Twisted Zone

--Time Loop--

--Monday--

Senya

twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: Characters belong to CAPCOM, I don't own them!! (But you already knew that, right?)

Author's Note: Thanks to Omega Dragoon for helping with this story and helping me come up with some of the idea. Takes place before Iris and the Colonel died and Signas is a Major.

--Prologue--

In a shadowy room Signas and a woman were talking, cloaked in shadows. Signas sitting at his desk. "Well what are we going to do about him?" The woman asked softly.

"Hm? About who?" Signas asked, looking up at her from where he sat, she gazed out of the large window in his darkened office into the night.

"You know, Lifesaver, he's been bothering us with his concerns about Zero for a long time now, it's growing tiresome." She answered.

"Oh yes, well goddamnit I don't care what he says, Zero's the best damn Hunter we have! If Lifesaver wants something done Lifesaver can do it HIMSELF!" They both laughed at that. "I'll tell him as much next time he comes to my office too!"

--Monday--

"Damn!" X cried as a holographic Slash Beast tore by him, just grazing his left shoulder. It was one of the five he had programmed in to the training hall to practice on that day.

Zero leaned back against the wall in a very nonchalant way with a slightly amused expression on his face. "Tell me again why you decided to fight them without any weapons at all?" He smirked.

"Because. . ." X said between ducking and dodging the Mavericks. "Not all battles are won with brawn, Zero some are won with . . . brains!"

That said X jumped between all five Slash Beasts, waited until they were all prepared to lunge at him and quickly dashed out of the way. The five holograms collided and were destroyed.

"Hm." Zero said, and pushed himself off of the wall "I see." He paused, then, "Computer, restart program, doubling difficulty level."

Immediately ten Slash Beasts appeared.

"Zeeeeeroooo!" X whined, "You ALWAYS do this!!"

"I'm just curious if you can handle this. Besides you wanted to train." Zero shrugged.

"But now there's to many and it took me an hour to come up with my last plan!" X complained as he dodged the Mavericks which were already lunging at him.

Zero only laughed, "Later, X." And walked out of the training centre.

"I know they're only programmed to attack me but you could help a little on your way out!" X called.

"That wouldn't be fair now, would it?" Zero asked.

"How much about this is fair?!" X called back desperately, but Zero was already gone.

Zero walked down the long Maverick Hunter Head Quarters' hallway, his black trench coat trailing behind him to cover up his armor. He turned casually into the mess hall, it was already packed full of reploids busily going every which way and bantering idly. Suddenly a reploid screamed as it slid across the ground, obviously about to trip-- right towards Zero. The large yellow robot's feet stumbled clumsily and his tray of food went flying as he fell face first to the ground, Zero having stepped calmly to the side.

"Zero!" The roundish reploid said in a very whiny voice, "Why didn't you help me?"

"Help you, Double?" The blonde Maverick Hunter laughed, "Why should I do that? You might have spilled some of that crap on me."

"That's not very nice." Double said, picking himself and his now empty food tray up off of the ground.

Zero was about to leave, when his gaze fell to where Double's food had landed. He couldn't contain his grin.

"What? What is it?" Double asked, he turned around, Signas was standing a few feet away with soup drenching his face, lettuce hanging from his hat and noodles sticking to his shoulders.

"DOUBLE!!" The Major yelled angrily. "Why don't you watch were you're going?!"

"S--Sorry, Sir!" The robot muttered nervously. "I--I was just running to fast and I--"

"Tripped? You always seem to trip over one thing or another--or your own two legs! Why don't you have Lifesaver take a look at them. Your clumsiness can probably be rectified." He said, wiping the soup from his face with a napkin. "Now, come with me."

"Y--yes, Sir." Double gulped, and followed Signas out of the room.

As they left, Lifesaver entered the mess hall. He immediately approached Zero with a superior smirk on his face. "Well what do you know . . ." he began, Zero arched an eyebrow in mild amusement. "This is a cafeteria for Maverick Hunters you know, not Mavericks!"

With those words several of the reploids in the area turned from their food or conversations to stare at the two. Two bulky robot bouncers began moving towards them.

Zero smirked at Lifesaver, "You heard him, take away the Maverick!"

The two bouncers, grabbed Lifesaver roughly by the shoulders and dragged him out of the mess hall. "I'm not the Maverick!" Lifesaver screamed in protest, "HE is! HE is!!" He screamed, pointing at Zero.

Zero sighed, "Really you think he'd get tired of trying to humiliate me when he sees it can't be done."

X entered the mess hall then, and smiled at Zero, "I beat your ten Slash Beasts!" X said triumphantly.

" . . . you ARE aware that your right arm is severed badly and only hanging on by one wire?" Zero asked.

"Uh . . . yeah. But I'm gonna go see Lifesaver and have it fixed before I go back down and train again."

"How many times do you go there in one day?" Zero asked.

"Oh I go there all the time, I want to be as strong as you, Zero!" X smiled.

"I see." Zero smiled back, "Well, you shouldn't push yourself to hard."

X shrugged, "I'm fine with it, next time I'm gonna try beating them with no weapons but using . . ." X struck a martial arts pose, "Tai Qaun Do."

Zero blinked, "X you don't KNOW Tai Qaun Do."

"I'll figure it out." His friend shrugged again.

"X, the martial arts aren't something you can just 'figure out' do you even know what 'Tai Qaun Do' means?" Zero said skeptically.

As they spoke Lifesaver had re-entered the mess hall, he walked up to Zero, his eyes burning with anger. "You and me tonight, training centre." He said to Zero in a low growl-like voice.

"You want to fight me?" Zero blinked, then he laughed, "You . . . Lifesaver you aren't even a battle reploid--"

"Come on, unless you're to chicken!" Lifesaver taunted.

"Fine, fine." Zero shook his head, "Tonight at nine, the training centre." He was still chuckling as Lifesaver and X left.

At five to nine Zero made his way to the training centre, X was still battling Slash Beasts. "Good evening, X." Zero said.

"Hi, Zero!" X called, "You know what; some battles aren't won with brains or brawn, some battles are won with . . ." (Martial arts pose) "Tai Qaun Do."

"Uh huh . . . So you figured that out, I take it?" Zero said raising an eyebrow.

"You know it! Actually, I had Douglas upload it into my brain. I also know karate and--" At that minute the Slash Beasts vanished. "Oh right, some jerk reserved this place for nine!"

"Yeah, Lifesaver and me remember?" Zero asked.

"Oh yeah, mind if I watch, this should be hilarious!" X laughed.

"Why not?" Said Zero, throwing off his trench coat to reveal the glistening red armor beneath. "It should be good for a laugh."

As if on cue the training centre's doors swished open and Lifesaver strutted in. "All right, the first one who calls for mercy loses and the fight stops, agreed."

"Sure." Zero laughed, "But are you positive you want to do this, I might end up seriously injuring you, y'know."

"Ha! We'll see about that!" Lifesaver smirked, he quickly pulled out two red sabers.

"Do you . . . know how to use those?" Zero asked.

"Arrrgh!" Lifesaver roared and rushed at him furiously. He slashed the two sabers at Zero madly but Zero easily dodged the strikes.

Zero kicked him the chest and knocked the sabers out of his hands. He punched Lifesaver in the shoulder, then the chest, kicked his back. "Do you want to give up yet, just say the word!" Zero asked.

Suddenly Lifesaver grabbed his fist and threw Zero across the room. "The hell--?" Zero muttered as he jumped back.

"Surprised Zero, you shouldn't be! I've always felt I had . . . hidden potential!" Lifesaver grinned, he punched Zero across the face.

"Damn!" Zero muttered as he stumbled backwards. That blow . . . hurt. "What the hell?!" He asked, he punched Lifesaver.

Lifesaver kicked him in the gut, Zero fell backwards. "Impossible! It's not possible!" Zero cried quietly. He jumped back, grabbed Lifesaver's right arm and twisted it back, he could here it break, but Lifesaver didn't appear to mind. "I just broke your arm!" Zero screamed at him.

"Oh is that what it was?" Lifesaver laughed, he stretched out his broken arm and it snapped back into place with a sickening crunch.

"WHAT?!" Zero cried out, Lifesaver kicked him in the chest, Zero flew backwards and crashed into the ground.

"What's going on Zero?!" X cried from the benches were he sat behind a glass wall. He leapt to his feet and banged on the glass. "What's wrong?! You're being beaten by . . . Lifesaver?!"

"Impossible!!" Zero spat, he struggled to his feet this time, he realized his body was shaking. "This is not . . . possible!"

He lunged at Lifesaver, this time he didn't hold back, he punched him with all of his strength, Lifesaver staggered but--but it should have sent him flying with a hole in his chest, Zero thought. He grabbed Lifesaver's arm again and this time twisted it until it broke off. He screamed and punched Lifesaver again, and again.

Lifesaver stepped back a few feet. Zero realized that he was breathing heavily. Fighting Lifesaver was difficult. Why?! He thought desperately. Then Lifesaver did something which had never been done by a Reploid before. The socket where his arm had been began to glow and a new arm burst out of it, it grew until it matched the remaining one and a shine glazed off of it brilliantly. "WHAT?!?!" Zero screamed. Zero drew his saber, he slashed at Lifesaver in a hundred violent blows, the saber flashing to and fro in a blinding display of light, but when he stopped and the smoke cleared . . . not one scratch, not one dent, remained on Lifesaver.

This time Lifesaver punched Zero and he went flying several feet backwards. He crashed into the floor and moaned in pain. "Impossible . . . this is impossible. . . I don't believe it . . ." He gasped.

"Oh BELIEVE it." Lifesaver grinned, standing over him, he kicked him sharply in the side, Zero gasped in pain. "Just say it, say it and I win the fight."

"NEVER I won't lose to YOU!" Zero screamed, from where he lay on the ground he kicked Lifesaver's knees, the reploid didn't even budge.

"WHY?!" Zero gasped, "Why can't I beat you?!"

Lifesaver kicked him again, and again, then he lifted Zero's own saber and raised it above his head. "So long, Zero!"

He brought it down.