Chapter V – Tempo and Bass

Dencity's downtown streets were nothing but rubble now. Its once lustrous houses of yellow, blue, and red were now an ugly soot-covered grey. The skyscrapers that once covered the sky had been halved, and left around the city like gigantic sprinkles.

Lan detoured around one such sprinkle, feeling that walking over it would just be the wrong thing to do, like spitting on a broken doll or littering in a perfectly clean public street.

It was just an hour ago that he separated from Mayl. Roll had begun talking about a 'voice' and something about her lost memories, so the two left Lan and Megaman to their mission, without a word of thanks, good luck, or goodbye. It seemed to Lan that Mayl… No. It was a spur of the moment sort of thing, without a doubt. But to Lan it still felt like she was breaking away from him. After all, this was the first time ever that Dex and Yai left him to his 'save the world' mission without offering their help, and it seemed like Mayl's leaving was no different than that.

So here was Lan, traveling through the remains of Downtown Dencity, irritated, anxious, angry, alone, and cold.

"Sorry Lan, I can't find anything," explained Megaman. "All of the Dencity jack-in ports on the internet are offline. Nothing works."

"Damn…" said Lan through clenched teeth.

"You think maybe I should go face Bass alone?"

"No way. I want to be there when you clobber the bastard. Besides, you might need my help."

Although Megaman could still access the internet wirelessly from the PET, Lan wouldn't be able to send him Battle Chips without a jack-in port. That's what Lan was looking for. But every port he ran into so far was either totaled or burnt broken. Its seems that Bass had forgotten to add jack-in ports into his calculations when he sent his invitation…

"Wait, I think I've found one!" exclaimed Megaman.

"Where?"

"It doesn't say… but the port is named 'ValtPrt.'"

"…'VaultPort.' …Ah, I got it!" And with that, Lan hurredly marched forward through the war-torn streets of Dencity.

-Uptown Dencity-

(Turn right here.)

"Turn right!"

"Right." Mayl turned right into another alley.

(Run through the next gate you see. It's a hologram.)

"Are we close yet?" asked Mayl.

"Are we close yet?" redirected Roll.

(Pretty close.) responded Tempo.

Mayl reached the gate and jumped right through it with her arms covering her face like an action star.

(One more right.)

Mayl did as she was directed and found what the mysterious Navi was leading her to. It was in the shape of a purple orb hovering in the air. In its insides was an even smaller deep black orb, with orange lines surrounding it like the rays of the sun. Altogether it looked like an oddly colored eye, and Mayl would've believed it to be had it not been for the spontaneous blue electricity streaking it at random intervals.

"What is this thing?" asked Mayl.

"What is it?" relayed Roll.

(Ignore that for now and look behind it.)

Eventually Mayl would glance behind it, but only for a second. The eye was just way to interesting to ignore. Behind it was nothing, just what seemed like a ditch, or a cliff or something.

(Past it is what I want you to see.)

"Past it, Mayl."

"But there's nothing there."

(Is she going?)

"She says there's nothing there."

(Tell her to go to it!)

"Mayl!" pleaded the anxious Roll.

"Okay, I'll… go see." With an effort, Mayl looked away from the orb and, after a long sigh, said, "Sorry, it just seemed too wonderful to look away from."

Roll relayed this to Tempo.

(Yes, it is beautiful isn't it?)

"Um… I guess," responded Roll. Tempo was more than a little put down by the comment.

Mayl carefully walked around the orb, making sure not to get too close in fear of electrocution. Eventually she reached the other side of the orb, and what she saw past it took her breath away. She stood at the end of a gigantic crater, at least a mile long and a dozen skyscrapers deep. Maybe more. In it, scattered about like chocolate chips on an inverted cookie were the buildings that once stood there, most of them crushed into themselves, as if they had fallen a great height. Black smoke mysteriously gushed out of the crater's center. It was both terrifying and wonderful to watch, just like the orb.

"What is it Mayl?" asked Roll.

"This is where it happened…!" the girl said dreamily.

(In the middle of that crater is where Official Headquarters once proudly stood.)

"It… is? Wait, does that mean…?"

(Tell her to jack into the Digital Sphere and I will tell you more.)

-Undernet-

"We're here," said Megaman. A dozen or so feet ahead of him, and at an angle, stood Bass.

"Heroic" is a word that might come to one's mind from looking at Megaman, "determined" another. Megaman stood straight, his arms hanging to his sides, fists clenched, head ever so slightly bowed, and blue eyes piercing straight into Bass.

"We're here," he said. "Any last words before I pummel you to deletion?"

A normal maniacal bad guy might laugh hysterically at these words when confronted with his arch nemesis. Bass did no such thing. Neither did he grin, blink, or move in any way at all. His eyes were also fixed on Megaman, but with nowhere near as much determination. Whether he was thinking about what Megaman said, or whether he was thinking about all the times he's had to fight him, Lan couldn't tell, and couldn't care less of.

"…So?" said Lan as he stared at Bass's image on his PET. He stood inside the crumpled remains of the Dencity Federal Bank, with the bank's broken vault sitting in front of him, and the control panel with a jack-in port next to it. The vault was empty, and has been for several years now. It was merely ornamental, since all money (Zenny) was digital, and therefore almost impossible to realistically fit into shelves. "Nothing to say?" mocked Lan.

A flash of light gushed out from under Bass's cloak and without a second's notice, Megaman began pummeling him with buster shots. Surprised by Megaman's quick reaction, Bass sped away from danger and soon revealed the source of the light: his GospelCannon. Green flames gushed out from Gospel's armored snout and Bass swung it at Megaman like one long, slow whip. But Megaman was too fast for it. He jumped over the flames easily and dashed closer to his arch nemesis.

Once again surprised by Megaman's speedy assault and a tiny bit flustered by his unblinking determination, Bass immediately brought out his supposed trump card: the dual chip system. With his free hand he brought to life a Dark LongSword, the same one that doubled as a whip. He pointed it at Megaman and stabbed forward, making the sword extend several times longer as he did. But it was useless. Megaman jumped over it and then began using the sword as a runway towards Bass, ninja-style.

Bass's pulse quickened. Death was descending upon him like a mindless, rabid hawk and so far everything he tried against it to keep it at bay was failing utterly. His only option was to face death head-on, and so he pulled his sword back, drawing Megaman even closer, and swung his fire-slobbering GospelCannon like a punching glove. The attack hit, and Megaman went flying into the air in a slur of green flames. And then he stopped. Hovering in mid-air, he yelled, "AntiDamage!" and sent three ninja stars down at Bass, where they stabbed into his chest with three quick thud's.

"Metal Soul!" shouted Megaman. (Yeah, souls. They'll be explained later.) His body changed as he fell and in one quick motion he punched Bass's head into the floor with a Metal Fist. But Bass didn't stay down. With his head still stuck into the floor, he whip-kicked Megaman away and jumped back onto his feet, eyes closed, and irritated. Pissed, actually.

All of a sudden, red electricity burst out from under Bass. The GospelCannon and Dark LongSword he held seemed to be imploding into themselves, as if two invisible, monstrous claws squeezing the life out of them. Bass's cloak whipped around as if it was caught in a hurricane, and when he opened his eyes they were a bright red with small, barely noticeable, purple pupils. If any word could describe Bass, it would definitely be pissed.

"This energy…! Lan, this looks like it might get bad," warned Megaman. "I sense an invisible aura surrounding him, and his health seems to be recovering all on its own… It won't be long before it surpasses his normal limit."

"I'll crush you, Navi!" roared Bass in an unusual diabolical voice that didn't seem his own. The floor under him began crumbling into the air.

"Is this really Bass…?" asked Lan.

"I don't know. But… AGH!" Metal Soul Megaman began grabbing his stomach and kneeling on the floor.

"Megaman! What's wrong?"

"It's Metal Soul… its…"

"Vanishing…?"

Sure enough, Megaman's new Metal framing began fading away, leaving him on the floor with his normal blue color.

"That's almost it. Proto Soul is the only one left…"

"I saw him again, Lan… I saw his red eyes and they…"

"Get yourself together, Megaman! We can't rest until Bass is-"

" I'll rip apart your operator's body limb by limb, just like your white-haired friend!" roared Bass.

"-def… W-what?"

"I'll destroy you!"

-Undernet Zero-

A cute pink Navi stood frozen in the middle of this forgotten area of the Undernet, looking aghast. Her green eye's quivered, and behind her, a soft whimper spilled out from her operator's mouth.

There was another Navi in the area with her. Colored green, he looked remarkably similar to Megaman except that two spikes protruded backwards from his helmet like goat horns and two red 'L' shapes stuck out from his back like wings without any feathers or webbing. He was decorated in yellow and brown stripes here and there, and his eyes were redder than flame. On his helmet lay a bright purple jewel with a black dot in the middle, making it look a bit like an eye. Although some might disagree – someone inevitably does – the Navi was actually not bad looking. His eyes were sharp but held an unusual sleepy softness to them, a look only ever seen on the young. His nose was small and cute-ish, and his stance was slim, but solid. Finally, his 'L' shaped wings were long and thick, which gave them a tragic cape-like impression.

The Navi, Tempo, seemed content to be standing in front of his first crush. Or was it love? A kind only possible to those, like him, who could never even hope for it; love too impure and corrupt to ever be held in return. For this was one twisted Navi, who could see the spilling of guts and dismembering of children's heads as a traditional way to pass the time. Right now, however, he seemed content to simply be standing in front of Roll.

"You're lying…" suddenly responded Roll.

Mayl and she had just finished getting the news about their dear white-haired friends. Although it was kept short and concise, Tempo was able to include any and all tortures that may or may not have befallen the boy and his Navi; from Protoman's statue-like stabbing, to Chaud's chewed up and then exploded body. He also added in how he gallantly killed Protoman in one stroke. It was a lie of course, but he figured that that it was only a matter of time before it became true.

And after all that, Tempo somehow managed to keep on a hopeful smile, like he was expecting Roll to run up to him and, in her tremendous glee, hug him. His arms twitched for the notion.

"You can't be serious…! You- …You're lying!" stammered Roll.

But Tempo, mistaking Roll's horrified shock for happy surprise, confidently said, "Nope! Chaud is dead for sure. And more importantly," he pointed out, "so is Protoman!" And with one deep sigh, he added, "Yeah, you're all mine now!"

With the horrible news still swirling around her head, Roll was barely able to comprehend the last part. "….What?" she asked defiantly.

A new emotion suddenly burst into Tempo…

…Why… Why does she seem angry all of a sudden…? he wondered, and his small happy smile turned into a fearful straight line, one filled with a sad little etch of wavering hope.

"You're… mine now…" he said. "I killed Protoman. I beat the Navi most likely to have your heart, and so… you're heart is mine now…"

"You-" It was Mayl who spoke, tears threatening to pour out of her eyes. In her PET, though she could barely see it, Roll's teeth were almost bared at the evil Navi, who in such a short amount of time managed to change from a symbol of hope and understanding into a symbol of pity, and now, as Roll's left hand clenched into a fist, and as the tears finally began trickling down Mayl's cheek, the Navi had become a symbol of hate. Never in their lives had Roll or Mayl hated anyone. But now, as their worst enemy, Tempo, murderer of one of their closest friends, and destroyer of their hometown, stood in front of them, wearing nothing but an innocent stare, hate was all they could feel. This was a terrifying turning point for these two personas, whom used to, in simpler days, be symbols of purity and kindness.

It was then that the Dark Virus burst out from inside of Roll's body. The mark on her shoulder reappeared in an instant and its vile purple color illuminated the entire half of the Undernet that it was facing.

Tempo recoiled in surprise, and watching in mounting terror as little purple worms squirmed out of the mark and dug back into Roll's neck and torso. They burrowed into her frame and dug towards her arms, and then stopped. Everything stopped.

Everyone was quiet.

When it seemed like nothing more could happen, Mayl yelled, "You b-bastard! What did you do to her!"

"The Dark Virus...!" said Tempo; not to Mayl but to himself. "Why has it arisen? She can't…? You don't possibly hate me… do you, Roll?"

Roll didn't say anything. Her eyes were unfocused and staring into nothing; possibly trying to mentally escape the pain the Dark Virus was inflicting on her.

"But… what have I done to make you unhappy?" continued Tempo as he slowly backed away from Roll. "I haven't done you any harm! I acted courteous and… diligent when…!"

An idea struck him, but it was too late to act on it. Roll was moving. Fast. In the blink of an eye, RollArrows rained down on him and he was forced to dodge away. Two struck him easily: one through his chest and another which clipped off half of his left horn. A purple gel-like substance oozed out of his wounds, hitting the ground and squabbling about like worms burning violently in the sun. Roll's mark blinked in compassion.

This kept going on for a number of minutes. Eventually Roll ceased all firing and stood in place like a statue, in a stance that might remind some people of a deadly elfin archer. Her cold, robotic nature was really very beautiful, and her cold, sharp, melancholy green eyes made her look much more mature than the regular Roll. Even though this was still definitely Roll, the little changes all around her made her look like an entirely different Navi, one more human. Even the golden bands around her head were different: they drooped down, in an impersonation of long golden hair.

But this just made Tempo want her even more. He wasted little time in getting his new idea in motion, certain that it would put everything into the way it should be. That it would get Roll into his arms at last.

"DarkCloud!" At this he jumped into the air, where he hovered in place. "Release!" He pointed at Roll and all of a sudden her bow disappeared, her eyes closed, and she put her hands to her head.

"What's wrong?" asked her operator. "Roll!"

Without responding, Roll pulled one arm away from her head to uncover one eye to look at Tempo, who, as she finally remembered, she had begun to fall in love in back in his lair.

"You're… evil."

The mark symbolizing the Dark Virus had already begun losing its light, and the further down its brightness wavered, the faster its effect on Roll disappeared. Maybe there still was something Roll had for Tempo after all. Their moment may have been brief, and it may have been undermined, but it was real, and it was nice. She felt bad about hating him – about hating anyone – but there was really nothing else she could do. Still, this wasn't her. It wasn't her place to hate.

Or… was it? Would even the nicest person in the world stay nice when confronted with her friends' murderer? A mass murderer? Who destroyed her hometown, and nearly killed everyone she's ever held close to? Herself included?

Then again, she was just a Navi, right? What did it matter to her what she felt when it was her operator that was really suffering? Mayl… she thought. How terrible she looked, now that she took the time to fully analyze her. How distraught, how tired, how depressed she looked…

How the times have changed…

Finally, Tempo spoke: "Alright then… Are you okay now?"

"No. No way I'm okay now!" Roll pulled her other hand away from her head and got the RollArrows ready. Tempo flinched. "You're going to pay for what you did to Mayl!"