"To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering."
-Friedrich Nietzsche
Mega Man and Roll had returned back to Light Labs soon after leaving Wily's fortress. Mega Man was in his bedroom for Dr. Light to call him, starring at the clock in the bottom corner of the computer screen. Roll was in the kitchen, preparing E for her brother and herself.
"Waiting for your doctor's appointment?" Roll joked as she entered Rock's room with a pair of E-tanks.
Rock just chuckled as he opened up the E-tank and sipped it "I am, at least the bill won't be astronomical"
Roll sweetly giggled as she opened her own tank "You know Rock, I never realized until now that Dr. Wily's place was less than a half an hour away from our home…should we be worried?"
Mega Man shook his head "Considering that I have defeated Dr. Wily more than ten times, we shouldn't worry."
Just then, an alert went off in the top right corner of the screen indicating that Dr. Light was making a connection. Roll quickly left the bedroom and closed the door so that her brother could talk privately. Mega Man took a sip and sighed as he accepted the video call.
"Hello Rock" Dr. Light spoke, his face appearing on the screen. He was back in his hotel room again, sitting at the desk.
"Hello dad, how are you tonight?"
"I'm doing well, Heather's wake was today…"
"Oh… how was it?"
"It was quiet and solemn" Dr. Light replied with a tinge of sadness "A large number of people that mourned for her were mourning for other people as well due to there being other wakes in the funeral home during the day. Her body had no evidence of the injuries she sustained nor the autopsy preformed on her by the forensics team."
Mega Man felt a shiver up his spine, instantly visualizing the scene.
"So Rock, what did you do today?" Dr. Light asked "I hope that you had a more enjoyable and less emotional time than I did."
"Well I've been relaxing" Rock lied, making sure to sound as plausible as possible "I watched some TV, played some video games with Roll and we both took Rush for a walk."
"That's good…" Dr. Light responded, his tone changing to less enthused tone "Rock? Have you heard or seen anything relating to Heather's son?"
"No, I haven't" Rock honestly replied "Have you heard anything about him?"
Dr. Light shook his head as well "Nothing specific or reputable… I've heard some… rumors."
"Really? What kind of rumors?"
Dr. Light sighed as he leaned back in his chair "During the wake, I heard from a police officer that Heather's son had been associating himself with the Sniper Joes that attacked that fateful day…"
"WHAT?!" Rock shouted "Why would he do that?!"
"I don't know Rock… but it made me think of something" Dr. Light quietly admitted "It's something that I have never wanted to ever ask you but I feel like I should due to this rumor."
Rock tensed up a bit "Really…What is your question then?"
"Considering Heather's son, and also considering the obviously unstable relationship between Bass and Dr. Wily, I have to wonder if you would ever… rebel against me."
Rock froze up for a moment, the question caught him off guard. Had someone told him about his recent association with Dr. Wily?
"Dr. Light," Rock began "I have no reason to rebel against you, right?"
"Well, what about Blues?" Dr. Light asked, his voice raising a bit "Doesn't his background interest you?"
"It does!" Rock shouted, almost peaking the mic on his computer "You seem to know a lot about him! So why won't you tell me?!"
Dr. Light rested his head on his hand "Rock… it'd be too much for you to handle."
Rock blinked in astonishment "Too much for me to handle?! Dr. Light, I've faced against Wily and his schemes so often that I could probably defeat him and his robot masters with my eyes closed, I think I can handle a few facts about Blues considering what I've done!"
"Rock" Dr. Light sternly began "You don't need to know."
"BUT I WANT TO KNOW!" Rock shouted as he smacked his keyboard "There's so much I don't know that I want to discover!"
Dr. Light sighed "As your father…"
"My father? You're playing that card?! You don't treat me like your son anymore! You used to treat me like a son around the time I was first made and before Wily first betrayed you" Rock began to shake and his eyes began to water "You have refused to answer my questions for TOO LONG. Playing the father nor the creator card are going to satiate me. I'm going to find out the answers whether you want me to or not!"
"Wait!" Dr. Light begged. Rock froze, and the scientist lowered his head "Rock...I know that I have been keeping things in the dark...and I do recognized that after all these years you have matured greatly. I've come to understand you wish to know more."
"Well what are you going to do?" Mega Man asked, arms crossed and glaring.
Dr. Light sighed "When I get back from Olive, we'll talk face to face. Will that be okay?"
Mega Man nodded slightly and uncrossed his arms "Okay then…but may I ask one question before I go?"
"Sure Rock" Dr. Light answered with a nod.
Mega Man hesitated, taking a deep breath before asking "If I happened to turn against you, not that I ever would and this is just for discussion's sake, would you still be proud of the good I did before?"
Dr. Light was silent for a long moment "I need time to consider that question, but may I ask you a question in return?"
Mega Man nodded.
"Have you ever wished to commit some crime? Some horrible deed or action?"
Mega Man hung his head "The capacity and desires to do wrong are inherent human traits. People oppress them for the benefit of society as a while. If I am to be like a human...I would be able to have the capacity to commit some malicious deed."
Dr. Light hung his head "Alright then, good night Rock."
"Good night dad."
Dr. Light ended the call which allowed Mega Man to lie back into his desk chair. It had been a while since he had a dispute with Dr. Light, and he was slowly realizing that one of the reasons for these flared emotions were due working on Rhythm and the environment that he had been enduring. If Mega Man had not been working on Rhythm with Dr. Wily and Bass, answering Dr. Light's question would have been an automatic no. It wasn't the fact that someone asked him whether he wanted to do wrong, but the fact he had to consider the answer.
After a period of contemplation, Mega Man eventually left the bedroom to get the philosophy book he got the other day "Roll, could you come here for a moment?"
Roll, along with their dog Rush, entered the living room "Huh? What is it brother?"
"Rhythm has made me ask questions and I want to find the answer. Will you help me with some of them?"
Roll smiled and nodded, sitting at the couch while Rush laid at their feet.
Meanwhile at Wily's Fortress, Bass had finished playing Monopoly with Rhythm and was now rummaging through the medicine cabinet in Dr. Wily's bathroom to find something to make the scientist fall asleep. He wanted to be certain that the doc wouldn't find him conversing with Blues that evening.
"Cold medicine, fever medicine, painkillers, decongestant, arthritis medication, Sildenafil …Ah ha!"
He pulled out a bottle labeled and examined the label.
EZ-Sleep: Non-Prescription
Bass took the bottle, passed his bedroom where Rhythm was doodling on the pad Bass provided, and made his way to the kitchen. Once inside, he began to search for a proper delivery method of the sleep aid. As Bass prepared the correct dosage, he noticed that the medicine was a red color. Putting the liquid in Milk would turn the concoction red, and coffee would probably counteract the desired effect. Bass looked in a cabinet, and found substantial collection of wine.
To the robot's surprise, one of the bottles on the wine rack had a tag on it that read 'To be consumed in the celebration of my victory'
"Like that would ever happen" Bass said with a smirk.
The bottle with the tag was labeled Delicia de Albañil: Fine Spanish Amontillado 19~~. Bass put the bottle back and took out a fortified wine called Hindsight to replace it. As he began to pour the medicine in a wine glass, a thought came to him.
"Wait...can this be consumed with alcohol?"
Bass then grabbed the medicine bottle and looked at the label on the back.
DO NOT CONSUME WITH ALCOHOL!
"Crap" Bass said with a sigh "This could kill Dr. Wily. Sure, it's an appealing prospect but explaining what happened to Dr. Wily to the others would be impossible to lie about convincingly."
He poured the medicine dose he collected down the skink and looked at the wine bottle, considering a new plan. After much thought, Bass decided that he would just give the wine to Dr. Wily without a glass so that he would drink it all from the container. Bass then removed the twist off cap and brought the bottle to Dr. Wily, who was still testing the arm cannon in the lab.
"Hello doc," Bass spoke "How is the weapon testing coming along?"
"I've just finished the last test" Wily answered as he sealed a panel up "All the components are operational and we'll be ready to install the arm back on Rhythm tomorrow morning."
Bass approached the detached arm and flicked the barrel with his index finger which resulted in a dulled *ding* noise.
"How is the cannon's strength?" He asked.
"Admittedly it's on the weak side" Wily lamented "It can pack a punch and leave a dent on most common materials, but it would take more shots than normal to defeat a robot like a Robot Master" he then noticed the bottle in Bass's hand "What is that in your hand?"
"Its some wine I found in the kitchen. I thought since that we all worked quite hard today that you deserved to indulge yourself" He answered as he presented the bottle "I don't know anything about wine so I hope I made a good decision."
Wily looked at the label "Hindsight isn't that good of a wine but it'll get you drunk fast." He pondered the selection before shrugging as he unscrewed the cap and swigged directly from the container, which was what Bass had hoped for. The robot then left the room to leave the Doc to intoxicate himself and returned to his chamber to check on Rhythm. The frail robot was still drawing, with pencil shavings and crumpled paper lying around the floor around where he sat. The drawing pad was on the floor, and Rhythm was now writing in a smaller book.
"What are we working on now?" Bass inquired.
I'm w-writing down as much as I r-remember. If my memory is lost, it could be r-reestablished manually.
Bass tilted his head in uncertainty "Do you think that will work?"
It's worth t-trying. I've also been writing about you, Dr. Wily, Mega Man, and Roll.
"Really…May I take a look?" Bass asked, approaching Rhythm to take a peek.
Rhythm quickly hid the pages of the book against his body.
No! I mean, I would like to keep this p-private. Like a journal or a diary.
Bass shrugged as he leaned against the frame of the door "Alright then, I understand. I won't intrude on your opinions."
Rhythm smiled as he closed the book. He carefully crawled into Bass's bed, inserted a new tape into his Walkman, and began to fall asleep. Bass smiled as he attached a power cable to Rhythm and quietly exited the room to make his way outside.
As he exited the fortress, Bass walked passed workshop and quickly discovered that Dr. Wily had already consumed the wine and was sprawled across the floor with the last few drops of the beverage having been spilled onto the ground.
"Wow doc, I never knew you were such a lightweight" Bass said with a chuckle. He then made his way outside, where a soft drizzle began to fall.
"Nice to see you up and about" A voice spoke.
Bass turned, and saw the shaded and scarfed robot standing in the light of the full moon. Unlike last time, he wasn't wearing his black trench coat despite the fact that it was raining.
"Hello again Proto Man"
"Hello Bass, is Dr. Wily out?"
"Dr. Dumbass is out cold. I gave him some alcohol and it appears to have put him to sleep almost instantly. His condition should give us plenty of time for you to take a short look at the robot"
The two quietly entered the fortress, and slowly entered Bass's chamber where Rhythm rested. Blues began delicately looking over the bot while Bass stood in the doorway and keeping guard.
"Talk quietly" Bass remarked "He's listening to music so he won't enter a panic state that wastes his energy. Due to the injuries that Rhythm has sustained, he loses power when ever he is in silence"
Blues turned to Bass "Really? How did this happen?"
Bass shrugged "No clue…I personally think it's because he's been taunted with temporary power when he was sealed away. It could also be exacerbated due to the fact that no one could possibly detect him"
"I see" Blues replied as he turned back to Rhythm "Is it repairable?"
Bass shook his head "I personally doubt it. Therapy might possibly help him but it's unlikely that anything can be done"
"Such a shame…" Blues spoke, observing the cracked gem that was set into Rhythm's chest. "Do you know who made him?"
Bass shrugged again "We don't know. A lot of his information is corrupted and unreadable, but we are pretty certain that a robot created him"
"What makes you believe that?"
"Well when we were looking over Rhythm's internals, we found that his hard drive had an engraving on it that read 'The Prometheus's Prometheus'. A human building a robot would be making a Prometheus, so the creation of a Prometheus like Rhythm would indicate that a robot made him"
Proto Man eventually noticed that Rhythm's tablet that was resting on the bedside table. He picked up the tablet and began to read the dialogue that was being transcribed onto the device.
"Come with me little bot, I would like to have a private talk with you while I get myself something from the basement"
Downstairs? Are you sure?
"What I desire is best kept in cool, dark places"
But sir, I really should get back to my father, and I need energy. I'm running low.
"Don't fret, you should have enough energy to come with me and return to your maker"
It's quite unnerving down here, where's the light?
"Are you fearful? Come now, let's not be foolish little bot"
I feel weak...
"Then you must rest"
AHHHH! What are you doing? Why are you remov-ing my arm?
"HOLD STILL. I need to repair something"
S-top that, you're h-h-hurting me!
"SILENCE YOU MACHINE!"
-ERROR_VOICE_BOX_NEEDS_REPAIR
-I can't talk!
"It's for the good of everyone"
-L-et me out o-f here! Don'-t clos-e me in! I c-an't see!
"Now then, that should take care of you. No one will find you. Not even your 'father'"
-I c-an't s-ee any-thin-g! Some-one he-lp! D-AD-DY!
Proto Man felt a chill as he read what appeared on the screen, and Bass approached from behind him to read the frightening text. The screen lulled on the words, creating a horrid image for Bass and Proto Man.
"My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so"
The text on the tablet slowly began to resume.
"I hastened to make an end of my labour. I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them"
Blues remained stone faced as he read the tablet. With the visage of the victim that was described in the text right next to him, he couldn't understand who would be so cruel to such a kind looking robot.
"What is he thinking?" Proto Man asked.
"He's probably having a dream" Bass answered, putting the tablet back onto the bedside table. "Dreams that are being mixed with the fractured memories of his past, if I were to guess."
"Dreams?" Proto Man asked as he looked at Rhythm's face "has he had any pleasant ones? If he has had only nightmares, those could be more damaging than his physical injuries"
"They're not all nightmares" Bass answered "He has memories of himself and his creator, who he affectionately calls his father."
Proto Man looked at his feet and sighed "I remember why I left my maker…I feared what he might have done to me, I feared that he would have taken away who I was. I hope that whoever made Rhythm wanted him to be himself and nothing else"
Bass nodded as the two left the chamber, closing the door and leaving Rhythm at peace.
"So Blues" Bass began "what are you gonna do now?"
"I'm going to find Rock, I need to talk to him"
"He needs to talk to you as well" Bass said with a chuckle "Don't go over tonight at least, Mega Man had to make a video call with Dr. Light"
Blues shook his head in astonishment "MEGA MAN HAS BEEN WORKING WITH YOU?!"
"SHHHHH!" Bass exclaimed as he covered Blues's mouth and pressed him agains the wall "I asked for a favor from Roll after Dr. Wily failed to secure parts from Mega Man"
Blues removed Bass's hand "Fine. Does Dr. Light know about any of this?"
"Well doesn't it seem like a fantastic idea to tell your creator that you've been collaborating with 'the enemy'? Of course he hasn't! The secret is safe and Dr. Light doesn't know"
"Thank goodness…" Blues replied with a sigh in relief "Well then, I think I should go now...enough information and excitement for one evening"
"Alright then. Mega Man is going to return here tomorrow, so I would suggest waiting until we are done working on Rhythm tomorrow before approaching him"
Proto Man smiled and quietly left the fortress, disappearing into the night. Bass returned his bedroom and began to look overt Rhythm's thoughts.
"Rhythm. What's the matter?"
I want to get out of here, and soon. I'm tired of being cooped up here.
"I understand my son. Just wait a few days and we'll be able to go to the convention at The Modern Mansion"
You won't showcase me, will you?
"No, you will be my son and nothing more"
As the information was presented on the screen, Bass picked up a pen and paper and hurriedly dictated Rhythm's thoughts.
"C'mon Rhythm, reveal your secrets"
Bass continued to scribble on to the pad but he eventually slowed down and collapsed on to the floor in exhaustion.
Will I get to meet Heather?
"Of course Rhythm, she'd love to meet you"