Proto Man, Elec Man, and Top Man spent the next few hours scouring the city for Dr. Wily. Robo-officers were everywhere, patrolling the streets with extreme vigilance as they searched for the jewel thief still at large. Dodging around them may have been fun for Proto Man if Proto Man hadn't felt so irritated at how their mission to recruit Jewel Man had backfired nor were the city so cold and obnoxiously filled with holiday cheer, not to mention crowded with oblivious tourists moving slowly through the sidewalks while gawking up at skyscrapers. He also couldn't help but wonder what they were going to do if they couldn't find Dr. Wily.
Then, in the street behind an auction house's storeroom, they finally spotted the Skullker.
"There you are!" chided Proto Man as he burst into the cockpit (Elec Man and Top Man waited in the fuselage). Proto Man couldn't tell if he felt more relieved or annoyed. "Where were you?"
Dr. Wily seemed equally miffed, his arms folded across his chest, his light blue eyes glaring beadily back at Proto Man as though he were a teenager caught sneaking in late. "It's these infernal robo-officers prowling about! They're as numerous as rats! After I called you, I had to move locations or risk discovery! Lousy pests. Then, when I finally reached the rendezvous point where you were supposed to be with Jewel Man, not only were neither you nor any of the other bumblers anywhere to be seen, no one was answering their communicators!'
"Yeah, about that. Listen, this plan went south. Get this—Jewel Man is calling himself the 'Curator,' he rejected our offer to join us then used purple alien bullshit to transform Cut Man, Guts Man, Ring Man, and Magnet Man into gemstones."
While this news did change Dr. Wily's mood, it was not in the way Proto Man had intended. "Really?" he mused, stroking his bony chin thoughtfully. "…Were they valuable?
"Uh…sorta, I guess. Doesn't matter, we gotta leave them behind and get out of here before Curator does the same to us. We can't reason with or fight this guy; Elec Man, Top Man, and I were lucky to get away."
Dr. Wily gave Proto Man a concerned look, as though Proto Man were unwell. "Proto, relax! This isn't like you, you're acting like a frightened toddler."
"…What? No I'm not!"
Dr. Wily shook his head, then wagged a finger at Proto Man with a grin. "A little danger is to be expected, for that is the nature of scientific progress, especially when dealing with a powerful unknown such as alien energy (you should know this, Proto, for has it not always been this way?)—but this is even more promising discovery I could have hoped! I want to see how this 'Curator' transforms his targets. If I could sneak in close and take a reading or two with my radiation detector, then perhaps I can reverse engineer the technology. Imagine turning Mega Man into a jewel paperclip!"
Dr. Wily let out a wicked cackle. Proto Man frowned. Though he wouldn't admit it aloud, he didn't like the idea of a 'Mega Man paper clip', and was annoyed Dr. Wily was not making this more seriously. "Without Ring Man and Magnet Man, there's no way we'll find Curator again, and with the city on such high alert, we should go before the cops catch us here."
"Aha, but don't you see? Luck is back on our side!" Dr. Wily pointed through the Skullker's large convex windows. Outside stood the tall, windowless, and rather boring back wall of the storehouse. "One of my spy-bats finally managed to transmit a visual of our friend 'Curator' again—he is robbing this building at this very instant!"
Proto Man started. This was the farthest thing from luck right now. "…What?! Right here, right now?!" He shook his head. "Why didn't you mention this right away?! Forget about this jewel guy and his alien energy, I'm telling ya, we need to go!"
Not waiting for a reply, Proto Man reached for the flight controls—but he heard a small click next to him. Dr. Wily had unbuckled and was striding out the back of the Skullker with a radiation detector in hand. Cursing, Proto Man hurried after him, motioning to a bewildered Elec Man and Top Man to not get involved as they passed through the fuselage. "Wily—"
Proto Man stopped still inside the back hatch's doorframe. Dr. Wily was several paces away from the Skullker, but he too had gone still, for Curator had just exited the storehouse and had caught sight of them. Apparently, Curator was making his getaway, and therefore was taken just as off guard as they were.
Yet Dr. Wily was not afraid. He grinned at Curator as though he were a money-printing machine, dollar signs practically imprinted on his eyes, which were staring hungrily at the large pink jewel clutched in Curator's hand.
"That jewel…it must be worth billions…and with those powers, I will rule the world within hours…" Dr. Wily babbled in a faraway voice.
Curator said nothing, though he held the jewel higher so that Dr. Wily could get a better look. It began to float and rotate, just as it had for Cut Man and Guts Man, then again Ring Man and Magnet Man…
"Wily!" Proto Man called warningly, though he didn't dare step outside the Skullker.
There was no response. Dr. Wily stared into the rotating jewel with shining eyes, as if all his dreams were about to come true.
"Wily get a grip!" Proto Man yelled more harshly. This behavior was a bit much, even for Dr. Wily.
Violet light flashed across the back street, then Dr. Wily was gone—a white agate belt buckle carved in the shape of a skull cameo lay on the dirty concrete in his place.
Proto Man scrambled hastily backward. "Shit! Doc!" he muttered, staring at the agate belt buckle. With Dr. Wily transformed, plans of just abandoning Cut Man, Guts Man, Ring Man, and Magnet Man and abort were completely out the door now!
"Oh please, do come closer!" Curator called over to Proto Man, holding up the glowing jewel enticingly.
For a moment, Proto Man felt as though his circuits were freezing up, but then something inside him urged him to move. Swearing even louder than before, Proto Man slammed the Skullker's back hatch closed, dove into the cockpit, and took off.
"…I hate running…" Proto Man growled a few minutes later as he piloted the Skullker toward the Underground. "Makes me feel like an idiot."
"I knew this was a bad idea…" Elec Man said drolly from the co-pilot's seat, though his eyes glinted malevolently—obviously thinking of the agate belt buckle.
"…Look, I know you don't like Wily, but he doesn't deserve…that."
"Oh? He has more value now than he ever was as a human, and serves him right for being so foolish. Again. This is exactly like what happened to him with those idiotic lion cultists in Hawaii. He will never learn, though at least he can't possibly make things worse in this form, and he seemed happy in his final moments." Elec Man gave a nonchalant half-shrug. "Besides, what can we do? Saving Wily would be suicide."
Proto Man nodded tiredly. "You're right. You should take the Skullker back to Skull Fortress. I'll figure this one out on my own."
The malevolent glint disappeared from Elec Man's eyes. He turned sharply to Proto Man. "No. Remember what I told you about your little 'fainting' problem you have around alien energy?" Proto Man stiffened. He hadn't forgotten, but he wished Elec Man would stop nagging him about it. "It would be unwise for you to act alone. If you're staying, then I am too."
"And so am I," put in Top Man stoutly, who was standing in the space just behind Elec Man's seat.
Both Proto Man and Elec Man glanced over their shoulders at Top Man. "You really should go back to Skull Fortress," they said at the same time.
Top Man stared back at them, hurt. "I won't," he told Elec Man, equal parts defiant and beseeching. "If something happens to you—I'd have no one."
Proto Man looked away, pretending to concentrate on flying the Skullker. This conversation was getting embarrassingly personal, and he wasn't good with sentiments.
…Neither was Elec Man, who looked away from Top Man and swallowed uncomfortably. "That's…that's not true," he said lamely (it was clear even Elec Man thought that him being anyone's sole source of emotional support was a bit depressing). "Alright, fine—but if you get caught in the crossfire I will kill you. Remember, there are fates far worse than becoming a fancy brooch."
Top Man brightened, clearly taking the vague threat as empty, then lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I still think we should just try reasoning with Jewel Man—look, I like Ring Man and Magnet Man, but it's not like they're the most tactful—"
"For the last time, no," Elec Man cut him off coldly. The happy mood he had been in over Dr. Wily's misfortune had long since soured. He glared at Proto Man, as though this was his fault—which (Proto Man reasoned) it probably was. "So now what?"
Proto Man shrugged. "Well, we can't get bested by a jewel thief—let's get in close and wait for an opportunity—he's bound to slip up somewhere."
"Hi Daddy! Just calling to let you know I'm staying with a friend in New York City tonight. Total fashion emergency at one of my jobs. Quint's been a dear and taken me. Uh-huh. Yeah. Don't worry, I will. I'll be home once I've taken care of things, talk to you la—wait. What did you have for dinner? You did have dinner right? Daaaad. There's a new vegetarian place near your office you can order out at. And remember, don't work too late! At your age it can increase your blood pressure. Alright, gotta go for real now, love you Daddy! Byyyyee."
After closing her boxy flip phone, Kalinka looked over at Quint, who had been staring at her during the entire conversation with Dr. Cossack, his brows raising higher and higher.
"What? None of what I said was a lie," she assured him with a small shrug. "Dealing with a robot who can turn people into jewelry is definitely a fashion emergency, and fighting evil energy as Mega Girl is definitely a job." Then, she added penitently, "Though I do hate leaving Daddy alone like this so close to the holidays. He really should be taking time off instead of working all the time in his dark office!"
They were inside a contemporary split-level beach villa in the East Hamptons. Kalinka's friend (a work acquaintance from one of her fashion companies) was not at home—she had another residence in Milan where she stayed during the winter, but had given Kalinka the code to get in and assured her she was welcome to make herself at home. The inside was spacious and filled with abstract sculptures and strangely shaped furniture that looked like amorphic blobs in vibrant shades. Screen prints of Corgis covered the walls. A picture-perfect view of the Atlantic Ocean could be seen outside the expansive western-facing window, the water like rugged obsidian with white-capped waves under a deep blue night sky.
They sat together on spindly stools at the kitchen bar, thinking. Kalinka had made herself a hot chocolate in a large, handleless mug. Though Quint was a robot who could neither taste nor ingest food, he was privately a bit appalled by the amount of sugar, marshmallows, and whipped cream she was using.
"I don't get it, why didn't the justice energy work on Jewel Man? It worked on Punk when he was infected with evil energy!" Kalinka asked aloud, stirring her hot chocolate with a striped peppermint stick.
"Perhaps Punk was correct in his initial hypothesis," Quint responded slowly and thoughtfully. "You see, Punk may have been a criminal, but he was stealing out of desperation and for survival. This robot is different."
"Because he's a jewel thief?"
"Precisely, not exactly evil…but not exactly good either. Jewel Man is more susceptible to the evil energy's influence than Punk was, therefore will be much harder to return to normal."
"Yeah, but…you saw his eyes, right? He was totally not himself!" Kalinka maintained stubbornly. "Jewel Man just can't be too far gone yet!"
Quint had to admit there had definitely been a slight glassy look to Curator's lavender eyes, as though he were sleepwalking. "Even so, the evil energy inside of Jewel Man is too strong to neutralize with a direct attack. Not to mention, the Sun Crystal only has a limited amount of available justice energy per recharge cycle. We must be careful not to accidentally waste it, then there'll really be nothing we can do!"
Kalinka took a deep sip from her hot chocolate, her brow crinkled in thought. "If only we could separate him from that jewel he uses to transform people, then we might stand a chance of fighting him without becoming jewels ourselves."
"You mean take him by surprise?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm, that might work. But how do we find him, let alone sneak up on him? It was lucky coincidence we ran into him at the museum."
"I have an idea. So there's like this big gala tomorrow night in New York, right? The 'Tinsel Ball' or something.'"
"I suppose?" Quint answered, both mystified by the general concept of 'galas' and how this could possibly be relevant to anything.
"Get this—all of the richest New Yorkers will be there flaunting their wealth. It'll be a sea of diamonds all in one place—no way Jewel Man will want to miss out on that!"
Quint pondered this. He had a feeling Kalinka was right. "But won't everyone be worried about the active jewel thief that's still at large and cancel the gala?"
"Pff no, rich people don't read the news! We can totally use the gala to get in close, then maybe we can turn Jewel Man's attraction to diamonds against him!"
"Are you invited?"
"Who cares! I'm Kali Cossack, I'm always allowed at these things."
"…So your plan is to let the attendees of this gala act as bait…?"
"Uh-huh," responded Kalinka unabashedly, taking another sip of hot chocolate. "What's the biggie? We're going to get everyone back to normal—besides, it's just rich celebrities and socialites like me and their robo-staff, they can afford to be temporarily inconvenienced while we stop Jewel Man."
Quint was almost convinced at this point. "It would take a lot of power to transform an entire crowd, which may leave him vulnerable. There's just one other problem…it appears the evil energy has given Jewel Man some sort of sensory ability to detect gemstones like the Sun Crystal. He'll be alerted if we get too close."
"No worries, thought of that too!" said Kalinka. "Beat will guard the Sun Crystal until we're ready for it, right Beat?"
Beat, who had been perched on top of the refrigerator watching them, looked nervous. It wasn't that he wasn't brave (even though he hadn't joined them at the museum, he had acted as a faithful companion and guardian of Kalinka for years) but a lot could go wrong with this plan.
Quint too was nervous. He wondered briefly if he should call Mega Man and Roll (guiltily, he recalled he had not contacted his co-creator Dr. Light in awhile). But the more people who were involved, the more questions there would be around Mega Girl, and the more lying and covering up Quint might have to do. Thus far, Curator wasn't causing too much destruction…
As though sensing his doubts, Kalinka smiled confidently at Quint—her confidence had the effect of making others feel silly. Quint felt any objections he may have had crumble feebly under her influence. "Alright," he said finally. "We'll enter this gala in disguise and in the probable event Jewel Man shows up, we will take him by surprise and capture him."
Kalinka nodded in satisfaction. She stood up from the counter, drained the rest of her hot chocolate in one go, and then looked down at Quint critically. "Uh, just one thing first—don't wear a labcoat to the gala."
"I know how to dress!" Quint said indignantly. He might not be a famous fashionista like Kalinka, but he was programmed with similar taste as Dr. Cossack, who was always impeccably dressed.
"Don't worry, we'll go shopping tomorrow!" said Kalinka, waving her hand airily. "Ugh…the stores are going to be totally crowded. Whatever. For now, let's get some sleep—there should be some extra pajamas in the guest rooms we can borrow."
Quint slid off his stool. "Actually, leave the disguises to me—I have an older invention that may be of assistance."
Curator hadn't moved out of Roquat Jewelers. There was no need. The jewelry shop looked ordinary from the outside, but on the inside, a new set of marble steps led down to a secret, underground space that had not existed before—a 'Jewel Cave'.
The Jewel Cave was nothing like ordinary caves filled with bats or slimy lichen or musty pools of water—this cave had smooth, graceful stalactites made of dark marble with wispy white veins, and was tastefully lit by giant pinecone-shaped chandeliers of glowing pink crystals. The flat floor was carpeted in plush white velvet, and the temperature and humidity were optimal. It was Curator's very own subspace, something that didn't entirely exist in Earth's reality. The Jewel Cave was connected to the jewelry shop, but also to the pockets of his jewel-studded utility belt, for anything he tucked inside the velvet-lined compartments could be transported safely here. It was the perfect place to store his collection—even better than the diamond storehouses in Antwerp—well away from the oils of human hands, harmful UV exposure, and the dangers of scratching.
Curator had just returned to his Jewel Cave after a day of successful diamond heists, each effortless as he could now shift at will between armor and looking like a human as needed. He had the police completely baffled, for Curator never left behind evidence…or witnesses.
He stood at in front of a full-length mirror with an elegant scrolled frame. Tonight, he would wear something appropriate for the occasion. He concentrated on his appearance. An expensive tuxedo of white velvet with silk lining appeared instantly around him (which felt luxuriously comfortable against his skin). Then he selected his favorite accessories—a matching set of pink diamond cufflinks, shirt studs, collar bar with chain, collar pin, and bracelets (a set he had handcrafted himself after months of locating and stealing the rare pink diamonds). Finally, he adjusted his mother-of-pearl glasses, scrutinized himself critically for a moment, then smiled.
Everything was going smoothly now. Though he still needed the Sun Crystal, he wasn't worried. Mega Girl may have eluded him the night before, but he suspected they'd soon meet again. After all, he had something she wanted.
Before heading out, Curator surveyed his collection. Each piece had been provided with a special display case lined with soft velvet. All was still and secure.
The twinkling of a flashy light blue zircon bracelet and the dull glisten of a garnet amulet caught his eye.
"Don't look at me like that," Curator muttered briskly with his nose turned up, though he knew neither the zircon nor the garnet were capable of hearing him, let alone looking at him. There was no reason to feel sorry, least of all for them. As far as Curator was concerned, he was treating Ring Man and Magnet Man far nicer than anyone else in his position would have done.
Then his eyes were drawn to the black spinel spike attached to the motorbike chain. Curator hadn't known this robot—an ally of Mega Girl's, he surmised—and yet, something resonated with him—something deep inside. He picked up the spinel and examined it closer with his loupe.
There, within the black depths of the stone, he saw a violet inner light flicker. Faint, but powerful, and all too familiar.
Curator blinked. It was evil energy, just like what resided inside himself. This robot must have been infected too, though the energy appeared weak, or more accurately, dormant.
Though Curator normally wouldn't dream of wearing anything from his collection, he slipped the motorcycle chain over his head. It was quite heavy. The black spinel rested just over his power core. And yet, he could feel its strength added to his, like a backup power generator.
Excellent. Mega Girl would have a much tougher time attacking him now, even if she used that strange cyan energy against him again. After carefully unhooking it from its chain, Curator slipped the black spinel spike into his pocket, then exited the Jewel Cave.
When night had fallen again, Kalinka and Quint took a private car back into the city.
Though they wore their armor, they used Quint's holomorpher devices to assume civilian identities (The holomorpher was one of Quint's earliest inventions, a useful device created back when he was still 'Brain Bot' and used to swap appearances with Mega Man and trick Dr. Wily's robots). To everyone else, Quint looked as though he was wearing a plain if tasteful black suit with a pair of round oversized glasses, yet Kalinka (befitting her socialite status) had gone all out. She looked as though she was wearing a strapless, shocking pink cocktail dress with a sweetheart bodice and a voluminous, knee-length skirt, a gigantic red bow at the small of her back. With her black blossom hat in place above her blond curls, wherever she went, she commanded attention.
Kalinka linked arms with Quint as they stepped out of the car and headed toward the doors of the gala. "Brace yourself," she whispered, like a commander ordering a foot soldier.
"Why? Do you see Jewel Man?" Quint whispered back.
Kalinka smiled sweetly. "No, worse."
Sure enough, the paparazzi was waiting for them. Quint was instantly reminded of a pack of mosquitos as they caught sight of Kalinka and swarmed. In frenzied excitement, they began shouting at Kalinka all once and whistling shrilly, like teenagers trying to attract the attention of an animal at a zoo. It almost felt as though they were under attack.
"Wow, it's Kali Cossack!"
"Look this way, Kali!"
"Kali! Kali! Over here, Kali!"
"Who's the guy, Kali? New boyfriend?"
"Nope, just a cousin from Russia!" Kalinka responded to the last one, pulling Quint into a half hug and standing on tip-toe to press her cheek against his.
"Care to pose for a picture, Kali?" asked a photographer, his camera already pointed at them, many of the others already clicking away.
Kalinka flashed them her dazzling, cover-girl smile. "Nope!"
And then to Quint's absolute shock, Kalinka reached into her black beaded clutch and produced something like a low-grade flash bomb mixed with an E.M.P. device, which she casually dropped on the red carpet before quickly shunting Quint towards the gala doors.
Behind them, the photographers were cursing as they were momentarily blinded, their cameras making a sad whirring sound as their memory cards became scrambled.
"Sorry, telling them you were my brother would have looked really sus as everyone thinks I'm an only child," Kalinka told Quint as she patted him on the arm.
"Does the paparazzi always treat you like that?"
"Oh all the time. Sometimes I punch them," Kalinka replied airily. "But no time for that tonight, we got a date with a jewel thief!"
They walked up a set of stairs and through two heavy wooden doors that were opened for them by two robo-doormen.
"See? Told ya we totally wouldn't need an invite!" Kalinka whispered as they breezed past security.
The gala took place inside a high-end hotel. Garlands of greenery and snowberries decorated the sweeping stairways and elegant balustrades of its mahogany-paneled halls. Somewhere a string quartet was playing classic carols, though it could nearly be heard over the din of voices. Quint noticed Kalinka appeared to be one of the youngest humans here, and that many of the guests already seemed tipsy on the bubbly champagne that was being carried around on silver platters by robo-servers. Nearly everyone was bedecked in sparkling diamonds—from rings to heavy necklaces to dangling earrings to bracelets and watches—truly a dizzying amount of treasure in one room!
They made their rounds. Kalinka exchanged fake smiles and friendly waves with acquaintances. Quint hid behind her, and was content to pretend to not speak any English (or Russian, if it came to it). He found the humans gathered here both stuffy and rather intimidating.
Suddenly, Kalinka pulled him to the side of the crowded ballroom.
"Act casual—pretend to be talking to me, but look over my shoulder at that dude in the white tux hanging out by the fountain."
Quint did as he was told. "What about him?"
"That's him! Jewel Man!"
"Are you sure? He looks human."
"Gotta be! He's the only one here I don't know! Besides, who but a jewel thief would be wearing such a coordinated set of diamonds?"
Quint took a second look out of the corner of his eye. The 'human' in question was a man with wavy platinum blonde hair, mother-of-pearl glasses, and a white velvet tuxedo trimmed with pink diamonds. While this outfit may have stood out in most places, it was actually quite a subdued look here. Quint might not have noticed him had Kalinka not pointed him out, and certainly none of the other guests paid attention to him either (truthfully, the other guests were far too engrossed in themselves to notice much else anyway). Curator was playing the part well, his face blank and seemingly oblivious to the wealth surrounding him. He was even holding a champagne glass, which he was pretending to sip from, though the champagne never touched his lips.
"I don't see the jewel on him," Quint said after a moment.
"He'll have it…we just gotta wait. At midnight, they'll call everyone to the ballroom for a toast. I bet he'll use the opportunity to knock out security and transform everyone all at once—it'll be no fuss stealing all the diamonds. That's when we'll nab it, then him. In the meantime, we'll keep an eye on him."
With that, Kalinka grabbed a plate of chocolate bonbons from a robo-server's tray that was gliding by and took a seat at a white-clothed table, pretending to look extremely bored. Quint sat down next to her, still feeling sorely out of place in this large, crowded gala, and both reassured and nervous that their target was within their sight.
Disguised as humans again, Proto Man, Elec Man, and Top Man stood outside the gala, watching a thick heard of rich humans entering along a red carpet while robo-bouncers checked them off of a list.
"This is it—best diamond haul in town," said Proto Man. "Curator will be here, but how do we get in? Obviously no way they'd let a bunch of scruffy-looking crooks like us into a classy joint like this, right?" He glanced over at Elec Man. "Well, maybe you can bluff your way in, you're at least dressed the part."
"No I'm not."
"What do you mean? You're in a suit!"
"A business suit, this is obviously a black tie event."
"…You're wearing a black tie!"
"That's not what that means. Perhaps we can sneak in the back, through one of the entrances the hotel staff uses, if we can find a security guard to bribe…."
But before they could act on either of these ideas, Top Man had turned to a group of nearby humans who had just tumbled giggling out of a limousine and called out, "Ladies! Say, you wouldn't happen to know anything about this party, do ya?" He made a sweeping gesture at Elec Man and Proto Man with the air of a cars salesman showing off his most expensive models. "We don't have an invite, which is too bad, because I hear it's the talk of the town!"
The humans (who were dressed in fur wraps, slinky form-fitting dresses, and five-inch stilettos that tapped smartly on the pavement) stopped giggling for a moment and looked at Top Man, Elec Man, and Proto Man, then did a double take.
"Like you could totally come with us," one said hastily, eying the three of them as if they were indeed something as desirable as an expensive sports car and twisting a lock of permed brown hair coyly. Apparently, they didn't find them scruffy-looking at all, nor cared if they were wearing 'black tie' or not.
"…You are shameless and this is completely degrading for all three of us," Elec Man hissed to Top Man coldly as the crowd of humans rushed over to them before they could escape.
"Yeah, but it works?" Top Man whispered back while smiling and nodding over at their human benefactors.
Smirking, Proto Man leaned toward Elec Man. "Hey I'm not enjoying this either—but he's your brother, not mine—and it's not the humans' fault you're so good looking that they're willing to overlook your snobby personality."
Proto Man was amused at Elec Man's expense—but became much less amused when the giggling mob engulfed them, two humans linking arms with him as they tugged them past the robo-security and into the gala.
Once inside, Top Man looked around, then sighed. Both Proto Man and Elec Man had the gift of melting into thin air when trapped in social situations they didn't want to be in. Apologizing profusely to the disappointed humans, Top Man gently extricated himself, then searched the crowded gala for Proto Man and Elec Man. Sure enough, he found them both hanging out on the outskirts of the ballroom like shadows.
"I know you weren't interested in those humans, but you didn't have to be rude," Top Man chided them.
But Proto Man and Elec Man were also the type never to be concerned about being rude to anyone.
"Alright, now that we're in, keep your eyes peeled for our expensive friend," instructed Proto Man.
Mega Man and Roll entered the Tinsel Ball as Dr. Light's guests. Dr. Light, being a famous scientist, was invited every year, though he didn't usually attend, as galas of this sort didn't suit his interests. Still, Dr. Light had taken a table with a few clients he could catch up with in the grand ballroom, and could act as another set of eyes while Mega Man and Roll patrolled the halls outside. The police had marked the gala as a likely target for Jewel Man due to its wealthy guests, and the hotel it was hosted in had given Mega Man and Roll special security clearances.
Though Mega Man's armor and Roll's titanium jumpsuit attracted a few looks, no one seemed to care they were there, the guests were too busy drinking champagne and engrossed in boastful discussions about thoroughbred horses and yachts.
"I just overheard that Kali Cossack's here!" Roll told Mega Man excitedly. "Apparently she attacked some photographers."
She was standing on tip-toes looking over the heads of the crowd into the football-field-sized ballroom, as though hoping to see Kali Cossack somewhere amidst the guests, who were all dressed extravagantly in silks, furs, and expensive wool, diamonds glittering from necks and wrists.
"We don't have time to meet celebrities," Mega Man reminded her. He didn't add that from what he had seen on the news, Kali Cossack seemed like a royally spoiled brat.
Reluctantly, Roll put her feet flat back on the floor, though she cast Mega Man a smug look. "Yeah, even though she's the daughter of Dr. Cossack, your chemistry idol?"
"He's not my idol, though I do admire his work," Mega Man responded, slightly embarrassed. "We gotta stay focused, Jewel Man could break in at any minute!"
"Well he'll have a hard time robbing everyone at once, right?" Roll let out a yawn, stretched, looked around idly, then suddenly bolted to her tiptoes again. "Wait, I don't believe it! Look Mega—Proto's here!"
"…What?"
"Yes, it's him! Skulking over there by the wall like he did at the Halloween party! He has a trench coat over his armor and is wearing sunglasses-indoors-and-at-night again, I bet his helmet is in that bowling bag (how he got through security in that shady get-up beats me!)…And look who's with him—Elec Man and Top Man! Ooo, we're so busting those puffed-up losers!"
Roll sounded as excited as though she had just won front-row tickets to see a Nightmare Fuel concert.
Surprised, Mega Man squinted in the direction Roll was looking at. Sure enough, there was Proto Man, with his hands stuffed in his trench coat pockets, his face turned toward the crowded ballroom. He hadn't noticed them yet. Mega Man blinked at the two figures standing next to Proto Man. Unlike Roll, he had never known what Elec Man nor Top Man looked like without their armor. It would have been impossible to tell they weren't human. Though they had different hair and eye color and wore different styles (Elec Man carrying himself with forbidding formality, Top Man casual ease) they could have otherwise passed off as brothers—identical twins, even. Huh.
Roll was already stalking toward Proto Man like a cat closing in on a canary.
Unfortunately, Proto Man also appeared to be scanning the ballroom, and at that moment, had looked over in their direction. His aviators slid slightly down his nose in surprise. The figure in the black suit who stood next to him—Elec Man—also looked over at them, then sighed and rolled his eyes while nudging Top Man. Instantly, all three scattered.
Roll swore. "Proto!" hissed Roll, breaking into a run. "Hold it, mister! Hey! Get back here! We need to talk!"
"No thanks!"
After vaulting over a long buffet table, Proto Man and Elec Man had ran off into one of the halls with Roll hot on Proto Man's heels. Top Man was about to follow, but Mega Man quickly cut him off. Top Man's brown eyes darted around uneasy to see if any of the tipsy party-goers was looking at them (they weren't). He obviously didn't want to cause a scene and attract the attention of additional security.
Pressing his advantage, Mega Man took a step toward Top Man with the care of someone trying to corner a rabbit within a forest.
"Top Man?" he murmured quietly, looking Top Man over. Top Man was dressed in an orange blazer over a white button-up and chinos. He looked familiar with shaggy, sandy blonde hair and dark brown eyes. "I remember you from Fun World—you were the human in the orange windbreaker—had me totally fooled. I also remember when you tried to save me when you thought I was Brain Bot, then again from the trash compactor."
He took a step toward Top Man, but Top Man took a step back, holding up his hands.
"Heh heh yeah, but don't forget I also alerted Skull Fortress that you were escaping, shot you into a forcefield with a gravitron, and flirted with your sister," Top Man pointed out defensively. "The whole trash-compactor thing was a misunderstanding—I'm really quite evil."
Thoroughly unconvinced, Mega Man took a quick glance at where Elec Man had went, and asked in a low, curious voice, "Are you and Elec Man based off the same plans? I've never seen androids who pass for human as well as Roll, Proto, and I. …Who created you?"
Top Man's eyes continued to dart around as though nervous of being discovered and trying to decide which escape root was best. "No one special, just some guy. His name was Dr. Victor VanWellingtonstein Jr. Probably never heard of him. Lived overseas, died tragically while researching the migration habits of narwals."
Mega Man raised a brow. "…Look, both of you are obviously very advanced, even for Robot Masters. Were you stolen? I know my sister acts hotheaded sometimes, but we'd really, really try to help you. Especially you, you just…you shouldn't be stuck working for Wily, you should be a good guy. I don't know about Elec Man…" he admitted, jerking a thumb at where Elec Man had fled (Mega Man wasn't exactly fond of Elec Man, for Elec Man didn't act very nice and had shocked him with Thunder Beam many times). "…he seems to like being a criminal. But I got a brother like that, so believe me, I get it."
Top Man swallowed and said nothing, his eyes still looking anywhere but at Mega Man.
…Continuing this subject looked pointless. Mega Man didn't want to hurt Top Man (nor did he think Top Man wanted to fight) but Top Man was being too stubborn to be persuaded into surrendering. Capturing Top Man by force wasn't ideal, yet there seemed to be no other choice. Mega Man made a lunge to grab Top Man, but Top Man spun gracefully away and Mega Man's hands closed on nothing. He lost his balance, tripped into a white-clothed table, and a pyramid of champagne glasses crashed on top of him. Hearing the commotion, a few of the gala guests turned their heads toward Mega Man and pursed their lips disapprovingly before resuming conversations on the stock market.
Embarrassed, Mega Man stood up and brushed broken glass from his shoulders, his armor dripping. Meanwhile, Top Man had disappeared into thin air, and Roll was walking back to him empty-handed.
Mega Man smiled at her ruefully. "At least we're finally on the right track!"
"Yeah, those dummies can't hide for long, if I were them I'd run away," snickered Roll.
"Still, we better lock this place down," said Mega Man. "With any luck, we'll have them all trapped inside—and if Jewel Man is with them, we'll finally catch him!"
After losing Roll, Proto Man circled back to meet Elec Man in a back hallway, where guests were mingling tipsily in small groups while munching on plates of canapés.
"Ah, see? Mega Man and Roll are already on this case," Proto Man told Elec Man cheerfully. "I bet they already have a plan to stop Curator—we just need to stand by and be ready."
"Yeah, sure, whatever," muttered Elec Man carelessly. "…Where did Top Man go? I will kill him if he's gone off to confront Curator alone."
He sounded angry, though Proto Man knew Elec Man was really very worried.
From the other side of the hotel, Top Man had retreated into an empty bathroom, where he could take a quick breather alone. After locking the door, he collapsed against a wall next to the sink, shivering. It wasn't pleasant running into Mega Man again, and for Mega Man to once again offer him a chance to switch sides and put crime behind him for good. An offer Top Man could never take, no matter how much he secretly wanted to. Mega Man had been looking at Top Man like a potential ally—but Mega Man didn't know the whole truth about Top Man and his mobster past in the Syndicate.
"Uh, like who pulled an alarm?" muttered Kalinka in annoyance.
Quint frowned. Security personnel were locking down the gala—but why? He and Kalinka had been watching Curator the entire time, and as far as they could tell, he hadn't stolen anything yet!
At the sound of the alarm, Curator (who had been staring absently at his reflection in the fountain while twisting his long platinum bangs between his fingers) had gone very still. His brow furrowed as he straightened his mother-of-pearl glasses and fidgeted with one of his pink diamond bracelets while glancing around at the security personnel gathering encircling the ballroom.
Then, quite suddenly, the lights went out, throwing the ballroom into total blackness. The crowd let out a collective murmur of surprise—a few screamed, others laughed, but the majority began grumbling darkly. First they were being ordered to pause the festivities while everyone was searched because thieves had somehow gotten past security, now the power had gone out? The nerve! This was certainly not the night of entertainment they had all paid for!
But then, out of the darkness, a large beautiful jewel appeared—descending from the ceiling like a glorious version of a disco ball.
The murmuring stopped. It appeared everyone was looking at the jewel with the same awe of watching a shooting star—it even sounded as though no one was breathing.
Quint and Kalinka (who were familiar with the Dazzling Jewel and had been careful not to get drawn into its hypnotic pull) noticed it was now nearly the size of a disco ball as well.
"It has enough power to transform everyone in this ballroom at once!" Quint stammered as the Dazzling Jewel began to rotate.
"Hide!" Kalinka urged.
They dove underneath their white-clothed table just in time. For one moment, they could see the violet light shining through the linen, the next it went dark again, then the lights came back on, and all was silent. Frowning at each other, Quint and Kalinka deactivated their holomorphers, revealing their armor, then carefully lifted an edge of the tablecloth to peer out.
The ballroom was covered in jewelry, which glittered like freshly fallen snow on the wooden floor and chairs. Mixed amongst the diamonds was the oddest array of trinkets, ranging from fur clips, hair combs, cigarette cases and cigar boxes, snuff boxes, handkerchief rings, money clips, table bells, crop handles, golf tees, silver spoons, cape clasps, toy polo mallets, and even a small peridot piggy bank. All were impressively beautiful, even if their stones weren't nearly as valuable as the diamonds around them.
Curator had fallen against the edge of the fountain, clutching his chest and panting. He looked exhausted; the mental effort of creating so many jewelry pieces at once must have been taxing. The Dazzling Jewel had returned to his hand and was now its normal size and devoid of light. Letting it drop to his side, Curator tilted his head back and closed his eyes.
Faster than corks had been flying from champagne bottles, Kalinka and Quint shot forward. Kalinka threw a silk pillowcase that she had borrowed from the beachside villa over the Dazzling Jewel then scampered backward holding it tightly, while Quint had dropped a quintessence snare at Curator's feet.
Curator's eyes snapped open as the purple forcefield materialized around him. "What the—Mega Girl?!"
"Ha ha, your thieving days are over, Jewel Man!" Kalinka crowed, pointing at Curator while the Dazzling Jewel swung limply inside the pillowcase clutched in her other hand. "You were too greedy and used up too much of your power. That forcefield will drain the rest of your energy, then after you've powered down you're coming with us!"
Curator had fallen to his knees, his head bowed, his eyes narrowed into furious lavender slits. Then, with an effort, he reached into his tuxedo jacket's inner pocket, and to their surprise withdrew the black spinel that had formally been Punk. Clutching the spinel tightly, Curator's eyes flashed yellow as he erupted into a pillar of angry purple flames.
The quintessence forcefield flickered off, and the weight in the silk pillowcase suddenly vanished as the Dazzling Jewel appeared in Curator's hand.
"Did you really think it would be that easy, Mega Girl?" Curator snarled as he drew himself to his full height, his white velvet tuxedo shifting back into armor.
Kalinka tossed a blonde pigtail and smiled. "Well, it almost worked."
Quint scanned the black spinel with his visor. "Look! Now that Punk's a crystalline solid, Jewel Man can channel his latent evil energy as an auxiliary power source to amplify his own evil energy abilities—a very ingenious application indeed!"
"Well that's not fair! He was already too powerful!" complained Kalinka.
Curator's face (which had a strange, ethereal glow to it, like a moonstone) was twisting angrily. Meanwhile his armor, and even some of his skin was becoming clear crystal—they could see the wiring underneath in some places, a bit like circulatory system models in science museums.
"Wait…where is it? Where's the Sun Crystal?" he demanded. "I can't sense it on you!"
Kalinka smiled sweetly at Curator. "Not here! And if you change me into a gemstone, you'll never find it."
"I need that crystal! You need to give it to me or your friends remain in my collection forever! That was our deal!"
"Jewel Man…if you just let me, I can use the Sun Crystal to return you to normal. I know deep down you can't like turning people into gems—something is making you do this, the thing that infected you with evil alien energy and told you to steal Sun Crystal!"
"I don't care. I like my diamonds. I like my new powers…when they cooperate. Besides, bots change! I could care less about the fools who get in my way—I have crafted them into something beautiful using artisan workmanship that would make a queen weep with joy."
"They are nice," remarked Kalinka aloud. "What? He's not wrong," she added to Quint's flat look. "I would know, I've seen (and worn!) a lot of jewelry."
Curator rubbed a white-gloved hand over his face (which was now very much like carved moonstone) seemingly at a loss to handle this situation, then he glared at Kalinka.
"Alright…since my first offer was declined, I shall make a new one. No more tricks—you have until midnight to bring me the Sun Crystal. After that, I shall come looking for it… and everyone who has been in my way will remain in my collection…permanently."
He raised a hand, and a wall of pink jewel suddenly rose up, knocking Kalinka out of the ballroom and separating her from Curator and Quint. With an annoyed shout, Kalinka pounded at the jewel wall with her fists, but it was no use—the wall seemed as hard as diamond. She stood back and glowered through the pink crystal at Curator.
"Surely you had a contingency plan to retrieve the Sun Crystal should your first plan fail? Why not activate it now?" Curator called helpfully from the other side. "In the meantime, I shall keep your green companion with me while we wait for you go fetch the Sun Crystal. Don't worry, I'll keep him well entertained with a trivial game of 'hide and seek'—though for his sake, I would advise you hurry back before he loses."
Quint looked from Kalinka to Curator, gulped, then hastily scampered out of the back exit of the ballroom. Meanwhile, Kalinka suddenly felt herself rushing backward as though she were on a roller coaster—the solid wall of pink jewel swept her out of the ballroom, down the empty entrance hall, through the heavy wooden double doors of the hotel, out into the cold night air, and along a salt-crusted sidewalk, until finally dumping her in a dirty lot nearly a mile away from the gala.
The city had somehow gotten even colder, and a strange, purple haze wound between the skyscrapers, completely obscuring their top floors from view.
"Sh-shit!" Kalinka seethed to herself with chattering teeth, kicking an empty Cola Cola can in frustration. "We almost had him! …I j-just hope Quint can avoid b-being transformed until I get b-b-back!"
Bass paced in circles around the square interior of his clocktower hideout.
A sinister-looking purple cloud was visible outside the eastern-facing clockface. Bass had first noticed it sometime earlier that day. It wasn't a normal cloud; it hung low over the city like a shroud, and had grown steadily denser as the day wore on—now it was much darker than the night that surrounded it. Strangest of all, as Bass looked at it, his power core burned, and his thoughts were drawn back to the jewel thief from the pawn shop. Truthfully, the event had been hard to put out of mind. It reminded him of the strange spikey robo-monster wreathed in purple flames that he had seen attacking Los Angeles on television. Another inexplicable nagging feeling had risen inside, telling him to do something, but why? It was none of his concern.
Perhaps sensing Bass's unrest, Treble was also watching the cloud. He lay like a stone sphinx on the floor, ears pricked, his nostrils smelling the air tentatively.
Bass continued to pace, frowning. It was as though the cloud was beckoning to him, like some sort of irresistible challenge. He wanted to ignore it…but at the same time, he remembered Roll—not that this mattered, he didn't really know her, after all—yet Roll had been looking for a jewel thief. If that cloud and the jewel thief were connected (which he was most certain they were) then Roll might be in danger…
Bass felt the way that he sometimes felt before a fight—both tense and excited at once, energy racing through his circuits like a fire, or like if he sat still a moment longer, he would explode. The feeling gnawed at him until finally, he couldn't stand it anymore.
"Well…won't hurt to check it out," he muttered to himself finally. "Let's go, Treble!"
Mega Man and Roll had been in the middle of securing the hotel's exits to prevent Proto Man, Elec Man, and Top Man from getting away when suddenly the power went out.
A cold chill ran down Mega Man's neck like icy water. "Something's wrong! We better go back to the ballroom," he told Roll.
By the time they had returned to the gala ballroom, the power had come back on—and they were met with an astonishing sight. The ballroom was littered with gemstones, everything ranging from cheap pyrite costume jewelry to diamond necklaces worth more than Dr. Light's laboratory—yet all the humans were gone!
"W-what happened here?!" Mega Man couldn't help but exclaim.
Though the massive room looked quite empty, they hurried over to the table Dr. Light had been sitting at. There was no sign of Dr. Light, yet on his seat was an elegant bookmark of antique silver, a smooth alabaster bead tied to it by a white cotton tassel.
They stared at the bookmark.
"I don't get it, where's Dr. Light?" muttered Roll.
A strange thought occurred to Mega Man. "Shit…I think that is Dr. Light!"
"Huh? No way!"
Mega Man and Roll took another sweeping glance of the ballroom, of all the beautiful yet odd trinkets mixed amongst the more conventional diamond jewelry, then down again at the bookmark and its round alabaster bead. For a moment, they stood on either side of the chair, unsure what to do, unsure whether to believe the bookmark could actually be Dr. Light—when suddenly, they heard soft footsteps behind them, and whirled.
Jewel Man was crossing the ballroom slowly, pausing to pick up diamond pendants and diamond earrings as he went, which he stowed within the compartments of his jewel-studded utility belt. He looked different from the footage they had seen of him at the bank—his white armor seemed strangely crystalline, the vibrant pink jewels larger and more angular.
"Give it up, Jewel Man," said Mega Man, raising his plasma cannon. "We have the gala locked down, it will be impossible to escape!"
An amused smile flickered across Jewel Man's moonstone-like face. "How thoughtful of you—and I go by Curator now, if you please." One of his eyes was covered with a loupe, the other glittered as though made of lavender kunzite. "Ah, Mega Man and Roll, New York's hometown heroes! We meet at last. I used to be so afraid of you, but that all seems so silly now…"
Yet as 'Curator' trailed off, his smile faded and he peered closely at Mega Man while twiddling the focus wheel on his loupe. Mega Man felt it too—though they had never met, a weird jolt of familiarity and connection passed through them.
"You as well?" Curator whispered. "…But…that's impossible…"
Mega Man had a sinking sensation that he knew exactly what Curator was talking about, and he didn't like it. Roll looked between them, bewildered.
Curator stared disbelievingly at Mega Man a moment longer, then gave a curt cough while squaring his shoulders. "Well, no matter," he said drolly. "I suppose you'll want to stop me, even though that would be quite inconceivable without the Sun Crystal. I better take care of you before you become a bother—I'll take that—"
With a quick, deft hand, he reached over the back of Dr. Light's chair and snatched up the bookmark.
"Hey! Give that back!" growled Roll, drawing her sharpest circular saw—the one coated in diamond dust, the sort that could cut through diamonds.
"Why? It's safer with me. Only Mega Girl can help now—but you are free to join him!"
Curator held out a large pink jewel that he had been carrying in his other hand.
Sensing the trap for what it was, Mega Man grabbed Roll by the elbow and spun her around. "Don't look at that jewel, that's what he's using to transform everyone!"
Mega Man and Roll tore hastily out of the ballroom, hurtling up a wooden staircase, and into a second-floor corridor. They did not hear Curator following them (perhaps unwilling to leave the horde of diamonds unattended) but his laugh rang through the halls behind them.
"A Robot Master with the special ability to turn people into jewelry? Well that's a new one, I'll give Wily's mad science credit for that!" muttered Roll as they slammed the second-floor door behind them. "Guess that solves the case of the missing security guards now! But why did 'Curator' mention Mega Girl, Quint's sister? What does she have to do with this?"
Mega Man said nothing for a moment. He had collapsed against a wall, then slid down the floor, suddenly feeling tired. Roll looked over at him, started, then darted to his side.
"Hey, hey! What's wrong?"
"I don't think this is mad science…" Mega Man muttered, clutching at his chest. "…I think it's evil energy."
"What?" Roll looked alarmed as she grabbed Mega Man's shoulder tightly. "We need to get you out of here!"
"No! No—I'm alright. Besides, what about Dr. Light and the other humans?"
Roll bit her lip. "We'll think of something!"
Something rustled behind a nearby door, making them both jump. Was Curator coming after them after all? Mega Man quickly forced himself to his feet, Roll had her circular saw pointed at the door, poised to fire, but then it swung open as a familiar robot in green armor tumbled unceremoniously out of a broom closet in a tangle of mops and buckets.
"Quint?" they cried together, Roll dropping her utility arm.
Quint started, then turned toward them. "Oh, hello there," he greeted as though they had just bumped into each other while on a casual stroll through Central Park. Like he had in Los Angeles, Quint looked incredibly guilty, his visored face angled toward his green boots on the wooded floor. "Um, as you may have noticed, there has been another outbreak of alien energy in the vicinity, but we have the situation under control."
Roll stared beadily at Quint. "No offense…but it doesn't look under control. You look like you were hiding, and all the humans who were here have been transformed into jewels—Dr. Light's a bookmark!"
"Really? Oh dear—well, not to worry. Everything will be back to normal soon, you should get out of here—"
Quint looked as though he were about to scurry off, but Mega Man and Roll cornered him back against the broom closet.
"Oh no you don't!" chided Roll, hands on her hips. "Look, we know your work studying aliens is top secret, but you can trust us! You don't have to give us all the information, but fill us in enough to help now."
With no other choice, Quint gave them a quick summary of what he knew about evil energy, the Sun Crystal and its justice energy, their mission to stop 'hosts' of evil energy, 'Curator'—everything but the identity of Mega Girl (whose secret was not his to share).
Roll and Mega Man were speechless.
"Wow. This is wicked cool," said Roll finally, her eyes sparkling in a way that rivaled the gemstones in the ballroom. "Forget Wily and his dumb schemes—Mega and I can team up with you and Mega Girl to save the world from a cosmic threat!"
"Oh, no no, that's quite unnecessary, this isn't a 'save-the-world' type of situation." Quint gave a false laugh that didn't fool anyone, then continued in a higher voice, "And Mega Girl and I have it covered, once we neutralize Jewel Man's evil energy, that is—no need for either of you to get involved!"
"Quint's right…" sighed Mega Man. "What can we do? Only alien energy can fight alien energy!"
Nodding vigorously, Quint added, "Precisely, which is why you really must leave here before it's too—too—too…"
Quint seemed to have lost his train of thought. He had glanced down the corridor, his eyes fixed on a point some distance away. Then, a shaft of violet light shot down the corridor, catching Quint full-on as Roll and Mega Man stepped back. The next instant, Quint was gone—but when they looked down, they could see a strange wristwatch lying on the floor: the minute hand moved like a second hand, the second hand whirled backward, and the hour hand kept changing position at random. At the center of the clock hands was a pentagonal alexandrite, normally green under daylight, but currently purple under the incandescent hotel room sconces.
"Holy shit!" shouted Mega Man and Roll together, staring at the alexandrite watch in shock. Again, they hesitated, unsure what to do—should they pick it up and take it with them?—but they could hear footsteps coming up the stairs—Curator was coming to collect the new trinket, and according to Quint, Curator could sense gems. If they took the watch, Curator would be on to them. Casting the watch a guilty look, they fled down the hall and crept up a different flight of stairs to the third floor. Prepared to fight evil alien energy or not, they were caught up in this mess now!
The third-floor landing opened up into a narrow corridor—one side had doors leading into hotel rooms, the other large windows that normally overlooked the street below—but to Mega Man and Roll's dismay, the view was currently opaque with a woolly purple haze.
"What a curious watch!" they heard Curator exclaim pleasantly from the second floor. "I was considering letting him go since he was making such a good show of hiding…but, if you are all going to conspire together against me…"
"Sorry Quint…" Mega Man muttered. He looked over at Roll. "Any ideas?"
Roll shrugged. "Not unless you think punching Mr. Fancy-pants in the face will work?"
A loud crash erupted to their left. One of the windows had been blown apart by a blast of phosphorescent viridian energy, glass shards showering the wooden floor like hail while frigid winter air assaulted them.
"Now what?" Mega Man grumbled, then nearly jumped out of his titanium skin as he recognized an extremely distinctive silhouette against the purple haze. "…Bass?"
Bass leaped inside the hotel, his large purple robo-wolf following shortly after.
"…Mega Man?!" growled Bass, equally surprised. Behind him, the robo-wolf snarled silently at Mega Man, a white lip curled over his long fangs.
At the name, Roll whirled. "…Bass?!"
Bass's eyes slid over to Roll, then blinked. "…Roll?"
The robo-wolf's flattened ears pricked forward, looking from Bass to Roll. He did not snarl at Roll like he had Mega Man.
"Bass, you're Bass!?" Roll repeated, incredulous.
"…Yeah?" Bass sounded a bit confused, his eyes darting between Roll and Mega Man.
Mega Man blinked at them. "Um…have you two…met?"
He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. Fortunately, neither of them seemed to have heard Mega Man anyway.
"I thought you were human!" accused Roll.
"I thought you were human!" retorted Bass.
Roll scoffed and rolled her eyes dramatically. "So, were you trying to trick me earlier? Take me off guard by pretending to like metal music?"
Bass looked equally outraged and betrayed as he pointed a finger at Mega Man. "You're with him?"
At that moment, they heard a mad scampering of metal paws against polished wood floors, then Rush came bounding down the corridor toward them with his pink tongue lolling out. Poor Rush had been waiting outside in the freezing cold (the hotel had a strict no-dog policy and wouldn't make exceptions, even for Dr. Light) but must have decided to disobey Mega Man and Roll's 'stay' command when he heard Bass break in. Mega Man was glad to see Rush—perhaps they could escape the hotel on Rush jet…so long as there wasn't too much interference from evil energy radiation. Rush stopped short at Mega Man's side, growling and raising his hackles at Bass's robo-wolf, who had resumed his silent snarl as he locked eyes with Rush. Apparently they felt they had unsettled business as well.
No one seemed to know what to do, the air tense enough to cut with knife.
"Easy Treble," Bass muttered as he rested a hand on his robo-wolf's head, his eyes still darting between Mega Man and Roll with the concentrated effort of someone trying to solve a difficult math problem. He had drawn a plasma cannon.
"Wait Roll, don't kill him, he's not that bad…" Mega Man whispered to Roll.
Roll rounded on Mega Man, and whispered shortly, "I thought you said he was ugly."
"…I really didn't…"
"Well, who cares what he looks like. I certainly don't. Lousy Wily-bot trying to trick us with the good guy act again," she sneered disdainfully.
…Though when Roll looked back at Bass, Mega Man momentarily caught a strangely wistful expression on her face, almost as though a silly smile were threatening to break out—an expression that did not match at all with the vitriol she had been flinging at Bass.
Mega Man knew this look, and resisted sighing. Things were already complicated enough without this.
…As though reading Mega Man's thoughts, Curator came strolling down the corridor, his face shadowed, the circular lens of his loupe glinting dangerously. "…How did you break in?" he demanded, glaring at Bass, then waved a hand airily. "Doesn't matter. I don't have time for this nonsense, nor energy to chase after you all endlessly. I have a lot of work ahead of me; the new pieces of my collection need to be stored safely, lest something unfortunate happen to them. I suppose you may all come along for the ride…"
Curator burst into violet flames. Everyone cried out in shock, even Bass—Treble and Rush stopped snarling at each other, their heads whipping around to look at Curator. Then, the purple haze that had been building outside the hotel suddenly flooded the entire gala. For a brief moment, Mega Man and Roll couldn't see anything, not even each other—but then the haze cleared. The mahogany walls and tinsel decorations of the gala had disappeared. They were now standing in some sort of giant cavern!
"…Where are we…?" breathed Mega Man.
"You are in my domain—my Jewel Cave," echoed Curator's voice. "Make yourself comfortable…you may be staying here for quite a while."
To be continued…