The Mega Man: Legend

Ch. 14 Deadlocked Part 3

Cut Man paced impatiently in front of the crowd. He was thinking for a while. He snapped his fingers. "I got it! How about this one?"

He took a combat pose. "I'm ready to take my cut at you." He held it for a moment, before straightening up. "Eh? Eh? What do you think?"

There was awkward mumbling.

"Aw, seriously? That one was great!" He spun around and muttered, "Humorless meatbags..."

He spun around to see the bomb approaching him at high speed. He smiled and whipped out a cutter, swinging it at the explosive. It sliced clean through, and the bomb landed in two pieces behind him, exploding harmlessly.

"Ha! Nice try, but that one isn't gonna work on me." He laughed, twirling the cutter on his finger. "I take it you beat Bomb Man, then? No real surprise there. That's the problem with timed bombs. Anyone who's smart can dodge 'em."

He grinned. "So why don't you try to face me now, huh?"

Mega Man jumped from a booth near the top of the stadium. He landed on the handrail and slid down briskly, leaping off at the end and landing softly on the turf of the football field.

---

I must say, I felt pretty awesome. Except for where I didn't. I could feel some of the damaged parts and circuits in my body from the bomb I had taken at point blank.

But that didn't matter. I had a job to do.

"Impressive!" Cut Man smiled. "You're smarter and more talented than we give you credit for. But like I said, bombs are easy to dodge."

He materialized a scissor like blade in his hand. "These, on the other hand..." 

He hurled the blades forward, and I jumped to avoid being hit. I fired at him, but he easily sidestepped. "And, now." He smiled. In that moment, I looked back as the blades came back, sinking into my back, and I felt them tear through me. I let out a quick yell of pain.

"What part of boomerangs does no one seem to get?" He laughed, "Just like everyone else, you just don't make the cut."

I groaned, both from the blades in my back and the pun. I ripped the weapons out and threw them back at him. He caught them like they were nothing. "Thanks for these."

I got to my feet and began running while firing at me. Even when I could managed to aim a shot correctly, he would deflect it with a cutter. I fought in a sort of circle, trying to keep him moving so that he didn't get an easy shot.

ICE SLASHER LOADED.

I fired the frozen attack at his body, and his eyes widened in surprise. He threw up a cutter at the last moment, which froze on contact with the projectile. As he brought it down, I shot him in the face. He stumbled back. "Nice move! I'm impressed." 

He smirked. "But I think I can do better." He tossed two more, then jumped into the air, hurling two more directly above me. I took off running, my only option against the versatile weapons. A blade glanced off of my Mega Buster, and I gulped as I continued moving.

Cut Man wouldn't let up. He hurled blade after blade. For every one I could dodge, two more were on their way. I felt weaker and weaker with every weapon that pierced my body.

I took a brief pause behind a bench. I was tired and damaged. I inhaled and swallowed my fear. I could do this. I'm Mega Man.

I leapt over and prepared to shoot. A blade was already on its way and sunk into my chest. I fell to the ground, and dropped motionless. I wasn't deactivated, but nothing was letting me move. Cut Man seemed to have noticed this, and was walking over when I could hear a scream.

"MEGA MAN!!" I couldn't move my vision range, but the scream seemed like someone I knew. "Mega Man!" This time it was much more readable. It was Tempo. "Mega M-"

Cut Man's face filled my vision. "Huh. A hostage scenario within a hostage scenario. Ain't life interesting? Of course I don't really need to do this anyway, seeing as you are incapacitated. Huh. This is a little conflicting."

I heard a faint clink sound as he continued rambling on. I felt something rest against my leg. Determination to find out what filled my mind, and I strained against my screaming...processors? I guess so. I managed to budge my arm. Then twitch it. Then I strained to grasp my fingers around something. It was like a can of some kind. I forced my arm towards my head. The movements were easier, but incredibly painful.

I read the letter E on the side of the can, and I saw Tempo out of the corner of my eye. She just nodded.

I popped the top and poured the strange liquid inside my mouth. It seared at first, but began to settle, and then a message popped into my vision.

ENERGY TANK DETECTED. SYSTEM REPAIR ACTIVATED.

 I felt some sort of energy flow through my body. Power filled me in every part, and I struggled too my feet, the process becoming easier as I did.

Cut Man seemed to have noticed that something wasn't right. He spun around, and his eyes followed the can as I dropped it, wiping the leftover fluid from my mouth. "Oh...crud."

I shot him in the chest, causing him to let go of Tempo. I looked over at her. "Duck."

SUPER ARM LOADED.

I picked up the bench I had been stuck behind and lifted it above my shoulder. 

"Now, just hold on a sec, let's-"

I hurled it straight at him. It hit him and sent him flying halfway across the football field through a goal post.

I walked over to where he and the bench had landed, the entire stadium silent as I approached. I looked down at one of his hands sticking out from the rubble.

Deactivated robot detected. Activating protocol. Scanning...scan complete. Rolling Cutter loaded.

I exhaled in victory as the crowd erupted into cheers.

I turned around and walked over to Tempo. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Good job noticing the hint."

"I'm just surprised Cut Man didn't." I smiled, and waved her off towards the crowd. The people were still cheering for me, and I decided I should say something. "Thanks a lot everybody, and, uh, sorry if I ruined your game day experience."

"Oh, I wouldn't say you did that!"

A harsh sinister voice filled the stadium over the loud speakers. I reformed my Mega Buster. And put a hand on the weapon. On the large scoreboard screen, a man who was very familiar replaced the usual cycle of advertisements.

"In fact, that was quite the show! You've really proven yourself, Mega Man! Unfortunately, to do that you've trampled over MY plans...so I suppose I'll have to test your limits. Get ready, people of this city. Mega Man's Dr. Wily-issued challenge begins..."

I suddenly felt my body go numb. Blue light filled my vision, and I felt as those I had been shot out of a cannon. In an instant, the light faded, and I was somewhere else. A strange castle lay before me, decorated with skull designs.

"...Now!"

---

Hey, hope you guys enjoyed that chapter. I really look forward to how this part is gonna end. I won't be able to work for the next week or so, so sadly this won't be updated for a while. Anyway, enjoy some of my other stories! I'll see you all sometime sunday or monday!