Four figures watched as a medical transport entered Giga Island airspace. Each figure was a different color. The first was a white armored male with a gold stripe running down his chest. His hair was dark brown and his eyes were brown. The next figure wore dark pink armor with a dark red stripe running down her legs. She had red hair and golden eyes. The third figure was a full head shorter then the rest. His armor was lime green with a dark blue stripe running down his arms. He had black hair with gray eyes. The fourth and final figure wore lilac colored armor with a soft yellow stripe running down her sides. She had green eyes with brunette hair.
"That is a Medical Transport copter." the lilac figure said, "It belongs to the Maverick Hunters."
"Even so, We can not allow them near the Island." this came from the green figure, "We must protect Cinnamon at all costs."
"Bard's right for once." this came from the pink figure.
"Hey! What are you implying, Fusion?" Bard asked, looking indignant.
"Face it, you aren't the brightest bulb here." Fusion sneered at her fellow Guardian.
Bard was about to object, but a stern look from the white guardian made him think better of it, "What do we do, Star?"
"We greet them, of course." Star smiled, "there is one reason why the Hunters seek out Cinnamon. One of their own must be badly hurt. I will hail them when they get into range."
"Are you sure, Commander Star?" the lilac figure asked.
"Yes, Lilac." Star walked toward the Command Center.
ZERO
With nothing to do but wait, I decided to take a much needed nap. For once, my nightmares decided to leave me be. A sudden lurch to the right woke me mid fall out of my seat. I hit the ground rolling, and came up with my buster charging.
"Are we under attack?" Axl asked, working his way to the front of the transport. he pounded on the door, "Kitty? What's wrong?"
"Everything is all right. It's just a sonic charge caused by the thunderstorm that just formed." Kitty was deadly calm, "I'm flying blind but we are okay."
"What? If you can't see, then how are you flying?" Axl panicked.
"I still have my instruments. We are almost in hailing distance from Giga Island. The rain is coming down in thick sheets that is making it hard to see." Kitty replied calmly.
"We aren't going to crash, are we?" Axl asked.
"We are not going to crash, Axl. Settle down." Kitty replied.
The transport lurched as if it had been hit. I found myself crashing into my seat.
"Kitty, report!" I called, climbing to my feet.
"Lightening strike, I've lost function to the left forward propeller." Kitty responded.
"That's not good!" Axl yelped.
"Relax, We've still got three other propellers on that side." Kitty rolled her almond eyes, "We are damaged, but it is very minor."
"Now I know why I hate flying." Medic grumbled.
"Can you make it through the storm?" I asked.
"We'll make it just fine." Kitty focused on her readings, using them to guide her. She didn't really need to use her readings. She'd flown to Giga Island so many times she could fly there in her sleep.
"How is X doing, Lifesaver?" I turned to the doctor.
"So far, so good." Lifesaver replied.
"How much farther, Kitty?" I called.
"We've got about fifty miles to go." Kitty replied, "Jeez! We're okay! Just another lightening bolt."
"I'll be happier when my feet touch solid ground again." Axl moaned.
"Axl, you fly." Nana said, "Are you afraid to fly?"
"No, I just don't like to be cooped up in a transport in the middle of a storm." Axl answered.
"He is afraid of storms." Alia told Nana.
The transport rocked as another lightening bolt passed millimeters from the front engine. Then there was a loud crack that came from over our heads. Axl screamed in terror. The transport lurched sideways as Kitty screamed, "We've been hit!"
"Where?" I asked.
"We are losing altitude! I'm not getting a response from the starboard engines, and the port side engines are acting sluggish! Damn! I just lost one of the port side engines!" Kitty screamed.
"I see smoke!" Nana pointed out the window.
"Smoke?" Axl looked, "Oh my God! We're dead!"
"Axl, breathe!" I told him, "It's just a little engine trouble."
"Yeah, but we forgot to bring the engineer!" Axl screamed back.
"Yes! I've got a starboard engine up and running!" Kitty called, "We're gaining altitude again!" Her com crackled to life, "This is Commander Star of the Giga Island Force. Do you read, Medical Transport?"
"This is Kitty Havoc, Pilot of Medical One. We read you loud and clear." Kitty responded, "Passing Radio to Commander Zero."
I took the com.
"Please state your business with Cinnamon." Star ordered.
"We have a badly injured Reploid on board that we can not afford to lose." I explained, "He needs Cinnamon's help if he is to survive."
"Cinnamon can't save every injured Reploid you drop on our doorstep." Star's voice went cool.
"This is different. If we lose him, the war is as good as lost." I reasoned.
"That is your problem, not ours." Star replied.
I could feel my temper rising, "The Reploid is X."
"It's X? I'll report to Cinnamon. I'm sending Fusion out to guide you in." Star signed off.
Looking out the front window, I watched as the stormy black sky turned slightly pink. The glow grew brighter, taking the form of a Reploid I knew well, "Fusion."
Fusion waved, and Kitty responded by lining the craft up with Fusion. Following Fusion, she brought us down out of the clouds toward a tiny grey speck sitting in a roiling black sea. The speck began to grow in size and the familiar towers of Giga Base came into view. The base isn't active. Fusion landed and Kitty brought us down gently on the landing pad. Axl was the first out of the door. Star was waiting for us.
"Your craft is damaged from that storm. I'll have Bard make the necessary repairs. Zero, long time no see, Kouhai." Star smiled.
"Senpai. Enjoying retirement?" I asked, returning the smile.
I was trained by Star to be a Hunter. It was Star who took me under his wing back when I was an ungainly rookie not used to my armor. It was Star who first reached me through my fear when I had first woken up after the fight with Sigma.
"Retirement? You call this retirement?" Star was smiling, "I always said I was going to retire to an island in the ocean someday. Lets see X."
"Well now you are living on an island in the ocean." I returned, leading him back onto the craft where Lifesaver and Medic were sitting with X. Star took in a sharp breath as he studied X's broken body.
"This is really bad. I'm not sure if Cinnamon can help." Star stepped off the plane, "Lilac? Help them move X to the medical bay!"
"Yes, sir!" Lilac stepped onto the plane.
"I'm not going to help them."
"Cinnamon! You have to help them! It is imperative that you help them!" Star turned to her.
"I refuse to help the ones who keep me a prisoner on this island!" Cinnamon glared at him, "Protected by retired Hunters to boot!"
"I'm not retired!" Lilac snapped, "Nor is Bard and Fusion!"
"But Cinnamon!" I tried, "It's X! he needs your help badly!"
"He can die for all I care!" Cinnamon turned to stalk off.
"Cin?"
She turned, "Medic."
"Cinnamon!" Medic ran to her sister, "Please, you have to help him!"
"I refuse to help the one responsible for putting me here." Cinnamon snarled.
"But Cin! He put you here for your own safety!" Medic tried.
"Cinnamon." Lifesaver emerged from the craft with X in tow.
"Father." Cinnamon's voice went cold.
"Cinnamon, I don't know where to start." Lifesaver started.
"Then don't start!" Cinnamon growled, turning and running off.
"What happened between you guys?" Alia asked.
"Long story." Medic looked away.
"back during the Maverick attack on the base, X snuck Medic, Cinnamon, and I out under the noses of the Mavericks. He took us here to Giga Island and left the four guardians with the task of keeping us safe. Cinnamon discovered that she could handle Supra Force Metal in it's raw form and using the force generator hidden in her body, convert it to a form we could use. After the base got taken back, Medic and I returned, but X decided that with the discovery, it would be better if Cinnamon stayed on the island under the protection of the Guardians. She hates X for what he did to her." Lifesaver explained.
"We visited her as much as we could, but as you've seen, she has pulled away from us." Medic continued, "She is mad about having to be kept here where it is safe."
"We have to convince her to help us then." I muttered.
Medic came to my side, "If Cinnamon doesn't want to help then we don't force her to help."
I turned to answer her, when an explosion rocked the island. We both dove to the ground, myself over her. Another explosion rocked the island. Star screamed.
"How did they find us?" I looked up to see fear on Stars face. Below me, Medic whimpered softly.
"Shh, you are okay." I soothed the young medical officer, "Who found you?"
"Cinnamon is in there!" she cried.
"Cinnamon!" Lifesaver screamed.
"I'm going in!" Axl screamed, "Cinnamon! I'm coming!"
"Axl wait!" I screamed after the young Reploid.
AXL
"Axl Wait!" Zero screamed from where he lay, protecting Medic. At least, that is what I hoped was happening. I chose not to listen and ran for the entrance to Giga base. I was stopped by Bard.
"You can't go charging in there!" Bard screamed at me, "These Rogues are not like the Mavericks you are used to!" He yanked me down just as a fireball sped by our heads. I looked left to see Zero draw out his saber and charge at the fireball. Fusion beat him there, bringing her fist around to knock the fireball away from them. Bard tucked into his armor and rolled, bouncing the fireball into the sea.
"Hey! I had the fireball covered!" Zero complained, clearly ticked off at being one upped by a girl.
Star looked up at the sky, "they are leaving! Everybody quick, inside!"
He ushered us into the command center while Lilac, who had lain on top of the capsule to protect X, led Lifesaver and Medic to the Medical Bay.
"What is going on here?" I asked.
"Giga Island is no longer safe." Star turned to me, "Have you ever fought a Rogue?"
"You mean Reploids that are nether maverick, civilian, nor hunter, right?" I asked, "I have had run ins with Rogues."
"Star, I want the whole story. No skirting the edge." Zero looked at the Guardian Commander.
"They are not your problem. These Rogues are different then those kind. For one thing, they seem to share a collective mind, and their attack strength is extremely high. You would have been engulfed in flames from that fireball. Your Z-saber would have flicked off once in contact with it. We Guardians can take them easily because of the Supra Force Metal fused with our armor. You Hunters are just not capable of an enemy like this. We chose not to alert Signus to keep you out of it. The Rogues have been getting more daring with their attacks. There are four of them. They are Shadow, Epsilon, Spider, and Sigma. At first, we thought they were under Sigma's control as Mavericks. We quickly found out that they were not under Sigma, but someone else. Someone not seen since the fall of the demonploids at the hands of the original Megaman." Star looked at each of us hunters and navigators. "It is said that the original Megaman died battling her."
"Now that is just sad. The original Megaman got his can kicked by a girl." I joked, trying to lighten the mood. Zero shot me a death glare. I wisely chose to shut up.
"Who is she?" Zero asked.
"We are not sure. We do have a picture taken by a security cam." Star brought up a picture of a golden Reploid with long red hair. She was skinny, and her legs ended in heeled boots. A red gem graced her chest. A pair of golden wings adorned her back. Her helmet sported three long golden spikes meeting above her forehead. Her eyes were blue and she held a long sword stained red with blood up against her shoulder. I felt my blood run cold as a memory jolted my brain. I was laying on the ground, badly damaged. Panting, I looked up at my opponent, a golden Reploid with long red hair. She smiled cruelly, and drew out a long sword. She plunged it into my chest as I screamed.
"AXL!" I found myself back in the present. Zero was shaking me.
"I'm okay!" I gasped, "I saw something."
"Would it be of yourself laying on the ground looking up at that Reploid as she runs you through with a sword?" Zero asked, "I saw it too. So did Alia and Nana."
"What you saw is a memory known as a racial memory. It is something all Reploids see when they see her. You saw the death of the original Megaman." Star explained as Medic came running in.
"We need Cinnamon now!" She cried, "Dad and I are having a tough time keeping him stable! Oh Cinnamon! Where are you?" She saw the picture and screamed, "No! She can't be back!"
"Medic, do you know her?" Zero went to her.
"That's the demonploid Mazda! She's the one who spilled the blood of the original Megaman! They say his blood still covers her sword! Nothing can stop her! Not even X! We are as good as dead!" Medic wailed.
"We have to stop her!" I responded, "And we will stop her!"
"We can't, Axl! She's a demonploid!" Alia screamed.
"She still has got to have a weakness!" I reasoned.
"She has no weakness." Star broke in, "None of our attacks damage her. That storm you were caught in was created by her!"
"I knew that storm wasn't normal!" I answered, "Everybody has weaknesses. Even X has weaknesses. We just haven't found hers yet and we will find it. I'm going to go look for Cinnamon." I left.
I walked toward a certain place where I knew Cinnamon would be. My mind brought up the image of Mazda again. I remembered X telling me once that when in doubt, go for the head. I reached the place and went in. It was dark.
"Cinnamon? Are you here?" I called.
"Axl! No! get out!" Cinnamon screamed, "Aah!"
"Cinnamon!" I screamed back, lighting my crystals. The room was bathed in a blue glow.
"Sorry, honey, but I can't let the little whelp heal Megaman." came another female voice.
"Let her go!" I screamed as the room lit up in a bright yellow glow.
"No can do, honey." the light revealed Mazda.
I locked my pistols together to form my crossbow, "Eat this then!" I fired off an arrow but Mazda easily caught it and tossed it aside.
"Naughty, naughty, naughty." Mazda lit her left hand, and I was slammed backward hard.
"AXL!" Cinnamon screamed.
I rose, dazed from the blow, "You don't get it, do you? If X dies, we hunters lose this war!"
"X? you mean Megaman. Sorry, but he must die." Mazda growled.
"It's X! your Megaman died by your hand!" I screamed.
"Actually, his brother, Protoman, showed up just as I ran my sword through Megaman. Protoman defeated me!" Mazda hissed, "But he didn't knock me out! I watched as Protoman went to Megaman and pulled my sword from him! He then carried his brother away after stabbing me with my own sword!" She squeezed Cinnamon even harder, causing her to scream again.
"CINNAMON!" I glowed, switching to my white armor, "Let her go!" I rushed the demonploid, sending a left cross at her neck. Suddenly, burning hot electricity shot through my body, causing me to scream. Mazda shoved me backwards, and I hit the ground, stunned. My body began to shut down and everything went hazy. I tried to rise up and fight, but a blow to my head knocked me out.
ZERO
I watched as Axl left before turning to Star, "Sigma's a Rogue?"
"We were shocked too." Star said.
"X defeated Sigma so we are down to three Rogues. Shadow and Epsilon, This sounds right. Spider? He's a lowly bounty hunter and I'm not sure if he is capable of something like this." I said, "We need X. Lets go to Cinnamon." Star agreed and took the lead. It wasn't long before we found Axl.
"AXL!" I screamed and ran to him. Medic joined me.
"It's okay. He is offline due to receiving a massive shock." Medic said, "bringing him online now."
Axl's eyes fluttered open minutes later. He tried to talk, but no sound came out. Medic saw his panic.
"You are okay. Just give yourself a few minutes." She told him.
"Mazda has Cinnamon!" Axl cried as soon as he found his voice, "I tried to save her!"
"We'll get her back, Axl. Can you stand?" I helped him up, "Medic, can you take him to medical bay?"
"Yes, Zero." Medic knew why I was sending her away. She let Axl lean on her as they walked away. Star knelt to inspect a puddle of liquid.
"This is fuel." He said, "It's what we use to power the base. The generator is this way."
"Wait. Alia, Nana, I need you two to stay in the command center to navigate for us." I ordered. They both returned to the Command Center wordlessly.
"Fusion, stay with the navigators and protect them." Star added, "Zero, that leaves us. Lets go." Fusion was already following the navigators.
I followed Star through the maze that was Giga Base. We stopped outside the generator room. Star tried the door which opened silently. We stepped inside.
"Well, well, well, Two came to party." came a voice as a second voice grunted.
"Show yourself!" I ordered.
"Very well." Spider materialized holding a struggling Lifesaver.
"Let him go, Spider!" I ordered.
"I think not." Spider hissed.
"You Maverick!" I charged, Z-saber flashing. Spider tossed me aside without releasing Lifesaver.
"Zero! He's a Rogue!" Star lined up a shot with his pistol and fired. Lifesaver screamed. Spider grinned.
"You've hit your ally." he snarled.
"Actually," Lifesaver twisted himself around to face Spider, "You are the one hit!" Lifesaver gave a violent twist, nearly jerking himself free of Spiders hold.
"We have to beat him somehow!" I cried.
"We can't!" Star answered.
"Distract him." I slunk right while Star attacked with a punch to Spiders gut. Getting behind Spider, I winked at Lifesaver who got my hint. I focused, leapt into the sky and came down to punch the ground, "Raganok!" A swarm of fire slammed into Spiders back. He released his hold on Lifesaver who sprinted away from him. Screaming, Spider spun to me, a yellow card in his hands. I dove to the ground, the card exploding as it slammed into the wall behind me.
"You are good, Hunter and Guardian, but I'm better!" Spider drew out four yellow cards and threw them at us. Star screamed, diving to the ground as one card shot millimeters over his head. I felt a card hit somewhere behind me as I rolled to the left to avoid the third card. Star and I came up to see the last card doing an impression of a suicide bomber right at our heads. We both dove down again to avoid it. It exploded harmlessly against the floor behind us.
"We have got to hurt him somehow!" I grumbled to Star, who nodded, "My Raganok attack didn't harm him!"
"Where is Lifesaver?" Star crawled to his feet.
"Right here!" Lifesaver called from the door, "it's sealed!"
"I'm going Absolute!" I focused, switching to my dark armor, "I might be able to damage him now!"
Spider faked a yawn, "Boring! Lets see how you fare against my cards!" He let lose with ten yellow cards. I shot into the air, trying to avoid five cards at once. Then I figured something out. I dove toward Spider and shot up quickly at the last second. Spider screamed, six cards plowing into him, damaging him badly.
"You are a genius! Why didn't I ever think of that?" Star dashed forward, and banked a hard left, the three cards on his tail slammed into Spider, dealing even more damage. We met in the middle of the room.
"Incoming!" Lifesaver screamed.
We both looked up.
"Oh crap." Star started.
"We're dead." I finished.
The last card was inches from our heads. A wrench came flying from no where to slam into the card, causing it to explode. Star and I ducked to avoid the explosion.
"Who threw that wrench?" Star looked about.
"Leave it to the doctor to save you." Lifesaver grinned, walking over to us, "Spider is nothing but a heap of scrap now. I picked up this." He was holding a copy chip.
"X is the only one who can use those chips in his buster." I explained, "We still need to find Cinnamon. I'm staying in Absolute form."
"Where do we go next?" Lifesaver asked, picking up his wrench, which surprisingly had no damage.
"Look for a clue of some kind." Star said.
"Like this?" I held up a scrap of armor, and let out a angry scream, "It's a piece of Medic's shoulder armor!"
"What? If they've hurt her in any way," Lifesaver snarled, "I'll strip them into spare parts with my bare hands!"
"And I'll leave them in smoldering heaps!" I added, "She was going to Medical Bay!"
The door clicked, and opened itself. We raced through it and ran to the Medical Bay.
"It's empty!" I screamed, "They've got her!"
Lifesaver ran to X, "He's unharmed!"
"Doctor, stay here with him! Where did they take her?" I was furious. My Medic got taken. It was Star who found the next clue. He held it up, and I recognized it, "That is another piece of Medic's armor!"
"It was right here by the door! Lets go!" Star opened the door and we ran through it. The hallway was dark. Star and I lit our crystals, sending a green and blue glow around us. We hadn't ran far when we found something. That something turned out to be a dead Reploid.
"It's Shadow!" Star recognized, "He's dead. I wonder what killed him."
"I'd be more worried about who killed him." I replied, "That means Medic got away."
"I don't think she got away. This is blood. Whoever killed Shadow has her now." Star theorized, "Lets go."
We took off again, searching for another clue. A door swung open and we went into a well lit room. Standing in the center of the room was a tall tan and blue Reploid.
"Kyle!" I screamed.
"Zero, long time no see." Kyle hissed, "I came for my bride."
"You know him?" Star asked.
"Know him? He's supposed to be dead!" I shot back, "Kyle, what have you done with Medic?"
"She was being feisty so I punished her." Kyle stepped aside to reveal the unconscious form of Medic. Blood dripped from a gash on her forehead. The armor on her right shoulder was mostly gone. I ran to her, but Kyle lashed out, sending me crashing to the ground.
"Medic doesn't love you!" I rose back to my feet, "She stopped loving you the day you raped her!"
"Is that what she told you? Stupid whore wanted it." Kyle snarled.
"That is quite enough!" Star drew his sword, "Kyle, prepare to die!" He charged using a hacking technique that Kyle deflected easily. Star was sent flying into a bulk head. He groaned, trying to rise.
"Medic is mine!" I screamed, "I'll fight to the death for her!" Rage boiling, I charged with my saber drawn. Kyle vanished, appearing behind me. A hard kick sent me crashing to the ground.
"Kyle stop." Medic looked up at him, "I love Zero, not you."
"Liar! You love me, only me!" Kyle turned to her.
"I never loved you. I liked you a lot until you hurt me badly. I'm with Zero now. Zero is more of a man you'll ever be." Medic kept her eyes on Kyle, "I love Zero with every fiber of my being. I live and breath for Zero alone."
"I watched her charging her buster, "And I love her back just as passionately. She is my purpose, my light, my life."
"Lies! Medic loves only me!" Kyle screamed.
"you are wrong, Kyle." Medic raised her buster, "I do not love you." she fired her fully charged shot, catching Kyle off guard. Her attack dealt a little bit of damage.
"If I can't have her, nobody gets the filthy whore!" Kyle screamed, angling his shoulder cannon downward at Medic, who stared back fearlessly.
"You can't kill me." She said softly, "I know you won't shoot."
"Really?" Kyle charged his cannon to the max, "Die, whore." he fired, and I screamed. Suddenly, Kyle was the one screaming, his own cannon fire being turned back on him. Star. I crept toward Medic, afraid of what I would find. She found me first.
"Zero!" She hugged me as the smoke cleared.
"He's dead." Star replied, giving the still form a kick for emphasis.
"Oh, Medic! I was so worried he'd hurt you!" I returned the hug.
"He didn't hurt me that much. Just surface damage, nothing that won't heal on it's own." Medic snuggled into me, "I was afraid he'd hurt you."
"No damage, although I'm going to be feeling this tomorrow." I smiled.
The door suddenly slammed closed on us. Star ran to it.
"It's locked!" he cried. A quick look around the room showed that it was the only way in or out of the room.
"Alia? Can you get us out of here?" I called, using my com.
"Sit tight. The door has a lock code that is going to take me a few minutes to break." Alia responded.
ALIA
I entered a few short codes, probing the lock code. They gave me the information I needed. The lock code was four numbers, and there was a three in it some where. A clock showing three minutes appeared on my screen.
"Zero, I've got a count down going. If I don't get that door unlocked in time, I want you to get as far from the door as you can. Got me?" I ran a few more codes.
"I hear you." Zero was calm. Talk about trusting your Navigator! I was nervous and sweating now. I forced myself to calm down. So far, I knew that the second number was three, and nine was the next number. The clock counted down to two minutes. I figured out a third number, six. Good, all I needed to do was find the first number and send it to the door. I started with one and worked my way to nine. None of the numbers worked. The clock showed one minute.
"I've got three numbers figured out. I can't figure out the last number. I tried all numbers from one to nine." I replied to Zero. Suddenly, I sat up, "I've got it! Sending it to the door now! It's 0396!" before I had a chance to hit send, the doors to the command center blew open. Nana screamed. I turned.
"Epsilon!" Nana cried.
"Nana." Epsilon snarled, "I'm afraid I can't let you unlock that door."
"We have friends in that room!" I reached behind me for the send key. Epsilon grabbed me by the neck and threw me across the room.
"Alia!" Nana cried, "Are you okay?"
"I'll live!" I responded between coughs, "send the code!"
"I'm trying! My computer isn't responding!" Nana cried, "30 seconds!"
"What's happening?" Zero asked.
"Epsilon!" I replied, going to Nana, "20 seconds!"
"We're at the farthest point!" Zero replied, still calm.
I leveled my buster at Epsilon and charged. I knew I would only get one shot at this.
"10 seconds! 9, 8, 7!" as Nana said seven, I fired. Epsilon's head snapped back, hitting the send key. The count down stopped at 1. A smoking hole sat in the center of his forehead.
"You killed him." Nana said in awe, "We're saved!"
"The door's open. Good work ladies. All four rogues are down. Mazda is next." Zero congratulated us, "We still haven't found Cinnamon."
Our com buzzed.
"You guys need to hurry. I don't think X can last another hour." Lifesaver informed us.
"I'll stay here. Alia, you go to him." Nana offered.
I stood, "I'm going to stay with X." I left the command center and went to the medical bay. I walked over to sit in a chair by X's biobed. His stats were still low. He had gone well beyond being pale. In fact, he was whiter then the sheet covering him. His breathing was still very labored. Gently, I took his non injured right hand into my own. It hurt, seeing the one I love this way.
"X, I'm here." I whispered softly, feeling him squeeze my hand at the sound of my voice, "Zero is working on trying to find Cinnamon. So is Axl. I had to kill Epsilon to save Zero, Medic, and Star, earlier. I miss you." I stopped talking, a slight blush on my cheeks, "It turns out that Sigma, Spider, Shadow, and Epsilon are ether working for or being controlled by Mazda. Zero has taken out the other three already." I closed my eyes, and sighed. Deep inside, I was afraid, deathly afraid, of losing X. Zero had Medic, and Axl had… whom ever he was currently dating to help them cope with the loss. I had no one. If we lost X, I would be alone. What made it even worse was the fact I'd never told him my true feelings. I wondered if I would ever get the chance.
"Alia…"
I nearly jumped out of my skin, "X? You're awake! Lifesaver! Get over here! X is awake!"
At that moment, Zero returned with Medic and Star through the other door just as Lifesaver joined me. Medic looked a bit beaten up. Zero had his arm around her protectively. Star was just behind them.
"His stats are up a bit which is good. Due to the damage to his skull, I want you to be careful. He may not be able to talk very well, nor recognize you." Lifesaver warned.
I felt tears gather in my eyes and forced them back. I would not cry now. "X? can you hear me?"
"Yeah…" X's voice was weak with pain, "Did somebody… get the number… of the ride armor… that ran me over?"
"Sorry, but no." Zero smiled.
"At least his sense of humor is still intact." Medic said, "X, do you know where you are?"
"Medical Bay, Giga Base." X's voice was getting stronger.
"Do you know what happened to you?" Lifesaver asked.
"Sigma happened. Hey doc, there is a great new invention called pain killers. Mind using them?" X turned his head toward Lifesaver, wincing as he did.
"Of course." Lifesaver pulled out a needle. Zero promptly fainted. Lifesaver just shook his head in exasperation as he gave X a shot of pain killers. I couldn't help but smile. Everything felt so normal. Medic brought back Zero just as Lifesaver turned around with a new needle. He promptly fainted again. Medic rolled her eyes. Lifesaver turned to X, "This one is an antibiotic that will help keep any infection at bay." He administered the shot. Medic waited until Lifesaver put the needles away to bring Zero back again.
"Remember Needleman?" X asked Zero, finally comfortable.
"Don't even say that name!" Zero glared at him, "I had to fight him alone, too!"
"I was in a medically induced coma, remember?" X reminded him, "Where's Axl?"
"Axl is over here, resting." Lifesaver turned, "Oh crud, he's gone!"
"He probably went off to find Cinnamon. Lilac is gone too. Bard is with Kitty, and Fusion is with Nana." Star said.
"Fusion? She was never with us." I replied.
"Kitty? Come in, Kitty!" Zero raised Kitty, "Kitty says Bard is with her, working on an engine."
"Let me see if I can raise Lilac and Fusion." Star turned his com on, "Lilac? Come in, Lilac!" he reached her, "Lilac says she is trying to find Axl. Fusion, do you read? I can't raise Fusion!"
AXL
I left medical bay first chance I got. I wasn't going to sit idle, not when Cinnamon was in danger. I heard Lilac calling my name, and refused to answer. I knew she would drag me back to medical bay. I heard her getting closer and shifted to Zero.
"Zero? I can't find Axl anywhere. I'm worried. If he has gone after Mazda again, I'll never forgive myself." Lilac said in greeting.
"I swear, one of these days, I really am going to kill him!" I responded, mimicking Zero to a T, "He knows he can't take Mazda on his own!"
"I tried to tell him that but he kept saying that Cinnamon needs him. How do you deal with him?" Lilac asked, "Axl is too stubborn for his own good."
"It is X that usually deals with him. Myself, I'm usually trying not to kill him." I answered.
"X could probably talk some sense into him. I heard that he woke up recently." Lilac's com buzzed, "Lilac. No, no sign of Axl. I found Zero, though. What? Zero is with you? Then who is standing here in front of me?" she looked up, "Who are you?"
I gulped, my cover blown, "I'm gone!" I started to turn.
"Axl, drop the act!" Zero.
"Axl?" Lilac glared at me.
I shifted back to myself, "You caught me."
"Axl, why?" Lilac was angry now, "You scared me!" She drew out a pair of handcuffs and clicked them on my wrists, "and you are coming with me! Be thankful I'm not using the shackles!" I was dragged back into medical bay, where both Zero and X started in on me.
"Axl, I can't believe you!" Zero exploded.
"I out to fry your circuits for this!" X started in.
"but I-"
"I don't want to hear it!" X interrupted, "Of all the crazy, stupid things you've done, are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"but-"
"I said I didn't want to hear it!" X glared angrily at me.
"If you would let me explain-"
"I know you care about Cinnamon! You have a brain, use it! Mazda is a demonploid! She killed the original Megaman! She'd make short work of you!" Zero interrupted.
"Mazda didn't kill Megaman." X broke in.
"What? But what about what we saw?" Zero asked.
"Mazda damaged him pretty badly, but Megaman defeated her. Megaman died releasing the Pure to drive back the core." X explained, "What is a demonploid doing in our time?"
"I don't know." Star said, "She attacked us one day but we drove her off. She said something about needing to kill the blue bomber. I sent the usual update to Signus but we decided to not tell him about the attack. We hoped it would keep X safe. We were wrong. She still found him and sent Sigma in to finish him. I heard from Signus that you defeated Sigma. With the other three Rogues gone, Mazda is left."
"Does she want revenge?" Zero asked.
"Who knows. Why did she kidnap Cinnamon for anyway?" Lilac asked.
"Supra force metal. She needs Cinnamon to process it so she could handle it." X said, "I bet I know what she plans to do with it. She is going to revive someone with it."
"Who would she revive?" I asked.
"You don't think she plans to revive the other six demonploids do you?" Zero asked.
"They are more then just demonploids. They are the one good thing, well second good thing, built by Willy to help save humankind. Mazda, along with Luma, Rebola, Aisha, Golem, Zola, and Halo, are the keys that sealed the Core away. For a while, their seal held. Then the Core got lose and infected them. Megaman went into battle against them and almost didn't survive. He was brought back to Light by Protoman where he was repaired. Roll found and brought the Demonploids to Light who rebuilt them. It was through them that Light learned of the Pure. He found the last of the Pure, and used it to build me after sending Megaman out to drive back the Core with the Pure. Mazda may be trying to help us." X replied, looking tired.
"What? But why kidnap Cinnamon? Why not just ask for our help?" I asked.
"She is very proud." X replied nearly drowsily.
"Let's leave X to get some rest." Lifesaver cut in, "We need to find Cinnamon."
"And I know where to look." Star said, "Down in the mines."
"Then lets go." I started for the door.
"Hold it." Zero growled.
"What?" I asked.
"You are staying here." Zero drew out his own handcuffs and cuffed me to the bar on X's bed, "After what you did, you are being punished."
"But Zero!" I started, "You would do the same for Medic!"
"Of course I would. I'm a SA rank hunter. You are just a rookie still." Zero replied.
"I'm an S class Hunter!" I protested.
"When you act like a rookie, I've got no choice but to treat you like one!" Zero snapped back.
"You can't do this to me!" I screamed at Zero and Star's retreating backs, "You need me! This isn't fair!"
"Axl, they do have a point." Alia said.
"Don't you start too." I turned to her, "This is cruel and unusual punishment!"
"This is saving your life." Alia retorted, "This could just as easily be you, not X."
"It's not me." I glared at my cuffs, "They need me!"
"Do you want Cinnamon to have to go through what I'm going through with X?" Alia screamed at me, "This hurts so much right now! I've never told him my feelings! I might never get a chance to, ether!" Alia looked away, her face decorated with tears, "All you think about is fighting! Even with X so badly hurt, it's all you think about!"
"Alia…" I tried to think of a way to redeem myself, "I uh… You are right! What can I do about it? Go get myself decommissioned?"
"I can't believe you!" Alia sobbed harder. Medic moved to intervene, but Lifesaver held her back.
"I get it, I'm a conceited jerk! I'm trying to run from my feelings by doing something to help! I can't sit back and do nothing!" I screamed at her, "X got hurt trying to save everybody! Am I responsible for that too?" I found myself shaking, "Zero and X constantly treat me like I'm fragile! They've been doing it since the Lumine incident! They won't even let me patrol with them! I bet this mess could have been prevented if I was there! They insist on treating me like a rookie! I'm tired of it!"
"If you didn't act like a rookie all the time, they wouldn't treat you like one! We almost lost you when Lumine attacked you. You are lucky Medic was able to get that thing out of you. Zero and X don't want to go through something like that again!" Alia looked at me in the eye, tears streaming down her face, "Axl, why must you try to be a hero all the time?"
"I'm no hero." I turned away from her to look down on X, "I'm no more a hero then he is."
"X doesn't try to be a hero. He does what he is made for, and that is to fight for peace. Zero was made to destroy the peace, but he fights for it instead because X believes in him, just as he believes in you. He knows you aren't a rookie anymore. He also knows you are not ready for the full title of Maverick Hunter." Alia said softly, "He cares about you very much. You are like a son to him. He stayed with you while you were in the coma. In fact, he refused to eat or sleep until you woke up. Yet you sit here and say you are like him. Why won't you see the big picture, Axl? You are not like X at all."
"Why can't anybody see that I can take care of myself?" I asked.
"When will you get it, Axl?" Alia screamed, "X and Zero have been trying to teach you this all along! It is not about being able to care for yourself, but about being able to say you are wrong and accept help!"
"I do accept help!" I cried out, "I admit I am wrong all the time!"
"You don't, Axl." Alia looked furious.
I swallowed, knowing she was right. "I'm sorry, Alia, I'm sorry, X. I'm sorry, Zero. I didn't get it before. I get it now. I'm wrong. My Senpai, X, I failed your lessons. I'm in the wrong. Hunting isn't about being the best at everything, but about helping one another. I'm sorry I didn't see it before."
"Apology accepted, Axl, but will X accept your apology?" Alia looked down lovingly at X, "Will Zero?"
"My Kouhai… You've finally learned…" X opened his eyes, his voice faint.
"My Senpai, I'm sorry I've been such a fool. Can you forgive me?" I asked.
"I forgive… you, Axl…" X whispered, his hand going limp in Alia's hand, "I'm sorry, Alia…"
"Move out of the way!" Medic raced over, "He is bleeding inside again!"
I tried to get out of the way. The cuffs kept me in place. Alia moved back out of the way. Medic ran another transfusion.
"Dad, he's losing blood faster then I can replace it!" Medic cried out, setting up another bag next to the first bag, "I'm going in! Axl, move it!"
"I can't!" I cried, "I'm handcuffed to the bed!"
"Dang! Zero has the key, too! Zero? I'm trying to save X but I can't do anything with Axl in the way! I need your key!" Medic contacted Zero, who warped in and set me free with a stern stay before locking me to a pipe across the room. He left. Free, Medic cut into X's damaged chest and searched for the bleed. Finding it, she clamped it off. She could only clamp off the bleed as her healing touch was extremely weak. X gasped sharply at the new pain as the fresh blood flowing into him revived him. Medic stepped back to let Lifesaver close him up. His hands were shuddering as he worked.
"Dad, want me to take over?" Medic asked.
"Almost finished." Lifesaver stopped to let a more violent shudder pass, "my disorder is bad today." he finished up, "Stats are coming up."
"I don't know how much longer X can last. We need Cinnamon now." Medic pointed out.
"Zero and Star are working on it." I replied from my new place across the room, "I wish I was helping them."
"I'm not missing." Cinnamon walked into the room, "And I'm not helping him."
"Cinnamon! Mazda had you! How'd you escape?" I asked.
"I'm no damsel in distress. I can fight pretty well." Cinnamon turned to me, "Mazda let me go. She has all that she needs and wishes to not be disturbed."
"Cin, X needs you." Medic stepped closer to her younger sister.
"Not my problem." Cinnamon refused to look at her.
"If we lose him, we could end up losing the war." Medic tried, "Please, don't let the Mavericks win."
"Sorry, can't help you." Cinnamon scowled, "I refuse to save the one who put me here."
"What is Mazda doing?" I tried.
"Mazda is trying to save this world. She plans to revive her friends so that together they can seal the Core and defeat Sigma. Sigma infected Spider, Epsilon, and Shadow. Mazda managed to keep them under her control for a bit. She acted in the role of the demonploid to keep her mission a secret. I was never in any danger. She was sent from the past to save the future." Cinnamon explained.
"Why? What is coming?" I asked.
"Sigma is fused with the Core." Cinnamon looked up at me, "He grows with its power. The Demonploids are going to save us."
"Cinnamon, I want you to take a long look at Alia. She is crying because X is dying before her eyes." I replied.
Cinnamon looked, "Love hurts."
"What if it were me? Would you hesitate to save me?" I asked.
"You and Zero I will save. X I will not save." Cinnamon answered.
"Do you want Alia to be broken hearted?" I tried.
"Alia will get over it." Cinnamon's voice was emotionless.
"Alia loves him. She hasn't told X she loves him. You are taking that away from her." I reasoned, "Look at her. She is crying. You can make her happy again. Look at X." I felt my heart breaking as I saw X's tears, "He's in agony. You can take his agony away. Do you want to be responsible for snuffing out their love?"
"No. Axl, I can never forgive X for what he did to me. I looked forward to coming home. Then to hear that I won't ever get to go home, well, that hurt a lot. I could barely handle watching Medic and Dad leave. I dreamed of coming home for so long. X hurt me badly with what he did." Cinnamon's eyes filled with tears, "I understand why he did what he did because of my ability! I was homesick, so homesick! I couldn't wait to see everyone again!" She began to cry, "I won't help him now because he crushed my dream of going home!"
"Do you still want to come home?" I asked softly.
"Yes, Axl! I want to go home! I want to be in my room again! I want to help in the war!" Cinnamon cried into my shoulder. I wanted to put my arms around her and comfort her, but I couldn't thanks to the cuffs.
"If you save X, I'll talk him into letting you come home." I told her.
"I'm not going to save him!" Cinnamon screamed, her scream muffled by my shoulder.
I hit my com, "I'm going to talk to Zero." I told her, "Zero? Come in. Mazda isn't the enemy. Cinnamon is here. Just come back to the medical bay."
Zero and Star warped in.
"Mazda isn't the enemy?" Zero asked.
"More on that in a minute. Cinnamon here is refusing to save X because of a crushed dream. Her dream? To go home. Can she go home?" I asked.
"She is the force generator. We need supra force metal badly." Zero sighed, "It is safer for her here and the supra force metal is here. If she were to come home, we'd have to ship the metal out to her and the Mavericks would be on us in an instant. Cinnamon, I would love for you to come home, but it just isn't feasible right now. I promise, as soon as the war ends, you can come home."
"I have an idea." I broke in before Cinnamon could open her mouth to object, "What if she were to come home for a few weeks? When we leave, we'll take a bunch of metal with us so she can continue to convert it for us at home."
"Cinnamon has to stay here because it is impossible to transport the metal." Zero explained.
"What if we were to make more generators?" I asked.
"Force generators are impossible to build." Zero shot that idea down.
"Axl stop. I don't care anymore." Cinnamon walked away.
"She isn't happy." Zero said.
"the one thing that'll make her happy is the one thing we can't give her." I added, "This sucks. Is the supra force metal really that important to us?"
"Where do you think our ride armors are made from?" Zero asked, "Douglas uses it to build our weapons and to repair our armor. Cinnamon can only convert minute amounts at once."
"But do we need to sacrifice a young girls happiness just so we get our precious metal?" I asked.
"I want her home, I really do. It would make Medic very happy. I think Cinnamon is just lonely here." Zero said.
"Don't shoot me!"
We turned and Zero growled.
"Mazda!" I screamed.
"Let me explain. I'm not the enemy here. My mission is very top secret. I had to make sure I wouldn't be disturbed. Cinnamon was a big help to me." Mazda held up her hands, as she came in sight of X, "Oh god no! Tell me he can be saved!"
Zero drew his saber, "why do you care?"
"If Megaman can't do battle, we are screwed royally." Mazda answered, "Let me explain. I was sent to the future by Dr. Thomas Light to save the past. The Megaman of my era lays broken much like this era's Megaman. I am the last of the Demonploids. I came here to raise my friends. Without them, and Megaman, we're doomed. Have you heard of Final? Final is a creation of the Core and is fused with Sigma, creating Final Sigma. My friends and I need to hold back the Core so Megaman here can defeat Final Sigma. Only then will he be able to join us and defeat the Core. This is the only way to save both of our worlds." Mazda explained, "Please, you have to believe me. I should have come clean at the start. It's just that my mission is extremely important. I can not fail."
We should trust you because?" Zero asked.
"You have no choice, Hunter." Mazda answered.
"What if we don't help you?" I broke in.
"Then it is all over. Final Sigma rises unchallenged and conquers the whole world. He enslaves the human race and feeds them to the Core. It is a horrid future. Sigma's rule lasts forever despite heroes rising to challenge him in each age. Do you want that?"
"But X defeated Sigma and Medic turned him into dust." Zero brought up.
"I wish I didn't have to tell you this. Sigma is alive. X defeated a Core fused copy. The three other Rogues are dead for sure. The real Sigma is out there. He knows X is badly injured and he'll attack soon." Mazda turned to the door where six more Reploids, each a different color of the rainbow, walked into the room. "Meet my friends. Rebola is red, Luma is orange, I'm yellow, Golem is green, Halo is blue, Aisha is purple, and Zola is silver."
Like Mazda, Aisha, Zola, and Luma were female with the same body design as Mazda. Aisha had blond hair with blue eyes, Zola had black hair with reddish brown eyes, and Luma had silver hair with white eyes. Halo, Golem, and Rebola were male. Their helmets hid their hair. Rebola had green eyes, Halo had light brown eyes, and Golem had deep purple eyes.
"Megaman!" Rebola went to X, "He's hurt in this era too? This isn't good."
"It's X." Zero and I said together.
"I don't think he can be saved." Lifesaver replied.
"We have to do this without him." Golem turned to Rebola.
"Can we still win without him?" Aisha asked.
"If we were at our full strength, then yes. But we are only a fraction of what we once were. So no, we can't win." Rebola answered, "We were counting on the Pure blazing alongside us."
"Cinnamon could save him. She has the Healing Touch." I replied, "She won't help."
"I'm not going to save the one responsible for keeping me here." Cinnamon replied.
"Do you want Final Sigma to win?" Halo asked softly.
"I don't care!" Cinnamon snarled.
"Cinnamon, I know how you feel. I had my dream crushed once." This came from Alia, "My dream was to be the best researcher I could be. Then Gate went Maverick and we were disbanded."
"My dream was to live with Iris. I had to kill her after she went Maverick, crushing that dream." Zero brought in.
"I'm still not going to help." Cinnamon snapped, "I'll get to go home if Final Sigma wins!"
"No you won't!" Halo cried out, "You'll be dead if Final Sigma wins! We all will be dead!"
"Being dead is better then being stuck here!" Cinnamon screamed back.
"Enough!" Lifesaver screamed, "Cinnamon, how can you be so selfish?"
"Selfish? You think I'm being selfish? All I want is to go home! You abandoned me, and you sided with him!" Cinnamon screamed.
"I did not abandon you. I love you very much and I did what I did out of love!" Lifesaver shot back.
"What love, tough love?" Cinnamon asked, "If you really loved me, you would have fought to get me home!"
"Do you think I abandoned you? I fought Signus and X both to try to get you home! I did everything I could to get you home!" Lifesaver screamed, "I get it, I screwed up royally as a father!"
"I hate you!" Cinnamon ran from the room.
"Should I go talk to her, Dad?" Medic asked.
"No." Lifesaver stared at the door where Cinnamon had left, "Let her be. She is hurting right now. Cinnamon is right about one thing. I did screw up royally as a father. I was barely there for Medic, and Cinnamon feels abandoned."
"Don't be hard on yourself, doctor." Zero said.
"You did the best you could, Dad." Medic smiled, "My favorite days were Fridays because I knew that my daddy would come home for the weekend. I used to pester Uncle D about how much longer until Friday."
"You were always so happy to see me." Lifesaver said softly.
"You're my dad." Medic smiled, "You always spent Saturday with me."
"I hate to ruin your family moment, but we've got more important things to deal with." Rebola broke in gently, "If X can't fight, we are screwed."
"What if someone else were to hold the pure?" Zero asked.
"No can do. The Pure isn't something you can touch. It lives inside X and only X can use it." Aisha replied.
"Sigma has weaknesses." I brought up, "What if we were all to attack and hit Sigma in his weakest point, which by the way is his head?"
"Sigma will be protecting his head. Plus, Final will cancel out any weaknesses." Rebola replied, "Sigma can't be hurt until we draw and hold back the Core from him. To do that, We need the Pure, which is X."
ZERO
Every idea Axl and I gave got shot down. This was getting hopeless.
"It looks like all we can do is surrender." I said.
"I for one plan to go down fighting!" Axl rattled his handcuffs against the pipe containing him.
"As will I." I agreed.
"You will go into battle without X?" Zola asked.
"We go into battle for X." I corrected her, "We fight for those who can't fight for themselves."
"Yeah!" Axl agreed.
"Even though you will lose in the end, you still choose to fight?" Zola looked amazed.
"Of course. X would do the same thing." I replied, "Even though things look bad, we'll find a way to win."
The ground came alive under our feet. Medic screamed and I reached for her. She buried herself into my arms. I held her as the rocking subsided.
"Guys, Nana here! You may want to see this! Sending it to the medical bay computer!" Nana said via the com.
A computer screen flickered. We turned to it as Nana sent it the link to the main computer. Outside, the seas roiled and foamed. Nana paned the camera up. A pair of gargantuan legs came into view. They were solid black and I saw the black spiked tail. The camera looked up even higher, bringing a gargantuan black torso with huge black arms. A pair of gargantuan wings flapped into view. Finally, the head came into view. A pair of black horns rose from the sides of the bald head. Black scars covered two red eyes.
"That is Final Sigma?" Axl asked, "Looks kinda like the guy X beat."
"That's because it is the guy X beat." I replied, "Medic, before you even ask, you wasted a copy."
"I figured as much." Medic said.
"Why doesn't Sigma drop dead so we don't have to deal with him?" Axl asked, "By the way, my hands are chafing from the cuffs. Mind setting me free? I'll be good."
I went and set him free from the cuffs. Axl rubbed his wrists as he stared up at the computer screen.
"Axl, I'm giving you a mission." I said, "I need you to go find Cinnamon and convince her to save X. Can you do that? Star, gather your guardians. Rebola, gather your demonploids. We are going into battle. I know things look hopeless right now. We are all that stands between Final Sigma and the end of the world as we know it. Let's go!"
We jogged outside as Axl ran off in search of Cinnamon. If anyone could convince her to save X, it would be him. Medic joined us wordlessly. I almost told her to stay behind, but I knew we'd need her healing touch if we were to survive. Plus, with her buster, she could help us out. Sigma turned to us.
"No X, eh? Oh, I forgot. I damaged X beyond repair. How does it feel, your only hope of winning slowly dying by inches in front of your face?" Sigma laughed cruelly.
"X may not be with us in body, but he is here in spirit!" I let lose a fury of ice attacks. Sigma didn't flinch.
"Demonploids! Rainbow!" Rebola ordered.
The seven Demonploids formed a circle around Sigma and raised their hands to their jewels on their chests. Each of them glowed in their color of the rainbow. Seven colors ringed Sigma, pulling at the core within him. He screamed, and I saw a clear patch of armor. I hit with a Raganok, dealing damage. The spot closed up, but the damage didn't heal.
"Did you see that?" I called.
"Yes! We saw! Lets us use Rainbow again! Guardians, Zero! Hit him where the armor is clear of darkness!" Rebola answered, "Demonploids! Rainbow!"
Again, they formed a rainbow circle that became a band of color pulling at the Core. I hit another clear spot with another Raganok. This went on for some time. Medic shifted to her super mode and charged her buster to the max. I glanced her way just as she nailed a hit on a clear patch that cracked the armor. She shifted to normal, shaking her buster arm to get it to cool. Sigma only stood there, taking our attacks.
"Pathetic. Should I take you out now, or continue our little game?" Sigma sneered, raising a giant sword. He rammed it down into the ground, causing the world to turn white. Screams filled the air. I shot to Medic and wrapped my wings around us, shielding us from harm. I felt liquid hot fire burning my wings and Medic reached out with a gentle hand to sooth the burning. The light grew even brighter. Medic gasped and drew her hand back. Ugly blisters coated the back of her hand. The fire reached my armor, causing even more pain. I clenched my teeth in an effort not to cry out. Medic focused on her unburned hand and helped dilute the pain. Even she couldn't take the pain away. Just as it felt I was going to be cooked alive, the light faded and I pitched forward into darkness.
AXL
"Cinnamon!" I called for the umpteenth time. There was no answer. Thinking, I went toward another little secret that only we knew about. To get there, I felt along the wall for a little green button designed to look like a light and pressed it. A wall off my right hissed open and I went through the opening as the wall hissed back into place behind me. Lights lit up the short hallway as I walked into a well lit room. Cinnamon was there.
"I'm not going to save X for the last time." Cinnamon scowled.
"I'm not here to ask you to. I came because you are my friend and I don't like to see you upset." I responded, going to her side.
"Then get me home." Cinnamon refused to make eye contact.
"I was like you at one time." I looked at her, "I worked for the Red Alert Syndicate. Red, my boss, wasn't very nice. He worked us hard. Often, I'd find myself with six to nine different missions to deal with. It was very stressful and not fun. I finally left, only to be captured as a rogue by Zero. I offered to join the Maverick Hunters and X put me through the entrance test. I did pretty good and X took me under his wing. I have never found a better Senpai then X. I rose through the ranks rapidly. I'm currently a S rank hunter."
"I'm doomed to spending eternity here chugging out refined Supra Force Metal." Cinnamon said, finally looking into my eyes, "I'd rather be in a medical bay, saving lives."
"You could be in a medical bay saving lives." I said, "Zero and the others went out to battle Final Sigma. They are going to need your help soon. You don't have to save X."
"Then lets go." Cinnamon and I walked back into Medical bay. I saw the computer screen as did Cinnamon. She gasped, seeing the injured Reploids and her sister, standing alone against Final Sigma.
"Medic! She needs help!" She turned toward X, "They need him!" She went to X, whose stats hovered at the red line. Cinnamon closed her eyes and focused. X glowed a soft golden color that turned white as Cinnamon's healing touch reached the Pure in him, "X, wake up. They need you. Zero needs you."
X's broken body healed up fully, but he slept on. Cinnamon was panting from her task.
"X, we need you. Final Sigma." I tried, "Come on, wake up!"
Nothing.
"X, please." Alia choked back a sob, "Please, wake up! I don't want to live without you! I want us to be more, so much more then a Hunter and his Navigator. You have to wake up! X, I love you!" She leaned down and gently kissed him.
X blinked, and woke up. Slowly, he sat up.
"Alia, I was wondering when you'd finally get around to it. I love you to." He told her.
"No time for this." I reached over and turned X's head toward the computer screen, "We've got gargantuan and ugly to deal with."
"Final Sigma?" X asked, "Axl, you are with me. Lets go. They need help. Cinnamon, thanks. I'll need you too. I want you to tend to the injured as quickly as you can."
"I'm on it." Cinnamon smiled, "Let's get moving."
We ran out into the battlefield. Cinnamon went from Reploid to Reploid, healing as she went. X nodded to me and winked. I winked back as I went behind him, "Ready?"
"Lets do it." X nodded.
I fired my jet pack, lifting X into the air. Together we streaked toward Sigma.
"Hey! Save some Sigma for me!" Zero joined us, "Ready X?"
"Ready." X held on to my right hand while Zero took his left hand, "Buster fully charged and ready! You two know his weakness."
We reached the back of Sigma's head and X went falcon as he dropped, firing his buster at point blank range as Sigma turned to him. Sigma screamed, the buster getting through the Core easily. He swatted us aside. Zero recovered first with X below him. I was falling, my jet pack burned out. I focused, shifting into my white armor and reactivating my jet pack in time to avoid being plastered on the ground.
"Demonploids! Rainbow force!" Rebola and the demonploids rejoined the battle, "X! thank god you are here!"
"Guardians! Fall in and prepare for action Delta Omega!" Star ordered, "Fusion! Where were you?"
"I was off fighting Shadow! I defeated him in time to see someone else dragging Medic away. I was damaged from the fight so I went to Cinnamon who healed me. My com was knocked out, sorry." Fusion replied, "Then I found a secret door and you know how much I love to explore."
Bard tucked into a ball. Star leveled his Buster at him. Fusion and Lilac locked arms. Bard rocketed forward toward the two females who spun, sending him airborne. A ring, a burst of fire, and Stars buster shot joined the rolling Bard who slammed into the back of Sigma's head. He rolled, causing even more damage. As he fell away, the demonploids formed a rainbow, and linked arms. This time, seven rings formed, each a different color of the rainbow. Sigma screamed, the Core part of him being torn away. X hit with a slew of charged shots, leaving behind a trail of damage. Zero hit next with a Raganok, and I shot up the front of Sigma, my pistols locked into crossbow form. I fired an arrow at Sigma's head that caused some damage. Sigma raised his sword and thrust it into the ground.
"He's doing the burning light again!" Zero dove for Medic.
"It's not going to hit!" a white glow surrounded X, "Get close to me!"
I dove, pulling Cinnamon along with me. We passed through the growing glow. Sigma's attack hit and X steeled himself. The Demonploids climbed higher, out of range. Star and Bard were with us while Fusion and Lilac followed the Demonploids.
"Is this the Pure?" I asked.
"Yes." X replied, "We need a better strategy."
"You have to go Seraph." Zero turned to his friend.
"No way." X looked away, "You saw what happened the last time I went Seraph. I attacked and hurt my own friends."
"It was your first time, X. you simply lost control. Same thing happened to me on my first time going Absolute." Zero replied, "You'll be fine. Just remember who your friends are."
"I can't. My Seraph form is just too dangerous to use." X refused.
"Somebody is going to go Seraph!" I shifted into X form, "And I'll be happy to do it too!"
"Axl, drop it." X sent a wave of Pure my way, forcing me back into myself, "It is just too dangerous."
"Dangerous? Back while you were a Maverick, you went Seraph and later saved us from the cannon! I saw control. You can do it!" Medic spun to him.
"Wait a minute!" Star pulled out a copy chip, "I found this with Spider. I hear you can use these, X." he handed the chip over to X who studied it.
"Spider uses cards to attack, so I bet I'll acquire one of his card attacks." X inserted the chip into his buster, "Hopefully, it will be one of his strong attacks." His buster glowed softly, "And thank goodness it is his exploding yellow card attack."
"I still say you need to go seraph." Zero complained.
Sigma's attack faded, giving X a much needed reprieve. We picked up the attack again, giving our all to damage Sigma. Again and again we struck. Nether side was willing to give an inch to the other side. I hit the ground and roll, coming up panting as X rose behind me, shielding us from a burning light attack.
"We are at a stand still!" I wheezed, trying to catch my breath, "Go seraph! It is the only way to stop him!"
"NO! I will not go seraph!" X shot back, "I don't want to hurt any of you!"
"We don't have time for this!" I screamed at him, "We can't win like this!"
The attack faded. X and I turned to Sigma in time to see his tail flying at us. X dove, but I wasn't fast enough. I flew backward to slam through a wall. Gasping, I tried to rise. Cinnamon came charging in and healed me.
"I can't keep this up any more!" Cinnamon was panting, "I can't keep healing you guys! I'm going to burn out!"
Zero screamed, hitting the ground and sliding past the opening my body created. Seconds later, Medic ran by. A second after that, a pair of charged shots flew at Sigma.
"You stay here and rest for a bit. I'm needed out there." I rejoined the fight to see Sigma grab X and toss him aside and X lay deathly still. I ran toward him, only to get swept up by Sigma's tail. I activated my jet pack to slow myself down and land near X.
"X!" I nearly overshot him as raced to him. Medic was on her way over, "X?" his chest rose and fell softly. Good, he was still alive. Medic was still several yards out.
X
"X, come on, wake up." I opened my eyes to see Megaman and Roll both staring down at me.
"I'm dying again, aren't I?" I rose to my feet.
"No, you are knocked out." Megaman replied bluntly.
"I know, use the Pure to stop the Core." I rolled my eyes, "I'm waking up."
"Your friends are right." this came from a new voice.
"Protoman." Megaman turned, "You aren't a part of this!"
"Oh, Roll gets to be here and I don't? Light didn't use just your schematics to make him you know." Protoman stepped from the shadows. He was red and grey and looked like Megaman.
"Sizzling Circuits, Protoman! Just because Light found your schematics while making him doesn't mean he used them!" Megaman growled.
"Back off, you two." Roll stepped between the two reploids, "We are here for a reason."
"Right. Light sent us to convince him to go Seraph." Protoman said.
"Correction! Light sent me!" Megaman screamed, being held back by Roll, "You aren't a part of this!"
"And who sent Roll?" Protoman asked.
"I'm not going Seraph!" I started.
"I came of my own free will." Roll replied, "Someone has to translate Mr. Science Nerd's huge words here. I have to ask, what processed you to read those science books of Lights for, anyway?"
"I was bored!" Megaman snapped, "And I was tired of not understanding Dr. Willy's long words whenever we fought!"
"I'm still here." I tried again.
Protoman walked over to me.
"Come. Leave those two to their quarrel." He led me away from Roll and Megaman who were still arguing over reading Lights science books, "I know how you feel about going Seraph. I would be scared too. You only lost control when you first went Seraph because the form was new to you. Remember your Ultimate Armor? You had to work on staying in control then too. Just remember who your friends are. You will be fine. Go get them, little bro." Protoman smiled, and I woke up to see Axl and Medic kneeling over me, worry on their faces. I tried to talk, but no sound came from my mouth.
"Easy, X. I had to reboot your systems. Give yourself a minute for everything to come back on line." Medic soothed. Axl gave my left hand a friendly squeeze.
"What happened?" I asked as soon as I found my voice.
"Sigma caught you and threw you into a wall. The shock of the blow caused you to go off line." Medic explained, "It took me a few tries to successfully reboot your systems. You are going to feel a little sluggish, but it will pass."
"I thought for sure you were dead." Axl said, "I nearly got myself killed trying to get to you."
"You stay here and rest a bit. I'm needed out in battle. Axl, you stay and rest a bit too." Medic ordered, "I don't want to see you out there for the next ten minutes." She ran back out into battle. I noticed the curiously Axl shaped opening in the wall.
"Long story short. I got blasted through the wall and Cinnamon healed me. We've been using this area as a resting place ever since." Axl explained, "Sigma hasn't found it yet."
I sat up, and was instantly hit with a wave of dizziness. Axl reached out to steady me as it passed.
"I'm okay. I sat up too fast." I told him, "I've made up my mind. I'm going seraph."
"Are you sure?" Axl asked.
"Don't start. I don't have much of a choice." I replied, "Our ten minutes are up."
We raced back into battle. Zero screamed suddenly and I spun to see him dragging himself toward Medic, who lay in a crumbled bloody heap at Sigma's feet. Both of Zero's legs were in ruins. I looked around. Bard lay in a dent in a wall, unmoving. Fusion and Lilac were crumbled together next to a door. Star lay in a pool of blood, gasping weakly. Cinnamon was beside him, trying to heal him. The Demonploids were straining to keep the Core away from Sigma. Axl ran to Cinnamon. Stars wounds closed up as Cinnamon healed him. She went to Bard next and then to Fusion and Lilac.
"We can't hold out much longer, Megaman!" Rebola screamed.
"Hurry, defeat Sigma already!" Mazda screamed.
I closed my eyes and scrolled through my armor list, going straight to Seraph. My legs fused together and formed a point. My arms detached from my shoulders while my pinkies melted into my ring fingers as my fingers grew into sharp claws. My back opened up to allow my growing wings to form. My armor grew harder and I opened my eyes.
"Your seraph form doesn't scare me!" Sigma hissed, "I'll still beat you easily!"
"You wish." I shot into the sky with a strong down stroke. Sigma followed. I led him far away from Giga base, "Now, we fight." I raised my left hand and struck Sigma across the face.
"Is that the best you can do?" Sigma raised his sword, "Any last words?"
"You'll never win." I growled back, flexing my claws.
With a deafening roar of fury, Sigma rushed me, sword slashing downward toward my chest. Something green flashed, stopping the sword. Zero. A hail of arrows rained down on Sigma, Axl. Zero was in his Absolute form while Axl had donned his white armor.
"I will not let you win!" Zero snarled, "I fight for Medic!"
"X is not going to take you on alone. He's going to take you on with us! We are a team, and your worst nightmare!" Axl added.
"That's right." I smiled, "Alone, I fall. With my best friends, I stand strong!" raising my clawed hands, I focused. A silvery blue light began to shine, growing larger and brighter at the same time. Zero forced Sigma to lose his sword, while Axl darted around his head, pelting him with arrows. The light flowed into my hands, and I struck out, ripping a large chunk of armor off of Sigma's chest. He merely grinned sadistically at us, and the next thing I knew, a wire shot from his left arm and hit me in the chest. I felt my energy draining rapidly. Zero flew to the wire and hacked at it with his Z-saber. It suddenly snapped and I staggered backward a few feet. Sigma healed himself with the energy he stole from me. I growled, and several bolts of lightening crashed around us. I unleashed a withering burst of fire from both of my busters. Sigma vanished, and I felt something slam into my gut, knocking the wind out of me. Sigma reappeared and sent a kick at my neck. Panting, I caught his foot and threw him aside. Zero launched himself at Sigma with a hard right cross followed by a quick left hook to Sigma's jaw. I recovered my breath as Axl dove, leaving a trail of bullets in his wake that pelted Sigma's face. Sigma threw Zero aside and swatted Axl out of the sky. I charged, the Pure burning within me for release. As I rushed Sigma, I gathered the Pure into my claws and let it go. Sigma screamed. White cracks ran along his body.
"Final Strike!" I ordered.
Together we struck, a fury of blows that forced more white cracks to form on Sigma. With an explosion of blackness, Sigma died. Exhausted, I reverted to myself.
"We did it!" Axl cheered, "Sigma is done!"
"You okay, X?" Zero appeared beside me.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I told him.
"Lets get back to the others." Zero took the lead, with me just behind him in Falcon form. Axl followed us, clearly beside himself with excitement. We landed outside where the battle had begun. The Guardians stood in a line, Cinnamon between them. Medic ran to Zero as soon as he landed. Alia was waiting for me as Axl was swept into a hug by Cinnamon.
"Sigma is gone." I explained, "We defeated him. He's never coming back."
"Sigma is really gone?" Alia hugged me tightly, "Oh, X! You did it!"
"If it weren't for Zero and Axl, I would have lost. They deserve some of the credit too." I smiled down at her.
"Fools!"
We looked up to see the Demonploids falling toward us, the Core free of them. It whirled, and tentacles shot out to grab me.
"The Core!" Rebola screamed.
"X!" Alia tried to hang on to me, but we were torn apart.
"How pathetic!" I was yanked up toward the vortex, "I will destroy the one who damaged me!"
"He's not the one you want!" Mazda struggled to her feet, "Let him go!"
"Demonploid!" Mazda screamed and crumbled to the ground, "He carries the Pure!"
I struggled uselessly as I was drawn ever closer to the vortex.
"X!" Zero screamed.
I smiled down at them, "It's okay. I know what must be done."
"Be careful, X!" Axl screamed.
I was drawn into the vortex. The Pure came at my bidding and I let it gather until the light grew so bright it hurt to look at it. The darkness pressed around me, and I let the Pure go. Silvery blue light blazed, causing the Core to scream in agony. Suddenly, I saw daylight as I found myself falling. The Pure blazed even brighter, eagerly devouring it's sworn enemy. Then it was all over. Exhausted beyond words, I fell toward the ground. The darkness that enveloped me was a gentle respite.
I opened my eyes to medical bay. Medic, Cinnamon, and Lifesaver were all around me.
"Good to have you back, X." Medic smiled.
"How long was I out?" I asked.
"It has been six days." Cinnamon said, "We are home in Alpha Base. You feel up to seeing visitors?"
"Yeah." I replied, "When do I get out?"
"Not for another two weeks yet." Lifesaver chuckled, "You are still pretty weak yet."
At that moment, Zero, Axl, and Alia came in followed by Signus. Alia hugged me while Axl and Zero couldn't stop smiling. Even Signus was smiling.
"It's really over, right? Sigma is really gone, right?" I asked.
"Sigma is gone. You did it." Signus smiled.
"It's all over? No more fighting?" I asked.
"The war is over. We are free." Zero said, "Can I tell him, Medic?"
"Go right on ahead, love." Medic smiled.
"I'm going to marry Medic!" Zero's smile grew bigger.
"Congrats, Zero!" I smiled, "I'm happy for you."
"Okay, guys. X isn't going to get better without resting." Lifesaver was smiling. The others left, leaving me alone with Lifesaver. I was tired.
"So, Zero is going to be your son in law." I looked up at him.
"I'm happy as long as Medic is happy. I've never seen her so happy before." Lifesaver said, "my life is complete. I'm doing the thing I love, my children are happy, and I'm happy. You rest, now."
I drifted off in my first deep stress free sleep in a long time. I recovered faster then Lifesaver thought possible and left medical bay 8 days later. Medic and Zero were married in a small ceremony by Signus and settled down to a long life together. Alia and I grew closer together. Douglas studied the force generator inside Cinnamon and built his own generators to take her place on Giga island which allowed Cinnamon to go home to Alpha base. Peace had truly been achieved.
The End
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Queen Sunstar: It is finally finished! It took me longer to finish then I thought. Up next is Corruption, which will be up mid to late October. Corruption takes place well after Crisis and deals with X trying to cope with a new Maverick uprising with himself as their target. Plus, we will learn about what happened to the virus in him. See ya'll then!