X was silent for a bit, letting all that sink in. Blue's story answered so many question, but it also gave new ones.
"Why don't I remember the one activation?' he asked. His brother shrugged.
"Best as I can guess, the early activation damaged your core memory. We figured that Wily's Reploid must've been nearby, as his altered plans included a transmitter attuned to your capsule to trigger it, to make it open before you were ready."
"And you never found any trace of this Wily bot?"
"Oh, we did all right." Blues' eyes strayed to Zero. So did X's.
"Huh?" X was confused. Zero gave a small, sharp laugh.
"Yeah, I'm that Wily bot. I've told you about that shadowy guy in my nightmares before. That's him, telling me to kill you, X. But for some reason, I never followed the order."
"Because of the AFW, or Artificial Free Will as we started to call it," Blues explained. "Wily as I said didn't tamper with too much internally. With it, you have as much free will as X about what you do. Wily's mistake. It also partially explains why you two naturally became friends, built from the same plans and all."
"Okay, I got one now," Zero interrupted. "How come I reacted to the Syncro Attack? I know I have the chip like you three, but I'm built by Wily, not Dr. Light."
"That involves father's final request of us." Blues took a deep breath as if to steady himself. "The morality programming is heavily tied in with the Syncro Chip. He told us that only a like-minded Reploid - namely his sons - could use it, hence the 'Sons of Light' activation command. All of his sons are very justice and law orientated, even if to varying degrees (Rock won't even jay-walk). Before he passed on, he asked us to track down X's 'twin' and see if Wily had corrupted the morality program. If so, we were to destroy him. If not, if he was at all like us, or even remotely savable, then he was no son of Wily's, for Wily could create nothing of good. And if the Syncro Chi in him reacted to the activation command, then - "
"He's a Son of Light too!" X finished softly, eyes wide. So were Zero's. Blues nodded.
"Father said, 'If the Syncro Chip responds, then he is not Wily's son, but mine, and therefore your brother too.'" Zero was still for a few minutes, looking at X.
"A son... of Dr. Light..." he softly said. It made a kind of sense to X. It explained how close they were, how they fought so well together, could almost read each other's thoughts, why Zero had sacrificed himself for X during that one mission. He'd thought of Zero as a brother before, but never had it occurred to him that he's been right about it! Then a sudden thought made X chuckle.
"Next time Wily stops by in your dreams, why don't you tell him that, brother?" That knocked Zero out of his bewilderment and got a grin.
"I think I will... bro."
"Seems Bass was right, then," Neon commented wryly, grinning at his siblings and cousins. "It is a family reunion, or at least will be once Rock wakes up."
"And you were right too, Zero," Roll said. "You told Bass you weren't his brother, and you're not." Zero grinned.
"Of course I'm not. He only wishes he could have a brother as cool as I am." The pony-tailed Hunter leaned back against a nearby wall. "So I've got family now, huh? That's cool, though hopefully you guys can answer one question that's driven people nuts for years: Where the hell is Dr. Light's lab?" They laughed. Roll added,
"Easy enough, after Rock wakes up." Blues dropped into a chair.
"Then get comfy, everyone. This could be a looooooong night."