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 Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:49 am
Uhm...hi. ^_^This is a a fanfic that I never finished a while back(Read: 5th grade, worked on until now(freshman in college)) about how Megaman X and Zero(if you don't know who that is, that's fine, it should be fairly well explained) became friends. I'll post some of it now and some more later, and maybe just random tidbits of other stuff inbetween. It's unfinished, but hey, i'm working on it. Comments and criticism is nice ^_^
And yeah, I know some of it doesn't fit perfectly with all the facts if you've played the games, but hey, rules were meant to be bent.
Note: as the chapters go on, there is more swearing and violence, generally. But nothing a normal 15 year old couldn't handle.
Chapter 1:
Zero wandered the halls of Maverick Hunter Headquarters. The building was still just a maze to him, but since it was the second week since his arrival, he was starting to remember where everything was. He had gotten leave from the commanding officer of his unit to have the rest of the afternoon off. People seemed to avoid him for some reason. Zero didn't really mind though, because when they did speak to him, they were always overly polite, as if he would rip their head off if they made some mistake. He heard some voices coming from the common room. Though people were cautious around him, Zero still would have liked someone to talk to every once in a while.
The sight that awaited him was a bit shocking. Vile and a rookie were beating up on a blue armored reploid. He was simply blocking as many blows as he could. Zero watched for a minute, then walked on. After all, what right did he have to stop it? Vile could just be punishing a new recruit for disobeying him or something. Vile was known for his wicked temper and aggressive behavior. Although he was second-in-command to Sigma, no one really trusted him.
The PA system sang out a message that rerouted his thoughts from the blue reploid. "Rookie Hunter Zero, please report to Dr. Cain's office." Zero sighed. What had he done this time?
*********
Doctor Cain's office looked like it's usual self. A pig sty. There were empty pop cans on the desk and that had fallen on the floor, papers in disarray, plus tools and reploid parts shoved in the corners. "Cain may be a genuis," Zero muttered to himself "But he can't keep a clean room for a million dollars."
Dr. Cain and Sigma stood behind the desk. Zero knew he was in real trouble if Sigma himself was there. Sigma expected a lot from people in his units, but he liked to give them as much freedom as possible. To be in trouble with him was almost as bad as hell itself.
"Zero," Cain started "I think you've noticed that lately your commanding officer has been letting you out before all the others in your unit." He raised a hand to stop Zero's obvious protest before it began. "You're not in trouble. The reason he has been doing this is because you're surpassing all of your fellow rookie hunters. So, uh," he stopped and looked to the leader of the Hunters for help.
"So, we are wondering if you would like to join my unit." Sigma finished. Zero's eyes widened in disbelief. Him, in Sigma's unit? Only the best were let in there. As were the most promising. But when Sigma made a request of you, it was usually just a command in disguise. So Zero swallowed his fear and gave his reply.
"I'd be honored."
*********
The next week was as trying as it was thrilling. Zero was sparing with other rookies who didn't quiver when they saw him and that were almost equal to his power. If he was to spar with anyone, he hoped they had a beamsaber. The sabers seemed to hypnotize him. This didn't stop him from performing at his best though. Soon he wasn't fighting the rookies anymore, but the second-year hunters. He wondered how fast he would get to the level of some of the generals.
At the end of the week, Zero was tried, but happy. He was wandering the halls once more when something in the back of his mind was slammed back to the present. Once again, Vile was in the common room and beating up on the same reploid. The scene was the same except now Vile acted alone. The blue reploid was whimpering and no longer on his feet. Zero felt a shiver run through his body. If Vile was indeed punishing the reploid, he had already taken it to far. But once again, he backed away. Finally, he turned and ran. He couldn't stand it. He knew he couldn't do anything to stop it, but it still kept replaying itself in his mind.
Zero kept running for what seemed like forever until he somehow made it to his room. He tore off his helmet and threw it to the ground. He hated being powerless. And a feeling he hadn't ever felt before consumed him. He couldn't place it. It was a nagging, scratching feeling. He sat on the floor for a long time and the feeling only grew worse. Soon it was a pounding drum inside his skull. He finally grew angered and decided now was a good time to just try and sleep on it.
The world isn't fair
No one ever cares
Everyone has a mask to wear
They hide
And don't share
The people inside
And one must wonder
...Why?
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:50 am
Chapter 2:
The next morning, everyone backed away from Zero. One almost see him bristling. He was more aggressive than usual and was acting on pure instinct and adrenaline. The unit members started to get nervous. Finally, Sigma took Zero to see Doctor Cain.
"So," Cain started after Sigma left to go back to training. "What seems to be the problem?" Zero avoided eye contact with the old man. Mostly because he wasn't sure what was wrong. He was angry at Vile, Sigma, even the blue reploid, but mostly he was angry with himself. Angry at how he had acted, the night before and this morning, angry at his helplessness, and angry at his not knowing what this strange feeling was.
"Well?"
Zero sighed. There was no avoiding it. Sooner or later the good doctor would make him fess up. Might as well make it sooner and easier for the both of them. He told him about the first time he had seen Vile and the rookie beating up the blue reploid, and his fear in joining Sigma's unit; he did add that he was now glad he was there. He said how he had seen Vile and the reploid the second time, his anger at his helplessness, and did his best to explain the odd feeling that still clung to him like a leech that was slowly sucking the life out of him. The old man listened quietly, not once interupting. When Zero was finished he said his piece.
"You do know the story of how I first started building reploids, correct?" Zero nodded. How could he not? Though he did happen to think "So, what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?" Cain seemed to read his mind, for then he explained. "The reploid that you have been seeing is named X. Megaman X to be exact." He paused as he saw Zero's eyes widen. "Yes, that's him."
"B-but, why? I mean, why would...?" Zero had heard of the ancient reploid, but had never seen a picture of him. Most hadn't. And that wasn't what he had pictured as the first ever reploid looking like. He had thought more along the lines of old or at least middle aged and respected, not a teenage boy beaten by an overly aggressive reploid. Then he thought of his actions that morning and cringed, thinking just how much he had acted like Vile. It was a sickening image.
"Why would Vile want to beat up X? Because X refuses to fight the Mavericks. Vile is sickened by this and often teases X about it. In his own special way." Cain explained darkly. Now Zero understood what the reasons for Vile's actions were. Though he knew that Vile's actions were a bit extreme and harsh, he silently agreed that X was wrong in his own right. Why wouldn't he fight? It would not only solve his problems with Vile, but the Hunters could always use more recruits. He couldn't help but think only a coward wouldn't fight.
He wasn't allowed to linger on this thought before another sufaced. "Then, what was that feeling? Is it natural?"
"Oh, that. Yes, I suppose it is." The doctor stopped as he searched his memory of all the emotions and experinces that he had had in his life. "I believe what you were feeling was injustice."
"Injustice?"
"Yes. You usually feel it when something wrong is being done to someone, and you know it. It really sticks with you when you don't try and stop what is being done wrong." Cain looked knowingly at the crimson hunter. Zero squirmed under his prying eyes. He knew what Cain wanted him to do.
"Why me?" Dr. Cain didn't need any more to understand.
"Because you're the only one who cares."
*********
Later in the afternoon, Dr. Cain heard a heavy THUMP outside his door. He rushed over and found X leaning on the doorframe, panting and battered. Cain helped him into his office and sat him down.
"I couldn't avoid him," X whimpered apologetically as Dr. Cain started examining him. "I think he has started looking for me n-OW!? X exclaimed as Cain touched a slightly more tender spot. Cain smiled softly and promised to be more careful. This did worry him though. This was becoming a daily thing, and he didn't know when Zero would next see the crime take place.
"Alright X, I have a proposal for you. We know Vile has it in for you, and he doesn't expect you to fight back about it. So, maybe we should give him a little surprise. Hmm?" Cain proposed. X gave a weak smile, nodding slowly.
"Let's give it a try."
*********
A path broke down the center of the hallway like the parting of the Red Sea. A lone figure prowled around like a cat stalking it's prey. Everyone backed away as Vile stalked through. He made no indication that he realized that they were there. This was just as well.
As he rounded the corner, he noticed two of the new hunters talking. He scowled. The boy was hitting on the blonde female navigator he had had his eye on. Well, he could spare a minute to show him. X would wait. The two didn't seem to notice that he was there. It was perfect.
He walked up behind the boy and lifted him two feet off the ground by his neck. The rookie gagged. Before he passed out Vile swung his arm, sending the young hunter into a nearby wall. Vile looked at the girl for approval, but all he saw was fear. This was even better for him. He reveled in fear. But now he had to find his main target. After he turned away, the female reploid sprinted away.
As Vile walked along, he came upon the entrance of the sorting hall. The door was open. So, being the nice guy that he was, he closed it because the simulation wouldn't start unless all entrances were closed. As it latched, he could hear the engines hum to life. Though one might view this as a good deed, it was Vile's hope that the hunter inside wouldn't be coming out.
As he resumed his search, Sigma rushed past. "VILE! WE HAVE A PROBLEM! ZERO'S MISSING! FIND HIM! NOW!!!!!" Shouted Sigma, his voice strained. The barking purple robot dog behind him might have been the reason, but Vile didn't think so. He was rather sure the cause was the missing rookie. But he didn't have time to look for some rouge rookie. Now the pacifist, he had all the time in the world for.
Before long though, Vile ran onto yet another obstacle. The cleaning bots were barricading the hallway. Why did things keep holding him away from his goal? All he was doing was getting rid of the extra baggage. X was a bit of garbage on the floor. All he was doing was throwing it away.
Taking a course of action that fit him so well, Vile blasted through the robots. The remains were a small tribute to all the lives of Mavericks he had already taken. He grinned viciously, something that even if it was a pleasant sight couldn't be seen. Then something else caused him even more pleasure. Sigma contacted him via communicator and told him to get to the control room of the sorting hall. Zero was in there. He could care less about that, but he had said X was in there also. Then Vile scowled. Sigma was always giving him orders. Oh well, he'd show Sigma one day, and X was in the sorting hall. That was all that mattered.
As Vile walked into the control room, the rookie navigator from before sat in the hot seat. She wasn't doing anything, but Sigma was. He had just hit the manual overide. On the screen, X stood looking down a hole. Sigma gave a brief explanation of what had happened. Then Vile came to a conclusion. "We have to take out the trash." Sigma looked at him in confusion. Vile hit the restart button.
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:52 am
Chapter 3:
The crimson hunter rounded the corner. He had snuck out. He knew he'd be in serious trouble when Sigma found out. But then again, Sigma would soon have something to distract him. He'd payed off a second-year to make trouble as he snuck out and to drag it out.
When snapped back to the present, he realized that he had gotten himself lost again. He turned around, about to retrace his steps, when an annoucement sounded from the intercom.
"Generals! Emergency mode! Details with Sigma in training room!" Zero was already taking off in search of a hiding place...
...or a way out...
*********
X was wandering the halls of the HQ, when he came to a dead halt. Vile was rounding the corner hardly twenty meters ahead of him. X glanced around quickly around for a place to hide. He spotted an open door to his right. He dove through, pulling the door with him.
X was about to close it all the way when footsteps sounded near the door. X jumped back, then cautiously peered through the crack in the doorway. Outside the door was Vile himself. X cringed. He was caught, once again.
He waited, perfectly still, to be pulled out of his hiding place. It didn't come. Instead, Vile closed the door the rest of the way for him. Relief washed over X.
This was quickly dissappated as the light flickered on, and X caught sight of his surroundings. He was in the sorting hall. The last place you wanted to be if you weren't planning on being a hunter.
*********
SCREEEEEEEE!!
Zero screamed to a halt. He'd just passed a door into the sorting hall. Calculating his chances, he ran in, slamming the door behind him. The generals would never think to look for him in here.
The lights were out, so he figured that some of the other doors were still open. That was good for him, but if he wanted to get deep into the hall, he'd have to take his chances mostly blind. "Oh well, if it works." He thought. Running his hands along the wall, he started forward.
About fifteen minutes of groping along the wall, the lights flickered on. The sudden light change overloaded Zero's optics for a moment before adjusting.
As he saw where he was, his instincts snapped into life. As hard as the mock Mavericks had been, Zero had found the 'empty' hallways to be the hardest. The panels hid cannons, drones, spikes, and any number of other traps. A gate lay hardly 15 feet infront of him, so instead of taking time to let the traps activate themselves, he dashed through the door.
Inside stood a drone, about 15 feet tall, 8 feet wide, and built like a barely humaniod tank. 8 plasma cannons unfolded from various areas in the drone's body. Zero, never being one for gentle words, decided to be very colorful about it. His string of curses, from many different languages, would have made a sailor blush.
*********
In a room on the opposite side of the hall, X was having similar troubles. A group of three drones had rolled in, two barely six feet tall, and one about 9. The smaller ones had already pushed X into a corner, them being quite fast.
As he was thinking over his options, they were cut short as the larger drone unfolded a large cannon, which was aimed straight at him. Acting out of pure instinct, he grabbed one of the smaller drones, still zooming infront of him, and forced it infront of himself. The resulting blast threw X and the drone against the wall.
Quickly checking himself over, he found himself to still be whole, and in working condition. Glancing at the drone though, he saw it was a different story. A small blast, this time from the remaining fast drone, snapped him to more pressing matters. He still had to get out of here alive...
*********
"Crap!" Thought Zero. He'd beaten the drone, but it had gotten more hits on him then he'd like to admit. As it finished exploding, he fell to his knees, exhausted. As he looked over the remains of his soulless opponent, he saw a large energy capsule. Slowly pulling himself to his feet he walked over to it and replenished his energy supply. He'd have to be more careful from here out. "Second time through is always easier..."
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:59 am
Chapter 4:
Zero jumped over the droid. This was getting tedious. Room after room held some obstacle, and they were different than three weeks ago. If only he could find a faster way out. This was his third room so far, and there was always at least eight. He never quite knew why, but that number always seemed...familiar. Not that it mattered.
As he blasted another drone into oblivion, he reconsidered his actions. Why was he going through so much trouble to help a coward? Was any of it worth it? That message might not have even been about him. What was he doing? This was stupid! WHY!?
Because you're the only one who cares...
Zero jolted. He muled over the phrase in his mind. Was that true? If not, maybe he was the only one who could do anything. Or was brave enough to try. It's also your duty, he told himself. Justice must be served...
*********
X dived and dodged. That was the only thing he seemed to be good at. The droids finally stopped coming, but there was still one left. It was only his height, and humaniod, it wasn't very heavily armored, but it was rather fast.
Looking around quickly, X wondered what to do. This was still his first room, but a door had kept letting droids out to attack him. This seemed to be the last one. Finally, he spotted a hunk of metal left over from the other fights. Rolling to dodge a small shot from his opponent, he picked it up.
Examining it, he noticed that it only had one sharp end. He decided to take a chance. Taking aim, he pulled back his arm then threw the piece of metal at the droid. It went in what seemed to be slow motion. It sped toward his opponent, than sliced through it's neck. It wobbled for a moment, then toppled over. X stared for a second, feeling sick.
At the other side of the room, a door opened, different than those that had let the droids out. Running out of the room, He found himself in a hallway. Get a hold of yourself. This ought to be easy enough... He thought to himself.
*********
Zero had finished his fifth room. Deciding now would be a good time for a break, he sat down and thought about his situation. So far, it didn't look good. The hall was different than three weeks ago, but the halls still were similar. If that was the case, he'd soon have to deal with something like the spike range. Which hadn't been fun.
Checking his energy gauge again, he saw he was in good working order. "Time to get moving again," he said to himself "And hope nothing too terrible happens..."
*********
X pressed his back against the door he had just come through, breathing heavily. Unlike what he had first throught, the hallway had been more of a challenge than the droids. Looking around in this room though, he saw it was fairly dark. Running his hands up and down the walls next to him, he found a lever. Pulling it turned the lights on, but X suddenly wished they were off again. In front of him was a long room, almost a hallway, but wider. There were permanent plat forms, each jumping distance from one another, but the large swinging blades above them didn't help much. To make matters worse, X could see electricity occasionally running along the tops of the platforms.
"I am in so much trouble..."
*********
The hallway that Zero was in was more challenging than the ones before. This one even had some of the droids used for the mock Mavericks. Zero hopped over a blast from the nearly inanimate droid and returned with a blast of his own, destroying it. Suddenly, there was a large thud from behind Zero as the ground shook slightly. Glancing over his shoulder, there was another droid, this time resembling a small tank. It had two arms, but had a bar covered in spikes connecting the ends of them. It shot forward, cutting off the entire hallway behind Zero, and quickly closing the distance between them. Zero fired off a few shots at the tank, all of which were useless. That left only one thing for him to do. Zero turned back forward and dashed away.
*********
X steeled his nerves. He had thought his current problem over a bit. If he did it just right, he could get across the room in one piece. Waiting until there was no electrical current in the first platform and the swinging blade above it had just passed over it, he hopped onto it. As it reached it's peak and swung back toward him, he tensed and then jumped.
Precariously, he landed on the flat top edge of the blade. Catching himself before he fell, he worked to keep his balance as the blade continued to swing. Timing himself again carefully, he jumped to the next blade. The jolt almost sent him falling into the deep pit, but he clung to the pole for dear life. "Now all I've just got to do that about eight more times..."
*********
Zero thanked his lucky stars as he raced down the hall and saw a jumpable spike pit. He jumped over it as the tank drove right into it, destroying itself. After watching until it was completely destroyed, Zero turned back to the direction he was headed. A short distance ahead was a door, which he soon reached and went through.
On the other side was a sight from three weeks earlier. A huge maze. "Great, not this place again..." There was only one way to go, but it quickly split off into many different directions. "Looks the same as before...Now let's see if I can remember it..."
*********
"Calm down, X...You're fine...one last jump..."X readied himself and jumped onto the tiny platform infront of the door out. He hit the edge and nearly toppled backward, but grabbed the walls and pulled himself forward and out the door.
Past the door was another hallway. Looking upward, X asked into thin air "Do you hate me, God? Are the rumors true? Are you actually a woman?" He chuckled to himself darkly. Who would have thought that he, Megaman X, the pacifist target of Vile, would still be in one piece after going even this far into the sorting hall of MHHQ? Certainly not he, but then, neither did anyone else. Everyone was being surprised today.
X started forward. He soon came to yet another door, which he obediently went through. On the other side, he came upon a sight different than the rooms behind. It was a giant maze, from the looks of it. "Great, get use my brain and let the enemies sneak up on me." he sighed "I'm so dead..."
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 10:01 am
Chapter 5
X didn't know what hit him. He had rounded a corner, running from a droid who had decided to chase him. He had glanced over his shoulder for a split second and slammed into something fast and hard. Falling head-over-heels and landing against another wall, X shook his head, trying to clear his blurred optics. As his vision started to clear, he thought at first he was seeing red. As his vision sharpened even more, he realized he really WAS seeing red.
Zero hadn't fared much better on their collision. He'd stumbled backwards and fell flat on his butt. He blinked a few times and his jaw dropped. "It's X!!! Damn it!!! What the F*CK is he doing here!"
X was wondering the same thing about Zero, though he had no idea who he was. X shook his head again and opened his mouth to say something. He was cut off however by Zero sending a blast millimeters from his head. X ducked out of instinct and would have demanded to know what that was all about, if he hadn't heard the explosion from the droid who had been chasing him.
Zero climbed to his feet and walked over to X sighing, something annoyed, somewhat relieved. "Are you okay?"
X nodded and climbed to his feet quickly. He didn't need ANOTHER hunter looking down at him. He thought he had done rather well for not even having a buster. Of course, it didn't help that he was still a good 6 inches shorter then the red armored reploid.
X looked around quickly. He had no idea who the red reploid was. It could just be a stronger drone for all he knew. But something told him that he should trust the red reploid. Besides, he probably would get out of here faster if he went with the other reploid.
"Um, I'm X." He said "And I don't mean to be rude, but can-" he was cut off as a cannon rose out of a panel in the wall beside the two of them.
That kind of prompt was all Zero needed. "Come on!" Zero called to X as he took off running. Then as X followed him, they ran out of range and Zero lead them to a large area in the middle of the maze. Just as Zero entered the middle of the area, a panel of the floor opened and dropped him to a lower level.
X skidded to a halt as the ground opened up and and dropped the red reploid underground. He rushed over to the hole. "Now what do I do?" X thought.
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 10:04 am
Chapter 6
"Gauge! What are you DOING?!? His attack course was obvious! Watch his eyes, not his hands!" This kind of dialogue was commonplace here, in the training hall of the MHHQ. Especially coming from this particular group of trainers and trainees. The elite group, under the command of the one and only Sigma.
Sigma scanned his troops like a mother bird watching her children learn to fly, but also with the precision and deadly focus of a preying hawk. Some commotion out of the corner of his eye drew his gaze to the far side of the room. Near the far wall was one of the second-years, causing some trouble with two of the generals. Usually, he'd have let them show what happened when you were out of line, but for some reason, they were just glaring darkly. Jumping down from his perch in the rafters, Sigma calmly walked over to the three.
"Gentlemen, what seems to be the problem?" He asked calmly. The two generals looked at him both with annoyed expressions, as well as that of confusion. The second-year, a female by the name of Surreal, was grinning broadly and almost mockingly at the two generals.
"Well?" Neither answered, but they just shook their heads as if she were too big a problem. Thankfully, Surreal herself answered.
"Well, you see, sir. I've been bothering these two for enough time. On something rather pointless actually. Now, I suppose I should tell you the truth. You remember our good friend Zero? Well sir, I don't seem to see him in the room anywhere...How about you?"
Sigma's eyes widened and he quickly surveyed the room. Indeed, Surreal was right; Zero was gone. Dashing over to the comlink on the wall, he slammed the button into the open position and yelled into it. "Generals! Emergency mode! Details with Sigma in training room!"
After the generals had all been assembled in the training hall and the rest of his unit hauled out of the room, Sigma surveyed his generals, took a deep breath and said. "Zero snuck out." He watched their shocked expressions. "Zero may not have know it," thought Sigma "but he is very well known by the higher ranking hunters."
"As you all know, we don't know if he still has some Maverick left in him," Sigma continued "And this is pointing toward a 'yes'. So all of you go and find him. If he is hostile, take him offline and bring him to Dr. Cain. Understood?"
The generals gave the affirmative and bolted in different directions, each of them taking a different approach to finding the missing rookie. Sigma himself headed for the kennels. Though the generals were good, none of them had the keen sense of his dog. That and when it came to sound, he could hear better even than most reploids' enhanced senses.
When he let him out, the purple robot dog instantly was on the prowl, sniffing at the ground and the air. While Sigma didn't have anything of Zero's, his dog didn't need it. All he had to do was tell him Zero's energy signature, and his dog would sniff THAT out.
*********
After running around trying to him for about 10 minutes, the general Boomer Kuwanger contacted Sigma and told him to come to the to the sorting hall. They had found Zero. But the only odd part was that X was in there with him at the opposite end. He didn't like X, but since X was a citizen, it was his duty to protect him. That and the two were heading straight for each other.
As he ran into the sorting hall's control room he saw something that shocked him. "What are you doing here?!?" Sigma exclaimed. Alia, one of the recruits for the navigators, was sitting at the control center. And she was watching the scene with interest. Zero and X had run into each other, and seemed to be talking.
Sigma stood next to her and tried to turn the hall's computers off. Unfortunately, the controls wouldn't work. The computer told him that the sorting was in progress. He couldn't interupt now.
Anger started to creep into the crevices of his mind, but then he noticed the manual override. He smashed his fist into it, and was shocked was a hole opened up and dropped Zero to a lower level.
At that moment, Vile walked into the room. Sigma looked back at him and quickly explained the situation. Vile paused for a moment, then said something quite strange "We have to take out the trash." Sigma looked at him in surprise and before he could react, Vile hit the restart button.
"You fool!!" He shouted. "He'll be killed in there!" Vile didn't respond and simply walked out the door.
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Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 10:10 am
Chapter 7
X nearly panicked after the realization that his only ally had just fallen down a hole. He was about to follow, since he figured that it was always better to have a partner over going solo, but the sorting hall seemed to come back to life as the trapdoor snapped shut and a plasma blast hit him from behind. X hit the far wall and slid to the ground. "There’s no point," He thought to himself "I’m going to die in here and nobody is going to miss me, except maybe Doctor Cain…" Those were X’s last thoughts as three more blasts hit him and he sank into sweet, merciful oblivion.
*********
Zero. Was. PISSED. After being dropped down a hole to land on his a** and then have the only source of light, and known escape, disappear, he was justified in his feelings. He had searched his immediate area to find that he was at the bottom of a tunnel that only had a floor area of roughly 9 square feet. And blasting through the trapdoor through which he had fallen was not an option, since one attempt at that had gained him nothing but a shot reflected back at him and more reason to curse.
Zero leaned against one of his cage walls for a moment to ponder a way out. Then the walls started to glow an off white and the wall across from him opened up. Zero started slightly, then slowly advanced forward “Hello? Anybody home?” He had just stepped fully into the shadows when he felt a rush of hot air around him. He tried to step back, but hit a the wall.
The door had closed behind him. He steeled his nerves and walked forward. Only to be met with a Twang! and a sharp pain in his chest. Reaching down, he felt a dart embedded in his chest and quickly felt the effect of the liquid seeping into his metallic veins. "Nullifier…" He felt his knees give out under him but thankfully did not feel the cold steel of the floor as he collapsed onto it fully.
*********
Roughly three hours later, X awoke to Sigma’s booming voice slamming against his ears. He opened his eyes to find himself staring at the ceiling of the medical area. He started to sit up, but stopped after a second, his entire body screaming at him to stay put. He slowly turned his head and looked in the direction of Sigma’s voice. Sigma’s barrage of degradation was aimed at the crimson reploid, who was sitting on a medical table, his legs dangling over the side and occasionally uttering a small “Yes, sir“. X, started slightly, and though his body hated him for it, he sat up to mirror the red reploid. At his movement, the other’s eyes glanced up from the floor and locked with his.
“ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME, ROOKIE?!?” Screamed Sigma. If his body had still been listening to him, X would have shrank back in fear. But in an act that told X that his would-be ally was much braver than he, the blonde haired one glanced up at Sigma’s face then down to the ground, saying ‘Yes, sir’ in a slightly louder voice.
Sigma snorted and seemed satisfied. He turned around but took a step back when he laid eyes on X. “You’re awake already?” X nodded in response. He’d always been afraid of Sigma, even though he rarely encountered the formidable reploid. Vile worried him, but he didn’t fear the sadistic b*****d. Sigma…Sigma was like Ares looking down on a mere ant.
“Hmph. I would give you the same treatment as my young charge here, X,” Sigma told him, just barely keeping the sneer out of his voice, although not out of his eyes, when he said his name “But Doctor Cain said that he would deal with you himself. So, I’ll leave the both of you here. And YOU,” He said, looking over at the other reploid once again “I will see in two months. Make sure you don’t get into trouble while you’re suspended.” And with that, he left, fists clenched so hard that X was sure he would crumple his own Titanium X skin.
X looked over at the rookie, wondering what he was thinking. Something about him just spoke of former tragedy and future destiny. X was a poet at heart, but he really didn’t care. He cleared his throat and took a leap of faith “Hi. I’m X.” The rookie looked up and him, a faint smile crossing his face.
“Yeah, I know.” X smiled widely, glad that the reaction he had received at least had not been a negative one. The red rookie stood and stretched out. “I’m Zero. Nice to meet ya, X” Zero hesitated, then extended his hand. X looked at it for a moment, then took it, shaking hands with him.
“Nice to meet you too, Zero.” Zero smiled. X seemed like a nice enough guy. All the anger he had felt about X’s apparent cowardice evaporated. X was far too nice to go off fighting Mavericks. Besides, he was the first Reploid. Why would he join the fight, when the ideal was to have no fighting? Shouldn’t he be the role model?
“Well, it’s nice to see that you’ve made a friend, X. But maybe next time, you shouldn’t come back looking like a war torn veteran.” Chimed in Doctor Cain as he entered the room. X turned and blushed, looking himself over. Doctor Cain was right; X was a mess compared to what he usually looked like. Zero chuckled, noticing the blush. He was definitely the spitting image of a teenage boy, that was for sure.
“I guess not.”
“Well, as long as you are all right, that’s all that matters. “ Said Cain before turning to Zero. “And I would like to thank you, Zero.”
“Um, for what?”
Cain shrugged "Well, I was shown a video tape of what went on in the sorting hall. And it seems that you were perfectly willing to help X get out of there. So, I thank you.”
Zero smiled and shook his head “Oh, it wasn’t anything great, considering I just got dropped down a hole. Besides,” He added “If I had done a better job, maybe I wouldn’t be suspended for two months.”
“Suspended?”
"Yeah. Commander Sigma suspended me for running off and refusing to explain my actions.” He didn't need to explain. They both knew perfectly well what his reasons were and Zero honestly had no urge to let X in on the secret.
“You do realize that this means you aren’t allowed to to stay here at MHHQ, correct?
Zero froze “I’m what?”
“Not allowed to accommodate a room here while you are suspended.” Cain repeated.
“…Well. FU-” Zero cut himself off, glancing at Cain sheepishly, then sighed “Well, I’m screwed. The first thing I remember is waking up here. I’ve barely left the place since then.”
“Maybe,” X said, looking down at the ground “Maybe you could stay with us until then?” X of course wanted to be able to spend some time with his new found friend. He had very few to begin with.
Cain smiled and nodded “It would be fine with me. What do you say Zero?” Zero considered the proposition for a minute. It wasn’t a bad idea and he was sure that Doctor Cain had some place that he could train at.
“All right. I’ll go get my stuff.”
As Zero walked down the hall toward his quarters, he had to wonder at how things had gone. It almost seemed like Fate had intervened. Maybe it was a good thing he was probably going to spend some time with X. Afterall, if he couldn't remember his past, at least he could learn about the origins of all reploids.
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