The "CHANGES" Miniseries
PART 2
"THE WOUNDED"
Sunday, May 31, 1992, 8:00 AM
Kevin and Lana were walking up a hill towards the forest. It was early in the morning. The sun had just risen. Things were pretty slow around the Palace lately. The N Team didn't have any problems with Mike and Dr. Wily. In fact, they hadn't even heard much from them since Mike came to Videoland. Just the occasional taunts from Mike about how he was gonna kick their ass. The two friends were walking along together, with Lana on Kevin's left. They were holding hands. "It sure is a beautiful day, isn't it, Kevin?" Lana asked the Game Master. "Yeah." Kevin said, nodding. "You wanna sit down and rest for a while?" "Yeah, my feet are killin' me!" Lana said, smiling. They both laughed. Kevin and Lana sat down on the grass, facing the Palace of Power, with Lana still on Kevin's left. They looked at their home. From this distance, the Palace looked about their height. The morning sunlight reflected off of the golden structure. "It's so beautiful!" Lana marveled. "Yeah, it sure is!" Kevin agreed. Then he turned to Lana. "But not as beautiful as you." Lana smiled at him, and then they kissed.
At the Palace, Kid Icarus flew into the Communications room. Mega Man and Simon were sitting at the control panel, pushing buttons, pulling levers, flipping switches, and turning dials. "You wanted to see me, Mega Man?" the winged archer asked his friend. Mega Man turned around to face Kid Icarus. "There's some kind of signal coming in. We're trying to clear it up. We need your help." "Of course-icus." "And I think Captain N and the Princess should be here, too." Mega Man added. "I think they went to take a walk together." the archer replied. "What?!" Simon yelled, looking at them. "Eyes on the panel, Simon." Mega Man said, turning back to the control panel. Simon turned and went back to work. "Duke!" Kid Icarus said, noticing the canine that had just walked into the room. He flew over to him. "Duke, I need you to go find Kevinicus and Her Highnicus and bring them back here." "Arf! Arf!" Duke barked, nodding in agreement, and ran off. Kid Icarus flew back to help Mega Man and Simon clear up the viewscreen.
Kevin and Lana ceased their long kiss and lay down next to each other on the grass. They closed their eyes and were soon sound asleep. Kevin was woken from his nap three minutes later by a long, wet tongue licking his face. "Lana!" Kevin yelled, laughing. That woke her up. Lana turned to her right and smiled in amusement. "Aw, baby, that feels great!" Kevin said, enjoying the licks. Lana giggled. "Do you two wanna be alone?" That's when Kevin opened his eyes. "Duke!" Duke barked at Kevin. Lana laughed out loud, standing up. She folded her hands together. "Awww, isn't that romantic?!" "Ha, ha, very funny!" Kevin said sarcastically, standing up. He looked at Duke. "What's up, boy?!" Duke barked a few times and ran back towards the Palace. "Sounds like there's trouble, Kevin!" Lana said, walking up to him. Kevin sighed. "It's probably Mike calling to say he's gonna kick our ass. I believe we are overdue for a call." The two of them ran after Duke.
Back at the Palace, Kevin and Lana followed Duke into the Communications room. Both of them were panting heavily. "All right," Lana said, "what's the big emergency?" Mega Man turned to face them. "We started receiving this signal about a half-hour ago." Kevin and Lana looked up at the viewscreen. "Can you clear it up?" Lana asked. "We're trying to." Mega Man replied. "I think I've got it!" Simon said. Everyone looked at the viewscreen. The picture cleared up, and there stood a man with a long white beard. "Princess!" the man called. "Father?!" Lana cried. It was Lana's father, King Charles of Videoland, who had been banished to the Mirror World by Mother Brain shortly before Kevin arrived in Videoland. The King nodded. "Yes, Lana, it's me! I have found another warp zone capable of travel between the Mirror World and our world!" "You're coming home?!" Lana asked hopefully. King Charles nodded. "Yes, my little one! According to my calculations, the warp zone will open in exactly one hour! Wait for me in the courtyard!" The image of King Charles disappeared, and static filled the screen. Lana looked at Kevin. "Oh, Kevin," she cried, hugging him, "my father's coming home! He's really coming home!" Kevin had Lana make eye contact with him. "Now, Lana, be careful. Remember what happened another time your 'father' contacted you?" "Oh, Kevin, this is different!" Lana said, shaking her head. "I can feel it!"
In Megaland, Dr. Wily was in his lab deep inside Skull Castle, watching the N Team on a monitor. "Perfect!" Dr. Wily said, grinning happily. "That gives me an idea!" He pressed a button on the control panel. "Mike! Report to my lab at once!" He released the button. Then he remembered that Mike wasn't there. "Oh, I forgot," the evil scientist muttered to himself, "I gave him the day off. He's probably out somewhere, blasting his way through some video world." Dr. Wily thought for a moment. Then he got up from his chair and walked over to a work table. There was a remote control on the table, along with a metal pin. Dr. Wily picked them up and smiled. "No matter. I can handle this myself!" He laughed madly.
In the Palace's courtyard, a television crew had assembled at Lana's request. She wanted her father's return home to be shown all over Videoland. "Just think, Kevin," Lana said, grinning, "soon a warp zone will open, and my father will walk through!" Kevin smiled. "We've got about a minute left!" High above the Palace, unseen by everyone, Dr. Wily flew into position in his spaceship. "All right," Dr. Wily said to himself, smiling, "it's almost time!" Dr. Wily held up a robobee whose stinger he had removed. He placed the body-control pin in its place. The evil scientist opened the lid of his ship and sent the bee down into the courtyard. The camera was trained on Princess Lana. Kevin was standing twenty feet to her left. The rest of the N Team was standing behind the camera crew. A swirling blue warp zone opened between Kevin and Lana. "Ladies and gentlemen, my father, King Charles of Videoland!" Lana announced proudly. Everyone watched as King Charles came out of the warp, and then they all cheered. "Father!" Lana cried happily. Just then, the robobee stung the King in the back of his neck. He was too excited to notice, however. "Lana!" he cried happily. Dr. Wily turned on the remote control and began moving the King around, looking at him on a monitor. King Charles suddenly found that he was no longer in control of his movements. His left hand reached out and pulled Kevin's Zapper from its holster. "Hey!" Kevin yelled, surprised. King Charles, under Wily's control, pointed the Zapper at Kevin and was about to press the trigger. "Kevin!" Lana yelled. She pulled her Zapper from its holster, pointed it at her father, and fired. The laser beam from Lana's Zapper hit the King in the chest. He fell backwards, dropping Kevin's Zapper on the ground. "No!" Dr. Wily yelled. "Look, it's Dr. Wily!" Mega Man yelled, pointing at the spaceship that was flying away. Kevin looked up and saw it, still trying to figure out what was going on. Lana ran to him. "Are you okay, Kevin?!" Kevin nodded, calming down. "Yeah! What happened?" "My father tried to shoot you!" Lana informed him. She knelt next to the King. "Father?" She touched his chest with her right hand, then removed it and looked at it. It was covered with blood. "Noooooooo!!!" Kevin stared in disbelief. Lana dropped her Zapper, then looked up at the sky and cried in horror: "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" All of Videoland shared the N Team's disbelief.
"Lana, I, uh," Kevin finally managed to say, "I - " Then he decided to be quiet. The camera operators were still recording Lana, who was now crying her eyes out. A news reporter ran up to Kevin with a microphone. "This is a terrible tragedy. Can you tell us what happened, Captain N?" Kevin looked at her, his face pale. "Wily." "Dr. Wily's behind this?" she asked. Kevin looked at the camera operators and saw where they were pointing the cameras. He pointed at them. "Hey, shut those things off!" "Captain N!" the news reporter called. "Look, this isn't a good time!" Kevin yelled at her. The news reporter took a step backwards. Kevin turned and crouched behind Lana. He gently pulled her to her feet, picking up her Zapper, as well. "C'mon, Lana," he said softly, "let's go inside." Lana kept crying loudly as Kevin helped her inside, with the rest of the N Team following.
Once they were in the Throne Room, Kevin, still holding Lana and walking on her right, looked at Kid Icarus. "Kid, contact Lyle on Tetris and get him over here right away." "Aye-aye, Kevinicus." the archer said, and flew off. "Mega Man," Kevin said, "get Dr. Right over here. I wanna know what happened and how." "Yes, Captain N." the robot said, and walked off. "Simon, you and Gameboy...you and Gameboy go outside and...look after the King's body." "Compliance." Gameboy answered. "What are you gonna do?" Simon asked. "Help my friend." Kevin answered. Simon and Gameboy went off. Duke looked at Lana's sad face, turned to Kevin, and whimpered. "Yeah, I know, Duke." Kevin said sadly. "But there's nothing you can do. Go to Simon and Gameboy." Duke nodded sadly and left. Kevin looked at Lana. "C'mon, let's go to your room." He walked her over to a lift. They got on, and it rose.
Once they were in her room, Lana absently went into her bathroom and washed her hands. She watched the water in the sink turn red with the blood of her father. She looked into the mirror and stared at her own reflection - at that red, pain-filled face. She splashed water on her face and washed it. She then dried her hands and face with a towel, still looking in the mirror. Kevin was standing in the doorway, watching her. Finally, Lana turned away from the mirror and walked over to him. The two of them walked back into her bedroom and over to her bed. Lana sat down, and Kevin sat to her right. Kevin looked at her. He couldn't stand to see her crying, but he completely understood why she was. "Lana, - " "Kevin, I shot him!" Lana whimpered, looking down at her hands. Then her voice grew louder as she looked directly at Kevin and cried: "I killed him! I killed my father! My own father!!!" Kevin shook his head. What could he say to her? "Lana, I'm...s-so sorry!" He was beginning to cry himself. "Thanks." Lana said quietly, then looked back down at her hands again. "Can I get you something?" Kevin offered. "Water?" Lana shook her head. "No." "Talking about it might help." "I took a human life, Kevin." Lana shook her head. "I've never done that before. Never. I hate what I've become." "Hey," Kevin said, taking her hands in his, "if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be alive right now! Lana, you saved my life! Thank you!" Lana managed a small smile. "You're welcome." Then she lost her smile and broke eye contact with Kevin, looking straight ahead. "It still doesn't make me feel a whole lot better, though. No offense." "None taken." Kevin said. "I'd be feeling pretty bad, too, if I were you. I mean, taking a human life isn't exactly a light thing to do!" Lana shook her head. "No, it isn't." She looked at Kevin again. "I know." Kevin nodded, understanding. "And the thing is, I wouldn't be in this much grief if it was someone like Dr. Wily that I shot. But it was my father!" Kevin just looked at her. Lana began crying again, but not as hard as before, and silently. "What happened? Why'd my father attack you?" Kevin shook his head. "We don't know yet. Dr. Right's on his way over. He's gonna try to figure it out. Wily was there. I saw his ship take off. He must've been responsible." "Yeah," Lana said, then shook her head, "but how...and why?!" Kevin shook his head. "I don't know." He paused. "Maybe Dr. Right can figure it out." Lana nodded. "Yeah, maybe." She looked straight ahead again. "Still, the fact remains that my father is lying dead outside. And I'm the one that killed him." Kevin was silent for a moment. "I wish I could've gotten a chance to know your father." Lana looked at him and nodded. "You would've loved him." "Sounds like your father meant the world to you!" Kevin said, amazed. "Yeah!" Lana said, nodding and smiling. "Do you wanna be alone? I can leave if you want me to." Kevin said. Lana nodded. Kevin put his left hand on Lana's shoulder. He then stood up and faced her. He placed Lana's Zapper back in its holster. "If you need me, I'll be downstairs." Lana nodded, and Kevin turned and left the room. Lana brought her legs up onto the bed, put her arms around them, and lowered her head. Friday, June 23, 1989, 8:30 AM
Lana was walking down a corridor to the Throne room. She was wearing her royal clothes. When she got there, she came to a dead halt. That's odd, she thought, the room is never dark. "Hello?" the Princess asked. "Yoo-hoo! Anybody here?" Just then, the lights came on. "Surprise!" everyone in the room yelled at her. Lana jumped back in surprise. "Happy Birthday, Princess!" Lana smiled happily. Her father walked up to her, his arms spread wide. "Happy Birthday, Lana!" "Oh, thank you, father!" Lana said happily, and they hugged. Lana looked around. There was a big pink banner on the wall behind the throne that had "HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY" printed on it in gold. Mega Man was holding a birthday cake. Zelda and Kid Icarus were holding presents. Then Lana noticed that someone was missing. "Hey," she asked, "where's Simon?" Just then, a loud scream was heard behind her. "Simon?" Lana asked, turning around and looking back into the corridor. The scream continued, and Lana's question was answered when Simon came speeding into the room on a bicycle. It was clear that he was out of control. "Oh, no!" Simon yelled. He crashed into Mega Man, and the cake fell on both of them, covering them with chocolate fudge. Mega Man groaned. "What a mega mess!" Simon stood up and took out his hand-held mirror. "Ahhh!!! My hair!!!" "Simon!" Lana yelled angrily at the vampire hunter. Simon put his mirror away and walked up to her. "I'm sorry, Your Disappointedness. That bike was for you. I'll buy you a new one!" "Chocolate fudge is my favorite!" Lana said sadly. Her father picked up a present and handed it to her. "Maybe this will cheer you up, Lana!" Lana took the present and read the card that lay on top: "'To my sweet, beautiful Princess on her fifteenth birthday, love Father'. Aw, thanks, Daddy!" "Open it." the King said with a smile. Lana eagerly opened her gift. She grinned when she saw what was inside. "Wow!" She pulled out the object inside, letting the box and card fall to the floor. "A laser rifle!" She hugged her father tightly. "Thank you so much!" "My pleasure!" Lana looked over the weapon. It was white. She checked the green power meter on top. All the lights were on. The weapon was fully charged. "If you like," her father offered, "we can try it out after you finish opening the rest of your presents." Lana looked up at him and nodded, smiling. "You bet!"
Kevin and Lana were walking down a corridor together, with Kevin on Lana's right. Mega Man ran up to them. "Princess, Dr. Right has his equipment set up, and he's ready to begin." Lana nodded. "I wanna be there to see it." Kevin placed his hands on Lana's shoulders, turning her around to face him. "Lana, you don't have to do this!" he said quietly, with concern. "Kevin, I want to!" Lana countered. "I need to know what happened to him!" They stared at each other for a moment, then Lana broke eye contact with Kevin. She followed Mega Man, and Kevin followed her.
Dr. Right had instructed Simon and Gameboy to bring King Charles' body into the Palace. The scientist had the King placed on a bed in a small white room. Dr. Right had his equipment set up that he had brought with him from Megaland. Simon, Gameboy, and Duke were in the room also. The four of them were waiting. The door opened, and Mega Man came in, with Kevin and Lana right behind him. "I placed him in suspended animation, so that no deterioration could occur to the body, which might destroy some clues as to what caused this to happen." Dr. Right informed Kevin and Lana. "I understand." Lana said, nodding. "I'm sorry, Your Highness." "Thanks." Dr. Right began running the preliminary tests. "This'll take quite a while." He looked at Lana and shook his head. "You don't have to stay here, Your Highness. I'll inform you when I have something." Lana nodded. She and Kevin turned and left the room, Kevin closing the door behind them. As Kevin and Lana walked down the corridor, with Lana on Kevin's left, Kid Icarus flew by. "Your Highnicus," the archer said, "I contacted your brother." "Did you tell him what happened?" Lana asked. "No," Kid Icarus said, shaking his head. "I simply told him that there was a big emergency, and he was needed back at the Palace right awayicus. He asked me what was wrong, but I wouldn't tell him. I wanted you to be the one to break the bad news to him. I mean - " Lana raised her left hand to stop him. "It's okay, Kid, I understand." She looked at Kevin and sighed. "Well, I guess I better go address the people of Videoland. This is not something I'm looking forward to!" She began to walk in the direction of the courtyard. Kevin reached out and grabbed her left arm with his left hand. "Uh, Lana, I think the Communications room is this way." He pulled her in the opposite direction of where she was going. Lana walked on Kevin's left. She sighed. "Thanks, Kevin." She shook her head. "I'm still not thinking straight."
Kevin and Lana entered the Communications room together. They went over to the control panel. Lana picked up the microphone and clicked it on. She breathed deeply, then set the equipment to transmit video and audio all across Videoland. Lana lowered her head and drummed up as much courage as she could. Then she looked up at the viewscreen and spoke softly. "This is Princess Lana. By now, I'm sure all of you know about my father. Yes,...I did kill him. I am speaking to you now so that I may explain to you my reason for doing this." She paused and thought for a moment. "It is a terrible moment when one person has to take the life of another. But sometimes it is necessary! Like, to protect the life of a friend!" Tears started running down her face. "Of someone you love!" Kevin was surprised to hear this. "Like I did." Lana finished softly. She ended the transmission, clicked off the microphone, and set it down. Lana then plopped down in a chair, exhausted. She began to cry loudly again. Kevin sat in the chair to her left. He placed his right hand on her left. "Are you all right?" Lana nodded, wiping tears away with the back of her right hand. "I'll be okay." "Sis!" Lyle called, running into the room. Kevin and Lana stood up and looked at him. Lana dreaded this moment even more than addressing all of Videoland, but her voice was steady when she spoke. "Hi, Lyle." "Kid Icarus told me I could find you here! What's the big emergency?!" Lana looked down, breaking eye contact with her brother. Then she and Kevin walked up to him. "What have you been doing today?" Lana asked, still not looking at Lyle. Lyle didn't know what this had to do with an emergency, but he answered her question anyway. "I was guarding the Sacred Square of Tetris all day." "And while you're in there, you get no news from outside?" she asked. Lyle shook his head. "Nope. What's this all about?" Here I go, Lana thought. "Earlier this morning, father contacted us." "Father?!" Lyle asked, excited. "What'd he have to say?!" "He said he was coming home. I had a TV crew outside in the courtyard so that all of Videoland could witness his return." "And he never showed up?" Lyle asked. Lana nodded. "No, he did." "Well, then, where is he?! I wanna see him!" Lana remained silent. An uneasy feeling came over Lyle. "Did something happen?" Something happened, all right! Lana thought. "Dad took Kevin's Zapper, and was gonna shoot him." Lyle was shocked. "What?!" "So I shot him." Lana said. "What?!" her brother cried. Lana looked up at her brother. "I killed him, Lyle." Lyle didn't know what to say. "Lyle?" Lana asked. "I'm not feeling too good." Lyle said. "That makes two of us." his sister responded. "I addressed Videoland about this already. It nearly drove me crazy, but - " "I wanna see him." Lyle interrupted. Lana looked at him for a moment, then nodded. They left the room.
"What the hell's goin' on?!" Mike demanded as he stormed into Dr. Wily's lab. "I heard on the news that you tried to kill Keene!" Dr. Wily turned around in his chair to face the ticked-off teenager. "Ah, Mike, you're back! Yes, I did, with my new body-control device! Unfortunately, Princess Goody-Two-Shoes ruined my plan!" "And now the King of Videoland is dead!" Mike yelled angrily. "I can't begin to imagine what the Princess is going through!" "Ah, funny you should mention the Princess, because I have a plan!" Mike shook his head angrily. "Forget it! I want no part of it!" "Suit yourself! The glory will be mine alone!" Wily said. Mike turned and stormed out of the room.
Lana and Kevin stood aside and let Lyle go into the room. He saw his father lying on the bed. He ran over, touched the King's right hand, then covered his face with his hands and began to cry. Dr. Right motioned to the corridor. Kevin and Lana walked outside. Dr. Right followed them, closing the door behind him. "I've found out what made your father act as he did." Dr. Right held up a small pin. "What is it?" Lana asked. "A body-control device." the scientist answered. "I found it in the back of your father's neck. All Dr. Wily had to do was stick it in the King's skin, and he could use a remote control to make him do whatever he wanted!" "Kind of like controlling a video game character?" Kevin asked. Dr. Right nodded. "Exactly!" "Was my father...conscious during that time, Dr. Right?" Lana asked uneasily. Dr. Right nodded. "Then he might've seen me shoot at him." Lana said, and then shuddered at the thought. Kevin hugged her. "Hey, hey, don't think about it!" Just then, Mega Man ran up to them. "Your Highness, there's something on TV I think you should see!"
Mega Man, Lana, Kevin, and Dr. Right ran into the living room, where Simon and Kid Icarus were sitting on the couch watching VNN: The Videoland News Network. Duke and Gameboy were standing in front of the couch, also watching. "What's going on?" Lana asked. "A mega news report!" Mega Man answered. They all watched. Dr. Wily was on the news! He was being shown on the right half of the screen, in his lab in Skull Castle. On the left half of the screen was a news reporter sitting in a TV studio. It was the same woman that was pestering Kevin earlier in the courtyard. "So, you're saying that Princess Lana was lying when she said she killed the King to save Captain N?" the reporter asked Dr. Wily. The evil scientist nodded. "Yes! She knew that once her father returned, she would no longer be Ruler of Videoland, so she prearranged her father's murder!"