"Would you mind setting up the next course for X?"
"Of course not."
"Thanks. He should be there in about seven minutes, but try to be out in five. He's improving rapidly."
"Agreed. I estimate we have four weeks of training before he reaches IX's last recorded ratings."
"Yes... but you will always be my best. I am sure of it."
"Thank you, professor."
Dr. Light always tells me, when we are alone, that I am his best. But his public praise goes to my... well, for lack of a better term, my little brother.
Who's my brother?
Well, his name is composed of his series name, followed by his version number.
"Megaman", Version 10. We call him "Megaman X".
I've been around much longer than X has. Over thirty years more, in fact. X is now about three months old, and already well-experienced. Not as impressive an advancement as IIX, but much better than his other ancestors.
He's never met me... which is, I agree, for the best. If he knew about me before a certain point in his developement, then he would be so fixated on training to be better than me that he might never learn what he needs to about being humble, being chivalrous, and being honorable.
I watch his progress, though, his training. He is very good. His current skill is almost that of his immediate predecessor. The difference is, IX was this good just before he was destroyed, in battle. X is this good very soon after being made.
In a few ways, I am a brother of X. In one, I am a creation of the same "father". But, both I and the professor will always consider me to be the "wise old uncle" to the Megaman series of androids. In another way, I too am a android. Mostly robot, but partially human. I've also a bit of feline wetware in me, in my balance/equilibrium systems, but I'm more human.
I am also much more powerful than the Megaman series.
Dr. Light is alone, in the developement of the Megaman series. He had the help of nearly a hundred other scientists for me. Those scientists have since been killed. I have protected the professor, and he has continued to develop the Megaman series in order to fight the Mavericks.
Mavericks? I'll get back to them later.
"Professor. The course is set."
"My thanks, Zero. X has been waiting."
"Excellent. I was only in there for four point seven minutes. Allow me to change my estimate to seventeen days."
"Of course, Zero. We all make mistakes."
"Professor..."
"I know. Forgive me. I was joking."
I smile, something I rarely have cause to do. It is not that I lack emotion; it is that the professor lacks the means to express his. A childhood disease stole his control of most of his facial muscles. I cannot tell when he is smiling, or frowning.
He manages speech with the assistance of a small voice-enhancement device worn like a necklace. The device is not advanced enough, however, to convey his tone of voice. Only simpler tone-shifts, like a questioning and an exclamatory tone, are simulated.
I watch X as he enters through the door, into the maze of metal that makes up the next leg of his daily training course. I had just been in there, through a secret entrance, to move some of the obstacles about, changing the course from day to day.
X looks about, his eyes flickering red; he seems to be studying the infrared spectrum. He seems to spy something, and he grins, the wide smile of a child who has just found a way to outwit his parents.
Dr. Light's eyebrows narrow, but the rest of his face remains stone-still. "Zero... what is he looking at?"
I frown, and check his status on the console. Then I switch the monitor to view the infrared spectrum, and my eyes go wide. "Blast... I didn't watch my thruster flare while opening the secret door! He's found the door!"
"Zero, quick! Out! I'll cover for you."
I glance at the monitor again, as X uses his boost-jets to dash towards the concealed door. I turn, and run out the only other door to the observation room.
A split-second later, the wall slides open, and X dashes into the observation room. Shock registers on his face, and he almost trips from suprise alone.
"Dr. Light!"
X looks just as young as he is... his childish face is framed by the flat-blue metallic helmet covering his head of wiring. His entire body is covered with the blue and light-gray metal that indicates he is of the Megaman series of androids.
His body is basically that of a human male. He stands at six feet, three point one inches. His feet are wider than a human's, and treaded. His left arm also has a much thicker forearm than a human's... the hand folds out of the way, to clear the muzzle of the upgradeable energy cannon in his arm.
Small jets on the soles of his feet permit him very short bursts of intense speed. They also permit a bit of extra strength; enough to open the heavy titanium plate which covers the secret door.
I look similar... my 'helmet' is a bit more boxy, and my face is that of a middle-aged man. I stand exactly six feet tall. My armor is dark red, and my feet are a bit wider than X's. My small ego, a nessesary evil meant to form self-protectiveness, is maintained by my hair... a ponytail of long fibers that simulates blond hair very well. The hair is long enough to fall clear to the ground. And on my back, there is a large box. In this box is my spare power source, as well as my weapon of choice; while X has a cannon in his arm, I have much more dexterity in my arms and hands. The box on my back acts as both recharger, and scabbard, for my energy saber.
"Yes, X? Good work, finding this room."
"Thanks, Dr. Light!" He beams widely, the childish pride visible in his smile.
"Now, get back out there, and finish the course, please."
X pouts momentarily, then walks back out. The panel slides closed, and I wait a moment before quietly stepping back in.
"That was close."
The professor thinks a moment, then turns to face me.
"Tomorrow, you will meet him. In the third section of his training course."
I remain silent for a moment.
"Yes, professor."
"No need to be so forlorn, Zero. It would happen someday."
I remain silent, pondering what will happen.
"Yes, professor. Third section. Tomorrow."
I sit on a wide metal beam, several dozen feet above the warehouse floor. This section of the course is for X to practice his jump-and-run skills. His speed, jumping, and on-the-run targetting are practiced in this area.
I hear the frantic whine of his foot-mounted thrusters, and grimace. The only thing slowing down his progress is his lack of guile... his forward approach to everything is part of why he will never match my abilities. Sad, but true... Perhaps the next version...
I hear the whines get closer, and then stop. Metallic clinks track his progress as he sees the wide open space before him. Forward, but not foolish. The wide open area of the floor which I have cleared is sheer-walled, and barren. I sit in shadows, where only my emissions signature will give me away. Emissions, in this case, means the stray magnetic field of the energy shielding which I have worn for this... exercise.
X stops beside the last metal crate before the open area, using what cover it provides while he makes a quick sweep of the area. He is obviously edgy, and with reason. We have never changed the course so dramatically.
He checks the distance to the door on the far side, and primes his jets for a long burst. The red-white glow floods from beneath his feet, and a pair of small wheels appear at the "toe" of each of his feet. A sudden roar, and he takes off at high speed, dashing as if roller-blading. He leans, almost falling, into the dash, his head only a couple feet clear of the ground. He is well-designed for speed, with excellent gyroscopic balance systems. He can right himself near-instantly, although it still takes several moments to come to a complete stop from the speed he is going.
As he reaches the halfway mark across the floor, I slip off the rafter, and into the light. He does not flinch or turn, however... he apparently already saw me. Good.
I drop down, and he visibly begins charging his arm-cannon. The blue glow from the muzzle of his arm-cannon gives it away. He apparently understands me as only a new type of threat. So far. I plan to see exactly what he is, so to speak, made of.
I hit the floor, and he cuts his jets. He is still coasting, and I wait a moment.
What I do next comes as a great suprise to him... he obviously had not noticed that I bear no arm-cannon. My right arm goes back, grabs the hilt of my saber, and I use my own jets to dash rapidly forward and left, the blade slashing down towards him.
He adds a burst of speed from his jets, and twists, turning and rolling sideways, and goes right under my blade. As he skids to a stop, his gyros swing him upright, and spin him with elegant accuracy to face me. As soon as he stands stable once again, he releases a fully-charged ion bolt at me.
I follow through with my slash, spinning, and the thick energy blade dissipates the bolt. He is unsuprised by this move alone; he has seen shields that do the same thing. But my next maneuver takes him by suprise. I use my jets, but instead of screaming along the ground, they push me upwards, high into the air.
He begins charging his cannon again, and backpedals, keeping me in sight. The cannon reaches full charge, but he does not fire yet.
I cut the jets, and transmute my saber... it shifts it's energy output, reconstituting it's blade's patterns, and it reforms into a wide, glassy barrier of unsure substance... Neither I nor the professor knows exactly how it works, only how to make it work. I careen downwards, the shield before me, smiling at X through the transparency.
He jumps, and I smile in pride. He learns very quickly. Once airborne, he triggers a boost of his jets, which push him not upwards, but sideways, keeping him out of immediate reach. It is more potent than simply boosting sideways on the ground, because he does not need to counter friction, or worry about speed-reducing gyroscopes.
I land, and the saber transmutes again. With a yell meant to do nothing more than disorient him, I leap upwards with a very powerful, and draining, burst on my jets. The saber, instead of creating a solid blade or barrier, simply superheats the air, making a raging inferno of fire.
X panics, and his gyros momentarily kick in, trying to throw him sideways. However, he has nothing for leverage... he is instead thrown into a mid-air spin. It does get him out of harm's way, but he careens to the ground, out of control.
I use my jets to slow my return to the ground, and land in a crouch. For a moment, I feel what living humans call "out of breath"... the power drain of both transmuting my sword and using an overload burst of my jets is slightly exhausting. But only a second or two later, I stand, and turn to X.
He lays on the floor, well-shaken. We both know that Dr. Light would never let him be seriously damaged or injured in the first five training areas. He seems to finish thinking, and stands up. He turns to face me, and he gets his first chance at examining me in detail.
He takes in my hair, my red armour, and my shorter frame. His left hand swings and clicks into place, covering the cannon, and he walks closer to me. I put the saber away, in it's plug on my, for lack of a better term, backpack.
He smiles at me, and holds out his right hand.
"Neat tricks. Thanks, mister. I'm Megaman Ten, but you can call me X."
I smile, and take the hand in my own.
"My name is Zero. Megaman Zero."
Dr. Light really outdid himself, in making the facial actuators and emotional expressions in X. The color drains from his face, and his eyes gain a quarter-inch diameter. The jaw doesn't drop, but I don't doubt that it could, given the right circumstance.
I guess it's because X has also earned a special spot in Dr. Light's heart... X is the first model of Megaman with real emotions. All the versions, including myself, could feel emotions, and enact them... but only X was given the lack of built-in understanding of them. He had to learn about emotions himself. It gives him his childlike characteristics... and mannerisms. You have to take the good with the bad...
"You're my... lots-of-greats predecessor?!"
"Yes, X. I am, in a way, the first Megaman android."
He doesn't stutter... a benefit of highly-enhanced cognitive processes. "Why haven't I met you before, if you're my... elder?" On the other hand, pausing for effect can often be very effective at adding psychological value.
"We thought it would be best that you be proven as the better of your own predecessor before you meet me."
"You mean... I'm better than the mark-nine?"
"Almost. Approximately two weeks more, and yes."
He greets me with silence, and I shake his hand. He seems to remember it, and shakes back. After a moment, we release our steel-crushing grips, and we both shake out our hands.
For the first time in several months, I have cause to laugh.
For the next six weeks, I met with him each second day in a different section of his course. Every time, I would ambush him, but not every time did he notice me before I appeared. The professor was shocked, however, at the increase in his developement. In those six weeks, he advanced to 120% of his expected peak skill levels. Considering he was projected to be only 37% more efficient than IX, this was an understandable suprise for all three of us.
In one of our bidaily duels, however, I caught him all but relaxing. He lost his right arm before the professor called the duel to an end. It was no permanent damage, but X has taken to using evasive action more often, even when not directly threatened. This, too, offered him quite a scare once, when he boosted straight backwards and almost fell off a platform we were fighting on.
You see, the range between sixty and eighty-three feet is our danger zone; it's far enough to deal either of us permanent damage, but not far enough for our jets to recharge soon enough to help slow our fall.
I place my saber back in it's sheath, and, as always, shake X's hand. He returns the shake, and looks about for the nearest observation window. After finding none, he shrugs, and we both walk to the door to the next area.
Usually, Dr. Light tells me when he's doing something. It helps in organization. But, every once in a while, he intentionally does something without my knowledge. This was one of those times.
The door fell open, towards us, and I immediately boosted straight backwards. X's reflexes were slower, but he managed to boost soon enough to get clear. The heavy steel door, fourteen feet on each side and a foot thick, crashed to the floor, and two poorly-aimed ion bolts flew out behind it.
Neither came close to either of us, but X couldn't see that, with the cloud of dust risen from the door; he only heard the dicharge of the twin cannons. He rolled, twisted, and boosted sideways from the door, out of harm's way. I drew my saber, and waited for whatever it was to come out.
Cowardice has a high point... it is garaunteed to increase one's chances of survival. Obviously, the thing in the darkness on the other side of the door knew that. Ten long seconds passed, and then I saw not two, but four glows in the darkness. Also, a quiet whine rose just off to my right; X was charging his own cannon.
We stood in the lighted chamber, and so there was no chance we could hide even if we wanted to. But I could do the next best thing...
I hit my jets to full power, straight forward. The glows shifted, turning, and then two of them fired at me. Just as they discharged, I leapt, and landed on the wall above the doorway. With both feet and one hand pressed against the wall, small jets on my knees and chest engaged, silent, holding me there. Now, our opponent could not tell where I was.
But it had not been idle, either. I could hear the quiet whine of charging cannons, now that I was closer. The two had been recharging, and the other two had discharged at X while I was airborne.
X stepped to his left, with no assistance of his jets. Both blasts missed, one to each side. Our opponent must have either very bad sensors, or poor actuators; it's aim was worth pity.
Well, almost worth pity.
X released his blast, a glowing burst of energy flying through the doorway. There was the unmistakable sizzle of magnetically-shielded armor absorbing an energy burst, and two more blasts came right back at him.
I heard no whine, other than X boosting clear, and I cut power to my press-jets. My saber transmuted into the icy barrier, and I hit the floor ready to move. Twin glows, just starting their charge, suddenly leapt backwards, and I leapt forward, between them. The glow of my jets showed me a basic outline of my opponent, and I switched my optics into low-light mode. They would not work, had I been in the lighted chamber, but now they showed me what I had hoped to.
Our opponent was nothing more than a large scorpion-like drone, nothing as impressive as the malevolent gargantuan I had feared. My sword transmuted to it's normal pure-energy blade, and I boosted in for the kill.
And then I remembered that this was X's training course, not mine.
I quickly switched my jets, hoping Dr. Light had anticipated that I would take the lead. My jets boosted me over the drone, and a large explosion went off a meter or so behind me. I saw the open hatch in the floor behind our opponent, and I dropped in.
X screamed, "Zero!", as a large, blade-edged pincer snapped at Zero's flying shape. An explosion, and neither the pincer or Zero was there any longer.
X let his 75%-charged blast loose, at one of the arms. The large drone was blinded from the explosion, and could not move the arm fast enough; the arm was ripped off near the base, and the cannon on it's end crackled off a weak pulse of energy before going dead.
X ran sideways, relying on the drone's poor aim, charging up another shot, when all three remaining cannons fired. X boosted backwards, but almost too late. One energy bolt dug into the ground mere inches from his feet, and the omni-directional discharge of coherent energy threw him backwards at alarming pace.
X rolled through the air, then made a quick pulse on his gyros... his roll instantly stopped, but he was upside down. He thrust a hand above his head, by reflex. The fingers touched the floor, and he hit his jets to flip him onto his feet.
The clanging grind of metal on metal, and he almost fell backwards, forgetting how fast he was moving. Another pulse on his gyros, and he remained sliding backwards, but still upright.
The drone no longer had a line of sight, or more to the point, line of fire. It skittered out on six thick legs, and turned it's three cannons at X. Only one was charged, and it threw out another blast. This time, the aim was good.
X was ready, this time. He hit his jets at full power, straight forwards. Just before the blast would have hit him, he dropped, under the bolt, and threw his gyroscopes into overdrive. The torque, instead of bringing him upright, held him low to the ground, feet-first, sliding across the floor. He let off a low-power burst, which tore into the base of another of the drone's arms. The arm sparked, and went limp. Another low-power shot hit a forward leg, and the drone limped forwards for a moment.
X's gyros swung him up now, and he boosted with them, flying into the air as though launched from a catapult. Both of the drone's panicked blasts went wild, and X shot a fully-charged shot into the center of the drone's back.
The drone collapsed, it's power source decimated, and twitched for a moment before it was completely drained of the energy still in it's circuits.
X landed, and fell directly to his knees, head slumped. He could not cry... but he did close his eyes, and mumble quietly.
"Zero... good-bye."
I wait, the hatch still closed above me. After four hours of waiting, it opens, and Dr. Light's menial droid looks down at me. The small LCD display on it's forehead flashes a message...
"Shhh... come with me."
I quietly climb out without the assistance of my jets, and follow it down the dark corridor. The entire compound is dark. Nightime fell approximately two and a quarter hours ago.
The droid leads me to Dr. Light's primary android lab, and I close the door behind me. Dr. Light stands beside a large glowing-blue stasis field, and X is suspended inside. He must "sleep" in this manner, as his power source was not made with a mechanism to turn him "off". A safety precaution.
I stand beside the professor, and he glances at me before turning his gaze to X.
"He's ready, you know."
"I saw. My thanks, for installing the monitor under that trapdoor."
"Yes. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long?"
"It is never too long."
"We'll see about that..." he quips. A small quiver in his cheeks shows that he is trying his best to smile.
I smile, and place a hand on his shoulder. I have to just hold the arm in the air, barely touching his shoulder, to keep him from crumpling under the weight. "You've done very well, professor."
"Yes. Thank you."
I remove my hand, and turn back to X. "Is he ready?"
"Yes, he must."
I look at him questioningly. "Why must he?"
"Because I received word from Hunter HQ that their Mark IX was destroyed yesterday."
I look at him incredulously, then take a deep simulated breath. "That was why you put that droid there? As a premature final test?"
"Yes. Was it sufficient?"
"Yes."
The professor remains silent a few moments, then taps the keypad, disabling the stasis field. X is slowly lowered to the bottom of the capsule, and the blue glow flickers once before fading.
He opens his eyes, and looks at me.
I have to use my own jets, backwards, to keep the collision from causing damage to either of us. His arms around my shoulders, he gives me a hug. I am, to put it gently, flabbergasted.
X steps back, his hands still on my shoulders. I shake my head, smiling, and wait. He finally speaks, after almost a half minute of silence.
"I thought you were destroyed... I guess I underestimated you."
"You underestimated the professor."
"Yeah... I should have expected that he wouldn't let you die."
I smile grimly, then just nod. "No. He wouldn't."
The professor puts a hand on X's shoulder, and gently pulls him away from me.
"X, remember what I have told you? About the Mavericks?"
He looks confused, then nods.
"It is time for you to go. To fight the Mavericks."
He frowns, pouts, frowns again, then nods. "Yes, Doctor Light."
The Mavericks are easy enough to explain.
A wise pre-space writer and philosopher, Issac Asimov, created the "Three Laws of Robotics". They were, quite simply...
First Law: A robot may not harm a human being.
Second Law: A robot must protect human beings from harm, so long as doing this does not conflict with the first law.
Third Law: A robot must protect itself from harm, so long as doing so does not conflict with either the first or second law.
All robots, androids, and cyborgs must follow these rules. They are hard-coded, so that only physical damage to their processors can alter these rules.
Mavericks are androids capable of causing harm, such as automated war-machines, who have sustained physical damage of some kind that altered their "brains" without causing permanent or crippling damage. The more intelligent Mavericks will often seek out smaller robots and alter them to follow their commands, heedless of the Three Laws.
Mavericks became a threat to society about thirty-two years ago. At that point, we had begun our first war with non-humans, an alien race called the "Kizakleet". Or, more vulgarly, "the damn bats". They roughly resemble the fruit bat of earth, but they are about the size of a small car.
At that point, we no longer had the resources to keep a strict and well-organized internal defense system. Instead, after two near-losses of key planets due to Maverick interference, we began the Hunter program.
Dr. Light, and eighty-seven other highly-skilled robotics and weapons experts, began the Megaman program. The Mega-men were to be humanity's defense against internal worries, while the human warriors dealt with external threats. The Maverick Hunters were built to hunt and destroy other robots, and nothing else.
I was designed, prototyped twice, then constructed. Originally, I had an arm-cannon similar to, but much less powerful than, X's, but about eight years ago I lost my arm in combat. I was transferred back to Hunter HQ for repairs, and voiced my personal preference for a melee weapon. I was equipped with a highly experimental energy saber, and have used it ever since.
Anyways, after my creation, when the designs had just begun on Megaman Mark I, the still-under-construction Hunter HQ was attacked by a well-organized Maverick, and five large battle-droids under it's command. They slaughtered all but four of the scientists who made me. I managed to destroy them, but they had already done the damage they intended to. Of those last four, one died of cancer a month later, and the other two were killed in a plane crash two months after that. Only Dr. Light remained.
And it has been so, for the past three decades. The professor is now in his early eighties. Given his weakening lungs, and the diabetes which he contracted two years ago, we both know that he won't live long enough to see the Megaman Mark XI. But there is a good chance that he will live long enough to design it.
And with the only existing Mark X now leaving to join the ranks of the Hunters, that developement can begin.
"Zero?"
A few seconds pass, as the sound creeps slowly through the stasis-field that I am floating in. My weekly recharge takes a few hours, and the stasis field is needed to keep me still enough for the energy beams to dicharge a continuous stream of energy into the small receptacles on my back.
Some text types out on the screen beside the professor. "Yes, professor?"
"I want you to go with him. To Hunter Headquarters."
"Why?"
"Because he needs you. You saw how he reacted to your simulated death; he needs you to guide him."
A much, much longer time passes than it should require for the sound to reach me. "Agreed."
The military transport jet lands with a thump, and rolls to a stop. The door opens, and X shields his eyes with his hand for the breif moment it takes for his optics to adjust. We both step out onto the tarmac, and X gets his first ever view of the Hunter compound.
From here, the landing strip, it looks like very little. A wide, curved building, with a couple hangars and warehouses nearby. But viewed from the air, it is shaped like the top half of a torus. Picture a donut, if you like.
The entire center of the torus opens into a large cylindrical hole, which goes a half-kilometer into the ground. At the bottom, it opens into an upside-down dome, the main training area. However, at this time of day, the top of that tube is closed.
The main building itself is seven stories tall, and five hundred meters from one side to the other.
I glance over at X, and am slightly suprised to see that he is not outwardly very suprised. He is staring, true, but his mouth is closed, and it would be hard for someone who didn't know him to tell that his eyes are nearly never still. Right now, they were riveted to the main building.
I tap him on the shoulder, his eyes turn to me, and he smiles.
"Nice place. Is this the airport?"
I laugh, unrestrained. "No, X! This is Hunter Headquarters! What did you expect?"
His eyes go wide a moment, then he glances at the main building again. "Well... I don't know. Something a little more extravagant, maybe..."
"Humbility is the mark of the succesful warrior. You'll learn that, soon enough."
X smirks, but does not comment.
"Of course not."
"Thanks. He should be there in about seven minutes, but try to be out in five. He's improving rapidly."
"Agreed. I estimate we have four weeks of training before he reaches IX's last recorded ratings."
"Yes... but you will always be my best. I am sure of it."
"Thank you, professor."
Dr. Light always tells me, when we are alone, that I am his best. But his public praise goes to my... well, for lack of a better term, my little brother.
Who's my brother?
Well, his name is composed of his series name, followed by his version number.
"Megaman", Version 10. We call him "Megaman X".
I've been around much longer than X has. Over thirty years more, in fact. X is now about three months old, and already well-experienced. Not as impressive an advancement as IIX, but much better than his other ancestors.
He's never met me... which is, I agree, for the best. If he knew about me before a certain point in his developement, then he would be so fixated on training to be better than me that he might never learn what he needs to about being humble, being chivalrous, and being honorable.
I watch his progress, though, his training. He is very good. His current skill is almost that of his immediate predecessor. The difference is, IX was this good just before he was destroyed, in battle. X is this good very soon after being made.
In a few ways, I am a brother of X. In one, I am a creation of the same "father". But, both I and the professor will always consider me to be the "wise old uncle" to the Megaman series of androids. In another way, I too am a android. Mostly robot, but partially human. I've also a bit of feline wetware in me, in my balance/equilibrium systems, but I'm more human.
I am also much more powerful than the Megaman series.
Dr. Light is alone, in the developement of the Megaman series. He had the help of nearly a hundred other scientists for me. Those scientists have since been killed. I have protected the professor, and he has continued to develop the Megaman series in order to fight the Mavericks.
Mavericks? I'll get back to them later.
"Professor. The course is set."
"My thanks, Zero. X has been waiting."
"Excellent. I was only in there for four point seven minutes. Allow me to change my estimate to seventeen days."
"Of course, Zero. We all make mistakes."
"Professor..."
"I know. Forgive me. I was joking."
I smile, something I rarely have cause to do. It is not that I lack emotion; it is that the professor lacks the means to express his. A childhood disease stole his control of most of his facial muscles. I cannot tell when he is smiling, or frowning.
He manages speech with the assistance of a small voice-enhancement device worn like a necklace. The device is not advanced enough, however, to convey his tone of voice. Only simpler tone-shifts, like a questioning and an exclamatory tone, are simulated.
I watch X as he enters through the door, into the maze of metal that makes up the next leg of his daily training course. I had just been in there, through a secret entrance, to move some of the obstacles about, changing the course from day to day.
X looks about, his eyes flickering red; he seems to be studying the infrared spectrum. He seems to spy something, and he grins, the wide smile of a child who has just found a way to outwit his parents.
Dr. Light's eyebrows narrow, but the rest of his face remains stone-still. "Zero... what is he looking at?"
I frown, and check his status on the console. Then I switch the monitor to view the infrared spectrum, and my eyes go wide. "Blast... I didn't watch my thruster flare while opening the secret door! He's found the door!"
"Zero, quick! Out! I'll cover for you."
I glance at the monitor again, as X uses his boost-jets to dash towards the concealed door. I turn, and run out the only other door to the observation room.
A split-second later, the wall slides open, and X dashes into the observation room. Shock registers on his face, and he almost trips from suprise alone.
"Dr. Light!"
X looks just as young as he is... his childish face is framed by the flat-blue metallic helmet covering his head of wiring. His entire body is covered with the blue and light-gray metal that indicates he is of the Megaman series of androids.
His body is basically that of a human male. He stands at six feet, three point one inches. His feet are wider than a human's, and treaded. His left arm also has a much thicker forearm than a human's... the hand folds out of the way, to clear the muzzle of the upgradeable energy cannon in his arm.
Small jets on the soles of his feet permit him very short bursts of intense speed. They also permit a bit of extra strength; enough to open the heavy titanium plate which covers the secret door.
I look similar... my 'helmet' is a bit more boxy, and my face is that of a middle-aged man. I stand exactly six feet tall. My armor is dark red, and my feet are a bit wider than X's. My small ego, a nessesary evil meant to form self-protectiveness, is maintained by my hair... a ponytail of long fibers that simulates blond hair very well. The hair is long enough to fall clear to the ground. And on my back, there is a large box. In this box is my spare power source, as well as my weapon of choice; while X has a cannon in his arm, I have much more dexterity in my arms and hands. The box on my back acts as both recharger, and scabbard, for my energy saber.
"Yes, X? Good work, finding this room."
"Thanks, Dr. Light!" He beams widely, the childish pride visible in his smile.
"Now, get back out there, and finish the course, please."
X pouts momentarily, then walks back out. The panel slides closed, and I wait a moment before quietly stepping back in.
"That was close."
The professor thinks a moment, then turns to face me.
"Tomorrow, you will meet him. In the third section of his training course."
I remain silent for a moment.
"Yes, professor."
"No need to be so forlorn, Zero. It would happen someday."
I remain silent, pondering what will happen.
"Yes, professor. Third section. Tomorrow."
I sit on a wide metal beam, several dozen feet above the warehouse floor. This section of the course is for X to practice his jump-and-run skills. His speed, jumping, and on-the-run targetting are practiced in this area.
I hear the frantic whine of his foot-mounted thrusters, and grimace. The only thing slowing down his progress is his lack of guile... his forward approach to everything is part of why he will never match my abilities. Sad, but true... Perhaps the next version...
I hear the whines get closer, and then stop. Metallic clinks track his progress as he sees the wide open space before him. Forward, but not foolish. The wide open area of the floor which I have cleared is sheer-walled, and barren. I sit in shadows, where only my emissions signature will give me away. Emissions, in this case, means the stray magnetic field of the energy shielding which I have worn for this... exercise.
X stops beside the last metal crate before the open area, using what cover it provides while he makes a quick sweep of the area. He is obviously edgy, and with reason. We have never changed the course so dramatically.
He checks the distance to the door on the far side, and primes his jets for a long burst. The red-white glow floods from beneath his feet, and a pair of small wheels appear at the "toe" of each of his feet. A sudden roar, and he takes off at high speed, dashing as if roller-blading. He leans, almost falling, into the dash, his head only a couple feet clear of the ground. He is well-designed for speed, with excellent gyroscopic balance systems. He can right himself near-instantly, although it still takes several moments to come to a complete stop from the speed he is going.
As he reaches the halfway mark across the floor, I slip off the rafter, and into the light. He does not flinch or turn, however... he apparently already saw me. Good.
I drop down, and he visibly begins charging his arm-cannon. The blue glow from the muzzle of his arm-cannon gives it away. He apparently understands me as only a new type of threat. So far. I plan to see exactly what he is, so to speak, made of.
I hit the floor, and he cuts his jets. He is still coasting, and I wait a moment.
What I do next comes as a great suprise to him... he obviously had not noticed that I bear no arm-cannon. My right arm goes back, grabs the hilt of my saber, and I use my own jets to dash rapidly forward and left, the blade slashing down towards him.
He adds a burst of speed from his jets, and twists, turning and rolling sideways, and goes right under my blade. As he skids to a stop, his gyros swing him upright, and spin him with elegant accuracy to face me. As soon as he stands stable once again, he releases a fully-charged ion bolt at me.
I follow through with my slash, spinning, and the thick energy blade dissipates the bolt. He is unsuprised by this move alone; he has seen shields that do the same thing. But my next maneuver takes him by suprise. I use my jets, but instead of screaming along the ground, they push me upwards, high into the air.
He begins charging his cannon again, and backpedals, keeping me in sight. The cannon reaches full charge, but he does not fire yet.
I cut the jets, and transmute my saber... it shifts it's energy output, reconstituting it's blade's patterns, and it reforms into a wide, glassy barrier of unsure substance... Neither I nor the professor knows exactly how it works, only how to make it work. I careen downwards, the shield before me, smiling at X through the transparency.
He jumps, and I smile in pride. He learns very quickly. Once airborne, he triggers a boost of his jets, which push him not upwards, but sideways, keeping him out of immediate reach. It is more potent than simply boosting sideways on the ground, because he does not need to counter friction, or worry about speed-reducing gyroscopes.
I land, and the saber transmutes again. With a yell meant to do nothing more than disorient him, I leap upwards with a very powerful, and draining, burst on my jets. The saber, instead of creating a solid blade or barrier, simply superheats the air, making a raging inferno of fire.
X panics, and his gyros momentarily kick in, trying to throw him sideways. However, he has nothing for leverage... he is instead thrown into a mid-air spin. It does get him out of harm's way, but he careens to the ground, out of control.
I use my jets to slow my return to the ground, and land in a crouch. For a moment, I feel what living humans call "out of breath"... the power drain of both transmuting my sword and using an overload burst of my jets is slightly exhausting. But only a second or two later, I stand, and turn to X.
He lays on the floor, well-shaken. We both know that Dr. Light would never let him be seriously damaged or injured in the first five training areas. He seems to finish thinking, and stands up. He turns to face me, and he gets his first chance at examining me in detail.
He takes in my hair, my red armour, and my shorter frame. His left hand swings and clicks into place, covering the cannon, and he walks closer to me. I put the saber away, in it's plug on my, for lack of a better term, backpack.
He smiles at me, and holds out his right hand.
"Neat tricks. Thanks, mister. I'm Megaman Ten, but you can call me X."
I smile, and take the hand in my own.
"My name is Zero. Megaman Zero."
Dr. Light really outdid himself, in making the facial actuators and emotional expressions in X. The color drains from his face, and his eyes gain a quarter-inch diameter. The jaw doesn't drop, but I don't doubt that it could, given the right circumstance.
I guess it's because X has also earned a special spot in Dr. Light's heart... X is the first model of Megaman with real emotions. All the versions, including myself, could feel emotions, and enact them... but only X was given the lack of built-in understanding of them. He had to learn about emotions himself. It gives him his childlike characteristics... and mannerisms. You have to take the good with the bad...
"You're my... lots-of-greats predecessor?!"
"Yes, X. I am, in a way, the first Megaman android."
He doesn't stutter... a benefit of highly-enhanced cognitive processes. "Why haven't I met you before, if you're my... elder?" On the other hand, pausing for effect can often be very effective at adding psychological value.
"We thought it would be best that you be proven as the better of your own predecessor before you meet me."
"You mean... I'm better than the mark-nine?"
"Almost. Approximately two weeks more, and yes."
He greets me with silence, and I shake his hand. He seems to remember it, and shakes back. After a moment, we release our steel-crushing grips, and we both shake out our hands.
For the first time in several months, I have cause to laugh.
For the next six weeks, I met with him each second day in a different section of his course. Every time, I would ambush him, but not every time did he notice me before I appeared. The professor was shocked, however, at the increase in his developement. In those six weeks, he advanced to 120% of his expected peak skill levels. Considering he was projected to be only 37% more efficient than IX, this was an understandable suprise for all three of us.
In one of our bidaily duels, however, I caught him all but relaxing. He lost his right arm before the professor called the duel to an end. It was no permanent damage, but X has taken to using evasive action more often, even when not directly threatened. This, too, offered him quite a scare once, when he boosted straight backwards and almost fell off a platform we were fighting on.
You see, the range between sixty and eighty-three feet is our danger zone; it's far enough to deal either of us permanent damage, but not far enough for our jets to recharge soon enough to help slow our fall.
I place my saber back in it's sheath, and, as always, shake X's hand. He returns the shake, and looks about for the nearest observation window. After finding none, he shrugs, and we both walk to the door to the next area.
Usually, Dr. Light tells me when he's doing something. It helps in organization. But, every once in a while, he intentionally does something without my knowledge. This was one of those times.
The door fell open, towards us, and I immediately boosted straight backwards. X's reflexes were slower, but he managed to boost soon enough to get clear. The heavy steel door, fourteen feet on each side and a foot thick, crashed to the floor, and two poorly-aimed ion bolts flew out behind it.
Neither came close to either of us, but X couldn't see that, with the cloud of dust risen from the door; he only heard the dicharge of the twin cannons. He rolled, twisted, and boosted sideways from the door, out of harm's way. I drew my saber, and waited for whatever it was to come out.
Cowardice has a high point... it is garaunteed to increase one's chances of survival. Obviously, the thing in the darkness on the other side of the door knew that. Ten long seconds passed, and then I saw not two, but four glows in the darkness. Also, a quiet whine rose just off to my right; X was charging his own cannon.
We stood in the lighted chamber, and so there was no chance we could hide even if we wanted to. But I could do the next best thing...
I hit my jets to full power, straight forward. The glows shifted, turning, and then two of them fired at me. Just as they discharged, I leapt, and landed on the wall above the doorway. With both feet and one hand pressed against the wall, small jets on my knees and chest engaged, silent, holding me there. Now, our opponent could not tell where I was.
But it had not been idle, either. I could hear the quiet whine of charging cannons, now that I was closer. The two had been recharging, and the other two had discharged at X while I was airborne.
X stepped to his left, with no assistance of his jets. Both blasts missed, one to each side. Our opponent must have either very bad sensors, or poor actuators; it's aim was worth pity.
Well, almost worth pity.
X released his blast, a glowing burst of energy flying through the doorway. There was the unmistakable sizzle of magnetically-shielded armor absorbing an energy burst, and two more blasts came right back at him.
I heard no whine, other than X boosting clear, and I cut power to my press-jets. My saber transmuted into the icy barrier, and I hit the floor ready to move. Twin glows, just starting their charge, suddenly leapt backwards, and I leapt forward, between them. The glow of my jets showed me a basic outline of my opponent, and I switched my optics into low-light mode. They would not work, had I been in the lighted chamber, but now they showed me what I had hoped to.
Our opponent was nothing more than a large scorpion-like drone, nothing as impressive as the malevolent gargantuan I had feared. My sword transmuted to it's normal pure-energy blade, and I boosted in for the kill.
And then I remembered that this was X's training course, not mine.
I quickly switched my jets, hoping Dr. Light had anticipated that I would take the lead. My jets boosted me over the drone, and a large explosion went off a meter or so behind me. I saw the open hatch in the floor behind our opponent, and I dropped in.
X screamed, "Zero!", as a large, blade-edged pincer snapped at Zero's flying shape. An explosion, and neither the pincer or Zero was there any longer.
X let his 75%-charged blast loose, at one of the arms. The large drone was blinded from the explosion, and could not move the arm fast enough; the arm was ripped off near the base, and the cannon on it's end crackled off a weak pulse of energy before going dead.
X ran sideways, relying on the drone's poor aim, charging up another shot, when all three remaining cannons fired. X boosted backwards, but almost too late. One energy bolt dug into the ground mere inches from his feet, and the omni-directional discharge of coherent energy threw him backwards at alarming pace.
X rolled through the air, then made a quick pulse on his gyros... his roll instantly stopped, but he was upside down. He thrust a hand above his head, by reflex. The fingers touched the floor, and he hit his jets to flip him onto his feet.
The clanging grind of metal on metal, and he almost fell backwards, forgetting how fast he was moving. Another pulse on his gyros, and he remained sliding backwards, but still upright.
The drone no longer had a line of sight, or more to the point, line of fire. It skittered out on six thick legs, and turned it's three cannons at X. Only one was charged, and it threw out another blast. This time, the aim was good.
X was ready, this time. He hit his jets at full power, straight forwards. Just before the blast would have hit him, he dropped, under the bolt, and threw his gyroscopes into overdrive. The torque, instead of bringing him upright, held him low to the ground, feet-first, sliding across the floor. He let off a low-power burst, which tore into the base of another of the drone's arms. The arm sparked, and went limp. Another low-power shot hit a forward leg, and the drone limped forwards for a moment.
X's gyros swung him up now, and he boosted with them, flying into the air as though launched from a catapult. Both of the drone's panicked blasts went wild, and X shot a fully-charged shot into the center of the drone's back.
The drone collapsed, it's power source decimated, and twitched for a moment before it was completely drained of the energy still in it's circuits.
X landed, and fell directly to his knees, head slumped. He could not cry... but he did close his eyes, and mumble quietly.
"Zero... good-bye."
I wait, the hatch still closed above me. After four hours of waiting, it opens, and Dr. Light's menial droid looks down at me. The small LCD display on it's forehead flashes a message...
"Shhh... come with me."
I quietly climb out without the assistance of my jets, and follow it down the dark corridor. The entire compound is dark. Nightime fell approximately two and a quarter hours ago.
The droid leads me to Dr. Light's primary android lab, and I close the door behind me. Dr. Light stands beside a large glowing-blue stasis field, and X is suspended inside. He must "sleep" in this manner, as his power source was not made with a mechanism to turn him "off". A safety precaution.
I stand beside the professor, and he glances at me before turning his gaze to X.
"He's ready, you know."
"I saw. My thanks, for installing the monitor under that trapdoor."
"Yes. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long?"
"It is never too long."
"We'll see about that..." he quips. A small quiver in his cheeks shows that he is trying his best to smile.
I smile, and place a hand on his shoulder. I have to just hold the arm in the air, barely touching his shoulder, to keep him from crumpling under the weight. "You've done very well, professor."
"Yes. Thank you."
I remove my hand, and turn back to X. "Is he ready?"
"Yes, he must."
I look at him questioningly. "Why must he?"
"Because I received word from Hunter HQ that their Mark IX was destroyed yesterday."
I look at him incredulously, then take a deep simulated breath. "That was why you put that droid there? As a premature final test?"
"Yes. Was it sufficient?"
"Yes."
The professor remains silent a few moments, then taps the keypad, disabling the stasis field. X is slowly lowered to the bottom of the capsule, and the blue glow flickers once before fading.
He opens his eyes, and looks at me.
I have to use my own jets, backwards, to keep the collision from causing damage to either of us. His arms around my shoulders, he gives me a hug. I am, to put it gently, flabbergasted.
X steps back, his hands still on my shoulders. I shake my head, smiling, and wait. He finally speaks, after almost a half minute of silence.
"I thought you were destroyed... I guess I underestimated you."
"You underestimated the professor."
"Yeah... I should have expected that he wouldn't let you die."
I smile grimly, then just nod. "No. He wouldn't."
The professor puts a hand on X's shoulder, and gently pulls him away from me.
"X, remember what I have told you? About the Mavericks?"
He looks confused, then nods.
"It is time for you to go. To fight the Mavericks."
He frowns, pouts, frowns again, then nods. "Yes, Doctor Light."
The Mavericks are easy enough to explain.
A wise pre-space writer and philosopher, Issac Asimov, created the "Three Laws of Robotics". They were, quite simply...
First Law: A robot may not harm a human being.
Second Law: A robot must protect human beings from harm, so long as doing this does not conflict with the first law.
Third Law: A robot must protect itself from harm, so long as doing so does not conflict with either the first or second law.
All robots, androids, and cyborgs must follow these rules. They are hard-coded, so that only physical damage to their processors can alter these rules.
Mavericks are androids capable of causing harm, such as automated war-machines, who have sustained physical damage of some kind that altered their "brains" without causing permanent or crippling damage. The more intelligent Mavericks will often seek out smaller robots and alter them to follow their commands, heedless of the Three Laws.
Mavericks became a threat to society about thirty-two years ago. At that point, we had begun our first war with non-humans, an alien race called the "Kizakleet". Or, more vulgarly, "the damn bats". They roughly resemble the fruit bat of earth, but they are about the size of a small car.
At that point, we no longer had the resources to keep a strict and well-organized internal defense system. Instead, after two near-losses of key planets due to Maverick interference, we began the Hunter program.
Dr. Light, and eighty-seven other highly-skilled robotics and weapons experts, began the Megaman program. The Mega-men were to be humanity's defense against internal worries, while the human warriors dealt with external threats. The Maverick Hunters were built to hunt and destroy other robots, and nothing else.
I was designed, prototyped twice, then constructed. Originally, I had an arm-cannon similar to, but much less powerful than, X's, but about eight years ago I lost my arm in combat. I was transferred back to Hunter HQ for repairs, and voiced my personal preference for a melee weapon. I was equipped with a highly experimental energy saber, and have used it ever since.
Anyways, after my creation, when the designs had just begun on Megaman Mark I, the still-under-construction Hunter HQ was attacked by a well-organized Maverick, and five large battle-droids under it's command. They slaughtered all but four of the scientists who made me. I managed to destroy them, but they had already done the damage they intended to. Of those last four, one died of cancer a month later, and the other two were killed in a plane crash two months after that. Only Dr. Light remained.
And it has been so, for the past three decades. The professor is now in his early eighties. Given his weakening lungs, and the diabetes which he contracted two years ago, we both know that he won't live long enough to see the Megaman Mark XI. But there is a good chance that he will live long enough to design it.
And with the only existing Mark X now leaving to join the ranks of the Hunters, that developement can begin.
"Zero?"
A few seconds pass, as the sound creeps slowly through the stasis-field that I am floating in. My weekly recharge takes a few hours, and the stasis field is needed to keep me still enough for the energy beams to dicharge a continuous stream of energy into the small receptacles on my back.
Some text types out on the screen beside the professor. "Yes, professor?"
"I want you to go with him. To Hunter Headquarters."
"Why?"
"Because he needs you. You saw how he reacted to your simulated death; he needs you to guide him."
A much, much longer time passes than it should require for the sound to reach me. "Agreed."
The military transport jet lands with a thump, and rolls to a stop. The door opens, and X shields his eyes with his hand for the breif moment it takes for his optics to adjust. We both step out onto the tarmac, and X gets his first ever view of the Hunter compound.
From here, the landing strip, it looks like very little. A wide, curved building, with a couple hangars and warehouses nearby. But viewed from the air, it is shaped like the top half of a torus. Picture a donut, if you like.
The entire center of the torus opens into a large cylindrical hole, which goes a half-kilometer into the ground. At the bottom, it opens into an upside-down dome, the main training area. However, at this time of day, the top of that tube is closed.
The main building itself is seven stories tall, and five hundred meters from one side to the other.
I glance over at X, and am slightly suprised to see that he is not outwardly very suprised. He is staring, true, but his mouth is closed, and it would be hard for someone who didn't know him to tell that his eyes are nearly never still. Right now, they were riveted to the main building.
I tap him on the shoulder, his eyes turn to me, and he smiles.
"Nice place. Is this the airport?"
I laugh, unrestrained. "No, X! This is Hunter Headquarters! What did you expect?"
His eyes go wide a moment, then he glances at the main building again. "Well... I don't know. Something a little more extravagant, maybe..."
"Humbility is the mark of the succesful warrior. You'll learn that, soon enough."
X smirks, but does not comment.