Well, here goes. Another chapter for you, my faithful reviewers. I thank those who are still reading this for their patience, as I haven't updated in quite some time. You should all know by now that Issen is my own creation, while MegaMan and company are property of Capcom.

The stone hallway stretched deep into the dark pyramid, beckoning Issen into the dry and dusty tomb.

'There's got to be at least a dozen traps in here. Spikes, bats, flame throwers, and who knows what else. That's why I'm equipped with sonar equipment, to detect these kinds of things.'

Issen kneeled on the ground and raised a fist into the air. Gathering his strength, he slammed his fist into the floor and waited for the resonance. Dust, long undisturbed and gathered in layers, shook free from its hold and fell onto the floor. The vibration's reflections returned to his hand, alerting him to the poison darts positioned an inch in front of his face and a myriad of other traps. He slowly backed away and planned his course of action. After a moment of deliberation, he began charging his busters and started running through the traps. Darts flew past his calves as he ran past them. Several spikes shot out from down the hall, almost lancing him through the chest, but Issen had known about their existence and dodged out of the way. Several darts also tried the same trick, but they failed miserably.

'Pathetic waste if you ask me. Those trinkets wouldn't pierce an inch of steel at this range.'

As more darts and flying spikes continued to obstruct his path, Issen kept his busters at full charge but held off on using his Boost technique. Several stone pillars shot out of the walls, trying to crush the silver runner before he passed. Issen's above average speed saved him from the painful death he would have endured, leaving him to move further into the stronghold. A set of blades dropped out of the ceiling, trying to cut Issen in half and possibly quarter him, but Issen's armor deflected the old and dull blades. Several flame throwers sparked to live, illuminating the ceiling as the flame burst from the floor. Issen ran straight through it, causing his element system to re-adjust itself to its fire configuration. Unfortunately, the fire from the flame throwers didn't last long, and the darkness was increasing with every step. This left Issen to rely on his night vision for sight, but it didn't help him when a slab of rock dropped down behind him and cut off all the remaining light. Without light, Issen's night vision died out completely.

EXTERNAL LIGHTING ACTIVATED

'This could come in handy.'

Issen smiled as his helmet gem let up, exposing the hallway and allowing him to see once more. His smile quickly faded as several mini-tanks began their approach. Refusing to use his Boost, Issen charged forward and began slashing through the pint sized cannons. He was suddenly glad that he had held onto the charged shots as several robots that looked similar to Ancient Egyptian mummies emerged from rotating wall sections. Several of them tossed their heads at Issen, but he batted their faces away with his blades. He released both of his charged blasts into the mob of robots, destroying most of them with the dual blast. The remaining few fled into the rotating walls they had come from.

"For a top secret construction facility, the security here is rather lax…"

"So it would seem, Issen. So it would seem…"

Issen whirled about, trying to find the voice that invaded his presence. There was nothing there, even though he felt someone watching him. His eyes only met empty hall and ancient hieroglyphs that had long since been worn away by the elements. The voice that had spoken seemed to echo down the halls, letting him know that the voice had really spoken and it wasn't just his mind playing tricks on him.

"Who are you? Show yourself."

"Fool. I am your creator! You were meant to create chaos! Issen, why have you chosen to save the weaklings around you?!"

"Because…"

Issen stopped. He really didn't have an answer. Why did he protect those around him? Why did he spare all of the humans he had faced in Russia? Why had he not committed murder? He knew he had an ethics module installed in him, but he had the ability to disable it at any time. Why didn't he disable it? These questions rang through his mind, remaining unanswered yet serving their own purpose…

"I don't know. Right now, I don't really care either. Now show your self!"

"You should care, my creation, because these choices will come to haunt you eventually! We shall meet soon enough Issen!"

And with those final words the voice faded away, leaving Issen alone with his thoughts. He looked around, searching for any audio devices that may have been placed in the cracks, but Issen found nothing in the dust laden tomb. He sighed, giving up on his fruitless search for answers. Down the hall, a light turned on and beckoned him onward in his search for MirageMan…

"Has the first model been resurrected?"

"Yes. MirageMan will be completed by the time the intruder gets past the first model."

"Good. It appears that our traps are ineffective… Perhaps it is MegaMan?"

"No sir. The video feeds made it clear that this robot is massively different from MegaMan and Bass."

"Hm. I see. Make sure that we take him by surprise."

"Yes sir…"

Issen walked cautiously into the room before him. It was a large, rectangular area with track lighting installed in the roof. As he entered the room he heard a mechanical buzz from behind him. Issen turned around just in time to see a metallic door lock itself over the entrance.

'This can't be good.'

Realizing his escape had been cut off, Issen scanned the room for another exit and found nothing. There was a metal door on the opposite side of the room, but it too was sealed. Nothing but the electrical hum of the lights broke the silence until an energy beam shot through the roof and materialized into a robot. The machine wore a Pharaoh's crown, immediately alerting Issen to who he was facing.

'PharaohMan, who was previously defeated by MegaMan in the fourth Wily War. How I know this is yet another question though…'

There was no time for mental inquiries now however. PharaohMan leapt into the air and sent an orb of energy at Issen, who absorbed it with his blades and fired a few buster shots in retaliation. The majority of the volley hit PharaohMan, knocking him to the ground. He got to his feet quickly and began charging up, preparing to release his secret weapon. Issen crouched low, getting ready to dodge whatever attack the revitalized robot would throw at him by charging his busters. As his attack reached full charge, PharaohMan thrust his hands at Issen.

"PHARAOH WAVE!"

The energy wave lanced out at Issen, who was still crouching on the floor. Moments before the wave hit him Issen released himself like a spring and flew high over the attack. PharaohMan stood around for a moment too long as Issen descended on him with a massive punch that knocked the Egyptian themed robot to the ground. He quickly followed up with dual charge shots, sending the dazed robot crashing against a nearby wall. PharaohMan stood up slowly, trying to gather his strength for another Pharaoh Wave. Issen beat him to the punch and brought his blades down to his hands. They burst into flame as he raised his hands to strike.

"Flaming Cross!"

Before PharaohMan could flinch Issen had brought one of his blades into a horizontal cut that traveled through his shoulders and chest, followed immediately by a vertical slash that halved his opponent. There was a moment of silence as PharaohMan stood in silence, his eyes fixed on Issen in a death glare of sorts. The moment passed, and the yellow and black robot exploded into a ball of metal and fire. Issen shielded his face until the light and projectiles stopped. Lowering his hand, he studied the crater where PharaohMan had once stood. A second passed and several explosions were heard as the second gate unlocked itself for the victorious robot. Slowly, Issen made his way over to the door and passed through it. Instead of a return to the dusty tomb interior Issen was used to, the walls became steel instead of stone. This was unnerving for Issen, but not as unnerving as the fact that the hall ended about twenty feet in.

'What…? All that work for a dead end? No, there's something here. They wouldn't have PharaohMan guarding this if it was a dead end.'

Issen took a step into the short hallway, and was rewarded with a large creaking noise as the floor gave way. The inky blackness below threatened to swallow him, but Issen managed to catch the edge of the walkway. His grip was firm enough to sustain him, so he turned his head to look into the pit. He could see the panel resting against the wall next to him, and further down was a mean looking set of spikes. Several meters beyond that was a pit which led even deeper into the ground, and the wall behind it had a green 'this way' arrow pointing down. Knowing that the only way forward was to go down, Issen pulled himself out of the pit and prepared himself for the long jump. Setting his feet against the edge of the pit, he crouched and let himself tilt towards oblivion. At the last second however, he sprang forward with all the power he could muster. He made it over the spikes and into the void beyond it. The darkness enveloped him shortly after…

The lab was quickly evacuated as MirageMan came online. According to the video monitors, he would land outside the operations center in just a few seconds. As the final update was sent to MirageMan, he opened his lavender eyes and blinked for the first time. He was up in a flash, wide awake and alerted to the situation. His advanced mind was already thinking up a way to defeat Issen…

The darkness was all consuming. Issen had already charged his busters and was shining his light against the nearby walls, but the light from his helmet wasn't enough to pierce the ink he was falling though. The only good thing that had come from the long free fall was Issen's element system changing to its Wind settings. Suddenly, Issen felt a vibration off the walls that showed the floor only a few hundred feet down. Using his blades as fins, the silver clad robot piloted himself closer to the wall and, after activated his boost, grabbed onto the wall and used it to slow his decent. He still hit the ground level at a good speed, but thankfully he didn't take any damage from the impact. Before him was a door that had light shining out from the cracks.

'Could MirageMan be behind this door? There's only one way to find out and complete this mission.'

Issen reached forward and pushed open the door. There, sitting on a table and abandoned by his creators, was MirageMan.

'Well, no time like the present.'

Issen brought one of his blades up and slammed it down on the table. There was nothing there.

'It's a Hologram?'

Issen wheeled around as he heard something metallic hit the floor behind him, and found MirageMan's fist in his face. The unexpected blow tossed Issen across the room, landing hard in some of the equipment that permeated the lab. The crushed equipment sent a small electric charge through Issen's body, once more causing an element change. He was up in an instant, ready to fight. He took the time to observe MirageMan's build, sensing that it might be important. The robot was desert themed, of course, and had a brown and tan paint job, with surprisingly dark black highlights. MirageMan's body was all curves, as if he had been carved to be a statue instead of a war machine. Somehow, Issen found a word that seemed appropriate to describe him. Bulky arms and legs, with an even bulkier chest led Issen to categorize him as a golem. Its left hand held a strange mirror like device, which lead Issen to question what the item actually was. His head was short and cylindrical, and apparently had no mouth. Somehow, MirageMan managed to speak.

"You are Issen?"

"Yes."

"Then answer me a question. Why were you created?"

"I don't know. There was a partial memory wipe before I came online. All I know is that people will die if I do not stop you."

"People will live because I exist. You are wrong, and so I will crush you with all of my strength!"

With that, MirageMan leapt at Issen and descended on him with an unholy fury. Issen rolled to the side to avoid the attack, but was suddenly lifted into the air.

'What the?! Oh yeah, he can raise pillars from the ground… right into the roof!'

Seeing as the ceiling was approaching quickly, Issen shoved him self off the pillar and back into the fight. Unfortunately, there were two targets in the fight instead of one.

'This will complicate matters…'

The two robots quickly attacked Issen, throwing heavy punches that would have shamed any human fighter. They scored two hits before Issen retaliated with his blades, slicing off the arms of one MirageMan. It faded away, leaving only the original to fight. The remaining robot swung a huge haymaker punch at Issen that barely connected but still sent him flying a good distance. Yet again, more property damage ensued as the silver armored wanderer skidded across a table full of parts and plans. Before Issen could move again, he felt a bright light shine on him from MirageMan's position. Unfortunately for MirageMan, it hit one of Issen's blades as well.

WARNING! ENERGY LEVEL AT FIFTY PERCENT. PHANTOM MIRAGE ACQUIRED. ALLOWS USER TO PROJECT A HOLOGRAM OF THEMSELVES. CURRENT ENERGY ALLOWS FOR 18 HOLOGRAMS.

Issen didn't have time to congratulate himself on the acquisition of a new weapon at the moment. He was struggling to get himself into a prone position when a buster shot sent him tumbling again. When the rolling stopped and his vision cleared, Issen stood up and was greeted by something that looked like a copy of him self, which was standing right next to MirageMan. Thinking quickly, Issen charged his busters and dropped a Flash bang grenade. The two opponents threw up their arms to shield their eyes, giving Issen ample time to formulate a plan and begin carrying it out. Activating his Boost, he dashed into his clone with blades extended, effectively impaling the hologram and causing it to dissipate. Issen and the half blinded MirageMan were alone again, and the latter was none to happy.

"DIE!!"

MirageMan wound up for another punch and let loose on Issen's face, but his backward dash saved him from the desert themed robot's fist for the moment. Unfortunately, Issen's saving grace turned into a dooming error as MirageMan raised a pillar of stone into his back. This one was sharp, and its jagged edges tore through Issen's back and ripped away the dual spikes from one side of his helmet.

ENERGY LEVEL AT THIRTY-EIGHT PERCENT. RECOMMEND EXTRACTION FROM COMBAT.

While Issen was stunned, MirageMan rushed forward with another punch that the silver clad robot barely dodged.

"Why won't you just die?!"

"Sorry, but I can't die just yet. Flash Point!!"

Issen lunged at his opponent, bringing his blades into a cross slash that trailed electricity as it went through MirageMan's chest and arms. True to the name of the attack, the point at which the cuts crossed flashed brightly as MirageMan exploded.

'Well, at least that's over… What should I do now? Well, I need to get to the surface again…'

Knowing that his boost wouldn't last all the way up, Issen looked around for another exit. Instead of finding an elevator however, Issen found a teleport module.

'Well, this should make travel easier.'

He smiled as he opened up a compartment in his arm and, using all the available tools nearby, installed the new item.

TELEPORT MODULE INSTALLED. DISTANCE PER TELEPORT IS 4,000 MILES DUE TO CURRENT ENERGY LEVELS AND DAMAGE SUSTAINED. ENERGY IS CURRENTLY AT THIRTY-FIVE PERCENT DUE TO COMBAT DAMAGES AND CRITICAL USAGE. RECCOMENT IMMEDIATE REPAIRS TO BODY.

'Well, at least I have a way out of here now. But that still doesn't answer where I'm going… Maybe ProtoMan has some information.'

Issen opened his Codec program, allowing the communication link to prepare itself while he found ProtoMan's frequency number in his memory.

'Let's see… Frequency 128.21. ProtoMan, do you read me?'

There was a small beeping tone as ProtoMan's picture appeared in Issen's eye.

"Hey Issen. Let me guess, you've defeated MirageMan and need to know where to go next."

"Yeah."

"Jeez. You really need to work on making your own decisions Issen. Anyway, we've got no real enemies right now. If you want, you could return to Dr. Cossack's lab and say hi to him. Or, you could come to Tokyo and hang out here until more trouble arises."

Issen was silent for a few moments before he spoke again. His voice, though still thoroughly evil sounding, was a little unsure.

"I guess I could come to Tokyo. It may take me a few hops, but I'll make it. Could you have that Auto fellow on hand? I need a few repairs."

"Sure thing Issen. We'll be waiting for you."

The signal cut off as Issen began plotting his teleportation jumps. His first jump would land him somewhere near the democratic nation of Afghanistan. While there was still a few rebel uprisings in the region, Issen had no fear of the civil unrest. After a short recharge period, Issen would then teleport to central China and wait for a similar amount of time before he teleported to his final destination of Japan. According to his maps, he would find himself near an old Shinto shrine in the mountains, giving him ample opportunity to recharge and teleport to Tokyo if nothing came up in his trip.

'Total charge time needed for distance is 40 minutes. It shouldn't take too long to make it there, only about three hours.'

With a route finally planned out, Issen teleported to his first stop. Little did he know that the fastest route can also be the most dangerous one…

Fwee… Another chapter finally finished. What did ya think? Review please!