The Second Law

by Darkspace7

"For Netto Hikari discovering that you aren't exactly as human as you once thought can come as quite a shock. It's a good thing thing though that your family isn't exactly the most conventional one around either, huh?" A sort of sequel and aftermath to "The First Law" and part of the "Law of Robotics AU".

AN:

Fun fact: I wrote this thing by hand multiple times (even writing on my hands a couple of times) before finally typing it up. All thirty-something pages. Hikari family, I love you guys dearly but why are you such a pain to write?

Okay, so this picks up directly after "The First Law" and is the second entry (obviously) in what I've been calling the Law of Robotics AU.

You guys know the drill by now. I don't own Rockman nor any of his family and friends; Capcom and its affiliates do. Time to stop stalling now, are you ready?

---

"A robot must obey the orders given by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law."

---

Initializing start-up procedures...

Running System Diagnostics:
Core Functionality...Stable - Power Level at 97%
Passive Automated Systems...Online
Defensive Module Programming...Disengaged
Data Collection and Retrieval Systems...Operational
Auditory Processing Units...Online
Locomotion Subroutines...Fully Operational
Thought-to-Speech Conversion...Online
AI Programming and Personality Data...Located
File Name: [Netto Hikari].exe...Active

System Status: Fully Operational

Finalizing start-up sequence...

...A pair of dark brown eyes cracked open.

'I really should have seen this coming.' He thought to himself as he stared up at the unremarkable off-white ceiling blankly, silently marveling at the way his eyes played tricks on him with the deep shadows. A breath in, then release.

'Where am I?'

He tilted his head to the left. A small nightstand stood beside him, its wooden surface bare save for a single item placed carefully in its center: his PET. Brown eyes drifted from the device to the wall across from it. A monitor lay flush against it; its screen dark and the tiny light right next to its infrared port blinked a soft blue, signifying it was in standby mode. Twisting back around, his breath caught.

'...Dad?'

There, in one of those uncomfortable-looking plastic chairs, slept Yuichiro Hikari. He took a second to scan over his father's slumped form and frowned at what he saw. He looked absolutely terrible.

Heavy bags had checked in under shuttered eyelids and clothing was ruffled with some suspicious-looking splotches splattered across their surface. It was as if the man hadn't had a proper night's rest in ages, (which, knowing his father, was probably the case.) If he looked closely he could faintly catch the thick lines that marred his slumbering visage, making him appear older somehow. Lines that he probably caused, he thought with a stab of guilt.

'This is my fault.' His fists clenched tightly against soft sheets of the bedspread. Wait...fists? He froze. Ever so slowly his gaze crept downward to find...two perfectly intact limbs?

He stared in a sort of dumbfounded stupor as he carefully curled and uncurled them, splaying the digits wide before reforming them into a loose fist. What the hell? "Had...it all been a dream?"

"If only we could think ourselves so lucky."

He jolted.

A quick glance up revealed that his twin had stationed himself within the now-active confines of the wall-mounted screen and was looking over him with no small amount of relief. It might have just been his mind playing tricks on him, but he thought he could detect a hint of that same worn-down weariness in the navi's soulful green eyes. He averted his own back downwards, mouth suddenly dry.

"...How long?" He asked quietly.

"About three days." Rockman answered, matching his tone. His gaze slowly drifted to the right some ways to come to rest on his father's form. Three days...Had he really been there all this time?

"Yeah. He never left your side and neither have I. Heh, you couldn't have made us even if you tried." His brother managed a wan smile.

He twitched. He'd accidentially said that last bit out loud hadn't he?

"You kind of did."

Coughing awkwardly into his hand, he hoped it was dark enough to the bright flush of his cheeks. "So...just where are we anyway? A hospital or something?"

Rockman shook his head. "Not quite." A brow rose questioningly and he elaborated, "You remember those spare examination rooms in the back of SciLab? The ones they only really for research and emergencies?" A nod. "We're in one of those." He let out a soft noise of understanding.

Then, "Nii-san what...what happened?" His fist clenched at his side and he tried to ignore the way it shook.

"I...I honestly don't know Netto-kun." The navi sighed. "After that fiasco with the copyroid you- ah...you can remember what happened back there with them, right?" A terse nod signified that, yes, he did in fact remember. How the hell was he supposed to forget something like that? "Right." The blue-suited navi seemed to nod to himself, "Well, after you passed out Enzan and Laika went on to administer first-aid and with the help of those medical guys Searchman called in they managed to get all of us back to SciLab."

"They had a lot of questions. And it wasn't like I knew anymore about whatever was going on than they did." Rockman appeared to frown at something in the distance. "The weirdest thing though? I...don't think Meijin-san or any of the others sent him a message or anything but there from the very moment we set foot in the door was Papa, waiting for us." As he shook his head the frown deepened, "I've never seen him act like that before."

He was almost afraid to ask but, "Like what?"

His brother made a vague gesture. "That. He had this whole big fight with the medics just so they'd let you go and he'd be able take a look at you and everything. I mean, holy crap Netto-kun you should have seen it! He looked near ready to punch someone for a moment there."

He gawked. "No way."

"It's true!" Rockman exclaimed. "Well, when he finally managed to get you away from them he dragged you off into this secluded part of the labs and, er, put you back together."

"Put me back together." He echoed faintly, "H-How? What-"

"Dunno." Rockman shrugged. "Papa refused to let any of us in the room until he was finished and when we finally got to see you everything was just fine and he wouldn't tell us just how he did it." He pulled a face. Ugh, seriously? "Hey, don't give me that look. We all tried to get him to confess but do you want to know what he said?"

"What?"

"'I know this may seem very confusing to you and I assure you there's a good explanation for all of this but I need you to bear with it for a little while and give me a some time alright?'" His twin mimicked then seemed to falter a bit, "And...considering the circumstances and everything I guess that kind of made sense and I know he just wanted to wait until you woke up and saw you were okay but...still-"

"So you've pretty much just been waiting for me to wake up then?"

"Pretty much."

The two lapsed into an awkward silence that only served to span moment before it was shattered by the sound of a quiet groan. They started slightly and turned to face the responsible party; watching as he shuffled a bit then lifted a hand to scrub blearily at his face, knocking his glasses further askew in the process. The man pulled himself up and seemed to take a second to blink away the fog that had fallen.

"Papa?"

The voice appeared to startle Yuichiro and he quickly twisted around. "Netto, you're awake!" The eldest Hikari sighed out, "Thank goodness." The prevalent exhaustion bled into a look of deep-set worry that made him want to squirm uncomfortably. "So...how are you holding up?"

"I'm...fine." He lied through his teeth. He most certainly was not. "You did a great job with...whatever it was. Everything's fully functional, see?" He rolled his shoulder with a weak laugh, faltering somewhat as his attempt at a joke fell flat.

"Netto..." Oh no, there it was, the disappointed dad look. He sunk into himself a little and stared silently down into his lap. That squirmy-wriggly buzz of guilt only served to deepen further still. "When you boys showed up like you did I thought I was about to have a heart attack." Suddenly, he found his father's arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace.

"...Dad?"

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, you hear me? That goes for both of you." He tried to ignore the way the man's voice shook and instead focused on the way the arms tightened minutely. "I can't lose you again."

...Again?

"Okay." His small hand went up to clutch at the back of his father's labcoat. "I won't. I promise."

A small keening noise came from behind him as his brother burst out. "Papa I'm so sorry! This is all my fault. If I-" But his father simply lifted a hand to cut him off. Yuichiro pulled away to look at his eldest son.

"Saito please." With a shake of the head accompanied by a saddened smile he said, "You did the best you could and that's all I could've asked for. Neither of you are at fault for what happened back there so don't even begin to blame yourselves." Twin flinches and sheepish looks made the older man crack a brief smirk before he quickly sobered. "If anyone were take the blame it would have to be me." He sighed, "After all I'm the one who cleared Meijin-san to allow you boys to chase after that awful thing-"

"No!" Twin voices cried out, startling the scientist.

"No?"

Dual pairs of green and brown stared back at him with the same stubborn set. Rockman was first to speak, "Papa if we don't get to blame ourselves for this then neither do you!" He bobbed his head along in agreement.

"Boys."

"Yeah, I mean he has a point. After all, wasn't this pretty much the copyroid's fault anyway? What with my arm being torn off like that by them and everything..." And just like that the three of them were reminded of what exactly it was that had brought them together in the first place and an awkward atmosphere settled upon them like fog.

"...So...um, Dad."

"Hm?"

"I've been meaning to ask, are you okay?" He eyed his father speculatively, "'Cause no offense but right now you kind of look like you got into a fight with a garbage truck and lost."

"Netto-kun" Rockman groaned.

"What? Come on, we were both thinking it!" A slight flush of the navi's cheeks said that, yes, he had indeed been thinking just that. But still-

"That doesn't mean you can just go out and say it! There is such a thing as tact you know."

"Well excuse me for being honest then!"

Their little exchange seemed to bring forth a chuckle from their father. They immediately stopped to look back at the man in question. "Easy you two, I think I get the point. It certainly has been a rough couple of days for everyone, hasn't it?" He shook his head, "Truth be told, I honestly could use a cup of coffee right about now. Or four." He muttered that last part.

"Then don't let us stop you Dad."

Before the man could even begin protest his brother chimed in, "Yeah, we'll be fine Papa. You, on the other hand, need to get something in your system before wind up passing out from something other than just exhaustion." Rockman caught his father's gaze and surprisingly enough, the elder male was the one to first to look away.

"Okay, okay. Fine." He conceded. The scientist stood with a small 'oof' and turned to face the twins with a stern parental look. "But I'll only be gone for a moment alright? Netto, I know you said that you're feeling better but that doesn't mean you can just get up and wander off now like I know you want to, do you understand? No wandering off. This goes for you as well Saito. I need you to keep an eye on your brother for me and please," bespectacled eyes flickered between the two of them, "at least try to stay out of trouble."

"Alright." His brother made a sort of shooing motion. "I'll do my very best and if anything does happen I'll be sure to come and get you in a flash. Now go on, don't worry about us okay?"

His father made a move to the door and just as the man was about to cross the threshold he felt lips move unbidden as he said, "Hey, Dad, and maybe when you get back you can finally tell us just what the hell's going on."

Rockman cast a glance over at him, startled. "Netto-kun..." He murmured.

The man twitched imperceptibly and froze for a second before,"...Yeah. Maybe." And then he was gone.

He stared at the door for a long moment before releasing a sigh, mood dropping like a stone. Without trying, he could sense the wordless concern that now emanated off of his silent twin and he wasn't really sure if he was ready to face that. Flopping back, he grabbed the pillow from behind him and let it act as a barrier between him and the rest of the world. He groaned.

Damn it. Why did things always have to be so complicated?

[ X ]

He pressed his face deeper into the soft fabric of the pillow. If he tried, he could pretend he was back home sprawled across his bed and that everything up to this point had been nothing but a horrible nightmare. But no, the sheets around him were simply too thin and felt wrong against his skin and where was the trace of lavender detergent that his mother was so fond of using? His hand slowly ran down the light fabric, twisting it between his fingers.

How was it he was even able to feel that anyway? He knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the hand itself was not real; yet he was still somehow able to sense the silky texture of the bedspread, the faint brush of nightclothes against his skin, and the dull pain of nails cutting into his palm as if it were. Just another question to add to the ever growing mound of them that needed to be shoved off onto his father, he supposed.

If the man ever decided to come back, that is.

He swore under his breath. Even after repetitive assurances he could still feel the weight of his brother's silent gaze upon him. Why, he could almost picture the exact look of worry tainting those normally lively green eyes. Yet another reason why he didn't quite feel like removing his impromptu blindfold just yet.

But with the whoosh of the door sliding open and shut it seemed the world had other plans.

He lifted the pillow up a bit and upon seeing who it was pulled a face. "Oh, its just you guys." Was the only thing he said before the pillow plonked back down over his head. Enzan silently cocked a brow.

"Sorry about that. He's just kind of frustrated right now."

"So no luck on your end either I presume?"

He groaned.

"We're still waiting for him to come back actually." His brother admitted.

"Is that so?" Laika hummed. The green-haired teen slowly limped his way across the room and carefully parked himself in one of the plastic chairs with a sigh. He shifted the pillow from his face somewhat and focused on the other intently. "When did he leave?"

"A couple of hours ago. He left to get some coffee or something and we haven't seen him since." He droned on then added in somewhat petulantly, "He probably passed out on the old couch in his lab again."

"Again?" It was Blues this time. It sounded like the red navi's eyebrow was raised.

He simply shrugged, "It wouldn't be the first time." His attention drifted back to the Sharonan beside of him and he watched as the other shifted a little then quickly bit back a grimace. He frowned. "Hey Laika you okay?" The other blinked at him. "Just now it seemed like you were in pain, plus you were limping earlier." He elaborated.

"Oh. It's nothing." The teen shook his head. "Just a minor sprain that I had managed to acquire during our battle, nothing serious."

Ah, so that's what it was. He nestled a bit deeper into the confines of the covers, hand creeping up to clutch at the thin fabric. Glancing up, he found both Enzan and Laika staring at him. "What?"

Laika quickly turned away but Enzan continued to stare, seemingly intrigued by something. The intensity of that blue-eyed gaze was starting to make him uncomfortable. "Weird." The boy remarked suddenly.

"What's weird?" He hedged.

"Your arm." He replied simply, gesturing to the limb in question. "It's like you never lost it in the first place." Brown eyes widened a touch. Okay, wow. What the actual hell Enzan? And people called him tactless. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his brother twitch and shoot the dual-toned youth a look. The Net Savior was either oblivious or seemed to ignore it entirely as he focused on the navi. "Are you absolutely positive you don't know anything-"

"Look, I already told you if I had I would've said something!" The blue navi huffed.

"Ugh, you two please don't start this again." Searchman groaned from his PET, rubbing his forehead as if he was staving off a rather fierce headache as Blues watched on in apparent sympathy.

He alternated between the two sets and then over to the teen beside of him who could only offer a helpless shrug. The boy stared for a moment before turning back to the bickering pair. "You know..." He began in the driest tone he could muster, "This was kind of a huge shock to me too guys, after all, its not everyday you find out you're made of metal by having your freaking arm ripped off." That little note killed the conversation real quick.

"Which is why I was kind of hoping to talk to Dad." He continued quietly, "Because if there's anyone who knows what's going on it's got to be him."

"Now if only he would be so forthcoming." Laika muttered darkly.

Enzan snorted. "You'd have better luck strapping the man down and trying to force the information out of him than you would with any other approach. Hikari's been known to be notoriously stubborn at times." He got the feeling that last little bit was aimed at him so in retaliation he stuck his tongue out at the older boy. Enzan rolled his eyes.

"That's actually not a bad idea, Enzan." He conceded, 'I wonder if we'd actually be able to pull it off though, and where would we get the rope?'

"Netto-kun!"

Oops, he had said that out loud hadn't he? Judging from the look the elder twin was giving him, yep, he had. "What? You know what Dad's like when it comes to stuff like this." The glint in his brother's eyes told him that, yes, he did in fact know but even so...

"It couldn't hurt to ask him one more time."

"And if he refuses?"

Rockman shrugged blithely, "Then we can tie him to the chair. Its not like we have any other ideas right now anyway."

They seemed to contemplate the validity of this statement for a span when suddenly a rather loud clamor came from the hall and with it a voice. "Now who the hell put that there...Ah, sorry I took so long-" The door slid open, "-I swear I only sat down for a moment but someway or another I managed to doze off in the process."

He shot the others a silent 'I told you so' to which his friends merely responded to with a shake of the head and an eyeroll respectively. Ah well at least the navi seemed to share his amusement (well not counting his brother of course who just appeared to be exasperated) so he chalked that up as a win in his processors. Wait. Rewind that. What? He shook his head to dismiss oddity and refocus on the conversation at hand.

"-But why would anyone just leave a cart like that in the middle of the hallway?" Blues pondered to which his fellow navi simply shrugged. Oh so that's what that noise was.

"Well we're glad that you're alright aren't we Netto-kun?"

"Wha-? Ah...yeah." He nodded, not quite looking at the man as he did. The small smile that had formed on his father's face died a swift death and with it went the conversation. A leaden air settled over the residents of the room and it took all of his power not to stand up and crack a window or something to rid himself of the stagnant atmosphere that now plagued them. They glanced at one another, each person waiting for the other to make the first move.

It was Enzan who finally stopped beating around the bush. "Well as you can recall, when questioned about what transpired during the copyroid incident you remained evasive and declined to comment. With the state of your son at the time this behaviour was to be expected and you were given some leniency. But now seeing as he is clearly on the mend-" He made a sweeping gesture to the figure on the bed,"-perhaps you would finally care to enlighten us?"

The scientist stared at the young Net Saver and his companions, his inscrutable visage flicked briefly over to his sons who simply stared back at him before seeming to realize he wasn't getting out of this. The thought was enough to bring forth a resigned sigh. "You aren't going to give up, are you?" It was more of a statement really.

"We just want to know what's going on." Rockman responded softly, "We thought it would be better to try the straightforward approach first instead of plan B like Netto-kun wanted to do which would've involved some rope and a chair."

That was enough to warrant an eyebrow raise, "You would've let them bind me to a chair?"

"I would've helped." The navi responded flatly.

Despite the situation that seemed to elicit a trace of amusement from his father before it faded back into that characteristic seriousness. "Fine." He simply said, surprising them. "But none of what I'm about to tell you is allowed to leave this room, understood?"

The boys turned to one another in silent discussion before they turned back, "We understand."

Yuichiro took a breath to collect himself, "Now Netto, you have to understand that this is not how I intended for you to find out but what's done is done."

He felt his breathing stop and it took him a minute to remember how to restart it. So he did know. His father knew and decided to keep it a secret from him. What the hell, Dad? And he as so much voiced this sentiment, "You mean you actually knew about all of this?" He waved a hand at himself. "About all the metal and wires and other mechanical stuff?"

"Yes I did."

"Dad, what the actual fuck?"

"Language." His father frowned.

He was not repentant in the least. "It was justified, no, really," He defended at the sight of the elder Hikari's look. "What the hell could've prompted something like this?"

"Netto." The man pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you remember what I told you about what happened to your brother- about Saito?"

"Yes?" He answered slowly.

"Saito?" The green-haired teen mumbled and sent an inquiring glance over to Enzan who explained.

"Saito Hikari: Netto's older twin brother. He died at the age of eighteen months due to a rare congenital heart condition dubbed 'HBD'."

"Ah."

Yuichiro, who had overheard the exchange, nodded. "Yes, while that is indeed the case, I must admit that there is a bit more to the story than just that."

"Seriously?"

"What do you mean?"

Instead of the straight answer they were hoping for the man offered this non sequitur: "Did you know within a set of identical twins when one possesses something such as a congenital heart condition like that of HBD there is a heightened risk that the other may possibly contract it as well?"

It took them a moment to process this but it was the elder twin himself who was the first to get it. The blue navi sucked in a sharp breath and stared aghast at his father. "No! You can't possibly mean-" But the pained look in his father's eyes was nothing more than a grim confirmation.

Enzan was the next. His eyes widened imperceptibly and he glanced from father to son before taking on a contemplative lilt. Then came Laika who merely seemed to blink then proceed to shoot the doctor a strange look. He glanced between his friends and family somewhat unnerved. The conclusion they had all appeared to have come to continued to elude him which, when he thought about it, didn't seem quite right. He knew that he knew the answer but it was as if it had been placed just out of reach; locked behind a massive firewall to which he didn't have the passkey. "I don't understand." He said plainly and his father sighed.

"When Saito first began to show signs of HBD your mother and I took the both of you to the hospital and one of the specialists there explained this to us. They recommended that as a precautionary measure that we have you tested as well." A flash of old pain coloured the man's eyes and he felt a growing sense of dread. "They all came back positive. You, Netto Hikari, had contracted a particularly devastating strain of HBD just as Saito had."

He stalled, functions grinding to a halt as the words cycled through his skull- unable to be processed. "W-what?" He'd once been sick just like Saito nii-san had? He had contracted HBD just like his brother? A small crack formed within the firewall taking with it what little colour he had left.

'"I can't lose you again."' Hadn't that been what his father had said? Again. A slow feeling of horror crept up his spine and the crack widened-

'Like my brother had...oh god.'

-and the wall shattered.

He stared blankly ahead for a long moment as he came to terms with this information before he forcefully closed the page on it and took a huge mental step back. 'O-Okay. Don't think about it too hard. Down that path lies nothing but ruin. Do not think about it!' He thought about it. His body was wracked with a disturbed shudder. Damn it.

But wait, if...if that was the case then how-

"Dad, what did you do?"

Yuichiro's gaze drifted towards the direction of the window, expression darkening into something unreadable. "In order to save the both of you," He said, "I did what needed to be done." Well if that wasn't ominous as all get out then the didn't know what was. (And for the briefest of instants he felt a pang of fear in his chest but whether this fear was for or because of the man that now stood before them he couldn't quite say.)

No one was quite sure what to make of that.

"Hold on just a second." That was Blues there, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I've come to understand the situation: in order to save your sons you went ahead and turned one into a navi and the other into a robot." Was it just him or did he sound a touch incredulous?

"Well 'Robot Master' actually." They all stared. He coloured slightly, "I didn't come up with the name if that's what you're thinking, one of the other project partners did."

"'Other?'"

"Papa, j-just...how many people were involved with this?"

"Just two, don't worry." He raised a quelling hand. "My father and your other grandfather, both of who were rather close rivals for a time and the respective authorities of their own individual fields."

Blues made a soft noise of understanding. The navi muttered lowly under his breath something that sounded suspiciously like 'Of course it'd be him, goddamnit Tadashi.' He shot Enzan's PET a look of befuddlement. Just how exactly did the red navi seem to know his grandparents?

"'Dr. Tadashi Hikari: his numerous contributions to the field of Networking Technology have helped further the development of mankind and bring forth the Internet as we know it today.' Hn, I can see why he would have been enlisted to help work on such an ambitious idea." Searchman's words brought forth a thoughtful hum from his human companion.

"And with the other being a presumed master with robotics and like such mechanical systems; but to pin a name and face to such a being is a feat in of itself." The soldier mused, eyeing the newly dubbed 'Robot Master' beside of him.

He edged away from the other warily, "Why are you giving me that look?"

"Well it is your grandparents we're talking about."

"But I've never even met my other grandpa!" He sputtered, "Plus its not like I really know anything about him anyway. Mom doesn't really like to talk about him for some reason."

"Wasn't that because grandma 'broke up' with him or something?"

"Maybe?"

"'Broke up'? You mean a divorce."

"Yeah that!

From the corner of his eye Enzan observed the scientist who had opted to remain suspiciously silent throughout the duration of their discussion. His eyes narrowed slightly. Sneaking a glance at his PET he had hoped to gauge the red navi's thoughts on the matter only to find the being in question muttering something under his breath. An action of which prompted a raised brow. "What was that Blues?"

The navi froze and glanced up, he appeared to almost hesitate for a moment before seemingly coming to a decision. He gestured for Enzan to get closer. With a cursorily look about he turned back to the PET and tapped the volume down a touch before bringing the device up to his ear. His navi whispered something.

"...Oh you have got to be kidding me." He stared in disbelief at the figure behind the screen before pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyed exasperation. "That...explains a lot, actually." He muttered as he turned to the scientist with an utterly flat expression. "It's him isn't it?"

"Him who Enzan?" And now he was on the receiving end of that deadpan expression.

"Hikari think for a moment. Who else do we know with a high proficiency for robotics that is around your grandfather's age and was said to have a friendly rivalry with the man?"

"..." That's- "...No." No way. No way. He looked to his father who didn't appear to be all that happy with things either. "Him?"

Yuichiro reluctantly nodded. "Indeed, one of the men responsible for your current form is none other than my father's ex-best friend and formerly one of the world's foremost experts in the field of Robotic Development; Dr. Albert Wily. Your grandfather."

Dead silence. Then-

"WHAT?!"

"Dad, what the f-"

"B-But he's evil!"

"He did lead a criminal organization."

"There's no way-"

"He can't actually be-"

"He is unfortunately. Well, now you know there was a reason why your grandma left him." Their father remarked dryly.

The twins sputtered.

"I always wondered where you two got your penchant for destruction and mayhem, now I know." The two-toned Net Savior remarked. He lobbed the pillow at him.

"This isn't funny! You're not the one with an evil supervillain for a grandpa!" He proceeded to jab a finger at the older boy.

"Out of everything you've learned so far this is what you freak out about?" A voice chimed up from the boy's PET.

"Hey I can kinda handle the idea of being some kind of freaking robot but you have to draw the line somewhere."

"Um, forgive me for interrupting but this Dr. Wily, for as nefarious as you make him out to be it begs the question: why in the world would he bother to help you and your father in the first place?"

"That's the million Zenny question isn't it?" Searchman mused.

The good doctor's mood darkened further still. "Even I don't pretend to understand what goes through that man's head but I can assure you that his motives had not been entirely altruistic." They all settled down a touch and listened.

"I'm sensing a story here." Blues commented.

"Could you elaborate on that sir?"

Yuichiro nodded, casting a longing glance at the spare chair in the corner of the room. Enzan wordlessly pushed it over to him and was rewarded with a look of thanks in return. He plonked himself down with a weary sigh. Once sitting, the scientist hunched over slightly and steepled his fingers together on his lap, "For the record let me state that Wily hadn't always been the destructive megalomaniac that he is today. Long ago he had been nothing more than a researcher such as myself -albeit a rather crotchety one with any number of eccentricities- and he hadn't really done anything that could've strictly been considered 'evil' yet. In fact, when I first began to discuss the plans for the 'Robot Masters' project with my father and your mother -both of which who were rather understandably skeptical at the time- it was with his help that I actually managed to convince them of the validity of the project."

The man frowned somewhat, "I'm still not entirely sure how he discovered both of your conditions or what exactly I had intended to do about them in the first place, seeing as your mother wasn't on speaking terms with him at the time. Actually...that probably should have been the first red flag." He muttered to himself.

"Seeing as we've experienced the mechanisations of that madman first hand, some moreso than others-" The two-toned Net Savior shot the Robot Master a meaningful glance.

"Hey-"

"-I feel the need to ask: what exactly did the 'Robot Masters' project entail? What were you planning to accomplish with it besides just trying to save your sons?" That...was actually a good question.

"It was a two-fold plan actually. The first phase was to record Netto and Saito's brainwave patterns then with the data provided use it as a basis to craft an detailed AI program which would then be placed into a temporary navi frame constructed from previously acquired DNA."

"Ah, so you implemented the DNA Navi project that you had been working on into the framework of this?"

Yuichiro glanced at his eldest son, "Correct."

"Okay, so let me guess- the robot thing came next?" He said, rubbing his temple a bit to alleviate the headache that had begun to form. The sheer amount of times that his worldview had flipped on its axis in the last hour alone was beginning to become difficult to process.

"Yes that was the next phase." His father nodded, "Your program data would have then been downloaded into specially constructed mechanical bodies which would serve to both function and appear as near as they could possibly be to your original ones with the added feature of being somewhat more robust and sturdier than that of a normal human body. That way you would have been able to go about your lives as if nothing had happened." The scientist tapered off into a forlorn silence.

Ah dang it...he had the feeling he already knew but he had to ask, "Dad, what happened?"

"Wily happened. At first everything was proceeding along smoothly, each of us were dedicated to the tasks that we had assigned ourselves, even him. Perhaps it was that he had been given a chance to show off his skills in the field that he had devoted his life to, maybe it was the possibility of getting one over on his long-time rival that made him so willing -eager even- to prove his worth. A bit too eager if you ask me." He sat back a bit, "It was only a matter of time before we began to notice some irregularities."

"Such as?"

"Strange parts and programming with dubious origin that had managed to work their way into your systems and the like. Abrupt alterations to the schematics he and my father had drawn up. Things of that nature. When questioned about them he staunchly proclaimed his innocence; that he had no knowledge of how these things had come to be there or that they had been put into place in order to 'ensure your future safety' and that there was 'nothing to worry about'."

He snorted disbelievingly, oh come on did he really think that they were dumb enough to buy that?

"My sentiments exactly." His father flashed a wry smile, "And as luck would have it your grandpa agreed wholeheartedly. In secret he began to look into Wily's work in order to get to the bottom of things and it was there that he made some rather disconcerting discoveries."

"Which were?"

The scientist's eyes closed for a second as he seemed to brace himself for something. "A rather great number of the parts and program modifiers that had been used for the construction of your frames bore a disquieting resemblance to particular items that were put into use during the manufacture of automated combat-grade machines employed by the Sharo and Darkland militaries of the time." He paused to let the implications of that sink in.

The two soldiers eyed the man sharply but it was him, the resident android of the room, who spoke, "Hold on! So what you're trying to say is that he pretty much tried to turn me -turn us- into weapons or something with stuff he'd stolen from the military?I can't even-" Okay so this was beginning to become a recurring theme but seriously what actual the hell? Even he had enough common sense to know that stealing from the government was probably a bad idea (unless you had a very good reason for doing it. Actually, hold on. Did this count a good reason? Maybe? He wasn't sure, but either way it spelled trouble.)

"Pretty much, yes." There seemed to be a grim sort of humour in the man's eye as if he could tell what he was thinking. Actually, at this point that wouldn't surprise him. "Would you believe-" He went on, "-that your grandpa was much more vocal about voicing his displeasure when he found this out?"

"Gramps told him off?"

Yuichiro nodded, "There was some yelling involved, yes." Now he looked a bit uncomfortable here, "And I...might've wound up giving him a black eye at some point during the confrontation."

He gaped. Wily had driven his normally calm and mild-mannered father far enough he was willing to deck somebody? Dang, that was...actually kind of impressive. And apparently he wasn't the only one who thought so judging from the looks the others were giving him.

Blues let out a low whistle, "Nice."

His father glanced away and coughed awkwardly into his hand, "Hm, yes. Well things sort of escalated from there and after everything was said and done we were lucky to have saved what little scraps of the project that we could. He really did a number on them." He sighed, sobering a tad. "I fear it was through that incident the final wedge had been drove between our families and that it was our actions that had sent him down the path of destruction." His head sunk slightly in shame.

"Sir..."

"I find that rather hard to believe Papa." Rockman said heatedly, folding his arms across his chest. "How were you supposed to know he would pull something like that? From what it sounds like it seems like Dr. Wily sort of had it coming."

"He's right." Laika added, "Dr. Hikari you can't hold yourself accountable for the actions of others, only yourself. While your way of approach is not something I myself would have considered doing, I believe that if you hadn't done what you did then neither Netto nor Rockman would be with us here now." The good doctor seemed slightly taken aback by this but ultimately conceded the point in the teen's favour after mulling it over.

He scowled softly at his dad and rubbed absentmindedly at his temples. His brother glanced over and caught sight of the furrowed brow and shot him a concerned look. "Netto-kun are you alright?"

"Wha? Ah...yeah, sorry. Just a lot to take in, is all." He admitted quietly. His head was really starting to hurt quite a bit.

Rockman stared sympathetically at his younger sibling before his gaze shifted into something a touch more thoughtful. "Um, hey guys?" The blue navi turned to the others, "Maybe we should take a break, I mean its been a very long day for everyone and from looking at the digital display set up in here I'd say its almost three in the morning. You're going to need to rest sooner or later, especially you and Papa, Netto-kun. So do you think we could get a little time to think all of this over and pick it up in the morning or something?" He shot a thankful look at his brother; a gesture of which that was not lost upon the other residents of the room.

Enzan pushed himself away from the wall he'd been leaning against. "I suppose we have what we need for the moment. Come on Blues."

"Yes Enzan-sama."

They sauntered coolly past the bed, giving both him and his brother an imperceptible nod, and exited the room. Laika followed suit and pulled himself up from his chair with a hurriedly masked grimace before turning to the still seated doctor, "If you don't mind we'd like to have a word with you about some of the details discussed over the course of the evening. Would this be acceptable Dr. Hikari?"

"Of course," Yuichiro lifted himself up from his seat with a glance thrown over to the green-haired teen. "We can further discuss things in my lab. Follow me." The scientist said as he headed for the door. He shot a quick look back at his sons followed by somewhat apologetic smile before setting off on his trek back to the lab with the soldier tagging behind.

And then it was two.

He flopped back against the mattress and stared absently up at the ceiling. Lips pulled back into a thin line he seemed, for lack of a better word, disturbed. It was a long time before either of them spoke, long enough for the elder twin to get tired of standing around and proceed to make the jump from the monitor's screen back over to the PET on the nightstand. Wordlessly, he picked up the device and ran a hand along its side. Pale fingers picked at a dried fleck of red that dotted the PET's surface.

'When did that get there?' He wondered. His blood, except it wasn't really blood now was it? It was some sort of red gloop that mimicked real blood that his father (and grandfathers, plural, man that weird to say...) had built into him to make him seem more realistic, more human, because he was...

He swallowed thickly and set the PET down gently on his chest. Could his brother hear the way his heart pounded? Did he even have a heart? You had to have a heart to have a pulse right plus something had to be pumping all that red stuff through him didn't it?

It made his head spin to even think about it. Talk about a major malfunction. A weak smile formed at his own lame excuse for a joke. Idly, he wondered if this was what it was like to have your processors so bogged down you didn't know left from up. Perhaps he could as Saito nii-san. His brother knew a lot of stuff but he reckoned that made sense seeing as he pretty much lived in a type of computer. He paused at that.

Wait, if he was built with an AI or whatever did that mean for a time he had lived inside a computer like his brother? And if they had both occupied the same digital space together did that mean his brother knew about this whole mess as well? Was he the only one who hadn't been let in on the secret again?

"Did you know?"

"No. It was as much news to me as it was to you."

He pulled a face, "But...why didn't mom and dad say anything?" Why hadn't they told either of them the truth? That he wasn't what he thought he was. That he was really... "I mean I'm...I'm a friggin' robot for crying out loud!"

"'Robot Master'." Rockman corrected gently. He shot him a look.

"If my pillow wasn't halfway across the room right now I'd smack you with it."

"You could try." His brother smirked cheekily up at him. He snorted. "But I honestly don't know Netto-kun. Maybe...Maybe it was the same reason he didn't tell you about me starting off? I mean he did say that he wanted to make it so you could live your life as if nothing had happened." The navi shrugged nonchalantly but he'd have to be pretty dense to miss the sense of longing in his twin's tone. Now that wouldn't do. In lieu of the hug he wanted to give he settled for a comforting pat to the side of the PET. The sentiment still seemed to be appreciated.

"He was probably just trying to protect us or something in that weird way that he does. I mean he pretty much straight up told us Wily was trying to turn us into weapons of mass destruction or something." The very idea rankled him to no end. 'Fat chance I'd ever be someone's tool to take over the world.' He thought with a scowl. "Its probably his fault that you couldn't get an android body too, the jerk. I still can't believe Dad and Gramps worked with him."

"I still can't believe Papa decked him and gave him a black eye."

A smirk crept up at the mental image. "Yeah, that was awesome."

"I probably shouldn't say this but if he actually made him mad enough to do something like that he kind of had it coming." Oh no, he had corrupted his brother's way of thinking. The travesty. Maybe his brother would finally lighten up a little. "Netto-kun don't you think I don't see that look you're giving me." The smirk widened. Rockman rolled his eyes. "Hey, do you think Papa was serious about him being our...grandfather?" The blue navi shuddered, mildly perturbed at the very idea.

The shudder echoed through him. "Ugh. I really, really hope not because just...ugh." He stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Just think, if our grandfather really was an evil supervillain then what next?" A hand went up in a grand gesture, "Are we gonna discover that Blues is secretly our long-lost uncle and Enzan is actually his son?"

"Well there was that one time that he called Blues 'dad'." His brother reminded.

He blinked and thought back for a second, "Oh yeah." The smirk returned full force and stretched into a grin. That had been a fun mission. Enzan had been absolutely mortified when the word slipped out and had immediately set out denying that any such thing had ever came out of his mouth and he -being the good friend he was- had started laughing and ribbing him about it for the rest of the day afterwards. Come to think of it Blues had been rather happy about the whole thing in that weird quiet way of his and he didn't actually try to outright deny it or anything. Hm, this bore further investigation, but at a later date.

They lapsed once again into silence and his grin faded as the short-lived mirth bled away. The once lighthearted expression now replaced with something darker. Even though he could still laugh and joke with his brother that didn't really change the reality of the situation. He had once had HBD and much like his older brother he had succumbed to it. Succumbed and then been resurrected by his family in a shell of circuitry and steel. He lifted the hand once lost to him and stared at it. Maybe if he stared hard enough the layers of (fake) skin would peel away to reveal the metal and wiring he knew that lay beneath. There was no avoiding the fact: he was a robot. A so called 'Robot Master' constructed with an AI based on someone once flesh and blood now long gone. His hands shook slightly. He wasn't...human.

"Netto-kun?" His navi brother made a querying noise.

"S-Saito nii-san," Almost instantly the blue navi was on guard. "I'm a robot." The implications of this had finally hit home. "I died." A frigid feeling rushed through him and his whole frame shook somewhat at the chill. "I'm not human." And holy hell did it hit hard.

Green eyes jerked open in alarm. He could count the times he had heard that tone from his little brother on his fingertips but the sound always managed to strike a chord in him. The very idea of his brother being genuinely distressed enough to start tearing up was enough of a kicker to make his protective older sibling programming come out in full force.

Data coloured eyes hardened with a determined glint.

"So what if you're not fully human Netto, its not like I am either. I mean-" He stopped for a second to think over his next words carefully. "Does any of that really matter? You're here with us now and that's the important thing. Who gives a hoot if you're a bucket of bolts with a supercomputer inside his skull? Its your actions that make you who you are not what you're made of."

"Yeah?" He sniffed, picking the PET up so he could see the figure behind the screen staring levelly back at him. "And just who am I then?" He asked thickly.

His gaze softened, "You're Netto Hikari. My troublesome, curry-loving, netbattling obsessed, dork of a little brother who has more humanity in his pinkie toe than most people have in their whole bodies." Rockman folded his arms together and met his gaze head on. "And anyone who even so much as thinks otherwise ought to be smacked upside the head."

"Saito nii-san..." The boy stared at his brother's unfaltering conviction with a hint of awe. Brown eyes glistened with a suspicious sheen as he rested an arm over them but was ultimately unable to hide the watery smile that followed. "Did you just call me a dork?" He choked out.

"It's true though." The navi's eyes glittered with a certain fondness. "You are one."

"You jerk." But he was laughing anyway.

And soon his brother was too and if there were a few tears on both of their parts...well...he'd never tell.

[ X ]

It was dark now.

The lights had been switched off allowing for the night to slip in and cloak everything in shadows. And there he was again staring up at that off-white ceiling. His internal clock told him it was a little past five in the morning and he wondered how correct that fact actually was considering he couldn't use the thing to be on time to save his life. Maybe his dad had fixed that along with his arm. Probably, considering this was the first time he'd ever been willingly awake at such an hour. Okay, so maybe not willingly. He just couldn't sleep. He rolled over on his side and snuck a quick peek at the PET that rested beside him. Its screen now lay dark as the inhabitant slept within. He let slip a small smile.

The dork had been on them all to get some rest while he was the one who needed it the most. It had only been after he noticed the navi's exhaustion and proceeded to wheedle him about it that he'd even agreed to take a recharge. So with a 'goodnight' and the promise to join him in the realm of slumber he nodded. But sleep did not come easy for him as it did for his brother. Hence his current situation.

Wordlessly, he pushed himself up and gave a silent sigh. He needed some air.

Taking care as so not to wake his brother, he slipped from the bed and padded across the cold tiles to the farside window. Fumbling with the latches for a moment he finally managed to unhook them and cracked the glass open. A blast of wind hit his face and he shut his eyes, just allowing himself to soak up the feel of the brisk predawn air.

Brown eyes slowly drifted open and he gazed out upon the extensive Scilab complex. He glanced down. Huh, judging from the distance they weren't that far from the ground either, being around the second floor or so. If he really wanted to he could hop out the window that very moment and land safely in the grass below with ease.

A sudden impulse propelled him forward a step, so why didn't he do just that? A quick walk might just be the thing he needed to clear his head.

He bit his lip and risked a look back towards the door. But if anyone of the others came back and discovered he had escaped they'd freak. He glanced back to the window. The fresh air and promise of freedom was too tempting though. He needed some time to himself where he could just breath.

'I'll just have to come back before anyone notices I'm gone. Simple as that.' He thought, as he opened the window a bit wider. A quick glance down to see if the coast was clear and then he hopped up onto the sill.

'Netto Hikari logging out.' He thought with a smirk as he slinked off into the night.