Chapter Seventeen: Demons of Crimson Darkness

Author's Notes: Gomen, minna! I am SOOO sorry for taking so long... but I posted a bunch more... and Part One will shortly be concluded and posted within the next couple of days. A word of warning... there is cursing ahead between Blues and Zero. Enjoy, and please review!

"Sierra!" I shouted at her above the roar of pouring rain. "Wake up! Come on... please wake up!"

She didn't move, and I could just barely make out her breathing, the slight rise and fall of her chest becoming smaller each time... no...

"Dammit, you IDIOT!" I shouted to her. "How can you be so stupid? Wear yourself out and come running after me without anyone with you... Zero's going to kill me for this!" I trailed off, my anger moving to direct back at myself. But now was not the time to spread the blame... I had to get Sierra back to the lab, and quick. Swiftly I picked her up, holding my body at an angle to shield her from the cold downpour. Blindly I began to run, my memory of where I had run the only thing guiding me back. I only prayed then that I would be fast enough... that my circuits wouldn't freeze...

I don't know how long it was; I didn't care... I just kept on going. I looked down at the girl in my arms and gasped in terror as I realized that her lips were now blue, and her shivering had increased greatly...

I plowed forward at more than top speed, my equivalent of human adrenaline kicking in with the fear in backseat... my eyes lifted to the pavement once more, and dimly the tall architecture of Dr. Light's lab came into view... and a lone figure running towards us.

"Help!" I called out, the rain shorting out my optics so that I couldn't identify the runner. "She needs help!"

Still running, I rammed into the person... but he braced himself to keep from falling, grabbing Sierra from me. "Hey! Get out of the way! I have to get help..."

"Go away, bastard... this is your fault and I won't let you hurt her again!"

Red Demon himself. Hell, I REALLY didn't want to deal with him right now... But there was no way around it... so I got to the point.

"Look, man, I don't want to deal with you right now--"

"Then get your sorry ass away from Sierra."

"Just SHUT UP ALREADY, ZERO!" I shouted, my face going as red as his armor, "Flatten that oversized ego of yours and PAY ATTENTION! Can you throw away your pride long enough to save Sierra's life?! Or is she just second to yourself?"

"Shut up, 'Blues'. You don't know anything--"

"No, dammit, YOU shut up! I don't have time for this!" Without waiting for his usual smart-ass comments I retrieved Sierra from him and bolted the remaining path to the lab.

'Hold on, Sierra,' I prayed. "LIGHT! DOCTOR LIGHT!" I screamed.

The old man came hurtling through a door, out of breath as he exclaimed, "What's happened?" Then he saw Sierra. "Oh my god... what HAPPENED?" But he refused to wait for my answer and pulled me by the arm to Sierra's room. Gingerly I held her as Light set up some sort of device unfamiliar to me, bringing in what looked like my sleep capsule from a closet.

Opening it he motioned to me, urging speed. I placed the shivering girl inside almost reluctantly, brushing dripping hair from her pained face...

"Will she be all right?" I blurted out, emotions flowing in a rush.

The doctor considered me a moment, and managed a small smile. "Yes... after a few hours she'll be fine... this is a regeneration capsule that was, as you can tell, developed from a robot's sleep capsule... all we have to do is leave her alone for a while."

Taking the hint I walked out of the room, only to bump into a certain Red Demon on the way.

"What do you want?" I growled, receiving a punch in the face in direct response. I went flying, and promptly crashed into a nearby computer console-- needless to say it had some dents and torn wires added to the design... I clutched my arm in pain, and as I lifted my hand away it gaped at the robotic blood streaming from an ugly wound, not to mention the trickle of liquid from my lip... My gaze hardened and lifted to meet Zero's, hate emanating from my very core.

"What, the HELL... WAS THAT FOR?" I punctuated every word, and my fury could not be mistaken. I was even satisfied to see the other 'bot flinch briefly before regaining his composure.

"WELL?" I asked loudly.

He didn't answer at first; seemingly enjoying the heavy silence and increasing tension of suspense. "For coming near her," he replied at last, raising his head to look down at me. His tall form would have intimidated anyone else, but I knew better than to let it get to me.

"How stupid are you?" I yelled, wiping the blood from my face in fury. "You're mad at me because I was trying to save her life? There is something REALLY WRONG with you!"

"It's none of your damn business what happens to her! Stay out of it... it wasn't your job to find her!"

"Oh, really?" I shot back. "Then why didn't you go and look for her? You just let her run after me!"

"Oh, like she'd give a damn about you."

"Well, at least I have the heart to give her a chance and TRY TO PROTECT HER!"

That did it. A flash of green and red, then I was pinned against the wall, Z-saber microns from my neck.

"One step too far, PROTOMAN," he snarled. "You have no right to say that after what you and Wily did to her, you bastard!"

"It's not like I had the choice!" I shot back, defiant to the end. "Again I state; YOU NEVER WENT AFTER HER!"

"Shut UP."

"No, I won't! Something happened, didn't it? You badmouthed and she ran off, isn't that right?" I looked him in the eye, his emerald eyes alight with barely caged rage.

"I can see it!" I continued, using the advantage. "I think she's had enough of you! After all, you let Rock die! You let her get kidnapped, and allowed yourself to get whipped by Bass! I can see why she would hate you now!"

At that the Red Demon, for demon he had now become, roared in my face and threw his saber-arm back to strike. I never moved, just stared him down.

"Now she'll truly hate you..." I murmured with a sneer. "For killing me... I'm only sorry I couldn't make up for lost time, no thanks to you."

"ZERO! BLUES! What in the world are you doing?!" Doctor Light himself barged into the room, pulling Zero forcefully away from me. "Now is not the time for this! We can't be fighting amongst ourselves while Wily is on the loose! Now, more than ever we have to trust each other, or Bass will help that madman destroy us all! Do you hear me, Zero? We can't afford to waste time!"

The Red Demon continued to stare at me, but I could see his features soften the slightest bit at the doctor's words. I also found myself moved by the speech, realizing how pointless it had been to provoke Zero...

At last, the glowing Z-saber was sheathed, but the look of hatred remained engraved within his features. His gaze permeated my own continuously, his mouth now a firm line of finally contained anger. I didn't dare drop my eyes... there was no way I would ever let him know that he had any power over me whatsoever.

Still standing my ground I asked of Doctor Light, "How is she?"

He glanced at me a bit curiously, noting that I was still challenging the Red Demon. "She'll be all right, with some rest," he answered at last. "It's good that you got her back here in time, Blues... she could have died."

"I know." What more could I say? I was glad I could help her... in any way that I could...

Almost inaudibly came a growl from the third occupant of the room, but the sound was quickly drowned out by the blaring annoyance of an insanely loud alarm.

'What the hell?' I thought, turning to the monitors on the other side of the lab. The Doc hurried over to them, Zero and I close behind. He typed a few keys with lightning speed, causing the outer cameras to activate; and who should conveniently show up... yes. Bass.
***

That damn menace... how could he bother to show his ugly mug here now? This was REALLY starting to piss me off... first Sierra runs off, then Protoman gives me a bad-ass attitude; and now this. Dammit.

"What's his location?" I asked the Doctor expectantly, my hand already going for my saber. I was eager to let out my stress on something, and it might as well be that Black Bastard. Now was my chance to avenge Rock! I wanted to do that on 'Blues', but that yellow-scarf-wearing turncoat was right in saying that Sierra would never forgive me. Damn him for that... she's too trusting for her own good! Why can't she see that he is pure evil!?

"So let's go!" Blues was saying. I tuned back in, only to see Doctor Light giving me a raised eyebrow. I gave him a big grin, understanding immediately what I was about to do.

"All right then, let's kick some robo-ass!"

I decided to play it nice around Blues for the time being, considering he was my only ally against Bass. We ran side by side down the corridor of the lab, halting suddenly right in front of the heavy metal door. We still exchanged glares once every few strides, but I believed it was mutual that we had an obligation to work together... we could settle our personal battles later.

We waited as Bass pounded at the doorstep, leaving pretty big dents in the titanium. I heard his intense curses and yells of frustration... and finally I could tell that he had begun to power up a plasma blast.

"Ready?" Blues asked me, staring straight ahead and portable cannon at the ready... you see, the Doc was smart enough to remove his original cannon, but in such a case as this he always kept spares. Good thing too... I was pretty sure that I couldn't handle Bass alone after the bad beating I received last time. Not that it mattered, though... I wasn't prepared last time. I was going to kick his sorry metal ass this time! There wasn't a doubt in my mind that I couldn't beat him, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop me.

At last, the final inches of the door were breached, and from the smoke and shadows stepped an even darker premonition--- Bass. He stepped forward slowly, his eyes gaining an eerie green highlight from my activated saber as the pupil-less black traveled from me to Blues. At the latter he nodded crisply, as if a mockery of respect.

"Protoman," he stated.

"Bass," Blues growled back, mouth curling into a snarl. "You shouldn't have come here."

"I go wherever I want, whenever I want. And must I demonstrate once more that there is absolutely NOTHING that you can do to stop me?"

"Shut up." The gray robot started towards his opponent, almost radiating in fury. However I sidestepped to intercept him, my free arm raising to block. This earned another growl from my companion, except now directed at me.

"This isn't your affair, Zero," he spat. "You had your chance... it's my turn for payback."

"You got blown up last time," I sneered in return. "My fight never finished."

"Will the two of you please shut up and make up your minds already?" Bass taunted. "I ain't got all day. Whose funeral's first?"

"Damn you!" Blues shouted, and shoved me aside as he charged at the black devil with cannon ready. I reeled back in surprise, but decided to let the 'bot go at it. If he wanted to kill himself, fine; at least that way I wouldn't have to get my hands dirty.

Blues fired a series of thee successive shots, all aimed at Bass's chest. Bass lost his balance, but it was only a momentary setback at he released a volley of his own plasma fire. Blues dodged most of them with ease, but at the close proximity he had put himself in led to a great disadvantage. A pot shot stuck home, hitting the gray robot's cannon arm and rendering it useless for the remainder of the battle.

"DAMMIT!" Blues shouted, collapsing to his knees. Bass let out a loud cackle that could have soured milk and cause a banshee herself to fall silent, eyes glittering maniacally.

"Idiot!" I told Blues. "I told you not to go after him!"

"You shut up, Zero!" he snapped back at me while clutching his injured arm to stop the bleeding. "It's not like you have much of a chance anyway!"

"You two are very amusing," the devil cut in, crossing both arms and tapping his left foot in boredom. "But I didn't come to destroy you... yet." He pulled from his back a small pistol-like object, a cross between a syringe and small blast cannon. He aimed at Blues and myself back and forth in a slow, easy motion, as if a demonic "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo" were taking place.

"Hmm... which to infect?" he was muttering to no one in particular. "But Wily said it didn't matter which one got it... they'd both get it eventually! Oh well!" The barrel stopped at last to me, followed by a wide grin. "All right then... say goodbye!"
He fired, and a streak of blue lightning shot out of the weapon to envelop me in silver sparks and light. I shuddered involuntarily, and my knees buckled from the weight of my weakening body attempting to hurl itself to the floor.

"Zero!" Blues shouted. "Are you all right?" To Bass, "What the hell did you do? What is that thing?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," the black bastard replied in a singsong voice. "Bye all!"


AN: Don't kill me! Most Megaman fans... especially those fond of the X series will know what I've done to the Red Demon (hee hee) but for those who don't... read on... ~Sierra Omega~