"Unh, hi?" A young male voice said hesitantly. Aria looked up, blinking back her tears, and saw a young man in a blue combat suit. His helmet was off, and she could see his curly black hair.

"Mega Man?" She asked, not really very surprised. Where else could she be but Dr. Light's lab? He nodded, giving her a shy smile. Rush chose that moment to bounce in.

"Mega! Mega! Aroo!" He jumped up on Mega Man, licking and barking. Then he noticed Aria. "Urhip!" And he leaped onto her, licking her face and barking very loudly.

"Argh! Ugh…! Get off me! Ugh!" Aria tried to shield her face and push the robo dog off at the same time. She wasn't very successful until Mega Man joined in and pulled Rush down beside him, where he sat panting.

"Sorry about that!" He apologized quickly, smiling at her. "Rush gets a bit excited." Aria grimaced, wiping slobber off her face.

"That's one way of putting it." She muttered. She didn't like overenthusiastic pets. Cats were nice… and they had had a rabbit until it had chewed up a wire and had a fatal shock. But Mega Man was looking at her anxiously, so she sighed and reassured him. "He's a nice dog." It didn't sound very convincing, but it seemed to make Mega Man feel better. Then Dr. Light walked in, a young blond girl with a ponytail at his heels. Aria could only assume that she was Roll.

"Well! Are you feeling better?" Dr. Light asked, his eyes twinkling. Aria nodded, running a hand through her hair. Dr. Light turned away from her for a second to look at some of the screens that had been monitoring her vital signs. Roll stepped up to her, and Aria blinked.

"Hi, I'm Roll." Aria blinked again at the businesslike tone. Looking into Roll's serious face, she felt her faint hopes for a close friend sliding away… Roll didn't seem like the sort of person she would be able to gossip too, or play jokes on and laugh with. Aria was certain she could live with her, but anything else… I don't know her yet. She reminded herself. Still, it didn't look promising.

"Hi!" She replied cheerfully. Roll nodded briskly, and started sweeping up the floor. Aria winced. Definitely not promising. When it came to house cleaning, Aria lived by her mother's loose standards. Cobwebs hadn't been the issue. Keeping the spider colony confined to the spare room had been. In Aria's mind, too much cleaning was as objectionable as no cleaning at all.

"Oh my." Dr. Light's soft exclamation drew Aria's attention towards him. He was looking at one of the monitors, a shocked expression on his face.

"What is it?" Mega Man asked, looking over his shoulder. "Whoa! Look at those readings." Aria winced. She knew exactly what they were talking about. Her mother had kept no secrets from them…

"Aria, you're energy levels are incredible…and your whole system appears to be part of a complicated energy net, focused in these points…" Dr. Light pointed to a schematic. Bright lights were centered in seven places. Her left forearm, her right foot, her abdomen, her chest, her right shoulder, her forehead and the largest, brightest concentration in her throat. "And this energy seems to have mutated your system in ways I've never seen. Aria, can you explain this?" She gulped as everyone looked at her. But now didn't seem like the time to keep secrets.

"Mother… built me using some strange crystals. They were very powerful. My brothers and I had special magical powers when we sang together…" Dr. Light looked slightly skeptical at the word "magic," but nodded.

"And that's why Wily wanted you?" Mega Man asked, taking her hand gently. She blinked at him in surprise, and then nodded.

"Yes. Bass saw us when we… accidentally created a monster plant and then destroyed it." She said, head bowed. She remembered what Wily had said when he destroyed the lab. Mega Man grimaced.

"That slimeball… don't worry Aria, I'll take it out of his hide." He promised her, bright blue eyes looking into hers. Aria opened her mouth for a moment, then shut it. How could she say that she didn't want him to take it out on Bass?

"It's all right." She replied lamely. "It's… he's okay…" Dr. Light blinked, and Mega Man and Roll exchanged incredulous glances. "Wily isn't." She said ferociously, her face suddenly cold. "I want to help you fight him!" She said to Mega Man, who looked alarmed.

"Hey Aria, don't worry, I'll take care of him." He reassured her. Anger boiled up inside her, making her eyes narrow.

"I will take care of him myself." She said quietly, furiously. Her green eyes sparked with rage as she looked at Mega Man, then Dr. Light. "Make me a warrior, please. I know how to fight!" The doctor looked startled, and shook his head slowly.

"Aria, fighting is a very risky business. Mega Man can handle Wily. Just leave it to him." Dr. Light laid a hand on her shoulder, which she shrugged off angrily. "Aria, you could be killed." He told her gravely. She bit her tongue to keep from saying something like, "no, really?"

"It doesn't matter!" She jumped up and started pacing. "I can do this if you'll help me! Please, Dr. Light, let me help!" She was begging unashamedly, and didn't care. Roll suddenly stepped in.

"Why don't you think about it for a while?" She said, flicking her ponytail. "You might feel differently tomorrow." Aria closed her eyes and let out a long breath.

"All… all right. Tomorrow." She curled up on the lab table, resting her head against the pillow. Her systems were begging for sleep, and she gave in to the pull. But one thing she was absolutely certain of… she wasn't going to change her mind.

"Oooo-kay." Bass muttered to himself as he surveyed the situation. The Robot Masters were in position and about to begin their attack. And Mega jerk will show up in an eyeblink. But the Robot Masters job was to keep him and the defenses busy. While I get the stuff. He flexed his hands, getting ready. Eyes narrowed, he looked up, slowly unhooking a small gun from his side. Taking careful aim, he fired, the climbing line clamping tightly to a pipe on the roof. Biting his lower lip, he started his ascent. And the Robot Masters started their attack. Explosions rang out, and Bass paused for a moment, regarding some screaming humans and burning wreckage with a satisfied, catlike smile. This was his purpose in life… suddenly, an image of the girl intruded into his mind, and he scowled, shaking his head. Why should he think about her? Growling, he quickly pulled himself to the roof. His eyes immediately travelled to the skylite, and he smiled.

A loud crashing sound echoed through the building as he smashed it, dropping into the room. Startled human scientists and various bots scattered at his entry, but he didn't have time for them. His gaze focused on the vault ahead of him. It was large, monolithic. Bass knew he couldn't open it with his cannon.. but he didn't need to. He unfolded a tiny computer, inserting a chip in the lock. Dr. Wily had prepared for this…

Lights flashed along the readout as Bass watched uncomprehendingly. He hadn't been built to understand this sort of thing. But the vault swung open, and he smiled grimly. Whatever else he could say about Wily, he was competent. Bass slowly scanned the room, seeing the promised infra red beams, laser systems and some other things he couldn't quite identify. This looked like it was going to be fun…

"Dr. Wily is attacking the Musashi Corporation!" Mega Man exclaimed, looking into the monitors. Aria had just entered the room, flanked by Roll. "I have to go… come on Rush!" The robo pooch leaped up beside him, barking. Aria gaped in dismay.

"Hey wait…!" She exclaimed. But they teleported away in two flashes of light. "Dammit…!" She snarled, eyes hardening. Dr. Light looked at her, surprised. Then she started running for the door, mentally plotting a course for Musashi…

"Aria, what are you doing?" Dr. Light said, alarmed. "Roll, stop her!" Aria snarled as Roll tried to grab her. She did her best, but despite being a lab bot, Aria was familiar with dirty fighting, and managed to swat Roll into a wall long enough to make good her escape.

"Aria!" The Doctor called after her, surprised and afraid. She didn't