Note: Special thanks to Freedmoon for the input and criticism.

While I won't delve into my mental health here, I think I have sort of concluded why the wall punch made me reluctant to institute anything possible between Blues and Tempo.

I'll admit to having always been burdened with an all-or-nothing mindset, black-and-white thinking if you will. And while all the characters are fictional, I find it troubling that certain elements and behaviors are pushed aside or excused because "backstory has angst" or "they said they were sorry."

And I'll also admit that there have been plenty of people I've cast out of my life for various reasons, yet, truthfully, if they were to come up and say sorry and that they want to do better, I still don't want anything to do with them.

Extreme? Yes, and it's painful when they are sorry, but one or several bad incidents have left me with no attachments or affection for those people anymore.

Of course, my therapist said that this in itself isn't exactly an excellent mindset to have and that it's very restrictive and doesn't allow for an accurate reflection of reality. Everything is gray, but black and white are familiar and naturally built in for some. And, in many cases, it's a means to retain control and maintain direction.

Still, I won't deny that there are things that I've probably missed out on due to this line of thinking, and sometimes I wonder what would happen if I did decide to bend my method of thought for a bit.

It's just a matter of deciding what is worth trying to understand and what isn't.

Kinda makes me wonder if many of the things I write about are just these things trying to get out in a way I can maybe understand.

Never Today

The first thing he was aware of was that he was on a flat surface, and what he had believed to be the sun was a bright lamp shining down on him, blinding the robot's vision as the light directly hit his eyes.

Wait a minute…his shades! Where were his shades?!

From outside the door, a pair of sapphire optics saw movement from the small view allowed in the steel door. "Hey! He's up and moving again!"

Two more figures approached the door, their "captive" just a small few steps away. "Are you sure you want to do this?" An older woman's voice asked, hazel eyes plagued with apprehension and concern.

The one she was addressing was silent for a few moments. "Truthfully," she began softly. "I am not too certain of this myself."

"Well, better make your decision soon, because I think the guy's beginning to panic a little." The figure at the door noted, watching how the robot sealed up in the lab was frantically searching for something.

Upon hearing the door open, the brunette DLN immediately shielded his eyes from view, hiding his face from the three figures that had entered the lab.

"If you're looking for your glasses, they're on the table to the left." A chipper, female voice addressed the other robot, who, while still keeping his face from view, grabbed the dark spectacles and slipped them on, once again shrouding some of his face in ambiguity.

Upon retrieving his shades, Blues gazed at the human woman in the lab coat, her arms crossed and her features displaying disapproval and disappointment. "I would say welcome, Blues," Dr. Lalinde spoke, voice smooth but stern. "But concerning your more recent activities, I find it surprising you're even here at all."

Blues reached up, rubbing his crown, a slight headache coming to him. "Ow…what…happened?"

"Sis here hit your head with a rock." A robot fashioned after a honey bee answered with, of all things, a smile.

But then he noticed what she had said. Rock? Wait…yes. He remembered now! He had come here and encountered Tempo, but she ran away, and he…?

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

…right. That's what happened.

To the other side of Lalinde stood the robot in question, her long pigtails flipping upward at the ends and her green gaze upon him. "Yeah," the bee android said. "She felt super bad about it, so she brought you in," she smiled. "Name's Vesper Woman, by the way," the insect-based Robot Master told Blues.

Tempo, Quake Woman technically, averted her eyes when she sensed Blues was making direct eye contact with her. The other brunette wasn't entirely surprised at this, but, truthfully, he didn't exactly like the way she looked at him.

"From what I've been told," Dr. Lalinde began again. "During your and Tempo's…argument," she said. "You said that you had come here for something," she then crossed her arms. "Mind informing us all what that is?" she asked.

Blues was quiet, studying the three pairs of eyes staring him down. Lalinde's were dark hazel and displeased with him, the bee-woman was curious and bemused, but Quake Woman watched the grey and red robot with tense caution. She looked at him as if he were a predator that had just spotted his next meal, ready to pounce and tear it to pieces. His lips parted to speak, but nothing came out, Tempo's eyes robbing him of any words.

Her eyes. Green. Green…confused…but cold.

So, so cold.

"Blues?"

Dr. Lalinde's voice brought the robot back to reality. "Oh, y-yeah, that's right," he said. "I…I know I wasn't really… hospitable the last time I came here."

"Clearly," Lalinde said. "You have a LOT to answer for, you understand, young man?"

Blues nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I-I will."

"But that's not the most urgent matter right now, is it?" the violet-haired scientist questioned, Blues nodding in confirmation. "May I ask what it is?"

The shades-wearing robot went silent for a few moments, eyes turning back to focus on the pigtailed digger a short distance away. She turned her face away from him. "...it…" he began, not entirely sure of how to start. While this wasn't going to be easy, he wasn't expecting this added baggage to come along with it. Nevertheless, the human was right. He had come here for something rather vital.

His very life depended on it.

"So…" a voice suddenly spoke up. "Will he be cared for?"

Lalinde and the bee looked at Quake Woman, who, while still not looking at Blues, clearly had him on her mind. "To the best of my ability, sweetie," Lalinde answered her eldest child. "I don't know how long the procedure will be, but-"

"All right," the green and violet Robot Master said, turning toward the door. "Alert me when it's over."

All three observers were caught off guard.

"Wait," a male voice called out, the other robot stopping in her tracks before she could make her exit. "You…you're not staying?"

"Mother said that she'll take care of you. I trust in her capabilities," Quake Woman answered. "Besides," the door shifted open. "There are still more samples I need to check off before the day is done."

"Tempo-" Dr. Lalinde began, reaching out to try and maybe stop her daughter from leaving, yet the robot was already gone. The human woman turned to Blues, and, to her surprise, she saw that he appeared…saddened by the fact Tempo had left. "Well," still, that could be dealt with later. For now, she had work to do. "Shall we?"

Outside

She hadn't even gotten halfway done with her work!

Hopping into the truck, the shadows cast by the interior, boxed in the shape of the carrier, Quake Woman observed the samples that still had to be taken care of. It frustrated her that she wasn't even close to finishing, but she nevertheless went to work in finishing the job. All the while, stepping further and further into the darkness of the small confinement.

She said nothing, but her mind was racing with questions. Why? Why did he come here again? What was he after? Had she made another mistake in allowing Dr. Lalinde to see him? Granted, she didn't intend to smash his head in, but she did intend to get him to back off.

Just the very sight of him filled her with dread. But she couldn't let him know that. She wouldn't allow him to know anything. He knew enough, more than she should've told him. Her mom was right, it was utterly foolish to let him inside the house. It was only now that the Robot Master realized just what kind of danger she had put herself in.

And the dangerous one had been one of Dr. Light's children.

No, Tempo thought. Blues…he wasn't a child of Light. He said so himself. Blues didn't exist anymore, there was only Break Man. And, indeed, he lived up to his name.

"HE REPLACED ME!"

Despite being equipped with two high-powered drills in each forearm compartment, Tempo still flinched at the memory of him being so close. So close to her, glass flying over her head, and his rage-filled, but unseen eyes boring into her very core.

He could've done it, she thought. He could have hurt her if he wanted to. He was more than capable of doing it. His own family wouldn't be spared from his menace, so why should she be any different? If anything, perhaps the fact there was no relation between them would've made it easier for him to do it.

And what if it evolved further into that? What if punching the wall wasn't enough? What if maybe punching her wasn't enough, if he decided an object that couldn't cry out in fear and pain wasn't as satisfying?

He still had that buster. He used it on Roll and he could use it on the digger too.

So lost she had been in her musing that Quake Woman realized that she had gone to the very back of the carrier, now completely swallowed in the shadows. Her green optics adjusted to the lack of light in the current area, surveying the samples nearby.

"I should probably bring these to the front," she said aloud. True, there was no reason to, but no one was here to hear her anyway. "Maybe that'll get me back on track."

Lifting one of the heavy stones, the green and purple android walked to the entrance of the carrier and set the rock down, going back to collect the others and repeat the process. As she did so, she dipped back in and out of the dense shadows, and each time, dark possibilities and thoughts regarding Mega Man's estranged sibling filled her mind. But then, when she migrated toward the light, she found that they seemed to lessen. Yes, they were still there, but only in the darkness did they seem to get more intense.

"Well," she spoke softly to herself. "I won't have to deal with that anymore soon. Because this will be the last time I ever have to look at his face."

Lab

"All right, the scan is over."

Upon hearing that, along with the sound of his chest cavity being closed, Blues lifted himself from the table. "So…what's the diagnosis?"

The violet-haired woman adjusted her spectacles. But before she could answer, Vesper Woman spoke up. "You want me to go get sis, Mom? She said to tell her when the procedure's done."

LaLinde pondered this, then she turned to Blues. "Do you want her to be present?"

Blues pondered the scientist's inquiry for a moment or two, silent, but his processor was torn. He wanted to see her. He had things to say, things to explain. But, if she knew what had happened before he came here…

"Actually," the robot fashioned after a boy approaching his older years began. "It's all right if she doesn't come. I'm…sure she's still busy."

"Are you sure?" Vesper Woman questioned. "It's no problem!"

"No, it's fine. In fact," Blues turned to the human woman. "I…would like a word with Dr. Lalinde, if you don't mind."

The insect-based Robot Master was puzzled. "Why?"

Blues lowered his head. "It's…complicated," he admitted. "But…but after this, I know what I have to do."

"What do you mean?" Lalinde questioned.

"Before…I came here, I…" Blues paused, Lalinde turning to see Vesper Woman still present in the room.

"Do you mind, sweetie?" the human questioned her creation.

"Oh, no problem, Mom!" the bee woman answered. "Besides, sis probably needs to hear this news."

"Wait!" Blues called out before she left. "Don't say anything about…that yet."

"What? Why? It's why you came here, right?"

"...I want to be the one to tell her. If that's ok."

"...all right, whatever you want, handsome." with a wink, Vesper Woman exited the lab, leaving a very flustered robot on the examination table.

"It's funny," Dr. Lalinde chuckled. "Dr. Light's advice helped me create Tempo, and then I modified Vesper Woman from an old model he never got to unleash into the world," she smiled. "And yet both of them and you, are so different. It's so odd but also interesting."

The brunette android let out a huff of air. "Yeah, I suppose you can say that," despite his eyes being hidden, his expression grew downcast again. "How…has she been?"

The violet-haired woman turned her attention to the DLN. "You mean Tempo?"

"Yes."

"You're talking about that night, aren't you?"

Blues nodded, as much as he hated to admit it was true. "Given how I ended up in here, I take it she hasn't been doing too well, right?"

Lalinde sighed. "She hasn't been horrible if that's what you think," she said. "She's been progressing with her emotions, yet there have been a few that have become more prevalent than others," she continued. "Why? Something on your conscience?"

Blues chuckled, although there was nothing about his situation that was in any way funny. "Make that many things."

Lalinde observed him, momentarily forgetting all that he had done and seeing Light's child. His lost, confused child. "I'm sorry, but I can't entirely let you in on my daughter's business."

"No, I'm not asking you to," Blues responded. "I've just…been doing a lot of thinking lately."

"About her?"

The brunette nodded. "I'm not asking for details about her personal life," the robot clarified. "Yes," he said. "What I came here for, the main thing, that…wasn't all."

Lalinde sensed where this was going. "What happened that night doesn't sit well with you now, does it?"

Blues lowered his head, thankful for his darkened shades. They concealed the fact that he was trying to keep himself composed and speak his words slowly. "It's that," he confessed. "But also, now that you've taken a look at me," he said, placing a hand on his chest compartment. "There's something that I need to do."

"Something that involves Tempo?"

"Not exactly," Blues said. "Well, sort of," the light from the overhead lamp reflected off of his visor, a small smile coming to his lips. "I don't need her to do anything, but…" he said. "There's…something that I feel I need to do."

"For her?"

"Technically everyone," the robot added. "But…I won't lie," he brought his knees up to his chest. "I know I won't be able to receive everyone's good favor, but…" he paused. Then, he gazed up at Lalinde. "I think you and I both know that some are going to be more difficult than others."

Outside

"There," Quake Woman huffed, feeling somewhat winded despite not having the need for oxygen. "All samples are accounted for."

She stood by and observed the collection of rocks that had been delivered to the house, ready for her to tear into. Images of her past self came to mind, a self that she wasn't too sure how it could've been her once. Nevertheless, that robot, that Tempo, was so bright and chipper, eager to work and always making a joke out of something. Not to mention grating on her creator's nerves.

Even if she dared not think of the prospect, the Robot Master wondered why it only took a cave-in for her creator to remove her emotional circuitry from her processor. If she were in Lalinde's position, she would be driven out of her mind by such a hyperactive, immature individual! Then again, Vesper Woman now functioned, so perhaps she was simply taking her place as the more "fun" one.

She didn't blame her creator, not for a second. After all, what she had done was with her creation's best interests in mind. Quake Woman was consumed by fear from the accident, so why wouldn't Lalinde want to take away her pain? True, in retrospect, Tempo wondered if it was the best, seeing as how she was now. Not that she held any resentment toward her Mother, if anything, she was disheartened that the woman still suffered guilt from her actions.

"You didn't hurt me," Quake Woman muttered aloud. "You were trying to help me. You actually cared about my well-being. You wanted to make my life better after something so horrible," the mental image of her Mother faded away, and, in her place, was a red helmet staring her right in the face, mere inches away and fist practically grazing the top of her head. "He, on the other hand…didn't even care if he damaged something," she then paused. "Let alone me."

"Damaged what?"

The pigtailed digger jumped with a high-pitched "EEP!" and practically leaped up in the carrier of the truck, stumbling back until she couldn't keep her balance and fell onto her rump with a loud impact. Vesper Woman was on the verge of losing herself in laughter while Quake Woman tried to hoist herself up, realizing, to her embarrassment, that it was just Lalinde's newest addition.

A…little sister.

"Oh geez! Mom's right! You ARE jumpy!" the insect woman giggled, her laugh almost resembling the high-pitched buzzes of an actual bee.

"I am NOT!" Quake Woman protested. "I just… wasn't expecting you."

"Yeah, sure," Vesper Woman chuckled.

"Anyway, what is it?" the pigtailed Robot Master questioned, a hint of irritation creeping into her tone.

"Mom's done with your boyfriend, so I came to tell you."

The brunette's green eyes grew wide. "B-Boyfriend?!"

"Yeah," the bee woman said. "Granted, I don't know how you two know each other, but he's been going on and on about you since he woke up."

The other Robot Master was unsure whether to immediately decree the other android to be a liar, or say that she was simply delusional. However, Tempo could only utter one word. "...what?"

"Yeah, he won't stop asking how you're doing and what you've been up to," Vesper Woman confirmed. "If anything, he already seems smitten with you."

For a second, she swore she heard every component in her head stop functioning all at once, only to then start up again fully, the insanity that she had just heard literally blew her mind. Then, her expression soured, if not contorted into one of disgust and disapproval. "Absolutely not."

"Ok, I know it's probably a little sudden for a guy to like you," Vesper Woman admitted. "And, well, you still have those…emotional issues you're working through, but-"

"Well, I can thank him for amplifying that problem," Tempo responded with a hiss. "I possibly would've been progressing much faster had he not arrived."

The insect robot was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Quake Woman grew silent. "You don't know anything about him," she said. "You don't what he's done, what he possibly plans to do," she then paused, biting her lip. "What he could've done to me or Mom…"

"Huh?" Vesper Woman tilted her head, her sister's back turned to her as she went back to see if she had indeed gathered all of the samples.

"He's not someone you want to know," Quake Woman said, voice surprisingly cold. "He may be a creation of Dr. Light, but he's nothing like the others," her green eyes narrowed. The same heat she felt from before when observing her past self consumed her core again, only now, it evolved past mere annoyance and frustration. No, this felt hot, boiling hot. As if her reactor was practically an active volcano that was about to potentially erupt any second. "He only does what serves him and only him, and he's proven that he's nothing short of a horrible criminal."

Vesper Woman's blue eyes expanded. "Criminal?" although her surprise didn't last long. "Oh, I see," she smirked. "You've caught the attention of a bad boy, and you're not sure how to deal with it."

It was then that Tempo whirled around, her recently built and activated sister was taken aback by the intensity in the other robot's expression. Truth be told, while she hadn't been around that long, having quite literally been "born" last week, she didn't think she had ever seen Lalinde's first daughter look so…offended.

"You are not the source of my current…emotional state right now," Tempo clarified. "But, I want to make one thing clear," she said. "He is not my boyfriend, nor is he my friend. He will NEVER be any of those things, let alone anything more than someone who has no regard for anyone and cares not for the man who created him, or his own siblings," she bit her lip. It was then that Vesper Woman saw the other robot's face change. True, her brows were still furrowed and her eyes burning, but the intense fury began to slowly morph into a strange mixture of both anger, but also something else. Something that, despite her voice sounding firm and scornful, it began to crack somewhat. It was also then that Vesper Woman noticed her sister's optics appear to look somewhat glassy.

Almost wet. Was she…about to cry?

"He cares nothing for his own kin or the numerous other people and machines that he's hurt," she stiffened, her body beginning to tremble. "He was right, who Dr. Light built, Blues, DLN 000, he's no more," an involuntary sniff and sharp inhale followed, briefly interrupting her. "He's Break Man now, and he might not be one of Dr. Wily's sole creations, but he might as well be. And, as his name indicates," she then leaned over, her arms wrapping around herself. "He shall break and shatter anything in his path, regardless of what or who it is."

She was about to continue, but, in the corner of her eye, she noticed that there were two figures that had suddenly entered the scene. A human woman with her hair in a tight bun and glasses, and by her side, a shorter robot fashioned after an older child, standing still and silent, mouth slightly agape, but, as always, his eyes were hidden from view.

Yet, behind them, both of Lalinde's creations could see that, perhaps their conversation hadn't been so private after all.

Note: Tempo's a little mean this, yes, but I don't want her to be heartless. It'll be in the next chapter that she finds out about his core, as well as an unexpected turn of events.

Something that'll probably begin the slow deconstruction of Tempo's image of Blues.

Again, this IS technically a prequel to the Variables universe (as are other Classic stories I'm thinking of), but I won't update if I believe that it'll lead to a spoiler, so there may be long spans of time in between.

That said, thank you for reading! Feel free to share your input.