The Mega Man: War Games

Ch. 12 Real Demons Part 2

I'm not going to lie. It was really hard to stop playing with Rush after the presentation.

It was one of those feelings where you didn't realize you were missing something until you have it. Rush caught me completely off guard, and I finally knew what it felt like to have a dog. It's not bad.

Heat Man collaborated with me in our efforts to whittle down Rush's boundless enthusiasm. He behaved very much like a dog, but his mechanical makeup made playtime last a lot longer. The two of us would pet him, toss him lug nuts and wrenches, and hold him down whenever he tried to play a little too hard with a random bystander.

As we prepared to leave, I could barely take my eyes off of him. Despite the added responsibility I was already experiencing, I couldn't get over just how great he was.

I did, however, look away when I heard Dr. Cossack's voice. "Congratulations, Thomas! Very well done!"

Dr. Light smiled widely and turned toward his fellow scientist. "Thank you very much, Mikhail." He looked around at the now withdrawn curtain, and the robots standing stiffly and obediently, only moving when engaging with visitors. "And I can see you're doing quite well yourself."

The doctor turned around and beheld his display. "Yes. I'm quite proud of it. Of them."

Dr. Light turned and guided Heat Man between the two. "And perhaps you would like to formally meet some of my robots, as well? This is Heat Man, as you might recall. Fully reprogrammed to remove Wily's influence."

The robot waved sheepishly, and Cossack nodded and knelt down beside him. He began looking around his small body. "Fascinating. He produces such an uncanny amount of heat in this small stature..." He looked Heat Man in the eye. "You know, much of the inspiration for my Bright Man came from your design."

The comment seemed to please him. "R-really?"

Ice Man, a little overeager, stepped between them. "Ice Man! Arctic exploration and cryogenic study robot!" He stood tall in a salute. "At your service, sir."

Cossack chuckled a little. "I see."

Light turned around with a wave as he said, "And of course, there's Flash..." He stopped when he realized the robot in question was not there.

Heat Man spoke up. "By the way, um, Flash Man wanted me to tell you he'd be waiting outside."

"Huh." Dr. Light turned to his compatriot and shrugged. "We're still working on him. And of course, the robot of the hour." He pointed down at Rush, who seemed to have just noticed that there was someone else around. He looked up at Cossack and sniffed. He frowned a little, and got up on all fours.

The doctor reached down towards Rush, but the dog withdrew from him, giving a very faint growl. Curious, I knelt beside him and rubbed the back of his head. "What's wrong, boy?"

Dr. Light rubbed his chin. "How odd. He shouldn't have any sort of opposition to meeting you."

"Yes, I...I can't imagine why." Cossack seemed to sweat just a little.

Regardless, Light snapped his fingers in realization. "Of course. I used an aroma-based system to aid in determining what he likes and doesn't like. I had to rush it to finish for the presentation, so he probably smells something on you that's in the 'bad' category. Perhaps the wrong deodorant or something."

"Okay." I nodded, though I was now reminded of our earlier interaction with the doctor. "That must be it." I guided Rush to Heat Man to bring him back to a more relaxed state.

"Well, regardless, it's very impressive, Thomas." Cossack straightened out his coat as he spoke. "It's no wonder you've come this far."

"I'm flattered. Best of luck to you, friend."