The Guardian's grand plan had resulted in utter failure. Her own? Not so much. If she were to be honest with herself she did divert ressources but the fact she likely avoided a disaster had to count for something... Master X wasn't Master X. Leviathan still had some issues over allowing herself to doubt the one she owed everything to. She tried to silence those traitorous thoughts by telling herself she must have knew on some subconscious level all along...
Her attack on the Resistance's database confirmed they were indeed researching a new enrgy source based on elf technology. Her covert survey of Neo-Arcadia servers revealed that Dr Ciel's team from six years ago has been assigned to a undisclosed location for security reasons. Awfully vague... Awfully suspicious. She was no Phantom but neither was the one who did this. All this and her personnal certitude that the one sitting atop Neo-Arcadia tower wasn't X led her to that choice. The fake had to go.
Which sent her back to their spectacular failure. Phantom and Fafnir did their part, Harpuia and her not so much. Better to left Hanumachine alone... There was barely thirty-two seconds before the monkey confirmed contact before his brain unit's recovery signal went off. But, much more importantly, a mere two hours after Hanumachine fell, the impossible happened: Zero had been sighted in the middle of the city's inner sanctum. And he was tearing his way through like a hot knife through butter. Which was perdect for her.
She held no delusion she could beat the fake on her own. He wasn't her father but he still exulted an aura of power that none could match... Except maybe for Zero. She doubted she could be more than a bystander in their duel but she couldn't allow herself to sit this one out. It was her duty as one of X's Guardians, at least one of them had to take part... She had discarded the idea of getting her brothers to join, they wouldn't have believed her and even if they had their doubts they wouldn't act on them on such a short notice... and Neo—Arcdian would need its Guardians if the fake was to stay in charge.
She'd have to get to her post soon. The Guardians duty was to defend the locks of Master X' chamber's entrance. She absently wondered if the locks being placed out of the chambers was for that very purpose, to let an enemy of the city chalenge its ruler...
She'd already took care of her personal belongings, what she intended to keep had been hidden away near a remote Trans Server. A rock vaguely ressembling Fafnir's head, she still couldn't fathom how he thought it was gift material, the collection of trashy romance novels Phantom got her, he was the one to hook her to the genre, the too many gift from their father, she had to admit he had her spoiled...
The last item she decided to keep on her. It was a gift from Harpuia, the first time they met after they began to work on restoring the climate. He said he knew she could barely tolerate his stuck up ways and that being her only contact for days was bound to drive her mad, he apologized a tad too little to her taste and handed it to her. It was a bracelet, and a cheap one at that, a ruber band covered by cloth with four charms dangling from it: a roaring red dragonhead, a purple shuriken, a green wing and a blue sea shell. It was hand-made so she forgave the crudeness of it. He said he made it so that she never forget the four of them would always be together. He deserved that hug.
She took her helmet off letting her long black hair fall down. Gathering her mane at the top of her head and tied the memento around it getting her hair in a high ponytail. Not bothering to look if it suited her she scrunched it all up an put her helmet back on. As she went toward destny she allowed herself to think of happier times.
"Gee, It sure is boring out here!"
"Mah girl! This peace is what all true warriors strive for..."
"Ugh! Where do you find all these corny lines?"
Their father had taken a seat next to Leviathan without her notice. His relaxed expression did wonders in highlighting his youthful features, so different from is usual mask as Neo-Arcadia's ruler. "I found much more than I bargained for while searching for ansxers on the Web. Not all of the ancient world has been lost... sadly."
"Sounds interesting. Maybe I'll look into it sometimes..."
Their secret listener allowed himself to smile at their father's horror stricken expression. He had it coming, really. They all inherited some sort of 'dominant trait' from their father, for Leviathan it was natural curiosity and while it allowed them to connect in a way X couldn't with the rest of them, some sort of yearning for his old days as a lab assistant no doubt, it often resulted in their sister acquiring a new (hopefully temporary) obsession. He felt a tinge of jealousy at the fact.
Fafnir loved a good battle, and X always guilty taking enjoyment in a fight, the weigh of his past was far too great. Harpuia and him got a mix of his sense of duty and his devotion, the exact proportions of that mix in each of them was a subject of endless debate, and while they were both more atuned to their father's current being there always was some sort of sadness and apprehension in X's eyes when he looked at them. Phantom understood that look, he knew he had the same when he set his eyes on his father. The three of them were the kind to bear the weigh of the world on their shoulders regardless of the risk of breaking under it.
Once again he thought back to the one request X made of him.
The thought that the world had finally crushed X came back some years after. Maverick attacks were at an all time low and the constrution of Neo-Avalon had finally begun. Everything was going as perfectly as could be. And X disappeared. It was as if seeing his work was finally over the tired hero felt he had earned the right to rest. The shock was great and the city almost fell into panic. X was proven right when order was restored after two days, the city could stand on its own now that the menace wasn't imminent anymore.
Trouble begun when their supply lines were attacked. The under and above-ground power lines were systematically cut, energen mines and military outposts were assaulted... The city proper was never attacked but it didn't need to...
Neo-Arcadian counted over twenty-four million citizens, two third of them reploids. The city proper produced 90% of its total energy needs. The viarious elements of the power grid that extended from it brought the energy production to a confortable 115% of the total needs of the grid, of course the enemy hit their power plants the hardest. And to the sudden drop in input was added a drastic increase in their needs. Phanteon had to be built in mass to compensate for their loss and to face the rising threat. Ans then came the repairs. In a mere three weeks the situation went from calm to bad and two more months made it dramatic.
Phantom and Harpuia, with the help of the eight Judges and the city's council did all they could to keep control but the city was soon at the verge moof rioting. It was too much, too soon. It made no doubt the all-out assault on Neo-Arcadia's interests so soon after X's left was concerted. Worse, it appeared the drop in maverick activity was nothing more than a bait designed to lure their leader away. The implications were frightening...
They were nearing rock bottom when X reappeared. His return was enough to calm down the masses and bring back a semblance of order. For a time...
Support for the energy restriction program soon plummeted once the prospect of a quick resolution lost credibility. The sacrifices the reploid population agreed to were great, they renounced food for the more efficient energen consumption and each was only allowed just enough to go through their daily activities. Humans were of course submitted to similar restrictions but the facts remained, reploids gave up on comfort while humans conserved some of it.
Protest soon gained the streets. Phanteons proved they were unsuited for crowd control. The crowd got progressively larger and rowdier and when the mindless automatons began to subdue the most virulant individuals it degenerated into a riot. The reploids had little to no remorse venting their anger on the mechaniloids.
This resulted in mass arrest and the following trials. Master X showed great mercy, the disruptive elements were drafted into administrative service. He explained his reasonning, it was meant to make the reploids understand the severity of the situation first hand and free more seasoned personnel to join the war effort.
When the question of wether calling Fafnir back to deal with the troubles was raised Master X answered the the Guardian was more needed securing Neo-Avalon. To him the colony at the base of Mt Niger was their way out of the tunnel. The new weather correction facilities and inevitable exodus would ease up the strain on the city. All they had to do was to endure. The Guardians decided to carry their part of the burden and renounced their monthly meetings, throwing themselves into their assigned tasks with their all.
Once again the reprive was short. But this time humans took part in their own conunter-march. It didn't end well... The security detail didn't expect the crowd of humans that gathered behind the pantheon line holding the reploids back. Words were exchanched and tension was running high. It all went to hell when an empty can was launched at the group of reploids. Leniency wasn't an option anymore...
Phantom resumed his silent watch of Master X.
His resolove was tested once more when Leviathan tried to coax Master X into their now traditional in-joke, it never failed getting a smile out of him. It didn't work. And then came the request to keep watch over his sister.
Yet, it was what he found during his surveillance that troubled him most. While Master X publically advocated against Dr Ciel Maverick group as they represented only a negligible threat he also claimed they weren't open to negociation. Leviathan findings pointed in another direction...
Phantom rememored the words of his hather.
"Phantom. There may be a time you'll ask yourself what became of me. If that time ever came... Please retire me."
That time has come. And to his shame Phantom couldn't bring himself to do the deed. The one task that was entrusted to him and only him. He was to be the tool of his father's deliverance but his resolve was too weak. That was why he had to atone. That's why he barred Zero's way.
He knew he had to let the crimson reploid pass. But he had to make sure he was worthy, that he could prevail at what Phantom himself failed. So he fought, with everything he had...
It was as if it was even easier than the first time. As if fighting him only once told Zero everything he had to know about Phantom. He was that terrible. He had vanguished him so utterly...
"Eh. You truly are a formidable foe... Maybe strong enough to defeat Master X." Zero didn't even bat an eye. "For this reason... I'll take you with me." It was the final test... no, it was his final expiation. Maybe it was the easiest way out but Phantom couldn't bear to live when he had failed in all his duties. As the explosion engulfed him and his cousciousness drifted away he felt strangely at peace. As if a familiar prescence enveloped him and took his inner turmoil away...
This was it. The door opened and Zero stepped in. She stood in the middle of the large hall, spear ready at her side. Normally she would have waited for the room to fill with water before making herself known but she wasn't here to fight. "So you've made it this far-" His green blade told her he wasn't in the mood for talking. She let out a derisive sniff "You know, if you weren't so impatient you'd know I won't pick a fight with you. Quite the contrary actually..."
"Care to elaborate?"
"Tsk. Make up your mind already... I believe Girlie, I made some research on my end. The guy up there is no X. I want a piece of him too, so..."
"Phantom is dead."
The unexpected news floored her. "What? How?"
"Self-destruct."
She tried to wrap her mind around it. It was... not that unbevielable if she thought about it. Phantom always had his own alien way of thinking, a strange concept of honor he built his life around. And his death too, it'd seem. He always made a point of succeding even against impossible odds. "I see... I..." As if it wasn't hard enough already... "I'm still going."
He didn't let his guard drop. Not that she expected him too, he had no reason to trust her. "We're losing time. I'll take point, so feel free to cut me down the moment I step out of the line if you want." She disengaged her part of the locking mechanism and made her way to the door, he was still eying her warily and had not moved an inch. "What are you waiting for?" He answered with a grunt and followed from a safe distance.
They reached the gigantic stairway leading to X's 'throne' room without ressistance and made quick work of the mechaniloids there. She was now standing before the massive door. One more step forward meant there was no going back... One step back meant meeting Zero's blade... "Say, you knew it wasn't him from the start, right?"
"I found out when you did." Seeing she wasn't quite satisfied by his answer he continued. "It didn't matter before that. It still doesn't now."
"It doesn't matter?" It reminded her of some of the things the true X told her and her brothers back then. "I suppose it doesn't in the end..." X or not, it shouldn't have been what guided her in her choice. It still did but her doubts somehow vanished now. "Let's go."
AN: First thanks for the reviews!
Now I hope you liked this rather Phantom-centric chapter. It wasn't as good as the others but I felt I needed to elaborate on Neo-Arcadia's (and Copy-X's) descent into the authorative state it's in the Zero series. For all who care about it, yes I'm shamelessly picking up and leaving out stuff from the Complete Works as I please. I just couldn't have X leave the city without a word in the middle of an energy crisis... and since the middle of an energy crisis isn't the best of time to design reploids in charge of overseeing the (energy expensive) cleansing of the world I made the Guardians older (and who put a bunch of newbuilts designed for another purpose in charge of the whole nation's military? Capcom you say? I guess that explain it...)
The few Zero fanfic I read gave Copy-X some kind of flaw in construction that made him plain evil, here he was just dealt a very bad hand and genuinely tried his best. He's still got issues but that's for the next chapter. They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions...