The is no escape from NIGHTMARE INN!

By: Gauntlet (aka Shadowman)

Every so often, the Megaman community has a get-together, where they all come and gather to give each other confidence and support...or just plain fight. Either way, most of the more sociable people come in and participate in the "Heroes Convention"! However, on this dark and stormy night, the bus with some of the participants heading towards this convention has had engine trouble and now must make a stop at...NIGHTMARE INN!

IRA: Aw, man! It's totally wrecked!

Shadowblade: Hey. Lemme look at it. Maybe I could fix it up...

IRA: Hands off! You'll only bust it up more!

Needlegal: And the convention is TOMORROW! I blew off a perfectly good party with my new boyfriend to be at this convention!

Gauntlet: Bet Peter didn't like that one bit...

Needlegal: Oh no, not Peter. We broke up. My new boyfriend is Brad! He's soooo CUTE!

Gauntlet: Right...

Lysekoid: Well, I guess we should stop by at this cozy-looking inn.

Stoneman: Sign says it's "The Plaza Hotel". Well, it looks decent enough...

Cody, the Bluebomber: Right! So let's go!

(The group goes into the inn and buys rooms.)

Shadowblade: You know...there is a rumor that this place is haunted...

IRA: Aw, rumors are stupid.

Shadowblade: NO! A few years ago, there were these brutal killings. They say the victims' ghosts haunts the inn to this day...

Cody: Hh. Sounds creepy. How'd they die?

Shadowblade: Ummm...can't recall...

IRA: Aw, man! If you don't know the full story, don't tell it!

Gauntlet: Man, what is your problem??

Generic Rick: Aw, he just needs some alcohol in his system to keep him nice and friendly.

Lysekoid: Well, I just hope we can all get going. I really did a great job on my speech this year!

(Everyone rolls their eyes...)

Stoneman: Wonderful...another speech...

Needlegal: What? What's up?

Gauntlet: (Whispering) Man...you weren't around then, but ever since Lysekoid got to do speeches, he just yammers on and on and on...

Lysekoid: Gauntlet! You liked my speeches, right??

Gauntlet: Oh, absolutely! They're always fascinating!

Needlegal: Liar.

Cody: Well, there IS a hockey game playing today. So, at least it won't be a total loss...

Shadowblade: I thought you hated hockey.

Cody: ...No I don't.

(So the community members go off and do various things. Suddenly, there is a loud scream! Everyone goes to check it out and they find Cody - dead - in the lobby.)

IRA: ...He's dead...

Generic Rick: HE WAS TOO YOUNG!!

Gauntlet: You know...we're the only people here...aside from staff...we're the only ones who know Cody...

Needlegal: So?

Gauntlet: SO, one of us must've killed him!!

(Everyone eyes each other warily...)

Lysekoid: But...which one of us...?

Gauntlet: I dunno, but I WILL find out!

IRA: Well, who made it your job, Sherlock? For all we know, YOU could have killed him!

Gauntlet: Nonsense! I was with Needlegal and Cody watching the game. Cody stepped out, we all heard him scream like a girl, and then we came out here to find him like this!

Needlegal: Yeah! Where were you guys?

IRA: I was at the bar! Drinking! Because that's what I do!!

Shadowblade: Well, I was with Generic Rick. We were playing N64.

Generic Rick: Paper Mario. Shadowblade hogs the game too much.

Lysekoid: And I was busy working on my speech, stretching it out a bit.

(Everyone groans.)

Stoneman: I was doing Tai Chi in my room when I heard Cody yell!

Needlegal: YOU do Tai Chi? Stoneman!?

Stoneman: Yeah...so what?

Needlegal: Alright...

Stoneman: WHAT!?

Gauntlet: Well, at least one of us is lying then...and I'll find out who!

Needlegal: And I will tag along! To annoy!

(Shortly, the sheriff arrives and questions everybody. He is a lazy, incompetent, fat man, so Gauntlet is still on his own. In case he needs to examine the body, Gauntlet convinces the sherrif to let them keep it in the basement cold storage rather than take it to the morgue and due to the aforementioned laziness and incompetence, the sheriff agrees...So the next morning...)

Bartender: Yeah, that fire-dude was here...He drank a few. Didn't seem all that drunk though. Didn't wanna give him no alcohol...on account of it being flammable! But his cash was good.

Gauntlet: Hmmmmmmmm.

Needlegal: Aren't you the bartender at that other bar back in the city?

Bartender: ...Maybe.

(Next, Gauntlet talks to the cleaning crew.)

Foreign Maid: No, Stoneman was no in room. I clean room. He was no there.

Gauntlet: Did you see where he went?

Foreign Maid: No. His money green, I no see where he went!

Gauntlet: ...Did he pay you to say that?

Foreign Maid: His money green. I see nothing.

Needlegal: Gee, suspicious much.

Gauntlet: Hmmmmmmmm.

Needlegal: You don't seem too foreign, by the way.

Foreign Maid: Not foreign. I born in Ohio. American flag dress prove it. It not just repurposed American Maid sprite. I left green card other clothes. Goodbye.

(Suddenly, Stoneman comes through.)

Stoneman: You don't think it's me do you!?

Gauntlet: Um, I really don't know...

Stoneman: Aw man! You do, don't you!?

Needlegal: Well what's this crap about you doin' Tai Chi!? We talked to the maid.

Stoneman: And what did she tell you?

Needlegal: The maid said you were readin' comics.

Stoneman: Yeah...

Needlegal: I thought you didn't bring any along.

Stoneman: Well, I did. Yeah!

Needlegal: The maid told us nothing! What's going on!?

Stoneman: OH...I can't say!!

(Stoneman runs off. Suddenly there is another scream! Everyone searches for the source until they find a disheveled Shadowblade near the stairs.)

Shadowblade: Someone attacked me...

Lysekoid: Who was it??

Shadowblade: It was...STONEMAN!!!

Stoneman: THAT'S A DIRTY LIE!!

Gauntlet: Then what were you doing last night during the time of the murder, Stone!?

Stone: ...

Generic Rick: Well, it looks like this mystery is solved...

(Suddenly, there are strange noises.)

Strange Noises: (Wooooohhh...Mooaannn...Kiiilllll...Revennnge...Ughhhhh...)

Shadowblade: What's that!?

IRA: THE GHOST!!

(Everyone panics.)

Gauntlet: Now come on, there is no such thing as ghosts!

Needlegal: Ahem.

Gauntlet: Well, not this ghost anyway! Let me solve this case!

(Gauntlet does a lot of running around and investigating. Later that day, Gauntlet gathers everyone into the TV room.)

Gauntlet: (Pacing) Well now...One of the people here...is THE MURDERER!

Everyone Else: Gasp!

Gauntlet: A perplexing case indeed. To add to the perplexity, it appears someone has removed Cody's body from the freezer when nobody else was looking. It's missing.

Everyone Else: Gasp!

Gauntlet: So who was behind it? We all have had reason to kill Cody at one time or another!

Shadowblade: He made fun of my forum!

Lysekoid: He sent in bad sprites for judging!

Generic Rick: He calls too much!

IRA: He never picks up after himself!

Stoneman: There's that funky smell...

Needlegal: And he always taps his foot! Very annoying!

Gauntlet: All very common motives for murder. Like Shadowblade!

Shadowblade: GASP!

Gauntlet:You SAY you were with Generic Rick playing N64!

Generic Rick: ...We were...

Gauntlet: And what GAME were you playing?

Shadowblade: Paper Mario...

Needlegal: AH-HAH!!

Gauntlet: We talked to the manager! They don't have Paper Mario! The only game available was BARBIE'S SHOPPING SPREE!!!

Everyone Else: GASP!!

Generic Rick: ...OKAY! We were on the Shopping Spree!

Everyone Else: Gasp!

Shadowblade: But that doesn't mean we murdered Cody!!

Gauntlet: Yes...that doesn't...but that does not exclude...LYSEKOID!!!

Lysekoid: GASP!

Gauntlet: You SAY you were working on your speech...but what is it you were REALLY doing?

Lysekoid: I...um...

Needlegal: AH-HAH!!!

Gauntlet: We contacted the local TV station and found out what was on. Inns keep fanatical-track of their TV records...you were listening to the political speeches, weren't you!? That's why your speeches are so long and boring - YOU RIPPED THEM ALL OFF DIDN'T YOU!?

Lysekoid: OKAY!! Yes...I did...

Everyone Else: (Gasp!)

Lysekoid: I couldn't keep up with the pressure...I am a sham...BUT I AM NO MURDERER!

Gauntlet: No...but the TV listings showed something else...didn't they Stone?

Stoneman: Huh?...I don't follow.

Needlegal: AH-HAH!

Gauntlet: (Too soon, Needle.) According to these listings you were watching...BALLET!! THAT'S your dirty little secret...ISN'T IT!?!?

Stoneman: ALRIGHT!!! I did watch it! And I'd watch it again!! I love ballet!!!!

Everyone Else: (Gasp?)

Stoneman: But I didn't murder Cody either!

Gauntlet: Yes...that honor belongs to...IRA!!

IRA: WHAT!!!

Gauntlet: I checked out the bus when you weren't looking! No damage at all! You faked it!

IRA: No!

Needlegal: AH-HAH!!

Gauntlet: (Sis, seriously, you gotta work on your timing.) So IRA, you deny it!?

IRA: YEAH!

Gauntlet: Well, I might believe IRA, the trustworthy Fireman of the Sinister Six, but not...

(Gauntlet rips off IRA's mask!)

Gauntlet: My arch-nemisis DOC ROBOT!!!?

Everyone Else: Gasp!!

Generic Rick: He wasn't IRA at all!

Stoneman: It was Docman all along!

Doc Robot: How did you know???

Gauntlet: Well, I didn't know it was you exactly, but I knew who you weren't! It was your attitude! You've really been a drag this whole trip. You also drank far too little - IRA is almost constantly either drunk or hungover!

Lysekoid: So Doc Robot is the killer!

Gauntlet: He would be...if Cody was really dead!

(Gauntlet rips off Shadowblade's mask, revealing...)

Everyone Else: GAAASP!

Cody: Damn!

Needlegal: AH-HAH!

Gauntlet: (There ya go!) Cody!! But is it really?

(Gauntlet pulls off Cody's mask, revealing...)

Everyone Else: GAH-(cough, cough) GASP!

Gemini Red: Damn!!

Needlegal: AH-HAH!

Gauntlet: Gemini Red!!

Generic Rick: But how! Only Shadowblade could score so many Barbie shopping points!!

Everyone Else: Bwuh?

Needlegal: Even I don't like Barbie games...

Generic Rick: Oh, shut up.

Gauntlet: Well, even if that disturbing fact is true, guess who I found in the basement.

(Shadowblade walks into the room.)

Shadowblade: Hi.

Everyone Else: (Sigh...) GASP!?!

Needlegal: AH-HAH!

Gauntlet: Alright, would you just stop doing that, Needlegal?

Lysekoid: But how?

Gauntlet: The way I see it, Docman and Gemini Red had this planned prior to the trip. They saw it as an opportunity to take out major players in the community without getting caught. They picked this place because of that ghost story. IRA and Cody were Docman and Gemini Red from the get-go. They planned to kill us all with this bomb I found in the basement next to a gas line! "Cody" pretended to be dead while "IRA" told us all the news. "Cody" then escaped from the meat locker where his body was held, subdued Shadowblade, and locked him in the basement. He then took Shadowblade's place to throw us off! All a ridiculous scheme to distract us and make us suspicious of each other while they set up their trap!

Shadowblade: You all thought I was the ghost because my voice traveled through the vents! "Woah!" I screamed and moaned. "I'll kiiilllll whoever put me down here!", "I'll have my revennnge on you jerks!", "Ughhhhh, why aren't you lazy bastards helping me?", and stuff like that.

Gemini Red: We would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for you pesky kids!

Gauntlet: They didn't count on the Technodrome having vents just like the ones here! We heard sounds like that back home a few weeks ago, so I knew to check the basement for any "ghosts".

Needlegal: ...Brother, that turned out to be an actual ghost, remember?

Gauntlet: Yeah, but the ghost was in the basement, that's my point.

Doc Robot: We won't make the same mistake next time, Gauntlet! We'll see you when you least expect it! Time Stopper!

(Time freezes and Docman escapes!)

Gemini Red: Hey, what about me! I can't go to jail, I'm...I'm...

(Gemini Red fades out of existence.)

Gemini Red: Noooo!! Not noowww...

Gauntlet: ...Huh. That's unsettling.

Needlegal: Conclusive though. Another case closed by the intrepid Needlegal and her plucky brother!

Gauntlet: You didn't do anything!

Lysekoid: Can we go to the convention now? I can't believe you knew the bus was fine and we still had to hang around in this dump.

(Later, Gauntlet and Needle meet up with the rest of their team at the convention...)

Spark: What made you think taking that bus was a good idea anyway? It would have made more sense if we all came together.

Needlegal: Any word on what happened to the real Cody and IRA?

Magnet: IRA came with the rest of the S6. Cody flew in by himself.

Gauntlet: How did we miss that?

Snake: Hm...I guess things turned out alright after all...

Needlegal: Yeah, and we learned something too...

Gauntlet: "Wheel of Morality, turn turn turn..."

Needlegal: Quiet, you! The moral is: public transportation sucks.

Gauntlet: That's it? Hell, I didn't need to go through all this to learn that!

Top: Well, until Lysekoid actually writes an original speech, we are...the Mechanical Maniacs!

THE END

Blue Bomber - Cody's page
Shadowblade's forum
Generic Rick's Rockman United - Offline
Darkman's Robot Warriors - Offline
Lysekoid's Mega Land
The Sinister Six and IRAgination - IRA's site

Cast:
Sean as .....	Sparkman	Jacob as .....	Snakeman	Psycho Magnet as .....	Needlegal
Nobody as .....	Hardman			C.J. as .....	Topman
Gizmo as .....	Geminiman	Titanium 91 as .....	Magnetman	Gauntlet as .....	Shadowman