Blazing Sword of Sacrifice
Disclaimer: If I owned anything in the Megaman saga I would own Zero if I had a preference, but sadly I don't, so you can go sue someone else.
8-10-14-updated Author's Note: Just a warning to any and all readers that are new to this story, I have abandoned all projects on this account, meaning this story will NOT be continued. I am only leaving this, and my other pending stories, here because I like to see how far I've come as a writer. I apologize for any frustrations this causes.
Setting: Set sometime within the MegaMan X Universe, possibly after X8 I guess. Note though that I do not acknowledge the MegamanZero storyline because I have no clue how that fits in with the X series. So if your a big MMZ fan, then I apologize, otherwise this is the fic for you, so sit back and enjoy the read.
Summery: Unforeseen events befall Zero as he relives his bloody past, and strives to find a way to live with his guilt in the present. This is what unfolds when he decides to visit someone, someone he killed a long time ago.
Chapter One - Prologue
The feeling of betrayal, the misery of uncertainty, the anxiety of the unknown. This is what Zero felt as he drew ever closer to the space station which threatened the Earth and all of its inhabitants.
Landing and stepping out of his small spaceship, he drew his glowing blade and walked on. Enemy after enemy, his saber devoured with a hiss, and each time he was careless and distracted, earning him a nick or a scratch to his armor. These enemies and scrapes did not concern him though, his mind was elsewhere.
"Iris! Where are you? Come on Iris, don't do this to me!" he pleaded and looked around worriedly. "Why Iris? Why did you come here?" he wondered silently to himself; if only he could talk to her and explain himself! She wouldn't listen to him back at the base, but maybe if he could just subdue her and make her listen, "then she might calm down," he decided to himself and slashed at another enemy, reducing it to slag.
As he walked on, a large double door came into view and he ceased his movements; This was it, he knew it, even before he entered, this was the door leading to his suffering... "and the end of hers," he thought, his teeth and fists clenched in agony. He gazed at the saber in his hand for a moment, and, after clamping his eyes shut, sheathed the mighty weapon. His eyes slowly, painfully opened with a new resolution, and he stepped forward... towards his suffering, and the Earth's salvation.
The door opened, Zero stood there in the doorway, he held his head down making slight shadows appear on his face to cover his sadness. On the opposite side of the room, a smaller figure stood in the full of the shadows. "You fought with my brother Zero, you killed him!" Iris shouted angrily.
"Iris listen to me!" Zero cried desperately. "I wouldn't have killed him if I didn't have to, but I had to make a decision!"
Iris shook her head in frustration. "I'm sorry Zero, prepare yourself!" She leaped backward and Zero soon realized that the big shadow behind her was in fact a ride armor, but he didn't notice this soon enough to stop her, she had already entered its cockpit. "No Iris!" He reached out his hand to her in vain, hoping that would spark some sort of sympathy from her; it did not.
"Draw your sword Zero," she said dully; she was no longer in the right state of mind.
"Don't do this!" Zero howled, agony, grief, sorrow, they were all overtaking the normal emotions which made him lethal, mercilessness, arrogance, determination. He stared at her, his eyes unsteady as her suit took to the air and hovered towards him. "Don't Iris! Come any closer, and... and I'll have to attack!" The ball of pain caught his throat as she came on, her speed only increased by the second. "Very well," he muttered.
And so, the Maverick Hunter unleashed his saber from its prison and met the Maverick, in front of him.
"IRIS!" Zero roared and shot forward with a start. He steadied his heavy breathing and checked his surroundings, there was no Iris in sight; it was just a dream... again. "Why can't I ever dream about her being happy? Why does she always die?" He sighed hopelessly and pushed a button near his arm, causing the door of his hibernation pod to release and lift open.
"Occupant vitalized," sounded the automated computer as it activated the lights in the room. "Good morning Zero."
Zero waved his hand in a bothered motion as he stepped out of his pod and crossed his room towards his armament chamber. "Stand down Computer, I'm just going for a walk," he murmured tiredly as the chamber equipped his armor plates. Lastly, his helmet was placed over his blond head as the machine quickly ejected his weapon on one metal limb. He smirked and took his saber, sheathing it as he exited the chamber and soon after, his room.
The Maverick Hunter Base was halfway lit at night and only a fraction of the normal amount of Reploids patrolled the halls. Tonight was no different, Zero noticed as he started down the corridor and passed the only guard in sight. The guard simply nodded to him in acknowledgment but said nothing as they went their separate ways.
Soon Zero came to one of the many training rooms of the base and he stopped to observe through the transparent walls after hearing gunshots and explosions coming from inside its chambers. He watched for a moment as Axl spun, dove, and fired at the multiple enemies created by the computer training simulation.
Zero hummed observantly, but turned away and continued down the hall, appearing as if he had someplace to be. Little did he know that Axl indeed noticed him and quickly ended the training simulation in order to follow the red clad Maverick Hunter.
The door buzzed open and Zero entered, the door closed behind him and Axl waited a moment before following. This door didn't lead to anything special, it simply lead outside to a large balcony overlooking the entire city nearby as well as the surrounding area of mountains. It was mainly meant for surveying the city should the power or computers go down for any reason. But, what business could Zero possibly have here? Curiosity was beginning to grind at Axl, especially since Zero, whom always wants a challenge, walked away from a perfectly good chance to spar; This was something generally unheard of due to the constant machinery mutilation in the training room, Aka: Zero's compliments.
Axl gathered whatever courage he had, when facing Zero that was often more of a struggle, and walked through the automated door. Cold darkness enveloped everything as the door clamped after him. His sensors automatically adjusted to his dark surroundings and now he could see Zero's form leaning over the railing; he didn't appear to have flinched nor did he even turn around to inspect upon his visitor. He remained frozen in his spot, even as Axl approached with hardly unnoticeable clanking foot steps.
Axl ceased movements when he came beside his comrade and waited patiently to be acknowledged before speaking; when Zero was quiet, there was generally a good reason for it, Axl had learned this the hard way. There had been many a time when he found himself sprawled and lying on the floor contemplating the meaning of those circling yellow birdies in his head, all due to a lack of good sense, from Zero's viewpoint of course.
A few moments had passed and Axl was still earnestly trying to find what it was that had enthralled Zero so, but his attempts were all in vain, Zero could be looking at anything from the nearby city, to the far off mountains.
Finally, after moments of silence, Axl's patience paid off. "I thought you were training," Zero greeted, his voice dull as he stared off into the distance, not sparing Axl the slightest glance as he added, "what do you want Axl?"
"Well I,.. I just wondered what you were doing up at a time like this, besides training I mean," Axl replied nervously, but was calmed a bit when Zero shifted slightly.
Zero sighed, exasperated. "It's almost the anniversary," he muttered, still he gazed toward the city.
Near a minute elapsed and Zero had yet to explain, this made Axl all the more curious, and now he was willing to be decked if it meant he'd get an answer. "The,.. the anniversary, Zero?"
Zero blinked himself out of his silent musing and for the first time, turned to look at the curious Reploid beside him. "Huh?" He seemed confused for a time but quickly recovered, staring down at his hands, he answered, "A few years ago I had a navigator, her name was Iris, and,.. I loved her."
An awkward wind seemed to blow as Axl gawked and finally snorted. "You had a girlfriend? Wow Zero, I never would have guessed!"
Zero didn't seem the least bit effected by Axl's prodding, but merely turned his eyes back on the city.
At this, Axl frowned, disappointed by his response. "So, you were saying?"
Zero sighed once again in irritation, but nonetheless continued. "Her brother and I, we were constantly butting heads, and it came to a point where one of us would have to die. Regardless of her pleading, I left to face him and,.. I won..."
"So, what happened after that?" Axl wanted to know.
"She left. I came back and she was gone. She joined the Repliforce on their space station."
"But, the Repliforce turned Maverick, if she joined them, then what happened to her?" asked Axl.
"Five years ago," Zero paused, again he looked back to the spot in the distance that continued to catch his eye, and for a moment he didn't reply, but when he did, he pushed off from the railing and turned around to leave, as he did he answered sadly, "I killed her."
Axl was left speechless as his ally retreated to the entrance and disappeared as the door clamped shut. Zero's words played over and over in the young Reploid's mind and it had finally occurred to him that there was much more to Zero than he had ever given credit.
The red Maverick Hunter walked on, his destination decided, and coming to the base's main hanger, he mounted his hover bike and started it up, automatically activating the takeoff lane and lights in front of it. Roaring the engine, Zero hit the accelerator, causing the bike to flare forward. As he passed a red beamed sensor, the door in turn began to lift at the end of the lane.
As well as lifting the door, the sensor also alerted Control Room with an incessant beeping corresponding with the door number and section. The only two guards on duty looked at each other in question, but one quickly brought up the camera on the screen, and Zero could now be seen racing down the runway, and halfway to the lifting door. The guard looked to the other oddly, but neither knew what was going on, this was completely against standard protocol. The guard hesitated but managed to hit the speaker button. "Zero, state your mission and standing, otherwise I'll have to override."
Zero didn't reply but instead, scrutinized the door and buckled down, accelerating further. The guard glanced to his partner sadly and they both nodded as they simultaneously pulled their respective override clutches, initiating the door to stop lifting and start closing.
The door moved downward, but Zero kept on, the guards grew nervous, both hoping he would slow down but he only accelerated more. Both guards slammed on the disengage button, the door ceased movement, and Zero stormed through, the tip of the door missing his head by mere inches.
Both guards dropped back into their seats. "We should inform Commander Signas," one said, and the other nodded in agreement as they rang the Commander's communicator.
A moment later, Signas appeared on the terminal. "This is Signas, what's wrong Control Room?"
"Zero just stormed out of the base, he gave us no recognition to our inquiry and he has no mission on record," the guard answered.
"We better not take any chances, send X after him, he should know what to do, I'll be up there shortly," Signas replied.
"Roger, I will inform him," the guard said as the link closed and he similarly rang X's room.
Sound asleep in his hibernation pod, X woke up and answered the call. "Control Room, is there a problem?" he asked, a bit groggy as he scratched his head, ultimately ruffling his brown hair.
"Zero has left the compound with no explanation, Commander Signas wants you to follow him and find out why."
"Understood, I'm on my way," X confirmed as his pod door flipped open allowing him to jump out and cross to his armament chamber, much like Zero's. The metal claws quickly equipped his armor and detracted back in the places of the chamber. His blue armor shined from the lights he passed as he ran down the hall leading to the main hanger. "What's gotten into him anyway?" X wondered to himself as he slid and neatly took a corner without slowing.
Passing by more and more rooms, X soon came across Axl, whom appeared to be about to enter his own room when he seen X speeding down the hallway. "X, what's wrong?"
X didn't stop to explain, but kept on running and called over his shoulder, "Zero's gone, I have to go make sure he isn't picking a fight with someone."
Axl stood there, bewildered, but then again, he hadn't gotten very much sleep, so maybe he was just dreaming. He decided to leave himself out of this one and just go to bed, besides, Zero was fine he knew; everything would work itself out in the morning with or without him anyway.
X straddled his hover bike and revved the engine as the lights and door activated accordingly. He pushed a button on the small terminal near the handles of his bike and Signas appeared on the screen."You don't need to bring him back, just make sure he's ok, you of all people know we can't take any chances with him," Signas told him from the Control Room.
X nodded and without hesitation flared his bike down the runway. Outside, it was darker and the lights on his bike adjusted as he received the coordinates of his friend. Zero's signal wasn't moving anymore, it was simply stopped on the other side of the city. "But there's nothing there except,.." his thoughts paused and he let his bike coast for a moment as realization finally hit. "That's where the old Maverick Hunter Base is, the one we abandoned by Zero's request," X thought and blinked himself out of his daze. He continued forward and cut through the city; he only hoped Zero was in a good mood... relatively anyway.
Only a few feet away from his hover bike, Zero leaned back against an old abandoned machine, his arms set leisurely on the metal's grooves as he stared longingly at the corroding building in front of him. Contemplation seemed to be his only concern at the moment. That was until he heard a hover bike's growl, only a few seconds later and it parked near his own, with a blue armed Reploid seated on it. Zero scoffed at the sight. "Are they really that worried about me turning Maverick to send you to deal with me?"
Already X knew Zero was normal and he chuckled at the comment. "Yeah, I guess they are," he answered. "But you know, you can't go breaking protocol just anytime of the night to go for a joy ride. We have rules Zero, it's to keep everyone safe, you know that." He dismounted and approached
"Sure I know that, but for some reason my hover bike doesn't seem to understand," Zero joked and motioned to his vehicle. "Maybe you should go talk to it, it might listen to you."
X shook his head humorously and braced himself on the machine beside his fellow Maverick Hunter, arms crossed as he looked over the huge complex laid out before them. "I might know already, but why don't you tell me why you're here Zero?"
Zero sounded a grunt as he glanced from X to the mountains in the east; the sky was slowly fading from dark blue to a lighter color. "I already gave Axl the sap story, it depressed me enough thanks."
With a cant of his head, X questioned, "about Iris, you mean?" Silence was the only answer X needed, and the slight flinch of pain in Zero's face only confirmed the theory further. "You're,.. not going in, are you?" X wanted to know, his eyes and voice uncertain as his question went unanswered. "I knew you shouldn't have brought her back. Zero, she died on that space station a long time ago, she's nothing but an empty shell now."
About a minute passed and Zero pushed off from the machine, his fists tight with tension as he turned his back to his friend. "You wouldn't understand X, I have to do this," he said. "Maybe, somehow, I can find a way to forgive myself."
"You need to get over it Zero," X told him and also leaned off of the corroded robot as the sky erupted with orange and yellow hues. "She turned Maverick, everyone understands that. You did what you had to do, no one is holding that against you."
"No one but me, X!" Zero snapped and turned to face his comrade. "I can't let it go, I can't understand it! And what was it I was meant to do? Kill an innocent girl? Destroy dreams that were merely seeking happiness? No, I can't help but hold that against myself." Zero glared at the sky and watched as finally, the tip of the sun beamed forth over the mountaintops, and he took his first steps toward the abandoned base.
"Zero, you'll only find pain in there," X pleaded.
"Don't follow me!" Zero barked irritably as he marched onward, his eyes set on the building's entrance.
X sighed in defeat and remained in his spot; there was nothing else he could do, except, maybe... follow behind later. He leaned back against the robot and set in for a long wait; he'd have to at least give him ten minutes to cool off. Besides, maybe seeing Iris again would do him good... but then again maybe not.
Pushing aside the rusted metal door, Zero entered the complex and only stopped momentarily to find his bearings before moving on through the maze of hallways and corridors. It took him some time, but he finally managed to find it; the last remaining door in the entire building that still functioned.
To the side of the two doubled doors was a control panel. Above it was a stone tablet and carved into it was written: A Tribute to Iris
He stood there, staring at the tablet and control panel in hesitation. As he moved his hand to enter the key code, the double doors clicked and began to open on their own. This startled him a bit, but now he was mostly wondering why the door had been unlocked. He was certain he locked it when they abandoned the base, this wasn't making any sense, but the doors didn't seem to care, they simply creaked and scratched at the rust as they opened slowly but forcefully, revealing only darkness through the widening crack between them.
Zero wasn't entirely sure what set him off, maybe it was the scraping of metal on metal etching its way through his ears, or possibly it was the creeping anticipation of the way it inched open, but it didn't matter anymore, he was done waiting. It was open enough now that he was able to fit his hands between the two double doors, and helping them along, he forced it open, demanding entrance as he stepped in and stood there in the dark momentarily; something wasn't right.
Once his sensors adjusted to the darkness he took very cautious steps forward, constantly looking from his left to his right with certain suspicion, though everything seemed to be normal, except for the lights that is. This room was suppose to have constant lighting for ten years or more, they couldn't have burnt out already, that only meant someone had turned them off.
Zero grew more and more furious with each passing second, no one was granted entrance to this room except himself, and on top of that this whole room was meant to be Iris' grave and someone had disgraced it by tinkering with the lights, and who knows what else... and like a hostile brick, it hit him. He charged his way to the back of the chamber, and there a hibernation pod stood up against the wall,.. empty.
Rational thought raced from his mind as he touched the pod's surface, either this meant someone took her from the pod, and his scanners were not picking up any life forms for him to annihilate mind you, or she...
"Zero?" a voice echoed from somewhere behind him.
