Part XXI: Cold Concentration
Zero walked out onto the balcony of the HQ, looking over the midnight skyline of Neo-Arcadia. In the distance was the desert where his capsule had been found by Ciel and the other scientists when Neo-Arcadia was still the seat of the corrupted government bent on destroying all reploids. Those scientists and rebel leaders were gone now, long passed on into the peace of the afterlife, but Zero retained his memories of them clearly. The days events had really gotten to him, and he was questioning his own allegiances even as he realized that this time, maybe they were finally outgunned. He could sense, he could just about know, what was going on in that Maverick base, somewhere out there in the jungle, invisible from radar and the central hub of the coming revolt, and it made him sick. The words that he'd exchanged with Sigma also bothered him intensely.
Could I really be like him? I was built by Wily, wasn't I?
But no matter what thoughts entered his head, there was still a voice in the back of his mind, reassuring him that he was not Wily's puppet.
Zero, what are you saying? You weren't programmed to kill. Wily did something to you. You were infected by a virus, and that's what made you do those things.
Sighing again, the red Hunter turned to the far-off ruins of the first Arcadia, remembering all-too-well the Irregular Wars so many years ago.
Is this what I was meant to do? Why do I feel so drawn to it, and yet at the same time, repulsed? There have been so many casualties, so many lives taken, and for what? Sigma's perfect solution of a world with no humans? The Maverick Hunter creed that was ensured to eradicate Sigma? The humans' desire to rule, no matter what the cost? Why did Wily build me anyway? His ultimate purpose was for world domination. He wanted to enslave the Earth, and I was going to be that weapon. But I don't want to kill the humans, I want to destroy the Mavericks, they're the criminals. This is all so confusing.
"Zero? Are you alright?" It was Iris.
"I'm fine, just doing a little stargazing."
Iris walked over to him, putting herself in his arms. "Something else is bothering you. I can feel it."
Zero hesitated. After all, he was still clutching tightly to that strong-and-silent type routine. Iris prodded him again.
"You can tell me, Zero."
The red Hunter looked at her, seeing the stars reflected in those big eyes, and caved. Sure, he was a sucker, but at least he could be a sucker that would give anyone a serious beating if they tried razing him about it.
"It's okay, Iris. It's over for now."
Iris knew it was useless to try and continue. Zero was still secretive about certain things, mostly those things that he thought would scare her. She decided if that was why he wouldn't say, it was best she didn't know.
Pulling herself even closer, she joined him in his contemplation of the city's lights.
Bit had been back on the base for a while, but Sigma had just rematerialized inside the walls of his stronghold. Thermal had died from her injuries, causing the lieutenant to become enraged with fury, swearing himself to the sole purpose of ripping those Hunters piece from piece.
"Sir," he replied, as Sigma strolled past him. "Now what shall we do?"
Sigma looked out on the open docking bay affixed to the central chamber of the base. Through the transparent windows, a giant reploid was taking shape, its skeleton completed, and only about one-quarter of its internal circuitry installed. The optical receptor Bit had retrieved was part of the framework, but the Ioton and Astro chip had to be implanted later.
"What is that?" Bit asked, staring in awe at the robot. It was the first time he had seen it.
Sigma observed the servant robots working on the Maverick giant. "This is Volaire. It is the ultimate reploid. It can level the entire city of Neo-Arcadia in one blast. It has been designed to utilize my mind in its database, so I can switch back and forth between them at will."
Bit was slightly confused. "Volaire? Wasn't that the name of your pet from the first wave of the wars?"
Sigma's eyes burned with a fire more intense than any Bit had ever seen. He clenched his fist in anger. "Yes, Bit, it was. Thanks to X, Volaire is no longer with us, but I have constructed this magnificent reploid to carry on his name. In fact, part of him is within this body's core. I found it when X was still under my control, and began to modify the systems that hadn't been damaged."
That is sick. Talk about not letting your loved ones be, Bit thought, looking out at the robot with skepticism.
"So how much longer till we can send him out to face the Hunters?"
Sigma laughed. "It'll be a few more months. Volaire is nowhere near completion."
That answer made Bit retch. A few months! He would have to wait that long to take revenge on those Hunters! If that was the case, he could take measures into his own hands!
"Calm down, Bit. I suspect they will find this base soon, but by that time, Volaire's power systems will be operational, even if his entire body is not. You can deal with them then."
Bit cooled off a tad when he heard that. "But won't it be easier for them to destroy the reploid if it's not complete?"
Sigma laughed again. "No, Bit, it won't be. One reason is that we'll be there to fight them away from him. Two, Volaire has a built-in defense shield. Not even my plasma blasts can get through it."
Bit once more observed the new Maverick being built in the docking bay. It's lupinesque face and more conventional human body reminded him of an ancient Egyptian deity of myth, but he dismissed it. Besides, the large bat wings, catfish whiskers, and massive claws fixed to its body made it resemble something from a hallucinogenic nightmare. He trembled at the thought of it being released, period.
Zero walked out onto the balcony of the HQ, looking over the midnight skyline of Neo-Arcadia. In the distance was the desert where his capsule had been found by Ciel and the other scientists when Neo-Arcadia was still the seat of the corrupted government bent on destroying all reploids. Those scientists and rebel leaders were gone now, long passed on into the peace of the afterlife, but Zero retained his memories of them clearly. The days events had really gotten to him, and he was questioning his own allegiances even as he realized that this time, maybe they were finally outgunned. He could sense, he could just about know, what was going on in that Maverick base, somewhere out there in the jungle, invisible from radar and the central hub of the coming revolt, and it made him sick. The words that he'd exchanged with Sigma also bothered him intensely.
Could I really be like him? I was built by Wily, wasn't I?
But no matter what thoughts entered his head, there was still a voice in the back of his mind, reassuring him that he was not Wily's puppet.
Zero, what are you saying? You weren't programmed to kill. Wily did something to you. You were infected by a virus, and that's what made you do those things.
Sighing again, the red Hunter turned to the far-off ruins of the first Arcadia, remembering all-too-well the Irregular Wars so many years ago.
Is this what I was meant to do? Why do I feel so drawn to it, and yet at the same time, repulsed? There have been so many casualties, so many lives taken, and for what? Sigma's perfect solution of a world with no humans? The Maverick Hunter creed that was ensured to eradicate Sigma? The humans' desire to rule, no matter what the cost? Why did Wily build me anyway? His ultimate purpose was for world domination. He wanted to enslave the Earth, and I was going to be that weapon. But I don't want to kill the humans, I want to destroy the Mavericks, they're the criminals. This is all so confusing.
"Zero? Are you alright?" It was Iris.
"I'm fine, just doing a little stargazing."
Iris walked over to him, putting herself in his arms. "Something else is bothering you. I can feel it."
Zero hesitated. After all, he was still clutching tightly to that strong-and-silent type routine. Iris prodded him again.
"You can tell me, Zero."
The red Hunter looked at her, seeing the stars reflected in those big eyes, and caved. Sure, he was a sucker, but at least he could be a sucker that would give anyone a serious beating if they tried razing him about it.
"It's okay, Iris. It's over for now."
Iris knew it was useless to try and continue. Zero was still secretive about certain things, mostly those things that he thought would scare her. She decided if that was why he wouldn't say, it was best she didn't know.
Pulling herself even closer, she joined him in his contemplation of the city's lights.
Bit had been back on the base for a while, but Sigma had just rematerialized inside the walls of his stronghold. Thermal had died from her injuries, causing the lieutenant to become enraged with fury, swearing himself to the sole purpose of ripping those Hunters piece from piece.
"Sir," he replied, as Sigma strolled past him. "Now what shall we do?"
Sigma looked out on the open docking bay affixed to the central chamber of the base. Through the transparent windows, a giant reploid was taking shape, its skeleton completed, and only about one-quarter of its internal circuitry installed. The optical receptor Bit had retrieved was part of the framework, but the Ioton and Astro chip had to be implanted later.
"What is that?" Bit asked, staring in awe at the robot. It was the first time he had seen it.
Sigma observed the servant robots working on the Maverick giant. "This is Volaire. It is the ultimate reploid. It can level the entire city of Neo-Arcadia in one blast. It has been designed to utilize my mind in its database, so I can switch back and forth between them at will."
Bit was slightly confused. "Volaire? Wasn't that the name of your pet from the first wave of the wars?"
Sigma's eyes burned with a fire more intense than any Bit had ever seen. He clenched his fist in anger. "Yes, Bit, it was. Thanks to X, Volaire is no longer with us, but I have constructed this magnificent reploid to carry on his name. In fact, part of him is within this body's core. I found it when X was still under my control, and began to modify the systems that hadn't been damaged."
That is sick. Talk about not letting your loved ones be, Bit thought, looking out at the robot with skepticism.
"So how much longer till we can send him out to face the Hunters?"
Sigma laughed. "It'll be a few more months. Volaire is nowhere near completion."
That answer made Bit retch. A few months! He would have to wait that long to take revenge on those Hunters! If that was the case, he could take measures into his own hands!
"Calm down, Bit. I suspect they will find this base soon, but by that time, Volaire's power systems will be operational, even if his entire body is not. You can deal with them then."
Bit cooled off a tad when he heard that. "But won't it be easier for them to destroy the reploid if it's not complete?"
Sigma laughed again. "No, Bit, it won't be. One reason is that we'll be there to fight them away from him. Two, Volaire has a built-in defense shield. Not even my plasma blasts can get through it."
Bit once more observed the new Maverick being built in the docking bay. It's lupinesque face and more conventional human body reminded him of an ancient Egyptian deity of myth, but he dismissed it. Besides, the large bat wings, catfish whiskers, and massive claws fixed to its body made it resemble something from a hallucinogenic nightmare. He trembled at the thought of it being released, period.