Prologue

UNBELIEVEABLE.

It was just one of the many words that could be attributed to the events of the past few days.

Unbelievable.

Also came to mind words such as impossible, incredible, inconceivable...there was simply no end to the list of synonyms.

Dr. Thomas Xavier Light, possibly the single most brilliant man in MegaLand--and maybe several other lands as well--was left without a satisfying explanation.

Magic wouldn't do it, although it was perhaps the only answer. But anything could technically be explained away by saying it was 'magic,' and Dr. Light simply didn't buy it. There was always another reason, another cause, that could be stated in ways that science deems appropriate.

But sometimes, that explanation eludes even the best of scientists.

So in the end, Dr. Light didn't bother to worry himself over how it had happened. Only with the fact that it had, and that simple truism in itself left him in a state of shock--and wonder.

For Mega Man, the blue bomber, the barrier against evil, the titanium troublemaker, the robot hero...was now Mega Man: the human being.

Only one other time could Dr. Light remember being so utterly shocked, dumfounded, and simply in wonder. Only one other time did something more or less unexplainable occur that affected him. That, of course, was when Mega Man had been turned into a living machine.

Dr. Light had started with a simple robot. A walking computer that could fool you into thinking he had feelings and a personality. But it was just an act, for as a machine he felt nothing inside.

Mega Man had been built as Rock Man, a robot designed to look like a human. The second-ever successfully-convincing human-like robot, in fact. For that matter, the first robot of this type to ever be constructed in MegaLand had also been created by Dr. Light.

And Rock was certainly convincing. He stood at 132 centimeters--eight inches shorter than his creator. His build was stout and strong; his face had a boyish quality that was only magnified by his huge blue eyes. Thick black hair, which shone artificially blue when struck by a strong light source, swept over his head in an uncontrollable wave. Rock usually wore tee shirts with shorts or pants, and no shoes, for his feet were large for his height and shaped nothing like those of a human. Instead, he would wear his own version of shoes, which usually involved simply changing his feet to some other color--typically black. What difference did it make? Rock was a lab assistant--he never strayed far from Dr. Light's laboratory.

Shortly after his creation, Rock Man had been retired of his lab assistant duties in order to be turned into a warrior renamed Mega Man. This was to fight the evil creations of the scientist Dr. Wily, who had stolen Dr. Light's designs and applied them to his own nefarious purposes. Mega Man defeated Dr. Wily in battle but never fully won the war, for the evil scientist seemed to keep turning back up.

On the second such occasion, the first miracle occurred. Mega Man was accidentally turned into a living machine when a transometer malfunctioned in Dr. Light's laboratory. Since danger was imminent, it was only much later that Dr. Light was able to realize the full significance of what had occurred.

Mega Man had been transformed into what Dr. Light called a 'bioroid,' which is equivalent to a living soul in a mechanical body. Of course, the biggest unanswered question was where the soul had come from, but since science couldn't even explain how souls came to be in human babies, Dr. Light didn't bother fretting over the soul in his robot.

That the soul was there was indisputable. Before, Mega Man had simply acted as though he had emotions. Now, he actually felt them. It was a difference that made all the difference...especially when the time came that he attempted to reach the Warp of Life.

Located in another land, this mysterious entity was yet another impossibility to add to the list. The Warp of Life could literally alter the form that living beings possessed, turning non-organic creatures into their full flesh and bone counterparts...or vice versa. All living machines take on the likeness of some existing organic creature, to the point that their metal structures almost perfectly emulate that of their host. In the case of Mega Man, that emulation host was of a human, and therefore the Warp of Life transformed him into one.

Dr. Light had started with a simple robot.

Now he had a human son.

The sequence of the events could cause the mind to spin. It was really a spectacular occurrence. As well as impossible.

Unbelievable.

But Dr. Light didn't argue.







THE BEGINNING

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mega Man!

The friendly voice still rang through his ears. It was kind and gentle, and spoken in such a way that you could hear its speaker smiling as she spoke. With those four words, the Warp of Life had brought about a realization.

On the date of Mega Man's creation, two years after the fact, the robot had embarked on his quest to become fully human. It had taken him three weeks to realize his goal, though since time flowed differently in that alien land, only a day passed back on his home planet. Still, he didn't quite get to the Warp of Life on his birthday. Yet still her words rung true.

Happy Birthday, Mega Man!

Mega Man had never had an actual birth, of course, since he'd been constructed, not born. So, for the yearly celebration, his friends had used the date of his activation instead. Now, as the Warp of Life pointed out in that simple phrase, even that was moot, as Mega Man was now a human. A human that had never been born.

Happy Birthday, Mega Man!

His birth was now, the Warp was telling him. The day that he had been transformed into a human could be called the day of his birth as a living, breathing, human being. It was officially here, now.

And his friends abided by this suggestion.

Except that they still considered him to be two years old.







Day Zero

1



WHEN they had returned from the Warp of Life, it had been mid-afternoon in their land. Mega Man and Dr. Light had gone back to the scientist's laboratory, which was also his home. Respectfully, the N-Team left them alone and remained at the Palace, realizing how much of a precious time this was for both of them.

That afternoon was golden, as Mega Man spent some time just wandering around the lab almost in a daze, as if he couldn't believe what had happened to him. Dr. Light followed at a discreet distance, also not fully believing what had happened. There was no scientific explanation at all (unless you were really far-fetched) and yet no one could deny what was right in front of his eyes.

Mega Man was human.

The little blue tool-user had gone, in such a short span of time, from being an ordinary robot to a living machine, and now a human. It was just impossible, Dr. Light's logical mind tried to tell him. Humans were procreated by other humans. Even with technology as advanced as it was, there was no way to build a human, nor any way to artificially cause one to develop. A human--or any other animal really--could only be created in one way. Birth.

But Mega Man was undeniably human, at least on the outside. Dr. Light had already proven this to himself, though of course further tests would eventually be necessary. Mega Man's flesh consisted of normal cells; his body structure was perfect--everything about him was now identical to any other human, and complete in every way. It was flawless, it was incredible...it was impossible.

And yet it was.

Mega Man didn't think scientifically; he simply wandered around marvelling at how different--and yet similar--his world was now that he was experiencing it through a different body. He couldn't get over simple things that humans take for granted. He felt giddy, like a child, for the first time since his creation--for he'd been activated with the intelligence of an adult and had never experienced childhood. Mega Man felt silly in some cases, but he didn't care, because he was just too thrilled to be human.

He questioned Dr. Light. He did so almost constantly that first night. He asked about everything and anything that came to his attention, the next question leaving his mouth almost before Dr. Light could answer the previous. Like a child in a new place, Mega Man's curiosity and thrill could not be contained. The difference for Mega Man was that he'd already known some things about humans. Now he was simply experiencing them first hand, noticing how his prior perceptions had either been right on target or way off...or somewhere in the middle. Mega Man asked intelligently, knowledgeably, hoping to understand that with which most humans grow up possessing.

He delighted in things that his human friends never really thought about. Mega Man spent some time simply walking around, balancing on toes that he'd never before possessed. He flexed his new muscles, rubbed his new eyes, and felt his new pulse. The beating of his heart especially delighted him. As a living machine, he'd breathed air much like a human, but his equivalent to a heart did not beat. Now he could feel the steady pulse of warm blood flowing through his new system, and he loved the feeling.

One of the first things he noticed was how odd this body felt; it was softer and had many subtle differences that only someone who had inhabited both could notice. Mega Man kept banging his arms and hands against other things and himself, marvelling at how yielding his flesh was, and at the lack of any sort of metallic clanging sound. He kept this up much to Dr. Light's chagrin, of course, who in turn kept trying to stop him, worried that he'd overestimate himself and cause injury to his new flesh.

Something else he noticed was how clear his sight was now. As a robot he'd never really thought about his vision. Even now he couldn't really explain it, but it seemed as though everything was much more sharp and vivid. When he realized this Mega Man spent some time just looking around, trying to figure it out. Then he glanced at a computer screen and noticed it was still pixilated. Yet everything else around him was not. That was a new thing for him--though Mega Man had never realized it before, his sight as a robot had been very similar to a high resolution computer monitor.

He was still standing in the main lab, comparing the computer screens with other objects, when Dr. Light and Roll, the scientist's housekeeping robot, joined up with him.

Mega Man straightened up, turning toward them. The light from the computer screens made his wild black hair still look as though it had blue highlights. Dr. Light took a moment to gaze at his former creation in wonder. Mega Man was dressed in pants and a shirt; his old fighting uniform still fit but he did not need it here. It was rather incredible how much like his robotic self Mega Man still appeared--it was actually rather hard to tell he was human now. His form was still the same height and build; his eyes were big (though not as big as when he'd been a robot) and deep blue. Even his hair was exactly the same, though the strands were real now and not artificial, which meant they usually shone with a more whitish hue instead of blue. As a human Mega Man was stocky and healthy, with strong hands and feet that were a bit large for his height. Yes, the differences were hardly noticeable.

"What do you think?" Dr. Light asked finally, smiling pleasantly at his son. Yes, he realized, Mega Man really was his son now, more so now than ever before. The implications of that alone almost dazed him.

"Incredible," Mega Man stated. "I still can't believe it. Thank you so much, Dr. Light."

"Anything for you, Rock," the scientist replied, and meant it.

Now that Mega Man was a human, his friends had decided to call him by his original name--a name by which he hadn't been called since he'd been transformed into a superrobot fighter. By mutual agreement, they were also saying he was two years old because it was the best year they could come up with; Mega Man certainly hadn't been a human for two years, but on the other hand, he looked a lot older than two. Since no one could really pinpoint an age which he looked--and he certainly acted older than that, at any rate--they simply settled with two.

Abruptly Mega Man winced slightly. It was a small motion of his face, but Dr. Light noticed anyway. "Is something wrong?"

"My stomach hurts," Mega Man decided after a moment of hesitation.

Pain was not a new thing for him. As a living machine, Mega Man had grown quite accustomed to it. This wasn't a pain that he'd ever felt before, however. It wasn't even pain at all, really...just an uncomfortable feeling to which the only word Mega Man could attribute was 'pain.'

"Your stomach?"

"Yeah, well, I can't really tell yet..."

"Don't tell me you're going to get sick on your first day as a human," Roll protested.

Mega Man frowned. Dr. Light glanced at his watch suddenly and burst out laughing. "I'll bet you're just hungry. Come on, Roll, let's give him his first feast!"

When they'd reached the kitchen, Dr. Light grandly requested Roll to fix 'a bit of everything.' Everything? Roll had echoed. That could occupy a full year right there.

Realizing this, Dr. Light amended, "Well, just a small sampling for now. We have plenty of time to try everything."

Mega Man had never been able to eat, even as a living machine. Now he found himself experiencing for the first time what it was like to favor certain foods and dislike others. There were so many different types of meals to try, so many that they could not all be done in one evening. Roll's robotic computer mind had stored libraries full of recipes and tidbits, all of which she could prepare with perfection, of course.

"Don't worry about it," Dr. Light told Mega Man when he admitted he couldn't tell if he was full or not. "We have plenty of time. Now you need to get a good night's rest and decide what you want to do tomorrow."

Mega Man didn't really have to think twice. "I want to go to the city."

"The city?"

"Yeah, anywhere where I can mingle. I've never really been able to see how humans live before."

Dr. Light smiled wanly. "I imagine."

He understood that Mega Man wanted to visit the nearby downtown metropolis. Alone. Not that he didn't like his current company. It was just that all his life (if it could be called a life, which it could if referring to the time after when he was turned into a living machine), he'd never really been able to have much association with the general public. Robots weren't uncommon in his land, but humanoid ones were. The closest Mega Man had been able to come to showing himself in public without causing an uproar was by dressing in street clothes--in essence, disguising himself as a human. But even then, his interaction was limited. Now that he was fully human, Mega Man wanted to go out and experience, first hand, what life was like for all the millions of humans living out there.

"Do you mind?" Mega Man asked.

"Not at all," Dr. Light assured him. "I think it would be a good experience for you." And they made arrangements for the next day's excursion before going to bed.

As a living machine, Mega Man did sleep, so this wasn't foreign to him either. Still, in a weird way, he looked forward to his first night as a human, wondering if it would be much different than his nights as a robot.

It wasn't, but that didn't bother him.







Day One

2



THE next morning Mega Man set off, dressed in a tee shirt and pants and armed with Dr. Light's debit card. He took the monorail to a nearby city, feeling a little odd standing with the other humans but loving the feeling at the same time. Once in the outskirts, though, he disembarked and went on foot.

Mega Man walked up one street and down the next with no final destination in mind. He simply went where he was inclined. Many of the people on the streets gave him odd looks, and a couple stared openly at him, but he ignored them all. He was used to being different and therefore the gazes didn't faze him. Of course, now they were staring for a different reason--namely, that Mega Man still looked like a seven-year-old despite the fact that his mind was matured far beyond this. However, all that the other citizens strolling the sidewalks saw was a young boy completely unescorted who was wandering around alone.

Around noon Mega Man finally decided it was lunch time even though he wasn't sure if he was hungry because he hadn't yet figured out his new body's signals. He wandered around for a bit looking for a place to eat. His clothes weren't appropriate for a fancy restaurant and he didn't really feel like one anyway. But he also didn't want just a sidewalk stand. Finally he decided on a local fast food place and in a matter of minutes had polished off a sandwich and two sides. He wasn't sure if he was full but he didn't buy any more as what he'd already eaten was apparently a normal meal for most humans.

Leaving the store, Mega Man resumed his leisurely pace. He'd traveled down a couple of streets when suddenly he heard a strange noise above him.

Mega Man glanced up. Next to him was a construction site. A crane had been lifting a sheet of metal to the top floors, but something had failed. Even now the large piece of steel was plummeting toward a sidewalk of people!

Almost without thinking Mega Man dashed to ground zero, gently but firmly pushing down a girl who happened to be standing right under the falling metal. "Get down!" he called, while at the same time raising his arms and catching the sheet of metal on the flats of his hands.

Time seemed to go in slow motion. Mega Man felt himself strain under a weight he should have been able to support easily. For a moment he thought the feeling would pass; then he found himself being pushed toward the ground. He struggled against the force but it drove him to his knees. Still he strained.

"What--" he gasped in dismay, clenching his eyes closed. "What happened...to my strength...?"

People were shouting but Mega Man hardly heard him. Several men gathered around the sheet metal and attempted to lift it. When there were about four of them they were able to get some leverage.

Mega Man felt the metal shifting. His muscles were screaming. As a final effort he lifted his arms, tilting the metal backward. One end hit the ground. Mega Man grabbed the girl next to him and lunged, pulling them both out of the way as the metal crashed to the sidewalk.

A crowd began to gather, and people were talking all at once. The construction crew came down to claim their metal and apologize for the faulty cable that had snapped. It required five of them to hook the piece of metal back to the crane because they had to lift it off the sidewalk.

"Didn't someone hold this all by himself?" one man spoke up suddenly.

"No way!" another one retorted.

"No really, I saw it," the first defended, and others began jumping in with their own comments.

Then one turned. "Hey, where'd he go?"

Everyone glanced around. The strange black-haired boy and the girl he'd rescued were nowhere in sight.

Mega Man limped along an alleyway, leaning one shoulder against the rough brick wall. He wasn't as good as his brother Break Man at disappearing, but he was learning.

His muscles were still protesting, and he was sore all over. But the only thing he could think about was the near disaster. What happened? kept running through his mind. What happened to my strength?

As a robot he'd been extremely strong. He hadn't anticipated that turning into a human would change that.

Then a soft sound caused him to stop and look up in surprise.

The girl he'd saved was kneeling in the alley, her back to him.

His own pain forgotten, Mega Man hurried to her. "Are you okay?" he asked. The girl gasped and whirled around. Mega Man knelt next to her. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

If I had my normal strength you wouldn't be hurt at all, ran through his mind. Mega Man swallowed down the anger and forced himself to look friendly.

"I'm all right," she returned in a soft voice. "Just a shock." She gazed up into his face curiously. There was something...odd about him. He looked to so young--and yet he acted a lot older...

Gently Mega Man started to help her to her feet. Then his honed senses picked up a strange sound.

Three lengthy battles against Dr. Wily had formed a Mega Man that was prepared to dodge anything at the slightest notice. Even now he whirled, then pushed the girl out of the way. At the same time he tried to dodge, but with this he wasn't fast enough.

The girl screamed.

A thin metal disk flashed through the air past a startled Mega Man. He suddenly felt a searing pain as the razor-sharp edge of the disk sliced through the skin of his upper arm. Almost instinctively he clamped his left hand over the spot and fell back. When he pulled his hand away seconds later, it was dripping with a scarlet liquid.

Suddenly the alley was full of teenage and preteen boys, forming a semicircle around Mega Man and leaving the girl outside it.

"Blood!" one of the boys whispered, as if he'd been expecting something else. His voice was so soft that Mega Man's ears hardly picked it up, and his mind didn't register it at all.

"See?" an older boy stated in satisfaction, just as quietly. "I told you so..."

Ignoring the pain and the blood seeping between his fingers which were again wrapped tightly around his arm, Mega Man frowned at them in confusion and tried to sort everything out.

Without warning the oldest teen--the one who had tossed the strange metal disk--grabbed Mega Man's wrists and jerked him forward. "What's going on here? Who are you? ...Or should I say, what are you!?"

Mega Man yanked indignantly against the hands, but to his surprise the other boy maintained his grip. Remembering then that he was no longer as strong now that he wasn't a robot, Mega Man jerked harder, wondering how he was going to get out of this situation. At first he'd been happy to be human. But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to reveal that fact to these boys. Besides, why would they believe him?

Mega Man's second pull, at his full strength, was successful this time, but the fact that he was still stronger than the teen didn't register in his mind. "What does it matter?" he retorted. "Would you have rathered I let those people get hurt?"

The oldest teen only glared in response. "Hey, what's the problem, Greg?" another asked.

"I don't know," he answered. "But I smell something fishy here."

He started to step forward. Mega Man couldn't move back any farther as he already had his back to the brick wall. His only thought now was that, as a human, he was now at the same level as these teenage boys.

Before Greg could reach his objective a red and white form dropped down between them with a sharp whistling sound.

"Hey!"

The boys drew back, faced now with a small but formidable-looking figure with a matching helmet and black visor.

The oldest tossed another of his strange disks almost in reflex; this one flew right at the newcomer's chest. But with a solid clang it rebounded off and spun to the ground.

"What--!?" a younger boy started to cry in horror, but broke off as he watched the disk clatter to the ground. Instead he finished, "You're going to...you could have...you almost killed him--but it...it bounced off!"

Greg pushed the other boy away and started to move forward. In one smooth motion the red-clad Break Man fired an arm cannon, knocking the boy's disk-thrower right out of his hands.

"You should watch that thing--it's sharp!"

"He's a robot!" one of the kids cried, turning and running away.

Break Man encouraged the others by firing at the ground in front of their feet. Within moments the alley was empty save for the two brothers and the girl. She gave them a strange look, then fled.

Silence descended. Break Man turned. Mega Man was leaning against the brick wall, his hand still pressed to his right arm. For a moment he watched in silence, then he spoke.

"Everything's so different...I can't seem to do anything...I'm..." He trailed off, took a breath, and finished with a sigh, "Break Man, I'm a wimp!"

"Mega Man..." his older brother returned, his gaze never wavering. "You're a human," he said simply, then turned and walked away.







3



THE girl Mega Man had rescued followed him at a safe distance. Her mind was in a whirl. Mega Man, the red robot had called him. But how could that be? Mega Man was supposed to be a robot!

The first time robots around the land began going berserk, no one really knew what was happening and the land was in an uproar. Then a lone figure appeared. He fought back the hordes and apprehended their leader, the scientist by the name of Dr. Wily. Once Wily was taken in, his captor simply vanished. No one really knew who or what had saved them. Then rumors began to spread that it had been one of the brilliant Dr. Light's own robotic creations. That made sense. Fight fire with fire. But that was about all the average citizen knew. Dr. Light's name was known by many, but few knew the reclusive scientist personally.

Only a short while passed before Dr. Wily attacked a second time. Once again Dr. Light's robot was called upon to come to the aid of the land. Around this time people began to learn more. The robot's name was Mega Man and he was one of the first humanoid robots ever built. The idea of a human-like robot was still new to the land, so Mega Man and the Robot Masters he fought were a bit of an oddity. They also created a lot of gossip. But few had any personal experiences of which to tell. As before, Mega Man did his job and vanished from public view.

A third war against Dr. Wily was fought and won by the blue bomber; this one ended in the evil scientist's accidental death. None of the citizens cared though--they were glad that the evil was gone. But although more of the truth was known, most of the things anyone knew were still rumors.

Despite this, though, it was pretty common knowledge that Mega Man was a robot.

Wasn't he?

Breaking her thoughts, the girl looked up and noticed that her target was leaving the city. He appeared to be heading for Dr. Light's lab.

"It is him..." she whispered.

A rough hand grabbed her arm suddenly, and she emitted a small shriek as she was swung around.

"You know something, don't you, Sheral?" Greg growled. He had claimed her as his girl despite the fact that she didn't want to have anything to do with him.

But at least that meant he wouldn't hurt her. Sheral found him annoying but not threatening--at least not to herself.

"No..." she started to protest.

"Don't lie to me!"

"Really!" Sheral jerked her arm free. "All I know is what I've seen. And you've seen the same thing!"

Greg gazed at her for a moment, as if trying to decide whether she was telling the truth. Sheral risked a glance behind her and was glad to see that Mega Man, or whoever he was, was out of sight. Apparently Greg hadn't even noticed him.

Finally the teenager backed away. "I thought in the alley...he might have said something."

"He might have but you interrupted him!" Sheral started to move around him. "Come on, Greg--you gotta learn to stop jumping at everything!"

"There's something weird about that kid," Greg protested. "I want to know what!" He broke off as he noticed Sheral's distracted glance. "You know, don't you."

"No," she answered softly. "I don't know anything. I only have wild ideas..."

Could it be...?







4



IT was dark by the time Mega Man got back to the Palace of Power. He had managed to reach the palace via the warp in Dr. Light's laboratory without anyone seeing him. He just couldn't bring himself to face Dr. Light right now. That's why he went to the Palace to sleep instead of remaining at the lab, for his creator would have surely found him there.

Wearily Mega Man moved silently through the dim hallways of the Palace, his home away from home. He managed to get to the bathroom without being seen, and, ignoring the stinging sensation, he cleaned the blood off his wound, shirt, and hand as best as he could. Then, without bothering to wrap his injury, he simply put his hand back over it and stumbled wearily to his room. He was tired and aching to the bone. I guess blood is to humans as energy is to robots, he mused. Losing some really takes a lot out of you.

Ignoring his growling stomach, Mega Man dropped into bed, but though his body was tired, he couldn't push the events of the day out of his head. It was a long time before he got to sleep.







Day Two

5



THE next day dawned bright and sunny. Princess Lana left her room and was heading for the kitchen when she happened to glance over. Mega Man's door was open and the bed was empty, though messy, as if he'd just gotten up. Always preferring things to be neat, Lana walked in to make the bed for him.

That's when she noticed the crimson red stain.

"Kevin!"

The Game Master came in only a matter of moments. "What is it?"

"Have you seen Mega Man?" she asked without replying.

Kevin shook his head. "No, why?"

Lana pointed at the blankets. "He's hurt!"

The two finally found Mega Man sitting on a ledge outside the Palace, overlooking a small lake surrounded by trees. He was sitting alone, his elbows propped onto his knees. When he'd awakened that morning he had found that his wound had finally stopped bleeding, although it was caked with blood and still very sore. He'd cleaned it off as best as he could and put on a short-sleeved shirt. Since even the short sleeves irritated the deep cut, he had rolled the right one up to his shoulder.

Now, as soon as he heard the others call his name, he whirled around while at the same time quickly clapping his hand over the gash to hide it.

He wasn't fast enough.

"Mega Man, what happened?" Lana asked quickly, kneeling beside him and grasping his left wrist, trying to pull it away from his arm. He hesitated for a moment, then sighed and dropped both arms onto his knees.

Lana gasped at the long ugly gash. "That's terrible! Haven't you done anything for it?"

"It's nothing," Mega Man answered, his eyes on the lake.

"Nothing!? Doesn't it hurt?" Lana reached forward hesitantly. Mega Man didn't answer. "How did you get this?" she tried again, but still received only silence. Finally she sighed. "Oh, Rock, why won't you tell us what happened?"

For a moment the robot-turned-human didn't reply. "It's not important," he said finally, hesitated, then offered, "Just a little brawl."

"A brawl?" Lana repeated. "With whom?"

No answer.

Lana sighed. "Well, will you at least let me clean it up? It'll get infected if you leave it like that." She gazed at his stone face. "Rock, can't you see? We're concerned about you."

Mega Man offered her a small smile, and when she attempted to gently pull him to his feet he didn't resist.

Lana led the way to a small room where she propped Mega Man onto a stool. While Kevin watched in silence, she fetched some medical supplies and went to work cleaning up the wound.

"Hurt?" she asked with a small smile as she cleaned away the dried blood.

"Stings a little," Mega Man admitted.

"That means the medication is working," Lana informed him. "Wow, that's nasty. How deep is it?"

Mega Man shrugged. "Probably close to the bone."

Lana winced. "You should have told us."

"Didn't want to bother you."

The Princess sighed. "Rock, we need to talk to you about what is a 'bother' and what isn't."

"Geech," Kevin spoke up upon taking a look for himself. "What could have done that to you?"

Mega Man gave him a humorless smile. "A lot of things," he replied. "...Now."

Kevin and Lana glanced at each other.

"I've been finding I'm not all that useful anymore," Mega Man explained. "I don't have any strength or speed or jumping ability. I can't even fire."

Lana giggled. "Rock, you should have been expecting that!"

"Well, I wasn't expecting to be this weak!" he retorted angrily. "I wanted to be a human--not a burden!"

Carefully Lana wound a white bandage around his upper arm. "You're not a burden. You seem to be just as skilled as ever. You've just lost some strength and stamina--and you have to remember to keep that in mind, too."

She gently pulled his sleeve into place and stepped back. Mega Man placed his hand on the bandage and smiled. "Thanks. Sometimes I don't feel that way, though. It doesn't seem to me as if I can do much at all anymore."

"Come here," Kevin offered, turning and leaving the room. He led the way back outside. Once there the teenager tossed his zapper to Mega Man. "Hit that rock over there."

The object in question was big enough to sit on, but it was so far away it looked to be the size of a watermelon. Mega Man glanced briefly in the direction Kevin was pointing, then lifted the laser gun and fired.

His shot, as usual, was right on target.

"See, your aim is as good as always," Captain N reminded him. "Now try with your other hand."

Mega Man had caught the gun with left hand; he now transferred it to his right and fired again. Again the blue beam hit the dead center of the rock.

"That's right--we never found what hand you are now," Lana gasped. "Come on!"

They trooped back inside, where Lana fetched some paper and a pen. She placed both in front of Mega Man, careful to put the golden pen where it would favor neither side. "Write something," she suggested. "Write your name."

"Write?" Mega Man teased, laughing for the first time all day. "Gee, I haven't done that in ages! We use computers."

Lana giggled at the joke."Well, I hope you remember how," she teased back.

With a flourish Mega Man scooped up the pen and scrawled his name.

Right hand, Lana noted. "Now try your other hand."

Mega Man switched hands and wrote underneath the first name. Except for a slight difference in slant, the two names looked almost exactly alike.

"He's ambidextrous," Lana whispered.

Mega Man put down the pen. "I always have been. Never really thought about it, really."

"And you kept that despite your transformation," Lana reminded him.

"I don't feel a whole lot different." Mega Man shrugged. "I just feel like I'm in this weird new body--that doesn't feel like doing what I want it to sometimes," he added with a grin.

"You'll get used to it," Lana assured him, smiling.

"Hey," Kevin spoke up. "Is anyone hungry besides me? What's for lunch?"

Mega Man looked up. "Hungry?" He was still for a moment. "Yeah, I suppose I'm hungry. I still can't tell, though."

Lana giggled. "Well, when was the last time you ate?"

He had to think about that one. "Well, let's see. I had lunch yesterday in the city, but not supper. I haven't eaten today, either. So I guess: lunch yesterday."

Lana gasped. "You have to eat more than that! Especially after loosing all that blood. Come on!" She took hold of his uninjured arm. "We'll have a feast!"







6



WHILE the rest of the N-Team was preparing lunch, Mega Man went back to the lab to apologize to Dr. Light.

"Rock, there you are," the scientist greeted as soon as he saw him. "Where were you?" Dr. Light didn't sound overly worried, which surprised Mega Man. Apparently the scientist trusted that his robot-turned-human could take care of himself, and felt he should be free to make his own decisions of where to be and when. It was more confidence than Mega Man felt himself.

"I...I had to be alone for a while," Mega Man answered slowly. "Sorry. I should have come back right away, I know."

Frowning in confusion, Dr. Light turned to gaze more closely at the boy. Mega Man stood motionless, not meeting his eyes. As he'd expected, it didn't take Dr. Light more than a second to notice the bandage protruding from under his sleeve.

"Are you hurt?"

Mega Man closed the distance between them. "Only a little."

Dr. Light made a motion, and obediently Mega Man held out his arm and allowed the scientist to unwind the bandage. He whistled.

Mega Man remained silent.

"That must have hurt. And on your first day as a human, too." Dr. Light gazed at it in concern. Mega Man didn't answer. The scientist went on, as if trying to remain lighthearted, "It's cleaned up well though."

Mega Man smiled. "The Princess did that."

Dr. Light chuckled. "She certainly knows what she's doing." He fetched some supplies and pulled out a small pad of gauze, taping the self-adhesive strip over the wound. It would prevent infection and keep the gash from leaving a scar. Then the scientist expertly rewound the bandage Lana had used, covering his strip with the white cloth. "It will heal."

"Dr. Light, I'm sorry."

Quite to Mega Man's surprise, the scientist started laughing. "Oh, Rock, there's nothing to apologize about. You just have to remember that a flesh body is much less durable than a robot's." He finished winding the bandage and checked to make sure it was properly secured with an experienced tug. "More susceptible to wounds. You have to be more careful with it."

Suddenly Break Man's words were running through Mega Man's head. You're a human. They sounded condescending as well as sad all at the same time. Mega Man realized with a shake of his head that of course Break Man wouldn't approve of Mega Man's crazy venture. The reclusive red and white robot didn't seem to have much respect for the physical capabilities of weak humans. He believed in the value of life, though, and almost viewed himself as a robot that had to protect the humans from themselves since they certainly weren't capable of doing so.

What does he know anyway? Mega Man thought, but he didn't really believe himself. A lot I suppose, he mentally sighed. He'd only known Break Man for a short while now, and though he'd learned a lot about his newfound brother, there were still mysteries that bothered him. As Dr. Light stepped back, Mega Man put his hand around the bandage dismally. Strange how when your wildest dreams come true, it's never quite as you'd imagined. Was this what he'd really wanted?

Apparently not noticing Mega Man's distress, Dr. Light was still speaking. "I'm working on a pair of new arm cannons for you that should feel as natural to you now as your old ones did when you were a robot." He smiled. "They should help you when you need to defend the Palace. In the meantime..." Dr. Light put an arm around his son and smiled wider, "you just concentrate on having fun. Work on getting used to your new body, and remember to take it easy until you figure out its capabilities. Okay?"

Mega Man lifted his head and met his creator's gaze, and found himself smiling. "Sure Dr. Light. Er... father."

The word sounded foreign on his lips. Both he and Dr. Light froze in surprise at its shocking effect. Silence descended.

Then Mega Man broke the stillness and stepped back. "Actually," he added, "the N-Team is really eager to show me what being a human is all about, I think."

"Then go and enjoy yourself." Dr. Light cheerfully patted Mega Man on the back. "And remember that I'm always here if you need me."

Mega Man grinned, his dark mood suddenly lightening. "I know." Giving Dr. Light a thumbs up, he turned toward the warp to the Palace.

What does Break Man know, anyway?







7



LUNCH was a feast as promised, and Mega Man was able to try many more foods which he'd never tasted before. Once they'd finished eating, the small group sat around the table for about half an hour, chatting.

Finally Kevin stood. "I know what we should do next."

Mega Man looked up. "What?"

Captain N gestured and led his friends down some hallways until he reached a window. He pointed.

A half level below glistened the Palace's huge indoor pool.

Mega Man's eyes lit up. "Swimming!" he gasped.

"Bingo."

As a robot Mega Man could not swim in the normal sense of the word, because he was so dense he sank like a rock. He could paddle around if he wanted, but floating had been completely out of his reach.

Until now.

In a matter of minutes he was standing on the marble that surrounded the pool, gazing at the water expectantly. He didn't own any swim trunks, so he just wore a pair of shorts and a tee shirt instead. All clothes from his planet were completely waterproof anyway. Clothes that shrank, bled, or faded were things of the past where he came from.

"Will your arm be all right?" Lana asked him. "The water will sting it a little."

Mega Man frowned. "But will it do any damage?"

"No. It might help it, actually. And the bandage is waterproof."

Mega Man grinned. "Good. Here I go!" He started toward the shimmering water.

"Rock, wait." Kevin stopped him with a hand on his uninjured arm. Mega Man gave him an inquiring look.

"Just wanted to remind you of a few things in case you'd forgotten," Kevin told him with a grin. "Namely, that humans can't breathe underwater. So if you want to go under, what you have to do is take in a big breath and hold it until you come back up."

Even as a robot Mega Man had been capable of holding his breath, although since air was not necessary for his survival, he had been able to simply stop breathing at any time he desired, no matter whether he was breathing in or out or anything. He did not have to first take in a lungful of air. So he tried doing so now as an experiment.

"And you can't hold your breath forever either," Kevin went on. "Which means you can't stay under the water for very long. If your lungs start burning or feeling weird, it means it's time to come to the surface and get some air. Kay?"

Mega Man nodded, letting out his held breath. "Got it."

Kevin grinned and stepped back. "Oh, and you might want to close your eyes when you go under too; the water might sting them a little."

Mega Man acknowledged it with another nod, then turned toward the water.

As a robot, he usually never bothered diving into a body of water, since sinking headfirst usually accomplished nothing beyond smacking his helmet into the bottom. Typically he would just run over and leap out over the water, landing in it feet first, which is what he did now.

The temperature of the pool water had been adjusted to be cool to the skin without being so cold as to be a shock. The water folded over Mega Man's head smoothly, and he could feel the cool silkiness against his skin. His clothes flapped gently as the bubbles that had resulted from his plunge fled to the surface. He was suddenly weightless in a flowing dream.

Mega Man knew, consciously, that humans float and robots sink. But his practice was that of a robot, and subconsciously he expected to sink. So the upward movement of his body disoriented him, until he could no longer tell which way was up. The light seemed to be coming from all around him, and clear blueness was all he could see. Mega Man paddled his limbs, his human instincts telling him that he had to get to the surface. A strange panic that he'd never before felt rose from deep within him. He stroked his arms and legs frantically, trying to figure out what direction he was trying to move.

Then something as latching onto his wrists, deadening the force of his strokes. Blinded by the water, Mega Man struggled to pull himself free. He felt himself being pulled in one direction. Then suddenly his kicking feet struck something solid, and he was standing up.

Mega Man's head broke the surface of the water and he shook it, blinking the water out of his eyes.

He was standing in the shallow end of the pool, where the water came up to his chest. Kevin was standing in front of him, and the rest of the team was gathered at the edge of the pool, watching.

"Okay?" Kevin asked.

Mega Man took a breath, coughing a little. He knew then that Kevin had pulled him out of the deep end. He also realized something else. "I can't swim!"

Kevin laughed. "No prob. Here, I'll teach you."

The lessons were joined by Lana and Simon, while Kid Icarus simply had fun using his wings to propel himself through the water. Mega Man felt wonderfully weightless as he stroked from one end of the pool to the other, learning quickly. It was almost like flying. He'd never experienced such a sensation before.

One by one the swimmers grew waterlogged and got out of the water, gathering on the many pool benches to soak in the sun as it streamed through the skylight windows. Mega Man climbed out finally, laughing at how wrinkled his fingers were, and walked over to the towel lying on a picnic table.

"Phew," he said, sitting down. "I guess I have a lot of work to do before I figure everything out about being human."

Lana was sitting nearby. "It'll come to you," she smiled.

A short distance away, Kevin finished drying off and put on his shirt. Then he plopped himself across the table from Mega Man and propped one elbow on the tabletop.

Mega Man blinked at the inviting gesture. He recognized it as an offer to arm wrestle. Shrugging, he reached forward and took the proffered hand.

When he'd possessed his super robotic strength, no human could beat him at arm wrestling. In fact, he could easily drive an opponent's hand through the table if he pushed too hard. So, before, whenever he'd wrestled his friends, he'd been careful to simply apply just enough pressure to counter their own force, and, when he was ready to beat them, he pressed just enough harder to tip their arms to the table.

Again, his prior experience influenced his actions here, and so he didn't try to beat Kevin right away. Instead he just held their arms in an upright position.

Kevin was visibly surprised when he couldn't budge Mega Man's arm. As the seconds ticked by and he strained with no result, he attracted the attention of the rest of the team, who watched with interest.

"You two having fun?" Simon teased. The two arms still didn't move. "Here," he offered, stepping forward and putting his own hand on top of Kevin's. It was cheating, but not really, since as a robot Mega Man would typically arm wrestle the entire team at the same time--and still win.

Together Simon and Kevin pressed against Mega Man's lone hand. Mega Man's expression grew more concentrated as he felt his muscles starting to strain against the force. He'd been expecting it really, since he already knew that he wasn't as strong anymore.

Lana watched curiously as the battle tipped slowly back and forth like a seesaw. Finally, the arms began to lean in Kevin and Simon's favor. Then Kid Icarus came up and, with a cheerful cry of "Ha!", he happily pushed the pile of hands to the table.

"Wow," Mega Man said, rubbing his slightly-sore arm.

"Wow," Kevin gasped, still collapsed on the tabletop. "That's strong!"

Simon stood up. "That's not strong, that's inhuman."

Mega Man watched silently, not comprehending.







8



AFTER that, the team moved out to the Palace's vast outdoor courtyard for a game of baseball. Since there were only five of them, they had to play a variation of the sport. Basically, one person would pitch, one would hit, and the rest would man the bases. When the batter got on base, a field member would leave his position to go bat. Thus, the fielders diminished as the bases were filled. But to put things back in the pitcher's favor, this was a no-rules version of baseball, which meant that the field team was allowed to use any skills or items desired. The runners were only allowed to run.

Kevin took the pitcher's mound, and Simon went back to catch. Lana took the first base, and Kid Icarus played center field (he was good at catching fly balls), leaving Mega Man up to bat first.

Mega Man fingered the bat, swinging it experimentally as he walked up to the home base. He loved feeling his new muscles in motion. When he stepped on base, he held the bat as Kevin had instructed so long ago, and waited for the pitch.

Baseball wasn't Kevin's best sport, but he was a decent pitcher. He put the first ball through nice and straight, since there was no point in trying to keep the batter from hitting. That was too boring.

Mega Man put all of his strength behind a powerful swing, hearing the crack of the bat and feeling the force of the ball striking and rebounding off. Funny how such a simple thing as hitting a baseball could be so invigorating.

He was about to drop the bat and run for the base when he noticed that no one was moving. They were just gazing at the sky. He froze in confusion, then glanced down at the bat he was holding. When he lifted it up to eye level he noticed that the side was dented.

"Mega Man..." Kevin whined plaintively.

Mega Man looked up. "What?"

"You hit it outside the courtyard again."

Mega Man glanced toward the open end of the courtyard. Beyond the high wall, the open landscape traveled for miles.

"Anyone want to go get it?" Kid Icarus asked.

"Heck no, that would take hours," Simon replied.

"It's okay," Lana spoke up cheerfully. "We still have a whole storage container full of balls."

They had learned the first time they'd played baseball with Mega Man.

The rest of the day was filled with various other activities such as volleyball (Mega Man still couldn't seem to hit the court), basketball (hitting the backboard was easy, even from across the room), and football (he could outrun or tackle just about anyone, since his strength compensated for his size). By the end of the day everyone was quite worn out. But they'd wanted it that way, and Mega Man liked nothing better than to push his new body to the limit. When he fell onto his fresh new bed sheets that evening, he felt tired but satisfied. The Warp of Life had provided him with a body in perfect shape. And he intended to keep it that way.

He would get more of a chance tomorrow.







Day Three

9



THE next day's activities were interrupted when someone contacted the Palace of Power and asked to speak with the Princess. When Lana came out of the communications room, she explained to her friends that the inhabitants of a new dimension desired to join Videoland.

It had been a long time since Lana had actually had to put her 'Princess' status to use. The Palace of Power and its royal family was considered the highest command of Videoland, but in reality they did not usually involve themselves with inner-land strife unless specifically asked. The Palace's main duty was to handle interactions between lands.

The multi-universe whose name Kevin heard as 'Videoland' was speckled with many different lands that were close enough to travel between via portals that they called 'warps,' but were far enough apart to each have its own laws of physics. Most of the lands actually cared very little about the others and for the most part ignored each other. But when interaction between two or more of the lands was necessary, the Palace on Central Island was there to keep things orderly and peaceful. Other than this, though, the lands were given complete freedom to govern themselves as they pleased. Most of the average citizens in each land were completely unaware that other lands existed, or if they did know, they didn't think about it much. Only certain people, such as Zelda and Link in Hyrule, and the members of the N-Team, did much inter-land travel.

Mega Man and the rest of the N-Team stayed out of the way as Lana conversed with the newcomers about their induction into the multi-universe of Videoland. Mega Man himself spent most of the time deep in thought, remembering how even he had known little of Videoland until the Princess had sent her call for aid. Dr. Light, of course, knew that the multi-universe existed, but he dealt little with the knowledge. The rest of the scientific MegaLand had completely disregarded the existence of other lands because the people of these lands believed in magic and other things that science just wouldn't support. So the scientists shunned the other lands, and most of the average people growing up in MegaLand knew nothing of anything but their own planet.

Still rolling everything over in his mind, Mega Man wandered the halls idly. There wasn't really anything he could do to help Lana, but he didn't feel like doing anything else, either. So instead he simply walked up one hallway and down another tirelessly.

After a while he began to notice a strange smell in the air. In seconds found himself involuntarily coughing and choking on the air, which had taken on a foggy hue. Mega Man stopped, putting a hand on a wall to steady himself. His other hand was over his nose and mouth, trying unsuccessfully to stop his hacking. "What's going on?" he sputtered, squinting. His eyes were beginning to burn as the hallway filled up with a strange bluish smoke. It didn't seem like the kind of smoke that resulted from fire. Mega Man forced his legs to move, quickly stumbling his way down the hallway. "What happened to the Palace's ventilation system?"

By the time he reached one of the Palace's many mid-hall control panels, he was so dizzy he could hardly stand. The air was so thick he couldn't breathe at all without coughing uncontrollably. Desperately Mega Man struggled to make out the controls in front of him. The world began to swim in front of his eyes. His fingers stumbled over the buttons and switches. Then his knees buckled and he tumbled to the floor. The air was a little clearer down there, but not enough. Mega Man tried to pull himself off the floor but the hallway was spinning too quickly. He lost his balance and fell back down, and seconds later was unconscious.

"Ugh, what's going on? Is someone having a bonfire indoors?" Break Man cursed, waving a hand in front of his face as he worked his way through the smoky hallways.

Mega Man's prototype, and the first ever successfully human-like robot in MegaLand, was a reclusive creature, hardly seen by anyone but his own brother. Mega Man himself spent his days and nights divided between the house Dr. Light had provided him, the scientist's laboratory, and the Palace of Power, where he was still a member of the N-Team despite his transformation. Break Man was rarely seen in any of these three, despite the fact that he had been provided a room of his own in each. No, the mysterious red raider was a loner, who came and went as he pleased. He liked it that way. His transformation into a living machine had given him a free will--freedom which he cherished--and freedom which he exercised constantly.

Even though, he did pop up every now and then, as it suited him, so he was no stranger to Mega Man's friends. Of the three places where the blue bomber lived, so too did Break Man on occasion, though most often in the house and least often in the Palace. So in the end, no one really knew where or how the red robot lived.

Today he had, for his own reasons, decided to pop into the Palace of Power, though so far no one had even noticed he was there. No one ever did. At least not without his acquiescence. He liked being alone, at least until that time that he specifically decided to show himself.

The Palace of Power had always seemed rather odd to him. As a child of a technological planet, he found many of the happenings that occurred there disturbing at best, and at least, simply annoying. But he had kept these complaints to himself, noting the peculiarities but never making light of them out loud.

Of all the things he'd encountered here, however, a smoke-filled hallway--with no fire in sight--was the last thing he was expecting.

Break Man moved relentlessly through the fog, determined to find the cause of it. His visor kept the smoke out of his eyes--not that it mattered since his eyes were not as delicate as those of a human. He was not choking because as a robot he was able to simply stop breathing. But the thick air was impossible to see through, and Break Man was literally walking blind.

Then his feet stumbled over something and he tumbled to the floor.

"Umph! What--?" Break Man turned and broke off. "Mega Man!" he cried instead, scrambling to his brother's side. "Mega Man, wake up! What's wrong?"

Mega Man didn't respond. Break Man looked up and noticed a control panel set into the wall. Its screen was active. Break Man stood up and realized that it was waiting for user input.

"A ventilation system!" he noted, quickly switching it to high. The soft sound of fans started up from somewhere above his head. Slowly the air began to clear.

Now Break Man could make out his brother more clearly. Suddenly the answer dawned on him. "That stuff must be some sort of knockout gas!" he gasped, waving the smoke away with one hand. Quickly he dropped to one knee. "I wonder what's--"

The sound of voices caused Break Man to leap to his feet and whirl around. Through the lingering smoke he could make out the shadowy forms of about five people, heading his way. As they got closer their features became sharper, but Break Man didn't recognize them.

"Someone's turned on the ventilation system," one was saying.

Break Man readied an arm cannon.

"There he is!" came a cry.

"Must be the one," another of the creatures commented so softly that Break Man hardly picked it up.

"Hurry and nail him," the one in the lead ordered another in the same low tone. "And be careful--that's our only shot."

"I won't miss," the other creature promised softly, raising a small gun with a rather wide barrel.

A yellowish-white sphere hurled forth, traveling quickly though not so fast that the eye could not follow it. It didn't seem to consist of any sort of energy, for it wasn't glowing. In fact, it looked almost like plastic. It flew down the hall, aimed perfectly for the robot standing guard over his human brother.

Break Man dodged.

It was a simple, smooth motion--just a casual sidestepping duck. The sphere shot by the left side of his helmet without coming into contact with anything, even the free-floating ends of his bandanna. Uninterrupted, the sphere continued along its way.

Straightening up, Break Man faced the creatures and prepared to return fire, forgetting all about the sphere. That was a mistake, because he never noticed that it turned around in midair like a boomerang and headed back toward him.

The sphere struck the red and white robot right in the center of his back, between where the shoulder blades would be on a human. Break Man stumbled forward a bit from the weak blow, then reeled as a wave of harsh energy coursed through him from the spot where the sphere had struck. Apparently, the sphere had been a solid casing around liquid energy--the most condensed and compressed form that pure energy could take--that had shattered upon contact. Now, the energy flowed relentless and freely through him, in a single, shuddering tidal wave that expanded outward to his head and limbs from the focal point in his torso.

A flash carried over his tense form as the flood raged through him. Then, without another sound, Break Man toppled over forward. He did not slump to the ground or fall to his knees first. He simply tipped over, like a stiff-limbed action figure. And, like most toys, once he'd hit the floor he didn't move again.

"Got him," the Vizdon who had fired stated simply, with no hint of pride or otherwise.

"The rest of the team consists of organic creatures," another soldier recollected. "Which means this was the last one."

The captain of the troop nodded. "These guys are much too trusting." He stepped forward. "Go gather the others. Our job is done here."

The people who called themselves Vizdons did as they were told, and soon had regrouped in the hallway with the unconscious N-Team in tow.

"Wait a minute," one of them spoke up suddenly. "There are six of them here. I thought the team only had five members."

His words startled the others, and quickly everyone counted the unconscious bodies. There were indeed six.

"Well, let's see here," the captain spoke up, mentally going over his orders. "This is definitely the princess; I spoke with her earlier."

"The small winged one is hard to miss," another Vizdon added.

"And this one is the only mechanical one of the group."

The captain nodded. "That's three. The team leader was described as a tall teenager with brown hair." There was only one person who fit that description. The same applied to that of the vampire hunter, which left the perplexed Vizdons with a black-haired boy completely unaccounted for.

"Must have been visiting the Palace for some reason," the captain decided, writing it off.

"What do we do with him?" another Vizdon asked.

"We were only instructed to bring five," the captain reminded them. He turned. "Just put him in that bedroom and hotwire the lock so he doesn't try to follow us too soon."

The soldiers did as they were instructed, short-circuiting the electronic lock so that it would give away within an hour or two. They had no intention of harming some innocent kid for no reason.

Then they picked up their captives and left.







10



WHEN Mega Man came to he was laying on a soft surface. He recognized it as a bed and was immediately disoriented. What day was it? What had he done the previous evening? Something felt wrong somehow.

Mega Man sat up. He was fully dressed and his head was pounding. He didn't feel as though he'd gotten any rest at all. He noticed that he was in one of the Palace's many guest bedrooms. That fact only confused him more.

He slipped off the bed, pacing the room a little to get the feeling back into his limbs and try to stop his head from pounding. While he did so, he tried to remember back. Slowly recollections of his games with the N-Team returned, then of the Vizdons. Then finally he remembered the smoke-filled hallway.

Mega Man walked up to the door. "I wonder what..." He broke off when he tried to open the door and discovered that it was locked.

"Huh?" He tried again, sure it was his imagination. But no matter what he did, the door refused to open. "Hey!" Mega Man cried out. Growing strangely frantic as the seconds went by, he started pounding on the metal door. "Hey! Open up!"

Finally he stopped, rubbing the sides of his hands, which were sore from all that pounding. A determined flash crossed his face as he realized that something was dreadfully wrong here. With a quick step he crossed back to the panel by the electronic door that housed the controls. Instead of trying the buttons again, though, he simply pulled the entire panel off the wall and examined the wiring beneath it.

Mega Man had originally been built as a tool-using robot, able to fix almost anything imaginable. He had lost this duty long ago, but some of the knowledge of mechanics remained. In about three seconds he had determined that the wires had been cross-fused. In another two seconds, he'd bypassed the wiring altogether and triggered the door manually. It slid silently open.

"Now to find out what's going on here," Mega Man muttered as he dashed out into the hallway. His first stop was the communication room, where he used the computer to scan the Palace for his friends. It was quite empty.

"Where have they gone?" Mega Man tapped the keys for a moment, deep in thought. Then he punched out the code for Dr. Light's laboratory. There was only one person who could help him here.

"They're just gone? No trace at all?"

"I was hoping you could find one."

Dr. Light was tapping away at the keyboard of one of his many computers while Mega Man stood next to him, watching worriedly. "They must have teleported, then, or taken a warp... ah, here we go."

"What is it?"

"Partial signatures." Dr. Light pointed out the patterns. "Someone opened a warp in the Palace only a few minutes ago. And right in the middle of a hallway, too."

"That has to be it," Mega Man agreed. "The N-Team isn't in the habit of opening their own warps in mid-space." He watched Dr. Light examine the markings. "Can you re-open it?"

"I believe so, but I don't know where it will lead."

"I don't care. That has to be where the N-Team went."

"You're planning to follow them?"

Mega Man stopped, remembering that he wasn't quite himself anymore. "Well, yeah... do you have a better idea?"

"Not really." Dr. Light sighed and switched screens. "I'm sure you can handle it, but I worry about sending you into a potential battle somewhat unprepared. If only I had those arm cannons done...."

Mega Man was silent for a moment. "I'm sure I can manage. I have been wondering how I would do when danger approached. I guess there's no time like the present."

Dr. Light tried to return his smile but wasn't very successful. "I'm setting the warp up now," he said instead. Mega Man started for the portal stand, but was brought to a halt when Dr. Light added quickly, "Mega Man, wait--take this with you."

Mega Man paused. The scientist reached back and picked up a small laser torch, opening it up to quickly modify it. "It's not much, but it should be better than nothing." With deft fingers he finished his adjustments and closed up the compartment, handing the small device to his creation. "That should allow you to fire the energy as a projectile."

The laser torch was shaped almost like a gun. Mega Man took it and turned it over in his hands. "Thanks."

"Good luck, Rock. Please be careful."

Mega Man gazed at him, not quite making out the emotions on Dr. Light's voice. "I will," he promised.

Then he leaped through the warp.







11



MEGA MAN came out in a gray cavern. The tunnel was wide, through rocky, and there was sufficient light to see normally.

Almost immediately he heard a noise coming from further down the tunnel. Acting on reflex, Mega Man dove into hiding right before three Vizdons rounded the corner. They were male, dressed in fighting uniforms and armed. The soldiers, not noticing anything out of place, walked on by and disappeared around the next corner.

"This might be trickier than I thought." Mega Man wasn't used to playing hide and seek; he was used to barging in with his arm cannons blazing. But that tactic obviously wouldn't work here.

Carefully he slipped from his hiding place and moved down the corridor, his ears open for the sounds of more footsteps. Several other times he had to hide from the soldiers, who seemed to be plentiful. Mega Man began to fear that he would eventually be caught in the open by a group with no place to hide.

Several times Mega Man found branching tunnels and had to pass them by due to the over-population of Vizdons. He eventually faced the fact that the place he had to go would be the one most filled with the warriors.

"This isn't working," Mega Man muttered. More footsteps approached, and he ducked behind the boulder he was crouching beside. The footfalls grew nearer. They sounded metallic. Mega Man peeked out, expecting to see armored soldiers.

Instead, he saw a single Vizdon flanked by two silver-colored, humanoid creatures.

Mega Man dropped back in wonder. "Robots!" he gasped softly. Turning, he gazed through the space between the boulder and the wall, watching as the forms receded down the hallway. "Humanoid robots!"

That was going to change things. A sudden inspiration struck. Mega Man slid from his hiding place, jogging down the hallway while looking for a suitable location. Finally he found a natural alcove--a spot in the rocky tunnel where the wall receded into a niche in the wall. The cleft was bordered by wide stalagmites, which Mega Man promptly hid behind. There he waited, gripping his modified laser torch in anticipation.

After a few minutes he was rewarded when two robots walked by his hiding place, completely unescorted. Mega Man let one of them go on by, but when the other one came abreast of him, he lashed out with his arms and grabbed it, dragging it into the alcove. The robot started to struggle, but with his laser torch Mega Man opened a panel and accessed the machine's circuitry, shutting it down in seconds.

"Wow, not very secure," Mega Man muttered in surprise as he noted that the robot wasn't very high-tech. It was completely silver-colored, and humanoid only in its general form. Otherwise, it didn't look very human at all, especially with its dome-topped head and angular, glowing eyes. Mega Man found the circuitry to be sparse; only enough to serve the robot's needs. It apparently didn't have much in the way of programming or AI.

But that made Mega Man's life easier. Once the robot was deactivated, he disconnected its head, then used the laser torch to cut out its internal circuitry. Dr. Light had thoughtfully provided two modes for the laser torch--normal, and the added projectile one. So Mega Man was also able to use it as it was meant to be used--as a cutter.

When the robot had been reduced to a metal shell, Mega Man stood up and pulled the suit to its feet. Then he climbed onto a rock and carefully stuck his feet into the shell, lowering himself inside it. The fit was a little loose--the robot was about two feet taller than Mega Man--but the blue bomber found it usable. He experimented a little and figured out how to move the robot's limbs and generally walk around. Then he picked up the robot's head, which was now more like a helmet to him. Carefully he stuck it over his own head, peering out through the robot's yellow eyes.

Finally, he got up his nerve and turned himself toward the hallway. "This just might work..."







12



MEGA MAN steeled his nerves and clanked down the hallway, working to become accustomed to his new robotic suit so that he wouldn't give himself away. But as a quick learner, he caught on pretty quickly, and was soon moving without any outward indication that he wasn't, in fact, one of the normal robots.

In a few seconds he had caught up to some other robots, and then soldiers. At first he was incredibly nervous--a sensation he was not used to--afraid that he would be discovered. However, as no one paid him any heed, he began to calm down. Carefully he walked amidst the group, trying not to stand out.

Suddenly they came to a halt as one of the Vizdon's captains approached the group, giving instructions and gathering a small group of soldiers and robots together. Mega Man's heart jumped when the captain added him to the selection. But he joined the army like an obedient robot, even though he realized he would have less chance to explore on his own. At least he was familiar with how a robot should react. He was, however, a little impatient to begin searching for his friends. As he walked dutifully along with the rest of the chosen group, he began to think it would take him forever to accomplish his goal.

Then they turned a corner and entered a metal-encased room, and immediately Mega Man changed his mind. The Vizdons had led him right to the prison rooms!

The N-Team was encased in separate cells that resembled, in some farfetched way, freestanding cages. They'd woken there, each in his own cell, some unknown time after they'd lost consciousness at the hands of the Vizdons. Their initial shock and dismay was overriden however by surprise when the N-Team noticed Break Man lying prone in one of the cages.

Before any of them could say anything, the red robot was stirring, then slowly sitting up. "Ohh... what--?"

Lana cocked her head at him in confusion. "Who are you?"

The robot didn't reply, for he was still groggily taking in his new surroundings. Lana went on after a moment's pause, "You look like Mega Man. Are you..like him?"

Break Man finally turned his head and seemed to register her presence. He didn't speak immediately, but after a bout of silence he did reply. "I'm his brother. Break Man."

The response was immediate. Kid Icarus spoke up from across the room, "He's mentioned you!"

Kevin chimed in at almost the same time, "I remember you from Mega Man 3!"

Break Man frowned. "I only have one brother."

"No no no, not that, the game!" Kevin broke off when he noticed Lana giving him a look. "Oh, never mind."

Break Man seemed to have already dropped the subject and was busily at work examining his cage. He tried touching one of the strangely-wrought bars and merely shocked himself. "Well, this cage looks perfectly tailored for Mega Man."

"I think they were trying to get him," Lana agreed.

Break Man chuckled. "Well, aren't they going to be disappointed?" Without breaking stride he charged up an arm cannon and fired a comet-shaped shot at the bars, without much effect.

Lana gasped. "Wow, you really are like him!" She paused. "Why don't you join us and fight with him?"

"He does," Kevin replied for him. "Well, sort of."

"I do things my own way, okay?" Break Man retorted, then went back to examining the bars.

Lana turned and whispered jokingly to Kevin, who was in the cage next to her, "You think he wears the visor so no one notices how much he looks like Mega Man?"

But Break Man heard and smirked. "You realize I've been wearing this visor since before I even knew he existed? I am his prototype, after all." He gazed at the cage. "And my little brother sure knows how to pick em."

Kevin scratched his head as that brought back a memory. "Hey, that's right, aren't you Protoman?"

"Don't call me that."

"Sorrry..."

The conversation shifted from there to discussions about how they'd been snagged and what the Vizdons could be up to. Break Man more or less stayed out of the dialogue, quietly trying everything he could think of against his cage and realizing grimly that he was just as stuck as the rest of them. The Vizdons at least seemed to be prepared and knew what they were doing.

Then the talk faded off as the door opened. The prisoners watched silently as a small group of Vizdon soldiers and their warrior robots entered the room. There was a short discussion among the captors, then after only a few moments, the group began to break up.

"You," the captain told one of the robots. "Guard the captives. The rest of you follow me."

The newly-appointed guard robot walked stiffly into the room and stopped in the widest part, facing the bank of highly-advanced prisons. The other robots and the Vizdons filed out behind the captain, and were gone.

The N-Team glanced at each other, then turned away. It didn't really matter if there was a guard or not. They doubted they would be able to get out of these cages. Although a watchful eye meant they wouldn't even be able to try...

No one noticed that the guard robot was teetering slightly. In fact, no one noticed anything wrong at all until a clattering clang caused them to all whirl around.

The robot was lying on the ground.

Mystified, the N-Team glanced at each other and watched as part of the robot began to shudder. Then its head simply moved aside and a mass of black hair poked out.

As the others watched in total astonishment, Mega Man wiggled himself free from his robot costume and jumped to his feet with a grin. "Remember me?"

"Rock!" Lana cried out.

Mega Man was facing the robot, kneeling over and quickly fishing out the laser torch Dr. Light had given him. Then he straightened up and turned back to the group of prisons. He had only taken two steps toward them, however, before he'd looked up and abruptly noticed something out of place on his right. Skidding to a halt in surprise, he found himself staring face to face with his newly-discovered robot brother.

"Break Man?" Mega Man sputtered. "What are you doing here?"

"Finding how much fun it is to be a captive," the red and white robot quipped. "That's the last time I go to the Palace to check up on you!"

Mega Man blinked. Then the truth dawned on him, and part of the puzzle solved itself. "Did those guys mistake you for me?"

Break Man nodded. "We think so. They obviously don't know superior quality when they see it," he teased.

Mega Man let the pretend insult slide, because he was too busy examining Break Man's cage. "Break Man, this is perfect! If I can get you free, you can use your strength to release all the others." Hiding his emotions, he reached out a hand and held it a few centimeters away from the electrified cage wall. The intricately-laced metal was warm from the energy that pulsed through it. Even the laser torch wouldn't be able to touch this thing. Mega Man looked around for a panel and spied one next to the door.

As he ran over, Lana spoke up, "Rock, what happened to you, anyway? When we came to and noticed that you weren't here, we were really wondering..."

"Those creatures left me at the Palace," Mega Man replied as the pulled open the panel. The N-Team nodded in reply--they had guessed as much. "I guess they didn't think I was worth bothering with or something..."

"They'll know better next time," Lana teased with a smile.

"There's not gonna be a next time." Mega Man finally found the switch he wanted and in seconds Break Man's cage had stopped glowing. The robot waited until the bars had cooled a bit, then pushed his way through.

"Break Man, we might want to..." his human brother had started, but too late. Break Man turned.

"What?"

"Never mind. But we might set off an alarm breaking the bars that way..." No alarm sounded, though, so Mega Man let the matter drop.

Break Man shrugged and grabbed onto the metal lattice of Kevin's cage, which was closest to his own. The red and white robot really rathered working on his own--a habit acquired from all those years he'd spent wandering the universe in solitude--but he knew he had to help where he could.

The thin metal strips were stubborn, obviously gaining strength in the way they were woven together. But with only a little help from Mega Man's laser torch, Break Man was able to create openings in all of the cages big enough for the trapped person to slip free.

Kevin had left immediately to look for their confiscated weapons. Luckily he found them rather quickly and returned to the room with his arms full. The others were in the process of retrieving their weapons from him when the electronic door slid open.

"They're still in here," came a cry from the Vizdon who entered as he yelled to someone else. "Call for backup, quickly!"

So they had set off an alarm after all. Probably a silent one.

The room was tossed into instant turmoil as Vizdon warriors flooded in. Mega Man dove into the robot he'd gutted, and no one seemed to notice him. Stepping over the fallen robot, the warriors advanced toward their freed prey.

Mega Man watched worriedly, trying to get the robot on its feet so he could help the others. He planned to cause a distraction, leading the Vizdons down the hallway and away from his friends. But that plan was shattered when he discovered that he would be unable to lift the robot to its feet while inside it.

He then realized he'd have to go without the robot shell, which would leave him a lot more vulnerable. He wasn't afraid though. However, when he looked out he noticed that two Vizdon females were crouching behind the fallen robot, using it like a shield.

Mega Man pursed his lips. If he climbed out now, the two would notice him immediately. He doubted he'd get anywhere at all.

So he was safe for the moment, but unable to help. Those two conditions did not mix very well with Mega Man.

Before he could decide on an appropriate action, Mega Man was suddenly aware of the females' conversation.

"This is ridiculous," one was saying. "These guys are more skilled than our warriors will let on."

"They got free and clobbered the guard before anyone could even get here," the other agreed.

"Maybe we should just give up," the first said forlornly.

"We can't!" the second protested.

"There has to be another way."

"Listen," said the second seriously, "if we want Prince Vander back unharmed we have to deliver. There is no other way."

"But she's a total creep," returned the first.

"Mother Brain is more powerful than these guys and don't you forget it," the second girl said. "Better to have to grab them than to tangle with her."

Mother Brain! Mega Man felt his muscles go tense. His mind clicked and the rest of the puzzle dropped perfectly into place.

"But she's evil and these guys are good," protested the first. "It isn't right to--"

She broke off as Mega Man pulled himself from his hiding place and ran off.

The two woman glanced at each other in surprise.

The Vizdon warriors literally all had their backs to Mega Man since they were busy trapping the N-Team by the far wall. By now enough had appeared that they outnumbered their foes, but the N-Team held them off anyway. They might have been trapped by the wall, but none of the Vizdons could even get within an arm's reach of them. The N-Team fought reserved, not really wanting to harm their living adversaries. The Vizdons, in turn, didn't seem to want to dispose of their prisoners either. It was a stalemate.

Then abruptly Mega Man was dashing in front of his friends, positioning himself between the N-Team and the Vizdons. "Stop!" he yelled over the ambient noise, throwing his arms out wide. "Stop! There's no need to fight!"

"Rock, what's gotten into you?" Lana asked as everyone stared at him in surprise.

The Vizdons, recognizing Mega Man, started forward with angry growls. The N-Team tried to mirror the move but Mega Man turned and faced them, his arms barring their way. "Stop," he pleaded. The N-Team paused. Mega Man turned back to the Vizdons, who also hesitated. "We're both on the same side."

"What?" several people cried at once.

"Mother Brain is holding their prince hostage," Mega Man told his friends, nodding his head at the Vizdons. "Don't you see? They're not really our enemies."

The action came to a halt. "Are you serious?" Lana gasped.

The Vizdon captain of the guard stepped forward. "We're sorry we have to do this, but perhaps you can appreciate the value we hold for our royalty."

"Are you kidding?" Kevin gestured at Lana. "She's--"

"Kevin, stop," Princess Lana interrupted, placing a hand on his arm.

"Mother Brian made it quite clear," the captain was saying. "The N-Team in exchange for our prince. Not necessarily a fair trade, but in our community our own race gets precedence." He lifted his weapon. "Now if you could just come quietly--"

"Wait just a second!" Kevin broke in, stepping forward. "Mother Brain's our enemy too. Let us fight with you!"

"But we have no interest in fighting her," the captain replied calmly. "We just want our prince back."

"But don't you see?" Lana pleaded. "If no one stops her, she'll take over everything. She'll probably come for your land eventually. No one will be safe until she's eliminated!"

"That's not our concern," the captain of the guard said with a stone-faced expression. He gestured and his small army lifted their weapons. "Now you either come with us willingly, or you'll come with us by force."

"Wait, I have a great idea!" Kevin broke in. "We could pretend to be your prisoners, then when we get to Mother Brain we'll attack!"

The captain sighed. Before he could say anything, though, Lana was speaking. "Please trust us," she begged. "Wouldn't you rather be fighting evil instead of standing around watching it take over?"

The captain sighed again. Finally he lowered his weapon. "All right," he agreed. "If you think you are a match for this Mother Brain, we'll go along with your plan."

Lana beamed.

"No fast moves, though," he warned.

"You can trust us," Lana assured him.

"Listen," Kevin spoke up, "this is what we'll do..."

The Vizdons led the way through their compound, with the N-Team walking in their midst. Even Break Man tagged along, since there really wasn't anywhere else he could go at the moment.

In a large and pretty empty room, they stopped.

"This door leads to a portal prepared to take us directly to Mother Brain," the captain of the Vizdon troops explained, gesturing at the strangely-shaped electronic door. The captain paused, glancing over the N-Team. "You realize there's one too many of you, right? We were only instructed to capture five."

The N-Team glanced at each other in surprise. Mega Man felt his face get hot. Break Man just smirked.

"That's true," Lana agreed, frowning.

"Break Man will have to take my place," Mega Man admitted, gazing at the floor. "I no longer fit the part."

The rest of the N-Team understood perfectly: Mother Brain obviously didn't know that Mega Man was now human.

Kevin looked Break Man over. "I wonder if Mother Brain would notice the change in color..."

"But what will you do?" Lana asked Mega Man.

"He'll stay here," came the voice of the captain. Without warning one of the Vizdons hurled something with a smooth swipe of his arm. A strange brown cord snaked across the room toward the N-Team--and primarily at the small human standing at the edge of the group.

Out of instinct Mega Man threw up his hands to shield his face. The next thing he knew, the cord was striking his wrists and binding them securely together before he could move. The Vizdon pulled the cord taunt and held it with a satisfied grin.

"Mega Man!" Lana cried out.

"Hey," Break Man quipped, nudging her arm. "I'm supposed to be Mega Man, remember?"

Mega Man was still standing there, surprised and powerless, his bound hands held up at face level. He felt a steady tug on the cord, then abruptly the force grew stronger, pulling him forward. The next second he was being lifted right off the ground by the cord wrapped around his wrists.

"Mega Man!" Break Man cried in dismay.

The cord was fastened to a pulley attached to the ceiling. Mega Man was dangling helplessly several meters off the floor. Already he could feel the cord starting to bite into his wrists.

"When our prince is free," said the captain, "so too will be your friend."

"Now wait just a second! That was uncalled-for!" Lana protested.

"Yeah," Kevin chimed in. "We were going to help you--you don't need a hostage!"

"If you want us to trust you," the captain of the guard said calmly, "then you must trust us."

Lana put out her hands and stopped Kevin, Simon, and Kid Icarus, who looked about to protest. "No, don't," she said softly. "He's right."

"But--" Kid Icarus started.

Mega Man sensed a tense situation and knew he had to avert it. "It's okay," the former robot called down to them, trying to hide his emotions. He forced a smile. "Really. You guys go ahead and trash Mother Brain. I'll just...wait for you here."

They looked up at him. "Are you sure?" Lana asked with a sad expression.

"Of course!" Mega Man replied cheerfully. "I'll be fine. Break Man, you gotta give her a good pounding for me."

Break Man didn't answer.

The rest of the N-Team nodded in agreement. "Then let's do it!" Kevin said with a grin.

Mega Man watched them go with a sigh. Despite his cheerful words, hanging by his wrists wasn't fun--especially when he really wanted to help fight. With a wry smile he recalled asking his brother if he wanted to join the N-Team. Break Man had declined, saying he rathered to work on his own instead of in a team. Now suddenly there he was, a part of the team, while Mega Man hung alone.

Mega Man sighed again.

The captain of the guard went with them, taking his troops with him. He left one soldier, however, behind to watch over their captive. And the soldier obviously wasn't happy about it.

"Guard duty," he muttered under his breath when the large room was empty save him and his charge. The man paced the floor near the door through which the others had exited. "Why me? What a bore." He glanced at the ceiling, then dropped his gaze again and sighed. "I mean, what's the point of a guard, anyway? He's not going anywhere."

Once upon a time Mega Man would have broken free easily. But now he knew he wasn't strong enough to break much of anything. Feeling completely worthless, he idly swung his feet back and forth. Was this what he'd really wanted? He'd asked to be human and this was what he'd gotten. Mega Man had never imagined that being a human would make him so helpless. After all, the rest of the N-Team was made up of flesh and blood creatures, and they were anything but incapable. Mega Man sighed.

His wrists and arms were really protesting by now. If only there was some way to get his weight off them. Mega Man glanced up and then noticed the swinging motion that his legs had started.

Forgetting everything else and suddenly acting on instinct, he pumped his legs harder until he was swinging back and forth violently. Then with a smooth, graceful motion, Mega Man yanked hard on his arms and flipped himself over, clamping the rope between his booted feet.

The guard noticed and leaped to his feet. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

Mega Man grinned, flipping his head back to get his hair out of his eyes. "Oh, just hanging around!"

The guard shook his head as if he thought Mega Man was acting foolish. "You might as well just relax. That rope stretches so it can't be ripped. Yet it doesn't give enough slack to be escaped. Just give it up."

Mega Man was discovering right about then that the man was right. Despite the fact that he'd gotten a lot of his weight off his wrists, he still couldn't seem to wiggle his hands free. He was starting to get tired from holding himself upside-down, and his head was getting strangely heavy. Oddly enough it felt as though it was full of expanding air or something. It was pounding, and there was an increasing pressure against the back of his eyes.

Then he thought of his friends, off to fight one of the most powerful and most evil creatures in the universe. And before he could lose his balance, he instinctively thrust his arms out violently.

The ropes shredded and Mega Man's arms flew out wide. Surprise from the fact that the bonds had given away so easily, coupled with his wild motion, caused him to lose his balance. His feet lost their grip and he flipped back over. At the last second he thought to thrust his hands over his head and grab onto the frayed end of the rope which was now swinging free. His hands closed around the cord and his fall was jerked to a halt almost before it had begun, and his kinetic energy went instead into sending him swinging back and forth.

The guard jumped up in surprise. "What the--!?"

For a moment Mega Man clung to the rope, an instinct from his human half briefly causing him to be wary of falling the long distance to the floor. Then his former disposition returned and he let go of the rope.

The guard was at that moment heading for the gate to go alert his colleagues. Mega Man's swing caused him to fall at an angle instead of straight down. He landed right on the soldier's back, knocking him flat.

"Hey, thanks for breaking my fall," Mega Man teased, leaping to his feet. He ran over and snatched up the long, sleek black laser gun that had flown from the guard's hands upon impact. Then before the soldier could catch his breath and get to his feet, Mega Man punched the button to open the door and dove through.

On the other side, Mega Man dropped the gun momentarily and spun around, ripping a panel off the wall. He caught a brief glimpse of the guard heading for him with an angry expression. Then the door slid closed, and Mega Man ripped out the proper wires that would keep it closed.

Hence securing his escape route, Mega Man snatched up the rifle and started running.







13



"NICE to see you came through," Mother Brain congratulated.

The alien queen was situated in the center of the room, with the Vizdon prince being held in bands of energy to her side.

"Now I have the N-Team and the Star Crystal--you've made my day!"

The Vizdon captain's eyes grew wide as Mother Brain produced a watermelon-sized sphere and held it up proudly.

"Hey!" the captain cried out.

"What's that?" Lana gasped.

The captain and the guards raised their weapons threateningly. "That's our power source!"

"Like our SunStone?" Lana asked.

He didn't bother to answer her. "Release the Prince and return the stone!" the captain demanded. "We kept our side of the bargain--now keep yours!"

"Since when?" Mother Brain laughed. "Don't worry, now that the N-Team is out of my way, your land will be the first to fall!"

"What!?" the captain cried in disbelief. "We had an agreement!"

Mother Brain sneered. "So sorry."

"That's okay, Mother Brain," Kevin spoke up suddenly, leveling his zapper. "We didn't trust you anyway."

He aimed and fired at one of the tentacles holding the Star Crystal, knocking it back. The rest of the N-Team--as well as the Vizdon warriors--leaped into action as well.

They weren't expecting the power with which Mother Brain retaliated.

Drawing energy from the Star Crystal, she struck Kevin with a blast of white light, throwing him backwards. Then she spread out a wide shockwave, keeping everyone else away from her and her prize. As they were struggling to regain their footing, Mother Brain began gathering up energy for a monster blast.

"So long!"

"We're dead!" Kevin admitted. From where she was kneeling beside him, Lana looked up and gasped.

Before Mother Brain could fire, though, someone else did.

The laser blast rocked the entire room and sent smoke throughout. The N-Team jumped back in surprise, and Mother Brain was sputtering and cursing. Then to the N-Team's shock, Mega Man leaped down into the room from some higher point behind them. He was carrying a long laser rifle--assumably what had caused the sudden blast.

Before anyone could ask anything, Mother Brain retaliated, and the warriors scattered. Mega Man found himself slamming to the floor, unsure as to what exactly had caused him to fall. The laser gun skidded across the orange ground several meters, hurled by the force of his fall.

Abruptly the Vizdon Captain was next to him. "What did you do to that laser?"

"Huh?" Mega Man glanced at him, then realized the warrior had recognized the gun as one of their own. Obviously he knew what it was capable of producing--and that wasn't it. The shot Mega Man had fired was considerably more powerful. "Oh, I modified it."

"How?"

Mega Man frowned. "I linked it up with Dr. Light's laser torch," he clarified.

The captain nodded to himself. "Perfect. Give it to me."

Mega Man was closer to the gun than the Vizdon, though neither of them could stay in one place long since they constantly had to dodge Mother Brain. Mega Man lunged at the spot where the laser lay and snatched it up, hurling it across the room to the captain. "Here!"

The Vizdon caught it and, in one fluid motion, he leveled it at the Star Crystal--and fired.

The next few events occurred quickly. The captain leaped forward, working simultaneously with Simon and Kid Icarus to free the prince and sweep him back out of the way. Meanwhile, the Crystal in Mother Brain's tentacles was pulsing and burning.

"What's going on!?" Lana gasped as the Vizdons began rushing everyone toward the exit.

"The crystal's going to explode! Everyone out!"

"You wanted your crystal? Well have fun with it!" Mother Brain tossed down the glowing shard and disappeared into the floor.

Kevin started for the crystal but the Vizdon captain stopped him. "We have to clear out of here!"

"The door won't open!" came Lana's voice from the only exit to the room.

"Move aside!"

The warriors scattered and Mega Man charged the magical doorway shoulder first. As a robot, he used to do this frequently to smash open walls and stubborn doors, but as a human he didn't have the strength or durability. He smacked solidly into the door and bounced back.

"Oh! Ow!" he gasped, ruefully rubbing his shoulder. "Oh, I forgot."

Suddenly Break Man was beside him. "Mega Man, you idiot."

Mega Man swung his arm around, pushing his brother behind him. Then he snatched up the laser gun and fired at the door, blowing it wide open.

"Come on!" he called to his friends, tucking the gun under one arm and swinging the other in a wide arc. As if swept away by the sheer motion, the warriors flowed forward as a unit.

"Keep moving!" the Vizdon captain yelled as they ran. The hallway was long and narrow, littered with steps, niches, platforms, and other annoyances that only got in the way. But the N-Team and the Vizdons ran collectively, without hindering each other. They were a good distance away from the main room before the captain finally yelled, "Hit the floor!"

A deep rumbling announced the approach of a shock wave from the pending explosion. The warriors dove for cover. Before Mega Man could, though, he was knocked to the ground. When he tried to get up, he noticed that his brother was on top of him, shielding him with his own body.

The rumbling grew deeper, and Mega Man covered his head with his arms to help protect it. The rush of energy that seared by luckily seemed to do little damage to the humans, though it tore up the hallway quite a bit, and the shaking continued.

The Vizdon captain climbed to his feet. "That was only a foreshock," he warned. "We must get back to the dimensional portal before the actual explosion. Hurry!"

The others struggled to climb to their feet. The entire hallway was shaking and crumbling beneath them. Mega Man tried to follow but his brother was still on top of him.

"Break Man, get up!" he urged, pushing himself upward. The only response he received was a strange groan. Break Man rolled off him and toppled to the floor.

"Break Man?" Mega Man fell to his knees next to his brother, confused. The explosion hadn't harmed any of the rest of them. So why was Break Man crumbled in a wincing heap as if he'd been mortally wounded?

"What's wrong?" Mega Man added worriedly. He reached out to help his brother, who was struggling just to lift himself to a sitting position.

"I...don't know," Break Man gasped. "I can't seem...to move...or anything..."

Suddenly the Vizdon captain was standing next to them. "Is he a robot?" he asked in a matter-of-fact tone.

Mega Man glanced up at him in surprise. "Well, yeah...sorta. Why?"

"The Star Crystal is releasing radiation," the captain explained hurriedly. "Anything electronic will be affected."

"Just my luck," Break Man mumbled.

The floor was still rumbling beneath their feet. Mega Man glanced around frantically for a moment. Then he reached down and tried to haul Break Man to his feet. "Come on, there isn't much time to waste!"

The Vizdon captain reached forward to give Mega Man a hand. When the rest of the N-Team started to double back to help them, the captain waved them away. "Just run! Quickly!"

They nodded, and the group took off as a unit again, with Mega Man and the captain hauling Break Man along with them.

It wasn't an easy trip; footing was treacherous and platforms were crumbling. Break Man was carried not-too-gently across the detestation. He was still completely numb and unable to move at all, making him feel literally, as well as figuratively, like a dead weight.

They had to eventually work their way upward through a vertical tunnel speckled with ledges and platforms. Mega Man insisted on taking most of the weight of his brother, though the captain was there to help pull him up. The portal grew into visual range. They were almost there.

Then the ground crumbled beneath Mega Man's feet. The Vizdon captain managed to leap to safety, but Mega Man found himself falling--and taking Break Man with him.

"Look out!" the captain yelled, his voice echoing through the tunnel. He tried to grab Mega Man but wasn't quick enough. It was hard enough for him to keep himself from falling.

Mega Man saw the orange rock flashing by him. Instinctively he reached out one hand and snagged it on the edge of a ledge as he flew by it. With the same motion, he stuck out his other arm and wrapped the fingers of that hand around Break Man's wrist. The two were brought to a jarring halt. Mega Man felt the tendons in his arm stretching.

"Mega Man!!" Lana shouted down, but the only part of her voice that reached them was its echoes.

Mega Man closed his eyes for a moment, willing himself to hang on. For a moment he was sure he wouldn't be able to. But as seconds passed and he continued to cling to the rock--and his brother--his confidence returned.

"Unggh," he grunted, trying to pull himself onto the platform to which he was clinging. But his arm just couldn't do it. Dejectedly he dropped back down, his feet kicking empty air. His body was screaming by now from the strain. He felt trapped.

"Mega Man," came another call, but from below him instead of above. Mega Man glanced down. His brother was looking at him.

"Break Man... hang on..."

"Mega Man, no, just drop me," Break Man called up. "It's not worth us both going down. Let go!"

"No way!"

"Mega Man, don't be stupid. You have a whole life ahead of you. I don't."

Mega Man's gaze shot down to look below him.

"I'll survive all right," Break Man finished with a small smile.

"I'm not letting you go," Mega Man returned with a fierce determination. He began pulling again, trying to find some way out of this. The area below him was crumbling to pieces; almost all of the platforms were gone or going. "I'm not going to lose you now, Break Man. I've hardly had time to know you!" Mega Man closed his eyes, never noticing that above him, his friends were trying to find some way to get down to him without falling off or killing themselves. Kid Icarus was trying to stay airborne in the chaos, shouting phrases that were lost in the ambient noise.

Mega Man closed his eyes, oblivious to all of this. He summoned up his strength, steeling his arms.

"Break Man, hang on," he called down, not sure if his brother could hear him or not. The noise was growing insistently louder.

Then, with a wild overhand swing, he hurled Break Man up over his head with all his might. The red robot flew through the air, crashing into the group waiting above, by the portal. Reacting quickly, they caught him and broke his fall.

The motion tore Mega Man's other hand free and he started to fall. But Kid Icarus was there to grab his arm and bring him to a halt. The winged archer wasn't powerful enough to keep Mega Man airborne, but he did stop the human's fall enough for Mega Man to stick out his other arm and grab the ledge again.

"I've got you!" Kid Icarus called. Flapping his wings furiously, he tugged on Mega Man's arm. "Can you climb up?"

Mega Man's reply was a grunt as he pulled his protesting arms into motion, dragging himself onto the ledge. It was beginning to crumble. Quickly he leaped upward, and Kid Icarus was there to give him more height to his jump. He cleared the final platform; the blue portal glowed invitingly in front of him.

Below them, an ominous rumbling was growing stronger.

"Let's go!" Mega Man yelled over the noise, grabbing Break Man without breaking his stride and hurling the two of them toward the bright blue light.

His friends followed.







14



MEGA MAN was kneeling in the metal-encased hallway, propping Break Man up with one arm.

"You okay?" he asked gently.

Slowly Break Man's senses came back to him. He shifted experimentally. The numbing feeling was beginning to fade, and he could move more easily. He nodded. "It's wearing off."

Mega Man smiled in relief. "Good."

"Mega Man," Break Man started. He glanced up and gazed at his human brother for a moment. He looked like he was about to say something else, but in the end he remained silent.

Mega Man watched as his brother tried to get to his feet. "Maybe we should go have Dr. Light examine you, just to be sure..."

"No," Break Man cut him off quickly. In a softer voice, he added, "No, it's all right. I'll be fine." Mega Man started to protest, but with a gesture Break Man dismissed it. "Really. Don't worry about it."

Mega Man silenced his further protests and just watched as Break Man started moving away. The robot-turned-human had learned quickly that Break Man wasn't one to stick around. "See you later, then...I guess."

Break Man tossed him a cocky grin, offering him a wave.

Then he was gone.

Only a few steps away, the Vizdons were gathered with the rest of the N-Team, talking about the possibility of a real induction into Videoland. Mega Man tuned out their conversation, however, until the point that Lana spoke his name.

"Mmm?" Mega Man turned.

"Are you okay? That was a close call back there."

Mega Man smiled. "Oh, we've been through worse."

"Welcome back to the team," Kevin congratulated with a grin. "Hey, you can hardly tell anything's changed."

"Yeah," Lana agreed. "I think you're catching on to this human thing pretty quickly."

Kid Icarus landed next to him. Since Mega Man had kept his original height, he was still only a few inches taller than the archer. "You were great back there."

"So were you! Thanks for the lift."

"Any time," Kid Icarus returned with a grin, holding out his hand. "We make a great team."

"We sure do!" Kevin agreed. "And I think this deserves a celebration! It's time I introduced you to pizza, Rock!"

"Come on," Lana invited, gesturing. "You're all invited! We'll have a dinner feast to celebrate our new allies!"

And the humans, along with the Vizdons, started moving down the hallway chatting in a friendly manner. Not one noticed the shadowy form perched near the ceiling.

Break Man watched them go. Then he turned away.







Day Four

15



BREAK MAN took Dr. Light by surprise by appearing at the lab. One second the room was empty save for the scientist; the next, Break Man was standing behind him. This wasn't exactly behavior to which Dr. Light was unaccustomed; it was mostly the time and day that surprised him.

"Break Man," Dr. Light acknowledged easily. If the red robot's mysterious manner and long straits of disappearance unnerved the scientist, or made him wary, he didn't show it. "Welcome back. I haven't seen you around in a while."

Break Man didn't say anything right away.

"What can I do for you?" Dr. Light asked.

The response he got was anything but what he was expecting.

"I want to visit the Warp of Life."

Dr. Light spun around, shocked and ecstatic at the same time. He missed Break Man, actually, ever since the accident in the lab so long ago had put his prototype on the missing list for over a year. The red-clad robot had come back to him as a living machine--independent and reclusive now...which made it amazing that he'd come back at all. Still, despite Break Man's cold exterior and unapproachable manner, Dr. Light still cared about him. To no big surprise, really, for Break Man was, in fact, his first so-called 'son.'

"That's wonderful," Dr. Light managed to make out finally. "Let me contact Mega Man. We can go w--"

"No," Break Man interrupted, more harshly than he'd intended. Quickly he softened his tone. "No, that's all right. Don't bother. I'll go alone."

"But..." Dr. Light rarely found himself sputtering, but this was one of those times.

"Really, I'll be fine," Break Man hurried to assure him. "I...just want to see it for myself, that's all."

Slowly Dr. Light nodded. "All right, I'll show you the map and prepare the warp for you."

Break Man smiled, that haunting, cocky grin that revealed the sparkles in his eyes that could not be seen. "Thanks, Dr. Light. Don't worry, I'll come back."

Dr. Light wasn't sure what to make of that.

Mega Man was even more surprised than Dr. Light when he heard the news. Never before now had Break Man shown any interest in weak human beings. Therefore it was purely shocking that he'd even care to see the Warp of Life, much less pass through it. Mega Man actually had no clue what to make of the news.

He was still thrilled, though.

In the end, he just shrugged off his questions, as well as the urge to chase after his brother and join him in the quest. His friends had been like an anchor during his own trip, but Break Man, he knew, was different. A loner. Mega Man decided to respect that, and instead he waited anxiously for Break Man's return. Only one thought was on his mind.

Now he'd have a real brother.

So, instead, Mega Man remained at the lab and the Palace, constantly finding new things to marvel at. His life as a human was just starting, and the possibilities were endless.

Too bad it didn't last long.







THE END







Chapter One



MEGA MAN'S fifth day as a human was interrupted by an urgent message from Dr. Light. The robot-turned-human took it at the view screen in the Palace's communication room.

"Mega Man, there's big trouble here," Dr. Light said gravely, with an expression that revealed he hated being the bearer of bad news. "I just received a message from a scientist who built eight superrobots just to destroy you. And they're taking over sections of MegaLand already."

"Another evil scientist?" Mega Man groaned.

Dr. Light sighed. He and Dr. Wily had once been good friends. Then a mind-altering accident turned his fellow scientist evil. Dr. Light still couldn't believe what had happened. "I'm afraid so," he said grimly, pushing those thoughts aside. "Here's what the message says."

And another monitor lit up with a copy of the electronic message.

Good evening, Dr. Light. Allow me to introduce myself--I am Dr. Cossack. You may not have heard of me, but soon the world will know my name.

Over the years, you have been hailed as the greatest robot designer in the land, while my robotic creations have been totally ignored. I cannot allow this to continue. The world must be made aware of my genius!

From my citadel, I've sent eight of my most powerful robots to destroy that titanium troublemaker, Mega Man. Once they have obliterated him, I will place his broken body on display for the entire world to see. Only then will I be allowed to take my place as the greatest robot designer of all time!

Mega Man finished reading and shuddered. "Wow. Mega steamed."

"I don't like this," Dr. Light agreed.

Mega Man's eyes narrowed. "I'm on my way, Dr. Light."

"Mega Man, wait--"

But Mega Man had already broken the connection.

Mega Man found the Princess and told to her that he wouldn't be able to join the rest of the team, which was about to leave for the Vizdon lands. When he explained why, Lana's face fell into concern.

"I thought you said that Dr. Wily was dead," she protested worriedly.

"It's someone else," Mega Man replied. "Some Dr. Cossack guy. I'm going to Dr. Light's lab." He started for the warp that was set in a wall.

"Be careful!" Lana called after him.

Dr. Light was standing in the middle of his lab looking very distressed.

"I'm here," Mega Man called and ran over. "And I'm ready to go. Guess I have to show another mad scientist not to insult you like that."

But Dr. Light shook his head. "It won't work. Dr. Cossack must not know you're no longer a robot."

Mega Man was puzzled. "So what?"

"You're a human now, Rock. You're not compatible with the components anymore. You'd only have your new arm cannons--which you haven't even tested yet! Fighting those robots would be a completely different matter for you."

"You mean I can't use the robots' weapons anymore?" Mega Man asked.

Dr. Light nodded.

"Well, I'll have to do without."

"I can't let you just jump into what is obviously a trap. I might send Break Man if he was still a robot..."

But he's off to find the Warp of Life, Mega Man remembered, and the N-Team isn't available either. Not that it would help--they were all human. He slapped his forehead. "Oh, great. Mega timing."

"I don't have anyone else to send." Dr. Light turned. "Maybe I'll just talk to Dr. Cossack myself."

"What else is wrong with my being a human? Besides the weapons?"

Dr. Light counted off on his fingers. "You can't use any attachments or circuits. Nor can you use any energy capsules or tanks you might run across. You probably can't run as fast or jump as high, and your strength is decreased. Plus, any hits you might take could be much more deadly as a human than they were when you were a robot. You may not know, but a human is more vulnerable to heat, cold, and weariness. All that makes no difference when you're fighting Mother Brain, but taking on the robots and their new empires would be like having a death wish."

"Oh," was all Mega Man could say.

"I'm not trying to put you down," Dr. Light pleaded. "But you're even more special to me now than ever before and I don't want to see you hurt." He took a breath. "Robots are expendable. I can send them out and if they're destroyed, I can always make more. But I can't replace a life."

Mega Man was silent.

"I've been working on something to help you out," Dr. Light continued. "If I had it completed, it could allow you to still have a chance, even as a human. But I'm not sure how long it will be before I finish it. By then it could be too late." He paused. "But right now it's all I can offer."

Mega Man was thinking hard. "I can see one solution. Can you turn me back into a robot?"

Dr. Light blinked. For several seconds all he could do was stare in shock. "You can't be serious," he sputtered finally.

"I am. Well? Can you?"

"I think my Matter Transmuter could...but how could I do that if you've wanted to be human all this time?"

"What other choice do we have?" Mega Man asked quietly. "It'll take too long to build another robot to send."

"Plenty," Dr. Light said. "It's me Dr. Cossack really wants. I'll contact him or go to his fortress or--"

"You won't let me," Mega Man interrupted, "and I'm not going to let you."

Dr. Light sighed. This wasn't working.

"I've made up my mind," Mega Man said in a determined voice. "This is as much my battle as it is yours. Besides, like you said before, if I'm destroyed, you can repair me, or make another me."

"But..."

"I'm serious."

Dr. Light shook his head. "You always had a strong sense of justice."

Mega Man smiled. "Of course. You made me that way."

Dr. Light walked idly over to a machine that stood against one wall of the lab, and slowly reached for the controls. "I can't argue with you Rock," he sighed, his back to Mega Man. "It's your life, so it's completely your decision to make. But please...you don't have to. Really--there must be some alternative..."

"What?" Mega Man broke in pointedly. "What else can we do? Dr. Light, I refuse to just stand around and let some guy terrorize my planet. Or harm you."

Dr. Light didn't reply right away. Finally he sighed, "It's your choice, you know."

"I know," Mega Man agreed, then announced his decision by adding simply, "And I'm going to clobber Dr. Cossack and his robots."

Accepting this, Dr. Light reluctantly got to business. He pointed to the Transmuter. Its current form reminded Mega Man more of a rectangular sarcophagus without a lid than its original form of a free-standing metal box. "Well, all right. You'll have to stand up in there."

They removed his outer clothes and anything that could interfere. Then, without hesitation, Mega Man backed into the small space. Slowly Dr. Light strapped him in and hooked up the wires and circuits. Then he stepped back and paused before going over to the control panel. "We'll all remember what you did for us."

"Tell Break Man he was a great brother," Mega Man said. "As a robot I don't think I'll exactly qualify."

Dr. Light was looking thoughtfully at the Transmuter. "I'm hoping I'll be able to preserve your memory," was all he said.

Mega Man nodded. "I'm ready."

"You haven't changed your mind? You still can, you know."

Mega Man shook his head. Dr. Light gave him a look, but Mega Man remained firm.

"Okay," the scientist sighed again. He was obviously a bit distressed. Dr. Light moved to the left side of the machine. "Brace yourself. And wish us both luck. I hope this doesn't malfunction."

Mega Man could hear Dr. Light pushing buttons and switches, programming the Transmuter. He closed his eyes and waited.

"Ready!" he heard Dr. Light call. "Here goes!"

The thundering noise drowned out his last words. Mega Man could see the light even with his eyes closed. There was no pain, and yet he couldn't hold on. He slipped into the dark and silent world of unconsciousness without a sound.







Chapter Two



THE world was tipping and spinning. Mega Man tried to open his eyes. If only he could stop the pounding in his head...

Mega Man got his eyes to open at last. But he wasn't in the Transmuter. He was lying on a lab table. Dr. Light was doing something behind him.

Mega Man propped himself up on his elbow and tried to clear his hazy vision. His creator came around to smile down at him. "How do you feel?"

"Like the GutsDozer just ran over me," he admitted. "I've got a mega headache, too..."

With a start, he realized what he was saying. "Wait a minute! It didn't work! I can still feel!"

Dr. Light's smile grew larger. "On the contrary, it worked perfectly." He helped Mega Man sit up. "See for yourself."

Mega Man put a hand to his temple. "But my--" He stopped as he touched his head, then used the same hand to pound on his chest.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"I'm metal again!"

Dr. Light was grinning broadly. "By tapping into the faint traces of energy left on you, I managed to simply undo what the Warp of Life did. So when you're finished with Dr. Cossack, you might be able to go back and become a human again."

Mega Man's eyes grew wide. "You mean I'm still alive?"

Dr. Light held out his hand and helped him slide off the lab table. "That's right. A living machine." He smiled mischievously. "Hope you don't mind."

"Mind?" Mega Man laughed, weak with joy. "Never! ...Even if my head does hurt."

Concern shadowed in Dr. Light's eyes. "How bad is it?"

"Not much," Mega Man said. "I'll be fine. Now, about Dr. Cossack..."

Dr. Light sighed. "I wish I could tell you more. As it is, I know little about his robots. The best I can really do is give you their names."

Mega Man nodded. "The hardest part is figuring out who to challenge first."

Dr. Light picked up a sheet of computer paper. "Here they are: Ring Man, Dive Man, Skull Man, Bright Man, Dust Man, Drill Man, Toad Man, and Pharaoh Man. I have their coordinates but I can't seem to lock into Dr. Cossack's location."

"Of course," Mega Man agreed. "He wants me to go to his silly robots first."

Dr. Light nodded. "They probably hold the code to Dr. Cossack's citadel."

"Maybe. Is my teleporter set?"

"And ready," Dr. Light said, glancing at his computer. "I wish there was another way. What if those robots are too powerful?"

Mega Man could feel the fear rising up in him, but he pushed the feeling away. "I can handle anything they can throw at me. Just you wait and see."

"You will be better armed," Dr. Light said with a touch of pride. "When I turned you back, I added a new design to your arm cannons. They have the capability to super-charge now. Just hold your fire for a few seconds to use it."

Mega Man looked down at his hands in surprise as Dr. Light explained. "The longer you let them charge, the more powerful the shot will be."

"That will come in handy," Mega Man agreed.

"Actually, we should thank Dr. Wily," Dr. Light said with a smile. "It was his idea. In fact, it's the same kind of cannon he had given Break Man to destroy you."

Mega Man was looking over the printout. "Guess I'll start with Toad Man. Boy, how much easier it is to memorize things as a robot."

"I'll keep in contact through your communicator," Dr. Light told him. "Though now you won't need me to teleport you anymore."

"It's still nice to have you there," Mega Man said.

"Do you have Rush's converter?"

"Right here." Mega Man patted his side. "I don't understand how all of the adapters disappeared along with my weapons, though."

"I thought Wily had some sort of receiver attached to them," Dr. Light said, "but then, how did he take the last group back? That was after he...died."

"I'd say the electrical barrier around his castle kept us from teleporting out with them like you suggested before," Mega Man replied.

"Probably. Anyway, now that it's Dr. Cossack, I guess we don't have to worry. That is, if his Robot Masters even have weapons for you to use."

"They will." Mega Man grinned. "You made me compatible with anything, remember?"

Dr. Light shook his head slightly, smiling softly at him. "Good luck...and please be careful."

"I will. I'm gonna give that Dr. Cossack something to really worry about."

With that the robot - turned - bioroid - turned - human - turned - bioroid teleported away...and was gone. Dr. Light stood there staring at where Mega Man been standing. He stood like that for a long time before moving again.