Chapter 3: With Any Other Name
Proto Man sat in an easy chair in the police station, waiting for the interviewer to return. He was amazed at how much publicity he was getting…saving the girl had required no use of weaponry or force…all he did was climb to the top, which startled the kidnapper so much that he ran, kid and all, off the side of the building. The man had dropped the girl while running, so she hadn't gone off the edge with him, and had been safe only because Proto Man had been quick enough to catch her.
It had been considerably easy, really, but everyone was proclaiming him a "town hero". He could hear the reporters outside, but the police weren't letting them in. This was nice, considering how much he didn't like the publicity.
Some of the police had offered him something to eat, but he had not accepted it, saying he didn't need anything. And he honestly didn't.
Robots don't eat.
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Roll was talking to Mega Man, who had decided he wanted to be named Rock from now on, when she was interrupted by a knock at the front door. Instantaneously, Roll leaped to her feet, yelling "I'll get it!"
Rock sighed and turned back towards the television, which was now showing a preview of the next episode of All My Circuits. He began to flip through the channels, not paying attention to the dialogue that flipped by as he did so. He eventually began to change the channels faster and faster.
"BZZT. I ARE SAD. I CRY AT LOSS OF CHILD MODEL."
"Fox news! On your side."
"What do you mean, 'Metroid Prime should have been in this award show?'"
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"We would like to welcome our newest junior reporter, For-"
"Blob and George, the daily television almost-reality show! After Ninja N-"
"This game's winner is.."
"Ooh, that had to hurt!"
"The Kar-"
"Now on HBO...The Return of the Fellowship of the King's Two Towers..."
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Mega Man turned off the television. There wasn't anything good on.
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Proto Man noticed something hanging on the wall. A small, round circular mirror enveloped in a round stone frame. The frame had small half-naked angels engraved around its surface. When he saw it, he had the strangest urge to walk over and look into it. He had never had a need to before...but what the Hell? Why not?
Proto Man walked over to the mirror and looked at it. Another strange urge, like a voice in the back of his head, seemed to be telling him to take off his helmet.
At first, he didn't want to, but the urge took over and he pulled on the side of his helmet and lifted it off of his head.
When he had taken it off, he looked into the mirror again.
And he saw someone staring back that couldn't possibly be him.
But he knew it was. He could see black hair, unkempt, but not dirty. He could see ears. Lips. Skin. And big, round blue eyes that were filled with emotion. And all of it was real. Not made. Not artificial. Real.
He stared at his reflection, his helmet tucked under his arm. This couldn't be real. Dropping his helmet, he felt the side of his face with his hand.
It was warm.
As he continued to stare in wonder at his bizarre reflection, he began to think out loud.
"This can't be real. Not completely. This has to be a dream...but if it isn't...what am I? What was I? Was the rest of my life a dream? Am I really...a person? What does this all mean? I can feel it, I can see it, I can think...this is me...but is it really? I'm not sure...about any of it..."
He didn't notice the door opening, or a voice announcing that there was someone to see him. He didn't see a small girl and a tall, thin woman with an infant walking into the room. He only noticed them when they spoke.
"Excuse me, sir, but what's your name?" the toddler asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"Blues..." he said without thinking, sitting down on a nearby chair.
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"Dr. Light, there's somebody here to see you!" Roll yelled, her voice ringing through the hallways.
"I'm coming, I'm coming..." Dr. Light yelled back, walking out of his lab. As he closed the door, there was the sound of glass shattering, followed by a muffled explosion. Dr. Light cringed.
"I'm really going to have to be more careful..."
When he got to the door, he answered it to see a small figure with straight purple hair and purple eyes. The person was about the same size as Mega Man, and was probably the same age. The person was wearing the clothing you might wear if you were going on a business trip, and was holding a clipboard.
"Hello, I am Forest Wily, and I'm a junior reporter for the local newspaper, and I was wondering if you could spare a few minutes for an interview, as I am trying to write a report about your family's most recent victory, and I presume this is the Light residence, is it not?" the boy said, speaking extremely fast and barely stopping.
"That's correct...I presume your name is just a coincidence?"
"Yes, no relation to your psychotic former partner."
"Then come on in."
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"Blues, I don't know how to thank you." the woman said, her voice filled with a ragged happiness.
"It was nothing.." Blues whispered. "Nothing at all..." He never had liked talking to people, but they seemed nice enough. The woman seemed tired and stressed, for reasons Blues would likely not understand even if he asked her.
"Is there any way I could repay you? I could take you to your parents...if you wanted..."
"That's fine..." Blues didn't want to say that he didn't have parents.
"Do you have parents?" Too late, apparently. The woman had said it anyways, and he wasn't going to lie.
"Nope."
"Oh...that's too bad...you could stay over at our house for the night, if you want..."
Blues thought about it. It didn't seem like a bad idea.
"OK."
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After a few minutes of asking questions, Forest asked for another favor.
"Do you think you could give me a look around?"
Dr. Light nodded, but he explained that the room at the end of the hallway would not be part of the...tour. Beginning with the lab, as Forest requested they should go there first, Dr. Light started to show him around. They talked and explored for a few minutes, until someone began yelling.
"Dr. Light! Come quick! Something is wrong with Roll!"
Quickly, Light ran as fast as his legs could carry him toward the source of the voice, leaving Forest in there alone. Forest did nothing for a few minutes, until he was sure Light was out of hearing range.
"GOD! I can't believe I have to do this!" he muttered, opening the suitcase and grabbing things out of the cabinets as quietly and quickly as possible. He noticed some of the yellow orbs, and he put them inside as well. He also grabbed some parts, an engine, and a clipboard used to keep track of inventory. He took off the paper that had currently been on the clipboard and replaced it with another thing in the suitcase.
"Me and my jobs." He put the clipboard back in the place where it was, the new paper on it. He then shut his suitcase and looked at a watch on his arm. The watch had a small microphone and an earpiece, the cord of which was tucked up his sleeve. He pressed a button on the watch and began to whisper into the microphone.
"OK, OK, I've got everything I was supposed to get...should I head back now?"
He paused.
"Alright, great. I'm on my way."
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At Wily's base, Wily was getting impatient.
"Hurry up already, Bass, I'm getting impatient!" he yelled.
"Your disguise technology is screwing up!" Bass yelled back in the distance. "And my name IS FORTE! F! O! R! T! E!"
"Bah. A cactus by any other name is just as painful." Wily muttered, as his computer noted he had mail. This was odd...nobody knew his e-mail but his partners. But he grabbed the mouse and clicked on "READ MAIL", and then scanned through the message when it appeared. His eyes widened.
"Never mind, Bass-" he started to yell.
"FORTE!" Forte screamed back angrily.
"WHATEVER! I've got a different mission for you..."