Chapter 9: Fool Ya Once, Fool Ya Twice

“Has anyone seen Proto anywhere?” Wroul asked Mega and some of the others a few hours later, nearing lunchtime.

“We saw him this morning,” Celene, the vixen, said.

“He got our ball down for us,” Twitch added. “But we haven’t seen him since then.”

“Where’s Roll and Dr. Light?” Mega asked, realizing for the first time that he hadn’t seen them recently either.

“Roll and Zatana went to find some wild mistletoe to decorate one of the rooms,” Lighthorn, a unicorn, answered. “And I believe that Zantar and Dr. Light went on a walk so Zantar could show the scientist some of Catron Valley’s natural wonders.” Rush, at Mega’s side, suddenly barked at something. Mega looked to see what had caught the robo-dog’s attention and saw a bright flash of light that he knew well.

“Bright Man! That means Dr. Wily’s here. C’mon, Rush!” Rush barked and transformed into his jet board mode. Mega leapt onto Rush’s back, and they flew off.

When they reached the clearing where it appeared Bright Man had been, the villain in question was there, almost as if he was waiting for them, for when he saw them he ran off. The two heroes landed and followed.

Suddenly a blast knocked Mega backwards. Another shot bound Rush in energy coils, and Guts Man appeared, scooped up the canine, and ran off. Mega scrambled up and hurried in pursuit. It was as he burst into a clearing that he saw a sight that made him stop dead in his tracked.

He saw a cage, which was where Guts Man tossed Rush, and where he saw Roll, and Zatana, and Zantar, and Dr. Light.

“Mega!” Roll shouted, rushing forward. Mega also saw Dr. Wily and his robot flunkies.

At least Proto’s not on their side now, Mega thought, glad not to be able to number Proto amongst his enemies.

“Get him!” Wily ordered. Mega was outnumbered but hardly outmatched. None the less he suffered quite a beating, especially when they ganged up on him and attacked from multiple sides. The battle positioned Mega in front of the cage, his back to it. He was panting heavily, wounded but not down for the count yet.

Suddenly, at a motion from Wily, all the robots fell back, leaving Mega standing just about in the center of the clearing, between the cage and Wily and his bunch.

“What’s wrong, Wily?” Mega asked, recovering a bit. “Giving up so soon?”

“Not hardly. Someone else just wanted to have a crack at you before you’re destroyed.” He motioned to the shadows to his right, directly opposite Mega. Who stepped out into the light shocked those in the cage and wounded Mega more than any attack could without a single shot having been fired.

Proto Man stood there, as before, the visor in place and his expression harsh.

“Hello, brother.”

Mega was speechless. In his heart he screamed NO! NO! NOT AGAIN!

“How could you!” Roll shouted at the red raider. All in the cage were on their feet and staring in shock and, for some, anger.

“I’m surprised at you, bro,” Proto sneered just as he always had before. “I didn’t think you’d fall for the same trick again. You know what they say; fool ya once, shame on me, fool ya twice...” Mega began to shake his head in denial. Proto shifted his left hand into his arm cannon, then took aim at Mega, stepping forward a few feet, causing Mega to back up similarly as he tried to figure out what to do. Now Proto stood just about in the middle of the clearing, Mega and the cage in front near on edge and Wily and his robots behind near the opposite edge. He motioned with his blaster. “Move over there,” He re-aimed at the cage. “or I blast them all.”

“Don’t do it, Mega!” Roll called. Mega stood still for a moment, caught in conflicting emotions, then shut his eyes for a moment as a small tremble passed over his face.

“No choice, Roll,” he almost groaned, so great was the pain of his brother’s second betrayal. It was visible in his eyes and in the way he slightly shook with the emotions he couldn’t let out since he wasn’t human. Proto seemed to take no notice and motioned again. Mega obeyed.

“Stop right there,” he said when Mega stood in front of the cage just to one side of the door. Proto took careful aim. It seemed he was literally going to obliterate Mega right in front of

all his friends and family!

“Yes,” Wily crooned. “Yes, Proto. Do it!” Dr. Light closed his eyes, clutching at the pars of the cage helplessly. To him Mega was a much-loved son, and there was absolutely nothing he could do to save him.

Proto set his aim, his concentration firm. There was no margin for error here. He either hit his target, or missed with dread consequences. He hesitated a moment, then fired. Mega shut his eyes, bracing himself for the blast.

It was as if time slowed for all there after Proto fired. It seemed to take an eternity for the plasma to travel through the air.

But to Mega's shock, he felt the blast miss him. It passed so close to his shoulder that he felt the energy tingle against his titanium skin. The blast hit the cage at an angle and bounced off into the sky, where it exploded without harming anyone.

For a few seconds, all stood frozen in place. Mega slowly opened his eyes, not sure what had happened. Wily was just as confused. Dr. Light suddenly realized that the blast had utterly decimated the electrical lock on the cage. The door sung freely open.

"What - what happened?" Wily stuttered. Abruptly, Proto sprang into action, whirling around to face the evil scientist even as he shouted to the others,

"Run!" He rapidly fired, not bothering to aim. The prisoners burst out of the cage and ran, Dr. Light helping to support Mega as they ran, since he was still a little in shock and injured. Proto provided cover fire. After a few more shots, when the others were far enough away, he, too, fled from the area.

"Get them!" Wily yelled, furious. "Get them!" The others took up the chase, firing primarily at the closest target, which happened to be Proto. The red raider kept running, turning to fire over his shoulder as best he could whenever the opportunity presented itself. By now the others were out of sight completely. Proto felt glad that they had escaped successfully, although he felt equal pain to Mega's for having to trick him like that.

Just then a lucky shot from one of the pursuing robots exploded near his heel, throwing him off balance. He tumbled down a steep slope, bouncing and colliding with rocks and tree roots, his shoulder taking a harsh blow in the process and coming disconnected, before coming to a stop at the bottom. His senses scattered, Proto Man just lay where he had fallen. When the others saw him, they didn't follow to see if he really was destroyed, just left him there and returned to report to Wily.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"He's as dead as an old flashlight battery," Ice Man said to Wily.

"Good, good. Now we can go after the others, as we planned. With Mega too weak to fight, defeating him should be no trouble at all." He laughed wickedly.

"No!" a feminine voice ordered, cutting Wily's celebration short. He peered around.

"Who said that?" A Half-Kin lioness, glowing softly blue, appeared out of the woods and glided a little ways towards them.

"You have caused enough damage for one day, and I will not allow you to harm my daughter of her friends."

"You won't, will you? Ice Man, get her." The robot shot his Ice Slasher attack, but to all's surprise the shot went through her and froze a snowdrift behind her.

"No," she replied, "I won't." She began to move her arms in a strange pattern that for some reason made them all sleepy, and a portal, identical to the one that brought the others to Catron, appeared below the evil scientist and his robots. They fell through it, returning to their world, and it closed behind them. Then, with a satisfied smile, the former Queen Zana vanished.