Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

Forever Clockwork	By : Spleef Category: +M through R > Mega Man Views: 3989 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: mega Man belongs to Capcom, Archie Comics, and et. al. I make no profit off this.

Chapter List
- 1-One
- 2-II
- 1
- 2
Forever Clockwork

II

The
photograph I made reference to twice in the last chapter actually
exists. Neat the end of Volume 3 of Gigamix, you can see Light
holding it and looking at it with a fond smile. I've also seen a
color version, full-size of it online. From what I understand, it was
one of two bonus postcards that one could obtain from buying Gigamix
2 in Japan, the other postcard had Terra and the Stardroids on it.
Damn, but young Wily is hot. :P Reviews and feedback are very much
welcome and appreciated. I've tried my best to characterize Wily, as
he is portrayed different ways in various media.

o0o0o0o

The
lab was the kind of place she imagined Wily would construct his
robots in. It was an immense chamber, with various areas in the room
dedicated to different things, mostly the construction of hardware.
Programming a robot was a complicated task in itself, but what good
was it without something to put it in?

She
could see heavy tools – saws, welders, and the like in one
corner, near several machines designed to bend metal into various
shapes to form the outer parts of anything that the mad scientist
might want to create. There were of course smaller tools –
screws, wenches, pliers, and so on and so forth. She hated to admit
it, but she envied Wily, she would love to have her own personal lab
and 'bot servants. Being a villain obviously did have its perks...

There
was one thing she did not miss. Here and there, the mad scientist had
a skull design somewhere. Not that it surprised her, but it did make
her curious.

“Why
do you like skulls and skeletons so much anyway?” she mused as
she glanced at a half-constructed vehicle, some sort of hovercraft by
the looks of it. He glanced over his shoulder at her as he approached
a table that had the framework of a robot on it.

“I
intend to bring about the death of the old world order? I use it to
inspire fear in my enemies? That, and I've always liked it. Plus, it
looks badass.” he replied with a grin. She had to bite back a
grin of her own, and moved closer when he motioned her to do so.

“I
have a question of my own, what happened to your last name? Why did
you change it?” he asked. She shrugged, not wanting to share
the reason. Evans was such a common name in the States, and she
wanted a more unique name. She had taken the word 'infinite' and
scrambled the letters around.

He
did not miss her reaction and raised his eyebrow. “Come now,
you asked me a question and I answered it honestly. I think it's only
fair to ask the same in kind.”

She
crossed her arms. “Says my kidnapper. You're hardly in a
position to talk about what's fair.”

He
scowled at her. “Do I need to send you back to the tank?”

She
looked away. “... No.”

“Then
answer my question.”

“My
old last name is common. In just about any city in America, you can
often find at least 50 Evans in the phone book. I wanted something
more unique, so I just took the letters for 'infinity' and scrambled
it around.” She looked back at him.

“Was
that so hard?” he asked. She glared at him, and he smirked
before he turned back to the table.

“For
this model, I'm working on a newer technique for my air based models,
using this as a prototype. One day, I may be able to create a robot
capable of producing air-based bullets. That has yet to be
accomplished, but I am confident that one day I can create a robot
who can use air for pinpoint attacks rather than more wide-range ones
like tornadoes.”

If
one thing could be said about Wily, it was that he was creative, as
his existing Robot Masters could attest to. “I have studied the
Robot Masters, at least whatever knowledge is available, since I know
you have a few secrets. I've studied all
the numbers, not just yours, but Light's and Cossack's, and I notice
that air-based robots have a certain weakness, they're usually
vulnerable to electricity because it disrupts the flow of air. If you
could remedy that, you would have a robot that is nearly unbeatable.”

He
gave her a grin. “Good girl, it's nice to see you've kept up on
your research. The problem with this is, the weakness to electricity
is often created by the open nature of the fans, air tanks simply
aren't enough for sustainable combat levels.” he explained as
he brought up a holographic image for the robot from a keypad at the
edge of the table, showing some of the designs he'd already worked
out.

“I
know. It's the same thing with fire-based robots being weak to ice
and water, or vice-versa. The very design that gives them their power
and abilities often gives them a weakness that Megaman can exploit.
Kind of a catch-22.”

And
thank goodness for that, she mused wryly, or
the mad scientist might already be the ruler of the world.

“However.
This model won't rely on fans, covering this weakness.” The
hologram revealed that the robot had a high-powered jet-pack for
flight, and the arm cannon held a grav drive that could compress the
air in front of its fist to a semi-solid state to create blades of
air as well as whirlwinds. It was a definite step up from Airman's
fan design.

“Interesting.
Looks like you've learned something from your encounters with
Megaman.” she replied dryly.

“Of
course. I'm not so arrogant, and certainly not a fool, to deny my
mistakes and refuse to learn from them. Every failure is a lesson
that brings me one step closer to victory.” he replied,
ignoring the barb as he moved on to the chest, expanding the hologram
for the power core, an entirely new model. “This is the new
core generator. It uses a combination of solar energy and magnetism
to create a perpetual motion field that generates more than ten time
the power of the standard power core used in most robots.”

“You've
come a long way since your original series...” she said, the
more recent Numbers were of course more technologically advanced than
the first ones he had come up with, though sometimes he went back and
tweaked and improved an older Number, like he had for Shadow Man. She
peered at the design. “You could make a lot of money selling
this core as a source of clean power." she observed.

He
shot her a look like she'd just stated the most obvious thing in the
world. “You would think so, but when you work under someone
like Thomas Light, no one takes your work seriously, if HIS name
isn't on it, nobody wants it.” the doctor said, practically
seething. “It was I who designed the operating system for his
original industrial robots! ME who outlined the original systems of
their unique abilities. But did I get the recognition I deserved? OF
COURSE NOT!!!” He slammed the sides of his fists on the table,
creating a loud bang.

She
took a step back, remembering all too well the rivalry between Light
and Wily. What should she say? “Um... look. I don't know why
what happened happened, I guess you could say some people have all
the luck. Right?” She let out a nervous chuckle, deciding to
switch gears and soothe his ego. “But you're way smarter than
he is, and some people are afraid of genius just because they don't
understand it. I guess Light was just easier for them to understand.”

He
smiled at that, cold and confident, but with a hint of joy under all
of it. “Exactly! It's nice to hear someone else understand it.”
he turned back to the robot. “Now this is interesting. Instead
of using jets as I would have used before, this model hardens the air
beneath his feet, creating platforms to stand on for a moment,
allowing him to run and jump in the air. The jet-pack is very
high-powered, so the platforms are better for jumps and other times
he only needs to make a relatively short distance. It's still new,
hence the short duration, but we'll see how it goes.” he
commented, once more excited about his work.

She
nodded, duly impressed. They talked shop for a while, he showed her a
couple more designs and she gave feedback and suggestions on them.
“Should I be flattered or sad that you claim I'm the only one
who understands?” she asked, half jokingly.

He
glanced at her with a neutral expression before he shrugged. “That's
entirely up to you.” He sauntered over to the corner nearest
the door, which had a refrigerator and a sink, along with a table and
chair. There was a counter space with a coffeemaker and a toaster
oven. It reminded her of the employee break-room at her workplace,
though here Wily wouldn't need to worry about people stealing his
food or making a mess. “What would you like to drink?” he
asked as he opened the fridge. She saw bottles of water, juice, and
beer, and could not help but wonder if he ever worked while drunk.
That might explain how he came up with Topman...

“I
guess I'll just have some water.” She accepted a bottle from
him before she glanced back at the table with the half-constructed
robot. “It felt a bit like déjà vu, talking shop
with you like that, like we used to.” she admitted almost shyly
as she took the cap off the bottle.

“It
is rather nice having you around.” he replied calmly as he took
the cap off a bottle of what looked like tomato juice.

“I'm
just curious, why do you want to take over the world, anyway?”

“To
build a world for robots. Having myself as ruler is really just a
perk.”

“Why
a world for machines? Why not a world for humans and machines? I
mean, you are human, after all. And there are also plants and
animals, this world needs these too, I hope you don't want to destroy
those, too.”

“Plants
and animals haven't done too well under human rule, have they? Can
you honestly tell me that people do such a great job of running the
world?”

She
glanced at the wall. History was full of foolish human rulers, and
their just as foolish subjects. However, could Wily do a better job?
What kind of ruler could he possibly he? “And you think you
could do a better job?”

“Yes.”
was the deadpan, completely serious tone that brooked no argument.

“Well,
you sure are persistent.” she replied, hearing him laugh at
that. She felt her stomach rumble in protest, remembering that it had
been nearly eighteen hours since she had eaten at all. She'd been
hungry when she came out of the tank, but hadn't brought it up then.
Might as well bring it up now. “I'm hungry.”

He
pointed to the cabinet next to the fridge, and she went over to it
and opened it.

Well.
Packages of instant noodles and soup greeted her, as well as what
looked like granola or breakfast bars of some sort within a plastic
container, along with other easy-to-prepare food items. It was
obvious that Wily didn't invest much time in food preparation, but
then, he was sure to consider it a more worthwhile use of his time
putting together machines than a meal.

“...
I don't suppose we can just order out?” she asked wryly as she
weighed her options. They'd done so a few times at Light Labs,
laughing and talking about science over Chinese or pizza.

“If
you find a place that will deliver to the fortress of an evil genius,
then sure.”

“Okay,
just give me your phone.” Her own phone had disappeared with
her clothing.

“Nice
try.” he replied before taking a swig of his juice.

“Can't
blame me for trying, can you?”

He
raised his eyebrow at that, and she smirked back at him before
choosing one of the soups and preparing it before she grabbed one of
the bars, she had not had dinner or breakfast, after all. As she
waited for the soup to heat up, she perused the monitors on the
walls. Some of the monitors showed areas outside the lab, while
others showed other areas within the fortress. While the room she was
in was quiet, the cameras showed that the fortress itself was abuzz
with activity. Here and there she saw lower-level robots like
Mettalls engaged in construction or maintenance.

If
she had been taken by an ordinary kidnapper, she knew she could have
figured a way out of the situation. However, the man several feet
away from her, now chewing on a Slim Jim, was far from that. Not only
would she have to find a way around him, but she would also have to
figure out a way around however many Robot Masters were lurking
around these parts, as well as the horde of lesser robots, and then
get away from this fortress. That would require transportation,
especially if this fortress was on an island.

Fuck.
Out of all the potential kidnappers in the world, she was stuck with
this one, a man who
was just as smart, and probably smarter than her. It would take all
of her considerable IQ to figure a way out of this.

“Mmm,
this is pretty good.” she said after she took several bites
from the bar. It wasn't so much granola as it was fruit, she could
taste strawberry among a few other flavors. “Where do you get
these?” The plastic container they were in had no label on it.

“Plantman
makes them. He grows different fruits and vegetables and makes bars
and juices for me.”

“That'd
explain why you're in better shape than Light.” she replied
dryly. He gave out a laugh before taking another bite of the jerky
stick. She finished her bar just as the microwave gave out a ding,
signaling that her soup was done. She took the bowl along with a
couple more bars and sat down, staring off thoughtfully as she worked
through her meal. If he was going to have her work on the robots, she
could try to sabotage, or put a message in one.

Of
course, Wily would probably anticipate such a move. He knew she was
smart, that was why she was here. On the other hand, he kept failing
at his attempts at world domination. Intelligence did not equal
common sense, after all. If she could trump him in this
area, there was hope for her yet. There was enough in literature and
movies about powerful men being overcome by womanly wiles, weren't
there? What was it that Robert A. Heinlein said? 'Women
and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and
get used to the idea.'

“Why
are you smiling?” the doctor asked, cutting into her thoughts.
She blinked and straightened up before looking down at her soup.

“Nothing.”
she muttered.

“Well,
finish your food, we don't have all day.”

“Fine.”
She was tempted to eat at a slow, deliberate pace, but resisted that
urge and finished her food, washing it down with the rest of her
water.

“Let's
see if you've maintained your skill of building things.” he
said as he led her to a smaller table. There were various parts and
tools scattered about, and a paper diagram. “Have fun.”

She
stared at the table before she slowly nodded, and he went back to the
main table, working on the robot he had shown her earlier.

Well,
here goes. This was not too much different
from the first day she had gone to work for him.

o0o0o0o

Five years prior...

She
glanced at the picture of young Light and Wily before she knocked on
the door, her heart racing. She had dressed less formally, now clad
in a pair of comfortable black overalls and a black-and-magenta
striped long-sleeved shirt. In her backpack she carried her laptop,
as Wily had asked her to bring it.

He
opened the door and ushered her in. Though they had communicated a
few more times via e-mail and phone, she was still nervous about
coming back here in person.

“Good
morning, Professor Wily.”

“I
did have a rather good morning, especially after reading the article
you wrote about me.” he said with a smile. She blushed a
little, but managed to smile back at him. The magazine had decided to
go through the scientists in alphabetical order, placing one
interview in each issue, so Wily had been the last article featured,
in the most recent publication. She'd read all the other articles,
and she was sure that her new mentor did. She had found the other
interviews educational, particularly Noelle Lalinde's views on giving
emotions to robots, and Thomas Light's rebuttal in his own article.
She still couldn't believe that Wily had chosen her, that he had
liked her essay the best, because wow, there her name was in the
article as its author. One day, maybe someone would want to interview
her.

“Wow,
I'm really glad you enjoyed the article.”

“How
could I not? It was well-written, and you didn't censor my answers or
try to alter them.”

She
blinked. “Why would I do that? That would defeat the purpose of
the interview, wouldn't it? Your views are your own, and it would be
wrong of me to alter them just to make the article more appealing to
its audience.”

Albert
smiled ruefully at that as he gestured her to come sit in front of
his desk. He wasn't as popular as his partner, and not just because
Light had a more affable personality. Most humans just wanted
machines to serve them, to make their lives easier, and if this meant
giving some robots AI and emotions, to better enable them to
understand – and take care of – the needs of humans
better, so be it. The line of Robot Masters that he and Light were
working on now was a way to test that out, to see how this would work
on a wider scale after Light's personal; success with Rock and Roll.
If DLWN-003 through 008 proved to be a success, it would change the
world of robotics. Of course, he and Light were not the only ones
working on advanced robots, but because of Light's status in the
robotics community, this line would be eagerly anticipated and
closely watched.

Already,
he was working on more robot designs... Magnetman, Snakeman,
Metalman, Flashman...

“The
world would be a better place if people didn't pander so much to
popular opinion.” he replied, gratified to see her grin of
agreement. “Anyway, are you ready to get started?”

“Of
course!”

“Good.
I have your first assignment ready for you.” He opened another
door, one that led into what was unmistakably a lab, various
equipment and paraphernalia set up or scattered around the room.
She'd worked in the labs on the campus, of course, but with her
trained eye she identified several pieces of equipment that the
campus labs were missing. He led her over to one of the tables, where
several paper diagrams awaited her with an assortment of parts and
bits.

“Follow
these...” He gestured to the diagrams. “and come see me
when you're done.”

“Um.”
She glanced at the diagrams, seeing something that looked like a
bowling ball with wings that resembled a bat's. “What's the
time-frame for this?”

“I
think I'll let you figure that out for yourself.” he said with
an almost mischievous grin. “You may use any of the tools in
this lab. Any questions or problems, just ask. I'll be in my office.”

Okay.
He's leaving me alone in his lab, huh? Wasn't expecting that.
Not that she intended to cause any mischief, of course, but she had
been expecting... well, maybe a lecture or a question session or...
Wait. Was this a test? That would actually make sense if he wanted to
have an assessment of her skills before he decided on anything else.

She
pulled her laptop out and set it on the table as she pulled up a
swivel chair and studied the diagrams. As she did, a plan formed in
her head. First she would get all the needed parts together, and then
build then inside and test it before she built the exterior. Once she
had it all figured out in her head, she looked at the parts scattered
about, selecting the ones she would need to start on the interior
parts and placing them all on one of the empty tables, and gathering
the tools she would need for the exacting task of assembling the
interior.

The
doctor watched her at first, nodding in approval as she took her time
to study the diagrams before carefully looking over the parts he had
left for her. He had throw in parts that were not needed for the
Batton she would be building, just to see if she would recognize
these as unneeded or attempt to use them, thinking they were there
for a reason. He'd baited young workers at Light Labs this way
several times before, amused when they tried to fit the extra part
into their work, like trying to fit in a puzzle piece that belonged
in another puzzle but had been included in the box by accident.

His
partner never found this amusing, but oh well. Light had always been
a bit of a goody-goody, sometimes too much, but he had always found
the baiting method a good way to separate the brighter workers from
the rest of the lot.

Seeing
that she wasn't taking this bait, he nodded in approval before
turning back to his computer, working on refining some designs for
future Robot Masters.

About
a hour passed before he decided to check on her. Her back was to him,
but it was obvious she was hard at work, hunched over the table. He
sauntered into the lab, closing the door quietly and approaching her
from behind, peering over her shoulder. From the looks of it, she had
finished the motherboard, and was now working on the inner
propulsion. Rather impressive for the time-frame.

She
was so absorbed in her work that she did not see him approach, and
was at the moment looking through the magnifying lens, using the
mini-welder to solder together two small parts together. He carefully
picked up the motherboard and examined it before he nodded slowly.
Good work. So far, she
was earning an A.

After
a few minutes, she lifted her head from the magnifier and wiped her
brow with her right hand, and this gave the older scientist pause.
She'd been wearing a black glove over it during their interview, and
again when she came in today. He had simply thought it was some quirk
of hers, and hadn't asked about it.

The
hand was covered in what he immediately recognized as burn scars, her
fingers reduced to stumps. However, she was able to type fast with it
as she made a note on her laptop, and used it to hold the component
she was working on while using her good hand to manipulate the welder
as she gently touched it to one part.

She
looked up and gasped softly when she saw him, before she quickly
collected herself, discreetly pulling her hand to her lap.

“I
was wondering when you'd come by to check on me.” she commented
lightly. He said nothing, reaching out for the motherboard and
inspecting it before he delicately picked up the unfinished
component, examining it closely. He could sense her nervousness, but
his face remained impassive. Her work so far was excellent, she was
very careful and exact in her work, yet she was far from slow.

He
set it back on the table with a slow, measured motion, staring at her
calmly. She blinked several times, obviously becoming uncomfortable,
and he had to bite back a grin.

“So...
when were you going to tell me?” he asked.

“Tell
you what?” she replied, her tone calm and controlled. He
allowed himself a faint smirk as their eyes met. The silence was
thick for several moments before she broke it. “I wanted you to
see my work first.”

“Did
you really think I might not let you come here if I had known about
your disability?”

She
gave out a rueful laugh. “That's easy for you to say, but you
don't know what it's like, having such an... obvious and unattractive
disability.” The looks of pity or revulsion... She placed her
had on the table in full view. “Admit it, the first thing you
thought of when you saw this was probably not too flattering.”

She
did have a point, he mused. But then, it would be the knee-jerk
reaction of most anybody after seeing the damage done to her hand. He
looked down at it for a couple of moments before looking up at her
and picking up the motherboard she had put together.

“You
do better work than most people with two good hands.” This
comment caused her face to break into a quick, wide grin.

“I
do try.”

“I
can see that. Carry on.” He set the object back down and left.

Well.
That went better than I expected, she mused
with no small amount of delight. Some of her professors at college
had doubted her ability to do the lab-work, and many of her
classmates were of the same opinion, because many parts of a robot
required a deft, delicate hand. She'd had to work hard to prove
herself in school, and well, that work spoke for itself.

o0o0o0o

Present

Lydia
took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She'd spent several hours
hunched over the table, working on the weapon that would be added to
the robot Wily was working on. She was tempted to purposely get the
inner workings wrong, but fought the urge, following the design as he
put it.

This
was not how she had seen herself when she graduated from college.
She'd kept herself low-key, working on her own research and project
privately, wanting to wait until the right time to share it with the
world. And now, being hostage of a madman, would she have the
opportunity? She certainly didn't want to spend her days working as
free labor and working on evil robots. She set down the pliers she
had just been using and raised her head, seeing the robotic bird
perched on a pipe on the wall above her table, where it had been
since she started working. She slowly lifted her middle finger at it,
and it grinned at her.

She
wondered what Wily might say if she threw a wrench at the damned
thing. She looked back down, nearly finished with the inner
components. Once it was done, she lifted her head again, deciding to
take a break. Wily hadn't said anything about breaks, or even really
set any rules for her. Stretching her arms above her head, she slowly
turned her chair to see him still working on his robot.

One
thing could be said about him – he persevered despite his
setbacks. One would think that after seven attempts at world
domination, he might decide that retirement would be a better
prospect, but he was a tenacious old fuck.

She
pulled her glove back on and rose to her feet, doing a few more
stretches, it always felt good to do so, especially after hours of
being hunched over some work. The monitors which showed the outside
of the lab showed that it was getting dark. As casually as she could,
she strode across the floor to the kitchen area, getting a couple of
fruit bars and some water, and sat down. She was not reprimanded for
this. A few minutes passed before he broke the silence.

“How's
the work going?” he asked.

“I
finished all the inner parts.” She watched him cross the room
to inspect her work, and he nodded.

“Looks
like you've kept up on your skills.” he commented.

“You
don't sound too surprised.”

“I
would have expected no less from you.”

“Well,
of course. Since that's why I was brought here.” she replied in
a slightly acidic tone. When he raised his eyebrow, she continued.
“Why not kidnap Dr. Light? You've worked with him before,
surely he'd be a more suitable slave than me. Or just create a robot
to help you around the lab if you're so hard-up for an assistant.”

“Ha!”
He snorted as he crossed his arms. “Do you think I haven't
considered that? But instinct tells me that wouldn't work out too
well for either of us, and I don't want to... manufacture a helper.”
He certainly had enough Robot Masters around, and from what she had
seen, Shadowman was fiercely loyal to the man he called father.

“Lucky
me.” she muttered. “I suppose you expect me to feel
special.”

“No,
honored.”

“You
kidnapped me.”

“You
rejected my offer.” he said simply. She stared at him with
incredulity.

“You
expected me to just drop my life and work for a criminal?”

“I
thought that our time together back then would have showed you what a
genius I am, and how well we could work together. Were you really
happy with your job?”

“I
don't see what business it is of yours -” she replied
indignantly.

“A
simple no would suffice. Light offered you a job in his lab after you
graduated, but you quit after a year. You worked for two years with a
private weapons company. Then you took a job that is basically
putting together glorified love dolls together for rich and bored
people.”

She
could only stare at him for several moments before he grinned. “See.
I've worked with you, and I know we share some of the same ideas. I
know that these jobs would not suit someone like you.”

“So
nice of you to show interest in my career.” she said in a flat
tone, not sure how she should feel about him knowing that much about
her, especially after she had changed her name.

“Do
forgive me for thinking that you might welcome the opportunity for
something more rewarding.” he replied just as dryly. “Or
perhaps the chance to see me again and learn further from me.”

She
had to admit to herself that she had enjoyed being his student. And
he had been an excellent teacher. If he hadn't gone off the deep end
and made world domination his new life-goal, she might still be
working for him in some capacity. He'd hinted at it a couple of times
before, though after his disappearance, she had quickly found a job,
generously offered by Dr. Light.

“It's
been a long time. Things have changed.” she said pointedly. “I
have my own life and you... obviously have yours. Complete with your
very own lair and a robot army.” A sharp sigh escaped her lips.
“Look, I'm tired, and I would really appreciate it if I could
just get some rest.” She had other things to ask for, but
figured it would be wisest to test the waters with just one simple
request.

“I
would be very amiss if I didn't ensure that you got adequate sleep,
wouldn't I?” he asked as he returned to the robot. Was she just
supposed to sit there? Instead of asking this, she decided to study
the monitors as she ate. Some of the monitors changed from camera to
camera in a regular cycle, and she started making a mental map of
this place with what she could put together from the views offered
her.

The
arrival of a robot broke her reverie as she looked up to see
Shadowman approach the table with a tray bearing two cups of tea.
Without being asked, he poured her some and set it in front of her.

“Thank
you.” She wrapped her fingers around the cup, letting the
warmth seep into her tired digits. He gave her a slight bow before
walking over to give Wily the other cup. It was a different flavor
from earlier, she noted, with a smoother and slightly flowery flavor.
Well, she wasn't complaining, and sipped it down. Wily and the ninja
robot were talking about something, but their tones were hushed, and
after a few seconds, she stopped trying to eavesdrop.

“I
have identified a potential candidate for the Eighth Numbers.”
Shadowman said, holding up a palm-sized tablet. Wily gave the surface
several taps as he flipped through the available data for the robot.
“Very good. Prepare that lab.” He knew that Shadowman
knew which lab he was referring to. The ninja disappeared and the
scientist continued to study the tablet for a bit before turning it
off.

He
was about done for the day. His muscles ached, and it would be nice
to go and relax. Lydia had her head propped up on one arm as she
sipped her tea. He was in a considerably more relaxed mood now, given
the progress he'd made in his work along with his assistant's
compliance. Looks like her 'time-out' had made the sufficient
impression on her. It really was too bad he had to resort to
kidnapping, but he did what he had to do.

“I
suppose you deserve a reward for your good work.” he said in an
almost begrudging tone.

After
a few moments, as if considering all the possible responses to that,
she finally responded with a quiet 'thank you'. Less snark than he
expected, but he wasn't complaining.

“Anything
you had in mind?” he asked, curious as to what she might ask
for.

“I'm
just tired and want to rest. Could we talk about this in the
morning?” She did sound tired, but she made the effort to sound
polite. He nodded briefly before he started towards the door,
beckoning her to follow. She did so as he walked through a couple of
halls and flights of stairs.

A
seemingly nondescript door slid open, and he turned to her, beckoning
her forward, waiting for her reaction. He heard the soft intake of
breath and watched as she stopped in her step to look at her new
loving space. He stood there for a few moments, watching her before
he quickly retreated.

o0o0o0o

Lydia
turned around as the door slid shut. For a second, she considered
banging on the door, but thought better, and turned back to what had
caught her attention. The futon that dominated one side of the room
had comforters and pillows on it of indigo and fuchsia, her favorite
colors. She hadn't imagined he would remember such a thing.

The
rest of the room was mostly black and white with chrome. There was a
desk and empty shelves, along with a wardrobe. It was no five-star
hotel, but this was actually pretty decent. The bathroom was done in
the same monochromatic theme and contained a shower stall. She did an
inspection of the rooms for cameras, and there seemed to be none. A
quick shower was what she needed, and then after that a good night's
sleep. Sleep usually helped her to clear her mind, and hopefully she
would wake up with a fresh idea on how to handle this situation. The
wardrobe contained several more sets of scrubs in varying patterns.
She chose a plain black one to sleep in.

The
sharp, strident noise of an alarm broke her reverie. She moaned and
stretched out, grasping around at the side of her bed to halt the
sound. Her alarm wasn't supposed to sound like that! Her eyes snapped
open and she lay still for several moments, her eyes moving as she
surveyed her surroundings.

Fuck.
So it hadn't been some crazy dream brought on by a long and stressful
day at work. At least the bed had been comfortable, she was able to
fall asleep after a while.

Suddenly,
Wily's voice emerged from somewhere beside her head. She looked over,
seeing the clock. “You have fifteen minutes to get ready.”

She
lay there for a couple of seconds, waiting to see if there was
anything else, and when there was nothing, she lifted her middle
finger at the clock, wondering if there was a camera. Again, there
was silence.

“Hello?”
she said. There was no response, and she rolled out of bed. It was
mid-morning. It'd be nice to have a window,
she mused. She had washed her underwear in the shower last night and
left it hanging to dry on the shower rod and she pulled these on
before putting the black scrubs back on. There was no comb so she
managed her hair the best she could and put it in a ponytail before
rinsing her mouth out a few times, it seemed that Wily had forgotten
to provide for anything more than towels and toiler paper.

He
had actually thought she'd take his... job offer and happily packed
her things and been on her way. Heh. Fifteen minutes passed,
according to the clock, and then the door slid open, revealing a
figure. She had to bite back a frown of distaste when she saw that it
was Shademan, She had been hoping for the ninja' bot, so she could
ask him a few questions, he seemed like he would be more receptive to
helping her.

If
it was any consolation, he didn't seem any more pleased to see her
than it was for her to see him. She did not offer him a greeting.

“Good
morning, Doctor Ytinfini.” he said after a couple of moments,
mildly surprising her. She gave him a stiff nod as she approached the
doorway.

After
they were both in the hallway, she finally spoke. “So what does
your illustrious leader and father have in mind for today?' she
asked, sarcasm barely veiled.

“Do
I have to use my Noise Crush on you again?” he shot back, not
missing the mocking tone in which she used to refer to Wily. He was
gratified to see her take a step back.

“So
that's what it's called.” She stared off for a moment before
looking back at him. “I suppose you like this better than
working in an amusement park.”

“I
really do.” he said, his voice devoid of sarcasm.

DWN-055
had started his life – if it could be called that back then –
as an amusement-park robot. His station was the haunted house and
adjoining graveyard. Being modeled after a vampire, he had been
designed to amuse the visitors to his area, playfully growling and
hissing at them, or welcoming them to the haunted house with an
accent that was modeled after vampires in cheesy Dracula movies.

The
original version of what would become DWN-055 had been considered not
scary enough, so he was sent back to his manufacturer for an upgrade.
Rather than merely wiping the original set of personality and
behavior parameters he had been assigned, the programmer had just
shuttled that data to unused space on the motherboard, and uploaded
the new data, and the robot was sent back.

This
new personality, complained some of the patrons, was too scary. He'd
made some children cry. He remembered standing at the charging
station, listening to the park employers complain about him.
Somewhere along the way, during his existence as a robot who was
created solely for the amusement of others, a spark of consciousness
had formed, and now, as he listened to the humans, he felt annoyed.

He
had started out with a measure of autonomy, being able to choose from
a wide variety of acceptable lines and dialogue to fit in his role at
the haunted house, as well as limited power to give direction to the
lesser robots, like the bats and skeleton-bots. He had been told to
amuse the guests, and so he did. But that had not been enough for his
owner, who wanted something scary, so he had his brain filled with a
new set of personality data. He modified his behavior according to
this new data, and that wasn't good enough, either. He had merely
followed directions, performing to the best of his abilities, and the
next day, he had tried to mix the two personalities together, going
for a combination of scary for the adults and funny, for the little
ones. That seemed to work, at least for a while.

When
he heard that he was going to have his memory completely wiped and
installed with a new program, that spark of consciousness... of
identity and self-awareness burst forth. He didn't want to... die,
especially for something so trivial as someone's satisfaction over
how he performed a task that in retrospect, seemed inconsequential.

Then
he was told that he would be entered into a robot fighting
tournament. He had been kidnapped by the mysterious Mr. X who soon
enough revealed his true self. Though the vampire-bot was not made
part of the Sixth Numbers, the time he spent in Wily's lab taught him
much. Though the doctor had not created him, he was still given the
chance to become part of the family. He was made stronger, his flight
capability increased, and given weapons and tools with which to
defend himself. But there was one thing his adoptive father had not
tampered with. His mind.

His
personality remained intact, further developed by the resources he
had access to in the lab. He had his own identity, and his father
encouraged that. How could he be anything but loyal?

Even
after he had used his Noise Crush on Wily to get him away from the
White Nightmare, the old man, despite the anger he had felt at first,
had allowed him to keep his weapon, and infact upgraded it with
additional abilities. The scientist deserved nothing less than
absolute loyalty from his sons.

“Yeah,
you got a crappy role model.” she shot back.

“He
wants freedom for robots.”

“Funny
way to go about it.”

“What
other way would you suggest?” he snapped back. She opened her
mouth, and then closed it after a moment, looking slightly puzzled.
She blinked and looked back at him.

“That
still doesn't explain why I'm here. If he needs help, why doesn't he
use one of you, or build a new assistant? I'm sure he has enough
Robot Masters for anything he might need.”

Shademan
pondered the question and shrugged. The world simply did not
understand his father, why should this female? Well, he didn't really
understand why his father wanted this person here, either. Of course,
he wasn't about to admit that to her. But if Father wanted her here,
well, that was his decision.

“He
holds you in high regard, can't you see that!” Shademan stated
stiffly as he stared down at her.

“If
I'm in such high regard, I'd hate to know what he does to his
enemies.”

“He
offered you a position
here. The greatest mind in the world would not extend that invitation
to just anyone.”

“I
know.” she replied flatly. She quickly looked down at her nails
and then back at him. “Let's just get this over with.”

He
did not respond, and led her down several twists and turns before
they appeared at a partially-open portal leading outside, to her
surprise. Fortunately, her wardrobe options had included rubber-soled
black slip-ons. She had to admit that her current outfit was pretty
comfortable.

Out
of the corner of her eye, she saw Shadowman approach, a bundle of
something black in his hands. It revealed itself to be a jacket. She
thanked the ninja-bot and slid it on, it was a bit big but still fit
her nicely. Her mind worked the various possibilities and advantages
to be gained from going outside. She'd see more of her surroundings,
and have a better idea of what she was up against.

She
turned to see Wily dressed in mostly black, with a dark gray jacket.
On his head was a black beret and with the glasses he wore, he looked
almost like a harmless man. Not one single skull decoration anywhere.
Even with his hair wild as it was, she was reminded of the professor
of her college days.

She
saw pine trees. Of what variety, she was not quite sure, plant
identification was not her strong suit. She had seen water on one of
the monitors in the lab, but she didn't see it now. The surroundings
would have been quiet if not for the sound of activity going on
around the building. Her experienced ears discerned the various
sounds of construction and machinery assemblage – the buzz of a
saw, the whir of drills, and the like. From her vantage and the
activity she could see, she could only guess that an addition was
being built.

To
her surprise, a twinge of jealousy made itself known as she
contemplated having an island lab to herself. To have an army of
Robot Masters and various 'bots at your command, to do whatever you
wanted and not give a damn about the law. A short, quiet laugh
escaped her throat.

“What?”
Wily asked, raising his eyebrow at the unexpected sound.

“Nothing,
nothing.” She quickly collected herself. She had the
unfortunate habit of getting lost in her thoughts sometimes. “So,
what are we doing today?” she asked casually.

“Much
as keeping the mind sharp is important, the body also needs
maintenance.”

“I
know the value of exercise, thank you.” While she was a good
ways from being a supermodel, she still kept herself in shape with a
moderate exercise and diet. More often than not she would use her
lunch breaks to take a walk instead of being cooped up all day like
some of her co-workers. Being in one area for too long made her
restless, especially in an office setting. If not for the noises of
machinery behind them, she could forget about her situation if she
just looked at the trees.

“Good.”
he stated simply before setting off, his steps measured but steady.
Once in a while, a Batton might fly overhead. It was a bit chilly,
but the jacket was adequate when she pulled up the zipper.

“Can
we talk?” she asked, seeing his back. He glanced over his
shoulder briefly and nodded. She hastened her steps for a bit to come
closer to him.

“Look...”
She'd wondered how she could start, and there were several different
options, things she could say. She had to decide what subject to
tackle first, or the best way to approach this or that. “I know
we didn't get off to the best start...” She tried to sound
neutral about it, since she knew arguing about just how she had come
to be here would be pointless, “but please try to understand. I
just don't want to be involved in anything criminal. Nothing
personal.” She lifted her hands, palms upturned in a graceful
pleading gesture.

“You
can't let fear hold you back.” he replied after a moment. It
was such an unexpected response that she was silent for a few
moments, staring at him, pondering its meaning.

“I
know that my... views are not welcomed by this world.” Albert
continued. That's a fucking understatement,
and I hope as hell you're aware of that, she
mused as she listened to him. “But medicine is often bitter and
people must be forced to swallow it.”

Really?

“History
is full of the mistakes of humanity. We have the chance for something
better, but humans would rather use robots to make their lives
easier!”

Well,
there was no arguing with that when you looked at how robotics and
technology was applied in today's world. Sure, some robots kept
people safe by doing dangerous jobs, but as robotics technology had
advanced, so had its use spread, and for more mundane or vain uses.
And of course, its potential for destruction. Her own resume was
testament to that.

“Fire
made the lives of humans easier, but also better.” She smiled
just a bit, the corners of her lips making a faint turn upward.

“There
are different ways to utilize fire – or anything else. I choose
to utilize my tools to their best, including this.” He tapped
his temple with his index finger. He certainly was brilliant, but he
was also full of himself, she thought ruefully. Tine
to knock you down a few notches.

“You're
a old man. Your days are numbered, and your legacy will end. Then the
world won't have to worry about your crazy schemes anymore.”
She glared at him, doing her best to kow him. She was no history
expert, but she had read enough history to know that no empire or
dynasty lasted forever. “All things must come to an end,
eventually.” Come to think of it, what would happen to the
Robot Masters upon Wily's passing?

“A
curious statement from someone who chose infinity for their new
name.” He grinned at her. “You wouldn't have selected
such a word unless you had some lofty aspiration. I have my own
plans, and I will elude the mortal coil to achieve it!” He
raised his fist in the air to punctuate his statement, and she was
intrigued. Just what did he have up his sleeve? Before she could
wonder at that, he continued, “I have my goal, what is yours?
Surely you did not choose your new name for some trivial reason. I've
waited to hear about you inventing something wonderful and taking the
scientific world by storm, but you...” He shook his head.

“Maybe
I prefer to stay out of the limelight.” she replied flippantly
as she took a few steps forward, passing him. “Some people
thrive off attention. Others prefer a more... private environment.”

“So...
you have something you're working on? What might it be?” She
could hear the interest in his voice. There were several ways she
could respond to this. She could tell him everything and get his
feedback. Or she could just hint at it to see what he would say.
Otherwise, she could just remain mum. What if he wanted to steal her
work?

“Um.”
She stared off for a moment. “It's not... something I'm ready
to share.” she replied. She had foreseen the ramifications and
possibilities of her inventions, and felt it needed more work before
she was ready to consider sharing them with anyone else, least of all
someone who would put it to evil use.

“Why
not? From one scientific mind to another. We've done this before.”
He was right, they had talked shop often enough. She had enjoyed
these sessions, and apparently, so did he.

“Things
are different now.” She didn't have to say why, and she could
see the displeasure that flashed across his face in a quick frown.

“Not
everything. Like I said, I'm not going to harm you. I invited you
here and I sincerely hoped you would accept the invitation.”

“I
know.” she said in a quieter tone, thinking about the room that
had been given to her. She didn't think the Cossacks had been treated
with that much hospitality. “Look.... why don't we start over?”

He
stroked his chin contemplatively, and she continued. “Let's say
I accepted the invitation and went with Shadowman. What would have
happened then?”

“I
would have put you to work.” he replied in a deadpan tone. It
took her a moment to realize he was teasing her. She stared back at
him, pondering a question that had popped up in her head last night
after she went to bed. But now was not the right time to ask it. She
decided to ask for something else.

“My
absence will be noticed...” she started tentatively.

“I
thought you said something about no one caring about you enough to
rescue you.” he cut in.

Ouch.
She had to make an conscious effort to not wince at that. “I do
have a boss and co-workers.” They would have noticed her gone
the previous morning. Would someone – perhaps a concerned
co-worker – have come by her apartment by this time to check on
her? She did have a few people at work that she got along with.

“Do
you really want to go back?” he asked, and again she had to
maintain her neutral expression. It was hard to forget the irritation
and dissatisfaction she had felt that day, and she had been thinking
about quitting. There were only so many pleasure-bots, nanny-bots,
and caretaker-bots she could build before it got repetitive. She
wanted to use her scientific knowledge to advance humanity, not make
lives easier for rich perverts with all sorts of weird kinks, rich
parents too lazy to pay attention to their kids, and rich sick people
who were too paranoid to hire a flesh and blood nurse.

Truth
was, she had enjoyed her work yesterday. The change of pace had been
nice, as long as she didn't think of how she had come to be here. The
gears in her brain shifted and clicked as she saw a way to make this
work for her.

“Why
would you choose to work for Wainwright Industries, anyway?” he
asked. “You had a promising job at Light Labs.”

She
took a deep breath. “I didn't leave Light Labs because it was a
bad place or Thomas was a horrible boss. It was a good place to work,
but not the right one for me.” She was certain that if she
approached her old boss with her projects, he would welcome her to
work in the lab, but then, Light Labs would own part of her work. Or
any other lab she might approach for funding and workspace. “I
didn't feel like I was... learning anything new there, to be honest.
I thought maybe I'd learn something if I went to work for military
R&D.” It had been a valuable experience for her indeed, and
rounded out her knowledge, but like with Light Labs, she had come to
the point where the work had ceased to interest her and she wasn't
learning anything new. Her credentials at her previous jobs had
impressed Mt. Wainwright, though. And then... well, third time
definitely was not the
charm.

“And
the same happened.” Wily answered, as if reading her mind.

“Yep.”

“Was
that your plan? Skip from job to job? Piddling around on other
people's projects?”

Her
cheeks flushed, and she glared at him, not bothering to hide her
emotion. “It wasn't like that! I worked damn hard at these jobs
and who the hell are you to judge me!”

He
grinned, and she groaned inwardly when she realized that he had been
trying to rouse emotion from her after her efforts at seeming neutral
and aloof. That bastard. She quickly collected herself, taking a slow
breath.

“I
worked very hard at these jobs and gave my best.” she replied
in a smooth, even voice.

“I
don't doubt that.” he shot back calmly. “But what about
you?”

“Um...”
She cocked her head, wondering what he was getting at.

“Ever
heard the saying, 'The shoemaker's children go barefoot?”

“Not
that exact wording, but yes.” What the
hell does that have to do with me?

“What
does it mean?”

Now
he was giving her a lesson in... what? Philosophy? Idioms? “The
shoemaker is so busy making shoes for his customers and seeing to
their needs that he neglects his own children.”

“Right.”

“And...?”
Maybe he had gone on this tangent in a bout of dementia. What did the
robots think of that?

“You're
the shoemaker and the children.”

“What
the...” What is he going on about? I'm a
barefoot child and the shoemaker? I don't even...
Then she suddenly understood. Her eyes widened slightly as her lips
formed an 'o'.

She'd
worked so hard for other people that her own work, while not outright
neglected, definitely needed more of her attention. If she had been
free to do as she pleased, without a worry of resources, who knew how
far along her work would be by now? She narrowed her eyes a bit as
she saw the smirk on his face.

“And
why would you care?” she asked, her face becoming neutral
again. After all, he'd stolen Light and Cossack numbers. What if he
tried to steal her work? Was that why he was asking? Aha,
I've got you, wily old bastard.

“Perhaps
the teacher wants to see his student succeed?”

“Perhaps
you want to steal my work. I wouldn't be the first person you've
stolen from.” she said.

She
expected him to laugh at that, to congratulate her for figuring out
his evil plan before sending her inside to work. What she had not
expected was a flash of pain in his eyes – the same when she
said she wished she'd never met him – as he set his lips in a
tight line. She felt remorse, but then reminded herself of why she
had said what she said. This wasn't the same Albert Wily from her
college days.

“How
could I steal something if I don't even know what it is? It's not as
if you've built a line of Robot Masters I can exploit.” he shot
back in a cool, measured voice.

Fuck.
She'd actually considered constructing her own Master, but that would
haven taken out what free time she had, and she wanted to devote that
to her own research, something as advanced as the construction of a
Robot Master was very time-consuming due to the complexity of both
software and hardware. She had tinkered around with designs for her
own Robot Master, something she could do as a future project whenever
the opportunity might present itself, who knew. She'd written
several papers and articles on various aspects of robotics, but
nothing about Cadence or Threnody, since she was too paranoid about
theft. Wresting herself from her thoughts, she frowned. She couldn't
let this old bastard out-snark her.

“Your
past actions speak for themselves.” She raised her chin as she
stared at him.

“Are
we going to do this all day?”

“I'm
game if you are.”

“Bah.
I have better things to do with my time.” With that, he turned
away, resuming his leisurely stroll.

She
was tempted to egg him on and call him a pussy for backing out, but
truth be told, the argument had gone on long enough and there were
more important things to focus on. She remained silent for a few
minutes, just focusing on the fact that she was outside, with the
sunshine on her face.

o0o0o0o

“Dr.
Cossack never gave Father that much attitude, nor would he have
permitted it! Why does he tolerate it from this... girl?”
Metalman asked, his voice grating as he looked at the screen, which
showed a live feed from a Batton that was trailing after Dr. Wily. It
gave Shadowman peace of mind, as Wily's personal bodyguard, to
observe him to ensure that the woman did not attack or try to harm
him. If she did, he would use his shadow-teleport powers and take her
down immediately.

“Father
wants her here, so we must respect his wishes.” the ninja-bot
replied calmly.

“If
that's what he wants, then he needs to keep her in line. What could
she even do for him? She doesn't have any robots Father could offer
freedom to!” the sawblade-themed robot shot back.

“Our
father offered freedom to the Cossack Numbers, and they still chose
their own father over him in the end. But that is not the point. He
has a reason for bringing her here.” Shadowman was tempted to
say more, but his brother did not understand humans as well as he
did, nor did he care to make the effort to. He saw them as nothing
more than lumps of flesh, inferior to machines despite the fact that
machines would not exist without humans in the first place. The sole
exception to Metalman's general distaste of humans was their father,
of course.

“What
reason could he possibly have? Any of us are proud and happy to
assist him in whatever he asked of us!”

“It
is not our place to question his reasons.” Shadowman crossed
his arms as he stared at the screen, and if Metalman had been a
creature of flesh instead of metal, he would have scoffed at that.
- 1
- 2
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Forever Clockwork