Proto Man's teleported in. He materialized in the middle of the city, about two blocks down from the REA Headquarters in Sacremento. Proto Man didn't run away, surprising himself almost as much as Bass when the latter's teleport beam landed. The red and grey robot just stared up at the sky, not noticing as impatient, Californian passerby dodged around him.
"Try not to block the whole sidewalk." Bass scoffed. "Why are we out here instead of at the REA building?"
"It's my funeral, Bass." Proto Man said, still calmly looking out at the darkening sky. "I'm not in a hurry."
All the same, Blues didn't particularly feel like irking Bass. He'd been avoiding this for far longer than anyone expected, and it was high time to get it over with. Proto Man peered over his shoulder to see that Bass' grumpy expression agreed with his thoughts.
Proto Man stifled a sigh. "Let's get going."
Blues hoped Bass didn't expect him to go with a fast pace, but as irritated as Bass was, he didn't hurry Proto Man along. Proto Man hadn't seen the fight between him and Zero, but he guessed that Bass had dark thoughts of his own. It was bad enough that Bass was defeated, and now he was wandering around Sacramento with dented armor and no helmet. Proto Man, however, was grumpy himself, and he let all thought of the dark robot behind him drop out of his mind. As impossible as it was, he tried to enjoy Sacramento. It was a busy evening as ever, despite the fact that every cafe or bar they passed was full of people staring at the huge TVs blaring out the lastest news of Monstropolis.
He didn't bother looking. He wasn't interested in watching Zero tear something else up. Part of Proto Man wondered if there was some intelligent way to defeat Zero - some way that didn't involve being ridiculously powerful. Proto Man had seen Zero at work, and though Blues was afraid of nothing he found himself shuddering. No, Blues himself was hopeless against Zero.
The sound of the news programs made it hard for Proto Man to put it out of his mind, but he was always well in control of himself. Besides, they were headed away from the TVs and their unhappy announcements into the deepest part of downtown Sacramento, where the skyscrapers held multifarious businesses up in the air. The foot traffic tapered off here, and Proto Man and Bass were able to freely walk without dodging robots or wayward humans looking for clubs. Other than the occasional smoker or two lingering outside of a building, there didn't seem to be many humans at all. It was long past six, so they had all probably either gone home from work or settled into their office for the night to get something extra done. Proto Man found himself wishing it was daytime. It would be nice to see the city alive and operating normally, with the fresh grocer's open and the children at play in the parks.
That's right...it's the school year still and the farmer's market is at least five blocks from here. the loner robot mused. Hm.
As much as he just wanted to absorb the pleasant surroundings and enjoy his last moments of being a free robot (as free as he could be with a cranky robot behind him), the truth wasn't going to go away. This was the last walk of his life. In a few minutes, he would be at the REA building and in police custody. That was the lucky part of being a robot. He didn't have to be activated to receive his sentence. They would simply shut him down, then wipe out his memory for good. Either it would be deletion, or else just a memory dump and a new start.
Proto Man thought he might prefer all out deletion. As nice it would be to live, and as much as Mega Man would like that, Blues wasn't happy about the whole idea of starting over. After all, it was because of his original naiivety and foolishness that his life had gone so wrong. It would feel weird to go back to Light Laboratories as a completely blank robot, though he guessed that since he didn't have his memories he wouldn't feel so strange about it then. Of course, his siblings would have to lie to him about his past, and if he ever saw Leila again, he might attempt to talk to her and try to ask why seeing him made her so upset.
He didn't want to think about Leila, and he forced her out of his mind. It was no good. All he wanted was to get in a decent apology, but that wasn't going to happen. And of course, she wasn't the only victim of his activities. How many times had he spied for Wily? Brought Wily the information he needed to attack the world where it was the most vulnerable? In fact, rescuing Kalinka hadn't been heroism on his part at all, no matter how much Rock tried to tell him it was afterward. At the start of that scheme, Proto Man himself had infiltrated Cassock's lab and installed a virus on Pharoah Man. He wasn't the one that kidnapped Kalinka, but he was a definite accessory. He never felt the need to confess this to Dr. Cassock. It wasn't as if he murdered Dr. Cossack and then was friends with an unknowing Kalinka.
Proto Man gritted his teeth. I'm not going to think about her...I'm not going to think about her...
It didn't work. While Leila's face faded from his mental view, the hurt didn't go away. It felt strange. The emotion running around in his head left Proto Man in a daze, allowing the sights and sounds around him to hypnotize him into being resolute. This was what was required of him now. It was time to be punished for his crimes, and...
That better not be who I think it is.
Proto Man couldn't resist a growl. It was true, unfortunately. It was indeed a tall, goateed man with black hair shot up with a couple of grey streaks in the sides and down his chin. This man was headed straight for the both of them, looking Proto Man right in the eye.
Blues' reaction hadn't gone unnoticed, and Bass stepped up. "So who's that guy?"
"Well, well, well." the approach of the human stopped Proto Man from answering - he was too busy being grumpy to talk in any case. "Looks like Bass over here finally caught you, kid. I did try to warn you."
Proto Man groaned audibly. His aggravation came out in the form of a hasty introduction, every word tinged by his sheer loathing for those surrounding him.
"Bass, meet Senator Harry Briggs." Proto Man's voice oozed out of him.
"Don't sound so cheerful." Briggs winked at Blues. "Anyways, nice to meet you for once."
Even Brigg's jolly mood tempered a bit. The gloom both robots exuded made his usual cheer impossible, and he wasn't exactly in his happiest mood either. Bass himself had gotten a little darker; though he shook the hand offered to him, he wasn't sure he liked this person.
"So this is the guy you wanted to tell Rock?" Bass eyed his captive. "Why?"
"He's one of the earliest agents of the REA, and knew me in my youngest days." It was easy to see that Proto Man was glaring at Briggs even through his visor. "Though I'm not entirely sure why he's bothering to show himself now."
"The REA tracked your teleport code." Briggs answered, sticking his rather too big hands casually in his pockets. "They decided to send me."
"Not armed guards?" Bass asked with contempt. "One human's enough to deal with this 'dangerous' threat?"
"Guards he'd escape from." Briggs managed a half grin at the loner robot. "Blues here'd never shoot his Uncle Harry."
Bass bit his lip, almost snorting at that nickname. Proto Man's shoulders tensed tightly, his mental power barely keeping his emotions under control. Even the not so perceptive Bass could guess exactly what kind of person Briggs was, and exactly how Proto Man felt about him. That someone would instantly assume relation...well, Bass found it only funny. He couldn't help giving Blues an ugly grin.
"Shut up, Bass." Proto Man growled at the Senator next. "Harry, if you've got any decency at all you'll leave right now. I'm not in the mood for your nonsense. Bass here won't let me escape. He'd shoot me first. Isn't that right?"
"Hell yes."
"See?" Proto Man darkened even further; Bass didn't have to be that enthusiastic. "There you go. Now leave me alone."
Harry shook his head, coming alongside Proto Man. "Not going to happen, kid. I've got my orders. Come on, they're waiting."
Proto Man wanted to protest, but he found himself pushed from behind by a black and gold buster. He turned his head to the right barely enough to see Bass, the minimal amusement now gone from the latter's face. Forte was not a patient robot. With a heavy sigh, Proto Man began walking again. Though Bass was polite enough to walk behind him, Harry's firm pace insisted that he would not be leave the loner robot to his bleak and futile thoughts.
"I wanted to talk to you before they deleted you." Harry said. "Look, you shouldn't have confessed. I've been in the Senate supporting you for almost as long as you've been around, and if you hadn't said anything I could have gotten you a full pardon. I was unbelievably close, too, then you go and screw it up. I've always liked you, kid. You're better than this."
Proto Man was only mildly tempted to answer. He kept both his gaze and his ugly frown both focused on the pavement. Why did this man have to bother him? How could he possibly believe that it was okay to let Leila go on being a blissful fan, unaware of what Blues had done? Telling her was cruel, but not telling was crueler. It didn't matter anymore anyway. This was Blues' decision, and beyond all debate he had made his choice. If Harry had a problem with it, too bad.
Of course, Briggs was not a man of subtlety. Simply being silent didn't make the man follow suit. In fact, it produced the opposite effect. Proto Man braced himself, readying his wobbly emotional cortex for the onslaught of the amazing Man-That-Would-Never-Shut-Up. Fitting to expectations, Briggs spoke again. What threw Proto Man off was his tone. For once Briggs abandoned his insistence for calm and sympathy. The man fidgeted uncomfortably, but continued nonetheless.
"Look, Blues," Briggs stiffened his jaw a moment. "I feel like some of this might be my fault. Back when you were built, I wasn't exactly the best guy in the world. I was...patronizing. I treated you like a child-"
"I was a child." Proto Man snapped. "I thought that because I was a robot I could escape that fact. I did need supervision, and I was dangerous. All the power of a soldier under the sway of the understanding of a simple child. It's my fault that I couldn't understand that, and everything I've done is my fault too. Now just leave me alone! I'm tired of your antics, so you can stop!"
Proto Man's head bobbed back down again. Briggs was only somber as he looked down at his robot friend. He placed a hand on Proto Man's shoulder, stopping him. Proto Man barely moved his chin upwards, not entirely certain why he bothered looking up at the persistant human.
"You first."
With that, Harry let go. Blues shuffled forward again, going a little faster as they passed under the brightly lit entrance to a convenience store and the attendant that was sure to be staring at him. Proto Man gave a heavy sigh, wishing he was strong enough to avoid adopting the same, guarded persona he always did around Briggs.
Harry's that sort of person that notices things without anyone that thinking he does. Calming, Proto Man found it a little easier to walk on. I bet he sees right through me. Why am I even arguing with him? It won't do any good.
"Well..." Blues said, a little late for this to be a proper retort. "Soon enough I'll stop doing everything."
"A real shame." Briggs said. "Y'know, just because you do a few things wrong doesn't mean everyone has to hate you."
Proto Man's only response was a grunt. He wanted to look at the stars (as hard as that was with the lights of the city), not talk to anyone. He did feel a little relieved; somehow talking to Briggs was better than just having Bass around. Proto Man wasn't really sure why he had this preference. Briggs certainly wasn't "Uncle Harry", but as it was, it did feel like this human was the closest relative he had. Even Mega Man hadn't known him as well as the tall, aggravating senator.
It was completely dark by then, and Proto Man hadn't noticed the subtle change from evening into night. Some people liked to stare at nature scenes to create peaceful feelings, but Proto Man was in the mood for the glow of the streetlights and the hum of car engines. It was convenient he felt that way before his certain doom, as going out to visit the country certainly wasn't going to be an option. Blues found himself a bit jealous that he wasn't going to have a last meal. Food in itself wasn't appealing, but there was something nice about the tradition of it all. He wondered if criminal robots had any sort of similar tradition.
The rest of the walk passed by without Proto Man noticing. He dwelt in his own thoughts, almost enjoying the bitter tang of his imminent destruction. Somehow it had an artistic feel to it, to finally be giving up one's life and paying one's dues. It was right. It was from this sort of thinking that turning the corner immediately snatched him out of. All the "art" of it fled away in an instant.
There it was: REA headquarters for Sacramento, California, only one street-crossing away. The armed guards in their grey and green uniforms were waiting in front of the massive building, and they lifted their heads at the oncoming trio. Some of them even lifted their weapons, though their captain waved the guns down.
It didn't make a difference. Proto Man saw them and his immediate impulse was to teleport away before it was too late. Before he even knew what was going on, Blues activated his teleport initializers. They tugged and they tugged, but his proximity alert wouldn't let Proto Man disappear.
Why can't I escape?
Proto Man looked up to find that Bass had hold of his arm. The metal in his arm creaked for mercy, it was held so tight. The evil way Bass' blood red eyes threatened made it very clear that Proto Man wasn't going anywhere.
He let out a sigh. It was as much one of relief as of forfeit; Proto Man didn't want to be afraid anymore. This was what he deserved, and he had no right to object as Bass tugged him across the road, not for a second letting go of Proto Man's arm. Briggs went on ahead of them both, greeting a man who was apparently the highest ranking of the guards. Proto Man just let himself be ushered over without a word, grateful that robots didn't have to be read Miranda rights. Bass led him over to the REA men, and they latched Proto Man's arms into the robot handcuffs. It was the worst sound in the world as the two halves clicked together, but still Blues maintained his silence.
"I'm sorry, kid." Briggs put his arm on Blues' shoulder. "I'm really sorry."
"Not as sorry as I am." Proto Man said. "Watch out for my brother. Tell him...tell him..."
But Proto Man couldn't think of anything proper. His emotion threatened to burst him, but it found no outlet. Proto Man simply didn't have the language to explain what he felt. Somehow, however, as he looked up at Harry, he knew that his "uncle" did. Briggs was the amazing Man-Who-Would-Never-Shut-Up, as his kind face explained without saying. Of course he would have something adequate to tell Mega Man.
"I guess I'm ready." Proto Man told the guards around him. "Let's go."
"WHAT?" Bass practically screamed. "Roll went to go fight Zero? Is she crazy or something?"
But that was exactly Auto said into Bass' comm. Bass' eyes went automatically to Proto Man, whose mouth hung open at the news. Proto Man stared at Bass, the begging of his eyes made no less clear for being covered by his shades.
"Damn it!" Bass snapped. "GRRR! Alright, REA guys, don't hate me for this..."
With that, Bass snatched Proto Man out of the guards' grip, and with the help of the psycho pulse, he snapped off the handcuffs. Before anything could be done about it, both robots were gone.
"Well," Harry Briggs reached into coat pocket and pulled out his cigarettes. "I can't say I blame them. Anyone want a smoke?"
Nobody did. The guards began angrily making calls on their cell phones, telling their authorities and Bass' ethics officer exactly what was going on. They rushed around, ignoring the Senator as they each fearfully hoped that they weren't going to get in trouble. Briggs made a note to speak to Reyes. He'd make the ethics agent see things his way. Harry put a cigarette to his lips and fished out his lighter, grinning at the over-anxious REA people.
"You guys really need to chill out." Briggs said, though no one was listening. He grinned as he blew a puff of smoke into the night. "Stress'll take years off your life."
-t-
In that park - that battlefield - Mega Man teleported in, fearing the worst. He materialized in time to see that the worst had come true. Not only was his sister really and truly fighting the most vile creation of Dr. Albert Wily, Zero was now in control of the fight, and he made the most of it. His beam saber jammed clear through Roll's torso.
"NOOOOO!" Mega Man screamed. "ROLL!"
This scream immediately caught Zero's attention. He snapped his head directly toward Mega Man, grinning that his enemy finally had come. His saber was still embedded in Roll's chest, so Zero flicked it through her side, tearing the gap in her stomach even wider. The lifeless girl-bot collapsed to the ground. Zero forgot her instantly. Instead he dashed toward Mega Man, his saber out and ready to make blue metal mincemeat out of the bomber.
A direct attack wasn't going to work. Mega Man jumped over Zero, barely making it past the slashing saber. He turned and let loose a half-charged shot, which didn't seem to have too much affect on Zero. The blonde didn't even flinch as the hot plasma smacked him in the back. His eyes narrowed and he let out a growl, and thus began the hardest fight of Mega Man's life.
For once, Mega Man was thankful for his sordid history with Bass. Every fight with the dark robot in the enemy days was a fight for his life, and this one with Zero was just the same. Though it would have been more helpful if Bass had been a sword fighter. And Rock had no clue how to stop Zero from swinging his own shots back at him. Still, Mega Man was ready for every double jump and every dash. Fighting with Zero was not a joke, as the scorched grass and sliced up swingset proved. Thankfully they fought in the park, where all present humans had long scattered, and only the trees would suffer.
But of course Mega Man wasn't thinking about the trees, though he ducked through them to avoid Zero's buster.
This guy is tough! Mega Man grimaced, peeking out from the side of an oak. Maybe some of these Cain weapons will help. I've got the power bullet, the epic win, and oh, I've got the echelon - oh crap!
He'd waited too long. Zero slashed through the aged oak as if it were a yearling, and if Mega Man were two seconds slower, it would be the same fate for his head. Zero jumped over the falling log. Rock barely whipped out the power bullet just in time to shoot Zero clear in the face and knock him off his feet. As the red robot returned to his feet, only more dirty and angry for the attack, Mega Man charged up the power bullet and fired. The huge homing bullet that targeted Zero did no more than give Mega Man more time to run off. Even worse, the bullet didn't so much as hit Zero - he was ready this time. Rock was running for his life; he didn't look back to see Zero slash it to bits.
Not the power bullet! Mega Man turned dark blue and started charging the epic win. If this doesn't work...
His battle A.I. processed furiously. The data gave him options, and he chose the best. At this point Zero had given up stealth; he dashed behind Mega Man, smacking past lower branches and hopping over bushes without a flinch. Zero ran faster than Mega Man, and Mega Man knew it. With all his hope, Mega Man swung around a final time, flashing the blinding light of the epic win. He dove and rolled behind Zero as the power took effect, switching to his normal buster to damage Zero along the way.
Epic fail. Not only did the epic win do nothing noticable to Zero, but the plasma shots Mega Man fired hit the Z saber and hit Rock instead. Mega Man kept hold of his senses and jumped away, but couldn't completely dodge Zero's saber as it sliced his leg. Rock activated his ultra armor, but the damage was done. His right leg creaked dangerously, leaving him uncomfortably unstable.
Zero didn't let him get a breath. Mega Man's charged blasts couldn't be knocked back by the saber, but Zero rushed in, not for one moment letting him charge it. Mega Man wished Rush were there with his power adapter, but he had to settle for punching and kicking, all while trying to keep that awful sword from slicing him through.
In seconds, Zero ducked and turned. The flash of his saber followed him, surrounding him with an instantaneous disc of green. Again Mega Man was only barely fast enough - if getting away with only damage to his other leg counted as fast enough. In that moment, as the gleefully evil Zero rose and kicked him to the ground, he knew that he couldn't win-
Wait, his neck! The armor there is torn! Mega Man gasped. He's been fighting so long - he couldn't avoid getting damaged!
Too little, too late. In a minute, Zero's heavily armored foot landed slam on Rock's chest. Time passed so slow, Mega Man could count the milliseconds ticking down as Zero thrust down his saber. That is, until a teleport beam appeared behind Zero, and a black and gold robot had Zero clutched by the neck. That black and gold quickly turned to brick red as Bass activated the echelon heatshock, most powerful of the Cain weapons. Orange bolts of lightning set Zero's circuit's sizzling.
"Aaaugh!"
"Rock, run you idiot!" Bass snarled. "I've got him!"
That was a lie. Even in the midst of the attack, Zero grabbed Bass by his pale blonde hair and pulled him off his back. Black bullets saved Bass from anything worse. No sooner than he hit the ground and the long range attack of the sight cannon hit Zero right on the back. Mega Man recognised the weapon at once, and he knew who had taken it from Sight Man.
" - Proto Man! - " Mega Man thought he would cry with joy. " - Aim for Zero's neck! He's weak there! - "
That darned saber! Zero swung the black bullets back where they came from. It was a little hard, to say the least, for Proto Man to hit any part of Zero at that point. The distraction gave Bass enough time to snatch up Mega Man and dash across the park to the playground. Bass plunked Mega Man down and they both ducked as well as they could behind a plastic panda next to the playground.
"He can't deflect my fully charged shot." Mega Man gasped, clutching his power core. "If I can get the time to charge it..."
"Say no more." Bass looked out past the panda's ear and winced. "He's coming this way. Charge already."
Mega Man then realized how damaged he was. Zero had kicked the exact wrong part of his circuits, and the part that dictated his charging couldn't do much more than flash as he struggled. For his efforts, he was rewarded with falling over.
"That stupid Proto Man!" Bass snarled, keeping an eye out on Zero. "He's not distracting the guy enough! Come on!"
Before he knew it, Bass snatched Mega Man up, holding him by the waist. He jumped out from behind the panda, firing his own plasma at his "brother". Zero was instantly frustrated; with only one sword, he could only block one of his enemies at a time. Zero was smart, though. He knew who the real enemy was. He ran towards Bass and Mega Man, dodging the sight cannon and sending the Bass buster pellets careening away - not all of them were fast enough to get past the Z saber.
"Hurry up, Rock!"
"I...I'm trying!"
Mega Man grit his teeth, forcing himself to pulse with power. His power core burned twice as hot as it struggled against the inadequate circuitry. Screaming warnings alerted in Mega's mind, shouting that he was overheating. Mega Man ignored it. Overheating was nothing compared to the furious robot bearing down on them.
Proto Man's teleport landed in front of them, stopping the wave of Bass' deflected hits from meeting their mark. Not wasting time with a Cain power, Proto Man fired his normal buster into the fray, hoping it would hassle Zero long enough.
"I scanned him, Rock." Proto Man called back without looking. "One shot should do it!"
Mega Man summoned all his strength, diverting all his power to his weapon. Finally, the hum and glow of his aura signalled that the charged shot was ready - not a moment too soon. As he lifted his arm to aim, silently demanding his targetting systems keep the enemy in focus, Zero's saber slammed into Proto Man's shield. Again it hit, putting another deep dent even in the mettool grade protoshield, and seconds later Zero shoved it aside, ready to slice Proto Man in half.
"ZERO!" Mega Man screamed.
His Mega buster exploded with light and plasma, sending both hurtling towards the pony-tailed robot. The pellet smacked into Zero, instantly blinding everyone in a massive explosion. Sensors scrambled, hearing faded, and the sheer force of the explosion sent all three hero-bots flying. Even as the brightness subsided, dirt and metal still flew in all directions, confusing everything and leaving it in a cloud of dusty brown.
Bass was the first to recover. Once the cloud of dirt cleared out, he found himself lying at the base of a merry-go-round, having crashed flat on his back right onto it. He broke clean through the metal; it wasn't going to spin any time soon. The jagged, torn edges of it impaled both Bass and the dirt below him. He coughed out some dirt, wishing he'd had his armor up to par before teleporting in. It was then he saw the bottow of Rock's foot. It was higher up on the other side of the now tilted merry-go-round, hanging limp on the edge down at him.
"Hey Rock, Rock." Bass kicked at it. "You're not dead, are you?"
"Blues!" Mega Man suddenly called away, out of sight far to Bass' left. "Bass! Are you both alright?"
Bass blinked, a little stunned. "Um, yeah! Hey Rock, I found your leg!"
"Oh...good! Let me know if you see the other one! Blues, Blues! Where are you?"
"I'm...here..." Blues' voice cracked, and he spoke with the heavings of an old man. He was likewise out of sight, but this time some yards behind. "I think...I think...I could use...some upgrades..."
"Did we get him?" Bass started prying himself from the wrecked plaything. It wasn't an easy task, and his efforts scratched some of the paint from his armor. "Ugh...please tell me he's dead."
"Well, he's not attacking us." Mega Man wearily answered. "That's something."
"Lucky us."
Mega Man lay under a half torn swing, the shredded rubber seating scattered around him. Mega Man looked down as his missing legs and sighed with relief. They were gone below the thigh, but he'd suffered worse over the years. He could even drag himself into a sitting position. Mega Man sighed with relief. If Zero was alive, nothing would be left of them. That was for sure.
The sound of a teleport got everyone's attention. Mega Man turned over to the edge of the play area, right outside the ridge of the wooden partition, where Crystal Bot stood. She paid no attention to him, and not even her boss. Instead the girl-bot stood over a headless Zero, who lay limp in the grassy field. Carbon scoring blackened much of Zero's red armor, and Crystal poked at him uncertainly with her foot as she examined him.
"Hey Crystal," Mega Man called out. "What's the damage?"
"Not that much." Crystal Bot lifted Zero's head by the ponytail, causing Mega Man to shudder. "What you did was destroy a weak binding between his head and neck. That's all."
"What caused that explosion then?"
"Fortenium leak." she answered, putting down the head. "I'm pretty sure, anyway. The system Zero has in place kept the leak from being serious by closing it up the instant internal pressure was lost. His systems look really efficient. Heh, any technician worth their salt could fix this guy up in ten minutes. Hmm..."
With that, Crystal Bot began to rummage around. She flipped Zero's body over, then pulled out her screwdriver and started fussing with his neck.
"What are you doing?" Mega Man gasped. "Stop!"
"Huh? Stop what? I'm pulling off his neck binding structure." True to her word, a scornful Crystal Bot pulled the metal support ring up for Mega Man to see, then smashed it in her hands. "Aigoo, Rock, I'm just trying to make sure no one can fix him."
"Oh, I'm sorry...I just thought the virus might act up again."
"The virus was quarantined, Rock." Crystal rolled her eyes. "Anyway, he's out of commission for now. I'll let the REA deal with the body. You're not too badly damaged, are you?"
"Well, it's mainly just the legs," he explained, starting to scoot himself out from under the swingset. "But I have a feeling when my damage report is complete I'm going to have a lot more to complain about."
By this time, Bass was up on his legs, a little unsteady but well enough to walk over and inspect the damage to Zero. In fact, he seemed hardly the worse for wear. Definitely more scratched up from the impact with the merry-go-round, but that was more or less superficial. Crystal grinned at him.
"And of course my Forte-kun is fine."
"Yeah, I feel pretty good." Bass ran a quick scan of his systems. "Not too bad for that fight. Hell, you weren't kidding about Zero. He looks like he could just get up and fight without his head."
As if suspicious that this was going to happen, Bass pulled the Z saber out of Zero's hand - which even then firmly clasped it. Crystal Bot no longer paid much attention to her boss. She let him play around with the saber without objection, though she did giggle to see him swing it - it was too large for him. However, it was now too late to ignore the one that troubled her the most. She had to help him. Crystal Bot leaned over Proto Man, most of whose pieces lay next to the teeter-totter. Crystal kicked a lost arm closer to the rest of his beaten and battered body. The blast had impacted against him the most, and the loss of several systems alerted him that his circuits were loose.
"Hey Proto-kun." she said quietly. "You're not too badly damaged. I think I can put you back together."
Blues was tempted to say nothing, but the poor girl-bot looked so pitiful. "That...might not...be necessary..."
Crystal Bot's eyebrows pinched together in confusion. "What do you mean? I'm not going to leave you like this!"
Apparently she was. Proto Man slowly lifted a finger, barely able to raise his hand high enough to point past the girl-bot. There, rapidly approaching the group, were two cop-bots. They went at a fast pace, and one of them carried a stretcher over his shoulder, the metal grid large enough to hold a human-sized machine. Crystal's hands went up to her mouth, but there was nothing she could do to stop the cop-bots from laying the stretcher down and placing Proto Man's wrecked body on it. Crystal could only gather any smaller pieces of the loner-bot and place them beside him. One of the cop-bots flipped a switch on their stretcher, and it hummed with magnetic energy as it held Proto Man and prevented his parts from scattering.
Mega Man started getting frantic. His arms were locking up, and he couldn't scoot all the way. The fighting with Zero waited until that moment to show itself - his power core was burning weird, and his abdominal joints were all banged up. He cried weakly for his brother.
"Blues...Blues!"
The cop-bots looked at each other, but they needed no urging. Mega Man was the hero of Monstropolis. They could delay their trip to the police station a minute. Proto Man felt his heart sink. He couldn't face his brother again, but the cop-bots were already on their way. They lowered the stretcher down, and Mega Man reached out his hand to his brother. Proto Man hesitated, his shame still too much. All the same, he reached out for his brother, and clasped Mega Man's hand for the last time.
"I...I'm sorry..." Proto Man managed. It was more than just CPU errors that restrained Proto Man's voice. "I'm...so sorry..."
Mega Man said nothing. He tried to smile, but it was so hard to when this was his last chance to see his older brother. All he could do was clasp Proto Man's hand tighter, and Proto Man understood. There was nothing more that needed to be said.
"We've got to go." One of the cop-bots said uncomfortably.
The brothers let go, and off went the world's oldest robot. Mega Man stared out into the distance as the robots bearing Proto Man disappeared into an armored truck, though Proto Man did not look back. Mega Man didn't stop staring even after the truck drove away, and his heart with it. He started to glitch painfully, his emotion distorting the already uncertain workings of his mind. He didn't care. His brother was gone.
"Forte!" Crystal Bot shrieked.
Mega Man snapped around to see Bass collapse to his knees. Crystal Bot ran up to him, her scanners working as hard as they could to figure out what was wrong with him. She gasped, biting her lip as she directed him to lay on the ground.
"Ew, ew, ew..." the girl-bot immediately started removing the aluminoid skin layer of Bass' neck. " - Police, maintain human quarantine on Monstropolis Main Park. Do not allow humans this way. - "
"Ugh..." Bass groaned. Her transmission wasn't encoded so he heard everything. "What's wrong? Zero barely touched me."
"Hush you." Crystal Bot's shaky voice was only marginally comforting, and that little comfort was ruined by the frantic way she worked on his innards. "The shockwave of the explosion had a little bit too much affect on you...nothing to fear, nothing to fear..."
Bass was in too much of a fog, but Mega Man was alert. He saw the fear in her eyes as the poor tech-bot scrambled to fix something. Mega Man tried to force himself to scoot closer, but his arms wouldn't take him there. After a little bit, Crystal Bot seemed to relax slightly.
"What's wrong with me?" Bass croaked. "I feel...weak..."
A growl came out as he forced out the last word, but Crystal Bot immediately shook her head, and her voice took on a soothing quality. "No, no, Forte-kun. It's alright. You're going to be just fine. Relax. I'm going to shut you down now, and when you wake up, everything will be fine."
"Um...okay..."
Crystal gently reached over to his neck and powered him down. Glitching softly, she reached up and shut his still open eyes, then sat there staring into space. Mega Man saw this motion and winced.
"Crystal? Why did you shut his eyes like that? It looks like what someone would do if a person...died."
Crystal Bot turned to him, her face so crumpled in sadness that not even tears could have made it look more depressing. Her glitches grew stronger, and she shook. It took her a minute to finally speak.
"Fortenium, when it's contained, has an estimated potential half-life of more than 400,000 years. Exposed bassnium has a half-life of two minutes." Crystal Bot sobbed. "He's been leaking for five minutes, and I don't know how to make more..."
She was done. Crystal Bot crumpled up and wept into Bass' shoulder, shaking as the powerful emotional glitches took over. Mega Man paled, beginning to feel sick. It was bad enough he had to lose Proto Man. Losing another companion was just too much. He slumped on the ground, not having the heart to do anything but lay there and listen as Crystal Bot cried her heart out.
\\\\\\\\
Author's Notes:
- I dedicate this chapter to Proto Lawrence - I mean RedAxl - because Proto Man is blown apart and headed for deletion. Merry late Christmas, Proto fan!
- I personally figure that Zero's main weakness is Soul Body from MMX4 and X5, as that worked on him if you fought as X during the first X5 Sigma stage. He at least complained about it in the dialogue after the fight (as did X, for that matter).
- Don't worry about radiation poisoning. Auto already alerted authorities about possible radiation from Zero when he was defeated, and that's why robots showed up to get Proto Man rather than humans. Also, like she said, bassnium has a very short half-life. It's not going to be in the air for long. If you do the math, Bass' leakage results in his being at 18.75% his normal power capacity. Yikes.
- For the record, it was Shade Man who kidnapped Kalinka, and that's why Shade Man was captured and able to work for a haunted house before the events of MM7.
Character profiles!
=====Layer
"Ready to go, Zero?"
Good point: Loyal
Bad point: Too inward
Likes: Being accepted
Dislikes: Loud people
Layer is sort of a shy robot. It's mostly due to her past. Originally, Layer was built to be a criminal hacker robot. With the advent of the Maverick virus, a lot of people during the X series forgot that regular crime causes problems too. A gang of crime lords built Layer, and she did things like hacking into bank records and steal expensive jewelry. Eventually, however, Layer was caught. Ironically enough, it was Zero that caught her. It was one of Zero's first acts after the X6 incident, and Layer spent the events of X7 being reprogrammed. Only one of the crime lords responsible for her construction was ever caught, mainly because the others were able to deny their involvement and get away with it. The captured one was trying to use Layer to steal money from a football team and didn't plan on sharing it, making it a lot easier for the record tracking to narrow down suspects.
In any case, Layer then became the property of Maverick Hunters, as she had no lawful creator to return to and they wanted her debt to society paid out somehow. Thus she was reprogrammed into a good robot. Her personality changed significantly, and most of her unlawful personality aspects were whittled away. Like most captured robots, Layer turned out to be a moderately quiet individual and not entirely certain of herself.
Because, in the alternate timeline, Zero was also a criminal robot reprogrammed for good, he volunteered to let her be his navigator. He figured he would be nice and allow her to find a place in society with her job. Layer was grateful, and proud to work for him during the X8 incident. She developed a crush on him, though has never had the courage to actually go and tell him. She's read his records, and she knows about Iris. She's afraid that speaking to him will cause his painful memories to rise to the surface, and she doesn't want to hurt him. She's also afraid it will drive him away.
Most of the time, Layer enjoys talking to Pallette. They hang out more often with each other than either of them do with Alia, though she is included in their trio. Pallette knows how Layer feels (Layer very much regrets telling her) and teases her about it all the time. Alia also knows, but she handles it more maturely. Layer considers Alia something of a role model, and aspires to be as successful as Alia in her job at Maverick Hunters.
=====Pallette
"Hey, guys! I've got everything ready for you!"
Good point: Peppy
Bad point: Annoying
Likes: Friends
Dislikes: Disorganized people
Unlike Layer or Alia, Pallette was actually designed to work for the Maverick Hunters. She was completely a little before X7, and spent a while training for her position as a navigator. Pallette early on showed proficiency in using item tracking software, so she is always on the lookout for rare minerals and anything that is of use to the Hunters. Pallette loves her job, and basically lives for it. However, she also likes to relax and have fun, so she's always moving at the same constant speed, whether on work or off. In her free time she likes to shop, watch movies, play games (she frequently plays video games with X), and just anything that involves more than one person. Pallette has attempted to learn to draw, though she only has the patience to sit still and do a couple of sketches before needing to run around and do something else.
Pallette from the get go was designed to be Axl's navigator. Signas gave the order to an engineer to build a navigator for him, but didn't specify too much what he wanted the navigator's personality to be. "Let it match Axl's personality", Signas said. The engineer took this a little too literally, producing someone that's just as excited about navigation as Axl is about shooting stuff. The engineer hoped rather naiively that Axl and Pallette would become a couple, only there were two problems: The robots were too similar in personality to need each other, and Axl's generally too immature for that sort of thing anyway. He likes his career, and Pallette likes hers.
Their relationship is nothing more than friendly. Pallette knows what the engineer intended, but she only laughs at the notion. Still, the two are good friends, when Axl isn't annoying her. Axl is number one on her list of disorganized people. He frequently makes a mess of her workstation, throwing armor and such down on the floor after each mission without thinking about who's going to clean it up. They still manage to get along, and Axl frequently comes in on his days off to help her search for treasure when she thinks she's found something. Occasionally he'll try to convince Zero or X to go, but they generally prefer to do non-Hunter related activities in their free time.
Pallette is good at her job, but sometimes she wonders if she could ever be good at other things. She very much likes fashion, and she and her friends often critique models in magazines. Pallette has never quite forgiven her creator for giving her metal slats instead of hair, no matter how much the design elevates her navigational scanners.