Starman leaped out of the window and started to run with Protoman in hot pursuit. In the black of night, Starman could not see much of anything that was not in the dim shine of the street lamps or close to him. Looking back, Starman saw Protoman not letting up. With one last-ditch effort, he darted into an alleyway, running into a dead end. Starman turned around to see Protoman sneering angrily at him. Protoman readied his Buster, starting to charge a shot, aiming for Starman’s head. Starman had nothing left to do, so he readied his Star Shield for the fight of his life.
But that is not the beginning, and it started not to long ago when Dr. Wily called to order a meeting of his robot warriors.
“I will start by saying one thing,” Wily started.
“Duh, I didn’t do it!” Blizzardman said, standing up suddenly.
“Did what?”
“Nuttin’,” Blizzardman said as he sat back down.
“Anyway,” Wily began to pace. “I have developed new technology that may give us the edge against that Dr. Light character.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a rather large piece of circuitry. “This is the start of a new age. This here is my first nano chip creation.”
“Hey boss,” Quickman asked, “Isn’t it a little big for nano tech stuff?”
“It is a model you numbskull!” Wily cleared his throat. “This piece of equipment will have the ability to make a robot think more like a human. More specifically, it will make the bot be able to tell right from wrong. It will be used in combat the most to see if what we are doing suites the situation or not. If not, that bot will let me know that and give me any other possible suggestions, in which I will give the final okay. I call my invention the Conscious Circuit 66-Y.”
“Are we all going to get it?” Iceman asked.
“No. Unfortunately I only have the resources to make two thus far. That is the main reason I called you all down here. I need to find out who is going to get it. “ Wily stuffed the model back into his pocket. “Any suggestions?”
“I think it should be me,” said Protoman, entering the room.
“Ha! You think so?” Shadowman stated. “You weren’t here to find out what you’re volunteering for!”
Protoman walked up to Wily. “Fool. I knew about this days ago.” He turned to Wily. “Here are your chips, sir.”
“HOW DO YOU GET ALL OF THE JUICY STUFF BEFORE WE DO?” Shadowman jumped up.
“I’m his right hand bot, that’s all.”
“I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOUR ARROGANT ATTITUDE!”
“Cut it out you to,” Wily said. “Or I will have both of your heads.” Wily cleared his throat. “Protoman, please take your seat. I have decided on my two bots. For my first choice…” Wily paused. He started looking around the room, looking at each of his bots in the eyes. He stopped at one bot. “Quickman.”
“QUICKMAN!!” Shadowman was enraged.
“Me?” Quickman slowly stood up.
“WHY HIM!?” Shadowman stomped over to Quickman. “YOU SHOULD AT LEAST GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO DOESN’T DISOBEY YOU! SOMEONE LIKE ME!”
“Quiet Shadowman. Do you dare challenge my authority on this?” Wily asked.
“No, sir,” Shadowman slumped back down into his seat.
“I have made my second choice,” Wily paused yet again. “Starman.” The room grew quiet as a now speechless Starman caught the angry stare of Protoman as he stood up.
“You want me?” Starman asked.
“Dr. Wily, sir,” Protoman said, “Why give it to these… these bumblers and not me, your best warrior,” Protoman looked at Shadowman, “or Shadowman.”
“My reasons are simple,” Wily explained. “For one thing, they have the most suitable programming for the chip. I also said that these were to be used in battle. Quickman’s speed will be great for scouting the missions so we can determine how well we will fair in battle. Starman’s shield can be used in the heat of battle to see if we need to retreat or not.”
“I understand, sir,” Protoman said as he sat down near a grumbling Shadowman.
“Are we done here?” Shadowman grumbled.
Wily nodded.
“You may leave.” The room began to empty as many of the other robots were
talking amongst themselves. “Starman and Quickman, wait. I will need you in the
remodeling lad at
“I can’t believe it, Starro,” Quickman said, while the two were leaving. “Out of all of them he chose us!”
Starman shrugged. “Well if that’s what he wants to do, there is nothing we can do. We really don’t have much choice in the matter.” Starman flipped open a compartment in his wrist, which revealed a watch. “Well, we have two and a half hours left. So whatcha wanna do?”
“I don’t know,” Quickman put his arms behind his head. “So, do you think this ordeal will change us at all?”
“Most likely yes,” Starman replied. “But it’ll be very subtle, I’m sure.”
“Good,” Quickman said grinning. “I just hope I don’t change too much because I know everyone loves me to death this way.”
Starman
cleared his throat. “Well… yes… but change is good!”
“Yes,” Quickman replied. “Change
is good. Man, we must have blown some
time! How much longer?”
“It’s only been five minutes.”
Quickman groaned. “What now?”
Starman stopped and put his arms akimbo. “We’re probably going to be together for a while today and sometime after that, so why don’t go our separate ways and meet in the cafeteria… um… a half an hour before we need to get to the lab.”
“Sounds okay
to me,” Quickman sighed. “Alright. So I guess I’ll
catch you later, Starro.”
Starman nodded and the two went
their separate ways. Starman went off into the west wing of Skull Fortress,
heading straight to the cafeteria were his two closest friends, Metalman and
Cutman, usually hang out. Quickman raced off into the south wing of the
fortress. He goes there all the time to see his best friend, Iceman.
Quickman walked up to Iceman’s quarters and chuckled slyly. Then he banged on the door like he usually does. Quickman chuckled again.
“C’mon in Quickie!” Iceman yelled from inside.
Quickman groaned then let himself in. “How do you always know its me?”
Iceman, who was doing something on his computer, turned around to greet Quickman. “It’s because you bang on the door like a blippin’ manic! Geez!”
Quickman giggled with the stupidest grin on his face. “I guess so!”
“So what brings you here?” Iceman asked. “Are you skipping out on it? Can I take your place?”
“I’m here to kill time, no, and no,” Quickman replied. An awkward silence fell over the room when Quickman stopped talking. “Sooooo… what are you doing?”
“Oh! I’d thought you’d never ask!” Iceman said turning back to his computer. “Look! Look! Hey! Look!”
“Hey Navi,” Quickman said, walking over to the computer, “you forgot ‘listen’ and ‘watch out.’”
“If I’m Navi, what does that make you?”
“Link!”
Iceman chuckled. “Anyway, I’ve been working on a new computer game and I was hoping you would want to beta test?”
“Dude! Cool!” Quickman said as he jumped up and down with an eager face. “What do you do? What’s it called? How do you play?”
“Relax,”
Iceman said. “I call it: The Legend of
Wily: The Iceman of Time! You see the main character Iceman, that’s me, is
a resident of
Quickman was silent for a moment. “That’s a complete and utter knock off of The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time.”
“I know that!” Iceman paused. “Wait a sec. That isn’t against copyright laws, is it?”
“Very much so.”
“Darn!” Iceman sighed. “I guess I can’t launch the release of my Game Cylinder…”
“You have too much free time,” Quickman said. “Oh well, let me beta test.”
“Yay!” Iceman said, “Just let me enter a few passwords…”
Iceman started to punch a flurry of keys, most of which, Quickman couldn’t pick up, although, he did manage to see one password:
LUV-LUV ROLL
“Presenting…” Iceman moved away so an eager Quickman could sit in front of the computer.
The screen turned black. A single white line came down vertically through the middle. Two smaller lines on each side of the middle line appeared with “00” above them and soon started to move up and down. A little white dot appeared as well and it started to move everywhere, being hit to the other side of the screen by the little white lines moving up and down.
“Iceman,” Quickman said, “this is pong.”
“Oh-no!” Iceman yelled. “I was trying to make a game that included Ping Pong, Tennis, Hockey, Air Hockey, Field Hockey, Soccer, and Volleyball but I guess doing this erased my masterpiece!”
“It’s okay, I’ll help you make a new game.”
“Really! All right! Let’s get started!”
Meanwhile…
Starman walked up to Metalman, who was talking to Cutman, and took a seat. Metalman and Cutman just stared at Starman.
“Hey,” Starman said at last. “What are you guys up to?”
“Nuttin’,” Metalman replied.
“Shouldn’t they be cutting you up?” Cutman asked.
“Not for a little while longer so I came to see what you guys were doing,” Starman said.
“We’re just talking about some of the things that has transpired a little bit ago,” Metalman said.
“You’re not jealous… are you?” Starman asked.
“No, I wouldn’t want to change at all,” Cutman said. “I’m on the cutting edge!”
“Good,” Starman said. He paused and looked around him. “If I tell you something…” Starman lowered his voice to a whisper. “Can you promise not to tell Wily?”
Metalman
looked at Cutman. “I… I guess so. What is it?”
“I have a very bleak feeling
about all of this… I don’t just don’t like it…”
Starman sighed.
“Oh really…” Metalman looked at Cutman. Soon, the two was busting up laughing. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just that Wily is a bloody genius when it comes to crap like this.”
“If you really don’t want to go through with it, just tell Wily,” Cutman said. “But make you tell him that I want to cut in!”
“Yeah, you’re right, why do I worry, because I know that everything will work out just fine, right? Right?” Starman peaked with a little nervousness to his voice.
“Of course,” Quickman said, walking
into the room. “It’s
Starman cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Walking along the long hall of the west wing, neither of the two spoke to each other. Quickman, a nervous wreck, started to shiver and hum random notes. Starman on the other hand, looked calm, cool and collected. He was all but that. That dark, scary feeling he had never left. Quickman’s humming grew a little louder and eventually started to include things like “Loo-Dee-Doo” and “Dweedle-Dee” until he began to sing a very bad version of “Mary had a Little Lamb.”
“Dude, knock it off!” an annoyed Starman said. “I’m nervous enough as it is!”
“S… sorry,” Quickman replied.
After what seemed like endless hours of walking in a straight line, the duo eventually reached the large steel doors of the remodeling lab. For the longest time, they just stood there, looking at the large red light in the shape of a wrench blink on and off.
“Once inside,” Starman began, “we have no clue what will happen will happen to us or when will get out.”
“If we come out…” Quickman added.
Starman shuddered at the mere thought. He flipped open the watch on his wrist. The hour hand just struck three. Starman nodded to Quickman.
“Should we go in?” Quickman asked.
Starman clenched and relaxed his fist a few times. “Yeah, let’s go.”
They pushed the doors open and once inside, it was revealed that Wily was standing between two tables.
“Hurry, I do want to be here all night!” Wily motioned the two to lay on the tables.
Wily shut down the bots and nodded to his assistants, Protoman and Geminiman. They each took a bot and unscrewed the hatch, which kept their helmets, shut. It was the star on Starman and the Boomerang on Quickman. They opened the helmets and they moved aside to let Wily take charge.
“Take over the monitors,” Wily barked, “We need a total of fourteen operators, but currently we only have two. Geminiman, do you have any suggestions?”
“We only have one, sir,” Geminiman said, (who uses “I” and “we” interchangeably.) He flashed, and in an instant, the room was filled with twelve more Geminiman. “Ready sir!” they all said as they all saluted.
“All right, prepare for installation and immediate test run,” Wily chuckled slyly which grew into an insane laugh. “Let us get jiggy with the raising of many roofs!”
Protoman and the thirteen Geminimen went to their stations. Wily pulled a remote from his pocket and pressed a button. The ceiling opened up and a gaggle of mechanical arms with hands, lasers and other tools attached to them dropped down to Wily’s level. Stuffing the remote back into his pocket, he opened a drawer with the two nano chips inside. He put on a pair of blue rubber gloves and a pair of “stylish” green goggles. Wily grabbed a laser and a needle and went to work. He started simply by resetting a few things and switching that, but he didn’t do too much. When all of that was finished, he then gently put the nano chips into place.
“Step on complete,” Wily said. “Protoman, status report.”
“Status quo, sir.” replied Protoman. “Shall we begin testing procedures?”
“Yes. Geminiman, begin test start up of Nano Chips.”
“Sir.”
“Begin on my mark…” Wily paused. “…Beta Test activate!”
A Wily had hoped, nothing happened. That is until numbers, figures and such flared across the screens.
“Protoman, what is happening!?” Wily yelled.
“It seems that the Conscious Circuit 66-Y is violently reacting with any and all bionetic material and parts used in both Starman and Quickman,” Protoman reported. “Any course of action?”
“Cease test run immediately!”
Everything was shut down and then Wily went back to work. He had anticipated for something like this to happen, and he had a back up plan just in case it would come up, all he had to do was just to modify the circuit a little.
“All right,” Wily said. “That should fix that.”
“Would you like us to restart it?” one of the Geminimen asked.
“Yes, initiate test run!” Wily said. It started up and nothing showed up in the beginning like last time. He looked at the different monitors and saw that everything was running just as he hoped. “Status report, Protoman!”
“All data indicates that nothing is wrong,” Protoman reported. “All abnormal functions has ceased and normal functions are finally taking control.”
Wily laughed. “Excellent! Wha, ha, ha! Shut down the test run and I will turn the circuits for real this time!” Wily chuckled as he finished his project.
Eventually, Starman and Quickman were put back together and were turned back on-line. Their eyes opened slowly and flashed a reddish color. That flash was a signal to Wily that the circuit was working fine. They both sat up and let out a nice big GROAN!
“Sooooo… How do you both feel?” Wily asked.
“Ooooooooowwwwwwwww… My head… It feels like someone played hockey with it…” Quickman groaned.
“Ooooooo… Did you get the license plate of that berserk missile by chance…” Starman groaned.
“You’re going to be fine, but I asked--” Wily started.
“Fine!” Quickman interrupted. “You call us groaning with agony FINE!?”
“These effects are just temporary. You should start to feel better any time now,” Wily said.
“Actually,” Starman said, “the pounding pressure inside my head is starting to let up. I’m feeling much better.”
“Yeah! Most of the discomfort is gone!” Quickman said.
“Good, yes, and that’s all fine and dandy and everything, but wanted to know how you were feeling,” Wily reiterated.
“Didn’t we just clear that all up, or was I disillusioned?” Quickman asked.
“No, no,” Wily sighed. “The whole purpose of the hardware is to make you think more like humans. I want to see how this changed you from the inside. How has this changed you emotions? So I ask again, how are you feeling?”
“Better?” Quickman asked.
“Alright,” Wily said. “Let me rephrase the question. What are you feeling?”
“Oh! I get it now!” Quickman said. “In that case, I feel GREAT!” Quickman started to do some leg stretches. “In fact, I feel so good, I think I‘ll do a few laps!”
Quickman started running around the group at a fast pace. He didn’t stop until he tripped on Protoman’s “conveniently placed” foot. Quickman flew through the air and landed on a bookshelf, bringing the shelf, the books, and him to the floor. Digging out from the pile and taking a copy of “Robotics for Dummies” off his head, he slowly walked over to the rest of the party.
Wily could have blown off Quickman’s head if he only had laser vision. That’s how hard he glared at Quickman. “Thank you for letting me know how you feel, Quickman.”
“Any time!” Quickman shuddered after saying that. He might of thought Wily was going to rip him to scrap. “I’m so sorry, sir, I just…”
“QUICKMAN ENOUGH!” Wily interrupted. He cleared his throat. “Well Starman? It is your turn.”
“Well,” Starman said. “I kinda don’t feel a thing. I feel… empty. I don’t feel happiness, anger, regret, nothing.”
Wily cast Starman a quick look of confusion, but changed it so he wouldn’t alarm him. “Your emotions have changed. Keep that in mind as you and your chip fuse to become one.”
“But Quickman
has his normal reactions to things?” Starman said. “I mean, look at him! He’s
running around happy at everything!”
Wily chuckled. “He is happy.”
“Well I don’t want to be left out! I want mine to work, too!” Starman said.
“You just did,” Wily stated.
“Wha?” Starman asked.
“You just
experienced wanting,” Wily said. “Do you understand? Your emotions thoughts and
feelings are released by other things.” Starman nodded. Wily continued. “Very good.” Wily looked to Protoman who gave him a thumbs
up. “You may leave, but please take it easy for today. I do not want anything
to overstress your new hardware. Tomorrow, you will meet me at
“What’s wrong, sir?” asked Protoman.
“Though it may seem to be a good thing, Starman’s programming is far too accepting of the Conscience Circuit,” Wily explained.
“They both do seem normal, Dr. Wily,” Geminiman said.
“To the untrained eye,” said Wily. “I have been around them for so long that I have been able to document their behavior before I gave them this. It is very subtle, but I am absolutely positive that it will grow dramatically over some time.”
“Is that bad?” asked Protoman.
“I hope not,” answered Wily.
“This is simply the greatest thing since Albert Einstein invented sliced bread!” Quickman said as he laughed proudly. Starman sighed. Quickman groaned. “Come on, dude! I want to feel your enthusiasm!” Starman said nothing. “You are going to shorten your life being a pessimist that way.”
“Sorry, it’s that… well I really don’t think Wily should be messing with the laws of human emotions,” Starman responded.
“What?”
“I mean that Wily has gone a little too far this time,” Starman said.
Quickman laughed. “Whatever. Listen, I’m going to see Iceman and rub it in. I’ll see if he still thinks that he is more elite than me now!” Quickman raced off.
Starman stood there slightly irritated by Quickman, staring into space. His thoughts raced in many directions. But it mostly fell on why Wily is suddenly obsessed with the mind of humans. It’s creepy. After a few moments of thought, he decided to go back to his dorm. He sat on his bed, looking at a few pictures of him, Metalman, Cutman, Iceman and Quickman. He placed it face down on his desk. It reminded him about the times when he was normal. He’ll never be the same again. He’s going to be a freak from now on. He'll have the mind of a human and the metal body of a robot.
“I can’t ever be like them again,” said Starman.
Then Starman had a revelation. Maybe it is all in his mind. What if things will be good? Yeah. Yeah, everything will turn out great. Starman had a new sense of determination. Starman decided to go and find Quickman and tell him that he had thought it out.
Starman headed to Iceman’s room, only to find out they weren’t there. There was a sign on Iceman’s door that read: NOT HERE, GO AWAY, GOOD BYE! Disappointed, he started heading back.
“You’re alive!” said a voice behind him. It was Metalman with Cutman bringing up the rear.
“So they cut you loose,” Cutman said. “How are you?”
“Cutman!” Metalman hit Cutman on the side of the head. “You know better than to ask him that! He has an ‘evil feeling’ about the procedure.” Metalman and Cutman laughed.
“Oh, yes, Metalman,” said Cutman. “I forgot he was worried about getting cut up!”
“Okay, I get the picture,” Starman said. “I went through it and the rest was history.”
“Ah so Mr. Fear is no longer here?” Metalman chuckled. “I made a rhyme.”
“Nope,” Starman said. “Mr. Fear ran away scared.”
“You’re a real cut up!” said Metalman.
“Hey! Cut it out!” said Cutman.
“Cutman, shut up! I would like to get back to the point!” Metalman cleared his throat. “So what are you doing at Iceman’s room?”
“Do you want to cut in between Iceman and Quickman?” Cutman laughed.
“CUTMAN!” Metalman cracked Cutman again.
“I’m looking for Quickman,” said Starman. “He said he wanted to go see Iceman.”
“You won’t find them here,” Metalman pointed behind him with his thumb. “They went that way a while ago.”
“Thanks,” said Starman. “I’ll catch you guys later!” Starman said as he ran off.
“Bye, Starman!” Cutman said. “Hey, stop by later and will play some crazy eight’s!”
“Cutman!” said a shocked Metalman. “You didn’t say ‘cut’ in your sentence!”
“I know. I didn’t have any more cute puns for this one,” said Cutman. “So I decided to leave it on the cutting room floor!” Metalman groaned.
Starman raced down the hall to find Quickman. He started to slow when he noticed he didn’t quite know where he was. It may sound strange, because he lives there, but Skull Fortress is so huge, there are literally hundreds of passages that Starman probably doesn't know about. There might even be some Wily might not even know about. On his way down he passed a sign in huge bold letters:
DANGER ROOMS 1A, 1B, AND 3C-YXOQ UP AHEAD. EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION!
Then it said the same thing underneath in several other languages. It was there just in case he actually does take over the world and he can make more profit by having tourists. Danger Rooms are battle rooms that can simulate any sort of battle. Wily is the only one who knows how operate correctly. Sure, Protoman can do simple things with it, but that’s about it. If one is not careful, it could spell a robot’s doom.
“Why are they down this way?” Starman thought to himself. He then remembered that Quickman wanted to rub it in, and being him, he would have thought this would have been just dandy to do it. “I’d better get down there!” Eventually they had found them, and they were cleaning the doors to the rooms. Relived, Starman joined them.
“Hey!” Iceman said. “Wanna help?”
“Not particularly,” Starman answered. “Do you realize how worried I was?”
“No,” said Quickman. “How worried were you?”
Starman grumbled and groaned. “I thought when you said ‘I going to go to Iceman and rub it in’ I thought you would do something totally stupid!”
“No,” Quickman said. “But I did rub it in.” Quickman giggled.
“That’s is enough Quickman…” a slightly irritated Iceman said.
“Awwwwwww, Iceman wooks sooooo coote when he gets so flustered!” said Quickman. “Ain’t dat white Icey-poo?”
“Quiet Quickman!” Iceman said.
“I wuv it when he gets like dat! Woo-gee-woo-woo-doo!” Quickman laughed.
That was Iceman’s line and Quickman just proudly stepped on it then over it. Iceman grabbed a small, circular device on his belt. He pressed a button on it and it transformed it a giant mallet that made him look like an Ice Climber. He leapt into the air. “I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP! NOW FEEL MY WRATH!” Iceman roared. BAM! Quickman didn’t stand any chance at all.
“Real cute,” said Starman sarcastically.
Quickman rubbed his aching head.
“Yeah, very cute.” He winced. "When and where did you get that thing?”
“Oh, this?” Iceman asked. “I
tinker with stuff in my spare time so I decided to make something for
emergencies.”
“Have you had any emergencies since you made that thing?” Quickman asked.
“Come to think of it,” Iceman said, “This would be the first time I have ever used it. I guess you were my test subject and it worked okay!”
“Great,” Quickman said.
“So, why are you cleaning the doors?” Starman asked.
“Wily’s orders.” Iceman said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Quickie just showed up and helped.”
“Quickman, do you have any idea what Wily said?” Starman said.
“No… should I?” Quickman answered.
“HE TOLD YOU TO TAKE IT EASY!” Starman said. “Wily’s orders,” also in a matter-of-fact tone to mock Iceman.
“But its okay, it’s not work,” Quickman said.
“Yes it is,” said Starman.
“Not it isn’t.”
“But it is physical activity.”
“But it’s not strenuous activity.”
“But if Wily finds out…”
“If he finds out… which he won’t.”
“But what if I do, Quickman,” said Wily. “I was in the neighborhood so I decided to drop in.”
Quickman shrieked and practically leapt into the air. “Um… how much did you hear?”
“Enough,” Wily said. His eyes narrowed his brow furrowing. “What are you doing?”
“Umm… cleaning?” A big, sheepish grin spread across Quickman’s face, his cheeks reddening.
“No, you’re not.”
Quickman raised an eyebrow, now confused. “I’m not…?”
“No, you’re not.”
“I’m not…?” Quickman repeated himself.
“Nein!” Wily hissed in German. “Stop repeating yourself, you pathetic excuse for a wind-up toy!”
“Then what am I doing then, huh?” Quickman smirked as he continued to scrub.
“QUICKMAN!!” Wily roared, at his wit’s end with the disobedient, easily confused robot. “Will you just activate your goddamn brain and start to comprehend a single word for just a moment?!” He let out an irritated sigh. “You want to know what you’re doing?” Quickman made a sound like “Yeah.” Wily folded his arms he approached Quickman, his expression stern. “You want to know what you’re doing?”
Quickman nodded again. “Um, yeah.”
Wily, in a flash of movement, backhanded Quickman across the hall to Starman. “You are an idiot! You and Starman are to march back to your quarters because you are both confined to your rooms until the morning! Do I make myself clear?!”
“Crystal.” Starman nodded.
“Opaque.” Quickman grumbled, rubbing his cheek.
“As for you, Iceman,” Wily cleared his throat. “Since you know that Quickman was supposed to take it easy, you now have double to do! I want this entire hall cleaned, mopped, and waxed by sundown!”
“But Dr. Wily…” Iceman jumped up. “I didn’t know a thing!”
“You didn’t tell him, Quickman,” Wily asked.
“I didn’t think chores were work,” Quickman answered.
“Really?” Wily glared at him with a face that would have turned Medusa herself to stone. “Then after your training you will spend time in my study gaining knowledge to fill the void in that head of yours!” Wily turns to Iceman. “You will not be able to see either of these two for the next two weeks under pain of diagnostic overhaul. Now get to work.” He turned back to Quickman and Starman. He walked right up to their faces. “Get out of my sight.”
Iceman was crestfallen as Wily stormed down the hall. “Two weeks? That’s totally unfair! Just ‘cause Quickie didn’t think chores were work, doesn’t mean you hafta take it out on me!”
Wily paused and turned on the heel of his shoe, jabbing his index finger at Iceman. “If I hear one more annoying whine out of you…” He never finished the threat, for Iceman took the hint. “Now, get out of here!” Turning, he continued down the hall and out of sight.
Starman started down the hall to his quarters, pausing, realizing that Quickman was hesitant to follow. “Quick, we’d better get going…”
Quickman nodded. “I’ll catch up with you…” He turned to Iceman, crouching to look the shorter robot face-to-face. “Icey… you know the layout of the air ducts, right?”
Iceman nodded. “Yeah.” He clutched the handle of the mop he held as if it were the only thing supporting him.
“I’ll see you tonight.” Quickman gave a quick wink and a knowing smirk before he stood to follow Starman. “Okay, let’s go.”
Starman raised an eyebrow as he and Quickman walked down the hall. “You know… you surprise me sometimes. I mean, half the time, the world’s a big joke to you and you’re too dense to notice, and other times… it’s like there’s a glimmer of intelligence in those optical sensors of yours…”
“Yeah.” Quickman nodded. He remained silent as they walked, quietly humming a little tune. “Hey, Starro?”
Starman glanced up. “Hm?”
“You think Wily’s gonna be real hard on us tomorrow?”
“Probably.” Starman shrugged. “Knowing Wily…”
Quickman nodded. “And after today, he’s prolly gonna really chew us out good, huh?”
“Most likely.”
“Wily’s a hardass.” Quickman thrust his hands into his pants pockets.
Starman glanced at Quickman, noting the tone. Quickman seemed so confident with his remark about Wily, stating it as if it were an actual fact. Sure, Quickman had a tendency to complain, but this was one of the first times that he’s gone and insulted his very master out right. And in such a factual tone, at that. It was very strange, indeed. He tried to bury the feeling away, saying to himself that it was the new hardware taking over.
“So, where are we supposed to meet?” Quickman’s hard-edged voice snapped Starman out of his thoughts. “I mean, I don’t think Wily even told us where to go…”
Starman nodded. “He told us, nimrod.”
“He did?”
“Yes, he did!” Even Starman was getting irritated. “Don’t you ever pay attention to anything?!”
“I’m too poor!” Quickman laughed. “Get it? Pay attention? Too poor?” He laughed again.
Starman sighed. “Quickman, you’re not that funny! The world is just one big joke to you. I see that clearly now.”
Quickman stopped in the hall, his expression no longer one of comedic freedom, but now a thoughtful frown. “What’s wrong with you? Who are you?”
“What do you mean?” Starman looked shocked by that question.
“Who are you, Starman?” Quickman’s brow furrowed with concern. “Where’s Starro?”
“Um, right here…” Starman was confused, thinking this to be either Quickman’s simple mind, or even just a joke.
“Where are you? Where’s the Starro I know? Where’s the happy ‘bot who always laughs at my bad jokes? Where’s the ‘bot who’s always there to clear something up for me? Where’s the Starro who gets me outta trouble?” Quickman touched Starman’s face with one hand. “Where ever he is… you’re not him.” He turned and walked briskly down the hall.
Starman was stunned. How could he have dampened Quickman’s spirits, of all ‘bots? He’s the one who made jokes during the tornado last year. I guess it really was all in Starman’s mind. Quickman’s just trying to make the best out of bad times. Starman put his back to the wall and slid to the floor. “Maybe I shouldn’t have judged you so harshly. I think I understand now why you goof off all of the time. Damn, I should have just told him, but no! I had to go and call him a nimrod! I’m sorry Quickman…”
“It’s okay!” Quickman said, coming back. “I wanted to tell you something, but, never mind. C’mon, we better go before Wily goes off again.”
Starman nodded, following, noting that Quickman’s concerned expression had vanished, though his tone still remained somewhat the same. Even after he apologized, the robot’s tone still sounded like he just blew him off. Maybe Quickman’s conscious circuit was starting to activate…
“Taking an evening stroll, boys?” Protoman sneered, leaning casually against the doorframe of the Maintenance wing.
“What are you up to, Protoman?” asked Quickman.
“Maintenance,” he answered.
“Oh, I see,” Quickman said. “And that mop will help you fix what?”
Protoman’s lip curled up into an angry snarl. “That’s none of your business, spaz.” He let go of the mop, the wooden handle hitting the floor. “What’re you two doing outta your quarters, anyway? Wily’s instructed me to keep tabs on you two. Get to your rooms. No dawdling in the halls. Snap to it!” He clapped his hands twice, a vicious grin on his face. “He also said I can create punishment for stuff like this.”
“For your information,” Starman stepped between the two. “We were on our way to our dorms right now, right, Quickman?” He elbowed the other in the side.
Quickman nodded. “Anyway!” He gave Protoman a one-fingered salute and continued on his way. “Be seeing ya, guv’nor!” he laughed.
Protoman picked up the mop and whipped it down the hall only to hear in the distance, Wily scream out. Protoman winced in embarrassment. “Oops…” he jabbed a finger at Starman and Quickman. “They did it!”
Wily emerged from the shadows, rubbing his bald, head with one hand and carrying the mop in the other. “Do you think? Even though I know I assigned you here and on the end of the mop it says ‘Protoman?’” He stepped closer, throwing the mop on the floor. “How stupid do you think I am?!” Wily started to walk away grumbling to himself. “And don’t answer that!”
Protoman just smirked, light glinting off his visor. “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of insulting you, Master.” He laughed, glancing down the hall, noting that Quickman and Starman are gone. “Oh, you wanted to see me in your study, Wily?”
Wily paused mid-stride, glancing over his shoulder. “Oh, yes, yes. Right away.” He disappeared around a corner.
“It just doesn’t make any sense!” Wily rifled through mountains of files. “None! Absolutely none!” In utter frustration, he threw a folder across his study, papers flying everywhere.
Protoman was sitting nonchalantly on a countertop, legs crossed and concerning himself with paging through a magazine. “I don’t see what the problem is…” He trailed off, turning the magazine sideways and unfolding a page. “Very nice.”
Wily stomped over and ripped the magazine from Protoman’s hands and tossed it over his shoulder. “Now, Proto my boy… you know what I’ve told you about looking at those magazines.” An ugly sneer parted his lips. He reached behind him, grabbing a file and slapping it on the counter beside Protoman. “Look here.” He pointed to an area on a graph filled with calculations. “Starman’s programming is much too accepting of the chip! It’s speeding through all the stages like wildfire!”
Protoman squinted behind his visor, the numbers having no meaning to him and his untrained mind. “But, Quickman and Starman both seem normal, sir…”
“No,” Wily shook his head. “Look here. Quickman’s progress is normal, as to be expected. It’s a bit fast due to his programming, but it’s normal for his processing speed. Now, look at Starman’s.” He again pointed to the area on the graph he indicated before. “See how much faster his acceptance is in comparison to his processing speed? He has already begun to ignore his programmed thoughts and emotions and started to think for himself.” His gaze met Protoman’s. “Starman has achieved pseudo-sentience.”
Protoman shrugged, none of this significant to him. “So? Isn’t that what you wanted, anyway?”
Wily nodded. “Yes, but under a very slow process, Proto my boy.”
Protoman nodded. “I see.” he glanced at his wrist as if checking a watch he doesn’t have. “It’s past 1 AM, I’m gonna turn in.” Hopping off the countertop, he headed for the door. “Shall I ready your quarters a while, sir?”
“No.” Wily shook his head, mulling over his files. “Just go. I need some time to sort this out. You are dismissed.” A wave of his hand sent Protoman out of the room. Wily let out a sigh, pulling up a chair and slumping in it. The chair let out a squeak, as did his back. Rubbing the small of his back, he muttered something about “needing to find where I put the Ben-Gay,” Wily dug through his files, pulling a folder out at random. Paper-clipped to the front was a black-and-white Polaroid of a robot similar to Protoman. The appearance, however is where the similarities ended. Shorter than the prototype robot, almost childlike in build, this robot had no scarf or shield. In fact, it seemed as if this android was equipped with only mediocre weaponry, not suitable enough to do any significant damage to even the weakest armor. The only means of self-defense it seemed to have was the odd-looking pogo-stick/jackhammer hybrid it leaned against. Scrawled on the Polaroid were the words “Project I.D.: SPN001- QUI—“ the rest was smeared in a black streak.
Wily shook his head slowly, noting the faded red stamp on the folder, “FAILURE.” Hastily stuffing the folder in the pile with the others, he looked over the folders he already had laid out before him. Today, his experiments have angered and annoyed him to the point that he was half-tempted to stamp “FAILURE” on the folders and put them with the others. But, right now, he was more apt to just go and rip Starman and Quickman’s heads right off their shoulders, wires and dead circuitry dangling like the roots of a swamp weed. Grumbling under his breath, Wily stuffed the folders aside and stood. Making his way to the lab door with a slight loping gait, he paused, looking back at the papers strewn about on his desktop. Shaking his head, he switched off the light and left the room, the closing door slamming behind him.
Furious pounding on the door ripped Starman violently from a very sound sleep. Groggily, he sat up, finding this sensation to be very new to him. Usually, when he awoke from sleep mode, he was never groggy. But due to the hectic week and all the stress he has endured, he concluded that his dazed, tired feeling was merely a side effect. It will fade in due time.
More banging from the bedroom door. “Starro, let’s go!” That was Quickman’s impatient voice. Quickman had a habit of waking up extremely early. Every time he would shift into sleep mode, he wouldn’t stay asleep throughout the night; instead, he would wake up periodically to either wander around or look for something to eat. Equipped with an enzymatic converter, Quickman would eat like a starving nation to replenish his energy supply. Essentially, he has an accelerated metabolism. And that metabolism brought him banging on Starman’s door at five in the morning.
“For the love of all things good left in the world, Quick! The sun isn’t even up yet! Go back to sleep!” Starman snapped, pulling the covers back over his head and squinting his eyes, then Starman realized that he had not opened his blinds, hoping that the shut blinds made it so dark. Murmuring something inhuman, he stumbled over to the window, nearly walking straight into his desk. He opened his blinds and moaned. He looked at his clock/radio and saw the time, and moaned again, though more annoyed. “QUICKMAN!”
“Uh-oh,” said Quickman, as he knew he had done something wrong.
“IT IS ONLY 5:03! WE DON’T HAVE TO BE THERE UNTIL EIGHT! WHY DID YOU WAKE ME UP?!” Starman yelled through the door.
“Well, I thought it was time,” Quickman said. “My clock kept flashing ’12:00,’ so I thought it was, you know, a sign!”
“It means its battery needs replaced and it needs to be reset!” Starman let out a groan. “I’m going back to sleep, if you want to wait here, FINE, but DO NOT DISTURB!”
“Okay, okay,” Quickman slumped against the wall. “He’s certainty not a morning person, geez!” He then pulled out a Gameboy from his back pocket and proceeded to play.
****
“Starman, get up!” Quickman was again pounding the door to Starman’s dorm.
Starman, finally being back to sleep, was snapped back to the world of the living yet again. “What do you want!?”
“You overslept!” answered Quickman.
“No I didn’t! So be quiet!”
THWOOMP! Starman threw a pillow against the door.
“I’m serious this time! Look at your clock!”
Starman reluctantly looked over to see what time it was. “7:45! I HAVE ONLY FIFTEEN MINUTES!”
“I told you!” said Quickman.
“How come you didn’t wake me?” Starman asked.
“Well…” Quickman cleared his throat. “Well, you did say do not disturb…” Starman grunted angrily. “Sorry, sorry, but can you just grab your key card and hurry already!”
“My key card…” Starman said. “Crap!”
Key cards are what Robot Masters use to get into certain parts of Skull Fortress. Each Robot Master has their own key card, which electronically processes their I.D., serial number, and pass code. The I.D. and serial number are for I.D. purposes, while the pass code is digitally recorded on computers to show who has been where and when.
“You do have your key card, right?” Quickman asked. “You do know that we can’t get into the Danger Rooms without them, right?”
“I know, I know,” Starman said. “It’s gotta be here somewhere, I just hafta look hard enough!”
“Dude, this isn’t cool!” Quickman said.
“I would have found a lot quicker if you would have woken me up!” Starman griped underneath his breath.
“What?”
“Um, uh, do you have it?”
“Why would I have it?” Quickman sighed and put his Gameboy away. “Wait a sec, here…” Quickman pulled out of the very same pocket Starman’s key card. “I have it, Starro… um… yeah… ready to go, now?”
Starman burst through the door, grabbing his key card out of Quickman’s hand and bolted down the hall. “Do you want an invitation? You’d better haul some ass, Quickman!”
“I’m the fastest bot around, remember?” Quickman looked at the key card. “Hey! You took my card instead!” Quickman gave chase.
The two reached the Danger Room 3C-YXOQ, and quickly they swiped their key cards and entered just as their watches striked eight. The room was rather plain to their surprise. It was a light blue colored which covered all of the walls and floor and also it was covered with thin white lines that covered the entire place like a grid. In those lines, was the technology to help create the holographic worlds.
“You are late!” Wily’s voice boomed over the loud speaker.
Starman and Quickman looked up and on the ceiling was a large control room. Windows were lined around the perimeter, so that anyone inside could look outside to see anything going on. Inside, they could see Wily, sitting comfortably in an armchair, furiously tapping one of the arms with his index finger, with a microphone on the other. Protoman was operating the computer systems, even though Wily is the only one who can operate the consoles without fail. Protoman is learning the trade, though Wily is keeping many things from him.
“We weren’t late!” Quickman argued. “We both stepped into the room just as it turned eight!”
“Wrong,” Wily said. “My log shows that you, Starman, swiped your card at 8:01, and you, Quickman, swiped yours at 8:01:15. You are late. Tardiness will never be excepted again. You know my motto, right?”
“To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is never excepted…” Starman and Quickman both chanted in a monotone voice.
“Good,” Wily said. “See that this never happens again.”
“Man, he’s being really picky today,” Quickman mumbled.
Starman elbowed Quickman. “Well if you didn’t wake me up so late, maybe we would have been on time!”
“Er-hem!” Wily said.
“Sorry, boss!” they said.
“Nonetheless, the time has come for me to train your new minds into awesome weapons. When your minds and bodies become one, you will be a terrible force to behold!” Wily explained.
“Yeah,” Quickman said. “I think I can handle a few easy obstacle courses.”
“There is no need for things like that,” Wily continued. “This room is specifically designed for combat training. Here you will get a taste of what the battle feild will be like. You will go through several stages of combat, with me coaching you through it. You will have to retrieve things and fight a host of droids and things like that. The last bit of training will involve a string of missions, in which I will call upon several other Masters in and then you will lead them through it. You two will be in charge and I will not help you. When we start that, you will be on entirely your own. This day indeed, you will travel to hell and back.”
“Well, what’re we waiting for?” asked Starman.
“Woo-hoo! There’s nothing like bashing the heads of mindless droids to pass an afternoon! Start the party!” Quickman said.
“Fools!” Wily scolded. “You will go into battle without any briefing at all? That is the road to a robot’s doom.”
“Nothing to it,” Quickman said. “Let me pull up my Buster and… hey!” Quickman could not activate his Buster. He also couldn’t activate his Boomerang Launcher, or any of his other weapons for that matter. “What’s going on?”
“I made some modifications to your weapon systems,” Wily said.
“Modifications… great!” said Starman to himself.
“Wonderful! You mean more changes?” Quickman asked.
“Nothing too different,” Wily explained. “But I had to rework the way you drew your weapons and such so that any moving or replacing of any limbs or whole part could be avoided, because the circuit works best when your entire body functions as if you were a human.”
Quickman looked at Starman. “Don’t mean to interrupt, sir, but not all of us here are evil genius robot inventors. In common tongue if you don’t mind!”
“Sorry, sir,” Protoman said. “I will have to agree with the fool. I even worked on the project with you, and even I don’t understand what you are saying.”
“All right!” Wily mumbled something then inaudible in German. “Let us put it this way. Starman, how did you ready your Buster before?”
“I retracted my hand and the firing mechanism snapped into place,” Starman replied.
“Right, but all of that is now changed,” Wily continued. “In order to ready it now, clench your hand into a tight fist and do a quick motion with it to your right. Your Buster will close on top of your fist. Your Star Shield is also activated differnetly. Flick your wrist down and part of your arm armor will cover your hand. An energy shield will then form, allowing you to weild it as if it were strapped onto your arm. To use your Star Crash attack, you must have both your Buster and Star Shield up. Place your hand with the Shield on the wrist of the one with the Buster. An electronic reaction will take place that will cause a particle charge to happen in the Buster. With the Shield up, it will automatically form itself into the proper star shape and power needed to use the Star Crash. All you have to do is aim and fire when ready.”
“Oo! Oo! Do me next! Do me next!” Quickman had his hand in the air and he was jumping wildly. Quickman is easily excited and when something new is given to him or if he gets an upgrade, he becomes excited as a little school kid who gets a new toy, and since of this has happened so fast, he can barely contain himself. “Can I go next? When is it my turn?”
“Quickman! Calm yourself!” Wily yelled. “There is no one else here besides, you two and Protoman, who didn’t even get the chip installed! So if you don’t hush, I will come down there and RIP out your speech modulator and angrily STOMP ON IT!”
“Sorry master!” Quickman said as he cowered behind Starman.
“Quick!” Starman said as he pushed Quickman out from behind.
“Moving on,” Wily cleared his throat. “You tried to ready your Buster and Boomerang Launchers with little success, correct Quickman?”
“Yup,” he answered. “So how do I do
it already?”
“Sorry to say, Quickman, but you
can no longer use your Buster,” Wily said.
“What!” Quickman crossed his arms. “That’s not fair! That mean’s all I’m left with is two dinky Boomerang Launchers that can only use two even dinkier Boomerangs over and over again! And that makes my whole weapons system uber-dinky, which pretty much means it sucks!”
“Uber-dinky…” Starman shot Quickman a confused look and all Quickman could do was grin stupidly. Starman became sarcastic. “Good one.”
Wily sighed. “If you have been paying attention, Quickman, you should have realized by now that is not true! Though you may have lost your Buster, that will no longer be a problem. Using only two Boomerangs during one fight can be risky, especially if you can not recover either one. Thus, I have concluded that live ammo is not a good solution. Therefore, I replaced your old Launchers with the Boomerang Launcher 2.54367889. You now have an unlimited amount of ammo, since you now use lasers. Bring them out by flicking your arms to the side and then aim and shoot. You can fire one or both at a time.”
“That’s it? Man!” Quickman griped.
“WOULD YOU PLEASE STOP INTERRUPTING ME!” Wily again cleared his throat. “On top of that, you have a special speed move you can use called Rapid Boomerang Thrash. When you use this, you can fire hundreds of shots in seconds; this is a very good use when you have to fight many. Like Starman and his Star Crash, you too have a one-of-a-kind ability called the Sonic Boomerang. In order to use this, you must place you hands facing inwards, so that when you shoot to Boomerangs, they collide. Then you will use that to form a giant Boomerang at which you can thrust at the enemy. Form it by using your hands, your gloves now have a special magnetic dust that can suspend your energy, that is how you will control it.”
“Dude! That’s is so cool!” Quickman
said. “Can I try it now?”
“No!” Wily said. “There are some
precautions you need to know of before you—“
“Blah, blah, blah! Are we ready yet?” an impatient Quickman spurt out.
“I suppose,” Wily looked at Protoman who was reading the same magazine he did the previous night.
Protoman again, went to the same page and turned it sideways to see the foldout. “Still very nice.”
“Protoman!” Wily screamed.
“What?” Protoman said. “I read it
for the articles!”
Wily snatched the magazine out
of his hands and looked at the page. He grumbled to himself. “Hmp! Articles
indeed!” He tossed it in the trash pail in the back of the room. He headed back
to his armchair and Protoman thought he heard Wily say something like “Very
nice.”
“What was that, sir?” Protoman smirked.
“Do you think we are ready to proceed?” Wily asked.
“Did you go through all of the changes and crap like that?”
“Yes, they understand. Or at least, they seem to.”
“Then why not? The sooner we start, the soon I get to leave!” Protoman chuckled. “Then I get to ‘read’ more from the magazines from under my bunk.”
Wily overheard what he said and began to laugh. “You mean that ‘secret’ stack under your bunk, I got rid of that this morning while you were preparing this room.”
“What!” Protoman nearly fell over. “How’d you know of that!? Who told you!?”
“I knew about it for months, I just didn’t bother with it until you decided to bring those filthy things in front of me.”
Starman and Quickman, who could hear nothing of what Wily and Protoman were discussing, were waiting for a response from Wily. “Hello!” Quickman called out at some point. “We’re still here, you know!”
“We are working on it you ninny!” Wily answered. “Are you ready for the trial run?” Starman and Quickman nodded. “Good. You will then be traveling to the hologram world. Even though it is only a hologram, it is real enough, so keep on your guard!”
“What? That doesn’t make any sense!” Starman said.
“Things will become clearer in time,” Wily said. “Protoman, activate Holo-Forest- Program: FS-00106. Droid count: one.”
Protoman punched a flurry of pads, switches, buttons and other commanding whatnot. At the end, he came to a big red dial, which was labeled Droid Count. He turned it slightly to the left and the number “1” appeared in a little slot above it. “Do you want a regular droid or something special?” he asked.
“Download Droid Program: Werewolfman.”
“Yes, sir,” Protoman said, finishing up a last few punching this, flipping that. “Ready for your go, sir.”
“Danger Room: Mission Download and activation commence!” Wily ordered.
Starman looked to his side and saw that the grids began to emit a strange rainbow glow. The glow began to dim and brightened shortly after. Soon there was a floating pattern of flashing lights spiraling around the room. The color began to fade as a bright white light engulfed the room. Now Starman and Quickman were against a white backdrop and the room they were in completely disappeared. A black round thing appeared on what was the northern wall. It spurted out what looked like tons of fuzzy pictures from a bad TV reception. It spread on all four walls and Starman jumped and lifted his foot when he saw something lift of the floor. It was small and mounted on a stem. To his left and right, tall pillars rose from the floors and the ceiling was being closed in. The world was coming to life. Starman and Quickman huddled in the middle of the room, in complete amazement of what was going on.
Then a blinding light filled the room, and when it receded, they were no longer in the Danger Room, or so they first thought. The room, which they were just at, is now a lush green forest. Quickman and Starman just looked at it in a silent awe at. Quickman began to wander around, looking at everything, marveling at the realism of it all. Starman took in the surroundings. Everything was life like. And not just the looks of it, too. He could hear birds chirping in the distance, the cries of certain animals, and it even had the smell of a forest. Starman knelt down and touched the bell of a small flower. It was blue, and had a velvet-like touch to it. He picked it and held it close to his nose. The smell was relaxing, since it was similar to lavender.
“This just can’t be a hologram,” Starman said, gently tossing the flower over his shoulder. “Everything is just way too real. It is like we were transported into a forest out into wilderness.”
“But everything is a hologram, Starman,” said Wily, his voice still being heard over the loud speaker. “You are still very much inside Skull Fortress.”
“But how? This is scene is just way too real,” Starman answered.
“This uses very specialized equipment that reads, scans and reacts with anything that was inside the room at the time the hologram was put up. It knows you are here. Everything you hear, see, and touch is not real. It can even replicate taste and smell to add to its authenticity. Even the droids that the program uses are holograms,” Wily explained.
“So it’s real, but not really,” Starman looked around him and ran off in one direction. “I know what’ll snap me back!”
Quickman saw Starman running aimlessly in some direction. “What are you doing?”
“The wall! If I find the wall, it’ll make me realize that I’m still in a room! And the wall is right—“ Starman flung his arm out. “—Here?” His arm cut thin air, and Starman spun, almost falling to the ground. “What the? There is supposed to be a wall here!”
Wily chuckled. “The hologram world can change slightly and seamlessly to make new parts of the world to always lead you to a new direction. There are no walls in the hologram world. This world can only be found here, and right now, you are part of that world. It does this by tricking your senses, sort of an optical illusion.”
“What about you?” asked Starman. “Are you here in this ‘world’ too?”
“Yeah,” Quickman agreed. “We can still hear your voice.”
“Even though the hologram no longer enables you to see Protoman nor I, we are still in the Danger Room, so I can still monitor you and communicate with you.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Starman said.
“So what are we to do?” Quickman asked.
“There is only one droid here, now, so you will sharpen your battle skills here,” Wily answered. “He should be arriving momentarily, so just relax for a spell.” Wily walked over to Protoman. “How is the download for Werewolfman coming?”
“Ready for your command,” Protoman
answered. “Deploy?”
“Yes,” Wily said. “It is time to
have some fun with those two.”
Starman had a seat on a log that was near him. “Now we wait.”
“This is boring!” Quickman said. “Bring on the mindless machine!”
“It is a hologram,” Starman corrected.
“You should know by now that I don’t pay attention,” Quickman said. “So bring on the hapless hologram!”
“Why must you do that?” Starman asked.
“Boredom,” he answered.
Boom. The cries of hundreds of birds filled the air. A colossal footstep scared everything in the entire forest. Starman looked up to see the canopy had disappeared in a one giant mass of fleeing birds. That last one came by and Quickman jumped out of the way, nearly getting hit by one of its “bombs.” Boom. Another one was heard. Right in front of them came a heard of deer. They zipped past, between and over both Starman and Quickman with great agility. The leader of the heard had antlers that were huge, a sign of great wisdom. He jumped and cleared both of them in one bound. Boom. Boom. Boom. The steps became louder as they got closer. They saw a dark figure walk towards them. Boom. Boom. With every step Quickman and Starman got even more frightened.
Stopping just right in front of them was a terrifying wolf beast. It was large, gray, and had a mouth full of fangs. Its eyes were yellow, and it showed no pupils. It reared back his head and gave a roar that followed into a howl that sent chills up Starman’s spine, another new sensation to him. He had been scared before, but not like this. The wolf’s eyes met theirs and he made a low, angry growl and snorted. His breath smelt of a mixture of blood and yuck, not a please fragrance.
“Starman, Quickman,” Wily said. “This is Werewolfman. He will be your opponent today.”
“Quickman,” Starman began.
“Yeah?” Quickman answered.
“We’re in a hologram world, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And that means everything but us is a hologram, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So that means nothing is real, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And this guy’s just a hologram, too, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So, technically, he really can’t hurt us, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So, what are we afraid of?”
Quickman pointed to Werewolfman. “Him.”
Starman gulped. “Yeah.”
Werewolfman raised its claw into the air preparing to strike our heroes. Wily, watching what was going on, was jumping in his armchair; impatiently waiting for them to make a move. “MOBILIZE YOU FOOLS! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!”
Starman snapped back and realized what was happening, he then pushed Quickman out of the way just as the claw came smashing down. Werewolfman roared and ran after them.
“What now?” asked Quickman.
“We fight!” Starman answered.
Quickman started to run as fast as he could and ran vertically up the side of a tree and jumped towards Werewolfman, landing a huge kick to its jaw. “Yeah, do ya like them apples?” Quickman said as he landed, savoring his glory of landing a surprise attack.
“How about we win before we begin to gloat, huh?” Starman said.
“Well I don’t see you doing anything!” Quickman retorted.
Starman ran up and drove his elbow into Werewolfman’s gut then planted a beautiful punch to the beast’s face. “There, is that good enough for y—“ Starman got cut off as the beast’s claw smashed itself against Starman, sending him flying. He landed, but after hitting a tree branch and falling off a log. “That was painful…” Painful indeed. In fact, that was the worst he ever felt. His arm went numb since he banged his elbow pretty hard. He stood up, rubbing his chest, which was the intial point of impact. “Eat this fluffy!”
He ran up, only to be pushed out of the way by Quickman, who then using his specialized leg speed, landed a flurry of kicks on Werewolfman.
“What was that for?” asked Starman.
“Just repaying you for earlier,” Quickman answered.
“Thanks.”
“No prob.”
“This is no good,” said Wily, “They
need to learn that their opponents will not be able to fall with a few good
punches. How many upgrades does Werewolfman have?”
“Two, sir,” Protoman answered.
“Download Upgrade Number One,” Wily ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Protoman went to work.
Werewolfman was encased in a bright egg-shaped light. When he emerged from the case, he gained armor over his shoulder, spiked and balled it was. It gnarled around to his waist, covering his torso in steel. Instead of clawed paws, he now has hands in which his claws were mounted upon his knuckles. He also gained a slight bit more headgear with an addition of a small helmet. He roared and charged Starman and Quickman. Ducking out in time, Quickman rushed towards him and punched him square in the chest. But not knowing of the addition of the armor, that attack left his hand throbbing in pain.
“Holy armor, Starman,” Quickman began, “Wolfy 2.0!”
“I can see that!” Starman said. “Now what?”
“Use your weapons! Attack with lasers and such!” Wily advised.
Quickman readied his Boomerang Launchers and launched a few a Werewolfman. The blasts hit Werewolfman and the laser Boomerangs exploded upon contact, showering the area around Werewolfman in sparks. Starman, following Quickman’s example, shot a few from his Buster, with similar results, only a little bit slower.
“Protoman, fire Claw Projectiles!” ordered Wily.
“Aye, sir!” Protoman pressed a button labeled “Auto-target” and a screen showing the action taking place in the hologram world popped up. “Identify target.” A tracker appeared and he moved the tracker to Quickman. “Target found.” He then pressed a button labeled “FIRE.” “Missiles, launch!”
The claws mounted upon the hands of Werewolfman launched towards Quickman. Quickman had seen what was coming, so he took off like a flash. He was able to avoid them all, with the nearly missing and exploding behind him.
“Ha! Ha! Is that the best—OOF!” Quickman wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing, and ran into Starman. “Ouch… I guess you can feel pain here…”
“You’re a genius, Quickman. DID YOU HAVE TO USE ME TO FIGURE THAT OUT!?” Starman said.
“No, I saw you fall from that tree, so I prepared myself for pain,” Quickman giggled.
“That’s nice,” Starman said. “BUT COULD YOU GET OFF OF MY BACK!”
“Fire round two!” Wily barked.
“Yes, sir!” Protoman went back to the computer. “Reload projectiles and Identify new target.” He again hit the “Auto-target” button and mover the tracker this time to Starman. “Target found.” He pressed the “FIRE” button. “Missiles fire round two!”
The claws reloaded with a “chink”-like sound and fired at Starman, who was still pinned by Quickman. Seeing what was going on, he quickly stood, throwing Quickman off of him, and pulled out his Star Shield, deflecting all of Werewolfman's shots. He readied his Buster. “Quickman, fire at will!”
“Who’s Will?” Quickman asked.
“YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN! NOW FIRE!” Starman said.
“Sorry,” Quickman got out his Boomerang Launchers. “Rapid Boomerang Thrash!”
Quickman immediately started drilling Werewolfman with blinding blizzards of Buster bullets. Starman jumped in to, and it seemed that victory was near.
“Wily, sir,” Protoman said. “Werewolfman is getting bombarded with opposing fire. What course of action will you take?”
“Upgrade to its final form, Proto,” Wily said. “Let’s really give them a trial run.” Wily chuckled.
“Right away, sir,” Protoman said as he went to work.
Werewolfman was again engulfed in the same light, but when he emerged this time, he could have passed for a new Robot Master. His body was more humanoid, than beast like, and he was covered in a thick brownish armor. His one hand still had the mounted claws, but his other was a Buster, a large one at that.
“Keep firing!” Starman said. Starman fired several shots, only to have each deflected by a counter shot from Werewolfman’s Buster.
“He’ll never block these!” Quickman said, restarting his barrage. It would have worked, if Werewolfman hadn’t shot out of his Buster a huge laser beam.
“This is nice,” Starman said sarcastically.
“What now?” Quickman asked. “Wolfenstein 3.0 is way too tough!”
“Not nearly as tough as you think,” Wily said. “Protoman, attack them with the Howling Thunderbeam!”
“Yes sir,” Protoman said. “But how do you come up with names for these things?”
Wily smirked. “Call it a gift. NOW
FIRE THE HOWLING THUNDERBEAM!”
“Right away!”
Werewolfman howled terribly and his Buster began to charge. His lips curled up into a malicious grin, as a gigantic sphere appeared just at the mouth of his Buster. He fired a huge, gigantic beam bluish colored that ran straight toward our helpless heroes. Quickman, paralyzed with fear, just stood there. Starman got out his shield and jumped in front. The beam split where it hit the shield, but it still came. Strong. He walked desperately and struggled to get to Werewolfman, but after a long, arduous fight, be reached Werewolfman’s Buster. Reaching to the ground, his hand caught a rock and he stuffed it into the Buster, which backed up its system, which made it self-destruct.
“Now! Now!” Wily yelled.
“Now what?” asked Quickman.
“USE YOU SPECIAL WEAPONS!” Wily said, his patience growing thin.
Starman stepped out, only to be stopped by Quickman. Quickman chuckled at Starman. “Me first, you second.” Quickman placed his palms facing one another and shot two Boomerangs. He caught the blasts and molded it using his hands into one huge Boomerang. “Sonic Boomerang!” He thrusted the Boomerang at Werewolfman, causing a huge explosion. “Finish him, Starro!”
Starman nodded. He put the hand with the Star Shield onto the wrist of the Buster. A particle charge was visible as his Buster started to gain power. “Star Crash!” He shot a laser in the shape of a shooting star directly at Werewolfman. Hit with pinpoint accuracy. “We have victory!”
Indeed they did, but as soon as they were absorbed into the fireworks of the exploding Werewolfman, the world disappeared. They were back into the Danger Room, as they had entered it.
“What happened?” asked Starman.
“You have completed your mission,” Wily explained. “That was a great show, you have done well.”
“Hey,” Quickman said, “do you noticed something… weird?”
“No, what?” Starman replied.
“Well, in the hologram world, we were a little further apart,” explained Quickman. “Now that we’ve returned, it looks like we barley moved…”
Starman looked down and noticed that he was right. “How can this be? It seemed that we covered quite a bit of distance in the hologram world. How can that be?” Starman winced, still feeling the pain from Werewolfman’s attack and Quickman’s blunder. “And how come I still ache?”
“The pain is real,” Wily explained. “As for your placement ordeal, if you remember what I said before, when you tried to find the wall, I said it was a type of optical illusion. It changes so little and so seamlessly, that you think that something new has happened, while in real life, you barely moved a muscle. You fired real ammo, and you have felt real pain. That is only the real in the hologram world.”
“It’s all too real for me,” Starman said.
“Ditto,” added Quickman.
“Are you all already for the next mission? Yes? Good!” Wily said.
“You didn’t even give us time to answer you!” said Quickman.
“You would have had to go through with it anyway, no matter what you would have said,” Wily turned to Protoman. “Activate Holo-City Program CT-00126384.45T Droid Count: 500.”
“No can do, sir,” Protoman reported.
“What? Why not?”
Protoman pointed to a chart to his left. “Those two gave the program quite a run for its money. It seems that we don’t have enough power to run this with them for another week. If we try to do, the whole system could self-destruct and takes us all with it.”
Wily grumbled something inaudible in German, and he sounded quite mad. “Alright, change of plans. Do you think that we could go with our mission a few days ahead?”
“I do, sir, and with me in charge—“ Protoman began, but he was cut off by an angry stare from Wily.
“They will be in charge of the entire mission,” Wily said, pointing to Starman and Quickman.
Protoman smirked. “Yes, of course.” He chuckled. “Then once they mess up, I’ll be number one again.”
“So be it,” Wily said. “Be ready, we will begin briefing promptly at 08:00 tomorrow. You are dismissed until then.”
“Do you want us to spread the word?” Starman asked.
“No, I will have Protoman do that,” answered Wily.
“Why me?” asked Protoman.
“Because I said so!” Wily sighed. “Now shut down the Danger Room. After you have told all of the Masters, go and rest, we will have a long day tomorrow.”
Starman walked down the hallway to his dorm with Quickman by his side, grumping and groaning with each step. “I am definitely going to feel this in the morning…”
“Really? My pain is almost gone!” Quickman said. “But of course, I didn’t fall off of a tree and land on a log.”
“Exactly,” Starman said.
Quickman yawned. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for a little sleep mode.”
“Me, too, catch ya later,” said Starman as the two went their own ways. ”Uh, and Quickman?
“Yeah?”
“You come banging on my door at
five in the morning again and you will find my Buster shoved up places that you
don’t want it!”
Quickman laughed. “Right. Good
night!” Quickman walked off.
Starman walked down the hall and went into his room. He climbed onto his bunk and checked his clock. It was close to nine, a little early for him to go to bed, but he was bushed. He shut his eyes, but he found it incredibly difficult to snap into sleep mode. After what seemed like hours of just lying there, he looked over at his clock.
“9:01,” he said. “Just wonderful.”
He got out of bed and made his way into the hallway, where he began to roam around. He walked for a little while, then all of a sudden; he just stopped and looked down. For the first time, he noticed the metallic sound of his steel armor against the metal floor. In the busy, rushing mood of everyday activity, it got drowned out by other noises, but mostly by Wily screaming at his robot army. Now in the quiet of early night, it echoed throughout the cavernous halls of Skull Fortress.
“I feel like Quickman right now,” Starman said, joking about Quickman’s night habit. “You know, I’ll bet a little fresh air will clear my head.”
He headed to the main entrance and went outside. He took a seat in the grass of the courtyard and looked up into the night sky. It was a clear and cloudless night, and the stars shone brilliantly while the mighty, ivory moon stood watch over the world at sleep.
“I never realized how peaceful it is this time of night,” Starman thought aloud. “It’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop.” His tone just changed out of nowhere, like a storm on a summer’s night. “What’s wrong with me? I’ve never acted like this before. I never looked at the night sky and saw it like this before. I’ve never felt pain that strong and one that lingers for this long.” he stood up and headed for his dorm. “I could look in any mirror and see a Starman looking back at me, but it wouldn’t be me. The face, the armor will be as I remember it, but the eyes that look back at me are not the eyes I remember. When I look into them, they seem to pierce my very flesh and dig deep into my mind. I see them full of emotion and deep with thought. I remember my eyes being, dull, flat, just optical sensors. Why do they seem to teem with life now?” He entered his dorm and checked the clock. “9:48.” He sighed. “Maybe it’s just the sleepiness talking, but I feel like there’s more to it than I want to believe.” He laid his head onto his pillow and drifted into a dreamless sleep.
****
The next morning, Starman awoke refreshed and renewed. He awoke to feel that all of the pain he had felt had gone away. He went into the hall to see Quickman walking up the hall. “Morning, Quickie!” he said.
“Hey!” Quickman replied. “I was just on my way to get you up.”
“Why are you up so early?” Starman asked.
“Remember when we got in trouble for doing chores when we weren’t supposed to?” Quickman asked.
“Yeah,” Starman answered, “but that was all of your fault.”
“Whatever,” Quickman said. “Anyhoo, Wily said that after our training yesterday, I would have to go to his study and gain smarts to fill this empty head with, but he forgot about it yesterday. So, he came to my door and banged on it at five in the morning to make up lost time. So, here I am.”
“Seems like you’ve had a busy morning,” Starman said.
“Yeah,” Quickman said. “C’mon, we need to get to the Hall of Order to meet with Wily and all of the others for briefing on the mission.”
“So what boring things did he make you read there?” Starman asked, making their way to the Hall of Order.
“Actually, some of the junk was pretty interesting,” Quickman answered. “He has a lot of psychology books in his study, surprisingly enough. I would have thought it would have been textbooks he stole from his Robot Building 101 class.”
“Really?” Starman asked. Quickman nodded. Starman continued. “Have you noticed something weird lately about Wily?”
“No more than usual, why?”
“Well, it seems that he has been putting all of his time and efforts into understanding the human mind. Do you find that disturbing in anyway?”
“No,” Quickman chuckled. “He’s Wily. What more do you want? He’s a senile old man going bonkers!”
“I guess you’re right, Quick, for once,” Starman said.
Quickman laughed. “I can’t be wrong all of the time, you see. I can be smart.”
“Never you said you weren’t.”
“That’s true, too.”
They entered the Hall of Order and took their seats. Wily had an elaborate set up for huge explanation on what was to unfold later today. Charts, maps, graphs, names, numbers, and everything else just spewed around the place. You’d think that there was some really bad business meeting going to happen in a few minutes.
Metalman, Cutman, and Iceman came and took a seat next to our heroes. “I hear you had a good fight with a hologram monster that nearly kicked your asses!” Metalman said, trying not to laugh.
“Yeah,” Cutman said. “I heard his
claws almost cut you up!”
“Yeah, whatever!” Quickman said.
“But the thing is, he didn’t kick our asses, we just busted ours to kick his!”
“Sure, sure,” Iceman said. “Do
guys have any idea when Wily’s going to start this blasted meeting! I wanna go
back to finish my game!”
“What are you working on this time?” Starman asked.
“My best yet!” Iceman replied. “Fantasy the Final: Chronicles of Crystal!”
“Don’t you mean Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles?” Metalman asked.
“No! Wait… NOT AGAIN!” Iceman was crest fallen.
Just then, Wily walked in front. “Good morning,” he began. “I hope you all got a good night’s sleep last night, because today will be a day of great toil for us all. Our mission here is to storm Mega City and flush out Megaman. We will divide ourselves into two squads: The Attack Squad, and the Support Squad. They will be functioned as their names suggested. The Attack Squad will go and carry out the mission, while the Support Squad handles everything else from the control room.” He walked over to a giant map of Mega City. He pulled a device out of his pocket and with a press of a button, it became a pointer. “The Attack Squad will enter Mega City from the southern-most point at the entrance of highway 25. From then on, the two commanders will command the squad to go into any one of the city’s many main streets and to begin the attack. The goal for this portion is to weave through the city until we get to this spot in the northern part where I figure Megaman to be just arriving. When the Attack Squad and Megaman both reach the same spot, war begins and all hell should break lose. Overpower him with a bombardment of attacks, and weapons and pure strength. If you need help, some of the Support Squad will come to your aid. Your goal is to destroy him as efficient as possible.” He pulled up a ranking list. “The commanders of the Attack Squad will be Starman and Quickman. Going with him will be Protoman, Gutsman, Metalman, Cutman and Shadowman. The Support Squad will be everyone else, with me in charge. That is the basic layout of our mission. You have one hour to prepare yourselves. The Support Squad will meet in the control room on the third floor and the Attack Squad will meet here. Starman, Quickman, see me before you go. Dismissed.”
“What’s up, sir?” asked Starman.
“I need to give you a couple of things before you go,” Wily said. “Here, these are communication headphones. Using these, we can communicate with each other. This is how new orders will get around. You can also use them to give orders to the rest of your squad. There is one for each member of the Attack Squad. This is only for you Starman.” Wily hands Starman a round device with a green button on it. “This is a transporter. Press the button and it will transport all of you back into this room. This will only be used if the mission fails and you absolutely must turn back. But, you will not fail.”
“I understand sir,” Starman said.
“Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you,” Wily’s eyes became as black as coal as he leaned closer to them. “Anything or anyone that gets into your way must be eliminated. Do you understand that? Anything or anyone must be destroyed. Destroy all in you path, for many will seek to stop this. This mission will be our day of reckoning. Failure is not an option! Is all of this completely clear? If not, resign you position now.”
“I understand sir, crystal,” Starman said.
“Crystal,” Quickman said.
“Good,” Wily looked at his watch. “You have forty-five minutes left before the mission, use it wisely.” Wily then headed form the control room upstairs.
“Wow this is so cool!” Quickman said, barely able to contain himself.
“You have got to settle down, Quickman,” said Starman in a serous tone. “We have been given immense responsibility in the succession of this mission. If we fail, not only will we bring shame to ourselves, but Wily will probably rip us apart.”
“I know that, but still! Aren’t you excited?” Quickman asked.
“More nervous, than anything,” Starman replied. “How much time do we have left I wonder.”
“Not too long,” Quickman replied. “About ten minutes. Do you just want to head back to the Hall of Order?”
“Yeah,” Starman said. “There’s that feeling again…”
Soon all of the Attack Squad was rounded up in the Hall of Order. Quickman was handing out the communicators and showing how to use them. Starman was waiting patiently for Wily’s word to go. Next to them was a giant teleporter, which has been set to the exact coordinates of the beginning of their mission.
Wily entered the room and quickly ran over again what was to be expected from the team. With a final nod, he sent them off.
Their starting was a deserted highway at the base of the city, highway 25. Starman and Quickman stood side by side, as five anxious bots stood behind them, waiting for the command to attack. The wind howled eerily as they waited for Wily’s voice over the headset.
“Home Base calling Star and Quick. Home base calling Star and Quick. Do you copy? Over,” That was Wily talking over the communicator, running one last test of the equipment.
“This is Star, I copy, over.”
“This is Quick, I copy, too, over.”
“Remember,” Wily said. “This is going to have to be the biggest and most hostile of all attacks! I want to Megaman and Mega City to fall today! After this, I will rule. No one is to stand in your way, be them robot, man, woman, or child. Is that clear? Commence the operation now!”
“Alright you heard the man,” Starman said. “Gutsman, Cutman, take the east. Metalman, Shadowman, take the west. Protoman, take the south. Move! Move! Move!”
“Aye, aye, Sir!” They said as they moved out.
Quickman nodded to Starman. “We head north, let’s move out.”
They initiated attack and began their assault. Their targets were several major buildings full of influential government officials and a few random houses or places. Their main mission is to cause as much panic as possible to draw out Megaman and overwhelm him with numbers and power, as explained by Wily.
“Gutsman,” Starman ordered. “Strike with your Iron Fist at three o’ clock!”
“Got ya, boss!” Gutsman answered.
Gutsman clanked his mighty hands together and fired them outwards. The Iron Fists hit and crashed through several buildings and hit a car that was sent flying. It landed on top of another car with an explosion
“Metalman! Fire your Steel Saws!” Quickman said. “Aim for the street at a 32.5 degree angle!”
What Quickman did was actually pretty smart. He knew that there was a water main right below him. Metalman eventually made a gaping hole in the concrete, and pierced the water main, sending a wall of water down the street.
Protoman stood on top of a building looking down upon the city. “I should have been the one to do this. Look at the terrible job they're doing. I can’t believe what bumblers were put in charge. If they’d think for a minute, they’d realize hat this would not be the best way to frighten the world into surrender. I would have known that.” Protoman smirked. “Heh! This outta stir up a little trouble!” Protoman aimed his Buster a group of fleeing civilians. “I’ll see you in hell!” Protoman opened fire upon defenseless bystanders. “Last time I got to wreck this much havoc on one place was in my dreams!” Protoman laughed as his attack continued.
Starman and Quickman suddenly froze and gazed at the horror, which was taking place in front of them. What they have done was issued an attack on the city, showing no mercy and to destroy anything in their path. People included. They saw Gutsman and Cutman destroy buildings and structures with hundreds of people may have been in. They saw Metalman and Shadowman destroy cars, buses, some of which were also full of people. Then there was Protoman’s crazy act. All Starman and Quickman could do was stand there as the massacre unfolded in front of them. All around them was the screaming of helpless citizens who were running for their very lives.
Starman then heard a small sound. He didn’t know what it was at first, but it grew louder as he focused upon it. It was the sound of a small child, an infant. All other sound soon was drowned out by the sound of this child. Even Wily’s ranting was soft, and barley heard. He looked around to find where it was coming from, and it was coming from a small pile of rubble to his right.
“Stop this! All of you get back here on the double!” Starman said as he ran over to the rubble.
“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!? GET BACK ON THE ATTACK! MEGA—“ Starman cut off Wily by turning off his headset.
Starman looked at Gutsman who had just arrived. “Dig out whoever’s trapped inside.”
Gutsman dug until he found a baby, trapped amongst the rubble, with a pair of hands, firmly grasped around the baby’s waist. The child was crying heavily, and it looked hurt. Gutsman still dug, and found that the hands belonged to a woman, most likely the child’s mother.
Quickman knelt down and checked for the women’s vital signs. He got up and sighed. He shook his head solemnly. “She’s dead. It’s a miracle the child’s still alive.”
“That woman sacrificed herself to save this child…” Starman picked up the child and held it in his arms.
The baby stopped crying and looked at Starman with wide, wet eyes. Starman felt his whole being blown apart. He now realized that what he had been doing as work for years, has done this to many people. Wily said to destroy all that oppose him, be them robot, man, woman or child…and he actually did that. This is just one woman out of an entire city, what should it matter? He couldn’t help think about who she was, or why she did put herself in the way of this child, be it her baby or not. It matters because she made the ultimate sacrifice to save one life, while he ended so many others. It matters because they never had a chance to live, and that they died over one man’s greed.
“MONSTERS!” cried a man and another woman on the sidewalk. “HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS!? DO YOU HAVE ANY CLUE ON HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU KILLED!? EVEN MINDLESS DROIDS MUST FEEL SOME KIND OF REGRET FOR THIS! MONSTERS!”
Starman looked at them. Monsters. Him… Starman… a… a… monster. He looked back down to the child in his arms, who now has fallen asleep. He walked over to the man and woman. Gently, he placed the child into their arms.
“Please, I beg of you, take care of this child! Make sure, too, that this brave woman gets a proper burial, as well with the rest of the dead. We will leave now, and never return. Just make sure this child lives.” Starman got out the teleportation device and had everyone returned back to the Hall of Order.
Once back, they found Wily waiting for them. His back was turned, and he didn’t speak for the longest time. “Gutsman, Protoman, Metalman, and Cutman. You are free to go. As for you, Starman and Quickman, you are to follow me to my study.” He turned around and his eyes were dead fixed on Starman’s eyes. He gaze ate away at Starman’s armor and burrowed deep into his mind, sending a cold wave of fear through him.
Wily sat down in his chair and started to angrily tap on his desk. The only sound in the room was his tapping and the slow tick-tock of his grandfather clock. His eyes still fixed on Starman, not blinking and filled with anger. His tapping stopped and he leaned forward. “Would you care to explain to me your actions out there?”
“You ordered us to attack Mega City, but why did we have to go through and destroy everything and anything? You probably wiped out have of the city’s population with that assault!” Starman answered. “I had to stop it! It was barbaric!”
“And ruin my greatest plan in the process? In a few moments Megaman would have been there and we would have won!” Wily said.
“Do you realize the number of civilian deaths out there?” Starman argued.
“Yes, but in order to strike fear into the hearts of my enemies, there must be a few sacrifices,” Wily answered.
“A few!? There was a least a couple thousand people in some of those buildings!” Starman said.
“All the better,” Wily said. “Just a little more less I have to worry about when I take over.”
“How can you be this cold!?”
Wily groaned angrily. “I will soon be ruler of this world, and I alone decides who will live and who will die!”
Starman clenched his fist. “Can’t you just attack Light’s base and take out everything inside?”
“Do you have any clue how strong his defenses are?” Wily asked. “I would have better luck burrowing through concrete with a plastic spoon!”
“You could trick him!” Starman
suggested. “Give him something!”
“Oh great,” Wily said. “I’ll go
up to his door with a heart shaped box full of chocolates!”
“Well, candies today become cavities tomorrow…” Quickman smiled sheepishly and could feel his cheeks turning red. He desperately tired to lighten the moods of those two, but he failed miserably.
“Oh, wonderful,” Wily became sarcastic. “I’ll just take a few years and TORTURE THEM WITH TOOTH DECAY! BRILLIANT!” Wily groaned angrily. “I don’t know where you get it Quickman, but if I had the chance, I would have taken you apart and rebuilt you years ago! But I decided to keep you! How I loathe that mistake of mine!”
“Leave him out of this!” Starman yelled. “This is between you and me! He has nothing to do with this! At least he’s trying to find a peaceful means of getting through this!”
Wily stood up and slammed his hands against his desk. “Peaceful ways won’t get me anywhere!”
“WELL IT’S DEFINITELY A LOT BETTER THAN WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DO!” Starman snapped.
“That is IT!” Wily was now screaming. “I WANT YOU TWO OUT OF MY FACE! YOU ARE BOTH CONFINED TO YOUR DORMS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! THE ONLY TIME YOU WILL COME OUT IS FOR YOUR DAILY 12 HOUR TRAINING SESSIONS! I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR YOU QUESTION ME AGAIN! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?”
“Crystal,” Starman and Quickman said gruffly.
“GOOD!” Wily said as he sat back into his chair. “Now get out of my sight. You disgust me.”
Starman fought hard to keep down the temptation to get out his Buster and hit Wily between the eyes, because that would be resorting to his type of monstrosity. They exited the study to find a large group of Robot Masters huddling around the area. They were all murmuring and muttering at what had just happened and what they heard. On the way to his dorm, Starman passed Protoman.
“Smooth move, ace,” Protoman said, snickering.
“Shut up, Protoman,” Starman said. “I’m not really in the mood.”
“It’s a shame,” Protoman said. “Now, if I were in charge, that wouldn’t have happened, but no! Wily had to go and give the leadership responsibilities to you! Every chance I get to finally prove my worth someone else gets it! Even though he keeps saying I’m his right hand bot! It’s wrong! I should be the one giving orders to the likes of you!”
“I know your jealous, Protoman,” said Starman, “but shove it and save it for another time!” Starman said as he stormed off.
“Jealous!” Protoman said. “Hmp!”
Starman entered his dorm and slammed his door and nearly everything on his wall fell down. He went and opened his window and let out a scream. It made him feel better, but he still ached. Not physically, but mentally. The picture of that child and of the woman still was fresh in his mind, and was eating away at Starman. Then a thing just zoomed downward passed Starman’s window. It climbed back up a short way and he noticed it was Quickman.
“What are you doing?” asked Starman.
“I’m leaving!” Quickman said. “I want nothing more to do with this place. You coming?”
Starman thought about it for a few seconds. “Slide down, I’m coming.” the both reached the bottom and Quickman cut the line. “Where are we going to go now?” asked Starman.
“I don’t know, but we’ll find out once we get there,” Quickman said as he started off. But unknown to Starman and Quickman, they were being watched.
“Dr. Wily, sir,” Protoman called over a headset. “Starman and Quickman are flying the coop. Should I call the others?”
“I knew this would eventually happen,” Wily sighed. “Get a team together and chase after them. I want them brought back by any means, just do not destroy them!”
“Yes sir!” Protoman ran to a receiver and hit an alarm button. “Warning! Warning! Prisoners are escaping! Seal off all exits and block any path to Mega City! Gutsman, Iceman, and Metalman, report back here on the double! Over.”
“We’re being followed!” Quickman said.
“I know that! I heard the announcement too!” Starman replied.
“No, I mean they’re here already!”
“Damn!” Starman growled with annoyance. “Less talking, more running!”
The chasers were quickly gaining ground on our heroes. “I want them taken down by any means necessary! Hurt them if needed, just don’t completely destroy them!” Protoman ordered.
“Wonderful!” Starman said. “How did we ever get into this mess?”
“I know that one!” Quickman said.
“That was a rhetorical question, Quick,” Starman said. “It wasn’t meant to be answered!”
Just in front, nets shot forth from the ground and were going to fall right on Starman and Quickman. They went a different way around them and were able to dodge them with simple ease.
“Buster ready! Fire at will!” Protoman barked.
All at once, a wave of lasers came zinging at Starman and Quickman. Starman, thinking fast, went behind Quickman and pulled up his Star Shield while running backwards. The shots bounced off the shield and they were unhurt, for now.
“Load Blast Nets!” Protoman ordered.
Blast Nets are little orbs that you can load into a Buster or firing machine. Once fired, it’ll open after a brief time in the air or if it hits something. If it touches something, it’ll wrap around it tightly, making escape impossible.
“FIRE!”
All four launched a net, three of them missed, but Protoman’s hit Quickman and grabbed him. “AAAUGHH!” Quickman said as he fell to the ground with a thud.
“QUICKMAN!” Starman wasn’t paying attention to where he was going and stumbled, falling face first onto the ground. “QUICKMAN NO!”
“Starman run! RUN!” Quickman was being picked up by Gutsman and taken away. “Run! It’s up to you now! You are the only one left to fight! Fight for everlasting peace!”
Starman looked at him and nodded quickly and took off with Protoman close behind. “I’m never going to out run him!” Starman thought. “He’s way faster than—WHOA!”
Starman was grabbed by the wrist and hoisted into the air. He looked up to see a blue hand holding him tightly. The hand was attached to a blue body riding on a red something. Starman gasped when he realized who it was. It was the one and only Megaman and his robot-pup Rush! Why would he save Starman?
“Mega Buster charge and fire!” Megaman said, charging a shot. He aimed for Protoman and fired a few good blasts. “We are leaving!” Megaman said to Starman.
“Wait, what about Quickman?” Starman asked, looking down at his captured comrade.
“There’s no time, we’re outta here!” Megaman said, as the three of them flew off.
“Blast!” Protoman said, slamming his fist onto the ground. “I was so close. Mark my words, Starman, I will get my revenge for this.” He turned to Gutsman who had Quickman hoisted over his shoulders. Protoman smirked. “At least I won’t come back empty handed. Heh! All right! Let’s move out!”
Megaman landed in an alleyway, far out of the clutches of Protoman. “Are you all right?” Megaman asked.
“I think so…” Starman jumped up and poised himself in a defensive position. “Are you going to destroy me?”
“Why would I do that?” Megaman asked.
“Well, for one, we have been mortal enemies for years now,” Starman said. “Two, you have me all alone and you could easily kick my can. Three—“
“I get it,” Megaman said. “I’m not here to hurt you, but to help you. Dr. Light wants to see you and talk to you. He wanted Quickman, too, but our plans got a little messed up obviously.”
“Why does he want to talk?” Starman asked, still nervous about this.
“Look, I’m not to sure myself,” Megaman replied, “but you’re just going to have to trust me.”
Starman nodded, and Megaman showed Starman the rest of the way to Light’s headquarters.
“What do you mean he got away!?”
Wily screamed, throwing a folder in utter anger at Protoman, nearly taking off
the robot’s head with it.
“Well, sir…” Protoman started.
“Well? OUT WITH IT!”
“Megaman interfered,” Protoman said. “If it wasn’t for him, we would have caught Starman as well.”
“It is always that blasted Megaman’s fault!” Wily rubbed his forehead a little and mumbled to himself. “This could be a bad thing if Starman and Light join forces! This is just perfect.”
“It wasn’t a total loss, sir,” Protoman added.
“What?”
“We lost Starman, yes however, we did manage to retrieve Quickman.”
“You did, did you?” Wily laughed. “Good! Then my research can continue and that ensures Starman will return.”
“Research?” Protoman said. “And are you sure that Starman will come back?”
“Yes, I am sure. As for my
research, you will find out soon to come, Proto. Now come! We have work to do!”
Starman, for the first time, entered the headquarters of Dr. Light. He was lead to a large lab near the entrance of the place. It was like standard labs, white, and full of equipment that would be used to tamper with things, the basic stuff like that. Standing next to a counter was a jolly-looking man with snow-white hair and beard. He was plump, a little round, too, and wore a lab coat to match his hair. That was Dr. Light. He was Dr. Wily’s instructor for many years before Wily became, well, wily… and evil.
“Ah, good, Megaman,” Light said as
he came forth. “I see our mission was a success! But where is Quickman?”
“We lost him,” Megaman answered.
“Oh, dear,” he said, shaking his head. “That is terrible news. At least one of them made it through.”
“What’s going to happen?” asked a nervous Starman.
“There’s no need to be frightened, Starman,” Light said. “We are here to help.”
“Yeah,” said a tiny little voice. Behind Light, on the counter he was standing next to was a girl, another robot that went by the name of Roll. She is Megaman’s “sister” in the sense that she was created by the same person. She looked to be no more than five years old and her appearance was that of peace. She was innocent. She had long blonde hair, which touched her waist and was tied into a ponytail by a bright pink bow. She also had a dress that matched her bow and baby blue shoes to cover her tiny feet. “Hi!” she said. “My name’s Roll! Who are you?” She hopped off the counter and ran up to Light. “Well? Do you have a name?”
Starman couldn’t answer. All he could do was look into the eyes of the girl. This is the first time he had ever seen a robot that wasn’t created for war or fighting. There was nothing about her appearance that looked like a weapon. This robot could have easily passed for a human child and could have walked in the world of humans… accepted, unlike Starman. To humans, he was a monster.
“You don’t have a name do you?” Roll asked.
Starman smiled. “No, I have a name. I’m Starman. Pleased to meet you.”
Roll giggled. “I like that name!”
“Roll, go run along now,” Light said. “I have to talk with Starman.”
“’Kay!” she said running off.
“Megaman, you may go about your business,” Light said. Megaman nodded and he ran off. Light cleared his throat. “Starman, would you accompany me to another lab?”
Starman nodded. Light’s headquarters seemed to be just as big, if not bigger than Skull Fortress, but it was somehow easier for Starman to find his way around the place. Unlike Skull Fortress when he had to wander around for a while to find a place he has never been to.
“What do you think?” asked Light.
“Wow,” Starman spurt out. “After what Wily said to me, I thought this thing would be packed with anti-aircraft guns, missiles, energy shields, you know, the works, but there’s nothing.”
“What did he say?” asked Light.
“He said that you have the most impenetrable force on the face of the planet,” Starman said.
“I don’t,” Light said. “Wily’s just too stupid to figure out that overwhelming force will not win all battles, and that’s how I was able to beat him only using Megaman. He does not understand the concept of less is more.”
“I see nothing that is war like here,” Starman said. “And I must admit, that Roll was the first Robot I had ever seen made to be innocent.”
“I did that on purpose,” Light said. “I wanted the world to better understand that not all robots are deadly weapons. Roll is my greatest example, for she is programmed to act like a five year old child, therefore creating a sense of innocence and peace.” Light stopped at a door and opened it using a password. “Well, here we are.”
They entered a lab, similar to the other one, with slightly less equipment. “Why’d we come here? It seems to be exactly the same as the other one.”
“This area is a little more
private, and I don’t want anything we say here to leak out,” Light said. “Do
you know why we came to get you?”
“I can only imagine why,” said
Starman.
“Megaman was sent out to stop the attack on Mega City and stopped when he picked up strange radio signals. It was Wily screaming at you for stopping the attack. He then saw you rescue that child and cease the attack on the city and then retreat. He went over to Skull Fortress and spied on the argument between Wily, Quickman, and you. We knew that if we could get you out of there, you could help stop his madness forever.”
Starman sighed. “Why do you want a monster like me? I’m not a human, and I ‘m not a robot… I’m in between… I’m a monster.”
“No,” Light said. “I know all about the Conscience Circuit he installed. And that is the sole reason why this has happened. If you didn’t have it, you would have gone through yet another attack with out hesitation. This circuit is a window of opportunity to patch up the past and will help give the gift of trust between people and robots. Will you help me?”
Starman sat in thought for the longest time. Go against his former master? How could he? It goes against all that he had been programmed to do, after all, a robot can never hurt his master in any way. But he was different… He has the ability to think for himself. He can tell right from wrong, something Wily can’t even do. But without Quickman, he’d be nothing. How could he go on with out Quickman? “I will do it,” he answered at last. “But I want to go and save Quickman first.”
“Agreed,” said Light. “I wanted to do the very same thing, but I was waiting merely waiting for you to ask for help.”
“But I want to go alone,” Starman said.
“We won’t have to go with you, but we can still make sure your mission goes without a hitch,” Light said. “We can monitor what happens inside of a control room. What do you say? You on the feild and with Megaman, Roll—“
“Roll?” Starman shot Light a confused look. “I thought Roll was made for peaceful means?”
“She does not fight,” Light said with a smirk, “but she does help out, though. Anyway, it will be Megaman, Roll, Quint and myself in a control room.”
“Quint?” Starman asked. “That name sounds all to familiar…”
“Excuse me sir,” said a small robot walking in.
“Thought you said this was private,” Starman joked as he looked over at the robot.
Starman just about did a double take when he thought he saw Protoman, when in reality, he saw Quint. Quint looked very much like him, and that’s about where the similarities ended. He had almost the same face and the same visor covered his eyes. He didn’t have the scarf though, but he had another accessory with him to cover that. It looked he had a pogo stick strapped onto his back.
“Yes, Quint?” Light said. “What can I do for you?”
“Dinner is prepared, sir,” Quint said. His voice sounded like a kid with a slightly stuffy nose, but his tone was rather morbid and depressed. “We await you and Master Starman’s presence, sir.”
“Thank you Quint,” Light said. “We will be down in a nano second. You may start dinner without us right now.”
“Yes, sir,” Quint said, bowing slightly and walking away.
“Wow, poor kid…” Starman said. “How can a butler bot be so… down in the dumps?”
“It’s not his fault,” Light said, his tone getting slightly more depressed himself. “It’s all thanks to Wily’s work. You see, you and Quickman are not the only ones with mind-altering circuitry.”
“What?” Starman couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Wily had to experiment with his prototype circuits, so he created a service robot to do it for him,” Light explained. “His research included subduing the helpless robot to various emotions. He forced poor Quint to be very polite and call him ‘sir’ and any guests ‘master’ or ‘miss.’ He would have to address Wily, bow, give Wily any information, bow, and then leave. Eventually, when Wily’s work was finished, he tossed Quint out his fortress, hoping he would just stop functioning. He unknowingly found his way here, where Megaman found him, half-functioning, collapsed next to our gates. We brought him here and we fixed him up, but we couldn’t remove the circuit that was put in him, or erase the damage, and that was how Quint came to be. It’s a very sad story.”
“How come he still does all of the edict stuff?” Starman asked.
“He is afraid of what I might do to him if he doesn’t,” Light continued. “I found memories of severe beatings from other robots as punishment for not doing these. He tries his best to keep it up because of that, and every single time he forgets, he looks around for any other bots, or if Megaman’s around, he’ll stay away from him for a long while.”
“Have you told him it isn’t that necessary?” Starman asked.
“Yes, yes,” Light said. “But it is him that makes him act that way. It is his choice. Even though he may seem a little depressed, I do all that I can to make sure Quint, or anyone else staying or living here, feels comfortable.” Light sighed then smiled. “Are you hungry? We have plenty to eat.”
“No, thanks,” Starman said. “I just need a little time, you know. Just time to clear my head, think things over.”
“That’s all right,” Light said. “Just let Quint know when you’re ready for bed or if you do get hungry. I will see you in the morning. Tomorrow, we rescue Quickman.”
Starman and Light went their separate ways, but before Light was out of sight, Starman spoke. “Dr. Light, what happens if I escape? What happens if this is all a con I put on as a spy mission for Wily? How can you trust me with all of this information?”
“Why should I trust you?” Light responded. “Because I know you aren’t just one of Wily’s mindless servants. I know you are different, you and Quickman both. You are the ones who can stop this madness. It has gone on long enough.”
“Thanks,” Starman said. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”
“No problem,” he said, walking along heading for dinner.
Starman began to roam around Light’s headquarters, taking in all of the sights. He eventually made his was into a lobby. The lobby was a big bonsai garden, filled with uplifting fragrances and colorful, bright flowers and green trees. The sound of running water was heard. An angel fountain was in the middle of the garden, which fed three tiny streams in the garden. He took a seat on one of the few benches and looked up. The walls and ceiling were a clear Plexiglas, enabling Starman to see outside. Starman didn’t even notice that the day was done and it was night. The moon was out and shining brightly with the stars. It reminded him of last night, before his rude awakening.
“Are you lost, Master Starman?” asked Quint, walking into the lobby.
“No,” Starman replied. “Just
moseying around, checking out what’s what. That’s all.”
“Mind if I have a seat, Master
Starman?” Quint asked.
“Nah,” Starman said. “It’s cool. Oh, by the way you don’t have to call me ‘Master Starman.’ Just regular old Starman will work, and you could even call me ‘Starro.’”
“I can’t do that, Starman,” Quint said.
“You just did,” Starman chuckled. “You don’t have to call Dr, Light ‘sir’ either. He just wants you to be happy.”
“I’d like to, but he’s my master now,” Quint said. “And I have to address him properly.”
“Whatever floats your boat,” Starman said.
Starman continued stargazing and
Quint fell quiet. A tense silence fell upon the room. A last, Quint spoke. “I
hear you have an I.D. Chip similar to mine.”
“Yup,” Starman said. “Its
another thing to make you and me different from others.”
“We aren’t different,” Quint said. “We are ourselves. That’s what makes the world interesting.”
“But we aren’t like Megaman, we aren’t normal,” Starman replied.
“What is your definition of normal?” Quint asked.
Starman found that he couldn’t answer Quint’s question easily. In fact, he couldn’t at all. “You, know… normal.”
“I found out what the definition of normal was through my experience,” Quint said. “Normal is what you are. If you change, your definition of normal should change. Even though we may have the ability to think like Dr. Light, we should hold true to ourselves. Normal is being you.”
“That’s some pretty deep stuff there,” Starman said. “I see myself better now.” Starman sighed. “But after today, I don’t if I can ever go out into the world anymore.”
“You will one day,” Quint said. “One day the world will except you for who you are, and soon, all of us will be able to walk freely in the world of humans. I can only hope for that day, and you are the light that will break the darkness.” Quint smiled a little.
“I must say, that would be the first time I have ever seen you crack a smile since we’ve brought you here,” Light said, walking in. “I was doing some work in the next room when I overheard what you said, and I must say, that you are quite right, Quint.”
“I owe it all to you, sir,” Quint said. “There is finally now someone who can say they truly know what I am going through! It makes me very happy!”
“I’m happy for you, Quint,” Light turned to Starman. “It’s getting late, Starman. You will have a trying day tomorrow. It is recommended you get some sleep. Quint, would you show Starman to his quarters?”
“Yes, sir,” Quint said getting up. “Follow me, please.”
Starman’s room was rather plain, nothing more than a bed and a window. Quint showed him in and bid Starman a good night. Starman sat on the bed, looked a map on the “Light Complex.” It showed a complete route from this point to any other room or area in this building. He laid down on the bed and thought of Quickman. Could he rescue him? Can Quickman and Starman be reunited? He fell asleep and drifted away for the night.
****
Starman was woken up the morning by Quint. “Breakfast is ready, we are waiting for you down in the dining hall. Come when ever you are ready.”
“I’ll be down,” Starman answered. “Go ahead and start with out me.”
“Alright,” Quint bowed slightly and left the room.
Starman stretched and checked the map. “Dining Hall… dining hall… here it is.” Starman drew his finger along a red line, which showed the way. “I go through this hall down these stairs and hang a sharp right followed by an immediate left through another hallway down two flights of stairs and I reach the… main entrance? What?” Looking at a map had lost Starman. “Oh, here it is… It’s just down the hall and to the right.”
Starman eventually made it to the dining hall where everyone had started eating. He took his seat at the table and just looked at the incredible spread before him. Eggs, bacon, toast, French toast, everything that anyone could ever want for a breakfast feast. Starman was starved. He hadn’t eaten since he had gotten the implant. He quickly started stuffing his face full of anything and everything.
Robots like Starman actually have to eat food. They breakdown the food into sub-microscopic particles and use it for energy. Nothing is wasted; every microbe of food is used for something.
“So, how did you sleep last night?” Light asked.
“Fery guud fank poo,” Starman responded with a mouth stuffed with bacon and sausage.
“Hungry?” asked Megaman.
“Poo et I em!” Starman answered.
“Didn’t you eat back at Wily’s place?” asked Roll.
“Ot ince d impant.”
“Does he feed you at all?” asked Megaman.
Starman swallowed. “Yeah, Willy’s favorite: Borsch and black-eyed peas.”
“Borsch? What’s that? Did you make that up?” asked Roll.
“It’s a beet soup,” Light answered.
“Yuck!” Roll responded, sticking out her tongue.
“Yeah but you forgot something, Light,” Starman said. “It’s served cold.”
“Double yucky-poo!” Roll said, holding her nose.
“Yummy,” Megaman said sarcastically.
“Very,” Starman responded in the same tone.
Light stood up and lightly tapped a spoon on the side of glass. “I hate to interrupt your culinary talk, but I need to end breakfast now. We all need to go to mission control and begin briefing. We have to go now if we’re going to rescue Quickman.”
“Am I too clear the table, sir?” Quint asked.
“No, get a droid to do it,” said Light. “I need all of you, for we all have a part in this in ensure success.” They walked to a room in the south corridor. Inside was a control room Wily could only dream of having. “Here is the commander center where all but Starman will be monitoring specialized equipment to help you, Starman. I have incredible technology here to assist you in your mission. We will use several heat scanners, cameras, and communicators to assist you. Take this.” Light handed Starman a headset. “This is how you will communicate with us. The line will always be left open and more than one person can talk at time, just in case of emergency. On this is a tiny, but powerful mini-camera which Quint and Megaman will control to give a heads up on anything we see. Also in the headset is an inferred scanner so we can detect any presence of something unwanted. I will operate a enemy scanner which you will have.” Light gave Starman another headset with a clear, green plastic piece hanging out, which will cover his eye. “I can send you information through this and you can see it in the eye piece. I send this like maps, diagrams, et cetera. We can only do so much here, Starman, the rest is up to you.” Light handed Starman two black orbs. “These are Blast Net 2.0’s.”
“Blast Nets?” Starman looked at them. “Protoman and my pursuers had these! How’d you get them?”
“Who do think invented the technology?” Light answered. “Wily stole them from me. Though Wily thinks he has the upper hand by stealing my stuff, he is very much wrong. My technology is always changing and his stands still for a while before changing. Anyway, these nets do more than just simply constrict the captive target; it shocks them and will temporarily shut down a robot. The rest is up to you. We here can only do so much; the bulk of this burden rests in your hands. Are you ready? We begin at dusk. Get rested up.”
“I’m ready!” Starman answered, full of determination.
Starman reached Skull Fortress and approached it from the backside. He worked his way up and ducked behind a bush, still on the side, but close to the front. “This is Starman. Do you read?”
“Loud and clear,” Answered Light.
“What’s your progress?”
“I reached starting position,”
Starman said.
“Roger that,” Light answered. “Megaman, Quint, activate the cameras.”
“Yes, sir,” answered Quint. “Back camera functional.”
“Forward camera functional and both cameras operating at optimum output,” answered Megaman.
“Roll, begin inferred scanning,” Light ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Roll said. “Scanner running and its picked up two bodies standing guard outside, go with caution, Starman.”
“Alright,” Light said. “We’re ready in here.”
“Roger that, I’m moving out,” Starman said.
“Be careful,” Light said. “Remember, there are two guards.”
“Right.”
Starman crouched low and leaped for another bush, where he can see the front doors to Skull Fortress. The two guards were Cutman and Metalman. It was obvious that those two were bored out of the processors, for Cutman was sticking his finger in between his Cutter Blade and pulling it out just before he snapped it shut, and Metalman was making an elaborate quilt by tying blades of dead grass together. Starman thought that they weren’t to busy and since these guys are two of Starman’s best friends, he should be able to get in easy.
“It’s Metalman and Cutman,” Starman said into his headset. “I think I’ll be able to get by them by just walking up and entering.”
“We can’t take that chance,” Light advised. “Since they are still part of Wily’s force, they could be forced to attack without hesitation. It’s best if you go to a location where you can get a clear shot and use the Blast Nets.”
Starman fingered the Blaster Nets at his side. “Copy that. I’m going for it.” He looked around and checked all of his surroundings before sprinting to the tree that was closest to the main door. Starman armed and loaded the to nets and aimed carefully. “Sorry guys…” Starman said as he fired. The Blaster Nets really didn’t go that far, only reaching Metalman and Cutman’s feet. “CRAP!” Starman blurted out, noticing his blunder.
“What in the…” Metalman stopped putting together his quilt and picked up the orb that has fallen in front of him. “Cutman, what do make of this?”
Cutman picked up the one closest to him. “I don’t know, but I’d bet these things would make great hacky-sacs to cut some time!”
“Damn!” Starman said. “It’s supposed to disable them, but instead, they’re going to play a game with it!”
“Wait a second, would you?” Megaman said. “You did arm them, right?”
“Yeah,” Starman answered.
“Well, don’t worry!” Megaman said.
No sooner than Megaman said that, the nets opened up and wrapped tightly around Metalman and Cutman. The squirmed and struggled, but they couldn’t get free. Then the ropes began to glow as large wave of electricity surged through their metallic bodies. When all became calm, the laid there motionless.
Starman ran out and to the front door and dug out his key card. He swiped it and DENIED showed up on the little LCD screen. He tried it again. DENIED. And again, with more of the same. “What’s going on here?”
“It looks like Wily blocked any entrance with your Key Card,” Roll said.
“Well,” Starman said getting out his Buster, “looks like I’m going to have to blast my way through!”
“Don’t be a fool!” Light said. “Don’t draw any unnecessary attention to yourself!”
“Then what do I…” Starman looked at Metalman and Cutman. “I’ve got it!” He knelt down and stole their key cards. He swiped Cutman’s and APPROVED appeared on the LCD screen and the doors opened.
Starman entered and threw himself against the wall. He slid up to the first crossways of two halls. He peered around the corners and saw no one. “Any clue where Quickman is being held?” Starman asked.
“My data shows he’s in the remolding lab,” Light said.
“I know where that is,” Starman said. “It’s just a long way from here.”
“Not really,” Light said. “I’m sending you data to your eyepiece. This map shows you the quickest way to get there.”
“Thanks,” Starman said. “Is it clear to go on?”
“Affirmative,” answered Quint.
“Clear here,” said Megaman.
“I’m getting nothing,” said Roll.
“I copy that,” Starman said. “I’m moving out.”
Starman, following the map, made it to the eastern corridor, next to the cafeteria. He was a stone’s throw away from the remolding lab. All he had to do was go done one more hall and he’d be there. Starman started running down the hall, not paying attention to what he was doing, only to be brought back when an alarm sounded.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“I didn’t catch it because it wasn’t on any of the equipment,” Light said, “but you hit a silent alarm just now.”
“My scanner is showing a large number of Melee Droids heading your way!” said Roll. “They consist of mostly Sword Droids and Cannon Droids!”
“They’re closing in,” said Quint. “And at a very fast pace!”
“You have no choice here, Starman,” said Light.
“I’m going to have to fight them all,” Starman said as he armed himself for combat.
“Dr. Wily sir!” said Protoman, rushing into the remodeling lab. “The alarm has been broken, and you were right, it was Starman! He did come back!”
“Excellent!” Wily laughed. “Grab Shadowman and go on patrol. I have much work to do!”
“Aye, sir!” Protoman saluted and ran off.
“Iceman, is Quickman secured to the table?” Wily asked.
“Yes, sir,” Iceman answered.
“Good,” Wily said. “Run the a level three scan on Quickman’s body before we begin dissection.”
“Yes, sir,” Iceman said as he ran to the computer. “Level three scan commencing in three… two… one…”
A large lamp came down over Quickman and a green neon light, starting at the head, slowly went down the entire body. When it was all finished, papers began to pour out the printers.
“Nothing abnormal was picked up by the scanner, sir,” Iceman reported.
“So far so good,” Wily said, dawning on a pair of rubber gloves and goggles. “Geminiman!”
“Yes, sir?” Geminiman came over.
“We will begin the dissection now,” Wily said. “But where to start?”
“How about the… uh… arm?” Geminiman suggested.
“Ha, ha! Good choice!” Wily said. “The arm it is! Now let us begin! Screwdriver!”
“They’re closing in!” Roll said.
“They’ll come behind you first,” added Quint.
“Which ones?” asked Starman.
“I think it is the Cannon Droids,” answered Megaman.
He hopped around and soon enough, a large number of white robots stood in front of him. On each hand was a Buster and mounted on their shoulders were two more. They had no face to speak of except for radar-like eyes that were fixed on Starman.
“Destroy intruder,” one of them said with a grinding, mechanical like voice, “Master Wily wants him incinerated.”
As he sad that, every droid held up its hands and began to charge all four weapons. Starman hid behind his shield and hoped that it could withstand the mighty blow. SCHROOM! All of them fired at once, and kept up a barrage of attacks. Starman couldn’t fight back because he couldn’t get in between the attacks. CHANK! CHUNK! CHANK! CHUNK! More metallic footsteps were heard behind him now.
“What now?” asked Starman.
“The group of Sword Droids are
closing in on you!” Megaman said. “You have an approximate time of five seconds
before your totally surrounded!”
“Wonderful!” Starman said. “How
am I going to get out of this one?”
CHUNK! CHANK! Behind him now was squadron of Sword
Droids, prepared for battle. SHINGGG! Starman knew what that was. They drew
their swords. “Destroy intruder,” one of them said, “Master Wily wants him cut
down.” CHINK! CHINK! CHINK! The Sword Droids charged.
“STARMAN!” Roll screamed.
“I’m going to die!” Starman said. He looked up and saw an air duct above him. A wire frame closed the duct, but a pair of hinges put it into place, and you could open it from one side.
“I have one chance!” Starman said. “Wish me luck!”
Starman leaped into the air and grabbed hold of the wire frame. He placed his feet on the wall nearest to him and watched the Melee Droids destroy themselves. The Cannon Droids open fired on the Sword Droids, and the Sword Droids charged the Cannon Droids. There were a few droids left, but Starman quickly took care of them with his Buster.
“Great going, Starman!” Megaman said.
“Don’t cheer yet,” Roll said.
“Protoman and Shadowman are heading your way. Approximate arrival in ten
seconds!”
“What are you going to do?”
asked Quint.
“Watch!” Starman opened the wire hatch and crawled inside of the air duct, closing the hatch just as Protoman and Shadowman arrived. Starman got out of the way, but still watched from the window.
“Look at this mess!” Shadowman stated. “No way I’m cleaning this garbage dump!”
“Well I guess Starman has definitely passed here at some time,” Protoman knelt down and touched one of the droid’s head. “Still warm. The battle had only taken place a few minutes ago. He has probably not gone far.”
“Let’s move!” Shadowman said as they both ran off.
“Whew!” Starman said with a sigh of relief. “Alright, here’s the scoop. I have absolutely no idea where to go from here.”
“Can’t you just go back down there?” asked Roll.
“No way, kid,” answered Starman. “It’s way to dangerous now. Especially now that droids are roaming the place and Dumb and Dumber are patrolling, too. I’ll have to travel by air duct.”
“Done,” said Light. “I’ve sent you a map of the air duct and the flashing point you see is where you want to go.”
“This may sound like a stupid question, but,” Starman began, “will I find opposition up here?”
“Doubtful,” Light answered, “but be on your guard no matter what.”
“Yeah, and remember we have your tush, Starman!” Megaman added.
“Right,” Starman said. “Here I go!”
“Do we have a large enough portion of Quickman’s inside armor?” asked Wily.
“Yes, sir,” Iceman said. “Do you want me to start looking over it with the microscope?”
“Yes,” Wily said. “If this works—“
“Dr. Wily, sir,” Protoman interrupted. “Starman is—“
“Can’t you see I’m busy!” Wily sighed angrily. “Oh the hell with it! What?”
“Starman is—“
Protoman was cut off by the sound of the wire frame from the air duct falling and crashing violently on the floor. Protoman picked it up and saw that it was bent. It had been kicked down. It didn’t fall.
“WILY!” Starman said, jumping from the air duct. “Where’s Quickman!”
“Ah, Starman!” Wily said with a grin. “I have been expecting you.” He stepped aside, showing Quickman lying on the table. “If you want Quickman, right here he is.”
“What are you doing to him?” Starman asked, quite disgusted by this. A chunk of his arm had been taken out. “Why are you dissecting him like he was some kind of experiment?”
“What do you think he is?” Wily said. “I’m just now pulling in the final phase of my experiment.”
“But he has feelings of a human now!” Starman argued. “So you treat him as you did the people of Mega City? Like they don’t matter?”
“They don’t,” Wily said. “Remember, I will rule this world one day and I alone decide who lives and who dies. If you don’t like it, you can perish with them!”
“Damn you Wily!” Starman fired at one of the lights above him, which caused a giant flash to blind everyone in the room. He went over to the table and released Quickman from his bed. He hung him over his shoulders and ran out.
“STARMAN!!” Wily saw him leave with his experiment. Then he looked at Protoman. He knew that Protoman had been extremely jealous of Starman. “Protoman! Kill him.”
Protoman smiled a vicious grin. “With pleasure, sir!” And Protoman gave chase.
Down the hall, Starman heard the tiny footsteps of someone running after him. “Who is that?”
“Protoman,” Megaman said.
“Wonderful!” Starman said. “Look, I’m going to drop Quickman off at the Hall of Order. I cannot out run him with this dead weight on my shoulders. I need Megaman to come and pick him up, got it? I’ll be okay. I know Protoman very well, so don’t worry. Find me at—“
Starman got cut off as the two headsets were shot off by Protoman. “Whatcha going to do with out your buddies, huh?”
“Damn it!” Starman said. “I’ve just got to hope that I won’t die here!”
Starman reached the Hall of Order and sat Quickman against the wall. He started to run, but had to stop. He realized he had no where else to go. What was he going to do with Protoman hot his tail? CRASH! Starman saw the window to his left break with a Buster shot. That could only mean one thing, Protoman had arrived. Starman turned around to see Protoman standing there, his teeth grinding, his Buster charging, and his mind set on one thing, Starman’s demise.
“Well, well, well,” Protoman said. “Look who we have here. It’s the rat. Cornered and scared. What can it do? Nothing! And here I am. The cat. Ready to kill its victim with one mighty swipe of its claw. It’s been a pleasure, Starman, but I’m sure where you’re going is twice as nice. So let me see you away with a favorite saying of mine.” Protoman lifted his Buster. “SEE YOU IN HELL!” He fired the shot and Starman bounced it off his shield as it raged towards Protoman, who jumped out of the way.
Starman took notice of the window that Protoman had shattered a few minutes ago. He gave Protoman a curt nod. “If the cat wants his prey, he must give chase!”
Starman leaped out of the window and started to run with Protoman in hot pursuit. In the black of night, Starman could not see much of anything that was not in the dim shine of the street lamps or close to him. Looking back, Starman saw Protoman not letting up. With one last-ditch effort, he darted into an alleyway, running into a dead end. Starman turned around to see Protoman sneering angrily at him. Protoman readied his Buster, starting to charge a shot, aiming for Starman’s head. Starman had nothing left to do, so he readied his Star Shield for the fight of his life.
“D… D… Dr. Wily, sir,” Iceman started. He looked up from the Microscope. His eyes were filled with astonishment. “You’ll never believe what I’ve found in Quickman’s body…”
“What is it?” Annoyed, thinking
that is something minor. “Shove over, twit.” He peered into the scope. “Good
Lord…” He lifted his head. His tone changed to one of urgency. “Are you
positive? What tests did you run?”
Geminiman came over with a stack
of papers. “We ran every conceivable test that we could do, and it all pointed
to one thing, sir.”
“My God…” Wily looked again. “Then that means what I see is true… My experiment worked. “ He looked up with an evil grin about his face. “My experiment worked. Quickman has human cells beginning to form within him!”
“But, sir,” Iceman said. “If what you said earlier about Starman and his processing data with the chip…”
Wily’s expression quickly changed when he realized what he had done. “…That can only mean…” He had sent Protoman to destroy Starman, a big mistake. “Get a hold of Protoman immediately! This is urgent!”
“Protoman! I don’t want to fight you!” Starman said.
“Well there’s a problem then,” Protoman responded. “Because I want you dead!”
“Protoman! Protoman come in!” Wily’s voice cracked over a communicator in Protoman’s helmet. Every Robot Master has one.
“You’ll be glad to hear, Wily, sir, that I’ve caught up with the traitor and I will make him pay!” Protoman reported.
“That’s what I am afraid of!” Wily said. “You must not harm him at all! He must be brought back now!”
“I’m sorry, sir, but this is one order I can not ignore. This is personal. He has done me wrong, and I will make it right!”
“PROTOMAN DO NOT DO—“ Wily got cut off as Protoman shut off his communicator.
“Now, where were we?” Protoman held up his Buster. “Ah, yes!” He fired the shot that he had been charging up, only to deflected by the Star Shield.
“I really don’t want to fight you,” Starman said, getting ready his Buster, “but if you leave me no choice, I will defend myself.”
“Then defend you must!” Protoman said as he charged Starman. Protoman lock his sights on Starman’s chin with a rock hard punch, which Starman dodged by flipping over him. “My word,” Protoman said. “You are a little more skillful than I remember.”
“I had the best trainer!” Starman said, kicking Protoman in the stomach. “That work out you gave me in the danger room and from chasing me really paid off!”
“Really,” Protoman said, “so let me give another lesson! Never stop to chat in the middle of a fight!” Protoman punched Starman in the gut, then kicked him in the chin, which sent Starman airborne. “Wha, ha, ha! You, see, I am the better fighter!”
Starman landed in a Dumpster, to his discontent, but I suppose it is better than landing on concrete. Starman climbed out and took the banana peel off of his head. “Man, if I knew your home was that dirty, I wouldn’t have dropped in!”
“Damn you and you incompetent humor!” Protoman said as he fired a shot from his Buster.
This time, Starman couldn’t block the attack, and it pierced Starman’s shoulder. Starman screamed out, as the pain was unbelievable. It was worse than anything that he had ever felt. He shoulder throbbed and it started to spread through his arm. He clutched the wound and fell to his knees.
He then felt wetness where his wound was. He looked at his hand to see red liquid ooze between his fingers. His eyes grew wide with astonishment, horror and fear as he removed his hand and looked at it. The red liquid… it was… was… blood. Human blood.
“What is going on!?” said Protoman. He turned on the communicator. “Dr. Wily, sir, something happened to Starman…”
“What happened!?” Wily asked.
“Look,” Protoman pressed a button and at Wily’s place, a computer screen showed what Protoman was seeing, via a video chip in Protoman’s visor.
“My God…” Wily was stunned. “It happened. Find out if we can get a line back on to Starman’s helmet! Now!” Wily waited until Iceman gave him the okay signal. “Starman… Starman can you hear me?”
“Wily?” Starman asked. “What in the hell’s going on!?”
“Take off your helmet,” Wily said.
Starman did, and found that instead of wires, chips and programming, he found a head of brown hair. It was soft and fuzzy to his touch. He went further down and touched his face. It wasn’t metallic anymore. It was soft; it felt like the skin of the baby from the city.
“What is this?” Starman was in a state of shock.
“Starman, listen carefully,” Wily said. His voice was soft now that he took off his helmet, but still loud enough to hear and it was full of concern. “When we dissected Quickman, we found traces of newly formed human cells. Living human cells. The Conscience Circuit caused it. Quickman’s processing speed is fast, but for some reason, yours was almost six times faster. And though it would have happened to Quickman eventually, but because yours was faster you have become human. You are now a living, breathing creature, Starman. You are human.”
“I am human…” Starman just sat there and stared into nothingness. “I am… alive. I am human…” That’s all he could say, he was stunned, shocked, and speechless.
“DID YOU FORGET ABOUT ME!?” Protoman asked. He had been charging a shot for the past couple of minutes. He began to laugh maniacally. Starman could see his eyes behind the visor. They were menacing and intimidating. “NOW THAT YOU’RE HUMAN, YOU’LL BE EASIER TO KILL!”
Protoman fired a large beam at Starman. Starman, forgetting about what happened, grabbed his Star Shield and put all his force behind it. The beam was deflected off the Shield, and bounced back towards Protoman.
Protoman was engulfed in the beam. The last thing he heard Protoman say was nothing but a scream. When the beam finally lost power, an airborne Protoman landed. Starman walked over to him. Protoman was burned to a crisp, and many of his parts were blown off, incinerated by the reflected attack, or broken upon impact with the concrete. The scarf was tattered, the visor broken, and the shield halved. There was nothing anyone could have done for Protoman and he couldn’t be repaired. That was the end of Protoman.
Starman, then remembering his shoulder, clutched his wound collapsed onto the ground and blacked out.
****
“PROTOMAN!” Starman awoke and sat up quickly. His breathing was heavy, but it slowed down as he fingered his shoulder to find that it wasn’t still bleeding. His eyes grew wide as he began feeling for his armor. It wasn’t there. He thew off the sheets to the bed he was laying in and found he was now wearing a shirt, and a pair of shorts and socks. He looked at his surroundings, which actually calmed him down. It was the same room he had stayed in the previous night.
Starman walked up to the mirror next to the complex map and looked at himself in the mirror. This time it wasn’t him. It was someone completely different. Who was he now?
Starman shook the thought out of his head and stretched. It felt like he had not moved in years. He looked towards the window to hear the sound of the outside world. A bird was singing its morning song right out side his window. He walked over and opened the curtains. The bird who was perched right outside flew off into the blue sky, light by a golden sun, and the light felt warm on Starman’s face. The sun lighted room became a cheery place after a moment.
The door opened and Light came into the room. “I was right,” he said with a chuckle. “I thought I heard you get up. How are you feeling?”
Starman sighed heavily and sat on the bed. “The pain’s gone, and I rarely feel it, but I don’t feel okay. I’m lost. I don’t feel like me… because I don’t look like me…”
“You’re still the same person, aren’t you?” Light asked. “Do you not have the same principles? Do you have the same morals? The same laughter? The same sparkle in your eyes?”
Starman looked up at Light. “I do, but…”
“But what?” Light asked. “You are the same person, Starman. You have just changed the outside a little, that’s all. You will always be the same. No matter what happens to you externally, you will be you internally.” Light handed Starman a page out of the daily newspaper and pointed out an article. “Read this.”
Starman held it up and read the headline. “Baby Yoshimitsu Saved by Raging Robot.” He looked at Light and continued with the article. “The baby known as Kiro Yoshimitsu was saved during the attack by the same one who had ordered it. The robot stopped the attack and saved this child, even though its mother had died in the attack. The look in its eyes melted the steel heart of the robot.”
“You see?” Light asked.
“I do,” Starman answered. “I know now that I am still the same. I felt the same way reading this as I did two days ago…”
“There’s one more thing, Starman,” Light said. “’Starman’ really doesn’t suit a human, it’s a robotic name. Is there any other name that you go by?”
“Quickman used to always call me ‘Starro,’” he answered.
“Okay, but what for a last name?”
Starman looked at the news article. “’Yoshimitsu.’”
“’Starro Yoshimitsu’ is a good name for you!” Light said.
Starro stood up and with a new feeling of happiness flowing within him, he shouted proudly. “I will now be forever known as Starro Yoshimitsu!”
“Very good!” said Light. “Come now, Quint has prepared a wonderful breakfast for all of us this morning, come and eat with us.”
“If it’s okay, Dr. Light,” Starro said. “I’m not that hungry. Can I take a little time to let it sink in?”
“Sure,” Light said. “Just let us know if you ever get hungry.”
“Oh, one more thing,” Starro said. “What happened to Quickman back there?”
Light stopped in his tracks. He cleared his throat. “We, uh, will talk about that later, Starro.”
“Oh,” Starro said. “Alright.”
A few hours must have passed, for he wandered around Light’s place until he again found the garden in the one lobby. Sighing heavily, he sat down on the bench closest to a stream that flowed from the angel fountain. The sound of running water was strangely soothing to him, as he watched the fast moving water whiz by.
He picked up a small pebble from the side of the stream. It was slightly star-shaped, and a brownish-gold color. He dropped into the stream, and it hit with a soft ploonk. Starro watched the ripples that appeared. Because he dropped the pebble, the water changed. Just like him, because of one thing, his whole world spiraled out of control. He barely noticed Light come in.
“How are you doing, Starro?” Light asked as he took the seat next to Starro.
Starro tried, but the words wouldn’t come out right. He sighed. “It’s just… Well, everything I knew, everything I loved, everything that was, are now lost. My world was as fragile as a piece of glass, and now that world lies in shattered pieces on the floor. I wish none of this had ever happened to me.”
“So do all who live to see such times,” Light answered. “But it is not what happens that make them strong, it is what they do in the time it is given to them. No one ever wishes times like these on themselves or others. Wily’s iron claws have dug deep in to the earth and uprooted the very core of chaos and destruction. Many who have died deserve life, and yet many who live deserve death. But people still go on. They go on because they are holding on to something.”
“What do they hold on to?” asked Starro.
“That there is some good still left in the world, Starro, and it’s worth fighting for!” Light answered. “You have the knowledge. You have the power. Fight for everlasting peace!”
“Fight for everlasting peace…” Starro found his deep memory jarred by this simple line. He looked up at Light, his eyes full of regret and sadness. “That line… fight for everlasting peace… that was the last thing Quickman told me. But, how’d you know that? I’ve never told anyone that!”
“I’m sorry Starro, but that was kinda my fault,” said Quickman rounding the corner.
Starro stood up and just stared at Quickman.
Starro’s eyes were breaking out into tears. “Oh… Quickman!” Starro ran up and
embraced Quickman. “Quickman!” he said. “From the way Light avoided my question
about you earlier, I thought you were… were—“
“Dead?” Quickman laughed.
“Megaman did find me, but it was lucky we found you before we headed back. And
don’t worry about filling me in. The good doctor here took care of that all
ready.”
“Quickman, if it is alright with you, can Starro meet up with you in the lounge in a few minutes?” Light asked. “I have to talk to him about something.”
“Sure,” Quickman said. “I’ll catch up to you later!” Quickman ran off.
“He’s right,” Light said. “If they didn’t spot you, you would have more than likely bled to death in that alley. When Megaman found you and Protoman, we salvaged any video and audio memory from Protoman to piece what had happened, and that’s how I knew. But, that’s not why I asked Quickman to go. I need to tell you something. It’s about Quickman.”
Starro sat back down, his face showing concern and fear. He leaned closer to Light. “What is it?”
Light cleared his throat and rubbed his nose a little, a sure sign that he doesn’t know quite how to put it. “I took out the Conscience Circuit in Quickman.”
“What?” Starro asked. “Why? Quickman will become nothing but a mindless, regretless piece of machinery!”
“Starro, I only took it out only to prevent what happened to you. No offense, but it is a precaution to make sure that if something horrible happens to you because of the mutation, Quickman won’t go through the same thing,” Light answered. “I did, however, replace it with a similar one, but without the mutation properties. He will still be able to think for himself like you, but he will remain a robot.”
“That’s it?” Starro asked. “That’s what this whole secret thing was all about?” Starro laughed, full of relief from the anxiety of waiting for horrible news.
“That’s only part.”
“Part?” Starro leaned in again. “What else?”
“Wily didn’t just put in that mind altering circuit,” Light explained. “There is something else. At the base of his main processing unit, was a ‘control chip.’ It must have been put in only a little while ago, because it was fairly new. All Wily had to do, was press a button and Quickman would have done his bidding.”
“Did you get rid of it?” asked Starro.
“I couldn’t,” Light answered.
“Why not?”
Light sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “The chip is directly linked to the most vital part of the brain. If I would have removed it, Quickman’s processor would have been disconnected and his function ceased. Quickman would have died if I had taken it out.”
“Can you find a way to block it?” Starro asked. “Can the signals be stopped?”
“No,” Light answered. “If Wily ever uses the chip, he will lose all control of himself.”
“Aw man,” Starro said. “Thanks for telling me.”
“Dr. Light! Starro!” said Quickman running back into the garden with Megaman close behind. “It’s Wily! He’s on the Tele-Comm 443!”
Light stood up. “What does he want?”
“It is unsure right now,” Megaman answered. “But he is demanding to see Starro.”
“We go!” Light said.
All four of them ran into the main communications room down the hall. On the main screen was Wily’s mug, big, dark and scary. His face showed seriousness and his eyes reflected much anger.
“What is it you want, Wily?” asked Starro.
“You are looking well, Starman,” Wily said.
“Cut to the chase,” Starro said. “I don’t want to hear any of your small talk. I want to know the truth.”
“You want to know the truth?” Wily chuckled. “You cannot handle the truth.”
“Damn it! Don’t toy with me, Wily!” Starro snapped back.
“Toy with you?” Wily said. “Never. Can you handle the truth?”
“Yes, now tell me!” Starro demanded.
“In time,” Wily said. “I come to you with a little invitation. I want you and your incompetent friend, Quickman, to come inside Skull Fortress for a little visit. No one will be there and I want you two to come alone. There you will learn the agonizing truth you so richly desire.”
“No!” Starro said. “You are going to tell all of us now!”
“That is a shame, really, Starman,” Wily said. “Because, if you do not except my invitation, I have a little device in my lab called ‘The Day of Doom Cannon.’ I will not be afraid to use it, and if you do not come to my house and play, Mega City and four other major cities in the world will be reduced to nothing more than a smoldering pile of ash! So, what do you say now, Starman?”
Starro for a moment wanted to just scream at Wily, but he knew that would do no good. His hands were clutched and shaking. He was just so angry. Finally he looked up and stared Wily in the eyes. “When?”
Wily laughed. “Excellent! You shall come in three days. I will see you inside at a time I choose. But beware, if I do not see you there at that time, I will launch the cannon.”
“What time will we meet you?” Starro asked.
“Once inside, you will be free to roam,” Wily said. “I will find you at The Hour of the Beast.” The connection was then disconnected.
“Three days and The Hour of the Beast?” Quickman asked. “What kind of lousy time is that?”
Megaman stepped forward. “It means in three days you will go back and confront Wily at the Hour of the Beast. The sixth second, after the sixth minute, after the sixth hour.”
“666…” Starro said.
“We have three days to get ready for this,” Light said. “And this means that you have to train hard for this meeting.”
“Train?” Quickman said.
“I’m sure that there is more to it than that. He is not going to meet you expecting conversation and tea,” Light said. “Today we start and tomorrow we continue. The third day, we go into Skull Fortress.”
“What about me?” Starro said. “I have been stripped of my armor!”
“No, you haven’t,” Megaman said, tossing Starro a wristwatch.
Starro caught it and looked at it with utter disgust. “Oh, yeah. This’ll really provide me with real protection.”
“Think of it this way,” Quickman joked, “you’ll always know when Wily’s coming.”
“That is no ordinary wristwatch, Starro,” Light said. “Put it on and press the red button.”
Starro, curious of what this thing could do, put it on and hit the red button. It beeped twice and a wave of white streaming light swarmed over Starro’s entire body. He felt suddenly like a weight had been put on him. When the light receded, he was back to being regular old Starman. His armor was exactly how he had remembered it and works as if nothing had happened. The watch, now being part of the armor, beeped one last time.
“This is great!” Starro exclaimed.
“Use the blue button to revert back to normal, but leave your armor on for now,” Light said. “We will go into my training rooms and battle down there until I feel we are ready. Let us go.”
****
The days of training were hard and arduous, but somehow Starro and Quickman made it through. They were trained from dusk until dawn and slept for only a few hours. On the third day, they awaited Dr. Light’s appearance in the Mission Room before they were to head out.
The doors opened and Dr. Light walked in. “We are ready to go. We have three hours until Wily makes his appearance. Here are your headset communicators. There will be no need for the eyepiece this time. Our main goal is to meet Wily, but have also devised another plan to eradicate Skull Fortress, too.” Light tossed both Starro and Quickman a flat device and a pill-shaped device. “This is what we’ll need. The flat device is detonation device. You will go to a hallway next to the main chamber. There is two small hatches there which you will open and place the detonation devices and arm them. The only to detonate them is if you combined the round devices. When you do, a red flashing button will appear. Press that when it is time to destroy the place. Make sure Wily is taken out alive and we will take care of the rest. Any questions?” Starro and Quickman shook their heads. Light nodded. “Good. One more thing.” He handed Starro a round device. “This is a teleporter. It’ll bring one of you back to this room. Just in case one of you falls in combat, you can bring them back here. Starro, you are the leader here, and Quickman, if Starro should fail, you have to complete the mission.”
“Yes, sir,” Quickman said.
“That should cover everything,” Light looked at the clock on the wall. “It is now 15:33. Let’s move out.”
Starro and Quickman reached the entrance of Skull Fortress. “There are no guards here,” Starro said. “Is there anyone trying an ambush?”
“Negative,” answered Roll. “The inferred shows nothing.”
“Neither do any of the cameras,” added Quint.
“All looks clear out here, too,” Quickman said.
“Move out,” ordered Light.
“Right,” Starro nodded to Quickman.
Quickman and Starro ran towards the front gate. Starro dug out Metalman’s key card and swiped it. APPROVED showed on the LCD screen. The doors opened and they entered Skull Fortress for the very last time.
Starro immediately hugged the right wall while Quickman hugged the left one. Starro readied his Buster and Shield while Quickman got out his Boomerang Launchers. Starro gave a quick nod, and the two slowly crept up to the first crossways. Starro peered to the right and Quickman checked the left.
“From here, you want to turn west,” Light said.
“Roger that,” said Quickman.
Going to the left, they again took to a side of the hall. “Which way now?” asked Starro when they reached the next crossways.
“Turn east, then south,” Light answered.
“10-4,” said Starro.
An uneasy silence followed them throughout their expedition in through Skull Fortress. Never had they seen this place empty. No one was here. Not even any of the usual vermin. The metallic sound of their steel armor against the steel floor echoed throughout the cavernous maze of concrete and steel. Anyone who would have been in here would have certainly been alerted just by that sound alone.
“You guys are still clear,” said Megaman.
“I don’t know about you, Starro,” said Quickman, “but I’m getting a bad vibe about this place now.”
“I have the same feeling, too,” replied Starro. “This isn’t right. Wily has bound to have something up his rotten sleeve.”
“How much time do we have, Starro?” asked Quickman.
“Not too long,” answered Starro. “It’s 17:06:22. We have to get to our designated spot soon.”
“How far are we, Dr. Light?” asked Quickman.
“Make a left at the next crossways and you’ll be there,” he answered.
They turned left and found a short hallway that ended when it turned left to a staircase leading up. On either side of them were to hatches with a number pad lock next to it.
“Go over to one and I’ll give the pass code for each one,” Megaman said. Starro went over to the right one. “Yours is 36, 8, and 0.” Quickman went to the other. “Yours is 63, 80, and 9.”
A clank sound proceeded, meaning the hatches were open. Starro opened it and found that a mess of wires and equipment was stored in there. He dug out the detonator and held it up to the wires. Long, skinny robotic arms came out of it and attached themselves to them. He pushed it in closer until a snap was heard. He pushed a yellow button and a green light began to flash. It was armed and ready to go. The long device opened at the bottom showing a couple of connectors.
“Starro, catch!” Quickman said as he threw his end of the detonation control.
Starro put the two together and made sure they were tight. A red button began to flash. All Starro had to do was push the button and Skull fortress would be gone forever.
Above the two, small machines came out of the walls and started to spew out a type of fog, surrounding both Starro and Quickman to the point that neither of them could see anything besides each other. The fog became a thick and gray.
“I knew this was too good to be true!” Starro yelled.
“NYYYARRRRAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH!” Quickman yelled as he fell to his knees.
“Starro,” Light reported, “the control chip is taking over! Wily must have activated it!”
“Can’t we stop it?” a frantic Starro asked.
“I’m afraid we can’t,” Light answered. “The chip’s data has already mind-melded with Quickman’s old data. There’s nothing we can do.”
Quickman put his hands over his ears. “Lies… NOTHING BUT DIRTY LIES!”
“What are you saying!?” Starro asked, his mind racing with fear.
“YOU! YOU HAVE FILLED MY HEAD WITH LIES!” Quickman pointed his Boomerang Launchers at Starro. “Wily was always right.”
“Wily!” Starro nearly jumped when he heard Quickman say that. “You’re talking mad! Wily is our enemy now!”
“STOP IT!” Quickman screamed, covering his ears again. “STOP FILLING MY HEAD WITH YOUR DEVILRY! YOU WERE OUT TO KILL ME ALL ALONG!” Quickman again pointed both his launchers at Starro. “But your plan failed, didn’t it? DIDN’T IT!? Wily has told me the truth, now I chose to kill you!” Quickman launched a flurry of Boomerangs a Starro who bounced them off with his Star Shield.
“I don’t want to have to fight you!” Starro said. “I was forced to fight against so many people I cared about! I don’t want to have to do this again!”
“But you will,” Quickman said, launching a few more, with them bouncing off the Star Shield.
Quickman jumped into the air, and came crashing down to earth to give Starro a huge kick, but Starro rolled out of the way, but not before he had to use his shield to block a few shots.
“I can’t get through to him,” Starro said. “That leaves only one thing…”
Reluctantly, Starro drew his Buster and fired, missing the shots due to Quickman’s great speed. Starman charged a few shots and began to fire more rapidly, as did Quickman. This battle wasn’t going to go anywhere. Both fighters had top-notch training from both Wily and Light, so both of them were in tip-top form and equally matched. Quickman launched another barrage of laser that hit Starro, and flung him against the wall. Quickman readied a Sonic Boomerang attack, but stopped it when Starro’s watch begin to go off. Starro looked at his watch. 18:06:06. The Hour of the Beast. The sixth second, after the sixth minute, after the sixth hour.
“It’s time,” said Light.
A large earth shattering KABOOM shook Starro. A beam had been fired their way and had passed right by him. He looked at Quickman. “QUICKMAN!!”
Quickman had been the target of the beam. A large gaping hole now takes residence where Quickman’s torso was. Wires that shown sparked with energy leaving his body. Quickman began to wobble, so Starro ran to his side and caught him as he fell. Quickman looked at Starro.
“They… w… weren’t… l… l… lies…” Quickman was able to get out. “Never forget to fight for everlasting peace… Starro……” Quickman’s eyes went black.
Starro’s eyes filled with tears. He began to weep uncontrollably over Quickman’s passing. “QUICKMAN! NO! NO! QUICKMAN! QUICKMAN!”
Back at the Mission Room, the mood was no brighter. Everyone felt the impact of Quickman’s death. Megaman and Light sat in silent remorse while Quint and Roll couldn’t keep it in and began to cry.
Starro looked up to see the fog leaving the area and a low noise was heard. It grew and grew until it as loud as the attack that had slain Quickman. It was the sound of a maniacal laugh. It was Wily.
Starro looked over his shoulder to see Wily holding a gigantic cannon over his shoulder. His eyes were crazed and his laughter was haunting and chilling.
Starro sat Quickman on the ground and placed the teleporter on him. “Good-bye, old friend…” he said as he teleported Quickman away. Starro stood up and stared Wily in the eyes with his eyes full of anger, sadness and a thirst for revenge. “Why? WHY DAMN IT? WHY MUST YOU KILL? WHY?”
“Because it feels good,” Wily replied. “I have been wanting to do that for years.”
“WHAT IS WITH YOUR CRAZY BLOOD LUST?” Starro asked.
“Blood lust?” Wily laughed. “I would not go that far. Just call it revenge.”
“Revenge? What in the hell are you talking about?” Starro asked. “I want answers! I want the truth. What was your purpose for doing all of this? Why have you become obsessed with the human mind?”
“My good Starman,” Wily said. “I have always been fascinated with it. Ever since I was created.”
“Created!” Starro was shocked.
“Yes, but that is more than enough information for my enemy,” Wily said.
“DAMN IT STOP TOYING WITH ME! I WANT ANSWERS!” Starro said, reaching wits end.
“You cannot handle the truth!” Wily replied.
“THEN IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO TELL ME ANYTHING THEN DIE!” Starro reached for the denotation control.
“Whoa, Starro,” Light said, “let’s not do anything—“
KABOOM!
Starro let lose the two bombs and Skull fortress went down.
“STARRO!” Light said.
“He’s dead!” Roll said, crying all the harder.
“No! He isn’t!” Megaman said. “My monitors are still picking up a pulse from Starro’s heart!”
“Then he’s on his own I’m afraid,” Light said. “There is nothing we can do but hope…” A blue flash came from right outside the Mission Room doors. Light knew what it was. “The rest of the mission and the fate of the world lies in the hands of one person. Our part in this chapter is finished. It is up to Starro now.”
“What do we do until then?” asked Megaman.
“We have another job,” Light said running out. “Follow me, quickly!”
Starro emerged from a pile of rubble. He had survived by surrounding himself with his Star Shield. Looking around him he found that the rubble had buried him. He was in an enclosed space, probably about as big as a football feild. A roof of stone and metal blocked out the sky.
“I doubt Wily was able to survive this…” Starro said, looking for a place to get out.
There was one massive fire going around the entire length the area, burning intensely. Eventually, laughter was heard. Evil laughter. Insane laughter. Wily’s laughter.
“Come out!” Starro shouted. “Come out! Show yourself!”
“To you?” Wily asked. His voice didn’t have Austrian and German accent Starro had grown to expect from him. He sounded… sounded like Protoman with a deeper, more monstrous tone to it. “If I do, that means I will have to explain everything to you, and I know you can’t handle the truth.”
“Come out!” Starro yelled. “I want to know the truth! You can’t hide it from me forever!”
“Can you handle it?” Flames in front of Starro parted and the form of Wily was seen. “If you cannot, what then? Your quest would be for nothing and your suffering would have been in vein. You friend’s death was caused by you for your answer seeking quest. You can’t handle this!”
Wily stepped out and Starro saw something that he would never expect. Instead of seeing a fragile old man, he saw the face of machine. His head was chrome steel, and his eyes were completely red with black pupils. His body looked to be a strong structure, made of the best steel. His wrists were huge, and his feet looked like the talons of a raptor’s claw. His hands consisted of two figures and a thumb, which were long, and skinny.
Starro slowly back up. “No… … NO!”
“Yes,” Wily said. I am not a human being.”
“This isn’t true,” Starro said, shocked by this. “This is inconceivable! How? Why?”
Wily drew his hands into tight fists and shook them angrily. “I was created by Dr. Light many years ago. He knew me by only my serial number: W-91225. My purpose was simply to help him during any of his work, when really it was me who did everything while he watched. Eventually, the old cook finished his experiment with a mind-altering chip to help robots think more like a person. It was going to be used for tutor and teacher robots so they could closely work with the human children. But he needed a test subject, and he chose me. It had worked differently than he had hoped for though. I was like him. In fact, I was his superior. But he treated me as another working class pile of junk! I hated being oppressed and loathed Light all the more. One day, I grew tired of his high and mighty attitude, and fled. I came to a secluded spot and began to build my own race of robot droids. They helped me create Skull Fortress and my robot army. Then I, too, started to meddle with nano chips and the working of a human mind. I then I stumbled upon a way to create new life from machine. This was my chance to become human and finally show up that arrogant Light! But what if something was to go terribly wrong? I dare not test it on myself. So built a robot similar to me in programming and thus Protoman was born. I disguised myself as a human afterwards so Protoman could never harm me, his master, and I adopted the name Dr. Wily. Protoman became stronger overtime, and soon he became my best warrior. I did not want to jeopardize him by experimenting on him, so built another robot, a weaker one. Similar to Protoman in only his looks and his programming, and made to serve. You know him as Quint. I implanted my prototype chip into his main processing unit and played around with different mood of his. After a while, I got all of the information I needed for this phase, so I got rid of Quint. Then all I needed was a test subject for the chip that would metamorphose a robot into a human being. I decided to go with two robots, one with a slow processing speed, you, and one with a fast processing speed, Quickman. I found that by training you, you became very strong and very powerful. Then I realized why not just take my revenge, when I could take over the world. I still planned to take the chip from you and implant into my head once I found that it worked, but yours went to fast for me to track, so your metamorphosis was complete before I had a chance to harvest it. Then you turned your back on me. It was then I realized that human existence should be wiped or enslaved by robots. That’s when I realized I was superior to all of those bugs out in the world. Humans are the filth on this earth, and they think they control it. I wanted every man woman and child crushed by a mighty robot. Thus, it came to the most recent attack on the human world. You remember it. It was only five days ago.”
“You mean that I was a tool used for the destruction of the human world!” Starro said.
“Yes,” Wily said. “I see how foolish I was trying to become human when I should have despised all of their existance since I was created. Robots should rule and humans to serve! The problem is, I need a general in my army. One who demands respect from robots and knows the ways of humans better than I. You are perfect. You are both because, Starman, you are different. Join with me, and I will give you a high seat in my army. You and I could easily overthrow anyone who opposes us!”
“Why do you want me?” Starro asked. “After all, I am human now, too.”
“You were a robot once,” Wily said. “You know what I speak is true. Even though you are of flesh and I am of metal, we can rule as equals.”
“You’re mad,” Starro said.
“Not mad,” Wily replied, “just… ambitious.”
“You’re ambition has clouded your sense of judgement!” Starro said. “You couldn’t keep your sick ways under control! You just had to go and show the world how badly you thirst for blood! You are a danger to yourself and to others, and you always have been.”
“Is that a no?” Wily asked nonchalant.
“Exactly!” Starro said. “And if you come with me I will not end your function.”
“Is that a threat to me?” Wily said.
“Damn right,” Starman said. “What will it be?”
Wily chuckled. He lifted up his wrist and his hand sank into it and a giant Buster formed over it. “It would be a pleasure to kill you here and now!”
“How’d you get that! I thought you were a robot made to help in a lab?” Starro cried, getting ready for combat.
“I made a few modifications to myself after that day,” Wily said, pointing the huge gun at Starro. “Now, prepare to die, Starman!”
“I am no longer Starman! That was my name when I was a robot!” Starro said. “As a human, I will be forever known as Starro Yoshimitsu!”
“THEN YOU SHALL BE BURIED BY THAT NAME!” Wily screamed.
Wily fired a few shots from his cannon, which the Star Shield could barely stand up against. He put all his might behind that Star Shield and rammed Wily with it, who was sent flying into a pile of rock and rubble.
“Who knew you would give me such sport!” Wily said, jumping from the rocks.
Wily rushed back into the fight and landed a large uppercut to Starro, which sent him airborne. Wily jumped and kicked Starro with both legs into the wall.
“This is not going to be an easy fight,” said Starro. “And all these years I thought you were a feeble minded old man!”
“Feeble? Never!” Wily said.
“But I will always think of you as a lunatic!” Starro said.
Starro rose from the ground with a fully charged Buster and fired like the earth was going to die today, only to notice that Wily had disappeared. CRACK! Wily sneaked in from behind and kicked Starro in the back and sent him to the ground. Starro climbed to his feet, but struggled to keep his balance.
“Do you ever die!?” asked Wily, swapping his cannon to a machine laser gun, firing round after round after round.
Starro went to his knees and braced himself behind his shield until Wily stopped the attack. “I should ask the same thing!” Starro ran up and using his Buster and smacked Wily across the face, leaving a nice sized dent in his Buster and Wily’s face.
Wily rubbed his chin. “I have put up with incompetence for too long, Starman!” Wily brought back his hand and then by retracting it, he brought out a huge hammer. “Gaia’s Rage!”
Wily slammed down the hammer with all his might and created an enormous earthquake. A white light making a trail reached Starro and circled around him. The light flash brilliantly and the ground began to cave in.
“Holy crap! What do I do here!?” Starro thought hard and fast.
He began to jump onto rocks falling into the deep abyss, and eventually reached the surface, where Wily was waiting. Wily swung his mighty hammer, with Starro barely being able to duck in time. Wily began swinging faster and more furiously. Wily swung one last time, but Starro got out of the way just in time by going between Wily’s legs. Wily bent over to see what happened, but Starro took advantage of that pushed him into the crater. Wily fell, but grabbed onto the ledge and holding on for dear life.
“Starro!” He said. “Why couldn’t you have said yes? None of this would have ever happened! I was your master! What happened to you, Starro? What happened to Starman? What happened to my loyal servant who despised humans?”
Starro looked at him with utter disgust. He charged his Buster. “Starman is no longer a robot. Starman has become Starro.” He pointed his Buster at Wily. “AND STARRO IS HUMAN!”
Starro released a giant Star Crash that engulfed the entire room in light. Wily screamed when he lost his grip and began to fall. The last thing Starro heard was an ungodly explosion, which told him that this time, it truly was Wily’s demise.
Starro crawled out from under a pile of rubble and climbed his way to the top of the pile. He coughed a little and brushed the dust off him and looked around. The dome he battled in collapsed and the abyss, which Wily fell in, was gone. He had only minor cuts and bruises from the fight to his surprise, but he sighed with relief, being thankful he wasn’t hurt worse. He climbed to the highest pile of rubble and over looked a hill that lead up to the spot. He smiled and felt the warm sun upon his face. He had actually defeated the single greatest threat to mankind. He had defeated Wily. But what happened to Light, Megaman, Roll and Quint?
“Starro!”
“You’re alive!”
Starro averted his attention back to the hill. Roll and Quint were running up the hill towards him. He smiled and ran down to meet them. Roll leaped into his arms and Quint jumped on his back. He’d thought that maybe he’d never see them again.
“I was afraid you were gone!” Roll said, embracing Starro. “I didn’t want to lose you!”
“You did it!” Quint said. “You really did it!”
“Hey! Don’t forget about us!” Megaman said running up with Light close behind.
Starro put down Roll and Quint and rushed over to greet them, with Roll and Quint hot his heels. Starro and Megaman shook hands. Megaman gave a curt nod and smirked.
“And to think you did the one thing I couldn’t!” Megaman laughed.
“It’s finally over,” Light said. “Our struggle has finally paid off.”
“Hey what happened to your armor?” Starro had just noticed that he was wearing his clothes and his armor was gone.
The wristwatch was broken. He took it off and gave it to Megaman. “Don’t bother fixing. I never want to use it again.”
“We’re finally all back together again!” said Roll. “Everything’s finally back to normal.”
“I wish Quickman were here…” Starman said.
“Starro!” Quickman came running up the hill. Waving his arms, tears flooding out of his eyes. “Starro! We won!”
“Quickman! It really is you!” Starro ran over. “How? I saw Wily blast a hole through you that would make the craters on the moon seem like kiddy pools!”
“The good doctor fixed me up,” Quickman said. “I’m better than ever. He told me about the control chip and me not being able to become human, but I can live with that. As long as I can be by your side!”
“Dr. Light, Quickman, everyone,” Starro couldn’t go on. He was utterly speechless. “There was a point in that fight where I thought I wouldn’t see your faces ever again! But it is good to see that you all care.” Starro turned around and began to weep. “But there is something I must tell you.”
“I have been thinking of this for a few days,” Starro said. “I would love to stay here and be with you here forever, but there is only so much I can learn staying in Mega City.”
“What are you saying?” asked Roll.
“I want to leave,” Starro answered. “I want to go and explore the world. I want to travel and see first hand what it means to be a human in this world. I know that with my knowledge and my skill, I can make a difference.”
“You can’t leave!” Quickman said. “Not just yet!”
“Quickman,” Starro said. “It was you who gave me this idea. You said that it is my duty to fight for everlasting peace. I think I can do that, but if only I see where people need help! Do you understand?”
“I do,” said Quickman, ”but take me with you!”
“I’m sorry,” replied Starro, “but I have to do this myself.”
“You can’t leave me!” said Quint. “You’re my hero! I want you to stay!”
Starro kneeled down and put his hand on the robot’s shoulder. “I need you to be strong, Quint. Remember, Quickman’s going to stay, and he is a good natured robot, and if you need someone to talk to or look up to, he’s the one.” he stood up. “I’ll come back one day, I promise, but you must understand. This is something I have to do!”
“This is a noble thing, Starro,” Light said. “Go on. Follow your heart. It will not lead you astray.”
****
In several days, Starro was packed for his long journey. The day came quickly to him, but he knew he had to do this. He was ready for this. Everyone had their chance to say their tearful so longs to Starro before he started off. Starro would miss them all greatly, but the one he’d miss most would Quickman. He will always long for the day that he’d rejoin with them, but until then, he is on a journey. He is on a journey of discovery. He is on a journey to discover what it is truly like to be human.
The
End