Chapter 8

“Mega Man...Mega Man...Mega Man...” Dr. Light’s voice, which seemed to come from so far away, slowly roused Mega Man back to reality. The fourth call came louder to his fuzzy electrical brain. “Mega Man, wake up.” He slowly opened his blue eyes. His vision was blurry, then cleared so he could see his family looking at him.

“Dr. Light! Roll! Rush!”

“He’s okay!” Roll cheered happily. Doc happily back-flipped, beeping.

“We were worried for a while,” Dr. Light said as Mega slid off of the table.

“I’ve got to get back to the airport and stop Dr. Wily and Protoman.”

“What about me?” Roll asked. Mega hopped onto Rush, who was in jet board mode and ready, and turned to her.

“Okay, hop on.” She ran over and hopped on behind him as he added, “I’ve learned you don’t listen when I tell you to stay put, so I might as well have you where I can keep an eye on you.”

“Wait!” Eddie called as he ran in. “This time Eddie bring you double order of energy cans.” As before, the flip-top robot stopped and up popped his top. First one can was ejected, caught, and downed, then a second.

“Okay! thanks. Lets go.” Roll put her hands on his side to hold on, both shifted their weight as Rush powered up, and they were off through the opening in the ceiling.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

At the airport, Wily stood before his robots, Fire Man and Bomb Man conspicuously absent, looking happily at his face painted on the tail of a plane.

“My face will be all over the city--hehehe. I’m in control now.” He turned to his bots, gesturing with one arm at his image. “Nothing can stop me! Now, it’s time for the mayor of the city to surrender.” As if on cue, they all heard a noise, and they looked over in time to see Rush bearing Mega and Roll swoop down between them, then back up.

“No,” Wily growled, then pointed after Mega. “Stop Mega Man at all costs!”

Cuts Man instantly took up the chase. Once a suitable distance separated them Mega hopped off Rush and ran back at Cut Man. The enemy bot raised his arm to fire his Rolling Cutter Blade. He fired off two, but Mega jumped over one and ducked the other, then fired himself. His plasma blast was right on target. Cut Man fell. Mega was quick to his side. He reached down, touched Cut Man’s arm, and copied his weapon, in effect stealing it.

“No! Now you’ve got my weapon,” Cut Man whined as he felt for the blade that normally was on top of his head. It was gone. He scrambled up and began to run. Mega fired Cut Man’s own weapon at him. No matter where Cut Man ran, over a wall, through a steel door that he closed behind him, even in and out of one of the planes, it still followed, destroying anything in its way, even going so far as to separate the nose and cockpit of the plane from the rest. Desperate, Cut Man headed to the Skullkur where Wily and Protoman already were.

“Cut Man! Get avay!” Dr. Wily yelled, trying to lift off before Cut Man could get in. But he did, and the Rolling Cutter followed. The Skullkur bucked and jerked as it rose into the air.

Ice Man now took on Mega. His Ice Slasher Beam fired. Mega dodged once, and a crate behind him was frozen, then dodged again a moment later. Getting a sudden idea, Mega ran directly at Ice Man, who fired and missed, dropped to the ground to slide into his enemy, planted his foot in Ice Man’s stomach, and lifted him temporarily off the ground, in the process touching his arm and getting his weapon.

“Now I’ve got your Ice power.” Still on the ground, Mega fired an Ice Slasher Beam at Ice Man. He was frozen solid from his own attack.

Elec Man, meanwhile, targeted Roll. He fired his Thunder Beam at her, which she dodged, before being picked up from behind by Rush. The faithful canine flew him over to hover above Roll, who smiled.

“Nice going, Rush. Now hold him still.” This time she used her orange juicer attachment, holding it high over her head. Rush let go, Elec Man fell head first onto the juicer, and spun to pieces. “I think he’s done.” Suddenly Elec Man’s pieces began to move. Wily used a vacuum or magnetic force to pull the remains into the Skullkur.

Guts Man, as usual, preferred brute force to power. He hefted a helicopter and hurled it at Mega. The blue bomber leapt aside, but was a little wounded. He sprawled on the ground, wincing a little when he pushed himself up a bit.

“No!” Proto cried, standing up in the Skullkur. “Mega Man’s mine.” He left the grounded Skullkur’s cockpit and ran over to Guts Man, putting his hands on Guts Man’s arm. “I’ll take care of him myself.” In a final show of the identical nature of his and Mega’s design, he copied Guts Man’s only weapon, his strength.

A huge red, arm-guard type thing, identical to the lower parts of Guts Man’s arms, appeared on Proto’s left arm for, like Mega, that was the location of his blaster and copying circuits. Then he stalked towards Mega, who was slowly getting up, with grim intentions. Mega fired. Proto leapt it and swung. Mega dodged around and fired again. Another dodge. Proto swung once, missed, and swung again. This time he connected, and Mega was punched right through the back wall of one of the airplane hangers. Proto followed.

“Where’d he go?” he wondered aloud as he looked for Mega, who was no where in sight on the ground. To bad Proto didn’t look up.

Mega, up on the catwalk and rope in hand, suddenly swung down. Proto saw him too late to avoid the collision and was knocked with a cry back and up into the plane’s fuselage. Mega swung around and let go of the rope to land in the cockpit. Once there he pushed the right combination of buttons to start the plane. Proto heard it start up and tried to escape, but was forced instead to hold on in an attempt not to be sucked in. He couldn’t hold on, though, and was pulled through the fuselage and on through the wall behind it, coming to land in a heap outside. Mega followed and pulled his brother to his feet, saying,

“Looks like your fighting days are over, Protoman. I’m taking you back to Dr. Light’s lab. He’ll reprogram you to be good.” But it was not to be. A red glow lifted Proto up into the Skullkur.

“Grr...Mega Man did it again,” Wily growled at a battered Proto, who came to stand by his side and glare down at Mega. “But that blue dweeb hasn’t seen the last of us.” And that the Skullkur flew off.