Chapter 10

21XX: The wastelands of Siberia 0900, Hours GMT

With a bright flash, two beams of light landed in some sort of control room. X noticed many displays and view screens focusing on different world events. Right now, several of them were showing video footage of the Old Tokyo wastelands.

X heard his guide, Pharaoh Man, yell, "get that shield up now! We don't have much time, and I don't want him getting in that easy. Make sure we can still warp out if we need to."

"Affirmative brother," responded a robot with what appeared to be a light bulb on his head. Fingers flew over the consol as a message finally appeared on the screen stating that an EM shield was now set up around…where ever they were. Pharaoh Man turned back towards X. "Well, now that we have some time, let us walk. I'm sure you have many questions."

"Y..yeah, I do. First of all, though, how is it you guys are here? I mean, didn't my brother…"

"Megaman did destroy us in the Fourth Robot Rebellion. However, Dr. Cossack, our father, rebuilt us. He did not originally make us for warfare but he was blackmailed by Dr. Wily and forced to upgrade us into fighters in an effort to destroy your older brother. Afterwards, Dr. Cossack wanted someone around to protect his daughter should something ever happen to him. We've been around ever since."

"Well, okay. I'm amazed you are all in such good condition after at least a hundred years. My next question is, where are we?

"We are in the citadel of Dr. Sergei Cossack. The very one Megaman invaded when he was trying to put a stop to the Fourth Rebellion."

"Thought so. Now, for the final question. Why did you bring me here?"

"Although I was not programmed for such things, you could say it's destiny fulfilling itself. You are fighting one of your last battles Megaman X. A new era is coming soon. Just as the Age of Megaman ended with a climactic battle between two titans, so will this one as well. But come, we have delayed for too long. The real answers await you."

Suddenly warning klaxons blared. Pharaoh Man immediately turned to the monitors. "Report."

"It's Zero. He's found us and is currently trying to forcibly enter the citadel."

"Damn it! Initiate four ring defense protocol. We have to stall him for as long as possible."

X was confused. "How did he know where we warped to? Nobody even knows you guys are here."

"He was most likely programmed with the knowledge by our mutual enemy. Come X, we must get to the inner sanctum."

Pharaoh Man led the way through the twisting and turning passages of the citadel. Deeper and deeper they went, until at last, they stood before a door at the end of a long passage way. Pharaoh Man activated a communicator. "Brothers, status report."

"Zero's blown through the first ring with hardly a scratch. The second ring seems to have made him slow down, but we still don't have much time."

"Brothers, if Zero makes it to the fourth ring before X is finished…well, I won't order you to do anything you don't want to."

"Pharaoh Man, I think I speak for everyone when I say, we'll fight to the end. We've had good lives, and now that father and sister are gone, this is our only purpose. You can count on us."

"Thank you. Pharaoh out." Pharaoh Man shut down his communicator and turned to X. "Well, X, the answers you seek lie in this room. Enter. I will not intrude."

X looked towards the door. Tentatively, he stepped to it. It opened, and then X gasped in surprise. It was one of Dr. Light's capsules. X walked forward, as if in a trance, and the door closed behind him. When X got to within a few feet of the capsule, it began to activate itself. Suddenly, the familiar image of X's father showed up. He was much older in this one then he had been in the others. He smiled and began to speak.

"X, my son. So, you've finally made it. Thank God."

X stared and waited for the capsule to continue with it's message.

"Well, aren't you going to say anything?"

X eyes widened with shock. "You…you know I'm here?"

"Yes. And if you're here you must have questions. So please, ask. I will do my best to answer."

"But…how?"

"Artificial intelligence. The real Dr. Light programmed me to the point where I'm on par with the original Mega Man. Of course, it does mean that I refer to myself as him sometimes, but only because that's what he would have wanted. Now please, ask any question you need. I will tell you everything you want to know."

X immediately knew what his first question would be. "Why was I created. If I was to have a peaceful life, why was I built with these?" He held up his buster. "Why did you give me hope for peace I could never achieve?"

Light's expression was a sad one. "X, let me tell you a story. When I was a young man, the girl I loved and who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with was killed. I don't think I ever quite got over it. I had always wanted to have kids of my own. Thankfully I was blessed later on in life with Rock, Roll, Blues, and, later on, you X. However, the three of them were taken from me and I never got to see you grow up. Your brother, Rock, was known to the world at large as Mega Man, the hero of the Robot Rebellions. However, he was tortured because of it. He never wanted to have to fight. He wanted to live a simple life, and every robot rebellion drove him further and further from his dream. He fought, because he didn't have a choice. The First Law didn't give him one. I wanted you to be able to choose your path in ways Rock never could have. And you have, you have taken up your brother's mantle; you fight for what you believe is right. You choose to fight so that one day you won't have to. I am truly sorry for your suffering, but I think you know that what I'm saying is the truth."

X did know it. He had forced himself to think that he was the only one who could make a difference, when he knew that it wasn't so. It had been his choices, not his fate, that made him what he was now. "You said Rock, Roll, and Blues were taken away from you. Why is there no mention of them, or you after a certain time in the history books? It's like you all just disappeared from the face of the Earth. What happened?"

The hologram took a deep breath. "The end of the Age of Mega Man. They were killed X. All of them. It happened while they were fighting the greatest threat to humanity the planet had ever seen; the last creation of Dr. Wily. Out of that last battle, only Auto, Duo, and myself survived. Duo left to find his origins, and I upgraded Auto to act as the guardian of your first set of armor upgrades."

X's eyes widened as he flashed back to that battle. The giant green robot who had been guarding his armor upgrade. The realization that he had fought, and destroyed, Auto stunned him. However his mind went back to what the hologram had said about the last creation of Wily. "But…who could have done that? Bass couldn't have beaten Mega Man alone, certainly not if Mega Man had had help, and King was considered a failure by Wily, correct?"

"Yes X. However, it was not Bass, nor was it King, who destroyed Mega Man that one terrible day. Bass actually helped to stop the monster responsible. Unfortunately, he was destroyed right after Blues. Treble, the poor thing, couldn't live without him and left to fend for himself. I always wondered what happened to him. But I'm getting off the topic. It was not Bass or King that Mega Man fought against that day."

"Then what was it? What robot did Wily unleash that finally defeated Mega Man?"

The hologram sighed and then began to morph. "It was no ordinary robot. It was this one." The hologram materialized into the form of Zero.

X looked at the image with a mixture of horror and disbelief in his face. "No… that can't be. He couldn't have done that. Every reploid that has ever been created has been based off of my designs. Nobody even knew I existed for years until I was found by Dr. Cain. Zero couldn't have even existed back then."

The hologram morphed back into the form of Dr. Light. "Zero, so that's its name. Zero was technically based off of your designs, it is true. However, he was built by one who understood the concepts behind reploids better then any other scientist would have. Zero was the last creation of my former friend; Dr. Albert William Wily."

"…what? How?"

"During Wily's seventh rebellion, Bass stole plans for upgrades for Mega Man and Rush. He also got some of my notes that had references to you X. Wily would have known that you were far more advanced than anything he or I had previously created, so he created Zero to destroy you and Mega Man. You two are the prototypes for the reploid race."

"But, Zero's not like that anymore. He and I are friends; we've been friends for decades."

"Yes X, but the Zero who is your best friend is not the Zero that destroyed Megaman, nor is it the one currently trying to destroy you. Wily programmed him to destroy you first and foremost. I believe his personality, the one that you have become friends with, is being overridden by what you call the Maverick Virus."

"How did you know that that's what he's trying to do?"

"I built you with a special circuit that can transmit information to my capsules. That's how you are always able to find and access them during your fights."

Suddenly, another thought came to X. "But if Zero was like that when he was first activated…then was he the original carrier of the virus? Was he the one that passed it on to Sigma?"

"I can only speculate on that, but I do believe that he was the original carrier for the Maverick Virus. And if that's so, then the virus would have had to have been made by Dr. Wily as well."

It all came back to Wily. He had been dead for decades, yet he was still affecting the world. Suddenly, what Sigma had said made sense. Mega Man had always fought Wily. The only difference now was that there were two different actors playing those roles. "But how am I supposed to fight him? I…I just can't destroy him. He's all I have left."

Now the hologram looked slightly confused. "What do you mean X?"

X sighed and hung his head. "Everything I have fought for and helped to create has been destroyed. The hunters, my friends…Alia."

The hologram cocked it's eyebrow. "Alia?" Suddenly it gasped in realization. "Oh no. X…I'm so sorry, I know what that feeling is like. I'm sorry you have to experience it."

X raised his head and glared at the hologram, fierce anger in his eyes. "Why did you do it? If you hadn't made me, none of this would have happened. Reploids wouldn't exist and the planet would be in far better shape then it is now."

"You don't know how long I struggled with that question after Zero killed three of my children. Seeing ones love die is a painful thing, but to outlive one's own children? That's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

X realized that he was being insensitive. The hologram had a point; X couldn't imagine the state one's soul would be in having experienced all that the doctor had. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"Don't apologize X. You were right. If I had never built you, none of that would have ever come to pass. Zero would not have been created, and my children would probably still be alive. However, I did create you; and to this day, I do not regret it. The reason why is because I knew you would be a human. Yes, it's true, you are not a real human being, but you are as close as one can get. Ever since I first started your design on a sheet of paper, I knew I couldn't deny you your life. Not when you had the potential to do so much with it. And you have. You have changed the world X. For better or worse, it is a different place then it had been before you existed. My dream for the future may have not come true yet, but it gladdens me to know that you have chosen to fight for it. You have chosen to fight for a future where humans and reploids live in harmony, and I can ask no more of you. However, there is still one who would undo everything you and I have worked for."

"Zero."

"X, I know he's your friend, but right now he isn't himself. The virus has totally taken him over."

Suddenly, X thought of something. "If he had been a maverick before passing it on to Sigma, he wasn't one after that. Does that mean that he could be saved if he were to somehow purge the virus from his systems?"

"I really couldn't say X. However, at this point in time, he is going to try everything he can to kill you. You have to fight back X."

"But…I'm no warrior. Zero was always the one who enjoyed fighting. He's too good. He's a better fighter then I am. All the other times we fought, I only won because he went easy on me. I just can't do it."

"Neither could Mega Man. He was not meant to be a warrior, and he certainly shouldn't have been able to stand up to Wily. However, he kept trying, and, somehow, he always came out on top. X, you may disdain fighting, I would be dismayed if you didn't, but I think that, deep down, you know that you'll do what you believe is right. You are just like your older brother. I wish that it could have been different for you, but we must make do with what we can. You have to stop him X. Not for me, not for anyone else, but for you. You can do it."

Light's words struck X. He knew that it was right. He had gone down this road as far as it could go. Now he had to act. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "For everlasting peace."

Light said one more thing as X turned away from him. "X. Take off the armor. I don't think you need it anymore."

X considered this for a moment. Then he realized what such an action would symbolize. He would fully embrace this fight and fight with his natural abilities. Just as his older brother had done, so many times before. A bright light engulfed X and when it faded, he stood, clad in the armor he had been born in. He glanced back at the hologram, "thank you father." With a look of determination set in his face, he walked out the door.

The hologram watched him leave. "Godspeed my son."

---

X exited the room and saw, standing before him, two robots; Ring Man and Pharaoh Man. "How's it going guys?"

Pharaoh Man turned and addressed him. "Zero is almost through the fourth ring. We were just about to go engage him…"

"No. Let me. I don't want anymore death on my hands."

"With all due respect X, we are going to fight him, with your blessing or without. We owe that much to your brothers for the sacrifices they made."

"Very well. Let's go then."

Ring Man spoke up. "But, what about your armor? Don't you think it would be safer to use it in battle?"

"The armor is no longer necessary. I know what I need to do and that's all I need."

Ring Man looked confused, but Pharaoh Man seemed to understand. "Then let us hurry, the others should be engaging Zero soon."

The three of them ran off through the corridors. Eventually they got to the training room, the place Mega Man and Dr. Cossack had fought years ago. The other six of Cossack's children were there, readying for the fight ahead. Bright Man spoke up. "Good of you to join us X. Now we may stand a chance."

X nodded. Suddenly, a loud crash could be heard, and a dent appeared on the door leading out of the room. X turned and looked at Pharaoh Man. "Pharaoh Man, you knew him. What would my brother do right about now?"

"The same thing you are doing X. He would fight, even if he knew he would die."

X smiled and took a deep breath. One more punch landed on the door, and it flew off it's hinges. Zero was here.

X stared at his friend. The eyes were hollow; just like Alia's had been. Whatever had been his friend was gone now. Replaced by a soulless killer. Suddenly, Bright Man yelled out, "eyes!"

Instinctively, X covered his eyes. Then he remembered Bright Man's power; a flash of light so powerful that it would render whoever looked at it temporarily blind. It had almost resulted in Mega Man's destruction decades ago, but unfortunately, Zero's optics were more powerful than that. Odds were he would only be out for a second or two before he could recover, and then he would attack Bright Man in order to get him out of the way.

Not if X had anything to say about it. He opened his eyes and saw Zero staggering slightly, the blindness quickly wearing off. He dashed forward and slammed Zero with a massive right hook, almost knocking the red prototype off his feet. He turned his head to look at the other bots. "I'll try to keep him away from you! Hit him with everything you have!"

Pharaoh Man nodded and signaled for his brothers to attack. He charged up his Pharaoh Shot and fired while Ring Man, Dive Man, Drill Man, and Dust Man fired their respective weapons. Toad Man, Skull Man, and Bright Man stood back; their weapons would have little effect on the fight as it was.

Zero saw the wave of firepower approach him and he began to move out of the way. He managed to dodge most of the attacks, but Ring Man's attack, along with Dive Man's missile, managed to hit him, causing minimal damage. He turned and slammed his knee into X's torso, causing X back off as he clutched his heaving chest. He then fired a charged shot towards the robot masters.

Just feet away from the other robots, the blast stopped and dissipated, revealing Skull Man standing behind his Skull Shield. Toad Man appeared behind him and fired a large bomb-like object towards Zero. It exploded in mid air, releasing a shower of toxic acid rain. Unfortunately, it was mostly ineffectual as the only real damage was some of the paint on Zero's armor peeling off. Skull Man turned towards Pharaoh Man and said, "brother, I don't think I can take much more of that kind of firepower. It's more than my shield was designed for."

"Hopefully you won't have to. X is back in the fray. Everybody get ready for another volley."

True enough, X had jumped in to attack Zero as soon as the rain had dissipated. The two exchanged physical blows until Zero leapt back, brandishing his saber for the first time in the fight. X quickly fired a charged shot at him as the robot masters fired another round of shots in unison.

Zero spun around, swinging his beam saber and some how managing to intercept all the attacks. He charged at X, but X jumped in the air, preparing to land behind him. Zero, however, had anticipated this move and had cut his boosters off early. He grabbed X's foot as he landed and spun him around like a rag doll. He let go and sent X flying towards the robot masters. Zero grinned as he proceeded to chase down the robots that had gotten out of X's way.

Bright Man was first. Zero dashed in front of the robot as it was trying to recover it's balance. As Bright Man lit his bulb, Zero was already performing his downward slice. Bright Man was cleaved in two as Zero put his hands over his eyes, temporarily blind once again. However, Zero could hear X running towards him. At the last second, he sidestepped X's charge, and spin-kicked him in the head.

Zero continued towards the other robot masters and proceeded to fire a blistering charge shot at Toad Man. The plasma ate through him, leaving a giant hole in his torso that began to smoke as the body toppled over. Suddenly, however, the ground Zero was standing on began to quake. He was confused for a second, but then he was knocked off his feet as Drill Man emerged from the ground directly under him, firing drill missiles as he surfaced. Zero's reflexes saved him as he managed to destroy the missiles with plasma bursts. Drill Man went under again, but this time Zero was prepared. Drill Man surfaced again, but this time he was met with open air. All of a sudden Zero's beam sword impaled itself in Drill Man's head. Zero had leapt into the air as Drill Man was about to surface and taken the inertia gained in falling to jam his saber through Drill Man's armored exterior.

Landing on his feet, Zero prepared to attack the other five robots, when a powerful blast hit him from behind, becoming the first attack to actually do some damage. He turned and saw X readying another charged shot. He quickly dashed towards the robots and grabbed Dive Man as X fired another blast. Hefting Dive Man's massive body over his head, he flung him directly into X's shot, terribly wounding, but not killing the lumbering robot. Ring Man, holding one ring in each hand, leapt at Zero and attacked with the razor sharp discs. Zero used his saber to block most of the blows while X checked on Dive Man. Dust Man fired a large stack of rubble at Zero, hitting him in the back but only serving to make him angrier. Zero managed to snag Ring Man's rings using his beam saber, grabbed his throat and proceeded to fling him head first into Dust Man, lodging him in Dust Man's intake system. He then flipped his saber in his hands so that he was holding it saber-side down and made to impale Pharaoh Man with it.

Skull Man had seen this series of events, however, and jumped in front of Pharaoh Man, activating his Skull Shield in the process. Zero's saber impacted with the shield with tremendous force, yet Skull Man was able to hold it intact. Sparks flew from where the saber and shield were struggling for dominance and Skull Man started emitting smoke from the exertion of keeping his shield up.

"Pharaoh Shot!" All of a sudden Zero was hit in the side by a large blast of energy. He quickly glanced over and realized Pharaoh Man had moved and charged up an attack while he had been focusing on Skull Man. He took his saber away from the shield and was about to cleave Pharaoh Man in two when another powerful blast hit him in the side. X leapt at Zero and landed a devastating kick into his midsection, taking his attention from Pharaoh Man.

Meanwhile, Pharaoh Man went over to Skull Man who had fallen over after Zero stopped his assault. The damage to his power systems caused by the stress of keeping his shield up was causing his body to spark as smoke crept from small fractures in his armor. "Phare…I think… that that was it for me. Can't…can't move."

"You will not have died in vain brother. I promise you."

If Skull Man could have smiled, he would have. As it was, he slowly closed his eyes and ceased to function. Pharaoh Man was incapable of crying, but the grief he felt was present nonetheless. He quickly got up and went to help Ring Man and Dust Man. He pried Ring Man out and the three got ready to attack.

X and Zero weren't getting anywhere in their fight. X dodged all of Zero's saber swipes and retaliated with a mix of plasma fire and physical combat. Zero, however, was every bit as good as X and was able to block and avoid the attacks X sent towards him. X noticed the robots ready to attack and turned himself to where Zero was between him and the robot masters. The three of them launched their attacks.

Zero, however, had been prepared for this. He quickly fell to the floor, letting X take the full brunt of the attack. Then he spun and charged Dust Man, who was too slow to dodge effectively. He threw his saber and it lodged itself into Dust Man's upper torso. He then pulled the blade out and fired a charged shot directly into the hole created by his saber, killing Dust Man.

Ring Man rapidly threw his razor sharp weapons at Zero, but to no effect. With a precision and speed that Ring Man had never seen, Zero caught five of his rings on his saber and then flung them back at him faster then Ring Man had ever seen done before. The rings cut into his body, severing circuits and systems as four went into his torso and the fifth one embedded itself into his skull. Ring Man dropped, fluids leaking from his wounds and sparks shooting across his head. Suddenly an explosive impacted Zero's back. Dive Man had gotten to his feet and, although badly wounded, begun to attack Zero as well. He fired another missile at Zero, but Zero caught it and threw it back at him. Even at full strength and speed Dive Man couldn't have avoided it. The missile impacted his head, leaving nothing behind but a smoking crater.

It was down to Pharaoh Man and X versus Zero. X turned to Pharaoh Man and said, "this isn't your fight. You can still get out of here in one piece."

"X, please do not insult me by suggesting I leave after this monster has murdered my brethren. I would not have abandoned your brother had I been with him that fateful day. Do not ask me to abandon mine."

Zero regarded the two opponents before him. Together they had put up a greater fight than anything he had expected. As far as his muddled memory went, he had only fought one other opponent who had done this much to him. That one had also been blue, but had been much smaller then the one he now faced. The tall one had been a joke and the purple one had only been marginally better. However, these two, along with the seven he had scrapped, had managed to hold their own until now. However, the blue one was the only one he was truly concerned with. The yellow-black one was merely an appetizer.

"X, if you can hold him off of me while I ready one more attack, I think I might be able to do one more thing before he destroys me."

"What are you talking about? You've barely taken any damage at all, hell you're doing better then I am."

"But I have not yet made an attack that has truly mattered. I'm telling you, let me charge up one more attack and I'll have validated my survival."

"Alright, but you had better hurry, I don't know how long I'll be able to keep him occupied while you're just standing here." With those words, X once again dashed towards Zero.

"Do not worry X. I shall make my life count." Pharaoh Man held his hands above his head and began forming a ball of plasma that was slowly growing larger.

Zero engaged X in physical combat, not using his saber because of the fact that it would slow him down enough to let X hit him. The two were a flurry of fists and feet as they fought around the room.

Pharaoh Man watched in awe. Watching them was like a ballet; one that he could never hope to match. A very long time ago, he had glimpsed one who had approached what he now saw X and Zero doing. However, that one had long since been gone from this world, his existence just a faint memory in few history books. His age had ended long ago, the time had come for him to join his friends. But not before making one last action. The ball of energy, now roughly the size of a car, was bigger then he had ever had it before. It grew slowly larger as his systems strained under the pressure of keeping the energy from blowing up right next to him. He saw X looking at him while dodging Zero's attacks and nodded to him, telling him that the time was right.

X managed to get Zero in a chokehold and swept his leg into Zero's, making him fall to the ground. It was at this point that Pharaoh Man let fly his devastating Pharaoh Shot. The gauntlets on Pharaoh Man's arms that controlled and directed the plasma build up sparked and blew out as they were released from the strain he had put on them. As the ball of energy sped on, Zero got to his knees and saw it coming for him. He tried to dash away, but another shot from X made him lose his balance. The enormous ball of plasma impacted.

He screamed in pain as the energy poured into his systems. He had felt pain like this before. The red and grey one, and the black one had both done damage like this to him a long time ago. He managed to get to his feet and saw that the yellow-black one was damaged from his own attack. The blue one charged him, but he landed a sucker punch on its jaw, sending it stumbling back. He then dashed towards the yellow-black one and drew his saber.

Pharaoh Man didn't even try to dodge as Zero sliced through his waist. For the first time in his life, he felt no pain from being hurt like this. He had done his part as the steward of a legacy that spanned decades; he had walked with giants and had kept pace for a short while. He was finally at peace with the world. "It's up to you X. Brothers, I am on my way."

X could only gasp in horror as he recovered from the blow to the face he had taken and saw Zero cut Pharaoh Man in two. Zero turned and regarded him. It was at this point that X saw just how far gone Zero really was. X wouldn't be able to save him, no matter how hard he tried. He knew that continuing their duel here would cause lots of destruction to Cossack's citadel. As much as he didn't want to go, he knew that this was not the place where their final duel would take place. He realized where he had to fight Zero.

Zero charged him, but X moved quicker then usual and caught Zero's arm, forcing it back behind him while he held onto his other arm. Then, as Zero struggled to get out of his grip, X activated his warp generator and both combatants disappeared in trails of red and blue light.

---

"Just a little bit longer, hang on."

---

Over the barren plains of Old Tokyo, two beams of light streaked down and impacted the ground, coalescing into the forms of X and Zero. Zero broke free of X's grasp and looked at his surroundings. This was where he had been when he had killed the tall one and the purple one. Now he would destroy the blue one here, and then…he didn't know what he would do after that, but he knew something would tell him.

X had a reason for choosing to bring Zero back here. Now that he knew about Zero's past, this seemed the most appropriate place for a fight; the place where, decades before, Mega Man and Zero had fought. X was far more powerful then his brother had been, but Zero had also been upgraded since and now had deadlier abilities at his disposal. They had both taken damage at Cossack's Citadel, but the extent of that damage could not be seen by either. Zero seemed to recognize this place as well. Perhaps he was remembering the fight between him and Mega Man? Either way, X spoke out. "Yes Zero. We're here. This is where you fought my older brother; Mega Man. You remember that right?"

If Zero could comprehend anything X said he didn't show it. However, at the mention of Mega Man, his hand reached up to his head. He could feel it in him; the programming in his brain telling him he needed to destroy Mega Man and X. In his state, he could not distinguish the two identities from one another. It seemed to him as if this blue one was the reincarnation of the one he had fought so long ago. He had to destroy it, nothing else mattered to him. He let out a furious cry and charged at X.

X watched Zero and briefly closed his eyes. "Forgive me, Zero." He then brought his buster up and unleashed a charge shot at Zero. Zero swiped his blade through the plasma and it dispersed. X got close enough and landed a kick at his wrist, causing Zero to drop the saber. As quickly as it happened X fired another charged shot, this time at the saber, wrecking it. Zero snarled at the loss of his weapon and sent a flurry of punches at X, most of which were blocked or dodged.

The two fought for what felt like ages. After 15 minutes of non stop fighting, both of them were weak. Sparks sizzled from open wounds while smoke poured from plasma scorching. X prepared a charge shot but, suddenly, Zero caught a second wind and dashed into X, knocking him down and causing his shot to go off in another direction. The two combatants were evenly matched, but the virus was making Zero go battle-crazy, giving him an edge that X didn't have. Zero leapt on top of X and slammed his fists into him again and again, until, finally, X was lying in a heap on the ground with Zero standing over him. Zero charged his buster, aiming it at X's head, his face twisted in a mask of insanity.

X opened his eyes, and saw something twinkle in the sky above Zero. He thought it might be a shooting star, but as it got closer he could see that, rather then burning up into nothing, it glowed a brilliant light blue. "Pretty…" He briefly thought he might be going crazy, thinking about how nice something in the sky looked when he was about to be killed by his former best friend. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

Then they both heard it. A voice from the heavens itself.

"NO!!!"

X and Zero both looked around to see where the voice came from. Zero noted where X had been staring and spun around to face whatever it was. He saw an object streaking towards him from the sky at an incredible speed. He tried to activate his dash thrusters, but it was far too late. The object hit him and sent him flying into a nearby rock outcropping. Then it stopped above the ground and changed shape. X watched with amazement as the meteor-like object morphed into a vaguely humanoid shape, it's appearance still hidden behind a cover of blue flame. Then the flame dissipated and X's eyes widened in shock and he recognized the figure floating over him.

"X…it is good to meet you. I am…"

"Duo…" X interrupted.

"Yes. But the introductions will have to wait. We still have business to take care of." Duo turned to see Zero emerging a few yards away. Zero looked up and saw Duo approaching him. His eyes got wide as he tried to back away. "That's right demon. You remember me don't you? You may have been fated to kill the one who showed me what it was to truly live, but you shall not take the one he and so many others have sacrificed themselves for." With that, his hand erupted in blue flame and he fired an energy blast directly towards Zero.

Zero was already exhausted and couldn't get out of the way in time. The blast hit him and pain wracked his body. His teleportation system had been overloaded by the fight with the blue one, and now the large one had returned and was attacking him full force. He had no idea what kind of power the large one possessed but he knew that it would be more than enough to destroy him in his current situation. Blast after blast, the large one fired and Zero continued to live, until he lay in a heap, much the same as X had before him.

The tables had turned as Duo stood over a beaten, broken Zero. "Now, you foul creature, go back to where you came from." He lifted his hand and began a mighty swing that would cut Zero in two.

"STOP!" X cried out as he dove in between Duo and Zero. "You can't!"

"X! Move! He must be stopped. Do you know how much pain and suffering he's caused? We have to destroy him!"

"He can be saved."

"Impossible. He is a demon and he will continue to kill until there is nothing left on this world!"

"No, you don't understand. In there, deep in there, is the real Zero. The one that's my best friend. He was normal after he infected Sigma. That means there might be hope for him."

Duo looked troubled by X's argument. Then he saw movement. "X, behind you!"

All of a sudden, Zero was on his feet behind X. He reached up and placed his hand on X's control chip cover. Then he spoke, "destroy…infect…survive." A black substance covered the red crystal on X's forehead and Zero fell to the ground, unconscious. X looked at Zero, then at Duo before something in his head made him cry out in pain. He fell to his knees clutching his head and screaming in agony.

Duo's look of shock turned into a mask of rage as he rounded on Zero's unconscious body. He grasped it by the throat and yelled, "wake up! What did you do to him? If you don't tell me I'll…" Duo saw that Zero would not be waking up, he was too badly damaged and, without repair, he would die. "Then you will die by my hand demon. You may have done something to X, but you will still die today." He let Zero fall as his hand was once again covered with blue flame. "Hyahhh," he cried out as he was about to crush Zero's head.

---

Suddenly, he was someplace else. He looked around and noticed that he was inside some sort of fortress. Turning around, he saw two figures facing each other. One was red, and the other was blue. Looking closer at the blue one he realized that it looked very similar to X. "What am I seeing," he asked himself.

The blue one spoke. "We meet at last, Zero. I've been looking forward to this moment."

The red one was Zero? It looked different, but there was a definite resemblance. However, he felt no taint of evil in this one. He felt…clean. It spoke. "You…you must be the pirate copy of X…"

"No... A perfect copy of the original X. The new hero who saved the human race from this wasted world. Didn't you notice...? The humans have found happiness more than ever before... The utopia that humans have searched for, is here in Neo Arcadia. This is something that you and the original X could never create... Only I could do this!"

Duo continued to watch as the events unfolded around him. Zero spoke once again. "This is a peace that can only be achieved by retiring uncountable numbers of innocent reploids… This is not what anyone wanted! This place is just a joke."

"Ha ha ha. You are so funny… It's been fun… Now, let's get down to business!"

The two combatants fought one another. Duo could feel the spirit of the Copy-X; it was devoid of what had made X the hero he was. The copy was blindly trying to accomplish his goal through use of force on innocent people, and he was committing the genocide of the reploid race in the process. The fight was soon over, and Zero was victorious.

"Too weak. Was the original X this weak?"

Duo realized that Zero was having memory problems, he did not know why, but he felt that the knowledge would be revealed to him. The Copy-X got to it's feet.

"Wha…what…!"

"I may have lost my memory, but my body seems to remember… that the original X was mightier then you…"

"Silence. Now you will feel my true power!! Haaaaaaaaa!" The copy morphed into a winged monstrosity that promptly attacked Zero. Duo realized that this form was supposed to represent an angel; an image that the copy probably wanted to further for himself. He was a mighty fighter in this form, but Zero was somehow able to defeat the copy.

"Why… Why… I was supposed to be… the perfect copy… how can this be… possible… I was supposed to be… a hero… "

"I've just remembered something… He was not as naive as you are. That's what made him a hero."

"I won't forgive you. I'll take you with me…"

Alarms went off around the fortress as a self-destruct sequence became activated. Zero took one last look at the Copy-X. "It's time to go…" He activated his dash thrusters and flew out of the room faster then Duo could keep track of him.

The scene changed to a desert. He saw Zero lying in the sand, heavily damaged. Then a ball of light closed in on him. Amazingly it began to speak. "Since you disappeared, I've been fighting this war alone against an uncountable number of mavericks for nearly a hundred years… Battle after battle… So painful and so sad… But the hardest part was when I discovered I no longer cared about fighting enemies…

Duo gasped in revelation. This was the true X. They still worked together, even in this bleak future. "I'll leave this world to you… Please allow me… to rest in peace… for a while… …I'm sorry Zero…"

The ball of light faded and Zero got up. "So be it… But that's why we are the best partners… I'll do what you want… Rest for a while. I will handle it, you can count on me. I won't stop! When an enemy appears… I'll terminate it…"

Zero turned around and saw a multitude of blue robots that were stylized like X. He lit his beam saber and charged slicing one in half. Then the vision went to black.

---

"No…" Duo still stood; his hand inches away from Zero's head. The blue flames died out as Duo fell to his knees, his face covered in agony. "WHY?!?" He yelled at the sky. "Why must he live when all he has caused is death, pain, and suffering?! Is this justice?!" He let his head fall. He couldn't do it. As much as he wanted to, he had to let Zero live. The future of the planet depended on him. "Not fair…it's not fair." Had he been capable of shedding tears, he would have wept rivers.

"Destroy…infect…survive…" a voice behind Duo droned. Duo turned around and saw X aiming his buster at him. Duo then noticed X's eyes. They were hollow, devoid of the spark of life. "No…it can't be…not you too!"

X finished charging his buster and prepared to shoot. Duo could only cry out, "X!"

---

X opened his eyes and looked around. Darkness; he could only see darkness, as far as his vision went. "What…what's going on? Where am I?"

"At last."

X spun around. "Who said that? Who's there?"

Suddenly a peal of laughter rang out from all around him. Laughter that sounded eerily familiar.

"Who's there? What's so funny?"

"Megaman X! Welcome to your end!"

Suddenly a beam of light appeared before X. He gasped in shock as the saw who was inside the beam of light. It was himself. But slightly different. This X was green and his armor had points on it. There were also purple streaks around his eyes and his fingers ended in claws. X backed up a step. "Who are you?"

"I'm you. Or rather, I am what you are now."

"What do you mean?"

"X, you have become a maverick. I am the personification of the maverick virus. And to answer one of your other questions, we are in your head. I must say, it's very roomy. We're going to be best pals you and I."

X was stunned. His mind? The personification of the maverick virus? This couldn't be. He had been in contact with the virus before, but this had never happened to him.

The fake X spoke once more. "Now, I know you know all about me, and soon I will know all about you, so I'm just gonna' start messin' around in here to make it a bit more hospitable.

"No, I won't let you." X pointed his buster at the copy of himself.

The copy briefly looked back and grinned. "Now X, you don't really think that you can hurt me do you. I was made to attack and overwrite the minds of any robot, or 'reploid,' even. Remember, all the reploids were based off of you. I took control of many of them, what makes you think you're going to be any different?"

X let his buster reply. He fired a charged shot into the copy. However, as the smoke cleared, X saw that his shot had done no damage. The copy smiled. "Well, I guess this is going to be difficult, isn't it? Very well then." The copy shot forward and launched a flurry of punches at X.

X, surprised by the lack of damage his attack had done, and also unprepared for the speed at which his opponent retaliated, was unable to dodge out of the way in time. "You know you can't win. This is my battlefield. I can do anything in here."

The copy grabbed X and slammed him into the ground. It then proceeded to violently kick X multiple times. Eventually X began to cough blood as the attack continued unceasingly. Finally the copy leaned over X and said, "man! You are one tough nut to crack. But I'm just getting started." The copy leveled his buster at X and began to charge. X, still battered from the beating the copy had given him closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

"X!"

X heard the voice and his eyes shot open. The copy of himself was still pointing its buster at him, almost ready to fire. But X noticed something was off. The copy didn't fire, even though X was sure it had had enough time to finish its charge. It just stood there, that maniacal grin still shown on its face.

X steadily got up to his feet and saw that the copy did not move to follow him; almost as if it were frozen in place. Then X looked down at himself. All the evidence of the fight between him and the copy was gone and he looked like he hadn't even a scratch on him. "What's going on now?"

"The virus was only half-right; this is your head, but it's not the one that can do anything in here, you are."

"Who said that? Where are you?"

"You know who I am X, and you know where as well."

This time the voice had come from behind him. He spun around as he came face to face, more or less, with the speaker. His eyes widened. "You're…"

"Yes I am."

"But, you've been dead for…"

"A long time. Yes, but I live on in your mind X. I am what you imagined him to be, and I'm here to help."

"Then, you're just a figment of my imagination?"

"Unfortunately, yes. But here in your mind, it's your imagination that has power and you must not underestimate your abilities. The virus that you have been infected with is very cunning, but the only way it can win is if you let it."

"But, how can I fight it? It's me and it knows everything I'm capable of, and all my weaknesses."

"It's not you X. That's just the illusion that it has hidden itself in. You know yourself the best X. Would you really do this?"

"No…but…"

"Then you must look at it and see it as it truly is."

X did so, and gasped in surprise. The clone of himself that had been standing with buster charged had turned into another form; that of Dr. Wily. X suddenly realized what he was seeing. The virus tricked him into thinking he was fighting himself, but now that the illusion was gone, so was the main weapon the virus had been using. "That's what the virus is…"

"Yes, and now that you have the tools to win this fight, you don't need my help any more."

"Wait, where will you be? What if I want to talk to you?"

"You need only think of me X, I exist in your thoughts and I will always be there when you need me. Farewell, and good luck…Mega Man X."

X watched as the figure vanished into thin air. "Farewell, brother."

Suddenly, the virus moved again. Then it noticed that X was no longer underneath it. It also realized that it was not in the form of X anymore. The virus looked up and saw X standing before it. "What the…how did you do that?"

"You have no power here. Get out, now."

The virus snarled, then laughed. "So, you caught a second wind did you? It won't help. I'll show you what happens when someone fights me." The virus brought its hands up and shot out bolts of energy from them. The attack flew towards X, but all he did was close his eyes.

At the last second, the lightning was sent flying away from X by some invisible barrier. Curving in midair, the energy arced back towards its source and impacted with the virus. "Argh! No! How is this possible?"

X seemed to glide on air as he dashed towards the virus, readying an attack. The virus tried to counter X's blows, but X began to move faster and faster, until he became a solid wall of force directed towards the virus. The virus fell against the numerous blows that X was making and finally X stopped. He stood over the virus, buster charging.

"How…I am the Maverick Virus. Sigma couldn't resist me; no reploid could. Even your friends Zero and Axl succumbed to me. How can you resist? Why can't I beat you?"

X's armor was glowing a brilliant shade of blue as his charged shot reached levels of power he had only dreamed of. Then he smiled and said, "you live to destroy; a paradox if ever there was one. I fight to preserve; I fight for everlasting peace!" X's charge finished and he pointed the buster at the virus. "Your time is over Wily! Go back to where you came from!"

The virus saw X pointing the buster at him, releasing the charged blast held within. However, it was right before the energy hit him, that he saw two figures where X had been. He saw X straight away, and then he glimpsed at the second figure, one much shorter then X who was also pointing his buster toward him, adding his power to X's. He realized who that second figure was, and understood how X had found the power to fight back. Just as he had remained after death, so had his enemy, the one that he had finally killed, but had never truly defeated. Mega Man. He screamed out, "NO!!!" Then X's shot hit him. The brilliant white energy cascaded through his body as it began to disintegrate and black tendrils flailed as they were consumed by the white light.

Finally, it was over, and not even dust remained.

X breathed a sigh of relief. "It's over…"

---

"It's over…"

Duo looked up towards the voice. He had brought his hands to his face to protect his head from the blast of X's cannon, but no blast came. He brought his hand down and saw X, buster lowered, with tears in his eyes. Rising quickly, he moved to X's side. "X? Are you alright? What's over?"

"Dr. Wily. He's finally gone. It's all over. The pointless vendetta that caused the death and suffering of all these people, it's finally over. I can finally stop fighting." X fell backwards with this last statement; his energy almost completely drained. He briefly saw warning lights that were telling him to go into stasis to protect himself, but for some reason he did not feel the need to acknowledge them. He was done, he thought to himself, there was no need to do anything else. He closed his eyes and embraced the darkness.

"…I want you to live. Promise me that, X..."

The words rang in X's mind, clear as day, piercing through the black. He could not break his promise. He looked up to Duo. "Cossack's Citadel…father…only one…who can…help." He then fell into auto-stasis to preserve his systems.

Duo understood what X meant and gently picked him up. He surrounded the two of them in his aura and flew off.

---

Hours later, a lone figure walked among the ruins where the battle had been fought. Eventually he came upon his target. "Finally. Zero…you will be my masterpiece. X may have been the alpha, but I shall make you the Omega! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

End Chapter 10

A/N: Well, there's chapter 10. I have to admit, it came out like I wanted it. I hope everyone who reads it will be satisfied. I just have to finish the epilogue and this story will be finito! Please review! I like the feedback.