"Look, we both said a lot of things that you're going to regret, but I think we can put our differences behind us. For science. You monster"
-GLaDOS Portal 2
As the middle of the day came around, Rhythm's legs had been completely removed his the body and were now being worked on at a separate station. Rhythm's legless torso was relocated in to Bass's bedroom so he could rest. In the lab, Mega Man was analyzing the original components of Rhythm's legs, Roll was arranging the new parts on the left leg, and Dr. Wily returned from a bathroom break.
"About time you came back." Mega Man quipped.
Dr. Wily cocked his eyebrow and smirked "Aww come on, Why are you so bitter? Do you not trust me?"
"Of course I don't trust you…"
"Then why are you here?"
"Because… because Roll wanted to come" Mega Man replied "When she told me that she recognized the name Rhythm, that convinced me to come over. There's also the fact that I've been searching for Proto Man for the past few weeks and I haven't been able to find him at all"
Roll rolled her eyes as she finished with the parts on the left leg and began to work on that of the right. It was then when Mega Man approached the two holding one of the parts from Rhythm's leg.
"Dr. Wily, could I get a professional opinion on something?"
"As long as if it doesn't involve illicit activities" Wily joked.
Mega Man groaned as he handed one of Rhythm's leg servos to the scientist "Can you confirm how old these parts are?"
Dr. Wily examined the servo carefully, checking the condition of the component and looking at the part's number engraved on the side.
"Peculiar" Dr. Wily spoke "I haven't seen parts like this since the first Robot Masters were constructed."
"I knew they were familiar" Mega Man spoke "I recall that Dr. Light removed parts like those when he gave me a hardware upgrade after your fourth exploit."
"So that means that Rhythm must have been made some point during my first…well…"
"Regretful are we?" Mega Man said with a smirk.
Dr. Wily glared at Mega Man as he tossed back the part and resumed working on Rhythm's right leg. Bass, who was returning from placing Rhythm in his room, entered the workshop with a tray carrying a pack of E-tanks and a cup of coffee for Dr. Wily. Mega Man ignored Bass, Roll quietly took one of the tanks, and Dr. Wily grabbed the mug of coffee.
"Hello there Bass" Dr. Wily spoke before sipping his coffee "How's Rhythm holding up?"
"He's doing fine. He has enough tapes to listen to" Bass answered "Oh, and he has expressed a particular interest in talking to Mega Man…couldn't imagine why…"
"Oh no!" Rock defensively replied "I am not leaving my sister alone with you two scoundrels!"
Bass chuckled "Rock, I never said that you had to leave Roll here. To be honest, I think that Rhythm would like to formally meet your sister as well"
"Could we?" Roll asked Rock "I've been overloading my circuits during these repairs and I could really use a break."
Mega Man shrugged as he put his tools down and took Roll's hand. The two Lightbots left the workshop with Bass relocating himself to where Roll stood.
"Sheesh, what bug crawled into Mega Man's software today?" Bass grumpily asked.
"Isn't it obvious dumb-Bass? He doesn't trust the two of us…" Wily replied with a groan "And to be honest, we can't really blame them."
Mega Man and Roll soon found Bass's bedroom and saw that Rhythm lying in Bass's bed and listening to a cassette tape. The room was sparsely adorned, almost like a single person college dorm that no one had move into yet. As Rhythm listened to his music, he had the volume so high that Rock and Roll could hear what Rhythm was listening to.
"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, 'tapping at my chamber door;
Only this, and nothing more."
"Are we disturbing you?" Roll quietly asked.
Rhythm pressed stop on the cassette tape, and weakly shook his head.
"So you don't mind us coming in?" Mega Man asked.
Not at all. P-please, pull up a chair.
Roll took Bass's desk chair and sat in it while Mega Man just stood in the doorway of the room.
"So Rhythm…how are you feeling?" Roll inquired.
I feel…a little d-displaced at the moment, I'm g-guessing that's due to the fact that my legs are being worked on.
"That's understandable" Roll admitted "I feel similar when my limbs are repaired by my creator."
Rhythm nodded, and then turned his attention to Mega Man, who had not spoken since he arrived.
W-why aren't you s-speaking?
"I don't have anything to say…" Mega Man answered with a sigh.
Really? Or do you say that b-because you wish not to speak what's on your mind?
Mega Man frowned "What are you implying?"
I'm not i-implying anything, I'm just asking q-questions.
"I suggest that you start asking different questions then" Mega Man retorted "Questions like 'Who are Dr. Wily and Bass really?' 'What are they planning to do to me?' 'Is this place safe?' among others."
This p-place isn't safe?
"You don't know squat about Dr. Wily and Bass" Mega Man responded "Why are you trusting them?"
"Rock! Stop this!" Roll pleaded.
I trust them because they a-actually seem a-accommodating and sympathetic to my situation … while you seem to be here against your own will… why should I trust you?
"I'm only here because Roll recognized your name…" Mega Man said with a huff. The blue robot then stormed out of the room, leaving Roll and Rhythm by themselves.
R-Rock? I thought his name w-was Mega Man…
"Before my brother was known as Mega Man, he was called Rock by our maker. I am Roll, so together we are…"
Rock and Roll. I u-understand.
"It's strange though" Roll realized "Rock and Roll, in the music world at least, used to be a singular thing. Now we have Rock without the Roll, do you think that the same will happen to me and Mega Man?"
I hope not. For you are a w-wonderful robot girl and you are lucky to have a brother like Mega Man.
"Thank you Rhythm" Roll replied with a smile as she began to leave the room.
Roll, could you fulfill a m-minor request?
"Oh? What would you like me to do?"
Just plant your lips onto my f-forehead, nothing else.
Roll slowly approached Rhythm, blushing slightly, and did just that. She almost embraced him, but she retracted for some unknown reason.
"You are strange one Rhythm" Roll spoke as she left the room.
Rhythm smiled and pressed play on his Walkman as Roll exited.
"Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow, sorrow for the lost Lenore,
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore,
Nameless here forevermore."
Bass was a little surprised when he saw Mega Man return to the lab alone and in a huff.
"How are the legs coming along?" Mega Man asked, aggravated.
"They're almost done" Wily answered "We'll be able to put them on tomorrow morning"
"Good" Mega Man joyously replied.
"Alright then Mega Man…" Bass grumbled as he stepped away form Rhythm's leg and made his way to Rock "ever since you arrived here you've been in an unpleasant mood. I have to ask…what is ticking you off exactly?"
"Shouldn't it be obvious Bass?!" Rock shouted, slamming his tool onto the work table "It's you and Dr. Wily! To think that you two criminals had the audacity to call ME of all people to work on this wrecked robot that you found by random chance!"
Bass crossed his arms, unaffected by Rock's rage "Then why did you agree?"
"BECAUSE ROLL ASKED ME TO, ALRIGHT!"
"Well it seems that you would rather not even be in the first place!" Bass retorted, stepping towards Rock "Or is it that your curiosity more intense that your aversion to me and the doc?"
"That's absurd!" Rock shouted "Rhythm could be just be part of an intricate trap to catch me off guard!"
"Your absurdity is absurd in it self." Bass retorted "Your attitude surrenders the suggestion that you are not just angry at me and Dr. Wily, but for other reasons as well! What has made you more loathsome than a drunk Dr. Wily?"
"It's none of your business!" Rock shouted "Stop it this instant!"
"No! I'm not going to stop this!" Bass responded with a smirk "I'm going to savor this for all that I can, because if I can't destroy your body… I can ruin your mind."
"YOU CAN'T GET TO ME!" Rock exclaimed, causing Roll and Dr. Wily to step away from the arguing enemies.
"Oh really?! What about all the times you defeated robots that you had once worked on and treated as your own work? Are you tired of fighting the same kinds of battles again and again? Do you ever think if Proto Man sees you as a true hero or just as a pawn for human interests?"
"YES! YES! YES!" Mega Man shouted as he collapsed on the floor "I do regret, I am tired, and I do wonder about such things"
"Then why don't you tell someone?" Roll weakly asked, approaching Rock.
Rock sighed as he stood "I've talked to Dr. Light and he says that I shouldn't ask about such things. He tells me that it's none of my concern. However, the problem is that these kinds of questions keep coming on back to me."
Roll approached his brother to give him a firm hug. The two robots embraced each other for a few good minutes before resuming work on repairing Rhythm's right leg. Bass and Dr. Wily resumed working on the left leg before the two stopped hugging.
"Bro?" Roll began "why did you storm out of Bass's bedroom?"
Mega Man sighed "I'm sorry sis…I snapped a bit… just the fact that Dr. Wily and Bass got to this poor bot first before I could. We wouldn't be having this situation if I found him. Not to mention that there's also the fact that Rhythm doesn't seem to trust me…"
"Well he's known Bass and Wily for just a bit longer more than he knows me and you…"
Mega Man nodded "Exactly."
Meanwhile, Dr. Wily and Bass were talking as well.
"You're gonna think that I have a screw loose…" Bass began.
"I already think you have a screw loose" Dr. Wily interrupted "Several actually."
"Hahaha…" Bass mirthlessly replied "but in all seriousness, I honestly think that what I did to Rock just now was a bit too much."
"What?!" Dr. Wily asked in astonishment.
"I feel like I shouldn't have taunted Mega Man like that" Bass confessed "For some weird reason, I feel like I did something bad."
Dr. Wily scoffed at the notion "Bass, you tell me that you feel like you did something bad when you've been doing bad things you've considered good for who knows how many years. What makes this any different?"
Bass shrugged as the four continued repairing the two legs.
Rhythm in the meantime had fallen asleep in Bass's bed, with the sounds of the cassette tape giving him comfort.
"And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming.
And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!"