The Robotic Endgame

III. Mega Man

"Rock," Sonic called, waving a hand in front of me. "He's a robot. You more than anyone should realize that he's not dead. Robots can't die."

"They have chips inside of them," I explained frantically, laying on the floor. I barely even knew I was talking; all I could think of was Proto Man and if he was okay. The explosion that had burst in front of us was still baking the ground. "If his chip was destroyed, he could never be created as the same... the same 'Blues.' His attitude, his... everything."

"Can't your father do something about it if the chip is truly gone?" Sonic asked. He obviously knew nothing about how robots worked.

"No." I spat. "He'll be gone forever."

There was a silence. Sonic looked at the ground, as if trying to think. I was thinking, but of the same things that wouldn't get off of my mind. My family. Why was this all happening? Why did Wily do this all the time?

Suddenly, Sonic looked from me to the explosion, his eyes following the rising smoke. Then, his eyes widened. "Rock, this place is going to blow."

"W-what?" I asked, looking straight at him.

"Something underground..." he said, his teeth gritted. He looked around wildly. "Something underground must've gotten nudged. This is a laboratory, isn't it? Can't you feel the ground rumbling?"

"N-no..." I said, "but I'm not leaving without Proto Man's chip!"

Before Sonic could stop me, I knocked him over, running toward the fire. I stared at it as I changed to Aqua Man's power, blasting the fire with water. Then I sprinted to where I thought Proto Man would be, but he was gone. There was no sign of him, except for his helmet.

With my eyes glued to the helmet, my eyes starting to water, I walked towards it, wondering what could have happened. How could Blues have escaped that? That is, if he even did escape. Maybe the helmet was made with a special material that was more fire resistant than the rest of his body, and the rest of him was already... I couldn't finish the thought. He escaped. I was sure of it.

Just before I could reach the helmet, the ground shook, and the floor beneath me suddenly broke through. "Mega Man!" Sonic shouted, running faster than I had ever seen him run to grab my arm. He still had to slide for it, and I was far beneath the floor. His eyes were tightly shut, and I remembered his foot. He hadn't spared it so that he could save me.

"I see you've lost weight!" Sonic commented, struggling to pull me up.

"Just run backwards!" I suggested. I tried to look down and see if there was anything or anyone below, but there were only flames. They were taking over everything, swallowing all that could be swallowed. My head throbbed with fright.

"If I could turn around, I would," he scoffed. "Where's a flying dog when you need it?"

I could feel my mind being overwhelmed. I wasn't made to be a perfect robot. I felt emotions. And now I thought about poor Rush... Maybe he was by Roll's side, helping her assist Wily with his stupid plans. That would at least mean he was with some family.

"Mega Man!" Sonic yelled frantically. "Get it together!"

I stared at him, and his face turned sympathetic. It softened, and he looked as if he felt my pain, trying to suck it from me... But it didn't work. I couldn't stop thinking about everything. It had all happened so quickly. And now a fire was about to engulf me and end me.

Suddenly, Sonic's face turned serious. It was as if something changed in him all of a sudden. He pulled with all his strength, dragging me out of the hole. He cried out as he did; I wouldn't have been surprised if he had broken something getting me out. I was made of metal; I was extremely heavy. It didn't surprise me that he managed to get me out, however. Without hesitating for more than a minute, he grabbed my arm and ran out of the building, sprinting past the rest of the city. It was a whole new view of the town I had never seen before; everything raced past me as I raced past it. It was exhilarating and slightly scary at the same time. It managed to take my mind off of Blues, Roll, Rush, and Dr. Light for a moment.