Chapter 4: Boba Fett No More
X, Zero, Auroran, and Buzzsaw were walking down the deserted street in the highly-populated city of Mocpac, heading towards the Global Convention Center that stood only a mile away. During their little stroll, Buzzsaw felt an overwhelming urge to say something to his comrades. He hates silence in all its forms. Even though they were seemingly heading into another suicide mission with a battle in their minds, Buzzsaw decided that he should break the ice. He would rather die in battle than die of sheer boredom.
"Hey X! What time is it?" Buzzsaw asks.
X looks into his internal timing mechanism and says, "It's 4:30 in the morning, Buzz. The sun should be rising soon."
"Oh. Okay.", Buzzsaw's conversation may not have been productive, but at least it gave way for X to say:
"So, Buzzsaw. What was with that act you pulled with Aurie earlier? I mean, why did you kneel before her and call her your "Mega Goddess"?"
Realizing that the question was inevitable, Buzzsaw took X's hand and gently pulled him away until they were about two feet away and out of earshot from Aurie and Zero. He then whispered in X's ear, saying:
"She saved my life."
"She WHA..." Buzzsaw covered X's mouth before he yelled out. He then replied:
"Remember the third Maverick War against Dr. Doppler? Well, I was stationed with my unit on the outskirts of Doppler Town, and we were ordered to destroy any enemy tank or plane that tried to leave the town. Before she joined the 17th unit, Aurie was stationed with me. That's how we met and how we became best friends. Anyway, we were on patrol when several Doppler planes ambushed us out of nowhere. Man, X! Me and Aurie were unstoppable that day. We took down plane after plane, but in the heat of battle, I didn't notice a lone Doppler plane hovering in back of me until it was too late. It fired a stun blast in my back and I thought I was finished. But then Aurie stepped in and protected me, firing a Level 5 blast at the thing and she looked after me until a transport came to save us. She reminds me so much of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and battle. That's why she's my Mega Goddess, and why I'm so in debt to her."
X reeled back, surprised, and said, "Gosh, Buzz. I didn't know. I thought maybe you were in love with her."
Buzzsaw replied, "Nah. I'm not in love with her. I already know she's in love with you." X blushed at that remark. Buzz then took X by the shoulders and said, "But remember this X. I'm trying to keep my righteous reputation at the HQ as a great warrior, and if you tell ANYONE about the story I just told you, I will take a two-ton herring and beat you to death with it, got it?!"
"Sure, Buzz!", X said without a budge, "Cross my mechanical heart and hope to-"
"Hey guys! Here's the Convention Center up ahead!" Aurie yelled, interrupting their conversation.
The four Reploids stood in awe at the cylindrical-shaped building. Zero moved towards Aurie and said, "How come you know so much about this building, Aurie?"
Aurie turned towards Zero and said, "I come to Mocpac City a lot. Haven't you noticed all the times I was gone from the HQ when I'm on leave? I love coming to the nightclubs here and seeing the sights. The dancing and music is spectacular, and the ancient and newly made buildings are a wonder! Though I wish I could spend all that time with X. I mean...."
Zero immediately interrupted her and said, "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of all this waiting! I wanna see some action!" Zero then stood in the middle of the street and screamed at the top of his lungs.
"VIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLE!!!"
The three hunters reeled back in surprise to Zero's cry. Buzzsaw then grabbed him by the shoulders and yelled, in his face, "Thanks a lot, Zero! I may never have the hiccups again!" Suddenly, the sound of two loud clangs happened behind the four and they whirled around to see two giant, portly Reploids standing before them.
"Hello, boys and girls!", said Flame Mammoth, "This is the perfect morning to melt you all into metal puddles!"
"And once he's done," Frost Walrus added, "I'll freeze what's left and make metal plates, then I'll toss you into the wind like fun little frisbees. Heh heh heh!"
At that second, the rest of the Mavericks jumped in to join their comrades, and a purple streak appeared in front of the group and soon materialized into Vile, his cold, red eyes staring evilly at the four Maverick Hunters.
"Looks like the Brady Bunch has arrived!", Buzzsaw sarcastically said, donning his signature helmet and mask. Zero and Aurie also stood ready for battle as X added, "Don't you know there are humans trying to sleep in this part of town?"
Annoyed by that remark, Vile said, "Aw, gee!! I'm sorry X! Did you forget that we Mavericks don't freakin' CARE ABOUT THE FREAKIN' HUMANS?!!" He then ran his hand across his shoulder cannon, his eyes gleaming in an ominous red light, and said "So, are you four losers ready to DIE!!"
"No way, T-Face!" Zero yelled, "You're NOT gonna ruin us! And you're certainly NOT gonna ruin the peace process!"
"Oooooh! You're as tough as ever, aren't you Zero!?", Vile retorted, "If you wanna stop us, you'll have to catch us, if you DARE!!! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!" With that, he, Storm Eagle, and Split Mushroom ran further down the street.
"Let's get 'em, X!", Buzzsaw yelled as he ran after the Mavericks. X nodded and ran with him.
"Hey! Come back here you cowards!", Zero yelled as he ran after Wire Sponge and Volt Catfish.
"Hey you guys!! Why do I always have to fight the BIG boys!", Aurie yelled as she stood ready to fight Flame Mammoth and Frost Walrus.
The fight for peace has begun.
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Buzzsaw was suddenly surrounded by a dozen Soul Bodies created by Split Mushroom. The Maverick then motioned for them to attack as X appeared to help out.
"Leave him alone!", X yelled as he ran towards Mushroom. Suddenly, he was thrown two blocks back by Storm Eagle's Storm Tornado.
"Take THAT, Mega Dork X!", sneered Storm Eagle as he flew above X's head. The bird Maverick then proceeded to spit out an egg that released a slew of bird drones and sent them after X.
At that same moment, Buzzsaw was jumping and backflipping to avoid Mushroom's destructive copies. Some of the copies had hit him as they flung themselves towards him, and was weakening him. After the fight, Mushroom casually walked towards Buzzsaw, who was bruised and kneeling in pain, and said, "Don't you worry, Greenie! My split personalities will put you out of your misery! Heh heh!" The Maverick then created a dozen more Soul Bodies.
Seeing Mushroom's hand motions, Buzzsaw thinks to himself. "Maybe he is controlling his copies mentally. If I could only break his concentration...." Buzzsaw then gathered the last of his strength, raised his head, and yelled:
"Is that the best you got, MOLDYBREATH!!!"
Suddenly, the Soul Bodies dissapated, and Split Mushroom, with sheer hate burning in his eyes, waved his arms frantically in anger and yelled, "DON'T..........CALL.......ME........."
Suddenly, in a sapphire flash, Split Mushroom stopped and looked in horror at the giant gash across his stomach. Buzzsaw had taken advantage of Mushroom's angry outburst and sliced him with his Beam Sabre. Storm Eagle turned his attention away from X and watched in disbelief as Mushroom fell to the pavement. His last words being "....moldy......breath....", the Maverick then closed his eyes and shut down.
Storm Eagle screamed, in true bird-like nature, "You.....YOU MURDERING POSTULE!!! AWWWWWWWKKKKKK!!!", and then swooped angrily towards Buzzsaw. Buzzsaw aimed his "Enchanted Blade" at the Maverick and fired several rounds of energy blades. Within seconds, the mutilated corpse of Storm Eagle fell to the ground.
X yelled out, "Top notch work, Buzz! You are great!" Buzzsaw gave a thumbs-up and said "Thanks, X!" At that moment, another Maverick corpse fell from the sky and landed in between the two hunters with a loud thud.
It was Blast Hornet. Apparently some stray energy blades that missed Storm Eagle had angled into the sky and flew towards Blast Hornet. Being too focused on the mission, he had reacted too late and was hit by the spinning blades.
With a surprised look on his face, X said, "Let me rephrase that. You are RIGHTEOUS!!!" Buzzsaw, also surprised, simply smiled at the remark.
"MEGA MAN X!!! COME OUT AND FACE ME!!!"
X and Buzz whirled around to see Vile standing in the middle of the street, his red eyes glaring and his white-gloved fists clenched in sheer frustration.
"Stand aside, Buzzsaw!" X said, charging his X-Buster. He then continued to say:
"Go and help Aurie. This purple bag of puke is MINE!!!"
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"Let go of me, Squash for brains!!"
"Not until after I break you like the weak pinata you are! Ha ha ha!"
Wire Sponge was swinging Zero around and around by the legs with his Strike Chain. Zero tried in vain to cut it with his Beam Sabre, but he dropped it when he hit a nearby fire escape. Volt Catfish had picked it up and placed it in his rather huge mouth, eating it, in hopes of consuming and gaining its energy. This gave him an idea.
"Hey, Sponge! I got an idea!", Volt Catfish yelled, "That Electric Eel soup didn't really satisfy my appetite. I'm now in the mood for the main course! Throw Zero over here!"
Sensing his plan, Sponge replied, "Right, Catfish! Bon appetit!" Sponge then let go of his Strike Chain and let Zero fall haplessly into Catfish's gaping maw. Only Zero's blonde hair was sticking out of Catfish's mouth as he closed it and proceeded to take his energy.
A split second later, Volt Catfish's previous maneuver became his biggest mistake. Zero grabbed his Beam Sabre from within and did a successful Spin Slash maneuver, turning Catfish into a bloody, metallic sushi. Zero stood disoriented, covered in circulatory fluids, and with some of his energy drained as Wire Sponge looked in extreme horror at the spectacle before him.
"You....YOU KILLED HIM!!! WHY I'LL......I'LL....."
"You'll what, cucumber head?" said Zero as he gained his bearings and pointed his Beam Sabre menacingly at the stammering Maverick. Suddenly, a beep emitted from Sponge's wrist. He looked at it and said "5:00 already?!!" He then turned his attention again to Zero and said, "I'LL.....deal with you later!" Sponge then ran down the alley and around the corner, but not before releasing three pods into the ground.
"Hey! I'm not through with you yet! Come back here!", Zero yelled as he ran after him. He suddenly felt something catch his leg and he looked down to see three Scorpion Roots clutching his legs. Zero took his Beam Sabre and sliced the three roots, freeing his legs, then proceeded further down the alley to find Wire Sponge opening a manhole with one hand and holding two black and red objects with the other.
With a shrill cry, Zero lunged towards Sponge and tackled him. The Maverick screamed in absolute terror as Zero slashed him over and over, eventually killing him. Zero stood up and triumphantly said, "That's one weed whacked!" He then heard a noise and whirled around.
It was Wheel Gator.
"Yeah! You whacked my pal! Now I'm gonna whack YOU, ya dumb blonde!" He then outstretched his arms and fired several Spin Wheels at Zero. Zero jumped several times to avoid them, and, in his last jump, had accidentally landed on one of the black objects still clutched in Wire Sponge's mangled hand. Picking it up and seeing it beep and flash, he came to a conclusion and yelled:
"IT'S A BOMB!!!"
"Uh oh! I'm outta here!!" Wheel Gator yelled as he started to run away.
Acting quickly, Zero flung the bomb like a frisbee towards Gator and yelled, "Catch, Leatherhead!" The bomb hit Gator on the back and exploded upon impact with great force. Gator's smoking, mangled body fell to the floor and laid there, motionless.
"Cool! I guess you're nothin' but luggage now, huh?!", said Zero sarcastically. He then picked up the other bomb in Sponge's hand (carefully) and said, "I think you'll come in handy, later."
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"Ack....let go......stupid......trunkfaced.......can't.....breathe....."
Auroran kicked and punched Flame Mammoth in desperation as the large Maverick clamped her neck and squeezed it tighter with every minute. Aurie saw her world becoming black and felt her lungs were about to burst.
"Hey c'mon, Mammoth! I want a piece of the action!", Frost Walrus said as he watched.
"Take a hike, Tuskbreath! She's mine!" he replied as he squeezed Aurie's neck even tighter.
Walrus ignored the elephant's retort, pointed his shoulder at Aurie, and fired a Frost Tower at her. The recoil from the shot, however, caused the Frost Tower to fly towards the pavement where Mammoth was standing and the impact caused him to release Aurie. She laid on the ground, gasping for air and rubbing her bruised neck.
Mammoth turned his attention to a dumbfounded Frost Walrus and angrily yelled, "Look at what you made me do, Tuskbreath!"
Walrus answered back, "It's your fault, Dumbo! You were hogging all the fun!!"
"Well, that's for not getting my soup earlier, Tuskbreath!!!"
"You're still mad about that, Dumbo!!!"
"Don't call me Dumbo, TUSKBREATH!!!"
"Oh, okay! FAT@$$!!!"
"ALLRIGHT!!! THAT'S IT!!!"
Flame Mammoth then lunged at Frost Walrus and soon after that, the two giant Reploids were rolling on the ground, punching each other and exchanging insults. As this occurred, Aurie regained her senses, got up, and aimed her blaster at the two feuding Mavericks, saying:
"HEY, fellas! It's kinda funny seeing you two fat ^%#($#@ fighting, and I really hate to break it up, but I will anyway!" She then smiled as she fired a Level 5 blast at the two, sending them flying over the horizon. Their crash landing a long distance away caused a tremor that shook half the city.
"Boy, those two really need to go on a diet!", Aurie said with a giggle. Buzzsaw ran to her and said, "Are you okay, Aurie?!"
"I'm somewhat bruised, but I'm okay.", she said, rubbing her sore neck, "Are you alright, mighty Buzzsaw the Righteous?"
"I always remain in good shape for you, my Mega Goddess." Buzzsaw mused as he bowed before her.
All silliness aside, Aurie inquired, in a concerned tone, "Where's X? Where's Zero?"
Buzzsaw wore a concerned look as well and said, "Zero ran after Wire Sponge and Volt Catfish in that alley over there. I heard an explosion and found Wheel Gator along with the two Mavericks all mangled up in the alley, and I couldn't find Zero anywhere, so I assume he's okay. As for X, he......."
Buzzsaw stopped as he and Aurie heard screaming coming from further down the street. It was X.
"MEGGY!!! Hang on!! We're coming!!", Aurie screamed as she and Buzzsaw ran towards X's location.
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As the sun rose in the pre-dawn sky, Vile was in the street, constantly punching and kicking X in a mad rage. A badly dented X fired a Level 3 X-Buster blast at the purple Reploid, knocking him back a few feet. Angered by that, Vile fired back a Level 4 Shoulder Cannon blast, knocking X into a brick wall.
"Leave my Meggy alone, you psycho!!!", Aurie screamed as she and Buzzsaw lunged after him.
Vile aimed his Module Launcher (the weapon resting on his other shoulder) at Buzzsaw and Aurie and fired a grenade at them. It exploded in a bright flash of light, blinding the two Hunters.
Vile then fired a Level 5 Shoulder Cannon blast at them, sending them flying back to the Convention Center square and leaving them unconscious.
"Patience!", Vile yelled, "I'll save you two for dessert! Right now, X is my main course!" He then walked towards a weak and badly injured X, who was coughing up internal fluids and tried in vain to get back on his feet. Alas, his energy was dangerously low and his reserves weren't taking effect. All X could do was crawl away. Vile maniacally laughed at X's futile attempt to get away and said, "I've waited a loooooong time to see you defeated and cowering before me." He then picked up X and yelled in his face, "Beg for mercy!!! SCREAM MY NAME!!!"
"...Never...", X weakly said.
Sudddenly, Vile was knocked back by a Level 5 plasma blast, dropping X to the ground in the process. His armor smoking and eyes glowing, Vile angrily looked up towards the sky to see who blasted him and ruined his chance to destroy his worst enemy.
It was Scorch. The visor-wearing, red Reploid jumped from a building and landed near X. He pointed at Vile, shouting, "Leave him alone, you monster!!"
One could sense the sheer anger and madness burning inside Vile at that moment. "You'll pay for that, Visor Face!!!" He fired a Level 5 blast at Scorch, but Scorch deflected it with his shield.
"You can't hide behind that shield forever!!", Vile screamed. At that moment, Zero appeared a few feet behind Vile, still holding the bomb in his hand. He decided it was time to finish Vile once and for all.
Zero pushed the red button on the bomb and yelled, "Hey, Boba Fett! Catch!" He then flung the bomb towards Vile. Vile quickly turned and fired a Shoulder Cannon blast meant for Zero, but it hit the bomb instead as it flew in mid-air, and it exploded with great force. Zero shielded his eyes from the blast and after a few minutes he looked up at the sight before him. A screaming Vile was suddenly flying across the morning sky, and had landed a few blocks away in a loud clang. On the ground, Zero noticed something that Vile left behind before his 'trip'.
His helmet.
Zero picked it up, threw it in the air, drew his Beam Sabre, and sliced it in two as it fell down. He then yelled out:
"Rest in pieces, Vile!"
Zero ran towards Scorch, who was tending to X. Zero said, "Are you okay, Scorch?"
Scorch nodded. "I'm okay. But X is not. We have to take him back to the HQ immediately."
Zero continued, "What about Buzzsaw and Aurie. Are they okay?"
"They're unconscious, but okay. Royaltie is tending to them now." said Scorch as he carried X in his arms.
Zero turned his back and said, "Thanks for your help, Scorch. Thank you for saving X and my friends. Now take them back to the HQ, and take care of them. I'll catch up later." He then proceeded to run down the street.
Scorch yelled, "What will you do?!"
"I'm gonna make sure Vile STAYS dead this time!!!", Zero yelled as he ran.
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Zero found his way to where Vile landed and saw his smoking, lifeless body lying face-up on the ground. Zero peered over, with Beam Sabre drawn, to see Vile's face for the very first time without his helmet. Aside from the usual red eyes, Vile's face was almost featureless, with silver streaks running down on each side of his head. What was more distinguishing was the glass dome atop Vile's head, which revealed his computerized brain. At that moment, Vile's eyes lit up and he began to stir.
Zero stood ready with his Sabre and yelled, "C'mon Vile! Let's finish this NOW!!"
Vile raised his head and muttered, "I.......remember.....now. I.......am......free!"
"What are you...ACK!!!" Zero was suddenly thrown back into the brick wall by some unseen force. Dazed and confused, Zero looked up to see Vile, on his feet, with his arms outstretched, screaming, in a low, monotone voice:
"I remember now!!! I AM FREEEEEE!!!"
As he screamed, Vile's eyes shone brighter than before, his exposed brain flashed on and off, and his entire body was bathed in a bright flash of spectral light. Zero merely sat there and gaped in awestruck silence as Vile disappeared and a new robot appeared in his place.
Vile was now colored in a more darker shade of purple, and he grew a few inches taller. His white gloved hands were replaced with metallic, sharp-taloned hands, and his shoulder weapons were gone, replaced with a black cape flowing free in the breeze. The shoulders themselves were broad and spike-lined, and his face was more darker with silver streaks, with the signature red eyes gleaming brighter than before, and his brain-in-a-glass-dome flashing different-colored lights on and off. His battle wounds and dents were magically healed, and he stood more stately and overshadowing than Vile would ever have stood.
Zero, still shocked by the spectacle before him, suddenly flashed back to the dream he had for many nights. About the old man in the lab coat.....about the strange robot that appeared. He suddenly realized......
"VILE! You're the robot from my dream??!!"
The dark robot answered back, in a calm, low voice, "Vile is no more. That persona had been destroyed. Now only stands my true form! My true persona!" He raised his hand and said, "My true POWER!!"
Suddenly, Zero was lifted into the air, and was levitating about a few feet above the ground. He was helpless, his Beam Sabre thrown to the ground, and his joints frozen. All he could do was scream, "WHO ARE YOU!!"
The robot answered back, "I am Dark Phantom! The TRUE master of the Reploid race!"
That name kept echoing in Zero's mind over and over again as he continued to float helplessly in mid-air.
Dark Phantom.
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