Part II: Touché, Mon Ami
Dr. Light completed working on his latest robotic creation, a robot with the power of individual thought(thanks to his Neuro-net X Second Grade, a minor improvement over the first model, integrating enormous mental capacity with tremendous harnessing ability), when Beat flew back into the lab. The little bird-bot looked slightly drained, and from the weather conditions outside it was obvious why. It also looked like there was something important to be said.
"What is it, Beat?" Light asked, wiping his hands of the oil and grease he'd used to affix the last pieces of the defense blaster onto the robot on the table.
"Wily...red robot...too strong..." Beat struggled, out of breath.
Fliptop, Dr. Light's transport robot and companion of all the lab robots, hopped up onto the table beside Beat.
"Here, Dr. Light," he said in his slightly off-pitch voice, opening his distribution lid and ejecting an Energy Boost canister.
"Thank you, Fliptop," Light replied, taking the canister and giving it to Beat to drink. In a few moments, the bird's fatigue was gone. "Now what was it you wanted to tell me, Beat?"
Fluttering over to the nearest computer, Beat used an in-built a/v wire to connect himself to Dr. Light's main computer terminal. Instantly, a schematic of a robot appeared on the screen, along with color photos from within Wily's lab.
"Wily built some sort of powerful new robot, and plans on making it destroy us and then go after the city!"
"I'm sure Rock can handle him, Beat," Dr. Light said, patting the little bird on the back.
"You don't understand, Dr. Light," Beat rebutted. "Look at this."
The schematic zoomed in on two portions, the brain network and the weapons systems. Dr. Light looked to the screen, and nearly had a heart attack from the data he saw.
"What has Wily done? This looks almost exactly like the Neuro-net X design," he said, pointing to the brain. "and this appears to outgun any defense system that I have designed for this city. Not even Rock has that much power."
Beat looked up at the doctor. "Is there anything we can do?"
"I don't know, Beat."
"Well, I don't think this robot is all bad."
Dr. Light glanced at him. "What?"
Beat had disconnected himself from the terminal. "When the robot woke up, he appeared to not trust Wily. But then Wily took some sort of neuralizer and turned him into a pawn."
"Very interesting. If that's the case, maybe we can play on a morality card."
"I don't know, Dr. Light," a voice said from behind him. Turning, Light was greeted by Proto, having just returned from a survey of the city block that he suspected Bass and his robotic dog Treble might choose to attack. Rock, Rush, Roll, and Tango were still there, waiting to fight them off.
"Why is that, Proto?"
"Simple," the red robot said, crossing his arms. "Wily used one of those things on me. If he used it on this bot, most likely he won't be able to control himself, either. He'll do whatever he's told, until the effect wears off."
"How long does it take to wear off?"
"It depends. The more it's used, the shorter amount of time it takes to wear off. Eventually a bot grows so used to it that it doesn't faze 'em anymore."
"I see. That makes this a difficult situation. Beat, did the robot leave before you left?"
Beat shook his feathered head. "No, Dr. Light, I didn't see him leave. But I've got wings."
He fluttered his wings a little, enforcing the fact that he could travel a greater distance in a shorter amount of time than a robot on foot.
"This is not good. Well, in any matter, Proto, take Beat and go back to where Rock and Roll are and wait for Bass and Treble to arrive."
"But won't you need help here, Dr. Light?" Proto asked, eyebrows rising underneath the dark visor that covered the upper half of his face.
"No, Proto, I won't. I have a plan of my own. I'll be fine."
Waiting until the two left, Dr. Light looked back to Fliptop.
"Fliptop, I want you to follow them. They may need some help."
"Alright, Dr. Light," the squatty machine replied, jumping down off the computer terminal and running after Proto and Beat.
Now, down to business.
"I don't think they're coming, Rock," Roll said, crossing her arms. They had been waiting for most of that day for Bass and Treble to attack a residential center near city hall.
"They're coming, sis. I can feel it," Rock answered, once again scanning over the street.
"But this is crazy. Why would they attack such a place? There's no raw materials for them to steal."
"Because they are sick pieces of scrap metal that would do anything for a cheap thrill."
"That's true, Rock, but don't you think they would have attacked us by now?"
Proto and Beat had just arrived, followed closely by Fliptop. Beat took a perch on top of a nearby flagpole, surveying the skies for a pair of robots prepared to wreak havoc, but for Wily's red monstrosity as well. He felt really uneasy about this whole situation. It seemed so very weird.
"You should listen to your sister, do-gooder," a venomous, sarcastic voice resonated from a nearby alley, followed by a deep lupine growl. Bass and Treble emerged from the shadows, already brandishing the heavy artillery Wily had equipped them both with. "It might do you some good."
"Shut up, Bass. Why must we keep fighting like this?"
"You really must be an idiot, you know that, Rock?" Bass replied, putting one foot on a nearby piece of debris and leaning over his leg in a reclining position. "Why would I want to be just like you dorks? You know I wasn't designed for that kind of stuff."
"Your heart is just as black as your armor," Roll yelled, Tango hiding herself behind her master's leg. Treble was eyeing the feline robot, salivating all the while.
Bass put one hand on the blue chest node where a heart would be, if robots had blood-pumping organs(or a circulatory system in any way comparable to a human's, for that matter).
"Oh, I'm hurt. I'm going to run away and cry. Boo hoo hoo," he mocked, pretending to rub the non-existent tears from his eyes on the last comment. After straightening back up and regaining his posture, he narrowed his eyes and glared at Rock.
"Sic 'em, Treble."
The wall of Dr. Light's laboratory was buckling under the intense heat from outside. Shortly after Proto, Beat, and Fliptop exited the building, a large energy signature was detected just beyond the block the lab was on. The good doctor knew that it was Wily's red robot. By this time, the robot had arrived, and was in the process of entering the lab by knocking down a wall. Dr. Light had to move quickly to stop this onslaught.
Suddenly, a whine that could only be emitted from a high-powered energy weapon emanated from beyond the wall. In a matter of seconds, a blade of pure plasma pushed through the foot-thick metal, only to be stopped by the defense systems within the lab. Again, the energy whine came from behind the structure, but seemed as though it was charging. Dr. Light took shelter against a nearby terminal.
In a huge explosion of shrapnel and smoke, the wall was blown apart, dust flying through the lab as though a nuclear bomb had been set off. The red robot strolled in, surrounded by smoke. It's armor didn't have Wily's insignia on it, which was a little strange, but that small fact was not important at the moment. The eyes of the robot scanned around the room, finally resting on Light.
"Dr. Light. I have been ordered to destroy you."
Light emerged from the terminal. "Who are you?"
"My name is Zero. I have been programmed to destroy you."
Aiming his blaster at Light, Zero began charging the weapon to full power. Suddenly, he stopped, grasping the sides of his head as though he was in pain. The characteristic W symbol of all Wily's robots appeared underneath the blue crystal on his helmet. Dr. Light was in awe.
Looking back up, Zero took notice of the blue robot lying on the table. It was nearly the same height and structure as himself, but hadn't been activated yet.
"Who...is that?" Zero asked, pain surging through his body. He no longer had the dull monotone voice that he'd possessed earlier. Dr. Light could tell that the program Wily had used was malfunctioning, and that Zero was not under its influence at the moment.
"His name is X," Light said. "Your brain system is based on his. Wily took the design and modified it for his own purposes."
In a flash, Zero straightened again, and once more began aiming for something. Dr. Light realized it was X he was going to direct the blast at. Quickly grabbing the activation controls, Light switched X's central processor on. The robot's eyes began to glow, subsiding into their normal green color. He sat up.
"Dr. Light," he began. "What's going on?"
Light pointed to Zero. "Defend yourself!"
X looked to where Light was pointing. Sure enough, there was a robot standing there, charging some sort of arm cannon. He crossed his arms in front of him as a pure blast of plasma shot from the robot's arm into him, flinging the blue robot against the nearby terminals.
Light knew X was probably badly damaged from the blast, and didn't know how to stop Zero from his rampage. The red hunter turned back to Light, raising his cannon again. Just as the doctor thought for sure that he was done for, a massive energy surge erupted from his peripheral vision and knocked Zero away.
Spinning around to see the source of the plasma blast, Light was ecstatic to see X, barely harmed, standing there with his X-Buster smoldering from heat. Walking toward his creator, X carefully monitored Zero, still trying to recuperate from the impact.
"Don't worry, Dr. Light, I'll protect you."
Shielding Light with his body, X held his arm cannon out, pointed at Zero. As the red robot got up, he took out a small device that he had pulled from a back sheath. X could see it was a handle to something, but what...
Zero lunged forward, activating the energy blade and bringing it down over his head in a suicide downslash. X held his X-Buster above his head to block Zero's attack, and at least succeeded in holding the blade of energy away from him. The pressure that Zero was exerting on the blade, and therefore, X's arm, was incredible. The blue robot had a hard time countering it. Finally, X deflected the blade to the side in one swift movement, and followed it by a deft kick to the side of Zero's head. The red robot tumbled back, blade extinguished, to land on the lab floor, dazed. X raised his blaster at Zero.
"Desist."
"Never," Zero responded, quickly bringing his own blaster up and firing a blast at X. It missed by about five feet, and Dr. Light's creation couldn't understand what was going on.
"Why did you do that? Is your aim that off?"
"Nope. I hit exactly what I needed to."
Light and X looked back, to where Zero was directing his gaze. A terminal had been completely destroyed. Light's face was in shock.
"No! Not the gravitational accelerator unit!" he cried, as a large vacuum began pulling everything in the room toward the terminal. X grabbed hold of Light, using his magnetic boots to keep himself attached to the floor. Unfortunately, however, the pull was too strong-X's grasp slipped.
"Dr. Light! No!" X screamed, as the doctor was pulled into the energy unit at the center of the hole in the computer. All that was left of him was a pile of dust. The vacuum subsided as the self-deactivation equipment in the accelerator unit kicked in. X looked back to Zero.
"You killed him!"
Zero laughed. "And that's about to happen to you, too."
X charged up his X-Buster, making sure it was at full magnification. The force of this blast would be so great it could destroy armor plating.
"Leave us alone!" X screamed, firing the cannon at Zero. The immense wave of plasma energy connected with the red robot, burning him severely. He looked down at his blackened armor.
"I'll deal with you later," he replied, pointing a single finger at X. He turned and ran out the hole in the wall. X was left there, blaster smoking, with the lab in ruins.
Dr. Light completed working on his latest robotic creation, a robot with the power of individual thought(thanks to his Neuro-net X Second Grade, a minor improvement over the first model, integrating enormous mental capacity with tremendous harnessing ability), when Beat flew back into the lab. The little bird-bot looked slightly drained, and from the weather conditions outside it was obvious why. It also looked like there was something important to be said.
"What is it, Beat?" Light asked, wiping his hands of the oil and grease he'd used to affix the last pieces of the defense blaster onto the robot on the table.
"Wily...red robot...too strong..." Beat struggled, out of breath.
Fliptop, Dr. Light's transport robot and companion of all the lab robots, hopped up onto the table beside Beat.
"Here, Dr. Light," he said in his slightly off-pitch voice, opening his distribution lid and ejecting an Energy Boost canister.
"Thank you, Fliptop," Light replied, taking the canister and giving it to Beat to drink. In a few moments, the bird's fatigue was gone. "Now what was it you wanted to tell me, Beat?"
Fluttering over to the nearest computer, Beat used an in-built a/v wire to connect himself to Dr. Light's main computer terminal. Instantly, a schematic of a robot appeared on the screen, along with color photos from within Wily's lab.
"Wily built some sort of powerful new robot, and plans on making it destroy us and then go after the city!"
"I'm sure Rock can handle him, Beat," Dr. Light said, patting the little bird on the back.
"You don't understand, Dr. Light," Beat rebutted. "Look at this."
The schematic zoomed in on two portions, the brain network and the weapons systems. Dr. Light looked to the screen, and nearly had a heart attack from the data he saw.
"What has Wily done? This looks almost exactly like the Neuro-net X design," he said, pointing to the brain. "and this appears to outgun any defense system that I have designed for this city. Not even Rock has that much power."
Beat looked up at the doctor. "Is there anything we can do?"
"I don't know, Beat."
"Well, I don't think this robot is all bad."
Dr. Light glanced at him. "What?"
Beat had disconnected himself from the terminal. "When the robot woke up, he appeared to not trust Wily. But then Wily took some sort of neuralizer and turned him into a pawn."
"Very interesting. If that's the case, maybe we can play on a morality card."
"I don't know, Dr. Light," a voice said from behind him. Turning, Light was greeted by Proto, having just returned from a survey of the city block that he suspected Bass and his robotic dog Treble might choose to attack. Rock, Rush, Roll, and Tango were still there, waiting to fight them off.
"Why is that, Proto?"
"Simple," the red robot said, crossing his arms. "Wily used one of those things on me. If he used it on this bot, most likely he won't be able to control himself, either. He'll do whatever he's told, until the effect wears off."
"How long does it take to wear off?"
"It depends. The more it's used, the shorter amount of time it takes to wear off. Eventually a bot grows so used to it that it doesn't faze 'em anymore."
"I see. That makes this a difficult situation. Beat, did the robot leave before you left?"
Beat shook his feathered head. "No, Dr. Light, I didn't see him leave. But I've got wings."
He fluttered his wings a little, enforcing the fact that he could travel a greater distance in a shorter amount of time than a robot on foot.
"This is not good. Well, in any matter, Proto, take Beat and go back to where Rock and Roll are and wait for Bass and Treble to arrive."
"But won't you need help here, Dr. Light?" Proto asked, eyebrows rising underneath the dark visor that covered the upper half of his face.
"No, Proto, I won't. I have a plan of my own. I'll be fine."
Waiting until the two left, Dr. Light looked back to Fliptop.
"Fliptop, I want you to follow them. They may need some help."
"Alright, Dr. Light," the squatty machine replied, jumping down off the computer terminal and running after Proto and Beat.
Now, down to business.
"I don't think they're coming, Rock," Roll said, crossing her arms. They had been waiting for most of that day for Bass and Treble to attack a residential center near city hall.
"They're coming, sis. I can feel it," Rock answered, once again scanning over the street.
"But this is crazy. Why would they attack such a place? There's no raw materials for them to steal."
"Because they are sick pieces of scrap metal that would do anything for a cheap thrill."
"That's true, Rock, but don't you think they would have attacked us by now?"
Proto and Beat had just arrived, followed closely by Fliptop. Beat took a perch on top of a nearby flagpole, surveying the skies for a pair of robots prepared to wreak havoc, but for Wily's red monstrosity as well. He felt really uneasy about this whole situation. It seemed so very weird.
"You should listen to your sister, do-gooder," a venomous, sarcastic voice resonated from a nearby alley, followed by a deep lupine growl. Bass and Treble emerged from the shadows, already brandishing the heavy artillery Wily had equipped them both with. "It might do you some good."
"Shut up, Bass. Why must we keep fighting like this?"
"You really must be an idiot, you know that, Rock?" Bass replied, putting one foot on a nearby piece of debris and leaning over his leg in a reclining position. "Why would I want to be just like you dorks? You know I wasn't designed for that kind of stuff."
"Your heart is just as black as your armor," Roll yelled, Tango hiding herself behind her master's leg. Treble was eyeing the feline robot, salivating all the while.
Bass put one hand on the blue chest node where a heart would be, if robots had blood-pumping organs(or a circulatory system in any way comparable to a human's, for that matter).
"Oh, I'm hurt. I'm going to run away and cry. Boo hoo hoo," he mocked, pretending to rub the non-existent tears from his eyes on the last comment. After straightening back up and regaining his posture, he narrowed his eyes and glared at Rock.
"Sic 'em, Treble."
The wall of Dr. Light's laboratory was buckling under the intense heat from outside. Shortly after Proto, Beat, and Fliptop exited the building, a large energy signature was detected just beyond the block the lab was on. The good doctor knew that it was Wily's red robot. By this time, the robot had arrived, and was in the process of entering the lab by knocking down a wall. Dr. Light had to move quickly to stop this onslaught.
Suddenly, a whine that could only be emitted from a high-powered energy weapon emanated from beyond the wall. In a matter of seconds, a blade of pure plasma pushed through the foot-thick metal, only to be stopped by the defense systems within the lab. Again, the energy whine came from behind the structure, but seemed as though it was charging. Dr. Light took shelter against a nearby terminal.
In a huge explosion of shrapnel and smoke, the wall was blown apart, dust flying through the lab as though a nuclear bomb had been set off. The red robot strolled in, surrounded by smoke. It's armor didn't have Wily's insignia on it, which was a little strange, but that small fact was not important at the moment. The eyes of the robot scanned around the room, finally resting on Light.
"Dr. Light. I have been ordered to destroy you."
Light emerged from the terminal. "Who are you?"
"My name is Zero. I have been programmed to destroy you."
Aiming his blaster at Light, Zero began charging the weapon to full power. Suddenly, he stopped, grasping the sides of his head as though he was in pain. The characteristic W symbol of all Wily's robots appeared underneath the blue crystal on his helmet. Dr. Light was in awe.
Looking back up, Zero took notice of the blue robot lying on the table. It was nearly the same height and structure as himself, but hadn't been activated yet.
"Who...is that?" Zero asked, pain surging through his body. He no longer had the dull monotone voice that he'd possessed earlier. Dr. Light could tell that the program Wily had used was malfunctioning, and that Zero was not under its influence at the moment.
"His name is X," Light said. "Your brain system is based on his. Wily took the design and modified it for his own purposes."
In a flash, Zero straightened again, and once more began aiming for something. Dr. Light realized it was X he was going to direct the blast at. Quickly grabbing the activation controls, Light switched X's central processor on. The robot's eyes began to glow, subsiding into their normal green color. He sat up.
"Dr. Light," he began. "What's going on?"
Light pointed to Zero. "Defend yourself!"
X looked to where Light was pointing. Sure enough, there was a robot standing there, charging some sort of arm cannon. He crossed his arms in front of him as a pure blast of plasma shot from the robot's arm into him, flinging the blue robot against the nearby terminals.
Light knew X was probably badly damaged from the blast, and didn't know how to stop Zero from his rampage. The red hunter turned back to Light, raising his cannon again. Just as the doctor thought for sure that he was done for, a massive energy surge erupted from his peripheral vision and knocked Zero away.
Spinning around to see the source of the plasma blast, Light was ecstatic to see X, barely harmed, standing there with his X-Buster smoldering from heat. Walking toward his creator, X carefully monitored Zero, still trying to recuperate from the impact.
"Don't worry, Dr. Light, I'll protect you."
Shielding Light with his body, X held his arm cannon out, pointed at Zero. As the red robot got up, he took out a small device that he had pulled from a back sheath. X could see it was a handle to something, but what...
Zero lunged forward, activating the energy blade and bringing it down over his head in a suicide downslash. X held his X-Buster above his head to block Zero's attack, and at least succeeded in holding the blade of energy away from him. The pressure that Zero was exerting on the blade, and therefore, X's arm, was incredible. The blue robot had a hard time countering it. Finally, X deflected the blade to the side in one swift movement, and followed it by a deft kick to the side of Zero's head. The red robot tumbled back, blade extinguished, to land on the lab floor, dazed. X raised his blaster at Zero.
"Desist."
"Never," Zero responded, quickly bringing his own blaster up and firing a blast at X. It missed by about five feet, and Dr. Light's creation couldn't understand what was going on.
"Why did you do that? Is your aim that off?"
"Nope. I hit exactly what I needed to."
Light and X looked back, to where Zero was directing his gaze. A terminal had been completely destroyed. Light's face was in shock.
"No! Not the gravitational accelerator unit!" he cried, as a large vacuum began pulling everything in the room toward the terminal. X grabbed hold of Light, using his magnetic boots to keep himself attached to the floor. Unfortunately, however, the pull was too strong-X's grasp slipped.
"Dr. Light! No!" X screamed, as the doctor was pulled into the energy unit at the center of the hole in the computer. All that was left of him was a pile of dust. The vacuum subsided as the self-deactivation equipment in the accelerator unit kicked in. X looked back to Zero.
"You killed him!"
Zero laughed. "And that's about to happen to you, too."
X charged up his X-Buster, making sure it was at full magnification. The force of this blast would be so great it could destroy armor plating.
"Leave us alone!" X screamed, firing the cannon at Zero. The immense wave of plasma energy connected with the red robot, burning him severely. He looked down at his blackened armor.
"I'll deal with you later," he replied, pointing a single finger at X. He turned and ran out the hole in the wall. X was left there, blaster smoking, with the lab in ruins.