Mega-Man: Robotic Hero 3

by Tardispilot297

The Emerald Spears step out of the shadows and seek to take control of Silicon City. As Rock and his friends rise to face them a reporter named Maylu uncovers a secret that was once lost. One that connects her to both Xavier and the once thought destroyed Proto-man. *Note: Episode 2 is now up!*

2. Chapter 2

Episode 2: The Second Side of the Story

Hey there guys, gals, and non-binary pals! Tardispilot297 here bringing you the next episode of Mega-Man: Robotic Hero 3! SURPRISE! SURPRISE! Bet you guys never expected to get this in the same month as Godzilla! Well normally I don't do this, but this month is a very special month for very personal reasons. If you can guess why then not only are you psychic, but you're also a WITCH! Lol. Now full disclosure: This season is going to be only four episodes long. I'm sorry to anyone saddened by this but think of each season as an arc for an anime. Some arcs are long, some are short, but at the end of the day it's all about world building and character development. And now with that said, LET'S DO THIS!

(Silicon City Junkyard, night)

We race through the city, jumping from different rooftops along the way, until our destination comes into view just ahead of us. Said destination being that of the city junkyard. What with our group adding on two new members to our roster, the old treehouse in the park was starting to feel a little bit cramped. Plus if I'm being completely honest a lot of us have since grown out of the whole "treehouse hideout" phase. So after much deliberation we decided to move our superhero headquarters to the much bigger building at the junkyard. Now this was possible because a year or two back "somebody" may have kinda wrecked the place while sorting out a few thoughts and emotions. Needless to say the original owner wasn't too happy to find the place an even bigger mess than when they left it. Heck they even quit and left the place vacant for people to just dump their junk at. Now the whole place serves as our new base of operations with a few alterations here and there. From the upgraded surveillance system to the small workout and training area. And of course let's not forget about the most important addition, the lounge area. Complete with the couch, game console, and TV all moved from the old treehouse, a salvaged pool table, an old pinball machine.

There's also the mini lab where Douglas and Roll like to work on all kinds of new gadgets together. Now that I think about it, the two of them have been hanging out together a lot lately. Eh I'm sure it's probably because of the new project they've been working on. Supposedly it's a souped up new vehicle for us all to use. The two of them are keeping the details pretty hush-hush leading the rest of us to take bets on what it could be. Alia believes it might be a jet or a helicopter while Axel believes it might be a tank. Personally my money is on it being a boat. We swoop in through the skylight and drop down into the middle of our base. Roll spins around in her chair away from the set of computer screens to face us. Roll acts as our gal in the chair whenever we go out on patrol. Including tapping into cctv cameras and monitoring police frequencies. Which for a girl of her tech level is all but child's play. She looks over all of our expressions and she can already guess how things went tonight. Not that she didn't already hear over our comms. Zero goes off to the side while Rush and the rest of us transform out of our armor. Axel looks between me and Douglas. "Okay so, dudes, if it wasn't already obvious with that chick earlier, I totally call dibs." Axel points two fingers at himself. "You do realize she's older than you right?" Douglas asks him. "So? I find mature women to be fairly attractive." "Since when?" "Since always. Shut up." After what we just happened tonight, THIS is what they choose to talk about? Axel having some stupid crush? When is he gonna grow up and take things seriously already? I turn to Axel in annoyance, almost shouting. "How about you shut up Axel?" He and Douglas stare silently at my outburst while everyone else looks at me looking concerned. I let out a long sigh shaking my head as I turn and walk away. I just have too much on my mind to be dealing with stuff like this. I walk past Rush and up the stairs leading to the roof. I can hear Rush whine slightly at the bottom of the stairs watching me climb up. I'm sorry boy, but right now I just need a few moments alone.

(POV Change)

I watch Rock go up the stairs while Rush just sits down on the floor looking up with his ears drooping. Whenever he acts that way it shows how much he's worried about his owner but also respects his need for space. I on the other hand refuse to just let him go off and suffer through things alone. Especially if my hunch is correct about what's bothering him. I look over at Douglas and Axel who just look at each other confused at what just happened. Honestly sometimes the two of them can be just absolutely clueless. Zero on the other hand looks at me with a look of understanding as he leans against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. I turn back to the two boys still confused about what's going on. "Hey you guys go on ahead. I'll see ya tomorrow." Axel and Douglas look at me still confused until the latter picks up on my silent signal and nods his head. He gestures for him and Axel to go ahead and leave and they walk over to grab their bikes and head home for the night. Ever since the Emerald Spears showed up in the city a massive curfew was put into effect for teens and younger kids to keep them from staying out after dark. And it was much harder for us to keep the fact that we were superheroes a secret from our families. Once Zero and Roll asked us why we had to keep everything a secret from them.

When we each told them that it was necessary Zero just sneered and commented how those who keep secrets from their clan were unworthy of their trust. Man, sometimes I wish family relationships were as easy on earth as they are in space. As for me, my dad is usually not home until late due to his job so I'm not in much of a hurry to get home. I walk over to Zero as we both turn to look at the stairs where Rock disappeared to. "You have the same hunch as I do about what's bothering him?" Zero hums to himself. "Hmm. I myself am no stranger to the pursuit of vengeance. I've seen it in my eyes countless times in the past." "And you think Rock feels the same way?" Zero shakes his head. "That remains yet uncertain. However, there were traces of it in his eyes tonight as he faced down that warrior." Hearing that just makes me that more worried about Rock. Each of us have heard the story about what went down when Rock stormed Light Industries to face Dr. Wily. How he fought one of Wily's last robot masters by the name of Proto-Man who bore a slight resemblance to the same robot who killed Dr. Light's son, Rock's spiritual older brother. The fight had been one of the hardest of Rock's life both physically and mentally. It very well nearly ended in his destruction along with the robot itself. Fortunately Rock stood victorious with Proto-Man being completely destroyed. Or so we all thought until we ended up seeing him again tonight. Right now I can only imagine what seeing him again must feel for Rock right now. I turn back to look at Zero. "Maybe one of us should talk to him." Zero nods his head. "You speak wisely for a human." "I don't know. I think we're both wise in our own way." "Perhaps, but my strength has always lied in my actions rather than my words. That task I will always trust to you and the others." I smile at him. "Probably not Axel though, right?" Zero manages to crack a smile. "Probably not." Roll, who has been listening nearby, giggles a little in her chair. I start to walk up to the stairs and stop to pet Rush's head who looks up at me as I smile reassuringly at him. "Don't worry Rush, I'll take care of him." His tail wags back and forth looking much better as I walk up the stairs to the roof.

I come out through a hatch on the roof and look around to find Rock. I spot him sitting not too far away looking out at the glittering city in the distance. I climb through and walk over to him clearing my throat to get his attention. He turns his head around to face me, his face relaxing a little at the sight of me. "Mind if I sit with you for a bit?" Rock looks like he wants to say yes but hesitates. I take that as my cue to sit down next to him before he has a chance to object. The two of us just turn and look out at the stunning view in front of us. I try to say something to help ease the tension. "Nice night." "Yeah." I look back at him as he continues to stare out into nowhere. "Look Axel can be really dense sometimes, but you have to admit you were a little harsh back there." Rock just sits quietly with his eyes staring straight forward. I lean forward a bit to try and look him in the eye. "If something's bothering you, You know you can talk to me or the others about it, right?" Rock breathes out slowly. "Yeah I know." "So, Is something bothering you?" He shrugs away from me slightly. "Are you asking me as a reporter?" I push through his attempt at giving me the cold shoulder act. "I'm asking you as your friend. Specifically a friend who's worried about you." Rock stands up and takes a few steps away from me. "Well, you won't have to worry about me. Not for much longer." I look at him even more concerned. "What's that supposed to mean?" "I'm going after him on my own. First chance I get." I can tell just from the tone in his voice which "Him" he's talking about and that his definition of "Going after" greatly differs from mine.

I quickly stand up and grab his shoulder. "You'll do no such thing." He shrugs off my hand and tries to walk away from me, not that I'm going to give him the chance to do that. "You don't understand Alia, I have to do this on my own." "Since when did you feel you had to do anything on your own?" "Nevermind Alia, just drop it." He should know perfectly well that I never drop anything. Not when it's about something important. I speed up and step in front of him to block his path. "If this is about Proto-Man…" "It's not just about him." "Then who is it about Rock?" Rock looks at me and screams at me. "It's about Xavier okay!?" I look at him in shock as he stands there panting. He turns away from me and places a hand over his face before sitting back down. It takes me a few moments to shake off the shock before I walk up to sit down next to him. I look at his face to see a hint of pain and sorrow in his expression. I place a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him. I know how painful it is for Rock to even think about what happened to Xavier. "What happened wasn't your fault Rock. You know that." Rock looks at me and places his hand over mine. "It was still me, Alia. Maybe not my thoughts or my soul but it was still my body that killed him. I can never shake that feeling of guilt. Never." A part of me wishes that I could somehow help take away that feeling of pain. For now though all I can do is be there to help him through it. "That's why I need to find Proto-Man. I don't care if he's supposedly a good guy now, as long as he's out there, there can never be peace for Xavier." "And when you find him, then what?" Rock looks away again hesitating to answer.

Rock may be a lot of things, but I know for a fact that he's not a killer. And that's why I can't let him go looking for Proto-Man on his own. I reach over and turn his head to face me. "Well listen, You're not going anywhere on your own." I look him directly in the eyes. "We're a team, remember?" We look at each other without saying another word. The continuing silence causes me to feel a little awkward as we continue looking at each other. The last time we were this close together was when Rock was under Sayu's love spell that made him think he was in love with me. Now I'm not saying that it still bothers me but needless to say whenever it's just the two of us together like this my face starts to feel slightly warm and I get a lump in my throat. The awkwardness finally disappears when Rock's attention gets pulled to someone talking to him through his internal comms. "Roll, what's up?" I let out a subtle sigh and relax a little. Roll you don't know it, but you just saved me from embarrassing myself. My feelings change however when Rock turns to me with slight fear and concern. "Someone's here!" At his words we both immediately stand up and practically run to the hatch while activating our armor.

(POV Change)

"Rock? We got company." Those were the last words Roll said before getting cut off. I told Alia that someone was here and the both of us quickly rushed back to the hatch, armoring up in the process. We head downstairs when the lights shut off, suddenly plunging us both into darkness. I hear Rush barking as something runs straight for us and tackles me to the ground. The figure quickly spins around and kicks Alia, sending her flying. I manage to kick them off of me and stand back up waiting for them to attack again. I switch my internal sensors up to max just in time to pick up on something coming at me again from the side. I block the next two attacks with my arms.

Suddenly I hear Zero yelling as he charges right towards me. I try to warn him but I end up getting tackled by him into a metal support beam, bending it a little. At that point the only word I manage to say is "Ow". The lights come back on showing Zero he tackled the wrong guy. "Oh, my apologies." Zero gets off of me and helps me back up to my feet. "No problem man. It happens." I straighten up to see Proto-Man standing there aiming two buster cannons at us and Alia still on the ground. So the guy follows us back to our base and tries to sneak attack us in the dark. "Why am I not surprised you'd pull something like this." "Well to be fair you guys made yourselves much too easy to track." Proto-Man replies. I swear I can just feel the smug grin under that mask of his. Zero scowls at him clenching his fists. "You draw a weapon, you best be prepared to use it." "Don't tempt me, Blondie." He snaps back at him. The tension gets shattered by a familiar voice shouting through the room. "That's Enough!" We look over to see a man wearing a black suit and tie under a long dark gray coat. His hair colored black while boasting a strong looking chin and a piercing glare. His expression looks calm mixed with frustration.

We may not have known each other long but I could recognize this guy anywhere. The one and only famous operative of the global peacekeeping organization Bastion, Agent Signas. And judging by the look on his face and the tone in his voice, He's not in a particularly good mood right now. He looks straight at Proto-Man. "You disobeyed a direct order. I told you we're here to talk to them." Proto-Man turns to him and retracts his face mask. "Based on how the last meeting went, I figured these idiots only understood one thing." I immediately aim my own buster cannon at him in response. "You wanna get your ass kicked again that badly?" He turns back to me. "You must be mistaking me for someone else because last I checked I never lose. Especially not to a little blue Iron Man reject like you." We both scowl at each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. "Rock, stop!" I quickly turn my head around, shocked to see my Dad standing right alongside Agent Signas. "Dad?" Dad holds a hand up to try and calm me down. "It's okay Rock, Agent Signas here contacted me and explained everything." I look at him in disbelief. "But Dad, don't you know who this is?" I look back at Proto-Man who looks just as confused as I am. Dad takes a few steps toward me and places his hand on my arm. "I understand, son. But right now you need to trust me and hear what Agent Signas has to say." I stare between him and Agent Signas before finally lowering my arm.

I look back to see Proto-Man doing the same while staring straight at Dad. Almost like he somehow recognizes him. What he says next surprises me. "I know you." Dad just smiles and nods his head. "I know. And I remember you too, Blues." Proto-Man gasps still staring at Dad. I look back at Dad still confused. "Dad, who's Blues?" Dad turns to me looking like he's about to answer, but gets interrupted by Agent Signas. "I'm afraid that will need to come later. Right now we need to find your friend Maylu Sakurai." Wait, Alia's work friend we met from the rooftop tonight? What does she have to do with this? Alia stands up and takes a few steps forward looking straight at Agent Signas. "Why? What's wrong?" She asks. Agent Signas turns to her and states his answer bluntly. "To put it frankly, there's a good chance that she's in danger. And right now we need to find her." I look over at Alia who looks obviously worried about her friend. If what Agent Signas says is true, then we need to find Maylu as soon as possible. I just hope we don't end up finding her too late. And as for Proto-Man, well I guess we'll have to settle things between us later.

(Silicon City, Channel 6 News station, Day)

I quickly came into work with all of my research and files that I compiled last night stuffed into my bag. I speed walk into my work office and start setting up my evidence board. I called ahead earlier to to get here as quickly as possible and that it was important. Even now I couldn't believe what I had just discovered. Not only did I find the vigilante, I also discovered the identity of Mega-Man himself. Not only that, but as it turns out Alia Stern is Mega-Woman. Though obviously I'm going to keep that little fact to myself. After all, I make it a point not to post my friend's secrets. Plus I'm sure I'll just grill her for details later in private when I have the time, but for right now I have a much bigger story to focus on right now. I just barely manage to finish setting things up when I hear Ms. Thompson entering through the door behind me. Man I can't wait to see the look on her face when she sees this. It is going to blow. Her. Mind! "All right Sakurai, what was so important I had to get here?" I practically spin around to face her as I barely contain my excitement. "Okay. Are you ready?" nods her head waiting to hear what I have to say. "Okay. You know how I saw the vigilante? But I had no photos or evidence to show you, so I just sounded crazy." nods her head again following along. "Okay. But I saw him again. Well, I didn't just see him again, I saw them, because there's not just them it's also Mega-Man. There's the vigilante and Mega-Man. And I was standing as close to them as you are to me right now." I practically go into a giggle fit when I see the surprised look on 's face. "Well what'd the vigilante look like?" I getsure with my hand towards the white board. "Here, I'll show you." I point at one of the old pictures of Blues from the video. "They look just like this." looks at the picture in obvious surprise. "What, like a robot?" "Well, they don't look like a robot because they are a robot. They're about five to six feet tall, with red armor and an energy sword, and they possess a will of their own." I walk over and point at the old photo of Rock on the board. "And not only that, but I also figured out the true identity of Mega-Man. He is in actuality a robotic version of Dr. Thomas Light's son, Xavier Light." stares at me with what I believe to be amazement. That is until she starts shaking her head and mutters to herself. "Oh, my God." That's when I realize that she isn't shocked because she thinks my story is amazing, she's shocked because she thinks my story is just plain insane.

Thinking fast I quickly show her the rest of the evidence that I gathered last night. "Okay please look, I was awake all night googling all of the Spears crimes thwarted by the vigilante over the past three months, and this symbol appeared at every single one." I point at the pictures of the symbol that was cut into the metal container the other night at the docks. "Look! Every single one of them. Here, here, here, here, here. And it's actually the symbol used for an old experiment at Light Industries that was called "Project: Zero"." Seeing still not convinced, I pull out my laptop to show her the video footage of my dad's lab. "Wait, I'll show you. It's here, it's right here." I turn the laptop on and pull up the video files to show her. "Okay look, This is my father's lab at Light Industries. This is the same lab where I first met Dr. Light's son who I nicknamed "Rock", and where the robot was born or created or built. Or, I don't know the right terminology, but if you just look at what I'm showing you here and listen to what I'm saying to you. Because It's all connected. The robot and Dr. Light's son are the vigilante and Mega-Man and the vigilante and Mega-Man are this robot and this boy." Unfortunately while I was rambling on, the video clip I had clicked on was one where me and Rock were playing around with a still unfinished Blues. Specifically a game of Go-Fish with me doing a silly voice for Blues when it was his turn. "Do you have any three's Blues?" "Go fish." The two kids in the video were laughing and having a good time.

Myself on the other hand, is currently looking nervously at who looks like she's gonna have a migraine. She takes a deep breath in to calm herself down a bit. "Now, I just want to be extra clear here, Sakurai. You are now telling me that not only is Mega-Man actually Dr. Light's very much dead son, but that there is a sentient, talking robot with free will walking around Silicon City, and no one has seen or even heard about any of this but you? Is that what you're saying right now?" I try to rebuild my shaken confidence. "Yes, That is exactly what I'm telling you." lets out a small chuckle that is anything but a good sign. "Okay, I don't mean to laugh, but is there anything else we should know about this vigilante?" I try to think of something better to say but having now past the point of no return I just sigh and tell her the truth. "He's also a ninja." As expected just looks at me as if she didn't hear what I just said. "I'm sorry, say that again?" "And he knows kung fu." I wince a bit at my own words knowing just how crazy they sound out loud. And just like that, looks at me while pointing at the door and says three very powerful words that no reporter ever wants to hear. "Okay, get out." Next thing I know I'm getting off the elevator and walking down the steps carrying everything from my office in a cardboard box.

I try my best to put on a brave face and not give anyone the satisfaction of seeing me cry. At least until I make it out the door. I'm actually almost glad that Alia didn't show up to work today. The last thing I want is for her to see me at my lowest point. And if I'm lucky Chaud won't see it either. "Yo, Sakurai!" Then again, I've never been that lucky in my life. I turn around and see Chaud leaning against the news van before walking over to me. "You know, It could have been alot worse." Was this really his idea at trying to cheer me up? Because it definitely isn't working. "I just got fired, Chaud. How could it possibly be any worse?" Not like there's anything else he could say to make me feel any lower than I already am. "Well maybe this is a good thing. Maybe you should take a little time off, take care of yourself, and be in your own space." Oh my god I stand corrected. "Come on, at least let me give you a ride." Actually you know what? No freakin way am I about to give up on this story. In fact I'm now more determined than ever to see this through to the end. One way or another, people are going to read my story. And when they do, and it becomes sensational with the whole world recognising me as a top class reporter, every single person at Channel 6 news who thought I was crazy can suck it! Especially that douchebag McNaughton!

With newfound resolve I turn away from Chaud to go find the one person I know that could give me all of the answers I needed. "Yeah no thanks. Not unless you're going to the Eric Xeno estate." I can hear Chaud groaning as he starts to follow me. "Maylu... Hey wait up! " I don't care what anybody else says, I'm not giving up on this story." Chaud runs and cuts me off in front of me trying to look serious. "Listen Maylu, You gotta put that to bed." I can't help but scoff at him for saying that. "And what? Would all of those other great reporters that you worked with, would they have "put it to bed" Chaud?" "No. That's different." And like that he's starting to really upset me. "How exactly is it different? They all started right where I am, right? So you tell me, what's the difference between them and me?" Chaud and I stare each other down until he sighs and grabs the cardboard box away from me. What he says next actually almost surprises me. "I'm not driving the Channel 6 news van onto the Xeno estate." He walks past me back to the van. I turn around looking slightly confused. "Uhh, Who asked you to do that?" "Uh, you did." Chaud puts my stuff into the van and closes the door. "And a "thanks" would have been nice." I quickly run over to the passenger side of the van. "Well, Maybe one day you're gonna be the one thanking me." We both get into the van and buckle up as Chaud starts the engine. "So, what do you want with Eric Xeno anyway?" "My dad used to work with him at Light Industries. He's the only person that's gonna be able to tell me whether I'm crazy or not." "Crazy about what?" I shake my head at Chaud. I am so not in the mood to add another name onto the list of people who think I'm nuts. "Look, I don't need you to laugh at me too. Okay?" Chaud on the other hand refuses to just let it go. "Oh, come on, Sakurai." He starts waving his arm along the inside of the van. "This whole thing right here, this is the Blaze Mobile, it's a judgment-free zone. A virtual cocoon of safety and understanding." I look skeptical at him, but to be honest it would feel awesome to have someone actually stand behind me on this. "You promise you won't laugh?" Chaud emits a sound of mock offense. "I am insulted that you would even suggest such a thing." Aw what the heck, It can't be any worse than how took it.

(Mountain range outside Silicon City, Day)

After an hour of driving I finally finished telling Chaud everything that I learned pertaining to the story. "So yeah, That's what I told Thompson and she fired me." For the most part Chaud remained surprisingly silent for the whole drive up into the mountains. After taking it all in I can only wonder what his overall reaction is going to be. "So… they're what? Cyborgs?" I look at him in complete disbelief at what he just said. "No, Don't be ridiculous. They're living robots. They help people, I guess." How could Chaud not get that? "Super fighting robots." Oh who am I kidding? It's Chaud. "Okay. You know what? Just forget it." "Oh come on. It's not that crazy. I... The world of robotics is full of... I used to have an electronic whistle that could sing opera." You know, in some weird kind of way, hearing Chaud try to rationalize my theory was actually kinda nice. Least he doesn't think I'm completely crazy. Eventually after a long drive up the mountain, the front gate of the Xeno estate comes into view. Chaud parks the van just a few feet from the gate. I unbuckle myself and step out of the van. " Hey thanks again for the ride, Chaud." I barely hear Chaud shout back as I walk away. "Yeah. No problem. Nothing beats dropping off a young pretty girl at a rich old guy's house." I walk through the snow up to the intercom and push the call button to speak into it. "Uh, Hi, it's Maylu Sakurai, here to see Eric Xeno." The intercom beeps as the metal gates slowly open up to allow me entry onto the estate grounds.

I start walking up the dirt road to the large house up ahead. Of course when I say house, I really mean castle. The place is so huge it feels almost like a miniature city. I make it to the front door just as it opens up to reveal the welcoming smile of Eric Xeno. "Well this is a pleasant surprise. I haven't seen you for years and now twice in two days? If I didn't know any better I'd say you were smothering me." We both share a brief chuckle. I only hope that Mr. Xeno can help me. "I'm really sorry to just barge in on you like this, Mr. Xeno." Mr. Xeno waves his hand to try and reassure me. "No, no, my dear, think nothing of it. Please, come right in " I thank him and start to explain the whole thing to him. "You see, I've been working on a new story. And I have this theory that alongside Mega-Man and his team, there is this vigilante that has been fighting back against the Emerald Spears." Mr. Xeno listens with great interest. "And while this may sound a little crazy, I think you and my father may have helped create them." Mr. Xeno stops and looks at me a bit lost for words. "Uh, Hehe. I'm not so sure that I…" Desperate for answers I interrupt him to ask him straight out. " , Can you please tell me everything that you know about Project Zero?" stares at me and inhales deeply trying to get his thoughts together.

Apparently it wasn't an easy subject to discuss. Nevertheless I need him to give me any and all information about the project that he could remember. "Hmm. Well, the fact of it is, it was a dream. A dream that sadly died along with your father after Wily twisted it into something horrible." I could tell from the tone in his voice that he was greatly saddened by what had happened. I was at home at the time so I never really understood the full story. All anyone would tell me was that there had been an accident at the testing lab and that people got hurt. Including Dr. Light's son and my father. It must've been so hard for him to carry that knowledge with him for so long. Well today I was going to help him push through that sadness. " , What if I told you that, that dream wasn't dead?" looks at me with mild skepticism. "I'm sorry but that's just not possible. We lost all of our research during the accident, all our files, the power source, everything. I have since spent the last 7 years trying to create the same energy signature needed to reactivate the project." I reached into my pocket and took out my phone to show him the picture I managed to take of Mega-Man and the others last night. "What if you didn't lose everything in the accident?" examines the photo in slight amusement until his expression slowly changes into astonishment at what this photo represents. If Mega-Man has some connection to Project: Zero in some way then perhaps it could be possible to revive the project like wishes. "This can't possibly mean what I think it does." "Oh believe me, It does. And not just that, I saw them. Both of them. The robot you and Dad helped Dr. Light build, and Dr. Light's son." looks at me in utter shock at what I've just told him. "Xavier is alive?" I shrugged my shoulders a bit but from what I saw a part of him does seem to reside in Mega-Man. "I think it's more like Xavier was reborn as Mega-Man." He looks back at the phone with greater interest before turning back to me. "Do you truly wish to know about Project: Zero?" I silently nod my head which prompts him to lead me into a different wing of the house. "Then follow me."

We walk into this dimly lit room with a mural on the wall depicting a large battle in medieval times between knights and what look like monsters. "A long time ago I lived in France, settled into the countryside along with my wife and young son. Then the war came and took them both away from me. I was a lost soul in a broken land. I was a powerless and helpless man without any reason to carry on. Until I came upon two local boys, abandoned and left for dead, and took them both into my care. And just as I saved them, so too did they save me. Helped me to envision the future that I later shared with your father and Thomas Light." We both stop and turn to look at the mural on the wall. "Fifth-century Europe. An evil king ruled the land with an iron fist. Using black magic He summoned an army of demons, bringing on the dark ages. Death and suffering ran rampant throughout the land. Not unlike the Emerald Spears and what they'd like to do to our city." Frankly, if the Emerald Spears were even capable of doing something like that, We'd really be in trouble. carries on telling me the story. "Then one day, a hero arose. A wise and powerful wizard discovered the spell to banish the king's dark army and mend the land. The cure-all for his evil." Man, talk about a fairytale ending. turns back to me. "With Dr. Light's help, Your father and I were trying to recreate that cure-all. We experimented with a rare energy salvaged from a piece of meteorite called the Omega Core capable of stimulating not just self-repair on a cellular level, but as well as rewriting data codes and certain levels of programming in an instant." I remember Dr. Light told me about how the core's energy could reverse centuries of pollution but I had no idea that it was also capable of rewriting programming.

It makes me wonder just what was the end result going to be if Wily hadn't ruined everything. "What exactly were you going to do with it?" turns away from me and walks toward the curtain covered window. "Dr. Light had his own ideas for the project to be sure, but… Just imagine if you will: Silicon City, being victim to a large scale cyber attack. This energy when used correctly would be able to reverse any and all damage inflicted by it." He turns back to me with his arms stretched out a bit. "It would save the city, it would save the people. Those robots, particularly Mega-Man... Surging through their bodies is the last of this precious energy. And up until a few moments ago, I thought we failed. I thought the core was destroyed in the accident. How... How could it have survived?" I of course have a pretty good idea how. While I was researching last night trying to figure out how Rock had somehow become Mega-Man I came across some old news articles online. Specifically ones pertaining to Dr. Light stepping out of the public eye after the accident that took his son. Then I remembered how Mega-Man first appeared coming to the aid of Dr. Light just moments after FireMan tried to roast him and how he showed up out of nowhere and stopped the Emerald Spears from blowing up Light Industries.

After putting two and two together it didn't take me long to figure out what it all meant. And I wasted no time sharing it with . "Because Dr. Light saved it and used it to build a robot in the likeness of his son." Hearing my explanation seems to understand everything quite clearly now. "Of course he did. That explains everything." He walks up to me and places his hands gently on my shoulders. "Maylu listen to me. The Omega Core possesses powers beyond our wildest hopes. And if it's possible that two robots now carry the exact same powersource, the possibilities are almost infinite. So whatever resources you need to help you, I'm here." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a card with the X foundation's logo on it along with a contact number written along the bottom. "Let's work together to find them again. The course of human history may depend on it." I look over the card and give it some thought.

Getting the story out there was one thing, but possibly changing the course of human history in the process? Frankly all I can think about right now is how much is going to regret firing me. I look back and nod my head at , accepting his help. Afterwards he shows me out and I immediately run back to the van to tell Chaud to drive me back to my apartment. I also think about calling Alia but change my mind considering how things are going right now. Plus I'm pretty sure Alia wants to avoid talking to me anyway after discovering her secret.

(Maylu's Apartment, Night)

I sit down at my laptop and start searching the internet for recent vigilante and Mega-Man activity in the city. If I was going to find them both again, I need to figure out their movements and patterns. I just about hit the search button when suddenly the screen starts to bug out and go crazy. At first I have no idea what's happening until I hear a familiar voice through the speakers. "And, Presto! You, my dear lady, have been thoroughly hacked! By the technical wizardry of Gadget Man." Holy crap, this guy sounds like a bigger nerd than I thought. "We did inform you that we'd find you. And more importantly we need to discuss something urgent with you." My computer screen changes again to show a map of the city and a mini window containing a street address. "Kindly meet us at this location. And I duly advise that you come alone. Or… Uh... Or else we're um... You shall be severely disciplined and such." The connection soon gets severed with the address still on my screen. Two thoughts run through my head. One, that I was finally going to get to the bottom of this. And second, Gadget Man really needs to learn how to intimidate people. I quickly write down the address and grab my bag to head out.

(Silicon City, Rooftop, Night)

I take a cab to the address and make my way up the fire escape to the roof of the building. I figure meeting on the ground isn't very "secret meeting" enough for them. I make it up top and look around for Mega-Man and his team. However I seem to be the only person on the roof. I wander around a bit but still don't see any sign of them. I start to shout. "Hello? You guys told me to come here." Still no sign. "I did what you said, I came alone. So how about you drop the Batman act and just…" Suddenly someone drops in behind me startling me. I turn around to see Trigger Man standing there grabbing my shoulders and talking to me loud and slowly for some reason. "Okay, Now listen carefully! Are you in fact Maylu Sakurai?" I just look at him trying to figure out what's going on until Gadget Man shows up out of nowhere and holding a device up to me. "Stand by for facial recognition." The light almost blinds me as he steps closer and closer towards me. "Scan complete. We have a positive ID Guys, it's her!" Yeah I could've told you guys that had you just asked me like normal people.

Suddenly I feel a hand grab my shoulder and turn me around to face Alia in her Mega-Woman outfit. "Of course it's her, genius. Hey. I'm really glad you're here. And I understand you may have a lot of questions right now." I nod my head at her. "Quite a few, yeah." "Yeah well I promise you I'll answer all of them as best I can. However, right now there's someone important we want to introduce you to. Also sorry about this." "Sorry about wh…" As if answering my question someone places what feels like a pillowcase over my head and picks me up off the ground. They carry me off to who knows where with only wind blowing past as it feels like I'm flying through the air. Not sure where it is I'm being taken to, but I can probably guess who the important someone might be. I just hope that they'll be willing to go on record for me.

(Silicon City Junkyard, Night)

This feels like such a bad idea. I mean Dad has never been ok with bringing strangers in on our little secret, least of all a reporter. So why now all of a sudden did he have no arguments about bringing Maylu Sakurai here at Agent Signas' request? And more importantly what does she have to do with Proto-Man, who apparently also knows Dad for some strange reason? Hopefully Signas will finally explain everything when the others bring her here. I would've gone along but I didn't trust Proto-Man being alone with Dad so I stuck around to keep an eye on him. Which just meant the two of us occasionally glaring at each other a few hours at a time. He keeps insisting that he doesn't remember our fight but I can tell that he's lying. The way he keeps looking at me a certain way as if he almost recognizes me. Frankly it ticks me off. And how can Dad really be ok with him being here? Especially after he tried to kill me. Before long I hear the sound of Rush's jet engine and turn to see him come flying in through the skylight carrying someone on his back with a blue pillowcase over their head.

Looks like they finally found her. Rush lands gently on the ground as everyone walks through the door into the room. Axel walks up and grabs her arms, helping her to her feet. "Alrighty, welcome to our hangout, girl." Oh jeez, he's trying to be cool. "Where exactly are we?" Both Axel and Douglas start giving her random answers to her question. "Well, I suppose you could refer to it as our Hall of Justice." "Our Batcave." "Our Sanctum Sanctorum." "Our top-of-the-line, super top secret ThunderDome!" As Axel's voice echoes throughout the building Maylu makes a sniffing sound followed closely by an Ugh. "Wait, are we at the city dump?" Axel stays silent, hesitating to answer. "Uh, No." Alia rolls her eyes as Douglas rubs the back of his neck. "Well…Technically, she's not entirely wrong." Axel sighs in defeat as he reaches over to remove the bag off her head. "Yeah. Ok yeah, it's a dump." He pulls the bag off and Maylu's eyes blink rapidly as her eyes adjust to the light.

She turns her head around to take in her new surroundings. Staring wide eyed at our HQ. Her eyes wander over each of us, stopping briefly to stare at Proto-Man. Rush barks, getting her attention as he walks up to her. She stares at him for a second before crouching down and holding out her hand for him to sniff. "Hello" Rush gives her hand a good sniff before wagging his tail and licking it a few times causing Maylu to giggle a bit. Rush seems cool with her at least, but I still can't help but feel uneasy bringing her here like this. She starts petting his head, giving his ears a little scratch. It isn't until Dad speaks to her that her expression turns back into surprise. "It's been a long time, Maylu." She looks up at him with shock and stands back up. "Dr. Light?" The way she says his name causes me and everyone else to have a turn being surprised. Douglas turns to me with confusion. "How does she know your dad?" I shrug my shoulders at him and turn to Alia. "Did you tell her about him?" Alia shakes her head at me looking just as surprised as the rest of us. I just turn back to Maylu who continues to stare at Dad as if she hadn't seen him in a long time.

Standing nearby I hear Axel silently gasp like he knows exactly what's going on. "Guys, Maybe she's psychic!" I hear Alia and Roll both groan while Zero just smacks Axel in the back of his head. Dad gestures with his hand for Maylu to walk over to him. "Come closer please." She does as he asks and Dad smiles at her. He looks her over briefly "You've certainly grown since the last time I saw you." He looks at her directly in her eyes. "Mmm. You always did have your father's eyes." Maylu takes a few seconds to process what is happening right now. Same goes for the rest of us. "I'm sorry. I just, I don't understand." Yeah you and me both sister. Just what the heck is going on? I spot out of the corner of my eye Agent Signas walking up to them and clearing his throat. "Don't worry, Ms. Sakurai. All will be explained. She turns to look at him and her eyes wander to mine. As soon as our gazes meet I start to feel a sense of deja vu like we've met somewhere before. This isn't just crazy, It's down right insane. Just who is this girl?

(Undisclosed location, Day)

I sit quietly meditating on the floor mat when I hear the sound of the door open behind me and someone entering the room. I open my eye and slowly stand up. Without turning around I can tell exactly who the person is standing behind me. "Why are you here? Old man." I turn around to face the man who once saved my and my brother's life when we were children. And while I will always be grateful to him and the assistance he has provided us over the years, I still didn't appreciate him dropping by unannounced. After all, it would be very inconvenient if the wrong people saw the leader of the Emerald Spears and the CEO of the X foundation together in the same place. Whatever he has to say had better be worth it. "There's been a remarkable discovery. The two robots who've been causing us so much trouble? They're the test model and Light's dead son." I look at him with shock and surprise at his news. Dr. Light's little brat, who everyone thought had died in that accident, is actually that annoying blue runt that's been a constant thorn in my side? "And that's not all. That itty-bitty core that we thought we lost in the fire? It survived, Xander. It's both of the robot's powersource. And they've evolved into something powerful." If that's true, then this whole time the most powerful energy source on the planet has been hidden under our noses the whole time.

The Old Man starts to lay out the whole picture for me. "Now It will be difficult, but if we're able to capture them, we can finally carry out the plan that we had devised all those years ago." He's right. Though I would love nothing more than to destroy both of them, if we manage to get our hands on the power of the Omega Core, we can finally continue the plan we had been working towards to finally wipe out all robots across the planet. I turn to him with a sneer. "At long last, we will have the power to save humanity." "And the X foundation will have all the money necessary to ensure its continued existence. The entire city will be ours." No more hiding, no more striking from the shadows. We will finally take the fight to them. "How soon can you make preparations to find them?" The Old Man grins. "Sakurai's daughter was the one who found them, she will be the one who will lead us straight to them." He always was a step ahead.

Now all that's left is to rally the troops and prepare for the attack. And this time, there will be no mistakes. "I'll lead the assault myself." There is just one thing left to make sure of. "Is it ready?" The Old Man leads me out of the room to the armory where a large crate is being unloaded from the truck parked in the motor pool. "As a matter of fact our R&D staff have been making great progress in refining the cybernetics in your armor." We walk up as a few soldiers open the crate up to reveal the contents inside. After my last encounter with the blue bomber, I commissioned the old man to design and build me a new type of combat suit to better level the playing field for the next encounter. And looking at it he most certainly delivered. A set of basic body armor with a distinct purple sheen and white and gold highlights. The shoulder pads are rectangular in shape, with a belt at the waist. The helmet boasts a dark, T-shaped visor. Attached to the shoulder is a cannon, featuring an ammo belt arching into a pack on the back. "We're calling it the Versatile. Integrated. Light-weight. Exo-suit." I can think of no better name for it. It perfectly spells out my view of the little robotic menace. Today, I exact my revenge.

(Silicon City Junkyard, Day)

I can't believe this is happening right now. Not only am I standing in the secret headquarters of Mega-Man's team, but I'm also standing in the same room with Dr. Light, Blues, and Rock. I still can't believe that he's been alive all this time and that he is actually Mega-Man. During the next few hours Dr. Light and the other guy, Agent Signas, sits me down and tells me the whole story. About the accident, about how Rock was rebuilt into a robot, and about how he, Alia, and the others became heroes. He even explains to Rock and everyone else how me and Rock know each other and how I know Blues or Proto-Man as he's now called. However there's still one thing I don't understand. "So wait, that still doesn't explain why I'm here and what this all has to do with me." Dr. Light glances over to Agent Signas who gives him a nod. He then turns to look over at Rock and the rest of the group, who look just as confused as I am. "Listen closely, All of you. The truth is there is more to the story. After that fateful day I started to go over the video files of the experiment. I was hoping to discover just what had caused the accident in the first place. Xeno went over the necessary calculations. Your father made sure the energy levels were under normal parameters. And you, as always, provided us with a special treat. Eventually I discovered a video file recorded just moments before the accident. Your father was arguing with Xeno. Apparently he had discovered the truth behind the man he was working with. Before I could uncover what exactly that truth was, the lab exploded in a ball of fire. Xeno managed to survive but your father was not as fortunate. I never believed that Xeno was doing anything that could have intentionally harmed anyone, but nevertheless I asked him to resign from the company."

So dad and were arguing about something on the day of the accident? But then why didn't mention that to me back at his estate? Alia interrupts my thoughts with a question directed at Agent Signas. "Okay but what about Proto-Man? How does he fit into this?" Agent Signas clears his throat before he answers her. "After Dr. Wily was defeated a second time. My organization, Bastion, was able to salvage a small replica of the Omega Core that Wily had created in the past. We then placed it into what was left of the original Proto-Man that we took from Wily's lab and rebuilt it into a new upgraded version. It was then the energy that flowed into his body began to change him in miraculous ways. He became different from the other robot masters that we had reprogrammed. It was as if he was nothing more than a child unsure of what his purpose was. The only thing that was clear to him was the name he had chosen for himself, Blues." I glance over at Blues who looks and listens intently at Agent Signas as he continues. "Like all children, he was drawn to the distractions of the outside world around him. However he also exhibited very aggressive tendencies and a powerful urge to fight and protect. And I knew one day my superiors would want to send him out into the world on all kinds of dangerous missions. He would need to learn to protect himself, both mentally and physically. And so I became his handler and teacher. First, I would help teach him basic combat skills. He followed my lead, accelerating at a wondrous rate. His gift was also his passion. It was as if he lived, breathed and dreamed of all things martial arts. Until at last, he was ready." All eyes turn back to Dr. Light as he stands up. "Which brings us back to why you're here, Maylu. Once Agent Signas explained, I understood. The truth behind Rock and Blue's personalities, why they both strive to be what they are, and what they've both become was made possible by the bravery and kindness that you displayed back in that lab all those years ago."

The room falls silent as Dr. Light's words sink in. "I was just a little girl, what influence could I have given to them?" "From what we understand, The Omega Core reacts to emotions and the mental state of those who interact or are in close proximity to it. While you were in the lab the core reacted to how you felt about both my son and the robot that you had named. And in so doing you left a small imprint that would eventually grow and develop into their personalities." Wait, so Blues and Rock are who they are because a glowing space orb reacted to my emotions and how I interacted with them? That's a thing!? I honestly have a hard time processing it. Meanwhile Blues asks a question of his own. "Wait a minute, Signas. All this time you told me my core was the by-product of Wily and Light's research on the Omega Core, that it's a duplicate." "That's right. And that duplicate contains the same energy as the original core." Dr. Light adds to his explanation. "Which of course contains the same imprint left by Maylu. In fact in a way, that makes you and Rock practically brothers." The whole room fills with a loud "What?" from myself and everyone else.

Rock and Blues stare at each other, both having a hard time believing Dr. Light's words. Frankly the tension is so thick that you could probab;y cut into it with a knife. That is until Axel ruins it with a comment. "Dude, Rock's brother is totally Proto-Man!" This is soon followed by Zero punching him hard on the arm. Ok I guess I can understand how I fit into all this. According to Dr. Light I had a hand in Rock and Blues origins. But that still doesn't explain why I'm here now in the first place. "Okay but why did you bring me here?" Agent Signas stands up and walks over to me. "Actually that was on my request. We needed to find out who you told of Blue's existence. As well as his connection to Rock." Oh ok. So this was all to see if I was a major security risk for their little operation. "Honestly I told a few people but they never believed me, except of course for Eric Xeno." Hearing that name Agent Signas starts to look worried. "I was afraid of that. Xeno is not a friend. In fact he has been suspected by Bastion of being in league with the Emerald Spears leader, Xander Payne." Wait What! Eric Xeno, benevolent CEO of the X foundation is working for Xander Payne? Even Dr. Light looks shocked at this news. "Wait a moment, Agent Signas. How can you be so sure of that?" Yeah I mean it's gotta be a mistake right? "From what we pulled from his personal files, Xeno practically raised Xander Payne in France. He's like a son to him. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he would be willing to do anything for his "son"." As he speaks I can't help but start to feel sick to my stomach.

In my pursuit of hunting down the truth I may have just helped The Emerald Spears get that much closer to taking over the city. Rock starts to argue with Agent Signas. "Wait, wait. Xeno and Payne are working together? If you uncovered that much then why aren't we out there taking them down?" "Because, Rock, that's still just speculation at this point. Without hard evidence we can't even touch Xeno! Besides, the cores in your and Blues bodies are of great value to them. Now that Xeno has confirmed that you are both in possession of them, I got a feeling that they'll no doubt bring the fight to us." Everyone starts to tense up at the meaning behind his words. For the most part they've had the Emerald Spears on the ropes, but now they are going to be fighting back much harder than ever before. And a lot of people might get caught in the crossfire. Roll speaks up to try and relieve the tension. "Well at least they don't know where we are, right?" My blood stops cold from her words. I reach into my pocket and take out the card that Xeno gave me. I take a closer look and notice how high tech it looks. Then it finally hits me like a two ton semi truck going full speed. My whole body shakes at the realization of what is about to happen. And all I can think about is "What have I done?"

(POV Change)

After hearing Agent Signas' explanation the HQ system alert starts going off. Roll runs over back to her chair and takes a look at the computer screens. Once there she immediately figures out what the problem is. "The perimeter's been breached! We have multiple hostiles incoming!" On the security screens are shown images of dozens of soldiers arriving in trucks and moving in flanking positions surrounding the main building. Guess it didn't take the Emerald Spears too long to find us. Still, that doesn't mean we can't give 'em a loud welcome. I move to stand next to Roll and look at the screens. "Can you tell where they're going to enter the building from?" "There are two most likely entry points. The main garage and the back wall." I quickly turn back to the others and start giving them instructions. "Zero, Axel, flank right! Alia, Rush, cover Dad and Maylu! Douglas, on me!" I turn and place a hand on Roll's shoulder. "We gotta go! Now!" She looks back at me and nods before quickly typing something into the computer. Knowing her it's probably a security measure to keep the system from being accessed or hacked.

The others start to get into position, ready for a fight. Just as me and Douglas are about to join them we hear Agent Signas start shouting at us. "No! Get back!" Suddenly the door to the main garage explodes sending a shockwave that pushes me and Douglas back. They must've used heavy explosives to blast through. A tactic that Agent Signas tried to warn us about. Through the smoke soldiers start pouring in weapons raised. Proto-Man springs into action and starts fighting them hand to hand. He starts by disarming them before effectively and swiftly knocking them out one after the other. One of their guns slides over to Douglas who picks it up and starts scanning it with his goggles to determine what kind of weapons they were. It takes him a few seconds to figure out what kind of ammo they used. "They're using high voltage taser rounds!" So the plan isn't to kill us, but to try and take us alive. Well we're not gonna make it easy for them. "In that case, don't let them hit you." We both quickly stand up and rush the soldiers. I use my copy system and throw two pairs of scissors to slice two rifles in half. Douglas pulls out a gadget and slides across the floor at them. The device opens up into a triangle shape and starts emitting a burst of magnetic energy that pulls all of their guns out of their hands and onto the device.

Meanwhile Alia and Rush keep everyone else covered with assistance from Agent Signas who starts firing his own gun at the soldiers. Toward the back wall Zero and Axel meet a wave of soldiers with Axel once again showing off his skills in gun play. "Wassup, jerkwads?" He fires off multiple shots with each one hitting its target dead center. He spots out of the corner of his eye a soldier loading a grenade launcher. "Oh, you think you can handle this, huh? I'm a gun toting superhero, sucka. Bang, bang, bang!" His shots cause the soldier to fall backward and fire a shot at the ceiling and blow a chunk of it off. Axel looks up and jumps out of the way, nearly avoiding getting crushed. "Uh, That was intentional! Yeah, totally meant to do that! All part of my plan!" Nearby Zero doesn't waste time with words and takes on five soldiers at once swinging his laser sword and delivering heavy kicks and punches furiously. Eventually he puts the sword away and proceeds to brutally beat down on every soldier that crosses his path with all of his might. Man, it's times like this that I am really glad he's on our side now. Nevertheless, he and Axel start slowly getting overrun with soldiers continuing to pour in. Douglas observes this and shouts over to me. "We have more invaders storming in through the back wall!" Damn, and meanwhile me and Douglas still have our hands full here in the garage.

I reluctantly turn to shout over at Proto-Man. "Proto-Man! Get to the back wall and back them up!" "I don't take orders from you!" He shouts back as he fires his buster cannon at an enemy behind me. I don't like having to work together any more than he does, but like it or not we're in this together. Luckily Agent Signas calls out to him as he fires a few more shots. "Just do it! Go!" Proto-Man turns and moves to back up Zero and Axel. I turn to Alia and shout my next order. "Alia, you gotta get everyone out of here, now!" She nods at me. "Okay, I got this!" She turns around to look at Roll. "Roll, you and Rush get Maylu and Dr. Light out through the emergency exit! I'll cover you!" Roll nods and grabs Maylu's hand leading her to safety. "Okay come with me. There's a safe place for us to hide. And if you get thirsty, there's a secret stash of Orange soda behind the fridge." Roll leans in close to whisper to Maylu. "Don't tell Axel." The rest of us keep fighting as the soldiers continue to move in seemingly from all directions. I soon end up getting separated from Douglas and Agent Signas fighting hard under the open skylight above me. It's there I start to pick up on a loud sound right above me. I look up to see a helicopter flying overhead in the sky. I squint my eyes as I notice a door on the side open up to allow something to jump out of the helicopter and plummet down towards me. I quickly roll out of the way as it smashes through the skylight and lands hard onto the ground causing it to form cracks underneath it. I turn my head to look at the fallen object only to notice that it was starting to move.

The fallen object is actually a metal suit of purple armor straightening up and standing at a good seven feet, thirteen meters tall. On its shoulder is a large cannon with an ammo belt feeding into it from somewhere in the back. The light is reflected off of a black T-shaped visor as the helmet turns to look right at me. The front of the helmet opens up to reveal the sneering face of Xander Payne. "It's good to be back." I slowly stand up and face him. "Wish I could say this the same." I take a battle stance as he starts to walk around me in a half circle. "It's ironic really. All these years I've been trying to recreate the energy of the Omega Core. And you? You just handed it to me on a silver platter." I smirk at him. "Yeah well, I think it's only fair to warn you that people don't have a good track record with trying to take my core. Just ask Dr. Wily." Xander just scoffs at me. "That old fool lacked the resolve to do what was necessary. I'll only say this once, give me the core or I will hunt down and kill the man who created you. So what'll it be "hero"?" Oh, bad move. If there's one thing you never do, it's threaten the lives of my family and friends. I clench my fists and scowl at him. "I won't let you lay one finger on my dad." My eyes glow with energy as sparks start to fly off my body. Xander just looks at me and laughs. ""Your dad"?" His helmet closes up as he raises his arms, his own armor starts powering up. "Who do you think you are? His son?" He makes the first move throwing a punch at me.

Using my copy system again, I give myself an electric boost and accelerate my body to dodge him. I do this three more times until I get an opening to hit back. I use the copy system to give me a boost in physical strength and jump up to deliver a right cross to Xanders head. He staggers back a little from the strike but stays on his feet. "Not bad, For a robot!" He gets into a combat stance and charges at me again. We both exchange various blows, however he clearly gains the advantage in hand to hand close combat. No doubt thanks to his experience as a trained soldier. I back off and switch to attacking from a distance using my buster cannon and start firing plasma shots at him. Xander just blocks them with his arms without getting so much as a scratch. He then aims his arms at me as small blasters of his own spring out of his gauntlets and fires back at me. The shots ricochet off the walls around me as I move to avoid getting hit. I jump up onto the catwalk above and switch to tossing a small bomb at him. The bomb detonates on impact and engulfs him in a small explosion. Before I can catch my breath however, the smoke clears to see Xander still standing. He reaches his arm up to grab the barrel of his shoulder cannon and aims it right at me. The cannon starts to charge up getting ready to fire. In that split second I jump down just as the purple beam shoots out and barely flies past me and destroys the wall behind me. I lind on my feet and decide to charge Xander, shoulder tackling him to the ground. Unbeknownst to me at the same time, Proto-Man and Zero both lift up a large piece of the back wall and use it to charge forward and push back the remaining soldiers. They both turn back around and get ready to take on more enemies when the blast from Xander's cannon causes a part of the building to come down on top of them, burying them both in rubble.

Back to my fight with Xander, we both get back up and I spew fire at him with my buster cannon. Xander pushes through the fire and reaches out his hand to grab my head and lift me off the ground. The metal of my helmet creaks and bends a little as he squeezes my head while I struggle to break free. He swings me down to the floor with a heavy slam knocking the wind out of me. Alia fires her buster cannon before spotting me getting slammed. "Rock!" She rushes forward to try to help me only to get ambushed by more soldiers equipped with shock rods and forcing her to the ground screaming in pain. She tries her best to fight them off with small assistance from Rush who starts chomping down on one of them. She calls out to Douglas. "Douglas!" Douglas on the other hand is busy holding off enemies with his extendable metal staff, twirling it around to block the incoming taser bullets. Looks like all those weeks of practice really paid off. "Hang on, Alia! Be there as soon as I possibly can!" Douglas keeps twirling his staff until he finally swings it across and knocks the group of soldiers back. I try to get back up off the floor only for Xander to kick me hard in the face and knock me back down. He then grabs my leg and throws me across the room. Not gonna lie, things are not looking too good for me right now. I hear heavy footsteps coming closer to me as I roll myself over on the ground. I look up to see Xander looming over me aiming his shoulder cannon down at me. It starts charging up again to fire point blank as he places a foot on top of me to keep me from escaping. At this moment I try desperately to pry his foot off of me. Just as the cannon is about to fire Xander lets out a loud groan as someone yells and attacks him from behind and causes the cannon to lose power.

Xander turns around allowing me to see the face of the one who saved me. My eyes widen as I see Maylu standing there panting and staring up at Xander. I thought she had managed to escape with Dad and Roll. What is she still doing here? I took a glance at Xander's back to see that she had struck him with one of Roll's large wrenches which is now sticking out of his back. I hear the anger in Xander's voice as he looks down at Maylu. "You stupid little brat!" He raises his arm to strike at her only for someone else to push her out of the way in time. "Maylu!" To my horror the person who pushed her out of the way and receives Xander's strike instead is Roll. I watch as her body flies through the air like a ragdoll before hitting the wall with a loud crack. She lands on the floor and lays still without any signs that she's still alive. I grit my teeth and fight through the tears as I stand up and charge at Xander screaming at the top of my lungs only for him to turn around and grab me by the neck in midair. He reaches back and pulls out the wrench before tossing it aside and tossing me across the room and hitting a wall and knocking over a few cans of fuel, spilling it along the floor. I pick myself up and look back at Xander slowly walking towards me. I then pick up on the screams of Alia as she grabs hold of the shock rods and pulls the ends of them together causing a feedback loop and knocking the soldiers back. She sits up and looks over at me. She stands up and tries to run over to me. "Hang on Rock! I'm coming!" My thoughts immediately return to what happened to Roll and I start to panic. I just saw one person I care about get seriously hurt, I can't bear to see that happen to anyone else. "No, stay back!" I aim my buster cannon at the ground and use fire to ignite the fuel creating a wall of fire between myself and Alia. That wall of fire starts to spread and separates myself from the others as well. All of which turn and race to try and get to me before getting cut off by the fire.

Axel and Douglas run to join Rush and Alia, the latter of whom cries out to me through the wall of flame. "Rock! What are you doing?" I slowly get up on my knees and face her. "Go! Get out of here!" Xander leaps over to me and grabs hold of my shoulder and pulls me away. "Save yourselves!" I hit the ground hard causing everything around me to feel muffled and slow. From the screams of my friends to the pain of Xander's attacks to my body. Even as he tosses me straight up into the air and clotheslines me in the face on the way down. I hit the ground again and remain just barely conscious as I can just make out the wall of flames not too far away. A wall that soon vanishes under a layer of white. My best guess is that Douglas found the fire extinguisher and used it to put out the flames. Xander reaches down and picks me up off the ground as more soldiers stand alongside him aiming their weapons at my friends who now stand ready to keep fighting. Xander looks over each of them and chuckles. "Unbelievable. You all really are just a bunch of kids aren't you?" He gestures to me, raising his fist to my head. "Well then children, surrender now, or your "friend" will die."

(POV Change)

All I can do is watch helplessly from my hiding spot along with Dr. Light and Agent Signas as the others face down Xander Payne and the Emerald Spears. I've never felt more guilty in my whole life. First I end up leading the Emerald Spears right to this place, but even when I tried to help Rock earlier it turned out to be useless. And what's worse, it caused Roll to get seriously hurt trying to save me. And now Rock is being held at the mercy of this mad man while all I can do is cower and pray that things will be alright. And I can only imagine how Alia and the others are feeling right now seeing their friend being used as a bargaining chip to get them to surrender. Alia especially looks torn between continuing to fight or saving Rock's life. In the end she lets out a heavy sigh and lowers her arm cannon before transforming out of her armor back to normal. She takes off her armor device from her wrist and tosses it on the ground. Before long Axel and Douglas end up following her lead and doing the exact same thing. Even Ruch ends up transforming back into a regular looking dog. I look over at Rock who seems to be trying desperately to tell them something. Only for Xander to strike at his chest causing him cry out in pain and fall to the floor. Alia and the guys all scream out "No!" as they get swarmed and restrained by soldiers. A few of them use shock rods on Rush to stop him from lunging at the man who attacked his master. Each of them is then dragged out of the building as myself and the others try our best to stay hidden. I then overhear Xander talking to one of his soldiers. "Where's the other one?" "He's dead." Xander takes one last look around the inside of the building. "Plant the charges. Destroy this place." A few moments later explosives go off destroying a small portion of the building. All we can do is brace ourselves and try not to get crushed. Rock, Blues, Alia, Roll, everyone, I'm so sorry I caused this to happen to you.

(POV Change)

As the rain falls outside I stand and watch as the troops load up Mega-Man and his little "team" into the truck. Hard to believe that a bunch of kids have been causing me so much trouble. Either way it doesn't matter, I have what I need. Once we get the little robot brat back to the old man we can finally move to the next stage in our plan. Plus it felt good to finally defeat Mega-Man with my own two hands. As I continue using this suit, I can't help but feel more powerful than I've ever been. Perhaps if I had this level of strength from the start, I could've done more for humanity in the past. I could've even saved my parents from dying during the war. Whenever I think back to that day, I can still see my parents half buried in rubble. Their bodies mangled from the artillery fire from the german cannons. On that day I swore to protect my little brother no matter the cost. And as the years passed I trained hard to become strong enough to do just that. However as I was drafted into the military my goals began to change dramatically. During my tour of duty I bore witness to all matters of warfare, but what truly shook me to my core was the use of robotic soldiers on the battlefield. Watching helplessly as my comrades one after the other were slaughtered and butchered by an enemy without pity or remorse. An enemy that would no doubt bring upon the downfall of mankind if we allow them to advance too quickly.

On that day I made it my mission to wipe out the robot menace from the face of the earth. Starting with the source of its development, Silicon City. So I took the loyal troops that were under my previous command and turned them into a rising army for all of humanity. And before the day is out we will engulf this foul diseased city with purifying flame and wipe the slate clean. We will pull the evil of robots out by the root before it chokes out the flower of mankind's bright future. I turn to get back on board the chopper and contact the old man as we lift off into the air back to his estate. "This is Xander. The package is secured and we are en route." "Were you able to retrieve them both?" "We're carrying one of the robots along with three prisoners and will be arriving at the estate in approximately 40 minutes." "Understood. I shall prepare the containment units. Once everything is ready we will drain every last ounce of that robot's energy to get what we need, even if it kills them." That is something I have no qualms about. After all, How can you kill something that was never alive to begin with?

(POV Change)

Once we're sure that they're all gone, Agent Singas and I push off the sheet of metal that we used to protect us from the falling debris from the explosions. We then climb out of our hiding place and look around at the devastated remains of the building. But what really catches my eye is Roll trapped under several slabs of concrete. I shout to get Agent Signas and Dr. Light"s attention. "Over here!" We go over and try to dig her out. Upon closer examination we discover that she is in fact still alive, but just barely. I desperately try to lift a large piece of debris off of her but I just don't have the strength to lift something so heavy. I then start to hear rumbling noises not too far away and turn just in time to see Zero and Blues force their way out from under a pile of rubble nearby. I shout over to them to get their attention. As soon as Zero spots Roll he immediately runs over to get her out. He furiously tosses away pieces of rubble until he starts lifting up the heavy larger piece and allowing us to safely pull Roll out from under it.

Agent Signas carefully lifts her up off the floor and carries her off to the next room on Dr. Light's instruction. "Put her on the table! Maylu, Get the first aid kit! On the shelf! Hurry!" I do as I'm told and quickly grab the first aid kit from the shelf and bring it over to him. Roll starts to stir and slowly open her eyes. Her voice comes out as barely a whisper. "Zero?" Zero swiftly comes to her side and places a hand on her head. "I'm here, Girl." Dr. Light begins treating her wounds, but from the look on his face I fear there's very little for him to do. I turn to look over at him. "Is there anything you can do for her?" Dr. Light shakes his head. "The wounds are too severe. I fear that she has a day or two at best." I feel practically on the verge of crying. This all happened because of me. Had I not kept searching for the truth about The Vigilante, about Blues, none of this would've happened in the first place. I should've just dropped the whole thing like Chaud said. Then maybe Roll would be ok and Xander Payne wouldn't have taken Rock and the others along with… Wait a minute, That's it! "I know of a way to save Roll!" All eyes fall on me as I tell them my plan. "Xeno once told me that the energy of the Omega Core could help to reverse damage to the organic body and heal all wounds!" I turn to look over at Blues. "We could use your core to help heal her!" Blues stares at me a moment before looking back at Roll.

He looks ready to say something but is interrupted by Dr. Light. "I'm afraid that's not possible. Blues' core possesses the same type of energy as the Omega Core yes, but in a way it isn't as strong as that of the original. It wouldn't be enough." Zero stands up and shouts. "Then I shall make haste to the enemy stronghold and save our friends so as to save Roll's life!" Dr. Light turns to Zero. "Even for someone of your strength you couldn't possibly save them all on your own." "He's not going alone." Dr. Light looks back at me. "Roll got hurt trying to save me. This all happened because of me. Which is why I have to make this right." Dr. Light smiles at me and nods as if giving me his approval. We then hear Roll try speaking again. "Proto-Man" We all look back at Blues who turns back to Roll as she speaks to him. "I know you and Rock don't like eachother much, but he's still in essence your brother. Just like he's become like a brother to me. So I ask you, Please save our brother. Save my friends. And help to stop Xander Payne." Roll falls unconscious just moments before an alarm starts blaring at what's left of her computer console. Agent Signas goes over and brushes the dust and loose wires away to get a clearer look at the screen. It shows a map with a red dot highlighting a specific spot on it. Agent Signas turns back to us. "It's some kind of tracker." Dr. Light walks over and examines it for himself. "It's Rush! When I first built him I installed a small homing device to ensure that he wouldn't get lost." He looks back to me and Zero. "You can use this to find Rock and the others!" Yes! Finally something good for a change. Zero cracks his knuckles. "Then let us follow the metal dog's trail and rescue our comrades!" "Yeah!" Agent Signas glances over at Blues who looks back at him as if waiting for his permission to go along. Agent Signas gives him the go ahead with a nod. Though I have a feeling that Blues would've decided to come along even without his okay. Blues takes one last glance at Roll and clenches his fists. "Let's go save your friends." Zero nods and leaps over to retrieve the armor devices left behind on the ground. I walk up to Roll and take her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Don't worry Roll, No matter what I'm going to help get our friends back. Dr. Light downloads the map coordinates from the computer and into a small device invented by Roll and tosses it over to me. I look at the map for a moment and realize that it's a pretty long way off. If we're gonna get there and save Roll in time then we can't get there on foot. Luckily I have just the thing, or rather just the person, to help us get there. I turn back to Blues and Zero. "We're gonna need a ride."

And that concludes episode 2! Wow what an exciting turn of events eh? So what'd you guys all think? I hope at the very least you all enjoyed reading this chapter and are looking forward to what happens next time!

And now replies to reviews for this story.

HEROS Central: Oh I assure you, I have plenty of things for you to look forward to. Just you wait.

MVMZ-710 Star Convoy: Believe me I've tried to properly separate sections for when the POV changes in the past, but for some reason those efforts get cut out when I post them on the site. Hence the more obvious change of separation in this chapter. That said, thank you very much for enjoying my stories.

Nonny Mouse: I really do try not to. It's just often difficult at times. Plus it's hard to find different words with the same meaning as the ones already being used. Nonetheless I completely understand what you're getting at and will try to do better in the future.

Also just to be fair to warn you all… I may take longer updating Godzilla: New Dawn than usual. And by that I mean it'll show up sometime waaaay later in November. The reason for this is because the next chapter is very special and I want to make sure to do it right. So until next time this is Tardispilot297 saying… ALLONSY!