Zero was standing in a lab. This place felt familiar to him. Looking around, he noticed that everything here was fairly high tech, at least in comparison to this world. This world? Zero shook his head. Walking through the lab, looking around, he felt more and more at home here.
"Hmm. You're awake my Zero," said a voice from behind him.
Zero turned around and was face to face with his creator. Dr. Wily. "What are you doing here?" he asked the scientist.
"What do you mean what am I doing here? This is my lab. Is something wrong with your memory, my boy?" the doctor asked, with some sarcasm.
"You know what I mean. Neither you, nor this place can exist. Why am I here?"
"It is simple Zero. This is simply a fail safe program."
"Fail safe? For what?"
"Your encrypted data, and memories have nearly all been decyphered. I designed your mind as a form of shards, one could say. It is really quite brilliant if I may say so. I created this to protect you in the event that anything happened to damage your mind. If something happened, or there was corrupted data, your next baseline shard would then be used. Your previous shards would be formatted, and the non corrupt data stored until you were able to merge the information with your current personality. But it appeared that someone accidentally hindered that portion of the process. My guess would be that damned Dr. Cain. He shouldn't have touched such a masterwork as you. The hack didn't understand a thing about you!" Wily said, sounding quite angry.
"You still haven't told me why the fail safe is required old man," Zero said.
"Perhaps I made you a little too combat-centric if you can't even figure this out Zero," Wily said, a grin on his face. Zero just stared back at him. "Very well, I'll tell you. You've had four shards used. Whatever it is that happened to you when you got here has been unraveling your shard memories, and has created a near complete personality with them. The fail safe program, is here in case you ever needed to process more than one of your 'shards' at one time. It is also here in case you unencrypted your files, allowing you access to your full self. Its really quite interesting thing that these people have developed. Who would have believed magic would be able to break some of the greatest encryptions like this. Its simply amazing."
"So you're saying that the faulty information I've been getting from my diagnostics..." Zero trailed off.
"Correct! Its not faulty at all! As I said. Quite interesting." Wily said, then he turned to glare at Zero. "And what were you doing, comparing me to those nobles? That's a rather large insult."
"How do you see it as an insult? Its fairly accurate. You wanted your control of the world, so you built me."
"Its simple. I wanted control of the world because of my potential. Things were terrible. You had bad recessions, terrible political climates, and a great many things that were on the near edge of disaster. If someone who could look at the larger picture instead of just what they or their country wanted had gotten control, I doubt the world would be in the ruins it is now. Although, in the end I cared less about that. I realized somewhere along the way, the only thing I cared about was my competition with Thomas. I didn't even hate him anymore. My only motivation to continue living as to pit my creations against his." Wily said, some spite in his voice.
"Your damned virus is what caused the world to be in the state it is now. If the maverick virus hadn't happened then the wars wouldn't have started, and the cyber elves wouldn't have been used in the way they were."
"You should have controlled that virus. You could have if your first shard had been formatted and then merged with your second shard. Dr. Cain is the one responsible for the entire maverick outbreak. Never send an archeologist to do a damned scientists work! The virus was supposed to be used to control the different forms of robots! Do you have any idea how many countries had bought and started developing sniper joes and their equivalents? Those things were an abomination, merely semi intelligent killing machines! With the virus you could have prevented their use. The virus was supposed to follow your will! And as i understand it, the cyber elves were made for two reasons. One was to empower and help the reploids. The mother elf was able to reverse the damage from the virus. So then why did your original body get swiped and used against you and those you held dear! Because people will kill and back stab for power. Even though I wanted to rule the world, there was a time my second greatest creation could have killed my rival Dr. Light. But he didn't. He was alone with him in his labs. If i was anything like these people Bass would have shot him in the back the moment X's predecessor left. Then there would have been nobody to repair him, or even create X. I would have dominated the world. But in the end, i mostly used my robots to take control of areas. I didn't create giant wars, i didn't slaughter thousands of innocents. I did things in the most efficient way possible to bring an end to all this damned foolishness!" Wily said, ranting again.
"Okay, whatever. I get it. You're totally misunderstood. So what exactly is it that needs me to be here?"
"You have no patience, my son. I wonder how you ended up like your brother in that? Perhaps it is because I made you for combat first and foremost," Wily said thoughtfully.
"Brother?" Zero asked, shocked he had a brother.
"A lower order of robot, but still fairly powerful. It doesn't matter. The true reason for the failsafe program, is to let you know that you, and your nemesis X, have the same true capabilities. Your body, while a copy, has the required systems for it. The true power you have is of evolution. You've reached a stage beyond even what is in the files for this fail safe. You must be careful. If you lose your grip on yourself..." Wily said, trailing off.
"X was not my nemesis. He was my brother, and partner." Zero said, looking at Wily coldly.
"Hmm. I created you, so I'll say whatever I want on the matter. You were made to defeat X. But that's an entirely different matter." Wily said, as he frowned. "You need to be careful Zero. You're on the precipice now. You've achieved far more than was ever thought possible. Your evolution has gone beyond anything planned for in this program, even before you came to this place."
"Of course. I had to evolve. I had to get stronger to keep up with my partner," Zero said.
"I wish you wouldn't call him that. You're better than him. You're my greatest creation," Wily said, with a smile. "You've even outlived him. That alone is proof that my work is greater than even Thomas'!"
"Shut up old man. I don't want to hear any more of your insane babble," Zero said, glaring at the still smiling scientist.
"Fine, fine. I've told you what I was programed to tell you. Your diagnostics are completed anyhow. Have fun with that organization son. Just don't forget that they don't seem to care who they kill, or how. Don't show them any mercy," The doctor said, as everything faded to black Zero heard the Doctor again,"I am proud of you my son. You fulfilled my will, and brought order to the world. Perhaps not my order. But an order."
***Break***
Zero awoke to Louise shaking his shoulders violently, calling his name. He thought he saw unshed tears in her eyes. He asked, "What's wrong Louise? What happened?"
"I've been trying to wake you up for the past ten minutes! You wouldn't wake up!" Louise said, her voice shaking. She'd even checked to see if his heart was beating a few moments ago. Nothing. She thought he was dead!
"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was... having a dream?" Zero said, not really sure how to explain it.
"I thought you said you don't need to sleep!" Louise demanded.
"I normally don't. This was an exception." His creator had left an imprint in his mind. It was just like Dr. Light's hologram. Was this the madman's true thoughts? Zero shook his head.
"Well... Its almost time for class. I'll be headed down to breakfast first. Unless you want to join me..." Louise said, hoping he'd take her up on the offer.
"No, I need to clear my head. I"ll meet you after breakfast."
"Alright..."
***Break***
Zero and Louise walked into the class. She'd tried to get Zero to talk about whatever his dream had been. He'd been withdrawn since he'd woken up this morning.
Kirche and Tabitha were already seated. They, too, were surrounded by a group of students.
"Hey, when you and Louise were absent from class, where did you all go?" asked Montmorency, grasping her arm.
Glancing at her, Kirche elegantly started redoing her make-up and Tabitha quietly sat while reading her book. Tabitha didn't talk much. As for Kirche, although she usually was in the mood to talk, today she didn't feel like telling her classmates about their secret journey.
No matter how hard their classmates pushed and pulled, they couldn't extract anything out of the two, so they switched their target to Guiche and Louise who had just appeared.
Guiche, who liked being surrounded and fussed over, got carried away as expected. "You want to ask me, right? You want to know the secrets I know? Ahaha, what a troubled little rabbit!"
Louise broke through the crowd of people and smacked Guiche over the head. "What do you think you're doing? You'll be hated by the Princess if you say anything, Guiche."
With a single reference to Henrietta, Guiche became silent at once. Their classmates grew even more suspicious upon seeing this. They surrounded Louise and started pestering her.
"Louise! Louise! What actually happened?"
"Nothing at all. Osmand just sent me to the palace on an errand, that's all. Right Guiche, Kirche, Tabitha?"
Kirche smiled mysteriously while blowing on her polished nails. Guiche nodded. Tabitha read her book. Since no one was willing to speak, their classmates returned to their seats. Like a group of sore losers, they started to talk about Louise angrily.
"Heh, it's probably nothing important anyway."
"Yeah, it's Louise the Zero we're talking about here. I can't imagine what great feat she could possibly accomplish when she can't even use magic."
"Catching Fouquet was only a fluke. Her familiar was the only one who did anything there," Montmorency said irritatingly, waving her curly hair.
Louise bit her lip, wearing an annoyed expression on her face whilst keeping silent.
Zero had seen the way the girl had looked at Guiche since he had been back. He decided some retribution was in order, and looked at the blond girl very intently. With an amused tone, he said,"Keep squawking for all you want. We can all tell you're jealous that Guiche was around so many beautiful girls. How could you even compare to any of them?"
"How dare you, commoner!" She shouted at him.
"Oh, so angry. Strike a nerve huh?" Zero said with a lazy smile on his face.
The class murmured with that, laughing at the girl.
"He seems to have you there," Louise said, some satisfaction in her voice. "Guiche was the perfect gentleman."
"What? What did you say about Guiche!"
"I simply said he was the perfect gentleman, Montmorency the Flood. Its not like you should care though. You did pour that whole bottle of wine on him didn't you?" Montmorency left, muttering angrily to herself. Zero's resounding laughter followed her to her seat.
Louise was about to say something to Zero, but then, Mr. Colbert entered the classroom, so she sat back down. Class started.
"Well, everyone," Mr. Colbert patted his bald head slightly. Until yesterday, he had been frightened that Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt had broken out of prison. Immediately, the initial conclusion was that there was a traitor in the castle. He thought that it was a serious affair for Tristain. This morning however, Osmand summoned him, telling him that it was "Already taken care of" and he returned to his normal self. Besides, things like politics did not interest him much. What he did have interest in was knowledge, history and … research. That's why he liked lessons. He could freely state the results of his research. And so, on a joyful note, he showed the class something strange that he placed on the desk.
"Mr. Colbert, what's that?" one student asked.
It really was a strange looking machinery. It was composed of a long metallic tube with a metallic pipe stretching out of it. A pair of bellows were connected to the pipe and a crank was attached to the head of the cylinder. The crank was connected to a wheel on the side of the cylinder. Finally, gears were attached to the wheel and the box.
Staring at the equipment, the students were all wondering what sort of lesson would follow. Clearing his throat, he began his lecture, "Firstly, who can tell me the main characteristics of the fire branch of magic?"
The class turned to Kirche. If you were talking about the fire branch of magic in Halkeginia, then you would be referencing Germanian nobles. Among them, the Zerbsts were a famous family. As her nickname, Ardent, indicated, she was adept at fire magic. Even though class had started, Kirche still continued to polish her nails. Without taking her eyes off the nail file, she replied languidly, "Passion and destruction."
"That's right!" said Mr. Colbert, himself a triangular fire mage whose nickname was 'Flame Serpent'.
"However, besides passion, only being able to destroy is a bit lonely, I think. It depends on the usage, everyone. Depending on how you use it, you can actually do some really fun things. Fire is not only for destruction, Miss Zerbst. A battlefield is not the only place where you will see it."
"There's no use in trying to explain fire magic to Tristain nobles," Kirche said, filled with confidence. Mr. Colbert was not agitated by her arrogance, but smiled instead. "But, what's that strange thing you have there?" Kirche asked with a blank look, pointing at the equipment on the desk.
"Hehe. So you finally asked. This is something I invented. It works using oil and fire magic." The students gaped, staring at the mechanism intently. The mechanism seemed somewhat familiar to Zero, as if he had seen it somewhere before. Being a curious person, he too remained silent and watched intently. Mr. Colbert continued, "First, we vaporize the oil in the bellows." He stepped repeatedly on the bellows with his foot. "And then, the vaporized oil will go into this cylindrical tube."
With a cautious look, Colbert stuck his wand inside a small hole he had opened. He recited an incantation. The sound of a blazing fire could suddenly be heard, and as the fire ignited the vaporized oil, the sounds changed into that of explosions.
"Watch carefully everyone! Inside the metallic tube, the power from the explosions are moving the piston up and down!"
The crank attached to the top of the cylinder started to move and the wheel along with it. The spinning wheel opened the door on the box. The gears began moving and a snake puppet came out from inside.
"The power is transferred to the crank which spins the wheel! Look! The snake then comes out to greet us! How interesting!"
The students watched it unenthusiastically. The only one interested seemed to be Zero.
"And then? What's so special about that?"
Mr. Colbert was sad at the fact that the invention he took so much pride in had been totally chastised. Clearing his throat, he began to explain, "In this example, only a snake showed up, but say for instance this mechanism was placed on a carriage. Then, the carriage could move even without horses! It would also work on the side of a boat by turning a water wheel. Then there wouldn't be any need for sails!"
"You could just use magic in those cases. There's no need to use such a weird mechanism." After one student said that, the others started to nod in agreement.
"Everybody, listen carefully! If it is improved upon, this could run machines even without magic! I relied on my fire magic to ignite it, but say flint was used and a way to ignite it every so often was found…" Colbert was obviously getting excited, talking on and on, while the students were all wondering what was so special about it. The only one who seemed to understand the greatness of his invention seemed to be Zero.
"Mr Colbert, that's great! That things primitive, but you've got a nice start on an engine there!" Zero called out. The whole class turned to him.
"Engine?" Mr. Colbert looked at Zero with a blank look.
"Yes, an engine. It's used in my world for functions you just mentioned. As well as quite a few other things!" Zero said, happy he finally saw SOMETHING that made sense in this whole damned world.
"I can tell you're a perceptive person. You're Miss Vallière's familiar, yes?" Mr. Colbert knew that he was the legendary familiar, but kept to his polite attitude. Due to his enthusiasm he had held an interest in Zero since he had gone to save Siesta. Colbert nodded again and returned to the mechanism. Standing on the platform once more he looked around the classroom.
"Alright then, who would like to try operating the mechanism? It's very simple! Just open the hole in the cylinder, put your wand in and recite the 'ignite' spell repeatedly. The timing is a bit tricky but once you get used to it, it will be easy like this," Mr. Colbert stepped on the bellows with his foot and operated the mechanism once more. The explosive sounds echoed throughout the classroom while the crank and gears moved, followed by the snake showing its face.
"And the joyful snake greets us!"
No one raised their hand. Mr. Colbert tried to get the students interested in his mechanism by saying "joyful snake", but it didn't quite work. Disappointed, Colbert drooped his shoulders.
Montmorency, suddenly pointed at Louise, "Louise, you try it!"
Mr. Colbert's face lit up, "Miss Vallière! You have an interest in the mechanism?"
"Catching Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt and journeying to dangerous places, surely you won't have trouble with something like this right?"
Louise realized Montmorency was trying to embarrass her by making her fail. It seemed Montmorency didn't like Louise getting all the attention, such as accomplishing great feats and being the star at balls. Her jealousy was deep and the fact that she was a show off suddenly came back to Louise.
Montmorency continued provoking Louise, "Hey, do it Louise. Louise the Zero."
Something in Louise cracked. She just couldn't keep quiet when Montmorency called her Zero. Louise silently stood up but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
Seeing Louise in this state, Zero glared at Montmorency, "Hey Monmon."
"It's Montmorency for God's sake! Can't you even pronounce that, you stupid commoner!"
"What's that? I'm sorry. Did you say your name is flood?" Zero asked.
"How dare you!" she demanded.
"Simple. You're provoking my 'master'. And I'm really getting tired of you spoiled brats doing that. So sit down, shut up, and look at that engine. Its got more potential than a stupid little girl like you could ever have," he said coldly, causing her to swallow hard.
Louise shifted her eyes at Zero's comment. The whole class looked at him.
"What do you mean potential?" the older professor asked.
"Simple. Using an electrical current, and a fixed amount of air with the fuel vapors, you can cause a consistent flame, even without the pistons. With the pistons you can create such things as you mentioned. Without the pistons, using the compression of air, and a controlled amount of fuel with a series of burner cans similar to that, you can even conquer the skies. That's ahead of what you're looking at, but it is definitely a step in that direction. Imagine creating a flying craft that can move many times the speed of sound. As a pilot, I've actually been involved with those types of machines," Zero said.
The professors eyes lit up at what he was saying."Conquer the skies? Pilot? What do you mean by that?"
"Honestly, its complicated. Getting into the difference between an internal combustion engine, and a ram air jet engine is more in depth than you can imagine, not to go into aerodynamics or any of the other things that are involved with it. To put it simply, we don't have time to even scratch the surface in class. You can do more with that engine mechanically, then any amount of magic can."
"Amazing," Mr. Colbert said, knowing he'd be seeing Zero after class about this. With that he continued his lesson.
***Break***
Louise blushed as she got ready for bed. She knew that Zero wasn't watching her. He had always refused to dress her, saying he respected her modesty too much. Even with that, tonight, her hands gripped the sheets and she started hanging them from her bedposts. The sheets acted as a curtain and hid her bed. Watching Zero out of the corner of her eyes, she went to the closet, found her clothes, and returned to bed. Zero could hear the ruffling of clothes as she changed behind the curtain. The curtain was taken down after a few minutes. Wearing a negligee, Louise was bathed in moonlight, her hair flowing smoothly. The brilliant moonlight accentuated her divine beauty. After combing her hair with her hands, she lay down and switched off the lamp on her bedside table with a flick of her wand. It was a magic lamp that would switch off at the signal of its master. It wasn't exactly special, but it seemed like something expensive. With the moonlight bathing the room, the atmosphere felt ethereal. Louise was paying extra attention to the details.
Just as Zero was about to fall asleep, Louise sat up and called out, "Hey, Zero."
"Yes?"
"Always sleeping on the floor is a bit extreme …you can, sleep on the bed if you want."
Zero's body stiffened, "What?"
"Don't get the wrong idea! I'll hit you if you do anything strange."
Zero looked at her, "I'm not sure if that would be proper,"
"It's ok, don't make me say the same thing. This room is too small for another bed, and its isn't it something an animal would do, sleeping on the floor?" she asked, knowing that had been a chief complaint he'd had at the beginning.
Zero started. That had been something he'd said. At the time it was more of a compounded thing. Everything together made it seem like he was an animal. But now she was doing this because she had seen that?
"Sorry." Zero said
Louise didn't reply. Was he not going to take her up on the offer? Was that why he was sorry?
"I promised I'd protect you. But even so, you nearly died twice because of me. Beyond that, you've seen a side of me I had wished never to show again."
Louise replied in a small voice, "It's fine, don't worry about it. Now come lay down. I can't do anything more for you than this, so I ask that you understand my feelings"
Zero looked at her. The way she said it was so simple, and at the same time innocent. He sighed, as he moved to join her in bed.
"I won't fail you again," he lay there.
"Of course." replied Louise.
She started to talk, as if determined to tell Zero something.
"...but, I too have to apologize. I'm sorry for the way I treated you."
"That's ok. It's not good, but it's alright. You're learning at least."
"I'll find a way for you to return home if you want. But... You don't have to. I don't want you to go back to such an unhappy place."
"Thanks," Zero felt relieved for some reason. This was a welcome change. The hostility she had was gone now. He wondered how long the peace would last.
Squirming a bit, Louise asked Zero, "Your world … there aren't any mages there right?"
"Nope."
"There's only one moon?"
"Yeah. A simple, white moon. It has a beauty all its own though."
"That's weird."
"No it's not, it's this world that's weird, nothing works according to logic."
"You spoke of fighting and battles. But you also talk about your friend, X. What was he like?"
"He was similar to me. He was everything i could never be really. When it came down to it, he was a pacifist in theory, but he would put aside that and become a weapon just as I can. But he never enjoyed it, and it was always the last resort. He hated violence, and fighting. He wanted nothing more than a world of peace. Out of all the people I've ever met, i can say he's the person I respect the most. He was my brother, and because of my failure, he is dead."
"Dead?" she asked, shocked.
"X sacrificed himself to seal up a great evil called the Dark Elf. She was originally created to heal the people like us, who were afflicted with something that warped their minds and caused them to attack the humans that created them. In the end, he was destroyed to release the Dark elf, while i was stood powerless to stop it. I only found the anger to break my bonds once he was dead. I failed him, and even after that his last request of me was to protect the world, so that humans and reploids could live together in peace."
"He had faith in you then," Louise said simply. "I can see why"
"Why is that?" Zero asked.
"Because. You might not be a pacifist, but you don't seem to want to hurt anyone. You do what you feel needs to be done. But at the same time, you fight with your feelings. You're honest. I can't imagine anyone who's not human being as conflicted as you are. We all are really..." Louise said sadly.
"I suppose so. Perhaps that's why I was able to become your legendary familiar," he said, as closed his eyes. Had he and X been that close to humanity? He wondered not for the first time, just what was the drawn line between himself, and an actual living organism.
Louise looked at Zero,"Don't say that! I can't even use magic. You're a legendary familiar, yet I'm Louise the Zero. Why can't I even do simple things?"
"I don't know any more than I've already told you. Magic is totally alien to me, unfortunately."
Louise remained silent for a while. Then she spoke in a serious tone, "You know, I want to become a great mage. I don't mean a very powerful mage. I just want to be able to cast spells properly. I don't want to fail every spell I cast and not even know which branch of magic I'm good at." She sighed sadly, "Ever since I was small, I was told I was hopeless. My father and mother didn't expect anything of me. I was always treated like an idiot, always called Zero … I really don't have any skill. There isn't a branch of magic that I'm good at. I'm even clumsy at reciting incantations. I get it. My teachers, mother and sisters have said it. When you recite an incantation for a spell in your branch of magic, something within your body responds and it circulates within your body. When that rhythm is at a climax, it means that the spell is completed. I have never felt that before." Louise's voice became smaller, "But, I want to at least be able to do things like everyone else. Otherwise, I get the feeling I won't be content with myself."
"That's the problem Louise. You're not normal. You don't do things the same way as everyone else. You summoned me. There are only two beings like me that have ever been created. I'm the last one left. Don't you get how unique that makes you? And even without magic, you have a good heart. Sometimes its misplaced, but that doesn't matter. You try your best. I still believe what I believe. You'll find your power when you find it. X came into his power eventually, and so will you." Ending his hopefully optimistic speech, he looked to Louise. She had already fallen asleep. It seemed she had drifted off while Zero was thinking of his reply. Her pink hair mixed with the moonlight, shining brightly. Steady breathing could be heard from her small pink lips. Smiling warmly at Louise, Zero knew what was worth fighting for. Not power, not money. The ability for the people he cared about and believed in to sleep so easily. He closed his eyes, willing himself to start his diagnostics once again.
Louise opened her eyes once Zero had fallen asleep. She knit her eyebrows and whispered, "I was even pretending to sleep". Louise hugged her pillow, and bit her lips. I don't understand. I don't understand what he's thinking at all. Louise rested her hands on her chest. When Zero was next to her, her chest really did throb. Were these feelings really true?
She wanted to return the favor to Zero, who had been so kind and had saved her so many times… But that wasn't the only thing. It was the first time she had felt these feelings for someone of the opposite sex and she didn't know what to do. She didn't want Zero to see her change because of this. Once she recognized these feelings, she became embarrassed at the mere thought of him looking at her skin. She didn't want him to see her face after she had just woken up.
When did I start having these feelings for Zero? Probably since that time, Louise thought. Just when she was about to be killed by Fouquet's golem, she was hugged by Zero. Her heart throbbed. Despite the fact that she was about to die, her heart beat loudly. There was also the time when Wardes was about to kill her. Zero jumped in and saved her. But the time her heart beat the fastest was when they were riding on the dragon and he had kissed her. After that, she couldn't look at Zero's face. I wonder what Zero thinks of me? An unpleasant girl? A selfish and mean master? Or perhaps he likes me? Well, he kissed me, so he must like me. But why didn't he kiss me on the lips? Does he think I'm just some silly girl? I wonder which one it really is. I want to know. Anyhow, why didn't he do anything when I was just sleeping beside him, Louise thought, her mind scattered as it tried to make sense of her own feelings. Louise tapped Zero's pillow. He didn't wake up. She looked around restlessly. Other than the moon, nothing was looking at her. She moved towards Zero's face. Her pulse started to quicken. She pressed her lips upon his softly, only for about two seconds.
Louise panicked slightly and drew away from his face, sinking into the blanket, hugging her pillow. There was no reaction from her familiar.
What am I doing? To my familiar as well. I'm such an idiot. She looked at Zero's face. He was kind of cool: coming from another world, being obedient at times, yet carried away at other times for absolutely no reason. The way he protested at how magic worked sometimes, yet was completely unphased by things that should cause him lived by a completely separate set of rules to what she knew. Thinking about him, she wondered if he was considered a noble in his own world. But then, even if he was... Did he care about titles or power? He seemed to like Osmand for his belief in the merit over nobility. Shaking her head, she wondered how she had deserved such a beautiful familiar. Strong, gentle and protective. The legendary familiar … I wonder if I really do like him? Is this what they call love? While she repeated her thoughts, she traced her lips with her fingers. How can I find the answer to this question? "I don't want to be left not knowing the answer…" whispered Louise as she closed her eyes.
***Author's notes***
By shards of memory, its not physical, its more closely related to a quarantined program. Until the corruption could be fixed, or the irregularity repaired by Zero's system it was meant to be entirely separate. While the "Fix" of the memories was working for Zero, the "restore" function was not. this was likely due to the reprogramming that he got from after his first fight with Sigma. Capcom has said absolutely nothing about this. This is just something i thought would be interesting from the start. It makes sense, and I could see Wily also using it in case Zero ever turned on him. Zero turns? instant reformat. Kind of a back up plan that would have been created because Bass was so rebellious and Wily often talked about how he hated that part of him. The reference to calling Zero son, has to do with Tatsunoko vs Capcom. I don't know if his words are to give Zero a sense of connection unlike Bass, or if he truly felt that way about his creation. This Wily can be likened to the Hologram in that its a personality imprint, and is a representation of Wily inside of Zero's mind. He's not going to be come a main plot point, but he's not likely gone for good.
And as for the Wily in Zero's mind. I have no doubt this was likely what Wily himself believed. People who dream of world domination never view themselves as evil, and just view it as a "required" thing, especially in people intelligent like this. Basically, Wily believed that he could save the world if he had control. So he tried to take control. Now his methods were often harsh and brutal, but how often do people say "the ends justify the means". Even if that wasn't the case, people often times believe or say things to make themselves feel vindicated, even if they know that their actions can't be excused. And while the suspected Wily reploid wasn't trying to go after the world in the open, he helped create a 'new' Zero like reploid and the nightmare virus that if it had succeeded, would have led to him likely disposing of both Sigma and gate, and taking the lead for himself. Also, the point about Bass being alone with Dr. Light with Megaman not there? totally valid. He could have shot the man in the head with nobody to stop him. But he didn't. The question here can be answered in multiple ways. You never really saw the Robot masters in heavily populated areas, and all were "control" type robots for the lower robots that didn't have the processing power to have an intellect. If you take over the things society requires, you can take over the society. The other answer that is most easily answered, is that Wily didn't want to kill Dr. Light because it would have meant that he wasn't good enough in his field to beat him with his skills. While this could be the answer, i find it unlikely due to the fact that Wily used all sorts of other underhanded tactics, but never went out of his way to kill people. In various non-cannon things he's been the over the top cartoony villain, but i don't like that type of style of villains. Except Kefka, because it actually fit with his story and such.
Sorry for the giant write up on Wily, but there are so many views on him, that i kinda had to explain my view on him for this story, especially to the people who aren't really familiar with the Mega man series who are reading this. Its also kind of hard to put a lot of background information on a guest character into writing without it being bogged down a lot.
Another question is, would Zero really be considered a noble of his world? Possibly not, but he's definitely legendary. He's faced every enemy in his path and cut them down. He's taken on whole armies alone.
Speaking of Kekfa. Kefka for Pope, 2015. For Religion that is Feng Shui