"The death of a beautiful woman, is unquestionably the most poetical topic in the world"
-Edgar Allan Poe
An hour had passed after Bass and Mega Man had their spat at each other. Wily had gotten a tablet from his bedroom to run a test on Rhythm's legs, Mega Man and Roll took a break over some E-Tanks and Bass briefly left the lab so he could check on Rhythm. As Bass entered, he saw Rhythm reach into the bin of tapes so he could listen to a new one.
"Hey Rhythm" Bass began "How are you doing? Any power issues?"
No p-power issues, I've been d-doing well. How are my legs c-coming along?
"They're coming along fine and we're almost done with them. Dr. Wily is running tests on them now and we'll reattach them to your body tomorrow"
That's w-wonderful! What part of me will you be r-repairing next?
"Well we haven't really discussed it yet, but I think that your arm cannon should be worked on next"
Okay... but w-without my arm, it'll be harder to listen to the c-cassette tapes.
"That's a good point" Bass replied, resting his chin on his hand "Well... I do have temporary arms for when my own arm cannons are being repaired… what arm do you have you cannon on?"
Rhythm wordlessly raised his right arm up, allowing Bass to examine it.
"Well I think the doc could integrate one of my arms on to you, shouldn't be a problem"
Thank g-goodness…say Bass?
"Yes Rhythm?"
Is it p-possible for me to see the legs be tested?
"I don't see why not, but you're gonna have a problem moving around without legs…"
Rhythm frowned, but Bass grinned as he got an idea.
"Just one sec…I'm gonna check if there is anything appropriate in the junk room"
Bass quickly left the bedroom and soon returned with a battered collapsable wheelchair. He carefully picked up Rhythm's legless torso and placed him into the wheelchair. Bass also took the laptop Rhythm was connected to and placed it in front of Rhythm's body. The two then left Bass's bed room and traveled down the hallway to the lab.
"Why is he here?" Mega Man asked as Rhythm entered.
I w-wanna see my legs get tested.
Dr. Wily shrugged, and then began to activate a right program from his tablet. A pair of cables connected a PC to Rhythm's detached legs with the tablet acting as a remote control. Dr. Wily then began typing information into the tablet to prepare the program.
"I just hope that the old parts within the legs are recognized by the computer even though we installed new components" Dr. Wily stated.
Suddenly, the computer made a loud electronic noise that indicated the legs were detected by the software which made everyone let out a collected sigh of relief. As the program ran, Rhythm's detached legs began to bend in a very methodical manner. They first bent the knees, then the ankles, and was then followed other joints of the robotic legs. At one point, the ankle of the left leg but soon resumed after Dr. Wily rushed in to make a quick adjustment.
-TEST_STATUS:-SUCESS-PARTS_NOW_FULLY_FUNCTIONAL
F-fantastic! I can't wait to have these i-installed again!
"And the repairs didn't take that much time at all!" Wily said with a smile.
"A full day of work doesn't count as a lot of time to you doc?!" Bass exclaimed "We began work at eight in the morning, and we've ended at eight in the evening!"
"EIGHT IN THE EVENING?!" Rock exclaimed "Shoot… It's almost nine O'clock!"
Bass confusedly looked at Mega Man "What's the problem?!"
"Dr. Light told us that he was going to call Rock from Olive this evening" Roll answered.
"Olive?" Dr. Wily asked "Is that where he's calling from?"
"There's no time to elaborate further Dr. Wily" Mega spoke as he gathered up his personal effects "Roll and I don't want Dr. Light knowing that we were HERE of all places"
"Alright, alright" Bass replied "Make tracks if you must. But if you wanna get home in time, just leave the parts you brought with you here"
"I don't know…" Rock replied, suspiciously looking at Dr. Wily "Roll and I brought enough parts for two robots, and I don't want you building some new robot…"
Roll quickly glanced at Rhythm, who was smiling sweetly "I think that they can stay here for the night… Rhythm will tell us if they were misused tomorrow"
"Alright" Rock conceded "We'd better go now… see you tomorrow…"
The Lightbots rushed out of the door of Wily's fortress and quickly sped off in Rock's car.
Once the car was truly out of range of Wily's security system, the not so good doctor flopped into his desk chair while Bass got some E for him and Rhythm.
"Oof...what a day" Dr. Wily complained.
"Really?" Bass said with a chuckle "That was strenuous? What tired you out more? Repairing Rhythm's legs or Mega Man breathing down your neck the whole time?"
"To be perfectly honest" Wily replied "It was the combination of both of those factors that tired me out"
Bass smirked as he handed Rhythm an E-tank.
T-Thank you Ba-AHH!
As Rhythm took the can, his arm shook due to being unused to the weight and spilling a little bit of E onto the laptop.
"Doc…" Bass spoke as he cleaned up the mess "I think Rhythm's laptop is too cumbersome…"
I agree… is there s-something else we could use so I can talk?
Dr. Wily rolled his eyes as he wordlessly handed his tablet to Rhythm. It was a sleek modern device, made of brushed metal and with a large glass screen.
"Search around the programs on it" Wily tiredly spoke "There should be a program on it to make Rhythm speak"
Bass quickly detached the laptop from Rhythm and then connected the tablet to him and found the right the application.
-DEAF_ROBOT_SPEAKER-TABLET_VERSION-
Version1.2
As Bass pushed the wheelchair to his bedroom, the tablet quickly synced up to Rhythm's software. Once the two robots arrived, Bass carefully put Rhythm in the bed.
"So Rhythm" Bass began "how do you feel right now?"
I f-feel fine, just a bit tired…
"I understand" Bass replied "It's probably due to how worn your system is. Once you get more active the tiredness will wane"
Rhythm smiled and Bass made his way to his desk chair and pulled out his laptop.
Hey Bass?
"Yes Rhythm?"
Have you ever read the w-works of Edgar Allan Poe?
"Reading is something I rarely do" Bass admitted "Most of the time, I'm usually wandering the streets of the city or relaxing at my hideout. Why do you ask?"
My f-father used to read to me. He read a lot of books. He read many books and then he gave them to me a-afterwards.
"You have a well read father," Bass replied "Do you have a favorite book?"
Well…I don't think that it r-really counts as a book b-because they consists of many stories, but a book of s-stories by Edgar Allan Poe always i-intrigue me. His stories often r-revolve around the fact that inside each person's darkest depths of their p-personality is….
"Is…what?"
…the d-desire to kill.
Bass blinked in surprise "You seem…uncomfortably okay with that fact"
Desire is one thing, doing it is a-another.
"True" Bass answered with a nod "Do I remind you of any characters from any books?"
You actually remind me of a real person who wrote a book about an experience he endured.
"And that is?"
Frederick Treves. He was an English surgeon during the nineteenth century. He encountered a man named Joseph Merrick at a freak show. Joseph was known as "The Elephant Man" due to his de-habilitating deformities that made him look grotesque. Doctor Treves brought him to his hospital to examine him and the two formed a strong bond. Dr. Treves wrote about Joseph in the book The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences.
"And I'm like Dr. Treves because?"
You are the d-doctor…and I'm the c-curiosity.
Bass sighed and shook his head "I appreciate your flattery, but I don't think that I am such a person"
Then who would you c-compare yourself to?
"Personally, I'd compare myself to Alex from A Clockwork Orange"
How come?
"I disobey the common order, I like to have my own kind of fun, I like to dominate and oppress, and I give little care as to who gets hurt"
Rhythm shivered slightly in Bass's bed.
Y-you do? I haven't seen that in you…
"That's because you haven't seen me in my natural habitat" Bass said with a sigh "I was created to be violent… I was created to defeat Mega Man"
O-oh…Well if that is your true f-form, let's say that you were arrested due to a crime that you c-committed due to your self-professed v-violent behavior. While in prison, the warden a-approaches you with a choice. They says that you could either be y-yourself for as long as you exist, which would mean that you would have no chance of being d-discharged from prison, or you could be r-reprogrammed to be a model citizen of a robot and be released once the r-reprograming was f-finished. What would you choose?
Bass lulled on making a response.
"I… don't know" Bass replied as he scratched his chin "I'll have to get back to you on that, I can't answer it immediately"
Okay, g-good night Bass.
"Good night Rhythm"
As the music on Rhythm's cassette tape played, Bass left the bedroom and made his way back to the lab, where Dr. Wily was resting.
"Doctor Wily, may I ask you a…" Bass spoke as he entered the room, but he once he noticed that the doctor was limply lying in his desk chair. Bass slowly approached the unresponsive scientist and waved his hand in front of Wily's face in an attempt to wake him. He then gave the doctor a poke, but it did not awaken the doctor.
"Alright then," Bass began as he crossed his arms "may I ask you a question?"
*snore*
"Do you mind if I take a walk around the perimeter of the fortress for a while?"
Staying in the fortress for long periods of time aggravated Bass. A combination of the lack of interesting events that happened in the fortress and the grating personality of Dr. Wily exacerbated the need to leave the facility often.
*snore*
"I can? Are you sure? I don't want to disobey you!" Bass lied through his teeth.
*snore*
"I'll may not be able to return if you need me" which was an honest response.
Inertia was Dr. Wily's current condition.
"Okay then, I'll be back in a while"
Bass chuckled as he left Dr. Wily to saw his logs. As the rebellious robot opened the door of the fortress, he felt a light drizzle fall onto his helmet as rain began to fall. The lone robot shrugged, and then wandered around the fortress on his lonesome.
"It seems to be raining a lot more these days" Bass commented.
Meanwhile, at the Light residence, Roll was looking out at a window planter as Mega Man prepared to make a video call with Dr. Light.
"It seems to be raining a lot more these days" Roll commented.
"I guess so, but it's good for the plants outside" Rock spoke as he turned his laptop on. He had already changed out of his armor and was now dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue T-Shirt. Roll then made her way to their robot dog named Rush so she could feed him while Rock was held his tablet and patiently waited for Dr. Light to call him.
"Are you ever going to call me tonight?" Mega Man impatiently asked aloud "I mean, we were out today and we rushed back swiftly not to miss your call…."
To Mega Man's relief, the tablet suddenly rang. On the screen, Dr. Light's was front and center of the device, above the "Accept/Reject" button. After pressing accept, he then saw Dr. Light's face. He was resting at the desk of his hotel room, which consisted of a pale yellow color scheme.
"Hello there Rock" Dr. Light greeted.
"Hello there dad" Mega Man replied "How is everything in Olive?"
Dr. Light sighed "Not the best… The police still have a large presence here. It took me about a half hour of convincing them to let me into town. They finally relented when I said that I was there in regards to Heather, my former student"
"Oh no…I'm sorry dad…" Rock said with a frown "w-what are you gonna do?"
"I'm working on arranging the wake and the funeral. The autopsy has been complete and the embalming of Heather's body is currently under way. The lawyer is already in town to read her will and is also assisting me with other business"
Rock nodded "I understand dad… how long do you think you'll be gone? This stuff does take a long time to handle, right?"
Dr. Light nodded "It will take a few days at least…and things are even more emotional since the police are on still on the lookout for Heather's little boy…"
"They still haven't found him?"
Dr. Light shook his head "I'm worried about him, especially with the threat of Sniper Joes in the area. The radicalization of the Joes is something that shouldn't have happened. I warned Wily about the mass production of the Joes but he didn't listen…they're like HAL's with human bodies at this point"
"I know dad… but we all have to live with our mistakes"
Dr. Light tensed a bit and drank a bit of water to calm his nerves "Anyway, what did you do today? Anything interesting?"
Rock hesitated a bit, tightening his fists "Nothing much doctor. Roll and I cleaned around the house, we took Rush for a walk, and we played some video games"
"That's good… I'm glad to hear that you're having a good time" Dr. Light replied "here in Olive, questions have been coming in left and right about what's been going on around here. Why did the Joes attack? Who died exactly? Has Blues been in the area? and…"
"Blues!?" Rock shouted in surprise "Blues was sighted? If he has, I-I need to come to Olive as soon as possible! I need to find him!"
Dr. Light sighed "Rock, I understand that you've been looking for him…the situation is tense here however and you arriving could contribute to the pressure. Besides, it could have been a false sighting or he could be gone by now, we don't know"
"B-but I need to see him!"
"Rock…." Dr. Light sternly began "As your creator, have the final word on what you can do. Do not come to Olive. I insist. It's best for everyone, ok?"
Rock's fists tightened as he hung his head "Yes father. I'll stay home"
"Thank you Rock, you're a very dutiful son…" Dr. Light said with a fatherly smile "I'll be back in a few days. In the mean time, stay safe and tell me if you hear anything. Have a good night"
"Good night dad" Rock spoke as he hung his head as the call ended.
Blues, the mysterious robot who appeared to had some strange connection to him. Unlike Bass, Blues was no blatant enemy to Mega Man. The two had fought and Blues he did have associations with Dr. Wily, but his past and motives were a mystery. Underground sources seemed to indicate that he was working for the advancement of other robots, but these were only baseless rumors at the present time.
Rock had not heard of anything Blues for a couple of months and this conversation first shred of information that gave him Rock in finding the mysterious robot, but having being shut down by Dr. Light disheartened him.
In the kitchen, Roll was frowning and Rush was whimpering.
"Roll?"
"Yes bro?"
"I'm going to go out for a little bit" Rock said with a sigh "I need to cool my circuits. If Dr. Light calls, do not tell him about what we did with Dr. Wily and Bass under any circumstances. Don't tell him about Rhythm either. If he happens to mention Blues, tell me about what Light said. Could you do that for me sis?"
Roll nodded and smiled a bit "I will bro"
Mega Man let out a sympathetic smile as he walked over and patted her back. "That's a good girl"
He took an umbrella with him as he walked through Mega City, walking past closing shops, vending machines, and police kiosks. He only stopped for a moment when he noticed a bookstore and saw a book in the display that was titled "The Return of the Gadfly: Questions upon Questions". Rock entered the bookstore and picked up an actual paper copy of the book in order to show it to Rhythm. He wandered through the streets with Rhythm's questions ringing through his head and the sighting of Blues.
When he returned home, Rock sat on the couch and began to read the book before he slowly fell into sleep mode. Once Roll saw her sleeping brother, she got him his blanket and favorite pillow from his bed room. As Roll tucked him in, she noticed Rock's finger was inserted into the book and marked off one of the pages. Roll picked up the book and read what was on the page. It was mainly blank, but had a quote in the center.
"As for me, all I know is that I know nothing"
-Socrates
"How does that work?" Roll asked herself "Everyone knows something, so we can't know nothing in the first place"
Roll wanted to read the book, but didn't want to disturb his brother's place. She used the green ribbon that she used to tie her hair up as a book mark, and then went to her room to grab a sleeping bag so she could sleep beside her brother on the floor.
As Mega Man and Roll slept, Bass was quietly patrolling around the fortress. The rain began to fall harder but it did not deter Bass's vigil. Within the fortress, Rhythm listened was sleeping to the sound of music.
"I've got no means to show identification
I've got no papers showing what I am
You'll have to take me just the way that you find me
What's gone is gone and I do not give a damn"