I think I screwed up with the first person section. I'm not going to do that again.
Dan walked alone through the halls of MHHQ. He had no intention of going to the party. He doubted that he would ever fit in. Not just here among the Maverick Hunters, but out in the world as well. It was understandable for him to think so.
'I wish I had known,' Dan thought, recalling his "murder". When he looked up from the floor he realized something very important.
'I don't know where I am.' And that was true; having spent two weeks in his room, he didn't exactly know how to get from place to place.
Sighing and shaking his head, Dan decided that to follow his ears and head for the party. Someone there could tell him how to get back to his room. It didn't take very long to find it. Whatever music they were playing must be damn well close to blowing the amps out. As soon as Dan opened the door, he got blown back by the heavy bass that was being blasted.
"Jesus Christ! They'll go deaf from that noise!"
"Yeah I know, shame that it'll only be temporary."
Dan looked to his left and saw X standing in the doorway leading outside.
"Hi Megaman X." X waved his hand.
"It's just plain X." Dan nodded and looked back at the door.
"Were you going to join them and start coming out of your shell?"
"No, I was just going to ask for help on getting back to my room. Could you show me?"
X looked at Dan thoughtfully as he got an idea.
"Not right now, I want to talk with you and show you something. I'll be right back." Dan gaped after X for a moment and then turned away.
'What does he want to bother me with anyways?' Dan walked over to a chair that was against the wall and sat down to wait for X.
The Blue Bomber soon returned with a datapad underneath his arm. He took a seat beside Dan and turned it on.
"What's that," Dan queried.
"I keep any information on my family in this." X replied, handing it over to Dan. "You see Dan, as weird as it is, you and I are kind of like brothers." Dan shot X a cold look. "Well, stepbrothers at best." Dan turned his gaze back to the datapad and pressed a few buttons.
"Why are you showing me this?"
"I thought you might like to look at the rest of the family."
Dan flicked past an image of Roll and then stopped at the next picture. "I don't believe it," He exclaimed with a laugh.
"What?" X asked, looking at his datapad. Displayed was a picture of Protoman with his Protoshield drawn, defending himself against an unknown threat.
"What's so funny about Protoman?"
"I've met him once." X's eyes went wide with surprise.
"You're kidding!"
"No, I'm not." Dan shook his head as he told X his story.
"Back before the first Robot Rebellion, I lived up in Vermont. I guess I was about five when it happened. I can vaguely remember playing in my backyard when I heard a little tune come floating from the forest. I went to see where it was coming from and I saw Protoman sitting on a stump.
"I watched him for a few minutes but then he stopped unexpectedly. I crouched down behind the log I was hiding behind. He found me in a few seconds and I bolted home. I did get something permanent to remember the event by."
"What is that something?" X asked.
Dan looked at X with a half smile on his face and whistled the four tone, five note intro. Now it was X's turn to laugh.
"Wow, that's really his whistle huh?" Dan nodded. Just then they heard something screech inside the party lounge, shortly accompanied by a small explosion and shouting.
X winced. "I guess they finally blew out the speakers. Let's go see if we can help with anything." Dan shrugged and followed X into the room. The small fires from the speakers had been extinguished already and about half the room was filled with thin smoke. On stage, a few reploids were already coasting the burnt speakers out of the room.
"Hey X," Zero called out, walking up to his friend.
"Oh, hey Zero." Zero looked at Dan with surprise on his face.
"So you're finally coming out of seclusion?"
"I was forced to come out. What happened here?" Dan gestured to the last amp being hauled away.
"Heh heh, a really loud song with heavy bass came on and we overloaded the whole system."
"What about those?" Dan asked, gesturing to the small speakers around the room. "Those?! They suck big time! We've got them hooked up to the microphone right now."
On cue, and with a screech, the aforementioned speakers came to life as the microphone was put on stage and someone turned it on.
"Testing, one, two, three… Okay everyone, I guess we've got to get some more stereo equipment now. Fortunately we've got a backup plan; we're going to do karaoke. Anyone with a song can step up on stage and sing to its lyrics."
The announcement was met with mixed reactions. X, Zero, and Dan were soon seated at a table, listening as person after person tried their hand at being a singer. Some were applauded. Others were booed off the stage. Dan didn't talk much and just stared down at the table.
"Excuse me… Dan isn't it?" Dan looked up to see a reploid with a loose fitting windbreaker next to him.
"Yeah, what do you want?"
"Well my friends and I were talking," He pointed to table across the room with three other reploids sitting at it, "and we came up with a new name for you, seeing as you're a reploid now."
X expected Dan to either stalk out of the room or do something to the reploid. Instead he did nothing.
"Let's hear it," Dan said. The reploid smiled.
"Alpha." X and Zero raised their eyebrows and looked at each other.
"Where did you come up with that," Dan replied. "It fits. You're the first human to ever become a reploid." Dan nodded.
"So, can we start calling you that?"
"No." A dejected look on his face, the reploid walked back to his table.
"Ignore them. They're just a bunch of rookies." Zero said with a wave of his hand.
"I thought just as much."
"Hey Zero," X said. "I don't see Dual around. Have you seen him?" Zero shook his head. "Na, he was only here for about half an hour."
Time passed. It was nearly midnight now and the party was still going strong. Dan had no problems keeping himself awake as Zero was bugging him.
"I told you I'm not going to."
"Come on, you said yourself that you could play the piano."
"I know what I said, but I don't want to."
"If you don't, I'll tell those rookies you changed your mind." Dan looked at Zero with eyes of cold steel.
"I will kill you if you do that."
"Then go up there and play." Dan sighed and shook his head. "Fine, if it'll only get you to shut up."
Dan rose up from the table and walked on stage. After getting a piano out from backstage and getting the microphone all set up, he sat down on the bench.
"Okay, this is a really old song, but it's the only one I can remember everything about. It's called "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" Dan took a deep breath and began to play.
"Well I'm on the Downeaster Alexa
And I'm cruising through Long Island Sound
I have chartered a course to the Vineyard
But tonight I am Nantucket Bound
"I took on diesel back in Montauk yesterday
Left this morning from the bell at Gardiner's bay
Like all the locals here I've had to sell my home
Too proud to leave I worked my fingers to the bone
"So I could own my Downeaster Alexa
And I go where the ocean is deep
There are giants out there in the canyons
And a good captain can't fall asleep
"I've got bills to pay and children who need clothes
I know there's fish out there, but where God only knows
They say these waters, aren't what they used to be
But I've people back on land who count on me
"So if you see my Downeaster Alexa
And you work with the rod and the reel
Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis
And I still have my hands on the wheel."
X and Zero continued to watch Dan play.
"You know, this song is kind of sad." X commented. Zero shrugged.
"I think it's supposed to be like that. At least he's a good it."
"Now I drive my Downeaster Alexa
More and more miles from shore every year
Since they tell me I can't sell no stripers
And there's no luck in sword fishin' here
"I was a bayman like my father was before
Can't make a living as a bayman anymore
There ain't much future for a man who works the sea
But there ain't no island left for islanders like me."
Dan finished playing the song and drew out the last note. His audience erupted in applause. He rose up off of the bench and gave a bow. His helmet fell off him, and some people in the audience laughed at it. Dan grinned, picked his helmet up, and walked off stage. X and Zero were still clapping when Dan walked back to the table. "That was pretty good Dan." X said.
"Yeah, wasn't my type of song, but you played good." Zero added.
"Thanks, oh and Zero?"
"Yeah?" Dan's fist flew up and hit Zero in his stomach.
"AH SHIT!!!" Dan shook his hand up and down trying to relieve the sudden pain.
"Why did you hit me?"
"For forcing me to go on stage and play!"
After the pain had lessened a few seconds later, Dan sat back down in his chair and tossed his helmet on the table.
"I didn't even know I could take thing off," he said, still rubbing his sore hand.
"Man, do you know ANYTHING you're able to do now," Zero asked.
"Of course not. Well at least I'll be more comfortable sleeping now." Dan ran his hand through his hair.
"Now we can put down your hair color in your profile." X absently said.
"It's weird that you and I both have blond hair and red armor, isn't it?" Puzzled, Dan looked at Zero.
"What do mean? I've got black hair."
X shook his head. "No, it's blond." Dan got up from his chair and walked out of the room.
"Where's he going now?" X asked out loud.
"I don't know."
"I'm going to follow him. What about you Zero?"
"I'm staying, this doesn't really concern me." X nodded and left the room.
X didn't have to look very far, finding Dan in the men's bathroom. He was looking in the mirror, his hand running through his hair.
"Are you okay?" X asked. Dan nodded his head.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Do you know why you have blond hair now?" Dan nodded again.
"Yeah. When I was… killed that night. My fiancé had convinced me to dye my hair like this. After I did, we both hated it." Dan's head sunk and he punched the sink. "It's not fair dammit! I was going to get married in two weeks! If I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have gone out!" Tears started to gather on his eyes.
"Dan, it's not your fault."
"I know! But… oh God." He wiped his tears off his eyes as a smile appeared on his face. "She's probably still alive. Tomorrow I'm going to go look for her. She'll be an old lady now, but I have to let her know I'm alive." A small spark of hope appeared in Dan's heart and he looked forward with it.
"X, could you show me to my room now? I need to sleep."
"Alright, follow me." X and Dan walked out of the bathroom and down the halls. After X had gotten Dan to his room, he left to go to his room. Cain found him however and pulled him aside.
"What's wrong?"
"X, there are a few things about Dan that you should know."
"Like what?"
"I was wrong in my assumption that he was of the same design as you."
"How is he different?"
"He has dash thrusters built into him. You didn't initially. And they're extended air dash ones, something you've only got with your Golden Hyperion Armor. You also know that your X-buster is really a Mark 17 Megabuster."
"Yeah."
"His buster wasn't based on the Megabuster designs. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. I'd like to get a chance to study him further but I doubt he'd let me."
"You're might be right. Hey, Dan punched Zero a few minutes ago but only ended up hurting his hand. I don't think Zero even felt the blow. Any idea why?"
"He doesn't automatically have command over his new abilities yet, his mind as yet to adjust to its new body. That was just a theory of mine, but Dan proved it correct." X nodded.
"Thanks for telling me Cain. I'm going to get some rest. Have a good night."
"Thanks X, you too."
Okay that's enough for now. I'd like to ask the people reading this if one of you is interested in being a beta reader for this story. If anyone is, tell me in the review.