02-10-2014, 07:57 PM
“One sugar?”
“Yes, that’s fine,” Proto Man replied as he shifted uncomfortably in the wooden chair. Much to his bewilderment, Roll had needed no further convincing as to his identity or his motives. The girl had readily accepted him, even with the very limited knowledge she had. When he had asked her why on their walk to the small staff lounge, she had simply smiled and said ‘I was designed to know these things as per my operating parameters.’ Apparently, a lot more went into a housekeeper than how to cook, clean, and organize rooms.
Glancing up, Proto Man made eye contact once again with Fire Man, who sat in the corner of the room. The first generation Robot Master sat in a chair, his eyes glued to his wayward brother. Just because Roll trusted the prototype at face value didn’t mean the others would readily follow suit.
“So how long have you been in the e(gg Omniverse?” After asking her question, Roll set a steaming cup of tea in front of her older brother and took a seat across from him. She took a sip from her own cup and flashed him a smile.
Proto Man took a drink as well before replying to her question. “Less than two weeks? I can’t remember the precise date as my systems weren’t fully operational then… when did all of you arrive?”
Roll glanced over to Fire Man. “About a week and a half, right?” The other machine nodded his head.
“Did all of you arrive together?”
His sister shook her head, causing her blonde ponytail to whip around her face. “I arrived before Fire Man and our brothers. I was fortunate to find them shortly after eluding those other Robot Masters.”
“You mean the Gen 2s? I saw a news broadcast with Crash Man in it.” From the corner of his eye, Proto Man noticed Fire Man bristle at the mention of one of Wily’s personal soldiers.
“Yes, and the DWLN-Series… it seems like almost all of the Robot Masters are here,” she trailed off, a slight frown on her youthful face as she drank from her cup again.
It didn’t take Proto man long to understand her sadness. “Except for Rock…”
She nodded her head as she set the cup onto the table. “We’ve managed pretty well, though. The others thought it best to trail Wily’s Robot Masters, so that’s why we’re down here. We stumbled across this place, and the nice man outside was kind enough to let us inside.”
“And so you all work here?”
Another nod. “We were all designed to help humanity in one way or another. For some of us, there’s a direct translation. Fire Man over there is the main reason why the heating system is still working, and Elec Man can provide enough energy to power this place if we need to rely on the archaic generators that the government gave these people.”
Although he wanted to ask how Robot Masters like Bomb Man and Cut Man helped out in a Community Center, Proto Man swallowed the question down and went for the more obvious response. “And they put you in charge of ration distribution?”
After another sip, Roll flashed a warm, wide-eyed smile. “Yes, you should have seen the state of this program before I arrived. It was anarchy and the storage units were disorganized dumps. But I also take shifts with the cleaning crew, which means that some of the human workers can get some extra time for their breaks. Unlike them, I don’t have to worry about fatigue.”
“I suppose so,” Proto Man replied, although he knew that he was unique in the sense that he could very well feel the mental side of exhaustion, even if his robotic body would never show the signs. The benefit of being a fully sapient android also had its downsides. “Do you have any idea what the non-DLN Robot masters are up to?”
“Not a clue,” Roll replied as she turned to look back over at Fire Man. The other android shrugged his shoulders, illustrating that he likewise had no idea. “Elec Man makes occasional patrols, but from the sound of things, they’re all laying low. For all we know they could be hiding next door or on a different level of this city...this tier is very porous.”
“Yea, I arrived through some nondescript utility lines,” Proto Man replied as he leaned back in the chair. He swore he heard some more gunshots, but the sound was too muffled for him to discern it.
“So will you be staying here with us?” Roll asked, her blue eyes lighting up as she laced her hands in front of her chest. “This place needs all the help it can get, and I’m sure you could use a roof over your head.”
Proto Man tried not to frown, lest he insult his sister. “I don’t know,” he finally replied. “I was planning to track down the other Robot Masters to ensure they weren’t following old habits.”
“I’m sure you could join Elec Man on his rounds!” Roll replied, her enthusiasm failing to waver. “And in the meantime, I could use the extra hands. Please?”
The preteen android, as he looked into the other robot’s eyes, could tell that he had already lost this discussion. Part of him, that side that had wanted to meet her on any and all of those occasions he had stalked or infiltrated Light Labs, knew that he couldn’t pass up on this opportunity. He had expected the same level of distrust from her as he saw in Fire Man’s eyes, and instead, she had welcomed him with a warm heart.
She probably misses her other brother… her real brother. He fought back another frown as he mulled over that thought. After a moment, he realized he wouldn’t have cared if that was the reason anyway. He was human enough to know that he’d never get another chance like this to have a sister. “I’d love to stay and help out,” he said with a smile, eliciting a squeal of delight from the young girl. While Fire Man had a metal plate over his mouth, Proto Man could tell from his eyes that the android wasn’t in love with the idea.
And so Proto Man passed a handful of months experiencing the closest thing to a pedestrian life as he could imagine. He and his sister worked together the majority of the time--their efforts mainly revolving around repairs inside the complex. Due to a lack of imperial funding, much of the block-sized gestalt was starting to decay from the inside out. Much of the basements were flooded or had collapsed, and several of the structures were infested with mold or simply too grotesque even by the standards of the people of Tier Six.
When Roll would let them be parted, Proto Man would go on rounds with Elec Man. While the electricity-inspired Robot Master was initially distrusting of Proto Man, they had forged a close working relationship following several armed altercations with the organized gangs that took potshots at anyone and anything. The preteen android’s unwillingness to murder the ruffians had won over Elec Man, who likewise favored a mantra of ‘dazzle and flee.’ Most highwayman didn’t pursue them once they’d been zapped by a low-voltage burst of electricity or watched a burst of energy pothole the ground in front of them with ease.
With the exception of Elec Man, the other members of the DLN-Series had warmed to Proto Man at a much more glacial pace. Fire Man still glared at him with those judgmental eyes, and Guts Man had once or twice threatened to ‘pound him into mush’ if he discovered that Proto Man was some sort of double-agent for the rogue Robot Masters.
As for the other machines that undoubtedly lurked in the surrounding city and the wasteland below, there had been no sign of them. Elec Man and Proto Man’s patrols, which they usually took three or four times a week, had netted nothing but ruffians and some gangs.
On a quiet afternoon close to a month after his arrival on the tier, Proto Man got some interesting news. Walking in unannounced, Roll handed him a small tablet device. “I thought you might appreciate this story.”
Furrowing his brow behind his visor, the android accepted the tiny computer and started to read through the article. The reporter was relaying news from some place called Camelot, which Proto Man only vaguely remembered as the location of the other major power in the Omniverse--the Kingdom. From the sounds of it, there was a dragon rampaging throughout Camelot, causing damage to villages and the outlying farmlands. When he reached the end of the article, the android glanced up from the screen to his sister. “I don’t get it? What’s the draw?”
“Third post in the comment section.”
Proto Man scrolled down. “‘Nothing like a damned dragon to draw in the refuse from Coruscant. I swear, if I see another one of those blasted robot men, I’m going to smash their smug faces in with my warhammer.’” The android looked back over to his sister. “You think this random person ran into one of the Robot Masters?”
“It’s possible,” Roll replied as she sat down at the end of Proto Man’s bed and began to swing her feet gently. “If they’re holed up on Tier 7, it’s possible they’ve had more than enough time to find a means to escape Coruscant entirely. I mean, Dr. Light developed a teleportation machine to send Rock to fight Wily. It’d be no stretch of the imagination that they would have that knowledge in their databanks.”
While he wasn’t entirely sold on the idea, Proto Man figured a trip to Camelot would be a little more enjoyable than scrounging through Tier 7. “I suppose it’s worth a look… but will I function properly in that world? Isn’t Camelot like, pseudo-Middle Ages?”
“Omniphysics,” Roll offered as she hopped off the bed. “I don’t think you’ll be able to summon bikes and stuff, though.”
Proto Man frowned as he mulled over the thought of having to ride a horse. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d seen a horse in real life, let alone would he have the first idea about how to get one to obey his commands. “How do I get to Camelot?”
A soft chuckle escaped his sister as she planted a fingertip on his shoulder. “You’re the one who arrived at the fountain, not me. Just go back there and go through the Camelot Gate. We might be able to stay in touch through the Dataverse if it exists in some form there.”
The helmeted android nodded his head as his sister and he left behind his small room. “Let’s hope I can leave without having to deal with Dredd or his troopers,” even as the words left his mouth, they were replaced by a scowl. Proto Man hadn’t thought about the Judge in several weeks, and the mere thought of the man instantly made his synthetic blood boil.
“I’m sure he’s forgotten all about you by now,” Roll replied with a smile as she took him by the hand and walked with him all the way to the lift that connected to Tier 3’s transit hub.
“Yes, that’s fine,” Proto Man replied as he shifted uncomfortably in the wooden chair. Much to his bewilderment, Roll had needed no further convincing as to his identity or his motives. The girl had readily accepted him, even with the very limited knowledge she had. When he had asked her why on their walk to the small staff lounge, she had simply smiled and said ‘I was designed to know these things as per my operating parameters.’ Apparently, a lot more went into a housekeeper than how to cook, clean, and organize rooms.
Glancing up, Proto Man made eye contact once again with Fire Man, who sat in the corner of the room. The first generation Robot Master sat in a chair, his eyes glued to his wayward brother. Just because Roll trusted the prototype at face value didn’t mean the others would readily follow suit.
“So how long have you been in the e(gg Omniverse?” After asking her question, Roll set a steaming cup of tea in front of her older brother and took a seat across from him. She took a sip from her own cup and flashed him a smile.
Proto Man took a drink as well before replying to her question. “Less than two weeks? I can’t remember the precise date as my systems weren’t fully operational then… when did all of you arrive?”
Roll glanced over to Fire Man. “About a week and a half, right?” The other machine nodded his head.
“Did all of you arrive together?”
His sister shook her head, causing her blonde ponytail to whip around her face. “I arrived before Fire Man and our brothers. I was fortunate to find them shortly after eluding those other Robot Masters.”
“You mean the Gen 2s? I saw a news broadcast with Crash Man in it.” From the corner of his eye, Proto Man noticed Fire Man bristle at the mention of one of Wily’s personal soldiers.
“Yes, and the DWLN-Series… it seems like almost all of the Robot Masters are here,” she trailed off, a slight frown on her youthful face as she drank from her cup again.
It didn’t take Proto man long to understand her sadness. “Except for Rock…”
She nodded her head as she set the cup onto the table. “We’ve managed pretty well, though. The others thought it best to trail Wily’s Robot Masters, so that’s why we’re down here. We stumbled across this place, and the nice man outside was kind enough to let us inside.”
“And so you all work here?”
Another nod. “We were all designed to help humanity in one way or another. For some of us, there’s a direct translation. Fire Man over there is the main reason why the heating system is still working, and Elec Man can provide enough energy to power this place if we need to rely on the archaic generators that the government gave these people.”
Although he wanted to ask how Robot Masters like Bomb Man and Cut Man helped out in a Community Center, Proto Man swallowed the question down and went for the more obvious response. “And they put you in charge of ration distribution?”
After another sip, Roll flashed a warm, wide-eyed smile. “Yes, you should have seen the state of this program before I arrived. It was anarchy and the storage units were disorganized dumps. But I also take shifts with the cleaning crew, which means that some of the human workers can get some extra time for their breaks. Unlike them, I don’t have to worry about fatigue.”
“I suppose so,” Proto Man replied, although he knew that he was unique in the sense that he could very well feel the mental side of exhaustion, even if his robotic body would never show the signs. The benefit of being a fully sapient android also had its downsides. “Do you have any idea what the non-DLN Robot masters are up to?”
“Not a clue,” Roll replied as she turned to look back over at Fire Man. The other android shrugged his shoulders, illustrating that he likewise had no idea. “Elec Man makes occasional patrols, but from the sound of things, they’re all laying low. For all we know they could be hiding next door or on a different level of this city...this tier is very porous.”
“Yea, I arrived through some nondescript utility lines,” Proto Man replied as he leaned back in the chair. He swore he heard some more gunshots, but the sound was too muffled for him to discern it.
“So will you be staying here with us?” Roll asked, her blue eyes lighting up as she laced her hands in front of her chest. “This place needs all the help it can get, and I’m sure you could use a roof over your head.”
Proto Man tried not to frown, lest he insult his sister. “I don’t know,” he finally replied. “I was planning to track down the other Robot Masters to ensure they weren’t following old habits.”
“I’m sure you could join Elec Man on his rounds!” Roll replied, her enthusiasm failing to waver. “And in the meantime, I could use the extra hands. Please?”
The preteen android, as he looked into the other robot’s eyes, could tell that he had already lost this discussion. Part of him, that side that had wanted to meet her on any and all of those occasions he had stalked or infiltrated Light Labs, knew that he couldn’t pass up on this opportunity. He had expected the same level of distrust from her as he saw in Fire Man’s eyes, and instead, she had welcomed him with a warm heart.
She probably misses her other brother… her real brother. He fought back another frown as he mulled over that thought. After a moment, he realized he wouldn’t have cared if that was the reason anyway. He was human enough to know that he’d never get another chance like this to have a sister. “I’d love to stay and help out,” he said with a smile, eliciting a squeal of delight from the young girl. While Fire Man had a metal plate over his mouth, Proto Man could tell from his eyes that the android wasn’t in love with the idea.
***
And so Proto Man passed a handful of months experiencing the closest thing to a pedestrian life as he could imagine. He and his sister worked together the majority of the time--their efforts mainly revolving around repairs inside the complex. Due to a lack of imperial funding, much of the block-sized gestalt was starting to decay from the inside out. Much of the basements were flooded or had collapsed, and several of the structures were infested with mold or simply too grotesque even by the standards of the people of Tier Six.
When Roll would let them be parted, Proto Man would go on rounds with Elec Man. While the electricity-inspired Robot Master was initially distrusting of Proto Man, they had forged a close working relationship following several armed altercations with the organized gangs that took potshots at anyone and anything. The preteen android’s unwillingness to murder the ruffians had won over Elec Man, who likewise favored a mantra of ‘dazzle and flee.’ Most highwayman didn’t pursue them once they’d been zapped by a low-voltage burst of electricity or watched a burst of energy pothole the ground in front of them with ease.
With the exception of Elec Man, the other members of the DLN-Series had warmed to Proto Man at a much more glacial pace. Fire Man still glared at him with those judgmental eyes, and Guts Man had once or twice threatened to ‘pound him into mush’ if he discovered that Proto Man was some sort of double-agent for the rogue Robot Masters.
As for the other machines that undoubtedly lurked in the surrounding city and the wasteland below, there had been no sign of them. Elec Man and Proto Man’s patrols, which they usually took three or four times a week, had netted nothing but ruffians and some gangs.
On a quiet afternoon close to a month after his arrival on the tier, Proto Man got some interesting news. Walking in unannounced, Roll handed him a small tablet device. “I thought you might appreciate this story.”
Furrowing his brow behind his visor, the android accepted the tiny computer and started to read through the article. The reporter was relaying news from some place called Camelot, which Proto Man only vaguely remembered as the location of the other major power in the Omniverse--the Kingdom. From the sounds of it, there was a dragon rampaging throughout Camelot, causing damage to villages and the outlying farmlands. When he reached the end of the article, the android glanced up from the screen to his sister. “I don’t get it? What’s the draw?”
“Third post in the comment section.”
Proto Man scrolled down. “‘Nothing like a damned dragon to draw in the refuse from Coruscant. I swear, if I see another one of those blasted robot men, I’m going to smash their smug faces in with my warhammer.’” The android looked back over to his sister. “You think this random person ran into one of the Robot Masters?”
“It’s possible,” Roll replied as she sat down at the end of Proto Man’s bed and began to swing her feet gently. “If they’re holed up on Tier 7, it’s possible they’ve had more than enough time to find a means to escape Coruscant entirely. I mean, Dr. Light developed a teleportation machine to send Rock to fight Wily. It’d be no stretch of the imagination that they would have that knowledge in their databanks.”
While he wasn’t entirely sold on the idea, Proto Man figured a trip to Camelot would be a little more enjoyable than scrounging through Tier 7. “I suppose it’s worth a look… but will I function properly in that world? Isn’t Camelot like, pseudo-Middle Ages?”
“Omniphysics,” Roll offered as she hopped off the bed. “I don’t think you’ll be able to summon bikes and stuff, though.”
Proto Man frowned as he mulled over the thought of having to ride a horse. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d seen a horse in real life, let alone would he have the first idea about how to get one to obey his commands. “How do I get to Camelot?”
A soft chuckle escaped his sister as she planted a fingertip on his shoulder. “You’re the one who arrived at the fountain, not me. Just go back there and go through the Camelot Gate. We might be able to stay in touch through the Dataverse if it exists in some form there.”
The helmeted android nodded his head as his sister and he left behind his small room. “Let’s hope I can leave without having to deal with Dredd or his troopers,” even as the words left his mouth, they were replaced by a scowl. Proto Man hadn’t thought about the Judge in several weeks, and the mere thought of the man instantly made his synthetic blood boil.
“I’m sure he’s forgotten all about you by now,” Roll replied with a smile as she took him by the hand and walked with him all the way to the lift that connected to Tier 3’s transit hub.
![[Image: proto.jpg]](http://epiqz.com/omni/proto.jpg)
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Dante's Abyss 2015
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