Chapter 13: A Light Through the Darkness
Lying face down in a pile of rubble, an unconscious Zero had come to and got up off of the ground, and looked to see Dark Phantom standing in a triumphant-like pose in the now smoky, ruined lab in Skull Castle. Obviously unharmed by the recent blast, Zero moved towards his wayward brother and said, "Phantom! Did you........"
"Sigma is defeated. At long last!", replied Phantom. "Indeed, it is a gruesome fate for a gruesome Maverick." Suddenly, a shadow rose from the smoke and had laughed devilishly at the two Reploids. It was Sigma.
"A-HAHAHAHA! I rather enjoyed it!", said Sigma.
Both Zero and Phantom wore surprised looks on their faces. Sigma had survived?! Phantom had reeled back in extreme awe and had said, "N-NO! My Phantom Fireball! How could you withstand it?!"
As Sigma became visible from the smoke clearing, he laughed again and replied, "I knew that someday you would shuck the Vile persona and reclaim your magical power, so I kept this Battle Body in storage for just such an occasion! Your magic no longer has any effect on me!" He then took out a large scimtar sword from the sheath on his belt and had energized it with yellow energy. Holding it menacingly in his hand, he replied, "Well?! Who's first?!"
"I've just about had enough of you and your surprises!", yelled Zero as he unsheathed his Beam Sabre and walked towards Sigma, "This time you're not going to get away!"
"ZERO!"
Zero had suddenly stopped when he heard his brother's commanding yell. As Zero turned to look at Dark Phantom, the dark robot had said to him, "Give me your Beam Sabre, Zero. Let me handle Sigma."
Zero held a questioning look on his face as he replied, "But......Phantom?"
Phantom had interrupted him, saying, "I lost you once because of Sigma. I will not let him take you away from me again. Now please give me your Beam Sabre!"
Zero didn't say anything, he just solemnly nodded his head. Zero knew this was an argument that he can't win, since his older brother was more powerful than he is. He held the Beam Sabre in his hands and Phantom had taken it from him, saying "Thank you, brother." in return.
"How touching!", sneered Sigma, "A sibling looking out for his younger brother! I'd start crying if I actually HAD that emotion! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
"Silence your tongue you heartless demon!!", yelled Phantom.
"ZERO!"
Everyone stopped to turn and see Mega Man X, Auroran Flash, Duo and Buzzsaw standing at the end of the hallway. Scorch and Royaltie also ran in to join their comrades.
"Sorry we're late, you guys!", said Scorch. "Hang on, Zero! We're comin'!"
"X! Scorch!", yelled Zero. At that moment, Phantom raised his hand and had lifted Zero in the air with his telekinetic powers. He then threw Zero down the hallway and into our heroes, and had created a wall of pure energy, blocking them all into the hallway and out of the lab.
Recovering from that surprise, X, Zero, and the others ran to the barrier as Phantom said, "Stay out of this, ALL OF YOU! Protect my brother! This is a matter of personal honor now!"
He turned to face Sigma, only to see the bald-headed Maverick lunging towards Phantom with scimtar drawn. Fortunately, the dark robot had blocked Sigma's advance with Zero's Beam Sabre and had forced him off to the ground with his own telekinetic power. He then uttered a shrill battle cry and had charged towards Sigma with incredible speed, slicing with incredible force. Sigma had jumped up from the ground and had blocked the advance, retaliating with his own slash.
The incredible swordfight continued as Zero and the Maverick Hunters all watched helplessly from the hallway.
"Phantom!", yelled Zero. He turned to his comrades and said, "We have to help him!"
"Stand back! Let me take a shot at it!", yelled Buzzsaw. Buzzsaw stepped forward and fired at the forcefield with his Enchanted Blade, but to no avail. Disappointed, Buzz replied, "We can't blast down the forcefield! Even if we did, why should we help him? Ain't he supposed to be the ENEMY?!"
Before Zero could speak, X stepped forward and said, "He may have done those terrible things, but he's still Zero's brother. We have to help him...." He moved his head to look at his friend, "......for Zero's sake!" Everyone (including Buzz) had nodded their heads in agreement, as Zero said, "Thank you X! Thank you all! You truly are my best friends, and......and I'm so very sorry..........for all that I've done." Zero began to become emotional.
X felt compelled to hug his friend, but he also sensed that now wasn't the time, as the fight between Dark Phantom and Sigma continued in the lab. Zero choked back his tears and turned his attention to the barrier and said, "How are we going to break this thing?" After a second, Duo moved towards the forcefield, examined it and said, "This wall is made of Evil Energy. I will try and break it with my power. Please step back everyone!" As X and the others moved back, Duo raised his oversized mechanical hand, uttered out his otherworldly cry, and had charged it with blue energy. He then pushed the hand into the forcefield, causing it to coarse purple energy through Duo. He groaned in pain and had began to feel numb as the barrier began to dissapate.
"DUO!", yelled X.
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Dark Phantom had ducked another slash by Sigma, and had executed a sweeping kick, knocking the insane, bald-headed Maverick to the floor. Holding the Beam Sabre in the air, Phantom tried to drive it into Sigma's heart, only to have it kicked from his hands. Sigma quickly jumped up and slashed again with his Scimtar sword at Phantom's middle. Phantom had blocked the attack with his arm, leaving a gash in his forearm. The dark robot reeled back and had clutched his injury in pain, feeling circulatory fluids seeping out. Despite his injury, Phantom had reacted quickly and had teleported before Sigma could take him down with another slice. Reappearing over to where the Beam Sabre landed, Dark Phantom picked it up and had charged towards Sigma with a great burst of speed. Their swords, along with their cold stares, locked with each other as Sigma said to Phantom:
"You know, it doesn't have to end this way! Join me, Phantom! Become my heir once more! Together with your powers and my leadership, we can easily rule this world! Perhaps even this entire UNIVERSE!"
"Never!", yelled Phantom as he jumped back a few feet. He continued, saying, "Unlike you, I believe humans should be our servants, and not our victims! Besides, I never liked you! You imprisoned me with the Vile persona, forced me to kill everything around me, and you stole my master's secret weapon! I am your enemy forever!"
Sigma merely smirked and chuckled at Phantom's speech and had replied, "You truly are a sentimental fool!" With that, a bright light flashed on Sigma's forehead and had fired a narrow, long beam of concussive energy at Phantom. Phantom had fortunately reacted early and had dephased himself, allowing the beam of energy to pass through him harmlessly.
Annoyed by that maneuver, Sigma had sheathed his Scimtar and outstretched both of his arms. Suddenly, a huge wave of sonic energy had emitted from the speaker-like modules in his shoulders towards Dark Phantom. Screaming as if he were being tortured, Phantom had phased back to normal and had clutched the sides of his head in pain. The painful ringing in his ears had made him unprepared for what would happen next.
Sigma laughed maniacally at the spectacle before him and had charged towards the now helpless Dark Phantom. He punched him in the stomach several times, smacked him in the head with his forearm, and had spin-kicked him hard in the chest, knocking him down to the floor. Weak and gasping for air, Dark Phantom tried to get himself up in time, but was too late to escape Sigma, who grabbed him and held him up in the air by the neck. Sigma then said to him, "This is what happens to those who defy my will! DEATH TO ALL TRAITORS!!" He then threw Dark Phantom violently to the floor.
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"Duo, STOP!", yelled X. "This barrier is going to kill you if you don't pull back!"
Duo didn't listen. He continued to focus his energy on the faltering forcefield, despite the damage he is receiving. After a few minutes, the barrier finally dissapated, and Duo had kneeled to the floor, weak and in pain. Zero ran to Duo's aide and placed his (smaller) arm around his shoulder and told his friends:
"I'll help Duo! Please go and help my brother!"
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As Dark Phantom struggled to regain some of his strength, Sigma stood over him and had unsheathed his Scimtar. He held it over his head in true execution style as he said:
"You are no longer worthy of this godlike power! I will now assume it, and the humans will suffer my wrath!"
"SIGMA!! LEAVE HIM ALOOOOONE!!!"
Mega Man X had charged and punched Sigma square in the stomach, causing the bald robot to drop his sword and reel back and double over in pain. In sheer disgust, Sigma screamed, "You fool!" At that moment, X yelled out "NOW!!", and Scorch, Aurie, Buzzsaw, and Royaltie all stood in front of Sigma with weapons charged.
"BYE! SO LONG! SEE YA! LATER!", said the group as they fired charged blasts and blades. Sigma screamed as the blasts hit him in the chest and he fell to the ground, unconscious.
"That oughta shut that bald retard up!", said Aurie with a giggle. Everyone gathered around Dark Phantom, who still struggled to get up, and Zero came into the room to join them with Duo still around his shoulder.
"Thank you, Zero. I'm okay now. Go to your brother." said Duo. Zero had let go and had ran to Phantom's aide. He said to him, "Phantom! Are you okay?"
Having gained his strength back, Phantom raised his head to hear his brother's voice, and saw him alongside the Maverick Hunters. He suddenly jumped back in surprise and yelled out, "Brother! The Hunters! We have to get out of here!"
Zero ran to Phantom and said to him, "Phantom! It's okay! X just saved your life! They ALL did!"
Phantom had suddenly looked at Zero with uncertainty and said, "What? But.............. that's.......impossible!" He then turned his attention to X and said as he walked towards him, "You are my sworn enemy! We always have been since our creation! Yet after all that I have done, you save my life? Why?"
X replied calmly, "Because you weren't the same robot you were almost 100 years ago. You are a Reploid now, and I always help my fellow kind whenever they are needed. You have emotions and feelings similar to mine, and a free will, meaning that you are free of Wily's control. It's because of Dr. Wily that I had to destroy you back then, which is why I wanted to say...........I'm so sorry for what I did to you. I'm so very sorry."
Scorch stepped forward, "I'm sorry too, Phantom. I told X everything about you, about how you were once Dark Man, and when he told me about the values of being a Reploid, I had felt the same way. I'm sorry for all that I've done to you also."
After hearing the two brothers' impromptu apologies, Phantom suddenly stood there motionless as if he felt nothing. He then suddenly looked at everyone with dimmed eyes and said, "I.......I feel strange..........and confused. I feel......grateful......that you apologized to me and that you.........saved my life. I also feel......great remorse over all that I have done. As Dark Man, Dark Phantom, AND Vile! How could you forgive me for that?"
X took Phantom's taloned hand and said, "Even if it takes one step at a time, we can forgive you. If you come with us and willfully turn yourself in, we can go easier on you. As far as I'm concerned, we can be your new family if you want us to."
Phantom felt a greater deal of emotions flow through him as he said, "I......I never felt this way before. I guess there is a lot to learn about being a Reploid. Thank you, Brother! Thank you ALL, and............I'm so very sorry for all that I've done!"
Suddenly, Sigma had regained consciousness near the group and had looked over to X. Looking angry, he charged up his Forehead Beam to its highest setting and said, "Our rivalry ends now!" Phantom had immediately sensed Sigma's recovery, and had yelled "Look out!" as he pushed X out of the way of the laser, which cut right through Phantom's heart. He fell like a rock after taking the shot.
Zero had screamed "PHANTOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!" after seeing his only brother take a shot meant for his best friend. X looked in surprise at Sigma, who got up and yelled "DEATH TO ALL TRAITORS!!". Reacting quickly, X charged his X-Buster and said, "DIE ALREADY, SIGMA!!" and had fired a Level 6 Plasma Blast at him. The giant blast was enough to send Sigma crashing through the walls of Skull Castle, outside several feet into the air, and landing a few feet away from the castle with a loud thud. Sigma had once again laid there, unconscious.
Everyone had gathered around X and Zero, who tended to a gravely injured Dark Phantom. Zero said "Phantom!" and X had said "Phantom! You.....you saved my life!"
"Yes......", said Phantom weakly as he looked at X, "Now.....we are even....Mega Man." He then turned to his crimson-clad younger brother and said, "Zero. I'm......so sorry. I guess I won't.......experience true life......as a Reploid.....after all.....". Zero held Phantom's taloned hand and said to him, "You can't......die Phantom!". Phantom's eyes had dimmed as he said, "I am proud to die........now that I've found you.......and got to know the true you......and the true me."
"Phantom.", said Zero calmly.
"Listen to me........all of you......" Everyone strained their ears to what Phantom had to say:
"My master......Dr. Wily.....created the computer virus that made Sigma.....into what he is now. It cannot be destroyed.........by any other.......anti-virus. Zero..........you are....the key to stopping that......madman. Go to the basement......there's a door......protected by a passcode.......you'll know what it is.....when you get there. You'll......find your answers there....."
Phantom's grip on Zero's hand slipped away as he said these last words:
"You can.......defeat Sigma......Zero. Your success.....is......your future, and.....the.....future.....is........inevitable....................."
Finally, the body of Dark Phantom became limp and he was dead. The Wily Bot once known as Dark Man and the Maverick once known as Vile was no more. As Zero screamed "PHANTOM!!", the dead body suddenly became bathed in a bright purple light and had completely dissolved as if it were cremated. Zero began to cry as X hugged him by the shoulders, saying, "I'm sorry, Zero." Duo mournfully lowered his head, while Scorch, Royaltie, Aurie, and Buzzsaw all hugged each other in consolation.
Suddenly, a bright ball of light had appeared from where Dark Phantom's body used to be, and moved towards Zero's outstrecthed hands. The ball soon took shape into a purple-colored crystalline object and everyone peered over to see what it was:
Duo yelled out, "It is half of the Orion Crystal. I knew Phantom had it all this time."
Buzzsaw looked at the celestial crystal and said, "This must be what gave him his power!"
Aurie had jumped in and said, "Maybe the answers he said we were looking for must be the other half of the crystal! We should go down there now!"
"Right!", replied X. He turned to Zero, who's still kneeling, and said, "Zero, let's go to the basement. Once we have the whole Orion Crystal, we can beat Sigma together!" Hearing this, Zero got up with Orion Sub-Crystal in hand, wiped the tears from his eyes, and wore a look of pure determination as he said:
"Let's get to the basement, and defeat that heartless psychopath once and for all!"
Everyone shouted "YEAH!" at that remark, and they ran with Zero out of the ruined lab. The whole team of heroes was reunited once again.
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Lying backside down outside of Skull Castle, Sigma had suddenly regained consciousness and had gotten up off of the ground. He pressed a button on his belt and, like magic, most of his injuries were fixed up. After that, Sigma raised his fist in the air and declared:
"You can't destroy me that easily, X! I will defeat you and your Maverick Hunters! The otherworldly power will be MINE! And I will see the humans wriggle and writhe like a worm on a hook! HE HE HE HE HE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
He continued to laugh maniacally as he ran towards Skull Castle.
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"Are you sure it's down here, Zero?", queried X as he and his friends walked down the hall in the poorly lit basement.
"It's down here, X! Just a bit further.", said Zero. He began to sound like his old self again.
As they walked, Aurie came up to X and began to talk to him, saying, "X? When I saw Dark Phantom dying back there, it made me realize that.......well........actually. If we don't make it, I want you to know that......"
X immediately put his finger on Aurie's lip and took her hand, silently saying, "Shhhhhhh, don't worry, Aurie. We're going to finish this war together, alive. I promise you." Aurie smiled at that remark and said back, "You've always been my Meggy!" She winked and everyone silently chuckled at the "Meggy" remark, while X blushed.
"Hey! Here it is!", yelled Zero as they all came to the end of the hallway. The Hunters and Duo all stood in front of the wall-length door and had looked at Zero as he stood in front of an electronic panel with buttons and a monitor. He thought to himself as to what the password might be, and after a few minutes, he realized:
"Progeny!", yelled Zero, "Wily always considered me to be his greatest offspring, or progeny, when I was Bass! That's the password!" He then punched in the seven-letter password, and after a few blips and a voice saying "ACCESS GRANTED", the door had opened before the group, revealing a smaller version of the lab that they were last in. It included a mainframe computer and an operating table complete with prepared, yet unused, surgical instruments. However the group of heroes were paying more attention to the bright shining object that stood in the middle of the table.
The other half of the Orion Crystal.
"All right! We found it!", said Scorch. Royaltie replied, "Sigma's days are numbered!"
X moved towards the Sub-Crystal and had picked it up from its resting place and said, "C'mon Zero! Let's put this together and see what happens!" Zero had nodded in agreement with X and moved towards him with Sub-Crystal in hand. Just as they were about to put the two together:
"NO! WAIT!", yelled Duo.
"Duo, what's wrong?", queried X. Everyone had stopped, including X and Zero, to hear what Duo had to say:
"I've just realized that if the Crystal is put together, the resulting reunification will cause an electromagnetic flux that could be too much for the crystal holders to handle. Since I'm only made of pure energy, you should let me put the two pieces together."
X and Zero nodded in agreement with what Duo said, since he knew more about the Crystal than anyone else here. They both began to hand the two pieces over to Duo, when suddenly........
A blast of energy had suddenly hit Scorch and Royaltie, paralyzing them. Aurie and Buzzsaw were also hit with the mysterious blast before they could react and they too were paralyzed. Duo, Mega Man X, and Zero all turned around to see Sigma standing before them, laughing devilishly and holding up his arm towards the three robots. Before the three could react and retaliate, Sigma had fired a large red ring of energy from his arm. So large it couldn't be avoided, and it hit X, Zero, and Duo paralyzing them and dropping the Sub-Crystals to the ground in front of Sigma.
"HE HE HE HE HE HAHAHAHAHAHA! At long last my wait is over! With this crystal, I can finally claim my godhood, and rule this entire universe!", proclaimed Sigma. He then picked up the Sub-Crystals and proceeded to unite them into one.
"NO SIGMA! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!! STOP!!!", yelled Duo as he remained kneeled and paralyzed to the floor. However it was too late. Sigma had already united the Crystal, and it flashed in a bright spectral light as it was held in his hands. Bolts of different colored energy had crackled throughout Sigma's body, and after a second of reveling in its majesty, he suddenly felt as if every organ and limb in his body was about to explode.
"W-What's......happening.....to......ennnuuugghhhh........AAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!" Sigma screamed in absolute torture until finally.....he exploded into nothingness. Everyone looked in extreme horror as to what had happened, and had suddenly regained the feeling in their systems as the paralysis was wearing off. They all stood up and X yelled, "I can't believe it! It looked like Sigma was torn to pieces by the Crystal's power. You were right, Duo."
The Hunters all had little time to celebrate as Buzzsaw pointed to the Crystal and yelled, "Hey! What's that!"
The Crystal still floated in mid-air as it continued to become bathed in bright light. As it dimmed down a bit, a shadow had suddenly appeared where Sigma had once stood. The shadow had taken the shape of a man and had began to become visible as he yelled out, in a thick German accent:
"AT LAST I AM FREE!! FREE TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD ONCE MORE!!"
Everyone looked in extreme awe as the shadow became more visible in the form of an old man with wild gray hair, a gray mustache, and wearing a lab coat. X and Zero knew who he is, and screamed out in utter surprise:
"DR. WILY???!!!"
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