MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction ❯ Zero: Soul of a hero ❯ Duty and devotion ( Chapter 4 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: archaon 
X tries to mend the world while Zero leaves him to deal with his little viral problem.
Anime/Manga: MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.24.2009 | Pages: 6 | Words: 7.4K | Visits: 421 | Status: Work In Progress
X tries to mend the world while Zero leaves him to deal with his little viral problem.
Anime/Manga: MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.24.2009 | Pages: 6 | Words: 7.4K | Visits: 421 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter 4: Duty and devotion
- - -
The darkness was absolute, but they could hear voices, echoes of their memories or echoes of reality.
“I found them, they are knocked out!”
“What?! Then the Sky Lagoon will... come crashing into the ground!”
“Call a medic. They are still alive.”
“Stay here Iris. I'll handle it!”
“There is a strange elf inside this forcefield...”
“Good-bye, Red... I'll become a Hunter on my own.”
“Secure it immediately. If it is what I think it is...”
“Si...Sigma!?”
“Will they make it?”
“Hang in there, Iris!”
“If you shut your trap and move on, they will!”
“I'll take on plenty more like you, if that's what it takes.”
“Thank god, they start to come around.”
Axl opened his eyes first. The happy faces of many soldiers greeted him. “Did we... make it?” he managed to ask.
X shot up as soon as he realized he was still alive. “Is everybody safe? Where are the hostages? Did they manage to evacuate?”
Zero opened one eye lazily, then yawned. “Can’t a reploid get some sleep around here? Why is everyone shouting like that?”
As if to justify Zero’s words, every other human and reploid started shouting in glee and clapping at the same time.
- - -
The metropolis itself was still damaged, but the lanes of Arcadia were filled with people to capacity. After the horrors of the Elf Wars, where 60 percent of the already small global human population and 90 percent of the reploids had perished, everybody needed to forget themselves even for while.
“I’m still not sure about it, Zero. We have more important things to do than celebrating like this.”
The three hunters were on top of a huge decorated car that was about to start its trek through the city, all wearing formal robes instead of armors. Three months after the final battle, the residents of Arcadia had restored enough infrastructure to comfortably celebrate the end of the Elf Wars.
Zero shook his head in resignation. “You are always too stiff, X. Look out there. Rich and poor, famous and common, humans and reploids. For a day like this, everybody puts away their differences and is ready to throw a festival. They insisted we do at least that.”
Axl could barely contain his excitement. “Yeah! This is going to be a hell of a party. Cheer up everyone. They all love us so much. We are their heroes.”
X sighed. “Alright. Since all three of us are in it we might as well do that.”
As X turned his back, Zero grinned wearily. Both X and Axl are going to kill me, but I have to do that.
The great car started to move closer to the start of the cheering crowd. Suddenly, just before the first lines of people, Zero grabbed Axl with all his might and jumped down behind the car, running towards the opposite direction.
X realized it too late. The people had already started applauding. “I going to get you for this, Zero”, he muttered between his teeth, smiling as the crowd chanted his name.
Axl was still stunned. “What possessed you Zero? I really wanted to take part in it. Why?”
Zero smiled. “Listen to them.” The crowd’s voice reached a crescendo. “One hero is enough for them. X is the only one that can stay here and really help them. By being himself and fighting for peace, he has gained what Weil and Sigma could only dream. The world is his to lead, just as Light wanted him to. Let them acknowledge him as the one and only savior. We are not needed.”
Axl pouted. “But I wanted to sign autographs.”
Zero smirked. “Being a leader is hard, boring and demanding. You are a good hunter, Axl, but you have never been prime leadership material. Think of all the paperwork!”
The black tiger blanched at that. “On second thought, becoming a maverick hunter as soon as they are reformed sounds much more appealing”, he replied sagely. After a while, he quirked a brow. “What about you? X might be a good leader, but you were there supporting and… and tutoring him all the while!” he exclaimed incredulously. “You have been grooming him for this position, haven’t you?” he accused.
Instead of responding, the crimson hunter started whistling obliviously, his smile barely contained on his face.
Axl was not convinced. “No offence to X, but you would have been just as good for this.”
“Yeah, as long as I’m around”, replied Zero and his friend completely lost his words’ hidden meaning.
- - -
“To summarize the reports, energy and water installments are back on line, though we still have problems with the communication networks. Our new geothermal power plants are cheap, ecological and their life almost infinite. We won’t be having problems with energy any time soon.”
“Much technology is lost to us, since many important people are gone and many archives have been corrupted. It will take us a long time to reach our former levels.”
“The uprisings in the five most isolated towns have stopped since we sent enough supplies and eradicated the maverick mechaniloids threat, though I still believe we should have followed a more aggressive approach.”
“The city’s walls are almost complete and reinforced with energy, pulse, plasma, and S.A.M. turrets. We are comparatively safe against the rogue mechaniloids, though we can’t determine their source. Also, by now almost everyone in the city owns decent living quarters and can fairly survive.”
“The crime ratings have been reduced by 98 percent in the last two months. We have also signed peace and trade treaties with other more minor clusters of civilization around the globe. We have started negotiating a union with Arcadia as the leading city.”
“Everybody has asked you to become the head of the union sir. This is their main demand. Whatever you might think, everybody around the globe wants you in charge.”
X sighed but nodded. “Thank you very much, gentlemen, this is the start of a great future for all sentient beings, the rise of Neo-Arcadia, the new bastion of civilization. Peace and prosperity will be achieved. That will be all”, he responded dismissing his associates.
As one by one the councilors left the room, X noticed a figure hiding in the shadows and leaning against the wall. “So, what do you think?” he asked wearily.
“Every time I get inside the presidential palace, it seems more and more cozy, ‘Master’ X.”
“Hey, cut it out. You know I have asked everyone to drop the title thing and stop adding furniture in here. But you didn’t answer my real question.”
Zero left the shadows, walked in front of X and placed his hands on his friend’s shoulders. “What you do is amazing, X. You practically run this planet by yourself. This is what we have been fighting for all those decades. You have come a long way from the rookie hunter Vile almost scrapped.”
X lowered his eyes. “I don’t know, Zero. Everything seems so wrong. You and Axl have done more than I ever could. Without the two of you...And yet you chose to step away from the light. I, the head of a world wide union? And there are so many people I am unable to help right now. I feel helpless.”
Zero smiled. “The people wanted a hero and wanted a leader. Axl could never endure something like that, and I am nobody’s idea of a hero. The people need you, X. This is the start of Dr. Light’s dream, a peaceful world for everybody. And you should know by now you can’t help everybody instantly. In the end, I know you will make it.”
“Thank you again, Zero. I am truly lost without you around.”
“Don’t rely too much on me. I’m leaving tonight.”
X turned very slowly, his eyes glazed, not wanting to believe what he had just heard. After a while he managed to speak. “Wh...where are you going, Zero. We need you here; I need you here.”
“I cannot allow my presence to endanger this world again, X. I have to do that.”
“What are you talking about. This is a joke, right? You have saved this world dozens of times.”
Zero’s eyes scanned the floor. “You choose to forget, X, but I cannot. You are the only one left who knows who my creator was. I was the first true maverick in this world. It was the virus inside my body that turned Sigma from a maverick hunter to a menace. All those maverick outbreaks were my fault. The first war, the X-hunters, the Doppler incident, the manipulation of the repliforce and Iris’s demise, the Eurasia colony, Gate’s nightmare virus, the fall of Red Alert, the Jakob Project, the force metal and so many other incidents happened because of my existence. Even that last, final war. You wouldn’t have to complete the mother elf if there were no mavericks and Weil used a modified Zero virus to corrupt her. You say that I saved the world? Don’t make me laugh. I just tried to undo some of the damage I have caused. There is too much blood on my hands, X.”
Tears were now falling from X’s eyes. “But it was not your fault. You never intended to do something like that.”
“I know that the past cannot be altered X. I have learned that the hard way. The least I can do now is find a way to eradicate the horrors hidden inside me, so that I will not endanger the future. I will find a way or die trying.” The ghost of a smile touched his lips. “Perhaps when I’m sure I am harmless, I can return and enjoy your peace. I’ll probably be bored out of my mind, but then again the work never ends for us hunters.”
X felt a need to curl into a ball and sulk at some dark corner. “I...I will come with you, Zero. You can’t go alone.”
Zero smiled bitterly. “You can’t, X. Even if you didn’t have to take care of a whole world, I would never allow you to do that. This is a path I must tread alone. Don’t tell Axl until he asks. The stupid kid will want to follow me and you can use his help here.”
X could not find any words. His whole universe was collapsing around him.
As Zero reached the exit, he turned around and smiled. “Tell Axl I’m sorry and take care of these people, X. I trust you. I just know we will meet again sometime. Farewell.”
X remained in the same position for many minutes, lost in the dark corners of his mind. Many crazy thoughts crossed his mind. Stop Zero somehow, make the guards arrest him, notify Axl, imprison him, run away following him. When all of them were dismissed, he collapsed into a fetal position and then almost fainted on the cold metal floor.
“What am I doing”, he muttered. “What kind of ungrateful friend am I? Will I just let him leave like this, alone and forgotten by everybody. How can I care for a nation when I can’t even help my best friend. It’s not fair...”
X’s scream of anguish reached Zero’s ears as he exited the building. He turned and regarded the general area of the sound, then resumed walking.
Hang in there, X. Fulfill your dream and forget about me.
- - -
“This is the new mechaniloid we have designed, sir. It is actually more of a frame than an actual model. It is not sentient, it can adapt and be altered in many ways, it follows simple orders and it needs no rest.”
“Is it a coincidence that it resembles me quite a bit?”
“Well, master X, I believe the design is fitting. The citizens will be feeling at ease having droids that look like you running around, even though they are low-powered units. They need meager power input and we can construct them cheaply in great numbers. We can build models with energy busters, shock batons, shielded arms, flying capabilities, even for underwater uses.”
“How do you call them?”
“Well the official name is pantheon, but I believe we can call them X-drones.”
X sighed in resignation. “Very well. I have seen the plans and approve of them. You can start building the prototypes as soon as possible. We are low on men and there are still many dangers outside our walls.”
As the researchers left the room, Axl burst in unannounced.
“Axl, what is the matter? Is something wrong?”
“X, where is Zero? I haven’t seen him around for weeks.”
- - -
“Hey, guys. Somebody is coming. I can see him.”
“Is he alone?”
“Yeah, the perfect fool.”
“Let’s go.”
Six reploids appeared from behind some of the many rock chunks that littered the hill’s face and surrounded the lone figure. The assailants featured low quality beam busters and blades and their eyes gleamed. The figure in the middle was cloaked, its face and body hidden inside the shadows of a brown cape.
“Well, what do we have here boys?” asked one in mock disbelief.
“Somebody was stupid enough to leave one of those crap-hole cities and travel alone”, replied another, obviously enjoying his little game.
“Well show us your face, pal. Are you a human or a reploid?” inquired another one.
“Not that it really matters. You will die anyway”, cackled the first menacingly.
“Well, except if she is female. That would be lucky. We haven’t even touched the gal at our camp yet.”
“Well, say something. Beg for your life.”
The figure that had remained mute till that time, finally spoke. “Have you been doing this a lot?” it asked, sounding quite unconcerned in the face of danger.
“Dang, not a female.”
“Yeah mister. We have already opened a pit full of human and reploid bodies.”
“Right, slaughtering is good and the smell of blood is even better. With that bastard Weil out of the way and no Megacity system or hunters, life will be sweet”, explained a particularly sadistic one.
“Now let’s get this over with. I have to chat with our other young guest, if you catch my meaning”, announced their apparent leader.
One of the reploids tried to snatch the cloak from the figure. A green flash appeared out of nowhere, cleanly severing his hand. He screamed and fell back, backpedaling on the ground on all threes. As the others remained stunned, the figure removed his cloak, revealing his crimson, white and black armor.
One of the thugs recognized the legendary hunter. “It...It’s Z...zero, th...the h...hunter. RUN!!”
Before anyone could even register the meaning of their friend’s words, they found themselves dead, their pieces scattered all over the wasteland. The reploid with the severed hand was still alive, having collapsed on the ground and holding his bloody stump, while futilely trying to kick himself away from the crimson bomber.
As Zero approached him, he begged for his life. “Please, spare me. I surrender. I will follow you and have a trial for my crimes. Just don’t kill me.”
Zero eyed the scum with burning intensity. “I think you got that wrong, ‘pal’. X is the one that offers trials and mercy. I can only offer revenge and oblivion.”
As he silenced the last of the gang, he went through the gruesome task of scavenging their energy cores. Energy was scarce in the wilderness.
He then proceeded to their nearby camp that was consisted of crude tents. He found nothing really worthy of his time, until he reached the larger of them. Inside he discovered a tied and gagged human girl with chocolate brown hair, no older than seventeen, her clothes dirty and ragged, trying to escape to no avail.
She tried to scream when she saw him, then flinched reflexively as his hand approached her and undone her bonds. She promptly removed the dirty gag and regarded the crimson reploid with trepidation and wonder.
“Are you hurt, kid?” asked Zero in a neutral tone. He could see she was relatively unhurt, but he had to say something to break the silence.
At long last, the girl spoke, her voice hesitant. “You... you are not going to hurt me?”
Zero sighed, allowing a smile to touch his lips. “I just happened to pass by and had to retire your six captors. There is no reason to be afraid of me.”
She stood there for a while, trying to fully absorb what her savior told her. Then she rushed forward, hugged the hunter, holding him in an iron grip and sobbing. Zero allowed her to vent her emotions for a while, then placed his cape on her shoulders and held her at arm’s length. “What is your name, girl and where do you live?”
Finally somewhat calm, she cleared her eyes and answered. “I live in a valley three days from here. I was travelling with a caravan, but they ambushed it and...Anyway, my name is Amanda. Amanda Light.”
- - -
“Are you saying you just let him leave like that?”
“Well, yes...”
Axl’s visage changed from curiosity, to stunned disbelief to unbridled rage. “What the hell is wrong with you, X. How could you do that.”
“It was... his wish. I tried to stop him but he wouldn’t listen a word.” X turned his eyes to the floor.
“This is no excuse! You should have stalled him for as long as possible and call for me. Together we could make the stubborn oaf change his mind”, he retaliated.
X sighed, rubbing the space between his eyes wearily. “He decided to do that a long time ago, Axl. It is all clear now. Keeping to himself more than usual, avoiding public appearances, running from the ceremony. He wanted the world to forget about him. He told me he was sorry he left without telling you, but you would want to follow him.”
Axl’s face distorted. “Is that what you will do, X? Forget about him? Letting him just become lost in the history archives like some second rate soldier? Hell and damnation, X! He did most of the work by himself. His actions were more important that what we did in the war combined.”
X flinched at the declaration. “I...I wanted to follow him, but I can’t leave now. They need me. He made sure everybody would think I was the main hero. I can’t leave.”
Axl answered after a while, his words dripping sarcasm. “Fine, then. I guess your Majesty is too important to be bothered by the likes of a simple, insignificant reploid like Zero. I guess you finally caught the maverick virus, X. You just don’t make any sense any more.”
He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He reached for the door, then stopped. His voice now was calm and apologetic, almost serene. “I’m sorry, X. I understand why you must stay. I’m just too stubborn to accept it.”
He turned and a meek smile lightened his face. “I will go and bring him back, X. I promise that. We will return, even if I have to drag him by his hair. See you soon X and good luck to both of us.”
As the door closed, Axl heard two voices.
“There is no way we will let you go alone, commander.”
“Sorry for eavesdropping, but we are coming with you.”
“Tone, Pulse!” gasped the black tiger. “What are you two doing here?”
“Well, we were bored out of our collective CPU…”
“…And we both know what commander Zero means for all of us...”
“…So we are coming along and you will have to scrap us to prevent us.”
Axl felt as if a weight had been removed from his shoulders. “You guys...Thank you. It will be easier now. Let’s go then!!”
X leaned heavily against the door and smiled bitterly. “Good luck Axl, good luck Tone and Pulse. Find Zero. I will just wait for you here and do my best too. Alone...”
- - -
“So your father is a scientist? Do you have any relation to Dr. Light, the legendary researcher from 20XX?”
It was the second day of their journey and Amanda had finally opened up, even smiled. Zero felt responsible for her even though he was a bit disturbed by her smile and her long brown hair. It reminded him the smile of somebody he knew a long time ago and really cared about. Somebody he killed with his very own hands...
“Hey, are you even listening?” inquired the girl, somewhat miffed.
He turned to her abruptly. “Wha...Oh, I guess I zoned out a bit. You were saying?”
“I said that though there is a possibility that me and my father are descendants of Dr. Light, all the archives are lost. The wars spared nothing. Not even Dr. Light himself can verify it.”
Zero turned and regarded Amanda, curiously cocking a brow. “What do mean?”
She realized what she had just said and stuttered. “Oh...I mean....you will see when we get there. By the way, why won’t you tell me your name? And what you were thinking a minute ago?”
Zero sighed. He couldn’t even begin to explain without reciting what happened in the last few wars. “I don’t want anyone to know where I am. And what I was thinking is my own business, thank you very much”, he replied, a bit harsher than what he intended.
Amanda let a cute pout decorate her face. “You are mean...But I am sure I have seen you somewhere before. I know a lot about reploids and I must have seen your shape in our archives. I just can’t remember, but I will, I always do.”
“Whatever...” Damn, why do they have to look so alike...
They soon started walking between two really high stone walls, mere meters apart. It was obvious that unknown forces have splinted the mountain in half, leaving an easy trail for everyone to use.
And a great place for an ambush.
Amanda soon noticed Zero’s apprehension. “Hey, why are you so nervous all of a sudden? Have you seen anything?”
“No, but something is here.”
“You worry too...HEY.”
Zero grabbed Amanda from the waist and leaped backwards twice. A moment later, the ground below them exploded and a giant worm mechaniloid shot upwards, blocking the sun, freshly-dug soil running from its armored spines.
“Oh, no. What will we do now. We can’t pass this thing”, exclaimed the human girl, clearly panicking.
Zero shrugged and activated his saber, holding it in his left hand. “Well, there is no other way. Stay here for a while.”
Amanda grabbed his arm. “What do you think you are doing? You are no match for this thing!”
Zero turned and smirked. “We shall see.”
“This is not a joke. Hey come back!”
She blinked and tried to follow his movement but her eyes failed her. A second later, he was on the top of the behemoth, stabbing his saber at its optic sensors. The infuriated worm shot forward, meaning to crush the bothersome reploid against the stone wall. He jumped at the last possible moment, as the worm’s head became embedded inside granite, then dashed and rolled from one side of the worm’s body to the other, his saber extended. Seriously hurt, the mechaniloid stopped trying to disengage from the wall and attempted to burrow deeper in it, meaning to escape the red bomber. Zero landed in front of a very stunned Amanda and formed his already charging buster on his right hand. The first shot blew away the worm’s already damaged armor. The second shot followed rabidly, exposing the mechaniloid’s innards. Lastly, the crescent wave emitted from his saber split the foe in half. Critically wounded, it squirmed for a while longer, then stopped moving for good, its head half remaining embedded on the wall like a morbid banner.
Amanda eyed the hunter in disbelief. He had just killed a mechaniloid twenty times his size without a scratch and without even breaking a sweat. “How did you do that?”
Zero shrugged indifferently. “Well, it was almost good exercise.”
“I am sure I have heard about that three hit combo from somewhere. Why can’t I remember. Hey, wait for me!”
The crimson hunter merely evened his pace instead of stopping. “Well, start walking already. This trip is getting boring.”
- - -
“Well, commander? Have you learned anything?”
“Hey, I told you two to stop calling me commander. The war is over.”
“Sorry, Axl. Any news.”
The black tiger smiled while pretending to polish his armor with his fingers. “I heard some rumors and I think we have a match, Tone”, he declared merrily.
The violet-colored reploid quirked a brow. “What kind of rumors?”
Axl’s smile reached his ears. “About a red and green flash going around and saving some of the villagers from rogue wolf mechaniloids. We are heading to the site of that battle now.”
After a while, they reached a small river stream. The area around was littered with parts and energy fluid stains of something that used to resemble a pack of mechanical dogs. Many of the parts had obviously been scavenged, but what remained was mainly the most damaged components.
“Yep, that was him alright”, decided Pulse without missing a bit. “Only commander Zero would do such precise cuts.
“Wow, he made mincemeat of something like thirty of them before they could even think to retaliate”, added Tone, clearly awed. Even after fighting next to the red legend, he had trouble believing his optic sensors.
Axl was not that impressed, or rather he had come to expect such sights. “Well, it is Zero we are talking about. He is heading directly east of Arcadia. Let’s go guys.”
“Yes comm... I mean Axl.”
- - -
At the beginning of the third day of their travel, Zero and Amanda reached a great cybernetic forest. “My home is just a bit further, Mr. mysterious reploid. I hope you can stay for a few days. I would really like to see how your systems are shaped”, chirped Amanda, futilely trying to hide her excitement.
Zero threw her an incredulous glare. Great, now I have met a female Douglas. What comes next? A pacifist Sigma?
“I’m kidding, don’t look at me like that!”
The red warrior decided to change subject. “Anyway, I see this forest is far from natural. What are these machines?”
“Well, this is part of a pretty old experiment. By creating trees that can reproduce mechanical parts, we achieve greater durability and faster growth. Also there are monitoring devices that determine the health of every tree in the forest and decide which parts need more energy and which should be removed altogether. The whole system is automatic, so when the experiment finished, the forest continued to grow.”
Zero raised a brow. “You seem to know much about it.”
“Actually, it was my grandfather that made the experiment. I have already found some ways to improve it, by attaching solar cells and by calibrating...”
As the Light girl continued droning on and on about esoteric technologies he would have to download whole libraries to understand, he mentally winced. This will be a long trek...
After a while, the forest ended abruptly and the suddenly barren and scorched ground degraded into a deep, uneven chasm. The bottom of the chasm was barely visible and full of jagged rock formations.
Zero turned to Amanda. “Tell me you are not lost.”
She smiled and just walked forward. Before Zero could stop her, she reached the edge of the ledge and vanished. Zero blinked a few times then approached and tested the air after the edge. Part of his foot disappeared in thin air and he felt solid ground under his boot. Then he heard Amanda’s voice. “Are you going to stay there the whole day? It is just an illusion.”
Zero shrugged and simply walked forward, ignoring his mind that screamed for him to stop. For a second, he could only see a twirl of colors, then his eyes passed through the thin sheet of illusion and he found himself in a forest groove. In the middle, loomed what seemed to be an giant old fortress, flora trying to claim it back by ascending on its walls. Following Amanda, he entered through the main gate and passed a great number of rooms and side-corridors. The more he walked into the building, the cleaner the rooms got.
“Sorry about the mess, but only five people live here and we don’t really need all these rooms, so we clean only what’s needed”, she claimed, quite a bit embarrassed.
They finally entered a great chamber, filled with random machinery and resembling a mix between a living room and a truly advanced laboratory. Barring some explosion marks on the roof, the room was spotlessly clean and quite cozy.
As soon as Amanda entered, four persons left what they were doing and rushed to her. A middle-aged man wearing a white lab suit hugged her with suffocating fervor. “Amanda, where have you been? What happened to you?” he demanded unnerved.
She smiled to alleviate his worry. “I was kidnapped by some vicious reploids, dad, but this person here saved me and brought me home.”
A young woman in her twenties, wearing a mechanic’s uniform placed her hands on her hips and berated her. “Well, young lady, you were lucky this time, but you won’t be travelling alone from now. Am I clear?” she chided in thick accent.
The other occupants of the room were two small-framed reploids with identical features and clothes but inverted color scheme, who proceeded to cheer for Amanda’s return. Meanwhile, the middle-aged man and the young woman approached Zero.
“My name is Professor Light. We can never repay you enough for saving my daughter”, he exclaimed reverently.
The young woman smirked and added. “Yeah, she might be dumb and a horrid mechanic but she’s better for conversation than the old geezers or the two buffoons over there”, she said indicating the two reploids, clad in black and white, that were currently all around Amanda. “I’m Linda by the way, nice to meet ya. And you are?” she inquired, wiping her hands on a dirty rag to remove the coating of machine oil before shaking Zero’s hand.
Before he could conjure a reply, another voice echoed in the room, coming from invisible speakers. “I have told you it is not polite to call us ‘geezers’, Linda. Hi there Zero. Long time no see. I never expected to meet you here.”
Hearing his name, everybody else froze. Zero scanned the room and saw the source of the voice. A holographic projection of an old man with an ample white beard, wearing a lab coat.
“Long time, no see, Dr. Light. What are you doing here of all places.”
“Well, Professor Light over here was kind enough to gather all the capsules X has used and download their data, merging them together. I thought it would be the end of me when X activated the last capsule and I didn’t really mind. But I can’t complain I get a chance to live longer. Aren’t I a pitiful old man? You have to tell me how X is doing, but first...I think we own them an explanation, if only to remove their jaws from the floor”, he said indicating the five stunned individuals.
Linda spoke first. “Heya, handsome, are you really Zero, the maverick hunter?”
A smile found its way on Zero’s face as he nodded.
“I knew I had seen you from somewhere, but how could I imagine you were actually a legendary reploid. I should have realized it when you trashed that Mark III centipede mechaniloid, though.”
Linda’s eyes went wide. “Woah, you are some hot staff there. I know those devils. I even got to disassemble one a year ago.”
Professor Light spoke next. “It is a great honor to have the legendary Zero here with us. Please feel free to stay here indefinitely.”
The two reploids approached hesitantly, but only one managed to speak. “N..nice to m...meet you sir Z...Zero. I’m Font and this is m...my brother Case.”
“Well, Zero, now that you know who is who, I want to hear about my dear child.” Zero spent the next three hours reciting the mission in Giga city, the incorporation of the maverick hunters into the Arcadia army, the horrors of the last maverick war and the following Elf Wars. The mood lightened considerably when Zero recounted the rise of Neo-Arcadia.
“So, it seems things are getting better, Zero. I feel happy about that,” commented Light’s sentient hologram.
The red hunter frowned. “Well, thing couldn’t have gotten any worse anyway.”
Light nodded somewhat gravely before responding. “So tell me now why you left. I know that there has to be a very important reason for you to leave when X needs you.”
Zero sighed, his eyes falling on his hands. The gauntlets were ironically white, when they should have been red like the rest of him. “It is about the virus.”
The good doctor sighed. “I understand your concern, but I believe that the virus is completely inactive by now. You have already proven you can keep it under control or even use it.”
Zero’s retort came like a snarl. “For how long, Dr. Light? This world desperately needs peace. The last thing I want, is to destroy it again. I have to be sure that either the virus and every other possible hazard is dead and buried or that my control is absolute. Failing that, well, I’ve already died twice. The third time’s the charm...”
Everybody in the room remained silent until the looming silence was shattered by Amanda. “You can’t be serious, Zero. Blaming yourself for things beyond you is just stupid. However, everybody here is a genius in their own field. I bet we can help you somehow.”
Linda added her two Zenny. “Yeah, the shrimp here is right. Her plans are thumbs up, I’m a hecuva mechanic, the two imbeciles there can be some help and, hell, we have the two genius geezers over there. You saved the world more times I’m gonna count and you saved our shrimp too. ‘Tis da least we can do for ya.”
“What do you think Dr. Light?” inquired Amanda’s father formlly, although the undercurrent of mirth was evident.
“I think what you think professor Light. Let’s do it. I own him even more than that anyway.”
Zero was more than stunned, but recovered very soon. “Well, what can I say. I’m not one to turn down such an offer.”
- - -
Several days passed quickly after that, with everyone having their hands full. Amanda showed great interest about Zero, but he couldn’t determine if the girl has fallen in love or just wanted to disassemble him. The two Lights were hard at work, scanning his systems multiple times and analyzing the data again and again. While Font and Case tried to find the courage to talk to the crimson reploid, Linda spent hours talking to him while strolling around, trying to coordinate everybody else, or fixing some random wrecked device. He quickly realized that the way she spoke was merely a facade, for her accent would sometimes vanish faster than Dynamo on the run. At the end of the week, Dr. and professor Light gathered everyone around them.
“Would you mind, professor Light?”
“Be my guest, Dr Light.”
The digitalized scientist chuckled a bit to himself before starting his explanation. “Thank you. Well Zero, I think we have some chances, but I’m not going to lie to you. It will be dangerous.”
Zero smirked. “Well, it’s not like the rest of my life has been even remotely safe. I am ready to take any risk and, to tell the truth, in this short time I have grown to trust all of you.”
“Allow me to tell you some details. You must know that, unfortunately, I hadn’t moved all my knowledge from my human form when my body died. I can’t remember how some of X’s systems work. You already know that 60 percent of your design is based on X’s. The other 40 percent is...”
“The work of an obsessed lunatic, I know,” interrupted Zero, somewhat darkly.
Dr. Light smiled bitterly. “If only Wily would use his genius for good... Anyway, right now we can analyze 70 percent of your systems, which is far more than anyone else has ever achieved. Based on what we found, I believe the remains of the virus will be removed from your body and your DNA core in five thousand years, provided you never try to use it. But, we can speed the procedure to take one century. You will have to remain a bit more than one hundred years in stasis and this might cause memory lapses, especially if something goes wrong. Also, I have no idea what the other 30 percent of your systems could cause. These are the risks and the odds.”
Zero sighed, then steeled himself. He wasn’t too eager to sleep for so much time, but if he could get rid or learn to control the Zero Virus inside him, it was worth the try. Also, he wasn’t so sure he could survive for long in X’s peaceful world. Unlike the Lightbot, Zero needed to fight to remain sane. “Whenever you are ready.”
Linda walked to him and spoke. “But that’s not all, pretty boy. If ya don’t mind, we can fix ya up to be stronger. I know that half of ya, we cannot touch, ‘tis like alien tech. But the other half, we can make it better.”
Zero hesitated a bit. He didn’t really like the idea he would wake up even stronger, in case he did go mad someday, the reason he had initially rejected Light’s upgrade during the Eurasia crisis. On the other hand, he was a warrior and power was always important. “Well, I don’t really think it is necessary...” he tried weakly.
Dr. Light spoke again. “I think it is a great idea, Zero. Whatever you may say, I have faith in you. You said that Weil might be out there and plotting. We know it will take him quite some time to recover Omega; that kid, Axl, made that sure. But he will be back and you might have to face him again.”
Zero sighed in resignation. “Very well, everyone. I place my life in your hands. It seems it will be a century too peaceful for me, anyway.” His eyes fell to the floor.
“Heya, don’t be so gloomy and a’ that there. We will take care of ya, sure we will.”
- - -
The soldiers were scared to death, but they kept their ground, their hand cannons ready. The twenty tiger mechaniloids rushed to them, barely hindered by the spray of weak shots. Their eyes and teeth gleamed in the morning sun, promising infinite pain and death. Just before they could tear into the now faltering infantry, A blue and white flash descended from the sky and crashed into their front ranks. The mechaniloids were swiftly and efficiently retired.
As X touched the ground, reverting to his casual armor, the soldiers hailed him like he was the avatar of a god. He smiled to them and slowly took his leave back to his more mundane duties. As soon as he went out of sight, his fake smile dropped, revealing his mental weariness.
I’m happy that I managed to save them but...I feel lonely. I have been fighting together with Zero and Axl for a long time. I don’t want to be alone and I have to continue to fight. I couldn’t go with them, that I could not...
An idea struck his head.
I don’t have to be alone. At least I can have some help and some company. I will build four reploids to be my trusted companions and guard Neo-Arcadia. Even if I some day seize to exist, my father’s dream will live on.
He closed his eyes in regret.
Once again, we have to prepare for war to maintain peace. Was Zero correct about peace that cannot last forever? It sounds logical, but it is so sad...
- - -
(revision notes): Apart from some editing and polishing, nothing has changed. I did alter Light’s words a bit to foreshadow the newer chapters, but nothing plot-important.
- - -
The darkness was absolute, but they could hear voices, echoes of their memories or echoes of reality.
“I found them, they are knocked out!”
“What?! Then the Sky Lagoon will... come crashing into the ground!”
“Call a medic. They are still alive.”
“Stay here Iris. I'll handle it!”
“There is a strange elf inside this forcefield...”
“Good-bye, Red... I'll become a Hunter on my own.”
“Secure it immediately. If it is what I think it is...”
“Si...Sigma!?”
“Will they make it?”
“Hang in there, Iris!”
“If you shut your trap and move on, they will!”
“I'll take on plenty more like you, if that's what it takes.”
“Thank god, they start to come around.”
Axl opened his eyes first. The happy faces of many soldiers greeted him. “Did we... make it?” he managed to ask.
X shot up as soon as he realized he was still alive. “Is everybody safe? Where are the hostages? Did they manage to evacuate?”
Zero opened one eye lazily, then yawned. “Can’t a reploid get some sleep around here? Why is everyone shouting like that?”
As if to justify Zero’s words, every other human and reploid started shouting in glee and clapping at the same time.
- - -
The metropolis itself was still damaged, but the lanes of Arcadia were filled with people to capacity. After the horrors of the Elf Wars, where 60 percent of the already small global human population and 90 percent of the reploids had perished, everybody needed to forget themselves even for while.
“I’m still not sure about it, Zero. We have more important things to do than celebrating like this.”
The three hunters were on top of a huge decorated car that was about to start its trek through the city, all wearing formal robes instead of armors. Three months after the final battle, the residents of Arcadia had restored enough infrastructure to comfortably celebrate the end of the Elf Wars.
Zero shook his head in resignation. “You are always too stiff, X. Look out there. Rich and poor, famous and common, humans and reploids. For a day like this, everybody puts away their differences and is ready to throw a festival. They insisted we do at least that.”
Axl could barely contain his excitement. “Yeah! This is going to be a hell of a party. Cheer up everyone. They all love us so much. We are their heroes.”
X sighed. “Alright. Since all three of us are in it we might as well do that.”
As X turned his back, Zero grinned wearily. Both X and Axl are going to kill me, but I have to do that.
The great car started to move closer to the start of the cheering crowd. Suddenly, just before the first lines of people, Zero grabbed Axl with all his might and jumped down behind the car, running towards the opposite direction.
X realized it too late. The people had already started applauding. “I going to get you for this, Zero”, he muttered between his teeth, smiling as the crowd chanted his name.
Axl was still stunned. “What possessed you Zero? I really wanted to take part in it. Why?”
Zero smiled. “Listen to them.” The crowd’s voice reached a crescendo. “One hero is enough for them. X is the only one that can stay here and really help them. By being himself and fighting for peace, he has gained what Weil and Sigma could only dream. The world is his to lead, just as Light wanted him to. Let them acknowledge him as the one and only savior. We are not needed.”
Axl pouted. “But I wanted to sign autographs.”
Zero smirked. “Being a leader is hard, boring and demanding. You are a good hunter, Axl, but you have never been prime leadership material. Think of all the paperwork!”
The black tiger blanched at that. “On second thought, becoming a maverick hunter as soon as they are reformed sounds much more appealing”, he replied sagely. After a while, he quirked a brow. “What about you? X might be a good leader, but you were there supporting and… and tutoring him all the while!” he exclaimed incredulously. “You have been grooming him for this position, haven’t you?” he accused.
Instead of responding, the crimson hunter started whistling obliviously, his smile barely contained on his face.
Axl was not convinced. “No offence to X, but you would have been just as good for this.”
“Yeah, as long as I’m around”, replied Zero and his friend completely lost his words’ hidden meaning.
- - -
“To summarize the reports, energy and water installments are back on line, though we still have problems with the communication networks. Our new geothermal power plants are cheap, ecological and their life almost infinite. We won’t be having problems with energy any time soon.”
“Much technology is lost to us, since many important people are gone and many archives have been corrupted. It will take us a long time to reach our former levels.”
“The uprisings in the five most isolated towns have stopped since we sent enough supplies and eradicated the maverick mechaniloids threat, though I still believe we should have followed a more aggressive approach.”
“The city’s walls are almost complete and reinforced with energy, pulse, plasma, and S.A.M. turrets. We are comparatively safe against the rogue mechaniloids, though we can’t determine their source. Also, by now almost everyone in the city owns decent living quarters and can fairly survive.”
“The crime ratings have been reduced by 98 percent in the last two months. We have also signed peace and trade treaties with other more minor clusters of civilization around the globe. We have started negotiating a union with Arcadia as the leading city.”
“Everybody has asked you to become the head of the union sir. This is their main demand. Whatever you might think, everybody around the globe wants you in charge.”
X sighed but nodded. “Thank you very much, gentlemen, this is the start of a great future for all sentient beings, the rise of Neo-Arcadia, the new bastion of civilization. Peace and prosperity will be achieved. That will be all”, he responded dismissing his associates.
As one by one the councilors left the room, X noticed a figure hiding in the shadows and leaning against the wall. “So, what do you think?” he asked wearily.
“Every time I get inside the presidential palace, it seems more and more cozy, ‘Master’ X.”
“Hey, cut it out. You know I have asked everyone to drop the title thing and stop adding furniture in here. But you didn’t answer my real question.”
Zero left the shadows, walked in front of X and placed his hands on his friend’s shoulders. “What you do is amazing, X. You practically run this planet by yourself. This is what we have been fighting for all those decades. You have come a long way from the rookie hunter Vile almost scrapped.”
X lowered his eyes. “I don’t know, Zero. Everything seems so wrong. You and Axl have done more than I ever could. Without the two of you...And yet you chose to step away from the light. I, the head of a world wide union? And there are so many people I am unable to help right now. I feel helpless.”
Zero smiled. “The people wanted a hero and wanted a leader. Axl could never endure something like that, and I am nobody’s idea of a hero. The people need you, X. This is the start of Dr. Light’s dream, a peaceful world for everybody. And you should know by now you can’t help everybody instantly. In the end, I know you will make it.”
“Thank you again, Zero. I am truly lost without you around.”
“Don’t rely too much on me. I’m leaving tonight.”
X turned very slowly, his eyes glazed, not wanting to believe what he had just heard. After a while he managed to speak. “Wh...where are you going, Zero. We need you here; I need you here.”
“I cannot allow my presence to endanger this world again, X. I have to do that.”
“What are you talking about. This is a joke, right? You have saved this world dozens of times.”
Zero’s eyes scanned the floor. “You choose to forget, X, but I cannot. You are the only one left who knows who my creator was. I was the first true maverick in this world. It was the virus inside my body that turned Sigma from a maverick hunter to a menace. All those maverick outbreaks were my fault. The first war, the X-hunters, the Doppler incident, the manipulation of the repliforce and Iris’s demise, the Eurasia colony, Gate’s nightmare virus, the fall of Red Alert, the Jakob Project, the force metal and so many other incidents happened because of my existence. Even that last, final war. You wouldn’t have to complete the mother elf if there were no mavericks and Weil used a modified Zero virus to corrupt her. You say that I saved the world? Don’t make me laugh. I just tried to undo some of the damage I have caused. There is too much blood on my hands, X.”
Tears were now falling from X’s eyes. “But it was not your fault. You never intended to do something like that.”
“I know that the past cannot be altered X. I have learned that the hard way. The least I can do now is find a way to eradicate the horrors hidden inside me, so that I will not endanger the future. I will find a way or die trying.” The ghost of a smile touched his lips. “Perhaps when I’m sure I am harmless, I can return and enjoy your peace. I’ll probably be bored out of my mind, but then again the work never ends for us hunters.”
X felt a need to curl into a ball and sulk at some dark corner. “I...I will come with you, Zero. You can’t go alone.”
Zero smiled bitterly. “You can’t, X. Even if you didn’t have to take care of a whole world, I would never allow you to do that. This is a path I must tread alone. Don’t tell Axl until he asks. The stupid kid will want to follow me and you can use his help here.”
X could not find any words. His whole universe was collapsing around him.
As Zero reached the exit, he turned around and smiled. “Tell Axl I’m sorry and take care of these people, X. I trust you. I just know we will meet again sometime. Farewell.”
X remained in the same position for many minutes, lost in the dark corners of his mind. Many crazy thoughts crossed his mind. Stop Zero somehow, make the guards arrest him, notify Axl, imprison him, run away following him. When all of them were dismissed, he collapsed into a fetal position and then almost fainted on the cold metal floor.
“What am I doing”, he muttered. “What kind of ungrateful friend am I? Will I just let him leave like this, alone and forgotten by everybody. How can I care for a nation when I can’t even help my best friend. It’s not fair...”
X’s scream of anguish reached Zero’s ears as he exited the building. He turned and regarded the general area of the sound, then resumed walking.
Hang in there, X. Fulfill your dream and forget about me.
- - -
“This is the new mechaniloid we have designed, sir. It is actually more of a frame than an actual model. It is not sentient, it can adapt and be altered in many ways, it follows simple orders and it needs no rest.”
“Is it a coincidence that it resembles me quite a bit?”
“Well, master X, I believe the design is fitting. The citizens will be feeling at ease having droids that look like you running around, even though they are low-powered units. They need meager power input and we can construct them cheaply in great numbers. We can build models with energy busters, shock batons, shielded arms, flying capabilities, even for underwater uses.”
“How do you call them?”
“Well the official name is pantheon, but I believe we can call them X-drones.”
X sighed in resignation. “Very well. I have seen the plans and approve of them. You can start building the prototypes as soon as possible. We are low on men and there are still many dangers outside our walls.”
As the researchers left the room, Axl burst in unannounced.
“Axl, what is the matter? Is something wrong?”
“X, where is Zero? I haven’t seen him around for weeks.”
- - -
“Hey, guys. Somebody is coming. I can see him.”
“Is he alone?”
“Yeah, the perfect fool.”
“Let’s go.”
Six reploids appeared from behind some of the many rock chunks that littered the hill’s face and surrounded the lone figure. The assailants featured low quality beam busters and blades and their eyes gleamed. The figure in the middle was cloaked, its face and body hidden inside the shadows of a brown cape.
“Well, what do we have here boys?” asked one in mock disbelief.
“Somebody was stupid enough to leave one of those crap-hole cities and travel alone”, replied another, obviously enjoying his little game.
“Well show us your face, pal. Are you a human or a reploid?” inquired another one.
“Not that it really matters. You will die anyway”, cackled the first menacingly.
“Well, except if she is female. That would be lucky. We haven’t even touched the gal at our camp yet.”
“Well, say something. Beg for your life.”
The figure that had remained mute till that time, finally spoke. “Have you been doing this a lot?” it asked, sounding quite unconcerned in the face of danger.
“Dang, not a female.”
“Yeah mister. We have already opened a pit full of human and reploid bodies.”
“Right, slaughtering is good and the smell of blood is even better. With that bastard Weil out of the way and no Megacity system or hunters, life will be sweet”, explained a particularly sadistic one.
“Now let’s get this over with. I have to chat with our other young guest, if you catch my meaning”, announced their apparent leader.
One of the reploids tried to snatch the cloak from the figure. A green flash appeared out of nowhere, cleanly severing his hand. He screamed and fell back, backpedaling on the ground on all threes. As the others remained stunned, the figure removed his cloak, revealing his crimson, white and black armor.
One of the thugs recognized the legendary hunter. “It...It’s Z...zero, th...the h...hunter. RUN!!”
Before anyone could even register the meaning of their friend’s words, they found themselves dead, their pieces scattered all over the wasteland. The reploid with the severed hand was still alive, having collapsed on the ground and holding his bloody stump, while futilely trying to kick himself away from the crimson bomber.
As Zero approached him, he begged for his life. “Please, spare me. I surrender. I will follow you and have a trial for my crimes. Just don’t kill me.”
Zero eyed the scum with burning intensity. “I think you got that wrong, ‘pal’. X is the one that offers trials and mercy. I can only offer revenge and oblivion.”
As he silenced the last of the gang, he went through the gruesome task of scavenging their energy cores. Energy was scarce in the wilderness.
He then proceeded to their nearby camp that was consisted of crude tents. He found nothing really worthy of his time, until he reached the larger of them. Inside he discovered a tied and gagged human girl with chocolate brown hair, no older than seventeen, her clothes dirty and ragged, trying to escape to no avail.
She tried to scream when she saw him, then flinched reflexively as his hand approached her and undone her bonds. She promptly removed the dirty gag and regarded the crimson reploid with trepidation and wonder.
“Are you hurt, kid?” asked Zero in a neutral tone. He could see she was relatively unhurt, but he had to say something to break the silence.
At long last, the girl spoke, her voice hesitant. “You... you are not going to hurt me?”
Zero sighed, allowing a smile to touch his lips. “I just happened to pass by and had to retire your six captors. There is no reason to be afraid of me.”
She stood there for a while, trying to fully absorb what her savior told her. Then she rushed forward, hugged the hunter, holding him in an iron grip and sobbing. Zero allowed her to vent her emotions for a while, then placed his cape on her shoulders and held her at arm’s length. “What is your name, girl and where do you live?”
Finally somewhat calm, she cleared her eyes and answered. “I live in a valley three days from here. I was travelling with a caravan, but they ambushed it and...Anyway, my name is Amanda. Amanda Light.”
- - -
“Are you saying you just let him leave like that?”
“Well, yes...”
Axl’s visage changed from curiosity, to stunned disbelief to unbridled rage. “What the hell is wrong with you, X. How could you do that.”
“It was... his wish. I tried to stop him but he wouldn’t listen a word.” X turned his eyes to the floor.
“This is no excuse! You should have stalled him for as long as possible and call for me. Together we could make the stubborn oaf change his mind”, he retaliated.
X sighed, rubbing the space between his eyes wearily. “He decided to do that a long time ago, Axl. It is all clear now. Keeping to himself more than usual, avoiding public appearances, running from the ceremony. He wanted the world to forget about him. He told me he was sorry he left without telling you, but you would want to follow him.”
Axl’s face distorted. “Is that what you will do, X? Forget about him? Letting him just become lost in the history archives like some second rate soldier? Hell and damnation, X! He did most of the work by himself. His actions were more important that what we did in the war combined.”
X flinched at the declaration. “I...I wanted to follow him, but I can’t leave now. They need me. He made sure everybody would think I was the main hero. I can’t leave.”
Axl answered after a while, his words dripping sarcasm. “Fine, then. I guess your Majesty is too important to be bothered by the likes of a simple, insignificant reploid like Zero. I guess you finally caught the maverick virus, X. You just don’t make any sense any more.”
He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He reached for the door, then stopped. His voice now was calm and apologetic, almost serene. “I’m sorry, X. I understand why you must stay. I’m just too stubborn to accept it.”
He turned and a meek smile lightened his face. “I will go and bring him back, X. I promise that. We will return, even if I have to drag him by his hair. See you soon X and good luck to both of us.”
As the door closed, Axl heard two voices.
“There is no way we will let you go alone, commander.”
“Sorry for eavesdropping, but we are coming with you.”
“Tone, Pulse!” gasped the black tiger. “What are you two doing here?”
“Well, we were bored out of our collective CPU…”
“…And we both know what commander Zero means for all of us...”
“…So we are coming along and you will have to scrap us to prevent us.”
Axl felt as if a weight had been removed from his shoulders. “You guys...Thank you. It will be easier now. Let’s go then!!”
X leaned heavily against the door and smiled bitterly. “Good luck Axl, good luck Tone and Pulse. Find Zero. I will just wait for you here and do my best too. Alone...”
- - -
“So your father is a scientist? Do you have any relation to Dr. Light, the legendary researcher from 20XX?”
It was the second day of their journey and Amanda had finally opened up, even smiled. Zero felt responsible for her even though he was a bit disturbed by her smile and her long brown hair. It reminded him the smile of somebody he knew a long time ago and really cared about. Somebody he killed with his very own hands...
“Hey, are you even listening?” inquired the girl, somewhat miffed.
He turned to her abruptly. “Wha...Oh, I guess I zoned out a bit. You were saying?”
“I said that though there is a possibility that me and my father are descendants of Dr. Light, all the archives are lost. The wars spared nothing. Not even Dr. Light himself can verify it.”
Zero turned and regarded Amanda, curiously cocking a brow. “What do mean?”
She realized what she had just said and stuttered. “Oh...I mean....you will see when we get there. By the way, why won’t you tell me your name? And what you were thinking a minute ago?”
Zero sighed. He couldn’t even begin to explain without reciting what happened in the last few wars. “I don’t want anyone to know where I am. And what I was thinking is my own business, thank you very much”, he replied, a bit harsher than what he intended.
Amanda let a cute pout decorate her face. “You are mean...But I am sure I have seen you somewhere before. I know a lot about reploids and I must have seen your shape in our archives. I just can’t remember, but I will, I always do.”
“Whatever...” Damn, why do they have to look so alike...
They soon started walking between two really high stone walls, mere meters apart. It was obvious that unknown forces have splinted the mountain in half, leaving an easy trail for everyone to use.
And a great place for an ambush.
Amanda soon noticed Zero’s apprehension. “Hey, why are you so nervous all of a sudden? Have you seen anything?”
“No, but something is here.”
“You worry too...HEY.”
Zero grabbed Amanda from the waist and leaped backwards twice. A moment later, the ground below them exploded and a giant worm mechaniloid shot upwards, blocking the sun, freshly-dug soil running from its armored spines.
“Oh, no. What will we do now. We can’t pass this thing”, exclaimed the human girl, clearly panicking.
Zero shrugged and activated his saber, holding it in his left hand. “Well, there is no other way. Stay here for a while.”
Amanda grabbed his arm. “What do you think you are doing? You are no match for this thing!”
Zero turned and smirked. “We shall see.”
“This is not a joke. Hey come back!”
She blinked and tried to follow his movement but her eyes failed her. A second later, he was on the top of the behemoth, stabbing his saber at its optic sensors. The infuriated worm shot forward, meaning to crush the bothersome reploid against the stone wall. He jumped at the last possible moment, as the worm’s head became embedded inside granite, then dashed and rolled from one side of the worm’s body to the other, his saber extended. Seriously hurt, the mechaniloid stopped trying to disengage from the wall and attempted to burrow deeper in it, meaning to escape the red bomber. Zero landed in front of a very stunned Amanda and formed his already charging buster on his right hand. The first shot blew away the worm’s already damaged armor. The second shot followed rabidly, exposing the mechaniloid’s innards. Lastly, the crescent wave emitted from his saber split the foe in half. Critically wounded, it squirmed for a while longer, then stopped moving for good, its head half remaining embedded on the wall like a morbid banner.
Amanda eyed the hunter in disbelief. He had just killed a mechaniloid twenty times his size without a scratch and without even breaking a sweat. “How did you do that?”
Zero shrugged indifferently. “Well, it was almost good exercise.”
“I am sure I have heard about that three hit combo from somewhere. Why can’t I remember. Hey, wait for me!”
The crimson hunter merely evened his pace instead of stopping. “Well, start walking already. This trip is getting boring.”
- - -
“Well, commander? Have you learned anything?”
“Hey, I told you two to stop calling me commander. The war is over.”
“Sorry, Axl. Any news.”
The black tiger smiled while pretending to polish his armor with his fingers. “I heard some rumors and I think we have a match, Tone”, he declared merrily.
The violet-colored reploid quirked a brow. “What kind of rumors?”
Axl’s smile reached his ears. “About a red and green flash going around and saving some of the villagers from rogue wolf mechaniloids. We are heading to the site of that battle now.”
After a while, they reached a small river stream. The area around was littered with parts and energy fluid stains of something that used to resemble a pack of mechanical dogs. Many of the parts had obviously been scavenged, but what remained was mainly the most damaged components.
“Yep, that was him alright”, decided Pulse without missing a bit. “Only commander Zero would do such precise cuts.
“Wow, he made mincemeat of something like thirty of them before they could even think to retaliate”, added Tone, clearly awed. Even after fighting next to the red legend, he had trouble believing his optic sensors.
Axl was not that impressed, or rather he had come to expect such sights. “Well, it is Zero we are talking about. He is heading directly east of Arcadia. Let’s go guys.”
“Yes comm... I mean Axl.”
- - -
At the beginning of the third day of their travel, Zero and Amanda reached a great cybernetic forest. “My home is just a bit further, Mr. mysterious reploid. I hope you can stay for a few days. I would really like to see how your systems are shaped”, chirped Amanda, futilely trying to hide her excitement.
Zero threw her an incredulous glare. Great, now I have met a female Douglas. What comes next? A pacifist Sigma?
“I’m kidding, don’t look at me like that!”
The red warrior decided to change subject. “Anyway, I see this forest is far from natural. What are these machines?”
“Well, this is part of a pretty old experiment. By creating trees that can reproduce mechanical parts, we achieve greater durability and faster growth. Also there are monitoring devices that determine the health of every tree in the forest and decide which parts need more energy and which should be removed altogether. The whole system is automatic, so when the experiment finished, the forest continued to grow.”
Zero raised a brow. “You seem to know much about it.”
“Actually, it was my grandfather that made the experiment. I have already found some ways to improve it, by attaching solar cells and by calibrating...”
As the Light girl continued droning on and on about esoteric technologies he would have to download whole libraries to understand, he mentally winced. This will be a long trek...
After a while, the forest ended abruptly and the suddenly barren and scorched ground degraded into a deep, uneven chasm. The bottom of the chasm was barely visible and full of jagged rock formations.
Zero turned to Amanda. “Tell me you are not lost.”
She smiled and just walked forward. Before Zero could stop her, she reached the edge of the ledge and vanished. Zero blinked a few times then approached and tested the air after the edge. Part of his foot disappeared in thin air and he felt solid ground under his boot. Then he heard Amanda’s voice. “Are you going to stay there the whole day? It is just an illusion.”
Zero shrugged and simply walked forward, ignoring his mind that screamed for him to stop. For a second, he could only see a twirl of colors, then his eyes passed through the thin sheet of illusion and he found himself in a forest groove. In the middle, loomed what seemed to be an giant old fortress, flora trying to claim it back by ascending on its walls. Following Amanda, he entered through the main gate and passed a great number of rooms and side-corridors. The more he walked into the building, the cleaner the rooms got.
“Sorry about the mess, but only five people live here and we don’t really need all these rooms, so we clean only what’s needed”, she claimed, quite a bit embarrassed.
They finally entered a great chamber, filled with random machinery and resembling a mix between a living room and a truly advanced laboratory. Barring some explosion marks on the roof, the room was spotlessly clean and quite cozy.
As soon as Amanda entered, four persons left what they were doing and rushed to her. A middle-aged man wearing a white lab suit hugged her with suffocating fervor. “Amanda, where have you been? What happened to you?” he demanded unnerved.
She smiled to alleviate his worry. “I was kidnapped by some vicious reploids, dad, but this person here saved me and brought me home.”
A young woman in her twenties, wearing a mechanic’s uniform placed her hands on her hips and berated her. “Well, young lady, you were lucky this time, but you won’t be travelling alone from now. Am I clear?” she chided in thick accent.
The other occupants of the room were two small-framed reploids with identical features and clothes but inverted color scheme, who proceeded to cheer for Amanda’s return. Meanwhile, the middle-aged man and the young woman approached Zero.
“My name is Professor Light. We can never repay you enough for saving my daughter”, he exclaimed reverently.
The young woman smirked and added. “Yeah, she might be dumb and a horrid mechanic but she’s better for conversation than the old geezers or the two buffoons over there”, she said indicating the two reploids, clad in black and white, that were currently all around Amanda. “I’m Linda by the way, nice to meet ya. And you are?” she inquired, wiping her hands on a dirty rag to remove the coating of machine oil before shaking Zero’s hand.
Before he could conjure a reply, another voice echoed in the room, coming from invisible speakers. “I have told you it is not polite to call us ‘geezers’, Linda. Hi there Zero. Long time no see. I never expected to meet you here.”
Hearing his name, everybody else froze. Zero scanned the room and saw the source of the voice. A holographic projection of an old man with an ample white beard, wearing a lab coat.
“Long time, no see, Dr. Light. What are you doing here of all places.”
“Well, Professor Light over here was kind enough to gather all the capsules X has used and download their data, merging them together. I thought it would be the end of me when X activated the last capsule and I didn’t really mind. But I can’t complain I get a chance to live longer. Aren’t I a pitiful old man? You have to tell me how X is doing, but first...I think we own them an explanation, if only to remove their jaws from the floor”, he said indicating the five stunned individuals.
Linda spoke first. “Heya, handsome, are you really Zero, the maverick hunter?”
A smile found its way on Zero’s face as he nodded.
“I knew I had seen you from somewhere, but how could I imagine you were actually a legendary reploid. I should have realized it when you trashed that Mark III centipede mechaniloid, though.”
Linda’s eyes went wide. “Woah, you are some hot staff there. I know those devils. I even got to disassemble one a year ago.”
Professor Light spoke next. “It is a great honor to have the legendary Zero here with us. Please feel free to stay here indefinitely.”
The two reploids approached hesitantly, but only one managed to speak. “N..nice to m...meet you sir Z...Zero. I’m Font and this is m...my brother Case.”
“Well, Zero, now that you know who is who, I want to hear about my dear child.” Zero spent the next three hours reciting the mission in Giga city, the incorporation of the maverick hunters into the Arcadia army, the horrors of the last maverick war and the following Elf Wars. The mood lightened considerably when Zero recounted the rise of Neo-Arcadia.
“So, it seems things are getting better, Zero. I feel happy about that,” commented Light’s sentient hologram.
The red hunter frowned. “Well, thing couldn’t have gotten any worse anyway.”
Light nodded somewhat gravely before responding. “So tell me now why you left. I know that there has to be a very important reason for you to leave when X needs you.”
Zero sighed, his eyes falling on his hands. The gauntlets were ironically white, when they should have been red like the rest of him. “It is about the virus.”
The good doctor sighed. “I understand your concern, but I believe that the virus is completely inactive by now. You have already proven you can keep it under control or even use it.”
Zero’s retort came like a snarl. “For how long, Dr. Light? This world desperately needs peace. The last thing I want, is to destroy it again. I have to be sure that either the virus and every other possible hazard is dead and buried or that my control is absolute. Failing that, well, I’ve already died twice. The third time’s the charm...”
Everybody in the room remained silent until the looming silence was shattered by Amanda. “You can’t be serious, Zero. Blaming yourself for things beyond you is just stupid. However, everybody here is a genius in their own field. I bet we can help you somehow.”
Linda added her two Zenny. “Yeah, the shrimp here is right. Her plans are thumbs up, I’m a hecuva mechanic, the two imbeciles there can be some help and, hell, we have the two genius geezers over there. You saved the world more times I’m gonna count and you saved our shrimp too. ‘Tis da least we can do for ya.”
“What do you think Dr. Light?” inquired Amanda’s father formlly, although the undercurrent of mirth was evident.
“I think what you think professor Light. Let’s do it. I own him even more than that anyway.”
Zero was more than stunned, but recovered very soon. “Well, what can I say. I’m not one to turn down such an offer.”
- - -
Several days passed quickly after that, with everyone having their hands full. Amanda showed great interest about Zero, but he couldn’t determine if the girl has fallen in love or just wanted to disassemble him. The two Lights were hard at work, scanning his systems multiple times and analyzing the data again and again. While Font and Case tried to find the courage to talk to the crimson reploid, Linda spent hours talking to him while strolling around, trying to coordinate everybody else, or fixing some random wrecked device. He quickly realized that the way she spoke was merely a facade, for her accent would sometimes vanish faster than Dynamo on the run. At the end of the week, Dr. and professor Light gathered everyone around them.
“Would you mind, professor Light?”
“Be my guest, Dr Light.”
The digitalized scientist chuckled a bit to himself before starting his explanation. “Thank you. Well Zero, I think we have some chances, but I’m not going to lie to you. It will be dangerous.”
Zero smirked. “Well, it’s not like the rest of my life has been even remotely safe. I am ready to take any risk and, to tell the truth, in this short time I have grown to trust all of you.”
“Allow me to tell you some details. You must know that, unfortunately, I hadn’t moved all my knowledge from my human form when my body died. I can’t remember how some of X’s systems work. You already know that 60 percent of your design is based on X’s. The other 40 percent is...”
“The work of an obsessed lunatic, I know,” interrupted Zero, somewhat darkly.
Dr. Light smiled bitterly. “If only Wily would use his genius for good... Anyway, right now we can analyze 70 percent of your systems, which is far more than anyone else has ever achieved. Based on what we found, I believe the remains of the virus will be removed from your body and your DNA core in five thousand years, provided you never try to use it. But, we can speed the procedure to take one century. You will have to remain a bit more than one hundred years in stasis and this might cause memory lapses, especially if something goes wrong. Also, I have no idea what the other 30 percent of your systems could cause. These are the risks and the odds.”
Zero sighed, then steeled himself. He wasn’t too eager to sleep for so much time, but if he could get rid or learn to control the Zero Virus inside him, it was worth the try. Also, he wasn’t so sure he could survive for long in X’s peaceful world. Unlike the Lightbot, Zero needed to fight to remain sane. “Whenever you are ready.”
Linda walked to him and spoke. “But that’s not all, pretty boy. If ya don’t mind, we can fix ya up to be stronger. I know that half of ya, we cannot touch, ‘tis like alien tech. But the other half, we can make it better.”
Zero hesitated a bit. He didn’t really like the idea he would wake up even stronger, in case he did go mad someday, the reason he had initially rejected Light’s upgrade during the Eurasia crisis. On the other hand, he was a warrior and power was always important. “Well, I don’t really think it is necessary...” he tried weakly.
Dr. Light spoke again. “I think it is a great idea, Zero. Whatever you may say, I have faith in you. You said that Weil might be out there and plotting. We know it will take him quite some time to recover Omega; that kid, Axl, made that sure. But he will be back and you might have to face him again.”
Zero sighed in resignation. “Very well, everyone. I place my life in your hands. It seems it will be a century too peaceful for me, anyway.” His eyes fell to the floor.
“Heya, don’t be so gloomy and a’ that there. We will take care of ya, sure we will.”
- - -
The soldiers were scared to death, but they kept their ground, their hand cannons ready. The twenty tiger mechaniloids rushed to them, barely hindered by the spray of weak shots. Their eyes and teeth gleamed in the morning sun, promising infinite pain and death. Just before they could tear into the now faltering infantry, A blue and white flash descended from the sky and crashed into their front ranks. The mechaniloids were swiftly and efficiently retired.
As X touched the ground, reverting to his casual armor, the soldiers hailed him like he was the avatar of a god. He smiled to them and slowly took his leave back to his more mundane duties. As soon as he went out of sight, his fake smile dropped, revealing his mental weariness.
I’m happy that I managed to save them but...I feel lonely. I have been fighting together with Zero and Axl for a long time. I don’t want to be alone and I have to continue to fight. I couldn’t go with them, that I could not...
An idea struck his head.
I don’t have to be alone. At least I can have some help and some company. I will build four reploids to be my trusted companions and guard Neo-Arcadia. Even if I some day seize to exist, my father’s dream will live on.
He closed his eyes in regret.
Once again, we have to prepare for war to maintain peace. Was Zero correct about peace that cannot last forever? It sounds logical, but it is so sad...
- - -
(revision notes): Apart from some editing and polishing, nothing has changed. I did alter Light’s words a bit to foreshadow the newer chapters, but nothing plot-important.