Final Moments
by: Megaraptor
"But Blues, if I'm not able to repair the malfunction, you'll die!"
"And then what, old man?! I'll be another slave of yours, like Rock and Roll?!"
"You and I both know that's not true! I gave them the ability to think for themselves as much as possible..."
"Yeah right! You've got Roll working as a maid, and Rock is constantly out risking his neck for the likes of you humans!"
"I'll admit, I programmed Roll and Rock initially to be server-robots, but they grew beyond that... and Rock decided to
fight as Megaman under his own accord. You know I can't make them like you... you're free will is an... an..."
"An accident?! Is that what you're saying Light?! Everything that I am is an accident?!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~An accident...~
~... my name is Blues... also known as Protoman. I'm the first of many robots created in the millenia of 20XX...~
~My creator is Thomas Xavier Light... one of the two leading authorities on robotics. The other... is someone I don't really
want to talk about. Nevertheless...~
~... I was given a gift far grander than that of any other machine existing currently... the ability to think for myself.
While other robots, though capable of emulating human behavior in many ways, are bound by set programming, my personality,
the way I think... who I am, is all my own.~
~... but my gift is an accident...~
~As much as I hate to admit it, everything that I am is the result of either a few loose circuits or a misplaced wire. Or something
more dramatic than that... I'm not keen on the specifics...~
~... what's more is, I'm dying...~
~Dr. Light has offered to fix it. But I don't.. trust him. I know what he's like... he'll just reprogram me, and make me his stooge.
Like Rock, or Dr. Wily's punk Bass. I don't want that fate for me...~
~... but I also don't want to die...~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The crimson figure stood alone on the building-top, his scarf blowing in the wind, and his shield held closely to his side.
His expressions was as calm and stoic as ever.. showing little emotion. Not that he ever did, mind you... always masking his
true thoughts with a confident smirk.
... like hiding the fear in his eyes behind a visor...
"Blues..."
The red robot turned in suprise. Standing there was a blue robot, designed very much like himself. He lacked the scarf and shield, though.
At his side was a red robot dog.
"Rock.." Protoman said, "how'd you find me?"
"Dr. Light told me about your conversation with him earlier.. I went looking for you on Rush, hoping you hadn't left the city."
"Oh.." Protoman said, turning. "He told you... huh?"
Megaman.. Rock, sighed. "Listen Blues.. I'm here if you need to talk about it."
"I don't need to talk about it Rock. I'm just fine..."
"You can pretend that's the truth, but I know it's not," Rock said, walking up to his brother's side. "If you do have the power to think
like a human, then you can be afraid just like them."
"And what would you know about being human, Rock?"
Rock's eyes widened, stunned into silence for a moment. But then he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Listen Blues... I may not be like you in every way, but... I'm not the same robot I was the day I was switched on. I've grown... become
more than the sum of my parts..."
"And how do you know that's true?" Blues asked. "Maybe you're just programmed to think that."
"Blues, I wasn't programmed to care about people... I was programmed to be a dilligent worker... be cheerful... and help out. But I was
also given the ability to develop... I decided to fight Wily on my own. I wasn't programmed or ordered to do that. And... I wasn't programmed
to care about what happens to my brother..."
It was Blue's turn to be silent.
"... Thank you Rock..."
"Your welcome," Rock said, grinning. "I.. I know I can't get you to come to Dr. Light, but, if you ever need anything, you can always come to
me. Heh, after all, you've been there to help me in times of trouble all the time."
Bles smiled. "Heh, you mean I've always been there to save your butt when Wily was about to blow it to smithereens!"
Rock laughed. "Yeah right! I'm the one who always does all the work!"
And so, the two playfully argued into the night...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rock slid underneath the blast, barely dodging as the destructive energy burst flew over him.
"Damnit Megaman, why won't you stand still?!" Bass cried. He switched his buster to rapid fire, and took aim again.
"Because, that's just not smart!" Rock said, laughing. He jumped, sailing over Bass's head just as he started to fire.
Suddenly, Megaman was knocked to the ground by Bass's dog, Treble. The wolf-bot pinned him underneath him, as Bass
stalked forward, cackling.
"Well, well well Megaman... it seems it's finally come to an end!" Bass said, taking aim at his struggling rival. "Too bad it
wasn't harder than this..."
Suddenly, a familiar tune filled the air. Bass blinked, and looked around confused, until he finally caught on. But by then....
*WHUMPH!*
Protoman came sailing literally out of nowhere, tackling Bass to the ground. The ebony robot said a few expletives as he
wrestled with the crimson droid.
Bass eventually managed to break free, and kicked Protoman away. He scrambled to his feet, and aimed. "You're a dead man too, Blues!"
he exclaimed.
"Hold it Bass!"
Bass looked to the side... Megaman was standing there, a fully charged Megabuster trained on him. Nearby, Treble lay knocked out,
Rush guarding him close by.
"Damnit..." Bass said. "I was this close I tell ya, this close!" With that, he and Treble disappeared in a flash of purple light.
Megaman let out a sight of relief, and powered down his buster. "I thought I'd really have to hurt him that time."
"Heh," Protoman said, getting up and folding his arms. "What happened here?"
"Bass attacked this grocery store here... I don't think this was for Wily, cuz he let all of the people get away. I'm betting Bass was just trying
to get my attention..."
Protoman nodded. "I guess I'll be heading off no- waaah?" Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Protoman's brain.
"Uhm, bro..?" Rock said, looking concerned. "Something wrong.."
Protoman stumbled forward weakly. "I... I don't know..."
Then he collapsed.
"BLUES!" Rock cried. He kneeled at his brother's side, and picked him up. Rock activated his communicator, saying "DR. LIGHT! COME IN!"
"What is it Rock?" the old man replied.
"We have a problem! It's Blues... he just collapsed..."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hours later, Blues finally awakened...
"Wha..?" he said, looking around. He was in a laboratory of some kind, sitting on a table. He found a compartment in his chest to be opened up.
"Finally... you're awake..."
Dr. Light stepped out of the shadows, a look of hurt and pain in his eyes.
"Light!" Blues groaned. "I swear, if you've done anything to me, I'll-"
"I've done no such thing!!"
There was silence following the doctor's small out-burst.
"Oh..." Blues said. "Well, if everything's ok, then could you please close me up so I can be on my way?"
"...." was Dr. Light's only reply.
Blues blinked behind his visor. "Uh... something wrong, old man?"
Tears streamed down Dr. Light's face as he began to speak. "I'm... I'm afraid it's the problem with your system, Blues..."
Blues' expression turned grim. "... what kind of problem?"
".. your matrix is decompiling... slowly. And it's too late to stop it. There's nothing we can do."
Blues's jaw dropped. "Does... does that mean I'm going to..."
Dr. Light nodded.
"How.. how long?"
"Not long..."
Both of them just faced each other, looks of pain dominating their expressions. For the first time since Dr. Light discovered
the error, the shocking reality of what was going to happen to Blues sunk in.
... and for the first time, both would have to ultimately deal with it.
Suddenly, Blues yelled with frustration. He took the helmet off his head, and threw it at the ground, the visor cracking. And
then... for the first time in years, he cried, tears coming out of the sapphire blue eyes he'd hidden for years....
... and also for the first time, he was welcomed into the comforting embrace of his father.
Both of them cried... all of the years of frustration and anger towards one another evaporating in an instant. They simply
cried.. crying for one another...
... and what would be left be left behind.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few days later...
Alot of people had come. There was Dr. Light, Rock, and Roll of course, and also Rush, Tango, Beat, Eddie and Auto.
Also there were the Light's close friends, Dr. Cossack and his daughter Kalinka. There was Plum, Report, Dr. Light's original six
robot masters... the list of old friends gathered in the cemetary went on and on.
"May I have your attention please?"
The group turned towards the young boy-robot, who stood before a modest-sized head stone.
Rock began, saying, "Thank you all for coming... as you know, we're hear to pay last respects to my brother, Blues Light..."
Suprisingly, Rock chuckled. "No... not last respects... you can never stop caring about someone like Blues. I can honestly say,
he was always there for me, watching and waiting for whenever I'd need trouble. He saved my life, more times than I can count...
".... and he won't be foregotten... not soon, I hope. Heh, I've thought of blaming people for this... even thought of blaming Bass
because he was there before it happened. But really, no one can be blamed for Blues' death, except, well, Blues...
"I know you all know why Blues died... because of a glitch in his system he stubbornly wouldn't allow to be fixed. But, the again,
we all know why he did it... he wanted to remain as free as possible. He valued that freedom, the right to do what he willed. And there's nothing
wrong with that...
"In all of the people I've met in my journeys, his was the most... human..."
With that, Rock bowed his head... crying.
Roll walked up to his side, carrying a box. Rock looked up, snififng. "T-Thank you Roll," he said. He took the box from her and
opened it.
Inside was a bright, silver whistle.
Rock began to play it... the song his brother used to announce his entrance. And now, it was being used to declare his departure from life.
Eventually, everyone left the ceremony. But the three lights and their pets stayed behind. Wordlessly, they placed the objects of remembrance
at the foot of the headstone.
One, the whistle. Another, a cracked black visor. And third, a yellow scarf.
HERE LIES BLUES "PROTOMAN" LIGHT
THE BEST BROTHER YOU COULD EVER HAVE...
by: Megaraptor
"But Blues, if I'm not able to repair the malfunction, you'll die!"
"And then what, old man?! I'll be another slave of yours, like Rock and Roll?!"
"You and I both know that's not true! I gave them the ability to think for themselves as much as possible..."
"Yeah right! You've got Roll working as a maid, and Rock is constantly out risking his neck for the likes of you humans!"
"I'll admit, I programmed Roll and Rock initially to be server-robots, but they grew beyond that... and Rock decided to
fight as Megaman under his own accord. You know I can't make them like you... you're free will is an... an..."
"An accident?! Is that what you're saying Light?! Everything that I am is an accident?!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~An accident...~
~... my name is Blues... also known as Protoman. I'm the first of many robots created in the millenia of 20XX...~
~My creator is Thomas Xavier Light... one of the two leading authorities on robotics. The other... is someone I don't really
want to talk about. Nevertheless...~
~... I was given a gift far grander than that of any other machine existing currently... the ability to think for myself.
While other robots, though capable of emulating human behavior in many ways, are bound by set programming, my personality,
the way I think... who I am, is all my own.~
~... but my gift is an accident...~
~As much as I hate to admit it, everything that I am is the result of either a few loose circuits or a misplaced wire. Or something
more dramatic than that... I'm not keen on the specifics...~
~... what's more is, I'm dying...~
~Dr. Light has offered to fix it. But I don't.. trust him. I know what he's like... he'll just reprogram me, and make me his stooge.
Like Rock, or Dr. Wily's punk Bass. I don't want that fate for me...~
~... but I also don't want to die...~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The crimson figure stood alone on the building-top, his scarf blowing in the wind, and his shield held closely to his side.
His expressions was as calm and stoic as ever.. showing little emotion. Not that he ever did, mind you... always masking his
true thoughts with a confident smirk.
... like hiding the fear in his eyes behind a visor...
"Blues..."
The red robot turned in suprise. Standing there was a blue robot, designed very much like himself. He lacked the scarf and shield, though.
At his side was a red robot dog.
"Rock.." Protoman said, "how'd you find me?"
"Dr. Light told me about your conversation with him earlier.. I went looking for you on Rush, hoping you hadn't left the city."
"Oh.." Protoman said, turning. "He told you... huh?"
Megaman.. Rock, sighed. "Listen Blues.. I'm here if you need to talk about it."
"I don't need to talk about it Rock. I'm just fine..."
"You can pretend that's the truth, but I know it's not," Rock said, walking up to his brother's side. "If you do have the power to think
like a human, then you can be afraid just like them."
"And what would you know about being human, Rock?"
Rock's eyes widened, stunned into silence for a moment. But then he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Listen Blues... I may not be like you in every way, but... I'm not the same robot I was the day I was switched on. I've grown... become
more than the sum of my parts..."
"And how do you know that's true?" Blues asked. "Maybe you're just programmed to think that."
"Blues, I wasn't programmed to care about people... I was programmed to be a dilligent worker... be cheerful... and help out. But I was
also given the ability to develop... I decided to fight Wily on my own. I wasn't programmed or ordered to do that. And... I wasn't programmed
to care about what happens to my brother..."
It was Blue's turn to be silent.
"... Thank you Rock..."
"Your welcome," Rock said, grinning. "I.. I know I can't get you to come to Dr. Light, but, if you ever need anything, you can always come to
me. Heh, after all, you've been there to help me in times of trouble all the time."
Bles smiled. "Heh, you mean I've always been there to save your butt when Wily was about to blow it to smithereens!"
Rock laughed. "Yeah right! I'm the one who always does all the work!"
And so, the two playfully argued into the night...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rock slid underneath the blast, barely dodging as the destructive energy burst flew over him.
"Damnit Megaman, why won't you stand still?!" Bass cried. He switched his buster to rapid fire, and took aim again.
"Because, that's just not smart!" Rock said, laughing. He jumped, sailing over Bass's head just as he started to fire.
Suddenly, Megaman was knocked to the ground by Bass's dog, Treble. The wolf-bot pinned him underneath him, as Bass
stalked forward, cackling.
"Well, well well Megaman... it seems it's finally come to an end!" Bass said, taking aim at his struggling rival. "Too bad it
wasn't harder than this..."
Suddenly, a familiar tune filled the air. Bass blinked, and looked around confused, until he finally caught on. But by then....
*WHUMPH!*
Protoman came sailing literally out of nowhere, tackling Bass to the ground. The ebony robot said a few expletives as he
wrestled with the crimson droid.
Bass eventually managed to break free, and kicked Protoman away. He scrambled to his feet, and aimed. "You're a dead man too, Blues!"
he exclaimed.
"Hold it Bass!"
Bass looked to the side... Megaman was standing there, a fully charged Megabuster trained on him. Nearby, Treble lay knocked out,
Rush guarding him close by.
"Damnit..." Bass said. "I was this close I tell ya, this close!" With that, he and Treble disappeared in a flash of purple light.
Megaman let out a sight of relief, and powered down his buster. "I thought I'd really have to hurt him that time."
"Heh," Protoman said, getting up and folding his arms. "What happened here?"
"Bass attacked this grocery store here... I don't think this was for Wily, cuz he let all of the people get away. I'm betting Bass was just trying
to get my attention..."
Protoman nodded. "I guess I'll be heading off no- waaah?" Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Protoman's brain.
"Uhm, bro..?" Rock said, looking concerned. "Something wrong.."
Protoman stumbled forward weakly. "I... I don't know..."
Then he collapsed.
"BLUES!" Rock cried. He kneeled at his brother's side, and picked him up. Rock activated his communicator, saying "DR. LIGHT! COME IN!"
"What is it Rock?" the old man replied.
"We have a problem! It's Blues... he just collapsed..."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hours later, Blues finally awakened...
"Wha..?" he said, looking around. He was in a laboratory of some kind, sitting on a table. He found a compartment in his chest to be opened up.
"Finally... you're awake..."
Dr. Light stepped out of the shadows, a look of hurt and pain in his eyes.
"Light!" Blues groaned. "I swear, if you've done anything to me, I'll-"
"I've done no such thing!!"
There was silence following the doctor's small out-burst.
"Oh..." Blues said. "Well, if everything's ok, then could you please close me up so I can be on my way?"
"...." was Dr. Light's only reply.
Blues blinked behind his visor. "Uh... something wrong, old man?"
Tears streamed down Dr. Light's face as he began to speak. "I'm... I'm afraid it's the problem with your system, Blues..."
Blues' expression turned grim. "... what kind of problem?"
".. your matrix is decompiling... slowly. And it's too late to stop it. There's nothing we can do."
Blues's jaw dropped. "Does... does that mean I'm going to..."
Dr. Light nodded.
"How.. how long?"
"Not long..."
Both of them just faced each other, looks of pain dominating their expressions. For the first time since Dr. Light discovered
the error, the shocking reality of what was going to happen to Blues sunk in.
... and for the first time, both would have to ultimately deal with it.
Suddenly, Blues yelled with frustration. He took the helmet off his head, and threw it at the ground, the visor cracking. And
then... for the first time in years, he cried, tears coming out of the sapphire blue eyes he'd hidden for years....
... and also for the first time, he was welcomed into the comforting embrace of his father.
Both of them cried... all of the years of frustration and anger towards one another evaporating in an instant. They simply
cried.. crying for one another...
... and what would be left be left behind.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few days later...
Alot of people had come. There was Dr. Light, Rock, and Roll of course, and also Rush, Tango, Beat, Eddie and Auto.
Also there were the Light's close friends, Dr. Cossack and his daughter Kalinka. There was Plum, Report, Dr. Light's original six
robot masters... the list of old friends gathered in the cemetary went on and on.
"May I have your attention please?"
The group turned towards the young boy-robot, who stood before a modest-sized head stone.
Rock began, saying, "Thank you all for coming... as you know, we're hear to pay last respects to my brother, Blues Light..."
Suprisingly, Rock chuckled. "No... not last respects... you can never stop caring about someone like Blues. I can honestly say,
he was always there for me, watching and waiting for whenever I'd need trouble. He saved my life, more times than I can count...
".... and he won't be foregotten... not soon, I hope. Heh, I've thought of blaming people for this... even thought of blaming Bass
because he was there before it happened. But really, no one can be blamed for Blues' death, except, well, Blues...
"I know you all know why Blues died... because of a glitch in his system he stubbornly wouldn't allow to be fixed. But, the again,
we all know why he did it... he wanted to remain as free as possible. He valued that freedom, the right to do what he willed. And there's nothing
wrong with that...
"In all of the people I've met in my journeys, his was the most... human..."
With that, Rock bowed his head... crying.
Roll walked up to his side, carrying a box. Rock looked up, snififng. "T-Thank you Roll," he said. He took the box from her and
opened it.
Inside was a bright, silver whistle.
Rock began to play it... the song his brother used to announce his entrance. And now, it was being used to declare his departure from life.
Eventually, everyone left the ceremony. But the three lights and their pets stayed behind. Wordlessly, they placed the objects of remembrance
at the foot of the headstone.
One, the whistle. Another, a cracked black visor. And third, a yellow scarf.
HERE LIES BLUES "PROTOMAN" LIGHT
THE BEST BROTHER YOU COULD EVER HAVE...