Chapter 9: ALPHA & SIGMA

(RIGHT AFTER COLLISION)

Mega Man, Bass, Roll, and Dr. Light. Accompanied by Cut Man, Fire Man and Dr. Wily (All from the Mega Man franchise) were fighting frantically against the powerful Sigma. But alas they were no match. Sigma should seemingly be at a disadvantage. Yet he would shake off attacks from Mega Man, Bass, and Fire Man with ease. Cut Man’s sharp blades were worrisome, but Sigma was careful not to take damage.

“This isn’t right! We should be working together to get back home!” Dr. Light would plead. But Sigma would only smirk.

“Why? The odds of ruling this world in union with my fellow villain are much higher.”

Sigma pointed his green plasma sword at the group.

“And like fish out of water you’re not prepared to take me in a fair fight! No robot masters for your inferior Mega Man to syphon technology and power from!” Sigma boasts.

“You’ll see!” Mega Man yelled as he attempted to leap in on his own until Bass stopped him. “Grr!” He said.

“Hmm. Not even at his worst… is my own Rival X as pathetic as you!” The group felt helpless. But what could they do. Lucky for them, Sigma was feeling generous. “Now I’m not a total monster. And I’m not blind…” Sigma said as he stroked his chin.

“Wh-what are you saying?” Dr. Light asked, which caused Sigma to snap at him.

“I wasn’t talking to you! You’re a mere fleshling!”

“…” Dr. Light paused in shock. Speechless.

“Oh you want our robots!” Dr. Wily said angrily. “Unfortunately for you robots in our time have integrity. They understand who maintains them! This isn’t 20XX!”

“Oh I’m aware. They aren’t nearly as advanced as robots from my time… but we can maintain them, and in turn they can prove their usefulness to us.” Sigma told them with fists clenched.

“Never!”

Fire Man yelled that as he leapt in, spewing a flurry of fire balls at Sigma with little to no results. As Sigma was engulfed in flames he was no longer visible. In that moment, filled with passion Fire Man got in closer to deal more damage. But as he got closer to the wall of flames a thin plasma silhouette appeared. Then as swiftly as Fire Man had made it to Sigma, the blade of plasma parted the flames and slashed Fire Man. Sparks flew from his chest as Fire Man’s eyes dimmed out and plopped on the ground.

“No!” Wily yelled.

“You are quite loyal aren’t you? Admirable.” Sigma said as he pointed his blade in the general direction of Light and Wily as they took in a nervous gulp. “Let’s put that loyalty to good use! I’ll free you from the chains of the ones holding them!”

Mega Man, Bass, and Cut Man immediately took up the front row to protect their masters as Wily felt regret for Fire Man. Light was being protected by Roll, though she wasn’t confident that she could do much to stop Sigma.

“Quaint.” Sigma said as he vanished.

Our robotic heroes looked up, down and everywhere and couldn’t see him. Even Roll was frantically darting her eyes across the room of Light’s makeshift lab they were fighting in. But they couldn’t see anything. That was when Light pushed Roll out of the way. Then like a flash of lightning Sigma had struck both Light and then Wily down. Ending them both. The flame of a longtime rivalry of legendary proportions flickered out in an instant.

“Darn you!” Mega Man & Bass yelled in tandem as Roll cried out in sorrow.

Both Mega Man and Bass shot at Sigma, but he just deflected them.

“It is useless! Just accept that your ties to humanity has been cut!”

“I’ll cut you!” Cut Man yelled in rage.

“HA!” Sigma laughed. “Still you resist! WHY!? There is no longer a reason!”

“Because it’s right…” Mega Man said. “Dr. Light… wasn’t just my creator. He was a teacher. He gave me free will to choose for myself. That’s how I was created. How you were eventually created. You destroyed my mentor… you must be stopped before you harm anyone else.” Mega Man then took aim at Sigma.

“Very well. It’s clear you’ll just need to be reprogrammed to serve me…”

As Sigma said that our heroes were ready to pounce. Cut Man prepped one of his blades. And as Sigma was preparing to incapacitate them Cut Man would throw that blade. But something was off in the air, and as the blade flew… it just stopped.

“What?” Cut Man yelled, shocked while the others including Sigma were shocked.

“While I say I detest humanity as much as you. I’m also not much a fan of your predecessors either.” Magneto said as he hovered into sight.

“You said you’d let me handle this!” Sigma roared.

“Too risky.” Magneto said as he continued to hold the blade in place. “You heard the little blue one. They have free will. We’ve just started this Alliance of ours, and I’m not prepared to put it in jeopardy this early!”

“But…” Sigma fell silent. He knew he couldn’t fight Magneto on this. Literally.

It was in this moment that Mega Man wised up. He knew they had to get out of there. He signaled Bass and Roll with nothing but hand gestures and head nods. Motioning that they should escape through the scrap chute that Wily had installed in Light’s makeshift lab.

“I have a feeling that we’re not all getting out of this…” Bass whispered.

“What? You have to come too.” Roll naively said.

“We’re not leaving you…” Mega Man said just as naively.

Bass just smiled. Once Mega Man’s enemy, he knew now that he’d found a friend instead. Bass looked over at Cut Man who was still perplexed by the Master of Magnetism at work. And in that moment he made a decision. Trusting that Mega Man would make the right one as well. Bass took aim and shot at Magneto. The blast sparked off of Magneto’s armor as Sigma reluctantly stood back. Cut Man would then take another shot, this time at Magneto but it would be to no avail. Magneto had stopped that one too.

“Go!” Bass yelled as Mega Man swallowed reluctantly, and ushered Roll down the chute as he jumped in afterwards. Narrowly escaping as Magneto was preoccupied.

Then in that moment Magneto used his powers to shoot the bladed discs back at Cut Man and Bass, cutting them both in half instantly. Destroying Cut Man and disabling Bass as he crawled pathetically on the ground.

“Fruitless efforts it seems not.” Magneto said. “You saved your friends, but for how long?” Magneto said.

Then as he crawled and quivered on the ground… “Y-you can… can’t t-t-trust h-him…” Bass said to Sigma as Sigma looked away in shame. Then just as Sigma was going to meet his gaze there was a loud continuous *CRUNCH!* Then just like that, Bass was gone.

“Clean this up.” Magneto said, essentially ordering Sigma around despite being supposed equal partners. “Then chase after the others!”

Sigma looked at Bas almost regretfully.

“Yes sir…” he then said to Magneto.

(Present Day)

“I eventually found them… But I couldn’t just destroy them. It’d have been an absolute waste.” Sigma said as he looked at the table where Seth’s crushed, lifeless metal body lay. He then leaned into whisper at what was now scrap metal, a trophy for Magneto. “But rest assured my fallen brother… this hypocrisy will not last.”

Sigma then thought of the army of Sentinels Magneto had ordered the creation of.

“All I need is to bide my time. Once I fade into the background and fly under Magneto’s radar… that is when I’ll make my move.”

Hours later in the dead of night… miles and miles away from the Alliance HQ was X and Zero. X and Zero were still a bit beaten up from their fight with Dante, Trish, and Gamora. And though he could hold himself up now Zero had to be carried by X for a decent amount of time. But now they were ready to fight again.

“Help…”

A faint voice could be heard from just off the road they were on.

“Hear that Zero?”

“Yeah.”

“Help us.” The said, less faint this time.

“Who goes there!?” Zero asked as X and Zero prepared for another fight.

Then in that moment Mega Man and Roll had strolled out of the forest. Dirty from the long trek through the jungle. Both had definitely seen better days. X was shocked. He was less advanced and much shorter, but he appeared to be a Mega as well.

“Wha?”

“Are you from the year 20XX?” Mega Man and Roll asked.

“Y-yes…” X replied. “Who are you?”

“We need your help… There’s something sinister from your time.”

“Sigma!” Zero said confidently as X looked at Zero confidently as well. “I knew he had to be behind this!”

“Well yes, but… there’s someone worse as well.”

In that moment X and Zero were perplexed. X stepped forward and then asked.

“Who?”