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The Upgrades	By : juneauej Category: +M through R > Mega Man Views: 9586 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: "Mega Man", and all the characters and settings therein, are established copyrights and trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd. This story is for entertainment purposes only and is not intended for sale.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
CHAPTER 9
Roll woke up, her systems swamped by taxed resources, all dedicated to scanning and diagnosing.
"Wha...?" she murmured.
"Roll!"
She was on the hotel bed. Light's bed. Around her were three laptops, seven tablets, and other devices plugged into various ports. Judging by the screens, all were running detection software, with creeping progress bars. Dr. Light hovered over her.
"What happened?" she asked.
"I was going to ask you. You fainted."
"Fainted..." Roll said. "I didn't know I could faint."
"Neither did I. In fact, you shouldn't be able to. Your system should recover from instability issues like that. Either your hardware would fail and you'd simply stop moving or your cerebral cortex would fall back into powersave made, running on BIOS instructions only. But you can't faint."
"Then why... why did I? Everything went blurry. Nothing seemed real, like it was art."
"It's because of the AI routine. Have you been modifying it?"
"No, just diagnostics."
"I've never seen anything like it before, but it's growing. I think it's like you said. It's feeding off your experiences and building up its code. More subroutines to round out its experiences."
Roll finished, "And as it grows, it needs more resources. But I'm already using resources for my own matrix. My hardware wasn't designed to hold two AI personalities."
Light nodded. "In a human pregnancy, the body compensates. It feeds more, conserves energy, hormones change. But you don't have that option. Roll, we need to get this out of you. We need to delete it."
"We can't delete it. We don't even know what it is yet. Can't we offload it?"
"Yes. We can do that." Light sighed. He reached for his phone. "I'm going to charter an emergency flight back home."
"No!" Roll sat up in bed, and immediately regretted it. Her head swam, her CPU strained. "You can't."
"The equipment is back at the lab. We can't delay any longer or it could cause damage to your system."
"But the conference. You haven't made your speech yet. They haven't voted-"
"Your health is more important than some speech."
"It's THE speech, doctor. Your opinion could swing the tide of the conference voters. How would it look if you're not there? The premier figurehead for robot rights. Please? I can last a little longer."
Light shook his head. "I don't think you can. In fact, your system seems to be degenerating at an exponential rate. As if you were under high stress."
Roll turned over on her side. "I don't know what would cause that."
"Roll..." Dr. Light said, "I performed diagnostics. I examined your body and your logs. I can tell that your body's experienced some recent trauma."
"Just unpacking."
"Unpacking does not cause this level of trauma. Is there something you're not telling me?"
Roll cringed. "Okay, first of all, you can't blame Rock."
"What?"
"I'm sure it was something I did. I don't know what, but it wasn't his fault. It was his programming. I'm sure something's off about it. He just wasn't himself."
"Roll, what happened?" Light asked, with the sobriety of a prison warden.
"He got done with setting up early, so he came in here. And he thought, since you were downstairs, it would be all right. But I thought about the ba... the AI, and you said how it shouldn't be harmed, so I said no. But he told me- and then he pushed me down. I don't know why. He'd never hit me normally. He was just out of control."
"He hit you? Roll..." Light whispered. "'Out of control' is right."
"It wasn't a hit, more like a tap. Just to get me to pay attention. But he'd never do that in real life. It's not his fault, it's a glitch in his programming. And everything else too."
"What did he do, Roll?"
Roll could not hold back the sobs. "Do I have to say it?"
"Yes, Roll. I'm afraid you do. I need to know."
"He held me down, and he... well, he put it inside me, but it wasn't really sex. So it... I just lied there. It wasn't real sex. It was just..."
"Roll. You always tell the truth. I taught you that. Even when the truth hurts. Did he rape you?"
Roll cocked her head to the side. "I guess."
Light took a breath. He stood up from the bed and ran his fingers through his cottony hair. "This... this never should have happened. Now, I have to make the call I never wished to."
He grabbed his phone and tapped the screen. Roll saw him scroll down to an app she'd never seen before. Not the "make call" or a scheduler. Something private. He brought the phone to his ear before she saw more.
Roll's sensitive hearing detected a connecting click, then a raspy, familiar voice on the other end. "I never expected you to use it," he said.
"I'm sorry. I never thought I'd have to," Light said.
"You wouldn't call unless it was necessary. I trust you that far."
"It is necessary. It's Mega Man... something's gone wrong."
"Wily?"
Not this time. It's..." he sighed, "I suppose I have only myself to blame this time. I need you to get him back. Under any means necessary."
"That bad?"
"Yes."
"I assume I don't need to ask about his GPS."
"Turned off. Or disabled. I've already looked. No teleports. No tachyon traces or access logs. I can't find him anywhere," Light said.
"I'll find him."
"Do you know where we are?"
"I always know." The phone clicked. Light glanced at the screen, unsure if it had disconnected.
"You never told me..." Roll said between sobs, "You... you could have always..."
"Only in emergencies. Extreme emergencies. You know him. He doesn't like... he likes his privacy. If others knew where he was..."
"If anyone knew you could contact him at any time."
"I know," Light nodded.
"He's a rogue robot. You could get arrested."
"Don't worry about that now. Worry about yourself." He pointed a parental finger at her. "It's not your fault. It's never your fault. That's the definition of... of it. Don't feel shame for what he's done."
"But shouldn't I feel shame? Isn't that the typical human reaction?"
"Perhaps, but you are a robot. And just because you're modeled after humans doesn't mean you have to act like them. Get some rest. Don't move. You need to conserve as many resources as possible. It's only going to get worse from here on out."
"I'll hibernate until you need me. Until the speech."
"That's for the best."

For a big city, their red light district squandered their profits. Gaudy crimson and teal lights, tapered designs, and lots of neon and chrome.
Rock paced down the streets, tugging at his new clothing. This wasn't his home city, but he still didn't want to be recognized, especially given where he was. He kept his ball cap low. This gave him a chance to observe while staying inconspicuous.
The deluge of shops and clubs taught him the meaning of the human term "option paralysis". Each a large brick building with no windows, like a mall shop. The overhangs displayed titles like Satin Dolls, Heat Valley, The Gold Room, Heels, Club Hunger. One had a short piked gate like a cemetery and a bearded bouncer in a charcoal grey suit.
None of them divulged their content. Did Satin Dolls have sexbots? Was Club Hunger refined or sultry?
Rock stopped and watched a hologram on top of the marquee for Pinky Cheeks. The blond bombshell wriggled and writhed in a pre-programmed video clip.
"Hey, pretty nice, eh? They look even better inside."
A man wearing gold-rimmed sunglasses, even though it was night, approached him. "That's Shimmer. She's inside right now. You want a lap dance? She gives the finest dance in the block. Rip your pants right open."
Mega Man turned away from him, ducking his hat's bill. Clearly not the place he wanted -- too aggressive, too exposed. The man kept talking to the empty air, shouting statistics about each of the girls.
If he'd had time to analyze a map, he could have found exactly what he was looking for. And he couldn't connect to a network without giving away his position. The best option was to walk the streets until he found a likely opportunity.
He ducked into a back alley, taking a shortcut to the other side of the block. The place needed to be unassuming, somewhere that didn't keep records. Just a comfortable place to-
"Found you."
Rock looked up, searching for the speaker. It couldn't be...
The humanoid jumped down, landing in tripod. Silhouette clung to him like a second skin. But Mega Man knew who it was. He would have known without the waving scarf.
"Blues?"
"Protoman. If you must use the human convention of names, call me what they call me."
"I didn't hear your whistle."
"Trying to be discreet."
"What are you doing here? Is it Wily? Dr. Light?"
"From what I hear, it's you."
"Me?" Rock placed a hand on his chest.
"Abnormal behavior. Acting out of personality bounds. I can already tell it's true, because of where you are."
"It's not abnormal. It's just different. I just need to get used to it. Dr. Light... I asked him to make some changes."
"But something went wrong. And you need to go back."
"No, Protoman. If you only knew. It's fantastic, like everything falls away. You need to try it. Maybe Dr. Light could do something for you."
Protoman scoffed. "Why in the world would I want to become even more human? I'm a robot. That's its own race. Anything closer to human would be extraneous parts."
"But just having it, it's like natural, underived power. It's like a sword that can penetrate anything."
"Befitting."
"But it gives you a sensation that's... indescribable. It's like a surge of pure feeling. Like being intimately close to someone -- so close you become that person, and you don't feel alone anymore."
"Do you know who you're talking to?"
Mega Man stopped.
"Regardless," Protoman said, "I have a job to complete. Someone asked me to take you back, so you're coming with me."
"Since when do you follow orders?"
"I don't. But this one I'm following on my own."
Protoman stepped forward. Mega Man stepped back.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Protoman said. His visor came into the light, reflecting the flashing pink neon from the streets.
"I'm not going with you. I don't need to go with you. They just don't understand my needs."
"Hard way, then."
Protoman rushed forward and tackled Mega Man. He wouldn't risk using his Proto Buster. If a stray shot didn't harm anyone, it would alert the humans to their presence, which would put them in harm's way.
Mega Man staggered back, struggling against his grip. They shuffled back and forth, like bulls locking horns.
"Get off me," Mega Man said, with gritted teeth. He managed to shove him away. Protoman bounced back with a haymaker punch.
Mega Man blocked it. Metal clanged against metal. Rock countered with a fist to the jaw.
Protoman fell, sliding across the graveled pavement. His head bounced on the street.
"I'm the stronger one, Blues. I was made later. My model is more advanced. I've already proved it to you."
Protoman shook his head to clear the cobwebs. "No, there's something different. You're manic."
"I'm not manic. I'm just... I have an appetite. I need to satiate it. And you're in my way."
Protoman spun over and kicked Mega Man's legs out from under him. Rock fell on his back with a clunk, as if gravity had increased. Protoman jumped on him, trying to pin his shoulders. If he could achieve stability, he could activate the teleport circuit.
With a bestial look in his eyes, Mega Man reached for Protoman's neck. He dug in his fingers and yanked out whatever cords or metal that found purchase.
Protoman reached for his frayed jugular, spitting out sparks and gurgling fluids. He was as surprised as he was in pain -- that sort of behavior was taboo amongst robots. It was the human equivalent of kicking someone in the testicles.
Mega Man slammed his head forward, cracking Protoman's visor, and kneed him in the gut. He had no stomach to knock the wind out of, but the force bumped him into the air. Mega Man threw him off.
Protoman rolled away, holding his neck to prevent any important parts from falling out. He looked out of his cracked visor with an exposed blue eye.
"I am not going anywhere with you," Rock said as he stood.
Mega Man slammed his boot into Protoman's chest. It left a sizable dent in his torso.
"Stop! Stop. I'm your brother," Protoman said, slumped against the wall.
Mega Man let loose an uppercut that flattened Protoman on his back.
"Don't care." Mega Man pounded Protoman's gut with each word, resulting in a deeper convex hole. It started shaped as a saucer, then a bowl, then ripped the titanium skin into Protoman's innards. And he still kept pounding.
"That'll teach you to follow me. Believe me. No one wants to see what I'm about to do."
Mega Man hurried out to the lit street. Protoman weakly waved one arm in the air, the only motion his body could make, then let it drop.

Two yellow eyes followed Protoman's broken hand as it reached, then fell. The robot was incapacitated and immobilized. Mega Man ran out of the alleyway and turned somewhere.
So that clinches it. Mega Man is the more powerful, definitely.
Bass's eyes tracked him until he disappeared behind a building.
Defeats and truces had hampered him in the past. But he was no longer under Wily's control. Bass was free to pursue his ambition -- to see which robot was the strongest. And now that he knew, he was ready to take the challenge. He hunched his knees, preparing to jump to the next rooftop.
A transmission alerted his systems. A distress call. From Protoman. All channels, all frequencies.
That made him stop. Did someone know he was there? No, otherwise the signal would be directed at him.
Protoman was no weakling -- he was prideful and independent. If he was asking for help now, he was bad off. Maybe dying.
Bass jumped down and landed without a sound in a nearby alcove. He had no great love for Protoman. No love for anyone or anything -- that was a human emotion. All he was concerned about was his own truth. But since Protoman was now out of the running, there was no reason not to help.
Two flaps pistoned out from Bass's leg, and a multi-tool emerged. Bass placed it in Protoman's hand while standing behind him.
"Who..." Protoman said. "Thanks..."
"Don't mention it," Bass said. He climbed back into the shadows and disappeared.
- 8
- 9
- 10
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The Upgrades