-Chapter 2-

Guts & Glory

Somewhere Outside Silicon City - Night of Day 1 of the Robot Masters' Attack

Dr. Wily was going over blueprints for something, chuckling wickedly, a mug of hot tea in his hand.

"Yeeeeees..." he grinned. "This will do wonderfully."

Just then, several flashes of light go off.

"Eh? Back already?" he groused as he exited the fairly large tent he'd been using as a temporary base of operations, where he found the Robot Masters gathered outside.

"Good evening, Dr. Wily," Elec Man greeted.

"What in blazes are you all doing here!?" he demanded. "You all weren't supposed to back for another…!"

It was then that he noticed someone was missing.

"Wait a minute, where's Bomb Man?"

Elec Man took a breath as he prepared to deliver his master the news.

"I'm sorry, sir," he began. "But, we regret to inform you that Bomb Man has been defeated."

Wily froze in place, his mug slipping out of his hand, spilling his drink onto the ground.

"Bomb Man…defeated?" he uttered in stupefied shock. "One of my Robot Masters, beaten!? How!? By who!?"

"Believe it or not, sir, it was Rock," Cut Man cut in.

At that, Wily's expression changed from shock to confusion. "Rock? The helper droid? Tom's personal lackey, his janitor and toilet scrubber... destroyed Bomb Man?"

"Y-Yes," Cut Man replied. "That is exactly what I said."

Wily paused for a moment, his brain seeming to stop as he processed what he had just heard. Then, about a minute later, he burst out laughing.

"Oh, Cut Man! You are such a kidder!" He wiped a tear from his eye before becoming serious again. "You're joking, right?"

"We ain't lyin', boss!" Guts Man insisted. "The kid's got some serious upgrades!"

"He has an arm cannon!" Ice Man added. "And blue armor!"

"Baloney!" Wily scoffed. "Thomas doesn't build fighting robots anymore. And even if he did, he wouldn't have anywhere near enough parts to make one. Not after building the eight of you."

He shrugged. "Feh! Whatever. It's just one bot. Whoever beat Bomb Man can't possibly defeat all of you. Now, get back to the base and recharge… we have lots of destruction and havoc to wreak tomorrow."

He laughed maniacally as the remaining Robot Masters headed for the base, a flash of lightning splitting the sky.

Silicon City

Back at the Lighthouse, Rock laid back on a slab, wincing and rubbing his shoulder.

"I'm gonna feel that in the morning…" he grumbled.

"Kid, you tanked high-grade explosives." Auto pointed out. "Be glad you can feel anything at all."

"Indeed," Dr. Light remarked as he and Roll readied their tools. "Bomb Man was specifically designed to destroy buildings. That this is all the damage you sustained is most fortunate, Rock."

Rock looked to the side. "Doesn't feel very fortunate to me."

"You're thinking about Bomb Man, aren't you?" Light asked.

"Yeah... I'm gonna have to destroy the other seven, aren't I?"

Dr. Light hesitated, before sighing. "That is most likely the case. The Robot Masters are incredibly strong, and if Bomb Man's reprogramming is any indication… they won't go down easily."

Rock sighed, leaning his head back. "I was afraid of that."

"I know how you feel, son," Light assured gently. "I was in your shoes during the Hard Wars. I didn't want to hurt anyone either. But it's because we cherish life that we have to fight, to protect it. Sometimes, peace can't be achieved unless those who spread war are dealt with."

"If it makes you feel better, you did an awesome job out there!" Auto cheered. "Bomb Man went out with a bang! BWOOSH!"

"Auto!" Roll admonished, gesturing to Rock as he winced.

"Right... sorry."

Roll took over at that. "Also, you saved a lot of people today. And you brought back Bomb Man's IC chip. We can fix him."

"Roll is right." Light added. "I don't like to say this… but as long as that survives, they will be fine. And we can fix them."

"You're right…" Rock managed a smile. "Thanks, Dad. I needed that."

Dr. Light smiled. "Now, let's get you patched up. We still have seven Robot Masters to stop. And you need to be in tip-top shape to face them."

"Yeah..." Rock took a deep breath, steeling himself. "Let's do it."

He closed his eyes, relaxing as Light popped open a panel on his chest and got to work.

The following day - Silicon City - Construction Site

It was another day on the job for the workers of the Nakaume Construction Company. The city had contracted to build some new buildings for the commercial district, as well as repair the damages from yesterday's attack. They had been working for several hours when the noontime whistle blew.

"Awright, people, lunch break!" the foreman shouted.

The workers immediately set their tools down, grabbing their lunchboxes, eager for their union-mandated reprieve.

"Whew!" the foreman said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Man, only halfway through the day and I already feel like I'm gonna fall ovaaaAAH…OOF!"

A few workers winced as the foreman fell face-first.

"Whoa! You okay, Boss?" one of them asked, rushing to help him up.

"Yeah…" the foreman said, wiping the dirt off his face. "Just…"

He looked over his shoulder, scowling upon seeing a yellow hardhat lying on the ground.

"Awright, who left this out here!?" he shouted as he got up. "This here's a safety hazard, people! Double, since it's supposed to be on your head! Now, who dropped their hat?"

"It's not mine," one worker said, pointing to his hardhat.

"I didn't leave it there," replied another.

"Boss, I think everyone's got there's," replied a third.

"Well then, how the heck did this get...?"

As the foreman went to put the hardhat away, he tripped again. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that it was yet another hardhat.

"Another one!?" he shouted.

"Okay, that's weird," one of the workers stated as he picked it up. "You guys go on ahead, I'll…AAAH!"

Before the worker could continue, he too fell over. The culprit: yet another abandoned hardhat.

"Seriously!?" the Foreman shouted. "What's with all these abandoned hardhats!?"

"Uhhh…Boss…" one of the workers pointed nervously.

"What?" The Foreman looked to where he was pointing and as soon as he did, his jaw dropped.

The construction site was covered in hard hats, dotting the ground like a little, yellow minefield.

"What the…" he let out. "Okay, this is gettin' freaky!"

"Maybe it was some kids?" one of the workers offered.

"Well, whoever they are, they're in deep crud when I get my hands on..."

Before the foreman could grab the hardhat, it suddenly sprouted a pair of big, yellow feet.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?"

The workers all found themselves staring at robots that, under the hard hats, were simply waddling heads on legs.

"What the hell are those things!?" one worker demanded.

"Some kinda hardhat goblins!" another shouted.

"Actually, they're Mets."

The ground started to shake, the workers panicking as pair of robots walked in. The first was a short, slender robot with a spherical, scarlet head with blue eyes, silver eyelids, and handles on the sides of his head resembling the handles of a pair of scissors for ears. He also sported a white suit with gloves, a pelvic plate, and boots all of the same scarlet. The second was an enormous, buff robot with blue eyes, a half-cubic jaw, and a huge upper body with massive arms. His bulky body armor was painted yellow, red, and black, with a red button-like accessory in the center of his chest plate and another one in the center of his helmet.

"It's the Robot Masters!" a worker cried in horror.

"W-what do you want?" the foreman stammered.

Guts Man turned to Cut Man. "You wanna tell 'em or should I?"

Cut Man waved a hand dismissively. "Oh please, I insist."

"Awright." Guts Man cleared his throat. "Attention all meatbags! By order of Dr. Wily, this worksite is being seized! You have five minutes to vacate the premises, or else!"

"Or else what?" the foreman asked nervously.

"My partner will explain."

Cut Man laughed darkly, the scissors on his head snipping together ominously

"And just in case that ain't enough..." Guts Man raised a fist. "Super Arm!"

He thrust his fist into the ground and pulled out a huge chunk of rock.

"W-wait a minute!" one worker cried. "What about those Three Laws of Robotics people like Dr. Light go on about?! You can't hurt us!"

Guts Man scoffed. "Here's the thing about the Three Laws, buddy; they're more like guidelines than actual rules. Now, catch!"

He threw the rock.

"Move!" The foreman cried as he and his workers fled.

"That's what I thought." Guts Man whistled. "Mets, move out!"

The Mets saluted, then started marching forward, shooting plasma shots out of their mouths at the fleeing workers.

It didn't take long for the incident to reach the news. At the Lighthouse, the Light family watched the robots take over the construction site. Rock blinked at the sight of the Mets.

"Who makes a head-in-a-helmet robot?" he asked.

"That...has to be the most inefficient design I've ever seen." Roll mused.

"It's cute, but...it's just really doofy." Auto remarked.

"Yes..." Light looked off to the side nervously before clearing his throat. "But, that's not important! Albert's struck again. Rock..."

"Already on it, Dad!" Rock raced to the lab with the others in tow.

Within minutes, Rock had suited up into his Mega Man armor and teleported over to the construction site.

"Alright, Guts Man!" he ordered as he summoned his Mega Buster, taking aim. "Don't… Whoa!"

He lowered the Buster, taking in the sight of an army of Mets running about the construction site causing havoc. Everywhere he looked, the little robots were running amok. Shooting at workers, taking construction vehicles for joyrides, stealing tools and lunches, and breaking everything in sight with little pickaxes...despite their lack of arms.

"Whoa," Auto said over the comm. "Those little buggers are quick!"

"What the heck are they!?" Mega Man asked.

"The Mettaurs," Dr. Light replied. "Part of the Met Series. They're highly modular helper robots that can serve a variety of purposes. All you have to do is give them the right equipment."

"HELP!"

Mega Man turned to see a worker being chased by a trio of Mettaurs.

"Stay back! Get away!"

Unsurprisingly, the Mettaurs did no such thing. Instead, they started shooting at him, getting him in the leg, and causing him to trip.

"Ahhh, my leg!"

As the worker clutched his leg, the Mettaur rushed at him, drawing their pickaxes, their intentions obvious. Before they could strike, Mega Man suddenly appeared before him, shooting the pickaxes out of their nonexistent hands.

"BACK OFF!" he shouted at the top of his voice.

The Mettaurs all turned toward Mega Man en masse, startling him as their mouths opened.

"Uh-oh..."

As they opened fire, Rock grabbed the worker, darting around their bullets and getting to a safe distance. As soon as he was, he turned to the worker.

"Can you walk?"

The worker gently set his foot on the ground, putting pressure on it before nodding.

"Good, 'cause you've gotta run. Get out of here. I'll handle them."

The worker nodded, then ran off.

"Alright you little...helmet...things." Mega Man took aim. "Take this!"

He opened fire, only for the Mettaurs to duck into their helmets, blocking the shots. Rock blinked as he lowered the Mega Buster, taking that in.

"Ohhh... crap."

He perked, seeing every Mettaur in the site was aiming at him and charging up.

"Ohhhhh...crap!"

The Mettaur all fired at once.

"Ohhhh...CRAP!"

Mega Man scrambled to get away, opening fire over his shoulder as he did. He managed to shoot a few Mettaurs, but a good chunk of them blocked.

"Dad!" he shouted. "What do I do now?!"

"Their helmets are made of Ceratanium! They'll block anything! You have to shoot when they're not crouching inside!"

"Right!"

Thinking quickly, Mega Man took cover behind a stack of girders, seeing several Metts heading toward him.

"Alright," he whispered. "Hit them when they're not crouching."

Mega Man stepped out and shot at the Mettaurs, only for them to hide under their helmets, blocking his attacks. Despite this, he continued firing for a good ten seconds before stopping. Thinking the coast was clear, the Mettaur popped out and prepared to fire…

"There!"

Only for Mega Man to resume his attack, blasting each one and blowing them up.

"Yes!" Mega Man cheered, pumping his fist in victory, only to duck at the last minute to avoid attacks from another squad of Mettaurs…several, actually.

"Seriously!?" he shouted, ducking for cover again. "Dad, it's no good, there's too many of them! I can't fight all of them!"

"Then you'll need to fight Guts Man! He's a Robot Master. Specifically built to command lesser machines."

"Right... take him down, the Mets stop. I just gotta draw him out." Mega Man stepped out, looking to the sky before shouting. "Guts Man! I'm calling you out! Stop hiding behind the Mets and fight me! Or are you too scared after what happened to Bomb Man?"

There was no response.

"I'll take the silence as a yes! And you call yourself a Robot Master? Too chicken to fight a helper bot like me?"

Suddenly, a loud whistling noise echoed through the construction site as a shadow came over Mega Man. He looked up and saw a very large, very angry Guts Man falling toward him.

"Oh boy…"

He rolled out of the way, right as the robot landed where he was, causing a miniature earthquake and launching several Mettaur all over the area.

Guts Man slowly rose to his feet, allowing Mega Man to see just how big and tall he was compared to him

"Awright.." the Robot Master began furiously. "Where's the no-good living dead guy who called me chicken!?"

"Um…Hi?"

He looked down to see Rock giving a sheepish, terrified smile, waving at him.

"Oh, it's just you," Guts Man uttered dismissively. "The little, blue buzzkill who beat Bomb Man. So, you decide to shoot your mouth off and tick me off, eh? Well, let me give you a quick rundown of what I'm gonna do to you." He picked up a massive rock in both hands. "This is your head before calling me chicken... and this is it after."

He squeezed the rock with all his might, which began to crack before exploding into pebbles in Guts Man's hands. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, actually…" Rock let out a nervous chuckle. "Is it too late to say 'I'm sorry'?"

Guts Man laughed his head off, wiping his eye.

"Say you're sorry… I'm sorry, okay…" He suddenly glared, his expression dead serious. "Yes. Now you die."

He raised a fist. "Super Arm!"

Mega Man immediately took off running for cover as Guts Man brought his fist down, punching a small crater into the ground.

"This was a horrible plan!" Mega Man shouted. "What was I thinking?!"

"Hey Rock!"

Mega Man looked over his shoulder and gasped as Guts Man held up a boulder as big as he was over his head.

"Meet rock!"

With a mighty swing of his arms, Guts Man hurled the boulder at Mega Man.

"Oh, sizzling circuits!"

Rock narrowly managed to dodge the boulder, ducking for cover

"Who's the chicken now, Rocky?!"

As he stomped closer, Mega Man popped out of cover, putting three Buster shots into his chest, none of which even fazed him.

"Seriously!?"

"I'm a construction robot, kid." Guts Man pounded his chest with his fist.

Mega Man focused, preparing a Charge Shot that he put into Guts Man's body. It left a scorch mark, but that was about it.

"So... did that hurt at all?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, y'know, it kinda tingles a bit," Guts Man replied.

"Oh...good."

The two robots paused, staring each other down awkwardly for a moment.

"Super Arm!"

"Crud!"

Before it was back to business as usual, with Mega Man fleeing as Guts Man threw more hunks of earth at him.

"This is bad," he said, ducking behind a construction crane. "The Mega Buster's no good! His armor's too thick! I need something stronger!"

Mega Man looked at his Buster. "Something...explosive."

Rock closed his eyes.

"Accessing MEGA System...Weapon File...Hyper Bomb!"

Just then, Mega Man's armor flashed as a wave of energy ran over him, changing its color from blue and cyan to green and white.

"Whoa! Color change," he said, taking in his new look for a moment. "Alright, let's see…"

He focused, a bomb materializing in his hand with an audible "POP!".

"Bingo!"

His confidence renewed, Mega Man leapt out from behind the crane.

"Hey, Guts Man! Have a bomb sandwich!"

Mega Man threw the bomb at Guts Man, who barely had time to react before the bomb hit him in the face, exploding. The Robot Master let out a pained scream, his hands going up to his face as he fell over with a heavy, metallic thud.

"Aww man…" he groaned as he got up, shaking off the dizziness as his systems recalibrated, leaving him furious.

"You lousy, little mook! That freaking hurt!"

Guts Man paused.

"Wait…" His expression going from ticked off… "That hurt. That… That actually hurt!"

…to terrified.

"You think that's bad…" Mega Man summoned more bombs. "Wait 'til you see this! Bombs away!"

Guts Man looked on as Mega Man threw the bombs at him.

"Awww hell!"

The ex-construction robot jumped back, avoiding the bombs as they hit the ground, some of them exploding.

"Whew! Close one!"

Unfortunately, he failed to notice that Mega Man had thrown one over him, which he had the unfortunate luck to step on, causing it to crack…

"Uh-oh..."

BOOM!

Guts Man screamed as the ensuing explosion sent him flying…right into a nearby cement mixer, getting his head stuck.

Rock approached with another bomb in his hand, idly tossing it up and down. "You ready to give up?"

Guts Man growled as he ripped the machine off of him.

"No freakin' way!" He burst out of the cement, making to grab him. "I'm gonna rip you to bits and make a stereo from your spare parts!"

"Well, let's make sure I go out with a big bang."

He tossed the bomb, which Guts Man catches on instinct. He blinked, seeing the fuse had completely burned down.

The bomb exploded, leaving him covered in soot. He sparked, letting out a cough.

"Lucky... shot…"

He dropped, inactive. As he did, Rock let out a resigned sigh before touching Guts Man's chest and focusing.

"Super Arm download, complete. Weapon Acquired." he groaned, clutching his head as his accent shifted. "Aww geez… I'm feelin' a little winded..."

He raised an eyebrow. "Did… Did I just suddenly turn Bronx?"

Shaking his head, he knelt down once more, searching around inside Guts Man's head before pulling out a data storage chip and activating the com.

"Guts Man's down. I have his IC chip."

"Good job, Rock. I'm not picking up any other signs of Robot Master activity, so you can head back to the lab."

"Hold on, I wanna check on the workers."

Before he could head out, Rock felt something. Looking down, he noticed a Mettaur had bumped into his leg.

"The Mettaur..."

Rock looked around and saw that all the Mettaur had stopped attacking and were instead wandering about the area, looking more confused than anything.

"They've snapped out of it, Dad. You were right."

"Holy..."

Rock turned toward the exit, seeing the Foreman and his workers coming back in, looking around at the damage.

"We saw the whole thing," he said. "You...You actually managed to beat that big lug?"

Rock nodded. "Yeah… Sorry about your building. I hope nobody was hurt too badly."

The foreman shook his head. "No, we're fine.

"Speak for yourselves..." one of the workers groused, clutching his leg with a hiss.

"Right... we should get you to a doctor," the foreman said with a wince. "The rest of you head on home, we're callin' it quits for the day!"

As the workers headed out, the foreman turned to Rock. "Thanks again for saving our butts, uhhh..."

"Mega Man. And it's no problem, sir."

The Foreman nodded, then headed out..

Later, back at the Lighthouse, Rock sat in the lab, thinking over the events of the last two days.

"Rock…" Light began.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Light. But Rock is a helper robot. I'm Mega Man. I break other robots."

Auto, Roll, and Light all looked at Rock in surprise. His tone was cold and distant, almost emotionless.

"Kid?" Auto asked.

"I'm sorry..." Rock sighed. "I need to sit down for a moment..."

He walked off at that, leaving the others to wonder what was wrong.

Author's Note:

Things are heating up. What will happen next?

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Guts Man - Kevin Michael Richardson (Captain Gantu in Lilo & Stitch, Kamek in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Bulkhead from Transformers: Prime, Deus Ex Machina in The Matrix Revolutions, Trigon, Mammoth & See-More in Teen Titans, Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012)

* Cut Man - Tom Kenny in his Slappy Laszlo voice in SpongeBob SquarePants and The Patrick Star Show

Please R&R. Until next time!