Legends of the Halcyon Era: To Kill a Stranger

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Legends of the Halcyon Era

To Kill A Stranger

by

David Oxford/LBD “Nytetrayn”

*****

As the Diggers stepped off the elevator ride following their battle with a giant Cerberus Reaverbot, they looked around to get a feel for the new level of the ruin they’d been venturing through.

Suddenly, a trap door opened in the floor, and a giant mechanical hand reached up and grabbed Tom. Before anyone could react, it had pulled him back through, and the trap door sealed itself behind them.

The group looked at the trap door, speechless.

“That was unexpected,” Nytetrayn said, breaking the silence. “It shouldn’t have been. But it was.”

“I don’t remember those things hanging around here,” said MegaMan Blade, who was currently occupying the body of fellow Digger (and their ride home), Adam Powers. “But then again, my memory still isn’t all there, so…”

“If I get another probe on this trip, I’m gonna be pissed,” added Janine.

“Let’s move on, shall we?” Blade said.

“Yeah, let’s,” said Nytetrayn. “So far, these things seem to work out in the end.”

Janine glared at Nyte.

“Not what I meant,” he said.

Fenix chuckled, as the group continued on their way.

***

Topside, outside of the ruin gate, Celeste had returned to sit and go through the refractors she’d been finding in some out-of-the-way places..

She sighed to herself, as she not only wondered what could be going on down below, but why she couldn’t bring herself to go any further into the ruins with the others. What was wrong with her?

Her ponderings were interrupted, however, by a voice from the communicator she’d been given by Adam’s Reaverbot assistance, Alpha-Red. “Miss Celeste? Miss Celeste, can you hear me?”

“Hmm?” she said, pulling the communicator out. “Yeah, Alpha, I hear you. What’s up?”

“Oh, good. Something strange is happening in the ruins… I’ve lost contact with Adam and the others. It was coming in for a while, and then boom, it just quit. Nothing strange is happening outside, is it?”

Celeste looked around before responding. “Nope, nothing here.”

“Hmmm… Well, I was just wondering if something was happening out there. I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about…” Alpha said, despite sounding worried anyway.

Celeste nodded before she caught herself, realizing Alpha probably couldn’t see it. “Yeah, I’m sure they’re fine,” she said, though a slight bit of worry had begun to creep into her voice as well.

“Very good,” said Alpha. “Please let me know if the situation changes. Sky Shark, out.”

With that, Celeste went back to looking over the refractors she’d found, before eventually deciding to wander around a little more, albeit not too far from the ruin gate.

***

Back down below, Blade moved ahead into the short, empty hall that connected the elevator to a door at the far end. Fenix and Nytetrayn scanned the walls as they followed.

“Hmmm,” Blade said upon reaching the door. “I don’t remember what’s on the other side of this door, although I think it was something rather bothersome…”

“If it’s bothersome, we can blow it up!” Janine said.

“Is there another way around it?” Nyte asked.

“Unless you want to go back to the surface, no. Although, I don’t think it was a Reaverbot…”

“Hmm, okay.”

Blade opened the door and ventured through. Nytetrayn followed, carefully. Fenix followed, less carefully. And Janine didn’t follow very carefully at all.

Beyond the door was a cavernous room with a few treasure chests on one side, while another door was set into the far wall. As the group ventured in, they saw that there were also turrets set in a pattern on one wall, which fired shots of energy straight into holes set directly opposite them. There were also several other holes in the walls and ceiling that did not seem to have guns firing into them.

“Now I remember this place,” Blade said. “I also remember why I hate this room.”

“Do you know how to get through it?” Nyte asked.

“Yeah. You have to knock the blasts into the empty holes in a certain sequence in order to shut off the guns and unlock the door.”

“That’s simple,” said Janine.

“Not really, Jan, it sounds kind of hard to me,” said Fenix, earning himself a smack upside the head by the Bureaucratic Unit.

“The sequence is the easy part,” said Blade. “It’s left, high left, center, right, high right.”

“So, what’s the hard part?” asked Fenix.

“I always had to do this by deflecting the blasts into the holes. This was originally intended to be a Bureaucratic Unit authentication puzzle. The holes will respond to a Bureaucratic Unit’s energy blasts, as well as those of the blasters in the walls. I wasn’t a Bureaucratic Unit, so I always had to use the sword…”

“Hmmm,” said Janine, as she pondered the puzzle. “So all I have to do is shoot the holes?”

“Uh… yeah,” said Blade, sheepishly. “Ummm… I forgot we had a Bureaucratic Unit with us.”

“Does ‘bureaucratic’ mean ‘sexually driven’ in this MegaMan language of yours?” asked Nyte.

“No…” said Blade.

“It means I’m designed to deal with people in ways other than shooting them,” Janine said. “Though I can do that too in a pinch,” she added cheerfully.

“Then shouldn’t they have designed you with more tact?” Fenix asked.

At that moment, Blade was glad his host was wearing shades, so he could at least somewhat hide his embarrassment a little.

As a vein throbbed on Janine’s forehead, she put it aside and asked, “SO! What’s the sequence again?”

“It’s left, high left, center, right, high right.”

“Right,” Janine said, as she watched the bolts of energy for a moment to get the pattern down. Then she jumped into the center of the room, and with pinpoint accuracy, let off a high-speed burst of fire that entered every necessary hole in sequence. The guns shut down, and an audible “clunk” sound could be heard from the door, as well as the chests.

“There!” Janine said, as she folded her arms across her chest triumphantly. “How do you like them apples?”

“I LOVE those apples,” Fenix muttered.

Janine, Fenix, and Nyte checked the chests, and they found 700 Zenny in each. “Cookin’,” Nyte said, as he scooped up the dough.

“Ready to continue, then?” Blade asked at the door.

The others joined him, and they opened the door to find yet another elevator. Down they went to the next level, which seemed like it had seen fewer visitors than the levels above, and was better lit, too. The elevator led directly into a long hall with a door at the end.

“Hmm, guess the bit upstairs was a stopping point for most Diggers,” said Nytetrayn. “Anything here?” he asked Blade.

“We’re getting close to the power rooms and the record archives now. The power rooms are a floor below us, while the archives are below that.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?”

“A written invitation?” Fenix said.

“I don’t quite recall what’s down here,” said Blade, “although I know there’s a big, nasty Reaverbot around here somewhere.”

“Wonderful,” said Nyte. “Any idea if the hallway is trapped?”

“Not that I can remember,” Blade said, as he moved forward into the hall without incident. The others followed, and close to the door at the far end, there were holes in the wall on each side of the hall. Blade examined one of them more closely, shrugged, then sheathed his sword and pulled an odd little sphere out of the hole. He shrugged again, then tossed it to Nyte before redrawing his sword. “Please put that with the other item I had you hanging on to for Adam Powers.”

“Right,” Nyte said as he caught the sphere. After a quick examination of his own, he put it away.

“Thank you,” Blade said, to which Nyte nodded.

Fenix, meanwhile, had investigated the other wall, and found an odd-looking shell that seemed like the right caliber for the Halconnen. “Spiffy,” he said. “Wish I’d brought it with me, now.”

“Well, let’s see what’s on the other side of that door,” Blade said as he proceeded to open it.

“Cool beans,” said Fenix.

“Beans?” asked Janine. “Where?”

Through the door was a huge room, occupied by an absolutely humongous Reaverbot that, if anything, resembled some sort of animatronic zombie.

“Aw, nuts,” said Fenix.

“Nuts?!” asked Janine. “Where?!”

“Your journey may very well end here,” came the voice that had guided them this far. “Few can get past Zombor. Zombor! Awaken!”

The Reaverbot known as Zombor slowly raised its head and growled, shaking the room by its very sound as it lumbered towards the Diggers.

Nytetrayn fired first at its head with his Gatling Buster, while Janine circled and fired blasts into the same area, and Fenix drew and loaded his Plasma Caster. The attacks seemed to have no effect on Zombor, as it smashed at Nyte, who rolled to the side and decided to reevaluate his approach. It then took a swing at Janine, enraged by her energy blasts.

Janine yelped and just barely managed to dodge, though the swipe tore her kimono.

“‘Ey, asshole Those’re my puppies you’re swingin’ at!” Fenix shouted, as he fired a shot at Zombor’s stomach. Nytetrayn and Janine both just gave him a look. Zombor responded in kind by smashing at him next, forcing the masked Digger to say “eep” and roll clear.

“Hmm… I’ve been wondering what this thing is. Let’s find out,” Blade said as he fired the Beam Machine Gun at the hulking monstrosity. Zomor turned its attention to smash Blade, who rolled out of the way and under its legs to fire up between them.

“HRK!” the behemoth grunted.

“…that works,” Nyte said.

Janine built up a charge of power between her hands, and likewise let it loose at Zombor’s underside.

“Nice shot,” Fenix said with a thumbs-up.

Nytetrayn opened fire with his Gatling Buster into the same spot Blade hit, and Zombor fell to the ground, clutching at its crotch with one hand while it swiped haphazardly at the Diggers with its other. Fenix kept it busy with his own brand of Gatling fire to the face, while Nyte danced around the swipes and kept firing.

Soon, the combined assault from all the Diggers had completely overwhelmed Zombor, who eventually went limp as its systems shut down, then exploded, leaving a couple of handfuls of refractor shards behind.

“That wasn’t very hard,” Nyte said, as he gathered up some of the loot.

“It helped that we were able to overwhelm it,” Blade pointed out.

He led the way to the next door, behind which was another elevator room. Down the quartet went

“So,” Nyte said, as they exited the elevator and ventured down the hallway. “This is the power level, eh?”

“Yes,” Blade replied.

“…wonder if they could spare a refractor or two…”

“NO,” said Janine.

“You remember what happened last time we stole refractors?” Fenix said, as he patted a shuddering Janine.

“Oh, right.”

The hallway ended in a large, round room. A giant refractor sat on a pedestal, rotating slowly. Around it, five doors were set into the wall of the room.

Nytetrayn continued as they entered. “Kind of defeats the purpose of digging if we don’t get any refractors, though, you know?”

“We have so- oh sweet mother of god,” said Fenix, eyes wide.

“That one’s bigger than my rack,” said Janine.

“There are five refractors in total here,” Blade informed them. “The other four power back-up systems, in case the main one ever goes down.”

“Ah, so they do have one or two to spare,” Nyte noted. “I think we should get to the archives first, though.”

“Yes, but they’re all shielded, and only this facility’s administrator can lift those shields.”

“I agree with Nytetrayn,” said Blade. “We should go to the archives.”

“Hmmm… so who’s the administrator?” Fenix asked.

“And do you think he’d let us have one?” Nyte added.

“Doubtful, if he’s like most system admins,” said Janine.

“Mmmm, perhaps,” said Blade.

“Cool,” Nyte replied with a big smile at the prospect of a big payday. “Anywho, which way to the archives?”

Blade pointed at the middle door.

“Alrighty then, let’s get to it!”

The group entered another elevator, and rode it down. It opened into yet another hallway, this one with a door at the end bearing a peculiar symbol upon it that resembled the letter “M.” Janine frowned as she studied it.

“Look familiar?” Nyte asked, but Janine just shook her head.

“I commend you,” said the voice. “You have reached the 6th floor.”

“Yippee,” said Fenix.

“Before you can see me, however, you must face one final test. Beyond this door lies my last guardian. Prepare yourselves well before you battle with him.”

The door slid open, revealing a large room with a metal column in the middle. Blade moved forward into the room, his red eyes glowing from behind his shades, while the others followed.

“Interesting,” said Fenix.

The column seemed to bear some kind of screen with mechanical data flashing across it. Nytetrayn took a closer look, and saw a diagnostic of a robot that was somewhat humanoid in shape, and yet, more. At the top read, “Designation: MegaMan M.”

“Okay, so it’s a MegaMan. That’s a good thing, right?” he asked.

Janine stared at the screen as well, and her eyes began to glow slightly as she looked over the schematics. “Depends… Damn, an Annihilator model. This isn’t good…”

“Shit,” said Blade.

“…oh,” Nyte said.

Just then, steam rose behind the Diggers, outlining a circular area of the floor that separated them from the door.

“MegaMan ‘M’?” said Janine. “That sounds… familiar.”

“Yeah, it does,” Blade agreed.

“Uh, guys?” said Nytetrayn. “I think we have company…”

“Look out!” said Fenix, as the others turned to look.

The schematics blinked out, and were replaced by flashing text…

“Cast in the name of God, ye not guilty.”

Janine’s eyes widened. “It… can’t be!”

A figure standing taller than any of the group, at nearly eight feet in height, rose from the bowels of the earth, or at least whatever else this underground tower had in store. His armor was chiefly white, or at least it looked like it had once been, along with a deep red color. Additional appendages, such as the wings he sported on his back and the long, pointed tail that flicked behind him, sported a silverish-blue color. A long, flowing, fiery red trail of hair seemed to erupt from his head, and on his chest and waist sat matching gold symbols which seemed to resemble an “M.”

His eyes glowed a blazing red, as he folded his arms and looked down at his opponents. “Intruders!” he bellowed in a voice that sounded like it flowed with an almost preternatural sense of justice and righteousness. “You have violated my resting place! You have five minutes to run before I…”

As Janine stepped forward, trembling, the giant’s eyes immediately lost their harsh glow, revealing a gold hue instead.

“I… Janine…?”

Fenix raised an eyebrow.

“You… you know her?” Nyte said incredulously.

“Oh god… Magnus!” she cried out, as she rocketed forward, tackling the titan firmly around the stomach, and brokenly sobbed into his chestplate. The goliath, apparently named “MegaMan Magnus,” just wrapped his arm around her in a protective embrace, and rocked her back and forth.

Nyte looked at Fenix and Blade. “Does this mean he’s not going to try and kill us?”

“I don’t think so,” Blade said as he sheathed his sword. “I dunno, he probably doesn’t recognize me.”

“Jan! I… I didn’t know!” Magnus said through the red mask covering the lower part of his face. “I thought… when they sealed you away with Big Willie…”

“It’s alright, I escaped,” she told him, as she stared up at him with her eyes wide and full of tears. “What happened?! You… you’re supposed to be dead! I saw you die!”

MegaMan Magnus shook his head. “It was a close call. They were able to rebuild me, out of the scrap East left behind.”

Janine buried her face in his shoulder again, her own shoulders heaving as she cried. Magnus patted her gently on the back. “There now,” he said. “It’s alright… It’s…”

“…’Big Willie’?” asked Nytetrayn.

“Yeah, that was what they called the kangaroo. A little tasteless, really…”

Magnus looked downward again, as his eyes began to slowly regain their former glow. “Janine… do you remember… the days after the war? The proclamation made by the humans?”

Janine stirred. “The order that no bio-mechanical model should ever leave their prisons again?”

“All existing Reaverbots were programmed to follow this order. It was hard-wired into their circuits, the one command they could never disobey…”

Janine stiffened, as Magnus opened his arms and let her drift backwards out of them. They stared at one-another.

“How long have you been out?”

“A few months… It… it’s a whole new world out there, Magnus. The creators we knew are dead and dust. There’s a new generation of humans, a new planet for us to explore…”

Magnus swore under his breath. “If I was more humanoid… like you… then maybe…”

Fenix whispered to Nytetrayn, “Get ready…”

“One step ahead of you,” the younger Digger replied, as they looked on.

“Magnus… I can’t fight you…”

MegaMan Magnus shook his head. “I… don’t have to… really, I’m not going to hurt you, Jan, but… I can’t… it’s impossible, he’ll kill us both…”

“Who?” Blade asked.

“The administrator,” Magnus replied, as he grasped at his own head. “He’s kept my programming pretty fresh… I… I can’t fight it…” Lowering his arms, he looked at Janine again. “Janine… gods, I’m sorry, but… I can’t let you leave…”

Fenix drew his sabers. “Then we have a problem.”

“Seems so,” Nyte said, as he readied himself.

MegaMan Blade reached up and grabbed the grip of his sword, but did not draw it yet.

Janine bowed her head, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

MegaMan Magnus surveyed his opponents. “Don’t delude yourselves. You can’t defeat me.”

“I think we might,” said Nyte.

“I don’t want to fight you, Magnus,” said Blade. “But if the creators are dead, does that not nullify the decree?”

“I wish it did, human, but all my masters are not dead.”

“Who lives still, aside from the administrator?”

“He holds the power to control me. It is the way of my kind; our power is controlled by their authority.”

“I vote we give these guys a little something of a power outage, then,” said Nytetrayn.

“But your power is also controlled by your own mind,” said Blade. “That is the way of the Purifiers. That is why we were given free reign to destroy errant units.”

“I don’t think you remember me,” he continued. “I was once called MegaMan Blade. I’m speaking to you from within this sword, through this human’s body.”

Magnus’s eyes flashed. “Impossible… your soul could not be contained within a sword…?”

“I have no explanation for it. When East destroyed my body, my soul should have perished. Yet somehow, it was commuted into my sword. I can’t understand why it happened, but it did.”

“Incredible. And your brother?” Magnus said with a chuckle. “Is the old gang reunited…?”

“According to Janine and these humans, my brother was destroyed in combat, sealing East away.”

Magnus’s head lowered, and his eyes reflected disappointment. “It seems you can’t go back…”

“Indeed…”

Magnus looked down at his hands, then back up at the Diggers. “…you have one chance. My authority extends to the perimeter of this room. If you escape it, I can ignore the command to destroy you.”

“Which way to your administrator?” asked Blade. “I’d like to have some choice words with him.”

MegaMan Magnus pointed straight ahead, to the entrance of yet another elevator. “Go for it.”

MegaMan Blade sprinted for the elevator, but abruptly found Magnus in his face. “Dammit!” said the larger MegaMan, as he took a swing at Blade, though the blow went wide and sailed over the smaller MegaMan’s head. “Damn battle programs won’t shut down! Get out! NOW!”

Janine appeared next to them, with power crackling around her hands. “I’ll keep him busy! You guys kill his boss!”

“Jan…?” Magnus said, before letting out a loud “OOMPH!” as she blasted him into a wall, where falling rubble buried him.

As the others made a break for the door, Nyte turned to call back to her. “Jan, we’re doing this for YOU, we need you to come with us! Do it now, while he’s stunned!”

“I’m coming! But I’m the one he really wants; the rest of you have to get out first!”

At that moment, Fenix grabbed Janine and ran, forcing her to let out a quick “ACK!” with widened eyes as he took off with her like a shot towards the open elevator.

As they made their escape, MegaMan Magnus broke free of the rubble, with an aura of red power rising up around his body. “Run…!” he shouted.

Once Fenix and Janine were on board, Nyte told her, “Self sacrifice doesn’t work when it defeats your objective,” as he hit the button to close the elevator.

As the elevator made its descent, screams from MegaMan Magnus could be heard as the small room trembled from the force of some impact.

To be continued…

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Legends of the Halcyon Era is a work of fan fiction set in the world of Mega Man Legends. It is largely adapted from a series of freeform RPG sessions, combining ideas from several contributors, and further fleshed out here in a prose format.

David Oxford, also known as LBD “Nytetrayn,” is a lifelong Mega Man fan who, along with his wife Nadia, has co-written the Mega Man Robot Master Field Guide and Mega Man X Maverick Hunter’s Field Guide from UDON Entertainment, and runs The Mega Man Network (themmnetwork dot com). You can also find him on Twitter @LBD_Nytetrayn and @themmnetwork, and on Twitch and YouTube under the name “Nyteworks.”

You can also find Legends of the Halcyon Era as it updates at Archive of Our Own.

Character designs by LBD “Nytetrayn” and Victor Campan. Character art by Victor Campan. Logos by Tabby Ramsey. Arrangement by LBD “Nytetrayn”.

Thanks for reading!