Chapter 3

That night at Dr. Light’s lab, the kind scientist worked diligently to repair Mega while the others worried or, in Roll’s case, lamented.

“It’s all my fault, Dr. Light,” she said in a tearful tone, watching as her creator was bent over an unconscious Mega Man, helmet and hair removed and panels opened as he lay on the lab table. “I never should’ve gone.”

“Mega Man was doing what he was programmed to do,” Dr. Light reassured, the light from his laser tool alternately casting his face into odd shadows. “Save lives.”

“Oh, Eddie should’ve given him more energy cans,” Eddie moaned sadly as Doc handed Dr. Light a circuit.

“Is he gonna be okay?” Roll asked, and Rush whined softly as well.

“I don’t know, Roll,” he answered honestly, looking through a magnifying lens and beginning to work on Mega’s head where four yellow lights glowed, two flickering on and off slowly. “But we’ll do everything we can.” Suddenly Mega Man began to mutter in his ‘sleep.’

“It’s my--father. I--I’m a little boy.” Roll faintly heard his mumbles.

“What’s he saying Dr. Light?”

“His--electrical brain must be shorting in and out, and he’s dreaming about the past.” Dr. Light moved the laser tool to work on another part of Mega’s head on the top. “How well I remember. Dr. Wily was my assistant...”

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

“I’ve just finished my first prototype robot,” Dr. Light said, leaning slightly to lay a hand on the shoulder of a small humanoid robot wearing red and gray armor and with unruly light brown hair and closed eyes that stood motionless at his side. “If he works, Dr. Wily, this will just be the first of many.” Dr. Wily rubbed his bushy gray mustache as he listened, then came over to join his friend.

“Ja, a world of robots.”

“Together we can create hundreds of industrial and domestic robots.” As he spoke, the two strolled over to a set of plans on a computer console. “Construction robots, mining robots, marine robots,” Dr. Light listed off, his voice growing even more excited at the thought. “And all,” he finished in a calmer tone, almost a sigh of satisfaction at seeing his dreams so close to completion, “to help mankind.” Taking a remote activator out of his pocket, the two turned to the prototype. Dr. Light held to activator out. “Now for the big moment.” He pressed a button, and with a faint whirring sound the prototype opened his eyes and began to move, walking towards one area of the lab. The two scientists watched in amazement.

“It’s vorking, Dr. Light,” Dr. Wily gasped as both stared at their creation. As they watched the prototype crossed the lab, seeming to ignore them completely--and tore a hold in the lab’s wall! The scientists were stunned.

“Something must be wrong!” Dr. Light exclaimed as they hurried to see. In the next room over, the prototype was busy demolishing a piece of equipment with apparent malice. “Stop!” Dr. Light ordered. “I command you to stop!” the robot ignored him.

“He doesn’t obey,” Dr. Wily said with a helpless look on his face and a confused gesture of his arms. Tthe robot prototype continued his destructive actions until a heavier piece higher up fell onto him and bashed him to the ground, knocking him offline in the process. The two ran over.

“There must be a problem with the computer guidance system,” Dr. Light said to his colleague, motioning with a hand to the prone prototype. “We’ll have to rebuild this prototype.” He sounded a little regretful, but still hopeful. But Dr. Wily wasn’t so happy with the decision.

“B--but I programmed the system, Dr. Light. It must be--something else.” His face reflected his disbelief that he could be at fault.

“No. I’m sure it’s the guidance system,” Dr. Light said. “We must destroy the plans and start over.” A touch of shock entered Dr. Wily’s visage, as well as something else. But he said,

“Yes, Dr. Light. Of course. You’re right as always. I’ll--” Here his voice took on a decidedly different tone. “--destroy the plans.”

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Later that night, the lab was dark and quiet. A door opened, and a beam of light shown in. It was Dr. Wily, wielding a flashlight. He shined in into the lab, the beam coming to rest on first the prototype where it sat on the console, then on the plans next to it.

“Just vat I’m looking for,” he said, going over to pick up the plans. “Destroy my vork, vill he? Vell,” He held the plans up where he could get a good look at them. “Not if I can help it.” A light suddenly clicked on, startling Dr. Wily as did Dr. Light’s voice.

“What are you doing with those plans, Dr. Wily,” Dr. Light asked sternly from the doorway, continuing as he started to come forwards, realizing that something was wrong, “You were supposed to destroy them.” He ran towards Wily.

“Nevar!” Dr. Wily countered, clutching the plans and running for another door to escape. Dr. Light chased Wily through the lab, but Wily pushed a chest-high rolling tool cabinet into his way. The kind scientist couldn’t stop in time and stumbled over it, landing hard on the floor. “You’re just jealous of my genius!” Wily yelled as he used his bought time to cross the lab and reached the door, turning to hurt a few last accusations and pointing at Dr. Light. “You probably sabotaged the guidance system, so you could take all the credit! But now it’s my turn to be in the spotlight.” He turned and ran out the door, hitting the controls as he passed by. The door shut just scant moments before Dr. Light got there.

“Dr. Wily, come back!” Dr. Light yelled. He knew that his plea fell on deaf ears, but his concern, so evident on his face, was so great that he felt he had to try to make Dr. Wily listen. He pounded on the doors with both fists as he warned, “You can’t use those plans! They are dangerous!”

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Underneath the city a few days later, in an unused section of the subway. Dr. Wily was hard at work finishing his first robot creation from the plans he stole.

“Let dem make fun of me. Let dem laugh,” he muttered to himself as he built a part of his robot. “Nobody knows the genius I am. Even when I vas a little boy the other children nevar understood me.” He added as he headed away from his worktable, pausing for a brief touch of nostalgia. “I nevar even had toys like the other kids.” With renewed vigor, he continued as he inserted the component into his robot, “Vell, now, I’ll build all the toys I vant--robot toys.” With that he jerked the gray and red, visored robot into a reclining position on a nearby worktable. He aimed a tool at its open chest panel. “Und I’ll control them. Hahahah!” He bent a little more over his robot, continuing his tirade. “Humans are imperfect. Robots are so much--superior. My robots will be made to supervise mankind--under my command...”