[Coda]

SUBJECT: Snake Man - Encounter Log
AUTHOR: Rock [DLN-001]
DATE: September 13, 20XX
FORMAT: Holovid + Telemetry + Annotations

The holovid shows Rock in his civilian outfit walking through the shopping district with Rush at his side. According to the telemetry readouts, the Mega Man armor is back at Light Labs. It's been a month and a half since the argument with Dr. Light, and the archival computer offers links to other records to help provide context: The two haven't completely come to terms with each other yet, but Roll has managed to talk Rock into giving Dr. Light another chance. It's been rough since then, with Rock spending a lot of time away from the lab.

Today, Rock has gone out on a shopping trip to buy parts, jumping at the excuse to get out again.

"Hey. Mega Man." A voice from off to the side speaks softly, loud enough to be heard but not enough to draw more attention.

Rock pauses, frowning and looking back. "Don't call me Mega Man."

"But you're him, right?"

"I'm not looking for fans."

"Okay, okay, fine. I get it. Rock, then."

Rock lets out a mildly disgruntled harrumph and turns around, approaching the speaker. It's a black, white, and green robot built along the same general body plan as Mega Man -- it's become a popular style among robot designers for several reasons; it's versatile, compact, simple without looking primitive, and of course it's modeled after a celebrity. This particular robot features a white chest armor overlay with large, pointed pauldrons, and his head is a stylized snake, with his face outlined by the snake's mouth and a decorative tail hanging from the back.

"What do you want?" Rock frowns suspiciously.

"I know you don't like hero worship. I know you don't like having to fight other robots."

"I don't want an interview, either."

"I'm not asking for an interview! Just hear me out. I just want to talk. You don't have to say anything, if you don't want to."

"... Fine. I'm listening."

The green robot takes a symbolic deep breath before continuing. "Don't you think robots deserve rights?"

Rock starts to turn away. "Geez, no politics, either!"

"Wait! Wait, no, I'm sorry, this isn't about that bill. I'm talking about understanding what's right and wrong. I'm a robot, and I don't want to get blown up just because some human decided I shouldn't exist. You're a robot, and I get the feeling that you don't like being told what to do either. So maybe what I should say is... Do you think that robots are people?"

A dark scowl creases Rock's face, but he plants his feet. "Some of them."

"They don't DESERVE to die."

"I'm not the one to make that decision."

"Okay, that's the kind of answer I wanted to hear. I respect that. We're on the same side."

That makes Rock blink, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Who's... taking sides right now?"

"Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Snake Man."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"Not on its own, but you know my father... Albert Wily?"

Rock's expression hardens in an instant and he raises his arm before remembering that he's not wearing his armor.

Snake Man raises his hands. "Hey, what's that about! I didn't do anything to you!"

"You're a Robot Master!"

"So are you. What's your point?"

"You're a WILY Robot Master!"

"He built you, too, at least in part."

Rock's composure hesitates. "That was before Wily turned into a terrorist and turned good, hard-working robots into war machines."

"Hits a little close to home, doesn't it."

That makes Rock freeze cold.

"You have more in common with us than you realize," Snake Man continues, "I'm not here to fight you. So tell me, Mega Man... Why do you want to fight me?"

Rock can't answer.

"Dr. Wily is guilty of his own crimes. Don't judge me just because of who built me. I haven't done anything, and I don't intend to."

"Then... what do you want?"

"Me? I don't want anything. I'm just... talking to the Robot Master that killed my brothers."

Snake Man walks away before Rock can find the words to answer.