This is my first submission so I hope you all like it.

Disclaimer. I don't own Mega/Rockman, etc, etc.

Notes: This story is set in the intervening period between MM8 and MMX.

Thanks to all those who have given positive feedback.

The Adventures of Rock Light: Prologue

"... We have received no more news from the coroners working on the case, but we do have visual confirmation that the nefarious Dr. Wily is..."

"Computer. New station."

"... Experts are still speculating as to the cause of death, but one thing is certain..."

"Next station."

"... are over! The Wily Wars are over! You heard it here first, on Station K..."

"Kill the radio feed."

The computer console beeped twice quietly to acknowledge the command. The figure at the desk sighed, shaking his head. He looked around the office, his eyes pausing at the framed picture of the late Dr Light on the opposite wall. He smiled a little. That picture had always been one of his favorites. He sighed and turned his focus back to the datapad on the desk. He let his fingers fly over the keys, moving of their own accord.

The news mongers are already jumping on the story like vultures... I saw it coming, but I still don't like it. It seems odd... The world will be rejoicing at Wily's death, but they mourned for Dr Light. They were both great men, who, in their own times, did good things for humanity. Dr Light would want people to have remembered the great things he did... Not that he'd ever consider them great himself, of course. He was content to merely invent... Wily, too, had his own vision for the world. Ironically, his aggression achieved it far better than he ever could have done otherwise.

The figure stopped, drumming fingers against the wooden desktop. An archaic touch, true. But it made the room feel homier. Light always liked it that way. He traced a finger along the grain, then started typing at the datapad again.

He tried to repent, in the end. I still don't know why he did it. Maybe his conscious suddenly kicked in? Maybe he realized that he had finally achieved his goals, and wanted to set things right. Perhaps, it was the last desperate act of a sinner. We'll never know, now. His motivation in death, as in life, will now forever remain a mystery. All we can do now is rebuild. Tie up the loose ends and finally put this ordeal behind us. And move forward. But to what? Things will change, of course. The world is always changing. But things seem less sure, now.

The young boy paused again, running his fingers through his messy jet-black hair. He picked up the data pad and leaned back in the chair, placing it in his lap.

I don't know what the future will bring anymore. It's kind of liberating, really. But scary, in a way. And for someone like me, that's really saying something. A whole world of possibilities awaits, and finally I can explore them all. Dad would be happy for me, I know.

A knock sounded at the door. The lone boy lifted his head. "Enter!"

A young, blond-headed girl with her hair tied back in a ponytail poked her head into the office. "Rock, there's a vidcall for you. They're holding in the main lab. Want me to patch it through here?"

Rock nodded, pressing SAVE on his datapad and standing up. "Thanks, Roll. I'll take it in there, though."

She nodded, "Okay. I'll tell them you'll be out in a minute, then." She vanished, leaving the door ajar behind her.

Rock ran a hand over the antique desk, sighing softly. "I wish you were still here, father... You'd know what to do. I miss you." He opened the top drawer in the desk, depositing his datapad inside and using the antique key to lock it again. Pausing at the door, he looked around the office one last time before shutting the lights off and closing the door behind him.

Striding out to the control room, he pulled back on the sleeve of his shirt, tapping a short command sequence into the wristband he wore. His endothermic sensors registered the warmth of the teleport sequence surrounding his body, removing his clothing and replacing it with the familiar blue bodysuit and armor. He turned to face the monitor squarely, standing at attention and simply announcing, "General." The vidscreen came alive instantly, the status holding screen replaced by the rigid face of a Global Nation Army Officer.

He nodded, taping at a datapad off screen. "You've no doubt heard the netcast by now, I presume."

Rock nodded, stiffly. "Of course sir."

The general entered something into his datapad. "Do you have your report ready?"

Rock shook his head. "No sir. It will be a few days yet."

The officer frowned. "A few days? It should be a simple matter to read the contents of a single disk."

Rock nodded again. "It is. However, I am exercising extreme caution while handling this disk. We still don't know what Wily's true intentions were, and I refuse to give any programs resident on that disk access to a computer connected to a high-level security clearance terminal such as the ones at the lab. I've special ordered the necessary equipment, but it will take a few days to prepare and ship, even at their highest priority."

The human frowned, entering more information into his terminal. "Acceptable, then. Give me a full report as soon as possible."

Rock saluted the general. "Yes sir. Talk to you in a few more days." The general killed the connection from his terminal, leaving a 'disconnected' screen in place of his video stream. Rock rolled his eyes and removed his helmet, tossing it onto a desk chair. "Geeze. I hate the formal military types."

Roll giggled from behind her console. "At least it keeps them off our backs, though."

Rock shook his head. "Maybe, but only a little. They still just think of us as robots, sis. We'll never command the same respect that dad did."

"Just give it time, Rock. They just don't understand, that's all."

Rock leaned on the console Roll was stationed at, looking at her terminal upside-down. "Yeah, I guess... Dad never really told them what he did with us, after all."

Roll tapped a button, inverting the display to reveal a data compilation regarding robot sightings. "I've already tracked down most of them, so I should be able to get a fix with the satellite to keep an eye on their whereabouts soon."

Rock nods. "Great, Roll. This will really help a lot."

"It looks like they're mostly staying hidden... There have been only a few raids for power supplies and the like."

"Hmm... Good. Hopefully the fighting will stay away from the public, then." Rock stepped back, flipping open a panel on his Mega Buster and entering another control sequence. His body glowed with a white light as the teleport sequence replaced the armor with jeans and a shirt.

"Computer! Please dial Rick for me. Personal line."

The dialing screen was quickly replaced with a view of the top of a head full of messy red hair. Rock grinned. "Hey Rick. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

Rick looked up, startled. "Wha? Oh! Hi Rock. I didn't notice the vidline come on. What's up?"

"Well, I sent an order through your company line, and I was just wondering if there was any way you could put a rush on it. It's urgent, but I can't say why, if you catch my drift."

Rick leaned over to a console at his left, tapping a few commands into it. "Let's see what we've got in the queue. Couple regular orders... Some priority shipments. Hmm... Here we go. Got a huge corporate order we're having issues with. I'll bump you in front of them."

Rock smiled. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

Rick continued tapping at his console. "Let's see... Got your file up... Wow, that's a piece of work. No external hookups, no wireless... Self-sustaining power source. I know I shouldn't pry... But are you dealing with some kind of virus?"

"Rick, you know I can't talk about official business... But it's a good guess."

Rick grinned, pushing a few buttons. "Ahhh, gotcha. Well, you're all set. Everything should be ready tomorrow, and shipped the day after."

Rock nodded. "Thanks again."

"Hey, no problem man. If there's anything you ever need, just ask. Dr Light did a lot for us starting up, so..."

Rock held up a hand to stop his friend. "You've done more than enough, really."

"Yeah, I guess you're right" Rick glanced over at another console. "Oops. It seems I've got a conference call coming in. Probably about the coloring of their shift keys or something. I gotta go. Talk to you later, huh?"

"Sure thing. Computer, end call." The display was replaced by a status screen showing a news ticker.

Roll spoke up from her console. "I updated the schedule, Rock. We should be able to have that report done in three days, maybe four."

Rock nodded, dropping into a chair and picking up his helmet, tracing a finger along its features. "You know... I've been doing this almost ever since I was born..." He shook his head slowly. "It's hard to believe this war might finally be over."

Roll leaned over her console to watch her brother. "Yeah... But it'll be good to finally be able to relax. You know dad never wanted this life for us."

"Yeah, I know. But still, I can't help but worry." He turned the helmet over in his hands.

The girl frowned, "Worried? Why should you be worried?"

Rock lifted his gaze to meet his sister's. "Because, after this... I don't know what to do anymore. This is all I know."

Roll smiled at her brother. "Don't worry, we'll have all the time in the world to figure it out when we're done."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm going to go hit the combat sim for a little bit, kay?" He rose, tucking his helmet under his arm.

Roll nodded. "Sure thing, Rock. I'll use the intercom if anything comes up."