The Last Standing

A Megaman X fanfiction by Black Mantle

This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Capcom and are used without permission. Cleo, Dash, Katie, Spinstar are © Black Mantle.

The Last Word

The next day, Katie was back on her feet, a new set of feet. She was parading around showing off her new body, a new black frame with blue, white and silver armor, polished to a bright gloss. As she danced over everything in sight, she received numerous catcalls and a couple of marriage proposals, but she didn't care.

Eventually X put a stop to the parade.

"Where did you get the new body?"

"E built it, isn't it great."

X looked her over, it was really impressive. {E definitely does good work.}

"I even feel stronger." Katie demonstrated by comparing her fist with a nearby wall, the wall didn't put up much of a fight.

"Whoops."

X stood there, admiring the hole. "Good, maybe now you won't be spending all your free time out for repairs. Too bad we'll be spending an equal amount of money on renovations. By the way, where is E?"

"He had to go somewhere, I'll be meeting up with him shortly."

* * *

E was back at the museum, looking again upon the holographic images of his former comrades.

"Well, guys, this will be it. I'm never going to forget you, but I have to put you all behind me."

The ghosts didn't respond.

"I know, even if you were functional, it would be something that you couldn't comprehend. There was a time when we were all together, but none of us were really alive, we couldn't feel anything, we didn't understand the world around us, we didn't understand ourselves. There really was no point for us to be remembered as anything more than names in a history book, we were just machines, carrying out a program. We simply existed."

E paused for a second.

"Well, I'm not like that anymore. I am now so much more than just a machine, following the complex pattern of some program. I have a life now, and the whole point of being alive, is to live. Not like before."

"I have dreams of us, back in the 'old' days. Humans call it 'nostalgia', to remember the past in a good light and to long for it. But in the past, we never had good times, we didn't know enjoyment or pleasure or happiness. We just did whatever we were told, and I keep forgetting that. I keep thinking how much better it was when I had you and we were friends, but we weren't friends, that's just how I wanted to remember you. Now you see how troublesome having true emotions can be, it really screws you up."

E looked around the room, counting each of the holograms to make sure they were all present and accounted for.

"I guess I'm here to ask for your forgiveness, but 'forgive' is a word none of you understand." He then focused on his own hologram. "Even you don't understand. And this is why I have to put you all behind me. I can't go on just thinking about you, or trying to make you all out to be something you weren't. I have to move on."

E looked behind him to the main door. Waiting just on the other side was Katie, she was hardly the vibrant woman from before, but waited solemnly for E to finish.

"Inside this room, is what used to be, but outside that door is my new life. And it's time to conclude this with something you probably wouldn't understand either."

E moved towards the door, towards Katie, and took her in his arms. He took one final look back.

"Goodbye."

End

Life is a battle between the living and death,
in a war only death can win.

At the end of the day's fighting, the living rest,
now ensues a fight of darkness for those who remain,
against the shadows, the echoes, the souls of those who failed.

Their choice is to surrender or to fight on,
that is their legacy,
the last standing.

K.E.W.