Chapter 7: Family Reunions
"Aurie! Are you in there?! Aurie I need to talk to you! Please open up?!"
Buzzsaw was knocking on Auroran Flash's door and received no answer. He pressed his ear against the door and heard faint noises coming from inside. He silently opened the door and looked inside to see Aurie lying down on her bed with her face buried in her pillow, sobbing.
Buzz tiptoed towards her bed and softly said, "Aurie? Are you okay?"
Aurie lifted her head and looked at Buzz with sparkly eyes and said, "*sniff* Buzz? I'm sorry I didn't hear you knocking." She sat up as Buzzsaw said, "Slash told me you ran out of the hospital in a hurry. Why are you crying?"
"Buzzsaw...", Aurie began to stammer as she continued, "X yelled at me! When I visited him in the hospital, he started screaming about not wanting to fight anymore! He then yelled at me and told me to go away! X HATES ME NOW! He's going to leave the Maverick Hunters! He's going to leave ME before I......tell....... him.....", she stopped talking and had started to cry again.
Buzz walked over to Aurie and hugged her. She cried on Buzz's shoulder as he spoke in a comforting voice, "It's okay, Aurie. It's okay." After a moment, Buzz looked at her and said, "I know for a fact that X doesn't hate you. It would take a LOT to make him hate a wonderful person like yourself."
Aurie began to crack a smile as she said, "Y-You really mean it?"
Buzz continued, "Of course! And I don't think he's going to quit the Maverick Hunters. I think Scorch is doing something about that."
"What do you mean?" Aurie now wore a questioning look on her face.
"I don't know.", replied Buzz, "But I guess there's only one way to find out. C'mon!" He then left Aurie's room with Aurie trailing right behind him, not knowing what to expect.
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X, Scorch, and Royaltie were walking around in what appears to be an old lab. Inside the lab, many old and outdated mainframe computers stood silent and pictures of various ancient scientists adorned the walls. In another room, a table stood in the middle of it and a number of surgical and mechanical instruments hovered over it, which was now home to a family of spiders. Yet in another room, there were no technological instruments to speak of, except for an old color TV at the end of the room. The old living room had a plush, green carpet, a recliner, a shelf full of books, and a slew of dusty, hardly readable photographs.
This entire house was obviously untouched by time and hadn't been inhabited in decades.
X questioned Scorch, saying, "What is this place, Scorch?"
Scorch looked back at X. As X's reflection gleamed off of Scorch's visor, the red Reploid replied, "This lab....." he turned his head and surveyed the lab, "is where Royaltie and I were first built."
X's eyes grew wide in astonishment. He said, "Wow! You two are brother and sister?! I thought maybe that you two were...."
"X! Don't even think it!", Royaltie interrupted, "The very thought of it makes me sick!" Scorch chuckled at that remark.
"Well, better still.", X said as he shrugged, "This lab is amazing! I mean I haven't seen anything like it since I came out of that capsule years ago!"
"You mean...." Royaltie continued with a questioning look on her face, "You don't remember this place?"
X shook his head, "No, I don't. Why should I remember this place?" He was suddenly hit by another feeling of dejavu as Scorch started to say:
"Because, X......" Scorch breathed deeply as he blurted out:
"This is where YOU were built, too. You are my brother!"
X immediately jumped in the air after hearing that and screamed, "WHAAAAAT!!"
After he landed, X said to Scorch, "BROTHER?! You're my brother?! How can this be? I haven't met you until today?! HOW!"
"X!", Scorch yelled, "Calm down! I know this is hard to believe, but it is true. You, Royaltie, and me. We are family. Our father created us all and gave us life."
X then turned to Royaltie and said, "That means.......are you my sister?"
Royaltie beamed and said, "YES!" She cried tears of joy as she ran over and hugged her long-lost brother. "I've been wanting to do this for such a long time! I missed you so much!" After a tender moment, she let go and returned to Scorch's side.
"I don't understand!", a confused X said, "If you two are my family, then why did it take you all these years to find me? What took you so long?"
Royaltie stepped forward and explained it to X:
"A year after you came out of the capsule, Scorch and I came out of our capsules here and we listened to our father's recording. He told us to go find you and tell you everything in case you forgotten. It was hard to find you because you were out on missions all the time and MHHQ was not fully developed yet."
"When we finally found you, X." Scorch interrupted, "We kept close tabs on you until the time seemed right. It seems now is a good time since you've decided to give up the Maverick Hunters."
X frowned at that last sentence. He then thought about Aurie and felt like kicking himself for yelling at her.
"I don't think anything could convince me to go back. I told you I don't want to fight anymore, no matter what happens."
Royaltie immediately grabbed X and yelled, "Please, stop it, X! You're sounding like you're becoming one of the Mavericks!"
X pulled away and said, "NO WAY! I'm not a Maverick! I never will be! I just don't want to fight anymore, do you understand?! Nothing is going to change my mind! Not even you!
Royaltie bit her lower lip in discouragement. Scorch merely shook his head.
"If we can't convince you...." Scorch said as he casually walked over to the biggest mainframe computer in the lab and pulled out a CD-ROM from his pocket. He then continued:
"......then maybe HE will."
"Who is HE?!", X queried.
Scorch had inputted the CD-ROM into the main drive and punched a few buttons. The screen then suddenly flickered on and after a few moments of interference, the image of a bearded old man in a lab coat appeared before the three Reploids.
X stood in awe at the image and had suddenly realized who it is.
It was Dr. Thomas Light. The father of robotics and the father of X, Scorch, and Royaltie. He spoke to X:
"Hello, X. It has been such a long time."
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"Indeed, it has been such a long time, Brother!"
Lazily opening his eyes to a monotone voice, a groggy Zero awoke to stare at the grim countenance of Dark Phantom. He suddenly had the urge to spring up and get the heck out of wherever the heck he is, but he couldn't move because his body from the neck down was mysteriously paralyzed, lying backside down on a metal table.
"As you can see, I've paralyzed your body so we wouldn't have any more confrontations like last time." Dark Phantom said.
Zero cleared his throat and said, "Well, you got me, Phantom! I'm here and I'm helpless! Now what will you do with me!" Even in helpless and defeated states, Zero always kept a brash attitude in the presence of his enemies.
Phantom turned his back on Zero, walked towards an old computer mainframe, and calmly said, "You said you wanted your questions answered, didn't you? I've brought you here so I could live up to that promise."
Having calmed down a bit, Zero answered back, "OK. But I can't talk to you like this. Could you please un-paralyze me? I won't run away or fight you, I promise."
Though his instinct told him not to, Phantom answered back, "Very well. But remember not to try anything, Brother." He then opened his steel-taloned hand and a purple energy bubble had formed on his palm. It flew from Dark Phantom towards Zero's chest and, with a bright flash of light, dissipated the paralyzing spell on Zero.
Having regained the feeling in his systems, Zero got up off of the table and casually walked towards Dark Phantom. "The first thing I want to ask is.......why do you keep calling me 'brother'?"
Phantom didn't respond. He punched a few buttons on the mainframe, and after a few moments, the picture of two robots appeared on the monitor. One robot was red with spiked shoulders, spiked shoes, an Arm Cannon, and no head. All the robot had was a dome with a computerized brain inside and glowing red eyes, all resting in between his shoulders. The other robot, on the other hand, was tall, black and yellow, and his head was shaped like that of a cobra.
Zero pointed at the picture and said, "That.....that black and yellow robot. It looks a little like.....ME." He then pointed at the other picture on the monitor and continued, "That other robot looks like you."
Phantom turned his head towards Zero and said, "That's because those two robots are......or should I say......WERE.....US! That was us before our conversion into Reploids."
Zero looked towards Phantom with a surprised look on his face as the dark Reploid looked towards the screen and spoke of their origins:
"I was once Dark Man. A powerful warrior created by the "master" to emulate a powerful robot named Proto Man and frame him for his crimes. I also kidnapped Dr. Light and stole most of his knowledge from his mainframe computer, including the knowledge to turn ordinary, emotionless robots into Reploids. But Mega Man, the hero of the past, had entered my fortress, destroyed my Sentinels, and defeated me with the help of his accursed brother. I was rebuilt a few years later to be with my master during his final days. During this time, he converted his most powerful warrior into a Reploid. The warrior known as Bass.
Zero became more surprised. "Bass?! You mean......THAT WAS ME?!", he said, pointing at the picture of the black and yellow robot.
"Yes!", Dark Phantom answered back, "The master considered you his greatest achievement ever, and had wanted you to continue his work in the future when he died. After the primary conversion, he augmented your strength using a robotic dog you once owned as Bass. His name was Treble. He then implanted in you his "secret weapon", augmented by the power of his 75 Robot Masters and the strange power called "Evil Energy". Along with a newly modeled Arm Cannon, you had the power to lead the future Reploids and bring the human race to its knees."
Zero was shocked! He had this secret weapon all this time and didn't even know it??! He contemplated on what it and the "master" might be as Dark Phantom continued on with his speech.
"After he finished and placed you in his underground bunker, he converted me into a Reploid and timed me to awaken in case you failed with the mission. He had implanted into me a strange crystal of unknown origin. This crystal gives me my magic and my power. He then put me in my capsule and placed it in the underground bunker. That was the last I ever saw of him. My master.....my father.....gone forever."
Zero sensed that, as evil and dark as he was, Phantom still misses his master, the one he considers his father. Zero then remembered the dream he had and he remembered the old man. Could that be the "master"? My father?? he thought. He turned to Phantom, saying, "I need to know, Phantom. Who is our master and what is the secret......weap.......ugggghhhhhh......"
Zero felt his insides suddenly twist and turn and his world became blurry as Dark Phantom looked at him with bright, evil eyes.
"Phantom! W-What's........happening.......to.......meee??!", Zero said as he kneeled to the floor in pain.
"I didn't want to do this, Zero, but your memory systems weren't fully cooperating and there was no other way of helping you remember. So I injected a special Bisodium isotope in you while you were sleeping. You left me no choice. It is now taking effect. I know it is painful now, but don't worry, Brother. When you awaken again you will be yourself again. Your TRUE self! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
Zero's world became black and he fell to the floor unconscious as Phantom continued to laugh maniacally.
"Booooooosssss! I'm finnnnniiisshed!", mused a voice from next door. It was Serges.
"Excellent, Serges!", said Dark Phantom in his enrapture, "Have you followed the plans exactly?!"
"Oh yes, Phantom!", said Serges as he walked in the mainframe room, "Our new Mavericks are now fifty times more powerful than ever before. I don't think those Maverick Hunters will stand a ghost of a chance!"
"Wonderful!", yelled Phantom, "You have served me well, Serges! As payment for your services, you may leave. And I will promise you dominion over any land you choose when I take over this world."
Serges jumped for joy as he said, "Oh, thank you, boss! You really are the greatest boss I've ever had!" With that, Serges merrily skipped out of the mysterious complex, leaving behind Dark Phantom and an unconscious Zero.
After taking one last look at Zero, Phantom walked into the room where Serges was at and looked at the new and improved Mavericks. He laughed maniacally with ecstatic abandon as he looked on and later said, "Ah yes! It is time! The future is INDEED inevitable!"
He laughed again for what appears to be the beginning of a war.
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"I always knew you all would come back, someday.", said Dr. Light.
"We still miss you, Doc.", said Scorch, his voice choked with emotions.
"Dr. Light.", said X. "You're the one in all those capsules. The ones that gave me those enhancements."
"Yes, Mega Man X", continued Dr. Light. "I figured you might need them in your fights someday, so I programmed them each with my brain algorithms and with each individual enhancement and hidden them away to where you would easily find them. I also programmed my algorithms into this CD-ROM for the day when you need all the answers."
X found comfort in that thought. He had a LOT to ask Dr. Light.
He first asked, "I need to know. Why was I created? Why was I put in that capsule? Why am I always fighting when I don't want to fight?"
Suddenly, the image of Dr. Light faded and in his place were three images of three very familiar robots:
The images of Mega Man, Proto Man, and Roll.
"The story of your births began almost 100 years ago when I created my first robots. My first robot was Proto Man, who was first created to be a welding robot until an explosion occurred in the lab. When the smoke cleared, Proto was gone, his helmet and protective shield also gone, too. I didn't let this keep me down, though. With the help of my former assistant, Dr. Albert Wily, we created two housekeeping robots named Rock and Roll."
Upon the mention of the name Wily, X suddenly flashed back to a time where he met a man named Wily, but he couldn't remember anything more after that. He turned his attention again to Dr. Light's speech.
"A couple of days after creating them, Dr. Wily snuck into my lab and stole them, along with 6 industrial robots I had also created. He had intended to reprogram them and use their abilities to rule the world. However, Rock and Roll broke free from Wily's grasp and escaped, leaving Wily behind to reprogram the remaining 6 robots. I knew those robots under Wily's command would cause a great deal of destruction, but I didn't know what to do. Rock, however, had stepped forward and said he wanted to do something about it. Unlike any robot I created, Rock had a strong sense of justice and a natural fighting spirit within those circuits. Therefore, I had taken the liberty of converting Rock into a fighting robot. From that day forward, he became the greatest warrior of all time. The warrior known.......as MEGA MAN!"
As Dr. Light finished, a number of images flashed on and off in X's mind. He suddenly remembered fighting a robot named Guts Man in a large canyon. He also remembered racing to avoid fast beams of light in Quick Man's warehouse. Fighting a giant snake in Snake Man's jungle.......fighting robo-mummies in Pharaoh Man's pyramid.......fighting Charge Man inside a moving train......fighting a mechanical frog in Yamato Man's fortress.....avoiding fire traps in Turbo Man's speedway......fighting Tengu Man in his Sky Base.....these many images in X's mind meant only one thing......
X was finally remembering his past.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Sis?", Scorch said with a smile.
"He's remembering, Proto! HE'S REMEMBERING!!", Royaltie happily yelled.
"I......I.....I do.....remember! I.....I AM Mega Man! I AM MEGA MAN!!", X heartily said.
Dr. Light reappeared on the screen and smiled. Scorch and Royaltie cheered, hugging each other and dancing around the room happily. The only one that didn't celebrate, however, was X.
Scorch and Royaltie stopped dancing as X continued to say:
"There's one thing I still don't understand, Dr. Light. Why did you put me in that capsule? Why did you turn me into a Reploid?"
Dr. Light began to speak, "After the StarDroids were defeated and a raid was made on Skull Castle, we couldn't find Dr. Wily anywhere. What we did find were plans for creating Reploids that he stole from me. Even though he was gone, he may cause trouble in the future. Not only that, but you wanted to live amongst the humans and learn to feel like them, too. Your brother and sister's thoughts were also mutual. Therefore, using the plans that were many years in the making, I had you three converted into Reploids. I wanted you and your siblings to live a peaceful life in the future and I made your emotions perfect and similar so that you would have no problem interacting with the humans. I also modified your weapons in case there were troubles in the future. But I also knew this would be very dangerous. Although Proto and Roll's thinking patterns were perfect, I wasn't sure about you, X, because you were the first to be converted. I needed 30 years to test your reliability, but I couldn't live to see that day, nor did I have no one to carry on my work. Therefore, I had sealed you in that capsule, which had tested your internal systems and kept you preserved until the day you were found. I had sealed Proto and Roll in separate capsules and timed them to open a year after you were found, and I asked them to find you and check up on you. I had done all this because........I love you X. I love all of you and I wanted you to live the lives that you wanted. The lives that you fought for. That you're still fighting for."
Dr. Light sounded like a father to his children. X, Scorch, and Royaltie began to cry tears of joy as Dr. Light said those words.
"So now you know your past.....and your destiny, X. You must destroy the last of Dr. Wily's evil, whatever it may have spawned into now! You must protect the world from those that use robots for evil! Even beyond the grave, I still have my complete faith in you. Now go down to the basement of this lab and gain the last enhancement I can give you. It is a complete body enhancement that will enforce your power a hundred fold, and it will give you a Giga Crush attack that will destroy anything within a 5-mile radius, but be careful using it, as it will use ALL of your systems."
X felt that strong sense of justice burning in him once again, just like his original self. He then remembered the time he escaped from the Final Weapon and he was talking to Zero, and had asked him to take care of him if HE ever became Maverick, and also thought about what would happen if he DID quit the Maverick Hunters. Thousands of cities would be destroyed and millions of humans would die, and Sigma would rule supreme. Only then would Mega Man X go down in history not as a hero, but as the Maverick who stood by and did nothing. I can't give up! X thought to himself. He then declared, out loud, "For this world and for my family, I WON'T give up!!"
"Take care, all of you. And X………good luck, my son." With that last remark, Dr. Light faded from the vidscreen and from the three Reploids sights for the last time.
"I had no idea, X." said a voice from behind them. The three Reploids whirled around to find two other Reploids standing in the doorway.
Auroran Flash and Buzzsaw.
"How did you two get here?", said Scorch.
"I was in the cafeteria when you two were talking.", Buzzsaw began to explain, "I followed Royaltie here, picked up Aurie and came back. We heard everything."
Aurie ran to X and they hugged each other lovingly. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Aurie. I'm so very sorry."
Aurie smiled at X and said, "It's okay, X. I'm just glad to have my Meggy back! And I'm even happier for you in the fact that you are the original Mega Man!" They then let go of each other.
Buzzsaw added, "Yea, X! I mean, you were a legend back in the past. And I believe you'll become more of a legend when you beat Sigma once and for all!"
Grabbing Buzz's hand in a brotherly way, X answered back, "WE'LL beat Sigma! Together! At least until I tell Zero everything about me! Where is he today?!"
Scorch frowned at that sentence. He knew now that he had to tell him about X's best friend and the fact that he was one of Wily's Reploids. X had to face the cold, hard truth.
"X", Scorch began to say, "There's something we need to tell you, about Zero." Everyone, including X, strained their ears to hear him say:
"X, I know you and Zero are best friends, and I hate to have to say this, but…..Zero was once and still could be a….."
Suddenly, Scorch's revelation was interrupted by an explosion that rocked the entire lab. Buzzsaw looked outside to see what the commotion was, and he suddenly yelled out:
"THE HQ IS UNDER ATTACK!!!"
"Then we must waste no time!", X began to sound like a leader again, "You four go on ahead to the city! I'll catch up!"
The four Reploids all nodded their heads in agreement, donned their individual battle gear, and teleported out of the lab. Before he ran for the basement, Mega Man X took one last look at the empty vidscreen, the one that held Dr. Light's last recording. He then said:
"Thank you for everything, Dr. Light. I promise I won't let you down."
He then turned to go down into the basement with a renewed sense of justice, where his final enhancement awaited him.
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