Note: Hello there! In a bit of a phase right now so I'm going to do the last chapter of this particular chunk before I take a small break to work on other stuff.

While it won't take center stage, let alone be a major subplot as a whole in regards to the rest of the story, I'm adapting the events of Just Not Today in this story to both explain a little of what occurred before the series took place, as well as summarize, as I feel that I was dragging the original side story on too long. Plus, the small amount given to it here will be enough I think.

Let it be said I adore Blues as a character in almost every incarnation, yet his potential dynamic with Tempo/Quake Woman is one of my favorite things from the Archie comics. True, they are far from perfect, and I have my own problems with them (I still like them, but ultimately Ariga did it better), yet I kinda reworked their interactions to fit into this story's universe, albeit without changing the core meaning of their interaction.

Also, while I do find some potential problematic elements to it at first, I do like the proposed friendship the two were hinted to develop if the comics continued. Not to mention a few fics have gotten me to like them as a ship as well (although I'm very excited to explore the Ruby Spears version of this).

That said, thank you for reading! Alert me of any errors you may spot!

Late Night Talk

"So, this was what you managed to find?"

Shadow Man nodded in response, dark eyes centered on the masked Robot Master before him. At least, one that held his origins on the third planet from the sun. "Granted, the restoration of electricity allowed me to bypass the systems' security programs, but I can't guarantee I was able to get everything," he answered before handing the collection of notes to Break Man. "Although," he added. "I am still not entirely sure why you even wanted this in the first place," he admitted. "From what I've heard, Dr. Wily has no interest in another machine with drills. Crash Man already exists for that."

Break Man huffed. "He's also got the extra perk of having explosives he's more than happy to let off whenever he can, so of course Wily would immediately count them out of being any use."

"Do you mean to say that you wish for them to become one with our…group?" The indigo android inquired, arms folded. "Because, to an extent, given what's in these documents, you may have a slight chance with that."

Break Man lifted the collection of papers and notes up toward his concealed eyes to examine them, flipping through page after page and recording the various bits and pieces of data that he managed to catch. Granted, he didn't have time to sit and read through absolutely everything, but what he wanted to know was contained within its contents, so it would suffice.

Still, having the subject of interest swayed to their "side" wasn't exactly the former DLN's motivation. True, the possibility existed, yet it was more of a way to convince Shadow Man to retrieve the files he requested. After all, if their creator was an acquaintance of Dr. Light, then there was also the potential for them to put their abilities to assist Mega Man.

Mega Man, Rock, brother…

…replacement.

"Break Man?" Shadow Man piped up, but the aforementioned Robot Master didn't answer. "...Blues?"

"Don't say that name," Break Man responded as if the very mention of the title stung him. "He doesn't exist anymore," a pause before he handed the papers back and turned away from the ninja. "Dr. Light doesn't need him anymore as it is."

Shadow Man bit his lip, almost tempted to reach out and prevent the other robot from leaving. Almost. But before he went off, the shinobi-based android had one last point to bring up. "What do you intend to do with this information if they say they wish to stay with Dr. LaLinde?" he asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Break Man openly wondered.

"I only bring it up because, from what little time I've existed in this world, on this planet, I've come to notice that Wily is someone who doesn't hesitate to use any type of leverage whenever he can get it," Shadow Man replied. "And while LaLinde's child might not have any use to him now," he paused. "Who's to say that won't change in the future?"

The helmeted machine went silent, tense stillness falling in between him and Shadow Man, one of the few among those here that he could perhaps consider a comrade. Maybe even a friend.

"It won't be of any use to him because he'll never know," Break Man finally answered. "This information lies between us and us alone. Besides," he shot a look at the files. "How is going to know what's in those papers if they're destroyed before he can read them?"

He was asking for a favor in everything but actually asking, yet Shadow Man nodded in response, seeing little reason to keep them at all, even if for themselves. Besides, quite frankly, it wasn't as if LaLinde's own creation could lend much help anyway. With nothing else to be discussed, Break Man's form was enveloped in bright light and what was once a humanoid figure the size of a later adolescent or young teen disappeared, leaving the ninja alone once again.

Shadow Man sighed and shook his head. "She won't be able to give you what you're truly wanting, what you're truly after," he muttered, turning to enter the dense forest he had promised to meet Blues at with the information requested. "If anything, you're probably making it worse for yourself by even doing this."

?

"Mr. Ray B.?"

Great, he was letting his mind wander again. Now's not exactly a good time.

"Everything going ok in there?"

"Yeah," the clothed figure answered his guide. "For the time being," he added. "So far, there's no sign of activity. Yet." While the entrance to the massive complex was mostly barren and contained little if anything of interest, it didn't take long for Ray B. to stumble upon where the origin of the shapes he had seen before came from. Although, the sight in itself wasn't exactly pleasant to see.

The chamber he had entered via a short but contrastingly compact and narrow hallway appeared to be some sort of processing center, assembly lines and incomplete components such as CPUs and cores made to be fit into new Reploids or mechaniloids situated in separate yet tightly packed containment units, each to be sent on a journey to further into the factory. Another room in, and he was met with the sight of several still, lifeless forms of various mechanical beings, although which were Reploids and were not left up in the air, for these machines lacked several features such as a complete facial covering or even a face at all, the skeletal structure resembling the anatomy of a human skull in appearance, only, instead of a brain composed of flesh, loose wires, and cables hung from a small spherical object in the center of where the cerebral chamber would be.

"Ai mentioned something about how it's possible that this could potentially fall into Sigma's hands, and given it's a processing plant for Reploids and mechaniloids as a whole, it'd be a prime target for him to seize for himself," Roll told Ray B. "Although, with that, there hasn't been any detection of it being in use for some time. From what I've read, while this particular factory was in use for a few years, a larger area was constructed closer to the city for convenience, so it was ultimately abandoned."

"Hm," Ray B. hummed. "That doesn't surprise me," he said. "Typical human behavior, it seems some things remain inherent in their race," he then quietly muttered. "Even after one or two centuries."

"Don't tell me you actually adhere to the nonsense Sigma and his followers are spouting," Roll immediately interjected. "Yes, while a human is…partially responsible for all of this occurring, they as a whole aren't creatures to be hated."

"No, I don't follow his philosophy," Ray B. clarified. "On the contrary, what he's doing is nothing short of setting the beginning stages of humanity's extinction," he said. "He's far from the first to try and do it let alone got as far as his predecessors," he paused. "But, if there's one thing he has that some of the others don't have, it's influence."

"Influence?"

Ray B. adjusted his trenchcoat as if shielding himself from an unseen chill that permeated the entirety of the desolate, dead factory. "Even if you don't remember much of it, I assume that given from what I've gathered, you have basic knowledge on certain notorious individuals from 200X, yes?"

While unseen by him, Roll nodded in response. "One particular name comes to mind," she admitted, voice laced with a considerable amount of venom. "And, frankly, the only good he's provided is that he gave Mega Man a reason to show the world that robots didn't have to be regulated to being mindless instruments of destruction."

"That's putting it mildly," Ray B. added. "However, unlike Dr. Light, Wily wasn't exactly counted among the respected minds of the scientific community, specifically in the realm of robotics," he said. "Still, with that, he managed to do a lot of damage using coercion, leverage, and overall blackmail against anyone he deemed to potentially be of use to him."

"That I DO remember of him," Roll answered. "The Professor was perhaps more empathetic than I, but I never forgave that balding old coot for what he did to Blues," she bitterly growled. "Hey, we can add what he did to Splash Woman and the other DLNS, not to mention the countless others that suffered because of him."

Ray B. nodded. "...still, Light died believing that there was some good in him," he said. "I'm…not entirely sure if I can say he was right or wrong, but, ultimately, everything he did and believed was aimed to better this world, misguided ventures notwithstanding."

"My father wasn't a flawless man, let alone a flawless human, or even organic creature," Roll admitted. "At times, even I questioned his line of thinking, especially whenever it came to dealing with Wily," she then sighed. "But, I think I'm justified in saying that he was a good man. Not perfect, let alone entirely smart according to some," she dared not even think of such a thing, yet Light's fellow humans sometimes were far more willing to express their distaste for him, more for his relations with Wily instead of his theories and concepts. "But…someone who tried."

"...until he could do it no more."

Ray B. continued on, moving to yet another section in the factory, all the while primed and alert of any sense of movement. True, his optics had deteriorated in quality, yet he had other means to navigate his way around. At that very thought, his hand unconsciously began to lift upward, steadily moving toward the center of his chest.

His core.

…where it used to be.

Another hallway lay ahead of him, quite a good length longer than the first. And, given how there was a locked door at the end with an unlit but present "OFF LIMITS" sign above the frame, he assumed that either there was a project that was potentially considered dangerous, or, there was something concealed within that no one wanted anyone to see. No one like himself, anyway.

Of course, he was never exactly one to adhere to the rules.

Rules that became tighter and more restrictive.

Rules that, ultimately, "she" was subject to.

Philippines

There she was, loading samples out from the back of a sizable vehicle, the sea-green and violet color scheme of her armor making her easy to spot among the dull and almost completely gray boulders she was to study.

Even now, Dr. LaLinde saw fit to simply go on as if nothing had happened.

He took a step forward, keeping his movements quiet and barely noticeable. And yet, he hadn't got but a few yards away before she ceased grabbing hardened stones and froze.

She said nothing at first, merely stood in place, back turned and long tails of chestnut brown hair dancing lightly in a gentle night breeze. He in turn stood in place, waiting to see what action she would take next.

Maybe it was a mistake to come here, let alone in a fashion such as this, given what the other machine had just experienced.

Yet, before he could make any decision on whether or not to make himself and what he wanted to be known, he heard her voice for the first time.

"…you are…DLN-000, yes?" She questioned him, slowly turning to face the masked android. "Blues Light?"

Her voice, it wasn't what he expected. Given what he knew of her, he would assume that she possessed little to no ability to quite literally emote, yet, despite this, there was a hint of "something" buried within her tone. She kept it even and mellow, yet there was a sense of trepidation.

Did she know everything had happened? It would be somewhat fitting, given his knowledge of her.

Still, remembering her question, he answered, his voice similar in tone and delivery, yet deeper in pitch and cadence. Also laced with a melancholy that couldn't entirely be disguised. "No, that robot is no more," he told her. "…I am, Break Man," he answered. "I know who you are, LMN-001," he said. "But, it's more respectful to refer to you as Quake Woman."

The pigtailed Robot Master stared back at him, slightly tilting her head. "Break…Man?" She inquired. "What function do you have to fit such a name?"

He blinked from underneath his helmet, her green optics studying him as if he were one of the pieces of Earth she was to drill into. Still, he wasn't entirely expecting her to start with him being the one interrogated. With that in mind, he remembered why he had come.

"That's my business," Break Man replied. "You don't necessarily cause earthquakes, do you?"

"…not exactly, no," Quake Woman responded. "Yet, the feature to create a small seismic movement is built within to assist with breaking apart samples. However," she paused, biting her lip. He saw her eyes, vibrant but also glassy and lacking in any warmth flash as if a memory had just come to her. A memory she would rather forget, if her biting her lower lip was any indication. "It does have its…drawbacks."

He stood still, observing her movements, and she observed him, the two Robot Masters studying each other as if they were products of science.

And perhaps there was some truth to that. The only truth that ultimately mattered.

"…why are you here?" Quake Woman asked, Break Man noticing that his subject of interest was beginning to grow wary of his presence. "Are you…" her eyes widened, albeit only slightly, as a potential possibility came to her. "…are you here at the behest of Dr. Wily?"

"No," Break Man answered. "He has nothing to do with this. He doesn't even know I'm here," he then turned his head to the side for a moment. "I don't need him getting in the way."

What that meant exactly, the LaLinde Number was uncertain. Nevertheless, she pressed and applied more pressure. "Then, you are here for something else?" She inquired. "A more…personal matter?"

What the…? Break Man stiffened. "…why?"

Quake Woman raised a brow. True, her face still bore a very neutral appearance, yet, even so, there were still slight hints of puzzlement. It was as if she could register and identify her current emotional input, yet experiencing it in itself was still out of her reach.

"Why what?" She asked. "Why in itself is a very broad word, and context regarding the question would surely-"

"I know about what happened," Break Man interrupted. True, cutting her off wasn't exactly polite, but he wasn't too sure on just how much time he had to spare being here. So he just cut to the chase. "I know what Dr. LaLinde did to you."

Quake Woman said nothing, merely focusing her gaze on Blues. Although whether this was to see what he'd say or he planned to do next. The possibilities ranged from a dozen to nearly a hundred. "…you know of the accident, then," she stated, Break Man nodding in response. "Yet…I fail to see how that would bring you here."

"…I want to know why," Blues repeated. "Why do you remain here with her? In this house?" He gestured to the LaLinde abode. "With a woman who essentially killed you?"

"…killed?"

"…I…I want to know why you stay with her," he said. "Why, after everything she's done, do you still call her family?"

Break Man and Quake Woman locked eyes, although only one presented their optics out openly. There wasn't much occurring within the green confines of colored lenses and transparent material, the moonlight somewhat reflecting in her irises as the astral object itself cast its full face in the red robot's thick visor.

Yet, despite the apparent clear contrast between the two of them, there was the overwhelming sense that neither of them would allow the other to reach in and see what was beneath the surface.

At least, not without their consent.

Quake Woman turned around and began to walk toward the house, Break Man staying in place, unsure of what this meant. Was she declining him an answer, or was she…?

"Well?" Quake Woman asked, pausing for a moment to look back, seeing that her "guest" had yet to accept her invitation. "I will show you," she stated. "…if that is what you wish."

"Anything or anyone turn up yet in there?"

"So far, everything has been quiet," Ray B. responded. "Unusually so," he added, going back to toying with the lock on the door. "Hmm…"

"What is it?"

"…" his hand pulled away from the emergency handle on the door, the echoing "CLICK!" resonating throughout the small corridor. "…no," he muttered. "It's too easy, all of this," he said. "I've gotten this far and there's not been a sign of anything or anyone noticing an intruder just waltzed right in?"

Roll was silent for a few moments, unsure of just how to respond. As much as she didn't like to admit, her current charge's theories were rather sound. Still, regardless, she tried to be encouraging. "Perhaps they simply haven't noticed you? After all, you said that this place doesn't appear active, and so far, it's one of the areas on the island that's still cut off from us here in the city."

"That may be," the shrouded figure agreed. "Yet an event such as what's happened here doesn't just occur in the span of a few days, let alone a few months," he paused. "No, Sigma has been planning this for some time. Fujiwara as well, although," he narrowed his concealed eyes. "It seems this partnership between man and machine didn't go in the former's favor."

"…"

"What is it?"

"…then, what do you believe happened to Dr. Cain?"

Ray B. huffed. "From what I've heard, Sigma's confirmed that he's still alive, yes?"

"But I highly doubt he's been extended any kindness beyond that," Roll added. "After all, this whole rebellion is based on the falsehood of Reploid supremacy," she stopped for a moment. "Who knows what he could be experiencing right now, wherever he is."

"Ra Moon kept Wily alive, despite that coot being one of the organic creatures he utterly despised," Ray B. said. "Yet his motivation was probably more pragmatic than Sigma's."

"How so?" Roll questioned.

"Well, think about it," Ray B. said. "Comparing the two, one would think that Sigma would value Fujiwara's life over Cain's given his experience in working with robotics," he explained. "That was the only thing keeping Wily alive during the Blackout," he relayed to Roll. "But, unlike Ra Moon, Sigma already possessed the basic attributes of functional limbs and the ability to move," he adjusted his coat. "So, Fujiwara was ultimately deemed worthless in his eyes."

Roll pondered this. Indeed, while she wasn't exactly conscious of the event, she was made aware of what happened, as well as how Wily was eventually found alive by Mega Man and another robot. Break Man, was it? Or, was it someone else?

Someone else that had…when he first tried to get at Rock…but then, he helped save the world. And then…?

She wrenched herself out from her thoughts, mind refocusing on the task at hand. Although, the more she spoke with Ray B. the more she found herself thinking of that someone.

Or, was it three?

Break Man,

Proto Man,

Blues,

DLN…

"Then, if that's the case," Roll said, chastising herself for getting caught up in her own mind. "Why do you believe Dr. Cain was spared, but Fujiwara wasn't?"

Seeing that there was little else to do but go forward, Ray B. took the emergency handle in his grasp and began to apply pressure, the mechanism surrendering to his exerted force and letting him open the door. Indeed, while he had his theory, it was still just that, a theory. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he was wrong. But still, regardless, the possibility couldn't be shaken, sense itself unable to fully wrap around it.

Then again, if Reploids were as advanced as they said if they truly surpassed robots, then maybe the answer lay outside of what was considered the most logical option. He perhaps knew better than anyone of that, both of what he had experienced and what he had done, for good and ill.

"Because Dr. Cain validated his existence," Ray B. answered, optics not entirely able to discern what lay ahead, but continued. "To him, even if his field of knowledge wasn't in how to connect cables and cords, the only major difference Cain saw was probably his height," his eyes shut in comprehension. "Outside of that, he was just as living as any human."

He entered into the darkness as the void swallowed him whole, leaving no trace of him behind. As if he had quite literally vanished.

LaLinde Residence, Philippines

"So, what are you trying to show me?" Break Man questioned, hidden optics focused on a portrait hanging above a blue couch. "That she still has your picture on the wall?" Hanging a little lower than that was a portrait of a far more familiar individual, albeit someone he held utter contempt for.

"My sweet boy…"

Shaking his head to dispel the old man's voice, the Robot Master got back to the current subject. "You consider this a sign that she values you as her child?"

While the girl presented in the photo was exact in appearance, any similarities were merely surface-level. True, she still possessed the same long, chestnut-brown hair and green eyes, yet, unlike the robot standing before him now, there was an undeniable spark of life to every feature, a youthful vigor that was on full display with the smile she presented in the captured frame. A moment that was perhaps not too long ago, yet it still seemed to be a mere sliver from a time now unreachable by any means.

The girl in the photo was unreachable by any means. The only question was, had she been aware of this as well? And, if so, it only puzzled him more.

Quake Woman turned away and took a remote from off the armrest of the couch. "That is not all," she responded, directing her attention to a line of disks situated atop the television. "Before the accident, Dr. LaLinde and I recorded our work sessions to review later in case any of the written work missed a few details," she explained. Studying the collection of thin round shapes fashioned with holes in the center, the brunette took one situated to the right of the rack holding the discs and inserted it into the media player sitting atop the television. "I don't entirely remember them, as my CPU suffered significant damage from a rock that cracked my dome during the cave-in, yet, from what she's said, I may be able to…be like this again."

Pressing a button on the remote, the TV screen lit up and displayed the image of a young girl with loose, flowing hair and a simple yet feminine outfit of a green, long-sleeved vest and skirt with a yellow undershirt, a purple ribbon tied into a bow serving to keep the vest together, and a pair of simple brown slippers rested on her feet, albeit the robotic components could be seen on the ankles, indicating where the machine would make adjustments to put on or remove any wear on her legs.

"Ok, this is…what, Log 96?" she asked, somewhat confused at first before she searched her recorded information stored in her CPU, her face going serene and calm for a second before instantaneously returning to its chipper attitude. "Whoa, Mom, how many rocks have we gone through?"

Quake Woman, currently LMN-001, designated "Tempo", questioned the sole human residing in the lab, who in turn only rolled her eyes with an amused grin. The woman was somewhat older than middle-aged, yet she only bore a slight amount of gray in her hair, which was darkly colored yet, underneath the light, it appeared to have a slight tint of subdued violet, her eyes a somewhat darkened amber while her skin was slightly tanned, indicative of her Spanish and Filipina roots. She wore a pair of glasses that were half-circles that rested over her eyes, surveying the movements and current antics of the robot.

Her "child."

"I would say we're pushing the two-thousand mark, and we're probably going to do a lot more," the woman, Dr. Noelle LaLinde answered with a chuckle. "Although, we're not going to get anywhere if we just stand around. Shall we get started, then, Temp?"

"Okie-dokie!" Tempo responded, or rather, the past Tempo. That Tempo only existed within the confines of the television screen and recorded data of the discs. The Tempo observing this other version of herself, the Robot Master, Blues noticed that she too was having difficulty believing that this machine was her. "Oooh, watch out! Rock guts are flying everywhere!" she giggled, one of her fingers transforming into a tiny drill and steadily breaking through the surface of the sample, material from the stone indeed spreading outward.

"Tempo! Careful!" LaLinde chided. "Someone's going to have to sweep this up later!"

"But I'm built with drills in my hands! Not a dustpan!"

"Well, you're just going to have to be a little innovative when cleaning your mess, aren't you?"

"Aw, Moooom!"

He watched her go about her work, although whether or not it could even be called that was debatable in itself. Still, the differences between the girl on the screen and the machine standing before him were clear. The Quake Woman…no, the Tempo before him was a blank slate, completely robbed of anything that had once been "her" at the hands of the one who claimed to love her.

"Welcome to the world, my sweet boy!"

"Maybe it was a mistake giving him such an independent streak…"

"Shouldn't this be enough?" Break Man questioned the other Robot Master, gesturing to the television screen. "Isn't this evidence that the woman you live with can't be trusted with you again?"

Quake Woman was quiet for a few moments as if contemplating an answer. "...I…sometimes worry, yes," she confessed, an ivory hand reached out to touch the slightly rounded glass of the TV, and the sight of the girl presented in the recordings, someone she knew, and yet was completely unfamiliar with, stirred strange sensations from within her core. Nothing incredibly strong or overwhelming, yet they began to make themselves known.

As well as how Light's "first son" had fled due to a reason such as this.

"Then why don't you leave?" Blues questioned. "Why live here in fear when you could be out in the world, existing for yourself with no one holding orders over your head?" his concealed eyes fell onto the screen again. "No chance of you ever potentially going through the same procedure again?"

Quake Woman was silent, processing his words. Then, after a few seconds of merely staring at the television, she stopped the recording and clicked it off, the once vibrant screen becoming dark, hollow, and blank. The girl that she was now gone from sight and reach.

"She will not repeat this action," the green and violet android answered, turning to face Blues. Or should she refer to him as his new preferred title? "She has made this quite clear to me."

"How?" Break Man inquired, thrusting an accusing finger in her face. "How do you know she won't?"

"Because she has explained her reasoning for removing my emotional circuitry in the first place," Quake Woman responded. "And she has also confessed that it was a misguided attempt to help me. After all, from the damage my external form endured during the initial accident, there's a possibility that there would've been lingering effects from the incident, whether she adjusted my CPU or not," she paused. "Of which also sustained considerable damage from the cave-in."

"Do you remember anything of it at all?" Break Man questioned. "Aside from the fact it happened, do you know any details? What day of the week it was, the weather that day, the day of the month? The year it was?"

The pigtailed Robot Master stood in place. Whether it was due to her processor catching up to her or her "guest's" words were a little more complicated to swallow than she initially believed. She didn't express it, yet Blues saw, albeit briefly, a small flicker of uncertainty flash across her optics. However, her face remained neutral. She, on the other hand, couldn't read his expression behind the barrier of his red helmet and darkened visor.

"...you can see me, but I cannot see you," she made this known, obvious as it was. "Indeed, you're behaving rather enigmatic and aloof for someone that's come asking for open transparency," she still couldn't read his face, as it was hidden away, but she saw his body stiffen, as if unprepared to hear her state such a thing. "Isn't this situation leaning more in your favor compared to me? Despite I being the one to allow you to enter my home? Better yet," she continued. "Why have you come to me, of all individuals? What do you have to offer you?"

Break Man was left speechless, finding that, to his dismay and embarrassment, he was struggling to come up with a rebuttal. "I…I just…" he stammered before growling and redirecting the conversation. "Th-This isn't about me."

Quake Woman folded her arms, eyes not exactly changing, yet her lids lowered, indicating she didn't entirely trust his words. "Somehow, I am beginning to doubt such," she answered plainly. "If not, then why are you here, if not to gain the answers you want? Regardless of your reason, you are here to fulfill a need that you are struggling to exist without, correct?"

"Well, yes, but…it's not…entirely like that," Blues replied.

"Then what is it like?"

"...it…look," he said, finding frustration beginning to slip into his tone. "This isn't about me. This is about you, and why you stay with a woman that's displayed no remorse for the crime she's done to you!" he told her. "Dr. LaLinde, the woman you're supposed to call 'mother,' ripped you open and removed what made you…you!" he proclaimed. "Look at yourself!" he then said, gesturing to her, then to the blank television. "The robot that's here now isn't the same one that exists on those discs!" he told her. "For all you know, she'll never exist again! She's gone! Forever!"

Quake Woman stood still and silent, wondering if she had indeed made a smart decision in even letting Blues into her home. In all honesty, perhaps not, yet upon discovering he had come here, as well as learning what he wished to know…the prospect of turning him away simply didn't sit right with her.

Although, she wasn't entirely sure why. Was this the beginning "surges" told of by Dr. LaLinde? She was also told that things would not return to her right away, let alone all at once. In fact, at the moment, there was no guarantee of anything. Both when she had "re-entered" the world and now in this very second, Blues Light, Break Man, DLN-000 before her and delving into topics and areas that she wasn't too certain of herself.

Still, it was too late to turn back now. He was already here. Even more, she had been the one to let him in.

"...perhaps what you say is true," she responded. "Indeed, I do…" she paused. "...feel…different. If that's the right thing to say."

"Then why do you stay here?" Blues continued to pry. "Why do you willingly put yourself in danger by remaining with the human that had no problem with essentially destroying everything that you once were?"

Unknownst to either of them, the older woman seen on the discs concealed herself behind a corner in the kitchen, her child and that of Dr. Light mere feet away, and all it would take would be one small movement to make herself known. Yet, given just who was now in her abode, the woman debated whether or not that would be a wise decision, let alone if the boy that had been let into her home was a danger to herself or her child.

Thus, all three of them went quiet, pondering what the other parties would do next. But what occurred, exactly, would lead to a string of events and perceptions, some sound and some rooted in fear, that would forever shape the course of not only their futures but the futures of several others.

And all because Tempo LaLinde decided to let Blues Light through her door that one night.

Note: Cut off here as I'm losing steam, but Zero and X's side of things will be wrapped up next time. Plus, Blues and Tempo's relationship, while not the main focus and only serving as a backdrop, does tie into important elements in this story's world and universe.

That said, thank you all for reading! Alert me of any errors I may have missed!

Thank you!