The Business of War

The Meeting


Scenario B
Participants:
Wily's Warriors (W)
Ringman (W)
SparkChan (W)
Bass (W)
Evil Eight (W)
etc. (W)

Location: Skull Castle, Appallacian Mtns, US

 

7PM Meeting Scheduled:

An announcement Spark almost missed as she brushed Benny's hair. Just a little rat here or there in the young boy's bed head. She sorta giggled when he cried.

"Oh I'm sorry deary." she held in her laughter.

The announcement called out over the PA system installed in the fortress, the voice of Doc Robot nipping everyone with a painful twisted bark. He didn't sound all that happy, and from what most remembered he wasn't there. Where did he return from?

"Attention Wily Personel Bots! Would the following robots please report to the Conference Room!"

She sighed when she heard his voice, shaking her head. That Doc Robot was no doubt against her. But strangely, as she tugged at the boy's hair, Doc Robot was right. She was not in league with Wily... she was actually planning to use her original position to gain power over him. Nothing could convince her that listening to a man like Wily would ensure safety.

The rest of the announcement went ignored as she thought about her quiet trip to Germany. She was fixed further, but still quite in shock that MesmerMan didn't stop her mission. Infact... not a single bot under her was harmed or killed on the trip. That and they obtained some strange box, but what was inside? She'd inquire from Wily later.

"My lady..."

A voice appeared in the room. It forced her to jump as it seemed to creep up on her. It was usually like something GeminiMan would say to her in greeting. Considering Gem was with the Scissor Army and out to steal her away... it scared her at first!

"Oh my!" She gasped, covering her mouth embaressed when Wily showed himself from the doorway. The old man overlooked Benny... then up to his beloved.

"Do not be startled my sveet," he spoke through his nasely voice. "I vant you to accompany me to zee meeting I haf planned."

Spark-Chan finished grooming the boy's hair, patting it a little before standing up. Benny made a pout that she had to go away, getting attached to this surrogate mother very quickly. Infact... her and that QuickMan bot were exceedingly kind to him.

"I don't like to leave Benny alone here, Doctor." Her violet eyes still shyly placed on the boy rather than Wily.

"No I'm fine Miss Spark, I'll just stay in here. I'm not that little you know." Benny replied for himself. She couldn't help but smile. Benny was very strong in her eyes. The world hit the boy around but if he could still smile in the end... then he certainly still had a chance to live a full and happy life.

"Alright..." Spark got to her feet.

Wily offered his arm to escort her himself. She was hesitant to wrap her arm with his. Memories quickly returned to a time much like this. But soon she gave in and together they left the room arm in arm.

--------------------

The meeting room was actually the opposite of what they all thought. It was filled with bright overhead lights and large screened computers surrounded the room giving the feel that it was a circular room. In the middle was a round table with a metal top. It was almost funny that this villain would set up a meeting as if they were now all King Author and the Knights of the Round table.

Spark's eyes glanced questioningly as Wily sat her down at his side. She wasn't any leader of any sort. Did he really need her to plan. Wily answered her eyes.

"Your place ist at my side Classi-Cal. Do not look so uncomfortable. You do not like the var, I know zis, but together ve vill pull through."

She nodded to him, atleast believing that there would be an end in sight somewhere... someday.

The others began to shuffle inside not too long after. Her eyes only looked up twice from her lap. One, the presense of QuickMan. Two, the glare of Doc Robot. If anything would get done. She knew that Starnik would help her in this. She only worried now of Doc Robot and Forte's plans. Would they work together or all attack eachother? She hoped for the best.

--------------------

“I see the doctor and his lovely Spark-chan are finding themselves well today.” Said Quick Man as he stepped into the room. A precession of the various Robot Masters that had joined up with Wily trailed behind him. Starnik seemed to instantaneously appear in the seat next to the couple (on Spark-chan’s side, naturally). “I have to tell you doc, I think this meeting is a great idea. It’ll give us a chance to compare notes on the activities of the Scissor Army… and maybe what they and the RPD have planned for the long haul.”

Quick watched as a wicked smile spread across the Doctor’s lips. Heh, A little flattery seems to go a long ways with him… he thought. Before Wily could reply, though, a shrill voice emanated from the other chair, next to Wily.

“Of COURSE it’s a brilliant idea! It was one of Master Wily’s!” said the small Doc Robot. The miniature Wily Rescue Force member was glaring daggers at Quick. “You would know that if you were REALLY loyal to Wily, like some of us!”

Quick’s smile disappeared briefly as his eyes turned towards Doc Robot. The smile returned back to the speedster’s face, although this time with a less earnest tone. “My, whatever could you be insinuating, Doc?”

“Why, I’ll tell you what I’m ‘insinuating’, you two-faced-“

“Enough!” shouted Bass, who was situated in the chair next to Doc Robot. His arms were folded, and his posture seemed to radiate impatience. “Let’s just get this whole useless thing finished!”

The outburst from the black and gold robot seemed to startle everyone at the table, but Wily pressed onward. “Ze first order of business iz for each team to give a brief report on how zer past missions have gone. Quick Man, I believe you are zey first von.”

Starnik’s ever-present smile didn’t fade. “Of course, Herr Doctor.” Quick stood, and cleared his throat. “The Wily’s Warriors first mission was into the heart of San Diego. It was suspected that the enemy’s stronghold was there, but it turned out to be empty save for Chimera Man.” Reported the scarlet robot, as he took a brief glance at Omniman to see if there was any reaction. “We encountered part of the Mechanical Maniacs working for the RPD in the process, and managed to sabotage the base before they could use it for their own means.” Starnik spun, turning the truth on its ear. What had really happened was that he had just gotten upset with Shadow Man, and had accidentally caused the reactor to blow before Gauntlet had planned for it. But there was no reason not to soft-peddle his report, especially if it helped him look better.

“Chimera Man and Heat Man…” Starnik paused. The following silence seemed to stretch on for ages. Starnik’s face didn’t betray any hint of emotion, but any fool could see he was having difficulties with this part of the report. “Chimera and Heat Man are thought to have perished fighting each other before the explosion occurred.” He finished, picking up steam again. “The next mission brought us on a human detainment camp set up by Mesmer Man in Hong Kong. While the Scissor Army seems to be killing humans world-wide, Mesmer Man is hiding away humans for a reason we’re not certain of yet.”

“Dark Energy…” murmured Wily under his breath. He stroked his moustache, deep in thought about the matter.

“We managed to get the RPD’s team, Drastic Measures, to help us defeat Mesmerman. However after the loss of one of their comrades, Freezeman, they admitted defeat and left the city to us.” The speedster continued. “The last mission took place in Kalingrad… where we met Mesmer Gemini Man.”

Everyone turned as they heard Spark-chan give an audible gasp. It was understandable… Spark-chan hadn’t managed to get a hold of the warriors since they had come back from their last mission, so she had no idea what had transpired.

This might be tough for her to hear… thought Quick. “A coalition of forces from both the Stardroids aligned with Cassock and the local lieutenant in the area were able to completely decimate his Holy Order sniper joes. The Cassock members left soon after the fight, and the RPD, outnumbered and battle weary, were forced to surrender to our…” his mouth twisted slightly as he seemed to spit the words out. “Superior metool army.”

There was a general snickering around the table, especially among Doc Robot, Bass, and Omniman. It was silenced by Starnik bringing his hands down on the round, metal table and leaning in. “BUT! We did discover several useful things. Gemini Man is obsessed with taking on our troops now, almost to the point where he will completely ignore RPD and Cassock forces. The target of his obsessions would seem to be Ms. Spark-chan. Also, when Gemini Man had suffered serious trauma due to Wood Man’s solar laser, Mesmer’s control over him seemed to completely vanish for a small moment.”

“So… It would seem the controlling abilities of our adversary might not be as all-encompassing as he would lead us to believe…” summarized Wily. Starnik could tell the wheels were turning in the scientist’s mind, but he had no idea what the twisted imagination of Dr. Albert Wily would come up with from these details…

The doctor turned to the RM sitting beside Starnik. "All right, excellent work Starnik. Let's hear the next report."

--------------------

Zerkai sighed, standing up from his chair. Most of his armor was a dull grey. After being repaired for the most part, they had to scrape off the burnt paint. He was still missing some fingers though from the GG’s last mission. “Our first mission was of course in Berlin… We were suppose to capture a factory the RPD’s.” he closed his eyes, resting his good hand on the table. “Once we arrived we confirmed that powerful members of the Scissor Army were in the Area. The Ascendant Androids…”.

“We reached the factory with minor altercations with the RPD or the SA. Once inside, we discovered that this RPD Factory was already taken over by the Scissor Army. Also it was discovered that this factory produced Special Forces Units for the RPD.” Zerkai opened his eyes. “Keeping a hold of that factory with little more then a hundred troops was impossible, so we were left with only on other option, to destroy the factory.” He kept silent for a moment, looking around the table.

“So, we planned to set of series of explosives in key structural points, but as we finished were discovered by Napalmman as a squad of Scissor Army Joes. After Dynaman telling us silently that the factory would blow up in a few minutes, Napalmman decided to engage us in battle. At first we tried to escape, but then we turned around and opened fire on him. He let us hit him, as it didn’t do any damage to his armor. We used the opportunity to attack his eyes. We managed to blind him, but he started firing off like crazy, We sustained quite a bit of damage before we escaped. But then Napalmman called in reinforcements. And that’s when Chargeman appeared.”

“We decided to get the hell out of dodge, there was an anti-teleportation barrier, and we had to reach the outside of the city. We found a way to distract Chargeman, our Torchman created a flare that caught Chargeman’s attention.” he smirked under his mask.

“After escaping him we ran into yet another one of the AA. Gyroman. He succeeded in blowing up Oilman and critically injuring Torchman before he escaped into an abandoned house. Gyroman blew it up, but stayed in the air, not checking to see if we were destroyed or not. We had broken through the walls of adjoining houses to stay out of his range untill we found a manhole to do down”

“But once again we ran into yet another of the Scissor Army Robot Masters, Waveman. He chased us with a large tidal wave behind him. Our Sonicgirl was able to slow him down. We managed to break through a wall and into a subway station, we tried to destroy it after we went through, but he got through anyway. Finally Via train we were able to escape him as our Sonicgirl blasted him onto the third rail.” He sat back down, sighing.

“One train crash later and we are less then mile away from the limits of the A.T. Field. We had to engage Crystal Girl, who incapacitated most of us by herself. Napalmman then decided to Nuke Berlin, still blinded. Crystal girl was able to teleport inside the A.T. field, and decided to try and leave, but I held onto her leg, keeping her there. I told the rest of my team to leave while I kept her in place. They got away just before the area around my and Crystal Girl blew up. I passed out from the heat, but I’m assuming that she had to shield the both of us, and thought I had died.” He knew that he had almost died hiself. Sometimes he wondered how much bad luck he had in order for his team to go up against the Scissor Army’s A-Team with the lowest amount of troops they could get.

"Now... this is an overlong long mission statement for many reasons..." he glanced around the table again. "The Scissor Army Robot Masters are all powerful, yes, much more then a normal Robot Master. But I've found weaknesses in all of them so far, as I expect most of you have. Napalmman for starters. His weakness was his large ego. He let us attack him because he thought he was too powerful to be hurt. He openly gave us a shot as his second weakness. His armor couldn't be damaged by our weapons, but why attack his armor? His eyes are one of the most vital parts of his body, and the only part unprotected."

Now Chargeman's Weakness is simple, his mind. Any person here can outsmart that giant behemoth. He's also easily distracted by bright or shiny objects." he chuckled, thinking about it again. "Gyroman's weakness is that he always stays in the air. There is a high chance that he can't do ground battle. Find a way to ground him if you want to beat him. On another note, he can't see in infared, though his rockets can. If you stay under cover or rubble and out of sight, he won't know if he hit the target or not, because he'll never go down there to check it himself."


“Waveman is powerful and dangerous when he’s near water, if anyone here’s fought him they know that. His weakness lies in two types of attacks, electricity, but it needs to be powerful, and force attacks. Our Sonic Girl’s attacks were effective against him, although it didn’t harm him as much.”

“Crystalgirl is much more dangerous in my opinion. Those crystals she controls can come at you from any angle, and can become shields are will. She’s not stupid enough to let someone attack her, and she doesn’t play with her prey, at least from what I’ve seen her do. Although she is weak against intense heat, it can melt her armor, possible the crystals and gems she attacks with as well.”

“Now… for the second mission I admit I wasn’t a part of. Although I was briefed on what transpired. The Gila Gladiators met up with the Armored Assassins. Together they planned to create a large explosion over a wide area. It drew large numbers of the RPD’s and the SA’s forces into the area. They waited for them to battle from a safe location. After two hours of them fighting we detonated C4, which ignited drums of oil we placed there as well. The explosions spanned across 2 square miles, decimating all of the forces doing battle there. The RPD and SA most likely expected more acts like this to occur if they stayed in Cairo, and retreated, leaving the city ours and the mission a success…” he said in an unenthusiastic tone.

“And I happened to be in Cairo at the time. After being repaired here, I left to go after my team. And I accidentally wandered into the 2 square miles before the explosions. I managed to survive and was buried under rubble for a while. Took me a few days to get back online and get out of there.” He looked a little irritated, this time he was knocked out by his own teammates.

He gave a heavy sigh as he continued with his mission statement. “For the Third Mission, I was only able to be there by its end. The Gila gladiators had engaged the Scissor Army Forces, but they soon retreated into a cavern, which led to an underground ruin. It was a trap. Once they were in they were surrounded by an artificial darkness and the floor collapsed. In the darkness they were separated. But I managed to assist Torchman in time. Who with Oilman’s help, made a circle of fire around them all, including the SA General in the area, Wraithman.” He winced a little as he said that name.

“Me and Torchman fought Wraithman, and we though we had won, so we left to find the others. Once we did we were ambushed by Wraithman again. And this time, he had the darkness to use… I’m sure most of you know what happened after that.” He shuddered at the memory. “That mission was a failure of course… some of the GG has had their repairs finished, while others are still being repaired…” It was his team’s first loss so far in the War.

“Wraithman’s weakness is light, bright lights will take away his strongest abilities, those he can use in that darkness he creates. We suffered… one casualty I believe… The GG still have not encountered any Robot Masters of the RPD. That is all.” he went quite, his injured hand fidgeted nervously, but he didn’t say anything, waiting for the rest to give their mission statements until he spoke again.

--------------------

Ring Man had his face covered with his hands as Zerkai sat down, everyone's attention turning to him. Truth be told, he dreaded doing this, as up until now what he had been doing for his missions had been kept confidential between him, Wily, and a few other robots. He knew, however, that he would have to eventually speak, and so he stood upright, his eyes not focusing on anyone in particular.

"To start off... my first mission was in a place known as 'Nonsteropolis,'" he began slowly. "It is near Monsteropolis, and thus, has a small RPD base located there. Anyway, I went there by myself, with the sole intent of engaging the Scissor Army and RPD, as such a location would be ideal against the RPD. Long story short, I managed to invade the RPD's facilities, using a Cossacker as my means to enter, and I managed to steal some information regarding the RPD, before the entire complex came crashing down. In the long run, however, the majority of our troops had been decimated, and the destruction of the RPD's HQ allowed the Scissor Army to inadvertently takeover the city. As for the information that I gathered, it is still being researched as to whether or not it will prove helpful later on."

A brief moment of silence ensued, as Ring Man allowed his words to sink into everyone's heads. He casted a quick glance to Wily and cringed as he saw the old man's face twisted, glaring daggers straight at him. Quickly clearing his throat, he continued.

"As for my second mission, I was sent to Madrid, Spain to locate one Proto Man." Several murmurs broke out upon hearing his name. Not many people knew about what happened to the elusive red robot up until now. "Proto Man had been attacking the Scissor Army through guerrilla tactics, which Dr. Wily had been able to narrow down the sources to allow for a thorough investigation. There appeared to be some internal strife within the city, however; later sources cited that it was the work of both the Mechanical Maniacs of the RPD and the Seven Mercenaries of the Scissor Army at work." More murmurs escaped at the mention of these two teams. Ignoring them, Ring Man pressed on. "Regardless, I carried on with my mission, and I managed to locate Proto Man... unfortunately, he managed to escape my custody and disappeared once more. We are still looking for him, however.

"Other than that, my last mission was with the Warriors, so everything that Starnik has briefed you on is identical. Thanks to my persistence, we entered Kalingrad with an army of... Metools... and fought against Mesmer Gemini Man of the Scissor Army. Due to this threat the local RPD forces and some rogue Cossackers ended up lending their assistance to us, thus allowing us to takeover the city. I do note, however, that Gemini Man has a great amount of pride with an ego to match, and it shows fairly well. After taunting me severely he offered me a free shot which... I took with great pleasure." Ring Man placed his hand on top of his head, feeling the smoothness of his helmet... and the lack of a certain ornament that used to sit atop it. After Gemini had taken the decorative ring off, he decided to not replace it and instead use it to serve as a reminder to not make the same mistakes ever again. All that was left was a small mark where it once was--A battle scar. "Other than that... nothing."

Without another word, Ring Man sat back down, and resumed burying his face in his hand. All he wanted to do was think about his current situation and what he was going to do from here on out.

--------------------

In a small flash, the screen behind Wily opened up ominously, as the bright flash of light slowly faded away, the two robot masters of the Armored Assassins stood in front of the screen, slightly battered with minor burn marks shared between them.

“Sorry, ran into two platoons of officers while we’re taking a walk. Wiped them off the face of earth…hopefully I didn’t miss the meeting, did I?”

“Just report.” Wily, looking irritated by the laxness of his Planeswalker comrade replied. The mad doctor’s eyes narrowing. “What’s that booming sound?”

“Artillery units pounding those idiots with shells…” Plantman shrugged. “We’re not taking the risk this time, besides, I have reasons to believe the SA has more tricks up their sleeves…anyways, Windman, begin report.”

“The first mission you threw us in, Doc, we fought in Cairo with the Gila Gladiators, and it only took us Robot Masters to deal with the armies… the Gladiators already explained it. In the end we lost zero troops, and complete takeover of Cairo, this can be a start point for us to control Egypt completely.” Windman reported, sitting on a chair and looking at the reports on the Assassin’s desk. “Second mission though, was a disaster, we forgot how powerful Hyper Storm H really was, and the SA just happened to find us, same with RPD. Yamatoman and Flameman tried to take on the Armada of SA without consulting us…that, and our carelessness combined, we lost them for good, rest assured, if they appear as Scissor Army Officers we’ll be the ones destroying them. In the end, the city is split equally between RPD and SA.”

“Right now, we’re firing artillery at the RPD, they can’t get through the falls, and the Special Forces doesn’t seem to keen on passing the river…gotta commend this one officer though, he passed through half of the river before we finally hit him enough.” Plantman pointed at the remnants of the officer, a single chip encased in a box. “At this rate we’ll be firing artillery that’ll ruin the Viet Cong twice over. We’ll be attacking at night when the coast’s clear…shouldn’t be hard, NY side here’s been quiet, the CN side’s RPD is plagued by both us, and the SA surrounding them, what I do worry is reinforcements from Toronto…we’ll figure out a way. End report.”

Another flash signaled their departure.

--------------------

Omniman stood. It was time for his report. He had been spending a lot of time composing it. First Beijing where he was duped by those damn Cossacks. Then Peru where he stole nothing but worthless junk. Finally Baoding where nothing was accomplished at all.

Doc Robot saved him from having to speak. “Enough! I have something to say.”

The group turned to Doc Robot. He was unusually beaten up. And he seemed nervous. “Today the Scissor Army sent out their worst weapon yet. Magnetman.” Spark Chan winced. Kenta …

“He has been completely changed! He cannot be stooped! He decimated our army in Brussels and leveled the city all on his own! He is a mindless killing machine.” Spark Chan merely lowered her head sadly. She had been there too and had seen the change in her friend. First Lennon and then Kenta …

Omniman snorted. “I understand that new Magnetman is a little intense, but – “

“Intense doesn’t come close!” screamed Doc Robot. He was afraid. No one had seen him like this before. “He said nothing, but Doc Robot could tell he was happy to kill everything in sight. Nobody could beat him! There was nothing anyone could do! Her friends the Mechs were there too.” Doc Robot eyed Spark Chan distrustfully, “they could not stop him either.”

“Wait, the Mechs were there?” said Wily, with interest. The news of a new Scissor Army super weapon hardly interested him, they seemed to be in the business of making them … and Wily had his own weapons. But if the Mechs were damaged … “Tell me, what is their status?”

Doc Robot swelled with pride. “My team fought them and beat them up real good! I personally beat down Hardman!” Wily fingered his moustache. The Mechs were down. The new "Loners Squad" was also down thanks to their recent battle. And he had received reports that the other RPD forces were otherwise engaged as well with those of his forces not presently at Skull Castle.

The meeting went on. Doc Robot eventually relayed his reports to his fellow robots and Omniman had to submit himself to public humiliation afterwards. Bass relayed a short, vague report on his activities and refused to elaborate after being asked by Zerkai. Wily, however, was a world away. Monsteropolis was defenceless.

--------------------

Benny didn't feel like sleeping, he instead found himself messing with an incredibly expensive and large telescope. The room was a lovely place to house Wily's beloved... but it looked to have been a partial observatory. Luckily Spark showed him how to use it the day she got the room. He learned very fast how to work it.

"Wow..." The boy whispered to himself in awe. He looked at the stars last time... but this time he could see cities far off in the distance. He didn't pay much attention to the flashes of light or smoke coming from them, just more so impressed at the moment with his range of sight.

With a press of a few buttons the platform he stood on in the center of the room, the telescope and the panel it was on spun around and pointed down the other side of the mountain. There... he could see a mass of black bumps. It looked like a heard of ants.

"Hm?"

He focussed in further to see what it was. It looked like an invading army, the group at an overwhelming large. Who was it coming towards Fortress Wily? His heart was pounding. Were they coming to kill them all? Would he have to relive what happened in his home city?

Gasping he ran out of the room and down the stairs. He had to tell someone!

--------------------

"Where else is there to go? We'll hide in the mountains away from those maniacs down there."

The harsh winds and cold kept them moving slowly and huddled as a working mass. It was just a huge group of humans. Humans with no place to go and no where else to turn. They knew nothing of the fortress up top... but knew that the further from civilization they got, the further from General CutMan's men and the war. Would they all freeze to death? Perhaps they thought it was better than being mutalated.

The woman leading the march was the widow of a man who had lead these people out of the city in which they came. Others who journeyed out from other counties and suburbs also intigrated in. Though her husband's death was thick on her heart... her determination to save the people was immense.

"I see something!" cried a young man who scouted ahead. He ran back to the woman with his report to share with the people.

"What does it look like? Have we... fallen into enemy territory?" she gulped down her fear before anyone could sense it.

"No, I don't think so. I actually think we might have stumbled onto the grounds of that outcast Wily."

The woman shook her head then faced the crowd. Should they ask for any sympathy from the enemy of the people? Perhaps it was time to swallow pride and step up to what was important. Their lives.

"We're going to march forward. We're cold, we're hungry, we need medical attention if possible. Wily is human too isn't he? Perhaps... we're safer than we might think."

So the mass followed her willingly, not that their eyes didn't hold some sort of worry.

--------------------

Flashman was, at the moment, alone. He liked it. And yet, it was unnerving.

He wasn’t what you would call a people person, but he did enjoy the company of others. But at times, he would prefer to be all by himself. Yet even then, it did little to quell his anxiety.

Sometimes, he wished he wasn’t so paranoid about things.

Then again, it was a trait that could very well save his life. It had gotten him and his teammates out of trouble before. Not often, of course, but it still proved to be useful.

Back to the matter at hand, Flash (or as his teammates might say, Cyros, Cyke and the infamous nickname “Crazy Lady”) leaned back on the couch and breathed a sigh of content. Over a month into the war and somehow his sanity had kept together, despite the dark atmosphere of the situation. The last thing he needed was to go off on a bender and do something he would regret for the rest of his life.

He recalled the cities that have been previous battlegrounds so far (he had taken a spy at Wily’s world map during his repairs). His mood soured when he saw that Osaka had fallen to the SA. That gave them a good foothold for an assault on Tokyo; Cyros had met several famous people there during one of Wily’s crazy plots who, despite trying to stop them, were good people. Silently, he prayed they would be alright.

His thoughts were turning depressing, so he stood up and began pacing around the room, looking for a distraction. It would probably be a good idea to look for his teammates, try and get some battle practice in. Or maybe just play some video games; a nice escape from reality now and then wasn’t so bad.

A set of footsteps were heard from the hallway, piquing his interest. He stepped out and was nearly run over by a small human boy. Cyros recalled what Starnik briefly told him about the a young boy that Spark-Chan had saved... what was his name again? “Hey, um... Benny, is it? What’s wrong?”

Catching his breath, Benny seemed hesitant to speak with this new robot... but he remembered what he saw before. “Somebody’s coming this way!”

“Huh?”

“There’s an army, or something, I don’t know, but they’re coming!”

The information was vague, but it did warrant investigation. “Do you know which side they’re coming from?” Benny paused for a moment, and then nodded. “Alright then. I’ll get some help and we’ll see what’s going on, okay?”

The young boy nodded meekly at Cyros. Inwardly, he sighed. Benny was obviously intimidated by his robotic appearance; no surprise, as Starnik mentioned his mother had been murder by the same bastards that were causing this whole mess in the first place. At the moment he wish he had his original human-like body so Benny wouldn’t be so uneasy. But that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

Not with Wily around, at least.

--------------------

The meeting broke and Spark Chan felt very little was really accomplished. A lot of what was said went over what she already heard through the grapevine. Although she was unconfortable with going over the reality of Gemini's and Magnet's current condition. Everyone was pouring out of the room. Omniman seemed to have a lot on his mind and rushed off somewhere. Quickman yawned and stretched. Spark was about to go talk to him when Wily took her hand.

“Come, I have something to show you,” said the scientist.

“Oh!” said Spark Chan, startled. “I just wanted to say something to Quickman …”

“Nonsense. That can wait.”

“You know,” began Doc Robot, limping his way to their side, “If Spark Chan would rather talk to Quickman –“

“She will be an important part of our plans, Doc Robot,” said Wily, cutting off the injured Doc Robot. Doc Robot’s eyes were wide. Spark could see he wanted to object, but his programming prevented him from disagreeing with Wily’s wishes. He kept silent. Classi stared at the grey robot. He had definitely seen better days, as had the other members of the ‘Force. It had only been a few hours since their return from Brussels and he had been particularly beat up in that battle. Wily did not have time to make repairs. Classi was still very disturbed. She wanted very much to talk to Quickman, who sometimes seemed like the only person she could turn to in this crazy castle, but … she did have to keep up appearances. She tried to put it all put of her mind.

“Where are we going?” asked the electrical robot master. Doc Robot made a nervous sound while Wily chuckled merrily.

“You will see, my dear. You will see.” Spark Chan was disturbed by this mysterious behaviour. She thought she had learned all of his plans, but this was disturbing. They were going deep within Skull Castle. Deeper than she had ever gone before. Finally they made their way into an elevator which hummed as it activated. It had no level indicators …. It seemed only to go up and down to one floor. Wily hummed merrily while Doc Robot occasionally twitched thanks to damages sustained in battle.

The elevator went ever deeper and Spark Chan inquired why they were going so deep.

“Well, you know how it is … if some experiments went wrong, I wouldn’t want the rest of the Castle to suffer.” Spark Chan felt a chill. She remembered how his Zero project decimated Skull Castle, the Warriors, the Evil Eight, and just about everyone else. This must have been made with that in mind.

Finally the elevator stopped. They had reached the end of their journey. Spark Chan didn’t know how long it took to reach the bottommost floor of Skull Castle, but it filled her heart with dread. Wily merrily led the trio through the open doors.

“This has been my secret project all long, my dear. Doc Robot here has been helping me … I must say I could not have done it without him.” Doc Robot beamed at the preaise like a child receiving a well-earned treat. And then he shot Sparks a look of distrust. His face was built oddly and it was sometimes difficult to read him, but the look he gave clearly said, ”If you mess this up, I will mess you up.”

They walked into a control room filled with Joes. Reggae chuckled in the background as he oversaw the work being done. A female assistant looked over the readings the Joes were taking. Wily went over to the small female robot. Classi had never seen her before. She thought she knew everyone in Skull Castle.

“How do the readings look?” asked Wily.

“Stable, Lord Wily,” said the assistant.

“Excellent!” Wily then chuckled in glee. “Turn on the main monitors! Let’s give my beauty a look-see, shall we?”

The screens flickered on to show …

“Multiman?” Classi started at the monitors in confusion as she spoke. That robot really got everywhere and it never ceased to amaze Classi.

“Not just any Multiman, my dear. You do remember what I have been collecting, don’t you?” Wily was grinning. Like an artist showing his masterpiece.

“We’ve been doing so many things,” said Sparks slowly, “why, we’ve been helping to rebuild destroyed cities … we’ve been fighting the Scissor Army … Ring and the Gladiators are off to rescue poor Wave girl …”

“No!” said Wily impatiently, “What I have been collecting! You know?”

Spark Chan had a sinking feeling. She thought she knew very well. But she had been working so hard in steering Wily towards something good … something productive. She thought … she thought he had given up on that insane plan …

“Don’t worry,” said Wily upon seeing her ashen face, “nothing will befall us. We are far underground. And the Multimen are even deeper. And, they are stable!” Wily had misread her concern. But she knew enough to guess what the plan was.

“The Multimen … they’re filled with the plutonium we’ve gathered, aren’t they?”

“YES!” said Wily triumphantly, “But not all of it. Only some. And they cannot reproduce it like they can regular materials, they merely distribute it evenly among their duplicates. That is why there are only ten of them. But they are stronger than the regular Multimen! Powered by Nuclear Materials … I’d say they are easily a match for TEN Special Forces members!” Wily laughed madly in triumph. Doc Robot looked at his master with rapped attention. Spark Chan felt ill.

“But what about our plan to win the hearts and minds of the people by showing you’re better than the Robot Police!?”

“It will be only one city. The one city that has always denied me. Monsteropolis! The Robot Police will be annihilated! And Megaman … I’ll bet my life he’s somewhere in the city. And, wherever he is, he will not escape the doom I have made. Besides, the world must know that, not only can I be kind, but … if they defy me …” Wily slammed his fist against a control console and laughed. “That they will face worse devastation than that fool General Cutman could ever hope to give them! A true ruler rules both with fear and with love! You, my dear, have taught me love, but I … I will teach the world true terror!”

Spark Chan paled as he cackled in mad glee.

--------------------

Ringman led the Gila Gladiators stealthily through Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. They had left for there immediately after the meeting without bothering to check with Wily first. It was crawling with Scissor Joes, but there was no sign of Wraithman. In fact, there seemed to be only a holding force of Joes in the area. Well, without any humans around, their job of genocide was complete.

“Move out, guys,” said Ring. He urged the robotic canine forward. It was one of the tougher models of dog, the PC-K9 unit. It was the same kind of dog that guarded the entrance to the bases of Sonic, Volt, and Dyna during their rebellion back in the day and seemed appropriate to bring along. It was loaded with Wave Girl’s “scent” and was hot on the trail.

“We’re coming, Wave!” said Torchman tensely. The Gladiators were all visibly shaken. Ring didn’t blame them. All the robot masters in Skull Castle had heard what happened here. Their last mission saw the Gladiators crucified and burned … even if that psycho Wraithman took them down moments later. It was a chilling reminder of how sick and twisted the Scissor Army were. Ring knew the Gladiators would rather not come back here at all, but they had a comrade, a friend missing.

“We’ll find her, man,” said Ring, “and we’ll bring her back!”

--------------------

Quickman watched as Wily and Doc Robot walked off with Spark Chan. Where they were going, he had no idea. So, curiosity getting the better of him, he followed them at a safe distance.

This continued until the trio entered a previously unknown elevator, which immediately began descending deeper into the fortress. Quickman frowned. He wouldn't be able to follow without being spotted now. It wasn't like Wily was planning to do anything bad to Spark Chan, right?

With a mental shrug, he turned way and tried to figure out were he was. He certainly didn't recognize this part of the castle... where the heck was he anyway?

"Hey, Starnik!"

So much for being lost... Turning to the approaching Flashman, Quickman said, "Hey Cyke. What brings you to this part of the castle? Are you lost too?"

Flashman shook his head. "No, I go through here all the time. Anyway, have you seen Wily?"

"The Doc? You just missed him. Took Doc Robot and Spark Chan down some special elevator."

"Elevator?" Flash turned to the set of doors that Quick had mentioned before. "Strange, I never noticed this elevator before..."

"Eh, the Doc probably had it installed yesterday or something. He's always adding new rooms somewhere. How does he fit it all anyway?" Flashman shrugged. "Well no use thinking about that. We should probably get some work done."

Flash blinked. "You? Wanting to do work? Heh, I'm really starting to like this new outlook you have."

Quickman smiled somberly. Sure he was being more responsible these days, but only because previous tragedies had begun to take their toll on him. He still couldn't rest easy after Heatman's death; his consultations with Spark Chan had been helping, though.

"Say, wait a minute, why were YOU looking for the Doc?" Quickman had nearly forgotten the reason Flash was down here in the first place. Flashman responded with a brief explanation of what Benny had discovered, and what he and several other Wily bots had seen firsthand. "So we have a bunch of refugees outside the castle gates? Oh boy... as if things aren't crazy enough around here."

"Iga and 'Sage are keeping the masses settled so far, but we still need to do something in the long term. And I really doubt Wily is going to let them stay here without some sort of catch."

Quickman nodded grimly. "Yeah. He'd probably say something like, 'Worship me and you shall have food and shelter, peons!'" Flash chuckled at the speedster's uncannig impression of the Doc. "Okay, you go on ahead and help the crowd. I'll make sure to tell Wily about the situation."

"Got it." With those words, Flashman trotted off elsewhere as Quickman leaned against the wall, waiting for the return of Wily. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his blue companion pause near an open passageway. Flash stared down it for a moment, sighed, then continued his way to the upper levels of the castle. Quickman raised an eyebrow at this and took a quick sprint to where his friend stood moments before.

He glance down the same way Flash had; all he could see was another storage bay, crammed with all sorts of containers and what not. Quickman scratched his head, wondering why Flashman had even bothered to look down here. He shrugged it off and returned to his resting place, missing the glint of a capsule hidden among the largest stack of materials.

--------------------

When Benny had first seen the mass of figure approaching the castle, no one ever expected it to be a crowd of refugees. They were obviously stopped by the guard Joes, but were fortunately greeted by several Robot Masters before anything foul could occur between man and robot.

Many of them were still uneasy, being in the territory of the man would had repeatedly tried to conquer the world. But compared to the General's actions... he was a saint. A megalomaniac of a saint, but still a saint.

The front foyer of the fortress could barely accommodate the sheer number of people that had escaped the ravages of the war. They chatted amongst themselves, children cried out, some simple sat still and kept quiet. On the sidelines, the woman who lead them watch over her charges, along with three of the Warriors.

Woodman fidgeted a bit and scanned over the crowd once more. "When is Wily gonna get here? I'm getting bored, and there's a stolen beta copy of Brawl with my name on it."

"Maybe I'll join you," answered Flashman. "But for now we can't leave these people unsupervised. One, Wily would have a fit, and two, the Joes don't have the intelligence NOT to shoot them if they get rowdy." He felt a gaze upon him and he turned toward the refugee leader.

She looked at the robot sternly, showing no fear. "If you do not wish to have a riot on your hands, I pray your 'Master' gets here soon." The way she said 'Master' made the present Warriors flinch.

"Hey... that sounded a bit like a threat," blurbed Crashman. Flash held his arm out and shook his head, which set the walking arsenal back into a relaxed (yet uneasy) state.

"I am merely stating a fact." She looked at the people she lead and sighed bitterly. "Our lives have been destroyed by this war, and many have lost close friends and family to those Scissor Army bastards. Being in the presences of robots... has not helped their moral."

Flashman nodded in agreement. "The actions of a few can place a stigma on the whole. Happens with humans, happens with robots." He leaned back and sighed. "Either way, we get royally screwed." He was surprised when a brief chuckle escaped the woman's lips.

"Attention humans! Make way for the all powerful Master Wily!!!"

Everyone turned at the sight of the small, clunky robot that resembled the doctor himself. And a few brief moments later the very same man came strolling into the foyer, a grin that shouted his superiority clearly plastered on his face.

He looked over the masses, seeing people from all walks of life with nowhere to go... but HERE. "I guess you weren't lying after all, Quickman." The aforementioned robot master was nearby, along with an uneasy Spark Chan. "Well then, where is the leader of this 'little' crowd?"

"Over there, by Cyros and the others," Quickman pointed out. "That must be her."

"Wonderful. Let us make her acquintance, shall we Doc Robot?"

"Of course Master, of course!"

In a short while, Wily had began conversing with the refugee's leader, his little clunky copy on the sidelines, while the other Robot Masters felt they were no longer needed. They left a few Joes, just in case, and went off to do more meaningful things.

Flashman was starting to follow Woodman (he wanted to beat hit butt in Brawl), but when he saw Quickman and Spark Chan conversing heatedly about something, he shifted his focus and began to walk over.

"-and it's not like we can just go in there and turn them off. The Doc would flip."

The blue robot master was puzzled, and continued to listen, not yet noticed by the two. "We can't stand by and do nothing either. All those people... my friends..."

"Don't worry," Quickman said comfortingly, placing a hand on Spark's shoulder. "I can put up with some of the Doc's antics, but that doesn't mean I won't help you stop him from-"

"Stop him from what?" Quick and Spark jumped as Flashman made his presence known. The intruding robot was clearly confused, but also worried about what the two were talking about. "What are you two planning?"

Spark Chan squeaked with worry and turned to her crimson friend. Quickman was not as worried, but his face was, at the moment, dead serious. He approached his teammate and looked at him long and hard.

"How much did you hear?"

Flash shrugged. "Enough to know Wily is up to something and you don't approve."

"...you won't... are you-"

"Going to tell him?" Flashman paused, then remembered something from a while back. "You know we stretched the truth when we mention our encounter with Neonman to Wily. And for that I am thankful. So you have no reason to worry about me ratting you two out. I promise."

Quickman sighed with relief. For a minute he thought they were sunk. Flash was always doing odd jobs for the Doc, and he was always complaining about his teammates antics as well (like the famous buttered Metalman incident). But unlike someone like Doc Robot, Flash was not a blind follower who's sole purpose was to please Wily. With that in mind, Quickman asked his question.

"...you're in a good position with the old coot, right?"

Flash was unsure about the question, but he answered anyway. "If you mean he trusts me more than you... I'd hate to hurt your pride, but yeah."

Instead of disappointment, a smug look was on the quickster's face. "Then... maybe you can help us."

"You want my help to stop one of Wily's schemes?" Despite that fact he loathed the doctor, was wasn't about to blindly agree to go against him either. "Just what is Wily planning that's got you two worried?"

Before Quickman could respond, Spark Chan walked forward with her hands crossed and her face filled with distress. "Wily... he's planning to... destroy Monsteropolis!"

This caught Flashman off guard. "He's what!?" He shook his head, toning his voice down more as to not alert anyone else. "How?"

Spark Chan explained the details of what Wily had shown her, and Flashman listened to every word. He kept silent for a moment, then looked into the face of the pleading Spark Chan. "So he's just going to wipe it out like it's nothing, and not care about the consequences? If he destroys Megalopolis, the RPD has no commanding structure..."

"...meaning the Scissor Army would be able to concentrate everything on us," finished Quickman. "The only reason they haven't gone full out on us yet is because they're busy with the RPD. But I doubt that Wily will listen to that reasoning."

"Flashman, we can't let him do this," pleaded Spark Chan. "If you're not supporting him, then please, help us!"

Flashman didn't need to think about it. He knew what he had to do; he still had his morals, damn it. "...a chance to mess up Wily's plans and deal justice at once. Right up my alley."

Spark Chan smiled warmly and Quickman gave his friend a thumbs up. "Great to have you on our side. Let's find a better place to discuss things."

The trio made their way down the hallway, unaware that they had been listened in on. From a hidden alcove came a black armored figure, his arms crossed across his chest. He looked after the retreating group until they went out of sight. An amused smirk appeared on his face shortly after.

Bass thought quietly to himself, Just what are our little nuisances up to this time...

--------------------

Wily had finished meeting with the annoying leader of the refugees. They really should be grateful that he was even allowing them to stay at Skull Castle at all! Honestly … it wasn’t some clubhouse. It was his fortress! And, yet … Spark Chan’s plan of ruling with a gentle hand was working in some places. He just needed to restrain himself. That was all.

The scientist gathered together his most loyal followers before him. They were in the hidden control room deep beneath Skull Castle. Omniman and Golemman were incompetent, but the Rescue Force was too damaged at the moment to do much of anything. Doc Robot wore a jealous expression.

“We won’t fail you, my lord!” said Omniman feverently.

“See that you don’t.” said Wily sternly. The Evil Eight had failed him too many times to count … and after they had displayed so much potential too! He hadn’t even seen Claw, Spin, War or the rest since before the war even began! What were they up to? He seemed to recall Chimera had defected (not that he was all that loyal to begin with).

“Just remember to follow orders,” said Bass with distain. The usually rebellious robot took to such an important mission. Wily wondered if he truly approved, though. Treble growled at the former leader of the Evil Eight and he glared back. Bass was, naturally, in charge of this operation.

Golem spoke up. “We won’t fail you, Lord Wily! Me and Omni are your most loyal troops!” Doc Robot rolled his eyes. He had a slightly different opinion. Mr. Whiz made a more obvious look of annoyance. Nevertheless Wily knew he could rely on them. Even they could not screw this up.

“This is an important mission. You will supervise my ten nuclear Multimen. I’ve timed this so that those meddlesome Mechs and the other RPD nuisances would be either away or too weary to make too much of a stand against me … nevertheless, expect treachery! I have done this too many times and know things will go wrong from the lest likely of all places… I almost expect the Scissor Army to show up! They’ve been too quiet … they must know we are planning something!”

Bass shifted his feet. He disagreed. Mr Whiz and Doc Robot merely nodded their heads in full agreement. The tools.

“I will be sending the Crystal and Skeleton Joes with you. They are some of my strongest, most versatile forces. The Guts Tank, the Skullker, and the Mad Grinder will be your transportation. You will accompany the Multimen to Monsteropolis and establish an anti-teleportation field around the perimeter. When Multi gives the signal you shall escape while my lesser forces hold their ground against any attackers that show up. Destroy anyone who stands in your way! I want no failures this time. The RPD has thought of the Scissor Army as their biggest threat, but I will show them that it is I – Doctor Wily – that is their true enemy!” Wily was growing more and more agitated. But the loyal forces of Wily took it as a good sign. Today they would go down in history!

Bass, Treble, Mr. Whiz, Pride, Onmiman, and Golemman teleported a few miles outside Skull Castle territory to meet the army of Joes and the force of ten Nuclear Multimen. Doc Robot had informed them of the Mech’s status. Likely they were in the Technodrome, recuperating. The Fatal Five informed him that Drastic Measures was in Norway engaging them. The other RPD elite members were either recuperating at their own bases.Monsteropolis was ripe for the picking!

Wily observed them moving out on his monitors. He had hoped to send Spark Chan on this mission, but his plan seemed to disturb her. He had forgotten that he had made her so fragile. How had she survived this long? Well, losing Monsteropolis might upset her for a while, but Wily was sure she’d get over it. It was time to wipe out the old and bring in the new. The new Order of Wily!

--------------------

"Okay... run this by us again... slowly..."

Quickman, Flashman and Spark Chan now faced the remaining Warriors, in addition to the diminutive Henry (who was feeling very outclassed in the present company). Having explained Wily's plan to the group, Quickman was perplexed that they were still skeptical about it.

"For the last time, Wily's gonna trash Monsteropolis; permanently." Silence. "That's a very bad thing, Naoshi." The robot in question made a quiet "ohh" in response.

"So you want us to help you stop them?" Airman cautiously asked. "Might I ask how we can do that without Wily scrapping us?"

"We're still working out that details," the Scarlet Adonis said truthfully. "But we managed to by us some time otherwise."

"...how?" inquired Henry.

Flashman stepped forward. "Easy; I managed to send a message to RPD HQ under an anonymous handle detailing the attack. That will keep the guys Wily sent busy."

"But they have nuclear powered Multimen," Crash pointed out. "Even if they're not IN the city, if they go boom, that's still a big problem."

"We'd have to keep them away as much as possible then." Pausing, Quickman held his chin in thought. "Or... we can send them far, FAR away."

Flashman nodded at the idea. "Yeah, that's it! We can hijack a teleport signal and send them as far away as possible!"

"I can see what you're going for here," mumbled Woodman, "but do any of you guys know how to hack Wily's teleporters?"

Quick and Flash's face fell upon hearing that. They had to idea, but not the knowledge to execute it. Spark Chan, quiet until now, said, "Ben... Ben could have done it..."

Quickman's eyes lit up with insight. "Hold that thought!" In a flash, he zipped away to parts unknown. The other robots were confused as to where he was going. They're questions were answered when the speedster returned with a laptop in his arms.

"When Ben left, he left behind a few things..." He opened the laptop, which was already displaying a set of various programs. "We can use this to hack the teleporter satellite, I'm sure of it!" Coincidentally, a few keystrokes brought up a programmed called "My First Hacking"; trivial, but precisely what they needed.

Raising his head, Quickman calculated a brief plan. "Alright, here's what we do. Henry, you stay here and see if you can keep Wily off our trail for the moment. Cyros, you're better at this computer stuff than I am, so you can attempt the hacking. Spark Chan, you cover him. The rest of you, let's just get in the way and keep Bass and the rest distracted." He paused before he remembered something. "Remember, you don't have to do this if you don't want to..."

"No way!" shouted Bubbleman. "I'm ready to deliver some Puku Justice, Starnik!"

Crash spoke up as well. "As much as I loath the idea of helping the RPD, I like the idea of the SA going full force on us less. I'm in."

"I'm going with what he said," said Airman. Wood, and Metal nodded in agreement. Henry, in the back, was hesitant at first, but eventually he agreed as well.

Quickman grinned. Technically they may be the bad guys, but playing hero like this... is was nostalgic. "Alright then; let's get to work!"

--------------------

Bass had given the order to proceed some time ago and they soon found themselves a scant few miles outside the Monsteropolis city limits. Unfortunately, they had reached an obstacle: the RPD was already mobilized a small but determine force against them.

"Do not hestitate! Death to the RPD!" Omniman's orders were heard, and several dozen Joes began to advance on the RPD troops. There were no signs of any advance troopers or even the Special Forces, but they were, Omniman reasoned, being kept in reserve, just like their Nuclear Multimen.

He heard Bass shouting to attack, and he did, along with Golemman and Mr. Whiz. Pride stayed put, even as he was clearly eager to get some action in again. Bass however, was in his thoughts, having a good feeling why they had meet resistance this early on...

It was those inferior fools, that's what. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he thought to what he had overheard. That worthless prototype of me... that lousy speed demon... and... that no good Cyros!

He remembered that day very well... Cyros was not the robot master he was now, but instead someone who was apparently stronger than him. Than HIM! And unfortunately, he had proved it in battle. It was only through a dirty trick he was able to subdue him and bring his lousy carcass back to Wily. And worst of all, the Doc took his mind and put him into a NEW body! Wily claimed his memories were blocked, but Bass wasn't as fooled...

You lousy piece of scrap... next time I find you, I'm not gonna hold back... I'll rip your apart myself!

His synthetic muscles tensed; he was eager to destroy. He flipped his buster on full automatic and rained purple plasma onto his foes, laughing all the way.

--------------------

The army of Joes fought on. The Multis, not wanting to explode before their time, stayed out of sight in the Skullker and the other tanks. The Guts Dozer smashed a few Neo Officers and roared for good effect. Bass was flying using his adaptor and was in good spirits. Finally I can really cut loose!

Omniman and Golem were clearing a way for the tanks. These pitiful troopers were no match for them.

“Fire another round!” called Omni to the Crystal Joes stationed on the Mad Grinder. A humming sound was heard as they grew large crystal shards. Omni felt a breeze as they flew over his head. They arced and fell among the enemy ranks. Golem cried out in delight. He liked both shiny things and explosions, this was a good battle for him.

Pride watched atop the Guts Dozer as his hounds ripped apart officers. Those pathetic lapdogs of humans … very soon they would be no more. Without Monsteropolis the Robot Police would fall. And after that so would the Scissor Army. Cossack’s downfall almost seemed like an afterthought.

Mr. Whiz kept score of how many he destroyed. He raced up to Bass. “Bass! Sir! I got seventy officers! Most of the Neos! What’s your score?”

“Shut up and keep moving! The faster we get to Monsteropolis the better!”

“Yes sir!” Mr. Whiz raced ahead to destroy more of the enemy. He casually ripped K-9s to bits and laughed. What good were those things?

“Goin’ my way?”

Mr. Whiz jerked around and skidded to a halt at the sound of his rival’s voice. “You!? What are you doing here, Quickman?”

Quickman grinned. “I missed you, Whiz! Wanted to see what was going on.”

Mr. Whiz gave Quickman a mocking look. “Right. I’m not gonna let you mess this up, Quickman. It’s an important mission given to me by Wily himself. He gave it to me because he knows you’re up to no good!”

“Whiz! I’m hurt.”

Whiz sprinted into an attack and pulled out a large boomerang. “Not as hurt as yer gonna be!”

Bass was flying high before he noticed a small disturbance in the ranks. Was that … Whiz? What is that idiot doing!?

Bass wheeled about and made a dive for Whiz’s location. He seemed to be sparring with … was that Quickman? Bass was then hit by turbulence. He tried to get steady, but something large hit him and he came crashing down. He hit the ground hard. Whoever dared to make such a personal attack would feel pain.

“Why don’t you just stay down,” said Airman seeing an angry Bass get to his feet. “You know I can’t be defeated.

Pride gasped as metal blades destroyed one of his beautiful hounds. Metalman! The Warriors had gone rogue! He leapt from the Guts Dozer and hushed to his hound’s aid. Before he knew it something exploded beneath his feet. He quickly recovered and found Crashman looked somewhat guilty.

“Traitor!” spat Pride.

“Yeah, well … sorry about this,” said Crashman, charging into an attack.

--------------------

“I have a battle to supervise you know, Henry,” said Wily wearily.

“Yeah, but I’m just telling you there’s lots I could help with in the War! I mean, I’m a mean mechanic!” Henry caught a disbelieving look from Wily and stuttered, “N-not on your calibre of course! But I do know a monkey wrench from a regular wrench!”

Wily sighed. “How long have you been malfunctioning?”

“What!?”

“Come here, let me have a look at you,” said Wily, getting out of the chair he was sitting in to get closer to Henry. Henry backed away and grasped at straws. He had already slipped Doc Robot a mickey and checked to make sure the other Rescue Force members were asleep in the repair chambers (they were). He had to keep Wily busy, but he did not plan on being reprogrammed while he was at it!

“Wait! I like my program!”

“You’ll like my modifications too. I guarantee it!”

“Uh, but wouldn’t you rather hear about … uh … Spark Chan?”

The doctor stopped. Henry’s “heart” was beating fast. He hit the right button. Everyone in the Castle had heard the rumours.

“What about Spark Chan?”

“Well, you know … we talk?”

“You do?” And now Henry had entered the real of total fantasy for he and Spark Chan rarely even saw each other, let alone spoke. But …

“Yes! And, you know … there’s lots I could tell you about her! I mean, you know how girls like … things … well, her birthday is coming up.” Henry hesitated. Apparently her birthday was not coming up. “Well, Christmas is coming up, isn’t it!?”

Wily nodded slowly.

“Then come on! We have much to discuss!” Henry led Wily to the bar area of Skull Castle and hoped to get the scientist nice and “distracted.” Meanwhile he just had to keep faking things about girls! He tried very hard to remember everything he once saw on TV.

--------------------

So far, everything was going smoothly. Quickman and the other Warriors were getting in the way of the rest of Wily's goons, who also had the attention of the RPD. That gave Flashman and Spark Chan a clear window to one of the anti-teleportation field generators.

About a half of dozen Crystal Joes stood guard around the two and a half meter high structure. But they would not a be a problem. A flash of light later, and they all laid on the ground, deactivated. Flash gave his orange friend an all clear sign and she trotted over.

"Okay, you watch out for anyone who wants to stop us." Spark Chan nodded meekly and stood at ready. Knelling before the device, Flashman took out the laptop Quick had provided him with and set about connecting it. When he tried to access it, he was immediately blocked by a fire wall.

"Typical." He opening the hacking program and a few seconds later it was down. "Simple security for a simple device."

Spark Chan tilted her head and asked, "What will you be doing?"

"The thing about Wily's anti-teleportation fields is that they're designed only for everyone aside from his forces. That means it can recognize various teleport signals and accept them if they request a transfer."

"I see... so you're going to find the Multimen's signal and activate it!"

"Bingo." Flashman looked at the screen and frowned as he saw the security around what he was looking for. "But there's better security around the signal codes themselves. This may take a bit."

"I know but... please hurry."

Flash nodded and continued his work. While the program was one of the simplest forms of hacking to us, he was still vastly inexperienced. He had to constantly waste time checking a tutorial or two while working. That took up time he didn't have.

--------------------

Airman was becoming quite a nuisance. So Bass decided to lead him further into the city, where the RPD began to fire on him. With the over sized fan distracted, he went back to the main battle between Wily's forces.

Damn it Wily, why aren't you seeing this!? Sometimes his creator was a downright idiot at times. He shook his head; there were other fish to fry at the moment.

Such as a certain prototype and time stopping robot.

He knew they conspired with Quickman (who was currently racing circles around the Guts Dozer with Mr. Whiz), so they had to be around here somewhere. But where?

...of course!

"Omniman! Take care of our traitors! I have business to take care of!" With that, the fusion of Bass and Treble rocketed toward his next targets.

Satisfaction would soon be his.

--------------------

Beep beep! "I got it!"

Spark Chan's hopes were lifted upon those words. "We're so close... can you lock onto all the Multimen?"

"Just a moment..." Flashman typed quickly this time; he had finally gotten the hang of this program. And sure enough, a diagram displaying all ten Multimen was now on his screen.

Smiling, he continued his work. "Okay, now to select a destination... change the parameters of the signal to warp the right places... that should do it." He looked over the data on his screen several times; it was now or never. "Hold on to your-"

"Ahh!!!"

Her scream of surprise triggered his attack response, aiming his buster where the danger had arrived. Flashman saw who is was and scowled.

Bass sniggered. He held Spark Chan in a chest hold with his left arm, his buster nestled against her head. Try as she could, she was unable to break the grip of the overpowered form of her successor. Bass ignored her efforts and instead focused on the other object of his hatred.

"Hello traitor... Ready to die?"

--------------------

Flashman glared at Bass, careful not to make any sudden moments. Close enough he was to activate the teleport sequence, but with Spark Chan in peril he didn't dare to risk it. And Bass knew it by the smug look on his face.

"What's the matter? Aren't you so close to accomplishing you little plan?" taunted the black robot. "Well, go on. Aren't you going to save the city?"

Flashman stared harder and growled, "let her go, Bass." He was answered by a haughty laugh.

"Why should I listen to an inferior piece of scrap like you!" Flash involuntarily twitched, which sent the buster closer to Spark Chan's head, making her whimper. "Uh uh uh, not so fast there, buddy... We wouldn't want an 'accident' to occur, do we?"

"You're bluffing. If you do anything to her, Wily will-"

"Do what!?" shouted Bass. "Since when should he care about some stupid robot bitch!? Acting like she's a goddamn queen! It's sickening!" He pressed the buster closer, making her squeal in terror. "The way I see it, I'll be eliminating a distracting menace. And I'm pretty sure that little clockwork Wily, Doc Robot, would agree with me."

Bass held Spark Chan away from Flashman's gaze, pointing his buster at him now. "Get up. And keep your hands where I can see them."

Flashman grunted. So close... they were so close. And he was too cautious for his own good. He had no choice but to comply.

With the blue robot out of the way, Bass could see the laptop clear as day. "Nice little toy. Too bad I'm going to have to break it." He took aim and fired.

The shot never hit.

Instead, it was reflected by a strong tornado partway, sending it sailing into the sky. Bass' eyes went wide with surprise. "What the!?"

"Think you can handle the awesome!?" A yellow colored boot came flying out of the sky and into Bass' helmet, jarring him senseless. Behind it was the mass that was Airman, sporting several new scratches and dents. And thanks to his surprise melee attack, Spark Chan was finally able to get loose.

Flashman did not hesitate to press the final key in the sequence. Mission accomplished.

Looking at the fallen winged terror, Airman boasted, "Man, you aren't even a glimmer next to me." Bass stood up at last, murder in his eyes.

"I thought I left you to those dogs!" The giant fan laughed at Bass' distress.

"Like I said, I can't be defeated. I'm too awesome to die!"

"GRAAAAHH!!!" With a shout of fury, Bass fired a powerful blast of energy at Airman, who easily dodged the angry assault. It went on to hit the generator, just as Flashman unhooked the laptop and dashed away. It could not take the intensity of the attack, and promptly exploded.

Flashman was thrown by the attack a good few yards to where Spark Chan was. She asked if he was alright, to which he gave a weak grunt of the affirmative. In the background, Bass had finally regained his footing and glared at the miserable robots in front of him.

"You... you god damn pieces of scrap! I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!!!"

Sure enough, a purple aura of energy erupted around the black terror, the color reflecting off everyone's eyes. Flashman knew the next attack would be very bad. "Let's get out of here!"

Luckily, he was able to fire off a Time Stopper before Bass could charge at them. They all blinked from sight, while Bass skidded on the ground where the once were. His synthetic muscles clenched and he screamed with frustration before setting off back to the main battlefield. He was not going to let them get away with this!

--------------------

"Sir! RPD reinforcements are approaching! Reporting ten dozen Neo officers, plus a half dozen Special Forces units!"

Omniman flinched. He knew too well just how powerful the Special Forces were. But this time, they had an advantage. "Multimen, this the Omniman. Special Forces units are approaching- prepare to engage!"

He was worried, of course, with the Warriors still getting in their way, but the Crystal and Skeleton Joes seemed to be doing the trick. Mr. Whiz still had Quickman occupied (or was it the other way around?), the Guts Tank and Pride were dealing with Crashman and Metalman well enough. Golemman was now dealing with the upgraded Woodman; a ways off, Bubbleman had managed to bring the Mad Grinder to a halt and was finishing off the last of the Skeleton Joes that accompanied it.

When he saw the two Multimen emerge from the wrecked vehicle, however, he wisely decided to flee to safety. Fortunately, the two nuclear powered robots had not sustained injuries. The remain eight came out from both the Skullker and the Guts Tank. The sight of the emerging machines prompted Crash and Metal to back off; Pride and several of his hounds went right after them.

A Crystal Joe informed Omniman about the RPD's approach. Now it was his time to shine... with these Multimen, he would regain his place among Wily's elite. He would show how valuable he was to Wily. He could only begin to imagine the look on Doc Robot's face when he returned, the smoldering ruins of Monsteropolis left in his wake.

The Multimen gathered behind him, he gestured toward the approaching resistance. "Behold the last line of defense these cretins have to offer! Without their precious Maniac's or Drastic Measures, they have no chance to stop us! Destroy them, for the glory of Wily!"

There was a collective, monotonous affirmation, and the Multimen took to the air, ready to strike down their foes. Omniman felt it was time to withdraw to a safer location... but then he saw the glow around the Multimen.

"What the!?" In a collective flash of energy, the Multimen had teleported! "W-wait! Where are you going!?" His mind panicked; why did flee? Did Wily recall them? Was this part of the plan?

Another flash occured, catching Omniman off guard. Spark Chan, Flashman and Airman ran past him moments later, having appeared from nowhere. Confused, he turned toward the retreating robots. "You! What do you think you're doing-"

A roar of rage ripped the air as Bass came screaming into the scene. He pass by Omniman faster than the speed of sound, the sonic boom, sending the robot master tumbling away. The fighting between Wily's forces stopped as they gazed at the purple demon screaming across the ground toward them.

Quickman broke away from his game of "tag" and decided to take down the more dangerous foe. Flashman had knocked Spark Chan out of the way as Bass slammed into him at Mach One. Before the black robot could continue his attack, he was met by a body slam from the Scarlet Adonis himself. Not that it did much damage, but it certainly caught his attention.

"You obsolete piece of scrap!" shouted Bass. "I'll see that you're all disassembled for this!"

Quickman shrugged it off. "Like I haven't heard that one before." But this time, the threat of being scrapped was much more real... yet Quickman fully understood that. "He still needs us if he doesn't want to the General to wipe him out."

Bass threw back his head and laughed. "You're delusional! Wily doesn't need you, your friends, or any of his pathetic other creations!" He raised his fist and point at himself with madness written in his eyes. "He only needs me! ME! I'm his greatest creation! Not you! Not that Spark bitch! ME!!!"

In the corner of his eye, Quickman saw Spark Chan help Flashman get up as Bass slandered her. "...don't talk about my friend like that," he said frowning.

The winged demon narrow his eyes and snarled. "I can do anything and everything... because I AM THE STRONGEST!" A roar of jet fuel erupted, and Bass charged Quickman faster than he could react. He was suddenly sent flying as though he weighed nothing!

Bass was on Quickman once again, knocking him down to the ground with a double hand hammer. Dazed, but not out, he righted himself as he hit the ground, bringing his oversize boomerang to bare. Like lightning it left his hand, intent on slicing Bass in half! Unfortunately, the ebony robot barrel rolled out of the way just in time... and again as it began it's return trip.

"Now it's my turn!" His buster glowed purple and volatile plasma sprung forth from the barrel like water from a fire hose. Quickman once again had his boomerang, which now served his his shield. With speed and precision he deflected each burst, sending them either harmlessly into the air or into any nearby Joes. Those aimed back at Bass, however, were also dodged. Enraged though he was, the android was still capable of keeping track of everything around him. He would not be caught off guard so easily.

A flash of light later and Bass sported several new burns on his left wing. He snapped his head and saw Flashman, his buster still aimed at him. His fluids boiled at the fact that this low class robot managed to hit HIM, but he remembered his other opponent and dove out of the way of volley of Quick Boomerangs. He switched back at the last moment, avoiding the stream of plasma that went through where he was going. Bass snickered and aimed a large plasma blast at Flashman.

The blue robot simply used Time Stopper to evade the attack, but Bass was ready! As time returned to normal for Flashman, he came face to face with the ebony demon himself. Bass snatched his outstretched arm and twisted, relishing the cries of pain. He them swung him around, right into Quickman's charge, sending both robot masters tumbling into a tangled heap. Not yet satisfied, he charges energy in both of his arms and let out a mighty double barrel blast! The two barely avoided the brunt of the attack, but where caught in the backwash and sent flying in separate directions.

Bass was laughing now. He was in his element. Battle... that's why he was created. To battle! To defeat all that dared to oppose him! Why, he might as well find the General himself and show him who is truly the strongest of them all!

His thoughts did not distract him from Quickman's speedy assault. With expert precision, Bass meet his opponents super-fast blows with some of his own. All while building up a charged shot, which he sent right into Quickman's chest at point blank range.

The effects were brutal. Though he wasn't fatally wounded, Quickman's lightweight armor did not offer the protection he could have used at that moment. He fell to the ground, his chest melted and patches of circuitry peaking through. And it hurt like hell too.

He managed to lift his head enough to see Bass stalking towards him. Slowly the black android approached, each step lasting an eternity to the injured robot. Quickman wasn't ready to give up yet, though. He raised his boomerang launcher to retaliate; a single buster shot, however, completely wrecked it.

"Just sit back and relax..." Bass was only a few meters away now. "I'll make your end just how you like it... relatively quick."

Flashman appeared in Bass' path, buster ready. "Not a chance!" A flurry of plasma shots came forth, yet Bass took no notice of the damage. He shove his face into his adversary's... and grinned maniacally.

"Wrong again... Cyros." Bass had aimed a fast punch at Flash's face, and it struck true. The force behind it sent the blue robot back, right next to Quickman. Unlike Quickman, however, Flash was not awake. "Aww, too bad. I wanted him awake when I started the grand finale."

"What're gonna do," chided Quickman. "Pull a petro-rabbit out of your helmet?" His head slammed back into the ground when Bass placed his foot on his chest and firmly pressed down. Now that had really hurt.

Bass looked down upon his helpless victim. "No more games, Quickman..." His right buster primed and began gathering energy... it's aim slowly heading to Quickman's head. "Or do you prefer Starnik? I never knew why you decided to pick such an unusual nickname for yourself. Doesn't fit you at all. Oh well, that's in the past. Any last words?"

"..."

"None at all? Hmph. Just sit down... and die."

He suddenly felt two sharp pains in his back... yet they were nothing compared to what he felt next.

High electrical currents began flowing right through his circuits, causing untold amounts of damage. He screamed loudly as every pain sensor in his body went haywire, component both trivial and vital malfunctioning or burning out. In a matter of seconds, his fusion circuits were fried, and Bass was split away from his canine companion. Treble landing some distance away, disabled, while Bass' assailant still held her methods of attack in his back.

Spark Chan retracted her conductors and watched her successor fall to the ground. He was badly damaged... but he could be repaired. It still felt uneasy to Classi, how see rushed in to stop him like that. But she was the only one that could stop him. Had she hesitated, Starnik could have...

"Thanks," was the word that escaped from his lips. "You did quite a number on him." Spark Chan nodded meekly and helped him out from underneath Bass' prone form. Together, they picked up Flashman, just as he bgan to reboot.

"Ugh... my head..." Blinking, Flash looked around frantically. "Wha-where's Bass!?"

"Down for the count," replied Quickman, pointing to the aforemention's form. "Did a number on me and you first though." He winced and grasped his chest, as if to prove his point.

Spark Chan gasped and took a closer look at his wounds. "Oh my, Starnik! Look at these wounds!"

"Oh these? Eh, I've had worse." He caught himself before he went on to retell his scuffle with Geminiman. "I'm pretty sure the Doc can fix these up good as new."

Flashman shook his head. "After what we just did, I really doubt it." Suddenly, a familiar glow surrounded the trio. The same of which surrounded Bass, Treble, and the remainder of Wily's forces as well. They all teleported from the scene, the RPD attack force left with no one to fight. The forces were recalled, and the RPD chalked up another victory for themselves.

--------------------

Far off in space, the ugliness of the Earth disappeared as the blue planet dominated the eyes of whoever was watching. Those watchers would have also seen the appearance of ten Mutlimen in flight formation, confused at their present location.

One of them, however, looked as if he had seen other days. His body was warped and twisted, a result of an error while his matter was recompiled. The damage was extensive... including the safety casing on his plutonium core.

The reaction was swift. The nuclear energies went haywire and ripped open the Multiman like an old fashion bomb. The shockwave hit all of his brothers, their casings melting, their nuclear materials also going critical. Ten small explosions combined to become one large atomic fireball that expanded harmlessly into the vacuum of space.

For that night, there would be a new yet brief star in the sky.

--------------------

When everyone had rematerialized, their blood immediately went cold. Something was amiss, and it didn't take a genius (or at least Metalman) to figure out the cause of their unease.

Wily was present, along with several dozen standard Joes. And he was... it was hard to tell, for his blank was a blank. A cold, calculated blank. And it scared every conscious soul in the room.

Omniman was the first to make a move. He gingerly approached his creator and knelled humbly. "My lord... I-"

"There is no need to speak," Wily said without emotion. The scientist turned toward one of the commanding Joes. "Take five troops and escort Spark Chan to her quarters, and make sure she remains their until further notice. The rest of you, bring the rest to a standard repair bay. I will deal with them in due time."

The Joe commander nodded and motion several other Joes to accompany him. Surrounding Spark Chan, they began to move in unison, their escort putting up zero resistance. The remain Joes did similar to the others. A group of four carried Bass and Treble with them. As they all disappeared from sight, Omniman and Golemman began to follow.

"Not you, Omniman." The command surprised the robot master; Wily was requesting HIS presence? He didn't know whether to be terrified or full of joy. With a wave of his hand, he motion Golemman to continue on without him.

At that moment, Omniman and Wily were alone. The old doctor still had a look of indifference plastered upon his face and it did little to ease Omniman's worries. Turning to his creation, Wily motioned for him to follow. Both soon made their way to Wily's private lab, where he had learned about the failure of his plan moments before.

Omniman swallowed his unease and asked a difficult question. "...Master Wily... why are you not angry?"

A mocking smirk came upon Wily's face. "Oh, but I am. Looks can be deceiving, you know..."

Wily sat on his so-called throne on the far side of the room and drummed his fingers together. Emotion was beginning to appear on his face in a disappointed expression.

"Think about it, Omniman. Such a wonderful plan, foiled by my own troops. The Warriors, no less. But that's not the worse part, oh no... SHE betrayed me..." Wily clutched his armrest tightly as he said those last words. "I have been planning this scheme for months, put some of my best assets into it, and they ruin it in mere minutes! And you ask if I am angry!? I'm not just angry, I'M FURIOUS!!!"

The mad scientist breathed heavily, sweat dripping off his wrinkled face. Omniman was on edge, just in case Wily was going to keel over from his shouting. Within a minute, however, Wily was back in his emotionless state. staring far ahead with his hands folded.

"These transgressions will not go unpunished," mumbled Wily. "But there is still much I don't know about what occurred. Your transmission was brief."

Omniman stood up and looked down at his creator. "The RPD was advancing on our position while our forces fought amongst themselves. I had no time for a detailed report. Forgive me."

Wily waved off his words. "Despite your past incompetence, I can see how you were thinking." A pause, then a question. "Do you know how they managed to hack into the teleporter frequencies?"

"That I do not, my lord." Something popped up in his head a second later. "But Flashman and Spark Chan were not initially present when the others arrived. I presume that's where Bass went off after leading Airman into the city."

The old man's interest was piqued. "Flashman, you say? Hmm... He was always doing so well, following my orders, unlike the rest of his teammates. Unless..."

"Unless what, sire?"

"Oh, nothing you need to know," Wily explained. "I will, however, need to keep a closer eye on him from now on. There's more to him than meets the eye, you know, I just never figured it would be a problem until now."

Omniman was unsure what Wily meant by his words, but he wouldn't question him. "What of the rest of the traitors?"

Wily chuckled darkly. "I'm still thinking about that... first I must repair Bass. Then, I believe I shall interrogate Quickman and Spark Chan afterwards. And I still have to deal with that blasted Joe, what's-his-name, for diverting my attention. So much to do, so little time..."

A loud knocking was heard on the doors to the lab, opened soon after by Ringman. "Hey Doc, we're back! Mission accomplished; Wavegirl is back and-" He saw the scowl on Wily's face. "What? Not happy to see me?"

"If you barge in without permission like that again, I'll rip out your disk drive and feed it to the Frienders!" Ringman took Wily's display of anger as a hint to wisely leave at the point. Omniman stared at the door as it shut.

"Master Wily," he asked cautiously, " what task shall you have me do?"

Wily thought for a moment before saying, "Recharge your systems. Be prepared for the next time I require your services." Getting up, Wily said one last thing. "And remember where your loyalties lie."

"I am loyal only to you, Master Wily. No one else."

"I'm glad you remember that." Wily frowned bitterly. "I'll just have to remind that fact to the Warriors as well..."

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