Chapter 4: Assault
X and Zero ran up the stairs like lighting bolts. Zero thinking about the different ways he was going to kill Sheppard. X thinking about the many ways he was going to keep a straight mind while he was carrying out his mission.
"30…31…32…33…34…" said X as he counter the floors, " 68, 69, 70…71, here we are."
X and Zero stood at each side of the door and waited, X charged up his buster, and Zero got ready with his Z saber. X cautiously looked out the window, Zero getting ready to strike like a coiled snake waits to strike at its prey.
"Alright, there are 4 sentries guarding the hall, 2 on the right, 2 on the left, I'll take the right, kill any terrorists you see and meet at the two main doors to the conference room." Said X.
"I DON'T CARE HOW MANY! I JUST WANT TO KILL THEM!" Yelled Zero.
"1…2…3…GO!" Yelled X as he kicked open the door.
The four guards on either side didn't even know what hit them. They turned around to see what exactly had burst out of the emergency exit door that led to the main stairwell. X took care of the guards with two silent plasma shots, which vaporized them instantly. The two one Zero's side saw them be vaporized, and didn't have a chance to pull the trigger on their rifles or even scream for that matter. As Zero snuck up behind them and slit both of their throats with his Z saber, catching some of the blood that gushed out onto his chest. Zero smiled, he actually enjoyed his work for once as the two guards crumpled into a heap.
"Four down, fifteen to go." Zero said coldly.
"Damn straight." Said X as he looked through a window into the main conference room.
"I don't know...they look pretty solid." Said X.
"What if we dropped in on 'em from the ventilation ducts above?" Asked Zero.
"It certainly would be a surprise." Replied X.
"Yeah it would."
"Let's go for it."
They silently jogged down the hall to the maintenance access ladder, climbed up it, and into the vents. They crawled through duct after duck until they reached a grate that led to the middle of the room below, with 15 terrorists and 500 civilians, and the Hunter that was captured earlier. Then they turned to see all 15 terrorists on one side of the hostages, and Sheppard off to the right.
"Will Mr. Guest please sign in." said Zero with a snicker.
"What?" Asked X.
With that Zero jumped and crashed through the grate making X fall with him, he landed on the floor and jumped at the nearest terrorist and sliced him clean in half. One terrorist knew what to do and shot away Zero's saber. All the terrorists started firing at Zero as X watched Zero with glazed over eyes. Zero jumped into the rest of the terrorists and literally started to rip them apart. After a few blood-curdling screeches, and hollers of pain. Zero emerged from the pile pf broken and twisted bodies covered with human blood head to toe; he wiped the blood off his face with the back of wrist, revealing a mad grin. But Sheppard threw some sort of pink energy ropes that banded themselves around X and Zero, the same that was wrapped around the newbie hunter.
"Nice to see you drop in Zero, and X," said Sheppard calmly as he stared at the bloody pile of bodies, "I was gonna kill them all anyway, thanks for taking care of it. You broke the rules; I already executed 40 more hostages and him..."
Sheppard then took out his pistol and blew a large hole in the newbie Hunter's head that was right next to him, the explosive bullet blowing the Hunter's head apart in a wave of Reploid blood.
"NO! YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD! HE WAS TOO YOUNG TO DIE!" Screamed as he watched the horrible scene that just took place.
Zero took one look at the headless Reploid body and glared at Sheppard with murderous glare and said, "Sheppard, I'm gonna gut you like fish, I'll rib your throat out AND CHOKE YOU WITH IT! Then I'm fucking gonna knock your teeth out the back of your neck. And if I were human, I WOULD RIP YOUR FUCKING FACE OFF AND WIPE MY FUCKING ASS WITH IT!"
X stared at Zero's blood covered form with amazement, he had never Zero said that kinda language emanate from Zero's lips before.
"Too make you happy, I just set the time for the C4 to 10 minutes, and 7 minutes have gone by. See you later." Said Sheppard as he turned around and walked around.
Zero cracked at that, screamed with a battle cry, broke apart the bonds that held him, grabbed his Z-saber, and in one fluid motion, delivered the lethal down thrust from his saber into Sheppard's back; who immediately keeled over into a puddle of blood. Zero walked over to X, undid his bonds, and noticed the crowd with dazed expressions on their faces.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! GET OUT!" Screamed Zero.
The hostages immediately ran out the doors and down the stairwells. It did not take them long to run screaming out the front doors of the plaza into the street. While Zero and X jumped out the window and teleported to the street.
Sheppard weakly looked at the timer on his watch, 30 seconds left.
"This is how the World Goes...This is how the World Goes...This is how the World Goes...This is how the World Goes...not with bang, but with a whimper, not this time Zero, you cant get away from me...." Said Sheppard as he closed his eyes and died. The timer reaching zero.
Everyone outside screamed and gazed at the ChemDyne Corperate Plaza implode one floor at a time and crumble, then explode in a ball of fire that blew cars in the lost into other buildings across the street as all the hostages hit the deck. All that was left, was a smoldering crater.
"Thank you Zero and X, we are forever in your debt." Said the Police officer said running up to X and Zero.
"It was nothing; I hate to lose anyway." Replied Zero, "X, let's go back to headquarters, I need to wash off."
"Sure Zero..." said X, with the same admiration and respect that he had always felt for Zero.
-Maverick Hunters HQ-
Once again everyone in the Maverick Hunters HQ huddled in the control room seeing the news report on the main monitor.
"We will be forever in the debts of the Maverick Hunters. Thanks to them, the only life taken by the terrorists' bomb was his own, this never would have happened if we had treated Reploids equally to begin with. Every being is created equally, maybe we can learn from our mistakes too..." said the reporter over the TV, "This is channel 5 news, signing off until the 10 'o clock recap tonight."
The End
