Mega Man Fan Fiction ❯ Warmachine ❯ Chapter 9: Encounter in Central City ( Chapter 9 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: VileMK3 
Non Anime: Mega Man Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 10.23.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 7.0K | Visits: 389 | Status: Completed
Non Anime: Mega Man Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 10.23.2010 | Pages: 2 | Words: 7.0K | Visits: 389 | Status: Completed
Chapter 9: Encounter in Central City
“Damnit!” Vile cursed as he slammed his fist into one of the walls of the transfer room.
“Are you alright?” Nana asked timidly as she entered the side room. The Renegade was angry and she knew that wasn’t the best of times to be around him. Vile’s T-shaped visor turned to face her.
“Of course. But we’re right back where we started. That whole trip to South City was pointless!” He shouted aggressively, annoyed at being played for a fool by these “Revenants”.
“Calm down. We might not know a lot about them but at least we have a name for whoever’s trying to stop us from finding out more about your past, and Chief R’s death.” Nana replied as she backed away and returned to her console in the other room of the apartment. Vile narrowed his crimson eye as he followed her.
“Frostbite mentioned you might know more about who they are. Do you?” He questioned, crossing his arms.
Nana nodded calmly as she brought up a few data entries on the Revenants from the Giga City archives. The screen showed several poor quality pictures of Reploids and only Onslaught was easily picked out in one of them due to his size and weaponry. “I don’t know much because not much is known about them in general. What I do know is that they’re a team of elite Reploid mercenaries. There are four of them in all and they’ve been involved in many of the recent conflicts and have turned the tides of many battles to their employer’s favor.” Nana started. Vile walked up to the view screen and leaned forward, one hand gripping the back of Nana’s seat.
“I’m guessing their price tag is rather significant?”
“Naturally. They have a reputation of always finishing their job successfully. It’s safe to assume that their employer has a lot of resources had his disposal to be able to afford their services.” The pink-haired operator replied, her fingers brushing aside her white bang.
“What else can you tell me?”
“Not much. I have lists of known operations they have been involved in but nothing is relative to us and the four members of the team are quite adept at covering their tracks so finding out their identity is impossible.”
“This doesn’t exactly help us. I doubt we can trick them into revealing their location with the false promise of work. They’re professional enough to disappear from the market while on the payroll.” Vile commented as he straightened his back.
“I wouldn’t be so sure. The Revenants usually work alone, but they still prefer to keep administration in the hands of someone else. Someone who allegedly has ties to them is being held captive by the Maverick Hunters for questioning. The Revenants are wanted criminals you see, due to the nature of some of the work they’ve accepted and executed in the past.” Nana explained. She quickly ran a search of news reports of the last two weeks and was pleased at finding results almost instantaneously.
“Rand Jantis was arrested earlier today by a Maverick Hunter unit outside his home in West City and was transferred to Central City’s Detention Facility for questioning…” Vile read aloud. “I think we should pay him a visit.”
“I agree. I’ll start doing some research into the facility’s layout and security detail.” Nana started but she was quickly interrupted by the green-armored Reploid.
“No need. I’m well acquainted with the place. I wasn’t exactly the kind of Hunter who enjoyed following the rulebook.”
“You don’t say…” Nana muttered. She smirked as Vile gave her a slightly angered look, he didn’t exactly appreciate her sarcasm.
“I suggest we use the cover of night, it’ll be hard enough as it is to get in there without broad daylight shouting out your position.” The young operator suggested.
“Fine, but I’m not waiting too long. I have questions that need answering. I’ll recharge and repair in the meantime.” Vile suggested. It annoyed him that he was still restricted in choice of weapons. While most of his systems had been fully repaired by Gaudile, he lacked the ammunition to actually use the weaponry.
~~*~*~~
The hexagonal facility was just like he remembered it. Vile had spent a lot of his time as a hunter incarcerated there among the criminals and Mavericks. He had been charged for misconduct, complete disregard of the rules, the law and his superior’s orders and even the deliberate deaths of innocents just to get to his prey. While he always got the job done there was never enough left of the Maverick to fill an ashtray. The structure towered over the buildings surrounding it and was protected by several turret emplacements that had been set up atop encircling spires. The cold steel reflected the street lights of several Central City highways that ran past it and high, electrified fences served as an additional obstacle to make sure incarcerated criminals had nowhere to run. Each corner of the hexagonal bunker extended upwards into a high, defensive tower outfitted with turrets, sensors, searchlights and several heavily armed Reploid guards. Vile’s crimson eye flashed slightly and narrowed as he glanced from one tower to the next. He had broken out of there once before, but had gotten the assistance of Sigma. This time he needed to break in, unnoticed, and get out in one piece and all of that by his lonesome. The Renegade couldn’t help but grin at the excitement. This was far better than his short-lived mercenary days. Those guards would prove to be at least a bit of a challenge.
“I’m at the target area. How’s deactivating the south section of the security grid coming along?” Vile asked from his crouched position over the structure. He had used his jet boots on a low setting to silently fly up to one of the metal beams connecting two columns that supported a nearby highway.
“Almost done. The grid’s extremely well secured from outside, unauthorized access and has a lot of backup systems. I can’t shut those down so you’ll have a very small window to get in. Think you’ll cross the distance in time?” Nana replied over the comlink.
“You just worry about taking it down. Leave the fancy flying to me.” The Renegade rose up and rolled his shoulders twice to “loosen up” before leaning forward, taking one step forward so he was ready to boost off the beam.
“Alright. Deactivating the grid in one… Two… Three… Now!” Nana exclaimed as she pressed the last key on her console. Instantly a large power failure blacked out the southern side of the facility. The tower in the corner went dark and the laser fences deactivated. Nana had barely uttered that last word when Vile’s boots activated in a powerful thrust that sent him flying towards the structure. Putting his jets in overdrive Vile rushed through each layer of fences and security systems all the way to the outer wall of the actual building. The Ex-Hunter immediately switched off his boots and ran for one of the side entrances that lead into a storage room. Despite the flash of light and trail of flames that his flight spawned the confusion in that sector had diverted the guards’ attention and Vile was pleased to see he hadn’t been noticed. With the lights still down it was easy for the green Reploid to overpower the single, confused Hunter that had been guarding the entrance. Vile had slammed the Reploid’s head into the wall and thrown the body behind a pile of crates after taking whatever credentials or keycards could be found on his body.
“I’m at the side entrance. You said there was a set procedure to unlock it?” Vile asked over the com in his helmet, his white hand cupping the side of his head.
“Yes, I brought up the data already. Enter the code on the card first, then slide it twice, once down, once up.” Nana explained. “It’s vital you do it this way or you’ll set off a warning alarm and a patrol will be sent down if it’s not turned off by then.” The young operator continued.
Vile proceeded as she explained and soon slipped into the detention center just as the backup systems sprung to life, restoring order outside. The incident would increase patrols inside the building too but they’d mostly be on a precautionary level of alert so they were looking for obvious intruders. The Renegade just needed to tread carefully. The T-visored helmet looked left and right as he examined the store room. He was in luck; the entire room was abandoned and filled to the brim with ammunition for the various weapons used by the guards. A quick scan of the metal crates revealed some that contained solid rounds he could use to load his arm-mounted Vulcan guns. In the far back there were even a few long crates of rockets that were used to subdue the larger Mavericks being held captive there.
“Vile? What’s the hold-up?” Nana asked after not hearing from her partner for several minutes.
“Just stocking up on some goodies…” He replied, grinning broadly as he saw the ammo readings inside his helmet go up. He’d stocked up on rockets, solid rounds and grenades. He felt… complete, and like a kid with a new toy he couldn’t wait to blow something up.
“I can’t believe we’re robbing a prison store room…” Nana muttered, her palm holding her forehead as she shook her head slightly.
“Just tell me where to find this ‘Rand’ guy and keep your comments to yourself.” He ordered grumpily.
“Block 3D. Head down the hall and take the elevator up four floors. It’s quickest if you go east from the room you’re in.” Nana answered, ignoring the rude Ex-Hunter’s extra request.
Vile opened the sliding door out the storage room and looked down the hall to check if the coast was clear before moving on. Heading right he walked through the monotone, grey metal hallways until he came to the lift door at the end of one. To his left, on the other side of a glass window, he could see the large hall where prisoners of this detention block could stretch their legs a little. It had tables and some recreational devices and several floors of balconies as well that lead to the rows of cell rooms. Luckily the Renegade’s target was in a protected, isolated cell. Rand was too valuable a captive to leave out there, where he could possibly be killed for knowing too much about the wrong kind of people. The hall was empty right now as the prisoners had all been locked up for the night and security seemed lax. Pressing the elevator button he stepped aside to make sure it was both empty and if it didn’t have a camera installed. He proceeded to press the button for the 4th floor and crossed his arms as he waited. He didn’t like the idea of taking the elevator but it was quicker. He just hoped there was no patrol on the other side of the door when it stopped as he had no immediate place to hide. Soon the lift grinded to a halt and the doors slid open with a soft hiss. The hallway before him was poorly lit and left and right of it were isolation cells. Each cell was surrounded by three solid steel walls and laser bars on the side facing the corridor. There were no Hunters in sight, which instantly struck Vile as odd. The lights were dimmed, the camera’s were… missing and the only active and occupied cell was in the far back, the one Rand supposedly occupied.
“Something wrong?” Nana asked as the Renegade had been standing still just outside the lift for several moments.
“No…” Vile whispered in reply as he cautiously continued. After passing half a dozen cells he reached the only active one and made sure to keep his cannon at the ready. It seemed unnecessary however as the prisoner sat, unarmed, on his bunk bed behind the energy bars.
“Wh-Who’re you?! You’re not a guard!” The Reploid cried out and immediately raised his arms to cover his face in both fear and reflex. “Please don’t kill me, I don’t know anything!”
“Relax, drama queen. I’m not a Revenant hitman.” Vile stated calmly as he deactivated his cannon. The weapon reset to its semi-vertical angle and stopped humming softly.
“But you’re not a hunter either right? What do you want from me?” The scrawny Reploid looked the part he had played within the Revenants. He wasn’t a fighter. The thin, poorly armored Reploid was colored a black and orange, the shirt and cloth parts of his frame being black. His hair was dirty and unruly and seemed to have dulled to an unattractive shade of grey. A set of blue eyes looked up at the helmeted head of Vile.
“Information. About the Revenants. In exchange I might be able to break you out of here.” The Renegade replied, his hand already tapping one of the laser emitters of the cell. The cylinder-shaped devices were attached to the walls, floor and ceiling and projected a thick, purple beam of energy. Touching the beams would result in a violent shock of varying intensity depending on how hard they were struck.
“The Revenants? Give up. A lot of people have tried to catch them, they’ve all failed. And plenty of them looked a lot more challenging than you. It’s best for everyone that you just leave the secrets in the dark and go home.” Rand explained as he looked at the floor briefly.
“I can’t do that. I have lot riding on this and I won’t be stopped by a bunch of arrogant mercs.” Vile grunted. Rand looked up again and sighed before rising to his feet. The ex-hunter immediately noticed a change in his behavior. Rand seemed more confident and his voice was deeper and familiar.
“Trust me. It’s better for you if you back away now.” Rand rephrased as he took a few steps towards the bars.
“I don’t think so.” Vile answered, taking a step back himself before finally realizing what was going on. The Hunter back at West City sounded much like Rand did now, maybe this was the Reploid, but disguised? No sooner had the Renegade realized this when half of Rand’s arm morphed into an ebon plated limb, holding a buster pistol. Reacting quickly, Vile was able to dodge the energy shot only narrowly.
“Damnit! It’s a trap!” He shouted, so Nana knew what was going on.
“I’m detecting an energy spike! That pistol shot set off an alarm!” Nana reported as she looked over the information on the facility she could hack into remotely.
“I’m not leaving until I rip that guy’s head off his neck.” Vile spat angrily as he rose and turned to face Spectrum. The black armored Reploid had shifted to his own body completely by now and his two, yellow colored sabers easily slashed apart the energy emitters. Spectrum walked out into the narrow corridor and narrowed his eyes at his opponent.
“I can’t say I’m disappointed that you decided to press on. This gives me a chance at payback for that cheap shot.” Spectrum stated calmly.
“Cheap shot? Heh… So you were that Hunter back in West City. You must have a Copy Chip installed.” Vile reasoned before grinning beneath his helmet. “What can I say? All’s fair in love and war. And besides, I think we’re even on the cheap tricks level, shapeshifting piece of junk.” The aggressive combat Reploid retorted.
“My name is Spectrum.” The black and green-trimmed Reploid decided not to waste any more time on words and after flourishing his sabers to add force to the declaration of his name and dashed for Vile. The renegade knew he was at a serious disadvantage in that tight corridor as he didn’t have the room he needed to properly dodge those blades. Spectrum was in melee range in an instant and immediately slashed for one of Vile’s arms, hoping to sever it cleanly. The blade hummed as it cut the air and as it missed it slashed the floor, leaving a glowing, red-hot mark where it had hit. Vile arched backwards to dodge a follow-up slash headed for his neck and took the chance to activate the Vulcan guns installed in his fingertips. Vile activated his jet boots and dashed backwards, away from the lethal swordsman. A hailstorm of bullets erupted from Vile’s fingers and threatened to turn Spectrum into a pincushion. None of the rounds were able to get passed Spectrum’s defense however as the ebon Reploid spun his sabers rapidly in front of him. The energy streams acted like a shield and incinerated the bullets in mid-flight. As he kept up this improvised barrier, the copy Reploid continued to approach Vile, one step at a time. The Renegade turned up the heat as he activated his shoulder cannon and added a powerful blast of plasma to the barrage. The discharge of energy collided with Spectrum’s blades however and met the same fate as the Vulcan rounds before it. A small pause in the barrage ensued as Vile had to reload and recharge. He felt the lift door against his back as he had backed away through the hallway as far as he could. Spectrum closed in fast, using his dash boots to rush in the rest of the distance and both his blades lashed out for the ex-hunter. Vile was able to dodge all three of the swordsman’s initial strikes only to groan in pain as his side was kicked hard by Spectrum’s right boot. Vile’s arm wrapped around the limb quickly however and after pulling back his arm he swung his fist for Spectrum’s face. The hard impact of metal-on-metal resounded through the corridor and left the Reploid slightly dizzy. Vile tightened his grip on Spectrum’s leg by adding a second arm and swung him to the side. The black Reploid crashed into the wall but immediately recovered by dashing headfirst for the renegade. A few more precise slashes were only barely avoided by Vile and Spectrum all too gladly exploited an opening in Vile’s guard. Spectrum charged both his sabers and slammed them into the steel floor. The golden shockwave that followed erupted wildly and the explosive knockback swept Vile of his feet. The renegade groaned loudly as he painfully burst through the wall behind him and fell several stories lower, down into the recreation hall he had seen through a window before. One of the iron tables buckled under Vile’s weight as he crashed into it from above. Before he had time to get up Spectrum had already landed over him and Vile was forced to grab hold of his opponent’s wrists to avoid being sliced in half by the descending blades.
The two Reploids kept up the deadlock.
“Y-You’re good… A worthy opponent. Too bad I have to kill you…” Spectrum stated coldly.
“There’s no such thing as a worthy opponent. There’s just me and scrap metal like you.” Vile replied, not sharing the Revenant’s warrior code at all. Vile managed to put his booted right leg up on Spectrum’s chest and with a load roar he lifted the Reploid off of him. A quick blast from his cannon knocked Spectrum back further, his chest armor smoking with a scorch mark. Activating his boots, Vile took to the air once more and continued his barrage. Vulcan rounds, smaller plasma blasts and the occasional missile all came down on Spectrum. The saber wielder didn’t let up however and as soon as he had recovered he began dashing and jumping rapidly, using the tables, chairs and walls to stay one step ahead of the airborne renegade. Spectrum slashed or dodged whatever Vile hurled at him, only the occasional Vulcan bullet glancing off his armor. Wall-kicking upwards Spectrum reached Vile once more, attempting to slash him apart with rapid strikes. Vile remained airborne despite one of the slashes connecting and cutting deep into his shoulder. A kick to the side of his helmet grounded the Renegade but he recovered before slamming into the steel floor below. Spectrum landed swiftly and continued the assault, his sabers flurrying like a yellow hurricane. Vile put his right foot against one of the tables and shoved it with a loud grunt for his opponent. Spectrum easily cut through the piece of furniture only to be met by the Ex-Hunter’s reckless charge.
“I’m going to enjoy ripping you apart piece by piece!” Vile shouted as his right hand glowed with an intense purple light and his dash boots were set to overdrive. The Renegade collided with Spectrum, pushing past the sword wielder’s defense and slamming his glowing right palm into his abdomen. With a savage roar, Vile hurled his opponent across the room and after getting a lock on Spectrum he fired a volley of plasma shots.
“Blast! He doesn’t seem to care about the risks he takes fighting like a berserker!” Spectrum cursed as he had not expected that move from a Reploid who was essential a long to medium range combatant. Before the shots hit, Spectrum vanished in several well-timed dashes, only to reappear on the other side of the room, behind Vile.
“We’re running out of time, so why don’t we finish this?” The ebon Reploid suggested as he gripped his blades more tightly. The yellow energy streams intensified, almost resembling a jet of flames now.
“Whenever you’re ready.” Vile replied, grinning slightly as he began gathering energy. His shoulder cannon tilted downwards to take aim while it charged.
Neither Reploids could unleash their attack however as a familiar voice interrupted them.
“You two aren’t finishing anything! You’re under arrest for breaking into a Hunter facility.” The young voice had a cocky tone and came from the hunter’s latest A-class addition: Axl. The black and red Reploid was young but had prowess and talent surpassing his years and experience. A cross-shaped scar on his face and light brown unruly hair pinned up by his helmet gave him a unique appearance and the young hunter had a handgun aimed at each of the two intruders.
“The boy. Don’t you have to get your diapers cleaned? Get lost before I add you to my kill count.” Vile threatened as he was not in the mood for more interruptions.
“Not if I can help it Vile.” Yet another familiar face joined the fray as Spectrum was forced to bring both his blades up to block a slash from a green saber, the Z-saber. The bright red and gold SA-Class hunter Zero had arrived and after having his attack deflected he jumped back, landing a few feet away from his fellow swordsman, his very long, blonde ponytail trailing behind the motion.
“Zero and Axl? What are they doing here?” Nana asked.
“Instead of risking the lives of a lot of good hunters and guards, Central Command decided to send in the cavalry.” Axl stated, as if answering Nana’s question despite not having heard the transmission.
“An all-out brawl isn’t exactly the stealthiest way to stalk through a high security facility. But it’s not like I expect something complicated from a Maverick brute like you Vile.” Zero insulted, his eyes narrowed angrily at the Renegade.
“Humph, this is a little more than originally bargained for…” Spectrum whispered before activating his dash boots in the hopes of retreating for now. Zero easily intercepted the Reploid however and forced him to defend himself against several vicious and precise slashes from the Z-Saber. Spectrum grunted as he blocked the saber strikes, both his yellow sabers flashes brightly as they connected with the bright green Z-Saber.
“You’re good. This might be interesting after all.” Zero commented as he tried to push the ebon Reploid back to free his sword.
“You’re mine, boy!” Vile threatened as he activated his jet boots and charged for Axl. The young Reploid grinned cockily and also took flight. Dashing to the side he opened fire with both his handguns, aiming his shots for Vile’s boots that kept the dangerous Renegade in the air. Vile kicked into overdrive to avoid getting hit and after pushing off the wall behind where Axl had been standing he changed his course to head straight for the flying hunter. His shoulder cannon fired several plasma shots which served only as a diversion to get closer. Axl was forced to focus on dodging the lethal blasts, noticing Vile’s approach too late. His throat gripped shut tightly, Axl tried to react by firing at point blank range but was pre-empted by his opponent. A few powerful punches to the hunter’s face left him a bit dazzled and as Vile threw Axl to the floor below he fired two cluster missiles down to hopefully finish the job quickly. The subsequent explosion whipped up a barrier of dust and debris, hiding whatever remained of the young hunter from Vile’s eyes.
“That… Was a little too easy.” He commented, crossing his arms as he waited for the dust to clear. Axl struck first however. The missiles had missed as the hunter had recovered in time to clear out of the blast zone. Axl dashed for the northern face of the hall and easily scaled the wall by kicking off its surface and flying the rest of the way.
“I haven’t forgotten what you did to those Reploids on the Orbital Elevator, Vile! You still have to pay for your crimes!” Axl shouted, aiming both his guns.
“And you think you have what it takes to bring me in huh? You’re like an arrogant, louder and smaller X. Didn’t think I’d actually meet someone more annoying.” Vile mocked, laughing as he didn’t even uncross his arms.
“You’re going to wish you took me seriously, Maverick.” Wasting no more words and time, Axl fired several shots while boosting to his right, trying to circle around the green Reploid. Vile retaliated by flying higher and returned fire with the vulcans installed into his fingertips. The spray of bullets chased Axl as the young hunter picked up speed, only slowing down to fire the occasional, distract and interrupting shot from one of his handguns. Vile continued to focus on trying to hit the circling hunter and failed to notice in time that he had been cornered against the ceiling. Seeing his chance, Axl barrel-rolled in mid-air and pushed off against a wall to give him some extra momentum. He boosted right past Vile and before the Renegade could react he opened fire, pelting Vile’s back with a hailstorm of energy shots. Vile groaned in pain as the knockback from each hit forced him against the wall in front of him. He wasn’t about to be outdone by an upstart and reached for his right knee. Retrieving one of his grenades, he angled his cannon 180° backwards so it faced Axl once again. The young hunter gasped in surprise when he saw the weapon firing at him while Vile’s back was turned.
“I didn’t know he could do that!” He exclaimed after narrowly dodging the blast, he had been distracting by his own attack after all.
“You should keep your eyes peeled at all times; don’t they teach you that in kindergarten?” Vile stated as he turned the tides back in his favor and threw the explosive at the distracted hunter. The large explosion and resulting shrapnel damaged Axl enough to even knock out one of his boots, sending him crashing into a table below.
“Axl!” Zero exclaimed, worried for his colleague’s safety. The crimson Reploid was preoccupied with Spectrum however, who proved skillful enough with his sabers to cause some problems for Zero. Zero ducked under a slash aimed for his neck and saw several strands of his blonde hair drop to the floor from the narrow miss. He retaliated by striking for Spectrum’s waist. Both hunters continued to match one another slash-by-slash. The yellow and green energy trails from their strikes and the red and black hazes of their rapid moving bodies was almost beautiful to watch, if one were to forget that it was a matter of life and death. Spectrum back-flipped over the width of one of the long recreational tables in the hall and placed his booted leg against the side. With a deep groan he pushed the piece of furniture away hard, sending it flying for Zero, who was in hot pursuit. The Z-Saber easily sliced it in half, doing away with two chairs hurled for its wielder in the same manner. Reacting rapidly, Spectrum brought both his sabers together, letting their energy streams mix briefly before ripping them apart again in a scissor-like horizontal strike. The result was three crescent waves being fired at the approaching Special A-class hunter. Zero had expected some form of ranged attack to stop his charge so he was able to react with time to spare. The experienced Reploid dashed very low, his body barely an inch above the ground and almost entirely leveled horizontally, and let the waves pass overhead. A precise slash for Spectrum’s waist marked the first hit in the entire duel. The ebon Reploid grunted as he took a step back, holding his injured side where a deep gash crackled with electricity from the direct hit. Zero didn’t let up but his next slash was met with a skillful parry and a powerful upward kick to his jaw that sent him reeling back.
“I didn’t come here to brawl with hunters.” Spectrum commented as he deactivated one of his sabers and returned it to the safety of his belt.
“You should have thought of that before breaking in here and killing a convicted prisoner.” Zero retorted as soon as he regained his balance.
“He was a dead man the moment he got caught. He knew the risks.” Spectrum narrowed his eyes slightly as he seemed to realize something. “I’ve wasted far too much time here. I look forward to continuing this some other time, hunter.”
“Where do you think you’r-“ Zero was unable to finish his sentence as the shape shifting Reploid threw a flash grenade on the floor in front of him. The bright explosion blinded Zero and forced Vile to cover his eyes as well. Spectrum wasted no time in using the distraction to make his escape. Jumping up to the ceiling of the massive hall effortlessly, he sliced through the panels, vanishing through the corridors of an upper level. By the time the light subsided, there was no sign of the assailant.
Vile turned his attention back to Axl who was struggling to get up from the debris of the steel table his fall had crushed. Both his handguns had slid from his grasp, but one had fallen close by. However, before he could reach the weapon he cried out in pain as one of Vile’s booted legs came down on his chest hard. The Renegade applied a lot more pressure than was needed to just keep the young hunter down.
“You’re just like the rest. Weak. You people should know by now that anyone who gets in my way I deal with, quite permanently.” Vile gripped his shoulder cannon and angled it down at Axl’s head. “You’re not the first hunter I kill… And you won’t be the last.” He spoke. Axl closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable end but when the shot came, he didn’t feel anything. Opening his eyes he could see Vile clutching the hand that had been gripping his cannon.
“Stand down Vile. You’ve had your fun at the expense of others once again. Come quietly and it won’t have to end like it has before.” The voice came from the other side of the hall where the large front door had opened. A full unit of Maverick Hunters had entered the room accompanied by a Reploid Vile knew all too well.
“X!” Axl cried out with a wide smile.
“X…” Vile repeated, though his voice was only filled with hatred.
“Do as he says Vile. Despite how happy it would make me to cut you down, my orders are to bring you in alive.” Zero added as he too approached the Renegade cautiously, the point of his saber aimed for Vile, the energy stream humming softly.
*If it had just been Zero I might have stood a chance, at least of injuring him enough to get out. But…* Vile didn’t like his odds. A whole unit of Hunters, armed to the teeth, a very angry saber-wielder and a charged Buster aimed for his head. There was no real cover in the room and his back was still heavily damaged from Axl’s shots before, compromising his stability when flying. The only thing that was missing was a collective jam of all his weapons and he could write ‘tough luck’ on his tombstone.
“Vile! Duck!” He didn’t know why but the instant he heard the order, Vile jumped away, pressing his back to the floor.
The alarms began sounding across the compound and the lights dimmed to a dark red. The change in lighting and the deafening sound of the sirens resulted in chaos sweeping through the room and none of the hunters noticed the defense systems activating. Panels all across the ceiling and just above doorways opened up and sentry turrets slid out from the openings. Other panels on the floor opened up to spew forth small spider-like Mechaniloids that began to swarm the Reploids present in the room.
“Quick Vile, you have to get out of there while they’re distracted. I hacked into the security systems but they’ll override me in a matter of seconds.” Nana explained.
“You what?” Vile asked, slowly standing up and still confused, just like the others. The turrets began firing bolts of paralyzing energy at the hunter unit, blasts that were normally used to restrain prisoners when things got out of hand. The Mechaniloids rushed across the steel floor, their jagged, insect-like legs producing the same paralyzing shocks as the turrets.
The Renegade cast his eyes upwards, hoping to locate whatever means Spectrum had used to escape and he was pleased to find the hole in the ceiling. Activating his boots he flew up as fast as he could, dodging the turrets who had stopped discriminating between friend and foe. Spectrum had left a trail of sliced panels in his wake as the dangerous Reploid had literally cut himself a path through the upper levels of the facility before finally breaking through a steel-barred window. Following the ebon Reploids example, Vile burst through the window, flying as fast as he could despite his loss of balance.
“You need to get clear of the base’s perimeter before I can even attempt to transfer you back here, hurry.” Nana warned as she continued to input commands, prepping the transfer room behind her for one incoming Reploid. She bit her lower lip as a red light flashed in the corner of her eyes. Her little trick had held out longer than she had had thought it would but now the automated systems were back under hunter control and everything now turned to aim at a single target: Vile.
Hunters stationed outside the structure were quickly warned of the coming Maverick and they opened fire the moment he came into range. Missiles, buster shots and powerful laser beams were all directed at the Renegade who had to pull the fanciest flying maneuvers of his entire life to prevent being vaporized in an instant. He used his cannon to shoot down any missiles that got too close for comfort and the occasional grenade helped in forcing Hunters down below to take cover.
It seemed to take forever to cross the same threshold he had just an hour ago to get into the building but the large pillars of the neighboring highway approached quickly. He would be able to shake most projectiles by taking cover behind the massive concrete and steel constructions. The hunters would refrain from firing at what was the only thing keeping the massive roads aloft. Vile was shaken hard when a surface-to-air missile exploded close to him and he lost control of his own flight. Twisting and turning violently in mid-air he began a nose dive back down to the ground.
“Not like this! So damn close!” Vile exclaimed as he tried to stabilize his descent. Using charged shots from his cannon he managed to slow down but the blast had temporarily knocked out his control over his boots so he was unable to use them to regain control of his flight path. The Renegade covered his head with his arms and curled up as he saw the ground rapidly approaching, though in this case bracing for impact would prove futile.
~~*~*~~
The massive impact never came, or rather it had become a light thump of his behind dropping on a glass-like surface. As he lowered his arms and his single red eye flashed back to life he found himself in the dimly lit transfer room Nana had commandeered. Slowly he rose to his feet, unsure of what had happened.
The door into the room slid open and the pink-haired female Reploid stepped through the opening. “Are you alright?” she asked with genuine concern.
“I think so. What happened?” Vile asked, still more than a little confused.
“I saw you weren’t going to make it, so the moment you got out of their jamming range I transferred you…” Nana clarified as she took out a small scanning device and let it remotely diagnose Vile’s body. A positive bleep from the machine meant he seemed to check out in general.
“You mean you transferred me while I was moving at that speed?!” Vile asked angrily. “You could have killed me! I could be standing here with an arm in place of my head and a garbage can instead of legs!” he shouted.
“Hey! I know it was a risk but it was either do it or let the floor turn you into nuts and bolts spread over a wide area! You should be happy! You’re the first ever Reploid to survive a high-speed moving transfer. And I’m the first operator to pull it off.” Nana rebutted, with an all-too-obvious proud tone in her voice, though it was mixed with an equal degree of anger.
Vile tried to formulate a reply but in his first few tries he didn’t manage to get past the second letter. “Y-You’re insane!” He finally stuttered.
“That’s rich, coming from you.” She replied as she turned on her heels.
“If you ever try anything like that again, I’ll-“
“You’ll what?”
Vile gritted his teeth underneath the helmet. “Gah, never mind.” He stated grumpily as he walked past Nana and into the side room to check out the damage done to his body.
Nana huffed as she sat down in her rotating chair in front of the terminal and pouted for a while before realizing there were questions that still needed answering. “You weren’t able to learn anything from the prisoner were you? Or from this ‘Spectrum’ anyway.”
“No, nothing. It was all a setup. Again.” Vile replied.
“Someone ‘really’ doesn’t want us investigating this. What are they hiding that they hire a unit like the Revenants and that they risk complete exposure by acting so boldly in a Maverick Hunter controlled prison?” Nana sighed as she began to lose hope that she’d ever find her answers. They were all fresh out of leads and the longer she stuck with Vile the more danger she seemed to get in. She didn’t trust the Renegade as far as she could throw him, he could turn on her at any time. Just like he had told Axl, he’d killed hunters before and he’d do so again. Why wouldn’t he add another operator or two to that list? They’d need a breakthrough soon or this fragile partnership wasn’t going to last nor end well.
“Damnit!” Vile cursed as he slammed his fist into one of the walls of the transfer room.
“Are you alright?” Nana asked timidly as she entered the side room. The Renegade was angry and she knew that wasn’t the best of times to be around him. Vile’s T-shaped visor turned to face her.
“Of course. But we’re right back where we started. That whole trip to South City was pointless!” He shouted aggressively, annoyed at being played for a fool by these “Revenants”.
“Calm down. We might not know a lot about them but at least we have a name for whoever’s trying to stop us from finding out more about your past, and Chief R’s death.” Nana replied as she backed away and returned to her console in the other room of the apartment. Vile narrowed his crimson eye as he followed her.
“Frostbite mentioned you might know more about who they are. Do you?” He questioned, crossing his arms.
Nana nodded calmly as she brought up a few data entries on the Revenants from the Giga City archives. The screen showed several poor quality pictures of Reploids and only Onslaught was easily picked out in one of them due to his size and weaponry. “I don’t know much because not much is known about them in general. What I do know is that they’re a team of elite Reploid mercenaries. There are four of them in all and they’ve been involved in many of the recent conflicts and have turned the tides of many battles to their employer’s favor.” Nana started. Vile walked up to the view screen and leaned forward, one hand gripping the back of Nana’s seat.
“I’m guessing their price tag is rather significant?”
“Naturally. They have a reputation of always finishing their job successfully. It’s safe to assume that their employer has a lot of resources had his disposal to be able to afford their services.” The pink-haired operator replied, her fingers brushing aside her white bang.
“What else can you tell me?”
“Not much. I have lists of known operations they have been involved in but nothing is relative to us and the four members of the team are quite adept at covering their tracks so finding out their identity is impossible.”
“This doesn’t exactly help us. I doubt we can trick them into revealing their location with the false promise of work. They’re professional enough to disappear from the market while on the payroll.” Vile commented as he straightened his back.
“I wouldn’t be so sure. The Revenants usually work alone, but they still prefer to keep administration in the hands of someone else. Someone who allegedly has ties to them is being held captive by the Maverick Hunters for questioning. The Revenants are wanted criminals you see, due to the nature of some of the work they’ve accepted and executed in the past.” Nana explained. She quickly ran a search of news reports of the last two weeks and was pleased at finding results almost instantaneously.
“Rand Jantis was arrested earlier today by a Maverick Hunter unit outside his home in West City and was transferred to Central City’s Detention Facility for questioning…” Vile read aloud. “I think we should pay him a visit.”
“I agree. I’ll start doing some research into the facility’s layout and security detail.” Nana started but she was quickly interrupted by the green-armored Reploid.
“No need. I’m well acquainted with the place. I wasn’t exactly the kind of Hunter who enjoyed following the rulebook.”
“You don’t say…” Nana muttered. She smirked as Vile gave her a slightly angered look, he didn’t exactly appreciate her sarcasm.
“I suggest we use the cover of night, it’ll be hard enough as it is to get in there without broad daylight shouting out your position.” The young operator suggested.
“Fine, but I’m not waiting too long. I have questions that need answering. I’ll recharge and repair in the meantime.” Vile suggested. It annoyed him that he was still restricted in choice of weapons. While most of his systems had been fully repaired by Gaudile, he lacked the ammunition to actually use the weaponry.
~~*~*~~
The hexagonal facility was just like he remembered it. Vile had spent a lot of his time as a hunter incarcerated there among the criminals and Mavericks. He had been charged for misconduct, complete disregard of the rules, the law and his superior’s orders and even the deliberate deaths of innocents just to get to his prey. While he always got the job done there was never enough left of the Maverick to fill an ashtray. The structure towered over the buildings surrounding it and was protected by several turret emplacements that had been set up atop encircling spires. The cold steel reflected the street lights of several Central City highways that ran past it and high, electrified fences served as an additional obstacle to make sure incarcerated criminals had nowhere to run. Each corner of the hexagonal bunker extended upwards into a high, defensive tower outfitted with turrets, sensors, searchlights and several heavily armed Reploid guards. Vile’s crimson eye flashed slightly and narrowed as he glanced from one tower to the next. He had broken out of there once before, but had gotten the assistance of Sigma. This time he needed to break in, unnoticed, and get out in one piece and all of that by his lonesome. The Renegade couldn’t help but grin at the excitement. This was far better than his short-lived mercenary days. Those guards would prove to be at least a bit of a challenge.
“I’m at the target area. How’s deactivating the south section of the security grid coming along?” Vile asked from his crouched position over the structure. He had used his jet boots on a low setting to silently fly up to one of the metal beams connecting two columns that supported a nearby highway.
“Almost done. The grid’s extremely well secured from outside, unauthorized access and has a lot of backup systems. I can’t shut those down so you’ll have a very small window to get in. Think you’ll cross the distance in time?” Nana replied over the comlink.
“You just worry about taking it down. Leave the fancy flying to me.” The Renegade rose up and rolled his shoulders twice to “loosen up” before leaning forward, taking one step forward so he was ready to boost off the beam.
“Alright. Deactivating the grid in one… Two… Three… Now!” Nana exclaimed as she pressed the last key on her console. Instantly a large power failure blacked out the southern side of the facility. The tower in the corner went dark and the laser fences deactivated. Nana had barely uttered that last word when Vile’s boots activated in a powerful thrust that sent him flying towards the structure. Putting his jets in overdrive Vile rushed through each layer of fences and security systems all the way to the outer wall of the actual building. The Ex-Hunter immediately switched off his boots and ran for one of the side entrances that lead into a storage room. Despite the flash of light and trail of flames that his flight spawned the confusion in that sector had diverted the guards’ attention and Vile was pleased to see he hadn’t been noticed. With the lights still down it was easy for the green Reploid to overpower the single, confused Hunter that had been guarding the entrance. Vile had slammed the Reploid’s head into the wall and thrown the body behind a pile of crates after taking whatever credentials or keycards could be found on his body.
“I’m at the side entrance. You said there was a set procedure to unlock it?” Vile asked over the com in his helmet, his white hand cupping the side of his head.
“Yes, I brought up the data already. Enter the code on the card first, then slide it twice, once down, once up.” Nana explained. “It’s vital you do it this way or you’ll set off a warning alarm and a patrol will be sent down if it’s not turned off by then.” The young operator continued.
Vile proceeded as she explained and soon slipped into the detention center just as the backup systems sprung to life, restoring order outside. The incident would increase patrols inside the building too but they’d mostly be on a precautionary level of alert so they were looking for obvious intruders. The Renegade just needed to tread carefully. The T-visored helmet looked left and right as he examined the store room. He was in luck; the entire room was abandoned and filled to the brim with ammunition for the various weapons used by the guards. A quick scan of the metal crates revealed some that contained solid rounds he could use to load his arm-mounted Vulcan guns. In the far back there were even a few long crates of rockets that were used to subdue the larger Mavericks being held captive there.
“Vile? What’s the hold-up?” Nana asked after not hearing from her partner for several minutes.
“Just stocking up on some goodies…” He replied, grinning broadly as he saw the ammo readings inside his helmet go up. He’d stocked up on rockets, solid rounds and grenades. He felt… complete, and like a kid with a new toy he couldn’t wait to blow something up.
“I can’t believe we’re robbing a prison store room…” Nana muttered, her palm holding her forehead as she shook her head slightly.
“Just tell me where to find this ‘Rand’ guy and keep your comments to yourself.” He ordered grumpily.
“Block 3D. Head down the hall and take the elevator up four floors. It’s quickest if you go east from the room you’re in.” Nana answered, ignoring the rude Ex-Hunter’s extra request.
Vile opened the sliding door out the storage room and looked down the hall to check if the coast was clear before moving on. Heading right he walked through the monotone, grey metal hallways until he came to the lift door at the end of one. To his left, on the other side of a glass window, he could see the large hall where prisoners of this detention block could stretch their legs a little. It had tables and some recreational devices and several floors of balconies as well that lead to the rows of cell rooms. Luckily the Renegade’s target was in a protected, isolated cell. Rand was too valuable a captive to leave out there, where he could possibly be killed for knowing too much about the wrong kind of people. The hall was empty right now as the prisoners had all been locked up for the night and security seemed lax. Pressing the elevator button he stepped aside to make sure it was both empty and if it didn’t have a camera installed. He proceeded to press the button for the 4th floor and crossed his arms as he waited. He didn’t like the idea of taking the elevator but it was quicker. He just hoped there was no patrol on the other side of the door when it stopped as he had no immediate place to hide. Soon the lift grinded to a halt and the doors slid open with a soft hiss. The hallway before him was poorly lit and left and right of it were isolation cells. Each cell was surrounded by three solid steel walls and laser bars on the side facing the corridor. There were no Hunters in sight, which instantly struck Vile as odd. The lights were dimmed, the camera’s were… missing and the only active and occupied cell was in the far back, the one Rand supposedly occupied.
“Something wrong?” Nana asked as the Renegade had been standing still just outside the lift for several moments.
“No…” Vile whispered in reply as he cautiously continued. After passing half a dozen cells he reached the only active one and made sure to keep his cannon at the ready. It seemed unnecessary however as the prisoner sat, unarmed, on his bunk bed behind the energy bars.
“Wh-Who’re you?! You’re not a guard!” The Reploid cried out and immediately raised his arms to cover his face in both fear and reflex. “Please don’t kill me, I don’t know anything!”
“Relax, drama queen. I’m not a Revenant hitman.” Vile stated calmly as he deactivated his cannon. The weapon reset to its semi-vertical angle and stopped humming softly.
“But you’re not a hunter either right? What do you want from me?” The scrawny Reploid looked the part he had played within the Revenants. He wasn’t a fighter. The thin, poorly armored Reploid was colored a black and orange, the shirt and cloth parts of his frame being black. His hair was dirty and unruly and seemed to have dulled to an unattractive shade of grey. A set of blue eyes looked up at the helmeted head of Vile.
“Information. About the Revenants. In exchange I might be able to break you out of here.” The Renegade replied, his hand already tapping one of the laser emitters of the cell. The cylinder-shaped devices were attached to the walls, floor and ceiling and projected a thick, purple beam of energy. Touching the beams would result in a violent shock of varying intensity depending on how hard they were struck.
“The Revenants? Give up. A lot of people have tried to catch them, they’ve all failed. And plenty of them looked a lot more challenging than you. It’s best for everyone that you just leave the secrets in the dark and go home.” Rand explained as he looked at the floor briefly.
“I can’t do that. I have lot riding on this and I won’t be stopped by a bunch of arrogant mercs.” Vile grunted. Rand looked up again and sighed before rising to his feet. The ex-hunter immediately noticed a change in his behavior. Rand seemed more confident and his voice was deeper and familiar.
“Trust me. It’s better for you if you back away now.” Rand rephrased as he took a few steps towards the bars.
“I don’t think so.” Vile answered, taking a step back himself before finally realizing what was going on. The Hunter back at West City sounded much like Rand did now, maybe this was the Reploid, but disguised? No sooner had the Renegade realized this when half of Rand’s arm morphed into an ebon plated limb, holding a buster pistol. Reacting quickly, Vile was able to dodge the energy shot only narrowly.
“Damnit! It’s a trap!” He shouted, so Nana knew what was going on.
“I’m detecting an energy spike! That pistol shot set off an alarm!” Nana reported as she looked over the information on the facility she could hack into remotely.
“I’m not leaving until I rip that guy’s head off his neck.” Vile spat angrily as he rose and turned to face Spectrum. The black armored Reploid had shifted to his own body completely by now and his two, yellow colored sabers easily slashed apart the energy emitters. Spectrum walked out into the narrow corridor and narrowed his eyes at his opponent.
“I can’t say I’m disappointed that you decided to press on. This gives me a chance at payback for that cheap shot.” Spectrum stated calmly.
“Cheap shot? Heh… So you were that Hunter back in West City. You must have a Copy Chip installed.” Vile reasoned before grinning beneath his helmet. “What can I say? All’s fair in love and war. And besides, I think we’re even on the cheap tricks level, shapeshifting piece of junk.” The aggressive combat Reploid retorted.
“My name is Spectrum.” The black and green-trimmed Reploid decided not to waste any more time on words and after flourishing his sabers to add force to the declaration of his name and dashed for Vile. The renegade knew he was at a serious disadvantage in that tight corridor as he didn’t have the room he needed to properly dodge those blades. Spectrum was in melee range in an instant and immediately slashed for one of Vile’s arms, hoping to sever it cleanly. The blade hummed as it cut the air and as it missed it slashed the floor, leaving a glowing, red-hot mark where it had hit. Vile arched backwards to dodge a follow-up slash headed for his neck and took the chance to activate the Vulcan guns installed in his fingertips. Vile activated his jet boots and dashed backwards, away from the lethal swordsman. A hailstorm of bullets erupted from Vile’s fingers and threatened to turn Spectrum into a pincushion. None of the rounds were able to get passed Spectrum’s defense however as the ebon Reploid spun his sabers rapidly in front of him. The energy streams acted like a shield and incinerated the bullets in mid-flight. As he kept up this improvised barrier, the copy Reploid continued to approach Vile, one step at a time. The Renegade turned up the heat as he activated his shoulder cannon and added a powerful blast of plasma to the barrage. The discharge of energy collided with Spectrum’s blades however and met the same fate as the Vulcan rounds before it. A small pause in the barrage ensued as Vile had to reload and recharge. He felt the lift door against his back as he had backed away through the hallway as far as he could. Spectrum closed in fast, using his dash boots to rush in the rest of the distance and both his blades lashed out for the ex-hunter. Vile was able to dodge all three of the swordsman’s initial strikes only to groan in pain as his side was kicked hard by Spectrum’s right boot. Vile’s arm wrapped around the limb quickly however and after pulling back his arm he swung his fist for Spectrum’s face. The hard impact of metal-on-metal resounded through the corridor and left the Reploid slightly dizzy. Vile tightened his grip on Spectrum’s leg by adding a second arm and swung him to the side. The black Reploid crashed into the wall but immediately recovered by dashing headfirst for the renegade. A few more precise slashes were only barely avoided by Vile and Spectrum all too gladly exploited an opening in Vile’s guard. Spectrum charged both his sabers and slammed them into the steel floor. The golden shockwave that followed erupted wildly and the explosive knockback swept Vile of his feet. The renegade groaned loudly as he painfully burst through the wall behind him and fell several stories lower, down into the recreation hall he had seen through a window before. One of the iron tables buckled under Vile’s weight as he crashed into it from above. Before he had time to get up Spectrum had already landed over him and Vile was forced to grab hold of his opponent’s wrists to avoid being sliced in half by the descending blades.
The two Reploids kept up the deadlock.
“Y-You’re good… A worthy opponent. Too bad I have to kill you…” Spectrum stated coldly.
“There’s no such thing as a worthy opponent. There’s just me and scrap metal like you.” Vile replied, not sharing the Revenant’s warrior code at all. Vile managed to put his booted right leg up on Spectrum’s chest and with a load roar he lifted the Reploid off of him. A quick blast from his cannon knocked Spectrum back further, his chest armor smoking with a scorch mark. Activating his boots, Vile took to the air once more and continued his barrage. Vulcan rounds, smaller plasma blasts and the occasional missile all came down on Spectrum. The saber wielder didn’t let up however and as soon as he had recovered he began dashing and jumping rapidly, using the tables, chairs and walls to stay one step ahead of the airborne renegade. Spectrum slashed or dodged whatever Vile hurled at him, only the occasional Vulcan bullet glancing off his armor. Wall-kicking upwards Spectrum reached Vile once more, attempting to slash him apart with rapid strikes. Vile remained airborne despite one of the slashes connecting and cutting deep into his shoulder. A kick to the side of his helmet grounded the Renegade but he recovered before slamming into the steel floor below. Spectrum landed swiftly and continued the assault, his sabers flurrying like a yellow hurricane. Vile put his right foot against one of the tables and shoved it with a loud grunt for his opponent. Spectrum easily cut through the piece of furniture only to be met by the Ex-Hunter’s reckless charge.
“I’m going to enjoy ripping you apart piece by piece!” Vile shouted as his right hand glowed with an intense purple light and his dash boots were set to overdrive. The Renegade collided with Spectrum, pushing past the sword wielder’s defense and slamming his glowing right palm into his abdomen. With a savage roar, Vile hurled his opponent across the room and after getting a lock on Spectrum he fired a volley of plasma shots.
“Blast! He doesn’t seem to care about the risks he takes fighting like a berserker!” Spectrum cursed as he had not expected that move from a Reploid who was essential a long to medium range combatant. Before the shots hit, Spectrum vanished in several well-timed dashes, only to reappear on the other side of the room, behind Vile.
“We’re running out of time, so why don’t we finish this?” The ebon Reploid suggested as he gripped his blades more tightly. The yellow energy streams intensified, almost resembling a jet of flames now.
“Whenever you’re ready.” Vile replied, grinning slightly as he began gathering energy. His shoulder cannon tilted downwards to take aim while it charged.
Neither Reploids could unleash their attack however as a familiar voice interrupted them.
“You two aren’t finishing anything! You’re under arrest for breaking into a Hunter facility.” The young voice had a cocky tone and came from the hunter’s latest A-class addition: Axl. The black and red Reploid was young but had prowess and talent surpassing his years and experience. A cross-shaped scar on his face and light brown unruly hair pinned up by his helmet gave him a unique appearance and the young hunter had a handgun aimed at each of the two intruders.
“The boy. Don’t you have to get your diapers cleaned? Get lost before I add you to my kill count.” Vile threatened as he was not in the mood for more interruptions.
“Not if I can help it Vile.” Yet another familiar face joined the fray as Spectrum was forced to bring both his blades up to block a slash from a green saber, the Z-saber. The bright red and gold SA-Class hunter Zero had arrived and after having his attack deflected he jumped back, landing a few feet away from his fellow swordsman, his very long, blonde ponytail trailing behind the motion.
“Zero and Axl? What are they doing here?” Nana asked.
“Instead of risking the lives of a lot of good hunters and guards, Central Command decided to send in the cavalry.” Axl stated, as if answering Nana’s question despite not having heard the transmission.
“An all-out brawl isn’t exactly the stealthiest way to stalk through a high security facility. But it’s not like I expect something complicated from a Maverick brute like you Vile.” Zero insulted, his eyes narrowed angrily at the Renegade.
“Humph, this is a little more than originally bargained for…” Spectrum whispered before activating his dash boots in the hopes of retreating for now. Zero easily intercepted the Reploid however and forced him to defend himself against several vicious and precise slashes from the Z-Saber. Spectrum grunted as he blocked the saber strikes, both his yellow sabers flashes brightly as they connected with the bright green Z-Saber.
“You’re good. This might be interesting after all.” Zero commented as he tried to push the ebon Reploid back to free his sword.
“You’re mine, boy!” Vile threatened as he activated his jet boots and charged for Axl. The young Reploid grinned cockily and also took flight. Dashing to the side he opened fire with both his handguns, aiming his shots for Vile’s boots that kept the dangerous Renegade in the air. Vile kicked into overdrive to avoid getting hit and after pushing off the wall behind where Axl had been standing he changed his course to head straight for the flying hunter. His shoulder cannon fired several plasma shots which served only as a diversion to get closer. Axl was forced to focus on dodging the lethal blasts, noticing Vile’s approach too late. His throat gripped shut tightly, Axl tried to react by firing at point blank range but was pre-empted by his opponent. A few powerful punches to the hunter’s face left him a bit dazzled and as Vile threw Axl to the floor below he fired two cluster missiles down to hopefully finish the job quickly. The subsequent explosion whipped up a barrier of dust and debris, hiding whatever remained of the young hunter from Vile’s eyes.
“That… Was a little too easy.” He commented, crossing his arms as he waited for the dust to clear. Axl struck first however. The missiles had missed as the hunter had recovered in time to clear out of the blast zone. Axl dashed for the northern face of the hall and easily scaled the wall by kicking off its surface and flying the rest of the way.
“I haven’t forgotten what you did to those Reploids on the Orbital Elevator, Vile! You still have to pay for your crimes!” Axl shouted, aiming both his guns.
“And you think you have what it takes to bring me in huh? You’re like an arrogant, louder and smaller X. Didn’t think I’d actually meet someone more annoying.” Vile mocked, laughing as he didn’t even uncross his arms.
“You’re going to wish you took me seriously, Maverick.” Wasting no more words and time, Axl fired several shots while boosting to his right, trying to circle around the green Reploid. Vile retaliated by flying higher and returned fire with the vulcans installed into his fingertips. The spray of bullets chased Axl as the young hunter picked up speed, only slowing down to fire the occasional, distract and interrupting shot from one of his handguns. Vile continued to focus on trying to hit the circling hunter and failed to notice in time that he had been cornered against the ceiling. Seeing his chance, Axl barrel-rolled in mid-air and pushed off against a wall to give him some extra momentum. He boosted right past Vile and before the Renegade could react he opened fire, pelting Vile’s back with a hailstorm of energy shots. Vile groaned in pain as the knockback from each hit forced him against the wall in front of him. He wasn’t about to be outdone by an upstart and reached for his right knee. Retrieving one of his grenades, he angled his cannon 180° backwards so it faced Axl once again. The young hunter gasped in surprise when he saw the weapon firing at him while Vile’s back was turned.
“I didn’t know he could do that!” He exclaimed after narrowly dodging the blast, he had been distracting by his own attack after all.
“You should keep your eyes peeled at all times; don’t they teach you that in kindergarten?” Vile stated as he turned the tides back in his favor and threw the explosive at the distracted hunter. The large explosion and resulting shrapnel damaged Axl enough to even knock out one of his boots, sending him crashing into a table below.
“Axl!” Zero exclaimed, worried for his colleague’s safety. The crimson Reploid was preoccupied with Spectrum however, who proved skillful enough with his sabers to cause some problems for Zero. Zero ducked under a slash aimed for his neck and saw several strands of his blonde hair drop to the floor from the narrow miss. He retaliated by striking for Spectrum’s waist. Both hunters continued to match one another slash-by-slash. The yellow and green energy trails from their strikes and the red and black hazes of their rapid moving bodies was almost beautiful to watch, if one were to forget that it was a matter of life and death. Spectrum back-flipped over the width of one of the long recreational tables in the hall and placed his booted leg against the side. With a deep groan he pushed the piece of furniture away hard, sending it flying for Zero, who was in hot pursuit. The Z-Saber easily sliced it in half, doing away with two chairs hurled for its wielder in the same manner. Reacting rapidly, Spectrum brought both his sabers together, letting their energy streams mix briefly before ripping them apart again in a scissor-like horizontal strike. The result was three crescent waves being fired at the approaching Special A-class hunter. Zero had expected some form of ranged attack to stop his charge so he was able to react with time to spare. The experienced Reploid dashed very low, his body barely an inch above the ground and almost entirely leveled horizontally, and let the waves pass overhead. A precise slash for Spectrum’s waist marked the first hit in the entire duel. The ebon Reploid grunted as he took a step back, holding his injured side where a deep gash crackled with electricity from the direct hit. Zero didn’t let up but his next slash was met with a skillful parry and a powerful upward kick to his jaw that sent him reeling back.
“I didn’t come here to brawl with hunters.” Spectrum commented as he deactivated one of his sabers and returned it to the safety of his belt.
“You should have thought of that before breaking in here and killing a convicted prisoner.” Zero retorted as soon as he regained his balance.
“He was a dead man the moment he got caught. He knew the risks.” Spectrum narrowed his eyes slightly as he seemed to realize something. “I’ve wasted far too much time here. I look forward to continuing this some other time, hunter.”
“Where do you think you’r-“ Zero was unable to finish his sentence as the shape shifting Reploid threw a flash grenade on the floor in front of him. The bright explosion blinded Zero and forced Vile to cover his eyes as well. Spectrum wasted no time in using the distraction to make his escape. Jumping up to the ceiling of the massive hall effortlessly, he sliced through the panels, vanishing through the corridors of an upper level. By the time the light subsided, there was no sign of the assailant.
Vile turned his attention back to Axl who was struggling to get up from the debris of the steel table his fall had crushed. Both his handguns had slid from his grasp, but one had fallen close by. However, before he could reach the weapon he cried out in pain as one of Vile’s booted legs came down on his chest hard. The Renegade applied a lot more pressure than was needed to just keep the young hunter down.
“You’re just like the rest. Weak. You people should know by now that anyone who gets in my way I deal with, quite permanently.” Vile gripped his shoulder cannon and angled it down at Axl’s head. “You’re not the first hunter I kill… And you won’t be the last.” He spoke. Axl closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable end but when the shot came, he didn’t feel anything. Opening his eyes he could see Vile clutching the hand that had been gripping his cannon.
“Stand down Vile. You’ve had your fun at the expense of others once again. Come quietly and it won’t have to end like it has before.” The voice came from the other side of the hall where the large front door had opened. A full unit of Maverick Hunters had entered the room accompanied by a Reploid Vile knew all too well.
“X!” Axl cried out with a wide smile.
“X…” Vile repeated, though his voice was only filled with hatred.
“Do as he says Vile. Despite how happy it would make me to cut you down, my orders are to bring you in alive.” Zero added as he too approached the Renegade cautiously, the point of his saber aimed for Vile, the energy stream humming softly.
*If it had just been Zero I might have stood a chance, at least of injuring him enough to get out. But…* Vile didn’t like his odds. A whole unit of Hunters, armed to the teeth, a very angry saber-wielder and a charged Buster aimed for his head. There was no real cover in the room and his back was still heavily damaged from Axl’s shots before, compromising his stability when flying. The only thing that was missing was a collective jam of all his weapons and he could write ‘tough luck’ on his tombstone.
“Vile! Duck!” He didn’t know why but the instant he heard the order, Vile jumped away, pressing his back to the floor.
The alarms began sounding across the compound and the lights dimmed to a dark red. The change in lighting and the deafening sound of the sirens resulted in chaos sweeping through the room and none of the hunters noticed the defense systems activating. Panels all across the ceiling and just above doorways opened up and sentry turrets slid out from the openings. Other panels on the floor opened up to spew forth small spider-like Mechaniloids that began to swarm the Reploids present in the room.
“Quick Vile, you have to get out of there while they’re distracted. I hacked into the security systems but they’ll override me in a matter of seconds.” Nana explained.
“You what?” Vile asked, slowly standing up and still confused, just like the others. The turrets began firing bolts of paralyzing energy at the hunter unit, blasts that were normally used to restrain prisoners when things got out of hand. The Mechaniloids rushed across the steel floor, their jagged, insect-like legs producing the same paralyzing shocks as the turrets.
The Renegade cast his eyes upwards, hoping to locate whatever means Spectrum had used to escape and he was pleased to find the hole in the ceiling. Activating his boots he flew up as fast as he could, dodging the turrets who had stopped discriminating between friend and foe. Spectrum had left a trail of sliced panels in his wake as the dangerous Reploid had literally cut himself a path through the upper levels of the facility before finally breaking through a steel-barred window. Following the ebon Reploids example, Vile burst through the window, flying as fast as he could despite his loss of balance.
“You need to get clear of the base’s perimeter before I can even attempt to transfer you back here, hurry.” Nana warned as she continued to input commands, prepping the transfer room behind her for one incoming Reploid. She bit her lower lip as a red light flashed in the corner of her eyes. Her little trick had held out longer than she had had thought it would but now the automated systems were back under hunter control and everything now turned to aim at a single target: Vile.
Hunters stationed outside the structure were quickly warned of the coming Maverick and they opened fire the moment he came into range. Missiles, buster shots and powerful laser beams were all directed at the Renegade who had to pull the fanciest flying maneuvers of his entire life to prevent being vaporized in an instant. He used his cannon to shoot down any missiles that got too close for comfort and the occasional grenade helped in forcing Hunters down below to take cover.
It seemed to take forever to cross the same threshold he had just an hour ago to get into the building but the large pillars of the neighboring highway approached quickly. He would be able to shake most projectiles by taking cover behind the massive concrete and steel constructions. The hunters would refrain from firing at what was the only thing keeping the massive roads aloft. Vile was shaken hard when a surface-to-air missile exploded close to him and he lost control of his own flight. Twisting and turning violently in mid-air he began a nose dive back down to the ground.
“Not like this! So damn close!” Vile exclaimed as he tried to stabilize his descent. Using charged shots from his cannon he managed to slow down but the blast had temporarily knocked out his control over his boots so he was unable to use them to regain control of his flight path. The Renegade covered his head with his arms and curled up as he saw the ground rapidly approaching, though in this case bracing for impact would prove futile.
~~*~*~~
The massive impact never came, or rather it had become a light thump of his behind dropping on a glass-like surface. As he lowered his arms and his single red eye flashed back to life he found himself in the dimly lit transfer room Nana had commandeered. Slowly he rose to his feet, unsure of what had happened.
The door into the room slid open and the pink-haired female Reploid stepped through the opening. “Are you alright?” she asked with genuine concern.
“I think so. What happened?” Vile asked, still more than a little confused.
“I saw you weren’t going to make it, so the moment you got out of their jamming range I transferred you…” Nana clarified as she took out a small scanning device and let it remotely diagnose Vile’s body. A positive bleep from the machine meant he seemed to check out in general.
“You mean you transferred me while I was moving at that speed?!” Vile asked angrily. “You could have killed me! I could be standing here with an arm in place of my head and a garbage can instead of legs!” he shouted.
“Hey! I know it was a risk but it was either do it or let the floor turn you into nuts and bolts spread over a wide area! You should be happy! You’re the first ever Reploid to survive a high-speed moving transfer. And I’m the first operator to pull it off.” Nana rebutted, with an all-too-obvious proud tone in her voice, though it was mixed with an equal degree of anger.
Vile tried to formulate a reply but in his first few tries he didn’t manage to get past the second letter. “Y-You’re insane!” He finally stuttered.
“That’s rich, coming from you.” She replied as she turned on her heels.
“If you ever try anything like that again, I’ll-“
“You’ll what?”
Vile gritted his teeth underneath the helmet. “Gah, never mind.” He stated grumpily as he walked past Nana and into the side room to check out the damage done to his body.
Nana huffed as she sat down in her rotating chair in front of the terminal and pouted for a while before realizing there were questions that still needed answering. “You weren’t able to learn anything from the prisoner were you? Or from this ‘Spectrum’ anyway.”
“No, nothing. It was all a setup. Again.” Vile replied.
“Someone ‘really’ doesn’t want us investigating this. What are they hiding that they hire a unit like the Revenants and that they risk complete exposure by acting so boldly in a Maverick Hunter controlled prison?” Nana sighed as she began to lose hope that she’d ever find her answers. They were all fresh out of leads and the longer she stuck with Vile the more danger she seemed to get in. She didn’t trust the Renegade as far as she could throw him, he could turn on her at any time. Just like he had told Axl, he’d killed hunters before and he’d do so again. Why wouldn’t he add another operator or two to that list? They’d need a breakthrough soon or this fragile partnership wasn’t going to last nor end well.