Aya: Okay, there's going to be at least one more chapter after this.
Vile: Yay!
Aya: No real note, just read the story! :)
-----------------------------------------------
The Power Within
Chapter 8: Fight!
X woke up covered in cold sweat again. Feverish would be one word to describe his condition,
although he wasn't infected with the cold virus. His systems have been going overboard trying
to finish his self repairs and most of his power supply had been directed towards that. His
optical, audio, and any other "non essential" systems got the shaft, so X was functioning precisely
like a human with a fever. He wiped off his brow with his good hand, the one still chained to the
bed. He lost track of how many days it had been precisely. His internal chronometer was one of the
first non-essential systems to be shut down. He didn't think Vile had come back since last time...
but then again, he wasn't awake most of the time.
Speak of the devil. Vile opened the door and entered the room, hands on his hips, his lips upturned
slightly. The Maverick moved over and unlocked the remaining chain. With no trouble, Vile set X on
his feet, slug one X's good arm over his shoulder and started to lead them out of the room.
"Where are we going?" X asked, barely speaking louder than a whisper.
"We're going to see Zero, one last time." X could detect the demented amusement in Vile's voice,
even though he couldn't hear very well. X felt a surge of desperation and anger. He wrapped
his free hand around Vile's throat and tried to squeeze, but Vile easily broke X's grip. X gasped
as Vile bent X's broken wrist again. Vile caught X as he went limp, then planted a light kiss on X's
forehead before slinging the hunter over his shoulder.
-------------------
It was the hum of a laser that next woke him up. X found himself lying on a table in an unfamiliar
room. His chest plate had been opened, and Vile was slicing some wires inside. X tried to protest,
but found his speech program was off line. Next, he tried to push Vile off, but his arms and legs
didn't respond at all. His heart sunk when it hit him what Vile had done.
"X, you're up again?" Vile said, nonchalantly. "Yes, I've taken a couple of things off line, so you
can watch Zero die without interfering. It'll be good, I promise." Vile took a moment to laugh
proudly. "I'm going to take you off line for awhile. Next time you wake up, you'll be just in time
for Zero's goodbye party." X heard a click, and went off line.
--------------------
As soon as Zero got Vile's message, he rushed to get to the meeting place. The message was left
in blood, on Zero's sheets. It was Vile's sense of humor, alright. The hunter could barely remember
the actual words of the message. The parts he could remember was X, warehouse number 10, and or else.
"I've give that son of a bitch 'or else'." Zero growled angrily as he gunned the engine on the bike,
conjuring a burst of speed. He hated when Mavericks took members of his team hostage and tried
to negotiate their way out. Without exception, Zero would bust in there and kill them regardless.
He's never lost a team member that way yet, and he wasn't about to start now.
He had a feeling Vile wasn't up for any kind of negotiation, though. He had no problem with that; a
fight was exactly what he was looking for, too.
Zero jumped off his bike and started marching towards the open warehouse doors. Once inside, He saw
Vile sitting on a loveseat sofa, with X sitting on his lap, without any of his armor. Vile's helmet
was set on the floor beside him. From the way X's head was leaning backwards limply, Zero could
tell X was unconscious. Zero resisted the urge to leap over and slice Vile in half, because X was in
such close proximity.
This is different. He was always careful when he freed his other team members, but there was always
the risk that they would get hit as well. Zero didn't want to take this chance with X. X was his
best friend, and now... maybe more.
//"Do you love me?"// Zero recalled X asking, with the sweetest, most sincere look in his eyes
staring straight into Zero's.
He couldn't take the chance. No way.
"Zero, you came." Vile said as he playfully ran his fingers along X's exposed neck. "So you do care
for X." Vile looked down longingly at X's face. "He cares for you too..."
"Cut the crap, Vile." Zero raised a fist towards the Maverick. "Let X go or... you know, it doesn't
matter, I'm killing you either way."
"Really?" Vile kissed X's neck lightly. Zero felt his face flush with anger. Finally Vile took his
eyes of X and looked back at Zero. "I think you're going to lose."
"What?" Zero laughed in disbelief. "I don't think so. You seem to have forgotten how many times I've
beaten you already."
"This time is different." Vile ran his fingers through X's brown hair. "If you kill me, X would die, too."
The air around Zero suddenly got very cold. There was no reason to think Vile was lying. Something like
that would not be hard to set up, and Vile had plenty of time to do it. It would be just like Vile...
"You..." Zero breathed angrily.
"The only way you can keep him alive is if you put on a good show and die." Vile picked X up and set him
sitting upright on the next seat. "Don't think you can just reactivate him if he dies, either. I've
set it up so that his control chip will turn into nothing less than fine grains of sand." Vile got up
and walked to the back of the sofa. "I don't think I have to assure you that I will take-" He wrapped
his arms around X "-very-" and leaned in to smell X's hair "-good care of him." Vile stared smugly at
Zero. "Wake up." He whispered into X's ears. X slowly opened his eyes, and for a moment he looked
joyous at the sight of Zero. That expression disappeared when X realized he couldn't move, and recognized
Vile's voice. "Time for the show, X." X felt Vile leap past him and launch at Zero. The fight was highly
one sided; Zero did not fight back at all while Vile punched at kicked at the hunter.
//Zero! Zero!// X desperately wanted to shout out. //Why aren't you hitting back?!// He decided that
Vile must be holding something over Zero. The only logical answer was... //Me?// Tears started to well
up in the Azure Hunter's eyes. Zero was taking a beating for him, and he couldn't move to help.
"This is going to be pretty!" Vile shouted, eyes wide like a maniac. Zero hit the floor, his face
contorted with pain. Blood trickled down his face from a wound under his now dent helmet. Vile
drew Zero's sword and waved it menacingly at the red hunter. "It's time to go."
//No.// X willed himself to move, but did not budge. //It's bad enough you get yourself hurt, but...
ZERO.// He felt this right hand grow hot, and out of the corner of his eye could see a ball of energy
starting to grow from the palm of his hand. X closed his eyes and concentrated. Another voice spoke
to him in his head.
//You don't need the X-buster to convert energy into a plasma shot.// The voice told him. //Concentrate.//
Feeling returned to his right arm and he started to raise it towards Vile, who didn't seem to notice any
of what X was doing.
"VIIILE!" X yelled out, stopping the maverick in mid strike. The maverick barely had time to blink
before the charged shot hit him and sent him flying across the room. Zero simply stared at X in disbelief.
X stood up and limped towards Zero as fast as his legs would allow.
"X..." Zero got up and the two met halfway. X was smiling at Zero like an idiot.
//I love it when he smiles like that.// Zero thought, and couldn't help but smile himself. Suddenly X looked
like he was going to cry and wrapped his arms tightly around Zero.
"I missed you." X confessed and gripped tighter. "I'm sorry."
"Shh..." Zero patted the pat of X's head. "I'm fine." X's grip on Zero loosened, and Zero felt X slip away
and start to fall. "X?" Zero watched in horror as X gripped his head in pain.
//"If you kill me, X would die, too."// Vile's voice echoed through his head as X slumped to the floor.
"X!!!"
-----------------------
Aya: Waahhh!!! My first really bad cliff hanger! I was going to happily end it here, but something possessed
me and now I had to put this cliff hanger here.
Mob Member 1: AAHHHH!!!! X!!!!
Mom Member 2: How could you do this to us!!!
X: Oh no! Am I dead?
Zero: WAHHH!! I want my cute love scene!
Vile: Dang, did I die?
Vile: Yay!
Aya: No real note, just read the story! :)
-----------------------------------------------
The Power Within
Chapter 8: Fight!
X woke up covered in cold sweat again. Feverish would be one word to describe his condition,
although he wasn't infected with the cold virus. His systems have been going overboard trying
to finish his self repairs and most of his power supply had been directed towards that. His
optical, audio, and any other "non essential" systems got the shaft, so X was functioning precisely
like a human with a fever. He wiped off his brow with his good hand, the one still chained to the
bed. He lost track of how many days it had been precisely. His internal chronometer was one of the
first non-essential systems to be shut down. He didn't think Vile had come back since last time...
but then again, he wasn't awake most of the time.
Speak of the devil. Vile opened the door and entered the room, hands on his hips, his lips upturned
slightly. The Maverick moved over and unlocked the remaining chain. With no trouble, Vile set X on
his feet, slug one X's good arm over his shoulder and started to lead them out of the room.
"Where are we going?" X asked, barely speaking louder than a whisper.
"We're going to see Zero, one last time." X could detect the demented amusement in Vile's voice,
even though he couldn't hear very well. X felt a surge of desperation and anger. He wrapped
his free hand around Vile's throat and tried to squeeze, but Vile easily broke X's grip. X gasped
as Vile bent X's broken wrist again. Vile caught X as he went limp, then planted a light kiss on X's
forehead before slinging the hunter over his shoulder.
-------------------
It was the hum of a laser that next woke him up. X found himself lying on a table in an unfamiliar
room. His chest plate had been opened, and Vile was slicing some wires inside. X tried to protest,
but found his speech program was off line. Next, he tried to push Vile off, but his arms and legs
didn't respond at all. His heart sunk when it hit him what Vile had done.
"X, you're up again?" Vile said, nonchalantly. "Yes, I've taken a couple of things off line, so you
can watch Zero die without interfering. It'll be good, I promise." Vile took a moment to laugh
proudly. "I'm going to take you off line for awhile. Next time you wake up, you'll be just in time
for Zero's goodbye party." X heard a click, and went off line.
--------------------
As soon as Zero got Vile's message, he rushed to get to the meeting place. The message was left
in blood, on Zero's sheets. It was Vile's sense of humor, alright. The hunter could barely remember
the actual words of the message. The parts he could remember was X, warehouse number 10, and or else.
"I've give that son of a bitch 'or else'." Zero growled angrily as he gunned the engine on the bike,
conjuring a burst of speed. He hated when Mavericks took members of his team hostage and tried
to negotiate their way out. Without exception, Zero would bust in there and kill them regardless.
He's never lost a team member that way yet, and he wasn't about to start now.
He had a feeling Vile wasn't up for any kind of negotiation, though. He had no problem with that; a
fight was exactly what he was looking for, too.
Zero jumped off his bike and started marching towards the open warehouse doors. Once inside, He saw
Vile sitting on a loveseat sofa, with X sitting on his lap, without any of his armor. Vile's helmet
was set on the floor beside him. From the way X's head was leaning backwards limply, Zero could
tell X was unconscious. Zero resisted the urge to leap over and slice Vile in half, because X was in
such close proximity.
This is different. He was always careful when he freed his other team members, but there was always
the risk that they would get hit as well. Zero didn't want to take this chance with X. X was his
best friend, and now... maybe more.
//"Do you love me?"// Zero recalled X asking, with the sweetest, most sincere look in his eyes
staring straight into Zero's.
He couldn't take the chance. No way.
"Zero, you came." Vile said as he playfully ran his fingers along X's exposed neck. "So you do care
for X." Vile looked down longingly at X's face. "He cares for you too..."
"Cut the crap, Vile." Zero raised a fist towards the Maverick. "Let X go or... you know, it doesn't
matter, I'm killing you either way."
"Really?" Vile kissed X's neck lightly. Zero felt his face flush with anger. Finally Vile took his
eyes of X and looked back at Zero. "I think you're going to lose."
"What?" Zero laughed in disbelief. "I don't think so. You seem to have forgotten how many times I've
beaten you already."
"This time is different." Vile ran his fingers through X's brown hair. "If you kill me, X would die, too."
The air around Zero suddenly got very cold. There was no reason to think Vile was lying. Something like
that would not be hard to set up, and Vile had plenty of time to do it. It would be just like Vile...
"You..." Zero breathed angrily.
"The only way you can keep him alive is if you put on a good show and die." Vile picked X up and set him
sitting upright on the next seat. "Don't think you can just reactivate him if he dies, either. I've
set it up so that his control chip will turn into nothing less than fine grains of sand." Vile got up
and walked to the back of the sofa. "I don't think I have to assure you that I will take-" He wrapped
his arms around X "-very-" and leaned in to smell X's hair "-good care of him." Vile stared smugly at
Zero. "Wake up." He whispered into X's ears. X slowly opened his eyes, and for a moment he looked
joyous at the sight of Zero. That expression disappeared when X realized he couldn't move, and recognized
Vile's voice. "Time for the show, X." X felt Vile leap past him and launch at Zero. The fight was highly
one sided; Zero did not fight back at all while Vile punched at kicked at the hunter.
//Zero! Zero!// X desperately wanted to shout out. //Why aren't you hitting back?!// He decided that
Vile must be holding something over Zero. The only logical answer was... //Me?// Tears started to well
up in the Azure Hunter's eyes. Zero was taking a beating for him, and he couldn't move to help.
"This is going to be pretty!" Vile shouted, eyes wide like a maniac. Zero hit the floor, his face
contorted with pain. Blood trickled down his face from a wound under his now dent helmet. Vile
drew Zero's sword and waved it menacingly at the red hunter. "It's time to go."
//No.// X willed himself to move, but did not budge. //It's bad enough you get yourself hurt, but...
ZERO.// He felt this right hand grow hot, and out of the corner of his eye could see a ball of energy
starting to grow from the palm of his hand. X closed his eyes and concentrated. Another voice spoke
to him in his head.
//You don't need the X-buster to convert energy into a plasma shot.// The voice told him. //Concentrate.//
Feeling returned to his right arm and he started to raise it towards Vile, who didn't seem to notice any
of what X was doing.
"VIIILE!" X yelled out, stopping the maverick in mid strike. The maverick barely had time to blink
before the charged shot hit him and sent him flying across the room. Zero simply stared at X in disbelief.
X stood up and limped towards Zero as fast as his legs would allow.
"X..." Zero got up and the two met halfway. X was smiling at Zero like an idiot.
//I love it when he smiles like that.// Zero thought, and couldn't help but smile himself. Suddenly X looked
like he was going to cry and wrapped his arms tightly around Zero.
"I missed you." X confessed and gripped tighter. "I'm sorry."
"Shh..." Zero patted the pat of X's head. "I'm fine." X's grip on Zero loosened, and Zero felt X slip away
and start to fall. "X?" Zero watched in horror as X gripped his head in pain.
//"If you kill me, X would die, too."// Vile's voice echoed through his head as X slumped to the floor.
"X!!!"
-----------------------
Aya: Waahhh!!! My first really bad cliff hanger! I was going to happily end it here, but something possessed
me and now I had to put this cliff hanger here.
Mob Member 1: AAHHHH!!!! X!!!!
Mom Member 2: How could you do this to us!!!
X: Oh no! Am I dead?
Zero: WAHHH!! I want my cute love scene!
Vile: Dang, did I die?