Chapter 37
Bargaining
Left alone, with no one else to rely on; Zero felt her arms and legs turn to stone as, what used to be her spotter, finished to charge its weapon…
Time itself had stopped, and the female reploid could only watch, as the power contained within Iris's cannon was unleashed. Zero felt her body react all on its own, almost as if someone had shoved her aside just so that she could avoid the beam that was headed in her direction…
Collapsing on the floor, the red reploid heard the sound of the blast reaching the wall behind her, only to realize that a part of it had literally melted on impact. The female hunter could not believe her own eyes, five foot of a seemingly indestructible alloy, destroyed in one single shot; even X's charged shots had never managed to leave anything beyond stains and burn marks on such metal.
It was then; that the female reploid finally realized what she was up against. The red hunter ran as fast as her legs could carry her, while the monstrous contraption charged its weapon once more. This couldn't be happening… not Iris… This 'thing' simply could not have been the same Iris who had talked her into going to Sky Lagoon; this could not be the same Iris, that was so afraid that she and Colonel wouldn't get along, that she almost coerced them into doing so…
And yet, there she was, it could not be denied; Zero could think of nothing else that could have made her snap like this… Colonel, was truly gone…
Constantly hounded by dark beams of untold magnitude, the red hunter could only run as everything that separated them was obliterated. What was she supposed to do, cower behind one of those consoles and wish it all away? She had tried, she had tried to ignore it; but this robot would stop at absolutely nothing to destroy her.
But Iris was in there… how was she supposed to save her when she wasn't so sure that she could save herself? There was only one way to deal with this, and Zero wasn't so sure if she was quite up to the task…
She had to do something… she would not let them take Iris away from her like they did with Colonel…
Turning on her saber, Zero waited for the purple automaton to recharge and seized her chance before it could get any more chances to fire. She struck quickly and precisely, but even this, was not enough… the massive reploid recoiled from her blade so swiftly, that red hunter could have sworn that it had just vanished into thin air. The female reploid waved her weapon around, swinging through nothingness as the one, who used to have been her best girl friend, gathered energy within her left arm.
Zero was forced to fall back. How she could have failed to land so many blows… the blond hunter couldn't tell; but one thing was certain, this… Iris, wasn't like anything she had seen before; it was much too powerful…
No matter how many times the female reploid tried to get away, this robot simply would not leave her alone; each times it was getting closer, and each time its aim seemed to be getting more accurate. She had no choice, if she wanted to survive; then she would have to buy herself a few seconds to rest.
Looking around in the hope of finding a proper hideout; Zero's hopes were quickly crushed as the massive automaton destroyed yet another console that was surrounding the generator…
In due time, the female reploid was forced to admit that there were simply no way that she could outrun this thing. Zero took a few steps back, realizing that she was now trapped between the robot's line of fire and Final Weapon's main generator… She was trapped…
Iris rose in the air; the constant humming of her repulsor driving the red hunter nuts as the energy crawl beneath her armor; it would finally end… everything would all end…
Suddenly, a three-dimensional purple diamond emerged from the strange reploid, which levitated about halfway between the massive automaton and its target. The air was getting heavier; and the red hunter could have sworn that a strange red gas was leaking from Iris's eyes…
It was then, that it fired. From afar, Zero saw a beam of tremendous energy soaring through the air as it made its way toward her. But something was wrong, that much she could tell once she saw the diamond-shaped object stop the beam in its track; or so she had thought, before she realized that the large diamond had triggered a prism-like effect upon absorbing the blast of energy.
Upon reaching the generator, the rain of projectiles created by Iris caused numerous explosions, which resulted in a massive conflagration in which the female hunter was caught. Though Zero had been smart enough to run like hell before the beams could manage to reach her, the female reploid soon found herself helpless as waves of embers covered the room.
Fortunately, the red hunter was still alive; but from what she could tell back then, her hairs and armor would probably never be the same… Everything was burning around her, and Zero had a truly hard time to distinguish anything beyond the smoke. Then, two dozens of small mechaniloids squeezed through the largest hole created by the massive automaton.
The smoke cleared as the cylindrical automatons reached what remained of Final Weapon's main generator, which had been completely vaporized by the explosion. Once again, Iris made her presence known by firing yet another beam in Zero's direction, which the latter narrowly evaded as she tried to catch her bearing. Somehow getting a grip of the current situation, the small mechaniloids headed right for the dark purple reploid, who remained completely motionless as their tools suddenly became electrified.
As they approached, what used to be Iris, glowed brighter than ever before; causing all the cylindrical apparatus to turn tails, and switch their targets to the red hunter.
The ground began to shake violently, presumably as a side effect of the destruction of the generator; Zero lost balance as she greeted the first mechaniloid with her saber and struggled desperately for survival… Whatever she was going to do, she needed a plan… or else…
--
Final Weapon Main Deck…
Back on the deck, things weren't looking so well; a few seconds ago, General could have sworn that everything was fine; and now, it almost seemed like Final Weapon had been the victim of an earthquake. General yelled, extremely annoyed by his underlings inability to deal with the current situation. Idiots, all of you! Why the hell are we moving?!
One of the closest technicians answered. I have no idea!! The station just started moving all on its own!
What is that supposed to mean?!
I don't know, that's not even my job; I'm just in charge of the navigation system!
Then who is?!
A female voice quickly answered. The generator! It's gone!!
Switch to backup immediately!
No good, sir! One of the three backup generators was destroyed when this shuttle crashed on us, we won't be able to hold much longer with the last remaining two!
General was angry, why now? Why did everything have to go so wrong when they were so close to achieve independence? What had he done to anger the universe so? The tall reploid then turned to the technician in charge of the navigation system. You! Try to keep us stabilized long enough for the mechaniloids to carry out the repairs. Repliforce will not go down without a fight.
Visibly panicked, another voice rose above all the others. Sir!! Something's wrong with the mechaniloids we sent to block 6-A! They're no longer listening to me… they… oh no! I'm beginning to lose them; something is trying to stop them from carrying out the repairs!
Visual confirmation, immediately!!
A hologram appeared right before them, displaying a berserk red reploid taking down the cylindrical mechaniloids one by one. General felt fear overcoming him as he saw this female reploid cut down what might be their only chance to keep Final Weapon afloat… Knowing his duty as the leader of Repliforce, the tall reploid spoke once more. Begin the procedure… We're evacuating Final Weapon…
--
The fire was still going strong; and the sheer number of enemies that were surrounding Zero was about to overwhelm her. The female reploid felt her strength being drained from her limbs and knew that her end was coming. Iris fired another beam in her direction, frying several mechaniloids in the process.
Fortunately, the purple reploid had succeeded in giving Zero enough time to deal with them; allowing her to switch back her attention to the massive robot, before the latter could muster enough energy for another shot. By now, the purple prism had already merged back with Iris, allowing the female hunter a small moment of respite while she tried struggled for her life.
The female reploid tried to catch the massive automaton unaware, if this was at all possible; but she was constantly thwarted by its incredible speed or by the fire that was spreading around them. How could she do this? After all they had been through together… Some much questions left unanswered and yet that seemed so far away every time another blast of energy escaped from the dark reploid's cannon.
It was hopeless… this much Zero found out once the diamond-shaped object re-emerged from the monstrous reploid. The red hunter was overcome with dread as she realized the implications of another shower of such projectiles… There nothing left for the female reploid to hide behind, and she was now right in the open. Though it may have sounded quite complicated back then, the equation was simple enough; destroy this prism before Iris could fire, or die in the attempt.
But unfortunately, the purple robot was too fast for her; Zero took her chance regardless, and dash jumped toward the purple diamond, driving her saber all the way through the prism as the blast, originating from Iris's left arm, was about to be absorbed.
Again, it was one of those split seconds where the blond hunter was assaulted with doubts… Best-case scenario, the prism would explode, and Zero's body would be mortally wounded by the beam of energy; worst case, the female reploid would have failed, and her whole body would be completely vaporized by the sheer power released through this prism. Little did she know, that what awaited her would be far worse than anything she would have imagined.
Upon reaching the diamond-shaped object, Iris's beam disappeared completely, leaving the three-dimensional object swelling with energy. However, this time, it did not replicate the blast like it had done before; instead, it began to crumble upon itself, as large green mark appeared all the way through its surface, allowing the female reploid to fall back on the floor relatively unharmed.
What remained of the purple prism slowly levitated back to, what used to be her spotter, and triggered a chain of explosions within its body. The massive reploid plummeted to the ground, its armor slowly vanishing as Iris turned back to normal.
Zero rushed to her side, vainly hoping that her dear friend had made it unscathed; but it was too late, the harm… was already done…Iris! Iris!!
Slowly opening her eyes, the brown-haired reploid saw the female hunter kneel beside her, visibly horrified at the state she was in. Zero…
Hang in there, Iris…
Zero… I'm sorry… I-I never wanted things to end like this.
Nothing's going to end… You'll be fine, I…
I-I just wanted to live in a world where nobody would have to fight…
The dying reploid's reached the female hunter's cheek with her left hand; smiling, as she was lost herself within her green eyes. With you…
Huh?!
I know you weren't aware of it, and perhaps it's my fault for not being able to tell you properly; but X wasn't the one I really liked… … It was you; all along…I-I loved you, Zero.
For a moment, Zero felt her heart stop as all the memories rushed in within her brain; she had no idea… she had been completely oblivious to it. Yet, now that she was aware of it, it made so much sense; how could she possibly have missed it… I-Iris!
I hated myself for not being able to tell you sooner; but when I saw you and my brother together… I… I was so jealous…
I… I didn't know… I really didn't. I…
It's not your fault, Zero; you've already done so much for me already…if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even have been able to tell you… You've saved me.
How could she say that? Why wasn't she yelling at her? Why wasn't she blaming her for what happened to her brother? She hadn't saved her, she had murdered her… Unable to look at her without feeling guilty, the female hunter took her left hand within her own, refusing to let go even if it meant never doing so. Please don't leave me too, Iris… I-I'll do whatever you want… I'll do anything. Just don't leave me alone like this…
I wish I could…… I really do…
Hugging the brown-haired reploid as close as she could, the female hunter replied. Don't say that… Don't… …
Then, Iris finally whispered. Don't be sad… I'm going to a better place… somewhere where my brother and me will be reunited as one… Then, perhaps someday… … someday… … …
Iris stopped in the middle of her sentence… Zero could clearly see that she had stopped breathing. Don't…
The blond hunter was losing control on what she was doing; she felt her arms slide back to her sides while Iris's lifeless body crashed upon the floor. She would let her die like this; she would NOT... Don't do this to me, Iris!
The red reploid banged her clenched fists on the shell, which used to house her dear friend; unable to understand how fate could be so cruel, unaware that she was only denying her, the peaceful rest that she deserved. Madly trying to wake her up through whatever means she could think of, Zero was yelling as loud as her processor could muster. What do you what from me?! Why are you taking away everyone I ever liked?! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!
There was no point in doing this, the universe would not listen to her; the female reploid stared at, what used to be Iris, as if she really hoped that she would suddenly wake up; but she would not…
Aw… Sometimes I can't believe how cruel video games, and authors in particular, can get. To me, Iris always sounded like some kind of punching bag character. No matter how I look at it, I simply could never bring myself to NOT kill her; there's something about those kinds of tragic characters that simply make you want to make them suffer. There's nothing sadistic or rational about it, but it remains a fact that Iris is more useful dead than alive. For some reasons, peoples (and by peoples I mean myself) have a morbid fascination about unfulfilled feelings and impossible love; there's something pure and innocent those things that makes you wonder, if this is not, in fact, love in its most untainted form.
But hey, you don't have to agree with or believe me; I suppose I simply wanted to get this off my chest. But onward to another subject that has been bothering me for a while; had Iris been truly affected by the maverick virus, or did she willingly convinced herself that Zero had to die. It is somewhat unclear, since her last words within the game actually sound just like the kind of things Repliforce would say; which somehow makes little sense since some of the characters affiliated with the Repliforce had actually displayed some mavericks behavior, like being willing to fight to the death to accomplish their goals or simply destroying entire cities, like Jet Stingray did. My conclusion? Well I guess we'll never know; though if given a choice, I would certainly bet my money on them turning maverick as a conscious choice rather than succumbing to the virus.
Preview: Mad with grief, unable to forgive Repliforce for what they have done and barely able to drag herself to Final Weapon's main deck… Zero finally confronts the mastermind behind Repliforce who will finally be able to shed some light on the purpose behind the Repliforce war. Will Zero succeed to keep a cool head and deal with Repliforce before it is too late? Or will she surrender to the anger that is boiling within her and destroy everything that stands in her path? Next chapter: Anger.