Chapter 34: Elusion's demise

-c-c-

Zero appeared at the edge of Phantom's T-net, glaring at his surroundings and daring anything to attack him. The old megalopolis ruins seemingly went on forever and he had to once more resist panic. His words of advice to Ciel had been grand, but he was hardly any better under his stony exterior.

'You seem to have bonded pretty tightly with the little one, huh? Not very wise.'

Zero frowned at his inner voice's words. "I didn't hear you complaining while I was training her", he replied.

'I never said I disapproved', riposted the voice. 'Just because I doubt the wisdom, doesn't mean I wouldn't have done the same.'

"Any words of real advice, oh wise one?" responded the red hunter acidly.

The other mentally rolled his eyes. 'One thing. Instead of fretting and wasting time, find a high vantage point. Alouette is not a helpless girl, she is our apprentice.'

The red legend sighed, took a deep breath and nodded. Thirty seconds and a spotted plum of smoke later, he was already dashing to the east at full speed, navigating in the urban environment faster than most could blink. Anything hostile in his way was rendered non-hostile very thoroughly.

-c-c-

Michael, the sniper, grunted as he lifted yet another crate of war material many times his weight. "I must confess I didn't expect we'd have to do so much manual labor", he commented. Despite the fact he sounded bored, his eyes were constantly scanning the chamber around them. Occupied or not, this was still an enemy bunker.

Morvex glared visibly at him, a feat to do through his mask-like helmet. As usual, the blackguard-themed reploid took exception at that, as he always did when weakness was hinted. Said ridge-armored warrior was busy hauling thrice as many crates.

Bolthor, also lifting three of the crates, chuckled at them. "At least your partners are sentient. You don't know what boredom is until you've worked next to mechaniloids."

Michael raised a brow at that. "I thought you were a mercenary before this whole Neo-Arcadian mess."

Bianka giggled as she zipped by. While she was only carrying one crate, she was moving three times as fast as the rest. Bolthor appeared embarrassed. "I never said all jobs were interesting. Mercenaries often do grunt work when there is nothing else to do."

The former Neo-Arcadian soldier also laughed, but soon sobered up. "At least you were free to do what you wanted. Up until recently I thought Neo-Arcadia was correct. I hadn't even suspected just how bad things have become. The fact I had been positioned in a remote base is not exactly an excuse."

Bolthor placed his crates on the transerver plate, stepping back as one of Elisa's soldiers operated the device. The Resistance Core was only getting a fraction of the supplies, which was still more weapons and material than they already possessed. The rest of the spoils were to be transported to Elisa's Fourth Branch, the only Resistance cell with enough space to hold them.

"We do not judge based on past mistakes, Mike. The Resistance was formed because of the oppression, not the other way. I appreciate what X has done for the world, but this complete change is fishy. I still remember the days before X left for the first time. The world was paradise back then and the only threats were from the wastelands", reminisced Bolthor, a bit wistfully.

Morvex said nothing, yet he couldn't help but be affected by the words. Unlike the others, he never talked about his past. "Perhaps it's time to do so", he muttered under his breath. He absolutely despised the notion, yet it was the only way to help the Resistance against the very real threat hanging above them all. He knew very well there was a spy that had helped kidnap the girl and the elf.

-c-c-

Zero tilted his head to the side just as a very weak blast passed him by. "Is that you Alouette?" he asked, scanning the ruined lobby.

"Zero?" came a tired yet hopeful voice from behind what remained of the reception counter.

The red hunter was beside her faster than wrapping would have brought him. He almost winced at her appearance. His eyes ignored the superficial scraps and bruises, focusing on the grievous wound at her belly. A human wouldn't have survived that, he concluded morbidly.

"What did that?" he demanded. Anything with such attack capabilities would be dangerous, meaning he might need to kill it with two hits instead of one.

The exhausted reploid girl nodded to the side and he looked, taking in the mangled remains of a beheaded wolf mechaniloid. Zero cursed under his breath, then focused back on her. "Status report?" he asked hesitantly. The amount of artificial blood was too much even for a wound like that. Reploid nanites were supposed to seal such injuries way faster.

Alouette tried to smile, her hand finding his own. Her voice came in normal volume this time, although it was obvious she was scared. "My energy core is untouched and working at 50 percent. The problem is, my nanite core is completely destroyed", she explained, glancing at her wound then quickly looking away. "I have shut down my pain receptors, but it's… it's very uncomfortable."

Civilian models, even custom ones like Alouette, didn't usually have a choice to turn off the pain receptors in a specific area. It was either all or nothing and some said that not feeling at all was worse than the pain. Since the mind expected a signal, complete absence could be exhausting by itself.

Zero resisted the urge to break something, preferably a city block. Without her nanite core to produce more repair nanomachines, she had no way to recover on her own, or even survive for long. The remaining nanites in her blood had barely managed to quench the bleeding. The red hunter cursed himself for neglecting to bring a first aid kit with him, for all the good it would do. It had been a combination of haste and futile hope, he decided. Naively, he had not really believed Alouette would have been so injured.

To his credit, he collected his wits very fast. "First, I'll tie your wound. You can't afford to lose any more of your fluids while I carry you out of the T-net."

Alouette sighed, holding his hand tighter. "No use. I won't survive the transport." The ghost of a smile touched her lips. "You would have, but not all of us are so well made." Before Zero could go on, she continued. "I've had some time to think, you know. You won't find the T-net generator in time, either. In fact, I bet there are more mechaniloid doggies waiting for you to leave. I'm all out of weapons, too", she added, indicating her pistol. Its barrel had almost completely melted and the power cell was empty.

"I'm not going to let you die!" snapped Zero, his temper finally oozing through.

Alouette closed her eyes a bit, then eyed him intently. "I'm sorry Zero. I wanted to return to you and Ciel, but in the end I wasn't strong enough."

Zero snorted at that. "Not strong enough? I don't think I could find ten people in the Resistance that would have survived in your place." While he talked, he was raking his mind for a solution.

She seemed stunned at that, then stuck her tongue out. "Are you just saying that, or did you keep it hidden to prevent me from getting cocky?"

"The second", he replied, regarding her curiously. "It's amazing how I'm more afraid than you seem to be", he noted. "How old are you really. You are acting more mature than ever."

The reploid girl closed her eyes for a while. "I'm eight, of course", she replied. Opening them again, she regarded him sadly and a bit longingly. "That's what I always tell anyone that asks. The truth is that while my body and my mind were made to be eight years old, I was in fact first activated forty-two seconds, two hours, eighty days and thirty three years ago."

Zero's eyes went wide at that and he regarded her incredulously. "Why? Why keep the façade? Why didn't you ask Ciel for a proper body? You might have been programmed to be eight, but reploids evolve beyond their programming."

Alouette looked away. "Many reasons. A part of me will always be a little girl and I love that part. Call it escapism if you want. Before I met Ciel, I had never contemplated the importance of our existence. You could say that meeting her was what taught me to grow up. Even if Ciel is technically younger than me, she is still older where it counts."

She sighed, then eyed him with determination. "And yet, she needs me to be a little girl. She comes to me when she needs peace. I have become her security blanket and as long as this war goes on, it should have stayed so. Yes, I often pray and wish I had an older body. So many things I cannot experience when I'm a kid. Still, Ciel's needs will always come first, will always outweigh my own. She is my mother, or perhaps my sister. And by dying I will fail her." After that she coughed a bit, a tiny trickle of blood running from the edge of her mouth. "As I have failed you."

The scarlet hunter shook his head, berating himself for stalling. "I'll try to move you, anyway. Even if there is a slight chance…"

Alouette nodded, then stopped him. "Before you do that, I want to whisper a secret to you", she requested. Zero raised a brow but complied, dismissing the fact her voice sounded more strained than before. He had no way to know she had reactivated her pain and feeling sensors.

As he bent down, she used the last of her strength to twist his head. Then she kissed him on the lips, lightly as a feather, as much as her injuries allowed her. He hadn't expected that, of course, but remembering her real age, he decided to humor her anyway. After a few seconds, she let him go. "One less regret", she explained faintly. If she had been in top shape, the slight flush on her face would have been the deepest red in the spectrum instead.

It was at that point, an epiphany came to Zero. He had resorted to scanning his own system in order to find a solution for their problem, even though he was aware their built was vastly different. It was then he recalled a very important fact about himself.

He opened his eyes to the very familiar ceiling of the medical ward. A multitude of devices was connected to him, but he felt just fine, if a bit sore.

"Welcome back to the land of the living", greeted a sardonic and somewhat bored voice. "It seems your dying ability is still notoriously abysmal, despite your better efforts."

Zero rolled his eyes. "Hello to you too, Lifesaver", he replied in a similar tone. The bulky medical reploid was tinkering with the insides of another patient on a nearby bed, although he always made sure to keep half an eye on the red hunter. "It seems your bedside manners keep degrading as years pass."

Lifesaver snorted while casually ripping out a burnt component from the unconscious reploid's innards. "Bedside manners are for patients. You never get to be a patient. Even when I need to put you back together, I have but to look away a couple minutes and you get fit as a fiddle. As a doctor, I'm consistently wavering between hugging you and strangling you."

Zero chuckled a bit. "Don't forget I usually try to patch myself up in the field, before I submit to your not-so-tender mercies. I'd go as far as to say I have a bit of a knack for it", he bragged.

Lifesaver scoffed at that. "I'll admit you have a knack for keeping yourself and others alive. I'd go as far as saying you are something of a savant. However, having had to put the ones you 'heal' back together, I have to say your methods are as sloppy and atrocious as they come. You used Metool parts on this one! The only reason I don't have to deal with ' jigsaw Zero' every other day, is because of the three redundant nanite cores in your system. Count them, three! Each of them fully able to regenerate the others and more effective than anything we can produce."

Zero's visage darkened somewhat."I know, I know. Yet another potentially dangerous black box."

Lifesaver sighed, stopping his work and fully facing the red hunter. "Between the recent Eurasia mess and Gate's shenanigans I never got the chance to apologize", he half-muttered, quite soberly. "I was really out of line, throwing accusations during a world-wide crisis…"

The crimson warrior smirked. "As long as you realized it, it's no problem", he replied. "None of us was exactly sober and rational back then. No sleep, no recharge and the clock ticking… Stress proved to be far more dangerous than Sigma himself during that FUBAR."

The medical reploid seemed relieved, a small smile tugging at his lips as he resumed his work. "Right… Now get the hell out of my ward. I don't even need to check if you are okay."

"I know what might work." Without explaining, Zero removed his armored vest, then willed away part of the black undersuit underneath. Alouette watched mesmerized as he ignited his Shield Boomerang as a simple dagger, concentrating to deactivate its resonance chip, then carefully plunged it in his own body.

Alouette gasped. "What are you doing?" she asked concerned, her own plight almost forgotten.

Zero smirked as he fearlessly opened his own innards and carefully removed a certain component. "You did say you needed a nanite core, didn't you? I just realized I have just enough medical knowledge to transplant one. You know how randomly memories come to me."

The injured girl's eyes went wide at that, even as her strength was rapidly reaching the point of being unable to keep her conscious. "But… but it's your part. How will you survi…ve?"

The darkness that followed failed to answer any of her questions.

-c-c-

Phantom barely ducked out of the way as an enormous bolt of energy raced by, striking at a pantheon instead and completely vaporizing it. "Master, please check your temper", he pleaded, still sounding respectful.

Copy X snarled, but decided to substitute random blasting with furious pacing. "A complete and utter failure! Very unlike you, guardian", he spat.

The other reploid inclined his head but did not respond.

The imperfect clone shook his head, hating the feeling of powerlessness, voice bordering on hysteria. "Both hostages rescued. An expensive train destroyed. A major base close to the enemy sacked. Tons of equipment and ordinance stolen! Even worse, we might have exposed our agent. And to add insult to injury, they moved everything with power from our energy grid. The lights even flickered for a second!"

Satisfied his master had finished his rant, Phantom let a rare sigh. "I fear we have severely underestimated Zero, master. I'm not sure how that stupid girl even survived long enough, but Zero managed to locate both of them in the span of a few hours.

Impotent rage slowly bled out of Copy X, replaced by a deep frown. "This leads back to our initial quandary. We have a powerful army but no definite target. After the latest failure, it is obvious lukewarm means are not enough." An ugly grin formed on his face. "The professor contacted me yesterday. His prototype siegeloid is finally ready. You do remember the specs of that thing, don't you?"

Phantom frowned but said nothing and Copy X noticed. "I know you don't trust him, but I'll take measures to ensure he is not betraying us. This Siegeloid is to be our army's spearhead."

The ninja reploid was caught off guard by that. "Army? Then you intend a major assault?"

The grin lingered on the other's face. "As I said, the time for subtlety is over. My plan is pretty straightforward, too. First a large T-net above the Resistance base's general location. I have some as yet untapped resources to deploy such a field. Then a pincer maneuver. The siegeloid, with minimal support, will approach from our direction, through old Arcadia's ruins, while the bulk of our forces, led by Fefnir, will attack from the desert."

With a mental nod, a holographic map appeared before him, projected by his quarters' special equipment. In the middle there was a large red circle labeled 'Resistance Core area'. The giant mechaniloid and Fefnir seemed to be approaching from opposite directions.

"Leviathan will stay behind, guarding the city. The area is especially dry, after all. As for you and Harpuia, your job will be to cut off any reinforcements they might try to draw in from those so-called 'Branches'."

Phantom nodded slowly. "What about Dr. Ciel, though? She could easily take control of the army's local Tac-Net, like she did during the shuttle operation."

Copy X regarded his thrall cautiously. The shadow guardian had recently started to show signs of his original persona, before the copy had altered his mind and brought him to heel. On the one hand, that meant his value as an advisor had increased. On the other, it might have been an indication of him slowly breaking free. Reploid brainwashing was primitive and unpredictable at best and while Copy X was still superior to his servant, he wasn't about to underestimate the threat Phantom could pose, should he fully regain himself.

He dismissed thoughts of reinforcing the compulsions he had planted, though. Truth be told, Copy X needed the guardian alive, to contain the other three, and as capable as possible. The reploid tyrant was nobody's fool and well aware he needed tactical advice.

Turning his focus to the subject at hand, Copy X contemplated Phantom's input. "It's not perfect", he decided at length, "but we could marginalize electronic warfare by keeping things quiet and not giving them a chance to prepare", he added thoughtfully.

Nodding to himself, he went on, sounding more confident. "You are to convey my orders orally and discretely. No indication about the upcoming attack is to be kept in any kind of archive or data storage, until the last possible moment. In fact, you are to downplay everything as some silly, medium-scale military exercise. It might take twice as long to organize it all, but when we do, the Resistance will be caught flatfooted!"

Phantom nodded, a slight smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth for a moment. "It is possible. However, we still don't know the base's exact location…"

Copy X glared at him. "Which is exactly why I keep you around. You are to use any resource in your possession to dwindle down the Resistance's position from 'somewhere in old Arcadia's ruins' to a set of coordinates. Those fools will learn what it means to oppose the most perfect state is history! To oppose Megaman X himself!"

The cackle that followed, however contrived, felt supremely liberating to him.

-c-c-

Ciel allowed her features into a semblance of a smile for the first time since the unfortunate end of Zero's picnic. After making sure Alouette was out of danger, she had allowed her exhausted body to sleep for as long as it needed to. Waking up in early afternoon and taking her meal in her room, she had gone through the administrative part of her duties, until she had noticed something unusual, a request for a private meeting.

Now, after accepting and taking a few minutes for some token tiding up, she was ready for her guest. Her door opened automatically when he approached and the human prodigy couldn't resist raising a brow all the way up at the spectacle.

Like many others, she had almost believed Morvex's armor had been permanently grafted on his body. The reploid in question seemed a completely different person without his massive shell of black defense. Nervous, unsure, fidgety. Ciel almost voiced her thoughts. To her, he looked as if he expected Copy X to barge in through a wall, or something of similar magnitude.

"Morvex", she greeted ambivalently, nodding at a chair prepared for him. While she could tell he was here for a serious reason, she couldn't and wouldn't dismiss her usual mannerisms. To her, every Resistance reploid was part of her family and her responsibility. She genuinely cared for them all.

He accepted, sat down and proceeded to nervously pass a hand through his curly blond hair, before realizing what he was doing and stopping. His eyes met Ciel's own and he sighed, finally managing to put himself together.

"Last time we talked, I provided you with as much information about Neo-Arcadia as I could", he started, prompting the young scientist to nod.

"The data has been invaluable, especially during the most recent crisis", she acknowledged.

Morvex closed his eyes for a second, collecting his thoughts, then went on. "It is about these kidnappings that I came to talk to you. I believe I have an idea about what happened, about why somebody would betray the Resistance."

That last line instantly put Ciel on guard. "I don't recall ever saying anything about traitors", she riposted.

The reploid shook his head, almost amused. "And yet you have theorized about one, or you have heard somebody else do so."

She decided to concede the point. "Zero is pretty convinced it was an inside job and his arguments have been rock-solid", she confessed. "And yet I find it hard to believe somebody would do that."

Morvex sighed heavily. "And yet I myself have already done something similar twice in the past."

The visage plastered on Ciel's face was truly priceless.

-c-c-

The first conscious thought that formed in her mind was a promise to herself to never again lick an exposed power outlet.

Some introspection later, she remembered that that had been a dream and yet she still felt as if a surge of enormous power had boiled her logic centers down to spam.

Remembering how to hear took a few more seconds, but she finally managed to discern two distinct voices having a conversation close by.

"…completely crazy to try that stunt. But I guess that's pretty normal for you, mister legend."

The response heavily implied a frown. "You are just being an idiot Cerveau. A bit of impromptu field surgery is hardly remarkable…"

Said engineer chortled. "Sure, Zero. Ripping essential parts off your body and transplanting them in nearly dead patients. With nothing more than a saber and your own spit to use as glue. Everyday staff, really."

The red hunter sighed. "It seems I forgot to consult my nonexistent array of choices, back there. She was withering away as I watched, Cerveau. Plus I was never in any danger. Whoever made me was a downright paranoid maniac. Three redundant nanite cores in different positions. The one I removed has already regenerated in full."

Cerveau smirked. "The truly unbelievable thing is it actually worked. Something as personal as a nanite core should have never been accepted by her body. And yet here she is. At full health, through no help of my own. It seems she now shares part of your freakish self-repair powers as well", he commented, shaking his head in disbelief. "I expect her to wake any moment."

Zero's voice was full of amusement. "Oh, she's been pretending to be asleep for some time now."

That jolted Alouette back to full awareness. Everything rushed back. Phantom, the ruined Megacity, the wolf and its dogs, Zero's arrival, the confession about her age.

The kiss.

Completely mortified, she promptly grabbed the blanket covering her, tugging it so that it would totally conceal her face. In her mind, said face was glowing red enough to penetrate even the thick material.

"Hey, girl, what's the matter?" asked Cerveau, equally amused and curious about her reaction.

Alouette willed herself to vanish, or at least have the bed swallow her. Perhaps if she hid well, they might forget her long enough to allow her to come to terms with what had happened, she reasoned.

No such luck. "She seems to feel a bit antisocial right now", quipped Zero. He was sounding positively amused.

"Leave her to her nefarious designs?" joked Cerveau, eagerly joining in.

"Sure, let her plot to her heart's content. She knows where to find me, anyway", finished Zero, and they both walked out.

Alone and feeling more embarrassed than ever, Alouette sighed, uncovering her face. Zero was supposed to be her mentor, but she wasn't sure she could ever muster the courage to face him again. She could only think of one word to express her situation.

"Fudgebunnies!"

-c-c-

It was a mark of her character that she recovered her composition almost promptly. "Explain", demanded Ciel evenly, a hard glint in her eyes, previously absent.

Morvex did not look at her. "Project Ourovoros," he started, spitting the name like deadly poison. "The specifics are beyond me, but, simply put, it's a research program created to develop sleeper agents unaware of their function. The agent is first weaned into a deadly, efficient machine. They learn of combat, of espionage and of assassination. Their loyalty to X is meant to be unwavering."

"You were one of them, then?" asked Ciel, in equal parts mortified and intrigued.

Morvex nodded. "When one of us is ready, they inject a secondary personality in our minds. In fact, our bodies are custom-made to support such a swap. Our main personality goes to sleep and we become unaware. Our new selves are placed in situations where it is very probable to end up joining the Resistance."

Ciel's face went pale at that. "The perfect agent is one ignorant of his status", she whispered.

The blond reploid snorted. "Indeed. Especially since a single command word, spoken by the right voice, can unleash the main personality. Secondaries are constructed with deliberate mental shortcomings that the main one can exploit, assimilating them and taking over at once. Turning against people that had been your friends, your siblings just a second ago…"

"How horrible", breathed the young scientist. "Did you also…?" She was only partly successful in her effort to hide her pity.

Morvex snarled, his fingers leaving imprints on his chair's rim. "Do you really want to know that I am responsible for the death of two whole Resistance branches? Do you really want to hear how I was compelled to kill them all? How later one of my secondary personalities, discarded and thought to be powerless, managed to revolt? How it turned around and assimilated the main one, forever living with all memory of its actions?

Eyes wide and arm extended as if to hold him, Ciel tried to placate him to no avail. "I.."

He viciously interrupted her. "I need nobody's compassion, doctor. I have learned the hard way that only strength, mental and physical, matters!"

Taking a deep breath, Morvex managed to calm down, returning to his surly self. "It doesn't matter anymore. And if you were to ask me to leave after what you have heard, I wouldn't blame you, either. What's important is that it was another sleeper agent that abducted those two. For the first time, Neo-Arcadia has managed to plant one in the Core."

Her good day thoroughly ruined, Ciel rubbed her temples. "How can you tell?"

The normally black-clad reploid sighed wearily, somewhat relieved despite himself she had yet to throw him out. "I thought I was the only one, until I heard Phantom's message some time ago. Sleepers can hear sounds in the subsonic range and that message contained the activation phrase and a set of commands. Heavily encrypted, of course, but there nonetheless. Secondary personalities cannot comprehend it, either, but the primary one can. There are limits to what it can do without full control, but can act through a form of guided sleepwalking."

Very overwhelmed, Ciel shook her head. "I'm not going to reject you just because of your past, especially a past you had had no say in. You should have explained it sooner, though."

Morvex looked down, uncharacteristically feeling very vulnerable. "Even so, I wasn't even sure where the agent had infiltrated. Phantom's little speech reached everywhere. I never seriously considered the possibility of him or her being here."

Recovering a bit, she started brainstorming. "The question now is what we should do about it. Would an examination reveal the agent? From what you've told me, your design is pretty non-standard, having to support and store more than one personalities."

The former agent shook his head. "Not without some serious dismantling all around. Everything non-standard is secreted away."

"Perhaps we could decrypt Phantom's orders then…"

Morvex sighed. "Won't work. The sample is too small and he must be giving orders in other ways. In fact, I believe that first order was to arrange a different communication method. I think we should tell Zero. In fact, you and Zero are the only two completely trustworthy people right now. You, because you are human and the leader, and Zero, because he could have crushed us already otherwise."

Trying to ignore the reminder of what would have happened should Zero had gone against them, Ciel dismissed that idea. "Perhaps after we have something more concrete. Zero is big on prevention measures. If he learns there is a sleeper agent loose, he'll put this base on lockdown forever. No, we need more information first."

Both human and reploid shared a deep sigh and continued searching for ideas, even as the night caught up with them.

-c-c-

Fourth guardian Leviathan sighed as Phantom suddenly appeared in her current office. Said room was very plain compared to her normal private space, but the base she was currently inspecting wasn't exactly new or essential.

"You will have to do better than that," she chided, her attempt at levity somewhat feeble. The blue guardian still didn't want to believe something was wrong with the ninja, didn't want to believe that her brother had changed so rapidly. All of them were different after all, just as life in Neo-Arcadia had become harsher.

"I did not intend to be unnoticed," commented the other levelly, though there was a spark of… of something in his tone.

Leviathan couldn't tell for sure, but any show of emotion in her estranged sibling was welcome. "So, how can I help you, Phantom?"

A pause followed, in which the ninja seemed to extend his senses. At length, he replied. "What I say will not become official until resolution, but Master X is preparing an all out assault against the Resistance Core. I am here to brief you, though your part is mainly defensive."

The other guardian raised a brow. "We know of a definite location? I thought that was the main hurdle in such a plan."

Phantom nodded slowly, casually retrieving a hilt from his belt and motioning for silence. "I'm also in charge of narrowing down the position, though the attack will happen either way." Instead of an energy blade, liquid metal erupted from the hilt, solidifying to form a simple, slightly glowing katana. "You have some Resistance prisoners kept here, I believe. I'll interrogate them along with the spy by your doorway," he went on, throwing the blade through the closed door and eliciting a shriek of pain. "She'll need some medical attention though, since I just severed her spine," he finished, somewhat pleasantly.

Leviathan was already at the door, casually removing and tossing the sword back to its owner, who caught and deactivated it. Her eyes went wide at the person behind it. Brown hair, framing a usually serious and composed face, which was contorted in pain.

"Rouge!" she breathed, caught between rage, astonishment and sadness. The spying equipment in the operator reploid's hands was damning proof, but Leviathan still couldn't believe her personal assistant of six months was a mole.

Rouge looked at her unafraid, smiling in pain. "Sorry general."

Seeing red at the mocking behavior, she kicked the downed reploid hard enough to launch her off the ground and knock her out. She almost went to pummel her again, then stopped, took a deep breath and, agonizingly slowly, unclenched her fists. "Get her to a cell," she ordered the three pantheons that had been attracted to the commotion, her voice cracking a bit.

Ignoring the contemptuous gaze of her brother, she left her office, retreating to her quarters and locking herself in. Phantom contemplated going after her to finish her briefing, then thought better of it. Even brainwashed, he still retained a semblance of self-preservation and an emotional Leviathan could be nastily lethal.

-c-c-

"Information segregation," deadpanned Morvex, drawing a sigh from Ciel. It was almost midnight, but a combination of her sleeping in and her usual caffeine intake, meant she could go on for hours. Instead of tired, she thus felt weary.

"Is this the best we can think? I already make sure knowledge of missions is on a need-to-know basis, but there is a certain laxness during the actual operation days. I'd hate to get the soldiers briefed at the last moment, en route to danger."

The black knight reploid shook his head. "It will be a good start, but not enough. We also need to start false rumors about decoy missions. Lies within truths and truths within lies. Distinguish who knows what and we can narrow down the sleeper." He hesitated a bit at that. "I can help to a point, but I'm… not an expert at misdirection of such scale."

Ciel looked down. "It should be solely my responsibility, but I'm really far more comfortable in a lab than on a podium, Morvex. Such shadow games make me uneasy."

The reploid's merciless attitude oozed out, despite his pensive mood. "Still naïve in accord to your age, doctor?" Her glare made him bite his lip in amusement. Valiant her intimidation attempt might have been, but Ciel was no crimson demon. Speaking of which… "We could still involve Zero. Memory issues or not, I bet he knows how to run shadow ops far better than any of us. The way he mellowed out the kidnapping story was sublime."

Ciel's eyes goggled at that. "You know that...?" she tried, then stopped and sighed. "You know now," she deadpanned.

Morvex smirked. "Indeed. He was so good, I couldn't find any flaws or holes… but you, that is."

The young scientist frowned. "As I said, not my strong point." She went on, feeling miserable. "Zero would suspend all real operations and start a shadow war with five different decoys per mission. He'd also watch everyone like a starved hawk. I know a bit of his history. Paranoia is strong in this one, but Zero lacks the temperament, the polish his full memories would provide. I insist we first try on our own."

Her new subordinate shrugged. "Your call doctor. I just hope we can achieve something before another disaster strikes."

-c-c-

Zero, his mood light after the successful double rescue, was walking down a corridor, when hints of commotion reached his ears. With Siri and Isis having started an impromptu 'game' of brutal phase tag, after an off-color comment from the second, he was alone and idle, easily attracted to the noise.

Old as it was, the factory the Resistance was using for headquarters was rather spacious. Many rooms and corridors were rarely used or unsuitable for most purposes. One such room, and a big one at that, had been turned into a crude shooting range, usually providing some much needed target practice to what barely qualified as militia.

On occasion, though, it became the centre of various events, like a shooting competition.

"I rather doubt that bet of yours will be any good, Bolthor. I only have a few talents, but accuracy has been programmed into every component of my body." Michael's words were barely boastful. If anything, he was puzzled at the other reploid's insistence.

Bolthor chuckled. "That would be true if I were your opponent. I have never been accused of being a marksman, after all." His joke, such as it was, elicited some mirth from the rest of the crowd around them, all forty reploids that were-hopefully- off duty.

The sniper rolled his eyes at that, even though he was smiling. He was the first with enough awareness, or paranoia, to spot Zero and he slightly nodded to him, but quickly returned to the matter at hand. "So you say, but your appointed champion doesn't look all that enthusiastic."

Almost invisible next to Bolthor's girth, Bianka bit her lip. "I am a decent shot, but are you sure you want to risk so many credits on me?" she asked timidly.

Bolthor slapped her on the back playfully and she would have stumbled if he hadn't drawn her in a hug afterwards. "It's just credits, dear. You are a brilliant shot, not just good. And anyway, it won't even be the two of you," he proclaimed, scanning his surroundings for any challengers. Some reploids looked at each other nervously, but no one stepped forth, to the gray-armored giant's disappointment.

Michael, on the other hand, was more subtle. "Oh well, it seems everyone else around here passed on the targeting software in favor of jaw speed. I must have heard more boasting today than the four Guardians do in a month. Including shopping-mode Leviathan, too."

With evidence of both laughter and embarrassment, everyone seemed to be getting pumped up, when a voice came from almost below Bolthor.

"This unit has the correct software to participate. Disregarding master Michael and mistress Bianka, this unit's odds at surpassing any other potential competitors are 98.6 percent." Nephar, up until them as good as invisible, caused a new row of smiles and grumblings.

Bolthor laughed aloud. "I don't doubt it, little guy. You are on, right Bianka?"

The white-clad ninja nodded, somewhat bolder, and that was all it took to prompt another five reploids from stepping forth resolutely. During the following comment and betting storm, Bolthor finally noticed Zero, who was inconspicuously leaning at the room's far wall, enjoying the spectacle. "Here to join, Zero?" he asked, only half serious.

The red hunter let a smirk touch his lips. "No, not really. I wouldn't want to scare away all these eager participants. Not that they can hold a candle to the two main player, though I'm not sure about Nephar."

The green metool joined them. "This unit is also unsure of the outcome. In anticipation of this unit's next mission, its skills must remain up to specifications."

Zero appeared a tad sheepish. "I complete neglected to take you along during the last mission, but things went a bit hectic."

Nephar bobbed its helmet up and down. "This unit requires no justification of the master's choices. It will remain idle until needed. For future reference, this unit comes equipped with a miniature first aid kit for on-site repairs."

The red legend cringed a bit at that, nodding to Bianka when she approached. "I still think the stakes are too much, Bolthor," she noted.

Having heard it all before, Zero decided to intervene on Bolthor's behalf. "Credits are somewhat irrelevant here in the wastelands, Bianka. Instead, view this little trial as confirmation of your abilities. I have seen you fight and you have my respect. Now it s time for the rest of the Resistance to acknowledge you. We believe in you even when you falter and, most times, that's all victory requires."

"Damn right!" added Bolthor, somewhat unnecessarily, for Bianka had blinked then nodded, her eyes and focus narrowing. It was not the timid girl, usually hiding behind her partner, that stepped forward in the shooting range, but the warrior woman that had stood next to the crimson hunter, fearlessly fighting an extremely lethal hydragon mechaniloid.

Michael eyed Bianka, then Zero with wonder. "I don't know what you did, but I fear you just made this competition more interesting than I could ever hope."

Zero regarded the floor thoughtfully. "She just needs a confidence boost from time to time, that's all," he explained absentmindedly, as the first of many applauding rounds erupted around them.

-c-c-

End of chapter 34

A/N: Why not randomly continue this story and stun all you of little faith?

While I still like megaman, I confess there has been little activity as far as new games are concerned, which means little inspiration. I personally despised the 'new' 8-bit classic megaman games. I understand the retro nostalgia, but it's a huge cope out when Capcom could have spent real money to make a true 2010 game, that would bring new blood in the fan base. Everyone whining about how good graphics 'harm' gameplay can't quite grasp that bad programming is the real culprit, not 3d or high res. Point in case, go play Trine. I'd kill for such a game in any megaman series. Also, Megaman online is still just a teaser, legends 3 is a 'community assisted effort', a.k.a. bullshit until it happens and ZX3, X9 and starforce 4 are still in mirage stage. Not to mention fan sites are dying out every day.

End rand, go chapter comments.

You might have noticed a style change around the last third of this chapter. I wrote the first two thirds a long time ago and my writing is bound to have changed, hopefully for the best.

I expect the whole Alouette plot to receive mixed reactions. Is she 8? 33? Somewhere in between? Does not compute? Many will hate it, many will like it, some won't care. Oh well, I had it planned ages ago.

Project Ourovoros: Sleeper agents are nothing new in popular fiction, but the closest in megaman was Double, who wasn't really a 'sleeper' at all, and perhaps Sigma. As for the name, I had it decided before even ZXA was announced. Albert's little doom construct having the same name is coincidence.

About my truckload of characters: They are a lot, yes, and not everyone is fully developed. Some dislike that, but I mean it to be so. I don't think there are many who would like to read Pierott's story (That human that blew up Weil's castle back in chapter 2, and got a tree in his name) or Aug's (Fefnir's new tech support, 4 chapters back) memoirs, or even Tone and Pulse's past before the elf wars. Even if some asked, it would clutter down the story, and it's already a bit slow. These are all tertiary characters. Many stories have such people, who are only important in the here and now, whether to save the day briefly, die horribly or just fill space and roles. In the games themselves you almost forget there is pretty much civil war going on. A key-position grunt just can't have the same amount of personality as, say, Ciel or Zero.

Anyway, welcome back old readers, welcome new readers and all of you enjoy. Also, tell me what you think. Next update sometime within the next decade… hopefully.

Edit: So apparently ffnet was screwed up for a while there. Reuploaded to make sure everything is fine. Sorry for any double alerts.