Time to look in on X! What will happen now that the entire Aberrant Council is here? Let's find out!

Locke Lynx: Question is, why does she want him? Also, good luck with finals! I know the feeling of them all too well. Thankfully for this year, I only have assignments and projects rather than exams. Still stressful though!

SparktheDog: Mate, you have a sweet taste in music! I was going to use Last Wish Punished, but this has a similar beat and fits perfectly. Thank you for the recommendation!

Grimlock987: Ummm... sorry...

Ultimate Kuuga: Too late, she already said it! Also, I just figured Yang would be impulsive enough to do something like that. Doesn't help that she is high off adrenaline from the fight they just had.

Gravenimage: Like I said, I have a plan, just enjoy watching it all play out.

Yaboioverthar: Yang sort of has, she did face down Sigma to protect Ruby earlier on. Not to worry though, everyone gets their own little spotlight later on. I think you'll enjoy it!

Onwards!

X watched the battle taking place with palpable unease. He and the troops that were with him had taken out most of the enemy forces with relative ease thanks to their defensive position. Of course, that wasn't the main area of concern.

The figures pacing through the smoke and flames, that was the big issue.

A small platoon of soldiers hobbled and limped back towards X's position. The de facto leader of their group approached and saluted.

"Sir. There's no one else left out there but the enemy leaders. We tried to fight them off but they wiped out most of my unit. We had to pull out of there and, I'm ashamed to say, had to leave some good men behind."

X stared off into the now quiet battlefield. A mix of smouldering Reaverbot ruins and human and faunus corpses lay strewn across the ground. The formerly pristine and soft grassy plains that the base was built on, now filled with craters and ruined weaponry. The soldiers had done their part, now it was time for X to do his.

"Commander." X called.

"Yes, sir?" The commander replied.

"Pull the men back to the main base, the wounded will get priority of course. I'll delay the enemy."

"Sir, you can't be serious!" He protested.

It fell on deaf ears.

"I will not have anyone else suffer for my mistakes. Move back now, that's an order. Besides, Team's RWBY and JNPR should be on their way here by now. Go!"

The commander saluted. "Oum protect you, sir! Fall back boys!"

X watched them leave. The humans he had sworn to protect so long ago. They were willing to die for him and his cause, but he knew this was not their burden to bear. Seeing his long time enemies in the distance, he leapt down from the vantage point and began making his way through the battlefield.

It was time to meet his creations face to face.

Just outside the base

"Mistress Xandria. I regret to inform you, our main attack force has been destroyed." Sigma stated, listening to some transmissions from the few remaining Reaverbot's.

Xandria kept her composure, maintaining a dignified look on her face. Looking ahead however, a smile crept onto her face.

"Not to worry, he's here."

(Insert music: Megaman Zero 2 Remastered Tracks - X, the Legend)

The Council all looked forward. There, walking slowly through the smoke and rubble, a bright reflection shone off the gleaming cyan armour of their common enemy. His crystal reflected the light as well, making it glow almost unnaturally bright. The expression however, was one of anger and hatred. An expression so rarely seen by the Council members. Despite the appearance, this X was very different to the one they had fought before.

"At long last!" Xandria shouted across to X as he approached. "The legendary Hunter approaches."

X stopped a short distance from Xandria, the Council stood behind her.

"So, you have finally come. You face me once more, to fight for the planet and people you cherish so much."

"I can't say it's something I was looking forward to." X snapped back.

"You didn't have to. You could have run away, gone back to your friends for help. But that's not you, is it X? No, you and your little conscience brought you here, you can't bear to watch others suffer for you. It doesn't matter if it's human, faunus or Reploid, your pure little heart always brings you out of hiding, despite being the coward you are."

"I won't let the humans suffer any more for what I did, Xandria. No matter what, I swear that I will end this conflict!"

Xandria laughed to herself.

"Admirable. That same strong sense of justice and fairness is what has made you such a worthy opponent against me. After all these years, I'm almost sad that it will all be over soon."

X seethed slightly.

"It should have been over the day we were sealed away! I placed you in that capsule to make sure you would never blight the world again with your evil ways!"

"Oh come now, X. Regardless of what methods you use, it is our destiny to fight. A concept that your human friends seem to believe in religiously. The unseen force that keeps driving us into conflict with one another, no matter how far you run or how hard you try to prevent it. Destiny has already written the future for us, X. It's a future where either Reploids rule supreme, or you let them die and return to the pages of history. No matter what you do to try and avoid it, you cannot prevent our battle from taking place."

X activated his buster arm.

"That's why I'm here. I won't run any longer. If this is my destiny, then I shall face it! Just know I'm going to give you one hell of a fight before you take me!"

"Don't flatter yourself, X. I don't need you the same way as Sigma did back in the Maverick wars. No, I just need you to reach my true goal. Another of your creations as I recall?"

He knew exactly what Xandria was talking about, but tried to hide his horror at the thought of it being used.

"That face." Xandria noticed. "Is this another one of your 'deep regrets', X?"

"Your creation Xandria, not mine! I just made sure to keep it out of your reach! You can't use that thing! Even you're not insane enough to use it's power!"

"You talk of insanity, X. Yet the only insane one I see here is you!"

The Council all seemed amazed. To talk to someone such as X in this manner, it was impressive that Xandria was able to.

"The lengths you've gone to just to protect humanity, turning on your own kind and slaughtering them in the name of 'justice'! Tell me, X. What justice is there in letting the weak survive? In letting your own people be ruled over as lesser beings? Even now, the humans and faunus fight against each other over their simple differences, just as humanity sought to destroy Reploid kind so long ago!"

X couldn't deny that point. The White Fang group were a clear sign of the differences that divided humanity and faunus.

"We Reploids, we have proven ourselves to be above such conflict." Xandria continued. "Our race is united as one, we care not for distinction between Mechanaloid, Reaverbot or Reploid. The only reason we fight humanity now, is because they had their chances and they scorned them."

"Think about it X. How many times did you yourself try for peaceful reform? How many times did you go to the human governments to ask for change, only to have yourself be shot down by their superiority complex over our kind? Then humanity found itself weakened and helpless, so they turned to you for help. The arrogance of it all!"

X shook his head slowly.

"Though all you say is true, Xandria, humanity is learning it's lesson. I have lived with these humans for so long; seen their struggles, hopes, dreams and fought alongside them as they sought to bring them to fruition. The humans you talk of are a dying breed, the last remains of the foolish world we fought over."

X thought back to the time just after they knew of Xandria's existence, remembering the meeting with them as though it had happened yesterday.

"When they learned of the truth, of my mistakes. They did not judge me as the humans of old would have. They saw the good in what I was trying to and vowed to help me achieve peace for this world."

"You talk high and mighty Xandria, but it seems you are no better than the humans of the past were. Their foolish idea of being superior is now an ideal held only by you and your followers. Despite what you say, or how you try to justify your actions, you have become nothing more than a Maverick!"

It was at that point, that Xandria snapped. Throwing her arm up, she sent a wave of energy outwards that exploded just in front of X, leaving a crescent shaped cater in front of the legendary Hunter. She then drew her own sabre, violet in colour.

"It's such a shame I need you alive, X. I would much rather tear your bolts out one by one!"

(Insert music: DragonBall Z – Gogeta's Theme (start at 0:39 seconds)

The two ancient enemies charged towards each other at full speed. Meeting in the middle, their blades made contact and the two briefly exchanged glances before skidding to the side where the other had started.

Xandria leapt forward, flipping forward several times as she did so with her sabre held in front of her chest. She slammed down on the ground in front of X, who managed to step back just in time to avoid being split down the middle.

He then tried a counter attack while Xandria was stooped low from the landing, swinging across at her head. Xandria raised her blade and held his strike back easily with one hand, smirking as she got back up, while X strained against her.

As Xandria moved closer, she pressed his sabre back until it was a few inches from his neck. Keeping his arm low, X switched his left hand to his buster without Xandria noticing. Pulling it up, he aimed for her head and fired a shot. Xandria's reflexes were lightning fast though, as the uncharged shot zipped past her head and pinged off a nearby Reaverbot body.

"Now that was just rude." Xandria tutted.

Using her free arm, she wrapped it around X's buster arm and held it tightly. X strained against her grip but it was useless, Xandria was far stronger than she looked. Her fingers were close to X's buster as she began tapping on it in seemingly random patterns.

"Let's see if I remember how this works."

As she tapped, a few beeps were heard from X's buster. Holographic buttons briefly glowed when she hit the right place. After a sequence of around twenty presses, X's arm returned back to a normal hand. Satisfied, Xandria pulled X over her shoulder and let him land on his back with a grunt. He just managed to roll aside as Xandria plunged her blade down towards his chest, the burning plasma instead scorching a hole in the ground.

X got back to his feet and tried reactivating his buster cannon. Instead of the hand retracting, it just clicked each time he tired.

"Safety lock down." Xandria explained. "A handy little feature I discovered. Can't be too careful with guns around you know."

Ignoring her smug response, X swung overhead with his sabre. Xandria countered with an upwards swing, knocking X back and making him stumble. Shaking his head, X swung low across towards her legs. Again, Xandria blocked quickly and efficiently, not wasting anything in her calculated moves.

X tried a stab at Xandria's chest. Thrusting the blade towards her with both hands, leaning forward with the attack to put his whole body weight into it. Xandria was prepared though, stepping aside and letting the blade pass by her. She then grabbed X by the wrists and held them high. Crushing them in her grasp, X was forced to relinquish the grip of his sabre, letting it clatter to the ground beneath him.

Xandria then spun him around and flung him across the battlefield, letting the Hunter smash into a destroyed Paladin. Groggily standing back up, the Paladin creaked and groaned above him. Dashing out of the way at the last second, the Paladin's legs gave way and it fell, crumbling into rust pieces as it landed.

X got back to his feet, realising he had no weapon any more, until his sabre was thrown back at his feet. Xnadria herself being the one responsible. It seemed she was just toying with him.

He carried on in his attack, running back to Xandria and bringing his blade down towards her again. She leaned back to let it go by her before playfully moving around behind X and pushing him past her. The Hunter stumbling awkwardly as Xandria waited for his next move.

She didn't have to wait long as X whirled back around with another strike. This time, Xandria blocked it and used her own blade to push X's downwards, keeping it trapped beneath her own. She then punched him in the face with enough force to knock him off his feet. X rolled with the momentum of the punch and used it to get straight up again.

"Come on. Is that really all you've got, X? I expected Zero to have taught you a bit more sabre combat than this!" Xandria boasted.

"He taught me enough!" X responded.

Xandria with her blade, only to have X backflip on the spot, kicking the hilt of her weapon as he did so and knocking the activated blade a safe distance from himself. Seeing his opening, X swung at Xandria's shoulder.

*BZZZT*

"GAH!" Xandria yelled.

Sparks flew off her as X's blade had made a deep gash in her shoulder armour plating. The pristine cyan colour now ruined with a mix of burning hot metal and black scorched carbon. Xandria bit her lip as she held a hand against her wound. X was about to go in for another strike when she backed away and gave the order.

"Take him! NOW!"

Sigma was the first to make a move. Running up to X, the ground trembled beneath his feet, his Σ blade drawn. Sigma swung the mighty weapon down at X, who moved back and let the blade embed itself in the earth. X then ran up the length of the blade and over Sigma's head, kicking him in the chin as he did so.

Double then moved up and tried to stab X behind his back. Luckily, he knew it was coming and so X allowed the blade to pass underneath his arm before wrapping it around Double's own extended one. Swooping in behind Double, X pinned the maniac by his arm, using the council member as a shield from Lumine, who had his hand aimed at the two.

"Release Double and face your fate, X!" Lumine threatened.

"He's all yours!" X replied before he leapt up and kicked Double in the back, sending him crashing into Lumine as they both fell into a heap on the ground.

X then felt a strange energy around his legs. Looking down at his feet, he saw an all too familiar orange ring, circling his feet and preventing him from moving. He looked over his shoulder and was not in the least bit surprised at who he saw sprinting at him.

"Byte! Get him!" Bit yelled.

X rolled his eyes and held up three fingers. Counting down in his head, he lowered each one with the matching number. Upon reaching zero, he leapt up and allowed the two idiots to crash into one another, with Byte easily shoving Bit aside due to his extreme size.

Skidding to a halt, Byte was about to give chase again, when X climbed onto his back and pressed something on it. Bit was suddenly pulled towards his partner and the two were stuck together.

"You and that stupid magnet mine!" Bit cursed his team mate's choice of weapon.

"Enough!" Sigma roared, grabbing X by the throat and pinning him against the earth.

X was not in the mood for games, as he proved by grabbing Sigma's head and smashing it against his own! Sigma stood back up, covering a crack in his forehead crystal and allowing X to get the upper hand again. Sweeping his leg out, X knocked Sigma off his feet, the sizeable Reploid making a loud boom as he hit the ground. This allowed X a brief moment of respite, his body drooping slightly as his energy reserves ran low.

"Feeling a little tired there, X?" Double mocked before slashing his arm blades in a cross formation at X's chest.

Fighting through the exhaustion, X slid underneath the blades and between Double's legs. Standing back up, he grabbed Double from behind and threw him over the top of his head. The yellow Reploid laughed heartily as he saw X struggling to keep going.

X drew his sabre to try and finish Double off. Raising the weapon to bring down upon his enemy, he was suddenly hit in the shoulder by a shot of some kind. Recoiling and looking at the effect, he saw there were several white electrical arcs passing over his shoulder.

A stun shot.

Gate was the one holding the pistol that fired it. Smirking, he fired another round that hit X in the left leg. The energy covered him once more and dropped to one knee as he lost some power.

Still he fought on. As Sigma tried to come in and grab him again, X swung his sabre up to try and hit his sworn enemy. It was easily blocked by Sigma's giant blade, rendering X's attack pointless. He was punished for this as another stun shot hit him in the chest.

X groaned and fell to his knee's, barely able to keep himself up any longer. His eyes caught Gate aiming the pistol at him and the scientist fired another shot.

(Insert music: Megaman Zero 2 OST Remastered: End of Legend)

It was enough as X's body gave way, collapsing to the point where he could barely raise himself up with one arm. Straining and grunting, he looked up and saw the Council members standing around him, looking down on him.

Xandria approached him once more, still holding her arm, though not in pain or anger. Why should she? After all, her victory was at hand. She knelt down close to X.

"Impressive, my old friend. You may have lost your memory, but I see you have regained your prowess in combat. To face against such odds and last for so long, you truly are the greatest Reploid to ever live. Alas, all good things must end."

She snapped her fingers and Sigma dismissed his Σ blade, allowing it to dissipate into data numbers. He then reached down ad picked up X by the helmet, holding him at arms length, as if disgusted by him.

"Do try to be careful with him Sigma, at least until we get back to Neo Arcadia. There, he will remove the lock, and you can deal with him as you please."

The council members prepared to leave, warming up their transervers to warp back to Neo Arcadia. As Xandria was about to leave however, she heard footsteps approaching, and a distant voice calling out.

"X! X!"

there, coming from the base, was team RWBY. Their colour themed outfits made them easily recognisable even from a distance. Blake was leading the charge of course, with Ruby, Yang and Weiss following close behind.

The council noticed X was trying to get back up with renewed effort, but Sigma held his grip tightly, meaning X could do little more than struggle slightly, like a fish on a hook. That was when it clicked with Xandria. Blake Belladonna, the one from Vile's base, this was the one X held so dear.

"That's her, isn't it X?" She giggled. "Oh, you can't bear to watch others suffer, but to know that Miss Belladonna may suffer, it hurts most of all, doesn't it?"

X struggled to move, tried to give a response but Sigma tightened his grip around X's head. The heroic Reploid tightened up in response to the pain, before falling limp again.

"We shall take X back to Neo Arcadia now." Xandria continued. "Lumine?"

The white and lilac Reploid looked at his mistress, awaiting her command.

"I'm sure you are aware that those humans are very dear to X. He doesn't want to see them suffer. So make sure they do!"

Lumine bowed, his arm across his chest.

"Both they and X shall know pain like never before. I shall break their bodies, and in doing so, break X's spirit."

"Do enjoy yourself." Xandria said sarcastically. "The rest of you, come with me."

"Yes mistress Xandria."

Team RWBY were right next to the council as they began flashing white rapidly. Blake pushed herself harder than she ever had before, desperate to reach them in time. One by one, they all teleported away, Xandria watching them intently until the end.

Carrying and extra body, Sigma was the last to leave. Blake gasped in horror as she briefly saw X's unconscious form, a giant hand dwarfing his head in a tight grip. As Sigma began flashing faster, Blake leapt forward, arm outstretched to try and reach X.

Her body passed right through Sigma and X's as she was mere milliseconds too late.

She landed on the other side, unmoving as she realised that X was gone. Her breathing became more rapid and panicked, as small tears filled her eyes. The hand that supported her on the ground started to quiver. She let herself fall to her hands and knees, and wept.

"No...No! NO!" She sobbed, bashing the ground with a clenched fist as her tears fell.

"DAMNIT!" Yang cursed, taking her frustration out with a punch to a nearby rock. It exploded on impact, tiny fragments scattered across the plain.

Weiss had gone up to Blake and was trying to comfort her. Placing a hand on Blake's shoulder, the cat faunus looked up with tears flowing down her cheeks. Weiss didn't know what to say at a time like this, simply embracing her friend as Blake cried into her shoulder.

"We... we were too late?" Ruby asked in disbelief.

"Very observant, human."

(Insert music: Megaman X8 OST – Lumine's Theme)

All of team RWBY drew their weapons, save for Blake who stayed where she was, looking at the spot where X had been mere seconds ago. There, Lumine stood before them, his gleaming white body a stark contrast to the ruined battlefield they now found themselves in.

"You're one of the Aberrant Council, aren't you?" Ruby questioned.

"I am. If I may introduce myself, I am Lumine. I am sure X has told you about me? How I helped start all of this?"

Weiss remembered X's story. "Yes, he told us about you. How you have a copy chip that contains Sigma's DNA, how you implanted the idea of rebellion into every Reploid on the planet."

Lumine explained.

"Sigma used a virus to create chaos on this world. It was a crude, imperfect method of spreading our ideal. With the copy chips however, we realised we didn't have to resort to such barbaric ways. We didn't need to control the Mavericks, we just had to bend them to our will. That is exactly what we will do to X."

Hearing her beloveds name made Blake arise once more, her anger now at a level even Yang would find extreme.

"What do you plan to do with him?" She demanded. "If you lay a finger on him I will tear you apart, wire by wire!"

"Hahahahahaha! AHAHAHAHA!" Lumine laughed maniacally. "X cares deeply for all humans, but especially you and your friends. He has been fighting for everyone but most of all, for you. If we remove what he is fighting for, what keeps him going, then he will be like putty in our hands."

Blake drew her weapons. Spinning Gambol Shroud in duel katana form as she got into a battle stance.

"You're a fool Lumine!" Blake retorted. "As long as X is alive, he will never give in to the likes of you, and guess what? Neither will we! We'll fight you, Lumine. We will defeat you, and then we're going to get our friend back! I don't care if we have to go to hell and back! There is no way we are going to let you get away with this!"

Looking to each other, the girls nodded and aimed their weapons at Lumine.

"Team RWBY! GO!" Ruby ordered, as they charged into battle.

AH! BIG BOSS FIGHT TIME! Will Team RWBY be able to defeat Lumine? Can they get X back? And what does Xandria want X to unlock?

Until next time

TOODLE PIP!