Family of Steel - Man on Fire

[Proto Man]

Heat Man let out a grunt as his head lolled to the side. The stout android’s arms fell limp at his sides as electricity danced across the fatal wound in his chest and black liquid pooled under his form. While his central processor screamed at him to escape, something else in Proto Man screamed different orders at him.

Orders to stand up and retaliate.

Without skipping a beat, Proto Man spun around and rushed the adult cyborg. His feet left the ground and his fist connected square on the side of the man’s chin, causing him to yelp and tumble to the ground. The red robot landed a few feet away, spun sharply, and fired a few rapid bursts at his downed foe.

By this point, Cell Delta had overcome his initial surprise at being assaulted by the preteen machine. The older warrior rolled sideways to avoid the first few pellets of energy. With a grunt, he kipped up and hurtled a bolt of energy back at Proto Man, who had to fall back in lieu of superior firepower. Rather than press his attack, Cell Delta stood up and smiled at the fuming youth.

“That’s the spirit,” the Soviet cyborg replied as he extended an arm. He then squeezed his fingers into a tight fist, and with a sparkle of light, a thin cylinder of energy shot out from his hand. “Let’s see what you’ve learned in the Omniverse, little robot.”

Falling back into a more defensible position, Proto Man raised his buster arm and activated the Proto Sword. He heard a faint chuckle from Cell Delta before his foe dashed forward and swung his own weapon at his small head. The preteen android snarled and threw up his sword to intercept the oncoming blow. Upon impact, the two silently struggled to overpower the other, and despite the smug look on his face, Cell Delta found himself unable to force the youth down to his knees. Aiming to take advantage of his foe’s intentions, Proto Man lifted his other arm, which had converted into a Proto Buster as it swung to bear on its target.

“Shotgun!”