Chapter 7… Here we go!
Whoops… It took quite a while for this chapter to be posted. I honestly spent much of the last week just trying to get this one out for you guys. I promise the next chapter won't take three months to upload.
Well, this chapter will finally introduce Bud as one of the main characters of the story! If you guys enjoyed the chapter, please make sure to review! I'm always looking for any improvements that can be done to fix this fanfiction and my writing as a whole!
(Bud's POV)
Darkness. It was an environment I used to embrace. And yet, at this very moment, with my hands cuffed together, chained from the ceiling, with no sight of light from as far as my eyes can see, I couldn't help but fear the darkness that surrounded me. I started to struggle, hoping to somehow free myself from these chains.
Suddenly, a light flickered, its source seeming to originate from a lantern. And holding the lantern was a man I dreaded. He walked slowly towards me. He was a goddamn circus clown, a freak, with dark clothing and a top hat, holding a lantern with one hand and a black staff with the other. He was laughing, enjoying my suffering as if it were entertainment.
"It's been a while, Bud. How have you been?"
The bastard said as he continued to laugh at my tortured self. He stopped in front of me and placed the lantern down, using his hand to grasp my bloody face.
"Rot in hell, Phantom. I thought I killed you."
"Physically, yes. But, my dear friend, mentally, I will always be with you. I will always haunt you."
The psychotic FMian grabbed me by the throat and threw me across the room.
Suddenly, the scenery around me changed. The handcuffs, the lantern, and Phantom all disappeared as the throw somehow sent me flying off a cliff. Fearing death, I tried to cover my vitals with my arms and legs as I braced for impact.
The pain was immeasurable. I howled in pain as my arms were crushed by the cold ground beneath me. But suddenly, the pain stopped, just as fast as it came. Lost, frightened, and confused, I began to question everything. Where in the world am I? And what in the hell is happening to me?
The answer to the first question was simple enough. As I looked at my surroundings, I found that I was in the middle of a war-torn battlefield, with hundreds of casualties laid all around me. I looked around at all the deceased bodies, disgusted at who would cause such an atrocity.
"B-Bud."
My eyes widened in shock and my heart pounded rapidly as I turned around to see who called my name. It was an old friend. A friend that was apparently now deceased.
"K-Kelvin?"
Kelvin Stelar. The man with a mission to unite the FMians and humans. An ambitious man with such a foolish dream. He laid on the ground beside me. His face was bleeding and his body was crippled just like the rest.
"Y-You could've saved us. You could've saved me."
Kelvin said as his face went blank and his head softly dropped. And as I stood there next to the corpse of my dead friend, I felt a pain that surpassed anything and everything I felt before. He was right. I could've saved him. I could've stopped him from joining Peace. And now he was dead… because of me.
Suddenly, a gigantic hand sprouted from the floor beneath Kelvin and crushed him. Another hand began to rise, this one seeming to gravitate towards me. And then, in the blink of an eye, it lunged forward, in an attempt to crush my body.
At first, I ran as fast as I could. I didn't want to die. There was still so much I wanted to do. But as I continued to run, and as I looked at the horrid scene that surrounded me, I began to question whether life was even worth living anymore. My Taurus Fire suit was gone, and without it, I was powerless.
The gigantic hand slowly but surely grasped my body as my efforts to escape it started to deteriorate. The hand that once sprouted from the ground was now attached to a body, an FMian body. It was a blue armored juggernaut with an opaque red visor that covered this entire face except for the evil grin the FMian gave me. The FMian slowly tightened his grip. But before I could scream at the tremendous pain I was feeling…
… he devoured me.
(Bud's POV)(13 April 2019, New York City)
"It's just another damned dream, that's all."
I told the beautiful gal that faced me. The famous yet still very conscientious skier known as Amy Gelande continued to stare at me. Her eyes were unfazed with no intent to look anywhere else.
"That's what you told me yesterday. And the day before."
I tried to glance at the window beside me in an attempt to gaze at the beautiful view of the sky above. But Amy's extreme, determined stare made it hard to appreciate the scenery around me.
"Have you ever thought about retiring, Bud?"
"Haven't I already? The honest truth is that John really does most of the heavy lifting for the company anyways. I don't do much besides-"
"No. I'm not talking about your real job. I'm talking about this stupid hobby of yours. It's clearly taking a toll on you."
"A toll? Are you meaning to tell me that at the greatest peak the company has ever seen, my job as Taurus Fire is somehow taking a "toll" on the company?
"Bud, you know I'm talking about your own well-being. You leave for work during the morning and come back home hours after midnight and only have a few hours of sleep before the cycle repeats itself. You know, maybe your terrible dreams have been a result of your sleep deprivation."
"You don't think I can handle my jobs?"
"Taurus Fire isn't a job. It's a sickness that's slowly killing you. This isn't like you, Bud. Ever since that incident with Dark Phantom, wait no, ever since the accident of the Peace Project, you've been acting differently."
"Maybe I've woken up to the world and just how cruel it can be at times. I have the resources to make this world a better place and that's what I have to do."
"Yeah, you can use your resources to build shelters, help the homeless, fix the infrastructure of the city, not suit up into a big bull at night and put yourself in harm's way."
I didn't respond right away to her reply. She was right. It wasn't like the city's only problem was Dealer. In a way, the introduction of Dealer as a worldwide terrorist organization improved the security forces of many countries. But at the same time, it just wasn't enough.
"Amy… the number of people I've saved through my year as Taurus Fire…"
"It's great. I understand that. But I think you'd be doing yourself a favor by taking a break from all of this. Dealer isn't going to go anywhere anytime soon, even if the world wants it to. You're only putting such a big burden on yourself."
"Ok, Amy… I'll think about it."
She finally blinked after my last remark and sighed. She was still clearly worried but decided not to push the topic any further.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
"We lost a lot of loved ones in our battle against Dark Phantom. I don't want to lose you too."
She said as she stood up and headed for the door. I tried to say something else, to counter her last remark, but I stood silent as she left me alone in the room. With nothing else to do, I decided to head downstairs as well to do the job I do best.
"You're late, sir."
A gray-haired man said. Despite his early hair-aging, he wasn't too old. The middle-aged man's name was John. He was my colleague and my best friend.
"I was busy… sorting out some papers upstairs."
"You're never late."
I ignored him as I walked over from the staircase to the center of the room. A magnificent suit of armor stood in front of me. It was shaped like a bull, with two horns protruding from the side of its head, along with its red-orange exterior that held various types of weaponry beneath it.
"The suit's quite damaged after yesterday. There's a bunch of scratch marks everywhere."
He simply nodded as he glanced at the television screen at the corner of the room. I turned to view the screen as well, and I angrily smirked at what I saw in front of me.
The television was portraying a live CBS broadcast of a damaged shop near Eastchester, Bronx… although damaged was more of an understatement. The shop was in complete wreckage, with piles of bricks and rubble where the shop once was, and police tape surrounding the entire area.
"Several shops destroyed in the Bronx. Taurus Fire vigilante presumed to be the cause."
"Had too much fun last night?"
"People were gonna die. I had to do something in order to save them."
John didn't respond. He picked up a drill from the table beside him and began to fix the Taurus Fire suit.
"And I'm assuming this… field trip to AMAKEN Labs would be for the people as well?"
"Aaron is a long-time friend, John. Don't act like this is anything serious."
"Oh? But it is, sir."
He gestured at the television but the broadcast changed. It wasn't a scene of the wreckage anymore. It was a video featuring a man in the sky. Shining in blue armor, he slowly descended onto the ground, holding a person in his arms as the building behind him slowly burned and crumbled from a sudden fire. It was the same person that devoured me in my dream.
"MegaMan: Is this new FMian a Friend or Foe?"
"What's your point, John?"
He walked up to me with a stern face, clearly frustrated by the events surrounding Taurus Fire recently.
"You never did shy away from hurting your enemies. But all of this brutality that you have been committing stems from one thing. Fear."
He stared at me for a couple of seconds then walked away, tossing his drill to the side as he left me alone in the room by myself with my suit of armor.
"Aaron!"
I yelled as I walked up the steps of the enormous AMAKEN Labs. Waiting at the front was a chubby figure. He waved at me as he heard my calling from the stairs beneath him.
"Bud! It's been quite a while."
"Wow! Six months! Looks like you've lost a couple as well."
He chuckled at my statement. It was mostly flattery of course. Aaron was still as chubby as ever.
"Yes, Bud. I'm sure you're here to make fun of my physique."
I cracked a smile at his last comment. Teasing Aaron… just like old times…
"You know why I'm here."
"I know what you're here for. Not why you're here."
He sighed as he gestured me to follow him inside the laboratory. The lobby was still the same, despite this being my first visit in about a year. It didn't matter though as the two of us walked past the front desk and even past the main stairwell as we headed toward the basement of the laboratory.
Now that was completely different. The secret basement underneath the AMAKEN facility was where all of Aaron's most prestigious inventions were placed and built. Everything made inside this room was something that Aaron most certainly put his heart and soul into making.
"Now this is what you're here for."
Aaron walked up to the back of the room, and on the wall was a thick, gray sheet of metal. It was vibrant, to say the least. Beside the metal sheet was a paper with a peculiar symbol written on it.
"What is that?"
"The metal is a gift from an old friend of mine, even older than you."
"What, did you buy it from some old man on the street?"
"Older friend, younger person."
I instantly knew who he was referring to. He was a friend of us both, yet probably more influential as a person than us combined.
"You know, Bud. If you really wanted something like this, maybe even something stronger, Ace would have probably been your best call."
"But he wouldn't understand. After all, he wasn't even there when Dark Phantom turned the world's greatest city into a shitshow. He's too busy fighting his own war."
"So is that what this is about? The new FMian that crashed here recently?"
"Maybe not him, but he's not the only FMian in this universe."
Aaron solemnly nodded. There was a brief pause as the idea of another Dark Phantom incident terrified us.
"Do you think, that if he were still alive today, he would support what I am doing?"
"Kelvin? He wouldn't be fond of it, just like I'm not. All of your senseless violence recently has been very questionable. But then again, all of us have some blood on our hands. We aren't in any position to criticize."
"Except for you."
"I'm supplying you with the equipment to kill. If you ever kill with a suit using that metal, that falls on me too."
"You know, if Kelvin were still alive today, I might have quit my Taurus Fire persona."
"You don't know that he's dead."
"You're right. I don't. I'm just trying to prepare for the worst."
Talking about Kelvin must've annoyed Aaron immensely as he quickly switched the topic back to the matter at hand. He pointed at the symbol in the middle of the paper.
"That is where this sheet originated from. That's where Ace found the metal."
"And where is that?"
"Mu."
"And so when exactly do you think you can ship enough of that metal to supply the Taurus suit."
"It's not 100% Murian Metal. It's a Murian-Steel alloy that I made myself. I'd say it'll take a week if I dedicate enough time to it."
"Look, Aaron. I know this kind of stuff is not the kind of work you're proud of. If you're not ok with it…"
"Don't worry about me. This is not the first time I've made… weapons before."
I nodded as I inwardly heaved a huge sigh of relief. Getting this newly found metal would undoubtedly help against an FMian threat.
"Mr. Boreal!"
A voice echoed from the entrance of the enormous AMAKEN lobby. A brown-haired teenager waved at Aaron as he ran from the entrance, along with a few of his friends, to where Aaron and I were talking.
"Geo! Ahh, and his friends too! It's nice to meet you guys! I'm Aaron Boreal. I kind of run this place and all."
Geo… it was a name I've heard before, but I can't recall where.
"Mr. Boreal! These are my friends Sonia, Zack, and Luna. They all go to school with me."
"Ahh! The famous popstar Sonia Strumm! It's nice to meet you all!"
"I would like you guys to meet a good friend of mine, Bud Bison."
I smiled at the four teenagers in front of me. But there was just something about Geo… where have I heard that name before? Glancing at Geo's person once more, my eyes widened. The star pendant, spiked hair, it was so obvious.
"Well, I'm sure you all know of Bud here. Bud and I are starting a bit of a partnership together for a while."
"It's nice to meet you guys!"
A wave of sadness and guilt suddenly washed over me. If I couldn't save Kelvin… at the very least, I can protect his son, right?
"You're Kelvin's son, Geo Stelar, am I correct?"
"That's me."
I walked over to Geo and gave him a tight hug. He probably never even knew about Kelvin's involvement in stopping Dark Phantom.
"Your father used to talk about you all the time. Even Aaron over here mentioned you several times today. I'm sorry about your father."
"Thank you."
He seemed dejected, as expected. But even so, I nodded my head in satisfaction. This was the reason why I'm here. To prevent something like this from happening again. To make sure, never again, will an alien invasion tear families apart, the way it did for Geo.
"Thank you for having me, Aaron! I'll see you tomorrow at the same time?"
"Works with me! But before you go!"
He walked toward me and whispered into my ear.
"You can take the Murian Metal downstairs if you want. I have to take these kids on a tour."
Seeing Geo after our conversation must've gotten to Aaron as well, explaining his sudden change of heart. Nonetheless, I was extremely grateful for his help.
"Thank you. Thank you for everything you've done for me today."
"And thank you. For helping to make this city a safer place."
With that, I walked downstairs, back into Aaron's hidden laboratory.
I'm not a big fan of snooping into people's business, especially if it had nothing to do with me. That being said, Aaron's basement was just a temptation I couldn't resist.
Before I walked to the back of the room to grab the Murian Metal, I wandered around the lab, looking for anything that could be of potential use in the future. It was different than it was six months ago, that was a given.
There were, indeed, a plethora of things in the lab that amazed me. Bits and pieces were scattered all over his desk, along with a paper that contained, in huge letters, the word TRANSER. Beside it seemed to a layout of how the functions of the "transer" would work. Holographic messaging, information processing, it sounded like a bold and overly ambitious project for one man to accomplish. But if there were one person in the world that could do it, it would be Aaron.
Finally, I made my way to the Murian Metal that still hung on the back wall of Aaron's laboratory. I picked it up as I tried examining the strange piece of metal. It was odd, in a good way though. It felt lighter than your average steel sheet but it was clearly stronger.
BOOM-
Suddenly, the building began to shake. What was going on upstairs? Yet another attack from Dealer thugs? Or perhaps… Was it an FMian attack?
Confused and frustrated, I decided to run upstairs into the danger, without my Taurus Fire suit.
It was hopeless. Completely hopeless.
To my side, was Aaron, who stood as strong as ever. Knowing him, he would probably sacrifice himself to protect his laboratory and the people within it.
And in front of me, was a completely wrecked lobby, and even further ahead were two criminals inside a crashed vehicle in the middle of all the chaos. Of course, it had to be now. When I was powerless, with my Taurus Fire suit a few miles away.
"Hey, Bud. You don't happen to have a bulletproof vest on you now would you?"
"I do. But it's not as if that will last long against… well, assault rifles."
"Well, as it so happens, I have a gun on me right now. We might have to work together, just like during those Dark Phantom days."
The two criminals got out of the car, walking out with armed rifles and grinned at Aaron and me.
"Aaron Boreal. Bud Bison. Two of the richest men in the city, in the entire world. And you two are risking your lives to protect your staff?"
Suddenly, in an instant, a blue-armored man flew between the criminals and us.
"Shit, it's the MegaMan!"
One of the criminals said as he stepped backward, clearly afraid of the blue knight in front of me. I couldn't blame him, because I was terrified as well.
This was the same person. The same person that killed me in my dreams, that killed everyone. That dream had to mean something, right? It couldn't have been a coincidence…
His right arm started to flicker, and in another short instant, it became a cannon. My jaw dropped at the sight of this. Even, Dark Phantom, another FMian, wasn't capable of doing this. What exactly was this so-called MegaMan? Was he even an FMian? Or was he something far more dangerous?
The criminal stunned at this sight as well, took another step back, and after a moment's hesitation, shot at Aaron and I lunged to try to block the bullet with my vest.
"AHHHHH!"
There was a howling scream that echoed throughout the damaged lobby of AMAKEN Labs. I closed my eyes as the screeching sound continued to ring in my ear for what felt like hours. I didn't want to open my eyes, to what would probably be a dying Aaron. But I realized it wasn't his voice. It wasn't at all.
The voice came from one of the criminals… as he grabbed onto the floor for dear life. He was missing a limb… an entire limb. It wasn't an understatement to say that blood was gushing everywhere, staining the entire lobby. It was an absolutely disgusting scene, something no one should ever have to experience.
The so-called MegaMan rushed towards the criminal to perhaps stop the bleeding.
But it was too late. The damage had already been done. Whoever that criminal was, whatever he stood for, whether good or bad, it didn't matter anymore. It was clear from looking in his eyes, that he wanted it all to end. He wanted to die.
Not going to lie, as I was reading this chapter back, I was kind of worried that the last scene would be way too gory and dark. I mean, this fanfiction certainly hasn't shied away from something like that but there is a limit to how much… well, blood should be in one scene, not only from a realistic standpoint but from the fact that this is a T rated fanfiction and not an M rated one. If you guys can let me know what you think about that, that would be great.
Sorry for the really long update! I hope you guys will continue to support this fanfiction and I will see you guys when the next chapter hits! The next chapter will be a lot lighter. I promise!
