"Hey...buddy...are you gonna pay for that?"

Zero disgregarded this question as he pocketed an energy canister.

The robust green and yellow robot behind the counter of the popluar robotic supply store known affectionately as 'Big Eddie's' cocked his head and frowned at the tall, scarlet robot that browsed freely amoung his wares. The odd stranger picked up some sort of nick-nack that Auto could not identify from his viewpoint. He got a perfect view, however, of the stranger examining the object, shrugging, and discarding the item over his plated shoulder. Auto nearly freaked, which was very unlike his humourous nature.

"Hey, come ON!" Auto exclaimed as he waddled from his lair to see what damage the robot had caused to the object. "Don't throw stuff around like a Fishwife! Do you think nuclear atom splicers grow on trees?"

"Hell with you, fat boy."

"That's not very nice."

"Ask me if I give a damn." Zero pocketed another small item to punctuate this statement.

Auto sighed. Usually, almost nothing could daunt his good nature. This newcomer, however, was doing a very good job of undoing the happy-go-lucky air that surrouned the store owner. He realized that Eddie himself was going to have to handle this loser...

Zero shuffled around the contents of another shelf . Annoyance welled up within his systems as he did so. Garbage, garbage, garbage. This cheap store didn't have what he was looking for, although Zero himself didn't have any idea what he WAS looking for. To vent his frustration, Zero pulled some stuff off the shelf and let it slide onto the floor. He felt a tiny glimmer of satisfaction as he listened to the resounding crash.

As Zero stood ankle-deep in the debris of his destruction, he thought about how messed up his life had been since Bass had gone bye-bye. Without his ebony brother to lead him, Zero was pretty much lost. Sure, he would automatically deactivate in four months...but what was he to do until then? Eat stale fruitcake? Run up and down the city streets naked, screaming that Big Bird was coming to kill him? Obviously not. Bass had warned him to behave. But only seven days had passed since Zero had left Skull Castle, and already he was screwing up royal.

One thing was certain: Zero had turned nastier since his departure. The loss of his father and brothers had not been good for his mental health. Besides that, now that he wandered the city streets, he found himself surrounded by humans. Humans. The very word dripped slowly into his circuts and tainted them with hate. He would never forget that mysterious, swirling entity that had hovered above him like a formless omen. He would never forget the entity's voice, which had sounded like gravel being shifted back and forth in a wooden bucket, telling him that humans were evil. And now that he actually had contact with them, Zero hated them. He hated their recklessness, their backstabbing nature, and the way they made themsevles out to be such a big screaming deal. Zero found that as each day passed, it got a little bit harder to refrain from going berserk and introducing a few dozen humans to the happy end of his blaster. But common sense was always there, nagging him and scolding him. He could not do any killing of that sort...not yet.

Zero was pulled back into reality as a thin, unplesant feeling cut through him. It was a feeling we all get at one time or another: Zero felt like he was being WATCHED.

But watched by what? Zero looked up down and around and finally at his armoured boots. There, standing no higher than Zero's knee, was the oddest creature he had ever laid eyes on.

"Hey. Innkeeper. You've got rats." Zero's monotone voice betrayed his actual feelings of surprise.

"That's not a rat, buddy."

And, indeed, it probably wasn't. The little creature was a bright, firetruck red. Its head bore a crest that was almost suitcase shaped, and looked hollow. While the thing had no arms, it had two legs. It continuosly rocked back and forth on those legs in a rhythm that was as steady as the tides themselves. Its large eyes blinked in a manner that kept perfect time with its rocking. Those eyes were now looking directly at Zero, fixing him with a menacing glare. Zero felt a little bit overwhelmed. Zero didn't know many knee - high, dancing pieces of luggage that could deliver the 'evil eye' like this one did.

"Hey big guy...who is this little freak and what does he want?"

"That," said Auto, "is Eddie, robot 72080 of the Flip - Top breed. He is requesting that you return the materials that you stole."

"What's he gonna do if I don't? Blink me to death?!" Zero snorted as aimed a swift kick at the small, seemingly defenseless form before him. To his surprise, the suitcase sidestepped the attack and retorted by delivering a head butt to Zero's knee. The crimson reploid yelped as his knee gave way and spilled him onto the item - strewn floor. All the items he had stowed away in his armour rolled out and became lost in the clutter.

Above him, Auto broke into peals of laughter. He offered one of his big hands to Zero. Zero grudgingly accepted it and scrambled to his feet. Then, without hesitation, he aimed his arm cannon at Eddie.

"Hey!" Auto said sharply, smacking Zero's cannon away from his friend. "That's not nice! Now come on. Let's have a little chit chat. I have a feeling you need one."

Zero lowered his arm cannon, surprising himself. He felt a little reassured by Auto's friendly tone, so he accepted his offer. He felt lost and confused, and needed a friend to talk to, even if it was a big, dumb, fat robot that was painted the colour of mucus. However, he was wisely selective about what he told the big bot.

"My name's Zero. I don't really know who I am. My creator abandoned me, and I've just been wandering around for the last little while."

Auto's normally blank eyes suddenly brimmed with regret. "Aw, you poor thing...you're an orphan."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Auto pounded Zero on the back, knocking the wind out of the reploid. "Well, that's enough about you! I'm Auto, and the store you stand in is called Big Eddie's! Not to toot my own horn, but we're pretty renowned! We supply Dr. Light himself with a large amount of materials!"

Zero's circuts froze with a chilling hate. Dr. Light. He had heard that name before. But where? "Dr. who?"

"Oh, you haven't heard of Dr. Light? He's famous! He's the creator of Rock, Roll, Tango, Beat..."

Unbeknownst to Zero but knownst to us, Rock was Mega Man's real name. But since Zero didn't know that there was any relation at all between the two names, he merely smiled, the first one he had cracked in a long time. "That sounds a lot less like 'Dr. Light's Creations' and more like 'Mr. Holland's Opus'.

Auto bellowed as if he had heard the best joke in the world, and slammed Zero on the back again. This time, Zero went staggering nearly halfway across the store.

"I like you, buddy! And Eddie likes you too."

Zero recovered himself. "Eddie? That dancing suitcase that I nearly shot? He talks?"

"Well, not really. But he's my best friend..."

"You're best friends with a mute, knee - high briefcase?" Zero slowly began inching towards the door in case he had to make a break from the loony bin he was currently enclosed in.

"Yeah, Eddie helps me run the store." Auto said cheerfully. "Even though he can't talk, I understand everything he's trying to tell me!"

Zero's curiousity finally overshadowed his uneasiness. "How do you communicate with him?"

"One blink means yes, two means no."

Zero couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Auto lumbered towards Zero again and threw his thick arm around the reploid's shoulders. "I can tell I'm scaring ya, buddy. You can leave now if ya want, but afore ye go, could you please help me clean up the mess you made with your temper tantrum?" Auto motioned towards the shelf that Zero had pulled down.

Disgusted, Zero peeled Auto's massive arm off of himself. "Why do you keep on making physical contact with me, Auto? Are you coming on to me or something...?"

Auto's booming laugh ensued. Zero became slightly annoyed. Didn't this guy take offense to ANYTHING? Zero realised that he could probably throw a brick at Auto's head, and the guy would still be laughing. It was highly irritating.

Nevertheless, Zero agreed to help Auto clean up. Eddie tagged closely at Zero's heels like a puppy while the reploid put items back on their designated shelves. He was obviously making sure that nothing was ripped off again. Zero was contemplating on whether or not his leg should 'accidently' thrust out behind him and kick Eddie in the face, when a nearby object that bore a brilliant lustre caught his eye. Zero dropped the armful of supplies he had scooped up, and walked in a trance to that shining object like a moth to a candle. It seemed to be calling his name. As he got closer to the object, he saw that it was a cylindrical handle of some sort of sword that lacked a blade. Very unusual, but Zero still streched out a tentative hand and drew the object towards him. It felt cool to the touch, and it was a healthy weight. Zero's hand seemed to become one with it, but he still was in the dark about just what it was...

"Hey Auto - Man. What is this?"

Auto looked over his shoulder. When he saw what Zero possesed, he waddled over to him. All the salesman instincts within him awoke with a vengence.

"Isn't that a peachy little thing? It's the newest weapon on the market, and that's the sole one I posses. They were recently built to honour 'Lucas', the great god who was said to exsist way back in the 20th century. It's called a 'lightsabre'. You see that funky little button near the hilt? Push it."

Zero did as he was told, and he got quite a start when a pulsating blade shot out of its lair. The blade emanated a harsh, neon green light. Zero instinctively gave a swipe with the blade. There was a deep - throated hum from the sabre as well as a faint trail of lime - coloured light in its wake. Zero was held in thrall by the wonder of the weapon. He had to have it.

"That's the lightsabre!" Auto boomed on like a commercial. "Share it with your friends, scare your gramma with it! It comes with a neat sheath that is genuine leather! I'll let it go for a...somewhat low price."

Zero's face fell. He didn't have any money, and he knew he couldn't steal this weapon. It was obviously worth a lot, and Auto would never let Zero just walk away with it. Yet, something had to be done. The lightsabre now owned Zero. It held him with its beauty and power.

"I have no money, big guy...but I'll tell you, I just HAVE to have this. Isn't there some way you can just...give it to me?"

Auto frowned thoughtfully. "I'll tell you what. We'll barter. I need some help around the store. We're busy lately. You help me around the store for a few months, and I'll let you have the sabre. Deal?"

Zero considered this. It was still four months before he would be shut down. If he worked with Auto, he could pass the time and earn the lightsabre he loved. Two birds with one stone. The drawback? Zero knew he was going to have to summon every bit of will he possesed to keep his sanity while working with Auto.

Still, the pros outweighed the cons, and Zero accepted.

Auto pounded Zero on the back once again. Grimly, Zero realised that if Auto's outlandish behaviour didn't cease, he was going to have to do some pounding of his own.

"Great, Zorro! Glad to have you aboard!" Auto quipped.

"My name is Zero."

"Ah, whatever."

And so, time went on slippin' into the future, and Zero got a taste of what it was like to work. He didn't particularily care for labour, but what the hell, it gave him something to do. He carried his new lightsabre with him wherever he went. Auto gave him the leather sheath he had mentioned earlier, and the sabre now took residence on Zero's back.

One fine day, about three months after he had begun the working life, Zero found himself carrying a large table on his back. He was huffing and creaking under the burden while Auto stood thoughtfully, thinking of where to put the simple piece of furniture.

"Okay, big guy." Zero panted brokenly. "This thing ain't exactly light. Tell me where to drop it."

"In a sec ond. Do you think that table would look better by the door, or near the window?"

Zero could feel acidic words rising in his throat and coating his tounge, just begging to be spit out, but Zero wisely swallowed them. "This isn't exactly a life or death desicion, Auto. Please hurry and decide before by shoulders break off."

"All right." Auto said reluctantly. "Put it by the door."

Zero promply did as he was told, glad to get rid of the weight.

"No...wait...I've changed my mind. Put it by the window."

Zero's temper began to mount. He wasn't a bloody beast of burden! Gritting his teeth, he snapped a leash on his lashing anger and held it back, an action that working with Auto had forced him to practice. And he was getting better at it, too. Wordlessly, Zero heaved the table onto his shoulders again and plunked it down by the window.

"No wait...change of heart. Put it by the door again."

"AUTO! MAKE UP YOUR FRACKIN' MIND!!"

"Sorry, I can't help it if I'm indesicive!"

Zero sighed and picked up the table again. He staggered over to the door and placed it there neatly while fixing Auto with an icy glare. "There you go, your Majesty. Is that kosher?"

Auto beamed. "It's perfect! Thanks Zippo, you've been a great help!"

Zero had just about given up on correcting Auto when the big bot got his name wrong, which was almost always. "Glad to be of service." He sighed. "Now, I'm going to my room to fetch something. I'll be right back."

Auto nodded and waved him off.

Zero trooped off to his small bedroom and fetched his lightsabre and sheath. He had been forced to remove them while he had been moving the table. He hummed contently as he started back to the main store. Auto was a dork, but he was nice, and life wasn't so bad after all. Even Eddie had been agreeable lately, despite the spat that he had had with Zero all those weeks back.

When Zero saw the customer that was now browsing in the store, he froze. He expertly dodged into the shadows of the corridor mouth that yawned into the main room. Swathed in partial darkness, he felt a little bit better. He could not allow this customer to see him...not if Bass' plan was to go smoothly.

The customer was Mega Man. The little blue bot was locked in a seemingly heavy conversation with Auto. Zero could not hear the words exchanged between the two, but Mega seemed to be bearing bad news, judging by the unusually downcast look in Auto's eyes. Suddenly, Auto swept Mega into a massive bear-hug. Zero smiled without humour. It was just that Mega's struggling little body in Auto's gargantuan arms reminded Zero of a rabbit caught in a bear-trap.

Mega finally departed about fifteen minutes later, his arms loaded down with complex- looking materials. Zero let a sigh ease through him. He stepped out of the maw of the corridor and looked at the door casually. Despite the fact that his heart was still crashing against his ribs, he managed to keep his voice at a neutral tone. "So that was..."

'Mega Man." Auto finished off sadly. "One of my bestest buddies. He killed an evil tyrant named Wily, quite by accident."

"It was no accident!" Zero almost shrieked. Thankfully, he caught himself before he did so. Instead, he said, "Yeah, I've heard of Wily. From what I've been told, he deserved it." Zero immediately bit his tounge.

"The media hasn't left the poor Blue Bomber alone since then." Auto sighed. "So he's sorta...leaving. He wouldn't tell me exactly what's going on, though."

"Good riddance," Zero thought bitterly.

"But he DID give me some good news. Skull Castle has recently been torn down."

Zero's world silently crashed. His face drained of all colour. Luckily, Auto wasn't looking at him as this occoured. For his own safety, Zero pulled his casual face back on. "Well, I'm...glad to hear that. What do you suppose happened to all of Wily's bots that were in there?"

Auto shrugged. "That's the funny part. They were all deactivated when the reporters got there. Even Bass and his dog."

Bass. The very word brought a wave of loneliness crashing upon him.

"The only living things that were found in the Castle were a large raven and a rare python. I don't know what happened to those two."

Zero inwardly sighed as a tide of fond memories engulfed him. Flagg and Monty. "But what happened to the robots? Where are they now?"

"Uhm...Mega mentioned that they were shipped to the Robot Museum, I believe."

A sliver of ice worked its way into Zero's heart. What a fate for his brothers. Zero had once been to the Robot Museum. It hadn't been a nice experience....seeing his relitives and ancestors poised stiffly on display with faux expressions of bravado plastered on their faces for eternity had given Zero the creeps for a good long while after that. Their glassy, meaningless eyes were forever pegged on an unseen threat. Zero had hated it.

"Something wrong, Zilcho?" Auto's voice sounded concerned.

"Zero." Zero corrected automatically. "And no, nothing's really wrong. Just a little...tired out."

"Hm. Get some rest, why don'tchya!"

Wordlessly, Zero complied and lurched back to his room like a member of the undead. On his way, only one thought now pounded painfully on his mind: If Skull Castle was gone, where was he to hibrenate when the time came? His last days were on their way.

"Whelp...I guess this is it, Rockster."

"Yeah." Mega sighed heavily.

Mega, Proto and the rest of the dispirited clan were regarding the sea-blue capsule that loomed before them, exactly 8 by 14 feet.

Mega gulped. He knew that he was to enter this capsule for his own good and for the good of the future, but part of him resisted. Damned new emotions. Mega looked down at himself. He was now a reploid. His mind and body now had limitless power, which he could pracically feel ebbing from himself. A nameless power that was extremely dangerous.

Mega regarded the capsule again with narrowed eyes. Once he entered that thing, he'd be plunged into a 30 year sleep, during which most of his memory would be wiped. Did he really want to go through with this?

Light prodded at Mega's slugishness. "Come on, Rock. Step into the capsule. You've already said your goodbyes."

Mega took one hesitant step towards the yawning mouth of the capsule. He threw a quick glance at Proto, who gave his brother the thumbs up. "Don't worry, Rocky Horror! I'll look after the city while you're snoozing. I just hope I don't screw up royal. I'm kidding! hehehe!"

Mega returned the smile, and finally summoned up enough guts to step into the capsule. Light closed the door calmly, if not a bit tearfully.

"And that is that." Roll sighed when the hydrolic hiss of the door subsided. "I just hope that no one is going to bother him for 30 years. What will we tell the reporters when they find that Rock's missing?"

"We can tell them that he ran," Light said grimly while he pecked at some keys at his computer. "Not very noble, but that's the best I can think of at this time."

"Oh no!" Roll nearly wailed. "Then everyone will think he DID kill Wily on purpose."

"Everyone already thinks that." Light mumbled. "Now, silence please! I have to finish this warning in case anyone finds the capsule before 30 years is up." Light returned to his typing, dictating to himself as he did so.

""X" is the first of a new generation of robots that contain an innovative new feature...the ability to think, feel, and make their own decisions..."

Cloaked in the blackness of the moonless night, Zero stole one final glance at the store that had served as his home for four months. Big Eddie's. Zero was definately going to miss Auto, although he hardly admitted it to himself: the big bot was one of a kind.

Zero found himself in the heart of the city. The place was calm. There wasn' t a trace of the ruckus that usually covered the streets. Only a few cars whispered by every five seconds or so.

Streetlights placed soft orange islands on the black street. Zero dodged from one to another, heading towards his destination. Within minutes, it was before him.

The subway station.

Surely, this place could provide him some bedding for thirty years. Hopefully. Zero plunged into the station and glanced around. A few humans milled about lazily, none taking much interest in Zero.

Zero made his way down to the trains. The ticket collecter was in his little booth, reading a magazine that seemed to hold all his interest. Therefore, it was no trouble for Zero to slip by unoticed.

As he neared the tracks, Zero saw a subway charging and snorting down them like a mammoth steed. He waited patiently as the train roared in, emptied its passengers, loaded a few on, and resumed its dreary course. The place was deserted. Zero prepared to make his move.

Making sure his lightsabre was strapped on securely, Zero lept onto the tracks and darted into the tunnel that the train had entered. He traveled down the murky chamber, his eyes searching for appropriate bedding.

There! A nook! Zero flattened himself against the wall as he traveled deeper into it. Suddenly, sleepiness tugged on his circuts. Panicked, Zero began to speed up his journey.

The nook made an 'L' shape. In the inky darkness, Zero felt along the wall, turned the corner and finally settled. This was to be his home for the next 30 years or so. He muttered a short prayer, hoping that the nook he rested in was really as unused as it appeared to be.

Zero remembered Bass telling him that, without the capsule, Zero wouldn't awaken in exactly 30 years. It might be a bit more. It might be a bit less. The chip that Wily had planted in Zero at birth would take care of the job of putting him into a long sleep: hopefully, his systems wold be smart and would wake him up at the appropriate time.

This concern was still settled on Zero's mind as he succumbed to the lull of the chip within him. He closed his eyes. The only ones to witness the beginning of his long hibernation was a family of mice who now had a big red robot sharing their nook, much to their disgust.