Chapter Text
The flames leapt at his feet, his hands tore at the soil. The steam emitting from his body veiled him like an apparition. Jeff replayed the crash in his mind, over and over, attempting to analyse all possibilities, but there were none. As the fire's glow flicked his glasses, he stared at the unfeasible. Its existence was impossible, let alone its survival. Jeff was too smart to have hope.
“Stop the bus!” Ness squeezed through the bus' doors before they'd fully opened. “The fire's spreading; we've gotta help!”
Lucas promptly followed, shading his nose and mouth from the smoke. “But what if it's dangerous?” His best friend's safety was always of the utmost importance.
“Buzz Buzz wasn't dangerous!” He turned to Lucas, sprinting, his sneakers striping the field with each stride.
Aught but confusion crossed Lucas' mind. Did he just say... Buzz Buzz?
The pair closed in on what crawled from the collision, which was now still. Its body was steaming, coated in metal and dotted with red hot flecks. Ness took hold of its hands without a second thought. It was unresponsive, but the sheer heat of the metal caught him off guard. “Ah!” Ness wiped his hands down his shorts. “Help me drag it away!” Lucas bent down to hold a hand, but a warning froze him abruptly. “Whoah, man! Watch that, it's hot!” Ness' outreach shielded Lucas' palms from its hands. The field's icy air cooled the metal rapidly. The redness of its plating dulled into its silhouette, deserting the boys' faces in the darkness.
They dragged the deadweight out of harm's way. “Is this one of those robots you were talking about?” Lucas inquired. He and Ness had almost reached the bus before they felt hefty fingers outstretch from its wrists.
“Ah!” They shouted in unison, loosening their grip in fright. “What the hell?” Ness thought aloud as the figure struggled to lift itself from the ground. It shrunk back into the dirt in a smouldered mess. Sparks trailed from its limbs like fireflies.
A static groan emerged before it stood up straight. Its voice, akin to that of a young boy, was dazed: “Ugh... Where am I?” Light wavered from two round screens on his face, which flashed on and off in his struggle. Once he had stabilised, the lights emitting from his countenance seemed to resemble eyes.
Lucas cupped a hand around his wrist as he mustered the bravery to try communicating with the android. His concern for safety voiced itself yet again. “Are you okay?”
“I am – I m-m-may be okay...” The boy stumbled in place, and shook as he stammered.
Ness' swinging hand had transferred to his bat as soon as he'd let go of the child. He cautiously rested an arm upon bent knees, discerning the boy. Before long, he leant back and crossed his arms. Ness had witnessed a fair share of robots; he didn't need the light of day to recognise that this boy was another one. All Lucas could see was the robot's malfunctioning eyes, blinking in trepidation.
Once disarray had dissipated, they turned and resumed walking to the bus. Its lights shone from the row of windows and reflected the boy's blueness, illuminating his company. Lucas' pace slowed when he noticed the boy's armour. With a striking blue sheen, it encased him like a cryogenic chamber. The blue shade about him faded once they approached the bus' doors. His headpiece struck a chord in Lucas' heart as they snapped open.
Jeff rubbed his eyes, disarranging his spectacles, and gaped at the newcomer. “You – You're Mega Man!” He marveled avidly, and knelt on his seat excitedly to face the robot, who had sat behind he and the Villager.
“Yes, what is your name?” Mega Man inquired, for he was anything but a tin god. His left eye switched off, and an abashed hand rose up to it.
The Villager faced him also, and chortled. “Oh, hello. I remember you from our last 'conference'!” He hindered, relishing in his recollection. Jeff looked on, patiently waiting for the Villager's moment of madness to cease. “I thought I'd broken you for the last time.” The menace loomed over Mega Man and cupped a hand upon his helmet. He clapped against it twice in torment.
“Thank you, citizen.” Mega Man blinked and smiled, for the impact had fixed his eye.
“My name is Villager, you worthless piece of scrap!” The Villager slumped back into his seat in scorn.
“Don't take any notice, Mega Man. I'm Jeff.” Jeff reinstated Mega Man's question, distracting himself from the Villager's scowl in the corner of his eye.
“Where am I?” Mega Man queried, for his database had sprawled in the sparks that randomly sprouted from his teared joints.
“We're on our way to Dr Andonut's laboratory as we speak. You'll be patched up in a jiffy. What on Earth happened back there?”
“It was... The bad man! He is a very, bad, man.” Mega Man's voice trailed in tremors. The panels encompassing his arm rose and fell in his search for the correct vocabulary. “WARNING! Return to battle!” He initiated his command in a sudden outburst. Gripping on the bus seat's bars to lift himself, a playback initiated. “Return to battle, must return to battle... Warning...”
The bus driver hollered over his shoulder. “Hey! Cut it out back there!”
And so they did. Ness and Lucas had been greatly fatigued, and were even more so after their heroic efforts. Each boy eventually relaxed, compromising their seats in all sorts of ways. All except Villager, who sat up, twiddling his thumbs in thought, with a permanent frown like a sticker under his nose.
The road before them trailed through the night. Dawn welcomed the bus to Winters. A glimmer of the sun seeped through the clouds. Their glow hazily lit the sky, and they parted from the centre, as if the light was digging itself out to clear a path for the snow. The white blanket of snow which led upon Winters was untouched. The road was the only uncovered ground to be seen for miles.
The gentle glow of morning greeted Jeff as he rubbed his eyes. He lifted his glasses up to his sleepy eyes and was daunted by the familiar sights around him. He accidentally knocked the Villager with his leg, who let out a hushed groan in response. “No, Isabelle. Take a vacation...”
“Guys, we've arrived! C'mon!” beamed Ness. “Rise an' shine!” He ruffled Jeff's hair, then fixed his own bedhead before flattening it under a red baseball cap. Stains had collected upon its peak, for it has been on more adventures than some of his fellow fighters.
Jeff sluggishly smacked his hand away and straightened his fringe. “Ness, I'm awake.” Once he stumbled to his feet, he observed the passengers. All but Mega Man exhaled condensed breath, each huff resembling the chilly clouds that loomed above.
Ness tapped his foot noisily in impatience. “I thought we were supposed to be goin' to Winters. Looks like we're in Threed right now with all these zombies lyin' around.” He quipped, laughing to himself. None of the boys were awake enough to find anything funny, let alone make jokes.
“Good morning, Ness.” Mega Man jolted upright. His eyes lit up in response to Ness' wake up call. “We have not arrived at our destination yet. Why are you so excited?”
“We're in Winters, duh! I was joking.”
Mega Man rose to his feet. His arm cannon sparked and roared to life. He approached Ness swiftly, placing a hand on his newfound comrade's shoulder. “You saved me.”
“Ah, it was nothin'-”
Mega Man focused on Ness sincerely and the Mega Buster whirred. “Tell me where the zombies are.”
Ness couldn't contain his laughter. “I dunno, man! They could be anywhere!” He bluffed through a crude chuckle. Mega Man proceeded to patrol the hallway, marching up and down with a determined grimace.
“Alright, boys! End of the line!” The bus driver announced, as he wrapped himself in a thick jacket to fend off the cold. The boys brushed past him and congregated on the snow.
Lucas shivered as the cold bit at his skin, despite being dressed accordingly. A tuft of blond hair framed the edge of his beanie. He rubbed gloved hands together and breathed into them, fog dispersing from his fingers.
Jeff drew in the air, cooling his lungs. It had dawned on him that an expanse of snowy hills led between the boys and their destination. “I'm fairly certain of the directions to my father's laboratory from here. We'll be there soon, as long as no one wanders off.” He professed, while facing Ness. He was too shy to circulate eye contact with the others. Breathing out failed to alleviate his fear of upcoming responsibility. Jeff sighed once more as he rubbed the mist from his glasses, masking the tension in his chest. He strode up the hill marking the start of their venture. The trek would be tough.