Creation

By, half-a-recess

CHAPTER 2

BEFORE YOU READ!! (please?): To avoid confusion and all out bafflement of my new character who just so happens to have the same name as a character owned by Capcom (I nearly fainted with shock and almost attacked the computer screen when I found out…) I own the character that I made up! Her name is Trill (no, not the little baby Navi from Beast). For everyone's information (and so that people don't call me a copycat), I made this character and came up with her name WAY before the info on the Beast series was posted on Rockman.EXE Online (which is the main place I really check up on). I thought her up like, what—six or seven years ago? So don't nag me on it, cuz it's really difficult to change the name of a character that I've been attached to for so long and who I had imaginary adventures with during those boring history classes. Trill has always been there since when I first got into the series, and that's the way I'd like her to stay (I have witnesses of this strange name occurrence:3)! Please don't hurt me… just review maybe? I might even be open to new name suggestions… help please and I will be forever grateful…

Disclaimer: you know the stuff. Don't own. Only wish that I do. ALL HAIL BURUSU-KUN, ENZAN-SAMA, AND FORTE-SAMA!!

h-a-r: Nooo! Daniel has turned into a gnome! Hurry, Rupert, you can fix it!

Harry the gnome: (chews on his own toe)

Ron: (jumps up and down, turns in a circle, and waves wand like a mad banshee)

(Harry turns back into a Daniel and Rupert turns into an ostrich)

h-a-r: Why must I be a muggle, God, WHY?!?!?1 (brandishes wand like a saber and does a little dance)

h-a-r's wand: (sneezes and shoots blue… stuff I guess… yeah, stuff)

Ron: (turns into a platypus)

h-a-r: okay, folks, this is gonna take a while…

Nation of the Abyss

Cyber Universe

January 12, 2018

3:38 A.M.

Gale, a small black and orange Navi watched the speck in the distance draw slowly nearer as she twirled her red curly hair around one finger. It was only minutes ago that this new region appeared right on the doorstep of her fortress, which at the time had been on the very outskirts of the Navi universe and the capital of the Abyss, more commonly referred to as the Edge for its… previous location next to a massively degraded drop-off. Now, however, it was only the edge of civilization. This newly-made land stretched on for hundreds of miles, most likely, and there were sure to be strange new viruses formed from the obvious pieces of loose data. Now the Edge was truly bizarre-looking in that all vegetation (little though there was at the Edge) came to an abrupt halt. Perhaps there would never be vegetation in land so unstable?

Gale continued to play with her hair and cocked her head only half-interestedly over her shoulder, though never taking her eyes off of the distant speck, as a tall, lanky purple Navi carrying three shields, one on each arm and another slung across his back, spoke.

"It goes on for hundreds of miles with an end in only one direction," he said. He paused. Such strange occurrences are difficult to understand, much less describe. Finally he continued, "It ends and turns into a land of a more stable nature filled with many great cities, some surpassing even our own. The land there is strange to me, but it doesn't appear to be a threat; there are no Navis whatsoever."

"There must be some life for there to be cities, Arrow," Gale said quietly.

"Yes, that did bother me, but although we searched quite thoroughly no matter how quick we were to get in and out, the cities are deserted. I agree that there must be intelligent influence and that this wasn't an accident or the cities at least; however I don't think we need be so anxious. I don't think the… whatever it is even knows of our existence."

Arrow followed Gale's gaze to the figure barely illuminated by the pale moonlight still making its way towards them, only slightly closer now. "And what do we do about him?" he asked, nodding towards the speck, though he was positive Gale wasn't even looking at him.

Gale stopped playing with her curly red locks and folded her arms across her chest. "Report him to the Mark," she said absentmindedly.

"Oh, you don't honestly think the poor boy is a—"

"Report him to the Mark," Gale repeated her voice low and dangerous. She turned to face Arrow, the red jewel on her helmet glinting in the moonlight. She continued in a flat tone before Arrow could make any further argument, "Regardless of what you think, I gave you a direct order, and as was strictly established in your training, which I am confident that a Navi of your rank and intelligence can remember, when given a direct order by your commanding officer, you will follow it. Now, report him to the Mark."

Fuming, Arrow glared at Gale before straightening up to his full height, which made him now alarmingly taller than the small orange Navi. "Have you been consumed by your power so soon?" he spat. "Or have you, perhaps, forgotten your own past?" Catching a small defiant flicker of anger in her eyes that were almost always emotionless these days, he fell into a mock bow saying, "Oh, as you command," before turning on his heel and disappearing in a purple blur of speed into the halls of the fortress, leaving Gale to her thoughts again.

It was not that she thought this strange Navi to be anywhere near a threat to such a strong kingdom such as the Edge, but perhaps he would answer some of the questions that were sure to be raised by the Mark who were basically the leaders of the Abyss. Within the hour they were bound to inform the Grand Council, the wisest and oldest Navis all of whom were elected by the leaders of the Nine Nations, which was made to control extreme situations such as this one that could greatly effect and possibly jeopardize the world.

The tiny speck in the distance became increasingly difficult to see with the approach of dawn throwing everything under a misty grey cloak. He would be here within a couple of hours if he didn't turn around and decide that this was not where he wanted to go at all considering the fact that he seemed in no hurry to get to the fortress. Hopefully word of him would have reached the Grand Council by then and they would have reached a decision as to what to do about both him and the new cities, and Gale would be very patient until that time.

The problem with Arrow, Gale thought, is that he is infuriatingly patient, a little too patient come to think of it, and that he's always had a tendency to think that his opinion is more important than anyone else's. He was such an old fool, yet it was very interesting to think that he had survived for such a long time, much longer than most could remember, actually. Some very popular rumors claimed he was even older than some who were in the Grand Council, but his refusal to rise in rank kept him out of eligibility for being elected. It seemed as if he was avoiding being elected, which was even more interesting because of his desire to give counsel to whoever became his next commander.

On the same subject came the mysterious manner in which every time his commander refused to listen to him they turned up deleted or missing, yet no evidence ever suggested that he had ever harmed them… Am I next? Gale thought absentmindedly. No, she shook her head. Arrow was never like that as far back as Gale could remember. He was always… something or other… She could almost remember the way he always was, but…

Even still, how dare he insult her like that? She could remember her past perfectly well… Everything was just a little fuzzy; that was all. She could remember seeing Arrow's face. He had been purple at the time because of the full moon so the date must have been after the AIWP (Artificial Intelligence in Warped Programs) Experiments. She could still faintly hear his voice talking to her. She could hear herself say what must be his name. Gale was positive that she was not saying "Arrow", yet she couldn't hear what she was saying only that she was calling… something… She could now see Arrow's lips moving, calling her name, not Gale… but something… something… She could almost hear the words when her head began to hurt. When she opened her eyes she found herself leaning heavily against the stone wall gazing at the small, dark speck again as the sun came closer to making its entrance over the desolate horizon. She let herself slide slowly down the wall and onto the hard stone floor, fighting to catch her breath as she realized that she could no longer remember her own name…

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Fortress of the Abyss

Cyber Universe

January 12, 2018

6:15 A.M.

Somehow, things didn't go as the boy had planned. The second he got within range he was captured and thrown into a cell where he waited quietly, thinking of what horrible trouble he had gotten himself into. Next he was taken to the "Great Council" or whatever it had been called where he was asked all sorts of questions that he didn't have even the slightest clue on how to answer. Everything was blurred together so much that he didn't even realize until this very moment that he was being led down a dull gray and blue hallway by a small Navi in a blue jumpsuit which had a light blue racing stripe down the right and left sides, light blue gloves and boots and a relatively plain blue helmet that had three raised stripes on it of the same color as her boots, gloves and stripes. The crests on her hearing receptors and chest were filled with a horizontal wavy line of mostly blue hues that made her bright green eyes stand out from the rest of her and the soft brown hair that fell out of her helmet was only decorated with a single blue streak on the side.

"I—I didn't catch your name," the boy said awkwardly, trying to find some way to break the silence.

"Trill," the girl said smiling kindly at the boy walking beside her. "And I didn't catch yours either."

"I—well… You know," the boy stammered, trying to figure out why he was having such a hard time. Luckily Trill gave him an understanding smile that enabled him to relax a little.

"It must be pretty weird not having a name," Trill said thoughtfully.

The boy nodded, no longer afraid, but still thoroughly embarrassed.

"Well, why not think of one now?" Trill said a little playfully turning around and walking backwards in front of him with a broad smile on her face. "Let's see, you're dressed in red and your symbol is… well, um that's not going to help…" she said looking him over and finally realizing that he had no symbol whatsoever.

All of a sudden Trill halted, nearly making the nameless boy run into her. "Okay, look this is your room," she said flipping up a panel on the wall beside a door labeled "1414". "And this is your pass-code;" she handed him a slip of paper "you can use it to get through any door in this facility so it'd be best to memorize it. It's all yours and… well your roommate's, of course. Um, then again this probably is all yours considering that your roommate is hardly ever here…"

"Oh? Where is he most of the time?" the boy asked, now a little happier that he had an interesting roommate. Maybe he would have amazing tales to tell in the dead of night when he came back to the room to sleep?

"Well… I don't really know. No one really knows, no matter how many claim to have information on the subject. Maybe he spends all of his time in here? Well, I don't see why, because it's not really that roomy…" she said apologetically as the door slid open and she led him into the room.

The boy looked around at the tidy apartment-like bedroom. There were three cots: bunk-beds and one against the wall adjacent to the bunk-beds and opposite the wall with two desks separated by a lamp stand, one desk spotless, the other crowded with piles of papers and small objects. A small kitchen and table peeked out through the half-open door that was beside the desks and there was another door on the far side of the kitchen that probably led to the bathroom. The best feature, though, was a very large window through which Trill, the boy and at least three others standing abreast could have easily walked upright if it were open. The window was placed directly beside the bunk-beds and was decorated with shimmering silver curtains that were slightly transparent and sparkling in the early morning sun, and they swayed ever so lightly and noiselessly as if a soft breeze had entered the room.

Trill brought a hand up to her hearing receptor apparently listening to a voice that the boy in red could not hear and finally said, "Well, I can't stay any longer. You're free to move about, and you'll find your way around on your own, I'm sure, but just kind of ask around if you have questions and—oh, I almost forgot something really important!" She gestured to all of the things on the cluttered desk, "Don't touch any of his stuff if you know what's good for you and for the love of God, never sit on the top bunk—that's his bed—and he's kind of touchy about the curtains, too… They say that's why roommates don't stay roommates with him that long if you get my drift."

She broke off in mid-sentence and her hand flew to her ear again, "Alright, alright, I'm on my way! Geez, what's your problem?" She ran quickly out of the room and down the hall as the boy followed for a few steps.

"Just don't be a stranger! Get back to me on that name thing, okay?" she called, turning around only briefly to give the boy a wave and a smile, but eventually leaving the boy standing halfway in the hall, hand still half raised with a confused expression on his face.

Somehow, the halls of the fortress seemed much more exciting than the room with the cot and the constant temptation to touch things that were supposedly off-limits. How unkind it was of them to stick him with a possibly dangerous roommate when he was this new to the world. Obviously they had gotten all that they wanted out of him at the Council… thing considering that they were now showing sudden disregard for his life, however short. Well, he thought as he walked quite deliberately out into the hallways with no real destination in mind, just in case, I better at least get a name and meet some people or something interesting…

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Residence Area: ISRCD, Hikari Residence (Room 26)

Müchan, Germany

January 12, 2018

6:15 A.M.

Dr. Hikari ran along the narrow hallways of his home labs, falling continually and rising slowly even in his desperation to continue. As he tripped for what seemed like the hundredth time and struggled to push himself to his feet again he heard it: the insane laughter of the unknown person that was chasing him. Dr. Hikari began to panic, but the harder he struggled with the floor, the worse he lost the battle. Flames and explosions sounded around him as he managed to roll over on his back and call out for help as loud as he could, though it only came out as a hoarse whisper.

"I'm coming, Papa!" a voice exclaimed as a young boy with messy, dark brown hair ran past Dr. Hikari and into the flames and let out a scream of terror before being drowned out by the roar of fire.

"N-no, come back! It's too much for you!" the old doctor whispered with all his might, failing all the time to make any louder sound.

"I'll go," said a voice behind him, louder than the flames. He didn't even have to look to know it was his eldest son.

"And I'll go too," another voice said. And the doctor only caught a glimpse of his daughter's blonde hair as she disappeared, and couldn't even lift an arm to reach out to stop her no matter how he fought with his invisible bonds.

He wanted to tell the other not to leave, that it was too dangerous, but the voice interrupted the struggled whispers that wouldn't even pass the doctor's lips anymore, "Let's finish this…"

Dr. Hikari met the concealed eyes of his eldest son for a split second before the red-clad robot sprang to life and lifted the old doctor, throwing him out of range of the flames and explosions. As he was falling Dr. Hikari managed to catch the last sights of his son: the glint of a microchip in his hand, the flash of his visor in the red hue, and the fluttering scarf as he whipped out of sight into the flames.

"NOOO—

---

—OOOO!"

Dr. Hikari woke with a start, sitting up in bed and grumbling as he freed himself from the covers that were tangled around his legs. He mumbled small curses at himself as he made his way to the thermostat.

"No wonder I'm sweating," he muttered, furiously pressing the down arrow.

It hadn't even been three hours and he was awake and alert. He thumped over to the sink, clutching the leather pouch tightly as the cold tile shocked his feet in a soothing way compared to the heat of the dream. He looked at himself shakily in the mirror as he splashed water on his face and it trickled down his long white beard and onto the floor with a soft drip. The labs were gone and the house demolished, the robot lay dormant with the microchip hard at work, Wily was gone and hadn't reappeared for many years, but the dreams kept haunting Dr. Hikari even in this time of peace. He had all of this peace that his family died to give him and he couldn't enjoy it… They wouldn't have wanted for him to feel this way, but it didn't change the fact that he did.

Rock, whose battered body was found later with only the memory chip in tact, Roll, whose death was the only one that was painless and quick and who couldn't be repaired because the memory chip had been stolen (by heartless thieves sifting through the wreckage no doubt, or else news reporters looking for amazing footage of the attack), and Blues… Only bits and pieces including a large chunk of his scarf were found. They had accomplished their mission and died for it, placing a vaccine chip inside Wily's robot and then placing the robot in a stasis capsule, and none of them thought twice, none of them even looked back.

Dr. Hikari removed the pouch from his pocket and began to study the contents one by one before replacing them again. He laughed as he stared down at the slightly singed picture inside the broken fragments of a tarnished silver frame. Roll was holding up Tango in an awkward position, which the cat was obviously not pleased about. Rock was completely oblivious that his picture was being taken and stood, as always, attempting to get Rush's attention with an old knotted sock, whereas Rush found Tango's tail to be much more interesting. Blues, who had miraculously been home during the photo had refused to take off his armor and most certainly not his visor and chose to look at Rock wearing his typical, crooked half-smile. Dr. Hikari appeared to be tripping over Rush and trying to get all of his children to look at the camera, yet laughing at their indifference to his fruitless attempts, except for Roll, of course, who was always very photogenic.

Dr. Hikari smiled once more before placing the family photo tenderly back into his pouch and taking out a large golden locket as he rubbed his thumb lightly over the engraved "R" on the cover. He knew not to open it because of all the little pictures of everyone, even Wily and the Wily-bots, all of the family carefully stuffed inside. How Roll managed to fit all of them inside without spilling them each time she opened it remained a mystery, but that was one of the many talents of Roll.

Next, Dr. Hikari removed a strip of yellow cloth rolled around a small, silver whistle-like flute only about three inches long or so, untarnished from use of an everlasting polish that only Blues knew of. How Blues managed to play the instrument with his large hands, no one would ever know, but still one must wonder about the places this cloth and this flute have seen, what adventures they have witnessed, what secrets they could tell…

Finally, out came the last and the most carefully handled object, wrapped in tissue paper so that it would never be damaged. The chip containing all of Rocks most prized possessions and the secret to his success for so long: his memories. All of Rock's love and kindness, his bright and happy personality and his love for life and living things, all of this was contained in this little chip in Dr. Hikari's palm. The doctor nestled the chip back into its sheltering pouch which he held up close to his chest, and as he breathed deep and slow he could have sworn he heard their laughs just outside in the garden back at the lab… way back when…

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End Chapter 2

Author's Notes: You like? Questions? Comments? Concerns? Requests? Yeah, longer than my first one. If you want you can email me with name suggestions for "the boy" or even a new name for Trill (though I will forever think of her with that name… sob Darn you, Capcom). Also, it took me a while to update because I finished the Harry Potter book drool. Best thing I think I've ever read and an amazing finish to the series. I cried. Then I was kind of out of it for the next few days, you know, to reboot after the shock of finishing it…