Of Irregulars and Hunters: Genesis Chapter 1: Prologue, a mega man fanfic

Disclaimer: I own no one from the games, I'm just using them for a bit of fun. I make no money from this and write only because I have the urge to. I would like to thank teh kittykat for beta'ing this chapter

Story notes: This is going to be as cannon as I can keep it, though there will be some literary license to fill in the gaps that aren't clear/known from the games. This starts long before X1 and is my take on the history of the X series.

All comments are welcome. Read and enjoy.

Timescape Saga

Of Irregulars and Hunters

Book One
Genesis

Prologue
Discovery

"Still nothing confirmed, Doc," a young male voice shouted over the racket of the digger as it bored its way through the frozen earth, "but that last scan indicated that whatever it is down there is huge."

Doctor Cain nodded. "It might not be final evidence to my theory on Mesozoic plant life," he said as he moved closer to the young man, huddled in his parka, "but we can't pass up any opportunity we find. If it's big enough then maybe we can get more funding."

"But what if it turns out to be nothing? Then we've wasted what we have left."

"Cedric," Doctor Cain said, "think positive."

"I know, Doc, I know," Cedric said with a sigh, "but we started digging yesterday and we still haven't reached it. And everyone knows there's nothing at Point E-46."

Doctor Cain nodded. "Have faith," he said, "we'll reach it. Are the others ready to go down when we do break into it?"

"They've been ready," Cedric said, "Vickie said she wanted to lead the expedition."

"She can second it," Doctor Cain said, "this one is personally mine."

"Aren't you a bit too old to go running around underground?"

"Cedric, my boy, you're never too old for adventure," Doctor Cain said with a chuckle, turning at the shouts behind him. He watched as several people ran to the various machines they had set up to break through the surface and down to whatever it was that was buried there. It was almost deafening when the machines fell still, their droning whine ceasing.

One of the workers ran over, a huge grin on her face. "We did it. We've found a way into whatever it is. It seems stable enough but I wouldn't trust it just yet."

"Get a good scan of it and tell Vickie to get them set up by the edge. We're going in as soon as you can give us the green," Doctor Cain said, "Cedric, you hold down the fort. I think we have a date with destiny waiting for us down there."

"Just come back safe, Doc," Cedric said.

"Oh, we will, no worries my boy, now," Doctor Cain said as he turned and headed back to the fair sized cabin that housed all of them on the dig, set into the forest around their clearing, "time to get ready." He didn't stop, not until he saw Victoria with her small crew, already bringing the ropes and other climbing gear down to the actual dig site.

"Doctor, there you are," Vickie said, "have you heard the news?"

"Since when wouldn't the project leader be notified of any changes," Doctor Cain said, "and I'm going too. I need to see what's down there. I'll head this expedition."

"I figured I'd save the strain on your old bones and lead this one," Vickie said.

Doctor Cain snorted. "Old bones indeed. Now, no arguments, I'm coming along."

"As you wish," Vickie said, "we'll make sure to bring an extra set of gear."

Doctor Cain nodded and fell into step beside of her as they walked back to the pit.

"So what do you think is down there?" Vickie asked to break the silence.

"We'll know when we get there, my dear," Doctor Cain said.

"I just hope we're not opening Pandora's Box," she said as she stopped at the edge of the pit, setting her gear down before motioning for the others to do the same.

"Only time will tell," Doctor Cain said as he began to shrug into the climbing gear, securing it and waiting as one of the assistant climbers checked the straps and clasps to make sure they were set to go, "but I don't think we're looking at anything that'll be a harm. There's no energy signatures, nothing but one large lump of metal. It might simply be a time capsule or something like that." He secured the pouches to his belt before slipping the night goggles around his neck, making sure his light was good to go.

"But that large an area?" Vickie asked as one of the others gave the green light to go down.

"As I said, we'll know once we get down there," Doctor Cain said, "now, it's not nice to keep an old man waiting." Once his rope was secure to the stake in the ground he moved to the edge and jumped, slowly rappelling down, his gaze mostly to the darkness below. Once it became harder for him to see his rope he stopped and placed his goggles on, switching them on and continuing down.

By the time he reached the bottom, a mostly stable slab of what looked like metal, his arms were tired. But he wasn't about to let that stop him from searching around. He moved away, slowly examining each and every piece of rubble. He heard soft thuds as Vickie and the others landed, but soon he tuned it all out, his mind running with the possibilities of what this could have once looked like.

"I think we can fit in here," Vickie said, "we'll go one by one until we know how stable this place is."

"Agreed," Doctor Cain said, "and I go first."

"Doctor!" Vickie exclaimed, "you know how dangerous some digs can be."

"And I'm an old man," Doctor Cain said, "so if something happens to me it's not like one of you youngsters getting hurt."

Vickie fell quiet as Doctor Cain passed, peering into the hole in question.

"Looks stable enough," he said before climbing through. He moved out of the way, following the remains of what must have been a wall. He couldn't tell much, just that this was some huge, metal structure. But what, remained to be seen.

He pushed the hood back from his parka before he unzippered it. He could still see his breath even down here but the chill of the ruins couldn't match the cold of the surface. He reached in and hauled out a pen and some paper before making a grid and visually marking the room down. Once done he ventured on to a shattered doorway, crawling under the fallen beam. The corridor was mostly collapsed, but still passable. On the other side was a large room with various objects scattered about. He picked up the nearest one, something that looked like an arm, but it belonged to no human. A finger traced the metal rods and the cables attached to it, parts of the outer shell still intact.

Doctor Cain picked through the rubble, examining the various parts, trying to figure out how all of that fit together, whether it was part of one machine or many. Some of the parts didn't seem to mesh, but it could have been that he was missing a few pieces.

Setting the last one down he had found he rose and walked around, finding a few cabinets holding other parts, other machines he could only guess what they did.

"I get the feeling this was some kind of workshop," Vickie said, "those pieces looked too humanoid . . . "

"Well, I remember as a kid hearing about robots," Doctor Cain said, "I always thought it was just a fantasy since by that time no robot had been seen for decades. Definitely it would have been interesting, to say the least, to talk to a machine who could talk back."

"Do you think those parts are robot parts?" Vickie asked.

"Who knows, my dear," Doctor Cain said, "we might find out as we go deeper."

He didn't bother to look at her as he moved through another destroyed doorway, pausing as he looked around. A few more pieces could be found, but not as many as in the other room. This room looked, more or less, in tact as compared to the other ones. The door at the end, even, was closed. Upon further examination he found it unmovable. No doubt because no power coursed through this place. That was something he was going to have to have the boys do. Get down there with some of the heavy equipment to help open and shore up the outer rooms so they could do a more thorough investigation. Not to mention getting some decent lighting down there.

Doctor Cain left no literal stone unturned as he searched, his eyes going wide as he opened one of the cabinets, finding not more parts but papers. He removed them and lifted his goggles down, reaching for the flashlight and turning it on. He scanned the first paper, his eyes going wide when he read the inscription at the bottom.

" 'I don't want him finding the capsule. The last thing I need is for more problems to arise,' " Doctor Cain read aloud, voice soft and still full of disbelief, " 'if this test proves a success then this will change the future of the Earth. It'll open up new avenues of exploration for humans while keeping them out of risk. I only hope that my theories are correct and that I haven't created a problem for future generations to deal with. But, as they say, only time will tell. I have yet to activate the capsule, I still have reservations about doing this. If I had more time . . . maybe I would feel more at ease about this. But, as it is, there is no more time. Maybe tomorrow I'll start the power flowing to the capsule, start what might be the next major step in human history. But for now, it's time for the old to rest . . . September 17th, 20XX T. Right.' "

Blinking before looking around in the dark, Doctor Cain felt his heart skip a beat. These ruins . . . those parts . . . confirmed one theory even if it wasn't what he was aiming for. This place . . .was Doctor Thomas Right's lab. Everyone knew about Doctor Right. He was one of the worlds most brilliant roboticists. Though what he had created had been lost to the annals of time. But now, here, in this very place, decades later, no, a century later, here he stood, holding a piece of history in his hands.

He slipped the goggles back on, shutting the light off and putting it back. He carefully slid the papers into one of the pouches before hurrying back to where the others were.

"Don't touch a thing," Doctor Cain said, "we're leaving for now until I can get some lighting down here. I think we've just found a missing piece of the past."

"Doctor . . .what do you mean?" Vickie asked.

"This, my dear, is all that remains of a brilliant man's work," Doctor Cain said, "I need to get this place listed as a historic monument."

"But Doctor, why?" Vickie asked again.

"Because," Doctor Cain said as he rehooked the rope, "this was once the lab of Doctor Right."

He heard the gasps behind him as he double checked the belts before beginning the slow climb back up, forced to pause along the way until his arms could rest. Though once he entered the light he pushed on ahead, letting the younger boys help him up over the edge and remove the climbing straps.

"So, what was down there?" Cedric asked.

"An answer to our prayers," Doctor Cain said as he fought for breath, "consider our funding permanent. I'll explain later."

Once he was able to, Doctor Cain returned to his room, shedding his parka and tossing it aside. He flipped open his laptop and called up a few programs. As he waited he flipped through the notes, each and every page capturing him, holding him fast, as if he could actually see Doctor Right scribbling these notes down, almost as if this was his personal journal, or at least, parts of it.

He began to type into his laptop, updating his own journal of this dig, still not able to believe what he was actually writing.

"But just what is this capsule," Doctor Cain said as he leafed carefully again through the aged paper, "and why is it so important? Who didn't you want to get a hold of it and do these design notes have anything to do with it?" he mused aloud.

He stopped at one page. Most of the terms he was unfamiliar with since they had nothing even remotely resembling a robot in this time, but enough he could figure out. It looked almost like schematics, or at least the pre-design stage of what would later become schematics. Had Right built another robot? Was that what the capsule contained? If so, and it still functioned, this would indeed be a revolutionary breakthrough.

With a tired sigh, Doctor Cain set about preserving the ancient notes, his mind running over and over the tales and stories he had heard as a kid. Tales that told of robots who had fought other robots for world domination. Of how many a war had interrupted daily life as an evil scientist tried to take over the world with his robotic creations, only to be stopped by a single, valiant blue robot who's name was lost to the dust of history, even if his legends hadn't. But, those were only stories told to children to keep them entertained. They couldn't have possibly been real. If they had been then why didn't they have robots in this time?

Doctor Cain gave a hearty yawn and decided to call it a night. With those tales still chasing circles in his mind, he tried to settle down and get some sleep before first light. He knew tomorrow was going to be a busy day for all of them.

"Swing that light over here," a voice called out, "I need more light to finish this sketch."

Doctor Cain watched as the workers mapped out every inch of the lab they could get to, some parts still blocked off to them. He had the artists in the group working hard to create a detailed replica of what they had found. Later he'd have them compare notes, ideas and come up with what the place must have looked like before its destruction.

Vickie hurried over with the portable phone. "Doctor, it's Cedric for you. He says he's arrived back at your lab safe and sound and he's already started the team analyzing and preserving the papers."

"Good, good," Doctor Cain said as he took the phone, "Cedric, glad to hear the good news."

"So, how far have you made it into there?" Cedric asked.

"Not as far as I would have liked," Doctor Cain said, "there are too many areas that have completely collapsed and we need the boys to get the movers down here so we can clear a path."

"Hopefully you won't do too much damage to the place," Cedric said, "I've managed to get a hold of Angela and she says that just as soon as we can prove that these notes did indeed come from Doctor Right and that we can confirm there was an actual capsule buried down there, we're going to get full licensing to put this place on the historic register with full right of ownership until she can find a rightful heir to Doctor Right."

"Understood," Doctor Cain said, "keep us posted, just as we'll keep you posted."

"Understood, Doc, and good hunting," Cedric said before the connection was cut.

Doctor Cain handed Vickie back the phone and turned to look at the area. "I still can't believe we're standing in the very spot where Doctor Right worked."

"I know," Vickie said, "it's hard to get a full grasp on what we've found."

Doctor Cain moved away, looking over one of the artists shoulders. "Once we're done here I'm going to let them clear this place out before we move the machines in to break through that wall."

Vickie nodded. "How long do you think that'll be?"

"Give them a few hours," Doctor Cain said, "we need to tag everything first and get it boxed and hauled out of here. This room has more spare parts than any other. I'm assuming it must have been a workshop of some sorts. I don't think it was a storage room. Some of these machines over here," he said as he walked over to a still display, "seem more like data computers than recorders."

"That was my first assumption too," Vickie said, "I'll go tell them to get ready with the packing equipment. We'll get it lifted down to the outer rooms and wait for your signal to start packing."

Doctor Cain nodded. He listened to the young lady's footsteps as she walked away, his mind elsewhere. They had been making painstakingly slow progress in the lab, both moving debris and mapping the entire place. Already three days had passed and they were only a quarter of the way through this level, and they still had the lower floors to explore.

With a soft sigh Doctor Cain stood there, huddled in his parka. The weather outside had turned a bit for the worst. The temperature had dropped on them as a series of cold fronts had passed through, dumping snow on them. Even where they were, so far underneath the ground, the elderly doctor could see his breath. The last weather reports he had gotten before heading down to watch over the others as they worked had threatened more snow for that night.

Impatience soon set in and Doctor Cain found himself pacing around until the artists finished. Once they had packed up and left the area he signaled Vickie to bring in the others to start tagging and moving the items in the room. Now with something to do, Doctor Cain eagerly tagged and carefully wrapped each item, placing it in a marked box for later examination once they got everything back to his lab. Vickie had once called him a bit too eager to find this so-called capsule, but, for the elderly doctor, it was a dream come true.

Once done he allowed the engineers to set up, shoring the walls and bringing the diggers in to move the rubble blocking the rest of their path. He waited to the side, staying with Vickie in another room, well out of the danger zone. He listened as the machines started up, their loud roaring echoing along the metal walls, making the entire area deafening.

When suddenly the machines fell silent with a loud whine, Doctor Cain moved closer. He could hear shouts and voices, all urgent. One of the workers ran out.

"Doc, we've found something buried under part of the roof that had collapsed," the worker said, "whatever it is it's huge and there's power going to it."

Doctor Cain pushed the worker aside and entered. He stood in awe for a moment before walking over, scrambling over remnants of debris. He could see the flicker of lights along the object. He could hear a soft hum emanating from the machine and when he laid his hand against the metal he could feel the vibrations even through his gloves. "Whatever you do, get this thing uncovered but not at its expense. Hopefully this is a working terminal that'll answer our questions."

The worker nodded and began shouting orders to the others.

Doctor Cain moved back into a safe zone, though this time he watched as they slowly uncovered what wasn't a computer terminal or even a computer bank, but something else, something that just might be the capsule the notes referred to.

Once they were done and the machines were out of the way, Doctor Cain moved in. He let the more agile Vickie clamber over it, taking measurements while he did his own visual examination. The thing, whatever it was, was huge, standing much taller than himself and wider as well. He could see what appeared to be a darker blue canopy set low into the dark blue metal. Maybe some sort of protective coating to preserve the capsule? Doctor Cain ran a hand along the surface, wondering what, if anything, they'd find inside.

His path took him around the capsule where he found a machine that sat attached to the capsule but apart from it. Doctor Cain ran a hand over the machine, surprised when it flickered to life. The screen went from black to blood red and a warning siren began to wail as the screen flashed. He jumped back at the sudden activation, though it gained his complete attention as words began to scroll across the screen.

Warning:

"X" is the first of a new generation of robots which contain an innovative new feature - the ability to think, feel and make their own decisions. However this ability could be very dangerous. If "X" were to break the first rule of robotics, "a robot must never harm a human being", the results would be disastrous and I fear that no force on Earth could stop him.

Approximately thirty years will be required before we can safely confirm his reliability. Unfortunately I will not live to see that day, nor do I have anyone to carry on my work. Therefore, I have decided to seal him in this capsule, which will test his internal systems until his reliability has been confirmed. Please do not disturb the capsule until that time.

"X" possesses great risks as well as great possibilities. I can only hope for the best.

September 18, 20XX

T. Right

"My God," Doctor Cain exclaimed softly, "this is it. This is the capsule that the notes referred to." He continued to scan the machine then the capsule. As far as he could tell all of the indicators read green, that it was safe to release this "X", whatever it was.

"Doctor, what was that alarm?" When Vickie dropped down to ground level, Doctor Cain only pointed to the monitor. She went over and read the warning as it scrolled through yet again on its continual cycle.

Doctor Cain turned and watched her reaction. "This is it, my dear. We've found a piece of history."

"But . . . it says that "X" may be a danger," Vickie said, "that it might be out of control when it wakes."

"And it might be just as safe," Doctor Cain said, "science never prospered by those who would not take a chance."

Vickie didn't seem convinced, however.

"Tomorrow, my dear, we'll open it," Doctor Cain said, "right now it's late. I want to make sure we have everything set up before we open it."

Vickie only nodded, remaining silent.

Doctor Cain gave one last touch to the capsule before following his assistant out of the ruins and back to the lift they had erected. Once back to his room in the main cabin, he immediately opened his laptop and began to type.

With that done, Doctor Cain powered his machine down and undressed, slipping into his bed. Sleep, however, wouldn't come easily as his mind raced with what this "X" looked like, what kind of robot he was, what kind of information Doctor Right had programmed into him. Too many questions with not enough answers came to mind, preventing sleep from overtaking the doctor.

Which meant that morning came all too soon.

Breakfast was a hurried event. Doctor Cain wanted to get down there as soon as they could to open the capsule. However, the snows moved in as predicted and slowed their trek back to the dig site until later that evening.

He had assembled a small team to be there, just enough to witness this first step toward a new future, but not too many to maybe spook "X" as he woke for the first time.

Doctor Cain, once they were ready, activated the start up sequence. He waited as the machine ticked off each item as they read green, signaling that "X" was 'healthy' if nothing else.

"Are you sure you should be doing this without the army being here?" one of the male workers asked, "I mean, we've all read the warnings and from what it says, this thing is dangerous."

"That may be," Doctor Cain said, "but we won't know until we open this, will we?"

"The army is going to have to know about this now," Vickie said, "because this now becomes a matter of possible defense."

"We'll handle that if we need to," Doctor Cain said, "right now we should give "X" a warm welcome. After all, we are the first people he's going to see when he wakes."

"What if something goes wrong?" the only other lady besides Vickie down there asked.

"Have faith, my dear," Doctor Cain said.

When finally there was a hiss and the lid rose, Doctor Cain grinned. Once the lid was back he spoke the first words the robot had probably ever heard.

"This is going to change the world as we know it . . . . "