Napalm Man entered the little A.I. lab. The privacy wasn't strictly necessary, but all the same, Mega Man had granted Napalm Man the temporary use of the side lab. The wall to the left didn't glitter as usual - the computer and the various machines built into the wall were all off-line. There wasn't any need for them, at the time being. Likewise, the storage cabinets to the right, while they held useful materials, held nothing of interest to Napalm Man. In fact, to him, the only thing in that room earning its cost was the repair table, which bore a large, green robot. Usually any given repair table would be lain flat or perhaps tilted upwards at a forty-five degree angle, but this one was set all the way up at its highest setting - completely vertical. It held up its bulky burden by use of magnetic "massive clamps": three adjustible rods on each side of the upright table and a platform like a speaker's soap box underneath the robot's feet.

"Alright, Commando Man. I hope you're feeling reasonable today."

The words rung with a hollow disbelief. It was with a heavy sigh and shrugging shoulders that he reached out for Commando Man's neck and activated him. The purple robot stepped politely back, and after a moment, Commando Man blinked and sat up. The Team 10 robot gathered his surroundings with a dark, penetrating glance, which only got all the more dark when his eyes rested on Napalm. Still, Commando Man was mannerable. He made no attempt to break free of the massive clamps - he knew how strong they were.

"So," Commando Man spoke up casually. "What is this place?"

It was said (and it was fact) that Napalm Man wasn't the brightest of all robot masters. However, even he recognised that this was a very bad question to answer. Commando Man was still dangerous, and he wasn't likely to take it too well that he was smack dab in the middle of Light Laboratories.

"It's...a place." Napalm Man finally answered. "Um, just so you know, you've been deactivated for over a month."

"I know." Commando Man huffed. "My chronometer activated when you inserted those memories."

"So you saw them!" Napalm Man immediately straightened, trying to keep his excitement at least a little contained. "You know that Dr. Wily is dead. You saw the memories of what Zero did to Shadow Man, Elec Man, and the rest. They all died so horribly, and Wily had to have been the one to program Zero to do it. Dr. Cain never got the chance, and of course Elec Man wasn't going to program Zero to kill us all. That's what Wily intended. He wanted us to die."

"I know that. Don't speak as if you know no better." Commando Man muttered. He glanced away from Napalm Man for a quick moment, returning with an argument. "Perhaps it is because of your age that you don't understand. Dr. Wily never liked any of us."

"That's not true!" Napalm Man gasped. "He was so fond of Guts Man, and Shadow Man was always a favorite of his."

"Oh, will you be quiet?" Commando Man growled. "I listened to your nonsense, so have the decency to hear what I have to say. Now, he did like those robots, but only at first. You're Team 5, his collection of failures, so I can't quite call you spoiled, but all the other early robots were. Dr. Wily did care about them because he believed that they would accomplish his purposes. As soon as they failed him, they lost his graces. A few of the earlier robots were upgraded or reused, but over time Dr. Wily stopped caring. He stopped believing in us, and it showed. His robots became less and less powerful, until finally he gave up on us altogether. Those of us on Team Ten know this better than you frivilous early things."

Napalm Man drew back a little, trying his hardest to understand. "But why would you be loyal to that? Come on, you don't have to be like that anymore. You can have a good master that does care about you. Besides, look, I have hands!" Napalm Man stretched them out to Commando. "The good guys gave me these. They can give you hands, ones that won't interfere with your cannons. You can be happy-"

"Do you think I am such a fool that I can be bought?" Commando snapped. "Dr. Wily was our master, and we are built to serve him! He was a fierce leader, but he was ours! It was our duty to serve him no matter what the outcome! Unlike you, a couple of hands won't make me turn traitor! I am absolutely loyal to him, and to think I once heard the same thing from your lying vocalizer! No, Napalm, I have made my choice. Take me away to your robot museum and be done with it. I will stay there as a monument to my master, alongside Guts Man and Shadow Man, his 'favorites'."

Napalm stood still for a moment, and whatever expression Commando Man had expected wasn't there on his face. Instead Napalm was incredulous. And was that...was that anger in his eye? Commando Man curved his eye into curiosity, so far the most pleasant look he'd worn since being activated.

"What?"

"What? You ask me 'what'?" Napalm Man sputtered just perfectly (he'd been practicing in front of a mirror, you see) "Come on, and you call yourself loyal to Dr. Wily? How can you do that and still go to the robot museum? I expected you to be smarter than that!"

"Um, what do you mean? Surely Dr. Wily would prefer me to go to the robot museum than to join you traitors."

"Buh?" Napalm's metal brow furrowed as much as it was able. "That's exactly what he wouldn't want you to do. I mean, if he were alive, he would think that, but now that he's dead what does a display in a museum matter to him? If you're alive and activated, you can prove once and for all that Dr. Wily really was one of the world's greatest robotics engineers. No one would ever estimate him if you worked with the military again. You always did like that job, even if it was just your cover."

"I did like it." Commando Man admitted with a nod. "But that was not my true purpose."

"Your purpose was just to be a part of Wily's tenth scheme. Er, eleventh if you count that thing with King. Anyway, now that Wily's dead all he really wants is to be remembered. Isn't that just like him? You can prove to everyone that if they had appreciated Wily, they would have more robots like you protecting society instead of fighting against it. Besides, you don't really want to be dead, do you?"

Commando Man thought this over for a moment, blinking. He searched his mind for a proper reply, and found that he had none. Well, actually he did find the argument that Wily might possibly want his robots to be dead rather than the world get any benefit from his robots, but now that Napalm Man mentioned it, Commando Man did want to live. Besides, if he did something great, he could always attribute the success to Wily's engineering abilities.

"I suppose that you have a point." Commando finally gave way. "I do miss Colonel Pommer. He was one of the few people that could best me at a game of Tactics II."

"See, there you go." Napalm reached over to the computer and turned it on. "You can rejoin him. Or, if they don't let you, you can always join me and Blade Man at establishing our weapons museum. I've been talking it over with some city planners, and I think I can get the funding for it! It will be the coolest museum anybody's ever been to!"

"But what good would a weapons museum do for Wily's reputation?"

"Well...who else has been designing the most powerful weapons in the past twenty years?"

The very idea suddenly became immensely appealing to Commando Man, and images of the displays he could create in such a museum began running around in his head. The notion of having a gravity display - alternating gravity was a Wily novelty - instantly captured Commando Man's imagination, and he started coming up with all sorts of different ways to curate the display. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't at first notice the little zzzrn that meant his massive clamps were deactivated. Napalm Man approached, somewhat shy. Finally his friend was free, and apparently on the same side.

"Well, what do we do now?" Commando Man asked.

"Mr. Reyes told me to take you to the REA temporary office in Monstropolis if you decided to, um, cooperate." Napalm Man answered. "I called Colonel Pommer, and he said he's going to head here and speak to the REA for you. Hopefully he can get you your old job."

"I wouldn't mind too much if I didn't get it." Commando Man said, still thinking about the gravity display. "I would love to strategize a museum."

A purple teleport beam went up, and so did a green one.

-t-

"...Most of the time all he does is order me to help the kids with the homework or clean the house while he and his wife go out on a date," Proto Man said. "But when I first got to his house he got a perverse pleasure out of telling me to stand on one leg or wear a lampshade. I really hate my probation failsafes. Luckily, Mrs. Briggs programmed me to buy him dog biscuits every time he orders me to get him some cigarettes."

Mega Man laughed. It was good to laugh so freely again, and to speak with his brother, even if it was just on the main viewscreen of the laboratory. Auto was away trying to rebuild his Eddie-shaped shop, and Roll went out to buy more armor plating for the other two robots still in the lab: Snake and Fire Man. These two lay in the repair tables farthest back, incomplete and deactivated. They didn't count as far as company went, and so in that lonely and darkened lab (Mega Man wasn't one to waste electricity on lights) Rock had decided to call up Blues. He was happily surprised to see that his brother went without his helmet, though the brunet robot still wore his sunglasses, even inside the Briggs' comfortable living room.

"A dog biscuit?" Mega Man asked. 'Well, they say that dog biscuits do help people stop smoking."

"His wife seems to think so." Proto Man grinned. "She makes him eat them. He makes a big show out of pretending he likes the biscuits, but I'm going to get him the 'liver and tuna' flavor next time."

"Ouch." Rock laughed. "You don't spend all your time doing chores for the Briggs, do you? I was under the impression you were going to be some sort of special agent for the REA while you were on probation."

"Not so far. They want me to cool off for a while, I think." Proto Man sighed. "Living with Briggs really is a punishment."

"You'll be back on missions and things in no time." Mega Man assured him. "There's no way the REA would let your talent go to waste."

"As much as I want to get out of this house, I'm not sure I want to be their lackey." Blues leaned back a little in his chair. "Having to go play fetch for a bunch of federals...ugh. I'm not looking forward to dealing with their tedious rules and micro-management. I already have to write a bi-weekly report for your friend Reyes, though I'm so sure he's entralled by my activities: washing the dishes, mowing the lawn, and ooh, there was that time I put flea collars on the dogs. So thrilling..."

"Blues, of course you can handle the REA. How couldn't you? You're Proto Man! Besides, they're not so bad. They give me a lot of leeway."

"That's because you're you. They know how you are." Proto Man slumped down even further, though he still gazed firmly at his brother. "I'm not sure I know how to put up with them, or what they would want me to do. I'm not a hero like you, Rock."

"Of course not." Mega Man beamed. "You're your own type of hero."

Mega Man just kept on beaming. He always knew what sort of effects his happy little speeches had on his brother. Proto Man sputtered, trying to come up with some sort of response, but still stumbling over that little smile of his as it tried to be dignified. It evolved into an awkward grin, but that was the best the mildly embarrassed Proto Man could do.

"Well..." he finally managed to say. "It's only ten years. I guess I can survive that."

"Besides, the know how you are." Rock mentioned. "You've got your independent streak, and they should learn to trust you quickly. If they have any sense, anyway."

"Hmph. Remember that this is the government you're talking about." Proto Man pointed his eyes to the left, and even with his eyes covered by the glasses this was pretty easy to see. "It's full of people like Harry over here."

"Ha! You wish it was!" The all-too-familiar face of the dark haired Irishman got back into view. "Then the government would definitely cut its spending! Make no mistake, they're the ones ruining the economy."

"Hi, Mr. Briggs." Mega Man said.

"Hey there, Mega Man." Harry Briggs plopped one of his massive sun-browned hands right atop Proto Man's wavy locks, giving it a violent ruffle. "Sorry about this, but I've got to take your big brother here away. There's dogs that need washing."

"Hey, wait." Proto Man turned his head to the human, inevitably twisting his hair even further into Harry's claws. "Aren't those the dogs that you were supposed to wash this morning?"

"I forgot. It happens. But the truth of it is, the missus is going to be home in an hour, and then she's going to find out the dogs didn't get washed. And we're going to have to put up with her. You know what they say; if the mom isn't happy, nobody's happy."

"I see. If only that didn't apply so well in this household." Proto Man shoved away Harry's hand and stood up, throwing his eyes back over to his brother. "You might think Mrs. Briggs is a wonderful woman, but that's only till you remember that she's the sort of person that would marry him."

"Ah," Rock nodded with a grin. "He drove her crazy, I see. Aw, Mr. Briggs, you're not really going to take my brother away from me, are you?"

"Tragic, isn't it?" Harry winked. "But you've got a robot's lifetime to talk to Blues here. I've only got an hour until doomsday. Let's go, kid."

"Yay, dog-washing. Yet another exciting job to report to the Robotic Ethics Agency." Proto Man sourly took a step in Briggs' direction, if only because the latter had his arm. "I'll call you later, Rock."

"Until then!"

The viewscreen went blank, leaving Mega Man a little longing. Sure, he'd had a nice half hour to talk to his brother about the ins and outs of life, something he'd never been able to do for years. Of course half an hour was pushing it for Blues. Mega Man wasn't even sure Proto Man had ever talked to anyone for that long of a period. But, of course, there was a lot about Proto Man that his little brother still had to learn. Mega Man knew this already. He casually stretched, then turned his chair from the console.

"Ah! Oh well. I've got work to do!" Mega Man said aloud for no particular reason as he stood up. "I've been putting it off for too long, and - oof!"

The blue bomber instantly laughed, facepalming and falling back into his chair. It was so silly. How could he forget? He'd done most of his work already. This sabbatical he'd been taking was plenty long enough. Not only to help Auto repair robots, but also take a break and get rid of all those silly tax forms he had to deal with. Thankfully the government let him delay filing his return, and he definitely needed the time. But now all of that was done. The taxes were filed and sent off, and also most of the work about the current year's expenses was also calculated. That meant he had all the data he needed, and all that needed to be done was to organize the data into one file so that next April 15 would be a breeze.

It wasn't even hard. Mega Man simply pulled out a green wire from the nearest drawer, sticking one end into his neck and the other into the computer. His mind knew how to rework the data and organize it. It didn't even require his full attention, unlike the muck and mire of the earlier forms. Mega Man leaned back and relaxed, waiting for his mind to finish it up so that he could forget taxes for another year.

That, of course, was kind of boring. Mega Man simply didn't do boring. He just couldn't stand it! He tapped his fingers on the console, then after a moment of inspiration, he tapped his fingers on the keyboard. How could he have forgotten the video letters? He had so many of them. As Auto had repaired each of the thirty-four volunteers, Mega Man had asked each one to leave him a video message of their new life as they rejoined society and abandoned their past as violent Wily-bots. Mega Man checked his vidmail on a smaller side monitor, and he was surprised to see that fifteen of them had already answered. He reached over and touched the first name on the list.

"Ah, Yamato Man. He's probaby doing really well now that he gets to see his master again!"

And when the picture of Yamato Man appeared, it certainly looked like he was just fine. Yamato Man sat out in some outdoor area, on a stone bench in a flat, vast lawn. Mega Man wondered if it was a garden; a bush, jolly with little pink flower buds, hung over the right side of the screen and surrounded Yamato's left side like the side of a chaise lounge. On the left side was a house with traditional Japanese sliding doors, sort of plain but not unelegant in its light bamboo (or Rock simply thought it was bamboo) panelling.

"Good afternoon, Mega Man." Yamato Man said, in a voice more calm and patient than Mega Man was sure he'd ever heard from the samurai-bot. "Or morning, evening, or whatever time it should happen to be as you watch this. I am here with master Yamamoto at his summer home near Okinawa. It is a calm place, though I wish my presense here was due to better circumstances. My master has been ill for some time, and the doctors can only tell him that he must get out of the big city and relax. Their words do nothing to hide their intent. My master's illness is very dangerous for one as old as he, and he knows it. Though...I like to think that being here with him I help him in the only way I am really able to."

Yamato Man shifted a little on the bench before he continued. He couldn't look straight into the camera anymore, but sagged his gaze down to the grass.

"I feared my master's reaction to seeing me again, both for my sake and his health. Though I had no reason to expect this, he welcomed me back as a lost son, and I have been with him ever since. The doctors smile at each other as if my simply being here will make my master get well, but...he is a very old man. Even should he recover there are not many years left to him. My only real desire for him is peace, and all the happiness he can stand. Who knows what will happen? My master's sons say that my return has been the third blessing to round out Yamamoto's old age, the other's being his youngest son's marriage and the birth of his daughter's son. This grandchild will be here in a few days, and is as bubbly a four month old as any can be, I am told.

"I suppose you wonder what happened to me legally. Not very much has, truth be told. The Americans handed me over to the Japanese government, but as my master is important in their eyes, I was allowed to join him with few interviews and procedures. As of yet I have no punishment, and I doubt I will get one. No one speaks of my past with Wily, other than questioning what I might have learned about robotics in general. It is the culture not to speak of horrid things, especially if the horrid things are over and done with. The only thing I suffer now is the loss of my companionship with my team. I miss them all very much, but due to legalities with their own countries, I am mostly unable to speak to them. Knight Man is doing well enough, but he is not as fortunate. He's been sent to work in construction, and he does no more than guard heavy machinery at night. Don't tell him I said this, but I find it a little funny how aggravated he gets about it."

Yamato Man looked toward the house again before returning his gaze to the camera. "That is all I can really say, for now. There isn't much to tell, and none of it very exciting. Still, I am happy as can be expected. Extend my greetings to the Light household."

And so the clip ended, leaving the screen in an anti-climatic black. Mega Man sniffled, rubbing a hand under his nose.

"Aw, I wanted something that isn't going to make me cry. I hope his master gets better! I also hope the next message is a little more cheerful...let's see..."

Mega Man went back to the vidmail list, perusing a few names. He noticed one that was marked "Burst M/Pump M".

"Oh yeah..." Mega Man put his hand forward. "I think they went to work together at the water park. That's not surprising. They really did seem like good friends."

But before Rock could click on their names, another one startled him. It would startle most anyone. It wasn't just the matter of getting a message from Burner Man, an opponant infamous not only for his power but also his insanity. What really caught Mega Man's eye was the "from" section of the vidmail accompaning this message: "The Great Fire-Culinarist Burner M. a la Flambeau". It at once both frightened the bomber and made him want to laugh. Of course he was going to click on it.

So Burner Man's likeness appeared on the screen, standing against a wall bearing pictures of samurai warriors and proverbs in eloquent Japanese script. Before him was a table of brick; one of those massive rectangles that had seating on the outside, but a huge, flat grill range in the center and on the side closest to Burner Man. A bin of shrimp, a tub of rice, a few dishes of spices, and some spatulas lay on the right side, within easy reach of the robot. Not only was the marvelously grinning robot clad in an apron and tall white hat (somebody must have turned off his head burner), but he held two large knives in each hand, crossing them over his chest like a late Egyptian king.

"What?" Mega Man gasped. "Someone gave Burner Man knives?"

"Hey there, Mega Man!" the other robot's recorded message began. "How are you doing? I'm doing GREAT! You wouldn't BELIEVE the kind of job the REA let me have! You know what I am? I'm a CHEF! That's right! This is where I cook!"

Burner Man lowered one of the knives, putting it down and replacing it with a spatula. As he continued to talk, he began shoveling some of the rice onto the grill before him. The rice sizzled pleasurably as Burner Man flattened it so that it would cook evenly.

"You know what I discovered, Mega?" Burner Man continued, still playing with the rice. "It that maybe, just maybe, there's more to life than burning stuff! Sometimes it just has to be toasty. When I was learning to cook, I found out that if you don't FLAME IT UP...eh, ahem, I mean, heat it up too much, then people will actually like the food! You just don't know what it feels like when the people come in, and actually enjoy the workings of a perfectly adequate flame! They like my shrimp so much! People even come in just to see me cook, too. Look at what I learned to do!"

By this time, Burner Man had the pile of rice shaped into a perfect heart. He slipped his spatula under it, then pushed down on the handle so that the rice went up and down, beating just like the organ. Burner Man laughed, and it was a nice laugh, not diabolical at all.

"See, see? Isn't it SO CUTE?" Burner Man, actually, was the thing looking so adorable, for once. "I can flip shrimp, and I can even make it land in people's mouths! I'm getting so good at it! Thank you, Mega Man! If I had known I was going to be so good at this, I would have left Wily a long time ago! I know you won't believe this, but none of the robots Wily had ever took me seriously. Hard to believe, right? I was only good for burning stuff, and I never had any real responsibility before. Now I get to make perfect, juicy food for people who pay me! I'M SO HAPPY! Anyway, I've got to get back to work. I have a to-go order for ten, and time's a'wastin! Talk to you later!"

Without noticing it until the message ended, Mega Man suddenly realized that the wanted to cry with joy. He never imagined that Burner Man would fit so well into society, and the moment was only made better by all of those doubts Rock had, all now suddenly erased. The relief of knowing Burner Man had a place soothed a place in Mega Man that he didn't realize was so tense. But of course he should have recognised this before; Mega Man really did believe that no robot should go to waste, and he knew very well that if Burner Man had gotten scrapped the sadness of it all would sting him badly.

"Oh no..." Mega Man laughed weakly. "I'm just too sensitive...it's a happy message, and it still didn't cheer me up. I don't know if I can stand to watch another, if they're all going to be this way. Huh, what's this? A message from Star Man? It might be important."

Mega Man hurriedly activated the thing, though he wondered why Star Man didn't just call him directly. Was he too busy on the space station? Whatever the reason, it didn't seem that urgent once the clip began. It was the image of Star Man in his (the humans') "swingin' sixties" lounge, looking quite relaxed and happy. Echelon Man, on the other hand, looked uncomfortable. Of course, it was hard to tell any of this Cain-bot's emotions. The dull blocks of his boring face didn't move that much, and neither did his metal unibrow. Star Man nudged him with an elbow, and Echelon Man began with a few halting words.

"You wished me to report in, Mega Man." Echelon Man said. "So...here I am. I am stationed to Star Man observatory, and I report to Harry Briggs. This job is very nice, and I like working in space. Yes. It's nice."

"Oh come on," Star Man urged him. "That really can't be all you have to say."

Echelon Man glanced back and forth from Star Man to the camera. He blinked. Finally, he turned back to facing the screen, and added a little, if only for Star Man. He spoke, and then was silent as a display in the robot museum.

"Thank you for the assignment."

A moment's pause. Echelon Man glanced hesistantly over at his boss, no longer bothering to face the camera. Star Man shook his head, but still smiled, if a little with frustration.

"Don't let him fool you, Mega." Star Man chortled. "Those words can barely describe how wonderful Echelon Man has been on this space station! He has just the perfect powers to do an outside inspection of the space station, and he's found a way to calibrate all of the sattelite dishes in half the time! Just last week he corrected a faulty orbit booster in no time at all! I just don't know what we would do without him! Best of all - and I do mean best - he does the very thing I very much wish a certain...companion of mine knew how to do: he shuts up!"

"Hey guys, what are you doing?" Galaxy Man suddenly popped into view behind them, changing from a yellow shimmer to a curious blue. "Ooh, you're sending a message aren't you? Who to? Come on, you guys, tell me!"

"Go away, Galaxy Man." Star Man growled.

"Aw, come on, you aren't still mad about me playing around with your star charts, are you? I only hid them for a few hours!" Galaxy playfully patted him on the back. "I put them back when I was done!"

"Will you get out of here?" the star-bot stormed. "I'm busy!"

As he turned his back to the camera, Mega Man was able to see a bright, neon pink sign now on Star Man's back, saying "delete me". Echelon Man lifted half of his eyebrow, but, like expected, said nothing.

"Alright," Galaxy Man exclaimed, lifting up his hands in surrender and trying not to laugh. "I'm going, I'm go - "

Brrrinnnnggg! Brrrinnnnggg! Sang the computer, as all images on it faded. Phone call! Phone call!

"Darn it, I wanted to see how that ended..."

Pressing a glowing red button on the keyboard, Mega Man watched as the face of Tim Reyes appeared on the vid screen and the tacky ringtone ended. The human appeared to be in a good mood, though the dark circles under his eyes showed that he was working too hard. As usual. Mega Man hoped that all the coffee Reyes drank didn't overexcite the human's heart too much.

For the moment, however, Reyes wasn't wired. "Hi there, Mega Man. I hope you're well rested after that little vacation you've been taking. We've been missing you here in Monstropolis."

"It's been nice." Mega Man said. "There's a lot about life that I miss when I'm working all the time."

"That's true." Reyes took a sip out of his coffee mug. "But it looks like we're going to need you. There's been a problem with some stolen construction supplies, and we need to figure out who's behind it."

"That sounds like a job for my brother." Rock mused. "He could find them easily."

"Probably. But it's hard to steal from anyone when our own invincible robot is guarding it. That's the job for you. We're going to need you to report in to the REA temporary HQ tomorrow morning at 6:00. That's when you can consider yourself back on duty." Reyes paused, and he put on his nicest, most doubtful grin. "You're not really planning on retiring, are you? What will we do without you?"

"You'll do just fine." Rock assured him. "After all, you've got a police force of your own."

"I know..." Reyes said. "But it just won't be the same without you."

"Mr. Reyes," Mega Man spoke with a firm clarity. "When I started law enforcement, I was in it only to save the world from Dr. Wily. When you have a supervillain like him, you need someone fitting to get rid of him. But he's gone now, and really gone for good. I hate to say this, but I've done my duty. I've been fighting for so long I've almost forgotten why I'm fighting. And while most of it is that I want to protect the world, I also want to protect my family. They need me here. I haven't been doing my proper paperwork or helping keep the lab financed properly. I know the REA has helped us out some and I appreciate it, but I'd like to find a way to earn money for the lab that doesn't involve burdening taxpayers. And I know I'm just a robot, but I have family too, and I want to be there when they need me."

Reyes, who had been drinking his coffee again, lowered his cup back down to his desk. "You're not preaching, are you?"

"I don't know." Mega Man gave a little sneaky grin. "Are you spending enough time with your family?"

"I officially plead the fifth." Reyes' smile was sheepish. "Fine, fine, don't look at me like that. I'm scheduled for vacation in July."

"You better take it."

"I know, I know. So you're coming tomorrow, right?"

Mega Man nodded. "You need me, don't you? I'll be there. I'm not retired quite yet."

"Alright, then I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you then, Mr. Reyes."

Rock hung up the line with one press of the red button. He sighed. It looked like he was back to the old grind again. A faint bit of relief flushed across his face as he thought of his last five years - no, four and a half. Half of Bass' first year of probation was already gone, and so Mega Man looked on it as an unexpected bonus. A nice cut away from the years until retirement.

"Well, I'm not retired yet." Mega Man began to push another set of buttons on his keyboard. "And there's one last person I need to check on."

He pushed the last button, a green one, and it sent its signal all the way to Peace Street Hospital. The image on the screen appeared, showing a mostly empty hospital room. The bed, in any case, was empty, though there was one occupant left in the room. It was hard to recognise this robot, especially since he no longer glowed his flashy neon colors, except a patch or two on his chest. Altogether he was much skinnier than before, and if his head hadn't remained unchanged (aside from no longer having that antenna sticking out at that awkward angle) then Mega Man would have had a much harder time identifying this robot.

"Algorhythm Man, how are you?" Mega Man chirped pleasantly. "You're looking a lot happier these days."

"Hello yourself, Mega Man." The orange robot swiped a hand at the monitor. "Oh, don't bother calling me 'Algorhythm'. Most people just call me Al these days, since the law had my weapons removed." Al lifted his once thick arms, showing off the skinny rods that they now were. "It's a sad loss. I'm really little more than a mechaniloid these days, though thankfully I get to keep my brain."

"That's terrible!" Rock exclaimed.

"Well, I brought it on myself, as you well know." Al might have blushed if he had the proper skin for it, but his chuckle was unembarrassed. "And besides, I don't mind it much. I miss hacking, admittedly, but this life is worth it. The REA has allowed me to serve my master, and this lovely hospital staff programmed me with a thing or two to keep me useful if the nurses are away. I'm so happy! To tell you the truth, I was never really too keen on the master's plans of getting rid of all robots. That was Emit Man's thing, the poor fool. I'm just glad to be serving my master again, even in this small capacity." Here Algorhythm eyed his caller with teasing suspicion. "Though I suppose you had something to do with that."

"Maybe." Mega Man winked. "Really, you're one of the most rational robots I've ever met. It would be such a shame if you were destroyed. Besides, a lot of people don't like Dr. Cain right now. They might not be so willing to take care of him at the hospital. How is he, anyway?"

Al was crestfallen at the mention of his master, answering with a heartbreaking whisper. "He's not well. You called at a good time, actually. He's away having some sort of tests done for his metal implants...you wouldn't like to see him now. His face was nearly torn in two, and even now it seems like it's taking forever to heal. Dr. Cain hasn't even been able to walk from the sheer pain. I'll be pushing him around in wheelchairs once we get out of here, at least until he adjusts to his new metal components."

Mega Man bit his lip, barely able to hope that the visual images in his head were worse than what Dr. Cain looked like. He did read the report, and Bass had so "helpfully" described all of Dr. Cain's injuries to him, using the excuse that he was "making conversation". Mega Man didn't care how sensitive Bass thought him. He still didn't want to know what it looked like when a human was slashed up the chest and face by his own rebellious robot.

"I can't imagine how horrible that is." Rock said. "How is he coping?"

"At first the doctor was so terribly depressed I didn't know what to do. There was nothing I could do." Al dared a smile. "But then this angel swooped into our room right from heaven, bless her heart! If it weren't for her I don't know if Dr. Cain would have lasted a single week in that hospital once he woke up. One day he was lying in bed, desperately sad, and then this lovely Indian nurse came in and practically demanded an autograph! She told him to hurry up and get better so that he could hold a pen to sign her autograph book. Why, Dr. Cain at once lit up, and it wasn't twenty-four hours before he could sit up a little and get impatient, waiting for her to come back. It made him feel so terribly important, you know.

"He's been getting so much better since then, and only a few days ago the local government contacted him and told him that they saw his plans for rebuilding society after getting rid of robots. It turned out that Dr. Cain's plans were so ingenious, that they actually worked to rebuild Monstropolis after Zero! They say that once he's better, Dr. Cain is going to be instituting new processes for disaster recovery. He'll can do so much to help clean up after hurricanes and tornadoes, they said! The doctor's been recovering so quickly now!"

"I'm glad to hear that!" Mega Man beamed. "He'll get to work and pay off all the damage he's caused. Not a lot of people get that chance."

"Don't I know it!" Algorhythm Man said. "Oh, while we're at it, I would like to know about my brothers. I know Epic Man will not be allowed...well, what about the others?"

"I'm afraid there's not a lot of good news. Because of Epic Man, the government isn't sure about the other Cain-bots. The only reason they were willing to let you live is because I could vouch for you. They don't want Psycho Man, Sight Man, or Bullet Man to be rebuilt. They're all in the robot museum now."

Al swallowed hard. "I see. And the others?"

"Well, that leaves Emit Man, Signal Man, and Echelon. Emit Man refused to volunteer to help destroy Zero. He said...he said he was loyal to Dr. Cain's cause of getting rid of robots, and he said Zero was just proving that Dr. Cain was right."

"Fool." Al tried hard not to glitch. "He always did care too much about Dr. Cain's cause...oh, never mind. Coming from me that must not mean much. Go on."

"As for Signal Man." Mega Man found it hard to continue. "He fought valiantly against Zero, and was one of the few that really managed to give Zero some trouble. That's why I'm very sorry to tell you that he wasn't able to be repaired. His mind was destroyed, and we didn't have a back up of it. The only good news I can offer you is that Echelon Man has joined Team 5 up at the Star Man Observatory."

"I don't suppose I could have hoped for better." Al sputtered down at the floor. "I'm not so sorry for the others, but Signal Man was so intelligent, and it's really a great loss. I'll miss him so much...other than Epi he was my closest friend. At least there is Echelon Man. Oh, he's such a muted little bother, but I do hope he is well."

"Here, I have your hospital room coordinates." Mega Man's hands typed away. "I got a vidmail message from Echelon Man this morning, and it looks like he's fitting in great. You should be able to just record it into your memory."

"Thank you, Mega Man, even for this much." Al humbly placed his hands together in his lap. "You've been better to us than I or my master deserve. Thank you. If you need anything from us, at any time, let me know. Oh," Al glanced away from the video phone for a second, standing as he looked. "Master's returning. I'm going to shut off the video now...my description of master's injuries was quite understated, you understand."

Mega Man reached for his controls. He shut down the computer, feeling at a loss. At this very moment, he realized that his job was done. Oh sure, he was going to go to work the next day, just like Reyes requested. But his true work, his real task, this was complete. Dr. Wily was gone, and Dr. Cain was subdued. His years of defeating megalomaniacs were over. Just like that, in one simple phone call. He'd done his duties, and was left with nothing, only a numbness as he sat still in that chair.

He remembered it, so long ago. Blessed with the memories of a robot, he could access at any time what he had done. Mega Man did so. He could still see Roll's innocent gasp - she knew so little then about what being a hero meant. Dr. Light's face too came to mind. The shock came first, but then an expression that young Rock didn't expect to see. No, it wasn't one of fear. It was realization in his creator's eyes, and then...trust.

"I will go defeat him!" Mega Man had told them both, raising a noble fist into the air. "I'll go stop Wily from hurting everyone in Monstropolis! I'm a robot, after all, and it's a lot easier to repair us than it is to repair humans!"

Had it really been so long ago that he'd uttered those words? Mega Man found himself at a loss. At that time, he never would have suspected that that first time he'd volunteered that it would take this long to deliver on his promise. Well, it was over now, and all he could do was sit and smile. Of course he would choose the same path over again, if he had to go back. All of this was worth it. Mega Man knew in his heart that if he was destroyed and sold for scrap tomorrow, that he had done something good for the world.

"I'm not going to scrapped just yet!" Mega Man stood up from his chair, gallantly lifting a fist over his chest. "I'm not done. How could I forget? Well, everyone likes to say I'm the invincible robot, and later on, they're going to call me the unstoppable robot!"

Mega Man glanced over the controls one more time. No, he hadn't forgotten anything; it was all properly shut down, besides the security feed. Mega Man nodded to himself, then promptly headed out of the far left door. He scolded himself for his previous thoughts. How could he say he was done when there was one last task to complete to stop Wily forever? Mega Man steered himself down the hall. The door to the lower parts of the lab wasn't very far. He opened it up and started to make his way down.

Now, most of Mega Man's work was done in the main laboratory. However, he had to consider that security at the lab, well, it hadn't exactly been at its best in the past, to say the least. Besides, there was one volitile project that couldn't be left upstairs, where Auto or Roll might mistake it for something else and contaminate the computer systems above. So for this project, Mega Man prepared a place in the basement where a safe computer could work on the problem without being networked with the rest of his lab.

It was, of course, the Zero virus.

Mega Man felt his throat tighten. It was a very dangerous bit of programming, and though everything inside of him urged Mega Man to just destroy the memory card bearing the virus and be done with it, the blue bomber wasn't so sure he could do that. Now, the virus couldn't affect normal computers, and from Mega Man's testing it wouldn't seem affect most normal robots either. But as Mega Man slowly descended those stairs, his fists could only clinch harder at the thought of what it would do to his youngest brother.

I have to save X...and the future of all robotics!

The cloud of Rock's grim mood evaporated suddenly as the stairs flattened out into a hall. The soft, pleasant waltz music playing quietly somewhere nearby didn't match the intensity of Mega Man's thoughts in the least. Where in the world was it coming from?

It sounds like it's coming from the gymnasium. That's strange. Maybe Roll is cleaning down there and listening to the radio.

The gym's double doors were there to the left, and Mega Man might have just blundered into the gym all at once, if only it weren't for a giggle. Mega Man paused. That giggle was Crystal Bot's. More cautiously this time, Mega Man approached and gingerly pushed one door open a crack, peeking around. What he saw both surprised and delighted him, all at once.

A little radio sat on the floor, cheerily playing its classical tune even though nobody noticed it. Mega Man certainly didn't. He was too busy watching the most bizarre thing he never expected to see. It was Bass, and he was dancing a waltz with his giggling technician. Not only was he dancing, but he was smiling. Oh, it wasn't the biggest smile Mega Man had ever seen, but it was there, unrefutable proof that the dark robot actually enjoyed what he was doing.

Furthermore, he was good at it. Mega Man knew from experience that when someone watches a ballroom type of dance, they generally suspect that the woman is doing all the work because she's doing most of the spinning. He also knew the truth, that the male was the lead, and that took a surprising amount of work. Not only did Bass seem to have a waltz program in his database, but he also had it mastered. He graced the room as if ready for a competition. Crystal Bot wasn't as nearly as good. She did her best, but showed her clumsiness at times.

"See? That's the third time you've stepped on my foot." Bass said with a chuckle, still masterfully leading his Sonata about. "Now I'm really glad I didn't let you dance with Dr. Cossack. You would've broken his feet."

"I would not!" Crystal Bot protested. "I would've been extra careful with him!"

"Yeah, yeah." A sarcastic Bass rolled his eyes and spun her again. "I'm sure of it."

Mega Man politely closed the door, easing it in silently and heading on his way. He couldn't disturb the dancers; it would be too embarrassing for Bass. He silently thanked them for diverting his mind from the path it tread. The future wasn't to be feared. After all, Bass was the next great robot hero of the world, the one that would save the day if ever another genius, or not-so genius, ever dared to show his ugly head. Mega Man knew without knowing that Bass was going to be far better at it than he was, and was closer to deserving the title of "the invincible robot" than Rock ever believed for himself.

Of course, no robot is truly invincible. Mega Man took one last glance at the door behind him. They called me the invincible robot, but really, it's all because I have the best friends in the whole world!

And so Mega Man turned the corner, heading for the basement, and his scientific destiny. His adventures weren't over, just different. From now on, he told himself, all his enemies were going to be faced in the lab. Mega Man went forward knowing that he was going to follow in a great man's footsteps, becoming a successful scientist just like his father before him. Rock Light went forward into the future, trusting somehow, that everything was going to turn out exactly as it was meant.

The End.

Thank you for reading.

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Author's Notes:

- So that's it! My massive project that's taken almost three years of my life is now complete! I really hope you guys have enjoyed this. It's something I've wanted to do for years and years: altering a story I didn't like the ending of. Please, tell me what you think. I started this thinking it was just something I was going to do in my spare time, but I've just had to finish this to really complete myself as a writer. I'm so excited that I actually made it this far, and I'd like to thank all of you who have been here, through the beginning and to the end. You've all been so wonderful, and I don't know what I would have done without your support.

As for the future, Bonus Features is going to be up in a while. I'm going to take my time with it to make it really good, and not really try to stretch myself too far. I was doing that with other chapters, and it's been a problem. So no more. After that, I'm going to take a break. I need to work on things that are actually publishable, so you know, I can do that thing where I earn money and eat food. I do have in mind a sort of series where I would do a short story for every robot master, but this isn't a massive project. It'd just be something I'd do every so often, if I happen to get inspired for it. Also, I plan on doing some editing of the past few chapters. I'm not quite happy with them, and I'd like to get them in better shape. No word on when that happens, but it will at some point or another.

- No, seriously, I really need reviews on Roll. I'd really appreciate it. Just any comment you happen to have in mind is fine.

- A "massive clamp" is called that because of its extreme electromagnetic power. The name is kind of a misnomer because it's not really a normal clamp, but just electromagnet force.

- Something that bothered me about the Mega Man racing game is that in Napalm Man's ending, he actually gets a weapon museum but nobody likes it. This is bizarre. A lot of people would like to see a weapons museum. I know plenty of people near where I live that would be willing to go, especially if said museum involves Mega Man universe technology. Heck, my ex-boyfriend's uncle has a ton of war collectible stuff out in his shed. Uniforms, weapons, canteens, and all that. He's waiting on my city to allow him to have a museum so he can display all of it publicly.

- Korean lesson! Yongguk mal haeyo is how you say "do you speak english?" Well, actually, depending on context, it can also mean "I speak english" or "he/she/it speaks english". Just sound curious and it'll be a question. Meeguk mon mal haeyo is how you say "I can't speak korean"...or he/she/it can't. If you want to emphasize yourself, say na-nun meeguk mon mal haeyo.

Note that while the word mon there, while it does mean "can't", it only has an "n" at the end of it because the next word starts with an "m". Normally "can't" is spelled mos, but often pronounced mot. Confusing, yes? Don't worry about it too much. I only mention it so you don't think mon is the only way "can't" is said, and so you don't make a mistake if you're going to Korea any time soon.

Character profiles!

=====Aqua Man

"Who opened their lunch?"

Good point: facetious robot

Bad point: porky

Likes: Toilet humor

Dislikes: Serious drama

Aqua Man was one of Dr. Wily's last robots. It took a lot of work to get him together, and he wasn't at 100% by the time the evil energy fell to the earth. Unfortunately, Dr. Wily had spent so much time working on Aqua Man's body that he wasn't able to do too much in the time he had for Aqua Man's mind. Thus, we have the crazy water-bot, who says creepy things and is generally trouble to those around him.

Unlike the equally crazy Burner Man, Aqua Man did notice that he was crazy. He took it in the best way possible, though this was often an uncomfortable boundary between himself and his team. Sword Man and Astro Man tolerated him, Clown Man thought he was funny, and Frost Man liked to hang out with him to help make ice sculptures, so he had some friends, in his own team if not without. Tengu Man, however, tormented him frequently. The two military robots of the team were pretty friendly to him, though sometimes he creeped out even Grenade Man.

Aqua Man has serious body issues. He frequently complains of "pot belly", despite the fact he's a robot and that's just how he's built. He tries his hardest to take pride in his appearance, and washes and polishes himself regularly. He's gotten a bit narcisstic over the years, as he finally managed to convince himself that he's handsome - he says his best feature is his eyes.

Aqua Man spent a lot of time in the robot museum after Team 8's defeat, not making it out until the events of Okkusenman. As the last Skull Castle was destroyed, Aqua Man was destroyed by Splash Woman, but later recovered by Signal Man. Surprisingly, Aqua Man's general creepiness didn't really bother Signal Man that much. Signal Man just kind of expected that Wily's robots would be that way.

=====GrimMoody

Good point: Intelligent

Bad point: A huge nerd

Likes: All forms of caffeine.

Dislikes: Lies

Okay, dorky, I know, but it's the last character profile! I have to end this on a dramatic note. If you wanted another robot master to be here, you should have requested it in the reviews. :P Besides, I have to end this in an unexpected way, don't I?

GrimMoody grew up being a little...different. She amused herself as a child by speaking to inanimate objects, watching her brother play video games, collecting all kinds of knowledge whether it was relevant to her or not, and creating the fantasy that she was brought to earth in an egg by three fairies. Her mother, however, has since insisted that GrimMoody really is an earth-originating person - "I was there," the mother said, "so I should know."

Since then, Moody has attempted to make something of herself by writing fanfiction on the internet in the attempt to make people like her. While the success of this attempt is questionable, it has somehow developed in Grimm the skill to actually be a half decent writer - she thinks she's a great writer, but as all of you must surely know by now, Moody's views in this matter are biased. Very, very, biased. And perhaps, dare we say it, inaccurate.

She is by no means a bigot when it comes to things that keep her awake, and is mostly unable to tell the difference between good and bad coffee. Unless of course it's weak, because weak coffee is evil. Upon her travels to Asia, she even found a grotesque pleasure in drinking brown rice green tea, which is truly as bad as it sounds.