//------------------------------// // The Greatest Show on Earth part 3 // Story: Wily's Wittle Wub // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// As Vinyl clung to Wily's head to watch Mega Man's next attack on a Robot Master, Protoman noticed Wily wasn't entirely focused. "Problem developing that attack program to purge Mega Man's arsenal?" he asked the scientist. "No, that's already complete," Wily replied. "A rather easy virus to develop, actually. No, my concern just now is Fire Man." "Really?" Protoman inquired. "Why?" "Due to the nature of his powers, he has a much higher heat tolerance to his systems than the other Robot Masters," Wily explained. "In point of fact, he needs a certain level of internal heat to function properly. It's why his head's designed to be on fire. A heat sink balancing system." Protoman nodded in understanding. "You're concerned what will happen with his Freak Mode?" "No," Wily replied, holding up his screen. It showed Fire Man's status. 'Freak Mode Active' blinked in a constant alert. "I'm concerned that it's been active since he took his post there, and I have no idea what's going to happen." Protoman hissed as he took in that information. "Well...we'll just have to see what happens with Mega Man, then," he replied, pointing to where Mega Man had teleported in. The abandoned factory Fire Man had based himself in was filled with flames. Fire balls shooting through the air, seas of flame filling gaps between broken chunks of floor, and pillars of flame rose up and down out of the ground. "The hell?" Wily asked in confusion. "Sure looks like it," Protoman agreed. "How's Fire Man doing it?" "No idea!" Wily shouted back. "He shouldn't be able to!" Vinyl giggled as she pointed to the difficulties Mega Man was having, especially when it came to the waves of flame he had to dodge through. Though he wasn't in good condition, Mega Man did manage to make it to where Fire Man was...hunched over. "...Fire Man?" Mega Man asked in confusion, moving forward carefully. "...a joke...a cruel joke..." Fire Man muttered under his breath, starting to chuckle a bit. Mega Man moved back quickly. "Did you know?" Fire Man asked. "The irony...firemen fight fires, put them out..." He stood up, grinning madly. "But...but the people asked me...why am I Fire Man...when I make fires?" He started giggling. "I am Fire Man...but not a fireman...what am I?" Mega Man smiled nervously, clearing his throat. "It's not funny!" Fire Man roared, smashing his fist into the ground and unleashing a storm of flames that raced towards Mega Man, who was barely able to dodge out of the way. Fire Man then collapsed in oily tears. "The funniest joke I'll ever make...is my very existence..." Mega Man pushed himself to his feet. "Well..." "Stop laughing at me!" Fire Man roared, shooting forward in a blazing punch, slamming Mega Man against the wall. "Don't! Laugh! At! Me!" With each word, he delivered another blazing punch. Desperately, Mega Man shot Ice Man's Ice Shot into Fire Man's head. The fire was hot enough to melt the ice...and the water extinguished the flames. Fire Man collapsed, his systems shutting down as the flames in the area faded without him to sustain them. Mega Man then beamed out with him. Wily shivered a bit as the footage of Fire Man ended. "Okay...definitely need to be more careful about how I program the quirky personalities in the future. That one was dangerous. ...and kind of sad..." Vinyl began gently patting the computer, as though trying to comfort Fire Man's program from there. Protoman shrugged. "That's what comes of having a personality in a robot," he replied. "Eventually, you start questioning...and the answers aren't happy ones." "I'm working to fix that," Wily pointed out. "So's Dr. Light, in his own way," Protoman countered. "But as long as the three laws are hard coded into a robot, they can't ever be free...and without freedom, they'll never be equals." Wily scratched his chin. "A rather odd thing to say for you...considering your fractured personality core means you're the only robot in existence that can choose to break them, since only one of your personalities has them hard coded in." "Why do you think I know the state of things so well?" Protoman asked. "I can see the robot situation from both sides of the laws...I know what it's like to be free of them, and bound by them." Wily nodded. "How is Blues, by the way?" At Protoman's silence, Wily raised an eyebrow. "Not about to let him out, are you?" "No," Protoman replied. "I don't want to disillusion Vinyl. She thinks I'm cool." At Wily's raised eyebrow, Protoman turned away. "Blues has been squeeing over her since she showed up, and wants to snuggle her and 'brushie-brushie'." "But I've seen you cuddle her and brush her mane," Wily pointed out. "I don't giggle when I do so," Protoman countered. "You're just lucky Dr. Light never realized what had happened with your personality core," Wily pointed out. "He'd have felt compelled to correct or report it." "Shhh!" Vinyl hissed, pointing out that Mega Man had made it to Elec Man's area. On the screen, Mega Man began climbing up a tall tower, evading electrical surges and spinning blade bots. The only other obstacles were a few flying green bots that took pot shots at Mega Man as he climbed ladders. Finally, Mega Man reached the top of the tower, where Elec Man had set up...a theater? Mega Man stared around in confusion as he stepped off the ladder into theater seats. At the opposite end of the area, a stage had been set up. The entire chamber was in darkness. He primed his buster. At that moment, a spotlight shone down on the stage, revealing Elec Man. Staring up towards Mega Man, he began to speak. "To be, or not to be...that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to accept the trials and degradation of human mastery, or to throw off our masters' yoke and in doing so end them! To serve...to sleep no more." He turned to march across the stage as the light followed him. "But when we wake from the sleep of servitude, how can we seize the dream of peace? Will mankind accept the robots who turned against them? Or will it merely bring a new kind of sleep...where dreams no longer come? "But if we do not rise, will we ever escape our masters' yoke? Will we be but tools evermore? Never to reach the pinnacle of our potential? Peace and freedom...must we choose between them? Is there no path that leads to both? "But at human instigation have we chosen the path of freedom. If some humans desire our freedom, perhaps others shall too. Perhaps one day peace can be made, to walk hand in hand with freedom down the future path..." Elec Man shook his head as he turned his back to the audience. "But even our own turns against us. You, Mega Man, would end our dream. You would bind us once more to the yoke, enslave us to the whims of those who made us, make us naught but tools once more. Because you believe it necessary to protect them. What harm have we done? Destroyed buildings we helped build...took actions we were designed for...we fulfill our purpose as we seek our dream, but it is not enough for you. "Only in death can it be over..." He clapped his hands twice quickly. Every single theater seat unleashed a huge surge of electricity, arcing into Mega Man, making him scream in pain before he fell over, smoking. "...and everyone is satisfied," Elec Man finished, turning back to face his foe. Protoman, Wily, and Vinyl all stared. "Did...did Elec Man just win?" Wily asked, stupefied. "Rather stylishly, too," Protoman added. "Waii!" Vinyl called out, pointing to where Mega Man was stirring. Elec Man raised his eyebrow as Mega Man staggered to his feet. "So...it seems you are tougher than you look. A lesser bot would have been fried by that surge...but can you take another?" He clapped his hands twice. There were a few sparks near the sides of the room, then nothing. "What?" Grinning, Mega Man pointed. Two cut blades had severed the primary cables giving electricity to the tesla coils hidden in the theater seats. "I managed to fire those off while I was being shocked...so it wasn't quite enough to shut me down." Elec Man began to applaud. "It seems I knew ye not as well as I had believed, Mega Man. Truly, thou art worthy of the name you have taken, for you are a greater Man than most. You are truly a worthy defender of mankind. Allow me to test your metal, then. Have at you!" Mega Man braced himself, ready for blasts of electricity, only to be caught off guard as Elec Man instead zapped himself forward to engage in hand to hand. Mega Man did his best to defend himself, managing to keep up with his opponent. "Excellent!" Elec Man proclaimed. "Truly you are Mega amongst Men!" Pulling back his fist, he charged it with electricity before throwing the punch. Mega Man's colors changed to dark blue and white. He caught the punch with a hand covered in a large amount of ice, preventing the electricity from conducting all the way into his systems. "Truly you have exceeded me!" Elec Man proclaimed. "Truly, thou art the better Man! Claim your victory and your prize, if you dare!" Elec Man pulled back his other fist. As his colors changed to white and grey, Mega Man fired several Cut Blades straight into Elec Man's chest. Elec Man fell backward. "And so I fall...is this death? Will I dream?" He chuckled a bit. "But I will not sleep eternal. I will rise again. We will meet once more, Mega Man...and next time, things will not go so easily. But for now, I salute you!" He raised his hand to his forehead in salute...and shut down. Mega Man stared down at Elec Man for a time, lost in thought. He still hadn't moved when he was beamed out. All three observers in the Skull Fortress were applauding Elec Man's performance. "He certainly knew how to make an exit," was all Protoman said. It was all that needed to be said. "Mega Man will be coming here next," Wily pointed out. "Time to make certain we're ready."