ROCKMAN:EMOTION

part one:login

(1)

The scenery flew by faster than she could make out the details, but then, her attention was far from focused on it. Realization hadn't truly sunk in yet, and while in search of it her young mind began to wander, countenance distant and thoughtful. Between folded hands was a down-turned, holo-photograph, the edges well-worn from many moments like these.

The driver tossed some words over his shoulder as the small, cramped taxi began to decelerate, but she wasn't listening, nor did she even register her surroundings until the brakes were unceremoniously slammed. Undoubtedly the neighborhood itself had been alerted to their arrival.

"We're here, missy. Light Labs… or somethin'. Don't look like much to me…"

So there it was, the house of a nearly-forgotten childhood. Blue eyes drank it in, the aging white paint, the single visible window from this side… a deceptively normal home, but she alone would know any better. Ignoring the driver for the time being, she stretched a bit from the long ride, closing the distance to a large tree that had become a very good friend those years ago. It actually surprised her to see it, and the sensation was a warm and welcome one.

Sighing as the driver began to bring up her luggage, still prattling on about nothing in particular; she followed him to the door, paid him for his trouble, and knocked quietly. A crash from inside made her jump slightly, the familiar voice that followed bringing swift reassurance.

After a few good minutes, the taxi now long gone, the door opened at last. Funny, she was used to looking up at this man, who now seemed so much smaller after the time that had passed. Indeed, he was also unaccustomed to such a sight, the edges of each eye crinkling joyfully with his smile. He might have been the younger, slimmer brother of Saint Nick in both looks and demeanor, and the girl's uneasiness melted away at last.

"Grandpa."

"Oh, it's so wonderful to see you, my dear! Do come in… though I'm afraid there's quite a mess on the kitchen floor…" True enough, clutter and various mechanical parts were scattered all over the place, and the girl had to grin to herself knowingly as she picked her way around it all. Some things never change…

Again she lost herself to memory, its long and winding paths tugging her heart ever further into introspection. Her luggage lay forgotten at her feet; in her mind's eye it didn't even exist.

There was a small girl darting across the room, hugging a stuffed toy so loved that its features had worn almost completely away. Spindly-limbed, bright-eyed and no more than six years of age, her giggles echoed quietly in here, only barely muffled once she'd crawled beneath a small couch. A man strode calmly after her, looking from side to side from behind clear, angled lenses with feigned puzzlement.

"Now, where could she be?" he asked, and was answered by even more laughter. Pursing his lips and giving a long 'hmm', he tapped his chin as if to think carefully to oneself. Quite the picture of a scholarly man of science; he had a tall frame in business attire, complete with a pristine-white lab coat that was heavily wrinkled from the memory of use. At last he sighed, shaking his head and crossing his arms.

"Goodness, I can't find Sierra! Too bad… I had some cookies right here for her, too…" From his pocket he produced, in fact, a bag of small treats of the chocolate chip variation – her favorite.

From under the couch a small pair of eyes widened, and with a squeal she sprang towards him, hugging his legs tightly. "Daddy, I'm right here! See? I can have the cookies, right? Dad?"

"Dad?"

Glancing over one shoulder, Sierra's attention suddenly fastened on a boy's silhouette in the doorway. Surely, the voice had been his, but… what did he just say?

Visibly agitated, her grandfather looked between the two nervously. Opening his mouth and promptly closing it, it was apparent that he'd not yet prepared introductions. Soon enough, the girl was sure that she could reach out and touch the tension that was still growing, and quickly grew tired of it.

"I'm… gonna go unpack my things." However, instead of heading further into the house, she retreated towards the front door instead, shutting it loudly behind her.

Dr. Light watched her go mournfully, and at the same time gazed at his "son" from the corner of one eye. Quite a pickle he was in now, it seemed, and the old man wondered if he should have given both of them prior warning.

.o.o.o.

The breeze felt good, and the sound of it tugging playfully at the leaves slowly began to sedate her deep uneasiness. Had it really been so long ago? So much was different, and she deeply wished that she understood it all better. Sierra was no fool; she realized as soon as she set eyes on that boy – for he couldn't have been older than she, if not younger – that there were likely many reasons behind her being sent away.

Through the branches all around her, the sky shattered and cracked all around with sharp and uninviting edges. Thinking about that a bit as both legs kicked aimlessly beneath her perch, she could definitely apply the image to the state of her situation. Only bits and pieces of the truth were within reach. The rest, however, were scattered so far that it would likely never be fully reconstructed. Making a face, she shook her long brown mane, combing a few fingers through the knots here and there. Normally, it would be tied back, but she didn't feel like being stifled any more.

The whistling of the wind increased fractionally, congealing into a tuneless melody she could almost pick out, but the comfortable cushioning that the tree offered muted much of the sensation. Glancing down towards the ground, she gauged the distance, a bit proud of herself for being able to climb this far. Then again, longer arms and legs allowed greater reach when climbing. A moment later she let herself drop, bending her knees with the impact to lessen the shock. Feeling her lower leg scream in protest to such treatment made her grimace slightly; Sierra grinned anyway, wiping the loose plant matter from her faded jeans and black baby-doll top. Her right hand hurt, the palm stained with grass and pricked with assorted bits of pebbles and dirt.

When she looked up again, it was into the rather amused face of a slender youth, both hands shoved into his pockets like he had nothing better to do. She raised an eyebrow, a bit perplexed herself that he didn't appear at all perturbed by a random girl jumping none-too-gracefully from nowhere. Of course, it didn't help that she'd jumped right onto the adjacent sidewalk, more than likely into his walking path.

"You like heights?" he asked, as casually as one would to a friend of many years. At first glance, one might have taken him for the laid-back, play-it-cool type, but something in his stance betrayed tension, as if he were constantly on guard. In retrospect, his smile was completely disarming, not to mention contagious.

"Now and again, it gives a bit of a thrill," she replied with a shrug, still looking herself over a bit.

"Ah." A soft chuckle broke the ice, an affirmation that brought one hand to his eyes to pull off clear, blue-tinted sunglasses. The intensity of the green in his eyes drew her attention back to him completely; she found it enchanting that even the shadows cast by his shock of dark hair didn't dim their brilliance.

The youth cocked his head to one side slightly, smile shifting subtly into more of a smirk. "Quiet type, I take it?"

"Only to strangers."

"Oh, so now I'm strange, then."

"Well, you're certainly different."

"More than you think." He took a step towards her, extending his hand slightly in a friendly manner. Not knowing what to make of his last remark, Sierra remained silent, prompting him to continue. "I take it you're new around here. Don't tell me you live with the old nut." A darted glance to the front door punctuated the assumption.

"As of today, I do."

"Relation?"

"Yeah, grandparent," she answered, and suddenly the face of that younger boy popped up in her mind's eye. "But, I haven't been here for a while."

She must have been frowning, because his expression grew concerned. "I didn't think the coot had any family left. That is, if all the rumors were true."

That caught her attention immediately. "Excuse me?"

"Er…" tensing, he retracted his hand to rub the back of his head nervously. "I'm sorry, that was pretty rude of me."

"No, I mean, what are you talking about?"

"I—" Beepbeep. A blue light winked at the pair from somewhere on his wristwatch, sparking recognition on his face. "Damn. Already?" he muttered, taking a moment to slip his glasses back on. "Gotta go. Will you be here tomorrow?"

"Sure," she answered immediately, earning a nod and a smile from him.

"All right then, it's a date." Giving a mockery of a salute he started off at a brisk pace, leaving Sierra to stare blankly at his back until he disappeared around the corner. A call from behind reached her ears, and there at the door stood her grandfather, hands clasped behind his back while he shifted from foot to foot in an anxious gesture.

She very much wanted to ignore his beckon, a childish part of her hissing that it didn't want excuses or an explanation… but the truth had its strange allure, and the youth had summoned a spell of curiosity within her young mind. Yes, she wanted answers, and would listen.

.o.o.o.

It didn't feel right to be sitting down, particularly when that strange boy was fidgeting in the seat directly across from hers. The discomfort quickly became tangible again, and finally both pairs of eyes fell on Dr. Light, who stared at both of them in turn while searching for his words.

"Dad, um…" there it was, that word again, and the embers of that previous anger sparked to life again, and despite herself Sierra's expression darkened.

"Rock, please…" the aging scientist began, only to trail off in further pause. Only in a stumbling manner could his thoughts return; nonetheless they remained without courage in front of a furious twenty-two-year-old.

"I… honestly don't know where to begin, my dear. There is so much you will likely never understand…"

"Who is he?" she asked curtly, inclining her head in the boy's direction.

Light recoiled slightly, although he obviously expected such a question. "Well, that's a complicated thing…" he gave a tug of his beard, then again, staring intently at the boy now. "But perhaps the simplest heart of the matter..." More muttering, followed by a heavy sigh. "Rock, could you show her…"

Perking up, Rock snapped to attention, setting his arm on the table and poking several points on his skin. He wasn't done; his expression completely stoic now (certainly a far cry from previous expressions, in that now he appeared to be much older) he grasped a good portion of his arm and folded it to one side.

Circuits and wiring ducked and darted around colorful paneling, status lights blinked in and out without pattern. Small hoses, in a denser population than the rest, pumped a dark fluid back and forth in a terrifying imitation of human blood vessels.

"He's unique, and one of his kind," Light explained, while Sierra gawked at the machinery with shock and fascination, only half-listening. "Indeed, a nearly perfect simulacrum of the human body, but completely synthetic."

He seems so real, she thought, peering to look closer at it. Rock began to fidget a bit again, glancing away almost in embarrassment from the scrutiny.

"But he is real," the scientist scolded lightly, informing her that she had, in fact, spoken those words aloud. "The matrices of his brain are identical to ours, and over time he's developed a personality, and I daresay a life of his own, wouldn't you agree, Rock?"

"…yes, sir."

Gingerly Sierra reached forward to touch the paneling of the outside of Rock's arm, flipping it closed once more. The flesh around the seam congealed around it instantly, rapidly healing the small scar that once marked its existence. More and more things were making sense again, and she felt silly for thinking so disrespectfully of her older kin. Catching Rock's eye, she gave him an unsteady smile, offering silent apology for her jealousy. The room itself brightened with him when he boyishly returned the gesture – the beginning of a truce.

Even Dr. Light relaxed now, seeing that his children, flesh and otherwise, were no longer at odds. "Now, I'm sure you're both wondering why you haven't been introduced much sooner." Aware that more of the story had yet to unravel, the pair's focus returned to him. "You know, Sierra, Rock could not exist without the help of your father."

"Huh? Dad did robotics, too?"

"Goodness, no! In terms of mechanics he was completely useless." He laughed then, placing a hand on her shoulder. "No, no, your father was actually…"

.o.o.o.

Notes: Well, here's the first chapter. It was difficult to restart this story from scratch, and it's taking a different direction than I planned. Please let me know what you think!