Megaman Live

Yuichiro shook his head. "Maybe some day. Maybe soon. But for now the world may not be ready." He said pulling the sheet back over the robot.

"Thanks for listening. I know I can trust you with something like that. You always were a good student. But listen to me going on and on like I'm an old man already. What were you looking for when you came here? I mean REALLY looking for?"

"My robot is acting strangely...he doesn't listen, he goes off on his own. He's admitted to theft...he drinks," Dan went on, "And I think it might be my fault...I don't even remember how I built his brain. I passed out the night he was due for Finals, and woke up late with my head bleeding and a finished robot. Maybe I tripped, and as I was falling, I coded an entire positronic brain before I whacked my head off my desk," Dan slapped his hand to is face, almost laughing.

"I've been too afraid to build anything else since. I fear I might make a true Maverick, or something worse. But more importantly, I'm worried about Fan Man. For all his faults, and my fears, I built a true friend...and I don't want Maverick suspicions to fall on him."

"Ever since the dawn of robotics, we've never quite gotten AI to come out how we expected. And sometimes the greatest moments of brilliance are accompanied by a bit of eccentricity." Yuichiro answered.

"More to the point, do you think your robot is capable of betraying your trust? Even more important than the laws of robotics, are the relationships between humans and robots. We can't coexist if we can't trust one another."

Dan lowered his eyes, unconsciously raising his hand to his chin as he turned the doctor's words over in his head.

"...I think..." he began, selecting his words carefully, "I have already betrayed his trust by coming to you about this. I may be worried, and you may be an expert, but...this is something I should go over with him myself," Dan decided.

"Doctor Light, I have to thank you for everything you've taught me, and in advance for the things I'm sure you still have to teach. Please, if there's ever anything I can do for you, let me know."

Yuichiro looked back to the table and heaved a sigh. "First of all, keep this a secret. I just don't think the world is ready yet." he said shaking his head.

"But I mentioned before, that I'd be interested in having you work here. If you want to pursue other interests it can just be part time. But I could use a man like you who has his hands in the actual mechanics and not just a head full of theories. What do you say?"

Dan nodded as Doctor Light spoke, still staring at the robot on the operating table. His attention was gained when a job was mentioned once again.

"Really?" Dan clarified, his eyes snapping back up to Yuchiro, "You meant that?" Dan let the thought sink in for a moment as he rubbed his chin. "You know, the bank is a very large shareholder in SciLab, right behind the Electopian government," Dan reminded the doctor. "You don't think it would create a conflict of interests...do you?" Dan pondered aloud, a hint of hope in his voice begging for positive feedback from Yuchiro as thoughts of work at SciLab danced in his head.

"From what you've told me, you've essentially cut ties with your family correct? You were an honest, hardworking student when you interned here, so I think you'd make a fine scientist as well. Besides if we disallowed everyone connected to one of our investors from working here, we'd quickly find ourselves with a shortage of good scientific minds." Yuichiro answered.

"So if you're interested, how about we start getting the paperwork out of the way? We already have your information from your internship. If you just go to one of the public terminals, add any updates on your work, and apply, I'll see to it you get fastracked into a position." He added as he directed Dan to a screen jutting out of the wall in the hallway.

"You know, I'm surprised it took you this long to go looking for a position. I heard Nebula is hiring, and I'll be honest, they pay a lot better than we do."

Dan averted his gaze for a moment.

"...my brother's more interested in Nebula than I am. Besides, I figure the trans station is closer to my apartment than the Nebula building, anyway. All the way uptown, and all..." he forced a smile, looking back at the doctor.

"But, uh...right over here, then?" Dan shuffled away from the operating table, and toward the terminal. "Shall I let myself out afterwards?"

Yuichiro approached. "If you're done here for the day. I'd give you the tour but I have a feeling you know the place better than I do." he chuckled.

As Doctor Light left, allowing Dan to register at the terminal, another set of footsteps approached him from the opposite end of the hall, sounding like someone walking in high heels. Dan ignored this, deciding to keep shy of any other scientists and pretending to look like he knew what he was doing.

As it turned out, this was the wrong choice, as a strike to the back of the head gave Dan a close up of the terminal screen just before he blacked out.

As the darkness lifted, Dan struggled weakly against the rope that held him to a chair.

((BGM: Ain't no Heaven)))

"Don't bother, Daniel," a female voice with a Southern Dublondonian accent instructed him in between the shutter clicks of a camera. "Shame you're awake, you're so cute when you sleep," she smiled. Dan looked up. A black woman with a small afro in a black catsuit proceeded to take pictures of Doctor Light's experimental robot. "What are you doing?" Dan hissed under his breath, not sure if he should try to attract attention or not.

The woman sighed, placing her hands on her hips. She sauntered over to Dan, and produced a knife. Dan's eyes widened with fear as she came in close to him, though she only proceeded to cut the bindings on his wrists. "I'm finishing up an assignment, it doesn't concern you. What does concern you is that you're my next assignment," she smiled slyly.

"I'm...what?" Dan stuttered, confused.

"Danny, think about it; son of an industrialist trillionaire, brother to one of the most eligible bachelor-well, formerly most eligible bachelor playboys in the world, and yet you've kept so well under the radar. It tends to build suspicion. Some people in high places think you might be an insane revolutionary," she explained, finishing with a small laugh.

"I'm not! I...why would you tell me this?" Dan attempted to wrap his brain around this woman.

"You're not, darling. I know that, you know that. But people keep pointing out how you never appear to have done anything worthwhile, as though you were hiding something. Certainly, no person with such means and potential could be a slacker of that caliber," she hit him with stinging sarcasm. Dan turned bright red at the facts she spoke.

"But if you know I'm not, why are you doing this?" Dan nearly whined, rubbing the lump on the back of his head.

"You're my vacation, dear," the woman ran a finger under Dan's chin. "I have a massive slush fund set up just to watch your sorry ass," she laughed. "You're going to buy me so many drinks and spa visits just by being you! Isn't that wonderful?" the woman snapped a picture of Dan as his face began to lose color again.

"I'm...you're using me to get a vacation?" Dan sounded ill.

"Oh, don't take it that way. You can come too, I don't care. Whenever you're not working here, anyway," she set off the camera flash in his face again.

"Huh?" was all Dan was able to push out, his head still in pain.

"Good lord you're dense," the woman pointed to the terminal in the hallway. "I've finished your application with some more interesting points. It will look more suspicious if you're suddenly employed at a high security level at a military testing facility like this. Imagine the secrets you'd have access to. Oooooh, you're just a big fat international incident waiting to happen!~" the woman twirled around, raising her camera to the ceiling. "I'm going to get so many resources to look after you!"

Dan rubbed his head again, looking the woman up and down, trying to decide whether this was some sort of nightmare.

She smiled as she stopped spinning, and caught Dan looking at her. "I'm Agent 4N631. For now, that's good enough," she said softly, as she cradled Dan's chin in her hand. "Get on your way home, now. I hear something big's about to happen tonight. Full moon after all," she predicted, kissing Dan on the cheek just before she strutted out the door and into the hall. Dan jumped up and ran out after her, but found only an empty hallway.

"...I really need to start getting more sleep," he muttered to himself as he started down the hall, looking for the exit.