MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction ❯ Between Friends ❯ Episode Five ( Chapter 5 )
[ A - All Readers ]
By: Corwin Sparrow 
X and Zero discuss matters romantic, while Roll recovers from her coma with unexpected vigor...
Anime/Manga: MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Romance / Psychological / Drama / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.22.2004 | Updated On: 05.16.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 305 | Status: Completed
X and Zero discuss matters romantic, while Roll recovers from her coma with unexpected vigor...
Anime/Manga: MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Romance / Psychological / Drama / Action | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.22.2004 | Updated On: 05.16.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 305 | Status: Completed
Between Friends
By Simon Woodington
Previously: Douglas and Alia appear to have no progress in diagnostic procedure, though
X and Zero succeed handily in reasoning with their 'restless' human counterparts literally
digging for their futures...
Episode Five
There were times he could scarcely remember where he was. Since awakening his thoughts
had been in turmoil; disorganized, fleeting, occurring as if of a routine beyond his control.
Auto-Repair listed no masked PIDs, and it had become abundantly clear that Alia was none
the wiser.
She was always attuned to his condition, even when Zero's infection had caused a
temporary bout of worry and fear to mar his confidence and stability while Zero had been
'dead', purging Nightmare from his systems and recuperating from their battle with Sigma
or so Zero had recently explained. They had spoken or at least Alia had listened while X
core dumped the source of his discontent and doubt upon her.
She had restored him to his previous status, and afforded him the stability of purpose that
he had needed to 'defeat' Nightmare so that Zero could return. Without her confidence and
selflessness, Zero would have in all probability still be purging Nightmare.
Why does she invest so many cycles in my welfare? He wondered. Consoling and
reinforcing of X's viewpoints and directives seemed inconsequential to the recovery of Zero,
but he was unsure if he could have surmounted these doubts without her. I'm doddling, he
thought listlessly. Eventually the matter tottered up and leveraged the club of logic at the back
of his head. His head jolted forward as if from the impact. Of course! Why else? She does
care! But...
X and Zero had departed the digger encampment by foot, since their destination, Miner's
Foot, was only minutes away and shielded by the unusual minerals that blocked their
targeting transmitters. They could not teleport directly to the site, though it worried X, that
they might actually begin to talk with some measure of seriousness.
Miner's Valley was enshrouded by enormous mountains peppered with patches of white
and gray, lethal combinations of soot and metallic powder scattered by the explosion of the
colony several years ago. They could not yet spy their destination, but were assured by quick
readings that only two small hills and twenty kilometers separated them. X frowned at the
lack of trees, knowing the scene from having battled in this valley in the past while seeking
out Sting Chameleon.
Deluded Maverick! There was no convincing him, X sighed, recalling the joy of Dr. Light's
protective armor, discovered just before his encounter with the lightening fast warrior. The
battle had left X with minimal damage, while the sparking corpse of Sting's shell at littered
the landscape. What a waste! He glanced at his silent companion, and nodded. A waste, yes,
but I have fought for the right reasons, and as Alia has told me, is there not comfort in that?
"Zero, have you noticed Alia asking the Hunters about... things?" he began rather lamely,
having the apparent emotional maturity of a ten year old. Zero swung his head away from an
interestingly shaped cloud and regarded X suspiciously.
"What things?"
"Psychological things," X replied after a momentary hesitation.
"No. Portense does that, but only when she suspects unusual fragmentation or process
breakdown. What does that have to do with Alia? Is she expanding her responsibilities?"
"Maybe." X lied, knowing that she had no use for the strategic information of the
Mavericks and their ilk.
"She talks to you?" Zero pried, suddenly curious. "Are you sure you do not 'need a woman'
as Coil suggests?"
"I... said no such thing!" X denied, exposing his ulterior motive abruptly, though it had not
enjoyed the protection of tact to begin with.
"So that is it!" Zero grinned, before faltering and adding: "... isn't it?"
"Aiya..." X groaned softly. "Do you recall when we were ambushed by Sigma? When you
said that Mavericks and Hunters 'just exist'?"
"Yes, I do remember," Zero nodded emphatically.
"That we can 'feel' each other a trace beyond measure? Zero, I feel Alia. When I do, it
lessens my doubt and anger. The evils of the past cease to have such a high priority in my list
of objectives."
"I do not understand. Why is it important to remember them, X? I store them away, unless
there is critical data contained therein," Zero stated, a slightly pained expression coloring his
face.
Why does he feel so much remorse? We have both deleted so many, and yet I do not regret
so much as he seems to. Is it true?
"Do you regret the past, Zero?"
His eyes flew open, a lighted sharpness in them.
"No. What can I tell you but that I fear my origin, and what it may mean for our future.
Yours is untainted, X... I do not have the luxury of that certainty."
"I believe that I love Alia," X ejected, his only answer to Zero's spinning vortex of sorrow.
"I am sure that her preservation processes somehow include me, though I do not know why."
"Believe, X, or know?" Zero fired in reply, turning and stopping in front of X. "Would you
die for those words, also?"
X churned inside with these questions, a new discomfort he knew must be abated by ...
experiences he did not have yet. In an instant, he reviewed their conversation, as they
continued along the gravel path, and a question surfaced:
"Do you want a woman?"
"I do..." he sighed, but did not finish. X did not push to ask, either, sense a great void of
despondency in the warrior.
-
It was foolhardy, she soon realized, to believe it was her cajoling and encouragement that
had brought the psychologically fragile Reploid from her coma, but not entirely untrue. Alia
drew her chair over to the diagnostic pad and sat, eight-six percent of her CPU cycles
unoccupied an exceedingly uncommon state, and for Alia, about as white as that canvas
would ever become.
She leaned forward, looking troubled at the motionless girl, running several threads of
probable self-intelligent speeches before abandoning them altogether.
It would be best if I opened my heart to her, she realized.
"It is not the equivalent of a friendship, Roll, to love someone. At least it does not have
those functions. Gate was my friend prior to you, and he had no romantic feelings for anyone.
So I have learned to separate the professional and the personal, which I feel for X.
"He has not registered awareness of my lateral processes, based on his well being, perhaps
because I have done that maintained my habit. The process has saved me much social
embarrassment, so I have added to successive versions and installed it as a daemon.
"I do not lose myself to him by dedicating unnecessary resources. To do so would mean
that I would be useless to Unity. So many Reploids count on me, you see, so I must reserve
myself. I have considered many options, but have come to the conclusion that any alterations
in my code or processes would detract from what appeals to X. Unlike most Reploids he is
charmed by more than my design. There is an intellectual, even collected aspect he must
surely appreciate."
"X is a force of nature. He is driven by moral strength and a respect for life, even of that he
destroys. You balance him, and no one else can do that," Roll murmured, raising her head so
that her eyes could be seen half-open behind her knees. "Your design is just the way you got
his attention. You were what kept it. That isn't an advantage I have."
Alia squinted at Roll for a moment, then said:
"He worships the ground you walk on he adores you," Alia stated in measured tones.
"He loves nothing you are the first, and I daresay the only Reploid he will ever love."
Roll's face tightened, and in an abrupt spinning leap, she dashed away from Alia, swinging
her left arm in a short arc, from which a white energy blade extended, cutting into a panel and
shorting several display screens. Alia gave a short cry, scrambling to the other side of the
room so that there was plenty of room between them.
"What are you doing Roll?!"
Roll's eyes narrowed, an icy coldness in her features halting Alia in her tracks. Stunned
and confused, she barely noticed the blade entering her torso just under her power core, their
eyes fixed like the unwavering movement of destiny.
"That was what I wanted to hear," Roll hissed, stock still, supporting the limp weight of
the Reploid who had named her 'friend'. She shut off the wrist blade and shoved Alia into a
console, sparks and lights flickering and dancing amongst crumpled steel-gray metal and
viewer Active-Ion Glass.
Immobilized but functional, Alia stared in mute horror as Roll systematically set about
corrupting X's armors. First the Nova, then what remained of the Terra, then... a shimmer and
wink of light caught Roll's attention.
The Falcon! X downloaded the Falcon! Alia thought triumphantly, hope soaring in her
battered frame. Then, to her dismay and pique, so did Roll. She approached once again,
glaring with contempt at the weaker Reploid.
"Such emotional dependency... a waste and a pity!"
She cursed internally, external audio disabled.
"This isn't about you. It isn't about self-will. Roll doesn't hate you... Oh," she smiled
darkly. "Isn't that interesting! Don't you know me? I don't believe you would! Or is it that
your systems are too preoccupied with your survival?"
I am more resourceful than you know, she growled just at the edge of Roll's public
transmission frequencies. There! I have it!
Alia lurched forward, holding her hand up and dragging it down as if through mud. The
Saber she activated, nonetheless, just narrowly missed Roll as she feinted.
"You!" Roll cried, startled. "How!?"
Alia limped towards her, one hands over her stomach, an awkward grin where the rancor
of betrayal might have been.
It's my design, Tron, she replied. I could not detect what you were, or know your
capabilities, but I found your name and that was sufficient.
Tron moved nor spoke, processing slowly her next action. Alia was already many steps
ahead of her unoptimized pipeline.
You've exposed yourself not part of your plan. Whatever your goals are, they have been
jeapordized by this undisciplined attack!
"Damn. You're right," she cursed, the lag between them painfully event.
She must only have access to a portion of Roll's resources! Roll is as fast as I am, but this
poorly coded routine cannot match me! Alia observed with interested. Slowly she felt the
leash slip out of her fingers as the overall objective of Ronne came into question. Nonetheless
she laid down her hand:
You cannot match X and Zero in combat. Your modus operandi is subterfuge, now null.
Damaged as I am you will not win. You have been defeated, Tron. Surrender, and I will-
"Never!" Tron shrieked, powering up an energy shield which she used to send Alia
sprawling. Darting forward, she severed Alia's weapon wielding arm and power dashed
through the breezeway, taking full advantage of the Falcon's flight and protective energy
barrier.
The dozen Hunters on alert either fled, or fired parting shots at the indestructible in-flight
Reploid. Sigmas arrived at the landing bat just as her glowing figure became a dot on the
horizon.
"Send a warning to X. If that is her objective, they will have only a short time!" he
commanded sharply at the nearest Hunter, who stumbled over himself in compliance.
"Someone get Doctor Silvane! On the double! Move!"
By Simon Woodington
Previously: Douglas and Alia appear to have no progress in diagnostic procedure, though
X and Zero succeed handily in reasoning with their 'restless' human counterparts literally
digging for their futures...
Episode Five
There were times he could scarcely remember where he was. Since awakening his thoughts
had been in turmoil; disorganized, fleeting, occurring as if of a routine beyond his control.
Auto-Repair listed no masked PIDs, and it had become abundantly clear that Alia was none
the wiser.
She was always attuned to his condition, even when Zero's infection had caused a
temporary bout of worry and fear to mar his confidence and stability while Zero had been
'dead', purging Nightmare from his systems and recuperating from their battle with Sigma
or so Zero had recently explained. They had spoken or at least Alia had listened while X
core dumped the source of his discontent and doubt upon her.
She had restored him to his previous status, and afforded him the stability of purpose that
he had needed to 'defeat' Nightmare so that Zero could return. Without her confidence and
selflessness, Zero would have in all probability still be purging Nightmare.
Why does she invest so many cycles in my welfare? He wondered. Consoling and
reinforcing of X's viewpoints and directives seemed inconsequential to the recovery of Zero,
but he was unsure if he could have surmounted these doubts without her. I'm doddling, he
thought listlessly. Eventually the matter tottered up and leveraged the club of logic at the back
of his head. His head jolted forward as if from the impact. Of course! Why else? She does
care! But...
X and Zero had departed the digger encampment by foot, since their destination, Miner's
Foot, was only minutes away and shielded by the unusual minerals that blocked their
targeting transmitters. They could not teleport directly to the site, though it worried X, that
they might actually begin to talk with some measure of seriousness.
Miner's Valley was enshrouded by enormous mountains peppered with patches of white
and gray, lethal combinations of soot and metallic powder scattered by the explosion of the
colony several years ago. They could not yet spy their destination, but were assured by quick
readings that only two small hills and twenty kilometers separated them. X frowned at the
lack of trees, knowing the scene from having battled in this valley in the past while seeking
out Sting Chameleon.
Deluded Maverick! There was no convincing him, X sighed, recalling the joy of Dr. Light's
protective armor, discovered just before his encounter with the lightening fast warrior. The
battle had left X with minimal damage, while the sparking corpse of Sting's shell at littered
the landscape. What a waste! He glanced at his silent companion, and nodded. A waste, yes,
but I have fought for the right reasons, and as Alia has told me, is there not comfort in that?
"Zero, have you noticed Alia asking the Hunters about... things?" he began rather lamely,
having the apparent emotional maturity of a ten year old. Zero swung his head away from an
interestingly shaped cloud and regarded X suspiciously.
"What things?"
"Psychological things," X replied after a momentary hesitation.
"No. Portense does that, but only when she suspects unusual fragmentation or process
breakdown. What does that have to do with Alia? Is she expanding her responsibilities?"
"Maybe." X lied, knowing that she had no use for the strategic information of the
Mavericks and their ilk.
"She talks to you?" Zero pried, suddenly curious. "Are you sure you do not 'need a woman'
as Coil suggests?"
"I... said no such thing!" X denied, exposing his ulterior motive abruptly, though it had not
enjoyed the protection of tact to begin with.
"So that is it!" Zero grinned, before faltering and adding: "... isn't it?"
"Aiya..." X groaned softly. "Do you recall when we were ambushed by Sigma? When you
said that Mavericks and Hunters 'just exist'?"
"Yes, I do remember," Zero nodded emphatically.
"That we can 'feel' each other a trace beyond measure? Zero, I feel Alia. When I do, it
lessens my doubt and anger. The evils of the past cease to have such a high priority in my list
of objectives."
"I do not understand. Why is it important to remember them, X? I store them away, unless
there is critical data contained therein," Zero stated, a slightly pained expression coloring his
face.
Why does he feel so much remorse? We have both deleted so many, and yet I do not regret
so much as he seems to. Is it true?
"Do you regret the past, Zero?"
His eyes flew open, a lighted sharpness in them.
"No. What can I tell you but that I fear my origin, and what it may mean for our future.
Yours is untainted, X... I do not have the luxury of that certainty."
"I believe that I love Alia," X ejected, his only answer to Zero's spinning vortex of sorrow.
"I am sure that her preservation processes somehow include me, though I do not know why."
"Believe, X, or know?" Zero fired in reply, turning and stopping in front of X. "Would you
die for those words, also?"
X churned inside with these questions, a new discomfort he knew must be abated by ...
experiences he did not have yet. In an instant, he reviewed their conversation, as they
continued along the gravel path, and a question surfaced:
"Do you want a woman?"
"I do..." he sighed, but did not finish. X did not push to ask, either, sense a great void of
despondency in the warrior.
-
It was foolhardy, she soon realized, to believe it was her cajoling and encouragement that
had brought the psychologically fragile Reploid from her coma, but not entirely untrue. Alia
drew her chair over to the diagnostic pad and sat, eight-six percent of her CPU cycles
unoccupied an exceedingly uncommon state, and for Alia, about as white as that canvas
would ever become.
She leaned forward, looking troubled at the motionless girl, running several threads of
probable self-intelligent speeches before abandoning them altogether.
It would be best if I opened my heart to her, she realized.
"It is not the equivalent of a friendship, Roll, to love someone. At least it does not have
those functions. Gate was my friend prior to you, and he had no romantic feelings for anyone.
So I have learned to separate the professional and the personal, which I feel for X.
"He has not registered awareness of my lateral processes, based on his well being, perhaps
because I have done that maintained my habit. The process has saved me much social
embarrassment, so I have added to successive versions and installed it as a daemon.
"I do not lose myself to him by dedicating unnecessary resources. To do so would mean
that I would be useless to Unity. So many Reploids count on me, you see, so I must reserve
myself. I have considered many options, but have come to the conclusion that any alterations
in my code or processes would detract from what appeals to X. Unlike most Reploids he is
charmed by more than my design. There is an intellectual, even collected aspect he must
surely appreciate."
"X is a force of nature. He is driven by moral strength and a respect for life, even of that he
destroys. You balance him, and no one else can do that," Roll murmured, raising her head so
that her eyes could be seen half-open behind her knees. "Your design is just the way you got
his attention. You were what kept it. That isn't an advantage I have."
Alia squinted at Roll for a moment, then said:
"He worships the ground you walk on he adores you," Alia stated in measured tones.
"He loves nothing you are the first, and I daresay the only Reploid he will ever love."
Roll's face tightened, and in an abrupt spinning leap, she dashed away from Alia, swinging
her left arm in a short arc, from which a white energy blade extended, cutting into a panel and
shorting several display screens. Alia gave a short cry, scrambling to the other side of the
room so that there was plenty of room between them.
"What are you doing Roll?!"
Roll's eyes narrowed, an icy coldness in her features halting Alia in her tracks. Stunned
and confused, she barely noticed the blade entering her torso just under her power core, their
eyes fixed like the unwavering movement of destiny.
"That was what I wanted to hear," Roll hissed, stock still, supporting the limp weight of
the Reploid who had named her 'friend'. She shut off the wrist blade and shoved Alia into a
console, sparks and lights flickering and dancing amongst crumpled steel-gray metal and
viewer Active-Ion Glass.
Immobilized but functional, Alia stared in mute horror as Roll systematically set about
corrupting X's armors. First the Nova, then what remained of the Terra, then... a shimmer and
wink of light caught Roll's attention.
The Falcon! X downloaded the Falcon! Alia thought triumphantly, hope soaring in her
battered frame. Then, to her dismay and pique, so did Roll. She approached once again,
glaring with contempt at the weaker Reploid.
"Such emotional dependency... a waste and a pity!"
She cursed internally, external audio disabled.
"This isn't about you. It isn't about self-will. Roll doesn't hate you... Oh," she smiled
darkly. "Isn't that interesting! Don't you know me? I don't believe you would! Or is it that
your systems are too preoccupied with your survival?"
I am more resourceful than you know, she growled just at the edge of Roll's public
transmission frequencies. There! I have it!
Alia lurched forward, holding her hand up and dragging it down as if through mud. The
Saber she activated, nonetheless, just narrowly missed Roll as she feinted.
"You!" Roll cried, startled. "How!?"
Alia limped towards her, one hands over her stomach, an awkward grin where the rancor
of betrayal might have been.
It's my design, Tron, she replied. I could not detect what you were, or know your
capabilities, but I found your name and that was sufficient.
Tron moved nor spoke, processing slowly her next action. Alia was already many steps
ahead of her unoptimized pipeline.
You've exposed yourself not part of your plan. Whatever your goals are, they have been
jeapordized by this undisciplined attack!
"Damn. You're right," she cursed, the lag between them painfully event.
She must only have access to a portion of Roll's resources! Roll is as fast as I am, but this
poorly coded routine cannot match me! Alia observed with interested. Slowly she felt the
leash slip out of her fingers as the overall objective of Ronne came into question. Nonetheless
she laid down her hand:
You cannot match X and Zero in combat. Your modus operandi is subterfuge, now null.
Damaged as I am you will not win. You have been defeated, Tron. Surrender, and I will-
"Never!" Tron shrieked, powering up an energy shield which she used to send Alia
sprawling. Darting forward, she severed Alia's weapon wielding arm and power dashed
through the breezeway, taking full advantage of the Falcon's flight and protective energy
barrier.
The dozen Hunters on alert either fled, or fired parting shots at the indestructible in-flight
Reploid. Sigmas arrived at the landing bat just as her glowing figure became a dot on the
horizon.
"Send a warning to X. If that is her objective, they will have only a short time!" he
commanded sharply at the nearest Hunter, who stumbled over himself in compliance.
"Someone get Doctor Silvane! On the double! Move!"