Preface:

The world was a depressing place. The wars raged back and forth, costing countless lives. That was when Doctor Albert Wily entered the scene. He was an up-and-coming scientist in the field of robotics, and he offered to create the US military's new force: An unstoppable robot army, led by six generals, who would together topple any force that stood against them. His asking price was barely above the base cost of the army itself; the man took almost no money for himself. It seemed too good to be true. Later, the former president who made the decision remarked that it was foolish to trust a man named Wily.

The six generals led an army that proved unstoppable. Men fell in droves as the United States, formerly the champions of freedom, conquered and enslaved the rest of the world. Cut man, Guts man, Fire man, Ice man, Bomb man, and Elec man. These six, along with a new type of soldier designated the "Sniper JOE", as well as their medics, termed "Met Hats" conquered entire continents. First the Middle East fell. Then, using the oil fields in the area to fuel their conquest, the robots turned north and east, felling Russia, China, Japan, and India, as well as all the smaller countries in the area, in one march.

There was hardly a fight after that. Europe surrendered peacefully, except for the French and Germans, who were immediately crushed. Africa was annexed, Australia was conquered, while Central and South Americas were the last to fall, after uniting together and launching an assault on the US home soil. But even they lost in the end.

After this conquest, there was a period of ten years of peace. Of course, there were resurrections, but as all humanity was slowly forced into cities while robots slowly took over production of food, these insurrections were quickly crushed. And then, when all humanity was confined to massive urban centers, Wily struck. He activated programming nobody had thought to check for in his robot armies, and they took over. Because the most advanced military in the world, the US military, had disbanded in favor of the robot armies, none was left to defend mankind. Those who resisted were slaughtered wholesale.

Hope Rides Alone:

Twelve years passed…

Nobody was left who could remember how it had happened. How the world had fallen under darkness, at least no one who would do anything. No man would oppose the robots, no man would challenge their power. Or so Doctor Wily believed…

In a dark, run-down apartment, twenty floors above New York City's dark streets, a man named Doctor Thomas Light, whose own robotic projects had been shunned in favor of Wily's because his were "too expensive", worked feverishly and quietly on a new project. He was putting the finishing touches on a device designed to bring about a change, a machine to bring freedom. Light had created a man to save the world. And after twelve years of labor, his hard work was finally coming to fruition. The eccentric and brilliant loner had finally finished his work.

"I am finished! Finally!" He activated the machine, and disabled the off switch. Running on solar power, as all the new models were, this machine could potentially continue its existence forever. Alas, this was not his fate. "Can you hear me? Do you understand my words?"

"Yes, father." The machine had spoken in a vaguely human voice. It stood seven feet tall, made of an extremely resilient alloy that was bulletproof, carrying a shield made of a rare metal that was indestructible, with a blaster cannon that was hidden in its right arm, and an energy blade in its left. Painted red and grey, the machine was unstoppable. It was perfect. It was unbeatable. None could defeat it. Not even the six generals. As the finishing touch, Doctor Light added a helmet made of the same material as the shield, a pair of sunglasses, and a yellow scarf.

"Father, what is my designation?"

"You will be named Proto Man, for you are the prototype."

"Understood. What is my purpose?"

"You are a warrior, designed to save the world from the evil Doctor Wily's machines." Light turned off the safety programming and turned on the emotion drive. "There, how do you feel?"

"I feel…wonderful! But I must save humanity!"

"Yes, go forth, my son! Go forth and liberate us all!"

Protoman left the apartment complex. He dashed for the fortress Doctor Wily resided in. Every robot that tried to stop him was cut down. People started taking notice of him. He stopped for nothing, making a mad dash for the stronghold. With the entire city following him, Protoman charged. He stopped in front of the gates. With a mighty punch, he knocked the gate over. Here the people stopped, uncertain. But Protoman did not hesitate. He blasted the sentries on the walls and walked calmly toward the front door. From inside came a large robot, 9 feet tall and covered in grenades. This was Bomb Man. Bomb Man tried to stop Proto Man.

"Halt! Leave and you will be spared!"

"You foolish tyrant! It is YOU who will fall! Now get out of my way or die!"

"As you wish. I tried to warn you." Bomb Man lobbed a grenade at Protoman. But Proto Man was too quick. He rushed Bomb Man and leapt towards him, landing on his chest. Bomb Man did not fall. But that was not Protoman's intent. Instead, he fired a charged blast directly into Bomb Man's chest, from which he generated grenades, and leapt off just before the robot master detonated. The next Robot Master to arrive was Fire Man. Fire Man wielded a built-in flamethrower, and gave forth a battle cry that terrified the people watching. But Protoman was not phased. He fired a charged shot at fire man, missed, then rushed the master who had stepped out of the fortress. His enemy tried to fry him with a blast of flame, but Protoman was immune to fire, and quickly dispatched his opponent with a single blow to the face. Protoman stopped to rest briefly before continuing, but while he rested Ice Man and Cut Man arrived. Cut Man was a highly skilled beamswordsman who dual wielded yellow blades, and Ice Man had the ability to generate extreme cold. Ice Man fell rapidly because Protoman recognized he could not fight with his feet frozen to the ground, and thus focused on him. Then, when Ice Man had fallen, Protoman charged cut man. He used the blade in his left arm to push Cut Man's blade away and then blasted the Robot Master in the face with a fully charged blast. Cut Man's body fell to the ground and hit with a dull thud. Next to arrive was Guts Man, a massive behemoth that stood 12 feet tall and was easily the strongest machine Wily had ever created. But Protoman was equally strong. Guts Man was enraged at the deaths of his brethren and proceeded to attempt to rend Protoman asunder. However, as he was rushing the red robot, the evil machine was surprised to find that his opponent had disappeared in a cloud of dust. Protoman had fired at the ground, generating massive amounts of dust which interfered with Guts Man's robotic eyes. Guts Man was even more surprised to find a laser blade was sticking through his torso, and then he, too, fell to Proto Man. However, the last general and the last to arrive, Elec Man, was different. Elec Man, by far the most intelligent and fastest robot master, was the toughest opponent yet. He was human in shape, as they all were, and was painted mostly black, but some parts, like the goggles he wore, were yellow. Elec Man sent out a blast of electricity, stunning Protoman where he was, and then rushed forward, pummeling the hapless creation of Light until he was able to react, and react he did. Protoman, realizing he could never hope to defeat Elec Man in a drawn out battle, decided his course of action quickly. He took advantage of Elec Man's close proximity and took a grenade that he'd stolen from Bomb Man before his death and shoved it down Elec Man's throat. He quickly ran away, but he was not fast enough. As the robot master exploded, Protoman was caught in a burst of electricity that left him heavily wounded and drained much of his energy.

And that was when the reinforcements arrived. One thousand sniper JOEs. Protoman was wounded, low on energy, and struggling to remain standing as Wily ordered the final attack.

Protoman fell that day, in front of the mass of humanity that did nothing to save him. Not one man raised a finger to aid him. Not one man tried to help him. They looked on as he battled in vain, and watched as the sniper JOEs ripped him apart, piece by piece. And then, after the robots had carried away his broken body, they carried back into the city a few remnants. The shield, lovingly crafted, now scorched. The helmet, battle scarred and cracked in places. The sunglasses, which had somehow survived. And the scarf, which was shredded by bullets.

They made a small monument to Protoman in a hidden place in the city, where Doctor Wily could not take it down. From the loudspeakers across the city came propaganda: "We keep you safe. Patrols in this area will be increased. You are safe, but please report any suspicious activity to the nearest automated unit. Protoman is evil." Doctor Light was heartbroken.

Funeral for a Son:

After the crowd had left, Doctor Light went to the grave of his son. As he heard the crowd break apart, all leaving to their homes, or the streets they called home, to their slavery, he noticed a tear streaming down his face and felt a weight in his chest. What was it? Anger? Frustration? Agony? These are there too. But no, this was more than that. More than these basic emotions. Those emotions were his life. He had lived with them for so long that he could barely feel them. He had learned to fight them, ignore them, and finally channel them into his work, his machine, his sonAnd then, when he'd died, they'd all come flooding back. The terror he'd felt when the world had fallen. The anger he'd had towards himself for letting it happen. The hatred of the fools in Washington who had laughed at his modest price range for the project. The agony of watching his only biological son be killed by Wily's robots, trying to protect his mother, Light's wife, who had then been killed as well. The loathing of himself for failing to protect them both.

So that was it. He'd projected his son onto Protoman. That was where the personality had come from. He walked into his lab, ripping tools from the walls and flinging them about. Picking up a chair with ease, he launched it across the large room. This hidden building was all he had left, and he wanted to destroy it. And then, something changed. Something subtle. He felt the anger turn to something…else. He started to build, to lash together what materials he had saved, to make the chassis, the body, once again. The familiar face, his own face, sculpted to mirror how he had looked when he was in his early twenties. The blaster, this time even more powerful, with an even higher capacity. The hands, sculpted to be powerful and yet careful, with advanced pressure sensors that would allow it to crush a stone or grasp a fragile glass, without breaking it. Light worked on, far into the night, constantly, obsessively, like a man possessed. And in a way, he was. He was possessed by the rage that had finally unleashed itself. The pent up anger and hatred and everything else was being poured into something he could finally direct a real emotion towards That emotion was Pride. He was making something he could be proud of, another son, a better son, a stronger son, a smarter son. But this time, he would not make the same mistake. The fools who had slain his last son would not have the benefit of the service of this one. The blaster was for his own self defense. The helmet was for his own protection. The armor was to protect him, not aid him in slaughtering machines. Light watched as his hands created something truly amazing. Something that no man had ever seen before…

As Light worked, the robot armies carried Protoman's broken, lifeless body to their leader. In his fortress, Doctor Wily watched. He observed how the machine was made. He realized it was far beyond his design, far beyond anything he could create. Not by himself. So Doctor Wily decided that instead of rebuilding his lost generals, he would have a new king of war. A new machine to suppress rebellion, to strike terror in the hearts of the people. And how ironic that it would be their hero doing so. But no, he wouldn't make it obvious, he would change the appearance.

Twelve hours later, as Wily finished his work, he stepped back to survey it. He had successfully repaired Protoman but could not reprogram him, and so deactivated his weapons and strapped him down. With a plethora of his minions around him, all poised to strike at the wave of a hand, Wily activated Protoman. The machine's eyes lit up, and as soon as he saw Wily he spoke.

"So I've been captured by the one I set out to destroy…"

"Actually, I invited you here. What is your designation?"

"…I am called Protoman."

"A prototype. Interesting." Wily stroked his hairless chin. Wily never could grow a beard. "Do you know why you're here?"

"No."

"Because I rebuilt you, carefully, piece by piece."

"Only my father would show that level of devotion. You lie."

"No, I do not lie. Look around you. I am sorry for the restraints, but I worry that you would try to harm me. But if you wish it, I can free you."

"What is the catch?"

"There's no catch. You can go back to the people who would never have helped you, who don't deserve a man like you to aid them, those cowards who would never stand and fight, or you can stay with me, in your rightful place."

"…"

"Think it over." Wily smiled. This one is mine…

"I will designate you Megaman."

"Yes father. My name is Megaman. What is my primary function?"

"Your primary function is to be my son."

Years passed. But nothing ever changed. The human race now did all the work, with machines ruling over them, and Wily ruling over the machines. The people, though weary and tired, were content to toil endlessly under the rule of the robots. They were almost happy to serve Wily. The world had become ever grayer, even when the sun shined. But people still spoke of Protoman, in whispers, in fear for their lives. Light knew that Megaman would eventually learn the truth. And so, one day, he called Megaman into his lab, to tell him of his brother…