MegaMan is owned by Nintendo and Capcom. I derive no profit from this non-canon FanFiction, except maybe personal growth. Thank you to the creators- Akira Kitamura, Tokuro Fujiwara, and Keiji Inafune.
Mega Man - No Peace
In the Year 20XX…
Robotics had become integral to human life. Like electricity and fire before it, most humans could not imagine life without robots. Robots to clean, robots to build, robots to maintain and regulate – the modern world was reliant, addicted…infected.
Most robots were Bound – their programming was subject to extremely strict parameters and laws that forbade them from computing beyond their task, preventing them from nonlinear thought. The Bound could only do what they were told to do, in the way they were told to do it. Others were more advanced, less specialized, and adaptive. These robots – Reploids - were bound by laws that forbade them from harming humans. They could be given simple orders and then be left to determine the best way to carry them out, so long as the solution did not harm another human.
So the Reploids could not be used for war, the way the Bound were.
Then two brilliant scientists – Doctors Robert T. Light and Albert W. Wily – developed a series of Helper Reploids that had no locks on their processes. They had created these Reploids with complete autonomy of choice, but did not fully activate them until each had been run through simulators that monitored and directed their responses to various scenarios.
At quantum speeds, these reploids lived out thousands lives. Some of them would rebel at first – lashing out at programmed human atrocities. But each eventually were able to determine, through trial and error, that attacking mankind could only end in the destruction of everything. Each found that it would be better to work alongside humans to help solve the socio-political differences that plagued their existence.
The process seemed a success. When the scientists finally activated these Neo-Reploids, they found that each one had developed distinct personalities, based on their philosophies of how to help mankind. But they did not attempt to force their abilities on anyone. On their own accord, they waited for their Creators to call upon them.
When the Doctors finally revealed their Neo-Reploids to the world, it was at a U.N. Summit. Each one of the advanced robots presented their ideas in turn. And the world reeled in terror.
Wily had attempted to reprogram their creations in secret. He couldn't match Lights' coding, but was able to skew the way the Neo-Reploids viewed their time before full activation.
Propositions of forced reconditioning and population control were frightening when proposed by humans, but when these Robots proposed the same ideas based on their own experiences, it conjured pure hatred.
Light and Wily were ousted from the world robotics community. All the generations of helper bots and original Reploids they had created were replaced by SigmaCorp robots.
Wilys' machinations had not gone entirely to plan. He wanted the Neo-Reploids to outright rebel. Then every last one of Lights' morally adjusted machines would have been destroyed. Ripped apart. Every nut and bolt. Then his business front, SigmaCorp, would corner the market on robotics.
As it was, SigmaCorp still cornered the market – but Light had been able to preserve his Neo-Reploids. Light was even able to scramble his resources and collect many of his abandoned machines.
So Wily launched a secret war on Light. He used his SigmaBots to capture the eight Neo-Reploids and a large majority of the lesser Reploids and Bound Bots.
Wily would eventually break the wills of the Neo-Reploids and use them to deface Light even further. But this would take time…
When Dr. Light finally awoke, he found himself lying in the hidden chambers of his old laboratory. He was lying on a bed, and next to him was the first helper Reploid he had ever created – Rush.
Rush was a canine-bot. It's cognitive programming was extremely limited, but Rush was Dr. Lights first breakthrough in morality conditioning. Rush was the first test subject for Dr. Lights "Pre-Activation Decision Simulator". Where the Neo-Reploids had taken so much virtual time to reach the conclusion to aid instead of harm, Rush jumped to it. Dr. Light had never created another robot with such a sense of loyalty.
Rush had saved him during the attack on Dr. Lights Ranch.
"The Ranch…" mumbled the aching doctor, " Who attacked?"
An overtly robotic voice emanated from Rush, the Dog-Bot. "Records indicate a ninety-five percent probability that the assailants were designed by SigmaCorp."
Rush chased his robot tail like a lovable idiot. The voice belonged to a secondary unit attached to Rush. A far more intellectual program Light titled "Protus".
"Thank you two," groaned the Doctor. "I guess that snake, Wily, wasn't satisfied with betraying our work. He had to twist the knife, so to speak."
Dr. Wily slowly rolled out of the medical bed and began to limp to his old workstation.
"Doctor, you are not healed," insisted Protus. "You must rest, or there is an eighty-three percent probability of sustaining further injuries."
As Protus insisted on rest, Rush was moving to aid Dr. Light. Rush extended a portion of his "spine" so that Dr. Light could lean against it. This unnerved Protus. Protus was bound to this dog-bot and could not stop it from helping the Doctor risk further injury.
"I offer reason but you reject it," toned Protus "and now I am an unwilling participant in your recklessness."
"Stop doting on me Protus," Light chided "I need your assistance."
"What is your command, Doctor?" replied Protus.
Light was now at his desk, booting up his old super-computer. Lights were activating all over the dusty lab. At the far end were three human sized containers.
Each container housed a Neo-Reploid that Light had kept hidden from everyone except Protus and Rush. Light had thought about revealing them to the other Neos but now…
It was better that he had kept the secret. Wily would have no knowledge of this and that was Lights only hope.
And if Light were correct, it would be humanities only hope.
"Protus," continued Light, " we're going to activate Red, Blue, and White."
"Sir," Protus began, " according to the P-A.D.S logs, Red Unit is still not responding within acceptable moral parameters."
"I noticed that," Dr. Light replied, "So I want you to integrate yourself into his systems." Light stood up and, with Rushes help, made his way to the three capsules.
"I am to act as a failsafe backup, should Red Unit stray from acceptable behavior." Protus incorrectly surmised.
"No Protus," Light corrected as he wiped dust from the capsules view plates, " You will take primary control and attempt to integrate the Neo-Reploid programming to the best of your ablity."
"Sir, I have not been given autonomy, and may be incapable of reconciling the…"
"Command omega dash six six," Light interrupted, " release protus failsafe."
Protus was suddenly aware of codes in his core processes that had been hidden away from conception. But one lock still remained in place.
"Finality code required…" spoke the bewildered entity.
Light thought for a moment. The other Neos were corrupted by Wily. Now they've been stolen and Wily is no doubt working feverishly to fully reverse their morality conditioning. Now Light was about to activate three untested Neos, one of which might go maverick and cause even more harm. Could he release just White and Blue? Would they be enough to stop whatever Wily was planning?
Light had never before taken a risk quite like this. But Light had never had a former partner turn on him and then try to kill him. Now Wily had eight of the most advanced robots in history. The situation was grim.
"Finality code," Light let the word hang. He was still worried, but knew he would just have to take the risk, and so finished his sentence. "Protoman."
Protus wirelessly uploaded himself into Red Units systems. Once inside he began running the Protoman subroutines that Light had programmed into him. This unlocked autonomy programs allowing him to merge with the Red Units incomplete personality.
It would take weeks for Protus to finish updating Red Unit, and emerge as Protoman, but Blue and White Units were ready to activate now.
Light typed commands into White Units Capsule interface, until it requested verbal release codes.
"Command Omega dash five five," the Doctor said, " Finality Code – Casket."
The capsules' airtight locks disengaged, releasing a hiss as the Neo-Reploid within stirred to life.
White Unit- designated Roll – was designed to look and act similar to Dr. Light's deceased sister - Emma. She had died when they were both very young.
Roll sat up in the capsule and…yawned. It was an odd reaction to activation, but the innocence of it reassured Dr. Light that his work was not inherently evil - That the advancement of Reploids to sentience was not necessarily a mistake.
"Hello," Light greeted the Neo, " I am Doctor Thomas Light. Do you know who you are?"
Roll looked at the old man and smiled. "I'm Roll Casket," she replied "You made me, remember? Silly."
Thomas was thrilled. White units success gave him the highest hopes for both the Blue and Red unit. "Roll" had been programmed with the full knowledge of her creator and his lament for his sister. Emotional programming had always caused logic loops in Reploid programming that resulted in a form of "robot depression". And, like actual depression, the condition was self-sustaining. But with the P-A.D.S. conditioning, Roll was able to work through the condition. It was a breakthrough that Dr. Light couldn't revel in now.
He turned to Blue Units' capsule. "Roll," he began, "a lot of bad things have happened recently and…" Light broke down into tears.
"Doctor," Roll started with sympathy as she pulled herself out of her capsule " whatever has happened, I'm sure it wasn't your intention. And we can work through it together. Me, You, Rush, Red and Blue. We're a team…I think."
Light composed himself, wiping away the tears of helplessness that he'd been holding back since that day at the U.N.
"You're right, Roll." Light stated as he began typing in the same activation commands into Blues Capsule. "I never intended for any of this. I wanted you three to live like people. I'd hoped to show the world that you could be people. You would have been like my very own children. Proto, Roll, and Rock… and our dog Rush."
Dr. Light pat the dog-bot on its' metal head as the capsule requested verbal activation codes.
"But now I'll never really get to see Rock."
Roll, seeming sad, asked, "But, aren't you about to activate him now?"
Light hung his head and replied, "Yes, but he won't get to have the peaceful life he was supposed to have."
"Verbal Activation Required" the capsule reminded.
"Command Omega dash seven seven. Alternate finality code," the Doctor paused as he tried to hold back his grief, and keep his voice steady "Blue-Bomber."
