Kevin's brother did not realise until it was too late that part of the floor was a hologram.  Hence, he fell to the floor from which they had just come and landed on his rear end.  "Ow!" he shouted upon landing.

            "Michael!" Wilykit and Kevin cried simultaneously.  They collided as they rushed to the ladder.

            "Let me go, Kevin!" begged Wilykit.  "I can go faster."  Kevin nodded.  Wilykit went down the ladder.

            Kevin's parents had seen this.  "Hey!" Cheryl said.  "What did you do to him, Wily?"

            "Don't worry, Frau {frahw} Keene," Wily said.  "He just didn't know I'm using holograms to make it appear that the floor is continuous.  However, holograms such as those don't support light feathers, not to mention healthy seventy-three-kilogram teenage boys like your sons.  Don't worry, it's not a long drop.  If his bones are as strong as I believe, he'll just hurt."  He smiled smugly at Kevin.  "It'll teach him to rush in blindly, too."  Kevin scowled at the evil doctor.

            Wilykit quickly descended the ladder and went over to Michael, who had landed in a sitting position.  "You okay?" she asked, helping him up.

            "Ooh," he said.  "I think so, Wilykit.  That'll teach me not to fall for any more traps!"  He and she laughed quietly.

            "Need help?"

            "No, but thank you."  With his usual agility, he climbed up the ladder, Wilykit behind him.

            "Are you all right?" Kevin asked Michael.

            "Yeah, just landed on my rear end," said Michael.  He frowned at Dr. Wily.  "Is this your idea of a joke?"

            Wily smiled in amusement.  "It wasn't originally, but I have to admit it was rather amusing seeing you fall for my hologram floors!"

            "What do you want with our parents?"

            "If you boys want to see them alive again," Wily threatened, "you'll leave!"

            Ned shouted, "Don't listen to him, guys!"

            Wily sighed.  "I really should gag my captives," he said.  "Captain N, if you and your brother step foot in my lab, I'll atomise your parents after I've defeated you!  Both of you!  Before your very eyes!"

            "Don't worry about us, guys!" shouted Cheryl.  "Get Dr. Wily where it hurts!"

            "Will you two shut up?" Ludwig commanded.

            The entire group gasped.  "Ludwig?" Kevin and Michael simultaneously demanded.

            Ludwig appeared next to Wily.  "Yes, it's I," said Ludwig.  "I am assisting Dr. Wily with a new project."

            Steelheart stepped forward.  "Abandon that project, and release Mr. and Mrs. Keene immediately, or we shall come make you wish that you had."

            "I have delivered my warning," Wily snapped.  "Fight me, Keene brats, and your parents shall die painfully!"

            "Kevin, Michael, stop them!" Ned and Cheryl both shouted.  "Don't worry about us!"

            Exasperated, Wily shouted, "Silence!  Mad scientists' captives do not address their rescuers through the mad scientist's holographic projector!"

            Ned only smiled wryly.  "Times change," he said.

            "Keep this up, and I may just kill you anyway!"  He shut off the holographic projector.

            Steelheart said, "Let's go."

            Wilykit exclaimed, "Wait!  What about Kevin and Michael's parents?"

            "We'll save them," said Michael.

            "Besides," Kevin added, "we have to stop Dr. Wily and Ludwig before they mass-produce transporters, or our security plan is shot.  Oh, by the way, I instantly discovered what I was worried about the instant you decided to race out, Michael."

            "You knew he'd be using holographic floors," the younger brother groaned.  "I'm such a fool."

            "But at least you're a smart fool," Kevin teased.  "Now, how do we get across?"

            "What do you remember from the games?" asked Wilykit.

            "Well, this looks quite like the fourth Wily-stage in MegaMan II to me, ever since that Hard Hat on the landing."

            "Yeah," agreed Michael.  He shook his head.  "No wonder you were feeling something amiss."

            "I remember using the BubbleLead to determine the location of the holograms," MegaMan said.

            "Good idea," Steelheart agreed.  MegaMan switched weapons and fired a BubbleLead, which rolled on the ground and dropped through the holographic floor.  He leapt across the holographic floor and landed on the real floor, then sent out another BubbleLead.  There was another gap between his current position and the ladder, so he jumped.  Steelheart just flew across.  Then, Kevin crossed carefully.  Michael then crossed just as carefully, and finally Wilykit.  When they were all across, MegaMan led the way up.  On the next floor, he released a BubbleLead going to the east, to the right side of the room, where the ladder was, but there were no pits.  So the group crossed cautiously.

            "If my memory serves correctly," Kevin said, "above, there will be just one holographically covered hole.  If you fall in, you'll hit spikes."

            "Yow, I remember," MegaMan moaned.  "I wasted an energy shield there in Wily's second castle."

            "Hey, at least you didn't waste yourself," said Michael encouragingly.

            They climbed the ladder.  Steelheart flew across to the ladder and, after landing, explored the area near the ladder.  Surely enough, she found the pit.  She called, "It's two tiles before the ladder, guys."

            First, Kevin crossed.  MegaMan crossed next, then Michael and Wilykit together.  They were all careful and did not fall in.  MegaMan led the climb.

            They climbed a short distance and found an energy tank on the far side of the room.  "Hey, there's an energy tank!" MegaMan exclaimed.

            "Don't go," Steelheart warned.  "I'll get it.  I remember there's another gap."  She came up to him and jetted across the room to take the tank.  She shook her head.  "Man, that mad scientist is good.  He knows how to make holograms, that's for sure."  She flew back across and handed the tank to MegaMan.

            "Thank you," MegaMan said.  They stopped in the hallway above.

            Michael said, "If Wily's continuing with the same plans, we'll be heading into spiky territory soon.  Maybe we'd best use individual shields from here on."

            "I agree," Kevin said.  "In fact, due to the cramped nature of the rooms ahead, I definitely feel we should go separately.  Steelheart, you take Wilykit with you, since you can fly and she doesn't know the place."

            Steelheart nodded.  "I agree," she said.  "MegaMan, you can contact me with your helmet communicator, true?"

            "Yes," MegaMan said.

            "All right.  You make your way down and then call me when you reach the bottom.  Then, Kevin will go, and you call me when he gets there.  Same with Michael.  After Michael's safely down, I'll come with Wilykit."

            Michael said, "I feel like protesting.  I promised to make sure she was safe."

            "You're on a team, brother," Kevin said.  "You have to trust each of us.  And frankly, I think Steelheart's better equipped to protect Wilykit in this instance.  Don't worry.  You'll have your chance, knowing the way Wily designs these killer castles."

            Wilykit hugged Michael affectionately.  "I'm happy to hear you're so concerned about me.  To be quite honest, I think it would be best if Steelheart took me, especially if the platforms have limited room."

            "I'm going," MegaMan said.  "I'll speak to you as soon as I'm down, Steelheart."

            "Okay," agreed Steelheart.  MegaMan descended the ladder.

            Wilykit released Michael.  "All right, Wilykit," said Michael.  He put his hands gently on her shoulders, and they kissed each other quite affectionately.

            Kevin frowned.  He felt jealous.  Lana had never done this with him.  Then, he smiled.  Lana would probably also be jealous for the same reason!  He allowed himself to slip at least partly into a daydream.  It actually was very likely this might happen between them soon.  He really enjoyed thinking about the possibility.

            He snapped out of it at the faint sound of Steelheart's steps as she moved over to him.  "Now, I see why they want to be together," she said confidentially to Kevin.  "This could complicate things."

            "I don't think so," Kevin said.  "Michael has enough control to avoid this in a dangerous situation."  He smiled.  "After all, they're not in danger at the moment."  He shook his head.  "As illogical as hugging a princess after knocking Big Eye off a cliff in CutMan's stage."

            "Oh, did you do that?"

            "Yeah, but we haven't kissed each other nearly this much."  He felt his antagonistic jealousy creep up again but fought it down.  I do not need to be jealous right now! he thought aloud.

            * * *

            MegaMan switched to the MetalBlade just before going down the ladder.  Going down to the next room, he saw that the group's suspicions were correct.

            This was the series of platforms from Wily's second castle, all right.  He had hoped that Wily shredded the plans for that awful place.

            He shot down a blade at a Silver Watcher, little robots with spinning eyes that could fly all through the room. . . and usually tried to converge on MegaMan.  However, there were normally only three in a room at a time, so MegaMan, using the multidirectional MetalBlade, knocked out all three Watchers that were there.

            The MetalBlade was a very useful weapon.  When it was fully charged, MegaMan could shoot up to one hundred twelve blades.  In that respect, it did not compare with the QuickBoomerang, which MegaMan could shoot two hundred twenty-four times, but it did damage to many enemies, and it could be shot in virtually any direction.  Also, due to its speed, it was easy to aim.  It was certainly one of the best weapons in his arsenal.

            He rode the platform around the room until he was close enough to the ledge with the ladder, against the west wall.  Then, he jumped down to the ladder and climbed down.

            The next lower chamber was just like the second spike-floored room with the platform in part four of Wily's second fortress.  MegaMan dropped down to the platform before it got just under him, and he landed on it.  He rode until he would be knocked off, then jumped onto a ledge.  When the platform followed its path and returned to him, he jumped back on it and went up to the high section of floor.  It led to a drop that led to the ladder down to the next room.  He landed on the ladder and went down.

            This room was the same as the third room in Wily's second castle.  This one was trickier because MegaMan had to dodge the Watchers while watching out for the barrier over which he had to jump to avoid landing on spikes on a platform.  Unfortunately, when he was over the barrier, a Watcher got lucky and knocked him onto the spikes on the floor.  However, the shield was temporarily impenetrable for two seconds after a non-fatal hit, and MegaMan took advantage of it and leapt to safety.  He jumped through the pit and landed in the fourth room, which had been the last, at least in the second castle.  MegaMan stood on the ledge and jumped down onto the moving platform as it came up.  Then, he jumped onto the stationary platform in the middle of the room and faced the ladder on the left side of the room.  He activated the RushJet adaptor and called his mechanical canine, Rush.  The robot dog appeared next to him in his jet form.  MegaMan rode him to the ladder.  He sent the robo-dog away so he would not get hurt, and then he climbed down and took care of the Robot Rider waiting in the hall below.  He activated his helmet communicator.

            "Steelheart, it's MegaMan," he said.  "I'm down at the bottom now."

            * * *

            Wilykit and Michael stopped kissing just before MegaMan's call came.  Steelheart activated her visor and said, "All right, MegaMan."

            "Tell Kevin and Michael to be very careful.  Those darned Watchers almost got my energy shield wasted by dumping me on spikes!"

            "How much is it damaged?"

            "Just a couple of units, not too much.  Taught me a lesson or two."

            "All right.  Kevin's on his way.  Talk to you in a few minutes."

            "Mega-great."

            Steelheart turned off her visor.  "See you all later," Kevin said.  He took out his Zapper and descended the ladder on the right side of the room.

            Steelheart turned to Michael and Wilykit.  "I think he's jealous," she told Michael.

            "Of me?" Michael demanded, not believing.  "What in the world gives you that idea?"

            "Don't get annoyed.  All siblings get jealous, Michael.  It's only natural."

            "But why would he be jealous of me?  His girlfriend is a princess!"

            "But have he and Lana ever been as affectionate with each other?" asked Wilykit.

            "I don't know!  I don't pry that much!"  He then smiled.  "Of course, I never have to pry.  We tell each other just about everything with little solicitation."

            "Maybe you should talk to him about this," Steelheart said.  "You two seem to get along very well, and I'd hate for that to end.  You two make a great team."

            Michael sighed.  "I don't want him mad."

            "Take it from me, Michael.  I have several brothers.  Getting your feelings out in the open should help you start discussing how to handle this.  No one can hide their feelings forever, not even your brother."

            "All right.  I don't want him suffering.  He has this terrible habit of trying to lie when he feels very guilty about something.  It's pitiful, really, because the attempt is obviously very desperate.  I have that tendency, too, so we usually stay out of trouble."

            "Well, the universe would be a better place if everyone had trouble lying," Wilykit said.  "Unfortunately, many seem to do it quite easily.  Including our delightful enemies."

            Minutes later, MegaMan called, "MegaMan to Steelheart.  Kevin's down here, ma'am."

            Steelheart activated her visor.  "Thank you, MegaMan.  Michael's coming."

            "All right."

            Steelheart turned off her visor.  "Time to go, Michael."

            Michael nodded.  "Please take care of Wilykit, Steelheart.  I really like her.  And take care of yourself, too."

            "I will, Michael," Steelheart assured.

            MegaMan called, "Steelheart, MegaMan again.  Is Michael still there?"

            "Yeah," Steelheart said, this time not activating her visor.  It was not really necessary, especially at this lack of distance, but it clarified long-distance transmissions, and so she was in the habit of activating it.

            "Tell him to turn on his energy shield before he starts down.  Kevin just realised that he had forgotten to turn his on.  He said he didn't have any close calls, but you're a goner if you fall on those spikes, unless you have really hard shoes and manage to land on your feet."

            Michael turned on his energy shield.  "Got it," he said.  "Tell MegaMan I thank him for reminding me, please, Steelheart."

            "MegaMan, Michael thanks you."

            "Sure," MegaMan said.

            Michael went to the ladder and descended.  Steelheart smiled.  "You're in love," she told Wilykit.

            "I sure am," Wilykit sighed.  "He's nice.  He's pretty smart.  He obviously loves his brother."  They slowly went over to the ladder.  Wilykit sighed again.  "I really like him, Steelheart."

            Steelheart replied, "Well, it is quite apparent to me that he really likes you, too.  So, what happened to Wilykat?"

            "He slipped and fell from a tree as he and I were swinging in the forest this morning.  Michael was nearby, and he gave Wilykat a cursory examination and called Quicksilver.  Quicksilver repaired two broken ribs and bonded the lower left leg.  All the breaks were clean, but Quicksilver stipulated that he do nothing more physical than going to the restroom.  Then, I. . . I discovered I have some sort of power that repairs physical injuries in biological beings.  I thoroughly repaired the broken leg, but Quicksilver still doesn't want Wilykat doing anything that may require hard landings."

            "Take it from me, this place is full of 'em," said Steelheart.  "At least in the games.  Probably in person, too.  You saw that fall Michael took.  There's a lot worse here."

            Wilykit understood.  "Then, it was probably wise of us to leave my twin behind."  Steelheart nodded.

            Steelheart inquired, "What was it Wilykat was about to address earlier before you cut him off?"

            Wilykit sat down.  "-Sigh.-  The Thunderian to whom Lion-O is the most closely related genetically is Tygra.  For me to be the heir to the lordship, that means. . . that means that he must be in love with me."

            Steelheart sat down too.  "Great.  What about Michael, then?  Are you expected to forsake him or something?"

            "Luckily, our society doesn't work like that.  I do not reciprocate Lion-O's feelings, so I don't have to love him romantically or reproductively if I don't feel that way.  Technically, I'm free to do that with any one man I wish, as long as that man reciprocates my feelings."  She smiled.  "I think Michael Keene is that person."

            "Are you sure you're biologically compatible?"

            "I think so.  Our chromosome system and DNA work the same, basically.  Except that, in Wilykat males, there exists the possibility for the reproductive cell to carry two genders, specifically for producing male and female identical twins."

            Steelheart's eyes widened.  "But. . . that's impossible!"

            "No, it isn't.  Wilykat and I are living proof, Steelheart.  We are identical twins."

            Steelheart could not deny the logical probability, and she was trained to think logically.  "So I see," she said.  "Was this a genetic mutation, or was it genetically engineered?"

            "I don't recall, if I ever even studied that.  Most of my knowledge will be coming back before my next birthday.  Tygra told me that the suspension capsule gases affect children's memories.  It temporarily obscures some memories, especially learned skills, and it also temporarily lowers a child's level of mental maturity, but the effect wears off."

            "I see."

            "So, how shall we go down?"

            "I'll carry you and fly down."

            Wilykit looked hurt.  "Come on, Steelheart," she begged.  "I can jump the platforms."

            "It's too dangerous, Wilykit."

            "I have three energy shields!  Let's make a deal.  I'll make one attempt to cross with my agility alone.  If I waste one energy shield by falling on the spikes, you get to carry me all the way when I land back here.  Okay?"

            "Only if I get to come with you.  I want to keep an eye on you."

            "Sure.  I just don't want to be carried like a defenceless invalid, because I have my pride to think about.  I'm not too proud for my own good, I hope, but I do have my pride."

            "No, that's good, Wilykit.  There's. . . oh.  Oh, no!  The fourth room has a platform that, in the game, MegaMan can't jump to.  How is Michael supposed to jump?"

            "Relax!  He's got a Power Pad, and he's not afraid to use it.  He can just stand with either his right or his left side to the platform and use the appropriate button on his crossbar to speedily cross."

            "Oh, good.  As long as he doesn't do anything silly, he should survive, then."

            * * *

            Michael carefully descended through the rooms.  With his Zapper, he instantly took care of any pesky Watchers that appeared.  He was a very good shot, better even than Kevin, and soon he had reached the fourth room.  Standing on the stationary platform, he pondered his problem.  He probably could jump high enough, were it not for the ledge overhead.  He knew he would bonk his head and land on the spikes. . . and he'd land on his chest upstairs, which would only make him hurt more.  His rear end was still mildly sore from his stupid fall earlier, and he was not about to fall for any more traps in the near future.  His pride had not fully recovered yet, either.

            He discovered quickly that his Power Pad would take him across.  He checked the green power lights across the top, and they were still pretty full.  He sighed.  "Well, here goes," he verbalised, turning so his left side was to the side of the room he wished to reach.  He jumped slightly and hit the left button on the directional pad of his Power Pad. . . that is, the button that pointed to his left.  He zipped over to the ladder and landed on top.  "Yes!"  He climbed down the ladder quickly and descended into the hall.  He found himself a bit above the floor, where MegaMan and Kevin were waiting.  He could probably land all right, but he did not want to be in any more pain, so he hit the down button on his Power Pad.  He zipped down to the floor and fell the last two centimetres to the floor.  He landed easily.

            "Cheater," Kevin joked.

            "Hey, my rear end still hurts!" snapped Michael, smiling.  "I don't want to hurt any more."

            MegaMan activated his communicator.  "Michael's here, Steelheart."

            Steelheart's voice sounded inside his helmet, too quiet for anyone else but him to hear.  "All right, MegaMan.  I'm coming down with Wilykit now," she said.  "Steelheart out."

            "She's coming," MegaMan said, deactivating the communicator.  "How was your trip, Michael?"

            "Oh, it was far better than the fall earlier," Michael said wryly.  "Those Watchers didn't know what hit 'em."

            "Well, if what I think is up ahead is up ahead," said Kevin, "we could be in big trouble."

            "Why?" MegaMan asked.

            "Remember those turrets you could only destroy with CrashBombs?"

            "Oh, mega-great!"

            "Just a sec," said Michael.  He smiled sneakily.  "You may have only seven CrashBombs, but you also have fourteen DrillBombs.  You can use those to blow away the walls, then use the CrashBombs to blow away the turrets."

            Kevin smiled.  "Good idea, bro!"  He looked up.  "It shouldn't take Steelheart too long to get herself and Wilykit down here."

            Michael said, "That's if Wilykit doesn't beg to jump her way down here under her own power."  Kevin looked at him.  "That girl's determined, Kevin.  She's also proud.  I don't think she'll just let Steelheart carry her down here."

            Kevin sighed.  "Those Thunder Kittens always court danger," he noted.  "How's Wilykit to jump across that final pit?"

            "She'll find a way.  Who knows?  Maybe Steelheart'll get in trouble, and Wilykit will save her!"

            Kevin just smiled.

            Michael's expression grew concerned.  "Kev, I'd like to talk to you about something," he said quietly.  "I think it should be. . . confidential, if you get me."

            Kevin nodded.  "Okay."  He turned to MegaMan.  "Michael and I need to talk.  Do you think you could take out the rest of the Robot Riders in the meantime?"

            "Sure, Kevin," MegaMan said.  He went on to take out the robots.

            "Kevin," asked Michael, "are you. . . are you jealous of me?"

            Kevin looked surprised, not to mention a little hurt.  "Why?" he asked.

            "Well, Steelheart seemed to think you were.  I'm concerned about anything that might get in the way of our relationship, Kevin.  Are you jealous of me in any way?"

            "Michael, it's nothing."

            "It is not nothing to me, Kevin.  I care about you very much.  If something that I do bothers you in any way, just spit it out so we can deal with it."

            Kevin fought to keep himself calm.  "Michael, don't get upset.  I'll tell you.  Yes, I am just a bit jealous.  Lana and I've never kissed like that, man, and. . . I'm really sorry.  I shouldn't feel jealous."

            "That's okay, bro.  That isn't too difficult to remedy, I'd imagine.  Just. . . get in the right mood with her."

            Kevin smiled.  "I intend to, Michael.  To tell the truth, she probably would feel jealous if she'd seen you and Wilykit kissing like that."

            "So. . . do you still feel jealous?"

            "Hey, don't worry about me.  I can handle it.  Due to her telepathy, Steelheart can probably sense emotions from people very readily.  I haven't thought about this, but. . . are you jealous of me in any way?"

            "Who, me?" Michael asked innocently.

            "Ha, you're trying to fool me!"

            "Well. . . -sigh.-  I do, actually, but I can't really define the cause."  He shook his head slightly.  "It's really in the back of my mind."

            "I see."

            "Steelheart told me jealousy is natural among siblings."

            "Well, she should know.  She has several."

            "Yeah.  She sure seems to know a bit about human nature."

            "It probably helps, in her line of work."

            "Yes."

            MegaMan returned, excited.  "Look what one of the Walkers dropped!" he exclaimed.

            Kevin looked.  "An energy shield!" he cried, delighted.

            "Mega-yeah!  This thing will sure mega-help us!  Did I interrupt your conversation?"

            Kevin and Michael looked at each other, then shook their heads.  "We had finished," Kevin said committally.

            "All right."

            "Now," said Michael, "we wait for the ladies."

            * * *

            Wilykit landed on the ladder in the second room.  "Ooh!" she said.  Steelheart landed next to her.  "My sense of touch is almost exact.  I can approximate the force and speed of that fall.  I'm sure glad I'm wearing boots, and I'm also glad Wilykat didn't make this drop."

            Steelheart nodded.  She then descended first down to the third room, then detached from the ladder and kept an eye on the action from above.  Wilykit climbed down into the room.  She took the Sword and shot the three Watchers that she saw.  "Golly, those things must be on a separate production line," she said.  She saw the platform approach and waited until it was close before she dropped onto it.  She knew better than to give it an opportunity to trip her up.  She was alert, and she saw immediately that the platform would go through a barrier that she could not go through.  She jumped over the barrier and landed back on the platform, then shot two more Watchers.

            "Good," Steelheart said, now hovering just near the exit.  However, she did not see the Watcher behind her!

            "Steelheart!" cried Wilykit, but it was too late.  The Watcher collided into Steelheart, who lost control and began falling to the spikes.  Swiftly, Wilykit snatched her rope and tossed it very precisely around Steelheart's steel arm above the elbow.  She quickly pulled the rope taut, breaking Steelheart's fall a centimetre above the spikes.  As luck would have it, the platform began going up just at that time, so Wilykit had the time to quickly pull Steelheart up to her.

            "Oh, God!" Steelheart shouted, furious at herself.  "Why the hell wasn't I looking!?"

            "Hey, what are teammates for?" asked Wilykit, blasting the Watcher.  She blasted the other two that had come in.  By then, they were at the hole to the next room, and they dropped in, landing on their feet.

            "You saved me, Wilykit," Steelheart said.  "Thank you."

            "Any time, Steelheart," said Wilykit, putting her rope back on her belt.  "Besides, I am a Thunder Cat.  Heir to the position of lord, too."

            "You reacted very well.  When we get back, I'll be sure to tell Lion-O."

            "Thank you, Steelheart."

            Steelheart hovered down.  Wilykit stood at the ledge and saw the moving platform approaching.  She jumped down onto it as it was coming up, then jumped to the stationary platform.  Steelheart floated up to her.  "You know, I could get you across there," Steelheart said.  "And I'd rather you let me before you waste an energy shield."

            Wilykit examined her chances.  "We did make a deal, though," she said.  Suddenly, a thought hit her.  "Did you turn on your shield?"

            Steelheart looked and gasped in terror.  "No, I didn't!"  She regained her senses an instant later.

            Wilykit said, "Well, at least I turned on mine to protect us both.  Hm."  She turned back to trying to cross to the ladder.  She saw the track of the moving platform.  Suddenly, as the platform neared, she jumped down to it, then leapt victoriously up to the ladder.  She landed on the part of the floor that was even with it.  "Ha!  I made it, Steelheart!"

            Steelheart smiled as she landed next to the Thunder Kitten.  "Good jump," she said.

            "I just effectively reversed my momentum.  I channelled the energy from my landing into jumping up here."

            "Well, you managed this all without my help.  I must admit, first time I played this game, I must've wasted thirty MegaMen."

            Wilykit sighed.  "I believe it.  And Wily supposedly has worse stuff ahead."

            "Yeah.  Let's go before the guys start to worry."  She led the way down the ladder, and Wilykit followed.

            They landed in front of Kevin and Michael.  MegaMan was watching for more Robot Riders.  "Well," Kevin greeted congenially, "how was the trip?"

            "Hairy," Steelheart said.  "Wilykit wanted to go down herself, so I gave her one chance.  She passed, but I almost got myself killed.  Since I wasn't looking, a Watcher almost knocked me on the spikes.  This lady, though, tossed her rope and pulled me to safety."

            Kevin smiled wryly.  "Did you forget your shield?"

            "I forgot to turn it on, yes.  But Wilykit didn't."

            Wilykit looked at her energy shield controller.  "You just wasted two of my twenty-eight energy units, Steelheart," she said.

            MegaMan came over with a small energy pellet and handed it to Wilykit.  "Here," he said.

            Wilykit took the pellet, and the two units were refilled.  "Thank you, MegaMan.  Well, I'm glad now that we left my bro behind.  That landing in the second room might have caused the fracture to come back."

            "Precisely why Quicksilver doesn't want him jumping around," Michael said.  "How'd you deal with the fourth room?"

            "Well, jumping straight from the stationary platform was out of the question, so I leapt down onto the moving platform when its path went below me and jumped from there to the ladder, using the energy of my fall to the platform."

            "Risky," Kevin noted.

            "Hey, I had an energy shield."

            MegaMan held up the energy shield he had recently obtained.  "I got this from one of the Robot Riders.  Whom should I give it to?"

            Steelheart said, "Wilykit."

            Kevin and Michael nodded.  "Yeah, she needs it more than we do," Kevin said.  "She passed one obstacle, but she doesn't know what else can happen."

            MegaMan passed the shield to Wilykit, who put it in one of the many secure pockets on her belt.  "Thank you," she said.  "What's next?"

            MegaMan said, "The boss chamber.  I'm going to single-handedly handle the turrets there.  I have an energy tank, and I've the weapons to handle the turrets."

            Steelheart said, "Only seven CrashBombs, though."

            "And fourteen DrillBombs," MegaMan said, grinning.  "And fourteen HardKnuckles.  Michael reminded me.  CrashBombs might be all that dent the turrets, but all three of those knock out the barriers."

            "Oh, yes.  Unfair.  You don't get to do that in the games."

            Michael shook his head.  "I know."

            The five advanced to the gate.  "I'm going solo," MegaMan said.  "I'll contact you one way or another, whether I destroy the turrets or the turrets destroy my shield."  He double-checked his energy shield control, then entered the gate.

            The layout was that of the room with five turrets in Wily's second fortress.  He assumed the turrets were still there.  Just on time, five balls of energy shot out at him and drained his shield.  He swiftly took out the six barriers with DrillBombs.  He tried one of that type of bombs on one turret, but the explosion did not affect it.  Shaking his head, he switched to the CrashBomb.  Though the turrets managed much damage, MegaMan destroyed them all before his shield ran out of energy.  He activated his communicator.  "MegaMan to Steelheart."

            "Steelheart here," the commander responded.  "What's up?"

            "The turrets are gone."

            "Very well."  The gate opened, and the others came in.  Steelheart asked, "How'd it go?"

            MegaMan sat beside a platform and leaned his back against it.  "The turrets almost wiped out my shield, but the CrashBomber wiped 'em out instead.  Great advice, Michael, except DrillBombs didn't scratch the turrets."

            "That's okay," Michael said.  "I was just thinking it would be nice to conserve the CrashBomber's power."

            "Well, it worked.  Let's advance, shall we?"  He went to a gate and opened it.  The group went forward into a long, dark hallway.  They all prepared their weapons in case of an ambush.

            Michael suggested, "Maybe you should send out a BubbleLead or a SearchSnake to make sure there aren't any holes, MegaMan."

            "Right."  MegaMan switched to the BubbleLead and sent a bubble down the hallway.  The group followed it, though not too closely, until it dropped into the now-visible chasm.

            A large hole was there, and the floor, far below, was lined with deadly spikes.

            "Yow!" MegaMan cried.  The mere appearance of all those spikes seemed painful.  They looked all around.  There appeared no way through the room, except flying, and the exit was not visible, either.

            Suddenly, blocks started appearing.  "Oh, great!" Michael exclaimed.  "It's a block-hop!"

            "I'll see if there's a pattern," said MegaMan, watching closely.  "Steelheart, could you fly and see where the exit is?"

            Nodding, Steelheart activated her visor.  "Sure," she said.  She took off and flew around the large room.  When she was out of range of the others' shields, she activated her own.  "I see it," Steelheart called.  "The exit is above you.  I. . . wait a minute!  There's another exit going down!"

            "Great!" MegaMan snapped.

            "Looks like we'll have to split up," Kevin said.  "MegaMan and Steelheart, you go up.  The rest of us will try to go down."

            Steelheart returned.  "I'll make it easier on you guys," she said.  "I'll take Kevin, Michael, and Wilykit down to the lower. . . wait.  If MegaMan and I go together, then we won't be able to contact you others."

            "Oh, you're right," said Kevin.  "Then, I'll go with Steelheart up there.  MegaMan, go with Michael and Wilykit."  He smiled slyly and winked at his brother.  "Make sure they don't get carried away with each other!"

            Michael and Wilykit gave him serious looks.  "Don't worry about that, brother," Michael said very seriously and yet very gently.  He knew his brother's concerns were valid, but he knew he could control himself.  He also knew Wilykit could control herself.

            Kevin nodded.  "Okay.  Due to this change, I think Steelheart and I should go up, and the others should go down."

            "I'll go first to secure the hallway," MegaMan said.

            "All right," Steelheart said.  She carried MegaMan down and put him in the lower hallway.  She then took Wilykit down.

            While Steelheart was taking Wilykit, Michael said, "Take care of yourself, Kevin."

            Kevin nodded.  "You too, Michael."  They hugged each other and kissed each other on the cheek.  "See you later, brother."

            "See you later, Kevin."  They released each other just before Steelheart got back.  He walked over to her and let her take him down.  "Thank you, Steelheart," he said when she put him down.

            "No problem," Steelheart said.

            Upstairs, Kevin waited for her.  He suddenly heard footsteps behind him.  He drew his Zapper and whirled.  "BreakMan!" he exclaimed.

            "Hey, Kevin," BreakMan greeted, coming over.  "Where's my robotic twin?"

            Kevin called down, "Hey, guys!  Wait up!  BreakMan's here."

            Steelheart jetted up to them.  "Hello, BreakMan," she said.  "There are two passages forward, one above and one below.  MegaMan, Michael, and Wilykit are taking the lower passage, while Kevin and I are taking the upper.  Would you like to join Kevin and me?"

            "Sure," BreakMan said.  "Dr. Light's given me three energy shields."

            "All right.  I'll go tell MegaMan and the others, then I'll take you and Kevin up."

            * * *

            In Wily's lab, the two evil scientists were working on their project when an alarm went off.  Ludwig demanded, "What is that?"

            Wily went to his surveillance computer.  "Oh, no!" he cried.  "They've defeated the Roboturrets!  How?"  He checked for energy residues.  "Oh, drat!  MegaMan has the CrashBomber and the DrillBomber!  That means he could destroy all the barriers and all the turrets on the same attempt!"

            "If so," Ludwig said, "then he might have every single weapon he obtained from your androids."

            "Just wonderful!" shouted Dr. Wily angrily.

            Nearby, Ned and Cheryl Keene smiled.  "If you give up, I'm sure our sons will be lenient with you," Ned told them.  "More so than you deserve."

            "Are you kidding?" Wily demanded.  "It'll be a neat trick if they manage to survive the spike pit!"

            Ludwig said, "Wily, Steelheart is with them.  She can hover in the air for a year and not lose mechanical energy."

            "Oh, great!  W-. . . wait a second.  Her suit. . . it's a magnetically attractive alloy, isn't it?"

            "Why, so it is."  He knew a wicked, nasty idea was forming in the human scientist's mind, and he loved that fact.  He tried to avoid figuring out the problem himself, although it was very difficult to force himself not to think.

            "Magnetic attraction will take care of MegaMan and Steelheart," Wily said evilly.  "Then, we can take care of the Keene brothers and Wilykit."

            Ludwig looked to the screen.  "Wily, look!  ProtoMan's passing through."

            Wily turned to the screen.  He always called BreakMan by his original name, ProtoMan.  The robot was Dr. Light's first successful android, and MegaMan and Roll and the other six had been constructed from the same basic design, though with alterations.  Somehow, ProtoMan had disappeared before Wily got his hands on Dr. Light's other robots, CutMan, GutsMan, ElecMan, BombMan, FireMan, and IceMan and reprogrammed them, but the red android reappeared when Wily pretended to join Dr. Light again.  Wily had taken control of ProtoMan, but them Michael Keene had proved instrumental in capturing the android so that Dr. Light could restore the android's original programming.

            BreakMan passed through the gate, obviously in the direction of the others.  Wily said, "Light must have sent him here to help the others.  That meddler is almost as bad as MegaMan."  He thought, then pulled up a detailed map of his castle on the computer screen.  It was a large, convoluted maze, which MotherBrain had helped him design.  A blip revealed that the good guys were still a very long way away from the lab.  MegaMan had decided to use the basement.  For once, that was an error.  Wily smiled wickedly as he thought about this.  He had unwittingly tricked the Blue Bomber into taking the longest and most dangerous route.  The spike pit branched into two passages, but they merged into the same passage eventually.  But that did not mean that everyone had to meet at that point!

            He had installed large electromagnets into both passages.  He could turn them on whenever he wanted.  He grinned wickedly.  "The spike pit has two exits," he explained.  "The two paths eventually merge back to one."  He pointed at one point on one path and then at one point on the other.  "I installed hidden electromagnets in each path at these points.  When the lights turn red at those points, the good guys will be in range of the powerful magnets.  We can at least nab Steelheart and the robotic brothers.  We might even grab Kevin and Michael's Zappers and leave them defenceless."

            "Good idea," Ludwig said.

            "In fact, I really ought to put them on automatic."  He typed some commands into his communicator.  "There," he said cheerfully.  "They'll activate when our foes enter range.  The metal heroes will soon be metal zeroes!"  He and Ludwig laughed wickedly.

            Ned and Cheryl shook their heads.  "You must be mad," said Cheryl.

            The adjective 'mad' always struck the wrong nerve with the evil Ludwig.  "Do not refer to me by that adjective again ever!" he commanded irately.  "Otherwise, I shall send both of your boys to oblivion without warning, and neither of you will be very far behind!"

            "I was referring to your insane amigo.  Dr. Wily is a classic mad scientist."

            Wily smiled as though it were a compliment.  "Thank you, ma'am," he said, bowing.  "Ludwig, would you keep an eye on my monitors while I get my android cloner?"

            "Certainly," Ludwig agreed.  Wily left.  "My colleague wasn't always evil, you know.  He was once Dr. Light's assistant, until a terrible accident warped his mind and made him the most brilliant villain born in MegaLand since MotherBrain.  MotherBrain was also born in this land, but her condition is due to a medical accident.  An arranged accident.  She was born as an actual human, believe it or not.

            "Anyway, while the doctor's out, I might as well reveal something that I know.  I know, for example, that there will soon be not only four Keenes."

            "Why?" asked Ned wryly.  "Has Kevin married Lana yet?"

            "No, Mr. Keene.  This offspring of whom I speak will be of neither of your sons."  He smiled nastily at Cheryl.  "How long have you been carrying that little female?  Two months?  I don't know, because MotherBrain neglected to mention it.  She just told me you two had conceived another child."

            "How in the world did MotherBrain know?" Cheryl demanded.

            "Ha, ha!  She has this wonderful habit of keeping tabs on her enemies and on the families of her enemies.  What will you name this kid?"

            "None of your darned business," Ned said as calmly as he could.

            "You apparently seem to be under the mistaken impression that I would not harm a defenceless being.  You are wrong.  I cannot allow a new threat to the Brain-Team's conquest.  I must admit that Michael and Kevin are very difficult to deal with as it is.  Your coming daughter could become just as proficient at video games as they, and that would not be very good for us."

            "You leave her out of this," snapped Cheryl.  "She's innocent."

            "Your logic is flawed, ma'am.  Michael was also innocent until he butted in.  He rapidly proved to be as dangerous as his brother.  I can't understand why in the world you let him stay here."

            "We knew he'd be more satisfied here," Ned said.  "Kevin said the education system was more advanced here, and I trust him.  Michael and Kevin never were very satisfied in school back home, though they made excellent grades."

            "That's part of the problem to me," Ludwig said.  "Despite my own extremely high academic achievements, those boys are constant pests. . . and Kevin is even younger than I am!  A half a year younger!  Your genetic desire for knowledge will pass to their sister and increase my problems tremendously, and so will the genetic tendency to be physically strong and skilled, which Michael inherited more thoroughly than Kevin.  I'd rather be rid of any opposition immediately."

            "You can't!" cried Cheryl.

            "I can!" Ludwig retorted.  "I am evil!  I have no qualms about strategically ending lives.  I wouldn't do it without a logical purpose, however."

            Ned said, "If it'll prevent you from hurting her, we won't let her. . ."  His voice trailed off.

            "You won't let her play video games?  How can you prevent it if her friends expose her to the arcades?  And you've always been rather lenient with those boys of yours, though from your point of view, I certainly understand why.  They've turned out to be real goody-two-shoes pests, though, and I'm sure your daughter will turn out the same way."

            "But how is she supposed to cause you harm if she stays on Earth?"

            "Simple.  I prophesy that in about fifteen years, the N-Team will discover yet another video game expert on Earth.  They'll bring her here and ask for her help.  Of course, she may be sceptical.  Kevin certainly was when he first got here.  However, she will eventually help out.  If she enjoys games half as much as Kevin and Michael, she'll definitely be hooked, as they were.  That will be terrible news for us bad guys."  Suddenly he smiled wickedly.  "And suppose that Kevin has a young fifteen-year-old boy then, the heir apparent to the throne of VideoLand.  And suppose, if you will, that this boy and your daughter are attracted to each other even half as much as you two are to each other.  That would surely present an awkward situation, now, wouldn't it?"

            "There won't be that situation," Cheryl snapped.  "We'd tell Kevin and Michael about her."

            "How would you if there were no contact?"

            "They promised to visit us," said Ned.  "They are not the type to break their words."

            "That wouldn't prevent a fifteen-year-old aunt from being attracted to her fifteen-year-old nephew, though."

            "What gives you the idea that Kevin wouldn't have a daughter instead?" Cheryl asked.

            "Just a hunch."

            Dr. Wily returned.  GutsMan and HardMan, who were bringing in a cloning device, followed him.  He said to the device, "All right.  Give me one CutMan android."  CutMan appeared in the device.  Wily opened the door, and CutMan stepped out.  "Excellent.  Now, reproduce the following androids:  ElecMan, IceMan, FireMan, BombMan, AirMan, CrashMan, MetalMan, BubbleMan, HeatMan, WoodMan, FlashMan, QuickMan, MagnetMan, TopMan, ShadowMan, SparkMan, SnakeMan, GeminiMan, NeedleMan, ToadMan, BrightMan, PharaohMan, RingMan, DustMan, SkullMan, DiveMan, and DrillMan in that order."  The twenty-seven androids were reproduced faithfully by the device in that order.

            The two Keenes widened their eyes as they saw the number of androids that were being produced.  "Doesn't that thing run out of energy?" Ned asked.

            "Not very often," Wily said.  "It is directly drawing power from the sun, since it's so clear and bright out today."

            Ludwig said, "Wily, is there any way we can watch Wilykit and Michael?  I. . . feel something with my telepathy between them, but I can't seem to determine it."

            "Might my castle be hindering your efforts?"

            "Maybe."

            "What do you mean you feel something?" Cheryl asked.

            "I said that I can't determine it, Mrs. Keene.  There must be something there, or I would not feel it.  Telepathy is not capable of direct deception like sight is.  You cannot telepathically feel what is not there unless a sender is causing the sensation directly."

            "How long has he known her?"

            "Oh, for some time now. . . since last December, I believe."

            "I'll try to find them," Wily said.  He returned to his computer.

            * * *

            MegaMan, Michael, and Wilykit were travelling their passage.  So far, they had met minimal resistance. . . just a few insignificant robots such as Bladers and Hard Hats and some Silver Watchers.  They were quiet as they advanced.  This was not the worst Wily could dish out, not by a long shot.  Where was their opposition?

            They soon entered a large room.  "There's nothing in here," Wilykit said.

            "Not everything is as it seems, Wilykit," said Michael.  "It'd be just like a nasty villain to put a really rotten trap in such a large, open space."

            Suddenly, a panel slid away from the ceiling, and a large silver disc slowly came down.  "Oh, no!" shouted MegaMan, running.  "It's an electromagnet!"  But it was too late.  Just before the group reached the exit, MegaMan flew up off the ground and attached to the magnet.

            "Hey!" called Michael.  "You have a magnetic personality!  Ha, ha!  Should I fire?"

            "No!" MegaMan called.  "It may electrocute me."

            Suddenly, the Sword of Omens flew out of Wilykit's belt and up to the magnet.  "No!" she shouted.  She held out her right hand.  "Sword of Omens, come to my hand!  Fight the magnet!"  The Sword came to life and suddenly, it dropped so that its handle would land in Wilykit's hand.

            Michael was finding it difficult to hold onto the Zapper.  Obviously, it had metal components.  However, he managed to keep it from going up to the magnet.  Luckily, the attraction wasn't strong enough to counteract his weight.  "We have to save MegaMan!" he said.

            Dr. Wily's voice boomed through the room.  "Don't count on it, 'Private N'!"  His insane laughter rang through the room as the electromagnet backed out of the room and the ceiling slid back.  The large disc was heard sliding through the walls.

            "Great," Wilykit said.  "Some rescuers we are.  Now, Wily has kidnapped MegaMan.  Hey!  What if he gets Steelheart and BreakMan, too?"

            "Then, we'll save them like we'll save MegaMan," said Michael heroically.  "Come on, Wilykit.  I have a feeling it's a long treacherous road to Wily's lab."  He led through the door.  They were immediately attacked by Magnetic Flies, but since neither of them was as magnetically attractive as MegaMan, they were not swept off their feet.  Michael almost lost his Zapper a couple of times, though.  They got enough energy capsules to fill up Michael's Power Pad, too.  With agility, they crossed the pits and destroyed the Magnetic Flies.

            "So," Wilykit asked her companion, "what can Wily dish out?"

            "A lot," said Michael.  "You might not believe some of the crazy robots he's designed.  One thing in MegaMan IV really threw me for a loop."

            "What's your favourite game in the series?"

            "I'd have to say, probably, the second.  I don't know; it's just very interesting to play.  It's also the easiest, in my opinion, but it never seems to get old."  He sighed.  "Well, how the heck are we going to call Kevin, Steelheart, and BreakMan now?"

            Wilykit's eyes widened.  "Hey!  I remember. . . I have a communicator!"  She opened a pocket in her belt and pulled out the device.  "I don't know if it'll reach the others, but it might."  She activated it.  "Wilykit to Steelheart.  Wilykit to Steelheart.  Do you read me, Commander?"

            * * *

            Upstairs, Kevin, Steelheart, and BreakMan were easily fighting their way through.  Their weapons made a powerful combination, though only minimal efforts were required to wipe out the robots they encountered.  They were mostly weak sentries.  Since the enemies did not manage any damage to their energy shield (they were sharing Steelheart's), Kevin used all the energy capsules to keep his Power Pad energy up.  "What a picnic," BreakMan laughed.

            "Don't count your robots until they're deactivated, BreakMan," warned Kevin.  "It'd be just our luck to run into big trouble just after a bunch of harmless robots.  The purpose of insignificant robots, of course, is to diminish the enemy's energy."  He shot another insignificant robot.

            "A logical analysis," Steelheart noted.

            "Thank you.  All video games have some logic to them. . . all games worth playing, anyway."

            "Are there actually games you don't like?"

            "Of course.  I love the MegaMan games and the Mario games, you should know."

            "And the Metroid games."

            "Yeah, and the Zelda games and the Final Fantasy games.  I also like the CastleVania games and Kid Icarus."  He shot down another enemy.

            Just as they were about to pass through a door, Steelheart's communicator came to life.  "Wilykit to Steelheart.  Wilykit to Steelheart.  Do you read me, Commander?"

            Steelheart, out of habit again, activated her visor.  "Yes, Wilykit, I read you," said the Silver Hawk.  "What's up?"

            "Wily just made off with MegaMan!"

            "What!?"

            "I meant what I said.  We entered a large room, and the mad doctor used a powerful electromagnet to remove the Blue Bomber."

            "Just wonderful."

            "If he tried it with us, he may try it with you," Wilykit went on.  "Beware of a large, empty room."

            "Large, empty rooms are usually dangerous, indeed.  How'd you contact me?"

            "I have a communicator that I'd forgotten about.  Fortunately, it was secure in my belt, but I bet Wily has MegaMan by now."

            "Okay.  Be careful, Wilykit."

            "You, too.  Wilykit out."

            Steelheart deactivated her visor.  "Wonderful news," Kevin said with blatant sarcasm.

            "That Wily has my brother," ProtoMan spoke up.

            Steelheart looked through the door into the next room.  "Bad news," she announced.  "We'll probably be entering another room with an electromagnet.  Kevin, do you have a communicator?"

            Kevin thought.  "Yeah, I do!" he exclaimed, surprised.  "I forgot about it.  It's in my inner coat pocket."  He zipped up his coat.  It would keep his communicator safely in his coat.

            "Good," said Steelheart approvingly.  "If I am abducted, you are leader of the team."  Kevin nodded.  "Well, anyone got any suggestions?"

            "Well, you could carry BreakMan and try to fly at top speed across the room.  Since I'm not a magnetic metal,. . ."

            "Kevin, your Zapper," BreakMan interrupted.  "Will it be attracted?"

            "Possibly."  He unzipped his jacket, put the Zapper in, and zipped the jacket back up.

            "Since you aren't a magnetic metal," Steelheart said to Kevin, "you won't be attracted to that magnet.  You're probably heavy enough to counteract any effects it may have on your Zapper and communicator."  She turned to BreakMan.  "Ready for a try?"

            "Yeah," BreakMan agreed.  Steelheart took him by the sides and flew through the room as fast as she could, and Kevin ran behind her.  Suddenly, the ceiling quickly zipped open, and the large electromagnet was activated.  Steelheart and BreakMan had just gone through the door, but the magnetism drew them back in and stuck them to the magnet.

            "Hey!" Steelheart snapped.  She was unable to move her arms or legs, testimony to the strength of the magnet.

            Kevin's weight kept him safe from the magnet.  The Zapper and communicator were trying to leave him, but his well-made jacket prevented that.  "What do I do?" he called.

            Just then, Dr. Wily's classic mad-scientist laugh sounded in the room.  The enormous electromagnet retracted above the walls, and the ceiling slid into place.  Kevin hit his left palm with his right fist.  "Darn that Wily!" he exclaimed.  He ran to the door.  Since the electromagnet was gone now, he needed not to worry that his Zapper and communicator might be attracted, but he held the two objects strongly just in case after he had removed them.  He activated his communicator.  "Kevin to Wilykit.  Can you read me?"

            * * *

            Wilykit and Michael heard the call and feared that they knew what had happened.  Wilykit activated her communicator.  "Loud and clear, Kevin," she said.  "What's up?"

            "A large electromagnet that just sucked up Steelheart and BreakMan.  They were almost through the door, too.  That thing's strong, since Steelheart couldn't even move."

            "Just wonderful.  There may be some Magnetic Flies ahead of you.  There were when Michael and I exited the room.  Secure your communicator, or you may lose it."

            "Right.  You guys proceed carefully.  Kevin out."

            Wilykit put her communicator back in its pocket.  "This is great," Michael said sarcastically.  "Now, Wily has everyone with the Robot Master weapons.  At least you and I can share energy shields.  My brother only has three, which means we have a better chance than he does."

            "But he's been in these castles before," Wilykit reminded him.  "He's played MegaMan in person."

            "I'm still concerned.  That comes naturally to me, for I love him very much.  I sure hope our paths merge."

            "Is that likely?"

            "Yes, in Wily's castles, at least in the games.  There are sometimes two ways to go, but they eventually lead back to the same path."  He began to get a very worried expression.

            "Hey, it's okay," Wilykit said.  "I know you're concerned, but it won't help if you let it interfere.  I'm glad you're concerned, but you shouldn't let it take control."

            Michael closed his eyes and sighed.  "You're right," he said softly.  "Getting upset only hinders me."  He smiled.  "Come on!  We still have to stop Dr. Wily."  They continued carefully but steadily.

            * * *

            Kevin blasted all the Magnetic Flies before they could take anything from him.  They were not very difficult.  He was very careful.  When he was alone, he had to protect himself at all costs just because there was no one else for him to protect.  He was usually very good at that, but he always felt more comfortable when someone else was with him.  He always liked to have someone to talk with.  He was concerned about Michael and Wilykit, but he knew they stood a good chance.  They were both intelligent and cunning, and they could share their energy shields.

            Suddenly, Kevin felt a sensation.  It was very familiar, since he had felt it every day of his life.  "Oh, no, I have to go to the restroom!" he moaned quietly.  In the Palace, there were devices installed that would automatically teleport the substance out of someone's body when one had to go, but Wily had not installed that luxury into his castle.  There were also small discs that one could carry to take care of the problem automatically, but he had forgotten his.

            Oh, well.  Kevin had grown up without that luxury, and he could deal with his problem very well.

            He encountered little opposition as he emerged into a hallway.  He saw a passage coming up from below, and he saw a passage continuing into the castle.  As he looked into the passage ahead, he heard a noise approach from below.  Defensively, he pulled out his Zapper and aimed it at the ledge, where the approachers would have to land.  He approached the ledge, and the approachers slowed and stopped just below.  As he carefully neared the ledge, a blue Zapper shot went past him, obviously a warning shot.

            Kevin readily recognised it.  "Michael!" he exclaimed.  Michael and Wilykit leapt up onto the ledge.

            "Did I hit you?" Michael asked.

            "Nope."

            "Good.  I intended to miss."

            The brothers hugged each other.  Wilykit smiled.  "I think you two were very worried about each other," she informed them.

            "I think we were," said Kevin.  He and Michael released each other.  He whispered to his brother, "I need an auto-urine extractor disc."

            Michael smiled.  "I never leave without 'em."  He handed a small device to Kevin.  Kevin put the device into his pocket, for it was designed to work there.

            Kevin felt it work immediately, and he was very grateful and relieved.  "Thank you," he told his brother.

            Wilykit frowned as she examined the door.  "Hey, I think there's something here," she said.  She went over to the right side and pulled off something. . . a panel.  "Hey, there's some wiring here!"

            Michael had his tricorder with him, and he took it to examine the wiring.  "There's a circuit for a secret passage."

            "What sort of secret passage?"

            "Well, Wily sure isn't in the shape we youngsters are in, so he probably has secret passages to bypass the dangers of the castle.  It'd be cheating, but I think we can use his passages to our benefit.  After all, he's already hacked our group in half."

            Kevin nodded.  "I agree," he said.  "We should share our energy shields."

            "Turn off yours, then," Michael said, reprogramming his.  "Mine's already programmed for Wilykit and me, and it's more efficient to program mine to include you."

            In agreement, Kevin turned off his energy shield.  "Hey, I forgot," he said.  "You have a fourth shield, don't you, Wilykit?"

            "Yes," Wilykit said.

            "Keep it.  If Michael and I are taken, you'll need it."

            "All right."

            "Michael, open up the passage."

            "Sure," Michael said.  He used his tricorder to determine which cable was the right one.  Then, he grasped it and pulled it gently.  In the wall, a door opened up.  "Open sesame!"  The three entered the safe passage.