Well here's the first chapter. Heh heh, talk about a fast update huh? First off, I'd like to apologize for the prologue. It was written rather late at night when I couldn't sleep, so forgive me for any errors (Such as the 'clumped' sentence in my notes at the very beginning).

Anyway, here's where the story begins. I showed you the ending, now let's see how we built up to it. Also, forgive me for any mistakes I made, and know that I haven't played the Zero series in a long time.

Also, just as some pointers for this fic.

1. Zero will not be integral to the fic. He may make a cameo alongside the other guardians, but this fic will mostly center around Harpuia and Prairie (a.k.a Alouette).
2. This fic is set after MMZ4 but with the alteration that Harpuia had indeed survived against Omega.


Disclaimer: I do not own the Megaman characters in this fic, they are copyright Capcom.

Chapter 1: The First Attack

Earlier…

"Fire at will!" A barrage of machine gun rounds pierced the silence. Soldiers garbed in green uniforms ran about the broken highway and released burst upon burst of rounds, all the while taking cover from energy bullets. Alongside them, blue soldiers, the pantheons of Neo Arcadia, shot their standard issue assault rifles, releasing bullets in bursts of three with proficient accuracy. A soldier screamed as a large, heavy claw struck him, slicing away his arm. The green reploid fell to the ground, his machine gun clattering several feet away and out of reach. He groaned and struggled to stand, pushing on his free arm while electric sparks and artificial blood surged out of his shoulder. However, the last thing he heard was a 'ruff', and the next thing he knew, he was on his stomach with a wolf mechaniloid on top of him. It dug its mouth into the back of his neck and tore away at the circuitry, the soldier screaming one last time before he finally went offline, his eyes dulling and fading away.

The large gorilla mechaniloid cast its shadow over the soldiers, towering over the soldiers by at least ten feet. "Shit! Fall back! Everyone FALL BACK!" A large, burly reploid shouted. They followed their orders and began to run out of the ominous shadow whilst retaliating with their machine guns, taking care to stay out of range of the ape's intimidating claws. However, the blue pantheons, shaped and sculpted to X's figure, remained behind. They were not under the authority of those green soldiers, they were mechaniloids with only one order, take down the maverick at any cost. As they continued to fire mercilessly, the steely gray arms of the gorilla struck the ground, sending a powerful shockwave across the street.


"Hmm?" Harpuia turned his head, hearing the loud 'bang' in the distance. He hovered high above the city of Neo Arcadia, the sun glinting off of the wings of his trademark helmet. The jets in his boots and on his back let out a constant stream of burnt fuel, maintaining the guardian's altitude as he continue to hover. He let out a huff and burst forward, the jets pushing at full force toward the crisis zone. The Guardians, Prairie's 'volunteer forces' should have responded by now alongside the Neo Arcadian security force, the majority of which is composed of pantheons. The cold wind stung his exposed face but the guardian didn't mind, he was used to such feelings. Having once been one of the primary guardians to Master X, Harpuia spent the majority of his service scouting the air, most of the time high above the city of Neo Arcadia.

He began to dive, slanting his direction at a small angle toward the crisis zone. The wind whipped more ferociously at his face, chilling the biosynthetic skin as Harpuia continued to descend. He spotted the ogre-like gorilla on the highway, slowly making its way toward Neo Arcadia while the green soldiers were falling back into the city. Harpuia grunted and came in faster, moving at Mach 1 toward the threat. He activated both blades and made one last zoom, finally closing the gap between him and the ape.

"Haaa!" He pulled up, making a crescent blur in the air. His arms flexed and 'dragged' his two blades across the gorilla's left arm, causing it to 'groan' in pain and drop the broken streetlight. Harpuia then hovered backward, barely dodging the mech's open hand grasp as he made his way toward the Guardians, all of whom firing in bursts and sprays at the lumbering mechaniloid. He stopped just before the surprised reploids, neither of them believing that Harpuia, the de facto leader of Neo Arcadia, would come and help them battle.

"Harpuia," the sole soldier at the front said with shock. The guardian turned his head and stared from the corner of his eye.

"Hold your positions! We are not going to let these mechaniloids enter Neo Arcadia!" Harpuia barked, taking a moment to slice two wolf mechs.

"But sir, it's too-"

"I don't want excuses! Do as you are told!" He shouted. "I'll take care of the ape, you just hold off the others!" He boosted forward, easily dodging another swipe by the gorilla's arm and making his way for its face.

Meanwhile, the large soldier stood stiff, watching the other mechaniloids come closer. He gulped and fired several times at one approaching wolf, quickly taking care of it. "You heard Harpuia! Everyone hold your ground!"

Harpuia dodged another attack, flying out of reach above the mechaniloid just in time. He burst forward and made a double slash at the ape's side, causing it to kneel. He then flew in between its elbow and made another swift slash, opening a gash into its joint. The ape made another groan and struggled to stand, the 'pain' and damage enraging it greatly. It forcefully stood on its feet and let out a loud bellow.

The soldiers instinctively stepped back upon hearing, watching the mech slam its chest with its balled fists. They continued to fire at the incoming wolves and insects, executing, somewhat reluctantly, the orders of the green guardian. Some of the rogue mechs got too close to the line, but they were put down just in time. As more parts littered the ground, their numbers began to dwindle, but their attacks were still ferocious. They came in with an unknown resolve and a simple command, to overcome the opposition.

Harpuia swooped in another crescent and made a quick hack at the left arm. He ducked under just in time, avoiding the gorilla's powerful swing, and followed with a one-two on his upper bicep. The mech growled at the flying reploid, greatly infuriated at the antics of this…'pest'. Its great jaws opened and revealed a revolving turret, four barrels stacked on top of each other in a 2x2 matrix. A barrage of gunfire opened on the guardian but he easily dodged it. The bullets whizzed by him as he circled the gargantuan mechaniloid, making small hacks over his body with each swoop in. Half of the Guardians were now focusing their efforts on taking out the giant gorilla, seeing that the wolves and insects had virtually dissipated. Rounds upon rounds rained upon the mechaniloid, the thing focusing entirely on Harpuia instead of the volunteer force that was slowly whittling away its armor. The guardian dodged to the side and ducked under another fist, making a quick slash at its wrist. It was time for the kill. He boosted forward and dove for his chest, his blades held tight in each hand. As he closed in, Harpuia's body turned into a green blur, a blot of green light against the clear blue sky and the steely gray armor. The green blur came in straight for the ape's heart, but just as it made contact, it veered straight up. With surreal speed it 'grazed' the mechaniloid's chest, neck, and head, almost as if it was barely touching the mech. If a soldier could look closely, they would've seen two pink lines just outside the blur.

Harpuia disengaged his jets and hovered just above the ape mechaniloid. His pink blades whirred and dissipated the artificial fluid, evaporating it with the concentrated energy. Everything seemed to fall to silence, with only the sounds of Harpuia's jets present in the air. The guardian looked down and heard the ape groan, along with the sound of metal scraping against metal. Then, a line appeared at the side of the ape's head, displaying its innards. It stretched down to its chest where Harpuia made contact, revealing a large gash made from his pink blades. Sparks flew, the mechaniloid flashed, and with a final groan of pain, it exploded in a glorious blast of red and orange. Its remains fell with a loud clang on the empty, broken street, its severed head especially making a loud 'BANG' upon impact. Harpuia descended onto the ground and deactivated his blades, sheathing them once more by his side.

"Th…Thank you sir." He turned around and saw the burly reploid. He must be the leader of this unit. "I wasn't expecting you to come and help us. We were in a heavy bind just now."

Harpuia didn't answer, merely turning and facing the Guardian officer. "What is your rank soldier?" He asked.

"What?"

"Your rank please."

The reploid bit his lip, moving a hand into his white pants pocket. "Sergeant sir."

"Sergeant, I see." Harpuia paused. "Sergeant, after seeing how you have handled this situation, I am very surprised that you hold this rank."

"Wha?"

"I expected better from your unit after I have issued the Guardians weaponry as your commander asked. If you are to protect the people of Neo Arcadia, then I would have expected better leadership capability and tactics from you."

"Sir," The reploid looked at the green guardian, looking down at him since he towered Harpuia by at least six inches. "The weapons you have issued us,"

"I don't want excuses sergeant." Harpuia cut him off. "I have issued you and your men weapons as you have requested, and I expect you to utilize them well. If you cannot handle mavericks any better than you did today, then I will relinquish them and your priority for additional defense."

"It's not like your 'Security Force' was doing any better!" Harpuia raised his head and looked to the side. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a young reploid, holding his rifle over his shoulder like some hotshot. "From what I saw, your stupid pantheons weren't doing a thing except getting themselves retired!" The other Guardians' soldiers looked with fear. Their comrade did something that none of them would have even dared to do, talk back to Harpuia.

The guardian of the wind turned his attention to this hotshot. He held a cold, emotionless expression and made his way toward him, his arms swaying with his steps. The soldier's angered expression gradually dissipated into fear as Harpuia approached him, fear and panic beginning to beset. Within moments, he found himself eye to eye with the guardian, his emerald green orbs staring almost evilly into his faltering blue eyes. "Is there something you would like to suggest then?"

The reploid quivered, his eyes looking either way to avoid the guardian's stare. "Um…well I-I was just noticing how…um…y-your pantheons were all getting…you know…uh…"

"destroyed?"

"Yeah! I-I mean um…that mech was kinda big and all so…uh…well um…"

Harpuia smirked. "Enough, you're only making yourself look worse." The soldier looked back, a certain fear gripping his body. The figure of the feared Guardian of the Wind intimidated the young reploid, one who had only recently joined the Guardians forces. Harpuia could easily tell that this youth had barely seen war; the closest that would have been is probably standing guard at the former Resistance base. He came in close, staring at him directly, noting the perspiration on his face. "If you have any suggestions you'd like to make, I'm more than happy to listen to them. My security force has been doing their best to protect this city since we've reestablished it, and if there is something you're not satisfied with, then I'm more than willing to listen."

The soldier was frozen with fear, unwilling to answer. He tried to look away but he couldn't, almost entrapped by the guardian's gaze. His body shook and his grip on his rifle was loosening, his fingers trembling with cold fear.

"Well?"

"No sir!" He said immediately. "I…I have no suggestions…"

Harpuia huffed, mentally chastising the young soldier for not only his brashness, but his cowardice. "I see, at ease." He walked back to the sergeant, fully aware that the frightened reploid had fallen onto his behind. "Sergeant,"

"Yes sir?"

"Do the necessary procedures, the threat has been averted."

"Yes sir."

"However," Harpuia stopped him. "My warning still stands. If your men are unable to defend against a hostile threat again, with or without the security force alongside you, then I will relinquish this duty from your commanding officer. Is that understood?"

The sergeant nodded, his brow furrowing slightly. "…Yes sir."

"Good. See to that the damage is cleared from the streets." Harpuia turned and became engulfed in a white light, teleporting away from the damaged highway and back to the center of the city. He was going to have to speak with Prairie about the Guardians.


Prairie sighed and leaned back in her comfortable seat. The screen in front of her glowed in an emerald light, displaying the most recent report sent to her. She had already read through the contents, two casualties, damage estimated to be about 50.000 zenny, and the maverick being a large gorilla mechaniloid, an old model that used to be for construction before an engineer altered it to be a battle mech. She sat back up and set her gloved hands on the keyboard, keying in a simple command to log in the report. Personally, seeing that this was only the first battle since the Guardians were issued weaponry, the commander was surprised to hear how well they handled it, and of the low number of casualties. They handled it pretty well.

"Prairie,"

Of course, this was before she received a message from Harpuia with concerns about the auxiliary force. She turned her chair and saw the green guardian, the door closing shut behind him. His expression was cold as usual, his eyes bearing a very serious expression. "Master Harpuia," She greeted, bowing slightly with her pink hat at a small tilt.

At that mention, Harpuia raised his hand. "Please, just Harpuia is fine." He responded, unblinking. "Only Master X deserves to be called that way, you may call me by my name Prairie." The commander nodded, taking a moment to fix up her pink coat to look more professional, despite the fact that she looked rather childish in the wardrobe overall.

"You wanted to speak with me about the Guardians' policy Harpuia?"

The guardian nodded. "Yes. Please, take a seat."

"I'm fine, thank you." Prairie responded quickly, feeling some intimidation from the legendary guardian.

Harpuia sighed. "Prairie, I'm beginning to have doubts on providing weaponry for the Guardians. After watching how they handled this maverick attack, I highly doubt they'll be able to handle a situation of that magnitude in the future, let alone, something greater."

"I understand Harpuia, but this is only their first battle, please give them,"

"I'm well aware of that Prairie." He stopped her, softening slightly. "And I'm also aware that this maverick attack was of a greater threat than before. Even so, the majority of the Guardians are composed of former Resistance soldiers correct?"

The commander took a brief pause before nodding. "Yes, that's correct, but they haven't faced conflict ever since you've reformed Neo Arcadia. Harpuia, I understand your concern for them and the wellbeing of this city, but please, give them another chance. My men are more than capable of defending the city, they just need time to get used to it again."

"Prairie, I cannot take that risk." Harpuia exhaled and closed his eyes before reopening them. "I intend to repeal your duties as auxiliary commander and revert the Guardians back to a wellness corp. for Neo Arcadia. All defensive duties will return to the Security Force within a matter of weeks. I'm sorry, but I cannot risk incompetence for the defense of the city and humanity."

"Harpuia, we are not incompetent!" Prairie stated angrily. "Just because we were not a part of Neo Arcadia during the wars doesn't mean that we are not effective! We have managed to stand up to your forces in the past and, as part of the former Resistance, I know for fact that they are extraordinary reploids who are willing to sacrifice themselves for a cause! You may not see it now, but if you give me time, I will show you their full potential."

BLARE! BLARE! BLARE!

"Aaah-huh!" Prairie jumped and covered her mouth. She looked about the room, already noticing the swirling red lights from the sirens and the blaring klaxon of the alarm. The lights shined through the glass cockpit of the Guardian command ship and sent lines of red through the sky, albeit faintly due to the barrier set between the ship and the sky.

"Commander!" An operator shouted through the loud klaxon. "I've detected a maverick reading in the residential area of Neo Arcadia!"

"What?!" Prairie and Harpuia exclaimed. Harpuia quickly ran over and leaned over the operator's shoulder, staring at the holographic map on her computer screen.

"What's the exact location?" Harpuia asked with concern.

"The location's in the 4th and 5th district on the western side of Neo Arcadia."

The guardian was shocked. How could a maverick have appeared this far into the city without engaging the perimeter defense?

"What are the casualties?" Prairie asked.

"The casualty number is undefined but estimates are set in the hundreds. The maverick appears to be on the move, but I'm having a hard time reading its signal." The operator informed.

"Damn," Harpuia cursed under his breath. "Prairie, recall the Guardians from the highway in the northern end and transport them to the residential district."

The commander nodded. "Okay. I'll have them provide support fire while,"

"No." Harpuia quickly silenced her. "Have them evacuate the citizens to safety. The security force and I will deal with the threat."

Prairie shot a surprised glance at him. "Harpuia, this maverick-"

"The citizens' wellbeing is our top priority right now. If we have both the Security Force and the Guardians on the offensive, then we'll suffer higher casualties if we don't have someone to evacuate them. Have your forces evacuate the citizens to safety, I'll tend to the maverick alongside the security force." Once again, the guardian was met with an indignant expression from the commander. "You'll get your chance to prove yourself another time Prairie. For now, just focus on evacuating the citizens."

Prairie bit her lip in an attempt to protest, but finally nodded. "…Yes Harpuia."

"Alright. Operator," The woman looked up, her metallic visor still shielding her eyes. "Set the transerver coordinates to this spot." He pointed at a spot just on the border of the crisis area.

"Yes sir." Harpuia then turned and dashed toward the door. However, as the door opened, he made one last glance at Prairie. "We'll finish our discussion later." He dashed off for the transerver room, quickly rounding a corner as the door closed behind him.

"All security personnel prepare to meet in the residential district of 4th and 5th. Prepare to engage the maverick at this location, repeat, prepare to engage." From all around Neo Arcadia, the pantheons received the command and rushed to the crisis zone, readying their rifles for another skirmish.


The white light dimmed down as Harpuia set foot on the street. The transfer was successful, and when the guardian opened his eyes, he was shocked at the sight. The residential districts were devastated, even worse than the damage he predicted. He could clearly see the insides of some apartments, along with the pile of rubble that used to be the walls of those buildings. Large potholes and broken segments in the streets were present as far as the eye can see, alongside the demolished cars and broken glass windows. Harpuia quickly dashed forward, his blades activating as he cut through the air with his jets. He prepared himself for anything, anything that would suddenly surprise him.

BANG

A muffled shot caught the guardian's attention and he quickly looked to his left. A black round, shaped in a perfect sphere was flying toward him, but it was quickly taken care of with a slash of the blade. The guardian stopped and turned his attention to the origin of the shot, a single soldier, adorned in violet armor and a black visor. "A galleon model?" Harpuia looked with concern.

The galleon model of the standard pantheon had been forbidden from development due to their association with the late Dr. Weil, the madman who had created chaos during the Elf Wars and briefly usurped power in Neo Arcadia. During his reign of terror, Weil had modified the standard pantheon to be more destructive and intimidating, thus creating the galleon and disposing of the older models. Of course, despite their modifications including an optional incendiary launcher, they had the same durability as its predecessor, rendering them especially vulnerable to energy blades.

The guardian shook aside the thought and prepared himself. Despite the question of why this was here, it was still a threat, and needed to be dealt with. "Haa!" Harpuia dashed over to the sole galleon and swung his right blade to the ground, slicing the soldier in two. A small explosion resulted from the attack, but immediately afterward, the sound of another launcher caught Harpuia's attention. He quickly dashed upward, dodging another grenade and the pillar of fire that followed. To his left, he saw a large number of galleons approaching, all armed with either a machine gun or incendiary grenades. The guardian wasted no time, quickly dashing for the large group with his blades at the ready. However, a single thought was running through his mind as he came closer and closer to the group…Where was the security force?

"Hyaaa!" The guardian cut down three galleons and quickly swooped upward, his blades trailing by his side. He quickly turned around and dove sharply, coming in at an unbelievable speed toward the ground. His blades remained crossed at his chest, his arms ready to swing at a moment's notice. He was coming in, closer…closer…now! "Haaa!" Harpuia moved the blades in a horizontal 'X' shape, cutting through the lines with a powerful slash down the waistlines of the galleons. He quickly changed his orientation and executed a back flip in mid-air, digging his heel into the street to decelerate. Once the acceleration ceased, he got onto one knee and swung to the left, cutting down another two galleons. He then executed a slash with his right blade, cutting diagonally through another soldier as he got back on his feet. Two of the mechs approached from behind, their weapons at the ready, but Harpuia swiftly sent a swift kick to their abdomens. He spun on his heel and swiftly cut the two down with a one-two slash, swinging both arms diagonally in the figure of an 'X', crossing them. However, he wasn't finished yet. With his arms crossed, he quickly spun around once more. He bent forward, and with strong force, he swung both blades out of the formation, sending a pink shockwave toward the remaining galleons. It quickly mowed down the remaining mechs, cutting through them so swiftly that it took a second for them to register the attack, but by that time, their bodies had already been cleaved in two. They exploded in sync, their bodies at a slight slant as this occurred.

Once he finished, Harpuia held this stance for a brief moment. All around him were the remains of the galleons, but he had the feeling that it wasn't over. He scanned his surroundings, searching for any sign of further opposition, which thankfully, did not appear. However, as he returned to a stand with his blades by his sides, something was bothering him. The galleons, even with their large numbers, they couldn't have caused all this damage. The likelihood of those pitiful mockeries devastating the apartment buildings and the streets like this were very slim, in fact it was unlikely enough that this many galleons could have gotten past the perimeter guards. Now that he mentioned it…He looked around the streets.

Where's the security force?

Suddenly, he felt a strong rumble beneath his feet. His boots instinctively activated and allowed him to hover inches above the ground, safe from the strong shockwaves that suddenly struck. A 'beep' caught his attention from his helmet, indicating a message from his operator.

"What?"

"Sir, I'm detecting a large mass of energy nearby your position. I can't confirm what it is, but be careful."

Harpuia looked about the streets, noticing large blobs of a violet colored liquid. They moved about silently and eerily, almost as if they had a mind of their own. Then, realization hit him. This was what caused all this damage! "Operator, where's the security force?"

"The security force should be near your position sir. Are you sure they aren't there?"

"No, none of them are here." He watched as the blob slowly grew larger before him, the liquid taking the form of a grotesque humanoid-like figure. More and more of the liquid trailed from the rubble to the amalgamation before the green guardian, and he instinctively hovered back several feet. His hands gripped the pink blades tightly, the guardian now staring skyward as the amalgamation of liquid continued to grow. "This thing must have been what caused all this damage."

Then, as the liquid finished 'growing', Harpuia spotted a galleon head residing inside the liquid. Obviously, that was the control source for this liquid beast, codenamed Rainbow Devil mk. II. He looked around once more. Again, there was no sign of the security pantheons, not even one. Harpuia sighed and stared up at the large creature.

"Looks like I got to do this alone." He assumed fighting stance and prepared for battle.


WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

Reviews including constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading!