Zero grabbed Harpuia on the way out of the base.
"Where are we going?" Harpuia asked a bit jarred from being yanked.
"We're going to destroy the pirate copy of me. You are getting us inside." X growled. Zero continued to drag Harpuia along.
The replica's base was in between two mountains. It was cold, but the base wasn't high enough for it to be snow, so it was raining ice water and hail. There was a huge statue of the replica standing at the entrance. It had a psychotic smirk on it as an invisible wind blue a bronze cape back. Zero stared and scoffed and made a mental note to destroy it on the way out. X stared at it for a second and gritted his teeth.
"Zero, what are you going to do?" X asked quietly when they entered the base. It was quiet and big with only a throne in the center. The replica was sleeping in it. He looked at peace, not like the monster he was. Not the monster that destroyed countless lives, not the monster that ordered the assassination of Veronica. That particular crime was unforgivable. Zero no longer cared about anyone else after she died. Zero wanted to crush the life out of them, make him feel the pain that Veronica felt. That son of a bitch will suffer, and X and Harpuia will not stop him.
"I'm going to make him suffer." Zero growled and rushed at the sleeping bastard. He grabbed his weapon and hit his switched his weapon on, unleashing Veronica's scythe. He yelled and sliced at the copy with it, but he was gone.
Long before the second war, Veronica was practicing with her scythe. It was obviously the same on that Zero will use, but instead of the white glow, hers was green. Years of using it gave her a distinctive style and grace with it. It seem like it was a natural part of her. Her long hair flowed behind her. Zero watched her move silently and saw a primal instinct in the way she moved. She never thought about her next strike, she just made it. Zero himself was in his old body, but without his armor. His under armor is dark with red trimming. He and X were taking a break from training, so they could recharge, leaving the arena all for Veronica. She was allowed to finally let loose and was, in a way, putting on a show for X and Zero. Eventually, before she tired herself out she went to sit down with the reploids.
"enjoying yourself, Zero?" Veronica smirked flirtatiously, raising an eyebrow.
Zero chuckled and returned the smirk. "Not as much as you were." He said goodnaturedly.
"Get a room you two." X said, stopping the two from making out, because while he was happy that they were in a stable relationship, he didn't need to see the make out right in front of him, again. The two laughed but didn't kiss or anything that would imply that they knew each other biblically.
The replica suddenly stood behind X and Harpuia.
"So you're the original X." The copy said, sneering and getting uncomfortably close to X. Harpuia swung at him with his sword, nicking the replica's cheek causing a black fluid to leak out.
"You treacherous abomination!" The replica hissed and threw Harpuia into a wall, making him black out for a few seconds. X pulled out a staff and swung it at the replica, knocking off his helmet, showing a dark red hair, like dying leaves in the fall. The replicas lcy green eyes darkened. He prepared himself to launch himself at X, but Zero grabbed his ankle and smashed him into the floor, where he proceeded to punch the damn knock off in the face. Repeatedly. X was too busy trying to get Harpuia back on his feet and functional. Eventually Harpuia was able to move without assistance. By then, The copy had more gashes on his face and had the black fluid oozing out of his mouth. He was choking on it, but Zero wasn't satisfied.
"I sent Phantom after you." The copy laughed in between hits, his smile had a uncanny edge to it. "You were the target. And you're little bitch of a girlfriend took the bullet for you."
Zero responded by throwing the copy through his throne. His body rolled numbly around the floor. Zero had damaged his circuits. He could not move his body, but he would see and process everything. And what he could see was Zero slumping towards him activating the scythe.
Zero was learning how to control the scythe. Veronica was teaching him. Usually he was a fast learner when it came to weapons, but he was distracted when it came to Veronica. She has taught X how to use her scythe, he learned very quickly, show off. Zero, on the other hand, refused to learn even simple techniques. It wasn't that he didn't know how to use it, he did, he just enjoyed being with her on a one on one level. So he was territorial, but she wasn't his. She didn't belong to him, he didn't belong to her. They were equals, partners. That didn't stop her from whispering promises into his ear that made him show off that he did indeed know how to use that scythe.
Zero knew that this wouldn't undo any of the damage that the copy had done. He knew that Veronica would still be dead. He knew all of that, but cutting off the cheap knock off's head, that was very satisfying to do that. Destroying the body was X's job. Zero walked outside and methodically carved pieces out of it with the dull end of the scythe.
X stalked towards the copy. The bottom of the staff dragged a path behind him. The copy could only silently scream as he saw X swing the staff and things went black as the copy's head was destroyed.
"This isn't the end of it. Leviathan and one more Reploid will try to take over his reign" Harpuia said as the two of them walked out of the base, to see the defacement of the statue. Zero absolutely destroyed it.
Zero was face to face win Veronica's coffin for the first time. Anger and grief flowed through him.
"in the years before I met you, I had no reason to fight besides the rush of fighting itself. I've lost a reason. I lost who I am. You gave me myself again. I was fighting for a peace that I could spend with you." Zero said, gritting his teeth together. "lot of good that did us." Zero laughed bitterly. "I guess I still have a reason to live. I will avenge you. I will fight for you." Zero said, acting like he was a knight for her.
