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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2011 10:22:07 GMT -5
It's great to see you continuing with your fan-fics. You had improved a lot (and you were very good before, BTW)
As for the pic, I liked MegaMan's new armour, especially how his helmet is shadowing his face.
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Post by spacecaptanface on Jul 8, 2011 21:22:52 GMT -5
So here we are again, and with a little something new this time! So I was thinking of a way to individualize my story a bit more, you know, other than the darker tones I somehow steeped myself into with no idea of how exactly I'm supposed to get back out. So I thought, "Hey! Why not put my terrible drawing skills to use by making individual chapter illustrations!" So yeah, nothing too impressive as of yet. Just sketches until I can afford a decent scanner and some good Illustration programs. Also, I'm a bit new to depth and background art so...be nice. Ugh...finally got that done. Gonna go play some Zelda now. Totally earned it.Attachments:
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Post by spacecaptanface on Jul 13, 2011 19:44:46 GMT -5
I think I've just started to comprehend just how incredibly huge this chapter is going to have to be. Especially since I'll likely be writing in Tron's perspective as well for this one (or else it won't make sense later on). Also, I'm still going to attach a MW file for anyone who prefers reading that way, but will also just post it all here as well for any guests to the site who'd like to read it as well. Oh yeah, and another character illustration next time to introduce the portion of the story. Chapter 3 – (Continued) Never…never in my entire life had I ever felt more claustrophobic or so completely terrified than I was at that very moment sitting in that sweltering, metal death trap Tron called the Gustaff. Beads of sweat were trickling down my face as I hurriedly skimmed the notes Tron had so thoughtfully scribbled down for me, squinting my eyes in the dim light as I attempted to decipher her unusual stab at shorthand. The torrents of sweat I was thankfully able to blame on the heat, though even if I had been able to figure out that air conditioning function Tron had hinted about, I imagined I’d probably still be dripping buckets’ worth of it simply due to the squelching pressure of what I was facing. I drew a deep breath and tried not to focus too deeply on what was to come, instead focusing my attention back toward my immediate source of anxiety and frustration. “Let’s see then…” I muttered as I begun to read Tron’s writing aloud, thinking that it might make it easier to understand, “To engage… rckt. Turret, push ‘T’ on… far-right lever?” I looked over at the lever in question and checked to see where the ‘T’ was located. Not seeing anything, I checked all the other levers just to make sure I hadn’t looked at the wrong one, but for the life of me, I simply could not find that darned ‘T’! “Why, on earth, would anyone put the letter ‘T’ on a lever in the first place?!” I vented irritably, digging my eyes back into those aggravating instruction notes. “…Wait a sec,” I mumbled upon further inspection of Tron’s chicken scratchings, on the ‘T’ in particular, “…is that…supposed to be an upward arrow?” Push “up” on the far-right lever…No way…No one could make such a sloppy…I blinked twice at the notes before carefully shifting my eyes back onto the lever, then slowly placed my hand on it and pushed upward. The sound of shifting gears suddenly groaned and clacked inside the armor’s husk, and in sequence, the forward screen began to blink a rocket-shaped marker within the upper-right hand corner. I stared at the lever for a moment, then back at the notes, and then back at the lever… then drooped my head and whimpered in hopelessness. “What am I doing here?” I asked myself out loud. I’d felt so confident before when volunteering for all this. Standing there in front of Megaman I felt like I could take on the whole world if I had to. But now here I was…boiling in a pool of my own sweat within a two-ton steel coffin, inside a cargo bay surrounded by a bunch of “former” pirates, trying to read twelve pages of near illiterate instructions for a machine I could hardly pilot, and with Megaman standing on top of the ship, the furthest possible place from me he could be. Just for fun, I decided to tack on everything else that had happened within the last 48 hours, namely: Discovering Tron was competing against me for Megaman’s affection, crashing my own ship into a strange artificial world, coming within an inch of death because of it, returning home just to be greeted by an army of birdbots, watching as Megaman went completely berserk, awkwardly telling him my true feelings right afterward, seeing Kattelox under a ruthless reaverbot attack, and then volunteering myself for something completely over my head that would likely get me killed by the end of the day. And on top of all that…Megaman still hadn’t told me anything about how he really felt toward me. …Yeah…these hadn’t exactly been the greatest couple of days in my life, but as I thought of Megaman standing up there, finally home after so all long…Even if it would have still come down to all of this, I would have done it all over again if I had to. All of it, and then some, if that’s what it took to get him back. I looked upward, as if I could see straight through the steel and wire that stood between us, upward toward the place where he must’ve been standing. I figured there could only be a little more than fifty feet of the ship’s interior that was separating us right now, but to me he might as well have been back on Elysium for how far away he felt. No doubt his body and mind was already totally prep’d with needlepoint focus for what was coming up next, and I bet he had every little detail of his battle plans, along with a whole series of back-up plans, all mapped out in his head. I, on the other hand, was simply wondering whether or not I’d be able to move ten feet in any direction without somehow blowing myself up in the process. “Gah! Stop thinking like that!” I scolded myself. “Positive! You have to think positive! Just stay optimistic and you’ll do just fine.” “Five more minutes until the Island comes into view.” Yuna’s voice announced from the Gustaff’s radio. “I hope you’re all ready for this. I can’t imagine this being a comforting sight for any of you.” Think positive! Think positive! Think positive!“Is there anything new you’ve picked up since the last time, Yuna?” I heard Megaman say, relishing the fact of hearing him speak again, even though it had only been about five minutes since he last spoke…and asking the same question. As he and Yuna further discussed the situation, I recoiled when hearing word between them that several news ships were possibly shot down. I prayed that that wasn’t the actual reason their broadcasts had suddenly cut off, not only for the lives of those innocent reporters – though that was the majority of my worry – but also the idea that if they were indeed shot down, and at the altitude they said they were at, then how were we supposed to even get onto the island ourselves? Before I could bring up this idea to the others, Tron suddenly burst out. “I really hope that doesn’t mean those apparent Reaverbot anti-air things have been improving their aim. I’m just glad that at least I’m not one of the reporters on any of those News Ships. Then again, I’m guessing they’re grateful that at least they’re not one of the citizens who are actually on the ground.” My mouth hung open in disbelief to what I had just heard. How could Tron say something so insensitive? Especially when she herself had already caused so much trouble to those people already? Maybe that in itself was the reason. How could someone who had once participated in such selfish and unnecessary destruction really care that much whether someone or something else was doing the exact same thing? Either way, I wasn’t about to just sit there and listen to such disrespect from that…that pirate! “Please... don’t talk like that Tron.” I said, trying to sound as civil as I could, despite the hot anger smoldering in my gut. “It may be hard for someone like you to imagine, but a lot of the people on that island were close friends of ours. I won’t listen to them be disrespected like that.” “Oh, is that right Blondie?” Tron immediately lashed back, not too surprisingly. “Well then I guess that gives me the advantage since I never took the time to make bestest friends with people who’d be doing nothing for me now but messing with my nerve, of which I’m starting to wonder whether you’re already beginning to lose!” My mouth quavered at her accusation, mostly due to the fact that I couldn’t really deny the truthfulness of it. Even though I really was trying so hard, as hard as I possibly could to hold onto it, I really was losing my nerve. It…it wasn’t fair, though! I’d never done anything like this before! I…I was only a Spotter...and a simple mechanic. I just flew a ship and repaired things, and…and gave Megaman support while he did all the fighting…while I just sat behind a radio and told him where to turn next. My fists clenched, and I could feel the rage burning upward within me. She had no right! She couldn’t possibly understand what this was like for me! If anything, I was being the more courageous one! With that, all the fury, and the frustration, and the fear that had been swelling up inside completely erupted out of me, ALL of it focused on Tron as if to consume her in a blazing inferno! “HOW…HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF LOSING MY NER-“ “ENOUGH!!” Megaman suddenly shouted, immediately squelching the scorching flow that had exploded from inside me and pacifying me like a scared little kitten. My lips were trembling again, and I huddled inward to try holding myself together. If my anger had felt like a bursting volcano to me, it was still just a little puff of smoke when compared to Megaman’s newly found power of authority. I suddenly felt so incredibly stupid and childish for blasting my cap like that. As soon as got ahold of myself, I tried at once to mend the situation. “You’re…you’re right, Megaman,” I spoke softly. “Now’s not the time for petty arguments. I’m… sorry.” “Yeah, I guess that’s true.” Tron said. “I suppose I can understand though. People can sometimes lose their head when they’re scared witless. Right, Blondie?” My eyes narrowed only slightly at that little backhand Tron had slipped me, but thankfully, I was able to keep my cool this time. We’ll see who's scared witless by the end of today Tron. I thought to myself, and despite the fear that was still lingering in the back of my mind, strangely I could feel that same confidence I’d felt earlier slowly seep back into me. Attachments:
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2011 14:06:54 GMT -5
I really liked this chapter; especially Yuna's P.O.V. Ooh, and Tron and Roll's argument...ouch.
I must admit that I personally prefer reading the chapters here on the thread without download it, but doesn't really matter to me either way.
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Post by spacecaptanface on Jul 23, 2011 19:15:05 GMT -5
Thanks a ton Dashe and Steffie for the much appreciated comments! Anyway, I was planning on posting this along with my chapter 3 update, but seeing as how recent events have messed with my will to write, I'll just put this up now until I can motivate myself to keep working on my story. I was also considering posting the comic-form I made of the very first chapters of my fic, but wondered whether people here would just think I'd be ripping off HF and judge me most harshly. I'm already starting to wonder if people here have something against me but that's only because I equate positive feedback results and amounts to my value as a human being. :17: ...I might be joking with that last bit so don't take it seriously.
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Post by spaceface on Nov 14, 2019 12:11:26 GMT -5
<Memory log 25.32-B. Appx 600> cycles from last systems reboot <Data Corruption Detected… <Running Systems Diagnostics… <Record Found…Initiating Memory Playback:
“I still can’t believe how long it’s been since our last visit!” Data chirped, bouncing up and down on the pod’s flight control deck as he stared up at the flickering holo-display. “Almost 30 cycles now, right? And look, look! It hasn’t changed at all!”
The little monkey’s cheerful cries provoked a terse glance from Trigger, who had been lost in calculative thought regarding the circumstances of their current mission. He indulged in the temporary distraction – much-needed as it was – allowing himself a few moments to gaze thoughtfully at the floating image of Terra as the celestial body came into full view.
“I would hope not…” the Purifier Unit said with a mirthful grin, resting his chin on his palm (an admittedly useless human gesture he’d somehow adopted following centuries of observing the Master) as he reached up and flicked the orb with his fingers, twirling the projection into a spinning animation. “Planets don’t tend to change that often. It’s usually a bad sign when they do.”
The first run of humanity discovered that reality firsthand, he thought, noting the few specks of land that still remained above Terra’s oceans.
“We’ll be entering the planet’s atmosphere soon. I’d appreciate if you’d get down from there and hold onto something.”
The tiny Memory Unit complied immediately, flipping himself up and over Trigger’s head and clamping down onto his right shoulder. “Kikiki!” he chittered. “So where are we going, anyway? Somewhere fun, I hope!”
The amusement in Trigger’s eyes faded somewhat, though he kept wearing the smile for Data’s sake. He pinched his thumb and forefinger on the holographic orb, bringing it’s rotation to a halt before proceeding to splay out his hand in a motion that caused the image to zoom in. “Here,” he said, pointing to one of the relatively larger islands hugging the planets equator. “Sight 542-B. Carbon designation: Kattelox.”
“Oh! OH! Isn’t that’s Artemis’ jurisdiction!? Are we going to see Artemis? Oh, are we?”
“That’s right.” Trigger said, smiling up at Data. He looked back at the map. “I suppose…” his words cut off abruptly, his gaze shifting back to the spit of land they were about to make landfall on, “I suppose it has been a while since we’ve last heard from her, hasn’t it?”
About two-hundred and fifty-seven years ago, in fact…
“I bet she can’t wait to tell us what she’s been up to after all this time,” he said softly, tapping his finger hard against his temple. She can start by explaining why her census report is seven years late, he thought tapping more vigorously, or why she hasn’t bothered contacting Elysium in all that time. His fabricated smile slipped somewhat as he tried to make sense of it all. What exactly have you been up to, Artemis? This isn’t like you at all.
Trigger remembered Artemis quite fondly. Always smiling, and with such a cheerful voice…which, yes, that technically was the default setting for all Bureaucratic-Units, but Artemis though…Artemis always made it seem so…sincere. Even during the dark days of the Elder System, following the unthinkable loss of [>.data corrupted] she always made sure to give him her biggest, warmest smile whenever they crossed paths, the same way [>.diagnostics failure] always used to before sending him off on his next assignment. It was a pale imitation, and she knew that, but somehow it was still enough to remind him of what they were all fighting for.
Not that any of it mattered in the end.
“Approaching landing-zone,” the pod’s on-board computer robotically announced. “Stand-by for re-entry.” Within seconds, the cabin violently began to shake as it tore through Terra’s atmosphere. Data whooped and hollered as his little monkey-body jostled up and down and side to side, gripping tightly to Triggers shoulder as they made their final approach.
Before long, the shaking abruptly stopped, and the pod’s compressors hissed so as to match the air-pressure outside. “We have arrived at our destination. Happy hunting, Master Trigger.”
“Switch-off…” he silently cursed in response.
It’ll be fine, he thought to himself. This is all just a big misunderstanding, after all. Broken comms, most likely…and those can be tricky to repair so…of course she couldn’t…
He took a deep breath (another meaningless gesture) and unsealed the hatch. “Right then,” he said stiffly, lifting his helmet up over his head and locking it into place. “Let’s get going…”
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Post by spaceface on Dec 29, 2019 20:09:07 GMT -5
Alright! I finally finished a new chapter! And it only took me eight years and a new account to do it! I cannot believe how fun it's been coming back to this silly little fan-fic after so long, even though it's been a bit of a challenge going back to a 1st person narrative. (3rd person has definitely become my preferred writing style with all my original works lately, so this was like going from normal FPS look controls to inverted. *shudder*)
So before I post chapter 14, I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank everyone here who was ever taken an interest in these words of my imagination, sprung from what was once a young teenager's interpretation of what could have been in a world that may never be. You, whoever may be reading this now, are one of a very few: The true, die-hard fans of a few obscure PS1 titles, spun-off from a much more popular series of video-games. You are here because, like me, you share a deep-seated passion for something that once sparked a core memory within you, and which left such a resonating impact on your life that, even after 22 long years, you still find yourself coming back. So thank you. Thank you for giving me a place to come share and partake in my nostalgia. It's been quite a ride so far, and will continue to be for as long as we all keep holding on.
Chapter 14
(Present Day)
I inhaled sharply as I clicked off my headset’s transceiver and removed my helmet, giving my ears a much needed respite from the sounds of Roll and Tron’s bickering. I held my breath for a moment…feeling my chest swell and burn as I collected all the anger and frustration into a single breath…and then blew it all out in a large, exhaustive sigh.
The radio silence filled me with a sudden sense of isolation. I looked around, finding myself standing alone atop the airship’s empty flight deck. A purplish haze had begun to fill the far skies as the light of the sun made its way towards the horizon. We’d been traveling all night long, tearing through the darkness at full throttle in our race to reach Kattelox. Hopefully it wasn’t already too late.
Setting my helmet down, I turned my gaze towards the sprawling oceans below, taking hold of the support rails as I forced myself to take in slow and steady breaths. I couldn’t let the heat of my emotions get the better of me. I needed to remain calm, let the soft and cooling breeze of the ocean winds carry away the burning fumes smoldering my insides.
Just breathe. Stay. Focused.
Instead, I slumped over the balcony rails, rifling a hand through my hair as a cold blob of guilt settled in my chest, leaving me feeling deflated like a sad and pathetic balloon.
“Why? Why did you yell at her like that?” I miserably scolded myself. “She already must think you’re some out-of-control, rampaging monster; now she’s gonna think you don’t even have any manners. Stupid, stupid!”
Head hung low, my arms dangled limply over the ship’s edge. “Uuuugh…why’d she have to tell me she loved me? Why now?” I groaned, trying to come to grips with this web of emotions I’d found myself tangled up in. The fragmented memories of my past. Roll’s true feelings. An army of invading Reaverbots. All of it was out in the open now. I took my head in my hands, pressing tightly as I tried to hold it all together.
“What am I even supposed to tell her, anyway?” I asked the – I guess I was talking to the ocean? Yes. The ocean. The ocean would understand.
“She said she fell in love with me…” I told the ocean, “but when did that even happen?”
I tried thinking back. There had to be some clue. Something she said. Something I said? Was it before or after I’d left? Had she fallen for the innocent, squeaky-voiced Digger? Or was it the brash, take-no-prisoners Purifier unit she’d rescued from Elysium – who’s voice had most definitely dropped a few octaves since being stranded.
“And what about Tron?” I asked the ocean. “Every time I look at her…my insides get all fluttery.” Honestly though, I couldn’t tell if that was just a fight or flight response. She’d certainly tried to kill me enough times for something like that to become Pavlovian. “So yeah, I guess my feelings for her are probably a bit more complicated, but they’re still important aren’t they? And what about Sera?”
My head popped up in surprise. Wait…what about Sera? Why was I thinking about her all the sudden? “I mean…sure we spent over a year stranded together on Elysium. Her…and those utterly adorable green pig tails, her soft chestnut skin, and…”
“Argh!” I cried out, shouting my frustrations down at the ocean. No…no I had to stay focused on the mission. Kattelox would be coming into view any minute now. I couldn’t let any of my personal feelings distract me when…when…
“Feeling a little high-strung, are we?” a tiny voice abruptly chirped beside me.
“Gyah!” I blurted in surprise, springing up on one leg and revealing the tiny little monkey that had been hiding behind it.
“Ki-ki-ki!” Data bounced giddily. “You thought you were all alone…but NO! I was with you all along! How embarrassed you must be ki-ki!”
I blinked down at him, feeling somewhat dumbfounded. “H-How long have you been standing there?”
“Five minutes and thirty-two seconds!” he proudly declared. “I heard everything! And I detected that you were feeling a bit on edge about it, so I went ahead and temporarily disabled your suit’s environmental threat scanners and adrenaline amplifiers to take the edge off. I figured you’d simply forgotten to disengage these functions after your battle with Glyde. Ki-ki! And I was right!”
“Oh…” I said, suddenly feeling myself begin to relax.
“I also had your suit administer a small dose of nerve relaxants!”
“Wait…what?”
“Ki-ki-ki!”
My mouth hung open slightly, fingers quivering at what could only be considered a major breech of personal space. “I uh…I didn’t know you could do that,” I said sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck and awkwardly turning my gaze back toward the ocean. “Thanks…I guess, but you really didn’t have to do that.”
Data hopped up onto the railing, tilting his head to the side as he examined me more closely. “I was only trying to help.”
“It’s fine,” I responded somewhat distantly, my eyes suddenly narrowing as I noticed strange shapes appearing beneath the ocean’s dark surface. Was there something down there? I blinked, tilting my eyes upward when I realized Data was inching his face closer to mine. “Umm…did you…need something?”
“You are not fine,” Data surmised. “Your neural processors are completely out of sync. I can help you. Really, I can. Would you like me to have your suit administer another dose of – ”
“None of that, please!” I said, holding up a hand. “Really, Data…I’ll be fine.” I folded my arms over the bannister. “I just need time to figure some things out, okay?”
“Oh! Okay!” he agreed, pausing for about five-or-so seconds before asking: “So have you figured it out yet?”
“Ugh…” I groaned, head drooping hopelessly. Yeah, he’s not going anywhere.
I should have figured. Data always insisted on being helpful in some way or another, even when nobody was asking for it.
In fact…I suddenly found myself thinking, I should probably give him more credit for that. Sure, his persistence could sometimes be a bit annoying – I recalled the time he nearly burned down the Flutter trying to cook a pizza – but in all honestly, if it weren’t for Data, I never would have survived my battle with Geetz. Heck, it was only because of him that there was anyone on Kattelox still alive to rescue. My thoughts lingered on that fact for a moment. Come to think of it…
“Hey, uh, Data?” I said, looking back up at him as he eagerly met my gaze. “Do you…do you remember back when we were on Kattelox? After what happened with Juno?”
“I remember everything,” Data said, doing a sudden backflip and catching the rail in a perfect handstand. “I am your peripheral memory storage device, after all.”
I nodded. “Good. So you remember what I asked you back then, right?”
He nodded.
“Well…as I recall, I don’t believe I ever got a straight answer from you back then.”
“In order to minimize the risk of your memories being scanned by Mother, yes, I withheld any information that might jeopardize the mission of deactivating the Master System. However, now that the objective has been accomplished, please feel free to re-inquire as to your original query.
So formal all of the sudden…
“Alright then,” I said, taking in a deep breath. “Do you know…who I am?”
Data hopped back up onto his feet. “Of course. You are a Purifier Model, formerly assigned to the direct command of Mother, designation: Mega Man Trigger.”
I let out a shallow sigh, not entirely sure why I even bothered asking a question I already knew the answer to. “Okay…yes, that I’ve managed to establish on my own.” I turned to look back down at the ocean – which so far had established itself to be a much better conversation partner. “I dunno…maybe I just want to know who I used to be. If that’s still who I really am.”
“Are you saying you want me to finally restore your memory files?” Data asked eagerly. “I would strongly recommend waiting until you’re asleep or unconscious but...”
Restore my memories?
I had thought about it. Many times back on Elysium, where the days seemed to stretch on for eternity. Then I remembered how it had felt when I’d had only a sliver of those memories restored. It still felt more like a dream than reality, but the pain was real enough. Having to watch the Master die all over again...
“Would that…change me?” I asked nervously, not certain if I was still speaking to Data, or myself. “N-No. No, right now I think I’d settle for just a second-hand account.” I looked to my peripheral memory storage device, who was now doing cartwheels along the railing. “You were with me back then. So…what was I like?”
“About half-a-foot taller,” Data answered. Rather unapologetically.
My eyes narrowed dully. “Okay, fine. So maybe I’m due for another growth spurt. Keep going.”
“Well…like all Mega-Units, you possessed the same core A.I. self-awareness programs and compositional configuration as any other baseline Carbon-unit, the only difference being that your software could be overclocked to extreme levels when paired with Purifier Battletech. Your model, in particular, was simulant to that of the Male Binary Human, complete with all associated replication subroutines.”
“Replication subroutines?’
“You know…for your Data Replicator.”
“Uh…”
“That thing between your legs.”
My lips pursed. “Ah…R-Right. Gotchya.” I cleared my throat, quickly moving on. “So…what your saying is…Roll and Tron…and all the other…Carbons. I’m just like them?”
“Hmm…I suppose you could say that,” he said, scratching at his chin.
Well that’s…oddly reassuring, I thought to myself. At least in a world where nobody was truly human, I could take some amount of comfort in knowing that I undeniably belonged within it. So then would it be so wrong of me to consider her feelings…as long as we both felt the same way for each other…then maybe?
“Although,” Data suddenly continued, “it would be more appropriate to say that they’re all just like you. She and you were both the original prototypes, after all.”
I raised my brow. “W-What…did you just say?”
Data’s dancing abruptly stopped. “Ki-ki! Maybe this isn’t the right time to be telling you any of this. Boop!”
Data tapped my forehead.
So then would it be so wrong of me to consider…well as long as we both felt the same way for each other…then maybe?
I blinked…suddenly feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. “Sorry…what did you say, again?”
“I really should be the one apologizing to you, Mega Man,” said Data, suddenly sounding less formal. “You’re not like you used to be. Or…you are but, I guess I’m still used to the more adult version of you. I still forget sometimes that you’re still currently operating under the adolescence phase-module.”
“Oh no, that’s…that’s okay.” I said, feeling suddenly awkward. “Unless…you don’t think you can you disable that whole adolescent setting, do you?”
“I don’t think so.”
“I see...That’s too bad...”
Be both remained silent for a few moments after that. My mind blanked out as I gazed back down into the undulating abyss below us. Were those shadows in the water getting bigger?
“To be honest with you, Data…” I whispered softly. “I…I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be doing anymore. I mean…I saved them, didn’t I? Wasn’t that my mission? I abandoned Roll and the others. I shut everything down. I did everything the Master commanded. And now he and all the other true humans are gone forever. No one left to take orders from. So where does that leave me? What am I supposed to do now?” I looked down and realized my hands were trembling. I interlocked them together, providing a perch for my forehead.
“Everything I’ve ever done. It was just me following orders. I destroyed the Master System because it was the Master who commanded me to do it…but I wonder if that’s what I really wanted. I was basically ordered to doom humanity – true humanity – to complete and total extinction. Just so we could preserve a handful of artificial fakes like me. And I did it. I did it without question. I destroyed everything. I guess…because that’s just what I was programmed to do.” I held a hand out in front of my face, slowly closing it into a fist. “Just a machine following orders. That’s all I’ve ever – ”
Data punched me upside my face.
The force of the blow completely took me off guard, sending me reeling onto the ground. “O-Ow!!” I cried out. “What the…what the heck was that for?!” And how on earth did he manage to pack so much punch into that tiny little paw of his?
The little monkey hopped down onto the deck, seeming somewhat surprised, himself. “Oh…sorry,” he said, shaking out his little monkey fist. “You were getting really weird and gloomy just now, so I thought I’d smack you back to normal. It always seemed to do the trick for Gramps whenever the TV turned fuzzy. Did it work?”
“Well you certainly knocked something loose,” I said, nursing my aching jaw. Wincing slightly, I directed an annoyed glare back at Data as I then said: “You know…I don’t remember Gramps ever smacking the TV before.”
“Yeah, you don’t remember a lot of things,” he said with a coy grin. “That’s why you made me.”
An abrupt silence took over. A good few seconds passed between us, our mouths growing tight, eyes narrowing as each of our gazes locked into what inadvertently became an impromptu contest of wills. And then…well, I wasn’t sure if it was the pain in my jaw or the stupidly innocent expression he suddenly gave me, but something inside of me cracked. There was absolutely nothing I could do to stop what came next.
Laughter violently erupted out of my chest.
Victorious, Data started to giggle, which then turned to loud chuckling, and before long we were both laughing uncontrollably together. I was laughing. I was laughing. Despite everything that had happened today, I was actually laughing. It just kept on coming, too. Every time I tried to get a handle on it, I would catch another glimpse of Data’s dumb little monkey face, and it would start all over again harder than before.
And it felt really good.
“Oh, wow…” I said, wiping a tear from my eye as I tried to regain control over the residual chuckles leaking out of me. “Where did that come from all the sudden?”
“Never underestimate the wisdom of the elderly,” Data happily chirped. “Gramps-sensei…your lessons come back to us in such mysterious and unexpected ways.”
“Yes,” I nodded solemnly. “We owe everything to the Master.”
We both gave in to another round of chuckling. Before long, I found myself letting out a long, cathartic sigh. “Oh boy, I wish Roll and Tron were here right now. I bet they would have really enjoyed…whatever that was.” I turned and looked over at my helmet, sitting by itself, radio still switched off. It stared back at me. Almost with a menacing glare.
“It really was a lot simpler back then, wasn’t it?” I said wistfully. “Just being a Digger. Going from one adventure to the next. Just me, Roll, and Gramps. Blowing up Reaverbots. Looking for treasure. Fighting pirates. Befriending pirates. At the end of the day, all we ever really had to think about was where we’d go Digging next.”
“Do you remember,” Data said with a wide grin. “when you asked Gramps what he would do if he ever actually found the Motherlode?”
“Now that I do remember,” I said, pointing my finger upward. “I remember how he scratched at his beard for almost a whole minute trying to think of an answer, and then he finally said…”
Both Data and I joined in as we both gave our best Gramps’ impression: “Hrmmm…probably just keep Digging until I found all the rooms I’d missed.”
There was another round of laughter. My sides were starting to hurt.
“That was a horrible impression,” I snorted, trying to conceal my goofy smile beneath my hand. “Gramps was right, though. Never leave anything uncovered. Never stop exploring. The world is full of treasures, and not all of it is buried underground.” I smiled from ear-to-ear. “It was always about the thrill of the search, wasn’t it? That rush we felt every time we discovered something new. The treasure itself was just a nice afterthought.”
I reached over and picked up my helmet, taking in another deep breath. “And it was fun, you know? Just being another Digger. I didn’t have to be anything special. I could just be…Mega Man; Mega Man Volnutt.”
Another puff of laughter escaped through my nose. “What a silly name, dontcha think? Did you know Roll named me after some video game character? I mean, she almost had it right, but who lets a two-year-old name a baby you dug out of some ancient ruin? I guess I’m lucky she didn’t name me after a rock or something. Hah! Now listen to me; I’m starting to sound like Tron. I guess she’s starting to rub off on me too, huh?”
I took a moment to stare at my reflection through the visor of my helmet. Trigger’s helmet... “I wonder…did he ever smile like this?”
Data hopped up onto my shoulder, studying the helmet with what seemed a nostalgic expression. “Sometimes.” he said. “Though not often enough.” His tone became somewhat sentimental. “He was – I mean you always seemed so distant from everyone around you. You rarely spoke, and when you did, it was usually because you were just answering some question or acknowledging orders. Whenever you weren’t on assignment or consulting with the Master, you pretty much spent all your time locked up inside the combat simulation chambers.”
Data shuddered slightly. “I remember one time…you challenged yourself to see how long you could last at the highest threat-level…on only a single charge.”
“And…?”
“Turned out to be twenty-eight days, fourteen hours, and thirty-two seconds,” Data answered, shaking his head. “You’re weapons systems shut down after twenty, but you…certainly got creative for those last eight.”
I let out an impressed whistle. “Wow…so I was basically a shut-in, then. Guess I wasn’t too sharp with the ladies back on Elysium, either.”
Data chuckled. “Hee-hee-hee…well you did have a lot of admirers. But I guess...you preferred to keep yourself distracted in other ways.” His voice lowered, sounding almost regretful as he continued to speak. “You’d already been in operation a very long time before you created me. And…and there were some memory files that you never allowed me to scan. Certain names and places…particular events. Whatever they were… they seemed to cause you a lot of pain. You refused to delete them, though…or even create any back-ups. You just…chose to let them operate in the background. And then, after your battle with Sera…” he looked up at me, smiling sympathetically, “well, maybe it’s for the best that they’re gone now.”
I nodded, not needing any further explanation. We both sat in silent contemplation after that, enjoying a few moments of peace as we both gazed out at the vast world stretched out before us. The soft hum of the airship’s engines rang inside my ears…and something else began to fill my heart with a sudden flood of familiar sensations that – somewhere between Terra and Elysium – I’d somehow forgotten.
There’s still so much out there, I quickly realized. So many rooms I’d missed. So many ‘treasures’ I still wanted to uncover. My eyes closed, slick with moisture, a smile beaming on my face as my lungs filled themselves with the salty air.
“Honestly…I think the old me would have been really happy with my new name. Even if it sounds exactly the same, it means something completely different now. It was the very first thing she ever gave me. A brand new name…to go with a brand new life full of adventure, and a whole lot of new friends.”
A warm sensation flooded my cheeks as I pictured all of their faces. Roll’s bright and glowing smile. Tron’s angry glares. Sera’s….well Sera was nice too. In her own special way.
I stood up, staring out across the horizon as the dawning sun finally peaked over the edge of the world, filling the skies with a brand new light. Kattelox was there, too. I could see it now. A wounded speck of land bleeding black trails of smoke. But there was still life there. Fighting for its right to exist in this world.
I would fight alongside them. I was going to protect them all. Roll and Gramps. The Bonnes. Both the good and the bad…I would protect all of them. And in turn, they would watch over me. I was going to secure this world for them, for this gift that the Master…that all of humanity had sacrificed everything for. Because that is what it meant to be human.
To never stop exploring…
“Data, ” I said, sliding my helmet back over my face with a renewed sense of vigor, “I want you to erase all of my old memory back-ups.”
Data – still perched atop my shoulder – gave me a dubious look. “Are you…sure about that? Once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.”
“Perhaps that’s for the best,” I said echoingly, giving Data a curt nod. “I don’t need to remember who I was. I already know who I am.”
The little monkey hesitated for only a moment before finally shrugging. “Well, okay then…but I’m keeping my own memories of you. You might still need them for whatever comes next.”
“Fair enough,” I conceded, switching back on my radio’s transceiver. “Yuna…I can see the island now. I want you to – ”
“Mega Man! Where have you BEEN!" Yuna's voice crackled through my headset. "I’ve been trying to tell you…we’ve got blips on our radar and they’re closing in on us FAST!”
My breath caught in my throat. Those shapes beneath the water…
“Data, quick! Get my scanners back up!”
“Roger!”
All at once, my internal sensors blazed to life, bringing my targeting systems back online as they immediately pinged dozens of hostiles in all directions. “Reaverbots!” I shouted through the comms, my arm pulsing to life as it shifted and phased into a humming energy cannon. “Coming up from beneath the ocean!”
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Post by spaceface on Dec 31, 2019 14:28:29 GMT -5
As long as people are enjoying it, yeah, I definitely think I'd like to keep going with it. If people don't like it... Eh, I'll probably still do it cuz I like it. So anyway, thought I'd post this little doodle. I always like to make a rough sketch to help me visualize how I'm going to write my next chapter. Nothing too fancy, but figured it'd be fun to share.
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