THE TENTH DISK
By blackhart
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001

Chapter Seventeen

X

I took Roll's hand, as Zero likewise took Iris's. Charging out of the
chamber, we used our dash attachments as best we could to keep up with
one another. At one point, Zero felt Iris was lagging a bit much, so he just
hefted her into his arms and kept going. I urged Enker to keep up. Skinny
and fast as he usually was, his dash parts were failing him. Roll finally got
exasperated enough and picked him up, as Zero had Iris. We all had a good
laugh at this.
"Once around the park, James," Enker remarked, surprised.
"Keep going, guys," urged Zero. "We're in the home stretch."
I radioed Skyler. "This is X. Hunter X. Do you read?"
"Copy, X. What's up?"
"In about five minutes, this fortress," I said. "Get the dropship back to
base. We'll make it back using teleports."
"Gotcha covered, X. We're pulling out now," he said as I felt the engines
rumble.
"Good work, Skyler. See ya back at base." I cut the comm. "Now, back to
the race."

* * *

The door loomed before us, only fifteen meters from where we stood.
"How much time we got, Zero?" Enker asked.
"I got two minutes."
"No problemo," I said. "We're there."
Forty seconds later, we had covered the distance. Zero, Roll and I dash
jumped in unison over the nearest ridge, planning to use it for cover.
Zero and Roll both dropped their passengers, Enker stretching his legs,
and Iris quickly setting Zero up for a kiss.
"Thanks for the ride," Enker remarked to Roll. "I can now honestly say
I've had a girl save me from an exploding building."
"Shut up and kiss me," said Roll, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling
him to her.
Zero had just finished his embrace with Iris when he turned to look at his
mini computer. "Got thirty seconds, peeps. I'd suggest a duck-and-cover
position."
He lowered himself to the ground with Iris, moved around in front of her,
to protect her in case shrapnel flew from the building. Enker took a similar
position with Roll, keeping her covered. I crouched down, covered my head,
but didn't duck it down, so I could see the explosion.
About ten seconds later, I did. Enormous dark blues and greens erupted
from the fortress's inner core. A half-second later, I shielded my eyes.
Blinding whiteness flashed out from the depths of the building, and pieces
and parts flew everywhere, splashing in the lake and falling on the ground
right beside me. Finally, the whole thing was finished, and we all stood up to
see the spectacle of destruction. We had no time to lose, enveloping
ourselves in the familiar light of teleportation.

* * *

"So how deep exactly is this lake?" Argyle asked.
"We've heard many figures, but we think it's about twenty feet, although
with the rubble from Sigma's fortress in it, it's probably been raised a few
inches higher," Zero answered. "Using the base's long-range scanners, we've
found the tunnel Sigma talked about in his holo-recording. He didn't say
anything about enemies, but be prepared for drones just in case."
"Don't we have to find Wily before we actually use this thing?" Skyler
asked.
I nodded. "We hadn't forgotten about that part yet. We're sending out
two teams of five people each--one to round up Wily, and one to get the
controls on the time machine figured out. Roll, Enker, Argyle, Netrix and I'll
hunt for Wily while Zero, Iris, Skyler, Chakra, and Gilley track down that time
machine."
Gilley raised her hand. "Define our objectives here, if you don't mind."
Zero nodded. "Be glad to. Find Wily, find the time machine, and ship Wily
back to wherever the machine's last destination time was set. Any other
questions?"
I took a look around, waiting for hands. When none rose, Zero asked,
"Anything else to say, X?"
I shook my head. "Dismissed," I said. "Oh, by the way... the team looking
for the machine can lose the dropships this time. We've all been there, so we
can teleport. Everyone remember to be especially careful in carrying out
this mission. We've no specs on the time machine, so if it craps out or Wily
dies, we might as well kiss our butts goodbye too."

* * *

"You got a chance to read that disk yet?" I asked.
"Been waitin' for a chance so both of us could read it," Zero replied,
sitting down at a terminal. Popping the disk in the slot, we waited for the
system to show us what was on it.
A text box appeared, with another text window behind it. The prompt
read: "Enter password, Zero. (It's four letters, if that helps.)"
Zero immediately typed "Iris" and was allowed access to the document. It
read:

"To X and Zero: I was telling the truth when I talked with you, Zero. My
programming has reverted, unfortunately and however, so my peaceful side
will, more likely not show itself when next we meet."

After that, there were a few paragraphs of garbled nonsense, then:

"I hope this has helped you. I cannot ask for your help in this task to
reconstruct my code. However, I will search myself for my creator. Don't
watch or look for me in the future; as you well know, I'll show myself again
when I'm ready. When I do, I'm afraid my viral programming will be the only
code operational. I will remember what was said between us in our
conversation, Zero, and let that weigh against the virus in me.
"X, to you I give my deepest apologies and sympathy. I can't guarantee
anything, but I will do my best to keep from possessing you again. Between
you and I, I just want there to be no hard feelings.
"I think I've said enough now. I'll leave this body and begin my search.
Goodbye for now, my friends, and don't give up hope in this war yet.

- ยท

"P.S.: To Zero, Iris gives her love and her encouragement. Again, don't give
up!"

I stood back and absorbed this all a minute. Rocking on my heels, I
noticed Zero. His eyes had just scanned the last portion of the message, and
had turned glossy. Two tears ran down his cheek. He ignored them, then
closed out the document and removed the disk.
"I don't think the others need to see this," he said. "There's nothing that
concerns them."
I nodded. "I'll see to it that it's disposed of. Get a little rest before you
head out, Zero."
He nodded silently. Handing the disk to me, he stole out of the room.
I used the components in the room to begin the erasure of the disk.
Sliding it into a tray, I clicked a few icons, and the computer did the rest.
Even as the disk was going through its procedures, I felt my jaw slacken as I
remembered something. I immediately popped the disk out and back into the
terminal. Reading the file and typing in the same password, I scanned the
document, and...
"Damn!" It was gone, along with the entire first half of the text. The
nonsense and hodgepodge that had been typed between the body paragraphs,
I had realized too late, had been a part of Sigma's code. "We could've used
that to get rid of him," I said as I banged my head on the desk. "Zero was
right. The other Hunters definitely don't need to know about this."

* * *

I felt rested after about fifteen minutes of lying on the cot in my room.
There was a rush that hadn't let down since we left Sigma's fortress, and I
intended to use what was left of it to find that time machine.
Rallying the other Hunters, we recalled the group separations. X and his
team hopped in a dropship to search for Wily while we teleported away to find
the machine.
My team landed on a plateau about ten feet from the lake. "Ready to hop
in, guys?" I asked as I turned to face them.
All of them nodded to me. Iris smiled at me. I returned the grin. Good.
"Let's go, then," I said, hopping off the small hill onto the bank of the lake.
Diving in, I soon found the others close beside me. Our weight made us sink
like rocks, of course. An unavoidable flaw of being a Reploid, I suppose. At
any rate, we took a look around under the surface and found the opening of
the tunnel we were searching for.
I gestured in that direction, then motioned for the others follow me.
They nodded or gave thumbs-ups to confirm that, then sloshed alongside me.
I walked in the direction of the opening, then used my dash jets to hop up to
it.
It's an airtight-sealable room, I thought as I entered. The others came up
behind me. I made sure they were all there, then tapped the control panel on
the wall to activate the drainage of the room. With a soft slurping noise, the
water level began to fall. As I felt the liquid drain past my chest, I began
taking a look around for a door. "Well, nothing like a nice swim," I coughed.
Never could get used to going underwater, I guess.
"Nice room," Gilley remarked. "Keeps the whole little outpost dry."
"Yeah," Iris said. "Are we all ready?"
Skyler nodded. "I think so."
I led the way to the portal leading to the next room. Tapping the access
panel, I began to charge a cannon shot as the door hissed open. The light
was lower in the corridor beyond this door, but once my eyes adjusted, I saw
that there were no drones in it. I crept slowly forward, hearing nothing but
the hum of multiple blasters charging. Iris came up beside me. I saw that
she, too, had begun to charge a shot with each of her palm cannons. Small
red spheres cascaded around the blasters. I saw move ment out of the
corner of my eye, turned to fire--
Then I saw a mecha-bat explode from the darkness of the ceiling. Iris
lowered her hands from where she had fired. She let out a breath. "Nice
one," I whispered. She smiled. "Thanks." Seeing a glint of light reflecting off
her eye, I twirled around with my saber, slashing horizontally. Another bat
exploded into shrapnel. Deactivating the energy blade, I blew across its top.
"Ssssssssmokin'!" I said with a smile.
"Cor-neeee!!" Chakra whined, slapping my helmet. "Come on, Zero, think
up your own material, why don't ya?"
The others joined in the laughter he started. Skyler swung around
quickly, using his hand to slap at a spot in the air...
Where a mecha-bat flew a half-second later. The bat fell to the ground,
where Skyler's foot met it. Twisting his boot around, he made sure of the
bat's death.
Gilley twitched, made one fluid motion of removing her cape, and trapped
another would-be assassin of a bat in it. Swinging the cape solidly onto the
floor, we heard the bat's pieces and processors dash against the hard
concrete.
"It's like the tunnel's alive with `em," Chakra said as he dodged a swoop
from still another bat. Making another swoop down, the bat stopped in the
air as Chakra swung up his cannon to meet its forehead. With a charged
shot, the bat fell.
"Let's keep moving," I said. "Just move through here fast enough, then
I've got an idea." They all followed my lead, dashing through the rest of the
tunnel. It finally opened into a quite spacious room, furnished with no
distinguishing marks or decorations at all. I herded them all away from the
doorway we'd come through, then, in one motion, grabbed my saber, flicked it
on, and ripped it through the ceiling above the opening. Debris fell to block
the way. We wouldn't have to worry about any more bats from there. X and
the others could take out what was left, and then blast their ways in.
I turned my attention to this giant room before us. Any other ways to
go? I spied an entrance on the opposite end of the room. "Through there,
guys," I gestured. "Let's go!"
Skyler took the lead this time. I stayed behind with Iris, covering Chakra's
back. "Anything interesting ahead?" I whispered to Skyler.
"I see an end to this tunnel, if that's what you mean," he said. "Nothing
beyond it yet, though. Wish X were here."
"So do I," I muttered. "Hope he's doin' okay."
"Listen, not to discourage you from hoping X and the others are alright,
but now's not really the time. I see Mavs ahead."
"Not drones?" I asked, surprised.
"Not drones," Iris confirmed. "I can see them from here."
"Great. What are they?"
"There are five of them...no, wait...eight! Eight of them!"
"Normal for Sigma's guys, I guess."
"They're...they're not animals, like the Mavericks you normally
fight...they're humanoid, but not humanlike..."
"Oh, just lemme see," I elbowed my way to the front. What I could see
were the eight Mavs Iris had spotted. They were all like golems, or orcs,
or...something. What I could tell was that they were all very large and very
angry at something. Stir-craziness, I would've guessed.
"Hmm," Gilley pouted. "Great. He couldn't even give us proper Mavericks
to fight, could he?"
"Wait just a minute, Gill," I said, waving a hand. "This could be a blessing in
disguise. If they all look the same, they may all behave the same. He might
not have finished with these before he got Wily involved in building his battle
body."
She nodded, chewed on her lip. "Could be. I'm glad one of us is smart
enough to figure that," she smiled.
I returned the gesture. "Prepare yourselves, people. We know nothing
about these Mavericks. Be on guard at all times, and keep your eyes
moving." Slowly and uncertainly, we began a shuffle into the room.

* * *

"You got a fix on Wily yet, X?" Enker asked me. I had been concentrating
on where to find the old man for the past ten minutes. I had gotten a faint
trace of him a few times, but he was moving fast. Apparently, Sigma and
Zero in the same place at once had scared the old scientist to take up a lost
career in sprinting.
I shook my head back at him, not opening my eyes.
"No," I said quietly. "Just keep the ship going in this direction. I know that
much."
"Will do, X," Argyle caled from the pilot's chair.
Enker went back to his seat to chat with Netrix while I continued to
mentally hunt for the old guy who had caused us so much trouble. Roll came
to sit down beside me about a second later. I acknowledged her presence
with a nod and a curt "hello", but otherwise I stayed quiet.
I soon realized she'd come to tell me something, not to hold a
conversation. I listened while I continued my radar sweep: "X, listen, I haven't
meant to mislead you about my feelings for you. I like you, sure, but Enker's
more my type, I think."
I nodded without a word. She continued: "So you're not, like, hurt or
anything that I kinda played around with you?"
I held my spot mentally and jarred myself from my search to speak. "You
did nothing more than was expected, Roll. It's okay. I don't blame people for
giving into their emotions and experimenting with love. There's no hard
feelings, I promise."
She smiled, as if this had made her more comfortable. "Are you sure, X?"
I returned the smile. "I'm sure. Go on and sit back down with Enker. Talk.
Be friendly." And for pity's sake, let me find Wily! I thought.
She stood up and went back to her seat. My eyes closed again and I took
up where I had left off. For everyone but me right now, this was getting
boring. Cabin fever's abounding here, I thought. I'll try to hurry myself.
I strained my systems to their maximum searching capacity. C'mon,
computer, find the old gray guy! I pleaded.
I jumped. A trace of him-- could it be enough to pinpoint his location--?
I used various automated filters of the computer to zoom in and sharpen
the mental image I was getting of the old guy. It was him, all right. Work,
computer, work! I need that location!
Finally a number flashed through my mind. "Point 6744," I blurted.
"Say what, X?" Netrix asked.
"He's at Point 6744, and moving fast. He's in some sort of vehicle," I said
as I saw further.
"Is he driving himself?"
I checked. "No... he's unconscious!"
"Who's driving the vehicle, X?" Roll asked urgently.
"Changing course," I heard Argyle say from the front.
I let out a deep breath, straining my computer to go beyond its norm. I
forced my mind's eye to make a picture of the driver. Lines began to form,
drawing themselves onto a canvas in my mind. I knew that face...
"Who is it?" Roll asked again.
And with that, the image was lost. But I knew. I knew who it was, and I
didn't like the looks of what was ahead.
"It's Dragoon."