Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2011 4:11:04 GMT -5
((This is an AU fanfiction based primarily on The Quick and the Blue and other songs by The Megas.))
The wind.
He loved the wind.
He loved the feel of the wind on his face as he ran. As he ran across the plains and plateaus, outrunning horses and trains. He was faster than all of them, and he was free. He had been built for speed, and he adored life.
Though he didn't know many of his brothers that well, he still tried to visit them on occasion. They would often ridicule him and his choice of clothing, as well as his "pathetic" power. But he didn't care; they didn't understand how great it felt to race across the world.
"Hey Speedy," someone called out to him as he came to a halt in town. "You heard the news?"
Quickman grinned. "No, I was just over to visit one of my brothers. What's up? More horse thieves?"
What he loved more than anything else was chasing people down. Didn't matter if they were escaped prisoners, thieves, runaways— he chased them down and caught them all. In this town, HE was the law. No one could outrun him.
"Actually, it's about your brothers," the barkeep said, stepping out for a moment to switch the sign to "OPEN". "Sorry, mate… rough luck…"
Quickman tilted his head, feeling the large "V" welded there. "Whatcha mean, Pops? What's wrong? They up to trouble?"
"Nah, trouble's up to them, 'm 'fraid. Sorry, man. Your younger brother is dead."
Quickman felt an energy drop inside him, like a heart stopping for a moment. He took a step back. "Wh-what? No… that must be a misprint."
"They say it is the man in blue," the other commenter said mysteriously. "That 'e's makin' his way to take down all of Wily's creations."
Quickman frowned. "No… No, there must be some mistake. This isn't funny, guys."
"Sorry, Speedy. I wouldn't lie to you. Goodness knows you've dragged back enough crooks and broken up enough fights to be helpful to us all… we wouldn't lie to ya, mate."
He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "…There's some mistake."
And with that, he was off again.
-*-*-
He raced across the world, a serious expression on his face. He didn't stop until he reached the forest.
What he found horrified him.
It was all torn up; someone had forced their way through, firing off cannon fire.
"No… Woodman…!"
He was slow. He was careful. And with solemnity and care, he made his way to his brother's retreat.
There was nothing but charred remains from an explosion.
He dropped to his knees, stunned. "…No…" he whispered. "This… this can't be…"
-*-*-
He cleared up the clearing and spent the next few days helping remove as much of the remains of the explosion as he could. Unsure what to do with it, he placed it in the earth.
"I'm sorry, little brother… but at least now you can be with the forest you cared for so much…"
-*-*-
He returned to town worn out. He strolled in and sat down at the bar. "You were right."
"Our condolences, Speedy. You alright?"
"Yeah," he lied. "I'll be okay. Woodman's with the forest, now…"
"Take care of yourself, alright?"
"I'll be fine," he said, a little sharper now.
"What about the boy in blue?" one of the patrons said, swirling a drink in their hand.
"…Who, now?"
"The one who killed 'im. Didn't you hear? They say he's out to get you all."
Quickman scowled and closed his eyes. "My youngest brother wasn't… wasn't exactly the strongest. I don't think he'll get to anyone else. Besides… they wouldn't want me bothering them about such trivial things."
The patrons glanced at one another and were silent.
He stood. "…I need to go for a run. Anyone got any mail they want delivered?"
He was mercifully distracted as he was swarmed with letters and packages to deliver across the next few towns, all miles and miles apart from one another.
-*-*-
It was a few weeks later before trouble started again.
He came back from rounding up stray horses to see everyone all gathered around a radio.
"What's wrong, guys?"
"Shhh! Listen, Speedy!" one of them said, dragging him over as it was tuned.
The radio crackled and continued broadcast. "…uncertain if… survivors. Large damage to major parts of the city… Mayor believes…"
Static interrupted the message. Quickman swallowed. Survivors? What was going on?
"…caused by falling… from the sky. Remnants of a curious combination of planes, some parts dating back to World War II… earlier today in the crash site. Reports of… blue…"
Quickman jumped to his feet, deathly pale. "No…!" he whispered.
"Speedy, wait! You can't go there, it's da—"
But it was too late. Dust rose in his wake as he raced to the city.
-*-*-
He came to a halt in front of a crashed platform that tore up the road. Emergency personnel were running to and fro. Sirens wailed and police stood nearby interviewing witnesses. Dazed, Quickman strode over to speak to them.
"…And it was the strangest sight! He looked to be no more than a child! I don't know why these robots are all fighting each other, good sir, I say get rid of them all! Too dangerous, I say, officer!"
"Yes, ma'am, now just calm down… if you could say where you saw this boy…"
"Why, he came through not two days ago, askin' where the robot built from airplanes was. And I told him, I did, he shouldn't be messing with such a mean person way up in the sky, but no one listens to the adults these days, now do they…"
He was suddenly stopped by another police officer.
"Are you one of the other robots?"
Quickman backed off. "…Airman was my older brother. What happened to him?"
"Sorry sir, but we can't let you onto the scene."
"I have to know what happened to him! Please… the radio kept losing the signal!" he said, his voice rising.
"Sorry sir, but the stage in the sky came crashing down, and him along with it. The forensic boys have got all that's left now."
Quickman took a step back. "No… no…! How… how could this happen?!"
"They say it was a boy in blue…"
Quickman clenched his hands into fists. Without another word, he ran past them.
He ran through the city. Parts of his older brother's old home littered the landscape. Buildings completely destroyed, chaos everywhere. A siren wailed as a police car tried to chase him down.
"Idiot," he growled, taking off. "No one can catch me."
He ran and ran, but couldn't find any sign of his brother. When he came upon the broken platform that had been his brother's deepest retreat in the clouds, he halted. There was a clear char mark with shrapnel embedded in it.
Kneeling down, he reached over and gently took out a piece of metal. The paint was chipped and charred, but still identifiable.
Dark blue.
Airman was gone.
-*-*-
After outrunning the cops and racing off to the nearest cliff, he held the scrap over the edge as the wind howled. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Airman. I know you really hated when I came to visit, and were bitter… but you shouldn't have had to be destroyed like that."
He opened his eyes, letting the scrap go, blowing away in the wind that had been his brother's only friend. He held onto his hat and watched it fade from sight. "I wish there was more I could have done."
-*-*-
He spent the next week and a half racing across the lands, helping catch runaway cattle and horses, chasing down trains and delivering mail. He had almost forgotten when it happened.
In the middle of the night as he was running through a city on the way back home, there was a loud explosion that shook the ground. He looked up to see fire and metal raining from the sky on a nearby construction site. At once he ran over to see what was going on.
The construction was on fire, the screeching sound of metal hurting his head. Squinting against the fire, he could just barely make out what appeared to be a child running away, silhouetted by the flames.
"HEY!" he called out. "YOU OKAY?!"
Instead of responding, the boy kept running.
"HEY! WAIT!"
He prepared a burst of speed… only to trip flat on his face.
"What the…" he muttered, grabbing his ankle.
The look of annoyance quickly changed to one of horror.
He had tripped over a drill. And not just any drill…
"No…!" he cried out, picking it up. "Crashman…!"
-*-*-
He wasn't released until a few days later after it was confirmed that the explosion was caused by a fight between his brother and a young boy in blue. He returned home dejected, holding the drill in his hands. He walked into the bar and laid his head down on a table, staring off into the distance.
The barkeep walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey now, Speedy… you okay…?"
"He's gone…" Quickman said softly. "Crashman… he always loved construction sites. Loved demolition and construction. He would move around from place to place to find them. I guess the boy in blue hunted him down…"
"There there… You always said he didn't like the way he had been programmed…"
He put his head in his hands. "…My family… what does this boy have against us…? I don't understand…"
"You be okay, okay, Speedy? We wouldn't want you to get hurt."
Quickman looked up. "All the places he's been… that kid has destroyed! He's caused so much damage by killing my brothers…" He stood, putting the drill in a pouch on his belt. "I won't let him hurt any of you."
-*-*-
He spent the next while alone, digging through old maps to find where his remaining brothers lived. He visited them all once before he was satisfied to return home to town and get back to keeping order.
For the rest of the spring, his mind was occupied with chasing things down. And it suited him fine.
But the first sweltering day of summer brought more bad news.
-*-*-
He was delivering newspapers to people around town when he casually stopped to look at the title for himself.
"EXPLOSION IN FACTORY COSTS THOUSANDS IN DAMAGE"
Puzzled, he began to read further.
"Today in a manufacturing plant in the city, a mysterious explosion caused much of the place to be damaged or destroyed. Video retrieved remotely shows the cause of the damage to be the result of a fight between two robots; one built by Dr. Wily, the other by Dr. Light. While confirmation has been found of the destruction of the one known as 'Metalman'…"
He threw the paper down, screaming in rage and despair.
"AAAAUUUUUUUGH!"
Without another word, he was off to the city to see for himself.
-*-*-
Three days later, he returned home with a sawblade in his hands. Turning it over, he placed it next to the drill on his bedside stand. As he sat on his bed, he held his head in his hands, his hat covering his eyes.
The factory would not be rebuilt for months, but his brother… his oldest brother… he would never see him again.
"What is happening to us…?"
-*-*-*-
Wind.
He loved the wind.
He raced along the plains, trying to forget as the sun beat down. Pulling his hat over his eyes, he ran.
Half of them were gone. No one had caught the killer. The boy in blue…
Was it true…? Were they all going to fall one by one to a child?
"I won't let that happen," he growled, taking of to see his brothers again.
-*-*-*-
It took him a while to reach the residence of his only remaining older brother. It was an abandoned water park, a bit out of the way due to being located in an unusual and hard to reach place. Taking in a deep breath, he fervently hoped that he wouldn't run into anything that would make the dive his watery grave.
Swimming down, he made his way through the treacherous water maze and finally reached his brother's retreat.
"Something wrong, bro?"
"Bubbleman…" he replied, his voice strained. "You doin' okay?"
"You need to learn to chill, man. You've been to visit me like five times in the past… I dunno… few months or something."
"Our family is dying. I don't want to lose any more of you. We're all we have!"
"Aw, don't worry about it! He's just a kid."
"He's killed four of our brothers already!" Quickman snapped, distraught. "Your power is utterly ridiculous, you wouldn't stand a chance—"
That was when they heard it.
Explosions in the maze.
There was an intruder headed their way.
"What was that?! We have to get out of here!"
"Use the secret exit if you want, bro. I ain't leaving," Bubbleman scowled, glaring. "Ridiculous? I'll show you. I'll bring down this intruder."
"No! You can't! Come with me!"
"Get out of here, okay?! Just… just leave!"
Quickman was thrown into the exit, which slammed shut behind him.
"NO!" he shouted, pounding on it. "Bubbleman! Let me in!"
To his horror, he only heard sounds of explosions. They shook the building, until there was an ominous silence.
That was when the boy in blue came out the same exit holding his brother's mask.
For a moment, he only stood there, mortified.
"No…"
The last of his older brothers was gone. He was the oldest left.
His eyes suddenly glowed in rage, and the boy tried to run.
Within seconds, he caught him. He grabbed the boy and rammed him into the ground, wrenching his brother's mask from his grasp. "YOU!"
"Let go of me!"
"YOU MONSTER!"
"Let GO of me, or I'll—"
*BANG*
The boy looked next to his head, where a boomerang was lodged in the ground.
Quickman pointed his launcher right at his foe. "You… you monster. How many of them will you kill?!"
"They're evil!"
He picked the boy off the ground and slammed him into a wall, looking him in the eyes. "Listen to me, brat. You're causing immense damage. Everywhere you go, you leave destruction and DEATH in your wake! I won't stand for it, got it?!"
The boy glared at him but said nothing. He dropped him to the ground, putting his hands to the boomerangs at his sides. "Now GET! GET OUT!"
The boy didn't have to be told twice. He ran as fast as he could, far off into the distance.
Quickman turned the mask over in his hands, the glow fading from his eyes. Mournfully, he waded back into the water and placed the mask gently into the realm his brother had so greatly enjoyed. "I'm sorry, Bubbleman… I just wasn't good enough…"
-*-*-
Finding his next brother was harder. He had to paint himself with a special heat-resistant paint again before making his way to the volcano.
He scowled, uncomfortable in the extreme heat of the abandoned underground experimental research facility. "Why my brother chose to live in a cave…" he muttered as he ran along the walls, avoiding the lava below. "Stupid showoff… always around fire…"
It took him a while to navigate the treacherous lab, but he eventually found himself in his younger brother's deepest retreat. There, Heatman snoozed, his lid shut.
Quickman walked over and knocked loudly on the lid.
"Geez, man… give a guy a break, will ya?" came the muffled response.
"Heat… it's me, Quick. Wake up, it's important."
Heatman yawned as he opened the lid. After doing so, he looked less like a box and more like a lighter. "Yeah? What is it?"
"It's about the family."
"Does this have anything to do with your last few visits?"
"They're gone, Heatman…! This… this boy… he's like death to our family…! He's probably headed this way right now. We have to leave."
Heatman frowned. "You think someone other than us could make it here?"
They were answered by an explosion behind them. Quickman whirled around to see the boy in blue strolling through a hole in the wall.
"YOU,"[/b] he growled, reaching for his boomerangs.
"Quick?"
"What is it, Heat?" Quickman snapped as he prepared his launcher.
"Get out of here."
"No way!"
Cannon fire interrupted them.
Heatman set himself alight and raced past, sending fire at the boy. "Get out of here, brother! You can't take the heat!"
"HEATMAN, NO!"
Unable to fire without hurting his brother, Quickman was forced to race out of the volcano as fast as he could. Pausing to catch his breath, aching from the heat, he felt the ground tremble.
"…Oh snap."
He took off as fast as he could. He was barely out of range when the volcano erupted, lava oozing across the ground.
And in the distance, a small, boyish figure took off and ran.
-*-*-
Quickman wasted no time. The boy was getting faster and faster at an impressive rate. With a feeling of dread, he made out for the home of his last living brother. When he finally arrived at the icy cavern, he noticed with a feeling of dread that his prints were not alone.
The boy in blue was already inside.
Cursing, he carefully and slowly made his way through the icy cavern. "I hate this place," he muttered, keeping a careful eye out for the boy.
"Then what are you doing here?"
"Flashman!"
"Hello, older brother. Why do you keep coming back? I told you that you shouldn't visit me unless you had a good reason."
"Flashman," Quickman said, distraught, "you have to leave this place! That boy—"
"You mean MegaMan?"
Quickman blinked. "How do you—"
"Look… Quick? Get out of here."
"No! You don't understand! He's dangerous!"
"Maybe I can get him to see what he's doing wrong."
"He'll kill you!"
"Nah… no one can beat Time, bro."
"No one except Death…"
"Death doesn't wear blue."
Quickman thought back to all of his fallen brothers. "…I wouldn't be so sure."
BOOM.
There was a sound of something collapsing somewhere in the cave nearby.
"He's here."
"We have to leave!"
"No. I'm going to stand and fight. You go off and run like the coward you are."
He took a step back. Coward?! He knew Flashman disagreed with him, but this…! "…You're all I have left, Flash, and I won't let him take that from me!"
He ran forward to drag his brother off, but slammed to a halt.
Flashman lowered his stopper. "Get out of here, Quick. Don't try that silly running on me. I can stop you."
Unable to speak, Quickman watched in horror as the boy in blue stepped into the room.
Without another word, Flashman picked his brother up and threw him outside.
-*-*-
It took a while for the effects of the time stopper to wear off. By the time he picked himself up and stumbled back, the boy was gone, and the ice was charred from an explosion.
He knelt down on the ice, pushing away fallen rock and frozen water. Wordlessly, he picked up part of his brother's helmet. The helmet he never willingly removed.
For the first time…
…he was alone.
They were all gone. All dead.
He felt his inner machinery hum and whine as his system overclocked in despair and rage.
MegaMan would pay.[/b]
Holding the broken helmet close to him, he raced back to the place he used to be before he went into town.
If this was going to be the end, it would be on his own terms… not on that of a vigilante boy in blue.
He raced through the abandoned firing range, dodging lasers with ease. He finally reached the room where he had spent so much of his time. Smirking, looked around one final time, dropping something in his wake as…
…he ran out.
-*-*-
He returned to town that night, heading over to the bar. He took off his hat and laid it on his lap as he checked his wrist launcher.
The barkeep wandered over to him. "Speedy…"
"I'm sorry I've been gone so long, sir. Family issues."
"Is it that MegaMan?"
"Yeah… that's his name." There was a click as he closed the launcher again. "The one who killed all my brothers."
"…Quickman…"
"It's alright. I know I've been hiding here for too long. I guess I can't outrun Fate."
"It doesn't have to be this way, you know, Speedy. You don't have to leave."
"I won't. If I die, it'll be here. I love it here."
"Don't talk like that!"
"I'm sorry, sir… but he thinks we're evil." He placed two boomerangs in holsters at his sides. "He's killed them all… and he's coming for me next."
"We can help—"
"No. He's too strong for humans. And this… this is my fight. I fight him alone… for all my brothers. When he comes… either he dies, or I do. And that's the end of it."
With that, he pulled his hat over his eyes. "Now if you'll excuse me… I have some final respects to pay."
He walked out without another word.
-*-*-
That night, he took the last of his brothers over to the forest. There, where he had buried the remnants of Woodman, he placed Metalman's sawblade, Airman's propeller (which he had finally got from the forensics in the city), Bubbleman's flipper (which he had retrieved), Crashman's drill, Flashman's helmet, and a lighter with Heatman's name engraved on it. Kneeling down, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a boomerang, laying it next to the sad collection.
"I'm sorry, brothers… I tried…. The next time I see him, it's him or me." He pulled his hat over his eyes. "I won't fail you."
-*-*-*-*-*-
He spent the next few days on edge. The people in town noticed the change in him and kept their distance. He felt cold and cruel. Was this what he had been made for? This speed… was it meant to be used like this? He had been running all his life… and now he was making a stand. Something about that felt wrong.
He waited. And waited. And on the longest day of the year…
…MegaMan strolled into town.
-*-*-
He was sitting at the bar, going over a list of inventory to deliver to the next town when he heard screams outside.
"Now what could that be?" the barkeep said, reaching for his gun.
Quickman stood. "No need," he said calmly, placing the paper down. "Death has arrived."
"Quickman!"
"Don't worry, barkeep… this will be the end of it all."
He swung open the doors to the bar, stepping into the doorway.
There, coming right at him, was MegaMan. And boy, did he look furious.
"The man in blue has arrived!" he shouted out in warning.
"You TRICKED me!" MegaMan shouted, throwing a note at the ground. "You made me go through that dangerous firing range for no good reason!"
Quickman put his hands to the boomerangs in their holsters. "No good reason? Oh no. There's way too much at stake now. You killed my brothers. I wasn't just going to sit in that factory and wait for you to kill me."
A crowd started gathering around MegaMan, who still hadn't spotted him.
"What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?! What does that have to do with Wily's plan?!"
Quickman drew his boomerangs, narrowing his eyes. "Tell me, boy. Is what they say true? Does Death wear blue?!"
"Wha…?"
Quickman pushed his way through, the brim of his hat pulled over his eyes. His poncho fluttered in the wind, his boots clinking as he strode over. He knew that the townspeople all knew of his speed, but the boy did not. He couldn't say… not yet. It was his only chance; the element of surprise.
"… … …YOU!"
"So it dawns," Quickman said dryly.
A cold wind blew through the town despite it being high summer. Quickman briefly closed his eyes. Would this be the day he would fall?
He moved his hat so his eyes were visible and turned to the crowd. "The moment of truth has arrived!"
There were murmurs of concern. Several people cried out his name.
"Speedy!"
"Don't do this, Sheriff!"
"Get 'im, Quickman! We believe in you!"
"Everyone get back!" Quickman said sharply. "This is a duel to the death!" He turned and glared at MegaMan. "I don't want anyone hurt more than is necessary!"
The people around them quickly ran, finding shelter in nearby buildings. The whole town was watching them from the windows.
"So you're Quickman… the guy who threatened me earlier!"
"You killed my brothers, boy. You killed all seven of them. And now you're trying to kill me?" His circuits buzzed with energy. "How dare you?!"
MegaMan growled, his eyes glowing with energy as well.
"But there's one thing you don't GET, boy!" he reached for his boomerangs, simultaneously firing from his launcher. "In this town, I am the law!"
To his surprise, MegaMan dodged. He pivoted aside to avoid cannon fire right to his heart, an unexpectedly speedy response.
This kid is fast! he thought to himself. Is it true…? Does Death wear blue?!
As MegaMan loaded his cannon again, Quickman threw his boomerangs. The whistled past, aimed directly for his enemy.
MegaMan jumped, dodging them. "Hey! Slow down!"
"I will never slow down!" he replied, grabbing his boomerangs again as he rushed at the boy in blue.
The sound of cannon fire filled his ears. He focused intently on his foe, falling back on interior programming as he fought on instinct. In his heart, he thought on his brothers. This is for you, he told himself as their faces filled his mind.
A shot grazed his shoulder, and he fired a series of boomerangs from his wrist before tossing the ones in his hands. The square was filled with flying missiles as the two of them fought at high speed. But for Quickman, the fight was almost slow. He could feel his circuits slowing as the fighting became more and more instinctive. I'm not afraid any more. This is the moment we have been created for…
BLAM!
Time stopped, and so did he.
BLAM!
He felt his body burn in pain, signals failing as they tried to communicate through the important circuitry in his chest. The circuitry that was his heart… that was now a hole.
He fell to his knees, dropping the boomerangs in his hands. I guess… speed means nothing… when it's Death you are running from…
He felt his power systems failing and the back-up self destruct sequence starting. In moments, he would be dead and his body destroyed.
I'm not scared anymore… I go to join the ranks of my brothers who have fallen before…
He fell to the ground, darkness closing in. As he closed his eyes for the final time, he felt his wrist launcher pried from his body. As he drew his last breath, his interior fans failing in the wake of so much damage to his system, he lamented his failure. I'm sorry… I failed you all…
What they say is true… Death does wear blue…
DRAW AT HIGH NOON
The wind.
He loved the wind.
He loved the feel of the wind on his face as he ran. As he ran across the plains and plateaus, outrunning horses and trains. He was faster than all of them, and he was free. He had been built for speed, and he adored life.
Though he didn't know many of his brothers that well, he still tried to visit them on occasion. They would often ridicule him and his choice of clothing, as well as his "pathetic" power. But he didn't care; they didn't understand how great it felt to race across the world.
"Hey Speedy," someone called out to him as he came to a halt in town. "You heard the news?"
Quickman grinned. "No, I was just over to visit one of my brothers. What's up? More horse thieves?"
What he loved more than anything else was chasing people down. Didn't matter if they were escaped prisoners, thieves, runaways— he chased them down and caught them all. In this town, HE was the law. No one could outrun him.
"Actually, it's about your brothers," the barkeep said, stepping out for a moment to switch the sign to "OPEN". "Sorry, mate… rough luck…"
Quickman tilted his head, feeling the large "V" welded there. "Whatcha mean, Pops? What's wrong? They up to trouble?"
"Nah, trouble's up to them, 'm 'fraid. Sorry, man. Your younger brother is dead."
Quickman felt an energy drop inside him, like a heart stopping for a moment. He took a step back. "Wh-what? No… that must be a misprint."
"They say it is the man in blue," the other commenter said mysteriously. "That 'e's makin' his way to take down all of Wily's creations."
Quickman frowned. "No… No, there must be some mistake. This isn't funny, guys."
"Sorry, Speedy. I wouldn't lie to you. Goodness knows you've dragged back enough crooks and broken up enough fights to be helpful to us all… we wouldn't lie to ya, mate."
He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "…There's some mistake."
And with that, he was off again.
-*-*-
He raced across the world, a serious expression on his face. He didn't stop until he reached the forest.
What he found horrified him.
It was all torn up; someone had forced their way through, firing off cannon fire.
"No… Woodman…!"
He was slow. He was careful. And with solemnity and care, he made his way to his brother's retreat.
There was nothing but charred remains from an explosion.
He dropped to his knees, stunned. "…No…" he whispered. "This… this can't be…"
-*-*-
He cleared up the clearing and spent the next few days helping remove as much of the remains of the explosion as he could. Unsure what to do with it, he placed it in the earth.
"I'm sorry, little brother… but at least now you can be with the forest you cared for so much…"
-*-*-
He returned to town worn out. He strolled in and sat down at the bar. "You were right."
"Our condolences, Speedy. You alright?"
"Yeah," he lied. "I'll be okay. Woodman's with the forest, now…"
"Take care of yourself, alright?"
"I'll be fine," he said, a little sharper now.
"What about the boy in blue?" one of the patrons said, swirling a drink in their hand.
"…Who, now?"
"The one who killed 'im. Didn't you hear? They say he's out to get you all."
Quickman scowled and closed his eyes. "My youngest brother wasn't… wasn't exactly the strongest. I don't think he'll get to anyone else. Besides… they wouldn't want me bothering them about such trivial things."
The patrons glanced at one another and were silent.
He stood. "…I need to go for a run. Anyone got any mail they want delivered?"
He was mercifully distracted as he was swarmed with letters and packages to deliver across the next few towns, all miles and miles apart from one another.
-*-*-
It was a few weeks later before trouble started again.
He came back from rounding up stray horses to see everyone all gathered around a radio.
"What's wrong, guys?"
"Shhh! Listen, Speedy!" one of them said, dragging him over as it was tuned.
The radio crackled and continued broadcast. "…uncertain if… survivors. Large damage to major parts of the city… Mayor believes…"
Static interrupted the message. Quickman swallowed. Survivors? What was going on?
"…caused by falling… from the sky. Remnants of a curious combination of planes, some parts dating back to World War II… earlier today in the crash site. Reports of… blue…"
Quickman jumped to his feet, deathly pale. "No…!" he whispered.
"Speedy, wait! You can't go there, it's da—"
But it was too late. Dust rose in his wake as he raced to the city.
-*-*-
He came to a halt in front of a crashed platform that tore up the road. Emergency personnel were running to and fro. Sirens wailed and police stood nearby interviewing witnesses. Dazed, Quickman strode over to speak to them.
"…And it was the strangest sight! He looked to be no more than a child! I don't know why these robots are all fighting each other, good sir, I say get rid of them all! Too dangerous, I say, officer!"
"Yes, ma'am, now just calm down… if you could say where you saw this boy…"
"Why, he came through not two days ago, askin' where the robot built from airplanes was. And I told him, I did, he shouldn't be messing with such a mean person way up in the sky, but no one listens to the adults these days, now do they…"
He was suddenly stopped by another police officer.
"Are you one of the other robots?"
Quickman backed off. "…Airman was my older brother. What happened to him?"
"Sorry sir, but we can't let you onto the scene."
"I have to know what happened to him! Please… the radio kept losing the signal!" he said, his voice rising.
"Sorry sir, but the stage in the sky came crashing down, and him along with it. The forensic boys have got all that's left now."
Quickman took a step back. "No… no…! How… how could this happen?!"
"They say it was a boy in blue…"
Quickman clenched his hands into fists. Without another word, he ran past them.
He ran through the city. Parts of his older brother's old home littered the landscape. Buildings completely destroyed, chaos everywhere. A siren wailed as a police car tried to chase him down.
"Idiot," he growled, taking off. "No one can catch me."
He ran and ran, but couldn't find any sign of his brother. When he came upon the broken platform that had been his brother's deepest retreat in the clouds, he halted. There was a clear char mark with shrapnel embedded in it.
Kneeling down, he reached over and gently took out a piece of metal. The paint was chipped and charred, but still identifiable.
Dark blue.
Airman was gone.
-*-*-
After outrunning the cops and racing off to the nearest cliff, he held the scrap over the edge as the wind howled. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Airman. I know you really hated when I came to visit, and were bitter… but you shouldn't have had to be destroyed like that."
He opened his eyes, letting the scrap go, blowing away in the wind that had been his brother's only friend. He held onto his hat and watched it fade from sight. "I wish there was more I could have done."
-*-*-
He spent the next week and a half racing across the lands, helping catch runaway cattle and horses, chasing down trains and delivering mail. He had almost forgotten when it happened.
In the middle of the night as he was running through a city on the way back home, there was a loud explosion that shook the ground. He looked up to see fire and metal raining from the sky on a nearby construction site. At once he ran over to see what was going on.
The construction was on fire, the screeching sound of metal hurting his head. Squinting against the fire, he could just barely make out what appeared to be a child running away, silhouetted by the flames.
"HEY!" he called out. "YOU OKAY?!"
Instead of responding, the boy kept running.
"HEY! WAIT!"
He prepared a burst of speed… only to trip flat on his face.
"What the…" he muttered, grabbing his ankle.
The look of annoyance quickly changed to one of horror.
He had tripped over a drill. And not just any drill…
"No…!" he cried out, picking it up. "Crashman…!"
-*-*-
He wasn't released until a few days later after it was confirmed that the explosion was caused by a fight between his brother and a young boy in blue. He returned home dejected, holding the drill in his hands. He walked into the bar and laid his head down on a table, staring off into the distance.
The barkeep walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey now, Speedy… you okay…?"
"He's gone…" Quickman said softly. "Crashman… he always loved construction sites. Loved demolition and construction. He would move around from place to place to find them. I guess the boy in blue hunted him down…"
"There there… You always said he didn't like the way he had been programmed…"
He put his head in his hands. "…My family… what does this boy have against us…? I don't understand…"
"You be okay, okay, Speedy? We wouldn't want you to get hurt."
Quickman looked up. "All the places he's been… that kid has destroyed! He's caused so much damage by killing my brothers…" He stood, putting the drill in a pouch on his belt. "I won't let him hurt any of you."
-*-*-
He spent the next while alone, digging through old maps to find where his remaining brothers lived. He visited them all once before he was satisfied to return home to town and get back to keeping order.
For the rest of the spring, his mind was occupied with chasing things down. And it suited him fine.
But the first sweltering day of summer brought more bad news.
-*-*-
He was delivering newspapers to people around town when he casually stopped to look at the title for himself.
"EXPLOSION IN FACTORY COSTS THOUSANDS IN DAMAGE"
Puzzled, he began to read further.
"Today in a manufacturing plant in the city, a mysterious explosion caused much of the place to be damaged or destroyed. Video retrieved remotely shows the cause of the damage to be the result of a fight between two robots; one built by Dr. Wily, the other by Dr. Light. While confirmation has been found of the destruction of the one known as 'Metalman'…"
He threw the paper down, screaming in rage and despair.
"AAAAUUUUUUUGH!"
Without another word, he was off to the city to see for himself.
-*-*-
Three days later, he returned home with a sawblade in his hands. Turning it over, he placed it next to the drill on his bedside stand. As he sat on his bed, he held his head in his hands, his hat covering his eyes.
The factory would not be rebuilt for months, but his brother… his oldest brother… he would never see him again.
"What is happening to us…?"
-*-*-*-
Wind.
He loved the wind.
He raced along the plains, trying to forget as the sun beat down. Pulling his hat over his eyes, he ran.
Half of them were gone. No one had caught the killer. The boy in blue…
Was it true…? Were they all going to fall one by one to a child?
"I won't let that happen," he growled, taking of to see his brothers again.
-*-*-*-
It took him a while to reach the residence of his only remaining older brother. It was an abandoned water park, a bit out of the way due to being located in an unusual and hard to reach place. Taking in a deep breath, he fervently hoped that he wouldn't run into anything that would make the dive his watery grave.
Swimming down, he made his way through the treacherous water maze and finally reached his brother's retreat.
"Something wrong, bro?"
"Bubbleman…" he replied, his voice strained. "You doin' okay?"
"You need to learn to chill, man. You've been to visit me like five times in the past… I dunno… few months or something."
"Our family is dying. I don't want to lose any more of you. We're all we have!"
"Aw, don't worry about it! He's just a kid."
"He's killed four of our brothers already!" Quickman snapped, distraught. "Your power is utterly ridiculous, you wouldn't stand a chance—"
That was when they heard it.
Explosions in the maze.
There was an intruder headed their way.
"What was that?! We have to get out of here!"
"Use the secret exit if you want, bro. I ain't leaving," Bubbleman scowled, glaring. "Ridiculous? I'll show you. I'll bring down this intruder."
"No! You can't! Come with me!"
"Get out of here, okay?! Just… just leave!"
Quickman was thrown into the exit, which slammed shut behind him.
"NO!" he shouted, pounding on it. "Bubbleman! Let me in!"
To his horror, he only heard sounds of explosions. They shook the building, until there was an ominous silence.
That was when the boy in blue came out the same exit holding his brother's mask.
For a moment, he only stood there, mortified.
"No…"
The last of his older brothers was gone. He was the oldest left.
His eyes suddenly glowed in rage, and the boy tried to run.
Within seconds, he caught him. He grabbed the boy and rammed him into the ground, wrenching his brother's mask from his grasp. "YOU!"
"Let go of me!"
"YOU MONSTER!"
"Let GO of me, or I'll—"
*BANG*
The boy looked next to his head, where a boomerang was lodged in the ground.
Quickman pointed his launcher right at his foe. "You… you monster. How many of them will you kill?!"
"They're evil!"
He picked the boy off the ground and slammed him into a wall, looking him in the eyes. "Listen to me, brat. You're causing immense damage. Everywhere you go, you leave destruction and DEATH in your wake! I won't stand for it, got it?!"
The boy glared at him but said nothing. He dropped him to the ground, putting his hands to the boomerangs at his sides. "Now GET! GET OUT!"
The boy didn't have to be told twice. He ran as fast as he could, far off into the distance.
Quickman turned the mask over in his hands, the glow fading from his eyes. Mournfully, he waded back into the water and placed the mask gently into the realm his brother had so greatly enjoyed. "I'm sorry, Bubbleman… I just wasn't good enough…"
-*-*-
Finding his next brother was harder. He had to paint himself with a special heat-resistant paint again before making his way to the volcano.
He scowled, uncomfortable in the extreme heat of the abandoned underground experimental research facility. "Why my brother chose to live in a cave…" he muttered as he ran along the walls, avoiding the lava below. "Stupid showoff… always around fire…"
It took him a while to navigate the treacherous lab, but he eventually found himself in his younger brother's deepest retreat. There, Heatman snoozed, his lid shut.
Quickman walked over and knocked loudly on the lid.
"Geez, man… give a guy a break, will ya?" came the muffled response.
"Heat… it's me, Quick. Wake up, it's important."
Heatman yawned as he opened the lid. After doing so, he looked less like a box and more like a lighter. "Yeah? What is it?"
"It's about the family."
"Does this have anything to do with your last few visits?"
"They're gone, Heatman…! This… this boy… he's like death to our family…! He's probably headed this way right now. We have to leave."
Heatman frowned. "You think someone other than us could make it here?"
They were answered by an explosion behind them. Quickman whirled around to see the boy in blue strolling through a hole in the wall.
"YOU,"[/b] he growled, reaching for his boomerangs.
"Quick?"
"What is it, Heat?" Quickman snapped as he prepared his launcher.
"Get out of here."
"No way!"
Cannon fire interrupted them.
Heatman set himself alight and raced past, sending fire at the boy. "Get out of here, brother! You can't take the heat!"
"HEATMAN, NO!"
Unable to fire without hurting his brother, Quickman was forced to race out of the volcano as fast as he could. Pausing to catch his breath, aching from the heat, he felt the ground tremble.
"…Oh snap."
He took off as fast as he could. He was barely out of range when the volcano erupted, lava oozing across the ground.
And in the distance, a small, boyish figure took off and ran.
-*-*-
Quickman wasted no time. The boy was getting faster and faster at an impressive rate. With a feeling of dread, he made out for the home of his last living brother. When he finally arrived at the icy cavern, he noticed with a feeling of dread that his prints were not alone.
The boy in blue was already inside.
Cursing, he carefully and slowly made his way through the icy cavern. "I hate this place," he muttered, keeping a careful eye out for the boy.
"Then what are you doing here?"
"Flashman!"
"Hello, older brother. Why do you keep coming back? I told you that you shouldn't visit me unless you had a good reason."
"Flashman," Quickman said, distraught, "you have to leave this place! That boy—"
"You mean MegaMan?"
Quickman blinked. "How do you—"
"Look… Quick? Get out of here."
"No! You don't understand! He's dangerous!"
"Maybe I can get him to see what he's doing wrong."
"He'll kill you!"
"Nah… no one can beat Time, bro."
"No one except Death…"
"Death doesn't wear blue."
Quickman thought back to all of his fallen brothers. "…I wouldn't be so sure."
BOOM.
There was a sound of something collapsing somewhere in the cave nearby.
"He's here."
"We have to leave!"
"No. I'm going to stand and fight. You go off and run like the coward you are."
He took a step back. Coward?! He knew Flashman disagreed with him, but this…! "…You're all I have left, Flash, and I won't let him take that from me!"
He ran forward to drag his brother off, but slammed to a halt.
Flashman lowered his stopper. "Get out of here, Quick. Don't try that silly running on me. I can stop you."
Unable to speak, Quickman watched in horror as the boy in blue stepped into the room.
Without another word, Flashman picked his brother up and threw him outside.
-*-*-
It took a while for the effects of the time stopper to wear off. By the time he picked himself up and stumbled back, the boy was gone, and the ice was charred from an explosion.
He knelt down on the ice, pushing away fallen rock and frozen water. Wordlessly, he picked up part of his brother's helmet. The helmet he never willingly removed.
For the first time…
…he was alone.
They were all gone. All dead.
He felt his inner machinery hum and whine as his system overclocked in despair and rage.
MegaMan would pay.[/b]
Holding the broken helmet close to him, he raced back to the place he used to be before he went into town.
If this was going to be the end, it would be on his own terms… not on that of a vigilante boy in blue.
He raced through the abandoned firing range, dodging lasers with ease. He finally reached the room where he had spent so much of his time. Smirking, looked around one final time, dropping something in his wake as…
…he ran out.
-*-*-
He returned to town that night, heading over to the bar. He took off his hat and laid it on his lap as he checked his wrist launcher.
The barkeep wandered over to him. "Speedy…"
"I'm sorry I've been gone so long, sir. Family issues."
"Is it that MegaMan?"
"Yeah… that's his name." There was a click as he closed the launcher again. "The one who killed all my brothers."
"…Quickman…"
"It's alright. I know I've been hiding here for too long. I guess I can't outrun Fate."
"It doesn't have to be this way, you know, Speedy. You don't have to leave."
"I won't. If I die, it'll be here. I love it here."
"Don't talk like that!"
"I'm sorry, sir… but he thinks we're evil." He placed two boomerangs in holsters at his sides. "He's killed them all… and he's coming for me next."
"We can help—"
"No. He's too strong for humans. And this… this is my fight. I fight him alone… for all my brothers. When he comes… either he dies, or I do. And that's the end of it."
With that, he pulled his hat over his eyes. "Now if you'll excuse me… I have some final respects to pay."
He walked out without another word.
-*-*-
That night, he took the last of his brothers over to the forest. There, where he had buried the remnants of Woodman, he placed Metalman's sawblade, Airman's propeller (which he had finally got from the forensics in the city), Bubbleman's flipper (which he had retrieved), Crashman's drill, Flashman's helmet, and a lighter with Heatman's name engraved on it. Kneeling down, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a boomerang, laying it next to the sad collection.
"I'm sorry, brothers… I tried…. The next time I see him, it's him or me." He pulled his hat over his eyes. "I won't fail you."
-*-*-*-*-*-
He spent the next few days on edge. The people in town noticed the change in him and kept their distance. He felt cold and cruel. Was this what he had been made for? This speed… was it meant to be used like this? He had been running all his life… and now he was making a stand. Something about that felt wrong.
He waited. And waited. And on the longest day of the year…
…MegaMan strolled into town.
-*-*-
He was sitting at the bar, going over a list of inventory to deliver to the next town when he heard screams outside.
"Now what could that be?" the barkeep said, reaching for his gun.
Quickman stood. "No need," he said calmly, placing the paper down. "Death has arrived."
"Quickman!"
"Don't worry, barkeep… this will be the end of it all."
He swung open the doors to the bar, stepping into the doorway.
There, coming right at him, was MegaMan. And boy, did he look furious.
"The man in blue has arrived!" he shouted out in warning.
"You TRICKED me!" MegaMan shouted, throwing a note at the ground. "You made me go through that dangerous firing range for no good reason!"
Quickman put his hands to the boomerangs in their holsters. "No good reason? Oh no. There's way too much at stake now. You killed my brothers. I wasn't just going to sit in that factory and wait for you to kill me."
A crowd started gathering around MegaMan, who still hadn't spotted him.
"What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?! What does that have to do with Wily's plan?!"
Quickman drew his boomerangs, narrowing his eyes. "Tell me, boy. Is what they say true? Does Death wear blue?!"
"Wha…?"
Quickman pushed his way through, the brim of his hat pulled over his eyes. His poncho fluttered in the wind, his boots clinking as he strode over. He knew that the townspeople all knew of his speed, but the boy did not. He couldn't say… not yet. It was his only chance; the element of surprise.
"… … …YOU!"
"So it dawns," Quickman said dryly.
A cold wind blew through the town despite it being high summer. Quickman briefly closed his eyes. Would this be the day he would fall?
He moved his hat so his eyes were visible and turned to the crowd. "The moment of truth has arrived!"
There were murmurs of concern. Several people cried out his name.
"Speedy!"
"Don't do this, Sheriff!"
"Get 'im, Quickman! We believe in you!"
"Everyone get back!" Quickman said sharply. "This is a duel to the death!" He turned and glared at MegaMan. "I don't want anyone hurt more than is necessary!"
The people around them quickly ran, finding shelter in nearby buildings. The whole town was watching them from the windows.
"So you're Quickman… the guy who threatened me earlier!"
"You killed my brothers, boy. You killed all seven of them. And now you're trying to kill me?" His circuits buzzed with energy. "How dare you?!"
MegaMan growled, his eyes glowing with energy as well.
"But there's one thing you don't GET, boy!" he reached for his boomerangs, simultaneously firing from his launcher. "In this town, I am the law!"
To his surprise, MegaMan dodged. He pivoted aside to avoid cannon fire right to his heart, an unexpectedly speedy response.
This kid is fast! he thought to himself. Is it true…? Does Death wear blue?!
As MegaMan loaded his cannon again, Quickman threw his boomerangs. The whistled past, aimed directly for his enemy.
MegaMan jumped, dodging them. "Hey! Slow down!"
"I will never slow down!" he replied, grabbing his boomerangs again as he rushed at the boy in blue.
The sound of cannon fire filled his ears. He focused intently on his foe, falling back on interior programming as he fought on instinct. In his heart, he thought on his brothers. This is for you, he told himself as their faces filled his mind.
A shot grazed his shoulder, and he fired a series of boomerangs from his wrist before tossing the ones in his hands. The square was filled with flying missiles as the two of them fought at high speed. But for Quickman, the fight was almost slow. He could feel his circuits slowing as the fighting became more and more instinctive. I'm not afraid any more. This is the moment we have been created for…
BLAM!
Time stopped, and so did he.
BLAM!
He felt his body burn in pain, signals failing as they tried to communicate through the important circuitry in his chest. The circuitry that was his heart… that was now a hole.
He fell to his knees, dropping the boomerangs in his hands. I guess… speed means nothing… when it's Death you are running from…
He felt his power systems failing and the back-up self destruct sequence starting. In moments, he would be dead and his body destroyed.
I'm not scared anymore… I go to join the ranks of my brothers who have fallen before…
He fell to the ground, darkness closing in. As he closed his eyes for the final time, he felt his wrist launcher pried from his body. As he drew his last breath, his interior fans failing in the wake of so much damage to his system, he lamented his failure. I'm sorry… I failed you all…
What they say is true… Death does wear blue…