Chapter 10: A Friend's Escape
X lay on his medical bed, bound tightly to his bed by steel straps in the high security section of Maverick Hunter HQ. Although he appeared unconscious, he was in fact fully awake and waging a mental battle against the Maverick virus, fighting for control of his very body. And he was losing. Sigma had outdone himself this time, and X knew that it was only a matter of time before he became what he had devoted his life to fighting. It was only a matter of time before Mega Man X went Maverick.
X scanned the room, taking in everything in the room, never missing a single detail. He had missed nothing. Zero lay in the bed beside his, fully unconscious and posing no immediate threat to the virus-controlled Hunter. X also noted that the regular visits by Dr. Cain and Alex were set at two hour intervals, leaving him alone in the room every other 2 hours, save for the comatose Zero and the guard at the door. And, most importantly, X realized that the steel bars holding him to the bed were crude and easily broken. And with this new information in hand, X knew that the time of his escape from this prison was close at hand…
Zero awoke to the sound of screeching metal, and felt dread in the pit of his stomach. Turning his head ever so slowly, Zero stared as the newly repaired X simply stepped out of his bed, the steel straps that once held him to the bed looking like twisted strips of spaghetti that jutted out of his bed. Zero knew he was powerless to stop him, and deep down he knew it wasn't really X. Zero closed his eyes, hoping that X would not kill him, and decided to wait before attempting to stop him.
X, for now, was in complete control of his body as he raced down the corridors of his old home. I have to get out, thought X as he ran down a corridor, before I kill anyone. Zero forgive me… All of a sudden, sirens blared through the compound, distracting X and allowing the virus to take over once again. And as Hunters rushed out of their rooms to stop the escaping Maverick, the virus in his head screamed for the one thing that would satisfy it. The freshly spilt blood of the Hunters…
The blood of reploids pooled at X's feet, the trainees quickly dying to the rampaging Maverick. At the end of the hall, Alex stared at the carnage before him, the body's of his dead classmates littering the floor in a crimson pool. And as Alex stared, he saw their killer, and any vestiges of his innocence that was left vanished completely, his eyes turning as red as the liquid his boots stood on top of.
"X!" roared Alex, "you have murdered my classmates, killing them in cold blood knowing full well that they posed no threat to you. And I swear vengeance! So help me, YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE THIS PLACE ALIVE!" "You may try to stop me," returned the advancing X, his boots sloshing in the red pool, "but you will die as they did if you do." "You're all talk!" screamed the enraged Hunter, "let's see you back that up!" And with that, Alex broke through the restrictions of banter, and lunged at X.
Alex flew through the air, every nerve concentrated on his enemy. However, the first hit was not to be his. X sidestepped neatly, and as Alex flew by he delivered a brief chop to the back of his head, briefly dazing him. Alex rose slowly, forcing himself to calm down. Cool it! Thought Alex as he glared at X, nobody ever won a fight by freaking out. Calm down and you can beat him. "Do you wish to continue?" X calmly asked, "or have you had enough?" "Let's go" answered Alex. He would not be deterred…
Alex heard the shot before he saw it, and leapt to the side just in time. The blue X-Buster blast sailed by his head, narrowly missing him and burning a hole in the wall. As Alex rose, he flashed on his Beam Sabre, bringing it up into the fighter stance that Zero had shown him. Globs of energy flew at Alex from all sides as X fired rapid-fire shots at Alex, hoping to overwhelm him. However, Alex proved a greater fighter than X anticipated, and his Sabre was a blur of motion as he deflected every shot fired at him. X was momentarily distracted by this display of swordsmanship, and Alex used this opportunity to his full extent. Alex dashed forward, delivering a hard punch to X's stomach, making X gasp in pain as he clutched his wounded area. Alex quickly followed this attack with a series of quick punches, and finished it with a roundhouse kick to the head, which sent X hard into the wall, draining his power levels by 25%.
Alex panted as he watched the dizzy X slowly rise to his feet, radiating the same unnerving calmness as before. X was impressed by the Hunter's skills, he was quite powerful for someone so young. He looked like he had been taught by Zero. However, X knew he had one this round because, unlike Zero's unpredictable berserker attacks, Alex's followed a pattern, and X would easily exploit this. Pity, thought X, he shows such potential. It's a shame I'll have to kill him. It really is too bad he won't live long enough to fully realize it.
X now went on the offensive, and Alex was hard pressed to defend against his relentless attacks. X leapt at Alex, hitting the ground early and neatly tripping the young Hunter, sending him flying into the air. Not even letting him hit the ground, X whirled on the balls of his feet, delivering a side kick that sent Alex hard into the wall, making a dent in the reinforced steel. Alex got up slowly, the pain in his head making him dizzy and hard to concentrate. The full realization of his predicament hit him like a slap to the face, and Alex knew he would not win this fight…
Alex was hurting, and X showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Picking up his X-Buster, X let loose rapid fire shots down the narrow hallway that was their battlefield. Alex dove down, holding the body of one of his dead classmates in front of him for protection. The body shook uncontrollably from the shots, but it's convulsions stopped suddenly and Alex heard a dull whine that grew in intensity. It was the sound of an X-Buster charging… Alex, fearing for the worst, leapt to the side, abandoning his cover in favour of avoiding the shot. However, X had anticipated this, and held his fire. When Alex landed, X fired the shot, hitting Alex square in the back, knocking him to the floor and leaving his power levels at 10%, and leaving him in a paralyzed pile on the floor…
X walked over slowly, savouring every moment. Alex stared in horror, watching and not being able to do anything as X gripped his collar, forcing their eyes to make contact. Alex knew he was going to die, and he could not do anything as X picked up Alex's Beam Sabre, turning it on with a hiss. Alex stared in disbelief of the irony, X was gonna kill him with his own sword…
Alex shut his eyes, preparing for the searing pain of the heated sword as it made contact with his skin. However, Alex was not destined to die here. A huge sound filled the room, and X was thrown backward with such a force that it is indescribable. The fully charged purple blast threw X through the wall, and into the inky darkness of the night. A grim Zero, leaning on crutches and cradling an X-Buster, stared out at the escaping X. Zero cursed his weakened state, being unable to give chase. Many more innocents would suffer under X until he was stopped. He had to stop him. Even if it meant having him killed all over again.
"I'm sorry Zero," coughed the immobile Alex as he looked over to Zero, "he murdered my classmates, and I did nothing. He killed without mercy, and I couldn't stop him. I don't deserve to live…" "Alex," replied Zero as he radioed the medical staff, "you were incredibly brave, but no one wins a fight by rushing into it as you did. You attacked in anger, and that was unwise. If you truly want vengeance, I will teach you how to move how to feel how to fight. As your training increases your skills will improve, bringing you that much closer to your goal, to retribution. And when you have learned enough then, and ONLY then, will you have your revenge." "Zero, help me. I can not let this go unpunished." Zero nodded, and watched as the medical staff arrived. Alex was lifted onto the stretcher, and as he was being carried to the emergency room, he felt the warm hands of sleep surround him, and he drifted into that wonderful peace that sleep accompanies.
Six weeks later, the newly healed Alex stood at the foot of his classmates' graves, tears stinging his eyes and threatening to come out at any time. As he laid his flowers at the foot of their graves, memories flashed by in his head unchecked. His first day at the academy. Zero taking him under his wing, making all the other students jealous. Their reconciliation. Their deaths. At this his anger flared, but he willed himself not to cry. I won't cry, Alex thought desperately, they wouldn't want me too. But I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next. I will avenge the death of my friends. DO YOU HEAR ME X????? I will kill you, as you murdered them. Prepare yourself X. You have made the worst enemy you will ever know!