody here." His Buster began to lower…
"Oh, I don't know about that…" A third voice growled from the side. Too slow, Mega whirled around as Dark Man tackled him, slamming him at a speed that should have been impossible. The force of the hit carried them both forward into a ruined building… but even as he went in, Mega Man heard the discharge of a charged plasma shot, something he knew very well. He had not fired… and there was only one Robot in the World who could charge plasma. Mega Man's eyes hardened as he grappled futilely with Dark Man, knowing that any minute, he would find himself double-teamed.
"HERE HE IS, GUYS!" A rough voice bellowed from outside. Suddenly, Mega Man heard the yelling of the mob start again, this time much closer. They had found Proto Man once more.
"Get out of here, boss!" Dark Man yelled. "I'll keep him off you, you just run from the humans!" Neither him nor Mega Man used their plasma; they were too close for that. Mega could have used a Master Weapon, of course, but he chose not to; there was no point. Instead, they both simply battered each other with their fists, both knowing that neither of them would do anything significant. Proto Man was already gone again.
"Why not just go out there and kill them?" Mega growled. Normally, the First Law would have paralyzed him for even saying that, but this time, it didn't… his anger overpowered it. He was furious at Proto Man, at Dark Man…and at himself, for being tackled so easily even though he had known what the dome-headed Robot Master could do. "The two of you should be able to handle them…"
"My, my, the little hero actually suggesting that we kill humans?" Dark Man mused. "You ARE angry… but even though I'm not in danger of actually dying, I'm still too badly damaged from my little scrap with you already. SOME of us don't always carry an E-Tank. At first I came here to protect Master Blues… but now I see that he came to these ruins on purpose. Here, he'll be able to escape the mob, even if he couldn't in a populated area or on the open plains." Seeing an opening, Mega Man kicked him in the side, and the two Robot Masters separated.
"You idiot, Dark!" A voice that tore at Mega's soul yelled from a distance. "I would have hit him if you hadn't done that!"
"Sorry, boss!" Dark Man yelled back. "My bad!" The dome-headed Robot Master got to his feet, unconcerned, and regarded the stricken Blue Bomber calmly. "I DO wish he had told me about this plan of his… but sometimes being the second-in-command is like that. Now that you didn't fall for it, though, he'll probably find some place to hide and then call me to help him out… that's if his teleport generator really IS damaged. If not, he's probably already gone. I'll just go look for him, then. See you when it's time for a rematch!" He bowed and disappeared; some time after they had separated, he had slipped away and left a hologram in his place once again. Bellowing in rage like some Norse god, Mega Man slammed his fist into a wall again… this time, hard enough to rip his own glove and synthflesh, and leave a dent in the weathered stone. Numbly, he stared at the coolant trickling down the appendage.
"It was all lies… he was just trying to get me to let my guard down. It really IS him… it's not a lie, it's not a fake. That was Blues… no… Proto Man forever, now." He shook his head to clear some of the fog. "At least they'll be out of here before UN soldiers show up…" He muttered, trying to cheer himself up. It didn't work. Giving in, he just teleported away, leaving the ruins of Casablanca behind him, and steeling himself for the future.
For now he knew… he was going to have to kill his brother.