Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything in the Megaman ZX series.
Summary: The world has become a dangerous place after the death of Master Albert. Legion has fallen, rogue humans and mavericks are banding together to take control and Master Thomas has a deadly scheme to reset the world. Omega, the sleeping God of Destruction, stirs in its slumber, as the world's end draws ever nearer...
Irritable about her fight with Vent and the injuries she'd received in battle against Atlas and Thetis, Ashe turned over in bed and winced as her chest pressed painfully against something hard. She did receive a nice bruise after all, courtesy of Atlas and her Knuckle Busters. If it hadn't been so late, she would have gone to see Anna about her wounds and possibly get some painkillers, but the female Mega Man figured that she could tough it out until morning, rather than rouse the weary nurse after her own busy evening aboard the Grand Nuage. Rolling over into a more comfortable position, Ashe sighed as her thoughts drifted back to Vent once again. Model A grumbled as she turned again, but didn't awaken when she took it into her arms so that she wouldn't roll over it again. At least one of them was getting a good night's sleep, Ashe thought, as she rolled her eyes at the sounds the little biometal made in its slumber.
As much as she'd grown to like Vent in the short amount of time they'd known each other, Ashe had hated what he'd said about Prometheus, and had been stung by his accusation of her helping their enemies 'behind his back'. All because she'd given the Model W user her sub-tank to help heal Pandora. Prometheus and Pandora had been enemies, yes, but they didn't deserve to be thought of so badly; especially not after what she saw back at the Undersea Base, with their artificial lifespans set to expire every three days unless they returned to their maintenance capsules and remained loyal to Master Albert's orders. After being enslaved for centuries, anybody would have snapped at the end, and briefly she wondered what she would have done has she been in their position. Even so, despite their differences, Prometheus had risked himself to save her life when he could have easily just left her for Thetis to finish off. The thought of being impaled through the chest by a halberd caused her to shudder. If Vent was going to be so sore over a measly sub-tank, let him, but it was a small price to pay to show her thankfulness.
Just as her eyelids fluttered shut, a loud explosion rocked her small unit. Model A cried out in surprise as the room rattled, woken up by the sudden sound. Ashe also started, sitting up and causing Model A to roll over and struggle in the bedsheets. "W-what's going on? Who's makin' that racket out there at this hour?" the biometal said, as screams and gunfire echoed outside. Reminded eerily of the dream she'd had the other night, Ashe wasted no time and got up immediately, seizing her discarded clothes from off the floor where she'd dropped them. Yanking her bedclothes off and pulling her Hunter's uniform on, Ashe thought nothing of modesty and megamerged with Model A immediately, leaving her unit hurriedly as her eyes widening at the chaotic scenes that greeted her.
Hunters were screaming, fleeing through the camp as maverick hordes came from everywhere to surround them. Galleons were storming into the camp, their Assault forces effortlessly cutting through the anti-maverick fencing to allow their armed counterparts inside. Flying mavericks and mechaniloids simply soared overhead, dropping seemingly endless explosives down onto the people below and blowing holes out of every building they could reach. Just as Ashe left her unit, a large bomb dropped overhead, causing her bedroom's ceiling to collapse in on itself. Good thing I wasn't in there just now! she thought, angrily pulling out both of her busters to gun down the two mechaniloids responsible for trashing her home.
The camp guards seated atop each unit had no chance, unable to take down the vast swarms of flying machines that rained bombs across the camp. As well-armed and well-trained as they were, for every enemy they shot down, three more would take its place, retaliating with gunfire and explosives until the shooters perished or were forced to jump down to the ground below where the Galleon land forces waited. Ashe dashed through the camp, taking down as many mavericks as possible, but for every one she destroyed, even more would take its place as with the armed guards. Screams and gunfire echoing all around her, the silver-haired Mega Man had no idea where to go or what to do first, the mayhem being simply too much to handle.
"Ashe! Over here!" Nicol called from nearby. He, Lazarus and Red were armed and ready, moving together in a small group as so to protect the unarmed youngsters in between the three men. Dashing towards their way, Ashe reached the small group, vaguely recognizing the people her friends were guarding before following after them. Covering them so that they might get the less experienced, more frightened people away safely, Ashe and Nicol cleared a path back to the transerver unit, the one remaining building that hadn't yet gone down. Around the camp, the older, more experienced Hunters were fighting back steadily, keeping the mavericks back and focusing on protecting themselves as much as returning fire to their targets. They were made of sterner stuff, although this was the first time a maverick raid of this size had come to attack.
Just as Ashe and the small group approached the transerver unit, a sudden gust of wind blew them all backwards, sending them tumbling across the blood and oil-splattered asphalt. Ashe remained standing, shielding her eyes from the dust that whipped up from the hot, dry ground to see Aeolus descending from on high. Her blood chilled, remembering her earlier encounter with Atlas and Thetis. Master Thomas must have learned she'd met Prometheus, and learned of the Lead Sage's treachery. Siarnaq stepped out of the shadows to join Aeolus' side, the two Mega Men blocking their only exit out of the place. Their eyes glowed red in the darkness, causing the younger, less experienced Hunters to shiver with fright as Nicol spoke lowly and calmly to them.
"Ugh, as if I didn't see enough of your friends earlier," growled Ashe, shielding her friends behind her as the two enemy Mega Men focused on her. Aeolus smirked, noting Ashe's injured appearance. At least those two fools hadn't completely failed earlier, leaving Mega Man Model A in a less than capable state. She'd be not match for him and Siarnaq at this rate, not as softened up as she looked.
"Ashe, how lovely to see you again. I'm afraid there'll be no Prometheus around to save you this time, but we'll make this quick. Master Thomas has decided that there's no need for you anymore, nor your fellow Hunters..."
At the nod of his head, Siarnaq quickly moved, vanishing into thin air to reappear behind Ashe and fling his shurikan blades... not at the female Mega Man, but at the Hunters grouped behind her. "No!" she cried, whirling around in horror. They would be utterly defenceless against the Shadow Mega Man's attack...
Just then, a plasma shot rocketed from out of the shadows, intercepting the blade's deadly path and sending the ethereal knives scattering uselessly across the floor. Siarnaq tensed, evidently surprised by the unexpected attack. "INCOMPREHENSIBLE?" he stated monotonously, looking around to see where the shot had come from. A flash of blue emerged from out of nowhere so it seemed, Vent appearing to the Mega Men like a bolt of blue lightning. Swinging his cannon-like forelimb, Vent clocked Siarnaq's head nicely as he dashed over to Ashe's side, sending the Model P user skidding backwards back to Aeolus' side. The Wind Mega Man gaped, having never seen Siarnaq taken by surprise before.
"Hey, miss me?" Vent said, although Ashe wasn't sure if he was talking to her or to the other two males. "Vent!" she cried, smiling as he turned towards her with a grin. Following his gaze, the female Mega Man looked up to a most welcome sight.
There in the sky, the Grand Nuage floated above the Hunter's Camp. Flipping rope ladders over the vast ship's balconies, scores of Guardians descended from on high while even more of their ranks spread out across the airship's decks. The aerial gunners began taking out the maverick air forces, the flashes from their rifle barrels illuminating the night skies above and sending scrap metal raining down on the battlefield below.
At that moment Atlas and Thetis teleported in, appearing alongside the other two Mega Men. Looking up, Aeolus clutched his fist at the sight of the great ship, crouching down before shooting up into the heavens. His aerial thrusted glowed brightly, leaving light trails behind as he escaped into the sky and after the airship. Ashe clutched her busters, but was unable to fire after the Wind Mega Man as Atlas charged forwards towards her.
"So you're really going to go down there? I don't envy ya, kid. I like a battle as much as the next Guardian, but it's positively swarming with mavericks down there," said the red-haired reploid female. Sporting a rocket launcher on her shoulder, Cedre gazed down at the carnage below and whistled as Neal also stopped to look down at the scenes below sadly. By far the worst were the Galleon packs, tirelessly racing through the huge camp as they attempted to pin their prey down in enclosed areas to finish them off. Although most of the Hunters were armed, they were severely outnumbered, and found it difficult to venture out into the open to reach the Grand Nuage. Most of the flying mavericks had done their work, blowing the camp apart and rendering the majority of buildings useless to hide in, let alone be used ever again.
"Not only do the Guardians have to defend both themselves AND the hunters from an unending swarm of mechaniloids, but they also have to contend with four of these Mega Men," he said looking at the chaos as his hands clenched at the railing. "Besides, every man is guilty of all the good he does not do, I won't just stand by and do nothing," the dark-haired teen said as he removed his hand, revealing the metal was slightly warped. Pulling his chrome visor down over his eyes and tapping a few buttons, he began to configure its settings until the world was highlighted green. After a few more clicks, all mechaniloids were tinted red, all Humanoids and Reploids blue, and the Mega Men in yellow.
Meanwhile, Cédre looked thoughtful at his words, before her eyes caught something glinting in the sky. One of the Mega Men, the green Model H user known as Aeolus, was flying through the sky towards the airship, no doubt about to attempt damaging its engines or cut down some Guardians that were concentrating on aiding the Hunters from maverick assaults.
"Oh no, here comes one! He's bound to attack the Guardians," she said, narrowing her eyes furiously. If only he wasn't moving so fast, she might be able to put him down for the count with one good blast. Neal frowned, looking at her rocket launcher and back at Aeolus again with a determined expression settling across his features.
"Not on my watch. Get your rocket launcher ready, Cédre. I'll get his attention long enough for you to secure a clear shot," he said, before hopping over the railing and running toward the edge of the airship where Aeolus was streaking past.
"Heh, I was born ready, Neal. Alright, here he comes!" she called, getting into position as Neal cupped his hands over his mouth and called out to the flying Mega Man.
"Hey you! Up there in the sky!" Neal cried, and Aeolus paused in mid-flight to see who was calling him. A dark-haired human teen was standing on the deck of the Grand Nuage, his foot propped up arrogantly on the decorated figurehead as he looked up at the Mega Man before him. The sheer nerve of him. "Didn't your mother ever teach you how to play nice with others? Because I don't think what you're doing is very nice at all."
"Why should I care what you think of me, plebian? You stay there, I'll come deal with you after I've finished holing this airship," he said dismissing the dark-haired humanoid. What can he do against me anyway?
"You should care, because I'm the first of many to let you know that you're nothing special," he said getting the Wind Mega Man's attention. "You think you're all high and mighty because of some self-appointed title. Because you can fly around and kill who you want? HAH! You're nothing special. Just some spoiled rotten brat who think's everyone's inferior to him, hoisting yourself on a pedestal and preaching endlessly like some sort of saint," the dark-haired teen continued on. "I bet without that magical paperweight of yours, you're just some whiny mama's boy who couldn't handle being talked down to!"
"How dare you!" Aeolus hissed, seeing red as he suddenly shot at the dark-haired teen, blades crossed and at ready to cut him down to size. Had Aeolus not been so angry, he would've noticed the red-haired woman crouching just a few feet from him. Instead, he'd been goaded into only focusing on the target of his rage. The next moment however, the dark-haired teen in the short-sleeved trench coat did something completely unexpected.
Crouching down and his body coiled, he jumped off the figurehead and leapt straight at him as if to catch him in mid-flight. Startled, Aeolus slammed back his aerial thrusters to slow down his speed as so not to collide with the older teen. Twisting and turning, Neal maneuvered his body and angled his descent into a leap of faith, plummeting towards the ground below with his arms spread and his legs straightened. Astonished, Aeolus watched him fall to the battlefield below without a care in the world, before hearing a small click that caused him to remember that Neal hadn't been alone. He didn't see Cédre, locked and loaded onto her target, and his last conscious sight upon looking up was that of a bazooka missle flying right into his face.
Screaming in victory as her missle struck true, Cédre watched as Aeolus was sent flying backwards, demerging in a flash of a light as he temporarily lost consciousness. As powerful as a Mega Man was, even they had to object to receiving a face full of bazooka. As his body fell down towards the ground, his gilded sword left his side and flew up into the air as well, tumbling a few times before following Neal's descent. Regaining consciousness, Aeolus immediately clutched Model H in his fist before megamerging again and catching himself mid-fall. Hissing angrily, the youth forgot all about Neal and looked back up at the Grand Nuage, before he was peppered in the back by Vent's plasma shots and forced to concentrate on defending himself.
At the same time, nobody saw Neal disappear through the damaged roof of a storage unit back-first, landing with a soft thud and crying out in surprise as a finely-crafted sword plopped down right next to him.
"It's no good! We can't hold all of them back!" Vent cried, jumping backwards as Siarnaq flung a trio of Mandala Stars at him. Just as the blue Mega Man returned fire against the Model P user, Siarnaq would vanish into the shadows before reappearing elsewhere to counter-attack, watching impassively as his foe expertly dodged the deadly stars that split apart to follow after him. As much as Vent knew that Siarnaq was holding him back here on purpose, he couldn't bring himself to try and leave, knowing that if he did, then the Shadow Mega Man would truly make himself a horror to behold. With his Radar Scope, Siarnaq would effortlessly hunt down the remaining Hunters and slaughter them all before anybody could help, Mega Man or not. As long as Vent could hold him here for the time being, the Guardians would be able to aid the Hunter's escape without having to worry about the ex-assassin sniping them from the shadows.
Sensing both Vent's and Siarnaq's motivation, Ashe headed off after Atlas and Thetis by herself to slow them down. Spurred on by both her protective instincts towards her comrades and a desire for revenge from their earlier encounter, Ashe's body flooded with power as Model A kicked into overdrive. Morphing into Buckfire, the silver-haired Mega Man moved swiftly through the burning camp, gunning down lagging mavericks with the Gaxelleroid's Fire Arrows as she sped after the fleeing Mega Men. Although Atlas was by the slowest of her comrades, her speed lagging behind even Thetis, it was the Ice Mega Man that Ashe managed to catch up to first. Looking over his shoulder as the sound of angry grunts caught his attention, Thetis could only manage a frightened squeak as the large gazelle-like Pseudoroid leapt through the air and flew down at him with a blazing Meteor Kick. Atlas continued to race on ahead after Aeolus, uncaring of the Model L user's cries as Ashe soundly punished him. Kicking furiously, Thetis was sent spinning across the ground as his body was unable to withstand Buckfire's savage attacks. Snorting and wheezing gouts of flame, Ashe then bolted after Atlas as Thetis cowered in submission, unwilling to offer combat any longer.
Meanwhile, Thon tried to help cover a pair of escaping Hunters. A young man and woman were holding each other's hands as they raced for the ladders of the Grand Nuage, pursued closely by a trio of Galleon Assaults that appeared to be hoping to cut the two youngsters down before they reached the safety of the ship. Experienced in the ways of battle, Thon aimed and gunned down the closest two mavericks, hoping to buy the youths enough time to climb aboard to safety. Stumbling over the bodies of its two pack mates, the final Galleon Assault lagged behind but doggedly carried on, slowly catching up. As Thon prepared to shoot down the remaining maverick, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared and met his own, the Flame Mega Man known as Atlas landing heavily before him. As tall and powerful as Thon was, Atlas was far stronger, even if she wasn't quite as large as him. Still, she met his gaze easily, her eyes merciless as she raised her Knuckle Busters. Distantly Thone was aware of Ashe calling out to him, telling him to run. He could see her in the distance, and that she wouldn't be able to make it in time even with how fast she was currently moving in the form of the gazelle-like pseudoroid.
There was no way that he could defend himself against Atlas. His eyes widened in horror as glowing flames encircled her twin Knuckle Busters, but if he was going to die, then so be it. He would die having saved his two last lives. The young man and woman were scrambling up the rope ladders before being pulled to safety by the Hunters that waited above, causing him to smile at the sight before Atlas fired. Just before the curved bullets consumed him, a barrier appeared before the large reploid to shield him from the devouring flames. Covering himself instinctively, Thon looked up slowly in surprise as the smoke and flames dispersed harmlessly, leaving only gentle warmth behind. Atlas was equally astonished, and stared at Thon's unmarked body numbly. Nobody should have been able to stand up to her attacks! Peering upwards, both Thon and Atlas gaped as none other than Pandora drifted down from the sky, twirling her golden staff as she gazed down below with her usual solemn expression. Prometheus also appeared, falling through the air to landing lightly on the ground before grinning at Ashe, who'd finally arrived at last.
The Model W user looked just as battered as before, but he bore a fierce, bright expression as he gazed at the scenes of destruction all around him. Pandora on the other hand glowed, apparantly supercharged from her recovery with Ashe's sub-tank. Atlas also noticed Pandora's unusually strong appearance and backed away, remembering that the female Model W user possessed control over the painful element of lightning. Turning towards Ashe, both Prometheus and Pandora eyed the silver-haired Mega Man at the same time, and Ashe understood instantly that they were here to fight on her side.
There was a lull in the fighting as the four Mega Men regrouped together to access this new threat. Atlas stood strong, baring a defiant expression as Thetis finally crept to her side, looking bloodied and battered. Aeolus drifted down from the sky much like Pandora had done, bearing a distant expression as his reddened eyes slowly focused on his former allies. His face was unusually marked, causing him to look less dignified than he usually did. Siarnaq materialized from out of the shadows, eyes aglow just as Vent dashed over to Ashe's side. The blue Mega Man's eyes widened at the sight of Prometheus and Pandora standing near her, but sensed that they weren't here to cause trouble like they had done in the past. Indeed, they seemed almost protective, bunching Ashe between them as if to shield her from the glares of her enemies before her.
"Fighting together, are we?" Vent growled, eyeing Prometheus with distaste as the Model W user stood too close to Ashe's side for him to feel comfortable with. Narrowing his eyes, the other Mega Man glared back, lips tugged back into a savage sneer as the wound on his arm subconsciously burned.
"For now, it's four against four. Afterwards, you and I can settle our differences," he hissed, side-eyeing the younger male viciously. Ashe tensed, causing the two males to turn their attention away from each other and onto their foes before them. Standing before the Grand Nuage were Vent, Ashe, Prometheus and Pandora. The Guardians, having assembled behind them waited for Vent's next orders, while the endless hordes of mavericks slowly advanced from behind the four Mega Men. Neither side wanted to make the first move.
Kicking another rusted panel out of the wall, Grey and Aile collectively breathed a sigh of relief as a gust of chilled air rushed over their aching bodies. After the fight with the Lava DEVIL, it wasn't long before they managed to find their way out of the winding robot graveyard, and noticed that the tunnels further ahead eventually became cooler and more humid. Sensing a draft of fresh air inside one of the ancient corridors, Grey kicked a few panels until one loosened up under his blows. Corroded from the many centuries to exposure from the uncontrolled elements outside, these panels weren't as solid as the ones from earlier, and were far less durable. Whoever had built this place had intended it to last as a well-designed underground fortress, which had remained completely undiscovered and impenetrable ever since it was built - until now. If anybody had managed to enter before them, there were no signs of them ever having left the place; as far as Aile could tell, there was no exit or entrance to the strange underground lair. Perhaps this place was built back when teleportation was first being developed; the existance of the Robot Masters they'd seen, and lack of apparant exits suggested so.
Peering out of the hole he'd made, Grey's eyes focused in the dim light as he spied a tunnel stretching off into the distance. Littered around the area below were old-fashioned tracks, where carts of ore and other mined materials lay gathered. He smiled; this must have been the main interior of the mountain, where those people from that small town came to mine. Aile breathed in deeply, savoring the fresh air. As bad as the cold outside had been, the air inside the ancient complex had been harsh and dry, seemingly sucking all moisture out of her body. Feeling better instantly, the two teens carefully slid down the dripping stone wall and landed on the cold floor below. Another chilled breeze blew over their bodies, the tunnel echoing faintly with the sounds of wind.
Grey coughed as the cool air irritated his chest, though Aile narrowed her eyes as she listened to the faint whistling sounds from further away. Turning around, the female transporter spied a faint glimmer of light at the end of the gloomy tunnel. "Do you think that's the exit over there?" she asked, as Grey turned to look to see where she was pointing. Grinning, they both raced towards the end of the tunnel, daylight momentarily blinding their eyes as they emerged outside...
Only to hear the sound of guns clicking all around them.
Grey's eyes cleared first, Model Z's dark eyeguard blotting out most of the sun's glare reflecting off the snow all around the mountain. Just ahead of the mine's exit stood seven men, dressed in camo arctic uniforms and bearing many high-grade guns as they stared the two down before cornering them against the doors that slammed shut behind them. Grey tensed, clutching his weapon as he pushed Aile behind him warily. One man, taller than the others, stepped forwards towards the pair, his uniform a shade darker than that of his comrades. By his side stood a snarling mechaniloid wolf, growling at the two youths as it pointed its savage muzzle in Aile's direction. Its eyes glowed green, indicating it had found its target at last.
The tall man chuckled, petting the mechaniloid's lupine head with one gloved hand while clutching a small mobile communicator in his other. "Good boy," he cooed, while Aile's eyes widened at the sight of the object in his hand. The label of Giro Express was printed clearly across the little communicator, and she understood instantly that they were here, looking for them. Rising to his feet, the dark uniformed male stepped forwards again, the snarling mechaniloid following at his heels as he looked down at Grey appraisingly. Lifting his helmet, his face was revealed to them at last. Piercing blue eyes, colder than the ice and snow falling around them, gazed at the Mega Man before him, sending chills down the reploid's spine as the man looked back and forth slowly between him and Aile.
"So we finally meet at last, Mega Man," he said, his voice deep and calm.
Grey's hand tightened at those last two words, readying his grip on the Z-Saber's handle upon hearing the knowing tone. These people were definitely trouble, certainly here for them. The man's accent was very familiar, not at all like the hostile foreigners from the earlier town. No, these people must have followed them ever since Giga Arcadia, since the maverick outbreak that forced him and Aile out of the city and here to these freezing lands. Thane's glacial eyes narrowed, noticing the reploid's subtle movement, and decided to speak out before the Mega Man either attacked or fled.
"Don't move or your friend's a goner. You might be able to take a few shots before going down, but these guns are guaranteed to kill a human in one shot. I suggest you settle down and hear us out first, otherwise there might just be trouble for you and your young friend here."
"What do you want from us? You're the one responsible for chasing us out of Giga Arcadia, aren't you?" Grey asked, putting two and two together as he eyed the communicator in the man's hand, and Aile's astonished expression at the sight of it. He remembered her saying that she'd had lost hers during their escape from the tropical isles...
"Very astute, but that's none of your concern. What do I want? I want your biometal, kid. Hand it over now or you both die."
"And what's to say you won't kill us both afterwards anyway?" the reploid said, narrowing his eyes behind the eyeguard. As the man talked, Grey got the feeling that the man didn't know quite as much as he let on. Indeed, there was a note of hesitancy in the man's demeanor, his mannerisms less certain than the forceful tone he spoke with and the words he used. Despite having a clear advantage, he seemed almost afraid, putting on too much of a bluster for Grey to take his threats seriously.
"I'm a man of my word, boy. I get the biometal, I leave. You never see me again."
It was then that Grey sensed something amiss. The man spoke half truths, not outrightly forthcoming about what he planned to do afterwards. Model Z pulsed gently inside him, confirming his suspicions. Indeed, this man was planning to kill them both after he had what he wanted, not that Model Z could or would actually merge with the guy anyway. An idea came to Grey; it probably wouldn't work, but if he guessed right, then the man didn't know much about biometals other than that they allowed one to transform. If Model Z was right in that there were few potential biomatches in the world, then there also wasn't that many people who knew anything more about them than he did when he first obtained the red biometal at the beach. Adopting a calm look, Grey stepped forwards and eyed Thane through his dark eyeguard.
"Look, I know you want the biometal, but it's not that simple. It doesn't just accept anybody, and I can't exactly hand it over anymore..."
Thane scowled. He had been afraid of this, that biometals were unique to the person that managed to obtain them. Still, he didn't know if the boy was telling the truth or not. Perhaps anyone could just use biometal, but he didn't want to risk getting himself and his men killed for a prize that could never be his. Not that he'd allow the two to leave alive anyway, but he had to learn more about biometals and what they actually were. Perhaps if he kept the boy talking long enough, he might let something slip. Maybe Thane couldn't use his particular biometal, but he might yet be able to learn more about them, maybe find one that did work for him instead...
"You lying little shit. Why would it accept some kid like you and not somebody like me, who could actually do something with it?"
"It's permanent. Once you become a Mega Man, you can never change back. This biometal can't be used by anybody else anymore, so you came here for nothing."
"Be careful, Grey. You're still not healed after your recent battles, and you may not be able to protect Aile or yourself so readily should these guys decide to attack."
"What the fuck? It talks?" Thane said, raising an eyebrow at the disembodied voice that seemingly came from inside the boy. Indeed, the red Mega Man looked at him worriedly, as if people weren't usually supposed to be able to hear them speak. He'd definitely heard the voice however, a deeper, masculine tone that in no way resembled the red Mega Man's softer, more youthful voice. The biometal spoke again, this time with a distasteful tone as it answered the ex-Raider's question. "I do talk, and I can tell you that I would never willingly merge with anybody like you even if you were my biomatch. You're a coward and a bully, nothing more."
Thane hissed at the sharp tone in Model Z's voice, insulted at the implication that he wasn't as good as the little punk it had joined with. Who did they think they were? He stepped back, the wolfish mechaniloid remaining in place and preparing to spring at the youths as Thane moved back towards his group.
"Is that so? Well, if I can't have you, then nobody can. You'll all die here, buried and forgotten in the snow. Men, f-"
"Wait!" Grey called, and Thane paused. The six men waited for their boss' command, holding their weapons at the ready should the Mega Man try anything hostile towards their boss. Clenching his teeth, Grey's shoulders sunk regretfully. He was fairly sure that he'd be able to kill the seven men, although preferred that they didn't come to battle. As much as he trusted himself to stay alive, the same couldn't be said of Aile, and she had nowhere to hide should they decide to fire. They also had guns, a clear advantage compared to his short-range Z-Saber, and as deadly as the plasma blade was, these men were no mere Galleons, and would surely choose to kill Aile out of spite before he could make a move towards them. Slowly he eyed Aile, glancing at his backpack which was currently in her arms.
The female transporter looked back at him, following his gaze to the rucksack she was holding. "You're not thinking of giving him that other one, are you?" she hissed, the backpack now beginning to tremble in her grasp. The Model O inside was resonating, clearly reacting to Thane's presence. Model Z also sensed Model O's sudden awakening, the malicious biometal reacting to the compatible host nearby that its enemy biomatch didn't nearly care so much for. Tensing, Model Z sighed inwardly before speaking out.
"... Give him the other biometal, Grey. If he wants one so badly, then he can have the Model O that we found earlier."
"B-But Model Z, we can't give him Model O... we just can't..." Aile said, as Grey took the struggling backpack from her hands. Thane watched in mild amusement. He hadn't known they'd had a second biometal. Perhaps he would wait to see what this one was like before ordering their execution. As the Mega Man tossed over the backpack, Thane caught it and opened it up, rummaging through the shaking bag and dumping out the assorted items inside. Dropping food wrappers and bottles to the ground carelessly, he finally pulled out Grey's threadbare bedsheet, a purple glimmer glowing from inside the ball of pale cotton. There, wrapped up in the tattered sheet was the purple Model O. Thane stared down at it shimmering in his thickly gloved hands, not looking particularly impressed with its colourful looks or strange appearance.
"Purple? Not really my kind of colour, but if it's powerful then, then it'll do me fine. Let's see if this ugly thing works first though, I don't want any second rate biometal..."
Crackling angrily as if sensing his apparant lack of awe towards it, the purple Model O glowed brightly as the tall man clenched it tightly in his gloved hand. For a moment nothing happened, before Thane screamed in agony as he was enveloped in a flash of intense light. Even Grey was forced to clench his eyes shut as the brightness was enhanced by the white snow around them, a powerful aura shoving him and Aile backwards heavily against the metal doors behind. Trembling, the mountain seemed to rattle under their very feet, before the light cleared and all quaking ceased. All in all, the transformation had only lasted six seconds, but it felt like an age had passed before Grey could open his eyes to see what had become of the soldier who'd menaced him and Aile.
The other six men sat up in the snow and gasped, having also been knocked back by the intensity of Model O's transformation. Covered in thick purple armor, Thane stood taller than ever. At least eight feet tall, he was almost half that in sheer width. With a massive cannon strapped across his back and a shimmering plasma blade on the end of each arm, he might have been a silly colour, but by God, did the man look terrifying. His heavily-armored helmet exposed only that of a small T-shaped visor, pinpricks of orange light glowing as his eyes stared out from the darkness. While his armor looked smooth, giving him a knightly appearance, there was no mistaking the fact that the man was literally a walking tank, no obvious weak spot offering any hint of vulnerability. His arms were thick and equally heavily-armored as the rest of him, appearing to contain some odd gelatin substance which powered the glowing blades jutting out above his gauntlets. Creaking as he rose to his full height, the pinpricks of orange light glowed brightly as the man surveyed the world around him in a new light.
Grey remained frozen in place, Model Z equally tense inside him. Compared to the Lava DEVIL inside the ancient laboratory, this man far much, much more imposing, almost looking too much at ease in his new form. Even Vent had been bewildered at first, not fully comprehending the power he'd obtained when first transforming with Model X, and later again with both Model X and Model Z. This man looked completely at ease, as if... as if Model O was been completely and utterly compatible with him. Inwardly they trembled. Was this what Aile would have turned into if Model O had managed to ensnare her in its grip earlier?
One of the soldiers took off his helmet to get a better look at Thane's new body, impressed by the ex-Raider's transformation and new looks. "Messanos, you really did it. You're a Mega Man now! Just look at you!" he laughed, before falling quiet when nobody laughed with him.
Thane remained silent, his armor rattling before laughing quietly in his throat. His eyes glowed again, much more brightly than before as he slowly turned toward the man who'd dared spoke out. The six soldiers trembled, huddling together as they glanced up at the armored behemoth before them, feeling extremely uneasy at the way he was looking down at them. With a single sweep of his arm, the shimmering plasma blade extended, hissing as the snowflakes fell upon the purple blade before it swung again, this time towards his former comrades. Making effortless work of their bodies, the lengthy blade sliced through flesh, metal and arctic fleece, cutting through everything it touched like a hot knife through butter. All six men were lifeless within seconds, their bodies proving no match against the newly reborn power of Model O.
Nearby the lupine mechaniloid remained crouched in the snow, who'd also watched the transformation with interest. It too felt distinctively uneasy as its beloved master somehow turned into a horrific monster, morphing into something dangerous and vile. This new man was no good, certainly nothing like its old master at all. Leaping at the purple titan with a snarl, Thane swung around quickly with his other arm, the second plasma blade extending to plunge right into the mechaniloid's open maw and out of the other side of its head. Flipping his arm carelessly, the still-snarling mechaniloid was sent flying straight up into the air, its shredded body seemingly soaring into the snowstorm raging above them and out of sight.
Seizing his chance, Grey wasted no time and snatched Aile into his arms, fleeing down the icy mountain slopes as fast as he could while Thane's shrieking laughter echoed all around them. There was no way that he would ever be able to match blades with that monster, Model Z or not. Model Z also sensed that Grey was no match for the creature in his current state, weary and wounded ever since his battle with the three-headed mechaniloid. Even with some rest and food along the way, Grey had received no proper medical treatment, and had steadily been coming down with a fever during the last few hours as his systems strained to keep him functional. Aile clutched to him tightly, peering over his shoulder fearfully to see what Thane was doing.
Currently the purple Model O user was moving after them slowly, his armor clanking loudly as he leisurely lumbered after his speedy prey. After a moment he stopped, and Grey got a very bad feeling about the sudden silence that descended. He tried to hurry, galloping down the icy slopes carefully as so not to slip or drop the trembling woman in his arms. He clutched her more tightly in return, unwilling to let her go or allow her to come to harm. Not now, when they were so close to escaping...
"Don't look back," he said gently, fear urging him onwards. Fear of Thane, fear of his new Model O and fear for Aile's safety. Although they'd reached the other side of the mountain and could see the city far below, they had no idea what to expect from the man now that he had what he wanted, or what he was truly capable of. Daring a peek, Grey's eyes widened with horror as he turned to see what the purple monstrosity was doing.
Thane's back cannon was glowing, the man arched fowards as he prepared to fire right at them! Grinding to a halt, the red Mega Man braced himself just as Thane's cannon fired. A tremendous explosion resulted, although not directly at them as he'd previously been afraid of. Perhaps he couldn't aim so far, Grey's superior speed having put quite some distance between them in the short amount of time he'd raced down the mountain slopes. It was then that Grey's synthetic blood chilled. Thane hadn't been aiming at them, but at the stony path behind them. A landslide of rock, rubble and ice was rushing down the mountain path after them, the resulting explosion having set off an artifical avalanche after his fleeing foes. The Model O user called out, his voice echoing loudly above the rushing din of crumbling rubble.
"See if you can outrun that, Mega Man! Hahahaha!"
Grabbing ahold of Aile, Grey set her down on the ground and threw himself over her, just as the rushing river of stone and ice buried them underneath their wake. There was no way that he would have been able to outrun that landslide in his injured state, nor leap over the solid tide that descended after them. His only hope had been to act as a shield; if he couldn't survive, then hopefully Aile would live, protected by the armor of Model Z. His last conscious sight was of darkness, as the avalanche buried him and the female transporter alive.
Throwing his head back to the skies, Thane screamed in victory. He was unstoppable! Such power he wielded, that he could destroy a mountain on a mere whim! Mountains were no fun however, and his landslide had disappointingly killed off the little red Mega Man and his bitch. He'd been hoping to have some fun with them, but didn't want to risk them escaping and coming after him later. As powerful as he was, he was also rather slow, and had never liked being hassled or rushed. Eyeing the city down below at the mountain's foot, Thane shifted his heavy body and slowly descended down the destroyed path. The very land shaking with every step he made, the heavily-armored being readied his cannon again and fired a test shot at the glittering lights below. This time at full power, unlike the gentle blast he tried before on Grey.
A wave of fire swept through the city, a sizable chunk incinerating instantly with a single blast. Eyesight finely developed underneath his darkened visor, Thane could just make out the terrified people fleeing through the streets as the city began burning, the destroyed area instantly becoming cinders as hundreds of lives were consumed with his one single attack. Like ants they fled before the wake of his coming, unable to withstand the destruction. He grinned madly. This... this was true power; the strength to destroy all that stood before him and crush it on a mere thought. The Aspect of Destruction awakened inside Thane's mind as he admired his work, Model O absurdly pleased with the new host it had gained. With a joyful cry, Thane laughed again and leisurely stalked down the mountain slopes, his cannon clicking into place as he reloaded and prepared to fire again.
He was going to enjoy this a lot.
End of chapter 9...
A/N: Uh oh, I hope that's not the last we see of Grey and Aile! Looks like the second of the Omega Aspects has been awakened, Thane Messanos as Omega's Aspect of Destruction. Thane's Model O is a curious mix of Sigma, Vile and Double. Specifically the tyrannical mentality and size of Sigma, armed with Vile's long-range cannon and Double's plasma blades to make for a very nasty representative of Omega indeed. I thought it was fitting, as Vile/Double were pawns of Sigma, and all three shared a subtle purple theme. Thanks to RedAxl for giving me the idea to use Sigma somewhere, even if only as a hybrid biometal. Again, my thanks to all readers and reviewers for taking the time to drop by. Special thanks to shadowreploid and NeoNazo356 lately for their reviews and suggestions, especially the latter regarding dialogue as I just can't cut a good chat.