THE TENTH DISK
By blackhart
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001
Chapter Three
X
X...
I jumped up suddenly. I knew that voice! Low and boastful...
X...
Where was he? For that matter, where was I? And more importantly, why was I hearing him call my name? I glanced around the chamber as I looked for the source of the eerie voice. The world looked as if it had twisted itself around like a kaleidoscope. I frowned with puzzledness at this, then continued looking.
X...
"Show yourself, Sigma!" I called. "Why are you here? And why am I here?" I lowered my voice. "Wherever `here' is..."
About my business here with you, I'll only say that a future in which everyone is a Maverick indeed looks promising for me this time around.
I was puzzled, not only at his comment, but how this specter could have rearisen in the first place. The nine disks in the fortresses of Sigma's underlings were inactive...
But that left one disk, didn't it?
I'm inconveniencing you, I'm afraid, only by saying that I can't answer all your questions at this time. I've special plans for you, my dear X.
"So have you been causing me to feel disoriented?" I asked back quickly.
That I can answer. Yes, that's been me around.
That worried me. What did he mean by "around"?
Since our last battle, you've gained much of my respect, X. You should be proud of yourself to that end.
"No one receives respect from a Maverick without an extenuating circumstance," I said angrily.
Heh heh heh, he chuckled noiselessly. Quite right, X. Quite right.
"Can't tell me what's up, huh?"
Not yet, X, he said. Only that this world could be utterly changed by we two working together...
"ME working with YOU?!" I let out a monster of a forced laugh. "Please!! Before one of my stomach hydraulics blows here!"
I wouldn't be so flippant if I were you, X, he said. It may lead to your destruction...
I saw a flash of his body somewhere from the darkness around me. He had dropped his guard for a split second, but I couldn't move. I couldn't even attempt an attack.
I'll let you go for now, but be prepared to meet with me again sometime in the near future, X. He extended a white gloved hand and snapped his fingers, sending the world into another horrendous swirl around me. I heard his voice ring in my ears as I disappeared: Stay alert, my dear X. Good luck on beating Pi.
* * *
His last words rang in my ears with a curiousness of which I had never dreamed. "Good luck on beating Pi"? He, wishing me good luck? A Maverick, wishing a Hunter good luck on destroying another of their kind, without the customary "you're gonna need it" as an addendum? This situation had just become much more strange than I thought it could or should have been, and I wasn't sure I liked that.
Nevertheless, I picked myself up the from the floor where I had fallen, and proceeded to make my way to the beginning of the corridor again. "Zero?" I called. "How close are you?"
"In the fortress, X. You didn't tell us about the Hard-Hat army on the way in."
"Sorry 'bout that," I said. "Must've slipped my memory banks."
I walked close to the door. Zero would know where to go to bail me out. Through the melted metal and slag, I heard crashes and explosions outside. Sounded like Zero and the others were cleaning up, as usual. He radioed me suddenly.
"X? You near the door?"
"Yeah. Take it easy gettin' through here, please. I don't want a cave-in."
"Shouldn't be a problem. Back up a bit, if you will."
"Clear."
"Comin' in!" he grunted. I saw a green streak fly through the metal mesh suddenly. I smiled. My friend's most recognized entrance: slashing through a wall with his Z-Saber.
As chunks of metal disappeared from the hole, I began to yell: "Great goin', Zero, you're almost through!"
A slab of metallic amalgam fell to my feet, and standing on the other side was my good friend Zero, surrounded by a pack of Hunters. The Hunters in back were still working on some of the excess drones as Zero greeted me. "Y'alright, buddy?" he asked.
I smiled. "Sure am," I said, then reached for the package I'd captured. "And look what I brought with me!" I displayed the disks.
He hinted a smile. "Great job X," he said, taking the disks and stuffing them onto a pack on his outer housing. "You found Spark Man yet?"
"Not exactly," I said. "I know his vicinity, but I haven't been able to get to him yet."
"Because you sealed yourself inside the corridor, doofus!"
I smirked at him. "Just help me with this door, and we'll both look for him," I gestured at the icy portal at my left.
"Sure thing," he said as he sliced it down quickly. "So he's in there?"
I tapped my head. "Radar don't lie."
"Kinda dark in 'ere," Shados, another Hunter, said in his striking Austrailian accent.
I looked inside. Indeed, it was dark. Not quite pitch-black, but I couldn't've seen my hand in front of my face. If there was anything electric in there, it'd give off light. We'd be sure to find him.
Zero gave some orders to the group, telling them to stay put, while he and I took to the dark corridor.
"So we're partners again?" I asked.
"Looks that way," he said.
There was a concerning pause, then I remembered something:
"Zero, something I meant to tell you. Right after I grabbed the disks, Sigma made me faint. He drew me into some odd world, twisted. It was weird."
He let out an interested noise. "And...?"
"He admitted he'd been causing me to be disoriented, saying he's looking around in my head for something...but I have no idea what. And get this...his last words to me, before sending me back, were 'Good luck on beating Pi.'"
I couldn't see Zero's face, but I knew if I could have, he'd've been staring me straight in the eye with an ultra-questioning look on it. "So what are you saying? He wished you luck?"
"Unbelievable to me too, but it's what he said. Also, his body was mostly shrouded in the darkness, but I could see a flash of blue and a white gloved hand."
"Hmm..." he mused. "Curiouser and curiouser..."
"Light, up ahead! Two o' clock!"
There was a flickering light ahead, yellow in color, building as we got closer to it. The corridor opened into a main room, where a single Wily-Bot was hanging in the air charging a ball of electricity. His arms were two electric prods extending outward, and his feet were outfitted with white boots. His metal skin was tinted orange, and he looked thoroughly ancient.
"Spark Man, I presume?" remarked Zero.
I nodded, then tensed as the robot began to move. His eyes slowly opened, glowing a gentle yellow. His arms unfolded from the fetal position he was curled into, and his electric prods lengthened. His actions, however slow, were menacing and said what he chose not to: Time to die, Hunters.
He hopped down from his podium and began his assault. Zero dashed away to a corner while I was left to deal with the antique. The spark ball he had been charging was lifted further into the air and hurled at me. I escaped it by dashing around it. He was powerful, but slower than me, and short on armor.
I began to charge my Buster, readying myself for a shot. He fired several smaller shots at me, rapid-fire style, but I was able to dodge.
Zero stood by, offering only a confident nod. He knew this was my kill. I had to destroy the 'bot to absorb its power anyway, so it made little difference.
Feeling the max capacity accumulate, I drew back, raising the cannon over my head to squeeze off the shot. He never even saw it coming. The blast hit, erupting scrap and smoke.
Conceding defeat, his spark powers dispersed into the atmosphere around me. As I used my energy-collecting powers to amass his ability, Zero waited, igniting his saber as sort of a makeshift torch; after Spark Man was defeated, the electric light in the chamber had vanished, and all was again very dark.
We strode back through the passageway together, Zero turning off his saber as we reached the end. I turned, as we exited, to the door to Pi's chambers, firing a shot of plasma into it. The ice shattered, and I took a long look into the cold dark depths of this corridor. Zero addressed the Hunters, saying that everything so far had gone as planned, and to wait at the dropships for us. They assented, and rushed off.
"Back to bot-bustin', buddy," I said to him. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be. Let's do this."
We ambled through the passage that followed this door, meeting with several platoons of drones along the way. Against both Zero and I, however, they stood no chance. We were covering each other's backs as we nuked the enemy from every side. Through the corridor, we were unstoppable, then the hall opened into another room.
The eerie bluish glow did nothing to calm my nerves. The only lights came from those weird blue torches, hung along the wall. In the center of the room, there stood a platform, set above the ground. Huge stone statues appeared to be leaning against the base, their craggy features shrouded by the shadowy flickering of the torches.
What was more important was the female Reploid atop the platform. Garbed in pink and blue robes, she gave Zero and I a cold stare as we noticed her.
"More friends have come to call," she said in a singsong voice. "Marvelous."
"The name's X."
"And Zero here."
"And we're here to--putting it bluntly--take you out, Pi."
She closed her green eyes for a moment, then opened them with an almost inaudible chuckle. "Another duo of would-be victors, eh? Who has sent you, then?"
"We're of the Maverick Hunters," Zero spoke up, "and I've had my fill of these needless formalities. If you'll come quietly, no harm will come to you, we assure you."
She laughed loudly. "Right. Always the peacemakers, aren't we, gentlemen? As part of Lord Sigma, I know all that he knew, dear X and Zero. Instead of trying to overtake me, I suggest you both come with me quietly and submit to the Maverick virus." She began floating off the platform.
My teeth gnashed in my mouth. She was so stuck-up, it was making me sick!
Zero cried out, "Never!!" and leapt toward her, slamming her to the ground, flat on her back. He brandished his saber, holding it to her throat menacingly. I heard him continue talking, now in a low growl: "You couldn't torture me long enough without killing me to make me go back to that. That hell cost me half my life."
She shook off her look of surprise and donned a smile once again. "Really, I didn't expect such a vile distaste about it from you, Zero. You seemed to enjoy the times you had as a Maverick..."
"I was insane. I killed innocent humans and Reploids without a second thought. I was a freakin' Maverick! I can't go back to that. I won't!" he said, edging the sword a bit closer to her throat.
I looked on in disbelief. I had never seen Zero this way before, never with this thirst for blood I was seeing.
"Zero, don't let her get to you," I called.
"I'm okay, X. She just made me hit the boiling point, that's all."
Pi raised an eyebrow cautiously. "I appreciate your physical attraction to me, young Hunter," she crooned, "but this really is my cue to exit."
"Don't flatter yourself, Maverick," he said, spitting at her. "I'd just as soon dispose of you and free whatever poor Reploid you've infested."
I saw her tap a button on her arm unit. "Zero, heads up!" I called.
The faceless features of the rock statues seemed to flash red, then the entire mass of them came alive, breaking away from the center podium. "Zero..." I called, "need ya here, now!"
He exhaled angrily in Pi's face once, twice before turning and dashing back towards my position to help.
"You just gonna leave her there?" I asked as we began tearing into the stone sentries.
"She's tryin' to get out a hidden door over that way," he pointed. "Tag her with your spark weapon and we can deal with her back at base."
"On it," I said, leaping to avoid a stone fist. I began to concentrate back upon that electric energy I had collected, charging one large spark ball. I dashed around a fist or two, hopped onto and over the head of another statue, then rolled to a stop on the floor and fired the ball at Pi's back. It hit her in the small of the back, sending a yellow jolt of energy running through her body, then leaving her to shiver on the floor, still breathing.
I rejoined Zero and aided him in defeating the rest of the statues. We blasted, sliced, dashed, jumped, punched, and kicked many more times before we were through. Finally, we had destroyed them all, leaving the floor of the chamber looking like a gravel pit. We both walked over in tandem to check on our electrocuted captive.
My friend ran in Infolink cable from his arm's mini-computer unit to hers and got her vital stats. "She'll be alright," he said, "but adrenaline levels say she's gonna be awake within the hour. Get her back to the Hunter's HQ and see if you can defrag her system of the virus."
"Me, Zero? You're not coming with us?"
He shook his head, lowered it. "I feel as if I've got some reconciling to do with old friends. You go on ahead. I'll show up a little later on back at HQ."
I nodded, didn't question him. When Zero needed time alone, he needed it badly and quickly. I knew better than to stand in the way of that. "Just let me know what's wrong later on, okay?" I asked.
He nodded, one tear ran down his face. "Sure, X. I will." His words began to echo as his body was enveloped in a bright orange light that signaled he was teleporting somewhere. Where to? Didn't know. All I knew was that I had his word he'd be back later, and Zero never broke his word.
By blackhart
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001
Chapter Three
X
X...
I jumped up suddenly. I knew that voice! Low and boastful...
X...
Where was he? For that matter, where was I? And more importantly, why was I hearing him call my name? I glanced around the chamber as I looked for the source of the eerie voice. The world looked as if it had twisted itself around like a kaleidoscope. I frowned with puzzledness at this, then continued looking.
X...
"Show yourself, Sigma!" I called. "Why are you here? And why am I here?" I lowered my voice. "Wherever `here' is..."
About my business here with you, I'll only say that a future in which everyone is a Maverick indeed looks promising for me this time around.
I was puzzled, not only at his comment, but how this specter could have rearisen in the first place. The nine disks in the fortresses of Sigma's underlings were inactive...
But that left one disk, didn't it?
I'm inconveniencing you, I'm afraid, only by saying that I can't answer all your questions at this time. I've special plans for you, my dear X.
"So have you been causing me to feel disoriented?" I asked back quickly.
That I can answer. Yes, that's been me around.
That worried me. What did he mean by "around"?
Since our last battle, you've gained much of my respect, X. You should be proud of yourself to that end.
"No one receives respect from a Maverick without an extenuating circumstance," I said angrily.
Heh heh heh, he chuckled noiselessly. Quite right, X. Quite right.
"Can't tell me what's up, huh?"
Not yet, X, he said. Only that this world could be utterly changed by we two working together...
"ME working with YOU?!" I let out a monster of a forced laugh. "Please!! Before one of my stomach hydraulics blows here!"
I wouldn't be so flippant if I were you, X, he said. It may lead to your destruction...
I saw a flash of his body somewhere from the darkness around me. He had dropped his guard for a split second, but I couldn't move. I couldn't even attempt an attack.
I'll let you go for now, but be prepared to meet with me again sometime in the near future, X. He extended a white gloved hand and snapped his fingers, sending the world into another horrendous swirl around me. I heard his voice ring in my ears as I disappeared: Stay alert, my dear X. Good luck on beating Pi.
* * *
His last words rang in my ears with a curiousness of which I had never dreamed. "Good luck on beating Pi"? He, wishing me good luck? A Maverick, wishing a Hunter good luck on destroying another of their kind, without the customary "you're gonna need it" as an addendum? This situation had just become much more strange than I thought it could or should have been, and I wasn't sure I liked that.
Nevertheless, I picked myself up the from the floor where I had fallen, and proceeded to make my way to the beginning of the corridor again. "Zero?" I called. "How close are you?"
"In the fortress, X. You didn't tell us about the Hard-Hat army on the way in."
"Sorry 'bout that," I said. "Must've slipped my memory banks."
I walked close to the door. Zero would know where to go to bail me out. Through the melted metal and slag, I heard crashes and explosions outside. Sounded like Zero and the others were cleaning up, as usual. He radioed me suddenly.
"X? You near the door?"
"Yeah. Take it easy gettin' through here, please. I don't want a cave-in."
"Shouldn't be a problem. Back up a bit, if you will."
"Clear."
"Comin' in!" he grunted. I saw a green streak fly through the metal mesh suddenly. I smiled. My friend's most recognized entrance: slashing through a wall with his Z-Saber.
As chunks of metal disappeared from the hole, I began to yell: "Great goin', Zero, you're almost through!"
A slab of metallic amalgam fell to my feet, and standing on the other side was my good friend Zero, surrounded by a pack of Hunters. The Hunters in back were still working on some of the excess drones as Zero greeted me. "Y'alright, buddy?" he asked.
I smiled. "Sure am," I said, then reached for the package I'd captured. "And look what I brought with me!" I displayed the disks.
He hinted a smile. "Great job X," he said, taking the disks and stuffing them onto a pack on his outer housing. "You found Spark Man yet?"
"Not exactly," I said. "I know his vicinity, but I haven't been able to get to him yet."
"Because you sealed yourself inside the corridor, doofus!"
I smirked at him. "Just help me with this door, and we'll both look for him," I gestured at the icy portal at my left.
"Sure thing," he said as he sliced it down quickly. "So he's in there?"
I tapped my head. "Radar don't lie."
"Kinda dark in 'ere," Shados, another Hunter, said in his striking Austrailian accent.
I looked inside. Indeed, it was dark. Not quite pitch-black, but I couldn't've seen my hand in front of my face. If there was anything electric in there, it'd give off light. We'd be sure to find him.
Zero gave some orders to the group, telling them to stay put, while he and I took to the dark corridor.
"So we're partners again?" I asked.
"Looks that way," he said.
There was a concerning pause, then I remembered something:
"Zero, something I meant to tell you. Right after I grabbed the disks, Sigma made me faint. He drew me into some odd world, twisted. It was weird."
He let out an interested noise. "And...?"
"He admitted he'd been causing me to be disoriented, saying he's looking around in my head for something...but I have no idea what. And get this...his last words to me, before sending me back, were 'Good luck on beating Pi.'"
I couldn't see Zero's face, but I knew if I could have, he'd've been staring me straight in the eye with an ultra-questioning look on it. "So what are you saying? He wished you luck?"
"Unbelievable to me too, but it's what he said. Also, his body was mostly shrouded in the darkness, but I could see a flash of blue and a white gloved hand."
"Hmm..." he mused. "Curiouser and curiouser..."
"Light, up ahead! Two o' clock!"
There was a flickering light ahead, yellow in color, building as we got closer to it. The corridor opened into a main room, where a single Wily-Bot was hanging in the air charging a ball of electricity. His arms were two electric prods extending outward, and his feet were outfitted with white boots. His metal skin was tinted orange, and he looked thoroughly ancient.
"Spark Man, I presume?" remarked Zero.
I nodded, then tensed as the robot began to move. His eyes slowly opened, glowing a gentle yellow. His arms unfolded from the fetal position he was curled into, and his electric prods lengthened. His actions, however slow, were menacing and said what he chose not to: Time to die, Hunters.
He hopped down from his podium and began his assault. Zero dashed away to a corner while I was left to deal with the antique. The spark ball he had been charging was lifted further into the air and hurled at me. I escaped it by dashing around it. He was powerful, but slower than me, and short on armor.
I began to charge my Buster, readying myself for a shot. He fired several smaller shots at me, rapid-fire style, but I was able to dodge.
Zero stood by, offering only a confident nod. He knew this was my kill. I had to destroy the 'bot to absorb its power anyway, so it made little difference.
Feeling the max capacity accumulate, I drew back, raising the cannon over my head to squeeze off the shot. He never even saw it coming. The blast hit, erupting scrap and smoke.
Conceding defeat, his spark powers dispersed into the atmosphere around me. As I used my energy-collecting powers to amass his ability, Zero waited, igniting his saber as sort of a makeshift torch; after Spark Man was defeated, the electric light in the chamber had vanished, and all was again very dark.
We strode back through the passageway together, Zero turning off his saber as we reached the end. I turned, as we exited, to the door to Pi's chambers, firing a shot of plasma into it. The ice shattered, and I took a long look into the cold dark depths of this corridor. Zero addressed the Hunters, saying that everything so far had gone as planned, and to wait at the dropships for us. They assented, and rushed off.
"Back to bot-bustin', buddy," I said to him. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be. Let's do this."
We ambled through the passage that followed this door, meeting with several platoons of drones along the way. Against both Zero and I, however, they stood no chance. We were covering each other's backs as we nuked the enemy from every side. Through the corridor, we were unstoppable, then the hall opened into another room.
The eerie bluish glow did nothing to calm my nerves. The only lights came from those weird blue torches, hung along the wall. In the center of the room, there stood a platform, set above the ground. Huge stone statues appeared to be leaning against the base, their craggy features shrouded by the shadowy flickering of the torches.
What was more important was the female Reploid atop the platform. Garbed in pink and blue robes, she gave Zero and I a cold stare as we noticed her.
"More friends have come to call," she said in a singsong voice. "Marvelous."
"The name's X."
"And Zero here."
"And we're here to--putting it bluntly--take you out, Pi."
She closed her green eyes for a moment, then opened them with an almost inaudible chuckle. "Another duo of would-be victors, eh? Who has sent you, then?"
"We're of the Maverick Hunters," Zero spoke up, "and I've had my fill of these needless formalities. If you'll come quietly, no harm will come to you, we assure you."
She laughed loudly. "Right. Always the peacemakers, aren't we, gentlemen? As part of Lord Sigma, I know all that he knew, dear X and Zero. Instead of trying to overtake me, I suggest you both come with me quietly and submit to the Maverick virus." She began floating off the platform.
My teeth gnashed in my mouth. She was so stuck-up, it was making me sick!
Zero cried out, "Never!!" and leapt toward her, slamming her to the ground, flat on her back. He brandished his saber, holding it to her throat menacingly. I heard him continue talking, now in a low growl: "You couldn't torture me long enough without killing me to make me go back to that. That hell cost me half my life."
She shook off her look of surprise and donned a smile once again. "Really, I didn't expect such a vile distaste about it from you, Zero. You seemed to enjoy the times you had as a Maverick..."
"I was insane. I killed innocent humans and Reploids without a second thought. I was a freakin' Maverick! I can't go back to that. I won't!" he said, edging the sword a bit closer to her throat.
I looked on in disbelief. I had never seen Zero this way before, never with this thirst for blood I was seeing.
"Zero, don't let her get to you," I called.
"I'm okay, X. She just made me hit the boiling point, that's all."
Pi raised an eyebrow cautiously. "I appreciate your physical attraction to me, young Hunter," she crooned, "but this really is my cue to exit."
"Don't flatter yourself, Maverick," he said, spitting at her. "I'd just as soon dispose of you and free whatever poor Reploid you've infested."
I saw her tap a button on her arm unit. "Zero, heads up!" I called.
The faceless features of the rock statues seemed to flash red, then the entire mass of them came alive, breaking away from the center podium. "Zero..." I called, "need ya here, now!"
He exhaled angrily in Pi's face once, twice before turning and dashing back towards my position to help.
"You just gonna leave her there?" I asked as we began tearing into the stone sentries.
"She's tryin' to get out a hidden door over that way," he pointed. "Tag her with your spark weapon and we can deal with her back at base."
"On it," I said, leaping to avoid a stone fist. I began to concentrate back upon that electric energy I had collected, charging one large spark ball. I dashed around a fist or two, hopped onto and over the head of another statue, then rolled to a stop on the floor and fired the ball at Pi's back. It hit her in the small of the back, sending a yellow jolt of energy running through her body, then leaving her to shiver on the floor, still breathing.
I rejoined Zero and aided him in defeating the rest of the statues. We blasted, sliced, dashed, jumped, punched, and kicked many more times before we were through. Finally, we had destroyed them all, leaving the floor of the chamber looking like a gravel pit. We both walked over in tandem to check on our electrocuted captive.
My friend ran in Infolink cable from his arm's mini-computer unit to hers and got her vital stats. "She'll be alright," he said, "but adrenaline levels say she's gonna be awake within the hour. Get her back to the Hunter's HQ and see if you can defrag her system of the virus."
"Me, Zero? You're not coming with us?"
He shook his head, lowered it. "I feel as if I've got some reconciling to do with old friends. You go on ahead. I'll show up a little later on back at HQ."
I nodded, didn't question him. When Zero needed time alone, he needed it badly and quickly. I knew better than to stand in the way of that. "Just let me know what's wrong later on, okay?" I asked.
He nodded, one tear ran down his face. "Sure, X. I will." His words began to echo as his body was enveloped in a bright orange light that signaled he was teleporting somewhere. Where to? Didn't know. All I knew was that I had his word he'd be back later, and Zero never broke his word.
