Seven Strangers, Seven Mercenaries
Written by Hunter-Chameleon (Quint)
(It was a night like any other, in a place known as Henry’s Hideout. Tonight, the lives of seven people will drastically change...)
(19:30. Some of the usual customers are already in the bar, having a good time chatting. Then, a tired-looking man walks in. It seems like he witnessed the Apocalypse and came back – which, in fact, is kinda true. No one is afraid of him: he’s just a regular guy.)
Man:
Hi there,
Henry.
Same as
usual.
Henry:
(while
preparing
a Cola)
Ah, it’s
you,
Hunter.
Have you
seen
anything
eventful
happen
lately?
Hunter:
I'm afraid
to say
that I
haven't.
(stares at
the crowd)
...Hey...
There
seems to
be a new
customer
here.
Henry:
Oh, yes.
She came
early, but
she's not
the
talkative
type.
Hunter:
Hmm...
Guess I’ll
welcome
her.
(In the backroom of Henry’s...)
Cook: Alright, man. All you have to do is to walk by people at tables, and ask them what they want to drink. Got it?
Falling star: Right.
(Back to the bar. A lonely person is sitting at a table. She seems to be staring at the drink in her glass when...)
Hunter:
Err...
Hello,
there.
?:
Who might
you be,
sir?
And...where
did you
get all of
those
injuries?
Hunter:
Ah...That's
quite a
long
story. The
name is
Hunter,
and if you
give me
yours, the
story will
begin.
?:
It’s...Kayorei.
Hunter:
Kayorei,
eh? A nice
name, I
suppose.
You see,
it all
began
with...
(Meanwhile, in the streets, a tired-looking man, speaking to himself... )
Shinobu:
Damn
customers...Madden
NFL this,
FIFA
that... no
one likes
good games
anymore.
(His steps finally led him to Henry’s Hideout.)
Shinobu:
Hmm. Maybe
a glass or
two will
help calm
me down so
I can
think.
Shinobu:
So, what
is there
to do in
this
place?
(looks
around the
bar,
then...)
Hey!
Karaoke!
(comes
closer to
the stage)
Well,
let’s see
if they've
got any
Insane
Clown
Posse
music.
(Several minutes later...)
?:
Wow, that
was a good
performance!
Shinobu:
Why,
thanks,
Mr...
?:
Jeremy
"Stardust"
Lehn.
So, how
about a
drink?
Shinobu:
Sure!
(Back to the first group...)
Hunter:
...And now
I’m
trapped in
this
universe
with no
chance to
accomplish
my
mission.
Kayorei:
Sad story
indeed.
And how
have you
been able
to survive
since?
Hunter:
Well, I
give
French
lessons. I
met some
good
students,
and they
helped me
find a
place to
live and
such.
Kayorei:
Glad it
turned out
well for
you. May I
offer you
a
drink?
Hunter:
Why
not?
Kayorei:
(Waves to
Falling
star) Sir?
Two
Colas for
this
table,
please.
Falling star: Sure thing!
(21:00. The bar's starting to fill up, as tonight is the final game of the Speedball World Championship: the Tennessee Pirates vs the London Punks! The atmosphere is quiet, even though two of the most “known” customers are here...)
Clawman:
Man, I'm
telling
you, the
Pirates
are
totally
winning
this one!
They even
beat last
year’s
favorites!
Chimeraman:
The Mexico
Desperadoes?
Meh! Just
a bunch of
advertised
wannabes!
But the
Punks will
get the
cup this
time! They
managed to
throw
Larry
Arünnson
out of the
game!
Clawman:
“Big-Bone”
Larry?
From the
Vinnheim
Ravens?
Cool!
(And so, prognostics were taken, and drinks were sold to the customers. But let’s take a look at that one person outside...)
Naoshi:
Hmm. It's
getting
cold out
here. I
should be
heading
home. I
can't
afford to
forget to
buy the
groceries
tomor-...
Hey!
What’s
this?
(Sitting among the random garbage and refuse, there was a lonely, sad-looking robot toy. Its paint was badly scratched, and its serial code, 1-GA, was barely visible)
Naoshi:
You sure
look like
one of
those toys
that just
recently
got
recalled.
*flips the
toy's
power
switch*
What's
your
name?
1-GA: Unit 1-GA...no name...
Naoshi:
Okay. What
about
Iga?
1-GA: Name input...Unit will now respond to “Iga”.
Naoshi:
Alright,
then. But
you look
broken.
I’ll try
to look
for a
mechanic's
phone
number in
this
pub.
(But the floor, at the entrance of Henry’s, had gone slippery over time. And what naturally happens with slick floors took place...)
Naoshi:
Excuse me,
sir, do
you
have...
*slips*
(Naoshi lands on Chimeraman's back, making him do a spit take)
Chimeraman:
Who
dares?
Clawman:
(pats on
Chimera’s
shoulder)
Relax,
man! I'm
sure that
all of
this was
just an
accident,
right?
Naoshi:
Err...
Yeah...
Clawman:
So, no
problem!
Tell you
what,(grabs
Iga with
his claws,
speaking
in a
devious
voice),
have some
fruit...
Chimeraman:
(glares at
Iga) Nice
idea,
buddy.
(Starts
laughing)
Naoshi:
Hey, Slash
Man
reject!
Give that
back!
Clawman:
No way,
pal.
Falling star: Would you mind, people? (goes talking to Clawman): Sir, I'd suggest that you give that toy back, and leave now, or ... (gets punched by Chimera)
Chimeraman:
Or
what?
Hunter:
(looks
like those
guys need
some
help...)
(to
Kayorei ):
I’m really
sorry,
miss, but
it sounds
like I
should
help.
(walks to
the
“riot”)
Clawman:
Ah, if it
isn’t good
ole
Hunter...
What are
you gonna
do, going
"war never
changes"
on me?
Hunter:
No. This
time, I’ll
leave the
pacific
way.
Clawman:
Oh, I'm
dying to
see this!
You have
the first
shot!
Hunter:
My
pleasure.
(Hunter
quickly
whips out
a huge,
rusty-looking
gun from
his
backpack
and shoots
right at
Clawman’s
torso. The
greenish
energy
ball opens
a hole the
size of a
fist in
this
armor.)
Clawman:
What
the...?
(falls to
the
ground)
Shinobu:
(watching
the fight)
Ooh! He'll
be feeling
that
tomorrow.
Hunter:
Turbo-Plasma
P94
Winchester
Rifle.
Never
leave home
without
one.
Chimeraman:
Why
you...!
Take this!
(charges
at
Hunter)
Naoshi:
*does a
quick kick
to
Chimeraman's
back*
Stardust
and
Shinobu:
(jumping
in the
fray) Stop
it right
there!
(And so, a huge melee took place in the Hideout. Shots everywhere, broken chairs, and poor Henry eventually got thrown right into his jukebox.)
(The next scene takes us to Megalopolis State Penitentiary. The seven main suspects in last night’s melee (Naoshi, Hunter, Shinobu, Kayorei, Iga, Falling star and Stardust) were put in a special cell.)
(Later in the morning, an elderly man comes in the jail, escorted by two dangerous-looking robots. His face is known all around the world, but not for good reasons.)
Police-Bot: Dr. Wily? What are you doing here?
Wily:
Just my
citizen’s
work.
Please
show me
the way to
their
cells.
Police-Bot: (as they arrived at their destination) Here you are, sir. You have only 15 minutes to talk with them. Sorry, but that's strict regulations. In the meantime, I’ll be waiting at the main entrance.
Wily:
Thank you
sir.
(turns to
the seven
prisoners)
So, it was
you guys
who
started
the
riot?
Naoshi:
No way,
man! Your
robots
tried to
destroy
this toy
here.
Wily:
Hmm.
Still,
they got
severely
injured,
and you
have to
pay the
fine for
my robots'
repairs.
Hunter:
Uh-oh. I
hope Henry
won't get
too mad
about
that.
Wily:
Of course
not! He
even sold
more
drinks
than usual
after the
fight.
But...
Shinobu:
But?
Wily:
He still
wants you
to pay
$500,000
for
the
destruction.
All:
What!?
Wily:
But we
came to an
agreement.
I’ll pay
for you,
if you
seven work
for me.
What do
you think
of
this?
Falling star: Sounds fine with me. (the others nod).
Wily:
Fantastic!
(After this agreement, the “suspects” move to Wily Fortress.)
Wily:
I can
guess that
you’re
probably
still
tired
after what
happened
last
night.
We’ll meet
up in the
lab in two
hours. My
Sniper
Joes will
show you
the
way.
(Later, in the lab...)
Stardust:
So, man,
what is
this work
you want
us to do
for
you?
Wily:
Actually,
it’s a
long
story.
Ever heard
about the
Rockman
Killers,
or the
Genesis
Unit?
Falling star: Well, who hasn’t?
Wily:
Good. And
you’re
aware that
their
results
were
rather...mediocre.
Shinobu:
Sure, but
what do
they have
to do with
us?
Wily:
Let me
explain.
In my
recent
experiments,
I’ve been
able to
adapt some
more
recent
evolutions
in
robotics
on seven
new
prototypes,
modeled
after the
original
Killers.
Naoshi:
And you
want us to
test these
armors?
Wily:
Exactly!
Now, get
in line,
and I’ll
give each
of you one
of these
suits.
(Naoshi was the first one to go in the Experiment Chamber. Right after he got in, the door hermetically closed.)
Wily:
Let’s go!
RKN-001,
activate!
(pulls a
switch)
(Immediately, the whole lab was glowing an electric blue, as a strange transformation occurred in the Chamber: Naoshi’s body “disintegrated” and his particles reorganized themselves in the form of an armored, spear-wielding bot. Then, the flashes stop, and a whole new creation enters the room.)
Wily:
Behold...Enker!
The
defense
master!
Hunter:
Naoshi?
How do you
feel?
Naoshi:
Well, I
feel MUCH
stronger.
And to
think it’s
thanks to
public
enemy #
1...
Wily:
Enough
chit-chat!
Now, get
in,
Hunter!
(then):DRN-001a,
activate!
(The same process occurred on Hunter. When he stepped out of the Chamber, he now wore a green armor , similar to Megaman’s, with the major difference that he held a drill-like device in his back)
Wily:
Heeeeere’s
Quint!
Hunter:
Great. So,
now, I’m
the lame
one.
Wily:
Did you
even hear
what I
said
first? I
upgraded
this
armor, so
that it
could
emulate
Megaman’s
abilities.
You’re as
strong as
he is!
Hunter:
Now,
THAT’s
cool.
(The same process occurred with Shinobu, Kayorei and Stardust, who respectively became Punk the mad destroyer, Ballade the agile sniper, and Hyper Storm H. the porcine behemoth.)
Shinobu:
Check this
out! (uses
his left
shoulder
armor as a
boomerang
Screw
Crusher,
and
decapitates
an
unfortunate
Joe).
Oops.
Kayorei:
Meh. Looks
like
“collateral
damage” is
your
middle
name.
Stardust:
It’s great
to have a
giant
armor like
this, but
how am I
supposed
to move
around in
this
Fortress?
It’s not
that tall,
y’know.
Wily:
And now,
(turns to
Falling
star and
Iga), I’ll
update you
with the
remaining
suits. But
first,
(grabs
Iga), I’ll
give you a
brain
update.
(Minutes later, after the three remaining people left to the lab’s Robotic section...)
Wily:
Here it
is,
people!
Now the
seven of
you are
together
under my
orders!
Naoshi:
(to Iga,
now in his
Buster Rod
G. armor)
So, how do
you feel,
Iga?
Iga:
Very well!
Thanks to
Wily’s
updates, I
now have
the
equivalent
of a
scientist’s
intelligence.
Hunter:
Good news,
Comrade.
Falling
star:
(in his
Mega Water
S. suit)
So, now,
what do we
do?
Wily:
You’ll
begin
training
tomorrow.
Then
you’ll
work under
my orders,
as a
specific
unit. Your
name will
be...err...anyone
got an
idea?
Hunter:
What about
the Seven
Mercenaries?
Shinobu:
Sounds
good to
me.
Kayorei:
I
agree.
Naoshi:
Well, I do
hope we’ll
get along
well
together.
Stardust:
We get
friends,
lodging
AND cool
armors!
I’m
in!
Iga:
I would be
glad to
help
you.
Falling
star:
Somehow, I
don’t
think
Henry will
allow me
to
continue
working
for him,
so I'm
in.
Wily:
Excellent!
(The End? It was only the beginning!)
Outside
Credits:
ChimeraMan
and
ClawMan
are made
by the
people of
Mechanical
Maniacs.