As an Author's note, the last little bit of this fic/chapter is probably going to be more significant to anyone who has read/remembers the last poem from Tales of the Sky's second chapter.
The next morning was a lazy affair. Omega awoke to the sounds of birds happily singing outside of his window, their cheerful voices rising in a beautiful crescendo. He went through his morning ritual without a hitch, but with nothing to do after he simply lay around his room. Legion was a boring place for a God of Destruction, after all. Noon uneventfully arrived before he finally got so bored that he left to explore the complex he was confined to. While traveling through the government building's assorted halls, rooms and gardens, he couldn't help but wonder why the day was so peaceful. Boring as hell, but peaceful. His question went unanswered for about a half-hour as he pondered, mildly enjoying the time to himself, before a glance at some of the staff members brought to mind Master Mikhail's announcement from earlier.
The fighting tournament. Of course! There was where his answer lay. It would be quite the event, he realized. People all over would be coming to it, nations and individuals alike. Most of Legion's staff would be busy preparing for that. That also brought to mind his tentative allies as well, as them and other Raiders in general would be quiet now as well. No doubt they too would be preparing for the event, as it would be the best time for terrorist acts. Omega huffed snidely. As if Legion would ever let that happen easily. They had about eight Mega Men on their side... no, wait, make that ten. Pandora and her brother, 'Black' were probably Mega Men too, weakened as they were. Even without those two, though, anyone against the rule of Legion would have to think twice about trying anything against them unprepared. Omega spared only a bare thought about why Pandora and Black were so weakened, but decided to leave that thought for later and continued his idle wanderings about Legion.
Even when he eventually wandered into one of the two Masters, nothing really happened. Upon his inquiry, the elder had told him that no, there weren't any missions he could do that day. Nothing had really come up. And so, Omega continued his walk until the sun had set and the day passed into night.
The next day went very much the same. Once again, the world seemed to be in a lull, no activity available for a hired sword such as himself. The only thing interesting about that day was a short conversation with Viral, who mentioned something about his solution to Omega's flying problem being a little harder to deal with than initially thought. The program had come up with an idea, but it was very risky, and probability tests would have to be made to ensure it would work. Scenarios would have to be run and re-run, DNA would have to be tested multiple times to ensure stability, and so on and so forth. It wasn't like before, where the potential systems had the leeway of centuries of being locked up to work on upgrades, or like with the EX Combos, which were pretty much compatible already. Omega simply gave Viral a disappointed but understanding reply. He'd rather not risk his safety just for the ability to fly, even if he was starting to get stir-crazy after just a day and a half of inactivity. After all, he remembered all too clearly what had happened when he'd tried the Model A's EX Combo without first testing it out. Besides, if things continued as they were now, they'd have all the time in the world. With that, Viral bubbled gleefully in response and continued his work.
As such, that day also passed without incident. And so did the next day, and the day after that. The days began to slip into weeks, most incidents occurring being relatively minor. These were usually dealt with by the Mega Men. Omega, if he was ever called up, was usually sent out on patrols or to run quick errands for Legion. He kept on his best behavior while doing so. Anyone except for him would think that the normally sarcastic, aggravating and violent mercenary had somehow turned over a new leaf. Omega was sure to always act cordially with everyone. He was polite, did his missions promptly and without fuss, and even acted mildly friendly to everyone he met. He also kept a smile on every time the Masters invited him to discussions about the tournament, being as helpful with ideas as he could while simultaneously noting down every single detail he could and remembering it for his escape later. Overall, he portrayed himself as the most pleasant, if quiet, person you could ever meet (well, not really, but he was a lot more polite compared to what he'd been like earlier).
The Masters, if anyone were to ask, were sure that it was because he'd finally gotten over his fear of doctors. They presumed that now that he wasn't afraid of being jumped by one at any moment in Legion, he had calmed down significantly. He was surrounded by kind people and gentle unlike those in Hunter's camp, because although most people were nice there, they tended to be a little rough around the edges. He also wasn't as stressed as much about his life or his personal space; surely this was a sign that he'd finally accepted his new position?
That was what he let them believe, anyways. They'd gone and convinced themselves and everyone else that he'd changed. Who was he to argue that? It suited him and his plans well enough. None of them knew of the insidious plot just below the surface, after all. Let them think he was being a good little boy. His scheme would simply come as even more of a nasty surprise.
Only one outstanding incident had occurred during the first few weeks after his meeting with the kitsuroids. It wasn't even a big one, really. It had all come about when Omega had decided that his clothes finally needed a washing, no one else was going to do it for him after all. Of course, he had conveniently forgotten that he'd never actually used a washing machine before. It wasn't his fault the thing had too many damn buttons...
Omega had stood there like an idiot, staring at the machine dumbly until one of the Mega Men had walked in on the situation. Aile, being the motherly type, didn't need more than a glance at the hopeless God of Destruction's expression before she'd given a small laugh and shown him the ropes. That incident, thankfully, wasn't well known by the other Mega Men. This was good, because if either Atlas or Aeolus had gotten ahold of the info he would've never heard the end of it. Speaking of those two, they seemed to have some sort of grudge with him, trying to outdo him at every opportunity. And he let them... most of the time.
Several more weeks passed before anything really major occurred. Multiple things, in fact, and they all seemed to happen at once. The first of these things to occur was a narrow escape from being discovered. Omega had been leisurely walking down a hall when it happened.
It had been yet another sunny, boring day. Omega was dully staring out a window when he heard a commotion behind him. He turned around, only to quickly start swearing under his breath and turn back to looking outside the window. Copy X had, out of nowhere, appeared alongside the Masters, whom were discussing about the fighting tournament. Something about 'Neo Arcadia not joining the festivities, although thank you for the offer, etc etc.' Putting his wit and reactions to the test, Omega began fumbling with his hair as if trying to fix it using the window's reflection. When the trio of people were right behind him, oh hell this had better work, Omega calmly turned down the way they had passed, keeping his face hidden as he walked back the way the others had come. He continued walking leisurely, although he wanted to run as soon as he felt a stern gaze from behind. The hairs on his neck rose, prickling his skin, but he kept up the facade until he was around a corner and out of sight. Then he ran. He ran hard, and he didn't stop until he found himself in another one of Legion's many secluded gardens, panting for breath and weak at the knees.
"Holy crap that was close," he muttered to himself, flopping onto the ground limply.
"I suppose now would be a good time for some good news, master?" Viral spoke suddenly.
The Red Demon brushed a few stray golden strands of hair from his face, "That... would be nice, yes."
"Very well! That solution to your flying problem, well, it should be ready to test out later today or tomorrow!"
Omega couldn't help but grin. The previous incident was almost completely forgotten at the realization that soon, he would be able to soar the skies once more. He hadn't even realized how much he'd missed being able to experience the freedom of the air. Probably, pondered the ancient reploid, because it was the only freedom he really got around that place. Nonetheless, the news made him positively ecstatic, and he couldn't wait to try out Viral's concoction.
"Great job, Viral! Continue with your work."
Viral replied, his voice so high pitched with joy it bordered on squeaking, "The master is happy! The master is very happy! Thank you master, I will continue to please!" And with that, he left.
Omega was struck for a moment. Viral was... happy? Should Viral even be capable of emotions? He shook his head, dislodging the thought. It was probably just another part of that 'personality' program designed to make him relatable. Quite frankly, he shouldn't give it a second thought. There wasn't anything wrong with that, right?
...Right?
x-x-x-x-x
Several hours passed, daylight falling into mid-afternoon with barely the laziest sigh of wind to disturb the foliage in the garden Omega hadn't bothered to leave. Furred and feathered creatures rustled among the grasses as well as the branches of trees and shrubs. Insects chirped as the scent of flowers hung in the air, their heady fragrance having lulled the God of Destruction into a semi-sleep long ago. The red reploid was flat on his back on a stone bench, hidden underneath a magnificently blooming plant, when the door to the garden opened with a gentle creak. Despite his previous dozy state, Omega instantly snapped to attention. He gazed over from his hiding spot at the two people entering into the garden, and was both relieved and surprised to see that it was Pandora and her brother. It was a good thing too, for if it had been Seraph he'd have probably been up and swinging his sword already. As it was, Omega kept quiet and watched the proceedings.
Pandora seemed nervous, constantly fidgeting with her clothes as she talked to her brother in a hushed voice. He replied with a friendly, almost cheeky tone, as if trying to instill confidence in his sister. Whatever the topic, it seemed they had been discussing it for a while, as Black seemed mildly frustrated with her apparent indecisiveness. Overall this wasn't easy to spot; it was only by the slightest twitch of his body that let this slip. Pandora, on the other hand, simply oozed nervousness and was constantly looking around the garden, whether to avoid her brother's gaze, to find a mental escape, or even for a wellspring of confidence, Omega wasn't sure. All he knew was that, if she continued, the chances of him being spotted would drastically increase. So he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Lying down and feigning slumber, he kept his eyes lightly closed and let out a snore. Well, more of a small snuffle really. He could hear a faint movement from the direction of the siblings and knew that they had heard him. Perfect, he thought. He shuffled in his 'sleep' on the bench, turning on his side. However, he knew that the bench wasn't all that large, and, as planned, he fell to the earth with a whump. As the siblings watched, plants began rustling wildly as Omega suddenly shot up off the ground from behind a bush. He was snorting with mild surprise, looking around his surroundings with confusion bordering on slight alarm. With a leaf adorning his mussed-up hair, he blinked, turning to the pair as though he'd only just noticed them.
"Oh. Uh, good morning?"
"It's afternoon, actually," Prometheus noted emotionlessly. Pandora had gone quiet as a grave, her lips pressed together like a clam and her cheeks rosy. The pair of them had been caught off guard by his sudden appearance.
The mercenary blinked again, "Oh, really? Hmph. Must've fallen asleep." He gave them a small smile, "I suppose that's just typical of me, though. Sorry, I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"
"Oh, n-no, nothing much," replied Pandora, rather too quickly Omega noticed. He wondered what their conversation had been about.
Prometheus looked over at him, then his face took on a look like a lightbulb had gone off somewhere in his mind. He nudged White with his elbow, and at her confused glance he inclined his head towards Omega with a quick, knowing gesture. She stared at him blankly, forcing him to repeat the movement a few more times. Then she seemed to get what he was getting at, as she began to blush profusely and stammer.
"Wh-wh-wha, no way, I just, I mean-!"
Prometheus gave a long, exasperated sigh, then grabbed her, pulled her up, and gave her a small shove towards Omega, who was in the process of extricating himself from the bush.
"It's great timing! Just ask him already!"
Pandora gave a small squeak and gulped. By now Omega was out of the bush, brushing down his bedraggled hair and looking at her curiously. White cupped her hands together, playing around with her thumbs as she peeped out a question.
"U-u-uh, S-sorry to bother you, b-b-but, uh... t-there was , uh... uhh... " she went quiet for a while, looking away from him, before she caught her brother's grin and continued, "There was a... a da... a d-d... a... dance, in the opening ce-ceremonies for the tournament, r-right...?"
By this point, Pandora's face was as red as a tomato, her eyes roving everywhere in the garden except the face of the man she was talking to. Omega's eyebrow shot up, wondering just what she was trying to get at.
"Yeah, now that you mention it, I do remember the Masters saying something about a dance. I wasn't really paying attention at that point honestly."
"O-okay... yeah... a-a-about that... uhm... I was... uh... I, I, ah... was wondering, ah... I..."
Omega, who was extremely confused about why she was being so nervous, decided to see if he could help her finish her sentence. "Were you wondering about the dress code for the dance?"
"Ah! Yes! Uh, no! I mean, yes! Yes, that was it! I was wondering about the dress code!" She shot out. Her eyes looked up at him with...relief? He wasn't sure why.
In the background, Prometheus smacked his forehead audibly.
Omega's eyebrow rose again at the other male's actions, but he decided to ignore it and answer Pandora's question, "Right, the dress code. I believe it was formal. Oh, come to think about it, I don't think I have anything formal to wear for that, and I'm expected to attend. Whoops. Well, I think I know what I need to do this afternoon. Thanks!" Omega smiled, wandering out of the garden and into Legion.
Shortly after he'd disappeared, Pandora threw down her arms huffily, "No! Damn! Damn it! I botched it!" She sobbed, her eyes getting a little watery.
Prometheus came over, patting her on the back and giving her a hug. "Hey hey hey, it's okay. The dance is still a while away! You'll have plenty of time to ask him."
Pandora hugged him back, "Y-you sure? But, what if someone else asks him?"
"Who else would possibly want to ask him out. Seriously, who?" he comforted with a smirk.
Pandora though for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. Prometheus gave her a confused look, to which she was only able to answer with copious amounts of giggles. "D-Dance... Hee hee... Atlas! Bwaahaahaa! Atlas in a dress! Ahaahaa hee hee hee!"
And with that, Prometheus burst into laughter as well. "Waahaahaahaa! You'd have better luck getting Aeolus into a dress! Bwaa haa haa haa!"
"Hee hee hee hee! Too true! Aahaahaahaa!"
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Meanwhile, shortly after Omega had left the pair, he was encountering far more problems with getting a suit than he though he would. At first he'd gone onto a Legion public server. Conveniently, free to use computers were located all over Legion. All he'd had to do was walk into a lounge area to search up formal attire. Much to his chagrin, very few places with suits were within a reasonable distance of Legion, anything that needed to be shipped would take far too long, and the majority of places in the city seemed to be waytoo expensive for his budget. There were a few places that looked reasonable price-wise, but they were beyond the city's borders. Omega grumbled at the predicament, but set out to find one of the Masters in hopes that he could transport there, or at least pick up a job to earn some money.
He didn't even get past inquiring a secretary as to their location. She took on look at him and his ID before promptly telling him he was constrained to Legion due to his 'recently infectious condition'. Her only answer was, "No taking missions or running around looking for a store sweetie!" in a tone that said she'd had to deal with one too many difficult people already that day and didn't want to be bothered any more than necessary. That and the Masters were too busy to see him, thank you very much, have a nice day now go away. Well, not in those exact terms, but Omega was pretty sure that was the general idea. Instead of going away like she wanted, however, he asked her one last question. She'd given him a positive answer on that one surprisingly enough, but with one condition.
That condition had landed him in his current position. Omega was in the middle of a Legion shopping district, citizens shuffling by him as he took in his surroundings. It was a typical commercial area; bright, colourful advertisements, huge signs, lots of people going to and fro, and large, clear windows showcasing any and all available products. It was a busy, noisy, hurried place. But that, of course, wasn't what was bothering the God of Destruction. The thing that was bothering him was the person behind him.
Siarnaq stared dully at his charge, completely ignoring their surroundings. Of all the people he'd gotten stuck with, why did it have to be the Model P?
Omega grumbled quietly to himself as he surveyed his surroundings, looking for a shop that suited his interests. While all of the good formal-wear stores in Legion were too expensive, he was hoping to find a place having a sale or discount, or maybe a shop he's missed on his internet search. So far, however, he wasn't having any luck.
Siarnaq, whom he hadn't shared his plans with, spoke up, "INQUIRY INTO THE PURPOSE OF SUBJECT B.D.'S EXCURSION."
Omega looked back at the ninja sullenly, "I'm looking for something, duh. I'd like to 'inquire' as to why you decided to be the one following me?"
His question seemed to fall on deaf ears. Siarnaq continued to affix him with a level gaze. Then he got an unexpected reply, "RESPONSE; REPLACEMENT OF ARTICLE DESTROYED IN AMUSEMENT PARK FIRE, AND VISIT TO IMPORTANT PERSONS INVOLVED."
Omega responded with a disinterested gaze, "Uh, okay, a visit, but... what asset?"
"SCARF," Siarnaq pointed out simply. Omega grunted in response. Oh right, the shadow Mega Man had come out of that incident short of a scarf. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it missing before. Oh, right, because he rarely ever saw the monotone man. He presumed the scarf had been lost in the fire. Too bad the bastard hadn't lost his life instead, he pouted internally. Come to think of it, why hadn't the ninja replaced his scarf earlier? Maybe he'd been busy, maybe he'd been lazy, maybe Omega had just remembered that he didn't actually care. With that cleared up, he barely considered who the person Siarnaq wanted to visit might be, instead prioritizing his own business. The duo continued to walk along the outdoor mall, Omega frowning as their search continued to give a frustrating lack of results. Evening slowly began to settle on the land, casting a gentle glow on the city below. Omega sighed miserably. It seemed that his venture had proved fruitless; he'd have to try again tomorrow. He turned to his traveling companion, who had been getting a bit edgy.
"I haven't found what I'm looking for. Let's just get your business done and go home."
Siarnaq simply nodded; whether he was surprised or not wasn't discernible by his features. Speaking of those features, Omega briefly noted that Siarnaq was clean-shaven, probably a habit he'd developed to reduce any irritation from his facial hair interfering with the scarf he usually wore. Although he wore a high collared shirt, Omega surmised that there were heavy scars on his neck, if only by the fact that a few nasty looking, disfigured marks started on his lower jaw and continued down under his clothes, where the blonde reploid couldn't see them. Siarnaq abruptly turned around and began to walk away, Omega filing away his observations for later use. You never know what might come in handy later, right?
Following the ninja to his unknown destination was easy. Siarnaq was constantly checking back on him, making sure he was close behind. If anything, it was harder to not follow him. If Omega even stopped for a moment to look at something in a window, or ponder the behaviour of a random pedestrian, Siarnaq would appear silently at his side, waiting until the red demon gave him his attention and they could continue on their venture. About a half hour passed, the silence between the two almost unnerving. There was no doubt in the ancient reploid's mind that the ninja was still wary of him. Justifiably so, he had to admit. It wasn't until the buildings in the shopping district began to get larger and more expensively decorated that the ninja finally stopped. He was looking around and soon noticed the location he apparently wished to go to. Omega followed him, not bothering to view the surroundings as they entered a ritzy-looking store. The inside was even more extravagant than the outside, more decorations seeming to adorn the place than the clothes it stocked. The clothes themselves were long and colourful, almost as extraordinary as their ridiculous price tags. Also obvious about the store was an ornate golden symbol placed on some of the walls and all of the tags. The symbols were familiar and it didn't take long for it to click. Omega knew exactly why those symbols were familiar. He turned to look at Siarnaq, "Hey... uh, buddy? Maybe we should leave..."
Siarnaq, who had been investigating a red silk scarf, carefully put it down and made as if to follow Omega outside the store. "RESPONSE; ADVISABLE, PRODUCT IS TOO EXPENSIVE."
"Is that who I think it is?! Marvelous! Fabulous! I'd wondered where you went, and here you are!"
Omega and Siarnaq stopped dead at the entrance. Moving so slowly that their necks almost creaked, they looked at each other, then looked behind themselves at the man, and a small group of his followers, standing there. Omega, inconceivably, let out a small whine, causing the ninja beside him to stare at him incredulously.
With his fashionable brown hair, pants, and square shoes, Teegee stared down the two men in front of him with an almost predatory expression of glee. A long, tan scarf similar to the one Siarnaq had been looking at expertly accented the burgundy shirt and shades he wore. With cat-like grace the fashionista male brought his hand to his chin in a gesture of consideration, the few other patrons in the shop aghast with shock at his appearance. Judging by them, it seemed that the man rarely made appearances in public, even in his own store. Omega couldn't help but back up a few paces. What horrible luck, then, for them to be here at the same time as him!
As Teegee took a step forward and began speaking, Omega couldn't help but notice that Siarnaq had also taken a step back and was glancing about warily, as if sensing that anything that could make Omega nervous was well worth being afraid of. Omega couldn't blame him; all he could remember about the man was that he and his cronies had chased him rather doggedly through Hunter's camp, and that wasn't even his own territory. Now that they were in his territory, his own shop for that matter, escape seemed futile.
"I was looking everywhere for you, hunter! Do you know how utterly thoroughly I had people looking for you? You are rather a hard one to find, I must admit! But here you are! Fabulous! I can't tell you how happy I am that you're here!" grinned the designer.
Omega stuttered a reply, "Yeah, well, I'd come down with a little, uh, infectious disease. Had to go to Legion and all that, eh..." Another step back. So close to freedom, yet so far! Could he make a run for it?
Unfortunately, whatever fear Siarnaq appeared to have had was now replaced with curiosity. Omega internally cursed at him for what came next. "SUBJECT IS NO LONGER CONSIDERED INFECTIOUS; HOWEVER LEGION HAS ASSIGNED OBSERVATION OF SUBJECT FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES IN CASE OF FURTHER SIGNS OF OUTBREAK," droned the shadow Mega Man.
Teegee clapped his hands together excitedly, "Ooh! My dear! No wonder we couldn't find you! And, oh ho ho! I'd recognize that speech pattern anywhere! Am I really in the presence of a Mega Man?" he smiled excitedly, everyone in the store giving the pair their full, unwanted attention. "I hardly recognized you without your wonderful scarf! Dearie me, what happened to it?"
"ACCIDENT...?" was all the ninja could manage as a reply. It seemed to Omega that he'd realized his mistake in admitting anything to the eccentric man, although Omega could only wonder why he couldn't have realized it sooner and saved them some trouble.
"Oh no! That's such a shame!"
"Yeah, it is, that's why he was looking for a new one," Omega suddenly spoke up, lightly grabbing Siarnaq's arm long enough to pull him towards the exit. "Unfortunately it looks like we're just a little too low on funds now to get it. Heh heh, the life of a mercenary, you know. Well, it was nice meeting you again, but we have to leave!"
"Leave?" As they made to exit the facility, Teegee's hands gripped each of their shoulders like a cold vice, "no no no, that won't do! I won't have it said that I based my line off of the wonderful Mega Men only to turn one down at the door when he was in need! Come in, come in!" He lightly tried to pull them back into the store. "Mirvan, be a dear and fetch me that scarf! The red one, if you'd please!"
"No, it's okay really! I've got to be leaving anyways!" Omega started nervously, "I've uh, uh... oh right! I've got a lot of preparing to do! I'm a part of that tournament coming up, and there's some things I need to go get you see-!"
Teegee suddenly stopped, all emotion leaving him, "You're in on the tournament coming up?" he asked flatly, only the barest hint of wonder escaping him. Well. Word got out it seemed.
Omega sensed an out, "Er, yes! Yes, uh, I'm helping out a bit with it you see, and, uh, I needed to go look up something for it! So yes, I'm sorry, we must be off now!"
Unfortunately for Omega, what he'd sensed was an out turned out to be a false hope. Teegee's eyes sparkled with excitement, "You're a part of the tournament committee? That means, oh yes! Yes! You are undoubtedly going to be one of the VIP's at the dance they have planned! How fabulous! Tell me, you must tell me, what have you got planned for your outfit? I must know what fashions will be displayed there! It's my duty as a fashion designer to know, even if I can't get there myself!"
Omega, whose shoulder was once again being gripped tightly by the man, barely managed to squeak out his answer, "Uh, I h-haven't got anything settled in stone about my outfit yet, actually, I-"
"Brilliant! Wondrous! Fabulous!" squealed Teegee. "And what about you, Mega Man?"
"CLOTHING ARTICLES HAVE BEEN PROCURED-" he started, before being interrupted by the excited fashion designer.
"But you still need your scarf! Ah! Then look no further! It is yours!" Teegee exclaimed. With that, one of the people that had been following him, presumably Mirvan, handed Siarnaq the very same red scarf that he'd been investigating earlier, now free of a price tag. Siarnaq nodded a quick thanks before swiftly putting it on, possibly to help hide the uneasy expression threatening to overtake his normally emotionless face.
"There, that's so much better!" Teegee then turned back to the wilting God of Destruction struggling beneath his grip, "Now as for you! Oh, I know you're a little low on funds, so here's a deal for you! That dance you're going to, well, it's most certainly the high-class event of the century! All of the biggest names and people are going to be there! The Masters of Legion, government figures from around the globe, and the most famous actors in all the world, to name but a few! But it's also going to be so exclusive, security purposes you know! So you see my predicament? How, as a world-class designer, am I supposed to spread the word of my fabulous sense of style if I can't even be there? My my, what a predicament! That's where you come in, my good man! Now, don't give me such a nervous look, it will be easy! I'll provide you with one of my suits, and if anyone asks, you must be sure to tell them who you received it from! If you could get a good word to the Masters to let me into the event, why, that too would be appreciated, but if that's not possible then I understand perfectly! Truly a fabulous idea, is it not?"
Omega cringed inwardly, trying very hard to not let his emotion come to the surface. He really, really didn't want to have anything to do with this man, but... well he needed a suit, after all. "Uhm... I'm not very good with people, but... okay?"
"Fabulous!" Teegee exclaimed happily. He grabbed Omega's shoulders, rapidly spinning him around and pushing him towards the back of the store, "I've been waiting for this opportunity for ages! Ooh, and of all things, I get to design a suite! Oh oh oh dear! And for such an event, it will have to be one of my best! But, ah, I mustn't get too far ahead of myself, we still have to get you all sized and tailored up first!"
Siarnaq seemed to jump in surprise, jogging to Teegee's side, "CEASE IMMEDIATELY, MASTERS ASSIGNED SUBJECT SIARNAQ TO SURVEILLANCE OF SUBJECT B.D.-!"
"Oh, my manners are terrible, my apologies! But certainly you could continue your surveillance of him perfectly well if you were to come with me us as well, there's plenty of room in the back!" with that, Teegee grabbed Siarnaq by his arms and began dragging him to the back as well. All onlookers were stupefied at the ability of the relatively little man's ability to drag not one, but two seasoned fighters to the back of the store without needing so much as a sneeze of help from any of his cohorts. Quite frankly, the two being dragged were even more surprised at the turn of events. If that wasn't enough, the Model P had finally made its appearance, whizzing around Siarnaq's head worriedly. All the same time, Omega couldn't help but think that it was having a field day watching the two of them being pushed around by one lone fashionista. He'd never really known Phantom, the reploid he presumed the Model P was based off of... but in that instant, he knew that he probably wouldn't have liked him anyways. "You worthless little shit, help us out here!" he muttered urgently to it, his words mirrored by the frantic glances of the Model P Mega Man.
"What exactly could I do anyways? Sorry Siarnaq, I can't help you here!" it told the ninja.
Surrounded on all sides by Teegee's loyal followers and high end clothing, the pair was shoved into the back of the store.
x-x-x-x-x
Siarnaq, it seemed, had gotten off easy. He watched suspiciously as the well-dressed man directed the majority of his attention to the squirming mercenary, his scrutiny and observations about his victim bombarding the poor man's senses. Orders were barked; Teegee's men scrambling to provide him the materials and measuring devices he desired. The purple Mega Man didn't get off entirely scot-free however. At one point he found himself pushed onto a small stage, and the next thing he knew he was getting tweaked and prodded into an odd position. A few flashes of a camera betrayed the purpose of the maneuver, setting him on edge. He tried to protest, but the cameraman stopped him.
"Yer getting that scarf for free, right? Then what does a picture or two hurt? Besides, the boss is only gonna use it in a picture book of some of his customers, it's not gonna go around as public advertising or something silly like that. It's not everyday ya get a Mega Man wearing yer gear, ya know!" Siarnaq kept his expression carefully neutral, but the news that the pictures weren't going to go too public had appeased him somewhat.
On the other hand, it seemed that whatever the fashion designer was doing to the poor mercenary certainly wasn't appeasing him, as shortly after the pictures were taken the red reploid had started up a fiasco. "No way! What the hell!? I am not taking my shirt off!"
"We can't measure you properly if you don't!"
"I don't care, there's got to be some other-! Hey, leggo!"
"Fabulous job! Now calm down there, I'm not going to try anything! I realize you're nervous about taking your shirt off, but I do need it off to get the proper numbers!"
"Come on mate, take it off already!"
"Fine! I'll take the damn thing off, just let me go already!" Omega yelled. He struggled out of the grip holding and yanked off his shirt in frustration, growling angrily at those in attendance. "Happy now, assholes?"
Everyone in the room had suddenly gone quiet and was staring at him. Even Siarnaq was gazing at him, an eyebrow ever so slightly up, whereas some of the others were gawking much more noticeably. Omega felt very uncomfortable at first before he realized just what they were staring at. In all the recent excitement, he'd forgotten completely about his scar. Teegee tapped his foot against the floor, a ponderous and slightly troubled look on his face. Before Omega could stop him, the man had whipped around behind him and now stood behind him, looking at his back. "Why, that's quite a scar there. It's all the way around to the back! My word!"
The red reploid unconsciously turned around to defend himself from Teegee's gaze, but quickly spun back around upon realizing that he'd accidentally showcased it to everyone in the room. "It's not as bad as it looks, honestly, it's just on the surface..." Mentally, however, he was recoiling from the reality of his scar. The longer he looked at it, the more he noticed just how much more defined it appeared than it did the last time he viewed it.
Viral spoke up from nowhere, "I'm sorry Master, the scar is a result of some permanent physical damage. Although it's minor and shouldn't hurt you, the flaw is still there, and there's not much I can do about it... even transforming won't make the damage disappear. If anything it will just make it more apparent, since when your body changes, the damaged components that make the scar won't transform quite as well as the rest. If you take a look the next time you change shape, you'll probably see the scar there anyways. I'm sorry Master..."
Omega grimaced, still staring down at the damage to his own body. Oh, one of these days, someone was going to pay for this! He didn't care if Zero and his friends were dead, or if their biometals had forgotten him! Anyone who associated with them was going to regret that their predecessors had marred him in such a way! He'd pay back that humiliation a hundredfold!
His furious thoughts were rudely interrupted by Teegee, who had snapped his workers back to attention with a no-nonsense approach to the situation. "What a terrible looking wound! Oh dear... but, one that will be covered up soon enough by a fabulous suit, fit for a king! Now, hand me that measuring tape!"
What followed abruptly snapped Omega out of his rage as well, as he soon found himself being poked, prodded, snapped at to stay still, and turned around more times than he could count. Thankfully it was only his shirt that needed to come off through the whole ordeal, his pants were tight-fitting enough that the measurements were taken through them. What came after, however, was nowhere near as idle as the measurements. Teegee's group began scrambling around at their leader's orders, retrieving fabrics, colour samples, and all assortments of items the man needed. Omega was given a thorough chastisement from all the different things the fashionista was trying, from reds to blues to ruffles and lace (dear gods, lace!), but he tried his best not to protest too much. Siarnaq had retreated to a corner, managing to avoid the majority of the fuss.
It was only after a long time of clothing experiments, further measurements, and discussion of style with his cohorts that the Legion pair finally managed to find a break. Teegee had suddenly proclaimed that he was finished with this stage of the outfit, and the pair quickly found themselves an excuse to leave. They almost ran from the building, Teegee's yells of "I'll call you back if I need further measurements for your suit, Mr. Fabulous! I know where to look now! Thanks again!"
The God of Destruction felt a shiver run down his spine. How he hated being treated like a lab rat, or a fashion doll for that matter! Once the pair were free of the doorway and out of sight of the few people in their particular region of the shopping district, they really did run. At full pelt the pair dashed into a dark alley, panting and leaning against the buildings for support. Finally, after a long, silent pause, the two stood straight up, as if absolutely fine, like nothing in the world had happened. They both adjusted themselves, perfectly calm and perfectly still.
Omega looked over at the ninja. "...Siarnaq?"
The Mega Man looked at him.
"Let us never speak of that again."
"AFFIRMATIVE."
x-x-x-x-x
Late evening's calm, silent darkness was beginning to float down on the land, covering it with a gentle blanket that heralded the arrival of the cool night air soon to follow. Birds sang in muted tones, their ballads worn from having been sung all throughout the long day. City lights speckled the horizon joyfully, twinkling with all the cheer and gusto of a gathering of children, the muffled noises of transport vehicles echoing throughout the skies.
Omega glanced up at the clean white surface of the hospital in front of him, a contemplative expression written clearly on his face. Nonetheless, he stayed for only the briefest of moments, following the shadow Mega Man inside. The pair traveled in silence, Omega's face as expressionless as Siarnaq's. He was clearly confused as to the choice of Siarnaq's final destination for the day, but he let his concerns go unvoiced. Surely he would find out soon enough. Halfway up the building, for they had taken the elevator, Omega was suddenly hit by a suspicion. He kept it to himself, following the ninja after the doors opened. Siarnaq stopped briefly to speak with a receptionist on the floor, then continued down a corridor nearby.
The almost halting, timid undertone of Siarnaq's voice may have gone unnoticed by the receptionist, but Omega had clearly caught it due to his familiarity with the introverted man. As they came closer to a partially open door an odd, almost alien display of shyness appeared on the Mega Man's face. Omega kept silent once again, but was intrigued by his behaviour. Siarnaq looked at him. A questioning, apprehensive glance was all Omega needed to know what was being requested. The God of Destruction stepped forwards, giving only the briefest of glances into the hospital room, before his suspicions were confirmed. He backed off, nodding to Siarnaq.
"You go on in. I'll stay out here. This is your visit, not mine."
Siarnaq seemed grateful and entered the room, closing the door softly behind him.
Omega waited for ages outside of that room, listening to the sounds of monitoring equipment beeping, patients groaning or speaking quietly, and nurses and doctors discussing the health of their charges in subtle tones. The red demon lost track of time as the day progressed to night, standing outside the room as if the rest of the world had forgotten him. Perhaps he should be grateful, he mused, because in all respects, it had. The moment he'd looked in the room, he'd recognized the girl from the amusement park fire. She, thankfully, had not returned the favor. Even though he'd only had a glance, he couldn't help but notice the copious amount of bandages that she was covered in, or the charred red scarf, now no bigger than a bandanna, tied lovingly around her neck as if it were the most precious possession in the world.
The ticking of a nearby clock was louder than the click of the door as it finally opened, perhaps an hour later, revealing a quiet but content looking Mega Man. Siarnaq closed the door noiselessly behind him, awkwardly re-adjusting himself in the peaceful atmosphere of the hospital's hall. Silence reigned between the pair for what seemed like an eternity. Then the shadow Mega Man turned to Omega, his voice meek and surprisingly soft.
"...Uh... thanks..."
"For what, waiting?"
"Affirmative..."
The pair looked away from each other. A long pause weighed down upon the pair before Siarnaq finally continued, "She... subject requested... um... she said I should... that subject Siarnaq should attempt normal conversational functions more frequently."
"Don't force yourself."
Siarnaq looked away, keeping his gaze fixed on a picture hanging up on the wall not too far away, "SUBJECT SIARNAQ IS UNAQUAINTED WITH NORMAL SPEECH PATTERNS... Not used to talking normally... with people other than Model P. Subject Siarnaq is... I am... not trusting enough of others." Model P, who had gone into the room with Siarnaq, hovered sympathetically around his chosen Mega Man, comforting him and commending him for his efforts.
"Not necessarily a bad thing."
Siarnaq glanced at Omega, surprised. The red demon didn't blame him, He'd just surprised himself quite frankly. But, regardless, he felt compelled to continue. "Look, I'm probably not the right person to be talking to about trust, but from my own past, I can assure you that trusting people can be synonymous with disaster. I'm sure you have your own ghosts that tell you the same thing. Still, you are a person, you have your own thoughts, so it's useless to try and deny that," Omega shrugged carelessly, silently proclaiming his utter indifference to the world, "personally, I can see where you're coming from. You're a machine, you were built for a purpose. Kind of like me. But we were also given minds Siarnaq. Believe me, I'd love to be an emotionless, mindless robot as much as the next guy, but I'm not. Siarnaq... Look. Maybe I'm rough around the edges to you lot, but that's because I know it's a precious thing to have the freedom to let yourself be who you are. I am who I am, and I'll never deny myself my own life and being. There's nothing wrong with hiding your true self from others, but you just can't hide it from yourself."
Siarnaq seemed to look at Omega in a new respect, his eyes containing curiosity even though his face had resumed its default emotionlessness.
"I want to ask you Siarnaq... do the other Mega Men trust me?"
Siarnaq seemed to consider things a while before answering. "...Mostly. Yes."
"And do you trust me?"
Once again, silence. Then-
"No."
Omega grinned, a feral, malicious snarl that made Siarnaq and Model P cringe inwardly with primordial fear. "Hah! I wondered! Well then, Siarnaq. You're a smart boy! See? If you tried to be like everyone wants you to be, you know, more open, then maybe you'd trust me more! But you don't. Honestly, I think you're a bit smarter than the rest of the Mega Men, for the sheer fact that you don't trust me." Omega made a sudden move, a feint towards the room containing the little girl. Siarnaq hadn't realized it was a feint and had immediately placed himself in front of the door protectively. Omega caught his gaze, anger, protectiveness, and a hint of... something else in his eyes.
"Don't even think of touching her!"
"What? Let me guess," Omega smirked, "you suddenly got protective of her? Why, maybe, do you love her? Why else, I wonder, do you feel the need to guard her then?"
Siarnaq looked away, unsure, "I saved her. She seemed... she looked so... subject looked similar to me during a past incident... which I will not speak about." The ninja, although continuing to level Omega with a suspicious gaze, relaxed somewhat once he realized that Omega's movement had been just a bluff. "Maybe I do... love her a bit. As a daughter...? Or maybe as a sibling by situation. No one should have to go through that. Being in a situation where you are totally reliant on others, only to be betrayed and left behind by them. Her parents are dead; she only has an aunt now." Siarnaq spoke with a firm, powerful voice that Omega would never have expected from him. The way the shadow Mega Man stood announced just how strong the man's sense of purpose had become.
By complete accident, Omega realized, by trying to kill the Model P user, he had only succeeded in making him stronger. If Siarnaq ever found out just who that fiery bat pseudoroid had been that night, he had no doubt he would have to sleep with one eye open, if he could be allowed sleep at all. He remembered from reports, back in the days of Neo Arcadia, about how Phantom had never been the best of fighters in one-on-one matches, but... He'd been unmatched as an assassin. While he had no doubt that he could defeat Siarnaq on the battlefield if need be, he realized just how powerful of an enemy he'd potentially made otherwise. And yet, instead of fearing his mistake, he relished it, relished the thrill of an opponent.
Siarnaq, ignorant of Omega's thoughts, continued his own speech despite Omega's apparent lack of reaction, "I know I can't take care of her myself. My situation does not allow that. But I can always visit."
Omega leaned back against the wall, sighing as if some great thought had come upon him. "You people and your love..."
Siarnaq looked curious, mildly surprised by the change of subject.
"Love... what is that? I know what it looks like. It's idiots, doing things that make no sense. Affection, lust, endearment... I've never felt these things. I've never understood them. But I know what they can cause. Nothing but problems!" He glared at the ninja, still positioned in front of the door, "I don't care if you love that girl. Love is so silly. It's worthless. Why do you bother?" Omega narrowed his eyes in confusing, Siarnaq's blank features unsuccessfully concealing his surprise at the mercenary. The red reploid, for once in his life, looked utterly vexed, confused, wondering about the enigmatic thing he could see before him in the eyes of the other. "Love... everyone who's felt it swears so strongly by it. People claim it makes them stronger... maybe it does? No, it can't. Love only causes pain, when a loved one dies, betrays, goes away even for a little while... Such a stupid thing. I'm glad I've never felt it."
With that, Omega, who had been musing aloud as though Siarnaq wasn't even there, abruptly started walking down the hall. He turned around to look at the man still in the doorway behind him. "Well, we'd better go back to Legion. You going to stand there forever or what?" As soon as Siarnaq stopped his nonplussed blinking, the pair mutely left for home.
Once they had arrived home, Omega had excused himself to his chambers, proclaiming tiredness, before promptly disappearing from the sight of everyone in Legion. It was only during the deepest depths of night when he made his next move. Midnight had come and gone but an hour previously when he received the news from Viral. Silent as death, he made his way to the courtyard, where he decided to test, carefully, Viral's solution to his problem.
There was pain. There were kinks. Something hadn't worked right. But when he realized just what Viral was planning, he couldn't have cared less about the initial failure. "Will it work for the others as well?"
"Once I get the system properly working, all you need to do is tell me which combination you'd like, Master, and I could get it set up in a few days!"
"Wonderful. Just, wonderful."
With that, he retreated back to his room, no one the wiser to his and Viral's ploy. The God of Destruction soon fell asleep, malicious joy coursing through him. Finally, the day was over. It had passed. And another day passed soon after. And another, and another. Each day calmly disappeared into time like a cloud on the soft blue horizon. But time wasn't eternal. The days counted down slowly, ever so slowly, many a person eagerly awaiting the same thing. With confidence, nervousness, joy, unease. Counting, ever so slowly, the days left until the biggest event since the fall of the snake of eternity, the ultimate biometal, Ouroboros. Counting down the days until that event, when the calm of their waiting would cease to exist.
The tournament was approaching.