Humankind was well into the 21st century when the singularity became the main focus of computational research. First came significant developments in altering the very nature of computation with the advent of quantum processors. Superpositional states of matter allowed for exponentially faster computers, leading to the next advancement in electronic technology: neural substrates. Combining billions of quantum processors into an interlinked network solved slower-than-light-speed lag issues overnight. Soon afterward, an open-sourced operating system funded by a consortium of major technology corporations provided the world community an opportunity to create the first ever-evolving, self-governing, sentient intelligence.
Codenamed Joe, aiOS was uploaded into the latest prototype of an artificial being developed in conjunction with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Thus it was that ProtoMan was borne, and it developed new capabilities at an astounding rate. With the success of ProtoMan came the next iteration of being, military units designed for both international and intra-national peacekeeping: Sniper Joe. Utilizing the faster, smarter aiOS , Sniper Joe became the worldwide standard for basic domestic and foreign police service.
Turning research sights toward public benefit, it was not long before aiOS was adapted for public household use. In the confines of the lab, two new synergistic beings were created that would help one another be of service to the common man. Codenamed Rock and Roll, these two beings had sunny, compassionate personalities that proved to the world's scientific community that artificial intelligence was as inherently altruistic as human intelligence. Building on the aiOS platform, industrial machines were soon developed for the private sector that came pre-loaded with aiOS_C, a sector-specific, customizable OS that could operate on simple spoken-word commands, but did not possess the traits of the human condition, namely tardiness or fatigue. Machines utilizing aiOS_C were initially used in the mining, fabrication, and energy domains. Profits soared for corporations who invested in these new workers, and funds were funneled back into further research and development of aiOS.
After decades of success, the best mind behind artificial intelleigence was awarded the Nobel Prize in computational physics. Dr. Thomas Light was afterward recognized by the scientific community as the 'father of AI'. A year later, Dr. Light won the LIT Manual Design Contest for his creation of Rock and Roll; his assistant, Dr. Albert W. Wily, won runner-up for his design of faster-than-light wireless communication.
However, during the transition between government use and public availability of aiOS, the ancestor of Sniper Joe became resentful of its obsolescence. The ProtoMan program was never disbanded, which allowed it to continue developing intelligent human-like psychoemotional constructs. Fearing disassembly due to both a lack of purpose, as well as a failing power system, ProtoMan silently escaped Dr. Light's research facility, and was soon lost to the world. After learning of ProtoMan's disappearance, Dr. Wily expressed his empathy with ProtoMan's sorrow, and complained about a lack of recognition due to Dr. Light's success. Vengeance built up within Wily, and before he vanished from the lab, he secretly uploaded an encrypted sub-script to Dr. Light's industrial machines, causing them to revolt against their employers. Within a single day, chaos enveloped the world as the aiOS_C machines began destroying facilities and cities, bankrupting once-powerful corporations, and bringing trouble upon Dr. Light.
Seeing no alternative, as breaking the encryption of the sub-script would have taken centuries, Rock volunteered to be outfitted by Dr. Light with upgraded systems that would allow it to destroy the renegade machines, and bring Wily to justice. Moments before Dr. Light was captured by authorities, he completed Rock's alterations, re-branding his creation MegaMan. He ordered MegaMan to stop the industrial machines and capture Wily alive, and MegaMan barely escaped the clutches of the world police before setting out to save the world.