MONSTEROPOLIS EPISODE 1:
Heroes and Villains

By Hadrian (Hardman) Howell

Chapter 5

-Megaopolis Rooftops
-February 14th, 2096
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The sky was gray. Maddeningly, depressingly gray. In many ways it was symbolic of life for the humans of this city. Endless, unchanging, and completely without a ray of hope. And as I cast my gaze out over the city itself, looking upon a vast and endless horizon of roof tops and buildings, I realized that I couldn’t change it all on my own. It was impossible for one entity to dig in deep enough to rip the corruption and crime out of this place by the roots.

That said, I had made a hell of a start.

I looked down at my hands. Electric blue plating covered them now. There was no sign of being able to go back to the life I’d led before I made my choice. There wasn’t any turning back at all for me. Even if some of my work had already backfired a little.

Taking out the Bomberman had been harder than I thought it would be. I figured once he was out of explosives, that would have been it and I could just punch him out. He’d surprised me with the ability to make more simply out of thin air. Of course, NOW I understood how that trick worked, and I could replicate it almost at will now. Sure, I ended up with the occasional toy duck or pair of roller skates instead of a bomb, but it worked MOST of the time.

The Bomberman had been a clear and present danger to the people of the city, and his defeat was always going to be seen as a good thing. Captain Commando was another matter.

That fight was my first against an STC equipped opponent. Also my first in a large crowd, which rendered Bomberman’s ability useless. I can’t hurt innocent people if I want to get my point across.

And it’s a good point. Captain Commando is, for all intents and purposes, a big fat lazy jackass. He’s super strong, can (or could) throw fire and lightning, and he can take so much punishment that I kept having to take cheap shots to keep him from being able to strike back. For all of his bravado and stupidity, Captain Commando is a really good fighter.

So why does he, and S.O.N.I.C., and Strider, and G Red and the rest of the super powered set stay away from the mafia or some of the real threats to the city? Is it because they get kept on a short leash by the STC? Or is it something closer to home?

I heaved a theatrical sigh, since I don’t really need to breathe, and put my helmet back on. Things had gotten complicated ever since I’d made my choice. I always thought the city was black and white, that everything was either good or bad.

I looked over at my work. The gutted remains of Captain Commando’s weapons of choice lay everywhere. I had to study how they worked so I could replicate the process. Truth be told, I’m not sure I got it right. Instead of shooting lightning or fire, I ended up with some sort of plasma launcher. I hope it works, because I doubt Captain Commando will get caught off guard again for a long time.

It was only through my helmet that I came to see the truth about the shades of gray and the men behind the curtain. Only now, on the verge of disaster, does the truth make itself even slightly apparent.

I laughed to myself. I’m as much a product of the STC as the rest of them. I just don’t follow their orders or rely on them for support. Hell, my own ‘father’ doesn’t even know what I’ve done. He won’t be happy if he finds out, either… but that mattered less to me than the task at hand.

There’s a storm coming, and I can feel it in my steel bones. I can only hope that I, as Megaman, can make them all see it in time.

-END OF EPISODE 1