Twisted Zone
--Time Loop--
--Thursday--
Senya Starseeker
twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: Characters belong to CAPCOM, of course! But . . . do you think if I begged for a *really* long time they'd give me Zero? What? You don't? Oh well . . . can't hurt to try right? **Sees a team of highly-trained extremely-scary lawyers in the corner** um, on second thought, never mind . . . they all belong to CAPCOM, folks!
A/N: Wow, I almost fell out of my chair when I saw how many people were reviewing this! It's a lot of reviews for me anyways, and it made me super happy, so thanks :) because I'm getting so many reviews for this ficcy I'm trying hard to update it more often, but, well, school's a real pain in the butt, y'know -_-.
--Thursday--
Zero cried out as the saber came down on his head, but suddenly the training centre, Lifesaver, the pain, was all gone. "Not again . . ." He groaned, even before opening his eyes to the shiny reflective dome-like cover of his resting pod.
"Is something wrong, Zero?" X asked, sitting up sleepily. "It's--"
"Five a.m., I know, I know!" Zero moaned, sliding out of his capsule, throwing on his trench coat and storming out of their room, leaving a very confused X, who had just been about to tell his friend of the strange dream he had. . .
Just outside of their room, predictable because he'd lived this twice before, was Signas, the promising young major, who was for the most part friendly towards Zero, at least not, directly unfriendly, but Zero was seriously in no mood to be sociable. So he merely glared in annoyance as Signas said, "No rest for the weary!" And chuckling to himself, continued with something about dosing off at his desk and a mountain of paperwork.
The crimson Hunter felt his fists flex involuntarily, and was fighting to restrain himself from attacking his commanding officer in a frenzy of madness, but stopped himself, he had to get to Dr. Cain's office, he wasn't sure what help that would be now, but . . .
"You know, I had a dream, my first one actually and you were in--"
But when the major-soon-to-be-general turned back to Zero, the Hunter was gone.
Zero practically ran down the long Maverick Hunter Head Quarter's hallways, he did not know why, but he knew that he had to go to Dr. Cain again, perhaps because the doctor was the only one who might possibly know some thing of what was going on, he would try a different approach, this time. Zero's mind was so pre-occupied with these plans that he nearly collided with a green, cheerful reploid.
"You're up early." The green reploid beamed, oblivious to Zero's turmoil and confusion.
Zero did not respond, he barely nodded at the Reploid and started down the hallway again, however Douglas grabbed his arm, in a surprisingly sturdy grasp.
"You know I had the oddest dream--" He began cheerfully, Zero tried to pull away, but couldn't, which was to odd to be fathomed at this point, and Douglas merely continued, unnoticing, "You were fighting Lifesaver, and you know what? You were losing, that was really odd, don't you think, Zero?"
The blonde Hunter finally managed to yank his arm out of Douglas' grasp, only then noticing the chef's apron the green Hunter was wearing. "Douglas . . ." He thought, then shook his head, "Forget it." And continued down the hall. /What's wrong with me. . .? Maybe I'm delirious? Is this all some elaborate hallucination?/
He finally pushed open the doors to Dr. Cain's office, and was startled to see the doctor already awake, sitting at his desk, with his aged head in his gnarled hands.
"Dr. Cain, do you . . . I mean . . ."
He looked up, as though surprised, and his eyes widened when he saw Zero.
"I. . . I'm sorry, for barging in, Sir . . ." Zero continued.
However, Cain shook his head, "I had such a strange dream, I . . . but never mind, Zero, what do you--what do you need?"
". . . I don't really know where to begin. Has there ever been any cases in history . . . were a reploid was stuck repeating the same day again and--"
"Oh dear god." Cain paretically whispered in a hoarse voice. "Are you saying it wasn't a dream? That fight with Lifesaver, that way his arms regenerated? The way you kept predicting the things that would happen because according to you, you had lived the day before?"
Zero gasped slightly, shocked by what the doctor was saying, "You mean you . . . you remember?" Zero asked, eyes wide, "You actually remember? No one else ever does, you didn't the first time, you only had a dream . . . but this time you actually . . ."
"So we are in . . . the same day, again? Is that it?" Cain asked slowly, massaging his temples.
"Yes! Yes, that's it exactly, only this time you remember!" Zero exclaimed, a sudden surge of hope rose within him, he could not quite explain it, but he was suddenly relieved, and a new hope was born within him.
Yet the old man seemed tired, weary, and hopelessly baffled by the paradox, "So . . . this is my second time. Your . . .?"
He thought for a minute, "My fourth. Yes, my fourth, the original day was Monday, so this should be Thursday."
"I see. However, look at the calendar on my computer, according to this it /is/ Monday." Cain groaned, "This is to unbelievable!"
"But what do we do?!" Zero cried desperately, "There has to be something to break the cycle! I've done this again and again and again and it just doesn't end I don't--"
"That's it!" Cain's eyes lite up, "That's it! Break the cycle! Don't fight Lifesaver, heck, don't leave my office, don't go to the training centre, don't go to the mess hall, nothing!"
Zero blinked, then a slow smile crept across his face, "Of course! Because if I don't go to the mess hall Lifesaver can't challenge me, then we can't fight, then he can't beat me!"
"Then the day should not repeat, correct?" Dr. Cain asked, stroking his grey beard in thought, while uttering 'hms' and 'ums' and pacing the small office carefully.
"Excellent!" Zero exclaimed, sitting down in one of the chairs, "I'll stay here, no problem at all!"
"Yes, yes," Cain nodded in agreement, "Everything should be quite all right."
And it was . . . for a few hours at least, the two sat and talked about the strange un-earthliness of the events, Zero recalled his shock the first time Lifesaver had beaten him (it was more like downright terror, but he wouldn't let anyone, even Dr. Cain, know that) and Dr. Cain mused over how this could easily have sprung from any number of science-fiction novels or television programs. "All though, the whole day-repeating plot is a little old." He chuckled.
"Now we know were they get it from . . ." Zero groaned, and they both snickered quietly at the thought.
"Really, I wonder if this has ever happened to anyone else befor--" Suddenly however, Zero broke off, around him colours were palely swirling, the walls seemed to be growing thinner, and transparent.
"Zero, what's wrong?" Dr. Cain asked.
". . . The walls . . . they're . . . melting away . . ." Zero murmured, almost as though entranced.
"What?!" Dr. Cain asked, he looked around, it was true, the walls were becoming swirling masses of hues and lights.
In a moment the swirling stopped, and the scenery reasserted itself. Only the two were not sitting in Dr. Cain's office chuckling over how they had beaten the system, they were sitting in the mess hall, or cafeteria, if you will, with cups of coffee on the table in front of them.
Dr. Cain blinked, the old man had paled considerably, and Zero feared he might faint or something else that was prone to humans, but the doctor only coughed, and took a deep breath. "Oh my." He said quietly.
"No kidding." Zero murmured, and was surprised to find that his voice was shaken, and his breath was coming in short gasps. He collected himself. "That was different."
At that moment, Double ran by their table, sliding and fumbling over his own two feet, he gave a little cry and sent the food flying through the air as he fell flat on his face. Zero would have smiled wryly, if he hadn't seen this an awful lot. Predictably, the food splattered onto Signas, and Signas barked at Double for being such a klutz, and led him away.
"It seems . . ." Dr. Cain said softly, "That no matter what course of action we take, we are forced to act out these particular events . . ."
"You mean I am." Zero grumbled, it wasn't that he was ungrateful for the doctor's help, in fact on the contrary he was incredibly thankful the doctor remembered what was happening and was able to help him through it, but it was getting annoying, and alarming. Would he be stuck doing this one day until he finally did die by Lifesaver's hand? He repressed a shudder at the thought.
Cain glanced across the table at Zero with concern etched into his elderly visage. Not knowing what else to do, the old man sighed and took a sip of his coffee.
When he looked up again, the medical Reploid, Lifesaver, had entered the room and was making his way angrily towards their table. When he reached them, he slammed his fist down on the table and glaring at Zero as though Dr. Cain wasn't there said what he had said on the first Monday, and all the ones that had followed:
"Look who's here. . . This is a cafeteria for Maverick Hunters, not MAVERICKS!"
Then, as two larger Reploids dragged him away, screamed back towards them, pointing at Zero with an arm that was shaking with rage, "Let me go! I'm not the Maverick, you imbeciles!! HE is!! HE is!!"
"I can't believe this . . ." Cain murmured.
"I know." Zero nodded, "What do you suppose this is? What's causing this?"
"I don't know . . . wait . . . Mavericks . . . do you suppose that a Maverick could somehow be behind this, Zero?"
"Your theories are as good as mine." Zero shrugged helplessly, "Maybe. But I've never known a Maverick that could shift time."
"Maybe it isn't really . . . . perhaps the Maverick is interfering with our minds?" The doctor asked, leaning across the table and staring Zero straight in the eyes. "Don't you notice how odd the details of this day have been. Not only Lifesaver beating you, but the fact that Douglas is a handing out meals here in the cafeteria, or the large moose painting, or the fact that on one of the days you say that Signas wanted to fire you for not being 'Maverick Hunter material?'"
". . . . I see your point, Doctor." Zero agreed, but was then distracted by the blue Hunter who had just entered the cafeteria, he was smiling happily, and waving to them from the entrance, one arm hanging loosely, barely attached after the fiasco at the training centre which the two of them /knew/ had happened.
"But wait, I wasn't there to double the difficulty for him this time." Zero said quietly as X approached them.
"I know." Dr. Cain nodded, "But let's just play along for now, alright?"
Zero nodded just as X reached their table, he was beaming with pride and very ecstatic, "I did it, Zero! I beat 'em, all of 'em! The ones you sent after me and everything!"
Zero shot Cain a look that said, 'you-know-I-wasn't-even-there.' And Cain shot him a look back that said, 'I-know-this-is-very-weird.'
X continued babbeling on to them about how he planned to beat his next opponents with Tai Quan Doe.
Zero shook his head, and fell forwards, hitting the tabletop.
"Are you okay, Zero?" X asked, concerned.
"Um, yeah, don't worry about me." Zero mumbled, not lifting his head.
"Well, if you say so . . . I'd better get back to training!" X said with happy-obliviousness, "Can't wait to learn Tai Quan Doe!" He struck a very-cheesy martial-arts pose.
Cain sighed, "You know that takes years of practice and inner--"
"I'm gonna get Douglas to stick it in my brain."
". . . . Oh yes, you're Reploids." Cain chuckled, Zero still had his head on the table and was not lifting it.
"Well, see ya!" X called, waving as he left their table.
"I can't take this anymore . . ." Zero moaned, Cain looked at him with sympathy, having only lived the day twice to his recollection.
Suddenly, well, predictably for our hero, Lifesaver barged in for a second time, this time he was clearly angry, he fought the other Reploids to get in, and pounded across the mess hall to Zero and Cain's table, the coffee cups rattled. A few people watching gasped, Zero said nothing, and didn't even look at the Reploid.
"You think you're so tough, do ya, huh, big guy?!" Lifesaver yelled, "Well guess what, you and me tonight in the training centre!! Nine o'clock sharp, unless you're to chicken!"
"Listen, Lifesaver . . ." Dr. Cain intervened, or tried to, Lifesaver utterly ignored him, bellowing over the elderly man's voice, at Zero.
/Maybe I am insane./ Zero thought, as Lifesaver yelled at him. /Maybe it is a Maverick playing with my mind. Or else . . . we're stuck in some time-space loop thing . . . maybe it's all one of those really annoying dreams were you think you wake up but you don't?/ The blonde Hunter came out of his thoughts, just to hear the medical Reploid with a grudge against him yell:
"Nine o'clock! In the training centre! That is, if you aren't to scared!"
He didn't answer, but it didn't seem to matter, because when he finally did pick his head off the table, Lifesaver had already stormed off.
Cain appeared seriously shaken, he was an old man, to old for this sort of mental torment, but he appeared even more concerned for Zero than for himself. "How do we get out of this?" He wondered aloud, "How do we end this continuous time-loop . . .?"
"I don't know." Zero shook his head, "A Maverick you said, right? Maybe Lifesaver is really the Maverick, right? And I have to beat him and then this will end?"
"Perhaps . . ." Cain said, "Let us return to my office now for research . . . we will not go to the training centre tonight." He looked at Zero as though challenging him.
"Feh." Zero said nonchalantly, "To hell with fighting Lifesaver, trust me anything to get this god forsaken day to just END!"
Dr. Cain nodded, they rose and left the hall, and the second their feet hit the hallway entrance they were . . .
In the training centre, and the clock on the wall said five to nine.
"What the bloody hell?!" Zero exclaimed, he spun around, but stepping back through the doorway only brought them back into the training centre as bizarre as that was.
"I don't believe this!!" Dr. Cain said in a very gruff voice that was not himself. "Is fate completely against us?! Is this some sort of curse?!"
"I guess all I can do is try to kill him, in case he is the Maverick," Zero breathed, "I won't hold anything back at all, I'll go at it right from the start just as though he were a Maverick boss."
"Good." Cain nodded, regaining his composure slightly. "Perhaps you could get X to help you."
The first time around, Zero would have scoffed X's help to beat Lifesaver. Maybe even the second time around. Possibly the third. But now? Hell, he was willing to take all the help you could get.
"Hey, Zero!" X called, just seeing them, "Not all battles are won with brawn or brains, some are won with . . ."
"Tai Quan Doe." Cain chimed in, getting the hang of this.
X blinked. "Wow, you sure are smart Dr. Cain!"
Cain chuckled, despite the situation. "Indeed."
Zero rolled his eyes, he was not in the mood.
The holograms X had been training with abruptly dissolved into thin air, and X complained, as he had before, "Oh yeah, some jerk reserved this place for nine!"
"Lifesaver and I . . ." Zero reminded him.
"Oh yeah, can I watch?" X asked.
"Actually X, I was wondering if you would . . ." Now Zero had to swallow his pride. "Help me."
"Help you?" X blinked, then began laughing, "That's a good one, Z, imagine you needing help to beat Lifesaver! Hahahahaha !!!"
"Actually, X," Dr. Cain spoke, clearing his throat, "I would like to see the two of you pair up against him, it's um, for some research I'm conducting."
"Oh. Sure. Okay." X nodded.
Zero sighed in relief, and gave Dr. Cain a 'thanks' glance.
At that moment however, Alia ran in to the centre, a worried look on her face. "X, you must come with me! I have paperwork that needs to be filled out pronto!"
"Aw, Alia, can't it wait?" X asked.
"X this is serious! I could lose my job! I-I didn't notice these forms and they're already so late, and--and-- the superiors are gonna throw a fit if they don't get them ASAP and--and--" If she was acting, Zero thought, she made the wrong choice in becoming a Hunter, because that was an Oscar-worthy performance. And real or not, X was convinced, and Zero couldn't really blame him, Alia looked completely frazzled and close to tears.
". . . Okay, don't worry Alia, I'm coming." X said, "Sorry Zero, Cain, I'll do this later, okay?"
"Uh. . . wait, X!" Cain said, as X started towards Alia, "This is imperative, help us here, I'll take full responsibility for the lateness of the report, Alia."
"Oh . . . okay. . ." X said slowly, knowing something was definitely odd.
However then, Double slid in, bumping into Alia, and after apologizing, turned to face them with an extremely worried look on his pudgy face, "X! Mavericks are attacking the city! You're needed right now!"
"If there are Mavericks, I should go as well!" Zero said.
"Uh . . .n-no!" Double stuttered nervously, "Signas' orders, he only wants X to go!"
"That makes no sense whatsoever!" Cain cried, he turned to Zero, "I think you have to face Lifesaver alone, this is like the room melting and the hallway disappearing and everything. . . I think no matter what we say or do, X will get pulled away somehow."
Zero nodded, he didn't like it, but he saw the doctor's point. "But it's so suspicious, because Alia and Double never came in when I didn't want X to help me."
"I know." Cain nodded, "I know. Believe me I'm trying to figure this out."
Zero nodded, "I know you are, Doctor, thank you."
That spoken, and X departed with Double and Alia, Lifesaver entered the centre. Zero felt a chill run down his spine, his hands were shaking . . . he didn't believe it but he was . . . he was nervous, no, more than that, scared.
"All right, the first one who calls for mercy loses and the fight stops, agreed."
Zero nodded absently, knowing full well whatever he said would do no good.
Lifesaver smirked, and quickly pulled out two red sabers.
"Remember, hold nothing back!" Cain shouted, as he made his way to the observation stands.
And he wouldn't. Before Lifesaver could make a move, Zero rushed at him, screaming and thrusting his Z saber like mad, he slashed and blasted with his buster, he kicked Lifesaver in the chest, and spun around, pushing his entire weight into a blow to the Reploid's face.
However, Lifesaver grabbed his fist and threw Zero across the room. He didn't scream. What was the point? But he did let a muffled cry escape him as he crashed into the back wall of the complex. It hurt. If possible, more so than before. And despite all his blows and slashes, Lifesaver was without a scratch.
"Surprised Zero, you shouldn't be! I've always felt I had . . . hidden potential!" Lifesaver grinned, he punched Zero across the face.
Again. Again. Again. Again.
"How the hell did you get so strong?!" Zero screamed, "What is this?! What are you doing to me?! How?! Answer me!!"
Lifesaver laughed, strangling Zero and lifting him above the ground. "What's the matter, Zero . . . not having a good day?" He smirked.
/He knows . . ./ Zero realized, as a sharp blow to the ribs momentarily blinded him with a wave of pain. /He is the Maverick . . . it has to be . . . what else . . .? But I can't beat him . . ./
He was doomed to lose.
To Lifesaver.
Yet again.
Lifesaver kicked him in the gut, Zero fell backwards. "No! It isn't possible! I won't lose to you!!" Zero screamed. It was futile, hopelessly, and the pain was making him delirious and almost high. He jumped back, grabbed Lifesaver's right arm and twisted it back, he could here it break, but Lifesaver did not appear to mind. He did not flinch. "I just broke your arm!" Zero screamed at him.
"Oh is that what it was?" Lifesaver laughed, he stretched out his broken arm and it snapped back into place with a sickening crunch.
Zero was used to this by now, he screamed, but this time it was purely a scream of frustration, of anger, of hatred, and not at all of surprise. Lifesaver kicked him in the chest, Zero flew backwards and crashed into the ground.
Dr. Cain, watching helplessly, closed his eyes, /please let him win./ He thought in his mind.
Zero lunged at Lifesaver, again, Lifesaver staggered but--but it should have sent him flying with a hole in his chest, Zero thought. He grabbed Lifesaver's arm again and this time twisted it until it broke off. He screamed and punched Lifesaver again, and again. He broke the other arm off. He went for the head, but Lifesaver leaped backwards several feet.
Zero was breathing heavily.
Was this a nightmare?! A hallucination?! Insanity?! Was this what it was like to lose your mind?!
Lifesaver did something which had never been done by a Reploid before. Except for in Zero's dreams. Nightmares. Hallucinations. The socket where his arms had been began glowing and new arms burst out of the light, they grew until they were exactly as his arms had been, they even glistened like new. "Impossible!!" Zero screamed.
"How can he do that?!" Cain screamed, "It makes no sense! There isn't a Reploid on Earth with that capability!"
Zero drew his saber, he slashed at Lifesaver in a hundred violent blows, the saber flashing to and fro in a blinding display of light, but when he stopped and the smoke cleared . . . not one scratch, not one dent, remained on Lifesaver.
Again. This was getting annoying.
Zero screamed, he lunged at the Reploid with all his force, driving the saber straight through Lifesaver's chest.
The Reploid didn't move, didn't wince, didn't even blink.
Instead, Lifesaver punched Zero and he went flying several feet backwards. He crashed into the floor and moaned in pain. "Impossible . . . this is impossible. . . I don't believe it . . ." He gasped.
"Oh BELIEVE it." Lifesaver grinned, standing over him, Zero's saber sticking out of his chest and all, and he kicked Zero sharply in the side, Zero gasped in pain. "Just say it, say it and I win the fight."
"Say it!" Dr. Cain cried from the stands, "Good God, man, it's not worth your life!"
Zero squeezed his eyes shut tightly, the pain was overwhelming, his pride was stuck in his throat, but he didn't want to be stuck in this day again, not again. "Fine . . . you . . . win!" Zero gasped, from where he lay on the floor, grasping his wounded side in agony.
"No . . . not until I have your head!" Lifesaver growled, and pulled Zero's saber out of his chest, lifting it above his head ceremoniously.
Zero knew how it was going to end, and yet, he felt his hear race as the saber came down, squinted his eyes shut, dreading it, feeling every inch of his being brace for the pain.
Again
A/N: 'The Never Ending Monday', eh . . .? I must be a sadist or something/jk, but I really torture the chara I love through all this hell and mental anguish . . . yes, people reading my Zero ficcy know what I can be like (this is almost nothing, eh?) . . . oh, poor Zero, glad I'm not in his shoes right now.