The sun slowly rose, revealing a steadily-growing number of people and robots making their way through the city streets. It used to fill Roll with awe to see the world come to life like this, but as she watched now, huddled atop a tall building at the center of town, all she could think about was how far away everyone looked.

It's cold...

Months had passed since she had last seen Wily. She wanted to be thankful for the peace, but she found she just couldn't enjoy it the way she used to. A deep sense of unease had integrated itself into her systems, and try as she might to placate the feeling, it wasn't something she could simply uninstall.

She checked the time. Nudging Rush, who sat curled up beside her, she said, "Let's head home, boy."

The robot dog perked up. He barked affirmatively, transforming into his jet sled mode, and Roll climbed on and steered towards home. She continued observing the people below as they flew: every now and then she could spot a Robot Master, some she recognized and others who were complete strangers. They still weren't all that common, but ever since Dr. Light and Dr. LaLinde had released their designs to the public, more and more roboticists were experimenting with the technology and producing Robot Masters of their very own. Roll and the other prototypes had always looked forward to the day there were more robots like them in the world. Now that it was here, however...

Roll found Dr. Light still in the lab, leaning over a workbench flanked by Dr. LaLinde and a large green robot. Gesturing to the latter, he said, "Auto, see if it'll synch up now."

Fumbling with some equipment, the robot said, "You got it, boss! Just one sec, and…"

The equipment roared to life, and the scientists cheered, their enthusiasm bringing a small smile to Roll's face. Light turned, starting a bit as he noticed her. "Oh, Roll! There you are! Back so soon?"

"It's morning, doctor. Did the three of you work all night?"

Light looked to the clock, rubbing his neck. "Ah...I suppose we did. But we've finally made the breakthrough we've been hoping for!"

"That's great! So now you can go get some rest."

"In a moment—there's just one last thing…"

Roll put her hands on her hips and scowled. LaLinde said, "It'll only take a second, Roll. Promise."

The door slid open to allow Rock and Tempo into the lab. Seeing his sister, Rock said, "Roll! Maybe you can get them to take a break. They haven't stopped since yesterday!"

"Apparently they only have one small thing left to do," Roll said, "and I'll make sure they rest after that's done."

Rock sighed. "Good…"

"Welcome back, Roll," Tempo said. "How's the city looking?"

"Same old same old," Roll said. She paused. "Well...a lot more Robot Masters lately. But everything looks peaceful."

Rush playfully pushed his head against Tempo's leg. Grinning, she crouched to pet him, and then looked back up at Roll. "Is everything alright? You seem...distracted."

"Oh, um...it's nothing." She snapped her fingers. "I just remembered! Dr. LaLinde built a new Robot Master, right? How's it feel having a sibling?"

Despite her better judgment, Tempo followed the conversation in its new direction. "Fine. Hornet Man is largely easy to get along with, though...he does have something of an obnoxious streak."

"I can't wait to meet him!" Rock said. "It's so great that there are so many more Robot Masters now, right?"

Roll nodded, averting her gaze. "Yeah…great."

Tempo stood up, tilting her head slightly. "...Roll. Are you really—"

She was cut off by a torrent of static erupting from the main console, the screen wavering and shifting as a new image began to take shape. Roll's servos locked all at once. "Oh no…"

"What's going on?" Light said. "Auto, run a check on our security programs!"

The robot saluted. "On it!"

Roll ran over to the screen. It's Wily. It has to be. He's finally making another move. I'm ready for him this time!

Finally the screen began to settle, indeed depicting a man in a lab coat, but it was immediately apparent that this was not Wily. He was noticeably younger than the scientist she had been expecting, his hair and beard only just starting to lose their dark blond color, and he wore a pair of thick glasses that he adjusted slightly as the image came into focus.

"Ah, hello Roll," the man said. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Roll blinked. "...Who are you?"

Coming up beside her, Light said, "Is that...Dr. Cossack? What's the meaning of this?"

Cossack spread his arms. "I'm here to issue a challenge, Dr. Light: my Robot Masters against your own. You've built a fascinating technology, really, but I wish to prove that I've iterated upon your work. And what better way than to have my machines defeat your little heroine here?"

Roll's processors raced. It's not Wily? Someone else is doing the same sort of thing? Oh no...is this what more Robot Masters means? More maniacs using them to cause chaos? More robots I have to destroy?!

"This is not an amusing joke, Dr. Cossack," Light said.

"Not a joke at all, in fact." Cossack pressed a button. A second, smaller window appeared, showing four Robot Masters overlooking a city. "I've already dispatched my forces. Ignore them if you like, but I make no guarantees that they won't cause plenty of mischief if left to their own devices."

"Why?" Roll asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"Hmph. I've explained all I intend to. If that is not enough for you, then you shall have to defeat me and extract the information yourself. До свидания."

"Wait!"

The transmission cut out. Light grunted, reaching for the keyboard to try to trace the message, while Roll just glared at the screen. Auto returned to the room, saying, "Everything looks to be in order, boss. Looks like all he did was flag the transmission as urgent—no hacking or anything."

"This...is rather odd," LaLinde said. "I may not've known Dr. Cossack all that well, but he never seemed like the type to risk it all for glory like this."

"I agree," Light said. "There has to be some sort of explanation."

"Maybe now that he's got more advanced tech, all the power's gone to his head?" Auto suggested.

"Perhaps…"

Taking a deep breath, Roll turned to Light. "...It doesn't really matter. I'm ready to go as soon as we have coordinates, Dr. Light."

Tempo stepped forward. "By yourself? You don't even have any weapons right now. Maybe we can contact some of Dr. Light's other Robot Masters and send them with you?"

Roll shook her head. "They have their own jobs. And, I don't want to drag them into this. I'll be fine."

Tempo thought for a moment, then held out one hand. "At least take my Quake Drill. Maybe it'll help."

Reluctantly, Roll reached out and took Tempo's hand. Once the weapon data was downloaded, she said, "Thanks, Tempo. Don't worry: I'll be back before you know it."

Tempo nodded. Light said, "Roll, I've got it. Are you sure you're ready?"

Rush ran to her side. In a flash, Roll equipped her armor. "Ready."

Light activated the transporter. Roll and Rush were whisked away, and Light stepped aside to pick up a headset. "Auto, could you come here?"

"Right away, boss!"

Tempo exchanged a worried glance with Rock, and then went over to where LaLinde stood. "Mom. Is there anything we can do?"

The scientist hummed to herself. "I don't know…"

"There has to be something! We can't just leave Roll to do this alone!"

LaLinde thought for a long moment. "There is something we've been working on. I doubt I'd be able to get it online fast enough, but...we could certainly try."

Tempo nodded. LaLinde set a hand on her shoulder and turned to Light.

"Thomas, I'm going to go see if I can get that working. It's a long shot, but there's not much else I can do here."

"Alright, Noelle," Light said. "I wish you the best of luck."

Tempo glanced over the screen as a feed of Roll's location came up. After a short hesitation, she turned and let Dr. LaLinde lead her out.

The four Robot Masters came to a stop just outside the city. Roll stood there, buster armed and Rush at her side, not taking her eyes off of them.

"I'll give you one warning!" Roll said. "Leave now before you get hurt!"

At the head of the group was a Robot Master with red and gold armor, his helmet topped with a small ring-shaped decoration. "Someone's overconfident. Sorry to disappoint, but we aren't leaving until we've ripped you apart! Bright Man!"

A short, orange-armored robot with a large bulb on his head jumped. "Y-Yes, Ring Man! Uh, take this...Flash Stopper!"

He spread his arms wide. The bulb atop his head lit up in an instant, the sudden flash blinding Roll—she could hear Rush whimpering, also caught in the attack. She tried to fight back, but her shots flew wide.

"And now," Ring Man said, "Toad Man!"

Roll heard a croaking sound. The next thing she knew, a burning sensation covered her entire body. When her sight returned, Roll realized acidic rain was pouring from the sky above her, and a large Robot Master in frog-like armor hopped up and down nearby. She took aim at him, but Ring Man leaned forward and threw a gold ring: the weapon struck the side of her buster, knocking her arm aside before she had a chance to fire.

"Go on, Dust Man!"

The last Robot Master had heavy blue armor, with a large square chute attached to his head. His body rattled for a few seconds, and then he shot a ball of smashed-together metal out of the chute's opening, narrowly missing Roll only to explode next to her, hurling her through the air amidst a storm of shrapnel. By the time she got up, Toad Man had renewed his attack. Rush ran at him, this time able to shield his eyes when Bright Man flashed, but Ring Man stopped his charge short. Roll tried to run after him, but she found herself being pulled to one side—directly towards Dust Man. Debris was also being pulled in, vanishing into the chute on his head. The distance was closing rapidly, but Roll managed to find her balance—she equipped Quake Drill and thrust it forward just as she came upon Dust Man, stabbing the weapon into his shoulder and stunning him.

"H-Huh?!" he exclaimed. "Where'd you get that?"

Sonic vibrations surged out from the drill, threatening to shake loose Dust Man's armor. Ring Man knocked Roll away before she could, but Rush took advantage of the opening, biting into Ring Man's arm and refusing to let go. Roll got in a charge shot before he managed to shake the dog loose. Ring Man threw another ring at her, missing and instead striking Dust Man just as he recovered. Roll kept up pressure with her buster, meanwhile Rush faced Toad Man and Bright Man, both keeping their distance, and growled to warn them against changing strategies.

"Do something, you idiots!" Ring Man shouted.

"B-But what about you and Dust Man?" Bright Man asked. "Our weapons aren't exactly precise!"

Ring Man shot him a glare. "Quit whining! All that matters is defeating the enemy!"

Roll ran in Bright Man's direction. Whirling around, Ring Man threw a boomerang in an attempt to cut her off. Before it made contact, however, Rush slid into Roll's path, crouching down and opening his back panel to reveal his spring; Roll bounced high into the air, equipping Quake Drill as she neared the peak of her jump, and then slammed it down on Toad Man as she fell.

"Watch out, guys!" Dust Man shouted. He launched another ball of scrap towards Roll. She slid aside, tripping up Bright Man, and pushed him right into the projectile. "Ooh! Uh, sorry…"

Ring Man snarled as he took a ring in each hand. "You three are more incompetent than I could've ever guessed!"

Toad Man sat up, clutching his head with both hands. "Hey...we weren't built for combat, you know…"

Roll aimed her buster. "Then get out of here! I don't want to hurt you, but if you keep this up I won't hesitate to defend myself!"

The Robot Masters seemed to consider this, save for Ring Man. He gave them a once over and said, "Really? Flee if you want, but just keep in mind you'll have to explain yourselves to Dr. Cossack. How pleased do you think he'll be?"

One by one, the others got into formation. Roll clenched her teeth. "...Fine."

She interrupted Bright Man's attack with a charge shot. Toad Man prepared to call down more rain, but abandoned the attempt to hop out of the way of another blast. Rush switched to his jet mode, and as soon as Roll was on, he shot forward, weaving through projectiles from Ring Man and Dust Man as Roll kept Bright Man too stunned to act with a stream of shots. Toad Man succeeded in summoning a rainstorm, but Roll ignored the burning and kept firing. When they were close enough, Rush banked hard to one side and she leapt in the other direction, turning her momentum into a spinning kick that knocked Bright Man forward into the range of Toad Man's shower. Almost instantly, the corrosive liquid ate through his thin armor and into his wiring, causing a short circuit that made the bulb on his head explode.

"Bright Man!" Toad Man said. "Hang on, it's almost done!"

Swaying unevenly, Bright Man tried to scramble back out of range. Before he could, a charge shot found him, blasting his weakened frame to pieces. Toad Man stood completely still as Roll dashed forward to copy the weapon of the downed robot.

"No...Bright Man!"

Fighting off Rush with Dust Man's help, Ring Man shouted, "Don't just stand there! Stop her!"

Toad Man evaded a charge shot and prepared to call the rain again. As he raised his arms, however, Roll did the same, her armor turning white and purple. Light burst forth from her, blinding Toad Man and cutting off his attack. Before he could do anything else, Roll closed the distance and impaled him with Quake Drill, the weapon's vibrations shaking him furiously. Ring Man finally found enough of an opening to throw a ring, but by then it was too late. His structural integrity gone, Toad Man was ripped apart by the drill, and after the briefest pause when the ring hit her, Roll copied his weapon and moved on.

"Pathetic," Ring Man grumbled.

Behind him, Dust Man managed to grab Rush. "I got the dog!"

Rush activated his jets, trying to fly out of Dust Man's grasp. The Robot Master held on at first, but when Roll summoned acid rain, the sudden sting made him lose his grip. Rush returned to Roll's side, shaking the corrosive droplets off before baring his fangs at their foes.

"Darn it...stupid mutt!"

Dust Man launched a chunk of garbage at them. Roll broke it apart with Quake Drill, but Ring Man used the chance to close in and knock her flat with a surprise attack. He took care to repel Rush, and then kicked Roll and sent her flying over towards Dust Man as the larger robot began to take in air.

"Fine, I'll recycle you instead!"

Roll glanced over to see Ring Man keeping up his assault on Rush. Turning back around, she armed her buster and leapt forward, letting Dust Man draw her in. He caught her just before she made contact and slammed her into the ground. Wincing, Roll stayed focused—as Dust Man reared back for a punch, she jammed her buster into his chute and released a charge shot, the energy searing through several of his internal components. Dust Man staggered back in shock. Not giving him a chance to gather his bearings, Roll used another shot to finish him.

"Almost done," she breathed as she copied his weapon. She spun and took aim at Ring Man, but he was ready for her, rings in both hands and keeping both her and Rush in his sights. "It's over. You can't win."

"If I can't win, then I'm fine with dying," Ring Man said. "I couldn't bring myself to face Dr. Cossack knowing I failed him."

"Is this stupid game of his that important?!"

"You have no idea."

He began throwing his weapons about wildly, forcing his foes to move closer together. Spotting an opening, he threw a more precise attack, but Roll intercepted it with a blast from Dust Crusher; the resulting cloud of shrapnel provided her with some cover she took advantage of. Ring Man moved to attack the moment he spotted her, but was blinded by Flash Stopper before he could throw a single ring. Roll quickly used a Rain Flush, and then switched to her buster and fired rapidly, hoping to overwhelm her foe with the constant stream of damage. Her success was short-lived.

"I refuse to surrender," Ring Man said, one of his rings hitting Roll as he staggered forward. "If I can at least take you down with me...then I'll have served my purpose!"

Roll slid out of the way of another ring, popping back up with a charge shot. "Why are you so set on this? Why do you want Dr. Cossack's approval so badly you'll risk your life for it?"

"Approval...you really think that's all this is about?" He moved to attack again, but Rush tackled him to the ground. "My cause is worthwhile. I don't have any regrets!"

Ring Man threw Rush off and readied a ring. Before he could throw it, a Dust Crusher hit him dead-on, the resulting burst ripping his armor open and severing his wiring. Roll walked forward, copied his weapon, took a few more steps, and then fell over with a sigh.

"That's all of them…"

"Roll, can you hear me?"

She put a hand to her helmet. "I read you, Dr. Light. I managed to stop the Robot Masters."

"You've done well, Roll. However…" He took a long pause. "...We've received a new set of coordinates from Dr. Cossack. It looks like he's sent out a second group of Robot Masters."

Roll said nothing.

"Roll?"

"I copy. I definitely need to recharge, though."

"Understood. Prepare for transport."

Roll closed her eyes and lay there, not moving an inch as the transport took effect.

The citadel's walls seemed nigh-impenetrable, pointed turrets armed with cannons rising above it, and above even them, a tower with a bulbous orange roof. Countless robots patrolled the grounds, but unbeknownst to them, one small form maneuvered through the shadows, slowly but steadily closing in on the main entrance.

This place is freezing.

The red-armored Robot Master pulled his scarf tighter as he dropped down behind a line of hedges. He surveyed the courtyard, taking note of the sentries so he could begin to figure out a way past them.

Cossack just suddenly decides to do exactly what Wily's done twice now...it's just too suspicious. I have to know what's really going on.

That much he was sure of. What he would do with that information, he really had no idea. In spite of this, the robot known until recently as Break Man was powerless to stop his curiosity from bringing him all the way to Cossack's lab, possessed by an insatiable need to know exactly why more Robot Masters were running amok. Maybe he wanted to stop another selfish human from using robots for his own gain. Maybe he wanted to help Roll in some small way. Whatever the case, he had made the trip. Now he needed to make it worthwhile.

Before Blues had finished plotting his path, the doors to the lab swung open, and two forms stepped outside. One was Dr. Cossack, of that there was no doubt. The other, however, was a mystery: a tall robot with black, yellow, and red armor, outfitted with a permanent buster on one arm and two more such weapons attached to his back. The shape of his head, encircled by tubes, vaguely resembled a human skull, and his eyes fixated on the doctor with an almost predatory glare. He couldn't quite say why, but something about this robot sent a sickly shiver all throughout Blues's circuitry.

Cossack and the machine conversed briefly, too far away to be heard. Then, the doctor went back inside, and the robot crossed the courtyard, none of the sentries batting an eye as he moved to leave the property.

Hm. How do you factor into this…

Keeping his distance, Blues followed the robot to the edge of the courtyard before stopping to put even more space between them.

Questioning one robot should be much easier than sneaking into a fortified lab. That being said, this guy looks armed to the teeth...and I'm fresh out of weapon energy.

He looked back at the citadel. After a few more seconds of thought, Blues jumped over the courtyard's fence and continued his pursuit.

I'm taking a chance either way. Roll will probably work her way here eventually, but this guy...something tells me I really don't want to let him get away.

Notes:

-This arc is just tackling Mega Man 4. Admittedly, doing half the Robot Masters at once like this might not be ideal, but things would get boring real fast if I tried to give each an individual fight, so I'm going to try to make up for it with a bit of spectacle. This shouldn't be as much of a problem in future arcs, though, since things are about to change a bit...

-A very early introduction for Auto, but Light needs the help around the lab. I also want to lay some groundwork for future Robot Masters—not much, since I aim to focus on the current bosses of each arc, but I feel like it'd be a good idea to at least set up Light's other Robot Masters before reaching them...as well as Vesper Woman (Hornet Man for now), who's in a relatively unique position as Tempo's only sibling.

-"До свидания" is "good-bye" in Russian...according to Google at least.

-I wanted to keep Blues in-focus for this arc, so he's getting a side-quest to keep him busy. I'm not a hundred percent sure about how to refer to him in the narration, honestly—I feel like it's important for narration to refer to a character as who they consider themselves to be at the time, if that makes sense, and right now I'm not sure he considers himself to be either Blues or Break Man (let alone Proto Man). Still, I have to call him something, so this is what I'm going with for right now.

-This arc has 3 chapters and they're (more or less) all written. Thank God. We've got this chapter for Mega Man's 34th anniversary, part two on the 24th, and part three on the 31st. I hope you enjoy!