Mega Man X 1.5
by Tremor3258
The Final Disclaimer to 1.5 In lieu of this, I'd just like to say that if Capcom was willing to give me the rights to MMX, I'd snap them in a second. Until that day, Capcom owns Mega Man X.
The Last Dance of the Hunters: Part One: The Orchestra
X, Lifesaver, and Gate looked at the viral readings in dismay. Zero, Bebop, Jazz, and Iris; the various test dummies that had their neural patterns overlaid to create a vaccine program, looked at the readings sadly in the background. Alia and Wolf had popped in, as they were about to drag Bebop and Jazz to a training exercise. It was two days after the attack on HQ, and repairs were underway. Some were precautionary measures, like the current project.
Gate had taken the information from Isoc on the original blueprints of Zero, Bebop, and Jazz and compared it with their current programming to isolate the Viral guard their systems had put together after infection. The chips X had found, unfortunately, had been nothing more than some old drone blueprints. Iris had been tapped because of the fact that, through great hardship, she had learned control over the berserker core of her programming, and learned to tap that power for greater gain. She had volunteered for the project to prevent future pain, but she still rarely spoke, and even then only to Zero.
All four had risen above programs counter to their very nature, and typically molded them into something more workable. Iris's original battle armor had been far more heavily armed, but much of that weaponry had not phased into existence when Iris activated her armor program for the first time in her battle against Zero, mind broken by watching the two Reploids she loved the most fight and the stress of war.
Zero, Jazz, and Bebop had been exposed to the world's most dangerous virus in an earlier, non airborne form. Then, willpower had somehow carried the day, but even they had been unable to wipe it out completely. Instead, the chaos-raising and hate sections of the Virus had been removed, forging the Virus into a weapon that they could unleash as necessary.
The current form of the Virus, when exposed to their mutated form, was changed as well by their auto-repair systems as it recognized the Virus as 'damaged'. An analysis on Zero had shown, due to being in the same form as Doctor Wily had envisioned, that the Virus nanos formed themselves into a layer of extra ablative armor, increasing damage, and by spreading throughout his systems, allowing quicker recovery from stresses, allowing Zero to move faster with a better reaction time. Zero could activate a weaker version at will, as well, which simply boosted his own auto-repair systems alone, but it wasn't quite as powerful as the Maverick Virus version.
Jazz and Bebop, however, couldn't go through the same system without losing energy. There fusion reactors weren't quite capable of maintaining the extra Virus nanos, or keeping up matter synthesis to maintain the extra armor and subsystems, without draining off active energy from the fusion tank. This was because of a bit of cross contamination on their parts. Jazz's systems in their original form should have been just fine, but during their 30-year-coma, the two had overlaid circuit diagrams to a degree, gaining Bebop his ability to handle the nanos, but losing Jazz's perfect control over the same.
(Tremor's Note: I swear I'm done my exposition for at least a little while, but I figure the recap would come in handy for late-comers. Especially since Zero just pretty much reconfigures the Virus in the last chapter with little explanation. Anyway, where was I)
However, once again, the antagonists of 20XX had proven why their designs were so superior. If it could be locked down to one circuit tracing or so, then the Hunters could build Shadow Armor into every Reploid on the planet. Even if their fusion cores would be drained, they wouldn't be infected, truly a fate worse than death. The three had strident objections to this, as due to the increased influence of the remaining Virus's warrior programming, someone in the effect of Shadow Armor was effectively a psychopath. A psychopath who could be directed and knew which enemies should be instantly destroyed, but still, all the emotions and relationships a Reploid valued were reduced to insignificant spots of light in the background of consciousness.
Frankly, Gate was willing to consider that allowable, but Fate had intervened. Every attempt to build in a Shadow Armor system had failed. Even Iris's systems had proven more reproducible just going off of partial medical records. Gate decided he could probably rewire a Shadow Armor system into either Bebop, Jazz, or Zero, but he doubted he could build one into another Reploid.
Still, one good thing had come from the analysis. The Shadow Armor enhanced nanomachines were completely noninfectious. They gave off a Maverick signature in use, but the three would have a better chance of infecting other Reploids by releasing cold germs.
So, with the hardware side out, Gate had concentrated on the programming side of things. Iris's ability to control what, all in all, was pure berserk madness had been added into things due to the similarity of the Maverick Virus to such, according to eyewitness accounts and the three Infected Hunters in the room. Gate had managed to, due to his earlier groundwork, plus the better analysis he was able to perform with their blueprints; create a Vaccine program. Unfortunately, the Vaccine seemed just as horrifying.
"Gate," Zero asked impatiently, "That little Metool in there is going to move again, right?" Zero tapped on the glass that separated them from the small helmeted robot, wires leading up into its cap as the Vaccine had been loaded through them. Since the program had activated, the Met had simply frozen. By all accounts, it should have either rejected the programming or given an error message if something was wrong, and Gate wasn't quite prepared to test it was working by finding some Maverick Virus and dumping it on the little guy.
Zero, finally fed up by the lack of response, stopped tapping and started pounding. The glass was incredibly tough, but it couldn't take that kind of punishment for very long. "Hey! Met!" yelled Zero, "Blink or something!" The Metool, obligingly enough, blinked. Everyone stopped talking. Zero said cautiously, "Metool, fire your plasma cutter through those wires and walk around the room three times." The Met instantly replied. Zero muttered, "One final test: Met, self-preservation is your highest priority." The Met suddenly looked around cautiously. "Okay: Met, self-preservation is your highest priority, and kill yourself." The Met calmly fired its plasma cutter at close range into the wall. At such range, the feedback for the particle stream, especially against the plasma-diffusive metal, started burning its way through the Met's delicate circuitry. After a moment, the Met gurgled and suddenly ducked down, smoke coming out from under its helmet, its circuitry fried beyond repair.
"Okay," said Gate slowly, "We've just created a totally obedient Met. One that would probably duck down immediately at any foe, but was still happy to incinerate itself? It's got self-preservation routines! It shouldn't do that unless some programming pretty much wiped its, oh no." Gate hit the desk a few times with his head. Luckily, he was wearing his helmet.
"So, you've created an Obedience Virus?" Bebop said incredulously. Gate shrugged. It certainly looked that way.
"I need to check, but the Met seemed to respond to Zero, when every preprogrammed command met, ha ha, with nothing." Gate opened a few files and scanned them, "Apparently the priority level got changed inside its head. It NEEDED desperately to obey humans, and we're fairly close to a Met's scanners. I think I'll need to borrow another Met, maybe try a non-human Reploid or two to see if they'll obey."
"That's it. Alia, Wolf, Bebop!" Jazz ordered, "We're going training with Lancer before something else goes wrong, and we're involved! That Virus is NOTHING but trouble. Why aren't we using our readings to fine-tune the satellites to find Sigma's hidden base or something is beyond me!" Jazz raged as she stomped towards the door.
X said softly, "If they found out you were infected, the Council would have you blown to scrap faster than you can say, 'Wait! I'm cured!' Mind you, the idea of an Obedience Virus is worse. Gate, are you sure that thing will defeat the Virus?" The quartet didn't acknowledge what X had said. They knew it already as they quietly filed out. Gate punched at his systems for a few minutes before responding to X.
Gate said, "As sure as I can be without a handy stock of Maverick Virus. Frankly, this is my best attempt so far. It seems to be able to match the Viral programming, from what I've seen. Unfortunately, it seems the Maverick Virus attacks the personality grid, and randomizes it to the point of no resistence, rebuilding the Reploid into a destroyer. Without a Virus for our Vaccine to fight, it seems to have wiped out the personality grid, but I need to do more tests, but I don't really WANT to. This thing might just be as bad as the Maverick Virus."
*************************
"And wouldn't Number two just LOVE to know that, eh Gate," said Number One, watching the usual unfolding drama at Maverick HQ. It was definitely his second favorite activity. Hunter security was impressive enough against most hackers, but if you break far enough in once, you typically can foray in a little while afterwards. For example, Sigma had used Techno to break in once, and managed to establish a paper trail for Double later. Hunter security records were technically Council property, and were lightly encrypted. The Council only checked once a week or so, and the Hunters had been doing their best to edit those records. But when you had the originals, things got much more interesting.
The Hunters tried so hard to fulfill their goals, thought Number One but they were eternally playing catchup. Light's new toys and Wily's old weapons had given them a hope of finally eliminating the Virus from the Maverick equation. "Still, instead of driving the Reploids against humanity, driving them into the perfect servants might just be as useful to my goals." Their Vaccine would have to be tweaked, of course, but they had stumbled upon something useful. A total lockdown of personality functions, except when an order came through, and then the personality grid devoted itself to solving the problem.
Number One had finished compiling the various reports on the Hunters. They had proven quite useful in the past, keeping a semblance of order in the world, but their leadership had begun to decay into irrationality, making them rely simply on their own ethics as a guideline. Admirable yet, especially with the 'knight errant' setup that the Hunters favored. However, from that point onward, it was a matter of time until fearful humans found out. What would happen if the Hunters decided that Sigma was right? Most people, rightly, derided that view, but the subject had been breached. Repliforce had merely increased the possibility of the Hunters being out of control vigilantes, and the fact that the Hunters HAD acted as out-of-control vigilantes recently in their quest to destroy the Virus made things easier for One.
Now, One was merely a button press and a short conversation away from releasing a series of statements and anonymous tips to world authorities that would end in the complete and utter destruction of the Hunters. Now, he had to call Number Two. The existence of a Vaccine would allow his patient co-conspirator to make movements with his Mavericks.
"One week, maximum," decided Number One, "That's how long they'll have before every army in the world is targeting their precious fortress. A week from today, the Hunters will cease to exist as a functioning weapon of war." Number One began his final preparations. Once again, it was time for a new order of things. X's existence had revolutionized the world. Sigma's decision to destroy humanity for the good of his species had a similar lasting effect. "I can top that," murmured Number One happily.
***********************
"I knew it!" said Laser Wolf happily. The four had been involved in an exercise with the Ninth Unit (Special Terrain) of the Maverick Hunters, or the Rangers as they preferred to call themselves. Rarely involved in large battles, there job was typically to serve as scouts and flankers for the main body of the Maverick Hunters, and so individual exercises were the norm. This was, actually, Jazz and Bebop's first opportunity to actually train in the Ninth's facilities despite being on the roster officially for almost a month, due to the hectic last few weeks of being either unconscious, thought to be infected, or busy being strapped to examining tables to try and distill a Vaccine from their programing.
Laser Wolf, someone who took almost as much pride in his skills as a warrior as Zero, was ecstatic due to two reasons. Firstly, despite not having the opportunity to work with their entire squad of the two ancients and Alia, the quartet's cohesion had quickly returned. The second reason was something Wolf had always suspected: despite being heavily armed for long-range combat, his three squad members had great potential with close-range beam weaponry of various sizes.
Jazz and Bebop didn't have a problem with that, as they had been using their claws in battle with a skill that was almost second nature, but were very raw with any sort of maneuver more advanced than a simple swing with a saber. Beam-weapons hadn't existed when the two had been constructed. Alia's problem was one that meant she would be unlikely to get into close combat any time soon. Her design was still very civilian, and while she had agility, she lacked the battle armor that most close-combat specialists carried, and even Jazz and Bebop, before their upgrade, had better defense systems than she did. A single saber swing could cripple her.
Originally, this hadn't been seen as a problem by the Hunters, but on further consideration, especially of the massive losses taken assaulting Wily's last fortress, Alia had wanted to get a better upgrade to deal with fighting in enclosed spaces. Her lightning gun made things nasty for opponents in a large radius when she used its charged function, but there were some Mechaniloids equipped to deal with those sort of charges, and in a heavily forested or rocky area where the fighting was at close range, she could be in trouble.
Normally, upgrading wasn't too difficult. Alia's record was quite good so far, and a simple armor upgrade was more tedious than expensive. Sadly, the medical corps didn't have time for that right now. There were a gut-wrenching number of injuries from the operation, and the medical staff had been putting in insane hours. The Ninth, mainly sniping, had gotten off light and was at sixty percent effectiveness. The cream of the Hunters special operations division, Unit 0, however, had been wiped out except for its commander by Sigma himself, who had then fled rather than face the Hunter Sigma had accidentally improved. \
Jazz and Bebop, with some robotics instruction by the masters of the field themselves, Dr. Wily and Dr. Light, and they were putting something together in their spare time. Wolf had long decided he could sleep easier without knowing exactly where they were getting their equipment from. Still, Alia had decided she would be a Hunter and help defend her race's reputation in the eyes of humanity, and Wolf, who had been a bit aimless after the Fourth Uprising and joined the Hunters by default, had found himself inspired once again by Alia's determination. He wanted the world for her, and it hurt him far worse than any enemy weapon to see her morose over her capabilities. For now, he simply continued leading the training of the other three. Lancer didn't appoint squad leaders, but the two cats and Wolf's angel had appointed him one anyway.
Still, Wolf watched Alia deliver three stinging taps to Jazz's front, who fell down under the accumulated shocks. Jazz's lack of combat practice was definitely showing, and Wolf had let the two go at it to encourage Jazz to get some extra training as well as try and boost Alia's confidence. Bebop was busy working on midair target practice with Lancer.
Wolf looked at the hilt in his hand and sighed. While armor work was easy, setting up a beam saber recharge system, diverting a plasma feed into the holding cells of a saber hilt, was a bit more involved. Zero had gotten one only in the process of being rebuilt from his stasis mode in the First Uprising. Alia's systems were relatively standardized, and it probably wouldn't be too difficult, considering a direct tap from the fusion reactor was involved. Jazz and Bebop's wiring, however, was a mess, and their weapon systems were an amalgamation of several different GENERATIONS of weapon design. Jazz had managed to weapon copy a beam saber, but its use was limited and the energy drain was substantial. Even so, Wolf was interested in what seeing her technique system could do with a true saber's systems.
Even if someone could figure out a way through the practical problems without blowing up the two ancient Reploids in the process, Jazz and Bebop now practically had a phobia about hospitals. Whenever they woke up in one, they were kept under heavy observation and scrutiny. For all Wolf knew, the two had managed to doodle a system together to get around their saber limitations, but they weren't ready to implement it for fear of some other secret being discovered during the installation process.
Wolf decided that Alia had done enough damage to Jazz's self-esteem for one day, and called an end to the training session. Jazz was staring daggers at Wolf. She had a fine head on her shoulders, and knew exactly what had been up, and she had been fully aware of her lack of practice during the battle against Douglas a few days ago. Wolf bowed slightly in apology and Jazz's expression lightened slightly. Seeming to struggle with something, she talked to Alia for a moment before the other female-based Reploid went to hang up the sabers, and Jazz scooted over, hovering slightly above ground on her jet pack. "Bebop and I want to show you something later after dinner," she whispered. Wolf nodded and the ancient went out, probably to stop the combat match between the Unit Commander and her love before one chopped the other into scrap. Bebop and Jazz had actually managed to be found in the present one year ago today, and so they were going out to celebrate. Alia came back with a low smile on her face, and Wolf grinned. The two of them were off duty as well tonight, and they felt their continued relationship was easily worthy of a little celebration.
***************************
Despite various relationships continuing along well, all was not rosy, emotional wise in Hunter HQ. It rarely was, due to the constant stream of injured or dead Reploids flowing through its doors. Things for one Hunter were worse than they had been for a long time. Zero had taken months to recover from Iris's death, the one person who made him think there was more than mere combat to make him important. With her death, he had thrown himself into training with a vengeance, raising his already near-supernatural levels of skill, and honing his Unit to perfection.
The Unit was gone, now. Zero doubted Sigma had managed to get the Unit to go through the door one at a time and get killed, he had trained them better than that. Instead, somehow, Sigma had gotten his elite members to rip themselves to pieces, leaving one survivor to be infected. Damningly, Zero had not been there to help, and even when he should have fallen to the same fate, he had once again survived, being forced to kill one of his star pupils. Sigma had not even had the decency to wait around and be challenged. So, now Zero was up on the roof of the HQ dome, watching the city lights and in deep depression.
"Is this a private guilt fest, or can anyone join in?" asked Iris softly. Zero jumped up in surprise. He should have heard her approach. He was farther gone than he had realized. Iris looked at Zero with anguish in her eyes, "Zero. I'm sorry about your friends. I should have helped. I was there, but I was useless again and stood by. I wish I could claim programming or something, but Sigma took great delight in informing me of the pains he took to keep me clean of the Virus. He wanted me in control and ready to put an energy beam through your torso." Iris, like many Reploids, had human responses to emotions, and her eyes were filling with tears.
Zero reached out and grabbed her hand softly, "Listen, Iris. You've been through a hell as dark, or worse, than anything a Hunter has ever faced from the Mavericks. Sigma usually shatters minds. He tried to make you over in his own image with your mind intact, and you held out. I don't know if I could do that. Especially with the last year or so I've been having." Zero sighed morosely.
Iris said, "Zero, from anyone else, maybe, I could accept that. You're the strongest person I know, and though you're maybe a little trigger happy," Zero snorted, but Iris continued resolutely, "You go in with a few basic systems and cleaned up half of the Fourth on your own. X gets super-advanced armor systems. That takes iron will, and a determination to do good. It's why I love you. You don't have the awesome power of some of the Maverick generals, but you simply try harder and ARE better than them. Remember, if you were infected once before, Sigma, Cain's greatest design, failed against a form of the Virus that you, Bebop, and Jazz all succeeded in at least grinding to a halt. That wasn't the technology that lets you use the Virus, that was sheer willpower, and I envy that."
Zero chuckled darkly, "I guess we're at an impasse then. We both know the other person in this debate is stronger than he or she are?"
"Giving up then?" Iris whispered.
Zero shook his head, "Sit down. There's plenty of room. We can discuss things a little further." Iris took the offered seat. Things weren't right with them, of course, but Iris could see a light at the end of the tunnel.
***********************
A few hours later, Laser Wolf stood in Jazz and Bebop's room with arms folded. He had dropped off a few gifts for them a moment ago: some group photos, some champagne, and two beam sabers. Wolf rarely gave up, and the two's delaying tactics to show something off was getting to him, "All right, you two. You're cackling like mad. Either you've gotten someone to teach you a new game that involves a lot of mid-air disc-throwing, or you've come up with some new toy. Considering your last one was that improved armor warp capability that probably saved some human lives at Dr. Cain's retirement party, I'm expecting quite a bit here."
The two, relenting, quickly went over to a closed storage cubby and made a show of pushing the open button. The doors dutifully retracted. It took a moment for Wolf's sensitive optics to pick up what was inside, as the cats rather sensitive optics meant they preferred to work in darker conditions when outside their battle armor. It was, incidentally, a set of armor on a stand, but while it had a superficial resemblance to Bebop's thruster pack with additional thruster pods on projected wings, many of the details were quite different. Jazz and Bebop proudly pulled the armor out.
It was primarily green, but it had more pink accents than it originally had, along with a red visor. A set of wings hovered on the back. Jazz said, "Gate said he wouldn't have time to try and put Yammark together for a while, so his control chip's in stasis. He wants to rebuild him with better defenses, and when we asked about the old body, Gate let us have it as a present."
Bebop continued, "Since Gate had built Yammark's circuits using a design similar to Alia as a base, and with Alia's blueprints on file, we managed to jury-rig an interface system that Alia can use. It has fairly stealthy flying ability, as with those wings there aren't many heat emissions. Plus, we hook this into Alia's weapon circuits and she can generate drones with all the old sensor and ECM abilities, but with double the armor and three times the firepower, making them act as a defensive AND offensive weapon. And, as an added bonus due to the work you've been having us doing in training, a beam saber recharger pack on the back. What do you think of our little Yammark Option for Alia?"
Wolf said, "I'm amazed you managed to get this done in only a few days. Does it work?" The two cats glared in the near-darkness, amber eyes narrowed. "Sorry, of course it works. I suppose you want me to take this over to Alia with a beam saber?"
Jazz said, "Actually, we needed help lugging the thing through the halls successfully. It's a bit bulky. We could use your muscle. As for getting it together in two days... most of Yammark's non-critical systems, like his weapons and such, were intact. The fusion core was pretty much gone, but Alia has one of those. Repairing the armor was the worst part of the proposition. Luckily, Gate didn't need us very long for our part in the Vaccine. Iris and Zero were the ones mainly under the scanner." Jazz and Bebop grabbed sunglasses. People tended to freak out less when they appeared more human, which meant obscuring their eyes. Plus, they were out of armor and the hallway lights tended to be a bit much.
Wolf nodded and grabbed the armor off its carrying rack. It was held together now by an EM field generated by power cells stored in the armor, making the armor almost appear to have an invisible user. While the effect made transport easy, it was creepy as all get out. The three quickly lugged it through the halls. Jazz grinned when she saw the lights shine off the armor. Alia would almost certainly love it, even if it wasn't a Light Capsule level improvement, but enhanced body armor was a sign of moving up through the world in the Hunters. The group quickly made it to Wolf and Alia's shared quarters, where the door was suddenly opened by a frantic Alia.
"I've been trying to reach you two on the comm!" Alia practically wailed at Jazz and Bebop. They looked at each other sheepishly and realized they had shut it off for the night on the town. Alia paused, "What's that? Does Gate know you have his baby?" The three quickly explained the purpose of the gift and Alia's expression tightened. "Guys, I love it, but I think it's going to come in handy sooner than you thought. I managed to record most of the newsflash. See this." Alia triggered a small view screen in their quarters.
"-taking now to World Council headquarters in Geneva, where rumors circle about highly believable evidence citing the possibilities of a conspiracy in Hunter ranks. Fragmentary reports from the usual 'highly-placed' sources suggests that their may have been several Viral outbreaks within the Hunters' Tokyo Headquarters itself, but the outbreaks were covered up by Isoc, a Reploid in charge of the Hunters who is still under suspicion for the failure of his copy of the famed Blue Bomber roughly a month ago. There are also reports of Mavericks in the Amazon teleporting directly to Headquarters. We take you now to-" Alia cut off the view screen.
The four exchanged nervous glances. The Hunters knew they couldn't hide forever, but hoped to have enough to show for their efforts to redeem themselves. Time was up, and the Hunters had little to show but more treachery that had managed to uncover from within, and now was not a good time to be pointing out further weaknesses in the Hunter's security. And somewhere, Number One laughed as the death knell for the Hunters began to rang.
To be continued
Probably a there-part finale, similar to last time. Well, it had to happen. You can't run behind the backs of the people you report to forever. Quite a while, but not forever. Time to see how well the Hunters can roll with the punches.
Alia gets an upgrade. Probably the weakest of X.5's 4 main characters, I thought she could use a boost, and no one was using the body.
The Amazon outbreak refers to Jazz and Bebop's ice sled ride about 3 parts back, with the mysterious activity in the Amazon control area.
Iris and Zero are both depressed, but on the other hand, they may have broken through Sigma's attempts at control to a great degree on each other, and they're feeling very vulnerable right now. The healing process is started. Hope they have enough time to finish it.
The ends don't always justify the means, but the Hunters main crimes here have been to move quickly and justly moving around idiotic bureaucratic procedure. Obviously, in this time line the Hunters took a lot of heat for the Repliforce War, but they were forced to respond due to the procedures in effect. The MMX continuity, where Reploids seem to lose either way...
Next time: We figure out more of what various apparently dropped plot threads are up to, and the Hunters struggle to redeem themselves. Meanwhile, it's time for the old Virus himself to start a few experiments with what the Hunters have been cooking up.
The stage has been set for the Hunters. Time to see who dances.
Tremor3258, who is about to add 'Repliforce' to his spell-check dictionary, signing off.