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They say Einstein was always one to appreciate a good night’s rest, insisting it lent well to his mind. Somehow, he got in 11 hours of sleep each night, and on top of that, took afternoon naps.
As much of a comparable genius as he was, Wily was not Einstein.
Wily was, in fact, so different from Einstein, that he barely used the bed he had, usually finding himself randomly passed out upon the blueprints of his work or even over a robot he was wiring. This was one of those times, deciphering the blueprints of his archnemesis. Unimportant right now, he simply wiped his eye with a wrinkled, shaking hand, and groaned as he pushed himself up from his chair and shuffled out of the workroom. He really ought to build some kind of remote control chair. This was just unsightly, an old man walking all hunched over.
When he attempted to sit up, his back cracked loudly like activating a glow stick. A low groan escaped the back of his throat, eyes stinging and watering. Shit, he was getting old… He rubbed his eyes again, ignoring the wet tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. He needed some caffeine, there was nothing like getting the first sip of the drug you’re addicted to in the morning.
His coffee setup wasn’t anything fancy, he just needed a cup of joe, a pot, some coffee grounds in a jar, and a button to press. He leaned back against the kitchen counter. It was quiet… weirdly quiet, there were always a few dozen bots roaming around, and most of them didn’t get along. Seemed it was always as soon as he got up his so-called “greatest creation” was arguing with someone and threatening to blast them in the face.
Well, that was fine for now. His next project would be his true greatest creation, one that would easily surpass Light’s designs. Armor that was never seen before, a blade that could cut through solid rock, energy reserves that could last decades, yes he has truly surpassed even his own limits. He smirked to himself. Taking his “World's best roboticist” mug, he stirred in barely a spoonful of sugar and a dash of milk. He sighed in relief, finally ready to get back to work.
At least, that was his intention. However, he stopped short when he saw something drift past the doorway to the kitchen, accompanied by barely audible footsteps; a trail of long, blonde hair.
Impossible… he must… must still be tired.
He shut his eyes and took another chug of his coffee. The liquid burned the back of his throat and he set it down in the sink with all the other dirty dishes. If only he had himself a helper bot, this place wouldn’t be a mess. The dirty dishes, food scraps, and Bass’ room looking like a bomb of teenage junk exploded just made him angry.
He hated that he programmed such a rambunctious personality into that bot. Then maybe he wouldn’t be such an asshole. Too much ego, it was never meant to get this bad, never meant to surpass his-
“Ey, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?!”
Wily touched the doorway of the kitchen and looked into the hallway. Speak of the devil…
“Shut up Bass, you’re going to give me a headache.”
“Can it, old man, your unfinished junk is walking around again!” The black robot master hissed, the bot he had been yelling at earlier managing to slip away. Wily didn’t catch which one it was, Bass’ words sticking out in his mind.
“You’re right, considering you’re awake. Now leave me alone, I don’t care who you argue with but if you go into my lab I’ll take your stupid mutt apart and use it for scrap metal!”
“Fuck off, you old fuck!” He retorted, flipping him off and storming off, to where Wily could hear the sharp bark of Treble’s agreement.
Fucking brat.
Wily had better things to think of, anyway. Perhaps he should just skip the personality on this next one…
Walking back down the hall, he let his mind drift back to planning. Yes… this next project would be quite the upgrade from the disobedient, destructive Bass. No, he would not give up on the destructive part, but he would hone it to perfection. Controlled chaos, one that he had the absolutely perfect solution for the infamous disobedience issue. All he had to do was finish analyzing the data from Roboenza and then-
He choked back a scream. It’s gone-?!!
“One more time.”
A white-gloved hand elegantly grasped the side of a glass mug and lifted it.
“Now drop it.”
His fingers relaxed, and the white glass broke on the hard floor, a small cry escaped him, his back pressed against the chamber. The azure bots eyes were wide and green, amazed at what he had done. He lifted his gaze to the doctor.
“Don’t worry, I expected that to happen.”
“I-I see, I wasn’t expecting it,” X breathed.
“Don’t be so glum, I finally fixed your hands, now they don’t tense up.”
“Yes, I’m very grateful father,” X smiled at him. “Does that mean I can meet them now?”
The old man got up from his seat, putting down the notebook and pen he was just writing with. “Not today, but soon.”
“You promise?”
“Of course, I understand how keen you are,” his calm blue eyes twinkled. “Thank you so much for being so patient. My hands aren’t the way they used to be. My arthritis got angry when I was trying to map the skin to your face.”
“I hope I haven’t been a burden…”
“Oh, never my dear boy!” Dr. Light shook his head, “I would never think that way about you. You are my third son.”
“... In that case… Tomorrow?” X asked hopefully.
“If I can fix the final touches,” Dr. Light chuckles. “There’s still the issue of-”
The phone rang from upstairs.
He sighs, “I should answer that. I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Ah. Okay.”
His head tilted up, looking at the ceiling. He touched the edges of his face, where his faux skin met the edge of his neck. It had become slightly loose, exposing wires and nerves underneath. His finger grazed against one and he gritted his teeth, trying to stop himself from yelping.
X knew it wasn’t right to be so impatient, he could still barely walk. But he wanted to see his siblings so badly, walking wasn’t necessary to meet them, was it? It would be nice if he was fully complete when he met them, so he could sing and walk and dance and finally experience the world Dr. Light has told him so much about. But instead, he’s tilted up by his pod, his feet never touching the floor unless it’s a drill for his joints to get used to moving.
He closes his eyes with a sigh. Thinking about it made him feel more impatient… He was tired of his lab.
But each day that went by was one day closer to being able to see his siblings and see the world beyond this small lab. He opened his eyes, and looked out the… open window?
He blinked. That’s strange… It was closed a second ago, wasn’t it? It must have been, no one else could have opened it. He would have to report this to his father.
His audio receptors picked up a sound. Faint, but there, the sound of something rustling behind him caught his attention, sending an alert through his system. Panic rose in his mind, and he quickly turned, trying to find the source.
… Nothing. Just the table that he is usually worked on by the Doctor…
… another fault to report…
… and that alarm just wouldn’t stop.
He wondered if that internal alarm was supposed to function like that, it seemed the functionality was a little spot-
Something grasped both of his shoulders, and his head snapped forward again, gasping as his eyes met a pair of blue orbs, far too close.
“Objective… Complete.”
X stared in confusion, unable to find the words to express his shock. His eyes looked him up and down, bright red armor, pretty long blonde hair, his body unfinished in places, wires and skeletal frame exposed, and unfinished paint job in spots under completion.
“You’re… like me,” X said in wonder.
“Objective complete,” he repeated, staring at him like he was supposed to do something.
“Objective? What objective?”
“Find ‘X’. Find Light’s creation, defined as DLN-X. You are ‘X’. Objective complete.”
“Why did you come here?”
“To complete the objective.”
“Why do you need to complete your objective?”
He stares at him, hesitating. “Objective must be completed. It is in code.”
His speech was… a bit off. His voice sounded a bit crackly. X tilted his head, managing to see under this robot’s head. Exposed wire, just like his. The voicebox wasn’t quite in the right place.
“... Um… One moment, are… could you… lift your head, just a bit? You’re a bit… well, unfinished, but you must know that already…” he asked, lifting his own head in demonstration. “Like this. Just so you don’t sound static-y.”
The bot blinked. X thought for a moment that he would not do so, but then he lifted his head, about an inch.
That was enough, and X gingerly lifted a hand to the other’s neck. It felt… strange. He had never seen another bot like him… like X himself.
With a small push, the box clicked into place.
“There. Does that feel better?”
The mysterious robot stared at him. “Feel… better?” he repeated, his voice no longer cracked, it sounded deep, X could feel his baritone voice in his chest.
“It sounds much better,” he grinned at him. “What is your name?”
“Name?”
“What do people call you?”
“Call me…” he looked to his side, and X realizes his body froze in place, hands perfectly fixed at either side, staring out blankly, as if incapable of hearing anyone, not even twitching a little. X started to worry and considered calling for Dr. Light when suddenly his head swiveled to look at him, eyes sharply falling into place.
“Serial number: DWN-Infinity.”
DWN-Infinity…
DWN.
DWN?
X didn’t know what that was. And yet he did. Something in him- his coding, no doubt, told him that it was something to him. He didn’t yet know it, but it meant something.
“Well… It is nice to meet you, DWN-Infinity. You may call me X since you already know my serial number.”
“Nice to meet you…” it was clear to X that DWN-Infinity didn’t actually understand what he was saying, but repeating it back like a parrot. He stared blankly, and curiously.
“Is there… an objective for after you find me?”
“No.”
“...” X frowned, wasn’t that weird? Why would someone out there build a bot like him simply to go find him? He is unfinished, so perhaps his objective isn’t fully coded… But… what would this person want from him?
“Did you go through the window?”
“Yes. It was the most direct route to you.”
“I guess that’s true, but next time you could enter through the front door, I’m sure Dr. Light would let you in,” he chuckled.
“Dr… Dr. Light…” he hesitates. “My systems tell me not to trust him, so I’m declining your offer.”
X blinked at him, “Eh? But, he’s a wonderful person, he’s never done any sort of harm to me or anyone else. Why not trust him?”
“He is labeled under ‘enemy.’”
“Enemy?” X gasped in shock, “W-what about me then?”
“You are not labeled.”
… whoever made him didn’t seem fond of Dr. Light. He made note of that, thinking of his next words carefully.
“So… You’ve completed your objective, but you have no other directives to complete. What do you intend to do now?”
DWN-Infinity stared again, and X was about to sigh and try to bring up something else, before being met with the words, “I will continue to complete my objective.”
“... You’ll what?”
“Continue to complete my objective until given other direct orders by an administrator. Logic processes state that I was made to find you, therefore you must remain found by me.”
“... I’m… confused. You’re saying you’re… staying with me?”
“Affirmative.”
“...” Logically speaking… he was correct. If he was made to find him, it stands to reason that he would not lose him.
“But Doctor Light is upstairs, if he is labeled as an ‘enemy’ what would you do if you saw him?”
DWN-Infinity thought for a moment. “If he does not interfere with my objective, there is no reason to take action.”
“Take… action?”
He continued, “I must complete my objective at any cost. I will not take lightly to any interference.”
A cold chill went down X’s spine. “You wouldn’t hurt him, would you?! If you do- I-I’ll hurt you back!”
“... I must complete my objective.”
X shook his head, “There’s no point talking to you, you’re just a broken record at this point.”
“Broken… Record?”
“Exactly.” he sighed, rubbing his temple. “It doesn’t matter. You only need to know I won't take kindly to harm coming to my father- creator.”
“... As long as my objective has no interference, I will not use extreme force.” He seems to agree, his hands on X’s shoulders again.
There’s a creak coming from above them and both their heads turn. Footsteps thump down the stairs, and X stares up from where his father is striding down. His eyes flash to the mysterious robot, but his expression- or rather, lack thereof, is the same. The man strides down into the room and blinks, reeling back in shock.
“Ah… X… who is this?”
“... Um… Father. This is… DWN-Infinity.”
His eyebrows raise, and there’s a glint in his eyes. He must know what that means… “I see… And why has he decided to… visit?”
“Do not step any closer,” Infinity says firmly, his grip on X tightening. “If you interfere with my objective I will not hesitate.”
Dr. Light looks at X seriously. “He isn’t planning to harm you is he?”
X shakes his head frantically. “His objective… is to find me.”
Father sighed with relief. “His coding is unfinished, thank goodness.”
DWN-Infinity is still staring at Dr. Light, despite his expression not changing, X somehow feels an aura of… hatred. The doctor chuckled nervously.
“X, I need to speak with your brother, I’ll be back in a moment.” He rushed up the stairs, door slamming behind him.
That’s odd… he hasn’t moved that fast in a long time. It was like… he was afraid of him. Infinity’s grasp on X loosens.
“What is a ‘brother’?”
X slowly turns back to him “A brother is… someone who is related to you, someone who is part of the family. Why do you ask?”
“... Something about brother… something about family, I can’t make any sense of what it’s telling me.” His expression finally changes, he frowns ever so slightly, eyebrows downturned. “Systems not right… Systems… Say threat nearby.” his grip tightens again, “But I cannot leave. The objective must stay complete.”
“You’re okay, DWN-Infinity. I promise your objective will remain completed until you receive a new objective, okay?” X looked up at him, his hand brushing against the others. “I’m right here. You found me.”
His face twitched, and after a moment, Infinity shuffled on his feet, grip loosening once more. “You are correct… My objective will remain completed.”
X still wasn’t sure what to do beyond allowing him to do so. After all, if he had only one objective, he’s sure he’d desire to complete it too.
“Get him back here right this instant!”
“Why should I, you’ve obviously built that freak to replace me, like hell I’d let you!” Bass growled at him, and strode to him, picking up his still-hot cup of coffee and smashing it to the ground. Pieces of glass and coffee scattered all over the floor. His red eyes glared into his soul. “I’m the strongest, and I won’t let even you get in my way.”
He hated this strong-willed creation, if only he hadn’t ever created him.
“If that were true you would have killed him.”
Bass’ eyes widened in shock, his sharp teeth grit together, “Your plans always get in my way, you stupid old geezer!”
“You can blame me all you want, but you haven’t proven you’re the strongest, regardless of your hardware being better. It doesn’t matter unless the software is up to par!”
“What the hell are you saying?!” He shrieked with rage.
“I’m saying that your programming is trash! This new project of mine is going to surpass you, surpass Megaman, surpass Dr. Light’s greatest work! His X won’t be a match for DWN-Infinity, my Zero!”
Bass blinked at him, eye twitching. He has never seen him this angry. Moments passed and he turned his glare away from him, “He can’t be that great.” He scoffed, “He’s run away.”
“I have his location. He is inside Dr. Light's laboratory. You are programmed to obey what I say and you will retrieve him for me!”
“Like hell, I will!” he snapped. “Find another damn puppet. I’m not going to dance for you.”
“Wily…” Heads turned in the direction of the door, Bubbleman stood there, the blue bot’s big eyes partly closed.
“I’ll go get him if he won’t. I’m tired of the arguing, and I think I speak for all the other bots here when I say that it really ruins the mood.”
“Oh?” Wily’s eyes narrowed. He took a step closer and Bubbleman shriveled backward, nervously looking to the side.
“I mean- it’s just that-”
“It must be nice getting to sit around on your asses all day drinking my E-tanks I paid for with my money and get to complain about how I’m ruining the mood.”
“Boss, it’s not like that!” Bubbleman frantically moved his hands in front of him, stuttering and shaking, “It’s just that… When we 2nd line robot masters were built… you used to be happy, but lately, you’ve been so hateful and cynical… We’re concerned about you!”
“...” Dr. Wily knew that was true.
He remembered when a project like Bass made him happy. Working on robots was his lifelong dream, his passion. And at the end of his life, it meant nothing. None of his accomplishments, and Dr. Light has the gall, the nerve to begin work on his greatest project, a robot that truly thinks for himself, on the level of humanity with no working orders, and alliances to anyone they choose. He can’t build a bot exactly like that. He can work on the software all he wants. But he can’t have no commands and no orders. Because even the ones that do don’t want to follow him unless he manipulates and lies to them.
And he’s begun to realize he doesn’t like even doing that. He hates Bass, he hates what he’s become and he hates his work- but Zero is his last chance. His last chance to finally prove to everyone his worth.
“Bass. Find Zero. That is an order.”
“...Whatever. Come on Treb,” he snapped his fingers and a loud WOOF shuddered in the distance.
X’s hands rested on DWN-Infinity’s waist, settling into his golden locks. The other bot’s arms rested around him, holding him tightly in place. He made the move and then sat there, holding him as close as he possibly could. X supposed that this was his programming coming into effect, urging him to keep X in front of him, and eventually, the pings inside of his head demanded evidence that he was in front of him. Physical contact is the solution.
He didn’t mind, though… it felt so lovely, so warm, he had never been held like this, and his hair is so smooth and soft… It felt a little dream-like, sitting in his arms.
He heard thumping from the stairs. He craned his neck to look but couldn’t see anything until he fully stepped down. He met eyes of blue. They were a lot different than DWN-Infinity’s eyes. Clear, bright.
DWN-Infinity moved the second he was within 10 feet of them, probably staring at him intensely.
“You’re… Rock.”
The boy nodded, then smiled. “And you’re my brother X. I’m… really happy to finally meet you.”
“Finally…? But Dr. Light said he was keeping me a secret-”
“Dad is terrible at keeping secrets. Plus something had to have been up when he spent all his time down here and didn’t ask for our help,” he laughed.
“It feels unreal… Father has told me a lot about all of you, is Roll here? Ah…” he sniffled, feeling tears. “Excuse me, I-I’m not trying to cry. I-Im just so happy.”
“I am too, wish I could hug you,” Rock looked a little misty-eyed too.
“Crying?” Infinity asked, tilting his head up to look at X.
“Ah- aha, crying is when… you’re so sad, or happy, or mad, that water will come out of your eyes.” He wondered how long he had been activated, X didn’t know much but he did know all of his basic functions…
“I see. I have never cried before.”
“I can tell,” X deadpanned.
“He hasn’t threatened to hurt you has he?” Rock frowned, tone serious.
“My objective has nothing to do with hurting X. It is simply to find him, and to continue to find him.”
Rock stared at him a moment, gaze focused, and looked up at X, “I’ve faced a lot of Wily-bots in the past. Some of them have tricked me. Bass pretended to be my friend when we first met, and then tried to kill me… and uh… still is.”
“He’s unfinished, I don’t think he was sent it intentionally,” X reasoned.
“So they’re looking for him. They’ll probably be here any minute asking for him back.” Rock took another step forward, and DWN-Infinity prickled, arching his back like a cat and twisting his body around in a defensive stance.
“Do not get between me and my objective,” Infinity growled.
Rock gave X an irritated glance, one that told him that this wasn’t going to work. But X couldn’t do anything beyond sigh and look down, hands held tightly together in his lap. He bit his lip, unable to find the words to defuse the situation. DWN-Infinity just didn’t know any better… he couldn’t be blamed, X knew that for certain. Besides, he truly didn’t mind his presence in the slightest. In fact, aside from his hostility towards others, perceiving them as threats, he found him rather… endearing.
“You have to stop this, it won’t end well for anyone at this rate, and I don’t want my brother to need to satiate your objective put there by a man like Wily! You may be unfinished, but I doubt the intent was to simply find X,” Rock seethed, his stance a clear indication of his frustration with the situation.
X knew that he was trying to protect him as a brother would… but, he couldn’t help but feel sympathy toward Infinity.
“Rock, don’t-”
“X, you don’t need to defend him.”
“But-”
“You are in my systems as well. ‘Megaman’, Serial Designation ‘DLN-001’. Threat level: High. Deemed under the category ‘enemy’. You will not get in my way. I am not afraid to attack you.”
“Please, don’t fight each other!” X pleaded, reaching out for the unfinished bot’s hand. “You said you were only here for me. Rock, I swear, he’s done nothing to hurt me! You have no reason to fight each other! So please-”
“That’s not the point!” Rock shouted. “Any moment now, a Wily-bot is going to come here for him,” he sharply pointed, “and then what!? We can’t guarantee your safety!”
“It’s not his fault!” X pleaded.
“It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. One thing is for sure. If he was created by Dr. Wily, his intentions go darker than simply to find you X. He was created to destroy you.”
X gasps, hand cusped to his mouth. His eyes fly to Infinity’s gaze. His teeth are gritted together, and his eyes are fixated on Rock.
“My objective is to find X. Nothing else!”
“For now. The moment Wily gets his hands on you again he’s going to fix that, and the next time you will be here to destroy X.”
X can hear the gears clicking in the unfinished bot’s brain. His eyes flashed.
“No. I must be with X. I must continue to be with him. That is my-”
“When your objective changes, you will fulfill that one too!” Rock screams, “Don’t you get it?! You’re Wily’s weapon. And he wants you to destroy all of us.”
“...No… I…”
CRASH!
The window breaks into pieces, scattering across the ground. Infinity let go of his grip on X, glass shards scatter across the floor, and a black robot forces himself out of the small window, rolling onto the glass sharps, his body breaking them with a crunch, crunch. He stands, red eyes glowing, and smirks.
“Well, well. It wasn’t hard to find you at all.”
“Who are you?” X blinks.
“Bass!” Rock shouts.
“.... Serial Designation: SWN-001. Code name: ‘Bass’. Alignment: 'Ally'. Threat level: high,” DWN-Infinity stated calmly.
“Looks like the old man wasn’t so stupid after all. He programmed you with enough common sense so you don’t go apeshit on me. Come on, you’ve had your fun. I’m taking you home so he stops bitching.”
Rock opened his mouth, but whatever he was going to say was quickly cut off by Infinity.
“And if I go with you… my creator will change my objective?”
“Probably, considering you haven’t killed anyone.”
“...Killing people.” He stepped away from X. “Is that why I was created?”
“Duh, you have a built-in threat assessment. If you were built to find people, wouldn’t you- I don’t know- be able to see through walls? And why would someone create a death machine like you to find people?”
His expression darkens. “So… He really will change who I am.”
Bass’s eyes soften slightly. “You get used to it.”
“I won’t let that happen,” he spoke sharply.
“Don’t act like such a baby. He’s finishing you.”
“Then I don’t want to be finished,” Infinity said cooly.
“You get what you get, what makes you think you can just change that?” Bass growled.” None of us can do a damn thing about it. I don’t even want to bring you back, but I don’t have a fucking choice! Now we can do this the easy way, or we can do this shit the hard way. Well- easy for me still, I can kick your ass. You don’t even have a weapon.”
“I am not entirely helpless,” DWN-Infinity hissed. “I won’t let you become between me and my objective, unfinished or not.”
Bass laughs. “You’re kidding, right? Didn’t you hear what I said? You. Are. Unfinished. You. Can’t. Beat. Me. I bet you don’t even have your weapon installed.” His hand changes into an energy cannon, and his gaze turns serious, focused. “And it’s too late to back out.”
“Of course, I had no intention to.” He replies calmly, his hand changes forms, and he lifts it to Bass. “If you want to fight me I will gladly return the favor.”
“Wait!” X cries out, startling even himself. “Aren’t both of you supposed to be brothers?! You don’t need to fight!’
“Brothers?” Bass falters, energy weapon lowering slightly. “Brothers?” he repeats. “Is that what you and Megaman think you are? Why would you think I would think that this thing designed to replace me could ever be my brother!” he takes a step forward, “I’ll gladly take on the challenge to destroy him, I’ll gladly turn his body into ash, I will complete my objective- I will prove to everyone that I am the strongest!”
“Take another step forward and I’ll turn you into ash!” DWN-Infinity barks.
“You fucking wish you could. Oi! Treb!”
He snaps his fingers and a purple wolf-like bot shoves his way inside through the window. He skids to a stop next to Bass, growling audibly at the sight of Infinity and Rockman. Bass jabs his finger at the unfinished bot.
“Sic ‘em!”
Treble leaps, his mouth engorged open, his teeth sink into DWN-Infinity’s leg, growling and biting on the metal, horrific shrieks ring through the air with each miserable grind. Infinity barely even moves, his hand closes around Treble's throat and he pins the dog to the ground. X is shocked when his expression is cold and emotionless, and the bot whines over and over. His buster slowly charges.
“DON’T YOU DARE!” Bass screams and he fires at the other Wily-bot, the shot smolders against his face. Infinity shifts his aim and his charged shot lands on Bass, he is knocked to the wall behind him and crashes to the ground.
“Bass-!” Rock gasps, frozen mid-step, glancing between the two Wily-bots and his brother, mind racing. X read fear and concern in his eyes, and his core couldn’t stop racing.
“This isn’t about you Megaman,” Bass spits, “I’ll fight you when I’m through with him.”
“I won’t let you fight.”
Bass’ eyes flashed, “Why? Isn’t it enough that you always beat me? You have to get in my way now?!”
“Shut up!” Rock snapped suddenly, and X’s eyes widened as he stepped closer to the black bot. “Shut. Up. Outside. Now.”
“... What-”
Without warning, Rock grabbed Bass by the arm, dragging him back towards the window and lifting him, ignoring his stunned screeching, and tossing him out, hopping out after him. Treble blinked, muzzle wrinkled as if cringing.
… X didn’t think that his brother was… so short-tempered. Was he short-tempered? He seemed overwhelmed…
“What the fuck, you motherfucker! How dare you, I’m not a fucking sack of potatoes-”
“NOT in my fucking house, Bass! Not. In. The. House!’ Rock growled, a hand gripped on Bass’s chest plate and yanking him up to his feet. Bass was startled by just how strong the blue bomber was.
“W-what the hell do you expect, that I just- not do that?? Cuz I d-don’t think you noticed the fucking haywire bot in your basement!”
“I noticed before you got here, idiot, and the last time you got even 100 feet of this place, you blew a hole in the ceiling, and that didn’t end well for you.” Rock’s voice was icy, deadly serious. “You hurt my dad. You hurt Roll. You were practically decommissioned. I’m sorry for that, but I really didn’t feel bad. You hurt my family, and the newest member of my family is right fucking there.”
Bass shuddered, his mouth agape in stunned silence. He had no words to describe the weird burn in his gut, just recognized that he had no idea Rock was capable of this level of aggression. Well, he did, but not once had they been close enough for… this.
Rock released him, and Bass stumbled to regain his footing, readjusting his chest plate and clearing his throat. Rock still had a sharp look in his eyes, but sighed tiredly, stretching his shoulder out.
“Now, if you’re done, we do actually have a problem, and there’s no way in hell you’re shooting at it. At least, not a way that doesn’t involve you or Treble getting hurt, as shown earlier.”
“I was not hurt, that asshole-”
“Besides the point. He's clearly more advanced, and you can’t win a fight against him. His code is unfinished, and… we can’t seem to pry him off my brother. So… you can’t do this, guns blazing style like you usually do.”
Bass cringed, crossing his arms. “He ain’t more advanced- for fucks sake, that old man, piece of shit… He ain’t even here and he’s gettin’ on my nerves.”
“Bass…”
“The fuck you even gonna do, by the way?? You said so yourself we can’t do shit about him, are we just supposed to sit on our asses till the end of fucking time?!”
“No, we aren’t.” Rock retorted. “What’s gotten into you? You’re typically ornery, but this…?”
“Shut the fuck up, boy wonder! You’re fucking kidding, right? I don’t think you know anything at all at this point, that unfinished pile of walking scrap is my replacement, not a stupid brother like you get! He’s me if Wily decided I didn’t need to be like him to be a killing machine! And whoop-dee-fuckin’-doo, Zero IS better than me! I can’t handle that, I can’t handle that old man shoving me off just to replace me with a fucking shell, one that can’t even work right!”
“BASS!” The Wily-bot froze, feeling warmth on his cheeks. Rock- was suddenly very close- had his arms up, his hands were holding Bass’s face, he realized- blue eyes wide with concern. His face felt wet…
“Please… Breathe, Bass, stop… I understand…”
“D-don’t- Don’t touch m-me, let go-” Bass sniffed, shakily trying to pull Rock’s hands away, failing miserably, his arms feeling weak and tired. “What kind of word even is ornery…? Always… trying to show off.”
Rock sighed, “Bass… you know that’s not true.”
“It doesn’t matter. You’ll always be better than me. He will always be better than me. I should just give up trying.”
“...” Rock’s face fell. “... Even though I wanted you to give up, hearing you actually say that doesn’t make me feel good.”
Bass turned to the ground. His chest felt heavy, and his face felt warm and flushed. His vision blurred, and wet tears rolled down his cheeks. “Whatever,” his voice felt heavy in his throat. “I’m out of here.”
“Where are you going?”
“Away from here,” he violently turned, breaking from Rock’s grip. “What does it matter to you? You just said it yourself. You wanted me to give up.”
“But that’s-”
“So what? As if I care what you think.”
Rock’s voice raised, “If you didn’t care what I thought, why did you try to prove to me that you’re the strongest for so long?!”
“You wanted me to give up! Why are you upset that I’m leaving you alone?!” Bass turns, shouting back.
Rock stomped his foot. “Because you’re acting like a baby!”
“Says the one throwing a tantrum! Get over yourself.”
“No! You get over YOURSELF! I’m trying to be nice to you AGAIN and you’re pouting and running away like suddenly I don’t matter,” tears rolled down his cheeks, “As if I mean nothing to you, and maybe I do! But you mean a lot to me, Bass! You always have!”
“...” Bass stood there frozen for what felt like hours. The scene of Rock, his eyes filled with angry tears, fists clutched at his sides. His stomach… felt sick, his throat felt thick, and his chest tight.
He couldn’t stand it.
“...Treble!”
WOOF!
The wolf ran by his side, Bass clutched onto its fur and Treble stopped running, freezing in place. The robot wolf transformed, allowing Bass to step on and they flew up into the sky.
Rock knew he couldn’t return to the Wily fortress without DWN-Infinity, so wherever he was going not even God knew.
His gaze turned back to his home. He looked through the broken windows of the lab and shook his head.
He’ll… take care of it… there was nothing else he could do.
Rock slipped back through the window, met by the sight of DWN-Infinity holding on tightly to X, eyes locked on the one he perceived as an annoying intruder. X gave a nervous chuckle, fiddling with the other’s long blonde locks. “S-sorry, he is kinda clingy…”
Rock stared at them, and then shook his head with a sigh. His face looked pale, and his hands shook slightly. Strands of his neatly combed hair turned wild, sticking up in odd ways. X felt his chest turn, feeling sick when he realized Rock looked very… very tired.
“Are you okay Rock? What happened out there?” X tried to pull away from Infinity but he already knew that wasn’t happening. He sat up straight against his sleep chamber. “Did he hurt you?”
“No,” he said firmly, holding up his palm. He closed his eyes for a moment and slowly opened them.
“I have just one question for you,” his pointed stare pierced the blonde’s gaze. He matched him, slowly nodding as to say ‘go on.’
“If Bass was classified as your ally. Why didn’t you go with him?”
“I’ve said why,” Zero growled, “No one comes between me and my objective.”
X stuttered, face flushed, “Infinity…”
Rock looked out of the window, expression gentle. “Then… You can stay here. That was all I needed to hear.”
“I was already going to stay. But thank you.”
X lightly elbowed him, but he didn’t react.
“He also gave me your name.”
“What?” X blinked, “You have a name?”
“...I suppose so,” Infinity blinked.
“What is it?”
“It’s Zero,” Rock clears his throat, “I’ll fix this window, call me if you need anything,” he hurried up the stairs, feet quickly thudding repeatedly until the door shut.
X stared at where he left. “His face… It was wet. Was he crying?”
“Crying,” Zero repeats.
“It looks like you’ll be here for a while,” X pressed his hand against Zero’s back.
“Yes.”
“...How long?”
“How long?”
X nods. “When will your objective be complete?”
“I haven’t… considered that. But, it would be better to have one incomplete, than to get a new objective.”
“Why?” X presses.
Zero’s eyebrows twitch. “...I don’t know. Feels… wrong… the thought of harming you.”
“That’s just because of your programming.”
“You’re correct. I think. It’s inconclusive.”
“Inconclusive?” X’s head tilts.
“Yes. Systems are functioning as normal. However this question… the answer I get is inconclusive. Yes, and no, the lines of code are not perfect, and some typos persist. Protecting you is not my purpose, and yet there is a strong compulsion to do so. I can’t read why that is.” he pauses for a moment, his eyes focus. “Ah. My emotional processor… is slow. I ‘like’ it.”
“You… Like protecting me?” X’s core feels hot for the very first time, he doesn’t know what to make of this dizzying feeling. “Is that what you are saying.”
“It is what my programming is saying. I have discovered this sensation, what ‘like’ is. I ‘like’ it.”
X smiles, “You’re funny Zero.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you think…” X trails off.
“...Do I think what?”
X swallows, “That we could become friends?”
“Friends?” he blinks.
“Someone… you’re close to, and you like to spend time with,” X explains.
“I do like you, so yes.”
X’s core feels dizzy again, and his face is hot. “T-that’s all I needed to ask!”
Zero's face twitches, and just for a second, he looks sad. “Do you want to be friends with me?”
“Well… I know you’re a good person. Regardless of who built you.”
“...” Zero closes his eyes. “I must rest now.”
“Ah…” that was sudden… “G-good night?”
“Good night…” he repeats, obviously not understanding what that means.
X stares up out the still-broken window.
Bass would certainly come back for Zero, and he won’t let anyone hurt X, but he believes with all his heart that he is a good person. And…
His hand strokes through his blonde hair. “I will protect you too Zero, from your creator…”