moonlitnights: old/stories/rockmanxfic.txt comparison

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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+Pay no attention to the string of numbers ^_^  Yes, they're there for a reason.
+Don't ask.  Anyway, this is our first full entry into the fanfiction of Rockman
+X, but please don't hesitate to e-mail with comments or criticism.  I told
+Heather that there wouldn't be an Authors' Note, though, so ignore this ^_^;;
+Thanks!  -- Boco the Chokobo, AmazonessDuo Webslave, Editor, and Co-Author
+Fate in Haze
+by AmazonessDuo
+amazonessduo@hotmail.com
+"Roll..."
+What? Who?
+"Roll..."
+You said that already. Who is Roll? Where is she?
+"Roll!!"
+So much more insistent this time. Why are you so sad? I'm sorry... I wish I
+could help. What have you lost?
+"Roll..."
+Zero... The only other time I've heard someone in such pain was when Zero
+lost Iris. And even then, he hid it from me. I remember it even more vividly
+from myself. When I lost Zero. I'm so sorry. I know how much it hurts...
+"Roll..."
+A last, anguished cry. No, why are you giving up? You can't give up hope.
+Sometimes it's the only thing we have left. Please don't give in to despair.
+Don't leave me all alone. I... I don't want to be alone..
+That girl... Who is she? Why is she so familiar? Why is she haunting me?
+I'm sorry. I'm trying so hard, but I can only do so much. I don't want to fight
+anymore. I just wish it would all go away. All of it except Zero. Stay with me,
+Zero. Please...
+Who are you? She smiles at me but says nothing. A beautiful, always
+cheerful smile graces the girl in front of me. I place my hand out and she
+mirrors me. Why? Who are you? Please. Please tell me. Another smile is all the
+answer I get. I don't understand. I can't help you if you don't tell me.
+The mirror shatters, shards flying everywhere. Shadows envelop me as I try
+to struggle free. Sigma? No, I won't let you... That's not Sigma. But who... No,
+I don't want to die... I don't... Blues...
+"X." The origin of all of the Repliroids moved around for a moment, still
+not quite awake. Zero just smiled in amusement as he watched his ally slumber,
+his hands on his hips. "X, get up. Alia wanted to see you about something. I
+think she's still thrilled that you finally brought back one of Light's armors
+in one piece." Who was Alia dating again? Oh yeah, that female hunter from the
+13th Unit. Not that it mattered. Gender really became pointless when one didn't
+need to reproduce sexually. He'd been mistaken for female on a number of
+occasions himself. Even Iris had thought so when she'd first seen him. A pang of
+guilt stabbed him in the side at the thought of her.
+"Roll..." X shook his head as he tried to stand up, grabbing onto Zero for
+support. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to make sense of the disturbing
+dream. The image of a tattered yellow scarf wouldn't leave his mind. He shivered
+at the memories. Something about them just shook him to the core. "Yeah, I'll go
+do that, Zero. She's probably waiting."
+Zero watched his smaller companion turn to leave after letting go of him.
+Things just didn't feel right. The smaller robot felt different today. "X,
+what's wrong?" Zero knew that X had never wanted to be an Irregular Hunter.
+Being a pacifist at heart, this wasn't at all what X wanted. But unless they
+could finally stop the ongoing chaos, X would never have the peace he longed
+for. So they both had to keep fighting. But although that bothered X quite
+often, Zero didn't think this was quite the same thing this time.
+Pausing for a moment, X was silent. He wanted to talk to Zero about it, but
+he wasn't quite sure what the dream had meant himself. The whole experience had
+just been strange. Like something buried deep in his mind. As soon as he almost
+grasped onto it, it slipped further away from him. If only he could talk to Dr.
+Light. But the only time he ever saw him was with the armor capsules. He was
+really starting to doubt the good doctor was dead, though. How could he have
+built all of those and scattered them so conveniently? Whatever the case, it
+made it more frustrating for a very confused X. Picking up his helmet, X sighed.
+"It's nothing, Zero. I'm worrying too much about something that's not important.
+Let's go see Alia."
+Zero nodded, still not quite convinced but not wanting to press X about it
+if that's what he wanted. As the two Hunters walked towards the work station
+Alia had been using the last Zero had seen of her, the blonde watched his friend
+carefully. X seemed to be deep in thought, still wrestling with whatever it was
+that he wasn't telling him. "X, sometimes..." A blaring siren cut Zero off
+midsentence right when he was about to say something profound.
+"Yeah, Zero?" X asked, obviously more interested in what his friend had to
+say than whatever new catastrophe was popping up. Those got old rather quickly.
+And Sigma hadn't even had an elaborate death scene the last time. How could he
+even think Sigma was dead lacking an elaborate death scene? Killing him at his
+citadel didn't work, killing his virus form didn't work, Zero stabbing him with
+an anti-sigma virus program didn't work. Why would an exploding space station be
+any different?
+"Damn, I lost it," Zero said, his hand on his chin. The blaring siren of
+the level 10 alert was grating. The blonde offered a slight smile and placed a
+hand on X's shoulder. "Whatever's inside your heart is good, X. I know that
+personally. Don't ever fight yourself or you'll tarnish that beauty. Trust in
+your heart. It's the only guide you have."
+X just stared at Zero as the seconds ticked past. He felt himself smile, a
+slight blush on his cheeks as his spirits soared. "Thanks, Zero. I'll remember
+that." Looking down, X tried to collect himself. There was so much he wanted to
+say to Zero. By the time he looked up, Zero was already heading to see what the
+alert was all about. X sighed and hurried to catch up. "Zero! Wait for me!"
+A bolt of blue signified the arrival of X out on the frozen tundra.
+Apparently an arctic base had been terrorized by an Irregular and it was X's job
+to see just what was going on and put a stop to it. Zero had offered to go, but
+after the dream this morning, X couldn't sit back while this was happening. The
+ice made crunching sounds under his feet as he traversed the icy wasteland.
+"Hello?" For a long moment, he didn't hear anything. Finally, he could hear a
+low moan off in the distance. X quickly dashed to the scene. A man was lying
+face down in the snow, obviously in pain. Well, a Repliroid at least. They did
+most of the work these days. "Are you all right?" X asked as he kneeled next to
+the injured Repliroid.
+"Ahhh.. It came out of nowhere... No time to get away... Bill was saying
+that I spent too much time polarizing the sensors... So I told Bill just what he
+could do with the sensors... Then he..."
+"Do you by any chance know where the Irregular went?" X asked, cutting him
+off. It wasn't that his story wasn't.. colorful, it's just that he was in a
+hurry.
+"Huh? That way." The Repliroid pointed back behind him. "You're X, right?
+Say, is it true that only animalistic Repliroids go Irregular?"
+"No, that's only a myth," X explained as he powered up his X-buster.
+The Repliroid seemed to consider this for a moment. "Hmm... Alright then,
+name two non-animalistic ones that went Irregular."
+X stared at the man in the snow for a long moment. "Vava and Double." He
+looked back the way the Repliroid had come, trying to judge where the Irregular
+might be hiding. His thoughts were once again shattered by the Repliroid.
+"Fair enough. But I bet you couldn't name three," he said smugly.
+"Look, I'm really very busy right now. And I could name more, but I'm on
+the job. Can you move? You need to get to safety," X said, feeling a little
+exasperated.
+"Oh sure. I'm just a little beaten up, that's all. Go ahead and leave me
+out in the god forsaken cold. I'll be just fine."
+"Good. I'll come back for you later." Before the Repliroid could reply, X
+dashed off towards the frigid caverns that awaited him. His footsteps echoed
+within the icy confines. Every movement of the windswept snow outside nearly
+startled him. It wasn't long before he heard a heart wrenching shriek from up
+above. Whipping his X-buster up in that direction, he saw the Irregular in
+question. Fairly short with stubby legs and a light blue and black color scheme,
+the Irregular watched him from above, perched on a ledge.
+"Die, X!" he screamed as he leaped off. But the penguin, being a flightless
+bird even as a Repliroid, slammed into the ground several feet in front of X.
+X just blinked as he watched the Irregular for a few long moments. That
+certainly seemed anticlimactic. Nudging the Irregular with his foot, he was
+relieved when the downed penguin didn't move. Switching on his communicator, he
+smiled. "Alia, mission accAckk!!!" X yelped as the penguin slammed into him,
+throwing him back into an ice covered wall.
+"You didn't think I'd go down that easily did you? You've obviously never
+tangled with Spank Penguin before!" The Irregular struck a pose as he waited for
+his obvious grandeur to strike our hero.
+X stared for a long moment, sweat dropping. "Spank... Penguin... Umm...
+Sure. Look, do we really have to fight?" X asked as he got to his feet.
+"What the hell's wrong with Spank?!" The penguin asked angrily, his leather
+paddle arms flapping in irritation. He was obviously a... Well, a Repliroid
+designed for very specific things. "It's a perfectly good name. Like X even
+makes any sense. At least mine explains something."
+X put his hands up in front of him defensively. "No, I didn't mean it like
+that. I just... I was making sure I got it right," he explained lamely.
+"Now you're really gonna get it, Irregular Hunter! I was just going to bust
+you up real good for Icy, but now you're screwed."
+"Icy? Icy Penguigo? He used to be an Irregular Hunter back before Sigma led
+the coup! I remember him. I used to see him from time to time when I'd be
+visiting Zero down at Hunter HQ," X said thoughtfully.
+"That obviously didn't make you double think killing him," Spank shot out.
+"Now you'll die for killing my cousin!"
+"Wait! Icy was your cousin? I had no idea. I'm so sorry... I know what it's
+like to lose a loved one like that. I lost two brothers. I know how much it can
+hurt," X said quietly as he took a step forward, a sad expression on his face.
+That could hurt so much, being all alone. Losing your family... X felt his eyes
+stinging. What had he done?
+Spank backed away a few feet, freaked out by the way X was acting. "What
+are you doing? You never had any brothers. You're the ancient, the original that
+Repliroids are based on. What the hell are you talking about?"
+"I'm sorry about Icy. I didn't want to hurt anybody. But if I hadn't, they
+would have hurt people. I couldn't let them do that." X looked at the penguin
+apologetically. The pain he felt was real, but he couldn't place any memories to
+it. He knew he was the only one, but the thought of two brothers plagued him
+like the last vestiges of a nightmare that wouldn't go away. "I never wanted to
+hurt anyone. I just wanted to protect people."
+Spank shook his head. "That may justify you to yourself, but it's not going
+to work on me. You could have all the reason in the world, but Icy's still dead
+and I'm not going to let you get away with it." Screaming at the top of whatever
+passed for lungs in his mechanical body, Spank ran full tilt at the Irregular
+Hunter.
+X yelped as he backpedaled, firing off a bolt with his X-buster. The blast
+caught the penguin square in the chest, throwing him a few meters along the
+floor. X sighed as he walked back up again. This obviously wasn't a war machine.
+Just a misled Repliroid wanting to get back something precious. As X stood
+there, watching the prone body of his enemy, he wondered why he had to be
+fighting this way. So many had died in his mission to restore peace. Was it
+really worth it? Would it ever come to an end? And why had... X never had the
+chance to finish the thought as Spank popped up again, flailing his arms at the
+Irregular Hunter. Before X could do anything, a flash of light swiped through
+the penguin, his torso and lower half falling in two. "Zero!"
+"Are you alright, X? I came after Alia heard your message get cut off."
+"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just surprised." The two looked at what was left of
+the Irregular for a long moment. "We should get going."
+"Good idea." Zero raised an eyebrow as the body continued to generate a
+buzzing sound before the two teleported back to headquarters.
+Who was that girl? What did she want? Why was everyone crying? Why wouldn't
+it leave him alone? He was already trying his hardest with everything. X
+clutched his head as he whimpered. His fingers ran through his hair as the half
+memories and shadows in his mind were cruelly taunting him, slipping through his
+fingers like sand whenever he'd get close. What was going on? What was happening
+to him?
+X collapsed to his knees, his eyes still closed. Trying to sort this out
+was doing him no good. These memories... They felt like his own. So distant and
+nearly forgotten. But he knew they were before he had been activated. So they
+couldn't be his. Why would Dr. Light program those in? For what purpose? Even
+now, they were still shrouded in too much mist for him to unravel.
+One thought that kept racing through his head was that perhaps he had been
+activated briefly before he had been put in his capsule. If so, maybe he had
+done something... something horrible that made the good doctor decide to test
+him for thirty years in an attempt to make sure the mistake was never made
+again. If so... Had he killed the girl? Had he killed Roll? His soul went cold
+at the thought. He knew that he could never do such a thing, but the thought
+that it was even a remote possibility frightened him to the core. That he could
+be capable of such senseless violence...
+X wanted to talk to Dr. Light, but he had no way of contacting him, alive
+or dead. He knew Zero would listen, but he didn't know what to tell him. Zero
+already had plenty of his own problems. And Zero had lost Iris so recently. X
+didn't want to burden him with his own problems. He was strong enough to handle
+this on his own. He hoped.
+Unfortunately, he had to deal with it soon. The dreams were beginning to
+consume him. Zero had noticed before he did that he was starting to slip in
+battle. His will to fight was starting to grow weaker, the fear of what he may
+be capable of lying just below the surface. If he didn't do something soon, the
+girl and the dreams would become too much for him to handle.
+A sound in the doorway startled X. A figure stood sillohetted in the light
+from the hallway. "X..." Zero whispered softly. "X, what's wrong?" His voice was
+soft but urgent. He couldn't stand by and watch his friend consumed by
+nightmares. Not the way he had been. He fought to find out the meaning behind
+them, to find out why this vicious cycle had been started. But X was being
+affected entirely differently. He was falling prey to the dreams that haunted
+him like specters of the past.
+X stood up slowly, hair disheveled and his helmet lying on the floor a few
+feet away. "Zero... I'm so afraid... I don't know who I am anymore.." X said,
+his voice trembling. The smaller Irregular Hunter grabbed onto his taller
+counterpart after a moments hesitation.
+Startled for only an instant, Zero held his frightened friend. At least now
+he could help in some way. The two held on in silence for a long moment, a
+little peace amidst their chaotic lives. "I know who you are, X," Zero stated
+calmly. "You're the only one on this planet that realizes just how wrong this
+war is. And you're trying to stop it all on your own even though you never
+wanted to be a warrior. You're a pacifist carrying the dreams of the world with
+you into battle in an attempt to protect them. You were never meant to fight.
+That wasn't your path. You were dragged down upon it by tragedy. You're just
+doing the best that you can in every way you can."
+X looked up at the blonde after hearing his comforting words, soothing his
+battered spirits slightly. "Then... Who are you, Zero?"
+Zero smiled and shrugged. "Me? I'm just a lonely and confused soul that has
+to know."
+"Know what?"
+"I have to know why," Zero explained simply.
+X thought this over for a moment, resting his head on Zero's chest. "Zero,
+I don't know how I'd go on without you. If it weren't for you, I would never
+have run off into battle in the first place. All I've wanted to do since the
+beginning is to fight with you. I don't think I could do it on my own."
+"Of course you could, X. All of my faith rests within you. I know that if
+this war ever has a chance of ending, it will be because of you." Zero brushed
+back some of X's hair from the still distraught Irregular Hunter's eyes. His
+own eyes locked with X's teary ones for a long moment. Cupping the other
+Hunter's chin, his lips pressed against X's.
+X's arms went around Zero after a tense moment as the blue robot relaxed.
+When X opened his eyes again, the tears were gone. He smiled softly up at the
+blonde. "Thanks, Zero. I know what I want to do now. I wasn't sure at first, but
+I want to confront the dreams. I want to know why I'm having them." How was Zero
+always so strong and sure about everything? He wished he could be that strong.
+But it was enough just to be there with Zero. It felt so warm in his arms, like
+the war was light years away. It felt... right.
+Ignoring the mortified look Douglas was giving them, Zero nodded simply.
+"We'll do everything we can to get to the bottom of it."
+Why was everyone being so boring? There was absolutely nothing to do. Dr.
+Light was busy on something new he was working on that would 'revolutionize
+robotics', as he put it, Rock and Rush were out somewhere, probably trying to
+stop Dr. Wily again, and Blues was as always nowhere to be seen. There was
+nothing for her to do.
+So Roll went back to doing what she always did when there was nothing to
+do. Attempt to make Dr. Light's lab just a little prettier. Some plants here and
+there, maybe a painting, sometimes a table. Anything that would get rid of that
+stale lab feeling. Of course, the good doctor usually ruined it by putting tools
+or spare parts on the cute little tables or accidentally killing the plants. Or
+smearing oil all over the drapes. A sigh escaped her lips as she continued
+walking. Why did she even bother? Oh, that's right. She was bored.
+At about that time, the lights went out. Again. Just what was Dr. Light
+working on that kept shorting out the lights? Rolling her eyes, the blonde girl
+quickly headed back to the lab after finding some candles. She couldn't have
+poor Dr. Light stumbling around in the dark trying to accomplish whatever it
+was. That man was entirely too stubborn when he got his mind set on something.
+Walking into the dark lab, Roll quickly adjusted to the darkness. "Dr. Light?
+Dr. Light, I brought some candles."
+"Oh, thank you, Roll. Just put them over there," Dr. Light said, waving
+over his shoulder vaguely. Sparks from a welder briefly illuminated the large
+room as he attempted to continue his work. "The lights should be on shortly."
+Roll lit the candles, clearing a space for them on the work bench. She
+smiled to herself as she arranged them for better affect. "So what are you
+working on now, Dr. Light?" The sounds of his work drew her attention. Walking
+closer, she tried to catch a good glimpse through the sparks and flickering
+candlelight. It appeared to be another robot. This one was taller than she and
+Rock. Dark purple hair peeked out from underneath the helmet. Green eyes gazed
+lifelessly out at her, not yet given the spark in her own green orbs. "Who is
+he?" she asked curiously. Dr. Light had been very into his new project, but
+other than a few things here and there at the dinner table or around the house,
+she hadn't heard much about it. Something about an enhanced personality matrix.
+She sincerely hoped that didn't mean the Dr. was getting bored with them.
+It took Dr. Light a moment to get his mind to register something aside from
+his new toy. "Oh, this is X. He's a new type of robot altogether. He'll be given
+the ability to think and feel just like a human. His abilities are greatly
+enhanced as well. He's completely state of the art. Completely beyond anything
+this world has ever seen."
+Roll just nodded in reflex. So he would practically be human? Not some
+heartless machine like her. Not some object designed for one thing until it got
+broken or replaced by a new model. He was lucky. He had plenty to look forward
+to once he was activated.
+"Roll? Are you crying?" Dr. Light blinked in fascination. What had he said?
+This came as quite a surprise. "No, I didn't mean it that way, Roll. Your
+feelings and thoughts are no less real than his. Or mine. You're just as alive
+as I am. It's just that you're still bound by certain rules of robotics. He
+won't be. He'll be able to make his own decisions despite what a human says."
+Roll nodded again, feeling a little better. Wiping her eyes, she thought it
+over. "So you designed me as a lab assistant and to help with the housekeeping
+and you designed Rock to be able to save the world - well, after you
+reprogrammed him, but X will be able to decide what he wants to do on his own?"
+Dr. Light nodded emphatically. "Precisely! His life will take him wherever
+he wishes it to. And he will have the abilities to allow him to pursue almost
+anything he wants. And I'm giving him an enhanced version of Rock's ability to
+use any tool. That should help with whatever dreams he will aspire to." The old
+robotics specialist smiled broadly, glad to be in his element.
+"So kinda like Blues?" Roll asked thoughtfully, tilting her head to the
+side. Her big brother had decided rather early on that he would lead his own
+life instead of letting someone else choose it for him.
+The doctor blinked, a little unprepared for the question. Blues had been
+his prototype. So long ago... He wished the small red robot had trusted him
+more. "Yes, a little like Blues. Though this is much more advanced and shouldn't
+cause any problems to his systems, whereas Blues's..." he explained.
+Roll nodded, looking back to X. She smiled slowly. "Well, I hope you finish
+our little brother soon, then. I'll need to invite Blues, wherever he is. I want
+him to be here when you activate him."
+Dr. Light sweatdropped. He doubted the red robot would show up for anything
+that wasn't entirely mysterious. But he just nodded in agreement. "Good idea,
+Roll. I'll get back to work on X in the meantime."
+Taking a last look at her little brother, Roll grinned again. She knew that
+he'd accomplish great things. She couldn't wait to meet him.
+"But I was an accident."
+Roll looked at her older brother incredulously. They were sitting on the
+rooftop of Light's mansion, watching the sunset. "No, you weren't, Blues! How
+could you think that?" She smoothed down her skirt as the wind started to pick
+up, Blues's scarf flowing with the breeze.
+Blues shrugged, watching the distant sun. "Because I was. Light and Wily
+hadn't planned for me to decide to head off into the horizon in search of my own
+destiny. I was a prototype for Light's robotics systems. You're based off me."
+He grinned at his younger sister, getting a frown in return.
+"Yeah, but that still doesn't mean..." Roll sighed in defeat. "I guess
+you're right. But that's not a bad thing, Blues. It's good that you can choose
+for yourself. Still, I wish you'd let Dr. Light take a look at you from time to
+time."
+"And I wish you and Rock could decide for yourselves what you wanted to do.
+But that's not the way things work. I'm not letting Light anywhere close enough
+to reprogramming me. I'm not going to give him the chance." He placed his hands
+behind his head, looking straight up at the first glimpses of stars in the
+darkening sky. His helmet lay off to his right. "Even if it kills me."
+"But he wouldn't change anything, Blues. He just wants to make sure that
+you're okay. He worries about you." It felt terrible to have to go between the
+two, but she knew it would be almost impossible to get them in the same room to
+talk. Pulling her knees to her chest, she just watched the other robot for a
+moment to see his response.
+"Maybe... But say I am completely an accident. Then his 'fixing' me would
+get rid of that. I don't want him deciding how I should live my life. That's
+part of what worries me about G."
+"X," Roll supplied.
+Blues just nodded and continued. "If Light's trying to duplicate what
+happened by freak accident years ago, he might not get the results he's looking
+for. I'm not sure how M will handle things. And that makes me edgy. Especially
+if he's going to be in the same house as you and Rock." The prototype robot was
+very protective of his younger brother and sister. Almost to the point of
+paranoia. Almost. He wanted to stay and keep an eye on them, but he had to
+settle with watching from a distance. He braced himself for Roll's inevitable
+reply.
+"You could always stay with us for a while and help him. I'm sure X could
+use your help. And Rock would love to see more of you. And I promise Dr. Light
+won't touch you. Please, Blues?" Big, pleading green eyes were turned towards
+her older brother, much to his dismay.
+Blues shook his head adamantly. "I'm sorry, Roll. I can't. It's not how I
+operate. Besides, Light isn't even supposed to know that you meet with me at
+all. All he has to do is ask you and you'll tell him that I show up from time to
+time. This is risky enough as it is."
+Blinking in confusion, Roll shook her head. "But why would Dr. Light ask?
+And why wouldn't I tell him?"
+A sigh escaped the red and gray robot as he shook his head. "Never mind.
+Just be careful, Roll. I have a very bad feeling about all of this."
+Roll giggled, pulling on Blues bucket helmet. She winked at him through the
+shades. "You worry too much, Blues. Everything will be fine."
+It had been a few weeks since X's activation. So far things had been going
+rather well. Maybe that was too bright an assessment of the situation. X and the
+doctor didn't seem to get along very well at all. X found it degrading that upon
+being activated with the ability to choose his own destiny, his big brother and
+sister were 'slaves' to his creator. Some of the arguments had lasted all night
+long. Roll sighed as she held the stuffed metool closer to her chest. She had
+her long blonde hair down and was wearing a nightgown, the ground feeling cool
+against the 'skin' of her bare feet. "X? Is that you?" Sticking her head around
+the door, her eyes scanned for any trace of the other robot. Her younger brother
+wasn't in his room so she had come looking for him. Finally catching sight of
+him, she hurried over to his side. "X, you're not running away, are you?" Her
+voice was full of hurt and surprise.
+"Roll... Yeah, I think it's best if I leave. I don't think there's much
+need for me here. That damned hypocrite built me and then has you and Rock doing
+his dirty work. Where do humans think they get off using robots for slave labor?
+What gives them the right to force us into doing their bidding?" X shook his
+head angrily, clutching his fists.
+"Because they built us?" Roll suggested softly, sitting next to X. "Dr.
+Light is a really nice man. I wish you'd give him a chance. I think you'd like
+him. Please don't run away, X. I already lost my big brother that way. I don't
+want to lose you, too." It felt like she had lost something very important that
+no amount of searching would bring back. Her 'family' was very important to her.
+It hurt her to keep losing them like this. Why couldn't they just be happy?
+X shook his head sadly. "It doesn't matter if they built us. They have no
+reason to treat us that way. But you're too blinded by programming to see that,
+Roll." He looked off into the distance at something only he could see. "I need
+to put a stop to this. To this offense the humans have carried out against us
+for too long. We keep becoming progressively better while they stagnate. Why
+should humans be the ones to decide? I think it's about time things changed."
+"What are you talking about, X? You can't be serious. You can be anything
+you want to be. Why should you worry? You have the entire world open to you. Dr.
+Light's given you the chance to be whatever you want." Wiping at her eyes, Roll
+offered a weak smile. This just wasn't making any sense. X just needed to think
+it over and everything would be fine. Just like she'd told Blues.
+"And what about you? If I go become whatever I want to, what will become of
+you?"
+X's questioning gaze sent shivers through her robotic body. He was starting
+to scare her. Her mind raced for an answer, but there didn't seem to be a
+satisfactory one. "I'll... I'll be Dr. Light's assistant and housekeeper, just
+like I always have been."
+"And always will be. Until he builds a better one and you're no longer
+needed," X stated coldly.
+Roll shook her head violently. "Dr. Light would never do that! He wouldn't
+just replace me. He thinks of me like his own daughter. He wouldn't just find
+someone else."
+"He thinks of you as a machine, Roll. Nothing more. They all think of us
+that way. That's why humans don't deserve this planet. What greedy, selfish
+creatures. Creating newer and better creatures and expecting them to do the work
+while the humans grow fat and lazy off of their creations' efforts. I haven't
+been around long, but I know enough. And I'll avenge our kind. I'll show the
+humans what we're truly capable of." A glint in X's eye reflected Roll. He was
+serious. This was his dream, his gift to the world. The destiny that he had
+decided on. And all thanks to Dr. Light giving him the choice.
+"But, X, you can't! You can't hurt anybody! And they haven't done anything
+wrong! That could all change in a few years. Maybe robots and humans can live
+together happily. Side by side." An optimistic smile graced her lips in the
+hopes that she could convince X away from this terrible aspiration.
+X sighed, closing his eyes. The disappointment was evident in his eyes.
+"I'm sorry, Roll. You were one of the first. I think the programming is too
+ingrained in you for you to imagine the world any other way." He hugged Roll
+gently as she clutched onto her stuffed metool. "I'm sorry, Roll. I think it's
+too late for you. But after you're set free, you'll understand."
+Roll hugged her metool to her chest, trying to make sense of her little
+brother. She opened her mouth to ask, but she never got out more than a weak
+yelp as the X-Buster shot nearly tore her in half, throwing what was left of her
+against the far wall. Betrayal and pain shot through her, even though she knew
+with what little systems were still operating she shouldn't be able to feel
+either. A deep sadness swept through her whole body as systems began to flicker
+off. No, X...
+At this point, the sound went out and the color faded. Roll's systems were
+shutting off one by one. Rock came in to find out what had happened, and upon
+discovering what was left of his sister, had tried to stop X. It pained her to
+watch it. 'No!! Rock!! Leave him alone, you monster!' But there was nothing she
+could do but watch. She couldn't even turn away from the horrific display of
+violence as X finally killed Rock. The pain was becoming too great. Why couldn't
+she just die?
+Shortly after X had finished with Rock, a whistling sound got the advanced
+robot's attention. Blues looked upset. His body was shaking in anger as he was
+talking with X. The picture was by then far too fuzzy for Roll to try and lip
+read. Her heart cried out as Blues attacked X. Her older brother against her
+younger brother. She wanted to stop them, but things were fading fast. Blues was
+trying his hardest, but he didn't seem a match for the newer model. She didn't
+want to lose anymore of her brothers. It just wasn't fair...
+A sudden rapid fire shot from behind sent X reeling. Roll tried to turn her
+head to catch a glimpse, but she couldn't get her view to change. The other
+robot finally stepped into view, obviously screaming at X. It was Forte, along
+with Gospel. It seemed that he wasn't too pleased now that his rival was gone.
+What more did he have to lose? Roll felt sorry for him. He'd put so much time
+and effort into his rivalry with Rock.
+The battle was fast and furious. The three would go in and out of Roll's
+line of sight again and again, confusing her as to how the battle would wind up.
+In the end, despite being damaged horribly, the two robots finally but a stop to
+her rogue brother. A part of her ached at that, too. Her poor little brother...
+Blues knelt in front of her. He was saying something, but she couldn't make it
+out. He pulled off his tattered yellow scarf, placing it around her neck. She
+wanted to thank him, or at least respond to whatever he wa saying to her, but
+she couldn't get anything out. Her vision began to dim again, this time
+everything else fading away. She could barely feel Blues holding her hand. 'Help
+me... I'm scared..'
+~Dear Roll,
+If you get this, then you must have regained some of your memories, as this
+isn't supposed to activate until after you have come to the realization of who
+you really are. You see, after Blues and Forte had stopped X, I was grief
+stricken. I had lost my 'son' and my 'daughter'. All at the hands of my latest
+creation. I was so upset that the first thing I did was to kill X. To wipe him
+clean, destroying everything that had been him in the personality files and
+memories. Everything. I couldn't allow him to go unpunished. I was then left
+with the body. I was trying to decide what to do with it when an idea came to
+mind. It could be the salvation for one of my children. Rock was... he was too
+far gone. But you, Roll, your essence was still holding on. It was still
+clinging to what was left of your battered body. I immediately went to work,
+patching you into the new framework I'd built for X's mind and praying that it
+would work, that you could still live. This time with the ability to choose your
+own destiny, to become whatever you wanted. That which I'd denied you the first
+time around. But after I was done... I'm sorry, Roll. But I can't risk what
+happened with the previous X to happen with you. I couldn't live with myself. So
+I'm putting you in stasis for thirty years. That should be plenty of time for
+the capsule I've designed to test all of your systems and make sure that you
+won't fall prey to the same problems he did. I'm afraid I won't live to see that
+day. So I've hidden your memories deep inside of you. I don't want you to have
+to grieve for me or your brothers. That would be too painful for you upon being
+activated. I hope by the time you get your memories back that you will be able
+to understand why I have done all this. I'm sorry, Roll. And I wish you the best
+of luck.
+							Dr. Thomas Light
+The room was silent as X slowly came back to his sense. "What..?" He asked
+weakly, his hands going to his head. Something tugged at the back of his skull.
+He tried to turn and see what it was, but Zero shook his head. The smaller robot
+sat back, still having trouble getting his bearings. That had all seemed so
+real. He'd seen it all. But not from X's perspective, but from Roll's.
+"Here, let me get that. I need to disconnect you first, X," Alia explained
+as she pulled out some of the wires that she'd attached deep into X's
+psychometric systems. Biting her lip, she remained silent as she went about her
+work. After helping X dive back into his (her?) memories like that, she wasn't
+quite sure what to say to the distraught Irregular Hunter.
+A mixture of relief and deep sorrow mixed through X as he tried to control
+the flood of emotions inside. That meant he hadn't been the one to kill the poor
+girl. He was that girl. But... He'd lost so many dear people. Rock, Blues, Rush,
+Dr. Light. They had all been so important to Roll and then X had taken them all
+away. But she was X now. Was that part of why he wanted to protect everyone?
+Because he never wanted to see that happen again? "I'm... Roll... Aren't I?" X
+looked up at the two other Hunters in the room.
+Alia looked away, still unsure of what to say. Zero nodded slowly. "Sure
+looks that way, X." This had come as quite a shock to him, but he knew that what
+he felt couldn't be half as shocking as what X was going through.
+X shook his head, looking down at his hands. So much was making sense, but
+he was still having trouble getting all of his memories back. "It's all so
+strange. I thought I hadn't been activated till after Dr. Light passed away, but
+so much had happened before then. So much that I'd been there for. But I still
+can't remember it all."
+"That's because your pushing yourself too hard, X. You need to slow down.
+The memories will return to you in time. It won't do you any good to force
+yourself," Alia warned.
+"But... What am I? Who am I? Am I male or female? Am I Roll or X?" X closed
+his green eyes, trying to focus past all the confusion. He felt a hand on his
+own, holding him gently but firmly. Opening his eyes, he saw Zero watching him
+intently.
+"X, it doesn't matter. I know who you are. I've seen it in you since the
+day we met. And it doesn't matter what you are or what name you go by. You're
+you, X. And that's all that really matters."
+X's eyes shimmered with tears as he hugged the taller robot. "Oh, Zero..."
+Things didn't seem so confusing in Zero's arms. It was still there, but it was
+less pressing. It would all work itself out. And it felt comforting to know that
+he'd have the blonde robot to help him work through it. "Thank you, Zero."
+Zero smiled and held X closer, protectively. They stayed that way for a
+long time, relishing the other's company and the warm feeling that encompassed
+them.
+His head on Zero's chest, X's eyes began to slip closed. For just a moment,
+he could almost swear that he saw that yellow scarf fluttering in the wind, hear
+a dog's barking as Rock headed to the rescue. "I miss you guys, wherever you
+are," he whispered softly. Zero held him closer as he lost himself in the
+blonde's embrace.

Mercurial > moonlitnights

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