The Gift
I watch as an armored guard drone marches stiffly past my shadowy hiding place. It's really kind of pointless for me to hide, considering I'm wearing my stealth suit and the drone can't see me anyway. But it's better to hide than to run the risk of the drone running into an invisible object—namely me—and raising the alarm. That's something I'd like to avoid at all costs.
I frown. Already, I've come across three guards and a few Robot Masters. It's nerve-wracking and always makes me jump when it happens, but I can't let it get to me. My mission is far from over, and I haven't even been in Skull Fortress for thirty minutes. I continue to creep down the hallway, being careful not to bump my stealth suit against anything. It's a bit testy at times and I've had trouble with it in the past. The last thing I need is for it to go on the fritz now.
Sneaking into Skull Fortress isn't something I'd like to make a habit of, but this is important. According to my father, Dr. Light, tomorrow is the day it happened.
The day everything began.
Dr. Light isn't really my father in a biological sense, of course, but I consider him to be my father, and he considers me to be his son. When he first created me, I even called him father, but since my upgrade into a fighting machine instead of a lab assistant, I've called him by his proper title, Doctor Light.
I'm not sure why I started doing that. Maybe because of the upgrade, I felt like I was no longer just Dr. Light's son, at least, not completely. Today it just comes out naturally, calling him Dr. Light, although there are times when I slip and call him "father."
He never seems to mind.
I smile as I think about that; it's been three years since I, known to the world at large as the one-and-only Mega Man, was activated. It'll be my fourth "birthday" in three months. So much has happened since then. Just a few weeks after my activation, I had my first encounter with Dr. Wily and my red-and-gray "twin": my brother, Proto Man. We were built from the same plans, plans that Wily stole from Dr. Light earlier. Fortunately for my sister Roll and I, Dr. Light has a photographic memory, and was able to duplicate them to create his robots.
That first encounter with my brother wasn't the most positive experience. It was the first time he asked me to join his side, and the first time I refused, a pattern that would become common over the years to come. I've even turned the offer around on him a few times, but, like me, he always refuses. If it wasn't for the pleading tone in his voice, I would think it's another of our jesting shots at each other.
He doesn't know how desperately I want him on my side, how much I want to beg him back in the same pleading tone. But I can't bring myself to do it. Wily would jump at a chance to use that weakness against me, and I'm not sure if Proto Man won't do the same as well. Wily's tried to use my brother against me before in such ways. I'm not sure if I could stand having him do it again.
I shake of my reminiscing and look around. Nostalgia isn't going to get my mission accomplished any sooner. Dr. Light was dead set against me doing it in the first place, but he finally relented. I'm not sure, but I think there're some things about his involvement in the creation of my brother that he hasn't told me yet. It seems like he's holding back something, like he's afraid of telling me something.
But what, or why he would keep it from me, is beyond me.
My father told me this was a mistake, forcing myself to go on this mission. I shouldn't be risking my life for something so trivial, he said. My sister agreed with him, but I was determined to do it. I had to. Maybe, just maybe, it would make a difference. Maybe it would finally change things, once and for all.
But I doubt it. Things like that only happen in fairy tales. Still, I have to do this, no matter what happened. It's too late to turn back now.
I carefully creep down the corridor, keeping a wary eye out. My stealth suit makes me invisible to the human and robotic eye, as well as the sensors Wily no doubt has strewn throughout his fortress, but it won't muffle any noise I make or protect me if I carelessly turned a corner and smack into a Robot Master. If I'm lucky, it'll be someone like Guts Man. I can just imagine the puzzled look on his face when he bumps into something he can't see.
On the other hand, Dr. Light warned me repeatedly about how temperamental my stealth suit could be. A simple bump like that could switch it off, leaving me to face a very angry Robot Master. I'd be up the creek without a paddle, as the saying goes.
But nothing like that ever happens, and I begin to grow very bored as I creep down the long, winding corridors of Skull Castle. It really is a huge complex on the inside, filled with twisting corridors, empty rooms, and many dead ends. After wandering around through it, I'm not surprised a madman like Wily designed it this way. I should've just originally stuck with the air vents and be done with it, but the stealth suit would've been a tight fit, and I didn't want to push my luck with it.
Suddenly, a familiar voice breaks into my thoughts, causing me to freeze.
"... Worry... much..."
That's all I can hear, but I recognize the voice sure enough. Dr. Wily!
I look around at my surroundings, surprised to find that I'm near the main lab. I've been here more than once, so the area isn't completely alien to me. But I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize where I was going.
I smile ruefully; if Dr. Light knew I had wandered about Skull Castle without paying attention to where I was going, he'd have robo-kittens.
Get in and out of Skull Castle as quickly as possible. The last thing you need is to stay any longer than is necessary, he told me. But... I just have to know what Wily is up to. Maybe I can stop it somehow.
Ignoring the inner voice lecturing at me to leave (and is starting to sound suspiciously like Dr. Light), I slip toward the open doorway. With the weird skull-themed aesthetic Wily has going for him, every door here is a bit like the entrance to some theme park attraction.
Or a gaping maw, my treacherous mind scolds, its voice taking on Dr. Light's persona again.
What could it hurt, I argue back. I may very well save the world by doing this!
Or doom it with your death, the voice shoots back wryly.
I shake my head, knocking the protesting voice out of it, and begin to move forward again. As I move into the room, nothing about it caught my eye—it's filled with computer consoles and work tables, and the corners packed with various junk—except the two figures standing in the middle of it, and a device that looked very suspiciously like a weapon of some kind next to them.
"It's a good plan, Proto. Why do you doubt it?" Dr. Wily says, dressed in his usual lab coat, pink shirt and tie. I find a compute console to crouch by. It's a tight fit, a heap of scrap metal and other junk on the other side of me, but it's the best place I can find, with a perfect view of what's going on.
"It's too powerful, doc!" My brother, snaps back. He slams his hand against a nearby worktable for emphasis.
Uh oh, trouble in Wily-world, I think, smiling to myself and leaning forward to get a better view of the device. My hand brushes the console as I do, leaving a slight tingling sensation, but I ignore it in my curiosity. This might be interesting...
Sure enough, Wily isn't happy. "You're forgetting your place, Proto Man," he snarls, his voice laced with anger.
Wow, a fight. I'm thoroughly impressed. I didn't even know Wily and Proto Man had fights. I always thought he followed Wily's orders blindly and uncaringly.
But, now that I think about it, my brother's always been an independent kind of guy, and Wily's an egoistic, controlling nut. It wouldn't make sense for them not to fight eventually...
Proto Man turns away from Wily in disgust. His head turns to study his surroundings as Wily continues to rant at him.
"You seem to argue with me more and more each day," Wily snaps. "Maybe you need a little reminding of who built you to begin with?"
"Just because you built me, Wily," Proto Man replies in the same tone of voice. "Doesn't mean I have to go along with your stupid ideas. That machine could very well kill us as well as everyone else if we try to use it!"
"I am the genius here," Wily fairly spits. "I created everything that surrounds you, Proto. I'm telling you, the machine will function perfectly, and with it, we can finally accomplish our goal."
"And I'm the one who has to repair everything," Proto Man shoots back. "And I know that machine is too powerful for its design! Use it, and you'll kill us all!"
"Are you telling me that you, my inferior invention, can recognize a design flaw that I can't?"
"I'm inferior to no one," Proto Man growls, his voice sounding dangerously angry. "Least of all to you."
Wily strikes Proto Man across the face with the back of his hand. I involuntarily gasp, even though the blow is nothing compared to a plasma shot and it barely moves Proto Man's head.
Nevertheless, Proto Man gaze darts toward my direction. In horror, I realize he heard me.
"Don't you ever try to speak to me in that way again," Wily hissed, his face turning red with fury.
Proto Man's roving gaze stops, and he zeroes in on his target. I freeze, my eyes widening like a deer caught in the headlights of an approaching car. He's staring straight at me, and somehow I know he can see me.
I mentally curse myself. Dr. Light warned me about getting too close to electrical equipment, but I laughed his warning off, thinking he was being overprotective again, trying to convince me not to follow through with my plans. Now I'm trapped in a room with my undoubtedly furious brother and his even more unhinged than usual master.
Why did I think this was a good idea, again?
"Look at me when I talk to you!" Wily grabs Proto Man's chin and forces him to turn back, mumbling a handful of German expletives in the process. My built-in translator tells me what they are before I could think to stop it, and I wince at the harshness of the words.
Proto Man stands silent as Wily curses him out some more. I just watch in horror, my amusement gone. I should've made a run for it, but I'm frozen to the spot, not wanting to keep watching, unable to turn away. Never in my entire existence has Dr. Light even raised his voice with me, much less chew me out the way Wily is with Proto Man. It's as horrible as it is humiliating.
And a humiliated Proto Man is a dangerous Proto Man. I have to get out of here.
Proto Man jerks away suddenly, his mouth twisted in a snarl. He begins to yell back at Wily, his language just as harsh. He's also, I notice with alarm, slowly moving towards my hiding place. My mind screams at me to run, but my body won't move. Soon he's so close I could reach out and touch him. Any minute now, he'd reach in and yank me out of here, and I'd be in for the fight of my life.
Wily's face begins to turn purple. Proto Man clenches his fist, quivering in front of my face, and finishes with his barrage of swear words in both German and English. Suddenly his fist swings around and smashes into the junk pile next to me. I bite back a cry as the whole pile comes down on my head, burying me completely.
After the dust settles, I realize he's actually done me a favor. I'm hidden from view, but I can still see through gaps in the mass of stuff concealing me.
But had Wily seen me as well?
"So... Feeling free to rebel in front of me, are you?" Wily walks toward Proto Man, putting out what appears to be a long, plain-looking rod. Proto Man's expression slides into a neutral one, and he does nothing.
Proto Man had not only hidden me from sight, he positioned himself so Wily didn't noticed me in the background. But why? Why did he help me? Was it personal revenge against Wily?
Wily gets right up into Proto Man's face, the rod dangling in his hand. I study it halfheartedly, for my mind is still dwelling on Proto Man's actions. The rod has a handle made of rubber, and the rest of it was metal.
"Well, Proto Man?" Wily says. "Are you willing to apologize and admit my superiority to you?"
The rod is bugging me. I should know what it is, but I can't figure it out. It's not a tool, or a weapon I recognize.
"I am not your inferior, Wily," Proto Man growls.
"So be it, then," Wily turns as if to walk away. He then swings the rod around and strikes Proto Man in the side with it. Proto Man screams as the sound of electricity crackles through the air.
An electro-rod! He has an electro-rod! I stare in horror as Proto Man stumbles, clutching his side, imagining how much it must hurt. But Wily isn't done yet. He strikes Proto Man again, across the face this time, knocking him into a worktable. Proto Man holds up his hands as if to protect himself, but Wily is unrelenting. He strikes Proto Man five more times before my brother finally collapses on the floor, his hands covering his head and his breath coming in gasps.
"Well, Proto," Wily sneers over his body. "What do you say now?"
I want to jump out and tackle Wily to the ground, but I can't. Proto Man was punished in trying to hide me. If he had truly meant his action for goodwill, then I can't let his pain be for nothing.
"N-no more..." Proto Man gasps. "Please..."
"And who's the superior one around here?" Wily smirks.
"Y-you are..."
"And what are you?" Wily isn't satisfied with making Proto Man grovel. I've never wanted to actually hit him this badly before, just to get that smug look off his face.
"Your c-creation." Proto Man voice is full of pain, and I doubt all of it was from the attack. Wily is unknowingly forcing him to humiliate himself in front of me. I knew how prideful my brother is, how much it has to hurt for his rival to see him brought so low.
"That's right, my creation. My property, to do with what I like. Think of that the next time you decide to open your mouth!" Wily stalks off, apparently satisfied.
Proto Man lies gasping on the floor. I'm torn between helping him and staying put. If I try to help him, he won't appreciate it later. I can't get what Wily said about him before he beat him. He called him, among many other things, a worthless, useless piece of scum (to put it lightly) that didn't deserve the chances he had been given. Dr. Light would never say that to me, much less strike me.
Why did Proto Man stay here? Why did he put up with this? If he's bound by the loyalty programming the other Robot Masters are, he never shows it. As much as he enjoys fighting me, as much as he enjoys being bad, he can't possibly think this life is a good one.
Why can't I get him to see that?
I make up my mind to try to help Proto Man, when he finally moves. He pulls himself up by grasping the worktable next to him, his breathing harsh and ragged. He's obviously still in a lot of pain, his cooling system trying to handle the damage to his system, but he manages to stand, leaning heavily on the table.
I want to help him, or hug him, or do something that'll make him feel better, but I couldn't bring myself to move. Years of fighting him has made me mistrustful, and even though my heart cries out to help him, my battle instincts tell me to wait.
I hate myself for it.
Proto Man fiddles with something on the table. I tense, ready to fight, but all he does is toss it in my direction and stumble away down the hallway.
My brother, someone who constantly tried to murder me, reprogram me, and in general do nasty things to me, had spared my life in a moment were he could've ended it. And, for once in my life, I have no clue as to what to do next.
I sit there for about thirty minutes, completely dumbfounded. It's just as well; by staying in my hiding spot, I'm safe for the time being. Unless Proto Man really is ready to turn me in, and this whole thing is just a trick. It's a possibility, but my mind just can't consider it seriously. Not after what I had witnessed.
But I can't just sit here (if Dr. Light wasn't worried before, by now he really will be having kittens for all the time I'm taking). I carefully removed the rubble that covers me, emerging after I'm certain it was safe. It takes a few more minutes to readjust the stealth suit. It shut itself down after my brush against the electrical equipment.
It's then and only then that I notice a small disk lying on the ground in front of me, the disk Proto Man tossed at me. I pick it up and run it through a nearby console.
Sizzlin' circuits! I think, my eyes drawn to the device that Wily and Proto Man were arguing over. This is the only copy of that weapon's schematics! Proto Man had a good reason for his argument. If Wily got his way, he could use to take out a city in a single shot!
Well, I can fix that.
# # #
Fifteen minutes later, it's done. Wily's weapon is in ruins, the disk has been completely destroyed, and I'm on my way out of Skull Castle. I make sure that Wily knows who's responsible for the destruction of his newest toy. It's probably unwise of me to do so, considering he'll probably change all his security measures after finding out I've been roaming around, but there's no way I'm going to let Wily think my brother was behind it somehow. Still, the day wasn't a total loss. I still have time to complete my mission.
The nearer I am to my destination, the more anxious I get. This is the most dangerous part of my mission. If I mess this part up, anything could happen to me. I have to get it right.
Then I'm standing in front of the door. There's no turning back, not when I'm finally here. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and enter to room, the door sliding open silently.
It's dark. The door quickly shuts behind me, plunging the room into pitch-blackness. It's small too, I observe as I look around. There's barely enough room to walk around in. Dr. Light has closets bigger than this. It's hard to image someone fitting a bed and a table in here, yet somehow... he did. It's more of a cot, really. No blanket or pillow, just a small, thin mattress. Probably hard too. I can't waste time thinking about it. The longer I stay here, the more danger I'm in.
I place the package on the table and leave. I've accomplished my mission, and it's time to go home. I can only hope it'll have an effect.
# # #
He watches the figure skulk down the hallway and smirks to himself. The stealth suit is definitely a work-in-progress, for he can still barely see the outline of his intruder on the infrared. Silly fool. What was it he had come all the way here for, had risked his neck to deliver? It's time to find out.
He slips into his room just as quietly as its previous visitor had, half out of caution, half out of habit. He spots the anomaly right from the start, laying on his worktable.
It's a book. He picks it up and flips through it. The pages are blank. A gift. Some kind of journal. But...why?
Something flutters out of the book, and he hurries to catch it before it hits the ground. It's a picture of the intruder himself, a fairly new one. He flips it over to see if anything on the back.
There is.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
# # #
It's been almost three months since my little "mission." So far, Wily attacked at least twice. Neither time did he appear to have the weapon I destroyed. So at least part of my mission was successful, if only part.
That should cheer me up. For some reason, it doesn't.
"Mega Man?"
I look up to see my sister Roll frowning at me. I smile sheepishly, expecting another lecture on the bouts of brooding I've been having lately. But no, she's holding something in her hand. A letter?
"This is for you." Roll holds it out. Sure enough, it's addressed to me alright. But...
"There's no return address," she adds.
"Thanks, Roll," I reply, taking it. There's nothing special about the envelope, nothing that stands out.
"Mega Man..." she says. "Just be careful, okay?"
"I will," I mutter. She waits for a while, but when she finally realizes I'm not going to open the letter in front of her, she sighs with exasperation and leaves. I feel a pang of regret as I watch her go. It isn't that I don't want to include her, it's just personal. Something I have to do, something only I should to deal with.
With apprehension I open the letter quickly and let the contents slid out onto my hand. The first thing is a picture of me. At first, I think it's the same picture I had given him, but then I get a closer look. It's an old picture, taken by the press only a few weeks after my activation. It's crinkled with age and wear.
The next thing to fall out is a simple piece of paper with two words written on it: Thank You.
I smile widely, having gotten my answer—and some of my wish—at last. "You're welcome, brother," I whisper to myself. "You're welcome."
Outside the window, it begins to snow.
Notes:
I don't agree with how I characterized Wily here at all anymore, but I gotta be honest, the rest of it isn't so bad.
This is one I know people have been looking for, so here it is. I edited this one a bit more than the others - changed the tense, added some clarifying thoughts - but the meat of it is still the same.
While you're here, be sure to check out ChronicDelusionist's very nice As Above, So Below for more brotherly interactions.