Silence pressed on them from all sides like pillows. It was definitely a cave, yet structured like a palace, with high vaulted ceilings, glowing pink crystal chandeliers, and wide open spaces that gave the impression of halls and grand rooms. Thick white velvet carpeted the floor, which felt soft enough to sleep on. The entire area was vast, yet empty, save for silver Rococo-style furniture (exquisitely shaped with slender cabriole legs and velvet upholstery), and the collection, whose display cases were arranged in tidy rows.
Roll shivered. "So creepy! How many of these do you think were once people?"
"Anything that's not a diamond, Curator was only stealing diamonds," Mega Man muttered grimly as he gazed around.
Bass was completely baffled. What the hell was all of this? Everything felt weird here, as though the air was oily and toxic. Energy swelled in his chest as the nagging call to fight reared stronger than ever, nearly driving him crazy. He wanted to punch everything, especially Mega Man. Yet where had that jewel thief called 'Curator' gone off to? They had just heard his voice, so he must be around somewhere…
But in the meantime, business.
"So, you. Again," Bass growled, glaring at Mega Man. From their sides, Treble and Rush resumed snarling at each other again.
"I don't want to fight, Bass," said Mega Man, holding up his hands hastily.
"That's ironic, because I do."
"We got off on the wrong foot. We could be friends!"
"Chh, don't make me laugh."
"Okay, fine, but this isn't a good time—there's more important things going on right now, surely you can see that! Listen, counting you, there's at least five of us working together to bring down this Jewel Man or Curator or whoever—well, four now that Quint is down, Curator's turning everyone into jewels—"
"No, there's no 'us'," hissed Bass, insulted. "I don't care about any of this—I don't even know why I bothered coming here—"
His eyes shifted unconsciously to Roll, who was watching him with folded arms and a sneer, her fiery sky blue eyes piercing him like skewers. Bass looked quickly away again, mentally rebuking himself. They were enemies!
"But, if we don't stop this—the world could come to an end!" protested Mega Man.
"So? Get this straight—I'm not a friend, or hero, I'm your worst enemy."
"Enough!" Curator interrupted, startling everyone as he strolled in from a side chamber where he had been setting up new display cases. His movements were stilted—glittering pink carbuncles seemed to be growing up his right side, though he was smiling genially at them. "You weren't my prime targets, but since you all are so interested in my collection, you can join it!" he announced, his voice ringing merrily through the Jewel Cave. "Oh, and there's no need for heroics—there's nothing any of you can do anyway. You can't hurt me, and if you touch the collection I will know and you will regret it."
"Oh really?" scoffed Bass, lifting a cannon and firing.
Despite the viridian green plasma bolt speeding toward him, Curator remained still, smiling indulgently. When the plasma bolt struck his armor (a perfect point-blank hit that should have smashed one of the giant pink jewels) it merely winked out of existence, like a green firework spark hitting a concrete wall. Curator hadn't even flinched.
Bass's eyes widened. "What the hell?"
"Only alien energy can fight alien energy," Mega Man whispered to Bass as he watched Curator.
"Huh? Sh-shut up!" Bass stammered, annoyed to be given advice from Mega Man. Alien energy? The hell was that supposed to mean? Stubbornly, Bass fired several more shots at Curator—yet none had any more effect than the first.
Curator just smiled ruefully and shook his head, his helmet's large pink jewel sending prismatic shards of light dancing around the room like a sun catcher—still, nothing was more eye-catching than the Dazzling Jewel clutched in his hand. "Like I said earlier, only Mega Girl can stop this…and she's not here, is she? Now, to get you all settled in…"
The Dazzling Jewel floated off his hand as it began to glow and rotate. Bass frowned, deeply puzzled. Like Curator himself, the jewel didn't seem very threatening. Supremely unimpressed, he stared into the jewel…
Flash.
Without so much as a yelp, Rush had become a bone-shaped labradorite tag attached to a red collar. Bass blinked, yet remained rooted to the spot, his mind oddly blank. Treble jumped in front of Bass—
Flash.
A howlite fang strung on a leather cord fell to the carpet.
Bass shook himself out of the trance he had almost fallen into. In shock, he scooped up the howlite fang, then to his deepest annoyance, retreated further into the cave. Prudently, everyone had decided to get out of sight at this point.
Bass had leaped behind one of the many marble cave pillars. For a moment, he stood there frozen, trying to process what had just happened as he gripped the howlite fang tightly. Then his eyes began to rake his surroundings, thinking, until they fell on Roll, who was hiding behind another cave pillar across a hall. Roll went still as she looked back at him. Glaring murderously, she drew a circular saw from her homemade blaster, but then Curator suddenly appeared between them, his back to Bass as he faced Roll, the Dazzling Jewel floating just in front of her eyes…
Flash.
Bass scrambled behind a chaise lounge with a wave-like back. Unfortunately, Mega Man was already crouched in hiding there, Bass nearly crashing into him as they found themselves staring silently at each other face-to-face.
Mega Man gazed with fierce determination at Bass, but Bass glared stubbornly in a different direction—though even Bass had to admit the situation did in fact seem bad, his grip still tight around the howlite fang. He wasn't afraid, but plasma power wasn't effective against Curator, and despite Mega Man's talk of 'teamwork,' Mega Man wasn't being very helpful. In fact, Mega Man looked more pathetic than before, his movements much slower than Bass's—
Flash.
Curator had appeared seemingly out of nowhere again, but Bass had taken refuge behind another cave pillar just in time. He had a feeling Mega Man had not been so lucky. Bass felt…disappointed? He wanted to be the one to bring Mega Man down. Mega Man spontaneously becoming a sparkling little rock before they had their rematch was just…stupid.
Despite the danger, Bass couldn't help but steal a quick look around the pillar to see what had happened to Roll and Mega Man.
Curator looked smug. Dangling from tweezer-like fingers of one of his hands was a single amethyst earring on a small silver chain, which sparkled with fiery radiance. Resting in Curator's other hand was a deep blue sapphire marble, which he was looking at admiringly.
…That was it then. Mega Man, Roll, and their robo-dog were down, Treble was down…
Without other options, Bass stalked quietly deeper into the cave.
…He wasn't running away, but going off to devise a plan. It was all he could do at the moment, but 'Curator' would pay for doing this to Treble. Bass would make certain of that.
Curator didn't follow the strange robot in black armor called Bass, even though Bass had taken the howlite fang with him. It wasn't as if Bass could leave, and it was only a matter of time before Bass joined the collection anyway.
His attention was captivated by the sapphire marble (that's what it looked like, anyway—Curator couldn't figure out a proper setting for it, though it had potential). It was a perfect sphere, its outer edges a vivid blue, its center dark like the deepest depths of the ocean—and at its heart was the smallest flicker of purple flame, just like what had been inside the black spinel.
"Fascinating," Curator murmured to himself.
But then he caught sight of himself in one of the standing mirrors, and started, running a finger along the rough pink carbuncles creeping up part of his armor again. It was too hard focusing on his appearance when he had spent so much energy creating hundreds of new trinkets and then transporting them all to the Jewel Cave while fighting off nosey busy-bodies. He would have to attend to this little problem later, after he had secured the Sun Crystal.
Shuddering, Curator turned his back on his disfigured reflection. …He was still afraid of what the slippery voice might do to him if he failed to get the Sun Crystal. The voice reminded him of the very richest of customers who had visited his jewelry shop, customers whose near-infinite power and wealth had given them a chilling boredom that could never be sated…
These thoughts were suddenly dashed aside as Curator straightened, becoming acutely alert. It appeared there were unintended guests sneaking about the Jewel Cave. He had an inkling of who they might be. How funny—yet he sensed something about one of them that he didn't like. Something dangerous. Could it be the Sun Crystal? No…but it was similar…he had noticed it before, and it was close by…
Placing the sapphire next to the black spinel inside a compartment of his jewel-studded utility belt, Curator slipped silently into the shadows.
"Proto Man, Elec Man, where are you?" Top Man called out softly as he crept through the Jewel Cave, hopelessly lost.
Earlier, when the power had gone out, Top Man had stayed in the locked bathroom, listening, wondering what was going on, if Elec Man or Proto Man had been captured, and how long it would take hotel security to discover his hiding place. Finally deciding it was much too quiet, Top Man stood up, and while balancing perfectly on one foot with his arms out, began spinning like an orange tornado. When he stopped spinning, he was in his armor, and he stepped out of the bathroom only to realize that he was somehow no longer inside the hotel, but an enormous cave.
Top Man glanced around the chamber he had entered nervously. Like every chamber he had crept through previously, it looked like a cross between a cave and a luxury jewelry showroom, but it felt like a cross between a prison and a graveyard. Ahead of him were rows of display cases. Grouped together nearby was the citrine paper knife, the tourmaline paperweight, the zircon hoop bracelet, the garnet horseshoe amulet, and the agate skull belt buckle, each sitting atop a velvet cushion on a marble pedestal and shining pleasantly in the overhead chandeliers' soft light.
Unnerved, Top Man stared at the trinkets that had formally been Cut Man, Guts Man, Ring Man, Magnet Man, and Dr. Wily. He should do something, but what? Unlike Proto Man and Elec Man, he couldn't just leave them here…
With a trembling hand, Top Man reached out for the closest one (the flashy light blue zircon bracelet with the red and white enamel circus pattern) and picked it up.
"You were with Ring Man and Magnet Man yesterday evening…" said a soft voice from just behind him.
Startled, Top Man dropped the bracelet back on its cushion as he spun on the spot, then took a large step backward. Curator was watching him from only a few paces away, the Dazzling Jewel clutched in his hand at his side.
Top Man knew he should run—but where? Surely this cave belonged to Curator, who would know it better than anyone else. Despite Elec Man's strict instructions, Top Man's only choice was to try to get out of this the only way he knew how: persuasion.
"Heh heh, hey there, Curator," Top Man chuckled sheepishly, holding up his hands. "Yeah, I'm a friend of theirs, but don't get the wrong idea! I'm unarmed, and I don't want to steal anything, I-I just want to talk. Listen—I get why you're angry with Ring Man and Magnet Man, sounds like they've been real jerks and kinda deserved what you did to them…but don't you think you've taught them enough of a lesson by now? Surely they're not as nice to have in your 'collection' as real gemstones, right?"
"They're not," Curator admitted. One of his eyes was obscured by a large, carbuncle-covered loupe, the other watched Top Man with a flat expression.
Encouraged, Top Man took a step forward. "And then the humans you captured did nothing wrong. Humans aren't so bad—they were just doing their jobs or were in the wrong place at the wrong time, harmless really. Please, let them all go."
Curator's visible eye narrowed. "Actually, I don't really care that much for humans. They're kinda annoying, especially the rich ones. You've obviously never worked in a customer-facing job, Ring Man would have gotten it—but look here, I have something to show you to make this debate moot…"
As Curator held up the Dazzling Jewel, Top Man took a step back, almost tripping on the carpeted ground, but it was already too late. "No, wait—I…?"
Words failed Top Man entirely as the jewel rotated serenely, bathing him in its violet light. He was unable to tear his eyes away from it—few were once they fell under its hypnotic power. Top Man's mind went promptly blank, he thought he heard familiar music piping in his ears. It was…peaceful.
Letting the Dazzling Jewel fall back into his palm, Curator strolled to the spot where Top Man had been seconds before. At his feet lay an ornate jeweled egg worthy of a crowned prince. Its shell was decorated in fine gold work and vibrant enamel depicting a resplendent palace next to a wide, fir tree-lined lake that reflected the full moon and star-studded night above.
Curious that such an unassuming, pandering robot had made for such an opulent piece, Curator picked up the egg. It opened like a jewelry box, and a soft ringing melody played on a tiny mechanical lamellophone hidden within its base. Nested inside on a bed of tufted pure white satin sat a magnificent imperial topaz pendant.
Curator frowned as he looked at the pedant, then lifted it carefully by its fine chain and held it up to his loupe (which had merged with his right eye).
Yes, it was quite a handsome topaz, a rich golden orange color—yet something was off. It had feathering, tiny cracks present deep within the stone. This bothered Curator a little, the rest of the gemstones he had created were flawless. Fortunately, the feathering didn't appear to affect the structural integrity of the stone. In fact, it made an unusual pattern only visible to the discerning eye.
"Is that…Top Man?"
"Yes," Curator responded somewhat vaguely. It was a moment before he took his eyes off the topaz. He looked over at Elec Man, who had come to a halt just outside the chamber and the row of display cases and was staring rigidly at Curator and the egg. He must have heard their voices and came to investigate. Curator smiled warmly at Elec Man, using the same false smile he used to greet customers with. "You seem similar to him. Perhaps…a set, with you as an ice blue topaz, to match your striking eyes? Or perhaps something else, hold still—"
But Elec Man did not share Top Man's pandering, forgiving nature. As Curator moved to lift the Dazzling Jewel, Elec Man moved even faster. A brilliant flash of electricity struck an overhead crystal chandelier as Elec Man darted away like a shadow.
Startled, Curator leaped back as the delicate crystalline structure came crashing down with a sound like a million dinner plates breaking all at once. With an angry hiss, Curator hurried over to repair the damage, his eyes searching for Elec Man, but Elec Man was gone.
Seriously, who is that bot? muttered the slippery voice to itself from the back of Curator's mind.
Elec Man found Proto Man several rooms away hiding behind a curio cabinet filled with porcelain figurines and Limoges boxes.
"Whoa, hey, what happened? Where's…where's Top Man?" asked Proto Man as Elec Man crouched next to him.
Elec Man pounded a fist against the back of the curio cabinet, causing its contents to jingle. "I couldn't get to him in time. Curator turned him into one of those silly jeweled eggs that go for millions, and he was going to do the same to me."
"Pff, no way you'd be a silly egg—more like silly monogrammed cufflinks or something."
"…This isn't funny."
"I know. …Believe me, I know."
Neither of them were happy with how the evening was going. First they had been spotted by Mega Man and Roll, forcing them to change into their armor and hide, then they had lost Top Man, then all chaos had broken loose and they were stuck in this weird cave with Curator's 'collection'. They weighed options. They could try to destroy Curator—yet they weren't sure if this was possible, or if the gemstones would return to normal or be stuck in their current state forever. They could try bargaining with Curator again—yet thus far this had failed spectacularly, and Elec Man suspected this was what had doomed Top Man. They could team up with the good guys—Proto Man and Elec Man liked this option the least. Dully, they sat with their backs to the curio cabinet, listening to the oppressive silence of the Jewel Cave for any signs that Curator might be approaching.
"You know…too bad we can't contact Dr. C…maybe he could help with this alien stuff," Proto Man mused wistfully after a moment.
Elec Man sniffed. "How so? He wasn't very useful at Red Gulch."
"Yeah…" Proto Man decided to drop the subject. He knew talking about Dr. Cossack annoyed Elec Man, no matter how desperate they might be. "Try not to worry—the good guys are on this too. They always fix weird messes like this, right? Unless we think of something, let's just lay low like we did with Hellrazor, alright?"
Elec Man said nothing. He was looking around the curio cabinet, his eyes scanning the collection, which twinkled gloriously within display cases beneath the crystal chandeliers.
Then, they heard a noise that made their circuits turn to ice—a strange, silvery sound of crystals chiming together at intervals in accompaniment with uneven, heavy footsteps muffled by the plush carpet. Curator had finally found them. Taking careful, covert glances around the curio cabinet, they could see him staggering closer.
Curator's look had become half monstrous. Again, Proto Man was reminded of a china figurine, but one that had been split down the middle with vibrant pink carbuncles corrupting one side—one arm normal, the other ending in long jeweler's tweezers, his right eye obscured by an oversized loupe. He moved toward them in jerky movements, as the jewel carbuncles growing on his armor had become massive and were weighing him down, and his joints looked stiff. But when Curator spoke, it was in a soft cordial voice, as though addressing something that might break if he spoke too loudly or harshly.
"Ah, there you are…I was wondering where you both might be."
"Buddy, you're not looking so good," retorted Proto Man frankly.
"True, but temporary. I'm becoming more powerful, and once we're finished here tonight, I'll look normal again—perhaps better than normal."
"Pff. You won't win. No matter what happens, Mega Man and Roll will stop you."
Curator stopped moving toward them. He let out a soft, delicate titter. "How pathetic…aren't you a villain? The famous 'Red Bomber,' the most wanted criminal robot in the world?" he asked dramatically. "And you're relying on the heroes to save you? Well, I have unfortunate news …the robots you mentioned have already joined my collection, my sincerest apologies if that dashes your hopes."
A cold chill swept through Proto Man. Shit. Mega Man and Roll were…gone? But…they were the good guys! They were supposed to fix this! The good guys always fixed things!
Proto Man's left hand clenched. His shoulders shook.
Elec Man shot him a quick glance. "Stay focused…"
Curator was laughing mirthlessly—a cold, tinkling sound like glasses clinking at a fancy dinner party celebrating a successful murder. "No one's being saved tonight. No one."
That was it. Proto Man was tired of the taunts and he was tired of the weird shit going down. Ignoring Elec Man's warning glance, he sprang out from behind the curio cabinet, rushing toward Curator like a javelin. He would break Curator's stupid spinning jewel, or go down trying.
In a twinkling of pink jewels, Curator floated suddenly sideways, and Proto Man found himself hurtling into the soft velvet carpet, which caught his fall like a thick mattress. Snarling, Proto Man whirled around, and lunged again, and again—yet Curator continued to glide away with easy grace.
"You are putting up more of a fight than most," Curator remarked patronizingly, "Still, all futile."
He held out the Dazzling Jewel, which began to glow. Proto Man planted his heels deep in the velvet carpet, refusing to retreat, refusing to give Curator any satisfaction that he might be scared. Instead, he raised his blaster and fired a super shot at the jewel—maybe he could at least save Elec Man—
The electric blue bolt of plasma flashed toward the jewel, then disappeared. The Dazzling Jewel glowed brighter. Curator gave another small, tinkling laugh.
Seeing that Proto Man was in jeopardy, Elec Man darted forward—he may not have been faster than Curator either, but he was faster than Proto Man, and so he grabbed Proto Man by the shoulder and flung him behind a display case filled with tiaras.
It happened in an instant. Smiling, Curator refocused his efforts on Elec Man, the Dazzling Jewel still spinning in his outstretched palm. Elec Man struggled to resist the hypnotic pull of the jewel, his head shaking jerkily side to side, but he could not tear his gaze away from the Dazzling Jewel.
Flash.
From behind the display case, Proto Man watched helplessly as Elec Man's form glowed with bright violet light, then instantaneously shrunk to approximately a twenty-thousandth of his original size as he became a black opal set on a heavy, signet-style dark triconium ring etched with clouds.
"Elec Man!" Proto Man cried. He scrambled out from the display case, quickly snatched up the ring, and hid behind a marble cave pillar (…not a great hiding place, but there was little else to hide behind). Trembling, Proto Man looked down at the opal sitting on his palm, which was no larger than his thumbnail. "Elec Man…"
"Ah, black opal," he heard Curator remark from the other side of the cave pillar. "As valuable as a diamond, and rarer. Careful, opals are relatively fragile for gemstones…Hand it over, it will be safer in my collection."
"Change him back."
"No reason, I don't want to destroy anyone. He made for a pretty ornament—as will you, I suspect."
Gold chains appeared suddenly and wrapped tightly around Proto Man's arms and legs. They were fine like the sort used for necklaces, yet impossibly strong. Proto Man couldn't move. He held onto the opal ring tightly.
Curator came round from the other side pillar with slow, wary steps, his visible eye peering at Proto Man as though he might at any moment transform into a deadly warmech, rip free of his bindings, and blast Curator into space debris. "I can sense it, your 'alien' energy, as it is apparently called—but you don't have control over it like I do mine."
Then Curator smiled and took a step forward, holding up the glowing Dazzling Jewel, which floated off his hand and began to rotate, each facet glinting in its turn.
Goosebumps prickled across Proto Man's skin. He knew he should look away, he could have looked away, but instead he was thinking about Elec Man, Mega Man, Roll, even Dr. Wily…all gone. Proto Man was the only one left, and he had no clue how to stop this. He doubted this could be stopped.
Curator's voice had lowered to a soft, velvety whisper, as though lulling Proto Man to sleep. "Relax…this won't hurt you…"
Far from relaxing, Proto Man braced himself as violet light filled his vision—but just how did one guard against a paranormal alien attack?
It was a strange feeling. One moment he was himself, the next he felt like tin foil being crumpled into a thimble-sized ball, his entire being becoming incredibly stiff, cool metal prongs closing securely around him—
An aviator badge with twenty-four karat gold wings lay on the plush carpet next to the black opal ring, the brilliant ruby at its center perching upon the folds of a miniature solid gold scarf.
Curator bent over the newest additions to his collection. Truly exceptional.
The black opal was a marvel of its own. It contained vivid flashes of electric blue chatoyancy, an optical phenomenon like lightning striking in a stormy night sky over and over again as Curator turned the ring back and forth in the light.
…But as spectacular as the opal was, the ruby was even better. Even from the floor, it glittered like jetfire, or sparks on a gust of wind, yet something cyan shimmered in its depths, exactly like the Sun Crystal.
Idiot didn't even defend himself, the slippery voice snickered in the back of Curator's mind as he looked down at the aviator badge. You can keep the ruby kiddie wings, but I'm kinda interested in the opal ring—I'll take it when you get the Sun Crystal, 'kay?
Curator nodded, though the voice's presence had already faded again like a lazy puff of smoke. The voice had seemed pleased with him at least (a relief in itself). Curator reached for the aviator badge with tweezer-like fingers—
"Ah!"
In a flash of cyan light, the ruby had burned Curator, deep fissures forming in the pink jewels of his armor. Gasping in horror, Curator withdrew, cursing the ruby. He could see the cyan light pulse defiantly within the ruby—Proto Man's alien energy, the opposite of evil energy. A moment of clarity shot through Curator's mind. What on earth was he doing?
The evil energy within his chest surged in response. Curator burst into violet flames. He felt even stiffer all over. Something had shifted on his face, and he grimaced as his legs changed into straight needle-like points of pink crystal.
It was far too late for second thoughts now, there would be no going back.
Bass had heard the renewed sounds of the battle and stalked through the halls of the Jewel Cave carefully. When he realized the battle was between Curator, Proto Man, and Elec Man, he wasn't sure who to help, or if he should just stand back and watch the show—but as he drew close, there was a violet flash, followed by one shortly after, then all went quiet.
From the shadow of a marble cave pillar, Bass watched Curator, who had just recoiled from a ruby aviator badge on the ground as though it had burnt him. Agitated, Curator was inspecting his armor—he was beginning to look weird, all pointy and delicate, like ice crystals on a window pane, not at all like something that should work as a functioning Robot Master design.
Curator went completely still. He lifted his head, then turned toward Bass. Curator's face was misshapen and lopsided—one eye a gigantic loupe, the other a pointed oval gemstone that glowed with yellow light.
"I can sense you…whoever you are. I can sense that large blue gemstone on your armor. You have strange energy. …I don't know why you got involved, but you might as well surrender."
Not liking to be caught hiding, Bass stepped into the light of an overhead crystal chandelier, blaster drawn. If Curator was going to transform him like the rest, then Bass wanted it to be on his terms and go down fighting—he wouldn't make it easy for Curator.
Curator did not appear to be in a hurry to transform Bass just yet, for he had all the power, therefore all the the time in the world. "That is a very unusual gemstone—although technically not a true gemstone, for it's some sort of glass, like impactite from a meteor crater, correct? Where did it come from?" he asked with polite, merely professional curiosity.
Bass did not know nor felt like answering. Instead, his attention was drawn to the ruby aviator badge on the velvet carpet and the faint cyan light flickering inside. Bass was certain that the ruby was Proto Man. He was even more certain he and Proto Man hated each other. And yet…he sensed that energy again. Energy that had hurt Curator, but could help Bass.
He looked at Curator. He looked at the ruby aviator badge. He looked back at Curator. He darted forward and picked up the ruby aviator badge. A friendly feeling ran through it and up his wires like a warm night breeze.
Curator was scandalized. "Don't touch any pieces from the collection, you could damage it!"
Like I care, Bass thought darkly. He couldn't stand Proto Man—but Proto Man was currently in a strange form, and would have to cooperate…
Curator held out the Dazzling Jewel in his hand, which was already glowing and rotating serenely. "So be it…I did try to be civil—but I will not permit stealing."
Unconsciously, Bass looked at the jewel. As it flashed, he had the fleeting and bizarre sensation that he was about to become an emerald on a golden snake arm cuff. Bass clutched the ruby aviator badge tightly. Faint cyan light appeared around Bass's armor, burning him, but he remained unchanged.
After a moment, the jewel stopped rotating and fell into Curator's hand, who started, his jewel-eye widening. "That's…that's not possible!"
Bass said nothing, holding his ground, the ruby aviator badge still held tightly in his fist. He had absolutely no clue why this was working, he was just going on instinct.
Then, Bass heard something strange—a slippery, disembodied voice. He could not tell where it was coming from.
"Curator, I'm liking your power set less," said the voice. "I don't know who this dude is or where he came from, but he's got to go. Hurry up and change him into a harmless little gem like you did the rest already."
"I'm trying!" Curator gasped back while gnashing jewel teeth. More rough pink carbuncles began accumulating on his armor like a heavy coat. His saucer-sized loupe was focused on Bass. The dazzling jewel rotated faster, sending out more and more beams of energy.
Each time one hit, Bass felt himself momentarily freeze, but he held onto the aviator badge tightly, and did not change—though a smarting round of strange cyan energy coursed through his circuits, sapping some of his own energy. Still, Bass smiled savagely at Curator, drawing a plasma cannon. Thanks to Proto Man, perhaps odds were back in his favor after all…
Chewing on her lower lip, Kalinka returned to the Jewel Cave, Beat perched upon her shoulder. She had a tough decision before her—turn over the Sun Crystal in exchange for the freedom of Curator's prisoners, or battle it out and hope she herself didn't wind up in Curator's collection herself. A difficult choice—and she was (admittedly) less confident than she had been before. She figured she should probably surrender the Sun Crystal after all, for weren't crystals worth less than people? …That felt like giving up, but what else could she do?
Yet, as she opened the doors of the gala and found herself within the vast halls of the Jewel Cave (an oddity in itself), she heard the sounds of battle echoing through the vaulted ceilings. Someone must have held out! But who? Could it possibly be Quint?
"Better hide, Beat," she whispered. "Jewel Man will know I'm back with the Sun Crystal, and it's best if you're not caught with me."
"Be careful, Kali! I'll be close by in case you need me," Beat whispered back, squeezing her shoulder lightly with his talons before taking flight.
Crouched low behind a row of display cases, Kalinka crept closer, her footfalls completely masked by the soft carpet, until she came to an open, cathedral-like space. From there, she darted behind a cave pillar, then carefully looked inside the room.
…She would have never guessed the identity of Curator's opposition—for locked in a fierce duel with Curator was someone of whom she had never seen before…a hero in black.
He wore an unusual superhero costume, trimmed in gold, two prominent pieces of metal flaring out from the blue star on the brow of his helmet in an abstract impression of a cobra hood. In all the fashion runways she had ever watched, judged, or participated in, Kalinka had never seen anything like it. Very avant-garde. Cool.
The Hero in Black was fast, weaving quickly from side to side in the open room with light double jumps that made it look like he was leaping off invisible platforms as he dodged golden jewelry chains that were appearing out of nowhere. Curator (who was beginning to look more like an inside-out geode than human or robot at this point, his pointed legs hovering several inches above the carpet) stayed stationary in the middle of the room, turning like a turret as he tracked the Hero in Black's movements and tried to trap him. She didn't look directly at the Dazzling Jewel, which was spinning so fast it looked like a violet strobe light that shot beams of light intermittently. Each time one made contact with the Hero in Black, he was buffeted backward, his red eyes wincing, a shimmering field of cyan light surrounding him. Unlike everyone else who had been struck with the Dazzling Jewel, he did not become a gemstone.
They appeared to be at a stalemate—the Hero in Black unable to hurt Curator, and Curator unable to capture the Hero in Black and add him to the collection. Still, Kalinka was beyond impressed. Perhaps this was the superhero of New York City!
When one of the beams knocked the Hero in Black outside the room and nearby Kalinka's hiding spot, Kalinka took her chance to call out to the Hero in Black. "Wow! How did you do that?"
The Hero in Black whirled at the voice, a fist pulled back as though to strike, but then blinked as he took in Kalinka, and lowered his fists again.
"With this," he muttered finally, holding out a white-gloved hand. In his palm was a solid gold aviator badge, the large ruby in its center sparkling roguishly while glowing with a strange, cyan light.
"Oh what a pretty badge!" Kalinka cooed, admiring the minuscule feather detail of the gold wings. Then she noticed the badge's tiny scarf. Her heart nearly stopped, and time felt frozen.
Wait…could that ruby be the Masked Hero?
…Oh no! Then the Masked Hero tried to fight Curator, but had been transformed!
…But, the ruby's cyan light—it looked just like the Sun Crystal—but that would mean—
…Could the Masked Hero have Justice Energy too?
Setting aside the Masked Hero's dire predicament for a moment, Kalinka's heart thumped as she considered this. It was too many coincidences. If the Masked Hero was in possession of Justice Energy (just like she was!) …then this really was fate! Perhaps they were even destined to fight evil energy forces side by side. If only the Masked Hero wasn't a gemstone and they could talk—
Time unfroze again as the Hero in Black closed his fingers around the ruby aviator badge, removing it from Kalinka's view. Kalinka realized the Hero in Black must be an ally of the Masked Hero, and was fighting to save his fallen friend. She instantly decided she'd be friends with the Hero in Black as well.
"By the way, I'm Mega Girl, you are?" she called over again, still keeping her back to the cave pillar and staying out of sight of Curator.
The Hero in Black gave her another bewildered look as though she were a talking pink powder puff, shook his head, then went back into the room to fight Curator without answering.
Kalinka's face screwed up indignantly. "Gee, was it something I said?"
"I know you're hiding over there, Mega Girl!" Curator called coldly from the center of the room. "I can sense the Sun Crystal. Be sure that I will come retrieve it as soon as I deal with this troublesome brute—fighting is not my strong suit!"
The sounds of battle resumed—the chiming of crystal, the clinking slither of chains, the crackling of opposing types of energy crashing together, the soft springy thuds of the Hero in Black leaping off the floor, and Curator whispering elegant yet antiquated profanities.
With the Hero in Black running offense, Kalinka was freed up to act as tactician. It would be much more dangerous for her now—she had the Sun Crystal, which Curator could sense, however the Hero in Black was doing a great job at keeping Curator distracted! Still, he couldn't keep this up forever—the use of the aviator badge seemed to be wearing him down. She watched as violet light continued to flash at intervals between the cave pillars intermittently, her brow furrowed in deep thought. Then, an idea hit her—one of those annoyingly obvious ideas that strikes when one is no longer in crisis mode. Light! The Dazzling Jewel transformed its victims with beams of light! And light could be reflected…
"Oh my god, like it's so simple," Kalinka remarked aloud (she was actually talking to the Hero in Black, though she may as well have been talking to the floor for the Hero in Black still ignored her). She looked around, assessing her surroundings, then smiled. Curator was still focused on the Hero in Black. Perfect. She grabbed onto a nearby standing mirror, dragged it far to the side, then attached her holomorpher to its back. The mirror (instead of showing a reflection) now showed Mega Girl, striking a pose. Her smile broadening, Kalinka hid behind the mirror, then turned it to face Curator. "Give it up, Curator! We have you beat," she called. "I've decided not to hand over the Sun Crystal after all, for I'll be needing it to return everyone back to normal, including you!"
"Bluffing will get you nowhere," came Curator's soft, velvety voice. "You're acting foolishly, but I'll show you mercy—you'll make for a lovely rose quartz cherry blossom on a barrette, I think."
Kalinka took a small peek around the mirror, careful to keep a grip on the mirror and stay within the holomorpher's range.
Curator had turned away from the Hero in Black, his attention on the mirror, his carved face lit up in smug victory as he held out the Dazzling Jewel. Any second now…
A violet shaft of light shot out from the Dazzling Jewel. It hit the mirror, then rebounded like a rubber ball hitting a wall.
The jewel-eye on Curator's face went round as a circle. "No—!" he cried out, realizing the ruse too late.
For a split second, Curator saw his own reflection in the mirror, the unrecognizable monster of glittering pink carbuncle that he had become. Then the light hit him, and his distraught shout was cut short. Curator was no more—but a dainty silver monocle, with a pink plique-a-jour enamel chain and a lens of colorless beryl, lay in the spot where Curator had vanished.
"Like Perseus and Medusa! Sorta," Kalinka chortled, stepping triumphantly out from the mirror. She looked over at the Hero in Black, who was sprawled on the carpet (evidently, the justice energy from the ruby aviator badge had become too much for him). "Hey? You okay, hun?"
The Hero in Black didn't answer. Instead, he flung the ruby aviator badge far away from him as though it had personally insulted him.
"Hey, don't throw him like that!" Kalinka cried shrilly, watching the ruby aviator badge fly twinkling into the far distance before getting swallowed up by the darkness of the Jewel Cave. She turned reproachfully to the Hero in Black, hands on her hips. "Well that wasn't necessary!"
The Hero in Black didn't look like he cared. Without acknowledging Kalinka in the slightest, he took off in a different direction into the darkness—a small howlite fang dangling from his fist.
Kalinka glared after him. "I hope you know your hero work could use some polish, you're a bit rough around the edges! Hmph! Totally rude!"
She stuck her tongue out in the direction the Hero in Black had went, but was thankful that the Jewel Cave had carpeted floors and that rubies were ranked nine on the Mohs hardness scale. The Masked Hero would be alright—just as soon as she attended to Jewel Man.
Gently, Kalinka picked up the monocle and cradled it in her gloved hand. Within the beryl lens, she could see a minute, skull-shaped purple flame. It flickered, guttered and swirled in frenzied circles, trapped within the flat, crystalline prison. What a strange parasite!
"Don't worry, little guy—you'll be normal again soon!" she promised the beryl in a whisper.
Then, she activated the power within the Sun Crystal. A shimmering ball of cyan light appeared above the wrist-mounted mini-blaster of her left hand. The purple skull began to flicker and gutter more frantically, swirling madly within the lens like a goldfish caught in a drain.
With the care of handling an eggshell, Kalinka touched the ball of Justice Energy to the monocle.
Bright light filled the Jewel Cave. Though her helmet had a protective translucent aqua visor, Kalinka couldn't help but squeeze her eyes shut tight.
The ground shook beneath her feet. She felt like she was on an elevator that had suddenly shot upwards.
"Whoa!" Kalinka cried out, her eyes snapping open as she stumbled backward and accidentally dropped the monocle, which fell with a soft plop on the cushy carpet.
All around them, the Jewel Cave began to crumple and dissolve, at first appearing like a giant purple sand castle breaking apart, then like a dense cloud of smoke dissipating into the air, then like nothing at all as Curator's Jewel Cave stopped existing. Kalinka blinked. She was now standing in a snowy street outside a jewelry shop.
In flashes of violet light, figures were appearing—security guards, shop clerks, policemen, and the extravagantly dressed attendees of the gala. All were looking around and blinking in confusion. No one had any idea of how they had gotten there.
Beat, Quint, and Punk raced over to Kalinka.
"You defeated him! Excellent!" Quint congratulated her, grinning from ear to ear beneath his visor.
"What happened? We won, right? I feel like I missed a lot," said Punk, scratching his helmet just beneath his bladed mohawk.
From the ground, the monocle had become Jewel Man again, who was lying on his back and stirring feebly. Any relief he may have felt for no longer being a crystalline mechanical monster seemed to be overridden by becoming simultaneously aware that he was both powerless and at the mercy of the heroes of whom he had both threatened and transformed into trinkets. His lavender eyes widened as he tried in vain to scoot away before collapsing in exhaustion.
"What do we do with him?" asked Beat.
"Why, we take him in of course!" Kalinka responded matter-of-factly, smiling benevolently at Jewel Man. "It's like they say…diamonds are a girl's best friend! Or whatever."
Quint eyed Jewel Man dubiously. "…He'll rob us blind…"
"I'm with Brainiac on this one," put in Punk, glowering down at Jewel Man.
Kalinka shot them disappointed looks. For all the things for Quint and Punk to finally agree about, it shouldn't be something against her!
But before the matter was resolved, two robots wearing red armor and faceguards suddenly appeared next to Jewel Man's side, each taking him by an arm.
"Eat it, nerds!" snickered the one with a goofy helmet attachment that looked like a bubble wand. The other one (who had a large horseshoe magnet on his helmet) simply raised his hand.
An earsplitting screech sounded overhead. Kalinka, Quint, Punk, and Beat looked up and hastily scrambled backward as a metal balcony ripped from a nearby building came speeding down on them as though pulled by a strong invisible force.
"That wasn't very nice!" Punk chided angrily after just managing to catch the balcony at the last second.
"Hey, come back here!" Kalinka shouted after them, but the two robots had already successfully smuggled Jewel Man away through a back alley. Then, noticing some of the gala attendees were looking their way curiously while muttering about their outfits, she added, "Ugh, we better book it too—gotta keep up our superhero mystique, right?"
But just before they left, Kalinka glanced around briefly, hoping to see the Masked Hero amongst the crowd—but there was no sign of him.
Next time for sure, she thought hopefully.
Mega Man, Roll, and Rush blinked at the snowy street. The last thing they remembered was looking at the Dazzling Jewel—obviously, a fatal mistake, yet everything seemed alright now. In fact, it appeared all the missing persons who Curator had transformed into gemstones were now gathered around them, each muttering and apparently as confused as they were. Quickly, they searched the crowd for Dr. Light.
"Are you alright, Dr. Light?" Mega Man asked him when they finally found him at the end of the street.
"Yes, but goodness, where are we?" Dr. Light asked, looking around and shivering, for he didn't have a coat. "Just a moment ago I was in the ballroom, then the power went out, and now I'm here."
"Long story, we'll catch you up later—you'll want to be sitting down," said Roll, smiling as she hugged Dr. Light. Then she looked around the street, her eyes narrowing. "Where's Quint? Don't tell me he snuck off after all of that!"
"Quint was here?" Dr. Light questioned.
"Like I said, long story, we have a lot to catch up on," said Roll darkly. "In the meantime, let's get everyone somewhere warm—I think our jewel thief problem has taken care of itself."
"If only all problems involving Dr. Wily were like that," Mega Man joked, yet he rubbed his chest. He felt fine now, but it hadn't been pleasant around Curator, of feeling an active abundance of evil energy pulling at the trace amount within his systems. Definitely something to ask Quint about, next time they saw him...
Like the rest of the humans, Dr. Wily had reappeared in the block surrounding Roquat Jewelers in total confusion, not knowing where he was nor that he had been an agate belt buckle for a whole day. Cut Man and Guts Man were even more clueless about what had happened than Dr. Wily. It was almost difficult for Proto Man to round them all up and persuade them to make a hasty retreat before Mega Man, Roll, or any of the police caught sight of them.
The Skullker was parked under an abandoned railway bridge just outside the Underground. Dr. Wily was at the flight deck monitor inside pouring over feeds from the Extraterrestrial Radiation Scanner in a desperate hope to lock onto Curator's alien energy signature again. Proto Man knew was useless—if Curator was still active, then they'd all still be sitting on velvet cushions in his collection.
"…What did Curator turn me into?" Elec Man asked in a stiff tone, as though unsure he actually wanted to know.
He was standing guard outside with Proto Man while they waited for Dr. Wily to finally accept the obvious and give up (Top Man had volunteered to stand guard with them, but Elec Man had made Top Man go to the fuselage and rest despite Top Man's cheerful reassurances that he was fine and temporarily becoming a jeweled egg hadn't harmed in the least).
"A black opal ring—a really impressive one, like what a mob boss or maybe a dark sorcerer would wear," Proto Man responded, leaning back against the hull of the Skullker and looking up at the rotted tracks above. "Could have gotten a few million for you at auction."
Elec Man wrinkled his nose. "An opal ring? How stupid."
"Not half as stupid as becoming a ruby aviator badge," Proto Man growled. "You really don't remember any of this?"
It would have been difficult to describe what exactly being a ruby aviator badge was like, yet Proto Man remembered it—of being vaguely aware but unable to move, knowing but not seeing. He knew Bass had been involved somehow, which annoyed him further.
"So Curator got to you as well?" asked Elec Man. "…Are you alright? Did…did getting transformed trigger an alien energy flare-up?"
"No. Curator wasn't trying to hurt me, so no 'flare-up' or whatever. I dunno, this is weird—I'm fine though, really."
Proto Man didn't want to talk about this. He didn't understand what having a trace amount of alien energy residing within his systems all entailed (alien energy which he had apparently picked up from Duo back when Proto Man had tried to steal Duo's weapon on the moon base)—it had never bothered him before. He wanted to go back to not thinking about it.
Elec Man's fingers half-twitched near the handheld computer clipped to his belt, as though he was about to take a radiation reading—Proto Man was glad he didn't. Instead, Elec Man took a quick worried glance at Proto Man out of the corner of his eye, then hid it quickly as he said primly. "Well, I wouldn't have risked myself if I had known you were just going to give up and get captured anyway. You disappoint me, Light."
"I didn't give up—well maybe I did for a second. Shit…that stupid jewel thief almost won, didn't he? If I ever get my hands on him—what the?!"
Ring Man and Magnet Man had just turned up supporting a bedraggled yet normal-looking Jewel Man between them with the camaraderie of two college-aged humans frog-marching a troublesome drunk friend home after a long fun night of partying.
"Got him!" Ring Man crowed happily, his eyes twinkling.
Proto Man and Elec Man glared at them. Jewel Man looked like he wanted to run, but he was too weak and both Ring Man and Magnet Man were holding each arm in an iron-clad grip to prevent him from bolting. It appeared he had lost all of his paranormal alien powers and was back to being completely harmless. He looked fearfully at Proto Man and Elec Man, then helplessly up at Ring Man.
"W-what do you want? You c-can't still want to recruit me," he stammered with the air of someone who had been dragged to an execution block and just wanted to get it over with. "Not after everything—"
"Sure we do, we're your friends, Jewel Man!" reassured Ring Man, snickering. "C'mon, you're going to love it at Skull Fortress! You can bring your collection, add to it the old-fashioned way. Besides, you weren't yourself when you were 'Curator' and it's not like any of us really remember what happened."
"I do," broke in Proto Man icily. "…He can stay though—Gee, this is an interesting twist: Ring Man and Magnet Man did something useful for once! What's the matter, your alien energy not working anymore, pal? That's too bad—especially for you. Still, Wily will like having a jewel thief around. We'll reprogram you to work off your debt for the inconvenience you caused us all today."
Elec Man narrowed his eyes. "Yes…I'd like to study any lingering effects the alien energy had on his systems. And if he fails to be useful…"
"We'll throw him into a smelting furnace," Proto Man completed with a careless nod.
Jewel Man gulped.
"Just ignore them, those assholes rarely leave the western hanger these days," Ring Man told Jewel Man, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, welcome to the Bad-bots!"
From within the control room of the Robot International Police headquarters, Duo paced restlessly. It was early morning in Copenhagen, though most of the human officers were off on holiday with their families.
"I sensed it too. I fear Ra Moon has been up to more of his mischief," murmured Ra Thor.
"Yes," replied Duo quietly, still pacing. "We must do something."
"I agree, though I'm not sure what." Ra Thor shook his head. "His presence is gone now, and we don't know when he'll strike next...or more importantly, where."
Next time on Mega Man Recut…
Quint's alien energy research pays off as he develops an experimental form of travel that could usher the world into a new technological era. Unfortunately, an infamous, internationally wanted criminal manages the impossible by breaking into his super secure laboratory and steals his breakthrough work—will the world-changing technology fall into the wrong hands? …Tune in next time for The Teleportation Race!