The world began to settle into place once more, and Roll opened her eyes to be met with an infinite sea of stars. Before her lay the Earth, expansive yet seen in miniature, and behind, the moon stood looming over the empty void she floated in, reflecting what light it could take in to form a foreboding aura all its own. Roll could only marvel silently at it all.

"Can you read me, Roll?" came Light's voice.

"Oh, yes! The transport was a success. I'm moving in now."

Rush, who floated next to her, flailed his legs in a vain attempt to propel himself forward. Grumbling to himself, he activated one of his new functions, and his body folded and shifted, transforming into a jet-propelled sled that maneuvered much more easily. Roll's boots magnetized to Rush's back as he passed, and then the dog accelerated as he steered towards the moon.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get you any closer," Light said. "I never expected the transporter would need such a range...but, we've double-checked the reading, and the stolen Energy Elements are definitely on the lunar surface."

"This is close enough. Rush'll get us there in no time, right boy?"

Rush barked in confirmation. Roll giggled. As they drew closer to their goal, however, her mind began to wander.

"How's Tempo?"

"Noele says she's resting easy now."

"That's good. What about Guts Man? And Elec Man?"

"Everyone's doing fine, given the circumstances. A little shaken, but unfortunately, there's not much we can do to quell those concerns at the moment. Albert is directing Gamma's construction to make sure it stays on-schedule...though I dearly hope we won't need him."

"I guess that comes down to whether or not Break Man will listen to reason."

Light sighed. "No, I don't think that he will."

There was something odd about the way he said it, but Roll couldn't put her finger on it. Before she had a chance to ask further, she detected an energy spike on the moon's surface, and directed Rush to fly low as they finally pulled in close. They travelled the last bit on foot, peeking over a ridge when they were just on top of the reading: ahead could be seen the six escaped Robot Masters, all gathered around a crater with a contraption at its center that looked suspiciously like a transporter.

So this is only a stop on the way, Roll thought. I have to cut them off here.

"Why pass up an opportunity like this?"

Roll noticed Shadow Man standing just at the crater's edge, speaking with Magnet Man. Crossing his arms, the latter said, "Our job is to get the Energy Elements as far away as possible. That's it. Delaying Roll doesn't matter."

"But if we do delay her, then it will provide more time," Shadow Man said. "And in that time, we would have the opportunity to get even farther away."

"Hmph. You just want to ambush someone, don't you?"

As they continued arguing, Roll realized another Robot Master stood even farther away from the crater: his body was shaped like a screw and covered in orange and white armor, with his arms ending in two long needles. More importantly, on the ground next to him sat an Energy Element.

Hm...maybe…

She and Rush crept carefully towards the orange robot. Magnet Man turned towards the transporter, calling, "Needle Man! What's our status?"

The blue, spike-topped robot from before poked out from behind the machine. "If it was done I would've said something, don't you think?"

"Just give me an estimate."

"Well if you can contain yourself for a minute or two, it'll be ready to go. Mind if I get back to work now?"

Magnet Man sighed. Roll was now right behind the closest Robot Master, staying safely behind the ridge as she estimated the distance between her and the Element.

It's not too far? I might be able to sneak over and grab it, but then again, I don't know for sure what these Robot Masters are capable of. Probably best to play it safe…

She turned to Rush to be sure he was ready. The dog nodded. Equipping the Hard Knuckle, Roll popped up from her hiding place, took aim, and fired her hand. The rocket-propelled appendage flew to where the Energy Element lay, the guard jumping as he realized a hand had suddenly appeared next to him. He shouted, and Roll's hand grabbed the Element and began to fly back to her. Shadow Man and Magnet Man whirled about. Roll leapt forward to meet her hand half-way, giving her just enough time to duck back behind the ridge and pass the Element to Rush before Magnet Man began trying to pull her in. Once the item was safely stored away, Rush jumped out to give Roll something to grab onto, letting her get her footing.

"Wonderfully done, Spark Man," Shadow Man grumbled as he readied a shuriken.

The orange Robot Master waved his needles around. "Well, why did you leave it with me anyway? I don't have hands! What was I supposed to do?!"

"Is now a bad time to tell you it's ready?" called Needle Man.

Magnet Man glanced over his shoulder. Shadow Man said, "Well, seems it's in our best interests to delay her here, wouldn't you say?"

"Shut up. Needle Man, you and the others go on ahead! Protect that last Element with your life!"

Roll fired her buster and tried to make a break for the crater, but Spark Man blindsided her with an electrical attack. The transporter lit up, sending away three Robot Masters, and then Magnet Man turned towards it and fired a wave of magnetic energy. The machine began to spark erratically.

"No one's getting out of here until we settle this," Magnet Man said. "Any complaints?"

Shadow Man grinned. "None."

Roll tumbled out of the way of a shuriken, nearly throwing herself right into the path of another blast of electricity. Magnet-tipped projectiles came at her next, curving in mid-air in an attempt to hit her, avoided by only a well-timed leap. Shadow Man suddenly appeared behind her. He stuck a shuriken in Roll's back, causing her to stumble forward into Spark Man's range; Rush snapped at Shadow Man as he moved to flee, but the Robot Master kicked the dog aside.

"Rush!"

Enduring a shock, Roll spun and fired a charge shot to destroy the missiles now headed her way. She then plucked the shuriken from her back and hurled it at a surprised Spark Man, her armor turning black and yellow as she did. Shadow Man got in close again, but this time Roll activated Top Spin, whirling around at high speeds to repeatedly smack the side of her fist against Shadow Man, until she finally slid forward (avoiding Magnet Missiles in the process) and grazed Magnet Man with another charged blast. She crouched next to Rush to ensure he was alright before re-equipping Hard Knuckle.

"I'll hold her!" Magnet Man said, putting both hands forward. "You two coordinate!"

Magnetic force began to pull Roll across the ground. Taking advantage of it, she fired off a Hard Knuckle that flew extra quickly into Magnet Man's face, but he managed to maintain his focus. Roll turned and crossed her arms to guard against the incoming shuriken, though there was little she could do to reduce the damage from Spark Man's attack. Rush jumped forward, the magnetism drawing him forward to pounce on Magnet Man, and this was enough to startle him—Shadow Man closed the distance to attack Roll before she could regain her bearings, but she had already equipped Top Spin and sent him sprawling.

"What's happening?" Spark Man said. "This should be over by now!"

"Let's not forget who we're dealing with," Shadow Man said, brushing the dust from his armor. "She's the one with the most experience destroying other Robot Masters."

Roll wanted to snap at him, but she didn't have an argument. An electric blast almost caught her off-guard. She fired a charge shot at Spark Man, and then turned to see Rush evading Magnet Man's blows, ducking back in to bite him when possible. In an instant, Shadow Man appeared behind her, locking an arm around her neck and brandishing a shuriken in his free hand. With only a moment to think, Roll threw her head back into Shadow Man's face. The blow didn't do much damage, but her ponytail managed to jab him at an odd angle, disorienting him enough that when he stabbed down the weapon ended up lodged in his own arm instead of Roll. He winced, and the wasted second cost him: Roll elbowed him in the chin, turned and slammed her fist into his chest, and then activated Hard Knuckle to shoot him back into a mound of lunar soil.

"Yikes," Spark Man said, "you really are no joke…"

Roll fired another Hard Knuckle at Magnet Man, missing but creating an opening for Rush to attack. "If you don't want to fight, that's fine. I'm just here to take the Elements back, and as long as you don't hurt anyone, I won't have any reason to fight you after that."

Spark Man glanced aside for a moment. Magnet Man, grabbing Rush by the back of his neck, said, "Spark Man! Don't forget our mission. We were built for combat—you will fulfill your programming!"

Roll ran at him. She couldn't fire with Rush in the way, so she focused on closing the gap instead, sliding under a volley of Magnet Missiles before finally getting close to her foe. Magnet Man kept a firm grip on Rush, so Roll threw her arms around the dog and twisted her foot forward, using Top Spin to strengthen the blow enough that it knocked Magnet Man down.

"You okay boy?" Roll asked, keeping an eye on her foe as she set the dog down.

Rush nodded. His ears then perked up, and he and Roll scattered to avoid a lightning blast. Spark Man was advancing, and Roll kept a close eye on both him and the recovering Magnet Man. However, a rain of shuriken signaled the sudden arrival of Shadow Man—he dropped in front of Roll, cutting off Spark Man's line of fire, and glared down at her as he readied more shuriken.

"You won't outmaneuver me!" Shadow Man said. "I was built for this, not retrofitted like an outdated appliance!"

Roll tried to escape, but Magnet Man used his powers to restrict her movement, and all she could do was stand up. As Shadow Man attacked, Rush lunged at his feet; the Robot Master tripped forward as Roll engaged Top Spin, punching forward with as much strength as she could muster, and her fist was driven deep into Shadow Man's chest. Roll's eyes widened. Shadow Man grunted quietly, continuing to glare at her a few more moments before looking over his shoulder.

"Spark Man…!"

Realizing what he was trying to do, Roll tried to pull her fist free, but Shadow Man grabbed her arm with both hands and refused to let go. Shaking his head, Spark Man said, "Wait, seriously? I can't attack when you're right there!"

"I'm done for anyway," Shadow Man said. "Don't let this opportunity go!"

Roll grabbed Shadow Man by the shoulder and tried to push free, inadvertently downloading his weapon in the process, but remained stuck fast. Rush tried to knock Shadow Man loose, but the dog's efforts were similarly in vain.

Spark Man hesitantly raised his arms. "But...I…"

Roll winced as a Magnet Missile exploded against her back. Magnet Man prepared to fire again, so she conjured shuriken of her own to throw, warding him off for the time being. She turned back to Shadow Man and said, "Don't do this! Please! We might still be able to repair you!"

Shadow Man grinned. "I would rather die than be indebted to my enemy. Do it, Spark Man!"

Spark Man shut his eyes tight. As he began to build up electricity, Roll shut her own eyes and switched to Hard Knuckle. Using an extra shuriken she had held onto, she slashed Shadow Man's hands just as she fired the rocket punch, weakening his grip enough that he was carried away, straight into Spark Man. The electricity fried what remained of Shadow Man, and Spark Man looked down at him in horror.

"No, Shadow Man! I didn't...I…"

Roll found it difficult to turn away. It was Magnet Man who brought her back to reality, blasting her forward with a Magnet Missile. Spark Man looked up, eyes narrowed in sadness and rage, and unleashed a wild burst of electricity.

"This is all your fault! If it weren't for you, Shadow Man…!"

Clenching her teeth, Roll did her best to ignore what he was saying. She switched back to Shadow Blade, throwing several of the shuriken to knock back Spark Man, and then followed up with a quick charge shot. Magnet Man began pulling her in again. Roll activated Top Spin and used the momentum to strengthen her blow, but Magnet Man was able to dodge her attack. He stayed alert as she threw a wide spread of Shadow Blades, unlike Spark Man, who charged blindly into the onslaught while trying to return fire, his shots too erratic to find their mark.

"I'm sorry!" Roll said as she dodged. "I didn't want it to come to this, I—"

"Who cares if you're 'sorry'?!" Spark Man yelled. "That doesn't change what you did!"

A wave of magnetic force pushed Roll forward. Ducking as best she could, she flung half a dozen shuriken at the various openings in Spark Man's guard; the blows stunned him, giving Roll time to switch to Top Spin before ending up right in front of him. She aimed a spinning kick directly at one of the blades, digging it deeper into Spark Man's arm, and the limb twitched briefly before falling limp. Spark Man swatted her with his good arm before she punched him onto his back. The magnetic force now reversed, and Roll used it again to deliver a Hard Knuckle to Magnet Man. A bark from Rush let her know Spark Man was approaching from behind, so she spun and punched, hitting another shuriken, this one in Spark Man's head. His cranial unit was split in two. Roll caught his body as it fell, downloading his weapon, and just stared for a moment. A Magnet Missile cut her thought process short, and she turned to glare at Magnet Man.

"You live up to your reputation," he said, continuing to pull her closer. "Even just delaying you is more difficult than expected."

Roll's armor turned orange and white, and she fired a ball of electricity that stunned Magnet Man. "It's 'difficult'? Aren't you at all upset? Two of your friends were just destroyed!"

"Nng...of course...I'm upset. But I'd rather keep working towards our goal than dwell on something that can't be undone."

Roll stopped and considered his words. However, the paralysis her foe was under soon began to wear off, prompting her to act—and she fired another Spark Shock at Magnet Man, overloading his systems and finishing him off. Roll dropped to the ground with a heavy sigh. Rush nudged her gently. She managed a grin as she pet him.

"Are you alright, Roll?" Light said. "That sounded like quite the battle."

"I'm okay, Dr. Light. Just a little tired."

Rush opened the compartment in his back. Roll drew out an E-Tank, drinking it to regain some lost energy, and then picked herself up.

"We'd better take a look at this transporter they used. Hopefully, we can fix it and—"

She stopped short as a familiar sound filled the air. It was a whistle she had only heard once before, but it was impossible to forget. Turning, Roll saw Break Man standing not too far away, staring straight at her as he unlimbered his large shield.

"Roll?" Light asked. "Roll, are you there? I didn't quite pick that up, but it almost sounded like—"

Roll broke into a run as Break Man aimed his arm cannon. When he fired, it shot a continuous laser beam that swept across the landscape in pursuit of her.

"It's Break Man!" Roll said. "Looks like he's here for a fight!"

Equipping Spark Shock, Roll tried to paralyze him, but his shield absorbed the bolt. She next switched to Magnet Missile, attempting to direct the projectiles around the barrier only for Break Man to effortlessly pivot to block them all.

I guess it makes sense he'd be prepared. These weapons belonged to robots who worked for him.

Roll switched back to her buster as Break Man resumed his attack. Staying ahead of the beam, she said, "What is it you're after? Why'd you manipulate Dr. Wily, and what do you need the Energy Elements for?"

Break Man cut his attack, but only to walk closer. Roll stayed cautious, but didn't attack.

"You must have come all this way for a reason. Are you willing to talk?"

He stopped a few yards away. His visor obscured his eyes, but Roll could feel him staring at her. Eventually, he shook his head, saying in a garbled voice, "I pity you."

"...What?"

"Well, whoever you used to be, at least. I pity the poor robot who had their self ripped out and rearranged by that cruel doctor."

Tentatively, Roll took a step forward. "I don't understand what you mean. You think someone reprogrammed me? I've never been worked on by anyone but Dr. Light."

Suddenly, Break Man pointed his cannon forward and fired. The beam grazed Roll's shoulder. Rush ran ahead, but Break Man knocked him aside with his shield, shouting, "Exactly! You ceased to be useful to him as you were, so he remade you into something you weren't! What could be crueler?"

Roll circled her opponent, constantly firing buster shots to test his guard. "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Oh, I know perfectly well. But I guess he wouldn't let you accept the truth, would he?"

Break Man disengaged his weapon, focusing only on blocking Roll's shots. She said, "Listen to me!"

"I've said what I wanted to say. Next time we meet, I'll put you out of your misery, Roll. I'm sorry that's all I can do for you."

With that, he disappeared in a flash, leaving a bewildered Roll to search for any semblance of sense in what he'd said. Setting it aside, she went over to Rush to verify he was alright, and then headed back towards the crater the Robot Masters had been working in.

"Are you still there, Dr. Light?" Roll asked.

"I am," replied Light, his voice barely audible. Roll assumed their connection had degraded over such a distance.

"I don't know what he was going on about...anyway, I'm going to examine the transporter the others used to escape. Once we have it repaired, I'll go after them and get that last Element back."

"Roll, wait. That may not be safe...you don't have to put yourself in harm's way."

"I know, Dr. Light. You don't have to worry: we'll be careful."

"That's not…" He sighed. "...Alright. Please do."

The communication ended, and Roll set to work, having forgotten Break Man's cryptic comments for the moment. She didn't realize that not everyone was able to ignore those words so easily.

Tempo sat up suddenly, startling LaLinde. Quickly reforming her composure, the doctor calmly said, "It's alright, dear. Everything's fine."

The robot girl paused a moment, taking in her surroundings: they were in the Light family's living room, both sitting on the couch in silence. She then sighed, running her hands over her face. "No it isn't...this isn't fine…"

LaLinde moved closer, setting an arm across her shoulder. "Tempo…"

"I keep remembering what happened—what it felt like to get buried alive like that. It's been happening this whole time, but now that my emotions are back, it...I can't function like this! I'm a mining robot who can't stand to be underground! I…"

She gave a harsh sigh. LaLinde said, "You don't have to just be a mining robot, dear. Just because that was your initial designation doesn't mean you have to keep at it forever."

Tempo didn't answer.

"...Is it easier for you without your emotions? If that's what you want, I can…"

"I don't know," Tempo murmured. "...Can I ask...why did you remove them when you repaired me? Did you think that was best?"

LaLinde averted her gaze. "That was what I said. But...it was more for selfish reasons, really. I was terrified by what happened, too terrified to face it. I took it as proof that making robots human-like was a mistake, and I thought...if that weren't the case, then if anything else did happen...I wouldn't be quite so terrified." She shook her head. "I'm sorry—it's really a horrible way to think, I realize that now. I put my own feelings before yours. I don't ever want to do that again."

Tempo's gaze drifted as she absorbed this. Eventually turning back to LaLinde, she asked, "What changed your mind?"

"A lot of things. Seeing Wily treat the Robot Masters so cruelly, the way Roll chose to fight him, Thomas's concern for her...it reminded me that you're more than just another robot. I love you, Tempo—it was foolish to think I could ever pretend I could stop. And, however you want to deal with this...it has to be your decision, not mine. But, if you'll let me, I'll do whatever I can to help you."

Tempo wrung her hands, taking an excruciatingly long pause. "Really, I just wish the accident had never happened. But even if I act like it didn't, that won't change anything. I guess it has to get worse before it can get better, huh?"

Tentatively, LaLinde hugged Tempo close. Tempo leaned into her.

"…At least having emotions isn't all bad. I'll hold onto them for now."

"Alright."

Tempo shuddered, burying her face deeper into LaLinde's shoulder. She couldn't explain it, but somehow, the pain lessened just a little.

Notes:

-"But sound doesn't travel in space!" I don't care. Like I'm sure there's a way to rework everything so that no sound is involved and it would probably be really cool, but I don't have it in me to work all that out right now and the cartoony nature of Classic doesn't really...need it? So heck it: sound in space. Now someone can hear you scream.

-Replacing Break Man's buster with this laser cannon might seem a little arbitrary, but with what I hope to do down the line I think the bit of variety will go a long way.

-Next chapter is...coming along. I have a break from both work and school so I'm going to do my best to knock the rest of this arc out, but who knows, some other catastrophe could easily occur between now and then. Wish me luck!