Note: When I began writing the first version, I had the idea of putting sets of chapters into "episodes."
But now I'm just sticking to having multiple chapters being part of an arc or saga, as it's far less restrictive.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy it!
Cossack's Challenge
"Proto to Wily. Come in."
The moment the balding scientist heard the voice from the communication device, he brought it up to his ear. "It's about time someone called!" he answered, clearly not happy. "Cossack's been badgering me with questions non-stop, and I can't answer him until YOU answer first!"
"All the more reason you should've kidnapped her BEFORE the day of the expo." Proto Man retorted. "But you can tell that nervous wreck that his brat is just fine. She's aboard the ship right now."
Wily was pleased with this news. Finally, it seemed luck was in his favor once again! And ironically enough, it came from the same "connections" he had gained thus far. "Good! Though it still took you nearly an hour to catch just ONE girl! Do you know how many times I had to threaten Cossack with some shock therapy?" Wily then sighed. You'd think that something would scare that man, he thought. But no. I have to do it YOUR way, don't I, Cossack?
"Ok, I told you what you wanted to hear. Now tell me what I want to hear." Proto Man said, not precisely sounding pleased. "Why didn't you tell any of us about the other guy?"
Wily was confused. "What other guy?"
"The guy that just up and delivered Cossack's brat like she was a package for delivery!"
Proto Man's attention was on the ship's console screen, Bright Man at the wheel. Cut and Guts Man stood near the other two robots, avoiding going to the back of the vessel at all costs. Their hostage rested in the back with the one that had successfully caught her.
"What do you think he's doing?" Cut Man asked Guts Man quietly, gesturing to the door that led to the back section.
"Uh, I don't know." Guts Man answered, the girthy Robot Master surprisingly a little nervous. Just a little, though. He'd pound anyone who dared to suggest otherwise. "Maybe you should go look."
"Uh uh! No way!" Cut Man immediately protested, shaking his head. "YOU go look if you're so curious!"
"Both of you shut up back there!" Proto Man called out to the two bickering machines. "Okay, get back to talking, Doc." the scarf-wearing robot said.
"What's the problem?" Wily asked. "Cossack's daughter is in our grasp, and soon we can give Light a little message courtesy of our new friend!"
"What's the problem?" Proto repeated WIly's question back to him. "Oh, nothing much. Just the fact that this guy no one had any idea about just happened to show up out of the blue!"
"Just who is he, Dr. Wily?" Guts Man asked.
"Why's his face so," Cut Man paused, feeling his circuits shiver. "Creepy?"
"What? I thought the red eyes looked great on him!" Wily said. "Anyway, I've got to go and tell Cossack his brat is on the way. We can get to introductions when you return. Wily out!" the image of the scientist faded out, Proto was only left with the company of the Robot Masters around him. One of which was, frankly, a little spooky.
Well, whatever. That robot was away from everyone else, and even more, he was the one watching over the brat. So, as far as Proto was concerned, this setup worked fine.
In the back, behind the door that connected the two halves of the ship, a tall figure cloaked in the darkness stood over the unconscious human who rested on the floor. Kalinka's chest rose and fell slowly with each breath, a pair of glowing red eyes gazing upon her as she did so.
So, the figure thought, This is she. The child. She wasn't so much a child as a developing young woman, but she was small in stature compared to himself. From what Cossack spoke, I thought her to be such. Even still, the figure reached out to lightly take some of the unconscious figure's golden locks. Her body's still warming up. He mused to himself. But she's at a stable temperature.
It was somewhat fascinating. Perhaps it had been because he was still new to the world, but the differences between this human and himself were worlds apart. Kalinka Cossack, his creator, well, his creator's daughter, slumbered unaware that her guardian studied her, watched the way her chest rose and fell, the way her flesh seemed to change color as she grew warmer. Everything.
The human body was a strange organism.
New York Expo Center, the Bronx
"Ok, everything ready?" Roll asked, looking over Light and making last-minute adjustments to his attire. "Mega? Is our little track star prepared?"
Mega lifted the sheet on the square shape, and a small, electronic "Squeak!" answered. "Ready and rearing to go!" he gave a thumbs up.
"Ok then!" Roll said. "No need to keep the fine folks outside waiting!"
The moment they had been preparing for had finally arrived. Dr. Light's presentation was about to begin. The curtain was pulled back, revealing the scientist to the awaiting crowd. Applause came upon Light's entrance, Mega and Roll to the side, hidden behind the curtains.
"Greetings, my fellow gentlemen and ladies." Dr. Light greeted, the crowd of other scientists, reporters, and ordinary civilians listening to what he had to say. Bree Ricotta watched the scientist carefully, eyeing the object hidden underneath a sheet. Ripot flew up above the crowd to catch a better angle, but due to Plum's absence, she was stuck near the back, barely able to see anything. "As I'm sure you are all aware, the theme of this expo is one that has been hanging over our heads for some time." he began. "We face a world where once abundant resources are becoming more and more scarce, thus, we must act now if we are to transition into channeling a better alternative." he then walked over to the sheet. "Thus, I present to you all," he then pulled the sheet off. "Mariachi, the Energy Efficiant Hamster!"
A modestly-sized enclosure was set up to house a rodent of some kind, only instead of a water bottle, a blue E-tank was fitted where it would've rested. The star of the presentation was quite small, made around the same dimensions as a dwarf hamster, and had the same "chubby" look, but the robotic rodent had no fur. He was mainly composed of orange metal with short legs of grey and tiny paws. His eyes were large with blue irises that nearly took up all of his optics, a small pair of buck teeth stuck out, and his cheeks round and colored pink. If the crowd could say anything, at least this newest creation was cute.
"I'm sure I don't need to tell any of you that, if given the chance, the average hamster can travel in a wheel around five to nine-point-six kilometers per hour or three to six miles per hour." Dr. Light continued. "And I'm sure all of you are aware of the classic, fantastical if not ridiculous notion of the little rodents running so fast that they could manage to power up an entire house." some in the crowd chuckled at that. "But with that said, another image we also associate with the hamster is the ever-spinning wheel." he gestured to the wheel in the robotic rodent's enclosure. "And then, perhaps, a turbine. And then, even more, a generator."
The crowd was puzzled as to what he meant by that.
"Electricity is one of the most renewable resources on the planet, yet we utilize it so little." Dr. Light went on. "Yet one could produce it with only water and a wheel!" he then brought out a large battery, one that would fit in the typical robot. He connected the cables to Mariachi's wheel. The hamster hopped onto the wheel. "This battery here is completely devoid of any energy. Yet with the right speed," he then nodded, Mariachi recognizing the signal.
Mariachi ran, beginning slowly, but gradually growing faster and faster. His paws retracted into his legs and were replaced with wheels. He "ran" in a sense, picking up even more speed, the battery steadily being charged up. The crowd of onlookers was quite intrigued and fascinated at how quickly the battery was being restored, and when it was finally full, everyone erupted into applause.
Was it fanciful? Perhaps. Nonetheless, he had been preparing his whole life for this! All two weeks of it!
But it wasn't to be.
Across the World
So, you have her?" Cossack asked Wily over the communication device.
"Yes, yes, she's here," Wily answered, growing impatient. "I'll show her to you once you deliver the announcement. Now get on it!"
Cossack wasn't intimidated. No, he had lost the fear of death long ago before he had come into Wily's hands. "No. I want confirmation that she is safe and alive."
"Geez, relax!" the balding older man groaned. "Proto Man just confirmed they've acquired her. And, need I remind you, robots can't lie to humans," he said. "Not unless they're told to," Wily muttered under his breath.
The younger scientist was silent, contemplating Wily's words. He was right. "Very well," he said. "I suppose I have a speech to deliver, right?"
Though he couldn't see it, Wily's grin grew wide. "You know what to do, Mikhail. Do this, and she goes free when 'he' is finally destroyed."
The Russian man's lips tightened, not entirely believing that he was doing this. But it couldn't be helped. If he had to do this for her, for his малышка, then so be it.
New York Expo Center, the Bronx
The entire expo center grew dark, the power going out entirely. Everyone in the presentation area was puzzled and concerned, and panic spread throughout the crowd. Dr. Light looked around for signs of anything unusual, Roll and Mega looked at each other, both with the same idea in mind.
"Wily?" Roll asked.
Mega nodded. "Wily."
Suddenly, a large monitor descended from the ceiling, able to be seen by everyone. It was cubic and had a screen on four of the six sides. The screens began to flicker before the static cleared to reveal the face of a middle-aged man wearing glasses. He had angular features with brown hair and a brown beard, a yellow, collared shirt, and a green tie with a white lab coat serving as his attire.
Dr. Light could scarcely believe what, or rather, who he was seeing. "M-Mikhal?"
"Greetings, Thomas Light, my friend." the man answered. "For those who are not aware, I am Dr. Mikhal Cossack of the Russian Federation," he said, his voice low and tired, and he looked pretty exhausted. "While I may not have as much of a presence as you do in your native country, my homeland depends on my genius to keep up with the rest of the world," he explained.
From behind the curtain, Mega and Roll watched. "Who's this guy?" the blonde housekeeper asked.
Mega shook his head. "No clue," he admitted. This was the first time he had ever heard of a "Dr. Cossack."
"For too long, I have dwelt in the shadows of others, the likes of you and even Wily garnering more acknowledgment than one that is truly deserving of it!" he then centered his eyes on the blue robot he spotted. "Which is why I am sending this message out to you, Dr. Thomas Light." Dr. Light was still speechless, unable to process what was going on. "Years ago, my robots were stolen by Wily and reprogrammed to serve him. But I have managed to re-acquire them, and now they are obedient to me!"
Mega and Roll looked at each other, shocked by what they had just heard. So this Dr. Cossack had built Robot Masters? Ones that they had encountered and fought before? They both had so many questions but continued listening.
"And seeing as I can show the world my genius, I issue a challenge to one of your creations, Dr. Light." Dr. Cossack then centered his sights on Mega Man. "Your Super Fighting Robot shall come and face my machines in my homeland!" he pointed towards the Blue Bomber. "And don't think that you can simply back out of this. For if you don't comply, then my greatest achievements thus far shall be released onto your country!"
Suddenly, Cossack's face disappeared, and shots of mammoth machines from various angles came up. Of course, no one could quite see well, given that the footage was from somewhere dark and hidden away from the world, but there was no mistaking that these robots were forces capable of great destruction.
"The sun is rising here in the east, and it is until sundown here that you, Mega Man, have to come to my citadel." a map then presented itself on the screen, locating a spot nestled in the region of Kolyma. "I shall be awaiting your arrival; I'd advise that you don't keep me waiting."
Cossack disappeared with that, the cube retreating into the ceiling. The power returned to the expo, yet no one was even paying attention to be relieved the power came back. Instead, Dr. Light was utterly silent while Mega and Roll looked at each other, trying to process what had just happened.
Mega looked down at the ground, Roll noticing that he seemed deep in thought. "Mega?"
The Blue Bomber looked at the exit to the expo, then at Roll. "Bring Eddie and follow me," he said.
"You're going now?" Roll asked.
Mega nodded, winking. "Hey, I can at least appease Cossack's sense of punctuality." Roll bounced back, giving him a thumbs up. The azure android made his way to the entrance, a particular, red dog's ears standing up upon hearing the doors to the center open. Recognizing the whistle, the robotic canine ran up to his owner, clearly excited. "C'mon, Rush!" Mega Man said. "We've got some fuel to burn!"
"Reah, reah!" Rush said excitedly. Finally, he got a chance to stretch out his legs and get his thrusters warm!
Mega Man hopped upon the robotic dog upon him transitioning into jet mode. Those inside the expo began to exit, witnessing the blue robot flying off high into the sky, steadily growing smaller and smaller until he became little more than a blue dot in the distance.
Ripot lowered his camera for a moment. "Now THAT was a good shot."
Note: Малышка means baby girl.
Let me know if you see any errors. Thank you! Please leave your input, as that's the best encouragement you can give me!