141Note: Here it is. The final part of episode 13, and then, we can, truthfully, really, begin Volume 2. I jumped the gun on the last one, and probably deleted it too soon. So sorry for that, and I hope you all can forgive me for that. Ideally, I would like for this series to become known, yet ultimately, if anything, just getting it completed and done is the most I can hope for. Sorry if that sounds needy or arrogant. Thanks again to all those who reviewed and stuck by me through this nonsense of mine, and I hope you enjoy this final part!
Too Many Times Part 5
© of Capcom
"Hey, wait!"
He didn't dare stop. Stopping meant being caught. And being caught meant….well, he didn't wish to think it. He wasn't supposed to be out as it was anyway. It was by pure chance that he was actually allowed out of the room he had previously been confined in, but that didn't mean he was free to leave. It was just that...he had seen someone going down the hallway, and given that he had been sitting put as he was told to the last few weeks, one of the staff members, a woman that had been overseeing him recently, had decided that it would be safe if he were to be left alone for a moment whilst she attended to some other business elsewhere for a short time.
Though, then she came by.
Blonde hair and blue eyes, garbed in a red and yellow jumpsuit, and, from the looks of it, viewing one of the newer experiments relating to his ability that was currently being constructed. It was just in passing, yet it struck him. Did she have an interest? An interest in it? How it functioned? An interest...in him, perhaps? No, he thought. No, it was all too soon to declare such a thing. It was too soon to declare anything. And yet...she seemed to be looking at it with fascination.
"Which way'd he go boy?"
N-No! He needed to get out of here!
He began to turn a corner, looking for a clear getaway, and kept running until he reached yet another bend in the hall. He had passed by four so far, the floors of this place quite large, a little too large for his liking (yet at least it was clean), and found that perhaps it was a good enough spot to stop for a moment and wait to see what his next move would be. He knew of the room he had previously been stationed in, yet that was just one amongst several. And given that his time outside of his 'confinement' was still quite brief, the interiors of this place were still quite a mystery to him. Still, it was a better mystery to solve than the one his pursuers were trying to solve about him.
Yet just as he turned- "Oof!" he felt something meet him, he stumbling back while the other fell to the ground.
"Ow…" he saw whom he had just ran into, her blonde ponytail draped over her shoulder. She looked up at him, blue eyes widening at what, who she was looking at. The dog that was with her was eyeing him too, stunned at the very sight of him, it seemed. "What the…" Roll began, rising to her feet, the other robot more than a little stunned at both being caught and the fact that two pairs of eyes were firmly locked onto him. She studied him closely too. Blue armor, golden sections...a rather clean, reflective surface. "You're…"
"Time, wait!" oh no, more voices! "Time Man, you...why can't we talk about this?"
She turned, though as she did so, a sudden flash came over both her and Rush, their eyes wide and full of shock, yet there was no registering of pain of any kind like that of Bright Man's ability, nor were they blinded.
It just appeared that, one moment, the mystery machine was there, and the next, he was nowhere in sight.
…
Both Mega and Time, as well as Eddy, were immediately alerted to the sudden flash that had occured, yet the 'prototype' Robot Master rushed to investigate in the direction the flash had occurred, Mega Man following behind. Only, when they got there, it seemed that just a bewildered and confused Roll and Rush were present at the location.
"What are you doing here?" Time Man questioned, somewhat off put that they were simply running around this place.
"Looking around." Roll answered. "It was getting a little boring, so-"
"So you thought you could just treat this place as some sort of personal playground and go off as you saw fit." Time Man interrupted. "You didn't go into any of the rooms, did you? No, don't bother answering. I can tell that you already have."
Roll grit her teeth. This guy had far from been her favorite (Oil Man was a FAR more personable individual in her eyes), yet now he was really beginning to irk her. "Prove it." she told him bluntly, folding her arms. "Besides, even if I did, it's not like I touched anything."
Time Man then went silent, looking down to the floor. Eddy shifted a bit in his arms, but only looked up at the one holding him, noticing how the Robot Master's eyes grew dark and hollow, devoid of any semblance of anything relating to any positive emotion. "It's not as if it would matter anyway."
"Time Man-" Mega Man began, yet he was cut off.
"Don't you have to get going soon?" with that, the prototype went off, completely forgetting that Eddy was still in his grasp, or he didn't care. Though, from the lack of struggle the green energy dispenser gave, it seemed that his being taken off didn't affect him that much.
"What's his deal?" Roll questioned, clearly insulted.
"It's...a bit of a complicated issue." Mega Man groaned.
"Complicated enough to where somebody's a complete jerk?" she then looked to her brother, of which wasn't exactly looking all that well. "What's up with you?" she then got angry. "Did he say something to-"
"No, no, it's not like that." Mega assured. The last thing he wanted, let alone needed, was Roll going after Time Man.
"Then what is it?" she questioned. Whether he said something or not, she could at least wager that the purple jerk said SOMETHING at least mildly insulting.
Though before he could answer, "Ah, there you two are!" another voice cut him off, the two humanoid androids and dog turned to see Light coming up to them, followed by Dr. Kobayashi and Brain Bot. "We've been looking for you!"
Brain Bot folded his arms, looking to the three. "If you wanted to explore, all you had to do was simply ask for a tour." It was then that the green supercomputer noticed Roll's demeanor, appearing as if she were somehow lost. "Is there something troubling you?"
"Huh? No, not really, but…" she began, looking out to the empty hallway. "I could've sworn that…"
Yes, he had managed to escape! Though perhaps he was becoming too lax. What was he thinking, going out and thinking that he could just go and freely explore this place! This wasn't his home! His home belonged at the fortress that he was created in.
And yet...when he remembered it, its darkened environment, the grime and filth that coated everything in a thick coat of dirt, the leering eyes that towered over him, some of them dulled and seemingly in a different world...and the one that man him. He knew not why, but his gaze especially...he appeared happy and satisfied with him, yet there was more. Some sort of malice in them. As if he wasn't made under the best of intentions. But...why were such things coming to him? Better yet, what did it matter? The man was the creator, he the product. And as the product, should it not be in his design to carry out the whims of the creator? And yet, when he came here, when he saw that other machine...he couldn't describe it, but something inside him 'clicked on'. The man that made him...he may have crafted him with his hands, yet he wasn't the only one that contributed to it. And yet...he never knew that person.
Not like those here did. But he couldn't deny that a part of him wanted to.
Just then, he heard someone go by, seemingly running at a rather fast pace. He hunkered down to better hide himself, the figure outside thankfully rushing by without even noticing he was there. He gave out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness...still, he couldn't help but wonder if it was...him.
"Where's Eddy?" Light questioned, Mega Man biting his lip anxiously.
"About that…" he began, unsure of how to continue exactly. Though it seemed to be necessary, as Roll took it upon herself to answer for him.
"Time Man took off with him."
"Roll!" Mega hissed under his breath.
"What? It's true."
"Which way did he go?" Kobayashi asked Mega, about to stop her, but Roll was too quick for him, pointing in the direction he went. "Ah, thank you." with that, the three rushed off after the robot, though not before Light turned back to them.
"Stay here." he told the three. "This is a...private discussion."
"Doc-" Mega began, yet the two scientists and walking supercomputer were already gone. And really, the blue robot thought, what could be done now? It was out of his hands...he could only hope that Time Man was wrong.
"Where we going?" Eddy questioned, Time Man only remained silent and continued to walk. "Time?" he began again. "Time, what-"
"I don't know!" The DLN finally barked out, causing the energy dispenser to shrink back. "I don't know…" though upon seeing the smaller machine's frightened blue eyes, Time Man averted his for a brief moment, sighing. "I'm sorry." he then got up against a wall and slunk down until he met the floor.
"Time…" Eddy said, looking to the larger machine holding him. Time Man didn't respond, only held him closer. Eddy didn't protest and accepted it. The violet Robot Master lowered his head atop of Eddy's lid, the silence all around absorbing everything and canceling out all other things.
"Ah," it couldn't have lasted long enough anyway. "There you are." he heard footsteps coming, three figures coming to him: his creator, Kouin's cousin, and the green DLN. "We've been looking for you." Kobayashi told him, Time Man didn't respond. "Time Man?"
"...is it time?" he finally asked, everyone confused.
"Time for what?"
Time Man looked up to them. "My departure."
"Departure?" Light asked. "I'm not sure what you mean."
"You don't know?" the DLN responded, despondent. "Or do you just want to not tell me? I know well what awaits me, so go on and be honest about it. There's no use in hiding it."
"What do you mean? You're not going anywhere." Kobayashi then said, Eddy's eyes lighting up while Time Man slowly rose his head up.
"You...you mean I'm not going to be-"
"But," Kobayashi interrupted, coming closer to the Robot Master, Time Man in turn rising up from the floor, anxiousness still etched into his features. "There is something we need to talk about.
A Few Days Later
He was somewhat relieved to hear the news. Time Man was NOT going to any scrapyard. Yet at the same time, from what he had heard via eavesdropping, the prototype still wasn't too happy with the news he WAS delivered.
That other machine was staying, whether he liked it or not, and due to its...different capabilities, the Institute were going to be testing him in some experiments along with Time Man, though the latter found this to be even more of an insult. Mega Man didn't see him protest, yet he could tell that nothing short of absolute fury was radiating off of him. Still, he said nothing. Eddy had insisted that he wanted to stay with him, but ultimately, he had to leave him, much to his dismay. Time Man still remained motionless as Kobayashi led him away, but Mega could tell that he was wanting nothing more than for the little green energy dispenser to be by his side.
As for him...well...things had still been rather quiet.
Ever since the incident involving the runaway trucks, there hasn't been anything. He hadn't even been going on searches for any more runaway Robot Masters with Tomahawk Man. Thus, there was little more to do than either stay at home or fly around. Of which he mainly did the latter, as they were something of a 'walk' for Rush.
Currently, they were high above the entire city, the wisps of the clouds going past them, the vapor somewhat chilled, as Mega had adjusted his sensory input in order to fully embrace the wind and sensation of velocity against his metallic outer shell and synthetic skin. Despite the general inactivity, this was something that he could at least appreciate. Rush lowered himself and both of them could see the multitude of skyscrapers and buildings below, a concrete jungle composed of several specimens of the animals known as homo-sapiens.
Ok, maybe that a little over raught, but still, the machine always found it fascinating to watch them from on high. He couldn't help but feel as if he were observing some strange species from a distant place, they being completely ignorant of him and, to an extent, he of them. He always found a sense of gratification doing so.
Along with perhaps a sense of longing...though such things did him no good.
Still, there was a part of him that was getting restless. There was no denying it. Wily was somewhere out there, plotting something. Only thing was, with the Skull Fortress found and out of commission, finally, where had he gone off to? None of his other, smaller hideouts held the madman, even if some of his creations had been found there.
Mega Man knew not when, but he didn't doubt it for a second. He WOULD turn up again. And when he did...he couldn't shake the feeling that things would be just as, if not even more hectic.
Station
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
Johnson grit his teeth and sighed. "Abso-freakin-lutely NOTHING."
"That can't be!" Jack argued, the break room thankfully only containing the two of them, otherwise he would've been told to keep it down. "There's got to be something they left behind!"
"Nothing!" Johnson growled. "Well, not exactly." he sighed, rubbing his temple. This entire thing has been nothing but a series of dead ends, one after the other. "Once the search warrants were granted, we went and raided all four of their places, took their phones, searched through internet history…"
"And?" Jack questioned.
"And nothing. Not ONE incriminating thing." the bearded officer grunted. "Nothing but everything that points to that Mike guy being the one that cohorsed those three into stealing those trucks and putting how many lives in danger to get to that suit."
"And there's nothing indicating anything but what they told us. All things from phone messages to ransom styled letters sent to their addresses all point to this Mike guy being responsible for the whole thing. All of them just talk about him threatening them to 'be ready' for 'the night', unless something bad happens to them or their families." Johnson folded his arms. "Bullshit. It's all a bunch of bullshit."
"Well planned bullshit." Jack added. "Looks like we're in a pinch."
"We have NOTHING on them now." the other officer snarled. "Nothing we can hold them on, and even better, nothing to base a case on! It's not like the jury's gonna just go off of a 'feeling' somebody has!"
Jack bit his lip, sensing his fellow officer's frustration and disappointment. "You still think there's something more to this."
"There HAS to be." Johnson sighed. "This whole thing just REEKS of some sort of alternative goal in mind. And it all has to do with that specific piece of cargo."
"What would they even do with it though?" Jack questioned. "It's not like they could just up and take it back to their place. They'd up and break their backs just hauling it out. And God forbid they be batshit enough to try and get it up the stairs."
Indeed. They had stolen it, and yet it was returned in the same state as it had been, and in a generally reasonable location. They were all in on it, and yet weren't. There was evidence, yet none that would prove anything that was desired. All of this was wrong. This whole thing was wrong. And yet there was NOTHING that could be done about it. "All I know is this." Johnson began, biting down on his lip hard. "If this is simply left on its own...then we'll truly see what this whole thing is really a cover for."
Unknown Location
Damn him…
"How much further?" the red Robot Master questioned, his joints almost completely spent, the largest of the group having to carry him. Though even he was beginning to look worn down after all this.
The scarf-wearing android sighed. Sure, it was what he had said before, yet there was no other answer that he could give but that. "I don't know. And before you ask again, no, I probably won't know later either."
Cut Man sighed, wincing as Guts Man hit a sensitive area as he adjusted his hold on him. "Dr. Wily...when his gonna-"
"I don't know that either!" Proto Man shouted, more than fed up with all the continuous questions. "I don't know much other than that…" he strained. "Other than that we need to keep going."
Guts and Cut Man didn't respond, continuing to follow him through the thickened, nearly lightless forest on the outskirts of whatever city or town they were near. No one had bothered to check. And really, would there be any point to? It was nothing short of a miracle, or pure luck, as miracles weren't exactly fruitful things for any of them, that they hadn't been caught yet. The others...well, how many of their 'others', he couldn't say for sure whether or not they were so fortunate.
'Damn you, old coot.' he snarled inwardly. 'Leaving us out in the cold like this…' these last few weeks had not been kind to anyone. Had they stayed there...oooh, he dared not think it. They had little time to take what they could, but even then, supplies had to be stretched thin between them all, and Proto could've sworn that some of them swiped a few extras with them.
Ultimately though, it didn't matter. They would've gone out of stock anyway. Hell, they DID go out of stock but a few days IN their journey! Had to go and stop in a few junkyards, one of which was dangerously close to the city...suffice to say, Proto shook that off. Less said about that, the better. Still, at least he was able to get back up on his feet again. He would've never been able to get back had he not run into…
Again, he shook it off. That whole incident was just...weird.
Still...he doubted that such a thing would happen to him or anyone else for some time. Not unless…
"Huh?" Guts Man suddenly stated, bringing a hand to his audio receptor. "Do you hear that?" he asked. "It's not mine."
Indeed, Proto and Cut Man could also hear it: a small ringing. A ringing coming from Proto Man. But from who?
It...it couldn't have been...could it?
"Hello?" Proto Man asked, tuning in to the frequency. What answered him next made everything inside him turn to ice.
"It's been some time, hasn't it, my boy?"
Note: And...done! I'll admit, I don't have too much to say here, as really, I've got more work to do for the second one, yet here's hoping that this 'season' was satisfactory enough for you all! I plan to correct any errors made here in the future installments, get more plot points going, and have another season for you all that'll hopefully please!
See you all next time in Mega Man: The Missing Episodes: Volume 2!
