A/N: It should be made clear in this chapter, but I'll point out that yes, Celes is human in this story. Not a robot.
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VI or any of its characters or rights. Nor do I own Mega Man or its setting.
Chapter 2
Celes woke later, her head groggy as the world came back into focus. Lights hung from the metal ceiling above her and the hum of machinery filled the room. Her body shifted and swayed, moved from some outside motion – she must be on Edgar's hovercraft. How'd she get there? Celes shifted, trying to sit up, but an ache flashed through her muscles and she groaned instead.
"You awake now?" Footsteps accompanied the voice, and she rolled her head to see Edgar there.
"You came to get me?"
He flashed a grin. "Of course, I couldn't leave you out there alone. It'd be rude of me."
A small smile pulled at her lips. The light overhead flashed off her visor as she shifted – she still had the suit on. "How's the suit?"
"Dead in the water," Edgar said with a shrug. "It couldn't take those hits one after another, but it held out enough to keep you in one piece, that was enough.
"Now that you're awake though, let's get it off you. Hit the release." It was an odd quirk that the suit wouldn't come off unless she did it from inside – a safety precaution Edgar called it. He assured her that drastic measures could be taken to remove it, if necessary, but from the way he said it, she hoped to never find out.
Celes flicked the switch and the suit split apart, seams appearing in metal that looked solid while armored pieces unlocked and fell away. Edgar picked up the larger pieces and moved them onto the table while Celes worked her arms out of the suit. Moving made her head throb though, and she fell back onto the padded bed. Lights danced in the fringes of her sight.
"Whoa there," Edgar laid a hand on her shoulder, "take it slow. You've got a bit of a concussion."
She sighed and closed her eyes, letting Edgar slip her legs out of the suit. Released from her hold, the rest of the suit fell to the floor, leaving her in the skintight under-suit that acted as a barrier and connector to the main suit – or so Edgar told her. He probably just liked seeing her in it.
Celes cracked her eyes open to watch him as he went about gathering the fallen pieces. Despite how he acted at other times, Edgar never teased or stared at her while she only had the skinsuit on. Perfect gentleman half of the time and habitual flirt the rest. Edgar made no sense.
Now she was the one staring, so she shifted her gaze elsewhere. It wasn't her first time in the hovercraft, Edgar often used it as a mobile engineering work space, but it amazed her how the place changed every time. Edgar sure stayed busy.
"I'm sorry about what happened back there," Edgar said, his voice soft. "I thought I knew what I was sending you into."
An image of the robot – Gutsman – flashed through her mind with vicious intensity, and she forced it down. "What did happen?"
Edgar shook his head. "I designed Gutsman. I built him. I know everything he's capable of – or I thought I did." Frustration lined his face when he glanced back at her. "He's different now. Stronger, tougher."
Celes blew out a breath. "So you think someone upgraded it? Engineered this whole thing? All the robots going crazy?"
"That I don't know," Edgar replied. He leaned back against the table to face her, the motion sending parts rattling aside. "It's certainly possible, but knowing that something changed Gutsman just tells us someone else might be involved, not necessarily orchestrating it all."
Grunting, Celes pushed up from the bed, waving Edgar off before he could jump to her aid. She sat on the edge, legs dangling over and eyes pinched shut. It took a few concentrated breaths to dispel the wave of dizziness. "It wasn't just the robot's armor. Whoever messed with it didn't just strengthen the body, they changed its programming."
Edgar leaned forward. "What do you mean?"
"Foreman robots don't get combat training. Gutsman was tactical when it attacked me. Strategic."
Silence settled between them for a moment before the ache in her head subsided and she looked up at him. Edgar ran a hand through his long hair and grimaced. "If they changed his purpose, turned him into a fighter, it could explain the aggression in the rest of the robots."
"It'd make sense."
Edgar sighed again and pushed away from the table. "Alright, I'll contact the mayor and get to work repairing your suit. Why don't you get some more rest?"
Celes shook her head, or started to before pain lanced through it. "Maybe when we get back. Relm's flying?" At Edgar's nod, Celes eased off the bed. "I'll see how she's doing then." It was an excuse, but she didn't like hanging around when Edgar was working, and she didn't feel like sleeping.
The cockpit was a small, simple area. Two seats faced the control panel and occupied most of the space, while the floor in between was claimed by their dog, Interceptor. He was Relm's friend foremost, but they'd all grown attached to him, and now he was as much a part of the group as any of them. When she walked in, the doberman raised his head to look, thumping his tail in greeting.
As Celes reached down to pat Interceptor, Relm glanced back from the pilot's seat. The girl's face lit up. "Celes!" Relm jumped out of the chair, bumping the controls in her haste. Celes braced against the wall as the ship tilted, and a shout rose from the backroom as Relm dashed back into the seat. "Sorry!" Relm shouted back as the ship leveled out.
An ache spread through Celes side at the jarring movements and she grimaced. "Thanks for that."
"You're standing, you'll live. Lemme just turn on auto-pilot." Relm flicked a few controls before jumping out of the seat again, hopping over Interceptor, and throwing her arms around Celes, who grunted at the impact. "I was worried you were hurt."
"I am hurt, stop squeezing," Celes countered, though she returned the embrace. "I'm fine though, just banged up."
"See? Shouldn't have gotten rid of me." Relm dropped back into the pilot seat, so Celes took the other, a pleased groan slipping out as she did. She'd only just stood up and it was already nice to get off her feet. "I'm a way better spotter then Edgar."
Relm might be right, but Celes wasn't going to admit it. The younger girl took overconfidence to another level. Celes leaned back in the chair, her eyes drifting to the open sky through the cockpit window. "Where're we heading?"
"Home, since you're up." Celes looked at Relm, curious, and the girl continued. "If you didn't wake up, we were going to take you to the hospital."
"Glad I woke up then," Celes grunted. "I've seen enough hospitals."
"Before you joined us, right?" Relm's voice rose in intensity as she glanced between Celes and out the cockpit window. "When you were a soldier?"
Celes looked away. She didn't want to remember those years. "Yes."
"Was it hard? Fighting in the robot wars?"
"No," Celes said with a shake of her head. "The fighting was the easy part."
"What-"
"I don't want to get into it."
Relm clamped her mouth shut. "Oh," she said, turning back to face the controls. "Okay."
A sigh slipped from Celes' lips. She hadn't meant to snap at the girl, but Relm wouldn't have let it go, never let anything go. Neither Relm nor Edgar knew specifics about her past, and Celes had no desire to fill them in. They knew she'd been in the Mega City military, and that was enough. The fact that she had answered to President Gestahl himself – head of the military and guiding hand to the Mayor of Mega City – wasn't something they needed to know.
Silence grew between them and Celes glanced over again to see Relm staring straight ahead, focused on a task that took her no focus. Another sigh escaped Celes, this one deepening to a growl – none of Celes' issues were Relm's fault, and she shouldn't take it out on the girl. "I'm not proud of some things I did," Celes said, breaking the silence as she tugged at her hair. "I don't like talking about any of it. With anyone."
Relm glanced at her. There must've been so many words waiting to spill out, so many questions – Celes knew the girl well enough to guess that – so Celes blinked in surprise when Relm asked, "Not even with Edgar?"
"Why would Edgar be any different?" Celes asked. "I haven't known him much longer then you. We met, what- a week ago? Two weeks?"
When Relm looked over again, there was a sparkle in her eye Celes didn't like. "Well yeah, but you two flirt all the time."
Celes gaped. "I don't flirt!"
Relm giggled. "Then why're you blushing?"
"I'm not!" The heat in Celes' face discredited her words, and she crossed her arms with a harrumph. "I don't blush."
"Yeah, okay," Relm snickered.
Celes cursed her fair skin. "Edgar flirt's with everyone, and you're just boy crazy."
Another laugh from the young girl, "That's true. Oh!" Relm jumped in her seat and the craft bounced with her. "There's this boy in school that's so cute! I mean, he looks like he was raised by wolves or something – his hair and clothing are always a mess – but it just makes him more wild and alluring." Celes quirked her brow – alluring? "He goes by Gau, but I think that's a nickname or something."
"And I thought I told you to stay away from that boy," Edgar popped his head in and Relm flinched. "I've heard about the fights he gets in. He's nothing but trouble."
"But he won those fights!" Relm whined. "Against boys in high school!"
Edgar frowned, warning in his tone when he said, "Relm."
"Ugh, fine." Slumping into the seat with her arms crossed, Relm pouted. Without a hand at the controls, the hovercraft tilted.
Celes glanced at the sloping ground out the front window. "Uh, Relm-"
"It's fine," the girl responded, kicking at the auto-pilot switch as she did. The craft leveled out. "This thing flies itself."
Edgar gave an exaggerated sigh and looked to Celes. "I've got a few ideas to upgrade your suit, but I have to get it back to the lab to test or implement any of it. Maybe come back tomorrow?"
"That's fine. Just drop me at my place, I'm not walking home in this." Celes gestured to herself, causing Edgar to glance down as well. He looked away again and cleared his throat.
"Right. We'll have to keep some clothes on board for you." Turning around, Edgar wandered into the back. "Drop Celes off first then, Relm."
Relm didn't reply, and Celes settled into her seat to wait. It was a shame she broke the suit on her first run out, but only a day to fix it? Edgar either overstated the damage or was entirely too good at his work. Seeing the kind of things he created, she guessed the latter. A good thing too, since she couldn't wait to get back out there. After leaving the military, this was exactly the kind of work she needed. Combat was something she excelled at.
"That was smooth."
Celes looked up at the smiling girl. "What was?"
"Bringing attention to yourself like that! I bet Edgar's back there imaging what you look like in that suit."
It might've been debatable before, but now Celes could feel the raging blush. She covered it with a growl of anger. "Relm! That's untrue and inappropriate!"
Relm giggled. "Oh come on, I hope I look half as good as you when I get older. Even I know you look amazing in that. Flaunt it!"
Celes leaned forward, rubbing a hand over her forehead. This was one argument she seemed destined to lose. Everything was attraction and romance to Relm, and Celes just didn't have the weapons to fight back.
#
A night of rest left Celes feeling world's better, though her head liked to ague the point with bouts of dizziness if she moved too sharply. It was deal with it or stay in bed though, which was how she found herself at Edgar's.
Celes walked down into Edgar's workshop after being let into the building by a serv-bot. She'd been there before, but it felt more official the first time. It was right after the competition Edgar propositioned Mega City to put together, and they'd called her in to discuss the results. It still amazed Celes the lengths all parties went to just to help one roboticist, no matter how brilliant. There had to be more to it.
She shook the thought away. Curious or not, if they didn't want to tell her, she didn't need to know. Everyone had secrets.
The workshop opened up as the serv-bot led her around the corner. Pieces and parts of things she couldn't imagine littered the tables, and even some of the chairs. Half built robot chassis lay separate from the rest, while drawings and calculations covered the many whiteboards around the room. Large equipment was here and there, situated near the aforementioned tables and used for when he went from planning to development, or so she imagined. Among it all stomped a robot taller then any of them, its head clearing the eight foot ceiling by a small margin. Celes flashed back to Gutsman on seeing the large machine, but when it turned her way she felt nothing of the intimidation she did with the other – which was odd in itself. Robots weren't alive, so why did Gutsman give off any feeling at all?
"Ah, Celes," Edgar appeared, winding his way among the chaos strewn around the room. "Glad you're here, the suit's fixed up and ready for you to test it out."
Celes smiled and shook her head. "You really managed to fix it in one day?"
"You doubted me?" Edgar gave a dramatic gasp. "I'm hurt. I had it fixed before bed last night I'll have you know." He waved off her surprise. "Anyway, that's not the best part. I spent all morning on improvements and adjustments – you brought the skinsuit, right?" Celes pulled down her shirt collar, revealing the suit beneath. "Perfect! Go on into the back and suit up so we can try it out!"
Edgar was like a child when it came to his work, and Celes suppressed a laugh. "You act like this'll be a first for you. You made it, you know."
He rolled his eyes and moved next to her, putting his hand on her shoulder to half guide, half push her on. "Of course I made it, but I developed the suit to your specifications. No one can wear it but you, so I can't test it without you."
No wonder he was so eager. "Alright, I get it. Now stop dragging me." Edgar released her and she continued on into the next room. Thankfully, she didn't need assistance getting the suit on, it was bad enough dressing down to the skinsuit without having another person's hands all over her.
Celes found the suit standing against the wall of a much cleaner, more organized room. Objects still sat in places around the room, but out of the way. The room felt more like an actual work area for an acclaimed roboticist then the main area from before, but what did she know about being a scientist? Combat strategy and robotic development were light years apart.
When she stepped into it, the suit felt snug against her skin, and once she got the rest of the way inside it sealed closed around her, fitting even better then she remembered. Edgar did mention it was tailored to her, something he must've improved upon after her first trip out. Once she got the helmet on and booted up she stepped down off the ledge, marveling again at how easily it moved when just moments before it was standing rigid against the wall. Now the metal moved and conformed to her like it was normal clothing. It was a soldier's dream gear.
"Good, you're all suited up," Edgar's voice rang out through the earpiece, startling her. That was the downside to the suit, she was never alone. "Come on out here, I want to show you a few new things."
Heaving a sigh, Celes headed out into the main area where Edgar waited. She crossed her arms as he looked her over. "Couldn't have waited until I came out on my own?"
Edgar closed in on her, "Just testing the microphone." He circled her, just once but enough to push her comfort level. Celes was never sure what Edgar was thinking. He switched from engineer to ladykiller at will. "I don't see any problems. It fits well?"
Too well. "It fits fine."
"Fine?" he frowned. "It should fit perfectly. I'll have to recheck the measurements."
Her measurements, he meant. Celes groaned, "Fine, yes, it fits perfectly. Like it was made for me."
Edgar gave her a small smile. "Because it was. You shouldn't be embarrassed. I made the suit a thing of genius, but you," he stepped back and gestured to her, "you make it a thing of beauty."
Celes rolled her eyes. "You're incorrigible."
"I only speak the truth. Now then," he swept back over to his workstation, "let me show you what your improved suit can do." Edgar tapped at his screen and a small circle appeared in the corner of her visor. "What you just noticed is your radar. The dot in the center is you, the green dot is me, and the scattered yellow dots are the active robots here."
"Huh," Celes looked it over, noting all the points as he mentioned them, "you took yesterday's problem to heart."
"We can't always be there to watch your surroundings, and I believe you're better suited to monitoring threats for yourself."
"How does it identify the different signal's?"
"It's all integrated into your system," he said, waving at her visor. "People and robots are easy to separate, but there's also a threat identification built in. If you recognize a signal as a threat, the dot'll turn red."
Celes frowned. "That sounds dangerous, what if it makes a mistake?"
"Have a little faith, Celes. It's just a visual indication of your own perception. If you change your mind about something, the color will change to match."
"What?" Celes snapped her gaze to him. "Mental recognition? The military doesn't have anything like that, how do you?"
Edgar shrugged, but a smile played over his face. "Well it's my own design, but it's still in development. Yours is the first, fully functional model. There's more though!" He spun back to his screen, waving her over. Celes still frowned, not settled by his lack of concern. The tech he was talking about, and putting in her suit, was beyond cutting edge.
He was talking again, and she focused on his screen as a simulation came up. "This is the really interesting stuff. I designed the core of your suit for limitless advancement. What you've been working with – the mega-buster and jump jets – are only the very basics. Now watch this." As he flicked through commands and menus, an image of the mega-suit filled the screen. "So this is your basic setup, but if I add in another core," a small yellow orb appeared on screen before merging with the suit, changing the colors from shades of blues to yellows, "the suit changes, gaining power."
"Gaining power how? And why'd it change color?"
"The how is the best part!" Edgar turned away from the screen to face Celes, his face glowing with excitement. "It all depends on what power the suit absorbs. So in this simulation, I set the power type to electricity," with a tap at the screen, Edgar made the suit there fire off a bolt like a spark, "and voila, your mega-buster changes to this new type of power."
Celes shook her head, trying to comprehend it all. "Just like that? I get hit with lightning or whatever and I can suddenly use it?"
"Well, no, not the actual power itself," Edgar rolled his neck and shoulders, looking less comfortable then a moment before. "Your suit integrates the power core's of other similar systems."
There was something he wasn't saying. "So I have to bring the core back here for you to work into the suit? And what's a similar system?"
"You know how I mentioned my best works on the last mission? Well those particular robots were rudimentary versions of your suit's design. Their core's would work."
Celes narrowed her eyes. "You ignored my first question."
Edgar sighed. "No, you wouldn't bring it back here. The core will merge into your suit on touch."
"You want to mix foreign systems into mine?" she asked through gritted teeth, her voice rising. "And you're telling me that somehow the metal will just combine into the suit?" Celes spun away, shaking her head. "Edgar, that's insane."
"No," his voice was slow and calm, "that's science."
"A science that only exists for you? Even the suit is years ahead of anything I've ever heard of, and now this?"
"Celes," he waited until she turned to look at him, her scowling face clashing with his confident one. "You're right, the world doesn't have any of this yet, but I've devoted my life to this work. Please, trust me on this. I wouldn't dare put you in any danger." Celes gave him a pointed look and he cleared his throat. "Besides the whole sending you off to fight thing I mean. That's a danger you know though. I promise my tech will never hurt you."
Edgar looked more serious in that moment then she'd ever seen him. Combined with the feeling in his voice, it was rather embarrassing, and Celes looked away, unable to match his gaze. "Fine, but I want to know these kind of things. If I'm part of this, I want to know what I'm part of."
"So you want to know more about me?" Edgar asked, his voice losing its serious edge. "I've been told I write a mean net profile."
Celes sighed, the tension of the moment breaking. Dealing with Edgar was tiring. "I'll pass on that. Can we get back to how this whole core absorbing this is useful? I mean, how many different core's could you possibly have out there?"
Edgar scratched his head and chuckled "Well, all this stuff isn't cheap, so I've been known to do a commission or two... or more."
Celes stared at him. She probably didn't want to know, but, "How many is more?"
"I'd have to pull up my records to really get a precise number."
"Edgar."
"Around twenty," he relented without looking at her. "Maybe more."
"Twenty!" Celes gaped. "I thought this tech was new!"
"New-ish," Edgar corrected. "I've been experimenting with it for some time, and the best way to do that is through practice."
"So none of this is secret, the tech is out there. Why hasn't anyone else used it? Reverse engineered yours, or whatever." Celes paused before giving him a hard look. "They haven't, have they?"
"They haven't," Edgar confirmed, "because it's not that easy to do. Without knowing what I know, I imagine they haven't been able to figure any of it out."
"Because you're just smarter, is that it?"
Edgar shrugged. "I'm good at what I do, but I'm no natural genius. I love my work and I work hard doing it. Maybe they just don't."
Celes sat down, shaking her head. Talking to Edgar was changing her entire view of the world. She knew military and government kept secrets, but did the commercial sector have their own? Was Mega-City flooded with secret, super advanced robots? Or was Edgar just smarter on his own then entire teams of other scientists?
Then there was the worst thing to consider – what if Gestahl already had this kind of technology? Even if he hadn't managed to replicate it yet, nothing would keep him from trying, and eventually he would succeed. Gestahl would create an army of Gutsman robots or mega-suit armored soldiers, and then nothing would stop him or his ambitions. She couldn't let that happen – and she might actually have the power to stop it.
"Is that the plan then?" Celes asked. "Find these robots of yours, then destroy them and absorb their cores?"
"Not-" Edgar frowned. "Well, I guess that's not too far off. You make it sound genocidal though."
"Edgar, they're just robots."
He said nothing, but his mouth twisted. "Alright," Edgar relented, "but let's take this one step at a time. Gutsman's the problem."
Celes nodded, leaning back into the chair. "Right, even at full charge, my blaster barely scratched him." She scoffed. "If he wasn't a robot, I'd even say it made him mad."
Edgar looked back to his screen, tapping at it. "That's why I made these improvements. Directly powering up the mega-buster would take too long, so we needed something else." He leaned toward her, steepling his fingers in front of his smile. "We need the power of Bombman."
Her brow twitched. "Bombman? Really? Let me guess, it throws bombs?"
His posture deflated. "It was a label more then a name, alright? It just kinda stuck."
"No, no," Celes said, crossing her arms, "it makes perfect sense. Hey, while we're at it, I'm wearing a mega-suit, why don't you just call me Megaman?"
Celes wore a smirk of triumph. Edgar had an answer to everything, winning a verbal bout against him was sweet – or would've been, had he not looked up at her with bright eyes and a smile. "Really?" Edgar asked. "You wouldn't mind?"
She grit her teeth. "You're not calling me Megaman."
Edgar cleared his throat. "Right, of course not," he pushed up from his chair, straightened his jacket, and walked over to a large map on the wall. "A beautiful name like Celes suits you better, I'd say."
"Anyway," Celes sighed, blaming herself for sidetracking them, "you were talking about this Bomberman?"
"Bombman, yes. It's a robot I designed for demolition work. The bombs it uses should have plenty of power to break Gutsman's armor."
"Didn't you say these robots were commissioned? Are the owners just going to let me waltz in and wreck their robot?"
"I spoke with them earlier this morning to try and work something out. They've agreed to return Bombman to me on the condition that I develop a new version for them." Edgar flashed a smile over his shoulder. "So don't worry, they won't try to stop you. There were some imperfections in his system I wanted to work out anyway, and a rework will let me do just that."
The thought twisted at Celes' gut, and at her new formed plans. If Edgar just went around rebuilding every dangerous robot she destroyed, nothing would change. "Aren't these robots too dangerous?" she appealed to Edgar. "What if someone got hold of even one and reprogrammed it? Turned it against the city?"
Edgar held up a finger, swishing it as he tutted at her. "They're not nearly so fragile as that. I designed their systems to be self-contained – once they're activated, any outside influence is completely impossible. They can't be reprogrammed."
"Oh really," Celes deadpanned. "Didn't we agree someone had changed Gutsman?"
"No, that was simply the option you wanted to be true. We don't know what really happened to him."
"Why did you even give it as an option if you don't believe it's possible?"
Edgar fiddled with his collar. "I have to consider all options before I eliminate them."
"You just didn't bother to tell me you'd crossed that one off then, is that it?" Celes scowled.
"Until I could offer you some concrete proof-"
"Edgar, we just talked about this! Stop keeping things from me!"
"Alright, I'm sorry," Edgar said, his hands coming up in a placating gesture. "I'm sorry. I'll have to work on that." His apologetic look wasn't enough to remove her glare, but she unclenched her hands.
"Is there anything else you should fill me in on?"
Edgar shrugged, "Well, I don't like to say things without knowing I'm right."
"You think that's something I didn't know?"
"More of a lead in, really." He paused and took a long breath. "There's something different about the robots I make. Not all of them, just the ones we're talking about, the ones I create with these cores to be a kind of masters of singular purpose."
Celes nodded and, with effort, calmed her glare and posture. At least he was trying to talk to her. "Okay, so what's different about these robot masters?"
"I'm not entirely sure yet, they just feel like more then simple robots."
That could be his own hubris or connection talking – these were special robots using his unique tech after all. Either way, it didn't feel right to stomp on his feelings. Celes just shrugged, "You'll figure it out, so make sure you tell me when you do. Agreed?"
He bowed, snapping out his jacket with a flourish. "You have my word, lady."
She rolled her eyes. "Let's just go get this Bombman then."
#
The trip took them to the outskirts of Mega-City, where land was being cleared away. Terrain in the surrounding area rose and fell in cliffs and valleys, with ground made more of rock and stone then dirt. Trying to build anything out there would be pointless without leveling the land out first, which must be where Bombman came in. That much made sense before they even arrived.
What didn't made sense was the dour mood among the workers gathered there as Edgar and Celes made their way into the camp. Edgar contacted them ahead of time to work out the deal, and while it would slow down their work for awhile, they crew would come out ahead in the end with the reparations. Workers they passed wore faces of discontent, either angry or sad, and Celes matched every scowl and glare with one of her own. Nobody made a move toward them, but Celes didn't feel welcome.
The management waited for them further in, with Bombman standing behind them. It wasn't hard to recognize the robot for what it was, not with its round body and belt loaded with little fuses. No bombs though. Odd.
"Ah, Dr. Light," one of the two men greeted, his clothes a match for the always well dressed Edgar, "welcome."
Edgar shook the man's hand. "Thank you for your cooperation here, Mr. Larkin. I wouldn't ask this if it wasn't necessary."
Larkin nodded. "I understand. We've all heard of the riot down at the construction area. Messy business. Anything we can do to to help." Larkin's gaze shifted. "And who's this with you?"
"This is my new associate, Celes Volnutt."
Something flashed in the man's eyes. "The renowned soldier?"
"Retired," Celes responded.
"Ah, a shame. I've heard of your prowess in battle."
Celes clenched her fists to keep the expression from her face. The places Gestahl sent her, the people he had her fight, rarely held any sort of fair fight. Intimidation and slaughter all too often.
"Never fear, good sir," Edgar cut in before she could respond, "her skill won't go to waste. Celes is invaluable to my work."
A smile came back to Larkin's face, erasing whatever Celes had seen there. "I'm glad to hear that, Dr. Light. Now then, shall we get about the business at hand?"
Larkin stepped aside, but before they could move toward Bombman, the other man there blocked the way. "Just want to make sure," the man said, "you're going to replace what you're taking, right? And he won't be changed or harmed because of it?"
Celes frowned at the man's choice of words. Again, Edgar spoke up, "I will certainly replace the core, as agreed, just as soon as I develop a new one. However, being without his power core for so long will reset Bombman's programming to his default setting." Edgar sighed, his voice apologetic. "I'm afraid any additions made in his time here will be lost. He'll be just the same as when you first received him – only better, of course."
A storm came over the man's face and he spun on Larkin.
"No."
Whatever the man might've said died on his lips as everyone there turned to Bombman. Larkin broke the silence first as he frowned at the other man. "You altered its programming? You don't have the authority for that!"
The man glared right back. "I didn't-"
"No," Bombman said again, silencing the argument. "You will take nothing from me."
Edgar took a step forward, and Bombman took a step back. "It won't hurt you," Edgar said. "You'll just sleep for awhile. Nothing more."
Something changed then, as Bombman's brow came down to glare at Edgar. A shiver raced down Celes' spine at the familiar feeling. "No!" Bombman said again, its volume rising. "I will not!" Then it pulled back its arm as if to throw something and a large, black ball materialized in its hand., which it flung toward them.
Edgar rammed into her side, catching her off guard and knocking them both to the floor as he shouted, "Get down!"
The black thing soared past them and Celes flung Edgar away. "Edgar! What are you doing?"
Then the room exploded.
Dust hung in the air as rubble skittered across the floor around them. Edgar lay on the floor, blinking and shaking his head as Celes stood, protected by the stunning effects of the explosion. The entire back wall of the room had collapsed, with broken ceiling beams dangling over the twisted and broken remains of stone and metal.
"What- was that a bomb that thing threw?"
"Of course it was," Edgar answered, a little louder then necessary. "What did it look like?"
"Not a bomb!" Celes scowled, helping him up from the floor as she scanned the room. Bombman had backed away to the far side of the area, but the only way out was past her.
"Really?" Edgar asked, surprise in his voice. "Didn't you ever watch cartoons?"
She paused, then turned to him. "What on earth does that have to do with anything?"
She didn't get her answer. "That's the only warning you get," Bombman said, drawing her attention back. "Leave me alone!"
"Warning?" Celes snapped. "You nearly brought the building down on us! Now stand down and do as you're ordered!"
Thankfully Larkin and the other guy there were smart enough to get out of the way, as rather then standing down, Bombman materialized another bomb. "No!"
"Blast it, Edgar!" Celes snagged him by the collar and hauled him along as she dove for cover. Another explosion rocked the building and brought down another corner of the room. "Can't you make a normal robot?"
His response came as a halfhearted grumble, "Where would be the science in that."
Celes popped up from their cover and fired at the homicidal robot – she had to keep it from throwing more bombs or it would bury them all alive. "Just get out of here! And take the other two with you!" She didn't wait for an answer before leaping from cover. Edgar wasn't an idiot, he could take care of things so long as she gave him time to do it.
All the dust in the air hid Bombman from her, so she flicked her visor into scan mode, searching for robotic energy signatures – and found one not ten feet ahead of her. More concerning was the small, powerful energy beside the large source. Celes snapped off a shot at the small source.
A third explosion blasted her off her feet and across the room, slamming her against the far wall. Her knees buckled as she slid down the wall, but she shook off the hit, focusing on the fact that something able to literally create bombs out of thin air was trying to kill them all – and anyway, after jumping from a ten story building, what was a simple explosion?
An inane giggle slipped past her lips at the ridiculous thought.
Celes cleared her throat and crept over the debris covered floor. Her visor still showed the large energy source – Bombman no doubt – but showed no sign of another small source. Nor was Bombman moving. She took her time, covering the distance carefully and waiting for the dust to settle.
Once it did, she relaxed – just a breath – and moved closer to the fallen robot. Bombman lay flat out on the floor, grunting and groaning as it struggled to get up. Charred marks and cracks covered its body, with sparks flashing from beneath the surface in more then one place. Worse though, the robot's right arm was missing entirely, and frayed cables stuck out from the shoulder joint. Despite it all, Bombman glared up at her as she approached.
"Now," Celes said, leveling her blaster arm at the robot, "give it up."
A look of utter loathing came over Bombman's face. "They will all know what you've done here, human." The robot fell back to the floor as it held its left arm aloft. "And we will not give up."
A terrible feeling flashed through Celes even before the bomb materialized in the robot's left hand. She was too close, and it didn't need good aim to catch her in the explosion. Flicking her arm down, Celes fired at Bombman's arm, snapping it at the elbow. The bomb rolled to the floor beside it even as she spun away and vaulted over the nearest thing she could find. The explosion followed right behind, and it slammed into her cover, pushing it over onto her and sending them both sliding across the floor. Then everything went still.
Beneath the object, some sort of large equipment, Celes groaned. If not for the suit, she'd have been crushed. Her breath caught – Edgar. With a grunt of effort, Celes shoved the equipment off to the side and pushed to her feet. The ceiling was gone, along with a another wall – that the entire place hadn't collapsed yet seemed a miracle. Not the best end to a fight.
"Edgar!" Celes shouted, spinning as she surveyed the room. "Blast it, Edgar, answer me!" The sound of muffled voices made her turn to a far wall. The ceiling there had caved in, and a beam hung down against the floor, holding the chunk of rubble together. Celes dashed over and grabbed the whole thing, intent on lifting it, but it creaked and crumbled in a way she didn't trust to hold together.
"Celes?" Edgar's voice carried through her earpiece. "Celes? Are you there?"
Celes sighed in relief. "I'm here, and apparently you're alive under there."
"Is that concern I hear? Why Celes, you do care."
This blasted man. "I can still shoot you if you don't shut up." Edgar only laughed at her comment. She'd have to graze him one of these days, just to make her point. "You want me to leave you under there?"
A faint protest came through the earpiece. "Calm down," Edgar said, "she won't actually leave us. You're scaring Larkin, by the way."
"Sounds crowded."
"It's actually rather roomie in here, even with- what is your name anyway?" Edgar paused. "Ah, well, nice to properly meet you, Kyle.
"Wait, you're not pinned under this debris?"
"More trapped, really. It's blocking the only door out of this room."
Celes blew out a loud breath. Why'd she even bother to worry? "Then get away from the door and let me get you out."
It wasn't long until she heard Edgar reply, "All clear, beautiful lady."
Grabbing the beam with her hand, she fired her buster at the bend up in the ceiling. The metal flared red hot from the energy blast and snapped, its softened form unable to bear the weight. Celes stumbled forward before bracing and shoving the rubble off to the side – and taking out part of another wall in the process. Not like anyone would notice a bit more damage.
As the dust settled, the three men came into view, picking their steps with care through the debris. Celes glared at them each in turn. "What the hell did you make, Edgar?" He blinked, his smile drooping. "What kind of robot argues with and attacks people? Or blows itself up like that? It almost killed all of us because of some sort of identity crisis! Which is ridiculous since robots don't have an identity!" By the end, Celes was yelling more then anything, her hands flinging out in wild gestures as her chest heaved. Now that Edgar was safe, she wanted to kill him.
For his part, Edgar swallowed and dusted off his hands. "Things are, admittedly, going a little differently then expected." Celes glared harder. "We'll figure this out though. Later." When she opened her mouth to argue, he cut her off. "Where's Bombman?"
Celes growled but pointed, "What's left of it should be over there."
The third man, Kyle apparently, pushed past Edgar and Larkin, but didn't get far. The room beyond collapsed from the explosion, leaving a pile of rubble, and the man knelt at the edge of it all. His shoulders sagged. Celes caught a wisp of sound as the man spoke, but it was too quiet to make out. Ignoring the strange man, she turned back to Edgar. "Well now what? There's no way that robot isn't scrap."
"The core will still be there." Celes waited, expecting more, and after a pause, Edgar smirked and waved to the rubble. "Which means you need to get it out."
"Haven't you done enough?" The harsh snap from the other man cut them off before Celes could reply, and they both turned. Now red in the face, Kyle jumped to his feet, his every twitch and movement sharp. "You've buried him! At least leave him be!"
"Oh for the love of all," Celes swore, throwing up her hands. "It's a robot! Or was. Not your friend, or your coworker, or anything else. Get over it!"
"How can you still say that? After Bomber fought for his life against you?"
"And blew itself up!" Celes shot back at the man, but couldn't shake off his words. Something was wrong about the whole thing, and none of it made sense the way it should. A robot was a robot, and Bombman was a robot – so why didn't it act like one?
"Enough," Edgar's somber voice pulled her from the argument. "I know you have questions, Celes, and I'll answer them back at my lab." He shifted to the other man without waiting for a response. "And I'm truly sorry for your loss. I hadn't intended for it to go this way."
The words did little to calm the man. "Oh I heard how you intended for it to go. Bomber would've been dead either way, so you can just shove your apologies!"
Larkin stepped up between them and frowned at the man. "Now listen here-"
"Shove off, Larkin!" the man yelled and shoved Larkin back into Edgar. "I quit!" Then he turned and stomped from the room.
Celes stared after him, unsure what to make it the outburst. The guy seemed a little too attached. Did he really think Bombman was a friend?
Her attention shifted back as Larkin cleared his throat and tugged his shirt straight. "Well then," he turned to Edgar. "I apologize for the man's outburst."
Edgar waved the man off, but his eyes focused elsewhere. Thoughts raced behind those eyes, she'd seen that look often enough to know it. After a moment, he looked to her, then to the collapsed room. His lips twitched down. "We should finish up here."
Right, he wanted her to dig the robot out. With a sigh, she went to work, tossing bits of rubble off to the side and shifting larger pieces and lengths of support beams out of the way. Sweat crawled down her neck, the work tiring even with the suit's enhanced strength.
A light flashed beneath the wreckage, and she paused before digging her way toward it. It wasn't a reflection of sunlight, it was too clear for that. Chunks of stone tumbled away under her hands as more flickers of light seeped between them, until she shoved a piece aside and caused everything around the spot to scatter down the pile. From beneath rose the light, radiating from a crystal that hung in the air, its slow rotation sending streams of light flashing around the room.
Celes stared, amazed, as the crystal rose higher to hover before her eyes. It was the size of her head and as thick as her wrist – and utterly unlike anything she'd ever seen. Her voice came out in soft tones, "Is this the core?"
"Yes," Edgar answered. "It's called a Refractor."
She spared a glance his way. "What do I do with it?"
"Take it."
Her brow twitched. "Just grab it? That's it?" Edgar smiled and waved a hand toward the crystal in answer. It hung silent in the air before her, its slow spin defying gravity and physics alike, while she hesitated.
"It won't hurt you, Celes."
She scowled back at him, knowing he wore that irritating grin before she saw it. Then she snatched the crystal out of the air – and it burst into pure light that swirled for a breath before flowing up her arm. The suit glowed in its wake, and her skin tingled, warm like rays of sunlight poured over it. Information flashed across her visor faster then she could understand it. All of it grew stronger, more intense, until she couldn't see the room past the glow around her and her back arched with the feeling racing through the suit.
Then everything stopped.
Celes swayed forward and fought to get her balance. A hand caught her elbow and she looked up to see Edgar there. "What was that?" she asked through panted breaths, feeling winded and exhilarated all at once.
"That," Edgar began, "was your suit absorbing the foundation of the energy that created Bombman. It's a lot to take in at once. I imagine it bled over into your skinsuit a bit." He cocked his head at her as she straightened up. "How do you feel?"
"Amazing," Celes breathed – and promptly swatted Edgar with her free hand. "You could've warned me!"
Edgar danced away from her, rubbing the shoulder she hit. "I didn't know what it'd do!"
"You told me you did!"
"Well, I mean, I did," he said, backpedaling. "Of course I knew your suit would absorb it, I just didn't know how it would affect you... exactly." Her fist and jaw clenched in sync, and Edgar dropped the hands he'd raised in defense. Instead, he actually had the gall to move toward her. "It wouldn't have hurt you, Celes. I wouldn't dare risk it if I wasn't completely sure of that."
She should hit him again. He never told her more then just enough to get her to cooperate. Something in his eyes stopped her though, a feeling of sincerity to his words, and she felt the tension bleed out of her. Scowling at him would have to be enough. "Fine. So," Celes tried to remember their conversation from the lab, "I just have Bombman's ability now?"
"Yep, that was all you needed."
She waited a breath. "And? Is there a control switch for it somewhere?"
"No, that didn't seem like an efficient method. You already have enough controls to deal with, and your suit can hold any number of different abilities. The switch is voice activated. Just command the change."
Celes arched a brow – an expression that was becoming almost permanent around Edgar. Then she shrugged and took a breath. Might as well try it. "Switch to bombs."
Nothing felt different, nor was there any flash of light or energy, the suit merely changed colors at her words, its hues shifting from blue to black. As it settled, she held her arms out for a better look. The style was the same as before, with darker shades of color on the thick areas of her arms and legs, but the main colors were different. All in the blink of an eye.
Impressed despite herself, Celes marveled over the change. She'd have to test the bombs out sometime. "Switch to blaster."
Nothing happened. Celes frowned.
"Buster," Edgar said. "Mega-buster to be precise, but your suit'll react to buster just the same."
"But not blaster," she said, giving him another look.
"Well blaster would imply something closer to the standard hand gun's usable by anyone with a hand. Your buster is different."
Celes rolled her eyes. More likely he just wanted to name it. "Switch to buster." In a shift of hues, the suit turned blue again.
With the change, Edgar nodded, a satisfied grin on is face. "I think we're done here."
#
With Bombman's power in Celes' grasp, they wasted no time getting on their way. Again they sat in the hovercraft, waiting as they powered over the city with Relm at the controls. Not that it was idle time. Celes had come to the conclusion that Edgar didn't know the meaning of such a thing. He'd connected her to the craft's computers the moment they got back on board, his hands flying over the screens as he ran diagnostics – or so she assumed.
Celes eventually tired of the silence. "Everything okay, Edgar?"
"Of course," he said, flashing her a smile. "Just double checking the suit's systems before you go a second round with Gutsman."
Fighting the hulking robot again gave her a nervous feeling of anticipation. Much as she'd be glad for the rematch, the robot's power had been made quite clear last time. She flexed her right hand inside the buster. "You think this'll work?"
His hands paused as they flitted across his console, then pulled away as he turned to her. "I know no reason it wouldn't. Your bombs have more pure explosive power then your buster, even when charged," he assured her. "They'll crack Gutsman's armor."
His words, and the confidence behind them, eased her worries that she was rushing into a fight she couldn't win. Then her smile of thanks flattened into a more comfortable frown of annoyance. "How about you tell me what's wrong with your robots then?"
An expression to mirror hers crossed his face. "I wouldn't say it was something wrong-"
"Edgar."
He cut off at her growl and sighed. "Yes, they are different, both Gutsman and Bombman, and the others."
"How-"
"Guys!" Relm shouted from the cockpit.
"In a minute!" Celes called back. She wasn't about to have this answer put off again, and she kept her stare intent on Edgar. "How-"
Relm's voice cut her off again. "Don't get mad at me if you miss this!"
Edgar's apologetic shrug did nothing to calm Celes as she jumped up and stomped into the cockpit. "What?" she snapped.
"That!" Relm snapped back with a matching glare as she pointed at the video monitor. Though the volume was down, the headline across the screen and type of footage shown made it clear the girl had a news channel going.
She stopped Celes for this? "So-" Celes cut off as the details of the image filtered through her annoyance. Shots of destroyed pavement and half constructed buildings filled the scene, and the headline laid it out for her.
"Rioting robots disappeared," Edgar murmured from behind her, close enough that she jumped at the voice.
Surely the situation couldn't have changed so much in a couple days, could it? "You think they finished that tower they were so focused on?" Celes asked.
A frown crossed his face. "Even with the number of robots there, the blueprint for the tower called for thirty floors on top of the ten you saw half built. That would be an incredible pace."
"Then why..." Celes trailed off as she watched the news play by in near silence. More words scrolled along beneath the headline, their smaller font filling in more details of the coverage. With the dangerous robots now gone, the Mayor had promised to focus on the reconstruction of the city with the financial aid secured from interested groups. It seemed the whole disaster would soon be a memory – which did nothing to solve the deeper problem of a group of killer robots on the loose.
Celes looked to Edgar and was sure the unsettled expression on his face matched her own. "So what now?"
As he met her eyes, he smiled and shrugged. "I guess we'll be home in time for dinner."
