Zero sat alone in the darkened room, his Z-Saber in hand. As he stared at it, he thought of how many Mavericks he had retired, and how many more would fall to his blade. It was his mission to seek them out; there was no room for regret, or remorse, in a Hunter's heart.
But what was a Hunter to feel when his mission conflicted with his heart?
His hand tightened on the hilt. He could still see her stricken face, the glimmer in her eyes that indicated she had come undone in her grief. Zero had no choice but to stop her. With each strike delivered, he felt it tenfold. Everything he ever believed in shattered when she died in his arms.
I wanted to live in a world where only Reploids exist, with you...
Zero threw his saber onto the floor with an enraged cry. He bent at the waist, hands gripping either side of his head, his eyes squeezed shut. He thought back to the finishing blow, the sight of her body dropping to the floor as the armor disintegrated around her. The terrible realization that in his zealous attacks, his intent to cripple had backfired.
Why, why did it have to be her?
Sorrow transformed into anger. Leaping to his feet, he reclaimed his sword and cut a wide arc into the wall. Electricity sparked and flashed from the ruptured circuitry. Zero hacked into it multiple times, unable to banish the images of Iris from his mind. When at last he exhausted himself he stepped back, eyes narrowing. Was this to be his fate? Lamenting the necessity of retiring friend and foe alike driven mad by the virus while he himself remained immune? Alone?
Zero glanced at his saber, frowned. Was it really worth continuing the fight? He extended his hand, felt the hilt press against his palm. Iris will be the last...
Slowly, one by one, his fingers uncurled; soon the edge of the hilt rested between his thumb and forefinger. He released it, the clatter it made when it hit the floor unnaturally loud in the stillness. He smiled wanly. I'm sorry I won't be able to help you any longer, X...I guess you're the stronger one after all.
The door slid open, a rectangle of light cutting into the darkness. A silhouette took shape, a familiar voice venturing, "Zero? Are you all right?"
Zero glanced over at his friend, saw the sincere concern in his eyes. Not wanting X to see how upset he was, he gave a casual shrug and turned away. "Yeah."
Heavy footsteps echoed behind him. "We recovered Iris," he began, and Zero inwardly winced. So overcome with anger, he had left her behind to pursue Sigma.
X held out his hand. Zero glimpsed a data disc resting on his palm. "This is what we could restore of her memory. I thought you would like to see it."
Zero hesitated. Most of his heart rejected the idea of watching it. Yet after a moment he took it from X. He could feel his partner's gaze on him as he turned away. "Thanks," he said, doing well to keep his voice steady. "I'll take a look at it, then head back to the command center." The lie almost came too naturally to him, and he despised himself for it. "I'm sure there's some cleaning up that needs to be done."
"It's okay, Zero," X replied earnestly. "If anything needs to be done, I'll take care of it." There was a brief pause. "I know how hard it's been for you," he murmured.
Yes. You would, Zero thought, silently acknowledging X's keen insight, and grateful that he did not press the matter further than that. Glancing over his shoulder, he flashed a partial smile. X's features lit up before he nodded. With that he took his leave, the doors sliding shut behind him.
Zero regarded the disc for a few moments, summoned what was left of his resolve and inserted it into the computer. The screen flashed, showing a lined, blurry image of the command center. The picture quality became clearer just as a side door opened, and Zero saw himself burst in. The focus shifted to him, indicating he was viewing these events through Iris' eyes.
"Repliforce is at the space harbor," she informed him sadly.
Zero couldn't believe how fierce he looked. "I have to go," he stated.
Iris extended a pleading hand. "No! Please, wait, Zero!" she protested. He watched, stricken by his lack of reaction to her plaintive tone. "I don't want to see you two fight..."
"Someone has to stop your brother," came his staunch reply. "I'm leaving." When he turned away, it was almost with indecent haste. After he disappeared he heard Iris murmur his name.
The next series of events focused on Iris listening to the incoming reports concerning his mission. When one of the operators exclaimed Zero had defeated Colonel, she fled the room. The screen blanked then; in the darkness, Zero heard Iris utter his name several times. The betrayal in her voice cut through him. Iris...I'm so sorry...
After a few moments she fell silent. Zero leaned forward, anticipating and dreading what would come next.
A deep sigh. "Zero," she whispered. "You did what you had to. Now it's my turn to do what I have to. Please...find it in your heart to forgive me, and yourself for what will happen."
The visuals changed to that of Iris running down the corridor leading to the hangar. Zero ejected the disc. He didn't need to see what happened next.
For some time he remained motionless, going over the implications of what she said. He turned round, gazed at the discarded saber. His eyes widened. She knew, he thought with startling realization. Iris knew she'd face me in battle and I'd stop at nothing to defeat her.
Iris, there's no world just for Reploids. It's only a fantasy.
Yes, I know, but I wanted to believe it. I wanted to live in a world where only Reploids exist...with you.
As the echo of his tormented cry faded to the recesses of his mind, Zero slowly approached the saber, grasped its handle. A world just for Reploids may be fantasy, but he had a very real duty of retiring Mavericks. To abandon it now meant going against everything he stood for.
Taking the data disc, he held it tightly for a moment, then dropped it to the floor. It broke into dozens of pieces beneath the weight of his foot. He strode out of the room, replacing the saber into its holster. He had to keep fighting. For Iris, for X, for himself.
Until the end. No matter what.