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Enigma
Puzzle 01: Assistant
You fingered the smooth texture of his yellow scarf as he lay motionless on the examination table. You promised you would repair him and nothing more. You had no intentions of becoming a liar when you made that promise, but breaking it was very tempting.
His helmet was off and you could admire his handsome face. His eyes were closed, no breathing simulation, only stillness, yet he looked so human. You placed your hand on his cheek, he felt so human. You drew closer, your face red. It was silly, really, you didn't need to blush. It was like wanting to kiss your computer for goodness' sake. On the other hand, he was deactivated and there was no one around to see you, so what did it matter?
You leaned closer, your breath against his motionless perfect face. Your lips pressed gently against his, he was so warm. Your heart pounded as if it wanted to break away from your chest. You drew back, heart racing, face red.
Your face was still hovering inches from his when suddenly his brilliant blue eyes opened. He gave you a cocky smirk, "you liar." Your eyes went wide in shock.
You remembered the first time you saw him in person. On that cold night he was wearing his helmet, you were yet to see his face for the first time. You remembered just how it was that you came to be in the position you were in.
xoxox xox xoxox
You watched as the old fossil gestured to the image from the projector. You yawned and tried to stay awake. You were a university student skilled in the field of robotics. For someone so smart it was a cruel irony that you had missed the small font in the curriculum stating that this particular class was required. You had enough credits to graduate, but your choices had not included that particular class so you still had to take it.
After having gone through all your classes, this one class about robot armor and weaponry was a piece of cake. You glanced around you and saw a lot of freshmen with a few sophomores mixed in. At least they didn't skip the class to find out later that they couldn't graduate until they took it.
You sighed and rested your head on your arms atop your desk while the professor rambled on in his German accent. Just one more class and you would be done. Then you could focus all your attention in your projects and have the government fund them. Robotics genius or not, they wouldn't take you seriously without a degree and you were not rich, yet. Without realizing it, you fell asleep.
"Miss Lastname," an angry voice called. "Miss Lastname!" The angry voice yelled.
You startled awake and opened a file on your laptop hopelessly pretending to have been immerse in your notes. "Excuse me, could you repeat the question?"
The professor looked displeased, "I will see you in my office." The old man turned away angrily and left the classroom.
You looked around to see that you were the only student left there. That old fossil better not flunk you for falling asleep. Your grades were flawless, what more could he ask for? You gathered your things and hurried out of the class room.
Campus was buzzing with activity as it was the lunch break for most students. You made your way past the other students, catching bits and pieces of conversations along the way, none of which really interested you. You spotted the professor still making his way to his office despite getting a head start out of the classroom. You slowed down to give the old fossil time to get to the office first.
Following from a few feet behind, you watched as the professor entered his office and approached the door. You stood there and knocked gently, even if you were expected, you knew Dr. Doom would give you an earful if you didn't knock. Yes, Doom was supposedly his last name. He didn't tolerate anyone making fun of it. You always suspected the name was fake, but why would he nickname himself that? Was he some kind of secret super villain?
"Come in," the gruff German accented voice allowed you passage, thus you entered the office. "Sit down," the old professor gestured to the wooden chair across from his large polished desk.
You sat, instinctively glancing around the office. Unlike other professors, this one didn't have pictures of his family anywhere. He did have an assortment of books, plans and small robot models cluttering his office.
"Miss Lastname," the professor leaned back on his cushy wheeled chair, the black leather reflecting the overhead light from a different angle. "I had such high hopes for you. I do hope your nap at class was due to staying up late working on something useful and not due to sheer laziness," he spoke with great disapproval.
"I was researching some things. I already turned in my project even if your class isn't over," you reminded him.
"Ah yes, about that," you feared he would tare the project apart.
"I think it's plausible to be able to build-" you pressed your point, interrupting him until he interrupted you.
"Enough!" The professor interrupted and you fell silent. "Let me speak, child." You nodded and listened as he continued, "I approve of your project and already finished the documentation for you to graduate. You already have completed the needed credits, all you needed was to pass my class."
"Thank you sir!" You squealed with joy, maybe the old fossil wasn't so bad after all.
"That's not all; I would also like to offer you a job in my laboratory as my assistant," the old professor continued.
"That's very kind but I was thinking about pursuing my own experiments..." You didn't want to sound ungrateful and you didn't want him to take back your opportunity to declare your college degree finished without having to wait for the end of the semester.
"Do you know who I am?" The professor pulled off his... face? No, a mask, a very realistic mask. The face under the mask was unmistakable.
"You are," your voice was lost. Sitting before you was the one and only Dr. Wily. How in the world did he manage to sneak into the university staff?
"I'm giving you a choice, girl," he didn't look as intimidating in person than what he looked on TV when you were a child. He was much older now, almost at the end of his years.
His robots didn't seem to be around. Surely they wouldn't get into the university unnoticed. The staff couldn't be that incompetent. You could punch his lights out easily without his body guards, but you didn't. When the old fossil kicked the bucket he might just leave everything to his little assistant, he had no one else, no family that anyone had ever heard of.
"On one condition," you finally spoke, "my reputation is not to be stained. If my presence in your hideout is known, then I will pretend to be a hostage forced to labor under a death threat. Don't get any ideas about that," you grinned, "I can reprogram your robots when you least expect it. In fact I could snap your neck right now old fossil."
Dr. Wily laughed instead of getting angry. "I knew I chose correctly. I assure you, child, I have no intentions of letting you go unrewarded. My time is running out, what I truly want is an apprentice. If you prove yourself worthy you will inherit everything. Until then I will have the spotlight. If I cannot take over the world, it will be your turn; I will not ruin your element of surprise."
For some reason the old fossil assumed you wanted to take over the world. He was aware of the fact that your projects bordered regulations. Perhaps he thought you were tempted to go beyond those regulations. Maybe he assumed that the materials in his laboratory would further tempt you to do so... he was probably right. "You have a deal."
xoxox xox xoxox
So it was done, you graduated and packed your things, moving out of the dorm. Dr. Doom, who was actually Dr. Wily quit his job without incident and retreated to his hideout leaving you with vague directions to follow. Now you knew why Wily's attacks coincidentally never occurred on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays lately. With his hunt for an apprentice at the university done, Wily had an open schedule. You were sure you would be busy helping him, but as long as you had free reign to work on your own projects, you would be okay with it.
Everything happened quickly, in a blur, and he next thing you knew you were standing in a pier at night with a mountain of luggage next to you. You were starting to regret sending the taxi away. It was getting very cold and you were by yourself away from the heart of the city.
Then you saw it, a small and surprisingly quiet motorboat approaching. There were two figures riding on it, one was a little taller than you and the other much larger. You watched in amazement as the boat's occupants jumped onto the pier. "Gutsman and Protoman," you recognized them, they looked the same as always even after years of fighting Megaman. You smiled as the situation sunk in. You were basically joining the villains, but you weren't sure if that was what you wanted. It didn't matter; your name wouldn't be stained. Villain or not, when Wily left the world of the leaving you would be free to make his laboratory yours. You could move the supplies elsewhere to erase any connections to Wily and start over in a new lab, with the benefit of having a lot of equipment and materials to put in it. No one had to know where you got it.
Furthermore you would inherit his robots. A plan formed on your head and you grinned. You would come up with some story to say you reprogrammed them. You might even be a hero. You knew what that story would be. You would say your own robot warrior defeated them and that's how you were able to reprogram them. You could be a hero if you wanted or a villain if you wanted. There was no need to rush your choice. As for the robot warrior in question, that could be made a reality. You would build your robot however you wanted. You make it as great at Megaman, or even better.
"It's nice to meet you," you snapped out of your daze, addressing the two robots. AIs generally responded well to gentle actions and kind words. You wondered if it would be the same for those.
"It's really nice to meet you too," Gutsman replied, extending his large hand in a greeting. Your hand was tiny compared to his, but his grip was surprisingly gentle.
Protoman scoffed, "come on, let's go."
You giggled, "as I thought, you were programmed with a bad boy attitude."
"What?" Protoman sounded angry. "Listen here girl, I'm not some machine. I have my own free will."
"Of course you do, I know you were programmed to believe yourself to be alive and to have freedom within certain parameters," you were a robotic expert after all. "Freedom is the alignment of a group of random variables affected by the environment perceived by the input senses-"
"Shut up!" Protoman growled at you. "It's obvious you don't understand!"
You put your hands on your hips and scowled. "You can't talk to me like that!"
"Damn right I can, stupid girl!" Resisting the urge to throw you in the freezing water, Protoman began to make his way up the pier towards land. "You can take that brat to Wily yourself. I'm not in the mood to deal with her," clearly, the prospect of having you around at the lab did not please him at all.
"Well I never!" You stomped your foot on the old wooden pier. You didn't think Protoman was programmed to be that much of a jerk. It was insufferable, it was infuriating, it was ridiculous. It was like being insulted by a freaking toaster.
You were not off to the best start with Protoman, but Gutsman was much more civil and better at being of service to you. He piled your luggage into the boat hoping it could carry it and helped you get on.
The large robot took you to a remote little island that you didn't even know existed. The trip was long and uncomfortable. You spent it squished between Gutsman and your luggage, neither of which was soft.
By the time you reached the island and Gutsman carried your things to your room, you were ready to collapse into bed. "Dr. Wily said he would talk to you tomorrow," it was music to your ears when Gutsman informed you of that.
"Thanks," you smiled sleepily. "You were a good boy," this AI responded well to compliments. His expressions were limited by the construction of his face but you could almost feel the discomfort he had after witnessing your argument with Protoman evaporating. Of course that was silly, robots didn't feel discomfort unless they were programmed to emulate it. You were just tired. None the less, warming up to an AI was sometimes like training a puppy. "good night big guy," you patted his arm, no way you could reach up that high for a pat on the head.
"Good night," with Gutsman gone you close the door to your new room and eyed the simple bed with white sheets and a brown headboard.
You left the unpacking for tomorrow. You would take a good look at the room then, at the time you were simply too tired. You walked a few steps, kicking off your shoes and collapsed into bed falling asleep instantly.
To be Continued
Disclaimer, I don't own Megaman. This takes place a few years after the cartoon, but it's okay if you're only familiar with the games. Basically, in the cartoon the only big difference is that Protoman works for Dr. Wily along with some other robots including Gutsman.
Art Archives:
http://mikaristar.deviantart.com
http://mikaristar.sheezyart.com
http://fanart-central.net/profile-AzureMikari.php
http://artgrounds.com/gallery/Mikari/
http://anipan.com/21462/
http://pixiv.net/member.php?id=4828776
http://pinterest.com/mikariazure/
Enigma
Puzzle 01: Assistant
You fingered the smooth texture of his yellow scarf as he lay motionless on the examination table. You promised you would repair him and nothing more. You had no intentions of becoming a liar when you made that promise, but breaking it was very tempting.
His helmet was off and you could admire his handsome face. His eyes were closed, no breathing simulation, only stillness, yet he looked so human. You placed your hand on his cheek, he felt so human. You drew closer, your face red. It was silly, really, you didn't need to blush. It was like wanting to kiss your computer for goodness' sake. On the other hand, he was deactivated and there was no one around to see you, so what did it matter?
You leaned closer, your breath against his motionless perfect face. Your lips pressed gently against his, he was so warm. Your heart pounded as if it wanted to break away from your chest. You drew back, heart racing, face red.
Your face was still hovering inches from his when suddenly his brilliant blue eyes opened. He gave you a cocky smirk, "you liar." Your eyes went wide in shock.
You remembered the first time you saw him in person. On that cold night he was wearing his helmet, you were yet to see his face for the first time. You remembered just how it was that you came to be in the position you were in.
xoxox xox xoxox
You watched as the old fossil gestured to the image from the projector. You yawned and tried to stay awake. You were a university student skilled in the field of robotics. For someone so smart it was a cruel irony that you had missed the small font in the curriculum stating that this particular class was required. You had enough credits to graduate, but your choices had not included that particular class so you still had to take it.
After having gone through all your classes, this one class about robot armor and weaponry was a piece of cake. You glanced around you and saw a lot of freshmen with a few sophomores mixed in. At least they didn't skip the class to find out later that they couldn't graduate until they took it.
You sighed and rested your head on your arms atop your desk while the professor rambled on in his German accent. Just one more class and you would be done. Then you could focus all your attention in your projects and have the government fund them. Robotics genius or not, they wouldn't take you seriously without a degree and you were not rich, yet. Without realizing it, you fell asleep.
"Miss Lastname," an angry voice called. "Miss Lastname!" The angry voice yelled.
You startled awake and opened a file on your laptop hopelessly pretending to have been immerse in your notes. "Excuse me, could you repeat the question?"
The professor looked displeased, "I will see you in my office." The old man turned away angrily and left the classroom.
You looked around to see that you were the only student left there. That old fossil better not flunk you for falling asleep. Your grades were flawless, what more could he ask for? You gathered your things and hurried out of the class room.
Campus was buzzing with activity as it was the lunch break for most students. You made your way past the other students, catching bits and pieces of conversations along the way, none of which really interested you. You spotted the professor still making his way to his office despite getting a head start out of the classroom. You slowed down to give the old fossil time to get to the office first.
Following from a few feet behind, you watched as the professor entered his office and approached the door. You stood there and knocked gently, even if you were expected, you knew Dr. Doom would give you an earful if you didn't knock. Yes, Doom was supposedly his last name. He didn't tolerate anyone making fun of it. You always suspected the name was fake, but why would he nickname himself that? Was he some kind of secret super villain?
"Come in," the gruff German accented voice allowed you passage, thus you entered the office. "Sit down," the old professor gestured to the wooden chair across from his large polished desk.
You sat, instinctively glancing around the office. Unlike other professors, this one didn't have pictures of his family anywhere. He did have an assortment of books, plans and small robot models cluttering his office.
"Miss Lastname," the professor leaned back on his cushy wheeled chair, the black leather reflecting the overhead light from a different angle. "I had such high hopes for you. I do hope your nap at class was due to staying up late working on something useful and not due to sheer laziness," he spoke with great disapproval.
"I was researching some things. I already turned in my project even if your class isn't over," you reminded him.
"Ah yes, about that," you feared he would tare the project apart.
"I think it's plausible to be able to build-" you pressed your point, interrupting him until he interrupted you.
"Enough!" The professor interrupted and you fell silent. "Let me speak, child." You nodded and listened as he continued, "I approve of your project and already finished the documentation for you to graduate. You already have completed the needed credits, all you needed was to pass my class."
"Thank you sir!" You squealed with joy, maybe the old fossil wasn't so bad after all.
"That's not all; I would also like to offer you a job in my laboratory as my assistant," the old professor continued.
"That's very kind but I was thinking about pursuing my own experiments..." You didn't want to sound ungrateful and you didn't want him to take back your opportunity to declare your college degree finished without having to wait for the end of the semester.
"Do you know who I am?" The professor pulled off his... face? No, a mask, a very realistic mask. The face under the mask was unmistakable.
"You are," your voice was lost. Sitting before you was the one and only Dr. Wily. How in the world did he manage to sneak into the university staff?
"I'm giving you a choice, girl," he didn't look as intimidating in person than what he looked on TV when you were a child. He was much older now, almost at the end of his years.
His robots didn't seem to be around. Surely they wouldn't get into the university unnoticed. The staff couldn't be that incompetent. You could punch his lights out easily without his body guards, but you didn't. When the old fossil kicked the bucket he might just leave everything to his little assistant, he had no one else, no family that anyone had ever heard of.
"On one condition," you finally spoke, "my reputation is not to be stained. If my presence in your hideout is known, then I will pretend to be a hostage forced to labor under a death threat. Don't get any ideas about that," you grinned, "I can reprogram your robots when you least expect it. In fact I could snap your neck right now old fossil."
Dr. Wily laughed instead of getting angry. "I knew I chose correctly. I assure you, child, I have no intentions of letting you go unrewarded. My time is running out, what I truly want is an apprentice. If you prove yourself worthy you will inherit everything. Until then I will have the spotlight. If I cannot take over the world, it will be your turn; I will not ruin your element of surprise."
For some reason the old fossil assumed you wanted to take over the world. He was aware of the fact that your projects bordered regulations. Perhaps he thought you were tempted to go beyond those regulations. Maybe he assumed that the materials in his laboratory would further tempt you to do so... he was probably right. "You have a deal."
xoxox xox xoxox
So it was done, you graduated and packed your things, moving out of the dorm. Dr. Doom, who was actually Dr. Wily quit his job without incident and retreated to his hideout leaving you with vague directions to follow. Now you knew why Wily's attacks coincidentally never occurred on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays lately. With his hunt for an apprentice at the university done, Wily had an open schedule. You were sure you would be busy helping him, but as long as you had free reign to work on your own projects, you would be okay with it.
Everything happened quickly, in a blur, and he next thing you knew you were standing in a pier at night with a mountain of luggage next to you. You were starting to regret sending the taxi away. It was getting very cold and you were by yourself away from the heart of the city.
Then you saw it, a small and surprisingly quiet motorboat approaching. There were two figures riding on it, one was a little taller than you and the other much larger. You watched in amazement as the boat's occupants jumped onto the pier. "Gutsman and Protoman," you recognized them, they looked the same as always even after years of fighting Megaman. You smiled as the situation sunk in. You were basically joining the villains, but you weren't sure if that was what you wanted. It didn't matter; your name wouldn't be stained. Villain or not, when Wily left the world of the leaving you would be free to make his laboratory yours. You could move the supplies elsewhere to erase any connections to Wily and start over in a new lab, with the benefit of having a lot of equipment and materials to put in it. No one had to know where you got it.
Furthermore you would inherit his robots. A plan formed on your head and you grinned. You would come up with some story to say you reprogrammed them. You might even be a hero. You knew what that story would be. You would say your own robot warrior defeated them and that's how you were able to reprogram them. You could be a hero if you wanted or a villain if you wanted. There was no need to rush your choice. As for the robot warrior in question, that could be made a reality. You would build your robot however you wanted. You make it as great at Megaman, or even better.
"It's nice to meet you," you snapped out of your daze, addressing the two robots. AIs generally responded well to gentle actions and kind words. You wondered if it would be the same for those.
"It's really nice to meet you too," Gutsman replied, extending his large hand in a greeting. Your hand was tiny compared to his, but his grip was surprisingly gentle.
Protoman scoffed, "come on, let's go."
You giggled, "as I thought, you were programmed with a bad boy attitude."
"What?" Protoman sounded angry. "Listen here girl, I'm not some machine. I have my own free will."
"Of course you do, I know you were programmed to believe yourself to be alive and to have freedom within certain parameters," you were a robotic expert after all. "Freedom is the alignment of a group of random variables affected by the environment perceived by the input senses-"
"Shut up!" Protoman growled at you. "It's obvious you don't understand!"
You put your hands on your hips and scowled. "You can't talk to me like that!"
"Damn right I can, stupid girl!" Resisting the urge to throw you in the freezing water, Protoman began to make his way up the pier towards land. "You can take that brat to Wily yourself. I'm not in the mood to deal with her," clearly, the prospect of having you around at the lab did not please him at all.
"Well I never!" You stomped your foot on the old wooden pier. You didn't think Protoman was programmed to be that much of a jerk. It was insufferable, it was infuriating, it was ridiculous. It was like being insulted by a freaking toaster.
You were not off to the best start with Protoman, but Gutsman was much more civil and better at being of service to you. He piled your luggage into the boat hoping it could carry it and helped you get on.
The large robot took you to a remote little island that you didn't even know existed. The trip was long and uncomfortable. You spent it squished between Gutsman and your luggage, neither of which was soft.
By the time you reached the island and Gutsman carried your things to your room, you were ready to collapse into bed. "Dr. Wily said he would talk to you tomorrow," it was music to your ears when Gutsman informed you of that.
"Thanks," you smiled sleepily. "You were a good boy," this AI responded well to compliments. His expressions were limited by the construction of his face but you could almost feel the discomfort he had after witnessing your argument with Protoman evaporating. Of course that was silly, robots didn't feel discomfort unless they were programmed to emulate it. You were just tired. None the less, warming up to an AI was sometimes like training a puppy. "good night big guy," you patted his arm, no way you could reach up that high for a pat on the head.
"Good night," with Gutsman gone you close the door to your new room and eyed the simple bed with white sheets and a brown headboard.
You left the unpacking for tomorrow. You would take a good look at the room then, at the time you were simply too tired. You walked a few steps, kicking off your shoes and collapsed into bed falling asleep instantly.
To be Continued
Disclaimer, I don't own Megaman. This takes place a few years after the cartoon, but it's okay if you're only familiar with the games. Basically, in the cartoon the only big difference is that Protoman works for Dr. Wily along with some other robots including Gutsman.
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