Chapter 1: The Perfect Mousetrap

"A great deal of today's acceptance of its mechanical citizens can be attributed to early efforts by the billionaire Olivier Xanthos, also known as Mr. X. A friend of the Light family, Mr. X was staunchly pro-robot and used his fortune to fund the cause on many occasions, such as the Tokyo Robot Museum and the World Robotics Tournament…" -Famous Figures of the 21st Century

The elevator doors opened slowly, and from between them the lift's sole occupant stepped out, an ordinary-looking male who seemed to be around twelve or thirteen. Behind the front desk of room he entered, a secretary looked down her nose at him.

"Are you looking for your parents? I'm sorry, I can't help you right now…"

"I have an appointment with Dr. Gen." The boy explained calmly. "At four. My name's Rock Light." The look of disbelief faded from the secretary's eyes the moment she heard his name, and was replaced by a familiar recognition.

"Oh! Yes, of course… right away." She fumbled with her headset for a moment before speaking into it. "Dr. Gen, Meg-um, I mean… Rock Light is here to see you."

"Hello, Rock." The door to the left of the secretary opened, and Dr. Takashi Gen walked out, smiling broadly. A tall, dark-haired psychiatrist in her forties, Dr. Gen was still an attractive female by human standards, or so Rock figured; as a robot, albeit probably the most advanced in existence, his appreciation of such things was purely aesthetic. "Come on in."

"Thanks." Rock followed her into her office and closed the door behind him. "New secretary?"

"Yes… Ambrose is on vacation." Dr. Gen motioned for him to lie down on the couch. "My sister Suzuna lent her to me… she's not seeing anybody at her workplace for this week anyways. Too busy."

"Oh yeah, she's entering in the Tournament, isn't she?" Rock remembered.

"Yes… I hope her creation goes far." Dr. Gen looked down at her notepad. "Now, let me see here… when we last left off, we were discussing nightmares, correct?"

"Yeah." Rock thought back, looking up at the ceiling. He had been seeing Dr. Gen for several months now, at his father's insistence; though he had been reluctant initially, she had been surprisingly ready to adapt to the differences between a robot's mind and the human ones she was used to working with. "We didn't really have that much time to get into that subject. I know for humans, dreams are just data from the brain being gone over again, repeated during the brain's downtime, right?"

"Something like that, yes." Dr. Gen nodded. "Although in many cases, especially in those with histories of violence, particularly vivid memories are repeated more often… usually bad ones. Hence, recurring nightmares. Although as I understand it, robot minds shouldn't naturally have that function, correct?"

"Yeah… it's not part of our programming at all." Rock confirmed. "Even for Advanced Robot Masters such as me, we don't really sleep… our equivalent is stasis, in which most of the systems shut down entirely so we can replenish our energy stores. The part of the brain that deals with memories isn't active at all. And I'm the only one who this happens to… even my brother and sister don't dream at all. So… it has to lay in that area that's not in my programming. The area even dad doesn't know about."

"In short, the part of you that's more like a human than a robot." Dr. Gen wrote something down. "The part that accounts for yours, and your siblings', personalities… personalities that are your own, developed through interaction with humans, not pre-programmed simulations like other Robot Masters. The part… that has broken Laws of Robotics."

"Yeah… only the latter two, though." Rock reminded her. "I have no intention of ever breaking the First Law… and no capability to do so. Every time I've even come near it, it's kicked in strong as ever." He frowned momentarily as a ghostly peal of laughter echoed in his head, then shrugged. "There's no weakening at all."

"A good thing." Dr. Gen nodded. "Nothing personal there, but… you understand."

"Yeah. A robot can't kill humans of their own will. Period. End of story. And not just because of what it would do to the pro-robotics movement." Rock sighed. "And if they do… I have to stop them. Although there's only been one case so far in which they have without reprogramming, and that was a special incident to say the least… and it's actually the one that haunts my nightmares most."

"You are referring, I assume, to Doc Man." The psychiatrist frowned. "The only Advanced Robot Master to date not built by your father, Thomas Light… and the one who went insane. To say the least."

"Yeah… now there was a psych case I wouldn't wish on anybody, back in the Third." Rock shook his head. "He wasn't even coherent half the time… and that kind of mind is not a good thing to be in control of a body as powerful as his was. At all. Good thing it won't be happening again… it was a million-to-one chance that his brain kept working at all. It was a broken mess."

"And that causes nightmares for you?" Dr. Gen inquired. "What about it, exactly? Is it the idea of becoming like that yourself? Or is it about Doc Man's role in your life?"

"The latter… my fights with him back in the Third were bad." Rock thought back. "A lot of my old nightmares were like that… about the worst moments in my life, played back like on an old tape recording. My fights with Dr. Wily… in his Wilymachine I, in his alien hologram, in his Wilyporter pod, and especially in Gamma… the moment when I first discovered he was insane, the moment when I realized his recovery in the Third was faked, the moment I knew he was still alive in the Fourth… and Doc Man. My first fight with him… so soon after discovering who he was, that he was alive after the First, that he was behind the majority of the Third, and just how crazy he was… and it wasn't a short fight, either. I had to chase him through four of the Energen crystal mines he had captured, all of them wrecked even further by then, pausing only to exchange blows eight times before he finally stopped."

"Yes, I can see how that would have quite an effect on you." Dr. Gen admitted, making some more notes. "What about the second fight with him? The one on top of his fortress near the end of the Fifth Robot Rebellion? After he was revealed to be the true form of Dark Man, who impersonated your brother Blues as the mastermind behind that Rebellion? Surely that would have left a mark…" She paused, but no answer seemed forthcoming. "Rock?" The robot boy had both eyes closed, and it was several more seconds before he spoke.

"I'd… rather not talk about that."

"That's your call, I suppose." Dr. Gen admitted, tone disapproving. "But I won't be able to guarantee an accurate analysis like that. You also said these were all old nightmares… have recent ones been different? You don't have to tell me about them if you don't want too, but at least a yes or no would be nice."

"…Yeah, I guess they have." Rock admitted. "It's… just something I don't feel right telling anybody about. Even my family."

"Fair enough." Dr. Gen nodded. "Maybe we can come back to that another day… for now, let's talk about the older nightmares."

"All right." Rock nodded, keeping his face blank, though inwardly he doubted that day would ever come. Some things you just couldn't tell anybody, not even an expert in such matters… because even you weren't sure how sane you were if they were happening, and kept on happening even now.

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"I'm still not used to this." Rock muttered to himself as he parked his father's beat-up green truck in front of the Light family's home. "A place in the city is all well and good, I suppose, but I miss the trees." After the Fifth Robot Rebellion, when Dr. Wily's robots had taken advantage of the isolation of the Light residence in the forest to launch an attack and kidnap Dr. Light, the family had decided to relocate into Tokyo to prevent a reoccurance. Shrugging, Rock walked inside. "I'm home!"

"Hey, bro." His twin sister, Roll, greeted him from the living room couch where she was watching television. "Session go well?" Next to her, the Lights' suitcase-bot, Eddie, beeped a greeting as well.

"Yeah, fairly well." Rock nodded, scratching the head of the Lights' second pet, Rush the mechanical mutt, who was currently chewing on an old hubcap. "Dr. Gen knows what she's doing."

"Dr. Gen? The star psychiatrist? Oho! Feeling your head coming apart at the seams, little bro? Lemme take a look!" Rock turned to catch a noogie from a teenaged boy slightly older than him, but nearly identical. Despite the sun being down and the warmth of the summer, he wore large shades and a yellow scarf.

"Blues!" Rock grinned, rubbing his head. "When did you come in?"

"A little while back… almost right after you left, I think." The eldest son of Light explained. For several years now, Blues had been wandering the globe seemingly willy-nilly, only stopping by occasionally to visit his family as well as another. "I came in with the Cossacks."

"Oh, they're here too? Awesome." Rock grinned. "So you and Kalinka finally persuaded the Doc to come take in the Tournament, huh?"

"Yeah… Kalinka's thrilled. She's wanted to visit Japan for a while now, and this was the perfect opportunity. It took a lot of doing, but the three of us eventually wore Sergei down." Blues nodded. Roll frowned.

"Wait, three?"

"Yeah… Pharaoh Man's here too." Blues explained. "He and Kalinka are at the hotel room… she was out of it from the jet lag, and he's there guarding her. Me and Doc Cossack came here."

"Aha. So he's upstairs with dad, I'll take it?" Rock surmised. Roll winced.

"I wish. Ten minutes after they came by, Doc Corbun drops in with Vinkus and Mr. X in tow. Somehow, he knew Dr. Cossack's departure time. They insisted that the doc and dad join them for a night on the town. The five of them are probably already drunk off their stools."

"Aich." Rock winced. "Oh well, look at it this way. Since they're out, at least we don't have to listen to them sing."

"You have a point, little bro. A very good point." Blues admitted somberly. "The memories of Dad's attempt at 'Money, That's What We Ain't Got' will haunt me for the rest of my life. One of these days we need to find whoever it was that got him hooked on the Runaway Five in the first place and do something sufficiently nasty to them." He flopped down in an overstuffed armchair. "So. A psychiatrist, huh? Didja just feel like it one day?"

"Actually, it was dad's idea." Rock sat next to Eddie. "It seems to work well enough, though. Right at first we had to talk about the differences between a robot's mind and a human's, but recently we've been going into dreams… well, to be more specific, nightmares."

"Nightmares, huh…" Blues mused. "I've had a few of those recently myself."

"What!" Both of his siblings turned to stare at him. "I thought you said you didn't dream like I do."

"Yeah, well, I didn't. At the time, anyways. Things change… I think it was around the Fifth, or shortly after." Blues thought back. "Yeah, it was a little after… I'm sure, 'cause I remember the first time. I woke up from stasis muttering 'what the hell was THAT all about?' Thought I was glitching up or something."

"Heh… yeah, it is pretty weird when you're used to blank stasis." The younger son of Light agreed. "What about you, Roll? Anything?"

"Nada so far." Roll admitted. "I haven't seen nearly as much action on the front lines as you two have… that seems to be tied into it somehow. Still, it's probably only a matter of time… if it's happening to Blues too, then it's not just a fluke on Rock's part."

"Enjoy it while it lasts." Blues advised her. "Believe me, you'll miss it the first time you wake up still thinking you're a Metool."

"Heh… is that what your nightmares are about? That's nothing." Rock chuckled darkly. His brother turned to glare at him.

"No, it's not, actually. That's just the weird ones. The real nightmares… those are usually about the times I had to get somewhere in a hurry to stop a catastrophe. And in the nightmares, I never make it in time. When you were dying in Skull Fortress III… when I was taking Kalinka Cossack home through the Russian winter… when you were refusing to fight that holographic doppleganger of me Doc Man used… when I had to hold the ceiling up so you could escape from Skull Fortress V. It's never pretty."

"I'll bet… sorry, Blues." Rock looked down and was silent for a moment before continuing. "For me, it's usually about the worst fights I've been in. With Wily… and with Doc Man." Both his siblings nodded quietly, knowing that pressing him for specifics on the latter wouldn't get anywhere. After a few more moments of awkward silence, Blues spoke up again.

"Well. Enough talk about gloominess. I just hope that psychiatrist helps you out, bro…" He cracked a grin. "You need it."

"Har. Har. Har." Rock rolled his eyes.

"I think he just likes Dr. Gen." Roll smirked.

"Excuse me?" Rock snorted. "She's a nice lady, but I think not. Even if I was looking for a human girlfriend-which I'm not, by the way-she's in her forties, and I'm ten. You'll have to stick with harassing Blues about Kalinka, I'm afraid."

"Whoa whoa whoa, we're not having any of that." Blues disagreed vehemently. "Or she'll find out somehow-she always does, I don't know how-and I'll end up paying for it later."

"My money's on Beat." Roll guessed. "Dr. Cossack built him, after all." The third and final robotic pet of the Light family, Beat was a bluebird who had been built recently during the Fifth Rebellion. "He's out flying right now, though."

"Still. Let's just take it easy." The eldest son of Light persisted. "Make her stay here as simple as possible. The opening ceremony's tomorrow… Doc Cossack even managed to get front row seats for the entire thing. She's expecting a blast." He frowned. "Me, though… I've got my concerns. I'm sure you know why, Rock."

"Yeah. Wily." Rock nodded. "I know. Don't worry, it's being covered. I'd explain now, but Mr. X should really be the one who does so; it was his idea, after all."

"Well, I figured so since he's the one sponsoring the tournament, but…" Blues shrugged. "Well, whatever you say, bro. So then, what should we do to occupy time tonight until our padre returns soused up to his eyebrows with a trail of passed-out drinking buddies in his wake?"

"Video games?" Roll suggested, grinning.

"Video games." Both brothers nodded simultaneously. Setting up the console, they soon began bickering about which game they would play on that day, and the talk of nightmares and the madman behind them dwindled away for the moment.

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"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" A skinny announcer screamed at the top of his lungs, standing front of a vast arena that had been constructed only weeks before. "Newspeople, special guests, and spectators of all ages and species! Thank you all for coming here today, for the official start of the First Annual World Robotics Tournament! YEAH!"

"The start? Isn't that a bit redundant, since the fighting doesn't actually begin until tomorrow?" Blues wondered. "This is just the ceremony opening the stadium's gates, right?"

"Yeah." Roll nodded. "More importantly, isn't that the same guy who spoke at the US Robotics announcement a few years back? I'd recognize that polka-dot jacket and neon green bowtie anywhere."

"Yeah, I think he gets a lot of gigs like this." Rock shrugged. "Still, he's strongly pro-robot, so he's got to be a decent guy… even if he is annoying."
"Hush, children." Dr. Light muttered. "Olivier is coming on stage."

"To start things off, let's all give a thank-you to the Tournament's sponsor, the gracious Mr. X!" The announcer reached into the crowd gathered in front of the stadium and pulled out an elderly man in black robes and sunglasses who walked with a wooden cane. Smiling broadly through his short beard, the billionaire who preferred to be known as Mr. X waved at the crowd.

"The pleasure is all mine… I am always glad to use my finances to support our robotic brethren." Much to his current shame, Mr. X had become a billionaire through weapons dealing in the Third World War. Now bitterly repenting those actions, he used his fortune to better the world he lived on… in particular, supporting robot masters, a cause he believed in firmly thanks to his time as a close friend of Thomas Light and family. "Although I am heading this tournament, I will not supervise the matches at all; this shall be left to a qualified team of referees chosen by the United Nations council for this event. A fortunate decision for me, since I am entering a creation of my own in the tournament and would not wish to seem partisan."

"Just how many entrants are there in total, Mr. X?" The announcer demanded loudly.

"One hundred and twenty-eight." Mr. X explained. "There will be a total of seven rounds, on one each day starting tomorrow. Unlike many previous Robot Master designs, none of these have been modified from other purposes; they are all designed for fighting, and fighting alone. This tournament is a test of skill on the designers' part, and the one Robot Master who triumphs in the end will receive a chance to put his skills to the ultimate test in the eighth round; a fight against the most powerful Robot Master on this planet, the hero Mega Man."

"What!" Blues choked. "Where'd THAT come from? Did you seriously agree to that, bro?"

"Yeah… it's not what it looks. Don't worry." Rock assured him. "Just wait until after the show."

"If you say so…" Blues agreed dubiously.

"The first round will take place starting tomorrow at ten AM, and on that day, half of the contestants will be eliminated." Mr. X was finishing up his time in front of the cameras. "On each successive day, it shall begin two hours later than the previous. I strongly encourage you to attend every one, and see the finest that Robot Master technology can offer!" He walked back into the crowd amid a storm of applause.

"You heard the man, folks! Ten tomorrow's the time the game really gets going! I do believe it's also the time when most of the bookies will close up, so if you still wanna make a bet on the outcome of the tourney, go on down and make it now! I'll see you all tomorrow, folks! Be here!" Cheering and talking, the crowd began to break up.

"All right, the show's over." Blues grunted. "An interesting enough idea, I suppose, but to be honest it seems kinda barbaric. I mean… we're just going to throw these guys in the ring and make them kill each other? And that's the only purpose they're built for?"

"Oh, I'm sure some of the more effective designs will be turned to other purposes by their designers once the tournament is concluded." Dr. Light assured him, then frowned. "Wait… you don't know of the real reason for this?"

"We figured Mr. X should tell him himself." Roll explained. "And look, here he comes now… and the other two as well." The elderly billionaire was approaching, flanked by two men who looked a decade or two younger. One was Asian, pudgy and near-sighted; the other European, tall and thin with a trim mustache. UN Councilor Darwin Vinkus and robotocist Dr. Trenton Corbun, two more close friends of Dr. Light and by extension his family.

"Hey, fellas! I don't know about you, but I thought that went pretty well! Almost as good as when the Robot Museum opened a few years back!" Dr. Corbun grinned. The more cautious Vinkus harrumphed.

"Well, as long as it serves its purpose… which I don't doubt it will, with this kind of setup."

"Purpose?" Blues blinked. "Okay, enough teasing the guy who usually knows everything. What's the deal here?"

"Aha, they haven't told you?" Mr. X smiled, eyes glittering behind his shades. "Well… first off, do you have any predictions about an unusual occurrence at this tournament? Specifically, around the Quarterfinal round, when there will only be eight remaining?"

"Yeah." Blues nodded firmly. "Wily. He's still on the loose, and just like with the U.S. Robotics show last time, when he sees these he won't be able to resist. When it's down to eight-his favorite number-he'll come in to try and steal 'em for his Sixth Rebellion. A disaster waiting to happen."

"Indeed…" Mr. X's smile widened. "And so, young Blues… you are aware of the meaning of the word trap, yes?" Behind his own shades, the Robot Master's eyes widened. He sputtered incoherently for a few seconds, staring from one face to another and seeing the smirk on each of them, before giving in and breaking out in a huge grin.

"Well, I'll be damned. You mean this entire thing… the whole Tournament… is intended to be one big trap for Wily? You're COUNTING on him crashing the proceedings… that's what you WANT him to do?"

"Exactly… because if he does, we can nab him then and there." Mega nodded. "I doubt he'll try the use-somebody-else trick again… he should know we won't fall for it. And even if he does, we can get THEM and figure out what's going on rather than having a full-blown Rebellion."

"I've asked each of the contestants to provide not one but two copies of their entrants… while the first copy fights, the second will remain dormant in the basement of the stadium, in capsules that will wake them up when I signal Wily's attack." Mr. X continued. "With the First Law of Robotics, they will come up and fight against Wily."

"In addition, many of the spectators and staff will be UN soldiers in cover, who will also help fight in the attack, while others are keeping all the contestant Robot Masters under constant heavy guard." Darwin Vinkus pushed his spectacles up further on his face, smiling coldly. "The UN is cooperating with this operation fully… if Mr. X is right, we could end it once and for all here without a Sixth Rebellion at all, something I and the other Councilors are all too eager to see."

"And finally, you and me will both be there… and so will Pharaoh Man, for that matter." Mega finished the explanation for his brother's benefit. "And before you ask, Mr. X will also push a button that will activate a teleportation shield around the stadium as soon as Wily's been confirmed to be here, so he won't be able to just zap away if things go bad for him."

"I'll hand it to you fellas… when you plan something, you go all the way." Blues shook his head. "This just might work."

"It's worth a shot, at least." Mega looked around. "What say we go find the Cossacks, then we all go out and take 'em to one of the city's best restaurants? Although I don't know which that would be."

"Not eating would tend to limit one's knowledge of such places, yes." Dr. Corbun observed dryly. "I think they're over in that direction."

"Mega Man!" A voice from their left crowed, and all of them turned, then simultaneously groaned. It was a newsman with a mike, closely trailed by his cameraman. "Tell me, what are the opinions of the strongest Robot Master in the world on this tournament? Which ones does the Blue Bomber think will go all the way? Inquiring minds want to know!"

"Yeah, I'll bet they do." Roll stepped forward, blocking the camera with her arm. "Look doofus, didn't you get the memo? None of us are giving any sort of official opinion on the spread so we don't affect any bets the spectators are making!"

"But I thought-" The newsman floundered.

"Yeah, you thought the rules didn't apply to you, didn't you?" Dr. Corbun snorted. "Free advice, chap. Save what face you can and get lost now. Keep in mind that one of us good pallies gathered here-" He indicated Vinkus, who frowned grimly. "-Is our country's representative to the United Nations. Pester us too much, and you might catch some trouble from WAY on high, get the picture?" Turning white, the newsman turned and bolted, cameraman in hot pursuit.

"You know, I think I may finally have found an advantage to my job." Vinkus murmured. "Oh, there are the Cossacks." Three figures were approaching; a tall young man with carrot-orange hair and beard, a thirteen-year-old girl with curly golden tresses and a scarf the same color matching Blues', and an Egyptian-looking Robot Master in black and gold.

"Blues!" Kalinka Cossack smiled as she saw them. "This is awesome! When are we going out and seeing the city?"

"Actually, we figured we'd head out now." Blues informed her. "And then maybe on some other days you and me can look around some more… and if I'm not available, you and Roll can do… girl stuff. Or something. Idunno."

"Hopeless." Roll sighed. "Human or robot, males are all the same. I'm up for it if you are, Kalinka."

"Sure." The Russian girl smiled.

"Good to see you two are getting along better than that mess in the Fifth." Rock noted, then winced as they both glared at him. "Ow! Okay okay, I won't talk about that! Sheesh. So, what'd you guys think of the Tournament?"

"It was… impressive." Cossack stated cautiously. "But there are some concerns Blues and I had."
"Indeed… and I as well." Pharaoh Man agreed. "Which is why Dr. Cossack insisted that I accompany them."

"Heh… don't worry, doc. It's all under control." Blues smirked. "Come on, X can fill you in while we head back to the parking lot."

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That night, after parting ways with friends and returning home, Rock Light and his family slipped into stasis… sleep, in Thomas Light's case. Roll and the pets slept soundly, but Dr. Light and Blues both stirred uncertainly, plagued by nightmares despite their knowledge that the Tournament was under control. And as for Rock…

"Huh…" Rock stood on a dead, gray plain, surrounded by formless, shifting white mist everywhere, obscuring all that he saw. "Ugh… I was afraid this would happen. It's been a while since the last time, and what with the Tournament about to start…"

"I do try to be punctual." Another voice hissed from the mist as its owner approached, only vaguely visible at first, then clarifying as he walked nearer. Not that this helped much, since he was covered in a black hooded robe that obscured his shape entirely, save for the sleeves. From the left hand, a thin-fingered hand hung, relaxed; held between two of the fingers was a comically tiny, doll-sized scythe. From the right sleeve, there was no hand… only the barrel of a gun.

"Yeah, I figured you would." Rock nodded. "Wily's going to be, after all… and you don't want your old man to show you up."

"…Fair enough." The robed figure stood in front of him for a moment, then reached up and pulled the hood back the hood with its good hand, revealing the bald, eternally grinning face of Doc Man. "Welcome back to the land of dreams, of life and death and make-believe. Despite everything, you still don't know if this is real or not, do you?"

"Well, it would help if I remembered exactly what happened here when I woke up." Rock snorted. "I don't know who taught you how to pull that so I only remember what happens here when I'm actually here, but kudos to whoever it is. And on the new look, if I haven't told you that already. It suits you."

"You really don't want to know who taught me, I think… and yes, you have. I do like this look, although I haven't actually done a job yet… but that's coming up soon in spades. Lots and lots of work's been showing up on my desk for the next few weeks." Rock narrowed his eyes.

"You saying Wily's going to get away with starting the Sixth?"

"Mmm… something like that." Doc Man chuckled. "But even before that… starting tomorrow, to be honest. This wonderfully bloodthirsty tournament the nice old Mr. X has created. Somebody's going to have to clean up after all the killing time for entertainment. You'll have front row seats, right? I'll make sure to wave… see if you can spot me there collecting the trash. If you can, you may be closer to IT than even I thought when I was alive… wouldn't that be marvelous."

"Stop that." Rock growled. "Maybe I'm willing to take into consideration that you and me… and Roll and Blues too… have something more than programming. Maybe. But those guys down there tomorrow are just plain Robot Masters… they haven't had an unprogrammed thought in their lives. They don't think anything except what they've been designed to think. They're just robots… they don't have… anything more. Anything for you to 'work' on."

"So, so cruel even now… not as cruel as I once thought you were, but still. You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch." Doc Man informed him. "You really are a heel… but Christmas aside, although Uncle Tom must make one heck of a Santa… since when are YOU qualified to decide these matters? Do you really think you can just decide if one Robot Master has a soul and one doesn't? It's not that simple. Shall I give you an example?" Doc Man reached into his cloak and pulled out a file labeled PHARAOH MAN COSSACK. "Your kingly friend, once enemy. Kind of like me in that regard. By now, you can't seriously believe he's still at the intellectual level he was when he was first activated. He's closer to you now, isn't he?"

"Well, yes…" Rock admitted. "But he's been around us more than any other… him and…"

"And the other Cossack creations." Doc Man finished. "And what about that one fella brother Blues told you about? Chopper, a Cut Man killed by anti-robot thugs? It's not just the Cossacks. EVERY Robot Master, given the right circumstances and stimuli, can progress to something more. They all have it… the chance, I mean. And as long as the chance is there… there's something." The grinning ghost thumbed through his file. "Quite an interesting case, Pharaoh Man… he was actually taken before, but he was returned. Just like I was. Still had many things to do… still does…" He glanced up at Rock, grin wider than ever. "Would you like me to tell you when his time is?"

"I don't really think you're allowed to, even if I won't remember when I wake up." Rock replied coolly. Harrumphing, Doc Man put the file away.

"Well, aren't you a spoilsport. Although you're right; even you can't know that. Strictly classified material. So… now you know. Every single Robot Master you've ever killed… every one you've removed as a threat… has ended up here before being taken on. Does that change things for you? Fill you with remorse and regret over all the lives you've taken?"

"Not really." Rock shook his head. "For one, I'm still unconvinced that this is a real, and not just a hallucination in my head. For two, they were threats… they were taking lives themselves, and would have taken more if I hadn't come along. Like you. They're the ones who start it… I just stop them."

"Good, good!" Doc Man cackled. "A few years ago, that would have had you gloomy for days. Now you can justify it right off the bat. With that kind of progression… I think you're close. Two more Rebellions, I think… not this one, but the next… that's when I'll bet you'll do it."

"If there ARE two more, which I severely doubt." Rock replied coldly. "And… do what, exactly?"

"How soon we forget…" Doc Man murmured. "It's not obvious, cousin? Do HIM in. Break the First Law. Kill a human." His eyes glowed red, and after a moment so did the eternal grin. "Kill my father."

"Oh, that old horse again?" Rock turned away, unimpressed. "I've told you a thousand times, it's not going to happen. I'm NOT going to break the First Law. I'm not going to kill Wily."

"So you claim, so ironclad." Doc Man snickered. "But the fact remains regardless. You'll kill him one of these days, Mega Man. You have to. You're the only one who can, the only one who will, and as long as he remains alive the Rebellions will continue."

"We'll see in a few days." Rock started walking away.

"Indeed we will… maybe that will open your eyes, if talk alone won't." Doc Man shrugged, turning away as well. "Something will, in time. I'll watch you and see what it is. Until we meet again, then…"

"Uh… dammit!" Rock growled as he shot up and slammed his head on the roof of his stasis capsule. "Owww…" Pushing it open, he rubbed his head. "Man… I hate those dreams… dreams about… about… I can't remember what it was about. Again." He thought back, but it was all a misty haze… all except the last sound he had heard as he had woken again. The familiar laughter of a Robot Master long dead.

YEEAAA HAA HA HA HA…