Archive of Our Own

Skid Row- Recut

Part 1 : Alarm goes off at seven and you start uptown

(The scene starts at Skull Fortress, with several Robot Masters looking bored. Some of them are standing apart, preparing for a mission. None of the selected look thrilled to be chosen)

Part 2: You put in your eight hours for the powers that have always been (sing it child)

(Among the selected is Ring Man, who sarcastically sings this line, rolling his eyes. Magnet man, replies with a nod and by saying 'sing it child')

Part 3: Till it's five PM 

(The Robot Masters board Skull Fortress, looking unhappy. Feel free to mentally fill in whichever characters you like)

Part 4: Then you go-

(The shot turns completely black)

Part 5: Downtown . Where the folks are broke

(The scene has changed to show the Robot Masters out and about in the city, causing mayhem)

Part 6: You go downtown. Where your life's a joke

(A few members of the Syndicate arrive on the scene, and as Proto man rushes off to fight them, the other Robot Masters seem to be resigned to the fact that they're going to lose)

Part 7: You go downtown. Where you buy your token, you go-

(Predictably, the robot Masters all get beat up in the ensuing fight, although things seem to end with a draw and both sides backing off. As the Bad Bots retreat in the Skulker, morale seems low amongst the Robot Masters)

Part 6: Home to Skid Row (home to Skid Row)

(The shot cuts to show the Skulker landing back at Skull Fortress. Everyone goes their separate ways, with Wily immediately storming off. A few Robot Masters hang around, but the shot focuses on Ring man and Magnet Man)

Part 7: Yes you go 

(Ring man and Magnet Man walk off on their own, past other equally unhappy looking Robot Masters)

Part 8: Downtown . Where the cabs don't stop 

(Quick man and Gemini man seem to be close to fighting each other. As they glare at each other, others watch with mild interest. Ring man and Magnet man are walking past this in the background)

Part 9: Downtown. Where the food is slop 

(Cut to a battonton carrying an E-can and accidentally dropping it. The contents spill on Astro man, who looks terrified and flails around. Everyone ignores this. Ring man and Magnet Man walk past this)

Part 10: Downtown. Where the hop-heads flop in the snow, down on Skid Row

(Finally, Ring man and Magnet Man reach a group consisting of Metal man, Top man, and Dark man, all lounging at a small round table, playing poker. Ring man flops onto the table, disrupting the game. He gets some mild pushback, but it seems to be good natured)

Part 11: Uptown you cater to a million jerks

(As Ring man pulls himself off the table, he sings this, a small picture of California hovering nearby so that we can see he's talking about the latest mission. Top man looks mildly uncomfortable)

Part 12: Uptowns your messengers and mailroom clerks

(Metal man interrupts him, talking about his own experiences being in Syndicate territory. A small picture of Metal man being cornered by a Syndicate member hovers next to him)

Part 13: Eating all your lunches at the hotdog carts

(Magnet man says this line, looking as chill as usual. A small picture of Magnet man outside trying to shield himself from the rain hovers next to him)

Part 14: The bosses take your money and they break your hearts

(All three robots say this line, with a bigger picture of the crescent moon above them, and three outlines meant to represent the leaders of the Syndicate)

Part 15: And uptown you cater to a million whores

(Ring man says this mockingly, a picture of South Dakota appearing next to him. At 'Whores', headshots of Wily, Proto man, and Elec man pop up next to the map picture)

Part 16: You disinfect terrazzo on their bathroom floors

(Ring man scuffs a corner of the room with his boot to demonstrate how grimy it is, to the disgust of everyone else. He shakes the dirt off, also looking disturbed)

Part 17: Your morning's tribulation, afternoons a curse

(Ring man imitates Wily throwing a tantrum after a scheme goes wrong, to the delight of everyone but Top man, who's been oddly quiet)

Part 18: And five o'clock is even worse (that's when you go-)

(As everyone is laughing, Top man suddenly stands up, surprising everyone)

Part 19: Downtown. Where the guys are drips

(Top man sighs but smiles at everyone as he says this. A small picture of Top man spending time with humans he bonded with before the Ballet incident hovers next to him. He looks happy)

Part 20: Downtown. Where they rip your slips

(At 'Downtown', the picture changes to show Ballade intimidating Top man. Top man closes his eyes)

Part 21: Downtown. Where relationships are no go

(At 'Downtown', the picture disappears, and the shot zooms in a bit closer to Top man, the background turning black. Suddenly, Top man's eyes fly open, and his face looks horrified, as the background changes into the curtains of a stage)

Part 22: Down on Skid Row (down on Skid Row)

(Top man is back at the Ballet incident. Humans are running around in a panic as the stage is in ruins)

Part 23: Down on Skid Row (down on Skid Row)

(Top man sees Ballade at a distance. Ballade gives Top man a menacing smile and Top man runs away)

Part 24: Down on Skid Row (down on Skid Row)

(Top man is shown walking through an alleyway, looking paranoid. Suddenly, he spots Wily and Proto man, and his expression becomes hopeful)

Part 25: Down on Skid Row

(Top man introduces himself to Wily and Proto man, and transforms to show his armor. He looks like he feels a lot safer around them)

Part 26: Poor! All my life I've always been poor

(The shot cuts to Snake man holding an armadillo, scratching it under its chin. He seems depressed)

Part 27: I keep asking God what I'm for

(Snake man puts the armadillo down, giving it an affectionate pat before it scurries away)

Part 28: And he tells me, "Gee, I'm not sure. Sweep that floor kid"

(Snake man stares at his hand and blaster, as if not sure why they're there. A search snake snuggles up to him, and he picks it up as he gets up and moves)

Part 29: Oh, I started life as an orphan, a child on the street

(Snake man walks around the room that he's in, talking to his search snake)

Part 30: Here on Skid Row  

(As he's walking, he catches his reflection in the surface of one of the metal walls, and the scene is suddenly thrown back to Snake man's first activation)

Part 31: He took me in, gave me shelter, a bed, crust of bread and a job

(Proto man and Dr. Wily look dubiously at Snake man. Wily shoves some stuff into Snake man's arms for the missions and walks off without a word to his creation. Snake man looks confused and lost)

Part 32: Treats me like dirt, calls me a slob, which I am

(After the body swapping scheme goes wrong, Wily is shown yelling at the Robot Masters involved. Snake man's sad expression stays as the background gradually returns to the present. He absently pets the search snake)

Part 33: So I live (downtown)

(Snake man says this, at 'Downtown' the shot cuts to show the mining robots sitting together, taking a break from their constant work at the armory)

Part 34: That's your home address, you live (downtown)

(Snake man puts the search snake down on the floor and walks away from it. The shot cuts again, but this time it shows Elec man, sitting in his office. There's a strange look of vulnerability as he looks sad and lonely)

Part 35: When your life's a mess, you live (downtown)

(Snake man walks over to a window, looking out at the sunset. The shot cuts to show Cold Steel hanging out, seemingly relaxed in each other’s presence)

Part 36: Where depression's just Status Quo (down on Skid Row)

(Snake man opens the window, leaning out slightly to lean out of the window a little. He suddenly grips the window sill beneath his hand)

Part 37: Someone show me a way to get out of here

(Snake man looks down, as is ashamed to admit he doesn't like living at Skull Fortress)

Part 38: ' Cause I constantly pray I'll get out of here

(With a sudden look of defiance, he says this and looks back out the window, unapologetic about how he doesn't like Skull Fortress)

Part 39: Please won't somebody say I'll get out of here

(Snake man's grip on the window sill becomes so strong that it cracks beneath him, startling him)

Part 40: Someone gimme my shot, or I'll rot here

(Looking dejected, he pulls away from the window, but after a few steps away he suddenly stops)

Part 41: (Downtown) Show me how and I will, I'll get out of here

(Moving back to the window, he suddenly steps up and pulls himself through it and on a ledge. He's a few floors from the roof)

Part 42: (Downtown) I'll start climbing uphill and get out of here

(Snake man starts to scale the walls, grabbing onto spare pipes and pulling himself up with his one hand, or jumping if he can)

Part 43: (Downtown) Someone tell me I still could get out of here

(As Snake man jumps onto a pipe, he almost loses his balance, but after steading, he keeps scaling the wall)

Part 44: (Downtown) Someone tell Lady Luck that I'm stuck here

(Finally reaching the roof, Snake man states down the sunset)

Part 45: Gee, it sure would be swell to get out of here (Downtown)

(The shot cuts in half so that Snake man is on one side and Top man is on the other side. Snake man is glaring defiantly at the setting sun, while Top man is in the alleyway, looking nervously at a crescent moon symbol carved into a wall)

Part 46: Bid the gutter farewell and get out of here (Downtown)

(Both sides of the shot change to show Jewel man and Metal man. Jewel man is impersonating a human, and there is a focus on his hands, which shake as a cop walks by. Metal man is looking around frantically, a paranoid expression on his face as distorted outlines of humans point at him accusingly)

Part 47: I'd move heaven and hell to get out of (Skid Row)

(The two sides of the shot change again to show Elec man and Proto man. Elec man glowers at Skull Fortress, clearly wishing he wasn't there, while Proto man is shown at Dr. Light's lab, without his armor, and looking at a science project with growing frustration)

Part 48: I would do I don't know what to get out of Skid

(The two sides of the shot change to show Ice man on one side and Bomb man on the other. Ice man has been cornered by some other rouge robots, but is clearly unafraid of fighting them, and his hands begin to frost in preparation for the fight. Bomb man is watching Wily choose a group of robots for his next mission, and lets out a sigh of relief when he isn’t chosen)

Part 48: But a hell of a lot to get out of Skid (Downtown)

(The shot changes to Crystal man and Magic man. Both are out on missions with their own gangs, but as they walk, they both see groups of humans having fun from a distance. Both of them look thoughtful, as if wondering what it would be like to be one of those humans, before hurrying to catch up with the others)

Part 49: People tell me there's not a way out of Skid (Downtown)

(The shot changes to show Dustman, looking at something the audience can’t see with clear terror on one side, and on the other side, Burner man looks nervous as Centum's robots ask about Ballade)

Part 50: But believe me, I've gotta get out of Skid Row

(The split-screen disappears as Snake man and Top man sing together in a blank background, the shot panning up to show that rows of robots are behind them, also singing. The shot keeps panning out, further and further until no individual robot can be identified. As the robots become nothing but specks, the song ends with a sudden cut to a  shot of Wily's reprogramming gun)