Sound and Fury

Chapter Two: On the Job

November 20, 22XX

Two months following the destruction of the war reploid known as 'Omega'.

There were times he felt that, a lifetime ago, he was doing the exact same thing. Other times he felt that, a lifetime ago, he was doing the exact opposite. Whatever the personal feelings the reploid had on the matter, it did not change his current situation. At the moment, he found himself located on the roof of a car of a moving train, with a number of plasma bursts whistling past him as he weaved back and forth, up and down in a strange parody of a dance. Using a calm, calculated sense of precision, the kind that only comes from that unique mixture of natural ability and years of experience, he makes note of the position of his enemies, his own footing and the shaky nature of the train beneath them. With a speed that continues to surprise the most formidable of opponents, he dashes forward, just avoiding a succession of energy blasts, and jumps high, his form briefly becoming a shadow against the glare of the bright morning sun. Then, faster than most could even breathe, a flash of green streaked through the air, neatly slicing the two attackers in half through their mid-sections, their bisected remnants falling over the side of the moving locomotive. Having reached a momentary pause in the seemingly unending onslaught of enemies who would like nothing more than to see him reduced to nothing more than a charred corpse, he deactivates the saber and takes a moment to survey the scene before while mentally reviewing the particulars of the mission he has been tasked with.

He has been called many things during his time upon the earth. Hero, villain, friend, enemy, lover, killer, and many other things screamed in the heat of battle by those who wished him to know the full furor of the hatred that they felt towards him. Yet, of all the titles and monikers that have been assigned to him, one stood as the name used by those who he would call friend, those he would call lover, and those he would call enemy. He was Zero, despite what recent revelations may have prompted him to think. There had been a time not too long ago when he felt unsure of that, having just been awakened by Ceil and unable to recall anything except that which comes to him as naturally as breathing comes to humans – fighting. Even when all knowledge of his identity abandoned him, he knew how to fight, how to destroy. This was fitting, he had eventually decided, since fighting and destroying were the reasons he existed in the first place. The reasons a megalomaniac bent on world conquest created him – to be the perfect weapon, a destroyer capable of bringing nothing but pain and misery into the world.

And yet, he had turned away from that, risen above it, despite a few dark and dangerous moments when it appeared as though he would finally lose control and become that which he has so vehemently fought against – a Maverick. It was amusing to him, when he devoted time to thinking about it. After so many years and so many battles, he had finally become a Maverick, working to disrupt human society in the name of reploid independence. The modifier to this being that humanity was not innocently defending itself from Maverick aggression, but was in fact working to exterminate reploids on a massive scale. For most, it came down to a simple, cruel choice – fight or die. And the deaths could be particularly horrendous, if the stories about what wen on in some the retirement camps are true.

Somewhat ironically, it had been the human who, it could be argued, had caused these troubles for reploids in the first place that stood as the figure to whom the assembled reploids of the world could rally behind as a leader. Someone to keep them together and thusly alive. Knowing the woman as well as he did, Zero knew that for Ciel, it was the only thing she could do when faced with the horrors being committed by her creation – Copy X. By skill, determination and more than a bit of luck, she had pieced together a resistance movement that somehow managed to keep one step ahead of the Neo Arcadian forces sworn to hunt them down. Such was the world Zero found himself fighting in, and there seemed to be no end to the demand for his particular skills. Which ultimately led to his current situation – the Resistance had received word that a supply train inbound to Neo Arcadia would be carrying a number of items useful to the beleaguered reploids – E-Crystals, for the most part, which were still needed to keep things functioning.

There was also the curious mention of some 'special cargo' that was being provided some careful consideration. Naturally, a plan was conceived for Zero to intercept the train and commandeer its supplies. So far, enemy action had been plentiful, but predictable. The usual assortment of pantheon drones mixed with the odd mechaniloids (shotloids, eye cannons and the like). Nothing he had not handled in the past.

Jumping to the next car, Zero noticed some pantheon drones equipped with jet packs flying towards him. They came at him in two pairs, the first rushing in to throw him off guard while the other two remained behind in order to lay down cover fire and prevent Zero from having any room to move. Seconds before colliding with the advancing drones, Zero leapt to the side of the train, grabbing hold of the railing fastened to the top just in time to keep from falling to the ground in a very painful manner. Firing his customized Z-buster wildly in order to keep the drones from getting in any closer, the crimson-armored warrior swung himself back up on to the top of the boxcar, still firing his buster in the general direction of his enemies. There was the low sound of a jetpack racing towards him, the signal that one of the flyers was making another pass. He waited approximately half a second before turning around and, in one swift stroke, neatly severed the approaching drone's head from its shoulders.

Spying one of the drones hovering above him, likely one getting ready to make another swoop, Zero broke into a run and made a flying leap into the air, catching his target by its left leg. Hanging on while the pantheon bobbed up and down in an effort to shake off its unwanted passenger, Zero charged his buster and fired at the drone approaching from his right side, atomizing its upper torso and sending the remnants crashing to the ground. The former Maverick Hunter then activated his saber and swung upwards, bisecting the drone right down the middle.

Landing on the train, Zero saw the remaining drone suspended in the air several feet away from him. The two locked eyes for a brief moment until the Arcadian-built automaton lifted its plasma rifle to fire, but not before Zero had squeezed off a shot from his buster, hitting his opponent square in the forehead, destroying its neural core and causing the body to plummet. His opponents now disposed of, Zero looked ahead and

saw the train was fast approaching a tunnel. With a dash and a jump, he crossed the car he was standing on and dropped down between cars. Breaking the door lock with his saber, he entered just in time to be welcomed by the sight of an energy rod coming down towards his head. The pantheon 'guardian' models numbered roughly seven in all and charged him with their arm weapons raised. Though lacking in long-range abilities, Zero had learned the hard way that the electric clubs lodged in the place of their right hands could hurt.

Moving faster than any human ever could, he used his saber to sever the right arm of the first drone and then delivered a kick that forced it to stumble backwards and fall, tripping the two guardians directly behind it. Zero then let loose a charged buster shot, which smashed through another two drones. Saber at his side, Zero dove forward, slashing apart another guardian and got to his feet behind the mass of pantheons that had greeted him. The two he had knocked down barely a minute ago were now on their feet and all four of the remaining robots charged him, in a neat line right next to each other. A small smile adorning his face, Zero spun with his saber and slashed apart all four attackers with one simple move.

Satisfied, the rebel reploid turned and made his way towards the other end of the car, not even breaking his stride as he shot an eye cannon mounted above the door. Once outside, he saw that the train was no longer in the tunnel and climbed back onto the top of the locomotive. With no enemies visibly barring his path, Zero bounded forward, finally reaching the head of the train. However, there was something a bit off – why was there no opening for someone to get in? Even though all the trains were automated, they still needed maintenance from time to time. Moreover, the back half of the command car had an almost chessboard look to it, as though the panels comprising it were sectioned off somehow.

Before the reploid had time to ponder what lay before him, several of the aforementioned sections opened to reveal an oversized pantheon head, which was about twice Zero's size and had an ocular center that was glowing ominously. Immediately throwing himself to the ground, Zero narrowly missed being vaporized by a large red beam emanating from the head's eye socket. Almost reflexively, the reploid promptly released several shots from his buster, but it was too late – the head had already hidden back behind the walls of the command car.

Zero moved forward cautiously, and found himself greeted by gun turrets that popped out from the opposite sides of the command car the giant head was currently housed in. Quickly jumping back and then zig-zagging left and right, Zero avoided the blasts, two from each turret. Apparently, Neo Arcadia had opted for power over rapid fire. Trying to think of a strategy, Zero saw the head emerge as the sections opened once more. He immediately shot off bursts from his buster, and while they did some damage to their target, it was not nearly enough. The eye cannon let loose another blast, causing Zero to dive off the car and onto the side in order to keep out of the line of fire. Instead of climbing back up, Zero swung to his right and, with a leap of faith, grabbed hold of the gun turret just as it emerged to open fire.

Holding on for dear life, Zero stabbed his saber into the autogun, causing sparks to fly, and giving the reploid a bit of pain as he was forced to hold onto several loose wires and burning materials in order to maintain his grip. Twisting the Z-saber back and forth, up and down, he managed to cut off most of the gun itself while allowing for something to hold onto as the sections moved again to reveal the head once more. For some reason, the designers had neglected to equip the head with the ability to move left or right, perhaps trusting in the gun turrets to handle any threats from either side. Whatever their logic, Zero watched as the head made almost one hundred and eighty degree motions up and down, looking for a target before once more returning to the safety of its metal shell.

The crimson warrior then returned to his work of slashing away at circuitry with his saber before coming to what appeared to be the outer shell of the left side of the giant head. With another several stabbing motions, he managed to get through the armor surrounding the robot's internal mechanisms. Putting his saber away, Zero then let loose a series of shots to the inner workings of the mechanical conductor and train guard, which caused a number of sparks to fly across his face as pieces of metal and circuitry alternated between being melted upon contact with the plasma or simply engaging in minor explosions. Smoke began to emanate from inside and started to blind Zero with its thickness just before some pieces of shrapnel were sent flying towards his face. A series of troubling noises now emanated from inside the oversized head, and a few alarms began to sound. Zero knew he had to move quickly – if the machine exploded this close to the engine it would likely take the rest of the train (and him) with it.

Swinging over to the car couplings, Zero slashed them apart just as the locomotive began to accelerate at a startling pace. As the cars began to slow, Zero watched as the pantheon head emerged and submerged in quick succession, then fired off a blast aimed directly into the sky above before finally exploding in a great ball of flame that left scorch marks on the ground nearby. When the cars came to a halt, the weary warrior spoke into the commlink built into his helmet.

"Operator, this is Zero. Mission accomplished."

"Acknowledged," replied the familiar voice on the other end. "Our shuttles are already en route to your location to pick up the cargo. ETA five minutes. Prepare to return to base."

The air shimmered with the light of a trans server transport, leaving behind fire and destruction, a typical remnant of Zero's presence.

She made a point of trying to be there every time he left and every time he came back. It was something she felt she had to do, that she owed it to him. Every day it seemed, he he went out and risked his life for them, facing any number of beings that could devastate cities and thoroughly enjoy doing so. Most could not and others would not take the risks. Yet, day in and day out, he continued to do so, never once complaining about the burden she had placed on his shoulders. How could she not be there when he returned from whatever crisis it was this week? He deserved to know that she would never take him for granted, never try to minimize his contributions, never forget him.

This was why Dr. Ciel was currently standing in front of the trans server module located in Command and Control of the Resistance Headquarters. This was why she seemed to be an almost permanent fixture for the room. Sometimes, when the mission was relatively safe and the infinite needs of the Resistance seemed to require her personal attention, she would leave the C and C to try and catch up on her workload. But, she always left specific instructions that she was to be notified the second Zero reported in. There had been a close call, a couple of weeks ago, where she had to run across the base in order to get back. She made it, though, despite elevators that seemed to take an eternity to move and hallways that seemed to go on forever. When he warped in to see her standing there, a little out of breath, Zero has ked her if anything was wrong. She brushed off his question, out of embarrassment more than anything else, and hoped he would not press the issue. He didn't aside from commenting that she needed to get more rest.

Than had been the only time she came close to missing his return, and she felt a bit guilty over it. Zero would tell her not to, remind her than an entire army of reploids looked to her for leadership and safety, and say the shed owed him no special consideration. There was logic in this but…she worried about him. She could not help it. The thought that he might be injured or worse provoked something in her, deep within. When he had disappeared after defeating Copy X, she had been ready to personally lead each and every search and rescue operation needed to find him before Cerveau had talked her out of it. He reminded her that resources were thin and they needed to take advantage of the confusion to finally relocate to the new headquarters.
When reports came in about a crimson reploid wielding a saber making hit and run attacks against Neo Arcadia, once again she was ready to go out and find him and once again she was talked out of it. It had been Elpizo that time, emphasizing the unlikelihood that she would ever find Zero when the combined armies of Neo Arcadia could not, and that she would only be placing her own life in jeopardy. As before, she had relented, and when a half-dead Zero was found outside the base, she felt both relieved and ashamed. He was finally back where she could help him, but had nearly died getting there. Conflicted, she dived into her work, hoping to finally devise a solution to the energy crisis and thus end the war with Neo Arcadia. She hardly saw the reploid after he returned, aside from a few brief encounters. Then came the disaster that was "Righteous Strike" and soon she was back at her usual spot, waiting for him to come back safe.

"Confirm transport in three…two…one," Rouge said before the air over the trans server shimmered with a familiar light.

"The supply train is secure, with no loss of cargo," Zero said.

"Thank you, Zero. I know it couldn't have been easy," Ciel responded.

"The defenses weren't as plentiful as some of their other supply trains. No war reploids guarding it, just the usual batch of automated defenses and drones."

"I suppose we've been lucky, lately. With the increased number of supplies going into Neo Arcadia, they can't provide full security for all of their transports, making it easier for us to get what we need. Unfortunately…"

"An increase of supplies means that they're likely getting ready for a major offensive," Zero finished. "It was inevitable – Weil wasn't going to simply forget about us and apparently Harpuia hasn't been able to regain control." Ciel nodded in agreement.

"It's odd, though – the lack of word about the Guardians. I wouldn't think that they would just place themselves under Weil's command, nor would he be willing to have them after what happened to Omega." There had been a brief moment, right after Omega's destruction, when Ciel had hoped that the Guardians would defect to the Resistance, or at least make some offer of alliance in order to remove Weil from power. The moment had soon passed.

"Harpuia made his feeling about Weil quite clear, and Leviathan and Fefnir always follow his lead. For them to simply disappear is unsettling, especially considering how close Harpuia was to declaring a truce with us," Zero said, echoing Ciel's thoughts. "Has there been any new information about the situation in Neo Arcadia?" The Resistance leader shook her head.

"Nothing. We've never had very good intelligence resources to begin with, but now Neo Arcadia is in a complete information lockdown. Our listening posts haven't picked up anything aside from the usual entertainment channels, and we still don't have any way of breaking through their jammers. I'm beginning to wonder if Weil has shut down the news outlets altogether."

"I doubt many of the humans would care much about that. Anything that requires actual thought seems beyond them," Zero said in a scornful tone. To him, life was about going out and living, not mindlessly going along with whatever routines that made you feel comfortable.

Ciel would have liked to disagree with the reploid's assessment of the human populace, but recent experience had taught her that he was right. Maybe if they had managed to gather enough evidence condemning Weil, things would be different. However, as things stood, there did not seem to be any human movement to dislodge the doctor. Weil had certainly done an effective job of using Copy X to wipe the record clean.

"I know. It seems unreal at times, that a people could just close their eyes and ignore attempted genocide," Ciel briefly closed her eyes as she said this, as if the shame of an entire species rested on her. Zero, without realizing it, placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't trouble yourself over it, Ciel. What the people in Neo Arcadia do is not your responsibility."

"Thank you," Ciel responded, and lifter her own hand to touch his. It was then that she noticed something troubling.

"Zero – your hands!" The Resistance leader exclaimed, immediately pulling the reploid's hands closer to examine them more closely. They were almost charred black, with his gauntlets appearing ready to crumble apart at a moment's notice.

"It's nothing. I got a little too close when disabling the train's operating system," Zero said nonchalantly, trying to minimize her concern. Ciel, however, was not going to hear any of it, and began looking over the rest of him for any other injuries.

"You're bleeding, too!" Sure enough, there was a gash above his left eye, slowly leaking fluid down the size of his face. Had he been without his helmet, she would have noticed it immediately upon his return, but the cut was situated in just the right position to be obscured by anyone not actively looking for injury. Zero lifted his left hand to the cut.

"Hmm, I did get too close," the reploid said, as though he were describing a particularly boring patch of grass.

"You're going to see Racinolle right now," Ciel said, promptly grabbing his arm and leading Zero out of Command and Control.

"Ciel, it's just a scratch," Zero protested, unaware that the woman leading him by the arm was not paying any attention to his protest. A couple of minutes after the two had left; Rouge addressed her blonde compatriot at the opposite console.

"You'd think he could take a hint by now."

"You'd think."

A lone figure darted across the empty streets of Neo Arcadia, a trench coat providing protection against the winter cold. While a lack of human presence at such a time of night was usually the norm, the surrounding pathways seemed particularly empty as of late, almost evoking the sense of a ghost town. Of course, the scene had been completely different not four hours earlier, with the greater mass of the populace out and about, seeking some new diversion or release from the stresses of the day. Now, there was a quiet broken only by the footsteps of alone citizen obviously intent on reaching a destination particularly quickly. The figure tried to keep in the shadows, but found it essentially impossible due to the fact that the streetlights were everywhere, exposing every last corner so it could be placed in full view of the world. This was a problem for the lone runner, who knew that being spotted by one of the security patrols would mean the end of her mission. It was fortunate that the patrols operated on strict, routine patterns which never seemed to change, even after recent upheavals. It made getting around easier when one knew where not to be at a particular time.

Soon, after reaching the front pavilion of the Council Hall, the target was in sight. Sage Harpuia of the Guardians was just exiting the building, completely unaware that he was being watched. This was her window of opportunity. Breaking into a run, the figure darted towards the reploid, figuring she had just enough time to reach him before the Pantheons took notice. A small metal device was in her hand, smaller than what she usually used in such a situation, but it would be adequate for the task ahead. Hearing footsteps, Harpuia turned to see the coated figure approaching and braced himself. He should not have bothered, as what happened next took him completely by surprise.

"Guardian Harpuia, my name is Neige. I'm a journalist. Do you have any comment on the communications blackout that's been enforced for almost two months?" She held the recording device out in front of her.

"Such questions should be directed to the Information Bureau, and how did you know I would be here?" Harpuia was more than a little perturbed when answering.

"Are you saying that the Guardians have no authority in regards to this new policy?"

"I already said that questions should be directed to the information bureau."

"So you are not denying that the Guardians have lost authority and are not in command of Neo Arcadia?" Neige continued her questions, not giving the Rekku leader an inch. Harpuia idly wondered how many more humans were going to show themselves as adept at blindsiding him with awkward questions.

"You have five minutes to vacate this area before I have you arrested for violation of curfew," the reploid threatened.

"Fine. See how this goes over once I've written it up. The blackout doesn't apply to printed publications. Before I go, I don't suppose you would mind telling me who actually is in charge if the Guardians aren't?" Neige asked.

Harpuia was about to remind the reporter that he could have any publisher added to the blackout on a whim when they were interrupted by the arrival of a reploid clad in battle armor and carrying a large, military issue plasma rifle. Specially designed, from Harpuia's perspective.

"Is there a problem, Guardian? I could not help but notice from the building," the reploid said.

"No problem, lieutenant. This human was just leaving," Harpuia responded, addressing Neige more than the newcomer. The reporter, however, had her attention focused completely on what was to her a familiar figure.

"….Craft? Is that you?"

"Neige! What are you doing here?"

"You know this woman?" Harpuia asked the other reploid.

"Yes, sir. We met over a year ago when she was writing a story about Neo Arcadian plans for dealing with the Resistance." Craft answered, his attention split between his commanding officer and the woman who had occupied a very important place in his life. If Harpuia detected any trace of the conflicting interests within the reploid, he did not show them.

"Well then, you can escort her off the premises. Now." Harpuia's voice had a tone that made Craft want to get Neige as far away as possible as quickly as possible.

"Yes, sir." Craft said, and saluted the Guardian. Somewhat eager for a excuse to leave, Harpuia returned the salute and flew off into the night, hoping to get a few hours in stasis before tomorrow's obligations.

"Hmph. Lot of nerve that guy has," Neige said.

"What are you doing here at this time of night? You know there's a citywide curfew in effect," Craft scolded, his voice a mix of concern and exasperation.

"Come on, Craft. There's obviously something happening behind the scenes. First X is destroyed by the Mavericks, then Dr. Weil makes a big noise about being in control of Neo Arcadia, promising changes and a 'new order' before disappearing with complete silence from all sources regarding his whereabouts. There hasn't been a single word from him since his first broadcasts. And to top it off, we're suddenly in a communications blackout for over a month! There's some kind of power play going on, I just know it." Neige had a certain excitement in her voice as she answered. Craft recognized it as the type that always appeared when her blood was up.

"Things are…transitory right now, but it's nothing you should worry about. Nothing worth violating curfew over." Craft tried to reassure her. Neige simply narrowed her eyes.

"You know something," she said flatly.

"What are you talking about?" Craft said, realizing he was in trouble.

"I know you, Craft. You wouldn't talk that way unless you knew what was going on." Her eyes locked with his, making the reploid feel very uncomfortable.

"Neige, if I had knowledge of any type relating to this, you know I could not tell you," Craft said.

"I notice that you're not denying that you know what's going on. Lying was never something you enjoyed," she responded.

"No, but I'm not admitting it, either." Craft said, hoping she would let this go. They looked at each other for a few moments before Craft decided to speak again.

"Be patient. Soon, everything will be revealed."

"So you do know something!" the reporter exclaimed.

"All that I am saying is that you should be patient for just another day."

"Why? What's going to happen tomorrow?"

"An announcement, which is more than I should have told you." Craft suddenly felt very grateful for the fact that Harpuia had already left.

Neige turned her back to him for a moment and Craft wondered if she was going to put up a fight over this. He would not be surprised – her fire was one of the things that had brought them together in the first place. One of the longest moments in the reploids life passed before the girl broke the silence.

"All right," she said, turning back to face him. "I'll hold off for one more day. Afterwards, I'll expect to see you."

"You will," Craft replied, a smile creeping onto his face unbidden. He then pressed a few buttons on a wrist communicator and a two – person transport vehicle rolled up. "I should get you back to your home, now."

Neige briefly wondered if she should have made Craft sweat for a little while longer before compromising. She dismissed the thought as she got into the vehicle. Turning to her driver, she said:

"Do you even remember where I live?"

"33 Northwest Apartment building, located on the left side for a full view of the city during sunrise and sunset." Craft responded almost automatically. Neige smiled.

"Nice to see you remember," she said as they pulled away. Both were unaware that their entire exchange had been watched by a woman dressed in the uniform of a colonel in the Neo Arcadian Defense Corps. After two were out of sight, she made a notation for a later report, then re-entered the council building.