Chapter 3

Detroit, Michigan

The Fisher Building wasn't hard to find. Not only was it the tallest structure, it was also the only one not burned to the ground. The streets were empty, aside from the bloody bodies, in the snow.

Protoman felt a tinge of defeat, the realization had hit him, that he wouldn't be saving this Country. There would be no turning things around from here. With the Atlas in the wind, he would always just be a series of small fixes, on a colossal problem. It wasn't helping that Megaman and this Maverick guy had joined them, making him feel like a third-stringer, even to his own sister. He shook the feelings, as he and Rush exited the ship.

"Scott," Tron said, over comms, "be careful in there. We'll come back after dropping Megaman and Maverick off. Should be enough time for you to get those people safe."

"Copy." He said, plainly.

Using his EMP, he was able to slip past the automated turrets, watching the front door. Inside the lobby, it was pitch black, he could hear the groups of people, muttering and crying. They were all herded together, inside the reinforced glass pods, that once served as merchant shops.

He couldn't free them, not yet. A crowd of panicked people would only follow their instincts, and make a run for the front doors, to be mowed down, by the sentry guns. The weapons were extremely high-grade, even with his EMP all the way up, they were only shaken for a few seconds.

He cautiously made his way forward, scanning the open area. High up, on the arched ceiling, two gargoyle droids hung, like bats. Edging closer, he saw that the entire length of the ceiling was lined with them. Rush hunched down and began to growl. He lowered down to one knee, and whispered to the canine, "In a minute, I'm going to need to get up there." He pointed to a spot, halfway down the corridor, "Right about there." He finished.

Rush began to slowly trot down the hall, stopping in the center. Protoman dispensed a dinner plate-sized ring, throwing it like a frisbee. It bounced and banged off of the droids, sending them into an angry frenzy. He ran down the hall, planting a foot on Rush's flat spine, which quickly sprung up, tossing him into the air. In close quarters, surrounded by the swarm, he pulsed his EMP at full power. They rained down, to the floor below, where his dog viciously tore at their bodies.

Using magnetic force, he pulled himself to a hanging chandelier, covering the ground floor in a thick fog of black dust. He could hear Rush snarling, as he ripped the machines limb from limb. Protoman stood on the lighting fixture, gunning down anything that dared emerge from the dark cloud.

Once all of the enemies were in piles of pieces, he dropped down. The people crowded against the glass, trying to see what the commotion was. In the darkness they only caught glimpses, of his yellow scarf, flowing as he walked to the elevator. He pried the doors open, and stood on the dog's back, who lit it's boosters and ascended the shaft.

He emerged in the apartment hallways. There were no defenses, that actually seemed like a bad thing to him. He pulled open one of the room doors, expecting to find more people, he did. The rooms had been modified, into massive freezers, where glass cases lay stacked, filled with dead bodies. All of which, had the same cause of death, they were bled dry, throats and wrists cut clean open.

The sound of the door opening made him jump. He and Rush stood, like stunned fools, as the transport cart rolled in, unloading more boxes. It didn't seem to notice them at all, they made the decision to follow it, to it's source. The hallways were empty, as the automated cart made it's programmed route, to an old employees' storage area. In the warehouse-like room, the was a large cargo lift, and an even larger gathering of security droids.

Rush began to walk forward, but again, Protoman put a hand out, stopping him. Proto was filled with pent up frustration, he wanted to hurt something. He stepped into the room and whistled, loudly. The droids all turned to him, raising their guns, as he ejected his staff. When the bolts came screaming to him, he easily spun and ducked his way through them, while twirling his staff, lashing out at the metal skulls, closest to him. In one motion, he batted down the arms of two foes, bringing the other end around, sweeping them to the floor. On their backs, he fired two discs into each of their foreheads.

More started to close in, as he deployed his shield, showering them with friendly fire. When the survivors backed off, his staff shortened, as he pulled it apart, with a cable connecting the two rods. He dashed in, screaming, as the nunchucks furiously weaved, punishing each enemy with lightning-fast arcs. Sparks flew, as the droids closed in on him, until none were left standing.

When they were just metal, Rush walked forward, nervously. Protoman stood silently, amongst the heap, looking to the floor. He holstered his hilt, as the animal sat in front of him, looking up to his face. "It's alright, boy." He said, petting the dog's head. "Let's go finish this."

The cargo elevator opened, as they stepped out. The thirtieth floor had been gutted out, and made into an enormous loft. Seemingly endless rows of boxes were stacked, waiting to be filled. A row of humans were on their knees, stripped down, with their hands tied to a railing, posted in front of them.

Behind them stood Woodman. His steel, sleeveless, body armor was brown, and painted to resemble real wood. He wore matching boots and gauntlets, which consisted of dozens of slotted openings. His black nanopants were accented with light green, octagonal, stitching. The light brown headgear, with jaw-guards, matched his shaggy brown hair, that hung just below his black, lifeless, eyes.

He looked across the room, as Protoman stepped out, signally for Rush to stand back. Woodman tilted his head at them, letting go of the razor-sharp, green, leaf-like, daggers. They didn't fall though, they stayed, floating in place. "So, you've finally come for me, now." He stated, plainly. "I only need a moment, to finish up. Then we can handle this." A flurry of small, green, blades emerged from the slots on his gear, systematically, flying across the line of people, leaving a flowing river of blood, beneath them.

It happened in, what seemed like, a millisecond. Protoman's EMP wasn't quick enough to stop them. However, it gave him an opening to charge the officer, while he shook off the effects. Jumping the bars, he landed a couple baton swings to his head, before the "leaves" closed in. They slashed at him like a hurricane of razor blades. He swatted at them, as Woodman stumbled back. Using a magnetic push, he sent his adversary's tools back on their owner, watching the blades eat away at him. Woodman, frustratedly, retracted the green razors, snatching up a piece of the railing and swung it, like an oaf, at Protoman, who deflected the shots with his baton.

Woodman swung hard, slapping his foe's weapon to the right, before driving a shoulder under his open chin. Protoman fell back to the floor, dropping his hilt, as he began firing discs at the android's head. Another gathering of leaves sprung forth, absorbing all of the shots, like a shield. They shots toward him, before he had time to react, stabbing into his body, like broken glass. He wrenched as they began to turn themselves, while embedded in his flesh. Woodman approached, pulling him to his feet. Having no other choice, he raised his left arm, and sprayed the grey foam. Doing as he had hoped, the leaves dislodged, to protect their master. The small explosion was the part he wasn't to fond of. It sent the two androids careening, in opposite directions, and the razors scattered everywhere.

Pulling themselves to their feet, Woodman and Protoman charged each other, firing discs and leaves, pegging away at their foe. When they were about to collide, Proto called on his hilt, bringing up his shield he activated a quick-dash. The bash sent Woodman twirling across the floor, as his opponent closed in with his baton, smashing at him, like a madman. Raising his leg slightly, Wood fired four leaves, from his boot, slicing at the ribs of his attacker. He stood up, as Proto fell back, bleeding. Calling all his leaves back to his hands, they linked to each other, forming two green, twenty inch blades. He weaved the swords with precision, as Proto ejected his staff and desperately parried, slightly using magnetism, to waiver the blades.

Stopping a downward slash, he dropped his hilt, grabbing the swords with his hands. Snatching outward, with lightning speed, the blades shattered into thousands of the smaller leaves. As they separated, he pulled them all together, launching them into Woodman. The blow broke his armor, as Proto pounced on him, driving his baton into his face. The android reached up, grazing his neck with a few leaf blades. This merely angered the android. In a haze of frustration, he snatched the officer up by his armor, throwing him through the glass, to fall to the sidewalk below.

Woodman caught a grip of his belt, bringing Protoman into the open with him. As they took the thirty story drop, Rush dove out behind them. He landed on his master's back, locking his jaw onto the enemies arm, ripping it free. Digging his front claws into Proto's back, he activated his back leg boosters, pulling him upward. Woodman was propelled faster, due to the sudden change in inertia, and slapped hard to cement, through the snow.

As they set down, Rush let out a concerned whine. "I'm sorry, boy. I just haven't been thinking straight." Rush barked, as he gave him a quick ruffling of his fur. He walked over to the officer's body, turning it over. The red fluids and jelly-like substance poured from his head. Protoman pushed his fingers into the small crack, pulling the skull open, and taking the chip out. He held it up to Rush, "At least that wasn't so hard." He said, giving a half-grin.

He sat in the lobby, as he commed Tron, "Tron, all clear here. Open the loading ramp at the front door, I'm about to disarm the security now."

"On my way, Scott." She replied.

He limped back into Woodman's loft, shutting down his operations system. He looked at the bodies on the rail and in the boxes. He remembered the corpses in the freezers, as he took off his helmet and sat at the edge of the broken window, staring out at the burning city. Just a small fix, he thought.