Chapter 13: Brother, What Art Thou?
"It's always the same, you know. Makes sense, of course. At the end of the fights, after all the debacle, they almost always have a fortress, both physical and digital, that we have to fight through... and it's usually worse than everything else in the current incident combined..." -Lan Hikari, operator of MegaMan.exe, licensed Netbattler
"Hey, guys." Mega Man yawned as he walked into Cossack's lab. For once, he had awoken by himself. Cossack, Kalinka, Roll and Pharaoh Man were all standing around in the lab, along with Eddie and Rush, with Drill Man at a monitor. All but him turned to look at the Blue Bomber when he entered, a bit surprised at his casual air considering what would be next. "Hope the damage wasn't too severe?"
"Oh, I don't know…" Roll replied mockingly, deciding to keep the same offhand tone. "Let me think. Explosion damage covering your entire body. Blunt physical damage like you were run over by a tank. And to top it off, you were STILL covered in blasted NAPALM!" She smirked. "So yeah, about par for the course after the last of the set."
"It is fine, my friend." Dr. Cossack assured him. "And now that you are awake, we can finally activate your newest assistance."
"Oh yeah, this time you asked me to give you the Circuit Plate before I conked out…" Mega remembered. "Well, where is it?"
"Right here." Cossack pointed at a blanket-covered lump about Eddie's size. The Lights leaned forward in anticipation. "And now… show time." Reaching underneath, he flipped a switch, then pulled the cover off to reveal… a bird. A round, robotic bird with a blue hull. Stubby wings, talons and tail stuck out of the sphere that was its body, and on the front was a perpetually smiling beak below eyes as wide as Eddie's. Eyes that were even now open and looking around, curious, at them all. "Friends and family… may I introduce you to DCN009. His name is Beat."
"Catchy…" Mega murmured, taken aback. "A bird… does that mean… can he actually fly?"
"Oh, yes." Dr. Cossack nodded. "Effortlessly. Beat has a miniature jet underneath his tail that can be adjusted by incredibly precise angles to control his flight. He can even hover in place. The wings and tail are just for balance, but the talons are an entirely different story. They're made of the strongest alloys known to man and robot kind, and they're razor-sharp. Just say the word, and Beat will sink them into anything you order him to."
"Death from above… very nice." Mega examined the little blue bird further. "I assume he has a teleportation device?"
"But of course." Cossack confirmed proudly. "Also, his eyes can see even farther into the color spectrum than you can, as well as detect heat and movement. And yes, his hull is armored as well. Not quite as much as your suit there, but enough to match Eddie and Rush… and to keep him alive if he gets shot at." Beat launched himself into the air and flew over to Mega Man, chirping. Reaching him, he hovered just over the Blue Bomber's right shoulder effortlessly, waiting for instructions.
"Awesome." Mega smiled confidently. "This is awesome, Doc. They'll never expect THIS secret weapon… and I bet I know one guy in particular who'll never stand a chance against Beat here."
"So you'll be going after Dark Man and our brother, than?" Roll asked quietly. Mega Man dropped the smile and nodded.
"I have to, Roll. He said if I beat the other eight, he'd clue me in as to where they were… where he's keeping dad. Has he called yet?"
"No… we're having Drill Man monitor the airwaves." Cossack glanced over at the red Robot Master, who sat at a console. "Anything, Drill?"
"Not… wait." Drill Man responded. "There seems to be… yes. It is here." As one, the humans and robots turned and ran towards the living room; even Eddie and Rush came. Kalinka was the first one there; grabbing the remote, she flipped it on.
"-out there in TV land!" Proto Man was smirking as cockily as ever, leaning against a wall. "Hello again, from your soon-to-be-conqueror. For anybody who's somehow missed my previous transmissions… somebody who's a dunderhead even by your species' standards, that would have to be… I'm Proto Man, commander of the Fifth Robot Rebellion and all armies associated with such. I'm calling to inform you all that the first wave of my attacks has been beaten back… that's right, the first. And only the first. Eight Robot Master generals have been defeated… destroyed. Eight locations that I captured have been recovered. This is good… this is very good. Congratulations are in order for my little brother, Mega Man. But…" His smirk widened. "Did you really think that means I'm through?" As he stood, the wall behind him shimmered and disappeared. Another one of Dark Man's holograms. The dome-headed Robot Master stood behind his master, and he was not alone. Eight other Robot Masters were there as well, glaring out at the world. Star Man, Gravity Man, Stone Man, Charge Man, Gyro Man, Wave Man, Crystal Man, Napalm Man and Dark Man all stood behind their master, ready to fight once more.
"…So he kept some of each model at his fortress." Mega realized. "Standard practice… probably got a teleporter room set up and everything. Nothing special to me, but to people who don't know about that… this is probably pretty intimidating."
"We're all still in the game." Proto Man gloated. "Right now, we're just taking a break… resting up before making our next assault, taking even more human lives. But before that happens… I'm giving you a chance. As promised to my little brother… he'll have one chance to save you apes, and one only. I'm going to reveal the location of my fortress, where we all stand right now. We're in Australia, little bro… a hundred miles north of Sydney, where this all began. Where I first had my mind opened to the truth about you human scum. I thought it was fitting. And before you ask… it's even stronger than that idiot Wily's Skull Fortresses. UN forces won't stand a chance… neither will anybody else for that matter. Because you see… this fortress isn't just defensive, it's offensive as well. On my command, I can fire thousands of huge guns covering this baby and destroy all life on the continent in hours, turning it into my own foothold kingdom. And nukes won't work either, if you get so desperate as to use them; I've got lasers that can see them coming from halfway across the planet, and fire precisely enough to set them off before they get near my humble home."
"Can he actually do that?" Roll demanded of Cossack. The Russian Robotocist shook his head dumbly.
"I don't… know. I think it's a bluff… but I can't be sure… he might…"
"Doesn't matter if it is or not." Mega growled. "I'm taking him down regardless."
"Inside, of course, it's all things that you're used to." Proto continued. "Four rings… but they're not overseen by Fortress Guardians. Oh no… we have something better." Behind him, the eight Robot Masters dispersed and walked off screen, leaving Dark Man alone with his master… and then three new beings joined them, and even Mega's eyes widened in surprise. One was green, with tank treads instead of feet and both arms, each with a standard buster… another grey, again with both arms but with no weapons on either… and the third purple, with the vertically rotating cannon for the right arm. They were all smaller, and they did not have the ornamental spikes on their armor… but they were all modified copies of Dark Man, right down to the glass-domed heads.
"What… the heck?" The Blue Bomber muttered. "I thought he said Darkie was one of a kind…"
"Meet the Sentinels." Proto Man introduced them proudly. "An idea I had… one that yielded excellent results. What happens if you take a Robot Master's body… make another one… and then stick a normal robot's brain inside? A much cheaper, perfectly controllable but still deadly robot… one with all the powers of a Robot Master and none of the will. No troubling personality quirks… just absolute obedience. They'll be guarding the three rings. As for me and Dark Man… we're waiting for you in the southeast tower. The one with the huge radar dish on it. At the top, of course. Let's see if you can make it all the way. And we're not alone… our two special guests are here as well." The camera swung to focus on Dr. Wily. "How about it, Uncle Al? Got any words for the blue boy who's beaten you time and time again?"
"Yes… yes I do." Wily's eyes glittered. "All I have to say… is that it will give me great pleasure to watch as you are destroyed by your own brother, Mega Man. Once that is accomplished… well, I imagine I'll be joining you soon."
"Maaaaaaaybe." Proto Man chuckled, moving the camera to the other cell. "How about you, dad? Got anything to say?"
"Indeed I do." Dr. Light nodded calmly. "Rock… son. Do not be deceived by this farce. What is truly going on here is-MMPH!" Proto Man quickly clasped a metal hand over his father's mouth.
"Whoopsie! Almost revealed a secret there, pop. Not good… not good at all." Proto Man wagged a finger on his other hand. "Don't worry, I won't hurt him… need him as persuasion. Beat me… beat US… and you can get him back. You can even have Wily too, not that he's worth much… probably couldn't even get five bucks for him on the internet. Well then, I've said my piece. Dark?"
"…Just this." Dark Man looked at the camera. "I hope you remember what I said to you at Casablanca, Mega Man… because it still holds true. I'll be waiting for you. Make it to the top."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Proto Man grinned maniacally. "See you soon, little bro!" The broadcast cut off, returning to the cartoon channel the television had been on.
"Call from the United Nations!" Drill Man, the only one to remain behind in the lab, yelled.
"Not surprising." Mega grunted as they all ran back there. "Put it on!"
"Mega Man… and all of you." Martel nodded politely. "I assume you saw the broadcast, of course. As soon as that location was revealed, we took a look at it from satellite camera. It seems he told the truth." An image appeared in the upper-right corner of the screen; a collection of towers and buildings, most of them topped by gigantic weaponry. Two thick fortress walls surrounded the complex, an outer one of orange steel and an inner wall of blue stone. At one corner was the front of the fortress. Unlike Cossack's castle home, it was obviously paying homage to the Skull Fortresses of the past, dominated by a titanic red globe that bore a pair of transparent shades. Through them, they could dimly see the inner workings of the fortress. Below the helmet, a squared-off building front yawned open.
"So that's the Proto Fortress." Mega dubbed it. "Any ideas on the attack plan, people?" Cossack stroked his beard, then pointed deliberately at the front door.
"Here… this is where the first attack shall take place."
"Uh, doc… the front is where the defenses will be strongest… huh?" Mega blinked. "Did you say first attack?"
"Exactly, and it will not be you." Cossack explained. "My eight Robot Masters are still combat-ready… they will launch a strike upon the front. While they distract the enemy… you have said before that you do not like to teleport inside an enemy's shielding because you cannot see where you will come out?"
"Exactly." Mega confirmed. "I could easily reform over a bed of spikes or a twenty-story drop. Eddie and Rush… and now Beat, I suppose… just home in on my location. Why do you ask?"
"Because… there is one place you CAN see, behind enemy lines." Dr. Cossack announced. "The walltop… to be specific, it looks to me as if the southwest outer walltop is the least defended. Councilors, can your camera zoom in on that?"
"Easily." Martel nodded. The image of the Proto Fortress faded, to be replaced by a closup of the walltop. Mega looked it over critically.
"Hmm… it's still pretty heavy, but… yeah. I can make it in if I teleport to that spot by surprise once I'm inside the shield. Good planning, doc." He looked at Martel. "I assume you gentlemen have some fairly specific orders for me?"
"That we do." Martel nodded. "Mega Man. Your mission is to destroy your brother, the renegade Robot Master Proto Man, as well as his subordinate Dark Man. You are also to shut down the Proto Fortress and any robots remaining there. This threat must stop here and now… for all of us. We may not get another chance after this… in more than one way." For a second, his eyes flickered to Arcian. Mega nodded, understanding perfectly.
"As you command, Councilors."
"Good luck, then… we will pray for your success." Martel saluted him, and the connection died.
"Two E-Tanks… an M-Tank… eight Master Weapons and the Super Arrow… Rush, Eddie and Beat." Mega counted off. "That'll be enough. It'll have to be. I'm going, then… I'm getting dad back. And I'm going to settle this."
"You're not worried?" Cossack inquired. "Those Sentinels… they didn't look like they'd be easy to beat."
"I think I can take them." Rock disagreed. "Proto made a mistake. A robot master's body is powerful… but the brain design is what truly makes them powerful. Even the stupidest Robot Master's mind gives it strength far beyond any normal robot. Those things won't stand a chance against me… no, the only REAL threats there now… are Dark Man and Proto Man."
"Rock…" Roll bit her lip. "Are you really going to… what I mean is, I know they ordered you to, and I know he's gone crazy, but… you're not going to…"
"He's smarter than that." Kalinka shook her head. Everybody stared at her. "Whoever it is up there… Rock's not going to kill him. It's too iffy… too many questions left unanswered. He'll bring him in alive… right?"
"…Right." Mega smiled wanly. "You got it. I'm going on ahead… don't worry, I won't go near the fortress. Just scoping it out from a distance. Send the other eight after me. I'll… see you guys when I'm done. And I'll bring dad back with me… count on that." He teleported away.
"Kalinka…" Roll muttered, still surprised. "Thanks."
"I still don't think it's really him." Kalinka shrugged. "But that didn't really matter… saying that meant the same either way."
"And…" Roll looked her in the eye. "Do you… really think he was telling the truth? That he won't kill him?" Kalinka's gaze fell.
"I… hope so, Roll." She whispered. "I truly hope so… hope that he is not capable of that… for his sake, not Blues'." Roll could only nod.
"A robot must not harm a human being…" Cossack murmured. "He could not kill Wily… that is what I told him after our fight, years ago. He could not kill Wily, for that miserable soul was still a human… but Blues…" He fell silent. None of them said it… they all knew.
Mega Man COULD kill Blues… and the question of if he WOULD was one none of them wanted to think about.
"There you guys are." Mega Man greeted Pharaoh Man as the eight Robot Masters built by Cossack teleported in. "You guys ready to rumble?"
"Indeed we are." Pharaoh Man nodded. "It has been… a long time since we had a chance to do battle. We are all ready." He squinted at the fortress ahead. "Allow us five minutes, then go."
"Understood." Mega nodded. "And all of you… once I'm in, I want you to retreat. Get back out and teleport back home. You can't actually make it all the way through, and I don't want you all dying a second time because of me."
"We shall." Pharaoh Man promised. "You will be sure to get inside during our efforts?"
"Positive." Mega sighed and looked out over the fortress. "You know… this feels weird. In the past two Rebellions, when I assaulted a Fortress, my brother always came in to help me out. This time… he's the one I have to take down."
"Strange indeed…" Pharaoh Man nodded politely. "But it does not get better with time spent talking about it. Let us be off, then." The eight Robot Masters formed up as a group, with Pharaoh Man, Ring Man and Bright Man at the head, and charged.
"Good luck, guys…" Mega murmured, watching as they trampled the first guards. "And thanks." Exactly five minutes after that, he stepped across the line of the teleport barrier and flew off again, landing on the walltop where Cossack had pointed. Immediately, steel grey tiger-robots began leaping towards him while, above, propeller-bearing flyers swooped in. The latter, however, were intercepted by a blue streak that ripped them to shreds, and without them, the tigers were blown away by Mega Man just as easily.
"Awesome… thanks, Beat." Mega grinned. The bird-bot chirped happily and left as Mega entered a door on the side of the higher, blue stone inner wall. He glanced critically up the stairs inside; spider mines clung to the ceiling, waiting to drop when he passed, and a large chunk of the stairs was missing. The Gravity Hold detonated the former, and the Rush Coil helped him pass the latter, and he emerged onto the higher walltop, heading along the northwest wall. This wall had spike beds lining its top in many places, along with flying missile-droppers soaring overhead, which was why Cossack had not recommended he teleport there. Once he was on the Rush Jet, however, the going was a breeze for Mega.
"Still, better not stay up here too long or some anti-aircraft fire might focus on me." Mega muttered. Seeing a guard station halfway along the wall, he had Rush take him down and entered it. It took him down, back through the stone wall's inside and out onto the outer northwest walltop. There was only one defense measure there, but it was enough; one of the two-legged, laser-spraying Mechs that had been positioned on Project SKYLIGHT. This time, the Mech had no pilot; it was on automatic, and Mega shattered its control socket with a few well-placed Gyro Blades. Going back inside the inner wall, he groaned; the room ahead of him was floored with spikes, there was a ladder hanging in the upper corner opposite him, and metal blocks were teleporting in, hovering in midair and teleporting out in a set pattern.
"Great… Wily's disappearing block technology. Looks like Proto forced it out of him." Another mainstay of Rebellions, the Disappearing Block Puzzles never failed to aggravate Mega Man, and this one was no exception. He couldn't even fly Rush through it, for danger of one of the blocks suddenly popping in and scraping him off. When he finally hopped across to the ladder, the Blue Bomber climbed it up a thin shaft and appeared in a large, wide hall with flying robotic eyes patrolling. "Well, at least it looks like I'm in to the First Ring. Hope those other guys made it out okay…" Looking around, he spied a metal shutter in the far wall. "Aha… the END of the First Ring, looks like. Good… now to see what these 'Sentinels' are really capable of." Walking through, he watched as a Robot Master… or something like one… fell from the ceiling. It was the green Sentinel… below its waist were tank treads, and both arms were permanent busters. It raised one and fired as it began trundling slowly towards him. Mega easily jumped it and returned fire with a charge shot. The Sentinel didn't even seem to notice; it simply continued forward on its path, firing again. Again Mega dodged and fired back, and again the Sentinel kept coming dully. Two more times this happened before it came close to him, and Mega easily hurdled it.
"Man… this isn't EVEN ordinary robot-quality brain! OOF!" Mega grunted and fell forward. The green Sentinel had reversed itself and shot backward at twice its previous speed, running him over. Mega winced and growled as the tank-bot flattened him… and then, once it was clear, it shot him, adding insult to the injury. "Grrr… THAT does it." Mega stood up and glared at the green robot as it sped around the room, firing faster as well. "You're a speedy bugger… those treads are like Napalm Man's, aren't they? But unlike him, you've got no legs… so you can't jump. Mistake." He slammed his fist into the ground, and the Water Wave erupted beneath the Sentinel's treads. The force was such that it was actually launched into the air, arms flailing. As it landed, another blast of the Water Wave shot up, and the force of it combined with the Sentinel's gravity tore the treads. Flapping, it flew off, leaving the wheels bare. "Now I've got… huh?" The Sentinel was still moving… faster than ever! "The wheels are connected to the body themselves? Yeesh! You're just FULL of surprises, aren't you, buddy? But nevertheless…" The Water Wave shot up once more, and again, and again. "That flaw is so big… nothing you can do gets around it." Finally, the Sentinel crashed to earth one last time and toppled over, silent and still. Stepping around it, Mega Man walked through the steel shutter on the other end of the room.
"I'll be heading into… the back of that huge helmet building." He guessed, remembering what he knew of the Proto Fortress' layout. "I need to get to the front… and then, my target is on the other side of it." He blew away a flying blue spherical robot as he trudged down the hall. Several more, as well as some Metrains, patrolled the hall as well. All fell to his Buster. And that was nothing compared to what lay ahead of him. Heading down a staircase, Mega groaned; the next hall had no floor, simply a huge, gaping pit. The only way across was a series of ledges that held moving conveyer belts, some of those also patrolled by spiked wheels. And to keep him from safely using the Rush Jet to cross, the ceiling was low and covered with spikes. The Blue Bomber surveyed the situation critically, then swore.
"Damn it ALL. Sometimes… this job… really sucks." He sighed. "Well, okay, it pretty much always sucks. But sometimes it sucks a lot more than other times." Still muttering to himself, the Blue Bomber began making his way across. Hearing a whirring noise, Mega looked ahead to see a copter 'bot zooming towards him, bearing a payload of a spherical black bomb with a skull on it. "Ugh… and sometimes, it makes THOSE times look good."
And yet… the Blue Bomber continued forward.
"We've got an attack, boss!" Dark Man growled. "It's on the front gate!"
"Really? Well, that's odd." Proto Man raised an eyebrow behind his shades. "He's never done THAT before… always the indirect assault. For good reason. He's alone, of course?"
"No…" Dark Man's voice rose, startled. "There's… eight of them! Eight Robot Masters!"
"WHAT!" Proto Man fell out of his chair. "Damn! That's ridiculous… you're seeing things, Dark!" Climbing back into his seat, he glared at the screen showing the security camera's readings. "Huh… wait a second. Those are… the Cossacks!" Pharaoh Man, Ring Man and Bright Man were leading the attack; the three powerful Robot Masters were blowing, slicing and blasting their way through the front lines with the other five behind them. "Damn it… I never thought they would turn against me as well. Never trust a Robot Master who's not on your side, Dark… they're just as bad as humans. This PISSES me OFF!" He glanced over at Wily. "Ah, there's a stress reliever!" Crossing over to the cell, he began harrowing the evil old doctor with kicks through the cell bars that he scrambled to dodge, usually unsuccessfully. "Ha… take that, and some of that!" After a few minutes of this, he stopped and crossed back to his seat. "Oh well… how are the defenses holding up?"
"Better than you'd think." Dark Man replied, glancing from screen to screen. "I don't think they'll be able to make it through."
"That'd be a shame." Proto Man said honestly. "If little brother died on a suicide charge like that just because he thought he could make it through by bringing friends… before making it through even the First Ring… well, that would REALLY suck." He slumped deeper into his chair. "All the patrol patterns in the inner rings still holding steady?"
"Yup." Dark Man confirmed. "And all three Sentinels are still waiting."
"All righty, then." Proto Man stood up. "All we can do now is wait here, then. We've done our part… told him where we are. Now, the rest is up to him. I'm counting on you, little brother." He glanced over at the cells. "While we're waiting, though, there ARE a few things we still have to take care of."
"Are you by any chance referring to me, 'my son'?" Dr. Light inquired rhetorically. Proto crossed to the cell.
"You know I am. That was very well done of you, by the way… you almost ruined it all then and there."
"I tried." Dr. Light shrugged. "If you had just been a second later… ah well, details, details."
"Yeah." Proto raised an eyebrow. "How ever did you find out?"
"Observation… watching you very closely. It all started with that call during the incident in Casablanca… I knew something was up with that, and afterwards it was simply a matter of paying attention. You ARE very good, you know… I'll admit that. But you're not perfect. You made mistakes… and I picked up on them, put them together. I figured it out."
"So you did, so you did." Proto Man murmured appreciatively. "You're very good too, old man."
"Even better than you think." Dr. Light continued. He glanced over at Dark Man. "You… I bet you don't even know who you really are, do you?"
"…What do you mean?" Dark Man stood as well and crossed over to him. "I am Dark Man. I know that."
"Ah, so you talk to me yourself now…" Dr. Light raised an eyebrow. "You are Dark Man, yes. But before that… there's something missing, isn't there? You try to remember, but you can't. You KNOW you were somebody else… but you don't know who, or what. But I do… I've figured that out as well." His voice fell to a whisper. "Would you like me to tell you?" Dark Man began to shake.
"I think that's quite enough out of you." Proto Man growled. "You know a lot, all right… you know entirely too much. And besides… it's about time you made a little trip anyways… you've got somewhere else to go to now. Isn't that right?"
"Indeed it is." A new voice agreed as the door to the command center opened. Dr. Light's gaze shot towards the door, and the moment he looked away, Dark Man acted. His one hand shot out and slammed something into the aged doctor's shoulder. A syringe. Dr. Light angrily pulled it out and threw it at him, but the damage had been done.
"You… will…" He groaned as his eyes began to glaze over. "Never… stand against… my… son…" He pitched forward onto the cell's floor, out like a light. Dark Man opened it, and then both Robot Masters glanced at the newcomer.
"Well, you're here then." Proto Man greeted him. "I was wondering when you would be here."
"Stop that." The newcomer ordered. "There's no need for that in front of me." Proto Man froze, unmoving, and Dark Man slowly nodded.
"Of… of course." The dome-headed Robot Master agreed. "You'll be taking him with you, then?"
"Well, of course I will." The newcomer snapped. "I'm certainly not leaving him here with YOU, for when Mega Man comes up here… you've bungled enough already. And Mega Man WILL come… don't be fooled by that seemingly suicidal assault. He always comes… always makes it through. And don't think those Sentinels of yours can stop him either… they're an interesting idea, I'll grant you, but they won't be enough. Nothing is enough… not for him." At his signal, a menial robot crossed over to Dr. Light's cell, opened it and picked up the old robotocist. "No, we're getting out of here right now."
"So you'll be teleporting with him?" Dark Man inquired casually. The newcomer snorted in contempt.
"Don't be stupid. Teleport shields work both ways, and there's another one around our destination anyways. We'll be taking my vehicle."
"Right." Dark Man seemed to hesitate. "Is… is what he said true? About… me, I mean?"
"Does it matter?" The newcomer replied casually, turning to leave as the menial robot carried Dr. Light past him. "You have your orders… you know your mission. That is all you NEED to know. Do it, Dark Man." Dark Man reluctantly saluted again.
"As you command." The doors shut behind the newcomer, and Dark Man turned back to his displays… and what he saw made his eyes widen.
"What! Those Robot Masters attacking the front are pulling back… and we've got another attack! From the southwest walltop… breaking into the First Ring! They tricked us!"
"How far has he gotten?" Proto Man demanded, springing back to life. Dark Man's eyes widened again.
"He just destroyed the first Sentinel!"
"So… he's still got it." Proto Man grinned darkly. "Get ready, Dark Man… it looks like he's going to be up here in no time at all."
"Here's the second Sentinel, then…" Mega walked through the steel shutter. Once again, the enemy dropped down from above, this time landing neatly on its legs. It was the grey one; both hands, both legs, nothing looking at all like a weapon about it. It regarded him silently and unmoving. "Well? Draw!" Mega demanded. The Sentinel seemed to shrug… and the walls around it exploded outward. "HUH?" Two objects flew towards it, and then stopped at the last second, to orbit horizontally around it in a perfect circle. They were hovering, glowing, vertical bars of PLASMA that flew around the enemy without showing any signs of dissipating. "How…? Maybe an electromagnetic field could contain the plasma, but…" He squinted. Inside the bars, he saw dark shapes. "Aha… rods of plasma-deflective metal at the core… they must contain the circuitry that you use to make them orbit you, too." The Sentinel simply watched him, and then ran forward. Mega fired his charged shot, but the blast hit one of the bars and sizzled into nothingness. Hurdling the enemy, the Blue Bomber fired again, this time shooting between the bars and hitting. Undaunted, the Sentinel turned and charged again, slightly faster. Waiting for it to near him, Mega hurdled it and fired once more. Again the Sentinel repeated its attack pattern, the same as before.
"These guys are about as bright as… hey! The bars are speeding up too!" Indeed they were; not only did the Sentinel's running speed increase with the damage it took, but the orbit speed of its shields picked up as well. "Damn… if this keeps up, I won't be able to shoot through them any longer!" His words proved true; a few minutes later, the shield might as well have been a complete cylinder. Trying to get a shot in, the Blue Bomber forgot to watch the enemy's movements, and it slammed into him. By diving away at the last second, he was unable to avoid the worst of the damage, but the plasma bars still scored burns into his back. Mega's eyes narrowed. "All right… let's see how you like a little death from above!" He accessed the one weapon he had not used yet, and a Napalm Bomb soared into the air, clearing the shields and exploding on the grey robot's head. The Sentinel paused, and Mega fired another. It charged desperately, but he stood his ground and fired a third, and as the third heavy explosive hit, the Sentinel tumbled forward and skidded into a wall. The plasma barriers shot off, no longer controlled, through the holes they had made in the walls when they had entered.
"One more to go… and then the big guys." Leaving the room, he jumped; in surprise; to his left, the starry night sky stretched. "Huh… oh. I'm up against those stupid giant glass shades on this helmet." Absently summoning Beat to knock a squad of encroaching Copter Joes out of the air, Mega continued on. Riding a series of hovering lifts up a spike-lined vertical shaft, jumping across a huge chasm broken only by Met-Turrets on towers, and riding a moving chain of blocks across an even wider chasm were all in a day's work for the Blue Bomber by now. The huge glass between him and the outside, however, was a somewhat eerie thing, and Mega was glad when he finally reached the eastern edge of it. The next line of defense was not one, not two but THREE of the huge, humanoid purple robots.
"Subtlety is not the watchword in THIS Ring, I see." Mega murmured as he walked through another door and discovered himself standing out in the open one more, on a tiny ledge protruding from the right side of the giant helmet. Across the void before him, Mega saw his goal; the southeast tower. To confirm it, he looked up. Sure enough, the largest antenna he had ever seen (and considering the ostentatiousness of the Skull Fortresses, that was saying something) topping the tower. On his level, though, was a steel shutter. "That'll be where the third Sentinel is, then." Summoning Rush, he carefully crossed it, taking Beat with him as well to ward off enemies. They came, of course, but they were not enough, and he made it to the other side. Dismissing his friends, the Blue Bomber walked in. The third Sentinel was waiting; the purple one, with the cannon for a right arm like Dark Man. This one did not wait for him to attack first; it leaped into the air and fired, a stream of plasma bullets emerging from the barrel like the one Dark Man had fired in Casablanca. Mega Man slid under them and fired as the foe came down.
"So… what's your deal? Are you just a cheap rip-off of your boss?" The Sentinel leaped and fired again, and again Mega dodged and shot back. "That would seem to be the case… but both times I underestimated your buddies, I paid for it." Keeping his distance, he watched for something new… and it came. Landing on the ground after being hit for the fourth time, the Sentinel fired its cannon again… and this time, what emerged was not plasma, but three rings of energy that flew out in a spread. Mega jumped two, but the topmost one tagged him on the arm… and he fell, frozen. Paralyzed. The energy had stunned him, and he was left open to a series of plasma shots before regaining freedom of movement. "Ow… cute trick, that one. And it's not one I can think of a real way to counteract. Gambling that the Star Crash will stop it is too risky… so let's try this instead. You try to slow me down… so I'll use the fastest weapon I've got." He fired Gyro Blades, one after the other, spinning towards the Sentinel. They slammed home and sliced in like buzz saws. Again, the Sentinel fired its paralyzing shot, but this time Mega ran back, far away enough that the shots had spread out and he could jump between them easily. More Gyro Blades flew, but the dimwitted Sentinel kept up firing plasma streams and paralysis shots without even thinking of dodging. It was not long before the only possible outcome was reached, and it slumped to the ground, unmoving. Mega Man regarded it.
"Sentinels… interesting idea. I'll give them that. But in the end… they just don't match up. A Robot Master's mind is his strength, not his weakness, even the ordinary programmed ones… take that away, and what you have left isn't even worth the money spent to build it." Shaking his head, he walked on. "Up the tower, then… time to finish this." His words were confident, and so was his pace… but his mind was not. Despite his progress through the Fortress, the Blue Bomber's mind was uncertain… afraid, even. I'll fight Dark Man next… but then, after that… Proto Man. No… BLUES. I'll have to fight Blues… but can I? He's twisted, he's evil, he's a threat… but he's BLUES. He's my BROTHER. Can I be sure that I won't falter, won't fail?
And if I do… will it mean the end of everything?