Chapter 1 Another New Repoid “June 10, 20XX Journal Entry No. 329 Today Sigma brought in another Maverick. This one, it seems, is quite strong. I noticed all the damage marks on Sigma, though he tried to conceal them from me. He is too proud…he wouldn’t want to admit that he had almost been beaten by a Maverick, although even I find that hard to believe. He has requested that I take a look at the Maverick, and run a few tests on him as well. Sigma thinks that he is a great danger as he is, so I will try to locate the root of the Maverick Virus in his systems and see if he can be ’cured’. Dr. Cain” Dr. Cain logged off his PC. Pushing back his chair, he stood up and walked to the door. A few Mets hurried by, and he stopped the last one. “Met, which way is the Maverick we’re restoring?” Dr. Cain asked. The Met blinked quickly, then made some short, high-pitched robot noises and threw its weight to the right. Having learned to understand the little bots with red crosses on their heads, Dr. Cain nodded his thanks and walked down the brightly lit metal corridor. The door guarding the Maverick responded when he punched in the key-code by releasing the air-locks and slowly retracting into the frame. Well, let’s see what we have here. As soon as he stepped into the room, the sight before him rendered him completely speechless. The Maverick was tall and red, with white shoulders and a long mane of blonde hair. His helmet, sharp and angular as a bursting fire, masked wild green eyes. In his hands was a long piece of the ceiling’s cooling pipe. Dozens of little cross-eyed Mets were bashed against the walls, leaning on computers, and strewn about the room hiding under their hard hats. Broken machinery lay everywhere, and spark-spewing wires buzzed and popped. “What?! What happened here?! Why hasn’t security been notified?!” Dr. Cain gasped. The red Maverick turned towards him, eyeing him suspiciously. Dr. Cain, spotting a nearby Met in working order, reached for a small repair kit. He hoped he could get it online before the Maverick could attack him. “…..a human….” the Maverick said under his breath. “Who are you?! And why am I here?! What is this place?!!” he yelled. Dr. Cain, fervently working on the Met, didn’t notice the reploid had spoken to him. The reploid took a step closer and asked again. “…What is this place?! Tell me!!” he shouted. Dr. Cain, having got the Met back online, quickly shoved it out the door to fetch Sigma. He stood up and prepared to run out the door, but stopped instead. There was something different about this reploid; whether it was his somehow familiar voice or the perfect blue jewel on his forehead, he could not have been a Maverick. No, he had been fully repaired, and the capsule would not have awakened him unless he was safe to be released. Then, why was there such carnage around him? Is it possible that he is a violent reploid? Or…maybe he was only trying to defend himself…He is definitely as normal as he will ever be. I must try to find out his name…he has a Z on his shoulder… The reploid was staring at Dr. Cain, obviously waiting on an answer. Dr. Cain cleared his throat and tried to calm his nerves. The reploid was peaceful, for the moment. “This is Maverick Hunter HQ. Sigma, the leader of the Maverick Hunters, brought you in, and we restored you to your normal self,” Dr. Cain said. The reploid glared at him. Dr. Cain took it as a sign to introduce himself. “I am Dr. Cain. I am the overseer of the reploid race, and have created quite a few myself. Tell me, red reploid, where did you come from?” Suddenly filled with questions, Dr. Cain spoke again, this time more quickly. “Who is your creator? I have not seen one of your kind in quite some time… What is your name? When were you created?” The red reploid struck a puzzled look and shook his head. “I’m not telling you anything until you tell me what’s going on!” “Well, then… You don’t have to worry about any opposition. I’d like to study you for a while. I may even let you in on the Maverick Hunters,” he said, surveying the robot’s evident experience at combat, “Why, I haven’t seen a reploid not on file since…Mega Man X…” The reploid’s eyes snapped open. Clearly, Dr. Cain had his full attention. “You know each other?” Dr. Cain asked. “No…not exactly…but it seems…arrgh! I can’t remember anything!!” the robot cried, “I don’t even know my name!! It’s…Z…Z-something…” Dr. Cain rubbed his chin. “Hmm, I can’t offer any help to you there,” “Dr. Cain!! What happened!!” Sigma burst into the room… “Dr. Cain!! Are you alright?!” …followed by X. “Scram, pipsqueak! Who do you think you are?! You can’t handle this Maverick!!” Sigma growled. “I’m not worried about a Maverick! I’m worried about Dr. Cain!” X shouted. Dr. Cain turned to them both and said, “It’s alright, nothing’s wrong. He’s not a Maverick anymore. In fact, he seems to be quite alright. Why don’t you two introduce yourselves?” Sigma strode up to the red robot and looked down his nose at him. “I’m in command of all the Hunters, so you’ll have to take my orders from now on!! Humph! Dr. Cain, he’s hardly Hunter material. Look at him; he doesn’t even have a weapon!” Sigma snarled. The robot was getting very mad. A large blue charge had accumulated at his arm, which he quickly threw into Sigma’s face. Screaming, Sigma started to tear at the robot with his saber, but a quick word from Dr. Cain sent him stomping off to the repair center--for the second time that day. “Sorry about Sigma. He…is a very proud reploid. Just be careful around him, and don’t get into a fight with him,” Dr. Cain said. For Sigma’s sake, he thought, remembering how badly damaged he was when he walked in from the previous mission. X walked up and slowly looked him over, as if in recognition. “Have we…met before? I have a strange feeling of déjà vu…” X said. He blinked once, then smiled. “I am Mega Man X. I was created by Dr. Thomas Light, but…he’s no longer here…” he said the last part in sadness. “Who are you?” he finally said. The robot answered confidently. It was as if all his memories had been jogged by X’s words. He remembered it all now, or at least what he knew for sure. “I am…Zero. I’ve never met my creator…” “Well, come with me. I’ll show you around the base, especially if you’re to become a Maverick Hunter. Is that okay, Dr. Cain?” X asked. Dr. Cain nodded, then watched the two walk off; X, followed by Zero. “Zero…hmm, I must look into this. I wonder if he is mentioned in Light’s notes…” Chapter 2 The Beginning of Friendship “June 23, 21xx Journal entry No. 332 It has been quite a few days since the discovery of Zero, and all seems to be going well. He seems to be of no danger to the humans, but his capabilities are very high. I cannot measure his real strength or speed, nor can I X’s. Concerning X, he and Zero seem to be getting along quite well. I think they may even become friends. What an interesting concept this is! The thought of reploids being able to make friends with one another! I searched Light’s notes again and again, but found nothing concerning Zero. Not one single amount of information was there. However, there was a piece of information in there about a certain dangerous person by the name of Dr. Albert Wily. Hmmm… this is quite an interesting find in itself. Maybe I’ll organize another dig to recover his lab… Dr. Cain” Dr. Cain logged off the computer. It was time to do some observations. He picked up the usual, his electronic clipboard, and hurried out the door. He found his subjects in the battle training room. It was a large room with thickly padded walls for protection, though not for the reploids; it was there to keep the wall half-way intact from them smashing into it, stray blasts, and so forth. Now they had another problem: their first proficient saber user. Zero preferred the lightweight, glowing saber to normal long-range attacks. At first Dr. Cain thought he was just being stubborn when he refused to use the buster cannon on his arm, but he quickly realized why Zero was reluctant to use it. Dr. Cain had to call in the repair bots to fix a massive hole in the wall when Zero just slightly missed his target . Dr. Cain had then handed him one of Sigma’s weapons for trial with no objections. Surprisingly, he did quite well. Zero had quickly moved his way up the ranks until he was winning even the S rank challenges in under the time limit. Now, he was sparring with another reploid in the training room. His sparring partner was none other than Mega Man X. Dr. Cain watched intently, though he was somewhat nervous that X might get hurt, him being a smaller, more peaceful robot--something Zero definitely was not. Zero ducked left and avoided X’s blast. He leaped onto the wall and dashed quickly to the other side, landing a blow from his saber on X. X recovered quickly and charged his cannon. He leaped back as Zero took another swing at him and continued to charge. When finally finished, X unleashed a huge blast at Zero, which struck with amazing force. Zero flew back and slammed against the wall. He shook his head, blinked, and jumped up with a serious look on his face. He charged at X with his beam saber. X, having no time to react, threw up his buster to defend himself, but Zero counter-attacked his block. X fell to the ground. He looked up at Zero, who was standing about three feet away waiting for X to stand up, and did a sliding kick, knocking Zero off his feet. X began firing little plasma blasts at him, and Zero dodged and deflected each one. He dashed at X again with his saber ready to deliver the finishing blow, but X had other plans. X leaped onto the wall and dashed to the other side, firing a charged blast straight at Zero. Zero then decided it was time to use his buster as well. He fired at X, and each blast hit their targets at the same time. Both X and Zero flew back against the walls as the loudspeaker announced the end of the match. X stood up and looked at the score board, as did Zero. “And the results are…a tie,” said the voice on the loudspeaker. X and Zero looked at each other, blinked a few times, and then started laughing. That wasn’t the first time they had tied, in points anyway. They both exited the training room and walked into the main courtyard. “Wow, Zero, you’re strong,” X said, “I never expected that final shot!” Zero grinned. “Hey, you’re not so bad. I usually cream my victims.” They both laughed, energized from their friendly match. Dr. Cain, pleased with what he had just witnessed, began inputting data in his clipboard. “Yes, I believe those two are going to become good friends some day,” he said to himself in approval, “they may even become partners in the 17th Unit. I do believe that is the best place for them.” Dr. Cain casually strolled into the main courtyard where X and Zero were talking. He cleared his throat as an announcement that he was there. X and Zero turned to him. “Oh, hi Dr. Cain. Did you see our match? We tied again!” X said in high spirits. Zero just nodded his head and looked intently at Dr. Cain. He wondered what Dr. Cain was going to say. “Yes, I did see your match. Quite impressive, both of you, but I’ve come to make you an offer,” Dr. Cain watched for signs of interest, and noticed both of them looking straight at him. “Zero, how would you like to be made an official part of the Maverick Hunters?” X’s eyes lit up. “Dr. Cain, would you really let him in? That would be great! Zero, we could fight together! What do you think?” Zero, still uncertain of the responsibility he would have to take, gave an insecure shrug. “I don’t know, X… I don’t know if I’m cut out to hunt down Mavericks…” He noticed X’s disappointed look and sighed. He’d have to join now. He had some little feeling inside him that he couldn’t ignore. X was a very kind reploid who could easily be hurt by so-called friends that would betray him. He almost felt he had to protect X… “Well, alright, I’m in!” Zero said. X smiled. “You won’t regret it, Zero!” he said. “Great! I’ll assign you both to the 17th Unit. Is that okay with you two?” Dr. Cain asked confidently. “Dr. Cain…the 17th Unit? Then that means…” X said. “Yes, you two are very skilled. I know you both will be a big help to the 17th Unit.” Dr. Cain then walked off, back to his office. He was pleased with their reactions, and he knew they would make great partners in the battle against the Mavericks. Chapter 3 Sigma’s Betrayal X quickly dashed over to the long line of standing reploids. It was his first day of training to be a Maverick Hunter and already he was a little late. He jumped in line beside Zero and whispered, “How late am I? Do you think Sigma will be mad?” Zero glanced at X. “You’re only behind a few minutes. No need to worry,” he said. Sigma, who stood in front of them all giving the “New Hunters” speech, paused a moment to give Zero and X the evil eye. X gulped nervously. “I thought you said he wouldn’t be mad…” he said quietly. “Well, I didn’t expect him to be…” Zero said, perplexed by Sigma’s pickiness. “That’s enough chatter! How do you expect to become great Hunters if you don’t listen to your higher ranking officer?!” Sigma bellowed. A few reploids snickered that the new guys were getting yelled at, but were quickly silenced by Sigma’s impatient scolding. Sigma crossed his arms and looked over every one of the reploids in revolt. Secretly, he loathed the job of training new Hunters. He even pretended to be seriously injured one time so he could get out of it. That generation of Hunters had already driven four instructors insane by now, all of which had been sent to the junkyard. This new generation, however, seemed to have some potential, though he still was disgusted with their appearances. After summing up the things he thought they were capable of doing, Sigma raised his fist and pointed to a stag with flaming antlers. “You there! State your name!” Sigma growled. “I-I’m,” he stuttered, then gathered his wits about him, “I’m Flame Stag! I use the powers of fire,” he paused. “…plus I’m fast,” he added weakly. Sigma smiled evilly. “Prove it,” he said, “Climb that rock wall. You have 10 seconds to reach that flag on the top,” Flame Stag blinked, then raced to the other side of the wall where there was another rock wall about 10 feet away. He quickly dashed onto the first wall and leaped to the second, back to the first, then to the second again and again with lightning fast speed, until he reached the red flag. Sigma called time just after he grabbed the flag and held it in the air. The other Hunters-In-Training clapped and cheered for Flame Stag, and even Sigma nodded his slight approval. “Alright,” Sigma said as Flame Stag handed him the flag, “now we start the sparring! I’ll pair you up so we won’t have any unfair fights. Control your weapons so they don’t run rampant and destroy everything in sight.” Sigma pointed to Boomer Kuwanger, who stepped back in surprise. “I want you to fight Flame Stag,” Both of them got into battle poses. “Gravity Beetle, fight little blue boy over there,” Gravity Beetle raised an eyebrow, and X looked offended. “But, uh, sir? What if I crush him? He’s awfully little for me to fight…” Gravity Beetle said in a deep, muscle-head voice. “Fight him anyway. Don’t hold back, even if you crush him. We do have a repair unit, remember?” Sigma smirked. The group of little yellow Mets blinked and looked at each other as Sigma pointed to them. One had a janitor mop in his hand, which was quickly slapped away and replaced by a medical kit. The Met’s face turned red at its mistake. “You there, red guy!” Sigma called. “You will fight the sponge guy over there.” Zero looked at the sponge guy and gasped. He was dancing around swinging a vine. He didn’t even look familiar; Zero wondered if he was even a real Maverick Hunter trainee. However, battle was battle. Zero turned to the sponge guy and got into battle stance. After all the trainees were paired up, the fighting commenced. Boomerangs, gravity orbs, flame circles, and stray buster shots flew in all directions. Flame Stag eventually won his match due to Boomer Kuwanger getting hit with a gravity orb that knocked him into a soft spot of clay on the rock wall; this got his horns stuck and he was unable to free himself. Gravity Beetle was defeated quite easily after he ran to see if his brother was okay. It wasn’t X that defeated him, though; it was an excited Flame Stag, eager to start the next match. As for Zero, he won with the greatest ease of any of them. Wire Sponge fled at the speed of light the moment Zero unsheathed his glowing Z-saber. After that, Zero had sat back and watched the others mess up, laughing occasionally. Sigma was just about at the end of his rope. He was grinding his teeth so hard there were chips flying off them. His face was turning a bright shade of red, and steam was starting to come out his “ears”. “THAT’S ENOUGH!!!” Sigma screamed. All the reploids stared at him wide-eyed. Flame Stag ran for cover. Sigma, seething with anger, threatened to disembody each and every one of them if they didn’t do something right very soon. He suddenly regained his composure and an evil grin crossed his lips. “Blue boy, come here!” Sigma called with a smirk. X, angered by Sigma’s deliberate decision to not call him by his name, slowly stepped forward. Sigma threw off his cape. “Fight me,” he said plainly. X jumped back in surprise. There’s no way I can win against Sigma…he’s too powerful! What can I do? Sigma tapped his foot and raised his fists in a martial arts stance. “Well, get over here and fight me!!” he roared. X blinked and took another step forward. He didn’t think it was a good idea, but he didn’t have a choice. Sigma grinned. “Heh heh…I’ll show you all how to really fight a Maverick!” X took a deep breath and readied himself. It was a matter of seconds before Sigma was right in front of him. X leaped out of the way of his first attack, only to be thrown another strong punch. Sigma’s fists slammed against X in such a way that he was instantly knocked to the ground. X pushed himself up and charged his buster cannon. He unleashed a powerful wave of energy, but Sigma dodged it easily. The rest of the reploids gasped in shock as Sigma picked up X and threw him back to the ground. X cried out in pain from the shockwaves that were sent through his body. He didn’t know why Sigma was being so violent; his energy was quickly draining, yet Sigma wasn’t letting up. X got up slowly, his chest heaving, and tried to land a punch on Sigma. It hit, but Sigma recoiled and gave X a swift kick in the stomach. Gravity Beetle spoke up, “Um, sir, don’t you think you should stop now? I mean, he looks plenty beaten to me…” “Stay out of this match, Beetle!” Sigma spat. All the trainees shrunk back with fear in their eyes. Zero, though, had only worry on his face. Sigma was too strong for X right now. He shouldn’t have even picked X yet--he wasn’t even at half the power level he could reach. Sigma and X continued to fight, but when Sigma grabbed X in a headlock, Zero had enough. “Sigma, stop!” Zero shouted angrily. Sigma glanced up at Zero with a smirk on his face. “Heh heh, what’s wrong, Zero? Don’t you like my demonstration?” Sigma laughed. “Sigma, you’re going too far! Why don’t you fight me, or are you scared?!” Zero snarled. “Heh heh, in your dreams, Maverick!!” Sigma sneered. This set Zero into a blind rage--even Sigma had to rethink his decision to say those words. “That’s it!!” Zero yelled. He charged at Sigma and tore a punch into the side of his head. Sigma shrieked in pain, dropping X. Flame Stag, Gravity Beetle, and Boomer Kuwanger, all three with bulging eyes, ran to get Dr. Cain and the reploid guards. When they arrived, Zero was throwing Sigma into the rock wall head first. It didn’t daunt him, though, and he threw a punch right back into Zero’s forehead. Zero, recovering quickly from the attack, prepared to throw another punch at Sigma, but two large reploids grabbed him and held him fast. They did the same with Sigma. Dr. Cain stepped up with a frown on his face. “Zero, Sigma, what is the meaning of this!” Dr. Cain demanded. Sigma spoke up. He had dents and scratches in his armor, including a large dent in the side of his head. “I was giving a lesson on how to fight a Maverick when Zero attacked me!!” Zero tried to jerk his arms free. “That’s not true!! He was going too far!!” His armor was also scratched and dented, and he had an angry scowl on his face. He breathed heavily as he turned to Dr. Cain. “Just look at X if you don’t believe me!” Dr. Cain sighed. “Sigma, I wish to have a talk with you in my office. Both of you, no more fighting! I’ll be forced to remove you from the Maverick Hunters if you do!” Dr. Cain turned to the rest of the trainees. “This training session is over. You are dismissed,” he said. He looked at X, who was coughing and trying to stand up. All at once he knew why Zero attacked Sigma, yet he had no idea why Sigma had attacked X. “Guards, you may release them, but only if they stay at least 50 feet from each other at all times. Is that clear?” Sigma grumbled his reply. Zero, keeping his eyes on Sigma, growled angrily, “No problem, Dr. Cain,” As soon as they were released, Zero walked over to X. “X, are you ok?” Zero said, looking him over. X shook his head and gave a weak laugh. “Yeah, no problem, Zero! I’m just fine…OW!” X winced and held his stomach. “Sigma hit you pretty hard,” Zero said, “you better go in for repairs,” “Hey, you’re not spotless, Zero,” X said good-humouredly. Zero nodded. “Well, at least you’re cheerful. Come on, we’ll both go,” he said. Dr. Cain watched the two reploids in admiration. They watched out for one another, but it was different than regular partners would act. Even if it could cause trouble sometimes, he could sense there was a strong bond forming between them. Sigma, too, could sense it. He growled as he walked away from the scene. Soon he would be free of the Maverick Hunters, Dr. Cain, and Mega Man X and Zero. * * * * * A blue light pierced the silent darkness of the night. A lone figure smirked as he looked upon the sleeping reploid inside the small room. Knowing the reploid would not follow him, he quickly slinked out the door, giving a subtle laugh as he walked away. Moments later, the blue reploid’s eyes slowly opened. Mega Man X opened the capsule and sat up, sleepily rubbing his eyes. What was that? I thought I heard something… X stood up and gazed about the room. Nothing seemed out of place, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, so he decided to walk around. Eventually, he ended up in the small, messy lounge outside the 13th Unit’s quarters. He collapsed into a nearby chair and listened to the silence. It was almost…eerie… Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming down the long hallway. He slowly stood, wondering who it could be. He was almost to the door of the lounge when a familiar face appeared around the corner. X sighed; it was only Zero. “Hi, X. Couldn’t you sleep?” Zero asked. “I thought I heard something, that’s all…” X replied. “…I don‘t think I heard anything,” Zero said, “but then again, I’ve been up forever, and I can’t be for sure,” “You couldn’t sleep? Why, Zero? What’s wrong?” X asked. Zero was reluctant to tell X of all the things that had happened that night, but he knew he really didn’t have anything to worry about. “X, have you ever felt…strong energy, I guess, when you met a Maverick?” “I can’t say that I have…” X said. “Well,” Zero hesitated, “I’ve sensed something strong lately…something almost evil…I don’t know what it is, but I’ve got a bad feeling about Sigma…” “Aw, Zero, you’re just mad at him. It’s okay, I’m not mad,” X said, trying to break the gloomy mood. “Well, I guess you’re right,” Zero admitted, “I am still a little mad, but…no, never mind. I’m going to try to go back to sleep. See you, X,” “See you, Zero,” X said with a sigh. Zero was still mad at Sigma. But then again, it did sound like he knew what he was talking about; the night just didn’t feel right. X shrugged it off and slowly walked back to his room. Zero entered his room as quietly as possible so as not to wake anyone else. He stepped up to his capsule and stopped. He reached inside and grasped the handle of a strange-looking weapon. It was a scythe--a scythe with a long red handle and a glowing green blade. He recognized it immediately. For a moment, he stared at it in disbelief. I can’t believe it!! So I was right… the Maverick is Sigma!! I’ve got to tell Dr. Cain!! Chapter 4 Zero VS. Sigma (Battle at the Airport) “Dr. Cain, where are the others?” Mega Man X asked while dropping a large metal crate onto a larger pile. It was Dr. Cain’s research files, which were to be analyzed for any mentioning of Zero. “Boomer Kuwanger and Flame Stag aren’t here. They were supposed to practice on the obstacle course this morning,” X explained. Dr. Cain sifted through Light’s notes quickly. “Hmm…I don’t know, X. Sigma hasn’t reported either,” Dr. Cain said half-way listening to X, focusing more on the notes. X thought to himself for a moment, then came upon another puzzle. “Dr. Cain,” X started, but a sudden noise interrupted him. “What?! Sigma?!” Dr. Cain gasped. The screen of his computer had suddenly gone black and Sigma’s grinning face had appeared. “Dr. Cain, I regret to inform you that I have quit the Maverick Hunters,” Sigma sneered. “From now on, I’ll be at the head of the Maverick rebellion against the humans. My first target will be the air base, but by the time you see this I’ll have already taken the air base, home of the 6th Unit Air Cavalry. I know your little Maverick Hunters will want to stop me. Go ahead and let them waste their meaningless lives trying! My followers will not let them get even close to me. I’ll have Zero say hello to you! A ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! A ha ha ha…” A pale face gazed at the now-blank screen. The drone of wild laughter had subsided, finally, but Sigma’s mark had been made. All Dr. Cain could think of was why. Why would Sigma do such a thing? His thoughts went to Storm Eagle, his best commander of the air force unit. Had he gone with Sigma already? Was that what had happened to all the other reploids that had come up missing? Dr. Cain lowered his head in grief. His own creation had turned against the very human race. What could he do? “Dr. Cain… The other reploids went with him, didn’t they?” X asked. A sad nod from Dr. Cain confirmed his suspicions. Then, resuming his previous thoughts, X asked again, “Dr. Cain, did you hear him? He said Zero’s name…” Dr. Cain’s eyes grew wide. “X, if he went with Sigma….” X knew what he was going to say. “No, Dr. Cain, he wouldn’t do that! He hates Sigma! He might be somewhere here in the base; I’m going to go look for him,” “But X, Sigma said…. Oh, never mind….” Dr. Cain said as X ran off. Dr. Cain dragged his feet as he made his way over to the intercom. He turned it on and accessed the computer containing the names and identification numbers of each reploid in the H.Q. He then began requesting reports from each member. X searched all over the Maverick Hunter Headquarters, but no Zero. Feeling defeated, X slowly walked into Dr. Cain’s office. Dr. Cain looked up from his duties and noticed X’s worried expression. Dr. Cain looked at his list, then said, “X, I still have one left,” X’s eyes lifted as Dr. Cain called out Zero’s name. They waited for what seemed like forever, yet no response came. “I’m sorry, X… I don’t know where he could be. I’ll have some search parties out looking for the missing reploids, including Zero. For now, you shouldn’t worry about him,” X looked at him as if he were crazy. “Dr. Cain, I have to look for him! With Sigma on the loose, there’s no telling what could happen!” Just like that, X was out the door. Dr. Cain called out for him to wait, but he was already gone. He still didn’t know what had caused the reploids to go Maverick, and if it was some sort of virus, could X get it? Light had said in his last statement that if X turned against the humans, the results would be disastrous. Now X and Zero were at risk; a risk that could not afford to be taken. At the same time…. Zero climbed up the thick, concrete wall. Looking straight ahead of him, he saw two combatants engaged in a fierce battle. One of them was undoubtedly Sigma, while the other was in the form of an eagle. Sigma was easily overpowering the flying reploid. That must be Storm Eagle of the 6th Unit… Zero dropped below the ledge to avoid a large tornado blast. He secretly hoped Sigma did not see him yet. Although he did feel a need to help Storm Eagle, he didn’t want to be hit by a stray blast beforehand. After a moment of listening and watching very closely, Zero sprung up like a launched trap, ready with a powerful blast from his Z-Buster. Sigma was caught off guard, causing him to scream in anguish as it tore through his right shoulder. Storm Eagle, taken aback by the new companion, turned to Sigma and fired a strong tornado blast. Sigma slammed his fists into Storm Eagle so swiftly that it knocked him completely off the platform, landing on the concrete base of the storage yard 200 feet below. Zero cringed; Storm Eagle couldn’t have survived that fall, and he was the Maverick Hunters’ commander of the 6th Unit Air Cavalry, or so Zero had been told. He didn’t have time to ponder a loss, though, because Sigma was already taking long, slow strides toward him. “Zero….So you showed. I didn’t think you had it in you to make it all the way up here, what with my followers scattered around the entire area. Tell me, why did you come all the way up here? Have you reconsidered?” Sigma leered. Zero’s eyes turned sharp and piercing. “Join you? Never! I came to stop you!” he said heatedly. He took a few steps closer to Sigma; he was now about 10 feet away from the tall reploid clad in black and green armor. Sigma laughed at the gesture. “Hah! You actually think you can fight me, and win?! You may have been lucky one time, but you’ll never defeat me!! Get ready, Zero!!” Sigma roared. Sigma charged at Zero with flying fists, but he quickly dashed to the side. His eyes followed Sigma as he unsheathed his Z-saber and began making a pattern of slash marks. When finished, Zero shot large arcs of light from the sword at Sigma. Amused with Zero’s new technique, Sigma decided to wait until the last moment to dodge them and pretend that it was difficult. This, however, backfired due to the fact that the arcs were much faster and much more powerful than he had thought. Several of them crashed into Sigma’s armor, sending him to the ground with a thud. “Not bad, Zero,” Sigma said as he stood and brushed himself off, “but you will have to do better than just knocking me down. Prepare to die!!” Sigma then leaped into the air and raised his arms in front of him. A large ball of electricity grew around him and he launched himself at Zero, who double-jumped right over his head. Sigma plowed through a portion of the top of the building, sending chips of concrete flying from the impact. Zero, landing easily on his feet, turned to Sigma. “You’ll lose this time, Sigma! You don’t think I’ve really forgotten how close I had come to destroying you, do you? I won’t let you take all those reploids and use them for your twisted plot anymore!!” Zero yelled. He kept his eye on Sigma as he started charging a weapon. Sigma, of course, would never admit that he was intimidated, but Zero was becoming quite the force to be reckoned with. He definitely did not have the innocence that X did, nor was he the naïve type, whose dreams and expectations got in the way of their thinking. No, Zero would be a warrior if left to survive. Sigma, however, could not let that happen. He began to conjure up a plan to eliminate the threat. Sigma began edging closer to Zero, trying to close up the large gap between them. If he could only create a blow powerful enough to throw him backwards… Zero, however, was reading Sigma like a book. Instead of edging towards Sigma, he leaped directly to the edge and waited. Sigma, all in one quick motion, dashed into Zero, knocking both of them off the edge of the platform. The two fought and struggled in mid-air, throwing punches and weapon shots, until they crashed onto the wings of a T-86902 stealth fighter plane. Zero took the opportunity to throw Sigma like a tin can across the wingspan of the plane. With a fierce cry, Zero plunged his saber directly into Sigma’s stomach. Sigma, now spurting bright orange sparks, ripped the saber out of him (and Zero’s hands) and heaved it over the side of the plane. It wouldn’t have been a problem, except the plane’s engines started turning. Soon, the earth below them was thousands of feet away. Zero gazed down. He heard Sigma’s low laughter. “It’s a long way down, isn’t it, Zero? Are you sure you won’t join me? If you don’t, I’ll be forced to kill you….” Sigma said devilishly. He then bellowed more insane laughter, which Zero was getting quite tired of. “Sigma….as long as I’m around, you won’t be able to destroy the Maverick Hunters, or the humans!! You may as well give up now, because I’m not letting you go until you’re dead!!” Zero shouted. He unleashed a huge plasma blast at Sigma, who dodged immediately. “Bold words for a former Maverick!! Why, you yourself are a virus; a real Maverick! You’re a plague, and everything you encounter will be infected!!” Sigma taunted. “That’s not true! You’re the plague, and I’m here to stop you!!” Zero exclaimed, aiming his buster at Sigma. “You wouldn’t dare! I know vital information about you, Zero--your creator put everything he had into making you. Do you even know his name?” Sigma sneered. Zero looked up. “What…? That’s not possible….” Sigma laughed again. “Heh heh…his name is Dr. Albert--” “That’s enough!! I don’t believe you!!” Zero shouted, charging at Sigma. He slammed his fists into Sigma’s face, causing blood to ooze from his nose. He quickly jolted his legs out from under him and spun around him in a swift tornado kick. Sigma could do nothing to stop Zero. He continued to search for an opening, and finally found one. When the plane hit some turbulence, Zero lost balance and cancelled his next attack. This gave Sigma time to leap up, grab Zero by the shoulders, and hurl him against the rear wing of the plane. Zero flinched when he hit, but he didn’t have time to get up before Sigma grabbed and lifted him by his neck, pinning him against the wing. He started laughing maniacally again, and he had a saber in his hand--a bright green one, and not as jagged as Zero’s. Zero struggled to get free, and finally made it out of Sigma’s grasp just as he slashed the saber through the rear wing. The very tip of the saber caught Zero’s helmet, leaving a long mark on it. Zero wrestled the saber away from Sigma as best he could. The plane was starting to dip and falter, and Zero knew he didn’t have long. He slashed wildly at Sigma, catching him several times before hitting a fuel tank on the plane. A flame erupted from the fuel tank. Zero gaped at it, and Sigma began cursing. With a loud bang, the plane burst into a blinding explosion of fire, ramming an unbelievable force into both Zero and Sigma. All Zero saw was the light racing for him, then enveloping him in a hot inferno, followed by a huge shockwave. Everything after that was empty, white nothingness. He heard nothing, saw nothing, and felt nothing; he never even felt the force of the impact. Chapter 5 A New Leader X swiftly cut the power to the hover bike. Grabbing one handle, he leaped to the side and let it slowly glide to a stop on its own as he made his way to the edge of a small hill. Scanning the area, he trained his eyes to focus on anything red. His search so far had been unsuccessful and discouraging, but he refused to give up. Deciding his chances of finding Zero in a field were slim to none, he hopped back on the hover bike and started down the old dirt path. He was just about to give up on the area when a bright flash of red caught his eye. He turned the bike sharply, almost throwing it into the rock wall beside him. Could that be Zero? X hastily hopped off the bike and bounded down a mossy, wet slope. Much to his surprise, the red robot he had been looking for was there, though unmoving. Filled with concern, X picked up his pace until he was just a few feet away from Zero. X’s first thought was that Zero might be hurt, but as he soon noticed, there wasn’t a scratch on him--not a single mark had been made on his red armor. Well, at least he didn’t get into a big fight or anything… X thought a moment, then spoke carefully, as if Zero could spring to life any second and scare him. “Zero? Can you hear me? It’s me, X,” he said. No response. X tried again. “Zero--” “….X?” A simple reply came from Zero. He then sat up, opened his eyes, and looked around sleepily; it was as if nothing had even happened at all. Zero stood up and turned to X. “X, I have something important to tell you--it’s about Sigma,” he started. “We already know, Zero. Dr. Cain found a message yesterday on his computer. What happened to you? Why did you just disappear like that? I thought you’d gone Maverick!” X said. “Sorry, X. I went to challenge Sigma one-on-one,” Zero started, “But I have valuable information now! I had a dream…. In this dream, I saw Sigma and Storm Eagle, Boomer Kukwanger, uh, that chameleon guy…and some others with him,” “So that’s where all the reploids have gone! There were reploids missing from the 14th and 7th Units, as well as others. Zero, what are we going to do about them?” X gazed worriedly up at the sky. So many reploids had left! X wondered if they, too, had followed Sigma. Zero called X’s attention away from his thoughts quickly. “X, we need to hurry. Sigma could decide to organize and attack any minute!” “Right,” X agreed, then jumped on the hover bike. “Come on, Zero! Let’s go!” * * * * * “X! You’re back, and Zero’s with you!” Dr. Cain exclaimed. X walked up to Dr. Cain slowly, his face unsmiling, though not necessarily grave. “Dr. Cain, Sigma has started a rebellion, but he’s not alone,” X said. Dr. Cain developed a baffled expression. Zero stepped forward. “It’s true,” he said, with a hint of anger, “He recruited all of our missing reploids for his own robot army. He has already taken over the airport, and I’m not sure where he’ll start next,” Dr. Cain rubbed his chin. “Then we have no power to stop him,” “Dr. Cain! You can’t be serious!” X exclaimed. “We have to fight him!” Dr. Cain shook his head. “I’m sorry, X. We lost almost all of our commanders, and the second-in-commands don’t have the experience to fight against such a powerful enemy. We have only a few armored carriers that would be of any use, and our weapons…they’re useless,” “But, Dr. Cain, you can’t just give up,” X said. Zero, no longer deep in thought, suddenly jumped into the conversation with vivacity. “Dr. Cain, I’ll fight!” Zero volunteered. “I’ve fought him before--he’s definitely a formidable opponent--but with the forces we have left, surely we can bring him down!” “Zero… I know you want to help, but that little squabble in the practice yard proves nothing. He is strong,” Dr. Cain said, doubted. “No, I fought him at the airport! I almost had him…” Zero clenched his fists tightly. “I want to find him and bring this uprising to an end before it gets worse!” All at once, three reploids clad in lightweight green armor burst into the room. “Dr. Cain, the forest has been overrun by hostile reploids!” yelled one reploid. “Our own officer, Sting Chameleon, appeared and attacked the entire ranger unit! Soon after that, all of these mechanoids appeared and drove us out!” the second reploid yelled. “Only a few squads remain, Dr. Cain. Where is Sigma?! He’ll smash them all!” shouted the third. The three conferred amongst each other about how bad Sting was going to get hurt. X, Zero, and Dr. Cain exchanged worried glances. Dr. Cain cleared his throat. “He has started a rebellion,” At his words, a hush fell over the room. Wide eyes stared at him, and not one of them spoke. Zero eventually proposed his idea. “I plan to fight Sigma. If what you say is true, then he had already occupied the mines and the airport,” “Add the sea base to that,” said a light blue reploid. He had retracted fins on his arms, legs, back, and head. He stood amongst a group of four reploids just like him, all bearing scratches and other battle scars. “We have heard about Sigma. Since the ranger units are so far out of the way, they are usually the last to know. Everybody has gathered outside in the courtyard. Zero, it’s a little crazy, but we’ll be behind you,” Zero looked to Dr. Cain. “Well? I’ll lead them, and all of us will track down Sigma,” Dr. Cain hesitated. X also turned to Dr. Cain. “I want to help. Zero, I’m coming with you!” X said assertively. Zero nodded his agreement and silently questioned Dr. Cain again. Both pairs of eyes were now serious and determined, Dr. Cain noticed, so he knew there was no way to stop them. Besides, with the power they were drawing, they might just have a chance. “All right, I’ll let you go. But….” he hesitated once more. He sighed deeply. He greatly hoped they return safely. “Be careful,” he said. “All right, let’s go!” Zero shouted. The reploid troops scurried out of the room and followed Zero. X stayed behind to talk to Dr. Cain. “Do we really have a chance?” he asked. “I don’t know, but I’ll bet what I have left on you all. What other hope do I have?” Dr. Cain said supportively. X gave a slight smile and hurried after Zero. Dr. Cain sighed inwardly, sat down, and logged on his computer. * * * * * Several weeks have passed. Along with X and the rest of the troops, I have gained ground against Sigma. Our adversaries are tough, but I know that we can do it. I’m confident we will put an end to Sigma’s rebellion. As for me, I am the new leader of the Maverick Hunters. I still don’t know what’s in store for me; just as my past is a mystery, so is my future. Tomorrow we will storm the city that Sigma took as his stronghold. It will take every ounce of power we have to make it all the way to his fortress and return safely. I may be defeated during battle, or I may be the victor. Maybe I’ll leave it to fate…. THE END And THE BEGINNING OF MMX 1 Author’s note: So, how did you like it? Yeah, yeah, it wasn’t the best piece, but I enjoyed writing it. It took me a month. Should I keep writing? Please tell me what you thought!