Torontreal - Eastern Business Zone

 

     Home to the smaller businesses of Torontreal, this is where the majority of the citizens work and live. This area meshes perfectly in with the rest of the city, as the roadways and zoomways move in and out of the area, transporting the people around quickly. Among the small company buildings are various eateries, catering to the busy businesspeople and making a good profit too. More economic, smaller hovercars move here, a contrast to the more expensive ones that populate the business area to the west.

 

 Contents:                               Contents:                     

 The Prophet

 

 East <E>:                 Torontreal - Industrial District

 North <N>:                Torontreal - Eastern Residential

 West <W>:                 Torontreal - Transportation District

 

The Prophet

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        Behold...

 

        The Prophet of Epsilon.

 

        The figure before you is oddly disturbing. Around six feet tall, The Prophet walks with a slow gate, and is covered from head to foot in draping white robes. The hood is deep and dark, no face able to be seen inside it. Long sleeves cover the arms, and hang down swaying to the sides when not raised in oration or clasped before him in contemplation. Emblazoned on the white robes in various locations are dark purple Greek letters, the letter 'Epsilon'. A voice deep and undeniable, almost impossible to ignore comes from the depths of the robe.

 

        Any attempt to scan the the figure is met with a blank signal, nothing but static noise returned.

 

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Lemon and Lime arrives from the Transportation District.

Lemon and Lime has arrived.

 

        A busy Business corner of Torontreal, at which a small garden has been planted. A small raised brick wall surrounds the soil, keeping it in, and a decently sized tree rises into the sunlight. People move this way and that on business, moving hither and thither in their busy lives.

        Something has changed in the pattern, however, because a figure has only just stepped up onto the bricks below the tree, standing in the shade so the sun falls down and around him, making his immaculate white robes look even more... unearthly. The long hood has turned, locking onto who knows what, but then the voice rises from the depths of the darkness of the hood.

        "Citizens of Torontreal." The voice is deep, and full of vibrant energy, making it hard to ignore as it is raised over the hustle and bustle of the crowd.

        "I... am the Prophet of Epsilon."

 

"Crazy as a loon!" Chest is saying to his second in commands, Lemon and Lime, as well as to his camera drone, Camera. Chest and Camera are scooting along a Torontreal sidewalk at a mind-boggling speed of... 10 miles per hour. Go Chest, go! He's talking with L&L as he pushes his way through the crowd. Hopefully the twins can keep up. "I tell ya, this Prophet of Epsilon is probably just crazy as a loon." Chest shakes his head as he fiddles around with a cigar. "Lets see if we can't get all of this straight:"

        "Epsilon is Sigma's brother. Built from the same line as all that. He got jealous of Sigma's... ahem, 'popularity' and joined forces with Scott Wily, the crazy clone child of nutjob Wily created by /another/ nutjob Tron Bonne." Chest snorts and shakes his head, pushing aside some elderly ladies. Ain't nobody's going to slow him down. "So they join forces to create the Irregular Overlords. Do a bunch of crazy stuff in Poland against the Mavericks, and were essentially taken down. Last we saw of Epsilon he headed out into space to 'learn the secrets of the universe'. Whatever the hell /that's/ supposed to mean." Captain Recap snorts and glances over at L&L, "That about sum it up?" Up ahead they can see where a crowd is gathering. Chest hopes they aren't late.

 

The Vice Presidents of GNN, well... two of them (we do not actually know how many 'vice presidents' there are or if the title is all an intricate ruse used by Chest to make his employees feel empowered when they are really not). Anyways, Lemon and Lime are walking at a leisurely pace through Torontreal. There are times when they would probably forget that they are following Chest, but then he speaks again and they remember he is about a foot or two shorter than them. They usually nod, smirk, chuckle, verbally agree, or do some combination of the above. This is because Chest has managed to stay away from debatable topics for awhile, but like always, he has now slipped up.

            As Lime listens to Captain Recap's recap of this crazy character's life, her face becomes a deeper and deeper frown until the tale is over. She then says, "Well... that is one way to look at it. I think the fact that Epsilon had to grow up with brothers such as Sigma and General could attribute to the 'middle child' syndrome that he seems to display. As such, I think this is more of a helpless plea for attention than anything else. As for Scott Wily, given the stigma that has since been attached to the name Wily, I think that he was forced into his position by societal expectations. If he was named something else, I think he would have been able to lead a relatively normal life. As such, neither of them are really crazy, they are just products of their unfortunate environments who are only struggling for acceptance in a cold, cruel, completive culture. (Alliteration Assaults Again!)"

            Lemon blinks at Lime for a bit but says nothing since the player feels this pose is too spammy already.

 

        The Prophet stands, his arms upraised, on his corner. The darkness of his hood hiding whatever facial features that are inside completely. The Prophet's voice rings out over the bustling crowd as some turn to look, others stopping to listen, and others ignoring the figure as they move about their busy lives.

        But, all of them listen to him. His voice is almost undeniable in its ringing, deep tones.

        "People of Torontreal, long has the world suffered. Near two decades have past, and still this world is no closer to peace then it was when the Glorious Three unveiled their creations before the world."

        "My message is a simple one... PEACE!"

        However, The Prophet pauses, as his eye seems to catch the approaching trio. GNN correspondents. His arms lower, the darkness in the hood turning to look directly upon them. With his gaze, go the eyes of those who were listening to his words. 'Chest', the crowd thinks almost in one thought. 'I might be able to get myself on TV by staying to listen to this wacko.' also crosses many minds. People who intended to walk by wait... even as the Prophet waits.

        Perhaps he also wants the publicity?

 

No GNN employee really has power. Chest tends to jerk 'em around when he feels the need. But he wasn't doing so when he promoted the wonder twins. "/Middle child/ syndrome? /Middle child/ syndrome?" Chest slows up as they reach the crowd, and he turns to peer at Lime. "Come on now, you can't seriously be blaming his craziness on middle child syndrome. "As for Scott Wily, think about it: He's a clone of the world's most evil man. Face it, Wily just has pure evil in his genes. You can't go blaming society for Scott's issues. I hope you don't blame Wily's troubles on society."

        Chest winces. He tries not to get absorbed in the L&L arguments, but usually he can't help himself. His attention is quickly turned towards the hooded figure. Camera beeps something at Chest, but the GNN manager waves him off. "Get set you, you poor excuse for a paperweight," he snaps at the drone. Camera beeps and whistles back in his strange machine language that only Chest can understand, telling the GNN boss man to go f*** himself. Chest ignores the sassy mech.

        Camera extends one of its instruments, being the actual camera itself. Chest gets his microphone and motions for Lemon and Lime to stand next to him. "I figure the Prophet himself is going to be doing most of he work. We'll get out of the way and make smart ass remarks on the speech when appropriate. When I give you the signal, give an overview of the whole previous Epsilon/Scott Wily mess," he tells the twins. Chest doesn't have confidence that he'd be able to do an on-air recap without using the words 'nutjob', 'crazy', and 'screwed up'. Camera beeps a countdown, aiming the camera at Chest, Lemon, Lime, and behind them... the Prophet. 3... 2... 1...

 

Chest turns the GNN Prototype Camera v2.0 on.

 

"Chest here, live and on the scene in the bustling megacity of Torontreal!" Chest, Lemon, and Lime are standing on a busy business corner of Torontreal. Behind them, a small garden has been planted with a small brick wall running around it. It's pleasant relief from the massive city. Sitting underneath one of the shady trees in the garden is a 6 foot taltall, hooded, and rather imposing figure. There's quite a crowd gathering, but the view to the being is clear.

        Chest continues, "For over a month now the being known only as the Prophet of Epsilon has been sighted giving speeches, spreading his message to the masses. For the past two weeks, the Prophet had been silent. But now he has reappeared, and GNN is proud to give you, the viewer, a fist hand look at his message." Chest glances at Lemon and Lime. "We also have with us the star political team Lemon and Lime." Chest nods at the twins, giving them the floor.

<Live News> "Chest here, live and on the scene in the bustling megacity of Torontreal!" Chest, Lemon, and Lime are standing on a busy business corner of Torontreal. Behind them, a small garden has been planted with a small brick wall running around it. It's pleasant relief from the massive city. Sitting underneath one of the shady trees in the garden is a 6 foot tall, hooded, and rather imposing figure. There's quite a crowd gathering, but the view to the being is clear.

        Chest continues, "For over a month now the being known only as the Prophet of Epsilon has been sighted giving speeches, spreading his message to the masses. For the past two weeks, the Prophet had been silent. But now he has reappeared, and GNN is proud to give you, the viewer, a fist hand look at his message." Chest glances at Lemon and Lime. "We also have with us the star political team Lemon and Lime." Chest nods at the twins, giving them the floor.

 

        Lemon and Lime are standing side by side with their microphones in hand. Mentally they are not happy with Chest for not giving them a chance to rebut his statements before he turned the camera on, but this is all probably part of his plan. Lemon then speaks first, "Good evening ladies, gentlemen, and other unique individuals of the day. I am Lemon." Lime then chimes in right on beat without hesitation, "And I am Lime, and as Chest said, we are here live with the self-proclaimed Prophet of Epsilon. As you may remember, Epsilon, along with Scott Wily, was the leader of the Irregular Overlords before he ventured off into space to look for the secrets that lie beyond our planet."

        Lemon then picks up the monologue for two, "No one has heard from Epsilon since then which raises some questions about the validity of the Prophet of Epsilon, not to mention the chosen title. Given that the term 'Prophet' is typically used to describe someone whose purpose is to speak to the masses on behalf of a diety, it does make you wonder what has become of Epsilon. Regardless, it would seem that this particular Prophet is proclaiming one of the two standard messages that prophets are known to give. In this case, it is peace, and not the inherant destruction of the earth."

        Lime then speaks once more saying, "However, enough of the background analysis, I do believe that the Prophet is ready to speak and as such, we will get to hear what he has to say first hand now in the GNN Exclusive."

 

        The Prophet, watching Chest, Lemon, and Lime as they set up and obviously. The Prophet stands on that small brick wall, his back to the purposefully stunted tree behind him, the sunlight shining perfectly down upon him through the leaves of the trees, the variance of light and shadow giving him a more majestic look. The darkness of the hood is black, and impenetrable as he watches the trio and the Camera Drone, obviously waiting for them to fully make their presentations and for more of a crowd to gather.

        It seems The Prophet wants an audience for this oration.

        As soon as Lemon and Lime finish, the Prophet raises an arm to them and speaks, his deep voice resonant, "Behold, Torontreal. GNN. Your Newscasters. They gather the world's opinions, yet never hesitate to give their own as well... but today they will LISTEN!" Oh, that stung. But, the Prophet speaks not with charisma or flowing gestures, but with a penetrative, undeniable voice that is hard to ignore. He then raises his arms, and turns his attention full upon the crowd watching, and not at the camera of the reporters.

        "Citizens of Torontreal, and the world. I am, as Chest so kindly introduced me as, The Prophet of Epsilon."

        "I bring you the word of Epsilon, he who will save you."

        "Long have you suffered in pain and grief. Long has this WORLD suffered in agony. For two decades, the world has been torn by war, and still this world is no closer to peace now as it was then, when the Glorious Three unveiled their creations before the world."

        "This, however, will change."

        "This world has suffered long, but only through the actions of one being will all seven races of sentience on our world rise up to their true glory."

        "The actions of Epsilon."

 

Chest listens to Lemon and Lime, marveling how the pair manage to say it without insulting those involved. He never would have been able to handle such a thing. Chest scoots off to the side slightly, and Camera zooms in on the Prophet slightly. The journalists can make their comments off screen. Chest, now off camera, turns and watches the Prophet with slight nervousness. Who knows what this crazy nutjob psycho might be planning. With the dark hood, majestic lighting, and mysterious look, the Prophet definitely knows his show business. Lets just hope he doesn't turn out to be a fraud.

        Chest arches an optical ridge as the Prophet addresses GNN directly. He resists the urge to give some of the backtalk that Chest is so famous for. Yes, he's going to be listening for now. As the Prophet seems to pause briefly, Chest quips, "The glorious three are Cain, Light, and Wily, no doubt. I'm not sure what the seven races refers to." he looks to Lemon and Lime for any answers. Android, human, Reploid, Bioroid... uh... Cyborg? Enhanced Human? Of course, just what Epsilon is going to do to bring about this peace is the greatest mystery of all.

 

Lemon and Lime simply listen. Debate teaches you one very important skill for their job, and that is to pretend like you are listening and then stand up and say that your opponent is wrong for various unruly reasons. Actually, they are listening, but they are also formulating their individual arguments for and against various statements as the Prophet speaks.

 

        The six foot tall Prophet, his white cloak rippling around him, the dark purple Greek letters emblazoned upon it shimmering softly in the sunlight that bathes him. His arms remain raised, continuing to speak his message.

        "Epsilon has gone, as many of you have heard, beyond our world. With him he has taken his most trusted, his most powerful. With him are Vowel and Consonant, the great and dangerous pair able to combine into one of the most terrible entities this world has ever known... the Devilmachine Vocabulary!"

        "With him to are the three Omnidroids: Buster Rod G, Hyper Storm H, and Mega Water S. You witnessed the unveiling of these... GREATEST of Androids, only during the most recent global science expo. The creations of Scott Wily, stronger then anything built by even Wily's own father!"

        "By their hands were the most terrible of enemies felled, and lo... was it not by the hand of Proto Man, who had taken the full might of Buster Rod G into himself... that the Terrible Sigma was now first ANNIHILATED from this world?!"

        "Sigma may have returned more terrible, as is the way of TRUE monsters, but once his brother, Epsilon returns... the danger of Sigma will be removed FOREVERMORE!"

        "Epsilon is beyond our world, and these great warriors are with him now, and they seek the keys to our future in the void beyond."

        "I am here to speak the words that will enlighten you to the truth Epsilon brings... and the power he will unlock will be not one of war... but one that will UNITE our world at last!"

        "After decades of war... there will at last be... PEACE!"

 

Chest shrinks back slightly from the booming Prophet of Epsilon. This guy is pretty scary in person. Definitely believes what he's saying. Even if the Prophet is just crazy (which explanation Chest is leaning towards), he's still very entertaining. And who knows... maybe Epsilon truly is returning. Chest, in a rare show of restraint, shuts up and doesn't say anything, instead devoting all of his attention on the Prophet.

 

        The Prophet continues to speak.

        "Epsilon, even now, prepares. Dark secrets have already BEEN unlocked. Truths HAVE been found. While this war scurries onward, the final voice of truth will fall upon all ears."

        "Epsilon, when he returns, will end his Brother. With him, Scott Wily will put an end to his father. Thus the two forces that drive this war ever onward will be halted, and all sides may convene and decide on the way our world will go forth from then onward."

        "They offer a final solution to this dark and terrible time, a final utopia where all seven races of sentience can coexist and live in joyous harmony. I have SEEN this in his eyes for my very own. I have beheld his dream. I say to you now that it will solve the evils of our world."

        "NEITHER wishes to rule you. NEITHER wishes to control you. Scott Wily, though clone of his father, seeks only to make amends for his father's crimes. Epsilon, in his glorious wisdom, will redeem his own brother if he can... and DESTROY him if he must. Then it will be up to the world to decide... up to people like you..."

        "People like the Neo Arcadians. People like the Juggalos. People like the citizens of this city. People who have suffered and fallen prey to corrupt governments, evil dictators, and mad puppet kings. Reploids, Androids, Hybrids, Humans, Cyborgs, E-Humans, and Bioroids all!"

        "The choice... will be yours."

        The Prophet then drops is arms, his oration obviously at end... and turning, he makes to walk away.

 

Lemon smirks at this whole ranting spiel and as it seems to be completed, he is ready. "Excuse me! Prophet of Epsilon? Provided what you said about Epsilon's power and return are true, what should make us believe that he will not seek power and dominion over all people. If he is as great of an individual as you make him out to be, wouldn't it be in the world's best interest for him to lead? If he is as wise as you say wouldn't it be hurting the world to not have him in charge, directing the way of life towards a brighter and better future?"

            Lime then shakes her head at her brother but does not refute him yet. She will let the Prophet deal with that. Instead, she asks, "You attribute such groups as the Neo Arcadians and the Juggalos as being the result of corrupt governments and things of that nature. What is it that Epsilon plans to do exactly upon his return? How does he plan on trying to redeem Sigma as you put it and what does he plan on doing with the corrupt governments? What is Epsilon's idea of an ideal government?"

 

Chest listens in slight horror to what the Prophet is saying. He hopes that the guy is just a crazy nutjob psycho (there are those words again). While he wouldn't mind seeing Wily and Sigma removed from the face of the Earth, he has his doubts on the whole 'he doesn't want to control you' stuff. That's what someone that wants to control us would say! Chest nods as the wonder twins get the jump on him. He pipes up with his own question, "Was Wily one of the 'glorious three' that you mentioned earlier? Later on you said that Scott needs to /kill/ Wily. So which is it? Is Wily glorious or in need of killing?" Chest chomps on his cigar. "Or both?"

 

        The Prophet pauses, turning his head slowly to look back towards Lemon and Lime, then turns fully to speak.

        "What I have said about Epsilon's powers cannot be proven or disproven, save by past history, and what will be. Look at Epsilon's past actions after the foundation of the Irregular Overlords." The Prophet pauses, then addresses the points, "By his will, Poland was freed from Maverick tyranny, and given over to the Repliforce to care for. If Epsilon wished to rule, he'd have taken over then and set himself up as much a dictator as his brother."

        "Further, remember well the battle between Caesar Epsilon and Kaiser Sigma. Remember who came out the victor in that fight... ...Epsilon."

        "If the world wishes Epsilon to lead them, then he will accept it, but he is not one to put himself forward. He will fight as Mega Man fights... as General fights... but unlike them, he end this war."

        "The choice of what will happen then is up to the world."

        The Prophet's eyes turn to Lime then, "I do not attribute Neo Arcadians and Juggalos as being the result, only being those who have /suffered/ from such things. With Epsilon, they will find an ally and a friend, if they so wish it. Without the actions of the U.N, this war would have ended when Wily was first captured... But no. They stole Doppler's plans. They ruined his career. They took his very livelihood. They ignored the cry for help as Iris was taken from the arms of the Reploid who loved her... the man who would become the monster we know today as Sigma."

        "Epsilon's plans when he returns are his own, and he will reveal them when he arrives."

        "As for Sigma... there must be SOME good left in him. Some spark of the brother that Epsilon once cared for... the being Iris once loved. If that spark is too long dead... ...then Epsilon may have no choice but to destroy him."

        "As for the corruption, it will be purged. And for Government?" The Prophet opens his arms wide. "Whatever the citizens decide, of course. That is where the REAL hope for the future lies. In the people who have been harmed by this terrible war for eighteen years."

        Finally, The Prophet looks to Chest, "Yes, Chest. Like Sigma, Dr. Wily was once good. Once he, with Cain and Light, brought forth the Sentient Machine. For this, and for no other deed, will Dr. Wily be remembered and honored... for this is the greatest thing he has ever done for this world. Not to mention the invention of the Barrier System, Timestoppers, and many other technologies that have saved numerous lives."

        "Further, you mistake me. Scott will not kill his father. There are more ways to end Dr. Wily then simply killing him. No... for one of the Glorious Three... ...he deserves something more then even that."

        "But, enough, Chest. I am clogging your precious air waves and halting life on this street corner for the citizens whom Epsilon cares for." The Prophet speaks to him directly, "If you wish more from me, I will answer whatever questions you wish to ask me another time. I will accept an interview another time... for now... I have Epsilon's work to do."

        The Prophet turns, and begins to walk away.

 

The Prophet is certainly impressive. Chest doesn't know if he's persuaded or not by the idea of Epsilon returning, but he is sure that it probably won't be as awesome as the Prophet is making it out to be. Some questions are answered... but a lot more have been created. He really wants to ask the Prophet how he /knows/ all this stuff. Is he in contact with Epsilon? May Chest and L&L speak with him? What work is it that Epsilon is having him do? He doubts he'd get much of an answer on these, and it's clear that the Prophet has decided that this interview is over. Chest has no problem spending his 'precious airwaves' on this. The GNN boss man glances at Lemon and Lime, a bit dumbfounded. He lets the wonder twins handle the wrap-up.

 

Lemon speaks up again, "Well, considering that the U.N. is a government organization set up to ensure the safety and well-being of the majority of people, wouldn't it be safe to say that people do not usually know what they want? Also, by letting everybody decide, wouldn't that result in a seemingly endless deadlock of deliberations about what should be done to keep everybody happy? I would also like to ask if it is wise to have individuals like Fliptop having the same political power as someone like Dr. Light? Also, would it not be possible that some individuals will even violently react against Epsilon's alleged good intentions? And is he willing to sacrifice innocent lives that might stand in his way of dealing with Sigma or other problems of the world?"

            Lime then says, "So, you are saying that Epsilon does favor the governmental system where individuals work together to decide what will result in a better future? What sort of safeties does he foresee to prevent what has happened recently, which is to say the rise of power exhibited by a small group of individuals and the endless bloody power struggles that then ensue?"

 

        The Prophet doesn't reply to Lemon and Lime's questions.

        Yet.

        He merely walks down from the brick wall he was standing on, stepping down the little brick staircase... and walks off to vanish amongst the crowd that is resuming its fast-paced movements after The Prophet called an end to the show.

        Where did he go?!

 

Chest watches as the Prophet somehow vanishes into the crowd. Probably some technological trick. The GNN boss man shrugs, though continues to scan the crowd just in case he becomes visible again. Camera beeps a question and turns the focus on Lemon and Lime. Given the choice of giving Chest the spotlight, or anyone else the spotlight, the treacherous little machine always chooses the latter.

 

Lemon and Lime blink their optics a couple times. Well... that was certainly rude. Lime then sighs and turns to the Camera again and says, "Well, there you have it. A GNN Exclusive of the Prophet of Epsilon. We will hopefully have more on this story later." Like when we can find that freak again.

Lemon then says, "We are Lemon and Lime, and this was GNN. Signing out."

 

Chest turns the GNN Prototype Camera v2.0 off.