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You now have access to all recorded past and present actions regarding Subject: Mega Man, starting from the designated time he was selected by the Council to be recruited into the Redemption Squad. There are currently 27 individual case files concerning Subject: Mega Man.

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-Case File #1

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…

…

"LEVRL ZERO"

A Prelude to "The Redemption Squad"

Snodin

.

Part 1

.

Mega City, sometime in the year 20XX.

Every year, since the first robots were introduced nearly three decades ago, scientists from all over the world would gather in the city's convention center to celebrate the annual Science and Robotics Fair. Normally, only five to ten robots would be introduced to the public during this event; however, this year's fair was exceptional. This year, as many as twenty-five robots alone were entered- a new record for the convention. So it wasn't a surprise to anyone that celebrities and public officials alike would also make guest appearances. The media was having a field day.

Red carpets rolled out at the main gateways of the convention center, almost as though it were a night of the Academy Awards. Cameras were flashing as limousines were rolling down the driveway, while onlookers watched with bated breath for a glance of their favorite icons.

One icon in particular was on everyone's mind, and no one was quite certain when he would show up. Surely he would step out from one of the many limos, right? That's what some of his fans thought, anyway. But no, this guest star showed up almost completely unrecognizable, and it was because he wasn't wearing his signature blue armor. Instead, a young blue-eyed boy about age twelve showed up in a small white car driven by a green square-bodied robot named Auto. The boy was wearing a casual blue tee-shirt with white sleeves, denim jean pants and white sneakers, with dark brown hair that would forever remain untamed. He stepped out from the backseat, followed by his sister- a young blue-eyed girl in a red dress with black sleeves, a white top, and long red boots. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail, held together by a long green bow.

Stepping out of the passenger's seat was the would-be father of these children, Doctor Thomas Light. Everyone recognized him right off the bat- his chubby figure and fluffy white beard would make one believe that he could replace Santa Claus. Dressed in his typical white lab coat (underneath a brown dress suit and black necktie), he made his way to the front gate of the building. There was no doubt about it now, everyone's favorite robot was about to show up… well actually, he already had.

"Doctor Light, Doctor Light?" asked the reporters as the family walked the red carpet. "Where's Mega Man? Where is he? Is he going to show up? When? Doctor Light?"

"Rock," elbowed the boy's sister. "I think they all want a picture of you."

The boy blushed meekly. "Why me? I'm not the star of this event."

"But you're famous now. Come on, show 'em your armor."

The boy looked to his guardian for advice. Dr. Light gave him a small nod. "It's alright, son; after everything you've done for this world, you deserve some recognition."

"Okay," shrugged the boy. He closed his eyes and tilted his head upward, while blue lights flashed around his body. Before everyone's eyes, the boy they thought was human transformed into the fighting robot in blue and cyan armor, with extra thick casings on his limbs and a helmet that perfectly covered his wavy hair.

Suddenly, a hurricane of camera flashes and screams from onlookers mobbed the Blue Bomber. "Mega Man! Mega Man!" shouted news reporters, followed by a barrage of random questions: "What new robots are you looking forward to seeing today?" "How's your love life? Are you seeing any female bots?" "Are you afraid of being replaced by one of the fair's robots?" "Where do you keep your E-Tanks?" "Can I have your autograph?" "Mega Man, over here! Smile for the camera!"

Frozen in awe, the robot boy could only crack a small bashful smile and a feeble wave. Fortunately for him, his guardian Doctor Light was quick to grab the boy by the arm and drag him away from the press and into the building.

"Then again," smiled the good doctor, "perhaps that's enough exposure for one day. Come along, kids."

Rock and Roll didn't hesitate to follow his lead.

..

..

Inside the building, there were two stories with arenas as large as baseball fields, each one designated for specific kinds of inventions. Some were for robots built for the armed forces, others for transportation, and there were even new models of helper bots like maids and butlers- something young Roll took slight offense to.

Meanwhile, Rock remained in his blue armor if only to appease the crowd. After a while, their obsession over him began to die down, just in time for his creator to interview some of the show's younger, up and coming inventors. Doctor Light was most interested in meeting hopeful protégés for his growing business, and so far he liked what he saw.

As Light looked over the new robots built for construction, Mega Man was distracted for a moment by a young lady with long purple hair and round glasses, who was holding a microphone in her right hand. "Oh, sir! Over here! Can I interview you for a minute please?"

Seeing as how she looked like a high school student, going by her modest white blouse and long green skirt, the boy grabbed his sister by the hand and dragged her in for the supposed interview.

"So what's your name, sir?" she asked. "And who is this cute young lady with you? Is she your date?"

With a courteous smile he replied, "I'm Rock, but I'm better known as Mega Man. This is Roll, she's my sister."

"Hello," waved Roll enthusiastically.

"We were both made around the same time by Doctor Light, so… yeah."

"Oh I see," smiled the reporter, but then she gasped. "So you must be a fighting robot. Is your sister a fighting robot too?"

"Oh, no!" giggled Roll. "I could never do what my brother does. I'm a helper robot; I assist Doctor Light in the lab."

"She also cooks and cleans around the house," added Rock absent-mindedly. "She's pretty good with the cleaning part, but her latest recipes could use a little- Oof!" His sentence, as well as his breath, was cut off by a sudden elbow to the ribs by Roll. "Geeze, what was that for?"

"Don't make me look bad in front of the camera," she hissed with a balled fist.

"Oh," smiled the purple-haired girl. "Don't worry, there's no camera rolling around here. I'm a new reporter bot: News Woman."

The siblings gasped in surprise. "You're… you're one of the new bots on display?" blinked Mega Man.

News Woman beamed, "Yes! What do you think? Did I make a good first interview?"

Roll blushed, "You sure had us going there."

Then from around a corner came a familiar whistle: "Do Me Fa, Me Sol…"

Rock and Roll turned their curious heads to the corner, where from around the bend came a red metal glove, coaxing them to come forward.

Taking this cue, Mega Man smiled to News Woman, "Uh, we've gotta go, but keep up the good work."

"And that's a wrap!" smiled the new robot as she waved goodbye to the siblings.

.

Sure enough, once Rock and Roll turned the corner where they heard the whistle, they were met with their wayward brother…

"Proto Man!" smiled Rock.

"Hi, big brother!" cheered Roll.

The taller, grey robot in red limb casings (topped with shades and a yellow scarf) was leaning back on the wall with his arms crossed behind his red helmet. He looked relaxed- almost too relaxed. "Hey," he said calmly.

Rock motioned to his little sister and asked, "You remember Roll, right?"

"Of course," the solo warrior smiled, "how could I forget my little sister? How you doin', kiddo?"

Blushing with excitement, Roll was quick to reply with, "I'm great! Me and Rock are both doing much better since that Roboenza epidemic."

"That's good to hear."

"So," wondered the boy in blue, "what brings you here to the convention anyway?"

Proto Man, not missing a beat, pointed forward. "Him."

Rock and Roll followed Blues' finger to the small grey-haired man up ahead, who was sliding along the hall like a snake in the grass with his wild eyes fixed on the competing entries.

Rock balled his fists in fury. "Wily."

"What is he doing here?" asked Roll suspiciously.

"Dunno," shook Blues' head. "I've followed him in here and been keeping an eye on him since. He doesn't seem to be up to something- at least not yet."

"Good to know someone's keeping an eye on him," nodded Mega Man. "After all the grief he's caused us…"

The female robot leaned in next to her bigger brother and frowned, "I guess this means you're too busy to hang out with us then?"

"'Fraid so," shrugged the grey robot.

"That's too bad," she sighed in lament, as she suddenly threw her arms behind her head to mimic his whole stance. "It'd be nice if the three of us could just spend some time together- like a real family, I mean."

Seeing the puzzled pout on Proto Man's face, Rock muttered to him, "Don't mind her. She was programmed with a strong sense of companionship."

"Gotcha," he nodded before turning to his sister. "Don't worry, kiddo; soon as we take care of business here, you n' I can hang out together."

"Great!" cheered Roll as she suddenly embraced Proto Man and squeezed him like a rag doll. (If one were to gaze deeply into his visor, one could see his eyes bulging in pain.) "We could play card games, or go to the carnival downtown, or walk on the beach, or stay up late and watch the stars come out, or maybe we can go shopping! I bet you could use a new set of clothes…"

As she rambled on, the perplexed Blues glanced at his younger brother, who gave him a smile and a shrug as if to say, "I warned you."

"…or maybe we can go to the zoo! Did you know there's a new family of baby-"

"Where's Wily?" sputtered Proto Man, who had just realized that in his moment of perplexity he had lost sight of his target.

"Uh-oh," gasped Mega Man. He too started to look around the room frantically for the shady character, who took off while they weren't looking.

.

Half the size of most men and with grey hair and a mustache as wily as his name, Doctor Albert Wily truly stuck out like a sore thumb at this convention. However, he was also quick on his feet, scuttling from one display to another without alerting too many people of his presence. He seemed to be curious of his competition, but he eventually slinked back to his own personal corner of the room, where a large glass capsule shielded by a tan drape inside was waiting for him.

As the mad genius looked up at this mysterious sphere, his moment of peace was shattered by the sound of metal feet scraping the floor behind him.

"There you are!" shouted Mega Man as he and his brother Proto Man slid into the scene. "Caught you red-handed, Doctor Wily!"

"Step away from that display piece," commanded the grey and red robot.

Wily made a yelp in surprise before going on the defense. "Vaut? Vere did you two come from?" he gasped in a thick German accent.

"Nevermind that," growled a judgmental Mega Man. "We're just glad we got here before you stole that invention."

As his arch nemesis' words sank in, Wily's eyes began to soften before he broke into wild laughter. "Hee-hee-hee… Heeheeheeheehahahahahaha! You sink… You sink I vaus going to steal zis display piece? Ha! You fools, zis just happens to be MY entry for zee Invention of Ze Year contest!"

The robots gasped in bafflement. "Your entry?"

"Indeed," he gloated. "I have worked on zis particular model for years now, and he is just about ready to see ze world… Behold, and feast your eyes!"

With gusto, the little man pulled back the blanket on the set piece, revealing a six-foot tall cylinder, wide enough to fit a human in. And indeed, a human-like figure was floating inside, hovering weightlessly thanks to green liquid that filled the interior. Because the green liquid was so dark, it made the figure's appearance blurred; but one could clearly see that it had a human face helmeted by red and white with a dark orb on its forehead, while long golden hair stretched from the back. Its arms and legs were bulky and cubed, thanks to the creature's armor. There was a lot of red on that armor, as well as some white and black patches, but the green dulled and muddled it all.

"Vaut do you sink?" asked the smug mad scientist. "Are you not impressed? Cowering in fear, perhaps?"

"It's… just a robot," said a less than enthusiastic Proto Man.

"Nein," growled Wily.

"Robot Master?" blinked Mega Man.

"Wrong again! Zis, you pitiful metal-brains, is ze pinnacle of my genius: a robot far more advanced zen any oz'er in existence! Forged from unbreakable metal, equipped vith zee latest computer techno-brain, faster and stronger zen the two of you combined!"

"Uh-huh," frowned a very suspicious Mega Man with one eye narrowed. "And, just when exactly do you plan on turning this awesome new robot against us?"

"VAUT?" gasped a seemingly horrified Wily. "How could you even sink such a sing?"

The brothers Mega and Proto exchanged narrow-eyed glances. "Let's see," started the blue one; "how about all those other times you said you've had a change of heart…"

"While plotting world domination behind our backs," added the grey one.

"Which is getting really old, by the way?" finished the blue one.

"Ha!" grinned the old madman. "You both sink you have me all figured out, don't you?"

"Vee don't sink," aped Blues, "vee know!"

The wily-haired man waved his finger at them. "Fools! Both of you! I have nothink to gain by letting my robots loose at zis convention. I plan to win ze grand prize fair and square, and I only need zis one robot to do it. Once ze judges see just how advanced he is- both in physical and mental form- zey will hand me ze trophy and prize money without hesitation. And ZAT, my friends, is called true justice!"

"Uh-huuuh…." Hummed Proto Man before telling his brother, "I give him four minutes."

"Ten."

"You're on."

Deeply offended by their distrust, Wily made a face and groaned.

"Ah, look who's decided to join us after all." This was the unmistakable voice of Doctor Light, who- along with Roll- walked into the scene. He gave his long-time rival a small nod in greeting. "Albert."

"Thom-STAY BACK!" screamed the shorter mustachioed scientist as he used his body (what little of it there was) to block his creation from view of his rival. "Don't you touch him, Thomas Light! He is MY creation! MINE! You get no credit for his perfection, you miserable leech!"

Doctor Light blinked twice before gently remarking, "I was only curious."

Roll looked up at the shadowy figure in the cylinder. "…A new robot for Mega Man to fight?"

"Ha!" huffed Wily. "Zero is not yet ready to be unleashed; but mark my words: once he is, not even the great Mega Man will-"

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait." Proto Man waved his hands in disapproval. "You're telling me that this blocky, girly-haired robot is better than all of us… and you named it Zero?"

Before the mad doctor could even begin to explain himself, he was bombarded with fits of laughter, not just from Proto Man but from almost every other human present. Even Mega Man chuckled a little before his guardian gave him a harsh glare.

Meanwhile, Doctor Wily remained quiet, giving his foes nothing more than a sneaky leer. Laugh all you like, you metal fools, he thought; you won't be laughing so hard when Zero destroys you once and for all…

"Come on, boys," said Doctor Light as he clasped his blue son's shoulder. "Let Albert have his moment in the sun; at least he's no threat to us."

Rock gave him a nod. "Sure, da—Doctor. I guess he's harmless… for now." With that he gave his foe a quick leer of distrust.

No one seemed to notice the blue boy's momentary slip of the tongue, as the quartet walked away from the wily scientist, hoping that Thomas was right.

All the while, another figure was looking on from behind a high window, a figure with heavy dark armor, a cobra hooded head, and fierce red eyes. He couldn't take those eyes off of the robot floating in the cylinder. The more he stared at it, the more his hatred grew…

..

..

Wily's Castle- One week earlier.

"Bass!" shouted the voice of the dark robot's creator, causing him to jump back in surprise. "Get away from zere!"

He was caught looming over Zero, whose lifeless body was lying on a diagonal table. The red robot's forehead wasn't yet complete; silvery steel bolts and wires were jetting out while the robot's center blue jewel remained untouched. In such a vulnerable state, it was Doctor Wily's top priority to keep Bass as far away from his newest creation as possible. But right now, his worst fear seemed to be coming true.

Bass, the black and gold robot with the cobra hooded helmet, took only two steps back from his unconscious counterpart. "What's wrong?" he asked in an innocent tone as his creator stormed toward him. "Aren't I allowed to see my new brother?"

Wily shook a finger at him. "You don't fool me, you meddlesome bucket of bolts. I know how you truly feel about Zero- even now I can see ze hatred in your eyes."

Bass gave him a sneer. "…Alright, fine. Maybe I am a little jealous of him, but can you really blame me? You said yourself that this guy was gonna replace me in your little scheme to defeat Mega Man once and for all."

"Zat vaus not meant for your ears."

"Well, too late old man! I already know everything, and it really twists my gears! Destroying Mega Man was always my mission, my destiny! You built ME to do the job."

"And you have failed, time and time again! You've even helped that blue nuisance at times, as I recall."

"Only because I had no other choice- and I wasn't actually helping him, I was helping myself."

As their tempers began to flare, another figure stepped into the scene: Treble, Bass' ever loyal wolf-like companion. Silent and observant, he crawled over to Bass' side as if to show where his loyalties lied.

Wily's mustache furrowed as he huffed, "Hmph! No matter vaut you say, you cannot deny zee truth: You are no match for Mega Man. My hopes now lie vith Zero- he is going to be everything you were meant to. And perhaps even more."

Bass' left eye twitched. "You…. You never made a successful robot in your entire life, old man. Your Robot Masters failed, your Killers failed, and I have no doubt that Zero is going to fail."

"Enough! …Get out. You are no longer welcome in zis castle. Out!"

The robot's teeth grit to the point of almost breaking. "You'll see… You'll regret you ever made him."

"It is YOU who I regret making! Now! GET! OUT!" As his arm stretched out to point to the nearest doorway, Wily stepped aside for his now disowned "son" to make his exit. But then his attention turned to the other sentient being in the room. "And take your stupid 'pet' vith you!"

Treble's ears pulled back as he made a soft whimper in offense.

Bass planted his hand gently on his wolf companion. "Come on, Treble. We don't need this place anymore."

Wily stood his ground as Bass and Treble marched off with their heads high, but their spirits at an all-time low. And that was the last time the two of them had spoken to each other.

..

..

…But that would soon change. Bass would make sure of it.

.

Hours went by, and the excitement was waning down. Soon, a team of white coated judges- Doctor Light included- began to make their rounds to declare which invention would win their hearts and imaginations. It came down to seven new Robot Masters, skilled in either construction or battle, and three companion bots like Rush and Treble in the forms of a lavender ferret, a pink guinea pig and a green and rainbow feathered parrot.

But there was one last entry to observe, and it was the one they were least willing to acknowledge. Only by Thomas Light's insistence did they gain the nerve to approach Doctor Wily's masterpiece.

By then, Zero had been removed from his cylindrical jar and placed on a vertical slab with a step for his red and white feet to stand on. The robot remained lifeless for the time being; his master was attaching a grey headband with a triangular symbol in its center which covered up the blue triangle on his helmet. Wily fastened it on tightly, just as the judges were making their way to his creation.

"Well here we are gentlemen," announced Doctor Light to his fellow scientists. "This is Zero, Doctor Wily's latest creation. He claims it's more advanced than any other existing robots."

"Indeed he is," smiled Wily proudly. "Here, allow me to switch on his main systems vith my laptop computer." Albert then tapped away at his laptop while the judges noticed that there was a wire connecting the laptop to the robot from the back of his helmet.

Once the mad genius hit "Enter," the robot's bright blue eyes flew open. The lesser known scientists gasped in awe at the intensity in his eyes.

"Now zen," Wily said as he turned to his audience, "I would like to demonstrate ze speed in which Zero can learn new information. Zee average speed a standard robot can learn new words is 1.05 seconds."

"Seconds," echoed the robot in 0.15 of a second.

"And he can learn ze meaning of that new word in just-"

Zero interrupted with his new data: "Seconds- plural of second. Definition: a time measurement, specifically a division of an hour by sixty."

"Ooo," cooed the intrigued scientists.

"An hour is also a division of time; twenty-four of which add up to one whole day."

"Yes, Zero, good boy," smiled Wily. "Now let us see how quickly you could solve a simple mathematical problem: one plus one is?"

"Two."

"Two to ze fifth power is?"

"Thirty-two."

"Pi is?"

"The ratio of the circumference of a circle from its diameter, approximately equal to the number 3.1429…. Or, were you referring to the pastry, doctor?"

The scientists chuckled, as their interest in Zero grew all the more.

.

They weren't alone; not far from the scene, Rock and Roll were looking onward, Rock glaring at Wily with his suspicions still raised. "I still don't trust the guy," he said softly.

"Which one, Doctor Wily or Zero?" asked Roll.

"Wily. He thinks he can just waltz in here with a new robot and hope that everyone is okay with it. It's a setup, I just know it is."

"Doctor Light's willing to give him the benefit of a doubt."

Her brother made a deep sigh in exasperation. She was right; it was the good doctor's willingness to trust Wily that kept the Blue Bomber from confronting his worst enemy. "Sometimes, sis, I think dad's a little too trusting."

"Maybe, but… Wait. What did you just say?"

"I said, 'I think the doctor's a little too trusting.'"

Roll looked at him with deep concern. "That's not what you said."

Her brother blinked as though he had just woken from a dream. "Huh? …What'd I say? What'd I say?"

"You said-"

CR-A-SH!

Mega Man and Roll gasped in alarm; their moment of peace was shattered, along with the glass of a window pane.

Proto Man had been snaking around the room when he heard the crash. With a gasp he took a flying leap toward his siblings. "What was that?" he asked in horror.

Suddenly, Mega Man had summoned his faithful dog Rush and jumped onto his back as the dog morphed into his jet mode. "That," smiled the satisfied blue robot, "was the sound of me winning the bet!"

"It's been over ten minutes," corrected his older brother.

"I was closer than you. You can pay me later!"

"Cheater!" shouted Blues as his brother took the lead toward the troubled area.

.

Descending upon the awestruck scientists like a dark angel was a black and gold robot with purple geometric wings. He came flying in through the window just beyond Wily's presentation table, and already brandishing a cannon on his left arm, primed for battle. His deep red eyes burned as they were fixed on his former master.

Arriving slightly late on the scene were the three heroic robots: Rock, Roll and Blues. It only took one look at this new figure to know that trouble had already started.

"BASS!" barked Wily. "Vaut are you doing here?"

The cobra-hooded robot sneered as he touched ground. "Well, this is a party to celebrate the world's greatest inventions, right? Funny, how I seemed to have lost my invitation." He then turned his red eyes to the robot on the stand. "Well, lookie what we have here. She's gorgeous."

"Zero is a he, you nincompoop."

"I dunno, doc. Long hair? Fair skin? Heck, those green orbs on his chest kind of look like br-"

"Bass! …Vaut do you vant?"

"I 'vant' to ruin your life, you miserable old man. It's the least I can do, after you've severely ruined mine. All you had to do was build me in the same way you've built this she-male. But no, instead I was just an experiment- a demo, as it were, a prelude to this… this ridiculous knockoff!"

"Wow," whispered Proto Man to himself; "And I thought I had daddy issues."

Wily's face began to flush red with fury. "Zis is about your petty jealousy toward Zero. Vie don't you vait until he is ready to go outside? Ze two of you can settle your differences zere, not in here!"

Bass grinned darkly. "What's the matter? Are you afraid your newest failure will be seen by so many witnesses?"

"Listen to me, you idiot! You cannot fight him here- zere are too many people in zis building, in zis very room!"

"He's right, Bass!" called out Mega Man, whose voice sent a chill down the dark robot's spine. "Someone's going to get hurt if you start a fight in here!"

The cobra-hooded beast turned an evil red eye toward the Blue Bomber. "I never said I wanted a fight… I only said I want to ruin Wily. I don't have to pick a fight with Zero to do that." He aimed his arm cannon at Zero's head.

"Bass, don't!" pleaded Mega Man, but his plea would fall on deaf ears.

The dark robot glared at Wily intently, his eyes now glowing. "You love him more than anything, don't you doc? ….Say it."

Wily was now beside himself, shaking with both fear and anger all at once. Had he squeezed his fists any tighter, he might have drawn blood from his palms. "….Yes. He is like a son to me. I love him dearly."

Bass bared his fangs. "I knew it." His cannon revved up, increasing its energy before the big blast.

"NO!" cried out Rock, but it was too late.

FOOM, went Bass' arm cannon, straight at Zero's grey headband.

Everyone ducked for cover, fearing that the blast would cause Zero to erupt into pieces. But to their astonishment, Bass' blast did very little damage. Zero himself seemed to be completely intact, save for his now severed headband. But that was Bass' plan all along, and it was evident when he started to giggle evilly.

Wily looked up, and saw that his beloved creation's blue helmet gem was starting to shimmer like a beacon, as were his eyes which were now slanting like the irises of a cat. "Bass… Vaut have you done?"

The dark robot flapped his wings and took to the air. "Your audience is about to see just what kind of monster your precious Zero really is!"

Zero clasped his forehead, as a throbbing pain began to take over. He doubled over, gritting his teeth. His eyes continued to glow a sharp blue as the virus within his brain started to seize control. He began to pant heavily, as though he was running a marathon. One word kept popping up in his head: "DESTROY. DESTROY. DESTROY."

The red robot grabbed the cord connecting him to Wily's computer and ripped it off. "I…. I must… Destroy…..!" He then let out a wild, ear-piercing roar. Everyone covered their ears and fell to their knees, giving Zero room to pounce forward.

The little blue robot's mouth gaped open in fearful awe. "Everyone… RUN!" shouted Rock.

Zero jumped from his platform, his fingers spread like claws. He had no real objective, but just to run free until he would come to another robot on display. He confirmed this as an appropriate target, and proceeded to tear it limb from limb. Once this target was shredded, he rampaged on to the next helpless robot.

Humans broke out into a panicked stampede, save for a brave few including Doctors Light and Wily. Light was more focused on helping others move away safely, while Wily stood like a deer in headlights at his beloved Zero going berserk. Bass had done his job; Wily fell to his knees a broken man.

"Nein….. Zis can't be happening… Nein! Nein!"

Confused, Mega Man uttered, "I thought his number was Zero."

"Shut up, you imbecile!" cried Wily.

Rock couldn't help but pity the man who was now showing tears in his eyes. He looked to his older brother, who was already charging toward Zero.

Proto Man started to shoot at Zero, whose agility and brute strength proved to be better than his own. The taller red robot glanced at him with his cat-like eyes, and grinned, bearing fangs. The two of them tussled for a while, but the bigger robot needed just one swift blow of his fist: POW! Proto Man's shades were shattered, as was part of his face. He fell to the ground like a stone, out cold.

Mega Man, stunned at how quickly his brother was taken out, shifted into his Rush Adapter armor. Now red and winged, he flung himself at his new opponent with his Mega Buster at the ready. But Zero swatted him like a fly before going in for the kill.

The last thing Mega Man saw was Zero's sadistically gaped toothy smile before everything went black.

..

..

CONTINUED…