[AUTHOR'S NOTE]
Hi guys! It's time for some updates! Well, here's one chapter for now. As many as three more are coming soon. Enjoy this fight for now!
Chapter 31: White Reploid
"W – what do we have!?" X came rushing from his resting pod. The navigators called him and Zero and Axl, specifically. "It's the two Mavericks … they just stopped, and are demanding a final battle, or solution, depending on your take on it." Alia responded.
Axl (in his Reploid form, for before he came back to the Hunters he had switched off his human form from eating and lazing all days) rushed in from the resting chamber.
"Bring X Zero and that pathetic Axl here this instant! If you can get that traitor Reploid sitting in the humans' throne, all the better! We settle this once and for all! I challenge you all to an honourable duel!" The monitor in the navigator's chamber replayed Adel screaming at the Hunter crowd. Axl grumbled.
"I'm off. Simple as that." Zero teleported himself off to the location (he recognized where it was). "Wait! Urgk, always on the move." X sighed. "So … Axl, you want to take this? And what about Lumine? Does he need to know? Is – is Iris with you?"
"Lumine hates those two, but ... we'd see. Axl, take me to that place. X, lead him. Let's see what they say." Iris' voice came out from his mouth. "Ow … it's been a while anyone did that to my mouth …" Axl whined. He didn't feel like covering his mouth in protest.
"Alright, then let's head out." X gestured. Axl nodded. The two Hunters teleported off.
It was night time in Obruy Sector-Nine, a city located in mainland Asia (can be considered to be central China). The Hunters had the local humans and Reploid evacuate the area while the teams aimed and tried to inch towards the Mavericks cornered in the center of a road with their blasters and cannons. The air was intense yet silent save for aerotrains moving about.
Adel held his spear fiercely aiming towards the Hunters, and Agmar leaned against his back and held her rapier against the Hunters facing her. They knew the Hunters were inching slowly towards them and wanted to blast their heads off their bodies as soon as possible.
"Nrgh … do you believe they will come?" Adel hissed lightly.
"I really hope so … we'd better hope so." Agmar growled a little. "If not we can just blast out our way here. Hah!" Agmar waved his spear threateningly at a batch of Hunters that inched rather closely to him. They stepped back briefly but managed to regain their pacing.
"Nggh … crud it. Looks like we have to get out – huh? They're here!" Adel pointed.
Indeed, the three Hunters teleported in behindthe huge batch of their teammates and rushed to the center to confront the Mavericks. Adel nudged Agmar, and Agmar smiled wickedly.
"Great. You answered our challenge!" Agmar said loudly. "Wait! I do not see the treacherous Reploid with you!" Adel stopped him. "It is fine. I said 'if they can get him', not 'you must get them'." She turned to the Hunters. "Well, well. Thank you so much for coming."
The Hunter batch retreated a little now that the three have arrived. "There's no way you'll take this lying down, are you?" Zero asked, fully uninterested. "Just die like all the other Mavericks that used to exist. Just give up. You can make this easy on yourselves."
"Nonsense!" Agmar shouted and bared his teeth. "That traitor was supposed to –!"
"Help your bastard human master take over the world, I know I know." Axl groaned. "We still remember that recording of the human scum talking his head out. Revenge on the past, yet something that cannot be corrected for the better. It's obvious the human who made you is wrong. The lifes of us Reploids are meaningless without humans, you know."
"You have no idea the type of vision our master granted us! We know the Maverick virus and Sigma before you was bad too! But we're after the evolution of the natural state of Reploids! You didn't give us a chance! That's what this fight is about – to settle that!" Adel hissed.
"You're using evolution to justify a human's greed? To justify the countless Reploids spent to reach today when we're better off in peace now?" X raised his eyebrow at her. "Besides, all we did was just blow up the ex-Maverick Lumine on the moon. It was the humans who decided to clamp down the evil scheme you're representing. Leave us out of this nonsense."
"Hmph!" Adel scoffed and turned her head dramatically. "If only you knew … but anyways, I'll stop debating for now. This is a test of arms. If you're so confident your way of things is correct, then beat us in a fight. We will do our best as well."
Hey, Iris. Axl thought inwardly. We could use bro's help, yes. Can you call for him to come over and take over me when necessary? I mean, like that time in Area Zero?
Ah … that time. Yes, that would be a good tactic. Alright, I'm going. Iris answered before transferring out of his mind.
"Then let's get to it!" Zero hissed, brought out his saber and immediately attacked Agmar. Agmar raised his arm cannon and spear to his defense, and all the Hunters retreated further so that their presences do not interfere with the fight. "Bring it on, red Hunter!"
"My turn to reply." Adel said and swung her rapier thrice, sending forward many plasma waves towards X. X hurriedly charged his Buster and fired multiple charged shots, thus neutralizing the plasma waves. X grunted under his breath and fired his shots non-stop.
"Right back at you, X!" Axl came in and fired his rapid bullets at Adel. Adel swung her rapier to deflect all their joint buster shots. Axl forced his guns to fire his rapid bullets at an increasing rate. X had an idea. He continuously charged his Buster and fired each charged shot with increasing frequency towards Adel. The other Hunters backed even further.
"Ugh no!" Adel was finally blasted with X's shots, though she had tried to repel as many shots heading to her as possible. She paced backwards and Axl chased after her.
"Lumine! A – Axl asked me to come back! He said!" Iris started, after arriving back in her newer-gen body and rushed to Lumine's office. The Reploid didn't respond initially.
"I … heard about it." Lumine leaned back on his chair and directed her to her own monitor. "Level 5 clearance. I had the broadcast continue on your computer as well. And … there's a lot of work specifically there for you to do. I'm really sorry. Please stay with me for a while."
"Urgh … sure. As long as I go back to Axl afterwards." Iris hung her head down and tiredly walked to her desk. "Of course. Definitely." Lumine looked sadly at her.
Zero clashed saber with Agmar's arm cannon-spear combo attacks. There was no inch for him to tackle agmar directly, but suddenly there was one. He threw in his fist to his face.
"URGH! You!" Agmar could only grumble. But he returned the fist with a swift kick in Zero's face as well. "AHH!" Zero was sent rolling off the road.
Adel flared a deep red aura around her whole body and swung her rapier many times, firing an indeterminate number of plasma waves into the air. The waves came down in different forms of flames raining on everyone. X shot some but realized it was futile to get rid of them.
Again, the other Hunters retreated. Some of the flames reached their equipment, damaging them and causing explosions. Adel used the chance to fire rapier shock waves in the chaos to further damage the Hunters. X fired his charge shots to deter her, so she was focused on him.
Agmar used this chance to dodge up to X and gave him a huge kick in the gut. He did so. It was painful. He could see Zero coming back into the fight. He decided to tackle Axl.
Axl fired his bullets shots non-stop. Agmar kept repelling them with his swinging spear out of his arm cannon and was able to gradually inch towards Axl. Axl grunted and increased his firepower output. Agmar rushed towards Axl, but Axl ducked, stopped shooting and slammed his leg into Agmar's face off-guard. Axl smirked as Agmar grunted in pain.
"Ah, where is bro?! What's taking him and/or Iris so long!?" Axl grunted as he dodged another move of Agmar's. Zero came in speeding and tackled Agmar, even harshly flinging him over to Adel, disrupting her attacks on X. "Lousy Maverick bastard!" Zero sneered.
Axl rolled over to a corner which was spared from Adel's plasma fire moves. He closed his eyes quickly, and his senses were automatically in his mindscape, stepping on the invisible floor. He rushed over to the red and purple orbs by the orange button. He pressed both orbs repeatedly as fast as he could. Seconds later, sensing no action, he returned back to the world.
"Nggh. Alright, then I've gotta help X and Zero the most I can!" He ran out from his corner and found Zero clashing with Agmar and X firing away at Adel furiously.
"Take this!" Zero sliced his way around Agmar's moves and stabbed his saber through Agmar's left arm (the one without an arm cannon), searing it through, paralyzing said arm. "Huh!?" He gasped when he saw Agmar's arm rebuild itself from the inside.
"It hurts, yes, but this body will never tire." Agmar smirked at him. "You'll never be able to fully defeat us until you think of something drastic. HAH!" Agmar swung his arm cannon back and used it to punch Zero square in the chest. Zero yelled aloud and rolled back.
"I got you!" Axl braced his body to push back against the weight of Zero's falling on him. "Thanks!" He was greeted with gratitude. "No problem." They dashed back to Agmar and Zero stabbed his saber on Agmar's body multiple times, while Axl fired his bullets right when his guns made contact with his limbs. "Have more of these!"
Axl roundhouse-kicked Agmar off crashing into a wall. He saw some parts of Agmar's body crack, but then healed up as if they never happened at all. "Wh – what was that!?" He exclaimed. "You weren't there when we were crashing them, but these bastards can heal up energy. Now they can heal their own bodies too!" Zero promptly replied.
"Guys, a little help here would be so appreciated!" X grunted as he kept firing non-stop at Adel, who was firing plasma shockwaves at him. "Seriously, where are the other Hunters? Are they still evacuating civilians?" Zero and Axl complied by rushing to his aid.
"Alright, let's power it up a bit!" Adel flared up her aura and released more dancing flames in the air from her rapier swinging. The flames danced in the air before many of them charged at each Hunter, causing more explosions about. They had to keep avoiding them.
"I'm coming right in!" Agmar charged up his arm cannon and fired a huge laser towards the epicentre of where X Zero and Axl were. A huge blast. Huge damage. Even the dancing flames were vaporized. "AH!" Everyone shouted in pain (except Agmar, of course).
When the smoke and dust settled, Adel flew over and smacked him once in the face. "Ow!" He squirmed. "You weren't supposed to hit me! I can recuperate, but – ow – it's a dent on my perception of you …" Adel groaned. "Well … look at that." Agmar tried to defend himself.
He pointed to the ground where X Zero and Axl were struggling to stand up. Certain structures and roads were damaged, some Hunters were damaged too. The other Hunters looked on the situation. No one dared to inch or make their own moves.
"This is getting nowhere … we need to think of a new strategy and fast." Zero grunted to X. "Yeah … but how can we … they self-heal pretty fast … there's almost no way to take them on." X sighed. "Close-range damage seems to work, though." Zero remarked.
Axl was the first to fully stand up. "You Mavericks just don't want to give up, do you? Well … just so happens that we don't too. Urgh!" Axl felt pain in his chest.
"Hahaha!" Adel let out a laugh. "You're one to talk! Our bodies and energy meters heal automatically! If anything, you're in a worse shape than we are!"
"Ha ha …" X snickered. "Not really … you all put up a good fight … it's just that it's on par with every Maverick I've faced. But … they're not as bad as the fight that 'traitor Reploid' gave us back in Abel Sector-Two. Are you saying this is all you can do?"
Adel and Agmar shouted angrily in response to that: "Take that back!" "Don't ever talk about that traitor as if he's better than us!" "We are the epoch of the master's work!"
"I don't know." Axl smirked. "Lumine can crush anything around us like jello. I beat him before. So naturally, it's a matter of time before I can beat you too!" He beat on his chest twice. "If you think you can do better than Lumine, then bring it on!"
"You – you!" Adel pointed her rapier at Axl. "You will never be up for it! Grh – FINE! If you want your death so terribly, then we will bring it for you! You will regret this!"
Zero dusted himself. "Your attacks are great but … nah, they're still not as good as our fight with Lumine on the Moon or Abel Sector-Two. Give us your worst. I can still last!"
"You sure you up for it?" Agmar pointed his spear to the Hunters. "Hey Zero! Remember that one time you caught us merged in Axl's form? Have you sensed the power from us!?"
Axl recalled that brief period when the Hunters were accusing of Axl going Maverick, which turned out to these two impersonating him. Zero grumbled. "Of course I remember. I sensed it. You're saying … you can become even more powerful than that?"
"Of course!" Adel smiled sneakily. "Well, since we're going all out now, you will not see the kid's (Axl) colour scheme on our merged body! You'd see something else different altogether! Come, Agmar! It's time! Let's stick in form B until they all perish!"
Agmar nodded and said: "As you wish." Adel smiled nastily. "Be prepared to die! When we win, we will resurrect the new world you and the humans destroyed! HAHAHA!"
"T – this is!" Layer was shocked to see, back in her seat in the Hunters HQ, the energy readings go off the scale. "They're merging again!? Be prepared, fellows!" Indeed, X Zero and Axl saw the two Mavericks' bodies glowing eerily in white and grey.
Axl swung his left arm aside dramatically. "Bring on your strongest form then! I don't care! You gave me trouble at one point back then, now you're just asking for it from me! I'm more determined to end you for good now!" He pointed his guns at the two.
X saw their forms turn into outlines in white, the outlines walked to one another and merged, and the outline came out to be that of Axl's own outline. The full form of their merger was that of Axl's now, with his blue-red colour scheme. Axl grumbled inwardly.
Before anyone could retort, the Maverick Axl's colour scheme changed to that of a white-purple one. His eyes were yellow. White Axl. The mixture of Lumine's colour scheme with that of Axl, assuming if Lumine successfully possessed or controlled Axl to the full.
Huge equipment had sprung out of this White Axl's being before the form had solidified. They became an autonomous buster part, an autonomous rapier, an autonomous lance and an autonomous pair of grabby-clawed hands. White Axl stared at everyone around him, and Adel and Agmar's voices overlapped to become Axl's own voice, but hugely over-evil.
"Let this be your end!" Instantly the autonomous flying mech-ish parts began firing upon the Hunters and the city. "Fire at will on the Maverick! Make sure no one else gets in the line of fire! Now!" X ordered the other Hunters, and they knew what to do.
People inside buildings escaped from the carnage, other Hunters requested more back-up and fired on White Axl. The three tried to approach White Axl, but his autonomous parts came thundering down. White Axl laughed maniacally as the chaos ensued.
Iris watched the broadcast, thanks to Corp cameras nearby, of X Zero and Axl fighting White Axl. Axl's form sporting a purple-white scheme like his brother. Iris figured out in that instant. The ultimate psychological insult to Axl, if not to Prez. She recalled the video of Bobby sneering when Adel and Agmar played it back in Area Zero. Yes, she had looked into Axl's memories when she was in his body. That's why she knew.
"It feels like they're insulting dad from the dead." Iris grumbled. She moved the program playing the broadcast away from the rest of her programs, so she could focus on work. "Lumine, you're sure you don't want to intervene? You know what's happening."
The white Reploid was at his executive desk. His eye briefly glanced over at Iris before returning to the jumbo of calculations on his monitor. "I trust the Hunters. And Axl. So, no. Not yet. I want to thoroughly study the humans' amendments to the Temporary Act."
Iris sighed. The humans heard rumours that the Federation Palace was going to give the Corp and its head absolute power over the country. Emotional roller coasters were everywhere.
"Just make sure you know what you're doing … and pray the guys whoop the two Mavericks in the butt …" Iris said softly, and resumed her professional mood on her own work.
"I will." Lumine said softly. "Well, I have to, considering he kept calling for us to be in his brain. Urgh. The noise from jamming the signals repeatedly …" He rubbed his head.
Axl fired his rapid bullets non-stop at the grabby hands coming after him, but often one hand would be stopped by his bullets and the other hand would quickly move aside and slam him very hard. The rapid bullets stop and the first hand would deliver a fist to his body.
"I am starting to hate this! Me and my yap!" Axl grunted as he hurriedly turned to fire on one of the arms. However, the rapier swung erratically and sent many shockwaves searing through his body, causing much pain. "NRRGHH! This really bites!"
"RAH!" Zero shouted as he forcibly sent his saber slicing through the autonomous buster, stopping it before it caused more damage. The huge piece of equipment exploded, White Axl jerked briefly as if destruction of the autonomous part dealt damage to his internal circuits.
"You – you may have destroyed one part of me, but I have others!" White Axl yelled through gritted teeth. "I will get you yet!"
[AUTHOR'S NOTE]
Refer back to Chapter 27 where Adel and Agmar once merged to become a Maverick form of Axl to trick Zero. That incident.