Little Boy Blue

Chapter 2

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Mega Man had chosen an entry site that consisted of a drop-off of about two meters. So by the time he hit the hard sand bottom he was in over his head. That was no problem, however. Mega Man could breathe, but air wasn't essential to his survival as it is for a human.

Wearing armor meant that Mega Man sank like a rock. Swimming was almost impossible, so usually he simply walked along the bottom. Here the bottom leveled out a few feet then began to angle downward again in a series of large step-like ridges. Instead of landing on them all Mega Man took a bold leap off the first one and floated his way past the others. He picked up speed as he descended, and by the time he landed on the bottom tier he was falling almost as quickly as he would on land.

Mega Man's legs absorbed the impact of his landing, and in seconds he was moving forward only slightly slower than he would run on land. Down here everything looked bluer due to the way the water absorbed the sunlight, but Mega Man could see fine. He glanced up and estimated that he was about five or six meters down.

The ocean floor was relatively smooth, made up of sand and gravel. Rocks of various sizes and shapes were the only distinguishing feature. There were no plants and no fish.

Mega Man set out in the direction of the island; although he couldn't see it from here, he knew what general direction it was. For a few minutes he traveled without incident, easily dodging around the various rock formations. Thanks to the added buoyancy of the water he was able to jump three times higher than normal. It was something he especially enjoyed about being in the water.

Then the currents began to pick up, and Mega Man found that his footing was becoming more treacherous, to say the least. As the flow grew stronger it was threatening to blow him right off his feet. Mega Man fought to stay down, not willing to think about where he might end up if the tide took hold of him.

Eventually the currents became so powerful that they were actually visible. White, tornado-like swirls rushed through in both horizontal and vertical directions. It took all of Mega Man's concentration to keep from being swept away. He knew instantly that the whirls were a result of the odd energy source trying to keep him away from the island.

I must be getting close, he thought. I wonder what the weather is like on the surface...

Mega Man was half walking and half swimming toward the dark shape in the distance that could only be the island. The scattered boulders were a blessing to him since they gave him something to hold on to. Finally he came to an especially large stone formation that resembled a small hill. As he reached the top and peered over his eyes grew wide.

Ahead of him was a huge stone mountain that seemed to stretch for miles to the right and left. Its top rose right out of the water, and Mega Man found himself hemmed in on either side by branches off of the cliff. In front of him was the gaping jaw of a huge cave.

The island! Mega Man realized. He was looking at the base of the island! Quickly he launched himself upward, a mistake that would cost him later.

Another white swirl shot from the mouth of the cave, and before Mega Man could think he found himself trapped in its power. It was like a tornado's funnel, and it began to suck him into the cave. Mega Man wanted to get on top of the island, not underneath it. He wasn't sure what was in the cave but he knew he didn't want to find out. At first he tried to paddle against the pull but that was hopeless. So instead he lunged sideways, trying to break out of the force. For several seconds he was unsuccessful. Then, just as he reached the mouth of the cave, a large jagged boulder loomed into view. With a final thrust Mega Man propelled himself toward it; his outstretched hands managed to grab hold, and he used the support to pull himself out of the tornado.

Although he was out of the worst danger the whirl was still creating enough draw to pull him back into it. To get far enough away Mega Man kicked against the boulder and sent himself soaring through the water away from the water tornado.

The whirl dissipated then, and Mega Man's movement slowed. When he drifted back to the sea floor he found himself in the cave.

Mega Man groaned. Then he realized that maybe the cave led to the surface. And it certainly seemed better now than the whirlpool.

So he began wandering deeper into the gray depths, away from the main entrance and its protective tornadoes. As it grew darker he instinctively reached out to touch one of the walls, but stopped himself right before he made contact. Mega Man looked closer at what he had almost touched and shuddered.

The wall was covered by sharp spines that very much resembled the deadly spikes he encountered elsewhere. Both walls and parts of the ceiling turned out to be carpeted with them. And further on, parts of the uneven floor sported spikes as well.

"Great," Mega Man muttered. "I'm beginning to think that maybe this wasn't such a good way to go."

Of course he had encountered situations like this before, but the water added a further problem of maneuverability. Mega Man could jump high enough to reach the ceiling--which in this case he didn't want to do--and controlling the height and direction of his jumps was much more difficult in water. One mistake could mean death.

"And I don't have any shields on me," Mega Man noted. Was it worth risking his life?

Mega Man suddenly decided that he had never given up before, and he wasn't about to now. He had traversed countless areas like this; he could do it again.

Quickly Mega Man set out before he could change his mind.

Dr. Light was busy getting samples of the water and sand to take back with him to his laboratory. He wanted to see if this area's composition had been altered in any way by the odd energy source on the island. If so, the difference could lead to some answers.

The storm had started up again soon after Mega Man had entered the water, but now the weather was as calm and bright as before. Dr. Light assumed it meant that Mega Man had surpassed the protective forces, as opposed to his being destroyed by them. For that matter, the scientist refused to even think about that latter possibility.

Now that the wind had died down, Dr. Light had left the protection of his little shelter and ventured out onto the wet sand. He wasn't even sure how much time had elapsed since Mega Man had left. He was examining a rock when a muffled bleep sounded from his pocket, causing him to jump.

Then he remembered his communicator. Mega Man's voice came through before the scientist could even get the device out of his pocket.

"Dr. Light!" the voice said urgently. The scientist turned up the volume, wishing he had thought to bring a TeleCom instead. The one he held did not have a video screen; thus he could not see Mega Man. He could only hear him.

"Dr. Light!" Mega Man was saying again. "Can you read me?"

"Yes. Mega Man. What is--" Dr. Light started to reply, but the robot was already talking. Mega Man's next few words came out in a rush--so quickly that several seconds passed before Dr. Light could realize what was being said:

"It's Tron! She's got the crystal! Dr. Light, I can't--"

The voice cut off then and was followed by only silence.

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