001 | Voice

[megabytes]

[Hey there, everyone, got another new imPort hitting the network for the first time. Another child imPort too, if the voice is anything to go by.

The commuicator ID reads "Megaman.EXE." It also reads"Hub Hikari," a fact that he is blissfully unaware of. Feel free to enlighten him.]

Finally.

[There's a relieved sigh and a quiet thunk on the other end of the line. Getting the communicator to do what he wanted took him a lot longer than he would have liked. Being on this side of a GUI is so awkward, how do humans even manage it? It's part of why he went for voice instead of video or text - not having to stare at the screen the whole time hurts his eyes less.

His voice is a bit muffled when he continues, and he sounds very, very tired.]

So, um. This is probably a silly question, but...is it normal to have headaches all the time?

I mean, I know it's not normal-normal. It's just...they said the thing that brought me here didn't know how to handle me, that there were "leftovers" from my real body. But I don't really know what that means, or what being human is supposed to feel like, so I don't know if what I've been feeling is normal or if I should be concerned or what. I don't think they'd just let me go if there was something wrong with me, but...I don't know. I'm kind of new to this.

[It's not really a lie. He was only human for about a year, and he's been a Netnavi for over a decade now. This is so far off his concept of "normal" that it's not even funny. Especially since he has a very good reason to be paranoid about his health.]

--oh, almost forgot. My name's Megaman. Nice to meet everyone.

Comments

audio;

[nostalgiabomb]

Okay, putting aside that-- entire mess of a whatever you just explained--

Like, on a scale of one to ten, how bad's the headache? One being "meh" and ten being "holy crud, my brain is gonna explode."

Audio

[megabytes]

I don't know? It keeps changing. [Varying degrees of sensory overload.] Right now...five? Maybe?

audio;

[nostalgiabomb]

[ He hums. ]

So how much of you is human, kid? You know if you're allowed to take over-the-counter drugs?

audio;

[theoryandcalculation]

It could be nothing or it could be something serious. You should probably see a doctor.

[Just gonna... get right to the point then.]

perma-audio

[megabytes]

[Oh man, he really doesn't want this to be a Needs A Doctor situation. Too many (vague and fuzzy) bad memories.]

Is there anyone who'd even be able to tell what's wrong? Or would I have to go to the hospital.

[PLEASE DON'T SAY HOSPITAL PLEASE DON'T SAY HOSPITAL.]

[theoryandcalculation]

You shouldn't have to go to the hospital. A clinic will do, or maybe an imPort can diagnose you.

[Though he has no suggestions as to who.]

What were you before you became human?

[He's already gotten used to the "not everyone is human" thing.]

video;

[ballbutt]

[This had been yet another annoying network post that Colorman had been tempted to pass over. But he was glad he didn't, because the name drop at the very end of the post pinged him.

Megaman.

The blue bomber was here, in the flesh! A check of the ID confirms that yes, it was Megaman, and with a weird human name too, but the last name Hikari solidified it.]

Well well well~! Look what the Spikey dragged in! Kyahahahahaha!

[If his appearance and reference weren't obvious enough, then the ID tag that accompanies him would definitely tell Megaman who he was.]

perma-audio

[megabytes]

[OH GOD THE COLORS ARE SEARING HIS RETINAS WHY

That greeting, and the ID, manage to break through the headache enough to earn a startled yelp. Why are you here, is the universe trying to punish him for something?]

C-Colorman?!

video;

[ballbutt]

[Colorman cackles again, undeterred by the lack of video feed so he can truly see Megaman's reaction to his appearance.]

The one and only! It's been a while, hasn't it? Kehehehehe!

[The last time Colorman saw him was when Madoi was in Japan trying to win the Miss Tiara contest.. which really wasn't that long ago, but hey.]

text

[gevurah]

What are you if not human?

Audio

[megabytes]

I'm a Netnavi. [Right, Netnavis don't exist here.] An artificial intelligence. We're made to work with our operators and help manage electronics and data. We're fully digital beings - I've never been in the real world before.

[Unless you count the whole "was born a human" thing, which he honestly doesn't.]

text

[gevurah]

Your body could be adjusting to the changes.

Have you eaten or drunk anything?

permatext

[hypnotherapy]

[ Hub Hikari? He can only assume that it was a name given to him by his other, human family members.

Which is kind of cute, in its own way. ]

So they brought in someone with actual qualifications to be a hero. Even the faultiest machine can work correctly sometimes.

Though maybe you're not too glad to be here, Megaman.

[ Yeah he's totally casual about this and thus won't be prepared for the inevitable freakout because look at that, his ID is totally visible. ]

Also: headaches are normal. Your brain is adjusting to new stimuli. It hurts. Get sunglasses while your eyes adjust to light.

perma-audio

[megabytes]

[Sorry, were you dispensing the answer to his question? He kind of missed it in the midst of being completely freaking terrified. Magicman is here. The cyberterrorist navi who tried to delete him and almost suceeded is here, and he knows that Megaman is here too and he's talking to him and oh god, oh god he doesn't want to die again.

There's a long silence before he manages to respond, and when he does he is obviously frightened.]

M...M-Magicman? W-what are you...

[Why are World Three navis popping up WHY IS ONE OF THEM THE ONE WHO ALMOST KILLED HIM can he just quit life now that would be great.]

[hypnotherapy]

[ There's a very long pause as he digests the information that is currently being given to him. He'd expected vague suspicion or a just-as-casual greeting. Fear hadn't occurred to him as a possible response. ]


That's a response I didn't expect.

I have no reason to be hostile towards you. This is not going to calm you down any because that is not how the fear response works. But harming you isn't in my agenda.

By the way.
You won't need to go to the hospital. Just stay away from loud noises. Lie down for a while. It's an adjustment period. Stressing yourself will result in further headaches.

voice

[animalage]

[Sorry Megaman, he has no clue what to tell you, so have some horrible humor instead.]

I asked google and it says headaches either mean you're dehydrated or you're dying.

voice

[megabytes]

...I didn't think of dehydration. Though I do know enough about humans to know that headaches are a bit more complicated than that.

[A beat.]

Maybe you should've asked a navi, we're smart enough to fact-check before we bring back a link.

[At least he sounds kind of amused? Even if not for any intended reason. And maybe a little bit smug because Netnavis are WAY better than search engines, man,]

text

[lyingheart]

Have you had any water to drink lately?

perma-audio

[megabytes]

Whenever I get thirsty. It's...weird.

[He's referring to both drinking things and being thirsty. So much external and internal stimuli, how do humans deal with it all?]

text.

[boughtabookstore]

It could be worth speaking to a doctor about.

You are not accustomed to being human?

Audio

[megabytes]

Yeah, that's what everyone keeps saying. [It's still kind of scary. The last time he needed a doctor...didn't end well.]

Ah, no, I'm not. I'm an AI. Everything I know about the real world is second-hand.

audio;

[functionoverfeels]

Mega Man?

[well, he sounds... younger. but time travel is as possible as dimensional travel and in fact the two are probably very similar things. maybe something happened in the teleporter process. tentative as she sounds, there's no hiding her smile—except that this is an audio transmission so there is some hiding involved.]

It's Tempo. Do you remember me?

Audio

[megabytes]

[...someone else who knows him? Someone he doesn't know, but who thinks he should? This is. Really weird. And more than a little unsettling - dad had said that the only permanent "damage" had been the loss of his Style Change ability, and that it was only because they'd had to use Hub.bat again to repair him and it didn't have the upgrade. Had there been damage to his memory storage that they'd missed?]

No, I'm sorry. Should I?

[voice]

[totalpacifist]

[X was going to reply anyway, just because he's helpful, but then he hears that introduction. And he sees that name.]

I- no, not normal. You should consult a physician.

Your name- your name is Mega Man?

perma-audio

[megabytes]

[Why does no one agree on whether this is serious or not? Why always doctors?

Still...that reaction is a little confusing. He knows "Megaman" isn't a normal name by human standards, but it's not that strange, is it?]

Well, yeah. I'm a netnavi - an AI. We're not limited to human names.