Chapter 28: Desert race
- - -
One by one, the resistance commanders left the room, each briefed and assigned a task, until only Ciel and Zero remained.
"Now let's talk about your mission", she prompted, once again examining the data on the main screen.
Zero also regarded the map that was on display. The whole desert area was split into hexagons and the separate units, along with their predetermined scouting routes, were prominently displayed. "It's a no-brainer really. You have enough forces to cover all of the area, barely, but we all know chances are the shuttle has crashed somewhere around area TG-76a", he stated, indicating an hexagon close to the map's center. "By sticking close to this area, not only will I have good chances to locate the shuttle but I'll be close enough to help any other unit that does."
Ciel frowned a bit at that. "Neo-Arcadia has already deployed a T-net around area TG-76a. Not even escape units will be working", she commented, pointing at a red-rimmed circle that covered most of the map.
Zero nodded. "We will have to either locate and destroy their T-net device, hack its codes or move any survivors out of its range before we can save them. I will be able to help with any of these tasks."
Ciel eyed him uncertainly. "Who are you taking with you?"
"I'll just take Nephar along."
The pink-clad scientist puffed her cheeks, openly glaring at him, or at least she tried to. The result was more comical and cute than intimidating.
Zero successfully suppressed laughter. "No, let me finish. We have been training together for a while. Nephar is far more competent than the average metool."
Ciel shook her head. "I have heard both your report and Bianka's. I know Nephar is a metool only in shape. Still, it's not enough. Take twenty soldiers with you. They'll be under your command."
Zero frowned. "I can move much faster alone and you can't pull these soldiers from under their commanding officers. I don't even have a rank inside the Resistance and I think it's for the best."
The girl sighed. "At least take Bolthor, Bianka and the two elves with you."
"Bianka and Isis are already assigned in Colbor's team and he'll be needing all the help he can get. His assigned area is very dangerous", reminded her the crimson warrior.
"Then take Bolthor and Siri. I refuse to let you there alone, Zero. The Jin'en travel in groups of at least twenty."
Zero cocked a brow at that. "I was right. You do seem awfully worried about this mission."
She lowered her gaze in response. "I messed up during the factory mission, Zero. I completely missed the secondary security system and got you and Bianka trapped. You had to fight that terrible thing by yourselves."
It was his turn to sigh. "The secondary system was off the network gird. You said so yourself. Plus, the Hydragon would have massacred any regular soldiers. We barely had enough space to dodge as it was."
Ciel was, quite uncharacteristically, close to tears. "I was supposed to know that! As your navigator I'm supposed to know these things", she shouted, turning around and refusing to look at him.
"Yes, I suppose omnipotence and precognition are tough qualities to have", he joked, ignoring Ciel's snort. "Look, I'm not asking for miracles and I'm not promising any. I know you always do your best and that's enough for me", he added a bit softer, placing a hand on her shoulder. She tensed at first then relaxed, turning to face him with a faint smile on her lips.
"Zero, I... thank you."
The blond warrior simply nodded, turned around and went to leave the room. "I need to be going now. I'll probably take Bolthor and Siri along, after all."
Ciel tried to say something more and actually extended her hand to stop him, but he was already out of her reach. She sighed again, clenching her hand and slowly returning her arm to her side. "Stupid", she whispered, feeling her face that was blushing. "How stupid I am..."
-c-c-
"What a moving scene. Why, I think my eyes went teary."
This time Axl was not surprised. The voice he heard behind him was quite characteristic of its owner. The black hunter had already realized his current adventure was not exactly real and frankly expected this visitor.
"What do you want, Sigma?" he asked almost bored.
The old Maverick leader circled around Axl slowly, his steps large and audible. He was sporting his first body, the body he had been created with and the one he had rebelled with. "Why, I'm hurt. I might not have as much history with you as with X and Zero, but we have fought each other many times. Is this any way to greet an old friend?"
Axl sighed wearily. "You are dead. As in dead-dead. You won't be coming back for millennia, if ever. In fact, I'm convinced you are nothing more than a figment of my imagination."
To his surprise, the larger reploid nodded slowly. "It is unfortunate, really. There just isn't anybody as foolish as Gate used to be. I have to put myself back together the old-fashioned way. However, I am here now. You called me."
Axl frowned. "I'm not so sure about that. You are the last person I'd want to see."
Sigma raised a brow at that. "And Lumine was someone you did want to see?"
The black hunter snorted at that, producing his pistol and taking aim right at Sigma's red forehead orb. "I'm not in the mood for your games, Sigma. Fight or flee if you must but stop standing there like we are old pals."
The Maverick shrugged then turned and started walking away. "Sure. Just keep making me proud, kid", he added, causing Axl's eyes to go wide.
A shot from the black hunter's weapon hit the floor before the Maverick leader, forcing him to stop. "What do you mean I make you proud?" he demanded.
Sigma turned around only partially. Even though his eyes lacked visible irises, Axl could tell one of them was starring right at him. "Do you know what my ultimate goal always was?" he inquired instead of offering the expected answer.
Axl kept frowning. "You wanted to kill the humans and rule over anything that was left."
Sigma smiled widely at that. "Wrong! I might have wanted both of these things, but my main goal was is and will always be evolution. I just thought the humans were incapable of becoming better, therefor I had to eliminate them. You hunters proved me wrong-for now."
"What does your precious evolution have to do with me?"
The larger reploid started chuckling, then laughing. Axl regarded him incredulously. There was a certain surrealism in watching the dreaded embodiment of the Maverick Virus losing it like that. Sigma wiped a few tears from his eyes, which was weird by itself since Axl knew that at least his first body did not include tear ducts. At long last, he calmed down enough to speak. "Like X, Light, Zero, Gate and Weil, you continue surviving in some form and even thriving. It is very ironic X became what I wanted to be, really. Ruler of most of the civilized world. And you! You used your copy chip to become an almost exact copy of Zero. Surely it messed you up, but you survived and next time you try it, it will be less severe."
Axl shuddered at that. "I don't think I'll be taking any more chances."
Sigma smirked. "Each of us is driven by many things, Axl. Mine was ambition, contempt and desire. X is more of a compassion and progress kind of guy while Zero survives on a peculiar conglomeration of friendship, loyalty and bloodlust. If what drives you demands it, you will be using that power again and more. Provided you do survive this time."
The black hunter blinked at that. "I'm still asleep, aren't I? In a coma perhaps?" he asked unsure.
"That's for you to figure out", replied Sigma cryptically. "If you survive, you will keep getting stronger and that pleases me immensely. At least until my great return", he added mirthfully.
This time, Axl smirked back "And I'll be ready for you. Next time I see your ugly mug, I'll get rid of you for a billion years."
The only response was Sigma's laughter that slowly faded away as he walked away and vanished. Axl watched his back the whole time, then stiffened when he felt another, different presence behind him. "Who is this time? This is getting tiresome", he exclaimed as he turned around. The person behind him, though, caused a wide smile to appear on his face.
"Did you miss me, Axl?"
-c-c-
Second Neo-Arcadian guardian Fefnir marched on the scorching hot sand with little regard. Compared to his last polar mission, this locale was paradise. Despite the fact his body was even more tolerant of low temperatures than of high, he felt much more at ease under the radiant and unmerciful desert sun. The fact he was allowed to destroy anything in this area without his siblings whining about collateral damage was an added bonus.
There was only one factor ruining his good mood. "A walk through the desert! Isn't it romantic, general?" inquired Anubis Necromancess the Third while floating next to him.
Fefnir regarded his second in command and frowned. Anubis' design was a cruel joke in his opinion. The Egyptian-themed reploid was of the female persuasion in anything but her face. Fefnir's second in command had an alluring female voice and a matching, perfectly humanoid body from the neck down when she removed her armor. She was also a skilled and reliable warrior with unique powers, a talented strategist and very good company, all of which were very attractive to the red general. However, Fefnir could not get over Anubis' only flaw. Just like her namesake, her head resembled the head of a jackal and the armor was non-removable.
"Anubis, I believe I gave you a direct order to stop flirting with me in any shape, kind or form", he growled, trying to ignore the snickers and catcalls from the subordinates behind him. The Jin'en regime was far less regal than Harpuia's Rekku army. Fefnir only demanded discipline when it was truly needed and would rather brawl with any troublemakers and show them who's boss rather than court-martial them.
"Oh, but I can't help it, general. My mechanical heart beats so loud in your presence." Just because Fefnir did not enjoy the attention, it didn't mean Anubis was about to give up. The Neo-Arcadian desert combat specialist was nothing if not persistent. After she had tried to get a make-over and learned that changing her facial features would interfere with her powers and perhaps her survival, she decided to forego subtlety and keep hitting on the her hapless general as much as possible. Her tactical value was too great to threaten her rank, after all, and she was well aware that if not for her unfortunate facial features, she would have had Fefnir wrapped around her finger. She had decided she would whittle away his resistance in time.
For the time being, the red general was less than amused. Sighing, he stepped to his left yet again, trying to maintain a strictly professional distance between himself and Anubis. He idly wondered how much off their original route they were because of his constant sidestepping.
His musings were interrupted by one of his soldiers' voice. "Incoming hostiles at nine o'clock, sir", he cautioned, looking at his portable datapad. Fefnir turned to regard him. While he was not really meant for combat, his tactical and analyzing skills and equipment were impressive.
"Is it the Resistance, Aug?" he inquired, addressing him by name while scanning the area to his left.
"Negative, sir", replied his subordinate in a formal tone. After squinting a bit at his screen, Aug continued. "It appears to be a team of rogue mechaniloids. Specifically camel-shaped ones. They are fire-based and classified as a rank C threat but there are quite a lot of them."
Fefnir sighed a bit. Aug had been transferred recently from the Rekku army and was always very stiff around him. "It could have been worse", he mumbled. "He could have been from the Meikai army. Fairy always picks the loony ones." The news was a welcome distraction, though, not only because of the prospect of facing some action but also because his soldiers could use the experience. Instead of using his comm, Fefnir raised his voice high enough to be heard by everyone. "Listen up soldiers! We have a minor fight before us. A bunch of mechaniloids has decided to try their luck against us. Consider the following battle as high grade training. Whoever scores the most frags will be considered for rank advancement. Be sure to read the enemy data through the TacNet." At the end of his sentence, the red general nodded at Aug, prompting him to share his information with everyone. The download took less than a second.
Anubis decided to act her rank for once. "Should we use a specific attack plan?"
Fefnir snorted. "It's not necessary. This enemy is a joke, but if it will make you feel better, use basic formation Theta." Said formation was meant for armies with a large amount of melee fighters and a small number of ranged ones and was used to prevent the close attackers from obscuring the shooters' line of sight. While most in the Jin'en army could fulfill both roles, they usually preferred the close and personal approach.
"As you wish, my general", she responded, ignoring his ensuing groan.
-c-c-
Once again, the Transerver room was buzzing with activity. The dedicated operator, especially assigned to this post because of the occasion, could barely keep things under control. The procedure was simple in principal. Each search team leader would enter the room, give the operator a list with the soldiers he was taking with him, then wait for his team number to be called.
In practice, the problems were abundant. The whole operation was planned hastily since time was an issue. Sometimes, two team leaders would try to draft the same soldier. In many occasions, the teams were not complete when their turn came, resulting in lost time and lost temper. Also, many Resistance soldiers would decide it would be a good idea to go and ask the operator in charge about who their assigned team leader was.
Zero couldn't suppress a smirk when he reached the corridor before the server room. Amidst the chaos and confusion, nobody gawked at his entrance. It was refreshing not to be marked as a legendary hero for once.
It wasn't too hard for him to find who he was looking for. Bolthor and Bianka's power signatures were like Venus amidst the stars. Hard to miss if you knew what you were looking for. The two reploids were close to Colbor's group, one of the more sane-looking teams.
Colbor noticed him immediately, offering his hand and grasping his wrist in a typical warrior's handshake. "Good to see you again Zero. If you weren't getting your own team, I would have gone to some serious lengths to draft you in mine."
The red hunter grinned. "I fear it will be the other way around. I'll be taking some of your people if they want to come."
Colbor's eyes went wide at that. "Let me keep Bianka", he pleaded. "My team is getting one of the ruin areas and she is the only pathfinder I've got."
"As well as the best you could find", added Bolthor, quickly joining the conversation.
"I'm not that good", replied said white ninja, appearing from behind the gray warrior's bulk.
"Exactly. You are actually much better", riposted Bolthor, always ready to boost her ailing self-confidence.
Zero faked a cough to remind everybody of his presence before the couple could go on. "Actually, Ciel wanted me to take both of you along as well as both of our favorite cyber-elves. She is very antsy about this mission. I settled with only taking Bolthor and Siri along, though, and only if they agree. You get to baby-sit the pyromaniac", he explained, retaining a straight face even when everybody else listening snickered.
As if summoned by his voice, the elves appeared above the group. "I'm old enough not to need to be baby-sat or protected from the cold harsh world", complained Isis half-seriously.
Siri assumed a rare mischievous smile. "You don't get it, do you? It's the world that needs protection from you." Isis' response at that was consistent with her usual levels of maturity, as well as less vocal and more physical.
As the white elf tried to kick her multicolored companion off the air, Bolthor turned to regard Zero. "I'll be happy to work with you. After all, with Bianka there Colbor will be hard-pressed to run into trouble."
Zero nodded. "As long as you don't mind, we'll leave at once, provided the two elves above me don't kill each other first", he replied.
As on cue, Isis stopped trying to commit cyber-elficide and landed on Zero's shoulder. "What do you mean you'll leave at once? We have been waiting for almost half an hour for the queue to empty."
Siri landed on his other shoulder. "I'm pretty sure Zero and his team have priority", she offered.
The red hunter nodded at that. "That's right. Special team, special privileges", he clarified, for once quite a bit smugly.
Isis took exception to that. "That's not fair! Just because you are a super-duper hero of legend and then some, does it mean you get to go first?"
Zero and Siri glanced at each other momentarily then turned to Isis again. "Of course!" they replied in unison.
The white cyber-elf blinked at the response delivered in stereo, then took flight, buzzing around Colbor's head. "Why couldn't you be someone more important? Even an insignificant maverick hunter that has survived the Elf Wars would have been enough! Or you could go challenge a Guardian and win. That would show them!"
The Resistance commander looked sheepish, taking a step back and glancing at Zero pleadingly. The crimson warrior simply waved goodbye and after Bolthor had received his customary good luck kiss from Bianka, the two male warriors walked towards the Transerver room along with Siri and Nephar, that seemed to appear out of thin air.
-c-c-
"Did you miss me, Axl?"
The voice was high-pitched and very childish, but there was also a darker, sad undertone present. Axl smiled widely, unconsciously passing his hand through the spikes of his hair. "Cinnamon! Cinny! I was hoping to see you again."
The nurse reploid mirrored his expression. "You know I'm not really here, though, don't you?"
Axl sighed. "I'd rather not think like that", he replied soberly. Hesitantly, he took her hands in his own, then embraced her. "I missed you. When I learned Giga city had been attacked during the evacuation I did my best to find what had happened to you. Everybody was going crazy back then. Nobody knew who had been evacuated and whether the evac points were safe. All records were lost when the overseer mainframe short-circuited and later Weil came to the open. I'm so sorry…"
Cinnamon hugged the black hunter tighter for he was very close to tears. "There is nothing to forgive, Axl. You won the war for us and you keep doing your best", after a while, she held him at arm's length. "We might not be able to divine the future, but we still have our mutual treasured memories. Live well and know I will always be there for you."
"Thank you, Cinny. It means a lot." After some moments of silence, the redhead hunter raised a brow. "So what lesson are you here to teach me? Even I have figured out each of you hides a meaning."
Cinnamon seemed amused. "It's two things actually. First of all, not every metaphysical experience such as this should have a hidden secret message." She laughed aloud when Axl gawked, then her eyes softened. "Secondly, you have been here for a long while. If we are to ever meet again for real, you must wake up, sleepyhead", she added affectionately.
At his unsure visage, she giggled, rushing forward and causing their noses to bump. "Here, let me give you an appetizer", she whispered, then kissed him on the lips with fervent intensity. The black hunter promptly had his higher brain circuit functions suspended and closed his eyes, letting himself be lost in the sensation.
After what seemed like a couple eternities, he opened them again, only to feel the slight sting of the blue suspension fluid around his body. Then the real pain came. An abrupt neural system reboot following a long time of inactivity might be relatively safe for a reploid but it's also one of the most painful experiences, just a bit milder that getting ripped in half.
"Son of a bitch!", he tried to scream, although what came out sounded a lot more as an indecipherable burble.
-c-c-
Bianka signaled the rest of her unit to stay silent, then motioned at Isis. The white cyber-elf nodded, phasing through the ruin walls and vanishing from sight. Many moments passed, resulting some of the soldiers to start fidgeting. Colbor was fast to glare at them and bring them back to order, though. At length, the cyber-elf returned and after exchanging a glance with the white ninja, she nodded towards the opposite direction. The whole team moved with great stealth toward the designated region and only allowed themselves to relax after a full four minutes.
"They are there alright", started Isis seriously. "It looked like an outpost of some kind. Five red-armored guards, four pantheons and a couple techies with a lot of equipment. They are busy setting up shop. No stationary defenses though."
Colbor appeared thoughtful at that. "We can either avoid them or try to take them out. Each option has its risks." While the Resistance commander had a lot of experience under his belt, he didn't really feel confident about his rank. Superb leadership skills had been Milan's thing, after all. "What do you think, Bianka?"
The white ninja was far from a paragon of confidence, but her strategic grasp was strong. "Trying to take them on will be dangerous, but leaving them be is worse. They are apparently coordinating the Jin'en units in the immediate area and even if we avoid those, we will still be traced when they finish deploying their sensors."
Colbor nodded. "First of all, we will need a distraction." His eyes slowly turned to Isis. The cyber-elf was floating at eye level, tiny hands at either sides of her waist, and she was smirking a bit maniacally.
-c-c-
Fefnir leaped above a camel-shaped mechaniloid, effortlessly avoiding the flamethrower grafted in its mouth. His buster's jaws closed around the camel's head and his momentum ensured the vital body part was ripped right off its body's frame. Landing casually, he spin-kicked another desert mount imitation then fired off a tongue of flame, spearheaded by the rapidly melting camel head. Not spying any other immediate target, he performed an about face just in time to see a spike formed from sand as it perforated another mammal mockery.
Millions of sand particles left the ground and congealed to form Anubis' body. Nobody had yet figured out how her sand-form ability worked and their inability to replicate the Jin'en second in command was the reason for both her value and her continued cosmetic curse. "This last kill I dedicate to you, master Fefnir", she proclaimed, performing a respectful bow.
For a split second the red general genially smiled for she always had a way to make him laugh. It might as well have been a mirage for how long it lasted. "Don't be so cocky about scraping a nuisance like that", he huffed, trying to regain his composure. Anubis' self-satisfied smirk, however, told him she had picked up his initial reaction.
Grumbling to himself, Fefnir inspected the rest of his men. A couple of them were slightly charred at spots but it was exclusively armor damage. "Was that all of them?" he asked, facing Aug.
Said tactical scout consulted his datapad. "Affirmative, general. There is another herd twenty clicks from our current position, but they are way out of our operations area."
The red general nodded, quite a bit wistfully. He would have loved to take on the second herd, but a mission was a mission. The shuttle had to be found or his master would get very very cranky. Copy X had many cruel and unusual ways to show his displeasure.
"Ignore them but notify the other divisions. These things are enemies of Neo-Arcadia, after all, and should be eliminated should one of the other teams happens upon them. Target of opportunity range should be five clicks." While Aug relayed his general's message, Fefnir spoke to Anubis. "We are closer to where the crash site must be. Let's split our forces again. You will lead the one half while I'll take the rest."
Anubis frowned at that, not eager to leave his side. "Don't you think I could serve you better by staying at your side?" she asked, quite a bit wistfully.
If not for the jackal face, her watery eyes would have soundly caved in Fefnir's resolve. As it was, the red guardian let a long-suffering sigh. "Think practically, Anubis", he replied at length, deciding to use a different approach that few would expect him to know. "After myself, you are the strongest warrior in Jin'en and a worthy leader to boot. Our troops need you to lead and protect them."
Anubis blinked, then secretly smiled. She would have loved to record that little speech and wipe the smirks off anybody that thought her love was a simpleton. She was definitely trapped in Fefnir's reasoning. Not only did she take her responsibility to her subordinates very seriously, but also that same trait was one of the things the general himself valued.
Oh well, she could still show him his faith was hardly misplaced. "And lead them, I shall. I won't let you down, my general", she declared, saluting and proceeding to select the soldiers she would take along. Before leaving, she couldn't help but shoot him another longing look.
-c-c-
"How is that emitter coming?" Morvex's tone was bored rather than urgent. The black warrior was not used to staying idle and there was little to do while stranded in the middle of the desert, amidst the carcass of a ruined shuttle.
Max sighed at that. "At least this is the first time you ask. Bernard has been bugging me constantly. To answer your question, I just finished", he declared, indicating a power cable with a free jack at its tip. "I'll be using the shuttle's haul as a signal amplifier and the frequency will be changing constantly. Just plug this cable on the power core and we are done."
The black warrior regarded the item with quite a bit trepidation. They were about to announce their presence to anybody with a radio receiver, after all. "How is your leg?" he stalled. "I want to know how soon to ditch you if we have to run."
The reploid scientists frowned at first, then sighed. "Your concern is touching. It was a quick fix, but I'll be able to run full speed for at least five minutes on it. The others?"
"Out patrolling. Oh well, standing here like a statue won't save us", he decided at length, just before attaching the jack on a power relay. Instantly, a small, haphazardly assembled device next to Max started humming and both reploids let a breath they didn't know they were holding.
-c-c-
"I'm still saying this whole operation is pointless." The technician offering that opinion was busy setting up a portable antenna while the other two of his friends were initializing its software.
One of the five red-armored soldiers was leaning close to a wall nearby and decided to join the conversation. "Eh, it's not that bad. Usually it's either police duty in the City or support while our commanders clean house. It's kinda good being close to action for once."
The other technician frowned a bit. "I bet it's good for you guys. With this armor you are wearing you're probably feeling the heat as much as the drones do", he responded, indicating the pantheons that were patrolling around their tiny outpost. While the Jin'en soldiers had none of their general's innate resistance to heat, their conditioning and armor, similar to Fefnir's but plainer, were enough to allow them to shrug the desert weather.
The first technician sighed. "My point is, it's only four mavericks. Three whole regimes searching for four reploids that were probably reduced to pancakes when their little plane crashed is wasteful. Aren't we supposed to be facing an energy crisis?"
Another soldier replied. "I heard the general talking about it. It's the principal of the thing. Rumor has it, we are competing with the Resistance on this one."
"Then it's a pride thing. Figures", responded the second technician. "I'm pretty sure that's bull. The Resistance is probably sitting tight in their secret base and definitely out of this infernal sun while we get our microcircuitry boiled out here."
The first soldier laughed. "You're probably right. Why would anyone think they can stand up to the Jin'en, after all?"
His question seized being a rhetoric one when a new, high-pitched voice responded. "Probably because you are all ugly and twice as stupid."
Everybody except the pantheons turned towards the voice. Apparently, the drones were not programmed to assess cyber-elves as threats.
"Who's there?" barked one of the Jin'en, his rifle poised and ready.
The cyber-elf phased out of a boulder and made sure to amplify her white aura. "If you can't even tell that, it's even worse than I thought. You've probably dropped the area's average IQ when you camped here. Beatles and lichen should be smarter that you lot."
That had a diverse effect. The technicians snicker a bit while the five soldiers glared at Isis menacingly. One of them fired an energy blast at her and she simply danced away in midair. "Now, that was lame. Your aim is even worse than your pink armor."
"It's red, not pink!" bellowed the five Jin'en in unison, leaving little doubt about who their general was.
"Seems pink to me", mused Isis, absently avoiding another energy shot. "Why don't you all come here and show me what you've got. I'll beat you all up! I'll kick your asses and transmit your names", she declared, shadowboxing towards their direction with her tiny fists.
The five decided they had had enough and started towards the white fey, but one of the technicians stopped them. "Let it be, it's only a pest. We have work to do here."
As the soldiers seemed to hesitate, Isis sighed. "Pity. And I did my best, too." Her pensive visage changed into a smirk too toothy to be considered sane. "Back to the basics, then: Arson."
As everybody sentient around her blinked, the electronic fairy released a hail of tiny flames upon them. The technicians had to pat their clothes to keep the fire from doing real damage and the soldiers merely shielded their eyes. More importantly, Isis little display of pointless torching was more than enough for the five Jin'en to go after her. She flew away laughing, making sure to go just fast enough to be out of their reach.
"That's also a pride thing", commending one of the technicians.
The other two nodded. "I'm worried a bit. We just lost our guards, after all", cautioned another.
The third technician shook his head. "Don't worry, the drones are still here after…"
The phrase in his mouth died a horrible death as one of the pantheons' heads exploded in a hail of buster shots. A blink later, a black-hilted, red energy knife buried itself in another pantheon's eye. The other two X-droids tried to return fire, but Colbor swung his energy axe, deflecting the projectiles with the flat side of the weapon and allowing the rest of his unit to cut the drones down.
Before the three technicians could reach for their side-arms, fifteen rifles and three energy swords rose to their level. Frozen with fear, they watched as Bianka came into sight and retrieved her dagger, then proceeded to swiftly disarm them, taking away their plain energy handguns.
"What are you going to do to us?" asked one of the now captives nervously. He had already seen the Resistance insignia, the stylized red 'R' symbol prominently displayed on their attackers' uniforms.
"Steal your souls and sell you for parts", deadpanned Colbor as he replaced his Axe handle on his belt. He rolled his eyes when the three Neo-Arcadians paled visibly. "What kind of propaganda is Neo-Arcadia leading?" he wondered aloud. "Cooperate and you will stay unharmed." Not waiting for a response, he turned to one of his soldiers that had put away his weapon and was fiddling with the antenna controls.
"This is child's play. I can link this thing with Dr. Ciel in my sleep", he claimed without waiting for a vocal question. Colbor merely nodded an affirmative.
"Our companions will soon stop hunting after your little pixie and return", shouted one of the technicians that had started to regain his wits. As on cue, a loud explosion resounded from the direction the Jin'en corps had ran.
"They'll be too busy digging themselves out of the ruins", replied the Resistance commander almost as an afterthought, opening his comm. and using an encrypted frequency. "We have captured an outpost with a direct link to the enemy's TacNet. We are linking you now."
"Great work, Colbor. I'm in. I'll be sure to mislead any enemy unit depending on this outpost", replied Ciel's voice.
"What should we do with the captives?" inquired the commander.
"Be sure not to mistreat them. You can tie them up and leave them close to the outpost so that their comrades can retrieve them. Just don't…"
"Ciel? Is everything okay?" asked Colbor when the Resistance leader stopped talking.
"I just caught a distress signal coming from where the shuttle must have crashed."
"Is it possible for the enemy to notice?"
"There is no way to miss this Colbor. Everything with a radio and basic triangulation knowledge within a three hundred-click radius will know where they are."
The axe-wielding commander cursed under his breath. "Should we rush to them? We are fairly close to these coordinates", he asked after contemplating the incoming data.
Ciel seemed unsure for a while, then started to voice an affirmative when Zero's voice entered the channel. "Negative, Colbor. Bolthor and I will go for the shuttle. The rest of the units should try to stall the Jin'en", ordered the crimson hunter with unusual authority.
"Are you sure you two will be alright?" questioned Ciel.
Zero considered this for a while. "If you can find their T-net generator, send Colbor to destroy it. It will make everything easier. Zero out."
Colbor still waited for his leader's decision. "What should we do, Ciel?"
He heard a sigh from his comm. "He is absolutely right, Colbor. The Jin'en are already moving towards the signal, surrounding half of our troops in the process. You need to disable their T-net. I have traced the emitter through their TacNet and I'm sending the new coordinates", she added, then hesitated. "Be careful, Colbor. There are ten Jin'en elites and fifteen pantheons guarding it. I'll contact ten other of our units and place them under your command to assist you."
Colbor consulted his data again and sighed. "Only five units are close enough to help. If you pull more, Zero and any survivors will be overwhelmed."
"Six units are not nearly enough to fight them. You must try to either sneak past them or disable the device very fast and use you escape units."
Bianka entered the channel at that. "I can do that, commander Colbor, Dr. Ciel", she announced with as much courage she could master.
Colbor raised a brow at her outburst while the young scientist sounded worried. "Are you sure you will be alright, Bianka?"
The white ninja nodded. "I have to. Bolthor believes in me. Zero believes in me. They both count on me to do my part. I… I don't want to be weak anymore", she explained her voice cracking a bit.
At first, the pink-clad scientist remained silent. At length she sighed. "Very well. These are your orders. Colbor, your unit will proceed two clicks south from the Neo-Arcadian outpost guarding the T-net generator. The landscape there will allow you to avoid visual contact with the enemy, while I'll hack into their TacNet and conceal you from their sensors. Bianka will continue and covertly destroy the generator while you are waiting for five more units to reinforce your position. If she is successful, all of you are to use escape units and evacuate at once. If not… you are to assist her with her task, then evacuate immediately."
Colbor smiled despite their precarious situation. Ciel had improved her commanding tone quite a bit. "Roger, ma'am!" he responded, keeping a straight face and voice.
Ciel blushed heavily at that but continued. "Come back alive, please. Ciel out."
-c-c-
Zero smirked as he listened in on Colbor and Ciel's conversation, then deactivated his comm. He and Bolthor were dashing on the hot sands as fast as possible with Nephar keeping up behind them and Siri resting on the red hunter's shoulder. "Your girlfriend has come a long way. You have helped her find her courage", he commented.
Bolthor smiled, absently kicking a snake mechaniloid that leaped out of the sand and tried to ambush them. "You have helped Bianka as much as I have, my friend", he laughed. "Since the first time I met her, inside a Neo-Arcadian dungeon, I knew there was something special about her. Building her confidence has been an uphill battle, but I'm proud I can live and fight at her side."
Siri sighed at that. "You two are so lucky to have each other. You love each other and you are both fighters. You can share that aspect of your lives. You can understand each other", she commented, trying to conceal some bitterness.
"This unit theorizes lady Siri envies master Bolthor's and lady Bianka's involvement. This unit wonders if lady Siri has been part of a similar situation with a not so welcome outcome", commented the green metool, earning a glare from the usually mild-mannered fairy.
"I'm merely a cyber-elf. What would I know about these things", she groused.
"This is exactly what this unit wonders. This unit's knowledge of cyber-elves is incomplete."
Siri frowned. "Well, this cyber-elf wonders why a mechaniloid would show that much empathy."
Zero and Bolthor would have sworn the green metool gulped. "This unit will stop wondering now", it finished somewhat meekly.
The gray warrior laughed aloud at that while Zero stayed silent, appearing thoughtful.
Some minutes later, they reached the top of a large dune and paused. The desert below them was shaped as a shallow bowl and the wayward shuttle was resting in its middle, a deep trench etched on the sand behind her, marking her haphazard landing.
"On your guard, everyone", cautioned the crimson warrior, then took point, walking at a steady pace. His three partners nodded, stretching their respective senses to their limit.
"Someone's coming from the other side", warned Siri frantically after a while, her excitement turning her flight erratic and her multicolored aura's intensity irregular.
Surely enough, Zero peered towards the opposite side of the dust bowl, his optics stopping on a group of reploids and pantheons heading towards their destination. At the same time, Anubis Nercomancess the Third regarded her opponents curiously. Their eyes met at the same time and they glared at each other despite their distance.
After a second of hesitation, both the Neo-Arcadian commander and the legendary maverick hunter resumed walking, eyes on each other and never wavering, their respective companions following their lead.
-c-c-
End of chapter 28. While this one is pure setup for the ensuing boss battle, I hope it has proven enjoyable. With Axl waking up and Anubis with so much to prove, things should get very interesting very soon.
The most difficult part for me in this story is keeping Zero realistic. Some write him exactly as he seems in the games, a cold automaton that rarely talks. However, the same could be said for many other player characters in various games. Legend of Zelda comes to mind and few would claim Link is mute. As for Zero's power level, megamen have proven to be Capcom's Saiyans. They substantially power up only when they really need it. Zero's sync level goes up with time yet it also goes down while his body changes and adapts.
