MEGA MAN X: ISLAND OF AWAKENING
By Erico
CHAPTER SIX: MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION
X reappeared as solid matter in the MHHQ's Medical Bay, stumbling about for a bit before leaning back on a cot and shutting his eyes. Wheel Gator had done more damage than could be handled by his systems alone. Luckily, Hazil was a genius in the field of repair.
It wouldn't be the first time X had come back hurting from a mission.
"But then again, Zero was here then…" X wheezed. He blinked out a tear and sighed again.
Hazil's tread base made a familiar whirring noise, alerting the new Blue Bomber that the doctor was on his way.
"Well, what do we have here?" Hazil mused annoyedly. X didn't move much, but exhaled.
"One Hunter requesting repairs, Hazil." The gray haired reploid scratched at his head with a thin spindly arm before shrugging and pulling out a medical scanner.
"All right then. Let's see how ya did." As he ran the scan, Hazil blinked at X in surprise. "Hell son, looks like he almost chewed you in half!"
"He nearly did. The Maverick was a Gator class reploid."
"Gator class?! I thought they stopped making those…"
"They did." X replied drily. "Obviously, this guy didn't care. But the Dino Tank's free from Maverick control…I set its AI to attack anything that approached it aside from GDC forces." X paused for a moment and coughed.
He realized he was spitting out blood.
"How bad is it?" X asked wearily. Hazil rolled his eyes.
"Let's just say I'm getting sick and tired of sticking you under the knife, pal."
"Great." X grumbled. Hazil cackled lightly and shook his head.
"Too bad I don't have that kind of time. Open up your chest compartment, please." X obliged, letting the slightly damaged and marred metal chestplate part in the middle to reveal a sizeable cavity.
With what seemed to be years of training, Hazil slammed in a Sub-Tank and cackled again. "Drink up, X, because you're not keeping this Sub-Tank for your personal use. It's Medical Bay only, and doesn't hold enough of a recharge to be of any use to ya."
"A mini Sub-Tank?" X mused as he drained the tank dry. Instantly, he felt reinvigorated as powerful energy was transferred to the nanobots in his bloodstream…the repair system for his body. It was these nanobots that his internal operations energy was based on, and that his energy meter relied on for accurate measurement.
Internal operations energy at 100%. Seek armor repair for full recovery.
"Hey Hazil, were you planning to do something about…"
"What, the seemingly endless amount of holes in your body?" Hazil said jokingly. "Way ahead of you, X." Quickly, he pulled out another strange device that X recognized.
It was a portable replicator, capable of filling the holes with strong metals that wouldn't turn back into dust. X lay back down and relaxed as Hazil ran the machine over his bruised body, then opened his eyes. There was a nagging question in his head…about a very special friend.
"Hey Hazil…" X began. He clipped himself off though. Hazil looked up from the delicate procedure and stared at X.
"Don't ask permission, X. You're the Commander of the 17th Unit. If you have a question, you can state it simply!"
"Don't remind me…" X sighed. "I didn't like the idea of Commanding the Hunters on June 20th, and I don't like it better anymore now. They're nothing but a bunch of wide eyed kids in the world, looking ahead for visions of grandeur, seeing only stars in their eyes…They don't know what fate could befall them. They don't realize the danger that being a Hunter poses."
"And what's your point?" Hazil clucked. "When you started up, you were no better. Probably even worse, due to your aversion to conflict."
"It was…different!" X said haltingly. "I mean, at least I had Zero to look up to for advice and help…"
"And they've got you." Hazil said blithely.
"Damnit, Hazil!" X exploded. He sat straight up, his eyes burning hotly. "I'm NOT ZERO!!!"
Hazil drew back a few paces and set his jaw, staring at X calmly for a few moments. Finally, he lowered his gaze and shook his head sadly.
"No." He lifted his head up and looked at X in disgust. "No, you're most certainly not. Zero didn't spend his time feeling sorry for himself, while you have to go on and blubber about it."
"I'm not a Hunter." X said tensely. Hazil snorted.
"Come on! You said that boss Maverick was a gator class! You don't take on one of those thing without some serious firepower, which you LACK, and come out of it alive. BullSHIT you're not a Hunter, X. You faced up against one of the most vicious animalian reploids gone bad ever made, and you come out of it with only a few dings in the chassis. In my book, you're the BEST Hunter. Possibly even better than Zero was."
X chewed on his lip for a few moments, and Hazil took the opportunity to finish repairing X's armor.
Finally, he switched the machine off and patted X on the back.
"Sorry I don't have a lollipop for ya, X. But I do have orders. Cain wants you in the War Room ASAP. We've got another mission for you." X's eyes went wide.
"But I just got back!"
"And the situation just turned into a SNAFU." Hazil shot back tensely. X paused from a return comment.
Something in Hazil's eyes burned brighter than his usual glint of morose humor and sadness.
FEAR.
Something big was going down.
"Roger." X replied. He hopped down from the table and walked out the hydraulic door, then turned and began to jog around the MHHQ's main circle for the War Room.
Hazil shook his head, then turned and looked at an old photo of Zero on his computer screen.
"Zero, old buddy…I hope you taught him well." The control chip aside Hazil's computer monitor didn't respond.
It needed the rest of its body for the Crimson Hunter to even conceivably issue a response.
A body which lay in the fearsome hands of the Mavericks, more than likely.
The War Room was still as bustling as it had been before, and little time had passed. According to X's chronometer, it was just barely passing nine A.M.
So now you can say you eat Mavericks for breakfast, eh X? He blinked a few times in surprise, wondering where that comment had come from. He frowned and parted his lips, speaking softly.
"What the…"
"X!!!" Came Cain's shout. X blinked a few more times and cleared away the odd thought from his mind. No time for this kind of ponderment…not if the situation was as dire as Hazil's even more terse tone of voice indicated.
"What's on fire now?" X queried softly as he walked to stand next to Cain in the command chair. Cain looked a little bleary eyed, but the deprivation of sleep was alleviated by extreme panic.
"If you don't pull off this next mission, all of New Tokyo." X raised an eyebrow in surprise. Cain shook his head and yawned a bit.
"I'm sorry, X. Hazil tried to ship me off to bed while you were at the Dino Tank, but when this got out there was just no hitting the pillow." X folded his arms.
"You still have yet to tell me what 'this' is, Cain." The Doctor nodded.
"Sorry. Perhaps this will clear it up." He tapped in a few keys and brought up what seemed to be a sort of video file, just waiting for the activation command. "Our superiors at the GDC sent us this lovely little note about two hours ago." He said tersely. He hit play.
On the viewscreen appeared the face of one Emilius Cristoph…The AmeriCanadian Alliance representative of the GDC. He ruffled back his almost completely gray hair, wrinkles of worry showing in his face.
"Hunters, I send this message under the most dire of circumstances. As all the world knows, Cornus Island, our prized gem and symbol of global cooperation has been usurped by the Maverick followers of the late Sigma in what is now being called the Second Uprising."
"Yesterday's news." X mumbled softly to himself. In all truth, it was. Today was the 21st of December.
"What is even more frightening than the prospect of the Mavericks harnessing the Dino Tank's powers is that they already have on that island a powerful attack system long since banned and dismantled the world around…I speak of course, of nuclear weapons."
THAT caught X's interest. What would that outdated, yet still potent powerhouse weapon be doing on Cornus?
"Before America joined Canada in the alliance, and before they joined the GDC, Cornus Island served as much of a military purpose as Hawaii and Guam had before it. In the northwestern section of Cornus's landmass, an area which surprisingly harbored barren desert terrain, the American Military built a Tactical Nuclear Missile Base.
When Cornus was handed over to the GDC, they began the long process of disarmament…I say a long process for the following reason. It hadn't been completed when the Mavericks took possession."
"Oh, Christ up a tree…" X wheezed in stunned disbelief. Cain nodded, but didn't speak up just then.
"There is one missile left on the Desert Base, and to all reports it is still fully functional. The safeties are on, but it is a safe bet the Mavericks will find some way to crack the security precautions and launch it. It will take them at least a full day and a half…that is the least favorable estimate we could come up with.
What they might target is unknown, although it is a safe bet that they're aiming for you. The Maverick Hunter Headquarters. Surely, there is no greater morale booster for their cause than the utter obliteration of the place that killed their leader.
So, for the sake of the world and your own safety, Hunters, the GDC has told me to pass on the order.
You shall strike at the Desert Base and destroy the missile. Do not worry about causing a nuclear explosion. As long as the rocket does not pass boost phase, the high yield warhead will not be activated.
Just take it down before it launches.
Godspeed, Hunters."
The transmission blinked out, and the War Room fell silent.
All eyes turned to X once more…
All eyes pleading silently…
All eyes asking him to risk his own neck to save theirs. X shut his optics for a moment. It reminded him of what the character of Spock had said to James T. Kirk on a very old Star Trek movie.
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few…or the one.
He opened his eyes again and looked at Cain.
"I guess I'm heading off again. Am I going alone?" X swiveled about, watching the War Room with piercing eyes.
Not one single reploid head could bear to match his gaze.
None would go with him.
Crestfallen, X clenched a fist up and shook his head.
"Perhaps I stand a better chance going it alone, anyhow." If only so I don't have to worry about getting any other Hunters killed on my watch. I've had enough of that happen already.
"Do you have the coordinates?" X asked next. Cain handed his chief Hunter a datapadd. X scanned the contents for a moment and nodded slowly.
Maybe his new Spin Wheel could come in handy. Of course, he'd need to test it first. What devastating potential it held was unknown.
Not for long. He handed Cain back the datapadd, took one last look around the room and shook his head angrily.
"Nothing but a bunch of timid tenderfoots." X grumbled softly, too softly for anyone to hear. Cain perked his ears up and frowned.
"Erh?" X shook his head.
"Never mind, Cain. Just pray for me." Cain blinked his bleary orbs.
He knew.
"Keep alive, X. You're the only one here who can do anything."
"And I get tired of hearing it." X replied raggedly. He brought his warp generator online and set the coordinates.
And the skies parted…
The deserts of Cornus Island were windswept, but windless. The stereotypical view of a desert held true to form, with hot temperatures, no humidity and dunes for miles around. About the only noticeable features in this sea of endless silicon was the metallic buildings, kept free from the sand's burgeoning weights. That didn't prevent particles from flying in through the open doors and littering the ground.
But it didn't bother Overdrive much. He plodded along oddly out of the door before turning to the figure behind him and craning his long neck.
"So the latest reports aren't good, huh?" The midgetlike reploid hovered free from the darkened hallways of the main missile base building, standing atop his spike lined chariot with his hands tucked behind his back. He kept the stovepipe hat in place.
"Not in the least, Overdrive." Serges replied calmly. There was no trace of emotion in his voice, something that always had chilled Overdrive. The one robotic eyed Maverick doctor blinked a few times before continuing. "To all accounts, we lost contact with the Dino Tank and Wheel Gator about four hours ago. Now we can't even approach it. It seems that not only did X destroy Gator, but he reprogrammed the Dino Tank to resist all Maverick advances. We can't reclaim it."
"That's a heavy loss." Ostrich admitted. "Do we know how X got to it? I mean, if he had approached from outside he would have been vigorously attacked." Serges waggled a finger.
"We have to give credit to those humans responsible for the Dino Tank's development. I had an uplink to the Dino Tank's systems, and it seems that they left one back door open for any emergency. A one time use warp transponder…usable only to reploids. It was also completely separate from the Dino Tank's main controls. We didn't know it was there until it was too late."
"Like Zero's revival warp subroutine?" Overdrive listed poignantly. That caused Serges to glare up at the Maverick General in disdain.
"I'm half your size, but realize I can mop the floor with you. Don't push me." Overdrive averted his gaze away from his commanding officer and shrugged nonchalantly.
"Hey, just the truth. It seems like everywhere we turn, the GDC forces leave little tidbits to annoy us. And the Hunters are GDC, right?"
"They're not funded by it, but yes." Serges clipped. "The Maverick Hunters are under the indirect control of the GDC. They don't have the banner waving over their HQ, but the chain of command still exists." Overdrive cackled.
"Right. The HQ." Serges nodded, looking out to the desert alongside Overdrive.
"It's rather…alluring, isn't it?" Serges asked quietly. Overdrive blinked a few times, then twisted his long neck down to look at his commander. Parting his beak in a small frown, the Maverick General watched as Serges' face softened, his hands held behind his back. He seemed to become hypnotized by the sight of all that sand.
"What, the desert?" Overdrive replied uneasily. Serges nodded.
"The blandness, how it all comes together. Everything the same, nothing ever changing over the windswept dunes. In this silence, no organic creature can live. No bustling metropolis with flashing lights, noise pollution and a burgeoning overpopulation exists. There is just the sand…and the quiet." He shook his head. "And such shall be what Japan will look like once you complete your mission. What is the time before you can crack the safety measures?" Ostrich grinned, a wide smile that stretched all about his beak and seemed to radiate down to his powerful legs. Truly, with arms that were next to useless in a fight, it was his speed and immense leg strength that saw him through battles.
"Well, the code sets are complex, but a little outdated. My techs estimate another hour and a half."
"That will work." Serges said. "And the time at the MHHQ by then will still be before noon." He grinned. "Nothing like roasting Hunters for brunch." Ostrich nodded, the devilish smile creeping into his own face.
"And at long last, we'll finish what Sigma and that first team started long ago. The destruction of the only fighting force left against us."
"Yeah. Only they had a high powered plasmic cannon atop Karashita."
"Lucky us. We've got a missile that if it lands anywhere of a half mile of the MHHQ, it'll annihilate it completely. Boom, no more Hunters!" Serges laughed at that, then stopped suddenly. The tense look in his eye returned.
"Just keep on your toes, Overdrive. X struck the big target first, and I'm betting the GDC's told the Hunters that this missile still exists. Odds are he's coming. COMING FOR YOU." He finished the last part of his sentence by poking a metallic finger into Ostrich's lower belly, the only part of the Maverick Serges could reach even atop his hoverboard chariot. Ostrich glared.
"I think Wheel Gator underestimated X, sir. I knew him well, and the one flaw he always held was his inability to knock off his carelessness. And X has great potential. He's proven it before. I'll just need to keep on my toes with him if he shows up."
"You do that, Ostrich." Serges said. "For now, I'll head back to the Central Computer and present my reports. You were my last stop on the circuit."
"Oh?" Ostrich asked with an upraised eyebrow. Serges nodded.
"This island offers many different resources and opportunities. And if we're going to get Ice Fortress fully online a lot sooner, we need to dredge up as much as we can before the situation becomes worse."
"You're worried?" Ostrich said in surprise. Serges nodded again.
"I'm starting to think…that referring to X as a damned lucky idiot is a bad idea. I saw the interior broadcast of the fight between him and Wheel Gator, and the tactics he used there…" Serges' voice trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to finish it.
Finally, he dropped it completely and shrugged.
"I leave this in your capable hands, Ostrich. Don't fail."
"I'd sooner die than let X interfere with my mission." Overdrive replied, stiffening up into a straight posture. Serges rolled his robotic optic around in a circle.
"Knock on wood." Serges and his hoverboard shot up into the strata, a bright beam of azure and red light."
Overdrive Ostrich clucked his birdlike tongue for a moment before shrugging off the sudden chill his commanding officer had left him with.
"Might as well start a patrol around the perimeter." He said weakly. Then he took off running, his massive legs kicking up clods of sand.
Any excuse to run…
The bright blue beam of energy and semi-solid matter that was X crashed down to earth again, its new location fixed, routed, and responded to. Coalescing into a solid figure once more, X blinked his eyes and became aware of his surroundings.
For him, it had been a mere blink in time, even though the transport time was more like a few minutes. His internal clock, a small gadget that always remained unwarped told him as much. He quickly brought up a small menu in the corner of his eye and glanced at his energy stats.
"Full power…for now, anyways." X grumbled. He felt bitter, he felt betrayed.
He didn't like doing this. But he had to. And perhaps more than the last mission's goal.
Having the MHHQ, and Tokyo…the only home left to him go up in a ball of atomic fire didn't exactly catch the new Blue Bomber as a happy option.
And he still remembered the chaos caused by the last attack the Mavericks struck against Tokyo…against the MHHQ, specifically.
Then, it had been Boomer Kuwanger and the Maverick's 'plasmic cannon' placed atop Karashita Tower that had threatened them. In a single shot of that devastating weapon, Sigma's forces managed to eliminate almost everyone and everything in the MHHQ, save for Cain, Hazil, X and Zero, and even fewer functional pieces of equipment.
The mission then had been of critical importance, and X nearly ended up killing himself then.
But then, Zero was there to save him. Three times in the First Uprising, the Crimson Hunter had pulled X up by the scruff of his neck from the gaping jaws of death.
"And now…" Now that Zero was gone, X thought mournfully…
No. Not gone. Kidnapped by the MAVERICKS.
"I guess it's up to me." X said finally.
The entire period of reminiscence and self doubt had taken all of fifteen seconds…if even that.
As far as X was concerned, he was living on borrowed time. Even 15 seconds was too much.
So he took off running, towards the closest building. He doubted highly it was the one with the missile in it, for it looked too small and with too many obvious adornments for a silo. No, the structure with the missile would be close, but very well hidden from spy cameras above. X would have to function the hard way. Search and destroy.
A steel girder of some sort, probably thrown out by the Mavericks as unnecessary scrap lay in front of him and the building, blocking his path. It was an easy wall jump for X to clear it.
It was after the girder he spotted his first series of foes. The first one he knew, a small robotic sentry on two wheels known as a Road Rider. It generated ample speed, although its simple patrol pattern made it easy to take out if you jumped its approach.
X cleared the whirring sentry with a halfhearted jump and turned about, his left arm shifting into a Buster and firing four shots. They all struck home, causing the drone to ride on with no controls until it slammed into the girder X had jumped. With a final whine it became crushed under the girder's weight as the unstable metal structure fell on top of it. X shook his head and turned about.
The next one was more serious in design. It was a heavily armored, low target warrior drone that resembled a greenish scorpion. But immobile as it stayed while in attack mode, the combination of its tail and claw blasters produced a spray of plasma fire that could not be dodged, even by the highest jump a reploid could muster.
X cursed and jumped a low level combo blast from its claw blasters. Its actual name was something like a Righttod or a Sabottein, but neither fit it well.
It was not approved for use in the civilized military…of course, not everything the GDC condemned was treated as condemned.
"But that never stopped manufacturers from making Scorwarbots now, did it?" X said angrily. Tests showed it could take up to more than fifteen hits with a plasma Buster to knock a Scor'bot out, and in that time, the thing could wipe out X easily.
"Let's see how he likes a sawblade." X growled. As he brought up his variable weapons grid, his blue armor flashed for a moment, to be changed a few moments later to green. The Spin Wheel was active, and ready for firing.
He pulled the trigger and watched the weapon activate for the very first time. Air molecules were drawn in, to be re-synthesized and reformed. A slight whine, and then it appeared.
It was a brilliant green tempered metal, sharp edged and looking dangerous. Somehow, an internal power source…leftover plasma?…powered the entire weapon. It fell to earth, the sawblade beginning to spin for a few moments before it took off like a shot. Using the ground as its cutting table, the Spin Wheel flew along until it made contact with the Scor'bot. X found himself watching in awe as the weapon spat out angry sparks and chewed its way clean through the assembly. Within a few moments, the Scor'bot was nothing more than two cleanly separated piles of scrap, the sawblade running on ahead until its power source died. It vanished into a pile of dust, the sad aftereffect to the limited charge.
But what power…X had to whistle. Even though slow on the getup, the Spin Wheel was a powerful tool that more than likely could chew through anything standing in his way. A positive addition to his arsenal…seeing as X had downloaded the First Uprising's weapons data to the MHHQ main computer and never bothered to regain them. Somehow, carrying weapons that those Mavericks…once his friends…had in their power had left X with a bitter taste.
But he had no such disputes over this new weapon. And undoubtedly X knew…
Where there were Mavericks…
There were new weapons.
Emilius Cristoph sat in an enclosed room, alongside several other prominent GDC members. They and they alone were here, selected by the GDC's main body to act as intermediaries during the 'Cornus Incident.'
A rather droll and useless name, Cristoph thought grimly. No, what the Maverick Hunters and indeed, the rest of the world was calling the intense struggle over Cornus Island seemed to fit better. The Second Uprising.
Punchier, at least. Odd how history always seemed to record the punchy names for horrific events. The Rape of Nanking. The Nuremburg Trials. The Second Uprising.
"Mister Cristoph!" A voice spoke up louder than before, snapping the elder representative from his dozing thoughts. He looked across the table, into the slightly aggravated face of Julio Mayvin, a member from the Central Americas.
"Yes?"
"I asked you for your report, sir." Cristoph kept himself from rolling his eyes.
"Yes, sorry. As ordered by this committee, I sent the Maverick Hunters our latest data concerning the surviving ICBM at the Desert Missile Base earlier today. They have been alerted to the threat, and earlier I received word that Mega Man X was off to disarm it."
"So, he's still there, eh?" Mused another member. Cristoph looked over to the younger dignitary, Samuel Taban of the British consortium.
"Who, Mega Man X?" Cristoph asked. Taban nodded, looking up.
"Yes. The final creation of Doctor Light. I daresay, that boy has done more to help humanity than anyone else in existence."
"Ahem. 'That Boy,' Mister Taban? You speak of Mega Man X as if he were human." Cristoph said amusedly. Taban adjusted his monocle (A showpiece, for Taban's eyes were in perfect working order) and nodded, his smile dimming somewhat at Cristoph's jest.
"He may not be human in the sense that he has blood composed of iron and hemoglobin, but his heart, robotic as it is Cristoph…sometimes beats with more humanity in it than most members of our species demonstrate." It was a well veiled insult back at Cristoph, and the AmeriCanadian representative was no man's fool. He was also not inclined to give his opponents the slightest opportunity to feel victory. Keeping his cool jestful smile, Cristoph harrumphed for a moment and bobbed his head slightly. No flush of red, no flustered frown adorned the wrinkled face of the elderly Caucasian.
"His heart may at that." He turned back to his notes and shuffled them, setting the tone of the meeting back in order. "Now, onto the next critical issues of Cornus. The Dino Tank, for one…"
"Remind me to have a talk with the WEATHER STATION!" X grumbled angrily, raising a hand up to cover his eyes from the sudden sandstorm that had erupted.
There he had been one moment before, riding on a Landchaser left out conveniently in front of a spike trap left by the Mavericks and soaring up a long incline with his cannon blazing to take out the Crash Roaders charging at him. They were actually more low level reploids with limited intelligence riding on similar Landchasers, but the name X had given them was shorter and seemed to fit better.
And as he'd cleared a massive pit that had once contained a whole group of ICBMs and landed safely onto the other side of the massive leap, the sandstorm erupted from nowhere.
The whipping wind carried the grainy particles with such force that it blinded all long range optic functions, and made X blind as a bat in close quarters. If there was another pit, he would have no way of knowing it until he began to plummet…by then, too late to do anything.
So he reduced his speed, and found that as his own engine noise decreased he became better able to distinguish external sounds. Quickly, he tuned more power to his auditory receptors. They were the only thing that could tell him what was coming.
And the storm grew louder. X thought at first it might have been because he jacked up his sensor's power a few steps too much…but this much noise, no. He was approaching what seemed to be the center of the storm.
"Odd…" X clucked. Suddenly, he picked up a Crash Roader coming his way. Quickly, he turned his Landchaser around and bore his cannon sight on the closest position he could peg the sound to. He pulled the trigger a few times and waited.
A satisfying explosion was the result, and X turned back around and kept driving.
"And it still grows louder!" He said in surprise. Something about this sandstorm seemed…out of place.
X knew sandstorms could occur incredibly fast and without warning, but it took more than two seconds to spur one to full gale. And then it hit him.
It had to be false. Maverick made, most likely.
He bore down upon the sound and leapt from his cycle, letting the cutting edge Landchaser soar on…
And then X heard the sickening crunch as the Landchaser impacted something solid and metallic…just before the engine went critical and exploded.
That in turn set off a large secondary explosion, one that he heard more clearly than before. Instantly, the winds died down and the sand fell back to earth. X scratched his head for a moment and waited.
And then it became clear to him. What the Landchaser had hit was large, probably twenty feet around and eight feet tall. From its design…
"Some kind of wind machine that pulls in sand?" X scratched at his head. What he saw beside it made his stomach churn some.
A Maverick…a true Maverick, once a living reploid like any other lay beside it, tattered and blown apart from the horrendous explosion X's Landchaser had wrought. It was he who had been operating the machine, more than likely.
But the Maverick's Landchaser had survived. And that, X would be needing. He said a silent prayer to the once living Maverick, then pushed back his emotions of guilt and sorrow. As Zero once said, "The time for pity parties isn't during a battle!"
But don't ignore the feelings, either.
X blinked, frowning at the sudden voice. He remembered hearing that voice before…it wasn't new.
"What the…" He said again. His auditory receptors picked up a whining engine from behind, jarring him from the self thought. "Aah, screw it." X grumbled. He dashed over to the Landchaser, hopped onto it in a smooth motion and gunned the engine to life, flying away from the scene. No sense in waiting around for other Mavericks to come gawk at his handiwork while he was still there.
And he didn't have time for it, either.
Overdrive Ostrich's wristcomm suddenly began to chirp, indicating he had a message needing his urgent attention. He lifted it up and flipped the transceiver to life.
"Report." Came his gruffish, yet chirping reply.
"Sir, we've got trouble!" Came the harried reply. Ostrich raised an eyebrow, instinctively knowing WHO was responsible.
"Mega Man X." He said through clenched teeth. He scratched some sand free from his beak and shook his head. "So what did our Blue Bomber blow up?"
"He got the sand vortex machine."
"Sheeeit." Came Ostrich's unhappy reply. "That means he's within less than two clicks of the main building." There was no irrational anger in his voice, unlike Wheel Gator. Ostrich kept himself calm, collected and level at all times. Fear and rage got in his way. "I'm heading on my way back. How long until launch?"
"Our techs report four minutes."
"We may not have even that long." Ostrich said tersely. "Get on it. See you soon." He snapped the comm off and took running. Sand whipped from behind his feet as he progressed steadily, his legs moving at high speed to attain his goal faster. He held his beak tightly as he ran, keeping the sand away from his throat and voice synthesizers.
"I'll be one unhappy bird if that Damned Lucky Idiot does to my mission what he did to Wheel Gator's."
X's cycle was racing at speeds far beyond recommended, though he kept the engine in the green temperature zone. By relying on a series of short bursts instead of a long fuel burn, he kept his consumption down while still providing ample speed.
And then as he charged on, X realized how very close to the missile he actually was. Covered in a huge sand dune, a lone doorway leading to an underground facility lay open. Not a single foe stood in his way then.
So he flew in, holding tight to the reins and disengaging the Cycle's extra thrusters. But he was still flying. He flew over a long garbage chute and onwards, shooting forth like a bullet from a gun. Over another drop he flew…
Only to find himself staring at a long passageway lined with spikes, and at the end of it, an incredible wall of the deadly shards that could end his life in a single blink. His eyes flew open in surprise, even as he began to turn the Landchaser in a vain attempt to slow it down.
"GOD, NOOO!" He screamed. Damn you, TURN! Turn…Slowly, the Landchaser responded, even though the forward momentum continued to drag him towards that inevitable wall of spikes. At long last, he got the cycle completely turned.
He gave the thrusters everything they had.
Miraculously, he slowed to a complete stop, with no forwards or backwards momentum whatsoever. He sat there, wheezing in shock only three feet from certain demise, hovering on the bed of spikes by the Cycle's repulsors.
And then he noticed the red and silver glittering gem hovering beside him on a small repulsor platform.
"What the…A HEART TANK?!" He grumbled in surprise. It made perfect sense that the Mavericks would stash it here. A prize this great would be incredibly hard to get to for anyone, although it would serve as bait for the trap.
Too bad they never expected there would be a Hunter crazy enough to drive a Landchaser into the facility.
X quickly tucked the Heart Tank into his chest cavity, feeling fresh invigoration run through him as his systems gained even more internal operations energy. His meter, displayed up in the top left corner of his left optic for a brief moment, took a small jump in size.
X took a deep breath, shook his head in disbelief and drove out of the trap.
Letting the cycle continue out towards the exit in an attempt to smash whatever forces were following him, X dropped down the passageway before the spike trap, prepared to continue on. The missile wasn't far now.
Neither was a Scor'Bot. X switched over to his Spin Wheel and popped one off, climbing the wall back up to avoid its plasma fire while his weapon continued on. He waited until the grinding noise ceased, then hopped back down and ran on.
"Three minutes until missile launch." X lifted his head up and gaped at the announcement.
"Oh, Christ." He whispered. There wasn't that much time left!
He found himself almost falling down an impossibly huge drop at the end of his tunnel, and with a pained cry he leapt off in a dash jump.
It carried him to the other side of the shaft, where a tiny niche with a series of barrier blocks lay. X hopped up and stared at it.
The missile could very well lay behind these. He had to get through. He fired off his Buster, before realizing it was still set to Spin Wheel.
But it did the job. The whirling metallic blade chewed through the obstacle with ease before dying out, leaving X a clear path. So he ran through.
But it wasn't a missile he saw at the other side of the tunnel.
It was a blinking stasis chamber, with red and blue lights and a bluish stasis field, standing 8 by 14 feet. X let his jaw drop.
"Oh, jeez…" He whistled. Trembling, he stepped forth towards it. Reacting to his presence, the capsule's side slid down.
And there, just like six months ago, stood the holographic figure of Doctor Thomas Xavier Light, a little more weary, a little more worn than before…
But him nonetheless. The hologram smiled.
"Hello, X."
"I didn't think that you would face only one challenge in your life, X." The hologram continued. "To that end, I created even more capabilities to the capsules. Though these are the same shells you used to enhance yourself…" The hologram froze, and X realized it must be thinking, using previous data as a sort of interaction, "Six months ago, realize their functions will be different. INCREASED."
"I don't have time for this." X replied wearily. The hologram flickered a moment, then came back and spoke again.
"Of course, there are places where time is of the essence, X. This must be such a time if you've activated this holographic subroutine. Enter the capsule. It contains an enhancement that will modify your main drive unit. If you thought dashing was helpful before, you'll now have the upgraded version. AIR DASH. Use it wisely…though I know you will." Light's hologram smiled for a brief moment, then blinked out completely, leaving behind a final ghostly sentence. "Know I walk with you…my son."
X paused for a moment, then shook his head sadly.
"I'm sorry, dad." He leapt into the capsule and felt the familiar tingling as it began the short process of altering his design.
"Two minutes, fifteen seconds to launch." X bared his teeth and clenched a fist.
"Come on, come on…" He whispered to the capsule. At long last, it completed its work and released him from the inner sanctum. X looked down at his feet.
Where once stood solid blue, now was white with red trimming and yellow pads.
"Air dash…" He whispered. He watched as the capsule began to shimmer for a moment, then vanished completely in warped light.
Once again, X was alone.
And he ran on…
A longer drop, a longer run, and he figured out how the air dash worked. It took some time to get used to, but in the end, X saw possibilities. The Dino Tank, for instance. That secret room in the ceiling he could reach now, and he spent half a second wondering what it might contain.
Then he bared his teeth and ran on, knowing full well he was on borrowed time.
"Thirty seconds to launch." X saw a revolving gateway ahead of him, a Scor'Bot patiently guarding it. He shook his head back and forth and shifted to the Spin Wheel again, releasing a shot. It took off like a rocket, flying out ahead of X and slicing through the foe cleanly.
"Fifteen seconds to launch." X slammed through the gateway.
And there it stood, the final ICBM of the United States, ready to be launched by the Mavericks. It was massive, and only the top third stood where X could see it. Even that was imposing enough.
"Ten…nine…eight…seven…" X let out a feral scream and charged towards the missile leaping up in the air and using his newfound dash to land solidly on the side of it.
"Six…five…four…three..." X hopped up the side and began to charge his Buster. His right hand he used to extend his claw gauntlets out with, burying them in the missile's side as a handhold. He knew the next part would be bumpy. Already the rocket's engine vibrations threatened to jar him loose.
"Two…one…IGNITION." And the missile flew. Up, up, up, out of the towering silo's depths into the open air. X barely managed to hold on, but Cristoph's message rang in his ears.
If you disable it before it passes through boost phase, the nuclear warhead will not explode.
And he fired, and fired, and fired.
At no other time in all his life had X ever shot his Buster with that much tempo and ferocity, and his mind began to whine with warning messages about the Buster's temperature. It was overheating.
But he fired on anyhow.
At long last, the plasma ate through the missile's metallic skin and began to burn into the vital directional components. The effect was imminent.
With no computer to guide its course, the missile could land anywhere. Its own safeties kicked in…
And the missile blew in its own destruction. Detonation charges built in for such accidents ignited in the fuel cells, filling the fuel with flaming oxygen.
X was flung outwards from the concussion in a rush of noise that almost blew out his auditory receptors and did manage to stun him.
He fell back to earth, collapsing onto the sand in a jarring blow of gravity that blew the air out of him. He shook his head for a moment, acknowledged the 5% loss of power, and began to pick himself up.
No major damage. Just a few scrapes.
And then X's ears reactivated just then.
In time enough that he could hear footsteps walking towards him.
He jumped to his feet, priming his Buster and turning his optics towards the sound.
The other reploid who stood there towered above him, a massive birdlike reploid who was undoubtedly Maverick. Sigma's icon was a part of his armor. His legs were massive, his arms flimsy, his beak stunning. The two stared at each other for a long while, just waiting for the other to move. Finally, the bird Maverick grunted.
"Well, let me see here…that's one sand vortex generator, one fully armed ICBM, and a lot of Scor'Bot drones."
"So what's the damages?" X said half jokingly, keeping with the Maverick's dour barroom repair line. The bird rubbed at his chin, then craned his neck up and cracked the metallic column from disuse. Then he looked down at X again, his glare brighter.
"It'll cost you your life."
The Maverick let out a powerful cry that sounded much like a chirp before he charged towards X with speeds X had not faced since he fought Sigma. But X had a move now he hadn't held then.
He jumped straight up in the air and activated his dash thrusters, blazing forth through the sky with ease. Ostrich charged on below him, unable to slow himself down enough to bring an attack on where he stood.
X dropped back down behind the Maverick and turned about, releasing his shot. Plasma met the Maverick's backside, burning angrily at the armor before vanishing from lack of energy. Ostrich cried out in pain and skidded to a halt, turning back around towards X with a look of incredulity on his face.
"Impossible…no one can dodge my front strike!"
"Until now." X retorted. His Buster began to whine from the charge he was building up in it, and he prepped himself for another jump.
Ostrich rubbed at the tender spot X had smashed with his shot for a moment, then growled. Somehow, he kept it at that, which surprised X.
"Who are you?" X asked. The Maverick smiled a bit.
"Overdrive Ostrich, but why would that matter?"
"You just seem…a little different than most Mavericks." X replied. Ostrich rolled his eyes for a moment, then leapt up in the air and fired what seemed to be a crescent energy shot into the air. It divided into four shots that fell back towards earth, ready to slash through anything. X narrowly dodged one shot, and watched its path slice cleanly through the sand.
"Different, yes." Ostrich replied, landing away from X. He turned back and crossed his arms. "Most Mavericks tend to froth at the mouth somewhat, don't they? That sort of blinding rage never did help me. Violen perhaps, but…" Ostrich shook his head on the elongated neck. "I digress. I should be keeping myself focused."
"On what, my destruction?" X retorted. Ostrich nodded primly.
"Seeing as you've blown…" He stopped and smiled a bit at the pun, "Blown all chances of my mission here from succeeding, the logical thing to do would be to claim revenge out of your hide."
"For your own sense of justice?"
"No, nothing so explainable as Machiavellian policy." Ostrich replied easily. "More along the lines of, I'm a Maverick, you're a Hunter, and we gotta fight. Honestly, I've got nothing against ya. Wheel Gator hated my guts and all that, so no big loss. But you and me, we gotta fight."
"So you're comparing us to cats and dogs?" X said dolefully. "It seems the more simple answer would be for us to just walk away from this. I've accomplished what I was sent here to do, and I don't feel like spilling more blood."
"Aah, but that's the easy way out." Ostrich replied, twirling a short winglike finger. "The flee or flight syndrome of nature it seems, is reflected in our two personas. You suggest that I walk away, lick my wounds and continue to live, which is completely opposite of your mission as a Maverick Hunter."
"So what are you saying?" X shot back, narrowing his eyes. Ostrich grinned a wide smile that stretched all about his beak.
"I'm saying you're not a true Maverick Hunter, X."
The two looked at each other for a long moment. X finally harrumphed and nodded, his eyes sad.
"You're absolutely right. I'm not a Maverick Hunter." Ostrich's grin stayed on, and he suddenly charged towards X in a series of bounding leaps. X deftly slipped underneath the charge, flipping himself around and firing off his supershot.
Once again, Overdrive Ostrich was harmed while X remained unscathed. Ostrich screamed in pain as open air hit his innards, and he clutched at the gaping wound in his side with a free hand. He turned about, looking on in awe as X straightened up and looked at him with dead eyes.
"I'm not a Maverick Hunter, Ostrich. I'm a vigilante hidden behind the curtain of a group." Ostrich glared back at his foe. This time, the glare stayed.
"Damn my sense of calm…YOU'RE FRIED!" Ostrich howled. X raised his Buster and braced it with his right arm.
"I'll see you in the Colonel's chicken bucket first, bird."
The two foes maneuvered at incredible speeds during their battle, one by footwork and one by rocket thrusters embedded in his boots. Plasma and sonic energy tore up the sand dunes and threatened to turn their world into a glassine reality.
And though X had the ability to distinguish patterns, Ostrich was running on more than just microfusion energy. He had the power of Mavericks in him.
And Ostrich was winning…
X coughed out purplish reploid blood from his mouth as Ostrich's massive right foot collided with his stomach and slammed him backwards. He fired off a semi charged green shot that did little more than deflect the followup blow.
Ostrich grinned across his beaked mouth and laughed hollowly.
"Oh, you fool. The deal with Wheel Gator was he underestimated you…too bad I've learned not to fall for that mistake, eh?" X wheezed again, trying futilely to clear the sand away from his torn synthskin. The winds had picked up and were blowing the desert environment about with ease, threatening to bury both warriors.
X leaned against a dune and took in several halting breaths, keeping his Buster level as he read his body's latest diagnostic.
Internal operations energy at 32%. Exercise caution.
"Like Hell…" He said gravely. Ostrich perked his head up and opened his mouth, spewing out another hateful shot of concentrated sound waves. It dug into X's chest armor and caused the warrior to scream in pain. "Make that 24% power…"
X saw that wading through the desert sand was having an adverse effect on the long legged Ostrich, whose speed had slowed to a crawl. If only there were a way to keep him pinned to a general area to land more shots…
And as it had frequently done in the First Uprising, X's mind flashed with a brilliant idea, golden opportunity for success.
There is a way, X.
And he knew. Knew instinctively how to win. X raised his Buster and fired, the charge shot he'd been building unleashed.
But it didn't fly for Ostrich's body, and the Maverick guffawed as much when he saw its path.
"What, are you trying to blow out your own grave here?" X grimaced, watching with hope.
It was his only chance at this.
The plasma ball slammed into the sand just in front of Ostrich's path, burning furiously at the sand and melting it down.
Sand…silicon. And silicon made glass.
The blowing winds cooled down the substance immediately, just as Ostrich had planted both feet into the mixture.
With a jerk, the Maverick found his balance interrupted, and he fell forth with his arms flailing. He collapsed headfirst into the sand, pulling himself free in indignation as he spat out the ground.
And then he looked up at X. X, who lay against the dune with his Buster primed. His eyes were dark, unmoving. Set.
Ostrich blinked a few times. Then shook his head in disbelief.
"Incredible…Me. Defeated by you?" X nodded, still laying there from his wounds. Ostrich was also helpless to do much of anything. Most anything. He narrowed his eyes and focused, then opened his mouth to fire off another Sonic Slicer.
A small shot of plasma down his gullet promptly burned away the attack apparatus's firing mechanism, causing the Maverick to choke vigorously on the smoke.
Now he truly was defeated. X picked himself up and walked over next to the Maverick, keeping his Buster primed.
"You fight well…Maverick Hunter." Warbled Overdrive Ostrich. Somehow, it seemed his voicebox had been harmed as well. X gave a terse shake of his head.
"I told you…"
"I know." Ostrich replied deftly. "But trust me on this, it doesn't matter what you think you are. The simple fact is you ARE a Maverick Hunter. And I'm a Maverick. And you and me…"
"We had to fight." X replied.
"Exactly." The two left it at that for a while, just letting the breeze blow over them. Finally, Ostrich spoke up.
"Well, seeing as I'm kinda beaten…we've got two ways around this. You can blow my head off and walk away, or you can run away while I set my Microfusion generator to blow."
"Can't I just walk away and leave you here?"
"That'd be uncivilized." Ostrich chided.
"More importantly, why haven't you set your generator to blow while I'm standing here and take the both of us?" X pressed on. Ostrich laughed.
"I lost my chance to take you down…I leave it to the others. So, door number one or door number two?"
"Two." X replied wearily. Ostrich nodded.
"Best keep your distance then. Before I do…care to swipe my ability?" X raised an eyebrow.
"How the devil are you Maverick?! God, you talk to me like we're best friends, you offer me your abilities, you tell me you're not gonna do the suicide move…!? What's wrong with you?!" Ostrich twisted his head up, something twinkling in his eyes.
"Let's just say, X…" He shook his head and looked away. "Let's just say that for the first time in my remembered Maverick life, I'm seeing things clearly." And then X realized…
Overdrive Ostrich was crying.
"I'm sorry…" X tried to start. Something inside of him felt wrong…wrong for doing this.
God, he isn't Maverick…
Yes he is.
But look at him!
Even darkness can see the light.
He doesn't deserve to…
He wants to.
WHY DOES HE HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS?! WHY CAN'T HE BE ANOTHER RAMPAGING MADMAN?!
Why can't you be a cold blooded Maverick Hunter like Zero? Same thing.
"It's all right." Ostrich consoled. "Just…just knowing I tried my best makes up for it." X reached down and pressed his left hand against Ostrich's neck, feeling the data from the Maverick's weapon integrate into his Variable Weapons Grid.
Sonic Slicer Special Weapon accepted.
"And X…" Ostrich began. X looked back down at his foe with a look of sorrow.
"Yes?"
"Just to let you know…Zero's not dead. He's just…in pieces." X clenched his eyes shut and walked away.
A few moments later, he felt the low concussion wave as the Maverick known as Overdrive Ostrich blew himself apart in microfusion overload.
And he warped out. Not for the MHHQ.
For the Dino Tank.
He had a secret alcove to find.
The desert base radio operator's image blinked off the screen, his report to the commanding Mavericks ended.
Agile turned to face his two companions, a sour look on his face.
"This is nuts. Absolutely nuts. He got Ostrich too?!" He sighed. Violen scratched on the inside of his ear and Serges rolled his eyes before clicking the holographic display on.
The image of X as he ran into the missile silo and leapt onto the mass weapon of destruction flickered to life. It was altered from before, though. X was wearing new boots…
Just as in the First Uprising, X had somehow gained new armor.
"I see now why Sigma fell to Mega Man X. He's quite formidable." Agile looked at the other two slowly, looking for a sign of interest. "Perhaps…we were wrong about him." Serges shrugged.
"He's just one Hunter, reploid prototype or not. But you're right about one thing. That's two Maverick Generals he's taken down, as well as any chance of seeing the nuclear death of the MHHQ. I don't think our team leaders can keep him from taking back Cornus Island long enough. We may have to intervene."
"How?" Violen asked, reluctantly pulling his finger from his ear. Serges had only one answer to that.
He turned, and looked darkly at the three separate sections of Zero.
"Perhaps a little incentive…"
X's warp signal crashed into the War Room of the MHHQ, solidifying into one solid person again. While still weary from his battle with Overdrive Ostrich in more ways than one, he now also had improved gauntlets on his arms.
The secret alcove at the Dino Tank had actually contained Doctor Light's Second X-Buster upgrade, which when X had tested it out, allowed him to charge energy in BOTH arms…An ability that Zero sadly never had, and could have used…six months ago…
Doctor Cain turned to Mega Man X, a look of stunned surprise on his face.
"Speak of the devil…" X raised an eyebrow.
"What happened?" The doctor grabbed X by the shoulder and walked over to the main computer monitor.
"A group of Mavericks calling themselves the 'X-Hunters' have just contacted us. They've got a bone to pick with you. A big one." X narrowed his eyes. Cain sighed and punched in the receive switch.
The monitor flickered to life, displaying vox only. No images, but only an oscilloscope of the voices.
"Greetings…Mega Man X."
"Hello yourself." The new Blue Bomber replied unsteadily. "Do you have a reason for the phone call? I'm sure we don't need any more magazine subscriptions."
"Well, it's something along the lines like this, my boy." The same voice replied. "I assume that you've got your grubby mitts on Zero's control chip? Well, guess what. We've got his body. All three chunks of it."
Every voice in the MHHQ War Room silenced themselves immediately, and every head turned with incredulity to face the screen.
"And we've got a blueplate special for ya, Hunter!" a second, more gruffish voice said. "We're willing to fork 'em over to ya, if you're lucky enough to beat us."
"Well, now." X said through clenched teeth. "That sounds mighty neighborly of you. And what praytell happens if I lose?"
"Well then, you die!" The first voice snorted indignantly. "Gods, X. I knew you were a naïve sort of person, but daft as well?"
"So it's a trap then." X replied cooly.
"Plain and simple." Said the first voice. "But look at it like this, Mega Man X. Can you afford NOT to take the opportunity? After all, even without his control chip, we can just build a new one into Zero. And his body is quite the devastating weapon, since I've made some new modifications to it."
"Why you…"
"Aah, aah, aah!" Said the first voice again. "You can face us, and gamble your life for his. Or you can ignore us…and then there will come a day, indeed, a great day…when you, X…shall have to destroy your former Commander. Tell me, are you capable of doing that?"
X bowed his head down, clenching both fists up and gritting his teeth.
"I am going to KILL YOU ALL!" He finally screamed. A third voice laughed, then spoke up.
"You may try. We look forward to meeting you, X…and for all you Maverick Hunters, a reminder to have your pets spayed or neutered!"
The vox communication clicked off.
The silence at the MHHQ was deafening. Cain shook his head and put a consoling hand on X's shoulder.
"X…Zero's control chip is still here with us. I doubt it's possible to resurrect him without it."
"Resurrect him, yes. Resurrect a ghost that I could never fight…All too possible." X replied gently. He lifted his head up, letting his burning blue green eyes bore into Cain's face. "Doctor Cain…I've got to get Zero's parts back at any cost."
And another day passed…