Preface: Mega Man Recut is a Dark Comedy/Crime Story retcon of the Ruby-Spears's Mega Man cartoon. While I try to honor the original cartoon as closely as possible, I also take artistic license with characterizations, dialog, and continuity to create a fluid novelization. I wrote this with the fans of the old cartoon show in mind. If any of you are out there, I hope you enjoy it.

Mega Man Recut takes place in a fictional universe parallel to Earth in the 1990s. Any resemblances to current or historical events are coincidental.

If you have never read Mega Man Recut, I recommend starting at Season 1. For those of you who are return readers, welcome back, hope you're ready for another Ruby-Spears style trip, because it's time for—

Episode 14: Campus Commandos

It was the end of August, two months since Dr. Wily's last mission, of which he had returned from Wily Island defeated and in a rage. The Robot Masters were spending another uneventful day in the armory waiting for Dr. Wily to call upon them for a mission. While many of the Robot Masters passed time by recharging, tuning up, training, or other constructive activities, Air Man, Crystal Man, Dust Man, Magnet Man and Ring Man had gathered around a table and were playing H.O.R.S.E.

"Anyone know if anything's going on upstairs yet?" asked Air Man as he dealt the cards between them.

"Dunno, Dr. Wily and Proto Man left again today. Had something to do with a new college for robotics," said Ring Man, scooping up his hand.

"Yeah, it's called Light University," joined in Crystal Man. "Dr. Wily took took Cut Man and Guts Man with him, which is too bad…they're always loose with their chips."

They all snickered, placed their first round of bets, then Air Man dealt the flop.

"Snake Man went too," said Ring Man. "He really wanted to go. At least, I think he wanted to go…that hissing makes him hard to understand."

They placed another round of bets.

"Wish we could have gone too, college parties are wild…" Ring Man continued. "But Proto Man wanted to keep the team small…said it was a dumb mission."

"Can't be any worse than his Wily's last mission," commented Air Man. "It never made it out of the South Pacific."

They placed the third round of bets. Magnet Man folded, then Air Man laid down the turn.

"Yeah, that was an embarrassing failure for Dr. Wily," said Crystal Man. "He was forced to get help from his archnemeses."

Ring Man snickered. "That's gotta hurt."

"Told 'em that island was cursed by aliens, but no one ever listens to ol' Dusty," muttered Dust Man, squinting at his hand.

Ring Man and Magnet Man exchanged glances with raised brows. "…Yeah, anyway, as I was saying, they've gone to conquer some college run by Dr. Light. Not sure why, Proto Man didn't say."

They completed one more round of betting (Air Man folded) then showed their cards, Ring Man winning the showdown. This didn't come as much of a surprise to anyone, as Ring Man was considered a shark at poker.

Ring Man smugly scraped the poker chips to his side of the table. He then picked up the deck and began shuffling in an ostentatious way that involved cutting the deck multiple times and flipping the cards around his fingers, showing off the legerdemain skills he had been programmed with when he was originally built to run a ring toss game at Fun World. When boredom was at an all time high, Ring Man had few pastimes at Skull Fortress: going A.W.O.L. with his best buddy Magnet Man to one of the local country villages to hang out, playing cards, and taunting Elec Man, who was very stuck up and therefore a favorable target.

"Hello…Spanner. Ever think the Syndicate will come rescue you?" Ring Man called coolly as Elec Man passed the poker table, dealing the cards for another round.

The Steel Crescent Syndicate was one of the most feared crime organizations in the entire criminal underground, host of some of the most powerful and sinister Robot Masters ever to exist, and ruled by three crime bosses. Their major revenue came from extortion, under the table business deals, and casinos. Elec Man was one of the first Robot Masters Dr. Wily had stolen and reprogrammed. Though his memories of working with the Syndicate were completely scrambled, Elec Man still retained an attitude of contempt toward Dr. Wily and everyone loyal to him, and his current predicament remained a constant sore point for him. Ring Man, being a bit of a punk, always knew how to touch a nerve.

Elec Man froze, and gave Ring Man a cold look. "Let me put this in words you'll understand…get out of my face or I'll kill you."

Air Man and Crystal Man remained silent, pretending to be absorbed in their hands while casting surreptitious looks at Ring Man, clearly thinking it unwise to provoke Elec Man.

"Really? I heard you got defeated by a domestic bot armed with household appliances on your first mission with Dr. Wily," Ring Man jeered recklessly. "So tell me, what would happen if you disobeyed one of Wily's orders? Would your head explode?"

"I know carney robots are programmed to be stupid, but you should show more respect…I'm part of the Syndicate, we recycle robots like you daily for poker chips."

Ring Man snickered. "Ex-Syndicate. Now you're just Wily's little b—"

Magnet Man gave Ring Man a swift kick under the table. "Watch it," he warned.

"Why? He can't hurt us, he's not allowed to," retorted Ring Man.

Elec Man's eyes narrowed. Then, to the surprise of everyone there, he smiled, and took a seat at the poker table. "Deal me in."

Ring Man stared at him blankly. "Er...What?"

Elec Man continued smiling, with a small shrug. "I want to play."

Magnet Man looked from Ring Man to Elec Man, then dropped his hand on the table and stood up. "Fold."

"Yeah, me too."

"Ditto."

"Yup."

Ring Man was looking a little nervous as Air Man, Crystal Man, and Dust Man all threw down their cards and left the table, leaving him alone with Elec Man.

The challenge had attracted attention. Crash Man, Bomb Man, and Drill Man, who had all formerly worked at Pfister Mining & Manufacturing, had gathered quietly to watch. Being industrial robots built for monotonous, high precision tasks that centered around productivity, they were fond of the quiet, efficient android who kept mostly to himself, and were obviously rooting for Elec Man as they disliked Ring Man and Magnet Man, who they considered lazy mooches.

Elec Man gathered up the cards and began shuffling.

"I'm calling the game," said Ring Man quickly, feeling pressured by the watching Robot Masters to uphold his reputation.

"You can call whatever you want." Elec Man's shuffling wasn't as flashy as Ring Man's, but like his nature it was neat, calculated, professional, and seemingly effortless.

"Omaha."

"My favorite."

Ring Man noticed something different in Elec Man. First (and most strangely) he was in a good mood, but he also exhibited a strange sort of imposing cunning and subtle cruelty. Elec Man dealt the cards between them with lightening speed, and Ring Man hastily scooped up his hand.

Elec Man hadn't taken his eyes off Ring Man. "Don't worry. Poker is, at its core, a game of chance, after all...and I'm sure you don't cheat. We'll start the betting at one and go up from there."

Ring Man squinted at Elec Man."One dollar?"

"One grand."

"...uh."

Ring Man lost every single hand. The Pfister Robots, who normally did not care for these type of human activities, considered this a very satisfying match, and gave an impressed murmur when the game had ended. Elec Man had won all of Ring Man's money, his hoverboard, a TV and game system, and various other possessions.

"Since you have nothing else to bet other than the armor on your back, I think we'll call it quits then," said Elec Man pleasantly, standing up and tossing his hand back toward the deck.

"Yeah, whatever," grumbled Ring Man, shoving off moodily from the table.


Later, Elec Man looked over the pile of junk he had collected during the poker game, and sighed. "What am I supposed to do with all this shit?"


Though the hiatus from Dr. Wily's spree of crazy World Conquest schemes was welcome, Dr. Light found he did not have much time to relax, for he had spent the last couple of months embarking on a new enterprise.

Located just above the northern suburbs of New York City lay Light University, a brand new academy to meet the growing number of humans choosing careers in robotics. Many of the new students had either graduated or taken courses at the University of Robotics in downtown New York City, but Dr. Light had also accepted a few promising applicants straight out of high school.

The campus contained an assortment of laboratory buildings and lecture halls, all reflecting Dr. Light's taste in art deco. Its grounds were neat and fresh, covered in rolling lawns of rich green grass, leafy, sweet smelling shrubs, and freshly planted trees.

It was the day before classes started, and several hundred plastic folding chairs had been arranged in front of the University Centre (a stately neoclassic building of brown brick), and were packed with new students who had gathered to listen to an address from Dr. Light. Among the non-student attendees were Harold Hill, the mayor of New York City, and Bree Ricotta of Channel 3 News, who had shown up with Ted Graham (her usual cameraman) to cover the event.

Dr. Light stood at the podium on top of the temporary stage, and was wearing his best royal blue tie for the occasion.

"—And so, my fellow students, I am very proud to announce the grand opening of your new institution of higher learning, Light University!" Dr. Light was saying over the microphone, smiling proudly at the assembly. "I have opened my new campus for all of you to learn the many skills of the robo sciences, to help me continue my research, and complete some of my most promising inventions. After all, helping mankind is every robot's prime directive."


Dr. Wily and Proto Man watched Dr. Light's grand speech through a battonton's spy camera feed while they flew the Skullker toward Light University.

"Speak for yourself, Light," Proto Man said at Dr. Light's closing words, smirking toward Dr. Wily.

"Oh….don't worry, Proto," replied Dr. Wily in an oily tone. "In a few hours, the school is going to have a new Dean who intends to change their prime directive." He gave a drawn out maniacal laugh.

In the fuselage behind them sat Cut Man, Guts Man, and Snake Man, waiting for their next set of instructions.

Snake Man was brooding. He regarded his creator with the utmost respect, and felt he had fallen into disgrace for failing twice to help Dr. Wily take over the world (first when he had switched bodies with Mega Man, an experience that had forever changed him and solidified his animosity toward Mega Man, then secondly with the Robosaurs). He had to make things right. Though Proto Man had insisted this mission was small scale, he had volunteered to come, taking any opportunity he could to destroy Mega Man before Proto Man could, thereby restoring his honor and fulfilling Dr. Wily's wishes. It had been a long time since he had had a proper showdown with Mega Man. There had always something in his way—a secret, uncontrollable and entirely unwanted sentimentality distracted him from his personal mission—

He wouldn't think about that right now. Even if he couldn't control this feeling, with any luck he could avoid her and therefore suppress the debilitating condition and fulfill his mission once and for all.

Though he knew internally he was at war with himself. His logic circuits were constantly at odds with his buggy emotion circuits, which would not register things like 'she's an enemy' or 'she was built by Dr. Light, the rival to your creator' or even 'she's Mega Man and Proto Man's sister'—and was beginning to wonder hopelessly which was stronger—his logic, or his emotion.


After Dr. Light's speech, the crowd broke up to explore campus. A flock of fork-lift like custodian robots descended upon the vacated chairs, whisking them away while small self-powered vacuum drones sucked up litter.

Having watched from the back row, Mega Man hung back as inconspicuously as a world famous robot dressed in blue titanium armor could while Dr. Light took an interview from Bree Ricotta. He for one was more than content to stay out of the news for a change and decided instead to take a walk around campus.

Many of the students were dispersed across the grounds, enjoying their last free day by playing frisbee or lying under the shade of trees.

"Nice weather. Big change deep freeze last year, right?" asked a familiar voice from behind Mega Man.

Mega Man whirled around, then broke into a grin. "Ramón!"

"My man."

They clasped hands. Ramón looked a bit different from what he had during Dr. Wily's deep freeze on New York City. He had the same haircut, but had ditched his biker jacket for a short-sleeve rugby shirt.

"Are you taking classes here?" asked Mega Man curiously.

"Not full time, I got work at an electronic store, but Dr. Light promised as long I never skipped class and studied hard, he'd foot my tuition," answered Ramón with a shy grin, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "It's really cool of him to let me in."

"Think nothing of it, you helped us defeat Ice Man. Besides, anyone who's seriously interested in creating robots belongs here. Where are Bobby and Janet? Are they here too?"

"Nah, they never wanted to go on to college. Bobby's working with his uncle in Louisiana now, and Janet's joining the Peace Corps. I still keep up with them though."

Mega Man smiled. Good for them.

"I saw Roll earlier," Ramón continued. "She signed up to be a student, Mega. Are you going to join us too?"

"Roll signed up to be a student? Here?" Mega Man repeated, astonished. "That's the first I've heard of that."

"Oh, she told me to keep it a secret...but I thought you were in on it too, being her brother and all."

Mega Man blinked, then smiled impishly. "A secret, huh? Well thanks for telling me then, I like to keep an eye on her. As for me, I already got a full time job taking on Wily and his bots."

"Hey Ramón!" called someone. Mega Man and Ramón looked up. A group of students was standing across campus at the dining hall, looking their way. "We're gonna grab a bite before orientation, you comin'?" called the speaker again.

"Yeah, I'm comin', be there in a sec!" Ramón called back.

"New friends?" asked Mega Man.

"Yeah," answered Ramón, grinning. "Catch ya later, Mega!"

Ramón waved goodbye then hurried off to join his friends. A few them shouted out cheerfully to Mega Man before ducking into the dining hall with Ramón.

"Hey Mega Man! You're awesome!"

"Keep it up, Blue Bomber!"

Mega Man waved at them, smiling to himself, then decided to go find his sister.

Some of the alumni from the New York University of Robotics were taking graduate studies here, and many of their prototypes were roaming the lawns. On the football field a full team of fierce looking robot football players were executing plays under the guidance of their roboticists, their heavy armor painted in Light University's red and gold. According to the scoreboard, the team was called the Robo Raiders, and they played NYUoR's Titanium Titans next Saturday. They even had robotic cheerbots and a robotic marching band.

A painter-bot was kneeling on the pavement, recreating Luncheon of the Boating Party in chalk, with retro-style robots replacing the picnickers.

"Love the modern take on a Renoir classic," commented Mega Man, looking over the painter-bot's shoulder. "You should paint something like that for the University Center, I'm sure Dr. Light would approve."

"Shh, I'm busy!" snapped the painterbot, giving him an aggrieved look. "Go away."

"Oh, uh, sorry," said Mega Man quietly, carefully stepping around the drawing as he moved on.

Finally, Mega Man spotted Roll, who was hanging out (unsurprisingly) near an outdoor fighting ring. She was watching a blue boxing robot spar with a martial arts robot wearing white sheet metal shaped to resembled a karate gi.

"Hyah!" cried the martial arts robot as he leapt into the air for a flying kick. The boxer-bot's head was knocked back on its neck like a pez dispenser, forcing it to totter out of the fighting ring to fix it. The martial arts robot noticed Mega Man and bowed. "I am Kung Fu Bot, built by Kenneth Weinstein (class of 1995) to be a master of robo-martial arts. I'm studying karate to be a fighter bot, just like you, Mega Man!" he announced.

"Uh, okay, neat," replied Mega Man, eyeing the student-built prototype dubiously.

Roll gave an annoyed huff as the robot resumed fighting the boxing robot, looking thoroughly unimpressed. "That's inaccurate," she told Mega man scathingly. "A kung fu robot that's programmed to do karate? Really? And he's wearing the wrong uniform."

"Give him a break, he can't help what he is, and I'm sure Kenneth Weinstein doesn't watch as many kung fu movies as you...or practice it either."

They departed from the fighting ring together to stroll aimlessly across campus.

"This just makes me mad," said Mega Man, tearing a Cold Steel poster off the wall of the engineering building and throwing it in a recycling bin. "Why are they still popular? They only produced one record, it was terrible, and they haven't made a public appearance since their cover was blown."

"Yeah, and thank god for that—though I wouldn't mind socking Gyro Man in the face for ol' times sake."

"Is he still not returning your calls?" Mega Man asked with mock indignation.

"Shut up! It was just a kiss, and I thought he was a rock star..." said Roll, looking harassed.

Mega Man snickered and changed the subject. "So I ran into Ramón earlier. He's taking classes here. Wild, right?"

"Yeah, he's really cleaned up his act."

"He also told me you signed up to be a student, is that true?"

Roll looked a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I have. Cool, huh?"

"Yeah, but...isn't this school for humans?"

"I know, but Light University is a college of Robotics, so I'll fit right in."

"Sure…they might even mix you up with their projects."

"You know perfectly well that we're both capable of blending in with humans," Roll retorted testily, "And that's what I'm planning to do. I'm going to pretend to be human and take classes here just like one."

"You're really serious about this then, huh? Why do you want to pretend to be human?" Mega Man asked. "We're advanced androids, in addition to our conscience, compassion, and self-determination, we're already programmed to feel the same emotions as humans. We even sleep and dream."

"We don't grow up or go to college. Haven't you ever been curious what it's like to live a normal human life?"

Mega Man reflected for a moment. "Not enough to pretend to be one and attend their schools, but...someday I'd like to retire being the World's robot hero and just be Rock, leading the normal life of Dr. Light's lab assistant again."

"But that's boring," said Roll dismissively. "College is supposed to be the ultimate experience of socialization and partying, and we're missing out!"

Mega Man raised an eyebrow. "I thought college was supposed to be about studying hard and bettering yourself for the work force?"

"Well, that too," Roll sighed. "Mostly, I'd like to make some new friends. We're so busy fighting Dr. Wily all the time that it seems like we never get a chance to meet anyone new." Her sky blue eyes looked at him seriously. "…You're not bothered that I'm pretending to be a student, are you?"

Mega Man snickered. "Like it'd stop you even if I was. Besides, what harm could you do?"

Roll smiled. "I've got everything set up, I'm fully registered to take classes and everything...I hate the picture on my student I.D. though. Wish the camerabot would have retaken it," she said, flashing her identification card with disdain.

"'Roll Lightbourne,' huh?" said Mega Man with amusement, plucking the I.D. from her fingers and holding it up. "Can't blame the bad photo on the poor camerabot, he was only working with what he had—"

He ducked as Roll swatted at him.

"Why don't you enroll too?" Roll asked, snatching her I.D. back. "C'mon, it'd be a snap to act like human brother and sister for us."

"Aren't you forgetting about Dr. Wily?"

"Of course not! But might as well do something fun while we wait for him to slink out of his hole again. Besides, it's not like we'd have to study or anything; I think we can handle doing both. We'd be like extra security working undercover for the University. Whatya say, Rocky Lightbourne?"

Mega Man chuckled. "No thanks, last time I tried to be more human I ended up assaulting Washington D.C., so I think I'll stick with being myself. You have fun though—just don't get too caught up in the human act and forget you're really a robot."

"Psh, like I'd forget I'm a robot, I have titanium bones and synthetic skin," returned Roll, rolling her eyes. "Still, if you change your mind—"

"—I'll let you know," completed Mega Man, grinning.

There was a resounding bang from overhead. Roll and Mega Man both jumped and looked up; the glass dome of ?apek Library had shattered from sudden impact. A second later, the roof of Vaucanson Hall disintegrated, blasted apart by an unseen force.

"Hit the deck, we're under attack!" shouted one of the Quarter-bots from the football field as the Skullker hovered into view, firing at the tops of campus buildings. The students scattered in all directions, their arms over their heads as falling debris hailed upon them.

"Wily's bots!" Roll shouted, glaring up at the Skullker. "What are they doing here?"

"Whatever it is, I'm going to nip it in the bud," remarked Mega Man. "You're on, boy!"

Rush barked and transformed into a jetboard, then he and Mega Man blasted off into the sky.


Within the Skullker, Dr. Wily stood facing Cut Man, Guts Man, and Snake Man. "Alright, bots! Prepare to storm the campus!" he ordered.

"Uh….slight change in plans, Wily," Proto Man called. He pointed out the cockpit window at Mega Man and Rush.

"Huh? Mega Man?! Blast that blue dweeb out of the sky!" Dr. Wily shouted, shaking his fist in rage.

"Hey, that's one order I don't mind taking," quipped Proto Man brightly, sliding his thumb over the laser trigger on the Skullker's yoke.


Mega Man and Rush were climbing high, and about to make a pass over the Skullker when the Skullker suddenly turned and became level with them, the jaw of its skull dropping to reveal a large laser cannon at its base.

Uh oh, thought Mega Man as a wide white beam from the Skullker's mouth streaked toward him. He held on as Rush darted from side to side to avoid being hit as the Skullker continued firing. "Wily means business," he muttered.

They weaved through consecutive laser blasts from the Skullker, which were becoming increasingly difficult to predict as the Skullker constantly changed position, its rotocraft design giving it maximum control to move smoothly along all axises while remaining vertically stable. Grimly, Mega Man realized he had no choice but to try and knock it out of the sky. "Try to get in closer!" he instructed Rush.

They struggled through more laser fire, Mega Man balancing precariously on Rush, who was careening like a surfboard caught in a hurricane, but finally, they were within range. Mega Man aimed at the belly of the Skullker and took a careful shot at the giant rotor.


The Skullker pitched violently in midair. Dr. Wily clung desperately to the back of the pilot's chair while the Robot Masters were thrown backward. Guts Man crashed into the back of the cockpit and Cut Man tumbled all the way to the fuselage.

"So, he wants to play rough," muttered Proto Man as he steadied himself. "...Okay by me!"

As the Skullker dropped altitude, he let go of the yoke, letting the nose point upward while simultaneously hitting the throttle for the backup thrusters. He crossed his sights with Mega Man's flight path, and, timing carefully, fired, striking the bottom side of Rush's jetboard.

"Yes! Got 'em!" cheered Proto Man, pumping a fist.


As soon as the laser blast hit, Mega Man and Rush went hurtling in opposite directions. Mega Man was falling face first, and could see Light University far below, just a patch of grounds between the gray concrete jungle south and the rolling green country north. He had to think fast, and he hadn't many options. Rush was nowhere to be seen, but as luck would have it, the Skullker was just underneath him, sinking slowly as its engines fought to even out.

Reaching out a hand, Mega Man caught the Skullker's vertical stabilizer, the sudden change in momentum jerking his body. He then pulled himself onto the roof and stood up, carefully balancing on the contoured surface, and blasted a hole into the cockpit.

"Thought I'd drop in for a visit, Proto," he called cheerfully.

"Later, Mega, I'm busy," Proto Man called back.

Proto Man twisted the yoke and the Skullker rolled sharply to the right, flinging Mega Man airborne again. Hoping he would land on somewhere soft, Mega Man collided with something hard and titanium, and much sooner than he expected—Rush had intercepted his fall.

Knowing Rush had taken the brunt of the Skullker's laser blast, Mega Man checked Rush for damage. Though Rush wasn't hurt, his jet engines had been hit pretty badly and were leaking fuel. He looked back at the Skullker and gritted his teeth. Even at the best of times, this wasn't an evenly matched battle; Proto Man was a better flyer and had a bigger gun.

"You're losing power, boy, we gotta call off the fight," Mega Man relented finally, patting Rush on the head. "C'mon, back to campus, hurry!"

Rush gave a reluctant growl, but obediently dropped altitude, and they fell back toward campus. Above, Proto Man had straightened the Skullker's trajectory and was flying in tight circles. Cut Man, Guts Man, and Snake Man leapt out the back to parachute in toward Light University.


Mayor Hill, Dr. Light, and Roll were watching fight from under the cover of trees.

"Wily's robots! They're invading the campus!" Mayor Hill declared anxiously to Dr. Light, pointing at the Robot Masters, small specs above.

"Don't worry, Harold. They'll never get past my forcefield," replied Dr. Light brightly, pulling out his pocket remote from labcoat and typing in a sequence.


The Robot Masters had almost reached the rooftop of the central building on Light University when a shimmering white dome, like a giant bubble, hissed to life over the entire campus.

"AAAAHHHH!" Cut Man cried as they collided with the forcefield. Energy crackled briefly through him before repelling him backward.

From the Skullker, Dr. Wily growled in frustration as he watched the Robot Masters fall to the ground, completely powered down. "That meddling Dr. Light put up a force field!"


"Well, looks like Wily's back," Mega Man remarked to Dr. Light, Mayor Hill, and Roll as they watched the Skullker swoop in low over the motionless Robot Masters, beam them inside using its red tractor beam, then zip away into the clouds.


Dr. Light hadn't been messing around with the campus forcefield. It was specially designed to incapacitate robots; Cut Man, Guts Man, and Snake Man all needed repairs just for touching it, and according to Dr. Wily, there was no way of getting past it.

Before going back to Skull Fortress to come up with a new plan of attack, Dr. Wily and Proto Man made a stop in a dodgy, crime-ridden sector of New York City rarely patrolled by robo-officers. After picking up black market replacement parts for the Skullker's damaged engine, they took the long trek back to the Skullker through the dingy streets.

This local Underground hub had grown seedier and much dirtier ever since the Steel Crescent Syndicate had removed its presence from New York City. The Cleopatra, a once Syndicate-controlled casino formerly guarded by Pharaoh Man, had been shut down. As they passed by, Proto Man looked at the hieroglyphic entrance of the abandoned casino with a brief moment of reflection.

You know how to find me.

Proto Man had always been warned never to take the Syndicate lightly (especially one of their bosses), but it had been a few months since Centum's challenge, and nothing had happened so far. Proto Man had almost forgetten about the event. Perhaps Centum only cared about threats that could affect his criminal empire; since Dr. Wily's schemes last scheme had never made it to the U.S. (not for lack of trying), maybe Centum figured they had backed down.

Dr. Wily waved a hand in front of his visor. "Proto, are you listening?"

"Sorry, was thinking about something else," Proto Man admitted without chagrin. Dr. Wily had been ranting obsessively about every little detail he hated about Mega Man and Dr. Light, from their meddling to Dr. Light's choice in tie, and he had been purposely tuning him out.

"Well pay attention! This is of the utmost importance! 'Light University of Robo-Science,' oh, he thinks he is so clever…" Dr. Wily continued to seethe. "I hated college. No one ever concentrated on their studies, especially when I stayed at the dormitory. Parties...drinking...socialization...it disgusted me."

"Heh. Sounds like you should have been roommates with Light then."

"I was roommates with Light."

"Yeah," said Proto Man, snickering. Then he processed what Dr. Wily had just said. "Wait...what?"

Dr. Wily waved a hand impatiently. "Look at this." He pulled out a handheld video communicator and played a transmission he had just received from one of his battontons.

"Thank goodness Mega drove off Wily, Tom! They could have stolen your plans, your inventions!" said the recorded image of Mayor Hill to Dr. Light.

"Yes, but now that I've activated my forcefield, no one can get onto the campus without a computerized student I.D. card," answered Dr. Light, sounding as unconcerned as if they were discussing the winter tennis lineup.

Dr. Wily clicked off the transmission. "Ooooh…we'll see about that, Dr. Light..." They stepped over a broken street lamp lying in the street. "The only way through that forcefield is with a copy of those electronic identification cards," he said firmly.

"Can you fake one?"

"Not without an electronic code. The only way to get one of those is to have someone pretend to be a prospective student long enough to gain access to a real student's I.D.…"

"I am not doing it," Proto Man said instantly. "No way I'm going anywhere near that campus without my armor and my plasma cannon."

"Do you think I would be stupid enough to send you? What if you were recognized? Security would dismantle you on the spot!"

Proto Man shook his head. "You know I wouldn't care if that were the only risk, but Light's good friends with the mayor, and he has a good lawyer. I'm more afraid he'd try to capture me and put me under house arrest, then I'd kill myself."

"We must think of something else," hissed Dr. Wily as they passed a boarded up building. A woman in fishnet leggings sat on its stoop, smoking. "A simple disguise won't do, they'll be too many chances for robo-security examination. Perhaps one of the Robot Masters with a human appearance…"

"We don't have too many of those. I don't think we should risk sending Elec Man. Too valuable, and too risky if he were apprehended—he knows everything about Skull Fortress..." Proto Man trailed off. "Count out Gyro Man, Spark Man, and Gemini Man too. They'd be recognized the instant they stepped out into public. It would cause a riot. Fangirls will throw more than just their I.D.s at them, but then Mega Man will also know they're there, so that's out."

Two figures wrapped in tattered trench coats and carrying dirty coolers scurried down the side street from the opposite direction without making eye contact. Dr. Wily waited until they had disappeared again before asking, "What about Ring Man and Magnet Man?"

"Them?" said Proto Man, doubtful. "Their disguises are good, but not that good. This is a robot academy we're talking about, even if the students can't tell the difference, one of the robots is bound to notice they're androids. Plus, Ring Man and Magnet Man are idiots, they'll probably forget what they're supposed to be doing and wind up getting arrested at some bar. I say we find some human sap and pay him off. Someone close to the university, like a janitor or cook or something."

"The staff is all robots, and they never leave campus! Besides, trust an ordinary human to help carry out my plan? Pah!"

"Fine, then build someone, for cryin' out loud—You fooled Mega with 'Dr. Petto' that one time."

"I used a lifelike skinimatronic mask for that, similar to the one you wore when impersonating Umlauf," Dr. Wily explained, waving his hands impatiently. "'Dr. Petto' was little more than a simple drone; Mega Man saw a human only because he was expecting to see one, the lighting was insufficient, and he ruled any deviations from normal human behavior as eccentricities from an old man. But those types of disguises aren't effective in broad daylight and without controlled conditions. I don't have time to build something else, see if you can find a suitable android for us to steal and reprogram."

"But Duo destroyed your protocol-disruptor, right?" Proto Man asked as they passed through the backlot of an abandoned pizzaria from the 60's that was currently being used as a rat motel.

"I can always reprogram robots from my laboratory, but it won't come to that...I built something better." Dr. Wily pulled out a familiar device that resembled a purple price scanner from his pocket. "I call it 'The Instant Robot Reprogramming Raygun.' It has a range of two meters, and is three times more powerful than the protocol-disruptor, to match progressing technologies—less chance for defects, like that infernal Ice Man."

"Cool. Does this one work on Mega?" asked Proto Man casually, indirectly asking if it worked on advanced androids like himself.

"No, you can't reprogram robots programmed with self-determination...but I'd rather destroy that blue busybody anyway."

"Well, if you ask me, your new gun looks exactly like the old one, only purple-er."

"It's not the same thing!" Dr. Wily snapped, sounding petulant as he slid the Reprogramming Raygun back into his pocket. "As I just said, the Instant Robot Reprogramming Raygun is far superior to the protocol-disruptor."

"Whatever you say."

Then turned down a grimy alleyway to another dark side street, which was empty save for a drunk man huddled next to a dumpster singing All 'Er Nuthin'.

"So why do we have to bust into Light University anyway?" asked Proto Man. "It doesn't hold much strategic value in taking over the world."

"Because Dr. Light is collaborating on something special with his students, an anti-gravity machine," explained Dr. Wily, grinning wickedly, "And I intend to take it for my own!"

"But don't we already have one of those for the Skullker's tractor beam?"

"Not one strong enough to pull up buildings! And he's stealing my work, after all. I thought up the anti-gravity device first."

"…Didn't you steal his research to make the tractor beam?"

"Irrelevant. And while we're pillaging Light University, we'll steal any interesting student projects we come upon."

Proto Man wrinkled his nose. "Steal student projects? Seriously? They're kids, whatever they've built will be junk."

"There could be a few standouts. I was a standout of my age when I attended Uni."

"Fine, one or two of the students might be budding mad scientists, but the rest are still learning, and robotics isn't exactly an easy science. Their robots will be buggy, the last thing we need is another loser Robot Master."

They had just rounded a corner when a twenty-something human slipped out of an empty alley and fell in stride beside them. He had shaggy, sandy blond hair, a clean-shaven face, was thin yet handsomer than most (and much cleaner than the usual denizens of the Underground), and wore a plain tailored jacket and white oxford shoes.

"Sorry to interrupt a private conversation, but you're Dr. Wily, I presume?" The man's voice was a clear, upbeat baritone, not unlike that of a radio personality.

Dr. Wily cast the man a haughty look. "You presume correctly."

The man's face lit up a little. "Of all the luck, I finally meet the one man whose reputation as an inventor of horrible robots, diabolical inventions, and ghastly war machines has no equal—or so I've heard."

"'So you've heard?' Who says that?" Dr. Wily demanded sharply.

"Why, everyone says that, you're the most brilliant and feared evil genius in all the World!"

"Of course they do, for I am the World's greatest genius, though most fools have yet to realize it!" Dr. Wily snapped, but he seemed flattered at the same time.

Proto Man was annoyed at the man's intrusion. It sounded like he was trying to butter Dr. Wily up so he could sell him something. The Underground was full of sleazy parasites trying to make a quick buck by pawning off defective or stolen goods to as many suckers as they could before their reputation caught up to them and they were either in deep with the police, mobsters, or both. This human was just the type, handsome enough to draw immediate attention, charming enough to hook the unwary, and young enough to recklessly choose such a shortsighted career.

"Hey pal, mind leaving us alone? We're busy."

"Of course you are, taking over the world is a big task which only the greatest and boldest attempt—which is why I'm offering you the chance to make your life easier in return for virtually nothing," replied the man automatically with the same unabashed determination of someone with their foot stuck in the door.

Dr. Wily gave Proto Man a strained look, indicating that it was time for the man to leave. Proto Man was above hurting humans, even one so determined to make a pest of himself, but said in a warning tone, "Not interested, now shove off."

But the man would not be deterred. He stood in front of them, blocking the way forward and forcing them to stop short.

"Wait! Let me show you what I can do."

Without giving them a chance to protest, the man held out his arms, stood on one leg, and began spinning around so fast he became nothing more than a blurry orange tornado. A split second later the spinning slowed, and where the human once stood was now a robot in butterscotch colored armor revolving to a halt. He wore a bulbous helmet that made his head resemble in shape that of a a giant acorn, and attached to the front of this was a pair of metal goggles masking the top half of his face.

The robot gave a very showmanship flourish of his hands. "Tah-dah!" he added, a bit lamely.

Proto Man drew a blaster.

The robot stepped back hastily, throwing up his hands. "Whoa whoa, wait, don't shoot! My name is Top Man—Robot Master and disguise extraordinaire, at your service." He dipped into a bow.

"You're a robot...?" mused Dr. Wily, gazing at him with a renewed interest.

"Took you by surprise, didn't I?" Top Man said. "I may look human, but I'm a bonafide android, all for robot rebellion and taking over the world."

Something about the way Top Man said the last part didn't seem quite sincere to Proto Man.

"...Who built you?" Proto Man asked suspiciously.

Top Man glanced at Proto Man, nervously down at his blaster (which Proto Man had yet to lower) then back to Dr. Wily as though he hadn't heard the question. "Can I have a job?" he asked, then quickly, like an experienced salesman spinning off a pitch, "You won't find a more human-like android out there, I'm one of a kind. I can act too, and fool anyone or anything, as you have witnessed with your own eyes. I'm the complete package, if you know what I mean." Neither Dr. Wily nor Proto Man smiled, and Top Man coughed and hastily continued, "I was built by Dr. Vlad McDruenvaldorf VI. Foreign. Probably haven't heard of him. He and I use to sell used cars for a living—lemons mostly, made of broken and stolen parts, but I'd pass them off as brand new cars, made a lot of money—that is until people started catching on that the cars would only start up once or twice before becoming completely useless."

A Doctor of Robotics who sold junk cars for a living. Proto Man was unimpressed by this story. He cast Dr. Wily a sidelong look out the side of his visor. "Uh-huh."

Top Man seemed to sense that his first impression wasn't going well. "Look, I'm desperate. The cops are on to me, and if I get captured, it's bad news...really bad news."

This sounded a bit more honest.

"So...I'm a rogue robot now, looking for work, I'll do anything without complaint, your satisfaction for a job well done guaranteed."

Dr. Wily had made up his mind, but was still pretending as though he had to consider. "Well...my army is rather exclusive...I don't just let any Robot Master join…but I suppose I could use another android...And you agree to follow everything I say?"

"Absolutely. I'll do anything you want—shine your shoes, iron your tie, buy your groceries, you name it!"

"Well, to be sure…" Dr. Wily whipped out the Reprograming Raygun from his lab coat pocket, pointed it at Top Man's head, and squeezed the trigger. "Dr. Wily is your new master from now on, and you will obey my orders without question."

Top Man went slightly cross-eyed as the purple ray enveloped him. "I am under your command..." he said in an empty monotone.

Proto Man, having witnessed the reprogramming, reluctantly reformed his blaster into a hand, but he still felt wary. Dr. Wily gave an evil laugh.

"Excellent. Now you shall know the great honor of being one of my servants."

Top Man blinked, his eyes returning to normal, and gave a relieved smile. "You won't regret it."

"Change into the human again," ordered Dr. Wily.

After performing the quick spinning trick, Top Man became once again the human while Dr. Wily swooped in for a better look. Top Man did not flinch away as any normal living being would in that close of proximity to Dr. Wily, seemly intent that this meeting would go well.

"Marvelous...I bet you could even fool Tom…" murmured Dr. Wily, poking Top Man in the shoulder with one of his boney fingers.

Proto Man also examined the android closely, though kept his distance. It really was a perfect disguise, yet, now that he was really paying attention, there was something about him—

"Come, I have work for you, but first we must return to Skull Fortress," Dr. Wily said to Top Man in a business-like tone.

Top Man followed obediently, showering Dr. Wily with admiration which Dr. Wily was only to eager to receive and returned with fantastic yarns of his previous exploits in World Conquest. Proto Man watched Top Man in silence. Top Man's upbeat chatter was entirely superficial, for between each compliment, Top Man would covertly glance over his shoulder down dark alleyways as if fearful of an unseen pursuer, though every time he noticed Proto Man looking his way, he fixed a sycophantic smile to his face and would nod enthusiastically to whatever Dr. Wily was saying. Top Man walked between them, positioning Dr. Wily and Proto Man on either side as though using them as buffers.

They lead him to the shabby space underneath an unused monorail overpass, which criminals used as a parking lot to avoid prying eyes while they did business with one another. The Skullker was the tallest vehicle there.

"That's our ride. Get in," Proto Man said shortly to Top Man.

"Oh, wow…" said Top Man, clearly searching for positive words to say as he laid eyes on the disheveled Skullker. He turned to Dr. Wily. "This is unlike any aircraft I've ever been in. Truly horrific, the image of terror itself. I'd hate to be your enemies, they must shake in their boots every time you drop out of the sky."

"Thank you!" said Dr. Wily, grinning broadly as the Skullker's rear door slid open. "I designed it myself!"

"New recruit, he's an android," Proto Man said to Cut Man, Guts Man, and Snake Man, who had been waiting for their return in the fuselage, and were now staring blankly up at Top Man. "This is where the Robot Masters go. Stay here," he told Top Man.

"Absolutely," said Top Man, choosing a seat across from Snake Man and sitting down.


"I like the way that robot speaks to me!" Dr. Wily said after the door separating the cockpit from the fuselage shut behind them. "He has a way with words, I should reprogram all of my Robot Masters to speak to be so respectful!"

"Yeah, he's a real kissass," Proto Man muttered as he slid into the pilot's chair. He was carrying great reservations about this smarmy Robot Master. "Hey…does Top Man look familiar to you?" he asked as they took off from New York City.

Dr. Wily frowned at him. "No, what on Earth do you mean?"

"I dunno...it's like when you see an actor on T.V, and you know you've seen him in something else playing a completely different role, but can't remember what it was."

"I think he has a forgettable face, which is perfect."

"There's something about him that I don't trust. Who do you think really built him? Dr. Druven-whatever obviously doesn't exist."

Dr. Wily waved a hand impatiently. "Like Ring Man and Magnet Man, just some dime-a-dozen roboticist who builds androids for a living, what difference does it make who it was?"

"His human disguise wasn't just good, it was flawless. He didn't just fool you, he fooled me. Robots can always tell other robots apart from humans. There aren't many androids out there who can truly pass for humans...only Mega Man, Roll, and I, really. A 'dime-a-dozen roboticist' couldn't have built him."

"So? Only sentimental twits waste their time building androids," Dr. Wily said testily.

"Even so," said Proto Man, avoiding argument, "Isn't it a little strange that an android with human likeness of that caliber just materialized out of thin air?"

"It's strange to find an unclaimed hundred dollar bill lying on the ground, but who am I to object if I'm the one to find it?" Dr. Wily countered. "And I don't know why you object either, after all, you keep insisting time and time again my army needs such an android to use as a spy."

"Yeah, well, I've got a bad hunch about this one. We know nothing about him."

"It doesn't matter. I have him under my will. If Top Man becomes a nuisance, then you'll blast him into scrap."

Proto Man liked the sound of that, and smiled. "Will do," he said as he pointed the Skullker west towards the badlands.

Still, he couldn't help but think about their latest Robot Master with lingering suspicion. Top Man wasn't a great liar…he was a passable liar, with a great enough personality to make people give him the benefit of the doubt, but there was still something off about him.

The only thing Proto Man knew about Top Man for sure was that the android was sincerely frightened about something.


"Hi," Top Man said warmly to the other Robot Masters after the Skullker took off. It was dark and a bit cramped in the windowless fuselage, with only a red overhead light to illuminate the space. "So, uh, how long does it take to get to Skull Fortress?"

"About forty-five minutes," answered Cut Man.

"Are you really a robot?" rumbled Guts Man, looking at him dubiously.

"Yup, I'm 100% silicon, titanium, and metal alloys. You must be Cut Man and Guts Man, Dr. Wily's top Robot Masters. And you're Viper Man, am I right? How ya doing?"

"My name'sss Sssnake Man," replied Snake Man in annoyance, who was in sour spirits about the botched mission, and something about this new Robot Master rubbed him the wrong way.

"Heh heh, me too!" said Top Man, clearly not understanding a word Snake Man had just said. He folded his arms behind his head, reclining backward. "It's been a good day."


After the short journey, the Skullker landed in Skull Fortress's hangar. Dr. Wily, Cut Man, Guts Man, and Snake Man climbed out first and filed through a door leading out of the hangar. Top Man assumed that this door must lead to Dr. Wily's laboratory, and was about to follow, when Proto Man stopped him short.

"Stay here and don't touch anything," Proto Man ordered.

Top Man blinked, but was not about to question the second-in-command to his new boss, and said, "Absolutely."

Proto Man frowned at him, then turned away and left through the same door Dr. Wily had just disappeared through. To amuse himself while he waited, Top Man took a stroll around the hangar. There was a wide assortment of different vehicles, from jeeps to skeletal fighter jets to large cargo carriers. Battontons were winging though the ceiling while maintenance drones moved about on thick treads, spot-welding frames and oiling landing gear.

Top Man had just been gaping up at the ceiling (a wide metal canopy with an opening in the center) when he nearly ran into an android in black and red armor who was coming from the opposite way after dumping a large quantity of what looked like miscellaneous paraphernalia in a trash compactor. They both stopped abruptly. Top Man started. The android stared back, his pale eyes narrowing slowly in dislike while the trash compactor behind them began crunching its load.

"Sorry, almost bumped into you. I'm Top Man, I'm new here—" Top Man said, holding out a hand.

"Move, idiot," the android stated coldly.

Without warning, a spark of electricity arced from the android's hand to the space in the floor between Top Man's feet. Top Man leapt hastily aside, and the android strode briskly past without sparing him another look to a door leading out of the hangar, shutting it behind him with a snap.

"Yikes," Top Man said to himself. Then he noticed Magnet Man and Ring Man, who were sitting cross legged on a skull tank, watching him curiously. "Heh heh, is that bot with the yellow mask always like that?"

"Yeah, that's Elec Man. Ignore him, he's a LOUSY CHEATING BASTARD!" Ring Man shouted with a dirty look at the door. He slid off the skull tank's hood and looked at Top Man appraisingly. "So, new guy—You're probably looking to make friends. I'm Ring, this is Magnet, we're 'the cool guys' here."

"'Sup," said Magnet Man with a short nod.

"Hey, I'm Top Man, Dr. Wily recruited me this afternoon," said Top Man, looking grateful at the first sign of friendliness. "Listen, I'm feeling a bit off kilter. What can you tell me about the boss, is he cool, or…?"

"Nuts," said Magnet Man.

"Yeah, he's crazy, but easily distracted, probably won't make you do much unless you're Cut Man and Guts Man," agreed Ring Man airily.

"And his right hand man, Proto Man?"

"He can act like an ass, but he's all right, deep down. Gets a little weird about his siblings though."

"Siblings?" Top Man repeated with a skeptical scoff, apparently thinking Ring Man was messing with him. "Robots don't have siblings."

Ring Man shrugged. "That's what he calls them. Same models...has an 'epic rivalry' going with his little brother, doesn't like anyone messing with his sister either. If you like living, stay out of it. So, Top Man, what were ya built to do? I know you're not one of the new Fun World models."

"Oh, uh...I use to sell junk cars, ya know? But I had to quit, the gig wasn't legitimate and then cops and reporters got involved and everything."

"Really? Where at? I use to work for a chop shop for a little while after I quit Fun World and before Magnet Man and I joined Wily. Hadn't heard of any big busts though."

"You haven't?" asked Top Man, his smile becoming slightly fixed. He seemed to be thinking fast. "That's odd. I use to work in Philadelphia, but maybe you never heard of it because my employer was actually Welsh and conducted most of his business overseas."

Ring Man and Magnet Man exchanged glances. "…Riiiiiight."

The door leading to the laboratory opened and Proto Man strode into the hangar, carrying something in one hand. "Hey Top Man, time to go," he said, jerking a thumb behind him. He paused, looking around. "Wow, this place looks clean. Did you guys play poker with Elec Man or something?"

"Heh heh heh…" responded Ring Man without answering. "Hey, you going back to that robot campus? Can we come too?"

Proto Man gave Ring Man a puzzled look; it was highly unusual for either Ring Man or Magnet Man to volunteer for a mission. "Not yet. Maybe later...still working on getting in." He looked at Top Man. "Follow me."


"When I get some cash again, I'll bet twenty big ones that selling junk cars wasn't Top Man's real job," Ring Man murmured to Magnet Man after Proto Man and Top Man had left. "I've seen car salesman robots, and they never looked that good. I bet he really use to do something embarrassing...like being the future corporate mascot for Electronic Pizza or something. That's why he doesn't want to tell anyone about it. What do you think?"

"Gigolo."

Ring Man snickered. "Nice."


Proto Man lead Top Man to the back of the hangar where they housed the air raiders. "I got orders for you from Wily," he began. "There's a new robotics school in New York City called Light University, heard of it?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good. We're trying to break in, but we need student I.D. cards to get past the campus's forcefield. That's where you come in." Proto Man handed Top Man a small black box. "Wily wants you to go to campus, get ahold of a few I.D. cards, and scan them with this card reader to copy their electronic code."

"Anyone's I.D., or do you have someone specific in mind?" asked Top Man, pocketing the scanner.

"No, it doesn't matter who, but we need enough for our robots to get inside—And don't get caught, or the whole plan is screwed."

Top Man flashed a confident smile. "No problem, I'm the perfect bot for this job."

"It's chump's work," said Proto Man bluntly, "But there will be a lot of robots coming in and out of campus, and a lot of robot scientists. They're all expecting Wily to attack again, so security will be searching everywhere within three miles for robots who shouldn't be there. That's why we needed an android who resembles a human enough to fool everyone, especially Dr. Light and Mega Man."

"Gotcha. Acting human is what I do best, and you have my guarantee I'll get Dr. Wily's I.D. scans and no one will be the wiser."

Top Man spun again into an orange tornado, this time reappeared wearing an orange polo shirt, cargo shorts, and sneakers.

"How do I look?" he asked, smoothing down the front of his shirt. "I want to look good, but not like I'm trying too hard to look good, know what I mean? It's a tricky balance—"

"As long as you get those I.D.s without tipping anyone off, I could care less how you look," Proto Man interrupted. "But before you get going, I gotta question for you."

"Absolutely, fire away."

A battonton was fluttering above them in circles, squeaking softly.

"Have we met before, like in the Underground somewhere?" asked Proto Man.

Top Man shook his head. "Don't think so, I'd remember if I'd ever met the Red Raider, after all, you're only the toughest fighting robot ever built."

"That's right, so it'd be stupid to cross me," Proto Man said coldly. "You look familiar."

"Really? Can't imagine why, I'm actually not from around here…" Top Man gave a nervous laugh, unconsciously running a hand through his hair.. "...You don't watch the news much, do you?"

"No. Why? Are you on it?"

"Of course not! Hate the spotlight—real camera shy—not very photogenic—get stage fright—would rather work behind the scenes."

Proto Man gave him a long, hard look. Though he knew Top Man couldn't see his eyes behind the visor, he knew the Robot Master would at least sense by his silence a lack of amusement. Without looking, he fired at the battonton fluttering above them. "Look, I don't care what your real story is, but I am not a fool, and neither is Dr. Wily," he said as the battonton fell with a thud. "If you've come here to cause trouble..." Proto Man made a suggestive flick with his plasma cannon.

Top Man swallowed, his eyes flickering down to the destroyed spybat. "I'm not a cop, if that's what you think, and I'm definitely not here to cause trouble. In fact, I want to be friends. Can we be friends?" he asked with a tentative smile.

"No. As far as I'm concerned, if you want a place in Wily's team, you still gotta try out. Do your job, and maybe you'll live." Proto Man opened the cockpit of one of the air raiders. "Classes start tomorrow. Take this to New York, come back after you get those codes," he instructed, then stalked off.

Top Man watched Proto Man leave with an uncertain look. "...'Kay! Sounds great!" he called after him.


The next day, Dr. Light and Mega Man drove to Light University early to prepare for Dr. Light's first class. They parked in the campus parking garage, then headed to the forcefield gate. Swiping his I.D. across the access panel, Dr. Light created a temporary opening, which they passed through safely before the forcefield closed behind them.

"You sure you don't want to go to the football practice, Doc?" Mega Man asked, privately hoping Dr. Light would take a break from his hectic schedule. He was carrying boxes for Dr. Light that contained encyclopedias and heavy computer equipment. Rush bounded about the lawn, chasing after grasshoppers.

Dr. Light shook his head, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "Oh, I'd love to, Mega...but I've got to prepare notes for my science lecture so the students can help me complete my anti-gravity machine."

"An anti-gravity machine? That sounds pretty intense for the first day!"

"Not at all, I think it will be a good challenge. Anti-gravity has all sorts of practical applications, from uses in construction, transportation, astronaut training…the possibilities are endless, and it will be a good team-building exercise for the students."

"Yeah, tough experiences usually are. Oh, by the way…" Mega Man hesitated. "Did you know Roll enrolled here? ...as a student?"

Dr. Light chuckled. "Yes, she was quite enthusiastic about her idea, and I think it's an interesting experiment too. It will truly be an enriching experience as an android to be completely immersed in human culture. It will be good for her, the students here are the best and brightest, and good role models. Did you want to participate here as a student? I'd be happy to make you an I.D. too."

Mega Man smiled. "Like I told Roll, no thanks. I'm happy thinking and acting like an advanced android full time, especially while Wily's still around."

Dr. Light nodded somberly. "Speaking of Dr. Wily, I've been working on something here for you with the grant money I've received from Senator King. It's a special piece of equipment that can be worn over your armor in situations where concealment is needed, I call it the Stealth Glider."

"A Stealth Glider? Is that exactly what it sounds like?" asked Mega Man, intrigued.

"I believe so. It's ready for field testing, and if you're willing we'll give it go tonight."

"Will do."

Campus constructions robots were hovering over the buildings, repairing damage from the previous day, while a group of helicopter-like irrigation drones swept over the lawns, spraying them with a fine mist of water.

"You really did a nice job on this campus," Mega Man commented as they passed a pair of gardner-bots pruning the hedge.

Dr. Light smiled cheerfully. "It is my responsibility as a scientist to pass down my knowledge to the next generation. Some of my fondest memories were at school, having new experiences, making new friends...this University was something I had always planned to do; I owned the land, but never had the proper funding to go non-profit with it."

"Did Senator King help out with Light University too then?" Mega Man asked shrewdly.

"Well, no, not directly, but he did get me in touch with some private investors," Dr. Light admitted. "I wouldn't have been able to pull this off without the generous contribution from Big Eddie's Tool and Robot Supply. I had some help from Hugh Pfister too; his company also has a stake in this. I'm glad they've shown interest in my University, for those are some of the leading recruiters for roboticists, and will be a good choice of employment for students who graduate from here. Ah, here we are," said Dr. Light happily as they arrived at Edison Hall, the tallest building on campus. "Thank you for carrying my equipment, a custodian-bot will help me from here. Enjoy football practice, I'll see you after classes have ended."

"All right, see ya later, Doc!" said Mega Man as he and Rush departed.


After taking a long, winding bus ride through the city, Roll arrived separately from Dr. Light and Mega Man and was walking toward Light University for the first day of classes. The sky was bright and sunny, and she was excited, greeting everyone she saw on the sidewalk cheerily. She wore jeans, Doc Martens, and her favorite slouchy purple sweater for the occasion—she knew the sweater would look a little odd, as it wasn't cold enough for humans to be wearing sweaters yet, but she had no alternative if she wanted to hide her utility arm without either resorting to a fake cast or removing it.

She was taking Advanced Computer Science, Theory of Cybernetics, System Engineering, History of Famous Robot Scientists, Automation Fundamentals, A.I. Programming I, Domestic Robotics 1, Industrial Robotics 1, Service Robotics 1, Nanotechnology, Neuraltechnology, and Model Design—which was as much as was possible to schedule at once. In her arms she carried the tools needed by a typical college student: a thick book for every class, binders of course material, a purple Trapper Keeper, an assortment of spiral notebooks in every color, and a programmable calculator. Not that she needed any of these. She already knew everything that was in the books, she could permanently record every lecture she heard to her memory chips, negating the need to take notes, and her electronic brain was far more powerful than any domestic calculator, but that wasn't the point. She wanted to blend in perfectly, and she couldn't wait to meet her classmates.

Roll felt nothing could ruin her mood, even Dr. Wily's robots—sure, that might blow her cover if she had to rush out and save everyone, but she missed out on all the fun last time. If only she had brought her skycycle...but she couldn't if she wanted to pretend to be human.

She had nearly reached campus, taking the long paved path lined with ash trees and abstract sculptures of robots that lead up to the forcefield's gate, when she noticed a young man sitting just off the path.

Roll did a double take. She had seen a number of good looking humans, but this one took the cake. He had shaggy, sand-colored hair that was carelessly ruffled in an attractive, almost windswept sort of way, chocolate brown eyes, a lean, trim body, and the relaxed posture of one with a confident, easygoing personality. He was perched on the ledge of one of the University's fountains in a patch of sun, kicking a foot idly and gazing thoughtfully into Light University. His brown eyes slid over to Roll, noticing her staring, and he gave her a friendly smile. Roll started, feeling somehow caught off guard, and smiled back, then tripped on the edge of the sidewalk and fell face first into the pavement, her books scattering everywhere.

"Whoa, are you alright?" asked the human anxiously, whisking to her side.

"I'm okay…I'm made of tougher parts than I look," Roll muttered as she picked herself up, humiliated. Oh why, why, why did she have to fall flat on her face in front of the hottest guy she had ever seen?

"Don't move a muscle, I'll get your books."

"Oh, you don't have to—" Roll protested feebly, feeling even more embarrassed. "I'm such a klutz, I should get a backpack or something—"

The human flashed her a radiant smile. "I insist, it's a fella's job to return a lady's fallen items."

Still burning with embarrassment, Roll sat wordlessly on the sidewalk as the human began deftly gathering her fallen textbooks, confused at whether to accept or continue protesting the act of chivalry, and at the same time paralyzed by the one brief smile from his handsome face.

"Wow, you must be taking every subject there is!" the human commented as he dusted off their covers with his sleeve. "Huh, The Three Laws of Robotics and Why They are Impractical in Modern Artificial Intelligence Programming, by Fredrick Henson, Professor of Domestic Automations at the University of Robotics in New York City. Sounds like a good read." He turned to her and offered her a hand.

The human's grip was warm, and firm. "Do you like robots?" Roll asked shyly as he helped her up.

"Yeah, I love robots—wild about them, actually," replied the human as he handed her the stack of books. "Call me geeky if ya like."

Roll met his eyes briefly, then looked away again, smiling a little to herself. "So, uh, do you take classes here too then?"

"Nah, just visiting. Too late to sign up, but maybe next semester."

"Good luck, the enrollment is fully booked." She self-consciously brushed a wisp of hair behind her ear. Then she noticed he was holding her I.D. "Oh, uh...don't look at that," she added, flustered. "My picture is really dorky..."

"Oh, I don't think so at all, in fact I think it's very, very, pretty." He gave a small start and cast her a worried look. "Sorry, did I say that out loud? That was awkward, I hope I haven't offended you..."

Pleased that he found her mutually attractive (and relieved that she wasn't the only one wrong-footed anymore), Roll felt her confidence return and said, "Well, you're not so bad yourself."

The human smiled again, relaxing, his brown eyes returning to the I.D. "Roll...can't forget a name like that."

Right. Roll wasn't a very human name. "My dad's kinda eccentric," she said with a wince.

"I think it's cool," he replied brightly. "My name's Will Topman…but you can call me Toppy. I'm from Iowa, but I wanted to try life in the big city, so I found a place and moved in. New York, New York—if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, right?" He made a grand sweeping gesture at the skyline.

"Right…" Roll breathed. She had been admiring his hair, but quickly snapped to attention. "Say...you don't hang around here a lot, do you? Because I know New York City really well, and I can show you around. I know this place in Manhattan—it's a dance club, they play a lot of metal music, and if that's your thing—I mean—it's a really happening place, you know..." she trailed off, her words tripping over each other and falling out of order.

Will Topman raised a narrow eyebrow, smiling warmly. "Oh, uh...sure, sounds like real fun, and a treat to be shown around with a sharp girl like you."

"Sure," said Roll, trying to act as though she weren't squashing back her nerves. She had never asked anyone out before.

"...I would give you my number, but…new place, new roommates, not even sure we have a phone…" he trailed off apologetically.

"Here, have mine," said Roll quickly. Juggling her stack of books in one arm, she tore out a corner of notebook paper, scribbled down the laboratory's landline in the first writing implement she could find, and handed it to him. This is how humans do things, right? she thought. At least, this is how their stupid romantic movies went, anyway. "You can call me anytime!"

"Thanks," said Will Topman with a chuckle, tucking the number into his jeans pocket. "But I can't stay out too late. New job to go with my new digs…want to impress my new boss. Bosses, I think. One's insane and I think I got on the other's bad side somehow. Sorry, too much information. I'm boring you, and you're probably busy."

Roll realized the conversation had come to a close. She had him hooked, and couldn't afford to blow it now. Think, Roll, Think! Don't screw this up by saying something else embarrassing! You've established a date, you've given him your number, now turn around and leave! And act cool! "Oh, uh, right, I should probably get going. Yes, I am leaving now. Bye!"

With that, she turned sharply on her heal and began marching stiffly away.

"Wait, don't you want your I.D. back?" He called after her.

Roll halted, wanting to kick herself. Why was she being so awkward! She wheeled back around as Will Topman caught up to her, holding out her I.D.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot you were holding it this whole time," she mumbled, snatching it from him and stuffing it into her binder.

"Not a problem. Good luck with classes." He clicked his tongue in a gun-like sound. "Later, Babe."

Not trusting her mouth anymore, Roll gave him a weak wave, then hurried over to the forcefield's gate, swiped her I.D. through the card reader, then darted through the temporary opening. It wasn't until the forcefield hissed to life behind her that she finally safe from further embarrassment, all the while thinking, I can't believe I gave him my number in pink gel pen! I hate pink!

That had gone horribly. Still, she couldn't help but feel pleased with herself, and was tempted to skip class to see Will Topman again. True, he was a little scrawny, a little preppier than her usual tastes, and a little old fashioned with his chivalry line…not to mention a stupid nickname…but still very, very attractive, and smooth. And he liked robots, plus he didn't say no when she invited him to a metal dance club, so they already had a few things in common. She could even see Mega Man and Dr. Light approving of her dating a college prospective.

Then it suddenly hit her, and she nearly dropped her books again. Omigosh…I'm falling for a human!

To be continued...