A large metallic thud erupted below Ballade's feet as he stepped off the teleporter. The wind whistled through the ravines as he continued forward, the towering structure of his creator's new base of operations came into view. The center base was shaped like a skull with gates in the eye spaces, the massive doorway opening to dark caverns below. Beyond the entrance were dozens of winding pathways and rooms meant to store weapons and fuel. Ballade was fortunate enough to know a elevator that spared him having to walk through the maze. He managed to see the gloomy red blur of Quickman's figure pass by before the elevator's doors closed with a loud thud, the lights of the underground rooms whizzing through the tiny slits.

He didn't reach the bottom floor before water rushed through the doors. He pressed the button to stop the elevator, the voice of Bubbleman muffled through the doors.

"What?!" Ballade said. When the amphibious robot master didn't respond, he forcefully opened the door and a wave of water slammed into his chest with Bubble gripping the doors. They combined their strength to close the doors, and the elevator slowly drained as they ascended to the upper floors.

"I was trying to say the floor was flooded." Bubble said.

"I thought that floor was the meeting area?" Ballade said. The water had drained to their knees for them to stand.

"Doctor Wily wanted the lower floors flooded for his big plan. I could've just built him new floors if he asked." Bubble sighed.

"Don't beat yourself up. You got the job done." The purple robot master bumped the other playfully, which turned into a jabbing competition. Water spread throughout the floor as they entered a hallway lined with hazards and spikes.

"This path to the meeting room is still filled with traps, so it'll be a walk. Unless you want to run and lose a leg." Bubble said with amused sarcasm.

"I assume that's why I saw Quickman running away all embarrassed?" Ballade asked.

"I tried to warn him." Bubble simply responded, earning a chuckle from Ballade. Hidden from the endless spike pits and drone robots was a hidden entrance between two wall plates. The plates closed with a soft thud and dim lights illuminated the dirty path. Ballade kicked leftover screws and papers during their small talk, lifting up his amphibious friend every time he tripped. He recalled his brother asking for adjustments to walk out of water, but there was never time to properly change them. The path started to elevate upwards where the purple robot slung Bubble over his shoulders for the trip.

"So how are the rest of the plans going?" He asked.

"Well Metal says the rest of the castle is finished in structure. We didn't have time to set up all the weapons though." Bubble said.

"How come?"

"Doctor Wily's rushing us for some reason. He said something greater has come and he wants the castle up soon. No weapons or defenses. We aren't going to fight Megaman at all either." Bubble murmured. Ballade halted a foot from the path's end and let his smaller brother slide down the shoulder.

"Not fighting Megaman!? Enker, Punk, and I have been training every day for our chance to fight the blue bomber! I have been looking forward to seeing the one who defeated several robot masters myself! Why would he change his mind like this?" Ballade shouted, his cries echoing through the hidden pathway.

"I don't know why he said this. But we really shouldn't yell-" Bubble attempted to calm his brother, but failed to stop him busting through the wall plates. Ballade marched through the hallway with determination, a demand for answers clouding his judgment and leaving him unable to hear the pleas of Bubbleman behind him. The giant gate opened to a vacant room with a single large table and multiple thick chairs, and every Wily robot including Enker and Punk sitting around a unconcerned Doctor Wily. 

"You're late Ballade. And you too Bubbleman." The doctor said with a eerie tone.

"Bubble just told me that you have made the decision to not have us engage in a fight with Megaman! Why?! Fighting Megaman is our function, our very existence, and you denied us that! I need an explanation!" Ballade continued to shout. Wily didn't change expression and tapped the table in a inpatient manner like a parent not taking a child seriously.

"Then shut up and take a seat. I was just discussing it with the rest of your brothers." Wily said. Ballade shut his mouth and sat next to Punk, with Bubble hopping to Metal shortly afterward. A quick snap of the scientist's fingers popped a projector screen displaying a colossal robot he had seen before. Ballade could tell from the size that none of them would be the size of one of its fingers, and the name of the robot was displayed in all caps.

"Now as Enker has told you all before, Doctor Light has been assisting me in creating a giant robot called GAMMA for a couple months. Light plans to give over GAMMA to the authorities so they can use it for themselves, and they will give him all the credit for building it. But we are not going to let that happen! With the power that GAMMA will hold, if I manage to snatch it away from him and bypass its coding, I will achieve much more than that old brained idiot could ever think of." Wily sneered.

"So you're planning on using a giant mech to overthrow a city?" Ballade interrupted.

"Use that processor of yours Ballade! GAMMA can resist any type of man-made and natural calamity. No bombs or gunfire can put a dent in it, and no robot master will be able to destroy it! I can forget overthrowing this pitiful city, when this monstrosity could destroy anything it touches! GAMMA could help me in achieving world domination!" Dr. Wily cackled as he put away the projector.

"Wow you are insane." Ballade murmured only for Punk to elbow him. He quickly bit his tongue to make sure his creator didn't hear him.

"Sir there is still the issue with Megaman. He has defeated us before, and there is no doubt he will do it again once he finds out your redemption has been nothing but a charade." Airman said, with several of the Wily robots replying nervously. Crashman leaned against Metal's side gently in response to the blue bomber's name.

"Yes yes, but I have a backup plan for that. Doctor Light will surely send Megaman at the first hint of trouble, but he won't be able to if the brat is having troubles of his own." Wily pressed a button, the room screeching as the gate of the castle's skull opened towards the night sky. The Wily bots looked at the blinking stars in confusion, their creator pointing towards Mars's red speck.

"During my time under Light's watch, I had constructed seven robot masters and they are scattered looking for powerful energy sources. Once I activate the command hidden in their coding, they will obey my orders and cause trouble. Megaman will feel compelled to figure out what's happening, leaving him disconnected from his precious creator. If they don't end up finishing Megaman in space, he will be too damaged to fight against all of you and will leave me with enough time to hack into GAMMA." Wily said. 

"Wait. You just said that you hid a command in their coding. Does that mean they do not know? Did you even tell them who you are or who we are?" Ballade interrupted again. This time, Wily had a sneer across his face.

"They do not need to know. The surprise of it all will be enough to shatter Megaman, leaving him vulnerable."

"But that's-! It's so dishonorable! Those are your creations, aren't they?! They would be our comrades just as much as the others!" Ballade shouted. Wily slammed the table, startling all of the robot masters and backed up one by one.

"They are not my creations. I made some of their coding, but Dr. Light had a hand in most of their construction. I will be recognized for my genius alone, and I will not have half-baked garbage tainted by Thomas's "perfect" hands be a part of it. As far as any of you are concerned, they are not your brothers." Wily said darkly. Ballade was appalled by the disregard for the comrades he never met. He slunk behind the hulking figure of Punk to avoid looking at his creator. Enker watched him with careful eyes but said nothing.

"If Megaman happens to make it back to Earth, you will all be the last line of defense between him and GAMMA. But I acknowledge some of you are not quite team players", Wily paused watching his first robot masters fidget nervously, "but I have a solution for that."

His finger snap alerted a little robot to the table, a hologram displaying a robot husk to everyone around the table. The body was a bipedal design and a face in the shape of a skull, with multiple weapons attached to various parts of its yellow armor. The words "DOC ROBOT DESIGN" spread across the entire digital blueprint before Wily dismissed the robot.

"This is meant to cycle through the weapon data of multiple robot masters at once. There will be a decision on who will go into the model." Wily finished. With an exception to Enker, Punk, and Ballade, everyone murmured nervously and their eyes scanning each other's reactions. Bubbleman was the first to raise his hand.

"I think Quickman and Flashman should be stuck together." He said. The robot masters mentioned shot up faster than either of them expected, and Bubble stopped himself from falling.

"What?!" Quickman shouted.

"We need to balance each other out, and the only one who can calm your overzealous energy is Flashman." Bubble said with shaken confidence.

"I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted." Flashman whispered under his breath.

"I am more capable of handling myself against Megaman! You all just need to catch up to my level!" Quick argued.

"Says the one that got his butt kicked by the blue bomber and a bunch of "half-baked garbage" robot masters." Heatman remarked. Quickman's words stumbled as he quickly lost the battle and kicked a chair in frustration. 

"Then I propose Crash and Air team together. With all the talking he does, I'm sure he'll rile him enough to want to destroy every part of the blue brat." Quick sighed flopping into another chair.

"That is horrible advice. Crash is more than capable of fighting on his own and needs someone that won't belittle him all the time." Wood interjected. Many Wily robots started interrupting and suggesting a different combo. Wily managed to cough loud enough to shush all of them.

"I have the plans, and I get to make the decisions! You all have your orders! Remember the instructions for the day and meet me in the top floor tomorrow morning. This will be a victory for all of us." The doctor said.

His lab coat whipped behind as he disappeared from the door. Each Wily robot took their time to leave with only Crash and Ballade left. Crash's head hung close to the floor, his eyes drifting between the two. Growing uncomfortable with the silence, Ballade gently tapped both of his shoulders. Poking the orange bomber in the chest then to his own towards the area training several times, Crash blinked several times contemplating between his options before walking with him in comfortable silence. The training area was built like a box with thin lines of insulation throughout the walls and floor corners, and a quiet hum echoed as the robot masters entered positions. Ballade and Crash jumped wildly to avoid the bombs flying through the air.

"Can you believe that old man? It's bad enough he stationed me like a dog, but he's going to stuff you guys into puppet robots too? He's got some nerve." He grumbled throwing a plethora of bombs towards the orange opponent. Fortunately he leapt nimbly across the ground, the explosions kicking up dust in his path.

"I'm not looking forward to the decision." Crash said.

"Who could possibly be able to team perfectly with you? You're too quiet for Quick-prick and Airman, but I've seen Heatman in enough training to know a combination with him would slow you down. Flash is a good thinker but complains too much, Bubble would be a mixed result, and I don't know what the deal is with Metal and Wood. This "Doc Robot" plan will collapse before it starts." Ballade said. Crash made his turn by launching his bombs, but every one missed his opponent. The purple bomber robot was tempted to question the misses until the ticking of several wall latching bombs made him dive for cover. The wall rocked from the concussive force and a hollow boom echoed for several moments. "Situational attacks. Clever."

"Thanks. Learned it from falling off a tower." Crash said.

"You are incredible Crash, no matter what your egotistical speedy brother says. You're calm and yet pack a mean punch. You could be teaming with me, Enker, and Punk instead of being crammed in that filthy pile of junk." Ballade steadied himself and engaged in the training again. Each one took turns firing at the poorly constructed wood dummies lined against the cracked wall.

"I appreciate it, but I can't leave them. It would be unfair to them." Crash said.

"Fine, but I think I can do you a favor," Ballade said watching the careful gaze of the orange robot, "I can destroy Megaman before he ever reaches you guys. My mission will be fulfilled, you can get out of that inferior Doc robot model as fast as possible, and the old man will be satisfied. We all win." He finished. He smirked watching Crashman's green eyes twitch and wince with a conflicted thought. Suddenly a straight line of bombs landed in every dummy's stomach, thousands of jagged wood pieces raining down their armor. Crash's face made no expression and his arms were empty of bombs.

"You can't win. There's no possible way." There was no hostility in his voice, but a strange calmness Ballade never felt.

"What?" Ballade asked.

"Doctor Wily had already made two attempts of takeover, and the second time we had a plan to take Megaman down. It wasn't a good plan, but we had one. He prepared everything together like he is now. We teamed up together and fought hard but he fought harder and prevailed. What makes this plan any different?" Crash asked with his back turned.

"We are better prepared. And the old man has me." Ballade argued.

"It's just a bigger castle, more rooms, and more robot masters. I'll tell you what's going to happen. It is going to run smoothly in the first few days and then Megaman is going to figure out what happened, run through us like dirt, and defeat Doctor Wily and call it a day." Crash continued through his rant. He didn't appear to hear Ballade's objections as the wooden dummies turned to charred bits.

"Are you sure you're the same quiet Crashman I was talking about earlier?" Ballade asked. 

"I'm just saying it didn't work the first few times, so don't go getting your hopes up thinking you're going to be THE ONE to finish him off. To try the same plan with little changes but expect the outcome you want. Doctor Wily isn't the only one in this castle that has gone mad." Crash stated. A knocking came from the entrance, and Enker watched them with a small energy tank. The golden robot repeatedly jerked his head and disappearing beyond the wall. Ballade waved goodbye to his sparing partner and running to gain speed to him, who had already gained distance.

"What was all of that?" Enker asked.

"I...have no idea. I wanted to ask him to join us in protecting Wily, and he went into this weird tangent on how we are all mad. I'm not mad am I?" Ballade questioned. Enker said nothing as they ascended several stories of the castle. Each floor was more desolate with piles of junk and used parts of rusted models. The area looked similar to the newly named Mega City's junkyard much to the duo's discomfort.

"You need to be careful saying that. He doesn't want any backtalking from anyone, especially from us. Last thing we need is him being riled up again." Enker spoke softly.

"Understood. By the way why are we standing in front of his office?" Ballade questioned his brother.

"He said he needed us for something."

"Any idea why?"

"You know I don't know everything that goes on in his head right?" Enker said with a tone of exhaustion. With nothing else to say the two entered to see Punk towering over Wily holding a peculiar box with a blinking red button. The giant red robot had an intense glare on the box and didn't hear the two greeting and closing the door.

"I admit sir that this seems a little too much for a simple takeover plan. I will destroy property for you. I will fight alongside my comrades for you. But it seems unfair to drag other robot masters into your mess, even if they are not our brothers." Punk said in a firm manner. Ballade glanced away from their creator's gaze, and inched close enough where he and Enker's shoulders grazed one another.

"Thank you for your wonderful objections Punk," Wily sarcastically remarked, "but that is not why I called for the three of you." The three robots kept their heads down around the mad doctor, the anticipation for a snarky comment or order whirling through their processors. Wily raised his hand slowly toward Enker until it reached the shoulder. Everyone did a double take when his hand gently patted the golden robot. Enker trailed his look from the hand toward the man several times to make sure he wasn't imagining such a gesture.

"I know I ordered all of you to leave me be, but it was necessary to have the others leave. Unlike the others, you three are more capable of working as a team. For how powerful my first creations are, they have shown that they are incapable of doing the one thing they are programmed to do. They are impulsive, brash, and constantly get in the way of each other. They were bested by the robot masters co-created between me and Thomas, and they weren't even putting in their full power! But you three have seen the blue brat fight and how he works, and your calculated battle strategies made me realize you are the best option for your new orders." Wily smirked with his hand still on Enker.

"You will not only stop Megaman from interfering with my plans, but you will kill him permanently. Destroy every part of him and leave his burnt pile for all of humanity to see. Spread your destruction as far as you can, and scrap anything that tries to stop you. The world can be your battle royale. And once the world leaders see what you are capable of, they will have no choice but to give everything to me. And you will be by my side as my top soldiers. You will be known as the Megaman Killers."

The new title echoed through Ballade's receptors as he registered what the old man had said, the disbelieving looks in all three robot masters slowly morphing into wild grins. Enker smiled and bowed towards his creator with a display of respect Ballade had seen on rare occasions. Punk punched his spiky fists in delight and Ballade rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Megaman Killers? I like that. Imposing yet demands respect from those around us. Probably the best thing you've said today old man." He murmured.

"I...greatly appreciate this Doctor Wily. When do we get started?" Enker said almost too quickly.

"I'm glad you asked Enker. I need you boys to get your plans in order. Because it starts now." Wily raised the blinking black box to his mouth and clicked a hidden button. The red light stayed on as static came through.

"Active Operation: I WIN." The mad doctor sneered as he made a command through the speaker.