Chapter 2: In Which We See an Old Man at Work


Here we see the titular Proton of "The Birth of Proton" for the first time. Likewise, he has already been born at this point, but we'll more than likely go into his birth later on in the story. Right now, let's take a look at him in a bit more detail.

Proton is clearly not human, even though he appears to be human. He is in fact a very advanced robot who is serving the brilliant, but cranky Doctor Ryukiki Zarumon. His "hair" is actually a metallic neon-orange with several spikes that make it look like the business end of a mace. His spikes aren't that sharp though, and are rather blunt.

His neon yellow eyes are another indicator of his unnatural existence. They are capable of lighting up dark areas with beams of light, and also have limited X-Ray capabilities that are useful when looking inside someone to determine a medical problem.

His boots are a neon-green, but are actually more than just boots, but his actual feet. He can not take them off. His navy blue shorts are also a part of his body, and can not be taken off as they are a part of him.

Other signs of Proton's robotics are the syringe that he keeps in his ring finger for emergency injections. The plasma, medicine, and other essential fluids necessary for treating Doctor Zarumon are stored in a container within his left arm, under his left bicep. In his left fore-arm, there is a panel that contains controls and other important tools for managing Proton's medical support system. The reason this is built into a panel is so that it can be accessed and used by others as well as Proton.

Finally, Proton's chest opens up like a refrigerator door to reveal an instrument panel complete with monitor. It can be used to show information to a patient among other uses that will likely be explored later.

Proton is clearly inquisitive and innocent, but doesn't always say the right things, often pointing out the most obvious. This often upsets Doctor Zarumon to no end, but he can't be mad at Proton for long since Proton is currently the only one he trusts to help keep him alive during his deteriorating health.

One last feature of Proton is his ability to resist large amounts of heat. While he's not terribly comfortable with it, he can survive temperatures up to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. However, even though he can survive temperatures that high, his artificial skin can still feel heat. Thankfully, he's learned to control the sensors for temperature in his artificial skin so that he doesn't get too overwhelmed by the heat.

So that's Proton in a nutshell, but there are still other questions left unanswered. Did Doctor Zarumon build him? If not, then who? Why does he have so much medical experience? What is Doctor Zarumon up to? Why is the Boiler Room pumping lava through the pipes?

These questions will most likely be answered in upcoming chapters.

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Hope you enjoy the story!

~Otaku-Man