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     1.6 +Pay no attention to the string of numbers ^_^  Yes, they're there for a reason.
     1.7 +Don't ask.  Anyway, this is our first full entry into the fanfiction of Rockman
     1.8 +X, but please don't hesitate to e-mail with comments or criticism.  I told 
     1.9 +Heather that there wouldn't be an Authors' Note, though, so ignore this ^_^;;
    1.10 +Thanks!  -- Boco the Chokobo, AmazonessDuo Webslave, Editor, and Co-Author
    1.11 +
    1.12 +
    1.13 +Fate in Haze
    1.14 + by AmazonessDuo
    1.15 + amazonessduo@hotmail.com
    1.16 +
    1.17 +
    1.18 +     "Roll..."
    1.19 +     What? Who?
    1.20 +     "Roll..."
    1.21 +     You said that already. Who is Roll? Where is she?
    1.22 +     "Roll!!"
    1.23 +     So much more insistent this time. Why are you so sad? I'm sorry... I wish I
    1.24 +could help. What have you lost?
    1.25 +     "Roll..."
    1.26 +     Zero... The only other time I've heard someone in such pain was when Zero 
    1.27 +lost Iris. And even then, he hid it from me. I remember it even more vividly 
    1.28 +from myself. When I lost Zero. I'm so sorry. I know how much it hurts...
    1.29 +     "Roll..."
    1.30 +     A last, anguished cry. No, why are you giving up? You can't give up hope. 
    1.31 +Sometimes it's the only thing we have left. Please don't give in to despair. 
    1.32 +Don't leave me all alone. I... I don't want to be alone..
    1.33 +     That girl... Who is she? Why is she so familiar? Why is she haunting me? 
    1.34 +I'm sorry. I'm trying so hard, but I can only do so much. I don't want to fight 
    1.35 +anymore. I just wish it would all go away. All of it except Zero. Stay with me, 
    1.36 +Zero. Please...
    1.37 +     Who are you? She smiles at me but says nothing. A beautiful, always 
    1.38 +cheerful smile graces the girl in front of me. I place my hand out and she 
    1.39 +mirrors me. Why? Who are you? Please. Please tell me. Another smile is all the 
    1.40 +answer I get. I don't understand. I can't help you if you don't tell me. 
    1.41 +     The mirror shatters, shards flying everywhere. Shadows envelop me as I try 
    1.42 +to struggle free. Sigma? No, I won't let you... That's not Sigma. But who... No, 
    1.43 +I don't want to die... I don't... Blues...
    1.44 +
    1.45 +     "X." The origin of all of the Repliroids moved around for a moment, still 
    1.46 +not quite awake. Zero just smiled in amusement as he watched his ally slumber, 
    1.47 +his hands on his hips. "X, get up. Alia wanted to see you about something. I 
    1.48 +think she's still thrilled that you finally brought back one of Light's armors 
    1.49 +in one piece." Who was Alia dating again? Oh yeah, that female hunter from the 
    1.50 +13th Unit. Not that it mattered. Gender really became pointless when one didn't 
    1.51 +need to reproduce sexually. He'd been mistaken for female on a number of 
    1.52 +occasions himself. Even Iris had thought so when she'd first seen him. A pang of 
    1.53 +guilt stabbed him in the side at the thought of her.
    1.54 +     "Roll..." X shook his head as he tried to stand up, grabbing onto Zero for 
    1.55 +support. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to make sense of the disturbing 
    1.56 +dream. The image of a tattered yellow scarf wouldn't leave his mind. He shivered 
    1.57 +at the memories. Something about them just shook him to the core. "Yeah, I'll go 
    1.58 +do that, Zero. She's probably waiting." 
    1.59 +     Zero watched his smaller companion turn to leave after letting go of him. 
    1.60 +Things just didn't feel right. The smaller robot felt different today. "X, 
    1.61 +what's wrong?" Zero knew that X had never wanted to be an Irregular Hunter. 
    1.62 +Being a pacifist at heart, this wasn't at all what X wanted. But unless they 
    1.63 +could finally stop the ongoing chaos, X would never have the peace he longed 
    1.64 +for. So they both had to keep fighting. But although that bothered X quite 
    1.65 +often, Zero didn't think this was quite the same thing this time.
    1.66 +     Pausing for a moment, X was silent. He wanted to talk to Zero about it, but
    1.67 +he wasn't quite sure what the dream had meant himself. The whole experience had 
    1.68 +just been strange. Like something buried deep in his mind. As soon as he almost 
    1.69 +grasped onto it, it slipped further away from him. If only he could talk to Dr. 
    1.70 +Light. But the only time he ever saw him was with the armor capsules. He was 
    1.71 +really starting to doubt the good doctor was dead, though. How could he have 
    1.72 +built all of those and scattered them so conveniently? Whatever the case, it 
    1.73 +made it more frustrating for a very confused X. Picking up his helmet, X sighed.
    1.74 +"It's nothing, Zero. I'm worrying too much about something that's not important. 
    1.75 +Let's go see Alia."
    1.76 +     Zero nodded, still not quite convinced but not wanting to press X about it 
    1.77 +if that's what he wanted. As the two Hunters walked towards the work station 
    1.78 +Alia had been using the last Zero had seen of her, the blonde watched his friend
    1.79 +carefully. X seemed to be deep in thought, still wrestling with whatever it was 
    1.80 +that he wasn't telling him. "X, sometimes..." A blaring siren cut Zero off 
    1.81 +midsentence right when he was about to say something profound. 
    1.82 +     "Yeah, Zero?" X asked, obviously more interested in what his friend had to 
    1.83 +say than whatever new catastrophe was popping up. Those got old rather quickly. 
    1.84 +And Sigma hadn't even had an elaborate death scene the last time. How could he 
    1.85 +even think Sigma was dead lacking an elaborate death scene? Killing him at his 
    1.86 +citadel didn't work, killing his virus form didn't work, Zero stabbing him with 
    1.87 +an anti-sigma virus program didn't work. Why would an exploding space station be
    1.88 +any different?
    1.89 +     "Damn, I lost it," Zero said, his hand on his chin. The blaring siren of 
    1.90 +the level 10 alert was grating. The blonde offered a slight smile and placed a 
    1.91 +hand on X's shoulder. "Whatever's inside your heart is good, X. I know that 
    1.92 +personally. Don't ever fight yourself or you'll tarnish that beauty. Trust in 
    1.93 +your heart. It's the only guide you have." 
    1.94 +     X just stared at Zero as the seconds ticked past. He felt himself smile, a 
    1.95 +slight blush on his cheeks as his spirits soared. "Thanks, Zero. I'll remember 
    1.96 +that." Looking down, X tried to collect himself. There was so much he wanted to 
    1.97 +say to Zero. By the time he looked up, Zero was already heading to see what the 
    1.98 +alert was all about. X sighed and hurried to catch up. "Zero! Wait for me!"
    1.99 +	
   1.100 +     A bolt of blue signified the arrival of X out on the frozen tundra. 
   1.101 +Apparently an arctic base had been terrorized by an Irregular and it was X's job
   1.102 +to see just what was going on and put a stop to it. Zero had offered to go, but 
   1.103 +after the dream this morning, X couldn't sit back while this was happening. The 
   1.104 +ice made crunching sounds under his feet as he traversed the icy wasteland. 
   1.105 +"Hello?" For a long moment, he didn't hear anything. Finally, he could hear a 
   1.106 +low moan off in the distance. X quickly dashed to the scene. A man was lying 
   1.107 +face down in the snow, obviously in pain. Well, a Repliroid at least. They did 
   1.108 +most of the work these days. "Are you all right?" X asked as he kneeled next to 
   1.109 +the injured Repliroid.
   1.110 +     "Ahhh.. It came out of nowhere... No time to get away... Bill was saying 
   1.111 +that I spent too much time polarizing the sensors... So I told Bill just what he 
   1.112 +could do with the sensors... Then he..."
   1.113 +     "Do you by any chance know where the Irregular went?" X asked, cutting him 
   1.114 +off. It wasn't that his story wasn't.. colorful, it's just that he was in a 
   1.115 +hurry. 
   1.116 +     "Huh? That way." The Repliroid pointed back behind him. "You're X, right? 
   1.117 +Say, is it true that only animalistic Repliroids go Irregular?"
   1.118 +     "No, that's only a myth," X explained as he powered up his X-buster.
   1.119 +     The Repliroid seemed to consider this for a moment. "Hmm... Alright then, 
   1.120 +name two non-animalistic ones that went Irregular."
   1.121 +     X stared at the man in the snow for a long moment. "Vava and Double." He 
   1.122 +looked back the way the Repliroid had come, trying to judge where the Irregular 
   1.123 +might be hiding. His thoughts were once again shattered by the Repliroid. 
   1.124 +     "Fair enough. But I bet you couldn't name three," he said smugly.
   1.125 +     "Look, I'm really very busy right now. And I could name more, but I'm on 
   1.126 +the job. Can you move? You need to get to safety," X said, feeling a little 
   1.127 +exasperated.
   1.128 +     "Oh sure. I'm just a little beaten up, that's all. Go ahead and leave me 
   1.129 +out in the god forsaken cold. I'll be just fine."
   1.130 +     "Good. I'll come back for you later." Before the Repliroid could reply, X 
   1.131 +dashed off towards the frigid caverns that awaited him. His footsteps echoed 
   1.132 +within the icy confines. Every movement of the windswept snow outside nearly 
   1.133 +startled him. It wasn't long before he heard a heart wrenching shriek from up 
   1.134 +above. Whipping his X-buster up in that direction, he saw the Irregular in 
   1.135 +question. Fairly short with stubby legs and a light blue and black color scheme,
   1.136 +the Irregular watched him from above, perched on a ledge. 
   1.137 +     "Die, X!" he screamed as he leaped off. But the penguin, being a flightless 
   1.138 +bird even as a Repliroid, slammed into the ground several feet in front of X.
   1.139 +     X just blinked as he watched the Irregular for a few long moments. That 
   1.140 +certainly seemed anticlimactic. Nudging the Irregular with his foot, he was 
   1.141 +relieved when the downed penguin didn't move. Switching on his communicator, he 
   1.142 +smiled. "Alia, mission accAckk!!!" X yelped as the penguin slammed into him, 
   1.143 +throwing him back into an ice covered wall. 
   1.144 +     "You didn't think I'd go down that easily did you? You've obviously never 
   1.145 +tangled with Spank Penguin before!" The Irregular struck a pose as he waited for
   1.146 +his obvious grandeur to strike our hero. 
   1.147 +     X stared for a long moment, sweat dropping. "Spank... Penguin... Umm... 
   1.148 +Sure. Look, do we really have to fight?" X asked as he got to his feet. 
   1.149 +     "What the hell's wrong with Spank?!" The penguin asked angrily, his leather
   1.150 +paddle arms flapping in irritation. He was obviously a... Well, a Repliroid 
   1.151 +designed for very specific things. "It's a perfectly good name. Like X even 
   1.152 +makes any sense. At least mine explains something."
   1.153 +     X put his hands up in front of him defensively. "No, I didn't mean it like 
   1.154 +that. I just... I was making sure I got it right," he explained lamely. 
   1.155 +     "Now you're really gonna get it, Irregular Hunter! I was just going to bust
   1.156 +you up real good for Icy, but now you're screwed." 
   1.157 +     "Icy? Icy Penguigo? He used to be an Irregular Hunter back before Sigma led
   1.158 +the coup! I remember him. I used to see him from time to time when I'd be 
   1.159 +visiting Zero down at Hunter HQ," X said thoughtfully. 
   1.160 +     "That obviously didn't make you double think killing him," Spank shot out. 
   1.161 +"Now you'll die for killing my cousin!"
   1.162 +     "Wait! Icy was your cousin? I had no idea. I'm so sorry... I know what it's
   1.163 +like to lose a loved one like that. I lost two brothers. I know how much it can 
   1.164 +hurt," X said quietly as he took a step forward, a sad expression on his face. 
   1.165 +That could hurt so much, being all alone. Losing your family... X felt his eyes 
   1.166 +stinging. What had he done?
   1.167 +     Spank backed away a few feet, freaked out by the way X was acting. "What 
   1.168 +are you doing? You never had any brothers. You're the ancient, the original that 
   1.169 +Repliroids are based on. What the hell are you talking about?"
   1.170 +     "I'm sorry about Icy. I didn't want to hurt anybody. But if I hadn't, they 
   1.171 +would have hurt people. I couldn't let them do that." X looked at the penguin 
   1.172 +apologetically. The pain he felt was real, but he couldn't place any memories to
   1.173 +it. He knew he was the only one, but the thought of two brothers plagued him 
   1.174 +like the last vestiges of a nightmare that wouldn't go away. "I never wanted to 
   1.175 +hurt anyone. I just wanted to protect people."
   1.176 +     Spank shook his head. "That may justify you to yourself, but it's not going
   1.177 +to work on me. You could have all the reason in the world, but Icy's still dead 
   1.178 +and I'm not going to let you get away with it." Screaming at the top of whatever
   1.179 +passed for lungs in his mechanical body, Spank ran full tilt at the Irregular 
   1.180 +Hunter. 
   1.181 +     X yelped as he backpedaled, firing off a bolt with his X-buster. The blast 
   1.182 +caught the penguin square in the chest, throwing him a few meters along the 
   1.183 +floor. X sighed as he walked back up again. This obviously wasn't a war machine.
   1.184 +Just a misled Repliroid wanting to get back something precious. As X stood 
   1.185 +there, watching the prone body of his enemy, he wondered why he had to be 
   1.186 +fighting this way. So many had died in his mission to restore peace. Was it 
   1.187 +really worth it? Would it ever come to an end? And why had... X never had the 
   1.188 +chance to finish the thought as Spank popped up again, flailing his arms at the 
   1.189 +Irregular Hunter. Before X could do anything, a flash of light swiped through 
   1.190 +the penguin, his torso and lower half falling in two. "Zero!"
   1.191 +     "Are you alright, X? I came after Alia heard your message get cut off." 
   1.192 +     "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just surprised." The two looked at what was left of 
   1.193 +the Irregular for a long moment. "We should get going."
   1.194 +     "Good idea." Zero raised an eyebrow as the body continued to generate a 
   1.195 +buzzing sound before the two teleported back to headquarters. 
   1.196 +	
   1.197 +     Who was that girl? What did she want? Why was everyone crying? Why wouldn't
   1.198 +it leave him alone? He was already trying his hardest with everything. X 
   1.199 +clutched his head as he whimpered. His fingers ran through his hair as the half 
   1.200 +memories and shadows in his mind were cruelly taunting him, slipping through his
   1.201 +fingers like sand whenever he'd get close. What was going on? What was happening
   1.202 +to him? 
   1.203 +     X collapsed to his knees, his eyes still closed. Trying to sort this out 
   1.204 +was doing him no good. These memories... They felt like his own. So distant and 
   1.205 +nearly forgotten. But he knew they were before he had been activated. So they 
   1.206 +couldn't be his. Why would Dr. Light program those in? For what purpose? Even 
   1.207 +now, they were still shrouded in too much mist for him to unravel. 
   1.208 +     One thought that kept racing through his head was that perhaps he had been 
   1.209 +activated briefly before he had been put in his capsule. If so, maybe he had 
   1.210 +done something... something horrible that made the good doctor decide to test 
   1.211 +him for thirty years in an attempt to make sure the mistake was never made 
   1.212 +again. If so... Had he killed the girl? Had he killed Roll? His soul went cold 
   1.213 +at the thought. He knew that he could never do such a thing, but the thought 
   1.214 +that it was even a remote possibility frightened him to the core. That he could 
   1.215 +be capable of such senseless violence... 
   1.216 +     X wanted to talk to Dr. Light, but he had no way of contacting him, alive 
   1.217 +or dead. He knew Zero would listen, but he didn't know what to tell him. Zero 
   1.218 +already had plenty of his own problems. And Zero had lost Iris so recently. X 
   1.219 +didn't want to burden him with his own problems. He was strong enough to handle 
   1.220 +this on his own. He hoped. 
   1.221 +     Unfortunately, he had to deal with it soon. The dreams were beginning to 
   1.222 +consume him. Zero had noticed before he did that he was starting to slip in 
   1.223 +battle. His will to fight was starting to grow weaker, the fear of what he may 
   1.224 +be capable of lying just below the surface. If he didn't do something soon, the 
   1.225 +girl and the dreams would become too much for him to handle. 
   1.226 +     A sound in the doorway startled X. A figure stood sillohetted in the light 
   1.227 +from the hallway. "X..." Zero whispered softly. "X, what's wrong?" His voice was
   1.228 +soft but urgent. He couldn't stand by and watch his friend consumed by 
   1.229 +nightmares. Not the way he had been. He fought to find out the meaning behind 
   1.230 +them, to find out why this vicious cycle had been started. But X was being 
   1.231 +affected entirely differently. He was falling prey to the dreams that haunted 
   1.232 +him like specters of the past. 
   1.233 +     X stood up slowly, hair disheveled and his helmet lying on the floor a few 
   1.234 +feet away. "Zero... I'm so afraid... I don't know who I am anymore.." X said, 
   1.235 +his voice trembling. The smaller Irregular Hunter grabbed onto his taller 
   1.236 +counterpart after a moments hesitation. 
   1.237 +     Startled for only an instant, Zero held his frightened friend. At least now
   1.238 +he could help in some way. The two held on in silence for a long moment, a 
   1.239 +little peace amidst their chaotic lives. "I know who you are, X," Zero stated 
   1.240 +calmly. "You're the only one on this planet that realizes just how wrong this 
   1.241 +war is. And you're trying to stop it all on your own even though you never 
   1.242 +wanted to be a warrior. You're a pacifist carrying the dreams of the world with 
   1.243 +you into battle in an attempt to protect them. You were never meant to fight. 
   1.244 +That wasn't your path. You were dragged down upon it by tragedy. You're just 
   1.245 +doing the best that you can in every way you can." 
   1.246 +     X looked up at the blonde after hearing his comforting words, soothing his 
   1.247 +battered spirits slightly. "Then... Who are you, Zero?"
   1.248 +     Zero smiled and shrugged. "Me? I'm just a lonely and confused soul that has 
   1.249 +to know."
   1.250 +     "Know what?"
   1.251 +     "I have to know why," Zero explained simply.
   1.252 +     X thought this over for a moment, resting his head on Zero's chest. "Zero, 
   1.253 +I don't know how I'd go on without you. If it weren't for you, I would never 
   1.254 +have run off into battle in the first place. All I've wanted to do since the 
   1.255 +beginning is to fight with you. I don't think I could do it on my own."
   1.256 +     "Of course you could, X. All of my faith rests within you. I know that if 
   1.257 +this war ever has a chance of ending, it will be because of you." Zero brushed 
   1.258 +back some of X's hair from the still distraught Irregular Hunter's eyes. His 
   1.259 +own eyes locked with X's teary ones for a long moment. Cupping the other 
   1.260 +Hunter's chin, his lips pressed against X's. 
   1.261 +     X's arms went around Zero after a tense moment as the blue robot relaxed. 
   1.262 +When X opened his eyes again, the tears were gone. He smiled softly up at the 
   1.263 +blonde. "Thanks, Zero. I know what I want to do now. I wasn't sure at first, but
   1.264 +I want to confront the dreams. I want to know why I'm having them." How was Zero
   1.265 +always so strong and sure about everything? He wished he could be that strong. 
   1.266 +But it was enough just to be there with Zero. It felt so warm in his arms, like 
   1.267 +the war was light years away. It felt... right. 
   1.268 +     Ignoring the mortified look Douglas was giving them, Zero nodded simply. 
   1.269 +"We'll do everything we can to get to the bottom of it."
   1.270 +
   1.271 +     Why was everyone being so boring? There was absolutely nothing to do. Dr. 
   1.272 +Light was busy on something new he was working on that would 'revolutionize 
   1.273 +robotics', as he put it, Rock and Rush were out somewhere, probably trying to 
   1.274 +stop Dr. Wily again, and Blues was as always nowhere to be seen. There was 
   1.275 +nothing for her to do. 
   1.276 +     So Roll went back to doing what she always did when there was nothing to 
   1.277 +do. Attempt to make Dr. Light's lab just a little prettier. Some plants here and 
   1.278 +there, maybe a painting, sometimes a table. Anything that would get rid of that 
   1.279 +stale lab feeling. Of course, the good doctor usually ruined it by putting tools
   1.280 +or spare parts on the cute little tables or accidentally killing the plants. Or 
   1.281 +smearing oil all over the drapes. A sigh escaped her lips as she continued 
   1.282 +walking. Why did she even bother? Oh, that's right. She was bored. 
   1.283 +     At about that time, the lights went out. Again. Just what was Dr. Light 
   1.284 +working on that kept shorting out the lights? Rolling her eyes, the blonde girl
   1.285 +quickly headed back to the lab after finding some candles. She couldn't have 
   1.286 +poor Dr. Light stumbling around in the dark trying to accomplish whatever it 
   1.287 +was. That man was entirely too stubborn when he got his mind set on something. 
   1.288 +Walking into the dark lab, Roll quickly adjusted to the darkness. "Dr. Light? 
   1.289 +Dr. Light, I brought some candles."
   1.290 +     "Oh, thank you, Roll. Just put them over there," Dr. Light said, waving 
   1.291 +over his shoulder vaguely. Sparks from a welder briefly illuminated the large 
   1.292 +room as he attempted to continue his work. "The lights should be on shortly."
   1.293 +     Roll lit the candles, clearing a space for them on the work bench. She 
   1.294 +smiled to herself as she arranged them for better affect. "So what are you 
   1.295 +working on now, Dr. Light?" The sounds of his work drew her attention. Walking 
   1.296 +closer, she tried to catch a good glimpse through the sparks and flickering 
   1.297 +candlelight. It appeared to be another robot. This one was taller than she and 
   1.298 +Rock. Dark purple hair peeked out from underneath the helmet. Green eyes gazed 
   1.299 +lifelessly out at her, not yet given the spark in her own green orbs. "Who is 
   1.300 +he?" she asked curiously. Dr. Light had been very into his new project, but 
   1.301 +other than a few things here and there at the dinner table or around the house, 
   1.302 +she hadn't heard much about it. Something about an enhanced personality matrix. 
   1.303 +She sincerely hoped that didn't mean the Dr. was getting bored with them. 
   1.304 +     It took Dr. Light a moment to get his mind to register something aside from
   1.305 +his new toy. "Oh, this is X. He's a new type of robot altogether. He'll be given 
   1.306 +the ability to think and feel just like a human. His abilities are greatly 
   1.307 +enhanced as well. He's completely state of the art. Completely beyond anything 
   1.308 +this world has ever seen."
   1.309 +     Roll just nodded in reflex. So he would practically be human? Not some 
   1.310 +heartless machine like her. Not some object designed for one thing until it got 
   1.311 +broken or replaced by a new model. He was lucky. He had plenty to look forward 
   1.312 +to once he was activated.
   1.313 +     "Roll? Are you crying?" Dr. Light blinked in fascination. What had he said? 
   1.314 +This came as quite a surprise. "No, I didn't mean it that way, Roll. Your 
   1.315 +feelings and thoughts are no less real than his. Or mine. You're just as alive 
   1.316 +as I am. It's just that you're still bound by certain rules of robotics. He 
   1.317 +won't be. He'll be able to make his own decisions despite what a human says."
   1.318 +     Roll nodded again, feeling a little better. Wiping her eyes, she thought it
   1.319 +over. "So you designed me as a lab assistant and to help with the housekeeping 
   1.320 +and you designed Rock to be able to save the world - well, after you 
   1.321 +reprogrammed him, but X will be able to decide what he wants to do on his own?"
   1.322 +     Dr. Light nodded emphatically. "Precisely! His life will take him wherever 
   1.323 +he wishes it to. And he will have the abilities to allow him to pursue almost 
   1.324 +anything he wants. And I'm giving him an enhanced version of Rock's ability to 
   1.325 +use any tool. That should help with whatever dreams he will aspire to." The old 
   1.326 +robotics specialist smiled broadly, glad to be in his element. 
   1.327 +     "So kinda like Blues?" Roll asked thoughtfully, tilting her head to the 
   1.328 +side. Her big brother had decided rather early on that he would lead his own 
   1.329 +life instead of letting someone else choose it for him. 
   1.330 +     The doctor blinked, a little unprepared for the question. Blues had been 
   1.331 +his prototype. So long ago... He wished the small red robot had trusted him 
   1.332 +more. "Yes, a little like Blues. Though this is much more advanced and shouldn't 
   1.333 +cause any problems to his systems, whereas Blues's..." he explained. 
   1.334 +     Roll nodded, looking back to X. She smiled slowly. "Well, I hope you finish
   1.335 +our little brother soon, then. I'll need to invite Blues, wherever he is. I want
   1.336 +him to be here when you activate him." 
   1.337 +     Dr. Light sweatdropped. He doubted the red robot would show up for anything
   1.338 +that wasn't entirely mysterious. But he just nodded in agreement. "Good idea, 
   1.339 +Roll. I'll get back to work on X in the meantime." 
   1.340 +     Taking a last look at her little brother, Roll grinned again. She knew that
   1.341 +he'd accomplish great things. She couldn't wait to meet him.
   1.342 +
   1.343 +     "But I was an accident."
   1.344 +     Roll looked at her older brother incredulously. They were sitting on the 
   1.345 +rooftop of Light's mansion, watching the sunset. "No, you weren't, Blues! How 
   1.346 +could you think that?" She smoothed down her skirt as the wind started to pick 
   1.347 +up, Blues's scarf flowing with the breeze. 
   1.348 +     Blues shrugged, watching the distant sun. "Because I was. Light and Wily 
   1.349 +hadn't planned for me to decide to head off into the horizon in search of my own
   1.350 +destiny. I was a prototype for Light's robotics systems. You're based off me." 
   1.351 +He grinned at his younger sister, getting a frown in return.
   1.352 +     "Yeah, but that still doesn't mean..." Roll sighed in defeat. "I guess 
   1.353 +you're right. But that's not a bad thing, Blues. It's good that you can choose 
   1.354 +for yourself. Still, I wish you'd let Dr. Light take a look at you from time to 
   1.355 +time."
   1.356 +     "And I wish you and Rock could decide for yourselves what you wanted to do.
   1.357 +But that's not the way things work. I'm not letting Light anywhere close enough 
   1.358 +to reprogramming me. I'm not going to give him the chance." He placed his hands 
   1.359 +behind his head, looking straight up at the first glimpses of stars in the 
   1.360 +darkening sky. His helmet lay off to his right. "Even if it kills me."
   1.361 +     "But he wouldn't change anything, Blues. He just wants to make sure that 
   1.362 +you're okay. He worries about you." It felt terrible to have to go between the 
   1.363 +two, but she knew it would be almost impossible to get them in the same room to 
   1.364 +talk. Pulling her knees to her chest, she just watched the other robot for a 
   1.365 +moment to see his response.
   1.366 +     "Maybe... But say I am completely an accident. Then his 'fixing' me would 
   1.367 +get rid of that. I don't want him deciding how I should live my life. That's 
   1.368 +part of what worries me about G."
   1.369 +     "X," Roll supplied.
   1.370 +     Blues just nodded and continued. "If Light's trying to duplicate what 
   1.371 +happened by freak accident years ago, he might not get the results he's looking 
   1.372 +for. I'm not sure how M will handle things. And that makes me edgy. Especially 
   1.373 +if he's going to be in the same house as you and Rock." The prototype robot was 
   1.374 +very protective of his younger brother and sister. Almost to the point of 
   1.375 +paranoia. Almost. He wanted to stay and keep an eye on them, but he had to 
   1.376 +settle with watching from a distance. He braced himself for Roll's inevitable 
   1.377 +reply.
   1.378 +     "You could always stay with us for a while and help him. I'm sure X could 
   1.379 +use your help. And Rock would love to see more of you. And I promise Dr. Light 
   1.380 +won't touch you. Please, Blues?" Big, pleading green eyes were turned towards 
   1.381 +her older brother, much to his dismay. 
   1.382 +     Blues shook his head adamantly. "I'm sorry, Roll. I can't. It's not how I 
   1.383 +operate. Besides, Light isn't even supposed to know that you meet with me at 
   1.384 +all. All he has to do is ask you and you'll tell him that I show up from time to
   1.385 +time. This is risky enough as it is."
   1.386 +     Blinking in confusion, Roll shook her head. "But why would Dr. Light ask? 
   1.387 +And why wouldn't I tell him?"
   1.388 +     A sigh escaped the red and gray robot as he shook his head. "Never mind. 
   1.389 +Just be careful, Roll. I have a very bad feeling about all of this."
   1.390 +     Roll giggled, pulling on Blues bucket helmet. She winked at him through the 
   1.391 +shades. "You worry too much, Blues. Everything will be fine."
   1.392 +
   1.393 +     It had been a few weeks since X's activation. So far things had been going 
   1.394 +rather well. Maybe that was too bright an assessment of the situation. X and the
   1.395 +doctor didn't seem to get along very well at all. X found it degrading that upon 
   1.396 +being activated with the ability to choose his own destiny, his big brother and 
   1.397 +sister were 'slaves' to his creator. Some of the arguments had lasted all night 
   1.398 +long. Roll sighed as she held the stuffed metool closer to her chest. She had 
   1.399 +her long blonde hair down and was wearing a nightgown, the ground feeling cool 
   1.400 +against the 'skin' of her bare feet. "X? Is that you?" Sticking her head around 
   1.401 +the door, her eyes scanned for any trace of the other robot. Her younger brother
   1.402 +wasn't in his room so she had come looking for him. Finally catching sight of 
   1.403 +him, she hurried over to his side. "X, you're not running away, are you?" Her 
   1.404 +voice was full of hurt and surprise. 
   1.405 +     "Roll... Yeah, I think it's best if I leave. I don't think there's much 
   1.406 +need for me here. That damned hypocrite built me and then has you and Rock doing
   1.407 +his dirty work. Where do humans think they get off using robots for slave labor?
   1.408 +What gives them the right to force us into doing their bidding?" X shook his 
   1.409 +head angrily, clutching his fists.
   1.410 +     "Because they built us?" Roll suggested softly, sitting next to X. "Dr. 
   1.411 +Light is a really nice man. I wish you'd give him a chance. I think you'd like 
   1.412 +him. Please don't run away, X. I already lost my big brother that way. I don't 
   1.413 +want to lose you, too." It felt like she had lost something very important that 
   1.414 +no amount of searching would bring back. Her 'family' was very important to her.
   1.415 +It hurt her to keep losing them like this. Why couldn't they just be happy?
   1.416 +     X shook his head sadly. "It doesn't matter if they built us. They have no 
   1.417 +reason to treat us that way. But you're too blinded by programming to see that, 
   1.418 +Roll." He looked off into the distance at something only he could see. "I need 
   1.419 +to put a stop to this. To this offense the humans have carried out against us 
   1.420 +for too long. We keep becoming progressively better while they stagnate. Why 
   1.421 +should humans be the ones to decide? I think it's about time things changed."
   1.422 +     "What are you talking about, X? You can't be serious. You can be anything 
   1.423 +you want to be. Why should you worry? You have the entire world open to you. Dr.
   1.424 +Light's given you the chance to be whatever you want." Wiping at her eyes, Roll 
   1.425 +offered a weak smile. This just wasn't making any sense. X just needed to think 
   1.426 +it over and everything would be fine. Just like she'd told Blues.
   1.427 +     "And what about you? If I go become whatever I want to, what will become of
   1.428 +you?" 
   1.429 +     X's questioning gaze sent shivers through her robotic body. He was starting
   1.430 +to scare her. Her mind raced for an answer, but there didn't seem to be a 
   1.431 +satisfactory one. "I'll... I'll be Dr. Light's assistant and housekeeper, just 
   1.432 +like I always have been."
   1.433 +     "And always will be. Until he builds a better one and you're no longer 
   1.434 +needed," X stated coldly. 
   1.435 +     Roll shook her head violently. "Dr. Light would never do that! He wouldn't 
   1.436 +just replace me. He thinks of me like his own daughter. He wouldn't just find 
   1.437 +someone else."
   1.438 +     "He thinks of you as a machine, Roll. Nothing more. They all think of us 
   1.439 +that way. That's why humans don't deserve this planet. What greedy, selfish 
   1.440 +creatures. Creating newer and better creatures and expecting them to do the work
   1.441 +while the humans grow fat and lazy off of their creations' efforts. I haven't 
   1.442 +been around long, but I know enough. And I'll avenge our kind. I'll show the 
   1.443 +humans what we're truly capable of." A glint in X's eye reflected Roll. He was 
   1.444 +serious. This was his dream, his gift to the world. The destiny that he had 
   1.445 +decided on. And all thanks to Dr. Light giving him the choice.
   1.446 +     "But, X, you can't! You can't hurt anybody! And they haven't done anything 
   1.447 +wrong! That could all change in a few years. Maybe robots and humans can live 
   1.448 +together happily. Side by side." An optimistic smile graced her lips in the 
   1.449 +hopes that she could convince X away from this terrible aspiration.
   1.450 +     X sighed, closing his eyes. The disappointment was evident in his eyes. 
   1.451 +"I'm sorry, Roll. You were one of the first. I think the programming is too 
   1.452 +ingrained in you for you to imagine the world any other way." He hugged Roll 
   1.453 +gently as she clutched onto her stuffed metool. "I'm sorry, Roll. I think it's 
   1.454 +too late for you. But after you're set free, you'll understand."
   1.455 +     Roll hugged her metool to her chest, trying to make sense of her little 
   1.456 +brother. She opened her mouth to ask, but she never got out more than a weak 
   1.457 +yelp as the X-Buster shot nearly tore her in half, throwing what was left of her 
   1.458 +against the far wall. Betrayal and pain shot through her, even though she knew 
   1.459 +with what little systems were still operating she shouldn't be able to feel 
   1.460 +either. A deep sadness swept through her whole body as systems began to flicker 
   1.461 +off. No, X...	
   1.462 +	
   1.463 +     At this point, the sound went out and the color faded. Roll's systems were 
   1.464 +shutting off one by one. Rock came in to find out what had happened, and upon 
   1.465 +discovering what was left of his sister, had tried to stop X. It pained her to 
   1.466 +watch it. 'No!! Rock!! Leave him alone, you monster!' But there was nothing she 
   1.467 +could do but watch. She couldn't even turn away from the horrific display of 
   1.468 +violence as X finally killed Rock. The pain was becoming too great. Why couldn't 
   1.469 +she just die? 
   1.470 +     Shortly after X had finished with Rock, a whistling sound got the advanced 
   1.471 +robot's attention. Blues looked upset. His body was shaking in anger as he was 
   1.472 +talking with X. The picture was by then far too fuzzy for Roll to try and lip 
   1.473 +read. Her heart cried out as Blues attacked X. Her older brother against her 
   1.474 +younger brother. She wanted to stop them, but things were fading fast. Blues was
   1.475 +trying his hardest, but he didn't seem a match for the newer model. She didn't 
   1.476 +want to lose anymore of her brothers. It just wasn't fair...
   1.477 +     A sudden rapid fire shot from behind sent X reeling. Roll tried to turn her
   1.478 +head to catch a glimpse, but she couldn't get her view to change. The other 
   1.479 +robot finally stepped into view, obviously screaming at X. It was Forte, along 
   1.480 +with Gospel. It seemed that he wasn't too pleased now that his rival was gone. 
   1.481 +What more did he have to lose? Roll felt sorry for him. He'd put so much time 
   1.482 +and effort into his rivalry with Rock. 
   1.483 +     The battle was fast and furious. The three would go in and out of Roll's 
   1.484 +line of sight again and again, confusing her as to how the battle would wind up. 
   1.485 +In the end, despite being damaged horribly, the two robots finally but a stop to 
   1.486 +her rogue brother. A part of her ached at that, too. Her poor little brother... 
   1.487 +Blues knelt in front of her. He was saying something, but she couldn't make it 
   1.488 +out. He pulled off his tattered yellow scarf, placing it around her neck. She 
   1.489 +wanted to thank him, or at least respond to whatever he wa saying to her, but 
   1.490 +she couldn't get anything out. Her vision began to dim again, this time 
   1.491 +everything else fading away. She could barely feel Blues holding her hand. 'Help
   1.492 +me... I'm scared..'
   1.493 +
   1.494 +~Dear Roll,
   1.495 +     If you get this, then you must have regained some of your memories, as this
   1.496 +isn't supposed to activate until after you have come to the realization of who 
   1.497 +you really are. You see, after Blues and Forte had stopped X, I was grief 
   1.498 +stricken. I had lost my 'son' and my 'daughter'. All at the hands of my latest 
   1.499 +creation. I was so upset that the first thing I did was to kill X. To wipe him 
   1.500 +clean, destroying everything that had been him in the personality files and 
   1.501 +memories. Everything. I couldn't allow him to go unpunished. I was then left 
   1.502 +with the body. I was trying to decide what to do with it when an idea came to 
   1.503 +mind. It could be the salvation for one of my children. Rock was... he was too 
   1.504 +far gone. But you, Roll, your essence was still holding on. It was still 
   1.505 +clinging to what was left of your battered body. I immediately went to work, 
   1.506 +patching you into the new framework I'd built for X's mind and praying that it 
   1.507 +would work, that you could still live. This time with the ability to choose your
   1.508 +own destiny, to become whatever you wanted. That which I'd denied you the first 
   1.509 +time around. But after I was done... I'm sorry, Roll. But I can't risk what 
   1.510 +happened with the previous X to happen with you. I couldn't live with myself. So
   1.511 +I'm putting you in stasis for thirty years. That should be plenty of time for 
   1.512 +the capsule I've designed to test all of your systems and make sure that you 
   1.513 +won't fall prey to the same problems he did. I'm afraid I won't live to see that
   1.514 +day. So I've hidden your memories deep inside of you. I don't want you to have 
   1.515 +to grieve for me or your brothers. That would be too painful for you upon being 
   1.516 +activated. I hope by the time you get your memories back that you will be able 
   1.517 +to understand why I have done all this. I'm sorry, Roll. And I wish you the best
   1.518 +of luck.
   1.519 +
   1.520 +							Dr. Thomas Light
   1.521 +
   1.522 +
   1.523 +     The room was silent as X slowly came back to his sense. "What..?" He asked 
   1.524 +weakly, his hands going to his head. Something tugged at the back of his skull. 
   1.525 +He tried to turn and see what it was, but Zero shook his head. The smaller robot 
   1.526 +sat back, still having trouble getting his bearings. That had all seemed so 
   1.527 +real. He'd seen it all. But not from X's perspective, but from Roll's. 
   1.528 +     "Here, let me get that. I need to disconnect you first, X," Alia explained 
   1.529 +as she pulled out some of the wires that she'd attached deep into X's 
   1.530 +psychometric systems. Biting her lip, she remained silent as she went about her 
   1.531 +work. After helping X dive back into his (her?) memories like that, she wasn't 
   1.532 +quite sure what to say to the distraught Irregular Hunter.
   1.533 +     A mixture of relief and deep sorrow mixed through X as he tried to control 
   1.534 +the flood of emotions inside. That meant he hadn't been the one to kill the poor
   1.535 +girl. He was that girl. But... He'd lost so many dear people. Rock, Blues, Rush,
   1.536 +Dr. Light. They had all been so important to Roll and then X had taken them all 
   1.537 +away. But she was X now. Was that part of why he wanted to protect everyone? 
   1.538 +Because he never wanted to see that happen again? "I'm... Roll... Aren't I?" X 
   1.539 +looked up at the two other Hunters in the room.
   1.540 +     Alia looked away, still unsure of what to say. Zero nodded slowly. "Sure 
   1.541 +looks that way, X." This had come as quite a shock to him, but he knew that what
   1.542 +he felt couldn't be half as shocking as what X was going through. 
   1.543 +     X shook his head, looking down at his hands. So much was making sense, but 
   1.544 +he was still having trouble getting all of his memories back. "It's all so 
   1.545 +strange. I thought I hadn't been activated till after Dr. Light passed away, but
   1.546 +so much had happened before then. So much that I'd been there for. But I still 
   1.547 +can't remember it all."
   1.548 +     "That's because your pushing yourself too hard, X. You need to slow down. 
   1.549 +The memories will return to you in time. It won't do you any good to force 
   1.550 +yourself," Alia warned. 
   1.551 +     "But... What am I? Who am I? Am I male or female? Am I Roll or X?" X closed
   1.552 +his green eyes, trying to focus past all the confusion. He felt a hand on his 
   1.553 +own, holding him gently but firmly. Opening his eyes, he saw Zero watching him 
   1.554 +intently.
   1.555 +     "X, it doesn't matter. I know who you are. I've seen it in you since the 
   1.556 +day we met. And it doesn't matter what you are or what name you go by. You're 
   1.557 +you, X. And that's all that really matters." 
   1.558 +     X's eyes shimmered with tears as he hugged the taller robot. "Oh, Zero..." 
   1.559 +Things didn't seem so confusing in Zero's arms. It was still there, but it was 
   1.560 +less pressing. It would all work itself out. And it felt comforting to know that 
   1.561 +he'd have the blonde robot to help him work through it. "Thank you, Zero."
   1.562 +     Zero smiled and held X closer, protectively. They stayed that way for a 
   1.563 +long time, relishing the other's company and the warm feeling that encompassed 
   1.564 +them. 
   1.565 +     His head on Zero's chest, X's eyes began to slip closed. For just a moment,
   1.566 +he could almost swear that he saw that yellow scarf fluttering in the wind, hear
   1.567 +a dog's barking as Rock headed to the rescue. "I miss you guys, wherever you 
   1.568 +are," he whispered softly. Zero held him closer as he lost himself in the 
   1.569 +blonde's embrace.