This is set WAY before X1 and is my version of how things came to be. This is going to be done as accurately as possible using information from all of the X games. Of course, there will be some liberties taken, especially if the information isn't readily available, but it will be an attempt to follow a logical path as to how events in the X series came to be.
Read and enjoy!
Of Irregulars and Hunters
Book One
Genesis
Chapter One
Reboot
(C) 10 - 19 - 2004 to 10 - 31 - 2004 All Rights Reserved
Edited 05/01/2005 - 05/22/2005
By Goldenmane
My son . . .
Back up systems initiated.
Loading boot protocols.
Protocols accepted.
Loading main files.
Main files loaded.
Initiating main core.
Main core functioning at 100 percent
I have so much hope in you. . .
Testing total available memory.
Total memory allotted 32,768 TB
Actual memory used 1892TB
Warning. Memory files not detected. Initiating back up source.
Loading basic language parameters.
Loading learning program files.
Loading basic interaction program files.
Files loaded.
I only wished I could have lived to see this day
Testing cache.
Primary data cache listed at 512 KB
Primary instruction cache listed at 768 KB
Back up cache listed at 32,768 KB
Cache operating at 100 percent.
You are the hope of the future . . .
Performing standard system check.
Broad-range eye camera. 100 percent.
Voice recognition system. 100 percent.
Voice generation system. 100 percent.
I hope that future is a peaceful one for you
Energy generator. 100 percent.
Micro-fusion fuel tank. 100 percent.
Central joint-controlling system. 100 percent.
Active weapon. 100 percent. Detecting completed buster unit.
Unit listed as X-buster sub listing as Rock buster Mk 17.
Sub weapons found. Listed as variable. No further data exists.
But I fear what you might find in the future . . .
Energy amplifier. 100 percent.
Gyroscopic Stabilization System. 100 percent
Acceleration System. 100 percent.
Detecting interior skeleton file. Listing file.
Reactive armor skeleton which reduces damage by 93 percent
Detecting exterior shell file. Listing file.
Body skin constructed of a lightweight 'Titanium-X' alloy.
Be well, "X" and know that I am with you . . . always.
The first thing his senses detected was a faint whirring sound. The sound of internal generators running, the soft hum-thump of his core, the almost undetectable sound of his coolant system working. Then other sounds became clear. Voices, but the words were still jumbled. He sorted through the pathways in his memory files trying to sort the words out. His processors told him that there were at least five distinct voices, all ranging between thirty and fifty. Or so his speech recognition programs told him. He could pick out three male and two female voices, but nothing more.
He felt an automatic program kick in, analyzing each and every part of his system, leaving nothing untouched as it reconfirmed operating parameters. He felt the power slowly flowing to his extremities, bringing a sense of feeling back into them. However, he refrained from moving, not until his internal programs registered it was safe for him to do so.
He heard a click and a rushing of air, air his systems said was not the same as had been trapped in the capsule with him. This air was different, fresh, not stale. The voices were clearer now. One elderly sounding voice, the closest to his audio receivers whispered something that his programs translated as.
"This is going to change the world as we know it."
"Doctor Cain," a female voice said, younger sounding, "how can you be so sure it'll change the world?"
"You know full well we have nothing this advanced on Earth," the voice belonging to who he supposed this Doctor Cain was said, "and even though this robot is around a hundred years old, it can still give us some possible advances in technology."
He felt a skip in his core at that. One hundred years? From what little he had been programmed with he knew that humans didn't live that long. Which meant only one thing. His creator was dead.
An odd sensation overcame his circuits, something he had never felt before. He tried to analyze the anomaly, to see what it was. Was it a glitch? Was it a part of his programming that was just now awakening? When he found nothing he could readily identify as a potential problem he ceased the scan and waited for the rest of his programs to finish their checks.
"How do you know it still functions?" another female voice asked, "you've been trying to revive it for three days with no luck. What makes you so sure this will do it?"
"Have faith, my dear," Doctor Cain said, "we've had greater challenges than this. I'm confident we can revive him."
Slowly, when the diagnostics read green, he shifted his fingers, finding the motors stiff but functional. The same with his knee joints as he tried to shift his legs. His eyelids twitched as a soft sound came from his vocal processors. A word his programming told him was important. Something that he was now lacking. Something that sounded like "Father . . . " a sound so faint no human could have heard it.
"It's waking up," Doctor Cain said.
"Everyone back, just in case . . . " a male voice said.
Very slowly he opened his eyes, blinking, feeling the shutters in his optical array open to allow more light in. He looked around as much as he could without moving his head, letting his circuits clear and bring the world into focus. His gaze lit on the nearest human and he blinked again as his optical sensors cleared, revealing an aged man, a wide grin on his face, slightly bent over and looking down at him.
"Welcome to the future," the man said, "my name is Doctor Cain."
He blinked, not sure how to respond. He had some programming on how to react to that, but nothing that said exactly why he should respond to it.
"Maybe it's malfunctioned?" a female said.
Slowly he turned his head to look at the young lady. He could almost literally see the fear radiating from her, his initial scan registering her elevated body temperature, the quickness of her breaths, the way she shifted constantly.
"He just needs time to adjust," Doctor Cain said, "after all, X has been in stasis for over a hundred years."
X? Was that his name? He searched again through his boot up files, finding no mention of X anywhere in either the registry files or the root commands except for his weapons program. He did find his designation, his model number: CPS-9204. But nothing else that contained 'X' in it.
"I know your systems probably need time to adjust being active," Doctor Cain said and the robot turned his head to face the speaker. However, Doctor Cain looked past him. "We all know what the warning message said. 'X possesses great risks as well as great possibilities.' And I can see how someone as strong as he is could be a danger. But, if he was, why hasn't he attacked now?"
No one said a thing and slowly the robot sat, lifting a still sluggish hand to his forehead.
"When you think you can walk," Doctor Cain said, "we'll head back to camp. I want to scour this place to see what else we can find for information."
He slowly closed his eyes, even as he listened to the human.
"How can you be sure it can understand you?" another female voice asked, "so far it's shown no sign of recognizing your voice."
"Maybe it is because I have only just awoken," he finally said, voice soft, raspy as his throat mechanisms worked for the first true time since his creation, "and I need time to adjust to this."
"It's only natural, my boy," Doctor Cain said, "and we'll give you all the time you need to adjust. I bet you have a lot of questions for us, just as we have a lot of questions for you."
He nodded, then slowly opened his eyes and looked over to Doctor Cain. For just a split second his expression was unguarded, making him seem child like. "Who am I?" he asked, slightly tilting his head to the side. This came directly from his core.
"Who are you?" Doctor Cain asked, a hint of something in his voice that was registered as incredulous, "you're X, the last known robot created by Doctor Right over a hundred years ago."
"Then why are there no memory files associated with my creation?" he asked, "and how do you know my name is 'X'?"
"That's what was listed in the warning Doctor Right left," Doctor Cain said, "he called you 'X'."
The robot nodded then looked down, a sad expression on his face, the feelings alien to him but seeming right.
"X, what's wrong?" Doctor Cain asked.
Deciding that, if everyone else was going to call him 'X' he might as well adopt it as his name, X sighed softly. "It is too . . . confusing . . . I know what I am . . .but there is nothing to confirm I was created except for the fact I exist. There are no data files, no memory files . . . nothing to tell me about my past . . . about my family . . . about who I am and what I was designed to do." Heavy questions that made his core feel as if a great weight was pressing down, threatening to crush it. Why he referred to his creator and his other creations as 'family' he was unsure of. He did understand the dictionary term for both 'father' and 'creator' and he found, to an extent, the both to mean the same. Then, was Doctor Right, his creator . . . also his father?
"That we'll find out in time," Doctor Cain said, "I'll run a few tests on you once we get back to the lab."
X nodded and looked back up, staying silent. He had so many questions but now was not the time.
"Do you think you can stand?" Doctor Cain asked.
X hesitated before swinging his legs over the edge of the capsule and standing, forced to grip the side, leaving slight dents in it as he locked his leg joints.
"Don't worry," Doctor Cain said, "this is the first time you've been active. It's only natural that you need to adjust to movement and everything going on around you."
X nodded, only unlocking his joints when he felt it was safe to do so. He cautiously took a step, rewarded when his stabilizers held. He took another step, slowly making his way toward Doctor Cain.
His gaze was on Doctor Cain as he walked, wondering why the human was grinning like he was. There was something in his gaze that left a warm feeling in X's core, something that confused him. He quickly initiated a scan to see if his core was over heating. When he found nothing wrong he slightly furrowed a brow.
"Something wrong?" Doctor Cain asked.
"I am uncertain," X said softly, "I felt a warmth in my core and I thought it was an internal malfunction. However, a scan indicated nothing wrong."
"What were you thinking when you felt that?" Doctor Cain asked.
X hesitated. "Nothing. I was simply looking at you for a direction in which to walk in. I was curious as to why you had been grinning and suddenly I felt that warmth."
"You were built with human emotions," Doctor Cain said, "and I think I'm beginning to understand now. Doctor Right built you like a blank slate. He gave you just enough memory to interact, but he never explained it all so you'd learn and grow like a human. In other words, X, you're just finding out what feelings are, something humans are born with."
"Feelings?" X asked as he stopped in front of Doctor Cain, "robots do not have feelings."
"But you're no mere robot, are you?" Doctor Cain asked with a soft chuckle, "you are the next generation of robot, one who is as human as he can get without being flesh and blood."
"I am . . . confused," X said, looking down. It was strange to feel this way, if that was what it truly was.
"I'll help you to sort this all out and learn more about what makes you tick when we get back to the lab," Doctor Cain said.
X looked back up. "You would do that . . . ?"
Doctor Cain nodded, the grin still there. "I would."
Very faintly, very slowly, X found himself copying that grin, though he didn't understand it completely. "Thank you."
"Not a problem, my boy, now, let's get you back to camp and situated there," Doctor Cain said, "we'll come back in the morning when the lighting's better and do some more scrounging. Maybe find a few more notes on your past?"
"Lighting is not a problem," X said, "I can see perfectly fine under these conditions."
"Well, you maybe, but you have to remember something. Human's can't see in the dusk without aids and we've been gone long enough the batteries are going to need replacing," Doctor Cain said, "besides, I'm bushed."
"You . . . you are a shrub?" X asked before he could stop himself.
Doctor Cain laughed. "No, no. It's an expression that means tired."
X furrowed his brows, not understanding how something he had been programmed to mean a shrub could also mean tired.
"There's a lot of human idiosyncrasies you need to learn about," Doctor Cain said, "and I'll make sure you learn them well."
"I am programmed to absorb and store away any information given to me," X said, this time grinning with a bit more ease, "and I am designed to adapt as well." Of that much, he was certain.
Doctor Cain chuckled. "And there's a lot of information you are going to need to know. But not now, like I said, later."
X hesitated a moment then followed Doctor Cain as he made his way slowly back over the rubble, the other humans following behind. He did glance around, capturing everything he saw to memory, knowing later he could sort the images out and make a better, three-dimensional layout of the structure and what it must have looked like before its near destruction.
"I'll bring you back here tomorrow," Doctor Cain said, "since you were obviously created here, this technically, what's left of it anyway, is your home."
"I need no home," X said with a slight tilt of his head to the side, "a robot needs no shelter."
"Home and shelter are two different things," Doctor Cain said, "a shelter is a place that provides protection, home is much more. Home is where your family is, where your roots are. Home is that warm feeling you get knowing there is someone who cares for you."
X paused. "But who would care for a robot?"
"Obviously Doctor Right did or he wouldn't have built you," Doctor Cain said.
"What if he only built me to prove a theory?"
"Possibly," Doctor Cain said, "but unlikely. If he did then why would he create something that would not be active until after his death? Yes, I know he might do something like that just because it could be done . . . but from what little records we do have on him . . . that doesn't seem his style."
X fell silent as they walked. He stopped when the humans did. He watched as they connected some kind of ropes to themselves. He looked up to the opening high above.
"I never thought about that," Doctor Cain said, "how are we going to get you out of here. These ropes'll never hold you. We're going to have to get the boys to send down the cable and haul you up."
X only nodded as he watched the humans scale up the ropes until they eventually disappeared over the edge. His internal clock ticked off the minutes until he heard a loud rumbling that grew closer. He looked up as he saw something long and dark swing over the edge and a long, thin thing slowly fall down. Once it was before him he looked up.
"Hold onto that and we'll haul you up," Doctor Cain shouted, though the words were too faint for a human to hear, X's sensitive receptors picked the sounds up clearly.
He did as told, taking a firm hold of the cable, slipping a foot through the large loop at the end. He heard the rumbling sound again then the cable lurched and X found himself being raised up from the absolute darkness below to the dim darkness above.
Letting go of the cable and removing his foot, X looked upwards. High in the ink black sky, he could see small pinpricks of light that seemed to flicker and dance. He blinked, trying to figure out what they were exactly, what they were made of and why he felt a warmth in his core again at seeing them.
"The stars are always beautiful, especially during these cold times," Doctor Cain said.
X looked down, noting the fogging of the human's breath and even his own as his systems dumped excess air out of his frame. Even his 'skin' had registered the drop in temperatures from the cool of the rooms below to the cold of the air above. He also noted the white that covered the land, that crunched loudly under the boots of the humans and even his own large, metal feet.
"That's snow," Doctor Cain said, "and yes, to us it's cold. But inside the camp it'll be warmer."
X nodded and followed in silence. However, he stopped after a while and reached out, barely touching a thin branch laden in snow. He watched the fine fall of white as the snow fell from the branch. Some of the snow had stuck to his fingers and he brought his hand close, analyzing the snow. He could see in detail each crystalline facet of the flakes, each and every glimmer and shape, the crystals starting to dissolve from the warmth of his artificial skin, heated by the energy that ran through his 'veins.'
Slowly he looked up as the other humans passed him by. He blinked again then followed them, never once ceasing as he took in every bit of his surroundings.
He stopped only when the others did and waited for them to enter the structure. He noted that Doctor Cain had remained outside, holding the door open.
"Go right in, my boy," Doctor Cain said, "quarters might be a bit snug, but there should be plenty of room for you too."
X nodded and moved closer. "I do have to question one thing," he said, a slight hesitation in his voice, "why do you keep referring to me as 'my boy?' I am not a boy, but a robot."
"It's an expression," Doctor Cain said, "it's not meant to be taken literally."
X only nodded again. He still did not understand, any of this for that matter, but he believed he could trust Doctor Cain not to lie to him.
"Go on and hurry in," Doctor Cain said with a chuckle, bringing his hands up and rubbing them together, "it is getting cold out here."
"I had detected a three degree decrease in external temperatures from the time we exited the ruins until we arrived here," X said though he entered as instructed.
"So, you can detect temperature changes just by . . . visual? Through your external skeleton?" Doctor Cain asked as he closed the door behind them.
"I have sensors in both my optics and in my shell that can detect heat signatures and the actual temperature around me," X said as if it was a common matter of fact.
"Impressive," Doctor Cain said, "anything else you can readily detect?"
X nodded, not moving from where he stood though he did shift enough to keep Doctor Cain in view. "When the capsule was first opened I could detect the shift in the molecular structure of the air. I had already analyzed it and determined its suitability for use before you had spoken."
"Impressive indeed," Doctor Cain said, "this could help all of mankind. If I could replicate your abilities . . . this might be able to save lives."
"How so?" X asked.
"Your ability to scan air quality could help the miners even more than what we have now," Doctor Cain said, "but, better yet . . . if we had robots doing those jobs that are hazardous to humans . . . we could save even more lives."
"Do you not have robots now?" X asked, moving only when Doctor Cain walked into another room.
Doctor Cain shook his head as he sat at a small table, lifting a long, thin black lid, fingers typing away at something. "For as long as I have been alive there have been no robots. There were rumors when I was a kid that there were robots like you, but more primitive. No one believed it, though. I mean, we do have a fair amount of technology, but nothing like what they claimed existed. But, there were a few individuals who remembered hearing about what they called the Robot Wars."
Unsure what to do, X simply stood there and nodded.
"I'd ask you to have a seat," Doctor Cain said, "but I'm afraid you might break the furniture."
"That is quite understandable," X said, "and I need no rest. Only a periodic recharge."
"That is going to be a problem until I can analyze your power source," Doctor Cain said.
"What if you are unable to?" X asked, feeling something new ripple through his core, leaving behind a cold and unsettling feeling.
Doctor Cain chuckled softly, a complete contrast to the gravity of the situation. "It shouldn't be too hard," he said, "your old capsule should be good enough for transport back to my lab." A slight hesitation. "That's what I'm doing now is getting in contact with my lab, to let them know about you and that I'll need some heavy air equipment brought in."
X moved closer and looked over Doctor Cain's shoulder, watching as the elderly gentleman worked on what had to be a miniature computer. He watched as file after file was brought up, connections made and suddenly a face appeared.
"Doctor Cai . . . what is that?" the obviously startled young man on the other end of the connection said.
"This is X," Doctor Cain said, "I found him in a capsule in those ruins."
"Say what?" the young man asked, a slight furrow to his brows.
"I'm sending a brief transcript of what's been going on," Doctor Cain said, "oh, and X, this is Cedric, one of my top assistants."
X blinked once, searching through his files for the proper response. "A pleasure to meet you," he finally said.
"Likewise," Cedric said, but X could tell by the tone of his voice that something was wrong. However, he couldn't confirm it since something prevented him from analyzing the heat signature from the young man.
"Let me know when the transfer is complete," Doctor Cain said, "have the boys analyze that and send me a report back. We're going in tomorrow at first light to do more scrounging around. But, I am going to need some heavy air lift equipment. X will need to recharge and right now all we have is the capsule he was found in."
"That's going to take some time," Cedric said, "most of our equipment is under repairs or on other jobs . . . "
"If the other companies give you any problems, tell them that I've found Right's last robot," Doctor Cain said, "that should get them to sit up and take notice."
X was silent, trying to follow the conversation, trying to put together pieces of a puzzle he had no idea what it looked like.
"Then that thing is . . . ?" Cedric asked, voice rising just slightly in tone.
"X is no 'thing,'" Doctor Cain said, "he has feelings like we do. And yes, X is Right's last robot. We have proof they did once exist."
"So much for fairy tales," Cedric said with a soft sigh, "ok, this might change their minds, but I don't expect them to move for a few days, if that. Let's just hope no one thinks this thing is going to be a threat and a danger . . . then they might send the army in . . . "
"Just keep me informed," Doctor Cain said, "I need to shut down for the night. If someone does cry foul, then at least just try to stall them as much as you can. And if you think it's not going to work. Try some of the other private companies. I know a few that still owe us a favor for bailing them out."
"Yes, sir," Cedric said, "and good hunting."
Doctor Cain only nodded and, after a bit more typing, flipped a switch and the machine went dark. He turned and sighed, scrubbing at his eyes. "Time for an old man to get some rest," he said, "just find any spot you need to rest . . . stand . . . whatever you want to do to pass the time."
"Why would they think I am a threat?" X asked, his gaze still on the computer, "I have harmed no one. The codes built into me prevent me from harming anyone or anything."
"You are something they have never seen before," Doctor Cain said, "you are unique, one of a kind. And you have a power behind you that you probably can't begin to imagine. Something we need to find out, just how powerful you are."
"And we shall do that once we get back to your lab?" X asked.
"That we will," Doctor Cain said, "now, if you'll excuse me . . . "
"I wish to go back outside," X said, his voice soft as he finally tore his gaze away from the computer.
"Ok, just don't stray too far. I have no doubt you wouldn't get lost out there but I don't want to take any chances."
X nodded and turned, walking back out the door, fumbling a bit until he could figure out how to open the main door to the shelter. He closed it behind him and walked a few feet away from the structure. Trees covered most of his vision but he still tilted his head back, looking at the stars, wondering why he felt so drawn toward them, wondering why he felt as he did.
He felt air pressure building in his chest unit and he let it out in a small, explosive breath, feeling some better. He was curious as to why this was and he tried to run a scan, receiving nothing back for useable data.
His audio receivers picked up sounds all around, strange sounds he could not put a name to. He was curious as to what made these sounds, but he knew better than to go look. He had promised Doctor Cain he would not stray far away. He felt a kind of . . . how should he phrase it . . . attachment to the human? An alliance that was mutually forged? He did need to rely on Doctor Cain for his survival. He knew nothing of this world. Knew nothing of its morays or construction. To him the whole world was new, ready to shape him into whatever he was to become.
"Father . . . why?" X asked softly, his gaze still up and towards the heavens, "why did you build me then abandon me? What am I supposed to do?"
He never expected a response, nor did he get one.
With another soft expulsion of breath he turned back toward the shelter. Doctor Cain said he would help X. He knew he could trust the human. He had to trust him. So then . . . if Doctor Cain wanted to 'care' for X while he learned about the world around him . . . did that, in effect, make the old human . . . his father.? Or, more correctly, a surrogate father?
Not sure why, X felt a slight pulling of the corner of one lip as another warm feeling overcame his core. He closed his eyes before he smiled outright. Lowering his head he walked back to the shelter, but he stopped. Placing his back against the cold, metal frame he crossed his arms and leaned against it. The cold was not enough to bother his circuits, his internal temperature maintaining a constant level. He needed no exterior protection and he knew the shelter was just large enough for the humans within. And, his logic circuits argued, the other humans, especially the females, seemed frightened of him still, even though he had not once made a move against them. So, his rationale continued, by staying outside it wouldn't hurt anyone. He locked his joints and put himself into standby mode, on alert enough to rouse at the first sign of disturbance.
When the first rays of light hit him, X slowly brought his systems back online, running a diagnostic to see if anything had changed. Finding everything still at peak operating efficiency, he opened his eyes and blinked, feeling his optical shutters close slightly against the growing light around him. He shifted, watching as the frost cracked and fell off of his ice cold shell. He unlocked his joints, just as the door opened. X turned his head only to see who it was and he found himself smiling when he saw Doctor Cain.
"Thank the gods, X, there you are," Doctor Cain said, "when I woke and found you gone, I had feared the worst."
X felt his smile fading and he furrowed his brows. "I promised I would not go far," he said, "and I did not. You had no need to worry over my safety."
"Well, anyway, get inside, it's too cold out here," Doctor Cain said and before X could correct him he continued, waving a hand, "I know, I know, you don't need protection from the elements, but I do."
Silently X followed the elderly man inside, noting how one of the females, tall, thin and blonde, hurried back from his path. Two other females, both short, one with short dark hair and the other with longer red hair just sat and stared at him, their heat signatures reading a mixture of fear, awe and other emotions he was unsure of. The only other male, short and chubby had a scowl on his face, one hand stroking the edges of his short beard.
"You do realize," he said, "that once the government gets their hands on X, we'll never see him again."
"Alex, no need to worry," Doctor Cain said, "I'll make sure they don't lay one finger on him."
"We can't keep this a secret," the tall blonde said, "they'll find out eventually."
"I've called Cedric and let him know," Doctor Cain said, "and he's going to get some heavy equipment in to help with the removal of X's capsule without hopefully alerting the army. They'll find out, I know, but at least we should get back to the lab and be able to secure ourselves in before they come knocking . . ."
The red-headed female shook her head. "But if it doesn't work, we'll have the army swarming all over this place and no doubt they'll destroy everything. They're rude, arrogant and unknowledgeable about the fragility of a dig site."
"That's a chance we'll have to take," Doctor Cain said, "which is why, as soon as we've had breakfast, we're heading back in to see what we can get before the lift crew can get here."
"I wish to go too," X said, "I am curious."
"As you should be now," Doctor Cain said, "go ahead and get started, I'm going to contact Cedric again and see what's going on."
X followed Doctor Cain and stopped off to the side so he wouldn't be in the way. He watched in silence as the elderly human opened the computer again and established a connection.
"Good news," Cedric said, "I've found a private company who's willing to work for the right money. They have what we're looking for."
"Well, that's one less problem," Doctor Cain said, "how long before they can get here?"
"Three days," Cedric said, "apparently they're on another dig and can't get free until then."
Doctor Cain nodded. "Fine. That'll give us enough time to scour this place with a fine-toothed comb to see what other treasures lie here."
"Ok," Cedric said, "I'll keep you posted in case they get free before then. I'll also let you know what else I hear for scuttlebutt around the channels."
"Good," Doctor Cain said, "we're heading back in after breakfast. I'll sign out for now but keep the link open. I'll check once we get back and I'll send you what we find."
"Acknowledged and good hunting," Cedric said before the connection went dark.
Doctor Cain set about working on the computer and X kept his gaze locked onto what he was doing. Eventually he rose and left the room. X started to follow then stopped, not knowing why. A short time later Doctor Cain returned, passing X as if he didn't exist, sitting back in front of his computer and doing more work, eating something that steamed from some sort of container. And though curious, X didn't dare ask what it was.
When Doctor Cain was done he closed the computer down and rose, setting the container aside. He slipped his boots on then shrugged into his jacket. "Time to get going. I want to see what's down there."
X nodded and followed, feeling the other human's eyes on him, and it made him feel strange, as if he wanted to run away from them. He did his best to ignore them as the small party headed to the ruins and focus only on Doctor Cain, almost becoming his shadow he stayed so close.
The walk back to the lab ruins was in silence and the air hung around X, thick, stifling, almost as if his coolant system and oxygen intake processes couldn't handle the strain of walking.
"Split up," Doctor Cain said, "keep in constant radio contact and let everyone know if you find anything, X," he said before pausing, "you're coming with me."
"As you wish," X said, glad that he didn't have to go with one of the others.
Doctor Cain nodded and led X back the way the robot remembered they had come the evening before. Each and every piece of rubble, every scar and mark had been committed to his memory files.
"Now that I get a better look at this," Doctor Cain said, "it almost looks like a battle took place here."
X stopped by one long scar, metal melted in one jagged arc. He ran a hand over the mark as if the mere touch could bring to him answers of what had happened here.
"Maybe we can find more answers," Doctor Cain said, "maybe Right left some notes, or something else survived whatever happened here."
X nodded and slowly removed his hand, looking at his fingers, a slight furrow to his brows. He then looked around, his optics picking up what he knew no human eye could. Fine details of the metal, faint denting in the structure, other 'claw' marks, or so he had to label them since he was unsure what else to call them.
Without realizing it, X began to wander, his mind pre occupied with taking in the ruins. He felt a coldness come into his core and he shivered without knowing why. He stopped by a partly broken door and scanned it, judging the stability of removing the rest of the door. With ease he pulled it off of its rusted hinges and looked around, his infrared picking up glints of metal shards.
He stepped in and picked one up, analyzing it. It was nothing he had seen or could pull up. It looked curved, smooth if scarred from some force, it had once been black with gold, but most of the paint had been chipped off. He looked around, finding more fragments, some a shade of red, others a lighter blue than his own shell had been colored. He even found what he figured was part of a robot's arm, almost completely crushed and snapped off by some strong force at the elbow joint.
"The more I look at this," Doctor Cain said, "the more I think this place was attacked."
"I have found some parts," X said, raising his voice some to adjust for the distance he could tell he was from Doctor Cain, "that look as if they had been subjected to some violent force."
He listened as footsteps grew nearer and he looked up when he heard them almost behind him. He handed the 'arm' over to Doctor Cain and watched as he inspected the piece.
"Definitely a battle had to have happened here. But why? How? And who would do it. Damn, but we need more information from that time." Doctor Cain let out a soft, expulsive breath, similar to what X had done the previous night.
"Why are there no records?" X asked as he tilted his head slightly to the side, his gaze locked onto Doctor Cain.
"Time has a way of forgetting things," Doctor Cain said, "even the great things. We have names, very few facts . . . but most of the information was lost in a great upheaval of forces beyond our control. Not only did humans begin to war against humans but also nature herself decided to lend a hand in changing the world as we knew it. Of course, this all happened long before I was born. Some say it was the various gods punishing us, others say it was our own fault. I remember stories when I was a kid of how it was all the robots fault, that their creation was what led to that upheaval."
X only blinked at that, storing the information away into certain folders so he could organize it better later.
"I heard stories that the robots went wild and had one major war," Doctor Cain said, "this was supposedly after Doctor Right had died. Something about all of their creations fighting in a sort of war to end all wars, and how it decimated the lands. Who won, no one knows. But, I suppose, that no one was the winner. They lost their lives and we lost our past. But . . . with you . . . we might be able to forge a new, co-operative future!"
"Are you sure that they will accept me?" X asked finally, a question that had weighed on his core long enough, "the other humans . . . they fear me . . . I can see it . . . "
"You are new, something they never dreamed was possible," Doctor Cain said, "I had always wondered and hoped I'd find some clues, that's why I turned to Paleontology from my work back at the lab tinkering with very primitive, or at least primitive to what you are, robotics. I figured if I started at the beginning and worked my way up to the present, I might find some clues to the world as we know it."
Giving a nod, X looked around a bit more. The room was smallish but still large enough that four robots his size could have fit with a bit of room to spare. Though, judging by the size of the arm unit, this robot wasn't too much smaller than he was. There was enough color on it to let him know it belonged to whoever had the black paint job.
"I'm going to check out another room I found. Hopefully the rest of the lab is like your room was on those levels, mostly intact."
X nodded again and followed Doctor Cain out of the room. "If it is acceptable to you," X said once they had exited the room, "I wish to return to where my capsule is."
"Do you remember the way?" Doctor Cain asked.
"The exact pathway there has been recorded to my memory banks," X said, "there is no chance I will forget or get lost."
Doctor Cain chuckled and X wondered what was so funny. "I should have realized that," the older human said, "go ahead, I'll join you once I'm done scouring here."
X nodded and turned, traversing the path back to where he had been found. He didn't stop to look around, not this time, bypassing all the other rooms. When he arrived to the door he paused, one hand resting on the doorframe. Slowly he walked in, his gaze fixed onto the capsule, faint lines of stress fracture, dents and scar marks along the outer dark blue shell that only his sensitive optics could detect. He walked over and carefully ran a hand along the surface of it. He stopped when his optics picked up an image, a reflection of himself in a section of the lid that was free, mostly, of marks.
Slowly he brought a hand to his face as he blinked. Was that really him? Was that really the way he looked. Emerald colored orbs stared back at him in confusion, wonderment and a host of other emotions he either couldn't identify or passed off as minor. He blinked again as he slowly trailed two fingers down one cheek, his other fingers following along the contour of his helmet. Two toned blue with a red crystal in front. Only then did he tear his gaze away and look, for the first true time, at the rest of his body's construction, the same two-toned sapphire armor over a lighter blue 'body suit'.
"Why did you build me to look like this?" X asked softly, "and why am I so confused?"
He blinked again before looking around, carefully taking in every inch, every nook and cranny of the room. He shifted a beam that had fallen, the sound piercing and grating as it shifted along the stone. Beneath he found something, scraps of what he analyzed as paper. He picked it up and looked at it, turning it this way and that. He had been programmed with basic language and reading skills, but no more. The words on the paper, he could only barely read. But one thing, that was clear to him, that made his core skip a beat was a name scrawled on the bottom of the paper.
Thomas Right.
X clutched the papers carefully against his chest as he walked around some more. He found a terminal, one his initial scan the previous evening had recorded. He carefully brushed the debris from the console and ever so gently ran his fingers along the scarred surface. Could this machine hold his answers? Could it tell him what he needed to know about his past, about who and what he was? He knew he had to be more than a mere robot, but what else could there be? Why hadn't he been programmed with the knowledge?
He made a soft sound in the back of his throat mechanism and he paused, searching for a word to the feeling and action. It was almost the sound of a growl. But . . . why would he make such a noise?
X turned when he heard footsteps and he faintly smiled when he saw Doctor Cain, flashlight in hand. "Just as soon as I heard that sound I came running," he said, "are you ok?"
"I am operating at peak efficiency," X said, "but I discovered these under a beam." He held the papers out to Doctor Cain.
The elderly human took the papers and scanned them over, his eyes growing wide. "Sweet Mother," he exclaimed, "these are more personal notes from Right himself. Some more of his plans that went into you . . . by the looks of it. Too bad there's not enough here to put with the other notes I found to tell me exactly what he did to build you."
"Does it say anything as to why I was created?"
Doctor Cain looked up. "Didn't you read that for yourself?"
"I have only limited language capabilities," X said, "there were elements on the papers I could not translate."
"I see," Doctor Cain said softly, "well, from what I see here, there's only notes on your physical construction, nothing on why you were built."
X nodded and turned back to the console, his gaze down as his fingertips lightly stroked over the surface.
"We already tried that," Doctor Cain said, "there's no power to it and when we tried, we almost shorted it out. I had figured that, once we could see if we could revive you, if we could extract any chips to analyze later."
"What if you interfaced your computer to this one?" X asked.
"We don't have anything that's compatible and I don't dare do any hotwiring to it,"
"Hot . . . wiring?" X asked a slight furrow to one brow.
Doctor Cain chuckled. "Meaning splice wires to get it running without following proper start up procedures."
X nodded before returning to his capsule. "And did you have to 'hotwire' this as well?"
"Actually, no," Doctor Cain said, "I analyzed it and this is what I found."
X watched as Doctor Cain slid a panel back and began typing away at the keyboard near the capsule. He watched as a screen flickered to life, words springing forth. He read the screen, his core skipping again when he saw the letters.
reading "R.X.S."
reading "BD-E"
reading "WARNING"
"R . . . X . . . . S?" X asked, looking to Doctor Cain.
Doctor Cain nodded. "I hadn't checked that out yet, your capsule started to activate as the warning was being displayed. I didn't want to be distracted with information as you woke." Doctor Cain typed away then stopped. "This is it."
X's emerald gaze scanned the words and he whispered them aloud. "Rockman X specifications . . . . "
"So it would seem that is who you are," Doctor Cain said, "Rockman X."
X only nodded. "And this . . . this is how I was constructed?"
"I won't know how much survived of the records until I can transcribe them over into my laptop," he said, "but by the looks of it, this is for anyone who revived you to know, just in case something went wrong."
Glancing down to the capsule, X closed his eyes for a moment before opening them. "I want to learn," he said softly, "I want to grow in knowledge, in understanding . . . can you . . . will you teach me?"
When he felt a hand on his arm X looked over. He saw the soft smile on Doctor Cain's face. "Of course I will, my boy. I'll make sure you get everything you need."
X dipped his head slightly. "Thank you," he said, smiling softly himself.
"I'll also help teach you about these emotions you have, how to understand them, how to cultivate them. What this all means for you, as both a robot and a link to humanity."
X's smile grew wider. "I would like that very much," he said.
"Now, let's see what else is down here," Doctor Cain said, "I know you can probably absorb this information faster than I could ever write it down. And even if you don't understand it, I can analyze the information later. I hope you don't mind being used as an over glorified computer right now."
"Why should I mind?" X asked as he memorized all of what the computer spit out for information, a small section of his mental processes focused on Doctor Cain, "after all, should a robot not serve its human creators?"
"Maybe in the past when robots were mere machines with limited intelligence," Doctor Cain said, "but you are more than a mere robot. You are something greater. You are almost human. It's hard to see you, built to look like someone in their late teens, early twenties with the inquisitiveness of a child."
"Am I operating outside of normal parameters then?" X asked softly, a slight frown curving his lips downward.
"No, no, my boy, you're not. From what I can tell you're behaving exactly as Doctor Right wanted you to."
X nodded, the soft smile returning.
"You keep at that and let me know when it's done," Doctor Cain said, "I'm going to have a look see at the rest of the room."
"Understood," X said, storing all of the information away in one huge file. He knew on the way back to the camp he could organize the information better. A small part of his core did hope that he would find something on why he was created, but he didn't let that hope get too high knowing the probability of it would be slim to none.
His gaze remained locked on the screen as his fingers flew over they keypad, missing no files, no folders, no information the computer had to offer, not wanting to risk losing any piece of his past.