WARNING: A lot of swearing in this chapter cause Wily (again) and a very stressed Blues.

X blinked in confusion as they reappeared. The lighting was the same, which meant that it was about the same time in this new area than where they were previously. He sent his older brother a curious glance, hoping the robot master would explain.

"I might be contacted by an ally of mine and I'd rather stay relatively in the same area so he can find me should he need to," Blues responded. X nodded.

"Who?" he asked, because his elder brother didn't talk much about anybody he kept in touch with.

"A Wily bot or Elecman," he responded truthfully. "It's unlikely that either one of them will be coming in person. In fact, I'd be upset with them if they did. If they need me, they'll send a message across the network. But just in case something happens, I'd rather give the option of being nearby if they needed to teleport to my last known location."

X nodded slowly. He was a little bit wary about letting Elecman know where he was. He didn't have anything against the electric robot master himself, in fact, he found he trusted the robot quite a bit after he'd helped X escape from Light. However, Elecman did seem to work for Light, and that posed a problem and likely made the two of them enemies.

Blues, as if sensing X's distress, elaborated on the issue slightly.

"Elec is not under any current orders to out your position or condition to Light. I made sure to ask."

X raised an eyebrow in Blues' direction. "And you're sure he wasn't lying?" He trusted Blues' judgement, he really did, but the wars had pounded the necessity of vigilance into him. Blues smiled slightly and nodded.

"Elecman cannot lie to me," Blues replied. Confused, X briefly tried to get a better explanation out of the robot but failed immensely.

Sighing, X gave up on pestering his brother and further studied their surroundings. They appeared to be at some sort of canyon, with a semi-dense pine forest to their backs and the miles-long expanse of rock stretched out in front of them. Even in the darkness, X could pick out the colorful rock which very briefly matched up with a faint memory.

"I've seen this place before," X murmured and he narrowed his eyes in concentration. Blues spared him a glance.

"Have you? This was our next destination regardless, unless of course, something more alarming happened and it wasn't safe to stay relatively close. We're still miles away from our previous location, mind you."

"Yes, this," he paused and then gasped slightly as he realized where he'd seen it. "This is the Grand Canyon!" X's eyes had widened incredibly at the realization and he was almost frozen with disbelief.

"Indeed."

"Was it always this beautiful?" X practically whispered, body rigid with shock. Blues frowned at the android in concern. What the hell had the pod been filling his head with?

"It's actually declined in beauty since I'd last seen it, but yes." Blues' scowl deepened when X didn't respond, still studying the landscape.

When X finally spoke, it came out as a swear word the likes of which had Blues raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Why?" X asked not a moment later. Blues didn't respond, not sure how to answer to such a loaded question. "Why did the pod lie to me about everything?" Another pause. "By the time I saw this place it was a war zone, still beautiful in its own right, but the trees were gone and so many reploids had perished here that antifreeze, coolant, and oil seeped from the rock. I," X paused. Blues fought to keep his anger with Light down and only barely managed to restrain it to shaking fists. "I was so focused on the blood and making it out of there alive that I didn't spare much more than a glance at the rock. I didn't think . . . I didn't think that such a hell hole was ever once this pretty. . . Now I can't help but be pissed that the wars, the pod, had destroyed something like this."

When the android had calmed somewhat, Blues spoke. "I apologize. We can find someplace else. I did not realize that this place held so many bad memories for you."

X was only silent for a short moment. "No," he practically growled, years of experience as a commanding officer seeping into his voice. "I need to start accepting the pod's simulation as the lie that it is. I want to remember the Grand Canyon not as a place from hell but rather a place that needs to be recognized for the beauty that it is. I can't do that if my only memory of it is a war zone."

Blues nodded in approval and the two fell into a comfortable silence. After a few moments, X grunted and shook his head. X turned to his brother and fixed him with a determined stare.

"Where's the best place to view the morning?" X asked and Blues smirked, holding out an arm.

It was a waste of energy to teleport such a short distance, but Blues was vain in a way held in comparison only to gods. So when they emerged on the other side of the energy rush, X merely shook his head with fond exasperation and proceeded to gift the elder robot master with a tale from his days as a maverick hunter, when Zero still stood by his side and the world was something he understood.

He spoke until the sun had risen from the ground, Blues only occasionally chiming in, before his voice cut off with awe as the sun painted the massive expanse of rock with crimson light. The two watched in silence as the sun rose and the canyon emerged in full glory.

Blues glanced over at X and sighed as he sent out a ping to both Shadowman and Elecman, informing the two of them of his location. He'd intended on mentioning something about recharging in the light, but he couldn't take away this moment from the android. Which meant that Blues was going to have to come clean about his intentions to some degree.

"X," he called out. The android's gaze snapped to him, still slightly dazed from the sights. "I may need to . . . disengage from reality today. My ally, the Wily bot, I mentioned yesterday should be doing a favor for me and, I'll need to speak with him when he contacts me." X nodded.

"Anything I should be concerned about?" X asked. Blues inclined his head in thought for a moment.

"As of right now? No, the issue is likely nothing of great concern, I merely just needed an assessment of the threat level it posed. For all I know, it could be nothing more than one of Light's fits."

X raised an eyebrow in concern. "This has something to do with Light?"

Blues paused and nodded carefully. Keeping X out of the picture completely was a bad idea. X was like Rock enough that he understood the android would be upset if Blues was handling an issue behind X's back when it regarded their safety. He just needed to downplay the issue enough so that the android didn't feel the need to step in.

"Rock's behavior lately has been strange. I've sent somebody in to check it out. I'd go myself, but, I'd rather not leave you alone and I'm sure as hell not bringing you anywhere near the labs."

X nodded. He'd almost preferred it that way, but at the same time . . .

"I can handle myself, Blues."

"But do you want to risk it?" Blues asked, blues eyes narrowing in on X behind his vizor. "Light's been cooking something up the last few months and we're honestly not completely aware of what he's doing. I'd keep a closer eye on him, but that'd be forcing me to risk the exposure of secrets that must at all costs be kept from Light, because if Light figures out what's really going on? Most of us would be lucky if we're retired. But more than likely it would be reprogramming and memory wiping."

"Us?" X asked, curious and concerned.

"The robot masters."

"I thought they were forced to follow Light's orders. What does he have to fear that would force him to do such a thing?"

Blues stared at him in silence for a long moment, contemplating telling him the truth. "Light's control over the robot masters isn't as perfect as you think it is. Even Wily doesn't have complete command over his robots."

"How?"

Blues paused then shook his head. "There are ways around coding. I've known robot masters that have managed to change their personality despite being completely resistant to such."

X nodded and briefly thought of Zero. "I can understand that. What," X paused as he watched Blues' body stiffen. The eldest robot master cursed and muttered a brief apology that was carried away as he teleported, leaving X alone. Suddenly conscious of some mysterious danger, X summoned his armor and buster, scanning his surroundings carefully. He was far enough away from the observation centers that tourists shouldn't see him, but there was still a risk that he had been spotted at some point and his location had been outed to Light.

It was several long hours before the crack of somebody teleporting sounded from behind him. X whipped around and raised his buster, charging it when the robot revealed wasn't one that he recognized.

"My apologies for alarming you, android. My name is Shadowman. I was sent here by Breakman, or Blues as you know him, to take you to his current location." X made no move to lower his weapon and studied the robot carefully. The robot's armor was mostly blue and white with a black undersuit and a shuriken on his forehead. X mused that the robot's abilities likely included efficient fighting skills and deception.

He wondered briefly why Blues thought it was a good idea to send a robot so closely modeled after a ninja, a person known for deception, in order to get X to come with.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Shadowman hummed. "I'm afraid I don't have much proof. Only that I was the one Blues sent to investigate Megaman's unnatural behavior, which if it helps, was caused by Light. Light had . . . overwhelmed Mega's systems with commands essentially and it was interfering with his personality. There is a bit of a situation now and Breakman desired that I come and fetch you rather than leave you alone for much longer."

X frowned, that made sense, but he was still cautious. He threw up his mental shields and lowered his weapon, studying Shadow's face carefully. He didn't trust this robot, but Blues might need help and somehow that was more important.

Damn, he'd always been a sucker for people in need, hadn't he?

"Try anything and you'll get a charged shot to the face," X warned stepping forward but not disengaging his weapon. Shadow blinked.

"Of course," the ninja robot master held out his arm and X reached out with his free hand to grab it. X would tag along for the teleportation, but he sure as hell was going to try and stay far away from a robot that probably had some talent in shutting down other robots with nanites.

X's world dissolved into a pale blue and refocused on a dark laboratory as soon as he exited teleportation. He studied the room carefully, taking in the pale, shaking, sobbing, hysterical child, no robot master, he realized, sitting on the lab table and Blues and Elecman ripping through cabinets and boxes in panic. He moved to step forward but Shadow grabbed his arm and shook his head. X blinked as he was pinged electronically. He accepted the electronic link hesitantly but tightened his mental barriers before he did so.

/I understand that you are concerned, but Elecman cannot see you. He knows you are here. But Light does not check our computation files which is how we process wireless communication such as this. If he desires, he will only look at the video and audio files. It is best that you stay out of Elecman's sight and do not speak so that we do not have to take drastic measures to ensure your safety./

X nodded and focused briefly in order to formulate a response. He'd never communicated this way before.

/What is going on?/

Shadow frowned. /Break may be better at explaining than I. Basically, we are concerned for Mega's safety. Light has threatened to wipe Mega's memory from the last three months. We are certain that he is going to carry out such threat. Right now, they are trying to find the materials necessary to preserve Mega's memory externally./

X paused and forced the rage down. To think that Light just went around wiping people's memory!? He couldn't imagine that kind of fate.

/Why does he have to go back to Light?/

/Because Mega is Light's favorite. He's not going to let go of Mega that easily and we can't risk Mega suddenly NOT becoming Light's favorite. We're not ready to face off against Light yet. For now, we just have to do what we can to support each other./

X nodded and watched the scene before him. It tore him apart not to be able to go over there and help and he was about to do so regardless of whether Elec saw him when an old man with a mustache walked in holding a large cup of what he assumed was coffee and wearing a white lab coat.

"The fuck is going on here?! Breakman what the hell?! Get your blasted Light bots out of my goddamn laboratory!" the man exclaimed.

"Shut up Wily!" Blues snarled before turning back to his task of tearing through parts.

"The hell you looking for anyways? Quit stealing my shit! And why's Mega here?" Wily asked, sneering when he said Mega's name. X blinked. Mega. This robot was Rock, X's direct predecessor and he was just supposed to stand here while Rock was clearly upset?!

"A FUCKING EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE!" Blues practically exploded. X stepped forward, concerned and Shadow grabbed his shoulder, tightening his grip on X's armor.

/WAIT. Give it time. Break is stressed, but its not the end of the world./ Shadow urged.

/I can help!/

/It's too risky. There's too much at stake./ Shadow shook his head again and gently pulled X back into the shadows.

"The fuck you need an external hard drive for? Dipshit looks fine to me," Wily muttered into his coffee mug.

"Wily. Get. Out."

"Jesus, no need to be all pissy about it," Wily took a loud slurp from his mug and didn't budge from his spot. He glanced around and spotted X in the corner with Shadow and narrowed his eyes.

"The hell are you?!" he asked. "Another goddamn Light bot?! Thomas needs to stop making you. He knows I'm just going to steal his shit and reprogram it."

Blues apparently found what he's looking for because there's a brief grunt of success before he's rushing over to Rock and using the cord to plug the device into a port on the back of Rock's neck.

"What the big deal anyways?" Wily asked taking another sip as he watched the drama unfold. He was ignored.

Blues grabbed Rock's head and stared into Rock's eyes frowning. "I'm sorry Rock," he muttered, still loud enough for X to hear. X didn't understand what was happening. What was Blues apologizing for?

"I know." Rock's voice was shaky and emotional. Clearly, he's under a lot of emotional stress and just barely holding it together.

For a moment, everything was quiet except for Wily obnoxiously sipping his drink. When Blues finally spoke, his voice was hard and cold.

"COMMAND LINE: Cancel all current or non-canceled COMMANDS." Rock froze and his eyes faded out for a moment before returning to their usual blue. Blues continued. "COMMAND LINE: Download memory and program onto external drive." Rock again froze and his eyes faded out. "COMMAND LINE: Do NOT follow and other commands until previous command has been completed. Affirmative?"

"Confirmed." Rock's voice was empty, emotionless and Blues hated it. X has no idea what's going on but he has a feeling that he wasn't going to like it.

"Jesus, something serious is happening here. Not sure I want to get involved," Wily commented, sipping again.

"Get the fuck out Wily," Blues' voice still carried a lot of venom, but he's clearly not as stressed now that the problem was being solved.

"Now, now, none of that."

Blues charged his buster in response and pointed it at Wily's face.

"Jesus, fine. I'm leaving. You need your fucking laws looked at." Wily promptly downed the rest of his mug in a few large gulps. "Need more coffee anyways." He turned and started walking out the door.

"YOU SHITS BETTER BE GONE BY THE TIME I GET BACK!" Wily shouted as he walked down the hallway. He was ignored again. For several long moments the room was quiet and stressful, with X nervously frowning in the corner. Blues was still, leaning against the lab table next to Rock, but from the way Elecman kept looking at him, X realized there must be another emotional tell that Blues has that he's not privy to. Rock hadn't moved, eyes blank and lifeless as they stare ahead. What ever Blues had done had apparently overridden any of Rock's other functions. He wasn't even blinking.

X couldn't shake the feeling of how wrong that felt.

Suddenly Blues moved and they all watch as he walked over to a metal wall and roared, slamming his fist into it and denting the metal.

"DAMMIT LIGHT!" Blues' teeth are fixed in a firm snarl and he leans forward into the wall, pressing his head into his arm.

X wanted to say something, anything, to figure out what's going on, to be able to help. But Shadow had almost seemed scared of something earlier when he was telling X not to move or speak and X didn't want to make the situation worse.

There's a quiet beep from Rock and the childlike robot blinked before moving to unplug the wire from his neck.

"It's done." His voice was still shaking but there was a certain tone of reassurance and relief to it. Blues didn't look at Rock or move from where he's facing the wall.

"COMMAND LINE: Delete last thirty minutes and 25 seconds and shut down," Blues growled out. Rock paused then collapsed onto the table. X couldn't help but feel a spike of terror. Was Blues able to just control other robots like that? Had he been controlling X?! What the hell was going on?! Blues straightened and turned to look at Elecman who stands at attention when he does so.

"Alter your memory files. Make it look like you thwarted Shadow from taking Rock to Wily. Use Shadow's help to do so if need be, but just do it and get Rock back to Light." Elec nodded and stepped forward, pointedly keeping his gaze away from X's direction and gesturing for Shadow to follow. He picked up Rock's stiff form and teleported away, Shadow following soon after.

Both X and Blues are quiet for some time.

"Blues, what just happened?" X asked, staring at Blues fiercely. "Because that kind of control wasn't normal."

"X, I. . . . I had to do it. If Light knew that we copied Rock's memories to give to him later he would prevent us from doing so."

"Blues, how?!"

"I can't do it to you if that's what you're asking." X couldn't help the feeling of relief. He didn't know why he believed Blues so easily. He just did. He'd always been quick to trust people no matter how many times it burned him. Still he couldn't help but continue to feel uneasy about the situation.

"You didn't answer the question," X pressed.

Blues shrugged. "Because I'm trying to leave you out of a war, X. You've seen enough. No need to involve you in another."

X frowns, unhappy with that response. "Blues, what's going on?"

Blues doesn't respond for a long time. "Later. I'll explain later. Just. . . I need some time to cool off."

X didn't like the idea of waiting but nodded reluctantly. Blues had been reasonable so far and before now he'd given X no reason to distrust him. He couldn't shake off his feeling of uneasiness though. When Blues eventually walked over picking up the hard drive on his way and held out a hand for X to piggy back on his teleportation, X stepped forward and grabbed his arm. Blues, however, didn't miss the way X hesitated before doing so.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: NONE OF MY STORIES ARE DEAD. I'm just very busy with my job and school. I know I said I wasn't going to rewrite Legends Don't Die until I finished it but I've already started on working on it. There's just too many plot points that I started working towards and then ditched and I don't think it's all that noticeable but it bothers me.

Also, Blues is kind of terrifying isn't he? And I kind of love the relationship between Wily and Blues where they just scream at each other but grudgingly admit that the other is useful so they don't do anything to truly mess things up for the other. I'd intended to add way more to this chapter but things just felt right ending it here. I'll tackle the whole "Axl exists" thing next chapter and then after that will be more Rock drama and then after that things will go downhill even more and then after that things will go downhill even MORE and then after that ZERO and THEN Blues will finally explain what's going on. How's that for the rough outline of the next six or so chapters?