The process was painful. It had to be. The most terrifying thing possible,
to both of them, to anyone. Loosing identity, loosing who and what they
were.
It was a sensation akin to madness, and at the worst of times, they both fought it. At the best, they could remember why, and struggled to find acceptance.
But in the end, it was time that did the healing. Almost six months since he'd walled himself away, the new personality gained enough coherence to awaken, controlling the body.
His eyes opened to mere slits, and he stretched his arms cautiously. He sat up, with a startling suddeness, and glanced around alertly.
The cavern was a ruin. Chunks had been ripped out of the wall, as though someone with incredible strength had clawed at it. In one corner, the stone had melted, and there were chips and marks everywhere.
He glanced down at his own armor, and nodded. The paint was badly scraped, with rock dust upon him. It was easy to figure out. And now, in this new, peaceful state, he knew why it had happened even if he couldn't remember it.
But then he gasped, jerking as the chaos began to reassert itself. Twitching spasmodically, he collapsed against the wall again, sinking back into the morass from which he had ascended, briefly.
But it was a start. The start grew slowly... in the end, it took almost six more months for the personalities to integrate. And the new personality took full shape. When it did, it found purpose in old memories...
"Mmmm." He shifted his shoulders, settling the leather jacket better into place. He'd stolen it, along with several other clothes. Going around in his armor was just a bad idea these days. A silly putty like makeup disguised the purple slashes on his face. "What to call myself..." He pondered that idea as he walked.
He wasn't Bass. He understood everything Bass had felt, and those memories could bring bittersweet tears, if he let them. But it wasn't him. He wasn't the one who'd tried so desperately to win approval, and have his efforts mocked when they were not enough. Not the one to develop such a terrible, burning hatred for almost everything... and take such delight in destruction and death.
Nor was he Dr. Light, for that was the other set of memories. Dr. Light had lived a full life, full of love and family, but in a way, that hurt too. Bass had had none of that, and the contrast in the memories ignited a fire in the new personality. He wanted that. He wanted to live, to love, to be loved.
And he was setting himself on the first step towards that now. Dr. Light had hoped that love would triumph over hate, and in truth, it had. If it hadn't, he wouldn't be here.
He regarded the ruins of Dr. Lights lab with regret, and pain. Regret at what he had done, pain at destruction of his lab. He kicked a piece of debrise idly, then sighed.
"Life sucks." He started picking through the rubble, and when he came to what he hoped was the right place, he began to dig.
Dr. Light's sense of direction had always been good, and Bass' was next to flawless, so he'd actually been right. It still took two days to reach the collapsed basement, though. When he finally did...
"Ah, yeeeees." A satisfied, catlike smile tugged on his lips as he brushed off the stasis pod. It was meant to withstand anything, and it had. He brushed away the last coating of dust from where the face would be, and gazed within.
Mega Man was intact, healed. Without Dr. Lights work, though, his injuries had repaired themselves on their own. Treble's claws had left three scars on his face, his cheek. He suddenly trembled at a surge of loss, and had to close his eyes.
"Oh, Treble..." He missed Treble desperately. But he finally managed to subdue the emotion, and the slight trembling through his psychie that accompanied it. That sort of thing, associated with only one half of his personality, could cause an attack... "Lets see..."
It only took a moment to open the capsule, releasing the air within with a hiss. He reached inside, gently extracting Mega Man and settling him on the floor. It didn't take long for him to stir.
His eyes fluttered open, and the first thing he saw was an unmistakable face... he'd removed the concealing silly putty from his cheeks, so there was no doubt at all...
"BASS!" Mega Man jerked upright, but the robot sitting beside him placed a hand on his shoulder. And he wasn't dressed for combat at all, without armor...
"No... not exactly. Let me explain first." He said softly, staring into Mega Man's confused face. "Easy, Rock. It's a long story..."
Once he got Mega Man calmed down, he explained. The explanation went into most of the night.
"...So after you killed Wily, Bass went to the lab to kill everyone, everything. He did kill Roll, and was demanding Dr. Light take him to you when the federal agents arrived." Mega Man looked sick, but not disbelieving. He remembered what had happened at Skull Fortress. Wily had been killed, Bass next to defeated... and then a group of human commandoes had tried to eliminate them both. "They fired on us and hit the experimental photon generator."
"I don't understand what happened next. It exploded, and everyone was killed, except for Bass. But Dr. Lights mind was injected into his body. For the past year, we've been integrating, becoming one person. I'm both Bass, and your father, Dr. Light." Mega looked down. He believed it... this robot had already proved it by reminiscing about Mega Man's first activation... and only Dr. Light had been present for that.
"...Who are you, though? You talk about Dr. Light and Bass in the third person." He gazed searchingly at his companion, who looked down.
"I... don't know. I'm not either of them." He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't have a name for myself yet." Mega frowned, his forehead crinkling.
"How about... Bane?" He suggested.
"Bane..." He tested that out, trying the sound of it. "I like it. Okay. I'm Bane, and you're Rock now, not Mega Man."
"What?" Mega... no, Rock, blinked in surprise. "Why?" Bane gave him a look, as if to say he was acting like a complete dullard.
"They think you're dead, and its a lot better that way, don't you think? Only Light and a few others know your original name. You can stay with it." He explained patiently, in a manner that suddenly reminded Rock irresistably of Dr. Light.
"Okay... Bane." He finally said, and Bane nodded, handing him a bag.
"Here's some clothes for you..."
It was a sensation akin to madness, and at the worst of times, they both fought it. At the best, they could remember why, and struggled to find acceptance.
But in the end, it was time that did the healing. Almost six months since he'd walled himself away, the new personality gained enough coherence to awaken, controlling the body.
His eyes opened to mere slits, and he stretched his arms cautiously. He sat up, with a startling suddeness, and glanced around alertly.
The cavern was a ruin. Chunks had been ripped out of the wall, as though someone with incredible strength had clawed at it. In one corner, the stone had melted, and there were chips and marks everywhere.
He glanced down at his own armor, and nodded. The paint was badly scraped, with rock dust upon him. It was easy to figure out. And now, in this new, peaceful state, he knew why it had happened even if he couldn't remember it.
But then he gasped, jerking as the chaos began to reassert itself. Twitching spasmodically, he collapsed against the wall again, sinking back into the morass from which he had ascended, briefly.
But it was a start. The start grew slowly... in the end, it took almost six more months for the personalities to integrate. And the new personality took full shape. When it did, it found purpose in old memories...
"Mmmm." He shifted his shoulders, settling the leather jacket better into place. He'd stolen it, along with several other clothes. Going around in his armor was just a bad idea these days. A silly putty like makeup disguised the purple slashes on his face. "What to call myself..." He pondered that idea as he walked.
He wasn't Bass. He understood everything Bass had felt, and those memories could bring bittersweet tears, if he let them. But it wasn't him. He wasn't the one who'd tried so desperately to win approval, and have his efforts mocked when they were not enough. Not the one to develop such a terrible, burning hatred for almost everything... and take such delight in destruction and death.
Nor was he Dr. Light, for that was the other set of memories. Dr. Light had lived a full life, full of love and family, but in a way, that hurt too. Bass had had none of that, and the contrast in the memories ignited a fire in the new personality. He wanted that. He wanted to live, to love, to be loved.
And he was setting himself on the first step towards that now. Dr. Light had hoped that love would triumph over hate, and in truth, it had. If it hadn't, he wouldn't be here.
He regarded the ruins of Dr. Lights lab with regret, and pain. Regret at what he had done, pain at destruction of his lab. He kicked a piece of debrise idly, then sighed.
"Life sucks." He started picking through the rubble, and when he came to what he hoped was the right place, he began to dig.
Dr. Light's sense of direction had always been good, and Bass' was next to flawless, so he'd actually been right. It still took two days to reach the collapsed basement, though. When he finally did...
"Ah, yeeeees." A satisfied, catlike smile tugged on his lips as he brushed off the stasis pod. It was meant to withstand anything, and it had. He brushed away the last coating of dust from where the face would be, and gazed within.
Mega Man was intact, healed. Without Dr. Lights work, though, his injuries had repaired themselves on their own. Treble's claws had left three scars on his face, his cheek. He suddenly trembled at a surge of loss, and had to close his eyes.
"Oh, Treble..." He missed Treble desperately. But he finally managed to subdue the emotion, and the slight trembling through his psychie that accompanied it. That sort of thing, associated with only one half of his personality, could cause an attack... "Lets see..."
It only took a moment to open the capsule, releasing the air within with a hiss. He reached inside, gently extracting Mega Man and settling him on the floor. It didn't take long for him to stir.
His eyes fluttered open, and the first thing he saw was an unmistakable face... he'd removed the concealing silly putty from his cheeks, so there was no doubt at all...
"BASS!" Mega Man jerked upright, but the robot sitting beside him placed a hand on his shoulder. And he wasn't dressed for combat at all, without armor...
"No... not exactly. Let me explain first." He said softly, staring into Mega Man's confused face. "Easy, Rock. It's a long story..."
Once he got Mega Man calmed down, he explained. The explanation went into most of the night.
"...So after you killed Wily, Bass went to the lab to kill everyone, everything. He did kill Roll, and was demanding Dr. Light take him to you when the federal agents arrived." Mega Man looked sick, but not disbelieving. He remembered what had happened at Skull Fortress. Wily had been killed, Bass next to defeated... and then a group of human commandoes had tried to eliminate them both. "They fired on us and hit the experimental photon generator."
"I don't understand what happened next. It exploded, and everyone was killed, except for Bass. But Dr. Lights mind was injected into his body. For the past year, we've been integrating, becoming one person. I'm both Bass, and your father, Dr. Light." Mega looked down. He believed it... this robot had already proved it by reminiscing about Mega Man's first activation... and only Dr. Light had been present for that.
"...Who are you, though? You talk about Dr. Light and Bass in the third person." He gazed searchingly at his companion, who looked down.
"I... don't know. I'm not either of them." He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't have a name for myself yet." Mega frowned, his forehead crinkling.
"How about... Bane?" He suggested.
"Bane..." He tested that out, trying the sound of it. "I like it. Okay. I'm Bane, and you're Rock now, not Mega Man."
"What?" Mega... no, Rock, blinked in surprise. "Why?" Bane gave him a look, as if to say he was acting like a complete dullard.
"They think you're dead, and its a lot better that way, don't you think? Only Light and a few others know your original name. You can stay with it." He explained patiently, in a manner that suddenly reminded Rock irresistably of Dr. Light.
"Okay... Bane." He finally said, and Bane nodded, handing him a bag.
"Here's some clothes for you..."
