MEGA MAN X: THE SOUND OF MAVERICKS
By Erico
CHAPTER NINE: CANDLELIGHT AND MUZZLE FLASH
The figure of Strobe Stallion soared angrily downwards towards Bastion. Bastion carefully watched the swoop and tilt of his opponent's wings as the maverick barreled down towards him, then swiftly blasted backwards to avoid the midair collision.
Stallion turned about, his nostrils flaring with hot exhaust. Raising an arm, Stallion prepared to fire a burst of missile fire that would scrap Bastion.
Bastion grinned fiercely, the wind kicking his hair back.
"Not today, maverick. Try some of your own medicine!" Bastion's Powerstorm wings extended to their maximum range, and the three pairs of gunports on the topmost ridge began to glow. With a whine, they discharged, sending razor sharp shrapnel shards towards his opponent.
Stallion barely had time to blink before Bastion's Mach 3 hornet storm shredded into his circuitry. The missile, half forged exploded in his arm, the massive damage so great that Stallion vanished completely in white hot fire.
The smoke cleared, and the lights dimmed. With a bell clang, Bastion once more found himself standing on the floor of the holographic simulator. He frowned.
"Aah, nuts. I hoped he would have survived that. I was looking forward to trying out my new Dual Slash." Bastion ruffled his hair back and nodded. "Computer, bring up new opponent. First Maverick Uprising, Tokyo Park And Forest Reserve. Remove Powerstorm Armor and lift safety precautions."
"Confirmed. Are you positive you want the safety precautions removed?"
"YES."
"Noted. Simulation will begin in five seconds." Bastion readied himself, feeling the tingle on his back as the Powerstorm Wings teleported back to his room for safekeeping and recharging. Flexing his fingers, he checked to make sure his two beam sabers were in their holsters, then waited.
The metallic surroundings shimmered as the light danced across his eyes, and then greenery came into existence. The wall climbing shrubs and the wooden netting, the gentle glow of special lighting for the flora coming into focus.
Bastion drowned out the emerging sounds of the chirping birds, and the wind gently rustling the thick foliage like delicate fingers of a specter. There was one very specific sound he was after in this encounter-
"There." Clambering from above, a cloaked figure came into view. Bastion brought his hands up and grabbed hold of the saber's hilts in his charger. Eyes watching with hawkish intensity, he waited.
At long last the figure landed onto the ground and decloaked himself. Hissing, the rail thin greenish lizard reploid lashed his tongue on the ground, spikes on the lateral axis kicking up dirt. Pincerlike hands clacked in the air, and the tail waved about angrily. Finally, the clearly robotic eyes rolled inside of their sockets, peering straight at Bastion.
Bastion pulled the sabers out and lit them up.
"Sting Chameleon, I presume." Sting hissed.
"You're not X!" Bastion smirked. It was incredible how the programmers had used the reports of the encounters to not only make an accurate battle composite for the holograms, but to also add in the knowledge up to that point possessed by the fighter.
"True. But I'm a Hunter, nonetheless. You've been a bad boy, Sting. You chose the wrong side to fight on." Sting cackled with a serpent hiss and crossed his arms.
"I doubt that, Hunter. I was one of the bessst!" Bastion shook his head.
"Was. Now you're slag." Sting roared angrily and leapt up above, vanishing into the foliage. Bastion shook his head.
"Oh no you don't." Bastion readied himself, hopping onto the other wall. With a jump off of it, he braced himself and activated his Dash Thrusters. "WHIRLING SLASHER!" Bastion gritted his teeth against the incredible G's that the move put on his body. But it was a powerful move that would more than even the fight.
Sure enough, the tumbling, bouncing Bastion finally found the cloaked maverick, knocking him down with a shorted out cloaking device, and several obvious saber wounds.
Sting fell to one knee, gasping for air. Bastion landed, and took a moment to right his sensors. Then he stood holding both sabers, and brought them together. The hilts connected seamlessly, becoming the beam staff that was Bastion's newest weapon. Standing confident, Bastion shook his head.
"Sorry, Sting. You got no mercy with X. You'll have none from me." Bastion charged at Sting with a powerful thrust, then brought one end of the saber down. It sliced cleanly through the dazed maverick's right shoulder, severing the attached limb.
Bastion jumped into the air, pulling the saber out, and causing more damage in the process. Landing on the other side, Bastion turned, swinging the staff about in a horizontal cut as he righted himself, causing even more damage.
Then, he swiftly separated the sabers once more and brought them down in a powerful crosscut, the Dual Slash, quartering what was left of the already dead maverick.
The green armored warrior went critical and exploded. Bastion leapt back as best he could, but the blast caught him nonetheless and slammed him into the wall.
The simulation ended, the ominous time clock flashing above. Record time for Bastion, but Zero still held the top time for Chameleon's defeat. Bastion groaned, rubbing his sore head.
"I'll have to watch out for that backblast. Albeit a powerful move, the Dual Slash gets you awfully close to an exploding opponent."
"I thought you liked to take things up close and personal." A cheery voice said calmly. Bastion turned his battered frame, smiling in recognition.
"Hey, Bristol. Back for more?" Bristol snorted, shaking her head.
"Lord, no. I think I've learned I can't beat you, now that you're back to normal. I'll settle for second." Bristol said. She folded her arms and looked up at the clock, still flashing with Bastion's time.
"Not bad, considering you were using weapons of mass overkill." Bastion scratched his head.
"Hey, do it any way you can. Survive, and stop the mavericks. That's the big thing. The rest is finesse and personal pride, all of which I exercise when I want to." Bristol frowned.
"Yes. You've been going through all these simulations like a madman. If I didn't know you were healed, I'd say you were still crazy. Do you know how long you've been in this simulator?" Bristol clipped the question short, her curt voice beginning to sink in. Bastion winced.
"Aah, I lost track of time." Bristol shook her head.
"Seven hours. Straight. Needless to say, other people would like to use this facility as well." Bastion nodded.
"Yeah. But there's only twenty one days left, Bristol." Bristol scoffed.
"And then what? How will all this training help you when you're out of work?" Bastion shook his head.
"Hey, the Hunters are being cut down to three Units then. As I see it, survival of the fittest here. The more efficient I prove myself and my Unit to be, the greater the odds that we'll survive the cut." Bristol clicked her teeth together.
"Understandable. Nonetheless Bastion, this place is beginning to get to you." Bastion blinked.
"How so?" Bristol folded her arms.
"Cabin fever, Shell Shock, the blahs. Call it what you will, but I know that a little variety in the routine helps. Sitting around here and running training drills all day will drive you nuts-and if not you, everyone else around." Bristol ran her tongue around the inside of her mouth, silently thinking.
"So what do you suggest I do? Take up golf?"
"No. How about a night on the town?" Bastion frowned.
"Pardon?" Bristol smiled, nodding her head.
"Yes, that'd do the trick just dandy. We'll get you dressed up in your Sunday best, and then we can go out and enjoy Tokyo."
"Oh? Any places in particular?" Bristol nodded.
"There's a new restaurant about. Che Dimangr'e. I hear they have excellent food there." Bastion rubbed his chin.
"Hmm. Could work. But how are we supposed to waltz in there? I mean, they probably won't serve reploids." Bristol sighed, slapping herself in the face.
"Bastion, you have the ability to warp out of your armor, correct?" Bastion nodded.
"Yeah, you've seen it in acti-" Bastion blinked. "Waiitasec-are you saying-?"
"What I'm saying is that at Six Thirty tomorrow night, I want to meet you in the Medical Bay. Dress fashionably-tuxes are always good. I will drag you out of here and make you have a good time if it kills me."
"Bris-"
"Six-thirty, luv. Pip pip!" Bristol turned on her heel and swiftly walked out of the room. Bastion scratched his head, unsure of what had just occurred. But he had an inkling, an inkling that turned the inside of his stomach in three different directions. It was that same odd sensation he'd felt before, and this time he had a possible cause.
"Did she just ask me out on a date?"
"Lemme get this straight. You want me to WHAT?!" Hazil grumbled. Cain rubbed his chin, calmly absorbing the idea that X and Zero were placing before them.
"Hazil, all we want you to do is come visit my foster family in Siberia and upgrade the Robot Master's weapons to current power standards." Hazil rolled back and forth, shaking his head.
"Hey, do you know how difficult that'll be?" Hazil finally said. X snorted.
"Oh, come on. I appeal to your skills, your humanity-your ego." X waved a hand about Cain's office. "The Hunters have twenty one days before we go belly up. Recognizing this, you must realize that a new force is required. And who better than some of the strongest Robot Masters that my brother Mega Man had to face?" X smiled. "Besides, you'll learn something. For all you know of putting reploids back together again, you have to admit that near-reploid robots like Cossack's crew are a different matter altogether."
"Near-reploid." Hazil said softly. He put a hand over his eyes, breathing for a moment. Finally he looked at Zero, leaning against the wall nonchalantly. "Zero, just how close to reploid are these things?" Zero shrugged.
"Some more than others. Pharaoh Man, Ring Man, Drill Man and Bright Man seemed to have the widest field of interaction matrices." Hazil let the thought tumble about in his head.
"I have to tell you all something right now." Hazil said. "First off, they're outdated. Their weaponry-indeed, the threshold of power they can hold is pretty limited in comparison to modern day reploids and warbots. If I tried to increase the power that their weapons grids could sustain without first giving their entire power system a major upgrade, they could very well go critical the first time they powered up for action." Hazil rubbed his chin. "Secondly, when I do increase their power systems to be able to cope with the powerful forces of modern day warfare, I don't know the adverse effects it'll have on them. It may cause them to go nuts, or blow a vital circuit-like the RULES OF ROBOTICS." Hazil let it hang in the air.
That was an ominous prediction. Reploids could make choices, and therefore the Rules of Robotics were less stringent. But if these Robot Masters from the past were to lose a fuse, there would be no human thought circuitry to stop their attacks. If the Rules of Robotics were destroyed in their transformation, they would have to be destroyed. Period.
Cain finally spoke up. Raising his walking stick onto his desk, he thrummed the pole with his right hand.
"Frankly Hazil, I don't see any other way about it. It also makes perfect sense. It's the only way that we can still keep protecting the world while keeping Cristoph and the GDC in the dark." Hazil, X and Zero looked at Cain. The old man's face was immersed in itself, and he was nodding. "Yes. I imagine that when the day comes when the Hunters are to be drastically cut, the GDC will be keeping close tabs on every single Hunter that is kicked off the force. If they were to vanish and leave for Siberia, the GDC would know something was up. BUT. The GDC can't keep tabs on a robotic force that they didn't even know still existed. As far as anyone cares to know, Cossack is dead, and his castle is nothing more than a tourist attraction. If Hazil were to equip them with some holographic equipment to alter their appearance, no one would be the wiser." Cain brought the stick back to the ground and pulled himself up.
"Hazil, there's no other way. You'll have to do it." Hazil sighed.
"Fine. It'll cost ya, though. Before I SET FOOT in that place, I want you all to give me a set of normal, humanoid legs like everyone else. Frankly, I've said before the jokes were getting to me, and I won't have an aging doddering fool like Cossack yukking it up and killing himself in laughter." Cain nodded.
"I think I can arrange to get you some legs. How about an hour from now? I have the afternoon off." Hazil nodded.
"Perfect. X, I want you to contact Cossack and get those robot's schematics. I want to know EXACTLY what I'm tinkering with come that far off day, capiche?" X grunted in response, then tore out of the room in a blaze of warped blue fire. Hazil finally turned to Zero.
"And you, my Crimson Hunter. I have an exceptionally BIG request to make. Eight year old Bourbon. Talk to Gavin of the 21st. He always has a good stash somewhere, even if he doesn't drink it." Zero frowned.
"Why would Gavin have high quality hooch if he didn't down it?" Hazil flung his hands in the air.
"Because he has a violent reaction to it? HOW SHOULD I KNOW?! JUST GET IT!" Hazil sighed. "Honestly, Cain."
"No, I'm not attracted to you Hazil." Hazil twisted his face up in surprise. Cain smiled widely and shrugged.
"You said honestly. That's the honest truth. In the meantime, shove off to the Medical Bay and get the area prepped. I like my working conditions quiet." Hazil nodded, still staring oddly at the doddering old man who controlled the Hunters. With the quiet whine from his wheel base, Hazil rolled out of the office.
Cain checked the clock, then sat back in his chair and smiled, still giddy of the recent successes.
"Bastion's back in action, Hazil's getting his upgrade at last, and I don't have a headache. Wonder why?" Cain feigned deep thought, then snapped his fingers. "Oh yes. No matter what the GDC thinks, the Hunters are going to have the last laugh. Whether they like it or not, there will be more than three measly Hunter Units left to protect the earth." Cain chuckled, beginning to sing an old song called 'My Way.'
"Regrets, I've had a few. But then again, too few to mention…"
"Wycost, you asleep?" Wycost opened his eyes.
Isaiah again. It wasn't like the fool could see him through his glasses. Wycost creaked his joints back from stasis and shifted up.
"Isaiah, you should try and get some sleep. The Calcutta mission is only ten hours away." Isaiah shook his head, eyes bright and vigorous.
"Nah, I can't! Too excited!" Wycost sighed.
"Isaiah, there are a few reasons why you should get back to bed." Wycost lifted his glasses up, glaring at his friend. "First off, know that I care a great deal for you as a friend and teammate. Noting this, listen up carefully, because I want this to sink in." Wycost flipped his glasses back down.
"One: It's late. I'm tired, and want to get some sleep in before we have to get moving tomorrow. Two: We aren't going to Disneyland. We didn't win the Superbowl, and this isn't the High School Band Trip. Three: I'll put up with the usually cheery attitude most of the time. But now it's so aggravating I wouldn't think twice about dumping a pot of honey on your head." Isaiah snorted.
"All good, if not partially biting reasons."
"Good." Wycost leaned back, trying to doze off again. But then Isaiah tugged on his arm. Wycost growled. "I wasn't kidding, Isaiah. There's a huge ten gallon bee product in storage with your name on it."
"Nah, it's not that." Isaiah said irritably. "I just wanna know why you're so grouchy again."
"Again?" Isaiah nodded.
"There was a time when for a split second, you opened up and laughed. You smiled, and you seemed happy. Then we went to the main hall, J.K. Horn popped up on the screen, announced that the Hunters were getting a force cut, and all of a sudden you're back to being Mr. Prozac again."
Wycost nodded slowly.
"There's a reason for that." Isaiah stared.
"What's the reason?" Wycost picked himself up, standing up and walking outside the barracks.
"Come outside. I'll tell you there." Isaiah followed willingly.
The wind blew outside, the cool night air being forced past their circuitry. Isaiah shivered softly, but Wycost clenched his left fist and maintained his calm. Finally, he turned to face Isaiah.
"For the most part, the Hunters didn't like me. And that suited my purposes just fine. I joined the Hunters to put an end to the mavericks, and everyone else who seemed to shun me was focused mainly on social graces." Wycost shook his head. "There were only three Hunters there who accepted me and treated me with respect." Isaiah waited. Wycost continued, uninterrupted.
"Those three were Mega Man X, Zero, and my Unit Commander, Bastion. We always managed to help each other out in the tough situations, but when the tedium after the Fifth Uprising showed up, we kind of lost sight of that." Wycost clenched his other fist, bringing it up to eye level. "Why I'm so mopey is that I know that they face the same threat of being kicked out of the service as everyone else there. I'm partially lucky in that respect, but not really." Wycost let his gaze go up, and stare into the stars.
"Isaiah, did I ever tell you WHY I left?" Isaiah shrugged.
"You said it got too boring, that your revenge had been carried out." Wycost nodded.
"It's more than that. I had applied for Unit leadership in the Hunters, so I could be a commander as well. And just after I had pushed X past a very dark emotional boundary, helped him overcome an obstacle in his life, I discovered that my request for leadership had been denied." Wycost spat out the last word.
"Denied, Isaiah. And more cruel than that was when I found out who had issued the no way." Wycost raised an index finger and pointed above. "It was X who had denied me leadership." Isaiah whistled. "He gave several reasons, all concerning the GDC's close examination of the Hunters. But there was something underneath it." Wycost's hand tightened even further in on itself, the fingernails digging into his palm. "X and Zero and Cain had ignored my incredible service record, my efficiency barely paralleled. Instead, they had finally given in to the naysaying of the Hunters en masse, fearing that if I were to be promoted, the GDC would object and the Hunters would be in trouble as a whole." Wycost laughed bitterly. "And it didn't help. Even after they had stopped that one chain of events, another took its place. The GDC still slammed them, and I wasn't to blame."
Wycost composed himself, turning about.
"Now there's only one person left there who I still worry about. Bastion. He never doubted me for a moment. He realized that underneath my icy and ruthless façade, there was an individual whose life had been shattered. He realized that I fought to stop the same fate from befalling anyone else. He always supported me, always had a kind word. And now he's in the same jeopardy as all the other smutzes in that place." Wycost shook his head.
"That's the other reason why I left, Isaiah. I got fed up with all the crap that I kept getting." Isaiah pursed his lips, feeling the bitterness swell from his friend. Finally, he waked closer and put an arm on Wycost's shoulder. For once, Wycost didn't shrink away.
"Hey, Wycost. Realize this. No matter where you go, you'll always have people who look at you and will shy away. The trick is to ignore them push past the bitterness and find the few individuals in the world who will listen to you, and put up with your personality. Bastion was one of them. And so am I." Wycost looked at Isaiah, slowly letting a placid calm return to his face.
"Yeah. I suppose you're right."
"Good." Isaiah smiled again. "Come on. I think we both should be able to snooze easily now. There'll be big things happening tomorrow." Wycost nodded, as the two of them walked back into the crowded barracks.
"Yeah." Wycost said. "It's a new day."
"Filled with endless possibilities."
"Remind me-why are you pacing about MY Medical Bay, dressed up like you're going to a Mideatern Dance Session??" Hazil groaned. Standing on his new legs, Hazil annoyedly queried the pacing Bastion.
Bastion was decked out in refined studs, respectable clothing as if he was a rajah or other such Arabic Dignitary. His hair was for once, controlled, tied back behind his head. However, the bright orange coloring remained in the silky cloth, with the purple sash and red and gold trimming.
Bastion turned to face Hazil, still shocked that the doctor had been granted his fondest wish for a pair of legs.
"What? Did you say something, Hazil?" Hazil slapped himself in the face.
"Oy. Bastion, you are FAZED OUT. Something has you preoccupied, and I wish you'd tell me just WHAT that thing was." Bastion shook his head, the hair bouncing lightly behind him.
"It's more of a someone. What time is it?" Hazil blinked for a moment, taking in the new revelation.
"The answer is 6:28, Civilian time." Hazil even bothered to give the now humanized Bastion unmilitary time. Bastion took it in.
"Still a while to go yet."
"Just who are you meeting?" Hazil shook his head at his own statement. "Wait! Don't asnwer, let me guess-Bristol, right?" Bastion stopped in mid-plod, then turned about, his face full of shock.
"Correct." Hazil's eyes darkened.
"Ahh, geez. It's hit you too now?" Bastion frowned.
"What's hit me?"
"Just where are you two going, looking like that?" Bastion shrugged.
"A new restaurant in town she wanted to try out." Hazil grumbled, smacking himself in the head again.
"Who made the suggestion to do this?"
"She did." Hazil took in a deep breath, then pushed his hand out.
"Hand me a pillow, Bastion." Bastion halted for a moment at the request, but finally pulled a headrest off one of the beds and gave it to the doctor.
Hazil promptly smashed his head through the bag, tearing the cloth and sending feathers all over the room. Bastion hiccoughed in shock.
"Aah, that didn't help much. Bastion, did you know that when you whack your face into a pillow too hard, it'll rip?" Bastion, eyes wide shook his head.
"I-Never thought of that before--Hazil." He spoke haltingly. Hazil shook his head.
"Calm down, buster. I'm not going nuts. I am just in a state of disbelief right now."
"Why so?" Bastion asked. Hazil breathed again.
"From my observations, it seems that you and Bristol are-"
"Sorry to keep you waiting, luv." Bristol's voice rang into the room as the Medical Bay door slid open.
Hazil and Bastion swiveled about.
Both let their jaws drop.
There Bristol stood, her slender frame all of a sudden seeming more real than ever before.
She was wearing a long dress, that went down past her knees and didn't quite make it to her ankles. It went up and had a neck line, but comfortably let her arms slip through the holes on either side. The dress was dark blue in color, adorned with sparkling gems of black and white.
Her ears held glittering silver earrings, not flashy, but serving only to enhance the brilliant radiance of her smile. Her long blond hair cascaded down to her shoulders, constantly shifting across the neckline.
And lastly, a pale periwinkle blue shawl was draped about her shoulders, the sheerness unmatched.
"Bristol--wow." Bastion finally managed to erk out. The entire effect was stunning, and even Hazil had to force himself to sit down before he crumpled onto the floor. Bristol smiled again, examining Bastion's appearance.
"The Nomadic Mideastern royalty look? It looks practically stunning, Bastion. An excellent choice." Bastion nodded, pushing back his already tied hair.
"And your outfit--Bristol, you look like the night."
"The night in the day." Bristol heckled. Bastion nodded.
"Yeah." He finally broke out of the trance. "So, should we get going?" Bristol noddd. Bastion shut his eyes, but then Bristol tapped him on the shoulder.
"Oh no, Mr. Rajah. Tonight, we will be as inconspicuous as humans. Warping's not an option." Bastion smiled a bit and nodded.
"Sorry. So, where do we find a cab?" Bristol shook her head.
"Oh no. Did I forgot to mention that Cain put out for a limousine tonight?" Bastion raised his eyebrows.
"Cain? The money pincher?" Bristol folded her arms and grinned devilishly.
"Well, he needed a little convincing." Bristol cracked her knuckles as she spoke. Bastion grinned.
"I can imagine." Bristol looked towards the door.
"Shall we go then?" Bastion took on her English accent and snorted.
"Rather."
They left the Medical Bay, walking out towards the exit to where the limousine sat parked, awaiting their arrival. As they walked, Bastion felt his hand slip into Bristol's. She squeezed it softly, and they looked at each other.
A conjoined smile that seemed to light up the entire room.
Back in the Medical Bay, Hazil walked over to his personal storage cabinet and pulled out a bottle of aged liquor.
"I'm gonna need a stiff one after that." Hazil said wearily. "I had questions about those two, and now they're answered." Hazil downed a small sip of his brownish syrup.
"Bastion and Bristol are more than friends. They are companions."
"It's all quiet here." Jad grumbled, kicking his feet on the floor as he lazily watched the monitors in the HQ's war room. Kol also was with him, wearing the same bored expression.
"Kinda makes you wonder why you signed up, eh?"
"Darn tootin' me friend. I wanted to kick kiester. So far, it's all been training. And if the Hunters are going belly up in Twenty Days, where does that leave us?"
"In about the same condition as these alarms that haven't gone off in ages, Jad." Kol said, motioning with a hand to the awaiting strobe lights, silent and unblinking. "When the Hunters bite the bullet, our Unit may be one of them that goes down the tubes." Jad shook his head.
"No way! We're with the 21st! Bastion's Unit! And now Bastion is back in action as well. I mean, come on! We're almost top notch here." Kol chortled, scratching his helmeted head.
"Jad, look at me with a straight face for a moment, and consider the following somber things. Our luck hasn't been all that great recently. What makes you think we'll be left to continue on? As good as the 21st is, the 17th and Zero's Special #00 Unit are better."
"There's still room for a third Unit Kol. We're more versatile than those Units are…" Jad clenched his fist, glaring. Finally, he released his anger and sighed. "Besides, you gotta have some faith in what you do. Otherwise, it's all meaningless." Kol finally shrugged.
"There is that. So now what?" Jad scuffed his feet on the floor, then looked up.
"Run another scan of the world. Maybe something is going on that the passives can't pick up." Kol nodded.
"Gotta be better than another game of FreeCell." Kol's fingers danced across the keys as he brought up the scanning program, then activated it.
On his signal, the Hunter's satellite system high above in orbit all activated their sensors, probing the surface for distress signals, explosions, tremors, or even the most minute wailing siren.
Once the data was collected, it was routed through the Hunter's main processor, which filtered out the natural planned occurrences of geological phenomena, flight plans and medical aid craft.
Billions of functions being compiled all at once.
And the core computer found its abnormality. Frantic telephone calls for help, loud explosions, and perhaps most frightening, the word "MAVERICK!" being repeated within the same ten mile radius. So, the computer did what it was programmed to.
It hit the panic button. The klaxons, long silent finally activated, sending out the siren all over the base.
In the Medical Bay, Hazil looked up from some of his pre design schematics for Cossack's robots, consternation clouding his face.
The Hunters in the training area looked up through flustered faces, glaring angrily.
The ones in the Cafeteria had the most varied responses. Some dropped their forks o the floor, others trays. Others walked into walls as they looked up at the blinking lights.
In the War Room, where only Jad and Kol were stationed, they both pounded a fist into their other palms.
"I KNEW IT!" Jad growled. "I knew that they'd be back." Kol nodded.
"Probably another semi-maverick threat. Ya know, the uninfecteds just getting fed up with life again."
"Even if that's the case, we still gotta wipe 'em off the face of the earth!" Jad blurted out. "You figure out where this disturbance is located, I'm gonna rastle up some Hunters for action." Kol grunted in agreement, then let his fingers fly over the keyboards.
A few seconds later, Cain hobbled in through one of the sliding doors. His weary face was stern and alert for anything.
"What's the news, boys?" Kol looked up from his console just enough to obtain positive recognition of Cain, then he looked back down to his work.
"Boss, we got another maverick situation." Cain frowned.
"Is it the virus?" Kol shook his head.
"I can't tell from here. But it makes sense that it's just another bunch of radical reploids flying off the hinge." Cain rolled his tongue around the inside of his cheek.
"Alert the 21st Unit. Keep the 17th on standby." Jad pumped his fist heroically and grinned.
"Ya got it, Cain. Only member of the 21st not on base is our good leader Bastion." Cain sat down in the command chair and squeezed a stress ball.
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Because he's off in Tokyo just having a fun time." All eyes turned to Hazil as heWALKED-NOT ROLLED--through the open sliding doors, his arms swinging back and forth. Cain grunted.
"So you're up and about already. That's a good thing. Now just where exactly is he?" Hazil coughed loudly, then folded his arms.
"Doctor's discretion. Let's just say he's in good company." He motioned up to Kol. "Signal him with the silent transmitter. He should pick it up in his head easily." Kol looked at Cain for an answer, and Cain finally nodded.
"Do it." Kol didn't waste time in punching in Bastion's comm data and hitting the transmit button. Just then, Cain raised a hand.
"Did we get a pinpoint on where this little skirmish will take place?" Kol brought up his scan data. He nodded.
"Right smack dab in the middle of Southern Asia's India. Looks like Calcutta from here." Cain rubbed his chin.
"I'm sure there's something about that location that I can't bring up--" Cain let his sentence trail off.
This wasn't the time to bring up odd quirks in his memory.
This was the time to fight.
"For the madam, a Caesar Salad, light on the croutons. And for monsieur, sauteed mushrooms in a wine sauce." The waiter's accent was as real as the food which was palced on the table before Bastion and Bristol.
Bristol's eyes were sparkling like they never had before. Bastion could see the gleeful glow within all too easily as he thanked the waiter again. Discreetly, the waiter backed away a few steps, then turned and left their company.
Bastion raised his wineglass, which was filled with a delicate chardonnay of the restaurant's private stock.
"To the future." Bastion said softly, his smile broad. Bristol raised her own glass, and they clinked them together.
"Whatever it may hold." Bristol replied before taking a small sip of her wine. Putting the glass down, she let her excited eyes look about the room. "This is a beautiful place, Bastion." Bastion nodded for a moment, being careful not to upset his headdress. In a far corner of the room, a quartet of string instruments strummed out engrossing Classical Music. The notes wafted through the room like the smells of the scrumptious food and the good company.
"It is." Bastion finally said. "This was a good choice of yours." Bastion smiled. "Thank you." Bristol blinked.
"For what?"
"For pulling me back from the land of depression." Bastion said. Shaking his head softly, he nodded. "Bristol, through and through we've helped each other. I was your guardian angel…and in a time of need, you were mine." Bastion stopped for a moment, not quite sure what to say next. Bristol smiled, then took a bite of her salad. Once she had swallowed it, she spoke up.
"Do go on." Bastion cleared his throat.
"This may come out awkward, Bristol, so bear with me." Bristol waited intently. Bastion shifted in his seat.
"Whenever I'm around you, its like the world seems to gain just a hint more sunlight. The joys seem greater, and the fog never lifts. When I leave, there's a sense of longing within me." Bastion's smile turned sad. "I don't know what's wrong with me."
Bristol's face glimmered for a moment at his words, and then tears welled up in her eyes. She sniffled back a sob, and nodded. Bastion frowned.
"What's wrong, Bristol?" Bristol shook her head, dabbing at her eyes with her napkin.
"Nothing's wrong, Bastion." Bristol said, almost choking on her words. Finally, she looked up, her smile happy, relieved, and tearfully so. "For once, everything's RIGHT." Bristol put her napkin back in her lap and nodded. "I had the same feelings for you as well. The same situations. The same glint of life beyond life in the world when you touched me-held my shoulder, comforted my tears. I was afraid to admit them. I didn't think you would reciprocate."
"Reciprocate what?" Bastion asked. "Tell me what I'm feeling!" He pleaded. Bristol's hands came up, wrapping themselves around his hand. She looked into his face, for once truly ecstatic.
"Bastion, you are feeling the most powerful force known within the confines of emotion. What you feel is the same thing I do. What you are feeling…is love." Bastion blinked, stunned at the word.
"Love?" Bristol laughed softly.
"Yes, love. Reploids are no different from humans when it comes to this. You just feel right with a person you know. Love is a powerful force, Bastion. To deny it can kill you, but embracing it will only strengthen you."
Bastion's world flipflopped all over the place. The room spun, his hearing went out of whack. Only Bristol seemed real. Just her face. Her soft gleaming eyes.
That radiant smile.
The lips that made the smile.
Bastion felt himself being drawn across the table to them.
And then contact. His eyes were shut, but he knew what was happening.
He and Bristol's lips were connected. In a kiss of their affection for one another.
The world gained new reality at that moment. And only a soft buzzing in his ears existed, the only sound in this new reality of happiness.
But the buzzing wasn't from the kiss.
Bastion broke the embrace, frowning.
It was his internal silent alarm.
The Hunters were calling.
"Bastion, what's wrong?" Bristol asked, her face covered in worry, and also rejection. "Did I do something wrong?" Her face dropped.
Bastion let his hand pull it back up, and he smiled into her face.
"It isn't you, Bristol. I do care deeply for you, and were it not for circumstances, I would have continued to kiss you."
"Circumstances?" Bastion nodded to Bristol's question.
"The Hunters just paged me."
"That means they paged us then, luv." Bastion frowned.
"This could be a dangerous mission. I won't have you walking into death. I just found you, Bristol…I don't want to lose you." Bristol frowned.
"The feeling is mutual. Where you go, I go. I'll watch your back, and you watch mine." Bristol got up quickly, and the waiter walked over concerned.
"Is everything all right, madam?" Bristol nodded.
"It's been a truly lovely evening, sir. But I'm afraid we really must dash off. Duty calls." Bastion got up as well.
"Should we walk out?" Bristol shook her head, a devilish grin covering it.
"No. We warp." Bastion grinned back.
"Ooh. I like your thinking." Bastion grabbed Bristol's hand, then shut his eyes. He activated his internal transporter, then picked the destination; MHHQ.
In a blaze of blue, orange and red light, Bastion and Bristol vanished from the crowded restaurant, flying away to their home.
The waiter dropped his tray of drinks in shock.
"Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends…"
"We're so glad you could attend…"
"COME INSIDE, COME INSIDE!" The trio softly hummed out an old rock song's opening lyrics as they readied their battle systems. Gavin, Jad and Kol had undertaken the task of rounding up the 21st to the briefing room. Now they were only waiting for Bastion to show up.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting." Bastion finally walked through the door, dressed in his usual red and orange armor of the desert. All heads turned, and Bastion waved a hand to silence them. "What's the situation?" Kol stepped up to the podium, clearing his throat.
"Twenty minutes ago, Jad and I ran a full scan of the planet. Most of its was quiet, but there was one place where the alarms found trouble. Calcutta, India. Further reports show that there are reploids running amok, blowing stuff up and generally having fun in the overpopulated country." Bastion nodded.
"So, we ship out." Bastion turned to face the masses. "All right everyone. Equip for full out combat. Stock up on Sub-Tanks if we have them, and get your mind focused. We want to go in able to handle anything. ANYTHING."
Bastion was now stone hard serious. Gone was the glee from his face of the dinner just minutes before. There was only the Hunter…and the mission.
The Twenty First Unit mobilized quickly, eagerly getting up and readying their Busters and sabers, running last minute diagnostics and buffing out the few dings from previous encounters.
Bastion readied himself by warping his Powerstorm Armor back onto his back. As it seamlessly connected with the beam saber rechargers, he checked to make sure both sabers were ready in their charge ports.
They were. More importantly, Hazil had snagged him a Sub-Tank as he had been walking to the meeting.
"We're all set, boys." Bastion boomed. "WARP OUT!"
The room grew silent as the Hunters of the 21st "Lightning Strike" Unit vanished into the jetstreams towards India. Finally, only Bastion and Bristol remained. Bristol folded her arms.
"I'm set when you are." Bastion grunted.
"Your beam saber ready?" Bristol nodded. Unlike the others, she had refused installation of a beam saber recharger on her armor. It connected seamlessly to the side of her arm by electromagnetic forces, a deadly weapon that Bristol would not have altering her appearance.
"Come on then, luv. We have to make the world a safe place again." Bastion grinned, then warped out behind his Unit.
Bristol followed shortly thereafter.
The 21st was back in action.
"Give me some cover fire!" Gavin hollered over the explosions. Ducking down to avoid the ground skimming artillery barrage, he gritted his teeth and clenched his saber tighter.
Only ten seconds from warp, and already the Hunters were pinned down by the maverick forces.
This time it was different. There had been no military bunker that the mavericks had broken into.
They had the weaponry when they had arrived.
Which meant that someone had been building up power for some time.
And that meant, to Gavin with his astute assumptions…
This just didn't happen. Someone had been planning this. They would have built up enough armament to take on any threat…even the best of the Hunters.
"We're in deep crap." Gavin croaked. Another shot blew overhead, sending shrapnel below. Gavin cried out in pain as a hot shard of metal slashed across his arm. Behind him, he knew it was worse.
"MEDIC! MEDIC!" Came the cry. Gavin gritted his teeth on hearing the words.
His wound was superficial. The blast had done heavy damage behind.
It was this scene that Bastion and Bristol found when they coalesced into existence from their long distance warp.
Luckily for Bastion, he and Bristol came into existence high above the ground, Bastion's Powerstorm Wings opening instantly to provide a constant hover.
"My God." Bastion finally uttered after a moment.
It was not a pretty picture. Bristol shook her head as she hung from Bastion's boot.
"I'm going down there." Bristol said quietly. Bastion jerked his head down, stunned.
"You crazy?! They're getting mangled!" Bristol looked up at him, snapping her own angry look into position.
"I've been training for a reason. The instincts will handle the rest. If you have a better idea, LIST THEM." Bastion scanned the arena of conflict.
"There." His eyes focused in. A giant transport ship hovered slowly above the ground, watching everything. From it came waves of ground troops, maverick reploids, firing off shot after shot of firepower towards the pinned 21st below. "We have to get my Unit out of there NOW! If they remain any longer, they'll be fried for sure." Bastion clenched his fist.
"You sure about this Bristol?" Bristol nodded, finally releasing the electromagnetic lock on her beam saber and activating it in her right hand.
"Let's put an end to this." Bristol released her hold, falling downwards. As she dropped, Bastion could make out a huge thrust of power from her Double Air-Dash Boot Thrusters, and see her hurtling down towards the nearest artillery ground pounder, heavily armored but chugging along at good speed nonetheless. "Smile, cheeky. You're on Candid Camera." Bristol slammed the saber down in a downwards arc swing, opening up a gash in the control pod.
She fell through the newly created hole into the cockpit of the craft, and the reploid pilot turned about, snarling angrily as he readied a Buster into firing position.
Bristol sliced him clean in half with another swing.
"Not today, maverick bastard." Bristol said calmly. She looked around her, then hopped into the pilot's seat. Turning the wheel around, she allowed herself another grin. "Let's see how this turtle handles in action."
Bristol, now in command of the hijacked maverick vehicle, wasted no time in swinging the craft about and firing several blasts of shrapnel fire into the oncoming other craft.
High above, Bastion grinned widely.
"That's my Huntress." He looked down to his Unit, then pulled out both sabers, sliding the hilts together to form his beam staff. "She'll do some damage, but it won't last for long." Bastion activated his thrusters to their maximum level, barreling down towards the one tank that was still deadset on blowing up the small number of Hunters in his "Lightning Strike" Unit.
He screamed angrily, bringing the staff high above his head for the ultimate strike.
One diagonal slash along the stern of the hovercraft.
A turn blade that sliced it in half.
And finally, in the front of the craft, a quick overturn and a powerful blast of Powerstorm Shrapnel.
Bastion was far enough away when it exploded he received no harm. As he landed, only cheers came to his ears.
"Bastion, you saved us all!" Jad yowled, charging up his Buster. As the other members of the 21st also activated their weapons, their wounds were forgotten, replaced by the exhilaration of taking out the mavericks.
Bastion detached his sabers, holding one in each hand. He looked at his Unit, some of the reploids already badly damaged enough that they were in stasis, others only wincing from their injuries.
"They caught us off guard."
"More than that, Bastion." Gavin growled. "They were expecting us." Bastion nodded.
"Gavin, take three others and get the heavily wounded out of the danger area. The rest of you…FOLLOW ME!" Bastion blasted off from the bunker, making tracks towards the tank's approaches.
Bristol's tank was the closest, and just before it was annihilated by a shot from the five on the mavericks front lines, she leapt out of it, dashing straight up in a blast of Thruster power. Bastion was up in the air alongside of her with a single pulse of thrusters, his face worried.
"You all right?" Bristol spat out a curse.
"I took down two of those bloody things, but they're just too accurate for my tastes." Bastion nodded.
"Most of the 21st is just behind me. I suggest you join them for now…better chance of survival."
"I don't think so, luv."
"BRISTOL! LISTEN TO ME!" Bastion finally screamed. Bristol silenced herself. "If you do care about me…please, just keep yourself safe by sticking with everyone." Bristol blinked for a moment, then finally nodded.
"All right." Bastion and Bristol finally dropped onto the ground, their eyes scanning for any shots heading their way.
Sure enough, the tanks were targeting them.
Bristol dashed backwards into the throng of screaming, dashing and hopping Hunters on their way towards the mavericks in front.
Bastion activated not only his Powerstorm thrusters, but his basic Dash Boots as well. Having increased his speeds to greater than 400 MPH, Bastion gritted his teeth through the incredible G forces and readied his sabers for his deadly strike against the line of tanks approaching.
They fires shots at him, but Bastion sidedashed to avoid them, and the shrapnel clouds exploded too far behind him to hit. Bastion finally came to the first one, slicing through it with ease. His speed carried him through the wreckage, and he propped his sabers forward.
Like a powerful drill, Bastion slammed through tank after tank, in one side and out the other. The entire line fell, and Bastion was a hundred feet from the garrison line before all the tanks blew up.
Finally, he set his sights on the massive hovering transport from where all the other maverick foes had come from. Raising his two sabers into a guard position, he prepared to charge at it, despite the blazing cannons that continued to rain fire down on the ground in front of it.
"Twenty First Unit, rally with me!" Bastion cried out. The Unit was soon beside him, having only had to make the crossing across the field of eliminated foes. Their faces were grim, dusty and full of anger at the force who had troubled them once more.
"Mavericks. Whether they're infected or not, the meaning is still there." Bastion growled. "They mean to cause harm to anyone who approaches."
As if to silence him, the hovercraft's roof slid open, letting a powerful force fly from the interior.
Flying gundrones, a good four dozen slipped out from the opening, followed by heavily armored craft similar to the Bee Bladers of the First Uprising.
Bastion's eyes flew open as he examined the threat.
"Heads up, people." Bastion finally said. "They're not done with us yet." His hands tightened about his sabers, and Bastion flew up into the air a bit. Prepping his wings, Bastion released a cloud of shrapnel to shred some of the oncoming forces.
The hot metal zipped along, and finally reached the cluster of heavily armed forces opposing the 21st.
A glimmer of a protective shield shined into existence, and the shrapnel vanished in puffs of smoke. Bastion suddenly felt drained of all his courage.
"Oh no." Bastion knew what was coming. "SPREAD OUT!"
The Unit responded as quickly as they could, running away from their location. Just then, the ship opened fire on that spot with all guns, while the flying craft wasted no time in also blasting shot after shot.
Pandemonium erupted as the flying craft flew out from the protective shield to individually target the Hunters. Bastion flew up into the air, trying to take them all down as much as he could. He targeted one heavily armored rotodrone, charging at it with his sabers ready.
But then a second flew down from above, right in front of him. Its autocannons raised, ready to spray jacketed death into Bastion.
Bastion knew he would not survive the attack.
But then a surprise.
A flash from above, and the glint of another beam saber--dark black. The gun's barrels were hacked off , and the drone exploded on itself, sending it falling to the ground below. Bastion also could barely make out another figure drop down to the ground, following the devastated drone.
He followed it, if only because what he had seen flash before his face had brought back a haunting memory of a dark night, not so long ago.
Landing on the ground, he found himself staring at the same short reploid with the smirking attitude.
"YOU." Bastion said hoarsely. The reploid harrumphed, his right hand steadily holding a gleaming black beam staff. Bastion pointed with a beam saber. "It's you…AGAIN." Bastion's gaze went from astonishment to ferocity. "If you came to take me down, you'll have a hard time with it." Bastion snapped his two blades together into the staff formation and readied himself.
The other reploid clacked his teeth and shook his head.
"Pitiful fool. Don't get in my way, or I WILL fight you." The cocky reploid snorted. "But I'm sorry to squash your violent objective. I don't have time to mess with you now. We still have to eliminate the snake."
"We?" Bastion growled, not lowering his saber. The other reploid narrowed his eyes.
"Just stay out of my way from now on, Hunter." With a blast of dash thrusters, the reploid began to make tracks towards the huge hovercraft, still protected by its energy shield. As he dashed, a second figure warped down beside him and also made a path towards the craft.
Bastion's stomach tightened.
"ARE YOU TWO CRAZY?!" Bastions creamed towards them. "YOU'LL GET YOURSELF KILLED!"
The two reploids paid Bastion little heed as they continued to charge headfirst towards the ship. Dodging shots left and right, the pair kept their pace up and finally leapt onto the hull of the ship. Bastion couldn't make out much from his distance, but it seemed as though that they had used their sabers to slice off a chunk of the hull.
As the energy shield flared into life, and then flickered from existence, Bastion realized what they had accomplished.
They'd destroyed the shield emitters. Bastion still was unsure of them.
They had attacked him on that night.
They also attacked the mavericks on some missions.
They were just odd. But as they sliced open the hull, a powerful blast of energy blew them back away from the ship.
Their screams were loud.
But the sound of what emerged from the hovercraft was louder.
A giant warcraft, plasma Busters bristling from every streamlined port and wing.
As soon as it had come up though, the Hunters of the 21st wasted no time in throwing everything at it.
X-Busters sang with the barrage of fire, while the saber troops watched helplessly. Bastion fired off a shot of Powerstorm Shrapnel for good measure, and finally the warmachine began to whine down, suffering from its wounds. Bastion raised his hand.
"STAND DOWN!" He bellowed. "Let me finish this." His troops obeyed, even though they were prepared to blow it out of the sky should he fail.
Below, Bristol watched helplessly, shaking her head.
"Live, Bastion. Live." Bastion couldn't have heard her if he had wanted to.
As Bastion soared in closer, slashing the port wing off with his beam staff, he suddenly felt a chill run down his back. Shuddering as if he had stepped into a blizzard, he shook off the odd feeling in his head.
Still, something wasn't right about this at all. There was something terribly wrong here, and he couldn't identify it.
The warcraft finally whined its last cry, slamming into the ground, its engines spewing smoke. Huge billowing clouds of grayish smoke that enshrouded the destroyed machine.
Bastion landed, holding his beam sabers ready in a defensive posture.
All eyes were on the craft, and for once the field was silent.
No one even breathed. Even the two mysterious reploids that no one knew…Allegro and Andante…gritted their teeth to the pain of the powerful blast that had caught them off guard and waited.
Finally, there came a sound from the smoky wreckage, now totally unseeable within the cloud of smoke.
The sound of the cockpit opening up.
And then footsteps.
As the sun was clouded out, giving the earth a shadowy pallor, the only sound that disturbed the silence was the slow and plodding footsteps of a lone person.
Finally, the figure's outline became more visible. It was armored, full body. It was tall, but not overtly. Not thin, but not overbuilt.
Finally, it completely removed itself from the smoke. Standing erect, it nonetheless looked in pain.
But it wasn't its expression that caused the world to go dark for Bastion.
It was the reploid who held the expression.
Blackened dark green armor.
A chevron chest plate.
A Buster on its right hand.
And a pair of dark black glasses that covered the figure's eyes.
"My God…" Bastion croaked. Bristol also felt her chest tighten up in recognition.
"It's…"
"Wycost?!"