In a secret base buried deep underneath Mega Man's home city…
Albert Wily strode confidently through the cold, mechanical floors of the giant catacomb of machinery surrounding him. He was shocked, as well as a little jealous. This tech was pretty far ahead of his own. Why couldn't he afford this?
He thought back to the pile of bills on his desk.
"Oh… That's right."
He finally reached his destination. He tried in vain to suppress a smirk.
There his old nemesis, a portly man that looked suspiciously similar to Santa Claus, locked eyes with him from within his rather rustic accommodations.
"Well, well, well. Look at what we've got here…"
"Enjoy it while you can. You and I both know how this ends."
Wily just couldn't resist an evil laugh. "Forgive me. It's slipped my mind! Tell me, does this 'end' with you and this world underfoot and those two losers that you send out to fight your battles for you becoming junkyard scrap? 'Cause that's what's gonna happen!"
Light shook his head. "You just don't get it, do you, Albert? Have you looked around you? He's clearly been looking at our designs, and Apex Company is one of the biggest tech and robotics firms in the country. We're competition for him to rub out!"
Wily's grin grew more sly. "What's this? Whatever happened to that mindless optimism that you showed that group of morons on that committee? Mr. 'Robots can be used to help people'… I must be really growing on you at this point…"
"I don't take that as a compliment." There was a real bite to his voice.
"Didn't intend it as one," Wily spouted off before he realized what he'd just said. When he did, he frowned.
"Wily, why can't you just quit this life? You could do so much good with your intelligence! Perhaps…"
"I swear, if you say another word about 'our gears meshing together' or something like that, I'm going to throw up."
Light face-palmed. "Fine, then. How are you going to stop Novak from killing us both, as he no doubt plans to?"
"I don't know about you, but I have my own plans for world domination."
"Surprise, surprise…"
"Shut your mouth! You're the one in the cage, not me. Anyway, if he tries to take me out, well, let's just say that I have more than a few contingency plans in the works myself."
"And what if Mega Man and Proto Man swoop in to stop you, as always?"
Another evil laugh. "Those poor fools don't know what awaits them! I'd like to see them try to get to me after what they'll see in this lab…
Off in the distance, in a darkened room, a disturbingly familiar robot gleams menacingly as the cackles of the mad scientist echo throughout the corridors of the hidden laboratory…