It was two hours before the door to the A.I. lab opened again. During those hours, Auto kept repairing his robots, but at a slower pace. He kept looking over at the A.I. lab, wishing both silently and aloud that someone would explain what was going on. Roll worked too, and said nothing. She didn't answer any of Auto's half retorical questions. While she could admit some curiosity, it didn't amount to much. Roll just kept working, and kept her mouth shut.

She did look up every so often to check on Crystal Bot. Proto Man was Roll's brother, but you might guess otherwise to look at Crystal. The auburn robot was shaking. She was trying to work on getting Heat Man into display-ready condition for the robot museum, but she wasn't making much progress. Turmoil and confusion ran over her face, and any given moment she looked as if she were only seconds away from tearing up. Sonata scrubbed listlessly at Heat Man's scorch marks, not doing a very good job even with all the extra Carbo-Scrub she used.

Wave Man was gone; he'd taken Star Man up to the space station to finish being repaired, and Galaxy Man had gone with them. That left the place silent and forlorn. Auto's eyes frequently went over to his secret project, the machine covered in tarp over in the front corner. Every time he did, his mood darkened a little. Roll knew what it was. It was the Proto Jet, a machine that served as Rush or Treble for Proto Man. Roll shivered and avoided looking in that direction again.

Finally though, the door to the A.I. lab in question opened, and Mega Man emerged, moving slowly and heading towards the comm station. Bass came out as well, fast and very grim. He headed straight for his technician, a much easier path now that more of the robot masters were cleared out of the way.

"Crystal," he said. "Where's that automated machine?"

His tone told his mood: impatient and angry. Crystal Bot quickly set aside her scrub and went over to the only empty repair table in the lab. It was close to the A.I. labs, so Crystal Bot gestured toward it.

"There it is." Sonata knew better than to keep Bass waiting. "I'll have to check you again. After that attack-"

"Just hurry it up." Bass growled and got up on the table. "I want to be in stable condition before nightfall."

Bass didn't wait for his technician to answer him. He shut down, leaving Crystal Bot to examine him and figure out how much damage Blues had done when he shot Bass in the eyes. Crystal was only relieved by the dark robot's quick exit from the conscious world: she didn't want to put up with a grumpy Bass. She quietly got to work.

Mega Man was as blue as his armor, and more so when he looked up at the expectant eyes of the others. Sighing, he waved over Roll and Auto. Crystal Bot was still working, but her tools grew quieter, and she glanced his way. Mega Man took a deep breath. What he had to do next wasn't going to be easy, but it had to be done. Before he knew it, Roll took his hand, clasping it firmly as she lent courage to her brother. Mega Man could only give her the vaguest of smiles.

Rock cleared his throat.

"Okay, I want you to hear this from me, and not somewhere else. Proto Man...during the Gamma crisis he killed a security guard named Richard Copenhagen."

Other than the sound of Crystal Bot's wrench hitting the floor, the lab was entirely silent, allowing Mega Man to explain the whole horrible truth about the loner robot they all cared about so much.

-t-

Roll liked riding on Rush. Normally she never did, especially not outside of the lab. She was usually afraid she would fall off. However, this time she was with Mega Man. She held on behind him, her arms tight around his waist. Roll wished Rush was a bigger dog; as much as she tried not to look down, it was hard to resist. Monstropolis was at least two hundred yards as they passed above it to the suburbs. She held onto Mega Man more tightly.

Rock was lost in his own thoughts. He occasionally gave Rush some directions, but other than that was silent. He didn't know what to say. The business at hand was very serious, and Roll could hardly blame him. She had nothing to say either.

"Thanks for coming with me, Roll." Mega Man said, breaking the nervous silence. "You didn't have to."

"Of course I did." Roll let out a breath. She didn't realize she'd been holding it in. "What kind of sister would I be if I didn't?"

Mega Man smiled a bit, wishing he could be as calm as his sister. He took all the encouragement he could out of her presense. He would need it. But even without his sister Mega Man knew what he had to do, and he would do it with or without her. It was the right thing to do. Rock's heart was bound up in cold resolve. The circumstances were terrible, but these were the circumstances that life had to go on from. That was why Mega Man was going to talk to Tessa Copenhagen, the widow of the man his brother killed.

"I have to say, Roll, you've been taking this whole situation a lot better than I have." Rock noted. "I'm very proud of you."

One death isn't much compared to the Maverick virus, and I kept that a secret. I didn't realize how similar Blues and Zero really are.

Roll shivered, but resisted saying any of that to Rock. "Proto Man is my brother too. Besides, this was your idea. In my book, there's no robot in the world braver than you. I'd...I'd rather fight Wily then have to do this by myself!"

Mega Man chucked faintly. He reached down and touched his sister's hand. "Let's hope you never have to fight anyone. Oh, we're almost there. Rush, do you see it?"

"Rwoof!"

Rock had been in this part of Monstropolis several times over the years, and he'd noticed this house before even without knowing who lived inside. It was a cute little home with blue vinyl siding and pink azaelia bushes out front. Mega Man remembered it because so few homes had blue vinyl siding. It wasn't at all vogue. He could almost hear Roll sneering behind him. Even in these circumstances she couldn't help but be grossed out at the oddity of that color.

Tessa knew they were coming. Mega Man had the foresight to call, at least. It was the very first thing he'd done after calling up Reyes and clarifying everything between them. Rock wanted to know everything the government had on his brother. If Proto Man couldn't have the same status in his mind than before, then Mega Man was going to make sure he knew exactly the kind of robot his older brother was, with clear and open eyes. No matter how much it hurt him.

Rush landed on the sidewalk in front of the home,. The sibling robots got down, letting the dog convert into his normal mode and happily shake away the feel of jet mode..

"You stay out here, Rush." Mega Man gave him a quick rub on the head. "Roll and I will be out later."

Rush barked compliantly. He sniffed around the sidewalk, finding himself a quiet place to sit. He barked once more to Rock and wagged his tail. He was settled in and ready to wait.

"Good boy."

All that remained was to go to the simple, boring, perfectly normal suburban door. It was an imposing sight. Had any Wily machine truly been more frighting than this? Any enemy? Any disaster? Roll frighted, afraid to go forward. Mega Man, however, did not. He went on to the door, ignoring all the ghosts of fear and his own internal turmoil. He had done his grieving the day before (poor Bass) and now was ready to face what honor required of him. Roll, seeing his bravery, could hardly stay behind. She scampered up behind her brother, standing nervously behind him. Rock glanced back and smiled a little. At least Roll was learning to trust him again.

Mega Man rang the doorbell. The front curtains opened a bit, settling down again only a second later. Mega Man was too recognisable for it to take long to identify him. The door before them opened to reveal a middle aged woman, early forties, who had lovely brown hair cut in short style that waved up and curled a little at the ears. She was little heavy-set, but perfectly adorable in her casual pink shirt and jeans. Admittedly, the woman would have looked better without the sadness in her eyes; they were heavy with melancholy, and the woman sighed deeply.

"Mega Man. Roll." she nodded at them in greeting. "Please come in."

"Thank you, Mrs. Copenhagen."

Mega Man and his sister entered the home. Tessa led them into a nice living room, perfectly magazine with its peach walls and tan furniture. The coffee table even had a few homey books about decorating and cooking on it. The chimney was the perfect focus of the room, especially with its dark brown stones. Mega Man spied a family portrait on the mantle, one that almost broke his heart looking at it. It must have been taken several years ago, as it featured a very young little girl and a man that Rock recognised as Richard.

Tessa silently indicated the couch, and the robot siblings politely sat down. Mega Man tried to be relaxed as possible, but Roll was too nervous to be completely polite. She sat with her hands in her lap, wringing them and hoping that her brother knew what he was doing.

"No one's called me by that name in years." Tessa sat down in a cushy chair next to the fireplace. "It's Mrs. Brown now. I remarried about six years ago. Leila didn't take that as well as she should have, but she always was very attached to her father."

"Where is Leila now?" Mega Man asked. "I would like to talk with her."

"I didn't think that was a good idea." Tessa frowned. "So I sent her out with some friends. She's a very sensitive girl. Look, Mega Man, if you're here to ask me to talk to the government about showing mercy to Proto Man, you can forget it. Leila is...well, very traumatized by all of this. I at least want some justice to be done for her sake."

"No, Ma'am, that's not it at all." Mega Man shook his head. "We're just here to offer our sympathy, and well, to gain some understanding. Until yesterday I didn't know anything about this. My brother's life is all a mystery to me. Please, tell me about Richard."

Tessa seemed to relax a little, but as she settled a little more comfortably into the chair, her eyes withdrew into thought. "He was...perfect, really. Typical high school sweethearts, we were. After that, a quick marriage, and Leila came along. I had my job as a writer, and Richard was doing well enough getting by in our security job. When he was hired by Dr. Light's storage company, we thought things were going to get better. He was making a lot more money. We bought this house then."

Mrs. Brown glanced all along the room, lost in memory. "I never wanted to leave this place. Richard worked so hard to get us here. It feels almost like betraying him to move. Well, says the woman who remarried. Actually, it was Proto Man who had to convince Leila to let me get married again. She was so angry at me. He talked to her and explained everything to her - a woman does get lonely - and he even showed her an extensive background seach on Roger. Roger saw it later, and he said to look at it would make everyone think he led a very boring life."

"It sounds like Proto Man cared about her a lot."

"He did. That was very clear." Tessa managed a faded smile. She was still thinking of all the good times. "I remember when I first met him. A neighbor of mine that used to live two houses down was supposed to be watching Leila, but it turned out that my little girl was too busy hosting a tea party for Proto Man in the backyard to go and tell our neighbor that she was alright. I caught her pouring motor oil in my good china for him, and she had him wearing a pink feather boa and a tiara. That's what he deserved for buying her an entire pack of Oreos. She had half the thing eaten by the time I got home."

Roll couldn't help but find that funny, forgeting her nervousness long enough to giggle. Noticing the other two looking at her, she quickly tried to stifle it. "Um, Proto Man told me that story the other day, but he didn't tell me about the tiara."

"Or why he was there, I suppose." Tessa sighed deeply, sinking a bit more into the chair. "Proto Man has been such a good friend to us for many years. I'm almost angry at him for simply telling her. He should have talked to me first, but...I couldn't promise my reaction would have been any better. To see Leila over the years when Proto Man would show up...it made her so happy to see him. I always wondered why he always took such good care of us. We couldn't have afforded this house without his help. I'm torn between wanting to hate him and wanting to forget everything. I just don't understand how someone as considerate as he was to us could be responsible for everything I went through being a single mother."

"Our brother...wasn't always a good guy." Mega Man explained. Tessa was having a hard time speaking, and now it was Rock's turn to struggle to talk. He couldn't imagine that any topic would hurt him this much. "You got to see the best of him, and so did I. A lot of things went wrong with his creation. Being the first sentient robot, basically everything with him was experimental. He was very lonely in the labs, and it didn't help that two of the only three people he ever got to talk to were government agents that treated him like a machine or a child. I don't mean to excuse anything he's done, but he didn't have a good start or a lot of understanding when he ran away from home. I don't know much about this because it was before my creation, but apparently one of the first people he met when he ran away was Dr. Wily. You can imagine how that would turn out."

The human nodded in solemnity. "I see. Before I knew who was responsible, I tried hard to let go. Being angry at anyone wasn't going to bring my husband back. I knew a lot of other innocent people were casualties of Dr. Wily's cruelty, and it's easier to think of things that way. I'm just so mad that Proto Man would do this to Leila. She's been traumatized this whole week through, and this is the first day she hasn't spent it moping in her room. I wish he'd never spoken to us." Tessa's voice caught in her throat, and she had to clear it and force herself not to cry. "Thank you for coming, though. This is horrible to say, but you're the only reason she left the house."

Seeing she was starting to cry, Mega Man had a hard time resisting grief himself. "Please, Mrs. Brown, if there's anything we can do to help, please let us know."

Tessa's breath was heavy, though she tried to keep control. "I don't think there's really anything you can do. All I want is for Leila to be happy again...Proto Man was there for her in ways no one else could be. He was her hero. He saved her from this idiot boy her freshman year...ugh! I wish he hadn't done this! Why did he have to tell her?"

Tears streaked down the woman's face. She forced her eyes closed, squinching them down tightly. "I mourned Richard so long. I don't want to go through that again. It was worse for Leila. Proto Man was her hero...this is the worst possible outcome. To believe in someone and then find out such a terrible thing is just too much."

Mega Man's gaze settled down to his lap. "Yeah...I know the feeling..."

It was silent for a moment, and Roll wondered if she should break her silence, or if she could even do so without causing offense. She decided her best bet was patience. It wasn't too long before Tessa sniffed, pulling her tissues out of her pocket as she tried to calm down. She'd had sense enough not to put on any mascara that morning.

"Where is Proto Man now?" Tessa asked. "Has he been caught?"

"No, he hasn't." Mega Man sighed, having no desire to go over that again.

"If he is caught, what will happen to him?"

"I don't know. With all the charges against him, there's a chance he could be deleted. He's changed for the better these past several years, so there's a possibility he'll just go through a memory wipe. He'll still have the same A.I., but he'll have to start over from blank. That's about the best that can be expected."

"That sounds worse than deletion." Tessa said. "Imagine everyone knowing what sort of person you are without even knowing yourself."

Mega Man nodded. "The robots I've seen that done to turn out alright. They are programmed by directive to avoid the crimes they committed earlier."

"That's good. It wouldn't do any good to delete their memories if they just went around and did it all over again."

The conversation went on longer, and in the end Roll was glad that she had come. In a way. Sometimes Roll felt like such a coward, and this was definitely one of those times. In the end, things turned out well, or as well as they could be. There was plenty of crying and closure, and as the robots left the little home, Roll couldn't help but feel that Mega Man was indeed the bravest robot in the world.

-t-

Crystal Bot was antsy. Being in the lab helping Auto put together the robot masters to send to the robot museum calmed her some, but today she found herself impatient. Working on robot after robot was good and fine in its own way, but she had too much on her mind. Ever since she'd discovered why Mega Man and Roll were leaving the house, she'd found herself both horrified and...impressed. Out of his own volition, Mega Man went to go apologize to the Copenhagen widow for his brother's sake. The very notion of such a thing frightened Crystal Bot, and she remembered all too well the inadequacies of her tacked together mind.

And Proto Man. He had never been so angry in her presense before. Him attacking Bass had scared her to death even though she knew Bass was the stronger robot. She wasn't afraid for her boss' sake, but if Proto Man could be furious enough to lose control like that, then there was no telling what he was capable of. It frightened her even worse that he had killed a human. There were those that said a robot life was equal to a human one, but Crystal Bot knew that it wasn't true, especially when robots can be repaired of most of their problems. Healing humans was both a more delicate and scarier magic, a magic that was beyond Crystal's intellect.

That wasn't the major topic in her head. If that alone were the only problem, then the soothing motions of beating armor back into shape and welding it back on its proper robot skeleton would chase this from her mind and allow her the comfort of distraction. No, this time it was Dr. Wily. As much as she tried to ignore the thought, it kept coming back to her that Dr. Wily was in the hospital trying to survive. He had a heart condition. It was fatefully ironic, that. Up till then it was questionable that he actually had a heart. Not to Crystal. In his own way, he had seemed to care about her. Hadn't they spent years together as fake father and fake daughter? The trouble was that it was all fake. Wily wasn't her creator.

"Crystal!" Auto called out. "How's Bubble Man coming?"

"He's almost done!" Crystal Bot said, hammering a bit more of his armor back into place. "How many more do we have left?"

"I just finished Signal Man." Auto said. "Ice Man is done, and so is Demi. Once we get them with the others, that leaves just Commando and Metal Man."

"Can you get those guys for me? I got stuff I need to be doing for Bass once I'm done with this guy."

"And leave me all alone? Aww, I like working with you."

Crystal Bot giggled. "I like workin' with you too. I just got lots of stuff to do, that's all."

"Fine, break my heart, why don't you?"

She knew he was teasing, and she giggled again. Auto was a lot of fun to work with. No wonder Dr. Light created him. Crystal started working faster with Bubble Man. After all, he was just going to be set up in the robot museum. He didn't need to be waterproof; he just had to stand there. Finishing up with a quick weld, Crystal banged on Bubble Man's armor.

"Done!" she sang. "Dub! Come and get this guy and bring him to the truck!"

A freshly repaired Dub squealed in obedience, crawling across the now empty repair tables to grab Heat Man in his claws and bear him away like a piece of food borne away by an ant. This done, Crystal rushed into the nearest A.I. lab - not the one that Proto Man had attacked Bass in the day before. This next one, though it was exactly identical as the other A.I., didn't get so much as a shudder from Crystal Bot as she tightly closed the doors behind her.

Alone at last! Crystal Bot began pacing. This issue wasn't going to go away until she decided something about it. Just being with Dr. Wily in Dr. Cain's base had reawakened something in Crystal Bot that she could have sworn was dead: her love for him as his little girl. As much misery as he had caused her, she just couldn't bring herself to all out hate Wily. She had been his "daughter" for so much of her life that thinking of him in a different way was still too hard, especially with him being ill. Then again, he was cruel and heartless, and even his so called fatherly love hadn't stopped him from turning her into a mechaniloid. As much as she worried for him, her heart wouldn't forget the terrible things he had done.

"I've got to talk this out!" she exclaimed to no one. "Like they say on TV! Okay, okay. Um, option one, I go to the hospital and see him to make him feel better. Option two, I forget the whole thing and let him suffer because he's a meanie. Hmm...hmm..."

Crystal Bot rubbed her chin and started pacing faster. What was the better option?

"Okay. I...I don't want him to be alone. That's so scary, 'cause he might die." Crystal Bot gasped. "Oh no, if he dies, then I might be there and see it! Scarier! Aaah!"

That alone almost solved the dilemma right away (and almost sent Crystal Bot hiding in a cabinet), but the thought of him being alone when he died was the scariest of all. She managed to stop herself from pulling all the computer parts from the nearest cabinet and diving in for shelter. Shakily, she forced herself to continue her pacing. She had to focus.

"So...on the one hand, Wily is my grandpa and he let me blow stuff up." she pondered. "But on the other hand, he turned me into a mechaniloid. He...he killed my father...but...there's nothing I can do to help my daddy. I can at least help my grandpa because he's not going to live very long. Ugh, Forte's won't be happy if I do. Grandpa was always so mean to him. But maybe...maybe I can get Grandpa to apologize to him! Yes..."

Crystal Bot wasn't naiive. She indignantly huffed. Wily was every bit as stubborn as Bass. Getting him to apologize to anyone he'd wronged in the slightest - even as little as a hateful glance - would be like fishes breathing lava or a rain made entirely of ice cream. Not possible in the slightest, and equally amazing.

"Why is everybody I know so stubborn?" Crystal Bot pouted and plopped on the floor. "This is so hard!"

It was hard. At every moment Crystal Bot thought herself convinced that she would stay away, up popped heart-rending visions of a lonely Dr. Wily in the hospital. Then again, as soon as she thought she would go visit him, she found herself thinking of everything did. The man was horrible, and many people had suffered because of him. If Proto Man's situation had taught her nothing, it taught her that bad guys were called that not because they got to blow things up, but because they were genuinely bad people. Crystal Bot felt herself lucky for being a tech-bot. If she had been a fighter like Blues, then Wily might have wanted her to do the horrible things that Blues had done.

"Dr. Wily is a bad man..." Crystal Bot whimpered. "He really is...but he's my family."

The girl-bot leaned back and lay there on the floor, making sure to pat down her dress as she did so. She thought of Mega Man, and how he loved his brother no matter what. Even now it was easy to see that he wanted to help Blues in whatever way he could. Crystal Bot knew that was what family meant, though of course Wily was far worse than Blues, and it was his fault Proto Man had fallen so far.

She stared up at the ceiling and let the confused thoughts wander back and forth in her mind. If she wasn't supposed to go visit Wily then she at least wanted a logical reason why, a reason that would make her weak and sympathetic innards settle down and stop bugging her. As evil as the man was, she knew that she still cared. It drove her nuts.

"Ceiling..." she whispered for no particular reason. One second later she popped up she popped up from the floor. "Hey...wait a minute, that's right!"

Now she remembered it. In all the excitement of Zero, Cain, and Proto Man, Crystal Bot had forgotten all about her made up religion: the Church of Science. There were no ceremonies or special occasions to this religion, and only one line of theology: the more one learns about science, the more one knows about God. Crystal Bot jumped to her feet, giddy and happy as she clapped her hands.

"That's right, I don't have to worry! I just have to ask! Science is the answer!" she squealed. "Okay, so I have to set up an experiment. But it has to be biological...hm, the side of Science I don't use. Hm..."

Sonata snapped her fingers. It came to her! Quickly she ran over to the nearest computer and activated the monitor. Her fingers quickly worked the controls, dialing in a number and an extension number in a matter of seconds. The screen made a noise, and a red line went across it. That meant the call was starting to go through. After a few rings, an image appeared on the screen. It was an image of Bright Man.

"Crystal Bot?" Bright Man looked up, clearly irritated. "How in the world do you know this number? I'm trying to work on an experiment here."

"I know." Crystal Bot got up on the repair table so she could both see the monitor and swing her legs like a little girl to work her adorable magic. It was more out of habit than anything else; it never did more than annoy Bright Man, though that in itself didn't displease her. "I wanna know about your experiment. Whatcha' doin'?"

"You're really curious?"

"Yeah. Tell me, tell me, tell me! Or I can just keep calling you and bugging you until you do."

"Ugh, fine. If you're going to be annoying, then I suppose I'll get this over with."

Bright Man moved to a large table, and the perspective of the camera went with him. He was in the greenhouse where Toad Man usually worked, and through the greenhouse walls Crystal could see that it was nighttime in northern Russia. The plants crowded around Bright Man, creating a sort of green cloud of leaves around him. The bright robot's work lay on a round lab table in the middle of it all, and it was a neatly organized mess of petri dishes, beakers, and a large microscope.

"As you know, Dr. Cossack has been working on a cure for cancer for many years." Bright Man told her. "I'm working on a plant-based enzyme. If I can engineer this enzyme to destroy certain cells and leave others alone, then it's possible I can engineer it to destroy cancerous cells."

"Okay, so what are you doing right, right now?"

"I'm testing the algae samples I collected. If my experiment succeeds, the enzyme should target one species of the algae in the dish, but not the other." Bright Man replied, "I was producing the cells while you were here. If you recall, that was part of the data you ever so kindly deleted out of my memory."

"Aw, I said I was sorry!"

"Hmph! Anyway, I was just about to take a look through the microscope and see how the algae is working out. I suppose you're finally interested in this work of mine?"

"Oh, yes! Yes, please!"

Bright Man nodded, artfully picking up a petri dish labelled "Expmnt #33 - ENZ1A" and stuck it under the viewing lens of the microscope. Bright Man glanced over at Crystal Bot before he peered through the machine. She only looked up at him hopefully, waiting on his reply. Shrugging, Bright Man gave it a look.

"Ah!" His mouth opened in a cheery smile. "It worked! The correct algae cells are completely overwhelmed and the others are fine! Delightful! I must wake Dr. Cossack! Excuse me, Crystal...Crystal?"

She was gone. Bright Man tapped his monitor to see if it was still working. It was just fine, and it showed nothing but the empty A.I. lab without so much as a screwdriver left where the girl-bot had been sitting. Bright Man sighed and turned off the monitor. He had better things to do than wonder where the silly girl-bot had run off to.

-t-

It wasn't as hard to find them as he thought it would be. Chill Man had one of Dr. Cain's tracers in him, and even though eventually the signal had cut out, Epic Man was able to get enough of a lead to figure out where the last of the Wily robots were. It shocked Epic Man that even though Chill Man and Elec Man had been under Dr. Cain's authority so long, they seemed to be following their own whims and doing something previously planned.

In any case, the trail led Epic Man to an abandoned warehouse out in the more northern parts of California. Epic Man forgot how he got there; he didn't care in the slightest. All he knew was that he had evaded authorities and found them.

The midnight-blue robot hugged Algorhythm Man's remains closer. This part of California wasn't much more than open fields and tall grass. The mountains hid him from the villages nearby, but Epic wasn't happy about his chances of being seen. Who knew what manner of humans lurked on those mountains? Epic Man cautiously walked through the tall grass, trying to avoid the temptation to jump and make himself more obvious. This way was slower, but it was safer.

"Don't worry, Al, we're almost there!" Epic whispered to his defunct brother. "I swear I'm going to kill those 'good guys' for doing this to you!"

He shifted Algorhythm Man over his shoulder, glancing about in each direction. There didn't seem to be anyone around, and his sensors didn't detect any vibrations in the near area, other than in the warehouse itself. Epic Man looked over in its direction again, and had to grit his teeth to keep from screaming. There, standing directly in front of him, was Shadow Man.

"Please don't do that." Epic Man said. "I'm half out of my wits as it is."

"Come with me." was the shadow's only reply.

Epic Man obeyed. He followed the ninja-bot into the old warehouse, and while the place was large, it was completely decrepit. Apparently part of it used to house a factory or something of the kind: the entire right side of the building was nothing but an odd assortment of old pipes and technological bric-a-brac that Epic Man couldn't possibly identify. The Wily-bots didn't seem to be able to either. They just ignored the vast complexities of older victorian technology and gathered over to the left, an empty passageway with very high ceilings, containing nothing more than the pillars that supported it.

And the Wily-bots, of course. Epic Man caught a glance of Chill Man as he entered the door of the warehouse. The menacing ice robot glared at Epic Man, who in turn tried to ignore him.

"It's just security..." Epic Man whispered to his brother. "Nothing to worry about..."

Hard Man, Nitro Man (in his normal form), and Elec Man were all gathered together in the midst of the empty building. Shadow Man departed from sight as soon as Epic Man was near the other robots. He wasn't gone, though. He waited in his usual, spooky way, ready to attack if Epic Man had any foolish notions. Epic Man, however, had only one foolish notion and that didn't involve fighting the robot masters. As the menacing Wily-bots surrounded him, Epic Man placed Algorhythm Man on the floor before them and got down on his knees.

"I...well, all of you should know me by now." Epic Man said, his voice wavering. "I came here today because...I ask for your help. My creator is arrested and I have no home or repairman to turn to. This is my brother. I beg of you, repair him. I shall pay for this favor with my service. I'll do anything you ask: steal, destroy...anything. Just...repair him."

Chill Man laughed out loud, his voice shrill. Hard Man thought it was funny too, and his deep voice boomed out like a stereo. Shadow Man was also amused, but the smiling glare of his eyes was a frightful thing, and if Epic Man had known about it he would be glad that he couldn't see the ninja-bot.

"Wow, he's come to cut us a deal." Nitro Man laughed. "A bargain with Wily robots. Haha!"

Epic Man didn't dare smile. Already his wish seemed to sour in his heart; it didn't look like anyone was interested in his proposal. However, that wasn't going to stop him from focusing on Elec Man. Epic Man knew that Elec Man was the real leader of the Wily numbers. It didn't matter what the others thought so long as Elec Man was pleased. The yellow-masked robot had a large smile on his face, but his teeth might as well have all been razor-sharp fangs. There was no way of telling whether or not Elec Man was considering his deal. The Team 1 robot approached, and he crouched down beside the kneeling Epic Man.

"You really want us to repair him, don't you?" Elec Man said. "Heh. I'll show you something. Get up."

Epic Man did, though his first action was to reach for his brother.

"Leave him. He's fine where he is."

The other robots' evil grins clearly indicated otherwise, but what was the Cain-bot to do? He simply followed behind Elec Man further on down the platform, not daring to look back in case someone was waiting for him to turn and see before doing something horrible to Algorhythm Man. Elec Man led him further down the empty left side of the warehouse to where the arched roof lowered. An enclosed automated machine could just barely be seen behind the metal beams. The Wily robot didn't pay it any mind, and he went past it without remark. Epic Man glanced at it, but could see no one inside.

Elec Man stopped at a computer wall panel just behind the automated machine, and pushed a green button. A grey plastic panel retracted to reveal a keyboard, and Elec Man typed in several things.

"How much do you know about Zero, Epic Man?" the sound of the typing was almost melodic as it went on with his voice. "How far did Dr. Cain get hacking into him?"

"Not far at all." Epic Man tempted fate and looked back at the other robots, inwardly cursing the very thought of them hurting his brother. "If Crystal Bot got anywhere then I saw nothing of it."

"Heh. He was designed that way. Come here, let me show you some specs." Elec Man moved aside, gesturing for the Cain-bot to come forward. "Look."

Epic Man's first glance was a suspicious glare in Elec Man's direction, but he was curious. He neared the computer monitor, at first not really understanding what was before him. Then all of a sudden it clicked: those numbers weren't for the wrong specs. They were the true energy capabilities of Dr. Wily's most powerful creation.

"That's...this is all wrong!" Epic Man cried out in terror. "No! The numbers don't go this high! It's simply not possible! You're making this up!"

The Cain-bot snapped around to Elec Man, who only folded his arms with a dashing smile. He let the grimacing and furious Cain-bot fume for a moment. Elec Man was as confident as if he himself had built Zero. He leaned forward into Epic Man's face, speaking in a quiet, almost peaceful voice.

"Why would I bother doing that?" Elec Man said. "Why am I worried about impressing you? Think about it a moment. If I have a robot this powerful at my disposal, what do I need you for?"

It sank in. Epic Man glanced at Elec Man only once, seeing there an immense disdain. It was as if Wily himself was in Elec Man's gaze, exploding with screaming laughter. There was no need for any more mockery. Epic Man knew his answer. If only there was someone else to help Algorhythm!

"Nothing...you don't need me at all..."

Elec Man smacked him upside his head, snickering. "No, you idiot, I need you to help me get Zero out of government hands. Duh."

"Stop that!" Epic Man tried to stop growling. "Wait, what?"

"I accept your deal." Elec Man said. "I'll repair you and Al in exchange for your service. Heh, we were actually going to find you anyway. Didn't know you'd be bringing little bro along. That's even better. Wily had plans for you two, they just have to be adjusted a little for the circumstances. You guys get upgraded, and then it's your job to help us get him. As soon as we have him, you're free to go do as you wish."

"You mean, Wily was thinking about me?" Epic Man couldn't help but be elated. "This is too wonderful! But...I never expected..."

"Of course not." Elec Man started typing more at the computer. "Here we go. These are the stats for you and Algorhythm Man right here."

Epic Man took a good look, shaking his head. "I'd be more impressed if I hadn't seen Zero's first."

"Exactly."

Elec Man cheerfully shoved Epic Man to the side and went to the automated machine. With the push of the right buttons, the hydraulics came to life and pushed the huge lid up. Inside was nothing more than a small, one person (robot) sized metal bench. Elec Man downloaded the preprogrammed settings into the automated machine, then swept his arms like a butler showing his master into his mansion.

"In you go!" he announced. "You're first, then Algorhythm Man."

Epic Man hesitated. "So how do I know you're going to let us go free once you have Zero?"

"Why not?" Elec Man shrugged. "It's not as if we'll need you once Zero is operational. Besides, at worst you'll be working for Wily. I thought you liked him."

"Better than other humans." Epic Man sucked in a breath as he stared into the dark abyss that was the automated machine. "Though I really must remind myself that he too is just a human..."

Epic Man went inside and sat on the bench. It wasn't as if he had any better options. As the heavy door sank down and clicked into place, Epic Man began to wonder why he wasn't happy. Here he sat recieving upgrades from the greatest mind in robotics still alive. All the same, something seemed wrong. Something inside Epic Man was afraid; it objected to his actions with a stubborn persistence.

Dratted Cain programming! I just know it's interfering! Epic Man seethed in the dark. I'll show that Cain! He'll regret what he's done to me! Humans? Bah! A world without robots? A world without humans sounds much better!

He shut down. The robotic arms were beginning to uncoil themselves from the walls of the automated machine, and he had to be ready.

\\\\\\\\\\

Author's notes:

- Sad chapter, huh? I'm sure Proto Lawrence, I mean RedAxl, will like it. :D I don't have too much to say about this one. Sad, sad stuff. Though feel free to review and stroke my outrageously large ego.

Character profiles!

=====Tessa Copenhagen Brown

"I'll bake some muffins for you, dear."

Good point: strong in spirit

Bad point: unambitious

Likes: her family

Dislikes: dead rats

Tessa has lived in California most of her life. She was born in a small town fairly close to the beach. Her mother worked as a secretary part time for the filing company that her father ran. While her mother was a very loving person, one of those magical people that can juggle work and being a mother at the same time, her father was a distant fellow. Throughout most of her teen years Tessa felt very distant from him, and she never really understood why this was. Tessa used to have pet rats, but unfortunately they died from disease while she was at summer camp. Her older sister Teresa decided to play a prank on her, and left them in Tessa's bed to discover when she got home. Much mayhem followed, especially when their mother found out. The room smelled heavily of disinfectant for decades to come.

Tessa likes simpler things. She idealized her mother very much, and enjoys baking and taking care of people. During high school she met Richard Copenhagen, the love of her life. Things started off pretty slow their sophmore year, as Richard didn't really know what he wanted to do with himself. He ended up following in his father's footsteps to become a cop, and as he started expressing this interest, Tessa was agreeable to it. Notedly, she didn't quite understand the danger of it, but her town wasn't known for its high crime rate anyway.

Once he had his career settled, Richard felt more comfortable dating. Tessa went through college as Richard got started on his career, and they were married. They moved to Monstropolis when Leila was two, and Richard gained his job watching over Light Laboratories. After a miscarriage, Tessa decided she was going to get a job as a typist so that she could get out of the house, and her mother consented to watch over baby Leila while she was at work.

With a pay raise from his work and movement over to the Gamma project, Richard finally felt like the family was getting somewhere. Just after his daughter's eighth birthday, he put down the down payment on the house they currently live in. It wasn't long before Wily finally started his scheme to steal Gamma. Richard's death almost destroyed the family. Tessa came down with depression, and Leila, very close to her father, started exhibiting violent behavior to the point where Grandma had a hard time watching her. Proto Man showed up with the money to save the house, plus some extra for the family to live on.

Since then, Tessa has done everything she can to keep her family afloat. She hated being a single mother. During that time she met Roger Brown, himself a widower for a year. Ten years older than her, Roger already had his family, three boys, two of which were grown and the third almost so. He asked her out as a rebound from his loss, and he ended up confessing this on the first date. Surprisingly, Tessa was okay with that. Six months later, they ran off to Vegas and got married.

Tessa didn't tell Mega Man this, but it was Proto Man that actually convinced her to get remarried. He had to tell her not to punish herself for something that wasn't her fault; she didn't have to be alone forever. But in any case, Tessa and Roger get along very well, and Roger ended up giving his larger home to his eldest son and moving in with Tessa after their marriage. Since then, they've had as good a marriage as they can, and they love each other very much. Roger has since gotten on Leila's good side. Tessa and Roger have no children together, and they're fine with that.

=====Elec Man

"Feel the power of my Thunder Beam!"

Good point: Responsibility

Bad point: Twisted

Likes: Guitar

Dislikes: Rubber products

Elec Man. This guy is so many people's favorite character. Not so much for me, but he is pretty cool. I like how he wears a mask even though he doesn't need it. As a kid I was for some reason under the impression that he had long hair. Don't ask me why.

Elec Man is the leader of the Wily robots, despite the fact that Dr. Light had more to do with building him than Dr. Wily. Elec Man is very intelligent, and even the smarter robot masters like Sword Man and Shadow Man knew to follow him without question, as Elec Man was very good at interpreting what Dr. Wily wanted.

Before his change into a bad guy, Elec Man was Mega Man's best friend. They did a lot together, including playing soccer and working on Dr. Light's experiments. Elec Man was responsible for powering the lab, and he liked his job. Originally Dr. Light planned on creating a line of Elec Man-ish mechaniloids that would power Monstropolis, but these were taken over by Dr. Wily before their completion and turned into lightning traps or (the orb baddies) that flit around Elec Man's hideout tower.

Nothing remained of Elec Man's friendly personality when he was reprogrammed. He sought to please Wily in any way he could, and very often let his position of favor get to his head. Most of the time Elec Man avoided the robot museum, but at the end of MM6 he and much of Team 1 were captured and put into the robot museum. When Wily broke them out in MM7, Elec Man never returned to it, spending the rest of his life aggravating society. During the events of Okkusenman he was almost entirely destroyed when Bass betrayed Dr. Wily, but luckily for him Signal Man was very good at repairing robots. Like several other robots, Elec Man ended up stranded at Cain's secret base when Dr. Cain's first plans failed. Elec Man relishes the chance to get back at the good guys, but he still thinks Dr. Cain is an idiot.