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Chapter Text

"I see.... I'll do whatever I could on my end. Please, bring him back soon." Dr Mikhail Sergeyevich Cossack said solemnly, concern weaved into his voice.

"I cannot guarantee his safety but Megaman will save him, I promise.” Dr Thomas Light said before their conversation ended. The Russian scientist slumped over his chair and sighed.

It was just like last time... First his daughter, now his latest creation to which he considers as his own son.

"Poppa? Is something wrong?" His daughter Kalinka asked, walking into the lab. Dr Cossack looked at her with a sad look.

"It's about DCN. 085.." Instantly Kalinka's face morphed into confusion.

"Tundra Man? Wasn't he with Dr Light for his maintenance checkup?" Kalinka said, not really seeing the problem. After what he and Megaman did for his father, she sees no problem with trusting them.

The scientist sighed once again, mentally preparing himself to tell the truth. "I recently received a call from Dr Light that Tundra Man has been taken by Dr Wily." The Russian scientist said, making his daughter's face pale in fear.

"Dr w-Wily..?" She repeated shakily, knowing fully well her own kidnapper. The pieces quickly fell together faster than she could comprehend.

"He broke into Dr Light's lab and kidnaped him alongside 7 other robots to take over the world." Dr Cossack explained before looking up. "Kalinka, call the other robots here. They too deserved to know."

Kalinka wordlessly agrees and runs out the lab, leaving her Father all alone in the lab. Dr Cossack felt the sinking feeling of guilt and defeat, just like when Dr Wily kidnaped his daughter. He also felt angry, angry at Wily for seeing Tundra Man as just a thing for his new little experiment on this so-called double gear system, the same goes for the other 7 robots. So many mixed emotions moving around like a harsh blizzard inside of him. It was painful.

He was so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed everyone entering the lab.

"отец?" Kalinka called in their native tongue, stopping Dr Cossack's train of thought.

"Ah, it seems that you're all here." Dr Cossack observed, standing up from his seat and try to but on a brave face but everyone could still see how distraught the scientist was.

"What's going on Doctor?" Robot Master DCN-026 Toad Man croaked.

"Yes, what's up?" DCN-029 or Ring Man asked. "I still have to go back to my training."

Dr Cossack looked at all of his robots and took a deep breath before regrettably telling them the bad news. "DCN. 085 or as we all know him as Tundra Man, has been taken by Dr Wily..."

All the robots fall into silence. Kalinka looked as though she's at the brink of tears while Dr Cossack's stoic dementor falls.

"Y-you're kidding right? Tundra's safe and sound, going through his maintenance checkup with Dr Light!" The eldest of all the robots, DCN-025 Bright Man reasoned but his voice was wavering with doubt.

Dr Cossack sadly shook his head. "Dr Light told me himself that Dr Wily broke into his laboratory and took Tundra Man alongside 7 other robots who where also there for their maintenance checkup."

"N-no way..." The robot master DCN-030 aka Dust Man gasped out when someone slammed their fist into the wall, startling everyone. All eyes were on DCN-032, otherwise known as Skull Man.

"That Dr Wily... When I get my hands on him!..." Skull Man growled, clearly enraged.

"Skull Man, calm yourself-" Robot number: DCN-028, Pharaoh Man said, only to get a piercing glare in return.

"Why would I calm down, when that balding scientist took Tundra Man! We all know what he'll do to him and all we could do is sit here and wait!?" He yelled.

"We don't even know where Wily took him! How can we find him when we don't even know where he even is?" Bright Man tried to reason with Skull Man, causing the said robot to let out a frustrated cry and stormed out the lab.

"Skull Man wait!" The Robot Master DCN-027 Drill Man called but Skull Man has already left.

Dr Cossack glanced at the door Skull Man stormed out of and sighed. He knows how hard it must be for him but he's in no position to comfort him. He knows when Skull Man needs to be alone.

"I will do whatever I can to find Tundra Man. The rest of you can go on with your previous activities." He informs before turning to his computer and typing up a storm of codes. The remaining robots looked at each other before silently exiting the room, knowing that it's best not to disturb their creator, leaving only him and his Daughter left.

"Poppa, please find him.." Kalinka begged, Dr Cossack turned to her in return and nods.

"I'll do everything I can to find him, then Megaman will be able to bring him home safe and sound."

Chapter Text

Robot master DCN-031 alias Dive Man walked through the halls, it never felt so empty to him until now. From what he observed, the news of Tundra Man's abduction has hit everyone hard. Although he feels the same way, all he could do now was to listen and try to comfort them. All that's left now is Skull Man, the one who took the news the hardest out of all of them. Dive Man peeked into the living room to see Skull Man watching some horror movie. Carefully, the blue robot master walked in the room, trying not to agitate Skull Man even further, only to nearly get hit with a Skull Barrier.

"What do you want?" Skull Man questioned, clearly still in a sour mood.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Dive Man asked kindly, getting nothing in response. Seeing it being okay to do so, Dive Man sat next to the once-combat only robot master and watched with him. Skull Man didn't talk but Dive Man was patient. He'll tell him once he was ready. Granted it took about an hour before Skull Man talked.

"Tundra Man would sometimes get jumpy at the scary parts of the movies." Skull Man spoke up, having a bit of fondness in his voice but his mood suddenly changes as the skull fighter tightens his fist. "Now he's gone.."

"That's not true he's-" Dive Man objected but is cut off by Skull Man.

"He's with Wily Dive Man! He'll be turned into a weapon!" Skull Man shouted, the last part filled his voice with malice and disgust. Unlike the others, Skull Man was made purely for being a weapon for Dr Wily and he hates it with a passion, especially when other robots followed down his path. Even Dr Cossack agrees it to be one of the biggest mistakes he ever made and tries to save his son before it was too late and Dr Wily controls him completely. Although he and Ring Man who also took it hard thanks to Dr Wily managed to find suitable jobs for themselves, Skull Man's hatred never died. All Dive Man could do was to pat the white robot on the back.

"It'll be okay, Megaman will save him." Dive Man assured but even he's not so sure.

"He's all alone there Dive Man." Skull Man pointed out, freezing Dive Man into place. They all know how lonely of a life Tundra Man used to live and how the only company he has when exploring the cold climates were just penguins and seals. However this isn't just him trekking through the snow, or skating in front of a colony of penguins or being able to call them whenever he so chooses. This is Tundra Man being kidnapped and reprogrammed against his own will, unsure on how much would be taken from him. The thought of it alone scares him.

"Tundra Man will be okay." Was all Dive Man could say, they were powerless at this point and they know it. All they could do now was wait and see if their creator found any traces of the ice-skating robot.

"I'll be going now. You can watch whatever you want." Skull Man said, standing up as he walks towards the door.

"Skull Man, we're all here if you need us. You aren't alone in this." Dive Man said, in a last attempt to sooth the distressed robot's program. Skull Man simply nods in acknowledgement before heading out of the room.

He knows where to go and sure enough, Skull Man found Ring Man in their personal training grounds beating the poor dummies to nothing but cloth and stuffing. Rings were scattered across the area and no dummy was spared.

"You've been busy." Skull Man pointed out. Ring Man says nothing as he uses his ring to throw a rag doll of a dummy into the wall. "You know that you aren't the only one feeling this way, then again you weren't always an idiot."

"This would open up a lot of old wounds, and new scars for Tundra Man." Ring Man finally responded, ceasing his assault on the poor dummies.

"Yeah, and we better be ready to catch our brother for when he falls." Skull Man agreed, walking towards the ring-tossing robot.

"You seemed to take it better than I calculated, got some help?" Ring Man guessed, to which Skull Man simply nods.

"Dive Man is an excellent listener, and the movies helped subdued the pain just a bit." Skull Man answered.

"Even if all those movies were garbage?" Ring Man teased, which angered the other combat robot.

"Shut up those movies were great!" Skull Man yelled in offence, making Ring Man laugh but it was short lived.

"Well, even I hate to admit that we're sitting ducks out here. Let's just hope that the doctor managed to find something. In the meantime, I reserved something very special for you that only I could bring to the table." The police robot said, his ego kicking in as he dragged in a metal plated dummy with a bad drawing of Dr Wily's face on it. If Skull Man has a mouth, he'd let out a small smile.

"Perfect." Skull Man simply said. His signature blue skulls form around him as he lets out an enraged cry and charges forward before smashing the dummy into a metal pulp, all while screaming profanities and insults at it as if it was Dr Wily himself.

"YOU DAMN EXCUSE OF A SCIENTIST!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW DARE YOU USE TUNDRA MAN FOR YOUR OWN SELFISH DEEDS, TUNDRA MAN IS NOT A THING!!!!!!! HE'S NOT YOUR TOY AND HE'S NOT A WEAPON, HE'S OUR FAMILY, OUR LITTLE BROTHER!!!!!!!!!! YOU WOULDN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND IT EVEN IF IT WAS RIGHT IN YOUR IDIOTIC UGLY FACE!!!!!!!!!!! SO GO ROT ALONE IN HELL AND STAY THERE!!!!!!!!!!!" Ring Man nearly jumped at how Skull Man screamed in anguish and intense fury. Hearing the metal Wily dummy being brutally attacked was quite satisfying and Ring Man considered having a go at it but he already had his fair share of letting out his suppressed emotions. Instead he cleaned up the mess around the room as the sound of breaking metal and Skull Man's vicious cries echoed throughout the room.

Chapter Text

Bright Man has been doing everything he could to help his creator track down Tundra Man. By all means he wasn't as good as his creator is at doing it but it's all they got nonetheless. However Bright Man is a robot, he can work days without rest and only using a few Energy Tanks to keep him going. Dr Cossack on the other hand is a human and humans have their limits. Far too many times now he'd collapsed during his search and his work, worrying his daughter a lot. Thankfully Pharaoh Man is there for Kalinka but it's a matter of convincing the Professor to actually take a break.

"Please Professor! You need to rest!" Bright Man begged while trying to push his creator back to his bed.

"I understand your concern Bright Man but I can go on for a few more hours-" Dr Cossack tried to reason but Bright Man cuts him off.
"You always say that and end up collapsing!" Bright Man yelled, by now he doesn't want to hear anything of what his creator has to say. What he did was enough of proof to try and stop him.

"Tundra Man is like my son!" Dr Cossack retorted back with such anger that Bright Man was rendered speechless. Sure, Dr Cossack was the cold outside yet warm and fuzzy inside but never did he felt so much anger in his creator towards anyone or even his own robot masters.

"He's out there, vulnerable and helpless! I cannot stand to sit and wait like last time! AS BOTH A SCIENTIST AND A FATHER, IT IS JUST UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Dr Cossack shouted, his composure clearly lost, tears dropping from his eyes. Bright Man is now in shock, clearly at a loss for what to do. Never in his entire memory drive did he heard his creator shout like this. The desperation and tiredness in his voice, the look of complete brokenness and helplessness only added fuel to this heartbreaking fire. On instinct, the eldest robot master pulled his creator into a hug, letting the man quietly sob in his metal arms.

"I'm in your situation as well, all of us are. As his brothers, the thought of Wily reprogramming our little brother is more than enough to reopen some bad wounds." Bright Man reassures, however what Dr Cossack said next caught him off guard yet again.

"No, you don't understand. There's much is at stake here..." He muttered aimlessly, making Bright Man confused. What did he mean by that? Surely it couldn't be Megaman hurting Tundra Man, Dr Light could just fix him up. Even back when Kalinka was kidnaped, he managed to keep a bit of his composure so why—

"Professor, is there something you're not telling us?" Bright Man asked, resulting in Dr Cossack pulling away and wiping his tears.

"Do not mind me, I just uttered some random excuse." He lied and Bright Man could tell.

"Professor, please you can tell me! I won't let you burden the responsibility alone!" Bright Man pleaded, he needs to know what's wrong. He can't— no. He mustn't let his creator suffer again. Not like last time when Wily kidnaped Kalinka.

Dr Cossack sighs, knowing fully well that he can't escape the mistake he made. "Alright then, but you mustn't tell any of your brothers or even my daughter. I don’t want to bring them even more stress than what they’re dealing with. Do you understand?"

The light emitting robot master nods, mentally preparing himself for the news he's going to face.

"Dr Wily didn't just kidnap those eight robot masters to take over the world. There's another reason to that." Dr Cossack started, looking and sounding both tired and sorrowful. Bright Man gulps, he knows that if Wily has another motive for kidnaping his brother and those other 7 robot masters then it's something terrible.

"Dr Light informed me that Wily recreated a device he made back when they were University students called the Double Gear System. It allows the robot utilised with it to have boundless strengths immeasurable speeds. However, there is a great flaw in that kind of device. That is being the great strain it puts to the robot's internal systems for pushing them beyond their limits." Dr Cossack explained in a melancholy voice. Horror washes over Bright Man as the dreaded realisation looms over him.

"Y-you mean th-that— W-w-with that kind of d-device i-inside—" Bright Man couldn't form the words to make out what he's thinking. He was in denial but his knowledge on robotics itself and his worry for his little brother were against him. All the cards were not in his favour and when he saw his creator nod in defeat, he knew that he lost this internal battle.

"Yes, if Tundra Man were to use the Double Gear System more than what he can handle, then his internal systems would short-circuit and be deactivated... Permanently." Dr Cossack finished, every bit of regret in his voice was there and Bright Man can hear the hesitation and denial at the last part clearly. This, this wasn't like last time... Even if Megaman were to save him, there's still a chance that Tundra Man won't reactivate. Unlike last time where they can bring Kalinka back safely, this time, they could lose Tundra Man. He could lose his little brother forever.

“Now you see why I cannot rest?” Dr Cossack said, ceasing the silence. “As a father, the thought of losing someone I see of as my own son is more than enough to make me do everything I can do and beyond to avert such a fate but as a scientist... The thought of the seven other robot masters going through the same thing, it’s unacceptable for me.”

Bright Man was speechless. All he could do now was hug his creator once more. He nearly forgot about the other robot masters, having been so concerned for his little brother, he felt a little guilty. However, this doesn’t give Dr Cossack the excuse to go ahead and work himself to death!

“Professor, I understand why you work so hard but Tundra wouldn’t want you to do that. I mean, he modified himself just so that you can get some rest!” Bright Man said, chuckling at the last part before continuing. “So, how about this? You sleep in the lab, that way once you wake up you’ll be able to get back to work soon after? I’ll take over from whenever you rest so you don’t have to worry. I’ll help carry your burden.”

Dr Cossack went into silence, the eldest robot master was nervous. He wasn’t sure if his creator would accept his offer.

“Okay... Ok...” He soon muttered, falling asleep into his creation’s shoulders. Bright Man flinched before relaxing, picking up his creator and laying him down on the couch. He then grabbed a nearby blanket and draped it over him before walking towards the computer. Flexing his metallic limbs, he sets off to work. He won’t fail. For his creator, and his little brother.

Chapter Text

Ring Man wrote down another note and stick it to his bulletin board. From the information he gathered, it's already been five days since Tundra Man's kidnaping was made known and yet there's still no news about his whereabouts or the other robot masters' locations or any movement from Wily himself. Usually it would take about one or two days for him to reprogram and weaponise any robot master he kidnaped so why?

The dread inside Ring Man was definitely not misplaced, Wily is plotting something and he knows it. He looked to the side of the board, a picture of Dr Cossack is there with strings connecting it to various questions. Why is he working harder then when Kalinka was kidnaped? How come this made Bright Man work even more so than when he first helped him? WHAT is Dr Cossack hiding from them?

These questions were important to uncover what Wily was planning, if he could figure out the answer to all those questions, everything will become clear. He only told Pharaoh Man since he was the most reliable and possibly the most stable out of everyone here at the moment. He would tell Skull Man as well but Skull Man is still an emotional mess inside the training room. If he's not there then he's most likely in the living room watching those crappy movies.

Letting out a sigh, he threw his ring into the metal pole stationed away from him. The ring landed into the pole, perfect shot once again. Maybe when this is all over he would introduce Tundra Man to Quoits, if Ring Man has a mouth he'd be smiling at that thought. The orange and yellow strategist then walked out of his room to get himself and E-tank. There he met up with Drill Man and Dust Man, both of them are in the living room with Dive Man flipping through some channels on the TV. From what he observed, Drill Man watched aimlessly, Dive Man tries to find a suitable show they could watch and Dust Man was stress-eating. Clearly all of them were out of it, why wouldn't they? The longer they wait for news on their brother, the more anxious they become, it's only natural. That is until the channel surfing led them to a live ice skating competition.

"Man, Tundra would've loved to see this." Drill Man blurted out without knowing. Everyone froze, not knowing what to say to that. Ring Man just facepalms, Drill Man can be an idiot sometimes but he could use this as a chance to help break the tension between his brothers.

"I suppose so, I mean he's all about showing off." Ring Man said, ignoring all eyes staring at him as he goes over to grab his desired E-tank.

"Hey! He's like that because of you!" Drill Man accused, angrily pointing at him with his drill hands. Dive Man and Dust Man laughs, knowing fully well the whole story behind their little brother's personality. However the topic soon becomes mellow again as they realised that the flamboyant robot wasn't here to strike a pose at that comment like he would do.

"I hope Tundra's ok, it's already been 5 days." Drill Man mused before spluttering our an apology for dampening the mood even more so.

"It's fine Drill Man, we shouldn't avoid this topic." Dive Man said, patting him on the back. Ring Man noticed how Dust Man went silent, averting everyone's gazes. He was hiding something and Ring Man knows it.

"Dust Man, do you have something to tell us?" Ring Man asked in suspicion, eyeing the vacuum robot master.

"Wh-what!? No, I- I mean... Wh-what do I have to hide?" Dust Man said nonchalantly, trying to play it off but everyone knows how bad Dust Man is at lying.

"You've been like this for hours! Seriously we're worried!" Drill Man exasperated, making Dust Man curl up into a ball and look away.

"You don't have to tell us if you're not ready." Dive Man reassures which only made Dust Man tremble. Ring Man kept giving him the look, which was the final straw to break him.

"I- It's about Tundra Man..." He admitted, making everyone in the room look at him in confusion.

"Tundra Man?" Drill Man repeats in confusion, Ring Man could already see the multiple possibilities of where this is going.

"Yeah... E-earlier before he left to go to Dr Light's maintenance checkup I... I assured him that he would be safe in the lab since the Mighty Megaman is there and that he and the other robot masters would be safe..." He explained, Ring Man could feel the atmosphere dropping down to misery. They all told stories to Tundra Man about the blue hero's feats and how he even helped them and Dr Cossack back which is in itself a whole other story. Tundra Man had always wanted to meet their 'saviour' as he so puts it for a more dramatic flair.

"I should've known better... I should've told him to k-keep his guard up... I mean it's Wily we're talking about.." Dust Man said sadly, tears flowing down his eyes. How Dr Cossack installed that function into all of them, Ring Man isn't sure but instead he threw a small rubber ring into Dust Man's chute, making him gasp out and splutter out the ring.

"Ring what was that for?!" Drill Man yelled, his drill hands ready and running.

"Calm down before you start drilling holes into me." Ring Man said nonchalantly before turning to Dust Man. "That entire thing is a complete excuse for a reason of why you're so miserable. If you got time to shove all your food from down your chute then you got time to get over it. Tundra Man wouldn't like you moping around and besides. H*ll, he'd be making you sit with him watching that Yuri On Ice anime he's been obsessed with. So do us all a favour and move on, besides it happened so suddenly and coincidentally that no one saw it coming." That last part was a bit of a lie in Ring Man's end. The entire attack and capture of the Robot Masters was too planned to be a mere coincidence. For Wily to break into Dr Light's lab at that specific time, and for him to know that there's eight Robot Masters waiting in checkup, he definitely planned this. After all from what he observed, ever since the first line of DWN robot masters were created, Wily had been strangely obsessed over the number eight for some weird reason.

He could see his brothers' faces lighting up, especially Dust Man’s since they all knows that it's Ring Man's way of caring.

"Heh, th-thanks a lot...." Dust Man thanked gratefully, making Ring Man scoff.

"Tch, just trying to get the facts through your thick metal head." He said in a hateful manner but deep down they all knew that he cared.

"By the way, why did Tundra even went to Dr Light's lab in the 1st place when he could just be upgraded by Dr Cossack and Bright Man?" Drill Man asked, Dust Man shrugging in confusion while Dive Man suggest that it could be due to something only Dr Light could do and what their creator couldn't but it all sound seemed cancelled out to Ring Man.

Upgrade...? Why didn't he thought of that before?! Keeping a straight face, Ring Man discarded the empty E-tank and excused himself out. Once out of their view, he quickly ran as fast as his systems would allow him to, ideas, theories and connections were made in his hardware, pieces falling together so easily and obviously. He quickly skidded into his room, mildly taken aback by his fellow fighting comrade being in the room, holding out a notebook.

"What? You think I'd sit around moping and wreaking havoc across the training room? Who do you take me as? Drill Man?" Skull Man asked offendedly before showing him his notebook. "I got the same results as you did but instead of focusing on the guy who refuses to talk, I focused on the other Robot Masters kidnaped alongside our brother."

Ring Man flipped through Skull Man's detailed notes, skipping through the similarities and onto the new information he's going to get. When he reached that part of the notebook, he was greeted with detailed explanations of the robot masters who’re at the checkup.

"I only managed to find out who's at the checkup, not why. It became easy to find out more about them online." Skull Man informs as Ring Man process every bit of information he could to his programs.

"What're you, some kind of shady blackmailer? At least you look like one." Ring Man commented, Skull Man just rolled his eyes at that and glanced at the bulletin board.

"You're no better, pinning up pictures and notes and connecting them with string like some kind of conspiracy theorist." Skull Man shot back, if they have mouths, they'd probably be smirking by now.

"The reason why Wily's taking his own sweet time might have something to do with 'upgrading' the robot masters." Ring Man said, going back to business as he pins up more notes.

"Most likely, it wouldn't take the entire weekday to just weaponise robots, Wily's a scientist, not a trainer." Skull Man said off-handedly but there's a dangerous edge to his tone. "Wait..."

"What?" Ring Man snapped, not wanting suspension.

“We don’t need to know WHAT Wily’s planning, we need to know the consequences that follow. From Dr Cossack and later Bright Man’s behaviour, I’d say that it’s much more than to find robots wreaking destructive havoc.” Skull Man offered to which Ring Man nods before both of their eyes widened in realisation.

“No... It can’t be.” Skull Man whispered, his arm-gun trembling. How could they be so blind and stupid?

“You aren’t programmed to be an idiot, we know that this is the only reason why.” Ring Man said but they both know that they reach the same conclusion. They need to act fast or else-

—Tundra Man might die.

Chapter Text

Toad Man has been dismissed from work earlier than expected again, which is common nowadays since he always tries to get his work done quickly. This is due to Tundra Man's kidnaping and since it's already been a full week since they last heard of him, his brotherly instincts are kicking in hard. However while he was heading back home, a certain news on the tv of an electronic store caught his attention.

"Dr Albert Wily has struck again with his new Robot Masters which he stole and reprogrammed to bend to his will. However out of the other attacks Dr Wily stationed out so far—" Toad Man didn't bother to hear out the rest as he made his way as fast as he could to his creator's lab.

"Doctor!" Toad Man called as he entered the lab, only to be shushed by his elder brother.

"The Professor's sleeping, he stayed up all night narrowing down all possible locations to where our brother and the other robot masters might be taking over. We couldn't track down Tundra individually since Dr Wily removes the emergency tracker." Bright Man explained, gesturing towards the sleeping Doctor on the couch.

"Oh, sorry. I was just shocked to hear that Dr Wily made his move." Toad Man apologised, letting himself sit down to a nearby chair.

"I've been currently narrowing down the other possible locations. Soon we'll find where he's at. We'll find our little brother." Bright Man informs and while it's not big information, it's definitely good news.

"That's great! The sooner the better!" Toad Man said in delight, feeling a great sense of relief wash over him.

"Yeah, real good!" Bright Man agreed, however Toad Man noticed there being a hidden strain in his voice. "I'm sure that Mega Man is off saving those robot masters by now."

Before Toad Man could ask what's going on, 2 sets of footprints could be heard coming to the lab and a blonde little girl bursted in.

"Poppa!" Kalinka cried out which thankfully didn't woke up the Doctor. Pharaoh Man was behind her, letting out a silent apology for the intrusion.

"Your father is resting Kalinka, but don't worry. We'll find Tundra soon." Bright Man reassures but Kalinka shook her head.

"No, that's not what I'm here for! I need to talk to Mega Man!" Kalinka said desperately, catching every boy and even Pharaoh Man off guard.

"Ok, I can do that." Bright Man said after a short silence, not bothering to question her motives. Pharaoh Man has other ideas.

"Why would you do so Kalinka?" Pharaoh Man questioned but Kalinka pays no heed to his question as DLN. 001 Rock otherwise known to the public as Mega Man appears on screen.

"Kalinka? What's going on? I need to go to Block Man soon." Mega Man said, clearly confused.

"Please Mega Man! Before you go, you have to save him!" Kalinka exclaimed, tears running down her eyes. The 3 robot masters understood the message Kalinka's conveying to the other robot but he doesn't seem to get it.

"Wait, who? Who should I save?" Mega Man asked, clearly confused.

"Tundra Man!" Kalinka nearly shouted, her face overflowing with tears by now. Pharaoh Man would've gone over and wiped them off if it weren't for Bright Man holding him back. Toad Man knew that there's nothing that they could do and lets Kalinka vent out all her emotions. Before the blue bomber even got a word out, she continued.

"He's a part of my family, OUR family! Poppa worked himself to death trying to find him and the other robot masters!" She shouted, sobs racking her body. "Everyone's been working hard to try and support each other! Bright Man has been helping Poppa, taking care of him and, and trying to get him to sleep, Toad Man tried not to make everyone else worry even more and supports us ffinancially, Drill Man tried his best to keep calm and act responsible but he always breaks down when given the right push, Pharaoh Man has been taking care of me and everyone else in place of Poppa and Bright Man, Ring Man has tried to keep everything under control alongside taking care of us, Dust Man had been wallowing in sorrow but tries to keep a strong face, Dive Man has been trying to give everyone emotional support and Skull Man was filled with so much grief and sadness yet tries to act as if everything's okay! And I— I couldn't do anything!!!"

If it weren't for the situation at hand, Toad Man would've been scared by the accurate details from all of Kalinka's observations. Glancing over to his brothers, he could see that they felt the same way. In all the events that happen, he nearly forgot that Kalinka wasn't just their little sister, she's observant and smart and was always there for them with things that would help them cope whenever they need it. Toad Man so desperately want to tell her that she's wrong, that she did do something. "Kalinka-"

"So please Mega Man! Save Tundra Man and bring him home! I want to ice skate with him again! I want to see him posing all over the place and being dramatic with Ring Man! I want to see him with our family again!!!!" Kalinka begged, now a full blown wailing mess. Bright Man, Toad Man Pharaoh Man wasted no time coming over to her side and becoming her support, giving words of comfort to help her through her pain. Silence came from the other side of the screen until Mega Man finally spoke.

"I can't be sure but I'll save him, don't worry Kalinka! After that, Dr Light will fix him up, kick Wily's program out of him and you'll be reunited with your family member again! The same goes to you guys as well! I'll do whatever I can to bring your brother back! I promise!" Mega Man promised, bringing his fist to his chest. Someone offscreen, maybe Dr Light was talking to Mega Man but they couldn't hear them.

"I got to go now, but I'll save Tundra Man. You have my word!" Mega Man said before he hung up. Kalinka was a sobbing and smiling mess, leaning onto Pharaoh Man as she babbles on how Mega Man will save their brother and that they'll be a family again. If Toad Man had a mouth, he'd be smiling as big as Bright Man's smile by now. A sudden groan made everyone snap their heads to the now-awake scientist and Toad Man was surprised as to how he managed to be asleep all this time while Kalinka was screaming her lungs out.

"Kalinka? What's wrong?" Dr Cossack said tiredly but they could tell how concerned he was for his daughter.

"Poppa! Mega Man will save Tundra Man! He promised me! We'll be able to see him again soon!" Kalinka said through her smiles and tears, running over and tackling her Father into a hug. He looked at everyone else in confusion who all were smiling like idiots. Well, only Bright Man is since Toad Man and Pharaoh Man don't have mouths but their eyes say it all.

"We're so close to finding him Professor." Was all Bright Man needed to say before their creator in the first time since Tundra Man's kidnaping has happened, smiled.

“I’ll tell everyone else!” Toad Man exclaimed, quickly running out of the room before anyone has a chance to stop him. He didn’t care if they haven’t found Tundra Man yet, they were so close to having their brother back. They just have to wait a little longer.

Chapter Text

It was no surprise to Pharaoh Man that his brothers were thrilled to hear the news of being able to bring back Tundra Man soon. Him, Ring Man, Skull Man, Bright Man and Dr Cossack weren't so happy but being relieved was enough for them. Ring Man told him yesterday of the two ex-combat bots' findings and how gravely in danger their little brother was in. It's obvious that Dr Cossack and Bright Man knows the whole truth about the situation but if they were to ask them, they'd deny it and make it harder to access the necessary information. Speaking of those two, their celebrations were short lived when they went back to work on finding Tundra Man. However deep down in his systems, Pharaoh Man was happy that his brothers and his creator's daughter Kalinka were now brimming with joy, even if some are less excited than the others.

However, all good things must come to an end, some ending abruptly before anyone could realise it. That being in Pharaoh Man's case, one of his Mummira tapping on his leg and pulling him aside. Knowing fully well that his fellow followers wouldn't dare to bother him unless something is wrong, he bent down to his subordinate's level as the Mummira wrote down his report. From what he read, one of the museums had been attacked and from the Mummiras on scouting duty over there, they observed spikes of ice to be seen in the museum. Pharaoh Man dropped the report at that, making the Mummira pick it up in surprise. Ice? There's only one person he could think of that's related to that.

"Thank you my friend, now give me the location of this museum, prepare the Teleportation Chamber and gather all the Mummiras back to the treasure room now, that is an order." Pharaoh Man commanded before the Mummira bowed down to him and scurried off. The Ruin Exploring bot wasted no time in finding Ring Man and Skull Man and dragging them out of everyone's view.

"What gives?" Ring Man asked, clearly annoyed by the sudden pull.

"I found him." Pharaoh Man simply said, the two ex-combat bots' gazes hardened in understanding.

"Where is he?" Skull Man asked, not hesitating to get straight to the point.

"A museum, we shall depart soon. Before we go I have to ask. Are you truly ready? To talk your way into Tundra Man is a foolish undertaking and would not prove to be of much use." Pharaoh Man asked, eyes hardening at them. They were weapons before, encountering their reprogrammed brother will open up some deep scars in a merciless way. Ring Man and Skull Man shared a look,  one that Pharaoh Man couldn't read before turning back to him with a look of determination.

"Take us to him." Ring Man said as Pharaoh Man nods and wordlessly follows, first letting them equip their weapons before taking them to his room. Inside the Mummira were lined up, the Teleportation Chamber on and ready.

"Why did Doc gave you that?" Ring Man questioned, a slight hint of jealousy in his voice.

"I wanted to keep an eye on the treasures in other museums, Bright Man helped to create it, Dr Cossack simply supplied the blueprints due to having to rest." Pharaoh Man explained as he led his two brothers into the Teleportation Chamber and in after a couple of seconds, they were here inside a frozen museum. Pharaoh Man recognised it as one of the museums in the city Mega Man lives in, looking outside he could see that the darkness has loomed over.

"Tundra was certainly busy.." Ring Man muttered, scanning the vast area of ice.

"No time to gawk, lets go. Avoid the enemies at all cost, they're not worth wasting our ammo on." Skull Man said, running ahead, the 2 following behind. Along the way, Pharaoh Man saw a couple of robots such as Eye Ice, Ice Swans and Snow Robbits, all robots that Tundra Man has taken a liking to before. The Snow Robbits especially since Tundra Man loves them a lot, seeing them here as enemies pains the Ruin-explorer. However they can be rebuilt, and when this is all over he's giving his brother a Snow Robbit.

The amount of ice grew the deeper they went into the museum, until they encountered a room with Dr Wily's signature symbol on it. Knowing that this is where Tundra Man is, the 3 mentally prepared themselves as they march into the room. There he was, their brother, metal and all. He was ordering some kind of frozen mammoth robot to go and station itself somewhere. The robot obeyed and Pharaoh Man could see some kind of sentient platform on the bottom of the mammoth as it goes away, not before informing the boss of the current intruders.

"Hm, well I didn't think the famous Mega Man would come thi-" Tundra Man said, turning around but he cut himself off when instead of the Blue Bomber, there were 3 robot masters in his place. However he regained his composure very quickly, posing as he holds up a hand to them, spotlights shining on both him and the other three. "Well, this is quite a surprise. Would you mind introducing yourselves gentlemen?"

Pharaoh Man could feel his programs going haywire. He doesn't recognise them. He doesn't recognise his brothers.

He.
Doesn't.
Recognise.
His.
Own.
Brothers.

"Tundra stop playing stupid! We're your brothers and you know it!" Ring Man yelled, completely agitated as he holds out a bundle of rings in hand, Pharaoh Man's warning from earlier having been left behind in the dust. Skull Man was even more agitated even though his was more silent, his arm canon already deploying out his skulls. Pharaoh Man could also see his arm canon crackling with fire, however he managed to control himself.

"Now then that was such a poor introduction now isn't it? I suppose I have to do it myself." Tundra Man said in such a nonchalant yet dramatic manner, it was painful. He then spins around in a circle before posing, multiple spotlights shining down on him. "I'm DWN. 085 Tundra Man, at your service."

Hearing that serial number, that damn, accursed, wretched number, it's making Pharaoh start losing his cool. Glancing at the other two, he can tell that they clearly feel the same.

"You are not created by Dr Wily. You're Dr Cossack's creation, our younger brother." Pharaoh Man informed, trying to calm himself down. What surprised him however was Tundra Man laughing, holding his hand to his face and shaking his head.

"I assure you that you mistook me fore someone else. I serve Dr Wily and no one else, and you are certainly not my brothers. Now since you're in Dr Wily's way, I suppose that I should rid of you rubbish myself." Tundra Man said in such a way as if he's talking to a child who didn't know any better. This was the breaking point as Ring Man threw his rings in the attempt to disable him, only for Tundra Man to spin around rapidly and deflect them all, the lights shutting off.

"Well now, that was rude, trying to take my spotlight? Too bad for you, it's showtime! Now, feel freeze!" Tundra Man announced, skating over them in an attempt to tackle them, resulting in the three dodging the attack on reflex.

"That isn't him... That's not our brother!" Skull Man growled, the rage in his tone hitting at full force as he activates his Skull Barrier. Pharaoh Man wordlessly yet half-heartedly agreed. This was a creation Dr Wily had made in the form of their brother. It wasn't Tundra Man. This wasn't him but at the same time... It was him.

"Dr Wily, what have you done to our brother?" Pharaoh Man found himself thinking out loud as he sees Tundra Man skating back at them, only to jump while spinning, deflecting all shots thrown at him as the trio dodge again.

"Dodge if you can!" Tundra Man challenged, skating over once more as Ring Man didn't hesitate to shoot out his ring boomerang, it didn't hit Tundra Man at first but it landed on its target in the back. Pharaoh Man inwardly cringe as he and Skull Man reluctantly but surely shoot at him, damaging him. Tundra Man, looked at them and— That look. That sadistic look would haunt Pharaoh Man in his Sleep Mode and before he knew it, Tundra Man has tackled him down, landing on his arm canon, those beloved ice skating blades of his digging down onto his metal. Pharaoh Man let out a cry of pain, it hurts a lot and the fact that Tundra Man was the one inflicting it only adds sparks on the wound.

"Your flames were splendid but they're nothing but a nuisance. Such a waste of sheer beauty." Tundra Man off-handedly commented to which Skull Man let out a war cry and didn't hesitate to attack Tundra Man by tackling him down and beating him senseless before Tundra Man kicked him off, the white robot's chest denting from the ice skate blades' impact as he gets thrown away, making Ring Man catch him as Pharaoh Man stands up.

"Pharaoh Man, Ring Man, Skull Man, what are you all doing there!?" The sound of their creator's voice echoed through their radios, meaning that Dr Cossack and Bright Man found Tundra Man's location and that they were busted.

"No time to explain Doc, we're taking Tundra down." Ring Man snarled, having help Skull Man bring himself up, attacking the said robot as Pharaoh Man tries to skate over to help his injured brother.

"No! You must get out of here! You don't know the dangers of what you're dealing with! Wily-" Dr Cossack shouted in a panic but it was too late.

"Freeze right there!" Tundra Man suddenly said as a flash of blue appeared out of nowhere and in a blink of an eye, Tundra Man has took down all three of them with each tackle while skating along the room before going to the center of the room and—

"COLD! COLDER! FREEZE! AND SHATTER!" He shouted as a raging blizzard of a storm engulfs everything in the room. The snow soon ceased and the three bots found themselves trapped in ice while Tundra Man stood unharmed, a spotlight illuminating over him.

"How do you like that? Humans always see ice as bitter, heartless but deep inside all that coldness was gorgeous ice. We robots are just like that, we should be appreciated more." Tundra Man said, monologuing as he skated over to the frozen three, specifically Ring Man before doing the same thing he done to Pharaoh Man and Skull Man only on the leg and with more force, the sound of metal tearing echoing through the room. Ring Man let out a strangled cry, dropping his rings and glaring daggers at Tundra Man who pay no heed to it. Skull Man struggled but with his current state, he can't move.

"The room is blocking and messing with the teleport signal so we can't get you out even if we use the emergency teleport!.." Bright Man said in a calm voice but Pharaoh Man could tell that he was panicking. Pharaoh Man tries to activate his Pharaoh Shot but he couldn't due to Tundra Man stepping on it earlier. He could faintly hear his creator mutter out in a broken voice. "Curse you Wily. Look at what you've done to my son... I will never forgive you for this..."

That was more than enough to push Pharaoh Man beyond his limits and let out a powerful burst of flames, startling Tundra Man and unfreezing him and his brethren. However the shot resulted in his arm canon exploding, rendering him useless in battle.

"We need to escape! Now!" Pharaoh Man yelled and Skull Man didn't need any more persuading as he grabs him and Ring Man and runs out, shooting down the exit door.

"ICE! OVER! UNDER! EVERYWHERE!" Tundra Man yelled as the cold wisp of air formed again to make that snowstorm again, only for Skull Man to activate his shield on all of them, protecting them significantly and throwing them out of the room where Dr Cossack and Bright Man were able to perform the teleport and in a flash, they're all back in the lab. The last thing Pharaoh Man saw before his emergency deactivation kicks in were Dr Cossack and Bright Man dropping everything and running over to them in a panic, and the Russian Scientist collapsing.

Chapter Text

It all happened too quickly when Drill Man was visiting his father and brother. The sound of the teleportation device in action filled the room as his injured brothers, Pharaoh Man, Ring Man and Skull Man stumbled out, all 3 of them badly damaged. Bright Man and Dr Cossack running over to them, his creator collapsing on the floor soon after. The panic, the fear, it was sickening. Weren't they celebrating earlier on how they'll soon be reunited with their little brother?

"Father! Brothers!" Drill Man managed to cry out, tears streaming down his face as he ran over towards them.

"D- Drill what're you— Why're you-" Bright Man stuttered, looking completely lost at what to do. It was hard enough that their Father collapsed but with their brothers injured, he could see how panicked his eldest brother was. So despite not having actual hands, he managed to slap Bright Man in the face.

"Calm down and explain everything later!" Drill Man yelled, which was ironic considering how panicked he was feeling. However it seemed to do the trick as Bright Man managed to calm down and got to work, bringing their father to the couch as Drill Man helped to bring his brothers to the repair table. Looking over the damage, he could see dents on his brothers, scratches on their bodies and what's strange was melting shards of ice sticking out from them, sparks flying everywhere. Pharaoh Man's arm canon was completely gone, most likely exploded into pieces. Skull Man has the most sparks flying out of him, especially around his torso with from what Drill Man observed, the metal there being strained from the huge dent. Ring Man had it just as bad, his left leg damaged and metal torn, barely holding onto the upper parts of the leg. Anger clouded over his thoughts, drills ready and whirring to life. How dare they did such a thing to them! When he gets his drills on them he'll—

"Tundra did this to them." Bright Man said almost reluctantly and hesitantly and in an instant, all anger and hatred inside Drill Man was gone, his drills going motionless. It couldn't be true yet their brother is in that vile scientist's hands. But he would never hurt them, yet their brother was the 1 missing!...

"Tundra... Hurt our brothers.." Drill Man gasped, finally accepting the truth as it crashes down and hits him like a ton of falling debris. It hurts, it hurts so much.

"Yeah, when we found Tundra, they're already fighting him and, and I was confused and I couldn't bear to watch." Bright Man said, glancing over their father as he checks for anything abnormal. "He has a fever, I'll go get something to cool him down."
The silence was tense, Bright Man moving quickly as he tends towards their father's sickness while Drill Man helps in any way he could.

"...I think Professor was the one who wanted to look away the most. The thought of us fighting against each other must've been hard for him yet he looked on, trying to convince them to retreat all while he works on teleporting them out of that place.. So when he collapsed, I just felt so, helpless..." Bright Man finally spoke, looking back at the sick Russian scientist.

Drill Man looked at his eldest brother emphatically as he watched him go towards their brothers and tries to stabilise and fix them all. "Father always cared for us and always wanted to make it up to us ever since Kalinka was kidnaped, especially towards Ring and Skull. He worked on fixing everything, getting the 2 jobs and he collapsed more times than you guys could count. He's always pushing himself yet he knows when to forgive himself after he saw that we all forgave him. It's basically a cruel déjà vú, Father working himself to death yet again this time he's taking on all the blows headfirst and we couldn't do anything about it since that's just how he is."

Bright Man sadly nods, getting to work on fixing their brothers. "Professor was really angry, I can tell but he suppressed his anger and focused on finding Tundra Man and the other robot masters. I just wished he didn't use that anger to push himself harder."

"Hey Bright, is there something you and father aren't telling us?" Drill Man asked which made Bright Man dropped all his tools.

"Th-that's for Professor to tell. Not me." Bright Man stuttered, nervously picking up his dropped tools as he gets to work, not wanting to engage in anymore conversations. Drill Man sighed, glancing at his sick father. "I'll go inform everyone else."

With that Drill Man went out of the lab on shaky legs. As soon as he's a couple of steps away, he collapsed, his drill hands flying towards his head as he curls up. This was bad, really bad, he hasn't been in this scenario since Kalinka was kidnaped. Should he really tell them about this?

"Drill? Wh-what're you doing here?... Are... You okay?" A voice called out, making the robot look up to see his brother Dust Man staring down worriedly at him. "You're crying... You, rarely do that unless something's wrong... What happened?..”

Drill Man didn't notice his tears until Dust Man pointed them out, to which he wiped them away. He knew that there's no hiding the truth with Dust Man so in a broken voice, he spewed out everything. How he arrived to the lab in utter chaos, how his Father collapsed of a fever and his brothers that he thinks are the strongest among all of them were on the ground broken and how much of a panic Bright Man was.

"T-to top it all off, it was Tundra who attacked our brothers. Tundra Man, our little brother..." Drill Man said, his emotional sensors going haywire. "Why? Why couldn't we do anything? Our brothers are injured, Tundra Man has become Wily's puppet, our father is sick and Bright Man has to do it all on his own! Why are we so usele-"

"We aren't useless!" Dust Man shouted, cutting the bot off as he firmly grips on his brother's shoulders, tears threatening to come out. "We've never been useless! Each and everyone of us supported each other and sure, Pops and Bright are doing something much more useful than us and Toad's been busy with being the main finance support but don't you realise what we've been doing?! We've been constantly comforting each other during this dark time, helping Toad make money to lessen his burden! We helped Bright and Pops go and rest and you even helped to cheer me up when no one else could! If that isn't being useful then nothing else is! Do you think that we'll accept that our optimistic brother Drill is now feeling useless after he's done so much for us?! Do ya!? Cuz I'm sure that we don't and so does Tundra!"

Dust Man paused at the mention of their missing brother before continuing, tears silently rolling out of his eyes. "We have to stay strong for him, so that when he returns, we can be ready... He'll be going through so much pain, and we have to be there for him. To support him in any way, and to give him the love he needed. He'll doubt that he's got the right to be our family and we won't let him think that way! We'll comfort him, have Movie Nights with him, go ice-skating with him, play some kind of video game with him it doesn't matter if we're playing Minecraft or not! But most importantly, we'll protect him. We'll be there waiting for him to return and once he does, we'll help him in any way we can. Do you understand now, why we aren't useless? We are the most important assets for Tundra cuz we're his family and no one can help Tundra better than all of us... We are not useless, we never were."

Drill Man looked at Dust Man in surprise, the usually mellow robot is now screaming his head out talking sense into the usually optimistic bot. Soon, the shock fade away as he sniffles and nods, "Yeah, yeah you're right. Thank you bro..."

"Good, now how about you go to Dive while I go inform the rest? Can you do that?" Dust Man asks to which the red bot nods again before they split up with Dust Man looking back towards his brother one more time before going off. The trip to Dive Man wasn't long for it took a few walks down the hallway to find the big blue bot reading a book. As soon as he notices Drill Man, he puts the book away in favour of walking over and kneeling down next to him, opening his arms and that was when Drill Man broke. He ran over and threw himself into his brother's arms, sobbing and rambling about what had happened. Although Dive Man could barely understand half of it, he knows that what's important now is his brother, because he's family and family never abandon each other in their times of need.

Chapter Text

Kalinka wouldn't be a good idea to tell the news to her first and with Drill Man going to Dive Man, process by elimination tells him that Toad Man's the best choice to go tell first... In Dust Man's opinion. To be honest when he first saw his brother Drill Man curled up and crying, he was shocked to his circuits because never in his life did he see him cry as badly as he did. It became worse as he listened to his older brother's reason for crying, the impossible happened, Tundra Man hurt his brothers, THEIR brothers. It made a perfect, painful sense as to why Drill Man was crying and if that's not a good enough reason for Dust Man, nothing is. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice him bumping into the bot he was looking for.

"What's wrong Dust? You're looking more gloomy than usual." Toad Man asked in concern, Dust Man inhaled a bit of air, he needs to be the strong one.

"Drill went into the lab today and... He saw Pops collapsing from sickness and stress... A-and our brothers, Pharaoh, Ring, Skull... They... They were..." Dust Man explained with a shaky voice as he tries to get himself together. "They were all badly damaged... Bright was panicking so much and worst of all..."

By this point, Toad Man was gently gripping his younger brother's shoulders, silently ushering him to go on. Dust Man held back a sob. "I-it was Tundra Man who hurt them... Our youngest brother, Tundra wh-who hurt them... Because of what Wily did..."

After hearing the news, Toad Man immediately hugged his brother, muttering whispers of comfort to the younger bot. Dust Man didn't cry, but it's clear that he's in pain. To think that Tundra Man hurt their brothers, however with him being in Wily's clutches, the older bot regrettably supposed it's not impossible. He knew that it was possible, they all knew, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. For once in his life, Toad Man didn't know what to do, but he knows someone who does.

"Do you want me to take you to Dive Man?" Toad Man asked, to which Dust Man silently nods his head. Toad Man then takes Dust Man to where Dive Man is who in turn is seen comforting a crying Drill Man. The scene of Drill Man crying alone was enough to shock Toad Man to his circuits, after all he's the usually optimistic robot of the family but after what he witnessed in the lab, he can't blame him.

"Drill..." Toad Man sighed, walking over as he and Dust Man engulf the crying bot into a hug, who in turn only cried harder. The three tried to comfort him, but it was vaguely successful. It only gets worse when someone showed up, someone they haven't told the news to yet.

"Did something happen?" Every bots' heads snapped towards where Kalinka is, concern, conflict and confusion clear on her face. The robot masters glanced at each other, wondering how in the world should they break the news to their sister. It only got worse when she started questioning even more things. "Where's Pharaoh Man? I haven't seen him, Ring Man or Skull Man at all either."

The silence only irks Kalinka further, making her stomp her foot onto the floor. "Where are they?! Why haven't I see them yet?! Did something happen-"

"PHARAOH RING AND SKULL GOT DAMAGED BY TUNDRA WHO IS NOW BRAINWASHED BY WILY!!!!!!" Drill Man finally cracked, yelling out in both sadness and panic, his arms up in the air. When he realised what he just said, he froze in place. Kalinka has a look of utter horror and denial, body trembling as she slowly shook her head.

"No, it can't be... Mega Man said that he'll save him... A-and Pharaoh, Ring and Skull are strong... Why..." Kalinka whispered out loud, tears falling down her cheeks. However as much as they wanted it to be all some kind of cruel joke, they all knew that they wouldn't joke about something like this. Kalinka soon broke down into a heap of a crying mess, running over and hugging the fellow robots as they hugged back. The tears Dust Man had been holding back have been released, desperately clinging onto his brothers. Dive Man and Toad Man shared a look. They need to try and help their siblings the best they could.

“Hey, I’ll go check on them while you guys go and let it all out. Is that okay?” Toad Man offered, hoping that it would help. Thankfully it did as Drill Man give sharp nods. Kalinka nods as well and wipes her tears away but Dust Man stayed silent. Dive Man and Toad Man nodded at each other and before the three could react, they were already hoisted up onto Dive Man’s shoulders, Dust Man in the left, Drill Man in the right and Kalinka in the middle.

“Let’s go.” Dive Man said, looking up the best he could with a smile in which they smiled back, well only Kalinka since Drill Man and Dust Man don’t have mouths. Dust Man could tell that Toad Man was also hurt but putting on a brave face for them, he'll have to talk to him later. They'll need to be strong, for their family and for Tundra Man but for now, it feels okay to be weak.

Chapter Text

Ring Man's eyes fluttered open as his programs registered his sight. He blinked, only to realise that he was laid down on the repair table, wires connecting his body and his leg removed. Looking around, he sees Pharaoh Man and Skull Man were placed beside him, still deactivated as far as Ring Man could observe. In the front he sees Bright Man checking on their unconscious creator on the couch, looking even worse than before.

"Ring Man you're awake!" Bright Man suddenly exclaimed once he turned around, running over to his damaged brother.

"What happened." Ring Man said, getting straight to the point. Bright Man gave off a guilty look, as if he was the one at fault and explains everything while fixing Ring Man's leg. "Well, when you guys teleported back here, the damage was worse than what I imagined. Then Professor collapsed from sickness, and I kinda panicked. Drill was actually the one to snap me out of it and get to work in fixing you guys and taking care of the Professor. You're the first to regain consciousness."

"Wait back up, Drill? You mean that he knows everything that happened?" Ring Man asked in hidden bewilderment, not expecting that guy to be the one to calm his elder brother.

"Yeah... He already knows the whole story, even who damaged you.. He's probably already telling everyone else." Bright Man confessed, looking away as he tries to reconnect Ring Man's new leg to his body, ashamed to look at him in the eyes.

"I'm not blaming you but you do know how much more emotional stress you placed that onto them." Ring Man pointed out which made Bright Man feel even more guilty. Ring Man rolled his eyes, why are his brothers so emotional? "If you're gonna blame anyone, blame Wily not yourself. That bastard's the whole reason why we've been going through so much bullsh*t."

"Language!" Bright Man scolded, finally looking at his brother straight in the eyes, well it was glaring but it's a good step nonetheless.

"Well Kalinka's not here and I may have promised not to swear again but I have every f*cking right to swear right now." Ring Man snapped when a groan made the two bots look over to the now reactivated Skull Man.

"Damn Wily's gonna f*cking die and burn in he** if I ever had the chance to meet him again.." Skull Man muttered out loud angrily, Ring Man could find himself silently agreeing to that.

"Oh hey, welcome back to the land of the functioning." Ring Man sarcastically greeted, Skull Man shook his head a bit at that before glancing at his body. Most of the damage was fixed, if anything he's probably the least damaged out of the three.

"Skull Man! You're awake! You're almost fixed but I still need to check for any other internal damage after fixing Ring Man's leg." Bright Man explained in which Skull Man simply nods in understanding. It also reminded Ring Man to ask Skull Man what happened due to his circuits going offline right after some kind of blast. The last thing he remembered before deactivating was the sound his brother's voice, bellowing out as the cold wind whooshed around him.

"Well after getting our a**es kicked and frozen over, Pharaoh created a blast of fire that broke us free but caused his arm canon to explode. Then I grabbed the both of you and ran out of the room before we got teleported and deactivated from the damage we sustained." Skull Man explained, watching intently at the other. Ring Man nods before looking at the ceiling and sighs. "So, we lost. Just what was that earlier? He flashed blue then became a hundred times faster than before."

"Maybe a certain brother of ours can elate us on that little problem." Skull Man said, eyeing at the orange bot who in turn flinched and look away.

"Bright... Just what the f*ck happened back there?" Ring Man demanded, glaring at his older brother. Bright Man continued to avert his gaze from them, refusing to tell anything and continued working in Ring Man's leg.

"BRIGHT TELL US WHAT HAPPENED ALREADY—" Skull Man yelled but cut himself off when Toad Man entered the lab, rooted to the ground in shock as everyone turned their heads towards him.

"Did I came at a bad time? I was coming here to check if you're all okay." Toad Man explained as he slowly walked in with a tray of medicine, a water bottle and a few E-tanks and packets bolt chips. Judging from what he said, Ring and Skull can tell that Drill Man had already spread the news towards him and everyone else.

"No, sorry about that. Thank you for bringing these to me." Bright Man thanked, visibly relieved as he chugged down a full E-tank. Toad Man then faced Ring Man and Skull Man with a look of sadness, quietly examining the damage. "So, it's true... Tundra really did hurt you."

"It's not him.. He wouldn't hurt us, it's not like him to do so." Skull Man denied, shaking his head before growling. "But yet, he did... It's him, but it's not... I just— ARGH DAMN YOU WILY!!!!!!!!"

The loud frustrated cry must've been very loud to be able to wake their creator. Toad Man immediately checked him in place of Bright Man, helping him to sit up but at the same time, making him stay in the couch.

"Forgive me, I passed out when you needed me most." Dr Cossack apologised in a hoarse voice to which Bright Man was quick to reassure him. "No no it's fine! You need to rest!"

"I have no choice but to agree to that. Now the first thing I want to know is who else knows of what happened?" He asked, looking at Toad Man for answers who hesitantly responded with, "Well, everyone. Even Kalinka."

"Great..." Ring Man groaned, they're back to square 1 in terms of being emotionally okay. It's bad enough that Tundra Man was taken by the guy who forced them to work for his evil plans by using kidnaping, but now that he's a mindless killing machine thanks to that said person, it just adds more sparks to the already reopened scars. This was undoubtedly worse than when Kalinka was kidnaped.

"Now secondly, how did you find Tundra Man?" Dr Cossack asked, turning to the two under-maintenance bots, giving off a stern glare.

"You can thank Pharaoh and his Mummira followers for that. One of them found Tundra Man in that museum by chance and he told us. We then used the Teleportation Chamber he had to go there and confront him. I'm sure you know how that went." Skull Man explained, letting out a pause before continuing. "There was something very off about him, Tundra-"

"—Does not recognise us." Everyone turned to the recently reawakened Pharaoh Man, looking somber instead of his usual majestic glory as he sighs and explains what he mean in a mellow voice. "When we confronted him, he claimed to not know us and thinks that we mistook him for someone else. He claims to have no family.."

"Wily must've blocked out Tundra Man's memories to ensure absolute control over him in case he ever tries to retaliate." Their creator concluded, letting out a defeated sigh as he covers his eyes. "This could be Wily's revenge against me."

None of the bots tried to object that claim. Ring Man and Skull Man obviously felt angry, no matter how well they suppressed it. Wily has really crossed the line now, removing Tundra Man's treasured memories and turning him into a killing machine.

"It was not just our brother's memories." Pharaoh Man suddenly said, catching everyone's attention. What surprised Ring Man was how, haunted and scared Pharaoh Man looked, as if he's seeing something truly horrific.

"When he and I locked eyes before he damaged my arm canon... He, has the eyes of, of..." Pharaoh Man trailed off, taking a pause, mentally preparing himself before continuing. "He has the eyes of a sadistic murderer that borderlines insanity.. It was as if, he e-enjoyed seeing us struggle and scream in pain."

Everyone then have a look of horror in their faces, Ring Man tried to hide it but it's obvious as to how scared he was from his eyes.

"He, liked damaging us?" Skull Man gasped out, still struck by what he heard. Their creator balled up his hands into a fist, clearly frustrated as he muttered out loud. "Of course he would... He's the kind of person that would change him into that.."

"... Doc, there's still something I need to ask. What happened back when Tundra took us all down?" Ring Man asked, which made Bright Man flinch. Toad Man meanwhile looked confused but the scientist stayed silent.

"Mikhail... We deserve an explanation. NOW." Skull Man growled, not appreciating the silent treatment they're been given, Ring Man can agree with that but it's clear that they aren't budging.

"Prof, whatever Wily did to Tundra, it's clear that you and Bright have been pushing yourselves to beyond your limits because of it. I don't care how life threatening the news is, we deserve to know and we deserve to get through it together." Ring Man said, the fact that they referred to their creator as 'Prof' shows how serious he's being, he only ever called him that when he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"It's not about you, it's about how the others would react. I don't want to put you all through more stress than you already have been." Dr Cossack reasoned, taking a sip of water.

"Doctor, is it okay if I discuss that with the others?" Toad Man suddenly asked, catching everyone's attention. He didn't hesitate to elaborate. "I mean, we're bound to find out anyway and it's not good that you and Bright's been holding this to yourselves. We might as well bring everyone to tell them right? I'll just ask them when they'll be ready to hear it."

Ring Man and his brothers patiently wait for their creator's response. After what feels like forever, he sighed. "Fine, go ahead."

Toad Man simply nods as he ran off, leaving them alone in the lab. Bright Man silently continued to fix the three of them as Dr Cossack reluctantly had to rest but it didn't stop him from checking on Skull Man for any other damage and fixing it.

"I'm really sorry, it'll take a while before we can get you a proper replacement for your arm Pharaoh Man." Bright Man apologised as he examines the ruins exploring bot's lack of an arm canon.

"It is fine Bright Man, Thank you for your hard work." Pharaoh Man said as he sat up from the repair table. Having been fully repaired, Ring Man and Skull Man stretched out their metallic limbs once freed from the wires that kept them down to the repair table. Checking on his leg, Ring Man tried walking around. It's a bit clunky but he'll get used to it. It felt like forever but soon the others members of the family came pouring into the lab. Kalinka was the first to react upon seeing Pharaoh Man's missing arm, running over to check on him.

"It is alright, do not fret too much." Pharaoh Man assured which made Kalinka give out an unsure nod.

"Are you guys okay?" Dust Man asked timidly, glancing at the two ex-combat robots. Skull Man was quick to put that doubt to rest. "We're fine, don't worry about us. Right now, we got some news that was kept hidden from us for a while."

Everyone then turned towards the Russian scientist who sighed and shook his head. "I just wanted to confirm, did you all agree with Toad Man that you're ready to hear the truth?"

A chorus of agreements was let out throughout the lab. Ring Man saw their creator and Bright Man share a glance and nodding in agreement, they're finally going to tell the truth.

"Very well then, you'd best brace yourselves. This will be painful to hear." With that, Dr Cossack finally told everything he and Bright Man have been keeping a secret for the past week. He revealed the Forbidden Research Wily has completed from he and Light's University years, why it was discontinued in the first place, how Tundra Man and the robot masters came into play and the biggest gut punch of them all, how Tundra Man might deactivate permanently. Ring Man's no scientist like his creator and Bright Man but even he could see how bad this was. The Cognitive Circuits were a part of their internal systems, if that gets damaged or worse, destroyed, Tundra Man would die, and repairing him won't be able to bring him back. He wished that the theory was a fluke but you gotta face the cold hard truth. He couldn't help but feel a jolt of anger at them for keeping this important secret from them but he knew that they were just concerned for their wellbeing.

"So, he really might die..." Dust Man mumbled out, tears rolling down his face making Drill Man go over to pat his little brother at the back.

"Why didn't you tell us Poppa?!" Kalinka yelled in anger, making everyone jolt up. Kalinka was never angry, seeing her like this was quite frightening.

"Kalinka, please calm down.. Professor was worried about how'd you all take the news." Bright Man said, trying to calm the situation.

"I agree with Kalinka here, you should've told us that way you wouldn't be burdened by the responsibilities." Dive Man spoke up and it makes sense. No one wanted them to have that pressure placed on them, especially to their creator who has done too much for them.

"Like Bright Man said, I was concerned with how all you would react. I don't care if you won't forgive me for keeping it a secret, my family always comes first and foremost." Dr Cossack said, which only adds more fuel to the fire.

"Then what about yourself!? You've been working day and night, searching for those robot masters and our brother for hours on end! If it weren't for Bright you would've gotten sick earlier and now you tell us that's it's OK for us to just let you take the bullet!? Did you tell Bright because it'll allow us to get you to work longer!?" Skull Man shouted, his arm canon letting out a dangerous glow.

"It was my mistake and how I wasn't in the right state of mind that forced me to tell him, I was planning to take it on my own." It really angered Ring Man with how calmly their creator was taking it. Maybe it was how sick and tired he was but the strategist expected some kind of retaliation. Instead he was just taking it, and it's really pissing him off.

"It's not ok that you're planning to take this on your own! If you really do put us first then you tell us about it! Would Tundra want you to be through that stress!?" Skull Man shouted and everything and everyone froze. The Russian scientist looked at the white robot in a mix of surprise and shock.

"What?" That was all he managed to utter out before Skull Man explained with suppressed anger. "Listen here, Tundra's the kind to care for his family and friends. When he was modified, he did it himself so that you could rest! We've seen it time and time again from pulling us to ice skating to video calling us all the way from Arctic Circle! So cut the selflessness a bit and think about him and what he wants, what we want! In which to get it through your head was to simply take care of yourself!"

"Skull Man is correct, please consider it." Pharaoh Man agreed, giving a short nod. Everyone else can silently agree to that, the poor guy needs to take care of himself.

"...I'm really sorry, my mind really wasn't in the right place." Dr Cossack sighed, finally giving in. "I suppose it's the stress of Tundra Man being kidnaped or trying to avert his permanent deactivation but I suppose I was a bit too selfless."

"A bit?" Drill Man repeated as Kalinka, Toad Man, Pharaoh Man, Ring Man, Dust Man and Dive Man and Skull Man gave their creator the 'are-you-sure-of-that' look.

"That's an understatement. The point is that I'm sorry I got caught up in this whirlwind of problems and emotions that I forgot about myself." The man apologised before coughing, reminding everyone else of his sickness.

"You should really rest Professor, and you didn't have to apologise. I think we all were caught up in our own whirlwind." Bright Man assured, sending him a warm smile.

"W-we're in this to the end, and d-Dr Wily isn't gonna keep us down!" Dust Man nervously agreed as Drill Man gets him to pump his fist in the air alongside him, even those he still has his drill hands. How that happen, no one knows nor cares.

"You've done so much for us, so let us return the favour." Toad Man kindly said, Ring Man rolled his eyes but even he wanted to contribute. "If you ever meet that darn scientist, punch him in the face for us."

"We’re all here if you need us. You aren't alone in this.” Skull Man said and Ring Man briefly caught the smile Dive Man flashed to Skull Man. Everyone then immediately froze upon hearing the hitched voice of a sob. They all turned to Dr Cossack who was covering his eyes with his hand, trying to conceal the tears dropping down his face, his shoulders racking with sobs. Almost everybody ran over to give the man a hug, Ring Man and Skull Man having been dragged in by their brothers and Kalinka to join but they were considering to hug their creator either way. This man had been through so much, from having his daughter kidnaped, to forcing to change his own creations to helping the ex-combat robots find jobs and now having their youngest family member be taken away and turned into a sadistic murderer who has no recollection of them. He was already at his breaking point, he needed them more than ever and they’re more than willing to help. To try and keep the family together, to help each other with their struggles, an to comfort each other in their most darkest times.

Chapter Text

Rock or by his superhero alias Megaman took a deep breath. This was it, the location where Tundra Man is.

"Megaman, can you hear me?" The Russian scientist's voice echoed through his radio, making Rock's core feel heavy with guilt. He knew that it was hard for his dad to call Cossack Labs, to tell his close friend how Wily made off with one of his family members and knowing how they all have already suffered through this once before. Tundra Man was specifically there for his maintenance check, his family trusted them. Then... Then this happens.

"I'm here Dr Cossack, I'm currently at the entrance of the museum." Rock replied, there's no backing down now. The call Kalinka made to him right when he was about to go came into his memory drive. Seeing her so distraught, so sad and explaining in between sobs how her entire family was effected by the news was heartbreaking. He had to be strong, he made a promise to Kalinka to bring Tundra Man back home.

"Very well, go inside when you're ready." Dr Cossack said calmly but his voice sounded hoarse. Concerned, Rock turned the call to video call and was shocked to see the entire family there. "Wha- what're you all doing- Dr Cossack you look- Pharaoh Man what happened to your arm-"

"Cease Megaman, I am fine." Pharaoh Man cuts him off, trying not to direct attention to the arm that he lost, the arm that Tundra Man made him lost.

"I know you're worried but I'm fine. As for everyone else, they chose to come here. We already discussed it earlier before contacting you." The Russian scientist assured, waving his hand dismissively before going back to the matter before them. "What matters now is you getting to Tundra Man, go in once you're ready."

"Yeah, before I do there's something I wanted to tell you all back when Kalinka called me but wasn't able to." Rock said and the looks the family gave him prompted him to continue. Rock took another deep breath, he's been needing to say this for a long time. "I wanted to apologise. I'm really sorry that this happened, you trusted us with Tundra Man's safety and we let you down. I can't imagine how you all must've felt throughout that span of time and I won't pry. It's not fair, you've already suffered once I didn't want you to suffer again. We were supposed to take care of him and make sure that it all went well.. Then Wily came and just- I'm really sorry."

It was silent, save for the cold wind breezing through him. Rock patiently waits for a response, backlash, anything.

"Listen here Megaman, I understand where you're coming from but all of this was carefully planned by Wily. He waited for that specific day to get those robot masters waiting for their maintenance check. I don't know if he planned to take Tundra for revenge or something but he definitely crossed the line. If you really mean it, then hurry up and save our brother!" Skull Man yelled, but not to loudly that it'll give away Rock's position. Skull Man was right, this was planned and no one saw it coming. There's nothing he can do to change the past other than to fix its mistakes. Before Rock could reply another call came through. When he glanced at who it's from, he immediately clicked on the button to call back.

"Yo, you're where Tundra is right?" Top Man asked, his face alongside all of Tundra Man's friends and close co-workers appearing on screen but there was something VERY wrong with them.

"Wh-what happened to y-you all?! You looked!... A-as if someone sh-shoved you into a laundry m-machine going on f-full drive!" Dust Man gasped out, everyone were now concerned over the half broken robot masters that have just joined the call.

"Oh y'know... The princess is in another castle?" Top Man awkwardly explained as he looked away, he wasn't very good at storytelling to begin with so it really didn't help to figure out what happened. Rock was really worried by now and nearly went to check them if it weren't for the situation at hand. I mean for crying out loud Top Man's missing both his entire arm and the hand on his other arm!

"I'm going in but I want to hear an explanation from you all!" Rock said before he sprinted into the museum, keeping the group on as he manoeuvred through the Eye Ice falling down from the sky.

"Thy wizard of ambition Albert Wily, why thou placed such a curse onto thy sweet innocent Fairy of Ice? Trapped in a cage of power and suffering, a shadow of himself wreaking havoc across the land. Many try to free thy fairy, none thou possess such victory. Thy shadow of O' Fairy of Ice knows not of mercy, thy tinkling laughs that once belonged to O' Fairy of Ice, now haunted with malice, striking fear to thou who dare challenge him. Thou prays for thy Blue Hero to strike and let thy Fairy of Ice dance once more." Star Man said in a somber tone which translates to: 'We try to save Tundra Man, failed and got ourselves mercilessly wreaked by him.'

"Join the club." Ring Man said sarcastically, motioning towards himself, Skull Man and Pharaoh Man which would explain the latter's missing arm.

"At least you guys managed to flee, we were tossed around and slammed everywhere!" Chill Man complained, gesturing towards his missing lower half of his body, shattered glass, helmet and broken hand. At least they're trying to lighten up the situation as Rock jumps his way up, non-slippy shoes were really helpful.

"Where are you all anyway?" Rock couldn't help but question. He didn't see them at Dr Light's lab when he went to go get his upgrade in preparation for entering the museum.

"On our way to Dr Light's lab actually." Freeze Man explained. "We just went to get supplies for Dr Light to fix us. We were really lucky that Tundra Man made us that offer."

"What offer?" Bright Man and Rock asked simultaneously, destroying a few Eye Ice. The mix of robot masters glanced at each other with an unsure look on their faces before they decided that Jewel Man's best suited to deliver the news.

"Well... He gave us a proposal. Be destroyed or deliver a message, we obviously chose the latter. His message was...." Jewel Man trailed off, not sure if he could continue.

"It's for you Commander Cossack, Tundra Man challenged you to prepare. He'll be coming to kill you, your daughter and robot masters. That was the message." Ice Man finished, his eye farting away due to his other eye being slashed in two.

"He— What?" Dust Man gasped out, looking horrified alongside his family. Rock was equally horrified as he finds a check point to stop running. "Did he really say that?!"

"Yes... He did... Then he threw us out." Top Man confirmed with a short nod. Tundra Man literally declared to kill his entire family that he cared deeply for. Wily really went too far, he completely sealed Tundra Man away and let a monster be created and roamed free.

"I can't believe it..... That's impossible..." Kalinka muttered out, looking lost. First he enjoyed hurting his brothers and friends and now he's going to kill someone he sees as his own Father?!

"This is spiralling down into complete disaster..." Dive Man mumbled to himself, it was far worse than what he was expecting. Rock found himself agreeing as he moved on. He has to save Tundra Man NOW, lives were at stake. He dodged and destroy those that stood in his path that he couldn't avoid, utilising the Double Gear systems every now and then.

"Megaman, there's something up ahead. Be careful now." Dr Cossack spoke up as Rock approaches a door.

"I'm ready." Rock said before going in before seeing a robot that looks like a frozen mammoth skeleton. The robot bellowed out a battle cry before proceeding to attack, spinning around.

"Above you!" Ring Man shouted and Rock activated the speed gear by reflex, barely dodging the pillars of ice and spikes, his greatest fear. Rock then proceeded to shoot the robot but for some reason it did no damage.

"I remember seeing that robot before, there's a robot that acts as the mammoth's platform." Skull Man informed to which Rock used that to his advantage and jumped and slid through the robot's tackles and hit the green platform and this time he took damage. It took a while but he finally managed to defeat the robot, the Double gear systems and Special Weapons really came in handy. He lets himself rest, drinking an E-tanks while doing so when he asked. "Does anyone know of that robot?"

"I do, its name is Mecha-Mammostal. He's an exhibition robot for showing off museum exhibits and it loves to strike the best pose for the audience. Tundra and I actually met him before, I didn't think he'd be used for this." Freeze Man explained, hiding his sadness. Rock gave Mecha-Mammostal a sad look before discarding the E-tank and moving on. Dr Light can fix him, he always could. He soon arrived to a corridor full of ice as a blizzard pushed him forward, giving Rock little time to react before he was sent off a cliff much to everyone in the call's horror. Thankfully Beat swooped in and saved Rock, bringing him back to the ledge.

"Thanks Beat!" Toad Man thanked and Beat chirped happily in reply before flying off and happy that he met his cousins again. Rock made his way through the corridors, picking up an E-tank lying around along the way before arriving to a door with the Wily symbol on it. Rock knew what it meant, Tundra Man was beyond that room. He soon entered and took a break in the room, preparing himself physically and mentally to fight the robot master.

"Does anyone know Tundra Man's weakness?" Rock hesitatingly asked, only met with silence.

"Well, he is weak to electricity due to his braid and all—" Drill Man muttered but then cuts himself off when he realised what he just said.

"So Scramble Thunder it is.." Rock said in a melancholy voice, he didn’t want to fight Tundra Man, heck he never wanted to fight any of his robotic brethren but he has no choice. He chose to save them, now he has to endure the hardships that follow. He about to equip Fuse Man's weapon when Bright Man cried out, "Wait!"

"What's up?" Top Man asked, confused, they should be stopping Tundra Man and saving him by now.

"We all know that Tundra Man is weak to electricity so Bright Man and I calculated how many joules there are in that Scramble Thunder. I then calculate it with the internal damage conflicted to Tundra Man's internal systems from the information Light gave me about the Double Gear system only I divided it in half since he only has one of them in him. To put it in short terms, if you use that weapon against Tundra Man and if he used the Gear System, his Cognitive Circuit would fry." Dr Cossack explained and the world around Rock stopped. This wasn't good, he didn't want to destroy Tundra Man completely! Knowing this, he dismissed the idea of using Scramble Thunder and decided to stick to his trusty mega-buster. It might but him at a big disadvantage but it’s better than destroying Tundra Man’s cognitive circuit.

"Ok, thanks for telling me. I'm going in now, wish me luck." Rock said and with that he reluctantly but surely entered the room where Tundra Man was supposed to be. Soon as he entered, the robot master himself skated into the room, spotlights flashing down onto him as he poses before slowly shifting his cold gaze towards the blue bomber.

"Greetings Megaman, I had expected you to show up soon. A shame though, I was about to depart to Russia for a special event." Tundra Man greeted, bowing down. His eyes were devoid of the spark of flame that was his passion, replacing with that of madness and bloodlust.

"Please Tundra Man listen to yourself! You don't have to follow Wily's orders and kill your creator! You need to remember who you really are!" Rock pleaded which resulted in Tundra Man laughing, giving Rock an amused look.

"Do you really think that it was Dr Wily who gave me the orders? I merely suggested to him that if we were to take over the world, we'll have to conquer more territory! It just so happens that there's someone residing there so I took it upon myself to rid of that rubbish! I even warn them to prepare so that they’ll scram or at least give me a good battle!" Tundra Man said so nonchalantly it was spine-chilling especially how he spins around without a care in the world before turning towards Rock with a gaze so that would haunt everyone to their end. Tundra Man's eyes were now an luminous blue, filled with so much insanity, sadism, bloodlust and pure satisfaction, Rock found himself rooted to the ground by pure fear, something he haven't felt in a while until now. Dr Cossack glared back at the eyes to hide his terror, that THING was not his creation... It was not his son! Kalinka felt herself shrinking in horror, what has Wily done to Tundra Man? Bright Man could feel his systems running motionless, that wasn't his brother, no matter where he looked it wasn't him. Toad Man and Drill Man were equally horrified, taking a step back from all the bloodlust they were feeling. Ring Man could feel his leg spark in pain, even if they look the same, that was not his brother and he knew it. Pharaoh Man took two steps back and gripped his arm canon but since it was still absent he gripped the upper half of his arm instead. This was the monster he encountered back then, the one who had mentally scarred him with that cursed image only this time it's now increased tenfold. Dust Man tried to look away but he was unable to move his eyes out of that thing's view, he found himself wanting to throw up but held it in to the best of his abilities. Dive Man was trembling, no matter what he do he couldn't stop, where was his missing brother? The flamboyant, elegant and flashy brother they all missed? To Skull Man it looked as something out of a horror movie but this was real. Tundra Man was completely gone and in his place was whatever demon had the gall to inhabit his body. Top Man could feel himself shaking, that wasn't Tundra Man. What the heck kind of demon did Wily unleashed to take Tundra Man's place!? Gemini Man found himself glaring daggers at that thing, how dare it destroyed his beautiful body and took his friend's body to boot! Star Man knew that this was Wily's doing, he knew that Tundra Man was trapped and being sealed away by that monster but yet even he doubts that he could see any of the ice fairy's presence. Jewel Man felt too uncomfortable to the point where he managed to look away, this was too much and too cruel for him. Chill Man felt himself overwhelmed with memories of their fight, the tearing of metal, their screams, his- No, THAT thing's laughter. It was too much and it made him clutch onto Freeze Man the best he could, the latter was also terrified to the point of freezing in place. Ice Man tried to stay strong but even his demeanour was cracking, this was not the same robot master whom he worked with. That's not even including the fact that it was that thing's idea to kill his own family.

"Besides, I already remembered everything. I owe Dr Wily a lot for picking me up after all those humans threw me away like garbage. He was such a nice man, even letting me partake in his wonderful plan to take over the world! A shame that the other robot masters failed in defeating you and betrayed the poor doctor by siding with the enemy. He was offering us so much yet they threw him away." Tundra Man continued before getting into a pose. "Now, prepare yourself Megaman! For you're skating on thin ice!"

"JUMP!!!!!!!" Ice Man, Skull Man and Top Man shouted, having snapped out of the murderous glare that Tundra Man inflicted to them. Shocked, Rock jumped on command and he barely avoided Tundra Man's tackle.

"You gotta fight!" Ring Man shouted and Rock silently agreed, shooting at Tundra Man when the ice skating robot spun around, deflecting the bullets.

"Duck!" Freeze Man called as Tundra Man jumped, making Rock slide and shoot at him once he stopped spinning. This continued with Rock having a few close calls when Tundra Man leaped up a great distance and stomped onto Rock's leg, the bladed sole digging into the metal. Rock let out a scream and it got worse when Tundra Man started stomping on his stomach, making Ring Man and Skull Man visibly cringe. Rock tried to find a way out, to end his suffering and soon a plan surfaced.

"Power gear!" Rock shouted as he fired a powered up shot towards Tundra Man and quickly slid away as fast as he could. When he realised what he done and tried to apologise, "Sorry! It was the only way I could-"

"It's ok Megam- Look out!" Kalinka cried out as Rock turned around only to see Tundra Man flash a familiar luminous blue before skating over towards him at top speed.

"Gear change!" Rock shouted as time slowed around him and he dodged Tundra Man's tackles and blizzard. All seemed to be safe when Top Man shouted in a panic, "Wait it's not over—"

"Don't blink!" Tundra Man said, flashing blue again.

"He's gonna use it again!?" Bright Man shouted, clearly baffled. It didn't happened before in fight he saw his brothers partake in and it even Rock was caught off guard. He've seen gigantic golems, tidal waves of acid, but never did any of the robot masters he fought before used their Gears twice in a row after running its course.

"BITTER! HEARTLESS! GORGEOUS! ICE!" Tundra Man bellowed, using Rock's surprise to his advantage and tackling him before freezing him in place with a powerful blizzard. Just like before with Pharaoh Man, Ring Man and Skull Man, Rock was trapped in ice.

"Mega Man, escape from that ice!" Pharaoh Man ordered as a spotlight shone down onto Tundra Man as he leisurely skated his way towards the frozen robot.

"You really were quite tough, I congratulate you on that. You aren't like all those intruder trash I had to deal with earlier. It also seemed that the rumours were true, you can use the Double Gear System to its fullest potential." Tundra Man monologued, the 'intruder trash' obliviously hitting hard towards Pharaoh Man, Ring Man, Skull Man, Top Man, Gemini Man, Star Man, Jewel Man, Chill Man, Freeze Man and Ice Man.

"However, even with all that you still cannot beat me! As to be expected, I'm like a rose, frozen in ice!" Tundra Man declared, posing glamorously as the spotlights shone down to him. Star Man instantly perked up at that, wasn't that something he referred to him as when they first met?! "Megaman, that's-"

Rock immediately understood, there's still traces of the real Tundra Man left! "Tundra Man, where did you learn that phrase?!"

"You mean how I'm like a rose frozen in ice? Not the most fitting of last words but I shall enlighten you. I-" Tundra Man paused, clearly wondering about the phrase's origin. This caused him to grit in pain, his eyes barely flickering out of its blue hue. Using this, Rock changed into Block Dropper and make it rain blocks, cracking the ice and even hitting down some spotlights as he was set free before he changed back to his mega-buster and ran towards Tundra Man, charging up his attack.

"REMEMBER WHO YOU REALLY ARE, TUNDRA MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rock yelled, letting go of his charge shot onto Tundra Man as the latter tried to move back. Unfortunately he wasn't able to escape the blast as the room shook, ice broke, metal fell down and everything went white. Just like that, the Super Fighting Robot defeated another robot master. After everything had fallen, the room went deathly silent, like the end of a performance when the curtain drops down and the audience knew that it was over.

"Megaman! Megaman can you hear me?! Answer me!" Dr Cossack shouted through the intercom, they couldn't see much and all of them were worried for the robots.

"I'm here, I'm here." Rock said as the dust cleared, revealing a heart-stopping sight before them. There laid Tundra Man, trapped under a debris of ice, metal and bricks.

"TUNDRA MAN!!!!!!!!!!!" Everyone cried out as Rock rushed over and shoved all the rubble away before pulling him out. He let out a gasp of shock. Tundra Man's lower leg was cut off, his other leg was completely gone, oil dripping out of the damage. The right part of his chest was blown off from Rock's charge shot alongside his arm, the crystals were cracked and some were broken off, the braid was still intact somehow, only cracked with a couple small pieces missing.

"Tundra Man, wake up!" Rock yelled, gently shaking the robot master. In response the climate observing robot groaned and gripped his head in pain, his eyes opening to reveal the conflict of colours in them.

"Tundra Man, remember your real past!" Rock begged as everyone in call waited in baited breath as they watch Tundra Man's eyes flicker before it finally settled down to his familiar tourmaline pink eyes.

"I, remember... I am, DCN— DCN. 085 Tundra Man." He muttered, making everyone felt relieved and happy. He was back, the real Tundra Man was back. Tundra Man slowly register his surroundings, muttering to himself. "What happened? All I remember was Wily-"

He suddenly jolted up, startling Rock as he frantically looked around before gripping his head, his optics going wet and his emotional sensors going haywire. Rock and the others helplessly watched as Tundra Man asked himself in a choked voice all while trying to contain his sobs. "No.. No what have I done? Wh— what have I done? What did Wily- Why did- I- I-"

"Tundra-" Rock called but it made the robot master move away as much as he could as he curled up into a ball and sobbed. "No, please I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't mean to please don't scrap me. Please don't scrap me I'm sorry I'm so sorry... I- I didn't mean to I wasn't- I couldn't-"

By now, Tundra Man had completely broke down, his body racking in sobs as he cried into his shoulders. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! It wasn't me! I didn't- I wouldn't- I'M SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!! I- I'm sorry... I'm s-so, so sorry...!"

"I know Tundra Man, I know..." Rock sighed with an all too tired face and voice, looking at Tundra Man in empathy as he used his free hand to rub his eyes. It was just so PAINFUL, watching this again, and AGAIN. How many robot masters were forced to reach this level of regret and pain of things they have no control over, all for Wily's selfish ambitions? How many times now did he have to helplessly watch as they sob to themselves? Aside from the DWNs who're just doing what they're programs were telling them to do, this was a new level of pain altogether and this batch of robot masters he had to fought were by far the worst out of everything he's seen before. Memories of their breakdowns flooded Rock's memory drives, Block Man's frantic breakdown as he yelled to himself what had he done, Acid Man trying to stay strong and mature only to break down soon after, Impact Man breaking apart both figuratively and literally when they realised that they weren't fighting for any good cause nor to avenge their friend whom they thought had been destroyed, Bounce Man who literally cried like a child when he realised what he had done was bad, Fuse Man who had a silent mental breakdown at the victims of his rampage and now this: Tundra Man curled up and crying as he BEGS Rock to forgive him for everything that he had done and not to scrap him away. These robot masters were also VICTIMS to Wily's actions and Rock couldn't do anything to change that.

"I know, it's not your fault.. It's alright, you didn't..." He tried to reassure but it proved to be futile. Thankfully there weren't any casualties considering that Tundra Man invaded the museum at night and all the guards on night duty got away but considering Tundra Man's brothers and friends who suffered from heavy injuries just to try and take him back home, Tundra Man must've been torn. His intercom was silent and even without looking at the screens Rock could tell that everyone in call was hurt by the scene before them. This wasn't the Tundra Man they knew, it was the remains of what's left after Wily damaged him. Wily, you've gone WAY too far now... No one in call knew who would talk to him to make him feel better. They all felt that they couldn't bring the right words to give Tundra Man the comfort he deserves. All Rock could do now was carefully moving forward to pat the shaking robot master on the shoulder and whisper to him words of comfort. "It's ok, I'll fix everything alright? You aren't to blame here at all. It'll be okay, I promise."

The motion was to try and comfort the robot master of course but also—

[WEAPON GET: TUNDRA STORM]

He'll use this for Torch Man later but that can wait. This robot master comes first and Rock knew that his words meant nothing to Tundra Man.

"Megaman, could you put me on screen? I would like to talk to Tundra Man please." Dr Cossack's voice suddenly pierced through the silence from his intercom, nearly startling Rock before he silently agrees and pulls away. "Hey Tundra Man? There's someone who wants to talk to you."

"What?..." Tundra Man muttered, slowly looking up as Rock puts the call on video and lets a holographic screen show up in front of him and soon he was greeted Tundra Man's creator on screen.

"D-dad?" Tundra Man gasped, his voice box broken from crying. Tears ran down his eyes like a silent waterfall, his eyes that once sparked with passion now lost in such misery and despair.

"Hello Tundra Man, everything is fine now. I understand that you're in pain but trust me, I've felt the same way." Dr Cossack paused, glancing away most likely to Kalinka before looking back. "Everything is going to be alright now. As selfish as this might sound, Megaman would help to fix everything and stop Dr Wily. There's no need for you to worry, you can rest easy now. All your mistakes would be repaired, you didn’t take any lives. You can count on Megaman and I to make sure of it.”

“B-but-“ Tundra Man whimpered but his creator cuts him off. “I don’t want to hear any of that now. Just know that everything will be okay, they’ll pick you up and fix you. It’s okay, it’s over, you’ll be safe now.”

“I’ll take care of Wily and try to fix everything, I promise.” Rock agreed, giving off a warm smile. He’s really glad that Dr Cossack was able to try and calm Tundra Man down when he couldn’t, it really goes to show how much he cared for the climate exploring/ice-skating robot.

“... Alright... I shall rest, thank you Megaman, Dad...” Tundra Man said, his voice slurring as he begun to deactivate, closing his eyes as the Russian scientist said his final words to him—

“Rest now son, we’ll see you soon.”

Chapter Text

Tundra Man waited patiently with the other robot masters. Due to safety precautions, they all have to be picked up from Dr Light's lab should Wily come again. To say that he was okay was a big lie, and that can relate to the other robot masters. They've all done bad things but in reality, they have no choice and it was out of their control to stop it. Tundra Man was more concerned about his family, he knows about what Wily did to them and felt guilty for bringing up bad memories, even if he didn't mean to. The strange thing is, what he had done seemed like a blur to him, like a distant, fading memory. He asked Dr Light about this earlier and he'll agree to look into it for his sake. The atmosphere was kind of... Tense to say the least, especially for the other robot masters and it makes sense considering how nervous all of them are to confront their friends and family on what they've done. Block Man and Impact Man were seated together, talking amongst themselves to try and ease each other's programs. Fuse Man sat far away from Tundra Man as he pets Rush which makes sense to the ice-skating robot, he knows that the yellow bot means well. Blast Man was furiously writing down something on a piece of paper that he couldn't really see, Acid Man was drinking from an E-tank Eddie brought for him, Torch Man was meditating next to Tundra Man and Bounce Man... Other than just being Bounce Man, he was colouring on a piece of paper Roll gave him. He then heard a whine of a chirp and turned to Beat who snuggled up next to his hip. His cousin was a great source of comfort to him, aside from being made from the same person. He gently pets the robot bird on his head as his voice box let out a soft sigh.

"It will be alright." Tundra Man nearly jumped at the sound of Torch Man's voice as he turned to the camp advisor staring down at him. "Your family will understand and they will help you. Is that what you were worried about?"

"да, how did you-" Tundra Man asked when Torch Man cuts him off to give him his answer. "We all are going through the same thing as you are. You are not alone in facing this."

"Ah, thank you. For a fire robot, you are not quite bad." If Tundra Man had a mouth, he'd be smiling right now and the same could be said for Torch Man as he gave him a calming look.

"You can thank my training for that." Torch Man said in a humble tone when a stampede of footsteps thundered through the room as the door swung open and robot masters alongside two humans that Tundra Man had never seen before rushed over and happily hugged the equally happy Block Man and Impact Man. Tundra Man could tell that they're construction robots and the humans were their manufacturers. One of them, a woman came up to Dr Light and thanked him but Tundra Man wasn't interested in hearing their conversation. It felt like an intrusion of their privacy and if Block Man and Impact Man are happy then it's fine.

"Yo Torch!" A short box-like robot called running towards the camp advisor alongside another robot master. Torch Man's eyes lit up with warmth as he sat up to greet them. More robots and humans begun to pour into the room and Tundra Man kept to his seat when someone unleashed a surprise hug onto him.

"Tundra!" He recognised the voice immediately as he turned around to see his friends and co-workers there with his best and closest friend hugging him.

"Toppy!" He happily said before getting engulfed in more hugs by his friends.

"Oh Snow Fairy, you are back to your beautiful, pure self!" Star Man cooed, cuddling the climate observing robot as Gemini Man pushed him away.

"Hey! It's my turn!" Gemini Man and his clone said simultaneously, only to get shoved aside by Jewel Man coming in to be in front of Tundra Man.

"No, he's mine!" He argued, wanting to get his friend's attention.

"Stop your meaningless bickering! Let the soldier rest!" Ice Man ordered, him Chill Man and Freeze Man prying them off the dazed but happy Tundra Man.

"Sorry about that, they're just happy to see you again." Chill Man informed, giving off a peaceful smile. Tundra Man smiles back using his eyes to show the emotion but something caught him off guard. "Chill Man, what happened to your glass case? Did you had to wash it?"

"Wha- Oh that. Yeah, I had to, it got dirty." Chill Man nearly stuttered as Tundra Man failed to see the worried glances thrown around but he accepts the answer. Chill Man meanwhile was having some internal flashbacks to their fight, to when Tundra Man smashed his glass commenting on how it's a pity that such pretty glass is used for an ugly body. No, he shouldn't think of that, that wasn't Tundra Man, the real him was right in front of him now, not that monster.

"Anyway, we should celebrate you coming back! They've brought E-tanks!" Freeze Man said, going into a pose to point at the humans from before that first came here alongside Megaman, Roll, Auto and Eddie helping to distribute party food and drinks for humans and robots alike.

"нет, I want to wait for my family." Tundra Man said, as much as he loved seeing his best friends and close co-workers again, he had longed to see his family again.

"We understand but at least take an E-tank, you deserve it." Top Man said right as Beat came flying back with an E-tank in his claws. Tundra Man nods, taking the E-tank from his cousin. "Very well, I'm sure it wouldn't take long!"

34 minutes have passed and no sign of his family. The pick-up turned reunion party had both grown and shrunken in size with most of the robot masters having already been picked up and leaving. Tundra Man was getting worried and impatient as he sat down at the couch near the wall, an almost empty E-tank in hand. He doesn't feel like his usual self and he knows the reason why. His friends were worried about the usually flamboyant robot but Tundra Man assured them that he was fine and so they have no choice but to back down. He sighed, what's taking them so long? Did they abandon him?

"Are you alright Tundra Man? Why don't you join in on the festivities?" A gentle voice asked as Tundra Man looked up to see Dr Light approach him with a cup of water in one hand and an E-tank in the other.

"нет, I'm alright. I do not feel like celebrating." Tundra Man lied as the scientist sat down next to him and handed him the E-tank, taking the almost hallow one out of his hands.

"Don't worry, I know Mikhail for a long time. He isn't the kind of person to leave you behind and that goes for your entire family as well. Just give them time, they'll come soon." He assured, patting Tundra Man at the shoulder before chugging down on some water.

"I suppose you're correct." Tundra Man said, he really must've been feeling out of it for Dr Light to notice and be concerned for his distress.

"Uh, Dr Light? Do you hear that?" Auto suddenly asked out loud causing everyone to go silent in confusion as both Tundra Man and Dr Light stood up. The room was devoid of sound only for Megaman to charge up his mega buster and turn to the front wall in caution.

"Wait, is that the sound of a-" Roll asked but was cut off by the wall being thoroughly obliviated as a very familiar voice screamed out. "TUNDRA!!!!!"

"Wha-" Tundra Man gasped, taking a few steps forward and before he knew it he was surrounded in hugs and was nearly tackled to the floor of it weren't for his huggers keeping him balanced. When he looked at who had hugged him, he was shocked speechless to see his most of his family being the culprits and crying their eyes out or in Pharaoh Man and Ring Man's case holding back tears as they rapidly barrage Tundra Man with questions.

"Are you ok?!"
"Do you need repairs?!"
"How are you feeling?"
"Did Wily hurt you in any other way!?"
"How badly were you harmed?"
"If anyone's hurting you tell me and I'll make them regret it!"
"Is there anything you need?!"
"Are you truly alright?!"

"Everyone SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!" A voice bellowed as everyone turned to see Skull Man at the hole in the wall, Dr Cossack right beside him.

"You're overwhelming him, give him time to process it all." Skull Man said which made his family disperse from Tundra Man but still stuck close to him.

"Forgive Drill Man for destroying the wall, I'll pay for it." Dr Cossack apologised before walking over to Tundra Man. He stopped right in front of him and it felt as if time stopped as they stared at each other. The spell broke when his father and creator brought him into a hug, muttering out in a relieved and tired voice. "Thank goodness you're alright Son. It's all over, Wily can't hurt you anymore."

"Dad..!" That was the blow needed to break the waterworks as Tundra Man buries his head into his dad's shoulder and hugs back, tears rolling down his face like a waterfall. His family were quick to come in and surround Tundra Man in a hug, whispering words of reassurance to him as his friends join in as well. Even Skull Man got dragged in by Kalinka, giving his little brother the biggest hug imaginable as he whispered to him in a voice only he could hear. "If there's anyone who dares to breathe at you suspiciously tell me and I'll break their necks, got it?"

Tundra Man couldn't care less about anything, his family and friends were here and he was safe as he treasured every bit of it. Though he thought he heard someone cry out, "AAAA FLUFF, MY GREATEST WEAKNESS!!!!!!!" but maybe that's his imagination.

"I'm sorry to interrupt this heartwarming reunion but Mikhail, there's something important I need to talk to you about concerning Tundra Man. Could we talk more privately?" Dr Light asked hesitantly, making everyone in the group look at him in confusion and slight annoyance.

"Very well then, could all of you take Tundra Man back to the hotel? I'll join you soon, I promise." His Dad said, giving his Son one last hug before turning towards Tundra Man's friends. "You can accompany him if you want to, he'll need all the support he could get."

"We were planning to anyway." Star Man said, the others nodding in agreement except for the other ice themed robots.

"Negative sir, we must return to our duties!" Ice Man informed, Freeze Man and Chill Man nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, we'll be taking over Tundra Man's work so that he can rest easy. The boss will understand." Chill Man said, giving Tundra Man a warm smile. Tundra Man would've smiled back if he had a mouth so instead he showed his gratitude through his eyes. Dr Cossack nods, giving a warm smile. "Well then, I'll be back soon."

With that the Russian scientist left the group. The walk back to the hotel was a lively one even though Tundra Man had to part with his icy robot brethren. Tundra Man stayed close to the group, chatting with them all to try and keep the tension low. It was a success and Tundra Man felt at ease, which made his family and friends happy for that. They soon arrived to the hotel, considering how they already booked in earlier they don't have to get through the reception. Kalinka, Bright Man, Drill Man, Dust Man, Skull Man, Top Man, Gemini Man and Jewel Man entered the elevator and at that moment Tundra Man could feel his core stop dead. His memory drive was rewinding. He remembered running, the colour blue, arms grabbing him, the pods oh dear lord the PODS—

"Tundra! You coming in or not?" Top Man called, snapping Tundra Man out of his flashbacks.

"Oh, no I'll take the stairs." Tundra Man dismissed, hiding the tremble in his voice. Those in the elevator looked at him in concern but they knew that they shouldn't push it.

"Suit yourself, your loss." Ring Man said before anyone could respond, going in the elevator and pressing the button. Before they went up, Tundra Man gave him a grateful glance, to which Ring Man responded with a nod. He then followed Toad Man, Dive Man and Star Man up the stairs to their room.

Chapter Text

Skull Man was the only one awake in the room they were residing in. It was very big and spacious for them all, how the h*ll Mikhail found such a hotel with big room he had no idea. He glanced around, Tundra Man, Top Man and Gemini Man were sprawled out asleep on the bed with Top Man taking the bottom side, Gemini Man at the left side and Tundra Man at the right side halfway facing him. Pharaoh Man slumbered next to them, standing up and leaning against the wall, arms crossed like those ancient Egyptian corpses. Star Man and Jewel Man were resting on each side of the bed Tundra Man was on, both slumped over in a sitting position. Kalinka was on the other bed sleeping next to Skull Man with Drill Man sleeping on the floor with a pillow in his arms in front of them. Dust Man was asleep on the couch with Ring Man slumped over a chair and in Sleep Mode. Dive Man as also asleep on the floor since well, he would most likely break the beds and finally Bright Man and Toad Man were asleep on the floor sharing a blanket. He let out a deep breath to clear his vents, he's back. Their brother was back with them, no longer in Wily's hands. He should relax but he couldn't. He could feel his torso sparking as if the wires in his system were cut and left there. The ice, the tearing of metal, that THING'S eyes-

"No, it's dead." Skull Man whispered to himself. That monster isn't there, it died when Megaman landed that final blow. The thought led Skull Man to when Tundra Man came back to his senses and he grimaced. The look of brokenness, fear and confusion was forever engraved to his memory drive. However the more he reluctantly looked, the more he noticed the lack of guilt in Tundra Man's face. It wasn't just a coincidence either, Tundra Man didn't look the slightest bit guilty when he saw him, Ring Man and Pharaoh Man. It's as if the fight with them never happened, but it did and Skull Man knows of it. Was he trying to hide his guilt? No, they would've picked up on that already, especially him and Ring Man. They're second to none when it comes to reading emotions. He also seemed fine talking with his friends as if he wasn't the one who took pleasure in tearing them to scrap! He tried to calm down from his frantic thoughts, glancing over towards the robot in question. His expression softened upon his sleeping form, his crystal braid sparkling under the sliver of light from the curtains of the balcony in this dark space. He looks so peaceful yet he knows that what Tundra Man is feeling is anything but that. He remembered them getting the call from Light Labs and how shocked everyone was to see Megaman on screen crying his eyes out as he apologised to them over and over. Mikhail was quick to calm the situation down and then they got an explanation. Tundra Man and the seven other robot masters got kidnaped TWICE by Wily during Light and some robot named Auto's attempts to track him down. If that wasn't bad enough, the second time he fought him, he was forced to use Scramble Thunder.

SCRAMBLE.

THUNDER.

He then went into a frantic apology for using it and becoming one of the reasons for Tundra Man having nightmares and all that. They all accepted his apology and told him it's alright since a) Megaman's a pacifist and ultimately a CHILD, b) they were prepared to handle the worst, and c) they have experience with this sort of thing before and assured Megaman that they can take care of it. Megaman accepts it and Dr Light took over the call, apologising first and then informing them that Tundra Man's safe now and they should go and pick him up which they were more than willing to do. Looking back, Skull Man wonders if that was just him lying to both Megaman and himself, maybe he wasn't prepared to see the consequences of Wily's actions inflicted into Tundra Man for his own selfish ambitions. Thinking about it makes his wires spark.

"Why him Wily?" He found himself asking out loud with malice weaved into his voice but he knew that he wouldn't get any answers now. Letting out a sigh, he was about to go back to Sleep Mode when—

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" A loud scream of absolute fear pierced throughout the room, descending those inside into chaos and confusion. Skull Man, Ring Man and Pharaoh Man immediately jumped up, weapons ready while he guards a startled and scared Kalinka. Dust Man fell off the couch in a panic as Drill Man let out a scream of surprise, jerking up as Dive Man and Toad Man quickly sat up in shock, not expecting to be woken up so suddenly.

"What's going on?!" Bright Man asked as he illuminated the room in surprise. There they found the origin to the scream being Tundra Man who had kicked Top Man and Gemini Man off the bed as well as Star Man and Jewel Man who are trying to calm the screaming robot down.

"NOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! LET ME GO LET ME GO!!!!!!!!!!" Tundra Man screamed, trying to escape. Everyone took action upon sight, Skull Man being the quickest as he shot over towards the other bed, the others following in tow.

"Tundra calm down!!" Skull Man cried out as he and Pharaoh Man trying to restrain him alongside Star Man but it only caused Tundra Man to scream louder, tears running down his face. "GO AWAY!!!!!!!!!!! WILY WILL GET ME!!!!!!!!!!!! HE'LL REPROGRAM ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Calm yourself Tundra Man! Wily is not here!" Pharaoh Man commanded but their brother didn't listen, continuously kicking anyone who dares get near him. Damnit, this was so painful to witness and Skull Man's not the only one who felt that way. The fact that everyone else were trying to get close enough to calm Tundra Man down and assure him that everything's alright is more than enough proof.

"STAY BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON'T PUT ME IN THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON'T PUT ME IN THE POD—"
"Tundra it's okay!" Top Man nearly shouted, cutting his scared friend off. He successfully got close enough to grab Tundra Man by the face and force him to lock eye contact with him but Skull Man can notice how his hands were trembling.

"It's ok, you're safe! Wily's not here! You got us, you got your family! You got your friends! Wily can't hurt you!" Top Man nearly screamed in rushed sentences, failing miserably to hide his panic. Everyone else stopped and watched as slowly but surely, Tundra Man calmed down, only to collapse into Top Man's arms sobbing into his shoulders. Skull Man can tell that everyone was staring at Tundra Man emphatically as Gemini Man, his clone and Star Man joined in on the hug, muttering words of reassurance and comfort to their close friend. Considering that they're DWNs, it's like they're confirming that Wily's no longer around and that's a good thing. Pharaoh Man and Skull Man loosened their grip on him so that the others like their brothers, Jewel Man and Kalinka can join in on the hug. Bright Man, Ring Man and Dive Man were the only ones not hugging him due to Bright Man not wanting to hurt Pharaoh Man with his light so instead he chose to give a pat while standing as far away from Pharaoh Man as possible, Ring Man who just patted Tundra Man on the shoulder and Dive Man who can't get on the bed anyway and so improvised by gently petting Tundra Man on the head. With all the chaos subsiding, Skull Man can think clearly now. What Tundra Man said earlier about pods, what was he talking about? What the f*ck did Wily did to him?!

"Skull." Ring Man quietly called in which Skull Man turned to the other ex-combat robot, only to be greeted with a glare. He know what it means and nods, he can't let out his anger now, not when Tundra Man's so emotionally vulnerable. Tundra Man was then reduced to small hitching sobs and whimpers but no one let him go, instead continuing to try and comfort him.

"You ok now?" Ring Man finally asked, making everyone pull away a bit to give Tundra Man some space but some refused to let go, Skull Man being one of them as he and Pharaoh Man shifted their positions to look at their brother without having to let go. Tundra Man only nods, not trying to face anyone. It was completely out of character for him but it makes a sick kind of sense considering his situation.

"Do you want to talk about it, Ice Fairy?" Star Man asked softly, making Tundra Man pause before he shrugs.

"You don't have to if you're not comfortable enough to do so." Dive Man pointed out in hopes to assure Tundra Man that it's alright.

"Or you could just tell us-"
"-but leave some parts out." Gemini Man and his clone suggested, doing that completing each others' sentences thing. Tundra Man went still, everyone waited patiently for his response. He then started shaking and crying again, his voice box renewed with hiccuping sobs.

"I- I'm so sca-scared... I'm afraid that w-Wily w-will f-find me... Th-then he would- he would r-reprogram me and m-make me do h-horrible things a—again! Th-then I would f-feel all this p-pain again!.." He sobbed in a shaky voice, trying to wipe away the tears on his face.

"Tundra, Wily isn't here now. He won't find you and reprogram you." Jewel Man empathically, Tundra Man frantically shook his head.

"No!.. He- he'll find me! Like l-last time and he- he'll reprogram me!! I- I'm not s-safe! I can't f-feel safe! Not when— not when h-he's still out there! H-he'll co- come f-for me!... A-and, I— I CAN NEVER ESCAPE HIM!!!!!!!!.." Tundra Man loudly protests and Skull Man felt as though his core was stabbed multiple times by Wily. Laws of Robotics be damned, he's gonna kill Wily if he gets the chance to! Skull Man knows that Tundra Man was referring to how Wily kidnaped him and the other robot masters twice, and probably Scramble Thunder but that part's still unclear. This was what Megaman warned them about, the signs were there blaring loudly at him, at THEM. This was too much for him and it's not fair. It's not fair that his brother had to go through what they have to go through, it's like some sick repeat of history only with a fresh script and ten times worse. However he can't let his rage get the best of him, he has to think logically and not emotionally on this. So screw everything else, Tundra Man comes first!

"Look at me." He found himself saying before anyone has a chance to comfort Tundra Man. His little brother ignored him, continuing to wallow in his memories.

"Look at me." He sharply repeated, firmly taking Tundra Man by the shoulders and forcing him to face him, getting greeted with his watery optics in the process. He momentarily winced, О Боже, this was painful to look but he has to stay strong. He can feel everyone staring at him but he doesn't give a sh*t, Tundra Man comes first and foremost.

"I want you to repeat after me: I'm safe, Wily can't hurt me." Skull Man instructed, which made Tundra Man shook his head as his body started to tremble more violently. "N-no, I can't-"

"You must Tundra. Say it: I'm safe, Wily can't hurt me." Skull Man shut down his protest almost immediately. The silence felt like forever before Tundra did what Skull Man says and repeats it in a small and trembling voice, "I'm s-safe.... Wily c-can't hurt me.."

"Good. Do you know why you're safe?" Skull Man asked, Tundra Man gave a small shake in return. Skull Man didn't hesitate to tell the answer. "It's because we're here. Mikhail told you that it's all over and it is. Wily's not here, you're safe and you have us to make sure of it. We'll protect you, I promise."

"You p-promise?" Tundra Man asked, staring at his older brother with tearful eyes wish a dash of hope ignited in them. If Skull Man has a mouth, he'd be smiling. "Who do you take me for?"

"Wow, Skull knows emotions other than rage." Ring Man commented, breaking the atmosphere and the bubble between them and the outside world. Skull Man glared at Ring Man, clearly angry and offended. Ring Man rolled his eyes and laughs in return, prompting a few to join in as well. However that's all white noise to him when he heard a soft, familiar laugh that's like tinkling bells. Tundra Man let out a laugh, a genuine laugh. Not that sadistic, bloodthirsty laugh from that monster but a real laugh and for once, Tundra Man looked genuinely happy.

"Are you feeling better now, Tundra?" Jewel Man asked to which Tundra Man nods his head. He's okay now, he helped to calm him down.

"If it is not so childish, could you sleep with me?" Tundra Man asked, looking rather embarrassed to ask such a thing.

"Sure, why not?" Skull Man said, looking at Tundra Man with such gentle eyes he didn't think he was even capable of doing.

"Hey! You're not forgetting about me are you? I'm your first and best friend!" Top Man childishly pouted. Gemini Man and his clone joined in as well. "Yeah, besides you simply cannot forget us! Your greatest friends!"

"No he's not yours!" Drill Man said in a playful manner.

"How about this? We all sleep with him? Is that okay with you Tundra?” Bright Man asked, Tundra Man gave a nod in return. After that everyone scramble to prepare a place to sleep since Dive Man would most likely break the bed. Skull Man shook his head, what a family he has.

“Hey, thanks for that.” He heard Top Man whisper to him, giving off a small smile. Skull Man nods in return. He’ll do anything for Tundra Man and he would prepare for the worst. No matter how core-stopping it would be.

Chapter Text

Dr Light took many deep breaths for what he was about to say. He really doesn't want to break the news to his close friend after everything that has happened to him and everything he and his family have been through. However he can't keep this under cover, the truth would come out and he needs to deliver it.

"So, what's the matter with Tundra Man?" Mikhail asked once they're alone in the lab, or so it seems.

"WE ARE SINCERELY SORRY FOR OUR ACTIONS." A voice suddenly boomed and the scientists' eyes were on Fuse Man and Torch Man who suddenly appeared bowed down to the floor in front of Mikhail.

"какие? I don't understand, what are you sorry about?" Mikhail asked in pure confusion, trying to make sense of what happened. Dr Light sighed, he knows why they're still here as he offered his friend a cup of coffee.

"It's a long story, and I think you need to hear from all perspectives of it." He said gently, letting Mikhail take the cup before nodding. "Alright then, but first, could you two get up from the floor?"

"Very well, you are too humble." Torch Man reluctantly agreed, he alongside Fuse Man standing up. Both of them have looks of guilt on their faces, even if Fuse Man still had his poker face on but his eyes gave him away.

"It was when Tundra Man told me about how his memories during being under Wily's control were unclear and fuzzy." Dr Light said, starting off the story. Immediately Mikhail interjects. "Подожди минутку, that never happened with any other robot masters under Wily's control."

"That's true, yet it only happened to Tundra Man. The other robot masters remembered everything clearly so this became a concern to me. I then decide to check his cognitive circuit for any abnormalities and..." Dr Light paused, taking a deep breath as he mentally prepared himself to drop one of the bombs of truth. "I discovered that Tundra Man doesn't remember anything, all his past actions and memories during that span of time were absent from his memory drive."

Mikhail simply stared at Dr Light, nearly dropping the cup he was holding. Dr Light was concerned and try to bring his friend back to reality. "Mikhail? Are you alright?"

"я в порядке, I'm fine. I just— зачем? Why would Tundra Man's memories be absent? It doesn't make sense, Wily wouldn't gain anything from that!" Mikhail said, snapping out of his train of thoughts before he took a sip of coffee to try and calm his nerves.

"I believe this is where we tell our part of this tale." Torch Man said in a suppressed somber manner, his optics trying not to look down on the floor. Dr Light knew that this must be hard for his friend and even Mikhail himself knew it too but he deserves to know. The Russian scientist gave a nod, making Torch Man nod back and continue. "It all started at Wily's fortress where we were reprogrammed. All of us were under Wily's control, we all emerged from the pods but then, Tundra-Kun started running, he ran as fast as he could out of the room, startling Wily and us."

"He started running? You're telling me, out of all of you who were successfully reprogrammed, Tundra Man resisted and ran?!" Mikhail summarised in disbelief and no one could blame him. Never did any bot ever resisted. Before he could question more, Fuse Man interjects. "It's because of you."

"Me?" Mikhail said in disbelief before Fuse Man gave a nod and explained what he mean in his usual monotone voice. "Your special anti-hacking program or something saved him from being reprogrammed by Wily. The reason why he ran is because all of his memories were safe. I remembered him saying how he wants to go back to his family, he resisted because he remembered his family, he remembered you. You helped keep his memories safe which in turn helped go keep him grounded from Wily’s reprogramming and gave him a chance to escape. Of course that didn't go as planned..."

Mikhail was silent, momentarily stunned by how his anti-programs actually saved Tundra Man from Wily's reprogramming. Dr Light can tell that the pieces are coming together for him and it's only confirmed when he glanced over to the robots and guessed, "You two caught him, didn't you? Is that why you're apologising?"

"Yes. We even attacked him, I definitely remembered hurting him with Scramble Thunder. I'm sorry for that by the way." Fuse Man said, looking at Mikhail with the same deadpanned look with his eyes filled with guilt and sincerity. Torch Man meanwhile had immediately went into a bowing position in front of Mikhail with a loud thud as he nearly boomed again. "We sincerely apologise for our actions!!!"

"I'm not bowing down like last time and try to calm down." Fuse Man said staring down at the camp advisor but Torch Man retorted, "いいえ, I cannot! Not after all we have done to him! We did not just damage him, we brought him back to Wily and forcefully shoved him back into the pod for a second reprogramming! He could have escaped if we have not interfered!"

"подождать, you shoved him into the pod?" Mikhail asked, more and more pieces starting to fall into place.

"It was against his will too... I remembered Wily ordering me to shock him so that he wouldn't resist. He was screaming, you know? Screaming how he wants to be back with his family... How he wants to get out...." Fuse Man trailed off, now glaring daggers on the floor. Torch Man continued onwards. "That is why we came to you to offer our most sincere apologies. We fear that we have inflicted more scars onto Tundra-Kun and gave him phobia of small spaces. We do not ask for forgiveness, we only wish that we could have helped him instead of harming him."

The room was silent, the two robot masters and Dr Light waited for any kind of response. Finally, Mikhail knelt down, placed his free hand on Torch Man's shoulder and says, "It's not your fault."

"What?" Both robots gasped in unison, looking up to stare at the Russian scientist. Dr Light could feel a smile crept up his face when he watched in friend assure the two.

"It's not your fault, it may look like that at first but in reality you both were under Wily's complete control. You couldn't resist his orders even if you tried, you are not to blame here and I'm sure Tundra Man would feel the same way. I'm glad you told me this in person and I forgive you." Mikhail said in a kind voice before helping a still stunned Torch Man up.

"Like Father like Son, as the saying goes. We actually apologised to Tundra Man when we regained our senses, he told us that it's alright and how it's not our fault too." Fuse Man blankly pointed out. "He even assured Torch Man that they'll still be friends."

"You two are friends?" Mikhail said in disbelief, nearly dropping the cup he was holding again. Even though Dr Light found it funny how speechless his usually calm and collected friend was, he couldn't blame his reaction. Tundra Man wasn't the biggest fan of fire themed robots considering his profession, Pharaoh Man being an honourable exception.

"Yeah, they became friends before this all started. Tundra Man was kind of talking loudly so it's hard not to hear their conversation." Fuse Man replied so nonchalantly. Before Mikhail started questioning on that, Torch Man has went off only to come back with a life sized stuffed toy Snow Robbit. He instead gave him a questioning look.

"We were not able to give this to Tundra-Kun earlier. It is our way of showing our apologies towards him. It was Fuse-Kun's idea to use a Snow Robbit, I helped make it and Roll-Chan helped to provide the needed materials. Considering how the Snow Robbit is similar to that of a Wild Robbit, it was easy for me to make it." Torch Man explained. Fuse Man glanced down as he awkwardly shuffled his feet on the floor and explained, "Rabbits are good. They're the best sources of comfort.."

"Thank you, Tundra Man would definitely love this." Mikhail thanked, giving a warm and kind smile as he takes the stuffed snow robbit from Torch Man. Dr Light smiled while watching the scene as Torch Man and Fuse Man shared a look of relief, even if the latter's still has his poker face on.

"Alright you two, I think that your creators are worried for you. You can go now, be sure to rest well and don't be afraid to take breaks from work!" Dr Light said with a bit of a hearty chuckle, Fuse Man and Torch Man nods and waves goodbye to Mikhail before leaving the room. The atmosphere soon plummeted downhill into a somber mood. Mikhail's never an idiot, he knows that there's still something Dr Light needs to tell him.

"Is this about Tundra Man's second reprogramming?" Mikhail asked and he was right on the mark. Dr Light sighed and gave him a sympathetic look. "Unfortunately yes, please take a look at this."

He gestured towards the screen filled with pages of data, a blueprint of Tundra Man's cognitive circuit and many notes. "These all are notes I obtained while bringing Tundra Man back from Wily's control. As you can see, Wily was unable to get passed your programs but he found another way. One that's more... Terrifying to say the least."

"Explain." Mikhail demanded, going straight to the point as he chugs down more coffee. Dr Light knew that his friend's getting tense and how he doesn't want to complete the puzzle. They both know where this is going but Dr Light knew that he had to reveal the truth, no matter how painful it will be. "He implanted a virus in the form of another cognitive circuit to take control over Tundra Man. This obviously would alter his personality and his memories significantly and I already erased all traces of it from his cognitive circuit. The problem lies in the missing memories... He'll get them back Mikhail, not now but he will remember what he's done at some point. He’ll remember everything he has done... I’m so sorry I-“

*CRASH!!!!*

Dr Light froze upon hearing the unexpected noise, looking to the side to see the wall smeared with coffee, the cup’s remains laying motionless on the floor. Dr Light turned back to Mikhail only to be taken aback when he dropped the toy Snow Robbit, stomped over and grabbed him by the collar.

“You do not apologise. You do not say that this isn’t Wily’s fault. I don’t care if that was the only way for Wily to reprogram him but he hurt my family, he hurt my SON. YOU DO NOT TELL ME THAT YOU’RE SORRY FOR SOMETHING YOU ARE NOT REMOTELY RESPONSIBLE FOR IN PLACE OF WILY!!!!” Mikhail growled in pure rage, shaking the stunned scientist. Even though his head’s reeling, he knew that his friend’s never, ever this angry. Before he could even get a word in, Mikhail continued to yell at his face. “DO YOU KNOW HOW BAD THIS WOULD AFFECT TUNDRA MAN’S MENTAL HEALTH?!?!?!?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH PAIN HE WOULD GO THROUGH?!?!?!?!?! YOU DON’T, SO STOP TALKING LIKE YOU DO!!!!!!!!!! STOP SHIFTING THE BLAME ONTO YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!!! THIS WHOLE THING IS ALBERT’S FAULT THROUGH AND THROUGH!!!!!!!! HE HURT MY FAMILY, MY SON, AND NO AMOUNT OF BEGGING WILL EVER MAKE ME FORGIVE HIM!!!!!!!!!!”

Mikhail shoved his friend aside and proceeded to let out a spew of words in his native language so fast Dr Light couldn’t translate them all in time to understand what he was saying. He instead stood back and allow his fellow researcher to let out all his wrath. It took a while until Mikhail was reduced to nothing but a panting figure in the aftermath of his outburst. He glanced around, trying to recall what he’s done in his blind fury, eyes widening in horror when he registered everything.

“о дорогой лорд, Thomas I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to!” Mikhail apologised, looking over Dr Light for any potential injuries with worry.

“No, it’s fine Mikhail, you shouldn’t worry about that.” He reassured, holding his hands up as Mikhail reluctantly stepped aside, continuing to look at him with guilt and concern. Dr Light placed a hand on his shoulder and reassured him again. “It’s okay, you didn’t hurt me, I’m perfectly honest on that. Your anger was justified.”

“It was?” Mikhail said, taken aback so the Father of robots elaborates, “Yes, there’s no excuse for what Albert have done, especially to Tundra Man and the other robot masters. I certainly don’t know what he’ll be going through, but you do to some extent. You’ll be able to help him Mikhail, that’s why I told you all of this, so that you would be ready to help him when he remembers everything he has done.”

Mikhail stared at Dr Light, somewhat surprised before he looks away and clears his throat. “I suppose, thank you for that. I apologise for my outburst, I’ll pay for the broken cup.”

“No, it’s alright! I can pay for that. You should go back to your family, they need you.” Dr Light assured once more, walking over and picking up the stuffed toy and giving him back to Mikhail. He simply nods and thanked him, taking back the Snow Robbit. Before the Russian scientist could leave, Dr Light reminded him. “By the way, please tell your family on this. They too deserve to know and you don’t have to shoulder everything alone.”

“I know, thank you Thomas. Goodbye.” Mikhail said, giving a small smile before he exits the room, leaving him alone. The scientist gave a sigh of relief and a small smile, he’s glad that his close friend is now alright and willing to seek help. He knows, he’s his friend and knows almost everything about him after all.

Dr Cossack entered the room using the spare key card he kept. Carefully walking into the room, he was surprised upon the sight before him in the dimly lit room. All of them were on the floor huddled up and sleeping together. Dive Man was at the floor and acted as the mattress for all of them with Tundra Man resting on top of his chest, a pillow placed under his head. Top Man and Skull Man were the closest to the youngest DCN, hugging Tundra Man’s waist at each side in a protective manner. Gemini Man clung onto his left arm in his sleep with Kalinka and Drill Man snuggling up next to his right leg, both sharing a pillow and somehow able to make room for Dust Man who leaned next to them. Pharaoh Man was laying next to Tundra Man’s head, arms crossed and positioned like a sarcophagus. Star Man and Jewel Man hugged his left leg and hip as Ring Man slept next to them, back on the pillow and rings out like he needs to protect Tundra Man from unexpected dangers. Bright Man and Toad Man were the furthest from Tundra Man, each holding onto Dive Man’s arm but also reaching out to Tundra Man as if it’s their duty as the eldest of their robot brethren to protect them all. He let out a small chuckle at the sight and snapped a picture without waking them up. He quietly shut the door behind him walked over towards the sleeping pile, placing the Snow Robbit into Tundra Man’s free right arm before draping a stray blanket over them all. He was about to go to bed when someone suddenly tugged his sleeve. Looking back, he was a bit surprised to see Tundra Man still awake.

“Could you, join us?” He asked in a soft, hushed whisper. The Russian scientist gave a small, warm smile in return.

“Sure.” He agreed, picking up the remaining free pillow as he made himself comfortable with the others, careful not to hit anyone as he laid down next to Tundra Man and held his hand. They both fell asleep after that, feeling happy and relieved. There’s no need to worry about anything for now, just let them enjoy this moment of comforting bliss.

Chapter Text

A scream echoed throughout the halls making Kalinka's eyes shoot open, already she knows what was wrong.

She quickly got out of bed and rushed down towards a familiar bedroom as her robot brothers followed in tow. They sprinted inside, only to be greeted with the sight of Tundra Man sat up and awake, crying as his close friends tried to calm him down. Her Poppa was the first to come to the group, talking in hushed whispers of reassurance to Tundra Man before he eventually collapsed hugging him as he bawled.

Kalinka watched in empathy before she alongside her brothers and Tundra Man's friends joined in on the hug. It's only been a month since they returned back from picking up Tundra Man from Dr Light's Lab and things have been constantly stressful. Firstly as soon as they arrived back to the citadel Poppa pulled them all aside and told them about Tundra Man's condition and how he doesn't remember anything thanks to Wily. No one took that news well, especially those who went after him. They all agreed to keep silent until the time is right to tell Tundra Man the whole truth he's been missing.

Secondly, Poppa pulled an all-nighter checking on Tundra Man and upgrading his security programs himself so that Wily won't be able to do that awful method of reprogramming to him again, of course that resulted in him getting bedridden and grounded from doing any work from then on until he gets better. Then there was helping Tundra Man heal from the scars while juggling work and taking care of the nightmares Tundra Man have been receiving throughout the month.

Tundra Man's friends have helped to ease the load and often times Tundra Man's co-workers/friends would call to check up on Tundra Man but even so it's still a painful, emotional rollercoaster. Especially since the nightmares he's receiving are his missing memories of when he was in Wily’s control. Sometimes he would talk about them, sometimes not and tonight he's picking the latter. Kalinka knows how badly it's affecting her family and Tundra Man's friends no matter how hard they try to hide it, she can tell at just a glance. She wishes she could do more but right now all she can do now is comfort her little brother as he slowly calmed down.

"You alright now?" Her Poppa asked but Tundra Man didn't respond.

"Tundra?" Top Man called but Tundra Man remained silent, looking at them with a haze of mixed emotions in his eyes. It was hard to tell what he was feeling and that's not a good thing.

"Tundra Man!" Kalinka called and finally Tundra Man snapped out of it, blinking as stuttered, "O-oh, yes it's just I- this nightmare was worse than the others."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bright Man asked, Tundra Man simply shook his head in return.

"Very well then, however may some of us stay in your chambers? If it is as worse than the other nightmares you experienced then we can stay with you." Pharaoh Man offered in his usually Royal like tone but with empathy in his voice box.

"No, I- I want to be alone for a moment. Please." Tundra Man begged, unknown to him everyone else were glancing at each other in concern and confusion. Never in the entire month so far did Tundra Man asked to be left alone.

"Why?" Jewel Man dared to ask for everyone else, placing a hand on Tundra Man's shoulder who shrugged it off.

"I just- Please I only want to be left alone. Is it too much to ask?" Tundra Man asked, giving a look saying that he doesn't want to elaborate further.

"Alright then, if that's what you do wish. Gemini Man, Top Man, Star Man, Jewel Man, I'll help you to carry your pillows and blankets to the living room where you'll be sleeping for tonight. The rest of you, please go back to your rooms and rest, especially you Kalinka you have school tomorrow." Mikhail instructed before turning to Tundra Man. "We'll give you the space you need but I'll need to talk to you tomorrow, understand?"

"Yes..." Tundra Man whispered and that's all that was needed before everyone dispersed and went back to their rooms with Mikhail staying behind to help move Tundra Man's friends' things to the living room. Kalinka couldn't stop thinking about Tundra Man's request but she couldn't think straight thanks to the physical and emotional strain she's on. Putting her body on autopilot she went back to her room, flopped onto her bed and fell asleep upon contact with the bed but not without mumbling, "Please be ok Tundra..."

The next day, Kalinka came back from school accompanied by Skull Man and they both immediately went to find Tundra Man, only to find Mikhail, Bright Man and all of Tundra Man's friends standing outside of the door to Tundra Man's room with clear worry on their faces. Poppa was standing in front of the door alongside Gemini Man and Bright Man who was holding an E-tank. Top Man was anxiously skating around in circles as Star Man sat down next to the door and stared at the floor. Jewel Man was leaning against the wall on the other side of the door, impatiently tapping his foot at the floor. As Kalinka and Skull Man approached them, they saw one of Gemini Man's clone emerge from the door, looking extremely worried and upset.

"So?" The original Gemini Man asked immediately after his clone went through the door.

"No luck, he won't talk to me, he even told me to go away!" Gemini Man's clone exclaimed followed by a sigh, which made Kalinka's eyes widened in shock. Wait, but that room belongs too—

With a sigh, Mikhail pushed past both Geminis and knocked on the door, desperation filled his voice, "Tundra Man, please open the door. We're all very worried for you."

"You don't have to talk about what you're feeling. Just please, come out!" Bright Man begged. It was what Kalinka had feared and hoped to not be the case, Tundra Man has locked himself in the room. The reason could be that he remembers everything but Kalinka's not willing to go that far, it's too soon! It's too soon for Tundra Man to know of what he've done!

"Wait- Skull Man-" Kalinka gasped when her personal bodyguard storms over, catching the others' attention and taking them by surprise as he went over and rammed the door with his fist.

"Tundra open this door right now!" He shouted, suppressing his anger and concern. "You're making everyone worry! Whatever's hurting you, tell us! It's completely unhealthy to keep it to yourself! At least respond or tell us that everything's ok-"

"GO AWAY!!!!!" Came a cry from the other side of the door, rendering everyone into a state of shellshocked speechlessness. Never did Tundra Man yell at anyone of them like that with such a clash of brokenness, hatred and fury in his voice box. The closest they ever heard Tundra Man scream angrily was at Burner Man and even that malice is close to none to what they just heard.

"I- Ice Fairy?" Star Man called, slowly standing up as he tried to reach out towards the door when Top Man suddenly grabbed his hand. The two exchanged a glance as Top Man shook his head. The message was clear: Do not try and push Tundra Man further. Kalinka clutched her hands in distress as she made her way towards the group.

"How long has Tundra Man been in there?" She asked, her Poppa turned to gave her a broken look of worry and sadness before he answered, "He's been in his room throughout the entire day so far. He didn't went out or respond to any of us. For now, it's best that we do as he says and leave him alone."

It's clear that everyone here is against that but they have no other choice. With a frustrated sigh, Skull Man stomped off, most likely to watch movies to try and sort out his programs. Tundra Man's friends huddled together and walked off, trying to comfort each other in silence. Bright Man and Mikhail glanced at each other in defeat before walking away, probably to tell the other DCNs about the situation at hand. Kalinka turned back to the closed door and said in a gentle voice, "I hope you're feeling okay Tundra Man, if not then please... Talk to any of us soon." After those final words, she left.

Kalinka was right on the mark about her Poppa and her brother Bright Man telling the other robots about Tundra Man locking himself in his room. She watched at a distance as each of her robotic brothers and Tundra Man's friends went to the door and tried to coax Tundra Man out or at least try to get him to talk to any of them, none of them have succeeded and all they received in return was silence.

"Hi Tundra Man! You can already tell that it's me, Bright! I brought an E-tank for you, I'll just leave it at your door... ... ... I'm really sorry, I want to help but I can't and I, I think I know what's bothering you but I can't proceed on with how to comfort you! I feel like I failed as the eldest brother to help you! I- I'm sorry I didn't mean to I- I really care for you. We all do. So please, please come out..."

"Hey Tundra, it's me. Toad Man. I got some books on Arctic creatures if you ever want to read with me. You don't have to come out, I can read it to you and you can listen to me as I read. Or I can leave it here for you to read. Just, please talk to me or any of us. We're all worried for you and we want to help but we don't know how. I'm your older brother, all of us DCNs are actually. So please, just tell us how we can help you."

"Hey little brother! It's me again! Wanna go ice skating? I'm getting better at it and I want to learn how to do a jump on ice! ... ... Please come out Tundra.... Please... I- I really miss you... WE all miss you... Please..."

"Tundra Man. It is I, Pharaoh Man. I came here neither to request for your presence nor for your beautiful voice but to inform you of that we all care for you. You need not face the journey alone however being prepared for that said journey is also important. So take all the time you need and when you decide to emerge from your chambers, we will be waiting for you. Days, years, decades, we shall wait until you are ready. I can wait to see your elegant and gorgeous figure grace this magnificent castle with your presence once more."

"TUNDRA OPEN THE DOOR OR I'LL KICK IT DOWN!!!!! Argh! Damnit, Skull's behaviour is rubbing off me. Sorry about that Tundra, I just... I want to help and I feel so f— reaking useless. As your elder brother, I want to help you. You've been in that room for three and a half days now, you probably already know of how much you're worrying everyone. They worry because they care for you and all that. I'm really not the best at this sort of thing... Look just come out or at least talk to someone. Anyone. Talk to that Snow Robbit of yours or something, still can't believe that those bots actually gave you one. Just, take your time or some crud and open up to us... Not just for me, but to all of us."

"Tundra Man? Dust Man here... I brought cookies... Vanilla snowflake shaped cookies with white and blue icing... I baked it myself... So I'll leave them here... I hope this helps you... If you want to stay inside, that's okay... Coming out every once in a while or something is good too.... I understand if you're feeling sad or some other emotions inside.... If you ever want to come out to talk... You can come to me... But if you want to stay and think.. Then that's fine.... I'll respect your choice..... But please.. Don't stay in there forever....."

"Tundra Man, please you need to talk to us. Any of us. I might be only the third youngest here but I'm not a child... I understand if you're thinking about when Wily controlled you but it's not your fault. We all know how you feel, to some extent. But staying silent isn't the answer. If there's something bothering you then you tell someone, keeping it to yourself would only hurt you. If you ever want to talk about it, you can talk to me and I'll listen. I'll listen to all of it. I promise."

"... You already know, don't you? I won't delve into that if you didn't understand, it might be painful for you to remember either way. I'm sorry I banged on your door on the first day you locked yourself in. How long has it been, four days now? Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that, it wasn't your fault. It was never your fault, you blame Wily on that. He took control over you, all the choices you made were never yours to begin with. You had no control, but you're safe now. We told you that it's over, so stop dwelling in the past. If you aren't going to open the door or talk to any of us, then at least think about what I told you. It might help."

"Hey, it's your best friend Toppy here. Look, I know that Wily got you to do some very bad things but it's not your fault. It wasn't your fault, I know you Tundra. You're an elegant, flamboyant, ice skater and the kindest, most amazing robot I met and most importantly, the best friend my bro and I could ever have. You united all of us together when I think that none of us have anything in common besides being flashy and big show-offs. I still remembered how we met, how I helped you find your brothers when you were lost. After that Gemini suddenly declared you as his friend which was more than a shock to all of us since he's such a narcissistic guy. Then you met Star in the Arctic which was the last place I'd thought you'd meet him then Jewel came along and everything was set. You make me feel like I belong even though I'm the only robot who doesn't have any bling, you made Gemini open up to others and so on. What I'm trying to say is that, you're a good robot. Please, believe that."

"Hey, it's us."
"I won't go in like last time, we agreed to give you your space."
"But you better not ignore us!"
"Or... Any of us."
"So If you ever want to talk-"
"- Talk to us. Not them."
"It will make you feel better."
"... Hopefully."

"Oh Fairy of Ice... Why won't you ease the blizzard you entrapped yourself in for these past five days? The Splendid Noble Youth cannot shield you if you are shielding yourself from me, nor can all your fellow close companions of flesh and oil. Are you afraid of being hurt? Or are you afraid of showing the origins of your suffering? You needn't speak of it, we only wish to know if you are truly alright. With the blizzard you created to surround your elegant form, we cannot see you. If you need a shoulder to cry on, I'll be more than willing to offer that... So please, I, the Splendid Noble Youth beg of you, please let up your blizzard. Please open up to us again.."

"Tundra? I'm sure you remember me, Jewel Man. After all, who can forget someone like I? All of that aside, please you have to open up. Or talk to us. I know that what Wily did to you scarred you deep but we know how you feel. Well, not entirely, but somewhat. Our experiences with Wily are like gemstones in the rough; dirty, unpolished and different. Each gem is different but in the end, they came from the same source and after some time and effort, they’re polished and better, not the same but better than before. I know that what you went through is bad, but you aren’t as alone as you think you are. We’re all here for you, even those 11th liners you made friends with recently. So whenever you’re ready, talk to us, and please think of what we've been telling you lately."

"Hello? Tundra, it's us. Ice Man, Freeze Man and Chill Man. Top called and told us everything. Are you okay? From what we've heard you've locked yourself in your room for a while. We're worried but I'm sure you've heard that line a lot by now."
"Solider Tundra Man! Continuing to barricade in your quarters is never a good sign, yet it doesn't show weakness. It shows that you're injured but you don't want anyone to see it. If that's the case then open up to others and seek help! Please, for your own sake... The more you let it out, the more it would hurt."
"Ice Man's correct! We're here for you! We all are! So stop hiding that pain!"
"Guys, stop pressuring him."
"But Chill-"
"Solider is correct! We shouldn't do such things."
"Gh—! Ok then..."
"So, we'll be here for you. Just, call us back if you ever want to talk. Please call us back, we care for you. We all do."

"Tundra Man, it's me. It's already been a full week since you've locked yourself in there. We've all tried to get you out or talk, even going as far as to contact your fellow co-workers to try and help. I'm sure you already received a call or voicemail from them by now. Tundra Man, I'm your creator, your Father. Kalinka and the other DCNs are your elder siblings. Top Man, Gemini Man, Star Man, Jewel Man, Ice Man, Freeze Man and Chill Man are all your friends. You know it and you know that we all care for you. You can take all the time you need, we are more than willing to wait, but if the reason for you locking yourself in your room is what I think it is, then as a Father I cannot ignore it. We cannot overlook such a thing, if it's causing you pain. ... Heh, we still haven't had our talk yet. I wish we did and if there's anything I regret, that would be not talking to you about this sooner. Perhaps if we talk, then I could help you and it would put our worries to rest. It doesn't matter how long it takes, when you come out we'll welcome you with open arms, and a huge hug. We're ready to help you as much as we could, it was what we vowed to do, what we chose to do. You're not alone Tundra Man, you never have been. The storm has cleared and Willy's gone. It's over, you're safe. He can't hurt you again."

“Hey Tundra Man, it’s me again. I’m sure you’ve heard all of us talking to you, telling you to come out, take your time, and talk. It might sound confusing and hard to pick on what to do but it’s your choice. You decide when to talk or go out. We all care for you, I’m sure you heard that a bunch of times. Everyone is worried but overall they’re doing fine, Poppa’s still grounded from working so you don’t have to worry about that. Ring Man’s kinda mad that he can’t spend more time talking to you even if you never respond. ... You liked hearing them, that’s why you never snapped at anyone since that day right? Well, I think that’s a good thing. It gives you stuff to think about after all, and it brings up good qualities about yourself that you might’ve forgotten! So, please, think about it. I hope you’re okay, and I hope I helped you in some way.”

Chapter Text

He couldn't sleep, how could he? After endless nights of waking up to the same horrified and heartbreaking screams over and over, the dead silence felt strangely unnatural to Dr Cossack. He sighed, groggily sitting up and swinging his legs over the bed. He stumbled up and changed out of his pyjamas in exchange for a simple shirt and grey jogging pants. He slipped on his lab coat and headed out, careful not to wake his family as he makes his way towards the kitchen to grab a snack and a cup of coffee before heading towards his lab to work the stress off, only to find the door open and light emitting from inside. Curious and cautious, Mikhail carefully walked in, only to find someone that had been avoiding them all for a whole week.

"Tundra Man?!" Mikhail called out in shock, dropping his snack and cup of coffee. Tundra Man jumped and spun around from the computer, looking very surprised and somewhat horrified.

"D-Dad?!" He yelped, the snack and cup of spilt coffee being forgotten on the floor as Mikhail ran up and engulfed the still shocked Tundra Man into a hug.

"Tundra Man, thank goodness you've finally come out! Are you alright? Is there anything-" Mikhail asked, beyond grateful that the youngest DCN had finally came out of his room, only to cut himself off when he looked at the computer screen.

"Why were you trying to access my files?" He asked in confusion, pulling away only to be greeted with Tundra Man looking away with guilt in his eyes. He was then greeted with silence, something that wasn't very welcoming.

"Tundra Man, answer me. Why were you trying to-"
"IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!!!!!!" Tundra Man suddenly yelled, rendering Mikhail speechless. Tundra Man let out a gasp and covered his voice box, his optics shrunken in horror.

"Tundra Man, is there something wrong? I need you to answer honestly." Mikhail said, concern won't scratch the surface over how he's feeling.

"I.. I was just curious over how my programs work and I— I wanted to check about how to..." Tundra Man tried to explain but trails off, eyes avoiding his creator's gaze.

"Tundra Man, why on earth would you-" It suddenly hit him like a pile of bricks. No, not a chance. Absolutely NOT. There is no way Tundra Man was considering THAT of all things. However, his very sudden shift in behaviour makes a sick kind of sense and Mikhail knew that he couldn't brush it off as an impossibility.

"We're you.... Trying to, deactivate yourself permanently?" He asked hesitantly, letting out many pauses and a swallow at the words 'deactivate' and 'permanently'. Tundra Man flinched at the question yet stayed silent.

"Tundra Man.. Please answer me." Mikhail pleaded, lightly shaking the youngest DCN by the shoulders. He silently begs to himself that he's wrong, that it's just something his tired mind came up with, that Tundra Man wasn't really considering such a thing. Yet all those pleas were all for naught, and his hopes were mercilessly shattered.

"It's for the best..... I'm dangerous, I'm a monster..." Tundra Man muttered out, looking at Mikhail with such a painful yet happy expression, it made his whole world froze into place. "I, hurt others and, enjoyed it. I hurt... I hurt my brothers, my friends! I was planning, to hurt you! What— what kind of person... Robot does that?! So, this.. This is for the best! If I d- deactivate, everyone would be safe!"

Mikhail was silent, staring at Tundra Man in horror as he continued on, all while sporting that sick, merry look, his eyes filled with a bit of fear and doubt but unfortunately was mostly hazy with glee. "I hurt all of you in more ways then one... I brought up bad memories, I became a monster when I could've prevented it all from happening, I injured innocents and those who're just trying to help me! I deserve it, it's only fair-"

"DCN. 088 TUNDRA MAN YOU DO NOT SAY THAT TO ME, YOUR FAMILY OR ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS!!!!!!" Mikhail yelled, finally snapping which rendered Tundra Man speechless. The Russian scientist had heard enough, he doesn't- no.. He couldn't bear to hear more. He just can't, it's too much. He gripped Tundra Man's shoulders a little tighter and forced him to face him, their eyes locking contact.

"YOU DO NOT SAY THAT YOU ARE A MONSTER!!!!! YOU DO NOT SAY THAT IT'S FOR THE BEST!!!!!! DEACTIVATION MEANS DEATH AND THAT MEANS YOU WILL DIE!!!!! WE JUST GOT YOU BACK, WE CANNOT LOOSE YOU AGAIN!!!!! IT WAS NEVER YOUR FAULT, YOU NEVER MADE THAT CHOICE AND FROM YOUR ACTIONS YOU CLEARLY DID NOT ENJOY IT!!!! IF YOU LIKED IT YOU WOULD NOT BE FEELING GUILTY LIKE HOW YOU ARE FEELING NOW!!!!!" Mikhail screamed, tears rolling down his face. He didn't care if he should've listened to Tundra Man, he didn't care if what he saying might not make sense, he really didn't care about anything right now. He just wants to refute everything, refute all of Tundra Man's claims. Expose all those lies which are seen as the truth in his son's eyes. He just wanted to get all those kinds of thoughts out of Tundra Man's programs.

"SO DO NOT THINK THAT WAY!!!!!! I WILL NOT ACCEPT IT AND SO WOULD EVERYONE ELSE!!!!! IT IS NOT FOR THE BEST!!!!!! IT IS NOT FAIR IN THE SLIGHTEST!!!!!!!! WE ALL WOULD BE HURT IF YOU DEACTIVATE!!!!!!!!" Mikhail continued to scream until he collapsed into a fit of sobs, helplessly clinging onto Tundra Man like he'll disappear if he doesn't hold on tight as he buries into his shoulder. However, there was no movement from the latter, only falling onto a chair thanks to his father suddenly collapsing onto him.

"We... We will feel hurt because we care for you. You are not a monster... It was never your fault, you are not bad, you are not dangerous.. You are you, Wily didn't create you... I did but you shaped yourself to become who you are.. Are you considering throwing that all away? You're my Son, I love you and so does everyone else.. Your friends... Your siblings... All of us.. We love you and we care for you... We don't blame you for your actions you had no control over, you are not a monster so please... Pl-please never consider— something like deactivation... Ever again...." Mikhail begged, hugging him tighter as his speech becomes more broken with stuttering, hiccups and sobs. The once yelling scientist has now been reduced to a crying, begging, broken mess. What more can he do than plead for his son to stop before he goes beyond the point of no return where even he can't bring him back? "Please... Please j-just... *Hic* I love you, I love you... *Sob* You— you are my son, and I love you... I care for you... I care for you. *H-hic* It wouldn't be fair- it wouldn't be okay... I can't- I can't lose you again... *Sobs* Please don't say such things, I love you— I love you my son... I *Hic* I care for you..."

"I- I—" Mikhail heard Tundra Man stutter, trembling in his arms as he leaned in and helplessly grabbed onto the fabric of his lab coat. He could feel wet droplets of water dripping onto his shoulder but he doesn't care, all he cares for now is his Son.

"I'm sorry... I'm so— so sorry..." Tundra Man sobbed, his voice box hiccupping. "I'm sorry I made you cry... I'm sorry I made you so worried... I'm sorry I—"

"Shh... It's okay Tundra Man, I forgive you.. I forgive you." Mikhail softly assured in a shaky voice, his voice a little sore from screaming and crying as he gave Tundra Man light circles rubs of comfort on his back as their bodies slightly swayed around to the comforting silence creeping in with only their sobs echoing through the room. He tried to wipe away his tears but every time he does, more seem to seep out. Eventually he gave up and let his emotions loose, silently crying whilst trying to comfort his robot son.

His head started to clear as time goes on and he could feel himself passing out every now and then, he could feel his throat growing dry, his tears drying up but stayed strong. He has to. Once he deemed that they were both alright, Mikhail pulled away but kept his hands on Tundra Man's shoulders. He stared at Tundra Man and gave him a small, broken yet warm smile as he wiped away his son's tears. The latter cupped his hand and kept it close to his cheek, staring back with a flurry of emotions in his eyes.

"Could you please tell me why would you consider such a thing?" Mikhail asked, going back to the topic at hand as he grabbed a nearby chair and sat down facing him. He couldn't help but see this as a bit too sudden, for Tundra Man to be considering such a thing a week after he locked himself in his room was too sudden. "Is it because you remembered everything? Was it at last week?"

"Yes..." Tundra Man said shakily, giving out a short nod. He let go of his hand to hug himself, looking very guilty as he hung his head low. "It was when I got that nightmare last night... I couldn't bear to face everyone else after learning that so-"

"You locked yourself in your room to think about what you've remembered." Mikhail finished, nodding in understanding. He knows where Tundra Man is coming from and can now understand his actions. He then goes silent, motioning Tundra Man to continue.

"Yes... I, wanted to be alone and think about everything.... Everything that I have done a-and I was horrified.." Tundra Man said, starting to tremble. "I often asked myself, 'how could I do such things?' and 'why did I do it?' and the one that popped up the most to me was, 'why didn't I stop?'."

"What do you mean by that?" Mikhail asked softly, staring at Tundra Man with a mix of concern and confusion.

"Well, it's a little hard to explain but... Considering how my programs were invaded by another virus in the form of a cognitive circuit, it meant that I had a choice, and I chose to hurt others... Wily gave me a chance to run, to rebel against him... He gave me free will and I wasted it..." Tundra Man said before it goes down into a sob. Oh... So that's one of the problems... Mikhail can't really say that he was taken aback, he had a feeling that this was to be brought up at some point.

"Tundra Man, you didn't made that choice to begin with. Wily replaced your cognitive circuit, that means during that span of time, it wasn't you. It was someone else Wily made to bend to his will regardless of choice. You are not to blame for what he had done." Mikhail reasoned, trying to use the facts to help Tundra Man understand.

"I know, I know dad but the problem is that I cannot entirely blame him!" Tundra yelped, taking his creator aback. That, wasn’t something he was expecting.

“What do you mean by that Tundra Man?” Mikhail asked in a soft voice, placing his hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner.

“I- it’s so hard to explain...” Tundra Man trailed off, taking a deep breath before he explains. “After I regained my memories of what happened, I remembered Wily ranting in front of me, talking about how he was the genius and that Dr Light should have taken his side… He sounded so frustrated and it made me think of what if Dr Light didn’t fight, what if things were fine..? I know it sounds ridiculous and perhaps it may be remnants of the cognitive virus- oh goodness.. If it is then what truly are my thoughts and what had been added-“

“Tundra Man, I apologise but I need to stop you there.” Mikhail said, pulling away his hand and holding it up. He then sighed and rubbed his eyes, Бог this was so painful. So painful for him to hear. This wasn’t something he’d expect but now he understands why Tundra Man was considering such things. He been through so much, even more so then anyone he knew that has been affected by Wily, even more than him. But Mikhail knew that he needs to help bring him together and making sure he doesn’t stray too far from the path he was thrown out of. “I’m going to tell you a secret, something I told no one, not even my family about until now so you better keep this between us. In my honest opinion, I think that Thomas Light and Albert Wily, are complete idiots.”

...

“What?” Was all Tundra Man was able to gasp out, staring at his dad in confusion which was a breath of fresh air from the look of guilt he kept having on.

“Allow me to explain. Thomas is horrible at understanding other people’s emotions. During that debate, he never considered Albert’s feelings and focused on stopping his research when he could’ve compromised by finding a way to fix the strain that the Double Gear System puts on robots and perhaps he was taking big leaps humanity wasn’t ready to take.” Mikhail explained, taking a deep breath before he continues, “-However, he is correct in his claim that the Double Gear System would fall into the wrong hands. If robots aren’t intelligent enough to know what’s right and wrong, they can be swayed to do evil deeds, a serious issue that Albert had overlooked. I’ll admit that sometimes I wonder if they went hand in hand, everything would be peaceful but it’s in the past, we can no longer change that. Whether we’re humans or robots, we’re always flawed and that’s a fact. However, just because Albert could’ve been good doesn’t mean that his actions now had been excusable. He’s a world terrorist, constantly endangering both humans and robots for his selfish deeds and scarring many lives, that includes you and I. He kidnaped your sister and forced me to work for him, and now he kidnaped you and reprogrammed you against your will.”

He paused again, giving Tundra Man time to process it all. In all honesty, he can go on and on about this but there’s another time for that. “And I don’t think it’s the cognitive virus making you sympathetic to Wily, rather I think it’s your guilt. After you remembered what you were forced to do, you would have blamed yourself and perhaps the guilt you felt outweighed the blame you had on Wily, causing you to feel imbalanced and try to justify the whole thing.”

He gave Tundra Man a comforting look and pats him on the shoulder before concluding. “I know it sounds ridiculous, I mean, I tried to portray something as complicated as emotions into an easy to understand balancing scale, and I might even be wrong since these are just my observations, but I know that one thing for certain is that you need to process everything. Emotions are such a confusing mess to untangle when they’ve become an uncontrollable storm but give yourself time and patience to let the clouds clear and be able to pick up the pieces. And if you ever feel lost again or feel like all these thoughts and confusing feelings are too much, come to me or your siblings and friends we all will. Why? Because all of us care for you. The guilt won’t go away anytime soon, it might even stay forever but no matter what happens, you will always be loved Tundra Man. All of us will love you and—“

Mikhail didn’t finish his sentence when Tundra Man flew into his arms for another hug, tears flowing out like a waterfall again as he sobbed. “I’m sorry... I’m sorry...”

“It’s okay Tundra Man, I forgive you. I love you my son.” Mikhail assured tearfully, patting Tundra Man on the back before asking. “Do you want me to seek professional help for you?”

“No, this feels too personal for me... I can’t, it won’t help me, at least for now...” Tundra Man refused, burying his head deep into his shoulder. Mikhail let out a nod and said, “I understand.”

“I- I, can we keep this conversation a secret for now? I’m, not ready... And I can’t face them all now.. Especially those who came to the museum... Don’t let them know I went out, please....” Tundra Man sobbed, hugging him tighter but not to the point where it’s uncomfortable for the other.

“Alright. I understand, you don’t have to talk to them now. I’ll keep this conversation a secret as well but I’ll need tell them about it soon, you trying to deactivate yourself is something I can’t just push under the rug like that and they deserve to know to help you. I’ll try and help you as much as I could, I love you my son. I’ll always love you. We’ll get through this together, all of us. I promise.” Mikhail assured, a few tears escaping from his eyes. He knows he’ll be fighting an uphill battle but he’ll do anything for his family, and he’s more than willing to assist Tundra Man in his battle as much as he could. He’s his Father, and he’ll do everything in his power to help his Son.

Chapter Text

Dive Man and Dust Man followed Dr Cossack down the hallway. They honestly have no clue what they're getting into. It's been two weeks since Tundra Man locked himself in his room and one week ago their creator started acting... Strange. It's really hard to describe what that abnormal behaviour was, they don't even think they could describe it. Especially now when he suddenly called them over for something. The walk to wherever their creator was taking them was silent and tense, until Dust Man cracked under the pressure.

"U-uh..... Is everything... Ok?..." He muttered out, completely worried as he tries not to seem scared, but fails.

"If you plan to take us somewhere, please tell us why." Dive Man said, thankfully coming to his elder brother's assist. Dr Cossack stopped in his tracks and let out a sigh. He then turned around and, the look of utter brokenness and sadness hits them like a train. More than anything they want to hug their creator and ask what's wrong but they stayed put, letting him speak.

"We're going to Tundra Man's room and you both are going to talk to him." He said and that surprised the two blue bots. However, before they could ask, Dr Cossack continued. "He asked that I bring two of your brothers to him and I chose you two."

"But... Why us...?" Dust Man asked and almost immediately he regretted it. The atmosphere became utterly depressing with Dr Cossack being the source of it all. He let out a tired and painful sigh. "Last week at night, Tundra Man... He came into my lab to find a way to... D-deactivate himself permanently."

"He WHAT?!?!?!" The two of them yelped, completely horrified. Tundra Man, their dear flamboyant ice skating brother, wanting to DEACTIVATE himself!? So many questions swam through their heads but the biggest one of them all was why. Just why?! WHY!?!?!

"Dust Man, Dive Man! Please calm down!" Their creator called, concerned yet calm. The two quickly did as they were told, quieting down for him but it's clear that they want answers.

"I managed to talk him out of it, so don't worry, he's fine. He asked me to keep that conversation a secret so I won't delve into the details now, but it's why he wasn't able to talk to any of you until now. Overtime I helped him, listening, comforting, everything I can do and now you could say it paid off. Tundra Man asked me to bring two of you as long as they aren't the ones involved with confronting him in the museum and I chose you two." He explained. Dust Man and Dive Man glanced at each other. Everything their creator said makes sense and it definitely explains his sudden peculiar behaviour but they couldn't help but question why, and Dive Man was the one to speak out their thoughts. "But why us? Why not Bright Man or Toad Man?"

"Bright Man, Toad Man and Kalinka could help but not to the extent of what you two are capable of. Tundra Man is afraid of Drill Man accidentally spilling out everything and causing a panic, couple that with everyone who's involved with going into the museum and you two are the only ones left. Not to mention that you're both the most suited for this task. Dust Man, you're able to understand any emotions and thoughts anyone is going through the most out of all of us and Dive Man, you're an excellent listener, able to give comfort to others, that's why I know that you both are suited to help Tundra Man. I'm doing all that I can to help but even I'm limited to what I could do." Dr Cossack explained, hands clenched and trembling before he stared at them right in the eyes and said, "So please, help him. Help your brother."

"Of course.... Why... Why wouldn't we?..." Dust Man said, more determined than ever. To him, it didn't need much thought to help any of his brothers.

"We'll do all that we can to help!" Dive Man promised with a big grin on his face. He has the same idea, and he's more than willing to help Tundra Man in any way. Dr Cossack let out a smile and nods, he's very happy to see that his robot sons are willing to help and that's more than enough to reassure him.

"Very well, let's go." He said, walking as the two blue bots followed until they stopped at a familiar door. He gave a few knocks and said, "Tundra Man, it's me. I brought two of your brothers with me here."

At first nothing happened, then there was a click and the door swung open. For the first time in two weeks, they finally saw him, their little brother, Tundra Man. He darted his eyes around, looking guilty as he tries to find the words to say, his optics welling up with tears. Finally, he spoke. "Hello, I'm so sorry for not showing up and worrying you and I think Dad has informed you to some extent about what's going on— I'm sorry I-"

He gets cut off by Dust Man and Dive Man engulfing him into a hug, whispering words of reassurance to him and telling him that it's alright as tears rolled down their faces. The emotions they're feeling is beyond overwhelming. Seeing their brother again and knowing that what he's going through to some extent is just heartbreaking to the core.

"Could we go back to my room? I don't want anyone to see me..." Tundra Man finally said, pulling away and looking down. Dust Man and Dive Man glanced at each other and nods before turning back to Tundra Man.

"Sure, let's go in." Dive Man agreed, Dust Man meanwhile glanced at his Pops who gave him a small smile and said. "Go ahead, I'll get some E-tanks for you and wait outside should you need me."

"Understood...." Dust Man said as the three bots go into the room, closing the door behind him. Tundra Man's room had soft violet coloured walls with little white glow-in-the-dark decoration s alongside crystal snowflake ornaments hanging from the ceiling and a light blue fleece flooring. There was a huge bed on the left with a dark purple covering, a blue quilt and a white blanket with a couple of pillows on it including a life-sized plush Snow Robbit Tundra Man named Snowflake. Next to it was a birch bed drawer with various photos on top on it alongside an inward shelf above with a couple of books and a few pairs of ice skate blades. To the right corner there were three large bean bags and on the right wall hung a flatscreen TV. The room altogether wasn't much but it was still elegant and pretty. Tundra Man took a seat on his bed, grabbing and hugging his plush Snow Robbit as Dust Man and Dive Man each grabbed a bean bag and sat down in front of their little brother.

"Now, could you please tell us how you're feeling? We want to help you." Dive Man said softly, getting straight to the point.

“You... Can take it slowly...” Dust Man assured softly. Tundra Man kept his gaze to the floor before giving a small nod and telling them everything. All from his nightmare to going to his creator’s lab to permanently deactivate himself, his reasons for wanting such a thing and how Dr Cossack convinced him not to do it. It was... It was all so painful to hear and though the two may seem fine, deep down they’re hurting.

“That’s everything...” Tundra Man finished, hugging the plush tighter as he looked down shamefully. Dust Man, really didn’t know what to say and while trying to process the words he needs, he was startled when Dive Man stood up with an unreadable expression on his face and moved closer towards their brother.

“Tundra Man, in my opinion I am very disappointed in you.” Dive Man said truthfully and Dust Man’s eyes widened in shock as Tundra Man flinched at those words. Dust Man silently gestures to Dive Man to ask what exactly is he doing but Dive Man simply continued, “You selfishly chose to depart without considering to ask for help. You kept everything to yourself and that’s not a healthy thing to do. It hurts all of us and it hurts you and that’s not something I can tolerate.”

“Stop!...” Dust Man softly exclaimed, albeit quite panicked when Dive Man suddenly knelt down to Tundra Man’s eye level, gave him the warmest smile ever and said, “But that’s okay. You told us now and we’ll do everything we can to help you. We’re your brothers, and we can never hate you. I might not like how you considered thinking about, that... But I still love you, you’re my younger brother. Our younger brother.”

“Yeah... We can do all we can... We love you... Little brother...” Dust Man said happily as Tundra Man shook before sobbing, throwing himself into Dive Man’s arms as he hugs back, keeping that warm smile on his face as he gently pats his head.

“It’s alright, cry all you want. We’ll help you through all of this, I promise.” He promised as Dust Man went over and hugs him by the back and said, “Yeah... We’re here for you...”

“Thank you...! Thank you!... I don’t- I don’t-“ Tundra Man sobbed, clinging onto his brother like his life depended on it only to get cut off when Dive Man assured him, “No, you do deserve it. After everything you’ve gone through, you deserve it.”

“He’s right... A-and to start.... We’ll... Help you... You deserve it.... We’ll help you...” Dust Man assured. They might not be ready for whatever inner conflicts Tundra Man would reveal but they’d be damned if they let their little brother to continue to suffer like this. They’ll help him, no matter what, that’s the promise they unanimously agreed on until Tundra Man feels better. They’ll stay by his side, no matter what kind of waves full of emotional turmoil gets thrown at them. They can handle it, and they’ll stay strong for him. They’ll stay strong for Tundra Man.

Chapter Text

"How.... Are you feeling?...."

"Like it's all my fault..."

"It's not, that was all Wily, you had no control over it."

"I know... I'm sorry.."

"N-no.... It's alright, there's no need to apologise...."

"Your feelings matter, you shouldn't hold them back or put them aside for others."

"But-"

"No buts."

"We... We care for you..... And.... We want to help you...."

"I know... Thank you... I'm s-"

"No, don't be sorry."

"Yes...... We're doing... This for you..."

"But-"

"What did I say earlier?"

"... No buts..."

"Yes.... You are not... A bother... Never... Will be..."

"What Dust Man said is true. You aren't a bother and it's okay to feel what you're feeling right now, it may take a while but you'll be feeling better. These things take time, and we can go at your own pace, okay little brother?"

"Al-alright...."

It's been a week and a half since Dust Man and Dive Man finally see their youngest brother Tundra Man after locking himself up in his room for two weeks. They have made steady progress in helping Tundra Man, listening to what he wants to talk about and giving him words of reassurance and comfort, doing as much as they could to help him. So far, only them and Dr Cossack can see Tundra Man, and no one else is allowed to know about these visits and what was discussed. Thankfully Dr Cossack helps to cover up for Dust Man and Dive Man's absence whenever they visit Tundra Man in his room, it's also a rule to make sure no one sees Tundra Man open the door which they were more than willing to agree with. Tundra Man's not ready, that much is obvious so they have to take it slow. Things were going well, even to the point where today, Tundra Man decided to take a step forward.

"I wish to see one of my brothers." He suddenly said, catching Dust Man and Dive Man off guard. It was bound to happen at some point, they both knew it but nonetheless it was surprising.

"Tundra Man, are you sure? You don't have to push yourself." Dive Man asked, concerned.

"Yes.... No need... To rush..." Dust Man agreed but Tundra Man shook his head.

"No... I feel ready to see someone. I think I'm strong enough to meet them. Just, please only bring one and p-please don't let it be t-those who w-went into the mu-museum..." He said, his voice going shaky when he mentioned those in the museum which was understandable. Dust Man and Dive Man glanced at each other, they were unsure about Tundra Man's decision but they soon see it as Tundra Man finally able to move forward and respect his decision.

"Okay, we'll find someone to bring to you." Dive Man said, nodding alongside Dust Man.

"Okay.... Thank you, I'll be here..." Tundra Man said, lying down on his bed and curling up into his blankets.

"We'll.... Be back soon... We promise..." Dust Man said, him and his brother gave Tundra Man one last hug before they left, careful to make sure they aren't spotted. With that they went out to go to Dr Cossack for advice while thinking about who they can bring to Tundra Man. Pharaoh Man, Ring Man, Skull Man and all of Tundra Man's friends are out of the question. They both made a mutual agreement that Drill Man shouldn't know, he might spill out what Tundra Man is going through which is a big possibility.

That was when they found their father in the lab talking to a certain eldest brother.

"Please professor, I know Dust Man and Dive Man aren't working, I'm really worried for them!" Bright Man pleaded, looking even more distressed and on edge.

"I already told you, you can talk to them after they came back." Dr Cossack said, noticing Dust Man and Dive Man at the door and gestured towards them, "They're here now, so go ahead."

"Okay..." Bright Man said, walking towards the two as Dust Man and Dive Man briefly glance at each other in confusion. What's going on?

"I know you both aren't okay, disappearing lots of times. It's because of Tundra Man locking himself in his room right? It's been three weeks and a half since we saw him.." Bright Man asked and the two secretly sigh in relief. They thought they were caught but they knew that they have to tell the truth to Bright Man. He's getting close to finding it out. However on the plus side, he's kind and understanding, he can help Tundra Man and he wasn't there in the museum, meaning that they can tell Bright Man now.

"Thank you Bright Man, we really appreciate your concern." Dive Man said sincerely before Dust Man added, "But.... That's... Not the reason..."

"Huh?" Was all Bright Man could say, flabbergasted. Dr Cossack stood up and walked towards his sons before he said, "How about we go to the place Dust Man and Dive Man were disappearing to, and why."

"H-huh? O-oh, okay.." Bright Man said, stumped as they lead him to Tundra Man's room, quietly confessing everything about what Tundra Man has been going through. Bright Man was shocked, but throughout it all he was silent and they couldn't blame him. These were all heavy subjects and soon they finally arrived to the door to Tundra Man's room. Dr Cossack walks forward and knocks, calling out, "Tundra Man, it's us. Your brothers brought Bright Man here, can you let us in please?"

As if by magic, the unopened door opened and the four stepped inside before closing it behind them. There sitting on the bed was Tundra Man, looking very nervous. He glanced at Dr Cossack, Dust Man and Dive Man who nodded back before glancing at the still silent Bright Man. The tension in the air proved to be too much for the youngest brother as he spoke, "Hello Bright Man... I-"

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?!?!" Bright Man suddenly snapped, startling everyone as the lightbulb robot quickly got on the bed to grip both of Tundra Man's arms.

"Bright Man, what're you-" Dive Man yelped, the first to snap out of the shock Bright Man put them in but the eldest DCN wasn't listening.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY CONSIDERED PERMANENT DEACTIVATION!!!!! DID YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT NO ONE WOULD CARE?!?!?! WELL YOU'RE WRONG, WE DO CARE AND WE WOULD ALL BE BEYOND HEARTBROKEN IF YOU WERE TO BE GONE!!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA, HOW MUCH I DIDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN WILY TOOK YOU BECAUSE I ALWAYS HATED THE THOUGHT OF MY YOUNGEST BROTHER BEING TAKEN AND USED AS WILY'S TOOL?!?!?! HOW UTTERLY DEPRESSED WE ALL WERE WHILE YOU WERE GONE WITH NO IDEA WHERE YOU ARE AND IF YOU WERE OKAY?!?!?! HOW I HATED WILY FOR WHAT HE DID TO YOU AND HOW TERRIFIED WE WERE ARE WHEN YOU WERE CAUGHT IN ALL THAT RUBBLE AFTER YOUR FIGHT WITH MEGAMAN?!?!?!?! IT’S ALL BECAUSE WE CARE, WE LOVE YOU AND CARE FOR YOU!!!!! YOU ARE OUR FAMILY, NO MATTER WHAT AND NOTHING CAN CHANGE THAT!!!!!! YOU’RE OUR LITTLE BROTHER, PROFESSOR’S SON, AND TOP, GEMINI, STAR, JEWEL, ICE, FREEZE AND CHILLS’ FRIEND AND NOTHING CAN CHANGE THAT AND HOW WE LOVE AND CARE FOR YOU!!!!!! EVEN WILY CAN’T CHANGE IT!!!!!!! BECAUSE WE ALL LOVE YOU TUNDRA MAN!!!!!!!” Bright Man screamed, tears streaming down his face before he pants from screaming and hugs Tundra Man, silent. Everyone was shocked speechless, Dust Man and Dive Man never seen their kind and gentle older brother yell so angrily and in such desperation like that. Even though Dr Cossack saw some form of confrontation coming, the outburst wasn't anything he expected. As for Tundra Man, he remained in a state of shock before he started to shake, and then he started to cry.

“I- *Hic* I’m so, so sorry!... I didn’t- I thought it w- I-“ He stuttered shakily, failing you wipe away his tears. This made Bright Man soften up and hug Tundra Man, rubbing his back and gently telling him, “It’s alright, you’re forgiven. I'm sorry for yelling too, I got too emotional. But please, don’t consider such a thing again. We all love you.”

“It’s true.....” Dust Man said as he, Dive Man and Dr Cossack join in the hug once it was okay to do so, letting the youngest sibling cry. “We all..... Love you.... Very much.....”

One down, and that decision turned to be a good choice despite Bright Man yelling out of nowhere. They were getting somewhere, things were going well. Tundra Man is healing.

And they all will make sure that they’ll be with him to help him heal.

Chapter Text

Something was up and and they know it. Kalinka, Toad Man and Drill Man know that some of their family members' been acting very off. Even Ring Man knew something was up but today they're going to take action. They carefully snuck out, making sure no one is around before making their way to Tundra Man's door.

"You sure it was three short knocks and then five long knocks?" Kalinka asks to which Drill Man answered, "Yep, I double listened when I saw Dive Man approach his room!"

"Shh, we're here." Toad Man hushed to which the two nods and kept silent. Toad Man silently sighs and approached the door, "Here's to hope that this works..."

He gave it three short knocks, then five long knocks before taking a step back. They waited with baited breaths before peeking up to a click.

It worked.

Tundra Man slowly opened the door, he wasn't sure why his brothers and father decided to talk this late but he knows that he should open up... To, them...

His circuit board nearly stopped working at the sight of his sister and older brothers before him who were staring back with bewildered eyes. As if he rebooted, Tundra Man closed the door in a panic, only for Drill Man to jam it open with his drill arms.

"No, leave me alone! Go away!" Tundra Man cried, going into a panic. No, no, this is too soon! He's not ready!

"No way! We haven't seen you in over two months!" Drill Man exclaimed, forcing the door open. He's now able to see his little brother again, he can't let this chance slip away. Once the door was open, the three didn't hesitate to tackle Tundra Man into a hug. The ice skating robot was in a panic as he tried to shove his siblings away. No, he's not ready! He's not ready, he can't- he hasn't-

"Please you can't leave us!"

... What?

Kalinka, Toad Man and Drill Man were all in tears, hugging Tundra Man right as they apologise over and over alongside giving him words of comfort. Tundra Man couldn't believe what he was hearing. Why were they apologising? Was it pity? No, it can't be pity... So why? Why are they-

Sobs. He hears crying, it's him. Tundra Man hugs them all back, crying his optics out. Why is he doing it? He doesn't know, but nonetheless it felt... Nice? Nice to hear that his siblings care for him? He doesn't know anymore, he just wants this moment to last. So instead he cries, "I'm sorry too!.. I'm sorry I didn't open the door!.. I'm sorry I shut myself out for so long!"

They all laid there crying and hugging before eventually they calmed down enough to separate with Kalinka still clinging onto Tundra Man, "I'm so glad you're okay little brother. It's alright, we still love you."

"Thank you... Could one of you close the door?.. Please..." Tundra Man begs to which Toad Man nods and closed the door. The youngest DCN visibly relaxed at that before he remembered something and asks, "Why were you all apologising?"

"We weren't there for you and we sort of intruded into your room without permission... That's two of the many reasons why we're sorry." Kalinka said sadly to which Toad Man and Drill Man nods. Tundra Man's eyes widened before he refuted, "No! It's not your fault at all! You all miss me, that's understandable!.. It's my fault, I chose to lock myself-"

"Tundra Man, that was your choice yes but that doesn't mean that it wasn't your fault. You were going through something hard, we understand that, but that doesn't excuse us barging in. We were not thinking very logically." Toad Man explains, but Tundra Man is still trying to push the blame away from them so Drill Man says, "How about this? We all say that it's both all our faults and not our faults? Is that good?"

There were mummers of agreement before a wave of relief washed over everyone, that's good. They're good. It's all good now.

"So, I think we got a lot of catching up to do... So, if you want you can tell us what happened. Or not, it's your choice. And sorry for barging in, I took action without thinking." Drill Man said, scooting over to be close to his brother. The ice skating robot hugged the red bot on response and sighed, "Well, considering that you're all here now, I might as well and it's alright Drill Man..."

Tundra Man didn't tell everything, he merely gave an abridged version of what has happened. There were some things that he wasn't comfortable with talking about, such as why he chose to try and deactivate himself and the conversation he had with his father all those days ago but he's sure that they understand the big picture. Before he could apologise, he was once again tackled into a hug by a crying Drill Man. "Huh-"

"Tundra Man, PLEASE don't consider such a thing again!" Toad Man begged, tears welling up in his optics. "I know it may be tough, it will take a lot of time but we're all here for you."

"Toad Man is right, we're here for you, we always will be. Just call me if you wish to talk, okay?" Kalinka offered. "You won't have to leave your room and I can be there for you wherever I am."

"Thank you... Thank you for understanding..." Tundra Man said, tears in his eyes. He then pats Drill Man's shoulder and assured him, "It's alright older brother, I'm alright now, thank you for caring..."

"But— Ok..." Drill Man said, giving in before he said, "You don't have to face this alone, we're here for you but you shouldn't lock yourself in your room moping and all. I know that father and our brothers deliver you food and allow you to vent but you should do things you like to do to take your mind of things as well! I think that's what's they were thinking seeing as how there's a lot of books and video games and pillows here. I can bring in some movies and Kalinka and Toad Man can keep you company in their own ways!"

Everyone, to say the least was shocked. They didn't expect Drill Man to have such big and helpful advice and for Tundra Man, he didn't expect Drill Man to guess correctly what their father and brothers were recently doing whenever the ice skater wasn't venting to them. Seeing their shocked expressions, Drill Man gave a soft look, "I may be an idiot and slip up on things every now and then and also act without thinking but I've learned from what I've gone through, from what we all have gone through, and I want to use what I've learned to help you little brother."

"Drill Man!.." Tundra Man gasped, feeling tears welling up in his optics as the three gave him a hug.

"There there, let it all out. We're all here for you, you're not alone okay?" Kalinka said, giving a warm smile.

"Yeah, we're family Tundra Man, we get through this together and that's a promise." Toad Man promised as he gave his brother a pat on the back.

Tundra Man couldn't really believe this happening, he knew that he had to confront them but he suppose that fate had other plans.

However, he couldn't be more happier to have his siblings with him. He feels safe again, he’s starting to feel okay again. It’s a small feeling but a big achievement nonetheless.

Perhaps he's ready.

Chapter Text

Chill Man had an idea on what to expect when he, Ice Man and Freeze Man were called over to the citadel by Dr Cossack.

He knew that it had something to do with Tundra Man locking himself in his room, perhaps it was to help try to talk him out of his room, after all, phone calls can only do so much. No one told them anything, which was both understandable but still nerve racking.

Their rushed yet quiet footsteps echoed throughout the empty halls, it was the only thing keeping them from the looming silence and the inevitable door on the other side. If Chill Man were to be honest, he wanted to turn away, to run as fast as he could to the ends of the earth so long as he was away from here. He didn’t want to face Tundra Man and make him feel the guilt of what he had done when it wasn’t his fault.

He knew what his friend was going through, after all he and Ice Man went through that very same experience before.

The feeling of freedom being taken away from you.

The feeling of no longer being in control of your own body.

The feeling of doing unspeakable things that were out of their control yet suffer the consequences afterwards.

It was suffocating, like being put in a closed space with nothing but rising guilt, trauma and anxiety, constantly looping, splashing you over wave after wave without giving you a moment to breathe.

They were there, but they both know that that’s where the similarities end, each individual’s scars run differently, some may be similar but never the same.

“Tundra? It’s us, please open up.” Freeze Man was the one who initiated the knock, it’s now or never.

The door creaks open, much to Chill Man’s surprise, and out peeks their friend and comrade Tundra Man from the door’s gap. He didn’t say anything but they all knew what he was feeling.

“Hey Tundra..” Chill Man said, momentarily surprised with how soft his voice was. “You okay?”

Tundra Man shakes his head as the door slightly yet ever so subtly open more.

“You want to talk about it?” Freeze Man then asks, Tundra Man shook his head again. Chill Man hates how small and afraid his friend looked, it doesn’t suit his usual flamboyant and elegant self. Everything dropped into an uncomfortable silence, neither knew what to say. Eventually, Chill Man takes it upon himself to break the ice. “Do you want to go for a walk?”

Tundra Man froze in confusion, stunned by this strange question before nodding his head.

Okay, they were getting somewhere. That’s good. “Let’s go soldier.” Ice Man finally spoke, gently holding the 11th liner’s hand and gently pulling him out of his room, the door closing behind them with a small click. Freeze Man turned to his friend as they walked, “So, where do you want to go?”

Tundra Man took some time to consider his answer before shrugging half heartedly. He doesn’t know.

“What about the kitchen?” Ice Man suggests, “We can get food.”

“What if Pharaoh Man, Ring Man and Skull Man see me?” The three nearly froze when they heard Tundra Man speak and Chill Man didn’t like how shaky his friend’s voice was. “I- I’m not, they’ll hate me..”

“Then I’ll check.” Freeze Man said almost immediately in reassurance. “I’ll check if they’re there. If they aren’t, then we’ll go somewhere else. Is that good?”

“Y-yes, thank you..” Tundra Man nods and Chill Man breathes a sigh of relief and gives a smile back as they head off towards the kitchen with the three next to him, keeping him company. As they arrived, Freeze Man went on ahead to scout the area before scurrying back and giving a thumbs up, declaring that it’s safe to go in. The ice bots didn’t hesitate to go into the now empty kitchen, now struck with the question of what to do now.

“Is there any food in the fridge?” Ice Man asks the 7th liner, attempting to keep the atmosphere light as the said bot rummages through the fridge. “Well, we have some cake if you want, what do you think Tundra?"

Tundra Man was silent once more, not responding. Worried, the Wilybot called again, “Tundra?”

No response.

“Soldier?” Ice Man stood up from his seat.

Tundra Man was shaking.

“Sht!” Chill Man cussed before they rushed towards their friend while also giving him his space so that he doesn’t feel suffocated. Ice Man took the lead, immediately placing his hands firmly onto the other’s shoulders and giving him soft, yet clear instructions despite his trembling frame. “B-breathe soldier deep, slow, breaths. It will be alright. I want you to keep your eyes on me, do not look away. Keep them on me, steady your breathing, that’s it.. You’re doing very well soldier.”

The 10th liner resorted towards giving small, gentle rubs to Tundra Man’s back as he slowly but surely he calmed down as another, more human hand fell softly to his shoulder. Confused, all three looked up to see Dr Cossack, eyes filled with worry yet his comforting presence makes it seem like it would all be alright. Freeze Man was behind him, relieved now that the situation has calmed down, it must have been him who brought the scientist over.

Chill Man felt Tundra Man’s back straighten as he tensed, all eyes were on Dr Cossack as he spoke and what he said wasn’t something the arctic bots have expected, “Would you like to bake something with me, Tundra Man?”

It was in such a nice and soothing tone despite the context being so out of left field, yet those words were enough to ease his son, shoulders falling in relief as he gave a small nod to his father. It was at that moment that Chill Man saw how deep the scientist’s relationships were to his robot masters and couldn’t be happier and relieved to know that his best friend had someone like Dr Cossack as his father.

“Alright then, how about cookie rings, the ones with Einkorn Flour in them? You really liked those.” The doctor continued and Tundra Man found it in himself to speak, “Yeah… I would like those.. Can Ice, Freeze and Chill help as well?”

“Okay, we’ll make some of those and yes they can help, if they want to.” Both Father and son were staring at the three ice bots who all simultaneously agreed.

“Yes Commander Cossack sir!”

“Got it!”

“We can help.”

“Okay. Let’s, let’s go and bake..” Tundra Man spoke before the five got to work, grabbing ingredients and baking tools before getting to work. The mood lightened despite the awkwardness still in the air but it’s much more bearable. Upon seeing his friend relaxed, Chill Man smiled, reassured that things were fine for now.

Time seemed to go too fast before slowing down significantly once they were waiting for the cookies to bake in the oven. Ice Man, Freeze Man and Chill Man sat awkwardly across the table where their friend and his father were seated, the former taking deep breaths before he worked up the courage to look up towards them and said, “I- I don’t really know, how to say this and there are some things I’m not ready to talk about as of now. But, I want to say that I’m so, so sorry for everything.. I understand if you don’t forgive me… I’m sorry for hurting you, for shutting you out, everything…”

“There’s no need to apologise for any of that, it wasn’t your fault.” Chill Man said but that made Tundra Man snap. “It was my fault! I could have escaped but I couldn’t and I couldn’t dodge the attacks and I-”

He hung his head low after he cut himself out from his outburst and hugged his creator who returned the gesture. Chill Man and Ice Man turned to look at each other, unsure of what to say when suddenly Freeze Man raised a hand up. “If I may, it’s actually a good thing you attempted to escape.”

All heads snapped towards the DWN in confusion which prompted him to explain, “When you escaped, it means that you did something that was considered impossible. You resisted Dr Wily’s reprogramming and fought back, something no robot has ever done before. And in doing so, you created a ripple effect, you created hope. Hope for any robot master who might be taken by Wily again and feel like they have no choice but to accept their fate, only to remember the robot master who resisted his nefarious reprogramming before which in turn, gives them the will and the choice to fight back and defy that programming forcibly installed to them.”

“B-but I didn’t fight, I ran..” Tundra Man points out but Ice Man cuts in to help, “Even if you had retreated, it still counts as fighting! You fought against his control, you halted back his progress in his plans. There’s more to fighting than just fists and clashing weapons and for you, you fought by wasting Wily’s time, if you had not fought back, he would have initiated his invasion sooner and Mega Man might not be ready to stop him. By holding his plans back, you stopped Wily from initiating his plans of world domination and causing more chaos and casualties. Even if it’s futile, even if you ran, you did so much! You did what Wily never expected any robot to do, defy their programming and in turn, you may have already saved so many more lives than you can imagine!”

“Ice…” Tundra Man gasped, shocked beyond compare, he hadn’t considered that kind of thinking. Blinking to hold back tears, he nods and Chill Man could feel him smile under his mask. “Thank you..”

“It's not a problem, and we forgive you for attacking us and all that, we understand.” Chill Man said, standing up to go over and give his friend a hug who was more than happy to return it. The room was filled with small but light hearted chatter afterwards which escalated into full length conversations about arctic animals when the cookie rings were done baking. It felt so nice to be able to talk to Tundra Man again without worrying about Wily, and talking about topics other than that evil scientist seems to be helping his friend as well.

That all changed when there were footsteps approaching but the group of five were too engrossed in their conversation to notice until Top Man’s voice called out all too suddenly.

“Hey Dr Cossack? Who are you-” The orange skater froze in surprise at the sight of his best friend in the kitchen and out of his room, Gemini Man, his clone, Star Man and Jewel Man who were right behind him shared the same reaction. Chill Man could feel Tundra Man tense up and glance at him with worry, oh dear… This is not good.

“H-hi guys… We made some cookie rings, you can have some if you want?” Tundra Man offered awkwardly, slowly standing up from his chair. “I think I’m going to use the bathroom for a minute, be right back.”

And then he ran.

“Wait Tundra!” Chill Man exclaimed, bolting out from his chair to give chase, too panicked to help Freeze Man and Jewel Man up who tripped and fell thanks to the chairs. He can hear the others following behind him but he didn’t care, all that was on his mind right now was his friend.

In the movie room, Skull Man groans, shaking his head as he grabs the remote to switch off the tv. “That was not a movie Pharaoh, that was a documentary. You have dirt poor tastes.”

“I do not, some of the movies I picked are good.” Pharaoh Man protests, crossing his arms to which Ring Man pipes in to back up both claims, “Half of the movies you pick are documentaries, the others are actually good movies.”

“See? I do have good tastes.” Pharaoh Man said, his voice full of pride which made Skull Man roll his eyes. “Keep telling yourself that.”

It became a daily habit of the three Cossackbots to watch a movie after sparring in order to keep themselves grounded. It was an idea their creator came up with to cope with their little brother’s absence and isolation, and it did somewhat put them at ease. It did not quench their worries though.

They were about to pack up and leave when they heard metallic footsteps rushing past the movie room outside, they normally would have dismissed it if it weren’t for that peculiar but all too familiar clinking sound that accompanied it, almost like the one in question was wearing some form of robotic tap shoes.

Only one robot master in this household could have such a unique sound to his footsteps.

Pharaoh Man, Ring Man and Skull Man all turned to each other and instantaneously, they all knew what each other was thinking. With no more hesitation, they abandoned whatever clean up they were going to do in favor of running out and tracking down their brother. It only took a turn around the corner to find him curled up on the floor, shaking with sobs.

All the practice conversations and topics they will never admit to having done before to prepare for when Tundra Man comes out of their room seemed to have disappeared from their hard drives. For a moment, the three strongest of the DCN line aren’t sure on what to do. After a few unsure glances, Pharaoh Man stepped forward and approached his youngest brother, kneeling down to his level while leaving some space between them so that Tundra Man would not panic. Ring Man and Skull Man stayed back, knowing very well to leave it to their older brother to handle the situation, he was better at these kinds of conversations than the two of them combined.

“Tundra Man?” Pharaoh Man called after what felt like forever, only to mentally wince when his brother flinched at his voice, feeling guilt cloud his thoughts before shaking off and persevering through the sandstorm. “I will not hurt you, and I am not mad at you. I merely wish to ask if you feel alright.”

There was no response, the atmosphere started growing tense. Both ex-combat bots glanced at the archeologist with worry as Pharaoh Man focused on maintaining his cool as his programs ran through every idea possible. Tundra Man won’t respond, asking if he was okay again would just lead to him going nowhere, he was afraid of him, what can he do? It seemed as if he was backed into a corner, trapped in an inescapable room closing in on him, time ticking away until he was crushed. There has to be something, so in a desperate attempt, he abandoned all thoughts and let his brotherly instincts take the lead.

“Не слышны в саду даже шорохи,

Все здесь замерло до утра;”

Pharaoh Man started singing, keeping his tone soft and soothing while his voice was steady and unwavering. Ring Man and Skull Man’s optics widened, they never heard the bot sing before. They focused their attention on Tundra Man, who has not made any changes. Still, Pharaoh Man kept singing.

“Если б знали вы, как мне дороги

Подмосковные вечера.”

Slowly, the ice skating robot master’s cries started to die down as he started to uncurl, it was then when they noticed that the metal on his arms was dented from how hard he was gripping it. Ring Man could have sworn that he felt his core break in half but he steeled himself, he has to stay strong for him.

“Речка движется и не движется,

Вся из лунного серебра,

Песня слышится и не слышится”

Tundra Man kept his eyes to the floor as he furiously wiped away his tears, he shouldn’t. He can’t get himself to look at them. But he missed them, he missed his big brother, even after all he did to him. Why? Why was Pharaoh Man doing this? He should be hating him! He hurt him, he hurt Ring Man and Skull Man, so why?

“В эти тихие вечера.

Что-ж ты милая смотришь искоса,

Низко голову наклоня,

Трудно высказать и не высказать”

Tundra Man started drifting towards Pharaoh Man, shakily opening his arms to wrap around his brother, hesitantly laying on his chest. Pharaoh Man could feel the other two DCN tense up before they relaxed as he carefully pulled his younger brother close, carefully placing a hand on his head in a protective and comforting manner. He continues to sing.

“Все, что на сердце у меня.

А рассвет уже все заметнее,”

As much as Skull Man wants to come over and comfort Tundra Man as well, he did not want to risk overwhelming him, so he instead put his attention towards his brother’s singing, letting it put him at ease from the stress and worry that has plagued him and his family for the last couple of weeks.

“Так пожалуйста будь добра

Не забудь и ты эти летние”

Tundra Man finally looks up, his optics meeting with Pharaoh Man’s gentle and comforting ones, a fire of determination burns brightly behind them. It was the same kind of look he would give whenever the ice skater was upset, the kind that would assure him that it’s alright. He breathed, remembering what his family and friends have said before.

He’s safe, safe from Wily. He’s not a monster, he’s not dangerous. He has people who care about him. Not everything was his fault. It’s okay.

“Подмосковные вечера.”

The song came to an end, and the hallway was silent, no one dared speak a word. Tundra Man looked away from Pharaoh Man and looked up, surprised to see Ring Man and Skull Man standing awkwardly behind them. He reached out and that’s all that was needed before his other older brothers joined in on the hug.

“How are you feeling?” Ring Man eventually asks and Tundra Man gives a half-hearted shrug. The orange and yellow bot chuckled, “Fair enough.”

Skull Man felt relief washed over him, and he knows that his older brothers felt the same way. “We missed you.”

“I missed you guys too… I’m sorry for hurting you and for locking myself in my room, I needed to think after learning about the things I forgot, and I thought you hated me...” Tundra Man finally said, resting his head on Ring Man’s shoulder. The eldest of the robot masters kept his hand on his brother’s head, patting him softly. Skull Man then speaks up, “Tundra, we would never hate you. Yes, we were upset that you locked yourself in your room-”

“Some more than others.” Ring Man snorted, earning a glare from the other in the process before he continued. “But you needed space, and we understand that. We also understand that you weren’t yourself when you attacked us, that wasn’t you. That was something Wily created, and now it’s gone. It can’t hurt you, or us ever again.”

“Thank you..” The skeleton-themed robot master didn’t notice how Tundra Man was missing his mask until now, he must have left it somewhere but the small smile on his face made him internally smile as well, idly brushing Pharaoh Man’s hand away to head pat his little brother.

“So, why’d you come out?” It was ever-so-blunt Ring Man who asked the question the three 4th liners were thinking which made Tundra Man hesitate before answering, “Originally, I was going to apologise to Chill, Ice and Freeze while finally working up the courage to go outside my room, but I panicked when I saw Toppy, Gemini, Jewel and Star and ran…”

“You were very brave Tundra Man, do not belittle yourself for fleeing because you were in a state of uncertainty and panic.” The eldest of the four reassures, resorting to resting his hand on the floor.

“Thank you big brother, but I should probably head back… I might have made my friends and dad worry.” Right as he said that, there was a new voice that urgently cuts in, “Тундра!”

That voice belonged to Dive Man who skidded to a stop in front to the bots, letting his fans cool his systems before he spoke again, “Pharaoh Man, Ring Man, Skull Man, why didn't you tell us he was here? Bright Man sent a message to all of us to look for Tundra Man!”

“We were watching a movie and had our comms muted.” Ring Man briefly explained with a roll of his eyes but Dive Man instead focused on the 11th liner, crouching down to ask, “Are you alright?”

Tundra Man paused, considering his words before he said, “To be honest, no. I’m still not okay, but I think I will be.”

Dive Man’s big smile and him scooping all four of them up into a big hug was more than enough to show how overjoyed he was, though Skull Man doesn’t appreciate the gesture. “Ok, enough Dive, get off!”

“Alright, alright.” The submarine robot master laughed, releasing his hold on his brothers but Tundra Man was the only one to remain in his grasp, a little touch starved. He nuzzled his head into his brother’s arms as Dive Man informed the others of where he found the missing ice fairy. While that was happening, Skull Man suddenly lit up and brought Ring Man and Pharaoh Man aside to tell of his plans without any disturbance. The other two seemed to agree with whatever the younger bot was planning and dispersed, Skull Man stayed behind to keep an eye on Tundra Man and keep a look-out for obnoxious DWNs, poets and the like.

Speaking of which…

“Ice fairy!!!” Star Man cried, being the first to arrive as he flew in like a shooting star and swooped Tundra Man up into a hug. “Oh, we are so, so sorry! We have hurt you dearly, and now you cannot feel clearly!”

Skull Man gave a look of pure disbelief at the 5th liner, what does that even mean?!

“Star, I’m alright now. And if anything, I should apologise. I did not handle the situation properly and ran off.” Tundra Man assured but Star Man wasn’t having it as he continued spouting poems upon poems that made no sense.

“Jeez, knock it off Star! You’re just rhyming now!” Top Man scolded when he came and pried the overdramatic bot away from his best friend. The two locked eyes at that moment, both of them were unsure of what to say and the tension was rising. Eventually, Tundra Man hugged Top Man and Star Man, leaving them in a state of surprise before happily hugging back. No words were needed to be said, all three of them understood. Both parties are sorry, and they forgive each other. There’s still a lot to work on, but for now, all is well.

“Tundra?” Another voice called, this time belonging to Jewel Man as Gemini Man and his clone hanged right behind him. Tundra Man smiled and motioned them to come to the hug which they were more than happy to join.

“Bet’cha missed us.” Gemini Man smirked which made Tundra Man laugh. “Oh, I missed you all so dearly.”

“Thy ice fairy has returned, and all tis well. Thy ice will take time to melt, but thy sun will shine, and thy ice fairy will be free once again!” Star Man said dramatically, making very elegant gestures in the process. Top Man exclaimed in a rather joking manner, “Finally, you’re speaking in your poet language! What was that earlier?!”

“Tundra!!!” At that moment, the ice bot was pried away from a hug yet again in favor of being lifted up by Drill Man. “You’re here and ok! I was so worried!”

“You look a lot better.” Toad Man comments which made Kalinka beam with joy and tackle her brothers into a hug, Dust Man catching them in the process to prevent them from getting hurt. The tension was replaced with laughter and a more festive and heartwarming atmosphere.

“Easy there, give Tundra Man his space.” Dr Cossack said in a fond tone, helping his kids up as Chill Man went up with the other ice themed robot masters to ask, “You feel better?”

“Yes, thank you.” The youngest of the DCNs nods as Bright Man came up with the tray of cookie rings from before. “They aren’t as warm as before but I did my best to sustain their heat.”

“Oh, good timing Bright. Pharaoh and Ring just brought in a bunch of snacks and drinks as well.” Skull Man spoke up, gesturing towards the movie room where Ring Man peeked out and announced, “Get in everyone, we’re going on a movie marathon starting with Spirited Away!”

“YES!!!” Kalinka, Drill Man, Dust Man, Ice Man and Freeze Man cheered, dragging the others inside who were more than happy and excited to follow. There was a mattress in front of the couch with bean bags, pillows, fluffy blankets and some inflatable cushions carefully placed around the area. On the right of the couch was a singular throne-like chair that Pharaoh Man was already seated on, and on the left has a pillow fort set up with various tables set up full of various snacks and drinks, from healthy to sugary, spicy to salty and so on.

Drill Man immediately called dibs on the pillow fort, making it his new home for the movie night. Top Man happily crashed into one of the bean bags alongside Toad Man as Gemini Man and his clone took to the right side of the couch. Dive Man sat on a pillow near the red drilling robot master with Dust Man snatching a blanket before crawling up next to him. Star Man and Jewel Man both shared a hammock that was set up on the right closer to the couch than the chair while Ring Man and Skull Man sat on the couch but not without the older ex-combat robot grabbing an inflatable ring cushion in the process, Kalinka and Bright Man joined them after getting some pillows and blankets. Dr Cossack, Chill Man, Ice Man, Freeze Man and Tundra Man all went for the mattress with Tundra Man curled up in a blanket in the middle, Dr Cossack on the left, Chill Man on the right and Ice Man and Freeze Man at the front. Once comfortable with a few shifting towards the youngest Cossack bot, the lights dimmed down with the giant screen as the only light source, Spirited Away started to play.

Tundra Man found himself smiling throughout the entire movie marathon. This was a start, he was getting better. And he’s more than overjoyed to be with his loved ones.

It’s all okay now.

Chapter Text

Dr Cossack watched as Tundra Man teaches Fuse Man and Torch Man how to ice skate as they awkwardly glide across the ice, slipping and falling every now and then. He wasn’t really surprised when his son invited the two eleventh liners to join in on their snow trip, especially since they were close friends. He was more surprised with how Torch Man didn’t malfunction from the snow but he supposed that it’s a good thing, especially with how careful the fire robot was being.

He suddenly felt a threatening presence over on his right that sent a shiver down his spine and looked over, finding the source of such a menacing aura being the combined forces of Skull Man and Gemini Man. He didn’t notice them up until that point and when he followed their glares where he found the source of their glares being the eleventh liners. Already, he knows why they’re glaring at him but nonetheless, he asks, “Is something wrong?”

“I don’t trust them.” Came Skull Man’s reply; short and serious to the point. Gemini Man and his clone both nod in agreement, “They may be Tundra’s friends-” “-But they hurt him.”

The roboticist held back a sigh and instead gave a comforting smile towards them as he said, “They didn’t intend to, and I’m sure that the issue has been resolved and put behind them. I understand if you can’t trust them yet, but please keep in mind that they weren’t as lucky as Tundra Man was. The least you can do is not be hostile towards them.”

“I know… I know they didn’t mean to, but I can’t help but feel so furious at them.” Skull Man said, his fists tightened. “They’re the reason why Tundra couldn’t escape and had to suffer through such a horrific second reprogramming.”

“But they were remorseful and showed regret.” Gemini Man eventually points out, his clone agrees, “Yeah, the fault lies with Wily.”

“Still… I can’t help but not trust them.” Skull Man sighed, clearly frustrated. “It’s not that I don’t know that they went through a lot as well, I just.. Can’t get myself to trust them, at least not yet. It’s been 3 months now and I’m still cautious around them.”

“I suppose that’s because of Wily too.” Dr Cossack said, “He kidnapped Kalinka and forced us to do his bidding, then he kidnapped Tundra Man and he used Fuse Man and Torch Man to hurt him. You feel like you can’t trust others because he’s the cause of so much pain and suffering towards us.”

“You are very perceptive Dr Cossack.” Gemini Man and his clone said in sync as Skull Man let out a deep huff and shrugs, “You’re right, I need to stop with that. Wily’s the only one at fault for what happened to us and our family, no one else.”

Dr Cossack smiled, feeling his chest swell his pride. However, their conversation was suddenly interrupted when someone slammed themselves into the railings, shaking the bars. Concerned, Dr Cossack immediately looked over at who or what crashed at the railings only to find Drill Man laying down on the icy floor below.

“Drill? What happened?” Skull Man asks, clearly not impressed as he leans over the railing to help his brother up while Star Man skates up to the group and hastily explains, “I’m so terribly sorry, Drill Man and Top Man were having a spinning contest on the ice to see who would get dizzy first and Drill Man went off course.”

“Of course my dumb brother would be involved somehow.” Gemini Man groans, knowing fully well how Top Man is as his clone lets out a hum of agreement, “Tell me about it. Where is he anyway?”

“Oh, he’s over there.” Star Man said blankly, pointing towards the dizzy orange third liner who was being dragged over by the leg by an unimpressed Jewel Man to the edge of the rink. Skull Man facepalms and lets out a frustrated sigh mixed with a growl, “Why do I even let that orange bot hang out with my little brother?”

“I- Am’ fine!!” Drill Man exclaimed, shaking off the dizziness. Skull Man lets out an amused huff as a result, “Sure you are bro.”

Dr Cossack then felt a tug at his coat and turned around, finding Dust Man staring up at him as he asked softly, “... Do you know where the… The camera is?”

“It’s with Dive Man, he wanted to take some photos, why?” He answered and Dust Man merely pointed at a direction before heading off to find his brother. Dr Cossack followed where Dust Man was pointing, only to find Pharaoh Man meticulously sculpting what appears to be a snow sculpture of an armoured knight with Ice Man and Freeze Man assisting Pharaoh Man and inside the snow sculpture is a clearly pissed off Ring Man. Said robot master was glaring at his older brother, “I’m going to kill you…”

“Hush, you are not allowed to move.” Pharaoh Man said as Ice Man smiled sheepishly, “Sorry about this Ring Man…”

“You drew the short straw, you asked for this.” Freeze Man said nonchalantly, not caring as Ring Man growls, “Once this is done, I’ll use your wires as my new jump rope.”

“Are you alright in there Ring Man?” Dr Cossack asked worriedly, ignoring Skull Man’s laughter upon seeing the ridiculous position his brother was in. Ring Man on the other hand rolled his optics and said, “I’m fine, I got the waterproof coating on. If I need any repairs I will go to you. But not after I SHOVE SNOW DOWN YOUR GEARS SKULL!!!”

“Do not move! We have not sculpted the sword and shield.” Pharaoh Man scolded which only made Skull Man laugh harder. “Oh I’m never gonna let this go.”

“Don’t make me bring up the cake incident.” Ring Man challenged, in turn Skull Man stopped laughing and glared daggers at him, “That oven was faulty and you know it Ring!”

“Camera… Got…” Dust Man said, taking a picture of the mortified Ring Man as Kalinka squeals in delight, hopping down from Dive Man’s shoulders to go check out the snow knight Ring Man, “You look like a cool knight about to save a princess!”

“We are not finished yet, we have yet to make the castle.” Pharaoh Man said, causing Ring Man to give his brother a hard, “NO.”

Dr Cossack couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched his children’s antics as Tundra Man’s friends join in on the conversation. Speaking of Tundra Man, he turns back towards the ice rink only to find him and the eleventh liners not there. Confused, he takes out his phone and checks his text messages, reading the most recent one from Bright Man who was in the snow lounge rooms they booked with Toad Man. The text message informed him that Fuse Man, Torch Man and Tundra Man have returned to the snow lounge. Seeing as the rest are preoccupied, he goes up to Dive Man and asks, “I’m heading back to the snow lounge, could you keep an eye on everyone?”

“Yes, certainly Father!” Dive Man said with a salute. The roboticist fondly shook his head and said, “Very well, and call me if anything happens.”

With that, he turned around and made a beeline back to the snow lounge, climbing up the stairs towards the rooms they booked. He was surprised to see Fuse Man leaning against the wall at the hallway, arms crossed as he patiently waited. “Fuse Man?”

The electric robot perked up, glancing over at him as he gave a quiet grunt. Curious, Dr Cossack goes up to him and asks, “Why are you waiting out here?”

“Tundra Man and Torch Man wanted to refuel.” Fuse Man answered quietly, looking away. The scientist frowned, already he could tell that the bot was lying but he’s unsure if he should press the issue further. Instead, he decides not to push it and asks, “I see, and how are you enjoying this trip?”

“... It’s good.” Fuse Man eventually said with a shrug. “I don’t know why Tundra invited me.”

“You are one of his closest friends.” Dr Cossack said as though it was obvious. Fuse Man mumbled, “I guess… But that still doesn’t explain it.”

“And why is that?” Dr Cossack asked, already having an idea on where this conversation is going. Fuse Man shrugs again, blankly staring down at the floor like it’s the most interesting thing in the world as he states, “I get that he forgives Torch and I but I hurt him more, I nearly put him to death. If Wily didn’t want Tundra back…”

He lifted up his hand and watched as sparks flew around before he clenched his fist tightly, “I would have killed him… I’m too dangerous, he shouldn’t be around me. I might hurt him again.”

There was a moment of silence before Dr Cossack placed a hand on Fuse Man’s shoulder. The robot master turned his head towards his friend’s creator as he spoke gently and with confidence, “But you won’t. The fact that you stood out here, worried about Tundra Man’s safety already tells me that you would never hurt him. You care for him as how Tundra Man cares for you and I’m very sure that my son doesn’t care about how dangerous you are to him. He trusts you Fuse Man, like how I trust you.”

Fuse Man’s eyes widened before he quickly glanced back down, muttering, “Thanks, I guess. I can see where Tundra gets his kindness from.”

Before any of them could say anything, the door suddenly flung open and out came Toad Man, looking very enthusiastic as he exclaimed, “Round 2 here I go- Oh hello Doctor, Fuse Man!”

“Professor!” Bright Man yelped in surprise upon stepping out as Tundra Man suddenly appeared and scooped his father up in a hug, holding him tight as he greets him happily, “Hello Dad!”

“Hi Tundra Man, Torch Man.” Dr Cossack greeted back, waving at the large red robot who had stepped out, he politely waved back in return. Tundra Man then puts him down and says, “All of us are about to head back out, where is everyone?”

“I’ll lead the way, follow me.” Dr Cossack said with a fond smile as he and the robot masters made their way back to the others. He doesn’t mind the chatter or ruckus as they rejoin with the others, seeing his family smiling and laughing is more than enough for him. It wasn’t easy and there’s bound to be some ups and downs in the future, especially with Wily still on the loose but if he’s able to hear this wonderful, chaotic noise and see his children live on happily, then the journey forward is more than worth it.