Captain N: The Game Master

Season 6

"DISCO INFERNO"


WRITTEN BY
MARK MOORE


Saturday, June 3, 1995, 12:10 PM

The room was full of motion. Excitement was in the air. The dancers moved about, their bodies illuminated by the lights shining down upon them from the disco ball.
From the speakers of the stereo system, the zenith of disco songs, performed by the masters of the musical artform, the Brothers Gibb, pulsed throughout the room:

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,
I'm a woman's man; no time to talk.
Music loud and women warm, I've been kicked around
Since I was born.
And now it's all right; it's okay,
And you may look the other way.
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man.

Heads turned as a young man stepped onto the dance floor. Mike Vincent was dressed in a white suit. On his feet he wore white platform shoes with golden heels. He put on his best disco moves, honed through years of experience and a deep love for the beautiful and often misunderstood musical form. He was no John Travolta, but he was good.

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin',
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive.

Stacey followed Mike, wearing a white dress. The two of them disco-danced together.
Kevin and Lana followed, dressed in similar attire as their friends. Kevin had talked Lana into wearing a dress for this special occasion. After all, Mike had decided to reveal to them his secret love - disco - and had even volunteered to take them out dancing. Who were they to not dress properly?

Well now, I get low and I get high,
And if I can't get either, I really try.
Got the wings of heaven on my shoes.
I'm a dancin' man, and I just can't lose.
You know it's all right; it's okay.
I'll live to see another day.
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man.

The other dancers, including Kevin and Lana, stopped dancing and formed a crowd around Mike and Stacey, who were tearing up the dance floor with their hot disco moves, to watch them in admiration and envy, yet giving them plenty of room to execute their killer dance moves.

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin',
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive.

Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.
Somebody help me, yeah.
Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me, yeah.
Stayin' alive.

Suddenly, Kevin heard a beeping coming from his pocket. He excused himself and walked off of the dance floor.
Kevin withdrew a device from his front right pants pocket. It was shaped like a cellular phone, but it was much more. Kevin opened it up. On a small viewscreen on the device appeared Dr. Right's face. Dr. Right had invented this device a week ago. It would allow communication between Videoland and Earth.
"Hey, Dr. Right." Kevin greeted. "What's up?"
"Captain N! Dr. Wily's escaped from prison!" Dr. Right cried.
"Huh?! Lana and I arrested him a month ago!"
"Yes, but he's just escaped!" The scientist paused. "What on Earth are you listening to?!"
Kevin grinned. "The Bee-Gees! Disco, man!"
Dr. Right frowned. "Disco?"
"Yeah! I love disco, and I hear it's making a comeback! Don't worry, Dr. Right, we'll be right there!"
Kevin hung up and walked back over to the others.
"Lana, Mike, Stacey, bad news." Kevin said. "Dr. Right just called."
Lana gasped. "No!"
"Say it isn't so!" Mike yelled.
"Guys, Dr. Wily just escaped from prison." Kevin added.
"Swell!" Stacey said. "Like, let's get going!"
The four of them made their way off of the dance floor. They casually stepped into the women's restroom and opened up a warp.

The four disco dancers appeared on a lift in Dr. Right's laboratory in Megaland. It lowered them down to the floor.
Dr. Right, Dr. Shiroshi, Mega Man, and Mega Girl ran up to them. All four of them eyed the N Teamsters curiously.
"I don't wanna know." Li said.
The N Teamsters stepped off of the lift.
"Okay, Doc, tell us how it happened." Kevin said.
"Well, - " Dr. Right and Dr. Shiroshi began together.
The two scientists looked at each other, and Dr. Shiroshi nodded to Dr. Right.
"Apparently, Dr. Wily had anticipated his arrest, so he built four new Robot Masters and stored them. If he didn't activate them in one month, they would activate by themselves and come looking for him. Freeze Man, Burst Man, Cloud Man, and Junk Man started tearing up the city. Finally, they freed Dr. Wily from prison, and he took off in his spaceship, heading back to Skull Castle."
"We saw it happen." Mega Man added. "Roll and I were riding with Auto in a car. We found Dr. Right, and all of us witnessed Wily's escape together."
Lana made her left hand into a fist. "Don't worry! We'll stop him!"
"We'll stay here." Li said. "You four, Rock, and Roll will go into Capital City and defeat Freeze Man, Burst Man, Cloud Man, and Junk Man."
She handed Mega Man a chip with the coordinates, which he inserted into a slot in his helmet.
"Auto!"
Auto, a tall green robot Dr. Right and Dr. Shiroshi had built five days ago, walked into the main lab. "You called, Dr. Shiroshi?"
Li nodded. "Yes. You will operate the item replicator and assist our friends whenever they teleport back to the lab."
Auto nodded.
"Guess we're off!" Kevin said.
"Wait. We don't have our weapons with us." Lana reminded them.
"With good reason." Mike said. "Disco-dancing is a safe, non-violent activity."
Dr. Right smiled. "Use the systems I installed in your belts and Zappers yesterday."
The N Teamsters concentrated, and suddenly their belts warped in around their waists in flashes of yellow light.
"That is too cool!" Kevin said.
Mike drew his Zapper. "Dr. Wily's gonna pay for taking me away from my disco-dancing!"
The four N Teamsters and Mega Girl touched Mega Man, and he activated his teleporter.

In his lab deep within Skull Castle, Dr. Wily was busy studying the schematics of Quinn Mallory's timer. The robot attacks would keep the N Teamsters occupied, giving Wily enough time to begin constructing his new Warp Zone Shifter.
Just then, Bass walked into the laboratory. Bass was a humanoid robot that Dr. Wily had just finished building before he was arrested. The scientist had activated Bass upon his return to Skull Castle.
"What is it, Bass?" Wily asked, facing him.
"Mega Man, Mega Girl, and four of the N Teamsters have just teleported into downtown Capital City." Bass informed him.
Dr. Wily grinned. "Excellent! Here's what I want you to do."

Kevin, Lana, Mike, Stacey, Mega Man, and Mega Girl were walking along, destroying some minor robots.
Suddenly, they came up against a giant robot on wheels. They gasped at the size of it, then began attacking it.
Then, all of a sudden, two robots teleported in. One of them destroyed the giant robot.
"Who are you?" Mega Man asked.
"I'm Bass; this is Treble." the humanoid robot introduced himself and his robo-wolf.
"What do you want?" Mega Girl asked.
"We're out to get Dr. Wily." Bass said. "Now stay out of our way!"
Bass and Treble teleported out.
"Bass?" Lana asked.
"Treble?" Mike asked.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd swear these two are Dr. Right's robots." Kevin said with a smile.
"Well, let's go to Freeze Man's area." Mega Man said.
The six of them teleported out.

They teleported into Freeze Man's domain.
Immediately, they heard music start playing.
"What the hell?" Kevin asked.
"No way!" Mike said in surprise, a smile coming to his face.
The song being played was 'Y.M.C.A.' by the Village People:

Young man, there's no need to feel down.
I said young man, pick yourself off the ground.
I said young man, 'cause you're in a new town,
There's no need to be unhappy.

The heroes looked at each other and shrugged. They walked forward and began firing at the robots.

Young man, there's a place you can go.
I said young man, when you're short on your dough,
You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.

At this point, Mike started dancing to the song, demonstrating the hand movements to the others.

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
They have everything for young men to enjoy.
You can hang out with all the boys.

The others joined in the dancing.

It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
You can get yourself clean.
You can have a good meal.
You can do whatever you feel.

The others soon became experts at dancing to Y.M.C.A., thanks to Mike's instructions. They danced all over Freeze Man's chamber, dodging the Robot Master's blasts. Finally, they destroyed him and teleported out.

They teleported into Burst Man's area.
Once again, music started playing.
"Is Dr. Wily, like, into disco now?" Stacey asked.
The song playing was 'That's the Way, I Like It' by KC & The Sunshine Band:

Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
That's the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh uh-huh.
That's the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh uh-huh.

The heroes went forward and began going through the area in search of Burst Man. Again they went into a dance.

Next, they teleported into Cloud Man's area.
This time, Dr. Wily's song of choice was 'Turn the Beat Around' by Vicki Sue Robinson:

Turn it up, turn it up, turn it upside down.
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it upside down.
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it upside down.
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it upside down.

Turn the beat around.
Love to hear the percussion.
Turn it upside down.
Love to hear the percussion.
Love to hear it.

The heroes finally found Cloud Man in his chamber and destroyed him while dancing to the music.

Next was Junk Man.
Immediately upon teleporting in, the heroes heard 'Shake Your Booty' by KC & The Sunshine Band.
"Whatever happened to the old Robot Master music?" Lana asked. "Now all we hear is disco!"
"And that's a bad thing?" Mike asked. "C'mon, this is the Golden Age of music!"
Mike began dancing, and the others joined in.

Ah, everybody get on the floor; let's dance.
Don't fight the feeling; give yourself a chance.

Shake shake shake, shake shake shake,
Shake your booty, shake your booty.
Oh, shake shake shake, shake shake shake,
Shake your booty, shake your booty.

Next they teleported into Slash Man's stronghold.
'Le Freak' by Chic began playing:

Aaahh - Freak out!
Le Freak, C'est Chic.
Freak out!

"Yes!" Mike and Kevin exclaimed in unison.
They began dancing, and the others joined in.

Have you heard about the new dance craze?
Listen to us; I'm sure you'll be amazed.
Big fun to be had by everyone.
It's up to you; it surely can be done.
Young and old are doing it, I'm told.
Just one try, and you too will be sold.
It's called Le Freak! They're doing it night and day.
Allow us, we'll show you the way...

Eventually, they got to Slash Man's chamber and destroyed him in a very hip battle.

They teleported into Spring Man's area.
'Get Down Tonight' by KC & The Sunshine Band came on:

Baby, babe, let's get together,
Honey, honey, me and you,
And do the things, oh, do the things
That we like to do.

Oh, do a little dance,
Make a little love,
Get down tonight,
Get down tonight.

"Dancing and having sex at the same time?" Lana asked. "These people had some weird ideas."
They began dancing through the area.

Next they went to Shade Man's domain.
'Night Fever' by the Bee-Gees began playing:

Listen to the ground:
There is movement all around.
There is something goin' down,
And I can feel it.

On the waves of the air,
There is dancin' out there.
If it's somethin' we can share,
We can steal it.

And that sweet city woman,
She moves through the light,
Controlling my mind and my soul.
When you reach out for me,
Yeah, and the feelin' is bright,

Then I get night fever, night fever.
We know how to do it.
Gimme that night fever, night fever.
We know how to show it.

The heroes danced their way through yet another Robot Master's domain, finally destroying him in his chamber.
"Time for the last Robot Master." Kevin said.

They teleported into Turbo Man's area.
'Funky Town' by Lipps, Inc., started playing.
The heroes began dancing forward, firing at the robots that attacked them.

Gotta make a move to a town that's right for me.
Town to keep me movin',
Keep me groovin' with some energy.

Well, I talk about it, talk about it, talk about it, talk about it!
Talk about, talk about, talk about movin'.

Gotta move on.
Gotta move on.
Gotta move on.

Once the immediate area was cleared of robots, the heroes stopped to disco dance, with Mike in the front, leading them.

Won't you take me to
Funky Town?!
Won't you take me to
Funky Town?
Won't you take me to
Funky Town?!
Won't you take me to
Funky Town?

Finally, they cornered Turbo Man and destroyed him.
"Now let's go after Dr. Wily!" Mega Girl said.

They arrived at the teleporting hatches in Skull Castle.
'Staying Alive' by the Bee-Gees came on.
"Well, it's appropriate," Mike said, "cuz that's what we're doin'."
They destroyed all of the Robot Masters again, then went through a teleporting hatch.

"Welcome, Nothing Team." Bass said with a grin on his face.
"Bass, if you really wanna get Wily, why don't you help us?" Kevin asked.
Bass laughed. "Cuz I'd rather blast ya!"
Lana gasped. "You're working for Wily!"
Bass didn't answer her. Instead, he and Treble began attacking.
'Disco Inferno' by the Trammps started playing.
The N Teamsters, Mega Man, and Mega Girl dodged and counter-attacked.
A huge battle ensued.

Burn baby burn! - Disco inferno!
Burn baby burn! - Burn that mama down.
Burn baby burn! - Disco inferno!
Burn baby burn! - Burn that mama down.
Burnin'!

Finally, Bass and Treble were destroyed.

"All right, Wily, it's payback time!" Mike yelled, pointing his Zapper straight at the evil scientist's head. "How dare you take me away from my disco dancing!"
The heroes had entered Dr. Wily's laboratory and had surrounded him.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Vincent!" Dr. Wily cried, terrified. "I didn't know!"
"Do you wanna get funky with me?!"
"Chill, Mike!" Kevin yelled. "I'll put on some disco for you! Um..." Kevin pressed a series of keys on the control panel.
"Kevin, you promised me disco, now you better deliver." Mike told him.
'Do What You Wanna Do' by T-Connection came on:

Everybody start to pick on you.
Just can't let them tell you what to do.

Mike and the others began dancing.

Let nobody tell you what to do!
You've gotta be your judge and the jury, too!
Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo!
Let nobody tell you what to do!
You've gotta be your judge and the jury, too!
Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo!

Dr. Wily had quietly escaped during this time. But none of the dancers noticed or cared. They were too busy getting down and having a good time.
Mike jumped up on the control panel. "Disco rules the universe!"

That evening, people were gathered at the Megaland concert hall. The audience was very large, and they were waiting for Captain N & The Video Game Masters to perform.
Finally, Kevin, Lana, Mike, and Stacey walked out on stage. The audience cheered, but were surprised by the band's different clothes. Kevin and Mike were still wearing their white suits. Now, so were Lana and Stacey.
After the band set up their instruments, they did something that confused the audience. Lana put down her bass guitar. Kevin gave his guitar to Lana. Stacey moved her keyboard closer to Mike's drums.
Then they all turned on their microphones.
"Welcome, everyone!" Kevin said. "I know you're probably surprised by this, but tonight's concert will be a little bit different."
"First we're gonna play a song that Kevin and I wrote." Mike said. "It's called 'I am the Game Master'. We hope you like it."
"Let's do it!" Kevin said. "1, 2, 3, 4!"
Lana began playing the guitar, and Stacey began playing the keyboard. The music had a very disco feel to it.
Kevin and Mike went to the front of the stage and started dancing, microphones in their hands. The dance was very much like the one for 'Staying Alive'.
Then Kevin and Mike began singing, each of them singing every other line, with Kevin starting:

Listen around; there's a dance craze sweepin' the town!
You all know you like it, so let's get down!
It's really cool, yeah; c'mon, dance it faster!
Let's go, everyone, and do the Game Master!

Then Kevin went into a solo:

Yeah, I'm the Game Master;
I've got all the right moves;
No one can beat me;
I just can't lose!
So, c'mon!
Do the Game Master!

Stacey switched from keyboard to drums as Kevin and Mike went into a complicated dance.
Then she switched back to keyboard, and Kevin and Mike repeated the first verse:

Listen around; there's a dance craze sweepin' the town!
You all know you like it, so let's get down!
It's really cool, yeah; c'mon, dance it faster!
Let's go, everyone, and do the Game Master!

The song ended. The audience stood up and gave a massive cheer and applause. 'I am the Game Master' would become a universal dance craze.
The band members took bows.

GAME OVER

Copyright © 1999 by Mark Moore