ZERO

Chapter 6

Fan Fiction by Senya

twilight_rhapsody@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: All characters copyright by CAPCOM, I did not create them, nor do I own them. The exception is May, whom I did create.

Author's Note: Okay I thought about this for a long time and as to when this fan fic takes place, I changed my mind (sorry, sorry) but instead of taking place between X 4 and X 5 it takes place between post X 6 and when Zero goes away (it never says that he goes off to find the scientists RIGHT after the game ends, does it?) This just makes a helluva lot more sense for my fan fic and thanks to Omega Dragoon for pointing that out. (Sweatdrop) sorry for confusing everyone but it just makes a lot more sense this way. Oh yes, and the rating went up for use of a bad word. Or two.

"What is . . . what is wrong with Zero?" X asked quietly, watching his friend disappear over the buildings of their city.

"We interrupt this program for a special live bulletin . . ." May Mistweaver glanced up from her weathered copy of Edgar Alan Poe at the television.

"A well known Maverick Hunter and former hero, known as Zero, has been suspected of going Maverick after attacking several civilian reploids and humans in the down town area under an hour ago. Reports say . . ."

"Maverick . . ." May repeated in shock, the book, the television, both forgotten, she stood and moved across the room to the window. "How . . .?"

"How?!" X asked Signas again, the young General was in the process of having his arm reattached, Lifesaver hovered over him. He sighed and glanced at X.

"You've been asking that for the past half hour and I don't know! Maybe he just . . . I don't know succumbed to the Maverick virus or something."

"No!" The blue Hunter shook his head. "I absolutely refuse to believe that! Zero would not--Zero would not--" His voice broke off, his hands were clenched tightly into fists and Signas could see that he was shaking.

"Listen, X, we're calling in Dr. Cain, if there's anything we can do to help Zero we're going to give it a try!" Signas assured him.

"Idiots!" A voice behind them spoke sharply, it was Lifesaver, his mouth was twisted bitterly and he slammed his fist down onto one of the examination tables furiously. "Idiots! You know what kind of power that Maverick possesses! You need to destroy him! And quickly before he kills more people!"

"How dare you refer to Zero as 'that Maverick!'" X cried, "He's saved your life and the lives of everyone on this planet!"

"X calm down," Signas said sternly, but not unkindly. "You to, Lifesaver. We still don't know what exactly is causing Zero to act this way, it may not be the Maverick virus, it may be something else altogether."

"There's no way to stop it." Lifesaver told them suddenly, he turned to the window, the dark of the night sky outside was thick and ominous.

"W-what?" X asked.

"I said there isn't any way to stop it. That virus is special, it's new. Virus R.P.D.02. He's dangerous. You need to destroy him."

"How do you know this, Lifesaver?" Signas asked slowly, rising from the examination table.

"Because I--I am the one who created the R.P.D. 02 virus and I was the one who inserted it into Zero!"

"W-WHAT?!" Signas gasped in anger. "You did WHAT?!"

Before X could even form a response the General had plastered Lifesaver to the wall and was pinning him there--several inches above the ground--with his unwounded arm. "You fucking shit Lifesaver! Why the hell did you do that?! You took our most powerful--most dangerous--most DEADLY Maverick Hunter and you injected him with a VIRUS to make him go INSANE! Why?!"

X had never seen Signas lose his temper before, but now the General was clearly furious and X stayed out of his way.

"Be--because--" Lifesaver gasped in pain. "I did it for your own sake! All of you! You could never see how dangerous that reploid was! You never believed me when I said you should watch out for him, Signas! But now you know! Now you can SEE! He's a dangerous monster! A killer!"

"Because of what YOU DID to him!" Signas growled, he shoved Lifesaver hard against the wall and let go of him.

"You mean . . ." X asked slowly, "You mean that you turned Zero into a killer so that we would have to destroy him just because . . . just because you've always been afraid of him?"

"Zero was a ticking time bomb!" Lifesaver spat. "What would have happened if he'd gone off when X wasn't here--we'd all be dead that's what! I had to prevent that!"

"Oh, so you see yourself as some kind of a hero!?" Signas asked. "All of those people in the city were killed or seriously injured because of YOU, Lifesaver! Because you did that to one of our bravest, most honorable Maverick Hunters. You're putting him and all of us through hell for what?! Because you never liked him! Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you myself right now!"

"Ha . . . even if you do I'll still get what I wanted . . . X will still have to kill Zero . . . and then everyone will be safe . . . we won't have to worry about him going Maverick ever again . . ."

"No!" X shook his head. "I won't do it, there's no way! I'll never kill Zero!"

Lifesaver laughed bitterly, "You'll have to, there's no cure once that virus is released into a Reploid's system it completely disrupts it and there's no getting rid of it without erasing the Reploid's entire mind, memories, skills, and personality. I know, I created it, remember, and I injected it while I was repairing some minor wounds on Zero after one of your missions. I know it's working perfectly and there's no stopping it."

"I refuse to believe that." Said a different voice, an elderly, calm and rational voice from the doorway.

"Dr. Cain!" X cried, and spun around to see the old, but still capable and independent man who had revived him and who had never doubted either his or Zero's intentions.

"Good evening X," Cain nodded, "Signas . . . and Lifesaver. It seems that your fear has corrupted you so much that you would do such a deceitful thing. But never fear, X, everything has an anti-thesis, it's only a matter of finding it."

X's face lit up with hope at this, if Cain said so it was true. It had to be.

Signas sighed and clearly relaxed a little, he bowed to the doctor slightly and greeted him. "Good evening, Sir. We are honored to have you among us once more."

"And it is good to see you all as well." Cain agreed, "I only wish that it were tidings of joy which brought me here rather than these ill happenings."

"Of course." Signas said. "But now, what do we do, Doctor? What choice does this leave us?"

". . . Well." The man said, stroking his white beard in thought. "X go find where Zero is and fight him. Don't worry about what Lifesaver said, you won't need to destroy him, I promise. But we need to keep him away from civilians before anyone else gets hurt. I'll stay here with my colleagues and Lifesaver and we'll work on finding out a way to undo this."

"Alright." X nodded, "I'll go right away, Sir!"

Cain and Signas watched as the blue armored Hunter dashed from the room his energy and spirit renewed. And Cain shook his head sadly, "This may be difficult, Signas, my friend." He said softly. "Zero is an amazingly powerful reploid, I doubt that X could destroy him even if it came down to that. Which is precisely why we must make sure it does not. And I would never wish to put such a burden on either of their shoulders. They may have the bodies of young men, but in many ways I think X is still very much the child and Zero is his idol, and his family. His older brother."

Signas was silent for a moment thinking of that, then he turned to Lifesaver, "What an unspeakably cruel thing you have done, and you are a healer! You should be plagued by shame but there is no time now, you must help Dr. Cain find a remedy for what you've done."

"And why should I?" Lifesaver asked nervously. "Why should I help save that monster?"

"Because . . ." Signas drew a blaster from his side menacingly. "Because you don't want to make me any angrier today . . ."

* * * * *

Pain. Searing pain. Only that. Flooded his mind. Blurred his sensors. Red. Flickering. Flash. He groaned and fell to the ground. What was it? The searing heat that tore through the back of his mind and blinded him. He knew there was dirt and grit beneath his hands, his knees, but he could hardly feel it through the red veil that stung throughout his body. He was shaking. If he let it drown him again . . .

The visions of the terrified civilians as his own saber tore through them haunted his mind, resurfacing and fading as though they were carried on water. Oh why . . . . .

Zero moaned, he held his head in his hands, it hurt. Why? He wasn't Maverick?

Or was he? Was he going Maverick? There had never been pain before . . . He screamed, something, someone was burrowing into his mind, it wouldn't leave him alone.

"Zero?" A voice asked, it seemed to come from far away, it was hazy and difficult to hear. But it was familiar, if only he could think--

"Zero?" X asked again, horrified at the sight of his best friend writhing in pain on the ground. "Zero? Are you trying to fight the virus?"

Sharply the robot stopped shaking, and rose, his eyes were still that different--possessed look. He laughed. "So you want to fight me?" He asked.

"N-No, no I don't want to fight you at all, Zero!" X cried.

"Really? Well I find it hard to believe you'll just stand there as I destroy this city."

"You wouldn't do that!" X told him.

"Oh . . . are you quite sure about that?" Zero asked, he drew his saber.

"Zero . . . please, fight the virus!" X pleaded, "I know you can do it!"

Zero laughed, he swung his saber at X so swiftly the other had no time to move or defend himself. There was a horrible burning pain in his left shoulder. He slowly turned his gaze to it, the cut had gone in deep enough to create a serious wound, not deep enough to severe it this time however. "Zero . . ."

"What? Do you think I would hesitate to kill you? Always trying to be such a little do-gooder, I'll put your miserable existence to an end!" He swung the saber around and thrust it through his right shoulder.

X screamed in pain and clutched his shoulder, he stumbled backwards. "Please, Zero!"

"Oh I won't kill you... quickly!" Zero continued, as though not hearing him, "I'll make sure you suffer." He smirked cruelly, and raised the saber again.

"Zero, your my best friend, we've fought side by side so many times--don't make us fight against each other now!" X cried.

A strange thing happened. Zero's saber stopped an inch from X's armor, wavering there, Zero's eyes seemed to waver. The reploid stepped backwards blindly and collapsed to his knees with a cry of pain.

"Zero?!" X shouted, he ran to his friend's side and touched his shoulder. "Zero are you alright?!"

Another burst of pain, this time through his side, X's eyes opened wide in disbelief. "Zero, why . . .?"

The red armored robot laughed, he grabbed X around the neck and tossed him--almost effortlessly--into a near by condemned building. It collapsed as he struck it.

Zero smirked and moved towards the ruble slowly, he didn't need to run--he knew his prey wasn't going anywhere. Stop it! A voice screamed in the back of his head. Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! The reploid's foot faltered and he stood still for a full moment, his mind a great turmoil. His hands shaking went up to his helmet instinctively. He shook away that inner voice, that annoyance.

Approaching the vast heap of ruble--the dust rising still thick--he lifted a large piece with one hand easily and tossed it back. Then another. Another. Until finally the crumpled heap of a blue armored Maverick Hunter was uncovered. His eyes narrowed. "Now I'll end this." He raised his own Buster and charged it to a full blast.

X lay in the rubble, his entire body hurt, he couldn't move. He knew that Zero was standing over him and that it might be the end. How could he? No, it wasn't Zero. He reminded himself. It looked like Zero, but it wasn't, it was whatever Lifesaver had programmed into the virus that was acting, not Zero at all. And Zero wouldn't want him to give up and die so easily.

Resolved, he felt around desperately, the reploid which was once Zero was charging his buster, he knew, he only had a second . . . he felt it, a large piece of a brick, and curled his fingers around it. One shot.

X flung the brick at Zero, the surprised reploid dropped his guard for a split second, and X leapt up and over his head, away from the rubble and kicked him in the back. He couldn't help it, he held back.

Zero staggered slightly, but didn't fall. "Oh you've decided to fight back have you? Well this will get more interesting. I might actually have to try."

"Zero . . . no you're not Zero!" X swung his buster out and fired a charged blast.

His target leapt easily to the side and swung his saber at him, X dodged it and fired again. This time he hit Zero's arm, the robot clutched his arm angrily. "Dumb luck." He muttered.

Zero leapt over X again and kicked his knees out. He shot X right in the chest with his buster and then struck him in the face. X fell backwards, he slumped against the pavement. Zero kicked him. "Come on, fight back!"

X picked himself up, his entire body was shaking now, he'd never faced such a difficult battle before. He fired again, but he was shaking and the shot missed, it barely grazed off of Zero's helmet--he did not even flinch.

"This will be fun." He raised his saber as though to thrust it through X's chest but as he followed through, he seemed to change his mind and shoved it roughly through the reploid's shoulder instead. X screamed as the pain shot through him. He knew that he was crying now.

Zero punched him in the face again, and again, he laughed and kicked X's stomach, the reploid fell back again and moaned in pain. "Goodbye, X." Zero raised his saber above his head in an almost ceremonial fashion and pointed it towards X. "It's over."

To be continued . . .

Author's Note (Again!): Well this was a strange chapter. Sorry to Lifesaver fans but he was always kinda suspicious of Zero and didn't seem to like him. He did warn Signas about him in X 5. Maybe it was to ooc tho'. Oh well. I always wanted to write Lifesaver in as a bad kinda messed up character.