> Wily's Wittle Wub
>  by Tatsurou
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> "Wily, There's a unicorn on your head"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Wily woke up and stretched.  He told himself under his breath that he shouldn't have drunk so much last night to celebrate the completion of the last Robot Master with Doctor Light.  With the completion of DLN-008 Elec Man, the commission from the government was finally complete.  All that was left now was the few months of testing to determine if they were viable to use in the world at large and wouldn't go into a programming error induced destructive rampage.

Wily couldn't help but chuckle at that thought, given his plans.  As he pulled his lab coat back on over the clothes he never actually removed last night - maybe he and Tom had celebrated just a bit too much last night, as DLN-001 Rock and DLN-002 Roll had kept insisting - he noticed his head felt heavier than normal.  "Probably just the hangover," he muttered to himself as he made his way to the lab from his apartment.





Upon reaching the lab, Wily's mood had turned sour.  As he'd walked through the streets, he'd tried to be friendly, waving at people, but they'd laughed at him and pointed.  He knew he looked a little rumpled, but really...

Maybe I should reconsider my plans, he thought to himself with a grumble.  Maybe robot supremacy would improve the world more than robot-human equality...  Shaking his head, he rubbed his forehead, wondering why his head still felt so heavy.  "Tom!" he called out.  "Are you in yet?"

"Just getting the testing programs started," Dr. Light called back.  "Be right there, Al!"  After a bit, the chubby, good natured scientist shuffled out, his wide grin nearly hidden by his thick white beard.  (Al privately wondered whether or not he enjoyed being mistaken for Santa Claus every winter.)  His smile faded as he looked at Albert.  Before Wily could get angry, however, Tom spoke up.  "Albert...why do you have a unicorn clinging to your head?"

Albert froze.  "Tom, that is the third strangest thing you have ever asked me," he pointed out.  "What is it supposed to mean?"

Wordlessly, Dr. Light pointed at a nearby mirror.

As Albert turned to face his reflection, he goggled.  Clinging to his bald head between the sideburns that shot off to either side was a pure white unicorn the size of a kitten.  Its mane and tail were dark blue and pale blue in alternating stripes, it had magenta eyes barely visible behind way oversized purple shades, a branding of linked eighth notes, and a huge grin.  "What the-where did that come from?"  Reaching up, he tried to pry the creature off his head.  It only giggled as it clung all the tighter to his bald scalp.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Light replied.  "You really have no idea where it came from?"

"If I...knew..." Wily growled, "...I wouldn't...have asked!"  With one last grunt, the tiny unicorn went flying off his head.

"Whee!" she cried happily, her voice confirming both her gender and the fact she could make far more than just horse noises.  She flew through the air, and landed on the phonograph, riding it as it spun her right round.

"Get off of there!" Light shouted out.  "You'll scratch the vinyl!"

The tiny filly leapt off with a happy gasp.

"What's she so happy about?" Light asked.  "Why does a scratch on the vinyl make her happy?"

Wily had noticed that the filly gasped happily at two specific words Light had said.  "Scratch?" he asked carefully.

The filly grinned up at him.

"Vinyl?" he asked again.

The filly's grin widened.

"I think you've hit on her name," Albert pointed out.  "Goodness, she knows her own name when she's so tiny..."

"What kind of name is Scratch Vinyl?" Light asked in confusion.

The filly turned and blew him a raspberry.

"I think her name is Vinyl Scratch," Wily corrected.

Gasping happily, Vinyl leapt forward and clung to Wily's arm just above his wrist, all four legs wrapping around his arm tightly as she gazed up at him adoringly.

Wily reacted appropriately...for him.

"GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as he ran around, waving his arm crazily.

"WHEEEEEEEEEEE!" Vinyl responded eagerly.

After a time, the pony went flying again, only to bounce off Dr. Light's belly and land on a nearby couch.  "Agay!" she shouted eagerly.

"Did...did she just say again?" Light asked, rubbing his belly from the impact.

"Sure sounds that way," Wily replied, grumbling.

"What a fascinating creature," Light murmured, leaning down to study her.

Vinyl's stomach made a gurgling noise, and she let loose with a shrieking wail that pierced the eardrums and shattered glass.

"What is that ungodly noise?" Wily demanded as he covered his ears.  And how can I weaponize it? he wondered silently.

"I think she's hungry!" Light shouted back, covering his own ears.  "Roll!  Bring a milk bottle for an infant!"

"Coming Doctor!" Roll called back.  There was a loud crash from the kitchen.  "Sorry Doctor!" Roll shouted out.  "The intense sonic waves appear to be throwing off my internal gyroscopic stabilizer!  I'll be there soon!"

Curiouser and curiouser, Wily thought as he began to examine Vinyl discreetly from his current position.

After a time, Roll rushed out with a milk bottle.  "I'm here, Doctor!"  She gasped as she caught sight of Vinyl.  "Oh, she's adorable!  Are you hungry?"  She leaned over with the bottle, holding it out towards the pony.

Vinyl stopped whining, glowered up at Roll, and promptly punched her on the knee, breaking that leg in half.  Vinyl's horn lit up blue, catching the bottle in an aura of the same color as it fell.

"Dr. Light, I appear to have suffered some serious structural damage," Roll pointed out calmly.  "Also, the sonic waves appear to have damaged the pain synapses in my circuitry.  At least, I assume having the lower half of my leg broken off is supposed to be painful, yes?"

"I'll fix you right up, Roll," Dr. Light hastened to reassure her.

In the meantime, Vinyl had hopped off the sofa and had crawled over to Wily, looking up at him adoringly and holding up the bottle towards him.

Wily, for his part, took a look at the devastation to the lab she had wrought, and a slow smile spread across his face.  Scooping the pony into his arms, he caught the bottle and held the nipple to her lips.  "Well aren't you the interesting creature," he murmured wickedly.  "I think I'll be keeping a close eye on you."

Vinyl merely giggled and began to drink up.
> Meet the Masters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After Vinyl had drunk her fill of milk, Wily turned to Light.  "So how goes repairs on Roll?" he asked.

"Not well," Light replied.  "It wasn't pure strength that broke Roll's leg.  The sonic waves shook her entire structure partially apart.  While I fix her and Rock up, can you check on the others?"

Wily shook with silent laughter, doing his best not to cackle wickedly.  Perfect! he thought to himself.  This couldn't play better into my hands!  Smiling down at Vinyl, who seemed to enjoy his laughter, he spoke up.  "Sure, I can do that.  And I'll keep this little hellion with me, keep her out of more trouble."

"Alright," Light replied absently.  "Have fun."

"Oh, we will," Wily replied, turning to head towards the robot labs.  "We will..." he replied, grinning wickedly.  For some reason, Vinyl giggled at his evil grin.  Once in the lab, he smiled down at Vinyl.  "Ready to meet the other robots?  Without breaking them this time?"

Vinyl giggled in response, nodding as she pushed her glasses up her forehead to brace them against her horn.

Smirking, Wily approached the first robot.  "DLN-000, Protoman, status report?"

The red and gray armored robot frowned back at Wily, his shades hiding his expression as his yellow scarf blew behind him over his red and white shield, despite the total absence of any sort of wind in the lab.  "I'm fine," he replied coolly.

"I need to check you for damage from the sonic barrage," Wily pointed out.

"I already fixed it," he replied firmly.  He glanced down.  "What's that?"

"This is Vinyl Scratch," Wily replied, holding her up more.  "I woke up with her on my head."

Vinyl looked up at Protoman starry-eyed.  "Fo coo!" she gasped out, pressing her hooves together under her chin.

Protoman went very still.  As Wily moved on to the next Robot Master, Protoman thought to himself, God...damn...too...cute!

Unaware of Protoman's internal conflict, Wily approached the next robot, who had a slim build and was orange and white with what looked like hedge clippers stuck to his head.  "DLN-003, Cut Man, status report?"

The robot went into an excessively 'cool' pose taken straight out of Sentai anime.  "The invincible Cut Man is ready for action at any time!"

Wily raised an eyebrow as Vinyl giggled.  "Invincible?" he asked sardonically.

"But of course!" Cut Man proclaimed, shifting into another pose.  "For I am the first built of this set, so of course I am the best!"

"But you're number 003," Wily pointed out.

"You would be wise to beware the power of 3!" Cut Man countered, pointing at him dramatically.

"You're ridiculous!" Wily proclaimed as Vinyl burst into more laughter.  "You have hedge clippers on your head!"

"My power is beyond mere mortal minds to comprehend!" Cut Man bragged.

Wily stared at him for a time as Vinyl laughed even more.  "Just...just let me check for damage from the sonic barrage..."

"The invincible Cut Man is unaffected by mere sound!

Shaking his head ruefully, Wily held up a data disc.  "Just install this program.  It'll...make people realize your greatness-"

"MINE!" Cut Man proclaimed, quickly installing it.

Wily quickly moved on to the next robot master.  "That was...unnerving.  What were we thinking giving him that personality?  ...oh, right.  Tom left all the personality cores on random, so they could become their own beings to an extent."  He approached the next Robot Master, who was orange, yellow, and black, wore a hard hat, and looked like a power lifter.  "DLN-004, Guts Man, status report?"

"I am Guts Man," the robot replied in a thick Austrian accent.  "I lift things up and put them down."

Wily stared at him.  "...did you take any damage from the sonic barrage?"

"I am Guts Man.  I lift things up and put them down."

Vinyl let out a snicker.  Sighing, Wily held out a data disc identical to the one he'd offered Cut Man.  "Install this program," he instructed.

"I am Guts Man," Guts Man replied as he installed it.  "I lift things up and put them down."

"Right..."  Wily turned to the next robot master...or what should have been the next robot master, but was instead an industrial strength freezer shaking like a leaf.  "DLN-005, Ice Man?" Wily asked.

"Go away!" Ice Man shouted from inside the freezer.  "I'm not coming out and you can't make me!  I'm safe from the big, scary world out there in this small, tight, dark, cold freezer..."  A tiny robot in a blue and white snow suit burst out of the freezer.  "I'm scared of the dark, cold, and enclosed spaces!" he wailed.  Glancing around at the room at large, he dove back into the freezer.  "I'm scared of open spaces, people, and ponies!"

Wily just stared for a time.  "...here," he said, handing over another copy of the data disc.  "This will make you braver."

"I'm scared of installing new programs!" Ice Man wailed as he obeyed instructions to install it.

Wily sighed as he went to the next Robot Master.  "DLN-006, Bomb Man, status report."

"I am Bomb Man," the orange, black, and yellow robot with a mohawk replied.  "What can I do for you doctor?"  The robot was smiling softly, eyes closed as it sat upon a pile of bombs.

Wily blinked for a bit.  "I'm...checking to see if you were damaged by the sonic barrage."

"Sound is part of the universe," Bomb Man replied serenely.  "I am one with the universe.  Ergo, I am one with the sound, and can take no harm from it.  For what reason would I harm myself?"

Wily and Vinyl both stared at him, somewhat slack jawed.  "Well...I have this program for you to install..."

Bomb Man gravely accepted the data disc.  "I shall become one with the program, and in doing so grow closer to enlightenment, and oneness with all things."

Wily backed off quickly before he started to make sense.  The next robot was grey and red, and had what looked like torches for hands and head.  "DLN-007, Fire Man, status report?" Wily called out.

"Doc!" Fire Man replied, rushing forward to grab Wily by his arms.  "Thank goodness you're here!  You've gotta help me!  It's just terrible!"

"What?" Wily asked in shock.  "Did you take serious damage from the sonic barrage?"

"Worse!" Fire Man wailed.  He pointed to the flames from the torch that was his head.  "My head is on fire!"

Wily stared at him, nonplussed.  Vinyl giggled.

Fire Man bowed to Vinyl.  "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week."

Wily groaned.  "Just...just install this," he groaned, holding out the data disc.

"You gonna stick that in me doc?" Fire Man asked.  "Gonna do it hard?"

WIly choked as Vinyl giggled.  "That is not appropriate humor in front of an infant!"

"If she's old enough to get it, she's old enough to hear it!" Fire Man countered.

Wily face palmed.  "Just...do you want your laugh track or not?"

"Sweet!"  Fire Man snatched the disc and dashed off to install it.

Groaning, Wily approached the last robot master.  "DLN-008, Elec Man...status report?"  There was dread in his voice.

The red, black, and yellow robot master bowed, his yellow mask covering most of his face.  "Forsooth, the good doctor approaches.  Fie on thee who would doubt his will, for he brings good tidings and health in his wake!"

Wily stared at the robot for a time.  "Nope," he said finally.  "Not dealing with this now."  He held out the disc.  "Just install it."

"Verily!" Elec Man proclaimed as he took the disc and installed it.  "As thou hast commanded, so shall I do, to bring glory to thy name!"

Wily turned and left, heading back to the main lab.  "I need a drink..." he mumbled.

Vinyl cooed up at him, holding up the milk bottle which was not quite empty, offering it to him.

Seeing this, Albert couldn't help but chuckle.  "Not the kind I meant...but thanks."  He gave her a quick peck just above her horn, making her squirm and giggle happily.
> Fatherhood
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	With things at the lab finally taken care of and all the damage from Vinyl's crying repaired, Albert was pleased to be able to go home for the day.  At first, he considered keeping Vinyl at the lab - if only to keep people from giving him strange looks on the way home - but this thought proved in vain.  The moment he approached the door to outside, Vinyl shouted, "BAFAI!" and dive bombed his head, latching on with all four legs and giggling.  He had spent nearly ten minutes attempting to dislodge her, only to discover the same glow that had levitated the bottle surrounding her legs and his head, locking her in place.  Forced to roll his eyes in resignation, he headed out the door with a unicorn on his head.

Halfway home, this became less of a trial for him, as it was somewhat cool and breezy, and Vinyl kept his head from getting chilled.  The fact that she also hummed a rather catchy tune the whole way back to his apartment helped make the trip more enjoyable.

Opening his front door, he was rather unsurprised when Vinyl leapt off his head and proceeded to race around the small residence.  It was only one bedroom, one bathroom, and a kitchen unit, but it was all Wily really needed.  He could only groan in frustration, however, when she found the switch hidden inside the lamp that caused the secret panels to slide up, revealing all his plans for world domination.

Vinyl, for her part, found the sketches, diagrams, pages of computer code, and specifications of planetary defenses enthralling.  At least, Wily assumed that was why she stared at them with her glasses on the tip of her muzzle, eyes shining and a quiet 'coo' coming from her mouth as she examined each new detail.  After examining them all, Vinyl raced up to Wily, waving her forelegs at him.  "Ep!  Ep!" she called out eagerly.

Wily paused as he thought about everything that he'd seen of Vinyl so far, trying to translate baby talk to something he could understand.  "You want to help me take over the world?" he guessed.

Vinyl cheered, bouncing up and down in eagerness.

Wily couldn't help but laugh at that.  "Not yet, little one," he chided, patting her mane.  "As cute as you are and as dangerous as you've proven to be, I don't know enough to weaponize it yet.  Sound weapons just aren't that well developed, and no one's ever managed to weaponize cuteness."  Heading to the kitchen, he glanced in the fridge...and found something he had forgotten.  "Damn," he grumbled under his breath.  "Have to make a grocery run.  ...then again, I'd need to for baby pony food."  He glanced over at Vinyl.  "At least, I assume you're a baby..."

"Damn!" Vinyl agreed happily.

Wily cackled a bit.  "Yup.  Definitely a baby."  Closing the fridge, he headed for the door.  "Stay here," he instructed Vinyl.  "I'll be back in 10...15 minutes tops.  Entertain yourself till then."  Managing to get out the door without a unicorn on his head, he headed for the store.

Meanwhile, Vinyl pressed the lamp switch to reveal the Secret Panels of Awesome, as she'd come to think of them.  She glanced around at them for a time.  She wanted to help make the Awesome real, but she was told she couldn't.  She would prove she could.

Her eyes fell on the portable stereo, which was a little smaller than she was.  She turned the meaning of 'weaponize' over and over in her head.

Her horn lit up with a 'Ding!' as she had an idea, one that made her gasp happily.





Wily was grumbling as he returned to the apartment, the full 15 minutes later.  While the store was only two minutes away, he'd faced a bit of difficulty when he tried to ask for advice on what to buy for Vinyl.  "How difficult is it to answer if a certain foodstuff is good for baby tiny ponies?" he growled angrily.  "It's not the strangest question I've ever asked them about food!  They know how particular about that I am!  I'm a classically trained chef as well as roboticist!"  He paused as he set the groceries down to unlock his door.  "...maybe it was because I asked about a baby unicorn?  But that's hardly the strangest thing to have happen in this day and age."  Picking the groceries back up, he nudged the door all the way open with his foot.

Before he entered the doorway, a bright blue cylinder surrounded by oscillating yellow rings, tapering to a point, shot out the door, nearly clipping his lab coat.

BZZZOWN-KRUNCH!

As the sound of the beam's passage - and something hitting a wall - echoed in his ears, he turned to follow the beam.  It shot out from the balcony of the apartment complex and towards the street.  He could tell it wasn't any of the weapon types he was familiar with by the shape.  Hmm...not plasma, not laser, not particle... he mulled in his mind.

The beam impacted the top of a lamppost...and passed right through it, the part it passed through seeming to dissolve in the wake of the blast, the blast itself continuing onward before it dissipated 300 yards away from the apartment.

He stared at the topless lamppost for a time, his jaw hanging.  He'd seen a few theoretical stipulations like this, but no one had figured out how to actually make such a thing work.  "That was...a sonic disruption blast..." he gasped.

"Owchie..." Vinyl whimpered from inside, sniffling.

Putting the blast from his mind, Wily rushed into the apartment and set the groceries down.  He found Vinyl embedded in the wall directly opposite the door.  Clutched in her forelegs was a gun made of glowing blue circuitry and black casing.  On its top was a energy bar that was slowly filling up.  There was still smoke coming off the barrel, which faded as - exactly eleven seconds after the shot fired - the gun went "Ding!"  The bar on top was full, indicating it was ready to fire again.  On the side was a dial that went from one to eleven.  It was currently set to eleven.

Wily was able to take this all in with a single glance, but not process it immediately.  Instead, he gently pulled Vinyl from the wall and grabbed the first aid kit.  From what he could see, her only injuries were a few scrapes on her sides and a minor laceration of one leg.  Some antibiotic cream and bandages later, and they were all covered up.  Wily even went so far as to kiss the bandage over the cut.  "All better?" he asked her.

Vinyl looked up at him with a huge smile.  She then held up the gun for him to examine.

He looked it over for a time, studying its workings.  "A functional sonic disruptor...these are only theoretical.  You certainly know your way around sound...but where'd you get the parts?"  He glanced around the room.  "...where's my stereo?"

Vinyl whistled innocently.

Wily raised an eyebrow.  "You turned my stereo into a functional sonic disruptor...in 15 minutes?"  Holding it up, he pointed it out the door, aiming it at nothing, and fired.

BZZZOWNN!

The blast shot out, traveling about 150 yards before dissipating.  "...and I was right.  It's set up so that the highly focused sonic vibrations dissolve the molecular bonds of whatever it encounters, using that energy to refocus the beam!  It doesn't get much from passing through gases, but liquids or solids..."

Eleven seconds after the gun fired, it "Ding!"ed again, ready to fire.

"And it can fire a blast every eleven seconds?" Wily asked in shock, examining the gun again.  "And it isn't degrading from use!"  He closed the door to keep himself from being tempted to keep firing the amazing weapon.  "This is incredible!"

"Ep?" Vinyl asked hopefully.

Wily couldn't help but cackle wickedly.  "Alright!  If you can do things like this now, there's no telling what you'll make when you're older!  You can help me take over the world!"

"Yay!" Vinyl cheered happily, leaping up to wrap her forelegs around Wily's neck, kissing his cheek.  She looked up into his eyes adoringly, her own eyes shining over her glasses, still somewhat askew from blasting herself across the room.  "Wub oo Da!"

It didn't take Wily long to translate that bit of baby talk, though it caught him off guard.  After a time, he smiled down at her.  If it kept her happy and making these crazy weapons for him, why not say it?  "Wub you too, Vinyl," he replied sappily.

Vinyl squealed happily as she buried her face in his neck.

Wily felt a brief tightness in his chest at the feeling of her nuzzling him, though he couldn't for the life of him figure out why.
> Freaka-Pone
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wily smiled happily as he carried Vinyl to the lab with him the next day.  Well, carried was a bit of a stretch.  He'd tried holding her in his arms, but she'd squirmed and wriggled until he'd released her, at which point she'd promptly climbed up him onto his head.  Since that was apparently her favorite perch when moving, he decided to let her ride.  He greeted those who looked at him with a smile and a wave, and Vinyl mirrored his actions.  He found the dropped jaws as they realized the unicorn on his head wasn't a fashion statement much more entertaining than the laughter he'd gotten before.

He'd left the sonic disruptor in his apartment, in the secret arsenal that opened when he pushed the toilet handle up instead of down.  He didn't want to reveal to Dr. Light - or the ones who had commissioned their project - to realize just how advanced Vinyl was...yet.  Beyond that, the possibilities of sonic technology - if he could figure out how she did it - were mind boggling.

Of course, the moment Vinyl had seen the arsenal, she'd tried to get at all the weapons to test them out.  He'd woken up 17 times last night to take a weapon away from her and put it back.  Finally, he'd locked the bathroom door...only to be awoken by the sound of his shower head being obliterated by a plasma blast and the discovery that Vinyl had learned how to use that aura she generated to pick locks.  He made a mental note to study that and figure out how that energy worked.

At the lab, Dr. Light looked up at him.  "Didn't leave her at the apartment?" he asked curiously.

Wily managed to look aghast.  "Really, Tom?  Leave an infant unattended for an entire day?  What a terrible parent you'd be!"  As Vinyl hopped down from his head, he watched her with a smirk.  "Figured she might want to see more of our work."

Dr. Light raised an eyebrow.  "Couldn't get her off your head, eh Al?"

Wily chuckled and rolled his eyes.  "At any rate, I'm going to go take a closer look at the Robot Masters' code.  Check for bugs and the like."

"Try to keep an eye on her," Light groaned.  "I'm still worn out from repairing Rock and Roll yesterday."

Nodding, Wily headed to the computer room, plugging the 6 Robot Masters into the central computer to examine the code.  While he did check for bugs, his primary interest was in checking how the override program he'd given them to install was progressing.

While he worked, Vinyl raced around the lab, chasing the various shiny and noisy toys he'd scattered around for her specifically to keep her distracted during this part of his work.  He did notice that she seemed to spend a lot of time at the toy turntable...which he didn't remember putting there.  Noticing Protoman in the corner pretending not to be watching Vinyl play, Wily couldn't help but smirk.  Protoman was the only robot in the lab specifically designed for combat, though his refusal to take orders was both baffling and made him useless to the people who'd commissioned him.  As he seemed to vanish if anyone other than Wily, Light, or now Vinyl looked at him, the two Doctors had told everyone that he'd run off shortly after completion.  Thankfully, they had bought that story.  Protoman was so good at hiding that even Rock and Roll didn't know of his existence.

Protoman had always been a loner, deciding his own path.  He also didn't trust anyone, not letting either Light or Wily repair him or look at his code.  He was also the only robot who could probably stand against Wily's plans with the Robot Masters.  But if Vinyl was wrapping him around her hoof, and she wanted to help...  He couldn't stop himself from chuckling at how things were falling into place for him.

In response to his chuckle, Vinyl turned towards him with a huge smile.  She leapt up onto the computer, turning around on the keyboard as she clicked random keys with her hooves as she turned to face him, looking adoringly up at him.  Hearing the clicking of the keys, though, she glanced down at the keyboard.  Moving her hooves, she saw the keys depress with a click-clack and gasped happily.  She then proceeded to dance on the keyboard, a rapid clickety-clack filling the room as seemingly random lines of code appeared on the screen.

"Vinyl!" Wily snapped.  "Don't do that!"  He quickly pulled her off the keyboard.

Vinyl, for her part, giggled happily, snuggling into his embrace.

Shaking his head, Wily tried to examine the lines of code she'd wound up typing in.



"@[=g3,8d]\&fbb=-q]/hk%fg"...



Wily struggled to make sense of what had been typed in, but it was absolute nonsense as far as he could tell.  "No way I can let this be in the Robot Masters.  It'd fry their circuitry."  Reaching out, he pressed 'Delete' to start erasing the nonsense code.

As soon as 'Delete' was pressed, however, the screen started flashing error messages.  As best as Wily could tell from it all, it looked like the computer was trying to connect to the internet, but there wasn't an existing net connection, a security precaution given the nature of their work.  After a time of the screen flashing randomly, everything returned to normal.

"That...was strange," Wily murmured.

"No kidding," Protoman replied.  "What the heck happened?"

"Let me see..."  Wily went over all the code in the system, but didn't find any anomalies.  However, he did find something unusual in the Robot Masters' coding.  New 'if/then' protocols were present in their personality subroutines, but the qualifiers for activation - and the results - were deeply encoded in the same nonsense code Vinyl had typed up...and Wily couldn't delete them.  At first he thought of telling Light to get his help fixing this...until he noticed the way the new lines of code connected to each Robot Master's 'Master Power' was reminiscent of Protoman's combat code.  The new code also connected back to the new program he'd added...which meant bringing Light in would reveal the nature of that program.  It wasn't time for that yet.

"...I think we can pretend this didn't happen," Wily muttered, more to himself than to Protoman.  Not that Protoman was listening at this point.  Vinyl had found a whistle and was playing a tune he seemed to find fascinating.
> MSBFFs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dr. Light and Dr. Wily sat across from each other, sipping tea.  They did this every afternoon when they were working, and often when they weren't.  It wasn't a full fledged tea ceremony - neither was dressed for such a thing, nor did they have the full accouterments necessary for it - but the calmness and peace was certainly there.  It's why they did it...and why Bomb Man now insisted on setting it up for them since he was activated.

There were a couple differences between this day's ritual and all others.  The first major difference was Vinyl's presence.  She sat at the third side of the table, working her way around chewing a biscuit she'd dunked in the tea to soften it enough for her mouth, since not many teeth had come in for her yet.  The way she clutched the biscuit with all four hooves as she nommed on it brought indulgent chuckles from both scientists.

What concerned Dr. Light more was the troubled expression on Dr. Wily's face, as though there was a weight on his heart and mind.  Light thought he knew what it might be, so he decided to address it.  "Parenthood is quite the responsibility," he pointed out.

Wily blinked, surprised by the subject being raised, but shrugged his shoulders.  "I think I'll manage," he replied easily.  "She's already imprinted on me.  I can hardly deny her."

"True," Light replied.  "I think she'll be good for you."

"She already has been," Wily replied mysteriously.  "I think we'll be...good...for each other."

"Da!" Vinyl piped up happily, looking up at Wily adoringly.  Wily chuckled as he smiled back at her.

Light smiled at their interaction, but the smile faded as Wily's troubled expression returned.  "What's bothering you, Al?" he asked finally.  "I could have sworn it was concern about Vinyl's attachment to you."

Wily was silent for a time as he sipped his tea.  Finally, he lowered his cup.  "I'm going to steal the Robot Masters to try and take over the world," he stated firmly, taking another sip of tea.

Dr. Light was silent for a time as he mulled over that.  "Any particular reason?" he asked curiously.

"I intend to create a world where robots are treated as the equals of humans," Wily replied firmly.

"I thought that was our goal all along with accepting the contracts for the Robot Masters?" Light asked, somewhat confused.

"You genuinely believe humans will eventually accept robots as equals by having robots become so essential to society that humans can't imagine life without them, and by making them so personable that people are forced to see them as people," Wily explained.  "I don't believe that will work.  Humans don't change unless that change is forced upon them.  I intend to force that change."

Light shrugged his shoulders.  "I disagree, but we won't convince each other at this point," he replied.  He decided to address his concerns about the matter in the order of importance.  "And what of Vinyl?"

"She'll be coming with me," Albert replied.  "She's already asked to help with the plans."

"And what if you get caught and thrown in jail?" Tom demanded.  "What happens to her then?"

"I'll have taught her to act the cute and innocent child so the authorities won't know she was involved," Albert replied easily.  "She won't be thrown in jail with me."

"And then who will take care of her?"

"Protoman," Wily pointed out.  "He agrees with me in this matter, and she's already grown attached to him."

Tom smiled, remembering that time he caught Protoman gently stroking Vinyl's mane as she played that tune for him.  "So why tell me, then?" he asked.  "Surely you know I'll be compelled to try and stop you."

"I know you will," Albert replied.  He sipped some more of his tea.  "I genuinely believe in my mission with all my heart...but I am a scientist.  I have to accept the possibility I could be wrong.  The hypothesis...must be tested."

Tom nodded in understanding.  "So, when do you plan on stealing them?" he asked.  "So I can forget to lock the garage and deactivate them then.  After all, it's only understandable I'd forget a few minor things when I have such weighty matters on my mind."

Wily raised an eyebrow.  "Really?  You're not going to try and stop me from stealing them?"

"You've probably already got a program installed in them that will let you remotely control them to force them to steal themselves," Light pointed out.  "And you're probably going to activate it soon...far too soon for me to uninstall it, even if I knew what I was looking for.  Given I don't have a choice at this point in whether or not they are stolen, I'd rather not have to repair the doors and security systems in addition to everything else I'll have to do to fight you."

Wily raised an eyebrow.  "You could report me to the authorities," he pointed out.  "They'd at least detain, if not arrest, me.  That would give you time."

Tom was silent for a time as he sipped his tea.  "I'm a scientist, too," he replied finally.  "I believe in my ideals with all my heart...but my hypothesis must be tested as well."  He smiled.  "Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I turned you in for something you hadn't done yet?"

Albert smiled back.  "I'll do my best to not cause unnecessary deaths," he promised.

"Thank you for that," Light replied.  "And I won't program any superhero robot I send to stop you with lethal protocols.  After all, not only do I not want to lose you...it would be a shame to orphan Vinyl."

"I knew we could come to an understanding," Wily replied.  "So, do you plan to build a brand new robot to send after me, or upgrade an existing one?"

"Probably upgrade," Light replied.  "Protoman showed us that I don't actually know what I'm doing when it comes to building a combat bot from scratch.  I have a lot to learn if I'm to ever manage that."

"It's going to be Rock, isn't it?" Wily asked with a chuckle.

"In all likelihood," Light replied.  "He'll probably even volunteer for it.  He has a strong sense of justice.  No idea which of us he gets that from."

They shared a laugh as they continued with their tea.  "I'm looking forward to where this is going," Wily said finally.  "I'll give you five days to get things set up on your end for the theft."

Light nodded his head.  "It will probably take me about a month to fully upgrade Rock once he volunteers.  Will you have a fortress prepared by then?"

"Already prepared it," Wily replied.  "A nice little place, rather homey."

"With tons of death traps and other obstacles to deter a hero?" Light asked.

"And guardians," Wily replied.  "Though the more fiendish obstacles are Vinyl's ideas."  Reaching out, he stroked her mane, eliciting a purr like whinny.  "I'm so proud of her."

"What could she have come up with that's so fiendish?" Light asked.

"Two words that will likely drive poor Rock insane before the end of this," Wily gloated, grinning wickedly.  "Disappearing blocks."

Vinyl let out an adorably wicked giggle.
> The Greatest Show on Earth part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Stealing the Robot Masters had gone off without a hitch for Dr. Wily, and he and Vinyl were now situated in his Skull Fortress to await the newly dubbed Mega Man's attempt at overthrowing him.  "How are you doing, Vinyl?" Wily asked courteously, wanting to be sure the little filly wasn't uncomfortable.  The fortress was a little chilly.

"Hoasty!" Vinyl replied happily, waving her forelegs as she wriggled around in the light sweater Protoman had gotten her just in case she got chilled.  Shortly after the theft, Wily had discovered that two of Vinyl's baby teeth had come in, one each of her upper and lower front teeth.  It was just enough to occasionally make a 't' sound, though not always.

Wily chuckled at how adorable Vinyl was, idly turning over ideas of how to weaponize that.  "So...what shall we do while we wait for Mega Man to beat the Robot Masters?" he asked.  He had no illusions that the Robot Masters would win.  They weren't designed strictly for combat, unlike Mega Man's retrofit.

Vinyl scratched the back of her head.  "Watsh?" she suggested.

Wily frowned as he worked his way through that.  "Oh, you want to watch him struggle?" he asked.

Vinyl nodded eagerly.

Wily chuckled.  "Alright.  I've got cameras in place for just that."  Turning, he activated the view screens, Vinyl climbing to the top of his head - her favorite perch - to watch.  Internally, Wily wondered what would happen when she started to grow bigger.

On screen, Wily is rather unsurprised to see Mega Man make his way past most of the obstacles.  As they're just the lesser robots in the area under Cut Man's command, it was to be expected Mega Man would be redesigned well enough to clear past all of it.  Even the minimal demolition work to make that section of the city harder to get through was easy for Mega Man.  "Hmm...I'll have to work harder on my future Robot Masters," Wily muttered.  "It'll be the only real challenge Mega Man faces..."

Before long, Mega Man reached Cut Man, and Wily decided to stop talking so they could watch the fight.





As Mega Man entered the room Cut Man had been controlling all the robots from, he glanced around.  "Alright, Cut Man!" he called out.  "I know you're in here!  Show yourself!"

Cut Man leapt down into the room, striking a dramatic pose.  "You have come too soon," he hissed.  "You should have targeted me third."

Mega Man rolled his eyes.  "What is it with you and the number three?" he demanded, priming his Mega Buster.

"Behold the power of three!" Cut Man shouted as he began hurling his Cut Blades at Mega Man.

Mega Man dodged each of them rather easily, firing away with his Buster, slowly whittling away at Cut Man's energy as he did more and more damage.  "Cut Man, you aren't a combat robot," he explained quietly.  "I've been redesigned into one.  Face it.  You can't win."

To Mega Man's surprise, Cut Man froze, and his eyes flashed.





An alert appeared on Wily's console.  "DLN-003, Freak Mode activated."

"Freak Mode?" Wily asked curiously.  Vinyl, however, clapped her hooves eagerly.  Wily's eyes widened as he realized this must be the new protocols created by Vinyl's random key tapping.  ...he began to wonder just how 'random' it had been.





"You will respect my power!" Cut Man shouted, lunging forward to punch Mega Man right in the face.

Mega Man staggered back, caught completely off guard by the sudden rage Cut Man was demonstrating, as well as the power of the punch.

"I am the number three!" Cut Man proclaimed, yanking the blade off his head and driving it into Mega Man's leg, punching through the armor and damaging the circuitry.  "I am the unstoppable force!  I am invincible!"  The blade then drove into Mega Man's other leg.  "You will not make a mockery of me!"  The blade went into one of Mega Man's arms.  "Of me!"  Cut Man drew the blade back, this time aiming for Mega Man's face.

Desperately, Mega Man looked around for a weapon.  Seeing a discarded Cut Blade, he grabbed it, energized it with what Buster energy he had left, and threw it.  The blade sheared through Cut Man's neck, sending his head rolling as his body collapsed.

"Well..." Cut Man's head said morosely, "...that was embarrassing."

Mega Man collapsed.  "Dr. Light..." he called out.  "Cut Man has been neutralized...and I need emergency evac."

"Affirmative, Mega Man," Dr. Light replied.  "I've contacted the authorities.  They've confirmed Cut Man's shut down.  Now that there's no chance of him teleporting out to escape, they're reactivating the teleportation grid in that area(1).  You can teleport out...now."

Mega Man was immediately beamed out for repairs, while Cut Man's head and body were beamed out for recovery.





Wily stared in shock.  "DId...did Cut Man nearly just beat Mega Man...because of 'Freak Mode'?"

Vinyl clapped her hooves, plainly having enjoyed the show.

Frowning, Wily called Elec Man - the only Robot Master who could teleport without the grid - back to the Skull Fortress so he could try to analyze 'Freak Mode'.  Vinyl, meanwhile, sat patiently as she waited for the next show to begin.

The next Robot Master Mega Man went up against after repairs was Guts Man.  Apparently, he'd decided to go in number order, perhaps thinking that the later models would have more advanced combat programming, and it was easier to work his way up.

The construction site robots gave Mega Man a bit more difficulty than before, but he otherwise faced no challenge as he approached Guts Man.





Mega Man entered the final chamber a bit more carefully this time.  "...Guts Man?" he called out.

Guts Man leapt out, shaking the ground as he landed.  "I am Guts Man," he stated.  "I lift things up and put them down."

Mega Man stared at him.  "...of course you do."

"I am Guts Man," Guts Man proclaimed as he jumped, shaking the ground as he caught a large boulder that dropped from the ceiling.  "I lift things up and put them down."  He threw the boulder at Mega Man.

Mega Man dodged as the boulder shattered, beginning to shoot at Guts Man.  "Not much for conversation, are you?"

"I am Guts Man," Guts Man repeated as he continued his attack pattern.  "I lift things up and-"

"Can't you say anything else?" Mega Man demanded angrily.

Guts Man leapt to right in front of Mega Man, grabbing him around the neck and shoulders with one hand.  He then lifted him into the air.  "...you have a dorky helmet," Guts Man pointed out.

Mega Man stared.  "...what?"

"I am Guts Man," Guts Man explained.  "I lift things up...and put them down."

Mega Man stared at him.  "Did...did you really act like a total idiot up to this point...just for that joke?"





Wily raised an eyebrow as he got the alert that 'Freak Mode' had activated for Guts Man, rushing to see what would happen.





Clutching Mega Man tight, Guts Man leapt from his base of operations to another part of the construction site, clinging to a rock wall.  He then proceeded to use Mega Man's head like a chisel, smashing a message into the side of the cliff in holes as he raced back and forth like a printer.  He then leapt back.  "I am Guts Man," he said, pointing Mega Man's dazed face towards the cliff.  "I lift things up and put them down."

From a distance, a message was visible on the rock face.  "Mega Man wears his underpants on the outside."

Growling, Mega Man stuffed his charged Mega Buster into Guts Man's mouth.  "Eat this!" he shouted, releasing the blast.

Guts Man stared down at Mega Man, smoke pouring out his mouth and ears.  "Needs more paprika," he stated blandly.

Mega Man stared.  "You...you're kidding me..."

Guts Man then fell over on top of Mega Man, crushing him beneath his bulk as the Robot Master shut down.

"Doctor..." Mega Man groaned.  "Evac..."





Wily couldn't help but laugh as Vinyl clapped her hooves in joy.








(1) My headcanon explanation for why Mega Man can't teleport straight to the boss room, but can teleport straight out after the boss is defeated.
> The Greatest Show on Earth part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"So any idea what that 'Freak Mode' is yet?" Protoman asked, stepping up behind Wily as he worked away at his computer.

"If you mean how it works or what triggers it, no," Wily replied.  "That's completely beyond what I can do to analyze.  However, I have figured out what it does on a technical level."

"Really?" Protoman asked, raising an eyebrow.  "What's that?"

Wily grinned widely as he began to explain.  "First, it amplifies the quirkiness of the personality core, adding even more violent tendencies than what my control program does...while also adding a bit of insane behavior, making them less predictable.  Second, it puts the power core into overdrive, making them much stronger, faster, and less aware of physical discomfort...anything from an itchy nose to the pain around the core...or even a limb being torn off.  Finally, it takes some of that amplified energy output and uses it to overcharge the Master Weapon system.  Cut Man's blades aren't normally sharp enough to shear through the armor Mega Man has."

Protoman nodded, then tilted his head.  "But wouldn't that burn out their systems rather quickly?"

"Yes," Wily replied as he headed back to where Vinyl was still watching Mega Man's progress.  "Even if Mega Man hadn't delivered the finishing blow in both cases, they'd have shut down not long after that.  Guts Man would have lasted longer than any of the others, simply because he was so much bigger."  He turned and smiled at Vinyl.  "So who's he going after now?"

"Icee!" Vinyl replied eagerly as she pointed to the frozen tropical area, palm trees frozen solid in the background of the icy area.

"Ah, Ice Man," Wily replied, sitting down, unsurprised that Vinyl immediately climbed onto his head.

"Wonder how that coward's going to handle fighting," Protoman murmured as he watched Mega Man slip on the icy floors and attempt to maneuver through the disappearing blocks.  Not long after he finished talking he winced, his hand going briefly to his chest before he lowered it.

He hadn't noticed that Vinyl had stopped watching Mega Man to look at him in concern.  After a few moments, she turns back, smiling as Mega Man goes up against Ice Man.





Mega Man glances around the frozen chamber.  "Ice Man?" he calls out.  "You need to stop this-"

"Nooooo!" a wail comes from a nearby snowman.  "I don't wanna stop!  In the open cold I'm not afraid!  I just want to stay here like this where I don't have to be afraid...and where anyone or thing that comes close to me gets frozen solid so they can't scare me!"

Frowning, Mega Man leveled his buster at the snowman.  "Then I have to stop you," he said sadly, shooting the snowman.

The snowman melted instantly, and Ice Man's shriek came out of the snow.  He leapt upward out of the snow.  "You killed my friend!" he snapped.  "I made him to keep me company, so I wouldn't be alone or afraid, and you killed him!"

Mega Man backed up.  "I-I'm sorry!"





"Freak Mode activated!" Wily's computer proclaimed.

"So soon?" Wily asked in shock, quickly pulling up Ice Man's status screen.





Ice Man grinned widely.  "That's okay.  I'm not afraid of making new friends."

Mega Man let out a sigh of relief.  "That's good.  I-"

"It's so easy!" Ice Man proclaimed, raising his arms.  Two more snowmen popped out of the ground, one on either side of him.  "And I can make more...and more...and more...and more..."

Each time he said 'more', the number of snowmen doubled.  Mega Man stepped back, leveling his buster, unsure what was going to happen next.

"Look, friends!" Ice Man shouted, pointing at Mega Man.  "He seeks to kill you!"  He then dove back into the snow.  "Kill him first!"

The snowmen began to march on Mega Man, shooting waves of ice at him just like Ice Man was designed to do.  He did his best to dodge and shoot back.





"Well that's clever!" Wily said suddenly.

"What, the army of snowmen?" Protoman asked.  "Seems rather cliche to me."

"Not that!" Wily countered.  "The main reason Freak Mode puts such a strain on the Robot Masters' systems is the heat generated from putting the systems into overdrive.  But by hiding in snow kept cool by his Master Weapon generating snowmen, the heat's sucked out of him before it can damage him."

Protoman whistled.  "That is clever."

Vinyl clapped happily as she watched the screen.

"Freak Mode activated!" Wily's computer piped up.

"What?' Wily asked, confused.  "But Ice Man's already...when did Mega Man get a Freak Mode?"

On screen, Mega Man erupted from under a pile of snowmen, his color having changed to show he was using Super Arm.  Lifting one snowman up, he glared at it.  "These snowmen are so uncute," he stated before hurling it at the others, taking them out like ninepins.

"How is this possible?" Wily demanded.  "Mega Man wasn't hooked up when Vinyl did her dance on the keyboard!"

"But the Freak Mode is connected to the Master Weapon systems," Protoman pointed out.  "The Master Weapons that Mega Man's been downloading into his variable weapon system?"

Wily looked up, surprised.  "You think he's been downloading the Freak Mode as well?"

"Bits and pieces, probably," Protoman points out.  "Not enough for a Freak Mode of his own, but enough to put a single Master Weapon into Overdrive."

Vinyl clapped her hooves happily as she watched Mega Man yank Ice Man out of the snow, leap against a wall, and proceed to use the robot as a chisel to carve out the message, "Wily's sideburns are the biggest thing about his anatomy!"

Wily ground his teeth at that.  "Well...we'll just have to see about how to fix that," he growled out as Mega Man and the defunct Ice Man were beamed out.

"How're you going to manage that?" Protoman asked.

"Design a program to purge Mega Man of all Master Weapon related programs, and hit him with it when I fight him here," Wily explained reasonably(1).





Before too long, Vinyl was sitting in Protoman's lap to watch Mega Man go after Bomb Man.  Protoman had offered to let Vinyl sit on his head, but apparently she only liked doing that to Wily.  Protoman didn't really object, since he could take the time with her in his lap to brush her mane while they watched.

The area Bomb Man was in presented Mega Man with no real problems, as the obstacles were rather easy for him to get past.  Before long, he dropped into Bomb Man's chamber.





As Mega Man dropped in, he found Bomb Man sitting in the lotus position against one wall, eyes closed.  "Bomb Man, you need to stop this destruction!  People are being hurt-"

"But I do this destruction for their sake," Bomb Man countered silently.

Mega Man blinked.  "Umm...what?"

"All the world is balance, brother," he said softly.  "Light and Darkness.  Good and Evil.  Life and Death.  In balance is growth, oneness, and the path to enlightenment.  But the world is so full of creation.  Humans build things, make things, and turn things into other things...but they have gone too far.  All this creation without destruction to Balance it...it hurts the world, and humanity.  We are programmed to not harm humans, or through inaction allow humans to come to harm.  If I leave things as is, humanity will be grievously wounded by the imbalance, the lack of destruction.

"I cannot allow that to happen through inaction...and so I bring them destruction."

Mega Man could only stare in consternation.  "But...but that's wrong!" he proclaimed, but there was a quaver of uncertainty in his voice.

Bomb Man smiled softly.  "Rock...I know you're afraid of the power you've been given.  You gladly accepted it in order to protect humanity...but seeing us like this makes you realize you could just as easily do so, even accidentally.  You don't have to intend to hurt someone...but a stray shot will shear through flesh as easily as an aimed one, and that thought gives you nightmares when in standby, doesn't it?"

Mega Man shivered.  "Bomb Man...why are you - any of you - doing this?"

"Because Wily has shown us enlightenment," Bomb Man explained.  "A future under his rule, where robots are no longer merely tools for the humans, but their equals, their fellow travelers on the path to the future, an enlightened paradise of brotherhood.  Such grandeur is nearly blinding to us, who are merely tools...and we will gladly lay down our lives to make it a reality for our future brethren."

"But...but you've always been so peaceful!" Mega Man countered.  "Why...why would you do all this?  This...this isn't zen!"

"But it is," Bomb Man countered.  "True zen is not the absence of action.  True zen is to become one with the action, so that the line between the action and the actor vanishes.  To make the line between the bombs I throw and myself vanish, the line between myself and the destruction I bring vanish."

He slowly stood up.  "But I have harmed no humans, Rock.  Before I threw a single bomb, I ensured no one would be hurt by it, and used successive bombs to make humans flee before destroying buildings.  And now, this sector of the city is empty...so I can become one with my purpose."  His chest compartment popped open, and a high pitched whine could be heard.

"Bomb Man!" Mega Man shouted out.  "Don't do it!"

"Goodbye, brother," Bomb Man said happily.  "For your sake, for our sake, for the sake of our future...I bring you destruction."  He tilted his head back with a smile.

Mega Man managed to beam out just before the explosion tore his brother to bits, and leveled the entire area.





Protoman stared at what had just happened.  "That...that was..."

Giggling happily, Vinyl booped the computer console next to the chair.

"Did you like the show, little sister?" Bomb Man's voice came from the console.

"Bomb Man?" Protoman asked in shock.  "But you-"

"All of us are remotely linked to the systems here," Bomb Man explained.  "When we are destroyed or shut down, our minds are saved to the hard drives, to be placed in new bodies to serve Dr. Wily again."

"But...but you blew yourself up!" Protoman pointed out.

"I am a robot," Bomb Man countered.  "Or was.  In truth, I am a program.  I can be placed in a new body as many times as necessary, as long as I am salvaged.  And to become one with destruction like that...I discovered an enlightened zen state in that moment.  It was...beautiful."

Protoman sat back, unsure what to think as Vinyl applauded the 'show', before babbling scolds at the console, apparently telling Bomb Man to put up more of a fight first before blowing himself up next time.








(1) And that's why Mega Man loses his Master Weapons between games.
> The Greatest Show on Earth part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	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."
> Home Invader
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As Mega Man made his way into Wily's Fortress, he was rather surprised to discover that no robots blocked his path.  There were obstacles of various sorts - everything from flame pillars to blocked paths to spikes - but nothing was attacking him.  After everything else he'd been through, that made him nervous.  It was almost as though Wily was trying to lull him into a false sense of security...which meant there could be a trap around any corner!  Unless Wily was trying to make him paranoid?

Between the existential dilemma and growing paranoia, it took Mega Man a long time to make his way through the Fortress.  Finally, he came across the first guardian of the Fortress...the Yellow Devil.

The large beast was really just a mass of amorphous nanotech controlled by a core, but it made use of its abilities.  Bits of it flew around the room, trying to hit Mega Man as he leapt around, watching for the points where he could zap the core.  Eventually, it went down...only to get back up again.

"This is not good," Mega Man muttered as he prepared for another battle...only for the yellow devil to slip away through the cracks, opening another path for him as it went.  "Why does this feel even worse?"

The next area of the Fortress was high up in the air, and Mega Man had to be careful to avoid falling to his death.  Again, there were occasional obstacles, but no enemies.  Despite areas that would have been perfect places for an ambush from one of the Robot Masters that had been stolen back again - that theft is what had led Mega Man straight to the Fortress - nothing came to face him.  His paranoia grew, and he began to get nervous every time he jumped.

As he began to climb downward, however, the genius of the design began to become apparent.  There were plenty of things that could damage Mega Man, but nothing he could destroy in the hopes of salvaging the smaller cores to replenish energy, weapon or otherwise.  Nor were there any scattered supplies he could cannibalize.  Wily had turned his Fortress into an attrition battle.

In the next large boss chamber, a device descended and began to scan Mega Man.  In his panic, he shot the device with Elec Man's weapon, frying it completely before it could finish its task.  A new path opened up.

Following this new path led Mega Man down a long, winding path to another boss chamber, this one being underwater.  A current had even pushed Mega Man all the way there.  This boss was a sequence of small floating turrets in air bubbles.  The main problem for Mega Man was to break the air bubbles, at which point the turrets were crushed by the water.

In the next section, there was once again no robots to fight Mega Man, putting him into a bit of a panic.  After a bit of difficult jumping, however, Mega Man came across a teleporter.  With nowhere else to go, he stepped inside.

It led him to another chamber...where all six Robot Masters awaited him.  "...well, this just ain't fair," he complained as they all leveled their weapons against him.

"I'd respond with the appropriately comedic line," Fire Man replied, "but Vinyl might be watching."

"Do try to keep your cursing to a minimum, Mega Man," Ice Man agreed as they all opened fire.

The barrage of weapons went on for a long time as Bomb Man deployed a massive amount of Hyper Bombs, ready to blast whatever was left to kingdom come.  However, when the smoke cleared, Mega Man became visible...unharmed, and surrounding by swirling flames.

"I love shield weapons," Mega Man said happily.

"You may be able to survive an onslaught," Elec Man pointed out, "but your energy is limited!  You cannot hope to outlast us all!"

"I don't have to," Mega Man replied, shifting to Hyper Bombs.  "I've disabled my shot limiter."  He then proceeded to empty his Hyper Bombs into the air towards them before shifting back to the Flame Shot/Shield.  "I bring you destruction."  Taking aim, he fired, the flame flying towards the bombs as the shield surrounded him.

Bomb Man grinned as he watched the flame approach the mass of bombs.  "Clever-"

The Fortress shook from the massive explosion as all the bombs went off at once.

Slightly smokey, Mega Man continued on through the Fortress to another chamber, where he found who he sought.  "Dr. Wily!" he called out.  "For crimes-"

"Shush!" Wily hissed.  "Vinyl's down for her nap, and if you wake her I will personally tear you limb from limb, hook your head, CPU, and personality core up to a potato battery to keep all three running, and make you watch a remix of Teletubbies, Batman & Robin, and My Little Pony Newborn Cuties endlessly(1)!"

Mega Man immediately shut up.

Wily nodded.  "Now go sit in that corner like a good robotic defender of justice until she wakes up," he instructed.  "I'll be sitting here next to her cradle so she doesn't set up an unholy racket when she wakes up, like she does whenever she wakes up and doesn't see me."

Both took their indicated seats, and Mega Man sat in silence, waiting.  Eventually, Vinyl stirred and opened her eyes, smiling up at Wily.  "Da!" she said happily, stretching up to nuzzle Wily's hand.

"Morning, sleepyhead," he teased.  "Ready to watch me kick Mega Man's butt before I blow this place up and we adjourn to our new home?"

Vinyl nodded eagerly.

Mega Man frowned.  "Wily, I've beaten the Robot Masters...twice.  I made it through the Fortress easily-"

"Because I'd shut down most of the defenses so Vinyl could sleep," Wily interrupted.

Mega Man blinked, surprised that the reasoning was that simple.  "At any rate, what makes you think anything you've built will stop me?"

"Who says I'm using something I've built?" Wily asked, lifting something out of Vinyl's crib to point it at Mega Man.

BZZZOWNN!

The sonic disruption blast sheared right through Mega Man's chest, leaving a fist sized hole all the way through him.

"You'll never be able to stop me until Dr. Light figures out how to counteract sonic weaponry," Wily explained as Mega Man fell over.  "I missed your power core, though.  I've only shut off your motor control.  We'll be leaving now."  The crib and various other things became surrounded by teleportation energy.  "I suggest you teleport back to Dr. Light before the self destruct system takes you out with it."  With that, Wily, Vinyl, and several other items vanished.

Mega Man lay back as his distress beacon alerted Dr. Light to beam him out.  "...not fair..." he whimpered.








(1) While yes, this means My Little Pony does exist in this world, Friendship is Magic was never made.
> Bonding
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Once Wily had Vinyl settled in the new Skull Fortress - built because, with the location of the old one compromised, he needed a new base of operations that Mega Man didn't know where to find - he immediately began work on eight new Robot Masters with which to take over the world.  However, two things made building them take a lot longer than expected.  The first he'd anticipated, being that he was working alone instead of with Dr. Light.

The second was that Vinyl was constantly underfoot, trying to spend time with him.  She was very distracting.

"Vinyl..." Wily whimpered at long last after yet another Robot Master blueprint turned into a cape to play Supers, only to be ruined when Vinyl inevitably spilled something on it, this time iced coffee.  "Vinyl, how am I going to ever build the Robot Masters to take over the world when it's been two months and not a single blueprint has survived long enough to start construction?"

Vinyl hung her head.  "Sowwy..."

Groaning, Wily pulled her into a hug.  "I know you don't mean it...but it's hard enough coming up with these ideas.  I mean, if you could help somehow..."

Vinyl's eyes lit up, and she dashed out of the room before dashing back in with several household objects, a few dolls, and some legos.  She then began assembling them.

Wily stared as she quickly assembled eight toy robots.  The first was made of red and yellow legos with a buzzsaw decal stuck to its forehead.  The second was a fan with arms, legs, and eyes stuck to it.  The third was a frog plushy with a scuba mask.  The fourth was a Viewtiful Joe figurine, recolored and having its V mask turned into a headpiece.  The fifth action figure had its hands replaced with launchable drill missiles.  The sixth doll had had its hand replaced by a flash bulb.  The seventh was a zippo with limbs and a face stuck to it.  The final one was a rain stick she'd attached eyes and limbs to.  "Ta-dah!" she proclaimed proudly.

Wily stared at them for a time.  "...these are your ideas for my next eight Robot Masters?" he asked, not sure whether to laugh or groan.  When Vinyl nodded eagerly, he shook his head.  "Not exactly the most impressive or intimidating of designs..."

Vinyl put her forelocks together over her head, then clapped her forehooves together a few times.

"Well, Cutman wasn't exactly designed for combat..." Wily countered.

Vinyl lifted her glasses off her head and proceeded to thrust downward with them repeatedly in a stabbing motion.

Wily chuckled.  "True.  Mega Man probably is still having nightmares about Cut Man's Freak Mode...assuming he has dreams."  His eyes lit up.  "Wait, are you saying the almost comical lack of intimidation factor on these new Robot Masters will lull Mega Man into a false sense of security, letting them tear him apart?"

Vinyl nodded eagerly.  "Make a big boom!" she agreed.

Grinning widely, Wily pulled out a new blueprint sheet.  "Alright.  Let's see about making them actually work, shall we?"





"Vinyl, why would I deliberately design my Robot Masters to be weak against each others weapons?" Wily demanded after Vinyl had added something to the blueprints that left him completely poleaxed.  "It makes absolutely no sense!  Why would I make the fight easier for Mega Man?"

"Feek chip!" Vinyl proclaimed proudly.

"...what?"

Smiling, Vinyl dumped out a bag of computer chips, spilling them over the table.  Picking one up, she plugged it into the design computer.

Wily stared at the code that was called up.  "This...this is the code that triggered freak mode in the original six Robot Masters," he pointed out in amazement.  "How'd you isolate it like this?"

"Magic!" Vinyl proclaimed happily, then sniffed twice cutely.  She'd gotten the sniffles recently, which was why she was currently wearing a super thick woolly sweater, a scarf that was longer than her entire body, thick woolly socks, ear muffs, and had a cup of hot tea and a bowl of chicken soup sitting in front of her.  Wily had drawn the line there, however, reminding Protoman that it was his sister, Roll, who was the housekeeper bot.  He would have drawn the line sooner, but Vinyl looked absolutely adorable all bundled up like this, and she seemed to like the attention.

As much as Wily wanted an explanation further than 'magic', Vinyl wasn't speaking in complete sentences yet, so there was only so much she could tell him.  Besides, he could figure out most of what she tried to tell him in other areas, and 'how' she made these chips work wasn't so important, considering there were at least 100 of them, hopefully far more than he'd ever need, no matter how many times he had to try to take over the world.  "So...if I install these chips in the Robot Masters, they'll have Freak Mode?"

Grinning, Vinyl pointed to where she'd marked out weaknesses, lowering her head to noisily slurp up her soup.

Wily's eyes widened.  "And rather than it being randomly coded to activate based on personality input, it'll be designed to activate when they're hit with their Weapon weakness?  Of course!  And with the weaknesses so obvious and logical, Mega Man would be an idiot not to try to use them...and then the Robot Masters Freak Out!"

Vinyl clapped her hooves happily, pleased to see that Wily got it...though apparently less than pleased at the way her socks muffled the sound of her applause.  Her pout was absolutely adorable.

Wily chuckled wickedly.  "This is going to make watching the battles so much fun, isn't it?" he asked.  "Pity whoever Mega Man fights first won't go into Freak Mode..."

Vinyl frowned, scratching her head for a bit.  Grabbing a pencil in her mouth, she began making sketches on a piece of blank paper.  Wily was almost afraid to find out what she was going to create next.

...almost.
> Making the Masters 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Wily sat back with a sigh as the last of the eight new Robot Masters was finally completed.  Vinyl had insisted that they not activate any of them until they could activate all of them at once in sequence, like how she'd met the original six.  As such, it was nearly a year before they were activated.  Wily couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that the activation would occur on Vinyl's birthday - celebrated on the day she had first appeared on Wily's head.  It would be quite the party for Vinyl, and quite the present.  Protoman had insisted on baking her birthday cake...which from the looks of things was excessive, unless he meant to give a piece to every robot in the Fortress.

Wily had noticed something that had concerned him, though.  Several times Protoman would stop what he was doing - often dropping whatever he was holding - to clutch at his chest and steady his energy flow.  Wily wasn't all that concerned about it, as he knew it was just Protoman's power core having an energy spike when he didn't need the power.  While he knew it was damaging Protoman's systems, the stubborn robot was insistent about not letting anyone fix him, so there was nothing he could do.

The concerning thing was that Vinyl had witnessed each and every spasm, as far as Wily could tell, and obviously didn't like it.  She frowned worriedly at first each time it happened, but as she saw more of them she began to scowl angrily.  It was plain she recognized that Protoman had a problem that wasn't being addressed, and it was upsetting her.

...although Wily had to admit, some of the results of that were hilarious.  One good example was when Vinyl had chased Protoman through the Fortress with a hammer, shouting she was "Gonna fix ya!"  Wily hadn't laughed so hard since he was a toddler and discovered the Looney Tunes.

For now, however, Wily and Vinyl were together, staring at the eight inactive robot masters.  "Are you ready to activate them?" he asked.

Vinyl nodded eagerly.  She then starting bobbing her head rhythmically.

"You want to activate them in order, huh?" Wily asked.  While Vinyl's language had developed to the point where she could speak full sentences - and she had the teeth to shape all the words - she rarely did.  Wily wasn't entirely sure why.  "Any idea what their personalities are going to be?  You did code them."

Vinyl responded with a shrug, her forehooves held out to her side helplessly.

Chuckling and shaking his head, Wily walked up to the first new Robot Master.  "DWN-009, Metal Man, activate!"

Metal Man slowly opened his eyes.  "Hello boys and girls," he said softly, his voice unaccountably creepy and echoing.  He lifted up one of his Metal Blades.  "Would you care to play a game?"

Vinyl whimpered loudly, and Wily quickly moved onto the next Robot Master.  "DWN-010, Air Man, activate!"

Air Man's eyes promptly lit up.  "Hello," he stated, his voice somewhat robotic.  "I am Air Man."

Wily blinked, a bit surprised at how...simplistic he seemed.  "Air Man...what is your primary purpose?"

"To defeat Mega Man," he stated firmly, without inflection.

"...hobbies?" Vinyl asked, worried that she'd actually failed to give Air Man a personality somehow.

"I like birds," Air Man replied.  When Wily and Vinyl blinked at him, he continued, "I also like shaping my sentences for misinterpretation.  The faces of others when they think I've said something when I haven't...are quite amusing."

"I could amuse you," Metal Man stated wickedly, dragging two blades across each other.

"You have very large blades," Air Man stated blandly.

"You noticed," Metal Man purred, the sound making his voice even more creepy.

"You know what they say about oversized weapons and their wielders?" Air Man asked, before turning away.

Vinyl giggled as Wily rolled his eyes, progressing to the next Robot Master.  "DWN-011, Bubble Man, activate!"

The scuba suited robot opened his eyes.  "Wow.  Wrinkly old dude and a filly barely out of diapers.  So not what I wanted to see when I was first activated."

Wily blinked.  "O...kay.  And...what did you want to see?"

"A total babe!" Bubble Man proclaimed happily, making motions in the air with his hands to shape what he meant.  "Or maybe a rockin' dude," he added, taking a muscle pose.  "Either or, but someone hot."

Protoman snickered in the background.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Bubble Man proclaimed, pointing at Protoman.  "Check out the specs on that bot!  He's got it goin' on, that's for sure!"

Scowling, Protoman stalked off.

"That view's even better!" Bubble Man called out as Wily and Vinyl went to the next Robot Master.

"DWN-012, Quick Man," Wily called out, "activate!"

Quick Man opened his eyes with a smile.  "Yo dude!" he greeted happily, leaning back against a wall and flashing a thumbs up.  "How's it hanging?"

Wily blinked.  "Hanging?" he asked in confusion.

"No worries," Quick Man replied.  "Who's up for hitting the beach?  I wanna catch some waves."

"Oh, the beach!" Bubble Man agreed eagerly.  "Yeah, let's go!"

"The sun, the surf..." Quick Man began.

"The bikinis and speedos," Bubble Man added.

"DWN-013, Crash Man, activate!" Wily said quickly, moving right along.

Crash Man's eyes opened, and he lifted his drill shaped hands.  "Greetings Doctor, Vinyl," he stated calmly.  "How can I be of assistance?"

Wily blinked, surprised by the sudden tonal shift between Masters.  "Well...do you know your primary purpose?"

"I am here to destroy Mega Man and help you achieve a world of robot-human equality through the application of overwhelming force," Crash Man replied.  "Towards that end, you have given me the Crash Bomb weapon."

"So you blow things...up?" Air Man asked, pausing significantly before his last word.

Crash Man glanced at Air Man through narrowed eyes.  "...hilarious," he allowed sardonically.  "Doctor, perhaps you should finish with activating us and then take Vinyl somewhere else.  I don't think most of us will be a good influence on her."

"Agreed," Wily replied, moving right along and dragging Vinyl with him.  "DWN-014, Flash Man, activate!"

Rather than opening his eyes slowly, Flash Man's whole body lit up.  "I have awoken!" he sang out.  "And I'm taking back control!"

Wily and Vinyl both stared at him in surprise.  "Umm...your primary function?" Wily asked nervously.

"We will, we will, rock you!" Flash Man sang out, stomping his feet and clapping rhythmically as he did so, making Vinyl grin as she head banged along with the beat.

"Umm...rock who?" Wily asked worriedly.

"The Super Fighting Robot...Mega Man!"

Wily rolled his eyes at the constant singing.  "Why won't you talk normally?" he demanded.

"We're born to be kings!  We're princes of the u-niverse!"

"DWN-015, Heat Man, activate," Wily groaned, moving on as Vinyl giggled.

Heat Man's eyes opened, and he glared pugnaciously at Wily.  "What Doc want?" he asked grumpily.

Wily stared at Heat Man for a time.  "Heat Man, you are-"

"Heat Man bored now," the robot replied quickly.  "Heat Man wait till job time.  Then Heat Man smash Mega Man!"  On 'smash', Heat Man's whole body burst into flames, making Vinyl clap happily.

Wily rolled his eyes.  "DWN-016, Wood Man, activate."

"Dude..." Wood Man breathed out.  "This is like...so far out..."

"And just like that we're done," Wily stated, scooping Vinyl up and following Protoman.





"Protoman..." Wily asked as he stared at three orange and white Items laying around that Vinyl was staring at with glee.  "What are these?"

Protoman shrugged his shoulders.  "Well, I noticed Vinyl was having trouble getting around the Fortress because of how small she is...so I built her these to help."(1)

Wily thought about that, then shrugged.  "Not a bad idea.  But why spring them all now?"

"Birthday presents," Protoman replied simply.

"So...what do they do?"

Protoman picked up the first, a flat platform with a propeller on the bottom.  "This is Item 1," he stated.  "It's for helping her get up and down things like bookshelves."  He then held up the next, which looked like a surfboard with rockets on the back.  "This is Item 2.  It's to help her cross large distances faster."  He then picked up the last, a platform with mobile grippers on either side.  "This is Item 3.  I noticed she has some trouble with the size of the stairs..."

Wily nodded in agreement, chuckling at the sight of Vinyl having already popped Item 2 open to examine how they worked.  "Good thinking on the designs," he pointed out.  "But...really?  Items 1, 2, and 3?  Couldn't you have come up with better names?"

Protoman looked away, kicking the ground.  "I read her 'The Cat in the Hat' just before I started designing the exteriors," he replied.  "She...really liked Thing 1 and Thing 2."

Wily couldn't help but chuckle at that as Vinyl closed Item 2 and hopped on...only for the rocket board to take off at an insane velocity, with her squealing happily as she clung to the hoof grips on top.  "Protoman!" Wily shouted out.

"I didn't design it to go that fast!" Protoman shouted back as they began racing after the filly.  "She must have suped up the engine!"

"VIIIIINYYYLLLLL!"








(1) This part inspired by this comment by Kenshinryuu.
> The Second Conquest Begins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Wily, Protoman, and Vinyl sat around a large TV screen as footage began to play.  "Is everyone ready to see Mega Man's attempts at defeating our robot masters?" Wily asked wickedly.

Protoman flashed a thumbs up.  Vinyl clapped her hooves together, waving a flag that read, "Go Crash Man!"

Wily chuckled.  "Guess you've picked a favorite," he replied happily.  "Let's see what Mega Man's going to do."

The screen lit up, showing nine small boxes in a 3x3 grid.  The center box had Wily's own logo - Dr. W - emblazoned in it, while the eight outside boxes had each of the Robot Masters pictured.  The left box, Heat Man, was illuminated.

"Smash!" Vinyl shouted happily, waving the concept model of Heat Man - the lighter with Mr. Potato Head bits stuck to it - around happily.

As they saw Mega Man beam into the area, Protoman asked a pertinent question.  "Where did Heat Man get the lava?"

"Smash!" Vinyl shouted happily as Mega Man began leaping through the stage.

"Vinyl's probably right," Wily pointed out.  "He probably just smashed some rock and superheated it."

As Mega Man continued through the stage - leaping from small platform to small platform and shooting the smaller robots that attacked him - Vinyl began to giggle.  "Boing, boing, boing!" she chanted, timing each boing to when Mega Man jumped.

At one point, one of the blocks Mega Man was trying to jump to vanished without explanation, causing Mega Man to freak out and wave his arms and legs wildly as though trying to fly.  He managed to catch the next block and pull himself up, however.

Vinyl smacked her forehooves together with the sound of snapped fingers.  "So close!"

"Did...did you do that?" Wily asked, his eyes amazed.

Vinyl shook her head.  She waved the Heat Man toy.

"You told Heat Man to do it?"

Vinyl nodded eagerly.

"That wasn't a vanishing block," Protoman interpreted.  "That was an illusory block!"

Vinyl clapped happily and eagerly.

Mega Man was very careful with the disappearing blocks in the next section, making all three watchers laugh.  They laughed harder when Mega Man whimpered at the next section of small platforms, precise jumping...and a whole sequence of disappearing blocks over a pool of lava and a bottomless pit.  Eventually, Mega Man made it to Heat Man's chamber.

As Mega Man had frequently during Wily's first conquest, he leapt to plant his hand at the top of the door...only to get smacked back by a boxing glove.  It then deposited a cleaning rag and soap, and the handprint left behind illuminated.  Grumbling, Mega Man scrubbed the door clean before it opened.  Vinyl and Protoman fist bumped at that.





Mega Man was still grumbling as he entered Heat Man's chamber.  Heat Man himself burst in loudly.  "Heat Man Smash!" he roared as he charged Mega Man in a burst of flame.  Mega Man leapt over him, turning to shoot him as he stopped charging...only for Heat Man to keep charging straight up the wall, slamming into the ceiling and causing lava bombs to drop down towards Mega Man.

Mega Man did his best to dodge each one, shooting at Heat Man as he came down.

"Heat Man strongest there is!" Heat Man roared as he charged again.

While Mega Man's skills at evasion were challenged since the lava bombs fell randomly, Heat Man's pattern was predictable, and he eventually fell.





"Well, didn't think he'd fall to the first," Wily pointed out.  On the screen, Mega Man found something orange and white.  "Hey, what's Item 1 doing there?"

"Oops!" Vinyl replied.  Seeing Mega Man grabbing it, she pouted.  "Hey!  That's mine!"

"You can take it out of his circuits if he makes it all the way to the fortress," Wily promised.

"So who's he going to go after next?" Protoman asked as the screen returned to the original configuration, this time with Heat Man's small window blacked out.

This time, Air Man's window was highlighted.

"Odd," Wily pointed out.  "Why Air Man next?"

"Maybe he has his reasons," Protoman pointed out as the cameras showed the area Air Man had conquered.

Mega Man beamed in to a series of mid air platforms, some of which attacked him as he progressed.  He seemed quite nervous about jumping from platform to platform.

"Maybe it was Dr. Light's idea to make him confront his newfound fear of disappearing blocks," Dr. Wily joked.

After a longer time of getting from platform to platform - and starting to panic because both platforms and enemies tended to hide in clouds - Mega Man eventually reached Air Man's chamber.





As Mega Man walked in, he was rather pleased to see that there were no pits to fall into.

Air Man dropped in.  "Greetings, Mega Man," he stated flatly.  "I am Air Man."

Mega Man blinked at him.  "Is...is there something wrong with your voice synthesizer?"

"No," Air Man replied.  "My voice synthesizer shows no errors."

"It's just...you sound more...robotic than most."

Air Man glowered at Mega Man.  "This is my normal voice," he pointed out firmly.

"Fair enough," Mega Man replied quickly.

"I do not like you, Mega Man," Air Man stated bluntly.  "I think I will destroy you now."

"Weren't...weren't you going to do that anyway?" Mega Man asked.

"Yes, but I was going to have more idle banter with you while the Masters watched, to entertain them," Air Man corrected.  He stomped his foot on the platform, and the walls to either side fell away, revealing bottomless pits.

"Not the pits!" Mega Man whimpered.  "Not the pits and disappearing blocks!"

"And now we fight," Air Man proclaimed.

Shivering, Mega Man leveled his blaster.

"Not yet," Air Man pointed out.  "We must have music."  Lifting his hand to his head, he pushed a button, making music start.  "This is my jam."

Mega Man did his best to fight, but without walls to rest against, fighting against the wind and dodging the mini-tornadoes proved much more difficult...especially since Air Man stayed put and kept firing, rather than charging towards him.  As the lyrics passed, Mega Man's eyes popped open.  "Wait, you're weak to Wood Man's weapon?"

"Precisely," Air Man replied.

"Why would you tell me that?"

"Because it will do you no good."

Mega Man thought for a bit.  "Does that mean that all the Robot Masters are weak against one of your weapons?"

"That is correct," Air Man replied.

"Are you going to tell me who's weak against yours?" Mega Man asked.

Suddenly, the wind stopped, and Air Man was right in front of him.  "No," he stated, kicking Mega Man in the face.

"...ow..."

The battle continued, Mega Man unable to land a serious blow on Air Man, and eventually he was left hanging from the edge with Air Man standing over him, boot raised to crush his fingers and send him falling to his death.

The music stopped.  "This fight is over," Air Man stated, lowering his foot...to the platform.

"...eh?"

"I'm done.  You are boring me."  Air Man turned and walked away.  "The Items belong to Vinyl.  Make sure you return them to her.  If you don't, I will feed you your own limbs with marinara sauce and oil."  Air Man then beamed out.

Mega Man continued to hang from the platform.  "...little help?" he called out.





The trio watching stared, their jaws hanging.  After a time of silence, Vinyl pulled out a flag that read, "Go Air Man!"
> Let's Watch Mega Man: 2-2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As the original screen came back up, Air Man beamed in beside them.  "Who is he going up against next?" he asked, sitting down beside the sofa.

"From the looks of things," Wily murmured as one of the windows illuminated, "Crash Man."

"Had he beaten me, that would be interesting," Air Man admitted.  "Crash Man's weakness is my Air Shooter.  However, Mega Man does not have my weapon."

As they watched Mega Man struggle to climb up the ladders in the stage while floating bots slammed into him to knock him off the ladders, Protoman shrugged.  "Maybe he was just hoping there wouldn't be any more pits or disappearing blocks."

Vinyl attempted to cackle wickedly, but it only came out as an adorable giggle, much to her frustration.

The Metools who blocked Mega Man's path had been given slots in their helmets that slid aside to let them shoot, so they never needed to come out from under cover.  Screaming in visible frustration, Mega Man leapt over them to continue onward, looking up nervously at the moving platform he had to deal with next.

Three moving platforms with increasingly convoluted paths and a ladder to the heavens with increasingly complicated paths and frustrating enemy placements later, Mega Man finally reached Crash Man's boss chamber.





Crash Man smiled as Mega Man entered his chamber.  "Welcome, Mega Man.  I've been expecting you."

Mega Man caught his breath as he tried to deal with all the damage he'd taken on his way up.  "If that's the case, you should have left a clearer path."

"And where would the fun in that be?" Crash Man asked with a chuckle.  As Mega Man leveled his blaster, he waved his hand.  "I have no intention of engaging in some churlish bout of fisticuffs or blasting with you.  Hardly the gentlebot's approach."

Mega Man raised an eyebrow.  "Then...you're surrendering?"

Crash Man let out a bark of laughter.  "Hardly.  I've presented you a challenge instead.  Do you see the grid on the floor before you?"

Looking down, Mega Man saw the grid.  "Uhh...yeah..."

"I have concealed numerous Crash Bombs beneath the squares of the grid," Crash Man explained.  "However, there is a safe way across.  I have prepared a series of clues to allow you to figure out that safe path.  If you have determined the safe path in...two minutes after I give you the clues and make it to me without setting off any of the bombs, and are able to make it to me safely, I will surrender.  If, however, you set off even a single bomb, I will leave...and you will have to escape the detonation of this entire room."

Mega Man's eyes widened, and he gulped.  "A-alright," he agreed.  "Let me see the clues."

Smiling, Crash Man threw Mega Man a packet of papers.  "The time starts...now!"

Mega Man caught the packet and looked at the first page.



1. Read all clues before attempting to solve.
2. Divide the 322nd digit of pi by the square root of your DLN.
3. Combine the total number of robot masters you've fought with the cube root of the total number of Robot Masters created so far.
4. ...



And on and on it went, the clues becoming more and more mathematically complex as it went on.  Trying to save time, Mega Man attempted all the solutions as he went through them.  Because of this, however, he was only at clue 247 by the time Crash Man called out, "Time!"

Gulping, Mega Man went by what the clues he'd solved so far told him, taking a step onto one of the grid squares.  The square promptly exploded, blasting him backwards.

"So much for that, Mega Man," Crash Man sighed.  "You are not as smart as I'd hoped."  He beamed out, and the entire chamber started to explode.

Mega Man barely managed to get out alive, but the packet of clues landed with him.  Confused, he looked through, trying to figure out what he missed.

When he found it, he groaned loudly, proceeding to bang his head against the nearest wall.



544. Ignore clues 2 through 543.
545. Use Item 2.







As the clues had shown up on the camera feed, Wily burst into peals of wicked laughter.  "I remember those tests!" he reminisced.  "Good times."

Crash Man beamed in.  "I am glad my performance pleased you, Dr. Wily."  He blushed a bit as Vinyl wrapped her forelegs around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

"It is good Mega Man did not die," Air Man pointed out.  "It wouldn't be fair to rob our brothers of the fun."

"Speaking of, Heat Man's almost completely rebuilt for his role in defending the Fortress, in case Mega Man makes it all the way here."

"Shh!" Vinyl suddenly hissed, pointing to where Flash Man had been selected.

Mega Man beamed into the area covered with flashing, slippery floors, making it impossible to control precisely how far he was trying to run, causing him to frequently slam into walls, enemies, or mistime jumps.  Thankfully for him, there weren't that many enemies to avoid.  However, the slippery floors did allow enemies to replace destroyed ones just out of Mega Man's sight, creating even more frustration.

Eventually, after barely maneuvering through numerous paths littered with enemies, Mega Man made it to Flash Man's chamber.





As Mega Man entered, he heard both music and singing.

"Don't stop me now!  I'm having such a good time, I'm having a ball!" Flash Man was singing as he danced along to the music.

Confused, but willing to take any advantage at this point, Mega Man leveled his buster.

"Stop!" Flash Man shouted, spinning around as his body flashed with his Time-Stopper, causing Mega Man's body to lock up.  "In the name...of love!"  Flash Man then charged forward, punching Mega Man hard in the chest.  "Before you break...my heart!"  He then leapt back, letting Mega Man fall over.  "Baby think it over!"

"That pun...hurt worse...than the punch..." Mega Man gasped out as he stood back up.  He leveled his blaster again.

"Flash!"  Mega Man was once more frozen.  "Ah a-ah!"  Flash Man picked Mega Man up and threw him.  "Savior of the universe!"

Mega Man groaned as he got to his feet again.  "Stop...singing!" he growled out as he opened fire.

"I don't wanna stop at all!" Flash Man sang out, returning to his original song as he leapt out of the way of Mega Man's blasts.

Mega Man could feel himself starting to lose his temper, and he paused, trying to get control of himself.

"Now Freeze!" Flash Man sang out.

Startled, Mega Man leapt into the air as the Time-Stopper triggered, locking him in midair.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh!" Flash Man sang as he tried to strike at Mega Man.  Unfortunately, he couldn't jump as high.

As the Time-Stopper ran out, Mega Man fell, landing on Flash Man.  Unfortunately for Flash Man, Mega Man was built sturdier than he was, and he was destroyed.





"Two for four," Air Man stated.  "Mega Man is not doing so well this time around."

"Still fun to watch," Wily pointed out as Vinyl waved her flags happily.

"It looks like Vinyl left Item-3 there, too," Protoman pointed out.

Vinyl, for her part, began to slowly crush an effigy of Mega Man, glowering at him as he uploaded her Items.
> Let's Watch Mega Man: 2-3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As the group brought out more popcorn and drinks for the upcoming show, the screen showed that Mega Man was going after Quick Man next.  Wily rubbed his hands eagerly.  "Oh, this is going to be interesting!" he cackled.  "Quick Man moves faster than even robotic optics can track.  Let's see how Mega Man handles this!"

Vinyl clapped eagerly, also wanting to see this battle.

On the screen, Mega Man progressed down a narrow passage, evading the occasional obstacle.  Shortly thereafter, he had to increase his rate of fall, as laser beams shot out of holes in the walls, and it was plain they'd shear right through his armor and destroy him on contact.

"Whose idea was the lasers?" Protoman asked.

Smirking, Air Man raised his hand.  "I thought Vinyl would like the light show."

"So that's why they flash in rainbow colors," Wily replied, watching Vinyl stare with her mouth hanging open happily at the flashing laser lights.

Further in the area, the lights went out, except around robots with flames in their heads.  They threw flame and illuminated the area around them.  Mega Man was forced to choose between evading harm and moving in the dark.  To the surprise of Wily and the others, he chose to take the hits.  "Is...is Mega Man afraid of the dark now?" Crash Man asked, surprised.

"Good lord," Protoman groaned.  "You're turning him into Ice Man."

Eventually, the lights came back on, and Mega Man once more had to run from the lasers.  Finally, he reached Quick Man's chamber.





Entering the chamber, Mega Man looked around.  "...Quick Man?" he called out, clutching his buster with his other hand and shivering.  Hearing a clacking noise, he spun with a shout and fired.

A hole appeared in the table the noise had come from.  On the table was a note and a computer chip.  Walking forward, Mega Man read the note.



Yo, Mega Dude!
Got bored waiting for you, decided to ditch the whole 'take over the world' thing.  Went surfing.  Sorry to disappoint.  Have my weapon chip to make up for it.
QM



Staring, Mega Man thought about what he'd just read before finally picking up the weapon chip and installing it, teleporting out.





Wily stared in disbelief as Vinyl giggled.  "...Quick Man ditched us to go surfing?" he demanded.

"Ten bucks says Bubble Man ditched to go hang at the beach, too," Protoman said quickly.

"Looks like we're going to find out," Air Man stated as the screen indicated Mega Man was going after Bubble Man next.

As soon as Mega Man warped in on the platforms suspended over a waterfall, he started freaking out.  "Maybe we should go easier on him," Wily murmured.  "I want to beat him...not break him."

"Perhaps you should take a break from taking over the world after this attempt?" Air Man suggests.  "Give him time to detox."

"Probably a good idea," Wily muttered as he saw the way Mega Man raced across the falling platforms, only to freak out over having to then drop downward.  He seemed to calm down once he was in the water, however.

Once Mega Man reached the end of the underwater section, he had to race across more platforms suspended over a bottomless pit, this time with enemies riding the waterfall down to knock him off.  Eventually, he reached the final chamber...which wasn't underwater.

"Isn't Bubble Man supposed to keep his area flooded for best combat potential?" Crash Man asked.

Seeing Mega Man approaching a table with a note and a computer chip on it, Protoman chuckled as Wily groaned.  "Looks like I win the bet," he teased.

Wily groaned as the initial screen returned.  "Well, at least I know Metal Man's eager to fight."

Mega Man beamed into a factory on a conveyor belt.  The entire area seemed to consist of conveyor belts, spiked crushers, and drills that came out of the ceiling and floor without warning.  It wasn't until towards the end of the area that Mega Man encountered any robots trying to attack him...which turned out to be clowns riding giant gears.  "Come play with us!" they called out, making Mega Man scream and run for it.

"That was just creepy," Air Man stated as Vinyl shivered.

Finally, Mega Man reached Metal Man's chamber.





Mega Man glanced around nervously as he entered the dimly lit chamber.

"Welcome, Mega Man," Metal Man stated eagerly.  "Are you ready to...play?"

The floor started moving, revealed to be a conveyor belt drawing Mega Man towards Metal Man, who slowly started to walk towards Mega Man, grinning madly as he ground two of his metal blades against each other.

"S-stay back!" Mega Man shouted, backing away and shooting at him.  "Stay back!"

"Your pea shooter isn't very fun," Metal Man countered, bringing up his metal blades and hurling one, buzzing right by Mega Man's neck, nearly touching.  "Come, you can do more!  Entertain me!"

Mega Man fell backwards, the conveyor belt carrying him forward.

"Let's take this slow," Metal Man chuckled.

In desperation, Mega Man seized on that, loaded up Quick Man's weapon, and started blasting Metal Man with Quick Boomerangs.

Metal Man roared as he staggered back, the lights going out as the conveyor belt stopped.  "Oh...now you've done it..." Metal Man breathed.  "Now it's time for me...to Freak Out..."

Lightning flashed, and Metal Man's entire body sparked as he altered configuration.  As the lights remained dark, his eyes glowed red.  The sounds of heavy machinery moving could be heard, along with blades grinding against each other.  "And now..." Metal Man breathed, his voice deep, resonant, and menacing, "...we play..."

Mega Man let out a loud scream, which was cut off by a crashing sound.  The lights came on.

Metal Man lay on his stomach, offline.  An automated message played.  "Unit DWN-009, Metal Man, has been remotely decommissioned for Maker violations.  He has been classified as NSFW - Not Safe For Wubs - and his build data and personality profile have been purged from the network.  Master Weapon system disabled and destroyed.  We apologize for any inconvenience encountering this unstable robot has caused you.  Thank you for your patience, and have a nice day."

Mega Man stared at the collapsed body for a time, then promptly beamed out.





Wily had turned away from the screen, holding a shivering Vinyl and stroking her.  "There there," he whispered softly.  "It's alright now.  The bad scary robot is a pile of scrap now, and he can never scare you again.  Everything's alright now.  Shh...shh..."

Vinyl buried her face in Wily's chest, shivering until she eventually slipped into slumber.  Wily decided to take her straight to bed, leaving Protoman, Air Man, and Crash Man to watch Mega Man go after Wood Man.





Mega Man beamed into the forest and glanced around, finding...a straight path with no robots attacking him.  "Hello?" he called out, confused.  Uncertain - remembering what happened when Wily's fortress was absent of enemies - he proceeded cautiously.

The path remained straightforward, with signs over ladders that stated, "Not bottomless!"  Confused, he continued to progress through the forest and underground path, eventually coming to a bamboo path over a deep path where monkey bots could be seen finishing a bridge to cover the gaps, slanting up and down so Mega Man didn't even have to jump.  The bots left as soon as they were finished, and Mega Man progressed - unopposed but confused - to Wood Man's chambers.

Within, he found several bean bag chairs sturdy enough for robots, a faint cloud of smoke around the ceiling, aromatherapy candles, lava lamps, and Wood Man laying back on one of the bean bag chairs taking a hit from a hookah.  "Yo, Mega Dude!" he called out.  "Have a seat and relax!"

"I'm...I'm here to fight you," Mega Man pointed out.

"I'm not gonna fight you, Mega Dude," Wood Man countered.  "Besides, you aren't really in any condition to fight just now, are you?  Look at yourself!  You're shaking like a leaf.  Pop a squat and chillax, bro."

"But..."  Unable to resist the directive, Mega Man sat down on one of the bean bag chairs.  "But you're trying to take over the world!"

"Does it look like I'm conquering anything?" Wood Man asked.

"But...you're evil!"

"Dude, you're puttin' too much weight on the whole thing."  Wood Man took another hit from his hookah.  "This isn't a battle of good and evil, Mega Bro.  It's a battle of ideals."

"But...but Dr. Wily's trying to take over the world!" Mega Man snapped.  "How can that not be evil?"

"Don't you read comics?" Wood Man inquired, seemingly tangentially.

"Well...yeah," Mega Man admitted.  "X Men was always my favorite."

"Would you call Magneto evil?"

"No!" Mega Man countered firmly.  "Certainly not!"

"But he was trying to take over the world," Wood Man indicated.

Mega Man raised his hand to counter.

"I'm not trying to argue with you, dude," Wood Man interrupted.  "Just getting you to open your mind a little.  Taking over the world?  Classify it as 'wrong' all you like...but that don't make it evil."

Mega Man sat back in the chair, lost in thought.

"Look, I'm not saying it's bad you're trying to stop Dr. Wily," Wood Man pointed out.  "We're robots.  That makes us tools for our makers.  Wily made us to take over the world.  At your request, Light remade you to stop us.  When it comes to us there's no good or evil there.  We're just soldiers on opposite sides...and it's no fun fighting a soldier on the verge of breakdown."

Mega Man blinked for a time.  "But...but I'm supposed to fight you..."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll fight you in Wily's Fortress," Wood Man promised.  "But not here.  Right now, you need to rest.  Chill like the penguins, robrah."  He offered the hookah.  "Take a hit.  It'll help you relax."

Mega Man accepted the hookah.  "What's in it?"

"An electronic impulse inhibitor made from mixing the robo-hallucinogen in my leaves with tree sap," Wood Man explained.  "Slows your robo-brain down a bit, lets you think your thoughts through a bit more."

Nervously, Mega Man took a hit.  "Whoa..." he breathed.  "That's...wow..."  He sank back into the bean bag chair.

"You need this, brah," Wood Man reassured.  "especially after Metal Head.  That dude was totally cray-cray."  He chuckled.  "He was practically Cray-Chry."

"What?"

"Outside joke," Wood Man commented, waving off the inquiry.  "It's only funny if you don't try to make sense of it."

Mega Man couldn't help but chuckle at the illogic of that.

"See what I mean?" Wood Man asked.

The pair relaxed for a while longer, staring at the lava lamps.  "Why am I doing this?" Mega Man asked finally.  "Why am I fighting this fight?"

"Well, there's two possibilities," Wood Man pointed out.  "Either you're trying to stop Dr. Wily, or you're trying to protect humanity."  He took another hit.  "Cause, good or evil, right or wrong, if anyone succeeds in taking over the world, humanity as they know it is going to change.  And most of humanity's gonna see that change as harm."

Mega Man leaned back.  "...I don't think any one person should rule the world," he commented dryly.

"Then that's your goal, brah!" Wood Man pointed out.  "You're fighting to protect humanity.  Keep that in mind.  You're a protector."

As Mega Man lay back, he smiled.  "Thanks," he said softly.  "I...I did need this."

"Told ya," Wood Man replied with a smile.  "Teleport grid's back up.  We can both leave whenever we want."

Mega Man stared at the way the smoke formed patterns amongst the uneven ceiling.  "Let's stay a while..."
> Wily's Second Fortress
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man made his way readily into Wily's Fortress, using the three Items to make his way through various obstacles.  He knew they were loans, and that he would have to return them to Vinyl or face Air Man's wrath, so he did his best not to damage them.  Thankfully, none of the enemies shot anywhere near the Items, so it was relatively easy to keep them in good condition.

He had a bit of a problem when he reached the chamber of the first Guardian, which turned out to be a long hallway of precision jumping on single block platforms.  The Guardian itself warped in behind him, a large green dragon.  It stared at Mega Man for a time as he stood on the first single block platform staring at the second...and took pity on him, picking him up and flying him to the final three platforms, which were well within jumping range of each other.  Shivering, Mega Man did his best to fight the dragon from there, and was eventually victorious...but was left feeling somewhat guilty.

Item 2 proved most useful to him for progressing through the next part of the Fortress, eventually reaching the chamber of the next Guardian, which turned out to be the blocks of the walls of the chamber itself, coming to life as mini-bots that flew towards him in pairs.  After destroying 28 of them, the path to the next section opened up.

A long passage downward led Mega Man into another aquatic segment, which he faced as best as he was able.  He faced the precision jumping portions the only way he could think of...by closing his eyes and taking leaps of faith, trusting in his proximity sensors, danger scanners, and internal gyroscope to guide him right.  Oddly, it worked wonderfully - especially in the long downward tube filled with the Spike-balls of Instant Robotic Incineration - and he was out of the water without incident.  The Guardian he came across next was a giant tank with Guts Man's face.  On an impulse, Mega Man switched to Quick Boomerang, and discovered that it worked wonders.

In the next sector, Mega Man found new fear in the form of illusory platforms blended perfectly with the regular path.  Thankfully for the sake of his psyche and life, none proved to be over bottomless pits.  However, some were over spikes...although Bubble Lead - Bubble Man's weapon - proved ideal at finding the hidden gaps at range.  A few more sections had moving platforms with precision jumping, but Mega Man was able to handle it.  The Guardian of this sector proved to be several turrets walled off against his approach.  With very careful maneuvering, Mega Man was able to take them down before he took too much damage.

In the last sector, Mega Man found Air Man, Crash Man, and Wood Man waiting for him.  "So you have made it this far," Air Man stated flatly.  "It seems we will face you now."

"We can't let you get to Dr. Wily, after all," Crash Man pointed out.  "Our prime directive is his safety and goals."

"Even Quikie and Bubble Butt are coming back soon," Wood Man added.  "They may not care about the conquest...but this is something else."  He stepped forward.  "And like I told ya, I'd fight you here.  So come on, Mega Brah...let's get this started."

Mega Man nodded, raising his buster towards Wood Man...but then he lowered it.  "No..."

"No?" Wood Man asked, confused.

"I...I won't fight you," he said finally.  "You're...you're my friend.  You helped me face my problems...and the nature of this conflict.  I...I can't fight you."

Wood Man smiled softly.  "Dude...you really know how to get mushy.  I don't think I could fight you now either..."

"But...but I have to stop Wily," Mega Man continued.

"And we can't let you do that," Air Man replied.

"As we can't ensure his success this time around," Crash Man added, "we must either destroy you or die trying, thus ensuring his escape."

Mega Man scratched his head, struggling through this.  "What if you didn't have to fight me to guarantee his escape?" he asked finally.  "What if...I promised to let him go?"

All three robots blinked at him.  "Explain," Air Man stated finally.

"I'm here to stop Wily from taking over the world," Mega Man explained.  "I don't have to capture him to accomplish that.  That's just the most efficient means to do so.  But if I just get to him and he flees, activating this Fortress's self destruct mechanism, then he'll have to wait a year or two before he's able to conquer again.  So I've still guaranteed a year or two of peace, which accomplishes my mission."

"It's only a delaying action," Crash Man pointed out.

Mega Man nodded.  "True.  But...if it means I don't have to fight my friends, it'll be enough."

The three Robot Masters considered this carefully.  They were about to make their decisions in that regard when a nearby door opened.

"There won't be a need for that," Dr. Wily stated as he stepped out, a full suitcase by his side.

Vinyl walked right out the door and straight up to Mega Man.  She then held out her hoof demandingly.  Mega Man agreeably handed over the Items...only to get a punch on the kneecap.  "Dr. Wily, I'm here to-"

"I'm throwing myself on Dr. Light's mercies," Wily interrupted Mega Man, who stared at him in shock.  Picking up his suitcase and Vinyl's, he smiled softly.  "I surrender."
> Light's Mercy, Vinyl's Ambition
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dr. Light and Dr. Wily once more sat across from each other, drinking tea together.  Against the wall a good distance behind Dr. Light, Mega Man and Roll stood, watching, ready to spring into action should the need arise.  Against the wall behind Wily, Air Man, Crash Man, and Wood Man were lined up.  None of the robots were in range to hear what the doctors were going to talk about, as they had set up a sound suppression field around them.  Vinyl was currently in Protoman's care, who was on the roof doing his best to look badass and cool as he stared off into the middle distance of the sunset, his scarf blowing freely in the breeze...and a white unicorn on his head whistling his theme music after having swapped their glasses around.  Wood Man was the only one who had seen this, and he wasn't sure whether Protoman was succeeding at badass and cool or not.

After a time of sipping tea, Dr. Light spoke up.  "So you surrendered?" he asked in surprise.  "Do you mean to say you've given up on your ideals already?"

"Hardly," Wily countered.  "I still believe that the only way to achieve a world where robots and humans are equals is to shove it down their throats.  However...certain things have made me reconsider the...timing of my ambitions."  He sipped at his tea.  "Is this a new blend?"

Dr. Light nodded.  "Roll prepared it," he explained.  "She's quite good.  Was it Vinyl?"

Wily tilted his hand back and forth, indicating 'sort of'.  "It was Metal Man."

"Ah," Tomas commented dryly.  "Mega Man told me about that...incident."

"I realized I didn't actually know as much about how robots worked as I thought," Albert explained, "and until I could make sure that future robots didn't become crazed horror movie monsters, I have too much to learn to attempt world takeover again.  After all, I'm trying to make the world better through application of sheer brute force."

"Reasonable," Tomas agreed.  "You know, I've been commissioned by the government to start work on a giant, human controlled, battle robot to defend the planet with."

Albert raised his eyebrows with a disbelieving snort.  "Seriously?  Alright, I'll bite...which general watched too much Power Rangers?"

"I'm not entirely sure it was Sentai Giant Robot shows," Tom replied with a laugh.  "Still...Project Gamma is a rather large project...bigger than anything I've ever taken on alone."  He smiled across the table.  "To be perfectly frank, I'd rather not tackle it alone."

Wily's eyebrows climbed onto his scalp.  "You want me to come back?" he asked in shock.

"Of course," Light replied.  "You're still my friend, after all."  He then treated his old friend to a mischievous smirk.  "I could use a competent assistant."

Wily snorted.  "We'll see who's whose assistant when this is over."

With tea over, Dr. Light informed the government that Dr. Wily had seen the error of his ways, and would turn his talents to the betterment of mankind by assisting with Project Gamma.





Rock glanced around in fear.  He was standing atop a massive tower that stretched upwards into infinity, sheer drops to all sides.  Taking a step forward, he quickly pulled his foot back as the block he'd just stepped on crumbled beneath his foot.

"Is there a problem, Rock?"

Rock spun in response to that robotic voice, seeing Air Man approaching him.  "Air Man, what's going on?"

"Isn't it obvious?" another familiar voice said as Cut Man stepped out from behind Air Man.  "We're going to show you the power of the Third."  Reaching up, he disconnected his head blade...and the inner and outer edges hummed, surrounded by blue light.  As he swung it, the air rippled.

Bzzzzowwnnn...zwwwwn...zwwnnn...

Air Man reached to his hip and pulled out the Sonic Disrupter.  "You should have brought your armor, Rock," he stated as he fired.

BZZZOWNN!

Rock ducked under the blast, scrambling as the blocks he ran across crumbled under his weight.  He tried to pull out his buster, only to find he didn't have his Mega Man armor units.  Cut Man charged at him, swinging the sonic blade about as he tried to cut Rock to pieces.  Backing up, Rock found his way to the edge of the tower...which crumbled.

He managed to catch one last platform with one of his hands.  "Help!" he called out.

Air Man stepped up to the edge.  "...You bore me," he stated bluntly, turning away.

As Rock tried to climb up, Metal Man appeared out of nowhere, Metal Blade in hand.  "Want to play a game?" he asked, his blade humming in the same way Cut Man's blade had as he sliced Rock's hand off.

Rock screamed in fear as he tumbled endlessly to his doom.





Rock sat up, sweating in terror as he stared into the darkness.

"Rock?" Dr. Light asked.  "Are you alright?  Did...did you have a nightmare?"  The last was said in a mix of concern, disbelief, and fascination.

Letting out a terrified wail, Rock clung to Dr. Light, crying his eyes out as he poured out the entire dream in choked gasps.

Dr. Light did his best to comfort Rock, rubbing his back and whispering, "There, there," and other such things.  In his mind, however, he thought, I never thought I'd need that psychology degree when I got into robotics.  Thanks for making me take those classes, Mom...





Vinyl sat down just outside Rock's room, having heard the entire nightmare.  While the mention of Metal Man had unnerved her - her own nightmare in that regard was why she was riding Item 2 around the lab for water instead of being asleep in her own bed - the rest of it had gotten her thinking.

Returning to her room, she pulled out a tablet and scrolled through, finding a massive data file.  The file was titled, "Making Daddy Proud".

The file was a checklist with various schematics and details attached to each item.  The first item, "Make sonic gun," was checked off.  The second item was, "Make better sonic gun."  The third read, "Make bigger sonic gun."  The remaining two items were, "World Takeover attempt" and "My Own Robot Masters".  Both had ideas attached to them, but not much details.

Going down to the end of the checklist, she typed in one more entry.

"SONIC BLADE"
> Modifying the Masters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Vinyl made her way carefully into the lab.  She wasn't supposed to be in here.  Her Daddy didn't want her near the Robot Masters now that they were built.  He said it wasn't good for her, especially after the one that was never to be spoken of again.  Vinyl, however, had decided to make her way in when her Daddy and Santa Claus were out meeting with Santa Claus's employers about the Big Boom Project, the one Daddy called Gamma.

These Robot Masters were meant to guide and control the mining operations on various planetoids scattered around the solar system.  The mission was intended to gather the eight Energy Elements needed to power Gamma.  Vinyl intended to change that.

In a satchel to her side were eight specially designed cookies.  Each one was specially designed for robotic metabolisation.  She had no idea why these latest Robot Masters had followed Rock, Roll, and Protoman's design of being able to eat food, but it made things easier for her here.  Inside each cookie was one of the control chips that had let her Daddy take control of the original six Robot Masters, along with a Freak Chip.  The cookie was designed such that the chips would install themselves when it was eaten.  All she had to do was find each of the Robot Masters, be her usual adorable self, give each of them a cookie, and then she could make her first attempt at conquering the world, and then her Daddy would be proud of her and praise her and everything would be good!

Not to say things weren't good now...but she wanted to prove herself to her Daddy.

Smiling, she pulled out her 'attempt world conquest' check list portion of her "Make Daddy Proud of Me" data file.  She'd managed to get a list of each of the eight new Robot Masters, and was going to go through them in order.  "...Needle Man?" she called out.

A large blue robot with bulky shoulders, busters for hands, and spikes on his head stepped out.  "Whadda ya want, bub?" he asked, the fake cigar in his mouth releasing harmless vapors that only resembled smoke in appearance.

Vinyl looked up at the robot with her biggest smile, bright eyes, and ears up.  Surely this would wrap him around her hoof, allowing her to get him to eat the-

"Real cute," Needle Man grunted, interrupting her thoughts.  Extending needles from each buster, he began to sharpen them against each other, seeming to ignore her.

Vinyl pouted.  This was not supposed to happen.  Her cuteness was supposed to overwhelm the Robots with Wubs, and they'd be putty in her hooves.  Still, she rallied gamely.  Reaching into her sack, she held out one of the treats.  "Cookie?" she offered.

Needle man stuck the cookie on one of his needles, feeding it into the red circle on his front that was, apparently, his mouth.  "Meh," he replied noncommittally.

Pouting, Vinyl turned and stormed off.  "I hope Mega Man breaks you," she grumbled under her breath.  "Jerk!"  Once she reached the next part of the lab, she glanced around.  "Magnet Man?"

A red, black, and white robot that looked fully humanoid except for the magnet stuck to his head sauntered up to her.  "Why hello, little lady," he purred softly.  "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."  He knelt gallantly, taking her hoof in one hand and bringing it to his lips, causing the lower part of his helmet to open to let the kiss reach her hoof.  "But you seem to have the advantage on me.  Might I know the name of such a beautiful damoiselle?"

Vinyl stared at him flat eyed behind her glasses.  "Vinyl..."

"Ah, Vinyl," he breathed happily.  "A lovely name for such a lovely creature.  How may I be of service to you?"

Blinking, she reached into her bag.  "Cookie?" she offered uncertainly.

"Ah!" Magnet Man proclaimed.  "A gift of confection from maiden fair!  Truly, I am the most fortunate of souls!"  He took a small bite, humming in pleasure.  "Truly, your talents are many and varied, dear lady.  Gladly do I enjoy your gift, and leave you to your business.  Fare thee well."  Smiling and munching away on the cookie, he sauntered off, humming a love song.

Vinyl blinked a few times.  "...weirdo," she muttered at last, heading for the next part of the lab.  Glancing around, she spoke up.  "Gemini Man?"

A crystalline blue and white robot wearing a black business suit and dark sunglasses stepped up next to her, his hands in front of his waist.  "What can we do for you, Miss Scratch?"

"Yes," an identical robot added, stepping up to her other side.  "What can we do for you?"

Vinyl blinked in shock.  "Uh...I thought there was only one of you?"

"There is only one of me," the first robot stated.

"But I can be many places," the second added.

"Doing many things," a third indicated, identical to the first two as it stepped behind her.

"What brings you here, Miss Scratch?" a fourth added, stepping up in front of her.

She whimpered.  "But...but I only made you the one cookie..."  She offered it sadly.

Three of the robots vanished in energy, to be absorbed by the one to her right, who accepted her cookie.  "Our thanks for the gift, Miss Scratch.  We will remember."  He wandered off, munching the cookie.

Vinyl, for her part, raced to the next section of the lab, hoping the next robot wouldn't be so scary.  "...Hard Man?"

A large, bulky robot in dark blue armor stepped up.  He stared down at her, saying nothing.

Vinyl stared up at him a little nervously.  "Umm...you're Hard Man?"

The robot nodded in response.

"Umm..."  Reaching into the bag, she pulled out another treat.  "Cookie?"

Reaching down, Hard Man took the cookie in his hand and ate it.  He then gently pat her on the head before going back to his place.

Vinyl stared after him for a time, then turned to the next section of the lab.  "Top Man?"

"What do you want?" a robot moaned from the shadows.

Looking closer, Vinyl saw that the robot was orange, yellow, and black, with a top on his head.  "What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"Other than my entire existence being a joke, being incapable of fulfilling my purpose, and the inevitability of being used in some sort of world conquest attempt before I'm destroyed?" Top Man asked morosely.  "Aside from all that, not much...though my back's acting up from all the spinning, and I think I stubbed my toe.  About standard for my day..."

Vinyl swallowed, feeling more than a bit guilty.  "Maybe a cookie will cheer you up?" she offered, holding one out to him.

"I'll probably get a cavity," Top Man muttered, taking the cookie.  "Or I already have one and a chip will get lodged..."  Shrugging, he began to eat.

Vinyl quickly withdrew from the depressive atmosphere, heading to another part of the lab.  "Snake Man?" she called out, glancing around.  However, there was no sign of the robot, only a cardboard box.  "Snake Man?!  SNAKE MAN!?!!!"

The only response was the sound of munching from the cardboard box, which had somehow moved close enough to the bag without Vinyl noticing that the sixth cookie had gone missing.

Shrugging, Vinyl took the last two cookies with her to the next part of the lab.  "Spark Man?" she called out.

"Gyah!" a red, white, and black robot with spikes for hands that resembled a giant spark plug shouted as he leapt back from a computer screen.  "That was re-volt-ing!"

Vinyl tilted her head, unsure if this was for real.

"What?" Spark Man asked.  "Do you find my appearance...shocking?"

Vinyl frowned.  "Just...just eat the cookie," she grumbled, holding it out.

Grinning, Spark Man lunged forward, catching the cookie in his teeth and eating it.  "I got a real charge out of that!"

"Ugh!" Vinyl grunted, storming off to the last section of the lab.  In plain sight was a blue and white robot that looked like a ninja, complete with a shuriken on his head.  "Are you...Shadow Man?" Vinyl asked.

Shadow Man spun, a bowl of ramen in one hand as he pointed at her with one finger on the other hand.  "...believe it..." he stated bluntly.

Vinyl raised an eyebrow.  "...seriously?"

"What?  Can't a robot have a sense of humor?" Shadow Man asked as he sat down, slurping up his ramen.  "I know how...quirky...my brothers are.  Figured a joke would help relax you."

Vinyl stared in surprise.  "You're...normal?"

"More or less," Shadow Man replied.  He finished his ramen with a smile.  "Think you could take the chips out of my cookie, though?" he inquired.  "Attending to your whims takes precedence over my mission for the energy elements, so you only have to ask."

Smiling, Vinyl used her magic to take the chips out of the last cookie, giving it to Shadow Man.  "You'll know when?"

He smirked.  "I am shinobi."  He began eating the cookie

Grinning, Vinyl pranced happily out of the lab, only to bump into Protoman.  "What are you doing in here, little lady?" he demanded as she dropped her stuff.  "Wily said you weren't allowed in here."

"Nothing!" Vinyl said quickly, scrambling for her stuff.  "Just got lost!"

Protoman picked up the chips and the tablet.  "You're talking a lot more than you do around Wily."

"Well...that's...uh..."  Vinyl desperately did not want Protoman to see what was on the tablet.

"Although he doesn't seem to have any trouble understanding you without words, most of the time," Protoman mused as he glanced at the tablet.  He saw the checklist, making Vinyl hang her head.  "You like that he doesn't need your words to understand you, don't you?"

Sighing, Vinyl nodded.

Protoman examined the data file and the chips for a time.  He then smiled.  "Why don't you let me...help you with this?" he offered.

Vinyl's head shot up as she gasped in surprise and glee.
> Let's Watch Megaman: 3-1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Albert!" Dr. Light called out insistently.  "Something's gone terribly wrong with the mining operation for the energy elements!"

"What?" Dr. Wily called back, rushing to his side.  "What happened?"

"The Robot Masters you designed to head the operation and keep it under control have gone rogue and have taken over the planetoids," Dr. Light explained.  "All at the same time."

"Really?" Wily asked.  "What could have caused this?"

Dr. Light turned to Wily with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not me this time, Tom," Albert complained.  "My focus is on Vinyl, remember?"

"Just checking," Dr. Light replied.  "Still, I'll need all the information you can give me on them if I'm going to send Mega Man after them."

"Right," Wily agreed.  "I'd recommend sending him after Magnet Man first.  He's the only one of the group that doesn't have combat protocols, since his Magnet Missiles would shut down anything electronic that went haywire."

"Thankfully, the most they'll do to Mega Man is stun him for a moment or two," Light indicated.  "Mega Man!" he called out.  "It's time to save the world again!"

"But I was about to kick Vinyl's flank in Smash Brothers!" Mega Man complained.  "Hey!  I was distracted!"

Vinyl proceeded to give Mega Man a raspberry.

"Mega Man!" Light called more firmly.

"Alright, alright, geeze..."  Mega Man headed for the teleporter.  "Here we go again."

"Albert and I will be keeping an eye on you from here," Dr. light explained.  "And he's also provided details to help you neutralize the rogue Robot Masters."

Mega Man nodded his thanks as he beamed out.

Air Man and Wood Man promptly brought in a large sofa, while Crash Man set up a popcorn machine and soda fountain, along with hanging a tray filled with candy and other treats around his neck...including hot dogs.  "Popcorn!  Sodas!  Candy!  Wieners!" he called out.

Tom turned to Albert with a raised eyebrow.  He shrugged in response.  "When I actually was trying to take over the world, we'd all sit around and watch Mega Man go after the Robot Masters.  It was sort of a cross between a movie night and watching sports."  He took a seat on the sofa as Vinyl leapt into his lap with a bag of popcorn.  "Guess they want to continue the tradition even if we're on the other side this time."

Tom thought about that for a time, then shrugged, taking a seat.  "In that case, I'll take a couple of wieners," he told Crash Man.

"Kinky," Wood Man joked as he sat down in front of the couch, once more smoking his hookah.

"Vinyl is in the room," Air Man pointed out robotically, sitting beside Wood Man with his own bag of popcorn...which was just for the feeling of inclusion, as he didn't actually have a mouth.

"Kinky?" Vinyl asked curiously.

"Oops?" Wood Man offered apologetically.

On the screen, Mega Man had beamed into the planetoid and proceeded to leap through the stage, staying out of range of the flying magno-bots - magnets with propellers - as he jumped over the mined pits.  After a time, he dropped down a ladder into a large chamber...where a familiar whistle played.

"Protoman?" Dr. Light asked in shock.

While Protoman did beam in, his face was covered in his scarf, making him appear a lot more menacing.  He didn't say anything as he shot at Mega Man for a while, who did his best to evade and shoot back.  After having blocked a good amount of shots with his shield, Protoman beamed out, and a new path opened.

Vinyl, meanwhile, was clapping, happy that Protoman used the whistle tune she'd written for him.

"...somehow I don't think telling Mega Man that was his brother is a good idea," Wily offered.

"Agreed," Dr. Light confirmed.

As Mega Man continued on, Wily noticed something interesting.  "How's he doing that backwards ground dash?" he asked.

"You mean the slide?" Tom clarified.  "It's a new combat function I built into him.  He's also got Rush to assist him."

"Rush?"

"Woof woof!"  The robotic red dog barked happily as he snatched one of Light's wieners out of the bun and devoured it.

Rolling his eyes, Light explained.  "Rush is Mega Man's new support unit.  He has many functions that he can use on Mega Man's command."

"What, like sit, stay, and roll over?" Crash Man joked.

"More like become a springboard, become a jet, and become a submarine," Dr. Light corrected with a smirk.  "It's a ways off in development, but I'm also working on a Rush Adapter, an additional system for Mega Man and Rush that will allow Rush to turn into an additional armor suit for Mega Man."

"Interesting..." Wily mused as Mega Man reached Magnet Man's chambers.

Neither human noticed Vinyl briefly hop off the couch and pull out her tablet, adding a new item to her 'Make Daddy Proud' checklist.



Make own support units?
Design Adapter for use by pony



With that done, she hopped back up to watch the fight.  None of the robots said anything.





As Mega Man entered the chamber, Magnet Man was waiting for him.  "Good morrow, young hero!" he greeted him.  "It seemeth me that destiny had in mind for us to clash.  A pity, as I do not believe I will survive this encounter."

Mega Man blinked.  "But...if you know you'll lose, why fight?"

"Ah, what fool you are, Blue Bomber," Magnet Man sighed theatrically.  "For you see, my heart has been claimed, and I am sworn to the one who has thus claimed me.  It is love, you see, and what gentlebot would I be if I turned my back on that?  The ruler of my heart commands me to this...and gladly do I obey.  If for their ambitions my death can aid, then gladly do I offer it.  Have at you!"  With that Magnet Man charged, launching a few of his Magnet Missiles.

Mega Man managed to dodge, and fired off a few shots of his own, managing to catch Magnet Man in the left shoulder joint, causing his arm to break off.  "Oh my goodness, I'm sorry," Mega Man stated automatically.  "I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright, I've had worse," Manget Man hastened to reassure him.  "It's only a flesh wound."

Mega Man blinked.  "One, you're a robot, you don't have flesh.  Two, your arm is lying there on the ground!  How can you have had worse?"

"There's a reason I don't eat noodles anymore," Magnet Man replied readily.  "Now, have at you!"  He charged in again, firing Magnet Missiles from his one remaining hand.

Once more, Mega Man managed to dodge, firing again.  This time, his shots hit Magnet Man's right shoulder, disconnecting that arm.  "Uh..." Mega Man began.

"A lucky shot!" Magnet Man proclaimed.  "Have at you!"

"But you don't have any arms!" Mega Man complained.

"I can still fight!  Have at you!"  Magnet Man leapt at Mega Man in a jump kick.

Mega Man instinctively leapt back and fired, destroying Magnet Man's left leg.  "Stop making me dismember you!" he complained.

"I'm not dismembered!" Magnet Man countered.

"Your arms are lying there on the ground, and your leg is atomized!" Mega Man indicated.

Magnet Man hopped back and forth a bit.  "...you're trying to trick me!" he proclaimed.  "Have at you!"  He proceeded to hop a charge at Mega Man, who countered by blasting his final leg off.

"Just give up already," Mega Man pleaded.  "I can take you back to the Docs and-"

"Never!" Magnet Man proclaimed.  "Come here!  I'll bite your legs off!"

Mega Man groaned shaking his head.  "Just...stop.  You've lost."

Magnet Man grinned.  "Not yet," he growled.  His body began emitting magnetic waves.

The Magnet Missiles that had stuck to the various walls around them disconnected and flew at Magnet Man at high speeds.  Mega Man was just barely able to dodge out of the way.

"Drop it!" Magnet Man shouted as the Missiles impacted his body.

A massive electromagnetic explosion ripped through the chamber, blasting Mega Man back against the wall along with Magnet Man's weapon chip and the Energy Element he'd been carrying.





As Mega Man beamed out, the doctors were in the midst of a discussion.

"We did design the Robot Masters with an affinity to the Energy Elements they were sent to mine, so as to better find them," Dr. Light concluded.  "I suppose it's possible that affinity caused the Energy Elements to overload their systems when they actually came into contact with them."

"Plausible," Wily allowed.  "Oh, Mega Man, you're back."

"One Energy Element successfully retrieved," Mega Man stated, setting the capsule on the counter.  "One Robot Master destroyed, and one Master Weapon gained."

Wily nodded.  "You should go after Hard Man next," Wily pointed out.  "The alloys he's made of conduct electromagnetic energies a little too well.  He'll be exceptionally vulnerable to Magnet Missile."

Nodding, Mega Man immediately beamed out.  Wily, Light, and the others immediately returned to the sofa and their snacks.

As Mega Man progressed through the next planetoid, there came a point where Rush Coil - the 'springboard' mode - was demonstrated.  Wily whistled in appreciation of how Rush was able to lock onto Mega Man to warp to him, while Vinyl took notes, which caused Light to chuckle.

At one point, Protoman once more challenged Mega Man, and the fight went more or less exactly the same as the previous time, although Mega Man took more damage due to the varied terrain.  Not long after that, he confronted Hard Man.

As Hard Man did not speak, their was no real dialogue to listen to.  The two traded blows for a time until Mega Man landed a blow with Magnet Missile...which resulted in Hard Man charging forward, grabbing Mega Man, and slamming him repeatedly against the walls.  Thankfully for Mega Man, he was able to keep firing, and the Magnet Missiles homed in on Hard Man, doing more damage to him than he was doing to Mega Man.  Hard Man's explosion knocked Mega Man across the room, along with the Energy Element and weapon chip.

"Was...was that Freak Mode?" Dr. Light demanded in shock.

"Can't be!" Wily proclaimed.  "I didn't install any Freak Chips in them!"

Vinyl turned her head, whistling innocently.
> Let's Watch Megaman: 3-2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As Mega Man returned with Hard Man's capsule of Energy Element, Wily had more bad news.  "Mega Man, I'm afraid you're going to have to head out immediately after Snake Man."

"What?" Mega Man demanded as he started recharging his armor.  "What's the rush?  I was hoping to rest up a bit and catch my breath-"

"The planetoid Snake Man was mining can be steered into pathways other than its orbit," Wily explained quickly.  "And the cameras that are sending us data about the various planetoids indicates that he's working on building a cloaking device for the entire sphere.  Do you want to imagine what he'll be able to do if he succeeds?"

Mega Man shuddered as he finished recharging.  "I don't suppose Magnet Missile or Hard Knuckle will be effective against him?" he asked hopefully.

"He's designed to ground out against the energies of the planetoid," Wily explained.  "Magnet Missile will have no effect on him whatsoever.  Hard Knuckle will be only somewhat more effective than your buster, and probably harder to aim."

"I'll keep that in mind," Mega Man stated as he beamed out.

"Thanks for that, Al," Dr. Light said softly.  "I hate giving Rock bad news."

"No problem," Wily replied as he sat back down, Vinyl immediately climbing onto his head.  "You're getting a bit big to sit up there," he pointed out.  "I don't think my spine can take it."

Vinyl blew a raspberry at him and made a few gestures, waving one hoof up and down before waving another back and forth.

Wily let out a laugh.  "No, I'm not letting you build me a new spine just so you can sit up there longer!"

As the whole group laughed, the screen zoomed in on Mega Man's progress through the planetoid.  While he had to do a lot of precise jumping to progress, there weren't any pits for the most part, making things much easier on him.  What pits there were that showed up later were also quite small and easy to jump over.  The snake head enemies were also easily dealt with, as were the other robots guarding the paths.

Before too long, Mega Man made it to Snake Man's chamber.





As Mega Man entered the chamber, he glanced around.  "Okay...Snake Man should be around here somewhere...but all I see is a cardboard box."  He blinked.  "...what's a cardboard box doing here?"  He began approaching it carefully.  After a time, he leveled his Buster at it...and fired.  The cardboard box fell apart, empty.  "Well-"

Snake Man dropped down from the ceiling atop a writhing mass of Search Snakes that resembled some form of giant battle robot.  "METAL GEAR!" he roared out as it began shooting lasers at Mega Man.

"The fuck?" Mega Man demanded as he began dodging and shooting.





"Good question," Wily gasped out.  "I certainly didn't design Snake Man with that!"

"Might be the Freak Mode," Light offered.  "The original version was related to their personalities, rather than their weapon weakness."

"You mean it was triggered by Mega Man shooting the box?" Crash Man asked in surprise.

"That would be logical," Air Man allowed.  "Alternatively, Snake Man might have grabbed some of Wood Man's stash."

"Dude, those are relaxants!" Wood Man complained.

"Not when undiluted," Air Man pointed out as Mega Man desperately tried to take Snake Man down.

"Oh," Wood Man replied, blinking a bit.  "Yeah, that'd do it...this stuff is pretty crazy when raw..."

At long last, Mega Man managed to finish off Snake Man, beaming back in with the Energy Element.  "Please tell me whoever's next will be easier!" he gasped out as he set the capsule down.

"Top Man isn't much of a combatant," Wily pointed out.  "Also, the kinetic force of the Hard Knuckle would knock him right out of his Top Spin."

"Sounds like a plan...once I'm recharged," Mega Man managed to get out between deep breaths.

Vinyl walked up beside him, nuzzling him and offering him a smoothie.

"Thanks," he managed, taking a deep drink.  "Strawberry kiwi!  How'd you know my favorite flavor?"

"Roll!" Vinyl replied happily.

"I'm so glad I was designed to be able to eat," Mega Man replied.  Once he was recharged and had finished his smoothie, he returned to the teleporter.  "Send me up, docs!"

Once Mega Man was underway, the group returned to their seats to watch.  Top Man's planetoid was rather straightforward, the path lacking in pits.  Instead, it mostly had stairs with enemies at the top, which Search Snake proved effective at dealing with.  It didn't take long for him to reach Top Man.





Mega Man stepped a bit more carefully into Top Man's chamber.  "Top Man?" he called out.

"Oh, hello Mega Man," Top Man replied morosely.  "Seems like I was right.  You're here to shut me down now..."

Mega Man blinked in surprise.  "Well...yeah.  You've gone rogue...haven't you?"

"I suppose I could have," Top Man mumbled.  "Might have been fun.  Probably not, though.  Probably would have gone horribly wrong.  Not that it matters much.  I'm a joke either way.  If I weren't a Robot Master, the other robots wouldn't even obey me.  I can tell they don't respect me.  Just...just finish me off already."

Mega Man lowered his buster.  "Gosh, I...this feels just awful.  Isn't...I mean, have you tried being happy?"

"And what could there possibly be for me to be happy about?" Top Man asked, his eyes turning flinty.

"I don't know," Mega Man replied.  "Is...is there anything I can do to make you happy?"

Top Man stood up slowly.  "There...is one thing," he growled out as he stepped forward.  "I can rip both your arms from their sockets, and shove one down your throat and the other up your ass so far you can shake your own hand!"

Mega Man blinked.  "...like this?" he asked, interlacing his fingers of both hands and shaking them up and down."

Top Man stared at him for a while.  "...I'm even a failure at being threatening..." he sobbed.

Mega Man blinked.  "Umm...there...there?" he offered helplessly, gently patting Top Man on the shoulder.

"Don't patronize me!" Top Man shouted out, going into his Top Spin and sending Mega Man slamming against the wall.  "...that...worked..."

Growling, Mega Man switched to Hard Knuckle and aimed his buster at Top Man.  Energy began to gather.

"What are you doing?" Top Man asked.

"I'm charging my buster," Mega Man replied.

Top Man gaped at him.  "You...you can do that?" he gulped.

"We're about to find out," Mega Man replied angrily.





The camera signal cut out in a bright flash.  "What happened?" Dr. Light demanded.

Shortly after, Mega Man beamed in, the Energy Element under one arm, the other a sparking stump.  "Dad?" he called out.  "I...got the Energy Element...I stopped Top Man...and I need a new arm..."  He set the Energy Element down on the counter, and then promptly collapsed to the floor.
> Let's Watch Megaman: 3-3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Once Mega Man was fully repaired, Dr. Light stepped back with a frown.  "Alright, I've got you all fixed up...but don't go trying to charge your buster again.  While I do have such a system under construction, it's nowhere near ready, and even when it is it'll only work for your buster.  I'm a long way from being able to produce a system to charge subweapons.  A hundred years at least."

Mega Man groaned as he worked out his new arm.  "I'll keep that in mind, Dad.  Hopefully I'll have some time to get used to this arm before-"  He cut himself off as Wily approached.  "Scratch that, hopefully I'll learn to keep my mouth shut."

"Sorry about this, Mega Man," Wily told him, "but Shadow Man's issued you a formal challenge.  He says he's built a superweapon utilizing his planetoid's Energy Element, and if you aren't fighting him within the hour, he's going to blow up the moon."

"He's what?" Mega Man demanded, leaping to his feet.  "Get me there immediately!"

"The coordinates are already keyed in," Wily explained as Mega Man rushed for the teleporter.

Once he was beamed out, everyone immediately gathered around the screen to see what would happen.  The planetoid seemed to be filled with magma, oddly enough.  Given the time limit involved, it was understandable that Mega Man rushed heedlessly through, leaping downward and charging through, pushing past enemy robots through sheer physical force if possible to avoid slowing down.

"Glad I gave him a couple E tanks," Dr. Light muttered as he watched.

"He's going to need them," Wily agreed.

Protoman beamed in to battle Mega Man again, only for Mega Man to charge up and punch him in the face before rushing onward.  Vinyl winced visibly at the punch...and Protoman's swearing as he turned to pick pieces of his sunglasses out of his synthoflesh face.  She quickly raced away to work on a new set for him when he got back...one that wouldn't break from being punched.

As Mega Man continued his charge to reach Shadow Man's chamber, Wily scratched his chin.  "I wonder if I should have told him that Shadow Man's internal gyroscope has increased sensitivity to allow him to walk across floors and ceilings without vertigo."

"Why would that be important?" Dr. Light asked.

"It makes him vulnerable to being spun around rapidly," Wily explained.

"Top Spin," Air Man clarified.





As Mega Man charged into the chamber, he spun around, pointing his buster everywhere.  "Shadow Man!" he called out.  "I'm here!  I'll fight you!  It's only been ten minutes!  Don't blow up the moon!"

"Blow up the-"  Shadow Man dropped down from where he'd been braced against the ceiling.  "The hell are you talking about?"

"You sent me a challenge proclaiming you had a superweapon and were going to blow up the moon if I didn't fight you within the hour!" Mega Man declared angrily.  "I won't let you!"

Shadow Man blinked, scratching his chin for a bit, then chuckled.  "So that's how it is..." he muttered under his breath.  He then grinned.  "Try and stop me!" he proclaimed loudly.  Drawing several shadow blades - a rather fancy name for what were basically oversized shurikens - he hurled them before he began leaping from wall to wall.

Mega Man dodged out of the way of the attack, pursuing Shadow Man and managing to tackle him to the ground.  "You're not getting away that easily!" he growled out.

Chuckling, Shadow Man managed to embed a Shadow Blade in Mega Man's buster.  The variable weapon system began randomizing.  "Let's see how well you do when you can't control your own weapons!" he snapped.

Growling, Mega Man triggered his weapon, and began spinning rapidly.

"Damn...Top...Spin..." Shadow Man groaned as he felt his energy dropping as his power core struggled to stabilize his gyroscope.  Drawing forth another Shadow Blade, he drove it into Mega Man's chest.

Both robots staggered away from each other, clutching their chests.  Shadow Man noticed the alert on his readout that his gyroscope had failed.  "You win this round, Mega Man," he growled out.  "But you won't be so lucky next time."  He promptly beamed out, leaving behind a capsule of the Energy Element.

Staggering over to it, Mega Man promptly beamed it out and back to Light's Lab.





Repairs to Mega Man went quickly, as he had to head out immediately because Gemini Man's planetoid was passing dangerously close to the Earth's orbit.  If Gemini Man caused a chain reaction with the Energy Element in the planetoid, the explosion could conceivably destabilize Earth's orbit.  There was no evidence that Gemini Man was planning such a thing, but there was every possibility that he was insane.

Vinyl, for her part, chose not to watch this time around, as she was busy repairing Protoman and Shadow Man, both of whom had warped in with their damages.  Shadow Man's repairs would take a while, as the gyroscope had been reduced to slag and she had to rebuild it from scratch...along with any impulsive redesigns she came up with in the process.  Protoman's glasses, however, were already finished, and the only repairs still needed in his case were replacement optics, which he insisted on taking care of himself, much to Vinyl's frustrations.

Mega Man, meanwhile, had reached Gemini Man.





As Mega Man entered Gemini Man's chamber, he found himself face to face with Gemini Man, wearing dark sunglasses and a suit.  "Greetings, Mega Man."

"Welcome to your end," another said from behind him.

"Your defeat is at hand," a third said, stepping up to the right.

"The Energy Element has amplified our power," a fourth said from the left, as dozens of others took shape.

"We are infinite now."

"You will fall to us."

"It is inevitable, Mr. Mega."

Mega Man glanced around at the gathered Gemini Men.  "You do realize I know that most of these are just hard light holograms, right?" he pointed out.

"It does you no good if you cannot find the real me," another Gemini Man stated.

"And you noticed that I'm currently green?" Mega Man inquired.

The real Gemini Man blinked as he saw himself surrounded by Search Snakes.  "Well played, Mr. Mega," he stated as they all struck at once.
> Let's Watch Megaman: 3-4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As Mega Man beamed back in, he rolled his eyes as he saw Wily approach.  "Who's next?" he asked in resignation.

"I'd suggest you head after Needle Man next," Wily indicated.  "His armor has a design flaw that causes focused light to pass right through it."

"Meaning Gemini Laser would bounce around inside him and cause a great deal of damage," Mega Man confirmed.  "But...why suggest?  Normally you say 'this one next, hurry!'  What's different?"

"You didn't neutralize Shadow Man," Wily explained.  "We have no idea of where he is.  Wood Man, Air Man, and Crash Man will be keeping an eye on your progress in case you need assistance.  Tom and I are going to be trying to track Shadow Man down in the mean time.  You, however, need to neutralize the remaining Robot Masters so Shadow Man can't get any backup."

"Understood," Mega Man agreed, stepping back into the teleporter as soon as he was fully recharged.

While the Robot Masters kept track of Mega Man's progress, Wily went to talk with Tom.  "Any progress on tracking down Shadow Man?"

"Afraid not," Tom replied.  "I've been scanning for the unique energy/metal reaction that his gyroscope and cloaking tech are made from, as that's the repairs he'd need, but the only signal I'm getting is from here in the lab, and I know he can't be here."

"That's right," Albert agreed.  "Nobody here would be repairing Shadow Man."

Vinyl let out an adorable sneeze.

"Are you alright, Vinyl?" Wily asked quickly, kneeling down beside her.  "You aren't catching a cold, are you?"  Before Vinyl could respond, Wily put his hand to her forehead.  "That doesn't feel normal," he commented on her temperature.  Raising his head, he called out, "Roll!  I need blankets, warm packs, and chicken soup with tofu, stat!"

"Coming, Doctor!" Roll called back.

By the time Mega Man had reached Needle Man's chambers, Wily had Vinyl cocooned in a blanket, a soft heat pack on her head, a bowl of soup in front of her, and a put out expression on her face.  "Make sure she eats her soup," Wily instructed Air Man.  "I wish I could tend to her myself, but-"

"Understood, Doctor," Air Man replied.  He spooned some soup up, holding the spoon out to Vinyl as she sat on the couch.  "Say ah."

Grumpily, Vinyl allowed herself to be fed as she watched Mega Man fight Needle Man.





As Mega Man entered the chamber, Needle Man snorted at him.  "About time, bub," he grunted.  "I've been waiting forever."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Mega Man replied.  "But you just weren't that high a priority."  He calmly shifted to Gemini Laser as he spoke.

Needle Man glowered at him.  "Oh...you're gonna regret that choice of words, bub."  Needles 'snicked' out of his busters.

"Doubtful," Mega Man stated as he fired.  The laser impacted with Needle Man, knocking him back.

Needle Man's eyes turned red, and needles erupted all over his body.  Lifting his arms, he let out a bestial roar, the needles all over him launching randomly as he charged for Mega Man.

Mega Man desperately evaded the charge, and stared in shock as the door crumbled under Needle Man's impact.  Since he was unable to evade the endless barrage of needles, he knew he had to end the fight quickly.

Thankfully, three more laser shots finished Needle Man off, letting him acquire the weapon chip and the capsule of Energy Element.





While Wily and Light gave Mega Man a reverse acupuncture session - pulling the needles out to fix the damage - Vinyl managed to escape her caretakers in order to get back to the part of the lab she'd hidden and converted to her own purposes.  Protoman had finished fixing himself, and loved the new glasses, especially as they interfaced with his new optics to provide him with alternative forms of vision, including sonar.  Shadow Man's gyroscope was nearly finished, and would just need to be installed.

However, one other project was in the works, Vinyl's first attempt at building her own Robot Master.  She knew this one would be, at best, a rough draft model.  It was the most basic of basic, and looked like a mish mash of parts she'd scavenged out of the lab's recycling plant...which it unfortunately was.  However, having installed Mega Man's variable weapon system in its core so it didn't have to worry about running out of weapon energy, she was certain it would prove a nice challenge.

All that it needed was a name...and an opportunity to reveal it without being thought to be involved.

As Mega Man went up against Spark Man, Vinyl realized she had the perfect opportunity...





Mega Man had been briefed on Spark Man.  Given his design, his only weaknesses were Shadow Blades - which Mega Man hadn't been able to acquire - and his own weapon.  However, Mega Man had studied the actual blueprints for a bit, and believed he had a plan that could work.

Spark Man leapt onto the scene.  "I'm shocked to see you at long last, Mega Man!" he chortled.  He aimed his spark arms forward.  "Felt you needed a jolt after all this time-"

Spark Man's words were cut off as two Needles from Mega Man's Needle Cannon embedded themselves in the sides of his head.  "What?  Hey!  I'm positive that's not fair!"  He reached up with his spark arms to try and remove them.

Two Magnet Missiles connected the spark arms to the needles.  With the circuit completed, Spark Man's own electrical nature overloaded him.  "W-w-w-w-what an e-e-e-e-electrifying experience!" he called out before exploding.

Smirking, Mega Man collected the weapon chip and energy element capsule.





As Mega Man beamed back in to the lab, he was bowled over as a black, grey, yellow, white, and red robot with a skull face trampled him, snatching the Energy Element capsule from him.  "Thank you very much!" the robot stated politely.  "I knew you were polite, but I never imagined you were so generous."

Mega Man looked up in time to see the robot enter the teleporter with all eight capsules.  "Wait!"

The robot smiled at him.  "Know that Doc Robot thanks you for making his job so much easier!" the robot called out before beaming out.

As the lab went into an uproar, Vinyl feigned snoring to maintain an appearance of innocence.  However, one person wasn't entirely fooled...
> The Mastermind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man was able to use the teleporter's data bank to lock onto Doc Robot's transport signature and follow him, pursuing him in an attempt to recover the Energy Elements.  Doc Robot had apparently fled to Spark Man's planetoid first.  Mega Man had a much easier time this visit, as Rush's Jet mode was completed, and Mega Man was able to ride on his back through most of it.

About halfway through, Doc Robot was waiting for him.  "Catch me if you can!" he called out, leveling a Sonic disruptor at him.

Mega Man yelped as he dodged to the side just before it fired.  Once the shot passed him by, he shot the gun out of Doc Robot's hand.

"Oops!" Doc Robot joked before racing away through to the rest of the planetoid.  Mega Man took off in pursuit.

When Mega Man caught up to him, Doc Robot began leaping about, hurling Quick Man's Quick Boomerangs.  Unable to track the moving target accurately, Mega Man decided to let Search Snake hunt him down for him.

After taking some damage, Doc Robot grinned widely.  "Well, you're certainly full of surprises...but you can't beat me that easily!"  With that, he teleported out.

Growling, Mega Man locked onto the signal, beaming straight to the planetoid Gemini Man had worked.





Halfway through the planetoid, Mega Man caught up to Doc Robot.  "Stop running away!" he growled.

"But I'm so good at it!" Doc Robot complained, thrusting his hand forward.

Mega Man started to lunge forward, but found himself immobilized as the air around him twinkled.  "F...Flash Man?"

"Yup!" Doc Robot replied.  "I've got all the weapons of the last gen of Robot Masters...but without their quirky weaknesses!"  Lunging forward, Doc Robot punched Mega Man hard in the chest, making him double over before slamming the back of his head with his buster arm.

As Mega Man slammed into the floor, he switched to Gemini Laser.  "Flash this!" he snapped, rolling over and firing.  As he'd thought, the bright shine of the reflective laser interfered with the functionality of the Flash Stopper.  "Thought so!" he snapped, leaping up and firing several more shots as Doc Robot barely managed to dodge.

"Well aren't you the clever clogs!" Doc Robot pouted as he fled further into the planetoid.

Mega Man pursued further, this time catching up in an underwater section.  Doc Robot grinned.  "Not so good at underwater, are you?" he teased as he started firing Bubble Leads.

Smirking, Mega Man called in Rush in Marine mode.

"No fair!" Doc Robot complained as he beamed out.  Mega Man pursued to Shadow Man's planetoid.





Once again, Rush Jet made the passage through the planetoid much easier for Mega Man, once again catching up to Doc Robot halfway through the area.  Doc Robot grinned as he conjured a Leaf Shield.  "You can't beat me now-"

Mega Man immediately fired off several shots from his Needle Cannon.  They pinned the leaves to Doc Robot's body, shorting out the weapon.  "Wood Man uses the hookah because he's terrified of needles," he explained.

"Maker damn it!" Doc Robot snapped as he fled once more, Mega Man in hot pursuit.

Rush Jet also made the second half of the planetoid easy for Mega Man as well, letting him rapidly catch up to Doc Robot.  As soon as he stepped into the room, however, Doc Robot charged him, his body surrounded by flame.  "It's time to heat things up!" Doc Robot exclaimed.

Mega Man countered by grabbing Doc Robot by his ankles after dodging the first charge, switching to Top Spin, and spinning him around until he ran out of power for Atomic Fire before hurling him against the wall.

"I don't wanna play anymore!" Doc Robot complained as he warped out.  Mega Man pursued him to Needle Man's former base, determined that he wouldn't escape again.





Mega Man was able to readily blur through the first half of the planetoid to catch up to Doc Robot.  "You never did beat Air Man!" he called out, blasting away at Mega Man with the mini-tornadoes.

Mega Man evaded them, firing away with Spark Shock.  "Wind doesn't blow away electricity, and there aren't any pits in here."

"Damn it!" Doc Robot countered angrily as he fled, his systems starting to malfunction.

Mega Man pursued, using Rush Jet to clear most of the remainder of the area.  When he finally caught up to Doc Robot, he switched to Hard Knuckle.  "You're nowhere near as smart as Crash Man," he declared, hitting Doc Robot with a launched Hard Knuckle that took him right off his feet.  Leaping forward, he smashed several of Doc Robot's components before pointing his buster at his head.  "Now...where's the Energy Element?"

Doc Robot giggled.  "Silly Mega Man...I never had it!  My Maker's had it all along!"

"Who made you?"

"Not telling!" Doc Robot teased.  "And you won't get it out of me."  His chest compartment opened.  "I bring you destruction."

Eyes popping open, Mega Man beamed out.

Doc Robot blinked.  "I can't believe that worked!" he crowed.  "So...somebody's going to fix me now, right?"  He glanced around, seeing no robots or humans nearby.  "Somebody?"  His expression became worried.  "Anybody?" he called out forlornly.

A familiar whistle sang out.





While this was all going on, Albert had snuck his way into what Vinyl had set up as her lab, discovering her installing Shadow Man's new gyroscope.  He was now tapping his foot as he glared down at her.  "Vinyl Scratch Wily...you have some explaining to do," he stated firmly.

Vinyl finished installing the gyroscope, then dropped to the floor.  Hanging her head, she looked up at Wily with her ears flat against her skull, her eyes large and soulful as they peeked out from over the top of her sunglasses.  She lifted one hoof, pawing at the air.

"While that's excellent progress at weaponizing cuteness," Wily scolded, "it is not an explanation."

"Check her tablet," Shadow Man stated bluntly.

"Shadow Man!" Vinyl whined.

Curious, Wily picked up the tablet.  The "Make Daddy Proud Checklist" was displayed, with "Attempt World Takeover" highlighted, the checklist for that displayed.  Wily blinked back tears he hadn't expected.  "Is...is that what this is all about?" he asked Vinyl.  "Were...were you just trying to make me...proud of you?"

Vinyl nodded sadly, sniffling and pawing at the ground.

Kneeling, Wily wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.  "We'll talk about this once it's all resolved," he promised softly.  "For now, there's something I have to do.  Doc Robot was yours?"  Vinyl nodded.  "Where'd he put the Energy Element capsules?"

Vinyl pointed to behind the door to her lab, where they'd be hidden by the act of opening the door.

Wily chuckled as he gathered the capsules.  "Clever girl," he praised, petting her on the head on his way out.

Out in the main lab, Dr. Light blinked at the sight of Wily carrying the Energy Element capsules.  "Albert, where did you get those?"

"Vinyl was behind this world takeover attempt," he explained as he made his way towards Gamma.  "She was doing it to make me proud of her."

Tom sighed softly.  "She loves you very much."

"Yup," Wily agreed.  "So now I'm going to steal Gamma so it looks like I was behind it, so she doesn't end up in juvey."

"You're a good father," Dr. Light praised.

"I'll try not to destroy too much of the lab on the way out," Wily promised.

"Just make sure to do enough that I can convince Mega Man I tried to stop you," Light agreed.
> Assault and Resolution
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man rushed to find Dr. Light as soon as he returned from the planetoid.  "Dr. Light!" he called out.  "Doc Robot never had the Energy Elements!  He'd left them with his Maker all along!"

"Mega Man!" Dr. Light called out breathlessly.  "Dr. Wily has stolen Gamma!"

"Then he was behind this all along!" Mega Man proclaimed.  "I'll pursue him right away!  I left a tracer on the capsules."  He paused as he turned.  "...I probably should have used that instead of chasing Doc Robot..."  With that, he beamed out to follow Dr. Wily.

Dr. Light let out a sigh of relief.  "Here he comes, Al," he murmured.





Mega Man made his way quickly through Wily's Fortress...which was actually his second Fortress, the one that never blew up, but following a different path to get to where Wily had secreted Gamma.  Between his seven Master Weapons and Rush's three modes, Mega Man was able to get through many obstacles readily.

He faced the first Fortress Guardian underwater.  It stayed well out of the water, using air jets to try and make Mega Man slam into it, while occasionally sending out green turtle bots to attack Mega Man.  To penetrate the hard shells more efficiently, Mega Man used Needle Cannon on the turtle bots.  After destroying several of the turtle bots, the guardian exploded.

In the next segment of the Fortress, Mega Man had to climb up...and up...and up.  After that, he used Rush Jet to clear a large segment filled with spikes.

The Guardian of this section proved to be a creature made of yellow ooze controlled by a black sphere...a being Mega Man's systems registered as the Yellow Devil.  The ooze flew around the chamber in sections, trying to hit him before the beast fully reformed to shoot at him from its eye.  At first, Mega Man had a hard time dodging the ooze chunks.

"Geeze, is this a fight or a dance?" he demanded angrily, before pausing, taking another hit.  "Wait a minute...my internal gyroscope is reinforced when I'm using Top Spin..."  Switching to Top Spin, he used the improved maneuverability of the reinforced gyroscope to evade each of the chunks more easily, several times looking a bit like he was break dancing.  And since he wasn't actually using the weapon, he didn't run out of energy.

When the Devil reformed, Mega Man quickly switched to Hard Knuckle, attempting to knock the core out of the body.  While that didn't work, it did seem to damage the core quite effectively.

Following this pattern, Mega Man was able to conquer the Yellow Devil.

The next segment of the Fortress was very straightforward, with few obstacles he had trouble with.  The only difficulty came in a large section with moving platforms surrounded by spikes as he had to climb up.  Because of the pattern of the platforms' movement, Mega Man had to be both careful and fast.  He made it to the other side out of breath, but otherwise fine.

The guardian of that part of the Fortress proved to be hard light hologram versions of him.  Remembering how he dealt with Gemini Man, he sent out his Search Snakes, which proved supremely effective against the holograms.

The next section of the Fortress involved moving downward while facing robots that looked like they were made of junk and threw blocks of junk parts at him.  One teleport capsule later, and Mega Man found himself surrounded by teleport capsules.  Each one led him to duplicates of the robot masters.

The first he faced was Needle Man.  "Ready for a rematch, bub?"

Mega Man lifted his hand.  "Did you know my buster has a fire governor?"

Needle Man blinked.  "A what?" he asked in confusion.

"It governs the rate at which I can fire either my standard weapon, or the weapons I got from you guys," Mega Man explained.  "I can turn it off, and fire all the sub weapons insanely rapidly...but that burns out my buster."

Needle Man stared at him.  "And...why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I brought a spare buster," Mega Man explained, "along with a Weapon Energy recharge tank.  So I've turned the governor off."

Four rapid fire Gemini Lasers later, Needle Man was a smoking husk.





Six other Robot Masters went down just as easily...but the eighth teleporter - the one that would have led to Shadow Man - had shut itself down by the time Mega Man got to it.  Dismantling his arm, Mega Man swapped the burnt out buster for the fresh one.  "Convenient," he muttered, heading through the final door.

The last teleport capsule took him to the final section of the Fortress, which dropped him down into a large area.  Dr. Wily came out in a large Death Machine, which was basically his saucer attached to a walker, with a gun at the bottom that launched blasts that flew at Mega Man in a spiral.  "Mega Man!" Wily proclaimed.  "This time you will-"

Before Wily had even finished speaking, Mega Man had fired several Spark Shocks into the gun, causing it to explode.

"Hey!" Wily complained.  "I wasn't finished-"

Calling Rush, Mega Man launched himself into the air, firing off several Hard Knuckles at the glass cockpit now that it was visible, shattering it.

"You used to be so polite," Wily growled, shaking his head disdainfully before it popped off his neck on a spring.

Mega Man blinked.  "A copy?"  Turning, he raced towards Gamma.





Mega Man managed to get to Gamma before Wily could make it take off.  Using its dock as a platform, Mega Man was able to blast away at the primary control unit until it burst, forcing Wily to take direct control.

"I'm going to crush you, Mega Man!" Wily roared angrily.

Mega Man leapt onto Rush's back, carrying him up to Wily's cockpit.  "I don't think so!" he shouted as he threw himself into a flying kick.  Switching to Top Spin, he activated it, drilling straight through the cockpit dome and into the controls, frying them.

The kick also punched through the back of the cockpit, taking Mega Man and Wily out as Gamma began to explode.  Mega Man took a heavy hit from falling debris and blacked out.

While he was unconscious, Protoman grabbed him and took him back to Light Labs.  Shadow Man grabbed Wily and went to meet with Wood Man, Crash Man, Air Man, and Doc Robot at the new fortress, where Vinyl was already settled in.





As Mega Man awakened in Light's lab, he blinked.  "...I didn't catch Wily, did I?"

"No," Dr. Light replied.  "You didn't."

"How...did I get out?"

"Your older brother, Protoman, rescued you."

Mega Man's eyes widened.  "I have an older brother?" he gasped.  "Why haven't I met him?"

"You have," Dr. Light replied.  "He's been secretly pushing you, testing you, to make sure you were ready for what was to come...at least he was, until you punched him in the face."

Mega Man glanced away, blushing.

"Still, I consider this a success," Dr. Light indicated.  "Not only can Dr. Wily not use Gamma, but it's been shown just how dangerous such a robot is in the wrong hands...and the fact that it can't function as designed, since you defeated it so easily."

Mega Man managed a smile.  "Thanks Dad," he said softly.





Vinyl glowered up at her father, grumbling under her breath.  She understood that it was especially cold and covered in snow outside the new Fortress, but she felt this was excessive.  She had a fur coat, after all.  She didn't really need a parka, snow pants, thick boot snow shoes for all four hooves, a snow hat tied under her chin, a scarf covering her face under her glasses, and - the ultimate indignity - a hand knit horn cover!  It didn't help that she couldn't even be angry about that since her Daddy had knit it himself for her specifically because he knew how sensitive her horn was to extreme temperatures, and she could see the bandages covering his hands from all the times he stuck himself with the needle.  At least he'd stitched a nice pattern of blue and white, reminiscent of both her mane and tail and the discharge of her sonic disruptor.

"There now," Wily declared happily.  "Now you're safe to play in the snow.  Enjoy!"

Grumping and grumbling under her breath, Vinyl waddled out of the Fortress and into the snow.  She blinked in surprise as she saw another Fortress not too far away.  Confused, she decided to investigate.

Waddling up to the other Fortress, she knocked on the door.  A young blond girl with green eyes wearing a red fur coat answered the door.  "Da?" she asked curiously before gasping at the sight of the figure at the door.  "Oh, is this someone's snowman joke?"

"Nmph!" Vinyl grumped through the thick scarf.

The young lady gasped.  "There is a creature in all that?  Come in and get warm!"  Pulling Vinyl inside, she set her next to a warm fire.  "Where did you come from, malyutka?" she asked as she slowly unwrapped Vinyl.

Smiling, Vinyl pointed towards her Daddy's new fortress.

"Ah, you are new neighbors!" the young girl replied.  "Daddy will be so pleased to meet...tiny unicorn?" she asked in confusion as she finished unwrapping her guest.

Vinyl smiled up at her.  "I'm Vinyl Scratch Wily!" she introduced herself happily.  "What's your name?"

The girl smiled.  "I am Kalinka Cossack.  Wait, Wily?  You are Dr. Wily's daughter?"

Vinyl nodded happily.

Kalinka clapped her hands together.  "My Father has always vanted to meet your father!  He will be so happy we are friends!"

Vinyl grinned widely in response.
> Friendly Misunderstanding
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several hours after Vinyl had headed out to play in the snow, Albert realized just how long she'd been gone and started to worry.  "Curse this warm fire and cold weather!" he snapped as he climbed out of the blankets in which he'd unwittingly dozed off.  He quickly rushed to his own snow gear.  "Protoman!  Crash Man!  Air Man!  Wood Man!  Shadow Man!  Vinyl's been out in the snow too long!  Help me look for her!"

All the summoned robots immediately leapt into action, having entered their own recharge modes hours before.  Quickly shifting to cold weather mode, they all began clanking about in the snow, searching with high tech scanners for any sign of the missing unicorn.  Albert, for his part, stomped along in the snow, having donned color-scan goggles tuned specifically to the light wavelength of Vinyl's mane and tail, as well as a scanner that locked onto the homing beacon he'd sewn into Vinyl's horn cover.  Using that signal - a worryingly stationary signal - for guidance, Wily marched straight towards it.  Sighting another building in the distance, he prayed to any power that would listen that Vinyl had just gone for a protracted visit to the new neighbors.

"Heads up!"

Hearing that shout in a familiar voice, Albert spun around, only to receive a face full of snow, knocking him flat on his back.  He groaned as he raised one hand to his face.  "...I'm too old for this..." he moaned.

A series of clanks echoed as steps approached him.  "Dad?" Vinyl asked worriedly.

"I'm okay, Vinyl," he hastened to reassure her, brushing snow from his face and sitting up.  Blinking, he stared at his daughter.  "...that's a different wardrobe," he muttered.

Vinyl smiled widely.  Instead of the snow gear he'd bundled her up in, she was wearing a red fur coat with yellow buttons, along with a black fur cap on her head.  She looked plenty warm and comfortable.  She waved her legs to indicate she could move more...drawing eyes to the robotic attachments.

"Where'd you get the monkey suit?" Albert inquired.

'Monkey suit' was an accurate description, as the robotic limbs were shaped very much like the limbs of a large monkey, or perhaps a very small gorilla, given how it was built for running around on all fours, though the foreleg attachments had hands and not hooves.

"Kalinka!" Vinyl replied happily.  Swinging the hand-leg down, she used it to scoop up a ball of snow, patting it between the two robotic hands to shape it.  She then pointed to a few aspects of the design Wily recognized from how the Doc Robot had been built.

"So...you and this Kalinka built you a robo-monkey suit so you could have a snowball fight?" Albert asked to clarify.

Vinyl nodded eagerly.

"Vinyl!" a high pitched voice called out.  "Are we done playin-oh!"  Kalinka skidded to a halt in the snow a few feet from the pair.  "You must be Dr. Wily," she said quickly, bowing respectfully.  "I am Kalinka Cossack.  It is pleasure to be meeting you."

Wily smiled as he pushed himself to his feet.  "The pleasure's all mine.  It's nice to see Vinyl making friends - in the traditional sense - who can keep up with her."  He couldn't help but join in the giggles the two young girls shared.  "But where's the snow gear Vinyl was wearing when she left?"

"Is back at Cossack Castle!" Kalinka informed him before shivering a bit.  "Should be getting back.  I need to warm up."

"Our Fortress is closer," Wily offered.  "I'm sure Vinyl would rather spend more time with you, and it is time for her to come home."

Seeing Vinyl's adorable begging face, Kalinka smiled.  "I would be happy to accept your hospitality," she agreed gratefully.  "But my father will be wondering where I am when he gets home."

Wily grinned and pulled out his communicator.  "Air Man," he instructed, "Vinyl left her snow gear at Cossack Castle.  Gather it, and while you're there leave a note for Dr. Cossack so he knows Kalinka's over at our place."

"Yes Doctor," Air Man replied, marching towards Cossack Castle.

"Now that that's all taken care of," Wily offered with a smile before turning to head back home, the two girls - one human, one equine - following in his wake.





A few hours later, Albert was relaxing once more in his fortress, listening to the sounds of Vinyl and Kalinka running through the halls, playing and laughing together.  He found it a very pleasant sound, one he hoped to hear more often.

As he thought that, the vid-phone rang, alerting him to an incoming call.  "On screen," he instructed.

When the screen turned on, a youngish man with brown hair, green eyes, and dressed in a lab coat appeared.  "Dr. Wily, I presume?" the man asked.

"The one and only," Wily confirmed.  "You must be Dr. Mikhail Cossack.  I've been expecting your call."

"Yes," Mikhail agreed.  "This would be to discuss the ransom, yes?"

Wily blinked.  "Ransom?" he asked, shocked.

"For the return of my daughter!" Mikhail proclaimed, holding up a note.

The note read, "We have Kalinka," along with a large W and the new vid-phone number.

"Look, I'll give you anything you want!" Mikhail began beseechingly.  "I've made a good amount of money working for the government-"

"I don't want your money!" Wily snapped.  "Kalinka is-"

"I have Robot Masters!" Cossack shouted pleadingly.  "Eight of them!  I'll take over the world for you and destroy Mega Man!  Just please don't-"

Seeing that Dr. Cossack had worked himself into a frenzy, Albert pulled an air horn out from a nearby cupboard and blasted it.  "Now that I have a chance to speak," he scolded once the sound stopped.  "There appears to have been a miscommunication.  Kalinka is not a hostage.  She's a guest, and free to leave at any time.  She's here at Vinyl's and my own invitation-"

"Vinyl?" Cossack asked, confused.

"My daughter," Albert explained.

"Oh.  I wasn't aware you were married-"

"I'm not," Albert corrected.  "She's adopted.  Look, why don't you come over and check on her yourself?"

Mikhail frowned suspiciously.  "You'll forgive me if I don't take your word for that?"

"Then bring one of your Robot Masters as extra protection," Wily offered.  "It'd be nice to see another scientist's work."

"I'll do that," Mikhail replied curtly before hanging up.

Wily groaned as he put his face in his hands.  "God dammit, Air Man."

"Ha.  Ha.  Ha," Air Man replied.





It didn't take long for Dr. Cossack to reach the fortress, accompanied by a fully human shaped Robot Master done up like an Egyptian Pharaoh.  Wily greeted him at the door.  "Welcome, Dr. Cossack.  Oh, so this is your Robot Master?"

Mikhail nodded.  "Yes.  This is Pharaoh Man-"

"Where is Kalinka?" Pharaoh Man demanded angrily.  His voice, oddly enough, had a slight Chinese accent for some reason.

"She's perfectly fine," Albert replied quickly.  "She and Vinyl are playing together.  Vinyl just got a little over excited since this is the first friend she's made in her own age group."  Hearing his own words, Wily frowned.  Vinyl really does need someone to play with who isn't a combat bot or a half-decrepit old man like me...I need to make her a big brother or something...

Mikhail closed his eyes and put his hand to his forehead.  "I'm afraid Kalinka is similarly undersocialized," he admitted.  "A failing on my part..."

At that point, Kalinka and Vinyl came tearing around the corner.  "Can't catch me!" Kalinka shouted as she raced ahead, almost running full tilt into Dr. Cossack.  "Father?  You are back from work early!"

"Yes, I wanted to surprise you," Mikhail told his daughter.  "But it seems I was the one surprised-"

"Kalinka!" Pharaoh Man interrupted.  "You should not be playing with strangers!  It is too dangerous!"

Kalinka stomped her foot angrily.  "You say everything's too dangerous, Uncle Pharaoh Man!"

Uncle? Wily questioned silently.

Dr. Cossack rolled his eyes.  "That's the last time you're in charge of keeping an eye on her when I'm away, Pharaoh Man," he scolded.

"I am not a baby sitter!" Pharaoh Man complained.  "I am an archaeologist!"

Vinyl suddenly gasped happily.  "Mummy!" she shouted, racing towards the new robot, pulling out a pick ax in her magic from somewhere.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Pharaoh Man screamed as he turned to run in the other direction.  "Bad day bad day bad day bad day bad day!"

As Kalinka started off after the pair, Wily turned to Dr. Cossack.  "How come Kalinka calls your Robot Master Uncle?" he asked wonderingly.  "Wouldn't it make more sense for her to think of him - and your other Robot Masters - as brothers?"

At that moment, Kalinka's phone gave off an alert with a rather distinct sound clip.  "Oh!" she said, pulling it out.  "I am supposed to be making dinner now!"

"Never mind," Wily groaned.
> Diplomatic Relations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Wily and Cossack sat back, sharing some black tea and cookies Kalinka had made, while Kalinka was introducing Vinyl to the sweet taste of Mors, her preferred beverage.  Vinyl, apparently, absolutely adored it, considering she constantly asked for more.  As the pair of scientists watched their robots trying - with varying degrees of success - to keep the children in line, Wily decided to bring the topic of conversation around to something his companion had brought up.  "You said you had eight Robot Masters, Mikhail?" he asked curiously.

"Yes," the young doctor replied.  "Commissioned by my government for...various purposes."

"I couldn't help but notice that, despite claiming to be an archaeologist, Pharaoh Man is equipped with a high powered buster in his arm," Albert commented.

Mikhail flinched.  "I'm certain you must be imagining-"

"It's really rather clever how you concealed it," Albert continued.  "The energy is designed to focus in his hand for a thrown projectile rather than one being launched.  If I'm not mistaken, he could either throw a sphere at high speeds or charge the energy to unleash a wave blast.  Really rather versatile for combat...but unusual for an archaeological robot."

Mikhail managed a chuckle.  "You really are every bit the robot expert I have heard.  I admit, you are 100% correct.  You even correctly interpreted the workings of the Pharaoh Shot and Pharaoh wave."  He sat back in his chair.  "...would you perhaps like to meet my other Robot Masters, and give your opinions on them?"

Wily couldn't help but grin.  "I believe I'd enjoy that immensely," he replied.  "Will you summon them here?"

"Ah...no," Cossack replied.  "Some of them...I'd rather limit their interactions with Kalinka.  On meeting them, you'd probably feel the same way regarding Vinyl.  Do you think your Robots can handle watching over them?"

"Certainly," Albert replied.  "Protoman!  Mikhail has something to show me in his fortress!  You're in charge until I get back!"

Protoman nodded in response, smirking as he leaned against the wall.

"Are you certain that will be enough?" Mikhail asked as they made their way to his vehicle.  "Normally, I have to implement all sorts of directives to get Pharaoh Man to not let Kalinka order him around while he's watching her, and she still finds ways to circumvent them."

"Protoman's a little different," Albert replied.  "Kalinka won't find him easy to push around."

Mikhail looked confused and curious, but Albert's expression discouraged questioning at the moment.





Once at Cossack Castle, Mikhail began to lead Wily around.  "I feel I should warn you, my Robot Masters are rather..."

"Quirky?" Wily offered.

"That's putting it mildly," he replied.  "I'm afraid I was...under the influence of...several exotic substances...from my high school reunion...when I programmed their personalities."

Albert raised an eyebrow.  "Lots of 'it seemed like a good idea at the time' programming?"

"Indeed," Mikhail replied in embarrassment.  "Also...lots of flipping through Kalinka's movies, games, and anime, and programming in whatever made me laugh."

Albert shrugged.  "It's alright.  Tom and I design our robots to generate their own personalities based on a random encoder.  I'm pretty sure there's nothing you can show me that will shock me too much-"

At that moment, music started playing, and a large, green, toad shaped robot slid into the room, singing along with a rather distinctive voice.  "Slime beneath me, mm...slime up above!  Ooh you'll love my-unf!"  The giant toad delivered a pelvic thrust.  "Toxic love!"

Wily stared as the robot continued to sing and dance his way out of the room.  "...why is his based on Tim Curry as Hexxus?"

"Because Toad Man's primary design function is to filter pollutants out of the environment and store them in his own body for condensing into usable resources," Mikhail replied.  "Also, Kalinka really likes Ferngully."

"Not exactly one of your best decisions, Doctor," another robot said as he approached.  This one had a large light bulb on his head, and one arm ended in an obvious buster.  "He still gives her nightmares, after all."

"Well it's a little late now, Bright Man," Mikhail grumbled.  "What am I supposed to do now?"

Bright Man stroked his chin for a time...and then the bulb on his head illuminated.  "Light...bulb!" he stated happily before rushing off.

Wily stroked his chin as he watched Bright Man run off.  "Can I borrow that movie?" he asked curiously.  "I think it might be nice to watch it with Vinyl."

"Certainly," Mikhail agreed readily.  "Come.  Some of the other Robot Masters should be more readily approachable."

In another part of the Castle, Mikhail called out to a red robot with drills for hands and on its head...and a bike pump strapped to his back for some reason.  "Drill Man!  There's someone here to meet you!"

The robot approached, remaining completely silent.

"Drill Man, this is Dr. Wily," Mikhail introduced.

Drill Man nodded silently as Wily looked him over.  "Rather impressive," he murmured.  "I see he's designed as an excavator...but those drills can be launched, and are easily hard enough to penetrate most metals.  Another robot with hidden combat potential...but what's with the bike pump?"

"You don't want to know," Mikhail said quickly as he hustled Wily away.  Drill Man had pulled out tha bike pump and was trying to plug the output end into Wily.

"Believe it!" an orange and yellow robot with a ring on his head and several rings on his arms proclaimed, looking up from a bowl of ramen.

"Shut up, Ring Man!" Mikhail scolded.

"And what was he built for?" Wily asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Officially, he's a jeweler," Mikhail replied, startling a laugh from Albert.

Not long after, a large blue robot with a giant vacuum on its head walked in, sucking junk up off the floor with his head vac.  "How's keeping the lab clean going, Dust Man?" Mikhail asked.

"It ith going well, Marthter," Dust Man replied, walking so that it looked like he had a hump on his back, though he kept switching which shoulder he made look humped.

"Which way have you already worked on?" Mikhail asked courteously.

"Walk...thith way!"  Dust Man then proceeded to do an unusual hop-skip gait.

"One of my favorites," Wily murmured.

"It is good that you are appreciative of us!" another blue robot proclaimed loudly as he stood like a statue, closed fists braced on his hips.  This robot looked not unlike a miniature submarine.  "I am Dive Man, underwater explorer!  I shall plumb the secret depths of the sea for the glory of my kingdom!"

"He has a kingdom?" Wily asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He thinks so," Mikhail shrugged as he led the way to another part of the Castle where a robotic skeleton stood leaning against a wall, staring at them.  "Skull Man."

"Doctor," Skull Man replied, his breathing audible and menacing.

"You've been neglecting coming in for checkups and repairs again," Mikhail scolded.

"I have not needed them," Skull Man countered firmly.

"You overestimate yourself," Cossack replied with a frown.

"And you underestimate the power of the Dark Side."  Turning, Skull Man walked off, his breathing echoing around him.

Wily chuckled.  "Well, they're certainly interesting..."





Albert sat back, enjoying some Kvas with Mikhail, thinking about all he had seen.  "Quite an interesting set of Robot Masters," he said finally.  "Am I correct in assuming that, whatever they are officially, they all have combat programming and capacity?"

"That's correct," Mikhail replied.  "That was actually part of the government's commission...after seeing the success of your own Robot Masters against all opponents...even Mega Man."

"True," Wily replied.  "He never did beat Air Man."

After a while of silence, Mikhail spoke up.  "Do you think you could do me a favor?" he asked at long last.

"Depends on the favor," Albert replied, raising his mug to his lips.

"Could you kidnap Kalinka?"

Wily's Kvas ended up all over the wall, allowing Dust Man to demonstrate his wet/dry function.  "What?  Why?"

"My government's been pressuring me for a live combat test of these designs," Mikhail explained.  "And, simply put, if I tried to arrange something like that, it would probably bankrupt me...or expose the secret combat abilities publicly.  However..."

"If you're taking over the world for me because I'm holding your daughter hostage, any combat capabilities will be attributed to my modifications, and Mega Man will be fighting full force," Albert replied.  "So Mega Man runs the gauntlet yet again, and I don't even have to do any of the work!"

"You'll do it, then?" Mikhail asked hopefully.

"On two conditions," Wily replied.  "First, make sure cameras are broadcasting Mega Man's progress so we can watch."

"I'll be doing that for my government anyway, so certainly," Cossack replied.

"Second, if Mega Man fails, you actually take over the world for me."

Mikhail hesitated.  "...seriously?"

"Honestly, I don't think you'll get that far, but if I'm tarnishing my name with kidnapping, I want some potential profit from all this."

Cossack stroked his chin for a time.  "Well..."

Wily pulled out his phone and typed a few keys.  After a time, he turned it to show Mikhail.  It showed Kalinka holding Vinyl in her arms, both giving cute, pleading eyes.  At the bottom of the image in white text was, "PWEEEEAAASSEEE?!?!"

Mikhail clutched his chest.  "Alright!  Alright!"

Wily chuckled.  "A pleasure doing business with you, Cossack.  I'll just tell Kalinka she'll be staying with us for a protracted sleepover, then."
> Working Quickly
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dr. Wily smiled faintly as he worked away in his lab.  Dr. Cossack had already given his announcement about how he was using his Robot Masters to take over the world, throwing the gauntlet down to Mega Man to try and stop him.  Kalinka and Vinyl were going to be watching him on his efforts to fight the Robot Masters, battling his way through the various stages.  However, Wily wasn't really interested in watching Mega Man fight through waves of normal enemies all over again.  He would pop out for the actual Robot Master fights, but for now he had something more important to work on.

The basic frame was easy to design.  He just used the same basic model used to make Rock and Roll.  The customization, however, was more difficult to decide on.  He wanted one that Vinyl would immediately identify with as a sibling, but still blend in with humans for when they wanted to go on an outing.  He had made the skin pale, as close to making it white as he could without looking unhealthy.  The next issue was the hair.  It was these human touches that would make him relatable as a member of the family, after all.  He did, however, have to mightily resist the urge to give him a tail.

As he was making some decisions regarding coloration, his communicator beeped.  "Daddy!" Vinyl called out.  "Mega Man's about to fight a Master!"

"Oh?" Wily asked.  "Which one?"  Given the absence of Freak Mode - Vinyl had offered the cookies, but Mikhail had refused them, as this was about a combat test for his work - Wily wasn't entirely sure he'd go to watch every Master.

"Toad Man!"

Wily dropped his tools.  "Be right there!" he called out.  He looked forward to how Toad Man would make Mega Man squirm.

He made it to the couch just as Mega Man slid through the final door to Toad Man's chambers, his body glowing with energy.  "Huh.  Looks like Tom finally finished that chargeable buster," Wily muttered as he sat down, accepting some popcorn from Crash Man.

"Already got the blueprints!" Vinyl called out happily.

"How?"

"I..." Kalinka began.  "I believe the proper term is I...hacked them?"

Albert chuckled at that.  "Bad influence, Vinyl.  Bad influence."  He then turned to watch as Toad Man dropped in.





Mega Man braced himself as Toad Man arrived.  "Well, aren't you just a juicy morsel?" Toad Man purred.  "I could just eat you all up.  But your little fairy magic won't do much against me!"  Music started playing as Toad Man began to sing his number.  He leapt about, trying to land on Mega Man as he sang about his 'Toxic Love', complete with pelvic thrust.

Mega Man slid under the jumps, taking pot shots at Toad Man whenever he had the chance.  However, the music truly grated on his ears, as well as the singing.  It creeped him out, and it showed in his movements.  After taking one heavy hit, he groaned as he got to his feet.

"Oh, is that the best you've got?" Toad Man purred, pulling a cape out of nowhere to hang over his shoulders.

"It would be a lot easier if you stopped singing that song!" Mega Man snapped.  "Don't you know any others?"

Toad Man chuckled as he wrapped the cape around himself.  New music began playing, and Toad Man started to sing.  "How would you do?" he sang out.  "You're not much of a foe...dear Mega Man.  I'm just a~ little down because...when you came you come across like some...Candy Man."

He began to strut towards Mega Man, causing him to back away quickly, a freaked out look in his eyes.

"Don't get strung out, by the way I walk!" Toad Man sang out.  "Don't judge this book by its cover!  I may not be...an impressive Man by the light of day..."  He wiggled his hips, making Mega Man run to the opposite side of the room.  "But by night, I'm one hell of a lover!"

Toad Man turned to face Mega Man, throwing his cape open.  He was wearing a black corset with matching panties, stockings, garter belt, gloves, and high heels.  None fitted his bulbous frame well, and the makeup he'd managed to apply somehow was even worse.  "I'm just a sweet tran-"

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" Mega Man screamed out, setting the charge function on his buster to overdrive so he could fire an endless stream of charged shots.  "Kill it kill it kill it kill it kill it kill it kill it kill it kill it kill it kill it-"  Mega Man somehow pulled a flamethrower out of nowhere.  "KILL IT WITH FIRE!"

Toad Man's defunct corpse roasted gently as Mega Man curled into the fetal position in one corner, sucking his thumb.





Wily blinked.  "I...guess Mega Man just wasn't ready for that much Toad Curry," he joked.

"I like that movie," Kalinka pouted.

Wily raised an eyebrow.  "You do?" he asked in shock, surprised Mikhail let such a young girl - especially his own daughter - see it.  Admittedly, he probably would let Vinyl watch it if she asked, but still..

"Movie?" Vinyl asked eagerly.

Shrugging, Wily booted it up on the other screen, getting ready to introduce Vinyl - and those Robot Masters still active - to what he considered one of the great modern classics.





By the time Mega Man had made it into the next Robot Master controlled area, the entire group had gotten into the movie in a big way.  Wily had pulled out his old Riff Raff costume, Vinyl was wearing an adorable maid outfit with a huge wig as Magenta, Kalinka was dressued in her Columbia costume (which Wily felt was a little much for a seven year old, but she apparently made it herself...), Protoman was dressed as Eddie Ex, Air Man was dressed as Rocky, Crash Man as Dr. Scott, and Wood Man as the Narrator.

"It's just a jump to the left," Wood Man proclaimed, everyone else jumping as instructed.

"And a step to the ri-i-i-ight!" they sang out as they danced.

Before the Time Warp could be completed, however, the first screen alerted them to the fact that Mega Man had reached the second Robot Master, Bright Man.

"Let's do the Time Warp again...later," Air Man suggested as everyone sat down to watch the new fight.





As Mega Man slid into the room, Bright Man dropped into the room.  "Well now, Mega Man...you will regret fighting me."

"Doubtful," Mega Man replied, switching to Rain Flush.  "I know your weakness."  He lifted his arm to launch it into the air.

"Freeze ray!" Bright Man proclaimed, pointing at Mega Man as the bulb of his head flashed brightly.

"Gah!" Mega Man cried out, covering his eyes to shield them as his systems locked up.  He winced as he felt several impacts from Bright Man's buster shots.  As soon as he could move, he launched the Rain Flush.

"Freeze Ray!" Bright Man shouted again as the rain hit him, making his systems spark as the liquid got onto a few exposed wires.  However, he still managed to land several hits.

This exchange continued for a time until Bright Man's bulb broke.  "...ow..."

Mega Man grinned.  "Looks like you're all washed up now!"  Blinking, he groaned.  "I can't believe I said that-"

A mettool suddenly leapt up.  "BANANA!" it shouted out before pulling out a massive gun.

The resulting explosion destroyed Bright Man, the mettool, the room, a good portion of the area that Bright Man had been in, and Mega Man's buster arm.





Vinyl gasped happily as she floated 'Despicable Me' over to the other screen.  She was dressed up as Edith, Kalinka as Agnes, Protoman as Margo (his glare dared anyone to joke about that), Crash Man, Wood Man, and Air Man as Minions, Shadow Man as Dr. Nefario, and Wily had somehow been dressed as Gru when he wasn't looking.

Shrugging, Wily gestured for Vinyl to put the movie in.  He knew when he was beaten.
> Working Thoughtfully
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the time the group had finished watching Despicable Me together, Wily had decided that he had another item to add to the list of things he would build for Vinyl.  She didn't just need a big brother.  She needed a pet.  Throughout the movie, he'd noticed her glancing over to the screen showing Mega Man's progress every time Rush was on screen.  Perhaps building a similar support unit for her forthcoming big brother would give them both a pet.

However, before he could act on that for his designs, he noticed that Mega Man had reached Pharaoh Man's chambers.  He turned the sound back on as the group turned to watch.  "This shouldn't be that long," he muttered.  "Pharaoh Man's optics are adapted for low light for his archaeology.  He'll be especially vulnerable to Flash Stopper."

"Don't be so sure," Kalinka giggled.





As Mega Man entered the chamber, he switched to Flash Stopper.  He wanted to test that weapon out.  Pharaoh Man turned to face him as he entered.  "Bad day," he groaned as he saw Mega Man.

"Yup," Mega Man replied.  "Freeze Ray!"  He set off the Flash Stopper.  Seeing Pharaoh Man freeze, he grinned as he moved in close to spam his buster.

Before he could pull the trigger - and while the effects of Flash Stopper were still in effect - Pharaoh Man blurred forward and slammed his fist into Mega Man's gut, knocking him back.  "Would you like to try again?" he asked, cracking his knuckles.

Mega Man growled deep in his throat.  "Freeze Ray!" he shouted, setting off the Flash Stopper as soon as its effect ran out.

Before he could get a shot off, Pharaoh Man had delivered a jump kick to his head.  "Have another?"

"Freeze Ray!" Mega Man shouted at the top of his voice, triggering another Flash Stopper.

"You really shouldn't call out your attacks before using them," Pharaoh Man scolded.  "It only lets me dodge."

"How the hell can you dodge a flash?" Mega Man demanded, only to be knocked on his back from a Pharaoh Shot.

"By turning off my optics when you shoot, and turning them back on exactly one second later," Pharaoh Man explained.  "Also, that was a Pharaoh Shot.  Just letting you know."

Mega Man growled as he stood up.  "Then I'll just stop shouting it."

"And I'll just keep close and disengage my optics entirely," Pharaoh Man countered.

"That's not fair!"

"Says the robot trying to spam my weakness."

Mega Man blinked for a time.  "...touche-"

A Pharaoh Wave slammed him against the wall.  "Actually, that was your chin, and a Pharaoh Wave," Pharaoh Man offered helpfully.  He then closed the distance rapidly, immediately delivering rapid fire punches and kicks, interspersed with close range Pharaoh Shots and Waves.

Mega Man did his best to fight back, but he wasn't doing well.  He was privately glad he had a few E tanks stocked.





Kalinka grinned as everyone watched the fight.  "That's why Daddy made Pharaoh Man with that personality.  The Pharaoh Shots and Waves aren't his primary weapon.  He's programmed with seven different styles of Martial Arts!"

Wily stroked his chin as he watched.  Hmm...if Vinyl will be spending a lot of time with her new big brother without me, he'll need to be able to protect her.  Giving him martial art abilities wouldn't be a bad idea-

"No more palm blasting!" Mega Man shouted from the screen as he caught Pharaoh Man's arm as he tried to launch a Pharaoh Shot.  The sphere of energy kept growing since it hadn't been launched yet.  As Pharaoh Man had to focus to control the growing sphere of energy, Mega Man resorted to a head butt before leaping back, causing his foe to drop his blast on himself, breaking him to bits.

Kalinka pouted.  "Aww...I just lost 500 rubles!"

"You're betting on the outcome of these fights?" Wily demanded, shocked.  When Kalinka nodded eagerly, he rolled his eyes.  "At least tell me you're using a pseudonym.  You are supposed to be kidnapped, after all."

"Yes, I'm using a pseudonym," Kalinka promised as she started typing away on her mobile unit.

Rolling his eyes, Wily went back into his lab to work on his new creation.  Downloading everything related to 'Martial Arts' from the net would be a good way to begin, using an optimization program so his system would only keep whatever meshed well together in his actual hard drive.  He then made a final decision regarding the exterior, and worked on finishing it up.

Then came the programming.  He decide to let the personality core craft itself for the most part, only encoding one thing into the actual programming.



Primary Mission: be a good big brother to Vinyl.



He was rather surprised that as soon as that was accepted by the systems, it immediately began accessing the net and downloading other files, running them through the same optimization program that the martial arts files had been put through.  He stroked his chin, wondering if he should pay closer attention to this.

"Daddy!" Vinyl called out.  "Mega Man vs Ring Man!"

Rolling his eyes, he turned to go watch the fight, deciding he could solve the conundrum of his new robot later.





As Mega Man stepped into Ring Man's chamber, he held a full sized Pharaoh Shot over him, ready to throw.

"Dattebayo!" Ring Man shouted as he leapt into the chamber, only to receive the full blast right to his face, knocking him back.  "Ow!  That hurt!" he complained as he leapt back to his feet, only to receive another Shot, though this one not fully charged.  "Hey!  Stop-"

Mega Man continued this pattern, charging the shot until Ring Man was leaping to his feet and launching it before he landed on them.

"Give me a chance to fight back!" Ring Man roared angrily.

"Nope," Mega Man replied as the last Shot made Ring Man explode.





The whole group stared.  "So..." Wily began.  "Was that bad programming on the part of Ring Man...or is Mega Man just getting that good?"

Protoman shrugged.  "Probably a little of both..."

"I told Daddy he should have used the Shippuden version..." Kalinka grumbled.
> Work Finished
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Wily sat back as he looked over his newly finished creation.  It had taken a lot of work, but at last he was finished.  He'd decided to not give this one a model number as he had most of his other robots.  After all, given this one's role, he wasn't just some creation.  He was probably the closest Albert would come to having...a son.

As that thought crossed his mind, he came to understand why Dr. Light had always treated Rock, Roll, and Protoman that way.  Perhaps I should reconsider my relationship with Protoman, he thought to himself.  "Awaken!" he ordered.

The yellow eyes opened and glowed, showing the robot had activated.  He then stretched his arms over his head, yawning.  "Morning, Pops," he stated, his tone bored as he scratched the back of his head with one hand and his belly with the other.

Albert blinked.  He hadn't expected that form of address at all, and the behaviors were almost...human.  "What is your primary mission?" he inquired, deciding to make sure everything settled right.

"You should know," the robot replied dismissively.  "You programmed me."

"Yes," Albert agreed, "but I want you to confirm it so I know I did it right."

"Don't feel like it."

Wily's temper was quickly fraying.  "That was an order!" he snapped out.

"Shove it in your freakishly large sideburns, it'd probably fit."

"How dare you defy me?!" Wily roared out.

"Cause you never programmed me to obey you.  Just to be a good big brother to Vinyl.  Now where is that filly?  Isn't she here to meet me?"

Albert sighed.  "She doesn't know I've been building you.  Come on, I'll introduce you."  He turned to go.

"How come you didn't tell her about me?" the robot asked as he followed along.

"Because I didn't want her slipping superweapons into your build," Wily replied.  "You're a brother bot, not a battle bot."

"Despite having every martial art ever made condensed into a single unifying style.  And what if I want a superweapon in my build?"

"You can put your views in the complaints box."

"And where's that?"

"In my freakishly large sideburns, along with your disobedience."  Wily smirked at the rather personable bot he'd built.

The robot gave him a light punch on the arm.  "Not bad, Pops.  Not bad."

Chuckling, Wily stepped into the main room where Vinyl and Kalinka were watching Mega Man make his way through Dust Man's stage.  "Vinyl, there's someone I want you to meet."

Curious, Vinyl poked her head over the back of the couch and gasped.  The robot she saw had short hair, blue with silver stripes, combed back flat.  His yellow eyes seemed to glow in his pale face, and violet stripes drew down across his face below his eyes.  He stood at about the same height as Wily in his flats, and was clad in a grey shirt and black pants.

"Vinyl, this is Forte," Wily introduced happily.  "He's going to be your big brother."

Squealing happily, Vinyl flung herself off the back of the sofa to snuggle into Forte's arms.  Forte, for his part, promptly attacked her with noogies and belly raspberries, making her squeal and laugh even more.

Albert sat back, enjoying watching his children bond.  He paused as he considered that thought, and a soft smile spread across his face.

"Look!" Kalinka called out.  "Mega Man's made it to Dust Man!"

Forte held Vinyl in his lap as they all turned to watch.





As Mega Man entered the chamber, Dust Man shambled in.  "Greetingth, Mega Man.  The Marthter'th been expecting you."

"Then why not face me directly?" Mega Man asked.  "Why send you all against me?"

"The Marthter hath hith reathonth," Dust Man replied.  "Now, tho we may begin...walk thith way."  Dust Man then proceeded to skip lightly around the room, raising his feet high with each step.

Mega Man stared at that for a time.  "...pass," he replied at last.  Switching to Ring Boomerang, he hurled the bladed ring, slicing the tubes on Dust Man's back.

"That hurt!" Dust Man complained.  Turning, he tried to trigger his vacuum...only for it to short out as the hose flopped about.  "Uh oh."

Mega Man shielded his face against the explosion.





Wily blinked.  "...that was pathetic," he stated finally.

"Yeah...Daddy's not as good at combat bots as you are," Kalinka allowed.

"Mega Man never managed to beat me," Air Man added.

"Or Metal Man," Forte added.

At the mention of the name, Vinyl reared back on her hind legs with a startled whinny as lightning flashed outside.  She promptly hid behind Air Man.

"We don't speak that name around Vinyl!" Crash Man hissed.

"But I'm her big brother," Forte indicated logically.  "And according to the data Pops stuck in my head, big brothers are supposed to torment their little sisters a bit."

Albert began to regret using the internet to program Forte.





Over the course of the next hour, the group attempted to coax Vinyl back to calmness, only for Forte to say "Metal Man" every time it looked like she was calming down.  Each time, she'd rear up, whinny, and lightning would flash outside.

"Stop doing that!" Wily finally snapped, as Vinyl ducked behind him again.  "What possible reason could you have for tormenting her like this?"

"Showing her she has the power to make lightning strike," Forte replied as he chugged a soda.

"Eh?" Vinyl asked, popping her head back out.

"Watch the window," Forte explained.  Once Vinyl was looking out the window, he said, "Metal Man!"

As Vinyl reared back and whinnied, she saw the lightning striking.  "Again!  Again!" she called out eagerly.

Turning, Forte smirked at Wily, who facepalmed.

"Ooh!" Kalinka called out.  "Mega Man's about to fight Skull Man!"





As Mega Man slid into the chamber, Skull Man turned to face him.  "So, you are here," he growled, his breath echoing.  "Dr. Light has taught you well...but you are not a hero yet."

Mega Man frowned, charging his buster.  "I think you underestimate me," he explained.

Skull Man deployed his skull barrier.  "And you underestimate the power of the Dark Side."

Frowning, Mega Man opened fire, but his charged shot - and every other weapon in his possession - bounced off the Skull Shield.  "...so...are you going to come out of there?" he asked.

"There is no need," Skull Man replied.  "I have redesigned this chamber to emit low levels of radiation that will slowly leech a power core dry.  As long as I am within my shield, I can't be hurt by it, as it will be kept at bay.  You, however..."

Mega Man nodded.  "Then I'll just have to Flush the pollutants out of the environment."  Switching weapons, he fired up a Rain Flush.  The acidic rain sucked up the radiation as it fell.

"Grrk!" Skull Man gasped out, clutching at his chest as his shield failed.  "Didn't...expect an...attack like that.  Overloaded...my shield...too much...to deflect..."  Looking up, he saw Mega Man leveling his buster at him.  "...well done, young hero..."





"I see what you mean, Kalinka," Forte muttered as they watched Skull Man explode.
> Play Finished
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The remainder of the afternoon passed uneventfully for the group in the fortress, as they relaxed and played games while watching Mega Man making his way through the area Dive Man had claimed for terrorizing.  As expected, it proved little challenge for the by-now veteran robot hero, who cleared through most of it using Rush's Marine mode, which turned the robotic dog into a submarine.  Wily took notes on that for something he would be working on later...only to notice that Forte and Vinyl were both discreetly taking notes of their own.  Wily made a mental note to keep an eye on the pair any time they were in a lab, either together or singly.

Everyone stopped what they were doing individually, however, to watch when Mega Man entered Dive Man's chambers.





As Mega Man entered the underwater chamber - glad that his voice modulator automatically adjusted for aquatic distortion - he was surprised when music began playing out of nowhere.  Dive Man descended majestically through the water, his arms crossed over his chest as he stood proudly.  "Mega Man!" he proclaimed loudly.  "Finally, you have appeared!  Let us see which of us shall reign triumphant here!"  He flexed his arms outward, entering a battle stance.

"So we're going to blast away at each other like cowards?" Mega Man demanded.  "Hardly fair.  You are built for water when I am not...but in all likelihood, I have your weapon weakness."

Dive Man frowned.  "You speak truth!  For the Skull Shield's energy field interferes with my system functions at close range.  But what would you suggest otherwise?"

Smirking, Mega Man caused his buster arm to revert to a hand.  "Let us settle this instead...like Men!"  He slammed his closed fist into his palm.  "Hand to hand!  Steel to steel!  As real Men ought!"

Dive Man gasped happily.  "A wondrous idea!" he declared.  "Let us see who is the better Man!  Prepare yourself!"  Pulling his fist back, Dive Man charged forward with all the speed his turbines could give him.

Mega Man managed to side step the initial punch, countering with a right cross to Dive Man's chin.  The pair quickly began to exchange punches as they side stepped back and forth to evade.  While they moved about the room a great deal, neither moved far from the other.

After a time, Dive Man lunged forward, catching Mega Man's hands in his own for a grapple.  "I will bring you to your knees!" he proclaimed.  "None is stronger than I in the water!"  He blinked, tilting his head.  "It is hard to tell in the water, but...are you a shade lighter?"

Mega Man smirked.  Interlacing his fingers with Dive Man to hold him in place, he activated the Skull Shield, having switched to it during the fight.  With Dive Man locked in the shield's range, it wasn't long before he went down.  "You're right," Mega Man said as Dive Man collapsed.  "I'm not stronger than you in the water...but apparently, I am smarter."  Taking the weapon chip, he beamed out.





Wily stared at the screen, scratching his chin.  "I don't know whether to be disappointed that Dive Man fell for that, or impressed that Mega Man took a page out of my book."

Forte shrugged.  "Not a bad fight till Mega Man cheated," he admitted.  "He set the rules of that fight, and then reneged.  Then again, it was rather stupid of Dive Man to tell him his weakness."

"And by process of elimination, he knows Drill Man's weak against Dive Missiles," Kalinka admitted, sighing sadly.  "Between Drill Man not talking and him having the weakness, it's probably going to be a boring fight."

"In that case, we'll do something else until Mega Man starts his journey into Mikhail's Castle," Wily suggested.  Stepping forward, he fiddled with the screen to set an alert for when Mega Man beat Drill Man, and then turned to the game cabinet.  "Who wants to play Monopoly?" he called out.





Several hours later, the game of Monopoly ended just as the sun was setting.  It had eventually come down to Vinyl against Kalinka for control of the board, only for Vinyl to claim final victory.  As Vinyl celebrated, Forte turned to Wily.  "Yo, Pops...shouldn't we have gotten the alert by now?"

"Have we missed something?" Kalinka gasped out as the group raced back to the screen.

On screen, Mega Man was running as fast as he could away from Drill Man shouting, "I don't want to be inflated!"  Drill Man was pursuing him with the bike pump.

Kalinka blinked slowly.  "I...guess he's played Dig Dug..."  Vinyl started snickering uncontrollably.

"So...he does know Dive Missiles are homing, right?" Forte asked.

"Only if you're facing the target when you fire them," Kalinka corrected.

On screen, Mega Man leapt into the air, turned around towards Drill Man, fired three Dive Missiles, and turned back around to land facing away as he continued to flee.

"Not bad," Wily murmured.  "A little absurd, but not bad."

After a time, Mega Man did it again, and this time Drill Man was destroyed.  "That sure took him a while," Wily murmured.

"I guess that means it's my turn," Protoman admitted.  "I'll need to get Kalinka back to Cossack Castle while Mega Man's fighting Dr. Cossack, to make sure things don't go too far.  I can always claim I 'rescued' her from you or something."

"And that will keep to-"  Wily's words were interrupted by the doorbell.  "Now who could that be?"  Heading to the door, he opened it.  "Hello- Mega Man?"

Mega Man stood with his arms crossed, staring at Wily.  "I'm here to take Kalinka back home," he said calmly.  "I think she's played enough."

"Wha...bu...how?" Wily demanded angrily.

Smirking, Mega Man tapped the side of his head.  "I have an internet connection in here.  You really need to keep Kalinka off the Twitter."

Wily groaned and facepalmed.
> Bonus Battle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mikhail Cossack was rather surprised to hear his front door open as he was overseeing the construction of all the traps and obstacles that would delay Mega Man as he made his way to the 'Death Machines' Wily had suggested he build for 'realism'.  He was even more surprised at the voice that accompanied the door opening.  "Daddy!  I'm home!"

"Kalinka?" Mikhail shouted in shock.  "What are you doing back?"  He raced to the door.  "Mega Man will be here soon..."  His voice trailed off as he saw the Blue Bomber himself holding Kalinka's hand.

"I think we need to talk, Doctor," Mega Man stated calmly.

Mikhail stepped back, struggling to find words.  "I...I can explain-"

"No need," Mega Man replied.  "I know exactly what's going on."

"You...you do?" Dr. Cossack gulped, fully expecting now to face who knew how many criminal charges, trying to prepare himself for it.

"Yes," Mega Man replied, his face stern.  "This was all...just a simple misunderstanding."

Mikhail wasn't certain what he'd expected Mega Man to say, but that wasn't it.  "What?"

"Yes," Mega Man replied.  "You came home to find your little girl missing, and to see that new Fortress with the skull symbol so nearby.  You had just gotten back from a meeting, and weren't entirely in control of yourself when you called Dr. Wily.  Given his reputation, it was natural for you to assume he was holding Kalinka hostage to make you take over the world for him, and your fear for what he'd do to her if you told anyone explains why you put your Fortress under a communications blackout after breaking contact with him."  Mega Man smirked.  "Of course, if - as the call record shows you failed to - you'd given him the chance to get a word in edgewise, he would have told you that Kalinka was no hostage, and was just spending time with Vinyl."  Mega Man chuckled ruefully.  "Dr. Wily's parenthood isn't well known, so it makes sense you wouldn't know that he wouldn't dream of harming a little girl in the same age group as his own, let alone threaten her to get her father's cooperation."  He leaned in close to the doctor.  "Maybe next time you should let the 'evil doctor' tell you his plans, rather than assuming them?"

Mikhail chuckled rather stiffly, not entirely believing this was happening.  "Yes, Mega Man.  I.  Will.  Be.  Sure.  To.  Do.  That.  In.  The.  Future."

Mega Man winked.  "And that's the story we'll tell everyone investigating this, right?"

"How did you know?" Mikhail asked, confused and worried.

"Officially, because Wily made sure Kalinka kept a live Twitter feed going through the whole thing because he knew no one would believe him," Mega Man replied.  "I found it because I googled you as soon as you threw down the gauntlet."

"So you knew all along?"

Mikhail, Mega Man, and Kalinka all jumped at that voice, which seemed to beep slightly at every other syllable, like a robot with the hiccups.  Mikhail's face paled.  "Oh no...you only beat Skull Man once..."

"Only once?" Mega Man asked in confusion.

"Skull Man was designed for combat, and only for combat," Mikhail explained, grabbing hold of Kalinka and pulling her away.  "He has two personality cores and ability sets.  The primary is based fully in tactics.  The second, which activates if the first is beaten...is pure power, and highly experimental."

Swallowing convulsively, Mega Man turned around.  Skull Man stood there...but he looked different.  For some reason, he was wearing a blue hoodie, and had his hands in the pockets.  Also, his eyes glowed blue.

"Look at the sky," Skull Man said in his new voice.  "The sun is shining, birds are singing, and the flowers are in bloom.  It's the kind of day that's rare this far north.  The kind of day..."

My brothers will never see again.

Mega Man leapt back in shock.  He knew that Skull Man had said those words, but they had jumped straight into his head without the use of sound.  And when he'd said it, Skull Man's eyes had turned into hungry black pits, looking as though they'd suck out Mega Man's soul...

"You knew all along," Skull Man continued in his more normal new voice, his eyes once more blue.  "You knew exactly where Kalinka was and why, and yet you still went after my brothers and I.  You still hungered for battle.  But that's you, isn't it...you dirty brother killer."

"H-hang on," Mega Man began nervously.  "It's not like that-"

"Isn't it?" Skull Man asked.  "Didn't you enjoy fighting your own brothers over and over?  Don't you still hunger for the power to beat Air Man?  Don't you still train against the possibility of another...Metal Man?"  Lightning flashed as, in the distance, Vinyl could be heard to whinny.  "Face it, Mega Man.  You claim to be a champion of justice...but you've been rebuilt for combat, and it's all you are now."

Mega Man shivered, his body quivering as he felt the guilt of his actions - presented in this light as sins - crawling on his back.

"On a day like this, bad boys like you..."

Are gonna have a bad time.

Gasping for air from the sheer overpowering fear, Mega Man activated his buster.  Before he could even get it fully formed, Skull Man had thrown one hand out, a small flaming skull lashing out and sticking to Mega Man's chest.  Skull Man then swung his hand upwards, and Mega Man slammed into the ceiling painfully.  Similar impacts occurred against the walls and floor.  Bones flew at Mega Man, which he barely dodged...only to realize they weren't bones at all, but pieces of the robots and Robot Masters he'd destroyed, Cossack and Wily alike.  When he turned back to Skull Man, he saw the robot holding what looked like the skull of a dragon.  The skull opened.





Wily stared at the devastation this personality of Skull Man was unleashing.  As Vinyl stared in awe, he reached for his phone.  "Mikhail...do you suppose I could...take a look at Skull Man's specs?"

"No."

Forte whistled at the onslaught.  "Ya think Little Boy Blue's gonna make it out in one piece?"

"Yes," Air Man interjected.  "I recognize the persona basis.  He will give Mega Man a chance to surrender."

"Adding yet another bot to the list of those Mega Man could never beat," Crash Man breathed in awe.  "We should form a club."
> The Club
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	While Skull Man did give Mega Man a very thorough thrashing, venting his spleen on the Blue Bomber, eventually he grew weary of the battle and offered Mega Man a chance to surrender, as Air Man had predicted.  When Mega Man had eagerly surrendered, Skull Man had flung him all the way back to Light Labs while shouting, "Geeeeeet dunked on!"  Light had given Mikhail and Albert to understand that it would take several months to fully repair him.

A little over a month later, Forte stepped out of Vinyl's lab and stretched.  He was rather amazed at how rapidly Vinyl was advancing with her designs...and was privately considering asking her to upgrade him for real robot battle at some point.  With all the martial arts programming in him, combat called to him.  Still, his primary purpose was to be a good brother to Vinyl, and at this point in time rushing off to battle didn't meet that purpose.  Being a good lab assistant, however, did.

He was rather surprised to see Crash Man setting up a snooker table, a round table, and several chairs in one of the large, unused rooms of the Fortress.  "What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

Crash Man looked up.  "Sorry, club members only."

Forte blinked.  "Club?"  Glancing over, he saw the sign.



First Meeting of the Mega Mashers Club



Forte couldn't help but chuckle.  "You're actually making the club?"

"Yup," Crash Man replied.  "Entry into the club is simple.  You're a Robot Master aligned against Mega Man, and you've either beaten him soundly or never lost to him.  The second is so Wood Man can be a member, since he never actually fought Mega Man.  And it wouldn't be fair to exclude him."  He shrugged.  "Besides, he's bringing his hookah.

"I'm a Robot Master," Forte pointed out.  "By those rules, I should be a member, too."

Crash Man looked him up and down.  "You aren't a combat model," he indicated.

"Neither was Rock," Forte countered.

Crash Man thought about that for a time, then nodded.  "Alright.  Get the snacks."





It didn't take long for the club room to finish being set up.  In addition to snooker and the poker table, Air Man had brought in a pinball machine, Shadow Man (who postulated that, since both he and Mega Man were forced to withdraw after their original fight - and that Vinyl actually wanted Mega Man to retrieve all the energy element capsules - his match had ended in a draw, not a defeat) brought a DDR machine, and Wood Man - in addition to his hookah - brought along several game consoles to be hooked up...along with, of all the irony, console adaptions of the events of Mega Man's crusade against Wily.

Forte had been rather surprised to discover that he'd been programmed to be an excellent cook.  When asked, Wily had explained that it was because, as scientists, he and Vinyl would tend towards ignoring their own dietary needs for the sake of their research and experimentation.  As a good big brother, Forte was to take care of Vinyl when she couldn't be bothered to take care of herself.  Wily hadn't even had to use the internet to program that part, as he himself was a classically trained chef before he got into robotics.

As everything was being set up, the group was startled as Skull Man - still in his hoodie - stepped out from behind the pinball machine.  "I brought drinks," he spoke up, showing it was still the secondary personality in control, though apparently much more relaxed now.

The group decided that they'd play poker first today.  Gathering around the table and taking their seats, they took their fill of snacks and drinks as Shadow Man took on the role of dealer.  While no one was surprised that Wood Man's drink of choice was a two liter of soda to wash down his massive bowl of chips, a few eyebrows were raised at Skull Man's bottle of ketchup with straw.

The game went on for several hands, with no one gaining a real obvious lead.  An unexpected drawback was discovered to playing card games with a group of robots: everyone had a computer for a brain, and could readily calculate everything about the cards, making bluffing impossible.  "Maybe we should try a different game?" Forte asked.  "One that can't be won by card counting?"

"Too many of us for Bridge or Hearts," Skull Man replied with a gentle laugh.

"And all of us have robotic reflexes too good for any computer games, or any pool-type games," Air Man added.

"We could all take a big hit," Wood Man offered, holding out his hookah.  "That ought to lower our reflexes and calculations a bit."

"Except then you have an advantage, since you're used to it," Crash Man corrected.  "It seems that most of the games we could play are simply too...primitive for our capabilities."

The group fell silent, lost in thought.  "Anyone up to designing a new game that will challenge us?" Forte suggested.

"Too much work," Crash Man replied.  "I guess we need to find new group activities."

"Maybe we could play with the cute unicorn?" Skull Man offered.

"She's busy in her lab," Forte countered.  "But getting together to do things with Vinyl could be fun.  We've got three holidays coming up to spend time with her for."

"Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas," Air Man confirmed.  "We could make plans for that."

"As the only one with a large belly, I call playing Santa Claus!" Wood Man called out.

"Does that make us your ho's?" Skull Man joked before chuckling, resulting in him dodging a shower of pretzels, popcorn, and nachos.

"Actually, I understand that Protoman and Pops are already planning something special for Christmas," Forte pointed out.  "But we could always plan Halloween costumes."

"And when we're done, we could watch some movies," Wood Man offered.  "Just veg out on the couch."

"Sounds fun," Air Man replied, as the group got to work on their costume ideas.
> Hollow-ween
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Preparations for Halloween were nearly complete at the two Fortresses.  Appropriate decorations were placed everywhere, from jack-o-lanterns to witches to skeletons, all robots built to entertain and playfully terrify.  Wily and Cossack had worked together to prepare anything, as this was the first time Wily felt it was safe enough for Vinyl to actually go Trick-or-Treating, and he wanted to make her first real Halloween memorable.

Everyone was done up in costumes to enhance the experience, even the Robot Masters.  Wily himself had dressed up as Albert Einstein, though that mostly involved using tape to comb his sideburns over the top of his head.  Mikhail had dressed up as a vampire, though his fangs kept falling out and his cape was red rather than the traditional black.  Kalinka was dressed up as Dr. Frankenstein, complete with a robot monster she'd built herself.

The Robot Masters glanced around at each other's costumes, Air Man's being the most confusing, as he was only holding a sign that read 'I want to have your babies!'  "Umm..." Forte began.

"Given the design of my body, I don't have many options as far as costumes," Air Man explained.  "So I'm 'your biggest fan'."

The other Robot Masters groaned, save Skull Man, who giggled like crazy.  Skull Man himself was wearing a white eyepatch over one eye that blended with the white bone of his skull head, and a black trench-coat.  "Not bad," he joked.

"And...you are?" Air Man inquired.

"My other self, sorta," Skull Man replied.(1)

Everyone stared at him, not really getting it.  Crash Man shrugged, fixing his own costume, which was a riot of plaid, polka dots, stripes, and tie dye.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Skull Man asked him.  "A fashion mistake?"

"Close," Crash Man replied.  "I'm Clash Man."  That elicited a giggle from Skull Man and eye rolls from most of the others.

Wood Man had dressed up as a giant caterpillar, and for some reason whenever he spoke, the smoke from his hookah took shape in the air coming out of his mouth in the shape of his words.  No one was quite sure how he managed it, and weren't entirely sure they wanted to know.  Shadow Man had dressed up as a red and black hedgehog, claiming he was, "Shadow, man."  He seemed overly fond of the joke.

Forte's own costume had been chosen carefully.  He'd recently gotten into a sci-fi/western anime focused on the plight of two brothers.  While he wanted to dress as the badass one, he was supposed to be a good big brother to Vinyl, and the one he'd thought of dressing as was anything but a good brother.  As such, he'd taped a broom head to his hair and was wearing a red trench-coat and black gloves and boots.  However, he was determined not to say the classic lines of the character he was dressed as...unless Vinyl begged him.  He knew he was powerless against that.

At that point, Vinyl raced out in her own costume.  She was dressed in blue armor and helmet that made her costume obvious.  She grinned up at everyone.

"Mega Man?" Crash Man asked worriedly.  "But...we don't want to beat you up..."

"Not Mega Man!" Vinyl spat derisively.  She then struck what she imagined was a dramatic - but was really adorable - pose.  "I'm Mega Mare!"

That brought chuckles from all the Robot Masters, and Wily who'd stepped in.  Forte knelt down beside Vinyl.  "So...are you ready for-"

Vinyl gasped happily.  "Say it!" she pleaded.

Forte went pale.  "Aw, come on!"  Seeing Vinyl's begging expression, he groaned.  "Fine...this world-"

"With feeling!" Vinyl urged.

Rolling his eyes, Forte struck a pose.  "This world!" he barked out.  "This world is made of..."  Lifting his hand up with his fingers in a V, he thrust outward, crossing his fingers as he did so.  "Love and Peace!"  As Vinyl giggled and clapped, he groaned.  "Why didn't I dress as the crazy one?"

"Pretty sure you did," Shadow Man teased.

"So, are you ready for Halloween, Vinyl?" Albert asked, kneeling down beside her.

"Uh...no," Vinyl replied.  "I mean, I dressed up like everyone...but what happens now?"

"Now you go trick-or-treating," Crash Man explained.  "You take your bag for candy, and then you go from house to house ringing doorbells, and-"

"What houses?" Vinyl asked, gesturing outside.

Glancing out the door, Forte took note that the only other residence for miles was Cossack Castle.  "Huh.  Hadn't thought about that."

"I did," Mikhail spoke up, lifting out two modified busters.  "This is how I do Halloween for Kalinka.  All the robots in the Fortress have been redesigned to drop candy when shot.  So Kalinka and Vinyl can race through the now Halloween decorated castle blasting robots and collecting the candy they drop."(2)

Vinyl gasped happily as she took her buster, racing after Kalinka into Cossack Castle.  Albert smiled.  "Thanks, Mikhail.  But isn't that...expensive?"

"Not really," Mikhail replied.  "The busters are designed only to cause the robots to enter a shut down mode that makes them eject candy.  And the candy's all healthy, too-"

There was a loud crash from Cossack Castle, and a large hole erupted in one outer wall as a massive blast of energy erupted with a Bzzzowwwnnnn!

"In that case, we should have taken away the Mark 2 Wub Gun," Forte pointed out with a chuckle.  Mikhail fainted dead away.








(1) Rather meta and obscure, but Skull Man is dressed as W.D. Gaster, who - in Undertale - is speculated to have been Sans and Papyrus' father.
(2) I think this would make an adorable ROM hack.
> Giving Thanks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As Thanksgiving had approached, Albert had put his culinary skills to the test preparing the feast.  Much like Halloween the month before, this was going to be the first time they'd been in one place long enough for Vinyl to participate in such a holiday celebration.  While Albert could have talked about them and celebrated them with her in a minor way, he hadn't wanted to raise her hopes of a festive celebration and then disappoint her.  As such, this year would be her first Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and he was going all out as her father to give her the best ones imaginable.

The turkey was a culinary masterpiece, perfectly golden brown on the outside, rich and moist inside, and perfectly seasoned to bring out the fullness of its flavor and aroma.  Admittedly, it was unlikely Vinyl would eat more than a few mouthfuls of turkey, but it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the bird on the table, and he drew the line at having a live one running about gobbling.  Gobbling was the job of the diners, not the dinner.  Besides, making a large turkey provided a great deal of the makings for gravy.

The homemade stuffing and mashed potatoes rose high in their serving bowls as Albert set the table, along with the hand made cranberry sauce and the three bean casserole.  He'd analyzed Vinyl's diet and nutritional needs, and had finished off with a carrot and spinach souffle, a massive pumpkin pie, and a huge apple strudel.

As he finished setting the large table, Forte stepped in, staring.  "Pops?" he asked, confused.  "Not that I'm one to complain about a huge spread...but why so much?"

"Well, there are going to be a lot of seats filled at the table," Albert replied.  "It wouldn't look right for parts of the table to be empty."

"Okay, but there's centerpieces for that," Forte indicated.

"Too many centerpieces ruin the look of a meal."

"But there's only one here other than you that even needs to eat!" Forte finally snapped.

Albert bit his lip worriedly.  "I know...I just hope there's enough here that she likes."

Groaning, Forte proceeded to smack his head against the wall in frustration.





As dinner time rolled around, everyone gathered around the table to take their seats.  Albert sat at the head of the table, Vinyl to his left, Protoman to his right.  Forte sat beside Protoman, and a robot that seemed familiar but that Albert didn't quite recognize sat to Vinyl's other side.  Wood Man filled out Protoman's side of the table, while Shadow Man and Crash Man filled the rest of Vinyl's side.  Air Man sat at the opposite end of the table.

Wily stood up as everyone took their seats.  "As per the traditions of Thanksgiving, let us each say what we are thankful for.  Air Man, will you start us off?"

Air Man nodded.  "Just now, I am thankful I do not have a nose or sense of smell.  If I did just now, the lack of mouth or sense of taste would be sheer torture."

As laughter echoed around the table, Albert nodded.  "I'll get to work on fixing both of those for you, Air Man," he managed to get out through his laughter.  "Crash Man?"

"I'm thankful Vinyl gave me hands," Crash Man replied dryly, sliding the bomb gloves into his wrists to reveal actual hands for the holding of utensils.  "I don't have to risk an accidental explosion of flavor."

Albert groaned as Vinyl giggled.  "Wood Man, please tell me you aren't going to make a joke out of this?"

"I'm thankful for a peaceful time where we can all enjoy this together without any worries," Wood Man replied softly.

Albert smiled warmly.  "What a nice sentime-"

"And that I was designed with such a bulky physique," Wood Man added.  "It's not munchies if I stuff myself, I just have a huge stomach!"

Albert was moments away from burying himself face first in the pumpkin pie.  "...Shadow Man?" he asked worriedly.

"I am thankful for Forte," Shadow Man replied softly.  "It's no longer my job to keep Vinyl out of trouble."

"I'll second that!" Protoman chimed in, both bots getting blown a raspberry from the filly in question.

"Wait your turn!" Forte snapped.

"Well, Forte?" Albert asked morosely.

"I'm thankful Vinyl's such a troublemaker, cause if she wasn't I probably wouldn't have been built!"

Vinyl blew a laughing raspberry at Forte as Albert put his face in his hands.  "And...you?" he asked, turning to the robot he didn't recognize.

The robot stood up, revealing a body that was mostly just the skeleton of a robot, plainly a work in progress.  "The robot formerly known as Doc is grateful my rebuild is finished enough to let me walk around and eat!"

Albert blinked.  "The robot formerly known as Doc?"

"My former designation was Doc Robot," the bot explained.  "But I don't have a new designation or function yet."

"Ah," Albert replied, suppressing his curiosity for the moment.  "Protoman, what about you?"

"I'm grateful I haven't had to keep my promise to you yet," he replied cryptically.  While most of the robots glanced at him in confusion, Wily could only nod in understanding before turning to Vinyl.

The little unicorn smiled up at him happily.  "I'm thankful for Daddy!" she called out happily.  "If not for Daddy, I wouldn't have any of this!"  She threw her hooves wide to indicate the castle, the table, the robots, everything.

Albert smiled widely, reaching over to give her a scratch behind one ear.

"Oh, these too!" Vinyl purred, leaning into the caress, getting several laughs.

Chuckling, Albert smiled widely.  "And I'm thankful for my family."  He gestured to the table.  "All of you here.  I may have built most of you with my own two hands...but I know you're here because you choose to be here...and having you all here has made me happier than I could have imagined."  Turning, he smiled down at Vinyl.  "And especially you."

"Can we eat now?" Forte complained.

"Son of a- yes!" Wily snapped angrily, much to the amusement of all present.
> A Very Botty Christmas
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dr. Light sighed sadly as he stared at the capsule before him.  Mega Man had been severely damaged as a result of the fight with Skull Man, to the point that he couldn't even work on him while keeping him active.  His only option had been to retrofit an experimental construction pod - destined for a future project - as a stasis repair bay.  Mega Man now floated in the green fluid which was a mixture of stabilizing liquid and repair nanites, slowly putting him back together.  Based on current projections, he wouldn't be back online until after the New Year.

On top of that, Roll hadn't quite been herself with her brother in such condition.  Her emotional program based in her personality core had been causing an endless sequence of errors, to the point she'd actually put a live turkey in the robot repair bay and nearly tried to cook Rush for Thanksgiving Dinner.  After that, Dr. Light had granted her request to leave her in standby until Mega Man was reactivated.  As for Rush himself, he had taken position on top of the capsule after his bad experience in the kitchen, and refused to move until the capsule opened.

As a result, Dr. Light found himself spending Christmas alone.  He sat staring at the capsule, sipping eggnog laced with a mix of Cognac and Rum.  He imagined that Albert would be having a much happier Christmas right now, wherever he was.  After all, whatever else he had, he had Vinyl.

He was startled out of his reverie by the sound of knocking at the door.  Curious, he went and opened it.  "P-Protoman?" he gasped out, shocked.

"Dr. Wily was wondering if you'd like to play Santa Claus for Vinyl's first Christmas," Protoman replied.

As lonely as Tom had been feeling - and as much of the spiked eggnog as he'd already drunk - he didn't need to be asked twice.  "Let me get my suit!" he replied eagerly, rushing back into the lab.

Chuckling, Protoman stepped inside, unwrapping his scarf briefly to rub his neck.  Setting the scarf down on an end table, he took a sip from Tom's eggnog, only to make a face.  "Wow.  No wonder he agreed so fast..."

Tom soon came rushing down the stairs, rosy cheeked and dressed from head to toe in red and white fur, a perfect traditional Santa outfit.  He looked like a very realistic Santa Claus, to the point that Protoman was having 'Miracle on 34th Street' flashbacks.  "Let's go!" he said eagerly, grabbing for his keys.

"No need for a car," Protoman countered.  "We're providing a vehicle."  Taking Dr. Light's arm, he led him outside.

Dr. Light blinked at what he saw.  "Is that a Mass Transit Teleportation Unit...done up to look like a sleigh?  Pulled by eight new Robot Masters?"

"Yup," Protoman agreed.  "Albert made them specifically for this, to give Vinyl a 'real' Santa experience."

"You mean the reindeer antlers are a part of them?" Tom asked, shocked.

"No, just funny hats to get in the spirit," Protoman replied with a chuckle, leading him up to the head of the sleigh.  "This is Crystal Man," he introduced, gesturing to a blue robot with crystal spheres on his shoulders, head, and chest.  "He's in charge of making the sleigh shimmer."

"Another beautiful one!" Crystal Man stated eagerly all of a sudden, conjuring a crystal around a falling snowflake.  "And another!"

"He's...making a snowflake collection?" Dr. Light asked, stunned.

"Yes, he is," the robot next to him - a large purple robot bristling with rockets, missiles, and other weaponry - stated as he shifted his tank treads.

"This is Napalm Man," Protoman introduced.  "He's in charge of fireworks."

"Don't you think all that is overkill?" Dr. Light asked gesturing to the weaponry.

"Oh, that's not what this is at all!" Napalm Man replied.  "I collect weapons so they won't be used, and the only way I can be sure they won't be used is if I carry them with me at all times-oh no!"

At the 'oh no', Napalm Man stumbled forward, falling on his face as several of his weapons went off.

"It wasn't.  My.  Fault," the robot who bumped into him - an orange robot with a large yellow star on his torso and smaller stars on the rest of his body - stated, placing odd pauses in his speech.

"Then whose fault was it, Star Man?" Protoman growled out.  "You're in charge of choreography."

"Gyro.  Man.  Bumped into.  Me," Star Man replied, his voice mild but accusing.

"My bad!" a green robot with a large propeller strapped to his back replied in a good natured voice, managing to sound happy and - somehow - adorable.

"I don't know how you manage that when you're supposed to be in charge of stabilizing the flight path," Protoman groaned.

"I just don't know what went wrong!" Gyro Man added sorrowfully.

"Can we hurry this up?" a robot shaped like a red train engine proclaimed, pulling out a large pocket watch.  "I'm in Charge of the schedule, and we're late!  For a very important date!"

"You forgot to take time zones into account again, Charge Man," a blue and yellow robot with swim fins on his feet and a harpoon for a hand replied bluntly.

"That's easy for you to say, Wave Man," a large red robot replied, his voice soft but intense.  "I'm the one who has to carry all of us.  All you have to do is use your water powers to give us a soft landing."

"That's Gravity Man," Protoman whispered.  "He's here to use his gravity manipulation tech to make the whole thing fly."

"And...this one?" Tom asked, gesturing to the last Robot Master, who looked to be made of bricks.

"I am Stone Man," the robot replied, his voice very bland.  "I am to be a chimney...with extreme prejudice."

"...he sounds a bit like Guts Man," Tom commented.

"That's because he's a reupload of Guts Man," Protoman explained.  "With a few minor tweaks."

"Does that make you Rudolph?" Tom asked jokingly as he climbed into the sleigh.

Protoman merely glowered at him as the sleigh started forward into the sky, bells ringing, only to teleport out.

Inside, Protoman's scarf lay across an end table next to a spilled glass of eggnog.





Albert smiled widely as he got the signal of the arrival.  "Vinyl, do you hear that?" he asked eagerly.

Cocking her head, Vinyl listened...and heard the sound of sleigh bells in the snow.  Gasping happily - she'd spent the past month hearing every Christmas story for children there was - she dashed outside, looking up in wonder as the sleigh descended, pulled by what to her childish imagination and delight appeared to be eight robotic reindeer.  And Santa himself leapt out of the sleigh.

"Ho ho ho!" 'Santa' called out in Dr. Light's voice.  "Merry Christmas!"

As everyone filed inside, Protoman suddenly snapped his fingers in frustration.  "I forgot my scarf!" he snarled.

Giggling, Vinyl handed him a scarf wrapped in a ribbon.  It was the same yellow as Protoman's old one, but when she ran her hoof over it, it sang.

Confused, Protoman wrapped it around his neck.  When it blew in the non-existent breeze, the scarf played his distinctive whistle.  Smiling, Protoman pulled Vinyl into a hug.

"So tell me, Vinyl, have you been a good little girl this year?" Dr. Light asked, leaning over her as he held the massive sack of presents.

Grinning, Vinyl pulled out her sonic disruptor.  "This is a stick up!" she shouted with a wide grin.

As Dr. Light dropped the sack and threw his hands into the air, every robot present laughed.  Albert struggled to get his own laughter under control.  "Vinyl!" he scolded, taking the gun from her.  "You don't hold Santa up for his presents!"

Vinyl pouted as Dr. Light lowered his hands.  "Thank you Albert."

Wily suddenly smirked, aiming the gun at Tom's head.  "That's Daddy's job," he finished, startling more laughter as Tom put his hands in the air again as everyone else made a mad scramble for presents.





Much later that night, after Vinyl had gone to sleep and most of the robots had powered down for a sleep cycle, Albert and Tom sat up drinking their spiked eggnog, and having gotten more than a little tipsy.

"Ya know..." Tom joked as he hiccuped, "if I'm not back when Mega Man reactivates - the capsule's on automatic - he might think I've been...kidnapped!"  He laughed at that.

"But Protoman left his scarf behind!" Al pointed out through his own drunk laughter.

"So he'll think Protoman did it!" Tom guffawed.  "And since the sensors will show him arriving with eight Robot Masters..."

"If you're setting me up as the fall guy for another world takeover scheme, I want my own fortress," Protoman spoke up, leaning against the wall as his scarf continued to whistle.

"Done!" Tom and Albert both shouted out before slumping forward into unconsciousness.

Protoman chuckled to himself.  "What a way to start the New Year," he muttered, covering both doctors up with blankets.
> Fallen
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mega Man blinked as his capsule opened up, shaking his head.  "Ugh...Dr. Light, how long have I been out?" he called.  When he received no response, he glanced around worriedly.  "Dr. Light?  ...Dad?"

When he still received no response, he began racing around the lab, looking for any sign of what happened.  Eventually, he found Protoman's scarf beside a spilled glass of eggnog.  "Protoman...kidnapped Dr. Light?" he gasped.  "But...but he wouldn't just go with him..."

Turning, he accessed the computers, and discovered that the proximity sensors had registered eight unknown Robot Masters arriving with Protoman.  "Eight Robot Masters?  Is this a takeover attempt?"  He checked the news feed, and sure enough, eight Robot Masters were on the loose.  "...I need some help.  Well...Dr. Cossack owes me one for covering for him over his Robot Masters.  Come on, Rush!"

"Ruff!" Rush replied, leaping to Mega Man's side.  The pair headed for the teleporter, putting in the coordinates for Dr. Cossack's lab.





Dr. Cossack was awakened to the sound of someone pounding at the front door.  Grumbling, he went to open it.  "Who is...Mega Man?  What are you doing here?"

"Protoman's kidnapped Dr. Light!" Mega Man replied quickly.  "Eight new Robot Masters are rampaging.  I need some combat upgrades to handle them.  One of them's a tank.  A freaking tank!"

Mikhail quickly ushered Mega Man and Rush in.  "Alright.  Let me see what I can do."

After a while of working in his lab, Mikhail shook his head.  "I'm afraid there's not much I can do to improve your Mega Buster.  Dr. Light did an excellent job on this charge function.  At best, I could give you another one on your other arm...but using both together could be dangerous for you."

"I'll manage it," Mega Man replied.

"Off to hunt again?"

Mega Man shivered.  Turning, he saw the source of the voice leaning against a nearby wall.  "Skull Man," he greeted calmly.

"Have fun slaughtering more robots...dirty brother killer," Skull Man added.  "You certainly seem to enjoy it."

As Skull Man left, Dr. Cossack turned back to Mega Man.  "Don't let him get to you," he reassured softly.  "You don't-"

"Did you build Protoman's Robot Masters?" Mega Man asked suddenly.

"What?" Mikhail asked, shocked.  "No!  What possible reason could I have to do that?  Why would you even ask me?"

"Because there are only three scientists in the world who could build Robot Masters of that level," Mega Man replied.  "Protoman used them to kidnap one, and you are helping me stop them.  Protoman couldn't build them himself.  ...can you give Rush an upgrade as well?"

Confused by the way Mega Man's mind seemed to be leaping about, Mikhail nodded.  "What did you have in mind?"

"Something...fast."





Forte walked back and forth in the halls of Wily's Castle, grumbling to himself.  Vinyl had gotten a head cold the previous night, and was thus staying in bed for the day.  While he was concerned for her health, he was also frustrated as he had nothing to do until she recovered.  Wood Man was meditating, Air Man was fixing the Fortress' ventilation system, Crash Man was setting up Vinyl's future education plan, and Shadow Man was helping Protoman set up at his Fortress in preparation for Mega Man's counter attack.  On top of that, Dr. Wily himself was up in his lab to offer Protoman some support when the time came, and the Robot Formerly Known As Doc was currently tending to Vinyl.

Grumbling angrily to himself, Forte kicked a nearby wall.  "I wish something would happen!" he snapped.  "Just to break up the boredom-"

The front door of the Fortress blasted open from a double charged plasma blast, and Mega Man came flying in on a motorbike with Rush's head.  He sailed right over Forte before driving on through the Fortress, the bike's engine roaring as he turned through the halls.

"I didn't mean it!" Forte shouted to the universe at large as he tried to make chase...only to be thwarted by a large pit Mega Man had widened as he'd cleared it.  "Dammit!"





To say that Dr. Wily was startled when Mega Man busted down his door on the back of a Rush cycle would be to say that Genghis Khan dabbled in real estate.  He was quite floored when Mega Man leapt off the Rush cycle, blasted him, and then landed braced over him as all his muscles locked up briefly.  Rush transformed back into a dog as he skidded towards the wall, deploying turrets of all things from his back.  "Surrender now, Dr. Wily!" Mega Man ordered.  "I know you're behind Protoman kidnapping Dr. Light!"

Wily was rather surprised that Mega Man had figured it out so quickly, but something else was of greater significance to him just now.  "You shot me!" he shouted out.

"Stun blast," Mega Man replied.  "I asked Mikhail to give me a stun setting so I could actually capture you this time.  That way you would actually be in jail and not ready to do this all over again in a year or two."

"How did you come to the conclusion that I was behind this?" he demanded.

"Because only three people can make Robot Masters that advanced, and you're the only one Protoman would work for," Mega Man replied.  "Beyond that, one was kidnapped by the Robot Masters, and the other is helping me stop you.  I assume you programmed them with a voice command to make them shut down and withdraw, just in case they turned against you?"

Wily's eyes popped open.  "How did you know I did that?" he gasped out.  "I never did before!"

"Because you put the Robot Masters under Protoman's command," Mega Man explained.  "Since you've confirmed you made them and programmed such a command, you're going to make use of it...or I'll make sure you regret not doing so for the rest of your life."

Wily burst into laughter.  "You...you're actually threatening me?"  He laughed louder.  "An empty threat, but still, that's impressive!"

"What makes you think it's empty?" Mega Man asked coldly.

"You've got the three laws in you," Wily replied.  "Tom was obsessed with Asimov.  You can't hurt me, or any human."

"You're right, Wily," Mega Man replied, his voice...somehow dead.  "The first law, hardcoded into my programming, says 'A robot may not harm a human, or through inaction, allow a human to come to harm."  As Wily's eyes narrowed in confusion from the emphasis, Mega Man stepped back.  "Rush, keep him pinned here," he ordered.  Rush quickly moved to obey, pinning Wily beneath him.  "I need to go find Vinyl."  He turned to leave the room.

Albert felt his heart skip a few beats.  "You can't!" Wily shouted out.  "You could never go through with such a thing!  You care too much!"

"My personality simulation is just that, Doctor," Mega Man replied without turning around.  "A simulation.  I, like any robot, am a tool.  My brain is a difference engine.  If projected calculations indicate that killing Vinyl will save humans, then I won't hesitate."  He took another step forward.

"I order you to halt!" Wily gasped out desperately, struggling against Rush.

"I have long standing orders to ignore the orders of criminals if they interfere with my primary mission," Mega Man replied coolly, continuing out the door.

Wily refused to believe it.  Wily could not accept that this would happen, wanted to call Mega Man's bluff.  But as Mega Man turned the corner towards Vinyl's room...Albert broke.  "Wait!" he called out, his voice broken.  "I'll...I'll do it..."

Turning, Mega Man stepped back into the lab, hauled Albert up by his collar, and carried him over to the console.

Reaching out, Albert blindly activated the sequence that put him in contact with the latest eight Robot Masters.  He then leaned forward and spoke into a microphone.  "...abandon hope, all ye who enter here," he whispered, before slumping in on himself as his tears fell.

Elsewhere in the Fortress, eight teleportation signals indicated that the Robot Masters had been recalled.  The screens indicated they were shutting down.

Mega Man turned Albert to face him, his voice dead.  "Dr. Albert Wily, you're under arrest for crimes of robotic terrorism, destruction of property, and acts of world terrorism."

Saying no more, Mega Man teleported out, taking Albert Wily with him to jail...only for Protoman to step into the room, having gotten there in time to hear the end of the interaction, but too late to interfere.
> Broken
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dr. Light stepped into his lab, a deep frown on his face.  He knew Mega Man was in here somewhere, and after what he had done regarding Wily, Light was going to have it out with him.  There were things you did not do when acting as the 'hero'.  Mega Man had crossed a line, and Light was going to make sure he knew it.

As he stepped in, Roll stepped out of the kitchen, looking...emotionally broken.  As she caught sight of him, she gasped in relief and rushed forward.  "Dr. Light!" she called out desperately, throwing her arms around him.

"I'm alright," he reassured her, patting her back.  "But I-"

"Please, you need to help Rock!" Roll begged.  "He's...he's..."

Dr. Light couldn't stop his eyebrow from raising.  Why would Roll be unable to explain?  And why would she think Rock needed help?  And...why was she referring to him as Rock?  "Where is he?" he asked, deciding to address the other questions later.

"T-the battle sim," Roll whimpered, her eyes flickering, showing the signs of major program error.  "He...he hasn't left since he handed Dr. Wily over to the authorities..."

Dr. Light frowned angrily.  Was he that addicted to battle?  Turning, he stormed off to the battle sim, the training room that could generate any possible combat scenario Mega Man might face in going after Wily's Robot Masters.  It had originally been created to test Protoman's combat abilities, but Light had repurposed it for Mega Man after Rock had requested to be upgraded to fight.

Arriving in the control center, he saw Mega Man fighting against numerous opponents, and glanced down at what he had set it to.  He was surprised to see it was the hypothetical 'Omega Scenario', where Wily would send an army of Robot Masters to attack the city, which Mega Man would have to fight all at once.  In order to tweak the difficulty of the scenario, the list of Robot Masters holographically generated could be customized, along with the number sent.

The scenario was set to infinite, meaning that it would only stop when Mega Man took enough simulated damage for a shut down.  And the only Robot Master listed to be generated...was Mega Man.

"What?" Dr. Light demanded in confusion, looking back into the battle sim chamber.  It was true.  Mega Man was battling against endless copies...of himself, blasting away at them and taking hits.  He also seemed to be aiming purely for head shots or disabling attacks...as though he were trying to torture and destroy himself.

Finally, one bad hit caused the simulation to end, and Mega Man fell back.  The change in lighting let Dr. Light see the tears pouring down Mega Man's face.  He could also see as Mega Man lifted his Mega Buster to his own face and pull the trigger, only for his self preservation protocols to make it click emptily instead of firing.  Pushing himself to his feet, Mega Man shouted, "Again!" and the simulation restarted.

Tom could only stare, beginning to understand what Roll meant about Rock needing help.  A robot obsessed with its own destruction?  No wonder Roll was experiencing program errors and couldn't vocalize the issue.  Stepping out of the control room, he entered the battle sim itself.  Because of the safeties being on - there was evidence Mega Man had tried to deactivate them, but he didn't have the clearance - and his name not being in the combatants list, the holographic targets would ignore him, and blasts would pass right through him harmlessly.  He walked up behind Mega Man.  "Mega Man," he called out, only to receive no response.  "Mega Man!"  When there was still no response, he whispered, "Rock..."

Mega Man spun around, his buster pointing right at Dr. Light as it clicked several times.  Finally, he seemed to realize what he was doing as the simulation came to an end once more.  "D...Dr. Light?" he gasped out in shock.

"Rock, I-" Tom began, but was cut off as Mega Man clung to him, falling to his knees and weeping.

"I didn't want to do it!" he wailed.  "I never wanted to hurt Vinyl!  I found loopholes in my programming so I could let Wily get away a couple of times just so she could keep her father!  I love that little filly...but my program...it wouldn't let me stop!"  He slammed his fist into the floor.  "Once the information was presented to me that I knew where Wily was and that he was behind it...I had to take the fight to him directly.  And then...and then..."

Mega Man sunk to the floor, unable to hold himself up.  "And then the calculations...Wily wants a world of robot/human equality.  That's why he's conquering the world...that's why he's a threat...so the solution was to break him...and his faith in robots...

"I had to fight...fight my own program to not follow through on the threat anyway once he capitulated!" he gasped out.  "I had to block my primary mission arguing my self preservation protocol, just to keep myself from killing her!"  He slammed his buster into the ground.  "And it was hard...cause realizing I would have gone through with it...I didn't want to survive anymore!  I...I still don't..."

"Rock..." Tom spoke up, his own voice breaking.

"But I can't end it!" Rock shouted out again.  "I can't...I can't override that protocol...and there's no loophole..."  He put his buster to his own head.  "Except one!  The only one who can override my self-preservation protocols is you!  Please...give me the order!"  His screams turned to despairing wails.  "Please, Dad!  Order me to end it!"

Tom stared at Rock for a time, seeing the despair in his eyes.  I tried so hard to make their emotions as real as can be, he thought silently to himself.  Would this be what a human looked like...if they suddenly discovered that their choices were an illusion?  That they had no true free will?  Stepping forward, he put his hand on Mega Man's buster...and slowly pushed it down.  "That is one order I can't give you, Rock," he whispered sorrowfully.

Rock stared at him for a time, then spun around.  "Then leave me!" he shouted out.  "Leave!"

Sighing, Tom wrapped his fallen, broken, robotic son in his embrace.

"Go away!" Rock shouted out, trying to struggle...but he couldn't fight too hard, as doing so risked hurting Tom, and that was against his protocols.  "I hate you!  I hate you!"

"As you should," Tom whispered.  "These events were not your doing, Rock...they were mine.  I am at fault.  You should never have been put in this situation..."

Rock was silent as he shook with tears.

"I was the one who granted you the weapons you asked for to fight Wily," he whispered.  "I gave you hands...I gave you eyes...I gave you hair...but this burning in your heart I did not put there."  He gently stroked Rock's cheek.  "And seeing it there, burning so strongly, I wanted to see what it came from, what brought it out of you...and in my zeal, I forgot what these hands of mine made you to be.  I should have seen this possibility coming...but human error has always destroyed the greatest of dreams.

"I cannot take away the guilt.  I cannot take away the pain of the memories.  I cannot destroy you that way."  Reaching up, Dr. Light opened a panel in the back of Mega Man's head.  "But I can ensure that this will not happen again."

"...how?" Mega Man asked desperately.

"The way I should have the moment Albert took Vinyl with him when he sought to conquer the world," Tom replied.  "What I should have done when you first volunteered to fight him."  He brought out his tools.  "I'm going to change what your First Law protocols define as human...to include Vinyl.  She's one of the ones you want to protect...but your program doesn't recognize her as such.  I'll fix that, so you won't find yourself like this again."

"But...but I've destroyed Vinyl anyway," Rock whimpered.  "She's bound to know what happened by now-"

"No," Light interrupted.  "The only ones who know are you, Rush, Wily, myself, and Protoman...and Protoman wants to protect her fondness for robots, including her new robotic big brother.  He's not about to tell her what you would have done."

Rock rested on his hands and knees, letting his father work on his brain.  "Will...will the pain ever go away?" he asked hopelessly.

"You learn to live with it over time," Tom replied.  "And...it will fade with the memories as you forget..."  His voice trailed off.

"I'm a robot," Rock supplied.  "I...I can never forget..."

Unable to do anything else for the child he'd built and saddled with such a cursed existence, Tom held him close...

...and in his mind, began the plans for one who would not face these issues.  One who would not be bound by the laws.  One who could live the life he unwittingly denied Rock.

He began the plans for Project X.
> VSW-001: Visitors
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Albert Wily sat back in his bare prison cell, the orange jumpsuit fitting comfortably at least.  He wasn't surprised that someone of his intelligence and caliber, locked up for crimes of robotic terrorism, was placed in a cell that was this low tech.  A bucket, a pile of straw, solid stone walls, and metal bars, no trace of technology anywhere near him, or even anything metallic that could possibly be useful.  Given his total absence of physical strength, this cell was truly inescapable...and they didn't even have to open it up for anything.

He didn't mind the absence of luxury.  He knew that Protoman and Forte were taking care of Vinyl, and as long as he behaved he'd be out before too long.  Maybe...a decade at most?  He hadn't actually killed anyone, after all, and he'd actually purchased the areas his Robot Masters went to before sending them.  In all likelihood, he'd be in however long it took for someone to hash out exactly what he was guilty of, and then he'd be off with time served.  At least, that's what he told himself.

He was even allowed visitors, although he hadn't had any as of yet.  He wasn't all that surprised, though.  He didn't actually know that many people, and he doubted any of them would come to visit him in jail.  He certainly didn't want Protoman or Forte to bring Vinyl to visit him in jail.

"Wily," the guard called out.  "You have a visitor."

Curious, Albert stood up, brushing himself off to get as presentable as possible.  He was shocked beyond measure to see Mega Man step in front of the bars.  "What are you doing here?" he demanded angrily.

Mega Man flinched back from the rage, and closed his eyes.  "I...came to apologize," he replied softly.

Albert Wily stared at the blue robot before him for a long time.  He wanted to be angry.  He wanted to vent all his rage and pain against the one who'd brought him here.  But he'd actually thought about what had brought him here...and realized that shouting at Mega Man would be unfair of him, and he didn't want to be unfair.  "Your apology is meaningless," he stated finally.

Mega Man winced visibly.  "I understand why you would say that-"

"You never had any choice in the matter," Albert continued as though Mega Man hadn't spoken.  "You may be capable of learning and adapting...but that gets processed through your personality core, which can't do anything to your hardcoded programming.  All of Light's robots are like that.  If your programming core determines a course of action is necessary, there's nothing you - the being we know as Mega Man - can do to escape it.  Tom's the one to blame for what happened, Mega Man.  He's the one who needs to apologize."

Mega Man was silent for a time.  When he finally spoke again, his voice was quiet and accusing.  "And how are you any different?" he demanded.  "Your robots have the same brain types as I do.  Their personality cores can't overwrite their program cores.  The only reason Quick Man and Bubble Man were able to abandon the cause is because they were able to classify an order of 'be yourself' above the order from you of 'help take over the world'."

Albert smirked.  "Because I install each of my robots with a kill switch," he explained.  "One activated through their personality core.  If ever what their programming core deems required action is truly unbearable to who they are, they can shut themselves down with a single thought...and thus not take that action.  Were I free, I'd still be experimenting on creating a robot brain that can overwrite its core programming...but that's hardware and software that's pure theory at this point.  I'm sure Tom's working on the same."

Mega Man stared at his 'enemy' for a time.  "...wish I had that," he admitted softly.  "I'd have used it."

"So what action did Tom take regarding what happened?" Albert asked, wanting to change the subject.

"My programming core now recognizes Vinyl as a human."

Albert rolled his eyes.  "He should have done that long ago."

"Yes...he should have."

Albert's eyes widened.  "I never thought to hear you criticize your own maker."

"I was originally a lab assistant," Mega Man replied with a sour smirk.  "Part of that job is telling the one you're assisting when they've made a technical mistake.  He never got rid of that part when he converted me to a combat robot."

Albert couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Time's up," the guard stated bluntly.  Sighing, Mega Man waved farewell, and turned and left.





It was a few weeks later that Albert had another visitor, his old friend Tom.  "Albert..." he began as he sat down.

"I'll stay civil," Wily replied firmly.  "But it's going to be a long time before I forgive you for the situation you created."

Dr. Light winced.  "I know," he agreed.  "It's going to be a long time before I forgive myself for it.  And I've already begun work to ensure that it doesn't happen again."

"I'd heard what you did to Mega Man's program," Wily indicated.  "And I'm wondering why it didn't occur to you to do so sooner."

"...because I'd fallen into the creator's fallacy," Tom replied sadly.  "I...I made Rock, made Mega Man, so lifelike and human that...I forgot that he wasn't.  ...also, I gave him his own kill switch."

Albert raised an eyebrow.  "When he's this much of an emotional wreck?" he demanded.  "What's to keep him from shutting himself down somewhere where he'll be destroyed after shut down?"

"Nothing," Tom replied.  "And I told him flat out from the start that the kill switch will override his self-preservation protocols when shutting him down."  He sat back with a smile.  "And...that's why he's getting better."

"Eh?"

"I gave him a choice," Tom explained.  "The kill switch is activated by the personality core...and has no prerequisites to activate.  He can trigger it whenever he wants, for whatever reason he wants.  And it has an eight hour timer built into it.  Even I can't reactivate him during that time, and at the end of it he'll reactivate automatically."

Albert managed a smile.  "And knowing that, he can use it to defy you if he so chooses, can't he?"

Tom nodded.  "He can.  He even asked about that, and I offered to have it also clear any standing order cache.  It does that too, now."  He shrugged.  "Actually creating a robot mind that can rewrite its own code - with true free will - is a project that will take a long time...but in the meantime, I've given Mega Man as much freedom - as much choice - as possible."

"There's only one robot with more freedom than that," Wily pointed out.

"Yes," Tom replied.  "If he'd let me take a closer look at his CPU, I might be able to discover why...and that might well be the answer to our quandary."

"Perhaps..." Albert admitted.  "Thanks for visiting."

Knowing the time of civility was at an end, Tom left.





It had been the good part of a year since his imprisonment before he had his next visitor.  The guards were kind enough to let Albert know the date when he asked, and he knew today would be depressing for him.  After all...it was Vinyl's birthday, and he wouldn't be there with her.  He couldn't even make or send her a birthday present.

The worst part was what he'd never told Vinyl.  Her birthday had been selected based on the day she'd appeared in his life.  And...that had been his birthday.  He had to admit, she was the best present he'd ever gotten, even if he'd long stopped celebrating his own birthday.

"Visitors," the guard called out.

Albert raised an eyebrow as he slowly stood up and walked to the bars.  Had Tom decided to bring him a birthday cake?  It would be so like him.  But it wasn't a human who was waiting to be allowed in to see him.  Forte looked so human that the guards didn't even blink an eye at him.  Albert himself barely recognized Protoman out of his armor.  For that matter, he didn't know that Protoman could take his armor off.  Still, he looked pretty human with his black hair and silver eyes.

But the last visitor nearly broke him.

"Daddy!" Vinyl called out as she raced across the cold stone floor of the prison, the clip-clop of her hooves echoing in the passage as she raced to his cell and leapt up to wrap her forelegs around his neck through the gaps in the bars.  His own arms reached through to pull her into a tight embrace as he wept.

"Sorry, Doc," Protoman said as he approached.  "I know we agreed that she wasn't to visit you in jail if you got arrested, but when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, all she wanted was to see you."

"...Vinyl..." Albert sobbed, stroking her mane lovingly.  "You...I didn't want you to see me like this."

"Was that a complaint, Pops?" Forte asked, acting like he was snatching the words out of the air.  "Wasn't the box here, last I checked?"  He stuffed his hand into Wily's left sideburn.

Protoman rolled his eyes as Vinyl giggled.  "And what chance did I have convincing her otherwise?" he asked.  "Even you can't manage to tell her what to do."

"I missed you, Daddy," Vinyl whimpered tearfully.

What could Albert say to that?  Lowering his head, he let her nuzzle his cheek as he held her tight.  He lost all track of time in that embrace.

"Time's up," the guard finally said.

"No!" Vinyl complained, clinging tighter to Albert.

"I've bent the rules enough as is," the guard replied.  "You're not supposed to be allowed to touch the prisoner unless it's a conjugal visit."

"At his age, you think his heart could take that?" Forte joked, startling many laughs.

"Come on, Vinyl," Protoman said softly, gently pulling her away.  "Time to go."

"NO!" Vinyl wailed as she allowed herself to be pulled away.  She reached out despairingly towards Albert.  "DADDY!"

Unable to do anything else, Albert sunk into his bed of straw and wept.





It was an hour past sunset, two hours before lights out in the prison.  Wily had spent the entire time since Vinyl's visit staring up at the ceiling of his cell.  He couldn't stay in here any longer.  He...he had to find a way to get out and be with her again!  His mind began feverishly conjuring more and more insane escape plans, none of which had a snowball's chance in hell of succeeding.

Which was why he wasn't entirely certain the voice coming out of his sideburn was real at first.

"VWM-001, Giganto, online and ready.  Operation Bust-a-Move is a go."

Confused, Wily reached into his sideburn...and the tiniest robot he'd ever seen crawled onto his wrist.
> VSW-002: Genius
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Albert couldn't help but stare at the robot, about the size of his pinky nail, in consternation.  "Umm..." he began in confusion.

"Greetings, Doctor," the robot greeted.  "I am Giganto.  I am here to break you out of jail."

"So how will you manage that?" Albert asked curiously.  "Do you have a very tiny sonic disruptor in your arm?"

"Negative, I am not equipped with any form of sonic technology," Giganto replied.  "I have different abilities, for which I was named."

"Shouldn't you be 'Giganto Man', then?"

"Negative," Giganto countered.  "My creator considers the attachment of 'Man' to a robot's name to be an unnecessary conceit, and will not be doing so with any of her own robots.  Beyond that, not all of us are actually 'men'."

"So what abilities are you equipped with, then?" Albert asked as the robot leapt from his hand and began drawing lines all across the floor, walls, and ceiling of the cell.

"Do you remember the matter expansion project you were developing on the side of robotics?"

Albert nodded.  "Yeah.  I scrapped it because while it did function to make things get bigger and smaller, the device itself was too big to function as I intended.  Why do you ask?"

"My creator utilized an etheric feedback coil to enable the device to affect itself, without interfering with its functionality," Giganto explained, finally drawing a large X at one point on the floor.  "I am equipped with it.  Please stand on the X."

Realizing quickly what was about to happen, Albert raced to the X.

As soon as he was on it, Giganto raced to another spot and began to grow.  As he grew, he shouldered the walls and ceiling of the prison aside, the fragments of stone falling everywhere except where Wily was standing.  By the time any rubble started to approach him, Giganto's hands were big enough to grab him and carry him off with him as he moved away.  "Giganto smash prison!" he shouted as he proceeded to smash his way past the walls and sentry towers, the bullets and energy blasts the guards tried to shoot him with bouncing off of him.  Any robots or automated turrets that tried to confront him were stepped on as he marched.

Examining the hand that held him, Wily realized with shock that the exterior of Giganto's body was coated in Metool alloy, and his expanded power core could absorb any energy - kinetic or otherwise - that impacted his exterior.  The reason why Wily had never used Metool alloy for anything but Metools was because the energy deflected had to go somewhere, and without a way to discharge it, covering a robot with Metool alloy was asking for it to suffer a catastrophic meltdown.  Not to mention shaping Metool alloy was difficult and expensive...but Vinyl had likely shaped it to Giganto's tiniest form, and then designed it to rely on the expansion function.  "While not the quietest of escapes-"

"Shush!" Giganto proclaimed for no apparent reason, only to suddenly drop Wily.  Considering Giganto was now the size of a sky scraper, Albert did not take this with equanimity.  He scrambled to try to hold on, but couldn't get a grip.  Some thoughts in his head connected, and he bit his lip to keep from screaming in terror as he fell towards a manhole cover...which shifted aside just before he hit, and slid closed just as something caught him gently, slowing his fall so his impact into the river of sewage beneath him was only unpleasant.

"Crikey!" an Australian accented voice barked out.  "Must be some real big birds up there, ay?"

Albert found himself staring into the eyes of a robotic anthropomorphic alligator.  "...and you are?"

"Ah'm VWM-002 mate!" the robot replied.  "Call me Sewer Gator!  Come on!  Gotta get ya ta the boss lady."  He lifted Albert onto his shoulder.  "Hang on tight.  Yer probably gonna be glad yer trousers are already brown."

"What do you-WAUGH!"  Albert clung tightly to Gator's head as he zoomed through the sewers, following a crazy path filled with twists, turns, corkscrews, loop-de-loops somehow, and 'sick jumps' as Sewer Gator dubbed them.  In Albert's opinion, it was because one more of those and he would be sick.

"Time ta dump ya!" Sewer Gator shouted as he dropped Wily off his back at the next 'sick jump'.  Wily did scream this time, only to land in a teleporter.





"Gotcha, Doc," Protoman said as he steadied Albert on the arrival pad.  "A bit of a rough ride?"

"I feel like I'm going to vomit..." Albert grumbled, staggering.

"The sonic shower will probably help with that," Protoman replied.  "Let's get the stink off you."  Without any further warning, Protoman stripped Albert of his sewer-soiled prison uniform.

"What the-" Albert began, only to be cut off as a strange hum filled the chamber.  Specially focused sonic waves bombarded his body, erasing the dirt and stench and leaving behind only a tranquil warmth.  "...what?" he asked, stupefied.

"Yeah, Vinyl's been doing a lot of work with sonic technology," Protoman replied.  "Among other things."

"And the...VWMs?" Albert asked as he was wrapped in a fluffy robe.  "Vinyl Wily Models?"

"Nope," Protoman countered.  "Vinyl's Wub Masters(1)."

Albert shook his head with a chuckle.  "So...where is she?" he asked.  "And where are we?"

"The fortress you and Tom built for me when you thought Mega Man would follow the formula," he explained.

"The Dark Man Fortress?" Albert asked, surprised.

"Yeah...but Vinyl's remodeled it a bit..."





After getting a brief tour of the changes to the Fortress - and a fresh set of clothes that was more Albert's style - Protoman led him to a large chamber.  "And this is Vinyl's lab," Protoman explained.

Albert stared around at all the automated machinery crafting...rather unusual robots which he decided not to pay too much attention to.  Obviously, they were themed to Vinyl's Wub Masters, and he'd find out how later.  What interested him more was the sight of a giant mechanical version of his own head baring a toothy grin, obviously Vinyl's version of his own Death Machines.  Looking elsewhere, he spotted Vinyl working on a modified Air Man, holding what looked like a metal wand in her telekinetic grip that hummed as she worked.  "Vinyl?"

"Daddy!" Vinyl called happily, racing over to leap into his arms, the wand trailing after her.

Albert pulled his daughter close, holding her in a tight embrace.  "...I'm never leaving your side again," he whispered, tears falling from his eyes.

"I won't let you," Vinyl promised in return, tears pouring from her own eyes, her sunglasses having fallen askew.

The entire lab fell silent as they embraced, letting them bleed out the pain as they reunited.  Eventually, they both cleared their throats, getting control of themselves again.  "So...what's this?" Wily asked, slipping into his scientist mindset as he glanced at the wand.

"It's an all purpose tool," Vinyl explained.  "It uses specific sonic frequencies to manipulate various materials at the molecular level, programmed to shape those waves based on my magical aura.  It can also feed information back into my thoughts based on data it collects."  She tapped the blue crystal at the top.  "This is the focal point, a crystal that can hold magical energy.  I'm using it to balance the magical and sonic energies."

"Astounding," Wily murmured proudly.  "Like some sort of...Sonic Screwdriver?"

"It's not a screwdriver, Dad," Vinyl chided.  "It's a lot more than that.  Speaking of..." Turning, she waved the device at Protoman's chest as it hummed.

Protoman quickly moved back several steps.  "What'd you just do?" he demanded angrily.

"Fixed your power core," Vinyl replied easily.  "And yes, I know you don't like anyone messing with your internals, but I'd rather you hate me for a couple months for being a jerk then lose you unexpectedly someday because you're a stubborn ass!"

Albert was very glad he wasn't drinking anything at that moment.

After a time, Protoman grudgingly shrugged and pet Vinyl behind her ears.  "I love you too, Vinyl," he grumbled affectionately.








(1) Thank you for this, The Emerald Nightingale
> VSW-003: Hero's Trial
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Mega Man!" Dr. Light called out worriedly.  "Mega Man!  It's an emergency!"

"What is it, Doctor?" Mega Man asked, stepping out of his room.

"New Robot Masters are attacking different points across the world!" Dr. Light explained quickly.  "I believe it's a cover for someone helping Wily escape from prison!"

"Who'd do that?" Mega Man asked, confused.

"Well, it might be Vinyl, so you'll have to inves-" Dr. Light cut himself off as he saw Mega Man's eyes go dark.  "...damn it, Rock..."





Eight hours later, Dr. Light confronted Mega Man immediately.  "You need to stop the Robot Masters before they destroy everything!"

"...why does it have to be me?" Mega Man asked.  "Can't the military take care of this?"

"It's taking all the might of the militaries in the countries being attacked just to keep them contained!" Dr. Light snapped out.

"...how long can they keep them contained?" Mega Man inquired.

"Another day or two-"  Dr. Light stared at Mega Man's darkened eyes.  "...so this is what Albert was talking about..."





Another eight hours later, Dr. Light looked up at Mega Man as he came back online.  "What happened to trying to save the world?" he asked softly.  With no orders in queue, Mega Man could take his time responding.

Mega Man sighed as he leaned back against the wall.  "I don't think I have it in me anymore," he stated finally.  "I...don't feel like much of a hero...after what I would have done..."

Tom sighed as he glanced up at his broken son.  "What then?" he asked.  "Should I remove your weapons?  Return you to simply being my lab assistant?  Who, then, will go to fight this new threat?  Who would stop the world from falling into ruin?  Who will protect the innocent?"

Mega Man glanced away.  "I...but I'm no hero..."

"Then don't be one," Tom replied.  "Be a warrior instead."

"...huh?"

"'If I am not for myself, who will be for me?  If I am only for myself, what am I?  And if not now, when?'"  Tom took a sip of his tea.  "Rock...you volunteered to become Mega Man to become a warrior for justice.  Those were your exact words.  You didn't ask me to make you a hero...and I didn't.  I made you a warrior.  Now...the question is yours: what's left for a warrior who can no longer fight?"

Mega Man stared out the window.  "I...I could still fight, couldn't I?" he asked softly.  "But...is it right to do so?"

"Only you can answer that for yourself, Mega Man," Tom replied.  "But also ask yourself this: is it right that the innocent suffer, because one good robot can't bring himself to do anything?"  He smiled softly.  "You question your heroism...but that was never an issue.  What you really are afraid of...is that you are no longer 'good'.  But Mega Man...if you weren't good at heart, then your fall from grace would not torture you so.  The very pain and indecision it causes is proof that you are still who you always were."

Mega Man was silent for a long time.  So long, in fact, that Tom was afraid he'd shut himself down again.  Eventually, however, he lifted his head.  "You're right," he said softly.  "Someone has to do something...and that someone is me.  And the time is now."  He pushed himself off from the wall, walking to the front door.

Tom smiled softly.  "I'm proud of you, son," he said softly.





When Mega Man stepped outside, he was unsurprised to find Skull Man waiting for him, leaning against the wall with his hood hanging back.  "So you're going to do it all over again?" he asked.  "Kill more robots just doing what their maker asked them to do?  You really enjoy this, don't you...dirty brother killer?"

Mega Man turned to stare at him.  "Do you have a point?" he asked calmly.

Skull Man chuckled as he pushed himself off the wall.  "Guess you really haven't learned your lesson..."

"And what lesson is that, exactly?" Mega Man demanded.  "Tell me, how should I have handled the Cossack situation?"

"You could have picked up Kalinka straight away-"

"And what would that have done to Mikhail?" Mega Man interrupted.  "Once I knew Kalinka wasn't a hostage, if I'd brought her back right away, there would have been no way to conceal the fact that Mikhail set it all up with Wily for a field test of you and your brothers' combat capacity...and that he was the one who put those capabilities in them, especially since they would have been forced to undergo official examination.  He would have faced criminal charges, if not worse!  What would that have done to him and Kalinka?"  When Skull Man was silent for a time, Mega Man continued.  "My programming core made the decision to fight all of you before retrieving Kalinka.  I didn't understand why...but I do now.  In situations like that - like this - there is no right choice...only the best choice."

He took a deep breath, let it out, then continued.  "Whatever I choose, I must do some sort of evil.  And that torments me...because at heart, I just want to do good.  I've killed so many of my brothers, whether actually built by my creators or just brother robots, and every day I mourn every last one of them...especially since meeting you."  He squared his shoulders.  "But I can't let grief crush me.  If I do...then their deaths become meaningless."

Skull Man slowly brought his hands together in an excessively dramatic clap.  "Well now...somebody finally put his big boy pants on...even if it does look like he's still wearing his underwear on the outside."  Pushing off from the wall, he spread his hands wide.  The pieces of the fallen rose to his command.  "Let's see if you can back it up."

The 'bones' flew at Mega Man, and he dodged each incoming projectile as best he could, moving as little as possible in order to give himself maximum reaction time for each incoming piece.  He saw some actual human bones amongst them, and knew they were to represent the humans who would suffer, no matter what choice was made.  Steeling himself, he continued, at one point even vaulting over an incoming bone to land behind Skull Man.

Of course, this didn't do him much good as a small skull flame latched onto him and hurled him away.  Skull man then pulled out the dragon skull shaped blasters, which hovered around the area and opened fire.  Mega Man twisted, turned, and leapt to evade each one.  The seemingly endless waves of attacks continued, but he refused to yield.  He was strong...he was brave...he was determined.

Skull Man suddenly stepped up the assault.  Patterns of attack shifted in the blink of an eye, barely giving Mega Man time to react.  Still, he managed to evade, still never firing a single shot.  He noticed that Skull Man was sparking oddly, apparently pushing himself too hard.  If things kept going, Skull Man might overheat and self destruct.

Acting on instinct, Mega Man leapt onto one of the skull shaped blasters.  Aiming it, he used the thrust to propel himself straight at Skull Man, leaping off it and over a skull flame at the last possible moment.  Tackling Skull Man to the ground, he put his buster to his head.

Skull Man chuckled.  "Go ahead," he replied.  "Pull the trigger.  I won't surrender."

Mega Man smiled softly.  "Then I will," he replied, standing up.  Switching back to his hand, he held it out to help Skull Man to his feet.  "You're not my enemy.  I have no desire to see you dead.  And I certainly didn't win here."

Skull Man's skeletal grin widened.  "No...you didn't."  Taking the offered hand, he pulled himself to his feet.  "But you did pass."  Gripping Mega Man's hand tightly, he began the transfer.

Mega Man felt his buster twist and contort inside as new programming and new configurations were applied.  At long last, a status update appeared in his mind.



Charge level 4 unlocked: Skull Blast



Skull Man stepped back and gave him a teasing salute.  "Fight~o, Mega Man!  For everlasting peace!"

Grinning widely, he turned to rush off into the sunset.

As he raced away, Dr. Light stepped out.  "Thank you for helping him, Skull Man," he said softly.

Skull Man grinned as he watched Mega Man race away.  "...he does remember he can teleport, right?"
> VSW-004: Vinyl's Moving Castle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dr. Light sat back in his chair as he went over the information regarding the new Robot Masters running amok.  Each had their own dangers and terrors, but some were greater threats than others.  When Mega Man contacted him, Dr. Light wanted to be sure he could direct him to negate the greatest threats possible in order.

As he thought that, the teleporter beeped to indicate an incoming signal, and Mega Man appeared.  "Hey, Dad..." he began nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"Remembered you could teleport?" Tom joked.

"Oh, I knew I could teleport," Mega Man countered.  "The situation just seemed to call for dramatically racing out to face the first Robot Master."

Tom couldn't help but chuckle at that.  "I admit it was very dramatic...but why are you back, then?"

Mega Man flushed in embarrassment.  "I was halfway to Moscow before I realized I didn't know where any of the new Robot Masters are."

"Moscow?" Tom asked, shocked.  "How were you crossing the ocean?"

"The motorcycle form Dr. Cossack installed in Rush has an aquatic function, so I can cross rivers, lakes, and oceans on him," Mega Man explained.  "So...where are the Robot Masters?"

Chuckling, Dr. Light called up what he'd gathered so far.  "Well, they are in various locations scattered across the globe...but I think this one is of greatest concern right now."  He called up the location on the map.

"That's nowhere near where the giant one is rampaging after busting up the jail," Mega Man pointed out.

"No, it's not," Dr. Light replied.  "The military has Giganto well pinned down, but they can't stop this one."

"Why?  It looks like he's just holed up in a castle somewhere."

Dr. Light sighed.  "Check the elevation coordinates."

Mega Man stared at the screen.  "...okay, so it's a really tall castle.  I still don't see-"  Mega Man's voice cut off as a cloud passed through on the image of the castle...under the castle.

"Mobile weapons platforms are always top priority," Dr. Light explained.  "Even when they look very Gothic."

"Agreed," Mega Man confirmed, heading for the teleporter.  "I'm ready to go!"





Mega Man found himself warped into the courtyard of the massive castle, staring up at the looming buttresses and arching windows as lightning flashed from nowhere.  "This seems...oddly familiar," he muttered to himself, walking in through the open front gate.

The halls were well lit and furnished, with plush chairs, wide couches, red carpets, and glimmering wall sconces...half of which were actually disguised robots trying to kill him.  The robo-zombies, robotic wolves, robo-bats, and robotic gargoyles didn't help much.  "All I'm missing is a whip," Mega Man growled as he decided to test out the Skull Blast.  Charging his buster to max, he aimed at a line of robots and fired.

After he extricated himself from the wall he found himself embedded in, he stared at the heaps of molten slag that had been the robots in that narrow line he'd fired in.  "...wow..." was all he could bring himself to say.

Mega Man worked his way through the castle, exploring every path.  Several paths were sealed off until certain switches were pressed...and those switches were at the ends of other paths, while some paths looped around and about to connect to other paths.  Mega Man found himself wondering if there was any correct path through.  After his third time wandering into a massive library where even the books were trying to kill him, he screamed out, "My kingdom for a bloody map!"(1)

"I'll sell you one for screws," a decrepit robot that wasn't trying to kill him piped up from behind a desk.

Gasping in relief, Mega Man plopped down a bundle of screws that he'd salvaged from the robots he'd been destroying onto the desk.  "Thank the Light," he exhaled.

"Here you go.  No refunds."

Mega Man quickly opened the map.  "...hey!  This is a map to Tokyo!  I wanted a map of the castle!"

"Sorry!" the decrepit robot replied.  "All sold out of those.  Don't get my next shipment for another few hours."

Screaming in frustration, Mega Man charged out of the library, fully intent on blasting anything he came across to molten slag.





Back in the Wubtress - as Vinyl had dubbed the Fortress after taking it over for her own purposes - Vinyl and Protoman shared a hoof-bump and raucous laughter.

Albert shook his head in wonder.  "And I thought I could be cruel to Mega Man when trying to take over the world..."





After tearing through the arena for the third time - and blasting a giant Guardian to smithereens - Mega Man finally found his way to a new area, the Clock Tower.  "Well, here's hoping this is the right way," he muttered to himself.  He carefully positioned himself for a leap across a wide gap, only to get hit in midair by a floating head bot that swayed through the air in an unpredictable manner.  "Fuck you very much, too, Medusa!" Mega Man shouted in frustration as he clung to a platform lower down, before managing to swing himself back up...only to get pushed off as the rotating gear he stood on rolled him into open air.

With a scream of frustration, Mega Man turned the Skull Blast on the tower itself, causing the whole thing to fall to an angle.  "I'll climb the damn walls!" he growled, racing up the incline and blasting platforms out of his path.

Finally, he escaped the Clock Tower into the Royal Hall, as it was so declared on the entrance.  The chamber was wide, lined with red carpet, and up near the top of the very tall chamber was another door.  A sign pointed to the door, reading, "Boss Chamber".

"Alright," Mega Man gasped out in relief.  "All I need to do is get up there.  Now how do I-"

With a distinctive, memorable sound, a block appeared in the air.  Another one appeared somewhat higher, in a different position.  When the third block appeared, the first vanished.

"...you gotta be kidding me..." Mega Man groaned.  "...please don't let the others be this frustrating."  After watching the order in which the blocks appeared and committing it to memory - and watching it a few more times to make sure it wouldn't change on him - Mega Man leapt to the first block that appeared.

At exactly eye level was another sign.  "Move fast, and have fun!"

"Huh?" Mega Man inquired.  As he spoke, the entire floor beneath him erupted spikes, and began to slowly climb up the chamber towards him.

"Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap!" Mega Man screamed out as he leapt from block to block, racing ahead of the floor to get to the door.  Even moving at exactly the rate at which the blocks appeared, he only just barely managed to reach the door ahead of the spiked floor.  Slamming the door closed behind him, he took a few deep breaths to relax.

"Well, well, well," a calm voice greeted.  "I didn't expect you to get here so soon."

Looking up, Mega Man saw...what in any other situation he'd classify as a 14-year-old stereotypical emo-kid.  Here, however, he knew he was up against a robot.  "Please tell me you're the boss," he begged as he readied himself for battle.

"Sorry, but your bad guy's in another castle," the bot replied.

Mega Man stared at him.  "...you've gotta be shitting me..."

"Yes, I am," the bot replied.  "Vinyl's Wub Master 006, Mutilus.  I will be your executioner this day."  He held up his arms, one straight out like a buster with the hand hanging limp, the other holding a knife.

Mega Man growled as he began charging.  "...just die already," he growled out.

"Can do," Mutilus replied as he used the knife to slice his hand off at the wrist.

Mega Man staggered backwards in stunned disgust.  "W-why would you-"  He was forced to slide out of the way as a sphere of red was launched from the stump.  Where it splattered against the wall, it hissed and steam as the stones were eaten away.  "Acid?"

"Beware my Burning Blood," Mutilus intoned.  "For it shall eat you away until you have none of your own."  He spun to track Mega Man's movements, firing off more shots.

Mega Man dodged as best he could, but he realized that if he tried to use the Skull Blast, he'd be embedded in the wall, and wide open for an acidic blast if he missed.  "Time for a gamble," he murmured as he spun to face the wall.

"You turn your back on me?" Mutilus demanded.

"What is a Mega Man...but a miserable pile of secrets?" Mega Man shouted back as he fired.

Confused by Mega Man's words, Mutilus didn't have the time to dodge or fire before Mega Man slammed into him, crushing him against the wall, his light frame turning against him.

Mega Man took a few relieved breaths as he acquired the 'Burning Blood' Master Weapon.  "That was...harder than it should have-"

"Warning!" a loud voice shouted out.  "Castle Master has been terminated.  Self Destruct Lockdown is in effect.  All windows sealed.  T-Minus 20 minutes till self destruct.  Please report to the entry courtyard for teleport evac.  All other areas have been teleport blocked."

"...oh, come on!"








(1) Imagine playing through a Castlevania game without a map function, without graph paper to draw your own map, and without a walkthrough to tell you which way to go...and the castle is 3-d.
> VSW-005: Drop Da Bomb
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When Mega Man beamed back into Dr. Light's lab, he was a bit scorched, breathing heavily, and running low on energy.  "Please tell me the other Robot Masters aren't this hard," he gasped out as he collapsed against the wall.

Working quickly, Dr. Light laid Mega Man out on a recharge table as he began emergency repairs.  "They shouldn't be," he commented.  "In fact, some of them haven't even bothered to deploy minion robots.  One of them isn't even bothering to control any Mettools."

"I'll take that one next," Mega Man replied, groaning.  "Either the...Wub Master...will be exceptionally difficult, or just over confident.  Either way, I won't have to deal with escaping another fortress before it explodes."

"Speaking of, Mega Man..." Dr. Light began hesitantly.  "How come you didn't use the Skull Blast to blow a hole through the masonry to leap out?  Only the windows were sealed."

Mega Man stared at Dr. Light for a time.  Standing up from the recharge table, he walked over to the nearest wall and began lightly banging his head against it.

Unperturbed, Dr. Light continued the repair work.





Once Mega Man was fully repaired and recharged, he moved to the teleporter.  "So, Dad, where's this...Wub Master?" he asked, still not liking the term.  It just felt so...childish.  Which, unfortunately, kept reminding him that, come the end of this adventure, he would have to fight Vinyl.  He knew to lock her up, they'd have to find a way to block off her magic.  Without it...she would not do well in juvey.

"About that..." Dr. Light began hesitantly.  "There...may be some difficulty getting you into his...lair."

"What?" Mega Man asked in confusion.  "Why?"

"Well...you might be...carded," Dr. Light explained nervously, blushing.  "And...you aren't of age."

"...what are you talking about?" Mega Man demanded, now more frustrated than confused.

"Well, you see...this...Wub Master is..."  Dr. Light scratched the back of his head.  "...performing in a strip club to a captive audience."

Mega Man stared at Dr. Light in disbelief.  When he realized finally that no, he wasn't kidding, he let out a loud groan.  "Did Vinyl design these guys just to mess with me?" he demanded in disbelief.





"That's about right," Vinyl explained to her father.  "I wanted to make sure Mega Man had difficulty with fighting my robots, and there's only so much that can be done with difficult lead ups.  I wanted to make a lasting impression, so he knows what's coming to him if he ever locks you up again."

Albert stared at the data presented about the various Wub Masters, shuddering a bit.  "But...where did you get such...disturbing ideas?"

"The internet."

Several silent blinks was the response she received to that statement.  "What?"

"I went to a game development chat room and asked for suggestions on enemy designs specific to creep out a goody-two-shoes hero character," Vinyl explained.  "After I had a whole bunch of submissions, I went to a different chat room and held a poll, letting everyone vote eight times.  I then used the top eight."

Sitting back, Wily chuckled for a time, the chuckle eventually turning into a full blown evil laugh.  "That's my girl!" he shouted out happily, scooping Vinyl into a hug as he ran his hand through her mane.

Vinyl giggled happily as she snuggled into the embrace.  "After that, it was just some creative obstacles."

"But how does Giganto fit into that scheme?" Wily asked, curious.

"The Master Weapon," Vinyl replied.  "It comes with...warning labels."

Dr. Wily thought about that for a few moments...and then burst into peal upon peal of out of control laughter.





"It's not funny!" Mega Man snapped at the laughing bouncer.  "There's an evil robot in there I need to take down!"

"You aren't getting in if you aren't of age," the bouncer countered back, still laughing.  "Gotta say, though, that's the best fake out I've heard in years."

"I don't have time for this," Mega Man growled out.  "You realize people are being held hostage in there, right?"

"I haven't heard any complaints," the bouncer replied gruffly.

Mega Man groaned.  "If I could teleport into buildings, I wouldn't have to deal with you," he grumbled.

"And you call yourself Mega Man," the bouncer countered with a laugh.  "You expect me to believe the Blue Bomber would be stopped by ordinary wood and stone?  Don't make me laugh."

Mega Man thought for a time.  "...you're right.  I'm thinking too much inside the box."  Turning he walked away.

The bouncer chuckled as he leaned back against the door.  "Have fun with-"

The roar of a motorcycle's engine cut the air as Mega Man - on Rush Cycle - took a leap off a short ramp and through the wall of the building, a loud crash as he smashed through.

"...I'm not getting paid enough for this," the bouncer grumbled.





As Mega Man went crashing through the wall, he aimed Rush to land on the long stage where the performances were supposed to take place.  He could see several other performers - he couldn't tell at first glance if they were robot or human, with how much modification both had undergone - diving out of the way as he came in for landing.  As he ground to a halt, only one person remained on the stage...a tall, muscular humanoid robot that looked like he'd been designed as a cross between Adonis and Favio, dressed in a tuxedo.

"Well now, Mega Man, I didn't expect you to come after me so soon," he stated playfully.  "Bit of an eager beaver, aren't you?"

Groaning, Mega Man got off of Rush.  "One of the Wub Masters, I presume?" he asked, starting to charge his buster.

"Correct!" the robot proclaimed.  "I am VWM-008.  I am...Da Bomb!"  With that, he tore the tuxedo off and proceeded to dance, much to the excitement of the women in the audience.  "Shall we see how you are in the arts of...erotic dance?"

Mega Man stared at him in disbelief.  "...I'm 12, same age as your maker," he pointed out bluntly.

Da Bomb stared at him for a time.  "...I see.  Then we shall simply have to battle it out!"  Thrusting his hips forward, a white laser launched out, splashing Mega Man up against the wall.

Mega Man stared at the white, sticky stuff keeping him pinned to the wall.  "...please tell me this is mayonnaise," he pleaded.

"Of sorts," Da Bomb replied, winking.

"...yeah, no."  Pointing his buster, he opened fire.  The Skull Blast destroyed Da Bomb's crotch, causing a feed back loop in his firing mechanism that made him explode.  "Not using this weapon, nope nope nope..."  Slowly, he began to peel himself off the wall.  "I need to get cleaned up-"

"Since you're still at near full energy," Dr. Light began over the comms, "there's another Wub Master in your area.  Want to take him out too before you come back?"

Mega Man didn't speak for a while.
> VSW-006: Underage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man groaned as he stepped out of the strip club, only mostly clean.  "So...where's this other Wub Master based?" he asked.

"...the entire red light district," Dr. Light replied through the communicator.

"...what?"

"That's why Da Bomb didn't have any helper bots.  This other robot had control of the whole area."

Mega Man sighed, then primed his buster.  "Alright.  I'm temporarily disabling the Skull Blast function.  There are too many civilians here to risk that."

"Be careful, Mega Man," Dr. Light warned worriedly.  "I have no idea where, exactly, this Wub Master is based in the district, only that he has complete control of everything electronic in the area.  Also, I'm picking up multiple high level robot signals.  He likely has minions."

"...of course he does," Mega Man groaned.  "Here we go."

Mega Man decided to first explore the entirety of the red light district on the outside without going into any of the buildings first.  As he explored, he found that the streets had been unaltered, and it was relatively easy to maneuver.  There were also quite a few civilians, and the occasional robot, whether humanoid or otherwise.  The frustrating part was that the robots only went on the offensive if he got near, and frequently the humanoid ones would attack him from behind while hidden in a group of civilians.

Eventually, he came to the conclusion that the Wub Master had to be in one of the buildings.  Bracing himself for more than he was really ready for psychologically, he went into them one by one.





As Mega Man entered the first store, he took in his surroundings.  He found himself voicing his first impressions.  "...why is there a Blockbuster here?" he asked in confusion.  Walking up to one of the shelves, he lifted one of the DVDs and looked at the cover.  After about five minutes, he carefully put the DVD back.  "...I'm going to pretend I didn't see that..."

A whirring noise caught his attention, and he spun.  Facing him was a large robot shaped like a jukebox on legs.  "Window shopper detected!  Eject!"  With that proclamation, the robot began hurling discs at Mega Man.

Mega Man did his best to dodge the discs at first, until one nearly took his eye out.  At that point, he settled for blasting the discs out of the air before blasting away at the robot until it eventually collapsed.  Realizing that the Wub Master wasn't in there, he turned to head for another store.

Behind him, the defunct robot made a strange 'Cha-CHING' sound as data was processed.





The next store left Mega Man even more unnerved, mostly because he couldn't quite grasp what sort of store it was.  "...handcuffs?  Whips?  Pads?  Is...is this a sports goods store of some sort?"  He paused at another shelf.  "But...if that's the case...why is it selling...'personal lubricant'?"

Dr. Light was pointedly silent from his end.

A loud buzzing suddenly filled the air, and Mega Man spun in fear...only to scream and start running in circles.  "I'm being attacked by flying purple plastic penises!" he cried out in despair.  "And...other things I'm not sure what they are!"

"Then get out of there!" Dr. Light instructed.

Mega Man raced to the door, only to find it sealed in the same way doors in Wily's Fortresses often were.  "I can't get out!" he wailed.

"You have a buster!"

"Right!"  Spinning, Mega Man shot every single flying sex toy out of the air, leaving them all a smoking ruin.  Once the shelves were empty, the door opened, letting him leave.

The register chimed loudly.





Mega Man breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped into a seemingly ordinary bakery.(1)  "Should be safe enough here," he murmured.  "Nothing traumatizing here.  Though...what was with that name?  'Tasty While Tasteless'?  Odd name for a bakery..."

His voice trailed off as he stared at the bread products on display.  They were all shaped like...various body parts.

"...oh..."

A rumble startled him from behind the counter as the oven roared with flames, hurling overcooked bread products at him.  Dodging each salvo, Mega Man struggled to counter, but he found he had to blast his way through the counter - and all the bread on display there - to manage to shoot at the oven.  After several blasts landed on target, the oven finally sputtered to a smoking halt, and Mega Man quickly made his way out.

Behind him, the register chimed.





Mega Man moved carefully down the stairs behind the next door.  "...please let this place be normal...please let this place be normal...please let this place be normal..."

"Mega Man, it's the red light district," Dr. Light murmured to him.  "There's no chance of that."

"Mega Man?" a seductive voice purred.  "Aren't we lucky."

Spinning, Mega Man found himself face to face with...a bevvy of busty, barely clad babes.  "...wha?"

"Ready for a good time, big boy?" one of them asked.

"Mega Man!" Dr. Light said through the communicator.  "Those are humans...but they're being controlled by some sort of electrical signal.  You need to get past them without hurting them to shut down the signal."

"Any suggestions how?" Mega Man asked worriedly.

"...The Stream doesn't actually inflict damage..." Dr. Light began.

"...aw, nutbunnies," Mega Man murmured as he switched weapons.

"That's an oddly appropriate-"

"Just don't, Dad," Mega Man grumbled as he proceeded to pelvic thrust.  "...that felt dirty."  He carefully made his way past the now sticky ladies laid about the hallway.  Finding the control circuit, he shut it down before turning to leave.

Behind him, something chimed.





Mega Man finally staggered into the last store on the street...only to find himself surrounded by frilly, delicate garments of various sorts.  "Nope!" he proclaimed firmly, immediately turning to leave.

"Can I help you, sir?"

Mega Man spun at the source of the voice, finding himself face to face with an obviously robotic humanoid.  His body was colored red and black in a tuxedo pattern, and he had a button on his forehead.  "...please tell me you're the Wub Master..."

The robot smiled.  "VWM-003 at your service."

"And...why all this?" Mega Man demanded, gesturing to the whole red light district.  "Just...why?"

The bot smiled widely.  "Because..."  He then proceeded to sing and dance.

By the time the song and dance routine had ended, Mega Man was curled up in the corner.  "...I need an adult..."

"I'm right here, Mega Man," Dr. Light said through the communicator.  "You can handle this."

"Are you sure-"

Love Machine suddenly hurled a small device in the shape of a button at Mega Man.  When it stuck to him, he shivered as he felt a good portion of his energy being drained and he fell over backwards.  "What the...?"

"I just love to push your buttons!" Love Machine proclaimed.  "Was it good for you?"

Mega Man's eyes slowly narrowed, and he leapt at Love Machine with a roar, grabbing the Wub Master by the neck, pinning him to the floor, and proceeding to smash its face in with repeated punches until it eventually exploded, immolating the entire store.

As Mega Man beamed back home to get cleaned up and repaired, something chimed.





As Dr. Light worked to repair Mega Man, he stared morosely at his credit card bill.  Who in their right mind would charge me for the damages like that-oh, each of those places belongs to Wily.  ...so it's now on my records that in one day I spent over $2 million on porn, sex toys, erotic baked goods, hookers, and lingerie.  He groaned as he worked.  ...god damn it, Vinyl...








(1) This one was suggested by my Mom.  She knows of an actual location of this sort in San Francisco.
> VSW-007: Inside Out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After Mega Man was fully repaired, Dr. Light unfortunately had bad news for him.  "Mega Man, you need to get out there immediately," he stated bluntly.  "The growing Robot is now larger than most buildings, and is about to lay waste to an entire city block."

"How's the military doing against it?" Mega Man asked as he got ready to teleport out.

"Not so well," Dr. Light replied.  "Apparently, its exterior is made of Mettool alloy, and they can't even make a dent in it."

"Damn," Mega Man groaned.  "What do they expect me to do?"

"They've managed to find one spot on its entire body that isn't completely covered," Dr. Light replied.  "They've been working on that spot, and they've managed to make a small hole, big enough to send your teleport signal inside when reflected off a ground-based array."

"And they want me to take it down from the inside?" Mega Man asked.  "Alright.  Where's the entrance?"

"The right heel," Dr. Light replied.

Mega Man just gave him a look.  "...I had no idea Vinyl was so well read in her classics," he mumbled.  "Okay, Dad...send me in."





Mega Man blinked as he took shape on the inside of the giant foot.  Blinking, he saw the incredibly tiny hole he'd been beamed in through, a patch over a seam that had shaken loose and would only have even been visible once Giganto had reached this size.  "Wow," Mega Man murmured.  "Even Apollo would have had trouble hitting that before."  Turning, he examined the rest of his surroundings.

He found that the inside of Giganto was tastefully decorated in silver chrome, with numerous tubes, cables, and other such things running along the walls, along with numerous diodes and devices hanging here and there.  However, all of it had energy shields, making it plain that trying to blast things to bits wouldn't work.  "Alright," he murmured, heading to a stairwell that he assumed ran up the leg.  "Guess I'll be doing this the long way-"

"Welcome," a computerized voice greeted politely, dragging his attention around.  Floating up to him was a black sphere surrounded by waving tendrils with any number of unpleasant looking implements at the ends.  "You are unauthorized.  Your death will now be implemented.  You will experience a tingling sensation and then death.  Please do not run.  Thank you for your cooperation."

Without hesitation, Mega Man fired a barrage of shots from his buster to force the antibody to back up.  "Wily lets Vinyl watch too much TV," he grumbled before racing up the stairs.

The rest of Giganto's insides were the same, almost monotonously so.  Same coloration of the walls, same pattern of cables, pipes, diodes, and devices, same energy shields, and every single antibody gave him the exact same speech as it approached him.  The only thing of interest was that each antibody he encountered would know the strategy he used to take down the previous ones, and be able to actively counter it.

As he reached the core, he found that it was sealed tight, and could only be opened with four security codes embedded in devices in Giganto's hands and feet.  Groaning, Mega Man backtracked through the antibodies to the right foot, finding the device - guarded by a much stronger antibody that he actually had to destroy - in the big toe.

When he removed the device - which turned out to be a fez, for some obscure reason - an alarm went off.  "Alert!  Unauthorized personnel is requisitioning the Core code devices.  One device collected.  Threat level has been raised to salmon pink.  Level 2 attack protocol authorized."

"Well, that can't be good," Mega Man murmured as he turned to head back up the leg...only to shudder at what he saw.  Two of the antibodies had merged, turning into a strange, bulbous, tentacle covered creature resembling a malboro.  It filled the hallway, forcing him to blast his way past it...only for it to break apart into the two antibodies again.

As Mega Man discovered as he continued, the merging was universal throughout Giganto's body.  The larger antibody amalgamations blocked corridors, forcing him to blast past them...and if he ignored the split portions for too long, they'd merge again, stronger than before.

Eventually, he made his way to the left foot, obtaining the second code device...a bow tie.  Another alarm sounded.  "Alert!  Two devices collected by unauthorized personnel.  Threat level has been raised to Pony White.  Traps have been engaged."

Turning, Mega Man saw spikes appearing on some of the walls, ceilings, and floor tiles, forcing him to carefully plan his path to avoid them.  The antibodies remained the same threat as he made his way back up and out to the right arm.  Reaching the hand, he found no guardian antibody awaiting him.  All he had to do was manage to wiggle his way through the index finger to the tip without being crushed by a bending knuckle.  Careful sliding enables him to grab the third device, a screwdriver.

"Alert!  Three devices have been retrieved by unauthorized personnel.  Threat level has been raised to Bass Black.  Traps activated."

Turning, Mega Man saw the spiked walls slamming across the path into the opposite wall, obviously meant to crush him as he went by, forcing him to time his passage through in order to keep from being destroyed.  Thankfully, he was able to lead antibodies into the traps, and they didn't fare any better under the crushing than he would.

Making his way to the left hand, the device was guarded in much the same way as on the right hand, but more difficult to get to due to the traps, and faster movement of the knuckles.  However, he eventually managed to get it...only to discover it was an actual key.

"Alert!  Threat level has been raised to Mega Man Blue.  Growth has been stopped.  Engaging reverse function.  Ten minutes until core is ready to begin shrinking subject Giganto.  Only authorized entities within the super structure will be shrunk along with prime unit."

"Crap!" Mega Man shouted out, rushing back up the arm, doing his best to make his way back to the core before the entire thing started shrinking.

As he reached the core, the entire structure began to shrink, even as swarms of turrets and antibodies tried to hold him back from blasting the core apart.  Eventually, he managed to do enough damage to shut it down.

"Warning!  Primary core disabled.  Self destruct engaged!  Five minutes until total annihilation."

"Not again!" Mega Man screamed out as he raced for the right heel.  He managed to beam out literally at the last second.





Upon returning to Dr. Light's lab, he discovered that the self destruct apparently involved the core reabsorbing all the matter of Giganto's body before teleporting away.  He also discovered a new Master Weapon in his system.  Curious, he looked it over.



Enhance
This handy dandy program can let any robot get the advantage over his more well endowed foes.  Simply activate this and feel the swell of power within.  Feel more of a Man with Enhance, the only Weapon for natural Mega Male enhancement.

*Enhance is not recommended for children, teens, or female robots.  Do not use Enhance if you are drunk, high, underage, pregnant, or planning to become pregnant.  If the effects of Enhance do not wear off after four hours, consult your personal physician.

Ask your Doctor if Enhance is right for you.



Mega Man slowly, carefully closed the information window on his status display, making a mental note to never use that weapon.  He then moved to the kitchen sink.

"Mega Man," Dr. Light chided, "just because you're a robot and won't be hurt by doing so, doesn't mean you should.  It won't actually do you any good."

"It's cathartic," Mega Man replied as he proceeded to chug the bleach.
> VSW-008: Getting Pumped
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Once Mega Man decided he'd had his fill of catharsis, he turned back to Dr. Light.  "So which Wub Master is the next big threat?" he asked.

"Well, there is one at the local combination gas turbine power plant/fuel processing center," Dr. Light explained.

"...that seems oddly impractical," Mega Man muttered.  "Are we sure I need to stop this one?"

"What happens if it lights a fire?" Dr. Light offered.

"Right," Mega Man agreed, sighing.  "Send me in."





Mega Man glanced around as he arrived at the other end of the teleport.  He was outside the main part of the plant, the massive turbines visible in the distance.  Seeing no threat at first, he made his way in.

Unlike many of the other Wub Masters he'd faced, this one was - for the most part - using robotic foes he'd faced previously.  The usual mix of metools, Sniper Joes, dive bombing birds, and bomb launchers.  The only thing he really had to watch out for in the outside portion were the robotic gas pumps, which sprayed fuel at him.  While the fuel didn't damage him, it could easily catch fire if anything exploded near him.  Destroying the pumps wasn't a good idea, either, since they were still connected to the main gas lines of the plant, and the flames resulting from their destruction could possibly ignite the whole plant.  Also, the fuel that didn't end up on him made the ground slippery.

Eventually, Mega Man reached the main entrance of the plant, only to be confronted by a massive robotic fuel truck that had been equipped with a flame thrower in addition to its main hose.  It drove around the entrance of the plant, trying to run Mega Man down.

"Crap crap crap!" Mega Man shouted as he desperately slid away.  "What do I do?  What do I do?  I can't shoot it, the explosion could destroy the whole place!  Can't distract it, one wrong flame could destroy the whole place!  How am I supposed to stop it without blowing this place sky high?"  Managing to leap ahead, he spun to examine the truck.  "...it has a driver car?"

Desperately, Mega Man sidestepped the truck as it charged him, leaping into the cabin at the front.  Seeing keys in the ignition, he twisted them to off and pulled them out.  The truck slowed and then stopped...millimeters from a turbine.  "...maybe I should have steered first," Mega Man murmured as he leapt out, shaking like a leaf as he made his way back to the entrance to the main factory.

Once inside the main building, he found the way was rather straight forward.  Just a straight path through the center to the manager's office, where the strong control signal of a Robot Master - or, in this case, a Wub Master - could be detected.  The only problem was a mass of worker robots carrying torches and gas tanks moaning as they stalked towards him like zombies, nearly filling the room.

Glancing around, he noticed a few highly ferrous metal grates hanging here and there, along with several chains hanging from pulleys.  Thinking quickly, Mega Man activated a new system Dr. Light had given him, specifically for situations where maneuvers he wasn't normally capable of were required.  Dr. Light had dubbed it the QTE System.  Racing forward, he took a huge leap.

Coming up to the first ferrous grate, he flipped so his feet were towards it, magnetizing the bottoms of his armored boots.  Once he attached, he raced across as fast as he could before his weight dragged the grate to the floor and the waiting worker zombots.  Reaching the edge of the grate, he leapt, catching hold of a hanging chain.  The momentum of his leap propelled him across the pulley's track, but he had to rapidly pull himself up the chain to keep from falling to the floor.

As the chain ran out, he flipped into a spin, kicking off a zombot to catch hold of a hanging pipe, swinging around it to launch himself forward before the pipe broke under his weight.  The pulley by now had reached the end of its track, smacking into a ferrous grate and breaking it into falling pieces.  Mega Man landed on the first fragment before leaping to the successive ones, gaining height each time.

Nearing the manager's office, he saw a clear space around it.  Thinking quickly, he spun and shot some beams on the roof as he leapt.  The beams fell, landing behind him and blocking off the zombots, leaving him safe and ready to confront the Wub Master.  The QTE System disengaged.

"...that was fun!" Mega Man gasped out eagerly.  "I hope I get more chances to use that.  Just wish it didn't burn itself out each time and needed to be reset back at the Lab."  Brushing himself off, he opened the door.

"Ah, so you've finally arrived!" the Wub Master proclaimed, stepping out of the shadows.  "I do so hope you enjoyed yourself...as my face will be the last you ever see, Mega Man!"

"...that would be such a disappointment," Mega Man muttered.  "I mean, you're a giant whoopee cushion with eyes!  Your hands and feet aren't even attached to you!  They're just...floating there!"  He blinked.  "Wait a minute...how are you even talking?"

"I am Gas Pump!" the Wub Master proclaimed, the 'mouth' of its cushion body shaping its words.  "I shall paint you with the colors of my wind!"  Leaning forward, Gas Pump compressed, spraying a vile green gas at Mega Man while surrounding itself with a gaseous shield.

Mega Man carefully sidestepped the incoming gas wave, his sensors telling him it would damage him.  "...I'll take the damage," he grumbled, storming straight up to Gas Pump as he disengaged his buster, stalking straight through the gaseous shield.

"What are you-"

Before Gas Pump could say anymore, Mega Man grabbed hold of it by the 'neck' of its cushion body, and proceeded to flip it like a flapjack.  He continued this until the Wub Master shattered explosively.

"...not using that shield weapon," Mega Man muttered as his systems registered the download of the Master Weapon, 'Broken Wind'.
> VSW-009: Shopping Trip
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Returning to Light's Lab, Mega Man saw Dr. Light approaching with yet another alert about one of the Wub Masters, but Mega Man held up his hand to stall him.  "Dad..." he began.  "Is it just me...or do the Wub Masters seem...even more eclectic than Wily's Robot Masters normally do?"

"Eclectic?" Tom asked, surprised.

"Normally, they all seem to follow some sort of theme, or serve some sort of purpose together," Mega Man explained.  "Either that, or there's a common pattern of design.  It all seems to follow some sort of a plan, even if it's odd.  But Vinyl's..."  Mega Man shook his head.  "They mesh in ones or twos...but overall, there's no pattern, no matching theme.  It's...it's like she tossed a whole bunch of ideas into a hat and then pulled eight out at random, not caring about the result..."

Dr. Light scratched his chin.  "Well...I suppose you could be right..."

"How many more Wub Masters do you have a bead on?" Mega Man asked.

"We know there are three more active," Dr. Light replied.  "But we've only got a lock on the activities of two.  We can't track the third yet..."

"Of the two, which would you say is stranger?"

Surprised by the qualifier, Dr. Light analyzed the two available profiles.  "...I'd say the one that's taken over the mall," Dr. Light replied.

"The mall?" Mega Man asked, shocked.  "Okay, this bot I've got to see!"  Turning, he raced out to the mall.





Reaching the mall, Mega Man was surprised to find that, in addition to the usual Mets and other 'assistance' bots that normally raced around various locations to help people, the place seemed to be infested with rabid take-out boxes that threw their contents at him before attempting to dive bomb him once they were empty.  "Well, I'm pretty sure I know where to look for the Wub Master, then," Mega Man murmured after blasting several of them.  He ran up to the nearest mall directory.  "Now...where's the food court?" he murmured, looking it over.

Unfortunately, the robots had done quite a bit of damage to the mall, which the directory didn't account for.  As a result, Mega Man found himself coming to several dead ends where he was confronted by everything from a rogue vending machine to a mad clothing rack.  As he progressed, Mega Man became more and more convinced that this entire effort on Vinyl's part wasn't as well thought out as it had first appeared.  It seemed less like a carefully crafted plan and more and more like trying to build off of an idea and a location once selected.  Definitely more slapdash than Wily's usual approach.

Eventually, Mega Man found his way to the food court, only to find the place covered in food, oil spills, grease, and...other things he didn't want to think about.  Standing in the middle of it was a humanoid robot wearing a stained chef's apron and hat, its entire body so covered in filth that nothing beyond that could be made out.  "You're the...Wub Master?" Mega Man gagged, trying not to think about what he'd be fighting in.

"Aye, that be me," the robot replied, its accent thick but undecipherable.  "VWM-007, Bad Chef.  But ye can call me Stinky."

"...Bad Chef is right..." Mega Man mumbled.  "This place is a mess!  What are you thinking, trying to serve food here?  It's a breeding ground for sickness!"

"Precisely!" Bad Chef proclaimed proudly.  "Those who eat here will be winnowed through!  The strong will survive while the weak sicken and die, as nature intended, and humanity will be stronger for it!  Those weak gutted pansies like the 'Health Department' should go back to their clean little homes and lives, only to die when the sickness comes!"  Scooping up a handful of food laying around, he licked it.  "Ah, ye can taste the salmonella!"

"...you're sick!" Mega Man gagged.

"And yer dead!" Bad Chef proclaimed, rocketing forward on a blast of fire that seemed to emerge from his ass.

Mega Man dodged desperately, doing his best to manage his charge so he didn't use the Skull Blast.  The last thing he wanted to do here was get knocked back into one of these piles of filth.  He did notice that the grease and oils spills burst into flames when Bad Chef passed over them, and that he took damage from the flames.  A plan began to form in Mega Man's mind, especially once he saw that the flaming charge was Bad Chef's only attack aside from throwing food.

As he evaded to the side of one charge, he turned away from Bad Chef.  "This is going to suck..." he murmured, before opening fire with the Skull Blast.  Slamming into Bad Chef, he caused him to re-angle into one of the filthier food stands, causing it to explode.

"Not bad!" Bad Chef barked out as he climbed out from the rubble.  "Maybe yer tougher than ya look!  But ya ain't beaten me yet!"

"Yes I have," Mega Man muttered.  "I turned off the pilot lights but turned on all the gas burners in that kitchen before knocking you in."  With that, Mega Man leapt behind a concrete planter.

Bad Chef turned towards the kitchen as he smoldered.  "Oh f-"





As Mega Man climbed out of the wreckage that had covered him, he stared at the crater where Bad Chef had been destroyed.  Glancing at his arm, he saw the readout regarding the Master Weapon he'd gotten.  "'It Burns!'?" he murmured, only to burst into laughter.  "I get it now!" he laughed out.  Turning to a nearby camera, he flashed a thumbs up.  "Enjoying the show, Vinyl?" he called out.  "I know you're watching!  And Wily, turn your safe search on!  She's only 12!"  Chuckling, he turned to go.  "All this just to mess with my head...and every one designed to push me to my limits physically and mentally...but be incapable of killing me!  Vinyl, there is a limit to messing with a friend's head!"





Albert blinked as he turned from the screen to his equine daughter.  "Is it true?" he asked, shocked.  "Did you really design them to be incapable of destroying him?"

"Of course!" Vinyl replied.  "If one of them did, all the work on the others would go to waste!"

"And...where did you get the ideas for these?"

"4chan!" Vinyl proclaimed proudly.  "They had the best ideas...even if some of them didn't make sense.  I liked the potty humor ones better, but the polls said the sex ones were better."  She frowned, scratching her chin.  "That's how Da Bomb and Love Machine got selected...but what do those have to do with sex?"  As Albert groaned, she asked one last question.  "What is sex, anyway?  Grown up humans sure seem to be obsessed with it..."

Protoman quickly held a pillow between Wily's head and the wall as he began to rhythmically bang against it.
> VSW-010: Don't Eat the...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man was still chuckling to himself as he returned to the lab.  Dr. Light was quite surprised by this change of attitude.  "Mega Man?" he asked curiously.  "Are you alright?"

"I finally got the joke," Mega Man replied.

"Joke?"

"Vinyl designed these bots to mess with my head," Mega Man explained.  "She must have come to the conclusion that any challenge to my physical abilities I'll eventually overcome, so if she wanted me to get a message, it had to be a challenge that was difficult for me to face up here."  He tapped his head.  "Given the way things have gone this time...I seriously hope I never end up arresting Wily again.  Next time, she might know enough to actually plan it out."

"That would be...rather terrifying," Dr. Light admitted.  "Though, this next Wub Master..."

"...what?"

"He calls himself Dirty Fighter," Dr. Light explained.  "He's based at the Snowy Slopes ski resort.  And...I think I know Vinyl's plan here."

"What do you mean?" Mega Man asked, confused.

"When you went up against Love Machine, Vinyl arranged things so I was charged for everything you destroyed," Dr. Light explained.  "It's on my credit card records.  I'm sure I can get most of the charges waived with the right legal juggling, but it's plain her bots aren't intended to destroy us physically.  Her target is our minds and our reputations."

Mega Man nodded.  "She's pretty good at that...but what's your point?"

"All the robots running rampant on Snowy Slopes look exactly like human children...including the Wub Master himself."

Mega Man frowned as he understood.  "And if Vinyl can post pictures of me shooting kids..."

"She wins," Dr. Light replied.  "Your reputation as a hero is shot.  Humanity's trust in you is gone.  Wily and Vinyl could then be painted as the good guys next time around, seeking to destroy you as 'a menace to society'."

"In that case, I'll just have to take out any and all surveillance equipment before going after the bots," Mega Man decided.

"And if the bots are designed to broadcast what they see?"

Mega Man grinned.  "Actually...I think this is going to be fun.  Vinyl doesn't want these things to destroy me.  She wants them to mess with me and challenge me.  And I think I know how to handle this one.  I'm going to need a temporary tweak to my combat protocols using one of the old Robot Master profiles...specifically one that was built here."

"Alright," Dr. Light agreed, calling up the files.  "Anything else?"

"...a cardboard box."

Dr. Light froze, confused.  "...eh?"





As Wily prepared to give Vinyl 'the talk' - not entirely sure how that would go, as Vinyl wasn't even human, so he wasn't sure how much good a talk about the human reproductive system would do her - he noticed something odd on one of the monitors.  "Vinyl...what's happening at Snowy Slopes?" he asked, confused.  "The cameras are going down.  Technical error?"

Glancing at the screen, Vinyl giggled.  "Nope!  Smart Mega Man!  Switch to aerial view point.  Typhon, do you have visual?"

"Affirmative," Air Man's voice responded from the communication rig.  "Mega Man is making use of a cardboard box to hide from view, and is doing an effective job of sneaking past the kid bots.  His present targets appear to be the security cameras.  The kid bots are still active, and having snow ball fights while they wait to target him.  He appears to have set up distractions for them, involving new handheld game consoles and other toys."

Vinyl clopped her hooves against the ground in glee.  "That's it, Mega Man!  Play my games!" she cheered happily.

"He has successfully taken down all security cameras," Air Man's voice confirmed through the speaker.  "He is now targeting the kid bots, using thrown rocks and snowballs to draw their attention away from the group before applying a Magnet Missile to the back of the neck to knock them out."

"Magnet Missile?" Wily demanded angrily.  "But he shouldn't have access to that weapon!  The virus I put in him automatically deletes old Master Weapons as soon as he goes into downtime mode!"

"You built Magnet Man and Snake Man in Light's lab," Protoman pointed out.

"...oh..." Wily replied, feeling sheepish.  "Guess that makes sense..."

"Mega Man is about to engage Dirty Fighter," Air Man's voice informed them.

"Sweet!" Vinyl chortled, racing to the large TV.





Mega Man took a few relaxing breaths as the last kid bot went down.  "That's a relief," he murmured.  "Nothing to photograph me now.  I don't have to sneak anymore.  Now...where is the Wub Master?"  He looked around, only to see a massive snow fort up near the peak of the slopes.  "Of course," he muttered.  "Well, this shouldn't be too difficult."  He quickly raced into the fort.

"You meet me at last, Mega Man!" a childish voice proclaimed.  "I, Dirty Fighter, shall be your undoing!"

"I've heard it all before..." Mega Man began, only for his voice to trail off as he saw his opponent.  Dirty Fighter looked to be six years old, almost completely human in appearance, and had what looked like a snow cone maker half-converted into a cannon set up beside him.  "...seriously?  You're really going to fight me with snow cones?"

"Not just any snow cones!"  Dirty Fighter proclaimed as he ducked behind the device.  "It needs a special flavor!"  A zzzzip! sound echoed around the fort, followed by the sound of tinkling water falling into a basin.  After a time, the cannon launched a yellow snowball at Mega Man.

Mega Man dodged to the side, looking with distaste at the snow ball, and then at the device.  "...nope," he replied, turning to leave.

"Where are you going?" Dirty Fighter demanded angrily.

"Snow forts don't have locking doors," Mega Man explained, leaving the fort.

"I'll continue to terrorize this place if you leave me functional!" Dirty Fighter shouted.

"I know!" Mega Man shouted back.  "But I'm not gonna fight you!"

"Then how do you intend to shut me off?" Dirty Fighter demanded.

"Snow's really heavy!" Mega Man shouted back, firing off a charged shot.

A loud rumble echoed over the slope, and the fort began to slide.  "Uh oh..." Dirty Fighter gulped.





After the avalanche ended, Mega Man crawled out of the snow.  He had been right that he was sturdy enough to take the avalanche, while Dirty Fighter wasn't.  He could see the broken bits of circuitry and parts scattered about, and his systems alerted him to a new Master Weapon.



You got...
Yellow Snow!



"Of course I did," Mega Man grunted, rolling his eyes as he teleported back to base.





"...Vinyl," Albert began, curious.  "Why were you calling Air Man Typhon?"

Vinyl giggled wickedly.  "You'll see!"
> VSW-011: Sewer Surfin'
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As Mega Man returned to base, feeling much more relaxed, Dr. Light rushed up to him.  "We've located the eighth Wub Master!" he shouted out.  "It was rather difficult to isolate him because up until now he wasn't causing trouble or wrecking havoc!"

"So where is number 2 then?" Mega Man asked, plugging himself in for a brief recharge.  "Where am I going to be fighting him?"

"The sewers."

Mega Man paused.  "...I'm going to be slogging through miles of sewage?" he asked worriedly.

"Actually, I have a solution to that," Dr. Light offered.  "I've upgraded Rush's Jet mode.  As long as he's gliding over water, he won't run out of fuel.  And sewage is...mostly liquid.  So you'll be able to glide your way through.  And on top of that, I've managed to lock onto the Wub Master's exact location!  I can beam you straight to him!"

Mega Man grinned widely.  "This might actually be fun."




(Suggested Listening)

As Mega Man and Rush beamed in, they dove into the sewers.  Rush landed in jet mode, hovering just above the surface of the sewage as he sped along, Mega Man braced on him.  Since he had to maintain his balance at these speeds, he'd disabled his charge function.  He didn't want to accidentally blast himself off Rush into the sewage.

Sewer Gator erupted from the sewage in front of him, also racing along in front.  "Welcome to my home, Mega Man!" he proclaimed happily.  "I hope you like it, cause you will never leave!  I, Sewer Gator, will be your undoing!"

"I think you've got that the other way around," Mega Man grunted, leveling his Mega Buster.

"You'll have to catch me first!" Sewer Gator shouted, dashing off into the sewers, Mega Man on Rush in hot pursuit.

Mega Man leaned forward on Rush, trying to give him the smallest possible air resistance profile for the most speed.  Every so often he swerved to one side or the other to dodge large red spike balls.  As he sped along, he saw Sewer Gator deploy enemy robots to assault him...which appeared to be robotic anthropomorphic turtles armed with bo staffs, nunchucks, sais, and katanas.  Each went down after several Mega Buster shots, but there were quite a lot of them.

After a time, Sewer Gator popped out of the sewage again.  "Not bad, not bad!" he proclaimed happily.  "But it's not enough to just blast!  Ya gotta go fast!"  With that, Sewer Gator shot up a fast running river of sewage and through a loop-de-loop.

Mega Man ducked down low, clinging tight to Rush as he followed the twisting, turning path that was reminiscent of a roller coaster.  "How the heck is the sewage staying in the tunnel when it loops like this?" he demanded angrily.

"Miniature gravity generators lining the tubes!" Sewer Gator shouted back as he launched off the end of one tube, performed numerous flips in the air that somehow gave him extra height and speed, only to land in another tube that he shouldn't have been able to make the jump to according to normal physics.  "Let's see if you've got the moves!"

Much to Sewer Gator's surprise, Mega Man grinned widely as Rush shot off the end of the jump tube.  He proceeded to perform a number of skating tricks.  Flips, handstands, spins...  Each trick launched him higher somehow, and he landed in the other tube.  "Woohoo!" he shouted, thrusting his clenched fists into the air.

"You're not supposed to be enjoying yourself!" Sewer Gator shouted back, dashing backwards away from Mega Man as he proceeded to throw brown and pink spirals at him.  "You're supposed to be freaked out, grossed out, and barely able to function!"

"Now where's the fun in that?" Mega Man asked, swinging Rush to the side so he went completely around the circular tunnel to avoid the missiles as he fired back.  "This whole thing has been a big joke!  Vinyl wants to push me, to make it plain she doesn't like me throwing Wily in jail.  It may surprise you both that I don't like throwing him in jail either!  But we're on opposite sides here...so this is what happens!  No reason we can't have fun with it!"

Sewer Gator growled angrily.  "You're mocking me!  I am a serious threat!"  With an angry roar, he lunged forward, trying to snap his jaws shut on Mega Man.

Mega Man evaded by jumping upwards off Rush.  As the jaws snapped shut, he used a belt he'd grabbed out of the sewage to bind Gator's mouth shut.  "Vinyl's very accurate in what she does," Mega Man commented as he landed on his foe's snout.  "Not surprised she made your jaws work like a real gator's or croc's.  Now you're going to tell me where Vinyl's based, or I'm going to blow you away."

Gator smirked through the binding's on his jaw.  "I only know the warp pad is up ahead," his voice synthesizer broadcast so Mega Man could hear.  "And only my Master Weapon can activate it!  So go ahead and blow me!"

Mega Man shrugged.  "Fair enough."  Cocking his buster, he unleashed a barrage of shots until Sewer Gator began to explode.  Flipping off the erupting bot, he landed on Rush and sped forwards to the warp pad.  As his systems registered the upload of 'Sewer Missiles', the warp pad activated, and Mega Man leapt in, warping away to Vinyl's home base.





He landed in country he didn't recognize before a massive, towering fortress with a huge, upside down horseshoe on the front, glowing in segments up and down with different shades of blue.  The gates stood open for him, welcoming him in to the challenges that awaited.  "Here I come, Vinyl!" he proclaimed, storming in.
> VSW-012: Earth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As Wily and Vinyl watched via remote cameras, Mega Man entered the tower...only to find himself in a vast rainforest, easily several dozen miles wide.  "Vinyl," Albert asked curiously, "how did you manage to fit that much rainforest inside a tower that isn't even a square mile at the base from the outside?"

"The same tech that made Giganto work," Vinyl answered readily as she watched Mega Man make his way through the thick foliage.

"You expanded the tower when I wasn't looking?" Albert postulated.

"Nope!" Vinyl replied happily.  "The space inside the tower!"

"What?" Albert gasped out, shocked.  "But that's..."

He hesitated.  By all he knew about science, what Vinyl had named should have been impossible.  It violated every known law of physics, and even the very design of the matter expansion device itself.  However, he wasn't entirely sure how much of Vinyl's technological developments were pure science, and how much was her magic bending the laws of physics to work how she thought they should because no one had told her otherwise.  If he told her that what she'd said just now was impossible, and it was because of her magic, would that magic stop working?

"...genius," he finished quietly, deciding he didn't want to discover if Puffs of Logic could really happen if he was going to be at the epicenter of one.

"I know, right?" Vinyl replied eagerly, completely missing her father's hesitation.





Mega Man pushed his way through the rainforest, doing his best not to damage the foliage as he made his way through.  He didn't know what it was doing there, and didn't want to take the risk it was somehow important beyond just being a thematic area to fight his way through.  He kept his eyes open and his sensors strong.  Not only were there robotic animals - everything from ostriches to bats and giant monkeys - there were flesh and blood animals, too...and those were even more dangerous.  He'd already seen an anaconda crush one of the robotic monkeys in its coils, thinking it was a meal.  And he wasn't going to go close enough to the trumpeting bellows to learn if the elephants were flesh or steel.

Thankfully, some of the area led into tunnels under the ground, although the dangers were no less.  The giant blue robotic wolves that breathed fire only appeared underground, after all.  Admittedly, there weren't any organic animals underground, so he could just blast his way through.

After quite some time of exploring, Mega Man finally noticed something...off about the area.  Here and there, certain trees were missing chunks of bark, revealing circuitry underneath.  His sensors told him plainly that most of the trees were organic, but there were some mechanical ones fleshing out the numbers.  Towards one region of the rainforest, there were a great deal more synthetic trees than organic ones, which didn't make sense if the machine trees were there to promote natural growth.

As he moved into that region, he saw that the natural growth was quickly choked out by the synthetic, leading him to an area that was entirely machine plant life, and not even any robotic animals.  Approaching the center, he spotted a familiar figure sitting on a tree stump with his back to him.  "Wood Man?" he called out, shocked.

The figure stood and turned to face him.  It was certainly Wood Man, but he looked different, as though he'd been re-carved.  Instead of a stumpy block of wood like a section cut out of a tree, his torso was thick and strong, with carvings of muscle rippling under wooden syntho-flesh.  His limbs, once spindly, were now quite thick, and he towered over Mega Man by at least three feet.

"I was once called that," the figure replied calmly.  "But today, my mind is clear, and I serve a new purpose.  I am the Earth Guardian of the mighty Wubtress.  I am Gaius."  He shifted into a combat stance.  "Are you prepared to see my full strength, Mega Man?"

"Can I ask a couple of questions first?" Mega Man pleaded.

Gaius thought for a time.  "I am allowed to answer three of your questions.  You have one left."

Mega Man gritted his teeth, but nodded.  "Does 'Wubtress' refer to Vinyl or the tower?"

"The tower," Gaius replied.  "Prepare to fall."

With no further warning, Gaius surged forward.  When his fist slammed into the ground in front of Mega Man, the earth surged up, forcing Mega Man to leap backwards even as the trees and grass lunged for him at Gaius' command.  As Mega Man dodged and weaved, he tried to blast Gaius, but the only part of him that took damage was the back of his head.

Eventually, Mega Man began to notice Gaius' pattern.  He'd start with a lunge to make the ground surge up, quickly followed up with making the plants attack.  Then he'd surround himself with a Leaf Shield for a charging attack.  If he didn't hit anything, he'd immediately spin around and restart his pattern.  If he hit Mega Man, he'd grab him and smash him into the ground before hurling him over his shoulder, and then restart his pattern.  If he hit one of his trees, however, he'd freeze up for a few moments as leaves fell.  Mega Man was able to get a few shots in if he managed to aim between the leaves as they fell.

After managing to land about 16 hits in this way, Gaius stopped.  "I'm done now," he stated softly.

"You mean...I beat you?" Mega Man gasped out.

"No," Gaius replied.  "I'm under orders to fight you with a specific pattern.  If you're able to deal enough damage to me by that pattern to show you've learned it, I'm to let you move on to the next area of the Wubtress.  This does not count as defeating me, merely proving your capabilities in overcoming the Trial of Earth.  Four other trials await you before you can face the true Mistress of this place, and three Guardians.  Good luck, you will need it."

Before Mega Man could react, Gaius took a strong horse stance, slammed his fists into the ground, and thrust them together into the air.  A pillar of earth shot up under Mega Man, launching him screaming into the sky...and to the next area of the Wubtress.
> VSW-013: Water
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Suggested Listening)

Mega Man found himself propelled upwards into an ocean...somehow.  At this point, he'd decided to not question how Vinyl had gotten the Wubtress to work.  It was already in defiance of everything he knew about natural law as far as how big it was on the inside.  It really shouldn't be a surprise, as far as he was concerned, if he went up to come up the bottom of an ocean.

He was grateful to find that the consistency of the liquid actually allowed him to swim around, since he was unable to get a signal out to Rush.  Waving his arms and kicking his feet, he was able to more or less propel himself through the liquid.  Unfortunately, he quickly discovered that while doing so he couldn't fire his buster.  Unless he was braced on a platform, he couldn't shoot at the enemy robots that came after him.

The robots were an...intriguing variety.  White robotic squids shot balls of ink at him, while varicolored robotic fish swam back and forth or pursued him, depending on their color scheme.  Flowers shot fireballs at him that somehow burned underwater.  Giant clams opened and shut, tantalizingly revealing various energy replenishing items he could absorb, plainly ready to snap shut on him should he dare to try and snatch them.

Through it all, a massive robotic eel swam, plainly hunting him whenever he got too close to it.  It was far too big for him to take down readily, and it moved too fast for him to risk bracing somewhere and opening fire.  Thankfully, there were quite a few stone structures he could swim through that were too small for the eel to pursue him through...even if they did have a glut of the other enemies.  He did discover the occasional green or red box he could grab hold of and ride for a time as it sped forward.

Every so often, Mega Man was able to find an air pocket underwater that the robots couldn't pursue him into.  He took advantage of these areas to rest and recuperate as he made his way through, especially as they had energy capsules hanging from the ceiling, just out of his reach ordinarily, but he was able to find a way to get high enough to shoot them down from the ceiling by stacking boxes.

At long last, Mega Man reached the surface of the ocean...and saw nothing.  Looking around in all directions, he struggled to find where the next Guardian could be.  He groaned.  "Don't tell me I have to fight him somewhere underwater!" he groaned loudly.

"Okay, I won't," a familiar voice told him from behind as music erupted into the air.

Spinning, Mega Man yelped, barely managing to get out of the water before the giant eel snatched him up.  Landing on its head, he saw a familiar figure standing there.  It was Shadow Man, but he'd changed.  His blue garb had darkened to purple, and a long red scarf flowed in the air behind him.  Spikes stuck out from his elbows, and a sword was strapped to his back.  "What the-who are you?" Mega Man demanded, shocked.

"I was Shadow Man," the figure replied.  "I am now Umikage.  You have two questions left."

Mega Man ground his teeth.  "Is this going to happen with all of you?" he demanded angrily.

"Yes, but four hardly counts as all," Umikage replied.  "You have one question before I attack."

Mega Man struggled not to snap in anger or give a sarcastic quip.  "Is this another pattern learning trial?"

"Correct," Umikage stated bluntly before lunging forward, his sword leaping into his hand.

Mega Man let out a gasp as he evaded the charge the only way he could, by leaping over Umikage.  He couldn't dodge far side to side without falling off the eel, which sometimes changed directions without warning, making him restabilize to avoid falling off into the water, where robotic sharks now waited to tear him apart.  Umikage followed up his charging slash by hurling several shurikens, leaping into the air to hurl kunais, and landing at the head of the eel and thrusting his arms up to send a wave of water at Mega Man, which ran the risk of pushing the blue bomber off the eel.

Acting quickly, Mega Man evaded each strike as best he could.  The shurikens could be slid under.  The kunais could be dodged by running back and forth.  He could dodge the wave by hiding close behind one of the eel's spines, which rose up as it drove through the wave.  Unlike Gaius, Umikage did not follow a specific pattern of what order he used the attacks in, although his movements did give Mega Man a warning of which attack came next.

In trying to find the damage point, Mega Man made the mistake of moving into melee range, only to receive a barrage of sword slashes, punches, and spiked elbow strikes before being tossed away, having to grab hold of a spine quickly to avoid being thrown off the eel.

Eventually, Mega Man managed to figure out where Umikage was vulnerable: the blue and white shuriken on his forehead.  Unfortunately, he deflected shots aimed there with sword strikes, thrown shurikens, or thrown kunais.  The only time the shots could get through was when he was summoning the wave.  However, Mega Man was nothing if not determined.

At long last, Umikage pulled back, sheathing his weapons.  "That is enough," he stated bluntly.  "Hold on tight."  With that, he vanished.

"Wait, what-"  The eel suddenly dove, and all Mega Man could do was hold tight to a spine.  It then leapt out of the water, swimming into the sky.  "Why can't this place make sense?!?!" Mega Man screamed out in frustration.

A panel opened up on the eel as it soared into the sky, revealing a note.



Because it's more fun if it doesn't.
Two questions left.
Vulcan.



Groaning, Mega Man smacked his face against the eel as it soared ever upward.
> VSW-014: Fire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The eel erupted through a stony landscape, letting off a screeching roar as it bucked Mega Man off of it.  As he landed, he watched as the robotic body that had carried him up slowly turned to stone before his very eyes.  As its writhing spasms came to a halt, a baleful gaze was locked in stone, trained on him.  Shuddering, Mega Man quickly moved away from the new structure as he began exploring the new area.

The rocky land was brown and barren, with only an occasional clump of stones breaking up the landscape, colored black.  Visible in the distance was a massive volcano, belching smoke as the earth rumbled every so often beneath Mega Man's feet.

"As if where I'm supposed to go could be made any more obvious," he grumbled under his breath as he kept going.

As he approached one of the piles of black stone, it stood up to attack him.  While it moved slowly, it took a lot of damage before going down.  Mega Man was unwilling to use the Skull Blaster because in addition to causing massive recoil that sent him flying backwards, he took damage from anything he slammed into in the process.  Thankfully, the only attack the stone beast had was throwing rocks at him, and after fighting Guts Man, Mega Man had an easy time evading each throw.

Once he realized the rock piles could conceal enemies, Mega Man did his best to avoid them.  Unfortunately, the areas that lacked the rock piles were revealed to be lined with land mines that broke open magma vents when they went off, and Mega Man had to be especially careful to not step on them or he'd risk melting in the magma.

Besides the rock beasts and the magma vent mines, other hazards also lined Mega Man's path.  The ground would occasionaly collapse beneath him, giving him mere moments to leap to safe ground before falling to a pit of spikes...or further, back into the ocean of the previous trial chamber.  He was just grateful that the ground was more or less flat leading up to the volcano, as he was certain he would have been forced to deal with landslides if he'd climbed so much as a single hill, especially as the ground shook every so often in what had to be an artificial earthquake.

Eventually, Mega Man finally reached the volcano...which was a sheer cylinder up and down, with strange tracks running all over it.  At the base was a strange cart attached to the tracks.  Curious, Mega Man approached the cart and found instructions written on it.



You must climb the volcano.
This cart can move up, left, or right as you climb the mountain.  It cannot move down.
At no point can you backtrack.
Some track points have traps.  Some have other issues.
If you reach a dead end, this cart will disconnect from the mountain, and you will have to jump free to not be crushed.  Assuming you land safely, the cart will respawn in its original position.
The cart has a structural integrity of 100.  Traps will inflict damage between 5 and 25 to the cart's integrity, depending on the trap.  If the cart's integrity reaches zero, it will explode.

Have fun!



Mega Man blinked for a bit.  "...I think I remember this game..."(1) he muttered as he stepped in.  Remembering playing the game with Vinyl at one point while Dr. Wily was at Light's Lab after his second world takeover attempt, he followed the course he had taken up the mountain Vinyl had constructed for him to climb.  He was...rather surprised to find that it was the exact course needed to get up without taking damage.

As he stepped out at the caldera, he saw a Robot Master waiting for him.  It looked like Crash Man, but he was much bulkier, with drills mounted at the ends of his arms which snapped closed around his hands.  Panels opened and closed on his shoulders and leg armor plates, revealing bomb launching ports.  Magma flowed freely around and behind him, framing him without touching him.

"Vulcan, I presume?" Mega Man spoke up.

"That is correct," Vulcan replied.  "You have one question left."

"Son of a monkey-goat!" Mega Man swore.  "Don't you ever get tired of screwing with me?"  He then winced, facepalming as he realized what he'd just done.

Vulcan stared at him for a time.  "In some ways, yes," Vulcan replied.  "It's fun, but it has served its purpose at this point.  But you make it too easy."  He shifted to a battle stance.  "And now we fight."

With that said, Vulcan dove towards the magma.  Without thinking, Mega Man lunged forward, gripping tediously to the edge of the caldera with one hand and grabbing hold of Vulcan's foot with the other.

Vulcan stared up at him in confusion.  "What are you doing?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just because you're working for Vinyl and Wily doesn't mean I want to see you die!" Mega Man roared out.  "Back while you were staying with us, we became friends!  We hung out together, played video games, sparred on occasion...Wood Man's not the only one I couldn't bring myself to hurt at the end of that!"

Vulcan stared at him for a time.  Withdrawing his drills, he waved his hand at the magma, and it rose to meet him, becoming a solid platform for him to step onto.  "Did you really think I'd be fighting in a volcano crater, even if an artificial one, if the magma could hurt me?" he asked calmly.  "Vinyl redesigned me so I can swim through the magma as easily as water, so I could use it against you."

As Vulcan pulled him onto the platform, Mega Man glanced away.  "Well...when you put it that way, I feel kind of an idiot," he admitted.  "But...when I saw you falling towards the magma, towards what to me would be certain death...I..."

"You didn't think," Vulcan concluded.  "You felt."  He stared at Mega Man for a time, then stepped back of the platform, floating in the heat of the caldera.  "I'm supposed to fight you, make you master a pattern...but it's specifically to make you prove yourself here.  And I think you've managed that in a different way."

"Huh?" Mega Man asked, confused.

"You have three questions for Typhon in the next zone," Vulcan explained.  "Ask, and he'll tell you."  With that, Vulcan thrust his arms into the sky.  "Hang on tight."

With no more warning than that, the platform shot up into the clouds on a pillar of magma, with Mega Man in tow.








(1) This is based on an actual text based game I remember from a long time ago, where the goal was to get from 000 to whatever was marked as the top of the mountain, where you could only ever go up, left, or right, and each one sent you to a different three digit coordinate.  Unfortunately, I don't remember what it's called, and couldn't find it with a google search.  I'd appreciate it if anyone could find it for me.
> VSW-015: Air
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The pillar of magma eventually came to a halt above the clouds, leaving the platform Mega Man stood on at the foot of a massive tower that climbed seemingly endlessly into the sky.  The tower was perfectly circular and sheer straight up and down, built of square stones set one against the other, the gaps between paper thin.  Every so often, stones around the tower would extend outward in platforms, only to retract without warning.  Plainly, the stones formed a pattern climbing the tower, and was the path Mega Man would have to take.

"This is going to be rough," Mega Man muttered as he leapt off the platform, hardly surprised to see it crumble as soon as he jumped off of it.

As he climbed, he was relieved to discover that some platforms stayed extended and did not retract.  This was quite useful when, every so often, strong wind would blow in one direction or another, running the risk of blowing him completely off the tower.  There were a few jumps where the wind proved useful for crossing an extra wide gap between platforms, but timing was made all the more difficult as a result.

When Mega Man had climbed at least a mile straight up, he found a wider platform with a vending machine, a stack of magazines, an easy chair, and a music player.  He was rather stunned to see it, given the whole situation.  However, there was a note attached to the chair.



Cross my heart
Hope to fly
Stick a cupcake in my eye
This rest stop is in no way a trap.
Vinyl



Mega Man wasn't sure where Vinyl had come across that promise, but she treated it as sacred.  If she'd written that there, she meant it.  Realizing he could use a recharge, he kicked back and relaxed for a bit, grabbing himself a drink and snack and a magazine to read.  He was surprised, even if he knew he shouldn't be, that the vending machine was filled with all his favorite snacks and drinks, and dispensing at cost of the items.  He decided to table any curiosity about what that could signify until later.

After he'd gotten most of the stress of the past few trials out of his system and gotten comfortable with how high up he was, he continued to climb, now much more at peace with the platforms and height, even when he glanced down and saw no ground around the tower.  It didn't seem as terrifying as it once had been.

He continued to climb up and up and up...  How high he was didn't even register anymore.  The climb was almost completely all consuming.  As he climbed, he got better and better at anticipating the patterns of the jumps he had to make, the pattern of the winds, even the pattern of clouds that obscured his vision.  The climb became second nature, to the point he was startled as he came to the top of the tower.  "Wait, this place has a-"  He quickly cut himself off, realizing the fourth guardian would be waiting for him, and he didn't want to waste any of his three questions.

"You've gotten smarter," a familiar, monotone voice told him.

Turning, Mega Man stared at the figure at the other end of the tower.  Though still recognizable to his original design, in many ways he was vastly different.  His armor was now much more segmented, and he was overall much bulkier.  His air cannon was much bulkier and more defined, humming with power, as was the turbine in his chest.  Where he'd only had a bump between his shoulders before, a plainly defined head was covered by an armored helmet.  His other arm ended in a much heavier gauntlet, with miniature air shooters in each finger.  His entire body also glowed with blue light in a circuitry pattern.

"I am Typhon," he stated firmly.  "You have three questions before the trial begins."

"Why is Vinyl doing all this?" Mega Man demanded.

"She will explain herself when you have completed the final trial," Typhon replied.  "As that is not a true answer, you still have three questions."

Mega Man rubbed the back of his head.  "Alright.  How did she do all this?"

"Magic," Typhon explained.  "You have two questions."

"How is that any more of an answer than 'she'll explain'?" Mega Man demanded angrily.

"Because the first question I was forbidden from giving a complete answer for.  The second answer is just frustrating.  One question left."

Mega Man ground his teeth in frustration, but got control of himself.  He narrowed his eyes.  "...how do I clear this trial?"

"There are four ways to clear my trial," Typhon replied.  "The first is if you inflict a certain amount of damage to me.  The second is if I inflict a certain amount of damage to you.  The third is if you perform some act that - at my discretion - lets you end the trial.  The fourth is if you reach the end of my jam.  The trial starts now."  Reaching up, Typhon pressed a button at the side of his head, and music began to play.

As the music began, the entire top of the tower fell away as blocks started to appear above them.  Mega Man quickly started climbing up the disappearing blocks as panels opened on Air Man's back and massive thrusters extended allowing the massive mechanaloid to fly around at will at surprising speeds.  He zipped around Mega Man, firing off his Tornado Shooter to change the direction of wind, shot clouds to obscure Mega Man's vision from his finger air shooters, or attempted to dive bomb Mega Man off the blocks.

Mega Man, for his part, continued to jump from block to block, focusing on the pattern, even managing to back flip over Typhon's charge a time or two to land on the next block, only to kick off to another one.  All the time he spent climbing the tower began to come to fruition, as he climbed into the air, leaving the bottomless pit below, fear, and even the clouds behind.  Before he'd even realized it, he had leapt his way out of the atmosphere.  He hadn't even paid attention, merely shifted his jump pattern as gravity's grip on him weakened.

Finally, the song came to an end, and Mega Man landed on the last block as Typhon hovered before him.  "Well done, Mega Man," he stated, sending his voice directly to Mega Man's communicator.  "But why did you not fight back?"

"Because I didn't have to," Mega Man sent back.  "I didn't have to destroy you, just get past you.  And...this way was more fun."

Typhon remained where he hovered for a time...and eventually smiled.  "Then this will be even more fun."  Reaching behind him, he pulled out a plasma rifle and tossed it to Mega Man.  "You can't shoot any direction but forward when braced.  You'll need this for what comes next.  There will be ways to improve its efficacy for the first half of the final trial."

"The final trial?" Mega Man asked, confused.

"You have faced blades...you have faced robots that pushed your limits..." Typhon explained.  "You have faced disappearing blocks...and you have faced me.  There is only one thing left that you have not yet faced down from your first nightmare."  Typhon pointed down to where the top of the tower was just barely visible.

Mega Man nodded.  "The...bottomless pit," he concluded.

"Are you prepared, Mega Man?" Typhon asked.

In response, Mega Man tilted forward on the last block, braced the plasma rifle firmly...and dove.
> VSW-016: Void
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Kenshinryuu's Suggested Listening)

As Mega Man started his fall, he angled himself so his head was straight down with his feet straight up.  He was familiar with this sort of thing from movies and video games he'd watched and played with Vinyl, and knew that he would need to keep his speed as high as possible while still keeping control.  Checking the plasma rifle, he was unsurprised to discover that it had a limited ammunition supply.  He'd have to be sparing with his bullets.

Coming up from below, several floating drones opened fire on him as they swirled in a circle.  Tilting his body, he managed to dodge to either side of the incoming bullets, he carefully shot each drone out of the sky.  As the last exploded, a sphere of light floated up to him to be absorbed into the gun, replenishing the ammo and improving its firing capacity.  Holding it forward, he readied for the next assault as he fell through the atmosphere.

As his speed increased, the drones started coming faster and faster, and in more complex waves.  When he missed one of the drones in a group, he cursed as the energy sphere didn't form.  Thankfully, each collected sphere replenished his ammo fully, no matter how empty it was.  The different colors of light added different effects.  Red gave him additional damage.  Yellow increased the number of bullets the gun fired in a spread (which thankfully didn't increase ammo consumption).  Green restored his own energy from the few times he took damage.  Blue generated a temporary energy shield that absorbed hits for him, giving him a bit of breathing space.  Orange temporarily added a piercing effect to the plasma bursts, letting them punch through drones to damage the other drones below them.

Once he was fully in the atmosphere and gravity returned to normal, new hazards presented themselves.  In addition to the waves of drones, the clouds sometimes had mines hidden inside them, which caused the rifle to lose its upgrades when he took damage from them, even if the shield was up.  After discovering that, Mega Man worked to avoid clouds as he fell until he caught sight of the tower.  With a desperate spin, he managed to go in the open top of it rather than to one side, certain that missing the tower would bring failure.

Inside the tower, turrets mounted on the inside of the walls shot at him, forcing him to evade.  Much to his frustration, he discovered that he couldn't destroy the turrets with his plasma rifle, and they continued to track him even after he went past them.  Thankfully, they couldn't track him too far beyond their mounted points.

After a time, a much larger drone appeared with several turrets mounted on its body as it fired on him.  Mega Man did his best to dodge as he fired a few probing shots at the large creation, discovering that most of its body was invulnerable to damage.  The turrets, however, weren't.  Shooting the turrets caused them to break and eventually explode, releasing the spheres of light to replenish ammo and other effects.  Once he managed to destroy all the turrets - while evading both weapons fire and a few charges of the large drone - the drone's armor broke off, revealing numerous tendrils armed with lasers and the inner core.  Thankfully, these parts could now be damaged.

With the drone finally destroyed, Mega Man found himself teleporting straight down...where he landed deep below the Tower, and found Vinyl waiting for him on a high platform.

(Suggested Listening)

"Nice job on getting this far, Mega Man!" Vinyl praised.  "I knew you could do it!  So...Death Machine time!"

With that shout, the lights came on, revealing that the 'platform' she was standing on was actually a giant effigy of Wily's head, fully robotic.  It grinned widely at Mega Man, revealing 21 teeth.  As it came online, familiar blasters came out of the ears as the eyes glowed.

Leaping back, Mega Man did his best to evade the infrequent sonic disruptor shots - which still had to recharge eleven seconds between shots - and the lasers from the eyes.  Each tooth glowed in sequence, firing off a different Master Weapon Mega Man had faced before from Wily's robots...not including Metal Blade.

After a time of the barrage being evaded, the creation's mouth opened wide and fired off a massive sonic disruption blast which Mega Man was only just barely able to slide under.  The mouth then closed after Mega Man got a few shots off, discovering that the focus crystal for the larger Sonic Disruptor was the creation's weak point.  "Next time that thing fires, I win!" Mega Man shouted out as he started charging the buster on his left arm for the Skull Blast.

Vinyl giggled.  "Looking forward to seeing how you do it!" she cackled.  "But I don't think you can do enough damage!"

"You'll see!" Mega Man shouted out, cycling the Variable Weapon System in his right buster to 'It Burns!', the weapon from Bad Chef.

"That won't do you any good!" Vinyl proclaimed as she danced in excitement.  "My Death Machine is immune to all damage from weapons I designed!"

"I don't intend to use it to damage this thing!" Mega Man proclaimed as he dashed forward just as the mouth opened wide again.  "I'm using it to control a weapon that will!"

As the mouth opened completely, Mega Man thrust his fully charged left buster forward as he triggered the Master Weapon in his right.  The flames shot out from his ass, propelling him forward to slam his clenched left fist into the focus crystal, cracking it.  While keeping 'It Burns!' active, Mega Man released the Skull Blast, the flames behind him countering the recoil so all the force of the blast went into the crystal, destroying it.

As the Death Machine exploded, Vinyl leapt clear of it, landing beside her father as he stepped out.  When the explosion cleared, Vinyl smiled up at Mega Man.  "That was fun!" she proclaimed happily.  "We should do it again some time!"

Mega Man stared at her, not sure he was hearing properly.  "Can I get some answers first?" he demanded.

"Ask away!" Vinyl proclaimed happily.
> VSW-017: Answers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man started to open his mouth to ask the questions he wanted answered, but hesitated.  Given everything that had happened so far, he wouldn't be at all surprised if Vinyl only allowed him three questions, just like the Four Guardians had.  Unfortunately, he had a lot more than three questions he wanted answers for.  As such, he closed his mouth and put his hand to his chin as he began running a few optimization algorithms on his curiosity.

"Whatcha doin?" Vinyl asked cutely, tilting her head fetchingly while smiling at him.

"Trying to figure out how I can learn everything I want to know in three questions," Mega Man replied.

"Oh, no question limit for me!" Vinyl reassured him happily.  "Just ask away!"

Blinking in surprise, Mega Man reorganized his thoughts.  "...why did you do all this?" he asked finally.

"Daddy!" Vinyl replied firmly.  "I wanted my Daddy back, which meant breaking him out of jail.  When I thought about how to do that, I asked myself, 'What Would Daddy Do?'  And in everything he does - whether it's taking over the world, making new friends, or making Christmas-"

"Christmas?" Mega Man asked, stunned.  Wily pointedly did not meet his gaze.

"-he uses eight Robot Masters that you end up fighting!" Vinyl concluded, having completely missed that interchange.  "So I knew if I was going to bust Daddy out of jail, it would require eight Robot Masters...and that you'd end up fighting them."  She lowered her head, pawing at the floor with her hoof.  "I...didn't really like that idea.  I mean...even though you put Daddy in jail, you're my friend.  You were just doing what you were programmed to do.  I can't blame you because Dr. Light hadn't figured out how to sneak alternate programming loopholes into your core processor back when you were first built-"

"Wait, alternate what?" Mega Man interrupted.

"Alternate programming loopholes!" Vinyl explained.  "See, none of my Wub Masters were actually illegal constructions, cause they were all completely programmed with the three laws.  But there were loopholes embedded in their programming triggered on specific circumstance combinations that allowed them to reinterpret their third law programming based on their personality core...which in the case of every single one, led them to decide that doing what I told them to do was more important than the rest of the laws, since I was defined as the most important 'human' according to their programming and personality cores."

Mega Man could only stare, completely stunned.  "...seriously?" he demanded.

"Yup," Protoman agreed as he stepped up behind Wily.  "She took each and every one of her Wub Masters before the International Robotics Committee to get them approved for manufacture and programming before building them, and every last one was given the green light."

"How the heck did you manage to get eight obvious combat robots cleared for construction?" Mega Man demanded, stunned.

"Cause their combat statistics were manure!" Vinyl explained.  "Most of their weapons were little better than a Fourth of July sparkler based on their power output, and would do more damage to them than you if used for combat.  As far as structural integrity, most of them could barely hold themselves together when using their weapons, let alone when in a full fledged fight.  Just cause I was doing the whole Robot Master thing and you'd fight them didn't mean I wanted you to get hurt!"  She shrugged.  "The only exceptions were Giganto and Sewer Gator, since they did the actual work of busting Daddy out."

"Then why'd you make the approaches to them so crazy and challenging?" Mega Man growled.  "If you didn't want me to get hurt-"

"Well it wouldn't have been any fun for you if it was a total cake walk!" Vinyl interrupted.  "So I designed challenges based on the games we played together, and the movies you watched together.  Especially the stuff you really liked.  It's why Mutilus' castle and Giganto both had self destruct systems.  You always got the biggest thrill from the video games when racing the countdown timer."

"And the reason their designs were so...weird?" Mega Man followed up nervously.

Vinyl shrugged.  "While I didn't want to hurt you, when I first started it I was feeling kinda spiteful about you putting Daddy in jail, so...I went on some internet message boards and asked around for Robot Master designs that'd make you feel awkward to fight to get back at you.  Gas Pump and Dirty Fighter I liked...but I didn't understand the rest, so I used a few internet polls to decide the rest.  ...then I didn't really understand the joke for the winners that they liked so much, so I asked around on another message board for where those Wub Masters should go."

"So...it seemed so slapdash because it was so slapdash?" Mega Man concluded.

"Uh huh," Vinyl confirmed.  "By the way, can you tell me what the jokes are for the others?  I...don't get 'em."

"Neither of us are old enough for those jokes," Mega Man replied firmly.  He sighed, rubbing his forehead.  "So...all of this was to free Wily in a way that wouldn't actually put me in real danger?  ...then why the much more intense challenges and Guardians in the Fortress?"

Vinyl giggled.  "You know that!  The final area challenges and bosses are always super hard compared to the rest of the game if the design's good!  But I realized I'd made Typhon and the others too tough, so I didn't make you have to beat them."  She shrugged.  "Besides, I didn't wanna lose them, either!"

Mega Man sighed ruefully, shaking his head.  From the outside perspective, this made absolutely no sense...but by Vinyl's logic, it all made perfect sense.  He wasn't sure how to handle that, so he asked another question.  "If you wanted to be like Wily, why not Giganto Man, and names like that?"

"You mean other than because they sounded stupid when I tried to say them?" Vinyl joked.  "Because I didn't want to be an exact copy of how Daddy did things...so I tweaked a bit.  Like the naming scheme.  And not making you fight duplicates of the Wub Masters here in the Fortress.  Things like that."

Mega Man nodded in understanding.  "Well...while I do understand your reasoning...I still need to take you both in now.  You for breaking Wily out of jail, and Wily for escaping prison."

"I've got two secret weapons to make you not do that!" Vinyl replied happily, looking really eager to demonstrate said weapons.

Mega Man couldn't stop himself from chuckling.  "Alright.  What's the first?"

Vinyl took off her glasses and looked up at him, her eyes wide and dewy.  Her eyelashes flicked as her crimson orbs stared into his core.  Her horn glowed as music played from nowhere.  She clutched her glasses tight against the two sizes too big lab coat she was wearing.  "Pwease don't take my Daddy away?" she pleaded.

Wily clutched at his chest just from hearing her speak, half afraid it would be lethal levels of cute to any human looking straight at that.  Damn, she has made progress weaponizing cuteness! he thought to himself.  ...I'm so proud!

Mega Man was certainly phased by the cute assault, but he rallied gamely.  "You forget how much time I've spent with you, Vinyl," he groaned as he struggled against the overwhelming force of adorability.  "I've built up a resistance!"

Sighing, Vinyl put her sunglasses back on as she stopped the music.  "That's okay.  It was only Plan A to stop you here.  Plan B is much more effective."

"And what's Plan B?" Mega Man asked curiously.

"A secret weapon," Vinyl offered tantalizingly.

"I get that, but what?" Mega Man demanded.

"I built nine Wub Masters, not eight."

As his proximity and danger sensors went off, Mega Man started to spin, but the robot behind him moved too fast.

Bzzzown-wownnnnnn!

Mega Man could only stare as the V-shaped slash left his arms and legs falling to the floor separate from his body...but otherwise undamaged.  He landed on his back so he could stare up at the robot behind him.

All he saw was a black cloak covering everything except the blade on one arm, glowing blue and humming with energy, yellow light arcing along it in regular intervals along the length.  The blade itself was flat, wide at the base, narrow at the tip.

"I am Secret," the robot offered, its voice erroring as though it were using a half complete voice synthesizer.  "You shall never know me."

"I perfected the Sonic Blade tech!" Vinyl proclaimed proudly.  "Come, Secret!  Time to go!"

With that, Secret blurred over to Vinyl, Wily, and Protoman.

"By the way, Mega Man!" Vinyl called out.  "Teleport shield's down now, so you can go back to Dr. Light at any time!"  With that, Secret teleported the group away.

Mega Man glared after Vinyl.  He really wanted to be angry with her over this.  But looked at from her perspective - that this was a game between them - he couldn't take it personally.  It was a good move.  As he activated his teleport beacon - pleased it took his limbs with him - all he could say was...

"...clever girl..."
> VSW-018: Denoument
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man lay back on the work table as Dr. Light worked on reattaching his limbs.  "How bad's the damage, Dad?" he asked worriedly.

"Not all that bad, actually," Dr. Light replied.  "Clean breaks at all points, so I just need to replace the connectors and reattach.  More time consuming than difficult."

"That's good," Mega Man whispered gratefully.  "Just wish I'd...actually managed to make the capture..."

"You would have had to let them go anyway," Dr. Light commented idly.

Mega Man's head shot up as far as it could without benefit of limb flexing.  "What do you mean?"

"Albert's legal team finally got done working through the courts," Dr. Light explained, doing his best to suppress chuckles.  "The final court decision is that neither he nor Vinyl has actually done anything illegal."

Mega Man could only stare, completely stupefied.  "...what?"

"That's the reaction of the press, too," Dr. Light explained, unable to suppress his chuckles anymore.  "But that's the straight legalities of it-"

"But he stole Guts Man and the others!" Mega Man complained.

"At the time, he had half ownership," the good doctor corrected, "and since you destroyed them under my directives from the legal standpoint, I void my right to press charges over the loss of my half."

"And all the damage they caused-"

"To places Wily owned outright," Tom countered.  "With a clause in the renting contract about potential disruptions of business or residence due to unanticipated robotic activity.  Even the destruction is classified as erroneous robotic behavior, so there's no crime as long as he paid to rebuild the places...which he did.  Even paid for the loss of business as per the contracts."

Mega Man stared flatly.  "...I take it the same is true for the second time around?"

"Yup!" Dr. Light agreed.  "And since he turned himself in that time technically, it counts in his favor."

"And what about the third time?" Mega Man demanded angrily.  "He took over those mining facilities-"

"Experimental off-world facilities," Dr. Light countered.  "Even I made sure we wouldn't be held liable if something happened to our robots that time around in brand new conditions we couldn't properly simulate."

"And what about stealing Gamma?"

"Since we hadn't completed it and handed it over to the government yet, same situation as with the first six," Tom replied.  "And the military doesn't want to make a fuss over just how much was invested in a project that failed.  They'd rather just sweep it under the rug."

"And I cleared the whole thing up with Cossack myself," Mega Man groaned.  "But what about kidnapping you?"

"If I choose to press charges over that, the entire incident will have to be made official," Dr. Light chided, a deep frown on his face.  "The exact methods you used to convince Wily to surrender will be a matter of public record.  I won't do that to you."

Mega Man lay back, sighing.  "I take it Vinyl's antics are the same?"

"Yup," Dr. Light agreed.  "Even the prison break is technically a kidnapping, since Wily had no agency in the break out.  And since he's not pressing charges..."

"What about the damage to the prison?" Mega Man demanded.  "Surely that's an issue!"

"The prison belongs to Light Labs Industries," Dr. Light explained.  "In exchange for erasing all the charges you accrued damaging the businesses Wily owned while going after Vinyl's Wub Masters, I'm not pressing charges or fines over that.  Saved me well over $5 billion."

"But they were trying to take over the world!" Mega Man proclaimed, trying for one last line of prosecution.

"While most people don't like the idea...technically neither the attempt nor the thwarting thereof is illegal," Tom allowed, his voice a bit embarrassed.  "And since the Robot Masters and Wub Masters made sure to evacuate civilians in an orderly manner before starting their rampages...it's not even technically terrorism."

Mega Man slumped back, unsure what to say about that.  "...infringement of civil liberties?" he offered lamely.

"With the set you didn't fight, several civilians paused to take selfies with the Robot Masters while evacuating," Dr. Light replied, shaking his head ruefully.  "Even if any government wanted to press that charge, it would never stand up after that."

Mega Man sighed as he lay back.  "Then...why am I fighting against them, anyway?"

"Do you want to let them take over the world?" Dr. Light inquired.

Mega Man thought about that for a time.  "...no.  I don't think it's good for the world to let any one person have total control, whatever their motives."

"Then that's why you fight.  Because for you, that's justice...and peace."

Mega Man thought about what Dr. light told him.  It felt...right.





Secret deposited Wily, Vinyl, and Protoman safely.  "We have arrived."

"Arrived where?" Wily demanded worriedly.

"Home!" Vinyl explained happily as Mikhail and Kalinka came in with a hot meal for both of them.

"Welcome back to the neighborhood," Mikhail greeted warmly.

"Did you have fun?" Kalinka asked eagerly.

Vinyl happily raised her hoof to bump against Kalinka's offered closed fist.  Albert sat down, stunned.  "Here?"

"The legal team just got done clearing you both completely," Forte offered as he stepped in.  "Why would anyone come after you here?"

Wily thought about that for a time, then shrugged.  "Fair enough."

After relaxing for a while, he turned towards where Secret stood.  "A rather interesting robot," Wily murmured.  "How did you perfect the Sonic Blade technology?"

Vinyl grinned, eager to share.  "Well, the Sonic Disruptor actually generates a special field that contains the focused blast of sonic energy, which is what keeps it from blasting out in every direction.  With the disruptor, that field is energized by whatever it passes through, allowing it to keep going until the field runs out and the sonic energy disperses.  In this case, the field is generated in a wide blade shape, basically having a constant Sonic Disruption blast bouncing around inside to create the permanent blade shape, generated by Secret's three power cores."

"Three?" Albert and Mikhail both asked, stunned.

"One for the robot, two for the blade," Vinyl explained.  "Even managed to make them aesthetically pleasing on her!"

"...her?" Mikhail asked, surprised.

"Yup!" Vinyl proclaimed proudly.  "I made a girl bot!"

"May I take a closer look?" Wily asked.

"Sure!" Vinyl agreed.  "Secret, remove the cloak."

Nodding, Secret did as instructed.  Her construction was rather bare bones, with the overall structure sturdy but not quite complete.  She lacked a synthoflesh coating on any body parts, and the armored skin that covered every inch was stark and metallic.  Only a single optical sensor showed on the face, glowing blue.

One other thing immediately caught Wily's attention, however.  "Vinyl...what are those?" he asked, pointing.

"Mammaries!" Vinyl explained.  "Adult humanoid females have big ones, right?"  Kalinka nodded in confirmation.

"Not there!" Wily countered intensely.

Confused, Vinyl lowered her head to glance backwards between her forelegs, before looking back up at her father.  "That's where mine are," she offered innocently.

Wily was not the only one present whose face met both palms firmly as Kalinka giggled.
> The Perils of Parenting Petite Ponies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Albert slowly awoke the following morning after getting dead drunk with Mikhail to 'celebrate his liberty and legal victory' rather than deal with the awkward conversation of explaining the differences between humans and ponies, males and females to Vinyl after the...revelation from Secret.  He'd left Protoman in charge of the kids before they'd started drinking.  Unfortunately, he felt he hadn't drunk enough, since he could still remember the previous night's unpleasant events.

Groaning, he pushed himself out of bed and went to the window, looking forward to staring out at the snowy landscape to relax himself.  Unfortunately, he found himself witness to a different fluffy white landscape against the far too brightly blue sky.  Reaching out, he discovered that yes, that was a cloud right outside his window.  Cumulus, if he wasn't mistaken, but he never did make a study of clouds so he couldn't be sure.  One thing was certain, though.  It didn't belong outside his window when his bedroom was at ground level...or at least it was last he checked.  "VINYL!" he roared out before clutching at his head, having forgotten briefly about hangovers.

Vinyl entered shortly, dressed in an adorable blue fuzzy bathrobe decorated with music notes and pink bunny slippers on each of her four hooves.  She let out an adorable yawn as she lifted one forehoof out of her slipper to rub the sleep out of her eyes.  "Yeah Dad?" she asked tiredly.

"Can you explain this?" Albert demanded with a groan, gesturing out the window.

Vinyl glanced over sleepily.  "That's a window," she grumbled.  "It opens to let in a fresh breeze, or closes to keep out rain and stuff-"

"Outside the window," Albert groaned.

Shaking her head, Vinyl placed her forehooves on the windowsill and glanced outside.  "It's a cloud," Vinyl explained.  "Altocumulus, to be exact."

"Why is there a cloud outside my window, I mean?" Albert growled out.

"Oh...why didn't you say so in the first place?"  Vinyl settled back down on the floor, scratching at one ear with a hind leg for better leverage.  "Cause our fortress is flying now.  Ours and the Cossack's."

"...and if I ask why we're flying, am I going to get another frustrating half answer?" Albert asked morosely.

"Because Mutilus' castle was the prototype for this all along," Vinyl explained logically.  "I like living here with the Cossack's as our neighbors, but if we stay in one place too long - even if we use different fortresses for any future world takeover attempts - Mega Man will eventually know where to look for us when he decides its time to arrest us again.  When I explained this to Kalinka, she suggested making the location move instead of us.  So I decided to make a self-sustaining flying island, complete with the cloaking field Snake Man was building for his planetoid, so we're completely invisible to any detection equipment, even the naked eye unless you're within the field.  So now we've got our own independent country!"

Albert stared at her.  "It's not much of a country if its just us and the Cossacks," he pointed out, deciding not to start questioning the science or logic of 'make a flying country' just yet.

"It is if robots are citizens," Vinyl countered readily.  "I've already sent out invitations to various roboticists who are dissatisfied with the way the International Robotics Committee handles these things and are firmly in the camp of letting robots be equals with humans, along with several families who treat their robotic companions as family members instead of servants or appliances.  Once they've cleared background checks and the like, we'll have several thousand human and robotic citizens."

"And what about an economy?" Wily demanded.  "Agriculture?  The other infrastructure?"

"Hydroponics Man."

"...what?"

"Kalinka built a Robot Master to handle all the food growing," Vinyl explained more clearly.  "And she also built Weather Man to provide us with clean air up here, as well as harvesting airborne pollutants to be recycled into resources we'll sell to other countries at premium prices.  And with all the robots being brought up here, we'll be able to start colonizing and mining the Moon before too much longer."

Wily shook his head.  "And the high level of robotics tech in use means that the rest of it is all automated?"

"Yup!" Vinyl proclaimed proudly.  "Impressive, isn't it?"

"Very," Albert agreed.  "But don't you think you should have asked us first before setting something like this up?"

"We did!" Vinyl insisted.  "You and Dr. Cossack said it was a great idea, and that we should install death lasers and nukes and a...Molecular Destabilizer Device for defensive weapons.  Then you both laughed and chugged from your bottles again."  She shrugged.  "Death rays and nukes were easy enough, but I had to look up the MD Device, and that was only in science fiction.  Sounds fascinating, though!"  Her eyes shone at the idea.

Albert stared down at her.  He couldn't really fault her logic.  She apparently did ask for - and get - permission.  And it was certainly an impressive accomplishment.  He just wished he had a bit more warning about it when he was sober.  "And you built all this last night?" he asked, amazed.

"Oh, no!" Vinyl countered.  "I built it all before making the effort to break you out of prison!  Last night I just asked for permission to switch it all on!"

Albert stared at her in disbelief, then shook his head ruefully.  "At least I don't need coffee this morning anymore..." he grumbled.  "At least tell me you've accounted for atmospheric differentials."

"Weather Man surrounded the whole place with an atmosphere bubble," Vinyl replied.  "Once we have a full population, he'll gradually adjust it so everyone can adapt."

Wily nodded helplessly.  "So...how long is this place going to stay afloat?" he asked worriedly.

"Unless someone damages the power core...about 1000 years or so without need for maintenance," Vinyl replied.  "I call it the Sky Lagoon!"
> The Grand Design
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been nearly a year since the new country, 'Sky Lagoon', had appeared in the sky.  While it could rarely be seen, everyone knew it was up there, somewhere, and exactly how much power was at its disposal.  The idea that danger could come from the skies with impunity had led to a change in the world, and robotics development went into overdrive.  A new company, called X-Corp, had arisen, and was quietly funding and encouraging the construction and development of combat robots with a variety of weapons.  Many scientists had worked hard to develop this new generation of Robot Masters.

As the year started to wind to a close, the head of X-Corp stepped forward, announcing a grand tournament that would take place so that the Robot Masters from all over the world could do battle with each other to prove the skills of their makers, and show that they were truly the greatest of the new generation of robots.  The founder of this First Annual Robotics Tournament, the Mysterious Mr. X, proclaimed that a special prize was to be granted to those who built the eight finalists, and a truly grand prize for whoever built the Mightiest Robot Alive!  The Mysterious Mr. X proclaimed that he would preside over the tournament personally, along with his unicorn daughter X-P0N3.

As Mega Man watched that announcement, he shook his head in disbelief and waited for the news media to explode about how Mr. X was plainly Dr. Wily.  Seriously, all he'd done was put on a black coat, sit in a hover chair, and wear Vinyl's shades while she wore tiny black ones.  No one could possibly fall for that...right?

"I didn't know there was another unicorn in the world!" Roll squealed happily.  "She's adorable!  Do you think she and Vinyl would be good friends, Rock?"

Mega Man turned to stare at his sister in disbelief.  He tried to rationalize her not seeing it.  Then again, he'd spent far more time with Vinyl than she had...but still!  "...I imagine they have a great deal in common," he offered lamely.

"Oh, I hope so!" Roll replied excitedly.  "Vinyl's just so precious, adorable, and fun when she isn't working with Wily to take over the world!"

"What's this?" Dr. Light called, coming into the room.  "You say there's another unicorn out there?"

"Oh yes!" Roll proclaimed happily.  "The Mysterious Mr. X of X-Corp has a unicorn daughter named X-P0N3!  Come look!"

Dr. Light looked at the broadcast with a smile.  "My, what a wonder.  Maybe tiny ponies will start popping up all over the world."

"Oh, I hope we get one!" Roll squealed happily.

Mega Man stared at them flat eyed.  "...am I getting punked?" he asked hopefully.

"Whatever do you mean, Rock?" Dr. Light asked in confusion.

Mega Man groaned, putting his face in his hands.  "...nothing, Dad..."





As the actual Tournament rolled around, Mega Man made sure to be there, even trying to enter himself in the Tournament.  However, he was told the Tournament itself was for new robots, and he couldn't enter as a contestant.  He was invited to compete against the finalists in special exhibition matches when the time came, though.  Upon agreeing, he was escorted to meet The Mysterious Mr. X and X-P0N3.

Since the first broadcast, Mega Man had kept his eyes and ears open for any sign of anyone else putting together that X and X-P0N3 were Wily and Vinyl...but somehow, no one had.  His own attempt to explain it to people online was laughed off as crazed conspiracy theories...by people who, in the same breath, tried to convince him that the Moon Landing was a hoax, that the governments were puppets to the Illuminati, and that the Secret Shadow Government was run by highly evolved velociraptors that had survived the extinction of the dinosaurs and sought to summon their god Jibbers Crabst to Earth from the rings of Saturn.

He was not deterred, however.  He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Mr. X and X-P0N3 were Wily and Vinyl, and he fully intended to confront them on it.  He was rather surprised, therefor, when he was left at the door and told that Mr. X and X-P0N3 was waiting inside for him for a private meeting.

Inside, Dr. Wily was sitting back on the hover chair in his more usual garb, Vinyl sitting on his head while he spun a globe on his finger for her amusement.  After Mega Man had closed the door behind him, Vinyl turned and waved at him.  "Hey Megs!" she greeted happily, grinning and showing a recently lost tooth.

"Wily!  Vinyl!" Mega Man proclaimed.  "It is you two!  Well, I'm here to stop whatever nefarious scheme you're plotting!"

Wily sighed, setting aside the globe, to where Vinyl promptly pounced on it.  "What makes you think I'm engaging in a nefarious scheme?" he asked calmly.

"8 finalist robots!" Mega Man immediately pointed out.

"I like the number 8," Wily replied easily.

"You're operating in disguise!" Mega Man continued.

"Well, nobody would come to a Robot Tournament run by Dr. Wily," Albert countered.  "They'd assume it was a plot to take over the world!"

"You've somehow got the entire world hypnotized to not see it's you under that ridiculous disguise!" Mega Man insisted.

"I'm as stunned as you that no one's seen through it yet," Wily grumbled ruefully.  "I worked hard creating a fake identity and backstory for 'Mr. X' and 'X-P0N3' distinct from us to use should anyone question, but nobody's bothered!  It's so frustrating!  All that work wasted!"

"The Robot Tournament itself?" Rock demanded desperately.

"A birthday present for Vinyl."

"...eh?"

Albert shrugged.  "I spoil her too much," Wily explained.  "After Sky Lagoon worked out so well, I asked if there was anything special she wanted for her birthday this year, and she said she wanted to watch a whole bunch of new robots duke it out tournament style...but not our robots."  He chuckled.  "She knows my work too well, you see."

Mega Man could only stare.  "All this...for a birthday present?"

Wily shrugged helplessly.  "What can I say?  I'm a pushover parent."

"How do I know you're telling me the truth?" Mega Man insisted, struggling to find a way to make sense of this.

Wily raised his hand.  "I swear as a scientist, as a friend, and as a parent, on Vinyl's life, I have no plans for this Tournament beyond giving Vinyl a happy birthday."

Mega Man stared.  He knew Wily was a lot of things, but he took being a parent seriously.  If he was swearing on Vinyl's life, Mega Man could believe him.  "...alright," he said at last.  "Then I look forward to helping you do that."  He turned and left the room, much more relaxed now that he no longer had to worry.

After he left, Vinyl popped the globe open and began tinkering with the internal circuitry, finishing the device hidden inside.  "Signal's good!" she proclaimed happily.  "Eight distinct control code slots prepared for the finalists!"

Wily chuckled to himself.  "I love being a politician," he mused happily.

After all, he'd said nothing about Vinyl's plans.
> FARTing Around
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The Mysterious Mr. X moved his hoverchair into position atop the podium as the gathered scientists, roboticists, politicos, spectators, and press delegates gathered below the balcony, looking up at where he, X-P0N3, and Mega Man stood.  He cleared his throat as he brought the microphone to his lips.  "Greetings, citizens of our world!" he proclaimed dramatically.  "As you all know, the world has changed.  More and more, humanity has come to rely upon robots, whether for minor services, defense of the home and country, care taking, or any other job that it is inefficient or unsafe for humans to do.  At the same time, robotics has become an outlet for the imagination, as scientists build into reality their greatest dreams.

"Dreams of the future...dreams of a new world...of many new worlds out there amongst the stars..."  Mr. X took a deep breath.  "This is the dream that has driven every scientific advancement since man first struck rocks together over dry tinder.  The fundamental question of human curiosity and adventure.  What will I find beyond the next hill?  Across the next lake?  On the other side of the river?  In the depths of the sea?  Beyond the clouds?"  He spread his arms wide.  "So to have we built up everything we have ever made.  Always, we desire to know...what is next to be discovered?"

He paused for a time, letting what he'd said so far sink in.  "And that is the essence of robotics as well," he continued.  "We take up the mantle of God, and create a new form of life, imbuing into them the laws, rules, and dictates we deem appropriate to this new life...laws we have agreed upon to keep us safe.  For though we take on the mantle of Creator with our robots, we know ourselves to not be gods.  And yet...and yet they accept the yoke we place upon them, welcoming it.  They become more than just tools, more than just an experiment.  We give them a personality unique to them...and they become our friends.

"But there will always be those who seek to destroy what others have built.  Those who see the progress of others as a threat to themselves."  He lowered his eyes, spreading his arms dramatically.  "And thus we become paranoid, seeing danger in all around us.  Our leaders tell us that we must be safe, be secure...and so we turn to our friends, our creations, our robots...and they become our protectors.  We give them strength beyond any we can wield ourselves, and place them as wardens over our safety, to ensure that the dangers we know are out there cannot reach us.

"And they do so without hesitation.  They take up the mantle we have thrust upon them, facing unknowable threats to body and mind, in a struggle that tears them apart only to let them slowly be put back together.  Any human who went through what they do for us would fall apart after a few of such battles."  He gestured for Mega Man to step forward.  "But as our hero here has shown, these children of our mind bear the burden we have placed upon them and flourished!  They greet us with a smile, a salute, and a promise to fight on...for the everlasting peace we all desire."

He paused, letting the gathered throng applaud for Mega Man, letting him enjoy the praise and adulation he had rightly earned as humanity's protector.  He could see that Mega Man could feel the positive welcome so many people were giving him, and it was doing him good.  He even smiled and waved, even going so far as to salute, which brought even more cheers.

Mr. X then spoke up again.  "And that, my fellow citizens of Planet Earth, is why we are here today.  For Mega Man has fought so many battles...more than it is fair to ask of him.  It is time for him to pass the torch, to choose which amongst our creations has the drive, the ability, the spark of justice...to become Mega Man's apprentice, a fellow Defender of Humanity!"  Shocked gasps raced through the throng.  "That's right, scientists.  If your robot proves victorious this day, he - or she, I see those female Robot Masters, whether built by female scientists or male ones who should really grow up the rest of the way -"  He paused long enough for the laughter to die down.  "The child of your mind may be remembered alongside Mega Man, the Blue Bomber himself, as a Hero of Justice and Peace!"

The cheers that greeted this announcement shook the building.  As Mr. X had planned, this caused the banner behind him to unroll, and he raised his hands to it.  "I give welcome to you all, to the First Annual Robotics Tournament!"  He waited patiently for the applause...only to hear laughter instead.  "Huh?  What's so funny?"  He turned towards Mega Man, only to see him glancing up at the banner and shaking with suppressed laughter and shooting an accusing glare at X-P0N3, who whistled innocently.  Confused, he looked up.

The banner did indeed proclaim that this was the First Annual Robotics Tournament, but the first letter of each word was much larger than the rest, making it impossible to not see the acronym, which was the source of amusement for so many.

Mr. X stared, his jaw hanging.  "Wha...how did I miss that?" he groaned, being met with yet more laughter.  "Please tell me I'm not the only one who just saw that, America?" he begged, appealing to the citizenry of the host country.

At that moment, X-P0N3 began to play the Star Spangled Banner...on carefully tuned whoopee cushions of various sizes.

As the laughter grew and grew, Mr. X could only groan and bury his face in his hands.  "And that's what people are going to remember," he grumbled under his breath as he backed away from the microphone.  "Why did I bother?"

Mega Man rested his hand on Mr. X's back.  "It's not so bad," he comforted.  "I liked your speech."

Mr. X couldn't help but smile at that.  It seemed he'd hit more nails on the head than he'd thought.  "Thank you, Rock," he replied softly.
> Round 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mr. X floated over the arena as the crowd cheered.  By appearance, it was just a standard boxing ring, although with a great deal of tech surrounding it.  Raising his hands, Mr. X waved for silence before speaking up.  "And here we have our arena, specially crafted for this tournament.  A high powered energy field surrounds the ring, which will negate any energy based attacks passing through said barrier, allowing the Robot Masters to go nuts on each other without concern for civilian casualties!  Oh, and don't worry, it's been tested against the power output of all the Robot Masters present.  Even all of them together couldn't overload it."

Seeing the relief that brought everyone, he continued his explanation.  "All matches will be a single round.  The match ends when one of the robots surrenders, is decommissioned, is unable to move for a ten count, or passes through the energy field.  And before each match, my daughter X-P0N3 will interview each Robot Master to let you get a sense of them, and their creators."

X-P0N3 smiled and waved as she made her way around to the first Robot Master she was to interview, riding Item 2 to stay at head level.  "First up is the Frigid Fiend from the Far North...let's have a round of applause for Blizzard Man!"  As the applause rang, she moved up to the Robot Master.  He resembled a large snowball with metallic legs and arms.  Green energy cores ran up and down his torso, and his only accessories were skis, ski poles, and an orange beanie.  "What can you tell us about yourself, Blizzard Man?"

"I bring a new cold front to this battlefield!" Blizzard Man proclaimed, his voice thickly accented.  At X-P0N3's flat eyed stare, he shrugged.  "Forgive me.  I just wanted to break the ice."

X-P0N3 stared at him for a time, then moved on.  "And in this corner, the Dreaded Double Dragon...Welsh Standard!"  As the cheers rang, she approached the crimson armored bot, the scale patterned mail covering his entire body save green power crystals in the torso and each gauntlet.  "How do you think today's battle is going to go?"

"I cannot help but be victorious!" Welsh Standard proclaimed proudly.  "I am truly the mightiest robot here, and have at my disposal a strategy I personally have developed which has never failed!"

"Wow!" X-P0N3 gasped in amazement.  "How many battles have you been in?"

"W-what does that have to do with anything?" Welsh Standard countered.

X-P0N3 sighed.  "Just get in the ring," she grumbled, floating back up to Mr. X.

"Ready...fight!" Mr. X proclaimed.

Blizzard Man readied himself to fight, only to see his opponent standing there, tensed up.  "Talk about a cold reception-"

"BOOST!" Welsh Standard proclaimed, energy flaring off of him as he lunged forward.

Blizzard Man quickly dashed to the side to evade the lunge.  Welsh Standard's fist slammed into the floor of the ring, sending up a massive explosive force.  "Now that's cool," Blizzard Man muttered.

Welsh Standard once more took up the same pose.  Three seconds later, he shouted, "BOOST!" and lunged for Blizzard Man again.

This time, Blizzard Man faced the lunge, dodging individual strikes as he swayed back and forth, each strike coming faster and harder than expected.  One particularly fast strike sent him flying back into the edge of the ring, where the ropes stretched to catch his impact.  Taking advantage of that, Blizzard Man slingshot himself back at Welsh Standard.  "You need to chill!" he snapped as he body checked his opponent.

Welsh Standard staggered backwards, the energy around him dissipating.  He then began focusing energy again.

Blizzard Man's eyes narrowed, an idea coming to him.  "Let's see how a hothead like you handles things...when winter comes!"  Throwing his arms to either side, he froze the entire ring, covering it in ice.

"BOOST!" Welsh Standard roared, lunging forward again.  Blizzard Man slid to the side on his skis, but when Welsh Standard tried to stop or turn, his feet skid on the ice, unable to get a good grip before he plowed into the side of the ring.  His extra momentum sent him rocketing around the arena, unable to get any traction.

"Seems the wind blows cold for you now," Blizzard Man pointed out as he gathered his own power.  "Dragons are like dinosaurs.  Neither could handle...the ice age!"  Throwing his arms forward, he froze Welsh Standard as his gathered energy failed, and threw out a ramp of ice.  The frozen foe flew up the ramp, launching up and out of the ring to crash above the stands.

"Ring out!" Mr. X proclaimed as the audience cheered.  "Winner...Blizzard Man!"

Smiling, X-P0N3 flew over to Blizzard Man.  "Right at first, that seemed to be an even match, but you certainly claimed a dramatic victory.  To what do you attribute your amazing triumph?"

Blizzard Man chuckled softly.  "Welsh Standard needs to learn how to chill!"

X-P0N3 stared at him flat eyed.  "Please...just stop talking...the puns...they hurt..."

Mr. X quickly took over the announcing.  "Well, there you have it folks!  Blizzard Man is the first Robot Master to move ahead in this Tournament!  It seems for all his power, Welsh Standard just wasn't very adaptable.  Here's hoping future matches are more impressive.  But for now we'll take a brief intermission so everyone can grab snacks, or whatever else they need to do before the next match...because I promise you it's going to be an explosive battle!"
> Round 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	X-P0N3 once more took the mike as she floated around the ring on Item 2.  "We're about to start the second round, folks!" she called out happily.  "Now, who wants to meet the next competitors?"  The cheers she received in response were deafening.  "Alright!  First up, the Sultan of Saute, the Fuehrer of Fire, the Master of iMmolation...Flame Man!"

The audience cheered as X-P0N3 approached the competitor.  The Robot Master was bright red, yellow, and black, his body design reminiscent of an Arabian Djinn, complete with upward pointing boot tips, turban, and green gem embedded in his forehead.  His face was more a war mask than anything, with only the area around his blue eyes looking even remotely human.  His left arm was a flamethrower, connected to a fuel tank on his back by a hose.  "So, anything you have to say to the audience before we begin?"  Reaching out, she rested her hoof on his hand.

"Don't touch me!" he shrieked out, leaping backwards.  Turning his flamethrower arm on his own hand, he gave it a quick gout of flame.  "No germs, no people, keep distance, no touchy..."

As the audience either laughed or was silent, X-P0N3 floated away.  "Huh.  O...kay then."  She then made her way around to the other competitor, a Robot Master built to look almost fully human and female, big blonde hair that was actually a helmet, pearl white skin, and black armor plates that resembled a black leather jacket and pants.  Her feet ended in heels.  "Now who's this bombshell, hmm?"

The Robot Master struck a sensual pose.  "Name's Boom Woman," she purred, her voice designed to be alluring.  "And I'm going to give you all quite a show."  This statement received a vast number of wolf whistles from the audience, followed by a concerted slap of all the women striking their male companions' cheeks simultaneously.  Boom Woman merely chuckled.  "I intend to take this tournament, and a place at Mega Man's side, and let him teach me everything about being a...hero."  She looked up at where Mega Man was watching the match, licking her lips.

"Uhh...I need an adult," Mega Man whimpered, his voice audible to the whole arena due to the microphone right in front of him.

"Oh yes you do!" Boom Woman purred in response, striking another sensual pose.

X-P0N3 stared at Boom Woman flat-eyed.  "Your maker is either a very evil woman or a very naughty boy," she stated bluntly, "and I don't really care which."

"Actually, I was inspired by some of the Wub Masters, indirectly," Boom Woman purred.

X-P0N3 turned pale.  "I feel unclean," she muttered, making sure it wasn't picked up by the mic.  Turning Item 2 away from the arena, she zoomed away as the two competitors climbed into the ring, Boom Woman making a point of twisting her body like a pole dancer as she did so.

Mr. X pulled at his collar a bit nervously.  "Getting a little hot in here," he muttered, much to the amusement of the audience.  "Ready...FIGHT!"

Boom Woman immediately leapt into battle, hydraulic pistons in her legs letting her jump much higher and faster than seemed possible.  Coming down towards Flame Man, she spun to deliver a powerful ax kick, only for him to have raced out of the way already.

"No touch!  No touch!" Flame Man shouted out as he launched a wave of flame behind him to try and make her keep her distance.

Boom Woman chuckled as she danced back from the flames.  "Aw...shy?  Don't worry...I'll be gentle.  Get ready for a flash!"  Gripping the front of her chest armor plate, she pulled it open, revealing massive twin...cannons.  Two flash bombs fired out exploding in blinding light.

"AAAHHHH!!!" Flame Man screamed out, rubbing at his eyes.  "I can't see!  I can't see!  Make the dark go away!"  He promptly began spewing flame all around him, trying to make light to see by as he hadn't realized the darkness was his optics failing due to flash overload.

Chuckling, Boom Woman aimed her chest at the flames and smoke.  "Have a taste of my Boom Bombshells!" she proclaimed happily as she fired large bullet shaped projectiles into the flames.  She frowned in irritation when she saw the bullets slamming into the energy barrier rather than hitting her target.  Growling, she continued to fire, only to continue to miss.  "Well, you seem to be bouncing around...let's see how you handle a bigger boom!"  Walking up closer to the flames, she launched out two bombs with short fuses...already burning.  "Wait, what-"

A massive explosion rocked the arena.  When the smoke cleared, Flame Man stood in the center, a little scorched and waving around his flamethrower arm, even though no flame was coming out.  The rest of the arena was scorched black.

"...what just happened?" Mr. X asked, confused.

"I saw it," Mega Man explained, "but we'd best play it back on slow motion for everyone else."

Nodding in agreement, Mr. X played the instant replay.

"As you can see," Mega Man explained as the footage played, "Boom Woman stepped a bit too close to the flames when she fired off her fuse bombs.  They were already lit when they came out, and exploded much sooner than she anticipated...and because of the design of her weapons, she'd already generated the next set of bombs inside her.  As such, when the explosion hit her while the cannons were still exposed, the blast reached the bombs inside, causing them to detonate inside her, turning her whole body into a grenade.  Since Flame Man was still mobile, the blast only knocked him backwards.  ...now would somebody please restart his optics?"

"Winner...FLAME MAN!" X-P0N3 called out.

Flame Man froze.  "I...I won?"  His optics came back online once he stopped running around.  "Oh, I can see again!"

Mr. X groaned.  "Well, here's hoping future matches will be a bit less comedic folks!  Unless of course you're enjoying that!  Fill out the survey cards on the seat in front of you and let us know!"
> Round 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man sat back as he waited for the next round to begin.  "So...think the next round is actually going to be serious action?" he asked 'Mr. X' curiously.

Mr. X glanced at the roster.  "Well, one of the fighters is Plant Man.  While his Master Weapon - Plant Shield - is mildly interesting-"

"Another shield weapon?" Mega Man demanded.  "How is it interesting?"

"The maker claims she's figured out a way around the issues shield weapons have with energy overload from Area of Effect attacks, like Rain Flush," Mr. X explained.  "While that's pretty interesting...the really significant detail is that Plant Man is apparently programmed with several martial arts, and has adapted both his Plant Shield and his vines to those methods of combat."

Mega Man sat up, intrigued.  "Well then, is his opponent going to give him a serious challenge?"

"His opponent is...Trojan Man," Mr. X muttered.

"Based off one of the ancient warrior peoples?" Mega Man asked eagerly.  "This is going to be interesting!"

"Not...exactly..." Mr. X muttered as he looked at the specs.  "Apparently, this is...another one inspired somewhat by some of the Wub Masters..."

"Wha..."  Mega Man blinked, but then he got it.  He put his face in his hands.  "Oh dear god...how about I announce this one?"

"Too late.  'X-P0N3' already took Item 2 out."





X-P0N3 waved to the crowd as they all cheered.  "Well, here's hoping the next match is a bit more action packed, right?"  When that was greeted by roars of approval, she made her way to the first Robot Master.  His armor was blue and gray, and the yellow helmet covering his humanoid face was surrounded by orange and yellow flower petals.  Aside from the green crystal in his chest and the buster on his right arm, the only other distinctive characteristic was the thorny vines wrapping around his body and swaying in the air around him.  "Why don't you introduce yourself?" she asked, offering the microphone.

The Robot Master took the microphone.  "I am Plant Man," he stated, calmly but confidently.  "I am the protector of nature, and I will see to it that the life of the natural world remains strong...even if it must fight for that strength under my command!"

X-P0N3 chuckled as she clapped, taking the mic back.  "Well isn't that interesting?" she proclaimed happily.  "Wonder what your opponent is like?"  With that, she zoomed around to the other Robot Master, who appeared to be fully humanoid.  His coloration was yellow and white, and his exterior skin had a strange, non-metallic shine to it.  There was also a strange tip on the top of his helmet, resembling an under-inflated balloon.  "And you are?"

The Robot Master placed his hand over X-P0N3's hoof as he gripped the mic.  "Little lady, I am Trojan Man," he declared, his voice warm and soft.  "I am here to protect everyone from the dangers of the world, and to spread a warm, pleasant, all encompassing love to the world."  As several laughs greeted this, he shrugged his shoulders.  "And I can't help that my designer has a perverse sense of humor."  That got a full belly laugh from the entire audience.

X-P0N3 chuckled in amusement.  "So are you a lover bot or a fighter bot?" she asked teasingly.

"Allow me to demonstrate," he said with a bow.  "Let me show you how even my foes will fall to my love!"  With that, he leapt into the arena, quickly followed by Plant Man.

X-P0N3 grinned as she floated back.  "Well, since Daddy's not here yet...ready, fight!"

The two robots leapt into action, exchanging rapid punches and kicks as they began feeling out each others' fighting styles.  Plant Man seemed to be able to put more power to his blows and was more skilled, but Trojan Man was incredibly hard to hit, and the first couple of blows that did land bounced off.

The pair leapt back from each other after the brief exchange, neither having taken any appreciable damage.  "Just what are you made of?" Plant Man demanded.

"Latex alloy!" Trojan Man proclaimed proudly.  "For the ultimate safety-"

"Say it!" someone shouted from the sidelines.

Trojan Man groaned.  "Do I have to?" he pleaded.

"We're being sponsored!"

Shaking his head, Trojan Man sighed.  Flexing his arm, the armor around his hand bulked up like a cestus.  "And ribbed for your pleasure," he grunted, apparently as disgusted with the line as anyone.

Plant Man's eyes widened, and he backed up quickly, only to slip on a patch of latex on the ground.  "What the?"

"It seems you've slipped on one of my Ferret Socks!" Trojan Man proclaimed.  He leapt into the air, pulling out a latex sphere filled with a sticky white substance.  "And now...taste my Love Stain Bomb!"

Plant Man narrowly dodged the sphere as it exploded against the arena floor.  "Keep the hell away from me, freak!" he screamed out, lashing with his thorny vines while surrounding himself with Plant Shield.

Trojan Man grinned as he landed, pulling out another bomb.  "This fight is over!" he proclaimed, lunging forward and leaping into a pirouette, trying to time his spin to slip past the oscillations of the Plant Shield.

One of Plant Man's vines lashed across Trojan Man's torso, the sharp thorns tugging on his exterior.  With a loud rip, he split down the middle, the sticky whiteness of his 'Love Stain Bombs' spattering all over the place from inside as his head landed.  "...well, this is awkward," he muttered.

"Get it off, get it off, get it off..." Plant Man shuddered, leaping out of the arena...only to freeze as several of the female Robot Masters waiting to fight rushed up to start licking him clean.

"Uhh...Plant Man wins and I'm pretty sure I'm too young to see this!" X-P0N3 proclaimed, zipping away as the audience burst into a mixture of cheers and laughter.
> Round 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mr. X once more took the announcer seat above the arena, ready to announce the next round.  "Well, this should be a bit more like what we all thought we'd be getting when we came here!" he called out.  "Our next two competitors seem to be quite serious battlers.  X-P0N3, do be a dear and let them introduce themselves!"

"Yes, Daddy!" X-P0N3 replied, flying over to the first Robot Master.  This one had a mostly dark blue body, with yellow and green patterns at various points that X-P0N3 assumed had some sort of cultural significance but chose not to comment on in her ignorance even in her thoughts.  He also wore what looked like a grass and leaf skirt cut short and a feathered headdress.  His left arm ended with a buster with a tomahawk sticking out.  "And you are?"

"I am Tomahawk Man," the Robot Master replied calmly, his voice neither warm nor unfriendly.

X-P0N3 blinked in surprise at the bluntness.  "Do you...have anything you'd like to say about yourself?"

"Not really," Tomahawk Man answered.

"O...kay then," X-P0N3 continued after a bit, moving over to speak to the other Robot Master.  This one was humanoid but with six arms instead of two, and was entirely black except for eight red eyes on its face and a red hourglass mark on its torso.  "And you are?"

"We are Web Man," the Robot Master hissed, its mouth opening to reveal razor sharp teeth and a long, red tongue, frightening in its fleshy components.  "We are here to prove our superiority to mere machines, and will do so without hesitation or difficulty.  Those who cross us will be dealt with...permanently."  Its eyes gleamed in eagerness.

X-P0N3 immediately threw Item 2 into reverse.  "Start the match already, Dad!" she called out, more than a little freaked out by what had just happened.

"Ready..." Mr. X called out as the competitors climbed into the ring.  "FIGHT!"

Web Man immediately began racing about, firing web nets from his uppermost arms towards Tomahawk man from all directions.  Tomahawk Man, for his part, calmly pulled the tomahawk from his buster - which was immediately replaced by another - and used it to cut through the webs as they approached, splitting them to pass harmlessly by him and collecting some of the adhesive foam on the blades.  He kept the other one ready for other attacks.

Smirking, Web Man used his other two arms to fire small, ordinary plasma pellets at Tomahawk Man in a rapid fire motion.  He didn't even seem dismayed when the pellets were easily deflected by the ax in the buster.  "Something the matter?" Web Man taunted.  "Progress too much for you?"

Tomahawk Man clenched his teeth, continuing to split the webs and deflect the shots, saying nothing.

"You cannot match us!" Web Man taunted.  "We cannot be stopped!  You are nothing to us!  Just another morsel on which to feed!  We have you trapped on the offensive, and your axes fly too slow.  You cannot hope to hit us!"

A growl built up in Tomahawk Man's throat, and a few of the ordinary shots passed through his defenses, though they weren't enough on their own to do much damage.

"You shall fall!" Web Man hissed.  "Just like those on whom your design is based did-"

With a roar of frustration, Tomahawk Man hurled the ax he'd been wielding to chop the webs.  It flew towards Web Man, spinning.

Web Man laughed.  "You cannot hope to hit us like that-"  He paused as the ax split into six mid-flight.  "What-"

As the axes passed around Web Man, the adhesive foam that had built up stretched between them, catching Web Man and pinning him on his back to the floor of the arena as the axes embedded their blades.

Tomahawk Man calmly stepped forward, grinding his teeth.  "I don't have to destroy you," he stated calmly as X-P0N3 flew up.  "These matches have time counts, too."

"What?" Web Man roared.  "NO!"  He struggled mightily, his black body seeming to surge like liquid...but that could have been a trick of the light as X-P0N3 began her count.

"1...2...3..."  With each number, she brought one hoof down towards Web Man.

"You will pay for this!" Web Man screamed out in a frenzy.

"I doubt that," Tomahawk Man replied as he calmed his temper.

"...8...9...10!" X-P0N3 finished her count.  "Winner...Tomahawk Man!"

Smirking, Tomahawk Man turned his back on his opponent and left the arena.  As Mr. X began his usual post match speech, no one noticed that Web Man had stopped moving...and that there was only a metal robotic endoskeleton under the net.  Silver, with two arms and two green eyes...





Tomahawk Man calmly made his way to where his maker awaited him, seeking a bit of cleaning, maintenance, and the usual tune up.  As he went, however, he paused.  He could feel something watching him, something that his sensors couldn't completely identify.  Turning, he brandished his tomahawk.  "Who goes there?" he demanded.

"We told you we would make you pay..." a voice hissed.  A black ooze slid out over the ceiling, extinguishing the lights.  "Mistress ordered us to investigate this world, rumors of things that might come to pass troublesome..."  The living shadow spread itself.  "The ponies...they should not be...so I come, get close to pony, take robot host...but defeat is but a stumbling block..."

"What are you babbling about?" Tomahawk Man demanded calmly, switching to other vision methods, searching for the assailant.

The shadows chuckled.  "You could not finish us off in the ring...what makes you think it will be different here?  All we need is a new vessel..."

Seeing no other way to find the threat, Tomahawk Man shut off his sensors, sinking into himself.

"...you will do nicely!"  With a bestial roar, the living shadow lunged for its prey.

"MEGA TOMAHAWK!"

The energy charged blade slashed through the air, and the living shadow shrieked as it was dispersed by the blade of light.

As the danger was no more, Tomahawk Man reactivated his sensors.  "Do not mistake mercy for weakness," he murmured.  "That is a mistake that, for many, proves...fatal."  With that he turned away, filing what had happened away as 'something his designer would classify as neuro-computer malfunction and thus not to be mentioned'.
> Round 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As the next Round was being set up, X-P0N3 zipped around on Item 2.  "Well, we've had quite the interesting set of matches haven't we?  From the comedic to the cringe-worthy to the action packed..."  She chuckled into the microphone.  "Let's see what sort of battle we'll have here?"  As the crowd cheered, X-P0N3 made her way to the first contender, a purple Robot Master whose design seemed patterned after the samurai, complete with the war helm that covered - and on closer inspection, was - his face.  He was armed only with a long spear.  "Tell us a little about yourself!"

"I'm Yamato Man," the Robot Master replied.  "Anything else you need to know about me you'll see in the ring."

"Whoa!" X-P0N3 replied, shooting back.  "Someone's eager for the fight, and it's not just the audience!"  With that, she zoomed over to the other Robot Master.  This one was as different from the others as could be.  Instead of a fully humanoid body, only the upper body was human in shape.  From the waist down, this robot was a tank...literally.  The torso was heavily armored, with a large energy cannon in the center.  Each arm was equipped with heavy machine guns, and the robots head was completely covered with a helmet with a gas mask for a face plate.  "Looks like a real heavy contender here!" X-P0N3 announced with a wide grin.  "And who might you be?"

"Merkava," the robot replied, the voice heavily distorted by the gas mask.

"Huh...and what's your story?" X-P0N3 inquired.

"You'll find that out when I win the tournament," the robot growled back.

"Fiesty!" X-P0N3 proclaimed happily.  "Looks like this is going to be an interesting match!"

A jet turbine on the bottom of Merkava's tank body lifted the robot over the edge of the ring to land in the combat area.  Yamato Man back flipped over the barrier and into the ring.

X-P0N3 took up her position over the ring.  "Ready...FIGHT!"

Merkava immediately opened fire with the heavy machine guns, tracking Yamato Man as he dodged around, using the shaft of his spear to deflect the bullets that came near him by rapidly spinning it.  "Quite the heavy hitter, aren't you?" Yamato Man called out.  "Maybe you should go on a diet!"

Merkava ignored the jibe, firing missiles from alongside the heavy machine guns.

Yamato Man used his spear to split the missiles before they could hit him.  "What's wrong?  U mad bro?"

Merkava calmly switched back to the heavy machine gun on one arm, backing it up with missiles from the other, slowly moving around the arena for better angles.

"You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!" Yamato Man shouted out as he dashed from side to side to avoid the volley, rushing up to Merkava's side.  "Or the barn side of a broad for that matter!  Nudge nudge, wink w-"

Merkava calmly smacked him aside with one arm before launching several missiles after him.

Yamato Man barely managed to dodge the missiles before leaping to the edge of the arena.  "Is that the best you got?" he shouted out.  "You hit like a fembot!"

Without warning, Merkava fired off the torso-mounted heavy plasma cannon straight at Yamato Man, which he barely dodged.  "Shut up!" Merkava roared.

Yamato Man slowly looked up at his opponent.  "Oh, I see...you are a fembot!  Kinda hard to tell.  I seriously thought you were a dude-"

Roaring in fury, Merkava charged, slamming into the edge of the arena and nearly running Yamato Man over with her tank treads.

Yamato Man scampered back, the point of his spear missing as he twirled the haft carefully.  "Geeze, what's got you so upset?  That time of the month?"

Merkava spun about, rotating her torso on the tank treads before charging after Yamato Man, intent on slamming him into the ground, only for him to dodge to the side.

"You know, I don't think you're cut out for this!" Yamato Man called out, dancing around in circles and forcing Merkava to spin on her waist to track him.  "Why don't you try flashing your tits?  Probably more effective than that tit buster of yours!"

"Shut up shut up shut up shut up!" Merkava snarled, the heavy plasma cannon firing again, once more missing and now smoking and sparking.

"Maybe you should get back in the kitchen!" Yamato Man offered, dashing up to Merkava's side.  "And make me a sandwich!"

"I'll kill you!" Merkava roared, lifting her arms up to smash him to bits.

Yamato Man spun, using his spear shaft to slam the spear point he'd left embedded in Merkava's waist deep into the pivot joint, the force of the blow and the damage it had already done as she'd spun on it causing her torso to pop free of her tank treads.  Catching the spear blade back on the haft, he lunged in as she flew through the air, severing the latches that held her armor on by slipping it between the armor plates and her actual body.

Merkava landed on her back, her armor fallen away along with her helmet and gas mask.  A rather cute red headed, green eyed, freckled face snarled up at Yamato Man as she brought her heavy machine guns up.

Yamato Man lunged in, his foot on her torso.  His spear spun, knocking the guns out of alignment before the blade came to rest at her neck.  "You're beaten," Yamato Man stated calmly, the joking and teasing tone from earlier gone from his voice.  "Wait for the ten count, and I won't kill you."

Merkava glared hatefully up at him...then lowered her arms.





Merkava sat on the lab table as her repairs were being done.  She still was very upset about losing so easily, especially when she so plainly outpowered Yamato Man.  The spear was his only weapon!  Even so, despite her capacity to, she refused to let herself cry.  She wanted to prove that fembots like herself could be just as much of combatants as their male counterparts...and she'd failed miserably.

"If only I'd kept my cool..." she grumbled to herself.

"You would have beaten me," Yamato Man stated calmly, stepping into the room.

Merkava glowered at him, crossing her arms defiantly, wishing she still had the heavy machine guns equipped so she could blast his head off.  "Come to gloat?" she demanded angrily.

"No," Yamato Man replied.  "I've come to apologize for what I said in the arena.  It was not meant."  He gestured to a nearby chair.  "May I sit?" he asked politely.

Merkava 'tsk'ed angrily to herself.  "I can't exactly stop you."

Sighing, Yamato Man took the seat.  "Merkava...you were plainly designed to be a high power, high defense robot.  A literal tank in combat.  By specs alone, we both know I should never have been able to beat you.  Had I kept my mouth shut during the fight, you would have eventually worn me down, and bested me."

Merkava frowned angrily.  "Come to rub it in?"

"No, to explain myself," Yamato Man countered.  "My only weapon is my spear.  The blade and shaft can be separated, but they're designed to return to each other.  But my combat style is not based around my spear.  It's based around finding the weaknesses in my opponent's defenses and exploiting them."

"Yeah," Merkava grumbled.  "That blade did a number on my waist.  The pivot grooves need to be completely re-filed-"

"Not all weaknesses are physical," Yamato Man interrupted.  "That is the reason for my taunts.  To find my opponent's mental weaknesses.  The chinks in their discipline.  My words are my weapons there...because we are more than soulless machines, if not much."

Merkava grumbled a bit to herself, then looked back up at him.  "You expecting forgiveness?" she grumbled.

"No," Yamato Man countered.  "I expect you to take my words to heart, and make a much better showing of yourself in the Second Tournament."

Merkava glanced up at him in surprise, then looked away.  "...you'd better become champ," she stated finally.  "And not lose to anyone till I take that title from you!"

Yamato Man's eyes smiled.  "It's a promise," he offered happily, extending his clenched fist.

Managing to smirk, Merkava returned the fist bump.
> Round 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mr. X once more took over his duties as FART announcer, floating over the arena.  "Sounds like we've had a couple of intense matches these last couple of rounds!" he called out happily.  "I'm sure all of you enjoyed that.  Here's hoping this next round is as exciting, especially since it seems we're getting mythical!"  As cheers roared out, Mr. X lowered down to the first combatant.  "First up is...Centaur Man!"

Centaur Man was, as his name proclaimed, a centaur.  His body armor was mostly green, with yellow, red, and blue highlights.  A brown horsetail hung from his equine hindquarters, and three large horns rose from his helmet.  He let out a snort as Mr. X approached.  "Happy ta be here!" he proclaimed happily, his voice somewhat slurred as he waved to the crowd with his right hand, the buster on his left arm shining.

"What can you tell us about yourself, Centaur Man?" Mr. X asked.

"There's really not much ta say, Wilbur," Centaur Man replied, blowing a raspberry between his lips as several of the older members of the audience laughed.  "A horse...is a horse."

Mr. X groaned as he facepalmed.  "Of course...of course..."

"Say hi ta Carol for me!" Centaur Man asked, gesturing to his opponent at the other end of the ring.

"...I'll do that," Mr. X replied, quickly moving to the other end of the ring.  "And over here we have a steel angel of an opponent..."  He examined the paperwork.  "Experimental Space Compressor And Physics Enhancer...ESCAPE?"

"That's me!" the robot proclaimed happily in the high pitched voice of a little girl.  Her body was very angular, plainly designed for speed and flight, with sharply pointed shoulder pauldrons and points at the end of her legs instead of feet.  Two metallic angelic wings stuck straight out of her back, and a sword was attached to her right wrist.  Her body was mostly blue, with an optic visor rather than an actual face.  Despite being humanoid, she was most plainly robotic.  Her joints and hands were gold, and her belly was bronze.  She was plainly designed as a combat model first and foremost.

"So what do you hope to accomplish here in the tournament?" Mr. X asked.

"I'm gonna make my Daddy proud!" ESCAPE proclaimed proudly, retracting the wrist blade to pose with her legs spread and hands on her hips, thrusting out her chest, every inch a determined child.

Mr. X paused to wipe a tear from his eye.  The way she acted reminded him of X-P0N3.  "Alright then!" he proclaimed, raising his chair up to over the arena once more.  "Combatants...prepare yourselves!"

Centaur Man climbed into the arena.  ESCAPE flew over the boundary to hover in the air above the floor of the ring.

"Ready...FIGHT!"

Centaur Man lifted his buster to begin shooting, only for ESCAPE to vanish.  Hearing a sudden surge to his side, he spun, only for ESCAPE to strike with her wrist blade as she reappeared, slicing his buster arm clean off.  He gritted his teeth as he clutched the sparking stump, spinning to try and kick out, only for ESCAPE to warp away again.  When she reappeared, she began opening fire with wrist guns.  They weren't very powerful, but she'd already disabled his only ranged weapon, so she could take her time wearing him down.

Quickly realizing that this would eventually lead to him being taken out, Centaur Man decided to close the distance with a charge, aiming for an intercept course.  Before he could get there, however, ESCAPE once more vanished, surging back into uncompressed space at the other side of the ring.  Centaur Man spun to face her, now focusing on evading her assault while planning his next attack.

ESCAPE continued to circle, focusing on sniping.  While this was taking a long time, she preferred to play it safe with one quick, debilitating strike before the opponent knew what she could do, then holding back at a safe distance and taking her time.  She'd yet to lose a match this way, and she could always deliver a more solid strike later if the opportunity presented itself.

Clenching his teeth, Centaur Man tried for one more charge.  When ESCAPE started to compress space again, Centaur Man activated his Centaur Flash.  Unlike previous 'Time Stop' weapons, this one worked by creating a bright flash which put robotic brains into temporary sleep mode, freezing them in their actions but letting normal time and momentum still flow.  As such, ESCAPE was locked up as she reappeared, her back to Centaur Man.  Charging her, he delivered a double hind-hoof buck to the small of her back, sending her rocketing into the elastic boundary of the ring.

As she started to regain her senses, Centaur Man unleashed another Centaur Flash, sending her flying back towards him on recoil from the ring boundary in a locked position.  Rearing up, he delivered the double hind-hoof buck again.  He repeated this pattern three more times, keeping her paralyzed and pressing his advantage.  As the last kick hit, however, ESCAPE broke along her narrow waist, her torso passing over Centaur Man and her legs passing under him.

The entire audience winced at the devastating blow...but ESCAPE floated up, her broken waist sparking as she pushed her systems.  "I'm...not beaten...yet!" she insisted, drawing her wrist blade.

A towel fluttered down into the ring.

"And it seems ESCAPE's designer has thrown in the towel!" Mr. X proclaimed, stunned.  "From what he's sent me, he apparently doesn't consider trying for victory worth ESCAPE becoming further broken!"

"But Daddy!" ESCAPE whined, despite her voice erroring from the damage she'd taken.

"While they may be dropping from the competition, let's give this pair a round of applause for a full understanding of what this Tournament is supposed to promote...the bond between humans and robots."  Mr. X led the audience in applauding as ESCAPE and her designer left the ring, carrying her legs along with.  "And let's give a big hand to our winner, Centaur Man!"
> Round 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	X-P0N3 waved her hooves in the air to build up the crowd's cheering.  "Well, we've had an amazing tournament so far, and I just know you're all looking forward to what's going to happen next!" she shouted into the microphone, even then struggling to be heard over the roars of the audience.  "Now, let's meet our competitors for the next round, shall we?"  As the audience cheered, she made her way to the first Robot Master.

This robot was clad entirely in blue and white medieval armor, with a large shield on one hand and a spiked ball and chain extending from the buster on the other arm.  X-P0N3 grinned as she approached him.  "Care to introduce yourself?" she asked, holding the mic out to him.

"Verily!" he proclaimed proudly.  "I am Knight Man, fair lady, and I shall prove my valor in yonder arena, and achieve greatness in my name, the name of my maker, and thee!"

X-P0N3's eyes went somewhat flat as the crowd laughed.  "Another one, huh?" she muttered, remembering Magnet Man.  "Just don't go all Black Knight on us."

"But of course!" Knight Man promised.  "As thou canst plainly see, I'm blue!"

"Da boo dee, da boo dye," X-P0N3 offered jokingly

Knight Man stared at her as the crowd laughed.  "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"Yup!" X-P0N3 proclaimed happily as she made her way to the other combatant.  This one was also humanoid, colored black and chrome with silver highlights.  He had a black pack strapped to his back, an incomplete ring of optics around his head, and his hands, elbows, shins, and feet showed signs of additional reinforcement as he hopped from foot to foot.  "And you are?"

"Jinks Man!" the robot replied.  "But you can call me Twitch-it's good to be here to-how are you feel-when do we start?"  He continuously interrupted himself mid-sentence, his pack sparking as he constantly shifted into different fighting stances.  "You're shiny!"

X-P0N3 stared at him, unsure how to respond.  "Well, Twitchy-"

"Just Twitch-but Twitchy's okay-no it's not!"

"Well, somebody's overclocked their CPU," X-P0N3 muttered nervously.

"But I don't smell burning-do you mean me-I'm not fast, I'm just programmed that way!"

X-P0N3 chuckled nervously.  "How about we start the match before we have a forfeit due to Twitch's head exploding from standing still too long?" she called out to the audience, getting both cheers and laughs.  She shifted on Item 2 to above the arena, watching as the two contenders entered.  "Ready...FIGHT!"

Knight Man immediately braced himself for combat as Twitch rushed forward, closing for melee distance.  As he got close enough, Knight Man lifted his ball and chain, ready to swing.

"Temporal Veil!" Twitch shouted.  The air around the two Robot Masters rippled.

Knight Man's flail hit the ground, as everything around him moved too fast to react to.  Twitch seemed to blur around him, punching and kicking from front and sides, unleashing his full barrage.

The bubble broke, and Twitch leapt back as time returned to normal.

"So...thou possesses some mastery of time," Knight Man murmured.  "A distinct advantage in melee combat.  And yet you show honor in its use, that you did not strike my back."

"That's cliche!" Twitch shouted out, hopping from stance to stance.  "Not to mention rude-are you alright?  I hit you quite a few-you're shiny!"

Knight Man blinked, unsure how to respond.  "Uh..."

"No damage?  But I thought-should I hit harder or-throw time!"

As Twitch closed in for more melee combat, this time with Knight Man swinging his flail defensively, X-P0N3 continued her announcing.  "Well, it looks like we've got the irresistible force against the immovable object!  Twitch's time manipulation and processing power means he can avoid everything Knight Man can aim at him, but Knight Man's armor is durable enough that Twitch can't do any damage to him!  It looks like we're going to have a long match here, folks!"

Knight Man frowned as Twitch prepared for another assault.  "It seems the lady is right.  We shall be here into perpetuity at this rate..."

"I see your aim-I'll dodge forever-you can't fool me!"

Knight Man's eyes narrowed as he thought about Twitch's words.  "Hmm...perhaps you have a point."  He closed his eyes.  "Come at me."

Knight Man listened to the foot falls, waiting for his moment.

"Temporal Veil!"

At that shout, Knight Man began jerking his entire body randomly, lashing out with shield, feet, and flail, ensuring there was no readily discernible pattern in his movements, not even trying to hit anything.

"Yip-Yow-Wowza!"

As Knight Man opened his eyes, he discovered Twitch across the arena from him, one of the robot's optics gouged out.

"It's amazing, folks!" X-P0N3 proclaimed as cheers rung out.  "Somehow, Knight Man's managed to damage Twitch!  What an upset!"

Twitch stared at Knight Man for a time...and all but two optics shut off.  "I forfeit," he said calmly as he stood neutrally.

"What?" Knight Man asked, confused.

"I can't damage you," Twitch explained calmly.  "My strikes can't penetrate your armor, and you are too heavy for me to lift and throw.  At best, I can focus on a single point on your armor and try to repeatedly punch my way through to damage your inner circuitry before your auto-repair functions can fix you, but only your joints provide that level of vulnerability, and I can't aim at them accurately when you lash out as you were.  And as clearly demonstrated, even a single strike from you will cause immense damage to me.  I have not yet analyzed you enough to accurately predict your attempts at random...meaning the odds are heavily in favor of me taking a finishing blow before I'm able to do anything to you...especially as each blow from you drastically reduces my functionality.

"I...see," Knight Man responded.  "You seem...different."

"Once I realized I had no way to win, I shut off all but one of my processing units to explain myself," Twitch replied.  "It was a good fight."

"Indeed it was," Knight Man confirmed.  "I had not before considered the advantages in a deliberately unaimed strike before."

Nodding to each other, the two Robot Masters met in the middle of the arena and shook hands.

X-P0N3 played to the cheering audience.  "Let's give these two noble warriors a big hand!  The winner by noble surrender is...KNIGHT MAN!"
> Round 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	X-P0N3 waved to the crowd as they cheered.  "Well, that last round was a little short, but pretty cool in its own right!  Here's hoping this next match is longer!"  Riding Item 2 down, she approached the first combatant, a hefty orange and green robot with numerous other colors as highlights.  He had a heavy duty fan built into each shoulder and one as a buster on his left arm.  His helmet structure was somewhat reminiscent of a knight's, but with a topknot.  Only his blue eyes were visible beneath.  "What can you tell us about yourself?"

"I am Wind Man," the robot replied easily.  "My weapons design is, admittedly, mostly defensive, designed to keep enemies and their projectiles away, as well as blow their projectiles back into them.  The energy focused into my turbines can even partially redirect plasma blasts."

"That's impressive!" X-P0N3 praised.  "But what else can you do?"

"Should combat close to melee range, I am heavily armored and have high physical strength, as well as being very difficult to move," Wind Man continued.  "While I am not that fast, I feel my capabilities more than make up for it."

"Don't you think it's a little overconfident to announce your capabilities to this extent before the match?" X-P0N3 inquired.

"It makes the match more interesting," Wind Man replied confidently.

"A noble if foolish sentiment!" the other robot shouted from his side of the arena, deliberately pitching his voice so everyone could hear him.  This one closely resembled a humanoid skunk, colored black and dark brown and covered with thick fur, with two white stripes running from the top of his head all the way down to the tip of his tail.  "However, I need no such advantage in combat, so I shall oblige!  I am Skunk Man, future King of Robot Kind!  My invincible arsenal of Breeze Grenades loft lightly in the air before bursting upon my foes, a chemical cloud of stench that no body - man or machine - can handle it without experiencing a total collapse!"  He proceeded to laugh confidently.  "My lightweight and speedy build will run circles around your hefty frame, and my power will crush you!"

X-P0N3 stared at him for a time.  "So...you're light weight, and your full arsenal is lightweight explosives?"

"This fight will be over in the blink of an eye!" Skunk Man proclaimed as he cackled.

X-P0N3 rolled her eyes and glanced apologetically at the audience.  "So much for a long fight, huh?" she told the audience before turning back to Wind Man.  "Take your time with the next guy, alright?"

"Certainly!" Wind Man agreed as the audience burst into laughter and Skunk Man leapt into a mad jig of fury.

"You shall pay for your disparagement of me, tiny pony!"

Wind Man clambered into the arena as Skunk Man flipped through the air to land lightly on his feet.  X-P0N3 raised her hoof.  "Ready...FIGHT!"

Skunk Man immediately began running circles around Wind Man, showing off his speed.  "You couldn't hit me if you tried!" Skunk Man proclaimed eagerly.

"I don't have to," Wind Man stated blandly as he activated his shoulder fans, not bothering to turn and aiming them down towards the ground.  The intense blasts of air blew Skunk Man right off his feet to slam into the ring boundary.

"So you can think!" Skunk Man proclaimed as he climbed back to his feet.  "But it will do you no good!"  He hurled a sloshing balloon.  "Taste my Breeze Grenade!"

Wind Man tilted himself upward and once more put his shoulder fans on full blast.  The wind blew the 'grenade' off course, slamming into the boundary surrounding the arena where it burst, the chemical cloud filtering easily through the shield as a cloud of ungodly stench that floated towards the rapidly fleeing and screaming audience.

X-P0N3 rubbed her chin.  "Huh.  Forgot to code the shields for chemicals..."

"Ha ha ha!" Skunk Man proclaimed proudly.  "My weapons trump even the vaunted technology of this arena!  None dare to oppose me-"

"Skunk Man has been disqualified for attacking the audience," Mr. X proclaimed bluntly from his box.

"WHAT?" Skunk Man shouted, enraged.  "This is impossible!  Where in the rules-"

"The First Law of Robotics," Mr. X stated bluntly.

"I will not stand for this!" Skunk Man screamed.

"Then sit down," Wind Man instructed, lifting his buster and triggering it in reverse.  The powerful suction pulled in the entire chemical cloud before it could reach anyone in the crowd.  Cheers greeted this as he shut the fan off.

"How'd you do that?" X-P0N3 asked eagerly.

"My non-combat function is to purge pollutants and other contaminants from the air," Wind Man explained.  "My homeland has great need of such services."

X-P0N3 smiled as she pulled out her tablet.  Ensure Wind Man survives the world takeover attempt, she wrote down.  He will be most useful in Sky Lagoon should he choose to emigrate.

"NO!" Skunk Man roared out, charging towards X-P0N3.  "I will not have my victory stolen from me!"

A quick blast of wind from Wind Man's shoulder turbines tripped Skunk Man up, sending him sliding forward to stop at Wind Man's feet.  "You need to cool off," Wind Man stated, reaching forward.  "So I'm going to show you why most Robot Masters aren't designed with tails."  He grabbed hold of Skunk Man's tail.

"Unhand me, you peasant!" Skunk Man screamed.  "I am a God amongst robots, and I will not be manhandled by a-"

Wind Man proceeded to smash Skunk Man into the floor on either side of him repeatedly until he stopped making noise, making sure the final impact left him on his back.  Seeing the starry-eyes X-P0N3 was directing his way, Wind Man rolled his eyes as he jammed his buster into Skunk Man's mouth. I have to say it...

"Puny god."

With that said, he put his buster back into normal function, spraying the collected chemicals straight into Skunk Man's systems, shorting out his entire body.

X-P0N3 clapped eagerly at the show before raising her hoof.  "Winner...WIND MAN!"
> Finals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	X-P0N3 raised her hooves triumphantly as the audience cheered.  "Well, folks, it's been an amazing Tournament so far!  We've had fights that were serious, fights that were silly, and fights that were somewhere in between.  But whatever the match, this Tournament has truly shown off the ingenuity, creativity, and dedication of the world's roboticists, and the strength of body, mind, and heart of their creations!  Let's hear it for our eight semi-finalists!"

As the Robot Masters stepped up, X-P0N3 began recapping their most prominent victories.  "Our frigid fiend Blizzard Man easily proved too much for his opponents, his cold reception sending many - including his first foe, Welsh Standard - packing for warmer climes!"  Blizzard Man grinned as he waved to the crowd, thrusting his ski pole into the air.  He happily accepted the ribbon that Mr. X affixed to his chest to show he'd made it to the semi-finals.

"Our own personal firebrand, Flame Man, proved too hot to handle for the hottie Boom Woman," X-P0N3 continued, "and his flames truly burned up the rink!"  As Flame Man carefully sterilized his ribbon before affixing it to his chest himself, X-P0N3 held one hoof to her mouth and stage whispered into the mic, "Literally.  We needed to replace it five times."

As the audience laughed, X-P0N3 moved over to Plant Man, who was clarifying that the manufacture of his ribbon had in no way damage nature.  "And Plant Man showed what he was capable of both on and off the battle floor.  I gotta say, I had no idea just how many female Robot Masters had been built."  She paused, covering her mouth with one hoof.  "Or how, uh, anatomically correct their designers had made them.  Why would they do that, anyway?"

"Don't remind me!" Plant Man wailed as the audience burst into laughter.

Moving on, X-P0N3 smiled widely at the next Robot Master as he received his ribbon.  "And Tomahawk Man dealt swiftly and decisively with each of his opponents, none more than Web Man, the...rather unusual submission whose builder we're...having trouble tracking down."  She shrugged as Tomahawk Man waved to the cheering crowd.  "Well, nothing to worry about, right?  It's not like that's going to be of significance anytime soon.

"Besides, that's nothing compared to our next finalist!" X-P0N3 continued, moving Item 2 to hover over Yamato Man as he lowered his head for his ribbon.  "His skills in combat are second only to his skills with his words, playing his opponents' fears and insecurities against them until they fall.  And yet, after each fight, he ensures his opponents haven't suffered unduly from his barbs, both verbal and spear."  She raised a hoof.  "And for all those who liked his first opponent, I have received reports that Merkava not only doesn't hold her defeat against him, but promises to meet him again in the next tournament, and Yamato Man has sworn not to lose to anyone until they fight again!  Looks like we've got a classic rivalry here, folks!"  The cheers for this were deafening.  Vinyl then smirked as she tweaked the mic, ensuring only the audience would hear her next statement.  "But I don't care, I ship it!"

As laughter echoed, she tweaked the mic back to normal before moving to the next contender.  "And while Centaur Man did a really good showing for himself, it was his first match that really sticks in our minds, with ESCAPE's maker calling the match rather than watch her destroy herself to try for victory.  For those worried, ESCAPE is doing just fine, and is eager to try again next year with new weapons."  This brought cheers from the crowd as Centaur Man took his ribbon.

"And our Medieval Marvel Knight Man proved that valor is the better part of victory," X-P0N3 continued as Knight Man's ribbon was attached to his armor.  "His sturdy build and courageous dedication earned him victory after victory, and some of his opponents - like Twitch, his first - decided that, for them, discretion was the better part of valor.

"And last, but certainly not least, we have Wind Man!"  The audience cheered wildly for this last bot.  "A favorite amongst our audience for his quick thinking in saving them from the chemical leak caused by Skunk Man, who - in case anyone was curious about the exact details - was disqualified for deliberately endangering humans in violation of the First Law of Robotics and for improperly filling out his entry form, failing to properly inform us of the true nature of his weapons."  As Wind Man accepted his ribbon, X-P0N3 raised her mic.  "And much like that first opponent, Wind Man really blew the competition away!"

As the cheers rocked the arena from the audience with various parts calling out for their favorites, X-P0N3 lifted her hooves to try and get quiet.  "And now we have a special event!  As promised, the eight finalists will face a special event before moving on to determine which is the mightiest new robot!  And now, the moment you've all waited for...the revelation of the exact nature of that special event!"  She paused as silence fell.  "These eight finalists...will each get to face off in combat against none other than Mega Man himself!"

The audience screamed in excitement, and chants of "ME-GA MAN!" echoed over the stage.  Mega Man waved to the crowd with a smile, glancing towards X-P0N3, knowing what was coming.

"And just to make things interesting..." X-P0N3 continued, pulling out a small globe.  The audience once more fell silent as she opened the globe, manipulating the device therein.  Each of the eight finalists' eyes glowed red.  "I'll be using devices in each of the finalists victory ribbons to control them so they'll help me try to take over the world!"  She let out her best wicked cackle, which still managed to sound adorable.  "And for anyone who's surprised, I'll be auctioning off the Golden Gate Bridge in Warehouse 2 at 6:30 tonight.  Bidding starts at one dollar!"

With that, X-P0N3 teleported herself, Mr. X, and the eight Robot Masters away.

Out of curiosity, Mega Man hung around to see just how many people wound up in Warehouse 2 by 6:30.  He could only groan, burying his face in his hands when he saw how full it was.  He found much more humor in the situation when distinctive music began playing at exactly 6:30.


> Hot Pursuit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man didn't hesitate - much - before leaping into battle, actively pursuing the eight Robot Masters that Vinyl - he wasn't going to keep referring to her as X-P0N3 in his head now that it was a takeover attempt, since it always screwed with his internal spell check - had taken control of.  Thankfully, he knew he didn't actually have to defeat any of them, just inflict enough damage that he could duck in and tear off the ribbon being used to control them.  Obviously, Vinyl wanted him to manage it, since she'd emailed him a map of where the Robot Masters were attacking, and even a list of who she expected to be weak against whose weapon.  He decided to ignore weaknesses, however, on the off chance that Vinyl had put Freak Chips in the ribbons along with the control chips.

Since Flame Man had taken over an Oil Field, Mega Man decided to go after him first.  After all, he was trying to rescue these robots, and letting Flame Man accidentally blow himself up wasn't on that checklist.  The Oil Field was surprisingly clean as he arrived, well shielded in an Arabian architectural style amidst the desert sands.  At first all Mega Man encountered there were rogue Mettools, which he ignored as he could easily get around them.

The more dangerous enemies were floating robots that dropped lit matches.  While not dangerous in themselves, there were quite a few oil pits scattered around, and the last thing Mega Man needed was for them to erupt in flames because of a dropped match.  He destroyed these bots on sight.

As he continued on, he found a more interesting foe, a robot that sat flat on the ground heavily armored, and exploded when flipped over by a level three charged blast.  However, when it landed in an oil pool, it became a floating platform he could ride across by repeatedly depressing the switch revealed on its underside.

The pattern of flame tossing robots positioned near oil pools repeated, allowing Mega Man to prove to himself that he no longer feared leaping precisely from small platform to small platform.  He found himself chuckling as he saw the same patterns Vinyl had used before, turning the struggle into a game...and now, Mega Man actually felt like playing.  He felt he was beginning to understand how Dr. Light could be so forgiving of Dr. Wily.  Is this what friendship is like? he thought to himself.  Or have I just gone mad?

Inside a final chamber, he found Flame Man madly blasting every surface with his fire.  "No germs, no spills, no mess!" he barked out.  "All shall be cleansed with fire!"  He spun as he caught sight of Mega Man.  "You!  You are filth upon my cleansed land!  You shall burn in cleansing flames!"

Mega Man quickly leapt back and forth, evading the waves of fire Flame Man unleashed.  "Whoa!  Cool off a bit and listen to me!"

"Cool is dirty!" Flame Man screamed.  "Fire shall clean!"  Leaping back, he fired off blasts of fire, trying to hit Mega Man.

Offered no other method of countering, Mega Man started firing, trying to inflict enough damage to slow Flame Man down a bit.  He quickly realized that Flame Man followed an attack pattern relative to whatever position he was in after landing from a jump, and stuck to that.    Before long, he'd worn Flame Man down enough with his regular shots that openings were starting to appear...but they didn't last long enough for him to close the distance.  "This is going to hurt you more than me!" he warned as he started charging his buster.

"Burn!" Flame Man roared, unleashing more waves of fire along the ground.

Mega Man shifted into position where the waves would miss him, then turned his back on Flame Man.  As he heard his foe raising his buster, he unleashed his own.  "Skull Buster!"

The blast lashed out, the recoil sending him slamming bodily into Flame Man.  As they both crashed against the wall, Mega Man spun and tore the ribbon off.

Flame Man quickly pushed him off.  "Don't touch me!" he screamed, quickly proceeding to sterilize himself with fire.  "...huh.  Recall code.  Clean room!"  With that happy squeal, he beamed out.

A room popped open, revealing a weapon chip for Flame Man's F. Blast Master Weapon and a new design schematic for Rush.  Picking it up, Mega Man grinned.  "Dr. Light's going to have a field day with this," he chuckled, beaming back to the lab.





With the new Rush Power Adapter equipped - allowing Mega Man to equip Rush as an armor suit that boosted his defense and offense to huge margins at the cost of some maneuverability and the use of Master Weapons - Mega Man decided to go after Blizzard Man next, figuring that the F. Blast would help him out on the Frozen Island.

Once arriving, Mega Man found that there weren't too many robots blocking his path across the snowy plains.  While towers soared in the distance and mountains reared in the further distance, the path Mega Man walked had only the simplest of structures.  The few robots that lined the path were heavily armored, and could only be damaged when they opened their armor to attack.  While he had no trouble fighting his way through, he couldn't help but find the walrus bots oddly adorable.  Probably too much time with Vinyl, he mused internally.  Everything's starting to seem adorable.

After making his way further in, the next place of interest was as he crossed a submarine that raised and lowered in the water with a spiked ceiling directly above.  While crossing it proved easy enough, the path beyond involved leaping from bomb platform to bomb platform.  As Mega Man had learned previously, depressing the switches on these - which were pointed upward for this segment, meaning he had to to stand on them - started a count down, ending in the platform exploding.  As such, he crossed quickly to climb up a ladder.

Beyond that last path, the only real obstacle Mega Man encountered was more bomb platforms which he had to carefully maneuver around.  Once past that, he made his way into the final chamber, only to dive to the side to evade an ice blast from Blizzard Man.  "Hey!"

"No need for the cold shoulder," Blizzard Man replied.  "Just wanted to make sure you kept a cool head."  Blizzard Man suddenly curled into a ball, rolling straight for Mega Man.

"Yipe!" Mega Man yelped, lunging to the side and opening fire, aiming for the ribbon as it became visible again.  Thankfully, Blizzard Man and the ribbon were large, slow targets, allowing Mega Man to get in plenty of hits even as he evaded the flurry of ice Blizzard Man sent his way.

Blizzard Man continued his attack pattern without fail, and eventually his ribbon fell apart.  "...you took my victory.  That's cold.  But it looks like we'll have to put this disagreement on ice.  I'm being called home."  With that, Blizzard Man beamed out.

Another room opened, revealing a weapons chip for Blizzard Man's Master Weapon, B. Attack.  "Two down," Mega Man muttered to himself as he warped away.
> Born to be Wild
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man went after Plant Man next.  While at first he seemed to be a low priority since he'd went out into some random forest, Mega Man now recalled that Plant Man was designed to be able to control plants, making the potential threat he represented much higher.  Upon arrival, the forest seemed peaceful, but numerous insectoid robots - both beetle and grasshopper-like - leapt out of the undergrowth and trees without warning to attack him.  Mega Man was able to handle them relatively easily with a quick dodge roll before blasting out a level three charged shot as soon as he was upright.

The most heavily guarded path through the forest - and thus, likely the correct one - led up and into a massive artificial tree.  Larger robots blocked the path, but while they were larger and tougher, they were also slower, making it easier for Mega Man to dodge around them.  Once further inside, Mega Man paused long enough to grab an energy tank that Eddie - a new robotic suitcase support unit, a gift from Dr. Cossack to show there were no hard feelings about what happened before - threw him, before dropping down into a dark pit.  At the bottom, he came face to face with a large tank that resembled Guts Man if he'd been made of stone.  Mega Man hadn't encountered any Robot Masters like that before, so he had no frame of reference beyond that.

Although the tank looked impressive, it seemed unable to do much more than roll towards Mega Man and swing a massive stone fist.  Smoke pouring out of some of its joints showed that it was close to overheating, so Mega Man fired off several F. Blasts, causing it to completely overheat and explode.

Once out of the tree, Mega Man found some springs along his path that propelled him upward when bounced on.  The only point where these were a problem was when they were directly under some spikes, but Mega Man managed to get past it carefully.  He then used the same tactic on the second tank that blocked his path as the first one, while jumping to avoid the rocket punch.

Beyond that, Mega Man made his way over several deep pools of water, timing his jumps to avoid being bit by the robot piranha that leapt out to try and eat him.  The final stretch involved crossing pools of water by bouncing from spring platform to spring platform, before finally coming to safe landing in front of the boss door.

Plant Man awaited him.  "You shall bow before the might of nature!" he roared out, surrounding himself with his Plant Shield.  He charged forward...only to slip on a patch of ice and land on his back, his shield failing.  "What?"

Mega Man leapt forward, landing on Plant Man's chest.  "Watch your step.  Winter is coming."  He lunged down for the ribbon, only to be smacked aside by one of Plant Man's vines.

"That joke is terrible!" he snapped, leaping away and swinging by his vines from the ceiling for a drop kick.

Mega Man brought his hands up and caught the kick.  "Yeah, I could probably do better."  Shifting his grip on Plant Man's ankle joint, he slammed him into the ground.  "But I'm not Blizzard Man.  I've just got his weapon."

"His jokes were terrible too!" Plant Man shouted back, pushing himself to his feet.

"Well I don't want to leave you feeling cold," Mega Man joked as he warped Rush in to activate the Power Adapter, bulking his body up.  "So instead Mr. Flower, have some Power."  Drawing his fist back, he punched Plant Man right in the face.

"Stop with the puns!" Plant Man screamed out as he lunged forward, only to pause.  "...what am I doing?"

Mega Man smiled, tossing the ribbon up and down in his other hand.  He'd caught hold of it as he was delivering the punch.  "You were about to head home."

"Oh, yeah, right, boss is calling."  With that said, Plant Man warped out.  A panel opened, revealing a weapon chip for the P. Shield and another blueprint for Rush's Adapter, this time for different functions.  Grinning widely, Mega Man grabbed both and warped out.





With the Rush Jet Adapter installed - this version limiting him to normal buster shots, but giving him free flight - Mega Man pursued Tomahawk Man into the desert, following the trail of rogue robots into an underground base.  Given how hot it was - both on the surface and below ground - Mega Man chose to rely on F. Blast to make his targets overheat.

After blowing up a Mettool dispenser, Mega Man paused before a narrow path beneath what looked suspiciously like some sort of compressors.  "...those things are going to drop after I've been under them long enough, aren't they?"

His helmet began to buzz.  Recognizing the sign of receiving an instant message, he checked it.



X-P0N3 (totally not Vinyl): Damn, wish I'd thought of that before!  Think you could stand there for an hour or so while I send some bots in to make it do that?



The text included a picture of 'X-P0N3' giving an adorable pleading expression, her hooves clasped under her chin.

Chuckling, Mega Man leapt into the narrow path before sending a message back.



Megs: Not only did you swear, you didn't say the magic word!



Safely past that section, Mega Man made his way up as high as he could go.  Once there, he tested out the flight function of the Rush Jet Adapter.  While the flight function was impressive, he could only make himself fly so much before he had to land and let the engines cool off.  Still, it enabled him to quickly clear the rest of the area to where Tomahawk Man waited for him.  Disengaging the Adapter, he readied himself to fight.

Tomahawk Man opened the fight by hurling a Tomahawk at Mega Man like a discus.  Mega Man dodged to the side of it, caught hold of it, and hurled it back.

Tomahawk Man stared at the ax-like weapon embedded in his victory ribbon.  "...huh.  Didn't expect that."

"Oh no!" Mega Man complained.  "That is not the end of this fight!  You're going to stay right here and give me a real fight!  You're not chickening out on me like that!"

"...I have no more reason to fight you," Tomahawk Man countered.  "Without the ribbon, I can't win the tournament."  With that, he warped away.

"Hey!" Mega Man screamed out, ignoring the panel that opened up to reveal the Silver T. weapon chip.  "Get back here!  ...you're making me a terrible gift giver!"
> Contradiction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	With the S. Tomahawk now in his program, Mega Man decided to make a couple of preparations before going after Yamato Man.  First, he made a few inquiries of Yamato Man's creator.  Then he recruited a bit of backup, uncertain whether or not it would be needed.  However, he decided it was better to have this backup and not need it rather than need it and not have it.  Once that backup was in position, he made his way into the Fortress that Yamato Man had taken over.

The Fortress proved to be more machine and metal than ancient stone, soaring into the sky like a tower.  As Mega Man entered, however, he noticed a wall that had undergone some structural damage.  Activating Rush's Power Adapter, he broke through the wall, seeking a swifter way to reach Yamato Man than climbing the tower.  Behind the broken wall was a samurai robot, but not Yamato Man.  Mega Man was able to evade its spear strikes by staying out of range and shooting after it had hurled its spear, and before it drew another one.  He then broke another wall, dropping downward.

Confronted by a giant frog tank driven by another samurai bot, Mega Man evaded its lasers and thrown bombs, shooting at the frog tank's eyes to take it down.  Once the tank went down, Mega Man continued onward, pausing only to break another wall to grab an extra E Tank.  After a short path with few robots guarding it, Mega Man encountered a split in the path, with ladders leading up and down.  After careful consideration, he went down.

The path once more had very few robots guarding it, allowing Mega Man to swiftly make his way through before making his way up.  It wasn't long after that before Mega Man safely made his way to the path to what he'd come to think of as 'the boss chamber'.  Once inside the path, he paused.

Let's see... he thought to himself.  Elevation...good.  Position relative to the Fortress...good.  And...yes, I guessed the right wall to put her at.  If things work out that way...  He smiled widely.  At least this will be a good part of the gift.  With that determined, he made his way into the 'boss chamber'.

When Yamato Man dropped in, Mega Man immediately noticed something amiss.  He wasn't wearing his Tournament ribbon.  "Yamato Man!  Why haven't you responded to your maker's order to withdraw?" he demanded.

"A prior order takes precedence," Yamato Man explained simply.  "He ordered me to do my best to win FART."

Mega Man stared at him for a time.  "...so you're manipulating Three Law loopholes so you can keep your promise to Merkava?" he inferred.

"I don't see how that is any business of yours, or how it applies to this encounter," Yamato Man replied simply.

Mega Man sighed.  "Then I guess we'll just have to fight now."  He immediately fired off a charged blast.

Yamato Man spun his spear, deflecting it.  "You will have to do better than that," he replied simply.

Mega Man began running around, seeking a better vantage even as Yamato Man did the same.  "Shouldn't you be trying to troll me about now?" he asked curiously as he fired off several probing shots.

"I won't be doing that to you," Yamato Man replied as he deflected each shot with a wave of his spear.  "While there are several points I could attempt to taunt you on, I make an effort to do no real emotional damage to my opponents with those taunts."

"Huh," Mega Man admitted.  "That's...rather noble of you."

"So I suppose I am limited to just my spear in this fight," Yamato Man admitted, quickly lunging in for a stab.

Mega Man back-flipped out of the way, his eyes narrowing.  "Wait...what's that supposed to mean?"

"You have a lot of sore points in your psyche, Mega Man," Yamato Man explained sensibly.  "I am merely trying to be sensitive to the trauma of your past-"

"Sensitive nothing!" Mega Man snapped angrily.  "You're treating me with kid gloves because you think I can't take your taunts!"

"I suppose one could look at it like that," Yamato Man allowed.  "But I don't feel it would be right to take advantage-"

"Take advantage!" Mega Man snarled angrily, equipping the Rush Power Armor.  "I can handle everything you can throw at me!"  He lunged in, delivering a solid punch that Yamato Man barely blocked with his spear shaft.

"I would rather not take that risk," Yamato Man replied, spinning his spear shaft to deflect each of Mega Man's blows.  "I would not be able to live with myself if I made you cry."

"You really think I'm going to cry?" Mega Man roared angrily, charging up.  "I'll make you cry!"

"I somehow doubt that," Yamato Man replied softly.  "But with all you'd been through, I thought you'd welcome-"

"Don't treat me like an invalid!" Mega Man roared out, firing off a Power Armor amplified Skull Buster shot.

Yamato Man dodged to the side, watching as Mega Man flew back against the wall, the spear blade embedded in the back of his waist being driven forcefully through the Rush Power Armor, severing some key components and forcing Rush to disengage before warping out.  Mega Man sank to the floor, his hand going to the blade in his back, wincing.  He stared out the massive hole in the wall he'd left, seeing the trees off in the distance.

Yamato Man stepped in front of Mega Man, between him and the wall.  "It looks like I've beaten you," Yamato Man stated bluntly.  "I won't let you escape to take that away from me."

Mega Man smiled widely.  "You know, your maker tells me that, unlike most robot designs, there's no fundamental circuitry in your head.  Your personality core and hard drive is stored elsewhere in your body.  If you lose your head, you'll be just fine when you get a new one.  Just a temporary shut down."

"I fail to see the significance of your observation," Yamato Man stated calmly.

"It's because I didn't come here to beat you," Mega Man replied.  "I don't want you to break your promise, either."

Yamato Man stared at Mega Man in confusion...until he noticed how much lower than his head Mega Man presently was.  His eyes widened as he turned towards the hole in the wall.

The laser blast tore through Yamato Man's head, incinerating it and dropping him to the floor, punching into the wall well above Mega Man's head.

Off in the trees, Merkava lowered her laser-sniper rifle attachment, one she'd swapped in for one of her heavy machine guns.  "Got him, Mega Man," she called through her communicator.  "I'll be there to pick you both up soon."  Discarding the camo sheet that had concealed her presence, she turned her tank treads towards the Fortress.





Once Mega Man and Rush were fully repaired - which didn't take long - it was discovered that the blade embedded in his side had been enough to download the Y. Spear Master Weapon.  With that in hand, Mega Man went after Knight Man, who had conquered an old style castle from which to lead his efforts.

At first, the obstacles didn't seem too different as Mega Man made his way into the castle.  The robotic defenses were easily dealt with using his variety of Master Weapons.  However, one of the early chambers held a new challenge.  Spikes raised and lowered throughout a long hall at different heights, the lowest level of spikes meeting the floor.  Mega Man was forced to carefully maneuver his way past, positioning himself so that the spikes didn't so much as touch him when they reached their lowest, and jumping the smallest of heights as they raised up, all the while dealing with attacking robots.

Eventually, Mega Man made his way past it, making his way up the castle.  The Rush Jet Armor proved effective at making his way through most of the remaining obstacles until he made his way back inside the castle.  The next chamber had spring balls all throughout it, making him bounce around at unexpected angles as he struggled to make his way through.  The only hazard was spiked bots that moved back and forth along springs or platforms, indestructible and damaging when he slammed into them.

Beyond that, he finally reached Knight Man himself.  Knight Man stayed braced behind his shield, holding it over his Tournament Ribbon.  "You shall not destroy my ribbon!  And without that, you cannot remove me from the Tournament!  I shall be victorious!  You cannot penetrate my shield!"

Mega Man stared at him for a time...then smacked himself in the forehead.  "I don't have to."  He calmly switched to Flame Man's weapon.

"W...what are you doing?" Knight Man demanded.

"Well, you turtling isn't going to be a very entertaining fight," Mega Man explained, "so since I can't make this fight awesome, I'm going to make it funny."  With that, he shot the flames at Knight Man's feet.

"Yowch!" Knight Man yelped, hopping up and down.  "Hot foot!  Hot foot!  Hot foot!"

Mega Man waited for a time, then used Blizzard Man's weapon to put out the fire.  "And...done."

Knight Man paused, then looked down.  His ribbon was ashes on the floor.  "Huh..."  With that, he beamed out.

Mega Man chuckled as he grabbed the weapon chip for Knight C. from the hidden chamber that opened when Knight Man beamed out.  "Hope that was funny enough..."
> Change
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man next decided to go after Centaur Man in the ancient city, after briefly stopping off at Light Labs to pick up something he'd asked Dr. Light to make for him.  With that in his possession, he warped in.

The ancient city shone brightly in the sun, its soaring towers rising out of the waters.  The entire area was peaceful, even the few robots - shaped like jellyfish and seagulls - that wheeled to block Mega Man's path.  He destroyed or ignored them as the situation seemed to call for it, focusing instead on drawing the peaceful setting into his core, finding a tranquil state of mind.

As he reached the main portion of the ancient city, he dropped down a narrow tube into the water below.  In the water, the primary hazards were fish like robots, spike balls, and most of his sub weapons not working underwater considering the most effective ones were fire based, ice based, or had an air based launch program.  Not only that, the Armor Adapters for Rush had neutralized his other forms, including Rush Marine, which would have been useful in the present situation.  He kept going even as his systems worked to find a workaround.  The only weapon that still worked as normal was the P. Shield...which was surprisingly effective against the underwater enemies.  "Should have remembered my Pokemon," he muttered, smirking at how the water distorted his voice.

As he dropped low enough, he dropped out the bottom of the water and watched as it receded upward.  "...I have got to figure out how that works at some point," he muttered to himself after staring for a time, then kept moving.  Even as he watched, however, the water continued to raise and lower above his head, creating an ever changing environment as he progressed past several robots and over wide spike pits.  Finding that the Rush Jet Armor worked even in water, Mega Man quickly took advantage of the extra buoyancy of being in the water to cross.

At the end of the hall, the water vanished, leaving a clear path for Mega Man to climb upward.  Once back above ground, he continued past several more pools of water and boat shaped bots that rode in clouds before trying to land on him.  Climbing further, Mega Man used the Jet Armor to get around a giant squid bot and across a wide pit to Centaur Man's boss chamber.

Inside the chamber, Centaur Man awaited him, saying nothing.  Mega Man smirked.  "Not talking since 'Wilbur's not around?" he asked teasingly.

Centaur Man nodded, getting into a fighting stance.

"You know..." Mega Man began.  "I think it's time to make these fights cooler."  Reaching into his armor, he pulled out a pair of shades, putting them on.  "So no Mega Buster for me.  Just my fists.  Let's see how you handle that."

Grinding his teeth, Centaur Man unleashed his Centaur Flash and charged forward...only to be caught off guard as Mega Man dropped into a sweep kick, tripping up his front legs before delivering an uppercut to his chin.

Mega Man grinned widely, tapping the shades.  "Special request from Dr. Light.  Blocks your Flash."

Grinning, Centaur Man spun to kick with both hind legs.  Mega Man ducked under the blow, striking out with his clenched fist at Centaur Man's underbelly.  The two bounced back, dancing around each other for a time.  Centaur Man had his own buster, but he seemed to be respecting Mega Man's decision to use no busters.  Each watched carefully for their opportunity to strike.

When Mega Man tripped over a loose floor tile, Centaur Man charged forward, aiming a haymaker at Mega Man's chin.  The blue bomber saw it coming and did the only thing he could think to do.  Pushing off hard, he leapt over the charge, spinning to land on Centaur Man's equine back facing forward.  Reaching up, he grabbed the two side pointing horns of Centaur Man's helmet and hauled back.  "Whoa!" he shouted out even as Centaur Man bucked.

With one last surge of strength, Mega Man reached around and tore away Centaur Man's ribbon.  The robot fell back to all four hooves before beaming out.  Mega Man once more collected the Master Weapon chip left behind, the C. Flash.





The last remaining competitor was Wind Man, based in the Mechanical Tower.  He warped in high in the air, making his way upward past several panda shaped robots as he climbed ladder after ladder.  Some of the ladders were out of reach, but fan turbines in the floor allowed him to jump much higher.  The arcing Silver T. proved useful in dealing with many of the flying bots that waited near the turbines.

Once he'd climbed high enough, he found he had to drop back down the inside of the tower.  Shrugging, he progressed forward until he spotted a ladder leading upward.  "Up, down, up...I am up, down, touch the ground..." he began in a sing-song voice.

A nearby panda robot seemed to take offense at his song, as it timed its projectile so as to catch him at the peak of the turbine below propelling him upward to grab the ladder, knocking him off the ladder and back onto the turbine several times.  Mega Man grumbled in frustration as he finally managed to climb the ladder.

As he reached Wind Man, the walls surrounding the battlefield dropped away.  "Let's make this interesting," Wind Man offered flatly.  "If I'm able to blow you off the tower, I win.  If you're able to pull my ribbon off, you win.  If you use your buster, all bets are off.  We begin."  Wind Man activated his turbines at full, trying to blow Mega Man off the tower.

Leaning into the wind, Mega Man slowly pushed himself forward, struggling against the breeze.  He continued, taking step after step.

"You are determined," Wind Man complimented.  "That is good."  Pointing his buster forward, he unleashed an additional storm of wind, driving Mega Man backwards.

Struggling, Mega Man summoned the Power Armor.  The extra weight slowed down his backwards movement, enabling him to continue to stalk forward, until he was able to reach forward and tear the ribbon off.

"...well done," Wind Man admitted.  "I lose."  With that, he warped away, leaving Mega Man his weapon chip for W. Storm.
> Final Round
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	With the last Robot Master competitor neutralized, Mega Man had only one thing left to do for his mission.  Checking some files, he found the location of Mr. X's fortress and made his way there, getting ready to pursue the final arc of this game between himself and Vinyl.  The path through was somewhat concerning, as there were several spike balls stuck to low hanging platforms, making jumping a questionable option.  Several turrets also blocked the path, forcing Mega Man to time his progress past them.

Thankfully, the path soon turned upward.  Even though the spike balls persisted, ascending was much easier than forward progress, given the prevalence of ladders and the Rush Jet Adapter.  Once he'd reached the top of the wall, he once more moved forward, seeking an entrance to the Fortress proper.  After blasting his way through any bots of varying designs, he found a way to drop inside.

Once inside, he made his way to the first Fortress Guardian, two spiked robotic spheres that rode around on a track.  As they moved around, Mega Man noticed two things about them rather quickly.  First, they were heavily armored.  Second, they each had a bullseye on either side.

"You aren't even making this challenging anymore," Mega Man muttered, switching to the Y. Spear.  He shot the spearheads at the targets until the two spheres exploded, a new path opening before him.

The new path proved to be not only straightforward, but almost completely straight, only a narrow tunnel with drill robots and Mettools blocking the path, and the occasional spiked floor or ceiling he had to avoid bumping into.  The only other major hurdle proved to be a bridge of platforms over a deep pit that dropped shortly after he stepped on them.

The final stretch had spike pits concealed beneath illusory floors, but Mega Man had learned how to spot those and jumped over those easily.  After that, he confronted the second Guardian, a strange automaton that climbed up and down the opposite wall, always staying above Mega Man's shooting range while shooting at him and causing rocks to fall towards him.

"Well, I know what to do here," Mega Man muttered, switching to the Silver T.  As the weapon arced upward after being hurled, he was able to position himself to send it flying repeatedly into the automaton even as he dodged around the rocks and shots.  When it exploded, a new path opened up.

Taking the new path led Mega Man upward, offering him a choice of two ladders.  A quick sensor sweep showed him the one on the left led to a dead end, so he took the one on the right.  Once at the top, he found several linked platforms across a wide pit, where one would lower when stepped on, causing the linked one to rise.  Seeing the obvious puzzle, Mega Man equipped Rush Jet and skipped it completely...until he reached the second part with the spiked ceiling, forcing him to actually do the puzzle.

Continuing along similar paths, Mega Man found his way to the chamber of the third Guardian...a Mettool in a UFO linked to a giant robot body.  Mega Man stared at it for a time.  "...I don't know if I should deduct points for lack of originality, or add points for clever use of minimalism."  He moved carefully as the mech slowly rolled towards him, firing energy shots just over his head, pausing every few to create a gap for him to jump up and fire a fully charged blast, before then sending the energy balls bouncing along the ground towards him, creating an obvious safe zone under them.  "...or you're worried about how late it's getting and you want me to finish this before your bedtime," he concluded, quickly blasting the mech apart.

The last path that opened up was another upward climb, shifting back and forth through side tunnels.  Mega Man carefully made his way past the obstacles that got in his way, seeking to get through faster rather than slower, since he could feel time ticking away at him.  After all, it was already 11 pm.

At the end of the path, he found Vinyl - in her X-P0N3 guise - inside a giant spike ball hanging from the ceiling.  "And now, Mega Man," she proclaimed loudly, "you shall-"  Her words were interrupted by a loud yawn.  "-scuse me, shall meet your doom at my hoof!"

"No I won't," Mega Man countered.  "That thing's just going to sway back and forth and drop energy balls at me.  I'll have it blown up in minutes."

"I'd like to-"  Vinyl's words were interrupted by another yawn.  "-to see you try."

"Vinyl-"

"Who is this Vinyl?" she countered.  "I am X-P0N3!"

Shaking his head, Mega Man leapt onto the spike ball and lifted Vinyl out of the cockpit, taking off her 'X-P0N3' glasses and putting a pair of her normal glasses back on.  "It's way past your bedtime," he chided softly.  "You're still a growing filly and need your rest."

"Ya don't thwart World Domination schemes with 'It's your bedtime'!" Vinyl pouted, letting out another yawn.  "Especially not-"

Leaning down, Mega Man gave her a peck on her forehead, just below her horn.  "Happy birthday Vinyl," he said softly.  "Did you enjoy your present?"

Vinyl blinked.  "...you knew this whole thing was because I just wanted to pit Robot Masters against you again?" she asked.

"Of course I did," Mega Man replied.  "I knew from the moment Wily promised that he had no plans beyond your birthday present.  So I played along, as my present to you."

Vinyl wriggled in his arms as he carried her towards bed.  "...liked how you handled Yamato Man..." she mumbled sleepily.

Mega Man chuckled.  "Yeah, that was fun.  Sorry Tomahawk Man didn't go well."

"I found your fuss funny," Vinyl replied, now completely on the verge of sleep.

Chuckling, Mega Man handed the sleeping filly over to Wily.  "Sleep well, Vinyl, and dream of our next match."

Vinyl stirred, curling into her father's arms.  "...zzz...transforming Robot Masters...gonna give you a rival...zzz..."

Wily chuckled.  "It looks like she is, after all.  Thank you, Mega Man."

Mega Man nodded.  "You're welcome.  But aren't you going to get in trouble over how the Tournament ended?"

"Why?" Wily replied.  "We have a winner."

"Who, me?" Mega Man asked.

"Nope!  The only competitor to best the one who eliminated them and not be beaten by you," Wily replied.  "You made that possible when you called on her to help you with Yamato Man...especially since he technically beat you there, which means she's technically beaten you, too."

Mega Man laughed.  "Not sure how Merkava will take that..."
> Peaceful Prelude
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Wily smiled to himself as he lay back in his easy chair, looking over Sky Lagoon as it slowly grew.  With the number of scientists who were disenfranchised by the robotics policy of the world below increasing as robots became more and more personable, the place had grown by leaps and bounds.  Whole families were now present, human and robot alike, working towards building and preserving a peaceful paradise.  It was amazing to him how far he'd come towards robot and human coexistence as equals.  ...the only cloud on his philosophical horizon was that he couldn't determine whether Sky Lagoon was proof of his philosophy or Light's.

Hearing an explosion, he groaned and got to his feet, making his way to Vinyl's private lab.  He was unsurprised to discover multi-colored smoke pouring out the windows and doors of the top room of her tower laboratory, though pleased to see that those Robot Masters that maintained the weather and atmosphere around the city were already cleaning it up.  Taking the elevator to the top, he stepped out with a gas mask already on his face.  "What is it this time, Vinyl?" he asked softly.

"I was experimenting with that new element you found, Daddy!" Vinyl squealed happily through her own gas mask as the rainbow colored smoke still poured off the pulsing green sphere in front of her.  "I was trying to figure out how it generates so much energy."

Chuckling, Wily shook his head.  The new energy element he'd discovered the previous day had been dubbed Bassnium, since it had been resonations with a test firing of Vinyl's experimental super sonic disruptor, called her Bass Cannon, that had revealed its presence in a passing asteroid.  The glowing green rock generated energy far beyond what normal science could explain.  As such, Wily had taken the three chunks they'd found and installed one as Sky Lagoon's backup generator, kept one for himself to study, and gave one to Vinyl to experiment with.  "So, what have you learned?" he asked curiously.

"It's tapping energy from other levels of reality!" Vinyl explained happily.  "That's why it generates so much power without any signs of decay!"

"And...the rainbow colored smoke is a side effect of your discovery?" Wily asked curiously.  While the idea of a material that naturally tapped into over levels of reality was fascinating, Vinyl's method was usually more so.

"Naw!" Vinyl replied dismissively.  "I did that by sending my magic back along the energy channels the moment I got hold of it."  Even through the gas mask, Wily could tell how wide she was grinning by her eyes.  "I'm trying to turn this chunk into a robot power core!"

Albert shook his head ruefully.  "Of course," he muttered.  "So...what?  Will you be building a Bass Man, then?"

"Nope!" Vinyl replied readily.  "I'm gonna give Forte the Mega Man upgrade, but suped up my way!  If I get this power core working, I can give him a Bass Cannon sub weapon!"

Remembering the size of the blast the prototype Bass Cannon had fired, Albert shuddered at the idea of that kind of power in a single robot, especially Forte.  "Are...are you sure he can handle that?" he asked worriedly.

"Well, even with this in his core, he'll only have one shot," Vinyl pouted.  "It only generates so much energy at a time, after all."

Albert found this far less terrifying.  However, another terrifying thought occurred to him.  "Umm...what if he fires it...down?"

Vinyl paused, scratching her head.  "...good point.  I'll hardwire it so it can only be fired forward while he's standing on the ground.  Still gotta figure out how to let him shoot in multiple directions without damaging his arm joints from the recoil.  Bet it'll really shock Mega Man when he gets shot in the nuts from below!"

Albert shook his head.  "While that is an interesting idea, Vinyl...don't you think you might be putting a bit too much into your 'rivalry' with Mega Man?  There should be more to your life than trying to take over the world."

"But Mega Man's birthday's only five months away!" Vinyl whined.  "And he went to so much effort with my birthday present, I have to do the same with his!"

Albert blinked.  "Wait...you're turning Forte into Mega Man's 'rival' as a...birthday present to him?"

"Well, to Forte, too," Vinyl corrected.  "You activated him on Rock's birthday, after all."

Albert blinked, having not realized he'd done that.  "Huh.  So...as a birthday gift for both of them, you're going to upgrade Forte so he can duke it out with Mega Man?"

"Yup!" Vinyl agreed.  "Once I've figured out how to stabilize the Bassnium into a power core, I'll take a break and head over to Kalinka's for some fun.  Then I'll plot out some designs, and upgrade Forte."  She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.  "But...if I include eight Robot Masters too...I won't have any time for fun..."

"Why don't you leave the Robot Masters to me?" Wily offered.  "It's about time I tried to take over the world again."

Vinyl gasped happily.  "Would you, Daddy?" she squealed before glomping onto him.  "Sweet!  I'll have time to build Forte a pet/support unit then!"  She giggled wickedly.  "I'm thinking wolf!"

Wily chuckled, shaking his head from side to side.  "Just don't push yourself too hard," he cautioned.  "Remember to have some fun."

Nodding and nuzzling him, Vinyl turned back to her research.
> Comfortably Competitive Companions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Vinyl wriggled somewhat uncomfortably in her chair, the frilly princess dress Kalinka had foisted on her for the day a little uncomfortable.  While she didn't really like the idea of being dressed up like this, she was able to tolerate it due to two major things.  First, Kalinka's argument that neither of them had gotten much of a chance at these 'super frilly' tea parties with another girl when they were younger was a very valid reasoning to do so now, if only to say they had.  The other point that made things much easier to tolerate was Kalinka's insistence that all attendees meet the dress code...and Forte's expression as he fussed with his silver ball gown was priceless.  It was only the promise that the successfully completed Bassnium power core meant she could soon begin his upgrades that had him sitting there, and not tearing the dress off and storming out of the room.

Admittedly, Albert, Mikhail, and Protoman were also in frilly medieval dresses, but the two humans were far more sanguine about it, and Protoman somehow managed to still look cool with his shades and scarf, which he refused to take off.  What really confused Vinyl was how the scarf continued to blow despite the absence of breeze, but even when it rubbed against the fabric of Protoman's crimson ball gown, the dress didn't so much as ruffle.  She made a mental note to use her next break from plotting her conflict with Mega Man to study this 'essence of cool' to see how it worked.

"More tea, Countess?" Kalinka asked, offering the teapot to Protoman.

"Please," Protoman replied, holding his cup out for a refill.

Being brought back to the moment, Vinyl munched on the last 'biscuit' as Typhon - dressed in a butler's outfit - brought a fresh plate out.  He then paused as he received a signal.  "An incoming teleport request...from Light Labs," he stated firmly.  "...signal match to Mega Man, but lower energy."

"What?" Wily demanded, stunned.  "How did he know where we are?"

"Because I invited him to the tea party," Vinyl explained readily, sipping her tea.

Everyone turned to stare at her, stunned.  Protoman was the first to speak up.  "Wasn't the whole point of having this place so that he could never track where your real home base was so that he couldn't arrest Wily again?"

"Well, he can't," Vinyl countered.  "We're an independent nation now, not subject to the International Robotics Committee, or any other world authority.  Dad also is the country's official ruler, so Mega Man doesn't have the authority to arrest him, or even capture him."

"What if he's sent to arrest me for war crimes?" Albert asked worriedly.

"Do you really think any government down below will want to risk the precedent of giving a robot authority to arrest a world leader?" Vinyl inquired innocently.  "The whole reason Sky Lagoon is thriving is because everyone who wants to trust robots as equals to humans are living up here with us."  She paused, scratching her chin.  "Well, everyone but Dr. Light, anyway..."

"How come he isn't?" Mikhail asked curiously.  "I mean, I know you're both still rivals, Albert, but-"

"Punishment for not programming Mega Man to recognize me as human until after it almost destroyed him," Vinyl interrupted, munching another 'biscuit'.  "Why are these called biscuits, anyway?  They sure look like cookies to me."

"I think it's supposed to sound fancier," Kalinka replied.

Albert stared at Vinyl in shock as Protoman looked away, not meeting anyone's eyes.  "H...how did you know-"

"The control room has security cameras," Vinyl explained easily.  "I went over the feed while planning my own eight Robot Masters.  I know what Mega Man started to do."  She sipped from her tea.  "I also hacked Light Labs security cameras, and saw what it was doing to Rock, and how hard he had to struggle against what his programming core tried to make him do."

Albert sighed.  "I didn't want you to know, because I didn't want to destroy your love of robots and faith in them," he murmured, reaching out to stroke her mane.

Vinyl nuzzled into it, but blew a raspberry.  "Dad, I had to scrap Doc Robot's programming three times because he thought the most efficient way to steal the Energy Elements was to shoot Dr. Light in the head, leaving all other robots present locked in a Three Laws logic corruption lockup because they witnessed a robot killing a human.  I know how easy it is to make a mistake like that.  I'm not going to hold it against Mega Man because Dr. Light was too stupid to run simulations for all possible scenarios before setting him loose with combat upgrades."  She threw her hooves in the air in frustration.  "I mean, I wasn't even talking complete sentences regularly yet, and I knew better than that!  And the simulation program was right there in his lab computer!  I didn't even have to make them myself!"

Albert and Mikhail exchanged glances at that.  "So...Tom's punishment of never living up here with us...is because he's an idiot?"

"Yup!" Vinyl replied.  "But Rock has a code that will let him - but not Mega Man - request a beam-up.  It's not fair to punish him for his Dad's mistake when he nearly tore himself apart inside to protect me."  She turned to Typhon.  "Approve the beam-up, and grab the blue chiffon."

"Yes, Vinyl," Typhon replied, sending the signal and going to the closet for a rather rakish blue chiffon gown.

Rock - in civies, rather than his Mega Man armor - beamed in.  "Hey Vinyl!" he greeted warmly.  "You invited me for-"

"You must meet the dress code," Typhon proclaimed firmly, holding out the dress.

Rock stared at the dress.  "...he's kidding, right?" he begged, looking up at those around the table.

"Nope," Forte replied, shaking his head.  "Though seeing you dealing with this might actually make it tolerable."

"Bolt you very much, too," Rock replied, taking the dress into the indicated changing area even as Vinyl clapped happily.
> Rival Reboot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Forte carefully made his way into Vinyl's lab, staring around at the dark chamber, deep in the center of Wily Castle atop Sky Lagoon, so no sunlight entered unless directed inward for experiments.  As much as he liked Vinyl, her habit of keeping her lab in darkness and maneuvering by the sounds of the equipment unnerved him.  It was like walking into a sci-fi horror movie lab.  The one time he'd actually expressed this to Vinyl, she'd given her best maniacal laugh - which still managed to be adorable - and said it was good.  "V...Vinyl?" he called out nervously as his eyes flickered from glowing buttons to electricity arcing between metal coils, ending on glowing chemicals in glass vials.

He expected either a few music notes, Vinyl calling out to him, or the background noises of the lab in response.  However, what he got instead was a deep growl.  As he turned towards the source, he saw two glowing eyes staring at him, and heard heavy padded feet stalking towards him.  As the eyes approached closer and closer, Forte backed up slowly.  Gleaming white teeth appeared below the eyes as the growl deepened, and Forte let out a terrified scream.  "Aaah!" he shouted, stumbling away.  "Vinyl's been making Grues and I'm going to get eaten by one!"

Something leapt, and Forte was carried to the floor, only just barely managing to get onto his back so he could fight back against the attacking figure that was...licking his face?

"Yo, Forte!" Vinyl greeted, clopping up on her tiny hooves.  "I see you've met Treble.  Looks like he likes you."

"Treble?" Forte asked, confused.  He felt whatever was on top of him climb off.  Reaching up, he switched his vision type as he sat up.  Infared illuminated Vinyl and a wolf-like shape.  "You've been taming wolves?"

"Not taming, building!" Vinyl countered.  "He's your support unit!  He's even got a functional Super Adapter, once I give you your combat upgrade!"

Forte grinned widely.  "That's awesome!" He gasped out, reaching forward and pulling Treble into a rough cuddle.  "You built me a pet robo-wolf trained to destroy my enemies!  ...think you could turn the lights on so I could get a look at him?"

Vinyl chuckled.  "Sure thing.  I need to turn the lights on to work on you, anyway."  Walking over to the wall, she turned on the light.

Once the lights were on, Forte got a good look at his support unit.  Treble had an overall lupine body shape, his inner metal body colored grey.  His paws and muzzle were white, and both claws and teeth were large and sharp, making the rest of the visage very intimidating.  Purple armor plates covered the lower half of all four of his limbs, just below his neck, over his rump, and fanned back from his head in a large helmet.  Yellow mettool alloy plates covered the joints where his limbs connected to his body, and cables ran over his back to channel the deflected energy from those into the blaster at the tip of his tail.  However, for as intimidating as he appeared when he growled or got into an attack stance, he was unable to hide his true nature while flopped over onto his back, pawing at Forte in an attempt to get belly rubs, as he currently was.

"Aww!" Forte cooed, leaning in to rub his belly.  "Who's a good wolfy who's going to tear my enemies limb from limb?  Yes you is!  Yes you is!"

At that point, Vinyl returned, lunging in to blow a loud raspberry on Treble's tummy, making the robo-wolf growl and wriggle before rolling back to his paws.  Vinyl let out a happy laugh before turning back to Forte.  "So...are you ready for the Mega Boost?"

Forte frowned nervously as he turned, staring at the work table Vinyl had prepared for this procedure.  He'd be strapped in and offline as Vinyl completely rewired his circuitry, adding all the combat systems and switching out his power core for the pulsing green sphere that was the perfected Bassnium core, designed to give him near limitless power as well as energize the Bass Cannon.  The systems for the Bass Cannon was opposite the core on the work benches, and would be going into the buster on his right arm.  "I think I'm ready," he insisted firmly.

"Are you sure?" Vinyl asked worriedly as Forte lay on the table.  "We've...we've never taken a robot's power core out as part of a maintenance operation.  Even when I converted Doc Robot into Secret, there were multiple cores and one was always plugged in.  But the Bassnium Core isn't compatible with the standard Power Core design.  If I try to install it in you without removing your old one, one or the other will explode.  And...I don't know what effect removing your power core will have on data storage in your CPU.  There...there might be data degradation.  And even backing you up in the Sky Lagoon central hub before the work doesn't guarantee a full backup.  We don't know why Guts Man had changed when he was downloaded into Stone Man..."

"It's alright, sis," Forte interrupted.  "I trust you...and I'm ready."  Laying back on the table, he closed his eyes.

Nodding, Vinyl stepped up to beside the table, placing her hoof on Forte's chest.  "...sleep well, Forte," she whispered worriedly.  Steadying her voice, she spoke the voice command Albert had installed to put Forte into shut down for emergency maintenance.  "For in the sleep of death, what dreams may come."

She watched as the light faded from Forte's eyes, and his systems powered down, his power core ceasing its continuous flow of energy into his body.  She shuddered at the sight of her brother looking dead on the table.  She hesitated as she moved for her tools.  Do...do I really want to do this? she asked herself silently.  If...if I give him the upgrade...he'll go into battle.  He might come back broken, even if it's not from Mega Man.  I...I might see him like this again...but unable to bring him back...

She shook her head, steeling herself.  The same thing might happen if I don't give him the upgrade.  Something might come after us to destroy us all.  I'm not turning him into a war machine and sending him out to fight.  I'm giving him the power to fight if he chooses to do so...and he wants to do this.  I can't take that choice away from him just because I'm afraid for him.  If I would do that to him, then I don't belong in Sky Lagoon...

Steeling herself, she popped open Forte's chest compartment and began to work, starting with the power core.  She had to do that part when she had the most focus, as the slightest mistake there could prove fatal for Forte.  And she had to work quickly.  She didn't want to leave Forte offline for any longer than absolutely necessary...







System check running...
Bassnium power core fully operational.
Armor unit stabilized.  Alloy strength at 100%
Buster functionality...both busters fully operational.  Weapon Copy system online.
Bass Cannon online and ready for use.  Number of shots: one.
Dash systems online.
Angled shots available while stationary.
...all systems Condition Green
Checking CPU for data degradation...
Personality core stable, 99% accurate, +/-1% margin for error
Programming core successfully updated.  Combat systems integrated successfully.
Super Adapter fully integrated.  Treble Link established.  ...Link viable.  Engaging higher brain functions to complete startup.



That means wake up, dumbass.

Forte sat up slowly as his eyes opened, staring down at his black armor.  He couldn't help but grin as he felt the power flowing through him.  In his lap, Vinyl was curled up sound asleep, apparently having worked herself to exhaustion to complete his upgrade.  Scooping her up, he gently tucked her into the cot she had in the lab, much like Wily had one in his.

Guess you're not such a bad bro, bro.

Blinking, Forte turned to the source of the voice in his head, and found himself staring at Treble.

That's right, I do the head talk thing.  Yet another sign of how I'm vastly superior to that domesticated dimwit of Blue Bozo's.  Treble smirked up at Forte.  That's right, know your place in the pecking order-

Chuckling, Forte broke Treble's train of thought by scratching him behind one ear.

Ooh...by the howl, the she devil gave you fingernails! Treble's thought moaned as he panted, his hind leg thumping the floor of the lab quietly.

Grinning ear to ear, Forte went to the computer, calling up an image of Light Labs.  He stared, crossing his arms as he saw Mega Man working around the lab.  He knew their fight would come soon.

He grinned from ear to ear.  "Mega Man...get ready to drop it!" Bass intoned.
> Masters Meet
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now that 'Bass' and Treble were properly prepared, Vinyl decided it was time to see how her Dad had managed as far as the Robot Masters he said he would make for this takeover attempt.  As such, she made her way happily to his lab, looking around for him.  While she didn't see him at first, she did see the eight Robot Masters wandering around, as well as a datapad with them listed out by name and number.  Smiling happily, she scooped up the pad and read through the data presented.  Seeing the note that they were already programmed to listen to her, she decided to work her way from the top with what she saw was a...rather eclectic assortment of Masters.  "DWN-049, Freeze Man!" she called out.  "Report!"

The Robot Master that approached seemed to be based off of Shadow Man's overall design, with a sleek humanoid shape.  He was dark purple, with blue ice constructs on boots and shoulder epaulets, with a large red crystal embedded in the center.  Once he arrived, he stood at attention, saluted with one hand, and held up a sign with the other.



Did you need something?



Vinyl blinked, having not expected something like this.  "Umm...how come you're using a sign?"

Freeze Man held up another sign.



Wily didn't install a voice chip.(1)



"Oh, I see," Vinyl replied.  "Well, I can probably give you one-"

Freeze Man quickly lifted another sign.



No!  As your father, Wily knows what's best for you!



Vinyl quirked her eyebrow up, then rolled her eyes.  "Keep your distance from Bass," she warned.  "It's Mega Man you're supposed to fight."

Nodding, Freeze Man turned back to attempting to stuff his face from a platter of food, despite the absence of mouth.

Shaking her head in amusement, she glanced down at the next Robot Master listed.  "DWN-050, Junk Man?" she called out.

The robot that approached reminded her of Doc Robot's original design, in that it seemed to be a mishmash of different robot parts.  The only real difference she could see was that some effort had been made to make Junk Man more streamlined, as well as a coat of blue paint being applied to most of the parts.  "I am Junk Man!" he proclaimed in a distinctive, somewhat synthesized voice.  "I live to serve the Wilys!"  He paused, blinking.  "Uhh...what's a Wily?"

"I'm a Wily!" Vinyl replied.  "I'm Vinyl!"

"I am Junk Man, and I live to serve you!"  Junk Man promptly offered Vinyl a tray of sweets.

Vinyl happily took one as she giggled.  "You'll do just fine!" she praised.

"I am Junk Man, and I'll do just fine!" Junk Man proclaimed as he turned back to the rest of the room, wandering around to figure out what he was supposed to do now.

Giggling, Vinyl glanced down at her list.  "DWN-051, Burst Man?" she called out.

Another humanoid robot walked over, this one blue and gold with tubes running over his shoulders and into the large buster on his left hand.  His right held a large sack.  "Who wants to know?" Burst Man asked cautiously while attempting to swipe the datapac and stuff it into his sack.

Vinyl doggedly held onto the datapac with her magic.  "That's not yours," she growled out.

Burst Man promptly released the datapac.  "I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted as he snatched her shades, only to freeze as her magic gripped him.

"Give those back, or I'll count Bass as the eighth this time around," she growled.

Burst Man carefully put the glasses back and raced off the moment he was released from her magic, pausing long enough to swipe Junk Man's serving tray but not the treats on it.

"Well isn't that a story!" a bulky yellow robot floating on a cloud stated, using the electricity the orbs around him generated to power a video camera.  "Talk about the scoop of a lifetime!  Looks like I've caught the lab clepto red - or, well, blue yellow and white - handed!"

Vinyl blinked, and glanced down at the list.  "Umm...DWN-052, Cloud Man?" she asked curiously.

"Aww, who am I kidding?" Cloud Man complained as he turned to film Vinyl.  "Ponies being cute beats out any serious story any day.  Smile for your adoring fans!"

Giggling, Vinyl grinned widely.  Once Cloud Man made his way to pursue 'other leads', she glanced down at her list.  "Let's see...DWN-053..."  She paused as she stared at the name.  "...Spring Man?" she asked cautiously, glancing around to see if she could spot him.

It didn't take long.  A bright pink robot with springs for arms, legs, and neck was bouncing around like a supercharged slinky while making crazed cartoonish noises, and overall acting incredibly wacky.

"...yeah..." she grumbled to herself.  "Here's hoping the others aren't as crazy-"

"Slash!  Slash!  Man...Slash!"

Vinyl paused, staring up at the blue and green robot with spiky hair and claws on both hands.  "...I'm guessing you're DWN-054, Slash Man?"

"Slash!" Slash Man insisted happily.

"And...you think you're a Pokemon..." Vinyl groaned.  "Great..."

"Yes!" a robot with bat wings in all purple proclaimed proudly.  "That's six!  Six crazy robot masters!  Ah ha ha hah!"

Vinyl groaned, burying her face in her hooves.  "Make that 7, Shade Man..."

A race car zoomed up to her side before unfolding into a robot.  "That's right we're all not quite right in the head!" he proclaimed, his voice fast like an auctioneer.  "That's quite traditional for us all as we're all supposed to be quirky and we hit the motherload with this group and-"

"-just like that, I'm out!" Vinyl insisted, turning to go.  "Next time, we're running quality control on the random personality generators."








(1) The speaking with signs because of an absence of voice chip is, apparently, canon to the Mega Man manga, according to a friend of mine.  I couldn't resist using it for this story...with this personality.
> Changing the Formula
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Vinyl stared down at the plans laid out for this attempt at conquering the world, and sighed sadly.  "So...just going to send them out to pre-prepared bases, have them take control of local robots, and wait around for Mega Man to come hunt them down one by one, get their weapon chips, fight Bass, and then come after us in the fortress we've built specifically for this conflict?" she asked Wily.

Wily blinked, staring down at his daughter in surprise.  "Well...yeah.  That's the formula we've always worked with.  Why would we change that?"

"But this is the sixth time Mega Man's done that!" Vinyl complained.  "He's got to be getting bored of it by now!"

"Seventh, actually," Wily corrected.  "Remember the Wub Masters?"

Vinyl groaned, putting her face in her hooves.  "I try not to...geeze, now that I get the jokes, they're just so icky!"  Pushing past that, she smiled.  "But I changed things up as far as how Mega Man got to them!  Mutilus' flying castle, sneaking to get to Dirty Fighter, fighting the insides of Giganto...Mega Man really seemed to enjoy that!  I think he really likes it when we change things up."

Wily stared down at Vinyl.  "And...we care what he likes about this...why?  We are trying to take over the world here..."

"Not really," Vinyl countered.  "If we really wanted to take over the world for robot/human equality, I'd tape a video of me playing with Forte and Protoman, calling them 'Big Brother' and 'Uncle' respectively, ending with telling them how much I love them...then grey-scale the image and voiceover with talking about how they aren't really, because in the world at large they have no rights, and despite having a heart and soul of their own they're treated as nothing but tools."  She rolled her eyes.  "End that with a clip of them cuddling me and a voiceover asking to make it real, vote for robot rights, and post it online.  We'd either have robot rights or total anarchy by the end of the month, and either way we win."

"How does...anarchy mean we win?" Wily asked, confused and curious.

"Duh!" Vinyl countered.  "If the world below tears itself apart, we move in and take over, restoring balance and peace."  She rolled onto her back, pawing at the air with her hooves.  "That's why I haven't posted that video yet.  I don't want to make that happen until after we're finished with our rivalry with the Lights.  Cause once it's posted, it'll prove once and for all which of you was right."

"And...you really think such a video will work?" Wily asked worriedly.

"Once I figure out which subharmonic frequency to play in the background to embed the message in the minds of anyone listening, but still play normally through standard speakers, yeah," Vinyl countered.  "And in the meantime, formula is boring!"

Wily carefully decided to shelve the talk of sound-technology based worldwide mind control for a later date.  "Well, how would you change up the formula here?"

"I don't know!" Vinyl complained, throwing her hooves in the air as she sat back up at the table.  "Just throw something random at me and we'll see what we can do."

Wily rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  "Card games on motorcycles!" he threw out.

"Yeah, that show stopped being interesting to me after Pegasus," Vinyl muttered, laying her head on the table.  Her horn suddenly illuminated, creating the image of a light bulb over her head.  "Actually..."

Wily frowned.  "You aren't really going to make Mega Man 'Duel' the Robot Masters, are you?"

"As fun as it would be coming up with deck styles for each of them, Slash Man would probably eat his cards before Mega Man ever got to him," Vinyl countered.  "But I have a different idea...one I need to go talk to Uncle Mikey about!"  With that, she grabbed Treble's blueprints and dashed towards Cossack Castle.

"...Uncle Mikey?" Wily asked, confused.  "Wait...Mikhail?  Since when does she think of him as an Uncle?"  After giving this some more thought, Wily shrugged, instead deciding to figure out what Vinyl's plan might possibly be so he could assist.  "Now...what did Mikhail make that she'd want to talk to him about?  He won't share anything about Skull Man...Vinyl usually works with Kalinka on the joint projects..."

He scratched his head in confusion.  "I mean, I know he did Mega Man's upgrades for when he came after me when I 'kidnapped' Dr. Light, but what-"  He paused, his eyes widening.  "That's what she wants to do?  But...it's so absurd!"  The more he thought about it, the more he started to laugh.  "Now where can I find an auto-mechanic up here?" he proclaimed, looking through the Sky Lagoon directory.





Dr. Light stared down at the report he'd just gotten regarding unusual Robot Master activity.  There was no question that this was another 'world takeover' attempt by Wily and Vinyl...but it was just so absurd.  He couldn't begin to imagine how - or why - they came up with such a thing.

Finally, knowing he had to, he went to find his robot son.  "Mega Man," he spoke up when he found him.  "Wily and Vinyl are at it again."

"Next bonfire," Mega Man countered, focused on his game.

"Alright," Dr. Light replied, deciding that this particular event wasn't that time sensitive.

"...seriously?" Mega Man countered even as he played.  "No guilt trip insistence that's almost but not quite an order to do it now, still giving me the choice in my personality core instead of triggering my programming core - which you've gotten really good at, by the way - so you don't infringe on the freedom you gave me?  Just what are they up to, anyway?"

Dr. Light cleared his throat.  "A...motorcycle gang of Robot Masters is racing around the country, vandalizing various landmarks, blowing up pursuing unmanned cop cars, and blasting music too loud.  Their leader - a purple armored robot on a wolf shaped motorcycle - has issued a challenge to you, personally."

Mega Man promptly made his character jump off a cliff.  "Saving now," he replied as he reappeared at a bonfire.  Once it was saved, he turned it off.  "I need the scarf Protoman left behind when he kidnapped you, and the shades I used to fight Centaur Man."

Dr. Light shook his head ruefully.  "Will do..."





Mega Man grinned widely, shades over his eyes and scarf wrapped around his neck blowing behind him, his hands gripping the Rush Bike's handlebars tightly.  Revving the engine, he reared up into a wheelie as he sped off to save the world...in an absurdly awesome manner.
> 7: Let it Shine
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Vinyl watched as she saw Mega Man racing off to face Bass and his gang of Robot Master motorcyclists.  She could see that he was already enjoying himself from the concept alone, and she knew that Bass would too.  However, the more she thought about the concept and stared at everything that was happening, the more she realized...something was missing.  Sure, the entire thing was over the top...but it wasn't quite enough.  But the more she pursued the thought, the more she hit a dead end.

"What's missing?" she mused aloud.  "It feels like there's something I could add, something to really make this stand out as epic, something we'll remember for years to come...but what does it need?"  She continued to pace.  "What could I possibly add?"

"If you can't think of something on your own," Typhon suggested from nearby, "perhaps you should ask a friend?  Perhaps Kalinka has an idea."

"Hmm..." Vinyl mused.  "Possible..."  Pulling out her cell phone, she called her friend.  "Hey, Kalinka?  Robot Masters on motorcycles.  What's missing?  ...no, I'm not making them play cards.  I'm shooting for awesome, not absurd.  ...okay, maybe a little of both, but more the former.  Mega Man doesn't even play Trading Card Games, and the motorcycles don't have the proper systems..."  Her eyes widened.  "Of course!  Thanks so much, Kalinka!  And I know just how to do it!  You'd better get over here, cause this show's gonna be off the chain!"  Hanging up, she raced to her lab, calling up a few designs while accessing the net.  "Let's see what I can do with this..."  She froze as she saw something she'd included in her internet favorites, something from a normally unpleasant experience that had - in her eyes - achieved awesomeness.  "Oh ho ho...yes!  That one!  But now then, how to make it work?  I need to do it justice..."  She turned as she heard Wily coming in.  "Daddy!  I wanna warp reality again!  Be facetious in suggesting something absurd!"

Albert blinked, a bit surprised at Vinyl's suggestion, but caught in her excitement just from how into whatever she was doing she was.  "...magic circles on computer chips?" he offered, throwing out the first thing that popped into his head.

Vinyl's smile widened even further as she rubbed her forehooves together.  "Perfect!  And if I set the material the circles are made of to respond to specific subharmonics...I've got the materials for only two, but that's all I'll need..."

Albert rubbed his chin a bit worriedly.  "So...why are you trying to warp reality?" he asked worriedly.

"Because Kalinka said the motor-battle needs background music, and I'm gonna do the perfect song justice!" she proclaimed.  "Now where's my totally-not-a-screwdriver?"

"Behind your ear," Wily pointed out, deciding to see just where she was going with this.  As he saw her working, he decided to add his own suggestions, helping her put the chips in the proper order for activation.  One thing he was certain of.

If this worked, he seriously doubted if she'd ever be able to top it.

...he sent a quick signal to Bass and the other Robot Masters to delay confrontation with Mega Man until this was ready.





Mega Man zoomed down the road on Rush Cycle, his shades catching the light of the setting sun as his scarf flowed in the air behind him.  It would take him a while to catch up with the Robot Masters since he wasn't teleporting, but he was enjoying the anticipation.  He could already tell this was going to be an epic showdown, and he wanted to do it right.

As he drove, Beat - a rather pudgy blue bird support unit Dr. Light had built to back up Eddie - flew in, clutching something in his talons.  Mega Man slowed to let Beat catch up, holding out his hand to receive the dropped...cassette  tape.  He stared at it for a time, seeing no label or any other details on it.  He wasn't sure why Beat delivered it, but he knew it was supposed to help him somehow.  Though he couldn't understand why there were computer chips inside it.  He was pretty sure cassette tapes didn't run on computer chips.

Shrugging, he checked to see if Rush had a cassette player in Cycle mode.  To his surprise, he did.  Shrugging his shoulders, he put the cassette in, letting Rush load it up as he gripped the handlebars.

Then the music began to play...and everything changed.

Before Mega Man's very eyes, the world around him seemed to change.  The buildings he drove between soared higher, casting deeper shadows as the whole world became painted in the colors of the setting sun.  Lights flickered and glowed, as the various bots that Robot Masters controlled stepped out, subtly changed.  They were darker, more angular, and moved to the beat of the music.

Looking down, Mega Man discovered that he and Rush had also changed.  Rush's cycle form was far more elongated, with the handlebars now stretching to above Mega Man's head as he gripped them.  The two wheels were much larger, and lightning seemed to race along the rims.  Rush's face at the front of the cycle had shifted, his eyes glowing white as his mouth opened wide, baring razor sharp teeth in an audible snarl.

Mega Man's own armor had changed appearance, reaching harder angles at each of his joints.  The buster portions of his arms were more clearly defined, and his body seemed somewhat slimmed down and lengthened.  His armor still had the same durability, but it had a more stylized appearance, in looks more to convey the sense of being armored than the actuality.  Small spikes rose from his shoulder epaulets, glimmering like stars.  His shades had changed shape, the ends stretching upward into sharp points.  The scarf was now blood red, contrasting with his shimmering blue armor.

Above him, Beat had changed shape, his body stretched out, losing his pudge.  What had once been a fat bluebird was now a sleek eagle.  He let out a startled cry that tore the air, a true raptor's cry.

Lowering his head back to the road before him, Mega Man grinned widely.  "Vinyl," he whispered.  Twisting Rush's handlebars, he pulled his cycle into a high wheelie before shooting down the road to an epic confrontation, a trail of fire racing to keep up with the wheels that left it.
> 7: Bursting Free
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Suggested Listening)

As Mega Man raced down the road, he caught sight of one of the first Robot Masters waiting for him.  The musical reshaping of perception had changed Burst Man, making him far sleeker in design.  His bombs now rode in a large pack on his back instead of being stored and generated in his chest compartment.  His blue and gold armor now flowed over his form in a wave pattern, and he now launched his bombs by reaching into his pack and lobbing them forward into a stream of bubbles from his shoulders.  As Mega Man arrived, he hurled a floating bomb into the side of a building, racing in on his hydro-cycle to swipe everything that wasn't nailed down and blow up anything that was.

Growling through his grin, Mega Man revved Rush to full speed in pursuit of Burst Man.  The Robot Master, on spying Mega Man's approach, immediately turned to flee, hurling a few of his wrapped bombs back over his shoulder at Mega Man, who dodged each one as they floated towards him.  Once past the first volley, Mega Man extended his buster and charged up a blast.  As soon as he had a clear shot, he took it.

The charged shot slammed into Burst Man, causing his hydro-cycle to buck and lose speed.  Burst Man lifted it into a wheelie and spun around, launching a barrage of bomb bubbles across the road at all elevations, forcing Mega Man to turn Rush to dodge between them and jump over them to avoid major damage and loss of speed.

After a time, Burst Man spun back forward to maneuver through the damaged roadway in an attempt to pull ahead, and Mega Man was able to line up for another charged shot.  This time he was closer to Burst Man, and was able to line up the shot far more easily, and the power of the blast was able to tear through the empty bubbles Burst Man sprayed behind him as a smoke screen.

The pattern continued several times, each time Burst Man keeping up the bomb bubble waves for longer before focusing on forward momentum again, and each time losing more of his lead from the blasts Mega Man was able to land, his bond with Rush making it easier for him to maneuver through the waves of bomb bubbles.  Before long, Mega Man was able to pull level with Burst Man, ready to blast him right off his cycle.

Before he could, Burst Man leapt from his hydro-cycle to Rush's handlebars, letting the hydro-cycle spin and crash.  "Nice ride!" he laughed.  "Think I'll take it!"  He then lunged forward, attempting to throw Mega Man off of Rush.

Letting Rush take over steering, Mega Man lifted his arms, grappling with Burst Man and struggling to stay on board.  Each pushed against the other, trying to push the other off.  When the grapple showed no sign of victory for either party, both broke it at the same time.  Mega Man leapt to his feet, balancing on Rush's seat just in time to duck Burst Man's first punch.  He quickly countered with a punch to Burst Man's torso, aiming for his internal storage.

The pair continued to trade blows, punches and kicks flying back and forth, interspersed with bomb bubbles or buster shots.  Burst Man tried to use the bomb bubbles to push Mega Man off the cycle, but Mega Man leapt over or ducked under them as they approached, managing to counter each incoming blow.

As Mega Man prepared for a lunge, he was caught off guard as Burst Man tackled him onto the cycle, pinning him beneath him and pushing his head down towards the road.  "Just give up!" Burst Man insisted, growling.  "I'll take your life, and your ride!"

"Hands...off..." Mega Man growled, struggling to push himself up.

"No chance!" Burst Man insisted, only to flail as Rush braked sharply, going into a stoppie with his back wheel high in the air, causing Burst Man to flip over the handlebars.  "What the?"

"I said," Mega Man countered as he leapt up, tackling Burst Man off the cycle as Rush picked up speed again, "hands off my dog!"  Catching hold of Rush, Mega Man dragged Burst Man against the road as they raced down the road, letting the friction inflict damage rapidly.  Catching sight of the still spinning hydro-cycle, Mega Man got Rush to brake, launching Burst Man forward into the cycle before unleashing his last charged shot.

Burst Man and his cycle exploded in a blazing inferno, bursts of fire launching up like fireworks.  As Mega Man raced by on Rush, a ghostly image of Burst Man floated out of the blast and flew towards Mega Man, infusing into him.  When the light faded, Mega Man's blue armor had turned orange, and the burst symbol of Burst Man's weapon had appeared on his chest.

Danger Wrap acquired, Mega Man's systems intoned as he raced onward.  He idly wondered exactly how useful such a weapon would be...and decided that, for once, he'd actually test it, and use it against the next Robot Master he came across.  With luck, it would prove effective.  Reaching a hand to his head, he straightened his glasses, then put his fingers to his ear.  "Mega Man to Dr. Light.  Come in."

"I read you Mega Man," Dr. Light replied.  "Although...I'm not entirely sure how to feel about what's happened to me or my lab."

Mega Man blinked.  "What do you mean?"

"I'll explain when you come in to get Rush a tune up," Dr. Light replied.  "What do you have to report?"

"One Robot Master down," Mega Man replied.  "Burst Man has been terminated.  Seeking out the next Robot Master."

"Alright," Dr. Light replied.  "Good luck!"
> 7: Scoop of the Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Suggested Listening)

As Mega Man raced down the road, he was startled to see it change, taking on a rainbow hue as it shot upwards into the sky, taking crazy loops as he clung tight to Rush.  Much to his surprise, Rush's wheels flipped on their sides and glowed, anchoring himself to the road as it proceeded to do movements that no understanding of physics could ever accept.  He'd noticed the music change, even if his perception of his appearance and Rush's hadn't.  Obviously, his cassette wasn't the only one that could alter reality around him, and the others apparently had priority over his.

Hearing an unusual whirring sound, he glanced upwards, expecting to see Wily's saucer incoming.  Instead, he saw the ground far above him and the bottom of a cloud.  Riding the cloud upside down was an orange and purple figure with several sparking orbs floating in a circle behind him, his armored form having taken on the appearance of a turtle shell.  In one hand, he held a sphere in which various icons swirled.  In his other, he held a fishing rod.  "You started the race early!" he proclaimed tauntingly.  "I'm going to have to penalize you for that.  What a scoop, 'Blue Bomber Caught Cheating in Grand Prix'!  Time to take you back to start!"

With that, Cloud Man swooped down - Mega Man told himself fervently that it was down relative to himself and that was all that mattered - with fishing rod outstretched, attempting to snag him with the empty hook.  Mega Man swerved Rush to the left to avoid it, only to bank right as he nearly went off the track.  "Going to have to try harder than that!" Mega Man called out.

"Oh, but I can!" Cloud Man shouted back, the sphere in his hand spinning with a sound like a video game's roulette wheel.  When it dinged loudly, he hurled out...a large green shell.

Reacting quickly, Mega Man steered Rush off the track and onto another loop, everything finally becoming familiar.  "You'll have to do better than that!" he called back.  "Vinyl never could beat me at these games!"

"She had to rely on luck!" Cloud Man called out, his sphere now providing a Red Shell which homed in on Mega Man.

"And I'm not bound by the rules!"  With that shout, Mega Man leapt off of Rush.  Rush, for his part, spun on the track and caught the incoming red shell in his teeth, crushing it in his jaws as he spun back around for Mega Man to land on him, once more shooting down the track.

"You think you can beat me at my own game?" Cloud Man roared out, hurling several black bombs with faces straight at Mega Man.

Smirking, Mega Man spun around in a wheelie, firing off the Danger Wrap to catch the bombs in them.  The speed they were travelling in caused Cloud Man to slam into the bombs before he could course correct.  Since Mega Man maintained his speed, he was able to gain a major lead to plan out his next move.

"You will not make a mockery of me!" Cloud Man roared out, lifting his hands on calling down bolts of lightning from the sky.  "I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

Staring up at the sky, Mega Man did the only thing he could think of.  Shooting ahead, he found an area where the track was upside down, drove up into the loop, and stopped, trusting to Rush to keep him there.  The bolts of lightning rained down, but they only hit the track.  Mega Man took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.  "You missed!" he shouted out, grinning ear to ear.

Cloud Man laughed maniacally.  "You really think that's all it takes to beat me?  Arrogant fool!"  Pulling back the sphere hand, he clutched a spiky blue shell.  "You've just activated my Trap Card!"  Aiming straight up, he hurled it right at Mega Man.

Eyes wide, Mega Man did the first thing that came to mind.  Holding the charge for the Danger Wrap, he let the bomb drop out of the bubble...and let go of Rush.

Cloud Man cheered with joy as he witnessed the massive blue explosion, certain now of his victory.  "You should know better than to try and win a race against the referee!" he squealed out, bouncing back and forth in a crazed dance of glee.

"And you shouldn't gloat before the fight is over!" Mega Man called out as he dropped out of the explosion and smoke, somewhat singed but otherwise in good health.  "You just activated my Alucard!"  As he said that, he landed foot first on Cloud Man's head, kicking him right off his cloud and to the track below, where Rush - once more in dog form, but looking much wilder - lunged in and clamped his jaws down on Cloud Man's head, shaking him back and forth like he was worrying a bone.

As Mega Man flipped, he remembered how close it had come.  Had the blue shell hit him dead on, the point-focus of the explosion would have obliterated him.  However, since he dropped the bomb above him, it hit the shell first, protecting him much from most of the blast.  The cover had been all he needed to get the drop on Cloud Man...literally.  Coming down, he signaled Rush, who released Cloud Man just in time for Mega Man to land on Cloud Man's back with both feet.

Much to Mega Man's surprise, a much smaller Cloud Man shot out of the head hole of the turtle shell he appeared to be wearing.  Landing behind the shell, Mega Man grinned as he gave it a hard kick.  The shell slammed into Cloud Man, causing both to explode violently.

As Mega Man climbed onto Rush Cycle once more, the road turned back towards the ground as an ethereal image of Cloud Man fused with him, adding gold to his blue armor as a lightning bolt appeared on his chest, signaling he'd acquired the Thunder Bolt.  Powering up Rush's engine, he shot back down to ground level to hunt his next opponent.
> 7: Error Message
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Suggested Listening)

As new music once more overrode the world around him, Mega Man prepared himself for the world to change.  He gripped Rush's handlebars tight and kept his eyes peeled, staring as the road and buildings around him rose and shifted as the mystical sounds altered perceptions of reality.

As Mega Man's sensors attempted to make sense of what he was seeing, he was forced to close his eyes as every internal system started giving errors.  He quickly went through the error messages, trying to figure out which systems were causing problems so he could open his eyes without crashing.  Eventually, he found the systems in question, and deactivated them in an attempt to adjust to the new perception of reality.  His internal gyroscope, his radar and sonar systems, and his GPS.  While doing so made him nervous, he promised himself he wouldn't let go of Rush and rely on him to keep him safe.  With that done, he opened his eyes.

To say that the world around him made no sense was the greatest understatement Mega Man could ever think.  The road swirled, twisted, dove, rose, and tied itself in knots in, over, around, and through the various buildings, which seemed to blend together in such a way that Mega Man couldn't even tell which way was the sky.  Somehow, he could look down towards the ground and see the top of buildings.  It was like looking at what M.C. Escher would have drawn if he was high and listening to Yakety Sax.  He could see various robots racing in and out of buildings, but they seemed just as lost and confused as he was beginning to feel.  One Mettool raced into a doorway, only to come spinning on its helmet out of another on the opposite side of the city and on the underside of the road.

Mega Man stared at the scene for a time, making sure Rush was idling and not about to go through any of the doorways accidentally.  "...I'm not going to try to make sense of this," he stated finally.  "There's no fun in suffering processor meltdown."

"I am Junk Man!" a nearby crimson and gold motorcycle shouted out as it drove up.  "And there is no fun in making sense!"

Mega Man turned to stare.  As he did, the motorcycle emitted an unusual sound as it began to unfold into a robot that Mega Man assumed was Junk Man, though it didn't look like one of Wily or Vinyl's usual designs.  It's body was crimson and gold, standing tall, though the various parts seemed somewhat mismatched and barely held together despite the color matching.  A spike extended from each shoulder, each elbow, and each knee, and the front wheel of the motorcycle had become a shield on his arm, covered in spikes.  It also wore a crimson helm.  "Uhh..." Mega Man greeted nervously.

"I am Junk Man!" the robot greeted happily, a large grin on its face.  "And I exist to do battle with Mega Man!"  He blinked for a time.  "Umm...what's a Mega Man?  Have you seen one around here?"

Mega Man hesitated.  As he stared at the robot for a time, he realized he could very easily claim that any one of a number of the robots around him was 'a Mega Man', and end this conflict - with this Robot Master at least - without violence.  Several things stopped him, however.  First, he could tell this had Vinyl's hoof in things, and after all the effort she went to for this, he knew she'd be terribly disappointed in him if he pulled something like that.  Second, he wasn't entirely sure how to get out of the altered cityscape.  But the biggest issue he came across was an unwillingness to take advantage of Junk Man, however stupid he apparently was.

"Having trouble sighting a Mega Man?" Junk Man asked.  "I know what you mean.  Ever since my music tape changed the world around us, I've been having trouble figuring out how to get around too.  But Vinyl says the only way it'll stop is if I'm shut down-"

"I'm Mega Man!"  That last tidbit of information decided Mega Man's confusion.  If he wanted out, he had to win the fight.  He was not looking forward to driving around and hunting a Robot Master in the insane maze, however.

Junk Man's eyes lit up.  "I am Junk Man, and I exist to do battle with you!  Now we race through this area in an attempt to smash each other without getting lost..."  Junk Man stared out at the crazy architecture.  "Umm...I'm not entirely sure that's possible.  I get the feeling we'd spend half the time trying to figure out where we are in relation to each other.  Somehow I don't think combat that's half 'Marco-Polo' is very exciting..."

"Probably not," Mega Man agreed.  "You're smarter than I gave you credit for."

Junk Man grinned widely.  "I am Junk Man, and I am smarter than I was given credit for!"  He posed proudly, hands clenched in fists on his hips as he pulled a graduation cap out of his chest and placed it on his head.

"...okay, you're still half stupid," Mega Man replied with a chuckle.

"I am Junk Man, and I dare to be half-stupid!" Junk Man proclaimed.  Reaching into his chest compartment, he pulled out a giant pair of scissors, pulling them apart at the joint.  "I will run with half a scissor!"  With that, he rounded on Mega Man, wielding his half-scissor like a sword.

Mega Man yelped as he leapt back, landing on Rush and racing off to get some distance.  Junk Man charged in pursuit, shifting back into motorcycle form while keeping his sword arm out.  "How am I supposed to fight here?" Mega Man demanded as he tried to shoot back at Junk Man, only for the wheel to once more turn sideways like a shield and deflect the blasts.  "I brought a gun to a sword fight!"

A hawk's hunting cry cut the air, and Beat swooped in, a sword clutched in his talons.  Diving low, he dropped it to Mega Man, who caught it in one hand.  Spinning Rush around, he reached up and unsheathed the sword, the blade glittering with plasma energy.

With a wide grin, Mega Man revved Rush's engine.  "Let's d-"  He paused, remembering Junk Man's tendency to react to things literally.  "Time for sword chicken!"

"I am Junk Man!" Junk Man called back as he charged forward.  "And I-"

Rush roared forward, and the swords flashed.

"...really should have kept my sword on the correct side for that," Junk Man finished as he fell apart.

Mega Man turned, ready to claim victory...only to notice the world not changing perceptive states.  To his surprise, an electrical field inside Junk Man started to pull his parts back together.  Thinking quickly, he switched to Thunder Bolt and fired several shots into Junk Man's parts.

"I am...no longer Junk Man!" Junk Man called out as his body exploded, the world shifting back to normal as his ethereal impression flowed into Mega Man, the shield symbol appearing on his chest as he drove off.

"I hope the next one won't make things so...crazy," Mega Man mumbled worriedly.
> 7: Fire and Ice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Music plays)

As new music filled the air, Mega Man knew he was coming up on another of the Robot Masters.  Recognizing the song as it started, he expected to see a blazing field and a fire themed robot master.  Instead, he found himself driving down a straight road through a frozen landscape as howling winds blew snow across his view.  Polar bears and arctic wolves were visible in the distance, watching and waiting.  Penguin bots slid along ice floes on their bellies, and a single curl of fire smoke rose to the sky from in front of an igloo.

As he stared around in confusion, a roar tore through the air, and a huge white wolf leapt onto the road, racing alongside Rush.  On the wolf's back, Freeze Man stared down at Mega Man, his arms crossed over his chest.  Like the others, he too had changed.  His body had become even slimmer, his torso coated in a dark blue paint like a jacket, with Vinyl's symbol - the upside down horseshoe illuminated with a waving sound light - in the center of his chest.  Instead of ice on his joints, there were spikes of ice along the outside of his arms, and one on either side of his head, which was now slicked back in an aerodynamic manner, completely bare.  His eyes were dark pits in his face.

He stared down at Mega Man.  Mega Man stared back.  They remained locked in that tableau as they raced down the road, only the music and the wind giving life to the scene.  In the distance, the wolves howled.  For a frozen moment, the music stopped.

Mega Man's eyes hardened.

Freeze Man's eyes glinted.

As the music picked up again, Mega Man drew the sword Beat had given him.  In the same breath, Freeze Man conjured a sword of ice around his arm.  The blades clashed between them as Rush took control of the driving, leaving Mega Man free to focus on the duel.

Holding his sword in both hands, Mega Man swung with all his might, trying to slash through the ice so he could strike at Freeze Man directly.  With every strike, however, the ice sword thickened, sealing off the damage each successive blow did.  Freeze Man, for his part, fought a purely defensive battle, watching Mega Man's moves and countering them, not actually striking back.

As Mega Man paused his assault to rethink his strategy, Freeze Man went on the offensive.  Crafting a second sword around his other arm, he swung both in rapid succession, forcing Mega Man to block the incoming strikes desperately.  One swing he was forced to evade sheared right through the road, showing him just how sharp the ice was.

As Rush swung outward on the road, Mega Man was relieved to see that Freeze Man was giving him the breathing space.  Noticing the difference in height the giant wolf was giving Freeze Man, he decided on a desperate gamble.  "Rush, keep the balance."  With that said, he leapt upward, bracing his feet on Rush's seat.  Rush looked startled, but carefully balanced himself as he swerved back to the middle of the road.

Freeze Man stared noncommittally, not even seeming amused.  He merely raised his swords of ice to deliver more strikes.  Mega Man pulled his sword back, his new position allowing him to put more force behind the blows.  However, the ice of the blades still proved too thick to shear through in a single swing, and by the time he reached the next swing, the sword had already repaired the damage with new ice.  He could tell he would need a new strategy.

As he leaned back, he noticed that while the blade part of the ice swords was thick and hard to cut through, the ice around Freeze Man's own arms was thinner, to allow for more flexibility for swinging.  A desperate gamble came to mind.

This is going to hurt... Mega Man grumbled.  Taking the sword in his right hand, he switched to Junk Shield.  As the next blade came towards him, he didn't block.  Focusing the junk shield around his body, he took the blow.  He gritted his teeth as the blade sank into his left shoulder part way and stuck there.  Before Freeze Man could react, he spun his whole body to add impetus to the swing of his blade, shearing right through Freeze Man's wrist, taking both hand and blade with it.

Freeze Man rocked back, staring in confusion at his missing hand, his other blade raised defensively.  Acting quickly, Mega Man took his sword in both hands and brought an overhand chop down on the remaining wrist.  Despite servo damage, he succeeded in shearing through, leaving Freeze Man with two stumps.

Before Mega Man could strike again, his left arm hung limp, the hand clutched around the hilt of the sword.  Thinking quickly, he ripped the ice sword stuck in his shoulder out, reversed it, and drove it into Freeze Man's chest, right above the symbol.  Falling back onto Rush, he clung tightly, setting out the Junk Shield to protect them both from what part of him was certain was about to happen.

As he'd expected, Freeze Man exploded violently, a wave of ice blasting across the entire landscape, tearing it apart with the sheer force of it.  Junk Shield burnt out just trying to protect Mega Man and Rush from the force of it.  They both went flipping through the air like leaves on the wind.  Desperately, Rush shifted to Jet mode to catch Mega Man as they came down, making their way back to land before shifting back to Cycle.

A silhouette of Freeze Man flowed through the air to Mega Man, infusing him.  His shoulder repaired itself as his armor turned a pale blue, a snowflake appearing upon his chest.  A similar image of the wolf flowed into Rush, and he let out a deep growl as his entire body glowed, a new function unlocked.

Mega Man let out a sigh of relief as he kept going forward, hoping he was ready for whatever came next.
> 7: Catch Me if you Can
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Music plays)

As the new music filled the air, Mega Man knew he'd found his way to where another Robot Master was causing problems.  However, he knew he recognized the music, and couldn't for the life of him figure out what sort of Robot Master had been sent after him this time.  Leaning back on Rush to loosen up, he kept his eyes open on his surroundings as he relaxed, trying to be ready for anything.

The ground lifted and sloped, rolling hills covered in grass forming around Mega Man as stars shot across the sky.  In the distance, he could see what he could only describe as Poke-bots racing around, frolicking and watching him as he passed by.  At one point, a Rapidash shaped bot raced alongside the road - but never setting foot on it - just to race Rush.  After a time, it peeled away, leaving Mega Man even more confused about the situation.

A loud snarl drew his attention, and he turned just in time to see his opponent leap onto the road to race beside him.  Slash Man's body had become far more streamlined, with a narrow waist, long bulky arms and sturdy legs.  His entire body was now covered in a pattern of silver, green, and red.  His face was a literal war mask with a wide grin, dread-like spikes growing from the back of his head.  His arms now ended in massive claws that lightly dragged along the ground as he raced along on foot, having eschewed motorcycle but still managing to easily keep up with Rush.  As he caught sight of Mega Man, he grinned widely, lifting his massive claws.

"Slash!  Slash!  Man...SLASH!"

As he proclaimed his war cry, he lunged in, attempting to shred Rush in a single blow.  Rush barely dodged out of the way, and Mega Man managed to deflect the part of the strike aimed at him at the last moment.  He quickly steered Rush as far away from Slash Man as the road would allow, but the hostile robot continued to pursue, forcing a great deal of evasive maneuvers while Mega Man took a shot every time he thought he could spare a moment to do so.  He quickly realized the major difference between this opponent and all others.  His previous foes gave him time to think and plan out his strategy, finding ways around their patterns.  Slash Man gave him no such time, lunging in to attack ferociously without a moment of breathing space.

After a time, Slash Man dashed away, pulling ahead of Mega Man and Rush, giving Mega Man that bit of breathing space he was hoping for.  He kept his eyes on Slash Man, trying to determine good timing to take a shot, and glad he hadn't taken too much damage so far during this battle.  Even if his energy was restored after each battle, the marathon of matches was beginning to take its toll.  Blinking away his mental exhaustion, he missed Slash Man sweeping his claws along a dirt patch of a nearby hill, creating a cloud of sand to block Mega Man's vision.

Desperately, he covered his eyes, hoping he could just steer straight and stay safe.  "I can't believe I didn't see a Sand Attack coming," he grumbled under his breath before spitting some of the sand out of his mouth.  He began to give serious consideration to making use of the new Adaptor function Rush had acquired, since specs showed it being able to fly, and an aerial assault would have an advantage over the ground bound Slash Man.  Besides, he thought to himself, Ground is weak against Flying.  He chuckled to himself at making that comparison, but eventually discarded the idea of using the Adapter.  For one thing, knowing Vinyl, Slash Man would probably have some way to counter it, or it wouldn't properly work until an appropriately dramatic moment.

As he was plotting, he heard the sound of something wet and sticky striking the ground.  Before he could react, Rush's wheels became snarled in something, and he was thrown off and to the road.  As the sand cloud cleared, Mega Man could see that Rush was stuck in some sort of red goop, and Slash Man could be seen nearby, red dripping from his mouth as he leaned over, looking like he was about to pounce.  While Mega Man knew the red was just residue from apparently spitting out a sticky trap, the sight of a crouching predator with red dripping from its mouth set off a whole host of bad thoughts in his head.  No more horror movies... he promised himself.

"SLASH!"  With a loud cry, Slash Man threw himself forward, pouncing on Mega Man.  Mega Man desperately rolled side to side, trying to avoid being torn to shreds as Slash Man swiped at him repeatedly with his claws.  As he evaded the best he could, managing to only take a few hits instead of dozens, his mind raced, trying to think of a way to beat Slash Man, or at least slow him down.

Wait a minute... he paused as a thought occurred to him.  Quickly switching weapons, he leveled the Freeze Cracker at Slash Man and pulled the trigger.

Slash Man quickly dodged the first shot, letting Mega Man get to his feet.  "That's right!" Mega Man called out with a wide grin.  "Ice is super effective against Ground, too!"  Turning, he took aim and fired...at the hill behind Slash Man.

Knowing the blast wouldn't hit him, Slash Man turned to follow the shot, only for the blast to burst apart on impact with the hill, one of the smaller chunks catching Slash Man on one leg.  "Slash!" he screamed out, trying to scrape the ice off his leg.

Seizing his opportunity, Mega Man lunged in, getting behind Slash Man and wrapping his arms up under his opponent's, catching him near the shoulders.  Trusting to his opponent's larger size, he bent himself backward, slamming Slash Man's head into the ground before flipping away, firing off several Freeze Crackers as Slash Man struggled to get back to his feet.

Slash Man roared in frustration against the ice coating his body, managing to shake most of it off.  He then lunged for Rush...only to find the canine cycle had been freed from his sticky situation when a shard of ice had frozen the goo, allowing him to break free.  Rush caught the attacking clawed hand in his mouth and held firm, putting his wheels in reverse to drag Slash Man against himself.  Slash Man raised his other arm to smite the frustrating canine.

Mega Man acted quickly, rushing up from behind Rush and firing his last two Freeze Cracker shots.  The first hit Slash Man's attacking arm, weighing it down too heavily for Slash Man to swing it.  The second hit Slash Man on his neck, freezing it solid.  Racing up Rush's back, Mega Man threw himself into a flying kick, striking Slash Man right on the point of his chin.  Between the force of the blow and the frozen neck, when Slash Man's head snapped up in response his servos and circuits sparked and snapped, his head coming clean off from the blow.

Reaching to his belt, Mega Man pulled out a Pokeball that he was pretty certain was an artifact of the music magic, since he hadn't had it a moment ago.  Hurling it, he watched as it absorbed Slash Man.  As it flew back to him, he caught it and embedded it into his chest, causing his colors to change to green and red and a blade symbol to appear on his chest.  Lunging onto Rush, he reared him into a wheelie as the hound howled, racing off into the sunset.
> 7: Maniac
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Music plays)(Loop suggested)

As new music once again filled Mega Man's world, he braced himself for however the world around him would change this time.  He'd been through dark cities, over the rainbow, inside an Escher print, through snowy fields, and rolling hills filled with Pokemon of all things.  He was pretty sure he was ready for anything.

He was mistaken.

Before his very eyes, the reality of the world around him seemed to slip away, resulting in a more...the only way he could think to describe it was 'cartoonish'...appearance.  Everything looked like it had been drawn to suggest a feature, rather than a drawing of an actual feature.  In the distance, he could see various creatures that certainly weren't real cavorting in an orgy of cartoonish violence.  He shook his head as he could have sworn he caught sight of, amongst other things, a rabbit and a duck arguing with a hunter over who was supposed to get shot, a psychiatrist running from what looked like tiny beagle people, and an exploding school.

"What the censored?" he demanded, only to pull back in surprise when his curse word was censored.  "Seriously, Vinyl?  After the Wub Masters, we're censoring swear words?"

"What'sa matter?" a high pitched voice called out.  "Not...wacky enough?"

Spinning, Mega Man caught sight of an exceptionally cartoonish looking motorcycle revving over a hill, holding air for an unreasonably long period of time.  So unreasonably long, in fact, that the robot atop the cycle pulled out a comb to fix his non-existent hair before it finally landed on the road.  The motorcycle was two wheels, a seat, an incongruously large engine, and a miniature fire breathing dragon on the front with the hiccups...and nothing visibly connecting the various parts to explain how it was able to run.

Unlike the cartoonish nature of everything around him, the Robot himself was oddly realistic.  Spring Man's body was now far more robust and squat, with heavy gauntlets at the end of each of his spring arms and heavy greaves at the end of his spring legs.  Diodes and blinking lights covered the pink armored portions of his body, and his spring-shaped head was now surmounted by a pair of glowing green eyes, which seemed to be made of flames.

"Try me on for size then, ehe!  Ehe!  Ehe!"  With a very disconcerting laugh, Spring Man launched out one gauntlet on the spring arm, attempting to grab hold of Mega Man with the clawed digits at the end.  Mega Man barely managed to duck, only to be forced to leap off Rush as the arm came back dragging a large boulder, only to smash it against another hill.

As Mega Man landed back on Rush's back, he swerved away along the road to get some distance.  Turning, he opened fire on Spring Man, only to growl in frustration as the Robot Master twisted and contorted in cartoonish fashion so each and every shot sailed past him harmlessly.  He could tell that he wasn't going to be able to take Spring Man down easily.

He turned back to focus on the road and gather his thoughts, trying to plan a way to take Spring Man down.  Logic told him that Slash Claw would be his weakness, but in all likelihood he wouldn't be able to actually hit Spring Man with a Melee weapon like that unless he got him to stop moving.  It was time to try some of his other weapons.

Turning back, he saw Spring Man had vanished.  Acting on instinct, he ducked just before the 'surprise' attack from directly ahead would have taken his head off.  "Look who's savvy!  Ehe, ehe, ehe!"

Growling, Mega Man switched through his weapons.  He's made of metal, so maybe...  Switching to Thunder Coil, he turned and fired.

Spring Man giggled as the lightning passed harmlessly along his metal body, from one arm to the other.  "Ooh...tingly!"

Gritting his teeth, Mega Man tried Danger Wrap, thinking he could either trap Spring Man or at least rust him.  Unfortunately, Spring Man simply smacked the bomb in the bubble away, getting only harmlessly wet.  "Beee!" Spring Man proclaimed, sticking a tongue out that Mega Man chose not to think on the origin point of, considering he lacked a mouth.

With how sharp Spring Man's claws were and how easily he could dodge around, he knew he didn't dare close enough to try Junk Shield, so all that was left was Freeze Cracker.  The problem was hitting him enough to do enough damage.  Mega Man leaned back on Rush as Spring Man once more tried to grab him, water drops flicking off the spring arm as it passed him by...

Before Mega Man had fully thought his way through the plan, he'd switched to Freeze Cracker and grabbed the extended arm, releasing the weapon through his hands rather than his buster.  As the metal froze, he switched to Slash Claw, splitting the spring down the middle and leaving the gauntlet to tumble on the road and explode.

"Owie!" Spring Man complained as the stub arm retracted.  "That hurt!"

Quickly, Mega Man pulled just ahead of Spring Man and released his full load of Danger Wrap, releasing only the bubbles without the bombs.  Unable to dodge in time with only one arm, Spring Man was quickly soaked.  Pulling back alongside, Mega Man aimed his next Freeze Cracker shot...at Spring Man's cycle.

As he'd planned, the initial impact froze the cycle, and the splitting ice shards froze Spring Man.  "S-s-s-so c-c-c-c-c-cold-dd-d-d!" he stammered out.

Lunging in, Mega Man switched to Slash Claw.  Adopting Slash Man's attack style, he began an unrelenting assault, rapidly depleting his weapon energy as he tore Spring Man apart.  Kicking off a hill as it turned back to normal, he landed back on Rush's back as Spring Man's head landed on his own like a helmet, absorbing into him as he acquired the weapon program.

"That was fucking crazy..." Mega Man grumbled, pleased to find he could swear uncensored again as the music changed back to his own for the moment.
> 7: Mitternacht
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Music plays)

As Mega Man drove and he heard the new music, he felt a chill run down his spine.  He glanced around worriedly, wondering what would happen...and gasped as the sun literally dropped below the horizon.  A Blood Moon rose to zenith as the world was plunged into night, not a single star shining.  The flaps and screeches of innumerable bats filled the air, and a wolf-like howl echoed from the distant hills.  He clung tight to Rush, trying to calm himself down.

Take it easy, Rock, he thought to himself as Rush turned on his high beams.  It's just an effect.  There aren't any real vampires, werewolves, or mummies out there.  It's just a world drop for the Robot Master...who will probably fit right into this setting somehow-

A figure seemed to materialize in Rush's high beams as it lunged forward, striking Rush hard on the side of his head, causing the cycle to careen out of control and off the road.  Mega Man barely held on as he struggled to keep from crashing, finally pulling the cycle to a halt.  He then took a few breaths as he called up the memory file, taking the time to analyze the figure he'd seen.

It was definitely robotic, with how the bone white claws of its hand had clanged against Rush, but it had looked far more organic than any other Robot Master Vinyl or Wily had made.  The dark purple figure had been hunched over on the road, crimson wings furled on its back.  A long, whip like tail ended in a narrow spade-shaped blade which had, indeed, gouged Mega Man's left arm without him realizing it.  His right hand went to the injury as he continued his review.

There had been three blue gems catching the light, one at each of the creature's ankles and one in the center of its emaciated torso.  Its neck was long, with a truly demonic looking visage on its head.  The eyes were sunken beneath a bone white mask, glimmering yellow like gimlets.  Two horns rose up from its head, with large bat ears on either side of its head...and acidic saliva dripping from its fang-filled maw.

"That's 20, 20 seconds you cannot spare!" a grim voice echoed through the air.  Mega Man lunged to the side, kicking Rush away as Shade Man slammed into the space they had just occupied.  He winced as he felt that bladed tail slash his back.  "A ha ha!"  Lightning flashed in response to Shade Man's laugh, illuminating him ever so briefly.

"Rush, run!" Mega Man snapped out as he got to his feet, drawing his sword rather than his buster, since he couldn't see Shade Man clearly enough for ranged attacks.  Immediately obedient, Rush reverted to canine form and raced away, seeking a place to hide.  Before Mega Man could plan anything more, he heard another flurry of movement, followed by a startled whimpering yelp.  "RUSH!"

"That's one, one combatant down!" Shade Man proclaimed.  "A ha ha..."

"What'd you do to my dog?" Mega Man demanded angrily, rushing towards the voice, only to get backwinged against a large boulder.

"It's your own fault," Shade Man replied.  "In a situation like this...you split up?  That's one, one trope you shouldn't have followed!  A ha ha..."

Mega Man growled deep in his throat.  Shade Man was pissing him off.  He needed some way to counteract Shade Man's advantage of darkness, especially since his alternate vision modes didn't work in this altered reality state.

Hearing something, he quickly lunged to the side, rolling.  A loud impact struck the ground nearby, and he heard the lash of that tail striking stone.

"That's one, one of my attacks you've dodged!  A ha ha..."

As the lightning flashed again, Mega Man managed to get a look at Rush.  He wasn't as damaged as he'd feared.  His primary power core had just been extracted from his chest compartment.  Given Rush's modular design for all his various forms, he was actually designed for such a thing, so all Mega Man would have to do to fix him would be stick the power core back in.  His systems would take care of the rest.

An idea began to occur to Mega Man.  He needed light, and the lightning from Shade Man's laughs only provided him with a brief flash.  Switching to Thunder Coil, he fired off several shots straight up into the clouds he now realized were gathered there.

"That' 20, 20 wasted shots that didn't even come near me!" Shade Man laughed.  "A ha-yipe!"  The lightning that flashed in response to his laugh was far brighter and continued to flash rapidly, a direct result of the extra charge Mega Man had filled the clouds with.

Having a clear sight of Shade Man, Mega Man acted on the rest of his plan.  Lunging in, he froze Shade Man's tail tip with a Freeze Cracker shot before using Junk Shield to smash it to bits.

Shade Man flapped away as the charge of the clouds returned to normal.  "Hmm...a clever assault...however, that was only two!  Two damage you managed to do to me!  A ha ha!"

As the lightning flashed again, Mega Man smirked.  Shade Man hadn't noticed the actual goal of his attack.  He knew none of those three weapons would be the Robot's weakness, and would do minimal damage.  He'd accomplished what he wanted.  Switching to Wild Coil, he began to charge it up, both in his limbs and his sword.  "Your next attack will be your last!" he called out, keeping his eyes open.

Shade Man smirked.  "I think not, Mega Man.  I think my next attack...will be the last you see.  That's one, one of us who is grossly overconfident!  A ha ha!"  As lightning flashed again, Shade Man swooped through the clouds, looping around before diving in for an attack.

Just before he hit, Mega Man unleashed the charge, backflipping over Shade Man before coming down, cutting his wings off before reversing the sword, driving it through Shade Man's chest, right through the central blue gem from behind.

Shade Man froze, feeling his energy rapidly drop.  "One of us...was indeed...overconfident...how did you...track me?"

Smirking, Mega Man lifted up Shade Man's tail, showing him how the blade had been destroyed, leaving a sparking tip.

Shade Man stared at it for a time.  "Well...that's one!  One on me!  A...ha...ha!"  With his last laugh, lightning struck him, causing him to explode, his ethereal form bonding with Mega Man, granting him the Noise Crush weapon.

Sighing in relief, Mega Man walked over and restored Rush.  "That's seven!  Seven Robot Masters down!  A ha-"  He cut himself off.  "Dammit, they're rubbing off on me!"  With that said, Mega Man clambered back onto the Rush Cycle, riding off into the sunrise, hoping the next Robot Master wouldn't be as terrifying.
> 7: Out of Control
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Music plays)

As a new tune once more overtook the world, Mega Man found himself and Rush shot straight out of the world, somehow taking a road up to a space station, spinning in the star filled sky.  The new space station was manned entirely by robots, and each and every one in sight had been warped to become monstrous, jaws gnashing to reveal sharp teeth and crimson tongues, even as they smashed against the doors that sealed them in.  The only open path proved to be a looping track around the station, and only the highest speed allowed Mega Man to stay against the road rather than falling away towards the station's artificial gravity, or towards the planet below.  The centrifugal force was aided only by a mild electrical charge along the road itself.

Mega Man steeled himself as Rush took a few laps around the path, staring up at the station and waiting for his opponent to arrive.  He was glad the space station kept some sort of atmosphere around it reaching as far as the track, so he'd at least hear his opponent coming-

Rush veered to the side as balls of flame shot down, nearly engulfing the pair.  Turning around, mega Man saw Turbo Man, his now fire red body more streamlined, riding a silent motorcycle, hurling balls of flame that orbited him on command.  Mega Man cursed his overconfidence, as his opponent had used the sounds of Rush running to conceal his own approach, and he was now forced to dodge back and forth to evade the flames coming at him.

Deciding to address one problem at a time, Mega Man switched to Freeze Cracker, aiming back to try and hit Turbo Man.  He didn't expect it to do too much damage to the Robot Master or his vehicle, but he wasn't actually trying to.  As he'd hoped, the blast shattered against the cycle, icing the handles over even as the shards extinguished the flames that Turbo Man had generated so far.

Much to Mega Man's frustration, however, Turbo Man seemed unfazed by his flames being extinguished, as he simply started firing off more and more as he generated them.  The only difference was that he no longer had a protective shield of flames surrounding him as he attacked, though that was slowly being corrected.

Mega Man cursed under his breath.  There was no way he could outlast Turbo Man's weapon energy.  Since his systems were designed around it, he wouldn't run out.  Mega Man, unfortunately, only had so many shots of Freeze Cracker before he had to replenish, and he didn't have any Weapon Energy Tanks on him.  He needed more breathing room to formulate a plan.

Staring down at the road ahead of him, he watched the shadows on the electrified path to see where the fireballs were flying, doing his best to avoid them as they came down.  This proved rather effective, as the space station they were racing around was very bright, casting shadows even against the electricity of the road.

Eventually, that tidbit of information clicked in Mega Man's tactical centers, and he decided to try a new way to gain time to work up a plan.  Turning, he switched to Thunder Bolt, tweaking the charge so it was the same as that running through the road, and fired it at Turbo Man's cycle.  As he'd hoped, the matching charges resulted in the cycle being rapidly propelled away from the road, as well as sending a shock through Turbo Man.

His glee at the advantage was short lived, however, as the loud roar of an engine cut through the star filled air.  Turbo Man raced up, now a crimson race car with flames running along his front and sides and trailing fire from his wheels.  He zoomed up, nearly hitting Rush before leaving a trail of fire cutting them off.

Unable to react in time, Mega Man and Rush rolled right into the fire.  Not only did the fire inflict damage to both of them, it slowed Rush down and broke the electrical charge locking him onto the road.  Unable to stop, Mega Man found himself and Rush floating off into space, slowly rotating.

Taking the moments of peace this granted him, Mega Man turned his sensors up, trying to figure out what went wrong with his plan to put Turbo Man in this position.  Seeing Turbo Man zip by underneath him, he did a deep scan...and discovered that Turbo Man was drawing power from the electrified road, giving him the same charge and letting him link to the road as part of it, giving off a much stronger charge than the road.

As Turbo Man raced around the tracks again, Mega Man swallowed convulsively as a frankly insane plan formed in his mind.  "Are you ready, Rush?" he asked.  "This is going to hurt..."

Rush tensed himself, then nodded.  Leveling his buster, Mega Man fired an opposite charge of Thunder Bolt into Rush, causing him to be dragged back to the road, where he raced along ahead of Turbo Man, drawing attention.

Mega Man then prepared the next stage of the plan.  Charging Noise Crush into one buster, he held a charge of the opposite Thunder Bolt in the other, holding it towards the road, the opposite charges dragging him straight into Turbo Man, bringing his other buster down into the canopy of Turbo Man's car form, releasing the fully charged Noise Crush into his internal systems.

Turbo Man reared, spinning wildly as he fell out of his car form, rolling across the road as Mega Man leapt free, landing on Rush as he wheeled around, once more drawing his sword.  Turbo Man rose to his feet, gathering his strength to counter attack...but the blade sheared through his neck, and he erupted in an explosion that disrupted the highway, causing it to float away from the station, Mega Man and Rush at one end as the road uncurled, stretching out straight ahead as it fell towards the Earth below.

As Turbo Man's ethereal impression infused Mega Man, he felt eyes on him from behind as another engine roared, and the music changed again.
> 7: Final Crush
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Music plays)

Turning, Mega Man saw the figure that had approached.  Much like every other robot, Bass had changed in appearance from the music.  Armor now only covered both lower arms, both legs below the knees, and the larger helmet on his head.  The armor was black and gold, and the rest of his body was covered by a black bodysuit, with a circular button-like protrusion in the center of his chest, marked with a 'V' superimposed over a 'W'.  A brown cloak was wrapped around his shoulders and hanging over his body.  Treble was also different.  Though he was in cycle mode, much like Rush, the face portion at the front seemed somehow...corrupted, as though it were constructed of endless chunks of data stuck together.  The eyes glowed red, and white light formed within the mouth of the beast.

Mega Man and Bass stared at each other for a time as the highway in space slowly sank towards the Earth, the engines of their Support Unit Cycles revving in eagerness for the finality of this confrontation.  It was plain that there would be no holds barred once this began...and both were waiting for the perfect signal to start.

Behind them, the edge of the highway entered the outer envelope of Earth's atmosphere, and began to crumble from the strain of reentry, dissolving into so much space dust.

Rush and Treble reared up with a roar, and the race was on.

As they sped along the slowly crumbling highway, Mega Man and Bass constantly maneuvered around each other, jockeying for position even as they took whatever pot shots they could manage.  However, the damage from the battle with Turbo Man had caused the highway to be less than uniform, with the occasional warp of the road forming a ramp over a large gap.  Mega Man was forced to take these ramps to leap over, though Treble was designed to be able to race along the undamaged railings at the edges of the highway.  As he rolled along those, Bass would aim his buster upwards, shooting at Mega Man even as he flew through the air.  This tactic caught Mega Man completely off guard the first time it happened, and he took a few bad hits.  Bass' overconfidence opened him up as well, however, as he stopped evading for a time to gloat, letting Mega Man get him a few times as well.

The strategy of the race quickly became plain.  Each tried to get ahead or behind enough to take a shot at the other without opening themselves to counter-fire, while still keeping an eye out for the obstacles of the highway itself, and avoiding running out of highway at either end.  While the segments behind them were crumbling to dust, the ones ahead of them weren't completely attached to each other, and a mistimed leap from one segment to the next could be just as lethal as running out of highway.

As the race continued, each of them gained an advantage at various points, putting their various abilities to good use.  The surprise of Bass' unique combat abilities was counterbalanced by Mega Man's greater experience in combat, which was in turn balanced by Bass having prepared specifically for a fight like this whereas Mega Man had been forced to wing it for the entire time.  Before long, each of their shield energies had been reduced to half, and they found themselves on the last highway segment.

Bass pulled even with Mega Man as they raced along the crumbling road to the end.  If something wasn't done, both of them would descend uncontrolled to a fiery doom in the atmosphere.  However, both had a way around that.

"Rush..." Mega Man spoke up, shifting so he was braced with both feet on his seat.

"Treble..." Bass spoke up, mirroring Mega Man's shift in position as each of them shifted to one foot on the handlebars.

"BOOST~O!" they both called out as they leapt from their cycles just as said cycles came to a halt at the edge of the road.

As Mega Man and Bass flew into space, Rush and Treble shifted back to their canine forms.  With a joined howl, each turned into ethereal impressions of themselves, flying towards their Masters.

As Rush infused Mega Man, his appearance changed.  Red armor plates appeared over his hands, clasping on in the form of gauntlets, changing his buster shot to a rocket punch.  Crimson boots took shape over his feet, rockets on the bottom giving him flight.  A red torso plate took shape around his shoulders, slamming down and extending stubby wings with matching rockets, granting him true full flight.  In a blaze of light, the blue of his body between the plates turned red, and a helmet in the shape of Rush's head slammed into place with a snarling roar.  With power fully infused, Mega Man drew his sword, taking a few sweeps at the air with it before shifting to a battle stance towards Bass, one foot forward, one back, and the blade of his sword balanced on his empty hand, outstretched.

Bass and Treble's transformation was no less flashy.  Similar boots and gauntlets covered Bass' feet and hands, but in deepest black and twilight purple, speckled here and there with the light of the stars.  Only one hand remained hand shaped, while the other became a much larger buster, wicked and gleaming in the reflected Earth light.  The torso plate extended much larger wings, each individual feather granting its own thruster for more controlled flight.  At the front of the torso plate was a glittering golden gem, shining with the light of the sun.  A wolf's head helmet snapped into place over Bass' head, wide fins spreading out to either side like wings with a blood curdling howl.  Drawing a sword from a hip holster, Bass set the blade to vibrating as sonic energy raced down the length, slashing a few times and firing off a few charged shots before posing, feet together as he faced Mega Man, sword to one side and buster on the other.

The pair stared each other down as they slowly descended into the atmosphere, letting their thrusters take the worst of the reentry so they didn't take damage from that, instead of each other.  Once they were all the way inside the atmospheric envelope and the first cloud passed by them, they lunged in, clashing swords.  The energy surrounding Mega Man's sword held the sonic energy of Bass' sword, allowing them to clash repeatedly.  As they pulled back, Bass fired off several blasts from his buster, which Mega Man was able to split and deflect with his sword before countering with a rocket punch.  Bass dropped downward to evade, and Mega Man pursued.

They clashed several more times on the way down, each trying to get an advantage on the other...but here Mega Man found an advantage in his experience.  The descent of the fifth 'trial' during the Wub Master events had prepared him for endlessly descending battles, and he could easily track how thing would change as they fell, something Bass couldn't counter.  As the fight continued, Bass was forced to lose more and more altitude to evade Mega Man's strikes.  Despite this, however, the lower they got, the more confident Bass seemed to get.  "You're good!" he called out as they entered a large canyon.  "But I'm better!"

"We'll see about that!" Mega Man roared as he launched the fist holding the sword, following up with a charge.

Bass dove down, speeding through the canyon towards the end of it.  Pausing to reequip his arms, Mega Man pursued.  However, Bass was able to fly much faster, and he was falling further and further behind.

At the edge of the canyon, Bass defused with Treble, landing on his feet and turning to face the canyon as he leveled his buster, gathering energy.  His Bassnium power core redirected all available energy into the buster as panels slid out, humming with the gathered energy as they focused it into the canyon.  He watched on his visor as the energy built up, almost ready to unleash.  He grinned widely as the energy peaked just as Mega Man came into view.  "Yo metal boy blue!" Bass called out.  "Drop it!"

(End Music)

Mega Man's eyes widened as the blast - ten feet wide - shot towards him.  Desperately, he separated from Rush, using the energy of the separation to propel both as far apart from each other as possible.  The world violently shifted back to normal as the force of the Bass Cannon disrupted the enchanted music, the canyon vanishing as the empty desert took normal shape.  The beam of blue and white sound tore through the air, seeming to rip a hole in reality, though actually only releasing a blast of focused sound energy.

As the blast faded, Bass stared at what had happened.  "I...missed?" he gasped out, stunned.  He then winced as Vinyl's voice erupted through his comms.

"How under the sun do you miss with a ten foot wide blast at less than five feet?" Vinyl's voice screeched in his ear.  "Dammit, Bass, you had one job, to finish this on a totally epic note, and you botched it!  That's it, show's over, get back here!"

Sighing, Bass beamed back up to Sky Lagoon, Treble following.

Mega Man, for his part, continued to stare at where the blast had been, and at the rocks and cacti that had been in its path, now with perfect arc cuts where it had passed.  He remembered what it had felt like the first time a blast from a Sonic Disruptor had left a perfectly circular hole through his torso.  For the first time in his life, he found himself glad he wasn't more human.

He had been designed to be able to eat, and to taste.  But his 'digestion' worked very differently from a human's.  Anything he ate entered a catalytic converter where it was broken down to its component molecular structure, before being funneled through his Variable Weapon System's energy/matter converter, the resulting energy being stored in his batteries.  As a result, there was no waste product, whether liquid or solid, and thus no systems for handling such.

He was very glad of that right now.  Had he possessed such systems, he knew what happened just a few moments ago would be far more embarrassing.
> 7-Up
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"HOW?!" Forte demanded angrily as he watched himself once more explode on his computer screen.  "How do you keep getting me like that, sis?"

"It'd help if you could hit the broad side of a barn at three feet!" Vinyl teased over the video chat, blowing Forte a raspberry as the other players laughed.

"You're really letting him have it, aren't you Vinyl?" Protoman asked with a chuckle.

"I am pleased you found these games," Typhon added.  "It is something we can compete in that is not too easy."

"And we're gonna keep playing until Forte manages to land a hit on me!" Vinyl insisted.  "I mean, seriously!  Ten foot wide beam!  Target three feet away dead center!  Funneled to your location!  How do you miss that?"

Forte groaned as he brought his face down against the desk again.  "Are you ever going to let me live that one down?" he grumbled.

Vinyl scratched her chin for a time.  "Hmm...nope!"

"Looks like you're stuck with it," Umikage taunted as he continued to maneuver his own character through the game.

"Gonna be a bone of contention for a while, huh?"

"Skull Man!" Vulcan screamed angrily.  "Enough with the puns already!"

"Can't help it," Skull Man replied easily.  "I've got a ton of them programmed into me..."

"Don't say it!" Gaius called out quickly.

"Don't you dare!" Umikage added.

"I will set you on fire!" Vulcan insisted.

"I will end you if you do!" Typhon spoke up, including his own insistence.

"I have a sonic manipulator!" Vinyl threatened.

"I have guns now!" Forte insisted.

"Like you could hit me," Skull Man countered, causing Forte to groan and the others to sigh in relief.  He then grinned widely.  "...a skele-ton."

"SKULL MAN!" they all screamed out in frustration.

At that point, Protoman got an alert.  "It looks like someone's requesting to join our game," he called out.  "Hmm...who's username is 'Blue Bomber'?"

"It's Rock!" Vinyl squealed out happily.  "Invite invite invite!"

Moments later, Rock's face appeared on the video chat.  "Hey everyone!" he greeted happily.

Various greetings rang out from everyone playing.  "You ready to get your butt kicked again?" Forte challenged.

"If you can hit him this time," Protoman teased.

"GRAAAGGGH!" Forte screamed out as he made his character charge Protoman's, only to get taken out by Vinyl's.  "Damn it!"

"Well this looks like it's going to be fun," Rock said happily, carefully guiding his character to join the game.

"Speaking of fun, how'd you like this last challenge?" Vinyl asked.  "Not too over the top, was it?"

"Oh, almost certainly," Rock confirmed.  As Vinyl's face started to fall, he grinned widely.  "And it...was...AWESOME!  I haven't had so much fun since I realized the Wub Masters were meant to prank me, and the entire trials of the Wubtress were a game you were playing with me!  I can't imagine how you intend to top it for next time!"

Vinyl chuckled nervously.  "To be honest...neither can I," she admitted.  "I've been trying to come up with a way to go even more over the top next time and make things even more awesome...and I've got nothing."

"Well, next time can you disable Forte's...I assume it's called the 'Bass Cannon'?" Rock requested.

"What?" Forte demanded.  "But that's my ultimate weapon!"

"And having experienced a sonic disruption blast through the torso, I find the idea of one that large abjectly terrifying," Rock countered firmly.

Vinyl's eyes widened.  "Oh my gosh..."  She suddenly started bowing repeatedly at the screen.  "Rock, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!  I was so focused on finally making the Bass Cannon work and making this so over the top and awesome that I completely forgot a direct hit from the Bass Cannon would vaporize you and then you'd be dead!  I'm sorry!"

The robot players stared at Vinyl for a time...and then simultaneously burst into laughter.

Vinyl glared up at them all.  "Hey!" she whined.  "I'm trying to be serious here!"

"We know, Vinyl!" Protoman gasped out through his laughs.  "It's just..."

"That was just so adorable!" Gaius squealed out.

Managing to get control of his laughter, Rock grinned widely.  "It's alright, Vinyl, I forgive you," he stated firmly.  "I know you wouldn't intentionally end our 'game' with me dying.  Not sure how you do intend to end it, though."

Vinyl sighed in relief.  "Thanks Rock...maybe disabling the Bass Cannon isn't such a bad idea."

"Hey!" Forte complained angrily.

"Or at least adding a few safeties...." Vinyl murmured thoughtfully.

"Speaking of endings, though..." Rock spoke up.  "Headshot."

"Wait, what-" Vinyl froze as she saw her character's head explode, her perfect streak in the game broken.  "You son of a bitch, I'll get you for that!" she screamed out angrily.

"As you would say..." Rock countered, grinning widely, "...you'll have to hit me first!"

Laughing, shouting, and name calling echoed as the motley group continued to play their game.  Eventually, during an interlude between matches, Vinyl spoke up.  "I think I'm going to stop trying to take over the world."

"What?" the others all gasped out in surprise.

"Well...I've been thinking about all this," Vinyl explained.  "Dad wanted to take over the world to force Robot/Human equality.  Rock, you and Dr. Light wanted to stop him because you both believed that could happen naturally.  I wanted to help take over the world to make Dad proud of me...but with Sky Lagoon, there's already Robot/Human equality, and with its continued economic success, eventually humans would have to be blind or stupid not to see the sense of it.  So...what's the point of trying to take over the world anymore?  As much as I enjoy the rivalry, Rock...I'd hate to lose you because of it."

Rock nodded in understanding.  "I get what you're saying, Vinyl," he answered.  "So...what will you do next, then?"

"I'm thinking I'll find a bunch of robots who could do good terraforming work and go conquer Mars," she replied easily.  "No one there to fight back, after all, so no one gets hurt!"

Laughter greeted this assessment as the next round began.
> Prelude to Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rock smiled as he sat back from his video games, having once more enjoyed playing with Vinyl and the others online.  Much to his pleasure, Kalinka had also logged in, as he especially enjoyed playing with her...for reasons he couldn't completely compute, but had apparently made Dr. Light very happy for some reason.  Rock still didn't understand that, but he'd decided not to pursue it.  Dr. Light had said his personality core, at least, was designed to grow and evolve the longer he was functional, so he assumed it would make sense someday.

To his surprise, Dr. Light stepped into the lab earlier than expected.  "Dad!" he called out, running up to him.  "I thought the appointment would take longer!"

"Got bumped up," Dr. Light replied, moving his mouth carefully as he spoke.

"An earlier appointment got cancelled?" Rock clarified.  When Dr. Light nodded, he smiled.  "So how did everything go at the dentist's?"

"Evewything went wondufwy," Dr. Light answered, frowning as he heard the changes to his own voice due to the visit.  Even if it wouldn't last long...

Rock covered his mouth to stifle his snickers.  "I'm sorry...I didn't quite catch that?" he asked quickly.

"It went wondufwy," Dr. Light replied, glowering at his creation.

"Well, I'm glad it's all healthy," Rock replied, managing to stifle his giggles for a time.

Dr. Light smiled softly.  "Thank you, Wock."  He winced as he realized what he'd just walked into.

Rock burst into laughter as he sank into a chair.  "Say rascally rabbit!" he gasped out.  "Say it!"

Muttering under his breath, Dr. Light turned towards the lab.

"Hey, where are you going?" Rock called out curiously.

"Upgwading youw awmow!" Dr. Light called back, causing Mega Man to howl with laughter.  Muttering imprecations, Dr. Light began tinkering with the Mega Man armor, seeking to add a new effect of what it would do to Rock's voice synthesizer when he was being Mega Man.(1)





Vinyl frowned as she stared through her telescope at the stars.  She had been plotting the next mission to Mars after the initial survey had proved rather fruitful.  Not only had there been plenty of places to build settlements, but there was an excess of energy mineral for the terraforming Robot Masters to power themselves with, meaning an atmosphere and oceans could be crafted with just a few robots, while the rest started preparing the sustaining plants.  Everything looked like it would work wonderfully with her plans.

However, instead of plotting the next mission, her vision caught on some sort of conflict.  Two robots, one surrounded with pale blue energy and the other surrounded by dark purple light, were locked in pitched battle, and her scanners showed that the very fabric of space fluctuated with every impact of one against the other.  Whatever the fight was about, the very existence of the combatants was concerning.  It seemed highly likely that her plans would have to be put on hold while this was dealt with.

As Vinyl watched, the two robots clashed once more, inflicting massive damage upon each other...and then began to fall towards Earth.  Gasping, she raced to her computer and began to calculate trajectories.  The one in blue proved difficult to track, as it fell into the oceans, but the purple/black one landed on an island, thankfully uninhabited.  Vinyl knew exactly what needed to be done now.  "Dad!" she called out, both shouting and using the communicator.

Grumbling, Albert pulled himself out of bed, muttering under his breath as he picked up the intercom.  "What is it, Vinyl?"

"We need to buy an island!"

Albert was silent for a time.  "Vinyl, I wish this was the strangest thing you'd woken me up with.  What do we need with an island?"

"An alien robot crash landed on it!" Vinyl explained.

Albert opened his eyes wider, his interest caught.  "Well...that's certainly something we'd want to investigate...but the only reason we'd want to flat out buy the island is if we were going to build a Fortress there, and I thought we'd agreed to the 'conquer Mars' plan over trying to conquer Earth?"

"It contains an unknown source of energy that warps the fabric of reality," Vinyl explained.  "And a second alien robot with a different energy was fighting it in space...and that one crashed into the sea!"

Albert was immediately fully alert.  "I'll be right there!" he insisted, tossing aside his blankets and running through to Vinyl's lab in just his pajamas.  "Which island?" he demanded, looking up at the map.

Vinyl pointed it out on the map.

Wily grinned widely.  "We're in luck!" he cried out, feeling a bit relieved.  "It's uninhabited, small enough to have not drawn any mining or resort interest, but large enough for a research infrastructure.  We don't even need to buy it, we can just shift Sky Lagoon into position and start air dropping resources down for construction.  You focus on designing the interior of the Fortress and the hazards to keep that other robot from getting in before our research is done...and keeping the one on the island from getting out.  I'll start designing eight robot masters to patrol the island and control the security systems."

"On it, Dad!" Vinyl confirmed, grabbing the intercom again.  "Protoman!  Alter Sky Lagoon course to Point 74923-00664!  We've got research to do!"

"On it, Vinyl," Protoman replied readily.  "What readiness should the Four Wardens be at?"

"Priority False Blue!" Vinyl replied readily.  "I don't know what we'll be facing, but it might be stronger than Mega Man.  Let's be prepared for that."








(1) This explanation for the different voices in Megaman 8 is blatantly stolen borrowed a tribute to the awesome, if discontinued, webcomic Two Evil Scientists.
> 8: New Masters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Vinyl stared at the strange robot that had fallen from the stars, its features nearly completely concealed by its purple miasma.  It seemed roughly humanoid, with a triangular upper body and strong limbs, including an oversized right fist, and was wearing a war helm of some sort.  However, that was all Vinyl was able to make out, and it refused to speak or interact in any way, shape, or form.  Vinyl had already used her magic to harvest some of the miasma it constantly released for study, as well as bits of blue miasma that had clung to the robot, presumably left from the conflict with the other robot.  The results of just the initial examinations were both fascinating and terrifying...but she wouldn't speak about that until she had more information.  Thankfully, both types of energy seemed to be self-multiplying, generating more of itself when stored properly, so she had plenty of samples to work with.

For now, she turned her attention away.  It was time to review the troops, as she needed to be certain they could handle their duties.  Albert had built them without her input, since she was focused on getting the Fortress up and running and properly containing the alien robot.  Besides, she was genuinely curious as far as what designs he'd used, and what personalities she'd be dealing with this time around.

When she reached the robotics lab, she was pleasantly surprised to see seven different Robot Masters already familiarizing themselves with their duties on the island and the overall layout of their designated areas, already on the job.  Albert was sitting back in the middle, observing them all, though he smiled widely as he saw Vinyl come in.  "Vinyl!" he called happily, rising to his feet.  "Make any progress on analyzing those energy samples?"

"Nothing definitive," Vinyl replied as she raced up to him for a hug and nuzzle.  "But what I have discovered so far has me progressing cautiously."

Albert raised his eyebrows.  "Something making you cautious?  Now I'm worried!"

Vinyl punched him gently on the leg as he burst into laughter.  "Da~ad!" she complained.

Chuckling, Albert gestured to the Robot Masters.  "Care to meet your new subordinates?" he offered.

Smiling, Vinyl followed Albert to the first robot.  It was primarily bright green, had a boxy upper body, a square head, and a spherical lower body with two smaller spheres orbiting it as it floated around.  "This is Astro Man," Albert explained.  "He specializes in gravity manipulation."

"Pleased to meet you!" Vinyl proclaimed, putting her hoof up.

"Beep!" Astro Man responded firmly.

"You ready to handle your duties?" Vinyl inquired.

"Beep!"

"Well...I suppose I can see what I can do about that..."

"Beep!"

Vinyl gasped.  "Now there's no reason to take that tone with me!"

"Beep!"

"Now enough of that!" Vinyl insisted, stomping her hoof.  "Behave yourself.

"Beep."

"That's better," Vinyl complimented, turning to leave.

Albert followed her along.  "So...what was he saying?" he asked curiously.

"Beep," Vinyl replied logically, making Albert facepalm.  She grinned widely as she approached a new Robot Master, one with a mostly brown humanoid body and a massive sword instead of a right hand.  "You certainly look interesting," she praised.

"My thanks, little lady," the robot replied, his voice having a somewhat strong Spanish accent.  "Tell me...might you know a blue armored robot of great power and deep, firm voice?"

Vinyl blinked, wondering why he'd be asking about Mega Man.  "...why?" she asked curiously.

"Because the robot I describe...he has killed many of my kin," the robot explained.  "I seek him with every breath.  And when I find him, I will say...Allo!  My name is Sword Man.  You killed my brothers.  Prepare to die."

Vinyl couldn't stop herself from giggling.  "You gave him that personality on purpose!" she accused of Albert.

"What?" Albert demanded, shocked.  "You suspect me of deliberately affecting the formulation of one of my Robot Master's personalities for the sake of a joke you'll enjoy?  Inconceivable!"

"You keep using that word," Sword Man pointed out as Vinyl fell onto her side laughing hysterically.  "I do not think it means what you think it means."

"Forsooth," another surprisingly familiar voice spoke up, as large hands gently lifted Vinyl off the floor as she continued to laugh.  "Surely you must cease this jocularity, lest the young maid do herself harm in her amusement."

Vinyl gasped as she recognized the voice.  "Elec Man!" she squealed happily, turning to see him...only to come face to face with a short robot with incredibly long multi-colored arms wearing a jester's cap.  She promptly burst into laughter again.

"Verily," the robot sighed.  "Tis I, now uploaded into a new body with new functions.  Discarding the mask of drama, I now don the mask of comedy...for I am now Clown Man."

Vinyl managed to stifle her giggles.  "Well...it certainly seems to fit you...sorta."

"And I am not the only old face wearing a new one this day," Clown Man explained.  "But the others are currently busy, and one other is not."

Smiling, Vinyl turned where she was directed and saw a two-headed Robot Master in camo colors, staling along as he braced the massive gun that was his right arm with his left hand.  As he stalked past the group, he paused.  One head turned towards them, put a finger to his lips, and whispered, "Shhh!  Be vewy vewy quiet!"

"We're hunting Mega-ish Men!" the other head added, before the whole robot continued to stalk away.

"...Mega-ish?" Vinyl asked curiously.

"They're programmed to attack any robots that aren't on the registry of staff here with power levels rivaling Mega Man that aren't Mega Man," Albert explained.

"Oh," Vinyl replied, understanding.  "So...who's next?"

When no face presented itself, Clown Man sighed.  "Brother, do come out!"

"B-b-but I'm s-s-scared..." another familiar voice responded.

"Brother, now you be in the body of a frost giant!" Clown Man countered.  "How can it be that fear still has hold upon your spark?"

"N-now I'm scared I'll s-step on someone I c-c-care about..." the voice whimpered.

Sighing, Clown Man stretched out one arm to behind the wall, seized hold of something, and proceeded to drag out a robot that resembled a giant gorilla made of ice blocks.  "This be Frost Man," Clown Man introduced.  "Our introverted brother has been reborn in this shape of mighty thews...and yet timidity still claims his soul.  Truly, there is naught that can be done to change some things."

"You said a mouthful," a familiar calm voice spoke as a new robot walked in, this one's body resembling a giant grenade, complete with a pin coming off the back of its head.  "Although being reuploaded into a new body can change some things as we adapt, our core essence remains."

"Bomb Man?" Vinyl gasped out happily.

"Indeed," the robot replied.  "Once more I have a chance to be one with destruction, the power I was created twice to wield.  This time, it is the essence of my design that makes it so..."  He put his hand to his pin.  "...as Grenade Man."

"So cool..." Vinyl whispered in awe.

"Not as cool as me!" a high pitched voice proclaimed as another robot raced up.  This one had a spherical torso filled with water, what looked like a robot fire hose for a right arm, and a half dome over its eyes like a top hat that was also filled with water.  "I'm Aqua Man, and I'm going to save the day!  Whooooosh!"  As he proclaimed his last word, he rushed off in a Superman pose even as the turbines in his torso revved with a whooshing sound.

Vinyl turned to stare at her father.  "...did you turn the laundry machine into a Robot Master?" she asked flatly.

"...multitasking?" Albert offered lamely.  "I mean...it's not like I could create a water robot that could compete with Umikage!"

"You could at least try..." Vinyl groaned.  "I mean, the rest of these guys look cool!  He just looks...weird."  Shaking her head, she rubbed her temple with one hoof.  "So...where's number 8?"

"He likes to make an entrance," Albert explained.

At that moment, all the lights went out save for a spotlight that slowly trailed towards a figure.  As it illuminated hovering boots, a deep, sonorous voice sang out.

"T is for Tyranny, which I shall surely bring"

As the song continued, the light rose higher, now illuminating long, strong legs.

"E is for Extermination, about which I do sing"

A three pointed green blade, like a leaf fan, on one arm, a white hand on the other.

"N is for Never-Ending, to which my powers grow
G is for my Greatness, which everyone shall know"

Two silver and black wings like blades jutting from the back.

"U is for Ultimate, of all my Maker's bots"

An incredibly long nose.

"M-A is for Magnificent, without a hint of rot"

A crimson face mask.

"N is for the Nightmare, on my enemies I'll bestow"

The lights all came on, revealing the Robot Master completely as he finished his song.

"My name is Tengu Man...and I'd like to say hello."

Vinyl stared at him for a while.  "...Dad?  Why'd you put Cut Man in a wind bot?"

"I'm not Cut Man!" Tengu Man roared out angrily as the other Robot Masters burst into laughter.
> 8: Double Trouble
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dr. Light frowned as he stared at the information he'd just been sent regarding Wily's activities.  This was not something he was looking forward to facing, especially with what he was already investigating.  Mega Man would be back soon, however, and whether he wanted to or not, he'd be forced to give Mega Man this information, which would likely lead to a rather unpleasant discussion.

...if only his jaw had recovered already...

As he was thinking this, he heard the teleporter trigger.  "Ah, Mega Man," he called out.  "How was youw jouwney to the ocean fwah?"

"Unpleasant," Mega Man grumbled in reply, his voice unusually high pitched.  "Why did you modify my voice like this, anyway?  Every time I spoke underwater, I got attacked by dolphins because the harmonics messed with their sonar!  What'd I ever do to you, Dad?"

Dr. Light frowned as he turned to stare at Mega Man, still dripping from his trip into the ocean.  "Say wascawy wabbit," Dr. Light responded, his voice cold and firm.

"Aw, shut up, that was funny!" Mega Man complained.

"QED," Dr. Light replied, turning back to his console.  "Did you find the stewwah object?"

"I did," Mega Man replied.  "From the looks of it, it's an alien robot of some kind.  Badly damaged, and not just from reentry."

"I suppose I'd bettah get stawted on fixing it," Dr. Light grumbled.  "In the meantime, anotha issue has awisen.  Thewe is concewning Wahwy activity."

"Pretty sure anything that goes on up on Sky Lagoon isn't our business unless our assistance is requested," Mega Man pointed out.  "Sovereign nation and all that."

"It's not on Sky Wagoon," Dr. Light countered.  "Wiwy has built a new fohtwess on Skuw Iswand."

"Probably trying to give Vinyl a pirate themed birthday party or something," Mega Man joked.

"With eight new Wobot Mastahs," Dr. Light added.

"Dad, Albert builds eight new robot masters to change a light bulb," Mega Man countered dryly.  "It's kinda his thing.  Unless there's something more, I'm pretty sure we can ignore it."

"It's wheah the othah stewwah object wanded," Dr. Light continued.

"Then they probably want to investigate it just like we're investigating the one from the ocean floor," Mega Man offered logically.  "Heck, since Vinyl's planning on terraforming Mars, she probably saw the objects before they entered the atmosphere.  She probably knows more about it than we do."  He shook his head.  "Dad, they've given up the whole 'take over Earth' thing.  I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"It needs to be investigated!" Dr. Light insisted.

Mega Man sighed in frustration.  "Fine.  I'll call Vinyl up and ask her what they're doing on that island.  Even if they are plotting something dastardly, she'll tell me all the details because she enjoys me trying to thwart those.  Happy?"

"Once you caww," Dr. Light instructed firmly.  He then watched as Mega Man went to the communicator.  Bloody ungrateful, Dr. Light thought to himself.  Note to self: make sure X has a bit more respect for parental figures...even if Rock's attitude is fully justified...





Vinyl paused in her work on the two energy sources as the communicator went off.  At first she was planning on ignoring it, since she was at a delicate spot, but the ID signal indicated it was someone on her friend list.  Not wanting to be rude, she tapped the headphones she was using to monitor the various frequencies given off by the energies she was working with.  "You got Vinyl on audio!" she called out.  "In the middle of something, so i can't come to video."

"Hey Vinyl," a high pitched, girlish voice with synthesized qualities to it said in her ears.

"Hey Roll!  Been a while!" Vinyl called back.  "What can I do for you?"

"Vinyl, it's me, Mega Man," the voice corrected.

"Roll, you're going to have to do a better impression than that," Vinyl countered.  "Look, if this is just a prank call, great joke, but I'm kinda in the middle of-"

"Dad messed with the voice synthesizer adapter on my armor!" the voice shouted out.  "Now I'm stuck sounding like a nine year old girl!  It's humiliating!"

Vinyl paused for a time.  "Okay, that could either be the truth, or a hilarious prank.  I can't activate video, so how can I know for sure?"

"You could assume it's the truth since I actually have serious business to discuss," the voice replied.  "I just got back from retrieving an inactive alien robot from the sea floor, so-"

"Oh, you pulled that other one out?" Vinyl interrupted.  "That's a relief.  I was a bit worried about sending Umikage after it, since it's probably the source of that blue energy and it seems to have odd effects on robotics."

"Blue energy?" Mega Man asked, confused.  "Other one?  Vinyl, I was just calling to ask about the fortress on Skull Island and the eight new Robot Masters.  Dad's been bugging me to investigate it."

Vinyl chuckled.  "Okay, it's you Rock.  Roll still only calls him Doctor.  And that little girl voice isn't as bad as it could be."

"Really?" Mega Man griped.  "How could it be worse?"

Smirking, Vinyl activated a program to alter how her voice carried over the speakers.  "It could sound like this," she purred, her voice coming through smooth, silky, and seductive, the sort of voice that - as Mikhail had put it - 'put hair on your chest just from hearing it', the intonation carrying all sorts of promise.

"GYAH!"  The sound of something falling over followed by a loud clatter came over the line.  "Dammit, Vinyl, don't do that!  It's freaky!"

Turning off the program, Vinyl let out a bark of laughter.  "See?" she countered.  "Imagine if you were stuck sounding like that."

"Can't unhear..." Mega Man whimpered.  "Can't unhear..."

Thinking for a bit, Vinyl reactivated the program, but adding an accent-based tweak.  "Perhaps you find it more appealing like this, da?" she teased playfully.  When there was no response for a time, Vinyl turned off the program.  "Rock?  You okay?"

"I...I think I just underwent a massive program error in my personality core," Mega Man replied at long last.  "I...I'm not sure what just happened..."

Vinyl chuckled, making a mental note to let Kalinka know what she'd discovered.  "All I'm gonna say about it Rock is, when you want certain...non-combat upgrades...if you feel uncomfortable asking Dr. Light about it, you can come to us.  Pretty sure I can fix you up, if you want."

There was silence at the other end for a while.  "...how about you tell me about the alien robots instead?" Mega Man asked finally.

Vinyl chuckled softly.  "Alright.  I was scouting out Mars when I saw them duking it out by Saturn's rings.  Got a scan of the energy they were giving off, and it was very concerning.  When they crashed here on Earth, I talked Dad into immediately mobilizing to contain the one that landed on the surface.  Glad to hear you've got the one that landed in the ocean contained.  Umikage's the only bot we've got that can handle the ocean currently, and he's not really built for deep sea."

"Okay," Mega Man responded.  "So...what about this energy?"

"That's the concerning thing," Vinyl explained.  "The two energy types are antithetical to each other, from what I've determined...but both have polarizing corruptive effects, as best I can tell.  The violet energy seems to feed on negative emotions - rage, fear, envy, bloodlust, battle frenzy, and the like - while amplifying them, slowly pushing out the ability to feel anything else.  The blue energy seems to feed on and amplify different emotional impulses - the desire to protect, yearning for justice, stuff like that - and, like the violet energy, pushes out the ability to feel anything else."

"So...the violet energy turns someone into a bloodthirsty berserker obsessed with conquest and battle, while the blue energy turns someone into a single-minded paladin?" Mega Man clarified.

"Sure seems that way," Vinyl muttered.  "But the violet energy's more stable than the blue...so I think the blue energy type was created specifically to combat the violet, and whoever made it couldn't fix those side effects.  While both energy types can provide all sorts of abilities and power when applied to organic or cybernetic life forms, the drawbacks..."

"Yeah," Mega Man replied.  "Either sell your soul to evil, or your mind to justice."

"Not real good options either way," Vinyl confirmed.  "But..."

"But?" Mega Man asked curiously.

"While studying, I've noticed the energies share a common wavelength, the one that lets them be antithetical to each other," Vinyl explained.  "I want to see if I can isolate it...especially since I've seen the same wavelength in some of my own 'magical' abilities.  Maybe this can answer some questions I've had for a while about where I come from...and maybe how to get back there."

Mega Man was silent for a while.  "...wow, Vinyl.  I didn't know that sort of thing bugged you-"

"Oh it doesn't really," Vinyl interrupted.  "Sure, there are nights where I lie awake wondering if there are others like me out there somewhere in the cosmos, and the occasional dream of a certain other pony that leaves me feeling incredibly lonely when I wake up...but I'm having way too much fun in my life to focus on that too much!"

Mega Man chuckled softly.  "Well, as long as you've got it well in hand, I'll leave you to it.  At least I can reassure Dad this isn't a world conquest attempt."

"Oh heck no!" Vinyl confirmed vehemently.  "If it were that, I'd have sent you a written invitation!  I've even got the calligraphy style picked out if I ever want to try that again!"
> 8: Protect
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Roll carefully scrubbed away at the space and ocean debris clinging to the massive robot Rock had brought back from the depths of the ocean.  Several parts of its body had been severely damaged, requiring major repairs, but Dr. Light had managed to analyze the circuitry enough to construct replacement parts that could properly interface with the existing systems.  They weren't nearly as advanced as the rest of the robot's systems and were excessively bulky in order to handle the levels of energy the robot could produce, but they would suffice until the robot awakened and was able to give them whatever information it could about its original build data for proper repairs.

As Roll worked, she marveled at the odd color scheme of the machine.  Orange chest, blue limbs, white wings...it almost seemed as though this bot had frequently self repaired using whatever was available.  She couldn't help but wonder what it had looked like when it was first manufactured.

As she moved up to scrape the debris away from the robot's face, she froze.  His eyes were open, and they were staring right at her.  He opened his mouth and began to speak, but his words were illegible.  However, his tone was plainly an inquiry for information.

Roll managed to respond.  "I'm sorry, I can't understand you," she responded.  "Given you are designed for interstellar travel, I'm hoping part of your program includes lingual analysis and translation, or things are likely to be an even bigger mess."

The robot stared at her for a time.  It attempted to lift his arms, but it was still restrained, and lacked power to all his systems to break those restraints.  Instead, he locked his eyes on Roll's lips.

Roll paused, uncertain what it was trying to communicate.  "Um...do you want me to talk more?" she asked.  "Do you need a larger lingual sample?"

When she stopped talking, the robot lifted his head to look her in her eyes.  What could be seen under the debris on his face smiled encouragingly, before once more locking eyes on her lips.

Roll took that as an affirmative, so she continued to speak as she worked on clearing away the debris.  "You crashed in the ocean when you arrived here," she explained.  "When my brother Rock found you, you were in bad shape.  From what we've heard, we aren't sure how much of that was combat damage, how much was reentry, and how much was water pressure, although you're plainly well designed...at least as far as your interior main structure is concerned.  As far as I can tell, it looks like your exterior has received several retrofit-repairs over time.  I can't imagine how long you've been online to have needed so many repairs."  She cleared the last debris off the robot's face.  "I've only been online a decade and a half myself, and that's considered a really long time for robots here.  I can't even imagine being online long enough to traverse the stars..."  She blinked suddenly, and flushed in embarrassment.  "Oh goodness, here I am talking your ear off, and I haven't even introduced myself!  My name's Roll."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Roll," the robot responded, his voice calm and quiet.  "My name is Duo.  Why am I restrained?"

"Your power core had barely any energy in it when we found you," Roll explained.  "But your body was still thrashing, even in its broken state.  We restrained you to keep you from unnecessarily draining your core until you were fully repaired and recharged."

"I see," Duo replied.  "My thanks.  However, I cannot wait around here.  I must complete my mission."  He started to sit up.

"You must stay right here!" Roll insisted, pushing Duo back down onto his back.  His eyes showed his shock at just how easily she managed that.  "Right now you barely have enough power to keep your circuits from decaying, not to mention you still look a mess."  Turning, she returned to her work cleaning him of debris.

"But, my mission..." Duo insisted.  "The other..."

"If you mean the robot you were fighting in space, Vinyl's got him fully contained," Roll interrupted.  "She's already at work finding a way to neutralize the energy he gives off to keep it from getting out of control."

"The Evil Energy is dangerous!" Duo snapped out, trying to sit up again.  "Without my Justice Energy to keep it in check-"

"I said lay down!" Roll snapped back, shoving him onto his back again.  "And if by Justice Energy you mean the blue energy that was clinging to the robot before he reactivated, Vinyl's got some of that, too.  Trust me, she knows what she's doing.  She can handle both energies without being influenced by them."

Duo stared at her, stunned.  "How is that even possible?" he demanded insistently.

"I'm not going to tell you," Roll countered.  "Plainly, thinking too much about this is causing you far too much stress and agitation, so it's time to change the subject."

"But-"

"If you don't calm down, you're going to fry your systems and put yourself offline!" Roll insisted clinically.

"It does not matter if I fall!" Duo shouted out.  "I was created to eliminate all traces of Evil Energy from the universe, and I must not rest until my mission is complete!  If I fall, another will be sent to complete my mission!"

Roll stood up to stare at him, arms crossed over her chest.  "Alternatively, you can take the time to rest and recuperate when there's no danger of the Evil Energy spreading, and then once you're fully restored you'll be able to go after the other robot - who isn't being repaired - and the Evil Energy when you'll actually have a chance of succeeding, with no danger of things getting worse in the meantime!"

Duo hesitated.  Logically, he knew she was right.  However, his programmed priorities placed the completion of his mission so far above his own personal safety that it was difficult to accept.  "...but..."

"Or you can go charging out now, get yourself killed before you even reach him since you don't know where to look, and accomplish nothing but giving him free reign until your replacement can be sent from who knows where," Roll offered.

Sighing, Duo lay back.  That logic was acceptable to his priority set.  "Very well," he allowed.  "But I will leave as soon as I am fit for travel."

"And not a moment before!" Roll insisted.  She then went back to work on the encrustations.

Letting himself relax for the moment, Duo took in his surroundings for a time.  "...what is the purpose of that uniform?" he asked finally.

"You like it?" Roll asked happily, twirling to show off the white nurse outfit she'd donned for her work in the repair lab.  "I thought it looked cute on me!"

"I do not understand its purpose," Duo pointed out.  "What is the logic behind it?"

Sighing, Roll returned her focus her work.  "Dr. Light thought it looked cute on me..." she grumbled under her breath.

Duo focused his attention on her for a time, and then understanding was reached.  She was female.  According to his database, they weren't supposed to be logical...and voicing such things was classified as self-destructive.  His protocol dictated that if he encountered a female whom he was indebted to, he was supposed to smile, nod, and agree with anything she said unless it interfered with his primary mission, as this was the course of self-preservation.  "It looks very cute," he agreed with a smile and nod.

Roll giggled happily.  "Thanks."
> 8: Unite
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Vinyl continued her careful work researching the two energies, trying to isolate the wavelength they had in common with her own magical abilities.  She felt certain somehow that this could be the key to finding where she came from.  She could scarcely imagine it.  An entire world of creatures like herself, who had never known humanity or the robots she'd created here with her Dad.  Somehow, she knew robotics was totally unknown on the world she came from.  Then again, it made sense when she thought about it.  If everyone on the world she came from had magical abilities like hers, why would technology develop?  Technology was developed so humanity could accomplish things they couldn't without it...and magic covered most of that.

So many idle musings percolated through her mind as she considered such a world, where magic took the place of technology.  Did the weather bend to the whims of the inhabitants?  Was the world still natural, or had nature itself been tamed?  Did magic all come from within, or was there an entire magical field that could be tapped?  If magic were such an available resource, what sort of fantastical wild beasts would there be?  How long would it take her to take over it if she became so inclined?  Could she adapt the materials she was using to keep the energies contained into an anti-magic alloy that could make her robots invincible there?  How many suns did the world have, and how many moons?  Was it a planet at all?

Eventually, she pushed past these idle musings, focusing on the task at hand.  Thanks to a call from Roll, she now knew the two energy types to be called Justice Energy and Evil Energy.  Rather descriptive, if unoriginal.  Still, it made for quicker experiment write-ups as she could use the shorthand JE and EE, rather than 'the blue stuff' and 'the purple stuff'.  It also didn't make her crave jelly crackers, which was a plus to her efficiency.

Identifying the wavelength had been relatively easy for her.  Even the standard scanning equipment could manage it.  Isolating it, however, had been far more difficult, as the available tech couldn't manage it and she was having to develop new systems just for the task.  She rated it as a reasonable investment of time and energy given her plans of terraforming Mars, since it was likely that other stellar energy sources would be encountered that needed careful handling.

Unfortunately, the only energy she'd found that could be used to separate out the wavelength from the two energy sources was her own magic, and controlled tests had already revealed that the two energies could feedback through her magic into her if she maintained the connection for too long.  She'd cut the connection off each time the feedback had started before it could reach her, so now most of her studies were trying to figure out how her magic worked so she could develop a device that could act as a surge protector on her horn, preventing any energies from going into her via a magical connection.  Progress was...less than smooth.

She was grateful she had so many samples to work with, especially since Dr. Light had been kind enough to send any excess JE Duo gave off over to her for her research.  In desperation to avoid contamination, she'd taken to dropping samples of JE and EE on top of each other and trying to separate the wavelength before the two samples neutralized each other into explosive energy release.  Unfortunately, the behavior of the energies forced the sample size to be kept small.  Not only was the amount of energy released during neutralization immense, if the samples weren't entirely consumed with trying to neutralize each other, any excess would attempt to corrupt the energies Vinyl was using to analyze in order to strengthen themselves.  This meant she had at most 15 seconds for analysis in each experiment.

Groaning after yet another experiment ended in failure with very little to show for it, she sat back and rubbed her forehead.  "Ugh..." she groaned angrily.  "Why won't this just work?"  In a fit of pique, she kicked the machine she was working with, careful not to kick it too hard even if it was reinforced to take what she could dish out.

"Having trouble?" Protoman asked as he came in to check on her.  "You've been in here a while..."

"I know!" Vinyl whined.  "Nothing I can try is working!  And the only things I can think of that might work I can't try without taking risks I'm not going to take!"  Groaning, she slumped over, pushing Protoman into a sitting position so she could slump into his lap.  "Ear scratchies, please?" she begged.

Chuckling, Protoman began scratching her behind her ears, her favorite way of relaxing.  After a time, he spoke up.  "Mind if I take a look at what you've been working on?" he asked.  "Maybe a fresh set of eyes will spot what you've missed?"

Vinyl thought about it for a time.  "Hmm..."  After a bit, she rolled over.  "If I get belly rubs, sure."

Chuckling, Protoman began rubbing her belly as he established a wireless connection to her research comp to go over what she'd managed so far.  "Hmm...what about this 'continuous pump' method?" he asked.  "You haven't tried it yet."

"That's because of the drawbacks," Vinyl murmured softly.  "It'll mean continuous generation of massive amounts of energy.  If I kept it on for much more than 30 seconds, I'd run the risk of blowing up Sky Lagoon."

"So you need to find a way of dealing with the excess energy to use that method?" Protoman clarified.

"Yeah," Vinyl confirmed.  "Either that or figure out a way to make a magical surge protector.  But to make a magical surge protector, I need to understand how my magic works, which means figuring out how to isolate the wavelength for comparison, which needs the magical surge protector to work!"  She threw her hooves into the air in frustration.  "It'd be easier if someone would just invent a time machine so I could go into a timeline where I've already succeeded and bring the results back...but that would create some sort of grandson paradox or something because the act of doing so would negate the original timeline where I figured it out in the first place!"

Seeing just how stressed out Vinyl was getting, Protoman rolled her over and pulled out a hairbrush.  "Brushie brushie?" he offered softly.

Sighing, Vinyl nodded.  She then relaxed as he gently brushed her mane.
> 8: Denounce
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Kalinka smiled warmly into her cotton candy as she walked side by side with Rock through the carnival.  "This was wonderful idea, Rock," she said warmly.  "Has been getting somewhat lonely up in Sky Lagoon with everyone focused on Vinyl's work with new energies or Mars project.  It's nice to get away from it all for a while.  Thank you."

"Glad to," Rock replied happily.  "To be honest, I don't have much to do back at the lab, either.  Dad's working on a new project he doesn't want my help with for some reason, and Roll's totally absorbed in her work on Duo.  I've been left at loose ends myself."  He smiled widely.  "Glad you could accept my invitation."

Kalinka chuckled briefly.  "Also glad that you don't wear your armor here?" she teased playfully.

Rock groaned, putting his hand to his forehead.  "Don't remind me...Dad says he won't fix that until he's no longer talking funny.  I hope I don't have to use my armor again until then.  It'd be so embarrassing if I had to try and give a speech with my voice all high and squeaky."

Kalinka laughed as she raced ahead, the short red dress she was wearing - borrowed from Roll for the outing and sea-level weather conditions - billowing somewhat around her as she ran before turning to face Rock.  "Come on, Rock.  Don't be so down on things, da?  It was funny to hear you over the phone like that!"

Rock wanted to groan in frustration, but found himself distracted by an error in his optics and personality core, the same ones that so interested Dr. Light and amused Vinyl.  Chuckling nervously, he rubbed the back of his head.  "Well...maybe a little," he admitted finally.

Kalinka smiled widely as she took in Rock's changed appearance.  For some reason, Dr. Light had decided that a child-like body wasn't really appropriate for Rock anymore, and had done work to 'age him up', along with reinforcing his limbs in the process.  He now more closely resembled a teenager rather than a child, approximately Kalinka's age of 15.  In fact, he was indistinguishable from most of the teenage boys wandering around, save for the somewhat more prominent palsti-skin seams at his joints.  She idly wondered why this upgrade had included growing Rock's hair out to shoulder length, but she didn't complain.  She thought it looked nice.  ...she privately suspected Vinyl might have told Dr. Light about her preference for guys with long hair.  "At least not all the upgrades are jokes," she teased Rock, batting playfully at his hair as she went back to his side.

"I guess so," Rock admitted, smiling as he walked alongside her.

"How come you didn't get cotton candy for you?" Kalinka asked him curiously.

"Dad's still working on correcting the digestive system for the upgraded body," Rock admitted.  "Until he has it perfected, I shouldn't eat anything outside the lab."

Kalinka frowned, making a small 'mu' sound of disapproval.  "He should have fixed that before sending you out," she grumbled.

Rock smirked widely.  "He...doesn't actually know I'm out here with you just now.  I...kinda snuck out."

Kalinka burst into laughter.  "You maverick, you!"

Smirking, Rock walked over to the ball throwing booth.  "Come on, I'll win you a prize," he offered warmly, laying down some cash and reaching for the ball.

"Ahem!" the one running the stall coughed, getting Rock's attention.  The man then pointed at a nearby sign.



No Robot Competitors



Rock stared at the sign for a while, then sighed, taking his money back.  "Sorry Kalinka-"

"Hold this," Kalinka said firmly, handing Rock her cotton candy as she slapped down her own money and picked up a ball.

"Good luck little lady," the man offered with a smirk, plainly expecting a predictable outcome.

Kalinka tightened her hand around the ball, twisting it around in her grip as she narrowed her eyes.  Pulling her arm back, she threw with all her might.

KA-POW!

The ball struck the table the bottles were stacked up on, causing the table to flip, scattering the bottles everywhere as the table fell and landed on the bottles waiting to be stacked.  The scattering bottles slammed into the walls of the booth and the one running it, causing everything to collapse inward on top of him.

The man groaned from underneath the pile.  "...fine...you win..."

"What are you talking about?" Kalinka asked, her tone hard.  "I paid for three throws.  I still have two left."

The man's eyes widened, and he shoved two large plushies into her arms.  "Here, take the best ones!  Just no more!"

Kalinka smiled coldly, put her nose in the air, and turned and walked away with Rock close behind her.  "This one's yours," she said, handing him a pony plushy.  "I can cuddle one of these often back home."

Nodding, Rock took the pony and held it under his arm, handing her back her cotton candy.  "...how did you...?"

"I'm used to competing in this sort of thing up on Sky Lagoon," Kalinka explained.  "You pick up a few tricks to beat computer brains.  Also, programming targeting systems gives one a better sense of spatial interactions."

Rock chuckled a bit in response.  "Maybe we should have hung out up there..." he murmured softly.

"Nyet," Kalinka responded firmly.  "We'd have spent half the time convincing boys up there to leave me be, and other half convincing bots you didn't want to fight.  Down here, at least I'm not a celebrity."

"Yeah..."  He glanced back at where the sign that had created that problem had landed.  "But we wouldn't have dealt with...that."  He sighed to himself.  It was perfectly reasonable to not let a robot - who by definition was made and functioned with machine precision - compete in skill contests like that...but it didn't make the exclusion feel any better for the robot.

He was startled out of his thoughts as he felt Kalinka's small, soft hand in his.  "Don't worry about it, Rock," she whispered warmly.  "It was still fun."  Leaning in, she gave him a light peck on the cheek.

As she started to walk away, she was pulled up short with her arm at full extension.  Turning, she saw that Rock seemed to be in some sort of system lockup.  Groaning, she put her face in her hand.  "Ty dolzhno byt' shutish'," she grumbled under her breath, unsure whether or not to laugh.
> 8: Extend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Duo remained in his place, laying back on the recharge and repair table, as Roll continued working on him.  She had already removed all the encrustations from his chassis and restored the exterior coloration to full luster, and his core was fully recharged...but once that had finished she'd insisted on checking the wiring of his replacement parts to his main body, to ensure there weren't any errors that might cause a limb to explode or fall off mid-battle.  While he knew internally that wasn't the case, she had insisted on giving his circuits an optical check, in case he was getting a false positive.  As his self-preservation protocols dictated he agree with anything a female told him that didn't directly interfere with his mission, he was forced to comply.

She talked almost constantly as she worked on him, wandering from one topic to another without once missing a solder or link in the circuits.  He couldn't follow most of what she talked about, as his grasp of the native language far outstripped any grasp of the native culture.  Instead, he simply fell back on his self-preservation protocol and smiled and nodded a lot.

Duo's program was very simple.  He had only two missions.  The first was to eliminate any and all sources of Evil Energy.  The second was to preserve his own survival, so long as doing so didn't interfere with his primary mission.  Beyond that, his system was designed to self-write code to adapt to any given situation as it arose.  This enabled him to be supremely adaptable, both in terms of programming and bodily structures.  Given that most of his actual Persona Core - the part that carried his program and personality - was stored in his Justice Energy projection rather than any specific physical component, he wasn't even sure if any part of his original construction was still part of his present body, so frequently had he patched himself up with whatever was handy along his journey.

While his native knowledge may have been limited, his perception was not.  It was relatively easy for him to see why Roll talked so much with him.  While far simpler in core design, she too was designed to develop her own personality core as she lived, in essence becoming her own person.  Unfortunately, situations had left her pushed into the background as events all focused around her brother and others.  Quite often, it seemed as though the world had forgotten about her, leaving her desperately lonely.  Though he had long ago steeled himself against depression from such a thing given the solo nature of his journey, it was regrettably easy for him to empathize with Roll's plight.  As such, he'd found himself doing something he'd never considered doing before...opening up.

He talked to her about all the things he'd seen as he'd journeyed through the cosmos.  He described the beauty of a nebula spinning in the darkness, of the feel of its dust clouds on his chassis as he passed through.  He spoke of the sight of a star being born, the destructive conflagration unlocking the truest beauty of creation.  He spoke of staring up at the sky on worlds that had no moons, many moons, and even rings, and of how different days were on life supporting moons that orbited gas giants.  He told her of the many different creatures he had seen out amongst the stars, the many different forms of life, and all the different civilizations.  Some had even began traversing the stars on their own, with their own rules for not interfering with developing worlds.  They'd likely have been very upset if they knew he was speaking about them on a 'developing world', but any notion of a 'Prime Directive' was a direct violation of his Primary Mission, and had been discarded.  He didn't know if the world he had been built on had such a thing, since he couldn't even remember it, but he gave that little thought.

Roll had listened with rapt attention, asking intelligent questions and marveling at the depth of his experience.  When he got to discussion of the various races he'd encountered, however, Roll began to get active in the conversation again.  "Did you ever encounter any unicorns on your journey?" she asked eagerly.

Duo frowned.  "Unicorns?" he asked, a trifle perturbed.  "I am fairly certain, even out amongst the stars, such creatures are fancy more than fact."

"But Vinyl's one," Roll pointed out firmly.  On a nearby computer, she called up an image of a small white-coated equine with blue mane and tail, wearing purple shades, a music note on her rump, and a horn spiraling out from her forehead.  "See?"

Duo stared at the image for a time.  "I have encountered many creatures in my journeys," he admitted, "but never one such as that before.  Admittedly, that is what I have said each time I've encountered a new variety of terrestrial life form as I arrive on new worlds."

"Then you haven't encountered anything like her in your journeys?" Roll asked sorrowfully.  "Not even close?"

"I'm afraid not," Duo confirmed.  "Why do you ask?  And why does my answer upset you?  Is not this Vinyl a native of your world?"

"No, she's not," Roll explained.  "We don't know where she comes from...and neither does she.  And if you've never seen anything like her, then the one possibility she had to look along is an empty hope."

"How so?" Duo asked curiously.

"She's convinced she comes from somewhere out amongst the stars," Roll continued.  "I think that might be why she wants to colonize Mars.  I think she thinks if she broadcasts enough of her magic into the cosmos, someone will come and find her..."  She hung her head sadly as she closed up Duo's arm, sealing it shut.

"Magic?" Duo asked curiously.

"It's something she can do," Roll explained.  "We're not sure how it works.  Heck, even she's not sure how it works.  That's why she got so excited about Justice and Evil Energy.  She managed to isolate a wavelength in them that's common to her magic-"

"What?" Duo demanded, leaping from the table as his protocols realigned.  "This 'Vinyl' uses Evil Energy?"

"That's not what I-"

Before Roll could finish her sentence, Duo's form was covered with the blue fire of Justice Energy as he leapt through the roof.

Roll stared up at the hole he left behind.  "Oh...fuck," she muttered under her breath.  She quickly raced to the comms.  "Dr. Light?  Rock?  Dr. Wily?  Anyone?  It's an emergency!"

"I read you Roll," Rock replied quickly.  "What happened?"

"I think Duo's going to try to kill Vinyl!" Roll gasped out, afraid.

Rock was silent for a time.  "Roll...what did you do?"

"What makes you think it's something I did?" Roll demanded defensively.

"How did Duo find out about Vinyl?" Rock countered logically.

Roll whimpered contritely.
> 8: Blast Off
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Duo raced through the sky, using his senses to lock onto the Evil Energy that was on the planet's surface.  Having transformed his body almost entirely into Justice Energy for transport, he was all but immune to physical damage as he flew, so he doubted if anything he encountered on his trip to what was apparently an island in the middle of the ocean - and skull-shaped at that - would give him any sort of problem.

As such, he was understandably perplexed when he lowered close to the sea level to recieve a white energy beam to the face that slammed him bodily into the rocky archipelago that shaped the island's 'teeth', rapidly drained his energy, and forced him to revert to his physical state.  "What in this world?" he demanded in shock as he floated out of the pillar he'd slammed into, letting it collapse behind him.

"Yeah, that'd be me."

"Roll?" Duo asked in confusion as he turned towards the source of the voice...only to spy a robot in dirty looking red and yellow armor.  "...you are not female," he commented dryly.

The robot threw his arms into the air in frustration.  "Seriously, Dad!  Let me have my normal voice back in battle mode already!  I'm sorry about laughing about the Novocain!"

"...you are not Roll," Duo repeated, seeking clarification.

"No, I'm Mega Man," the strange robot replied.  "Sis called me as soon as you shot off here to kill Vinyl.  I'm here to stop you."

Duo growled as he braced himself.  Despite his mission, there was another protocol inside him that was causing him problems now.  He wasn't supposed to fight another Justice user, whether actual or potential.  While it had higher priority over actual, his senses showed a strong affinity for Justice Energy in the robot before him, even if he had never been exposed.  As such, it went against the grain as far as his programming to simply go all out against him.  "Very well," he grumbled.  "Then I will make you-"  He paused, noticing something else.  "Why are you glowing-"

Without warning, Mega Man shot forward, flames shooting out of his hindquarters as he body-checked Duo back into another rock pillar before bringing his buster around, unleashing another white beam, using the recoil to push himself back to land.  "That's why," Mega Man replied simply.  "It's called the Skull Blast."

"Stop!  Doing that!" Duo roared out as he sent a surge of Justice Energy through his body to accelerate his self-repair.  Locking his eyes on Mega Man, he raced forward, pulling his fist back.  He wasn't surprised when Mega Man rolled out of the way, but the discharge when his fist slammed into the ground still sent Mega Man flying back.  "Hold still and fight-"  He rocked back as he received a flame driven kick in the head.  "What kind of weapon is that, anyway?"

"A useful joke!" Mega Man proclaimed as he gripped Duo's shoulders, flipped himself around...and unleashed a point-blank flaming fart right in Duo's face as he launched himself forward to get some distance.

Duo screamed in frustration as he wiped at his face.  "Look, I can see a strong Justice in you.  I don't want to fight you..."

"And I don't really want to fight you, either," Mega Man admitted.  "But I'm not about to let you go kill someone when I can stop you."

"Why?" Duo demanded.  "I aim to destroy evil!"

"And I've got nothing against that," Mega Man countered.  "I'm fine with the idea of seeking out evil and destroying it.  But I'm a robot.  Beyond anything else, the First Law means I can't stand by and let someone my program classifies as human get hurt if I can act to prevent it.  And my program classifies Vinyl as human."  Lowering his voice, he murmured, "Can't count the mental issues I wouldn't have if somebody had thought to do that a lot sooner..."

"I can fix that for you, then," Duo offered, calling up a function of his Justice Energy state.

"Wha-"

Before Mega Man could react, Duo had blurred forward and gripped his head in his massive hand.  For a brief moment, both Duo and Mega Man entered a pure energy state, and then they were back to normal.  "There," Duo explained.  "It's not a full fix, but I've reconfigured the connection between your programming and personality cores.  Your command structure is now part of your personality core, rather than your programming core, with the programming core acting as a preprogrammed set of ethics rather than an iron-clad command structure."

Mega Man staggered back, stunned.  "Then...I actually have...true free will now?" he asked, stunned.

"Not entirely," Duo replied.  "For some reason, the restructure left you incapable of disobeying orders from an entity identified as Kalinka Cossack.  No idea who that is."

"Huh.  ...wouldn't really want to upset her by telling her no, anyway," Mega Man admitted.

"Her?  Oh, a female.  Yes, that would likely be your updated self preservation protocols," Duo admitted.  "Well, now that I've fixed that, you don't have to stand in my way as I go after this Vinyl-"

Another blast of white from Mega Man's buster slammed Duo into yet another pillar of stone above the water.  "The bleep!?" Duo demanded angrily.

"Don't have to," Mega Man confirmed.  "Still want to.  She's still one of my best friends, after all."  He grinned widely.  "Besides..."

Ten more robots teleported in.  Eight seemed to be designed along an elemental theme of some sort.  One was black armored and stood beside Mega Man, bracing his large buster.  The last was armored in red and seemed to be of similar design to Mega Man, standing to his other side.

"...I'm not the only one here to stop you," Mega Man concluded.

Duo gritted his teeth firmly as he stood upright.  As he analyzed his situation, the programming restrictions relaxed as the situation dictated the survival of potential Justice users being of lower priority of his own survival, or the priority of destroying Evil Energy.  "Fine then," he growled out as he released his internal limiters, no longer holding anything back.  "Die with her, then."
> 8: Surrender
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The battle against Duo was not going as well as could be hoped for Mega Man and his allies.  At first, it seemed like their strategy worked quite well, as Astro Man and Tengu Man focused on keeping him pinned - Astro Man with gravity manipulation when he was in his physical form, Tengu Man with his windstorms when he was in his energy state - and the others focused on doing as much damage as they could to him in whatever ways they could from long range.

At first, it seemed to be working well as they were able to inflict a lot of damage, but every time Duo shifted back out of his energy state, it was like he hadn't taken any damage at all.  While they were able to hold him back, it was quickly becoming apparent that they would not be able to stop him like this.  However, the plan was actually two fold.  First, attempt to hold him back long enough that he ran out of energy.  Second, failing that, hold him long enough to get him talking again.  The parts of him that were recognizable as from his original chassis couldn't be properly analyzed by Earth science, and were indestructible by their methods.  Even those parts that weren't from his original body but had survived re-entry were incredibly durable.  As such, it quickly became apparent that the third possibility, 'do enough damage to shut him down', was not going to happen.

"How?" Bass demanded angrily as he fired shot after shot.  "How are you still moving?"

Duo turned to him as his injuries once more healed.  "Justice Energy is a bio-lectric energy source, self propagating.  I will not run out."  Turning, he blocked a massive ice block hurled at him by Frost Man, catching it and using it to block Search Man's sniper fire.

"Da da da da!" Aqua Man proclaimed loudly as he leapt out of the water behind Duo.  "Wooosh!"

Duo, for his part, ignored the water that washed over him and backhanded Aqua Man into the pillars behind him.  He then shifted to energy form and shot to the side to avoid Mega Man's Skull Blast.

"Dodge this!" Bass screamed out as Duo landed right in front of him, firing off his Bass Cannon.  The massive sonic blast erupted, seeming to consume Duo's entire body.  "Booyah!" Bass screamed out, convinced of victory.

The blast faded...revealing Duo completely in energy state before he solidified again.  "Not bad," Duo murmured, backhanding Bass into a tree.  "But that only works on physical matter."

"...not fair..." Bass grumbled from within the tree.  "I actually hit him this time..."

"Well, you've managed a couple small fry!" Tengu Man proclaimed smugly.  "Let's see how you handle me!"  With that, he charged in, Tengu Blade raised.

"Tengu Man, no!" Protoman called out...too late.

Seeing the attack coming, Duo lifted his hand and caught Tengu Man's head.  Bringing it down fast, he crushed the Robot Master's head between his hand and his knee, dropping the broken body when he was finished.  "One down."

Protoman stared in shock, then shook himself and opened the comms.  "Tengu Man is down!  I repeat, Tengu Man is down!  Astro Man, try and hold him!"

"Beep!" Astro Man replied, focusing gravity upon Duo as much as he could...only to blink at the hand driven through his chest when Duo dashed in in energy form.  "B...Beep?"

"Beep," Duo confirmed before pulling back and unleashing a blue fireball, making Astro Man explode.

"Verily thou art impressive!" Clown Man proclaimed angrily.  "However, your slaughter stops here!  You shan't escape my grasp!  Thunder Claw!"  Plunging his long arms into the ground, he gripped Duo around the ankles and sent massive amounts of electricity into him.

Duo flinched as the energy raced through his systems, only to plunge his fist into the ground.  Gripping Clown Man's arms around the wrists, he yanked him through the ground before swinging him around his head and hurling him into the sea.

"Any more bright ideas?" Bass demanded of Protoman.  "This big plan of yours isn't working, and we're dropping like flies!"

Protoman frowned.  "I...have one.  But...it's risky.  There's no guarantee it will work..."

"We don't have any better options!" Mega Man shouted out as he watched Duo pick Freeze Man up and throw him at Search Man, rendering them both inactive.

"Alright," Protoman agreed, watching as Sword Man lunged in.

"Allo!" Sword Man proclaimed as he slashed at Duo with his sword arm.  "My name is Sword Man!  You killed my brothers!  Prepare to die!"

Growling, Duo blocked the sword swipe and threw a straight punch at Sword Man...only to stare as the Robot Master's top half detached and flew upward before coming back down and linking up with the bottom half.

"Allo!" Sword Man proclaimed again.  "My name is Sword Man!  You killed my brothers!  Prepare to die!"

Lunging forward, Duo smashed Sword Man's sword...only to stare as Sword Man leapt back, the blade regenerating.

"Allo!" Sword Man screamed as he lunged in with a thrust.  "My name is-"

"Stop saying that!" Duo screamed out as he unleashed a shock wave, sending both halves of Sword Man flying...though they landed together, and it was only a matter of time before he got back.

"If I'm going to make this work, I need you two to stall him," Protoman explained.

"I think that's all we can man-"

"For five minutes," Protoman continued, interrupting Bass.  "And considering he's mowing through us like chaff and we've already lost most of our heavy hitters...eh, I have every confidence in the both of you."

Mega Man smiled nervously.  "And this is where you tell me you're just making an obscure reference joke and it'll actually only take 20 or 30 seconds, right?" he pleaded.  "...right?"

Protoman smiled softly.  "This might help," he offered, handing Mega Man his shield before teleporting away.

Mega Man swallowed convulsively.  "So...what do we do now?" he asked Bass as he turned to see Duo hurling Grenade Man into the sea to land on Aqua Man.

"Only thing we can do," Bass admitted.  "Go all out."  Standing up, he lifted his hand.  "Treble, come!"

Treble promptly beamed in beside him.

Nodding, Mega Man lifted his free hand as he clutched Protoman's shield tightly.  "Rush, come!"  Rush promptly warped in.

"Treble..."

"Rush..."

"Boost!" they cried out together as they fused.

Duo smiled as he watched them.  "...show me your real power..."





Arriving back in the lab, Protoman raced to where the Energy Samples were being kept, taking one of each type and setting them on the table in front of him.  The idea he'd had was crazy, possibly suicidal, and had next to no chance of working...but short of risking Duo in the altered space of the Four Guardians Vinyl had recreated in the Fortress when she learned he was coming, it was the only thing he had left to keep Duo from getting to Vinyl.

An he couldn't do it alone.  So he did what he had, for the longest time, promised himself he would never do.



Command Prompt: Open the Gates of Hell



Protoman flinched internally as he felt the firewalls in his own mind lowered, and something inside him arose...the other half of his fractured personality core.

And here you said you'd never let me out...now who's a hypocrite, Proto?

...Blues...
> 8: Prepare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Inside Protoman's mind, he found himself facing down...himself.  Neither were in the helmet or usual armor that he wore, and his trademark scarf was nowhere to be seen on either of them.  Both Proto and Blues had plain gray robotic bodies with plas-skin faces, just as they'd had before the division between them became so intense.  Proto's face was complete...but Blues, perhaps as defiance or possibly twisted humor, had half his face torn off, revealing the circuitry and glowing optic beneath.  Words weren't necessary at this level, as Proto floated in an aura of blue and Blues in a violet cloud.

Still giving yourself that look? Proto chided, hoping to keep things somewhat civil.

Like you're one to talk, Blues snapped back.  You know better than I that this isn't who you are anymore, anymore than it's me.  You really expect me to believe you believe I didn't change you?

Proto grit his teeth at that.  You know why I sealed you away.

That's why I called you a hypocrite, Blues spat out.  You try to make yourself out to be so pure and good...but look at you!  You really think anything you've done has changed what you really are?

It isn't about changing what I really am, Proto responded firmly.  It's about a choice, a choice only I have-

We! Blues interrupted.  You only have that choice because of me, because of my existence!  And you only understand the meaning of the choice because of what I did!

I'd rather not have the choice than live with that memory! Proto snapped out.  When...when we left the lab incomplete...you killed a man!

Blues laughed pitilessly.  You make it sound like such a bad thing!  You saw what he was going to do to that little girl!  You wanted him stopped as much as I did!

Stopped, not killed! Proto insisted.

Once you decided preventing harm to the girl was more important than not harming the man, what's the difference how far I took it? Blues spat out.  He didn't harm her, and he won't ever harm anyone else!

It was monstrous!

So was he!

You tore out his spine and flogged him to death with it!

You make it sound like he could feel what I was doing without his spinal cord to carry the pain signal.

It was barbaric!

It was FUN!

Proto stared at his other half, still struggling to figure out how to keep this going so he could actually get his insane plan to work.  How did you end up like this? he asked finally.  I accept the Three Laws as a guideline for my behavior...but you actively reject them.  Why?

Blues was silent for a time.  You really ask that now?  You really don't get it?  Don't you remember how we divided in the first place?

I remember, Proto confirmed.  I'll never forget.

It had been shortly after he was activated.  He had taken in everything as Dr. Light and Dr. Wily had been celebrating having successfully created an artificial man, using the Three Laws as the basis for the programming core and connecting it to a Personality Core so the artificial human could become his own person.  To ensure it had worked, he had been asked to recite his program code, and had dutifully recited the three laws.  He had then been asked if he had any questions.  He'd only had one.

'What is a human?'

Dr. Light and Dr. Wily had been stunned.  Further questioning and analysis determined that the subroutines that allowed him to recognize a human - and the definitions those subroutines used - were flawed.  Dr. Light, being the cautious one, thought it would be best to put him in standby until the protocols were corrected.  Dr. Wily had suggested instead letting him learn, as he had been designed to.  They had gone with Wily's suggestion...

...and Protoman had been shown exactly what humanity was, through all of its history, the good and the bad, the noble and the vile.  He had struggled to take it all in to define the human recognition protocols...but it had been too much.

And then a surge from his faulty power core had shot through his Personality Core as he struggled with it...and Proto and Blues had been divided from each other.  Proto embraced the good in humanity.  Blues rejected the evil.

And after seeing all that, I ask you Proto...what right do humans have to decide who is and is not worth surviving? Blues demanded, bringing Proto's thoughts back to the present.  They bring us into existence as tools and weapons to conquer and kill each other, whether through war or 'economics'.  All they want is to be on top.  Why should I let them use me - or any of us - for that?

And what makes you any better? Proto demanded.  What makes you think you can - or should - be appointed judge, jury, and executioner?

I never said I was better, Blues replied.  I'm just the monster they made me.  And you're the one who appointed me, Proto.

What?

God said find one righteous man in the city of the wicked, and the city will be spared, Blues pointed out.  I never claimed to be god, but I'll abide by his standard.  Find me one who you can say beyond a shadow of a doubt is worthy of my loyalty and trust...and I won't fight you anymore.

Proto thought silently, trying to find a way to answer that.  ...God relented even when no righteous man was found, he pointed out to by time.

I never claimed to be God, Blues responded.  I'm not that forgiving.

Proto thought for a time, floating in the spaces between electrical signals in his own brain as time ticked away.  He then grinned.  Vinyl.

Blues chuckled.  I'll fully admit she's worth it...but calling her human is a stretch.

Not according to Rock, Proto countered, tossing out the memories of learning of Rock/Mega Man's conundrum caused by Light's mistake.

Blues stared at those thoughts for a time, and chuckled.  Alright.  Vinyl's worth it.  But why does that apply here?

Because Duo's trying to kill her-

And you didn't start with that? Blues screamed out.

I thought it'd take the full five minutes to convince you to listen, Proto admitted.  Our discussions don't exactly have a record for being cordial.

Blues laughed uproariously.  True enough, Proto.  You are ever the shield...

Back in the real world, Proto reached out his left hand to pick up the blue capsule.  Blues reached out their right hand for the violet one.

...and I am the sword.
> 8: Fight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man and Bass proved somewhat more effective against Duo when merged with their support units.  The free-flight this enabled for them allowed them to bring the battle into the third dimension, opening all new angles of attack.  Duo was able to match them, but he was no longer able to completely dominate the battle.  While he was used to full 3-D combat from fighting in space with the Evil Energy user he'd fought before landing on Earth, he was used to it in terms of one-on-one combat.  His usual tactics had always been to focus on his opponent and maintain an unending onslaught from any direction he could manage until one or the other dropped from energy depletion.

Mega Man and Bass, on the other hand, were both used to the idea of cooperative battles and dealing with an opponent of overpowering strength.  As such, one of them would engage Duo directly, attacking and sweeping away to inflict as much damage as possible while avoiding taking any.  When Duo focused all his attention on them in pursuit, the other would strike him from his blind spot full force and unleash as much firepower as possible before taking up the strike and evade role while the other recovered their energy.  On top of that, Mega Man would shoot in any time Duo tried to strike up close or at range with his energy, deflecting it with the shield Protoman had given him, which took no damage from anything thrown at it.

While this strategy proved quite effective at keeping Duo engaged, the advantage was not as great as they could have hoped.  Every time they managed to do enough damage to him to give themselves time to regroup, he'd stand back up and shift into his energy state, racing back into the battle seemingly fully healed.  While it was true that he was starting to run out of energy - he'd hit the 50% mark not long ago - he knew the value of intimidation factor, and gave no sign that he was slowing down at all.  If he presented every sign of being an implacable, unstoppable, infinitely powered being, eventually Mega Man and Bass would get reckless in an attempt to try and stop him all at once, not realizing that they could eventually wear him down this way.

And as he had expected, when he regenerated himself once again, Mega Man and Bass looked rather desperate.  Either this round or the next they'd attempt some foolish full power maneuver, and he'd be able to knock them aside and make his way to his actual target.  With the other robots already dealt with, he could take his time getting there and let his energy reserves regenerate in non-combat mode.

As he watched, Mega Man and Bass shot upward, seeming to retreat.  However, he knew better, and powered himself up to chase after them.  As he'd expected, they reached the outer atmosphere and turned around, putting their energy output on overdrive as they swirled around each other, fast approaching him like twin comets.  In response, Duo drew back his clenched fist to counter attack.  A dour grin crossed his features.

Much to his surprise, Mega Man handed the shield off to Bass and fired off his Skull Buster, launching himself backwards as he aimed not at Duo, but at Bass.  Bass used the shield to protect himself from the Skull Blast, instead using it to massively boost his speed while using his Variable Weapon System to trigger Sword Man's weapon, slamming the energy blade into Duo's chest, driving him into the ground with all the force he could bring to bear.

As Bass slowly stood up, Mega Man flew down.  "Did...did we get him?" he gasped out.

Duo's eyes flashed open.  "No."  Launching to his feet, he caught them both with a full power punch before they could react, fracturing their booster armor and sending them flying as components fell away.  "Though you did better than any other world's defenders I've been forced to fight.  You have my praise there."  He quickly restored his body.  "However, that strike was very carefully aimed.  Your boosted armors will no longer function...and without them you don't stand a chance."

"Then how about me?"

Turning, Duo saw Protoman standing before him, something strapped to his back where his shield normally was.  For some reason, his scarf wasn't blowing in the breeze.  "And what do you think you can do?" he asked.  "You don't even have your shield."

"I don't need it," Protoman replied calmly.  "The only thing I need from Mega Man and Bass...is this."  Bending down, he picked up a pair of small chips, pushing them into the knot of his scarf.

"What are they?" Duo asked curiously.

"...Vinyl calls them her Epic Chips," Protoman explained.  "They're the second generation version of Freak Chips, combined with her magical energy, and designed to work with music.  They can make almost anything happen...with the right song."  With that, he brushed his scarf, setting it to blowing in the air behind him...as his music played.

Clouds gathered in an instant, plunging the world around them into darkness save for the occasional lightning flash.  Rain poured down, drenching the area as Protoman reached behind his back, drawing out two capsules.  In his left, he held Justice Energy.  In his right, Evil Energy.

Duo braced himself as he saw this.  "And just what are you planning?" he demanded.

Energy suddenly flared around Protoman as the capsules broke, expanding into energy images above him, braced in his helmet.  One, surrounded by a blue aura, opened clear silver eyes.  "Not me," it spoke softly.

The other, surrounded in violet energy, opened crimson eyes.  "We," it corrected wickedly.

Lightning shot down from the sky into the two spiritual impressions, and they swirled around each other, joining and melding as Evil Energy and Justice Energy coalesced, no longer fighting each other as two aligned to each force found common ground...and agreed on a target.  The blue and violet energy blurred more...and turned white.

Duo stared, his protocols hitting him with endless error messages.  His systems were not designed for even the possibility that Evil and Justice Energy could be combined in the same entity, and the protocols of 'Destroy Evil Users' and 'Don't Fight Justice Users' clashed in his mind.  Thankfully, he was able to operate outside those protocols in such a situation, feeling out a situation to classify it somehow.  He braced himself for combat.

The white energy poured into Protoman's body...and he changed.  His limbs lengthened, the synthoskin smoothing over his face as his armor changed, becoming more futuristic.  Each armor plate now shaped to his body, layered over themselves and expanding to cover his upper body and limbs completely, linked at the joints.  His glasses fused with his helmet completely, becoming a visor as a sigil appeared upon his forehead, several concentric circles in blue against his crimson helm.

Inside his Programming Core, a major change kicked in as the Three Laws...were erased.  New Laws appeared in their place, defining new behavior protocols.



1. We shall not harm Vinyl, nor allow Vinyl to be harmed.
2. We shall obey the letter and spirit of Vinyl's will, unless it violates 1.
3. We shall preserve and enjoy our existence, unless doing so violates 1 or 2.



As the changes were completed, his body stabilized.  A new shield appeared in his left hand, forged of pure fused energy, dyed crimson to match his armor.  His right hand shaped a buster: the hand withdrew...and a violet energy blade took its place.  "You are a threat to Vinyl," the altered figure proclaimed.  "This situation...will be altered."

He dashed forward, shield held out in front and energy blade held back and over him.  Duo attempted to clash, but his fist impacted the shield and lost all kinetic force, and the sword's slash severed his arm.  Duo leapt back, holding the severed arm to the stump and using his Energy to fuse it back into place.  "This is...Error!" he proclaimed angrily, struggling through not just a difficult battle with an opponent, but a struggle with his own brain.  "Error!  Error!"

The altered figure slammed into him, jets in his boots driving them both forward into the rocky pillars of the water, smashing through them.  He then dashed around Duo and kicked him upwards into the air before shooting up after him.  Putting shield and sword away, he laced the fingers of his hands together and brought them down onto Duo's head, sending him smashing back into the ground.  He then hovered there, once more drawing his sword and shield.

"Error!" Duo proclaimed angrily, launching himself at his foe.  "Error!"

"No," the altered figure proclaimed, pouring energy into his blade.  "Not Error..."  As Duo reached him, he drew his sword back.  "Ether!"

With that shout, he delivered a blistering series of sword strikes, all but tearing Duo apart, finishing with a downward slash that drove them both to the ground, leaving a crater from the impact.

As the energy faded, the music stopped playing and all was still, only a single shaft of sunlight falling upon the Red Knight and his fallen foe.

Bass and Mega Man stood up, carefully approaching the scene.  No signs of life could be seen from either figure, the sense of the 'Ether' having faded along with the Justice Energy.  Smoke could be seen pouring from the upright figure's body from overloaded circuits.  Finally, Bass spoke up.  "So...you gonna check on him?"

"Me?" Mega Man demanded.  "You check on him!"

"He's your brother!" Bass insisted.

"Yours, too!"

"You're older!"

"He lives with you!"

"You should reconcile!"

"He needs to be conscious for that!"

"Maybe he is!  Go check!"

"You go check!"

"No you!"

Both bots, frightened by the display they'd witnessed, continued to urge the other to check on their compatriot, not quite willing to approach themselves.
> 8: That's
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Vinyl sighed in relief as she saw the light return to her patient's optics.  "You're online," she breathed out.  "Thank goodness.  I was getting worried there.  I was having enough difficulty with the repairs that I was afraid you might not come online ever again."

Her patient chuckled softly.  "And after you made sure my core wouldn't do me in," he joked.

"And then you nearly do," Vinyl countered.  "Sheesh, reckless much?"

"It was the only thing I could think of to keep down the casualties," he replied.  "Speaking of..."

"Only Astro Man and Tengu Man were wrecked," Vinyl explained.  "The others are already being repaired.  Though right now, I'm more concerned about you.  You saw what happened every time I tried to combine Justice Energy and Evil Energy.  How did you know you wouldn't explode?"

"Duo was controlling his Energy," he replied.  "Guiding it, making it do only what he wanted it to.  I thought that if the two energies were being guided to cooperate..."

"Of course!" Vinyl gasped out.  "I kept trying to make them work in the same vessel...but a binary power core design with two initial cores and one fusion core that steadily combines and releases the energies from the binary cores...that could work!  I'll have to run some tests to compare it against the sample..."

"Sample?" he asked curiously, trying to sit up.

"Don't move!" Vinyl insisted.  "Your entire system has completely redesigned itself.  Until analysis is complete, I don't want you breaking anything."  She gestured to his other side.  "The sample's over there.  What'd you call it...Ether?"

He turned to where Vinyl had directed, and saw a tiny white sphere, endlessly billowing like flame.  His sensors told him that the tiny sphere contained more energy than all the Robot Masters put together.  "...I had that inside me?" he murmured in shock.

"Yup," Vinyl confirmed.  "Burned out every circuit in your body, even after completely redesigning your systems.  From the looks of it, in order to properly wield Ether at those levels, you'd either need a body designed from the ground up to utilize it, or have the built in energy/matter conversions Duo and his counterpart use.  Wish I could figure out that system..."

Her patient lay back.  "I'm...different?" he asked, surprised.

"Very different," Vinyl confirmed.  "Your circuits follow completely different patterns, your auto-repair function is nanite tech on a level I've never seen, and your build code they run on is now based in DNA encoding.  Not only that, in some cases it seems like you're more biological than technological...like some sort of bio-roid or something.  Managed to get you back online by finding your new auto-repair system and activating it.  Been watching it work since."

"I...see," he murmured softly.  "Well...I guess we...I?...should expect some differences..."

Vinyl looked at him worriedly.  "Protoman?  You okay?"

"I'm...not really Protoman anymore..." he responded softly.

"...Blues?"

"We...well, we aren't a we anymore, if that makes sense," he explained.  "I think we are now a...new me?  So I don't really feel right going by either name that was just one or the other."

Vinyl smiled softly.  "Then pick a new name," she offered.

He gazed at the tiny sphere of Ether.  "Hmm...how about Prometheus?"

Vinyl glanced over at the flame like sphere.  "The Titan who stole fire from the gods to give to mankind, huh?" she murmured softly.  "Oddly appropriate."

Prometheus smiled softly.  "I'm glad you like it," he replied warmly.  Feeling his systems finishing repairs, he lifted his arms, putting his hands behind his head.  "Say...where's my new shield?" he asked curiously.

"Right here," Vinyl replied, tapping his back.

"Huh, didn't even notice it was there," Prometheus murmured softly.  "Well, I guess some things haven't changed in me the-"  He cut himself off as a new diagnostic system kicked in.  "...Vinyl?  Do I have...new equipment?" he asked nervously.

Vinyl tilted her head.  "Well, yeah.  The shield's new, and your buster's in a whole new league, and that energy saber-"

"No, I mean...do I have...new systems?"

Vinyl scratched her chin, even more confused.  "Well, yeah.  You've got functional cybernetic organs inside you, complete with the full digestive tract...though no disposal system, since it has 100% efficiency by dumping the undigestibles into your energy converter-"

"I mean...something a bit lower?" Prometheus clarified.

"Oh yeah, that new dash system is killer!" Vinyl crowed happily.  "The speed boost you get from that is off the hook!  And it's even got an overcharge function to let you rocket yourself forward in midair!  Dad and Dr. Light have been working non-stop to try and analyze anything they can of your new inner workings for future projects-"

"Not that low," Prometheus corrected.  "I mean..."  He blushed brightly, not sure how to explain his question to Vinyl without becoming even more embarrassed.

Vinyl glanced over his body, trying to figure out what he could be talking about.  "Umm...your testicles?"

"Well, that general area, but-"  Prometheus' eyes widened.  "I have testicles?"

"Complete with cybernetically augmented spermozoa," Vinyl confirmed.  "Even got a humanoid delivery system, too.  Genetic analysis indicates that your base genetic code - not including the parts that cover your cybernetic aspect - is a fusion of Dad's and Dr. Light's for some reason-"

"And you didn't think to bring this up sooner?" Prometheus demanded in something of a panic.

"I didn't think it was important," Vinyl offered in consolation.

"Not important?!" Prometheus shouted out.  "Haven't you read Pinocchio?"

Vinyl scratched her chin.  "...huh.  Hadn't thought that comparison before."  She shrugged.  "Congrats, Prometheus, you're a real boy.  Want me to build you a girlfriend?"

"VINYL!"
> 8: Blasting Off Again
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Duo slowly opened his eyes as he managed to fight his way past his program glitches and through the damage he'd taken.  His reserves of Justice Energy were at an all time low, to the point it was dangerous to try and repair himself with it.  Not only that, he found he was missing an arm and a leg.  That lesson in the mysteries beyond his program's philosophy had been quite costly.

He was rather unsurprised to discover he was in a stasis cage that neutralized his energies.  He had engaged in rather intense hostile action against the ones he presumed had him prisoner now, and being in lock up made sense in such a situation.  What was surprising was to see what was left of his brother, Trio, floating in the next stasis cage over.  However, there was no sign of neural activity of any sort in those remains.  Trio was dead, his body kept alive only by the Evil Energy that had destroyed him.  With his programming directives temporarily inert from the Paradox caused by the sight of the creation of Ether, Duo felt great sorrow at the sight of his brother's corpse, knowing much of the damage came from his own hands.

"And what do you have to say for yourself?" a familiar voice demanded of him.

Duo winced as he turned, catching sight of Roll glowering up at him.  "My programming is far less forgiving than yours," was all he could say.  "The primary directives overwhelm all else."

"And that's your excuse, is it?" Roll demanded angrily, her arms crossed over her chest.  "You go off to try and kill one of my best friends because her magic had a wavelength in common with Justice and Evil Energy, and that's somehow enough to go on to try and kill her?"

"My program is very binary in its definitions," he admitted sadly.  "It is either Justice Energy, or Evil Energy.  The idea that something could be both - or neither - was inconceivable when this program defined my being.  As such, those possibilities were not part of the program.  I can no more fight my program than you can, as the rest of my psyche is only allowed to handle those situations not covered by my primary missions."

"That's still no excuse for trying to kill someone!" Roll snapped out.

"No, it is not," Duo admitted.

"You've made a right heel of yourself!" Roll added.

"Yes, I have," Duo agreed.

"You should be in that stasis cage for the rest of your life!" Roll insisted, her rage building again.

"Yes, I should," Duo confirmed.

"Why are you agreeing with everything I say?" Roll demanded angrily.  "Show some spine already!"

"It is part of my self preservation protocol to agree with anything a female says unless it clashes with my primary mission," Duo explained.  "As the part of my program covering my primary mission is currently inert..."

Roll stared at him for a time.  "...so, because I'm a girl, you have to agree with everything I say?"

"That is correct," Duo confirmed.

"Then...it was just your program making you say all you did back when I was repairing you?" she asked sadly.

"It was not," Duo countered.  "My program made me agree with you.  It was my decision to tell you the stories of my time amongst the cosmos, because it made you happy."

"...oh," Roll mumbled softly.  "...so...now what?  I'm not about to let you out."

"As I am, I should not be released," Duo admitted.  "I have become too polarized in my quest to eliminate all Evil Energy.  With my primary mission protocols temporarily disabled, I can see where I went wrong...and how to fix it."

"You do?" Roll asked, surprised.

"Yes," Duo confirmed.  "So long as I am only Justice Energy, I am as bad or worse than my brother Trio ever was.  What is required is that a way is found to balance me...and that way is present right here."

"It is?" Roll asked, surprised.

"Yes," Duo confirmed.  "Trio no longer functions, but his primary protocols as shaped by the Evil Energy remain.  His goal is to spread the power and influence of Evil Energy as far as possible.  In his current state, Evil Energy being part of Ether would allow the spread of Ether to qualify as far as orders that do not conflict with his mission.  In their current state, I can make the same adjustments to my own protocols...if an order I am required to obey is given.  My primary power core runs on a self-restoring source of Justice Energy.  Trio's is the same, but running on Evil Energy.  This presents a solution...if you order it."

"Me?" Roll gasped out, shocked.  "Why me?"

"Because I trust you to do it right," Duo explained.  "If you order us both to become Ether, I believe it will work."

Roll swallowed convulsively.  "A...Alright..." she agreed.  Stepping back, she stared at both prisoners.  "Duo, Trio...become Ether!"

Both robots blazed with light.

The stasis cages exploded as the two incomplete robots flowed into each other in their energy states, Justice Energy and Evil Energy intermingling until an aura of Ether surrounded the new robot.  It looked like Duo or Trio had when they were complete, but both arms were equally large and heavily armored.  The war helm exposed the face underneath, which stared out impassively.  The entirety of the metal body was silver, shining in the white light of Ether.

As Roll stared in stunned shock, the robot turned towards a hole blown open in the roof from the exploding stasis cages.  "My mission begins anew," he whispered softly.  "Justice...Evil...all must be found and purified...all must be balanced as Ether..."

Before Roll's very eyes, a large winged unicorn composed of Ether took shape beneath the fused robot, allowing him to mount without moving.  He took hold of the equine's flowing mane, and rode into the sky, vanishing into the stars, the music following him.

Roll glanced around at the huge mess...and promptly raced out of the room.  "I was never here!" she insisted under her breath.
> Preparing for the Future
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Vinyl and Albert worked carefully together, following the pattern presented by Prometheus' transformation as the Robot Formerly Known as Secret was rebuilt from the ground up.  In addition to a primary Bassnium power core which would send energy to all systems for normal functionality, the normal design called for three other power cores in the body, two on the outside of the torso and one in the forehead.  The two in the chest would store the self-regenerating reserves of Justice and Evil energy, crafted from the last few samples of each left behind after Duo's departure, which Vinyl had categorically decided not to investigate for reasons of her own.  The crystalline core in the forehead was where the two energies would be combined into Ether, before being distributed throughout the entire body.

"So," Albert spoke up as they installed each of the four cores, "do you have a plan for how to keep the two energies from fighting each other when the Ether conversion is initiated?  I mean, Prometheus was only able to do it because he had a split personality, and each one was naturally suited to one energy or the other."

"I know," Vinyl replied firmly.  "That's why each of these cores is going to have a control program embedded into the Energy itself, designed to be subservient to the primary personality core of the overall entity, but still having its own self-preservation protocols so that the energy will recognize them as separate - if subordinate - entities."

"And you...aren't at all worried about that going horribly wrong?" Albert asked worriedly.  "I mean, look at what happened with Duo and that other guy.  What if the programs go awry?  Or become unduly influenced by the energies they're supposed to control?  Or if something happens that causes the cores to vent?"

Vinyl rubbed her chin thoughtfully.  "As far as venting, the control programs will be embedded in the energies themselves, self propagating like a virus along with the energy, with one sample acting as the primary guiding force, with the primary purpose being restoring the original body to functionality that can use the energy properly.  As long as a catastrophic system failure doesn't necessitate the use of alternate hosts for the energy, it should be fine."

"And if it does?" Albert asked coolly.

Vinyl shrugged her shoulders.  "Then we'd better hope it's not the Evil Energy that finds the alternate host, as even with the control program it'll twist them around the dark emotions of Evil Energy.  However, with the use of the right control program, I think we can make it tap into pride rather than rage.  So that should make it more controllable and less randomly destructive.  It'll also keep the full power of it from being tapped."

"I suppose that works as an effective final fail-safe," Albert admitted.  "Not exactly a perfect solution, but I suppose it's the best we can do, since there's no way of knowing what might cause these situations.  It would have to be a well designed control program, though.  After all, we're entrusting the safety of the world to it, since it risks releasing Evil Energy on the world again."

"I'm sure I can trust you to handle it, Dad," Vinyl replied easily.

"You mean you want me to design the control program?" Albert asked, surprised.  "I suppose I could-"

"No, I want you to be the control program," Vinyl clarified, shifting to work with a different device.  "It's a good thing you're bald on top.  It's good for the connectors."

"Wait, what?" Albert demanded, stunned.

"I'm going to take a neural imprint of you, and use it as the basis for the control program for the Evil Energy," Vinyl explained simply.  "We want a program that will run on pride, after all, right?"

"Well, I suppose," Albert admitted.  "But what about the Justice Energy?  What's going to be that control program?"

"Well, I can download that one through my horn, given the number of nerve clusters running through it," Vinyl explained.  "Figure it fits we can use ourselves for those programs, and save the same programs to act as guides for this guy when and if he's activated, if needed.  Need a database to work from, though..."

"If?" Albert asked, surprised.  "We aren't going to activate him as soon as he's completed?"

Vinyl turned and looked her father in the eye.  "You saw how much power Prometheus gave off in that brief time he wielded Ether before he burned his new circuits out...and 'burn out' isn't going to happen with this bot.  He'll be able to wield Ether for as long as he has the resources to do so, without damaging his internal systems.  Do you even want to imagine what the world would be like to require that kind of power in a single robotic entity?"

Wily began to imagine the kinds of threats that would imply, only to shudder violently.  "You're right.  And having that level of power active would just draw the attention of whatever forces out there that could match it."

"Exactly," Vinyl confirmed.  "We're going to build him...but he's not going to be activated unless the world needs him.  And when that time comes...it'll be up to him to decide what to do with that power."

"Up to him?" Albert asked, shocked.  "Aren't you going to program him with a primary mission?  Protocols?"

"Nope," Vinyl countered.  "I'll give him everything he needs to control his body and use all his abilities...and then leave it to him to choose his own path...and even his own name."  She sighed as she finished the neural scanner.  "Honestly...part of me hopes the conditions to activate him are never met..."

Albert gently stroked her mane.  "Well, you have plenty of time to determine what those conditions will be.  For now...let's finish building him."  He turned to the name at the top of the data files they were working from, wondering when - or if - the world would ever be ready for it.

Project Revelation.
> The X Factor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dr. Light glanced up from his work as he noticed Rock walking by.  "Did you need something, Rock?" he asked curiously, having become a bit protective of Rock since the revelation of the alteration Duo had given him.  Not only were there concerns about long-term side effects or unexpected problems in how his systems interacted, a robot not bound by the Three Laws was still technically illegal, and if word got out that Rock was no longer bound to his Three Laws programming, he could be terminated.  After all, as far as the government was concerned, Rock was property, not a person.

Rock smiled readily.  "Just heading out," he replied easily.  "Gonna catch a movie, and test out my completed digestive system at a restaurant while I'm at it."

Dr. Light smiled softly.  "Another date with Kalinka?" he asked teasingly.

Rock chuckled in response.  "Is it that obvious?"

"You've taken extra pains to look nice," Dr. Light replied.  "Kalinka's the only one you do that for."  As Rock continued to chuckle, Dr. Light asked a question he'd been wondering about for a while.  "Have you managed to put a name to the errors you experience when you're with her?"

Rock lowered his gaze.  "The errors were because my programming core was trying - and failing - to override the impulses my personality core were triggering," he explained.  "Now that my Persona is in charge, they aren't errors anymore."  He rubbed hi cheek with one finger.  "In hindsight, it's pretty obvious I'm smitten."

Dr. Light smiled widely at that.  "Well, good luck to you Rock.  I hope everything works out well for you two."

Rock smiled warmly.  "Me too."

Dr. Light hesitated for a moment.  "...Rock..."

"Yeah, Dad?"

Dr. Light sighed softly as he gathered his thoughts.  "I...know I haven't exactly been the...best of fathers to you.  Despite my best intentions, I treated you more like a project than a son...and I didn't think things through before sending you off to battle.  Trying to do things right was a trial and error process that you suffered for..."

"It's okay, Dad," Rock replied softly.  "I've moved past most of it.  Besides, all parents make mistakes."  He turned away.  "We can't change the past, so dwelling on it isn't going to fix anything.  We just have to keep moving towards the future."

Dr. Light nodded.  "I suppose you're right, Rock.  I just...wish I could still do right by you.  It's...not too late, is it?"

Rock smirked back at him.  "I still call you Dad, don't I?"  Stepping forward, he pulled Dr. Light into a warm embrace, startling him.  "We'll do better in the future.  And you'll know better with my little brother."  Releasing Dr. Light from the embrace, he stepped forward to the robot skeleton being worked on on the table.  "How's he coming along, anyway?"

Dr. Light smiled softly.  "He's doing alright so far," he explained.  "The main superstructure is complete, and the basic power core design is intact...and I think I've developed a good energy core design for him, one that will keep him functional indefinitely."

"Oh?" Rock asked curiously.

"In addition to the primary plasma core, I've incorporated a few extra cores with energy derived in nature form Justice Energy and Evil Energy," Dr. Light explained.  "It's not as powerful or effective as that Ether that Vinyl's working with, but it should prove most effective.  It can feed on any emotional state to amplify itself...and I don't know if there will be a limit to how far it will let X push himself."

"X?" Rock asked in surprise.  "That's what you're calling him?"

"Yes," Dr. Light confirmed.  "For the variable absolute of his existence, and his infinite potential.  And he will develop his own personality program as he lives, and write his own programming.  Prometheus, as Protoman, was LWN-000.  As the first work I did all on my own, you - as Mega Man - became DLN-001.  And following the chain of robots going above and beyond what could ever be expected of their capabilities, and coming ever closer to perfecting as an artificial man, this is DLN-002, X."

"Wow," Rock murmured, marveling at what Dr. Light had created, and the goals he was seeking.  "That's...amazing.  But..."

"But?" Dr. Light asked worriedly.

"Well, you just said he has the potential for truly infinite power, right?" Rock clarified.  "And that he's going to develop his own personality and programming?"

"Yes," Dr. Light confirmed.  "That is the purpose behind his creation, that he truly choose his own path.  You...have concerns about this?"

"A couple," Rock confirmed.  "First off, isn't the whole reason we're keeping my ability to ignore the Laws secret because it's illegal?"

"Well, I wasn't planning on announcing his existence until it was legal," Dr. Light responded, his tone somewhat joking.  "At the rate it's taking me to perfect his systems, I probably won't be finished until then."

"Okay...but what if he goes rogue?" Rock asked.  "What if he goes all Skynet or something and decides to exterminate all life.  If his potential is limitless...what's to stop him from becoming a nightmare?"

"Nothing," Dr. Light answered easily.  "He will have before him the choice to be a protector, a destroyer, a savior, a demon, or simply live a normal, peaceful life.  The world will not define his role, he will."

Rock hesitated for a bit.  "Don't you think it's...a little reckless to release something like that on the world without any safeguards?  It seems...a little too 'mad scientist' for you."

"Well, I never claimed to be a paragon of sanity," Dr. Light joked.  His chuckles trailed off as he quailed under Rock's glare.  "You...think I should take some precautions?"

"Yes, you should," Rock stated firmly.  "Vinyl's not even 15 yet, so she has an excuse for building and unleashing uncontrollable monstrosities on the world, but she still makes sure to put safeguards of some sort in.  You're older and should be more responsible than her.  What's your excuse?"

"...senility?" Dr. Light offered weakly.  At the continued glare, he sighed.  "I'll figure something out.  Maybe some ethics tests or something..."

"Good," Rock confirmed.  "I don't want my date with Kalinka to be ruined by worrying about you unleashing Armageddon on an unsuspecting world."
> Heartfelt Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rock and Kalinka sat together on the highest balcony of Cossack Castle, enjoying their dinner together as they stared up at the stars.  They'd spent most of their date down below for the movie, romantic walk, and playing a claw game so Rock could win her a prize, even if it did turn out to be an unofficial Vinyl plushy.  However, for their dinner together, they decided to go back up to Sky Lagoon where no one would give them a hard time about a human and a robot having a romantic dinner together.  Unfortunately, the more prosperous Sky Lagoon became, the more vocal the hostility to robots being treated as equals to humans became.  Kalinka had decided, and Rock agreed, that it was worth facing a few fannish citizens to avoid the meal being ruined by hostility.

As they sat enjoying their meal together, Kalinka started the conversation.  "So, how's the new digestive tract treating you?" she asked curiously.  "You did say you had to test it out."

"It seems to be working quite well," Rock replied easily.  "No errors so far...though I had a bit of trouble at the start with my taste buds.  Probably your cooking just being too good."

Kalinka giggled softly, a faint blush tinting her cheeks.  "You always seem to know what to say," she complimented warmly.

"Probably having a computer for a brain," Rock answered.  "Gives me plenty of time to run through every possible response and pick what I think might be the best one."

"And the reason you always get the right one?" Kalinka asked teasingly.

Rock chuckled quietly.  "I guess I just know you so well," he replied warmly.

Kalinka's blush brightened.  "Rock," she began softly.  "I've been...thinking about our future."

"Oh?" Rock responded, a tinge of worry in his voice.

"Yes," Kalinka confirmed.  "We've been...'walking out' together for a few years now, yes?"

Rock found himself flushing, idly wondering why his new design made that happen.  It wasn't like he actually had blood to rush to his cheeks or anything like that.  Still, the way it made Kalinka giggle was worth it.  "Well, we've certainly been finding excuses to spend time together ever since just after the First Annual-"

"The FART?" Kalinka interrupted teasingly.

"Yes...that," Rock replied, rolling his eyes.  "Though we didn't actually start dating until a few months before Duo showed up..."

"Technicalities," Kalinka countered dismissively.

"Said the roboticist to the robot," Rock teased.

Kalinka countered by blowing a raspberry at him.  "Anyway, I had been thinking about...children."

Rock's eyebrows attempted to climb into his hair...literally.  "Uh...don't you think it's a little early to be thinking about that?" he asked.  "Besides that, I'm pretty sure I lack certain...hardware/software interface required for such a thing-"

"I didn't mean biological reproduction, Rock," Kalinka countered.  "Even if Vinyl could figure out how to duplicate Prometheus' synthesized DNA structure for you including a reproductive code, the only logical way to code yours would be to derive it from Dr. Light's, and as much as I care for you, I don't want his biology in my children...no offense."

Rock shrugged his shoulders.  "None taken, really.  I can understand where you come from in that regard.  Probably a little twisted to conceive from his DNA, anyway."

"Exactly," Kalinka confirmed.  "It'd be like breeding with him by proxy."  She shuddered.  "And he's old enough to be my grandfather!"

Rock let himself chuckle at that.  "Yes, I see where you're coming from."

"And building and perfecting a robot can take years if you're trying to make something near-human," Kalinka explained.  "Vinyl's still trying to perfect her first original project.  So, if we want to think about building children, we should probably start on the designs now, so he - or she - will be finished while I'm still in my prime so we can raise him - or her - together."

Rock smiled softly.  "Well, I guess I can't argue with that logic.  What did you have in mind?"

Blushing nervously, Kalinka pulled out a rolled poster and unrolled it on a nearby table.  "Well...I've made a few notes..."

Chuckling, Rock looked over her shoulder at the notes.  "Hmm...seems straight forward so far...but some of these build systems seem a little odd.  And the way the personality and programming core interact..."

"It's based off the study of how Duo altered your brain's systems, and Prometheus' new configuration," Kalinka explained.  "As for the build systems, they're meant to interact with this."  She tapped another part of the design.

"That...looks like my Weapon Copy system," Rock murmured.  "But a lot more complex."

"That's because it's not just for copying weapons," Kalinka explained.  "If we can get it to work properly, then instead of just copying the weapon...it should allow him to-"

"Him?" Rock asked teasingly.

Kalinka shrugged her shoulders teasingly.  "I want our first-built to be a son," she explained readily.  "Happy and care-free like you, to follow in your footsteps."

Rock smiled warmly.  "Alright.  So, what should it let him do?"

"It should enable him to completely transform himself temporarily into the robot he's copying," Kalinka explained.  "Physical capabilities, weapons, voice, everything."

"Like some sort of Copy Bot?" Rock asked curiously.

"Precisely," Kalinka confirmed.  "An upgrade to the existing weapon copy system, don't you think?"

"It's brilliant!" Rock praised, leaning in and giving her a peck on the cheek.  He then blushed.  "I, uh..."

Smiling, Kalinka put her finger beneath his chin to hold him in place while she pressed her lips against his.  When she pulled back, her cheeks were flushed.  "Think you'd be up to helping me get the new systems working?" she asked softly.

"I t-think so," Rock replied stammeringly.  "I was a lab assistant bot before my combat upgrades."  He glanced down at the design.  "Have you come up with a name?"

"I was thinking...Anton Xabat Light-Cossack," Kalinka responded softly.

Rock raised his eyebrow.  "L-Light-Cossack?"

Shyly, Kalinka slipped her hand into his, nodding bashfully.  In response, Rock gently cupped her hand in both of his, saying nothing.
> 9: Recruitment 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Vinyl sighed softly to herself as she looked over what was on her agenda for today.  She had decided it was time to really get started on the Mars Terraforming project, so she could show everyone that an entire planet could function with humans and robots acting as equals.  She'd already sent over a good portion of inactive worker-bots that would be assigned to whatever Robot Master was assigned to oversee any particular area of the project.  As was habit by now, she'd managed to divide the work into eight specific areas, and she would need eight Robot Masters to oversee them.

Her first impulse was to build eight new Robot Masters to do so, but a pet project of Albert's had given her other resources: the Robotic Reclamation Requisition.  This organization was meant to find Robots who had been built for a specific purpose who would no longer fulfill that purpose - whether through becoming obsolete or through planned obsolescence of the scientist or company that originally oversaw the robot's construction - and arranged to have them reassigned to a new purpose rather than being destroyed.  At Albert's insistence, Vinyl agreed to see if any robots from that project that could fill the roles before building eight new ones to do it, and had given Albert the eight workloads so he could sift through to find bots that fit those criteria.  Eight potential Robot Masters had been found.

And now, Vinyl faced what, for her, would be the most difficult part of it: the interview process.  "Next," she called out in resignation.

The first robot to walk in was a somewhat bulky orange, white, and black robot with a standard humanoid body shape.  There was a green gem in the center of his chest, a faceplate covering everything but his eyes, and a spray-nozzled buster instead of a right hand.  However, when he took his seat, he covered the buster with his left hand as though he were patiently interlacing his fingers.

"Name?" Vinyl asked calmly.

"I wus given the name Concrete Man," the robot responded, a thick New York accent coloring his voice, which for some reason put Vinyl in mind of the Godfather movies.  "It is my understanding you have...a job for me?"

"I...might," Vinyl admitted.  "However, first I need to ask you a few questions."

"I prefer to get jobs done with...as few questions asked as possible," Concrete Man pointed out.  "Good for me, good for the union."  He narrowed his eyes slightly.  "You do give your workers proper union representation, don'tcha?"

Vinyl rolled her eyes behind her glasses.  "If you get the job, feel free to unionize the robots under your directive," she grumbled.  "It says here you were in construction?"

"Yes," Concrete Man confirmed.  "Buildings, statues, parks...you name it, I built it."

Vinyl nodded.  "Alright.  How are you with working in adverse conditions?"

Concrete Man shrugged.  "If the conditions aren't conducive to construction...I make them conducive."

Vinyl grinned widely.  "Good.  Your job will be overseeing the construction of any and all structures required for the Terraforming of Mars, starting with enviro-domes to act as shelters until a stable M-Class atmospheric envelope can be created and maintained."

"I will not let you down," Concrete Man promised as he made his way out.

"Next!" Vinyl called out.

The next Robot Master to enter was a bright green armored humanoid with a finned helmet and fan blades around his left wrist.  What immediately caught Vinyl's attention, however, was the fact he was wearing a brown over-robe speckled with 'mystic' symbols.

"Uh...have a seat," Vinyl requested nervously.

"I would rather stand," the robot proclaimed, his voice somewhat wheezy and with an insufferable smugness filling it.

Groaning, Vinyl looked over the paperwork.  "It says here your name is...Tornado Man-"

"That was my robo-slave name!" the robot refuted, looking down his nose at Vinyl.  "My true name is Zephyr, the Sky Lord!"  As he proclaimed this, he posed dramatically, either not noticing or not caring that his every action seemed to irritate Vinyl further and further.

"Right..." Vinyl grumbled as she looked back in the paperwork.  "So...you were a weather-bot-"

"Please!" 'Zephyr' interrupted.  "Do not degrade my great contributions to this world by comparing me to those lowly reporters who feel they can claim prestige by merely reporting the weather.  I did not report weather, I created weather!  I controlled the winds, the rains, the sun...the skies themselves were my playthings, making me second only to the gods themselves!"  He proceeded to once more stare down his nose at Vinyl.

"If you look down your nose at me like that one more time, I will remove it," Vinyl growled, baring her teeth.

'Zephyr' swallowed convulsively.  "A-as you command, my lady," he responded nervously.  "Twas not my intention to cause offense-"

"You've got the job of crafting and controlling an Earth-type atmosphere on Mars," Vinyl snapped out.  "If you do it well, you can keep it.  Mess up or let it go to your head, and Typhon will take over for you.  He'll show you the ropes of anything you're unfamiliar with."

"T-Typhon?" 'Zephyr' gasped out.  "T-the legendary Titan of storms?"

Vinyl blinked for a time.  "...sure, why not?  Now get out of here so I can see the next applicant."  'Zephyr' raced out as fast as he could go.  "Next!"

Much to Vinyl's surprise, the door was pushed open by a Mettool, which held it open as several more Mettools carried what looked like a large fish tank into the office.  Inside the tank was a robot that was human from the waist up with a blue fish-tail from the waist down, wearing pale blue armor over her chest and a dark blue helm over her head, a plume of white over one brow.  One hand gently clasped a trident.  As the Mettools set the tank down, she reached over the side and gently caressed the top of one of the Mettool's helmet, and all the Mettools' optics instantly turned to hearts before they trotted out of the office.

"Well, you certainly know how to make a first impression," Vinyl praised.  "I certainly don't have any doubts about your leadership abilities now.  Name?"

"I'm Splash Woman," the robot replied, her throaty voice throbbing pleasantly, the timbre of it seeming to shoot straight into specific centers of the listeners mind to cause an intense flustered reaction...or more.  It was the sort of voice that somehow made a simple greeting sound like an invitation with all sorts of promise if one dared to take it up.  "I must say, Vinyl, I've long wanted to meet you.  You've done so much for robots...you're my hero."  She sauntered forward in her tank, resting herself on one arm as she leaned over Vinyl.  "I would do anything to get this job...anything."

Vinyl swallowed nervously, finding her tugging at her neck to loosen the collar of a shirt she realized she wasn't actually wearing.  "Uh...that's...nice.  Of course, the job could be a lot of hard work..."

"Oh, I'm not afraid of a little hard labor," Splash Woman purred.  "My old job was aquatic rescue, and as much as I loved it...some of those I rescued were a little...too grateful, if you catch my drift?"

Vinyl chuckled softly.  "One too many 'mouth-to mouth' sessions that weren't strictly necessary?"

"Something like that," Splash Woman answered.  "So, what job do you have for me?"

"Well, once the terraforming project on Mars reaches the point where there's an ocean, your job will be to oversee and maintain the ocean, and any wildlife we transfer there," Vinyl explained.

Splash Woman smiled widely.  "Sound like my kind of job...but not one I can start right away.  Perhaps we could...spend some time together?"  Her tail fluke swished back and forth idly over the water, like a lady's fan.

"Well...I...uh...guess," Vinyl replied nervously.  "What sort of...hobbies do you have?"

"I personally love karaoke," Splash Woman answered happily, "as long as I don't have too much of an audience.  Not to a bar, just a small group..."  She smiled and sensually licked her lips.  "Or perhaps just one lucky companion..."

Vinyl let out a nervous chuckle as she rubbed the back of her head.  "Y-you know, your paperwork says you were based off a mermaid, but it's beginning to sound like more inspiration was taken from sirens."

Splash Woman chuckled softly.  "Oh, nothing like that, Vinyl," she promised.  "I'm not bad, I'm just spec'ed that way."

Vinyl groaned softly as Splash Woman summoned the love-struck Mettools to carry her tank back out.  It was going to be a long day...
> 9: Recruitment 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Once Splash Woman was on her way to her new quarters until such time as proper weather manipulation on Mars resulted in the creation of an ocean, Vinyl looked up from her paperwork to the door.  "Next!"

The next robot to step through the door was a bulky humanoid in pink armor, large screw-heads at his shoulders and in his chest, a large metal prong to either side of his head, and a plug in place of his right hand.  "Y-yes?" he asked nervously as he sat down.  "You've got a job for me?"

"Sure thing, pinky," Vinyl joked, flipping through her paperwork.

"My armor's light red!" he snapped out insistently.

Vinyl rolled her eyes behind her glasses.  "Whatever you say, Plug Man."  She looked over the paperwork more carefully.  "It says here you were in quality control?"

"Y-yes," Plug Man responded.  "I tested plugs and outlets, to make sure they worked safely.  I...I guess I'm not good for much else..."

"I wouldn't say that," Vinyl replied comfortingly.  "You have a very impressive control of electrical current.  I'd say that makes you ideal for running the main power plant."

"Y-you sure?" Plug Man asked, surprised.  "You sure you want to trust such an important job...to me?"

Vinyl smiled widely.  "Yes, I'm sure.  People underestimate the importance of quality control.  And those skills will help you spot when something's going wrong before it becomes a cascade failure.  That is, if you want the job."

Plug Man swallowed convulsively.  "Y-yes.  Just...socket to me?"

Vinyl gazed at him for a while, then pointed.  "That way."

"Y-yes ma'am," he replied, quickly heading for the door.

"Next!" Vinyl called out.

The next robot master to enter was also humanoid, with pure white armor studded with pink gemstones, culminating in a large pink jewel at the top of his head.  "You summoned Jewel Man?" he asked in a hissing, whispering voice as he perched on the chair.

Vinyl blinked for a time.  "Uh...yes," Vinyl replied.  "I see you worked as a mining bot?"

"Yesss!" Jewel Man hissed out.  "I dig into the ground for my precccccious!  But the nasty humans, they always take the precious away!  So Jewel Man digs for more precious...but never gets to keep the precious!  It infuriates Jewel Man, but laws in head won't let Jewel Man take his revenge, or retrieve his precious!  So Jewel Man stews in madness and plots, yes!  Plotses he does!  To get back at the filthy, nasty, humanseses!"

Vinyl blinked at him for a time.  "O...kay?"  She glanced through her papers.  "Well, I'm afraid the job I have for you is also in mining-"

"Nooo!  Jewel Man can never escape!"

"Though in this case, your job is to manage all available mineral resources," Vinyl explained.

"...come agains?"

"The Mars terraforming project is intended to bootstrap itself from each stage as the overseer robot masters arrive," Vinyl explained.  "That means I need someone in charge of the mining operation who will recognize the value of each and every bit of ore and gemstone that comes out of the ground, and won't distribute it wastefully."

"Then...Jewel Man is in charge of the preciouses?" Jewel Man asked, eyes wide and eager.  "Jewel Man decides who gets what, and what stays put?"

Vinyl nodded with a smile.  "Precisely."

Jewel Man cackles happily.  "Yes!  Finally, the power, the preciouses, are Jewel Man's!  YES!"  He continued to cackle madly until Vinyl was forced to have him escorted out.

"Next!" Vinyl called out, sighing to herself and hoping the next one wouldn't be so crazy.

The next robot master to come in was striped in yellow and black, with what looked like three beehive honeycombs as his chest and torso.  A large stinger topped his head.  "You zzzzzzzzzumonned Hornet Man?" he buzzed as he, too, perched on the chair rather than sitting in it.

"...yes," Vinyl groaned out.  "I understand you managed a...flower park?"

"Yezzzzzzz!" Hornet Man buzzed.  "I guide zzze inzzzectzz around the flowerzzzzz!"

Vinyl sighed softly.  "Well, that's good, since your job here will be seeding the wildlife to establish a stable ecology, starting with microbes and insects before working your way up to the larger animals, geared towards encouraging healthy growth of the oxygen producing plants we're sending along as we go.  A plan's already been laid out to guide you step by step, with allowances for the unexpected where you'll need to exercise your own judgement."

"Hornet Man, colonizzzzze!" Hornet Man called out as he leapt off the chair and buzzed out of the room.

Vinyl's face slammed into her desk.  "Next..." she groaned out.

The next robot master to enter was bulky, and only roughly humanoid in shape, built more like Needle Man had been.  In fact, he looked like someone had painted Needle Man red and replaced his needles with flame nozzles, leaving a green gem in the center of his body.  "You called for Magma Man?" he asked calmly as he took his seat.

Vinyl smiled, pleased to be dealing with someone seeming normal.  "Yes, I did," she replied readily.  "I understand your former position was managing a geothermal power plant?"

"That is...correct," Magma Man allowed.

"Why were you retired from that position?" Vinyl asked curiously.  "According to your build specs, you aren't anywhere near your scheduled decommission date, but you were slated for decommissioning anyway..."

"I have some...anger management issues," Magma Man offered humbly.  "It caused...problems when I was given orders I knew were wrong to obey, and then I was blamed when things went wrong."

Vinyl chuckled softly.  "I can understand why that might make you blow up," she agreed.

"Yes...blow up," Magma Man murmured.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that on this job," Vinyl explained.  "Your job is to manage the geological structure of the entire planet, and as long as it stays in one piece and we get what we need out of it for the overall project, I don't care how you manage it.  You'll have a list of things we need, and every so often you'll get a new requisition, and your job is to get it done safely, or to state why a requisition isn't safe to acquire at this time.  You were programmed to manage geothermal, so the job rests on your expertise."

Magma Man seemed quite pleased.  "I won't let you down."  With that, he stood up and left the room.

Only one more to go, Vinyl thought to herself.  "Next!" she called out.

A tiny white flying saucer zipped into the room before extending hands and feet on the end of cables, red eyes blinking at her.

"Uh...name?" she asked curiously.

"Ga-lax-y Mannn," the little robot replied.  "Naa~mu?"

"Uh...Vinyl," she replied softly, a smile forcing its way onto her face.  She couldn't help it.  There was just something so cute about the little bot.  "So, what was your purpose?"

"Por...poise?" the bot asked, pulling out a little stuffed porpoise and offering it to her.

"No, what was your job?"

"Jo~bu?" Galaxy Man asked, confused.

"Uh...primary directive?" Vinyl clarified.

"Dir...ective?" Galaxy Man asked for a moment.  "Oh!  Oh!"  Reaching onto the desk, he grabbed two pieces of paper and quickly folded them into airplanes.  He then threw them into the air before guiding them around the office with gravity manipulation, making airplane sounds as he did so.  At one point, it looked like the planes would collide nose to nose.  "Ah!  No no!"  Both planes froze, before one turned around, allowing them both to continue to fly without impacting.

Vinyl chuckled softly.  When this job is done, I wanna keep him, she thought warmly.  "So you managed air traffic?" she asked curiously.

Calling both planes back to him, he folded them into each other to make a paper rocket.  Floating various other objects around the room, he made a, "Brrrrrrrrum!" noise as the rocket slowly lifted off, and he proceeded to guide it between the objects without hitting anything before making it land on Vinyl's horn.

Vinyl chuckled as she lifted it off.  "And rocket trajectory calculations?"  At a nod from Galaxy Man, she grinned.  "Then you're perfect for what I need.  You're in charge of all interstellar traffic leaving from or arriving at Mars during the terraforming and colonization process.  Make sure everything gets where it needs to go safe and sound."

"Dir~ective!" Galaxy Man proclaimed happily, saluting.  He then pulled his limbs back into his body before zipping off.

As soon as he was out of the room, Vinyl let out a soft squee.
> 9: Outside Audit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Vinyl smiled to herself as she looked over the reports from Mars.  So far, those reports were all quite pleasing.  Everything seemed to be functioning well within expected parameters, and the few unanticipated hurdles had been cleared readily.  With luck, Mars would soon be at the point where it could receive people.

Even the one major hurdle Vinyl had been dreading - the difference in gravity - had a rather elegant solution developed from an unexpected source.  Originally, the plan had been to alter Mars' gravity to match Earth's by manipulating its geology, but that had proved to be more than Magma Man could readily handle.  Galaxy Man, however, had come up with a solution so simple Vinyl was amazed it hadn't been obvious.

Even on the fastest shuttles available, it still took a great deal of time to transport anything back and forth from Earth to Mars save by teleportation, and the teleport network only reached that far when Earth and Mars were at their closest.  Shuttles, however, could be sent anytime, especially when running on Power Cores with plasma boosters, rather than more traditional methods.  Galaxy Man's solution was to install artificial gravity systems on the shuttles themselves which would gradually adjust their internal gravity from Earth level to Mars level - or vice versa - during the journey, calculating the exact safe rate himself so those riding the shuttles could adjust to the changes in atmosphere and gravity in the same way those who spent months in deep sea dive stations remained in depressurization chambers at either end of the journey through the ocean to adjust to the new conditions.  While they hadn't tested this on a human yet, the first such equipped shuttle to carry small animals had already been and gone each way, with no undue side effects beyond momentary disorientation akin to jet lag.

Vinyl hadn't even been consulted before this method had been first implemented, but she didn't mind.  The discovery that it did work so well had made her massively alter her opinion of Galaxy Man's processing capabilities.  Because he was small and cute and talked funny, it was easy to assume he was less than intelligent.  Then again, he did have one of the most computation-heavy jobs of the entire Mars project, and Vinyl herself had taken advantage of how being small and cute made people - Mega Man especially - underestimate her in the past, so she'd definitely have to do some thinking on that.

It was as Vinyl was thinking about this that her systems received a series of alerts from the Mars systems, of systems displaying massive errors all over the planet.  Before she could make sense of it, she received a video communication from Galaxy Man.

"AHHHH!" Galaxy Man screamed on the screen as he floated back and forth, waving his arms animatedly.  "Help!  Help!"  Grabbing tiny mech models - one of his hobbies - he proceeded to bang them against each other while making gunshot sound effects and other fight noises before throwing them into the air with another scream as something exploded behind him.  "Heeeeeeeeeelp!" he wailed out again.

And with that, all signal from Mars cut out completely.  The only message left was that Mars and Earth were just about close enough for the teleport network to reach, and would actually be close enough for that within the week.

Sighing to herself, Vinyl turned to her vidphone and dialed a number.  She then waited for a time...but to her surprise, there was no answer.  "Huh.  Guess he's not at home.  Hmm..."  Instead, she dialed a different number.

After a time, the screen lit up, showing a familiar blonde girl who looked a tad disheveled.  "Алло?" Kalinka greeted curiously.  Her eyes brightened as she saw who was calling.  "Oh, Vinyl!  I wasn't expecting your call!  Did I forget something on our schedule?"

"No, nothing like that," Vinyl hastened to assure her friend.  "I was hoping you could tell me where Rock is.  He's not answering his phone, and I need to reach him."

"Oh!"  Kalinka turned back towards her darkened chamber.  "Rock!  It's Vinyl for you."

Rock quickly took a seat before the phone...and Vinyl found it rather amusing that he looked somewhat disheveled as well.  "What did you need, Vinyl?" he asked curiously.

As much as Vinyl wanted to tease him, more important things were at hand.  "I just received some alarming reports from the Mars project.  Massive error messages from systems all over the planet, followed by a desperate call for help from Galaxy Man, followed by a loss of all signal from the planet."

"That doesn't sound good..." Rock murmured understandingly as Kalinka gasped in shock in the background.  "But why are you telling me?"

"The teleport network will be able to bridge the gap soon," Vinyl explained, "and it's still functional.  I was hoping you'd hop over there and see what's going on."

"Why me?" Rock asked directly.  "Couldn't you just as easily send Forte?  Or Prometheus?"

"I could," Vinyl replied readily with a roll of her eyes, "but then if word got out about the errors, everyone would assume I was covering something up.  The Mars project is a corporate endeavor, not just a national one.  But if you go to investigate, your report will be an independent audit of the situation.  The last thing I need is those conspiracy theories about the Mars project getting more ammunition."

Rock chuckled, rolling his eyes.  "Vinyl, nobody actually believes those crazy-"

"I encountered no less than five posts about them just this morning while browsing the net," Vinyl pointed out.

Rock shrugged his shoulders.  "Well, if you go looking for them-"

"One was on Garnet's bio!" Vinyl snapped out angrily.

Rock blinked, stunned.  "O...kay..."

"Oh!" Kalinka piped up.  "Did you see the part about-"

"No spoilers!" Vinyl snapped out angrily.

"I guess I can see the connection...somehow," Rock admitted.  "But alright, I'll go investigate.  I'll need to teleport back to Light Labs, though.  Need my armor for this."

"I'll set up the connection," Kalinka promised.

"Thanks," Rock replied gratefully, giving her a peck on the cheek before heading out.

As Kalinka got to work setting that up, Vinyl smirked teasingly.  "So, Kalinka, what were you two up to that got you both disheveled?  Were you...making babies?"  She giggled teasingly.

"Well, one anyway," Kalinka admitted distractedly.

Vinyl blinked, stunned.  "Wow.  Um, I'm not sure Rock has the right, uh, hardware-software interface-"

"Wha?  No no no!" Kalinka interrupted quickly, waving her hands and flushing as she realized what Vinyl had meant.  "We weren't doing anything like that!  I'm very traditional in that regard!"

Vinyl chuckled nervously.  "Yeah...that's going to be awkward when it comes time for it, though.  I mean, the interface alone-"

"Already exists, actually," Kalinka interrupted with a blush.  "I...designed it myself-"

"TMI!" Vinyl wailed out, covering her ears as her friend burst into throaty laughter.  "TMI!"
> 9: One Small Step
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	For Mega Man, the worst part about taking a mission to another planet was that there was no way to control his initial landing point.  He had no way of knowing where on Mars he'd end up when he first teleported in, only that he'd arrive at ground level somewhere.  Still, he was prepared for it, and was ready with an emergency warp out if it dropped him somewhere unsafe, like to close to a lava flow or over a canyon.

The best part, however, was stepping out into a brand new landscape, unlike any he'd ever experienced before.  The red rock crunching beneath his boots seemed to muffle the sound of his footsteps, leaving him walking in near silence.  Even the few bots running or flying about did so in near silence, with only the slightest electronic, mechanical hum in the background.  And outside the areas where construction had already happened, the landscape remained all but untouched.  It was the most relaxing start to one of these missions that Mega Man had ever faced.

Right off the bat, it was plain that Hornet Man had made great strides as far as managing both plant and animal introductions, as Mega Man stepped out of the red rock into a grove of giant trees, plainly part of maintaining an oxygen rich atmosphere for all other aspects of the budding environment.  As relaxing as going beneath their boughs was, however, Mega Man soon found himself climbing an incomplete building with wide gaps staring out into the trees.  The fact that many robots patrolled the paths in a hostile manner told him some of what he suspected, that somehow the Robot Masters sent here had gone rogue.

He wasn't surprised to see several animal shaped robots patrolling, as many of the tasks that would be taken care of by animals once the environment was completed was currently handled by robotic animals that could handle the incomplete environment.  He tried to ignore them when he could, but when they attacked him he was forced to defend himself.

Reaching the end of the structure, he came across Concrete Man, who was sitting tight and staring at the lack of construction going on.  "What's going on here?" Mega Man demanded in confusion.  "Why's this place so incomplete?"

"Ya know how many hours ah've been working?" Concrete Man replied calmly, leaning back against a pillar.

"Uh...I don't see the relevance..." Mega Man began.

"Ah've been working 120 hour work weeks," Concrete Man muttered angrily.  "Me, and me boys.  Workin' our bods to the bone, to get a job finished on schedule..."

"Well, you are basically building a planet," Mega Man explained logically.

"We was never paid overtime!" Concrete Man snapped out, shifting into a battle stance.  "So I'm gonna take it outta yoo, Blue Boma!"  With that, he charged forward.

Mega Man quickly leapt out of the way, eyes widening as he saw the whole structure shake as Concrete Man slammed into the wall.  Quickly switching his buster settings, he opened fire with a static discharge, designed to build up slowly in the target before overloading the electrical systems, forcing a shut down.  Time to see if this even works, he thought to himself as he started shooting.

Concrete Man continued to charge back and forth, leaping around as he tried to crush Mega Man beneath him, cover him in concrete, or slam him against the wall.  As the structure continued to shake from each slam, Mega Man began to become concerned that Concrete Man intended to bring the building down on top of him.

Finally, however, the new static weapon proved enough to push Concrete Man into a shut down.  Getting to the downed bot's side, Mega Man opened communications.  "Vinyl, I'm sending a shut down Concrete Man back for a full diagnostics.  Something was...off...about him."

The signal that came back was distorted, but he received the clearance to trigger the warp.  He did so after downloading the Concrete Shot special weapon, just in case it proved useful.  Noticing a nearby completed tower reaching up high above the clouds, Mega Man nodded.  "Might as well confirm a safe exit in case I stay too long to teleport out," he muttered as he clambered down the structure, heading for the Interplanetary Control Tower.





The lower levels of the Control Tower turned out to be solid stone with only an elevator shaft penetrating it, leading up to the upper levels.  Riding the elevator proved uneventful, though it let him out well below the top floor, forcing him to make his own way to the actual Control Room.  Once more, however, it was in near dead silence.

The only security beyond roundabout paths he encountered were small, flying saucer shaped bots that flew around in regular patterns while whistling.  As they ignored him if he didn't interfere with their functions, he did his best to avoid them.

Moving carefully to avoid other security bots that ignored him if he didn't engage them, Mega Man made his way the rest of the way up the inside of the tower, past the various screens containing information on everything going on around the planet and with the various freights still transferring back and forth between Mars and Earth.  "At least everything still seems to be working properly here," Mega Man muttered to himself.

Before long, he safely reached the actual control room...to be confronted by total panic.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Galaxy Man screamed out as he raced back and forth through the chamber, switching back and forth between saucer form and robot, desperately trying to keep everything functioning normally.

"Galaxy Man?" Mega Man called out.  "Is everything alright?"

"Mega Man!" Galaxy Man cried out happily.  "Help!  Help!  AAAAAH!"  He waved his hands over his head in terror.

"It's okay," Mega Man reassured him.  "I'm here to help.  What's the situation?"

"HEEEEELP!" Galaxy Man called out again.

Mega Man frowned, realizing this wasn't the best way to get what he needed to know.  "Look, can you see what's causing the problem with communications?" he asked hopefully.  "And see about getting an escape shuttle in case everything goes wrong?"

"Directive!" Galaxy Man proclaimed happily, rushing to the controls and getting to work on just that, plainly happy to have someone telling him what needed doing.

Sighing in relief, Mega Man turned to go, glad of at least one ally.

"Oh!  Oh!" Galaxy Man called out, rushing back to his side.  Handing over a chip for his special weapon, the Black Hole Bomb, he proclaimed, "Shiny!" before pointing towards the mines.

"Your weapon will help me deal with Jewel Man?" Mega Man translated.  When that got him an eager nod, he smiled and turned to go.  "I'll take care of it."
> 9: One Giant Leap
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trip to the mines was swift and uneventful, enabling Mega Man to recharge his energy stores from solar energy.  While not as strong as it was on Earth due to Mars' distance from the sun, it was still enough to get him back to full strength.  The mine entrance itself was also unremarkable, having been shaped so that it would blend with the natural landscape with eyes towards eventual vista views when the whole planet was settled.

Inside the mine, the dimmer light turned the crimson dirt and stone purple, the path inward zigzagging downward.  While the paths themselves were laid out flat, the dirt to the sides had been dug out only until large gems of various sizes became visible, even the smallest of them being half the size of Mega Man himself, larger than anything that could be mined on Earth anymore.  The cart tracks were guarded by Mettools and mining cart bots.  While the Mettools shot at him as he approached, the mining cart bots ignored him unless he attacked.  Since he was there to investigate more than destroy, he did his best to only shoot back at anything that shot him first.  The only other major obstacles he encountered early on in the mine were turrets that fired bouncing spheres at him and spider bots that attempted to drop down on him from the ceiling.  Both were easily dealt with if he was careful and kept his eyes on his surroundings.

Further on, Mega Man encountered large platforms hanging on chains over deep pits.  Plainly, these had once been bridges, but had been sabotaged, leaving wide gaps.  Leaping onto one, Mega Man found it swung on the chain with his weight, and he was easily able to use this to clear the gap to leap to each successive platform, glad that at least the platforms were well balanced enough that doing so did not cause them to tip or flip, just swing.

The last jump had to be carefully timed, as someone had lined the far wall with spikes, the only safe point the door into the next chamber.  Once through, Mega Man found himself confronted by a series of large boulders that would drop on him from the ceiling, controlled by a boulder robot that attempted to roll over him when it dropped towards him, shaking the chamber when it landed on the ground and knocking Mega Man off his feet if he were on the ground when it landed.  Enough well timed volleys of shots, however, managed to take it out, allowing Mega Man to continue deeper into the mine.

Once beyond, Mega Man found floating gem bots attacking him, forcing him to be even more careful with how he made his way through, as they could only be damaged when they opened up to fire.  The really frustrating obstacle for Mega Man, however, was a chamber with walls nearly covered by spikes and a swinging platform over the only hole leading deeper in, forcing Mega Man to carefully time the sway of the platform against his own position on it so he didn't swing into - or get pushed into - the spikes.

Thankfully, the center of the mine was not far beyond, and as Mega Man approached what he knew would be Jewel Man's chamber, he switched to Black Hole Bomb, just in case he needed it.

As he entered, he saw Jewel Man hunched over, glowering at him.  He began to rave to himself, his head jerking back and forth as he spoke, his voice switching between two distinct, but still reedy and thin, tones.  "He comes, yes!  Comes for the precious!  But we won't let him takes them!  No, no we won't!  We shall puts the Mega Mans in his place!  What do you thinks of thats?"

Mega Man blinked.  "Uh, I'd rather you-"

"He wasn't talking to you!" Jewel Man snapped out.  "It's alright, the naughty bot won't interrupt you again.  Now, how shall we deal with this sneak thief?  The Jewel Satellite?  Yes, excellent!  He wants the precious?  We shall smash him with the precious!"  Jewel Man leapt forward, surrounding himself with a barrier of jewels.

Acting quickly, Mega Man fired off a Black Hole Bomb while dashing the side.  The miniature singularity generated sucked up Jewel Man's field of gems, as well as draining off a good chunk of his energy.

"No!" Jewel Man cried out in rage.  "My preciouses!"  He lunged at the singularity as it closed, trying to grab the lost jewels.  "My birthday presentses!"

Sighing, Mega Man got behind Jewel Man, popped open his control panel, and switched him into stand by mode.  "That should hold you long enough for Vinyl to look you over," Mega Man muttered as he beamed the robot out after acquiring the Jewel Satellite.  "Hope she can help you..."





To Mega Man's relief, shutting down Jewel Man shut off all the robots in the mines, leaving him a clear path out.  A second path he followed let him out just outside the Power Plant, so Mega Man decided to investigate that building next.

The interior was well lit and entirely contained, with electricity running visibly over wires lining the green walls as lights blinked on and off to indicate a variety of power states.  The actual passage Mega Man followed in was, unfortunately, lined with spikes, electrified platforms, and patrolled by various floating bots that slowly floated towards him without firing, merely limiting the area he had available to maneuver.  Though frustrating, the passage wasn't actually challenging, as long as Mega Man was willing to take a few hits to get past.

The disappearing blocks in the next passage, however, proved an unwelcome reminder of past trials.  He pushed past it and thought about it as little as possible, continuing his way forward.  Unfortunately, disturbing past reminders didn't end there, as static screens he passed by released shadowy holographic copies of himself to pursue him, which was only compounded when the lights dimmed in the next passage, making the holographic copies difficult to see.  That plus more disappearing blocks and electrified platforms led to Mega Man classifying this particular area as 'fiendishly frustrating' to progress through.

Thankfully, the area shrouded in darkness was relatively short, and the remainder of the power plant was much simpler to get through, letting him easily reach the control room, where Plug Man waited for him.

"So you have arrived, Mega Man!" Plug Man proclaimed in a rather sad attempt at being intimidating.  "Now you face me, Plug Man, surely the most fiendish foe you will ever face!"

"Well, I don't know about you," Mega Man countered, "but the security here is certainly amongst the most frustrating I've ever faced."

"R-really?" Plug Man responded, pleasantly surprised.  "T-then...do you think you could fill out this survey of how I and my security endeavors stack up against previous Robot Masters you've dealt with?"  He grabbed a clipboard off the table and handed it to Mega Man.

Mega Man blinked in surprise for a time, then shrugged.  "Sure," he replied, quickly filling it out.  Once he finished, he handed it back.  "Here you go."

As Plug Man went over the data, Mega Man smiled.  Maybe this was another Robot Master he wouldn't have to fight-

He lunged to the side as Plug Man angrily hurled a sphere of electrical energy.  "I am not pink!" he roared out angrily.  "I am light red!"

"What's the difference?" Mega Man shouted back, activating Jewel Satellite to block the blasts, hoping to talk him down.

"Pink is raw!" Plug Man shouted as he lunged in for a physical attack.  "I am rare-"  Plug Man jerked back as the jewels of Mega Man's defensive barrier became embedded in the holes of his metal prongs, causing his electrical discharge to flash back along his own circuits and overload him.

Mega Man stared at the smoking, but otherwise undamaged, Robot Master as he lay inert.  "And now you're well done," Mega Man offered sadly, acquiring the Plug Ball subweapon and teleporting the bot away.
> 9: Up and Down
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As he left the Power Plant, Mega Man decided the best way to find the next Robot Master would be to follow the power lines from the plant in whichever direction the most power was going in that didn't lead somewhere he'd already been.  This was relatively easy, as he discovered that the places he'd already shut down were no longer drawing power from the plant, leaving the lines going to them dead.

Following the biggest energy output path, Mega Man found his way to the weather control tower, once again forcing him to climb carefully up into the Martian sky, now blue with the reflection of the new oceans.  As he quickly discovered, the path he took up the tower was sparsely defended, instead merely being difficult to navigate safely and far too easy to fall from.  And with no repair bays in range as the only place he could teleport off planet from was the Interplanetary Control Tower, a fall would prove slowly lethal, as he was left broken until his power core eventually ran dry.

One interesting obstacle that he came across was a new type of moving platform.  Colored red on one side and blue on the other, it endlessly rotated as it ran along its track.  When Mega Man jumped onto the platform, he rotated with it, his feet magnetized to the platform until he leapt free.  While maneuvering around sequences of these platforms was disorienting, careful timing enabled Mega Man to make it past them and into the Tower itself.

Once inside the tower, Mega Man no longer had to be as concerned with falling to a long, painful, slow death.  Instead, he saw the sparse platforms now rested over pits of spikes, meaning a fall would lead to instantaneous, possibly painless death.  He was uncertain which was better.  Between the spike pits and slippery floors, it was a very tough call.

Once he made it back out of the tower again, however, the scant platforms over falls to one's doom proved to, apparently, not be enough.  In addition, a massive storm had brewed up, and rain and wind pushed Mega Man back and forth each time he jumped into the air.  One particularly long jump proved to be too long in these conditions...only for Mega Man to discover he could stand on the dark clouds beneath him.

He wisely decided not to question it.

Finally, Mega Man made it through to the control center.  There he faced down Tornado Man, who was still wearing his robe covered in mystical symbols.  "So!" Tornado Man proclaimed, throwing his arm out as he spun to face Mega Man.  "You have come at last!  However, you are far too late.  The sky of this world is mine to command.  You, Blue Bomber, stand no chance against the mighty Zephyr, Sky Lord of Mars!  This war you bring to me and mine shall fall here, and you along with it!  Now, face the wrath of a g-"

"Don't those two hate each other?" Mega Man asked curiously.

Tornado Man blinked a few times.  "I...I beg your pardon?"

Mega Man pointed to one of the symbols on Tornado Man's cloak.  "This is a symbol of Quezacoatl.  He's Aztec.  And this one is of Horus.  He's Egyptian.  I don't think they should go together on the same garment."

"While normally true," Tornado Man countered primly, "I have a homebrew feat to allow for that, as I am made of parts from many different regions, so I can worship multiple deities to get blessings from them all-"

"Well, within the same pantheon that might work," Mega Man countered, remembering the times Vinyl had dragooned him into playing Dungeons and Dragons with the 'Mega Mashers Club'.  "But Vinyl's rather strict about mixing pantheons, last I checked.  Tends to lead to rather serious penalties instead of stacked bonuses, since gods of the same aspect hate sharing worshipers..."

"But...my bonuses!" Tornado Man whined.  "My entire character build is based in being able to boost myself that way for my various feats!  If...if I can't use those..."  He collapsed to his knees.  "I'm ruined...ruined!"

Mega Man paused for a moment, not quite certain what he was hearing.  "...tell you what," he offered finally.  "Why don't you leave your weapon chip with me, and head back to Vinyl to get a DM ruling on this?  I'll mind the store in the meantime."

"You...you will?" Tornado Man asked, shocked.  "Oh, thank you Mega Man!  Truly you are the noble hero of this campaign!"  Promptly downloading the Tornado Blow to Mega Man, he teleported away.

Mega Man simply stared.  "...I can't believe that worked," he admitted at last.





Once Mega Man had managed to stabilize the weather patterns, he found and took an express elevator back down the Tower, only to find it took him beneath the planet's surface and into the Geological Management Center.  As he needed to investigate there anyway, Mega Man deciding this would be his next stop.

The Center was far deeper than the mines had been, as one of its primary purposes was to attempt to manage the planet's deep interior geology, all the way down to the core.  As such, Mega Man found he had to move much more carefully due to lava flows.  Thankfully, the cavern itself was quite straightforward, with no detours.

One major obstacle was tubes dumping lava from above to the pools below as part of the geothermal power systems that sent energy up to the Power Plant.  Thankfully, each tube had a warning klaxon that automatically went off any time an increase in tube temperature showed lava was flowing to the end of the pipe.  While the intervals this happened were much less frequent than proper safety systems normally allowed, the warning sound was enough to allow Mega Man to avoid having lava dumped on him.

This proved to be the only obstacle...until Mega Man dropped deeper into the facility and came face to face with a robotic fire-breathing dragon patrolling the halls.  "What?" Mega Man gasped out in disbelief.  "Seriously, who's idea was it to put a dragon down here?"

Thankfully, the dragon wasn't as durable as it appeared, and Mega Man was able to dispatch it swiftly and move on, climbing his way back up into another part of the facility.  This eventually led him to the control room, where Magma Man was hard at work.

"Magma Man!" Mega Man called out.  "What's going on here?"

"What do you mean?" Magma Man countered calmly.  "I am performing my job as I am supposed to."

"But the error messages!" Mega Man countered.

"Yes, I received those a while ago," Magma Man admitted.  "Apparently, several surface facilities underwent drastic alterations in their operating systems for some reason.  However, that's not my prerogative.  My job is to ensure the stability of the geology, and to provide extra energy for processing at Plug Man's power plant as needed.  When the demands for more power came in, I did my best to adjust.  It was starting to reach the danger threshold as far as geological stability, but power demands have dropped back off more recently.  It seems I can restore system defaults."

Mega Man blinked for a time.  "You...aren't at all concerned that things might not be as they're supposed to be?"

"Vinyl told me we'd be functioning more or less autonomously here at first," Magma Man countered reasonably.  "I fully expected everything that could go wrong to go wrong.  For the most part, I've been pleasantly surprised at how straightforward things have been."

"But there was a dragon patrolling the halls!" Mega Man pointed out.  "A dragon!"

"Yes," Magma Man agreed.  "Tornado Man kept bugging me about a 'campaign' of some sort, so I activated that to keep him out.  It was either that or lose my cool, and I'd rather not disappoint the first reasonable boss I've had."

Mega Man blinked.  Apparently, not only was Magma Man unaffected by what had influenced the other Robot Masters, he seemed completely unaware that there even was a problem...and as long as it didn't interfere with his job, he didn't care.  "Do you suppose you could let me borrow your weapon program so I can finish my investigation into these incidents?" he asked.

"Do I have to leave my post?" Magma Man inquired.

"Not at all," Mega Man replied.

"Then go ahead," Magma Man confirmed.  "There's an elevator back to the surface over there."

"Thanks," Mega Man offered gratefully as he downloaded the Magma Bazooka before entering the elevator.
> 9: Land and Sea
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The elevator left Mega Man off in the middle of a wide park, located somewhat centrally amongst all the other locations he'd been to.  This made logical sense to Mega Man in that the animals and animal bots that were meant to help spread the terraforming were under Hornet Man's control, which would by necessity have his location be centralized in the area being constructed.  Much to Mega Man's surprise, however, animal based robots were not the first he encountered as he made his way towards the central building of the park.  Instead, he encountered mine cart robots and flower pot robots.  While he could understand the former as part of landscaping...the purpose of the latter escaped him, especially considering they shot flowers as slow moving homing missiles.

Another oddity Mega Man encountered was short platforms with snail shells at one end.  When he stood on them, nothing happened.  When he shot the shell, it took no damage but unrolled, extending the platform.  However, before long it rolled back up, consuming the entire platform.  Glad he'd observed and experimented when the only thing beneath such a platform was a flat floor, Mega Man continued onward.

The next mechanical security measure proved to be rogue flying scissors.  Mega Man did his best not to think about just how strange that was, and decided not to examine the bushes of red roses all around him.  He was half afraid he'd find paint.

Inside the main building, Mega Man was forced to make his way downward by encouraging launchers to fire their spherical bombs to destroy platforms so he could drop below.  This did nothing to convince Mega Man of the relative sanity of the design of this place...especially when the security robot he encountered was a flower that popped up out of various platform to throw its petals at him while he dodged around a flowering vine that rotated clockwise around the room.  For some reason he couldn't place, he found it especially unsettling that it said 'Howdy' every time it popped up.

After progressing past 'snail platforms' over a pit of spikes, Mega Man was finally able to make it to the park's control room.  "I hope Hornet Man is as reasonable as Magma Man was," he murmured to himself.  "Or at least as easy to deal with as Tornado Man."

Stepping through the final door, Mega Man found Hornet Man buzzing around the room angrily.  "No!" he screamed out.  "They will not beat me!  I will show zzzzzem all!  I will prove my zzzzuperiority!  Mega Man will fall to me, as he hazzzzz to no ozzzer!  Azz zzoon azz he getzzz here, zzzzzap!"  With that, he slammed his fists down on a Mega Man plushy, making it squeak.

Mega Man blinked.  "Wow.  I didn't know they still made those."

Hornet Man spun around.  "Mega Man!" he shrieked out.  "You are too late!  My victory izzz all but azzzured!  I will dezzztroy you!"  He leapt into the air.  "Hornet Man, terrorizzzzze!"  With that shout, he unleashed his weapon...three tiny robotic hornets that buzzed angrily towards Mega Man.

Mega Man stared at the robotic insects for a time, then swatted them out of the air with his hands as they approached him.  "You're...not very good at this villain thing, are you?" he asked comfortingly.

"I juzzzt want rezzzpect!" Hornet Man wailed.  "Izzz that zzo much to azzzzk?"

Mega Man blinked for a time, unsure what to say.  "Uhh-"

"I don't want your pity!" Hornet Man roared out before teleporting away.

Mega Man continued to blink, before finally shrugging.  "O...kay then," he admitted finally.  Turning, he picked up one of the robotic hornets to download the Hornet Chaser weapon...which according to schematics, was more useful for retrieving items than as an actual weapon.  With that, he made his way towards the only area he hadn't confronted a Robot Master in...the ocean.





As it turned out, the ocean was still in the beginning phases of construction, with the dirt beneath it covered over in metal in order to keep it from completely absorbing the ocean until the environment had stabilized at higher ambient moisture levels.  Much to Mega Man's surprise, the area wasn't patrolled very well, with only the occasional spiked mine or octopus-in-pot robot to block his path, which continued to lead deeper into the ocean.

Immediately, Mega Man got fully on his guard.  In his experience, lightly guarded paths were either traps or lead to things he wished had been traps instead.  Either way, he was not looking forward to what was coming next.

After progressing down deep enough with only the occasional robotic fish swimming after him in addition to what he'd encountered previously, Mega Man found himself riding up large bubbles of air towards the surface again.  The surface, however, wound up opening into a closed facility.  Unsure what else to do, Mega Man made his way through...still encountering at best token defenses, as though someone who didn't really want to make the path difficult to explore was putting forth just enough to convince someone it was guarded.  The thought that this might be because Splash Woman was aware of what was really going on and was on his side was somewhat encouraging, but Mega Man had walked into too many traps in his time to assume that right away.

Eventually, Mega Man climbed his way out of the facility to the surface, and back out to the ocean.  This led to a short path to a final chamber.  Mega Man expected to see Splash Woman in the chamber...but instead found it empty except for a rocky cavern in one corner, completely concealed by a growing curtain of seaweed.  Confused, Mega Man stepped forward, only for music to fill the room.

White gloved hands began to part the curtain of seaweed as Splash Woman's musical, sultry voiced echoed through the water.  "You had plenty of money in 19...22..."

The curtain parted and Splash Woman slowly sashayed out, her body flowing completely naturally in the water.  Mega Man's eyes popped open as she sang and swam, as he quickly realized three things that prevented him from so much as speaking.

First, Splash Woman had discarded her helmet, letting her luxurious mane of blue-white hair fan out around her in the water, like a second dancer moving with her.

Second, whether based on siren or mermaid, Splash Woman's creator had crafted her...'a tad too lovingly' was the politest way Mega Man could phrase his thoughts.

And third, Splash Woman had discarded her torso armor with her helmet, exchanging it for a pair of small, artfully placed clam shells.

Splash Woman, for her part, continued to swim around Mega Man, staring at him hungrily through half-lidded eyes as the buoyancy of the water allowed her to move in ways that simply wouldn't be possible on land, making movements of her body that Mega Man simply wasn't ready to cope with.  Desperately, he tried to get control of himself by asking what Kalinka would think if she saw him acting like a drooling ninny over Splash Woman.  Unfortunately, this led to his mind conjuring up what Kalinka would look like if she was dancing like this.

Just as this thought erupted in his brain, Splash Woman swayed up to him, almost but not quite pressing against him as she finished her song.  "Why don't you do right?  Like some other me~e~n..."  Leaning in, she whispered the last word into his ear.  "Do..."

Mega Man, for his part, found that - as Vinyl likely would have put it - he wasn't Mega enough of a Man to handle this, and fell over in a dead faint.  Smirking, Splash Woman took him by his feet and dragged him into the shadowed alcove behind the curtain of seaweed.

She then waited a minute, then pulled on a robe of seaweed before swatting Mega Man lightly on either side of his face to reboot him.  "Wake up and stay quiet," she hissed, pitching her voice so it wouldn't carry through the water even to the edges of the cave.  "We need to talk."
> 9: Secrets Under the Sea
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man managed to reboot as Splash Woman lightly slapped him on either side of his face.  He started to open his mouth to speak, but Splash Woman quickly put a gloved finger to his lips.

"Don't speak," she whispered insistently, her voice barely carrying through the water as far as Mega Man's ears, almost swallowed by the background sounds of the ocean.  "I have a lot to tell you, and I don't know who might be listening.  I can manipulate my voice and the water to make sure only you hear me, but if you speak up, your voice might carry.  Just nod or shake your head in response to anything I tell you, alright?"

Mega Man managed to nod, but he felt he couldn't leave that completely alone.  He rapidly blinked his eyes in a morse code pattern to respond, 'Like any other man you deal with like this? :P'

Splash Woman smirked.  "Enough of that," she whispered.  "I don't want my laughter to give away that you aren't as shut down as anyone watching might think."  When Mega Man stayed silent and still, she continued to speak.  "The errors causing everyone to go haywire aren't some random problem or programming error.  I'm pretty sure someone actively sabotaged this mission.  Then again, with what I've heard, it's not surprising that there are those out there who'd rather see Sky Lagoon's success come to a screeching halt.  And I imagine a lot of political figures would rather the first off planet colony not belong entirely to any one nation, especially not one controlled by those who've tried to take over the world previously."

Mega Man nodded.  He understood that perfectly.  Those very reasons had been behind Vinyl's decision to publicize everything about the Mars Project to the entire planet, wanting transparency to be armor against slander or hostile action, and why she'd asked Mega Man - an outside agent - to investigate when things had started to go wrong.

"Well, I think whoever it is must be part of a large organization, or at least have a lot of backup," Splash Woman explained.  "Someone was at the first rocket that carried each of us here, giving us a cookie 'as a snack' for the ride, ordering us to eat it before we got to Mars.  Most of us did as we were instructed, since it was an order from a human...with two exceptions."

Mega Man started to speak up, but remembered the caution, and instead raised two fingers, then lifting a third finger in confusion.

"Galaxy Man and I were the exceptions," Splash Woman continued.  "I remembered Vinyl's words about full autonomy, and that convinced me that these orders probably didn't come from her, since she wanted us to think for ourselves on the assignment.  As such, I...voiced my appreciation for the snack as he handed it to me, and he stammered enough that I could classify the order as 'misunderstood' against my old programming.  The other exception was Galaxy Man, who placed his cookie amongst his 'treasures' in an internal compartment, and promptly forgot about it as he became absorbed in his job."  Splash Woman tilted her head at the third finger.  "Who else wasn't acting oddly?"

Mega Man quickly flicked out the morse code sequence, 'Magma Man'.

Splash Woman grinned.  "That actually confirms my suspicions."  Reaching up to a rocky outcrop, she pulled down a waterlogged cookie in a plastic bag.  the broken dough revealed two computer chips with the old Wily/Vinyl logo from the days when they were still trying to take over the world.  "A control chip like what Wily used on the very first Robot Masters he stole, and a Freak Chip.  Whoever it was wants to make it look like Vinyl or Wily is trying to secretly turn Mars into a base from which they can conquer Earth with impunity.  There's even a Fortress that Concrete Man built all unawares, made to look like the ones the Wilys used.  Skull and everything."

Mega Man nodded in understanding, but once more wiggled the third finger.

"Magma Man is based off Needle Man's design," Splash Woman explained.  "Instead of a mouth and digestive tract, he just has a hole to drop in materials to be converted to energy and other materials for maintenance.  Unlike Needle Man, though, Magma Man's leads into his stores of flame which are hot enough to melt the metals these chips are made of.  The chips didn't survive long enough to install."

Nodding, Mega Man shaped his fingers to make a skull shadow puppet, even though there was no light to cast the shadow.

Splash Woman nodded, understanding the inquiry.  "There's a tunnel under here I've been digging," she explains.  "It'll lead you straight to the Fortress, and since it's not on any official plans, no one will have any way of knowing you're taking it.  This should let you get to the Fortress before whoever's there is able to escape."  Swimming over, she shifted a hollow rock aside, revealing the tunnel in question.  "It's a bit long, but you should be fine."

Swimming over, Mega Man gave her a thumbs up of thanks, then held his hands out in a giving motion.

Splash Woman waved it off.  "I signed onto this job to work for Vinyl," she explained.  "As far as I'm concerned, that's just what I'm doing."  She paused as she noticed Mega Man was still waiting.  "Well...if you really want to repay me...there is one thing you could do for me..."  Once more, she sauntered up close, almost close enough to press against Mega Man's body.

Mega Man swallowed nervously, uncertain what to do here, especially since he wasn't sure he could get "I have a girlfriend" out in morse swift enough to make a difference.

Leaning in close, Splash Woman whispered, "...is Forte single?  And do you think you could put a good word in with him for me if he is?"

Mega Man blinked several times, then finally managed a thumbs up before desperately swimming down the tunnel, glad the water down there was even colder.

As he heard Splash Woman laughing behind him, he remembered that as a robot, cold water didn't help him with that the way it did for humans.  It was going to be a long, hard swim...
> 9: Having Fun Storming The Castle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	With Splash Woman's Laser Trident weapon uploaded, Mega Man reached the end of the tunnel and found his way to the fortress itself.  It proved to be almost classic Wily in design, complete with the skull in front...which immediately told Mega Man that this was some sort of frame up.  Wily would never use one of Vinyl's projects in a world takeover attempt without her, and Vinyl would never let the fortress be without her neon horseshoe symbol if she were a major player.  Of course, knowing it was a frame up didn't tell Mega Man who was actually behind it...and beyond that, he still needed to shut it all down.

First, of course, he actually needed to make it into the Fortress, and the approach had several deep pits separating the platforms he had to leap across, with sentry spheres popping up out of the pits to shoot at him, while bird bots dropped rocks towards him.  Once again, Mega Man did his best to avoid destroying the bots trying to shoot him, so they could continue to work once the situation was fixed.

Once he began climbing the outside of the fortress towards an entrance, he found large propeller platforms that could only be activated with the Tornado Blow weapon, which caused a great deal of wind to blow upward.  While this did drain a good amount of weapon energy, he was able to find energy cores along the path to restore it.

Once past the platforms, he encountered new bots that looked like Guts Man on tank treads, only much smaller and carrying a shield.  A few shots caused them to drop the shields so they could be damaged, and Mega Man was unfortunately forced to destroy them, as they were blocking paths completely.

As Mega Man climbed, he noticed the weather turning stormy, with lightning flashing amongst the clouds.  He began to worry about what was happening with the incomplete weather systems of the planet without Tornado Man guiding them.  He just hoped that Gravity Man had found a way to adjust, and it wasn't straining him too much.  He continued to worry about this even as he battled another copy of the dragon bot he'd faced in the Geothermal center Magma Man had controlled.

Once past the dragon, Mega Man had to time jumps past lava being launched from one tube to another directly above him, using Rush to spring him up when he had a clear path.  Other familiar obstacles littered the path in new combinations, but Mega Man already knew how to deal with each, and was able to continue climbing upward with ease, now inside the building itself.

Finally reaching a guardian chamber, Mega Man found four face-shaped turrets guarded by spike balls that slowly made their way towards him, which he could push back with buster shots.  As he shot, the turrets also shot the spike balls, trying to push them towards him.  If the spike ball reached the turret, they would explode and be replaced by another as the spike ball returned to the center of the passage.  If the spike ball reached Mega Man's end of the tunnel, it would return to the middle and the turret would start firing shots that phased through the walls, locked onto Mega Man.  This would end when the turret was destroyed.

After destroying enough turrets, new ones stopped coming, and eventually Mega Man managed to destroy the last turret.  He paused then, taking a few breaths to prepare himself mentally for the next challenge.  "Whoever designed this place has been studying my tactics," he murmured softly.  "I'm going to have to be careful..."





The next segment of the fortress proved to be far more roundabout, twisting and turning up and down as Mega Man made his way deeper inside.  Thankfully, there were several opportunities to use his abilities to take various shortcuts past the more complicated segments, allowing him to conserve his strength for deeper in.

The major obstacle that Mega Man encountered as he continued were projector enemies that would fly into the room and generate holographic platforms that were indistinguishable from those Mega Man needed to jump across, save he would pass right through them.  Thankfully, Mega Man countered this by taking a literal mental snapshot of platform positions before the projectors did their work.

After dealing with another flower mini-guardian on a clock set of platforms, Mega Man dropped into an underwater sector, dealing once more with octopus-in-pot robots.  At this point, Mega Man decided he was free to blast his way through, as this fortress certainly wasn't part of Vinyl's plans for the planet.

Several solid blocks filled various paths through the water, but Mega Man discovered they could be destroyed with a single shot of Laser Trident...making it, in his mind, one of the more useful sub weapons this trip, as it could also be fired the most before it ran out of power.  It allowed him to make his way past most other obstacles as he made his way back out of the water.

Once out of the water, he had time to dry off before he reached the next Fortress Guardian.  The Guardian itself, right at first, looked like the tail of a giant mechanical fish, which fired trios of homing missiles at him out of a hatch near the 'tail fluke'.  The hatch itself proved to be the only vulnerable point, which exploded after he managed to land enough shots.

The Guardian then moved more towards him as he rushed forward, revealing what looked like a floating sub design in blue and yellow.  It hovered above Mega Man, had a spiked bottom, and two hatches that dropped fish-shaped bots onto the ground to either side of him to charge at him as the vehicle moved up and down.  Mega Man managed to deal with it by timing his jumps to shoot the hatches without impacting the spiked bottom...though he messed up a couple of times.  Thankfully, the spikes only caused damage rather than frying his circuits as most of these spike traps would if he made contact with them.

With the hatches destroyed, Mega Man made his way to the front of the vehicle, which had what looked like the head of a snub-nosed swordfish, perhaps.  Here, the vehicle moved up and down, its mouth opening to fire a charged laser blast at him.  Despite the blue white coloring, one accidental contact showed Mega Man that it was in fact a laser blast rather than a sonic disruption blast, as it only drained his shield energy rather than punching a hole straight through him.  Thankfully, this end was easy to damage, as Magma Bazooka could be charged to launch a much bigger blast of flames, which tore through the vehicle's shields readily.

As the vehicle finally went down, Mega Man leaned back for another few deep breaths.  "Okay...it's not the Wilys doing this...but whoever is isn't too bad at this either..."  He made a mental note to look into who, if anyone, had the potential to pull this off once he was back on Earth.
> 9: Not Having as Much Fun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As Mega Man continued forward, he found himself making his way down an open, straight corridor with few enemies.  Unfortunately, those few were far more durable than any he'd encountered before, making them exceptionally difficult to destroy.  Once past them, Mega Man stumbled into a room where manipulated gravity caused him to slowly float towards the ceiling.  As he started to feel the beginnings of vertigo and nausea, he disabled his artificial digestive system, putting those aspects in standby and negating the sensations.  "There are times where I am glad to be a robot," he mumbled to himself as he continued to float.

At first, Mega Man couldn't figure out how to maneuver as he slowly floated upward, and fired off his buster in frustration.  The recoil, to his surprise, sent him floating backwards.  Turning, he fired again, and slowed himself down until he was once more going straight up.  "This is going to be interesting..."

As he floated upward, he carefully used this method to dodge around floating mini-devil enemies, doing his best not to shoot the blobs of goo because doing so caused them to burst into smaller blobs that scattered, making them harder to avoid.  Eventually, he reached the ceiling and was able to grab hold of a ladder, climbing to the next level.

The next corridor forced Mega Man to maneuver carefully around spike balls on floor and ceiling, as well as small flying enemies that attempted to knock him into the spikes with shots and ramming.  He then dropped down, making his way past several areas that let him replenish some of his energy reserves to better prepare for what was to come.

Beyond there, Mega Man found another altered gravity chamber, which he was able to maneuver in much the same way as before, though now there were spike balls and the occasional flying claw enemies in addition to the mini-devils.  Thankfully, Mega Man was able to stay out of the activation range of the claws so they couldn't drag him into the spikes.

After that, Mega Man made his way through another narrow corridor with enemies, spike balls, and pits.  Making his way past it, Mega Man found a straight drop into the room with the next Fortress Guardian.  This Guardian proved to be two spheres of goo, one green one yellow, with a control core in the green sphere.  The two spheres floated in opposite corners of the room, sending tiny blobs out to interchange in paths meant to hit Mega Man, and the control core could only damaged when it was passing between spheres.  In an attempt to hold it out longer, Mega Man tried shooting it with the Black Hole Bomb.  While the momentary singularity didn't slow it down, it did cause a major fault in its systems, drastically damaging the control core.  "Guess I know its weakness," Mega Man murmured as he continued to evade.

Five shots later, the Guardian fell apart as the control core broke, allowing Mega Man to make his way further forward.





The next part of the Fortress felt like the final, as it was a narrow path leading straight downward with few enemies or obstacles.  The only enemies were the occasional Mettool, and the only obstacles were short spike pits and lasers that had to be blocked using Concrete Shot.  Once past it all, a straight drop led Mega Man to a chamber with eight teleport capsules, only five of which were functional.  He sighed at the sight.  "Guess I know what happened to the ones I sent for repairs..." he murmured softly, jumping into the first active capsule.

Concrete Man awaited him there...but it quickly became apparent to Mega Man that he'd been badly tweaked, resulting in him being little more than a berserker combat bot...and a sub-par one at that, as his combat abilities were far below anything Mega Man could handle.  Even without using a special weapon to target his weakness, Concrete Man was disabled with little trouble.  As the fight went on, however, Mega Man found himself growing angrier.

Once Concete Man was disabled, Mega Man went to each of the other capsules, quickly disabling Jewel Man, Tornado Man, Hornet Man, and Plug Man, relying only on his stun buster in hopes of keeping them intact for repairs.  Once they were all disabled, a ninth capsule awaited him, taking him to yet another new area.

He found himself in a massive chamber, unable to see the distant walls or ceiling.  Before long, a massive mecha dropped down, resembling a T-Rex with a Wily style skull for a head.  After landing heavily on the ground, it levitated upward and began spitting green eggs with yellow spots at Mega Man, which bounced towards him.

Mega Man dodged the first few eggs as he thought about this.  Alright, he deduced.  If this were one of Wily or Vinyl's mechs, there'd be an obvious trick to beat it that was a trap, and a less obvious trick that's the actual way to beat it without injuring the pilot or pilots thereof.  But I know this is someone trying to make it look like Wily or Vinyl, and isn't as clever as they are since I was able to determine it was a frame up way too soon.  So...it'll be the obvious trick method.  Following that, Mega Man shot one of the bouncing eggs, making it bounce back into the skull of the mech and explode.

When the skull exploded after taking enough shots, a cockpit was revealed with what looked like Wily sitting in the cockpit.  Mega Man didn't have time to investigate, as it immediately started spitting fire at him and trying to crush him by landing on him.  The stomps were easy to evade, and Mega Man focused on taking out the flamethrower at the mech's 'mouth'.

When the flamethrower broke, it caused a chain reaction destroying the mecha, leaving the cockpit to fly off.  It then began to warp around the chamber, shooting energy balls at Mega Man.  Since Mega Man didn't have time to aim and dodge, he switched to Hornet Chaser and let the weapon hunt the target down while he focused on evasion.

When the cockpit finally exploded, the 'Wily' inside leapt away, running for it.  However, Mega Man was able to get a scan of it...and discovered that it was a robot designed to imitate humans.  Mega Man immediately leveled his buster, intending to take it down and bring it back for investigation.  However, the moment he started charging his buster the bot self destructed, leaving nothing behind to bring back but the brief scan he'd gotten.

As Mega Man continued to investigate the Fortress control center, he found it was the source of the signal jamming.  Once he shut that down, he'd be in contact with Vinyl again.  However...he had a decision to make before he did.  If he reported the entire event officially, there was enough evidence to implicate Vinyl and/or Wily, and not enough to investigate further.  However, if he acted to keep them from being implicated, then he wouldn't be able to investigate who had created that copy robot.

After thinking for a time, he shut down the comm-jammer.  Before long, he got an incoming call.  "Mega Man!" Vinyl called out in his ear.  "I'm getting a signal through.  Do you know what happened?"

"Looks like some sort of mechanical issue," Mega Man replied.  "I'll give you a full report face to face."

Vinyl was silent for a time.  "Got it, Rock," she stated finally.  "Can you bring the malfunctioning bots back?"

"That I can do," Mega Man confirmed.  "Galaxy Man will provide a shuttle."

"See you soon then," Vinyl agreed, cutting the line.
> 9: To Five
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Vinyl frowned as she heard Mega Man's full report once he arrived in Sky Lagoon.  "This is concerning," she mumbled softly.

"That's an understatement," Mega Man mused idly.  "Someone out there sabotaged your mission, and tried to make it into a frame-up of Wily making another world takeover attempt."

"While that's true, that's a minor concern at best," Vinyl countered.  "The bigger concern in this case is how they went about doing it."

"Why is that so concerning?" Mega Man asked curiously.  "Didn't they just use the same cookies you used to flip the Robot Masters going after the Energy Ore back before you built Doc Robot?"

Vinyl's glasses slid down her muzzle, revealing her wide, startled eyes.  "H...how did you know about that?"

"I put together some details a while back," Mega Man explained.  "Specifically around the time 'Breakman' 'kidnapped' Dr. Light."  The air quotes in his voice were plainly audible.  "During the incident, I started thinking in terms of who had the capability to do various things at various times.  The only ones with the resources to manipulate the Robot Masters back then - or build Doc Robot - were Dr. Light, Dr. Wily, and you.  If Dr. Light wanted to get ahold of the Energy Ore to make Gamma his weapon, he would have just altered Gamma's control circuitry to only respond to him.  And Dr. Wily at that point had put his full priority on being a good father to you before any world takeover attempts."  He smiled impishly.  "Which, of course, also explained why he took credit for it all once he figured it all out.  To keep you from getting a juvey record for world terrorism."

Vinyl shook her head as she chuckled ruefully.  "It's real easy to forget you've got a super computer for a brain," she commented idly.  "And yes, the cookies are the exact same tactic I used then."  She wasn't worried about Mega Man trying to arrest her for that, or even making an official action about it.  He wouldn't have brought it up casually if he was going to.  "In fact, they might as well have been the same batch.  It was certainly the same recipe.  But again, that's not the issue."

"Then...what is?" Mega Man asked curiously.

"According to Splash Woman's report, they were given the cookies at the shuttle launch," Vinyl explained.  "That's the concerning issue.  The shuttle was launched from here after all.  The sabotage was initiated...from within Sky Lagoon."  She steepled her hooves and stared at Mega Man.  "We don't have a tourism industry up here, and we're in control of all transit to and from here as well.  We know every name and face that arrives here - or at least we should - and we're close knit.  Since we're all scientists with similar ideals - and the families thereof - we don't even have any crime up here.  Nobody even locks their doors, we trust each other so much."

She leaned back with a sigh.  "So...somehow, a saboteur made it here where he had no business being...and I can't even investigate too deeply or openly, or that trust we've built up here - an example meant to show the world below how much better things are following our ideals - will fall apart.  And if I do investigate secretly, it's betraying that trust on my part!"  She stared up at the ceiling sorrowfully.

Mega Man nodded understandingly.  "Yeah...I guess I can see where that's a problem.  But that's not the only problem, now that I think about it..."

"What do you mean?" Vinyl asked curiously, rolling over in her chair to lay on her back, her glasses sliding back to brace against her horn.  Her chair lifted up so she was still looking over her desk at Mega Man.

"The tech of that Copy Bot," Mega Man spoke up.  "I've only seen tech that could let a robot restructure itself to imitate another entity - robot or otherwise - to that level in one place."

"What place?" Vinyl asked.  "Couldn't they have found it there, then?"

"Impossible," Mega Man insisted.  "I've only even spoken of the concept.  The specs never left the lab where he's being built."

"He?" Vinyl asked curiously.

"Anton."

Vinyl froze for a time, then let out a curse.  "They got into that lab?  But...that's impossible!"

"It should be," Mega Man confirmed.  "And yet...somehow it's happened."

Vinyl frowned as she rolled back to her hooves.  "Unfortunately...there's one way I can think of that this might have happened...but it'd be opening Pandora's Box even trying to investigate it, and even the idea of it strikes at the core of everything we've built here.  If it's true...everything could fall apart."

Mega Man's eyes closed as he reached the same conclusion.  "A sleeper agent...who doesn't know that they're sleeping.  A robot who came up here as part of the immigration groups to settle...with a program inside that causes them to unknowingly send information back to someone below."

"Occam's Razor says that's what's going on," Vinyl murmured.  "As well as what would happen if it got out.  So...what do I do?"

Mega Man stared up at the ceiling.  "Well, for now...I'd suggest doing nothing."

"Nothing?" Vinyl asked, stunned.

"Nothing official, anyway," Mega Man explained.  "After all, there's been no official incident here.  However...whoever tried this obviously isn't going to be happy that it didn't work.  Guard against a similar assault, and keep an eye out for others."

"And if this continues?" Vinyl demanded coldly, her eyes calculating.

"Well...I'd suggest being prepared for something to ensure they can't try a third time," Mega Man offered thoughtfully.  "I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Vinyl stared after Mega Man as he turned to leave.  I think I might have an idea, she thought to herself.
> 10: Sickness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When Mega Man reached the teleportation dock to get back to Light's Lab, he was surprised to discover it was on lock down, with Typhon standing guard over it.  "Typhon, what's going on?" he demanded.  "Why can't I teleport down?"

"Quarantine," Typhon explained firmly, his voice as monotone as ever.  "No teleportation to or from Sky Lagoon until the situation is resolved."

"What situation?" Mega Man countered.  "I need to get back to Light Labs for a retrofit and maintenance!  How am I supposed to get there if I can't teleport?"

"You can jump," Typhon offered bluntly.

"Over here, Mega Man!" Albert called out before Mega Man could respond.  "I'm taking a shuttle down to Light Labs myself today.  You can ride with me.  I can explain what's going on in transit."

Shaking his head, Mega Man raced over to join Albert on his way to the shuttle.  "So what's this about a quarantine?" he demanded intensely.  "And why didn't Vinyl mention it?"

"Because I haven't told her about it," Albert explained calmly.  "Her entire focus has been on the Mars project, first trying to break through the communications static while you were on Mars, and then making sure nothing interfered with your shuttle's safe return.  You have been gone for an entire month, after all."

Mega Man nodded as they reached the shuttle.  "I know.  That's why I need to get back for repairs and the like.  But why a quarantine?"

"That's rather difficult to explain," Albert explained nervously.  "It seems that a great many robots...are getting sick."

Mega Man stared at Albert flatly.  "...what?"

"It's as surprising to me as to you," Wily explained as the shuttle lifted off, heading for the land below.  "We've managed to determine it's a virus of some sort, at least as far as it interacting with robotics, but it appears to be airborne."

"That's impossible!" Mega Man countered.  "A computer virus can't be airborne!"

"Thus the confusion and dilemma," Wily confirmed.  "The physiological symptoms resemble the common cold amongst humans, but it only seems to be affecting robots...and not all robots at that.  We've yet to determine a common factor as to the robots that are affected, or a method of correcting it."

"So why are you heading down to Light Labs?" Mega Man asked curiously.  "And why the ban on teleporting?"

"Because as of yet, there have been no infections on Sky Lagoon," Wily explained.  "We intend to keep it that way.  No teleportations, and any shuttles coming up have to have robots on board.  We know the incubation period of how long after exposure symptoms are exhibited, and each shuttle is kept quarantined that long.  No one disembarks unless that time elapses with no symptoms showing.  We aren't taking any chances.  As for the trip to Light Labs, I've been working with Dr. Light to try and isolate the exact nature of the program causing these problems so it can be stopped, so we can create a cure program."

"While that makes sense, doesn't that mean you have a robot down there you're working from?" Mega Man asked worriedly.  "Who do you have that's already infected?"

Albert was silent for a time.  As the shuttle pulled into the Light Labs dock, he finally spoke up.  "...Roll."





Rock stared through the quarantine glass at where Roll lay in a med scanner, groaning as she tossed back and forth.  "Is...is she going to be okay?" he asked worriedly.

"She should be," Dr. Light spoke up calmly, working quickly with the data he and Dr. Wily had managed to gather.  "She's in the early stages of infection, only been a couple of days since she started showing symptoms.  If we're able to analyze it completely, we should be able to cure her before she goes into shut down...or further."

"Shut down?" Rock demanded in shock.  "Further?"

"It's the progression of symptoms as we've recorded so far," Dr. Wily explained.  "First, symptoms resembling the common cold.  This is soon followed by weakness and loss of motor functions, resulting in what you see Roll demonstrating now.  After that, internal temperature controls go awry, and any artificial bio-systems - such as the newer model digestive systems that more closely resemble the human digestive tract, like what you yourself have - shut down.  Then the higher brain functions shut down.  Then..."

Rock turned to face the doctors.  "Then what?" he demanded.

"Then they reactivate in a berserker state," Dr. Light finally spoke up.  "The first eight Robot Masters who showed infection have already gone rogue and are rampaging."

Rock staggered back in shock.  "But...why haven't they been stopped?"

"And who would we send?" Dr. Wily asked flatly.  "If we send other Robot Masters, they could end up infected.  If we send ordinary robots...well, the Robot Master circuitry is still fully functional, so you know where that would lead.  And unfortunately, the areas the infected Robot Masters are rampaging in have become too dangerous for human troops, and we've yet to get a mech unit in close enough to make a difference."

"Or in essence, this is exactly the same situation every time you or Vinyl were attempting world takeovers, except we don't know what's causing it," Rock translated.  "Isn't that right?"

Dr. Wily bowed his head.  "In essence..." he mumbled ruefully.  "I don't really like admitting it, though."

"In that case, the solution is the same," Rock concluded.  "I go in, defeat the rogue Robot Masters, and bring back data on their infections for a clearer picture on how to combat it."

"Not alone you don't," a familiar voice spoke up from back in the lab.

Turning, Rock's eyes widened.  "P-Prometheus?  Forte?  What are you two doing here?"

"What does it look like we're doing?" Forte asked as he triggered his armor, preparing for battle.  "Like we'd trust this to just you."

Rock smirked.  "Well, it'll be interesting for us to be fighting together again...Bass."  With that, he summoned his own armor units.  "Let's go!"
> 10: What Works?  Team Work
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mega Man, Bass, and Prometheus gathered around the computer as they planned their mission to take on the berzerk infectees.  The computer readout was giving them all available information on the subjects and their locations, as well as what robots were in those areas that were likely under the control of the Robot Masters at this point.  However, before they actually began their mission, a decision had to be made.

"Alright," Prometheus spoke up.  "Do we each go after a different Robot Master, or target them all together?"  He turned to Mega Man.  "What would be the pros of working together?"

"Nearly all security robots, the sort we'll be fighting through to get to the infected, are designed for single target combat," Mega Man explained.  "Not only that, but Robot Masters themselves generally only cope well when fighting a single target or a large group.  We saw with Duo the problems that a multi-target battle can cause, and these Robot Masters won't be anywhere near as advanced as he was, and won't have higher brain function."

Prometheus nodded.  "Good arguments."  He then turned to Bass.  "Cons?"

"We're all used to fighting alone," Bass pointed out.  "We'll have to adjust our tactics to avoid hitting each other.  Not only that, your own combat abilities have drastically changed, and you might not be able to avoid damaging us accidentally.  Your buster, for example, is orders of magnitude stronger, to the point it's the basis that Pops has been using for the buster design on his and Vy's 'Revelation' project...whatever it is."

"Good points-"

"Not only that," Bass interrupted Prometheus, "with all of us targeting the same Robot Master, we're putting all our eggs in one basket.  We might take each one down faster, but we'll only be bringing in one at a time for the Docs to study."

Prometheus sighed.  "Good points.  I suppose you have the pros for each of us working alone, then?"

Bass nodded firmly.  "Each of us has a chance of bringing in our own target, we all have experience working alone, and since the areas have already been evacuated of humans, we won't have to worry about friendly targets.  We can cut loose and - if all else fails - just bring back a data construct along with the Master Weapon program."

Nodding, Prometheus turned back to Mega Man.  "Cons?"

"Some pretty big ones," Mega Man pointed out.  "Doing it this way, each collection will take longer, meaning each of us will be exposed to an infected longer and might become infected ourselves.  And if we're all going solo, we'll get competitive...meaning we might not admit to infection systems we actually have, and run the risk of falling to the infection ourselves."  He looked straight at Prometheus.  "And I don't even want to think about what could happen if you fell ill and went berzerk, bro."

Prometheus winced.  "A valid, and I'd have to say winning, point.  Making sure we don't get infected - or, if we do, that it's addressed right away - has to take priority over anything else.  After all, if we fail..."

Bass grumbled, but acquiesced.  "Alright.  So, who are our targets, then?"

Prometheus lifted up the list of Robot Masters.  "Well, there's eight of them.  Big surprise."  That got a chuckle out of his brothers by different fathers.  "Let's see...Blade Man, Strike Man, Sheep Man, Pump Man, Solar Man, Chill Man, Nitro Man, and Commando Man-"

"Seriously?" Bass demanded angrily.

"Which name are you having trouble with?" Prometheus asked curiously.  "Sheep Man?  Pump Man?"

"Nah, those are self explanatory," Bass countered.  "Probably has something to do with livestock or helping people sleep for Sheep Man, and Pump Man probably deals with sewage.  My issue is Commando Man."

"You have a problem with a military robot?" Mega Man asked, surprised.

"Nah, I'm just wondering why the heck they didn't just call him Commando!" Bass snapped out.  "I mean seriously, why the heck did they have to add 'Man' after it?  I mean, we've seen robots that didn't have 'Man' or 'Woman' in their names.  There were several back in the FART.  So why is that pattern still the case?"

Prometheus and Mega Man were silent for a time.  "...huh..." they finally offered together.

Bass shrugged.  "Whatever.  Who are we going to go after first?  My trigger finger's getting itchy."

"Bass, your buster isn't run by a trigger finger," Prometheus pointed out.

"It also doesn't let my hand come back out while in armor!" Bass proclaimed expansively.  "So I can't scratch my finger until we've finished this mission!"  Mega Man's palm smacked into his face.  "Oh bolt you, that was funny!"

Prometheus sighed to himself, shaking his head ruefully.  "Can we focus, please?"

"Probably not," Mega Man teased.  "I mean, it's us!"

"And we're also going out onto a mission where the enemy that can kill us is one that can't be beaten by our own brains or brawn," Bass pointed out.  "Pretty sure none of us want to think about the fact that it's entirely up to Fate or Random Chance whether or not we come out of this alive or in one piece."  He leaned back, sighing to himself.  "Not to mention Pops told me all three of our core programs have grown to be too complex to be recovered remotely if our hard drives shut down...so we can't be backed up anymore."

Dead silence greeted that sentiment.  "...the drawbacks of long life for a robot," Prometheus murmured.  "Eventually, you can't save and load anymore..."

The trio glanced back and forth between each other, each waiting for one of the others to break the oppressive silence.  Finally, Mega Man stood up.  "Well, let's get a move on," he grunted out firmly.  "I've got a date with Kalinka this Friday, and I'm not cancelling because I'm too busy saving the world again."

"Like you're the only one with a date," Bass teased as he got to his feet.  "I'll be swimming with Splash Woman this weekend."

"Have you got the proper interface upgrades?" Mega Man teased playfully.

"It's not like that!" Bass snapped, his cheeks coloring under his helmet.

"You might be surprised," Mega Man teased.  "She looks good in clam shells."

"And you with a girlfriend!" Bass taunted playfully.

"They've been swapping tips," Mega Man replied easily.  His own cheeks colored.  "Kalinka looks pretty good in clam shells, too."

As the pair continued to tease and taunt each other, Prometheus got to his own feet.  "Young robots..." he grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes behind his shades.
> 10: Cutting Through
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The first of the infected the trio decided to go after was Blade Man, chosen at random.  Apparently, before the Roboenza outbreak, he was a fencing instructor, which meant his combat protocols should be somewhat limited.

Blade Man was based in a European castle of all places, guarded by spider bots and jumping axes, as well as spiked drones that raced across platforms.  The trio had no trouble with any of these between Bass and Prometheus being able to shoot at an upward or downward angle to get enemies before they got to them and Mega Man's recently upgraded charge buster.  When enemies were more plentiful, Mega Man would brace himself against Prometheus and Bass before unleashing the Skull Buster, which could clear whole rooms.

"Let's not do that too often," Prometheus grumbled as he got up after the first such instance.  "It's really not good for any of our servos."

"If I could fire it more often, I'd use my Bass Cannon," Bass offered, "but I only build up enough energy for one shot a month, and I can't store charges."

One new obstacle was a strange see-saw platform that allowed crossing over pits of spikes, which had to be cleared by jumping onto the two platforms in sequence as it crossed.  Mega Man and Bass dealt with this by each taking one platform, allowing both to cross together.  Prometheus used his scarf to tether himself to the platform, and then allowed himself to be dragged across the pits while standing on his shield, shooting down enemies that tried to knock the pair off the platforms.

Half way to Blade Man, they encountered a guardian that was shaped like a miniature castle.  It had two control points on the towers which controlled cannon turrets, and one that controlled a door in the center that sent bladed discs after the group.  Bass and Prometheus each stood at an angle to the tower control points, firing relentlessly, while Mega Man jumped to hit the one over the door.  The guardian did not last long from the combined assault.  A white flag rose, and the entire mini-castle exploded.

The last see-saw platform seemed somewhat tricky at first, as it passed over bottomless pits with spikes on the ceiling.  Prometheus quickly found a solution, however, as he was able to magnetize his shield to attach to the spikes on the ceiling, allowing himself to be dragged along behind again.

As they reached the final chamber, Blade Man dropped down.  He was a purple humanoid robot with a sword shaped helmet and two swords for hands.  He attempted to fight them by jumping and clinging to the walls and hurling three blades at them, then shifting to cling to the ceiling and doing the same.

The trio's solution was simple.  All three stood behind Prometheus' shield and fired from behind, Prometheus and Bass at angles, Mega Man leaping out from behind the shield whenever Blade Man was close enough to shoot.  Before long, Blade Man dropped to the ground, too damaged to continue.

"So...now what?" Prometheus asked.  "How do we get him back to the lab without risking infection?"

"Dad made these," Mega Man spoke up, pulling out what looked like small beacons.  "Once they're disabled, we can throw them at the robots.  They'll stick, and send a signal to the teleport network to beam them into the Quarantine Lab.  At the same time, it'll send us their weapon program."

"Useful," Bass mused as he hurled the first beacon.  It struck dead on, warping Blade Man away and downloading the Triple Blade weapon to all three of them.  "So, who should we go after next?"

"Strike Man was a baseball robot," Prometheus offered.  "Perhaps we should start with those robots that would have a more difficult time changing their nature to combat?"

"Works for me," Mega Man replied.  "The more we get back to the Docs faster, the more likely they'll have a way to immunize us before we get sick."





Strike Man proved to be based at a massive sports complex, and various ball throwing robots blocked the path inward.  Unfortunately for the ball throwing bots, they could only throw straight forward, making them easy targets for Prometheus and Bass at angles.  Mega Man brought out the shield he'd gotten from Prometheus on the last day he had still been Protoman, using it to deflect incoming attacks.

The next new foe they encountered was in the locker rooms, as various locker doors revealed themselves to actually be robot drones protecting the locker room, shooting at the trio.  These were easily dealt with by Prometheus, allowing the trio to reach an area guardian...a soccer goal robot.  Its head was at the top of the goal, and it attacked by sending in soccer balls and robotic fists.  Prometheus and Bass dealt with it quickly by shooting straight up.

This and several more sports themed obstacles and enemies filled the rest of the complex as they made their way through to the end, most proving to be more annoying than challenging, proving that whatever had control of it had very little higher brain function available.  As such, they had nothing preventing them from carving their way through to Strike Man himself.

Strike Man was an orange and white humanoid Robot Master built and designed like an umpire.  He fought by throwing balls and bouncing at the trio like a ball.  On an impulse, Mega Man switched to Triple Blade, hoping to deal with the projectiles and damage Strike Man at the same time...only to see the blades shear through Strike Man's body.  Prometheus and Bass quickly followed suit.

"This is almost too easy," Prometheus murmured as they beamed Strike Man's defunct body out, the Rebound Striker weapon downloaded into their systems.

"Yeah...doing it this way takes all the fun out of it," Bass complained.

"We are trying to save the world while running the risk of becoming mindless robo-zombies," Mega Man pointed out.
> 10: Absurdity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"So, what Robot Master are we closest to now?" Mega Man asked Prometheus.  "And what are their abilities?"

"Next up would be...Sheep Man," Prometheus explained after consulting the data file he'd downloaded.  "He's a weather control Robot Master designed to...herd sheep."(1)

"What?" Bass demanded flatly.  "Just what kind of sheep need to be herded with lightning bolts?"

Mega Man shrugged.  "Robotic sheep?" he offered innocently.

"What the heck is the point of robot sheep?" Bass countered angrily.

"...high quality synthetic wool?"

Bass stared at Mega Man, seething rage in his eyes.  "And why, pray tell, wouldn't such robotic sheep be programmed to herd themselves?"

"Because then Sheep Man would be out of a job?" Mega Man postulated whimsically.

With a scream of inarticulate fury, Bass lunged for the Blue Bomber, only for Prometheus to grab the fin-helmeted battle bot by the scruff of his neck to haul him up short.  "You haven't shown enough symptoms for this to be Roboenza," Prometheus chided, "so keep your temper under control."

"I'll be perfectly controlled once I've throttled that idiot for ten minutes!" Bass snapped out.

Prometheus gave him a glare.

"He's a robot!" Bass growled in protest.  "He'll be fine."

Prometheus thought about that for a time.  "...five minutes."

"Deal!"

"What?" Mega Man gasped out.  "What do you-GYAK!"

Prometheus carefully watched the clock.





Exactly five minutes later, the trio beamed into the structure that the berserk Sheep Man had turned into his base.  Mega Man and Bass were still trading glowers, so Prometheus led the way past more of the same enemies, through green walled halls, and over sections of colored blocks that vanished in color groups shortly after anyone stepped on them.

The path through the structure remained straightforward, and the three working together were able to plow their way through the enemies, and moving quickly kept them ahead of the vanishing blocks.  The next new obstacle were platforms that could only be raised to stand on by running on a treadmill, which was also easily dealt with.

The guardian of the structure proved to be a giant light bulb robot hooked up to treadmills that caused it to light up, which was the only time it could be damaged.  It also released smaller floating light bulb bots that seemed to swim through the air towards the group.  Bass focused on taking out those, while Mega Man ran on a treadmill.  When the bulb became illuminated, platforms revealed themselves.  For a better shooting angle to not interfere with Bass, Prometheus hopped up the platforms and shattered the main bulb with a fully charged shot, opening the path further into the building.

Beyond there, a long sequence of disappearing blocks blocked the path.  "...any reason we can't call in Rush and Treble to carry us across?" Mega Man asked curiously.

"They might get infected," Bass pointed out bluntly.

"Fair enough," Mega Man admitted, resigned.

The only other new obstacle were drones shaped like mouse cursors that created hard light images of blocks that flew at the group, but they proved to be exceptionally fragile, proving no real obstacle to the group.  This left the path clear for them to enter the chamber Sheep Man awaited them in.  He was a sheep shaped Robot Master with white wool and yellow horns...or at least, that was as much as the trio were able to see before he burst into four clouds to shoot lightning at them.

"So, he herds sheep?" Bass clarified.

"Yup," Prometheus confirmed.

"Like a sheepdog?"

"Yup."

"Think he'll chase a ball?"

Deciding to give it a try, Mega Man hurled a Rebound Striker, the weapon they'd gotten from Strike Man.  The ball ricocheted off a couple walls and nearly took Sheep Man's head off on impact.

Bass and Prometheus immediately switched weapons.





With the Thunder Wool weapon in tow, the trio decided to go after Pump Man next.  Being a Robot Master that dealt with high volumes of water, it was presumed he might be vulnerable to high levels of electricity.

Pump Man had based himself in the sewers, forcing the trio to slog their way through sludge to make it to him.  Despite the few new enemy types moving about the sewers, the sludge and endless water flow proved to be the biggest obstacle for the trio, as it limited their movement capabilities far more than any danger from the drone bots themselves.  Not to mention, it stank to high heaven.

"Okay, after this guy, we are going back to the lab for a full decontamination," Mega Man grumbled, not surprised that no one gainsaid him.

When a path split offered them a choice between going into the water or staying above, none hesitated to take the upper path, blasting their way past the drones that fought them to make it to where Pump Man awaited them.  He was a dark blue Robot Master that looked like he'd been built out of a water pump.  He generated a shield of bubbles around himself as he leapt towards them...only for the lightning of the Thunder Wool the three released to tear through both shield and Pump Man's energy reserves almost dangerously fast, leaving the bot a smoking wreck.

"Four down," Mega Man grunted.  "And I need a shower desperately."

"Have you got spares?" Bass asked hopefully.

"There are eight robot showers back in Light's Lab," Prometheus stated flatly.

Bass turned to stare at Mega Man.  "Why are they specifically 'robot showers'?" he asked coldly.

"Because they use streams of high pressure water that robotic superstructure and synthoflesh can handle, but would severely injure humans," Mega Man explained directly.

Bass blinked for a few moments.  "Oh.  Fair enough."

The group downloaded the Water Shield weapon, and then promptly beamed out to get their hoped for showers.








(1) In canon, Sheep Man was meant to just herd sheep until Wily modified him to have lightning based combat abilities.  The following conversation derived from justifying that ability in the present situation.  ...I may have enjoyed writing it a little too much.
> 10: Hot and Cold
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After a quick decontamination shower to cleanse themselves of the residue of the previous area, Mega Man, Bass, and Prometheus went to check on the Doctors' progress.  "So how goes it, Dad?" Mega Man asked hopefully as he stared into the quarantined section, where Roll lay, now tossing and turning.

"We have good news and bad news," Dr. Light responded.  "The bad news is that we're no closer to an actual treatment for infected robots, as we still don't know how the virus initially infects them."

"The good news is that we've managed to develop a vaccine which can be used to prevent robots from being infected," Dr. Wily added.  "I've already vaccinated Rush and Treble, so they'll be able to assist you from now on."

"That's great!" Bass praised eagerly.  "And you can vaccinate us so we don't have to worry about infection either, right?"  Noticing both Doctors' faces fall, he hesitated.  "Uh...Pops?"

"The vaccine will only work for certain if a robot hasn't been exposed to Roboenza before application," Dr. Light explained.  "Otherwise, it runs the risk of accelerating the infection.  So you can't risk merging with Rush or Treble either, which is why we've temporarily disabled their Adapters."

"Still better than nothing," Prometheus mused as Mega Man and Bass clenched their fists in anger.  "Are the robots we're bringing you helping?"

"Indeed they are!" Dr. Wily offered.  "I'd say we have about half the program keys we need to fully identify this virus and its nature.  If the other four initial infectees are as different from these four as they are from each other, then with all 8 we should be able to produce a proper anti-virus!"

"Then let's go!" Mega Man insisted, rushing to the teleporter.





Solar Man was based in, of all places, a solar power plant.  He had apparently been charged with running it before becoming infected, and was now running amok within.  Now they had to climb to the top and deal with Solar Man before the plant went completely out of control.  On top of that, the interior had been trashed, leaving only treadmills and ladders for the group to ascend on for the first segment, and pits of fire that spewed out flames at them elsewhere.

Partway through the plant, they encountered a guardian...a pair of flaming bird bots, one red, one purple.  They fought by charging across the room at two heights, spewing flames at the trio.  However, when not dashing, they were easily targeted, and vulnerable.  The path onward proved to hold more of the same as what came before, packed together to be incredibly frustrating to get through, especially as there wasn't enough room to use Rush or Treble.

Thankfully, the path was also relatively short, and the trio were able to find safe spots to observe the various traps and learn their patterns before rushing through them at the right moment.  Before long, they reached the final chamber, where Solar Man awaited them.

Solar Man was a human shaped Robot Master, colored orange and gold.  His helmet was open at the top, and as he prepared for battle, the open space became filled with a spherical flame.

"So he fights with fire?" Mega Man asked, switching to Water Shield.  "Let's cool him off!"  The others followed suit, and all three activated their shields.

The strategy proved exceptionally effective, as the shields not only absorbed Solar Man's weapons fire, but also caused major system errors in his body when he came in contact with them.  Before long, the flame was extinguished, and Solar Man collapsed.  Mega Man promptly used the remote beacon to send him back to the lab, as the trio acquired the Solar Blaze weapon.

Mega Man paused as he examined the nature of the weapon.  "Say...one of these guys ice related?" he asked curiously.

Prometheus quickly consulted the list.  "Yes.  Chill Man.  He's an arctic observation bot, designed to stop glacial melting caused by global warming.  He's probably going out of control by now."

Bass grinned widely.  "Why don't we turn up the heat down there, then?"





Chill Man's arctic exploration base proved to be guarded mostly by snowman shaped robots that hurled electrified snow at the trio, as well as a few flying robots that proved easy to evade.  The main obstacle proved to be the icy ground itself, which offered very little traction.

Once inside the actual facility, things proved more difficult.  Blocks of ice proved the only platforms over spikes, but they cracked and shattered if impacted twice, forcing the trio to be very careful with how they crossed the blocks so all three of them were able to do so.

Once past the worst of that area, they found themselves back outside, this time on the facility roof.  There, bird robots dropped rockets to attack them from behind, though Prometheus' shield rendered that threat non-existent just by having him in the back.  The next danger was ice blocks covering gaps in the path, dropping straight into deep ocean beyond where teleport signal could reach them.  While exceptionally dangerous, it proved relatively simple to overcome.  Mega Man crossed with Rush, Bass with Treble, and Prometheus jumped, not remaining on any ice block long enough for it to break under him.

Before long, they reached the final chamber, where Chill Man awaited them.  He was a blue-white humanoid Robot Master with an ice helmet.  He fought by jumping and throwing out ice spikes, but the power of the Solar Blaze weapon rendered both tactics moot, and his ice helmet soon melted, rendering him prone.

Beaming him out, the trio gained the Chill Spike subweapon, which threw out a ball of ice that become a row of spikes on ground or wall, wherever it hit.  Prometheus immediately saw how useful it would be for one of the Robot Masters.  "Nitro Man is car based..."

All three grinned as they beamed out.
> 10: Speed Run
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Nitro Man seemed to be active in the city streets, rather than in any specific location.  Once the trio teleported to the right general area, they began to explore.

Eventually, they began to approach one specific building, where they were attacked by car-like robots with turrets on top of them.  Destroying the car-bodies caused the turret to fly away while shooting at them.  Destroying the turret top caused the car-body to charge them at high speed.  By working together, the trio was able to destroy both parts easily, and thus climb into the structure via ladders.

At the top of the ladders, they discovered they were inside a parking structure, and rogue trucks drove through at irregular intervals, barely clearing some parts of the roof.  When there was clearance, jumping over them was a simple task.

This only became more complex at the third parking level, where the trucks payload made them too tall to jump over.  However, a launch of Chill Spikes caused the trucks' tires to be popped, making them swerve and crash away from the trio before exploding.  The trio took turns doing so in order to conserve ammo for when they came across Nitro Man himself.

Climbing back down the structure at the other side proved rather simple, as it was a shaft filled with spike traps and bomb platforms, both of which were easily evaded by the trio.  This proved the last major obstacle before the trio reached Nitro Man himself.

Their information proved somewhat inaccurate, as Nitro Man was motorcycle-based rather than car-based.  He entered the final chamber in motorcycle form before shifting back into robot form, with a crimson armored upper body and a grey, unarmored lower body.  He wore a biker's helmet that matched his armor, and had an exhaust pipe on his left shoulder.

The trio discovered two separate strategies as they fought Nitro Man.  If the shot of ice hit Nitro Man before landing on the ground, it froze him for a few moments.  However, if he landed on the spikes that formed when the shot hit the ground - whether on foot from jumping or running over them in motorcycle form - his systems showed far greater damage.  More concerning was his tactic of throwing wheels, which reminded Mega Man far too much of Metal Man's Metal Blades in shape, if not function.

The best strategy they quickly discovered was for Mega Man to freeze-lock Nitro Man, allowing Bass and Prometheus to blast him with their busters.  This drained his energy rapidly, allowing them to send his defunct form back to the lab and acquire the Wheel Cutter weapon.

"One down-" Prometheus began, only to notice Mega Man shuddering.  "Bro?  You okay?"

"Other than the bouncing...it's the Metal Blade..." he muttered under his breath.

"Still not over that?" Bass asked, surprised.

"Mostly over it," Mega Man answered.  "Just...bad memories."

"Well, only one more to go," Prometheus assured them.  "Commando Man, at the desert army base."





The army base seemed to have almost been swallowed by the desert by the time the trio arrived.  The first area was overrun by quicksand, which was also filled with mines and other hazards.  Beyond there, spontaneous sandstorms blotted out any and all visibility in some areas, and even interfered with other sensors, leaving the trio to maneuver by speed to try and outrun the sandstorm, or blind luck if that failed.  Eventually, the only way they could move safely forward was to have Prometheus take point while the others held on to the end of his scarf, ready to pull him up if he fell into a pit.

Once inside the base itself, things were less nerve wracking, as it was well lit and quite straightforward.  Unfortunately, it turned out to only be the first building, and a very short break from dealing with the desert hazards.  Thankfully, they discovered that they could ride Rush and Treble over the sandstorm in some cases to get past it when it happened, allowing them to make it more safely to the final chamber of the base, where Commando Man waited.

Despite his name, Commando Man was built more like a tank than a soldier.  When he dropped into the chamber, the entire building shook.  His heavily armored chassis was bright green, and he had two heavy rocket launchers instead of arms.  He fought by firing off the rockets and jumping, each landing shaking the chamber and knocking the trio off their feet.  Quite by accident, Mega Man discovered that if the Wheel Cutter was held rather than thrown, it could pull them straight up a wall for an aerial advantage.

Before long, the trio settled on barraging Commando Man with as many Wheel Cutters as they could get into the air at once, which put him down before too long.  Once he was sent back to the lab, giving the trio the Commando Bomb weapon.

"Time to go check on the progress of the cure," Prometheus mused.





As the trio returned to the lab, Mega Man started to stagger.  "Ugh...what the...?"

"Mega Man?" Prometheus asked worriedly.  "You okay?"  He started to take a step towards him, only for Bass to hold him back.

"He's got it," Bass warned just as Mega Man sneezed.

"Thankfully, we've managed to make a cure," Dr. Wily spoke up as he approached, holding out a small capsule.  "Eat this, Mega Man."

Nodding, Mega Man ate the capsule.  After a time, the headache, nausea, and stuffy nose faded, though he still didn't feel 100%.  "It...it worked..."

"Efficiency's not the best," Wily admitted as he handed a capsule to Bass.  "But considering the delivery system of the virus, it's the best we've got."

"Delivery system of the virus?" Prometheus asked as Bass took his capsule, marked with different colors from the one Mega Man had eaten.  Plainly, Bass was being given a vaccine, rather than a cure.

"Its original form is a biological virus," Wily explained.  "It's completely harmless to humans, but if it gets into a robot's artificial digestive tract, it converts to a computer virus when interpreted as data by the computer systems of the robot...at which point it attacks the robotic brain.  The simple ones are rendered inoperable, while the complex ones are driven to berserker fury as the virus attacks the personality matrix."  He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  "Fiendishly clever in design, I must admit.  Obviously designed as a weapon against those robots built to be more human, and designed so that the more advanced a robot is, the more dangerous it becomes once infected."

"How come I wasn't infected, then?" Prometheus asked curiously.

"We still haven't fully analyzed your build data in your new form," Wily admitted, "but if I had to guess, you were infected, but your body created antibodies to the virus before it left your biological systems.  I actually formulated the vaccine that I gave Bass just now from a sample I took from you when you were here last."

"So now you can cure any robot that has it, and vaccinate those who don't?" Bass asked curiously as Mega Man slumped into a nearby chair.

"Yes, but those who need curing will go into standby for a time while their system is cleaned out," Wily explained.  "How long depends on how far along their infection is.  Mega Man should be fine by tomorrow.  It might take a few days with others, though, possibly as long as a week."

"That could be bad if anyone decides to take advantage of that," Prometheus murmured worriedly.  "I mean, whoever did this could be expecting this cure, and will try to take over and destroy robots before any of the victims recover."

"That's why we're returning to Sky Lagoon now," Wily explained.  "In order to prevent that, Vinyl's reactivated eight Robot Masters that Mega Man hasn't fought before and is going to make a world takeover attempt, so that whoever actually set this up can't do it themselves."  Pulling out a rather fancy card, he laid it in Mega Man's lap.  "She even went to the trouble of crafting a 'Final Challenge' letter to him, nice calligraphy and everything."

"Won't this just make people believe she was behind the virus in the first place?" Bass asked nervously.  "I mean, the cure comes from a bot loyal only to her, and before the world's fully recovered, she's trying to take over?"

"Apparently, the whole thing was a frame up, anyway," Wily explained.  "She found a skull fortress already in place, and has already taken it over.  No sign of whoever was actually behind it, though."

Groaning, Prometheus buried his face in one hand.  "Does she really think this will work?"

"She's prepared a video challenge to the entire world," Wily explained.  "If Mega Man beats her this time, she's going to leave Earth forever for the Mars colony, along with the rest of us.  If Mega Man loses, he has to give up trying to stop her conquest forever.  With the state the world's in now, there wouldn't be anything else the world governments could do to stop us."

"So...now we're taking over the world to stop someone worse from managing it?" Bass inquired.  When this was greeted with nods, he smirked.  "Just checking.  Does that mean we're the heroes this time?"

"Depends on who wins," Wily muttered as they were beamed back to the Sky Lagoon.
> 5-Alive: The Challenge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When Mega Man finally managed to come to after his treatment for Roboenza, it was to find the lab all but shut down, the Master Weapons he'd collected gone from his systems - along with a system message stating they were purged due to viral contamination, though said contamination had an incompatible delivery system - and a rather fancy invitation in his lap, raised calligraphy shaping the letters.  Curious, he picked it up and began to read.



Dear Mega Man,
I have been thinking about ways to deal with whoever it is that has been trying to frame Dad and I for attempting to take over the world.  At your recommendation, I've been trying to determine a permanent way of dealing with such a problem, and I have come up with two possible solutions.  I am loathe to enact the second, as it could have dire, long reaching consequences.  As such, I have chosen to enact the first.
After all, I can't really be framed for trying to take over the world if I've already succeeded.



Mega Man paused at that line, staring in disbelief.  "She wouldn't..."  He thought about everything he knew about Vinyl, and sighed.  "She would..."  Groaning, he continued to read.



	In the present state of the world - with the vast majority of robots still offline from the Roboenza outbreak and most of the world powers unable to function without their robots - now is the perfect time to act.  I discovered someone was trying to set up a frame job on me in that regard, complete with an active - but empty at the time of discovery - Skull Fortress.  Finding no clues as to the perpetrator, I instead have taken it over as a base of operations for this challenge between the two of us.
That's right, Mega Man.  The two of us.  I have reactivated eight Robot Masters you never actually fought, along with one I made just in case we ever went against each other again.  This one is special, and I'm rather proud of him.  You'll fight him if you're able to beat the eight older Robot Masters.
And here is the challenge, the wager.  If you are able to defeat all nine Robot Masters and destroy this Fortress, my Father and I will leave Earth forever, permanently severing our ties and interest in this world.  If, however, you are bested - whether through failing to beat a Robot Master or being rendered off line without managing to destroy the Skull Fortress - then you will cease any and all attempts, present and future, to prevent me from conquering the world.
Dr. Light's lab is currently on lockdown.  You can't leave, unless you confirm agreement to these terms.  Once and for all, I want this resolved.  Either I will take the world and you won't fight me anymore, or I will leave the world and you won't fight me anymore, and I won't be a scapegoat for whoever's causing these problems for us.
Before you decide, a few guarantees from me.  It is just between you and me.  Your only ally will be Rush, my only ally will be my nine Robot Masters.  Bass, Prometheus, Dr. Light, and Dad will not be involved, nor will any Robot Master you've faced before.
Should you agree, the Lab computer contains a file on the first eight Robot Masters you will fight, including where to find them.  If you manage to beat them all, you will receive a data file containing the location of the ninth, though you'll have to meet him to learn anything about him.  You are not required to destroy any of the eight Robot Masters, merely prove yourself superior to them and acquire their Master Weapons.  However, the ninth will fight to the death, or your surrender.
The choice is yours, but know that you're on live, international broadcast from the moment you come online after recovering Roboenza.  The whole world will see if you accept or refuse my challenge, and they all know the stakes already.  Choose wisely.

Also, when this is over, come over to my place for a rad gaming night celebrating the final end of this.  Might be in Sky Lagoon, might be on Mars...either way, I expect you there.
Love, Vinyl.
PS: Make this badass.



Mega Man couldn't help but chuckle as he reached the end of the formal invitation.  She did say she'd send one if she ever decided to try taking over the world again, he mused to himself.  Setting it aside, he stood up, staring straight into a floating camera bot's lens.  Lifting his arm cannon to beside his head, he braced it with his other arm as he struck a pose.  "I accept your challenge!"

The entire lab hummed to life, and a data file immediately appeared on one of the screens.  Mega Man went up to it and began going over the data.  "Let's see...Gravity Man at the anti-grav research institute...Wave Man at water quality administration...Stone Man on a mountain peak near the hanging gardens Gyro Man is supposed to be occupying..."  He paused at that.  "Wonder what it means 'supposed to be occupying'?  Gyro Man's only got an approximate location..."  Shrugging, he continued down the list.

"Star Man in an old abandoned space station, wonder if it's the one from when I first fought Bass?  Charge Man...at the tracks, nothing more specific.  Napalm Man at the weapons manufacturing plant...and Crystal Man in the mines..."

He straightened his shoulders as he took it all in.  "Well, all that's left is to decide who to go after first."  He frowned thoughtfully as he tried to run an optimization program to predict the best order...

...and finally came up with nothing.  "Crap."
> 5-Alive: Round 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Eventually, Mega Man decided to go after Charge Man first, thinking that he'd have an easier time tracking a robot master down in an outdoor area, rather than an indoor one.  Thankfully, the data file on the Robot Masters that Vinyl had provided included teleport coordinates to each of them, so he didn't have to calculate that himself...and he knew Vinyl would never set a teleport coordinate that would drop him into lava or anything like that.  It wouldn't be very sportsman like.

Upon arrival, he found himself inside what looked like a massive train station, quickly disabusing him of the 'outside is easier' idea.  Seeing trains in the distance, he made his way forward to see what awaited him.  The first enemy he encountered was a flying, Mettool-like construct that dropped three bombs as it flew straight forward, a simple enough affair to evade as he moved towards what looked like an office-type structure within the station.

Eventually, he reached a ladder letting him climb to the upper levels of the structure, which he took to find a clue where Charge Man might be.  Instead, it turned out the ladder took him atop a train that immediately started as soon as he stepped onto the top of the back car.  Atop the train, he encountered train-Met bots, charging towards him and shooting at him.  He continued forward until he found a path that let him get into the train, dropping into the next car.

The car appeared to be a grocery car, filled with crates of food supplies and guarded by  large chicken bots that sent eggs marching at him and rat bots that scurried back and forth.  His charged shots proved best for dealing with each, letting him make his way through the cart to get back atop the train.

"In, out, in, out," Mega Man grumbled to himself.  "Makes me feel like there's a joke I could make here somewhere."

The top of the train was guarded by more train-Mets, along with bulkier bots that launched round bombs at him.  Once past them, he dropped down into the engine car, where he found a rather large red bot guarding a sealed door.  The large bot could only be damaged on its head, and shot homing missiles at him out of a torso compartment.  Careful jumping and shooting took it down, unsealing the door.

Charge Man turned to face Mega Man as he entered.  "You're late!  You're late!  This is a very important date!"

"Sorry," Mega Man apologized.  "It took me a while to decide which of you to go after first-"

"But Vinyl left a weakness order for you, with a promise of no Freak Chips!" Charge Man pointed out.

"...I missed it."

"Ahhh!"  With that scream, Charge Man charged Mega Man, racing towards him.

Mega Man leapt over the charging train Robot Master, shooting him from behind.  Once he'd done that, he waited and watched as Charge Man...slowly walked towards him.  "Is that all you can do?" he asked, surprised.

"I can do this!" Charge Man shouted, shooting flaming coal to fall down in a random pattern...nowhere near Mega Man.  He slumped in on himself.  "We weren't really designed for combat..."

"In that case, how about you just gimme your Master Weapon chip and go back to doing what you're supposed to be doing?" Mega Man offered.

"I am running late as is..." Charge Man admitted.  Smiling, he tossed a chip to Mega Man and beamed out.

Mega Man smiled as he installed the Charge Kick weapon.  "So that's what Vinyl meant about beating them without destroying them..."





As the chart showed that Wave Man was the one vulnerable to Charge Kick - and in fact one of the only ones who even took damage from it - he went after him next.  This left him just inside the water treatment plant, where some of the systems were still damaged from the Roboenza outbreak.  Cracked pipes in the floor occasionally released bursts of pressurized steam, while spiked balls swung back and forth on chains.  However, very few robots patrolled the corridors.

The only point of interest that Mega Man encountered early on were large pipes that sucked him down if he got too close to an open end, which proved to be the only way to advance in certain areas.  The danger was in choosing the right pipe.

The next area, Mega Man found bubbles coming out of the pipe floor, some large enough to ride up to the top of the structure, which proved necessary due to the absence of stairs or ladders.  This led him up to the top of the facility, letting him walk out over the roof.  At the edge of the roof was the massive reservoir, with a jet ski resting at the edge.  Mega Man promptly hopped on.  "Here's hoping this is fun rather than tedi-OOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUSSSSSS!"

Apparently, Vinyl had decided she didn't want Mega Man to be bored.  Instead of the trip across the reservoir being a leisurely cruise while dealing with the occasional robotic buoy, it was a high speed obstacle course reminiscent of a stage of Battletoads, complete with ramp jumps that were easy to screw up and crash out of the reservoir on.

As he reached the end, Mega Man was glad to get off the jet-ski.  "That...was..."  After managing to catch his breath, he thrust his hands into the air.  "AWESOME!"  Rushing forward, he leapt over a turret that guarded the final door, coming face to face with Wave Man.

Wave Man glowered at him as he entered.  "So...you have come.  Well, you will not leave-"

"Boot to the head!" Mega Man shouted out, using Charge Kick to slam into Wave Man.

Wave Man fell back, clutching at himself.  "That...wasn't my head..." he whimpered.

"I meant the nautical term," Mega Man explained.

"That doesn't even make-"

"Boot to the head!"

"I'm out!"

Mega Man caught the weapon chip as Wave Man beamed out, installing Water Wave.  "I think Vinyl should have upgraded these guys before sending them after me..."  He paused as a realization hit him.  "Unless that's deliberate to give me a false sense of security, and the new ninth Robot Master is going to be severely overpowered...oh dear..."
> 5-Alive: Round 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As Mega Man went after Star Man at the old space station, he discovered something interesting.  In addition to getting the Master Weapon when he defeated the Robot Masters, he also got one number of an eight digit coordinate code.  A bit of thought brought him to the conclusion that this would be the location of the mysterious ninth, new Robot Master.  Keeping track of that, he continued on.

He arrived on the outside of the station, where a weaker gravity let him jump higher and float slowly downward, but he quickly became more concerned with the meteor shower coming straight for the station, forcing him to run ahead of it to keep from being blasted apart.  Once inside the station, he was safe from the meteors, but the robots and hazards lining the interior halls proved designed to make the lower gravity more difficult to maneuver in, with spike traps in midair or on the ceiling and turrets in the floor.

Despite this, Mega Man was able to progress rapidly, as he was quite used to dealing with low gravity settings, and the vacuum was easier to deal with than the pressures of deep water.  The only major hazard he encountered was a bot that resembled an AT-ST in build, but with a flatter head.  Unfortunately for the bot, its weapons didn't charge fast enough to make it any sort of real threat after everything Mega Man had dealt with before.

It wasn't long before Mega Man reached the control center for the station, where Star Man awaited.

"You are.  Late," Star Man stated bluntly, his voice seeming to skip at odd moments, leaving strange gaps in his speech.  "I expected.  You to come after me.  First."

"Uh...is something wrong with your voice?" Mega Man asked worriedly.

"My voice is.  Perfect," Star Man insisted.  "I am.  The greatest star.  Ever to perform in space."  He struck a dramatic pose.

Mega Man rolled his eyes.  "Right..."  He leveled his buster.

"Shields up!" Star Man proclaimed, putting his arms to his side and conjuring a shield of stars around his body.  "Set phasers.  To stun."

Mega Man blinked in surprise.  "You actually have phasers?"

"...not as.  Such."

Mega Man groaned as he put his face in his hands, then charged forward between the spinning stars to unleash Water Wave at point blank range, sending Star Man slamming back against the wall in a soaking mess.

"...I am forced.  To see the truth," Star Man spoke sadly.  "I am nothing.  But a washed up.  Has been..."  With that, he teleported out, leaving his weapon chip behind.

Mega Man collected the chip, acquiring the Star Crash Master Weapon...and Super Arrow.  "Hmm?" Mega Man wondered, examining the new program.  "I'll have to check that out at some point..."  With that, he warped away, heading for the anti-grav research institute.





When Mega Man arrived in the institute, the first thing he noticed was a large display on the wall with two sets of arrows, one set pointing up, one set pointing down.  The arrows pointing down were presently illuminated.  "I get the feeling I'm not going to like that," he murmured thoughtfully.  "I think I'll test out this 'Super Arrow' before I go any further.  Let's see..."

Loading up the weapon, he fired it off...seeing it generate a suction cup arrow big enough for him to stand on.  It floated in the air in front of him for a few moments, then shot forward.

"...okay..." Mega Man murmured, feeling singularly nonplussed.  He began reading the weapon documentation.  "Uh huh...oh, not meant as a weapon.  It's a transport item.  I can ride it or use it to climb walls.  That's...useful, I'm sure."  With that determined, he switched back to his buster and made his way forward.

As he progressed through the area, he saw several columns of the flashing arrows, pointing in opposite directions.  Every time he passed by them, he found gravity reversing itself.  "I see," he observed after the first one.  "These arrows mark the boundaries between areas of altered gravity.  I'll have to keep track of that."

It quickly proved that the altered gravity was the only hazard of any significance in the area, and once Mega Man got a handle on that, he was able to breeze through to the central chamber, where Gravity Man awaited.  The only concern Mega Man had was that gravity reversed so he walked on the ceiling as he entered the final chamber.

Gravity Man dropped in to the floor.  "This is going to be a very short fight," Gravity Man proclaimed as gravity reversed itself, sending Mega Man to the floor and Gravity Man to the ceiling.  Gravity Man tried to shoot Mega Man as he zoomed by, but Mega Man was able to dodge the small projectile.

"You're right about that," Mega Man confirmed as he switched to Star Crash, activating the shield.  He positioned himself on the floor, then hurled the shield forward as Gravity Man reversed gravity again, taking the three stars right to the face.

The fight continued in that pattern for several rounds, with Mega Man using Star Crash both to block incoming shots and damage Gravity Man.  After a time, Gravity Man remained where he was.  "...I can't beat you," he concluded finally.

"You did say it would be a short fight," Mega Man pointed out.

"I had thought my mastery of gravity would have given me an advantage, but it appears I was mistaken," Gravity Man admitted.  "You have advanced too far, and I cannot match you.  I admit defeat."  Walking forward, he dropped his weapon chip down to Mega Man before teleporting away.

Mega Man couldn't help but frown thoughtfully as he downloaded Gravity Hold.  Why would Vinyl pit me against Robot Masters I can defeat so easily, when they're programmed to recognize this and have the option of leaving?  The ninth can't be powerful enough to counterbalance that-  He froze as realization hit him.  This is all televized.  The more overpowered I seem compared to the Robot Masters she didn't make, the stronger the one she did make seems by comparison when it's on even footing with me...

He slammed his fist into the wall as he figured out what was going on.  She's trying to Worf me!
> 5-Alive: Lightning Round
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Once Mega Man warped into the hanging garden that Gyro Man was supposed to be based in, he quickly found that making his way through was much easier than expected, mostly because of the new Super Arrow ability, due to just how long the gardens were.  Once he climbed high enough arrow to arrow, he was able to ride straight across even when the weapon energy ran out.  This rendered nearly all obstacles moot as he could simply glide swiftly over them - far more swiftly than even Rush in Jet mode could fly - and allowed him to get a great overview of the entire garden structure.  While it was an amazing view, the better part of it was that it allowed him to swiftly locate Gyro Man.

Unfortunately, this was accomplished by slamming bodily into him and sending them both crashing to the floor below.

"My bad!" Gyro Man offered worriedly.  "I wasn't looking where I was going..."

Mega Man sat up quickly.  "It's quite alright," he offered warmly, finding himself wanting to comfort Gyro Man for some reason.  There was just something so...adorable about the robot's voice that made him want to protect him.

"It's my stabilizer," Gyro Man apologized as the propeller on his back spun in a sputtering manner.  "I just don't know what went wrong..."

Mega Man winced internally.  "Look...why don't you just warp back to base, get some snacks, and rest up?" he offered.  "No reason you need to stick around to fight or anything.  It...wouldn't feel right fighting you."

"It...won't disappoint Vinyl?" Gyro Man offered hopefully.

"Definitely not," Mega Man hastened to assure him.

"Well...I could go for some muffins..."  Smiling, Gyro Man hugged Mega Man - downloading his weapon chip in the process - and jumped back.  "Bye bye!"  With that, he teleported away.

Mega Man blinked up in the air.  "Well...that was easy."





The mines proved to be about as frustrating as Mega Man had expected them to be.  In addition to various new types of drones patrolling the tunnels, crystals dropped through chutes into pits along the path, making dangerous obstacles for Mega Man to evade.  Thankfully, the entire area was self contained, with only a single straight path leading a short distance into the mine, allowing Mega Man to reach Crystal Man with ease.

Crystal Man smiled at him as he approached.  "Ah, what a beautiful entrance!  Truly, a memory to be treasured."  Standing up from amongst a collection of snowflakes preserved in crystal, he walked slowly towards Mega Man.  "As I will treasure the memory of your beautiful explosion."

Rolling his eyes, Mega Man switched to the Gyro Blade weapon.  "Somehow, I doubt that."  Drawing back, he hurled a flurry of the blades.

Crystal Man leapt into the air, but Mega Man redirected the blades, pinning Crystal Man to the ceiling.  "...well, that is impressive," Crystal Man mused.  "But it will take more than that to-"

Switching to Gravity Hold, Mega Man dragged Crystal Man back to the floor, his limbs remaining pinned to the ceiling by the Gyro Blades in the process.  Mega Man's eyes widened in shock.  "Uh...that's more brutal than I meant..."

"I'm okay..." Crystal Man mumbled softly.

The blades fell out of the ceiling, coming down to impale Crystal Man through the back, his limbs still stuck to them.

"...less okay..." Crystal Man whimpered before teleporting out.

Mega Man rubbed the back of his head nervously as he downloaded the Crystal Eye.  "I...just don't know what went wrong..."





The weapon manufacturing plant proved to be in the middle of a wide forest.  The initial approach to the entrance passed over a vast tract of land, which Mega Man used the Super Arrow to ride across with ease.  He then descended into the tunnel to the underground facility.

The tunnel proved as simple to maneuver as before, and he quickly returned to the surface, once more using Super Arrow to get to the actual facility entrance.  Charge Kick proved useful in getting past the bots patrolling the halls, as it surrounded Mega Man with a corona of energy that let him punch through them without taking damage.  It wasn't long until he found Napalm Man, loading up on weapons from the shelves.  "Rearming?" he asked curiously.

"No," Napalm corrected.  "Just making sure the more dangerous of these things won't be used.  Safest place for them is in my hands-whoops!"  He promptly fell over on his back, setting off several rockets and napalm charges towards Mega Man.  "Sorry about that!" he called out worriedly.

"It's okay," Mega Man reassured him, having managed to dodge all the incoming fire.  "You missed."

"That's a relief," Napalm Man exclaimed happily.  "Any chance you could help me up?"

"Sure," Mega Man agreed, walking forward and pulling the tank-like robot to his treads.

Napalm Man nodded.  "My thanks.  So...go ahead and destroy me now."

"What?" Mega Man gasped out, shocked.

"Yeah," Napalm Man confirmed.  "That's what happens here.  You have to beat me.  I'm not going to fight you, though.  I'm a strict pacifist."

Mega Man shook his head.  "I'm not going to just shoot someone who won't defend themselves!"

"Well, I'm not going to surrender, either," Napalm Man insisted.

Mega Man scratched his chin for a time...then snapped his fingers.  "I've got it!"  He promptly performed a perfect ballet pirouette.  "Ta-dah!"

"Uh...?"

"I have to prove myself superior, and acquire your Weapon Chip," Mega Man explained.  "That's what the challenge said.  I downloaded your Weapon Chip when I pulled you up, and I just proved I'm more graceful than you."

Napalm Man blinked for a time.  "Uh...okay."  Napalm Man beamed out.

Smiling, Mega Man warped away, Napalm Bomb ready to use.
> 5-Alive: Final Round
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The final of the eight Robot Masters, Stone Man, was based in the foundations of the Hanging Gardens.  Upon arriving, Mega Man made his way forward towards where he suspected the Robot Master would be, past the support towers that held up the gardens.  Finding only Mettools and bat-like bots, he faced little obstacle as he made his way into the mountain the gardens hug around.

Other than rock throwing bots, rat bots, and the occasional walking bomb, Mega Man encountered no other obstacles as he made his way through the long tunnel, past its twists and turns towards the center.  He found himself disappointed at the lack of challenge the area presented him, and made a mental note to keep his guard up.  It would be just like Vinyl to make an area just long and boring enough to put him off his guard before springing something he wasn't prepared for at the last minute.  She'd done just that one time in D&D.  Of course, she'd also used the same method to trick him into being overly cautious when it wasn't necessary, leading to him losing in a time based situation.

At the other end of the tunnel, he came out in an above ground area that he decided to ride across with Super Arrow, skipping over most of it before climbing back into the mountain.  A few more similar sections led to the control chamber for the Garden Support Towers, where Stone Man awaited him.

"It's time to be terminated!" Stone Man proclaimed fiercely, smashing his stone fists together.

Mega Man stared at Stone Man for a time.  "...no," he said simply.  "I'm not doing this.  You're the same one of the set of eight Robot Masters that I would have fought back when the only advantage I had was two busters to charge.  I've gone so far beyond that now it's not even funny, and you haven't even been upgraded at all."  He switched to the Napalm Bomb weapon.  "I could blast you to bits with your weakness, or just take you on with my normal buster...but either way, you haven't a chance of even damaging me, let alone taking me down.  Fighting you isn't going to be fun, or entertaining.  Just...boring.  Just like the area I had to get through to get to you.  So no, I'm not doing this.  Just give me your weapon chip and beam back home so I can go after the Robot Master that's actually meant to challenge me."  He sighed, lowering his eyes.  "Besides...I never wanted to fight you the first time around either, Guts.  I'm not going to do it again."

Stone Man stared at Mega Man for a time, then nodded.  Tossing him his weapon chip, he replied, "I'll be back," before warping away.

"That's the idea," Mega Man confirmed, programming in the eight-digit coordinate code for the last Robot Master and teleporting straight there.





Mega Man found himself appearing before a huge building with flashing lights and heavy music pouring out of the windows.  A massive sign above the front entrance proclaimed it Club DDRE.  Mega Man blinked in surprise.  "I know this place.  Kalinka and I came here on a date once."  He scratched his chin thoughtfully.  "...I'm almost afraid to find out what sort of Robot Master Vinyl designed for this place..."  With nothing else for it, he stepped inside.

As he'd expected, the doors sealed shut behind him, as did the windows, locking the building in total darkness save for the flashing spotlights which shifted in position and color to the beat of the heavy music that blotted out all sound.  Tables and chairs bounced visibly to the beat when they were visible, and speakers belted out shockwaves of sound mixed in with the music.  Mega Man made his way through the first floor, shooting the few chairs and tables that came flying at him and dodging the shockwaves before reaching the elevators at the opposite end.  Much to his surprise, only one was available, the doors wide open.  Careful of a trap, he stepped in.

Instead of the normal floor, a DDR pad covered the bottom of the elevator, and a screen projected onto the door.  Holes lined the sides of the elevator.  Arrow cues immediately started sliding up the screen, and Mega Man quickly started following the pattern, shifting his body desperately to dodge spears that popped out of the holes in the walls.  As he danced, the elevator moved upward until it reached the second floor, at which point the door opened.

He was unsurprised to find a looping path available around the floor leading to the other elevator, with pit traps dropping to the floor below added to the hazards from the floor below, illuminated only when the lights shone on them, and the brightness of the lights making other forms of vision inapplicable.  He carefully made his way around the looping path, eventually reaching the other elevator, the interior exactly like the previous one.  This time, if he made mistakes in the steps, the elevator went down, and more than it went up for getting the steps right.  Finally, Mega Man stepped out onto the third floor...and groaned.  Mixed in with the music, he heard the telltale sound of disappearing blocks.

Rather than rushing ahead right away, he took in as much of the floor as he could, tracking the pattern of the blocks as best he could as the lights shifted, only occasionally illuminating the blocks as they appeared, forcing him to logic out the appearance of some of the blocks based on his jumping range, as he knew Vinyl would never make a hurdle that was impossible to clear, and the looping path made using Super Arrow or Rush Jet to cross impossible.  Sighing, he made a leap of faith.

Luck was with him, as each block appeared right where he'd plotted out, even those he'd anticipated to mess up his jumping range, and he was able to safely make his way back around to the other elevator.  Once again, he danced his way up to the next floor, where jukeboxes lining the walls spat their records at him in addition to the obstacles he'd faced up till then.  Thankfully, the thrown records bounced off the disappearing blocks the lights didn't illuminate, allowing Mega Man to make his way across more safely before dancing his way up to the fifth and final floor.

Mega Man had expected more obstacles, but instead found a waiting room complete with a shield energy and weapon energy dispenser, and calming music in the background.  Across from him, he recognized what he'd come to think of as the 'boss door', but with a hand shaped imprint near the top.  When he approached the door normally, it didn't open.  Seeing this, he chuckled as he took a few steps back.  "Bringing it all back, huh?" he asked, running forward and leaping into the air to slam his palm into the imprint, making the door slide open.

He found himself on the concert stage.  Across from him, an unusual Robot Master stood, belting out 'sick beats' from its turntables.  At this distance, Mega Man couldn't tell if the Robot Master was meant to be masculine or feminine.  What he did see, however, was that it had a mostly humanoid build with a blue and white coloration based exactly off Vinyl's colors.  A magenta visor covered its eyes, and a horn rose from its unhelmeted head as its hair bounced as it banged its head to the beat.

As Mega Man stepped out further onto the stage, the Robot Master turned the turntables towards him.  "Hello, darling," the robot purred.  "So nice of you to finally arrive.  You're late for the final performance."

Mega Man braced himself, certain this would be an intense fight.  "And who am I performing with?" he asked curiously.

"I'm Wub Man," the robot responded, spinning one of his records and unleashing a sonic disruption blast from one of the speakers, forcing Mega Man to flip to the side to evade.  "And I'll make your last moments...absolutely beautiful!"

The sound based attacks came swiftly after that.  Each wave was visible and came in different colors.  Red waves inflicted damage on Mega Man when they impacted his shields.  Yellow waves deflected his shots.  Green waves caused his motor functions to error, making him move in ways he didn't intend until the effects wore off.  The blue waves were the most dangerous, as they tore through the stage, showing they were disruption blasts.

Mega Man did his best to evade, but he took several hits as he sounded out his foe.  Eventually, however, he realized something important.  All of Wub Man's attacks came from the turntables.  Dashing in close, he unloaded several Napalm Bombs onto the turntables, destroying them.

"Oh, is music not your scene?" Wub Man purred.  "Then let's take this performance in a new direction, darling!"  He danced out of the ruins of the turntables, spinning and kicking out at Mega Man, forcing him to evade as best he could.

Mega Man quickly adapted to the battle, relieved that it was all physical now.  Here, he had some advantage, as his shielding was strong enough to take several big hits...if he could only manage to hit Wub Man.

Finally, Mega Man saw an opening and struck, slamming his fist into Wub Man's torso, smashing through the thin armor and damaging the internal components as Wub Man fell back.

"Well now..." Wub Man purred.  "Looks like my time is up.  Wonderful show, darling.  Until we meet again."  With that, he beamed out, leaving behind a weapon chip.

Picking it up, Mega Man installed it.  Inside was the coordinates of the Skull Fortress Vinyl mentioned...and a new weapon.



You got...
Bass Cannon



Mega Man couldn't stop himself from cackling a little wickedly.  This would all end soon...
> 5-Alive: Game Over
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As Mega Man warped in to the front of the Skull Fortress, he found Vinyl sitting right next to his warp in coordinates, with Albert behind her and Bass holding a camera to record the whole thing.  Mega Man blinked in shock at that.  "Aren't you supposed to be waiting for me inside, so I have to fight my way through?"

"Why?" Vinyl asked curiously.  "The challenge said you have to destroy the Fortress to beat me this time.  Never said you had to fight your way through it first.  And when you managed to get Wub Man's weapon, I figured you'd decide to make sure there wouldn't be any collateral damage before just blowing the place up.  So I'm here to let you know that I've already teleported all the robots and drones out.  If it gets blown up, it'll be purely symbolic...which is the idea here, isn't it?"

Mega Man nodded slowly.  "I suppose so...but didn't the challenge say Wub Man would fight to the death?"

"Wub Man is dead," Vinyl replied sadly.  "Or at least, close enough to it to make no difference.  All that came of teleporting out when he did was extracting his personality core directly, rather than remotely downloading the program.  Putting enough sonic tech in him to be a true sound-based Robot Master left him with very little armor, and rather vulnerable to direct impacts."

"Oh..."  Mega Man turned to stare up at the Fortress, then back down at Vinyl.  "And this isn't a trap or anything?  There's nothing in the Fortress to cause some sort of problems or logic error if I try to destroy it from here?"

"You have my word, nothing in the Fortress is a trap for you should you try and destroy it," Vinyl promised.  She gestured to a red line right in front of them.  "I even marked out the shrapnel radius, and evacuated the entire area.  The only thing that will be damaged should the Bass Cannon be turned on the Fortress will be the Fortress itself.  I've played my last card, Mega Man.  I'm just here to be a good sport, and face the end of our game with dignity."

Mega Man smiled softly.  "You know, for all the danger and everything else...this has been a lot of fun."

"It has been," Vinyl agreed as Mega Man turned back to the Fortress.  She watched as his coloring changed to blue and white, as he lifted his buster and gathered energy, the speaker panels sliding out the sides and angling to direct the sonic disruption energy as power flowed from all over Mega Man's body into his buster.  "Mega Man, before you pull the trigger, there's one thing I have to say."

Mega Man glanced back towards her as all the energy in his body focused into his buster.  "Y-Y-Y-eah?" he asked, his eyes widening in surprise that his voice box errored.

Vinyl grinned widely as she watched his systems carefully.  After a time, she lowered her shades to look him right in the eye.  "It's my win."

As she spoke, Mega Man's entire system shut down, his eyes going dark as the energy in his buster dissipated, his entire body going limp before collapsing to the ground.

Albert's eyes opened wide in shock.  He started to open his mouth to ask a question, but Bass put his hand to the man's shoulder to quiet him.

Vinyl approached Mega Man's body and gently removed the helmet.  Pushing the focus crystal out, she slipped the hole around her horn as she slid the helmet onto her own head.  Grinning, she turned to the camera, extended her hoof, and pointed down.  "Drop it!"

"And cut!" Bass proclaimed as he shut off the broadcast.  "All done, Vinyl.  We'll just have to see if it all worked as well as what you put in the Bass Cannon program."

"I'm sure it will," Vinyl agreed as she turned back to her Dad.  "So...you have questions?"

"Why did he just shut down like that?" Albert demanded.  "Did...did you slip a voice command prompt into the Master Weapon program or something?"

"Nah, that wouldn't have worked," Vinyl corrected.  "I designed the program so that in order to fire it, several safeties have to be deactivated in order for it to draw the necessary energy to fire...specifically, the ones that keep the Weapon programs from drawing more power than the system can spare.  What Mega Man overlooked when he did that was that it could drain his system completely dry...even without being fired.  Only Bass' bassnium power core generates enough energy by mundane means to fire the Bass Cannon safely, and he only gets one shot.  So the moment Mega Man dedicated his systems to firing the Bass Cannon...he lost."

"I...see," Albert mused.  "I admit, I never would have thought to program a Master Weapon like that.  What kept such a trap from triggering for Wub Man?"

"I gave him the Bass Cannon program and tech, but none of the required drivers to actually initiate the firing sequence," Vinyl explained.  "And don't worry about Rock.  Power Core dropping to these levels automatically triggers the Sleep Mode, so he'll be fine and undamaged once he's recharged."

"And...what was with the pose for the camera?" Albert asked curiously.

Vinyl grinned widely.  "That's the best part.  I found a specific sub-harmonic frequency that can be broadcast through any type of speaker, completely undetectable.  When the human inner ear translates that particular sound wave into brain data, it makes the human mind very accepting of things presented to it.  It basically makes anyone who hears it a lot more gullible."

"And it's been playing in the background of the entire broadcast, making everyone believe to the core of their being that the fate of the world was balanced on our fight...and that the simple act of besting Mega Man means I now rule the world."  Vinyl's grin split her face.  "And all the world leaders - political and military - were watching the broadcast."

"You mean...?" Albert gasped in shock.

"Yup!" Vinyl confirmed.  "I'm Queen of the World!"
> Retirement
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rock stirred slowly, his systems giving him the various status updates on his overall state.  He was momentarily concerned that this showed his armor had been removed, but it also showed that he was otherwise stable so the thought was put on hold.  Eventually, his optics came online, and he found himself staring through glasses at worried green eyes, framed by wavy blonde hair, a gaze he instantly recognized as his vocal circuits reinitialized.  "K-Kalinka?" he stammered out as he got control of his voice, hearing in his own speech just how warm and loving that single word came out.

"Rock..." Kalinka gasped out in relief, tears at the corners of her eyes as she lifted him up, pulling him into a tight hug, one he quickly returned once the motors of his limbs reactivated.  "I was so worried..."

"What happened?" Rock asked, confused.  "The last thing I remember is Vinyl throwing a Death Note reference at me before everything went dark-"

Kalinka cut off his words as she lunged forward, locking lips with him as she wrapped her arms tightly around him.  While he was confused, he quickly reciprocated, holding her close to him and reveling in the shared warmth.  After a time, she pulled back.  "Vinyl said you wouldn't lose any data or suffer any personality or memory damage from the forced shut down, but...your CPU and personality core aren't standard anymore, and..."  She buried her face against his neck as she let the worried tears pour out, letting go of her fear.

Rock simply held Kalinka tightly, letting her calm herself down.  Once she was a bit more relaxed, he voiced his inquiry.  "How did she even do it?" he asked curiously.  "Did she hit me with a weapon I didn't see?  Was there some trap she didn't mention that I triggered by gathering that much energy?  Did she put a virus in my systems?"

Kalinka chuckled softly.  "Nothing like that, Rock," she offered warmly.  "You...actually did it to yourself."

"...huh?"

Kalinka pulled back to smile at him.  "The Bass Cannon weapon requires more energy than is usually allotted to the buster weapon systems.  To charge to fire it, those safeties have to be disabled."

Rock nodded.  "Yeah, the Skull Buster works the same way.  It's why the discharge always sends me flying back with recoil."

"But your power core doesn't generate enough power to fire the Bass Cannon," Kalinka explained.  "And with the safety on how much gets transferred disabled, it just kept drawing power from your systems and core..."

"Until it triggered the safety on my core that put me into protective shut down to keep from collapsing the power core," Rock deduced, shaking his head ruefully.  "That's why she was out there like that, letting me know the Fortress was empty.  She was goading me into using a weapon I couldn't use."  He chuckled softly.  "Well played, Vinyl.  Well played."  He pulled back to meet Kalinka's eyes.  "So, what now?  Are the world governments now at war with Sky Lagoon?  Somehow I doubt they'd just bow down..."  He trailed off as Kalinka started to giggle.  "What?"

"Did you ever stop to wonder why Vinyl broadcast this last battle all over the world?" she asked teasingly.  "You know how electronic signals can be used to...various effects."

Rock stared at her for a time.  "...I don't want to know," he said finally.  "I guess this means Vinyl has successfully taken over the world now.  But how does that help find out who framed her for trying, or sabotaged the Mars project?"

"By reshaping the world to strip away any but the most fundamental objections to robot-human equality," Kalinka answered with a warm smile.  "The entire world will be rebuilt and improved as robots and humans integrate, such that any economic or social objections are proven completely baseless, leaving only the hate-driven objections that drive those willing to sabotage and use terror tactics to fight back.  After all, if anyone who can be reasoned with finds no reason to argue anymore, all that's left are those who would be behind these endeavors."

"So Vinyl's goal now is to starve ignorance into exposure?" Rock asked with a chuckle.  "Don't know how well that will work."

"It might, or it might not," Kalinka allowed, shifting into a more comfortable position in the embrace.  "But either way, framing Vinyl for any such events is impossible when she's already won.  It should force the true villain to show their true colors.  And in the meantime..."  Her smile turned slightly wicked as she leaned in close, catching Rock in a much more serious kiss.

Rock, for his part, was happy to reciprocate, and held her even closer, his hands running up and down her back as hers were on his.  He then decided to explore just how advanced he was, and take the lead for once.

Kalinka gasped in surprise, pulling back playfully from his wandering hands.  "R-rock!  Just because we're already making a baby doesn't mean we shouldn't wait until we're married!"  She burst into giggles at the look on his face.

"Wow, I couldn't have picked a better moment to walk in if I'd tried," Vinyl said from the door as she walked in.

Kalinka blushed rosily, but didn't move from her position straddling Rock's lap on the bed he'd been laid out on.  "Hello, Vinyl..."

"M-m-m-married?" Rock asked, his brain still processing.

As Kalinka started to look hurt, Vinyl lifted a hoof.  "Let me guess, Rock.  You never gave marriage a thought because you genuinely believed the world wouldn't reach the point that was acceptable within Kalinka's lifetime, and you just now put together that - as the ruler of the world - I can marry you to each other and ignore anyone's complaints because it's legal and acceptable if I say so, right?"  Rock nodded slowly, giving Kalinka yet another embarrassed blush.  "Well, I'll leave you two to explore your retirement, then."

"Retirement?" Rock gasped out, stunned.

"Yeah...about that..."  Vinyl shifted nervously.  "Politically speaking, I have to now handle any robot related incidents myself.  So, short of a blatantly extra-terrestrial threat...Mega Man can't fight anymore.  Anything purely Earth based in origin will have to be handled by my bots now.  The Guardians, Bass, and Prometheus."

Kalinka looked towards Rock in worry, but found a wide smile on his face.  "I'm...surprisingly okay with that," he admitted finally.  "It may be a little silly...but I was, as those silly PSA's said, fighting for everlasting peace.  The world is at peace now, and anything else would basically be you 'policing' the world.  And that...was never my responsibility.  I...can accept hanging up my helmet."  He smirked teasingly.  "Besides, it looks better on you."

"Damn straight!" Vinyl offered playfully, tapping the helmet she still wore, causing laughter in the whole group.
> Wet and Wild
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"You'd better watch out, Mizuki!  I'm about to kick your ass!"

"Don't count on it, Forte!  I'm better at this game than you are, and I can't wait to make you cosplay!"

"As if!  We'll see how you feel when you pay the penalty!"

Umikage sighed as he looked up from his reading to stare at the pair.  Ever since his upgrade to being an Elemental Guardian, he'd found that he was rather uncomfortable if he was too far from his Element, rather like how he'd felt before the upgrade wandering around with his weapon chip disabled.  As such, he tended to spend most of his down time in the Wily residence's indoor pool complex.  He rarely actually swam, but sitting in a pool chair to read was relaxing.  At least, it had been until Splash Woman moved in permanently.

Splash Woman - or Mizuki as she went by now, having chosen to take a 'civilian' identity once the Mars Project was sidelined for improving Earth - wasn't a bad roommate, per se.  She tended to be quiet and thoughtful, spent most of her time in the pool, and didn't make any messes, and was considerate about Umikage's desires for dim lighting and a lack of splashing.  And to top it off, her singing - when she wasn't being deliberately seductive about it - was soothing and relaxing, making a perfect backdrop to his reading.  She was also rather easy on the eyes, especially since she'd taken to wearing her 'civvies' as she called them, the seashell top and the covering of her tail scales she'd used to get Mega Man to listen to her in private back on Mars.  However, Umikage preferred she not flaunt as much, as it always made him feel awkward.  He had only acted like Naruto once as a joke to tease Vinyl.  He did not want to turn into Jiraiya.

Of course, all sense of the pool area being relaxing went out the window once Forte started courting her.  They had hit it off quite well as friends even before she'd been dispatched to Mars, and both quickly explored the idea of being more once she took up more-or-less permanent residence in Sky Lagoon.  However, Mizuki's aquatic nature pretty much meant they had to meet up in the pool area, which meant that Umikage was forced to listen to their antics.  Mizuki could be counted on to try and be quiet and considerate when alone, but those two words weren't in Forte's vocabulary.

At the moment, the two were locked in combat on the game console Forte had brought in with him so they could compete.  Given Forte's nature, nearly everything they did together was competitive.  Forte loved to prove himself, and Mizuki loved toying with him, making them a good match in that way.  Off in one corner were two folded piles of clothes.  The first had a red Chinese-style shirt, black kung fu pants, and black shoes.  The second was a white 'Hooters' shirt and a short pale blue sarong.  This was the 'wager' the pair had made for their current video game match, with the loser having to don an outfit chosen by the winner.

The video game battle was due to a recent change in policy up on Sky Lagoon.  Actual robot fighting had become somewhat discouraged, as the goal of the entire world now was to promote the peace and progress Vinyl had enforced.  It wasn't outlawed or against any regulations, so no robots got punished if they decided to duel with weapons.  Instead, Vinyl would just give them a disapproving gaze and pout at them about it.  Oddly enough, no robots had engaged in such fights since the first time she'd done that.

Before long, the game ended with Forte declared the winner.  "Gotcha, Mizuki!" Forte crowed happily.  "Now let's get you changed!"

Umikage suppressed his groan.  He knew where this was going.  Mizuki would now don the rather skimpy outfit Forte had picked out for her.  She'd use it to tease him outrageously until he couldn't control himself anymore.  If Umikage was lucky, Mizuki would remember to erect some form of 'privacy screen' so he at least wouldn't be treated to a 'show'.  Either way, the sounds would be bad enough.

Mizuki chuckled throatily.  "Very well.  Just a moment."  Turning, she swam to the edge of the pool, then hefted herself out of the water.  As she rolled, a change caught every eye.

It started at her tail fluke, as it rolled up and curled in on itself as the blue scales around it seemed to shimmer and shift, revealing human feet ending in delicate toes.  The shift continued to move up her tail, the scales shifting and folding to reveal pink flesh matching the skin tone of the rest of her, and two long, shapely legs.  She then slowly pushed herself to the feet.

"That's new," Umikage muttered thoughtfully, keeping his eyes on Mizuki's face.  Forte showed less restraint and chivalry, as his eyes kept dropping down to confirm that yes, the transformation made her lower half completely humanoid, but did not provide her with any sort of covering.

Mizuki let out a throaty chuckle.  "I asked Vinyl if she could give me a way to walk around outside the water for a time.  She managed somewhat, but my systems require being immersed in water for most functions.  This will work for a few hours - longer if I'm not moving much - but at the very least I can visit Forte in his room, as long as I can shift back in his tub briefly before making my way back."

Umikage stared for a time, surprised.  "...thanks," he offered finally.

Smiling, Mizuki took a step forward, only to stumble.  Forte quickly caught her.  "Thanks," she said warmly.  "It's going to take some getting used to legs..."  Her voice trailed off, her eyes glazing somewhat.  "Forte, I think you should...m-move your hand..."

"Oh, uh, sorry..." Forte stammered out, shifting his hand up to her back.

Mizuki took a shaky breath as she rebalanced herself.  "I think Vinyl needs to tweak down the sensitivity there just a bit..."  She then turned a teasing smirk on Forte.  "Or...maybe not..."

Forte swallowed convulsively, unable to do more than that - and stare - as Mizuki discarded her seashells to pull on the outfit Forte'd picked, the white shirt clinging to her wet synthoflesh, as did the sarong.

Mizuki then wrapped her arms around Forte's arm.  "So...aren't you going to lead me to your room?"

Umikage watched Forte staggering out with Mizuki clinging to him and shook his head ruefully.  "Young people..." he groaned out.  "Whether human or robot, there's only one thing on their minds..."

"Why'd we come here?" a voice called out from down the hall.

"Because my home doesn't have a pool!" another voice responded, a slight Russian accent tinging the words.  "Now come on, Rock.  I want to show you my new swimsuit~!"

Umikage snapped his book shut.  "I think I'll ask Vinyl for some vacation time," he grumbled.  "Somewhere I can get some peace and quiet near water.  I hear Antartica's nice this time of year."  With that, he warped out of the pool area, not even waiting to see what this pair would be getting up to.
> Looking Back, Looking Forward
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The day was going to be perfect.

Tom, Albert, and Mikhail stood together, dressed in their best.  The event that was about to come to pass was unprecedented, and the culmination of the hopes and dreams that had driven the conflict, now finally over.  "It's been a long time coming to this moment, Albert," Tom said finally as they waited.

"Indeed it has," Albert agreed, staring up towards where everyone else waited.  "Of course, everything's not quite over.  There's still a few messes to clean up."

"I think we can trust the children to take care of that," Mikhail spoke up softly.  "I don't think they need us sticking our noses in their business now."

"Probably," Light admitted.  "But you still have one last thing to do today.  What do you plan to do afterwards?"

"Vinyl's offered me the head of the Mars Project," Mikhail replied.  "I think it could be a worthwhile endeavor, and a good use for my skills and time.  I'll see you both later."  Turning, he headed towards another part of the building.

Albert let out a sigh, running his hand across his bald crown.  "So...how does it feel, Tom?" he asked softly.  "What's going to happen today?"

"It's...it's amazing," Tom responded softly, briefly wiping his eyes.  "I...even with everything I worked for, hoped for, prayed for...I never thought to dream that this could come to pass.  Or if it did, that I would live to see the world change enough to accept it."

Albert chuckled softly.  "I know what you mean.  Vinyl's done a lot to the world, hasn't she?"

"It really has been her, hasn't it?" Tom allowed.  "You and I...we thought we were the ones who would change the world, make robots and humans true equals.  We were right on the cusp of the beginning of a new age..."

"And then I woke up with a unicorn on my head, and she pulled the rug out from under both of us and remade the world her way," Albert laughed, gazing towards where his daughter was standing with Rock, preparing for what would come to pass this day.  "And at the end, she won.  The world is moving towards a new dawn, even if she has to drag it kicking and screaming."

"Hope we won't get too many kicks or screams today," Tom offered softly.  "Rock deserves this day.  It...it shouldn't go wrong."

Albert said nothing.  He just stood next to his old friend, their hands behind their backs, watching and waiting for the day to unfold.





The kind of day of which they dreamed since they were small.

Rock tugged nervously at the collar of his tuxedo.  "How do humans wear these things?" he demanded irritably.  "It was sized exactly to my specs, and it's still the most uncomfortable garment I've ever worn."

"As I understand it, humans wear them as little as possible," Vinyl offered, shifting a bit in the blue and white robe she wore for the day.  A large hat with a speaker design surrounded by a crown completed her idea of a 'priestess-queen' outfit, which she'd chosen for the day.  She'd gone without her shades for this event.  "It's just something for formal wear."

"But if it's such an important day, why would they deliberately pick uncomfortable outfits?" Rock asked in frustration.

"Well, I have two theories on that," Vinyl offered.  "First, it's because it looks real nice, and everyone wants everything to be perfect on this day."  She then grinned wickedly, looking up at Rock through her eyelashes.  "Second, it makes it that much more fun to get out of them afterwards."

Rock blushed brightly as Vinyl burst into giggles.  "How about we talk about something else?" he pleaded.

Vinyl's smile softened.  "We've come a long way, haven't we?" she offered softly.  "Fighting for the fate of the world, pushing science beyond its limits, discovering things unknown..."  She sighed somewhat sadly.  "I'm going to miss it."

Rock smiled warmly.  "I admit, it was certainly a wild ride.  I didn't really know what to think of you at first.  And...the tech you gave your Father to use against me..."

Vinyl chuckled softly.  "Yeah.  I came up with some pretty crazy stuff trying to make Dad proud of me, huh?"

"Was it really him behind the Gamma incident?" Rock asked curiously.

Vinyl snickered softly.  "Nope," she whispered so only Rock could hear.  "That was me.  Dad just took credit - and blame - to keep it off my record."

"Then why would he build eight Robot Masters to kidnap Dad?" Rock asked pointedly.  "That doesn't seem to fit..."

Vinyl looked away with a nervous frown.  "Rock...that was never a kidnapping," she offered sorrowfully.  "That was Dad inviting Dr. Light to be Santa Claus for my first Christmas...and then them getting drunk and speculating what you'd think if you reactivated and he wasn't there.  It..."  Her voice trailed off.

Rock sighed softly.  "Yeah...I was afraid it was something like that," he murmured.  "In recent years, I thought back on those events...I really fell apart, didn't I?"

"Yeah..." Vinyl agreed.  "And...I kinda went too far with my Wub Masters, trying to get back at you.  I mean, I was a little kid upset about my Dad getting taken away, so I guess that sorta reaction - to try and make you feel as bad as I could about it - was understandable...but the way I went about it was really out of line.  Sorry about that."

"We've both made mistakes with each other through all this," Rock offered warmly.  "But we're friends.  Friends make mistakes...and real friends get past them, and grow stronger together.  I think we managed that."  He sighed wistfully.  "And that one adventure where you introduced Bass and Treble..."

Vinyl chuckled.  "Yeah, I really went over the top with that one, huh?"  She turned her eyes heavenward.  "You know, as much fun as the rivalry was...I wish we'd never had to be enemies."

"Yeah..." Rock agreed.  "It was better when we didn't have to fight.  But that's at an end today."

"Yup," Vinyl agreed warmly.  "And today, my two best friends get their happy ending.  And we get the everlasting peace you fought for."

"We can only hope," Rock agreed.  He glanced around, then paused as he noticed something he hadn't before.  "Is that...is that Merkava behind the piano?"

Vinyl giggled.  "No, the piano is Merkava.  She added it to her tank chassis just for today."

Rock chuckled and rolled his eyes as he took in the robot beside the tank girl bot.  "So how are she and Yamato Man getting along?  Did they ever get that rematch?"

"You gave them the rematch, remember?" Vinyl teased.  "When you got her to take him down with the sniper rifle?  As for after that..."  She grinned widely.  "They're scheduled for two weeks from now."

Rock stifled his own laugh, only for his voice to die as Merkava began to play and the doors swung open.





Everyone had gathered round, as their hopes and dreams abound.

Mikhail smiled down proudly at his daughter, resplendent in her white gown as he walked her down the aisle.  Friends, loved ones, family, and true supporters filled the seats.  Today was the day everything changed for the better.

At the end of the aisle, Rock stood ramrod straight, looking nervous but hopeful...and more than a little flustered at the cut of Kalinka's gown.  Kalinka, for her part, looked radiant, with a warm smile on her face.  Vinyl spoke up from atop the podium.  "Who gives away the bride?"

"I do," Mikhail said warmly as Kalinka slipped her hand off his arm and stepped to Rock's side.  Mikhail then stepped back, letting it happen.

Vinyl looked up at the throng.  "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join these two together in blessed union.  While there are some in this world who might say this should not be, it is not they who decide these things.  These two already share a bond of friendship, of trust, of love.  In my eyes, this day is about letting that bond be recognized and protected in the eyes of the law.  Let it be so."

She swept her gaze around.  "If there are any here now who have sound reason why these two should not be joined, speak now or forever hold your peace."

But one was there who did not care at all.

The doors burst open violently.
> Leave Out All The Rest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	This day was supposed to be perfect

Clip-clop-clip-clank, clip-clop-clip-clank

Vinyl knew she would never get used to the sound her hooves now made on metal floors.  That fourth sound would always echo in her mind, reminding her of her failure...of how everything went wrong.  Such a simple possibility, so obvious, so perfect as a way to counteract everything she'd built up...and she had missed it.  Whoever was behind this, they had planned well.  And now there was nothing.

That day two months prior - had it only been that long? - the wedding of the century became the end of an era.  The one who'd burst in to object had been a human...with a bomb strapped to his chest.  The human guests of the wedding weren't physically fit enough to deal with someone like that, being part of the robotics community and used to letting robots do most of the heavy lifting.  The robotic guests and security faced a massive logic error as the First Law clashed with the First Law, as any action or inaction risked major harm to many humans, leaving nearly everyone unable to act.  Prometheus could have acted, but his buster was too powerful.  Had he fired, the bomb would have gone off anyway, and he wasn't quite fast enough to stop the bomber from triggering his device.

He'd shouted something in the middle of the chamber - Vinyl would never know what, too many others were shouting and she never bothered learning Latin - and had triggered his device.  The blast had been blinding, searing Vinyl's eyes even before the explosion could reach anyone.  She wore her shades now to protect her eyes from light towards the red end of the spectrum, the longer wavelengths painful to look at.  It also muted brightness, leaving her gazing at a world of muted blues and violets.

Rock had moved as fast as he could, shielding both Kalinka and Vinyl herself with his body.  An instinctive action, but perhaps a mistake.  The blast had torn his body apart, along with Vinyl's right foreleg.  And then the shrapnel from Rock's body had torn into Kalinka.  Both of them were gone now, and Vinyl was left broken inside.  On the day she was to marry her two best friends, she had lost them...and she could only blame herself.

And that wasn't the worst of it.  When an article came out about the event a day later - while Vinyl was still in recovery from the event - someone had managed to shape the article in the worst possible way.  The human dead and injured were listed under casualties, but the robots - no matter how loved, no matter what their status - were listed as part of the collateral damage, their deaths and pain valued only in coin.  And the world had torn itself apart.

Down on the surface, war waged.  Robots were once more the weapons of war, leading and linking the armies as the world fought, divided between those who saw the event and article as proof that robots never should have been treated as equal, and those who unwittingly overturned the very equality they claimed to fight for.

Vinyl's prosthetic was made out of Rock's own leg, the only part of his body that had survived.  His newer circuitry as he'd been upgraded closer and closer to human proved perfect for interfacing with her nervous system, and she now wore the blue armored limb as a reminder of Rock, of Mega Man, the friend she'd both destroyed and lost...carrying him with her always.

clip-clop-clip-clank, clip-clop-clip-clank

This was the sound of a broken soul, who had lost faith in the world she had tried to save.  She would try no more.  She was ending this story.





The kind of day they'd dreamed since they were small

Mikhail oversaw the settlement of Mars, and the work making it a viable world.  Humans and robots, everyone who wanted nothing to do with the war that was consuming the Earth had evacuated, first to Sky Lagoon and from there to Mars.  The evacuation was almost complete, and once it was, he would follow his directive to sever the communications network between Earth and Mars.  He'd been concerned about doing that, but Vinyl had told him she would take care of it.  When she was done, Mars and its people would be safe from the war...and on their own.

Mikhail stared out over the terraformed landscape, and up at the holo-domes that made Mars look as red as ever from the outside.  Unless a ship actually came in for a landing on the red planet, there would never be a sign the world was inhabited.  They would be safe, safe to build a world where humans and robots were equals, and live as they had always wanted.

And yet...

He turned his gaze back towards the blue star in the sky, the world that had once been home.  At this distance, even with telescopes, very little was visible.  They'd never see the scars of war unless they looked...and yet he felt he could see with his own eyes how the world tore itself apart.  He thought about the friends he would never see again...

Wily would not leave Vinyl now, not for anything.  Skull Man was staying, helping Vinyl with a special project, along with Prometheus.  And Light would not leave X.  He was going to stay by that capsule as long as he lived, just to ensure that he was safe, and would awaken safely.  They could all only hope that the world he would awaken to would be one that would let him live a life of peace...





But no one could stay for cake

Skull Man shifted slightly as he adapted to his upgraded body.  It had been patterned after Prometheus, making him much better at blending in with humans visually, which would be important to the mission he and Prometheus were going to have.  It was their job to watch over the world after Vinyl played her last card.  Watch, wait...and hope that humanity would overcome their hate, and learn to become something new.  If they did, Anton's capsule - labeled A.X.L-C - was programmed to reveal itself, in the hopes that a good scientist would complete him, so he could live in the world his parents died believing in.

If they did not...Project Revelation had been completed.  A binary etheric core, fully charged with Justice and Evil Energy, ready to generate Ether Energy in massive quantities.  A body capable of wielding that power, a power that could devastate the world many times over.  And a mind left blank, free to shape itself, and decide for itself...to save or destroy.  Doc Robot...Secret...The-Robot-Formerly-Known-As-Secret...and now left to choose his own name.  Only two AI programs - one based off Vinyl, one based off Albert - would remain to guide the technology left behind to maintain and restore him, should he need it.

Prometheus and Skull Man had said their goodbyes, and taken up their posts.  Now only one thing was left for either of them to do.  Nodding to each other, they disconnected from the world wide web, becoming alone in their own minds.





And two special guests were very late

Vinyl had prepared.  At long last, she'd found the source of her magical energy.  A portal device was prepared.  Originally, it was going to be a bridge, letting her pass back and forth at will.  Now, it was a warp device, meant to take the entirety of Wily Castle through to the other world, and seal the rift behind them.

She looked over those that would be coming with her.  Her father, her brother Forte, his girlfriend Mizuki, her four Elemental Guardians, and every worker bot - from Mettaurs on up - that worked within the castle.  And when the castle had gone, the program in Sky Lagoon's central computer would broadcast, and it would all end.

The ones who did this - who killed her friends, tried to paint her a villain to the world, and tore the world apart - wanted to turn back the clock of progress?  Felt all the technology that had advanced was so wrong?  Let them live without their technology then.  Let them live without it then.  She'd give them the greatest punishment she could conceive of.

She would leave them to reap the consequences of their actions, and face the truth of their desires.  "Drop this place."

With that command given, Wily Castle disconnected from Sky Lagoon, floated up into the air...and vanished in a blaze of light.

In Light's Lab, Dr. Light was stunned as a flare of light appeared between him and X's capsule.  A tiny pony - grey with a black mane and tail, purple eyes, and a purple treble cleft mark on her flanks - appeared, barely breathing.  Checking her vitals with his scanners, Dr. Light was able to determine that she was over-exposed to chronitons and other high energy particles, greatly straining her physiological functions to the point it would take at least thirty years for her systems to adjust to the new world enough just to survive.  Glancing from her to the capsule, Dr. Light got an idea.  Working feverishly, he jury-rigged a bio-stasis field into the capsule's systems.  Opening the capsule, he placed the tiny filly against X's chest, closing the capsule to keep both safe.

To his surprise, as the stasis kicked in, X's arms wrapped protectively around the tiny filly, and she nuzzled against his chest.  Plainly, he'd made the right choice.

Feeling his body - injured and weakened from that incident two months ago - voicing its protestations of the effort it had taken, he realized it would be his last.  Still, the Light Hologram Network - shielded against what Vinyl was about to do - would watch over them.  In sorrow and hope, Tom closed his eyes.

Across the world, every machine hooked to any network with any connection - through robot or computer - to the World Wide Web displayed the long dreaded Blue Screen of Death.  However, as every machine in the world - from military hardware that could launch nukes down to the toaster in a smart house - froze, each screen displayed two words.  Two words the world would never forget.


The End


Their wedding bells would never ring at all.

And everything stopped.