CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Fire and Light
"I almost feel sorry for Bass," X said, as he placed a steaming plate of waffles and eggs in front of Rock. "Zero's idea of a balanced breakfast is three different kinds of sugar and Mountain Dew."
"I'm sure they'll survive," Blues said, poking his eggs with his fork.
Rock was more adventurous, bringing a bite of waffle up to his mouth. His eyes lit up. "Wow, X, this is great!" he said enthusiastically. "I bet you could give Roll a run for her money!"
X rubbed the back of his neck, turning slightly pink. "I'm not that good a cook."
"Well, as long as you're better than the two of us," said Blues, smirking.
X sat down and they all dug in to the breakfast, happy to replenish energy after yesterday's battles.
Rock was helping X load the dishwasher when the door slid open and Zero sauntered into the room. Bass followed him inside and the door slid shut.
"Morning, Light family," said the blonde, leaning his elbows on the counter that divided the kitchen from the hall. His hair was messier than normal, as though he hadn't bothered to comb it yet.
"Morning, Zero," said X, who was wiping out the frying pan. "Any news from the front?"
"Nothing yet, and I'm sure you'd have heard from Alia by now if there were," Zero replied. "Guess we have another day to lounge around."
"Wonderful," said Blues dryly, while putting away the syrup. "So, are you going to make us play Monopoly again?"
"Of course not."
"Thank goodness," said Rock.
Zero opened the hall closet and pulled out a game box. "We're playing Clue."
"...Joy," said Blues. "If Monopoly was turned into a game of mass murdering and destruction, I hate to see what they've done to Clue, where there's actually supposed to be a death..."
"Stop being so negative, oh mysterious one." Zero walked into the living room with the game and began to spread out the board.
The others finished cleaning and settled around the coffee table. The game hadn't changed as drastically as Rock had feared, simply replacing the players with the names of Mavericks, the old mansion with Maverick Hunter HQ, and the dead Mr. Boddy with a dead Dr. Cain. Also, there were a few odd additions to the murder weaponry.
"Let's see," Bass said, as the game progressed, "I think it was Vile in the Control Center with the wrench."
"Why would Vile need a wrench?" Rock asked, rolling the die. "He's got like, a billion plasma cannons."
"It's a game, Mega Man."
"It's a game that makes no sense," Rock countered.
Blues looked through his cards. "Well, I say it was Dr. Doppler in the Lobby with the nuclear warhead."
Rock blinked. "Why would someone use a nuke in the lobby?"
The elder robot shrugged. "The same reason why Vile uses a wrench, apparently."
"If that were the case," said X, "it wouldn't only be Dr. Cain who was murdered, but the entire city and all the other players, as well."
Zero shook his head. "Not if it was a small, localized device..."
X rolled his eyes. "Zero, this is a stupid game and you know it."
The blonde picked up his token. "Well, you can say that to Sigma in the Cafeteria with piano wire."
X showed him the Sigma card. "Too bad, try again."
"Actually, I think I'm ready to guess," said Bass, looking at his checklist.
"Shoot," said Zero. "I still think it's piano wire, though."
Bass moved his pencil down the list. "Magma Dragoon... whoever the heck that is... in the maintenance bay, with the beam saber."
Blues retrieved the packet of correct cards and handed them to the ebony-armored robot. Bass opened it, then smirked. "Told you," he said, spreading out the three cards for everyone to see.
"It would be Dragoon, wouldn't it?" Zero said, scowling.
"Who's he?" Rock asked, as he gathered everyone's cards and began to shuffle.
X glanced at Zero, then shook his head. "Just a Maverick we fought once. Not a nice guy."
"So are we going to do something else, or what?" Bass griped. "This game is boring."
"Only because you won," said Rock.
"That's beside the point."
"I can tell you're going to be cranky all day if you're cooped up in here," said Blues.
"Who are you callin' cranky, old man?" Bass snapped.
"You," said Zero. He stood up, stretching as his gears creaked and realigned. "Well, why don't you and I go to the training room, then? I'm sure you could use some fighting pointers, Bass."
"Just what exactly are you implying, blondie?" Bass said, also jumping to his feet. "I could beat you in a firefight any day."
"No you couldn't."
"Yes I could."
"No you couldn't."
"Just get out of here," said X, pushing Zero gently towards the door. "You're bickering like human children."
"Fine, we will." Zero grabbed Bass' arm. "Come on, kid."
"Oh, it's on, future boy."
The door shut. X turned back to the others, with a slight smile. "They're certainly hitting it off well, aren't they?"
"Sadly enough, I think you're right..." said Blues. He then walked towards X's closet, looking through the board games stacked on the top shelf. "So, anyone up for seeing the mess they made of Sorry?"
------
Maverick Hunter Headquarters had twenty holographic training rooms of various sizes, from large ones that could accommodate an entire unit to small ones for single users. Zero led Bass down the corridor, past the bored attendant who was watching a football game on the security television, and into one of the medium-sized rooms. He stopped before a circular pedestal near the doorway and pressed one of the buttons on its surface. A ghostly display shimmered into view in front of the two robots, filled with lists of various simulations.
"So, what do you want to try?" Zero asked, as Bass stepped closer.
Bass looked at the list. "...That one," he said, poking his finger through one of the shimmering words.
Zero raised an eyebrow. "That's a vs. Sigma simulation."
"So?"
Zero shrugged. "It's your virtual funeral." He pressed a lever on the side of the pedestal, and a small device popped out of a compartment. "Put this over the end of your buster and stand over there." He pointed to the center of the room.
Bass did as instructed, and turned back to look at Zero. "What does this thing do?" he asked.
"It makes your buster fire holographic data, not real plasma," Zero replied. "Now look sharp!" He pressed the round, red button in the middle of the pedestal.
Walls, floors, and ceiling shimmered into being around him. The two were no longer standing in a barren holodeck, but a run-down laboratory. Zero's pedestal had turned into a more boxy-looking computer console. There was the sound of metal crunching debris. Bass turned, and found the immense form of Sigma looming over him. The phantom raised his beam saber.
A second later, there was a buzzer and Sigma vanished, replaced by red words, "You have failed, try again?"
"What?" Bass said. "What happened?"
"You died, Bass," Zero said, sounding amused.
Bass narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on his buster. "I just wasn't ready!" he cried. "Let me try that again."
"Fine," said Zero. "On three, then."
He counted down, then pressed the button again. Sigma reappeared, marching across the room. This time, Bass lasted five seconds before the red words arrived.
"You're doing better, I suppose," Zero said, laughing.
Bass gritted his teeth. "One more time!"
---
"You know, Bass, maybe you should try something easier to start," Zero said, leaning on the console and watching as Bass received saber strokes to each of his limbs in quick succession. "Like a mettool."
Bass turned and glared at him. "You know, maybe I should start with you. You apparently die pretty easily."
Zero mimed being struck in the chest. "That was a low blow."
"You deserve it," Bass grumbled.
"Hey, what'd I ever do to you?" the blonde said.
"Just shut up and start the damn simulation again!"
"I did, you died five times while standing here insulting me."
Bass growled and turned, only to have a simulated plasma blast hurtle into his face.
"Here, why don't we pick a different scenario and run it together?" Zero suggested, pushing a button on the console. The holographic scenery dissolved, leaving only the tile of the simulation chamber.
"...What did you have in mind?" Bass replied. "It better not be anything wussy."
"Of course not," said Zero, tossing back his hair. "Remember who you're talking to!"
"A know-it-all valley girl?"
"...I'll let that slide because you are obviously still reeling from losing to Sigma so many times."
"Watch, I bet you die first," said Bass.
"I bet I don't."
"I bet you do."
"...Let's not start this again, shall we?" Zero took one of the devices from the side of the pedestal and stuck it on the top of his saber.
He pressed another button and the scene shifted again, this time placing them in the midst of a collapsed, ruined building. Directly in front of them was a wall, and Maverick reploids and mechaniloids swarmed just beyond. Catching sight of Zero and Bass, they began to surge forward.
"Not bad," Bass admitted, immediately firing his buster and taking out one of the charging enemies.
"See? I am an expert at finding exciting things to do," Zero said, grinning and igniting his saber.
They passed the next few minutes in companionable carnage. Zero did not die right away, as Bass had claimed, and Bass fared much better than against Sigma. There was no end in sight for the digital Mavericks but neither robot appeared to care.
"You know, it's nice to have a sparring partner with enthusiasm," Zero said finally, as he swiped his saber through a drone. It melted into data bits which then cascaded to the floor and vanished.
"Don't you come here with X?" Bass asked, shooting down a flying Maverick.
"Sometimes," Zero said. "And with Axl too. But the kid's more of a sneak than an all-out brawler, and X... is X, you know."
Bass snorted. "Doesn't even like killing virtual things, huh? Guess it runs in the damn family. Blueberry-head is like that too... it's always 'we don't have to fight' this and 'everlasting peace' that... they're too frigging self-righteous."
Zero paused, and glanced over at him. "Bass," he said finally, his voice suddenly serious. "I think we need to have a talk about your attitude."
Bass looked at him oddly. "We're in the middle of battle here! What the hell are you talking about?"
"Exactly that!" said Zero. "You're obnoxious, rude, and talk back constantly!"
"That's just who I am," Bass replied. "If you have a problem with it, then don't bother talking to me!"
"Bass, why are you so defensive all the time?" Zero angled his saber so a plasma bolt bounced off the energy blade and slammed back into the mechaniloid that fired it. "No one here is trying to antagonize you. There's no need for the biting sarcasm."
"Well, aren't you the hypocrite, then?" Bass snapped. "You make smart remarks all the time!"
"When I say things like that, I don't mean them, Bass," Zero replied quietly. "You... I don't know."
"What do you want, then? For me and Mega Man to become best buddies and go on picnics and make daisy chains?"
"No, but it'd be nice if you stopped acting like you hate his guts!" Zero whirled and sliced an enemy sneaking up from behind. It dissolved into a shower of data. "We're on the same side!"
Bass didn't answer. Zero glanced over at him and saw he was leaning against the wall, gazing into space with a hardened expression, ignoring the enemies creeping closer.
"Bass?"
"I'm trying, Zero," he said quietly. "Believe me, I'm trying."
Zero stared at him. His eyes softened. "...I'm not asking you to change yourself, Bass. I'm just asking that you try letting the person you are be the person we all see."
Bass sighed. "You won't just take me at face value, huh."
"You just proved there's more to you than that."
Bass looked up at Zero. For a moment, their eyes locked.
Then he turned away again. "Well, whatever."
"...Yeah," said Zero, bringing up his saber. "...Watch your head, Bass!"
Bass ducked the plasma shot, and they threw themselves back into the fray.
------
"You wanted to see us, Signas?" X asked, as the group stepped from the elevator later that day. They headed across the room to where Signas stood at his usual position near the viewscreen, in front of Alia's chair.
"Yes, we have a lead to the attack on the power plant," Signas said, turning to them and folding his arms. "We've detected an unusual amount of power being routed to this location. Alia, if you would?"
The navigator typed something into her computer and a three dimensional holographic map appeared in the middle of the room. Signas approached it and the group gathered around him.
"Look there," he said, pointing to a dome-shaped structure, in what appeared to be the abandoned portion of the city.
"That's the old stadium, isn't it?" Zero asked, looking at the map.
"Yes," Signas replied. "We believe it is the location of one of another of Wily's so-called Robot Masters."
"What makes you think that?" Blues asked.
Signas nodded to Alia, and the map zoomed in on the stadium. "First of all, the fact that any power at all is entering the stadium is suspicious, but there is enough heading there to allow two stadiums of that size to function."
"That's weird," said Rock, frowning. "Do you think Wily has an outpost there?"
"It's not a question of thinking, Mega Man," Signas stated. "We know he's there, and we're quite sure a Robot Master is behind this. Most likely the electricity was routed from the power plant he attacked yesterday."
Zero raised an eyebrow, looking at his commanding officer. "You seem on edge. What's the matter, boss?"
"...We lost a scouting unit in that area today, Zero," Signas said, with a heavy sigh. "They've failed to report in since earlier this afternoon… and their tracer signals have been shut off."
Zero clenched his fist, and X's jaw tightened slightly. Rock frowned, looking at the general. "So this is a rescue mission?" he asked.
"No, this is a search and destroy mission," said Signas. Rock opened his mouth, but X placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head slightly, and the boy remained silent. "I want you to find and defeat the Robot Master that wiped out our recon team."
"Don't worry, we'll get 'em," Zero replied darkly. "No one messes with our fellow Hunters, right X?"
X nodded. "We'll take care of it, sir."
"I'm counting on you, then," Signas replied. "Come back in one piece. That means you, Zero."
"Yeah, yeah. Have a little faith in me, sir," said Zero, rolling his eyes.
------
The abandoned stadium loomed over the crumbling parking lot and a few decrepit warehouses, scarred by plasma and bombs. The design reminded Rock of baseball stadiums in his time, though most of them paled in comparison with this huge building. It was old and worn from decades of use, an excellent location for a Robot Master to hide.
The robots and reploids armed their weapons as soon as the teleport ended, and carefully approached a side entrance. Zero pushed on the rusty metal door. It grated noisily against the concrete but opened, and the group filed inside. They found themselves in a dark, moist back corridor, light filtering eerily through cracks in the walls and ceiling. Rock adjusted his optical sensors to be more sensitive and followed Zero as he began padding down the corridor, deeper into the labyrinth of hallways.
"Damn, this place is gigantic," Bass griped, as they passed another empty side room. "How are we ever going to find the Robot Master? I mean, what if we're fighting someone tiny like Ice Man? We'll never find him!"
"I'd think that he would need a Robot Master with more power than Ice Man, if he's using this place to plan a major strike," Blues said, his scarf billowing in the light draft that seeped through the building. "My best guess would be someone like Napalm Man. And he's not very subtle at all. We shouldn't have a problem."
"I guess," Bass replied, his eyes darting back and forth searching the shadows for movement. "Hey, Zero? What kind of sports did they play in here anyway?"
"Pretty much everything," the blonde said, stepping over a fallen ceiling tile. "The fields are modular so they could be taken apart and reassembled."
"But why would they need it this big?"
"This city used to be larger," Zero replied. "Before the wars, it was a center of commerce. People flocked here from all over to watch the games. But that's all gone now, as you can tell. Too many died... the stadium had to close, and then the Mavericks took over the sector. At least, that's what I heard." He shrugged.
There was a clatter of metal on concrete that echoed down the hall. The robots immediately tensed and pointed their weapons towards the sound. With Zero still leading the way, they crept up the hallway, then darted around the corner, ready to fire.
The corridor was empty, save for an old wrench lying on the floor. It appeared to have fallen from a ledge protruding from the wall. Rock's eyes narrowed. "Wrenches don't just fall by themselves," he whispered to Blues, who gave a quick nod in reply.
The hallway had another bend immediately to the right, and again, they moved in group formation around the corner. This time though, Rock caught sight of something. Hovering quietly near the ceiling was one of Wily's old propeller fliers. It looked like the ones he had faced in the very first robot rebellion of his time. The tiny helicopter robot didn't last long once the rest of the team caught sight of it. It violently exploded as three plasma blasts hit it at roughly the same time. The explosion and the impact of plasma against the wall made a loud noise, and Rock winced, knowing anything nearby would have heard it and come running.
Nothing did. Rock found this strange, and by the tense but questioning looks on Zero and X's faces, they did as well. After a few moments of nothing happening, however, they loosened their stances slightly, and proceeded down the hallway.
Traveling through the dimly lit corridors, they eventually happened upon an area with several doors lining both sides of the hallway, though it did continue on. X motioned that they should check the rooms on each side. They searched the rooms carefully and quietly, Zero leading with X close behind. Most of the rooms were clear and empty, save for debris lying around. Just before they reached the last quartet of rooms, X tapped Zero on the shoulder.
"Hey, do you smell something odd?"
Zero nodded shortly. "Something is coming from one of these rooms… kinda reminds me of sulfur or something. I can't put my finger on it."
"Smells pretty bad," Bass added, shutting off his olfactory sensors. "Ah, better. What the heck is that, anyway?"
"I don't know. Let's just keep moving, shall we?" Zero motioned for them to follow. They checked two more rooms with no result, but as they went down the hallway toward the last two rooms, the stench suddenly multiplied in potency.
"Good lord, what is that?" X demanded quietly.
"Smells like somethin' died in here." Zero muttered, turning the corner into one of the rooms.
"Ugh, whatever it is, it's…" X was cut off as he slammed into Zero with a metallic clang. "Ow! Zero, why'd you stop?" X looked at him after wincing, then he noticed the red Hunter's hand pointing forward. X's green eyes rose to see what he was pointing at, and the sight nearly rebooted his systems.
Lying on the floor were the twisted remains of what had once been reploids, riddled with plasma blasts, blackened by flame. Red coolant fluid was smeared all over the floor, covering it like a butcher's carpet. X could see from a fair distance that the bodies had been punctured by something powerful, like crushing spikes. Whatever killed them set them on fire later; most of their synthflesh had been melted away leaving their damaged metal frames exposed. Their forms were contorted, as though they had died in extreme pain. The four bodies were carelessly tossed upon one another, so the contortions seemed even more severe. What little of their armor remained intact revealed signs of once being a Maverick Hunter unit.
"What… what happened here…?" X asked, stunned to his very core.
"What is it, X?" Rock asked, trying to get past him.
"Rock! Stay back." X pushed him backward quite heavily, barring the way with his body. The smaller blue robot stumbled back a few feet and a concerned expression of confusion crossed his face.
"It's the recon team, isn't it?" Blues asked, his voice taking an uncharacteristically dark tone. X merely responded with a nod.
"Heat Man…" Zero snarled.
Blues walked over to X and took a look over him. X watched his face curl in disgust as he stepped back quickly. "No. That's not something Heat Man could do. He's good at burning things, but as for everything else that happened to them? No. No way Heat Man could pull that off. Something else did this."
Bass pushed his way past X into the room. Immediately he turned around and his normal expression of annoyance quickly flamed to anger and shock.
"It's that bad?" Rock asked, innocently.
"Mega Man," Bass began, "normally I wouldn't ask you to trust me, but believe me that you do not want to go in there."
"We need to move on," Zero said, moving back out of the room. His tone was the powerful and intimidating one he used for Mavericks. "There's nothing we can do for them. Let's just go find who or what that did this, make them pay, and get the hell out of here."
"Yeah, I agree," Bass replied, starting his trek down the hallway.
"Come on, Rocky," Blues said, patting his little brother on the back and ushering him forward. "Let's go."
X exchanged a glance at Zero, who returned it solemnly. The two Hunters gave one more look at the scene, and then pulled themselves away, following the others down the hall.
They walked wordlessly together through the twisting corridors for several more minutes. Rock watched as X continually stared off into space, and he noticed that Zero clutched his Z-Saber tighter than before. Their silent procession was eventually broken minutes later after they reached a junction.
"Where are we now?" Bass asked, looking around as they emerged into a new passage. Tattered posters lined the walls, illegible from wear and water damage.
"I think we're on the ground floor of the stadium," Zero answered. He pointed to a set of double steel doors. "Let's try this way." He pushed them open, and the group stepped into what was left of a locker room. Most of the lockers had been removed. Leaking pipes lined the ceiling and the walls, and the room smelled of mildew and stagnant water. They carefully passed through, their boots splashing through the puddles.
They proceeded into another hallway, wider than before. There were no side corridors, only a large set of double doors awaiting them at the end. Zero looked back at X and the blue Hunter gave a short nod, raising his buster. The red reploid nodded back and kicked open the door.
On the other side was the stadium field, laid out in a football field format. Towering on the center line, however, was a white dome, clearly not part of the original stadium. It stood several meters tall.
"What the heck is that?" Bass asked.
"Not sure," X replied. "But it's definitely not normal."
"Let's go have a look?" Rock asked, glancing up at X. He returned with another nod, and they moved out onto the field slowly, watching carefully for movement.
When they were about halfway to the dome, there was a sudden whistling sound past Rock's ear. He spun around, spotting a scorch mark in the grass a few feet away. He looked up. In the seating bowl surrounding the field stood a Sniper Joe, its arm cannon trained on the little blue robot. Rock immediately returned fire, but it raised its shield and deflected the bolt.
"Sniper Joe!" Rock said sharply, alerting the rest of the team. X began charging his buster and Bass took aim at the single robot in the stands, but before he could fire, a thunderous sound, almost like a crashing wave, came from around them.
Rock looked up in horror to see the lower levels of the seating bowl begin to flood with Sniper Joes, a sea of green preparing to jump down to the field and advance on them.
"Damn!" Bass exclaimed. "It's a trap!" He fired at one of the many Joes, taking it down only to have another climb over the body and take its place. "There are dozens of them! What do we do?"
"Stay calm, for one," Blues replied, his eyes invisibly rolling over the approaching Joes, searching for any sign of weakness.
"Hey, X… are you thinking what I am?" Zero said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"What are you thinking, Zero?" Rock asked, before X could answer.
"Well, you just leave those guys to me, okay?" He nodded toward the left half of the Joe army that had made its way onto the field. "You take care of those over there."
"But Zero… there's so many of them! Are you going to be okay?" Rock asked, sounding doubtful.
"These guys are chumps. I've dealt with tougher Mavericks in my sleep." Zero waved off Rock's concern with his smile. He looked back at his best friend. "Hey X, I bet I can wipe out my half before you four can take care of yours."
"This is no time for betting, Zero," X scolded, watching the final few Joes jump down to the field. There were at least two hundred total, circling in to trap them.
"Too bad! It's on!" Zero shouted. He activated his jump thrusters and leapt high into the air. He landed right in the middle of the Joe crowd, whose programming could not react in time to the swift onslaught. With a quick flick of his wrist, he activated his Z-Saber and cut through the four robots in front of him, slicing metal shields and circuitry.
"Get down!" Blues shouted, pulling Rock to the ground as plasma blasts began to fly over their heads. He returned a shot that exploded one of the Joes, and two more were knocked to the ground from its explosion. Mega Man and Bass quickly picked those two off, as well. Then a charged blast from the X-Buster zipped towards the enemy ranks. The robots failed raise their shields in time, and the powerful shot sliced saw-like through their lines.
Return fire came quickly. Many of the shots missed, but a few connected with X, Zero, and Bass. For the most part, the plasma left only dings in the armor of the two Hunters, and Bass simply shrugged off the damage he had taken. Zero continued slicing through his side of the field. The shields of the Sniper Joes were meant to deflect and absorb shots from plasma busters, not to take the swing of a beam saber. The Z-Saber swept aside the normally invulnerable shields with little trouble. He cut swaths through the crowd, the Sniper Joes firing hurriedly at him in an attempt to resist. However, as many of the shots hit their comrades as did hit the Hunter, so the red Reploid was hardly deterred from his rampage.
Meanwhile, Mega Man and Proto Man rose from their prone positions and began dashing back and forth, evading return fire from the Sniper Joes as best as possible. They shot back whenever they had charged their weapons fully, and they began to thin the numbers of the enemy robots, but the battle was still far from over.
Rock winced as one of the enemy's blasts caught him in the arm. It was nothing he hadn't experienced before, but no matter how many times it happened, getting shot still hurt. He quickly returned his own plasma blast at the robot. It exploded violently on impact, and Rock felt a twinge of guilt well up within him. He pushed it aside for now; it was more important that everyone was safe.
He watched as Bass was rocked by another plasma blast. The Wily-bot's eyebrows arched and he gritted his teeth. He swung his Bass Buster around and switched it to automatic, spraying a line of fire back and forth across the enemy lines. Most of the shots were reflected by the Joes' shields, but several slipped through and wiped out several more enemies. The numbers were quickly thinning, but about half remained.
X continued shooting despite being struck several times by enemy fire. There were a number of scorched marks on his armor, but nothing looked like it had broken through. Along with Bass's heavy fire support, X managed to put several more Joes out of commission with his fully charged weapon.
Blues and Rock's sporadic shots also had some effect, but by moving around so much, they drew the Joes' attention, leaving the others free to take them down. Rock was about to unleash another charged blast at one of the dozen or so remaining units when he heard a cheerful, almost sing-song call from behind him.
"All done! Man, you guys are slow!" Zero laughed, dashing recklessly toward the last remaining group of Sniper Joes. They caught sight of him as he approached and prepared to fire, but he reached them in a blur of red and gold. With a powerful swing of his arm, he dispatched them, leaving the group alone in a field of mechaniloid parts.
"Heh, they call that a trap?" Zero said confidently, deactivating his Z-Saber. "Too easy. Piece of cake." He put his hands on his hips and smiled broadly.
"If it was so easy, Zero, why do you have all those blaster burns?" X pointed out, indicated the charred areas on his armor and helmet.
"A true Hunter wears a battle scar like a medal," Zero smirked. "Not to say I couldn't win unhurt, of course."
"You sound like some kind of bad B-movie hero," X replied, rubbing his temples.
Rock rolled his eyes and chuckled a little, and the looked over to his older brother, who was walking back towards them slowly. "Blues, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Rocky," he said. There were several plasma burns on his shield, but few on his body. He was breathing heavily, though, and this gave Rock a little concern.
"Are you sure? You look tired."
"No problem," he replied nonchalantly. "I've just never really been in a fight like that one before."
"Oh yeah... usually it's been one on one for you, hasn't it?"
Blues gave a nod in reply, and put his shield on his back. He straightened and regained his normal composure quickly. "Now, let's go have a look at that dome, bro."
"What do you think is in that thing?" Rock asked.
"Only one way to find out," Bass muttered, pointing his weapon at the dome. He prepared to fire, but a loud crunch sounded from somewhere below the field, making Bass jump and not pull the trigger.
"I don't like this…" X muttered. The group formed back into a line, but kept a good distance as the dome began to slide open from the top down. Rock kept his weapon at the ready, and Zero re-ignited his beam saber.
Suddenly, two large, green wings shot violently out of the top of the dome, spreading open. An ear-piercing screech followed, and the dome crumbled away as the mechaniloid inside broke free. It quickly rocketed into the air, spread its wings once more and gave yet another call.
"Oh no. Not him! Not again!" Rock exclaimed. The machine that now hovered above the field was almost identical to the massive green dragon robot he had fought during the second uprising. This time, however, it looked far more fierce and angry, and it became apparent quickly that Wily had used 21XX technology to upgrade it. It no longer resembled a goofy oversized toy created by a madman; it now looked like a formidable weapon of war.
Its eyes were red, and the once flat green finish Wily had given the body was now a dark emerald. The body, instead of being one solid piece, now looked like it actually had metallic scales. The wingspan of the dragon was considerably larger than before, and on each wing there were terrible looking spiked talons. Its feet were the same, sporting powerful claws that looked like they could pierce right through the armor on a tank. Smoke curled from its nostrils as it let out a jet of flame into the sky. However, for all of its new terror-inspiring features, it still flew and appeared to act very much like the old dragon Rock had encountered long before. It was definitely built on the same frame as the original, that much Rock could tell.
"What the hell is that thing?" Zero demanded.
"I have bad memories of this one…" Rock said, looking up at it.
"Is that what killed those Hunters?" Bass asked, for once sounding subdued.
"Fire... teeth marks... I'd say so," Blues replied quietly.
"Oooh, where are my Quick Boomerangs when I need them?" Rock shuddered, charging his weapon.
X frowned. "Stay cool, Rock. We'll be fine."
"Yeah, 'stay cool.' Brilliant, X," Bass returned. "Did you even see that thing? It breathes fire. Let's just take him down now!" He fired his buster, and the plasma bolts ricocheted off the scaly armor of the machine. Bass's eyes reflected quick frustration as he began charging his weapon.
The beast ignored the shots and glared down at the row of heroes. It opened its mouth wide, and a blast of fire spewed forth. The group barely managed to escape the searing flames, the artificial turf where they had been standing moments before melting into a slippery, charred, greenish mass. The creature did not hesitate between attacks, immediately shooting another blast of fire at Bass, forcing the ebony robot to dash away. He didn't escape the flames completely, though; parts of his armor caught fire for a brief moment, but extinguished themselves when he slipped out of the inferno.
X and Proto Man returned charged blasts at the Mech Dragon, both striking it at the neck joint. The Dragon was barely even fazed by the attack though; it quickly shifted its attention from Bass to the two brothers. It launched another blast of fire, sweeping across the field, and the aged artificial turf at the border of the flame trail burst alight. The fire quickly began to spread, separating the team and forcing them to scramble for the seating bowl. They climbed up into different parts of the arena. The robotic dragon swiveled around, its red eyes quickly targeting Mega Man.
Rock slid out of the way just before the plastic seats around him were melted into twisted sludge by the dragon's breath. The blue robot's mind raced. He didn't have any Quick Boomerangs, so how was he supposed to bring this monster down? Continuing to race down the row ahead of the jet of flame, Rock suddenly tripped on a cracked piece of cement. He toppled into the stairway between the seats and rolled down several steps, but not before the flame had swept over his side. Biting back a cry of pain and cradling the burn, he staggered to his feet and ducked into the cover of one of the seating entrances.
The mechaniloid changed direction again, this time spewing fire at Blues. The red robot ducked and managed to escape, his scarf narrowly avoiding being set ablaze. He rolled back to his feet and snatched the end of the yellow object, checking that it was still in one piece, then scowled up at the dragon. He charged and returned a plasma blast right into its face, causing the head to snap back as though it had been punched. Rock watched as it flitted its wings violently to try to keep its balance in the air. Then an idea struck him.
He closed his eyes and activated his weapon copying systems. His armor quickly shifted to a dull gray, and he stood back up, ignoring the pain in his side. He wasn't sure if the Rolling Cutter would have the range he would need, but it was worth a try. While the monstrosity was distracted by the others, he fired three Rolling Cutters at the wings of the dragon.
Two of them missed and returned, but one of the metal scissors hit home and tore through the poorly armored wings. Typical Wily; there was always one design flaw to be exploited in everything he built.
"Go for the wings!" Rock shouted, firing more Rolling Cutters at the machine.
The dragon continued spraying fire indiscriminately, melting seats and causing much of the seating bowl to catch on fire as well. Soon the entire stadium reeked of melted plastic.
The battle kept up for several more minutes, with the dragon constantly changing targets and breathing fire across the building. Rock was amazed that the entire stadium hadn't burned down yet. X, Bass, and Blues all aimed their shots for the wings, each blast dinging against them, each knocking the dragon's flight balance off kilter. Rock looked around for Zero, but he couldn't see him anywhere in the firestorm. Figuring the fastest way to solve the problem would be to clip its wings, he kept firing Rolling Cutters at the struggling monster.
Then X drew the dragon's attention with a particularly painful looking blast from his X-Buster. It shrieked and launched a massive wave of fire at the blue Hunter, who couldn't dash away in time. It burned his armor and pain tore at the synthskin on his face. X threw himself to the ground and curled up, covering his head, but the jet of constant flame suddenly ceased.
The dragon had been knocked off balance again by a well placed Rolling Cutter from Rock, who effortlessly caught the scissors on their return. The little blue robot was about to make a smart remark when another voice cut him off.
"Yee-ha!" the voice shouted gleefully. Rock looked up to see Zero leap from the top floor of the seating bowl toward the dragon. The blue robot watched as the red Hunter activated the thrusters in mid-jump and catapulted himself onto the mechaniloid's neck. With a quick flick of his wrist, Zero cut off its left wing, and the creature began spiraling toward the ground. Before it hit, he snapped off the other, then leapt back toward the seating bowl again, landing safely in one of the few spots not on fire.
The dragon crashed violently onto the field, sending flames dancing toward the sky. The other robots pelted its damaged frame with plasma blasts as it lay helplessly on the ground. The final shot came from Rock, hitting the dragon right between the eyes. The creature groaned and crumpled, the light in its red eyes dimming and vanishing.
"How was that for a classy finish?" Zero called across the stadium, giving a thumbs up to X. He vaulted over a railing and dashed towards his friend, helping him to stand.
"I'd tell you if every pain sensor in my face wasn't shrieking right now," X muttered in reply.
"That was pretty good," Bass replied, walking towards them with a curt chuckle. "Though, plunging the saber between his eyes would've been cooler."
Blues approached as well, gently helping Rock navigate the ruined rows of seats. "Come on, guys. Let's just get out of here before the rest of the stadium catches fire. I'd rather not be here when that happens. We can discuss theatrics later."
------
The five columns of light reappeared in the teleporter room. Rock watched as Scotty turned back around to look at them, having returned from what was supposed to be a rather simple mission.
"Wow, what the heck happened to you guys, anyway?" Scotty asked, his accent cutting thick into his speech. "You look like you've gone through ten freakin' rounds with Sigma himself! Are you all okay?"
"Just fine," Zero said with a smile.
"Uh, you don't look 'just fine' given all those plasma burns. You chumps get down to the med-lab before I call to have you dragged out of here by your freakin' ankles."
"It's awfully nice of you to care, Scotty," Rock said, smiling.
"Hey, I do. Plus, Alia would murder me if she knew X was lookin' that bad and I didn't force you down there. Have you seen her angry? She makes half the Mavericks we deal with look like human babies! Jeez…"
"All right, we'll go, we'll go," Zero said, trying to get Scotty to stop his tirade.
"Then get movin'! I've got a lot of work to do! Go on, get outta here!" He ushered the five of them out of the room quickly, and shut the door behind them.
"Guess he's on a roll with that pinball," Zero said, rolling his eyes and heading for the elevator. "C'mon, let's go see the execution squad."
"For the last time, Zero," X sighed, holding the burn on the side of his head, "Lifesaver and the medics are not trying to kill you."
"Then they're darn good actors!" Zero replied. He stalked through the elevator doors, his ponytail swishing behind.
------
"I hate infirmaries," Zero grumbled, swinging his legs idly over the side of the examination table. "Everything's dull and lifeless in here. Makes me feel too mechanical." He looked around at the pure white walls, broken only by several doorways, white cabinets, and the two paper-covered tables.
"Hold still," Lifesaver commanded, tugging on the bandage around Zero's left arm. The blonde yelped and gave the white-armored chief medical reploid a glare that went completely unnoticed. "You need to keep this on for two hours, until the sealant sets," the doctor continued, moving to put away the repair kit.
"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill," Zero muttered, hopping off the table. "I've certainly been in here enough..."
X lay on the room's other table, looking exhausted and grumpy. His black hair hung limply over the gauze wrapped around his forehead. Like Zero, he wore shorts and a T-shirt as he had teleported his armor away to be cleaned and repaired.
Zero walked over to him, folding his arms. "Scotty was right, Alia wouldn't be pleased if she saw you like that."
"Shut up, Zero," X replied tonelessly, too tired to put any venom in the statement.
"Both of you," Lifesaver intoned, "need a night in the recharge capsule. Especially you, X. I specifically told you to use it last night, but your power levels indicate you once again ignored my advice."
"I hate that thing," X grumbled. "It's like dying and then being rudely brought back to life."
Zero laughed. "Trust me, X, it's nothing close to that."
Lifesaver frowned at the blue Hunter. "Either use the capsule in your room, X," he said, as he put away the datapad he had been using to monitor the two reploids, "or I will tell Alia you have not been taking care of yourself, and she will drag you down here and force you to use ours."
"Why does everyone threaten me with Alia?" X groaned, sitting up.
"Cause you're whipped, that's why," Zero said, taking X's hand with his uninjured arm and helping him to stand. "Now come on, let's check on the kids."
"Kids? Zero, they're older than you."
"Technicalities." Zero pulled him towards the doorway that connected with another examining room. Several of the other medical technicians were in there, helping to fix up the three past robots. As Zero opened the door, voices began to filter into the room.
"Sir, please, we're only trying to help—"
"I told you, don't get any closer!"
"Blues, just put down the wrench..."
"You show 'em, scarf boy."
"Bass, you're not helping at all!"
"Ask me if I care, blueberry head."
"Fine... do you care?"
"That was rhetorical, you moron."
"Sir, put down the—"
"I'm warning all of you! I have a five month old magazine and I'm not afraid to use it!"
X looked at Zero. "I think it was a bad idea to leave them alone..."
Zero pushed through the doorway, X and Lifesaver following. They encountered a very unusual scene. Blues, armed with several random objects he appeared to have snatched from the countertops, was single-handedly fending off an army of three medical technicians. Bass leaned nonchalantly against a nearby wall, shouting encouragement, while Rock stood wringing his hands. The boy looked very relieved to see X and Zero.
"What is going on?" X asked, watching the technicians retreat again under the assault of Blues' magazine.
"Blues is being paranoid and won't let the nurses help him," Rock explained.
"I'm not paranoid!"
"You're holding them at bay with a rolled up magazine! How is that not paranoid?"
"It's called survival!"
"Survival is a beat up edition of National Geographic?" Zero wondered.
"Blues, they're not even human," Rock sighed. "What is your problem? And why do we have to go through this every time you need repairs?"
"He does this often?" X asked. "He didn't make a fuss when he got that buster upgrade."
"That was going to let him blow up stuff more easily," Rock said. "And he knew we were on a schedule. He does this when he feels like being difficult. You should see him when Father wants to give him a shot."
"I can take care of myself, dammit!"
"Sir, please!" one of the nurses pleaded. "You're giving off some very odd readings, we need to examine you!"
"Of course he is, it's called 'being old,' " Bass quipped.
"I'm with Rock, Bass..." Blues said. "You're not helping at all."
"I am helping!" Bass picked up a clipboard from the counter and tossed it at a mechanic.
Rock snatched it from the air before it landed. "Bass! Stop that!"
"Make up your mind!" he grumbled. "You just said I wasn't helping, and here I was trying to..."
"That's enough!" said Lifesaver, stepping into the fray. He took the clipboard from Rock and pushed the nurses aside to stare down Blues. "This is an infirmary, not a zoo, as much as Zero would like to think otherwise! What is the problem here?"
"Lifesaver, there's a perfectly rational explanation for all of this," X said.
Zero glanced over at Blues. "Well, maybe not rational, but an explanation, at least."
"And what," Lifesaver began, "might that be?"
"Well..."
X looked at Zero, who looked back at X, who looked at Rock, who looked at Blues, who looked at Bass, who said, "Why the heck are you looking at me?"
They were all saved by the door opening. Signas stepped into the room and halted when he saw three bewildered nurses huddling against a wall, Zero and X sporting various bandages, and Lifesaver and Blues having a staring contest behind a magazine sword and a clipboard shield.
"So, was this Zero's doing?" the general asked.
"Why does everyone always assume that I did it?" the blonde said indignantly.
"Because you always do," X answered.
"Seventy-five times is not always, X."
Lifesaver turned, looking rather relieved to see the commanding officer. "Signas, could you please tell this rowdy recruit to settle down?"
Blues stared at him as though he'd grown three extra heads and called himself 'Wily Jr.' "...I'm not a recruit! Nor am I rowdy! I'm simply objecting to those bloodsuckers you call nurses prying me apart!"
"Blues, they just wanted to fix your arm and scan you," Rock reasoned. "Aren't you overreacting?"
"Hell no!"
"What is your problem, old man?" Bass asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, I get it if you don't want people poking around in your programming, but you're getting a bit extreme."
"I can take care of myself," Blues said firmly.
"...Just drop it and leave him be," Rock said, sighing. "There's no reasoning with him when he gets like this."
"Why did you come to the infirmary if you did not wish to be treated, then?" Lifesaver asked.
"I was giving my little siblings moral support," Blues replied. "Then your nurses jumped me." He folded his arms. "If you want to bother somebody, go fix them up."
"Hold on," Signas interrupted, looking at the cowering nurses. "You are dismissed. I wish to speak with these three, X, Zero, and Lifesaver alone. We'll call for you if we need you."
The three looked uncertain at leaving Lifesaver and their commanding officers alone with the crazed magazine bandit, but eventually saluted and left.
"...Would you care to explain what is going on, then?" Lifesaver asked, as soon as the technicians had closed the door.
"Well, it's a bit of a long story," Signas began, "but there's something you probably ought to know about these three if you're going to be working on them—"
"Hold on," said Lifesaver distractedly, moving to Rock. He lifted the boy's arm, revealing a burn mark in his bodysuit, coolant slowly leaking from the charred synthflesh beneath. "You have just been sitting here with that? Why didn't you say anything?"
"I did, but everyone was too busy with Blues," Rock began, but Lifesaver was already bustling about with first-aid kits and monitoring equipment.
"I'll have to talk to the nurses about priorities later," he said, applying pressure to the wound to slow the coolant leakage. "Let's get you fixed up first."
"Lifesaver," said Signas, "You really ought to know—"
But the medical reploid was not listening, beginning to scan Rock to search for hidden structural damage.
"Lifesaver, this is important."
"What could be more important than the patient's safety, Signas?"
"I'm really fine," Rock said. "I've had a lot worse."
"Regardless, I have to fix this. It's my job, after all." Lifesaver paused, and frowned, looking at the scanner readout. "Hm, I've never seen this alloy used in reploid construction before..."
"There's a reason for that, Lifesaver," said Signas.
Lifesaver still wasn't listening. "It's really quite curious, this metal usually is only used in mechaniloids... reploids require lighter-weight materials."
"Is that a problem?" Rock asked.
"No, but it's certainly strange," the doctor replied. "I wonder what possessed your creator to design you this way... it shouldn't be a matter of cost-effectiveness, because normal alloys are just as cheap and durable. If I didn't know better, I'd say you're some sort of prototype model, but that's completely impossi—" He suddenly froze completely, staring at the screen.
"What is it, Lifesaver?" Rock asked, concerned.
"I take it he's found your manufacturing label," Blues said quietly.
"...That might do it," said Rock, with a sheepish smile.
"What..." The stoic medical reploid at last seemed at a loss for words. His eyes moved from the screen, which had just registered the Lighttech logo on Rock's skeletal frame, and rested on the boy's face. "Who exactly are you?"
"If you had let me speak, I would have told you," Signas sighed. "This is Rock Light, also known as Mega Man... X's older brother."
"Older... brother?" The doctor looked bewildered. "How?"
"If you would give me a moment now, I'll explain," said Signas.
The general kept the explanation as brief as possible, but Lifesaver was still looking rather shocked at the end of it. To his credit, however, he regained his composure quickly.
"Well," he said briskly, "time travel or no time travel, you still have a rather severe burn here, Mr. Light."
Rock smiled sheepishly again. "Like I said... I've had worse."
"Nonsense, let me tend to this," said Lifesaver, pulling out sealant and bandages from his medical kit. "Now hold still, this will probably sting..."
---
An hour or so later, Signas had left and everyone had been patched up as best as possible. Rock sat in a new T-shirt and shorts, his side bandaged neatly beneath the cotton fabric. Bass was similarly repaired, and Lifesaver had handed Blues a repair kit and told him to take care of himself. All three robots' armor had been sent away to be cleaned and repaired, and the group was getting ready to head back to X's apartment to rest.
"X... can I talk to you for a minute?" Rock asked quietly, as the group began to file out of the room. "...Alone?"
"Sure, Rock," said X. He looked at Zero, who had paused by the door. "You take the others on ahead, okay? We'll catch up."
Zero nodded. "Right. See you later, X."
"Well... should we take a walk, then?" X asked, as soon as the others had left.
"That's fine," said Rock. He followed his brother out the door.
The two walked down the corridor from the infirmary, Rock trying not to jostle his side. In their matching colored shirts the boy really did look like a miniature version of X.
"X," he said at last, as they passed a window looking out on the front lawn, "when we found the bodies of those Hunters today... why did you push me away?"
X looked at him, surprised at the question. "Because you didn't need to see that."
"But everyone else saw," Rock pointed out.
"Rock, it really wasn't anything you would want to see." He closed his eyes. "Those people died in the most horrific way..."
"And because I'm a kid, you thought I couldn't handle it."
X turned, raising an eyebrow. "What?"
"You think I'm just a kid, X," Rock accused. "That I can't handle myself."
"Rock, you are a kid," X said gently.
The boy's eyes narrowed. "I've been activated nearly as long as Zero has!" he said. "If I looked like you do, would you treat me the same way?"
"...Probably not," X admitted. "But Rock, it's not about the way you look. You still act like a child, too."
"What do you mean?" he demanded. "I hold my own in fights, same as you!"
"It's not about fighting either," X said. "I know you can fight. You're as good as I am, if not better. But you're also my brother, and I care about you, Rock. I don't want to see you hurt, mentally or physically."
"You let Blues see..." Rock said, frowning.
"Blues is a different person."
"But..." Rock sighed, and shook his head. "X, I'm supposed to be the older brother. I'm supposed to be the one that shields you from things, not the other way around."
X paused, and knelt so he could look Rock more directly in the eye. "Listen, Rock, don't worry about that. You've been given a gift." He reached out and brushed the bangs from his brother's forehead. "Though you might not think of it that way. You have a childhood. That's something very few robots ever experience. I never did."
Rock frowned again. "I wouldn't really call it that. I mean, I've been fighting Wily most of my life."
"But you still have been spared the true horrors of war," X said softly. "I want it to remain that way as long as possible. I'm just looking out for you."
Rock looked at the floor. "...Okay," he said finally. He opened his mouth as if to say something more, but then cut himself off and simply continued staring at his boots.
X smiled, and stood up, ruffling Rock's hair and then offering him his hand. "Let's get back home then, shall we? The others are waiting."
Rock nodded and took the hand, following his brother towards the elevator. He leaned against X's shoulder as they walked, but was silent all the way back to the apartment.
------
The others were waiting in X's living room when they walked through the door. X sank into the couch next to Zero, and Rock curled up beside him, still quiet. X put his arm around him. Bass sat cross-legged on the floor and Blues hovered near the bookshelf, scanning the titles.
"So what are we going to do next?" Rock asked softly, after a few silent minutes passed.
No one answered immediately. Finally, X shook his head. "I don't know."
"The coliseum was obviously a trap," Zero said darkly. "They know we're after them."
"Yeah, but it was a pretty bad one, wasn't it?" Bass said derisively.
"I don't know..." said Rock. "If it had been just me alone... I think it would have worked."
"But you weren't alone," said Blues. "Wily still has the mindset that he is dealing with a single opponent."
X shook his head. "We can't count on him underestimating us forever."
"...You know what would make me feel really good right now?" Bass said.
"What?" Rock asked.
"Blowin' up Wily's fortress."
Blues looked at him. "That's something you don't hear every day..."
Bass scowled. "Well, hey! If Dr. Light suddenly decided to off you, wouldn't you want to get back at him, too?"
Blues was silent. Rock glared back at Bass and said hotly, "He'd never do that, so it doesn't matter!"
"Regardless of all of that, you three," said Zero, cutting in, "I agree with Bass. I say we go smashing!"
"But who knows how many Mavericks are holed up in there?" X asked. "A frontal assault would be suicide."
Zero shrugged. "We can handle them. The only thing to really worry about is if he has spike traps."
Rock shuddered. "...Spikes. I freaking hate spikes."
"Don't we all," said X.
"No, X, you don't understand," said Blues, walking over and putting a hand on Rock's shoulder. "Rocky has an irrational hatred of them."
The little blue robot folded his arms. "You try infiltrating Wily's fortress alone, armed only with a dog with a spring on his back!"
X shrugged. "I've infiltrated plenty of spike-filled cesspools on my own, also. And some with Zero along, but that basically counts as being alone."
"You suck, X," Zero grumbled.
"Okay, everyone," Blues cut in. "I think we can all agree that we won't be getting anywhere without bringing the battle to Wily. What do you say to an attack on Skull Fortress at dawn?"
"Not dawn, dawn's too early," Zero complained.
"Tomorrow morning, then," X said. "I can call Alia now and ask them to start analyzing the fortress for the best way in. There has to be a route that gets us inside without being vaporized first."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Rock said, nodding. " And anyway, Wily's only had that castle for a few days. He can't have had time to install too many spikes yet..."
------
"I freaking hate spikes!" Rock cried, clinging to Blues after finally making it to solid ground. Behind him, the deadly spike pit stretched around the corner and out of sight, traversable only by many small platforms, some of which were moving, disappearing—or both.
Blues awkwardly patted his younger brother on the head as the boy buried his face in his scarf. "Whoa, Rocky, calm down! We're through them now, and everybody's fine, see?
"Yeah, quit the waterworks," Bass said, rolling his eyes. "Beating up on Wily will make you feel better. Let's go."
"...I guess you're right," Rock sniffled, pulling back.
Blues gave him a final pat on the shoulder. "C'mon, the inner area should be just ahead."
The group had found entering Skull Fortress to be surprisingly simple, sneaking in through an entrance very similar to the one Bass had used to spirit them inside the castle of a hundred years ago. Obviously, Wily hadn't bothered to change his layout much. The traps were different, and Bass's security overrides didn't work on everything, but the puzzles (aside from the spike pits) were fairly simple. Most oddly, they hadn't run into any Mavericks yet, only a few security mechaniloids who they quickly dispatched before they could sound the alarm.
The group continued walking, climbing a staircase and entering a system of corridors that seemed very similar to their own time period's Skull Fortress. Walking along the hallway, Rock glanced into the rooms branching off on either side. Most were empty, or filled with crates. He passed another room, glanced inside and continued walking—then froze. Looking back from inside were the three robot masters.
"...You again?" X asked, arming his buster, as Elec Man got to his feet and walked to the door. But the yellow robot master made no move to attack, and neither did his brothers, although they looked more nervous than Elec. Rock was very confused.
Elec Man folded his arms, half leaning against the doorframe. "Hey, what's up?" he asked. "What brings you to Skull Fortress?"
X looked lost for an answer to the unusual greeting, so Zero shrugged and said, "Invading, what else?"
"Ah, right, right," said Elec. "Yeah, go ahead and take whatever you want."
"What?" asked Blues, sounding rather startled himself.
"Um... you aren't going to stop us? Or fight us or anything?" Rock asked.
"We don't really care right now," Cut Man said, rising and walking to stand beside Elec.
"Um... well, thanks," said X, lowering his buster.
Elec shrugged. "Welcome. But you should hurry on through. We didn't see you."
"You... wouldn't happen to know where Wily and Sigma are, would you?" asked Bass.
"He's in the future somewhere with Captain Cue-Ball," Cut answered, shrugging. "Go check his notes or something. And you didn't hear it from us."
"The future?" said X, confused.
Elec smiled. "Just get going. Our other brothers are around here somewhere, and they probably won't be as hospitable."
"Gotcha. Thanks for the not-help," said Zero.
"Good luck," Elec replied.
"No parting puns?" X asked.
"Maybe later," Elec said, grinning.
"...I'll look forward to it," X said.
They continued down the corridor, surprisingly uneventfully. Once they heard footsteps in an adjoining corridor, but after they froze and listened breathlessly, weapons ready, they passed on and disappeared into the distance. No other robot masters crossed their path.
The doors to Wily's laboratory were in the same location as before. "Old coot just reused the blueprints," Bass said, kicking the portal open. As the Robot Masters had said, the room was empty.
"You know, I'm not normally one to say this but I'm really starting to get annoyed that we haven't seen Wily yet," Rock said, looking around the room. "He usually pops out to taunt me a few times."
There was much less junk in the main room than in the past fortress, though there was still a workbench and a large computer. Bass walked over to it, turning on the power. "Here we go," he said, after scrolling through menus. "Stupid Wily for not changing his password."
"What did you find?" Rock asked.
"His notes suggest he plans on going a century or so into the future. Again. He's got the date marked as 22XX."
X raised an eyebrow. "He's going to blindly jump into an era he knows nothing about?"
Bass shrugged, not turning from the screen. "He's Wily."
"Well, let's go after him, then!" said Rock, pumping a fist in the air. "How bad could it be?"
"Like X said, we'd be jumping blindly into an era we know nothing about," Zero told him. "For all we know, the whole world could be covered in killer radiation by then or something."
"...We're robots, Zero," Blues pointed out.
"Still!"
Rock shook his head. "Zero has a point, but we don't really have a choice one way or the other. If Wily's gone there, we have to follow before he does too much damage."
"...Mega Man's right," Bass agreed. "Someone get the time machine ready."
"Shouldn't I call HQ first?" X asked, as Blues pulled out the device and began setting the dials.
Zero nodded. "Go ahead. Alia will go ballistic if you disappear without telling her again."
X rolled his eyes. "...Right. Excuse me, then."
"What, you want to have a private chat?"
"No, Zero!" said X, the slightest hint of red creeping into his cheeks. "Why do you always have to be so... so..."
"Irritating?" The blonde smirked. "It's what I do."
X glared at him. "Just shut up while I call her." He turned and walked towards a corner of the room, dialing his communicator.
"Right... have a nice chat, you two!" Zero called after his friend's retreating back. X demonstrated his supreme patience and ignored him.
The others looked at each other. "...So... uh..." Rock began.
"...Yeah... how long is he going to be?" Bass asked, spinning around in his chair.
" If he's not done in an hour, I say we jump him and take the comlink away," said Zero.
"...I'm going to go take a look around, then," said Blues, heading for the door.
"Don't bother," said X, turning back around. "I can't get a signal in here..."
"Huh?" Zero asked.
"Wily's equipment is jamming my transmission," he explained. "I guess Sigma showed him how to do it."
"But we can't just leave without contacting them..." Rock said.
X shook his head. "We don't have time, Rock, as much as I hate to say it. Sneaking in here was dangerous enough, we'll probably be caught if we stay here much longer. And who knows what Sigma is up to. If we're going to do this, we have to hurry."
"Fine, X," said Zero, taking the time machine from Blues. "But you have to deal with the wrath of Alia-zilla when we get back."
"I'm going to tell her you called her that, you know."
"...Shutting up now."