Disclaimer:
I do not own Megaman or any of its characters (even though I want to). They are property of Capcom Ltd.
However, I do own my original characters, so :p Also, this is my first fic, so go ahead, R&R!
Summary: Several years after Sigma took control, Zero was captured. A number of clones were created to defeat X and his force of former Hunters and though each failed, the war is turning sour for X and his friends, and the fate of an entire world has been placed in the hands of a handful of outcast Hunters.
Prologue: Taken Alive
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"Keep up the pace, we've nearly got them!" The voice boomed through the dense woods. The hoarse cackle that followed seemed to scratch at the very skin of the ones it pursued.
"Oh no!" X looked back for a moment, and wished he hadn't. One of the soldiers running with him had tripped, and was being overrun by the enforcers behind them. They're so close! I have to run faster! Suddenly X remembered how much like Zero's predicament he was in...
[Flashback]
"Come on, keep running!" They were being chased by a man armored mostly in black, with a few orange stripes. The enforcers that ran with him, in their blue and white uniforms, were gaining on the group fast. Heero Doubledrive... your father was a good man... you are just slime. Zero spat at the thought of his pursuers' name.
[End Flashback]
That same Hunter was hunting him now. X could feel the evil exuding from the deranged humanoid. "AAAAAHHHHH!!!" X heard another soldier shriek as the enforcers took him. "Not now! No please!! AAAAHHH!" X was all alone now, except for one soldier who was with him, Virus.Zero. Virus is a clone of the original Zero, but he isn't the first...
[Flashback]
"Zero!? Is that really you!?" X was overjoyed to see his friend. So overjoyed, that he ran straight toward him, but he stopped suddenly before he reached him. "Wait... you can't be Zero... he's taller than I am!" X's conclusion was rewarded with a shot from the buster cannon on the robot's arm. "Who are you?" X managed as he dodged the attack.
"My name is Hunter.Zero. I am a Hunter, and my mission is to destroy you, and your Mavericks X!" X was awestruck by the voice. While it sounded like Zero, it was different somehow.
X took a severe beating from the reploid, and ended up on his knees. Just as Hunter's Z-Saber was about to cut into X's flesh, it stopped. X didn't know why, but he took the opportunity to defend himself. One shot to the gut of the Zero clone sent him flying into the wall. The force knocked him unconscious.
[End Flashback]
First there was Hunter.Zero, then Virus.Zero, then the last one, End.Zero. Each one had darker armor than the last, and signify less of Zero's program in him. None had been successful in their mission as hunters, so they all joined X against the Empire of Steel. The Empire... X shuddered as he ran. Sigma had returned with a host of powerful mavericks and caused mass panic among what few humans were left and many reploids. X, Zero, and the other most powerful hunters had tried to stop Sigma, but this time he was too strong. When Dr. Cain was killed, most of the reploids had changed over to Sigma's side. Almost all of the remaining humans were killed. Any that were left hid well. The reploids that did not join Sigma were outcast as Mavericks, and ended up trying to overthrow the Empire of Steel. Their war has been going on for over fifteen years, and Zero had been captured five years into the fight.
[Flashback]
"Keep running!" Heero Doubledrive was right behind them, with an army of enforcers. They hit a dead end. There was only one way for them to escape, and Zero knew what had to be done. "Quick, get out of here, I'll delay them!"
"But Zero--!"
"X, don't argue with me, it'll be alright. I'll come back, I promise." Zero's smile made X forget that Zero would never be able to escape. He ran through the exit door, and locked it behind him. He took one last look through the window slot. He saw Zero fighting off the enforcers, and defending himself from Heero. He was being overrun. "ZERO!" Sapphire and Ashes had to drag him away before the enforcers cut through the door.
[End Flashback]
That was the last time they had seen Zero until a few hours ago. He was being dismantled by some huge machine. His armor was lying on the table next to him, and most of his circuits were exposed. They had intended to rescue him, but in that condition, rescue was impossible.
"HAHA! I'll have you now Rockman X!!" The voice of Heero Doubledrive was sickening to the core.
What would Zero do in this situation...
"Virus..." X said, as they ran.
"Yeah X?" Virus knew what X was going to say, but he asked anyway.
"You go to the base, it'll be harder for them to catch one of us." Virus didn't reply for a while.
"You're going to the canyon, aren't you? There's no way out of there! I'll go, you're too important to us!"
"No, they'll never chase you there. I'm going, and you had better get back to the base, or I'll kill you when I see you again!" X left Virus after his half-meant threat.
"Alright X... I'll make it back." Virus was thinking out loud.
[Some Moments Later]
Virus was hiding in a large tree, and the enforcers were running back to the box canyon. He heard X scream, and he assumed he had been overrun, just like he said Zero had. He climbed down from the tree and moved a few bushes until he found an old sewer lid. He undid the lock, and climbed down it, replacing the cover before dropping down the ladder. "Damnit X... why? WHY!?" Virus punched at the concrete as he yelled. He had heard that Zero sacrificed himself for the team many times, just like the legendary hero he is, but he had never imagined it would be so draining to see one of his comrades go. He sobbed for X for nearly an hour before he got up and ran down the sewer towards his home: the abandoned lab of Dr. Cain.
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This story is my take on where the normal MMX universe and the MMZero universe split apart (because they seem to do so).
This actually started out as a concept for a flash movie, but I decided to put that off for now. Hope you enjoy, and don't forget, R&R!