Disclaimer: Same as usual, except I must add that Mega Man X belongs to Capcom.
THE X FACTOR
It was a peaceful day in Metropolis as people went about their business. However, the day was about to be ruined by a face from the future.
Some men working at a construction site were enjoying lunch when a strange glow of light appeared. "What in the word?" asked one of the workers. He and his fellow co-workers looked at the disk of light in astonishment, wondering what was going on.
Unfortunately, their answer came a moment later when a large machine stepped out. It was heavily-armored and equipped with high-tech weapons. Piloting the machine was a smaller purple robot. Looking around, the robot said, "Yes, this is looks like the perfect place to start. I'm tired of working for Sigma. I'm tired of being used by him. So from now on, I'm on my own. I'll conquer the humans my own way. And if I can't rule the future, then I'll rule the past!"
"Hey, buddy, get out of here!" yelled the boss man. His employees looked at him like he was crazy as he continued. "Who do you think you are, barging in here like that?"
The robot shook his head at the arrogant human. "Humans. Just as arrogant in this time as you are in my time. But I'll humor you. The name's Vile. Not that it will matter much longer." He then took aim at the arrogant boss man. He could only scream in terror as he realized his mistake way too late…
At the Daily Planet, the staff was going about their business when Perry White burst out of his office. "Listen up, people! This just in, an attack was just reported at the hotel construction site! Supposedly by some kind of giant mechanical robot! Let's get on it right now!"
Clark Kent and Lois Lane looked up from the computers and looked at each other. Without a word, they both stood up as Lois said, "Jimmy, you're with me! We'll take my car and take the west road. Clark's going to be taking the east road!"
"Right, Lois," said Jimmy Olsen with a nod. "Let's go!"
Lois and Jimmy raced out of the building one way, while Clark went another way. But Clark wasn't going to be driving. Once he was sure that he was alone, he ducked into another room, removed his glasses, and ripped open his shirt, revealing a certain S-shield…
Vile was on a rampage as civilians fled for their lives. Vile laughed as he said, "Run, humans! There's no escape!" His laughter stopped, however, as a blue and red blur struck his armored carrier three times before stopping.
Superman stood before Vile, saying, "I don't know who you are or where you came from, but you're in the wrong place, mister."
If Vile had a mouth, he would have smirked. Instead, he simply said, "Ah, Superman. The legendary Man of Steel. You will fall just like the humans!" He fired, but his shots didn't faze the Kryptonian.
"Nice try," said Superman. "But you'll have to do better than that." He flew forward, but Vile, being that he was a robot was able to time his armored carrier's movements perfectly, knocking Superman out of the sky and sending him flying into the side of the construction site. As he shook the cobwebs out, Superman said, "Stronger than I thought." He then picked up a steel beam, flew forward and bashed the armored carrier. Superman took another swing, but the armored carrier caught it with its left arm. It then shot a claw from its right arm, sending Superman into the wall of another building. Superman easily broke free, however, saying, "You're weapons can't hurt me."
"Fool!" said Vile. "You think I came here alone?" Another portal opened up and three more robots stepped out. Armored Armadillo turned into his rolling shield form and rolled at Superman with great speed, knocking Superman back. Sting Chameleon fired his Chameleon Sting and got Superman square in the chest, actually causing him pain. Spark Mandrill fired electricity, causing Superman even more pain. Though the electricity wouldn't kill him, there was only so much that even his nervous system could take. This finally knocked him unconscious.
Spark Mandrill said, "That was almost too easy."
"This is Superman?" asked Sting Chameleon with a hiss. "He's not so tough."
"Let's go, Mavericks," said Vile. "We have a city to destroy."
"Yes," agreed Armored Armadillo. "And then, this world will finally be ours." The four Mavericks began to walk away.
Shortly after the robots left, Lois and Jimmy approached and were stunned to see Superman down. He was just getting to his feet as Lois and Jimmy got out of the car. "Superman, are you okay?" asked Lois. "What happened?"
"Those robots overpowered me," answered Superman. "I've got to stop them. But I may need help."
The Geo Rangers were in the Command Center, having been summoned by Zordon. "GEO RANGERS, I JUST RECEIVED A CALL FROM J'ONN. SUPERMAN NEEDS HELP IN METROPOLIS, AND WITH THE RANGERS WORKING ON ANOTHER CASE, YOU ARE BEING SENT THERE."
"Plus, your new Geo Cycles are ready," said Alpha as he approached. "I believe you will be pleased."
"But are we really up to this, though?" asked Mark. "This will be our first time going into battle without Tommy and the others."
"Hey, if we're going to be real Rangers, we have to learn how to handle things ourselves, dudes," said Cody.
"He's right," said Al. "We're ready, Zordon."
"GOOD LUCK, GEO RANGERS, AND MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU."
"Geo Rangers, Unite!"
"POWER OF WIND!"
"POWER OF EARTH!"
"POWER OF WATER!"
"POWER OF THUNDER!"
"POWER OF FIRE!"
The Geo Rangers appeared in Metropolis on their new Geo Cycles. Superman was waiting for them, along with the Martian Manhunter, Isis, and Black Canary. "What's the situation, Superman?" asked Al after she and her team came to a stop.
"Some powerful robots arrived in Metropolis without warning," answered Superman. "Four of them were able to overpower me. That was when I contacted J'onn telepathically."
"I was at the Watchtower when this started," said Martian Manhunter. "I had detected some strange energy. Its signature was very similar to that of a time portal. Shortly before coming here, I detected another one, so there could be more robots to deal with."
Just then, another time portal opened. "Now what?" asked Black Canary.
Her question was answered when Mega Man X, Zero, and Axl stepped through. "Justice League, it is good to see you again," said X.
"I assume you've already confronted Vile and his Maverick followers?" asked Zero.
"I have," answered Superman. "We were just about to go after them again."
"We have some information for you, regarding your Maverick visitors," said X. He then pushed a button on his arm and some holograms appeared. "This is Vile. Like us, he was once a Maverick Hunter, until we learned he was in cahoots with Sigma. He managed to resurrect eight previously-deceased Mavericks to aid him in his time-travel conquest: Flame Mammoth, Chill Penguin, Armored Armadillo, Sting Chameleon, Boomer Kuwanger, Spark Mandrill, Storm Eagle, and Launch Octopus. Though I wish I didn't have to fight, we must put a stop to them."
"We will," said Isis. "Let's go!"
With that, the heroes were off. Superman, Isis, and Martian Manhunter flew. Black Canary rode on her motorcycle, while the Geo Rangers rode their Geo Cycles. X rode with Al, Zero with Cody, and Axl with Brendan.
Flame Mammoth was shooting fire from his trunk as civilians ran in terror. Police charged them, but Chill Penguin froze the ground with a long sheet of ice, causing some of them to slip. Some were barely able to keep their balance, so Chill Penguin slid across the sheet of ice, knocking them aside. Several were hurt, but they would live. "You humans really must learn to keep you cool," said Chill Penguin.
"Let's see how well they keep their cool after I turn up the heat," said Flame Mammoth as he approached some of the downed officers. A few of them attempted to shoot him, but their bullets just bounced off. But before Flame Mammoth could make his move, Superman took him down from behind with a shoulder tackle. Chill Penguin turned to see what was going on, only to be taken down with a lightning strike from Isis.
With the Mavericks down for the moment, Superman turned to the officers and asked, "Are any of you seriously hurt?"
"Some of us, but we can all walk," answered one officer.
"Then get out while you can," said Isis. "Let us handle this."
"You heard the lady," said another officer. "Let's go."
Al got off her cycle and said, "You guys go on, I'll take on the hot-head." Her Fire Sword appeared in her hands as she went into a fighting stance.
"And I'll cool off the Chill Penguin," said Brendan, summoning his Earth Axe. He then asked X and Axl, "Can you guys ride our cycles?"
"No problem," said Axl. "It's not much different than the Ride Chasers in our time."
"Let's go," said Superman as he and the others left the scene.
"Well, well, two more humans for us to snuff out," said Flame Mammoth.
"You're no match for us!" declared Chill Penguin. "Give up!"
"Sorry, not gonna happen," said Al. The two Mavericks then charged the two Rangers, Al and Brendan meeting them head on.
Flame Mammoth swung at Al with his fists, but the Red Fire Ranger was too fast for him and avoided his attacks. She countered by slashing him with her Fire Sword, damaging his body. "You'll pay dearly for that, Ranger!" yelled Flame Mammoth. He then sent a stream of fire towards Al, but the Red Fire Ranger countered with a stream of her own from her weapon. It was a battle of wills as Al was forced to her knees. However, she let out a primal scream as she pushed the fire back at her opponent, causing him to cry out in pain. As he thrashed about, burning, Al absorbed the fire back into her sword.
Flame Mammoth fell to his knees, his body severely damaged. "Give up?" asked Al.
"Never," said Flame Mammoth. "We shall crush the humans!" He got up with every ounce of strength he had left and charged towards Al.
"Have it your way." The Fire Sword then flashed with a burst of flame and Al jumped. When she came down, she sliced the Maverick clean in half. Both halves fell to the ground and exploded. "It's true what they say: You play with fire, and you're gonna get burned."
Chill Penguin shot blocks of ice at Brendan, but he struck them with his Earth Axe. As he did so, the Green Earth Ranger charged forward and struck Chill Penguin twice. Chill Penguin shook off the attack, however, and said, "Cool off, Ranger!" He then froze Brendan and created another sheet of ice on the ground. He then slid towards the helpless Ranger, sending him flying.
"Man, I've never felt anything like that!" said a stunned Brendan as he struggled to his feet. Chill Penguin then created another sheet of ice and slid towards Brendan again, but this time Brendan countered by causing a portion of the ground to shoot up, launching the surprised Maverick. Brendan then jumped in the air and struck his opponent again, sending him crashing to the ground. "Had enough?"
"I'm just beginning!" cried Chill Penguin defiantly as he shot more blocks of ice. This time, Brendan threw his axe towards Chill Penguin. It embedded itself deep in Chill Penguin's chest. He then fell on his back and exploded.
"It didn't have to be this way, you know," said Brendan as he shook his head.
In another part of Metropolis, Armored Armadillo and Launch Octopus were causing severe property damage. Armored Armadillo was in his rolling shield form and was rolling through the streets and bouncing off the sides of buildings in random patterns. As he stopped and came out of his ball form, Launch Octopus launched some missiles at some civilians, but Superman stepped in front of some of them, allowing them to hit him. Axl handled the rest by hovering and firing his Axl Bullets. Turning to the two Mavericks, Axl said, "You cowards!"
"A Hunter!" cried out a surprised Launch Octopus in his gurgling voice.
"Make that three!" cried X. Armored Armadillo and Launch Octopus turned to see X and Zero along with the assembled Justice Leaguers.
"I'll take them on," said Cody as he stepped off of his Black Geo Cycle.
"I'll help," said Zero as he got off and drew his Z-Saber. "The rest of you try and find Vile."
"You heard him," said Black Canary. "Let's go." With that, the others left, leaving Cody and Zero to deal with the two Mavericks.
"You take on Armored Armadillo," said Zero. "I'll take launch Octopus."
"Gotcha," said Cody. "Let's show these dudes what we're made of."
"You're both soft, is what you are," said Armored Armadillo. He then turned into his rolling shield form, knocking down both Zero and the Black Thunder Ranger. Launch Octopus then launched missiles at them, but Zero recovered quickly and sliced up the missiles before charging his opponent.
By the time Armored Armadillo had come out of his ball formation, Cody was back to his feet. Cody then went on the offensive, starting with a flying kick. He then threw several punches and kicks. Armored Armadillo blocked many of them, and the ones that did make contact seemed to have little or no effect. "Foolish human!" cried Armored Armadillo with a laugh. "Why do you think I'm called ARMORED Armadillo?" He then fired lasers from his head, sending Cody flying.
"You're tough, dude, I'll give you that," admitted Cody as he got up. "But let's see how well you handle this." He then summoned his Thunder Staff and fired lightning bolts at Armored Armadillo, causing him to scream in pain. "Whoa, I actually hurt him!" cried Cody in surprise. "I wonder…?"
But Cody had no time to ponder as Armored Armadillo yelled, "You'll pay dearly for that!" He then went back into his rolling shield form and rolled towards Cody. This time, the Black Thunder Ranger was able to move out of the way, but the Maverick kept coming. Cody fired lightning bolts from his staff, but this time, they seemed to have no effect.
"Looks like I'll have to wait until he stops doing that," said Cody. Armored Armadillo kept rolling towards Cody, but he persevered and managed to dodge several more attacks, building his concentration as he did so. His opponent didn't realize it, but the sky was getting cloudy. When Armored Armadillo finally came out of his ball form, Cody saw his chance and a bolt of lightning came from the sky. It struck Armored Armadillo, causing him to scream louder than he did before as the pain was more intense than last time. This caused his armor to fall apart and left him disoriented. Cody laughed and cried out enthusiastically, "It worked!" He then charged and used his staff to pole vault himself towards his stunned opponent, landing a flying kick. He then struck Armored Armadillo twice with his Thunder Staff. After that, he stabbed his weapon into the ground and swung around on it, landing a kick to the side of the head. He did it again, causing Armored Armadillo to stumble back. The evil robot desperately fired his lasers, but Cody avoided them and charged, the top of his staff surging with lightning. He then thrust his Thunder Staff forward and impaled Armored Armadillo.
Knowing this was the end, Armored Armadillo said weakly, "I can't believe…I lost…to a…human." He then fell and exploded.
Zero swung at Launch Octopus, but the Maverick kept dodging. When he saw his opportunity, he wrapped his arms around Zero and said, "Now, your energy will be mine!" He then began absorbing Zero's energy, weakening him.
Zero gritted his teeth and said, "Not…today!" Using every ounce of strength he had, he cut the arms that were holding him, causing Launch Octopus to cry out in pain. This gave Zero the opportunity to cut off the other arms, causing his opponent more pain. A kick to the chest then knocked Launch Octopus on his rear. "Come peacefully and pay for your crimes or you'll force me to destroy you."
"Not a chance!" cried Launch Octopus defiantly as he got to his feet. He then charged forward and Zero swung his Z-Saber, decapitating Launch Octopus. Defeated, he fell to the ground and exploded.
Storm Eagle and Boomer Kuwanger were causing destruction elsewhere. Storm Eagle was blowing away cars and people while Boomer Kuwanger was throwing the boomerang on his head at people as they ran. Martian Manhunter flew forward and knocked down Storm Eagle while Isis blew Boomer Kuwanger's boomerang back at him. "Well, if it isn't members of the legendary Justice League," said Storm Eagle.
"That's right," said Karen. "So leave while you can, or we'll make you leave."
"You're welcome to try," said Boomer Kuwanger. "Though I doubt you can possibly stand up to us."
"Hey, you're talking to a Hunter here, so watch your mouth," said Axl as he stepped off the Green Geo Cycle. As he drew his guns, he added, "I'll handle these guys."
"I'll help," said Karen.
"As will I," added Black Canary. Both ladies stepped off of their respective rides.
When the rest of the heroes were gone, Storm Eagle asked, "Shall we get things started then?" He then attempted to blow away his three opponents, but Karen countered with her own winds.
Boomer Kuwanger grabbed his boomerang, but Axl cried, "Oh, no you don't!" He fired, knocking the boomerang out of Boomer Kuwanger's hand. This allowed Black Canary to charge forward and land a flying kick. This caused Boomer Kuwanger to stumble back. Canary then connected with two roundhouse kicks.
"You think I need my boomerang to handle you, human?" asked Boomer Kuwanger. He then charged forward at super speed, knocking Canary down with a shoulder block. However, this allowed Axl to charge forward and pour his Axl Bullets into Boomer Kuwanger's body. This knocked Bommer Kuwanger down, but he managed to grab his boomerang and knocked Axl's guns out of his hands. He then put his boomerang back on his head and charged forward, grabbing Axl with the boomerang on his head and threw him away like a rag doll. But this gave Black Canary the opportunity to send him flying with the Canary Cry. He crashed into the side of a building.
Boomer Kuwanger looked up to see Axl approaching, having recovered his guns. Axl looked at him and nodded, saying, "Yep, we seem to be just about the same size." He then fired at Boomer Kuwanger, destroying him. When that was done, he turned into Boomer Kuwanger and said in the villain's own voice, "Boy, is Vile going to be in for a shock."
While this was going on, both Karen and Storm Eagle realized that neither of them could overpower the other with their winds. Storm Eagle said, "I must admit, you're good. But not good enough." He then flew forward and struck Karen down. He took to the air and dove towards the Pink Wind Ranger, taking her down a second time. He tried again, but this time, Karen was able to dodge.
Summoning her Wind Bow, Karen said, "This ought to clip your wings." She then fired three shots, knocking Storm Eagle out of the air.
"You'll pay for that!" cried Storm Eagle as he began flapping his wings. Karen had trouble maintaining her footing, but she managed to leap into the air and fired two more shots, knocking her opponent back. Using her bow like a sword, she struck him twice before firing one more time, this time at point-blank range, blasting a hole in him. Realizing he was finished, Storm Eagle said, "I guess…I was wrong. You are…strong…enough." He then fell and exploded.
Karen shook her head and said, "I wish there had been another way."
Spark Mandrill and Sting Chameleon were causing mayhem, with Spark Mandrill firing huge balls of electricity and Sting Chameleon firing his Chameleon Sting from his tail. Mark ran over Sting Chameleon with the Blue Geo Cycle. Spark Mandrill looked surprised, but before he could do anything, X cried out, "Hold it right there, Spark Mandrill!"
"Cease your attacks, or you will force us to stop you," declared Superman.
"We don't take orders from you, Kryptonian," said Spark Mandrill.
"No," agreed Sting Chameleon. "But we do take orders to destroy. And Vile has ordered us to destroy you all!"
"You and X go on ahead, Big Blue," said Mark. "Isis, J'onn, and I should be able to handle things here."
Superman and X nodded before leaving the scene. Spark Mandrill then cried, "Fry, Justice Leaguers, fry!" He then sent another ball of electricity towards Isis and Martian Manhunter, but they were able to dodge. Martian Manhunter then flew forward and landed two punches to the jaw before landing an uppercut. Mark landed a flying kick and two roundhouses before Spark Mandrill knocked them both away. He then threw another ball of electricity at J'onn and Mark, but J'onn grabbed the Blue Water Ranger, made them both intangible, and the electricity went right through them.
"You missed," said Martian Manhunter.
"But I won't," said Mark as he summoned his Water Cannon. He then sprayed Spark Mandrill with an intense blast of water, cancelling his powers. Martian Manhunter then turned into a big gorilla and slugged the disoriented Maverick several times.
J'onn changed back into his normal self. "It's over, Spark Mandrill." He then made himself intangible, reached into Spark Mandrill's chest, and removed his core. Spark Mandrill fell and exploded.
Sting Chameleon fired his Chameleon Sting at Isis, but the human goddess avoided the shots. Sting Chameleon then swung his tail, but Isis grabbed it and slung him into the side of a building. As he got to his feet, Sting Chameleon said, "You can't stop me if you can't see me." He then turned himself invisible.
But Isis was undeterred. "Rain from above, fall at your leisure, help me find this pesky creature." The rain started coming down and sure enough, Isis was just able to see Sting Chameleon's outline as he tried to attack. But Isis swung her fist, knocking him out of the air with one punch. Sting Chameleon became visible again and the rain stopped. "Give up?"
"Mavericks never give up!" cried Sting Chameleon in defiance. He jumped forward, but Isis struck with a lightning bolt, obliterating him.
Vile was stomping down the streets in his armored carrier as people ran in panic. "Run humans!" he gloated. "Your so-called Superman has abandoned you!" He laughed, only to feel his armored carrier get rocked. He turned to see Superman standing before him again. "You dare to challenge me again after the humiliation I served on you last time?"
"Fool," said Superman with a smirk. "You think I came here alone?" X then sped past Vile on the Red Geo Cycle, landing several shots, both to Vile himself and his armored carrier.
Vile snarled, "Good old X. I was wondering if you'd show your face. When are you going to realize that nothing you do makes any difference? If Superman couldn't stop me, what makes you think you can? Can't you see it's hopeless?"
"As long as I'm standing, there's hope," said X as he stepped forward and stood by Superman's side. He then pointed his X-Buster at Vile and said, "Come back to the future with me peacefully. This madness doesn't have to continue."
Vile laughed and said, "Oh, X, you never fail to crack me up. I will never surrender! And even if you destroy me, I'll just come back again and again. I will not be satisfied until you are dead!" He then fired at both heroes, but they were able to dodge.
X jumped into the air, charged his X-Buster, and fired. Superman flew forward and landed both fists into the chest of the armored carrier. X fired at Vile, but Vile held up the fist of his carrier to block the shots. Superman flew forward again, but Vile bashed him away. He then fired the claw hand on his armored carrier, connecting with X and pinning him into the side of a building. Superman broke the cable attached to the claw hand with his heat vision, freed X, and threw the claw hand into the chest of Vile's armored carrier. X then charged his X-Buster and fired again, sending the claw hand deeper into the chest of the armored carrier. Undeterred, Vile dashed forward and swung the fist of the armored carrier at X, but this time, Superman caught it. "Not this time, Vile," said the Man of Steel with a frown. He then yanked the arm out of the armored carrier and swung it, sending the armored carrier flying. X then jumped as high as he could go and pushed off the side of the building, flying over Vile and onto the side of another building. He slid down the side of the building and fired a partially-charged shot at the armored carrier's control panel as Vile was trying to stand it up. With Vile temporarily disoriented, Superman flew forward and dug both fists into the chest of the armored carrier. Vile recovered to see Superman looking him straight in the eye. With a frown, Superman said, "It's over, Vile." He then began vibrating both fists at super-speed. This destroyed the armored carrier, leaving nothing but chips of metal as Vile jumped out at the last second.
Superman and X stood side-by-side as Vile stared them down. "You've destroyed my armored carrier. But I never give up!" He then fired at both of his opponents, but Superman stood in front of X and was unfazed by the shots.
X stepped out from behind Superman and pointed his X-Buster at Vile. He said, "Surrender now while you still can. Please. If you want to live, it's your best option."
"Never!" yelled Vile defiantly. He then charged Superman and X, only to be knocked down by a boomerang. He turned and saw Boomer Kuwanger standing before him! "Boomer Kuwanger?" he asked in shock. "I can't believe you would betray me like this!"
"He didn't," said Boomer Kuwanger. He then transformed into Axl, who smirked and said, "I took care of him a second ago."
"Axl?" asked Vile in disbelief.
"Among others," said Zero as he and the other Justice Leaguers approached. "Now, will you surrender?"
"NEVER!" screamed Vile. He then began firing wildly at the heroes, but they avoided the shots.
As the Geo Rangers regrouped, Al said, "This guy's nuts! Let's put him out of his misery."
"Right," agreed the other Geo Rangers. With that, they proceeded to form the Geo Blaster.
"I guess we have no choice but to destroy him," said X. He then charged his X-Buster and fired.
The Geo Rangers fired the Geo Blaster.
Isis fired a lightning strike.
Black Canary used the Canary Cry.
Axl fired his Axl Bullets.
Superman and Martian Manhunter punched him simultaneously.
Vile was sent flying towards Zero, who sliced him in half with his Z-Saber. Vile fell to the ground and exploded.
A few hours later, after helping with the clean-up as much as they could, the heroes gathered with Lois and Jimmy present. X, Zero, and Axl had refused to let Jimmy take pictures of them as they didn't want anyone to know that they were from the future. Jimmy was disappointed, but understood. Finally, it was time for the three Maverick Hunters to go home. As he shook hands with Superman, X said, "It was an honor working with you again, Superman. I hope we can see each other again someday."
"The feeling's mutual, X," said Superman with a smile.
"You Geo Rangers keep up the good work," said Zero. "You're developing into quite the heroes."
"Wow, thanks," said Karen.
The time portal then opened. "That's our cue," said Axl. "Bye, everyone!"
"Later, dudes," said Cody as he and the others waved good-bye.
When the time portal disappeared, Jimmy said in astonishment, "That was awesome! Too bad we can't print it."
"Don't worry, I'm sure we can work something out," said Superman. "Let's go. You deserve to have some story." He then turned to the others and asked, "Any of you want to come along?"
"No, thank you, Superman," said Isis. "We've got to be getting back."
"Just don't leave us out," said Brendan.
"We won't," said Lois with a smile. "I'm sure it'll be perfectly alright to include you guys." Superman then grabbed Lois and Jimmy and took off.
When they were gone, Martian Manhunter said, "I believe it is time for us to go home."
"Congratulations, Geo Rangers," added Isis with a smile. "You did very well on your first mission without the other Rangers."
"Indeed," agreed Black Canary. "You should be proud of yourselves." J'onn nodded in agreement.
"Thanks," said Mark. "That means a lot coming from you three."
"Let's get going," said Al. "I'm starved."
With that, everyone began to head home.
THE END
Next Time: All Hallows' Eve