THE TENTH DISK
By blackhart
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001
Chapter Twenty-Two
X
I watched in horror as the new body of Sigma reared its head
upwards with an evil laugh. It was like an enormous snake, only with legs...it
was a dragon! A dragon with a brilliant green skin and his own deep blue eyes,
I found as I studied it. Its body wasn't outfitted with any weapons I could
see, though there were probably hidden panels for that. Its long tail swished
around behind its head, and its back claws were firmly planted in the floor of
the room. The letter Sigma was impressed in the metal, and two ugly horns
hung above its head, charging electrical energy. To heck with looking at the
thing, I told myself, move it!
As I dashed as far away as I could from it, Netrix and Chakra
followed. "Wait, guys! Who are we missing?" I called.
My answer was soon found with a piercing scream from the half of
the room Sigma was on. Gilley! Oh, man...
I still tried to recount my thoughts. How could he have gotten into
the room? He couldn't just waltz in through the door; the body was nearly
thirty feet tall! Teleportation? I asked myself. No, Chakra used the anti-
portation field on the fortress, I reminded myself. I slapped my head in self-
exasperation. You idiot! If his viral half made him lie about what plans he
had, he'd've lied about that too! Teleportation it was.
Gilley screamed again. I rallied the other two Hunters to help me
with her. Sigma had picked her up in one claw, and was making piercing
movements toward her with the other. Crap! "Netrix, Chakra, give me a
boost into the air," I said. "I've got an idea."
Each of them got on either side of me, and clasped their hands
together to make a step for me. "Here goes nothing," I said as I climbed up
on their hands, using their shoulders to steady myself. "Now!"
They threw their hands upward, sending me with them. I flew into
the air, somersaulting once, twice before finishing my ascent. Sigma had
sprouted a flexible laser cannon from his shoulder, and turned it on me. I air-
dashed to dodge, then landed on the dragon's chest. The vacant claw now
turned to scratch at me. I swung to the left, then to the right, letting the
dragon scratch its armor each time. "You havin' fun yet, Sigma?" I yelled to
its head.
To my amazement, the dragon spoke. "You look as if you're enjoying
yourself, X. Careful, my other hand is getting tired."
I wasn't worried about him dropping Gilley. Either she would dash to
the floor herself, of Chakra or Netrix would catch her. "Try me, Sigs," I
yelled.
His claw swiped quickly again, missing my hands by only a
centimeter. I had to get up onto his neck somehow. I began to kick at the
chest, building momentum. As the claw swiped again, I hopped backwards and
air-dashed upward. Clinging onto the first thing I could grasp, I pulled myself
up.
"Aw, crap," I said. I was standing on his snout. His blue eyes glared
angrily at me.
"You annoying little fly," he said menacingly. "I'll crush you!" He used his
free hand to slap at his nose. I dashed back into the air, and he hit his own
snout, sending even more fury through him. I laughed as I landed again.
"Whassamatter, Sigs?" I asked. "Lost a little hand-eye coordination,
did we?"
He growled. Smoke began to rise from his nostrils behind me as I
glanced back at Netrix and Chakra on the floor. Sigma dropped Gilley
suddenly, freeing up his other hand. Netrix caught her, gave me a thumbs-
up, and Sigma was infuriated a degree further.
"Trix!" I called. "Get Gilley outta here!"
He nodded to me. "Right, X." He began a teleport with her in his
arms. His white streak of light flashed upwards, then...
FLASH! The entire room lit up blindingly. As I regained my senses, I
looked up to where Netrix's teleport was supposed to go through the roof.
Nothing. Nothing of him or Gilley on the floor, either.
Sigma growled a raspy laugh. "Heh heh heh..."
"What did you do, virus?!" I asked angrily. "Where are they?"
"Oh, I didn't do a thing, X. It was your friend Chakra there."
I glanced back at him. He shook his head with a puzzled expression
on his face.
"What do you mean?"
"When Chakra activated the anti-portation field around the outpost,"
he said.
"I thought you were lying about it."
"Just about who it blocked from exiting and entering. I had it preset
to allow only Mavericks to pass in and out with a teleport," he smiled.
"And Netrix and Chakra?"
"Gone to that big scrap heap in the sky, I'm afraid. Pity, I think I was
developing a liking to Gilley. Or, at least, Argyle was."
"So I was right," I said. "He's one of yours."
"Certainly," he nodded. I regained my footing after his snout
finished moving. "Argyle has been with me for quite some time now. A good
act, though, wasn't it?"
My rage was building. I could feel my insides burning with hate
towards him again, just as it had four times before already, when I'd been
forced to fight him.
"We didn't suspect a thing," I muttered as I lowered my head. "And
now, because of that, Netrix and Gilley are...are..."
"Dead," he said. "Dead, X. War has its cost. You lose those you
love, you lose your innocence, and you can lose your life. That very essence
of what makes you so unique...taken away in mere seconds."
I snuffed my nose in an act of cynicism. "What would you know, you
power-hungry piece of garbage?" I felt my energy, my Ultimate weapon
energy, welling up inside of me to full capacity. His thoughtless acts and the
circumstances of the moment forced the energy to keep growing more and
more powerful. I tried to ignore it for now. I'd save it for later.
His eyes raised their lids. "Even this close to the threat of death,
you still snap. You persist in your fight. Why?"
"Because you're trying to take away my freedom, virus," I said as I
threw myself to where I stood, his snout. I hung around it, now laying down. I
concentrated as I yelled to Chakra to get the portal ready to go once I got
back. He nodded, and waited for my next move. Sigma didn't know what hit
him until after it was too late. His massive body and mine were both
enclosed in a fold of blue light as I tried to teleport us both out. He's a
Maverick, I thought. Maybe his extreme mass will cancel out my non-
Maverick presence. I sighed heftily. At least, I hope so.
* * *
Zero
As we came up on the lake again, I saw a bolt of bright blue light
flash out of the depths of the mountain valley. X, I thought, glad you
escaped.
As the travelers materialized, however, I saw X, sure, but something
else I didn't expect was with him.
I swear, it was an enormous dragon. I swerved the ship over across
our path and deactivated engines. We were only a few feet from the ground,
so the ship easily slid to a grinding stop. I bolted from the door with saber in
hand, ready to fight. Once the others had rallied around me, I apologized for
the abrupt landing. They didn't seem to hear me; they were all in awe at the
giant new body Sigma had inherited.
From whom? Who had entrusted this one to him?
Wily, something told me. It's not that he didn't have time to finish
Sigs' other body, it's that he didn't, because he was working on this. I
nodded. I had seen this design from Wily before.
I looked up to the thing's face. There, X hung on its snout, no doubt
giving the thing more trouble than he was worth.
"Your friends have arrived," the dragon-Sigma's voice boomed.
"Care to have a reunion with them?"
"Got unfinished business here, Sigma," I heard X's voice say. "Time
for reunions later."
Five gigantic laser cannons popped from the dragon's body and
swiveled to attack us. I panicked. "Scramble, everyone!" I yelled. "Stay away
from those lasers!"
I dashed away from a beam cutting at my heels. In disbelief, I
watched as Roll dashed toward Sigma and out of the firing range of his
cannons. She air-dashed up, past Sigma's leg, onto the back of his torso
region, grabbing something there to keep herself on. Pulling out her energy
saber, I saw her jab it into the metal there, pulling herself up. Apparently,
Sigma was too involved in the firing spree to notice the feeling. Drawing her
fist back and letting fly with a punch a foot or so above her, she made a dent
in the metal large enough for her to use as a handhold. I smiled. Ingenuity at
a time like this. She's gettin' a medal for cool thinking, I thought.
* * *
X
I watched as Sigma kept firing on my friends below. "What's the
matter, Sigma?" I called. "Don't think you could hit me from here?"
He looked back at me with a gaze of absolute apathy. "You know, I
could fit your entire body in one of these cannon's barrels, X. I doubt I would
miss."
"So why aren't you even trying to attack me?"
"Because...I want you to live to see the destruction of your friends,
X!" he said as he fired a beam far out into the field. I looked. Where had it
hit? Zero was rushing over to the spot...
"Enker!!" Iris screamed as she too dashed over. The Reploid's lower
half had become little more than a charred hunk of scrap. Zero had knelt
down to hold the dying soldier's hand, and to prop up his head. There wasn't
much that could be done for him now, I knew...
Not much more than to pray.
* * *
Chakra
I shook my head as I continued working on the controls. "Wait a sec,
that can't be right...there's a transmission coming through..."
"Time search analysis complete," the computer buzzed. "Incoming
transmission."
"It's always somethin'," I muttered. "Well, who is it this time?"
A bright light began parting the doors to the transportation
chamber. Once it died and the doors slid open, I walked around to the opening
cautiously, my cannon at the ready.
And suddenly, as my eyes saw the travelers, my frown turned to a
surprised and ironic look of disbelief.
The two of them spoke not a word, but simply began walking toward
the exit. Stopping for a moment to glance at Wily's motionless body, they
nodded at one another, smiled, then headed out of the chamber. I couldn't
believe it. It was payback time, finally time for X to find out something for
himself...
* * *
Zero
As I felt Enker's grip slip away, I struggled to free every shred of
rage I had left in me. Dropping the dead Reploid's hand, I turned towards the
thirty-foot abomination of a robot with bloodlust in my eyes. I concentrated
with every ounce of straight thinking I had left, watched my saber turn an
eerie shade of blue, then slowly began walking towards the dragon.
He and X were in the midst of a conversation. I could've cared less.
Too many people had died already. I was ready to end Sigma's reign here and
now. Leveling my saber in my hand, and pointing it toward his left leg joint, I
threw it with grace and speed. The blade ripped into the dragon's leg. I dash-
jumped to its hilt and grabbed it, using my momentum to swing around the leg
on the blade's axis. After I had gone in a full circle around his joint, I pulled
the sword out and fell to the ground, landing in a crouch.
The joint collapsed, and Sigma came crashing down on his left side. I
sheathed my saber and began to charge a cannon shot. As one of his
cannons turned to fire at me, I released the shot, not even looking at the
laser, then kept walking as its barrel exploded and fell to the ground.
I continued walking, up to the right leg joint. I began to whisper: "For
those that you've sacrificed, for those whom you've used..."
I raised my head, fire flashing in my eyes. Speaking louder, I
continued: "For those of our loved ones, whom you've killed..."
I swung my Z-Saber to one side, saying still louder: "For everything
you've done, all your crimes, for everything you've made me do to your
enemies..."
And then I, swinging the saber below my belt as I approached the
body, finished: "And for destroying one more innocent Reploid's life named
Sigma...I do this."
I remembered the techniques I had used on Sigma last time as I
raised the blade again. "Ryuenjin!" I cried as I launched a flaming uppercut
with the sword at the joint. I doubled my jump, then cried "Hyouretsuzan!" as
I came down upon the joint with a jagged icy blade.
I dashed away quickly, just in time to turn around and watch the joint
split, then fall away. A Reploid approached my flank. I turned, sliced with my
saber horizontally, then watched as he fell.
"And that was for you, Argyle," I muttered to his dismantled
remains. "Be seeing you, my friend. Rest in peace," I said as I shoved my
saber through the Maverick's head.
By blackhart
copyright MM Abacus Fiction, revised 6/26/2001
Chapter Twenty-Two
X
I watched in horror as the new body of Sigma reared its head
upwards with an evil laugh. It was like an enormous snake, only with legs...it
was a dragon! A dragon with a brilliant green skin and his own deep blue eyes,
I found as I studied it. Its body wasn't outfitted with any weapons I could
see, though there were probably hidden panels for that. Its long tail swished
around behind its head, and its back claws were firmly planted in the floor of
the room. The letter Sigma was impressed in the metal, and two ugly horns
hung above its head, charging electrical energy. To heck with looking at the
thing, I told myself, move it!
As I dashed as far away as I could from it, Netrix and Chakra
followed. "Wait, guys! Who are we missing?" I called.
My answer was soon found with a piercing scream from the half of
the room Sigma was on. Gilley! Oh, man...
I still tried to recount my thoughts. How could he have gotten into
the room? He couldn't just waltz in through the door; the body was nearly
thirty feet tall! Teleportation? I asked myself. No, Chakra used the anti-
portation field on the fortress, I reminded myself. I slapped my head in self-
exasperation. You idiot! If his viral half made him lie about what plans he
had, he'd've lied about that too! Teleportation it was.
Gilley screamed again. I rallied the other two Hunters to help me
with her. Sigma had picked her up in one claw, and was making piercing
movements toward her with the other. Crap! "Netrix, Chakra, give me a
boost into the air," I said. "I've got an idea."
Each of them got on either side of me, and clasped their hands
together to make a step for me. "Here goes nothing," I said as I climbed up
on their hands, using their shoulders to steady myself. "Now!"
They threw their hands upward, sending me with them. I flew into
the air, somersaulting once, twice before finishing my ascent. Sigma had
sprouted a flexible laser cannon from his shoulder, and turned it on me. I air-
dashed to dodge, then landed on the dragon's chest. The vacant claw now
turned to scratch at me. I swung to the left, then to the right, letting the
dragon scratch its armor each time. "You havin' fun yet, Sigma?" I yelled to
its head.
To my amazement, the dragon spoke. "You look as if you're enjoying
yourself, X. Careful, my other hand is getting tired."
I wasn't worried about him dropping Gilley. Either she would dash to
the floor herself, of Chakra or Netrix would catch her. "Try me, Sigs," I
yelled.
His claw swiped quickly again, missing my hands by only a
centimeter. I had to get up onto his neck somehow. I began to kick at the
chest, building momentum. As the claw swiped again, I hopped backwards and
air-dashed upward. Clinging onto the first thing I could grasp, I pulled myself
up.
"Aw, crap," I said. I was standing on his snout. His blue eyes glared
angrily at me.
"You annoying little fly," he said menacingly. "I'll crush you!" He used his
free hand to slap at his nose. I dashed back into the air, and he hit his own
snout, sending even more fury through him. I laughed as I landed again.
"Whassamatter, Sigs?" I asked. "Lost a little hand-eye coordination,
did we?"
He growled. Smoke began to rise from his nostrils behind me as I
glanced back at Netrix and Chakra on the floor. Sigma dropped Gilley
suddenly, freeing up his other hand. Netrix caught her, gave me a thumbs-
up, and Sigma was infuriated a degree further.
"Trix!" I called. "Get Gilley outta here!"
He nodded to me. "Right, X." He began a teleport with her in his
arms. His white streak of light flashed upwards, then...
FLASH! The entire room lit up blindingly. As I regained my senses, I
looked up to where Netrix's teleport was supposed to go through the roof.
Nothing. Nothing of him or Gilley on the floor, either.
Sigma growled a raspy laugh. "Heh heh heh..."
"What did you do, virus?!" I asked angrily. "Where are they?"
"Oh, I didn't do a thing, X. It was your friend Chakra there."
I glanced back at him. He shook his head with a puzzled expression
on his face.
"What do you mean?"
"When Chakra activated the anti-portation field around the outpost,"
he said.
"I thought you were lying about it."
"Just about who it blocked from exiting and entering. I had it preset
to allow only Mavericks to pass in and out with a teleport," he smiled.
"And Netrix and Chakra?"
"Gone to that big scrap heap in the sky, I'm afraid. Pity, I think I was
developing a liking to Gilley. Or, at least, Argyle was."
"So I was right," I said. "He's one of yours."
"Certainly," he nodded. I regained my footing after his snout
finished moving. "Argyle has been with me for quite some time now. A good
act, though, wasn't it?"
My rage was building. I could feel my insides burning with hate
towards him again, just as it had four times before already, when I'd been
forced to fight him.
"We didn't suspect a thing," I muttered as I lowered my head. "And
now, because of that, Netrix and Gilley are...are..."
"Dead," he said. "Dead, X. War has its cost. You lose those you
love, you lose your innocence, and you can lose your life. That very essence
of what makes you so unique...taken away in mere seconds."
I snuffed my nose in an act of cynicism. "What would you know, you
power-hungry piece of garbage?" I felt my energy, my Ultimate weapon
energy, welling up inside of me to full capacity. His thoughtless acts and the
circumstances of the moment forced the energy to keep growing more and
more powerful. I tried to ignore it for now. I'd save it for later.
His eyes raised their lids. "Even this close to the threat of death,
you still snap. You persist in your fight. Why?"
"Because you're trying to take away my freedom, virus," I said as I
threw myself to where I stood, his snout. I hung around it, now laying down. I
concentrated as I yelled to Chakra to get the portal ready to go once I got
back. He nodded, and waited for my next move. Sigma didn't know what hit
him until after it was too late. His massive body and mine were both
enclosed in a fold of blue light as I tried to teleport us both out. He's a
Maverick, I thought. Maybe his extreme mass will cancel out my non-
Maverick presence. I sighed heftily. At least, I hope so.
* * *
Zero
As we came up on the lake again, I saw a bolt of bright blue light
flash out of the depths of the mountain valley. X, I thought, glad you
escaped.
As the travelers materialized, however, I saw X, sure, but something
else I didn't expect was with him.
I swear, it was an enormous dragon. I swerved the ship over across
our path and deactivated engines. We were only a few feet from the ground,
so the ship easily slid to a grinding stop. I bolted from the door with saber in
hand, ready to fight. Once the others had rallied around me, I apologized for
the abrupt landing. They didn't seem to hear me; they were all in awe at the
giant new body Sigma had inherited.
From whom? Who had entrusted this one to him?
Wily, something told me. It's not that he didn't have time to finish
Sigs' other body, it's that he didn't, because he was working on this. I
nodded. I had seen this design from Wily before.
I looked up to the thing's face. There, X hung on its snout, no doubt
giving the thing more trouble than he was worth.
"Your friends have arrived," the dragon-Sigma's voice boomed.
"Care to have a reunion with them?"
"Got unfinished business here, Sigma," I heard X's voice say. "Time
for reunions later."
Five gigantic laser cannons popped from the dragon's body and
swiveled to attack us. I panicked. "Scramble, everyone!" I yelled. "Stay away
from those lasers!"
I dashed away from a beam cutting at my heels. In disbelief, I
watched as Roll dashed toward Sigma and out of the firing range of his
cannons. She air-dashed up, past Sigma's leg, onto the back of his torso
region, grabbing something there to keep herself on. Pulling out her energy
saber, I saw her jab it into the metal there, pulling herself up. Apparently,
Sigma was too involved in the firing spree to notice the feeling. Drawing her
fist back and letting fly with a punch a foot or so above her, she made a dent
in the metal large enough for her to use as a handhold. I smiled. Ingenuity at
a time like this. She's gettin' a medal for cool thinking, I thought.
* * *
X
I watched as Sigma kept firing on my friends below. "What's the
matter, Sigma?" I called. "Don't think you could hit me from here?"
He looked back at me with a gaze of absolute apathy. "You know, I
could fit your entire body in one of these cannon's barrels, X. I doubt I would
miss."
"So why aren't you even trying to attack me?"
"Because...I want you to live to see the destruction of your friends,
X!" he said as he fired a beam far out into the field. I looked. Where had it
hit? Zero was rushing over to the spot...
"Enker!!" Iris screamed as she too dashed over. The Reploid's lower
half had become little more than a charred hunk of scrap. Zero had knelt
down to hold the dying soldier's hand, and to prop up his head. There wasn't
much that could be done for him now, I knew...
Not much more than to pray.
* * *
Chakra
I shook my head as I continued working on the controls. "Wait a sec,
that can't be right...there's a transmission coming through..."
"Time search analysis complete," the computer buzzed. "Incoming
transmission."
"It's always somethin'," I muttered. "Well, who is it this time?"
A bright light began parting the doors to the transportation
chamber. Once it died and the doors slid open, I walked around to the opening
cautiously, my cannon at the ready.
And suddenly, as my eyes saw the travelers, my frown turned to a
surprised and ironic look of disbelief.
The two of them spoke not a word, but simply began walking toward
the exit. Stopping for a moment to glance at Wily's motionless body, they
nodded at one another, smiled, then headed out of the chamber. I couldn't
believe it. It was payback time, finally time for X to find out something for
himself...
* * *
Zero
As I felt Enker's grip slip away, I struggled to free every shred of
rage I had left in me. Dropping the dead Reploid's hand, I turned towards the
thirty-foot abomination of a robot with bloodlust in my eyes. I concentrated
with every ounce of straight thinking I had left, watched my saber turn an
eerie shade of blue, then slowly began walking towards the dragon.
He and X were in the midst of a conversation. I could've cared less.
Too many people had died already. I was ready to end Sigma's reign here and
now. Leveling my saber in my hand, and pointing it toward his left leg joint, I
threw it with grace and speed. The blade ripped into the dragon's leg. I dash-
jumped to its hilt and grabbed it, using my momentum to swing around the leg
on the blade's axis. After I had gone in a full circle around his joint, I pulled
the sword out and fell to the ground, landing in a crouch.
The joint collapsed, and Sigma came crashing down on his left side. I
sheathed my saber and began to charge a cannon shot. As one of his
cannons turned to fire at me, I released the shot, not even looking at the
laser, then kept walking as its barrel exploded and fell to the ground.
I continued walking, up to the right leg joint. I began to whisper: "For
those that you've sacrificed, for those whom you've used..."
I raised my head, fire flashing in my eyes. Speaking louder, I
continued: "For those of our loved ones, whom you've killed..."
I swung my Z-Saber to one side, saying still louder: "For everything
you've done, all your crimes, for everything you've made me do to your
enemies..."
And then I, swinging the saber below my belt as I approached the
body, finished: "And for destroying one more innocent Reploid's life named
Sigma...I do this."
I remembered the techniques I had used on Sigma last time as I
raised the blade again. "Ryuenjin!" I cried as I launched a flaming uppercut
with the sword at the joint. I doubled my jump, then cried "Hyouretsuzan!" as
I came down upon the joint with a jagged icy blade.
I dashed away quickly, just in time to turn around and watch the joint
split, then fall away. A Reploid approached my flank. I turned, sliced with my
saber horizontally, then watched as he fell.
"And that was for you, Argyle," I muttered to his dismantled
remains. "Be seeing you, my friend. Rest in peace," I said as I shoved my
saber through the Maverick's head.
