Mega Man X: The Mist Enigma
Final Chapter: How It Should Be
The three hunters beamed into base, Zero carrying X over his shoulder. Zero laid X on the ground. Lifesaver, Douglas, and I crowded around. The navigators ran to us cheering. Pallette hugged Axl and Zero. "Way to go guys! You did it!"
Axl grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, shucks. Don't cheer for us! X deserves all the credit here!"
"How is X?" Signas called to Lifesaver, who was checking his condition.
"He's okay. His systems just overheated. He'll come back online when he cools down."
"Good to hear," I said. I then turned to Axl. "Axl. When did you copy Sigma's DNA?"
Axl looked at me as if I was stupid. "Uh, duh? I copied him after we killed him. I knew that the power would come in handy in a real pinch. I just never told anyone I did it."
"You probably should have," Signas suggested. "We should examine it sometime in the near future." Louder, to everyone, "It pleases me to know that the planet and all life on it have been saved once again. Everyone here has pitched in to help. But, as Axl said, the one we owe the most is X. Without his incredible power, there's no telling what our fate would have been. In honor of him, I am relieving you all of your duties for the night. You earned it. I'd suggest a party to thank him for all he's done for us."
Axl, Pallette, and Douglas all cheered "PARTY!!!" as Signas finished his sentence. They hopped into R&D singing "Party, party, party!"
Lifesaver laughed and followed suit. "Oh, to be so full of life."
Alia asked Signas as he began walking out, "Wait, Commander. What about the paperwork we have to do?"
Signas smiled. "Don't you worry about it. I'll take care of it."
Alia smiled back. "Okay. Thank you, Commander." She ran to R&D, and Signas retreated to his quarters.
Zero began walking to the party location, but Layer stopped him. "Umm, Zero," she started nervously, "you're hair is... it's gotten messy." She bit the tip of her finger gently. "Do you... do you think I can brush it for you?"
Zero turned to her and smiled. "Yeah. I'd like that. Thanks."
Layer blushed. "Um, um, um," she stuttered, "I'll go see what everyone's up to." She ran to R&D.
Zero started to follow her, but turned to me. "You know, I'm not blind. I know she likes me. But I'm not going to sadden her by talking about Iris. It's kinda fun playing the role of the guy who doesn't have a clue."
I chuckled. "I guess so."
Zero continued, "Well, they're probably setting everything up right now. You coming?"
"Not yet. I'm gonna watch X for a while."
"Okay. Don't be long." With that, Zero joined the to-be festivities.
As I was watching X sleep, a hologram appeared opposite me. "I'm very proud of you, X," Dr. Light smiled. I was a little shocked to see him appear out of nowhere. But I didn't say anything right away. Light continued, "With every victory, my dream grows that much closer to being a reality. No matter the danger the world faces, I can count on you to be there and stop it, X. It makes me so happy."
I cut in, "If I can ask you a question, Doctor."
Dr. Light stopped me. "I already know what you are going to ask. 'Where did X get that much power?'"
I answered, "In a sense, yeah. I really want to know was it the Ultimate Armor that enabled him to do all that?"
Dr. Light closed his eyes. "Not at all. The only thing the complete Ultimate Armor did was enhance his power."
"Well that explains why X turned gold. But the Hadoken and the Shining Finger. He did those on his own?"
Light looked confused for a second. "Shining Finger? I've never heard that name before. Anyway, yes, X used those abilities of his own free will. Ever since I taught him to throw fireballs, he's been able to draw on the power of his near-human soul. Actually, that and the Shoryuuken use very little power compared to when he unconsciously faced Sigma. Now it seems he's learned to use such power on his own."
My eyes widened. "You didn't teach him to do that?"
"No, I didn't. It surprised me at first, but I soon realized that it is all part of X's programming. He's built to learn. It was only a matter of time before he learned to use his limitless potential to the fullest."
On the big screen, a red blip appeared on radar. Dr. Light and I turned to it quickly. It was emitting from Gate's Lab.
"Go check it out, Chris," Light told me. "I have a feeling I know what is causing that disturbance."
"I do too," I retorted. "Good bye, Doctor," I said as I teleported out.
"Thank you, Chris," I heard Dr. Light say as I left. "And good luck with your fight for peace."
I appeared underground where Gate's Lab was. The debris from the fight littered the place, dust everywhere. I called out, "Isoc. I know you're soul's still lingering around here. Come on out."
Isoc's voice echoed around the rubble. "What do you want, outsider? Are you here to finish the job?"
"No. I'm not the one to defeat you. This fight is between you and Light. Isn't it, Dr. Wily?"
A hologram appeared before me. It was of Dr. Wily. He looked shocked. "You... you know who I am?"
"Yep. The clues were really adding up. It was only a theory, but you just proved it. You were also Sagesse, weren't you?"
Wily's jaw dropped. "You even know about that? You're good! You've certainly done your homework!"
"That I have. It's another duty I have as Connector of Worlds. I have to know what's going on in all worlds, or what's already happened in this case, so that I know when to intervene and when to let fate play out on its own."
"So it is fate that I keep losing to Light's robots." Wily sighed heavily. "I was so sure that this plan would work. I had planned it for years. I went over all possibilities. With the Nightmare and Zero, I thought I was invincible. But I guess I overlooked one thing: Mega Man X's true power. I'm still in shock that he defeated me so effortlessly. Light wasn't lying about infinite power, was he?"
"No he wasn't. So," I began with curiosity, "what do you plan to do now?"
"Honestly, I don't know. Ever since I've turned my brain into an AI program, I have been thinking much more logically. My pride and hatred are not getting in the way nowadays. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm in doubt that I can win. Sad, isn't it? Well, even if I decide to try one more time, it won't be for a long while."
A shadowy voice with a slur echoed from above. "What are you saying, Master? Do not give in so easily!"
A figure appeared in the broken ceiling, his profile blocking the moonlight. It was the very same Grim Reaper that brought me here in the first place. It lowered its hood to reveal a familiar face. Wily was confused. "Snake Man? What in the world are you doing here?"
"Gate was gracious enough to rebuild me. But enough about me. You can't stop trying to kill Mega Man X, Doctor! Don't let this human tell you what to do!"
Wily closed his eyes. "Gate remade you, huh? Imitating my creations without permission is a sin. Such things should not exist." He then looked to me with a wily smile. "Would this be interfering with fate?"
"No it wouldn't," I said as I flew up to Snake Man and grabbed him by the throat. I looked into Snake Man's eyes with intent to kill. "It's you're fault that I ended up here. It's you're fault I almost had to interfere with destiny. I should not have been involved in this conflict at all!" I let go of Snake Man and flew up. I then quickly began my descent, feet first. My body impaled Snake Man in one smooth move. As I touched land, Snake Man exploded.
Wily applauded me. "Such finesse! You are a great fighter too!"
I waved it off. "Nah, that's nothing. Well, I should get going."
"I understand. It was..." Wily began, "nice talking to you. A pleasure even."
"The feeling's mutual."
"But before you go, can I get your name?"
I offered my hand to Wily. "It's Chris. Chris Walker."
"Albert Wily." He met his hand with mine, but because he's a hologram, they went through each other. A second later, we began laughing. I waved goodbye and teleported out. Wily was still smiling as I left.
I touched down outside Maverick Hunter Headquarters. As I approached the front door, Dynamo began walking out of it. We both stopped in surprise. "Didn't expect to see you here. How are you feeling?" I asked him.
"Never better," Dynamo replied. "That Lifesaver does a real good job."
"You know there's a party going on."
"Yeah. But it's time for me to look for work again. By the way," he held his hand out, "when will I get my money?"
I chuckled. "I'll write up the check and mail it to you later."
Dynamo looked cross. "You know, I prefer my money in cash." He paused, then smiled, "But I'll give an exception this time." We both laughed. Dynamo continued walking. "See you around."
I waved. "Later, Dynamo." I began making my way to the party.
I've witnessed some amazing things during my "career," but this was one of the biggest. While I was brought here against my will, it was nice to see the hunters once again. I hadn't been too active prior to the past few days, so this helped. There were tough times, sad times, but there were fun ones too. And I was sure that this party for X would be the most fun.
"You ain't inviting me?" Misty's voice rang in my head.
I grunted jokingly. "I didn't get to yet. Come on. All of you can come."
"We're already half way there."
"Oh. One thing I wanted to run by you. I saved this girl a day or two ago, and she seemed devoted to paying me back. I think she was really into me."
"We haven't seen you for days, Chris! You spend time with us first. Then you can flirt with this girl."
