MONSTEROPOLIS EPISODE 2:
Rock and A Hard Place

By Hadrian (Hardman) Howell

Chapter 2

-Megaopolis Science and Technology Center
-February 15th, 2096
-Account Subject: Dr. Albert W. Wily

It was hard not to smile, looking through the glass to the room beyond, where Captain Commando was receiving medical attention. The normally verbose pretty boy was quiet with rage while a few orderlies applied bandages and wraps. All in all, he could have been hurt much worse, but Caine’s pet always received the best attention.

“Ah, Wily, I thought I would find you here.”

I felt my eye twitch. I knew the voice. Computer generated, not entirely organic sounding, but just enough to give me that same feeling at the base of my spine that came up when someone scraped sharp metal on stone. Vladimir.

“What do you need, Weil?” I trned around to take him in. Wheelchair bound, Vladimir was missing his body from the waist down. A part of the accident I mentioned earlier that had been covered up. Vladimir HAD died that day, but his own work and notes had saved him.

His body was entirely encased in a soft white suit, his head visible through a cone of glass. Through it, the orange liquid that was keeping him alive could be seen swirling around his head, making his hair float in every direction. His voice came out of a speaker near the base of his helmet.

And damaged as he was, he was by no means paralyzed. He was smiling, which always creeped me out. “I want you to know how things went on the trip. Light and I made the sale with ease.”

“Oh, good. New customers for Intelligent Mechanicals. Is public relations and marketing why we keep you around? I forget.” There was more of an edge to my voice than I intended. Weil’s accident and state of existence had done nothing to impede his mind or ability, but there was an unspoken consensus that he should retire his post. Keeping him alive was starting to be hard to hide on the STC budget reports.

Vladimir read my mind. “Waiting for me to retire, Albert? I assure you that I shall, someday, maybe even soon.” His chair rolled forward to the glass, and he looked down at the scene. “However, it seems we need all hands on deck for our current problem.”

“Commando’s bloody nose? Hardly an issue,” I scoffed.

“Not what I meant,” Weil mirthlessly grinned. “We have a player on the scene who is apparently operating independently and is acquiring weapons and technology. This Megaman is going to be a problem people are going to start looking to the STC to fix.”

“And of course, we should make it look like a team effort,” I sneered. “News flash, Vlad; barely any of us actually get along. And I doubt that will change with your choice of replacement.”

“Doppler?” Weil laughed, which was the most disturbing sound he could make. “Yes, I imagine he won’t be making new friends if he takes my seat on the Council. And if I step aside, Hojo becomes the third master, and you get bumped up to the top spot. The most senior position in the STC. Would that tiny fact have something to do with the haste and zeal you exhibit when it comes to getting rid of me?”

“There is no difference between Masters,” I told him. “You, Caine and I are all on a level playing field.”

“We BOTH know that isn’t true. Dr. Emmerich’s last ‘screw you’ to the STC was appointing Caine his successor. If I could have stopped him, I would. It’s a crime for a lackluster mind like Caine’s to hold power in an institution like the STC.” I had to admit, I didn’t disagree with Weil on that point, but I hated saying it out loud.

I remembered Hal Emmerich as a geek, even by scientist standards, and he never felt like part of the ‘club’. He’d been next in line to become a Master when Weil had his accident, and when he’d been denied the post by Vladimir’s unnaturally prolonged life, he’d retired and named one of the most unlikable men in the complex his successor. The tragedy of it all was not lost on me, but I also recognized Weil’s role in it, even if Weil himself did not.

“I have things I need to attend to,” I said, realizing I’d drifted off for a moment. I hadn’t slept in almost forty hours, and while I was used to long hours, I usually had more coffee in my system. As I left, Weil’s speaker crackled to life once more.

“The Council is meeting to discuss this Megaman problem. Tomorrow. Over lunch, I think.”

“When did this meeting get scheduled?” I asked, already sure of the answer.

“Oh, just now,” Weil replied. I couldn’t see his face now, but I’m certain he was smiling. “I’ll send out a memo later. Maybe it should be a potluck.”

“I’ll bring you a milkshake,” I sighed as I left the room and walked down the hall. I’d spent so many years in this place by now that I could reliably doze off on my way back to my office. At least, I usually ended up in my office.

In what felt like moments, my office door opened and GLaDOS greeted me. “You have a message from Dr. Light,” she told me as I sat down.

“Bring it up,” I yawned as I cracked my neck. “And get someone to bring me some coffee, would you?”

“Certainly,” GLaDOS intoned softly. The monitor flickered and was suddenly filled with Thomas’s face. That ridiculous Santa Clause beard of his made the bottom half of my screen look like it had frosted over.

“Albert, it was great to see you this morning, as always, but a few things have come up. I may have to take another day or so away from the STC for personal reasons. If something important comes up, you know how to get in touch with me, and I’ll try to be back as soon as I can.”

Ah, Thomas. Always so concerned with your work. He was the most junior member of the Council, and he wasn’t quite aware yet that we ALWAYS know where the Council is located. If something comes up that needs his attention, he’ll be found and told and probably dragged back here whether he likes it or not. It’s one of the reasons I never left the facility.

At least, it’s the reason I made it LOOK like I never left the facility. Of course, fooling a DNA-based location device isn’t easy, but that’s where Hojo’s lab had actually come in handy.

“GLaDOS,” I said, standing up, “Open the gate. I’m going down for a while.”

“Certainly Dr. Wily,” she said. “Your coffee will be awaiting your arrival.”

A portion of the wall behind my desk slid open soundlessly, and inside was a room, no bigger than a jail cell. It held nothing save for a control panel and a cot, and one other precious item, which I dragged out of the room with some effort and put on my chair. Stepping back into the small secret chamber, I laid down on the cot and hit a button on the panel.

As the door slid closed, I felt the room start to rumble, descending through the ground and to a highly classified (and by that, I mean completely secret, even to the other members of the Council) and small subway tunnel. I dozed on the cot as the room descended. I wouldn’t reach my destination for four hours, which was more than enough time to sleep off some of my building exhaustion.

When I awoke, I’d be at the bottom of Lake Erie, in my own private little corner of the world.