Friends of P. (episode)

Friends of P. is the third episode of the first season of Mega Man. It is the third episode overall.

Plot
Wheeler takes Mega Man out for the day, hoping to show him what he's missed since he's been away. Summer Girl approaches A.C. Montana to help her with a problem in Alphaville, while P. and Sharp have an encounter with the Friends of C.

Synopsis
In a flashback, a younger P. runs down a street frantically and out of breath. He sprints into a building and closes the door. P. attempts to catch his breath as he registers the confused looks from A.C. Montana, Mega Man, Wheeler, Virginia, and Cal. As he looks over the faces of his closest friends and allies, he tells them that they've been betrayed and need to escape quickly. Upon hearing this, the Friends of P. frantically begin packing and carrying whatever they can and escape through the back door. As they escape down the back alleys, A.C. catches up to P. and asks him what happened and P. explains that Charlie accepted a bribe from San Sindustries and gave up their hideout, as well as the names of all involved. A.C. is disgusted by this. Wheeler asks P. where they're going and he explains that they're heading west, towards the mountains. Overhead, a Cosmonaut airship flies over them back towards their old office, but the Friends of P. keep on running. Later that night, the Friends of P. hole up in a cave hidden deep in the forest. Exhausted and out of breath, the gang take a seat against the cold, dark cave walls. Unsure of which direction to go and what their future will be, they discuss options. Mega Man, Wheeler, Virginia, and Cal discuss their dire states and the hopelessness of their escape. P. chimes in, telling them that the Cosmonauts won't catch up with them, instead telling them that they don't need "their" society and instead will work in the shadows, giving his team a rousing speech and reinvigorating their spirits. P. ends his speech by telling the team to stay vigilant, stay safe, and stay with him.

In the present day, Rod NaCervera sits on a park bench with sunglasses and a bandaged hand, concealing the injuries he sustained during his last job. He looks over his surroundings and notices Sharp approaching him. Rod reaches into his pocket and feels for the gun he placed there, but once Sharp gets closer, he takes a seat next to Rod and tells him that he's thought over his proposition. Rod asks what he's decided and Sharp tells him that if he wants to work together, Rod needs to stop having him tailed. Sharp motions across the park to Jonas and Maria who are hiding in plain sight, watching Sharp. Rod motions for them to relax. Rod attempts to convince Sharp to join the Friends of C., but Sharp is unwilling to move, as he thinks the rate of pay he's getting from P. is far better than what he could get from Rod. Sharp then tries to bargain the price up by threateneing to reveal Rod's true alliegance to Summer Girl. Sharp tells Rod that he's not interested in his deal and explains that if Big Daddy C. really wants him on their side, he's going to have to pay him more up front, as he's not going to participate in their system. Sharp says that until the Friends of C. are willing to fork over some serious cash, Sharp's going to stick with P. and warns Rod that he'll see him again on the next mission. Rod angrily thanks Sharp for his time and Sharp departs. Jonas and Maria approach Rod and ask how the deal went. Rod dodges the question and tells them he's sending them back to the swamps to collect the bodies of the deceased and return them to the warehouse for a proper funeral. Jonas and Maria begin to question their orders, prompting Rod to become angry with them. Jonas and Maria walk away, while Rod looks at them angrily. As they leave the park, Jonas tells Maria that this could be their chance to escape, but Maria is still nervous, believing Rod could send somebody after them. Jonas tells her that they'll cross that bridge when they come to it.

In P.'s mansion, Mega Man is awoken from a deep sleep by a loud knocking at the front door. Mega Man rolls out of bed and aims his fist at the door, only to remember his situation and settle down. Mega Man walks into the kitchen on high alert, expecting an intruder. Instead he finds a note from P., telling him that he's gone out for the day and can find some food in the fridge. Mega Man opens the fridge and grabs some grapes when the knocking returns. Mega Man goes to the front door and is greeted by Wheeler. The two greet each other and Wheeler tells Mega Man that he's here to catch up with him, but Mega Man lies, saying that there's not much he can say. Wheeler offers to take Mega Man around, showing him what's new and Mega Man mentions wanting to visit the graves of Virginia and Cal. Wheeler jumps at the idea and takes Mega Man to his car. Mega Man is very impressed and Wheeler reveals that he calls his car Rachel and that she was a gift from P. The two get inside the car and Wheeler shows Mega Man the rocket jets attatched to the undercarriage, allowing the car to fly. Mega Man is highly impressed by this, stating it must've cost a fortune, but Wheeler replies that he built the jets himself after salvaging some parts from drones that chased them through the mountains years ago. Wheeler tells Mega Man to hang on as he accelerates full speed down the long dirt road heading towards civilization.

Mega Man and Wheeler arrive at the cemetery and walk towards two lonely graves on a hill towards the back of the sprawling graveyard. Mega Man tells Wheeler that he never wanted to find any of them like this if he ever got back, as it was one of his biggest fears. Wheeler agrees, saying that when they died it was really bad for the gang. Mega Man asks Wheeler about how P. handled it, remembering what Sharp had told him the day before and Wheeler explains that P. was devastated, naturally and that ever since then he's had a no holds barred policy towards the Friends of C., even though Wheeler doesn't think that they did it, claiming that Big Daddy C. wouldn't kill them. Mega Man asks who he believes did it and Wheeler explains that he believes that it was the Cosmonauts. Wheeler claims it was to send a message, but stands his ground, yelling that they will never stop what they're doing. Mega Man tells Wheeler that he's starting to sound like P., which Wheeler takes as a compliment, saying that he thinks there should be more people like P. in the world. Wheeler suggests heading to the Hub for some food and Mega Man agrees, first requesting some time along with Virginia and Cal, where he kneels down and tells them that he loves them and misses them and is sorry for what happened. After this, Mega Man returns to Wheeler and the two make their way down the trail.

In Alphaville, Summer Girl wakes up from a deep sleep and makes her usual morning coffee when she hears a knock on the door. Assuming it's Rod, she opens the door and begins to tell him that she's not in the mood, only to realize that nobody is there. She finds a flier on the door and takes it back inside to read. She learns that the ports in the cloud city are being shut down as an investigation is conducted for a spate of thefts from the underwater city. Curious, Summer calls Rod and asks him if he's heard of this, which Rod denies. After hanging up with Rod, Summer decides to investigate herself and heads to one of the ports. Once there, she is stopped by an official, but once he realizes who she is, he lets her through. Summer speaks to another official and tells her that she'd like to lend her help. The official is more than willing to accept her help, but is skeptical when Summer mentions that she has a friend who'd be helpful in their investigation. She mentions that with the ritual less than two years away, it'd be too big of a risk to allow an outsider this close to their affairs, but Summer is able to convince her to allow her friend to help and the official finally agrees. Summer walks away from the officials and calls A.C. Montana and informs him of the situation and asks him for help, which he agrees, telling her he'll be there on the next tram. Summer thanks A.C. for agreeing to help and hangs up, anxiously awaiting his arrival.

At a bar in a mercenary compound, Sharp makes his way towards the back to meet his friend Jonze. As Sharp sits down, Jonze asks him how his meeting went today and Sharp informs him of the deal Rod tried to make with him. Jonze tells Sharp that while he was out, P. tried to call him. Sharp gets up to return the call, but before he can, Jonze then orders them some drinks and tells him of a job he was hired to complete and asks Sharp if he wants in. Jonze explains that his client had a supply of powerful weapons stolen and wants Jonze to get the weapons back and find out who the buyers are. Sharp agrees, saying that it sounds like fun. As Sharp and Jonze continue to talk, P. enters the bar and takes a look around and notices an old photo of the Friends of P. hanging on the wall behind the bar. His fancy suit and jacket contrasts greatly with the casual and slightly battered wear of the mercenaries in the bar. As he confidently walks up to the bartender, he gets looks from the other mercenaries around. The bartender asks P. what he'll be drinking and P. asks the bartender if he recognizes him. Whether he really does or not, the bartender says he does and asks again what he'll have to drink. P. asks where he could find Sharp and the bartender says that he's in the back. P. starts making his way towards the back, as he gets glares from the bartender and the other mercenaries. P. greets Sharp, who immediately asks what he's doing here. Jonze introduces himself to P. and Sharp tells P. that he shouldn't be in a place like this. P. tells Sharp about his history and how he's led a gang of outlaws for decades and can handle himself in a bar. Jonze then realizes who P. is and greets him, saying that he thought the Friends of P. were all arrested a long time ago. Jonze, however, still agrees that the bar isn't a good place for someone like P. with his fancy suit and manner of speaking. P., offended by wishing to prove otherwise, warns Jonze about the power words can have. Sharp attempts to break the tension by informing P. that he and Jonze are about to leave for a job and P. insists that he not keep them any longer and the three leave the bar. Once outside, Sharp and Jonze discuss the deal and Jonze mentions the deal taking place at an old mill, which P. recognizes as an old Friends of P. safe house. Jonze also lets it slip that he thinks the Friends of C. could be involved, prompting P. to offer his gun to help. Jonze is skeptical, but Sharp vouches for him and the three agree to work together.

In the Hub, Mega Man and Wheeler have just finished their meal and are taking a walk through the streets of the Hub. The two walk by an alley and Mega Man tells Wheeler that they don't have to walk past there if he doesn't want to, but Wheeler replies that he can handle it. Wheeler enters the alley and checks on the bullet hole that's still in the wall, informing Mega Man that P. fired that shot to save his life. Mega Man remembers the day they brought Wheeler back to camp, when they were at the mill. Wheeler remembers the Charter family who used to live there and when they were evicted by San Sindustries, who had just purchased their land and did nothing with it. Wheeler says that P. and Charlie were the only people who saw Wheeler's skills and allowed him to use them in a meaningful way. Wheeler then notices an ad for a psychic and suggests Mega Man get his future told. Mega Man reluctantly agrees, thinking it should be fun and the two head off.

In Alphaville, A.C. Montana steps out of the tram station and is greeted by Summer, who once again thanks him for agreeing to help. A.C. then asks Summer to take him to the ports so they can get started. Once they arrive, A.C. is stopped and searched by the officials, who give Summer an odd look, not liking A.C.'s style and aura. The two then take one of the elevators down to a platform beneath the city, which gives access to the ocean via boat. On their way down, A.C. asks Summer what she expects to find down there and Summer replies that she has no idea. A.C. asks if she has any way to get in contact with anybody from the underwater city, maybe even one of the Seasons down there, but Summer says that Alphaville was designed in a certain way so that the people from two different communities and cultures and come together when the time comes, but says that the people underwater are at a distinct disadvantage and effectively cut off from the rest of society. A.C. asks if there's anything the Friends of P. can do to help them, but she replies that she doesn't think there is, claiming that most cloud people would love a chance to talk to their neighbors and give them a hand. She also says that for all they know, they could be thriving down there. Summer also explains to A.C. how Alphaville was designed to keep both cities in service to each other forever, saying that Alphaville is a double-edged sword. After some brainstorming, A.C. concludes that the accusations against the cloud city are false, as this type of thing can only be possible if both parties are involved. The two resolve to take a boat out to see and investigate. Summer signs out a boat and the two sail off.

In the Friends of C. warehouse, Jesus arrives in his sports car, parking it safely in a designated area. Rod looks up from his computer and makes his way over to him. Jesus tells Rod to meet him in the office. Once in the office, Jesus takes a seat at Rod’s desk at the computer. Rod stands in front of the desk. Jesus asks Rod what happened the night before and Rod explains that five of his crew got killed by the Friends of P. Jesus is confused and states that San Sindustries reported no problems with the shipment, but Rod insists that they were there. Jesus then asks Rod about his meeting with Sharp and Rod replies that it didn't go too well. Jesus doesn't care too much and simply says that he is now an enemy of the Friends of C. Jesus glances at Rod's computer and read messages between Rod and a business partner. Rod tells Jesus that he's putting a job together and Jesus calmly gets up and tells Rod that he'll let him get back to it. As Jesus leaves, Rod replies to his business partner, confirming that he's ready for a drop that night.

At the Charter Mill, P., Sharp, and Jonze arrive and take a look around. The three approach a house and P. and Sharp enter, while Jonze rests outside. Once inside, P. looks around and reminisces on his time there. P. begins to wonder why San Sindustries never did anything with this place since they bought it. Sharp is uninterested and says that it's just some old building. P. begins taking a closer look and discovers a bullet hole that could have only been made my an execution. P. notes that the bullet hole is not recent and has been there for quite some time. P. follows an old dried blood trail into a trap door, leading to a secret room, and finds the corpses of the Charters. Sharp asks P. if he believes San Sindustries executed the Charters, but P. deduces that the Charters refused to sell to San Sindustries so they sent the Friends of C. in to forcefully remove them. P. takes a necklace from one of the deceased ladies. As the two leave the room, they hear people in the house and upon investigation, discover two Friends of C. agents inside. A stand-off occurs. As the two parties discuss their reasons for being there, Jonze hears noises from the outside and sneaks around to investigate. He makes his way into the house and holds the agents at gunpoint from the back. P. takes the agents down to the basement and ties them to chairs and begins grilling them for information on Big Daddy C.'s whereabouts. Sharp soon realizes that they can use the agents to help complete their job, but P. has other ideas. He willingly allows one of the agents to go "assist" in the mission, while P. pays Sharp to interrogate the other on Jesus's whereabouts. As Sharp gets started, P. and Jonze take the other agent upstairs to prepare him for the job. Jonze asks P. why he doesn't give any of his own wealth tot he poor people he helps and P. replies that money is not the solution to life's problems and he instead robs the wealthy to give the people what they actually need. Jonze is unwilling to see P.'s stance and believes that P. just wants everyone to see the world like he does, but P. replies that he just wants people to see the world as it is. Back downstairs, Sharp violently interrogates the agent into giving up the information.

Elsewhere, Mega Man and Wheeler arrive at the fortune telling shop and the two enter. The two begin coughing due to all of the incense that's lit, prompting Mega Man to joke that because of that, this must be pretty serious. Suddenly, the fortune teller appears, Lady Snake, and correctly assumes Mega Man's identity. Mega Man then believes that Wheeler set the whole thing up, but he denies, somewhat shaken. Lady Snake invites Mega Man inside, while Wheeler is forced to wait in the waiting room. Once inside, Mega Man takes a seat and asks if Wheeler had spoken to her before and she replies that Mega Man was with him all day and if he had, he would've noticed. Mega Man apologizes and tells her that he just doesn't believe in the supernatural, but she says that he believed when the Masters of Magic saved his life on the Land of Ooo. Mega Man sits in disbelief and, hoping to comfort him, Lady Snake tells him that she's aware of the deal he made with Dr. Vada and is aware that he can't say anything about the outside world. Lady Snake then tells Mega Man that since he's returned home he's becoming unrecognizable and asks him how the All-Captains Squad would react if they could see the things Mega Man has done. She then asks if the Friends of P. are Mega Man's family and he agrees that they are, without question. Mega Man then reluctantly agrees to a future reading and Lady Snake grabs his hands. She foresees a future where Mega Man's world will be shaken up as diamonds fall from the sky as he and his two closest friends work together for the last time. As Mega Man is sent into a trance where he witnesses the diamonds shaking, he is thrown back to reality as Lady Snake tells him that he has the power to save. After this, Mega Man becomes angry and tells Lady Snake that he believes Dr. Vada sent her here to test him and that he's not falling for it. He angrily storms out of the room and tells Wheeler that it's time to go. Once back outside, Wheeler tries to comfort Mega Man and wonders what exactly happened in there. Mega Man tells him his theory as he falls to the ground coughing and his suit begins beeping. Wheeler, realizing that Mega Man's under extreme stress, decides to take him home for the day. Wheeler helps Mega Man up and the two begin walking down the street as Mega Man turns and looks skeptically back to Lady Snake’s.

In the swamps, Jonas and Maria carry the last corpse and place it carefully in a boat, along with the other five. Maria solemnly reminisces about how just twenty four hours ago, they were all still alive. Jonas attempts to comfort her by telling her that he has a surprise. He asks if she's aware of the deal going on at the Charter Mill and she replies that she's aware. Jonas reveals to her that he's asked the agents dispatched to clear the place out as an anniversary surprise and they got back to him a few hours ago saying that the place was totally abandoned. Jonas tells her that they now have a hideout they can use when they decide to make a break for it. Maria is ecstatic to hear this and tells Jonas that she's decided she wants to run away with him. The two relish in the thought of finally being able to start a new life, away from the Friends of C., and agree to take the bodies back for the funeral before making their move.

Back at the mill, Jonze takes a position on the top floor of the cabin in a broken window to what once was the attic. He has a sniper rifle aimed at the Friend of C. who has begun walking towards the silo for the meeting. The Friend of C. nervously approaches the silo, knowing that the sellers are inside. P. walks next to him, gun still pointed at his side. P. walks up to the door of the silo and peaks his head in. He notices the sellers, three of them, walking around looking very nervous with a crate of the weapons by their side. P. then turns to the Friend of C. and begins undoing his restraints. The Friend of C. asks P. for his gun back but P. declines and warns him to stick to the script, warning him that Jonze has his gun on him and isn't afraid to fire should he deviate from the plan. The agent enters the silo and talks to the sellers as normal, all while P. listens in. Jonze watches the meeting unfold from the cabin, although he doesn’t have the best view. He adjusts his sniper. A faint punching sound can be heard coming from inside the cabin. The Friend of C. begins counting out the money, offering the sellers eight hundred dollars. The sellers begin to question this, as they'd initially agreed upon twelve hundred. Just then, P. enters the silo and berates the Friend of C. for trying to scam him last time during a similar deal and it ended up costing him his job. P. tells the sellers that the Friends of C. are nothing but scammers and urges them to leave the merchandise and return home, securing their jobs and safety. The sellers agree and drop the crate of weapons and leave. As they leave, the Friend of C. starts to say something only to be shot in the head and killed by Jonze. P. reels back from the shot as blood from the agent’s head spreads onto the floor onto P.’s fancy shoes. P. backs away, wiping his shoes as best he can on the hay. P. picks up the crate of weapons and leaves the silo.

In the basement, Sharp, out of breath, dries his bloodied hand off on a rag he had found on the floor. Sharp calls the Friend of C. stubborn as he slips in and out of consciousness. Jonze then walks downstairs and asks Sharp what he got out of him, but Sharp replies that he got the best he could. Jonze takes out his pistol and shoots the agent dead. Neither he or Sharp flinches. Sharp asks how things went upstairs and Jonze replies that P.'s plan actually worked out pretty well. As he says this, P. walks downstairs with the crate of weapons, and angrily asks Jonze what he was thinking. Jonze tells P. that he's sorry for doubting him and his plan, but part of their job was to take out the buyers, so that's what he did. P. says that he wasn't done with them yet and Jonze argues that it isn't about P., taking the weapons and heading back upstairs. P. turns to Sharp and tells him that Jonze is a piece of work, but he's very good and starts to ask if he'd be interested in a job, but Sharp cuts him off, saying that P. isn't allowed to accompany them on jobs anymore, as P.'s afraid to get his hands really dirty, as Sharp shows his bloodied hands. P. says that he's been on the outside of the law for a long time, but Sharp isn't finished. Sharp tells P. that he thinks he's paranoid and that he came out with them to see if Sharp was trustworthy. Sharp reveals that the Friends of C. had approached him for a job, which he declined, not out of loyalty, but because P. pays his bills. He promises that as long as P. keeps paying him enough, Sharp guarantees he'll be the most loyal Friend of P. he's got. P. takes a minute and responds by apologizing to Sharp and telling him that was all he needed to hear. P. says that he let vengeance cloud his mind tonight after seeing what the Friends of C. did to the Charters and apologizes. P. tells Sharp that he knows he'll always have his back, for the right price and the two share a laugh and leave the mill. As they leave, P. offers Sharp a raise, which he graciously accepts.

In the Friends of C. warehouse, Rod leads the group in a funeral ceremony for their fallen crew mates. After finishing his eulogy, he asks if anybody else has any words and as an agent raises her hand, Rod steps down and stands next to Jonas and Maria. Rod tells them that his contact has another drop ready for them soon, but their boat is missing. Rod tells them to get a boat into the port without being seen. Jonas and Maria agree to the job and leave the warehouse.

At the Asylum, Dr. Vada sits in his chair as William San Simeon paces back and forth in front of him. San Simeon demands that Dr. Vada take action against the Friends of P., who he believes are still after him. Dr. Vada tells him that in all his centuries of running things he has never once interfered with the affairs of his citizens and says that he doesn't plan on doing so now. San Simeon pleads with him, but Dr. Vada refuses to back down, escorting San Simeon out of his office, telling him that if he can't handle a group of punks then he has no business being in the position he's in. San Simeon says that this is Dr. Vada's fault as one of them has a Cosmonaut suit. Dr. Vada stops and contemplates this statement.

Out in the Alphaville ocean, Summer Girl and A.C. Montana return from their unsuccessful outing. A.C. says that maybe the reason they didn't find anything was because the perpetrators know they're being watched, but Summer says that the Friends of P. get away with that all the time, prompting A.C. to joke around that he's not so smart. Summer laughs at this. Up ahead on the docks, Summer witnesses a boat pulling into the docking station and an official helping two people out of the boat. Summer points this out to A.C., but he can't see that far ahead. Summer goes full speed ahead to the docks and questions the official there about what she had just saw, only for the official to tell her that they'd sent a search party after her. Summer becomes skeptical, prompting A.C. to step in and escort her out of there. The official thanks A.C. for his help and he and Summer enter the elevator. Summer asks A.C. why he doesn't believe her, but A.C. actually replies that he does, he just needed her to relax so they could handle the situation the right away and suggests taking it to P. Summer says that she doesn't want P. involved, claiming that this is an Alphaville problem that should be handled quietly and makes A.C. promise that he'll keep this between the two of them. A.C. promises. Summer thanks him and watches as he board the tram.

Once on the tram, A.C. takes a seat and silently thinks about what happened. As the tram pulls into the next stop, A.C. notices P. climb aboard and calls him over. The two take a seat next to each other and discuss what they're doing on the tram. P. says that he was out by the Charter Mill and informs him that he ran into the Friends of C., and informs him of the role they played in the deaths of Mary and Ellody Charter. A.C. is devastated by the news.

Mega Man sits on the front lawn of P.’s mansion, looking up at the sky, contemplating the words Lady Snake had told him earlier in the evening. Mega Man notices the stars and tells them that they aren't even real. Mega Man hears laughter and looks up to see P. and A.C. walking up the driveway. He gets up to meet them. P. greets Mega Man and asks what he's still doing up and he replies that he was just out looking at the stars. A.C. comments on how lovely the sky is at night and P. adds that they're like "little diamonds in the sky." Mega Man perks up upon hearing this, but still remains skeptical. A.C. notices Mega Man's demeanor and asks what's wrong, claiming that it must have been a long time since he's seen the stars. Mega Man tells him that it's just been a long day and all three men agree that it certainly has been. Mega Man, P., and A.C. walk towards the house and take a seat on the front steps. All three take a deep breath. The three then remember the times they spent on the run and sleeping on the ground underneath the stars. Mega Man jokes around with P. claiming that it was peaceful until his farts woke them up. The three laugh and joke around some more and remember the time Mega Man and A.C. tried to push P. off of their canoe only for all of them to fall into the river. The three laugh for a while and once it settles down, the tone becomes more serious. P. asks the others if they are the last of a dying breed of men that care about their fellow humans. P. thanks them for sticking by him and his "crazy dreams." Mega Man looks up at the stars and then back at P. and A.C., thinking on Lady Snake’s words from before. “You have the power to save.” P. asks Mega Man what's wrong and he replies nothing.

Characters

 * Mega Man
 * Summer Girl
 * Sharp
 * P.
 * A.C. Montana
 * Wheeler
 * Rod NaCervera
 * Dr. Vada
 * Jonze
 * Virginia (flashback)
 * Cal (flashback)
 * Jesus
 * Jonas
 * Maria
 * William San Simeon
 * Lady Snake (first appearance)
 * Mary and Ellody Charter (first appearance, skeletons)