Paradise Never: Redux
By: StrykeEmUp (aka SylentStryke)
Rated T
Disclaimer: Hey! Nothing much to say here but I don't own Capcom in any way possible, therefore, Megaman belongs to them. I own my original characters and ideas.
Author's Note: It seems I've forgotten my credentials for my account, so I created a new one. This fic is a rewrite of the original Paradise Never. I recommend you read this one even if you've read the original. It'll be a blast! On with the show!
Chapter 1: Off Time
Day 1
Deep Forested Area
Time:
-20:08-
Footsteps. Swift, but quiet, footsteps. There were dozens of them. The 13th Maverick Sting Corps ran swiftly through the thick forest brush. They were on a mission; complete the testing of a weapon prototype. They quickened their pace out of determination. As the unit leader, Scar had a lot riding on his back.
Scar is sitting in a room at a table. A dark figure is seated across from him. They both wear dark expressions.
"How would you like to make a little deal, hmm?" The larger being offered. Scar answered with silence.
"If you complete this mission," He waved a weird little device in front of him. "Then I'll give this back. If you fail--" He trailed off while giving a "you-know-what-will-happen" smirk. "So, what do you say?" Scar sat there with the same emotionless posture he came in with and mulled the offer over.
"Deal." He said in almost a whisper.
Scar remained emotionless. His soul was burning with the desire to complete his objective. Nothing would get in his way. He tapped into his mental map:
Time: 20:12
RemDis: 200 feet till destination
He signaled his unit to slow down. They stopped near a ledge, overlooking the massive structure, MHHQ.
"Security is heavy: Flood lights searching every corner of the giant structure, infrared lasers guarding every door, timed security scanners emitting 50 yard radius pulses every few minutes. Shit! Sir, are you sure we can do this?" A rookie Maverick asked. He got no response. "I mean, look at this security! If we take a step closer, we'll be--" He stopped short. Scar didn't say a word; he instead looked the rookie right in the eye, sending a wave of ice through him. The rookie gulped.
"Don't tear a nerve, rook. You got nothin' to worry about!" A cocky Maverick said a few moments later. She was second in command and damn proud of it, evident by the large grin she seemed to wear constantly. "Heavy shit like this is nothin'. Piece of cake for Echo!"
"Listen up," Scar said, gaining attention. His voice startled some of the rookies. "This is the relay point. Tomorrow morning we will be executing the operation. I recommend that you all get some rest and be prepared. You will not fail me. Stay in the area. Dismissed."
"Sir!" The small group of Mavericks saluted their officer and went about their business.
MHHQ, Admin Sector
Time:
-21:28-
Doors crashed open, smacking around poor bystanders in the way as the extremely proud Maverick Hunter known as Zero came dashing through the Level 4 hall. Why he was so proud was a mystery. Any poor pedestrian in his way either got a face-full of wall or a face-full of footprints.
"Hehehe!" Zero giggled boyishly. He rounded a corner and slowed down to a walk. "Man, I really miss the old days! Getting' offa work early, no worries. I don't see why I have to fill out a buncha forms and documents anyway. I'm a Maverick Killer, not a pencil-pusher! I think they should let the women do all of the--"
"Paperwork?" A feminine voice emanated, finishing his sentence.
Busted. He was in trouble, and he knew it. Only one person in the entire base had such a voice; a voice that could be sweet one minute and terrifying the next. The voice that he hears five days a week, for eight hours at a time for the past few months. A fellow 'co-worker'.
"Paperwork? No! I was actually gonna say, er, 'Leyna should just act like she never saw me because I'm her best friend'?" He put on the widest grin he could, hoping that Leyna would buy the bridge he was selling. Problem was, there was no river in sight.
"Now why do I find that hard to believe? We wouldn't be ditching, would we?" Leyna stared at him with accusing eyes as she emphasized on the word 'ditching.'
"Damn," he exasperated. "So how did you know? I've been so careful!"
She pointed down the hall at all the victims who were either plastered in the wall or sprawled on the ground. Zero dropped his face into an open palm.
"Plus your computer is broken. How did that happen?"
"Wha? I dunno, the blasted thing's been broken for weeks now." She offered him silence.
"For weeks? Zero, how have you been keeping up on your work then?" Leyna interrogated with force in her voice.
"I got people." Zero responded. She rolled her eyes.
"…people?" She mocked. He shook his head slowly. She sighed. "So, where are you taking me? Bar, movie, dinner, mall?" His sly smirk vanished as confusion set in. She started walking back toward the administrative area, beckoning him to follow.
"What do you mean," the blonde asked slowly, still perplexed as to why she changed the subject so suddenly. When Leyna got to her desk, she opened the bottom right drawer and pulled out a weeks worth of files and notes, all completed and addressed to Zero. Her handwriting was one every piece of paper. He looked between the pile of work and the purple haired girl holding them.
"Um...why do you have those?" he asked the obvious.
"Because your 'people' did you a favor. Now, it's time to return it." She said smoothly.
"How does a trip to the mall sound?" He offered. She smiled gracefully as she filed the papers away.
"I'll be ready in ten!" She sounded off while exiting. Zero took one last look at the pile of papers and shook his head before leaving.
MHHQ, Armory
Time:
-21:41-
Heavy, sluggish feet carried X to his armor locker down in the B5 basement sector of the armory. He felt like giving control to gravity and letting himself tumble down the few flights of stairs, but that would mean a trip to Kicker, the lead doc, for repair and a lecture. An I.T. jump wouldn't work because of security shielding. After all, if an unauthorized identity were to transit into their weapons depot, well…things wouldn't be good.
"Ahhh," He sighed as he sat down on the bench, finally reaching his locker. He removed his helmet sorely, releasing the synthetic sweat that built up during his training. He thought about his past battles. A few years ago, such intense training wasn't needed with the constant Maverick activity bustling. Ever since the lull in attacks the Hunters found themselves behind desks more than enemy lines.
"Phew!" X sighed as the final piece of armor clattered to the ground. He stood and pried open the locker door and was welcomed with a freezing waterfall. X nearly jumped a foot out of his body when the chilled water. Inside, in a dry spot on the far wall was a note.
Hey, X!
Hope you don't mind if I store this ice in your fridge. I'm gonna need it later!
P.S.
Might wanna fix this thing later, its not as cold as it was before.
-Zero
X eyed the note as realization set in. A few months ago he left an ice weapon program active after storing his armor, which iced his entire locker down. Not to mention that his locker door looked like a fridge to begin with. All that made it easy for Zero to mistake his locker for an ice box.
Too shocked from the water to express anger, X tried to recuperate from his near system reboot. He pulled a pen from his pocket, and scribbled on back of the note. Then he stuffed it in his pocket along with the pen, took a long sigh, and reached for a drying towel. Well, at least now he doesn't need a shower, just a heater.
Alright! Welcome to the redux! I finally got around to re-rewriting my old story, hopefully making it more complete that the original was. Feel free to drop a review!
Till Next Time!