"There are two great tragedies in life. One is not getting what you want... the other is getting it"
-Oscar Wilde
The hours passed as working on Rhythm's components for the day neared completion. The arm was close to completion, while the head was almost completely dismantled. As Rhythm watched, Bass noticed however that the frail robot looked a little bored, even if his emotional expression was restrained by the fact he was wearing a Met for a head.
"Rhythm" Bass began, approaching Rhythm "Are you ok?"
I'm fine, I-I'm just a little b-bored.
Bass rubbed his chin and then dashed out of the lab, much to Dr. Wily's chagrin.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING BASS?!" Wily yelled.
"Probably where he's gone the past few times he's left the lab during work" Roll commented.
Bass soon returned with two large containers of Cassette Tapes and CDs from the junk room. He dumped the containers onto the floor of the workshop.
"Why don't you help me sort the CDs and tapes to pass the time?" Bass asked Rhythm as he sat on the floor.
Rhythm joined Bass on the floor and the two began to sort out the CDs from the Tapes.
"What…are you doing?!" Dr. Wily exclaimed.
I a-appreciate all the help you g-guys have done for me, like d-discovering me and repairing my components…b-but I still feel a bit w-walled up. I-I just need to do something t-to pass the time.
"Cabin Fever" Mega Man remarked "I can sense you have a bad case of it. Most robots on their off time suffer from the condition as they're so used to work. Many have taken up mundane hobbies to pass the time."
S-sorting tapes and CDs are a p-pleasant chore. At least s-something gets done and the space can be used for something else.
"If only I could pressgang Bass into organizing the junk room for once" Wily spoke "it would make the whole fortress feel a little more homely."
"C'mon doc, the broken down and aesthetic fits you!" Bass teased.
"And it's appropriate too" Mega Man added "Every time I come here to take you down, I feel like I'm in the final level of a video game."
Wily groaned and went back to working on Rhythm's head, slowly dismantling it. Roll, who had finished sweeping up the lab then sat with Bass and Rhythm to help with sorting.
"Rhythm? Why are you content with committing to this mundane task?" Roll wondered.
Well…After being i-imprisoned behind a wall with n-n-nothing to do for so many years…just about anything would be more interesting to do than nothing at all. I-I'd love to help you repair myself…
"You know how to repair robots?" Bass asked.
I know a fair d-decent amount of w-what to do, mainly quick fixes and minor repairs. The p-problem is that I can't repair myself, no one can fix t-themselves. They need help n-never the less.
Rhythm sniffled a bit as he continued to sort the cassette tapes, with Roll noticing that Rhythm was being careful with sorting.
"Rhythm" Roll began "Why are you being gentle with the cassettes?"
It comforts me. I actually want to listen to all the music Dr. Wily has. That way, I could possibly start making music of my own.
Mega Man's eyes widened "Making music? Sheesh! Along with his drawings and writings, Rhythm bound to become a Renaissance Man!"
"The pinnacle! The apex! The zenith of robotic achievement!" Bass theatrically spoke in a non-insulting fashion "Renaissance Man, sounds like it could be Rhythm's Robot Master name."
Dr. Wily pulled out a note pad and scribbled the name down.
"Achievement" Mega Man muttered to himself as he hung his head, his attention then turned to the fragile robot "Rhythm, may I ask you something? It's specifically about you."
O-okay then...what is it?
Mega Man took a deep breath "After we repair you…what would you like to do with your new life? What is your ultimate goal as a robot?"
Rhythm hung his head and put the cassette he had into the correct pile.
Well... I don't really have any p-programmed purpose… but I have p-plenty of things that I want to do. I guess that the b-biggest thing that I want to do is that I w-want to help the w-world in some way, make a i-large impact that changes the world. But b-besides that, I want to do d-different things for the rest of my life. I can't s-settle myself with one goal.
Mega Man weakly smiled and gently rubbed Rhythm's head.
"There there Rhythm, it's ok. To tell you the truth…I envy you, since you weren't made for a purpose. You think for yourself. When it comes to my behavior, it is often determined or incited by others" Mega Man spoke as he pointed to Dr. Wily "My goal...the one that has been burdened upon me…is to defeat Dr. Wily an Bass once and for all."
And if you did d-defeat Dr. Wily…for good… what would happen after that?
Mega Man sighed "After that, I might as just as well be deactivated. I personally have nothing planned for myself, but I bet that Dr. Light does. It's probably turning me back into a lab assistant or being carted around for multiple lavish and unnecessary ceremonies where I'm the attraction and Dr. Light the ringmaster"
W-what if you fail to defeat Dr. Wily What if, for some miraculous reason, Dr. Wily takes over the world?
"Glad to know that this robot has so much confidence in me" Dr. Wily retorted sarcastically.
"If he succeeded in taking over the world?" Mega Man answered in surprise "If he did, what the hell is he going to do with it for one thing?" He then turned to Dr. Wily "How old are you? In your seventies or something? If you were to able to defeat me right now with no chance of me returning, you'd probably have ten, twenty, or maybe thirty years for you to reign supreme? You'd most likely have to deal with the issues of politics and underground rebellion groups during your obviously dictatorial rule. I wouldn't be surprised if you immediately had a heart attack after you won!" Mega Man then turned to Bass "And you! You wi…"
"I KNOW WHERE THIS IS GOING!" Bass shouted, tried to keep his composure "I want to be the strongest robot. Everybody knows that I want to the very best, the ultimate, the unbeatable, like no one ever was. But if I were to keep that title, my life would consist of constantly fighting new robots again and again and again. There are only two outcomes for me, I would end up living forever as I constantly smash and destroy the cognitive circuits out of each new challenger…or I get end up getting destroyed by some new machine that would become champion and turning me into a small footnote in the history of great robots. Is that accurate, or do I exaggerate?"
As Bass looked around, everyone including Dr. Wily nodded in agreement. Rhythm the looked through the CDs and grabbed a particular one to put it in his player.
"This is the world we live in
And these are the names we're given
Stand up and let's start showing
Just where our lives are going to"
We're all c-capable of change. We just need a place to start.
Mega Man raised and looked at the clock, it was a quarter to eight "I'm going to start now. I'm going to start with telling Dr. Light about working on Rhythm. Roll and I have to go now" He then gathered his belongings and left with Roll. Rhythm, Bass, and Dr. Wily remained in the lab in a state of stunned silence.
"Rock" Roll began as they made their into their car "You didn't mention me at all when you went on your little rant."
Mega Man turned to his sister and put a hand on her shoulder "To be honest Roll, I couldn't think of any cruelty that you have been involved in. Be thankful for that."
Back in Wily's workshop, Rhythm was looking at the pile of cassettes and CDs that he and Bass were sorting. Bass was standing behind him.
"You look concerned Rhythm" Bass asked "what's the problem?"
I was just t-thinking that maybe...maybe I should have stayed s-sealed up behind the wall in the mansion. I'm just a c-component of a d-decaying past that if r-reintroduced back into the world, he would cause too much of a change towards the status quo. I shouldn't go c-changing people if the c-circumstances are like this.
Bass patted Rhythm's shoulder "Rhythm, you should continue with what you are doing. Everyone needs their smacks in the head every once in a while. While yours was painful, it still ends up leaving an important scar."
"The sand castle virtues are all swept away" Dr. Wily recited "in the tidal destruction, the moral melee, the elastic retreat rings the close of play, as the last wave uncovers the newfangled way. You have become that last wave. It may have ruined what existed, but something stronger can be built from what remains."
Rhythm smiled as Dr. Wily approached him. "Maybe we can complete your arm and install it back on you."
The scientist acquired his laptop to test the arm and Bass began the finishing touches. Rhythm watched the final repairs intently as he listened to another cassette tape.
Meanwhile back at the Light residence, Mega Man was writing down a rough script for himself follow when he broke the news about working on Rhythm with Dr. Wily. He was struggling as he practiced reciting the dialogue.
"Uh, dad. I've got something to tell you...no that won't work. I need to tell you something?…no, that's not it" He then took a deep breath "Dr. Light, how upset would you be if I told you that during the past few days while you were gone that Roll and I were working on a strange robot that Dr. Wily and Bass found in an abandoned mansion at the outskirts of the city!?"
Roll just stared at her brother as she approached him with an E-Tank "I hope that you're not seriously considering to begin with that line of confession, right?"
Mega Man just smiled nervously "Well… it's blunt, for one thing."
Roll rolled her eyes "It's well known that a blunt object cause more pain to a person than a sharpened one...at least when it comes to humans. Why don't you start off the discussion by asking him about the Modern Mansion and improvise from there?"
Mega Man sighed "Alright then, it's worth a try."
The blue robot then began to wait patiently for Dr. Light to call him. He shook in worry about how Dr. Light would react to the fact that Rock had buried the hatchet without the good doctor's consent or permission. Eventually, Dr. Light called and Mega Man answered.
"Hello son" Dr. Light began as he appeared on the screen.
"Hi dad. How are things in Olive?"
Dr. Light hung his head "Heartbreaking. The funeral was obviously quite a somber affair and many of my colleagues broke down into tears upon seeing her be laid down into the earth. The reading of the will was also tense. I ran into a colleague of mine."
The good doctor wiped a tear off his face while Mega Man took a deep breath as he prepared to break the news.
"Dad, may I ask you a question?"
"Of course Rock, you most certainly can."
"This might sound strange but, have you ever been to the Modern Mansion facility? Like, at all?"
Dr. Light scratched his beard "The Modern Mansion? Yes, I have. I have been there a few times when it was still in operation when it was still a demonstration model for a building complex."
"Really?" Mega Man replied in surprise "How long ago was that?"
"This was…sometime before you were constructed, I can't remember" Dr. Light said with a shrug "Rock…why do you want to know about the Modern Mansion?"
Mega Man hung his head "It's because...well...to be honest…Dr. Wily gave us a call."
Dr. Light cocked and eyebrow "I see…why did Dr. Wily call you?"
"He told me that Bass had found a damaged robot at the abandoned mansion and that he needed parts to repair it."
Dr. Light didn't physically react to the admission "What did you do?"
"I was suspicious and even rejected the notion at first. It wasn't until Bass called Roll and he convinced her to convince me. We then found ourselves going to Wily's fortress and we discovered that Dr. Wily was telling the truth about the damaged robot."
"I hope that you just didn't give him the parts and just let him do what he wanted with them" Dr. Light replied as he crossed his arms.
Mega Man shook his head "No, we didn't do that. Roll and I gave him the parts, but we insisted that we help repair the damaged robot so that Dr. Wily didn't do anything nefarious with the parts that we had given him."
"That's a good Rock" Dr. Light said with a smile " So tell me, does this robot have a name?"
Mega Man nodded "Yes, his name is Rhythm."
"Interesting" Dr. Light replied as he cocked an eyebrow "Where exactly in the Mansion was this robot found?"
"Bass told me that he found Rhythm sealed up behind a wall in the basement."
"How did Bass find the robot? He couldn't have just been causing some wanton destruction to reveal the robot."
"It was Rhythm who got out on his own. There was a thunderstorm the night that Bass found him, and the lightning was able to travel to where Rhythm was buried. Bass found Rhythm after the frail bot was able to get out by himself."
Dr. Light stroked his beard as he pondered.
"Hmm..when did Bass find this robot?"
"Some time after you left for Olive."
"Does anyone else know about this robot?"
"No one else. Just me, Roll, Dr. Wily, and Bass."
"I see…" Dr. Light began, hanging his head. Mega Man tightened his fists as he braced for some rant or tirade towards him from the doctor.
"Mega Man," Dr. Light began with a heavy sigh "While I am upset that you didn't tell me about this situation immediately, I am glad of the precautions that you took."
Mega Man smiled as it dawned on him that Dr. Light was not furious.
"However, I want to see this robot before he is completely repaired. I'll travel to Wily's fortress once I arrive back at the laboratory tomorrow evening. Can this robot be made good as new?"
Mega Man shook his head "Unfortunately, no. Complete repair is almost impossible as his system wastes power when he is in a realm silence and his memories have bee, partially lost due to his injuries."
"Injuries? What sort of injuries?"
"This robot was maliciously sabotaged. It's why the robot was sealed behind the wall in the first place"
Dr. Light nodded "I see… Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow evening. Good night Rock"
"Night father, see you tomorrow!" Mega Man signed off with a smile.
He then terminated the transmission and let out a huge sigh of relief.