All characters belong to Capcom. Sarn, Cross, and Stormy belongs to me. I'm not making money off of this. It's for entertainment only. Dedicated to the few who know me and are *not* disgusted with the male/male inserts. Now, have yourself a nice day. ^^

Chapter 5



There are voices; they talk. I can't hear what they say. It's all jumbled and incoherent. I can't even make out a word.

What do I remember... There was that abnormality in space. The one everyone was sent to examine.

They arrived after me... and then the wind started blowing. Hard.

What could cause such a phenomenon to fling us all into that... gate?


"You'd got some nerve coming here, Blues. I thought this wasn't your jurisdiction."

Blues inwardly sighed at Forte's snide remarks and sat down, ignoring the cobra while he opened his laptop, connecting a cable to a socket under a tiny compartment in his buster. He switched the mini-computer on and set to work without a word.

"Hey... When did you get that?" Forte leaned over the older bot's shoulder, watching screen after screen of analysis on the swirling green... circle thing.

Blues didn't even look at Bass as he said, "I may not be on the bad side, but that doesn't me I'm one hundred percent good."

Forte smirked and gave a laugh. "You stole it."

"Would you rather I say, 'I borrowed it.'?" He looked up and made a face as the disc-like thing. "Rock's coming, Forte."

It didn't take an expert to determine the ebony robot's growl was toward his enemy. Protoman cut off his words with a wave of his hand. "Don't even think about it, Kobura," said the marron and grey bioroid, slowing his work down for a few seconds. "I won't allow either of you to do a thing while you're both in this area. Your little rivalry can damn well wait until I can figure what the disc actually is."

Forte let a sneer cross his face and spat, "God damn you, Blues. You owe me later."

"I owe you nothing. I know you like him.. otoutosan."

Violet, slitted eyes wided and he stuttered, but didn't come up with anything intellectual by the time the sound of Rush's jets touched his ears. Forte cursed under his breath as he watched Rock jump off of the canoid's back and looked warily from himself to the green circle, and then to his brother only fifteen feet away from it, back to Forte. "Oniisan?"

"No fighting," was all he said. "Either of you."

Relief flooded Rock's expression and Forte snorted, stalking off to sit next to Gospel, who was dozing off not far from Blues. The small blue robot walked over to his brother and plopped down beside him. "Nani desu ka?"

"It's... biomechanical and bipolar, yet the atmosphere isn't being affected. And the energy signature is believed to belong to a black hole in space. It's organic, has holes in it, like a net... and...."

The screen hummed softly, process the last main chunk of information. The binary numbers begin to flash in and out, decreasing and sometimes increasing. "...What's that mean anyway, old man?"

Blues gave a halfway annoyed look while Rock blinked at Forte in disbelief that he would ever be over here.

"It means the thing is stable for now, but it seems ready to do whatever it is that it's.. well.. meant to do."

"Which is...?"

There was a long pause before... "I have no idea."

Both Forte and Rock fell backwards with sweatdrops drooping from their heads. Blues couldn't help but chuckle quietly as his half-brothers groaned in mind boggling agony.

Rush whined and pawed at the ground, but his ears perked up as a high pitch vibration began ringing in them. He looked over at Gospel, who's head was raised and was growling at the source of danger....

Though, as he was saving the gathered data, a warning beep sounded. He blinked at the right corner of the laptop, where a small 'Warning' was flashing. The sound brought the other two robots back to hovering over his shoulder. "Umm.. Oniisan? Is that bad?"

A window popped up when everything was saved, showing the changes in stability. The grey bot stiffened and both Rockman and Forte noticed. "It's very bad."

He suddenly stood, yanking the cord from his arm and cast the small computer as far as he could away from them and the green, newly recalled, portal. "It's a vortex!"

All heads turned to the disc, which had now started to spin like a hypnotizing object. No one had time to do anything as the canoid and lupinoid howled and the suction began.

Rush and Gospel dug their claws into the earth as Blues grabbed onto Forte, who, in return, latched onto Rock....

The rushing air made it hard to hear and Forte, when he found out they weren't sliding closer to the hole, shouted, "How the hell are you not slipping?!"

"Simple modifications!" Blues shouted back. "Spikes from the bottom of the boots which can slant at angles! Very handy for wintery conditions!"

"How long is this supposed to keep up!!"

"No idea, Rokku, but if it doesn't stop soon, we're going to be seeing first hand what's on the other side of this!" If there is an 'other side', he thought grimly.

Rush was trying his best not to be dragged across the grassy floor as the pull grew stronger. But a moment later, he yowled as his claws no longer had a grasp in the dirt and felt himself tumbling along, then hitting something with a hard jolt.

Gospel barked as the other dog and the robots went head first into the gate. And his claws retracted...


Then I woke up in a strange place, only to beaten down by some force I didn't see. Then there came the pain.

I can't wake up, nor can I feel myself move. I'm tired, probably laid out on some sort of table, and those voices keep whispering....

Help me....

Next day..

Golden hair was pushed behind his back with a flick of his hand and ultramarine eyes shone with the early morning light, sparkling like the precious gems they were. Zero propped himself onto an elbow, his blanket draped up his body as high as his hips, looking down with a gentle smile at the body curled up next to him.

Yakasa lay beside him, emerald-colored eyes closed and deep breathing light and whispy against his bare chest. One arm was tucked underneath the boy's head, the other resting on the bed in front of him. Perfect.

It was an angel sleeping beside him, not the machine who was destined to win this war. X was just so sweet and caring. Anyone who wasn't a Maverick could like him, but he was more than just a hero. He was human at heart.

Maybe that's why Zero needed to be with him.

The shorter hunter had no idea of the honor involved in just touching him, let alone sharing the same bed, when it came to Zero and his bloodied background. But it amazed him how forgiving X was about...

"How can you even *look* at me with those eyes when you know what I've done in the past."

"But that's where it is. In the past. ...Zero, you are my best friend first, and then my lover. You being my friend was probably the best thing that ever happened to me, because you were always there for me, with a more mysterious origin than I ever could have. I didn't care about that though. But what I saw, that one time before fighting the very first fight with Vile, was a guardian angel. .... We are more alike than you think, Zero."

We are more alike.... How is that, Yakasa? How can you be covered in as much blood as I? ... What do you know that I don't?

There was a chime at the door, and Zero froze instantly. Uh oh...

Now, here's the deal that Zero's panicking over. This was X's room, something, to the average persons, that Zero shouldn't be in at this time in the morning, especially naked and under the covers /with/ him. And as it turned out, everybody in the building and in the whole world were the 'average persons,' because they had yet to tell a soul and the thought had never occurred in their minds.

Fuck! Zero looked over his shoulder to where his armor lay scattered on the floor. A look of panic crossed his face as the chimer buzzed again.

With a little less grace than he normally had, Zero unceremonious flung the blankets aside and stood by the bed, looking from the pieces of metal to the door, listening as the person seemed to be getting impatient. Oh god I can't let them know we slept together what am I gonna do help!!!!

X stirred at the sudden movement and groggily blinked his eyes at the ever-calm Crimson Hunter, who was stark naked in front of him... which got X a very nice few of his lover's ass-- Der.. no. "Zero, what's wrong?"

A sudden dinging perked up his senses and Yakasa nearly screamed, covering his mouth to prevent it as well as double up for the slip of the tongue.

Zero wanted to scream himself... from the humiliation if caught naked... sort of. Of course, the rumor was Zero could fight in the buff and it wouldn't matter. That was true... but no one mentioned the wee detail of the aftermath.

Now, both X and Zero were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. The infernal dinging wouldn't cease either.

The Blue Bomber finally made his way to the door, a sheet wrapped around his waist, stumbling and not-so-composed as he hit the intercom button. "Who is it?" I squeaked!!

~You feeling alright, X?~

X paled, and looked back at Zero, mouthing, "It's Dr. Cain!" Zero's eyes nearly fell out as he picked up his armor pieces, quickly, yet softly. "I... I'm fine, Dr. Cain."

~Then can I come inside for a moment? I know it's early, but I need to talk to you.~

"....!!!!!!"

Zero frantically shook his head, mouthing, "No," but Yakasa stuttered and said, "Umm... Give-- Gimme a few minutes, sir. I.. I'm not exactly dressed."

~Suit yourself.~

Now the panic was really on. X threw a few things on, while Zero had his arms full, threating it to drop some of it, looking for a place to hide, still naked. X was practically biting his fingernails when the closet graced his eyes. It wasn't the largest space, but it'd be enough. He pushed Zero in that direction; the blonde got the clue and got in, trying to drop the red armor at his feet without making much of a sound.

No such luck.

X nearly died at the crash as he tossed Zero the sheet he had been using before and closed the door. Finally, he dashed over and hit the button by the entrance to his room and held in his breath as the metal door whooshed open and the 62 year old scientist stood there, eyeing him with worry. "Are you sure you're alright, X? You look flushed."

"I'm perfectly fine." He smiled, albeit nervously, as Cain stepped inside.

"Then what was that loud sound?"

"Oh... that...... Um, well, some stuff in my closet fell off it's shelves suddenly and.. I'll get to it.... uh, later."

"Of course... X, I need to talk to you about Rock."

X stared blankly for a moment before blinking in recognition and nodded, motioning for a seat at the table in the corner. "What's the problem?"

"Well," said the aging doctor, "according to him, it wasn't just him and Gospel who fell, literally, into our time. Now, half an hour before his retrieval, we detected five ports open up in the sky, dropping one titanium shelled object from each.

"The only conclusion to that is Rock was not very alone, which is plain to see, since Rock and Gospel wouldn't be hanging out together. Forte, Rush, and Blues all made there way here.. Though when we scouted the areas where they fell, no signs of them."

"So we have three unregistered robots running around the city, one being a not-so nice guy. ... If they were arrested, wouldn't that mean we could find them easier?"

"Only if they were caught, 'were' being the key word here."

"So.... what? We're supposed to go out and search for them? The city's a big place, Dr. Cain, and there are lots of nooks and cranies they could hide---"

"No, we know that. ...First thing's first. We want to find out what caused this... skip in time to see if there's some way to reverse it. Then, we go find them."

"But, doesn't that sound unreasonable? We should search for them first."

"Consider, X. We have Rock and Gospel in our hands. Out there, is Blues, Rush, and Forte. Forte may not be so joyful over sharing the same space as his enemies and I have no desire to have him locked up, because those robots have different composures when it comes to nullifying their plasma cannons."

X sighed and nodded. "Right... so we find the person responsible before finding the ones affected."

Cain nodded back in agreement and stood up, pushing the chair back in, and letting his hands find his pockets. "Well, it's pretty much all I wanted to tell you. I would've pooled you and Zero together about it, but he's not in his room."

X chuckled nervously as a sweatdrop appeared on the side of his face. "Too early to know for sure. He could be anywhere. But if I see him before you do, I'll tell him."

"Alright.... Are you positive you're feeling okay?"

The sweatdrop grew bigger. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Just checking.." Then, he was out the door, and X felt his joints creek like they were over-warantee.

The closet door opened and a sheet (rumpled and twisted) clad Zero stumbled out, tripping over the pieces of titanium at his feet. "No need for him to tell me," he said, mimicking as if Cain was still here, "because I've been listening to every word you two said. ..... Why am I in here, shoved into the closet where the walls are fucking cold on bare skin? Because I love your only hope for this planet and you're not supposed to know about it." With that finished, the blonde stepped on his arm gauntlet and fell on the carpetted floor, looking crossly up at his lover.

X snickered and walked over to kneel beside him. "Grumpy?"

"The hell I am. The morning was nice until /he/ came along, got me all worked up and stuffed into a cold closet with nothing but a sheet to protect myself with and my armor at my feet."

The top hunter stiffled an evil chuckle at the thought and smirked, eyeing the nicely tanned body at his feet, skipping over the spot censored by white between muscle-toned calves and midriff. "My poor baby got cold.." It was mock sarcasm and Zero frowned. "Yes, I was cold and since you owe me one for it," his hand reached up, grabbing the back of X's neck, "you're gonna make me warm again."

"Well, what have you gathered."

Doppler, the resident (mad) doctor under Maverick rule, jumped slightly at the strength in Sigma's voice which still echoed in the dungeon-like room that had been assigned to his use. He turned around briskly and ungracefully, knowning full well what the reploid was talking about. "W--well, he's a p--piece of work, that's all I can say when it comes to vague details, but--but his signature is perfectly intuned to--"

The hilt of Sigma's energy scythe hit the stone floor, silencing the doctor. "I could care less about that. Tell me who he is!"

"Ye--yes sir. He's an older model, but..... all tests run positive. ......"

Sigma folded his arms calmly, eyeing the scientific robot with a dangerous glow. "Who is he."

Doppler flinched, but ruffed through his notes, knowing very well what would come of his answer. He really wanted to hold onto this one. "His name is Forte, created in 20XX by Dr. Wily."

One white eyebrow arched up high, and his head turned towards the robot hanging from an examination tablet. Black body armor, trimmed with gold and a light, dim grey under armor. His built looked fresh, and the metal was original and had yet to be in need of a reconstruction.

This 'older brother' to Sigma's virus was a threat to his existance. "I want him destroyed."

"But-- but sire!--"

"Enough! If you won't do it, I'll sentence him. He'll be the death of us all if he lives!"

"But how can that be? He's physically weaker and less powerful than--" Doppler's eyes widened at the glare he recieved and at the words spoken directly to him. "If you keep disobeying me, /doctor/, you will share his fate. ... Put him in the colosseum!"

Doppler bowed and nodded. "If you so desire, Sigma."

And the master of all the Mavericks left the room, carrying with him a troublesome question..

He cannot possibly be Forte, unless Wily copied Forte's databank into two machines... No. There's something very wrong and I will not let this bastard destroy me.

Through the halls and past subordinates, he stopped in the heart of the fortress and pressed his hand against an innocent-looking metal plate in the wall. "Access: Sigma. Password: Annihilation of X is sweeter than destruction of the human race."

A computerized male voice rang quietly, "Voice print comfirmed. Access granted."

The wall shimmered infront of him and Sigma stepped through it, the lights turning on upon his entry.

The room was well spaced for what was stored in it. Old, yellow paged books placed on shelf after shelf, their leather bindings the only thing keeping them whole. A table with glass pipes, beakers, flasks, crucibles, test tubes, and other such simple science equipment. On another stock of shelves were various containers of who knows what, divided by chemical and natural. But in the center, one book lay open on a mount.

It had no title, but Sigma always called it the Book of Prophets, or, in short, the Book. Magical symbols and seals were bound in the age-ridden pages, and the Lord of Viruses had deciphered the text himself.

Nobody knew of its existance, for those who did were slain for its possession. Sigma eyed it, and said, "Solidify entrance," as he walked towards his prize...

"Catch, Gospel!"

The lupoid raced after his prey and launched himself up to snap his jaws down on the blue frisbee that real dogs seemed to love to play with. He landed perfectly and ran back to his temporary master. Ultimately, Rock knew how to entertain the wolf, and Gospel enjoyed it, just like Forte had done the same thing before.

"Good boy." Rock smiled brightly and stroked the top of Gospel's head, who was wagging his tail in response. I guess praise goes a long way with even Gospel.

"Hey, lookit the shrimp!"

"Smallest stir fry I've ever seen."

"He's even got a wolf bot for a playmate. How cuuuute."

Three voices burst out laughing at the mockery and Gospel took his place infront of his temporary master as Rock turned around himself to see what in the nine hells was going on.

Over by the stone wall that held back a second level of ground were three male hunters, smirking ferally down at their new piece of prey.

The one one with ice blue and black armor frowned suddenly, as though Rock noticing them was a mistake. He was most likely an American model, with straight, red hair and dull black eyes. "Whatchoo lookin' at, boy?"

"Hey, hey Sarn. Look. Doesn't his armor remind you of someone?" said the one with grey and black armor, jagged yellow prints placed variously on it, who was also to the first's right, elbowing him lightly in the side. He was definitely a native reploid with black hair and red eyes. "Blue armor, hell, it even looks like him."

"Heh, you're right, Stormy. A mini-Megaman X! How precious." They started laughing again.

"Who could be so dumb as to model a robot after X-san, and plus, making it the shortest creature on earth as well as giving it poorly made armor? He's not even worthy of being here. How sad is this?" stated the one behind the two others, donning tan, red, and white armor. A quick thought from the small bioroid placed him in the catagory of possibly being from Africa. The dark skin color was right, and his black hair was long, pulled tightly into small braids.

Rock's eyes narrowed as Gospel growled lowly.

"I think you made them mad, Cross," said Sarn. He cocked his head and grinned, hopping off the wall and motioning for the others to stay. "But how threatening can they be? The mutt's teeth look as sharp as spoons, and his cannon's probably only strong enough to, at the most, tickle even Wheel Gator."

Well, Rock didn't know who Wheel Gator was, but it didn't take a genius to figure out he had been insulted. Even Gospel knew it, and it snapped his patience with these over grown ego-bags. The white and purple lupoid lunged head first at the one who was approaching, jaws wide open.

The attack was nothing compared to Ostrich Overdrive's speed, but Sarn still didn't see it coming. He shouted in pain as Gospel latched onto his arm firmly, not loosening his grip even as he was tossed and thrown about in some desperate method of getting him to let go. "Get it off get it off Stormy don't just sit there Cross get this little roach OFF OF ME!!"

Treble finally let go before the others could even start moving. And he took something extra along with him. Sarn's forearm hung from the side of his mouth, wires sprouting from the other side. Definitely something that would make a good toy.

On the other hand, Sarn was on the ground, sweating in pain as the other two rush to his side, hauling him back onto to his feet. His expression was deadly. "You... You little monster! How dare you!"

Rock knelt beside Gospel, patting the top of his head and was able to get the wolf to drop the limb. "Why don't you just leave us alone. We didn't ask for a fight."

"Well," said Stormy, unhitching the hilt to his sabre, "you're gonna get one, whether you want it or not."

"I think not."

All heads turned. Some became relieved, some had that 'we're in deep shit' look, and one looked rightfully pissed. Zero took timed steps closer, a cold, passive expression drawn onto his face. "I think it's about time you three got what you deserve. Pick up the arm, Stormy, and report to the #4 training room. If you aren't there, you'll wish you were when I find you."

Then he turned to the other two, more-so to Cross. "Drag his sorry ass for a hunter down to Medical and get that arm patched up. Then, join Stormy. Same thing... And you!" He pointed to the leader of the trio. "No special training for you. You're suspended from any and every mission for the next six months. I hope you enjoy janitor duty."

Sarn sneered and spat out a few english curses, snatched his arm away from Stormy in irritation, and was lead away by Cross, Stormy breaking away at an intersection.

With a sigh, Zero swerved his gace onto Rokku, who was blinking in curiosity over the whole ordeal. Zero waved a hand and offered a smile. "Those guys get off on picking and prodding at others. And those who are smart - slash - dumb end up being roughed up."

Rockman nodded, not saying a word. The blonde haired man made him uncomfortable somehow. ... Maybe it was because he knew that he was with Yakasa, in relationship terms. Or maybe it was because he looked uncannily familiar somehow.

Gospel, however, had no problem with Zero what-so-ever, as he walked up to him and rubbed up against the red-clad leg. Zero's smile widened slightly, and he beckoned for both to follow. "C'mon. Cain's looking for you two rascals... and it's not a good idea to miss your appointment with the old coot."

"....Yoshi."