Note: We're close to the halfway point of this arc/saga, so stay tuned!
That said, let me know if there are any inconsistencies! I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Spying in the Cave
He swerved out of the way just in time, yet he had no time to rest before another missile came in: this time, mere inches away from his face!
Geez, Dr. Cossack DID do a number on these guys! So Mega Man thought, just barely dodging another missile. I'm beginning to wonder if I spoke too soon about his character.
"Come on! Shoot!" Dive Man bellowed, having had enough of the other robot's pussyfooting.
"Ok, ok!" Mega Man responded. "I'm just trying to decide which angle to go," he propelled himself right in Dive Man's direction, but instead of shooting, he swerved by him entirely. "Like maybe I should come at you from this direction," Dive Man then watched as his opponent dove towards him again, zooming past from underneath.
"Hey! That's against protocol!" Dive Man squeaked, feeling a little exposed.
"Or maybe I should come from over here!" The Blue Bomber said, then swimming elsewhere. Soon, he was zooming all around the underwater chamber.
"Stay still!" Dive Man ordered.
"Bet you can't catch me!" Mega taunted, relieved that the Robot Master took the bait.
"Get back here, you insolent little whelp!" The darker blue machine folded his arms and began barreling towards the Blue Bomber.
While this was what Mega wanted, he knew this was where the danger was most prevalent. He swam as his copied thrusters sent him all around the chamber, Dive Man always close behind. His speed in the water was a problem, but adding missiles really took the cake! Nevertheless, Mega knew he had to keep this up until he noticed the signs he needed to see.
"You're too slow-GAH!" Mega had intended to goad Dive Man a little more but found that perhaps he did it too well. Dive Man had managed to hit him; his blue body slammed into the wall. He turned, ready to fire if need be, but it seemed that Dive Man wasn't feeling too good.
Abandoned Mine
The blonde Russian tore open one of the bags (she didn't bother to see which one)as hunger again reared its ugly head. Her hand dove into the plastic bag and took out a single Doritos chip. She stared at it and brought it to her nose.
"C'mon, just eat it!" Cut Man said, frustrated at the human teenager.
"Hold on!" Kalinka barked back. "I'm checking to see if it's laced with anything."
"Laced?" Guts Man looked at Proto and Cut Man, but the other two reacted similarly.
"Yeah. Drugs." Kalinka explained.
"Why would we lace Wily's snacks with drugs?" Proto Man asked.
"You drugged me before!" Kalinka answered. It was that one other guy with them. I didn't get a good look at him, but I don't think he's one of Papa's. And he's definitely not one of my friends. Just who was that? And also, where was Bright Man? Where was Евлампий Михайлович? Was he here somewhere? Were the others?
Kalinka's stomach growled, and she took a bite, feeling the texture on her tongue. It wasn't the best thing she had, but it would do. She soon took handfuls of the processed snack and was tearing through the other bags. It wasn't exactly ladylike of her, yet she hadn't eaten in hours, and these idiots didn't even prepare to keep her long-term! All that mattered at that moment was filling her stomach with something.
But it didn't take long for her stomach to start acting up.
"Uh, is she sick?" Guts Man asked, only to be answered by the sight of the Russian girl hurling her guts out in the toilet.
Citadel
"BLEUGH!"
Mega Man grimaced as he saw oil and some other fluids exit Dive Man, the water causing them to float up to the ceiling. "Oh geez, ew."
"You..." Dive Man groaned. "You'll pay for that! That's...ugh!" He threw up again. "Such cheap tactics are the mark of a coward!"
"Or it's using your environment to your advantage." Mega Man quipped.
Even if things were going in Mega Man's favor, he had become rather tired of having to swim around. If he could get rid of all the water, that would give him an edge. There had to be a place where it could all be drained; it wasn't as if they were in the ocean. The Blue Bomber looked around and saw what appeared to be a lever or pulley at the top of the room.
"Huh?" Dive Man groaned, and then he heard a great suction of water from down below. "Oh no, what have you done-AH!"
Mega Man and Dive Man were swept up in a powerful underwater cyclone as the water filling the chamber was sucked down by a single drain in the floor. The two robots were helpless against the force of the draining water, but both had very different reactions to their current situation. Given there was nothing he could do, Mega Man let himself enjoy the ride, throwing in a few "Yahoos!" for good measure. But, on the other hand, Dive Man wasn't enjoying the ride. In fact, he would do anything to get off.
But eventually, at long last, the water had been drained, leaving a very wet but very empty chamber. Dive Man was on the ground, head spinning. Mega Man took the opportunity and blasted a few Dive Missiles in the Robot Master's direction, but Dive Man shot out his own at the last second. The resulting explosion from the two sets of missiles colliding sent both robots flying against the walls, but when Mega Man landed on the ground, he found he couldn't rest for too long, as he saw a blue figure propel himself through the flames, riding on the slick surface of the floor.
Mine
"So, where are we heading again?" Roll asked Natsenka.
"This is a search and rescue mission," Natsenka told Roll. "We must search, then we will rescue."
"Oh, yeah. You kinda got to do that first, don't you?" Roll let out an embarrassed giggle. Then the red-headed bot stopped in front of her. "What's up?" She asked, peering over Natsenka's shoulder. She saw that the tunnel they were about to enter had caved in. Whether it was recent or some time ago when it happened didn't matter. A potential path for them was blocked. "Now what?"
"Well, for one, it seems this place is dangerous," Natsenka said. "Another reason you should just leave."
"Well, too bad," Roll answered. "As long as Mega's here, so am I." Still, they needed to do something. They couldn't just stand here; if this place weren't stable, they would have to tread carefully. But then, she saw a panel in Natsenka's back open, a small, blue, egg-shaped object inside. The Russian bot took it out. "What's that?" Roll asked, Beat and Eddie also looking at the egg.
Suddenly, the egg grew a beak, eyes, and a pair of wings from various slots. "Hey, wait. They still have you use those guys?"
Roll looked over at Beat. "What are they?"
"It's a Swallown," Natsenka explained. "When he had first relocated back to this country, Dr. Cossack was commissioned by our government to create robots for aerial patrol. Given Wily started causing trouble over a decade ago, we've been taking extreme precautions," she said. "Especially after the theft of the Doctor's own Robot Masters."
The Swallown flew over to Roll, Eddie, and Beat, looking them over and determining if they were a threat. "Hey pal, you were based on me! We're practically family!" He said, the Swallown pecking at him.
It gave Beat a curious look before looking down at Eddie and pecking its beak on his lid. She saw that it was irritating the energy dispenser, so Roll shooed it away.
Natsenka gave a small whistle, getting the bird-bot's attention. It then landed in her outstretched hand. "Go and scout out the area," she then reached into another panel, this one on her lower back. She withdrew a pair of binocular-like goggles and put them on. With the correct tuning on the module on the frames, she could see through the Swallown's eyes. "Once you've found a safe passage, return to me. Understand?"
With that, the Swallown flew off, propelled by a small thruster on its backside. "You think he'll be ok?" Roll asked.
"It is constructed to perform its duty to the letter," Natsenka answered. "The Swallown unit was designed for tasks such as these."
"No, I mean, do you think he'll be ok?" Roll clarified herself.
"Whatever happens, happens," Natsenka responded. "Its job is to scout. If it serves that purpose, then that is all it needs to be fulfilled. If that's what you're referring to."
Roll was quiet. Forget it. She thought. You wouldn't get it anyway. Then she directed her attention to Beat. "Hey, not to discredit your function or anything, but I've been curious about something." She told the blue bird.
"Hm? What's that?" Beat asked.
"If Cossack's kid was hidden away in the mountains, how did Wily manage to find her?"
Beat sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "I try to be careful when I go back and forth between the Doc and Kalinka," he then looked down at the ground. "I guess this time, I wasn't careful enough."
"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it," Roll told him. "Wily's made a ton of stuff just to spy on us, so it's pretty impressive he's only discovered Kalinka now," she said, though this did little to soothe the bird's guilt. "Still, I can't imagine staying alone in a place like that."
"Up until now, the Doc thought that was the only way to keep her safe," Beat said. "Because Wily already took what was his before."
Even if she was concentrating on surveying the Swallon's findings, winding dark tunnels with dim lighting up above all she could see as it flew, Natsenka also heard and contemplated Beat's words. As much of a snark as he could be, he wasn't foolish. He had been careful about going back and forth between Cossack and his daughter for years. And Dr. Cossack went missing before Kalinka, so either Wily knew of Kalinka before and was holding her over Cossack's head, or he had just recently found out. Whatever the case was, it wouldn't have surprised her if the mad scientist had made some other sort of "spy" sometime before or after Cossack went missing. The only question was, where was it now?
And even more, if it, or something similar, was residing somewhere in these tunnels.
Citadel
"Don't think you can defeat me so easily just because you drained the water!" Dive Man said, sending out more missiles that Mega Man had to dodge or counter. "I will end this here and now!"
"That's funny," Mega replied, ducking under another dive missile that exploded behind him. "I was thinking the same thing!"
Dive Man shot another missile, which Mega Man countered with his own. But when he rushed forward, he didn't see any trace of the Blue Bomber. "Huh?" He looked to the left and right. "Where'd he...?" He then felt a tap on his shoulder. The Robot Master turned to see Mega Man standing behind him.
"Hello." He greeted, smiling.
Dive Man was in no mood for hellos. He was about to fire off another missile, but instead of firing his own or trying to get away, Mega Man began using Dive Man's secondary ability to ski around him on the wet floor.
"H-Hold still!" Dive Man said, the image of the Blue Bomber going around and around. "I can't...concentrate!" He wasn't lying. It wasn't Quick Man levels of fast, but Mega Man was becoming difficult to track. And how he was forced to keep turning this way and that to keep track of him made his stomach begin to act up.
"Looking a little green there, aren't you?" Mega questioned, thankful that his plan was working.
"Shut up! I've got you...now...?" He tried to some, but his opponent's constant movement made it near impossible to concentrate. Not to mention that, despite not having any, he felt like he was going to puke his guts out. "Oooohhh, I think I'm gonna-"
He was about to let the contents of inner fluids from his engine seep up into his throat, but he never got the chance. When his target had come to a stop, he was too nauseous to do anything but groan. And when he realized Mega Man had his buster mere inches away, it was already too late. Mega Man was blasted, sending his pieces all over the place. Then, seeing that another of Cossack's machines had been dealt with, Mega Man went to the warp tile and exited the room.
Observation Room
"That settles it; you must've done something to your robots to make them have such goofy weaknesses!"
Cossack adjusted his glasses. "Where would you get that idea?" Wily only scowled at him, huffing like a kid. "I merely gave them the personalities they had before you came in and reprogrammed them," he said. "Speaking of, you should be thanking me," Cossack said. "Your programming skills are so simplistic; those robots you have around here had nothing but destruction on their minds."
"What else would they need?" Wily questioned, though he wasn't interested in hearing Cossack's lecture. "That periwinkle pest being crushed and made into an aluminum can is the only use they have. So why bother making them more complicated?"
"Because that would take time out of you making more of your little toys?" The Russian asked. Wily's brow furrowed, growing even angrier, but Cossack wasn't intimidated. The older man looked like a child throwing a tantrum. "It's just basic logic," the Russian scientist continued. "Higher levels of thinking to lead to better performance."
"Just as long as none of them betray me." The balding German grumbled, remembering the incident with Ice Man very well.
"They rely on you for sustenance and housing. So there's little need to betray you," Cossack said. "Besides, you've probably only been saved because you still had at least some loose interpretation of the Three Laws in their systems. Otherwise, you would've been long dead by now."
Wily huffed. Who did this guy think he was? A world-renowned scientist? And even if he was, quite literally, who was he to question Wily's work? More than half of the robots here were made by his hands! So, where was his recognition for his programming skills? True, most, if not all, were created to cause collateral damage, but the way they did it had to count for something, right?
"Hey, Doc. We've got a bit of a problem." The sliding door on the left side of the room opened, revealing a rather annoyed Proto Man. "The brat's-" he stopped, seeing on the monitor that three of Cossack's robots had been defeated. "Looks like my little bro is plowing through your forces, Cossack."
"Ha! See?! Even Proto here sees it," Dr. Wily exclaimed. "You're not fooling anyone!"
"As I said before, this is a challenge, Wily," Cossack said. "And if I am at the helm of this operation, things will be done my way."
"Only so much," Wily said. "Because even if ARE complying, your life is not the one you should be worried about."
Cossack turned to face the older man, rising out of his chair. "And YOU had better hold up your end of the bargain," he said, voice deathly serious. Proto looked to see that, while he tried to conceal it, Wily was somewhat afraid of the Russian. "Mega Man's destruction for Kalinka's return."
The Red Bomber couldn't help but feel a chill, if not for how intense he was. This looked like a guy that had nothing to lose. I just hope crazy doesn't run in the family. Family...oh right!
"As promised," Wily answered. "But that means she has to behave herself. I hope she's as much of an angel as you claim her to be."
"Speaking of the brat," Proto Man interjected. "We've got a bit of a situation."
"What kind of situation?" Cossack asked. "What's wrong with my Kalinka?"
Proto was about to speak, but his audio receptor began beeping.
"Well, answer it!" Wily ordered. "Who's calling?"
"Kinda a question you should ask BEFORE answering the phone, isn't it?" Wily huffed, folding his arms. Still, Proto Man answered the call. "Yeah, what's up?"
"Put us on speaker, soldier!" Ice Man's voice ordered. "Oh, if you don't mind, sir."
"Yeah, sure, Frosty." Proto Man chuckled, setting his receptor to speaker mode. "Dr. Wily, sir! We have spotted an unidentified flying object within the perimeter." He said in his professional, commanding voice.
"Huh?" Wily was confused. "You'll have to be a little more specific than that."
"Oh, yes, sir," Ice Man said in a much meeker tone. "We are on its trail as we speak, but..."
"But what?" Wily asked.
"Well, given the nature of this operation, we have reason to believe that someone is here, trying to search for the hostage."
Mine
The Swallown flew through the sparsely lit tunnels, its eyes allowing Natsenka Unit 95 to see what path would be best to take. So far, the tunnel it was traveling down appeared stable, but it had to be sure, lest it spelled disaster later. What the small blue bird saw, Natsenka also saw via the binoculars, or as they were officially called spy eyes. While they weren't exactly alike, the particular device reminded Roll of the special "shades" Mega told her about when he and Proto were fighting once. It happened on her first day of robot college as well, and with all the excitement going on, she was disappointed to have missed it.
"What's going on?" Roll asked Natsenka.
"Pretty lady see anything?" Eddie also asked.
"Shh!" Natsenka shushed. "There's something up ahead."
"Well, what is it?" Roll questioned.
Natsenka grew annoyed. That was supposed to be a hint to be quiet!
Honestly, why did she even let this dumb blonde follow her? She had no combat experience, was infamous for getting herself into trouble, and so far, had done nothing but badger her with useless questions! It was a miracle she hadn't gotten herself scrapped by now! But unfortunately, she had no intention of leaving the Russian agent alone. She was beginning to wonder if this was what her brother had to deal with.
Nevertheless, she answered Roll's question. Through the eyes of the Swallown, she saw a dark pit below with a series of rickety railways built over it. There" were also two mine carts present at the beginning of each railway. "It looks like we have one path we could take," Natsenka said. "But I doubt it's safe." If need be, that path would only be a last resort.
"Then can we go another way?" Beat questioned.
"There are other tunnels to look over," Natsenka answered the bird. "I just have to be aware of anyone watching."
"Watching?" Roll asked. "Well, Wily's goons would probably be lurking around if this is where Kalinka's being kept."
"It's not just that," Natsenka responded. "Even with guarded forces, I doubt they found Cossack's daughter by accident."
"What do you mean?" Roll asked, then she noticed Beat looked despondent as if he were being reminded of something he didn't want to think of.
"I mean," the red-headed robot said. "Wily had somehow found out about her. Whether from Cossack or something else. Either way, her abduction wasn't something put together in the spur of a moment," she said. "And I doubt Cossack would've said anything."
"No, he wouldn't have," Beat said, Roll, noticing that his voice sounded sad.
And while he said nothing more, Roll suspected she could guess what he was thinking.
"Wait," Natsenka spoke up. "I see something." Roll leaned in closer, Beat and Eddie also peering over the redhead's shoulder.
From the Swallown's perspective, it spotted a figure below, searching the tunnel it was going down. The figure was dressed in a blue parka with large, spectacle-like eyes. "Soldier! Status report!"
From his position, Elec Man answered. "I am NOT one of your soldiers, so I'd kindly ask you to stop referring to me as such," he said. "In fact, given your recently added handicap to my superior abilities, you should perhaps be answering to me."
"Oh, really?" Ice Man asked, genuinely curious. "Sir, what do you think?" He asked himself. "Negative!" The Robot Master's "commander side" protested. "Our Commanding Officer is Dr. Wily, and for the time being, Dr. Cossack! We do not submit to you!"
"Is that so?" Elec Man asked, creating a few sparks with his digits. "Then, would you care for another demonstration of my powers?"
Ice Man paled, his more "submissive soldier" self emerging again. "Um, I don't like being shocked, sir."
"Then you admit I am worthy of your respect and obedience, correct?" The primarily black Robot Master asked the Eskimo-based machine.
"Y-Yes, sir." Ice Man stammered.
"Good," Elec Man said. "Now, keep searching on your end. I'll contact you if I see anything." With that, the call ended.
The visual captured by the Swallown's optics made Natsenka realize that, while she suspected that Kalinka would be guarded, the way these robots behaved was not aligning with Wily's standard programming. This would perhaps prove to be even more difficult than she thought. But then, Ice Man looked up, the Russian agent realizing he was looking right at her avian spy!
"Curses!" Natsenka hissed. As if things couldn't get any worse.
"What's wrong?" Roll asked.
Natsenka was quiet for a moment yet ultimately decided that, even if she wasn't supposed to be here, Roll should at least know. "I believe we've just been spotted."
Observation Room
"What do you mean we've got someone lurking in the tunnels!?" Wily bellowed, face growing red. "Did you have something to do with this?!" He demanded that Cossack answer him.
"No! I didn't!" The Russian answered frantically.
"I think the government was going to send somebody, Doc," Proto said. "But however they got here, they're going to put a dent in things if we don't take care of them."
"I know the government would send someone to try and get Cossack's daughter!" Wily exclaimed. "I just want to know how they managed to find their way to where she's hidden!" He then thought of something. "It was that bluebird, wasn't it?" He wondered aloud. "He led them here!"
"Uh, you sure about that, Wily?" Proto asked. "Because last I saw, Tweety booked it the second things got too dangerous for him."
"So? He could've followed you!" Wily said.
"Guts Man did a number on that stupid bird, so I doubt he would be functioning for much longer," Proto Man said. "And besides, what could he do even if he was here? The little pipsqueak would get him crushed like a tin can!"
"Don't underestimate Beat," Dr. Cossack told Proto Man. "It may be your last mistake."
"Ooooh, what's Tweety going to do? Do a number two on everything?" Even if he wasn't being serious, Proto Man was thankful he wouldn't have to deal with that. One of the perks of being mechanical.
"He has done his job in watching Kalinka," Cossack said. "And, whether you catch him or not, he will not stop in his quest to locate her."
"Well then, we'll have to locate HIM first, won't we?" Wily remarked.
"And your plan to do that, Doc?" Proto Man questioned.
Wily smiled. "The same way I found Cossack here," he said. "And that bluebird," he then turned to Proto. "My boy, go fetch my newest creation!" He commanded. "Those government agents think they can track me? Well, I'll just track them right back!" Then, his stomach growled. "Of course, get me something out of the snack stash before that, would you?"
"Oh, sure. Don't even ask me if I want anything." Cossack said.
"Ok, fine," Wily responded. "Do YOU want anything?"
"Nothing from you," Cossack answered, turning his attention back to the control panel and monitors.
"Fine, be like that," he then turned back to Proto. "Looks like it'll be an order for one."
"Uh, yeah. That's kinda what I came to tell you about." Proto Man said. He then pulled Wily to the side.
Cossack listened in due to it relating to his daughter, yet he found that what happened was actually something that made him laugh despite his current situation.
"WHAT DO YOU ME SHE ATE ALL THE SNACKS?!"
Mine
Just where did it go? He knew he had seen it flying around somewhere! "Soldier, do you see anything?" He asked Elec Man over his com-link, the other reprogrammed DLN searching another tunnel.
"I am NOT one of your soldiers," Elec Man told Ice Man again. "But no, I do not." The darkly clad Robot Master looked around, not spotting any sign of the bird-bot Ice Man described.
"Well, keep looking, soldier!" Ice Man commanded. "I shall give another report in due time!"
Elec Man rolled his eyes. It seemed he had completely forgotten how the electricity-wielding Robot Master put the little ice elf in his place. Just WHAT had Cossack done to your hard drive? Elec Man wondered. Suddenly, he got a message from Wily. "Yes, Doctor? This is Elec Man."
"Ah, finally!" Wily said. "Blasted weather is messing with the reception," he complained. "Anyway, can you and Ice Man hear me?"
"Loud and clear, sir!" Ice Man answered. "We are ready to commence searching for the intruder or intruders at your command!"
Suck up. Elec Man thought. Then again, Wily did tell Cossack to work on his obedience components. Though this was a bit extreme, wasn't it? You better keep that to yourself, he warned himself. You don't want to end up like the little ice elf, so keep your mouth shut.
"That is what I need to tell the both of you," Wily said to both machines in two separate tunnels. "If you see a little bird flying around here,"
"No worries, sir!" Ice Man said, giving a salute. "We shall find and exterminate any threat that-"
"No, no! I don't want you to destroy them!" Wily shouted. "In fact, I want you to let them come."
Both Elec and Ice Man were baffled. "Come again?" Elec Man asked, scarcely believing what he was hearing.
"You WANT them to locate the hostage, sir?" Ice Man inquired. "But, sir, wouldn't that jeopardize this whole operation?"
"Not with all five of you down there to take them out," Wily answered. "And to help, I'm sending Proto down with a friend to help you."
"And that would be?" Elec Man questioned.
Kalinka's Cell
"This doesn't even flush." Kalinka groaned. The contents of her stomach were in a hole that had been dug underneath the toilet. She then hurled again, Cut and Guts Man wincing in disgust.
"How long is she going to keep doing that?" Guts Man asked, not sure whether this was serious or not.
"Probably until she starts choking on her guts?" Cut Man theorized aloud.
"Whoa! What's this about choking on her guts?!" Proto Man came into the mine section serving as Kalinka's prison. Then he saw that she was not indeed choking on her innards. But she was looking rather green. "Ugh, don't get me worked up like that!" He told Cut and Guts Man. "I thought the kid was dying!"
"I'm sixteen years old, thank you kindly!" Kalinka interjected before throwing up again.
Proto grimaced at the scene, turning away from the human and to the other two robots. "So, Mega's plowing through Cossack's robots, and he's nearly halfway done."
Kalinka looked up from the toilet upon hearing that. Papa's robots? Does he mean...?!
"Who's been taken out?" Cut Man questioned.
"Toad, Bright, and most recently, Dive Man," Proto Man said. "I don't know which one Wily's going to be setting him up with next."
The blonde Russian cupped a hand over her mouth. Taken out?! Her friends?! And even more, her friends were here?! And Mega Man had just taken them out?
"I knew Toad Man would be the first to go," Guts Man said. "Stupid frog only knows how to do that stupid dance!"
Kalinka's brow furrowed. "How dare you talk about лягушачий!" She shouted, clearly enraged.
Cut, Guts, and Proto Man looked at each other, their CPUs translating Kalinka's native language. "Froggy?" Cut Man asked. "You call Toad Man 'Froggy'?"
"I know he's technically a toad, but I thought it sounded cute," Kalinka responded. "I came up with it when I was five, ok? It just sort of stuck."
Proto Man paid her no mind, his attention to the girl's prison entrance. "Where the heck is he?" The Red Bomber asked. "He was on my shoulder when I came down here."
Then, as if to answer his question, a black, airborne blur flew into the area, flying around before it came to land on Guts Man's head. The shadows cast thanks to the lightning made it difficult for Kalinka to see, but the creature on the massive robot's head appeared to be a bird of some kind. "Beat?" Kalinka asked, hopeful that the bird had found her. But the bird didn't answer. "No, you're not him!"
"Sure isn't, brat," Proto Man said; the bird then came to sit on his shoulder. "But he is how we managed to find you," he told her. "And now, seeing as your lovely government has sent one of their fine agents to fetch you," the bird on his shoulder began to chuckle darkly. "This guy here is going to go and fetch them!"
Note: I think that, despite the pacing being more of a factor to consider, I need to remind myself that this fic is meant to be a less wordy, more outlandish story than Limitless Potential. Granted, this will get dark in some areas, but nothing overly violent or destructive. At least not until much, much later.