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It was finally the date I had long dreaded. I tried to avoid the timer in my chronometer sensor but the countdown was always running in the back of my CPU. After the first incident with Robot Masters being stolen and misused, an expiration date was programmed into all of us of this series. Given that I was not considered dangerous, I was allowed a much longer expiration date than most in my series. Who would have thought too that Dr. Wily's Double Gear system as well as his argument for robot rights would have been the good fortune for my long decommissioning date despite being the cause of why I even have that date set in my programming in the first place. I guess good things can sometimes come from something rotten like cheese and wine after all. I may be the last of the Robot Masters to be decommissioned. I heard on the news that what will be replacing the Robot Masters is a new type of drone called Mechanaloids. Despite all the groundbreaking research Dr. Light is going to be forgotten. His legacy of human like robots is going to be betamaxed by mechanical dolls with no personality, no thought of any kind, just obey orders of humans with a simple shutdown procedure. While I served my purpose and did much more than my intended purpose, I have no regrets but one. I won't be around to see what new creation Dr. Light will come up with. I heard that he was creating something new but he's been so secretive lately. He used to share with those close to him all his new projects but not this one. Maybe he's afraid of one our memory bank reviews would compromise him and put him and his work in danger. As much as I don't want to head to the decommissioning office, my body is moving on it's own because of that date set in me. Much like the Laws of Robotics, this process is hard coded in me and part of my BIOS. I want to run. I want to scream. I want to avoid my fate but my body keeps moving toward its demise. I guess I really am just like a doll as much as I hate thinking about it. The doors open automatically since they can read the sensor in my chronometer letting the machines know what today is. It's like a perverted Christmas instead of excitement and joy, the only thing I want to emote is fear. I step into the sterile room and onto the decommissioning platform. There's a large window for owners to watch the process. There were humans already there and I could see them crying. There was Dr. Light, Dr. Cossack and his daughter. Kalinka has gotten so much older and grown into a beautiful woman. I hate seeing her cry. There's one other person too? No, it can't be, Dr. Wily! He of all people came too and he's crying too. He's disguised but there's no mistaking that it's him. I kind of wish he would break me free but given his current emotional state, I don't see him doing anything. I can't stand seeing all the humans in my life so upset. I want to fix it. I want to make everything better. I want to get them comfortable and to cheer them up but this expiration date function is overriding my programming. I wish I could just shut off my visual sensors so I don't have to witness this but all the functions I normally have control over are superseded by this end of function process. I'll be joining the fate of my siblings and cousins soon. The intercom in the room activates and I hear a voice say,
"DLR-002, Roll. the mandated expiration date has been reached and all current legal activation extensions have used. You are to be deactivated and initialized in 3, 2, 1..." And all of Roll's processes were killed and sensors shutdown, never to be reactivated again.