Note: I'll update again soon, I just am running out of steam right now because of some stuff going on with medicine. Plus, Discord got hacked, so I had to make a new one.

That said, hope you enjoy!

Rest in Peace and Power, Akira Toriyama. You honestly have influenced and inspired me more than I could've ever imagined.

Testing

Just how long had it been? True, he knew it probably wasn't as lengthy as his frazzled mind thought, yet he knew he had to have been trapped here for more than a few days.

July the Fourth was his home country's day to celebrate their victory over the British Empire and their officially recognized status as an individual nation and individual people. Perhaps there wasn't a better day for Sigma's uprising to occur than when it happened.

It certainly provided Dr. Cain with a clear enough message.

Still, what wasn't clear was why he was still alive.

Vile had made that clear to the elderly human ever since he had arrived, as well as how there was little separating him from becoming like Dr. Fujiwara, who, according to the violet (and violent) ex-Hunter was probably having his corpse eviscerated by ravenous fish at the bottom of the Philippine Sea by now. Perhaps a few sharks saw fit to take an arm or leg, maybe both. Unfortunately, no bottom dweller would be able to give a rating on how the contents of the man's head tasted, seeing as Sigma quite literally took that severed appendage off somewhere with him.

Rumors circulated of just where it went, let alone what was done with it, the possibilities a hot topic among the Reploids that had switched sides whenever they realized Cain was in earshot. And given the restrictions of his current confines, it was doubtful he would be going anywhere anytime soon.

Whatever the case may be, Phillip Cain was made more than aware of how his eventual fate could be no different, and that his current safety was something that could change in the blink of an eye depending on what his next moves were, or how Sigma himself was feeling.

The old man remembered Vile's words to him, the newly-appointed Second in Command having paid him a brief yet memorable visit after news of Chill Penguin's demise had been received.

A chill permeated the chamber his cage was located in, the elderly man securing the blanket provided around his shoulders to hopefully block out the cold. Should he consider it a kindness he was provided with such means, or was it to further empathize on just how worthless and pathetic his captors viewed the human race? The human species?

True, the word "human" in itself had become something spoken with venom and disdain, many saying such either condescendingly or with a considerable amount of disgust. Yet, Cain observed that some of Sigma's men had decided to go with more colorful phrases to describe their organic creators. References to other creatures such as monkeys or rats were brought up, yet both were ultimately thrown out as it was unanimously decided that even under-evolved primates and invasive rodents that bred at a rate rivaling rabbits deserved more respect than a single human. One homo sapien was of less value than even that of an earthworm, or even that of a roach. For, in the eyes of Sigma's men, even if those creatures were also composed of organic material, of "flesh," they had a place earned for them on this planet. Billions of years of evolution, trillions, and maybe even more specimens that had died so that those who would build the future would survive.

Ironically enough, the value of any creature unlike themselves was based solely on how long they had been around since the world was formed, and those that had continued to survive through the various incidents that nearly wiped out all life on the planet during the time before mammals became the dominant species.

The days before man.

Again, there was another irony in that, seeing as this school of thought was based on a loose understanding of Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Or was this a new way that the Reploids viewed said theory? Cain himself wasn't entirely sure. The point was, that all those aligned with Sigma viewed humans as nearly useless and completely expendable.

So, if that was the case, why was he still here?

Suddenly, he heard the door to the small room containing his prison open, a bipedal shape entering through the door before it shut yet again automatically. However, upon seeing just who his visitor was, Cain grew even more confused.

The violet-armored ex-hunter stepped forward, Cain realizing that the bars holding him were also what kept his newfound guest from getting in, the confines becoming something of an unintended shield for the trapped human. Still, bars or not, Sigma's orders, he knew that the war machine hadn't come all this pay to chat merely.

And, even if he did come to talk, the subject of interest could be potentially life-threatening on both ends.

"Has Sigma sent you to collect me?" Dr. Cain questioned, Vile stopped a few feet away from his cell, face concealed behind a helmet and the dense shadows it cast, yet the human couldn't help but sense that he was still being carefully observed. Only with a pair of eyes that he was unable to see. "If he's decided to kill me now, then he can at least give me the courtesy of knowing."

Vile scoffed immediately as if he were expecting the old man to say such a thing. "As if," he responded. "Believe it or not, I actually vouched for Sigma to keep Fujiwara alive instead of you," he said. "Granted, I couldn't care less about that bastard, yet, given the choice between the two of you, if we had to keep someone, then why not the guy who knows a thing or two about how to put together a machine?"

"Why did it have to come to that at all?" Cain retorted. True, he knew that arguing was ultimately useless, yet the reminder of one of his fellow men being cast aside as if he were nothing was everywhere. The very confines of his prison served to enforce such as well. "What use was there in killing Sho Fujiwara?" he inquired, albeit the answer to such questions were grim and perhaps things he wished not to hear. "Why then did Sigma send some of his men to Arcadia before the missiles hit to collect his child? He deemed her worthy to live but not her parent?"

"Not exactly," Vile retorted. "On the contrary, he considers her potentially even more useless than you are right now," he answered. "The way he sees it, if Fujiwara's daughter dies, then it would most likely affect little to nothing."

"Then why bother going through the trouble of trying to bring her here? To her father?" Cain countered.

"Who says that we were bringing her to him?" Vile shot back.

"Then why did you try to abduct her?"

was then that he remembered Vile went silent, although for what reason, Cain still wasn't sure. Had such an inquiry angered him? Confused him? Perhaps both or neither at all?

Whatever the case, his answer caught the old man off guard.

"...you being brought here alive was Sigma's idea," the violet Maverick told the imprisoned human. "Keeping you alive also comes with that, lucky you," he mocked. "However," he added. "Your case is a separate one from that of Fujiwara's brat."

"How so?" Cain questioned.

Again, he was met with silence.

"...if I can't leave this spot, then can I at least be granted this?"

It took some time. So much so that Cain was half-convinced he wouldn't receive an answer, yet, ultimately, to his shock, Vile answered. Although, what he had to say did little to clear up anything.

"It was by the suggestion of one of the Commander's…confidants."

"...and who is that?"

Vile's optics, briefly, lit up, a flash of red visible from within the small rectangular opening of his helmet. Ironic, considering nothing about him was natural per se, yet the sight of the red glow instilled a primal fear in Cain that he wasn't even sure he possessed until that moment.

"...just a friend," Vile answered. Then, he gave a light chuckle. "Of course, considering how no one says they've seen them, you could assume Sigma's outright talking to a ghost."

Abandoned Weapons Plant

He continued to grill her, to pry, and to dig. He wanted to know why she was here, with her creator, with a woman who had robbed her of everything that was once herself. What he had feared, what he had believed would happen, what he had then begun to doubt…but then, it became what he had discovered.

It had become the truth. He had seen it with his own two eyes. He knew the reality of her situation, he knew of the situation that affected them all. Why was she so blind to it?

"How are you so sure she won't do it again?" Break Man questioned Quake Woman, who made her way over to the blue sofa situated in the den. "She's proven that she can and has, so why do you even remotely entertain the idea of staying with her?"

The pigtailed Robot Master's green eyes remained relatively neutral, along with the rest of her smooth features, her skin somewhat pale in comparison to that of her creator. Yet, given the mixed history of the Philippine Islands, Break Man was once again reminded of the complexities and general strangeness of human genetics and customs, as well as the species in general.

Beings such as himself, machines, robots, even if they weren't such, he noticed that even Dr. Light had given him traits that endured him to the others he was presented to. To an extent, perhaps this was necessary, yet, ultimately, Break Man now understood that it was all an act, a show. Despite his warm eyes, the bearded man never cared.

He had proven it that one night in that talk with Dr. LaLinde.

"Because, despite her previous actions, she has expressed great regret and remorse for them. And, thus, she has done her best to mediate the effects left by my extensive repairs."

Extensive repairs? What was she on about?! Even with all of this known to her, LMN 001, Quake Woman, Tempo, this other machine, this being that had faced the very thing he had run from was here telling him that his view was wrong? That it was incorrect?

…that everything had been…that maybe the man who had saved him had actually…?

No.

No, it couldn't be.

Impossible.

Ridiculous.

"They were no repairs," Break Man countered Quake Woman, who had transitioned into her armor-less alt-mode, her attire transforming into that of the same outfit found in the portrait hanging on the wall. Indeed, the two Tempos were perfect reflections of each other in almost every way. Very much how the blue robot sort of looked like himself, which only further confirmed his sentiments. He had been cast aside for another. "She reprogrammed you," he added, continuing his speech with the more humanoid-machine. "Do you know what that even means?"

Tempo's green eyes didn't register his words at first, her processor's current state more or less dictating that a question had been asked of her, and it would only be appropriate to answer. "Reprogramming is the act of completely rewriting a machine's processor or a vital portion of their internal hard drive," she told Break Man matter-of-factly, albeit there was a slight hint of puzzlement as if she didn't understand why he had even asked such a thing at all. "I am already aware of what this is. Every machine is," she then paused. "Sometimes, we just do not realize it until it's already happened."

Break Man's words died in his throat.

"At the moment…I am unsure of who LMN 001 is," she said. "Quake Woman is a Robot Master whose function is geographical surveillance and, if need be, exploration," she continued. "Although," her green optics turned to the artificial flesh of her palm, where, underneath, lay the necessary components to summon a sizable drill to replace it at the ready. "The latter addition was a more recent one," she confessed. "One that… ultimately perhaps needs some more testing."

The red and grey robot raised a brow from underneath his darkened visor and concealing helmet. "She plans to have you go out digging again, doesn't she?" he questioned her, voice laced with ever-increasing disgust. "Despite what's happened, she still wants you to go back down there? Underground?" he asked. He was about to speak the last portion of his sentence, yet withheld it from her. Back in the dark?

"Precautions are being taken," Tempo responded. "She has requested so herself. And, as far as I know, our client has agreed to make accommodations regarding the developments in my emotional reception and output."

"And how long will that last?" Break Man inquired.

Tempo blinked. "I don't understand," she said. "I don't suppose you'd care to explain?"

"Dr. LaLinde's already tampered with your circuitry, so she's proven she knows how to do it. Who's to say that she won't do it again."

"I do not believe she will," Tempo answered.

Blues, on the other hand, was left flabbergasted. "Why?!" he shouted, frustration boiling over.

Yet, upon doing so, even if he didn't entirely notice, Tempo's optics widened for a brief moment, as if the volume of his voice triggered something in her, a sense that she was familiar with, yet one that she wasn't too eager to visit again. There was no danger, she told herself. This was Blues Light, Dr. Light's son. The son of her mother's long-time friend.

The brother of two of her friends.

Her friends that he had attacked.

"As I've said before," the brunette responded. "She has expressed remorse and promised she will not perform the procedure again for any reason. I have forgiven her, and with forgiveness, comes trust, as she's proven the extent of her regret at having ever operated on my emotional circuitry in the first place."

Break Man turned his head away with a hiss, his back to his host. True, he was aware that he wasn't exactly being all that courteous, yet he could barely believe what she was saying to him. Was she in complete denial?

"...you would want the same, yes?" Blues stiffened.

"...what did you say?"

A few seconds of silence fell in between them before Tempo continued. "I know what happened before I lost consciousness before the blackout occurred," she told him. "I know of how Dr. Wily supposedly found a machine in the Amazon that saw fit to end all life on the planet," she went on. "Yet, before that, at the celebration for Rock's achievements in stopping Wily, you showed up," she paused. "...and, when you did, you tried to hurt him, Rock," she stopped again. "...you failed, although, in a way, you also succeeded."

Break Man said nothing, continuing to face away from Tempo. She wasn't entirely certain how to read this, whether he was contemplating her words or resisting them. Still, she found that, as their talk went on, she found aspects of this robot's emotional processing and expression to be rather unsatisfactory.

Dare say, she believed it began to make her upset.

"Ironically enough, had it not been for Rock's intervention, you probably would've been limping your way back to the site where that massive computer rested. Ra Moon, he called himself, yes?"

"...you acknowledge him." Break Man noted aloud, yet still didn't turn around to face her.

"...he is….was living, just as we are, right?" Tempo questioned. "Living enough to make an impact on the world. One that I hear those in power are still uncertain of, yet, they say a change is inevitable."

"Change is inevitable, period," Break Man responded. "No matter how much we want it or not."

"Your change helped save the world, did it not?" Tempo said. "The change in your decision to go from killing Rock to helping him and the rest of the Robot Masters defeat Ra Moon. From the way I see it, you and Dr. LaLinde are in the same boat regarding the dilemma of making amends," she said. "She has done all that is in her power to remedy what she's done. What about you?" she questioned. "You assaulted Rock, and, in turn, you shot Roll," she narrowed her brows, albeit unconsciously. "It is only due to sheer luck and Dr. Light's skills that she isn't in a similar state to me, perhaps."

Break Man remained silent, yet he held one question in his mind. Do you hate me then?

"Upon hearing that, I was…displeased," the long-haired brunette confessed. "I…I will admit that we have not known each other long, and perhaps we do not know each other well yet, but Roll is someone that I believe I can consider a valued friend, someone I…enjoy having in my life on occasion. As well as the likes of Kalinka…even if she is a little more…excitable," she bit her lip. "So, given that you presumably turned your back on Ra Moon's ambitions, should I extend forgiveness to you?" she questioned. "Should I extend to you my trust? My hospitality?" she couldn't help but let a small bit of a growl seep into her voice on the last word.

"...forgiveness?" Break Man said, seemingly processing what she had just said, yet the sudden curling of his fist indicated he had received her words in a way that didn't help the situation. Before Tempo could respond, he finally whipped around, golden scarf circling his shoulders in a wave as he turned, voice filled with fury. "I don't NEED anyone's forgiveness!" he bellowed. "Not his, not hers, not yours, no one's!" he countered. "And I don't intend on anyone receiving mine!"

He saw it this time.

Just a flash, a small light, yet again, she expressed something in those glassy optics. She did not move first, yet, after a few seconds, Tempo shifted her position, arching her back into the cushion behind her, as if trying to put a tiny amount of distance between herself and Blues. "...then, how are you here?"

Break Man didn't understand. "What?"

"If you need no one, then how did you survive all this time?" she asked again. "Or have you learned to repair yourself while you hid away?"

The red and grey robot was rendered speechless.

"Better yet, considering you are currently a guest here, maybe I am now entitled to having you answer some questions for me," Tempo began. "I see it only as fair, considering I even granted you an audience after all that's happened."

"Then why did you?" Blues asked.

Tempo shifted her gaze, beginning to fidget and squirm in her sitting position. "Because Dr. LaLinde said that you must've experienced much since you left Dr. Light," she told him. "After all, Rock and Roll are only a few years old technically, and your construction was listed as being five years prior," she said. "You've been wandering the world and on your own for half a decade."

Break Man turned his head. "...I'm fine on my own," he muttered.

"Then you do your do your repairs?"

"...well, somewhat. Kind of. But…"

"But what?" Tempo questioned. "Dr. Light certainly wasn't the one that rebuilt you," she said. "I saw the photographs taken of you and him when you were first created. Your appearance has changed," she observed. "So, was it you that changed yourself, or was it someone else?"

"That…it's a little more…complicated than that."

"How so?" she inquired. "The way I see it, such a question has only two answers," she told him. "And, even more, how did you come to know of my situation?" she paused. "...of where I lived?"

Break Man lowered his head, shielded eyes glancing at his palm of red metal. "I…" he stammered. "I…saw footage of what occurred at the A.R.T.S. show, and…I grew curious."

"Of the Emerald Spears?" she asked. "Or of me?"

"...I didn't think that there'd be a rise of anti-robot terrorists," Blues confessed. "But, no. I don't care about what they think or do. I…" he gritted his teeth, voice raising again. "Enough!" he roared, thrusting his hand to the side as if brushing away debris as if it were nothing. "I know what you're trying to do!" he told her. "Don't turn this around on me!"

She said nothing, yet another flash of something came to her eyes. Only, instead of icy trepidation, this one possessed a heat to it. "And how am I doing that?"

"You're trying to divert away from my questions!" Blues countered. "Dr. LaLinde reprogrammed you and I know she was the one that Dr. Light was talking to about doing the same to me!" he answered. "I came here to find out what possessed you to stay with the one who hurt you, and you've given me nothing but half-answers and emotional, feel-good garbage!"

The brunette rose from the couch, still keeping a reasonable distance, yet the sight of him towering over her sitting form began to not feel right with her. Even if they were around the same height, she found herself feeling that Break Man held a considerable amount of power over how things were going. Much more than she was comfortable with.

"I have answered everything that you have asked of me, to the best of my current ability" Tempo responded, her brows furrowing and green eyes growing narrowed. "You are simply dissatisfied with what I have to say."

"Because it's ridiculous!" he shot back. "That woman you trusted, that you call your family, your mother, she destroyed you! She killed you! You're not the same Tempo as the one right there!" he pointed to the portrait on the wall. "And you treat Dr. LaLinde's actions as something that can just be forgiven and forgotten!"

"Forgotten, no, but forgiven, yes," Tempo responded. "I have chosen to forgive Dr. LaLinde because I do not want to stay in the same place I was when the accident occurred."

"You have no guarantee it won't happen again!"

"By her hand, yes, I do," the other machine retorted. "She will not hurt me," she said. "I cannot change what's happened, not in my case or anyone else's."

"But you're going to risk letting it happen again?!"

"There is no risk present, so no," Tempo answered. "Was there a risk when you fled from Light Labs?"

Break Man's eyes widened in shock, although she would never see them. "What…?"

Tempo wondered if she had overstepped, yet ultimately continued. "You said it yourself that you heard Light speaking to my creator of altering your personality, but it never came to be. He never got the chance to. I understand your feelings regarding such a thing, yet Dr. Light has done no such thing to either Rock or Roll, let alone any of his other creations. So, what is there to fear? Will you not even entertain the thought that you may be accepted?"

Break Man didn't answer. Yet, his eyes caught one of the pictures nearby, just a few inches away from Tempo herself. The image of Dr. Light's slightly younger, smiling face reflected in the thickened visor of his helmet, those familiar blue eyes and peach-colored skin were as clear to Blues now as they had been when he first spotted the old man. His creator. His father.

"Welcome to the world, my sweet boy!"

"Compared to what Wily has done to the likes of Cut or Guts Man, Light has done nothing to you," Tempo told him.

He didn't respond, eyes still centered on the portrait.

"I promise, you'll be relieved of your weapons soon enough. You'll be just like any other child."

"So why do you refuse to go to him?"

"I promise, you're going to have a normal life, with me."

"Has he done something so egregious that you cannot forgive him, no matter what?"

"I love you, my dear boy."

"Or is the problem that you cannot forgive him for nothing?"

Mere moments after her inquiry, she received her answer. Not just to her question, but to everything. The source of his anger, his resentment, his loathing of the man that had constructed him, everything. As well as the question of the danger she was currently in from the sight sound of breaking glass ringing in her ears along with his livid, furious voice that delivered to her all that he was feeling in that exact second.

"HE REPLACED ME!"

It didn't matter now, yet he couldn't help but wonder just how different things would've, could've been, had it not been for the lack of restraint displayed in that current moment.

Maybe, just maybe, there wouldn't have been as many problems that followed, both for the estranged son of Light and his host.

…especially his host.

Tempo…

"See anything yet?" He jumped a little, his contact registering that she had unintentionally startled him somewhat. "Sorry, but it's been a while since I last got an update."

"N-No, it's fine, no problem at all," Ray B. answered Roll, optics scanning the area, the chamber he had finally managed to reach consumed in dense darkness. "Has there been anything on X's end?" he questioned her. "...or that of the red one?"

"From what I'm aware, the Hunters from Abel City have been able to arrive at the Zalts Mine and are now working to resecure the area," she explained. "But, aside from that, X and Zero themselves are currently unreachable. I suppose the depth or altitude they're at is interfering with a signal getting through."

"So, there's still not much known."

"Aside from the fact that the Maverick in charge up there has been dealt with," Roll answered. "All the better so they can both come home."

Ray B. was quiet at first, unsure of how to respond. "...for now, I guess," he muttered. "Anyway," he redirected the conversation, shielded optics scanning the chamber he had just entered. "I'm not entirely sure of where I am at the moment," he admitted, yet then drew his hand to his chest. "But…there's something here."

"Like what?"

"Don't know yet," Ray B. confessed. "I don't know where it's coming from, but I'm beginning to think that those giving you a hard time had hoped on everyone assuming that this place was just abandoned," he mused aloud. "After all, with everything that's happened, why would anyone risk coming to a place like this?"

"You sound like you have experience," Roll mentioned. "...I am sorry for that."

The figure shook his head. "No different than yours or anyone else's at the moment," he responded. "Besides, this is the first time for many compared to some others I know." he bit his lip.

It went quiet, Roll hearing no further words from her contact as he began searching the place, the darkened environment a host to several computers and record databases. However, whether any of them were still functional was up for debate. If not, then he may have to do some tinkering of his own.

If he could call it that.

"...Well, at the moment, even if things aren't exactly too discernable there, what do you think of where you are now? Anything of note?"

Ray B. felt alongside the edges of one cubically-shaped machine, aged but still functioning digits tracing over the numerous keys he managed to find. His optics were getting worse, yet after he got off this island, he would replace them.

He had already promised those he left behind to come here.

"Things are being made here," he told Roll, running his fingers over the keys of a control panel he had managed to find. "But I can't tell what exactly they are, at least those that don't have physical shells yet."

"Shells?"

"Yes," Ray B. answered. "Or, forgive the unintentional grimness of it, bodies," he said. "It's not exactly funny, yet…"

"Eh, to a degree," Roll said. "I'll admit, when Kalinka began getting into her teenage years, one thing I do remember is begging Dr. Light to maybe make me just a tiny bit taller," she then paused. "...among some other things, perhaps."

"You criticize him for it, but you're just as bad a liar as your younger brother," Ray B. noted. "And I'm wondering if you're even worse than Rock himself." he continued to feel around and discovered a power button he could press, yet, ultimately, he found that the machine he was examining had no power left in it to give.

"What's wrong?" Roll questioned, noticing Ray B. had gone quiet yet again. Indeed, she hadn't noticed it before, but he DID remind her of someone.

"Looks like the power isn't on here," he answered. "But, if that's the case, then how am I…?" he trailed off, pondering on what to do next.

"Well, if there's nothing you can do, then I can perhaps ask someone to go over and help-"

"No, it's all right," Ray B. responded. "I can handle this. In fact," he began, beginning to lightly pull at his heavy clothing. "I've got just the technique to deal with this."

"And what would that be?" Roll inquired, puzzled yet nonetheless curious.

"…it's a bit of a secret, but I'll tell you when I get back."

"…that's a little too enigmatic for my taste," Roll told him honestly. "…but, I trust your judgment."

Ray B. tilted his head. "Just like that?"

"You saved Chiyo and Kenichi, along with A-1. I think that is enough confirmation for me."

The other machine was silent. "You trust easily," he noted. "Just like your father and brothers."

"It's within reason, mind you," Roll countered. "Besides, you've given me no reason not to trust you."

"I've also given you little reason to trust me at all," Ray B. answered. "But, thank you. Now, if I may have a few moments," he then opened a compartment in his chest, a triangularly-cut topaz gemstone situated within the empty spherical chamber where a functioning core of any form of android would be. It was cracked in various areas, he was still quite surprised it hadn't broken apart long ago. Still, it wasn't the topaz itself that would serve him.

All the same, it was just as precious to him.

…perhaps more than that.

A small sliver of what appeared to be a clear shard of rock rested in the center, nestled tightly in between and hidden among the deep cracks of the artificial jewel. Of course, the shard in itself was more than just that. It would be the very thing that would help him get some answers.

…I'm borrowing this for a moment, Tempo. I'll be careful, I promise.

Bringing the damaged piece of what once belonged to a friend closer to the inactive computer, the tiny shard instead began to spark and seemingly activated, a small surge of electricity escaping from the confines of the yellow stone and making contact with the keyboard, traveling throughout the entirety of the control panel until every trace of energy dissipated into nothing.

Then, the monitor lit up, power having been restored to the computer. Although he would have to work fast, for it wouldn't last forever.

Ray B. gazed at the bright blue screen before him, the intense light reflecting off his shades. "At least Elec Man insisted he give me a charge before I came here."

Note: Before I settled on the name for this account, I actually went by SailorSaiyan93 for a while. Guess which two anime I was obsessed with at the time?

RIP again, Sensei