Mega Man 1. A Madman's Ambitions

"YOU ARE A FOOL, LIGHT!" Dr. Albert Wily shouted as he slammed his hands down on the cold metal table separating Dr. Thomas Light and himself.

The two premier scientists of robotics had just begun a heated debate in their joint lab about the applications for their newest design. They were on the verge of creating a truly sentient robot. It was a breakthrough that would shape the world. Dr. Wily disagreed on just how the world should be shaped though.

"I won't allow Blues to be used for anything besides peace," Dr. Light said coolly as he reclined in his padded chair.

"You've given it a name now? It will never be human, Light."

"He might as well be. If our plans work, he will be sentient in the fullest meaning of the term. He will be able to reason, act on his own accord and will even be able to feel emotions. He will have a soul, Wily."

"Bah, soul or not, he would make a truly great killing machine. Think of it Light, an army of invincible robot powerhouses that we alone control. Their ability to think independently would allow them to conquer without direct commands and with the right form of computer virus installed they would bend to our will. With "Titans" at our beck and call we could be gods upon earth. Isn't that what this is all about anyway Light, your desire to play God by creating life?" Dr. Wily ended his speech with a confident, wry smile.

"You're a madman Wily, I'm just surprised I didn't see it earlier. I see Blues as an innocent child that I am bringing into the world. I don't see myself as a god, but I firmly believe now that you do. Your pride has corrupted you." Light said while still retaining his composure.

"DO NOT LECTURE ME ON PRIDE! I AM THE TRUE BRILLIANCE OF THE TWO OF US! YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JEALOUS OF MY GENIUS! YOUR MIND PALES IN COMPARISON TO MINE! I WILL EARN THE PRAISE I HAVE ALWAYS SO RICHLY DESERVED, BY FORCE IF NEED BE! BLUES WILL BE MY TOOL FOR POWER!" The veins on Wily's forehead stood out as he stood heaving, out of breath.

"Get out Wily," Light said finally rising from his chair.

"We both know that I made the breakthrough that would enable free thought in a robot. I have carried the primary weight of designing Blues and I also have paid for our research out of my own pocket. This means that you are more of a partner in name than in reality. I will see about drawing up papers tomorrow that end your work with me. I also will be keeping Blues' design. I no longer trust you whatsoever." Dr. Light stopped talking to rub his forehead as if he had a migraine and paused for a moment to reconsider annulling his partnership.

"What happened, Wily? Dr. Light said with regret in his tone.

"We used to call each other friend. Where did these ambitions come from?" Dr. Light paused again.

"It's not too late." He said earnestly.

"I implore you Wily, forget these delusions of grandeur. If you drop them I would be willing to recount my statements and continue my work with you. For old time's sake?" Dr. Light extended his hand across the table only to have it swatted away harshly.

"I don't want your money or your pathetic friendship." Dr. Wily hissed. "I will create robots on my own. With them, I will see that you and all of mankind one day kneel to me. This, I swear." Dr. Albert Wily turned around on his heels and stormed out leaving for parts unknown. Dr. Thomas Light sat down suddenly feeling very tired and very old.


	2. The Advent of Two Legacies

Dr. Albert Wily guzzled another cup of freshly (and hastily) brewed coffee, not even seeming to notice how scorching it was. It was ten in the morning, and like a lot of other times recently he did not sleep a wink the entire night. He typed equations and codes furiously on his computer not bothering to glance at the time.

It had been nearly a decade since his falling out with Dr. Thomas Light. Ever since then, he had worked feverishly to recreate the computer program that would impart sentience to a robot. His savings were all but drained and he worked in a dingy little lab that doubled as his living quarters. Dr. Light's plight was the exact opposite however.

In a short amount of time, Dr. Thomas Light had built a robotics corporation from the ground up. It became big, huge in fact. "Light Industries" dominated the global market for robotics. Almost every high quality modern day machination could be traced back to Light Industries. Dr. Thomas Light was the most famous and wealthy person on the planet. Even the city he lived in had advanced exponentially because of his presence. Time Magazine had just recently named it the "Technological capital of the free world." Light Industries was a household name and so was the name of the man behind the company.

This was unacceptable for Dr. Wily, but he had a plan. He had seen neither hide nor hair of any sentient robot from Light Industries. He knew if he could get develop one, his fame and riches would skyrocket, propelling him far above Dr. Light in terms of success. It was time to strike while the iron was hot. The world was obsessed with robots, it would eagerly grasp at one that could think for itself. Dr. Wily was prepared to give the world what it wanted in exchange for glory.

It did not seem as if Dr. Wily would obtain this goal any time soon. In fact, at this point at looked nearly impossible. As soon as he thought he had recreated the breakthrough he had with Light, he hit another roadblock. "ARGH!" he screamed as he tore off a considerable chunk of hair from the top of his already balding scalp. These types of outbursts were becoming more and more frequent.

He took a moment to let his blood pressure return to a fairly safe level, and he squinted at the time readout on the lower right hand corner of his computer screen. It was about time for another Light Industries update. The company had a brief segment on television every Monday and Friday where it showcased its newest developments. Dr. Wily never missed an episode.

Today was different. Instead of a normal episode, there was a breaking news bulletin. Ironically it concerned none other than Light Industries. Dr. Wily flipped a few through a few channels to confirm his suspicions. This newscast was dominating more than a few stations. He turned up the volume in order to catch every word.

Dr. Wily made a sound halfway between a gurgle and a sputter as he discovered what the news flash was about. Dr. Thomas Light had created the world's first sentient robot, "Rock." In fact, he had created Rock some number of years ago in secret, and the media had just discovered him. Dr. Wily watched as a mass of reporters interviewed Light in a large conference room.

"How does Light Industries plan to utilize sentient robots?" one reporter asked Light.

"Why was this development kept a secret?"

"Will you be mass producing them any time soon?" shouted another journalist from the back of the press conference room.

"You're already the richest man in the world Light, give the other entrepreneurs some time to catch up." one person said sardonically. This got a few laughs from the crowd.

Dr. Light and Rock stood on an impressive stage in the front of the conference hall. Rock looked like a pre-teen child. He had scraggly brown hair that spiked in multiple directions and shockingly blue eyes. He was dressed in a simple sky blue t-shirt and baggy, navy pants. He shuffled his feet and looked somewhat like he was enjoying all the attention, but was too nervous in front of everyone to truly appreciate it. Light threw a reassuring glance at Rock before clearing his throat in order to address the crowd. His voice was calm but stern as he spoke through the microphone.

"Have you listened to yourselves at all during the course of this interview? All of your questions revolve around money. You ask me why I kept Rock a secret but your own questions provide the answer. You see Rock only as a commodity to exploit. He is not just a machine like the rest of my creations. He has a soul just like every single one of you. I will never use him for monetary gain, instead I see him as the son I never had. I believe that Rock and robots like him will one day be the future of this world. I truly wanted to propel our world into that future; you will have to be content with just a glimpse for now though. I thank you for your time but I want to go home with my son now."

Light put his arm around Rock and started to walk away. The crowd paused for only a moment in shock before erupting into a tumultuous chaos. Journalists were hurriedly whipping out cell phones to give their publishers the news. Some bold reporters even attempted to pursue Light and give him an interview while security guards forced them back.

Wily hardly noticed the chaos or even the fact that this "Rock" was somewhat different from the prototype he and Dr. Light worked on. Light's words echoed in his mind and something inside him snapped. His view of Light was totally based in falsehood.

Dr. Wily always believed that Dr. Light's postulating about "souls" and "free will" was a façade. A clever screen with which he hid his greed and jealously for Wily's genius. But here Light was on the news putting his words to practice. Dr. Wily's perceptions of Light were based upon his own ideals.

Dr. Wily had a moment in his lab where suddenly he felt self doubt about his own shortcomings. One tiny man in one tiny room suddenly came to a crossroads in his life. One moment of introspection could have changed the entire world for the better. One choice could have spared the world of a bitter legacy that would persist for more than a century. A dark cloud of misery and suffering that would kill millions of sentient beings and bring the earth to the fringe of ruin more than once. Dr. Albert Wily was not an introspective man.

Out of all the conflicting emotions he felt in that moment, only anger bubbled to the surface.

"Blast you Light. BLAST YOU!!" Wily screamed violently at the top of his lungs as he shoved all of his used coffee cups off of his working station. They shattered, spilling the remnants of their black bitter liquid and staining the cheaply tiled floor.

"I will show everyone that I am smarter than Light. He took my ideas and took the glory that is rightfully mine. The world will know my true genius." he said in a crazed tone.

Wily began to work again with a renewed fervor. He had a stronger goal now, one propelled by hate and jealously. Break Thomas Light. Dr. Albert Wily could no longer hold on to a semblance of sanity.

The world would feel the effects of his madness for ages to come.


End file.

Mega Man, Sci-Fi