The next day...
Protoman groaned as he stretched. His scratches still hurt a little, though probably not very much. However he was unused to pain, so even a little scratch hurt considerably. However, he had one wound that hurt more than the rest.
Wily had betrayed him. He wanted to shut him off. For some reason, that hurt him emotionally. He hadn't expected it to, but it did. It made no sense to him. He hated Wily. He knew that Wily wasn't nice and that Wily didn't like him. Still, it had come as a complete shock to him.
I guess I'm too trusting, Protoman thought. I believed that he wouldn't harm me or hurt me. I though that all he'd do was maybe yell at me. I never suspected he'd want to kill me.
Protoman shook his head. I didn't think I was this naive. Wily more than dislikes me, he hates me.
Something suddenly occured to him. If Wily hates me so much, why is he so eager to build six new robots?
The answer he got was disturbing, but it answered a few questions. For instance, why does the Council always back Wily instead of Light, in more than just issues about him. Also, why does Wily spend almost all of his free time away from the house. He always acts like he's hiding something and Protoman thought he knew what.
Until he had some proof though, there was nothing he could do. He needed Wily to act first, and he wanted to be there when Wily did so that he could stop him. Protoman also was going to start paying very close attention to the six new robots. Mega Man and Roll were safe because Wily didn't know about them.
Protoman swore to himself that he wouldn't let Wily harm Mega Man or Roll. They were too important to him for them to be corrupted by Wily.
He still wasn't used to it, but he'd come to accept it. It wasn't normal, and it certainly was unusual, but he had feelings. He wasn't about to hide from them either. One thing he'd learned recently was that his feelings were normally right. They were still developing, and often confused him, but at least they were correct.
"Feeling better?" Light asked as he walked into the room.
"A little. I'm still slightly sore, but nothing major."
Light smiled. "That's good." He sighed suddenly. "You sound so real. It's hard to believe you aren't as human as I am."
Protoman stared silently at the floor. He wasn't sure what to do. He could tell Light about his feelings, but he wasn't sure how Light'd react. What if he turned Protoman in to the council because he'd strayed so far from his programming.
Idiot, Protoman mentally berated himself. Light's not like that and you know it. He'd be overjoyed. Protoman opened his mouth to tell Light the truth.
"Shut your mouth. You look stupid like that." Wily said from the doorway.
Protoman quickly closed his mouth. He couldn't say anything in front of Wily. He knew beyond a doubt what Wily'd do to him if he found out. Protoman had a feeling that if Wily had his way, he'd be laying on a scrap heep somewhere. That's why Wily was never going to find out if Protoman had any say in it.
"There you are." Light said. "I wanted to ask you how the tv fell over yesterday."
"I don't know. The table must have been uneven. It's amazing it hadn't fallen over before then."
"I see." Light said. He was looking directly at Protoman.
Protoman, however, was avoiding his gaze. He didn't want Light to know what had actually happened. It'd just cause more trouble than there already was. It wasn't worth it. Being right wasn't important to Protoman. Staying alive was.
If Protoman brought up the issue, there were two posibilities. First, Wily might deny it. Then it would be his word against a humans. Then Protoman would get reprogrammed for lying. The second possibility was that Wily might not deny it. Then Light would get mad at Wily, and ruin their chance of finishing the construction robots. Protoman was sure that either way, Wily would twist it around so that Protoman seemed at fault. There was nothing he could do. It was best if he just let well enough alone.
"If you don't mind, we need that table." Wily told him.
Protoman quickly vacated the table. He was about to leave the room when Light spoke up.
"Why don't you stick around. We could use an extra hand to help out. You know how to use the tools and programming." Light said.
"Of course. I'd be glad to." Protoman answered automatically.
"I'm surprised we didn't think of it sooner. You were built to be a lab assistant after all." Light chuckled. "I guess I'm just not used to having an extra hand around."
Protoman was confused by Light's short speech. He'd helped Light build Roll and Mega Man before. Light was well used to having him help out by now. Maybe he's trying to throw Wily off. Wily'd have a heart attack if he knew that I was helping Light on his 'secret project'. Light won't let Wily help him, so it'd be a large blow to his ego if he found out.
Protoman picked up the tool Light told him to, and started to work under Light's direction.
A week later...
With Protoman's help, Light and Wily finished the six construction robots ahead of scheduale. They were shipped out last night. The company that had ordered them had been extremely pleased. Pleased enough to include a bonus in their payment. Now that Light and Wily worked on their own, they needed all the money they could get.
Not that they were poor. In fact, they had a large amount stored away. However, Light's half of that was going towards a lab in the woods. According to Light, Wily had his own private lab that he was working on.
Protoman was suspicious of that. Wily had virtually no money in his account. It had all been spent on his new lab. Also, before the six construction robots had been sent out, Protoman had caught Wily making adjustments to their programming. Wily was up to something, that was for sure. Everything Wily did confirmed his earlier suspicion.
Protoman turned his mind back to his work. He was currently helping Light add some new circuitry to Mega Man. He was installing a teleporter into Mega Man's arm. Protoman had a teleporter as well, though his was on a welding shield for when he was working on Mega Man. He'd never used it, but he kept it updated in case of an emergency.
The teleporter had to be preset with coordinates before they were used. If they weren't, there was no telling where you'd end up. Protoman kept his programmed to the street oustside the lab. That way, if he got lost, he could teleport right back in front of the lab.
One flaw of the teleporter was that you couldn't set it to teleport very far into buildings. There was usually too much interference from electronics and walls to get a strong enough signal. Teleporting out was no problem. It was where you were going, not where you are, that mattered.
"Finished!" Protoman proudly announced.
"Good," Light said, smiling. "How about starting on the Mega Buster?"
"Okay."
The Busters were another basic element that both he and his brother shared. The only difference was that his brother had one and he had two. They were extremly valuable robots. Light and Wily feared that someone might try to steal either of them. They had such great power that it'd be disaterous if they fell in the wrong hands. With some simple reprogramming, Protoman and Mega Man could be turned into unstoppable killing machines. Bullets couldn't hurt them, and neither could physical force.
Their Busters were there to see that they didn't get stolen or reprogrammed. They were not to be used unless in extreme emergency, and almost not directly at a human unless there was no other choice. That had been quite strictly built in. Even now, Protoman could not erase it. Not that he wanted to. He was quite happy with that subconscious command.
Protoman set down his tools. "Dr. Light?" He said.
Light looked up from his work. "Yes?"
"There's something I've been meaning to tell you."
"What's that?"
"I'm a little more human than you think I am."
Light stared at him in shock. "What?"
"I have feelings, Doctor. I don't know why, but I do?"
"When'd this start?"
"I'm not quite sure. It wasn't long before the television fell over." Protoman thought for a moment. "That was when I first noticed it. It... hurt."
"Hurt?"
"The shards of plastic and glass that had pierced my armor. I felt them."
Light didn't say anything. He just stood there. "I'm glad you finally told me," Light said finally.
"I was going to tell you earlier, but Wily interrupted me."
"Why did Wily stop you?"
Protoman stared at Light. "I'm not an idiot. I know how Wily feels about me. If he had his way I'd have been dead long ago. If I told him this, he'd reprogram me instantly. He wanted to when he found out I was developing a personality."
Light nodded. "I was trying to avoid you finding out. It's not pleasant to know that one of your parents hates you."
Protoman blinked. Light was right. They were his parents. Wily is not my parent. I won't accept him like that.
"Thank you... Father." Protman said slowly.
It was Light's turn to blink. "What for?"
"For defending me against Wily when he wanted to reprogram me."
"You heard?"
Protoman nodded.
"You're welcome... Son." Protoman was suddenly swept up into a hug. It was an unusual experience. He rather liked it. For the first time, Protoman felt loved. He knew that he would do anything to keep his father safe.
"I don't think the name Protoman is very fitting for you anymore."
Protoman looked up surprised. "Why's that?"
"You're too human now to be constantly refered to as a prototype. You need a new name."
"What do you suggest?"
"Does Blues sound good to you?"
Protoman smiled. It sounded perfect to him. "Yes. Thank you."