ZERO

Chapter 7

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: Thanks to Lotus for giving me the idea of May using her powers as part-Reploid to fight ^_^.

"Stop it!!" Yelled a voice suddenly. The saber halted abruptly a scarce inch from X's throat. "Stop it! Stop it!! Stop it!!" Zero's eye twitched involuntarily, he slowly turned his gaze to the left to see who was yelling at them.

X, too, struggled and turned his head as far as he could to their left.

It was May Mistweaver--May Wily--scrambling up the jagged pieces of smouldering ruble towards them. She fell and landed on her hands and knees only a few feet from where Zero stood with his Z saber posed to sever X's head. "Stop it! You fool!" She cried in a voice filled with pain. "STOP IT NOW!!"

Silence for a long moment descended upon the three figures. Then laughter broke it, hideous, heartless laughter. Zero's laughter. "And what are you going to do about it if I don't?" He turned his Z saber in her direction.

"Zero . . . don't . . ." X moaned from where he lay on the ground, to wounded to move.

"Shut up." Zero kicked him in the side, X groaned in pain.

"Stop it now! This isn't you! Even if I didn't like you--I can't bear to see you this way!" Tears streaked down her face. "How can you act this way?!"

"May . . . get back . . . it's not Zero . . . he's been in--infected . . . a virus . . ." X choked.

Zero smirked. "It doesn't really matter if she runs away or not, X, I'm going to kill her when I kill everyone else in this city--in this world! But perhaps . . . I'll take a little longer . . .to kill her." He smirked evilly.

*

"Damn it Lifesaver-- what the hell did you put in that virus?!" Signas asked, at the Maverick Hunters Head Quarters as they listened in on the conversation through micro-transmitters on X and Zero's armor.

Lifesaver was silent.

Dr. Cain ran a hand over his temples wearily. "Come now, it is imperative that we find a way to counter-act this virus as soon as possible! Stop bickering we have much work to do!"

"But Zero . . . Zero's acting so--so--" Alia stuttered off.

"It's the virus." Douglas reminded her, "It's screwin' up his entire main frame. We have GOT to come up with something now, guys!"

"Yes, yes," Dr. Cain agreed, "Indeed we do . . . indeed we do . . ."

*

X was to hurt to move, everything ached and stung, and his eyes were fogged with tears. He tried to desperately to blink them away to make out what was happening. He helplessly watched the maddened Zero move towards May, his Z saber drawn, a crazed look in his eyes. "God, Zero, fight it!" He said in a hoarse whisper. "Fight it!"

The blue reploid's heart froze for a second as the saber tore through the air towards May but his eyes widened in disbelief as the slim female figure leapt into the air and flipped easily over the blow, dodging it completely.

"Impossible!" Zero gasped, "No one's fast enough to--"

A severe kick delivered to his jaw however silenced him as both Maverick Hunters stared dumb-foundedly as Zero fell backwards several feet and actually raised a hand to his jaw as though it hurt. It did. "What the hell. . .?"

May however seemed as surprised as they were, she stumbled back from Zero and caught her breath, "Oh my goodness. . . I--I never kicked anyone before--"

*

"Amazing!" Dr. Cain mused as they continued to monitor the conversation, "It sounds as though this May person was able to deliver a slightly damaging blow to Zero! Absolutely amazing!"

Lifesaver looked up from where he was working, two armed Hunters pointing their busters at his head. He snorted, "Heh, doesn't matter, you think that weak little girl can hurt him?"

"What the hell is your problem?!" Douglas suddenly exploded, startling everyone, "Do you WANT Zero to come in here and kill us all?! Including you?!"

Lifesaver's smiled faded, he turned back to his work.

"Listen," Dr. Cain said, "Alia, can you have a chopper fly over there and rescue May and X, with X badly hurt they can't do much. We need to repair him. And I want to meet this May person . . ."

"Yes, Sir." Alia replied.

*

May brushed her hair out of her face, Zero had gotten over his shock and was charging at her, full force. Her heart was racing inside of her chest. Her mind had drawn a blank. Her throat seemed to swell up.

"May . . . you have to . . . fight." X breathed from the ground, she knelt beside him.

"I don't know how to do that!" She protested.

"You don't have . . . a choice!" X gasped.

Zero was almost on top of her now, he swung his saber madly, suddenly May dodged, she somersaulted backwards swiftly and flipped to her feet, at the same time delivering a harsh kick to his mid-section. Zero grunted and stepped backwards.

"You don't know how to fight . . . eh?" X wheezed, it was becoming painful to breathe, he smiled at her assuredly from the ground. "I think . . . your body . . . does."

He was right. She could not have explained it, yet it felt as though her body knew how to react, as though there were reflexes and techniques programmed in to her limbs at a sub-conscious level . . .

That must be it. She knew her best bet was to relax then, but her heart was still pounding rapidly, her hands were covered with sweat.

Zero, however had noticed the contact she made with X, he smiled cruelly. "Before I finish you, girl, I really should take care of this, first . . ." He took a step towards X.

"No!" May cried desperately, "You can't kill him! You two are friends! He was with you when you came to my house to find me, don't you remember?!"

It wasn't any use, he did not appear to hear her, instead he laughed as he neared X.

Her knees were shaking. Her entire body was trembling with fear.

For a hundred years she had only wished to have a normal life, to be allowed to die. She had cursed her robotic body. But now . . . suddenly, on this verge of death she was afraid. Very much afraid. But Zero was nearing X, and X was to badly mangled and beaten to move, let alone defend himself. One more blow would do it. One more blow. . .

She took a deep breath, and closing her eyes, praying that her body would act on it's own once more, flung herself between the two reploids.

"No!" X cried weakly, but May once again surprised them by easily ducking Zero's swipe with his saber.

She thrust her fist upwards in a punch and struck Zero in the face, he was to surprised to move out of the way. She spun around and kicked him in the side. Any normal human would have felt their leg bone shatter into a million shards striking Zero's armor. But May was no normal human. She finally realized that. What she was . . .

Was half human, half reploid. And finally that meant something good.

Zero swiped at her again, she moved faster than X had ever seen a human--or reploid besides himself and Zero for that matter--move and avoided the blow, slamming Zero in the face again, then the shoulder, she leapt up and spun into him. The robot fell back in shock.

"Of course . . ." She mused, "They would have designed my body with plans my grand father had, my grand father that made you, there's no reason I wouldn't be as powerful."

"Ha . . . is that what you think?" Zero sneered, "You don't have any weapons or armor. It's hopeless for you. Stop fighting now and I may grant you a swift death."

Her eyes narrowed. "Enough of this, Zero! Snap out of it!" She lifted a large piece of ruble from the ground with her new-realized reploid-strength and tossed it towards his head, he dodged. "Wake up!" She screamed, throwing a second piece, "Wake up! Wake up! I KNOW you aren't an evil reploid! My grandfather modeled you off of MY boyfriend! You CAN NOT BE EVIL!!" She screamed and throwing the largest piece yet, smashed it into the side of his head.

Zero staggered and fell to the ground. X's eyes widened in shock.

But any relief faded as Zero rose again, slowly, but with a twisted smirk on his face. Faster than any of them could have seen he flung his saber through the air, there was no time to move, or even to scream, the next thing May knew it was sticking out of her right shoulder. She stared at the handle and the long green glow of the saber. Strangely her arm felt numb for what seemed like a long time.

Then a horrible, searing pain tore through her, it was like fire erupting and spreading through her body, she heard herself scream horribly but the world was swaying and it seemed lucid and heavy.

X watched in horror as May collapsed, black oil and red blood spilling from her arm and running across the ground. She screamed terribly, the sound sent chills through his body, it was the most horrible sound he'd ever heard. She screamed and screamed in pain, Zero was unfazed, he didn't even blink, he didn't seem to care at all.

Then a slow smile spread over his face, his eyes flashed sadistically.

"You . . ." X gasped, the pain was paralyzing his body almost entirely but suddenly a rage he had been incapable of feeling before for Zero overcame him and he struggled to his knees. "You BASTARD!!!" Using all of his remaining strength X forced a shot from his X Buster with all of his might.

It struck Zero dead on and the Reploid--Maverick--fell backwards with a terrified and shocked expression, clutching his chest. He fell to the ground, smoke rising from the wound and oil spewing from it. X fell back again, tears ran down his face as he continued to listen to the girl screaming in agony beside him. Then terror filled him again, the figure of Zero moved again. Again he rose, but the fear receded from X as Zero turned, clutching the wound X's weapon had given him, and leaped away from them, over the ruble and out of sight.

A moment latter the sound of a helicopter roared above May's fading screams and X's world faded softly into silence and black.