"I'd like to be known as the person who saw things from a different point of view to others."
-Shigeru Miyamoto
"What are you trying to do Rhythm?"
I'm trying to create something.
"Oh? What are you trying to make exactly?"
I don't know. Maybe if I keep drawing in my notepad I might think of something.
"Rhythm, I know that I programmed you with an imagination and that you want to use it, but you cant force art to come out when you want to. A creation has to come from some form of inspiration"
Like what?
"Anything! Music has been inspired by the motions of animals or things like a child crawling around a room, movies have been inspired by the exploits of other people, TV shows have been inspired by the interactions of family members, and books have come from dreams and other visions"
So…where do I find this inspiration?
"Anywhere! Inspiration can come from anywhere as long as it is strong enough to begin an idea. So take a break from that notepad for a while and let inspiration come naturally"
Could I read another book?
"Sure, would you like to read what I was reading a while ago?"
Of course!
"Here you are. Now I must warn you, this book has been disturbing to both humans and robots alike."
I understand. Do you mind if I read aloud?
"I don't mind at all so"
'What's it going to be then, eh?'
Bass had been walking around the fortress for a few hours and noticed that he had been leaving an increasingly deep trench in the mud. The rustle of dead twigs and the creaking of bending metal was combined with the sound of the rain that slammed into Wily's fortress . Curious of how long he'd been out, Bass checked his internal clock he was told that it had become one O'clock in the morning of the next day. His systems were fatigued, as an alert in his head told him that he needed some energy. The same alert system also told him that he was drenched from head to toe in rain.
As he made his way to the front door, lightning struck a structure in the distance. The bright flash of light suddenly revealed a shadowy figure that was leaning against the door of the building.
"WHO'S THERE?!" Bass shouted as he instantly engaged his arm cannon, ready for a fight.
The soft chuckle of a male voice came from the figure as it it put it's hands up "Heheheh…Forgot to turn the security systems back on, didn't you Bass?"
Bass blinked as he walked up to the figure. He was wearing a black trench coat, and Bass could a flash of yellow fabric wrapped around the figure's neck. The figure also had brown hair that drooped in front of the figure's pair of large sunglasses due to the rain. At the figure's side was a large shield.
"Really Proto Man?" Bass shouted as he disengaged his cannon "Did you have to scare me like that?! I know that we're not on the greatest terms but…"
"I didn't intend to" Proto Man said with a chuckle "But I must ask…why are you wandering outside of the fortress in this powerful deluge?"
"No particular reason…" Bass sheepishly answered "I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts for a while…so why are you here?! You normally only come here to interrupt Dr. Wily's schemes but you and Rock kicked our collective butts several weeks ago"
"I got a message from Kalinka this afternoon" Proto explained.
"Your little Russian lapochka" Bass caustically replied.
"Don't give me any crap about her, alright? Or shall I give you some grief over your interest in R-"
"Let's not fight over such petty things" Bass answered as he put his hands up defensively.
Blues took a deep breath "Kalinka told me that Dr. Cossack got a call from Dr. Wily, requesting for robot parts. It caught both him and her off guard. She requested for me to check out the situation here to see what was going on."
"Well I can tell you first hand about what's going on… do you know about the Modern Mansion facility on the outskirts of the city?"
Proto Man slowly nodded "I've been there and I've wandered through the ruins several times. Humans love to claim that there are ghosts that roam the hallways and that they can hear the wails of the dead throughout the abandoned building...to be honest, the tales of a haunting seem to have an effect on me. I sensed something the last time I visited."
"Really?" Bass asked "What did you detect?"
"It's none of your business Bass" Proto bitterly replied "just tell me what the Modern Mansion has to do with Dr. Wily calling Dr. Cossack"
"Well…" Bass began "last night, I went to the Modern Mansion myself to get out of the house. While I was wandering in the basement, I found a robot sealed up inside the wall"
"Really…" Proto Man retorted in disbelief "What made you want to tear the wall down? Some compelling urge to cause vandalism?"
"Ha ha ha…no" Bass unenthusiastically replied "I didn't tear the wall down, it was the robot that was sealed behind the wall that tore it down and was able to escape by himself. From what I could detect, some of this robot's wiring was connected to a pipe that helped transfer an electrical circuit to the robot's power supply. Due to last night's lightning storm, he eventually gained enough power to use his arm cannon to destroy the wall and exit out of his confinement"
Proto Man rested his hand on his chin as he listened "How peculiar… what is this robot capable of? Is it dangerous?"
Bass shook his head "It's highly unlikely that this robot was made to be aggressive. His weaponry is weaker than mine and Rock's due to the damage he sustained anyway"
"Damage? What damage?"
"Yeah, this poor robot was assaulted and sabotaged by some mysterious assailant" Bass explained "I'm guessing that whoever hurt this robot was the one that sealed him in the basement in the first place."
"Yikes…" Proto replied "Is there anything else I should know about this robot? Anything you haven't seen before?"
"Well when Wily and I were looking through the programing, we found that the robot has Beta programming about Love, Imagination, Creativity, and Sympathy. He also seems to be knowledgeable of many forms of media."
"May I see him?" Proto asked, intrigued.
"Not now" Bass replied with a frown "He's an incredibly frail robot. He can't speak due to his voice box is broke and his power rapidly drains when he is in silence. Dr. Wily and I have been working on him together."
"You two working together? Ha!" Proto Man chuckled as he crossed his arms "I haven't expected that since Wily's eighth attempt… But I must ask, Dr. Wily isn't going to make him into a robot master, is he?"
Bass took offense to this implication "No! Absolutely not! I can't imagine Dr. Dumbass doing such a thing! Rhythm couldn't possibly be retrofitted to have the abilities to be a robot master. First off, his disabilities are almost too intense to repair completely."
"Rhythm? This robot's name is Rhythm?"
Bass nodded.
Proto Man just stared at Bass, eventually letting out a heavy sigh "Alright then Bass, thanks for letting me know what has been going on. However, I would like to see this strange robot in person, any chance of doing that?"
"Come tomorrow night. He'll be in sleep mode when you meet him but you can still look at his condition."
"Why can't I talk to him personally?"
"I don't want to overwhelm him with stimuli, I feel the robot needs to be eased into this new world that he is now entering."
Proto Man nodded in agreement "Alright then. I'll come tomorrow around this time. Keep the security systems off"
The two shook hands.
"Farewell Bass" Proto spoke.
"See you later Blues" Bass replied
Proto then disappeared into the darkness, leaving Bass alone on the doorstep of Dr. Wily's fortress. Bass made his way inside, walked to the workshop and discovered that Dr. Wily had already woken up to go sleep in his own bedroom. Bass shrugged and traveled to bedroom to check on the sleeping Rhythm. Bass could barely hear soft dialogue from Rhythm's headphones as well as the sound of a heartbeat decreasing in volume.
"There is no dark side of the moon,
as a matter of fact it's all dark"
The tape ended, and Bass pressed the stop button and began switching out the tape. He didn't press play, as the rain was intense enough to prevent Rhythm's power from draining away. Bass then picked up Rhythm's tablet and saw that he had been engaging in a discussion with an unknown person in his subconscious thoughts.
You will never leave me, will you daddy? You will always be there for me…right?
"Son, I will be here for you to the best of my capabilities. But you have to understand that circumstances will separate the two of us at any moment. You have to brace for that situation."
W-W-Why dad?
"The simplest explanation is that humans do not understand robots very well, and so they fear them. It's the nature of humans to fear what they cannot understand."
I-I don't want to be feared…do all humans share this fear?
"Fortunately son, some do not. Some ask questions, some work to learn more and try to understand the world of difference that is before them."
Bass wondered about the structure of the conversation. Was the discussion between Rhythm and the other character linear? Or was it disjointed like before? Bass wanted to think over the possibilities more but his own eyes began to falter, so he pushed play on Rhythm's Walkman and laid down next to him, covering themselves with the black plush blanket.
"Must be getting early
Clocks are running late
Paint-by-number morning sky
Looks so phony
Dawn is breaking everywhere
Light a candle, curse the glare
Draw the curtains I don't care 'cause
It's all right"
Bass's alarm clock beeped, yet again making him wonder why he tried to keep a consistent sleep schedule. As he hit the snooze button, he still heard the sound of an alarm of some sort going off.
The black robot groaned as began to get out of the bed "Ugh… maybe last night's stroll was a bad idea."
As Bass stood up, he noticed that Rhythm was already awake and low on energy. The secondary alarm sounds were coming from the pale robot.
I t-think that listening to the W-Walkman used a l-large amount of my p-power.
"Crap!" Bass exclaimed as he began to rush out of his bedroom. He tripped a bit as he left, as his own low energy caused him to lose his balance. He rushed to the workshop to grab a six pack of E-tanks, stomping loudly through the facility. When he returned to the room, he ripped the lid off of one of the cans and hurriedly poured it into Rhythm's mouth. "Sorry about that Rhythm!"
I-It's ok Bass…thank you.
"You're welcome," Bass said with a smile. He then grabbed a retractable cable that was attached to the floor and underneath the bed and connected it to Rhythm. "This should help you charge up a little more. It'd be the best idea for you to be fully charged when we reinstall your legs today."
Thank you B-bass… I can't thank you and your friends enough for all that you've done for me, even if you say that you are not necessarily the best people.
Bass chuckled nervously "Eheheh…It's not that simple Rhythm. To be completely honest, Dr. Wily and I are the number one enemies of Mega Man. I told you earlier that my creator suffered a loss, it was due to both him and I getting defeated by Mega Man. Dr. Light, who is Mega Man's creator, and Dr. Wily used to work together long before I was built. Wily has tried many times to be victorious but he's always failed. The two scientists have butted heads with their creations for at least ten times now." He sighed as he opened a can of E for himself and sipped the contents."These days…it seems just routine to lose."
L-losing again and again must depress you a lot.
"It's not like I'm the good guy…"
Just then, the phone rang in the other room.
Bass groaned "DOC? CAN YOU ANSWER THE DAMN PHONE?!"
"WHY CAN'T YOU ANSWER IT?!"
"BECAUSE I'M ASSISTING RHYTHM, ALRIGHT?!"
"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!" Dr. Wily complained as he trudged out of his bedroom in lab coat. Rhythm could see from the doorway that the scientist's hair was more frazzled than he saw before.
"Dr. Dumbass is not a morning person" Bass explained.
After trudging to the lab, Wily angrily picked up the phone and snapped at the caller.
"HELLO! WHO IS IT? AND WHAT DO YOU WANT?"
"Someone's cranky in the morning…" the caller commented "Wily, it's Mega Man"
"MEGA MAN?! HOW IN THE HELL DID YOU GET MY PHONE NUMBER?!"
"I saved it from when you called our house yesterday. I just wanted to let you know that Roll and I will be arriving soon to install Rhythm's legs and continue with repairing the rest of him"
"Listen Megs… you already gave us the parts, you can let us do this ourself…"
"No Doc, I'm not letting this project happen unsupervised. Expect us to be there at the fortress in a hour. No funny business."
Rock hung up, and Dr. Wily slammed the phone on the receiver.
"I hate that robot…" Dr. Wily grumbled as he made his way to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast.
During the phone call, Bass had put Rhythm back on the wheelchair and rolled him into the kitchen.
"I'm guessing that Rock is coming to the lab again…" spoke Bass.
"He just wants to make sure that we are just repairing him and not converting him into a Robot Master"
"A deaf and anemic Robot Master?" Bass spoke in disbelief "Heh, that would be cruel. I mean, what strengths does Rhythm have?"
Rhythm frowned upon hearing Bass's comment.
"He's smart for one thing" Wily admitted "Rhythm asks questions, is quite intelligent, and is very analytical. Plus there's the beta software we found him with. Love, imagination, creativity, and sympathy. I've never seen any robot who was integrated with those programs"
Rhythm smiled at all the praise he received from Wily.
"Well I'm glad that he wasn't programmed a fighter" Bass confessed.
"Why? Because you'd have to destroy him if you found out he was stronger than you?" Wily caustically joked.
"Not that, genius…its that if Rhythm was a dangerous robot, meant to harm and destroy, his entombment may have been justified."
B-but I'm not a f-fighter…
"I know Rhythm, I know" Bass replied in all earnest "It's just that one must be careful when finding strange robots… if Mega Man's experience with Terra is any indication…"
Terra? Who's Terra?
"It's not important…" Bass answered as he gave Rhythm a fresh E-tank.
Bass, did you have the chance to think over my c-clockwork question?
Bass hung his head and sighed.
"I've been thinking over it," Bass began "but I still need weigh the options a little more. It's not an easy question"
I u-understand. The question isn't intended to be easy in the first place.
"I'm guessing you're going to ask me a bunch more questions in the future, right?"
Of c-course. I'll ask Mega Man m-more, and I plan on asking Roll and Dr. Wily questions as well.
"Alright, fair enough" Bass conceded "By the way, I've noticed that your questions are not about your own background, why? Wouldn't asking us questions help you understand more about your situation?"
The thing is that I am f-finding answers when I go to sleep. I ask q-questions that pertain to others rather than myself so I can prompt others to ask things about me.
"Why do you want people to ask you stuff? You seem like your know a lot already"
All I know is that I know n-nothing. C-compared to the vast amount of k-knowledge out there, a single person knows only a small f-fragment of all there is to know. Besides, the u-unexamined life is not worth living.
"I'm guessing someone famous and dead said that, right?"
Rhythm just smiled a bit.
A chime came from the front door, and Bass made his way to answer it. On a TV screen, Bass could see that Mega Man and Roll were standing on the doorstep of the fortress. Bass could also see that Roll was carrying some type of shoulder bag.
Bass opened the door with surprising eagerness "Hello Mega Man, hello Roll"
"Hello there Bass" Mega Man answered with a yawn. Roll yawned in succession.
"Rest well last night?" Bass inquired before yawning himself.
"I'd say so" Mega Man answered as he made his way inside, Roll following behind. "I talked to Dr. Light last night."
"What did you talk about?"
"What happened in Olive mostly…they're looking for Heather's son and Dr. Light told me that Blues was supposedly spotted on the night of the attack."
Bass froze in place a bit, remembering what happened last night "I see… what could have he been in Olive for?"
"He probably got wind of the Joes that were based in Olive and wanted to stop them" Rock guessed "Obviously, he was too late."
"Don't think of it like that Rock" Roll quietly spoke.
"How else can I put it?! People died and he could have stopped them!"
"You don't know that Rock…" Bass said with a sigh.
Mega Man grumbled as they entered the lab. Dr. Wily had rolled in Rhythm from the kitchen and placed Rhythm on the worktable.
"What's with the shoulder bag?" Dr. Wily asked.
"I thought it would be helpful if I brought some of my own tools, along with some other things"
Wily shrugged as Rock and Roll took Rhythm's repaired legs off of a prep-table and began to reattach them back to Rhythm's torso.
This is such an odd e-experience for me… it feels so… u-unnatural.
"You'll get used to the feelings" Mega Man responded as to comfort Rhythm. "When we redo your arms, it probably won't feel as odd."
"Humans also feel weird when they get their limbs replaced as well, whether its a surgically attached replacement or a mechanical limb" Dr. Wily explained. "I did some work with artificial limbs back in college."
You did work on c-cyborgs?
"I did indeed. Part of it helped me with understanding of anatomical preparation of future robots."
Why did you gain an i-interest in robots? What is your u-ultimate goal in creating robots?
"Anyone could tell you that" Mega Man spoke, slightly unnerved "He wishes to take over the world and wanted to use robots as a personal army."
R-really? And why does he wish to do so?
Work on the legs suddenly ceased and everyone turned their attentions to Dr. Wily. The reason why Wily did what he did was always a burning question in the minds of Mega Man, Roll, and even Bass.
"Um…err…" Dr. Wily stumbled "Do I have to answer the question immediately? I-I mean… after all these years, my motive has…disappeared. I don't know why I try any more…"
You don't need to answer me i-immediately Dr. Wily…I u-understand that my questions are hard, b-but that's the point.
Rhythm's repairers silently resumed working on him and grew uneasy as the cassette music quietly blared.
"I can't seem to face up to the facts
I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax"
Bass was thinking about the choice of staying as himself in a prison or being reprogrammed to be free. Dr. Wily was trying to relocate his reasons for his lust to dominate the world. Mega Man was eager to figure out about Blues ever since Dr. Light mentioned him last evening. Roll however just focused on the repair job. The legs were finally attached back to Rhythm's torso, his feet wiggling after they had been connected.
I feel my l-legs again…
"That's a good sign then" Dr. Wily spoke as he wiped his hands with a rag "Lets see if Rhythm can stand. Bass, could you get a cane for Rhythm just in case?"
Bass dashed out of the workshop, quickly returning with a cheap wooden cane.
"How do you feel so far?" Mega Man asked as he cleaned off the leg with a polishing cloth.
I feel g-good so far, nothing creaking or c-complaining…it feels….c-comfortable.
"Okay," Dr. Wily began "now gently stand up and try to just walk towards me"
Rhythm sat up on the workbench and gently put his feet on the ground. He then slowly slid his right leg forward and began getting used to the new motors and circuitry that had been installed. He slid the left leg next, using his arms as balance. Roll noticed that Rhythm's tablet was sliding off of the work bench, so she picked up and carried the device as Rhythm made his first step that involved lifting left his leg. His right leg followed, and Rhythm began to truly utilize the repairs and walked around at a normal pace, bending his knees and adjusting his ankles.
They're f-fantastic! I feel so much…WOAH!
The pale robot had stepped on an uneven part of the workshop floor, which buckled his ankle and caused him to sail towards Bass.
AHHH!
Bass extend his arms and caught Rhythm before he could face-plant.
"Rhythm?!" Bass asked "Are you ok?"
Rhythm whimpered a bit before standing up right.
I-I think I'll need the c-cane…
Bass solemnly nodded as he handed Rhythm the cane. After he regained his balance, Rhythm began to test out his new installation. He bent at his knees and ankles, and made some gentle kicks. All while Roll was following him around with the tablet. He soon had a sappy smile on his face, eventually extending his arms and approached Dr. Wily.
"W-what are you doing?" The doctor asked, backing up against the wall with a confused look on his face. Wily was about to slide out of the way but relented the thought when Rhythm grabbed hold of the doc's torso and gave him a firm hug.
Thank you.
Dr. Wily remained in silent amazement, for he had never been hugged by a robot before. Rock and Rolls stared at the two astonishment, even as Rhythm began to let go and make his way towards Bass.
"Uh, Rhythm" Bass began "I don't think that this is really necess…"
Bass was then muted by the act of electronic kindness.
Mega Man, realizing that he was next, stepped forward himself to receive the hug. He also felt awkwardness from the hug. When he hugged Roll, she hugged back, but quite tightly, and whispered something softly into Rhythm's ear.
"Um…" Bass sheepishly began "This isn't going to happen every time we repair a limb, is it?"
Rhythm shook his head.
I'm s-sorry, I just wanted to thank you all like my c-creator once did to me.
"Really? Your creator hugged you?" Mega Man replied in astonishment "Most robot scientists I know rarely crack a smile when their robot is successful…*cough* Dr. Wily *cough*"
"I heard that!" Wily complained.
Rhythm then gently hung his head.
He t-treated me like a son. I was not just some piece of m-machinery nor an o-obedient… thing.
Mega Man shamefully looked at the junk covered floor, with Bass directing a viscous glare towards Dr. Wily that the scientist most certainly noticed.
"Al-alright then!" Roll spoke to defuse the situation "Maybe we should get started on one of Rhythm's arms?"
A-actually…I don't see why you four can't take a break. How long did that take? An h-hour?
"It took no more than half an hour," Bass answered "we can continue working"
I i-insist that you take a break, or at least take it sooner than later.
"How about we remove his arm-cannon limb and then take a break" Roll suggested "It's a more complicated part to install so we should at least prepare for it"
The group all agreed. Rhythm laid back down onto the worktable as Mega Man and Bass began to remove the arm-cannon. Dr. Wily however left the room.
"Hey doc?!" Bass shouted "Where you goin'?"
Dr. Wily refused to reply, but soon returned with a spare arm. It was black and yellow, like Bass.
"HEY! That's my spare arm!" Bass complained.
"Well you're not using it, right?" Wily retorted.
"What's it for?" Roll asked.
"It's a temporary arm that I install onto Bass so he can still use his other arm when I repair his arm-cannon" Wily explained "I want to see if I can install it on Rhythm as a temporary limb"
That w-would be nice.
The two robots soon successfully removed Rhythm's arm from his body and then separated the cannon portion from the arm itself.
"Alright then" Mega Man exalted as he stretched a bit "shall we all take a breather?"
"You three go ahead into the living room, I'll install the temporary arm real quick and we'll be with you momentarily"
The three robots left, with Mega Man commenting that he didn't expect Wily's fortress to have the comforts of a normal home in the first place. Rhythm heard Bass shove Rock against the wall in joking derision.
Doctor Wily? May I ask you s-something?
"Other than the earlier question you had about my motives?"
Rhythm weakly nodded.
Bass told me that you and Mega Man are e-enemies. If so, why are you two w-working together to repair me?
"First off" Wily began "Mega Man himself didn't accept doing this at first. Bass told me that he called Roll as a last ditch effort and she convinced Rock to help. I didn't exactly have the parts I need to repair you so I had to outsource. Within my schemes, I usually design and build several robots at once, along with a large number of smaller ones to hinder Mega Man. I often get these parts illegally, with Bass often helping me retrieve the essential parts, at least when he sees it fits his purposes. Since Mega Man defeated me recently, my part supply was currently low"
S-so what would you have done if Mega Man r-refused to help and there were no other o-options?
"Well…since Roll eventually convinced Rock to comply, I didn't really have much of a plan B, or plan…Q at that point. I would either have had Bass steal the essential parts, or have him take take Roll hostage. A price to pay for your welfare and a pair of tasks that Bass would have no problem accomplishing or fulfilling"
Roll as h-hostage?
"He's successfully abducted her before" Wily explained "I'm not one for kidnapping but Bass does have a keen interest in Dr. Light's little maid bot"
What kind of interest?
Dr. Wily frowned "I'd rather not say…"
Okay… And if those plans f-failed?
Dr. Wily sighed "I'd probably have to make do with what little parts I had before hand. Your repairs would have… well, sucked if I repaired you along the lines of used parts, Duct Tape and paper clips for wire"
I w-would stillf be glad that you made an a-attempt.
"You are quite appreciative of the small things"
Well… what else can I a-appreciate? In a state like mine, the small victories are worth it.
Dr. Wily smiled a bit and nodded as he finished installing the temporary arm and activated it "Alright, see if that fits"
Rhythm began testing the arm, bending at the elbow and the fingers. He noticed that the arm was a little shorter compared to his left one and looked totally out of place on him.
It w-will do.
"Okay then. Take the tablet, cane and your Walkman to the living room and see what the other three are doing" Wily spoke "I'm going to prepare some lunch and return with a few E-tanks"
Rhythm nodded, took his belongings, and began to make his way to the other robots were relaxing.