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


Rock is standing in front of Dr. Light in Mega Man armor without his helmet, a dark scowl on his face. Dr. Light for his part is also wearing blue equipment -- he has a metallic pack of sorts strapped to his back, with glowing blue cables running down his left arm and wrapping around his wrist, terminating in some sort of emitter clasped around his palm. He seems calm, almost upbeat even, despite the attitude his son is displaying.

"Dr. Light, this is serious! Dr. Wily has deployed another set of Robot Masters already! And they're hidden in plain sight, mixed in with all of the other robots! We can't even tell where they are unless you do something!"

Dr. Light shakes his head. "Calm down, Rock. We don't know that there's a threat."

"Not a threat? Snake Man went out of his way to find me, talk to me, and... Dr. Light, were you watching my telemetry?"

"I'm... sorry, since you weren't in your armor I didn't think there would be a problem, so I was working."

Mega Man scowls again. "Snake Man said he wasn't doing anything wrong. He said we were on the same side. He said I was a Robot Master and I killed his brothers. And Snake Man isn't the only one saying these kinds of things."

"It still doesn't sound like there's a threat. Albert was never really a BAD person. His first attack was to teach a lesson, and humanity learned from it. His second attack didn't hurt anyone at all."

"I can't believe you're DEFENDING him!" Rock stares in disbelief.

Dr. Light shakes his head. "I worked with him for years. I'm sure he's only trying to help. His newest Robot Masters aren't causing any trouble. And you said they're mixed in with other robots. That means they're getting along, doing a good job, being part of society. And isn't that what we've always wanted? A bright future for humans and robots together!"

"I can't BELIEVE you!" Mega Man stomps his metal foot. "He's a terrorist!"

"He's a SCIENTIST. We have to hope for the best!"

"I thought being a scientist meant looking at the facts and drawing conclusions from the evidence."

"It means that, too, but why run experiments, if not to try to achieve results?"

Mega Man picks his helmet up from the table, firmly slamming it down onto his head. "Well, you can trust Dr. Wily as much as you want. I'M going to be ready for a fight."

Dr. Light sighs softly, turning away a little. "I thought you didn't want to fight, Rock. And I don't want to fight, either."

"I DON'T want to fight. I don't want to keep killing other robots. But if that's what it takes to protect justice, then do I really have a choice?"

The white-haired scientist shakes his head. "You always have a choice. Just like everyone else. Albert has a choice, too. I hope he makes the right one."

"You just... don't get it."

"Try to have some faith in this old man, Rock."

Mega Man stays silent for a long moment. "I'll... try."


SUBJECT: Blue Light Projector
AUTHOR: Dr. Thomas Light
DATE: September 13, 20XX
FORMAT: Schematics + Annotations


Dr. Light's Blue Light Projector is a very different design from Dr. Wily's Green Light Projector. It's more compact, with its power source fitting in a backpack, and the emitter has been designed to fit onto the wearer's hand. The schematics show an adaptation of the Variable Tool System, using blue light drawn from the power bank to create any desired tool out of the light and operate it.

The annotations suggest that Dr. Light hasn't quite figured out why it works better for himself than for anyone else he's asked to test it. Roll has been able to get some nominal effect out of it but she gets better results with her own built-in Variable Tool System. A human employee from Light Labs was noted as being able to produce a screwdriver and a hammer, but power tools would fail to operate.

Another note observes that calculations of the energy density of the power bank indicate that there may be no lower bound on how small a blue light capacitor may be without losing efficiency, and while there is a projected upper bound on how much energy a capacitor of a given size can store, the current implementation is coming nowhere close to the theoretical limits.
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Mega Man: The Light of Will (Mega Man / Green Lantern crossover: In the lead-up to the events of Mega Man 2, Dr. Wily has discovered emotional light technology. How will his creations change how humankind thinks about artificial intelligence? Sadly abandoned. Sufficient Velocity x-post)
Old Posted 02-20-2018, 11:30 AM Reply With Quote  
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SUBJECT: More Robot Masters?!
AUTHOR: Plum, CPS Television Network
DATE: September 15, 20XX
FORMAT: Video


"As you already know, Dr. Wily, the scientist responsible for the Robot Master attacks earlier this year, avoided capture and remains at large. And now, a concerning rumor has been rapidly circulating over the last few days: Dr. Wily has been manufacturing Robot Masters yet again. According to the story, these Robot Masters are not only already complete, but they have already been deployed and have infiltrated our peaceful society, masquerading as normal robots performing normal tasks.

"Very little is known about these Robot Masters, but we have corroborating evidence to suggest that there may be some substance behind the rumors. We reached out to Light Labs to see if they had any information about it, and we received a very interesting response:"

The video cuts over to a voiceover with a transcript on the screen. Dr. Light's voice says, "It's possible that it's true, but it's important to keep matters in perspective. No one was injured during the last set of attacks, and if these new Robot Masters are, as you say, passing as normal robots performing normal tasks, then perhaps that truly is all they are. Not everything that Albert builds is necessarily destined for evil. I think the most important thing is to avoid escalating tensions."

The transcript disappears and the camera returns to Plum. "While I can't disagree with the conclusion, it does seem odd to hear Dr. Thomas Light saying positive things about Dr. Wily." She pauses, frowning, and she touches her earpiece. "We've just received another call." She pauses for a moment longer, listening, and then looks back up. "All right, we have here live on the line a source from within Light Labs, speaking to us on condition of anonymity. Go ahead, caller."

Plum turns to one side as if symbolically talking to someone off-camera as a digitally-altered voice joins the broadcast. "Oh. Live? Okay. Um... I can confirm that Mega Man has encountered at least one new Wily Robot Master."

The reporter looks startled and confused. "Is that so? May I ask why you're calling us about it?"

"I guess you could call me a whistleblower. It was obvious that Mega Man was upset about what was going on, but I thought that things were under control. But the atmosphere is... it's changing, and not for the better. The Dr. Light I work for would have never released a comment like the one you just aired."

Plum hesitates. "I'm... not sure we should--"

"It feels like a cover-up, and I don't like it. We've sent so much aid to the military and the investigation bureau, and everyone knows it, so why is THIS suddenly getting swept under the rug?"

"Caller, I'm afraid this isn't--"

"There ARE Robot Masters hiding am--"

The call goes silent. Plum frowns and touches her earpiece again before returning her attention to the camera. "Sorry, we've had to silence the call for security reasons. We can't verify the information reported by the caller at this time, and our policy prevents us from airing this kind of report without review." She shakes her head in concern. "That's not what they said they were going to say when we screened the call. We're going to take a break now. See you at 10:00. This is Plum, signing off."
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Mega Man: The Light of Will (Mega Man / Green Lantern crossover: In the lead-up to the events of Mega Man 2, Dr. Wily has discovered emotional light technology. How will his creations change how humankind thinks about artificial intelligence? Sadly abandoned. Sufficient Velocity x-post)
Old Posted 02-22-2018, 01:04 AM Reply With Quote  
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This chapter has been edited. Original post:



SUBJECT: Public Message to Mega Man
AUTHOR: DWN-023 "Spark Man"
DATE: September 19, 20XX
FORMAT: Video + Annotations


This video message, according to the accompanying documentation, was submitted to CPS Television Network by an unidentified source with a request to play it back during a news broadcast. CPS staff reviewed the message and decided it was reasonably safe and sufficiently newsworthy, so this recording was played during primetime news on September 19, 20XX. A second annotation, dated later, retroactively identifies DWN-023 "Spark Man" as the source.

Several robots are standing together, but the most noteworthy among them is an orange robot with a bulky, angular design reminiscent of an automotive spark plug. The other robots are of varying designs, but one common feature across all of them is the angry glare that each levels at the camera.

Spark Man starts the message, shouting, "What were you thinking, Mega Man? Are you TRYING to start a war?"

There are grunts of agreement among the robots, and a blue and black one raises his own voice accusingly. "You made us lose our jobs!"

"We didn't do anything!" another robot exclaims. "One day, I was fine. The next day I was being chased away by people calling me a Robot Master! But I'm not!"

A fourth robot joins in. "Lots of robots everywhere are being accused of being Wily creations! And it's all because Light Labs told everyone that there are Robot Masters on the loose!"

"And there's nothing we can do to defend ourselves," the next robot adds, "because of COURSE Robot Masters are going to say whatever Dr. Wily tells them to say!"

"Now everyone's got to live in fear that they're going to be the next one getting kicked out on these accusations!" The last robot doesn't yell his line as loudly, but the others all shout their solidarity.

"So even if there ARE Robot Masters out there, Mega Man," Spark Man takes the lead again, "well, congratulations! You've done more damage than they have! You've caused chaos! You've sown discord! And it's US working robots that get to suffer for it while you get you get to call yourself a hero! If THIS is how YOU fight for everlasting peace, then... Stop helping!"

The robots all cheer as the recording comes to an end.


SUBJECT: Backlash Against Mega Man
AUTHOR: Plum, CPS Television Network
DATE: September 19, 20XX
FORMAT: Video


"You've just seen a message sent to us by an anonymous group of robots. They clearly have a complaint about the call to us a few days ago from a source allegedly at Light Labs.

"This message comes at a time where humans and robots alike are understandably tense. To many it seems like the world was just starting to recover from the terror attacks when the threat of another one arose without warning. The suggestion that there may be Robot Masters among us has set off a panic in some areas, and newer robots that can't provide evidence of their manufacture and ownership history are in some cases being ejected from their roles. Many of those displaced have expressed fear of being shut down.

"I can't help but to have some sympathy, and the witch hunts are certainly taking things too far, but I'm not sure it's fair to put the blame on Mega Man for it.

"Light Labs had no comment on the video itself, but they reassured us that they are doing their best to track the actual Robot Masters out there and that the situation is under control. Mega Man likewise refused to make a personal comment.

"We here at CPS Television Network would like to encourage our viewers to remain calm and avoid jumping to conclusions. We will keep you informed of the news as it develops."


SUBJECT: Robot Master Tracking Status
AUTHOR: Thomas X. Light
DATE: September 19, 20XX
FORMAT: Plain Text


Attempts to find a generalized energy signature for Robot Masters has so far been unfruitful. Working with the energy signatures in my database, I have been able to detect six Robot Masters. Two of these can be trivially identified as Rock and Roll. One matches the telemetry Rock picked up when he met Snake Man. Two more match Robot Masters from the attack earlier this year. The final match is inconclusive, as it doesn't precisely align with any of the signatures on record.
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Mega Man: The Light of Will (Mega Man / Green Lantern crossover: In the lead-up to the events of Mega Man 2, Dr. Wily has discovered emotional light technology. How will his creations change how humankind thinks about artificial intelligence? Sadly abandoned. Sufficient Velocity x-post)
Old Posted 02-24-2018, 01:24 AM Reply With Quote  
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SUBJECT: Pull it together, Rock!
AUTHOR: Roll [DLN-002]
DATE: September 20, 20XX
FORMAT: Holovid + Telemetry


"Seriously, Rock, I'm trying to help you here." Mega Man's younger sister sounds annoyed, but there's a certain underlying tone of compassion. "Just let me TALK to you."

"Roll, you don't even know why I'm upset," Rock retorts, his fist clenched in frustration.

"I know more than you think I do. I've been paying attention. I know that you're not happy with the fighting from earlier this year. I know you're worried about it happening again. I know it hurts to have people criticizing you on TV. I know Dr. Light hasn't even tried to help you."

"Oh, he tried." Rock glances down at Rush. "He just doesn't have a clue what he's doing."

"Look, I'm not blaming you for being upset with him. I'm worried about him too. He's been throwing himself into his work and not talking to anyone. I think the things that have been going on are bothering him more than he lets on."

"So what am I supposed to do about it?"

Roll is quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry, Rock... I... don't know."

"And that's why I didn't want to talk about it."

"Stop being so stubborn!"

Rock frowns at his sister.

"I mean it, Rock. Just because I don't have an answer for you doesn't mean you shouldn't talk to me. You don't have to do everything by yourself."

Rock's expression softens. "I appreciate it, Roll. I really do."

"I know you'll do the right thing in the end. You're a good person. Trust your instincts."

"But my instincts don't agree with each other!"

"And that's why you need to talk to people. Even if I can't solve your problems for you, talking to people will help you work through that. But if it helps... I think you've been doing the right thing."

"It... does help. Thanks, Roll."

"That's what I'm here for. Now stop avoiding me!"


SUBJECT: Re: Robot Master Tracking Status
AUTHOR: Thomas X. Light
DATE: September 20, 20XX
FORMAT: Plain Text


I can't believe it! I think I've identified the unknown energy signature! If I add in the emission spectrum of the prototype micro-fusion reactor, it lines up almost perfectly with Proto Man's archived signature. The extra spectral lines must be some sort of alternative power source. Does this mean that Proto Man has been reactivated? And if so, how?

I sincerely hope it's him. I miss Blues terribly. I look forward to meeting him again and trying to make up for lost time. My lost son is coming home...
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Mega Man: The Light of Will (Mega Man / Green Lantern crossover: In the lead-up to the events of Mega Man 2, Dr. Wily has discovered emotional light technology. How will his creations change how humankind thinks about artificial intelligence? Sadly abandoned. Sufficient Velocity x-post)
Old Posted 02-26-2018, 12:56 AM Reply With Quote  
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SUBJECT: Encounter Log - Dr. Light
AUTHOR: Proto Man
DATE: September 21, 20XX
FORMAT: Holovid + Telemetry + Annotations


A full military tac-sit overlay decorates the hologram in various colors, highlighting friendly units in green, unknown individuals in yellow, and potential threats in red. The display is... mostly red. The only green-outlined individual in the projection is Proto Man himself. A flashing warning indicator near the top-left corner of the display replaces the usual energy level readout.

A window off to the side of the holovid shows an e-mail message:
SUBJECT: Come home, son
AUTHOR: Thomas X. Light
DATE: September 21, 20XX
FORMAT: Plain Text


Blues,

I don't know if it's really you out there, but I can only hope it is. I'm broadcasting this message on the standard frequencies in case you can still receive it.

It's been so long since we've seen each other. Come home, if you can. I'll welcome you with open arms. If you need any repairs, you can use the lab, just like you used to. If something prevents you from coming here, at least send me a message letting me know that it's you.

You will always be welcome here.

With love,
Dr. Light
Light Labs employees hesitate at the sight of the long-lost prototype Robot Master, allowing him a wide berth. The lab's automatic doors recognize him and open for him as he approaches.

In the internal laboratory, Dr. Light himself is busy working on a mechanical component of some sort, using his blue light projector harness to project safety goggles and a cutting torch. The tac-sit overlay goes into overdrive, applying a double red highlight to the preoccupied scientist with information boxes indicating an exotic power source and an active thermal weapon, tracking energy readings and predicting likely avenues of attack.

After a few distracted moments, Light notices the sound of metal boots and looks up from his work, and his blue light constructs evaporate as his eyes widen in surprise. "Blues?"

Proto Man raises his buster, a flickering of red light leaking out inside the green tac-sit highlight.

Dr. Light raises his hands non-threateningly. "Blues, if there's something you need, we can talk about it. Please, this is still your home, if you want it to be."

"This isn't my home!" Proto Man's buster doesn't waver. "And you're not much of a father! You gave me a name. You called me your son. But you never listened to my opinions! You wouldn't let me follow my goal! When I went offline, you never found me. After three years, it was Dr. Wily that found me and repaired me, not you. He didn't dictate what my future should be. He recognized my independence and he didn't make any demands from me. He was just happy to have been able to help me, and he let me go."

"Albert did that?" Dr. Light frowns. "You should run a data integrity check and make sure he didn't install any--"

"DON'T tell me what to do!" Proto Man's buster is briefly wreathed in a flicker of red flame, causing Dr. Light to cringe in fear. "But yes, I did. He didn't touch my software, not even to install drivers for the replacement power core. He only did the minimum changes necessary to get me to start back up again, and then he gave me the choice of what I wanted to do afterward. And what reason would I have to be suspicious of him, anyway?"

"What reaso--Blues, the news is calling him a terrorist!"

"A terrorist? He said he had been pushed out and discriminated against."

"He stole and reprogrammed six of the Robot Masters that we had built and used them to attack civilian industrial centers. I was afraid he would do the same to you. I'm just worried about you, Blues..."

"Worried about me. Just like you were worried about me for the last three years!"

"I TRIED! But with your transpon--"

"More excuses!" Proto Man's eyes flash red as he lines up his buster.

Panicked, Dr. Light whistles a melody, but the sound is replaced by static after the first three notes.

Proto Man fires.

Dr. Light is barely able to erect a wobbly construct barrier to block the shot, and the blue light evaporates.

The first of the Robot Masters is furious. "Did you just try to activate my remote override?!" He fires another shot, but this time it's blocked by a pillar of blue light cascading in from above.

Mega Man solidifies from his teleport, his buster already active and raised. "How did a Robot Master get in the lab?"

If the tac-sit display thought Light's cutting torch was a threat, Mega Man makes it go wild -- callouts point to a micro-fusion reactor, a buster more powerful than Proto Man's, and full body armor at 100% structural integrity, and a scan readout indicates strong spikes in of an unidentified energy signature coming from a source it can't pinpoint. Another window rapidly cycles through predictions and tactics, rejecting each one in turn as unlikely to succeed.

Faced with a significant threat, Proto Man determines that he has no achievable mission parameters in the current scenario. He interposes his shield, takes a step back, and teleports out.
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Mega Man: The Light of Will (Mega Man / Green Lantern crossover: In the lead-up to the events of Mega Man 2, Dr. Wily has discovered emotional light technology. How will his creations change how humankind thinks about artificial intelligence? Sadly abandoned. Sufficient Velocity x-post)
Old Posted 02-28-2018, 12:41 AM Reply With Quote  
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SUBJECT: Re: Encounter Log - Proto Man
AUTHOR: Rock [DLN-001]
DATE: September 21, 20XX
FORMAT: Holovid + Telemetry + Annotations


"Are you okay, Dr. Light?" Mega Man turns to his creator in concern.

"I'm... I'm fine." Dr. Light shakes his head as he picks himself up off the ground. "Barely."

Mega Man removes his helmet and sets it aside. "What happened? And why did that Robot Master look like Proto Man?"

"Second question first. That... WAS Proto Man. But he's... changed. I don't know what Dr. Wily did to him. He claims that Dr. Wily didn't make any changes to his programming, he doesn't act like the Blues I remember. I... suppose it's possible that Dr. Wily could have built a duplicate, or reprogrammed him to lie. But that doesn't seem likely, given Albert's personality, and..." Dr. Light takes a moment to consult a computer terminal. "... the energy signature matches. He isn't the type to put that much effort into replicating something someone else created when he could be building something new of his own."

"Okay, so it was probably Proto Man. But you still haven't told me what happened."

Dr. Light shakes his head again with a deep, bitter sigh. "It seems that Dr. Wily discovered Proto Man's body, replaced his power core, activated him, and proceeded to tell him... either lies, or a very distorted version of the truth. Proto Man had obviously been offline for three years, because he was completely unaware of Dr. Wily's attacks."

Rock interrupts before Dr. Light can continue. "But what happened here? Why did he attack you?"

"I'm getting there," Dr. Light sighs. "It seems like Proto Man blames me for everything. He blames me for not getting the military contract. He says I never listened to his opinions--"

"--can't blame him--"

Dr. Light scowls a little, but he's too heartbroken to stay angry. "He says I never listened to his opinions. He blames me for not being able to locate him, even though his transponder was malfunctioning. And since he never knew about Albert's betrayal, he only remembers that Dr. Wily was helpful."

"That still doesn't explain why he would shoot at you."

"That's the part that doesn't make sense to me, either. I've never seen him so angry. He was threatening me from the moment he arrived. I tried to talk to him, but when it seemed like he was really about to attack me, I tried to activate his remote override. But it seems that either he himself or Dr. Wily came up with a countermeasure for that. When I started to whistle the code, there was a white noise burst that covered up the end of it, so it only angered him more that I would try. And you were here for the rest of it."

Rock pulls a chair over for Dr. Light to sit in, and the shaken scientist wearily settles into it. "Oh. Thank you."

The super fighting robot folds his arms. "So then... now what? My long lost brother is back from the grave, Dr. Wily is up to SOMETHING and we don't know what or why. And I certainly don't know what to do at this point. Seems like all I'm good for is blowing up evil robots and I can't even do that now."

"I don't know..." Dr. Light slumps his shoulders and hangs his head. "I'm sorry, Rock, but I really don't. But I'm going to keep working. I'll try to find answers." He pauses. "No. I'm sure I'll find the answers."

Mega Man doesn't seem convinced. "Okay. Then I guess I'm just going to go do what I was going to do anyway."

"What's that?"

"I have no idea."


SUBJECT: Transcript - Dr. Wily
AUTHOR: Proto Man
DATE: September 12, 20XX
FORMAT: Plain Text


Wily> Proto Man! It worked!

> Dr. Wily? Where's Dr. Light?

Wily> I was thrown out of Light Labs two years ago!

> Why was I deactivated for almost four years? Why were you thrown out of Light Labs?

Wily> Ah, Proto Man, Proto Man, one question at a time! I'll answer the second one first. The staff at Light Labs, and especially Dr. Light himself, were excessively critical of me. My ideas were treated with prejudice! I'm sure I could have won us that military contract, but the board of directors wouldn't back me! Even when I tried to prove that my strategy would have worked, I was rejected! In the end they made it clear that I was no longer welcome.

> That doesn't seem very characteristic of Dr. Light.

Wily> Thomas can be a very controlling individual. But he did his best to hide his nature from you by trying to act like a father. But in the end, I'm the one that found you and repaired you.

> Why did it take so long?

Wily> Dr. Light stopped searching for you. He gave up and moved on to building other robots. But I gave instructions to my own creations to watch for signs of you, and now here you are! And then I had to take the extra effort to make a power source compatible with your systems.

> It's not completely compatible. My system doesn't recognize it.

Wily> I remembered the things you had said before. We built you to be an individual, and you are! And you had told me that you were worried about losing your identity if other people altered your software. So I honored that opinion and never even logged into your operating system. No changes to your code or data!

> But I don't know how much charge I have.

Wily> You should be fine! It's a self-replenishing power source of my own design, and you're the perfect candidate to use it. It generates energy from focused application of sentient thought, and you, Proto Man, were built to be the most intelligent robot humanity had ever seen.

> My diagnostics do show that my systems are running more stable than they did with my original power core.

Wily> Ah, excellent, that is good news! We actually did solve the problems with the micro-fusion reactor design, but I wanted to give you the best I could produce. It will provide feedback to you in its own way. And you can still plug in to run on tethered power if you ever feel uncertain about it. I'll leave all of that in your own hands to do with as you please.

> I suppose the best thing for me to say right now is "thank you."

Wily> You're very welcome, Proto Man. I'm proud to be able to finish what I started all those years ago.
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Mega Man: The Light of Will (Mega Man / Green Lantern crossover: In the lead-up to the events of Mega Man 2, Dr. Wily has discovered emotional light technology. How will his creations change how humankind thinks about artificial intelligence? Sadly abandoned. Sufficient Velocity x-post)
Old Posted 03-03-2018, 01:52 AM Reply With Quote  
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Rewrote a past chapter. Click here to read it.
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Mega Man: The Light of Will (Mega Man / Green Lantern crossover: In the lead-up to the events of Mega Man 2, Dr. Wily has discovered emotional light technology. How will his creations change how humankind thinks about artificial intelligence? Sadly abandoned. Sufficient Velocity x-post)
Old Posted 04-01-2018, 12:56 AM Reply With Quote  
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SUBJECT: Return of the Robot Masters?
AUTHOR: Patty Leonardo
DATE: September 23, 20XX
FORMAT: Video


"Welcome back to The Patty Leonardo Show!" The talk show hostess smiles brightly at the camera focused on her, which is an unusual way for this particular show to resume from a commercial break. "I've got the honor to welcome a very special guest today, someone unlike any other guest we've had on the show before."

The camera finally zooms out to make the dramatic reveal: a bulky blue robot whose head is integrated into his torso, with three silvery spikes on top of his head, large pauldrons covering his shoulders, and a long, narrow spike coming out of what looks like Mega Man's buster barrel on each arm instead of hands.

"Let's give a hand to Needle Man!"

The audience's applause is half-hearted at first, but a meaningfully worried smile from Patty prompts the proper stage applause that her guests usually receive.

Needle Man seems bashful, averting his eyes. "Um... Thank you, Patty."

"No, thank you, Needle Man, for coming on the show to talk about what's going on in the world of robots today. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?"

"I wouldn't think I would be anyone special. I'm just a miner." He gestures to the spikes on his head with one of the spikes he has for a hand. "I break up rocks underground to help with excavation. I'm pretty good at it, and the way my armor is built keeps me safe from anything that might fall on me. But that's about it, really."

"Hard-working robots like you deserve everyone's appreciation. You do a good job and you provide a service that benefits everyone." Needle Man seems even more bashful for a moment, but Patty follows up with a leading question. "But you've been seeing some trouble recently, haven't you?"

Needle Man sighs. "Yeah. I haven't lost my job like some robots have, but people get afraid around me. They say I'm a Robot Master! I mean I know I have 'Man' in my name and I guess I can see how I sort of look like Air Man... and... I guess maybe I do look scary, what with the spikes and all... But I'm not a bad guy! I've never hurt anybody! I even have a hobby!"

Patty gives him a sympathetic nod. "So you've seen the Robot Master fear in action first-hand."

"It's not fair! It's not like there aren't other robots that are dangerous. I heard that the original military prototype from Light Labs showed up and attacked Dr. Light, even!"

"To... be fair... Proto Man is a Robot Master."

"Oh." Needle Man is momentarily speechless. "Yeah. I... I guess I should have known that. But still, that's scary stuff. When real Robot Masters are attacking, why go after us industrial types?"

"That's what we all need to be asking ourselves. I know that the rumor is that the Robot Masters are hiding among civilian robots, but turning on innocent robots is unfair and damaging. That's why I wanted to bring you on my show, Needle Man, to show the world that you're not a threat."

"Thank you, Patty..." Needle Man doesn't seem too comforted, but he sounds honest. "I appreciate that."

"You're welcome, Needle Man. It was great to get to meet you." Patty turns to the camera. "And that's all the time we have for today! Thanks for watching, and tune in next time!"
Games by Coda (updated 10/1/2023 - New game: Adrift)
Art by Coda (updated 8/25/2022 - beatBitten and All-Nighter Simulator)

Mega Man: The Light of Will (Mega Man / Green Lantern crossover: In the lead-up to the events of Mega Man 2, Dr. Wily has discovered emotional light technology. How will his creations change how humankind thinks about artificial intelligence? Sadly abandoned. Sufficient Velocity x-post)
Old Posted 11-02-2018, 08:56 PM Reply With Quote  
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Oh. I never posted the last chapter I wrote on Sufficient Velocity over here. Someone posted on that thread after it had been idle for over a year, so it got my attention. ^^()



SUBJECT: Press Release - Mega Man Addresses the Robot Master Controversy
AUTHOR: Rock [DLN-001]
DATE: September 25, 20XX
FORMAT: Video + annotations


Rock stands a couple steps behind a lectern, looking nervous as cameras flash from all over. He's wearing a business suit instead of his Mega Man armor or his usual civilian t-shirt, but his blue-black hair is still in its naturally unruly style. As he consults his notes, an annotation window opens to the side of the video projection to display the material he had prepared for this presentation, marked up with comments from the public relations team at Light Labs. He doesn't actually need the notes, of course; he has the script stored in his memory banks. But having a physical object seems to be helping him center his thoughts and calm his nerves.

The murmuring in the audience dies down as he steps up to the microphone and sets down his notes.

"Thank you all for coming. I've prepared a statement that I want to share with you all. Given the state of current events, I thought it would be better if I presented it myself instead of publishing it as a document or having a Light Labs spokesperson read it." He pauses for a moment, giving the crowd a moment to focus their attention.

"I know that people are worried about the possibility of Robot Masters infiltrating society. I have to admit my own role in that. It's true that I spoke to a Robot Master; I'll lay that rumor to rest right now. And I know better than anyone how much damage Dr. Wily did in his past attacks.

"But the public response to this concern bothers me. I mean, I'm a Robot Master. And I could understand if people were afraid of me." He forms a buster with his right arm as a demonstration, then dismisses it. "I... I know I could be dangerous. But the robots that have been on the receiving end of the recent hate? They're innocent. They're trying to be useful. They're doing their jobs. They don't deserve to be pushed out because someone thinks they might be one of Wily's war machines."

Rock pauses for effect, taking a look around the room. When he starts speaking again, his tone is pleading.

"So please... I ask you all, everyone out there... Judge robots fairly. We're part of this society, too."

He lowers his eyes. After a moment, the assembled journalists realize that he's done talking, and the room explodes with questions.

Rock shakes his head and raises his hand for a moment of quiet. "Sorry, I don't think I can answer any questions right now. You can send them to Light Labs and we'll try to get back to you." He hesitates uncertainly, then collects his notes and walks off the stage as the storm of questions heedlessly resumes.



But since I'm thinking about this again, I might as well infodump some of my worldbuilding notes for anyone still reading. They're not really spoilers anymore, are they?

The mk.III Robot Masters were developed with the lessons from the mk.II ones in mind. Their primary AIs aren't evolved specifically to channel any of the lights, but there's a secondary subordinate system in each one that's evolved to be optimized around at least one color of light. Part of Wily's goal in having the mk.III RMs interacting with the world in a civilian context is to provide real-world training data to the light-based AIs. Wily has also put a backdoor in these secondary AIs; they're still fully sentient, so it's not possible to fully override them without taking direct control over the hardware, but they're more or less brainwashed into considering Wily's instructions as if they were the Word of God. There IS a third-level fallback in place that forces the system to reboot into non-Robot Master software, because Wily is (quite sensibly) worried about the possibility of disobedience.

The secondary AIs are meant to be passive until remotely activated. They're battle programs, intended to be kept separate from the infiltration programs in the primary AI. Despite Wily's best attempts, though, the firewall isn't perfect, and the light-powered AIs are able to exert some level of influence even in their passive state. This freaks out Needle Man in particular, and Shadow Man finds it very unsettling.

The AI light colors: (somewhat tentative)
Needle Man - Red
Shadow Man - Yellow
Snake Man - Indigo
Magnet Man - Orange
Spark Man - Red
Gemini Man - Yellow
Top Man - Orange
Hard Man - Green

So when eight powerful war machines suddenly activate in civilian areas after Dr. Light had been preaching tolerance and optimism, the public backlash against Robot Masters redoubles and trust in Light Labs fractures. This, combined with his inability to support Rock's tenuous emotional state, breaks Thomas's heart. The despair causes his blue light equipment to fail on him as well. In the depths of this depression, helpless and being told from all sides how wrong he is, Light decides that he's no longer fit to decide what's best for humanity.

So he decides to swear off emotional light technology, and even emotional AIs.

And so he decides that since he isn't fit to make decisions anymore, he'll build a robot to make decisions for him. Pure logic and reason. A rational machine that can't be led astray by fickle emotion. One that can transcend his own biases and failures, that can search every possibility to find the optimal answer. No limits, nothing that would create a blind spot. A robot that can guide the world to the everlasting peace that he has failed to achieve by himself.

He builds Gamma.

Gamma simulates hundreds of thousands of futures, discarding the ones that descend into ongoing fighting and iterating on the ones that reduce the amount of suffering in the long run. Eventually, Gamma's calculations return a result: in 100% of simulated scenarios, humans are instrumental in the failure to maintain peace. Futures that contain fewer humans are more successful. Therefore, to ensure everlasting peace, it should minimize the number of humans.

And Dr. Light intentionally didn't build in an override, because he didn't trust himself to have the wisdom to know when to use it or not.



The aftermath of Gamma was going to be the end of the story, although I had a few scenes in mind for later in the timeline. One idea I had was that Duo would be a member of the Green Lantern Corps, coming to investigate the unexpected rise in emotional light signatures detected in a backwater, podunk, non-spacefaring world in the middle of nowhere. I was never completely certain this was a good idea to make canon, but it was interesting enough to think about.
Games by Coda (updated 10/1/2023 - New game: Adrift)
Art by Coda (updated 8/25/2022 - beatBitten and All-Nighter Simulator)

Mega Man: The Light of Will (Mega Man / Green Lantern crossover: In the lead-up to the events of Mega Man 2, Dr. Wily has discovered emotional light technology. How will his creations change how humankind thinks about artificial intelligence? Sadly abandoned. Sufficient Velocity x-post)
Old Posted 11-20-2019, 02:03 AM Reply With Quote  
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