The Age of X – Complete 2nd Edition
My expanded remake of The Age of X turned out so well, I've decided to post it here. The old version has been deleted. If you've already read the other one, let me know if you like the new improvements and additions. If you're new to the story, I encourage you to please review each chapter.
This fanfic is meant to be a concise telling of the highlights in the X series. The characters' faults and motivations will be closely examined, resulting in a somewhat cynical interpretation of the story. X is fanatically devoted to carrying out the often harsh decrees of the human government, despite his personal aversion to violence. On the other hand, Zero struggles with his own sinister design and eventually uncovers the darkness lurking within his soul.
I try to remain true to the spirit of the original games, but as this is fan fiction I do take some liberties with the so called official canon.
Disclaimer: Mega Man and all related characters are registered trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd.
The Age of X
by Androcles
Chapter 1
Following a series of tragic events in the lives of Dr. Thomas Light and company, a new robot named Megaman X was sealed away in a capsule to be tested for 30 years to ensure his reliability towards humans.
And so, 30 years came and went, but no one ever found X's capsule. It took an additional 70 years before a greedy, opportunistic, crackpot scientist named Dr. Cain finally stumbled upon the mysteriously neglected ruins of Light Labs. In a matter of days he uncovered X's capsule.
"Hot dang, I hit the jackpot!" Dr. Cain cackled to himself.
He examined the monitor on the capsule.
"What's this? A warning message...," he observed. "Oh well, this thing has been down here for much longer than 30 years. If 30 years worth of brainwashing was enough to make him reliable, 100 years ought to make him downright subservient! I might even be able to get this chump to help me mass produce replicates based on his design. This model is even more advanced than what's on the market today! It should be worth a fortune!"
The find catapulted Dr. Cain to instant celebrity and made him a very rich man. Cain Labs was supplying reploids to the military, utility companies, and private owners. The reploids' combination of power and intelligence made them the perfect workers. Thanks to their intelligence, they could perform even the most complicated tasks and adapt to any variables up to or beyond the level of humans. Yet their power enabled them to perform functions that were simply beyond human capabilities. Not only were they the perfect workers, but for some they were the perfect slaves too! Because they had no human rights, many viewed them as 2nd class citizens who only existed for their convenience.
Or so the humans thought... Eventually there were reploids who rose up in defiance against the humans. After all, why would a being of equal intelligence and superior strength to humans serve a weaker race? But Dr. Cain provided a solution to this unforeseen problem. He designed a reploid named Sigma to hunt down and destroy the renegade reploids known as mavericks. He and the soldiers under his command were known as the Maverick Hunters. One day, Dr. Cain decided to continue exploring the wreckage of Light Labs to see what else he might discover. His team of reploids uncovered the deactivated Zero, not very far from where X had been discovered. Feeling lucky, Dr. Cain had the reploids switch Zero on. He figured that even if Zero were hostile, he would be no match for the modern day reploids. Even X was no match for many of the battle-ready reploids that were being produced. Over the past 100 years, weaponry had advanced far more than robotics. Unfortunately for them, weaponry was one of Wily's specialties. Zero was unbelievably strong. He made short work of the digging team. A unit of Maverick Hunters lead by Sigma's lieutenant, Gamma, were sent to contain the mad robot. But even these he destroyed. Finally they sent in the big guns. Sigma himself showed up to face the red maverick.
"What's our current situation?" asked Sigma.
"Commander!" exclaimed one of the hunters.
"Where's that red maverick that wiped out Gamma's unit?!" asked Sigma.
"He– he's inside that door," the hunter stammered.
"I'll take care of this personally," said Sigma.
"By yourself commander?" asked one of the concerned hunters.
"I don't want anymore of my people being sacrificed!" said Sigma.
He went in alone.
Sigma fought valiantly to bring Zero's violent rampage to an end. But even the leader of the Maverick Hunters –the most powerful reploid of all– faltered in the face of Zero's fiery rage. Just when it seemed that Zero was about to destroy the mighty hunter, he suddenly began to malfunction and became stunned by some unexplained pain. While Zero was caught off guard, Sigma delivered a final blow to his skull. As he crushed the gem on Zero's forehead, it was as if broken bits of data transferred from Zero into Sigma's own memory. Dr. Wily's renegade programming seeped into the back of Sigma's mind and he became subconsciously aware of Zero's mission to destroy Dr. Light's work and everything he ever stood for. Although Sigma didn't fully understand what was happening to him, he became fascinated with Zero. Sigma emerged from the ruins.
"Look! It's commander Sigma!" said one of the hunters who'd been waiting outside.
"Incredible!" said the other hunter. "Now I'm certain there's no one who's a match for the commander."
Suddenly they both noticed how badly Sigma was injured and they gasped in shock.
"Take that maverick back to the repair center," groaned Sigma. "And call Dr. Cain! I wish to have that maverick studied!"
"Commander! Are you okay?" asked one of the worried hunters.
"Silence!" Sigma yelled as he pushed him aside. He suddenly had a lot on his mind and wanted to be alone.
Meanwhile...
X enters Dr. Cain's office to have a word with his mentor.
"Dr. Cain, I heard there was another robot unearthed at the ruins where I was found," began X.
"Yes, apparently he had been sleeping underground there for decades," Cain confirmed.
"Then he's like me..." X thought out loud. "Maybe he knows exactly what happened to us 100 years ago! Has he been activated yet?!"
"Um, er... he was malfunctioning and needs repairs before we can think about questioning him!" Cain fibbed, not wanting the disastrous consequences of his actions to be made known.
Zero was transferred to Cain Labs were he was "rehabilitated". Dr. Cain hacked into Zero's systems and assigned him new commands as a Maverick Hunter. Although his core personality remained basically the same, he would now turn his hot temper and brute strength against mavericks, instead of randomly assaulting anyone who crossed his path.
X decided to ask him about their pasts.
"Greetings, my name is X...," he began. "I came from the same ruins where you were found, and so I was wondering if you could tell me about my history."
"Sorry," Zero replied. "I don't remember anything."
"Oh..." X said, disappointedly.
"The only way I even know my own name is Zero is because the doc tapped into my system specs," explained Zero.
"That's all right," said X. "I may not know everything about where I came from, but I know exactly why I'm here now. I want to protect the Earth from harm, so I've decided to become a Maverick Hunter."
"Yeah, I've been assigned to that outfit too," said Zero. "But I'm a little surprised that you're thinking about joining. No offense, but you don't look quite as battle-ready as some of these other guys."
"I know," X admitted. "I may not have much strength, but I want to use whatever power I have to stop those who would bring harm to humanity."
"I hear ya buddy," said Zero. "As long as there's an enemy, I will defeat him!"
And so began the legendary friendship of X & Zero. By design, they would have been hated enemies in their own time period. Yet the unlikely duo formed a strong and lasting bond of camaraderie in this perilous new world they now found themselves in.
To Be Continued…