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It was over.
Thomas Light had, in every sense of the phrase, screwed up.
Not that it was entirely his fault, of course. Even when the world was being torn asunder right before his every eyes, he still knew how to show himself grace. He couldn't have possibly anticipated that the creation of X would have indirectly caused the deaths of his other children.
The monster had gotten to Blues first.
There wasn't much left of him, according to Rock. All that had been found at first was a puddle of yellow blood near the park he was known to frequent. Then Rock had found his scarf. And when he found a pair of broken sunglasses a little further away, that's when he realized something was wrong.
Rock, naturally, had been next. He had always possessed this need to do right, to bring justice. So of course he went to avenge his brother, once he brought what remained of him to Thomas. And of course he didn't surrender to the killer. Not even when he had just about been torn to pieces.
And yet, somehow, the beast wasn't satisfied. It desired more bloodshed, always more. So the other Robot Masters were next. Elec Man, Cut Man, Jewel Man, Splash Woman - every robot created by Dr. Light, gone in an instant.
Soon Roll was the only one left.
Thomas thought he could do something different with her - keep her safe, keep her away from all of the suffering somehow. He had made precautions to change her appearance. Blonde hair to brown, blue eyes to gray. He'd bought her a sweater and pants to wear instead of her usual dress. Made her trade in wearing her hair tied up with a bow for pigtails. He'd even made changes to her frame so that she would be taller. But all of that wasn't enough. All it took was her taking a step outside to go to the store, and she was finished.
And now Thomas sat in his living room, held at buster-point on his very own couch. And it was here, in this dire state, that he came face-to-face with the murderer of his children. He wasn't anything like he thought. In fact, he looked no older than X had been designed to be: fifteen years old. And he had the most curious blue eyes and blond hair. Not to mention the way his eyes sparkled when he looked around the room - he was like a child, one who had been taken to an aquarium or to the zoo for the first time. Just like how Roll and Rock and Blues had been when they were first created.
But even Lucifer was called an angel of light, Thomas reminded himself. Even if the wretch before him possessed some form of innocence, he had still killed almost every creation of his that he held dear. Thomas could not afford to let his guard down, could not afford to let this demon take anymore from him than he already had.
He still had one child left, after all.
"What is it that you want?" Thomas asked finally, staring into the eyes of the creature before him.
At first, the thing looked him up and down, assessing him. No doubt checking to see if he's a threat. Once he'd come to a determination, he spoke: "Mega Man."
Thomas blinked, stunned. "What?"
"I want to see Mega Man. I was sent to destroy him."
Thomas almost checked the little devil in the face after hearing that, but he managed to control himself. "Nonsense. You have already killed him."
The response Thomas got made his blood run cold. "There is another."
X.
He's talking about X.
"No," Thomas lied, not knowing what else to do. "There isn't. You are mistaken."
The fiend's eyes narrowed, and his buster began to squeal. "I suggest you stop lying to me."
"You seem awfully sure of yourself," Thomas commented. "Who told you that there was a second Mega Man?"
"My creator."
"And who is that?"
"Dr. Albert Wily."
Ah.
Now that explained everything. It told Thomas everything he needed to know - why this brute of an automaton had been so bent on killing everyone he had ever created, why he wanted nothing more than to destroy Rock and X. "I see."
"So?"
"'So' what?"
"So where is the second Mega Man?"
"I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about."
The vermin's voice ran icy. "Liar."
BANG!
Thomas hissed as a buster shot grazed his shoulder, and burned a nicely sized hole in his wall. "I suggest you start telling me the truth," the blond demon said. "Or else my next shot will go through your head."
"If you kill me," Thomas retorted, "You'll never know where he is. Only I know of his location." The devil pursed his lips. Thomas tried not to grin - now was his chance to get him on the ropes. "Although, I don't think I should tell you. It's for your own good, really."
"How so?"
"Well... what do you think Wily will do, once you've killed the last of my creations?" The monster paused for a moment. Then, he answered in a way that made Thomas want to gag from how innocent it was. "He... he would be proud of me."
"Psh. That isn't the case at all." Thomas couldn't help but shiver with satisfaction when the beast's face fell. Good, he thought. Be disappointed. Feel a fraction of what I have felt because of you. "Are you familiar with the Robot Master 'Clown Man'?"
"I don't believe I am."
"Well, of course you aren't. When Wily had no need for a clown-based Robot Master, he scrapped him. And... well, you do know Frost Man, don't you? He used his parts to create him."
The fiend's eyes grew wide, but the gesture dissolved as quickly as it had taken place. It was soon replaced with a head tilt, a sure sign of confusion. "What are you saying?"
"Once he has no use for you, you'll be disposed of - he'll kill you."
The blond beast sucked in a breath from shock, and for a brief, fleeting instant, Thomas felt bad for scaring him. But he soon remembered what became of his children, and the guilt is then swapped for rage. He didn't sympathize in the slightest when the monster spoke again. "But - but he loves me. He - he said so."
"You really are stupid, aren't you?" Thomas snapped, and felt himself glare. "Albert will do anything to get the results he wants. And he's not one to leave loose ends lying around, unless he believes that they will be useful later. And he won't have anything for you to do, once you kill X. And you've swept through all of my other robots - you're too dangerous to keep around."
The brute said nothing, at first. He simply lowered and deactivated his buster after about a minute, then told Thomas his next course of action: "Then I will kill him first. And when that's done, I will return and kill the second Mega Man. Then my purpose will be fulfilled, and I can continue to live."
Thomas gasped in horror as the wretch began to leave. That wasn't what he had intended! Not at all. "What - no, no! You can't do that - that's a crime. You'll - you'll be hunted down, and killed anyway. You'll just make things worse for yourse-"
The Wilybot stopped only to give a brief answer before he left. "Then I will kill those who hunt me." And with that, the monster was gone, out the front door - out the way he came.
Thomas' whole body tensed, cold sweat running down his back.
He needed to make a phone call.
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Pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up -
A soft click on the other line made Thomas sigh in relief. Finally, after fifteen tries, Albert had gotten to the phone. His familiar dry, nearly hoarse vocal tones soon followed. "Who is this?! What do you want?! I am a very busy man, you know! If I don't pick up three times, that's a sign you should stop calling me! And how did you even get this number?! This is a private line -"
"Albert. Albert, it's me. It's Thomas." That put a stop to Albert's rant quickly. A stubborn hmph came from Albert's mouth. "What do you want from me, Light?"
"It's about the robot you sent to my home." Albert laughed, shrill and excited. "Ahaha! So Zero made it to you, then? I know he's killed your robots. Are you here to whine and complain about having finally lost? Or perhaps he hasn't gotten to all the disgraces you call 'creations' yet, and you want to beg for mercy. If so, that's fine. Just plead for it and admit that I'm the best, and I might just consider it."
Zero, Thomas thought to himself. So that's that thing's name. "No. It's not like that at all."
Thomas could just about see Albert's frown. "Then what is it?"
"I called to warn you."
"Warn me?" Albert crowed. "Warn me about what? You're the one who's got a killer robot out to have your head, Light."
"Not anymore," Thomas stated. "He wants you dead, now." Albert was silent. "Albert? Do you hear me?"
"Stop messing with me, Light. Zero has been nothing but obedient-" A sharp scream cut Albert off from his train of thought. "...Shadow Man?"
Another voice could be heard over the phone. "Metal Man! Metal, help me! He wants to get to the Doctor - AAAAUUGH!"
The sound of Shadow Man screaming as he fought to stay alive seemed to give Albert all the evidence he needed that his life was, in fact, in danger. "BASS!" Thomas jerked his head away from the receiver - he didn't know Wily knew how to yell like that.
He returned the phone to his ear when Bass could be heard. "What do you want, old man?" A bark came from somewhere nearby - Treble was with him.
"Fuse with Treble so you can fly out of here. You need to go. Do you hear me?"
"What?! Why? What's goin'-"
Another loud scream echoed through the receiver, and the sound of a door sliding open came afterward. "Dr. Wily." It was Zero. "I know you are here. I have to speak with you."
Albert's tone took one a thick hint of affection. "About what, son?" Bass made a tch sound in the background.
"I know you intend to kill me, once I kill the second Mega Man."
"What?! No, I wouldn't - one second." Wily spoke harshly into his phone. "What did you tell Zero, Light?"
"I - I wanted to get him to change his mind about killing X. He's all I have left."
"Oh, so it's all well and good if he kills me, then?"
"No! I didn't want any of this to happen, I-"
"So why in the world did you make him think that I would want him dead?!"
"Well maybe," Thomas began, "You shouldn't have stolen X's blueprints. Maybe then none of this would be happening. Did you ever think about that, Albert? That maybe you have a part to play in all this?"
Albert huffed. "Whatever, Light. now if you excuse me, I have to do damage control." His tone became sweet again when he spoke to Zero. "Now, Zero. Think for a moment. Why would I want to hurt you? I spent so much time and effort making you-"
"You did the same for Clown Man, did you not? And yet, you discarded him to create Frost Man."
A little gasp came from Albert's mouth. "That's - I - That's not..!"
"Silence." Zero's voice sounded closer. "I will not allow you to dispose of me. You will die before I permit that."
Albert's voice was far from the phone now, and Thomas had to strain to hear him. "Bass, get out of here."
"...I ain't doin' that."
"Don't you understand what's about to happen?! He's going to-"
"Not on my watch. C'mon, Treble!" A final bark was heard, and a loud whoosh took its place as Bass and Treble presumably fused. "Hey, oversized slag! Nobody lays a finger on my old man, you hear me?!"
Busters fired off, one after the other. Metal scrapped against metal, and Albert desperately begged his two robots to stop fighting each other - but Zero's name was said the most. It seemed like he was doing the most damage. A horrible, sickening shriek came out of Bass before it was abruptly quieted, and then the sound of a sharp clang. But there was nothing after that. "...Albert?" Thomas asked, hesitant. "Albert are you there?"
A low sigh was Albert's response. "You're still here, Light?"
"Yes -what happened? Are you alright?"
Albert snorted. "Well, let's see, Light. One of my sons is dead, and I just knocked my other son out with a piece of rebar. How do you THINK I'm doing?" Thomas could hear Albert swallow, and his voice indicated that he was fighting back tears. "Zero will only be out for a few moments, I need to - how did this even... what am I going to do?"
"Albert," Thomas started again. "I'm so-" But Thomas wasn't given a chance to get the word "sorry" out of his mouth. "Thomas?"
"Yes, Albert?"
"Never call me again."
"...I understand."
Thomas didn't need to be told to hang up.
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Thomas licked one last envelope closed as he rose from his desk. He had spent the last week writing letters. One for Mikhail, one for Noele, one for Pedro, and even one for Albert.
Now all he had to do was mail them.
But before he left his house, he threw his key to his private lab into the trash. Not the best means of disposal, he knew, but he didn't have any other ideas. At least it bought X some time to finish his thirty years of stasis undisturbed. Thomas had no doubt that Zero would come for X again. He knew, deep down, even though he wasn't entirely sure how he knew, that Albert wouldn't have scrapped his last creation - even if it was abundantly clear to him now that Zero was nothing more than a wolf in sheep's clothing.
He made his way to the mailbox outside, letters in hand. He was about to put them in the slot, send out what may very well have been his last words (he had been having the most terrible headaches lately - he suspected that it was nothing but paranoia, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was connected to something worse. He would have to schedule a doctor's appointment) to his longtime friends (or longtime former friends, in Albert's case). Every note contained an apology, a summation of things he would've done differently. The ones to Mikhail and Albert were especially long. What else could he do, for a man who had his daughter kidnapped due a rivalry that Thomas had failed to nip in the bud long ago. And what else could he do for a man who had lost both of his sons because of his unhindered need to push the limits of robots could do? That was how all of this had happened, right? Who did Thomas think he was, playing God? Giving life when there was none? Giving free will to machines? And at the same time, he couldn't firmly say that he would take any of what he had done back. So all he could do was say that he was sorry, in every sense of the word, and talk about how he wished things had been different.
But then, he recalled the tears he had shed while he had been writing, how the drops of saline had stained the pages. He couldn't send those letters. The last thing he wanted to do was give his friends something to worry about.
Thomas turned and went back inside. He would rewrite the letters in the next day - it was getting late, and he was tired. He slid the envelopes back into his desk drawer, showered, and changed into his nightclothes before heading to bed.
But the letters were never sent out.
Because in the morning, he did not wake.