Chapter 6: A Flicker of Hope
Far outside the bustling city of Monsteropolis, the sky hung heavy with gray clouds. In an open field, a lone Robot Master stood motionless. It had no programming, no intelligence, no purpose—just a hollow frame. Hidden away behind a small rise in the land, Roll crouched beside Proto Man, her purple armor blending with the shadows. The new weight of her upgraded buster on her arm was still something she wasn't used to. She hadn't been built for this.
They had been sitting there for hours, waiting. Zero should have shown up by now, but the field remained as empty as when they had arrived. Roll watched the lifeless Robot Master in the middle of the field, feeling a surge of tension in her circuits. The plan was a long shot, but somehow it felt like the right one.
"He's not coming, Roll," Proto Man's voice cut through the silence, his tone flat and final. She barely noticed how tense she was, her buster-arm tightening of its own accord.
"We don't know that," she replied, sharper than she'd meant to. This might have been a long shot, but something inside her held firm, almost as if waiting just felt… right.
Proto Man sighed, finally pushing himself off the tree he had leaned against. "Zero isn't going to fall for the same trick twice. He's smarter than that."
Roll clenched her teeth, feeling a sharper irritation than she expected. Why was she reacting this way? "That's not the point," she snapped. "If we don't keep trying, we'll never find him." Her own voice sounded firm, more certain than she'd realized. She couldn't say why, but giving up didn't seem like an option.
Proto Man studied her, his visor reflecting her determined face. "And now what? You're obsessed with saving Zero. What happens if Wily's already erased his free will? What if he's nothing more than another mindless machine?"
Roll's circuits pulsed in response, a strange flicker of protectiveness she couldn't ignore. She hated to admit it, but she'd thought about that—about what she would do if Zero was no longer the person she believed him to be. But something in her wouldn't accept that fate. Not yet.
"I can't believe that," she replied firmly. "I won't. Not until I see it for myself."
Proto Man shook his head, but he didn't argue. "Suit yourself."
The silence between them stretched, heavier now. Roll's eyes drifted back to the empty field, feeling the strange hollowness settle in her chest again. It didn't seem right.
"I'm going back to Dr. Light," she said finally, standing up. Her voice was calm, but the frustration simmered beneath. "There's nothing here."
Proto Man gave her a sideways glance. "I've got other things to do anyway." He walked toward the Robot Master, his hand casually deactivating it with a quick touch. The machine slumped forward, lifeless. Proto Man turned back to Roll, his visor unreadable. "Call me when you want to try again."
Roll nodded, but her mind was already elsewhere. Her buster-arm twitched, the weight of her armor a constant reminder of the role she had stepped into. She wouldn't fail—not again.
She activated her teleporter, vanishing in a flash of purple light.
The lab hummed with the familiar sounds of machinery, but for Roll, it didn't bring the comfort it used to. She materialized in the center of the room, her armored boots clanging softly against the metal floor. Dr. Light turned to face her from his workstation, concern etched into his face.
"Nothing again?" he asked, his voice soft, but knowing the answer already.
Roll shook her head, the frustration evident in the way her shoulders tensed. "We're wasting time, Dr. Light. Zero's been gone for months, and every lead we've followed is a dead end. We don't even know what Wily's doing to him."
Dr. Light stood and walked over to her, resting a gentle hand on her armored shoulder. "We will find him," he said calmly. But as he said it, Roll noticed his eyes lingering on her, as if searching for something beneath the armor.
"Is something wrong, Dr. Light?" she asked, her voice softer than she intended.
Dr. Light blinked, the concern in his face melting into a small, reassuring smile. "No, Roll. Just… remember why you're doing this." His hand stayed on her shoulder for a moment longer than necessary before he turned back to his workstation.
Roll's gaze dropped to the floor, feeling an odd weight in his words. It was like he'd wanted to say something more, something she wasn't quite catching. She brushed the feeling away, glancing toward the nearest monitor. "Has Bass contacted us?"
Dr. Light shook his head. "Nothing. He's still out there, but he isn't doing this for you. He's angry at Wily for treating him like scrap. That's what's driving him."
"I know." Roll's voice softened, her frustration giving way to something closer to resignation. "But if Bass finds Wily first, he might lead us to Zero. And that's all I care about." The words came out steadier than she felt, and Dr. Light gave her a quiet, knowing smile.
"We'll keep monitoring the signals. We'll find Zero, Roll. But until then, don't lose sight of why this is important."
Roll nodded, though her mind was racing. She had the power now—the ability to fight, to protect those she cared about. But she felt the weight of it, as though every step she took in the armor brought a new layer of responsibility. She had to believe that Zero could be saved. She had to.
As Roll turned back to her workstation, a faint beep echoed from one of the monitors. Proto Man's signal, still faint, showed something—an irregular blip from the field they had just left. Roll's eyes narrowed, her circuits buzzing faintly. Had Zero been watching them this entire time?