A sudden flare up.
They stood in front of the medical floor's main door, purple data oozed from the white slider like the virulent disease it was, looking for a way to spread itself to other organisms…other Reploids.
The four guardians, immune to its devastating effect, held their weapons, apprehensive of what they would find behind it.
"I hope you're proud of yourself Yoshou..." Phantom hissed at his foolish co-build. The blue guardian remained silent, not meeting his gaze. " If we manage to make it out...and rescue master X, we 'may' be more clement onto you."
"Forget clemency Phantom...I will fragging tear her apart." Fafnir spat.
For his part, Harpuia remained silently fuming. His lashing tongue stilled by fear for his master's well-being...and in deep rage at Leviathan and the lying Glitch.
'When I'm trough with them, not enough will be left to be blown in the breeze' he gritted his jaws...already planning what to do with Leviathan after they managed to pull Master X out of the cyber-sesspool. 'Nah...let Master X deal with her, let her shame and guilt be her teachers.'
Speaking of with, the corrupted data-stream kept...looking at them, for lack of a better word, having made an 'eye' out of a camera. The four guardian took fighting stance, ready for anything Zero could send them...even a clone of the secondary plague, Sigma.
Or the mythical Zero Space, an area only spoke in awed whisper. Usual by these weirdos worshipping the Synth-devil…
Well... Leviathan called them weirdos, Harpuia called them very accurate and dangerous.
So one could easily picture their disappointment when the door slid open soundlessly, and nothing came out. Only an ominous beckoning of the Virus was all they had.
The four guardians looked at one another...this was not the time to quarrel, Neo-arcadia's safety was at risk...and Master X's dream of everlasting peace even more so.
What to say about his beloved master safety, now jeopardized by a click-bait. His own co-model no less.
They entered the usually white room, now tainted with the various shades of the virus flowing from the virulent form of Zero. She sat there in the middle of the cavernous room, her legs comfortably crossed as she held Master X onto her laps. His body was limps, his head supported by the witch's shoulder. His system quiet save for the eerie hum of the accursed virus... The purple plague flowing like tendril from its propagator, caressing X's sacred body like a lovers hand.
X's face seemed serene, as if sleeping peacefully.
[see Leviathan? See what you let in?] Harpuia send to his sister, making sure to twist the knife in.
"Leviathan...thank you, for letting me in." Zero thanked the blue Sinner. With a kind smile turned gruesome by the purple etching marking her face " I could not have done it without you."
"Cut the crap you witch!" Fefnir roared, Gomorrah and Sodom strained on the source. "Let go of master X RIGHT NOW IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR PRECIOUS LIFE!" He roared.
"No...my life's not yours to end." Zero informed the red fighter. "And I care more about my husbands well-being then my own."
"Then if you care about your 'Husband' then give him to us, his guardians." It was Phantom's turn, for some reason, the assassin was trying to get through the Trojan with logic instead of his blade.
Zero sneered. "Oh, so you may stuff him in a golden cage again? Why don't you give him a-a nice Spi-ike-pit so that he may end it all in style while yo-ur at it!"
Their collective fan stilled. And Zero 'tsk'.
"Let me spell it ou-t for you; X wanted death...and I din-d't deliver. But put him back on his throne, without me by his side, and he won't mi-ss next time."
"How dare you insinuate that our master-" Harpuia hissed, outraged at the insinuation.
"I'm n-not insinuating anything, Harpuia!" She snapped. "I know my X, and I-I know how he fights. " Pure disgust twisted her (admittedly pretty.) features. "He didn't fight to-o win...even the room we fought in was design to e-end his life."
Harpuia heard a very small intake of air from Fefnir.
[Fefnir...is this true?] Harpuia asked.
The re fired fighter remained uncharacteristically quiet. And instead...phantom spoke.
[It is.]
[Phantom, I didn't-]
[No Har...both are right.] Fefnir admitted over their radio frequencies. [I...Matser X asked me to defuce the bomb rig behind Area X's walls.]
[WHAT!]
[Yeah...it was filled with highly reactive material...and the detonator was connected to master X... He had to be in the room to activate it.] The usually boisterous general 'spoke' quietly, even his countenance showed how...deeply disturbed he felt.
" Do you even know what protecting someone means?" Zero interrupted., he violet eyes flashing with repressed anger.
Harpuia bristled. "To guard means to protect the charge of harms by any means necessary." he took his blades out. "Which included killing you, the sinner who broke his heart, and who had the gals to haunt him again!" He spat.
Zero had the decency to lowered her eyes, but rose them up again, this time, a certain melancholy pervaded them. "X... That what he wanted."
"Bet he also wanted to be dumped also." Fefnir sneered as he once again aimed at the heart of the Viral spread. " You broke him first."
"No...countless w-w-ars did." She rasped, her eyes taking the sharp edge of a haunted man." Do you know why I did this?" Draupadi asked, her gaze softening marginally.
"As if we care, Maverick!" Fefnir spat.
"I sacrifice my-self so that his dre-eam for eternal peace could come true." she explained, her voice even and calm, if not a touch melancholic. "I-I am the source of the maverick virus, and by extension, the only one who could provide the li-ive virus to make a cure from. But for this...I could not remain with him." She revealed her voice chip wavering, and Harpuia almost called her out on her lie. "I ha-had to...I had to die."
She continued. Mother-Elf? The Anti-virus That aided X in practically ridding the world of the sigma-Virus?" A sad smile drew on her lips. "That was one of the results of my sacri-ifice."
"And we all know how that ended." Phantom commented, his emotion unreadable as always.
"As I said, this was one o-of the result of my sacrifice..." Zero spoke quietly, readjusting X in her grip. "To be honest, we are not all that different...we both tried to save him, to make X happy. Our attempt ended in a near disaster." she let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "When I left... I had tho-ought he would get over it...that the new era of peace would let him heal..."
"But the era of peace was preceded by the elf-war." Phantom lowered his head.
"Yes...one last war. Once. Last, God Forsaking war...and something called a calamity." Zero snorted as she held Master X closer. "Typical."
"But...this was beyond your power." Phantom conciliated, and Harpuia clenched his fist.
[Phantom, she's lying...]
"Yes...that's what happen to people around me. " Zero spoke dryly. "And since I'm married to X, he got the worst of it."
"HAH! Right, you may try to get another fast one on us Zero, but there was no record of you and X tying the knot" Fefnir scoffed.
Zero closed her eyes and sighed. "We did marry in Front of God and his eternal Consort...it was a Gandharva wedding, and it was good enough for Them." she glances at X, running a hand on his Face…
Harpuia could practically feel the virus crawling on his skin. They may be immune to the plague...but it didn't mean they could feel some of its effects.
"But… you were convoke not to discus our marital status, or even about me proclaiming my innocence." once again, patient Zero bore all the guardians with her heavy gaze, the same one a strict leader would use to cow his unruly subordinate. "While I did what I did thinking for the best...all of you used my husbands depression to get drunk on power and suppress those you were supposed to protect... Draupadi hissed. "Sigma would've been so proud of you."
"WE DIDN'T OPPRESS ANYONE!" Harpuia vehemently denied. "WE FOLLOWED HIS ORDERS!"
Zero's pressed her lips in a thin line. "Yes...you blindly followed the order of a suicidal man without wondering why the father of all Reploids would want the destruction of his descendant over a lie..."
"What lie?" Phantom asked.
"The energy crisis." Zero answered. "I heard from the resistance that Neo-arcadia was running out of resources to make E-crystal and energene. And that Human needed those resources more than the Synth-kind" she shook her head...gently as to not jostle X. " Humans need the energene as much as they need booze and plastic, Reploids can recharge using the sun. And last I know, the sun is still shinning. "
"No...no anymore." Leviathan finally broke her silence. "Only the previous generation could recharge like that. The current models don't have this ability anymore."
Zero stared owlishly at the water moccasin. "Why?"
"The Cataclysm." Phantom shortly answered, to Zero's great annoyance.
" I was lurking in the Uranet for fifty years, and I lost fifty more to a corrupted drive . Please, elaborate more for this old woman." she spoke with clear annoyance, the Virus responding to her mood.
Harpuia sneered and Fefnir said something to the effect that the old warrior was suffering from overfilled cash.
Phantom cleared his throat. "The cataclysm refers to a time were...another plague affected the Reploids."
"Another plague." Zero repeated tiredly.
'I will give her that, the witch knows how to fake it.' Harpuia tough with a sneer.
"The solar-flare virus. It would cause sun-charging Reploids to...over-charge for lack of better words, and violently explode without any forewarning. This...was the Dark-Elf's curse."
"He Bhagavan!" Zero exclaimed as she held her...her hostage closer. Harpuia could only hope Master X would be unharmed. "What was the solution? What happened to the survivors."
Phantom looked away. And Leviathan spoke for him.
"The Old sun-chargers went into a self-imposed exile one night...X was the only survivor."
Zero's eyes grew even wider in horror. And her grip on Neo-arcadia's glorious leader grew tighter.
"...I believe...no, the event worsened his condition. And a week later, he...tried to seal the Dark-elf with his frame." Phantom finished quetly.
"Alright...so that's what happened." Zero gritted. "And Ellipse got crazy because of Weil's...thing...but why did X tried to seal her? Why not just do something to lift her curse or...mercy-kill her?"
Harpuia sneered. "Unlike you, maverick, we do not kill innocent."
"Well, if blowing up Reploids is what you call innocent, then of course you would consider innocent Reploids to be the worst then Sigma." Zero dryly replied.
"We only followed our Master's holy edict." Harpuia declared as he puffed his chest.
Ever since he had been put in service, he had Considered each and every utterance of The First to be his life and soul.
Zero raised a brow. "Holy edict? What a pile of steaming Garbage." She spat, her eyes flashing dangerously. "If you had even a bit of intelligence, you would've realized that Xiu... That X's mental health was failing. But no, you didn't." She hissed the last part, bearing her fangs. "You just used this as an opportunity to indulge in your battle lust, Pride, Anger and laziness." she sneered.
Harpuia was about to protest when Phantom gave him a glance.
[Harpuia, she isn't wrong.] The shadow operative radioed.
[I would never-] The sky general growled.
[how about the hostage you were supposed to maintain? Or the resistance members we were about to question?] Phantom drilled his co-model. [And the reploid re-purposing centre? Was X aware of what was happening inside? Did he tell you to torture and kill those obsolete reploid?]
[They were meant to be scrapped anyway!] Harpuia defended himself. Physically hunching over.
[Humanly scrapped, put in shutdown, in standby then efficiently shorted. And how many of those were not on the list? Can you answer me 'sage' Harpuia?]
Harpuia remained silent, and turning his sight away from Phantom, he could so that the two other Co-units were also dully chastised.
[For how long did you hold your dirty tongue, Phantom?] Harpuia asked, trying to hide the shame he felt.
...far too long.
Zero inclined her head. " X is now my hostage...as you and Neo-arcadia are." the red legend informed the four guardians as she moved her tainted grip to master X's neck, clasping it between her claws. "My demands are simple, and if ignored-"
Dread replaced their coolant and righteous anger lit their core.
Fefnir was about to pounce on the outrageous bitch, and Harpuia was not far behind him, assured that he could snap Master X away from her accursed grasp before she could snap his head off...or worst.
And then, without any rhymes or reason, Master X, his very life reopened his connection with all of his guardians. Flooding them all with...whit…
Hopelessness, crushing defeat...pain...darkness...apathy...no more will to live…
A desire to...to…
Stop...
for good…
Harpuia fell to his knee, his body felt numb, his mind...his mind filled with a dark cloud…
No...not a dark cloud...his mind was a dark cage...in front of him was a mirror...and what he saw was the worst of failure, the lowest of sinner...a monster to be killed...
He wanted to die...everything was his fault...everything was a failure…
Better he died now.
And yet, he could not help but feel relief, at least they know knew X was alive...just exhausted with everything.
[Harpuia! Fefnir! Leviathan!] Phantom barked over their shared connection. Seemingly unbothered by this...this...despair. [Don't let Master X's desperation affect you. Those are not yours to feel...fight it!] the assassin barked.
Harpuia raised his head with difficulty, the weight of his sins crushing him to the floor. He turned his head to his co-units. Phantom stood still, forming the sign for peace and tranquility as he meditated on those two virtues. Leviathan was on the floor, her eyes were opened and yet unseeing, And Fefnir…
The sky General froze...the leader of the scorched earth unit had his gun to his head, his eyes dull…
He would get out if this pain quickly…
Suddenly, a circular shield struck Gomorrah before it could rain its mercy upon Fefnir. Harpuia turned his head to Zero. The maverick looked...bewildered.
"Xiu...Xiu I know that's you." She spoke to X in urgent tone. "I have no idea what yo-ur doing right now, but you need to stop." No answer.
And then...the dark cloud lifted over the guardians. But none wanted to move.
[Phantom...] Harpuia began, still kneeling on the floor. [What...]
[Master X reopened his connection with us...what you felt...has been plaguing him for more than a century.] Phantom let the end of his phrase hang like a noose.
[scrap me pink... Master X...How is he still alive?] Fefnir asked as he shakily managed to get to his feet, still shaken by what he had been about to do.[ Oh rust this...Zero...saved me.]
Speaking of the maverick, she was holding on to X a bit tighter, whispering something to his heart in a hertz that were too low for the guardians to hear. Noticing that all eyes were on here, she turned her attention back on the four copies of master X.
"Alright...that was not part of the plan but-"
"Not part of the plan?" Harpuia parroted.
"No, It's not like I can't -get rid of you witho-out any help...but X was a bit quicker than me on that one." She informed Harpuia with a sheepish grin. "So...hostage situation, X is mine, and if you dare Kill me, then - the virus will spread all over Neo-arcadia. And this time- n-othing will be able to stop it. Oh, and I'm taking X with me...he'll get what he desired a-ll along."
Harpuia cursed under his breath...there really was nothing he could do.
"What are your demands." Phantom asked, as if he hadn't been flooded with the despair that afflicted master X.
"I need a computer you can find with the best external drive you can provide, the freedom to be with my husband to care for him while he recovers. Bathing facilities and a ten-year Sabbatical for X..." she enumerated, still holding her…
Harpuia could not even think of master X and Zero being an item...the copy was playing with his heart, he just knew it.
"Is that all? Nothing about the resistance base?" Phantom asked.
Zero turned her gaze to Leviathan, the ice guardian was now just starting to recover from the despair. "Make-make sure Leviathan's stable..." She shifted a bit, making a face. "as for the resistance...well, I'm still in contact with some friends o-over there. And from what I've heard...most of the resistanc-e now want my head on a platter...and those may turn maverick." She sighed. "It seems my secret connection with X is not that secret anymore."
"which is why you didn't escape with our master." Phantom concluded.
"it would've been better for him, Neo-arcadia's terrible...and he's been 'ruling' long enough." Zero openly grumble, as if she cared about Master X. "No one is meant to be in politic forever...or to fight for so long. X...was never meant for that. Especially to serve as a puppet leader."
"How dare you...Master X lead-" Harpuia began only to be interrupted by Zero.
"Had lead Neo-arcadia for less then two decades before 'humans' began to manipulate his decisions...slowly pushing him as a symbol, just another tool instead of a leader...a person with feelings..." Zero's face darkened.
"You...should have never left him." Leviathan managed to say, being helped to her feet by Fefnir.
"I can't change the past, but what happened was necessary." Zero spoke with a shrugged. "For the greater good, we sometime have to leave our dear one behind... What I did...was ultimately for the greater good. And I'm not talking about Ellipse."
"What are you talking about then?" Phantom asked wearily. It was a sentiment shared by all the guardians.
Zero beamed...and began to recite. "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare."
Shockingly enough, Harpuia could pick up master X repeating after the witch.
'That's it...next chance I get, she's dead and all of her sordid secret will be share knowledge.' Harpuia gritted his teeth. She was dead...so dead...not even a chip of paint would be left after he was trough with the filthy hacker.
For her part, Zero was staring at X with no small part of wonder. As if she was not aware of the control she had over the master of Neo-arcadia. A fond smile drew itself on her face, and tears dare to flow from her glowing eyes. "You still want more?" she addressed the half conscious X.
"Now," Draupadi sighed. "Leviathan. You know you told me I could have some Energene?" Zero addressed the blue guardian. Who wearily nodded. "I would love to have it right now...X...when was the last time he refuelled in the past fourth-eight hour?"
To be quite honest, none of the guardians knew of the reclusive master of Neo-arcadia's fuel consumption, only that he was the origin of all reploid and thus could recharge in the sunlight...like most reploid before the cataclysm. And themselves, by extension.
They used Hybrid fuel...that's how they survived.
Zero was definitely not pleased by what she had (not) heard. It was clear she was less than satisfied with the quality of the service rendered by the guardians of Neo-arcadia. And it showed.
"Just give me two Energene cans and leave. I'll properly take care of him." She hissed as the virus reacted to its source's anger. "Leviathan can stay."
Harpuia was about to deny this request when he got the order to stand down from phantom. "Understood...any other request?" The traitorous Shinobi asked, clearly taking the side of the hacker.
"Yes, chant and be happy."
Phantom inclined his head, Leviathan went and grabbed the requested Item and last three guardians reluctantly left. Followed by yet another traitor.
Now alone with the source of the dreaded virus, Leviathan really began second guessing her deal with Draupadi.
On one hand, they were now in real danger of a secondary pandemic… and Master X... No, the entirety of Neo-Arcadia was under her virulent grip.
But one second hand… 'No...there's no second hand...Liby, this was a bad deal and you know it.'' And yet, the way Draupadi had ripped them to shred with words and yet had saved them all from the worst case of desperation in history…
Would she had so liked, The (second) oldest reploid in the room could have easily killed them all...but instead, she had saved Fefnir from suiciding.
Leviathan gazed at the beautifully frightening reploid, now that three out of four guardians were gone, Draupadi-Zero all but slumped over X, the Virus having receded in her body. "Aaah..." she groaned as she held X closer.
"Miss...Err...Draupadi-Zero?" She tried. "Is... Is everything fine?" One part of her hoped not, it would make fixing her mistake that much easier.
If it really was a mistake, that is.
"I... I'm not completely fixed yet." Draupadi admitted, and up close, without the purple tendril painting everything the same hue, it was cleat the first Maverick looked awful. "I Guess...I'm..forty percents not good enough to move, uh?" She numbly asked Leviathan with a very wobbly smile.
Leviathan gaped. "F-F-Forty! Why the hell did you-! Why are you out of the capsule!" She yelped, realizing that Zero... Draupadi had managed to wrestle Neo-arcadia's control from the guardian...and well, as X while in a suboptimal situation. 'The legends were true! She really will go out to war half-scrapped if it means X will be safe.'
"L-Levia..." Zero.. Draupadi rasped. "That...those E-tank?"
"On it!" Leviathan jogged to the very secured cabinet and took two cans of medial grade fuel and rushed back to the Legendary couple. "Here, two E-tank! Just as promised!"
Draupadi wearily took one...and with eyes closed, lift it above her head, with the same type of devotion a priest would show as he prayed to the lord.
'Wow...that was not what the legend said but... Ok, Zero worship someone then.' Hare-Krishna perhaps?
After about thirty-second, Draupadi-Zero cracked open the can of Energene and began refuelling her unconscious husband, keeping Master X's mouth open by applying a gentle pressure on his chin with her right hand.
After a few seconds, Master's X blearily opened his eyes, gingerly drinking from the metallic vessel. He would look at his returned lover wife with eyes soft and filled with wonder, and Draupadi gently hummed the peace formula under her breath, Her purple gaze never leaving the Vermilion lenses of the master of Neo-arcadia. She was clearly exhausted and in need of a few days to let her auto-repair fix whatever was broken, and yet, Draupadi's smile and the love that poured from her frame vindicated Leviathan's decision.
It was clear they both loved one another on a level unknown to most.
'Yeah... I don't have a chance, do I.' the ice guardian thought with great dismay.
[Phantom. Update on Master X. He seems to be fine, Zero's taking Care of him.] She sent phantom, along with a snapshot of the wholesome scene. [See? We don't have to worry about him.]
[Don't celebrate too soon Youshou, women tends to kill discreetly.] The assassin warned.
[I never kill my preys discreetly.]
[You are not exactly a woman, you know.]
[Neither is Zero.] Leviathan playfully shot back.
Gender for reploids meant nothing more than cosmetic changes...and a different attitude. But in essence, they could be whatever they desired. With the right amount of Zenny, of course.
[Leviathan, for the Love of Master X, please don't pursue her, we still don't know if this is a ruse or not.]
Leviathan rolled her eyes as she settled on the floor, not liking the feeling of looming over her master and his lovely wife. At this less severe angle, The ice guardian could now really appreciate how...exhausted Draupadi looked.
Her whole frame was shacking, trying to move despite the lack of power coursing through it, even her neck joint was struggling to keep her head up. Her service light were flashing...and yet Zero was stubbornly fighting the emergency power down prompt in favour of feeding X.
'It would be so easy to kill her.' Leviathan realized.
She scooted closer...and crawled behind Draupadi-zero.
"!?" The first maverick made a sound, clearly she didn't appreciate having someone at her back.
"L-Levi…?" Master X rasped as he moved the half empty fuel can away from his lips, he looked worried...and...in pain?
Then it was gone…
Some dread began to nibble at Leviathan's heart, she hopped nothing horribly wrong would happen.
"It's alright Master X, Draupadi-Zero's just about to crash." she spoke with a smirk as she wrapped an arm around the wrecked blonde torso and gently pulled her back so that the legendary red legend could rest on her. "Don't want your wifey to collapse too soon now, don't we?"
At this, Master X gave a tired grunt, his eyes half lidded. and Draupadi resumed to refuel him... Still humming the Hare-Krishna Mantra in a low powered tone.
In the privacy of her mind, Leviathan noted with pleasure at how nice Draupadi-Zero felt, she was expertly built as the most perfect of war machines...and yet…
There was something beyond it, something that made her robotic body fragrant and pleasant to hold...something beyond mere Lust.
'Master X is a Lucky, Lucky man.' The ice general knew she had no chance at all, not with X around.
Suddenly, just as the fey reploid rebuked herself for having thought like that, a look of sheer pain twisted X's featured as his body arched in agony, The Energene he had consumed pouring out of his mouth as he tried to scream.
"L... Leviathan. Get me a chip k-kit" Draupadi chocked out as she held Master X in her arms as his body violently convulsed. His gasp of pain shattering the quiet and holy atmosphere that had once ruled the medical room...breaking Leviathan out of her frozen state. And the blue guardian was off, locating the chip-kit with ease and running back to Draupadi her agonizing master.
"Here!" When she returned, Draupadi had removed Master X armoured vest. She opened his X's Synth skin, her movement too fluid for one about to crash.
"Wh-What the hell's going-" The ice general managed to asked as a shiver went up her nanite tube.
"Get on my back, grab his arms." She ordered. And leviathan had no choice but to comply…
It was at this moment that The ice guardian realized that she may be helping the viral queen to decommission her husband. And yet, she could not move...
Draupadi wordlessly pulled opened Master X's RF shield, gaining access to his numerous motherboards as Master X body kept convulsing. The only thing preventing him from violently trashing and breaking his limbs on the ground were Leviathan's powerful arms holding his more or less still.
She immediately sent out an urgent Ping to Phantom. The shinobi did not make the helpless ice guardian wait and promptly teleported in. his shuriken at the ready, having being forewarned of what was happening in the medical area.
Zero raised her head. ". Please hold his legs and hi-ip down, " She addressed phantom without a trace of fear or worry...and as if she wasn't holding on to one of Master X, ancient, irreplaceable and inestimable motherboard in her grip as he trashed about.
As if hypnotized, Phantom did as he was requested. Helplessly looking Leviathan, anger and confusion warring with each other.
[Youshou! What in the name of-]
[I...I don't know! Everything went well, Zero was lovingly feeding X an E-tank.] Leviathan began to explain as she shared the same bewilderment as he Co-Unit. I have a vid, I never seen something so sickleny sweet in my life. Suddenly, our Master's start having a seizure, -by the way, call the environmental cleanup crew, we have an Energene spill- and now she's aiming for his chips... ] very nervous smile drew itself on her lips.
Meanwhile, Draupadi-Zero removed a specific motherboard. "Gauranga, Gauranga, Gauranga." She muttered as she reached inside the chip-mod kit and pulled out a pair of specialized pliers only used to remove illegal or already damaged chips.
The ones that were not meant to be used on good chips…
The maverick queen reached for her braid… pulling on it for some obscure reason. 'She didn't have it when she came in.' came the dim thought in, it was then that Leviathan realized she was sitting on it.
Oops.
"He Bhagavan..."The...let's call her a saintly maverick sighed as she stuffed her left thumb in Master X's mouth.
'What the...she's not...what's going on? ' She glanced at phantom, the assassin had eyes the size of hug caps, and his jaw was clenched as if he was in pain.
It was also at this moment that Leviathan realized...again, that she too was feeling pain or, more like the suggestion of being dipped in industrial grad, scalding acid. and while it was nowhere as intense, it was the same as when her master had reopened his connection.
The desire to just stop functioning had been too seductive for her own taste. And the pain…
For Leviathan, Pain meant pleasure...but this pain…
It was pure torture, and not the kinky type either.
Her thought was interrupted by a sickening Crunch and Master X's body giving a violent jolt. The tricentennial Chip of priceless historical value -The one that had remained in the Master of Neo-Arcadia's repertoire for well over three centuries, an original Light Chip, something that had never been studied before because technology never seemed to catch up with it, something so advance it was practically a work of art.
It was now shattered...
The maverick, her destructive task done, slumped in Leviathan's grip. Her whole body hotter that what should be optimal...and her braid was burning Leviathan's...hiney and legs.
Sure, Leviathan could easily freeze water. But this was a bit too much for her to handle on land.
The whole room became deathly silent, only the power coursing thought the wall and the light made the background voice resound...and the four systems in the room complemented it as a sweet melody.
Just like Master X, Hidden Phantom had collapsed, and Leviathan could not remember if she heard him scream...maybe she did. Half of his body was on the blue angels legs, the other half was on Draupadi-Zero's lower limbs.
Leviathan discreetly lifted herself of the ground to dislodge the golden braid, keeping the silky golden rope in her hand as she held the limp body of Draupadi (and by extension master X) to her heaving chest.
Such beautiful hair... Like spun gold...who would pass upholding such a beautiful work of art as Zero?
It would be something nice to remember as Leviathan got decommission over high treason.
A minute pass, then two and finally ten. Leviathan could not move, paralyzed by what the faith of Neo-Arcadia would be after the death of three of its pillars.
She heard the almost silent sound of Phantom booting up again, the assassin moaned gently, and then gingerly lifted himself from the lower body of his Master and his murderer, relief clear on his face.
[Phantom...how does Master X look like on your end?] Leviathan wearily asked the assassin, already mentally prepared for the worst.
[...no more pain...] He practically sighed…removing his helmet as he rubbed his short brown hair and eyes. [It's gone...]
[What do you mean?] 'What the hell is happening here?'
[the pain... Master's pain...it's finally gone...] Phantom conveyed with his seldom seen goofy grin. Looking all the more like his master.
Then...X booted, he took a deep vent...and another, and another...he began to breathe as a human would.
Something only ancient text and video's would sometime show.
"M...Master X?" Leviathan ventured, now feeling the coolant and oil running under his skin.
She could have started sobbing, X was alive.
He remained unmoving...simply venting in and out. Afraid that the master of Neo-arcadia would fall of from his extremely dedicated wife, Leviathan wrapped an arm around his thin waist. 'He's also a bit too hot...' She lowered the temperature of her whole body, making sure the worlds' most complicated couple would not spontaneously combust.
"L... Leviathan?" Master X asked after a few minuted of silence. He tried to turn his head toward his closets copy appearance wise… but since she was behind The off-lined Draupadi-Zero, he could not see her. Thus, he turned his attention to phantom. "Oh hey, phantom…" He rasped… "Hmm." He reached for his mouth... whipping off the coolant and oil from Draupadi's sacrificed thumb. Absentmindedly holding her hand.
Would she not have done it... Leviathan didn't dare think what would've happened to X's delicate tongue.
'Alright...now that's dedication for master X.' Came Leviathan's appreciative thought. She could totally share his feelings...as long as the chip Draupadi removed was not something vital.
Still...ouch.
"Who...where's Zero?" He asked...he sounded both relaxed and out of it, his inflection more human-like while his overtaxed voice chip rendered his tone more robotic than ever. He sounded like he was dying, and yet Leviathan could feel that no...everything was fine, he felt fine...better than ever really.
"Master...you're using her as a pillow." Phantom spoke, as he eyed Draupadi's left foot, While his hands were firmly kept on his laps.
'Foot-freak.'
The azure legend grunted as he inspected his displaced motherboard, gently touching the part were Draupadi Zero broke the unknown chip. And then he put the piece of ancient technology back in its rightful place and closed the RF shield and his Synt-skin. His movement languid and relaxed.
"Phantom..." He addressed his Assassin. "...what is...D... Zero's Status?"
Phantom took a look at master X, then back at Draupadi-Zero, then back at X. "Off-lined, Taicho."
Master X Grunted something along the lines of 'Not good...' as he rolled off from Draupadi's lap and to a kneeling position.
Leviathan stared...he had green eyes...beautiful green eyes. His features were tired and relaxed, and he ...he didn't look like a doll anymore. He looked alive...absolutely exhausted and oily...but alive nonetheless.
X gazed at Draupadi-Zero, some tears flowing from his clear eyes...then scooped her up from leviathan's lap and got to his feet, somewhat struggling on the way up.
The ice guardian and the Assassin went to their Master's side, knowing what he desired, and helped him to the medical pod. There, he once again deposited Draupadi in...and then entered himself. Slotting himself beside his wife, curling around her as if he feared she would be gone the next moment.
Then he began to power down… but paused the process and turned to Leviathan.
"Oh...Levi...can I...Can I have the second E-tank you were holding?" X ask, already half-asleep. The events of the last few days catching up to him.
"Yes Master." the water-based guardian quickly went to the almost forgotten container of fuel, and noticed that the cleaner bot had already cleaned the spilled Energen. She also noticed that the second can had gained this...purple tint.
No, it was definitely not from the virus...and it was...it felt extremely benevolent for some reason.
Then the Aura disappeared. And for some reason, Leviathan still picked the can up to give it to her master.
Master X gratefully took the proffered container, Gave half to his dear wife and took the rest before finally laying down beside his Draupadi, but not before taking a good, long look at her, as goofy ever so grateful smile painting his lips.
His system went into sleep mode...and, after making he was alive and not about to go in another fit like last time. Leviathan and Phantom collapsed on each side of the Pod... The days event finally catching up with them.
Much had to be talked about after this particular chain of events. And now seemed to be a good time.
Some time later, Draupadi's system rebooted without a hitch, the berserker program being circumvented as she usually did. She was back in the medical Pod, but this time, she was not alone…
X... Her Echo was with her...he was alive, his over-sensitive and glitch prone pain chip was gone, turned into dust. And his mind...was better, but she knew grieving and emotional trauma would take time to heal. 'But he's on the right track...and Krishna willing, I'll be able to stay with him...until it's time to go again.' But right now, she was back in his arms, his head a bit above her own.
She looked at his, his eyes were closed, his lips slightly parted, and he was 'breathing' slowly.
'He looks so serene...and he's sleeping soundly.' She was not the only one suffering from terrible nightmares...she could deal with them easier, But X had this Godforsaken Pain chip adding to his misery.
'Good this that was gone... Thank you, Krishna that it was not link to anything major.' She had acted completely under the divine influence of the most mercy full Gauranga, not even aware of her environment after the last stunt she pulled.
She had never used the virus so expansively...and she still felt terribly sore.
This gave her yet another layer of nostalgia, another sign that thing would return to normal...or as normal as it would get after a hundred years apart. Still, to be tightly squeezed in a pod, their system recharging as they slept in one another's arms after one hell of a day...alive, and more or less whole.
This was X and Zero's normal.
X eye's fluttered open, his jade green glance finding Draupadi's Amethyst.
His breathing hitched, a look of wonder lit his face...he bit his lowered lips as tears began to fall from his eyes.
"Good... Morning I guess." Draupadi greeted as she placed a kiss on X's nose. "Did you sleep well?"
X did not awns er, could not anwnser… his tears flowed from his eyes as he gazed at his only friend, his confident, his teacher, his lover...the most important person in his life.
he didn't need to speak...and neither was she…
they touch gem...and their raw feeling flowed.
I miss you...I love you...why were you gone...you came back...please don't leave me.
I missed you too...I love you too...I'm sorry I left...I should have contacted you...not until the Lords tell's me personally.
Draupadi felt X nudging her to have access to her memory file...and she let him. Five minute later, more feeling flowed.
A hundred years gone…you truly were dead...
I remember most of the past…I'm the soul, I can never truly die...I will tell you, be patient.
The rest of the wireless communication happened in a language of the heart, an outpouring of feelings, assurance and promises all fuelled by a love only a pair of survivors could feel for one another.
The couple reopened their eyes.
"You...you changed." X managed, brushing the pad of his thumb on Draupadi's dry cheek, reminding her that she had to turn her tear duct on. "What happened to you?" X cautiously ask, inspecting her face under all angles.
Draupadi stilled his hands. "Krishna Happened...God Happen, your pick." She shrugged. "I spent fifty years in the bowels on cyber-space after...you know..." She trailed off, those were just the last fifty years she could remember, the first part was corrupted worst then the viral ocean.
"Zero... Draupadi." X corrected himself. "What happened to you after...after you died." He asked, in his eyes, some sorrows returned.
"I didn't die, I just got pulled out of my frame." she corrected. " it's the same as falling asleep." No way she was going to reveal that it had been the most agonizing pain she had felt in her very long life.
X held her closer. "You were dead. Your frame...nothing was working." He shuddered, and the mechanical Vaishnavi felt some wetness on the top of her head.
She sighed as she clutch X closer. I told you...I didn't die. I was just...out."
Master X's bright-green eyes grew wider. "You...you had an out-of-body experience." he whispered with awe. "I tought Only Humand could have that."
"Yeah...let's call it that." she conceeded. Then she closed her eyes. "O.O.B's not the humans right. every soul can and will go trough this at least once per lifetime." she explained, with a shruge. " I...I can remember most of my past, the eight wars, my sealing...but my drive got corrupted, so I only remember waking in the sea of Coruption in the Uranet."
"fifty years." X repeated with wonder. "That's about the same time I..."
"You tried to suicide using my crazy daughter..." Draupadi narrowed her eyes. "What happened to her anyway?"
Draupadi could feel her husband's shame. "She...broke free. The dark elf...your...your only scion is somewhere in either Neo-Arcadia or Cyber-space." X held her closer and almost painfully tighter. "I...I didn't have the strength to...to do the needful" he sighed as he radiated shame. "And now...the most dangerous Cyber-elf in existence is roaming God knows were, waiting to spread her curses."
"Well, I will tell you. I didn't see her in the uranet..." Draupadi stirred the conversation away for this painful topic. "But I did find God, and the last of God's dearest servant."
X looked down to his dearest Zero. "You...how did you managed to find that in the there? Isn't everything down here a mountain of corrupted data, viruses and malware?" The Azure Angel spoke with concern. "Legend says this is were the old World Wide Web sunk after the third war."
Draupadi scoff." Echo, It's actualy worst then that, and yet, this is were I found my Spiritual Master and her equally saintly Husband. ." Draupadi clung to her husband, her eyes welling with tears. "They...they gve me shelter and...and a family. A divine family made of differetn souls...I...I even found-" She stopped herlsef from going further. The pain of seperation robbing her of this particular ability.
"Z...Zaki...your crying!" X exclaimed.
"How can I not...they saved you." Once again, her unlimited debt to her Guru's kept growing. "Echo...If...If If I would've...they told me...they told me not to kill you...to save you..." She let out a fusion between a sob and laughter. After some time she managed to regain control of her extasis.
"I...we own them Everything Echo... "
X never let his gaze stray off from his beloved, his face was unreadalbe...aven for Zero.
Probably a trick he learned in his stint as a politicien.
"Zaki...Can you...can you tell me what hapened? the fifty years you remember?"
Draupadi raised her head, and met his green eyes again. "Yes...We don;t have anything better to do anyway."
In her mind, a verse from the Bhagavad-Gita echoed.
'To my surrendered devotees who are serving me with everything they have, I preserve what they have and give what they lack.'
Yes...The lord had preserved her dear Echo, not that He had to. and now, with the support she had once lacked, Draupadi finaly felt complete again.
'Thank you Krishna.'