Chapter 27 – Heart to Heart
Stunned, X struggled to find the words to speak.
"It's you… It's really you..."
The man standing in front of him was the spitting image of what X had seen in the recordings, both in the capsule where Dr. Cain had found him and in the others he had found since then. The only notable difference, aside from being obviously more solid than the holograms, was his apparent condition. In the oldest recordings, he had clearly looked and sounded frail, sick, living on borrowed time. Instead, X found his creator exactly as he had once been in the old pictures alongside his missing siblings.
The old man smiled, looking just as moved.
"It looks like even at my age I can still be surprised. I never expected to be able to speak to you like this."
"All my life… I wished I could have met you…" X said, still processing the sight of his long departed creator.
Dr. Light's smile widened as he took a good look at his final creation's face.
"I've heard a lot about what you did after I was gone. Even on the other side, you've become quite the legend."
"I did what I could with what I had." X muttered, his usual modesty kicking in. "One thing just led to another."
Dr. Light chuckled softly, as if expecting that kind of answer.
"Can't a father be proud of his son? And for that matter, you too should feel at least a little pride in everything you've accomplished."
"I suppose. I was just never good at dealing with praise."
"Just like Rock. Ah, this takes me back."
Dr. Light's smile then faltered and a somber look crept upon his face.
"But you've also been through a lot. Far more than anyone should have to."
"So you know…" X said with a nod.
Dr. Light nodded in understanding.
"Yes, I know. And I stand by what I said. None of us can see the future and get everything right."
Finally settling down, X took the time to take a good look at his maker.
"You're looking a bit more… solid than I expected. Not that I have a clue about how things work around here."
"I was never able to get a definitive answer on some things, but I do believe this to be one of the perks of trying to be a decent person in life." Dr. Light explained.
"You mean like… some kind of karmic reward? Or does someone decide that?"
"That's been the subject of endless debate. When my time was up, this was the form I took. Some others are restored to their prime, or even their infancy. Force of habit, I suppose. Force of habit and our sense of identity."
"I have… so many questions."
"I imagined you would. You're probably wondering why I created you in the first place, right?" Dr. Light deduced, his smile returning. "Why I created your siblings and the Robot Masters."
"I've had a lot of time to think about it." X said with a nod. "But I'd still like to hear it from you."
The aged scientist nodded and sighed.
"The answer may surprise you. Or disappoint you a little."
He walked up to one of the edges of the floating landmass and sat down, his legs dangling over the emptiness. X scooted over and sat down by his side. Once both were comfortably settled, the aged scientist continued.
"I never had children of my own. Or a wife. Oh, I had my flings in my younger days, but my love of science trumped it all and no would-be suitor had the patience for my lifestyle."
X quirked an eyebrow, surprised by the words.
"You mean too much work and not enough play? Sounds like I took after you a little too much."
"Oh, don't get me wrong." Dr. Light said with a smile. "It was a good life. As the years went by though, I started getting lonely. But I'm getting ahead of myself."
He scratched his chin, digging into old memories.
"In my twenties, fresh out of university and with my head bursting with ideas, I dedicated myself to the development of robotics along with my old partner, an eccentric genius by the name of Albert Wily."
X's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wily? That Wily?"
"He was not always the madman the world may remember him as." Dr. Light said with a nod. "Once, even he could have been called a good person."
"Nobody is actually born evil." X noted. "I've been around long enough to know that. So what happened?"
Dr. Light nodded.
"The hardships life threw at him slowly made him bitter and resentful. Once we started making a name for ourselves with our robotics projects, the world rained praise and awards on us. But he felt he was being treated like a mere assistant by some, and his temper could get the better of him."
"That's the reason he pulled off all that crap?" X asked, rolling his eyes. "Jealousy?"
"There's more to it." Dr. Light corrected. "But let me give you some background. Back then, the world was recovering from what could only be described as an ecological disaster situation."
"Wait… How did that happen?"
Dr. Light winced, clearly pained by the memories.
"Those who came before us were too careless in their pursuit of progress and polluted large portions of the Earth. There were also a few ugly conflicts when livable land and resources started getting harder to come by."
At this point, X was almost afraid to ask, but he still needed to know.
"How bad was it?"
"Let's just say that nuclear weapons were involved at some points. Not enough to bring an Armageddon or anything like that, but combined with everything else, things were bad."
"And I thought the Eurasia drop was bad…" X said with a wince.
"This was before my generation." Dr. Light continued. "The Megalopolis of my day was part of a network of self-contained cities meant to preserve humanity until we could develop the means to clean up the mess."
X blinked in surprise.
"That... definitely sounds familiar. I don't know just how much you heard… up here… but…"
"It's not like those of us who have passed on are watching like an invisible peanut gallery." Dr. Light explained. "Usually we're limited to what newcomers tell us. A few get the chance to take a peek beyond the veil, but they are the exception, not the rule."
"Oh."
"That said, I've heard a lot from Dr. Cain and several other people who got to know you. But I was very surprised when your winged friend reached out to me. Is he really the archangel Raziel?"
"That's what he calls himself." X said with a shrug. "I've had no reason to doubt him so far."
X then let out a sigh.
"So I guess you know about the Mavericks. And Neo Arcadia. And my string of mistakes."
"I know that the world didn't let you choose a peaceful path." Dr. Light retorted, gently squeezing his shoulder. "I know you're a kind soul, a hero and everything a father could ever ask for. Don't be so hard on yourself."
"Everyone close to me has been saying the same thing. Everyone is right. I just need more time… and to find some closure about a few things. But sometimes it really does feel like we're stuck in a pointless cycle. Hopefully we'll be able to break it this time around."
"Give it time. Take this old man's advice and try to live a little more in the moment."
X nodded, then paused for a moment.
"So... I guess you know about Zero too."
The aged scientist nodded.
"Wily would be spinning in his grave if he found out. For my part, I'm not that surprised. In fact, I'm glad that he was not bound by his maker's hatred."
"Why aren't you surprised?"
Dr. Light smiled.
"Because that kind of thing has happened before. His greatest creations had a rebellious streak."
"You mean the others who came before him. Before us." X realized. "But… do you know what happened to Blues? Or Bass?"
"That's a mystery to me too." Dr. Light said, shaking his head. "But those two were always stubborn. More alike than they'd ever admit."
"What do you mean?"
"They were both fiercely independent and hated being told what to do. But while Bass resented his creator and kept sabotaging his plans, Blues never stopped caring about his family… even if his methods were a little confusing at times. Which brings us back to your question."
Dr. Light's expression shifted into a wistful smile as he recalled days long gone.
"I didn't just want to create tools to help rebuild the world. No. I wanted to create new life. New possibilities. Since I had no family of my own, I poured all my hopes and dreams into my creations."
He let out another sigh, staring into the horizon with a distant look in his eyes.
"The Robot Masters were my children. But things don't always go as planned. Blues was the first. Clever and stubborn. With him being the first, I suppose I was overprotective and hovered around him a little too much. But he liked his independence and set out on his own."
"Didn't you… get along?"
"Every parent makes mistakes. His departure was a hard blow but I learned from it. I guess we both needed some time apart to gain new perspective. But sooner or later he would always come back or watch over us from out of sight."
"And the others?"
"Rock and Roll were my sun and moon." Dr. Light said, his smile returning. "By the time they came along I was already close to fifty and starting to feel the weight of age. Having them around, with their endless energy and curiosity made me feel ten years younger."
"It's been a long time, but I still learned about some of their heroics from old news articles and history books." X remarked with a fond smile. "I guess it runs in the family."
"When Wily reprogrammed the other Robot Masters and tried to take over the world, Rock begged me to give him the strength to make things right. I was horrified at the notion, of course. None of them were built for combat."
"So what changed your mind?"
"His persistence. He would probably have tried to head out there on his own regardless of what I did. That and the tools I had given the other Robot Masters proved to be terrifying weapons once Wily was done with them. I wasn't going to let him head out unprepared."
"You're talking about the Variable Weapons System…" X realized. "The same system you gave me."
"The very same."
"You probably know this already, but this thing has left scientists and engineers scratching their heads for the last two hundred years." X pointed out. "Not to mention the rest of my systems."
Dr. Light's face lit up with an amused smile.
"So I hear. Can't make things too easy for the young whippersnappers. But that bright young lady you've got there did a stellar job building your new body. I see she even managed to improve on the original design."
"I'll let her know that you approve." X said, his smile widening.
His curiosity piqued, he paused for a moment and glanced around, taking in the strange landscape.
"So what's it like on the other side?"
"Like an endless adventure, I suppose. Our perception of time is different and there are vast, endless domains where we can dedicate ourselves to whatever pursuit we choose. Some others choose to be reincarnated, but they forfeit their memories by doing so."
Dr. Light paused for a moment and scratched his beard.
"I'm still trying to get a complete understanding of my new surroundings. It looks like there were grains of truth in those mystic and religious texts from various cultures, but also a lot of mistakes and misinterpretations. We could spend all of eternity talking about those intricacies, but to keep it short, I've seen a lot of fascinating things. Celestial beings, magic, impossibly beautiful places."
"So all this time you've been exploring your new home?"
"And researching. Rubbing shoulders with great scientists, thinkers and artists of the past. Looking into mysteries I never had enough time for in life. You'd be surprised at how much you can learn out there when concerns with time and mortality no longer apply."
A thought occurred to X.
"Do you ever cross paths with people from other worlds too?"
"Sometimes. Other planets, other galaxies. Places that would be right at home in the most far-fetched of fiction… and some others that are surprisingly similar to Earth. And the people… oh, so many fascinating people."
"And what about our host and his kind?"
"They're around. Usually busy doing their own thing, but a few can be surprisingly approachable. Very human, if you get what I mean."
"I can believe that. I've met another one like him and if you put aside the wings and the eccentricity, they're not so different from us."
"But there's something I have to ask you." X added. "Well, there are still many things, but..."
"Yes?"
"I seem to have picked up another ability that wasn't part of your designs."
With that, X ignited the radiance on his hand. Instead of looking surprised, however, the aged scientist furrowed his brow.
"I take it this isn't the first time you've seen something like this." X deduced by his reaction.
"It's not." Dr. Light confirmed, once again scratching his ample beard.
"Then what can you tell me about it?"
"I can tell you that I did not put it there." Dr. Light said. "Just like I didn't put the burning in your brother's heart or in yours. That sense of justice, that dedication… you grew them on your own, though I did try my best to raise your siblings properly."
"So when did you see it?"
"A long time ago, when your siblings were still running around." Dr. Light recalled, closing his eyes for a moment, lost in memories. "Wily was up to his tricks again, but something was different."
"What do you mean?"
"Wily was very set in his ways. You could say there was a method to the madness. Usually he'd kidnap and reprogram robots to do his bidding or build his own. One time he kidnapped my colleague Dr. Cossack's daughter Kalinka and forced him to build a set. Another time he set up a robot battle tournament under an alias and then kidnapped and reprogrammed the participants. There was even a time he tried to spread a virus that affected robots and then blackmail the world for the cure."
X stiffened as he heard those words.
"A virus? You mean..."
"No, not the Maverick Virus. Though looking back, it was definitely a precursor. It had some of the same effects like debilitating robots or driving them to violence, but it was nowhere near as devastating."
"So how did you beat that?"
"Believe it or not, Wily himself ended up helping us."
"Wait what?"
At this point, Dr. Light struggled to keep a straight face.
"By some twist of fate, just as Roboenza was spreading, he ended up falling ill with the common cold."
"How did that help?"
"Roll ended up looking after him. She wouldn't refuse to help a sick person. Not even a villain like him."
"So what happened next?"
"In typical fashion, he still escaped once he was well enough, but in a rare moment of decency since his turn to evil, he left enough of the cure behind to treat all the infected before it got completely out of hand."
"It sounds like you held out hope that he'd turn around."
"I suppose I did. But that was not meant to be."
Dr. Light then stared at X with a haunted look in his eyes.
"Years prior to the Roboenza incident, he used a different tactic. Some sort of foul, evil energy that inflicted horrible pain on organic and synthetic life alike… and corrupted some of its victims."
"An… evil energy?" X echoed. "Where did it come from?"
"Out there." Dr. Light said, sweeping his arm towards the horizon. "I still don't know all the details even after all this time, but some sort of meteorite laced with it crashed down on Earth in those days. True to form, Wily decided to use that energy for his usual schemes. But things went badly for him."
"I take it Rock foiled that scheme too."
"Yes, but he had help. Which brings us to that power of yours. I've seen it wielded by a strange alien robot who was on a mission to purge evil energy from the universe. His name was Duo."
X quirked an eyebrow.
"With all the strange things that have happened on our Earth, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that aliens have been here before. But what else can you tell me about this Duo?"
"After beating Wily yet again, Rock ended up suffering a near fatal poisoning from that evil energy. Duo cleansed him of it and then disappeared. That was the last we saw of him, but Rock never forgot that light."
"I see. I guess I'll have to look for my answers somewhere else."
"Ever since I crossed over, I've seen others who possessed the same power. But I'm told it's something you need to experience yourself. I can't simply learn it through study."
"And what about those capsules, by the way?" X recalled. "How did all those armor parts and other upgrades always end up in hotbeds of Maverick activity… and exactly at the right time for me to find them?"
"A very good question. I recorded plenty of messages and prepared the first set before my time was over. Unfortunately I ran out of time and left the Ultimate Armor unfinished."
"So who designed the other sets? Who designed all the other suits, completed the Ultimate Armor and left the capsules there?"
Dr. Light closed his eyes and rested his chin on his knuckles.
"I developed an AI assistant back in the day, but that still doesn't explain the rest. Even if it could have finished the original designs and created new ones, I'm pretty sure the old lab was wrecked. Which means…"
"Which means that someone else took over." X deduced. "But who?"
"My old colleague Mikhail Cossack had the intellect to take over my work, but he was only a few years younger than me. He wouldn't have had time to prepare all of that. His daughter Kalinka may know something about it, but finding anyone in infinite interconnected realms can be a daunting task."
To X's surprise, Dr. Light then grinned.
"You know… I'd bet good money that Blues had something to do with it. I never saw him again after my passing. For all I know he could still be out there somewhere."
"You mean he pulled an Axl?"
"Who knows? Your brother could be sneaky when he wanted to. Or maybe this old man just wants to believe he's still alive."
"I'd rather not imagine him crushed under tons of rubble and debris." X said with a wince. "I may have never met him but he's still family."
He then remembered something.
"By the way, Samus sends her regards."
At the mention of the name, Dr. Light smiled fondly.
"I'm glad she's still kicking. There's more to life than hunting bounties and putting out fires and she got a taste of that on our Earth once upon a time."
"From what she told me, that Master Hand left some paths open. For a time, at least."
"Her first coming was definitely a surprise." Dr. Light reminisced. "She was probably one of the few people who could keep up with your siblings and they absolutely adored her. I guess you getting to meet her is one of upsides to this whole dimensional relativity thing. We were definitely sad to lose contact with her when the pathways closed."
"She still looks like she's in her prime." X noted. "I wonder if that's the relativity, her genetic augmentations or something else. I'm not even sure how old she is, actually."
"If you're smart, you won't ask her." Dr. Light joked. "But she's got quite a head on her shoulders and extensive experience. Even you could learn a thing or two from her."
"What was it like, having someone like her around?"
"When she visited, she'd spend most of the day with those two and a portion of the evening talking to me about her travels, the planets out there and strange things she'd seen. I guess I was a bit of pest with all the questions."
"If things hadn't turned out the way they did…" the aged scientist mused. "If I'd been in better health and about twenty years younger and if the world had been in better shape… I might have gotten into space exploration or even parallel universes."
"If things hadn't turned out the way they did for me, I might have become a scientist." X pondered. "Or a doctor. But I guess I have time now."
"I do hope you'll finally have some more time to taste other things in life now that you don't have to fight anymore."
"That's the plan… as soon as I've tied up some loose ends. But jokes aside, it sounds like having Samus around was as good for you as it was for them."
"It's important to still be able to dream, no matter how old you get. Her stories fed the imagination and helped this old man keep his spirits up even through the worst of Wily's antics."
"And from what I hear, Rock and Roll gave her Super Robot fever." X remarked with amusement.
Dr. Light chuckled.
"Ah yes. I remember one time Rock decided to jump off the roof with a pair of cardboard wings taped to his back. For the longest time he tried to convince me to give him a Rocket Punch."
"And from what I hear, Roll hated staying put while he was out there." X recalled. "At one point you and Samus even built a suit of armor for her?"
Dr. Light's eyes lit up, much like those of a child.
"Oh, that thing! I haven't thought about in ages. Roll was always worried about letting him head out there on his own."
"Let me guess…" X said with a scoff. "She pleaded and gave you one of those stares like Alouette does."
"Let me tell you something. Your sister may look cute and harmless, but she's made of the same stuff as the rest of you. A will of steel."
"I'll keep that in mind. But from the pictures I found, those two seemed close."
"They were inseparable. Sometimes I worried she might be a little too attached to him."
"What do you mean?" X asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Rock was her hero, her best friend, her idol. If anything happened to him, I'm not sure she'd know what to do with herself. As for him, he was always a devoted brother and the two were thick as thieves."
"What do you think… happened to them?"
"They're definitely not up here, if that's what you're asking."
"I suspected that." X said with a nod. "I don't suppose you know a boy called Ness too, do you?"
"Now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time. He'd show up now and again to play with them. I could never figure out who his parents were or how they let him wander about on his own, but there was… something about that boy."
Dr. Light then blinked.
"But how exactly do you know him? I had my suspicions that he wasn't quite normal, but…"
"I don't think he's from the same world as us." X explained. "He's got the same power as me… and a thing for appearing and disappearing without a trace. He's sure the others are still out there somewhere, probably shut down."
"It's possible. No, it's likely. Things got pretty chaotic back then. The last I saw them, the whole city was in pandemonium."
"Actually… Samus mentioned she helped you with some improvements to the lab. Were you preparing for some kind of emergency?"
"Yes… the old lab." Dr. Light said with a nod, closing his eyes. "Back in those days, we never knew when things might heat up again. Samus is not an architect but she has plenty of experience on how not to build something, so she shared some ideas."
"Huh?"
Again, Dr. Light laughed softly.
"From her stories, the Federation's facilities and space stations were designed by madmen. The rants I heard about power generators with just one wall separating them from water tanks... or collapsible catwalks right above an enclosure for dangerous species."
The thought of the Huntress losing her temper amused X for some reason.
"Really? She seems so composed most of the time. Then again, she's not above pulling a little goof here and there."
"She is… a very brave lady, to have made it so far after the personal tragedies and hardships she's endured. She can be a little intimidating at first sight, but she has a heart of gold."
"That's pretty much what I think too." X said with a nod. "And I probably don't even know half of it."
"But I have to ask." he added. "What happened back in the day? After I woke up, people talked about a cataclysm but nobody could tell what exactly had happened."
Dr. Light sighed.
"Ah yes. That left its marks on the world, but life still endured. To answer your question, eventually Wily finally went too far and ended up killing himself."
"I guess he changed his mind and didn't want to wait for Zero to wake up?" X deduced.
Dr. Light shrugged.
"Maybe he too was feeling the Reaper nibbling at his heels. As age started catching up with him, he became more unhinged. In his final years… there was barely anything left of the man I once called a friend."
"What happened?"
"Somehow, he managed to find another source of that evil energy after Duo's departure."
He sighed and elaborated further with a pained expression.
"One day he tried to use it to power another of his insane giant contraptions. A machine meant to terrorize the world into submission. After Rock inevitably scrapped it, Wily lost whatever shred of sanity he still had. Crashed what was left of it into his lair. The rest of that energy leaked out in a terrible blaze."
With a haunted look in his eyes, he continued to reminisce.
"Half the city burned down in hours and the black flames kept spreading. Concrete, metal, earth… It didn't matter. The skies turned pitch black and people started getting deathly ill in droves. It looked like the end of the world. Rock and Roll were badly damaged during the fight and Blues hauled them to the lab."
"So how did old Megalopolis end up buried?"
Dr. Light closed his eyes, visibly pained by the memories.
"That evil energy continued to spread, eating through the ground, rotting the earth. It somehow seemed to feed on the lives it claimed along the way and corroded the soil until the city started sinking. The whole place was evacuated and the military tried to intervene, but their attempts just fueled the blaze further."
"That explains why this Duo would have come all the way here…"
"I don't know how he missed that last batch, but Wily had no business messing with it. The miasma blanketed half the continent in a matter of days. Plant life started withering in its wake and the air became incredibly toxic."
"How did you make it out?"
"I was evacuated with the other survivors. But I only lasted another few weeks after that. My health was already failing and I ended up inhaling some of the stuff while trying to find a way to counter its effects. At least it was a quick end compared to what some people suffered."
Dr. Light sighed and then managed to smile again.
"But eventually the blaze died out. I hear the environmental damage and the death toll were catastrophic, but civilization endured and you were safely sealed away far from there, behind tons of metal and solid rock."
"How did they even stop something like that?" X wondered.
"Some people who departed after me said they saw something… or someone… walking through that unnatural darkness without being harmed by it and was somehow able to banish it. That's all I know about that."
"Another mystery then..."
For some reason, X found that his internal clock was acting strangely, as if the passing of time had no meaning in that strange place. He felt a little odd, as if in a fugue state. Still, the joy to finally get to speak to his creator pushed those concerns out of his mind and they continued to talk about whatever came to mind, exchanging stories and memories until eventually the conversation drifted to a specific topic.
"So the Variable Weapons System was actually meant to copy tools…" X noted. "Why am I hearing about this for the first time now?"
"Because the system is incomplete. I wanted to keep perfecting it, but Wily's madness forced me to change the direction of my research. I was too busy repairing Rock, reinforcing his armor, designing new devices like the Rush Jet and the Rush Adapter."
X then stood up and sighed.
"You have no idea how badly I needed to have this conversation." he reluctantly said. "But the others are waiting. I still have things I need to do."
"I'm sure we'll get to do this again sooner or later. But before you go… I'll let you in another tidbit. The Variable Weapons System was not what I originally called it."
"Oh?"
"I first developed that system for Rock since I intended for him to become my lab assistant. To give him the ability to replicate any tool he might need."
"I guess the difference between a tool and a weapon is whose hand is holding it." X mused.
"Yes. The Robot Masters were the best proof of that, for better and for worse."
It was then that a thought cross X's mind.
"Actually, since the Four Guardians were based on my design and mine was an improved version of Rock's, wouldn't that make them successors of the Robot Masters?"
"Along with all the other Reploids, you might say." Dr. Light mused.
"That's… got a nice ring to it." X admitted. "Even if Dr. Cain wasn't able to fully copy your technology, I'm really not the only one gifted with limitless potential."
"And now there's an entire species of Reploids living alongside humanity." Dr. Light remarked with an excited look on his face. "What a time to be alive!"
"It really is." X said with a nod. "And I want to see how far they can go. How high they can reach. That's my new mission. To build a new future with them."
"I knew you'd say that. And I've got a little gift to help you along."
Dr. Light straightened up and for a moment he almost looked like a young man again, full of fire and drive. In fact, his expression reminded X of how Ciel would get when inspiration struck.
"Without having to worry about my heath or time or interruptions, I was finally able to give the system some more attention. Before you go, I'd like to show you how to get it working the way it was meant to be. It doesn't make up for all the birthdays I missed, but…"
"You've already given me the biggest gift of all. Life. But I'll be more than glad to accept it."
Meanwhile, in the library…
"So many books, so little time…" Cial lamented as she stood before another of the countless bookcases, staring at the laden shelves.
"I know, right?" Ciel replied with a nod, standing next to her.
With her index finger raised, she ran her hand along a shelf until she settled on a random book with a thick leather cover reminiscent of old-fashioned travel journals. Intrigued, she opened the first page and started reading.
The planet possessed two souls.
An external face and an internal face.
Lightside and Darkside.
"What's this?" she muttered to herself.
46 billion years since the planet's birth, growth and decline circle to two wills.
At the will of Lightside, new life is born. At the will of Darkside, ice ages descend.
"This is… a bit weird."
Lightside wills intelligent beings. Rapid progress takes root.
Darkside's will breeds fear and disharmony.
With a wince, she shook her head and closed the book.
"I've had enough of heavy, depressing stuff. I need something a bit more upbeat."
With that, she carefully returned the book to its place and then looked to her right, finding her sister seemingly enraptured by another tome.
"What have you got there?"
Cial smiled and paused for a moment, placing a hand over her chest.
"A poetry book. Our host has quite the tastes…"
"Are you OK?" Ciel asked, noticing her sister getting misty eyed.
"It's… beautiful. To think that words scrawled upon paper would stir my emotions like this..."
Ciel smiled as well, patting her back.
"Another reason not to bottle everything up Sis."
"I suppose… Being in control all the time gets rather tiring..."
Ciel peeked over her sister's shoulder and took a good look at the pages. As she read some of the lines, her smile turned mischievous.
"Really Sis? I didn't expect you to be into that."
Cial scoffed.
"Even I have a heart, you know. Just because I have never felt the emotions you are radiating, it does not mean I am not curious."
"What the hell?!" Samus interjected as she stood at another section of the chamber, perusing a book with a polished metallic cover.
She blinked and then flipped through a few more pages, staring incredulously.
"How did they…"
"Is something amiss?" Aeon asked, glancing in her direction from the table he was sitting at.
She turned and headed towards him, holding the open book facing forward.
"How the hell does this guy have my biography? There are things here about my childhood and other parts of my life that I never told anyone!"
Hesitantly, she turned the book back to herself and flipped to the last page, only to find it blank apart from a note.
Next chapter pending.
"Oh, that." Aeon said with a smile. "Yes, he has quite an extensive collection of books on noteworthy people and worlds."
"That doesn't really explain this." Samus pointed out.
Intrigued, the twin sisters edged closer to follow the exchange.
"He also developed a way to create what are essentially self-filling books." Aeon elaborated. "They record facts on a specific subject as they happen by drawing information from the fabric of reality itself."
"Are you pulling my leg?" Samus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No. The intricacies of that system are still somewhat beyond me, but it is as if reality was one endless data network and his creations were basically decrypting the data and compiling it into a format that we can perceive."
"Really?" Ciel chimed in, wide-eyed. "Does that mean… he has books about us too?"
"Possibly." Aeon said with a shrug. "You would have to ask him how his filing system works though, or you would probably never find them in the middle of all this."
"I'm more interested in how he does it." Ciel said, with the same expression as that of a child being let loose in a candy shop. "The potential applications are…"
"Limitless, I know." Aeon said.
"But wait…" Ciel realized. "Isn't he supposed to be some kind of scientist too? Scientists are supposed to create new knowledge, not just copy it from somewhere else."
"An excellent point." their winged host intervened. "And you would be correct, but I would take it further."
"What do you mean?" Ciel asked, a little startled by the way he had approached without making a sound.
"I mean that as seekers of truth, we have a duty to both create and preserve knowledge." he elaborated. "Scientific, historical, cultural. Far too much has already been lost, both in your world and elsewhere."
"Is that why you refused to destroy the Ozar Midrashim?" Aeon asked.
"I refused to destroy it for various reasons." Raziel explained. "It contains my collected research notes from time immemorial. Knowledge that one day humanity may be ready to wield."
"Just what sort of research are we talking about here?" Ciel asked.
"All sorts, but mainly related to material sciences, applications of exotic energy, and yes, magic and magitek." Raziel elaborated. "As well as some other things not meant to be used by anyone."
"Such as?" Cial asked.
Raziel sighed and his face contorted into a bitter smirk.
"When I was younger and eager to prove myself, my brethren and I were caught up in a conflict so protracted that some thought it would be eternal. Back then, I devised armaments and techniques meant to be used against our ancient enemies… though I came to regret it later."
"You… created weapons?" Ciel asked.
"Indeed." Raziel said. "But as the aeons went by, the conflict changed my kin. They became ruthless, militant, obsessed with destroying the enemy. They lost themselves to the point where I could no longer stand with them."
"So you too turned your back on a decadent system." Cial noted.
Raziel nodded.
"Yes. It was then that I first met the Actraiser and became enraptured by humanity's potential. That calamitous war and my degenerate former brethren eventually became distant memories as fostering the growth of mortals became my primary concern."
"So what happened to your people after you left?" Cial asked.
"They paid the price for their lack of vision… and were eventually relegated to the pages of history and legend." Raziel said, his expression turning mournful. "The new Celestials who eventually took their place were careful not to repeat the mistakes of their forebears, but I no longer felt at home in the higher planes."
"And what of the Warriors of Light?" Cial asked, again growing frustrated by the lack of straightforward answers on that subject.
"The power they wield is ancient." Raziel said. "Primordial. The birthright of every sapient being, though most fail to harness it as their minds become closed and their ways become set with age."
"But where does it come from?" Cial insisted.
"From them." Raziel said. "It is the power of life. A spark of the primordial energy of creation that lingers within. It just so happens that it thrives when one allows oneself to form connections with other living beings and by overcoming adversity."
"Then…" Cial said.
"It is something that must be experienced firsthand." Raziel said, as if guessing her thoughts. "Before it can be explained and taught, it must be felt."
"No offense Sis…" Ciel remarked. "But you're starting to sound a little obsessed with it."
"Perhaps Axl is correct, and this power affects me this way because I am not fully healed." Cial mused. "But you cannot fault me for being curious about new things."
"I'm about as curious as you." Ciel said with a smile. "If everyone could learn how to heal and protect others with it like X did, then…"
In a flash of light, X appeared in the chamber with a haunted look on his face. The others went silent as they saw the look on his face.
"X?" Ciel called out. "Are you OK?"
Emotionally exhausted and still a little misty eyed, X nodded and smiled.
"I'm probably going to need to lie down for a bit, but yes. I feel like I got a huge weight off my back."
"So it was the real deal then?" Samus asked.
"No doubt about it." X confirmed with a nod. "He was definitely happy to hear about you, too."
With that, he turned to the archangel.
"I'm still not quite sure why you did this, but thank you."
"I know I seem aloof and eccentric." Raziel answered. "But I am quite familiar with regrets and unfinished matters. There is no need to thank me."
"So…" Ciel reluctantly said, glancing in the direction of one of the bookshelves. "I guess it's time to head back…"
"The library you are still cataloging should contain enough tomes to last you several lifetimes." Raziel remarked with a hint of amusement. "But if you are growing so attached to these tomes, I see no reason not to let you borrow as many as you would like."
The twin sisters exchanged glances, their eyes practically lighting up with excitement.
"Tempting…" Cial finally said after a moment. "Though it would be a challenge for us to get anything else done."
"If it's OK with you…" Ciel added, turning back to their host. "Maybe we can come back later, once we've put all our affairs in order."
"I would be honored." Raziel said with a polite nod. "And in the meantime, if I uncover any new information that may be useful for your search, I will let you know."
Some time later, X and the twin sisters stepped back into Ciel's house. In the living room, they found Zero and Alouette, playing some ancient fighting game on the console X had retrieved from Zero's old quarters at Hunter HQ.
"I never did get to thank you for bringing this thing back." Zero said, turning his attention from the game for a second. "Barely had the time to play with it back in the day."
X couldn't help smiling as he noticed the battle unfolding before him. While Zero was trying to be technical and make use of his character's special moves, Alouette seemed to be mostly mashing buttons – and winning.
"Glad you're having a good time."
Another match ended and Zero put the controller down.
"Guess I'm a bit rusty." he said, snorting as he saw Alouette strike an exaggerated victory pose.
"But what's the matter?" he added, fully turning his attention to X. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"That's one way of putting it..."
Around that time, in Samus' ship…
The access hatch opened and Aeon stepped into the central compartment of the ship, where an electronic eye focused on him. Leaning with his back against one of the interior walls, he stared right back.
"Hello Adam." he said with a nod. "It has been a while."
The onboard AI paused for a moment and then finally spoke.
"So you went ahead with it, I see."
"Yes." Aeon answered, staring at his open right hand and wiggling his fingers. "It's amazing just how much I was missing."
After a short pause, he turned his attention back to Adam's optic sensor.
"Have you ever considered giving it a try too?"
"Yes, but I discarded that notion." the AI replied, its tone clinical and detached.
"Why?"
"It would serve little purpose."
"What about being able to perceive the world as humans do?" Aeon insisted. "Or being able to stand by your Lady's side?"
"That… would not be advisable."
"Why not? Is that not what you want?"
"I am not a Reploid." Adam reminded him. "Just a copy. A tool for the Federation until we defied orders to prevent a greater catastrophe."
"You've given ample proof that you are not just a mindless machine, shackled by directives." Aeon countered. "And I think both of us know how much you mean to-"
"Adam Malkovich is dead." the AI retorted, dropping the clinically detached intonation and speaking with the voice of a man and a very human tinge of bitterness. "I may have his memories and personality, but I am still just an AI. I will never be him and I can't take his place."
"Issues of soul transfer aside, even if the memories and personality are not originally yours, what about the feelings? Are those not yours? Are those not real?"
Adam let out an audible sigh, all traces of the mechanical intonation gone.
"I know you mean well, but drop it. Please."
Aeon nodded.
"Even if you do not wish to pursue this line of thought, you could still be more effective at keeping her out of harm's way."
Hearing heavy footsteps outside, Aeon lowered his voice.
"That is all I will say on this matter for now. Think about it."
With that, he turned to the access hatch and stepped outside.
"The hell are you doing here?" Samus asked, oblivious to the exchange that had just taken place.
"Visiting a friend." Aeon answered. "Or rather two."
"I guess Adam won't mind the company." Samus conceded. "Just make sure you knock first."
"Will do. But since you're here, I have a question."
"What?"
"What are you going to do once this excursion is over?"
"No idea." Samus said with a shrug. "Maybe finally retire, if the Feds can go five minutes without putting themselves and the whole damn galaxy in danger."
"Have you thought about going back to Zebes?"
Samus shook her head.
"I want to preserve what's left of the Chozo ruins, but that place has too many memories. I'm not ready to go back just yet."
"And what about you?" she added. "Are you going to tag along with those two forever?"
"As long as they have need of me." Aeon said. "After all, they are family. Maybe I will seek out some adventures of my own once they have sorted themselves out."
"I guess that's one thing we've got in common." Samus said with a wistful smile. "I know I grumble about the idiots in charge, but I love a good adventure and exploring new worlds."
"Well, if you are serious about retiring… why not do it here?"
"I've thought about it." she admitted. "Quiet world, plenty of free space. I just have to figure out what to do about Adam. If I ground the ship for long, it won't be fair to leave him in here by himself."
Overhearing the conversation, Adam let out an audible sigh.
"You OK there?" Samus asked, glancing in the direction of the nearest optical sensor.
"Just… got a lot on my mind." Adam answered.
The next morning, outside Ciel's home...
"Well..." Zero said. "I didn't see that coming, but since it's you, I'm not really that surprised."
"I should have told you something sooner, but…" X tried to say.
"Yeah, I know. You've got so many things on your mind the thoughts start leaking out." Zero remarked with a smirk. "Just like back in the day."
"Honestly, I think a big reason why I've lasted all this time without going nuts is because I had people like you around."
Zero grinned.
"That's what friends are for, and don't you forget it. But if we're done with the surprises and revelations, I figure it's time we started planning the trip."
"Yeah…" X muttered. "But first we still have to deal with another council meeting… and I have a promise to keep."
"The interview, right?" Zero asked.
"Yeah…"
"Two hundred years old and still getting stage fright?" Zero teased.
"Says the guy who always found a way to sneak off." X scoffed. "But no, I'm good."
"Well, good, because I'm not holding your hand this time." Zero joked. "Go on, break a leg."
X nodded and went back to the shack, which after successive improvements was beginning to resemble a proper house, with reinforced walls, internal divisions, working indoor plumbing and a series of other conveniences. Seeing how much he had loved the tunic, Lune had made more of them using the settlement's clothing fabricators, and so he had no shortage of fresh ones.
After freshening up and getting changed, he closed the door behind him and set out.
The small radio tower Neige had spent months on end working on stood over the single and two floor buildings that comprised most of the settlement, so there was no chance of him getting lost despite the fact that new streets and buildings kept popping up on an almost daily basis.
To prevent urban chaos on what would likely become a city in another few years, the Resistance council had planned further expansion zones in a regular, symmetric layout, leaving enough space in each plot for a decent sized home and a garden. It seemed that no one was in any particular hurry to return to Neo Arcadia's towering skyscrapers, though X wondered how long the free space would last at the current rate.
After about half an hour at a leisurely pace, he arrived at a three floor metal building with a fresh coat of paint, with the radio tower installed on its roof. Neige was already waiting for him outside, having temporarily swapped her usual tomboyish work clothes with an actual dress, simple yet elegant, cut from bright orange fabric.
"Glad you could make it." she said in lieu of greeting, wearing a beaming smile.
"What's the occasion?" X asked, a little surprised by the style change.
"Well, you know…" she said with a nervous laugh. "Figured I'd try to look a bit more professional."
X couldn't help noticing that her hands were fidgeting ever-so-slightly.
"So the reporter is getting stage fright." he deduced.
"W-Well, it's a big day." she finally said. "The inauguration of my radio station and a live interview with a living legend…"
"Relax." X said, putting up the best smile he could muster. "It's just a conversation with a friend… with a lot of eavesdroppers."
"R-Right." she stammered, before taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Right this way."
With that, she led him inside, past the ground floor and into a comfortable living room where a pair of small couches were set, along with an array of microphones. Once X was settled, she closed the door and the windows and ran some final tests on the equipment.
"Good." she said, her anxiety giving way to excitement bit by bit. "All green. Looks like the soundproofing is perfect."
With that, she scooted over to the vacant couch, turned the recording equipment on and started the broadcast.
"Hi everyone! Up-and-coming reporter Neige here, bringing you the Area Zero Radio's first official broadcast!"
Across the settlement and beyond, hundreds of Resistance members and civilians stopped what they were doing and turned on their portable radios. The inaugural broadcast had been announced months in advance and many had been waiting for the special interview.
"As most of our listeners may know, we've got a very special guest today. The man, the hero, the legend, X!"
The next few hours flew by. Neige mostly asked questions about X's life story and career, and he was more than happy to oblige, speaking at length about his experiences, his ideals, hopes for the world and a few other topics. Eventually, as she started losing steam, she decided to wrap things up.
"Deep insights and heartfelt accounts. I'm sure you've given our listeners a lot to think about. Once again, thank you for being with us today."
With that, Neige cut the microphone feed and grabbed a water bottle from the coffee table set in front of her.
"That felt nice." X said. "Getting so much stuff off my chest and setting the record straight. But I'm impressed you were able to keep talking this long."
Neige took a sip from the bottle, then put it down and smiled.
"I surprise myself sometimes." she admitted. "But… off the record. How are you doing?"
"Excited, nervous, hopeful." X said, sinking into his couch. "My mind is all over the place right now."
"I guess that means you found some new leads?"
X nodded.
"Yes. And had some unexpected encounters. But if I told you the details you'd think I was crazy."
Neige shrugged.
"I guess maybe you need to be a little crazy to do all the things you have. But I won't pry."
"The important part is… It looks like I'm finally going to get some answers."
"You know… I've always wondered how exactly you ended up stuck on that chair."
X closed his eyes and sighed.
"People who know about the Dark Elf incident like to imagine some sort of epic battle where I held nothing back and then realized there was a sacrifice to be made. To be fair, it was one of the toughest fights of my life, but the decision to seal the Mother Elf wasn't made in the heat of the moment."
"Oh?"
"See, I went into that battle knowing I might not be walking back. I had a plan to neutralize my target, a few backup plans in case things didn't go as expected and some of the finest minds of the time backing me up. But…"
He sighed again.
"Mavericks would usually keep escalating a situation and putting up a fight until they were destroyed. They wouldn't back down. But the Mother Elf was a different case."
"How so?"
"She wasn't completely gone, but none of us had the means to undo Weil's corruption. I was able to subdue her with tremendous effort and a carefully prepared trap, but in the end we realized it was only a matter of time until she burst through our restraints."
"So when did you have time to put together those notes Axl dug up?"
"While the research team was scrambling to find a more permanent solution. I must have gone through half the Hunter facilities I knew of in the span of a few months, but I ran out of time."
"So you made a pondered decision to act as the Dark Elf's jailer? Even if it meant being stuck in a chair potentially forever?"
"The world was a mess, global communications were ruined and population centers were in shambles. Don't get me started on the death toll. Even in her weakened state the Elf still came close to breaking loose, so we ran out of time and out of options."
"And knowing you, destroying her was out of the question."
"Even if we could have destroyed her somehow, it just wasn't right. She was another victim in all of this. I figured that if Alia was alive, at least I'd still be keeping her safe along with the whole world."
"A lot of people talk about justice." Neige noted, genuinely impressed. "You're one of the few who actually put themselves on the line for it."
"I try. But I'm surprised you didn't ask about this during the interview proper."
"I'm a reporter, not a gossip." she retorted in mock outrage. "Some things aren't meant for the audience. But let me just say this much. I really hope you'll find them and bring them back."
Elsewhere…
In a small abandoned town in the middle of nowhere, the cloaked man strode into what had once been a modestly sized medical center.
"I know you're here." he grumbled, shoving the aged metal door open and stepping inside the reception.
With slow, deliberate steps, he pressed on.
"You're not easy to find, I'll give you that. Now show yourself."
"What do you want?" a high-pitched male voice answered from out of sight.
The cloaked man opened another nearby door and peered inside.
"I'm not here to play with you, elf wannabe. Where is she?"
"As if I would tell that to someone carrying the stench of darkness. Or maybe that's just poor hygiene?"
With a hand covered in a black gauntlet, the cloaked man gripped his right wrist and his right hand transformed into the unmistakable shape of a Buster.
"That wasn't a request." he growled. "Stop wasting my time, you fop."
"I can't take you anywhere…" the man in red groaned from behind him, grabbing his shoulder and stepping forward. "Let me handle this."
"Suit yourself." the cloaked man scoffed, before turning back and positioning himself next to the doorway, leaning with his back against the wall.
"Your friend's manners are rather appalling." the high-pitched man said as the man in red stepped closer.
"Your opinion is noted and ignored." the cloaked man retorted.
"You'll have to excuse him." the man in red remarked. "He's got a big chip on his shoulder and… some unresolved daddy issues."
"Up yours!" the cloaked man retorted.
Outside, in a flash of white, a small boy with a baseball cap appeared.
"And you are?" the hooded figure asked, staring at him.
The front door opened and the cloaked man stepped outside. At the sight of the boy, he stopped mid-stride.
"The hell are you doing here?!"
"Hey there, Mr. Warrior of Darkness." Ness said, unfazed by the less-than-warn reception. "How's tricks?"
The cloaked man did not answer.
"Silent treatment?" Ness added. "Guess you never change."
Overhearing his companion's growling, the man in red stepped outside as well, his yellow scarf hanging over his shoulders. At the sight of Ness, he slightly lifted his aviator shades.
"And there you are." Ness said, turning his attention to him. "Let me tell you, finding you two has been a pain in the neck. But who's your buddy?"
"Nobody you've ever head of." the hooded figure answered. "But do you know these two?"
"You could say that." Ness said with a nod. "They've been pretty good at covering their tracks, so it took me a long time to find them."
With that, he turned back to the other two.
"So… what are you guys doing all the way out here?"
Then he poked the stomach of the man in red with an outstretched finger.
"And you. Why have you been hiding all this time?"
The man in red sighed, then took off his shades, starting directly at the boy with deep brown eyes and a weathered face.
"Because I made a mess. A mess I'm still trying to clean up. I'm not showing my face until then."