A Vile Situation
Zero walked along the hallways, heading for the main control center of the Maverick Hunters HQ. He'd been summoned by Doctor Cain for an assignment, which generally meant Zero would have his work cut out for him. The #0 unit of Maverick Hunters that he led was generally reserved for special operations.
When he reached the main control center he found Doctor Cain waiting at a table for him. He looked up when Zero entered. "Zero, I have an assignment for you." He stood up, pulling a couple files out of his satchel. He handed them to Zero as he explained. "Some mavericks have attacked a facility and stolen some sort of research."
"A theft?" Zero asked, taking the files from him curiously. "No offense Doctor Cain, but why is my unit being sent?"
"It was a government facility and they claim the research stolen is meant to be top-secret." Doctor Cain explained as Zero opened up the first of the files, giving him the details of the theft.
"I don't see anything in here about what was taken." Zero said curiously, rifling through the papers.
"Indeed, they refused to tell me." Doctor Cain sneered a bit at this. "You're going to be more fully briefed when you arrive in Washington. This is to be kept strictly confidential, so make sure you trust those you take."
"Understood." Zero began to leave, but turned back to him slowly. "Should I take X with me?"
"No. He's taking some personal time off."
"Understood." This time Zero turned to leave, heading out the door. Ever since X had found that book in the building he'd been pre-occupied, unfocused. Zero knew he was tortured by how close he was to knowing about his past before becoming X, as all evidence pointed to him being older than anyone.
Zero finally forced his mind to the business at hand and read through some of the papers. The mavericks had broken through the roof of the building, catching most of the facility off guard. Every detail of the break in was present, but no clue as to what had been taken.
"New assignment?" Zero looked up to see Panther of the #0 unit standing beside him, pacing him. Her body was mostly human shaped, but black leopard fur decorated her shell. Her face was mostly human as well, but a cats tail protruded from her rear. He hadn't even noticed her approach.
"We're heading to Washington. Round up the entire unit and have them assemble in the operations room." Zero said seriously.
"Must be something big." She replied, looking down at the papers in Zero's hand.
"I don't know, but I'm not taking any chances. Better to be overly prepared than unprepared." He said, stuffing the papers back inside the file.
"Get no argument from me their." Panther said, looking at his face. "When do we leave commander?"
"Immediately." His firm response seemed to surprise her at first, but she quickly turned and headed off to find the other members of #0 unit. There weren't that many, but they were the best in tracking and hand to hand combat that the maverick hunters had. Whatever had been taken, they'd soon find it.
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Zero sat in the front seat of the transport, looking back at the rest of his unit sitting in their assigned seats. Against the left wall in the seat nearest him sat Dark Panther, her blade whip wrapped around her waist. It was a regular whip made out of steel with the last two feet of the end shaped into a double sided blade.
To her left was Psycho Mantis. He'd earned the nickname "Psycho" because of his unmatched ferocity in battle. He was covered in a green shell, though basically human-like. His head was almost a hybrid of human and mantis, his arms ended in a pair of blades from the elbow down. The gossamer wings extending from his back were folded forward, as there wasn't any room behind him in the seat.
To Mantis's left was Flash Cheetah. His thin frame left a lot of room in the seat. His shell was mostly orangish-yellow with black stripes dotting his frame, one stripe extending over his right eye. They weren't visible, but his twin morning stars were hidden somewhere on his body.
On the other side, nearest to Zero sat Magma Dragoon. After betraying the Maverick Hunters before, he'd been defeated by Zero. His thirst to combat Zero placated, Dragoon had rejoined the Hunters, under the condition that he be placed under Zero's command. Zero had sought special permission from Doctor Cain and had gotten him reinstated under the #0 unit, with the stipulation that Zero himself would take responsibility if Dragoon ever reneged again.
On Dragoons right was Solid Snake. His body was long and sinuous, seemingly without any joints or hinges. The scale-like armor that covered his body was what gave him the name "solid" and also why he had such sinuous mobility. His arms were longer than most and he had no legs, his coils wrapped around the chairs feet. His only weapons were the claws on his fingers, which were shaped of diamond.
Zero himself included, there were only six members of the #0 unit, but they were the best at what they did. Most other units waged wars on maverick armies, his unit found hiding mavericks and called for backup if things got extreme, but things rarely got so bad they couldn't handle them.
Finally Zero turned to face the front as they passed a military checkpoint. They were nearing the base already. The soldiers had wasted no time in rushing them here, obviously they wanted whatever was taken to be returned immediately.
He couldn't help but gasp slightly as the base came into view. The solid steel walls had holes the size of this transport punched into them, and there was a cloud of thick black smoke issuing from the roof of the building. Obviously this had been no minor or random theft, someone had purposely target something inside this place. He just wished he knew what.
The transport pulled up to the area in front of the building so the maverick hunters could climb out and approach who was obviously the General in front of the building. A sturdy looking human with a grayish brown mustache and a pistol held in its holster by his side.
"Maverick Hunter Unit #0 reporting for duty sir." Zero gave him a salute, knowing the others would follow suit. They were well accustomed to dealing with military officials.
The General looked them over, frowning in contempt. "Is this all there is?"
"It's all we need sir." Already Zero disliked this guy, he was obviously not trusting of reploids.
The General still smirked, but waved his hand so they could stop saluting. "How much have you been told of the situation?"
"Only that someone had broken in and taken something. The details in the files were very vague as well." Zero said, staring at him emotionlessly.
"Good enough. We need you to find these thieves and bring them to justice. How you accomplish this task is up to you."
"With all due respect sir, it would really help us to know what we were looking for. What was taken in the attack."
"It is not your place to question what you're looking for. Find these thieves, that's all you have to do. Dismissed." With that the General turned and left for the inside of the building, stopping to bark out some soldier who'd stopped rebuilding to take a rest.
"A nice fellow if I do say so myself." Panther said beside him, smirking in contempt. "Men like that give soldiers a bad name."
"How are we supposed to find something when we don't know what it is?" Dragoon commented.
"We scope this place out and look for any clues as to what was taken. It would be a lot easier with their cooperation, but we'll just have to work around them. Mantis, you fly up to the roof and see if you can find where the attack stopped, see if anything seems to be missing from their." Zero said, taking instant charge. Mantis simply nodded and took off in a flurry of wing beats, heading for the roof.
"What about the rest of us?" Panther asked.
"The rest of you fan out, look for any clues as to which way the thieves went. Interrogate the soldiers if you have to, we need SOMETHING to go on here." Panther, Dragoon, Snake and Cheetah simply nodded and took off in separate directions.
Zero himself turned and headed around to the back of the facility, looking around him curiously. The blasts in the walls ended at the side, which meant the attack had come from the front of the complex. It seemed to him like a suicidal move, but somehow they'd overpowered the facility defenses and gotten away seemingly scot-free.
Around back he ran into a young girl sitting beside a piece of metal from the wall that had been dragged around back by one of the soldiers, presumably to have the clean up crew either re-shape it or throw it out and get a new one. The girl was kneeling beside it, examining it. She was wearing a soldiers uniform, her bright blue eyes sparkling in the sun. Her hair loose around her, hanging down to her mid-back.
"What are you doing here?" Zero's question seemed to startle her at first, but then she faced him squarely, seemingly determined to stand up to some insurmountable force.
"Go ahead, call the rest of the soldiers on me." She said simply, staring at him determinedly.
"I'm not calling any soldiers unless I find out you don't belong here. Now I'll ask again, who are you and what are you doing here?"
"I'm... Rachel." She said, looking around her a bit nervously. "You're not with the military around here are you?"
"I'm Commander Zero of the Maverick Hunters #0 unit. Now that we know each other a little better, why don't you tell me what you're doing here?"
"I'm just..." She interrupted by Zero's arm communicator beeping.
Zero lifted his arm, a bit annoyed at the interruption. "Zero here."
Panther's voice comes through on the radio built into his arm. "I think I found something commander. I'm on the east side of the facility."
"I'm on my way." Zero said, lowering his arm and looking up only to find the girl was gone. "Huh?" He looked around for a few minutes, then finally gave up and headed for Panther's position next to the forest on the east side of the complex. When he reached her she was kneeling on the ground, studying it. "What did you find?"
"A trail leading through the forest. Well hidden too." She said, standing up as he approached. "Might be them, but we know where assumptions can lead."
"Hmm... Round up the others, I'll scout ahead on the trail, see if it's them or an ambush."
"Right. Be careful Zero." She waited for Zero's nod before she went back to the complex to find the others. He walked through the forest, following the carefully hidden trail through the underbrush of the forest. The snap of twigs and crunch of leaves being the only real sounds he could hear.
He moved slowly, looking around him cautiously. Everything seemed quiet enough to him, nothing moving in the grass or trees above him. Still he sensed something wasn't exactly right around here, he was being watched from somewhere.
In a flash he whirled suddenly, whipping his laser sword out and slashing at the bat that had flown up behind him. The laser easily sliced it in half, making it plummet to the ground with two heavy thuds, the electrical wiring inside sparking before going dead.
He whirled again in time to see a figure leaping towards him, lashing out with another laser sword. It was intercepted by Zero's own blade, the two sparking with energy as they touch. Zero grunted with effort as he threw his attackers blade to the side, then lunged forward, slashing expertly.
His attacker leapt into the air, avoiding the slash, then came back down with his own strike that would have sliced Zero in half had it connected. Instead of leaping back, zero leapt upward to meet it. They sliced at the same time, the blades whizzing through the air, leaving trails behind them.
They struck simultaneously, the burst of energy from the swords lighting up the forest brightly. When they land they are both facing each other, their swords at the ready. In this moment Zero got the first good look at his opponent... It was Zero, painted black. The saber was blue, but it was indeed Zero himself.
"Who are you?" Zero asked, staring at him in suspicion. "Did you attack the complex?" His double seemed to ignore the question, staring back at Zero, his eyes burning fiercely. Suddenly a blast streaked from the trees, striking Zero full in the back, making him go down with a yell of surprise.
"No, I did." A voice almost familiar to Zero came from behind him as a foot slammed down onto his injured back, making him yell in pain. "I knew they'd send you Zero... Night-night." A swift kick to the back of Zero's head knocked him out cold, everything going black instantly.
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X walked into the meeting room slowly, looking over at Doctor Cain as he entered. He'd been on his personal vacation, but Doctor Cain had suddenly called him with an urgent mission. So he'd run back to HQ to receive the assignment.
"Ah, X. I'm sorry to drag you in here like this, especially in the light of recent circumstances, but I thought you'd want to be here." Doctor Cain nodded his head a bit apologetically.
"What's up Doctor?" X asked simply, wanting to know what was so urgent.
"Commander Zero has gone missing on a mission to a military base in America." X perked up and listened intently now. "His unit is still there, searching for him as well as some items stolen from the base. I'm placing you in temporary command of the #0 unit until Commander Zero is found."
"Understood." X agreed immediately. Zero had been his close friend since he'd been built, always there for him. X would not let him go missing like this for no reason. "I'll find him, I swear it."
"I know you will X. That's why I chose you. Dismissed." X turned and walked out immediately, heading for the hangar bay where the hover bikes were kept. He had to hurry, get there before something happened to him...
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X rode through the air rapidly, the hoverbike's engine roaring in the wind. He'd ridden all the way here from Maverick Hunter HQ to begin the search, his ire growing with each second that the rest of Zero's team had been unable to find any trace of him.
He hopped off the bike as soon as it touched ground, approaching Panther furiously. "How could you let this happen!?"
"He was investigating a possible lead." She said with as much of a respectful tone as she could muster with him right in her face. "He disappeared without a trace."
"Well I'm taking charge until we find him. So I'm making locating Zero our top priority!" He's interrupted as a human taps him on the shoulder, demanding his attention.
"Your top priority is locating the stuff stolen from the base."
"Not anymore it isn't." X said, his tone leaving no doubt any objection would quickly be shot down.
"You CANNOT abandon your mission here! You're to find the stolen items from the complex! That is an order from your superior!" With that the human soldier turned and stalked away rapidly, obviously scared to death X would shoot him in the back.
X looked after him a moment, then turned to the rest of Zero's unit. "Fine, we're splitting up into two teams. Cheetah, you'll lead team one. Mantis and Snake, you two stay here with him and investigate the thefts. Dragoon and Panther, you two are with me. We're going to investigate Zero's disappearance. Any objections?" He received looks of determination and understanding from the rest of the unit. They wanted to find Zero as much as he did. "Alright then everybody move out."
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Zero opened his eyes slowly, looking around him curiously. He was in a large metal room with one door set in the wall in front of him. His arms were tied against solid steel posts on either side of him, holding him up even though he wasn't moving at all. The walls around him were like mirrors, each one reflecting his own image back at him, straining simply to keep his eyes open.
The door in front of him opened slowly and the little girl from before walked in, now dressed in a little red dress that seemed a perfect match for her baby blue eyes. "I remember you... You're the girl from the complex..." Zero said, studying her as best he could manage.
"I remember you too." The girl said, walking up to him and smirking at him, even with him on his knees and bent over she stood at his head level. "He's told me a lot about you."
"He?" Zero asked curiously.
"Me." A figure followed the girl through the door, his purple helmet and body armor telling Zero who it is, he finally had a name and face to go with the voice.
"Vile!" Zero stared at him in shocked horror. "We destroyed you!" To zero's horror the girl in front of him stared at Vile with shining eyes, almost admiring eyes.
"Not quite." Vile said, striding casually toward them, talking as he walked.
"I don't know what your game is you murderer, but you're not doing whatever it is." The girl slapped Zero hard, lulling his head to the side.
"You see Zero, I'm not the bad guy this time." Vile said, finally reaching him.
"What... Do you mean?" Zero said, forcing himself to lift his head and face Vile again. Vile simply looked down at the girl, who was glaring at Zero fiercely for badmouthing her hero. Zero debated with himself, but finally decided to take the bait. "Who is she?"
"My name is Roll Light." She said, surprising him.
"No... But your diary... You killed yourself."
"I tried. But do you think they would let the last functioning cyber-human destroy herself? Hell no, they stopped me before I could and locked me in that complex." She said, the contempt and sorrow in her voice plain as day as she looked down at the floor, hugging herself slightly.
Vile placed one hand on her shoulder, continuing for her. "The humans kept her locked away for more than fifty years, trying to find the secrets to making a functional cyber-human. Imagine their surprise when a civilian found a working one and figured out how to reproduce it." The humorous twinge to his voice rings through his helmet. "They threw Roll aside like unnecessary garbage and jumped on the new technology to create us reploids."
"So how did you know... That she was in the complex?"
At this Vile smirked, staring down at Zero. "Three years ago when Sigma was a virus in the mainframe, he was patched into all of his robots, as well as the network. He had information on everything that he could want. This little tidbit leaked through to me and I took notice, deciding to go after her."
At this Zero outright laughed, looking up at him in contempt. "You don't expect me to believe you risked breaking into a government facility just to play the dashing hero do you?"
"Believe what you want Zero. You're upset right now, I'll give you time to think things over. Then I'll show you why I'm here." With that Vile turned and stalked toward the door, shutting it heavily behind him. Roll still stood in front of Zero, staring at him.
"Vile's not evil, he's doing what's good and right." She said, watching him hopefully, obviously wishing Zero would see things her way.
"You may look like a little girl, but you're still a robot. And I'm willing to bet he's reprogrammed you to say this stuff." Her penetrating and hardened gaze met Zero's, the countless hours she'd spent locked inside of her own shell like a mask over her eyes, deadening them to the point she seemed to almost have no life at all.
"I wish I were reprogrammed, then I wouldn't remember..." She shuddered, her imprisonment still fresh in her mind. "Please, just keep an open mind. What he has to show you later will be proof enough, then we can warn others." With that she looked into his eyes one more time before turning and heading out the door, shutting it gently behind her.
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X walked through the forest, following the same trail Panther had said Zero followed. Panther and Dragoon trailed behind him, looking about cautiously. X didn't fully trust Dragoon, one reason he wanted to keep an eye on him. Zero did however, so X had to trust his friends judgment, at least partially.
"Watch out X!" Panther yelled suddenly. He looked up just in time to see an energy bolt coming his way. He leapt out of the way just in time to avoid it.
"It's an ambush! Scatter and fight back!" X yelled, returning fire on the sniper in the tree. He could see the figure leap away just before the blast tore the limb from the tree, sending it crashing to the ground. More blasts tore through the tree limbs and underbrush, forcing X, Panther and Dragoon to take cover behind the trees.
X raised his cannon, the slight whirring the only indication of the power stored up inside of it. He whirled out from his cover, firing one mighty blast in the direction of their attackers. The explosion rocked the forest, the trees swaying against their own roots as the force of the blast sent a shockwave rippling through them.
The gunfire stopped as X stood tall to survey the situation. Parts of smaller robots littered the area, likely just attack drones and auto-cannons, nothing to seriously worry about. But he knew something had leapt from the tree before, or had he imagined it?
"Well, that wasn't exactly the biggest fight they could have put up." Panther noted as her and Dragoon came out and joined him in surveying the area.
"Yeah..." X mused as he knelt down to examine one of the metallic robot parts at his feet. On closer examination he saw they were little more than springs and cogs, just enough to resemble a robot body part. "Watch out!" He yelled just before more cannon-fire burst from the trees, forcing the three of them to dodge wildly.
They all dodged the bullets as dozens of smaller robots charged them. They were average military infantry, half the size of a normal human and totally mindless. Used only during crisis and emergency situations. Undoubtedly these had been stolen during the attack on the facility.
X fought in a furious pattern, returning fire on their snipers and placing a few high powered kicks to the infantry, sending them flying away from him with huge dents in their chests.
Panther whirled in a magnificent pattern, the blade on the tip of her whip slicing through the infantry easily. Her cat-like roars of battle sounded through the forest as she fought, sending robot after robot to the ground in two or more pieces.
Dragoon stood his ground, his body glowing white hot as he slashed at the infantry, tearing them to shreds, but he was also mindful that he was in a forest, and could not use his real firepower lest he burn the entire forest to cinders.
"How many of these guys are their!?" X yelled as they still fought on, wave after wave of infantry attacking them in a seemingly endless assault. There just seemed to be no end to them.
"X, we should withdraw!" He heard Dragoon yell over the flurry of gunfire, the blasts coming mere inches from hitting their marks.
Finally X powered up his cannon again, taking aim into the forest. "Retreat!" He fired, the blast ripping through tree limbs and underbrush alike, clearing a nice sized hole through the forest. X ran the other way however, as yet more infantry poured from the forest towards them. He could see Panther and Dragoon a distance beside him, running back toward the complex.
X could only curse himself as he ran, silently swearing to Zero that he'd be back to look for him again.
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Hours had passed, the seconds endlessly ticking away. Still Zero hung in the center of the room, staring at his own beat up reflection in the countless mirrors around him.
Finally the door opened again and Vile entered, Roll coming in behind him. "Comfy I hope?" Zero stayed silent as he walked up and looked down at him. "Don't be upset at me, I'm not your enemy this time."
"You attacked the base and re-programmed an innocent." Zero said spitefully through clenched teeth.
"I didn't reprogram anyone... You just don't have all the facts. What would you say if I told you your own human friends were planning to throw you out as a defective model?"
"I'd say you're the scheming liar you are."
Roll walked up to Zero then, her eyes almost pleading. "Please, hear him out."
"For years the government has questioned the wisdom of giving us reploids free will with all the power we possess. They fear us because we could rebel at any time and they couldn't stop us, as the recent spat with Repliforce has proven." Vile said, looking down at Zero steadily, unwavering.
"So what does this have to do with anything? We all know they fear us, it doesn't mean they have reason to. Only you mavericks make them fear us!"
"What if I told you they were planning to remove the threat?" Zero looked at him a bit surprised.
"What are you talking about?"
"Other parts of the data I received from Sigma's control indicated that plans were already underway three years ago to rebuild every reploid existing, every make and model. Only these ones will be unable to act on their own. They'll be mindless robots, used for everything from fighting wars to wiping the spit from your shoe."
"You're a poor liar Vile. Doctor Cain would never agree to that."
"He doesn't know. I do have proof however, I believe you've already met your own twin." Calmly he snaps his fingers, the sound echoing through the room. The black reploid from before walks in, looking exactly like Zero only painted all in black. "Exactly like you. Every nut, every bolt, every crank in his body just like yours. The only difference is he doesn't have the neural net to support intelligent thought. He's purely a creature of action."
"Not the first time someone's made a copy of me." Zero smirked a bit at this. "Did you salvage it from the other crappy copy?"
"I didn't make this one. We found it during our rescue of Roll from the facility."
"I still see no reason to believe a word of this."
"Believe it or not it's happening. You can help me stop it though. This one time I need you to work with me because frankly, you're a damn good fighter." Zero met Vile's steady gaze, his eyes looking as sincere as Zero had ever seen them.
"Why should I believe you? As far as I know this isn't even the real Roll. You could have built her yourself. Why, I don't know yet, but I will."
"Zero..." Vile knelt down on one knee in front of him, gazing at him seriously. "I'm asking you as a reploid, if you don't help me all reploids could be destroyed and replaced with brainless copies. We've had our fights in the past, but this is a fight for our entire race. One we cannot afford to be divided during." At this he held out his hand to Zero as the rope binding Zero's right arm undid itself, freeing that arm. "Help me... Help us all Zero. All reploids."
Zero stared at Vile's hand for a few minutes, contemplating. He'd never seen Vile so sincere, so earnest in his need for help. He undoubtedly had his own agenda behind all of this, but if there was even the chance Vile was right...
Finally Zero took his hand in a firm shake. The rope on Zero's other wrist undid itself as Vile helped Zero lift to his feet. "If I find that any of what you've told me isn't true, you will let me take you in to Maverick Hunter HQ."
"Fair enough." Vile said before looking down at Roll, who stood at about their waists heights. "Take Zero to get repaired, then get him cleaned up."
Roll smiled brightly up at him in response. "Okay!" She watched as Vile turned and left the room, then she turned to look up at Zero. "Thank you for helping us."
"If what he said is true, I really couldn't turn him down." He followed behind her as she left the room, heading down the metal passageways.
"I know what you mean..." She said walking along the passages. "I'm still trying to get used to everything. Reploids, mavericks, hunters... It's so confusing."
"You get used to it..." Zero said sullenly behind her.
"I hope we don't have to fight... I've seen enough fighting... Before..." Her voice cut off as though she couldn't speak anymore, the memories getting the better of her. In all honesty, Zero couldn't argue with her sentiment. But he was a soldier, and if it came down to it, he was ready to face anybody to prevent the kind of thing Vile had talked about, anybody.
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X stood in the main operations room in the military base, the soldiers milling about performing tasks all around them. The other five members of the #0 unit were crowded around him, looking down at the same map X was examining. They'd been trying all afternoon to find something on the map that might show where Zero could have been taken within the amount of time they assumed he'd been missing, with no success.
Suddenly the main monitor in the front of the room flared to life, an image of Vile replacing the satellite readouts that had been there before.
X recognized him immediately. "Vile!"
"It's been a long time X." Vile's voice sounds throughout the room, calling the attention of everyone in it to the monitor. "A pity it has to be, again, as enemies."
"As long as you're convinced on killing all the humans we'll be enemies."
"Bold words, but circumstances are different this time. I didn't make the first move, did I General Garamond?" Vile's gaze shifts from X to the General standing fast in front of the screen, watching it calmly.
"You attacked this facility without provocation and stole valuable equipment. Surrender and you will be handed over to the maverick hunters without harm to face trials for your crimes." The General said unwavering in his stance.
"That's right Vile, give this all up, you know you can't defeat us. I've beaten you three times before, and I can do it again." X said.
"Ah X, always the trusting fool. You're playing right into the Generals hands. At this rate, he won't have to destroy us reploids, the hunters and the mavericks will destroy each other. All he'll have to do is clean up the mess."
"Enough lies Vile." X began before the monitor suddenly shifted, displaying Zero's face instead of Vile's. He could hear the startled gasps of the rest of the #0 unit behind him as Zero spoke.
"X, it's all true. I'm sure of it."
"Zero... You're a maverick?" X said, staring at the screen in disbelief. "How could you do this? You've betrayed your own unit!"
"Things aren't so simple this time X. We can't afford to just follow our orders. I've been told our friend the general here is planning to destroy all of the reploids and replace them with mindless machines."
"Zero, Vile's a consummate liar. Don't believe him, he's just trying to turn you against the maverick hunters."
"No, I believe him... With everything he's shown me I believe him."
"Zero... Don't do this. I don't want to fight you, but I will if you force me to by becoming a maverick."
"X... I'm sorry you can't believe me... There is a war coming. We both have to choose sides. I'm just sorry you had to choose the wrong one. If your side wins, the entire reploid race with die out and be replaced by robots. I won't let that happen, I'll do anything I have to in order to stop it."
X is silent for a long moment, staring at his old friend on the monitor. Finally he spoke again, his voice unwavering. "Then I guess I'll meet you on the battlefield."
Zero nodded on the screen, the blue jewel on his forehead flashing in the light. "I hope I won't have to kill you. There's still time for you to change sides, maybe something I can show you will convince you." He seemed seriously saddened as the transmission was cut, leaving X standing on the hard metal floor staring at the screen. Zero had turned maverick... and it was X's job to bring down both him and Vile, at any cost.
TO BE CONTINUED
Zero walked along the hallways, heading for the main control center of the Maverick Hunters HQ. He'd been summoned by Doctor Cain for an assignment, which generally meant Zero would have his work cut out for him. The #0 unit of Maverick Hunters that he led was generally reserved for special operations.
When he reached the main control center he found Doctor Cain waiting at a table for him. He looked up when Zero entered. "Zero, I have an assignment for you." He stood up, pulling a couple files out of his satchel. He handed them to Zero as he explained. "Some mavericks have attacked a facility and stolen some sort of research."
"A theft?" Zero asked, taking the files from him curiously. "No offense Doctor Cain, but why is my unit being sent?"
"It was a government facility and they claim the research stolen is meant to be top-secret." Doctor Cain explained as Zero opened up the first of the files, giving him the details of the theft.
"I don't see anything in here about what was taken." Zero said curiously, rifling through the papers.
"Indeed, they refused to tell me." Doctor Cain sneered a bit at this. "You're going to be more fully briefed when you arrive in Washington. This is to be kept strictly confidential, so make sure you trust those you take."
"Understood." Zero began to leave, but turned back to him slowly. "Should I take X with me?"
"No. He's taking some personal time off."
"Understood." This time Zero turned to leave, heading out the door. Ever since X had found that book in the building he'd been pre-occupied, unfocused. Zero knew he was tortured by how close he was to knowing about his past before becoming X, as all evidence pointed to him being older than anyone.
Zero finally forced his mind to the business at hand and read through some of the papers. The mavericks had broken through the roof of the building, catching most of the facility off guard. Every detail of the break in was present, but no clue as to what had been taken.
"New assignment?" Zero looked up to see Panther of the #0 unit standing beside him, pacing him. Her body was mostly human shaped, but black leopard fur decorated her shell. Her face was mostly human as well, but a cats tail protruded from her rear. He hadn't even noticed her approach.
"We're heading to Washington. Round up the entire unit and have them assemble in the operations room." Zero said seriously.
"Must be something big." She replied, looking down at the papers in Zero's hand.
"I don't know, but I'm not taking any chances. Better to be overly prepared than unprepared." He said, stuffing the papers back inside the file.
"Get no argument from me their." Panther said, looking at his face. "When do we leave commander?"
"Immediately." His firm response seemed to surprise her at first, but she quickly turned and headed off to find the other members of #0 unit. There weren't that many, but they were the best in tracking and hand to hand combat that the maverick hunters had. Whatever had been taken, they'd soon find it.
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Zero sat in the front seat of the transport, looking back at the rest of his unit sitting in their assigned seats. Against the left wall in the seat nearest him sat Dark Panther, her blade whip wrapped around her waist. It was a regular whip made out of steel with the last two feet of the end shaped into a double sided blade.
To her left was Psycho Mantis. He'd earned the nickname "Psycho" because of his unmatched ferocity in battle. He was covered in a green shell, though basically human-like. His head was almost a hybrid of human and mantis, his arms ended in a pair of blades from the elbow down. The gossamer wings extending from his back were folded forward, as there wasn't any room behind him in the seat.
To Mantis's left was Flash Cheetah. His thin frame left a lot of room in the seat. His shell was mostly orangish-yellow with black stripes dotting his frame, one stripe extending over his right eye. They weren't visible, but his twin morning stars were hidden somewhere on his body.
On the other side, nearest to Zero sat Magma Dragoon. After betraying the Maverick Hunters before, he'd been defeated by Zero. His thirst to combat Zero placated, Dragoon had rejoined the Hunters, under the condition that he be placed under Zero's command. Zero had sought special permission from Doctor Cain and had gotten him reinstated under the #0 unit, with the stipulation that Zero himself would take responsibility if Dragoon ever reneged again.
On Dragoons right was Solid Snake. His body was long and sinuous, seemingly without any joints or hinges. The scale-like armor that covered his body was what gave him the name "solid" and also why he had such sinuous mobility. His arms were longer than most and he had no legs, his coils wrapped around the chairs feet. His only weapons were the claws on his fingers, which were shaped of diamond.
Zero himself included, there were only six members of the #0 unit, but they were the best at what they did. Most other units waged wars on maverick armies, his unit found hiding mavericks and called for backup if things got extreme, but things rarely got so bad they couldn't handle them.
Finally Zero turned to face the front as they passed a military checkpoint. They were nearing the base already. The soldiers had wasted no time in rushing them here, obviously they wanted whatever was taken to be returned immediately.
He couldn't help but gasp slightly as the base came into view. The solid steel walls had holes the size of this transport punched into them, and there was a cloud of thick black smoke issuing from the roof of the building. Obviously this had been no minor or random theft, someone had purposely target something inside this place. He just wished he knew what.
The transport pulled up to the area in front of the building so the maverick hunters could climb out and approach who was obviously the General in front of the building. A sturdy looking human with a grayish brown mustache and a pistol held in its holster by his side.
"Maverick Hunter Unit #0 reporting for duty sir." Zero gave him a salute, knowing the others would follow suit. They were well accustomed to dealing with military officials.
The General looked them over, frowning in contempt. "Is this all there is?"
"It's all we need sir." Already Zero disliked this guy, he was obviously not trusting of reploids.
The General still smirked, but waved his hand so they could stop saluting. "How much have you been told of the situation?"
"Only that someone had broken in and taken something. The details in the files were very vague as well." Zero said, staring at him emotionlessly.
"Good enough. We need you to find these thieves and bring them to justice. How you accomplish this task is up to you."
"With all due respect sir, it would really help us to know what we were looking for. What was taken in the attack."
"It is not your place to question what you're looking for. Find these thieves, that's all you have to do. Dismissed." With that the General turned and left for the inside of the building, stopping to bark out some soldier who'd stopped rebuilding to take a rest.
"A nice fellow if I do say so myself." Panther said beside him, smirking in contempt. "Men like that give soldiers a bad name."
"How are we supposed to find something when we don't know what it is?" Dragoon commented.
"We scope this place out and look for any clues as to what was taken. It would be a lot easier with their cooperation, but we'll just have to work around them. Mantis, you fly up to the roof and see if you can find where the attack stopped, see if anything seems to be missing from their." Zero said, taking instant charge. Mantis simply nodded and took off in a flurry of wing beats, heading for the roof.
"What about the rest of us?" Panther asked.
"The rest of you fan out, look for any clues as to which way the thieves went. Interrogate the soldiers if you have to, we need SOMETHING to go on here." Panther, Dragoon, Snake and Cheetah simply nodded and took off in separate directions.
Zero himself turned and headed around to the back of the facility, looking around him curiously. The blasts in the walls ended at the side, which meant the attack had come from the front of the complex. It seemed to him like a suicidal move, but somehow they'd overpowered the facility defenses and gotten away seemingly scot-free.
Around back he ran into a young girl sitting beside a piece of metal from the wall that had been dragged around back by one of the soldiers, presumably to have the clean up crew either re-shape it or throw it out and get a new one. The girl was kneeling beside it, examining it. She was wearing a soldiers uniform, her bright blue eyes sparkling in the sun. Her hair loose around her, hanging down to her mid-back.
"What are you doing here?" Zero's question seemed to startle her at first, but then she faced him squarely, seemingly determined to stand up to some insurmountable force.
"Go ahead, call the rest of the soldiers on me." She said simply, staring at him determinedly.
"I'm not calling any soldiers unless I find out you don't belong here. Now I'll ask again, who are you and what are you doing here?"
"I'm... Rachel." She said, looking around her a bit nervously. "You're not with the military around here are you?"
"I'm Commander Zero of the Maverick Hunters #0 unit. Now that we know each other a little better, why don't you tell me what you're doing here?"
"I'm just..." She interrupted by Zero's arm communicator beeping.
Zero lifted his arm, a bit annoyed at the interruption. "Zero here."
Panther's voice comes through on the radio built into his arm. "I think I found something commander. I'm on the east side of the facility."
"I'm on my way." Zero said, lowering his arm and looking up only to find the girl was gone. "Huh?" He looked around for a few minutes, then finally gave up and headed for Panther's position next to the forest on the east side of the complex. When he reached her she was kneeling on the ground, studying it. "What did you find?"
"A trail leading through the forest. Well hidden too." She said, standing up as he approached. "Might be them, but we know where assumptions can lead."
"Hmm... Round up the others, I'll scout ahead on the trail, see if it's them or an ambush."
"Right. Be careful Zero." She waited for Zero's nod before she went back to the complex to find the others. He walked through the forest, following the carefully hidden trail through the underbrush of the forest. The snap of twigs and crunch of leaves being the only real sounds he could hear.
He moved slowly, looking around him cautiously. Everything seemed quiet enough to him, nothing moving in the grass or trees above him. Still he sensed something wasn't exactly right around here, he was being watched from somewhere.
In a flash he whirled suddenly, whipping his laser sword out and slashing at the bat that had flown up behind him. The laser easily sliced it in half, making it plummet to the ground with two heavy thuds, the electrical wiring inside sparking before going dead.
He whirled again in time to see a figure leaping towards him, lashing out with another laser sword. It was intercepted by Zero's own blade, the two sparking with energy as they touch. Zero grunted with effort as he threw his attackers blade to the side, then lunged forward, slashing expertly.
His attacker leapt into the air, avoiding the slash, then came back down with his own strike that would have sliced Zero in half had it connected. Instead of leaping back, zero leapt upward to meet it. They sliced at the same time, the blades whizzing through the air, leaving trails behind them.
They struck simultaneously, the burst of energy from the swords lighting up the forest brightly. When they land they are both facing each other, their swords at the ready. In this moment Zero got the first good look at his opponent... It was Zero, painted black. The saber was blue, but it was indeed Zero himself.
"Who are you?" Zero asked, staring at him in suspicion. "Did you attack the complex?" His double seemed to ignore the question, staring back at Zero, his eyes burning fiercely. Suddenly a blast streaked from the trees, striking Zero full in the back, making him go down with a yell of surprise.
"No, I did." A voice almost familiar to Zero came from behind him as a foot slammed down onto his injured back, making him yell in pain. "I knew they'd send you Zero... Night-night." A swift kick to the back of Zero's head knocked him out cold, everything going black instantly.
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X walked into the meeting room slowly, looking over at Doctor Cain as he entered. He'd been on his personal vacation, but Doctor Cain had suddenly called him with an urgent mission. So he'd run back to HQ to receive the assignment.
"Ah, X. I'm sorry to drag you in here like this, especially in the light of recent circumstances, but I thought you'd want to be here." Doctor Cain nodded his head a bit apologetically.
"What's up Doctor?" X asked simply, wanting to know what was so urgent.
"Commander Zero has gone missing on a mission to a military base in America." X perked up and listened intently now. "His unit is still there, searching for him as well as some items stolen from the base. I'm placing you in temporary command of the #0 unit until Commander Zero is found."
"Understood." X agreed immediately. Zero had been his close friend since he'd been built, always there for him. X would not let him go missing like this for no reason. "I'll find him, I swear it."
"I know you will X. That's why I chose you. Dismissed." X turned and walked out immediately, heading for the hangar bay where the hover bikes were kept. He had to hurry, get there before something happened to him...
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X rode through the air rapidly, the hoverbike's engine roaring in the wind. He'd ridden all the way here from Maverick Hunter HQ to begin the search, his ire growing with each second that the rest of Zero's team had been unable to find any trace of him.
He hopped off the bike as soon as it touched ground, approaching Panther furiously. "How could you let this happen!?"
"He was investigating a possible lead." She said with as much of a respectful tone as she could muster with him right in her face. "He disappeared without a trace."
"Well I'm taking charge until we find him. So I'm making locating Zero our top priority!" He's interrupted as a human taps him on the shoulder, demanding his attention.
"Your top priority is locating the stuff stolen from the base."
"Not anymore it isn't." X said, his tone leaving no doubt any objection would quickly be shot down.
"You CANNOT abandon your mission here! You're to find the stolen items from the complex! That is an order from your superior!" With that the human soldier turned and stalked away rapidly, obviously scared to death X would shoot him in the back.
X looked after him a moment, then turned to the rest of Zero's unit. "Fine, we're splitting up into two teams. Cheetah, you'll lead team one. Mantis and Snake, you two stay here with him and investigate the thefts. Dragoon and Panther, you two are with me. We're going to investigate Zero's disappearance. Any objections?" He received looks of determination and understanding from the rest of the unit. They wanted to find Zero as much as he did. "Alright then everybody move out."
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Zero opened his eyes slowly, looking around him curiously. He was in a large metal room with one door set in the wall in front of him. His arms were tied against solid steel posts on either side of him, holding him up even though he wasn't moving at all. The walls around him were like mirrors, each one reflecting his own image back at him, straining simply to keep his eyes open.
The door in front of him opened slowly and the little girl from before walked in, now dressed in a little red dress that seemed a perfect match for her baby blue eyes. "I remember you... You're the girl from the complex..." Zero said, studying her as best he could manage.
"I remember you too." The girl said, walking up to him and smirking at him, even with him on his knees and bent over she stood at his head level. "He's told me a lot about you."
"He?" Zero asked curiously.
"Me." A figure followed the girl through the door, his purple helmet and body armor telling Zero who it is, he finally had a name and face to go with the voice.
"Vile!" Zero stared at him in shocked horror. "We destroyed you!" To zero's horror the girl in front of him stared at Vile with shining eyes, almost admiring eyes.
"Not quite." Vile said, striding casually toward them, talking as he walked.
"I don't know what your game is you murderer, but you're not doing whatever it is." The girl slapped Zero hard, lulling his head to the side.
"You see Zero, I'm not the bad guy this time." Vile said, finally reaching him.
"What... Do you mean?" Zero said, forcing himself to lift his head and face Vile again. Vile simply looked down at the girl, who was glaring at Zero fiercely for badmouthing her hero. Zero debated with himself, but finally decided to take the bait. "Who is she?"
"My name is Roll Light." She said, surprising him.
"No... But your diary... You killed yourself."
"I tried. But do you think they would let the last functioning cyber-human destroy herself? Hell no, they stopped me before I could and locked me in that complex." She said, the contempt and sorrow in her voice plain as day as she looked down at the floor, hugging herself slightly.
Vile placed one hand on her shoulder, continuing for her. "The humans kept her locked away for more than fifty years, trying to find the secrets to making a functional cyber-human. Imagine their surprise when a civilian found a working one and figured out how to reproduce it." The humorous twinge to his voice rings through his helmet. "They threw Roll aside like unnecessary garbage and jumped on the new technology to create us reploids."
"So how did you know... That she was in the complex?"
At this Vile smirked, staring down at Zero. "Three years ago when Sigma was a virus in the mainframe, he was patched into all of his robots, as well as the network. He had information on everything that he could want. This little tidbit leaked through to me and I took notice, deciding to go after her."
At this Zero outright laughed, looking up at him in contempt. "You don't expect me to believe you risked breaking into a government facility just to play the dashing hero do you?"
"Believe what you want Zero. You're upset right now, I'll give you time to think things over. Then I'll show you why I'm here." With that Vile turned and stalked toward the door, shutting it heavily behind him. Roll still stood in front of Zero, staring at him.
"Vile's not evil, he's doing what's good and right." She said, watching him hopefully, obviously wishing Zero would see things her way.
"You may look like a little girl, but you're still a robot. And I'm willing to bet he's reprogrammed you to say this stuff." Her penetrating and hardened gaze met Zero's, the countless hours she'd spent locked inside of her own shell like a mask over her eyes, deadening them to the point she seemed to almost have no life at all.
"I wish I were reprogrammed, then I wouldn't remember..." She shuddered, her imprisonment still fresh in her mind. "Please, just keep an open mind. What he has to show you later will be proof enough, then we can warn others." With that she looked into his eyes one more time before turning and heading out the door, shutting it gently behind her.
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X walked through the forest, following the same trail Panther had said Zero followed. Panther and Dragoon trailed behind him, looking about cautiously. X didn't fully trust Dragoon, one reason he wanted to keep an eye on him. Zero did however, so X had to trust his friends judgment, at least partially.
"Watch out X!" Panther yelled suddenly. He looked up just in time to see an energy bolt coming his way. He leapt out of the way just in time to avoid it.
"It's an ambush! Scatter and fight back!" X yelled, returning fire on the sniper in the tree. He could see the figure leap away just before the blast tore the limb from the tree, sending it crashing to the ground. More blasts tore through the tree limbs and underbrush, forcing X, Panther and Dragoon to take cover behind the trees.
X raised his cannon, the slight whirring the only indication of the power stored up inside of it. He whirled out from his cover, firing one mighty blast in the direction of their attackers. The explosion rocked the forest, the trees swaying against their own roots as the force of the blast sent a shockwave rippling through them.
The gunfire stopped as X stood tall to survey the situation. Parts of smaller robots littered the area, likely just attack drones and auto-cannons, nothing to seriously worry about. But he knew something had leapt from the tree before, or had he imagined it?
"Well, that wasn't exactly the biggest fight they could have put up." Panther noted as her and Dragoon came out and joined him in surveying the area.
"Yeah..." X mused as he knelt down to examine one of the metallic robot parts at his feet. On closer examination he saw they were little more than springs and cogs, just enough to resemble a robot body part. "Watch out!" He yelled just before more cannon-fire burst from the trees, forcing the three of them to dodge wildly.
They all dodged the bullets as dozens of smaller robots charged them. They were average military infantry, half the size of a normal human and totally mindless. Used only during crisis and emergency situations. Undoubtedly these had been stolen during the attack on the facility.
X fought in a furious pattern, returning fire on their snipers and placing a few high powered kicks to the infantry, sending them flying away from him with huge dents in their chests.
Panther whirled in a magnificent pattern, the blade on the tip of her whip slicing through the infantry easily. Her cat-like roars of battle sounded through the forest as she fought, sending robot after robot to the ground in two or more pieces.
Dragoon stood his ground, his body glowing white hot as he slashed at the infantry, tearing them to shreds, but he was also mindful that he was in a forest, and could not use his real firepower lest he burn the entire forest to cinders.
"How many of these guys are their!?" X yelled as they still fought on, wave after wave of infantry attacking them in a seemingly endless assault. There just seemed to be no end to them.
"X, we should withdraw!" He heard Dragoon yell over the flurry of gunfire, the blasts coming mere inches from hitting their marks.
Finally X powered up his cannon again, taking aim into the forest. "Retreat!" He fired, the blast ripping through tree limbs and underbrush alike, clearing a nice sized hole through the forest. X ran the other way however, as yet more infantry poured from the forest towards them. He could see Panther and Dragoon a distance beside him, running back toward the complex.
X could only curse himself as he ran, silently swearing to Zero that he'd be back to look for him again.
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Hours had passed, the seconds endlessly ticking away. Still Zero hung in the center of the room, staring at his own beat up reflection in the countless mirrors around him.
Finally the door opened again and Vile entered, Roll coming in behind him. "Comfy I hope?" Zero stayed silent as he walked up and looked down at him. "Don't be upset at me, I'm not your enemy this time."
"You attacked the base and re-programmed an innocent." Zero said spitefully through clenched teeth.
"I didn't reprogram anyone... You just don't have all the facts. What would you say if I told you your own human friends were planning to throw you out as a defective model?"
"I'd say you're the scheming liar you are."
Roll walked up to Zero then, her eyes almost pleading. "Please, hear him out."
"For years the government has questioned the wisdom of giving us reploids free will with all the power we possess. They fear us because we could rebel at any time and they couldn't stop us, as the recent spat with Repliforce has proven." Vile said, looking down at Zero steadily, unwavering.
"So what does this have to do with anything? We all know they fear us, it doesn't mean they have reason to. Only you mavericks make them fear us!"
"What if I told you they were planning to remove the threat?" Zero looked at him a bit surprised.
"What are you talking about?"
"Other parts of the data I received from Sigma's control indicated that plans were already underway three years ago to rebuild every reploid existing, every make and model. Only these ones will be unable to act on their own. They'll be mindless robots, used for everything from fighting wars to wiping the spit from your shoe."
"You're a poor liar Vile. Doctor Cain would never agree to that."
"He doesn't know. I do have proof however, I believe you've already met your own twin." Calmly he snaps his fingers, the sound echoing through the room. The black reploid from before walks in, looking exactly like Zero only painted all in black. "Exactly like you. Every nut, every bolt, every crank in his body just like yours. The only difference is he doesn't have the neural net to support intelligent thought. He's purely a creature of action."
"Not the first time someone's made a copy of me." Zero smirked a bit at this. "Did you salvage it from the other crappy copy?"
"I didn't make this one. We found it during our rescue of Roll from the facility."
"I still see no reason to believe a word of this."
"Believe it or not it's happening. You can help me stop it though. This one time I need you to work with me because frankly, you're a damn good fighter." Zero met Vile's steady gaze, his eyes looking as sincere as Zero had ever seen them.
"Why should I believe you? As far as I know this isn't even the real Roll. You could have built her yourself. Why, I don't know yet, but I will."
"Zero..." Vile knelt down on one knee in front of him, gazing at him seriously. "I'm asking you as a reploid, if you don't help me all reploids could be destroyed and replaced with brainless copies. We've had our fights in the past, but this is a fight for our entire race. One we cannot afford to be divided during." At this he held out his hand to Zero as the rope binding Zero's right arm undid itself, freeing that arm. "Help me... Help us all Zero. All reploids."
Zero stared at Vile's hand for a few minutes, contemplating. He'd never seen Vile so sincere, so earnest in his need for help. He undoubtedly had his own agenda behind all of this, but if there was even the chance Vile was right...
Finally Zero took his hand in a firm shake. The rope on Zero's other wrist undid itself as Vile helped Zero lift to his feet. "If I find that any of what you've told me isn't true, you will let me take you in to Maverick Hunter HQ."
"Fair enough." Vile said before looking down at Roll, who stood at about their waists heights. "Take Zero to get repaired, then get him cleaned up."
Roll smiled brightly up at him in response. "Okay!" She watched as Vile turned and left the room, then she turned to look up at Zero. "Thank you for helping us."
"If what he said is true, I really couldn't turn him down." He followed behind her as she left the room, heading down the metal passageways.
"I know what you mean..." She said walking along the passages. "I'm still trying to get used to everything. Reploids, mavericks, hunters... It's so confusing."
"You get used to it..." Zero said sullenly behind her.
"I hope we don't have to fight... I've seen enough fighting... Before..." Her voice cut off as though she couldn't speak anymore, the memories getting the better of her. In all honesty, Zero couldn't argue with her sentiment. But he was a soldier, and if it came down to it, he was ready to face anybody to prevent the kind of thing Vile had talked about, anybody.
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X stood in the main operations room in the military base, the soldiers milling about performing tasks all around them. The other five members of the #0 unit were crowded around him, looking down at the same map X was examining. They'd been trying all afternoon to find something on the map that might show where Zero could have been taken within the amount of time they assumed he'd been missing, with no success.
Suddenly the main monitor in the front of the room flared to life, an image of Vile replacing the satellite readouts that had been there before.
X recognized him immediately. "Vile!"
"It's been a long time X." Vile's voice sounds throughout the room, calling the attention of everyone in it to the monitor. "A pity it has to be, again, as enemies."
"As long as you're convinced on killing all the humans we'll be enemies."
"Bold words, but circumstances are different this time. I didn't make the first move, did I General Garamond?" Vile's gaze shifts from X to the General standing fast in front of the screen, watching it calmly.
"You attacked this facility without provocation and stole valuable equipment. Surrender and you will be handed over to the maverick hunters without harm to face trials for your crimes." The General said unwavering in his stance.
"That's right Vile, give this all up, you know you can't defeat us. I've beaten you three times before, and I can do it again." X said.
"Ah X, always the trusting fool. You're playing right into the Generals hands. At this rate, he won't have to destroy us reploids, the hunters and the mavericks will destroy each other. All he'll have to do is clean up the mess."
"Enough lies Vile." X began before the monitor suddenly shifted, displaying Zero's face instead of Vile's. He could hear the startled gasps of the rest of the #0 unit behind him as Zero spoke.
"X, it's all true. I'm sure of it."
"Zero... You're a maverick?" X said, staring at the screen in disbelief. "How could you do this? You've betrayed your own unit!"
"Things aren't so simple this time X. We can't afford to just follow our orders. I've been told our friend the general here is planning to destroy all of the reploids and replace them with mindless machines."
"Zero, Vile's a consummate liar. Don't believe him, he's just trying to turn you against the maverick hunters."
"No, I believe him... With everything he's shown me I believe him."
"Zero... Don't do this. I don't want to fight you, but I will if you force me to by becoming a maverick."
"X... I'm sorry you can't believe me... There is a war coming. We both have to choose sides. I'm just sorry you had to choose the wrong one. If your side wins, the entire reploid race with die out and be replaced by robots. I won't let that happen, I'll do anything I have to in order to stop it."
X is silent for a long moment, staring at his old friend on the monitor. Finally he spoke again, his voice unwavering. "Then I guess I'll meet you on the battlefield."
Zero nodded on the screen, the blue jewel on his forehead flashing in the light. "I hope I won't have to kill you. There's still time for you to change sides, maybe something I can show you will convince you." He seemed seriously saddened as the transmission was cut, leaving X standing on the hard metal floor staring at the screen. Zero had turned maverick... and it was X's job to bring down both him and Vile, at any cost.
TO BE CONTINUED