Chapter 9: Sky High City
"I'm sorry, master, I'm-UGH!" Dark Man's plea cut off as he was slammed into the wall with enough force to cause him to actually rebound limply off of it, only to be sent into it once more by a roundhouse punch. Rubbing his knuckles, Proto Man strolled over to his fallen underling.
"You incredible, indescribable, incomparable, incomprehensible IDIOT!" Proto Man bellowed, slamming a foot down onto Dark Man's domed head. Slowly, he began to grind his foot into it. "I HAD him! I would have PEGGED him if you hadn't decided it would be a good idea to TACKLE him! 'Oh, master Proto Man, you're in trouble! Oh, master Proto Man, let me save you!' MORON!" He grabbed the limp Robot Master by his collar and dragged him upright. "I should kill you right now. I really should. See if you can convince me not to. Give me a reason I shouldn't rip out your robotic guts, here and now. Or I will."
"Because…" Dark Man croaked. "Because… I am still… of use to you. Because… I still fight for our cause." Neither of them moved. Then Proto Man nodded and released his underling, letting him drop to the floor.
"Get up. You're not really hurt." He commanded, turning around and walking towards his monitor. "It'd take a lot more than hand-to-hand combat… even from me… to cause you any serious problems. Well, unless you were in a boxing match with a Guts Man or something, but you know what I mean."
"Yeah, boss." Dark Man stood up. "I know. So… now what?"
"Well, since that idea of mine was bungled thanks to you…" Proto Man muttered, not bothering to raise his voice again. "I suppose we're back down to the original plan. Hope my brother gets pounded into a fine pulp while trying to stop one of the remaining four. And if that doesn't work, invite him here so WE can deal with him. How's the construction going on this place, anyways?"
"Didn't you already ask him that?" Dr. Light reminded him. "On a call?"
"Oh…" Proto Man frowned. "Yeah, I… suppose I did, at that. Huh. My bad. Thanks, dad." He shook his head, apparently to clear it. "Right then. It'll be done in time, so… no need worrying about that. How are the other four doing?"
"Well, Gyro Man's holding down the fort…" Dark Man shrugged. "That place wasn't as useful as we though it would be, originally, but such is life. Crystal Man and Wave Man continue to ship supplies of Energen crystals and water to us. As for Napalm Man… I've been kind of afraid to look."
"Kind of like being about to turn around the corner to see your house and hearing on the radio that some maniac's blown the damn thing up?" Proto Man suggested mildly. Dark Man nodded.
"Pretty much, yeah. Do we want to look now and get the massive brain damage over with?"
"Not yet." Proto Man decided after a moment. "I'm still a little high-strung and irritated over that whole ruining-my-brilliant-plan-to-take-out-Mega-Man thing, and if I'm confronted with his idiocy again, I might start tearing large chunks out of the walls… or out of Wily." The mad doctor showed no reaction at the casual threat of horrible maiming, as usual. Proto Man growled and walked over to the cell, where he began rattling Wily's bars. "Hello! Did you hear that, you old cockroach?"
"I heard it." Wily replied in a dead voice. "What's your point?"
""My point?" Proto Man seemed to blink incredulously for a moment. "Oh, I'll give you a point, all right…"
"Leave him alone, Blues." Dr. Light interrupted. "You've already done enough… to all of us."
"Interesting thing for YOU to say, dad." Proto Man turned to his father. "You, sticking up for HIM?"
"Maybe I'm thinking about the Third Robot Rebellion right now." Dr. Light replied coolly. "You know, the one where he was pretending to be sane, and Doc Man was the one sending robot masters out… you remember, of course?"
"Of… course." Proto Man agreed after a moment. "Yeah… I remember." He turned away from the doctors. "At any rate, Napalm Man can wait. We'll check on him again when I'm in a better mood. Right now, how are you doing, Dark? I assume you engaged my brother in a fight when you came blundering into things back there?"
"Yeah." Dark Man admitted.
"So?" His master pressed. "How did it go?"
"He beat me." The dome-headed Robot Master shrugged. "Of course, I wasn't using all of my tricks, and I got out of there before I was ever in any serious danger. Still, though, the point's the same; he won, I lost."
"Not good." Proto Man mused. "Which abilities of yours DID you use? That is to say, which ones does he know about?"
"My normal plasma cannon, of course…" Dark Man seemed to make a wincing motion with his eyes. "And… well… he found out about the holograms, boss."
"Damn. There goes your biggest advantage, right out the window." Proto Man turned and began pacing back and forth, muttering to himself. "It's not a total loss... You've still got your feet and that second function of your cannon that he has no knowledge of. You're not completely screwed. Still…" He stopped. "Dark Man, I think I was wrong about you. You don't deserve punishment… as a matter of fact, for your exemplary loyalty, I'm going to give you a reward. You're getting upgraded again."
"A… another weapon?" Dark Man's eyes glowed. Proto Man grinned.
"You got it! I've got an idea with plasma technology I've been kicking around with for a while. I'm not entirely sure it'll work, to be honest, so this might be a waste of time… but if it's not, it could be the most dangerous weapon in your arsenal." He paused. "Of course, we're not just going to add it into your systems straight off… no, too dangerous."
"Then…" Dark Man's eyes flashed a second time. "We're going to build… another Sentinel?"
"Bingo." Proto Man gave him the thumbs up. "A third one, for the third ring, just like the other two. Then you can wait up with me at the tower top too, instead of at the bottom. It's a win-win situation."
"A Sentinel?" Dr. Light inquired, curious. "What's that? Is that like a Fortress Guardian?"
"Kind of." Proto Man grinned wider. "In some ways. But in others… far, far different. Dark Man, why don't you show dad the ones we've already got?" Dark Man nodded, and pressed a couple of buttons. Two doors in one wall that had never opened before suddenly jerked apart, and Dr. Light stared at what was behind them, completely taken aback for the first time since his abduction.
"What… what in hell!"
"So it was just a trap for you?" Roll said incredulously. "He put himself in that much danger, just for THAT?"
"Yeah." Rock nodded. "Obviously, more than a few of our brother's brains have become unhinged, it seems. One thing did come out of it… well, okay, more than one. I got another circuit plate back, trashed Dark Man-even though he got away-and found out what his fighting style is. But most importantly… I found out that it IS Blues. I saw him with my own eyes, and heard him take a shot at me. If it wasn't for Dark Man jumping the gun I might not be here right now."
"Oh, come on." His sister scoffed. "One charged shot wouldn't have killed you."
"Maybe not, but it would have knocked me down." Rock explained. "And then the two of them would have jumped me. That's not a pretty picture."
"Indeed it is not." Dr. Cossack agreed sadly, putting the last of his tools back. "At least you are still in one piece. Yet you now believe it confirmed that your brother is, in fact, the enemy?"
"I can't afford to hesitate like that again." Rock snapped his helmet on. "I just can't, or next time I won't be so lucky. Next time… next time I see Blues, face to face… I'm going to take him down. No matter… what it takes." Even Roll was startled by this declaration.
"You mean… you're going to kill him?"
"…" Mega Man didn't respond.
"Incoming caaaallll!" Bright Man sang. "Guess who it is!"
"Not now, Bright." Dr. Cossack muttered. "Just put the United Nations council on, please."
"Well, fine!" The rotund orange Robot Master huffed. The screen on the wall sprang to life, revealing the familiar councilors' faces. This time, though, they did not wear their carefully prepared smiles for cameras and speeches. This time… they looked angry, even Martel.
"Mega Man." The presiding councilor greeted him coldly. "We believe you have some fairly significant explaining to do."
"On what matter, councilors?" Mega replied just as frostily.
"Your recent excursion to Casblanca." Martel snapped. "Taking part in United Nations activities that we did NOT invite you to, and ruining our operation there without our consent." Mega's eyes narrowed.
"That event in Casablanca was a PERSONAL activity on my part, councilors. I didn't see a UN trooper the entire time I was there. I only went there for one thing; my brother."
"Ah, yes." Martel raised an eyebrow. "I do believe you have agreed to place yourself under our command for the duration of this Rebellion, and for all concerned events. Why, then, did you depart on Rebellion business without inquiring with us first?"
"I place family on a higher priority than orders, councilors." Mega informed them. A few of the councilors began murmuring in outrage, but Vinkus shushed them, and Martel continued on as if he had not heard.
"You mean to say, then, that you consider your personal beliefs more important than the safety of the world?" The white-haired councilor inquired. Mega sighed somewhat theatrically.
"Not really… and besides, that wasn't the only issue here. You gentlemen probably didn't know this, but ANOTHER Robot Master named Dark Man, Proto Man's second-in-command, was ALSO lurking around those ruins. And I found out there that the entire thing was just a trap to begin with. A TRAP, Councilors; mainly for me, but I have no doubt that had your soldiers gone there, they would have been massacred. I HAD to go; the First Law demanded that I do so, in order to stop your boys from being KILLED, Councilors." None of the UN Councilors responded to that at first; finally, Martel cleared his throat with an odd look on his face.
"Very well." He harrumphed. "So long as you can promise us that this will not happen again, I think we can drop this incident here and now, and get on with more important business."
"Councilors, you have my word." Mega Man inclined his head. "The word of a Robot Master… if that means anything anymore."
"It does." Vinkus broke in. "Believe me, young Rock… it does." Martel turned to glance at him with partial irritation, but not full, then turned back.
"Ahem. Now for the real business of this call. With the… ah, incident… obviously over, you may now return to recovering the captured territories?"
"Fully repaired and good to go." Mega Man assured them. "So, which one is it going to be? Wave Man? Crystal Man? Gyro Man? Napalm Man?"
"Gyro Man." Martel told him. "Just in case you've forgotten, he's situated in a high-altitude weather observation platform in Nigeria. He's been using it to take control over every airborne broadcast within a thousand miles, and the situation is no longer endurable. Bring him down, Mega Man."
"I will." Mega promised again. "Is there anything else, Councilors?"
"Actually…" A Councilor who hadn't spoken to them ever before suddenly smiled nastily. The plaque on his desk announced him as Louis Arcian, of France. "I do believe that neither you, Mega Man, or your sister, Roll, have submitted your registration forms yet… or gone in for testing."
"Registration forms?" Roll yelled, outraged.
"Indeed, robot." Arcian smirked. "All Robot Masters are now required by law to do so. And unless I miss my guess, you two are in fact Robot Masters, normally denizens of Japan."
"Considering the current situation, I think we can forego the extensive testing for now." A British female Councilor suggested. "Rock Light IS sort of necessary at the moment, after all, and I believe his sister is constantly needed to aid in repairing his injuries." Arcian scowled, but reluctantly conceded.
"Very well… but the law DOES stand clear. Register, my friends, or you'll be in violation of international law… and that would mean… consequences."
"If you're quite done, Councilor Arcian…" Martel rolled his eyes. "Very well, then. You have your orders. Carry them out." The screen died.
"I… HATE… politicians!" Roll growled. "What's next? Dog collars with ID tags at all times?"
"We'll figure something out." Mega assured her. "For now, though, I need to go see Gyro Man."
"Yeah…" Roll's anger dropped instantly, replaced by concern. "Be careful, bro. Even if Corbun didn't build him, he's designed purely as a warbot. AND he's flying. He'll be nasty."
"I know…" Mega shrugged. "Nothing I can do, about it, though. Just wish me luck."
"This reminds me of Air Man's place…" Mega Man muttered, glancing up at the platform's edge looming far, far overhead. "Natural, I suppose… windy Robot Masters seem to have the need to announce their style as ostentatiously as possible. Not as much as Wily and his Skull Fortresses, though." A massive structure that towered a good mile above Nigeria, the mechanical platform that was now under Gyro Man's control had been built for the purpose of observing weather patterns. Even today, meteorology was a highly imprecise science, and a stationary point high above the clouds themselves was thought to be a great boon to the field. As a place to attack, however, it had almost no value. Mega mused about that as he stepped onto an elevator that would take him up onto the platform itself. "Wonder why exactly Proto Man had him take this place... Sure, it fits his theme, but there are more valuable places that do that…"
"Ah, the motives of rulers are vast, wise and indecipherable, aren't they?" A speaker crackled. "Even back in the old days of human kings, you never knew when you'd get your head chopped off on a whim! Whee!"
"Gyro Man, I presume." Mega glanced up at the speaker calmly. "You sound like you're having fun here."
"Oh, I am, I am!" Gyro Man assured him. "Being a general in a robot army is great! Oh, the wages aren't much, and quite frankly the retirement plan isn't even worth mentioning as long as YOU'RE around… but the benefits are beyond belief."
"I'll bet." Mega smirked. "Well, don't get TOO comfy… because as soon as I see you, I'm ending your career."
"Oh, is that so?" Gyro Man replied, sounding amused. "Why don't we get right down to it, then? Turn around, hero!" The Blue Bomber turned instantly. On the other side of the thick glass wall, Gyro Man was flying upward at the same pace as the elevator, cheekily waving. Yelling in surprise, Mega jumped back, and the green Warbot began laughing.
"Ha ha ha! Oh, man, the look on your face! Classic!" Gyro Man's voice continued from the speaker while outside, the Robot Master made rude gestures. "But seriously, I just wanted to say hi. If you really want a shot at me, you'll have to go through the army just like everybody else. But I will have a little bonus for you! Check out what my buddy Crystal Man found and sent me!" He opened his other palm, and Mega Man's eyes widened. In his enemy's hand was a crystal the size of a small fruit, colored as green as his armor.
"A… green Energen Crystal! But that mine's only for blue ones!"
"Hey, I don't know where he got it from. Apparently, it was just on site." Gyro Man shrugged theatrically. "The point is, I've got it… and you will too, if you can take it from me. See you at the top!" Doing a midair somersault, he blasted off into the clouds. Sighing, Mega Man drew a hand across his face.
"Honor student of my brother's, that one… annoying as hell, and thinks he's funny. But I have to get that crystal… if I can, Rush's Jet mode will be available again." The elevator dinged as it arrived, and Mega warily stepped out, looking for an ambush. Gyro Man was nowhere in sight. "Maybe he was telling the truth about waiting for me… or maybe he's just lurking over the edge of the platform. I'll have to be careful." Blasting a stationary cannon, he began jumping across a series of large machines. Unfortunately, the elevator that would have taken him to the section of the platform designed for human use was out of order. This side was solely for maintenance robots, most of them flying, so the designers hadn't taken the time to make it easily traversable for somebody who didn't have that advantage. Thankfully, though, they had at least left ladders to climb up the vertical sections. "I would have been sunk without these, since I don't have Rush's jet mode YET." The Blue Bomber muttered, dodging a mindless spiky drone. "Definitely need that crystal. Haven't been using Rush as much this time around… wonder if that's because Proto Man's robots have weaker base designs, or if it's because I'm better than I used to be."
"My guess is neither!" Gyro Man yelled, flying high overhead. "You're just being stupid!" Mega calmly took a pot shot that missed by a wide margin, and the green Warbot flew off again.
"That guy is really starting to annoy me." The Blue Bomber grumbled, clambering up another ladder. "Aw, no, not AGAIN…" The small catwalk's sole occupant was a third of the gigantic purple humanoid robots, and up here there was no room to dodge it. "What to do… oh, I know…" Stepping to the edge of the platform, Mega calmly waited as the giant bounded towards him. As it landed, massive feet hitting the metal straight in front of him, the Blue Bomber moved forward in a salmon-pink blur. The Charge Kick slammed into one leg and knocked it off balance, and with a despairing roar, the monstrosity tumbled forward off the platform. Mega Man watched him fall for a moment, then shrugged and continued climbing.
"He'll make one hell of a big crater when he lands… just hope he doesn't hit anything important." He looked up ahead. "Oh, THIS looks fun…" Spanning a very wide gap was a long, narrow bridge built out of small, loose-looking blocks. On a hunch, Mega tossed a small piece of broken machinery from nearby onto the first of those blocks, and after a moment, the block fell down into the chasm. "Yeah… falling blocks. REAL fun. Oh well, could be worse… at least it's not one of Wily's disappearing block puzzles." He slapped himself. "No, stupid, don't talk about them or he WILL put them in."
"Talking to yourself?" Gyro Man called again. "First sign of insanity!" This time, Mega didn't even bother shooting; he just kept one eye on the flying Robot Master in case of an attack while using the other to spot enemy robots as he ran across the bridge. "Oh, by the way, I left that circuit plate master Dark Man gave me on that bridge somewhere!" THAT caught Mega's attention. Looking around frantically, he saw the circuit plate lying harmlessly… on a block he had just stepped on. Cursing, he dived for it, switching weapons as he did.
"Damn, damn, damn… I hope this works, or I'm toast…!" Even as he began to fall, he scooped up the circuit plate with one hand and fired something from his Buster with his other. Immediately shifting it back into a hand, he frantically grabbed at the Super Arrow he had created, praying that Dr. Corbun had designed it strong enough so that its flight path would not be deterred by his weight. "Come on, come on… yes!" The arrow flew straight and true, and Mega was able to actually climb on top of it, riding it almost like a poor man's Rush Jet over the no-longer-dangerous bridge.
"HEY!" Gyro Man screamed. "You can't DO that!"
"Watch me." Mega Man shot back. "You want to do something about it now, or wait until I get to the top like you said?" For a moment, it seemed Gyro Man was going to dive at him, but he seemed to gain control of himself in time, and the green Warbot angrily flew off. Mega permitted himself a small chuckle as he jumped off his ride.
"Heh… it's not Proto Man, but that still felt good. Oh look, another elevator. Pity there's nobody around to make a bet with on if this one's got traps. Wonder where Eddie is…" Muttering to himself, the Blue Bomber continued walking.
Dr. Cossack's castle was in many ways a bleak place to call home. In truth, less than a quarter of it was actually meant for human habitation these days, and that portion lay at the center. The rest, halls and walls, had been remodeled into four rings of robot-filled security measures during the Fourth Robot Rebellion, to protect the Doctor for when Mega Man came knocking, believing him to be the mastermind behind the latest threat to world peace since Dr. Wily's apparent death. Afterwards, Cossack had repaired everything in order to make sure Wily never got into the castle or harmed his daughter, Kalinka, ever again. Her safety was never far from Sergei Cossack's mind now; even though it had been years since her abduction, he rarely allowed her to leave the castle at all, and absolutely never unaccompanied. Kalinka Cossack was at an age in which she felt these restrictions even more keenly than she had before… and because of that, certain actions on her part were not only probable, but guaranteed.
"Yes!" The human girl whispered to herself as she crouched in a corner near the back door in a rear hall. "Dust Man's on duty at the lab… Bright Man, Ring Man and Drill Man are patrolling the walltops… Toad Man and Dive Man are fixing a problem in the sewer systems… Skull Man is making a check on the robots in the Third Ring… and Pharaoh Man is talking with father! They're all occupied!" Minimizing the status report on the Robot Masters, she opened another window, this one showing the patrol schedule of the robots in the entrance hall. It would be tight, but there was a ten-second window in which none of them would be observing the stretch between her corner and the door. Unlike the massive front gateway, this door was often used by robots switching between indoor and outdoor patrol, and so its use would not garner attention. There were more robots outside, of course, but they would have gaps in their patterns as well. They always did, and Kalinka's time spent with Blues Light had taught her how to spot them. Seeing her opportunity, Kalinka made a dash for it and darted through the door. There was no outcry as she emerged into the light snow outside. "Yes! Success!"
"Success in what, miss Kalinka?" A polite but firm voice inquired, and Kalinka suppressed an urge to scream in rage. Turning around, she saw Pharaoh Man leaning against the wall.
"You…" She growled. "You KNEW!"
"Not entirely, but I saw your actions and guessed at their meaning." Pharaoh Man shook his head. "You should know, miss Kalinka, that no matter what our schedule SAYS we are doing, at least one of us is always aware of your activities."
"Shut up!" Now Kalinka did scream, as she hurled her minicomputer at the Robot Master's head. It bounced off ineffectively and fell to the snow at his feet. "Who told you you could do that? Who said I was accountable to YOU?"
"Your father, that is who." Pharaoh Man picked up the minicomputer. "He has instructed us in this manner, and we are bound to obey his will."
"The Second Law." Kalinka sneered. "That's right. No matter how human you look, you're just machines."
'Precisely, miss Kalinka." The Egyptian-themed Robot Master nodded, unruffled. "I am a machine, and so are my compatriots. Thus, your insults and distaste do not mean much to us. They are pointless, and I would appreciate it if you would discontinue them… if you do not mind, of course."
"And if I do?" Kalinka shot back. "I don't like you. I don't like ANY of you, and that's not going to change." Pharaoh Man raised an eyebrow.
"Because we are Robot Masters?"
"Exactly."
"But Blues Light is also a Robot Master." Pharaoh Man reasoned. "Yet, you surely do not dislike him?"
"Don't compare yourself to Blues." Kalinka snarled, enraged anew. "He's different… he's more human than you are. He has emotions… feelings… he doesn't just blindly follow orders! And don't even THINK about mentioning the Rebellion, because I DON'T want to hear it from YOU!"
"I understand." Pharaoh Man shrugged. "It is not as if I have much to say about Blues Light and the Rebellion anyways."
"You don't?" Kalinka's voice quieted a little. "You're not going to use blind reason to try and convince me that it's really him, like Roll did?"
"Roll Light, like her brother, is more human than I am." Pharaoh Man explained. "I am a simple robot. It is not my place to decide such things. That is for humans and the more advanced Robot Masters."
"Is it now…?" Kalinka murmured. "What if I was to order you to make a statement about your feelings on the matter?" Pharaoh Man winced visibly.
"I would appreciate it if you did not do so, mistress Kalinka." Kalinka shook her head firmly.
"Tough. Third Law. I order you to talk."
"Then…" Pharaoh Man spoke slowly, one word at a time. "I do not… believe that the appearance… of Blues Light behind this Rebellion… is exactly conversant with previous… interaction with him."
"So YOU don't think it's him either!" Kalinka crowed.
"If that is what it comes to." Pharaoh Man shrugged. "I am a robot, of course, and despite my relative sophistication I am highly fallible. I could very well be wrong."
"Who cares?" Kalinka laughed. "At least SOMEBODY else is on my side! Do all the others think the same?"
"I… believe their thought processes… are quite similar to mine." Pharaoh Man admitted. "Of course, their programmed personality situations may alter that in some of them… Dust Man is gloomy, and Skull Man dark, so…"
"That still leaves most of them." Kalinka dismissed that. "Maybe you guys have your uses after all."
"Perhaps so." Pharaoh Man seemed to hesitate. "Mistress Kalinka… may I ask you something?"
"That depends." She smiled; her anger had cooled by now. "Well, I suppose I DO owe you one for that… all right, ask away."
"Why did you attempt to escape?" The Egyptian-themed Robot Master inquired. "There is nothing around here for miles but snow and wilderness, and no vehicle to carry you."
"Maybe I like snow and wilderness." Kalinka sighed. "Truthfully, though, I wasn't planning on going very far. I just wanted to get out of the castle for a while. I can't spend all my life in there… sometimes I just need to get out, see something else than the same old walls all the time. It's almost like dad's keeping me imprisoned… although I doubt he'd like that analysis. And I doubt you understand what I'm saying at all, so…"
"On the contrary." Pharaoh Man denied. "Among the things your father programmed us with is a rudimentary knowledge of human psychology. Skull Man is really the most knowledgeable on the matter, but I understand enough. If you wish, I will speak with your father on the matter. I must confess that I doubt it will do much good, but I can try."
"I… I'd like that, Pharaoh." Kalinka nodded, surprised. "Thank you." She paused. "Is your understanding really just knowledge of human psychology? All of it?" Pharaoh Man's face grew uncomfortable again.
"I… cannot say for certain, mistress."
"What's it like?" She pressed, suddenly interested. "Being a robot, I mean? No emotions, no feelings?"
"It is…" Pharaoh Man's eyes dimmed. "I do not know… I have never experienced any other existence. However… that is not entirely a correct analysis. The Lights… Rock, Roll and Blues… all have emotions and feelings. Perhaps, someday, I will as well… Blues Light has expressed his beliefs on the matter to me several times. Although, of course, I will never be able to perfectly match humanity's capacity for emotion, any more than they can."
"What do you mean?" Kalinka frowned. "Blues seems perfectly human in his emotions to me!"
"No robot can be perfectly human." Pharaoh Man explained. It might have been Kalinka's imagination, but his voice seemed… sad? "This is not their own fault, but a simple physical fact. We are mechanical, and there are some things our bodies cannot do. For example, a robot's most overwhelming rage will be blunted instantly if it turns against a human… even the Lights must obey the First Law. And no matter how much grief a robot feels, he cannot cry. Tear ducts, like sweat glands and other exterior body liquids, were deemed unnecessary in the first Robot Master designs by the Doctors Light and Wily, and such has remained so since."
"No tear ducts…" Kalinka marveled. "I never knew, Pharaoh. Not that you've had much to cry about, yourself…"
"No, my existence since being rebuilt has been relatively admirable." Pharaoh Man gave her a strange look. "Others, however… well, I would suggest you examine them more closely. With all due respect, of course, Miss Kalinka."
"Of course." Kalinka nodded. "Well, I can't say I'm happy that you caught me, but there's no helping it now. Let's go back inside."
"Very well." Pharaoh Man followed her inside, and locked the door behind them, while outside, the countless security robots continued their endless patrol through the Siberian snow.
"Thanks for the energy, Ed." Mega Man patted the small suitcase robot on the head. "I needed it." Eddie beeped happily and departed, and the Blue Bomber walked past the smoking wreckage of the last cannon to enter Gyro Man's door. On the other side of it, he emerged in a room with high walls, but no ceiling-or if there was one, it was completely obscured by the massive cloudbank that hovered eight feet above the floor. Mega Man glowered at it, waiting for his foe's appearance. He didn't have to wait very long.
"Oh, I come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs blooooooow!" Gyro Man bawled as he blasted out of the cloudbank like a cannonball. The mighty rotors on his back slowed and stopped, and he landed perfectly on his feet two feet away from the Blue Bomber. He winked. "Hammer of the gods."
"Nice introduction." Mega Man drawled, golf clapping. "Do you even know who sang that?"
"Humans." Gyro Man shrugged indifferently. "I don't bother differentiating between them. I just heard it on one of the radio waves, and I liked it."
"Does it do anything for your sense of premonition if I tell you it was Led Zeppelin?" Mega Man continued dryly. "If I was a flyboy, that wouldn't be my choice before a fight."
"Premonition, shmemonition." Gyro Man laughed. "I don't care. Only things I care about are flying and fighting… oh, and irritating people. Can't forget that."
"I suppose not." Mega Man rolled his eyes. "Well, this is all very fascinating, but shall we get on with it? I've still got three more of your pals to waste after I finish with you, and that's not even counting your boss and his shoeshine boy."
"Oh, sure. No problem at all." Gyro Man drawled sarcastically, but then his eyes sharpened. "I was built to fight… to kill. You came into those abilities late in your life. The difference should be obvious!" Laughing like a maniac, he hurled himself into the clouds once more. "How can you hit me if you can't even see me? Answer me THAT, Blue Bomber!"
"Ask your buddy Stone Man! Or better yet, kiss his weapon!" Mega yelled back, activating the Power Stone. The three rock satellites spun around into the clouds, but there was no sound or sign of impact.
"HA!" Gyro Man laughed contemptuously. "You call THAT a weapon! Those suckers are so slow, they couldn't hit a half-dead duck! THIS is a weapon!" The clouds parted, and out of them came a flat green propeller blade… ridiculous looking, but as Mega Man dodged it, it ground into the metal floor.
"Damn…" The Blue Bomber muttered. "It's like a shuriken… like Shadow Man's!"
"TOLD you I was built to fight!" Gyro Man laughed from above. "And don't even think of hiding behind that Star Crash… my toys will slice through them like a knife!" He threw several more Gyro Blades, and one of them gave Mega Man a cut on his shoulder. He swore again.
"Power Stone and Star Crash are no good… neither is the Charge Kick, obviously… and the Gravity Hold'd do nothing! Looks like it's plain old plasma for me…" Aiming his Buster upward, the Blue Bomber began firing randomly. Not charged shots, but smaller bullets at a high speed.
"Ooh, that smarts!" Gyro Man taunted. "But this is nothing, Blue Boy! You'll take all day to wear me down by dumb luck like this!" To emphasize the point, the next Gyro Blade took a slice out of Mega Man's leg.
"This just isn't working!" The Blue Bomber muttered. "But none of my Master Weapons can… wait!" The Gravity Hold… it focuses on a target by linking with my brain. Like Dark Man, as long as I THINK of Gyro Man, I don't have to SEE him! And every battle room so far has been the same, so maybe this one DOES have a ceiling! It's worth a shot! Selecting the Gravity Hold, he activated it.
"Now what are you… HEY! WHAT THE HE-" Gyro Man's astonished yell was cut off by a sickening thud. A moment later, he fell out of the cloud bank and smashed into the ground. Mega smirked.
"Well, what do you know. Looks like you've just been grounded, flyboy."
"You stupid…" Gyro Man growled, struggling to his feet. "I'll carve you to ribbons!" Without warning, he hurled a Gyro Blade from a wrist launcher. It only nicked Mega Man's side as he dodged, but his eyes narrowed.
"I'll make you pay for that."
"I'll KILL you!" Gyro Man howled in return, and the Blue Bomber smirked once more.
"Try it." Charged blast and Gyro Blade flew. The former hit dead on, but this time Mega Man easily hurdled the spinning propeller. Gyro Man stared, stunned, as he landed and released a Power Stone, immediately following with a Charge Kick. Both hit, and Gyro Man went down again. Mega Man stood, turned, and activated the Gravity Hold… not once, but multiple times, lifting the fallen Gyro Man up faster and faster each time, until he heard the crunch as the green Warbot hit the ceiling twice as painfully as the first time. Again he fell to earth, but now he fell a broken wreck. His prized back propeller was a mangled mess, and one of the fans had been completely lost.
"You…" He whispered as he fell. "You… fly higher… than I ever could. Even higher than… master…" And then he hit the floor, skidded into a wall, and spoke no more.
"I have to, Gyro Man." Mega muttered, extracting the weapons chip. "I said that myself to Wily… and it still holds true. I always have… and I always will." Looking around, he soon saw the green Energen Crystal on a desk with a computer. "And now… I can truly fly again. Fitting that the flying Robot Master is the one to grant me that… and a fellow fighter. Sleep well, soldier."