Elysium Trigger
MegaMan-Atlas

Chapter I: RockMan Trigger

Trigger

A quiet humming reached my ears as I slowly opened my eyes, waking from a dreamless sleep to a dark room. Groaning, I pushed myself up, brushing my long, unruly hair away from my face as my body booted up and I went through my routine systems check as I did every morning.

Central processor…fully functional. Core temperature…normal. All systems…green.

Of course, that isn't all, but… I don't want to bore you with the sheer number of internal tests I have to run in the morning. There are a lot, you understand.

I got up out of the round silver capsule where I slept and stretched my limbs to try and rid myself of the stiffness of sleep. Behind me, the rounded glass cover snapped shut in a quick movement, closing itself until I returned to sleep in it.

I was one of the few Purifiers to have my own room. I guess it was something of an honour, particularly since most Purifiers lived in large rooms with sleeping capsules lined against the walls. When they were all in bed, they resembled two long rows of sardines packed into a can.

The Master had told me that it was because I was different from the others... but all in all, I really didn't understand what he meant. What was different about me? Was it because of the way I looked, or acted? Because I felt emotions?

Once, Yuna had said that it was the mere fact that I contemplated my difference that set me apart from the others. I didn't understand… But then again, it's hard to understand her in any aspect.

I stepped out of my small one-room home, the door opening on its own as it sensed my approach. Outside, I was greeted by a painful flood of light which stung my eyes. I closed them tightly, and it took a few moments for me to adjust to the light and continue along my way, heading towards the portal before me.

I listened to the familiar sounds of the grass crackling quietly beneath my feet, a sound that was as unchanging as everything else here in Elysium. Even the clouds in the sky moved in set patterns, at a set speed, in a set direction.

The portal ahead was a complex machine that took the user instantly to a set area of Elysium, just like any door, only that it wasn't set into a wall; it just sat there in the middle of the front yard.

As I walked through it and kept going towards the Master's home, I contemplated a question that had been bothering me for weeks about why I had to destroy Units that went against the System. The answer was fairly simple according to Sera: These Units went against everything that governed them and had to be destroyed for the safety of the Master, the System, and the other Units.

But… Yuna's response had confused me. She had said that maybe it was because those who ordered the wayward Units' destruction were just afraid of the Units because they wanted to keep their power. Maybe those Units didn't really deserve to die.

Today was the day. I intended to ask the Master himself. Of all people, I he would know why those Units needed to be destroyed, which, I thought, would ultimately explain why I existed. I just had to know: was I a defender, or merely a cold killer? As a class-A Purifier, it was my sole objective in life to destroy any and all Units that went against the System, but what did that really mean?

Why was the System so important anyway?

I lifted my fist, to knock on the Master's door, but I found I'd kind of lost my nerve. Should I really ask this? Even if I was the Master's constant companion… Was it really right for me to question the System itself?

A loud squeak from down beside my leg startled me, and made me realize that I had just spent three minutes standing in front of the Master's door, wondering if I should ask him about the rebel Units. I looked down at the small robotic monkey that sat next to me, who returned the look with a familiar all-knowing grin.

"Hey…" Data said, teasing good-naturedly, "What's the matter, Trigger? Did your systems malfunction?"

"N-no," I said, feeling rather embarrassed, "I, ah… It's just that I…"

"Lost your nerve, didn't you." Data stated. I could tell he'd already known the answer.

I sighed and nodded halfway. "I don't know if I should ask him. I mean… What if the Master gets angry with me? What if he thinks I'm going against the System?"

Data stopped doing his constant dance and put his tiny paws on his hips. "Oh, Trigger. You worry too much. I don't think the Master would be angry with you. After all, he's the one who told you to think for yourself, right?"

"Yeah, but…" By now I was pretty much looking for any available excuse to get out of doing this. The question had been bothering me for a while, but the same thing happened every time I worked up the courage to ask the Master. By now, I was pretty much ready to give up on the issue altogether.

It was around then that my thoughts were again interrupted, this time by the door sliding open with a cut-off hiss. Instantly, I found myself face-to-face with the Master, standing mere centimeters away.

I jerked back, startled, but I tried to keep from showing it; although the Master had been teaching me to allow my emotions through, it had been drilled into my head by other Units that they were unnecessary and harmful. In other words, being impassive was a habit.

"Please forgive me, Master," I said apologetically, "I didn't mean to…"

"Shh…" The Master hushed me. "It's alright. What did you need, my little friend?"

I peered up at the Master's face but was a little too embarrassed to look him in the eyes. To my surprise, I found that the Master was smiling.

"I wanted…to…uhm…"

There was an uncomfortable pause, which was interrupted after a moment by the Master. "Trigger, is something bothering you? I told you, you never need to be afraid to talk to me about anything."

"Oh… Yes, Master," I said, "Please forgive me."

Another short, equally uncomfortable pause. I felt Data leap up onto my lower back, expertly climbing up and onto my shoulder as if I were a tree. "Trigger," He whispered, "Your question!"

"Oh, right," I said, trying to hold on to my courage. "Master… There's a question I've been meaning to ask you for a while… It's important."

The Master nodded understandingly. "Come inside and we can talk about it privately."

He turned and went back into his small house, gesturing for me to follow. I waited a moment before following, trying to fully regain my composure. I stepped into the Master's home, listening to the sound of the door as it shut again behind us. I nodded to myself.

"Have a seat." The Master said, sitting down himself in the far end of the room.
I did as I was bid, but my nervousness was getting to me. The Master smiled reassuringly, which helped.

"Now, what is it you wanted to ask me, little one?" The Master asked.

"Master… I wanted to know…" I swallowed hard. "Why must we destroy Units who go against the System? I mean, is it really… I right?"

The Master paused, his gaze fixated on the me. His expression was not one of surprise, nor of any defined anger, but his smile had melted. My nervousness overwhelmed me, killed my boldness, and caused me to regret having asked.

The Master stood up and slowly approached me, and I bit my lip. Was he angry?

"I'm sorry," I said pathetically, "Are you angry with me?"

The Master knelt so that he could look me in the eyes. When our gazes met, I felt afraid and looked away.

"No," The Master said, "Don't look away. Look at me."

Sheepishly, I lifted my head and my eyes and looked back at the Master, gazing into his calm blue eyes. It was like staring into the ocean; their deep blue expanse seemed endless. I felt as if he was seeing into my mind, maybe even my… soul.

"Trigger, what makes you think I'd be angry with you?" He asked, "You asked me an honest question, and didn't I tell you that you could ask me anything?"

I felt ashamed. "I'm sorry, Master… I just… I thought you'd be angry with me because I was questioning the System."

The Master shook his head. "No, Trigger. I'm not angry. In fact, I think it's good that you're able to consider and ask such questions. You've left no question in my mind, child. You're the perfect one."

"Perfect…one…? For what, Master?" I asked confusedly.

"Oh… It doesn't really matter right now. I'll tell you about it later." The Master stood up and offered his hand to me, and when I grasped it he helped me to my feet before adding, "And about your question… Well, I think you'll come to your own conclusion in time. I don't believe that it is my place to answer something that you need to decide for yourself." He smiled once more. "Now, run along."

I bowed low and thanked the Master before leaving. Data climbed up onto my head and buried himself in my hair as I walked away from the Master's home towards another portal.

I reached up and began to pet Data's short, soft fur as I thought about the Master's words. He had said that it wasn't his place to answer the question for me… But, the Master had created me… What did that mean, it wasn't his place?

The Master was almost godlike in my eyes, and probably in the eyes of all the other Units governed by the System. After all, he had created it, too.

My thoughts were in a raging turmoil and I was beginning to feel like ripping out my hair, when suddenly, a Sanitation Unit came rushing past. He was being chased by a 3rd-class Purifier, but I could tell right away that there was nothing wrong with that Sanitation; it was the Purifier that had rebelled against the System, and was likely attacking without provocation.

My plasma gun shot out over my arm at a simple voice command, encasing my forearm and hand, and I aimed it quickly at the Purifier, whose eyes were wild and teeth were bared.

Just as I was about to fire, the Sanitation unwittingly got in the way, and I swore. "Move it!" I snapped. This was getting frustrating and I was almost ready to shoot the Sanitation Unit just so I could get a clear shot at the damn Purifier!

But, in his panic, the Sanitation was running in random directions, and the Purifier was following almost step-for-step. Finally, the rogue Purifier drew out a pair of daggers and pounced in for the kill. I reached up and knocked Data off of my head as I leaped to the Sanitation's defense, shoving him out of the way and grabbing the other Purifier's wrists.

The crazed Unit quickly threw his arms up into the air in an attempt to jerk me off of my feet. I held on tightly but because of my particularly small size my opponent easily succeeded in pulling me up off the ground. Now dangling in the air, I pulled up my legs and released a double-kick, both of my feet connecting with his face. He roared as he fell back and I released his wrists, using the force of my kick to propel myself up and away from him, landing on my feet a good four and a half metres away.

But he apparently wouldn't be beaten so easily. He got a short running start, then leapt into the air with his daggers aimed at my chest. I watched as he flew towards me, but I wasn't scared by the blades and the damage that they could do to me. In a situation like this, fear is a hindrance. All that mattered was reading my opponent's attack…and waiting for just…the right…moment!

As the daggers came within fifteen centimetres of my upper chest, I grabbed the wayward's wrists once more, this time spinning on the ball of my foot and throwing him using the force of his own attack. I aimed quickly with my internal targeting system and fired multiple times at the unit's head.

I'd hardly even thought about it… I'd killed him based on training and instinct, and never even considered what I was doing… Was this what the Master meant about finding the answer for myself?

I knew that I didn't have enough time to contemplate the issue much right now, and so I turned and went back to check on the Sanitation Unit, my buster retracting once more.
"Are you alright?" I asked, helping the Unit up.

The Sanitation nodded. "Uh… Y-yes, sir… Thank you. You…saved me. I cannot thank you enough."

And he meant it. As the Sanitation left, he thanked me repeatedly and I had to usher him into one of the portals, eager to stop him from thanking me. It was beginning to get annoying, and, besides, I was only doing what I was designed to do.

I must admit, though, it did feel good to have helped someone while performing my duties, but that small feeling of self-satisfaction was suddenly shattered by a shrill and extremely angry chattering. "Trigger!"

I turned on my heel and looked down at a furious little Data, who was rapidly hopping from one foot to the other. "What's the big idea, throwing me like that!?"

I sighed. "I'm sorry, Data… I just didn't want you to get hurt and I didn't have enough time to just stop and set you down…"

Data climbed up onto my shoulder and smacked me several times on the head, probably knowing full well that his tiny fists were incapable of hurting me.

I walked off to begin patrolling Elysium, all the while still considering my question and the Master's arcane response.

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