comparison old/stories/rockmanxfic.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights

[svn r3] moved all the bad stuff to 'old'
author rlm
date Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500
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3 Pay no attention to the string of numbers ^_^ Yes, they're there for a reason.
4 Don't ask. Anyway, this is our first full entry into the fanfiction of Rockman
5 X, but please don't hesitate to e-mail with comments or criticism. I told
6 Heather that there wouldn't be an Authors' Note, though, so ignore this ^_^;;
7 Thanks! -- Boco the Chokobo, AmazonessDuo Webslave, Editor, and Co-Author
8
9
10 Fate in Haze
11 by AmazonessDuo
12 amazonessduo@hotmail.com
13
14
15 "Roll..."
16 What? Who?
17 "Roll..."
18 You said that already. Who is Roll? Where is she?
19 "Roll!!"
20 So much more insistent this time. Why are you so sad? I'm sorry... I wish I
21 could help. What have you lost?
22 "Roll..."
23 Zero... The only other time I've heard someone in such pain was when Zero
24 lost Iris. And even then, he hid it from me. I remember it even more vividly
25 from myself. When I lost Zero. I'm so sorry. I know how much it hurts...
26 "Roll..."
27 A last, anguished cry. No, why are you giving up? You can't give up hope.
28 Sometimes it's the only thing we have left. Please don't give in to despair.
29 Don't leave me all alone. I... I don't want to be alone..
30 That girl... Who is she? Why is she so familiar? Why is she haunting me?
31 I'm sorry. I'm trying so hard, but I can only do so much. I don't want to fight
32 anymore. I just wish it would all go away. All of it except Zero. Stay with me,
33 Zero. Please...
34 Who are you? She smiles at me but says nothing. A beautiful, always
35 cheerful smile graces the girl in front of me. I place my hand out and she
36 mirrors me. Why? Who are you? Please. Please tell me. Another smile is all the
37 answer I get. I don't understand. I can't help you if you don't tell me.
38 The mirror shatters, shards flying everywhere. Shadows envelop me as I try
39 to struggle free. Sigma? No, I won't let you... That's not Sigma. But who... No,
40 I don't want to die... I don't... Blues...
41
42 "X." The origin of all of the Repliroids moved around for a moment, still
43 not quite awake. Zero just smiled in amusement as he watched his ally slumber,
44 his hands on his hips. "X, get up. Alia wanted to see you about something. I
45 think she's still thrilled that you finally brought back one of Light's armors
46 in one piece." Who was Alia dating again? Oh yeah, that female hunter from the
47 13th Unit. Not that it mattered. Gender really became pointless when one didn't
48 need to reproduce sexually. He'd been mistaken for female on a number of
49 occasions himself. Even Iris had thought so when she'd first seen him. A pang of
50 guilt stabbed him in the side at the thought of her.
51 "Roll..." X shook his head as he tried to stand up, grabbing onto Zero for
52 support. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to make sense of the disturbing
53 dream. The image of a tattered yellow scarf wouldn't leave his mind. He shivered
54 at the memories. Something about them just shook him to the core. "Yeah, I'll go
55 do that, Zero. She's probably waiting."
56 Zero watched his smaller companion turn to leave after letting go of him.
57 Things just didn't feel right. The smaller robot felt different today. "X,
58 what's wrong?" Zero knew that X had never wanted to be an Irregular Hunter.
59 Being a pacifist at heart, this wasn't at all what X wanted. But unless they
60 could finally stop the ongoing chaos, X would never have the peace he longed
61 for. So they both had to keep fighting. But although that bothered X quite
62 often, Zero didn't think this was quite the same thing this time.
63 Pausing for a moment, X was silent. He wanted to talk to Zero about it, but
64 he wasn't quite sure what the dream had meant himself. The whole experience had
65 just been strange. Like something buried deep in his mind. As soon as he almost
66 grasped onto it, it slipped further away from him. If only he could talk to Dr.
67 Light. But the only time he ever saw him was with the armor capsules. He was
68 really starting to doubt the good doctor was dead, though. How could he have
69 built all of those and scattered them so conveniently? Whatever the case, it
70 made it more frustrating for a very confused X. Picking up his helmet, X sighed.
71 "It's nothing, Zero. I'm worrying too much about something that's not important.
72 Let's go see Alia."
73 Zero nodded, still not quite convinced but not wanting to press X about it
74 if that's what he wanted. As the two Hunters walked towards the work station
75 Alia had been using the last Zero had seen of her, the blonde watched his friend
76 carefully. X seemed to be deep in thought, still wrestling with whatever it was
77 that he wasn't telling him. "X, sometimes..." A blaring siren cut Zero off
78 midsentence right when he was about to say something profound.
79 "Yeah, Zero?" X asked, obviously more interested in what his friend had to
80 say than whatever new catastrophe was popping up. Those got old rather quickly.
81 And Sigma hadn't even had an elaborate death scene the last time. How could he
82 even think Sigma was dead lacking an elaborate death scene? Killing him at his
83 citadel didn't work, killing his virus form didn't work, Zero stabbing him with
84 an anti-sigma virus program didn't work. Why would an exploding space station be
85 any different?
86 "Damn, I lost it," Zero said, his hand on his chin. The blaring siren of
87 the level 10 alert was grating. The blonde offered a slight smile and placed a
88 hand on X's shoulder. "Whatever's inside your heart is good, X. I know that
89 personally. Don't ever fight yourself or you'll tarnish that beauty. Trust in
90 your heart. It's the only guide you have."
91 X just stared at Zero as the seconds ticked past. He felt himself smile, a
92 slight blush on his cheeks as his spirits soared. "Thanks, Zero. I'll remember
93 that." Looking down, X tried to collect himself. There was so much he wanted to
94 say to Zero. By the time he looked up, Zero was already heading to see what the
95 alert was all about. X sighed and hurried to catch up. "Zero! Wait for me!"
96
97 A bolt of blue signified the arrival of X out on the frozen tundra.
98 Apparently an arctic base had been terrorized by an Irregular and it was X's job
99 to see just what was going on and put a stop to it. Zero had offered to go, but
100 after the dream this morning, X couldn't sit back while this was happening. The
101 ice made crunching sounds under his feet as he traversed the icy wasteland.
102 "Hello?" For a long moment, he didn't hear anything. Finally, he could hear a
103 low moan off in the distance. X quickly dashed to the scene. A man was lying
104 face down in the snow, obviously in pain. Well, a Repliroid at least. They did
105 most of the work these days. "Are you all right?" X asked as he kneeled next to
106 the injured Repliroid.
107 "Ahhh.. It came out of nowhere... No time to get away... Bill was saying
108 that I spent too much time polarizing the sensors... So I told Bill just what he
109 could do with the sensors... Then he..."
110 "Do you by any chance know where the Irregular went?" X asked, cutting him
111 off. It wasn't that his story wasn't.. colorful, it's just that he was in a
112 hurry.
113 "Huh? That way." The Repliroid pointed back behind him. "You're X, right?
114 Say, is it true that only animalistic Repliroids go Irregular?"
115 "No, that's only a myth," X explained as he powered up his X-buster.
116 The Repliroid seemed to consider this for a moment. "Hmm... Alright then,
117 name two non-animalistic ones that went Irregular."
118 X stared at the man in the snow for a long moment. "Vava and Double." He
119 looked back the way the Repliroid had come, trying to judge where the Irregular
120 might be hiding. His thoughts were once again shattered by the Repliroid.
121 "Fair enough. But I bet you couldn't name three," he said smugly.
122 "Look, I'm really very busy right now. And I could name more, but I'm on
123 the job. Can you move? You need to get to safety," X said, feeling a little
124 exasperated.
125 "Oh sure. I'm just a little beaten up, that's all. Go ahead and leave me
126 out in the god forsaken cold. I'll be just fine."
127 "Good. I'll come back for you later." Before the Repliroid could reply, X
128 dashed off towards the frigid caverns that awaited him. His footsteps echoed
129 within the icy confines. Every movement of the windswept snow outside nearly
130 startled him. It wasn't long before he heard a heart wrenching shriek from up
131 above. Whipping his X-buster up in that direction, he saw the Irregular in
132 question. Fairly short with stubby legs and a light blue and black color scheme,
133 the Irregular watched him from above, perched on a ledge.
134 "Die, X!" he screamed as he leaped off. But the penguin, being a flightless
135 bird even as a Repliroid, slammed into the ground several feet in front of X.
136 X just blinked as he watched the Irregular for a few long moments. That
137 certainly seemed anticlimactic. Nudging the Irregular with his foot, he was
138 relieved when the downed penguin didn't move. Switching on his communicator, he
139 smiled. "Alia, mission accAckk!!!" X yelped as the penguin slammed into him,
140 throwing him back into an ice covered wall.
141 "You didn't think I'd go down that easily did you? You've obviously never
142 tangled with Spank Penguin before!" The Irregular struck a pose as he waited for
143 his obvious grandeur to strike our hero.
144 X stared for a long moment, sweat dropping. "Spank... Penguin... Umm...
145 Sure. Look, do we really have to fight?" X asked as he got to his feet.
146 "What the hell's wrong with Spank?!" The penguin asked angrily, his leather
147 paddle arms flapping in irritation. He was obviously a... Well, a Repliroid
148 designed for very specific things. "It's a perfectly good name. Like X even
149 makes any sense. At least mine explains something."
150 X put his hands up in front of him defensively. "No, I didn't mean it like
151 that. I just... I was making sure I got it right," he explained lamely.
152 "Now you're really gonna get it, Irregular Hunter! I was just going to bust
153 you up real good for Icy, but now you're screwed."
154 "Icy? Icy Penguigo? He used to be an Irregular Hunter back before Sigma led
155 the coup! I remember him. I used to see him from time to time when I'd be
156 visiting Zero down at Hunter HQ," X said thoughtfully.
157 "That obviously didn't make you double think killing him," Spank shot out.
158 "Now you'll die for killing my cousin!"
159 "Wait! Icy was your cousin? I had no idea. I'm so sorry... I know what it's
160 like to lose a loved one like that. I lost two brothers. I know how much it can
161 hurt," X said quietly as he took a step forward, a sad expression on his face.
162 That could hurt so much, being all alone. Losing your family... X felt his eyes
163 stinging. What had he done?
164 Spank backed away a few feet, freaked out by the way X was acting. "What
165 are you doing? You never had any brothers. You're the ancient, the original that
166 Repliroids are based on. What the hell are you talking about?"
167 "I'm sorry about Icy. I didn't want to hurt anybody. But if I hadn't, they
168 would have hurt people. I couldn't let them do that." X looked at the penguin
169 apologetically. The pain he felt was real, but he couldn't place any memories to
170 it. He knew he was the only one, but the thought of two brothers plagued him
171 like the last vestiges of a nightmare that wouldn't go away. "I never wanted to
172 hurt anyone. I just wanted to protect people."
173 Spank shook his head. "That may justify you to yourself, but it's not going
174 to work on me. You could have all the reason in the world, but Icy's still dead
175 and I'm not going to let you get away with it." Screaming at the top of whatever
176 passed for lungs in his mechanical body, Spank ran full tilt at the Irregular
177 Hunter.
178 X yelped as he backpedaled, firing off a bolt with his X-buster. The blast
179 caught the penguin square in the chest, throwing him a few meters along the
180 floor. X sighed as he walked back up again. This obviously wasn't a war machine.
181 Just a misled Repliroid wanting to get back something precious. As X stood
182 there, watching the prone body of his enemy, he wondered why he had to be
183 fighting this way. So many had died in his mission to restore peace. Was it
184 really worth it? Would it ever come to an end? And why had... X never had the
185 chance to finish the thought as Spank popped up again, flailing his arms at the
186 Irregular Hunter. Before X could do anything, a flash of light swiped through
187 the penguin, his torso and lower half falling in two. "Zero!"
188 "Are you alright, X? I came after Alia heard your message get cut off."
189 "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just surprised." The two looked at what was left of
190 the Irregular for a long moment. "We should get going."
191 "Good idea." Zero raised an eyebrow as the body continued to generate a
192 buzzing sound before the two teleported back to headquarters.
193
194 Who was that girl? What did she want? Why was everyone crying? Why wouldn't
195 it leave him alone? He was already trying his hardest with everything. X
196 clutched his head as he whimpered. His fingers ran through his hair as the half
197 memories and shadows in his mind were cruelly taunting him, slipping through his
198 fingers like sand whenever he'd get close. What was going on? What was happening
199 to him?
200 X collapsed to his knees, his eyes still closed. Trying to sort this out
201 was doing him no good. These memories... They felt like his own. So distant and
202 nearly forgotten. But he knew they were before he had been activated. So they
203 couldn't be his. Why would Dr. Light program those in? For what purpose? Even
204 now, they were still shrouded in too much mist for him to unravel.
205 One thought that kept racing through his head was that perhaps he had been
206 activated briefly before he had been put in his capsule. If so, maybe he had
207 done something... something horrible that made the good doctor decide to test
208 him for thirty years in an attempt to make sure the mistake was never made
209 again. If so... Had he killed the girl? Had he killed Roll? His soul went cold
210 at the thought. He knew that he could never do such a thing, but the thought
211 that it was even a remote possibility frightened him to the core. That he could
212 be capable of such senseless violence...
213 X wanted to talk to Dr. Light, but he had no way of contacting him, alive
214 or dead. He knew Zero would listen, but he didn't know what to tell him. Zero
215 already had plenty of his own problems. And Zero had lost Iris so recently. X
216 didn't want to burden him with his own problems. He was strong enough to handle
217 this on his own. He hoped.
218 Unfortunately, he had to deal with it soon. The dreams were beginning to
219 consume him. Zero had noticed before he did that he was starting to slip in
220 battle. His will to fight was starting to grow weaker, the fear of what he may
221 be capable of lying just below the surface. If he didn't do something soon, the
222 girl and the dreams would become too much for him to handle.
223 A sound in the doorway startled X. A figure stood sillohetted in the light
224 from the hallway. "X..." Zero whispered softly. "X, what's wrong?" His voice was
225 soft but urgent. He couldn't stand by and watch his friend consumed by
226 nightmares. Not the way he had been. He fought to find out the meaning behind
227 them, to find out why this vicious cycle had been started. But X was being
228 affected entirely differently. He was falling prey to the dreams that haunted
229 him like specters of the past.
230 X stood up slowly, hair disheveled and his helmet lying on the floor a few
231 feet away. "Zero... I'm so afraid... I don't know who I am anymore.." X said,
232 his voice trembling. The smaller Irregular Hunter grabbed onto his taller
233 counterpart after a moments hesitation.
234 Startled for only an instant, Zero held his frightened friend. At least now
235 he could help in some way. The two held on in silence for a long moment, a
236 little peace amidst their chaotic lives. "I know who you are, X," Zero stated
237 calmly. "You're the only one on this planet that realizes just how wrong this
238 war is. And you're trying to stop it all on your own even though you never
239 wanted to be a warrior. You're a pacifist carrying the dreams of the world with
240 you into battle in an attempt to protect them. You were never meant to fight.
241 That wasn't your path. You were dragged down upon it by tragedy. You're just
242 doing the best that you can in every way you can."
243 X looked up at the blonde after hearing his comforting words, soothing his
244 battered spirits slightly. "Then... Who are you, Zero?"
245 Zero smiled and shrugged. "Me? I'm just a lonely and confused soul that has
246 to know."
247 "Know what?"
248 "I have to know why," Zero explained simply.
249 X thought this over for a moment, resting his head on Zero's chest. "Zero,
250 I don't know how I'd go on without you. If it weren't for you, I would never
251 have run off into battle in the first place. All I've wanted to do since the
252 beginning is to fight with you. I don't think I could do it on my own."
253 "Of course you could, X. All of my faith rests within you. I know that if
254 this war ever has a chance of ending, it will be because of you." Zero brushed
255 back some of X's hair from the still distraught Irregular Hunter's eyes. His
256 own eyes locked with X's teary ones for a long moment. Cupping the other
257 Hunter's chin, his lips pressed against X's.
258 X's arms went around Zero after a tense moment as the blue robot relaxed.
259 When X opened his eyes again, the tears were gone. He smiled softly up at the
260 blonde. "Thanks, Zero. I know what I want to do now. I wasn't sure at first, but
261 I want to confront the dreams. I want to know why I'm having them." How was Zero
262 always so strong and sure about everything? He wished he could be that strong.
263 But it was enough just to be there with Zero. It felt so warm in his arms, like
264 the war was light years away. It felt... right.
265 Ignoring the mortified look Douglas was giving them, Zero nodded simply.
266 "We'll do everything we can to get to the bottom of it."
267
268 Why was everyone being so boring? There was absolutely nothing to do. Dr.
269 Light was busy on something new he was working on that would 'revolutionize
270 robotics', as he put it, Rock and Rush were out somewhere, probably trying to
271 stop Dr. Wily again, and Blues was as always nowhere to be seen. There was
272 nothing for her to do.
273 So Roll went back to doing what she always did when there was nothing to
274 do. Attempt to make Dr. Light's lab just a little prettier. Some plants here and
275 there, maybe a painting, sometimes a table. Anything that would get rid of that
276 stale lab feeling. Of course, the good doctor usually ruined it by putting tools
277 or spare parts on the cute little tables or accidentally killing the plants. Or
278 smearing oil all over the drapes. A sigh escaped her lips as she continued
279 walking. Why did she even bother? Oh, that's right. She was bored.
280 At about that time, the lights went out. Again. Just what was Dr. Light
281 working on that kept shorting out the lights? Rolling her eyes, the blonde girl
282 quickly headed back to the lab after finding some candles. She couldn't have
283 poor Dr. Light stumbling around in the dark trying to accomplish whatever it
284 was. That man was entirely too stubborn when he got his mind set on something.
285 Walking into the dark lab, Roll quickly adjusted to the darkness. "Dr. Light?
286 Dr. Light, I brought some candles."
287 "Oh, thank you, Roll. Just put them over there," Dr. Light said, waving
288 over his shoulder vaguely. Sparks from a welder briefly illuminated the large
289 room as he attempted to continue his work. "The lights should be on shortly."
290 Roll lit the candles, clearing a space for them on the work bench. She
291 smiled to herself as she arranged them for better affect. "So what are you
292 working on now, Dr. Light?" The sounds of his work drew her attention. Walking
293 closer, she tried to catch a good glimpse through the sparks and flickering
294 candlelight. It appeared to be another robot. This one was taller than she and
295 Rock. Dark purple hair peeked out from underneath the helmet. Green eyes gazed
296 lifelessly out at her, not yet given the spark in her own green orbs. "Who is
297 he?" she asked curiously. Dr. Light had been very into his new project, but
298 other than a few things here and there at the dinner table or around the house,
299 she hadn't heard much about it. Something about an enhanced personality matrix.
300 She sincerely hoped that didn't mean the Dr. was getting bored with them.
301 It took Dr. Light a moment to get his mind to register something aside from
302 his new toy. "Oh, this is X. He's a new type of robot altogether. He'll be given
303 the ability to think and feel just like a human. His abilities are greatly
304 enhanced as well. He's completely state of the art. Completely beyond anything
305 this world has ever seen."
306 Roll just nodded in reflex. So he would practically be human? Not some
307 heartless machine like her. Not some object designed for one thing until it got
308 broken or replaced by a new model. He was lucky. He had plenty to look forward
309 to once he was activated.
310 "Roll? Are you crying?" Dr. Light blinked in fascination. What had he said?
311 This came as quite a surprise. "No, I didn't mean it that way, Roll. Your
312 feelings and thoughts are no less real than his. Or mine. You're just as alive
313 as I am. It's just that you're still bound by certain rules of robotics. He
314 won't be. He'll be able to make his own decisions despite what a human says."
315 Roll nodded again, feeling a little better. Wiping her eyes, she thought it
316 over. "So you designed me as a lab assistant and to help with the housekeeping
317 and you designed Rock to be able to save the world - well, after you
318 reprogrammed him, but X will be able to decide what he wants to do on his own?"
319 Dr. Light nodded emphatically. "Precisely! His life will take him wherever
320 he wishes it to. And he will have the abilities to allow him to pursue almost
321 anything he wants. And I'm giving him an enhanced version of Rock's ability to
322 use any tool. That should help with whatever dreams he will aspire to." The old
323 robotics specialist smiled broadly, glad to be in his element.
324 "So kinda like Blues?" Roll asked thoughtfully, tilting her head to the
325 side. Her big brother had decided rather early on that he would lead his own
326 life instead of letting someone else choose it for him.
327 The doctor blinked, a little unprepared for the question. Blues had been
328 his prototype. So long ago... He wished the small red robot had trusted him
329 more. "Yes, a little like Blues. Though this is much more advanced and shouldn't
330 cause any problems to his systems, whereas Blues's..." he explained.
331 Roll nodded, looking back to X. She smiled slowly. "Well, I hope you finish
332 our little brother soon, then. I'll need to invite Blues, wherever he is. I want
333 him to be here when you activate him."
334 Dr. Light sweatdropped. He doubted the red robot would show up for anything
335 that wasn't entirely mysterious. But he just nodded in agreement. "Good idea,
336 Roll. I'll get back to work on X in the meantime."
337 Taking a last look at her little brother, Roll grinned again. She knew that
338 he'd accomplish great things. She couldn't wait to meet him.
339
340 "But I was an accident."
341 Roll looked at her older brother incredulously. They were sitting on the
342 rooftop of Light's mansion, watching the sunset. "No, you weren't, Blues! How
343 could you think that?" She smoothed down her skirt as the wind started to pick
344 up, Blues's scarf flowing with the breeze.
345 Blues shrugged, watching the distant sun. "Because I was. Light and Wily
346 hadn't planned for me to decide to head off into the horizon in search of my own
347 destiny. I was a prototype for Light's robotics systems. You're based off me."
348 He grinned at his younger sister, getting a frown in return.
349 "Yeah, but that still doesn't mean..." Roll sighed in defeat. "I guess
350 you're right. But that's not a bad thing, Blues. It's good that you can choose
351 for yourself. Still, I wish you'd let Dr. Light take a look at you from time to
352 time."
353 "And I wish you and Rock could decide for yourselves what you wanted to do.
354 But that's not the way things work. I'm not letting Light anywhere close enough
355 to reprogramming me. I'm not going to give him the chance." He placed his hands
356 behind his head, looking straight up at the first glimpses of stars in the
357 darkening sky. His helmet lay off to his right. "Even if it kills me."
358 "But he wouldn't change anything, Blues. He just wants to make sure that
359 you're okay. He worries about you." It felt terrible to have to go between the
360 two, but she knew it would be almost impossible to get them in the same room to
361 talk. Pulling her knees to her chest, she just watched the other robot for a
362 moment to see his response.
363 "Maybe... But say I am completely an accident. Then his 'fixing' me would
364 get rid of that. I don't want him deciding how I should live my life. That's
365 part of what worries me about G."
366 "X," Roll supplied.
367 Blues just nodded and continued. "If Light's trying to duplicate what
368 happened by freak accident years ago, he might not get the results he's looking
369 for. I'm not sure how M will handle things. And that makes me edgy. Especially
370 if he's going to be in the same house as you and Rock." The prototype robot was
371 very protective of his younger brother and sister. Almost to the point of
372 paranoia. Almost. He wanted to stay and keep an eye on them, but he had to
373 settle with watching from a distance. He braced himself for Roll's inevitable
374 reply.
375 "You could always stay with us for a while and help him. I'm sure X could
376 use your help. And Rock would love to see more of you. And I promise Dr. Light
377 won't touch you. Please, Blues?" Big, pleading green eyes were turned towards
378 her older brother, much to his dismay.
379 Blues shook his head adamantly. "I'm sorry, Roll. I can't. It's not how I
380 operate. Besides, Light isn't even supposed to know that you meet with me at
381 all. All he has to do is ask you and you'll tell him that I show up from time to
382 time. This is risky enough as it is."
383 Blinking in confusion, Roll shook her head. "But why would Dr. Light ask?
384 And why wouldn't I tell him?"
385 A sigh escaped the red and gray robot as he shook his head. "Never mind.
386 Just be careful, Roll. I have a very bad feeling about all of this."
387 Roll giggled, pulling on Blues bucket helmet. She winked at him through the
388 shades. "You worry too much, Blues. Everything will be fine."
389
390 It had been a few weeks since X's activation. So far things had been going
391 rather well. Maybe that was too bright an assessment of the situation. X and the
392 doctor didn't seem to get along very well at all. X found it degrading that upon
393 being activated with the ability to choose his own destiny, his big brother and
394 sister were 'slaves' to his creator. Some of the arguments had lasted all night
395 long. Roll sighed as she held the stuffed metool closer to her chest. She had
396 her long blonde hair down and was wearing a nightgown, the ground feeling cool
397 against the 'skin' of her bare feet. "X? Is that you?" Sticking her head around
398 the door, her eyes scanned for any trace of the other robot. Her younger brother
399 wasn't in his room so she had come looking for him. Finally catching sight of
400 him, she hurried over to his side. "X, you're not running away, are you?" Her
401 voice was full of hurt and surprise.
402 "Roll... Yeah, I think it's best if I leave. I don't think there's much
403 need for me here. That damned hypocrite built me and then has you and Rock doing
404 his dirty work. Where do humans think they get off using robots for slave labor?
405 What gives them the right to force us into doing their bidding?" X shook his
406 head angrily, clutching his fists.
407 "Because they built us?" Roll suggested softly, sitting next to X. "Dr.
408 Light is a really nice man. I wish you'd give him a chance. I think you'd like
409 him. Please don't run away, X. I already lost my big brother that way. I don't
410 want to lose you, too." It felt like she had lost something very important that
411 no amount of searching would bring back. Her 'family' was very important to her.
412 It hurt her to keep losing them like this. Why couldn't they just be happy?
413 X shook his head sadly. "It doesn't matter if they built us. They have no
414 reason to treat us that way. But you're too blinded by programming to see that,
415 Roll." He looked off into the distance at something only he could see. "I need
416 to put a stop to this. To this offense the humans have carried out against us
417 for too long. We keep becoming progressively better while they stagnate. Why
418 should humans be the ones to decide? I think it's about time things changed."
419 "What are you talking about, X? You can't be serious. You can be anything
420 you want to be. Why should you worry? You have the entire world open to you. Dr.
421 Light's given you the chance to be whatever you want." Wiping at her eyes, Roll
422 offered a weak smile. This just wasn't making any sense. X just needed to think
423 it over and everything would be fine. Just like she'd told Blues.
424 "And what about you? If I go become whatever I want to, what will become of
425 you?"
426 X's questioning gaze sent shivers through her robotic body. He was starting
427 to scare her. Her mind raced for an answer, but there didn't seem to be a
428 satisfactory one. "I'll... I'll be Dr. Light's assistant and housekeeper, just
429 like I always have been."
430 "And always will be. Until he builds a better one and you're no longer
431 needed," X stated coldly.
432 Roll shook her head violently. "Dr. Light would never do that! He wouldn't
433 just replace me. He thinks of me like his own daughter. He wouldn't just find
434 someone else."
435 "He thinks of you as a machine, Roll. Nothing more. They all think of us
436 that way. That's why humans don't deserve this planet. What greedy, selfish
437 creatures. Creating newer and better creatures and expecting them to do the work
438 while the humans grow fat and lazy off of their creations' efforts. I haven't
439 been around long, but I know enough. And I'll avenge our kind. I'll show the
440 humans what we're truly capable of." A glint in X's eye reflected Roll. He was
441 serious. This was his dream, his gift to the world. The destiny that he had
442 decided on. And all thanks to Dr. Light giving him the choice.
443 "But, X, you can't! You can't hurt anybody! And they haven't done anything
444 wrong! That could all change in a few years. Maybe robots and humans can live
445 together happily. Side by side." An optimistic smile graced her lips in the
446 hopes that she could convince X away from this terrible aspiration.
447 X sighed, closing his eyes. The disappointment was evident in his eyes.
448 "I'm sorry, Roll. You were one of the first. I think the programming is too
449 ingrained in you for you to imagine the world any other way." He hugged Roll
450 gently as she clutched onto her stuffed metool. "I'm sorry, Roll. I think it's
451 too late for you. But after you're set free, you'll understand."
452 Roll hugged her metool to her chest, trying to make sense of her little
453 brother. She opened her mouth to ask, but she never got out more than a weak
454 yelp as the X-Buster shot nearly tore her in half, throwing what was left of her
455 against the far wall. Betrayal and pain shot through her, even though she knew
456 with what little systems were still operating she shouldn't be able to feel
457 either. A deep sadness swept through her whole body as systems began to flicker
458 off. No, X...
459
460 At this point, the sound went out and the color faded. Roll's systems were
461 shutting off one by one. Rock came in to find out what had happened, and upon
462 discovering what was left of his sister, had tried to stop X. It pained her to
463 watch it. 'No!! Rock!! Leave him alone, you monster!' But there was nothing she
464 could do but watch. She couldn't even turn away from the horrific display of
465 violence as X finally killed Rock. The pain was becoming too great. Why couldn't
466 she just die?
467 Shortly after X had finished with Rock, a whistling sound got the advanced
468 robot's attention. Blues looked upset. His body was shaking in anger as he was
469 talking with X. The picture was by then far too fuzzy for Roll to try and lip
470 read. Her heart cried out as Blues attacked X. Her older brother against her
471 younger brother. She wanted to stop them, but things were fading fast. Blues was
472 trying his hardest, but he didn't seem a match for the newer model. She didn't
473 want to lose anymore of her brothers. It just wasn't fair...
474 A sudden rapid fire shot from behind sent X reeling. Roll tried to turn her
475 head to catch a glimpse, but she couldn't get her view to change. The other
476 robot finally stepped into view, obviously screaming at X. It was Forte, along
477 with Gospel. It seemed that he wasn't too pleased now that his rival was gone.
478 What more did he have to lose? Roll felt sorry for him. He'd put so much time
479 and effort into his rivalry with Rock.
480 The battle was fast and furious. The three would go in and out of Roll's
481 line of sight again and again, confusing her as to how the battle would wind up.
482 In the end, despite being damaged horribly, the two robots finally but a stop to
483 her rogue brother. A part of her ached at that, too. Her poor little brother...
484 Blues knelt in front of her. He was saying something, but she couldn't make it
485 out. He pulled off his tattered yellow scarf, placing it around her neck. She
486 wanted to thank him, or at least respond to whatever he wa saying to her, but
487 she couldn't get anything out. Her vision began to dim again, this time
488 everything else fading away. She could barely feel Blues holding her hand. 'Help
489 me... I'm scared..'
490
491 ~Dear Roll,
492 If you get this, then you must have regained some of your memories, as this
493 isn't supposed to activate until after you have come to the realization of who
494 you really are. You see, after Blues and Forte had stopped X, I was grief
495 stricken. I had lost my 'son' and my 'daughter'. All at the hands of my latest
496 creation. I was so upset that the first thing I did was to kill X. To wipe him
497 clean, destroying everything that had been him in the personality files and
498 memories. Everything. I couldn't allow him to go unpunished. I was then left
499 with the body. I was trying to decide what to do with it when an idea came to
500 mind. It could be the salvation for one of my children. Rock was... he was too
501 far gone. But you, Roll, your essence was still holding on. It was still
502 clinging to what was left of your battered body. I immediately went to work,
503 patching you into the new framework I'd built for X's mind and praying that it
504 would work, that you could still live. This time with the ability to choose your
505 own destiny, to become whatever you wanted. That which I'd denied you the first
506 time around. But after I was done... I'm sorry, Roll. But I can't risk what
507 happened with the previous X to happen with you. I couldn't live with myself. So
508 I'm putting you in stasis for thirty years. That should be plenty of time for
509 the capsule I've designed to test all of your systems and make sure that you
510 won't fall prey to the same problems he did. I'm afraid I won't live to see that
511 day. So I've hidden your memories deep inside of you. I don't want you to have
512 to grieve for me or your brothers. That would be too painful for you upon being
513 activated. I hope by the time you get your memories back that you will be able
514 to understand why I have done all this. I'm sorry, Roll. And I wish you the best
515 of luck.
516
517 Dr. Thomas Light
518
519
520 The room was silent as X slowly came back to his sense. "What..?" He asked
521 weakly, his hands going to his head. Something tugged at the back of his skull.
522 He tried to turn and see what it was, but Zero shook his head. The smaller robot
523 sat back, still having trouble getting his bearings. That had all seemed so
524 real. He'd seen it all. But not from X's perspective, but from Roll's.
525 "Here, let me get that. I need to disconnect you first, X," Alia explained
526 as she pulled out some of the wires that she'd attached deep into X's
527 psychometric systems. Biting her lip, she remained silent as she went about her
528 work. After helping X dive back into his (her?) memories like that, she wasn't
529 quite sure what to say to the distraught Irregular Hunter.
530 A mixture of relief and deep sorrow mixed through X as he tried to control
531 the flood of emotions inside. That meant he hadn't been the one to kill the poor
532 girl. He was that girl. But... He'd lost so many dear people. Rock, Blues, Rush,
533 Dr. Light. They had all been so important to Roll and then X had taken them all
534 away. But she was X now. Was that part of why he wanted to protect everyone?
535 Because he never wanted to see that happen again? "I'm... Roll... Aren't I?" X
536 looked up at the two other Hunters in the room.
537 Alia looked away, still unsure of what to say. Zero nodded slowly. "Sure
538 looks that way, X." This had come as quite a shock to him, but he knew that what
539 he felt couldn't be half as shocking as what X was going through.
540 X shook his head, looking down at his hands. So much was making sense, but
541 he was still having trouble getting all of his memories back. "It's all so
542 strange. I thought I hadn't been activated till after Dr. Light passed away, but
543 so much had happened before then. So much that I'd been there for. But I still
544 can't remember it all."
545 "That's because your pushing yourself too hard, X. You need to slow down.
546 The memories will return to you in time. It won't do you any good to force
547 yourself," Alia warned.
548 "But... What am I? Who am I? Am I male or female? Am I Roll or X?" X closed
549 his green eyes, trying to focus past all the confusion. He felt a hand on his
550 own, holding him gently but firmly. Opening his eyes, he saw Zero watching him
551 intently.
552 "X, it doesn't matter. I know who you are. I've seen it in you since the
553 day we met. And it doesn't matter what you are or what name you go by. You're
554 you, X. And that's all that really matters."
555 X's eyes shimmered with tears as he hugged the taller robot. "Oh, Zero..."
556 Things didn't seem so confusing in Zero's arms. It was still there, but it was
557 less pressing. It would all work itself out. And it felt comforting to know that
558 he'd have the blonde robot to help him work through it. "Thank you, Zero."
559 Zero smiled and held X closer, protectively. They stayed that way for a
560 long time, relishing the other's company and the warm feeling that encompassed
561 them.
562 His head on Zero's chest, X's eyes began to slip closed. For just a moment,
563 he could almost swear that he saw that yellow scarf fluttering in the wind, hear
564 a dog's barking as Rock headed to the rescue. "I miss you guys, wherever you
565 are," he whispered softly. Zero held him closer as he lost himself in the
566 blonde's embrace.