(AN: Mega Man X and Co. are owned by Capcom. (Enter witty remark here)
Anyone can use my characters, if they ask me first, of course
R&R, please, folks. I'm really gonna do that SOON, too...I PROMISE!!!! )
Chapter 5: Opposites Attract
"I'm going, Alia," said Night. His fists were clenched in anticipation. "Like hell you are! What units do we-" night put his hand on Alia's shoulder, silencing her.
"You know as well as I do that we don't have Hunters to spare right now. Mavericks are coming out the woodworks, and besides, I can handle this loser..."
"This isn't the time for heroics, Night! You're untrained, unfocused, and you're too close to this fight!" she yelled. She stared into Night's eyes and for a moment he met her hard gaze evenly. Then he burst into laughter.
"Guess it runs in the family..." He shook his head, letting the humor fade from his face. "I'll be fine, Commander. I need to do this. Alone. Trust me."
"Shit...Fine! Hurry up and get out there! And watch yourself, kid!" Night was gone before she could finish, and everyone was silent for a moment. Most of them had never seen real combat, and were so nervous they just stood there. Alia sat down, typing into her terminal. For a moment, the tapping of keys was all that could be heard. "Guys...GET ME SOME GOD- DAMNED DATA ON THAT GOD-DAMNED FACTORY!!!" In a mad rush, the war room was alive with activity. "I hope you know what you're doing, kid..."
_____________________________________________________________
"Sir! We've sent out the first shipment of stolen bots!" Ignis nodded, staring up at the most beautiful tank he'd ever seen. His subordinate rattled on with his report, and Ignis didn't hear a word. Look at this damn thing..., he thought. Rocket launchers, plasma cannons, lasers, treads bigger than houses...What a pretty toy.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you! What's the status on my Super Mega Destroyer Tank? Designed it back in the slave days!" With a burst from his wings, he jumped and landed on its flat roof. "Isn't it COOL?!"
"Um, uh, yes, sir! It will be operational in less than an hour! It takes quite a while to charge! But, sir, the shipment included gunner drones, dragonflies, Metools, flying bombers, and a few Supermechs that are- "
"I don't care! Get out of my face, and get my baby running!!!" Ignis yelled. "Save your freakin' reports for someone who cares, you little kiss- ass!"
"Um, y-yes sir!" The soldier saluted and ran off, more scared of his 'commander' than of the visitor on his way. Ignis chuckled wildly as he left, rolling on the roof of the tank.
"You're such a child before a fight, Jaran..." Ignis turned to the vidscreen and pretended to pout.
"What'd I tell you about that, 'Na-dia'?! I'm Ignis now, the Burning Angel!" He struck a heroic pose and flipped off of the tank with a wing- powered spin. He bowed for his adoring audience then looked up to the image of a not-very-amused reploid. She was tying back her silver hair, trying to shake her head at the same time.
"You'll always be my 'cute liddle Jaran', Ignis." Ignoring his grimace, she went on. "You be careful, now. That Night kid managed to hurt Gabe and I don't want to see you hurt or worse..."
"No worries, babe! He caught that sissy Gabby by surprise! He won't be so lucky this time! I'll kick his stupid ass, and then I'll take you out on the town in my brand-new Super Mega Destroyer Tank of Loooooove!" He laughed at his own joke, wiping tears from his eyes. Even she had to stifle a giggle. "Man, no wonder you can't resist me! I'm so irresistible!"
"Yeah, no wonder...Just be careful, okay? Promise, lover?"
"Yeah, yeah, I promise. How 'bout this? I'll make you a ring out of his dinky black armor, huh?" Just then, the alarms went off.
"How romantic. But it looks like you've got company. Love ya. Aqueous out!" The screen winked out and Ignis jumped back onto his new tank.
"I'm waiting...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
_____________________________________________________________
Night warped into a mess. Even outside of the factory, the place was devastated. Robots were on the rampage, destroying every vehicle they could find. Everywhere he looked, machinery was ripped apart and blasted. Some of the rubble looked too much like reploids for comfort. He took in the grim scene for a moment before putting his shades on and dashing in the general direction of the mayhem, blades drawn.
He soon met up with resistance as bug-like reploids dove at him, trying to grab him in their claws. He managed to dodged a few, slashing them as they passed, but one caught him off guard and he felt himself being painfully drained. "Stupid son of a-" With a pair of dashes aimed right at the dragonfly drone's midsection, he knocked himself face-first into a windshield. "Damn! That hurt like a bitch..." A quick scan showed he was down to 85% energy. He pulled himself out of the transport and ran ahead, now looking up as he went, his lesson learned.
Unfortunately, the threat came from below. Before he could reach the inner gates of the factory, a huge drill burst from the ground, sending him flying. "Ugh...60%...oh, crap..." He jumped to his feet, cursing under his breath at the new enemy.
"Give it up, Night! No one can defeat the Angel Corps!" A soldier stood in the cockpit of the drill-tank, ready to strike again. "This whole thing is made out of Ex-Alloy!" The soldier spurred his tank onward, slowly moving forward to crush Night. Night just stood there, his arms crossed and a huge grin on his face.
"I think you're forgetting something..." Night yelled. The tank inched forward, the drill spinning and rattling in a metallic blur. It drew closer, an inch a second and Night didn't seem to care that he was trapped. He even started laughing.
"Wh-what are you laughing at?! This tank is going to, to kill you!" The soldier was furious as he beat at the controls, trying to speed up the process. When he looked up, Night was gone. "What the-"
"Hey, dumbass!" The soldier turned to look straight into a closed fist. He was out cold. "I can dash jump over the stupid drill bit. You're not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?" Under his control, the tank tore the gate to shreds and Night moved onward, dodging and slashing at the mounted cannons all over the interior of the factory. "What in God's name were they making in here?!"
He dashed to the left, landing on a cannon and thrusting down into its frame. He barely managed to jump out of the way of another beam of plasma and used his second dash to land in front of another cannon. "Oh, shi-" he was knocked back by the shot. Screaming in pain, he double dashed at and through the last cannon, Duel Blades outstretched. He was greeted with an energy capsule and a steel door. "Seems like they're expecting me." As the new energy coursed through him, repairing the cracks in his armor, he felt ready to face what he knew was coming. The door opened as he walked forward. It sealed behind him and another door waited in front of him. "Isn't this cliche..." Night dashed through the last door. Ignis was waiting for him.
_____________________________________________________________
"Sup, loserboy, ready to feel the burn?" Ignis stood on his new tank. With a deep bow, he said, "Ignis, at your disservice."
"Are you gonna spout one-liners all day or are we gonna fight?!" Night jumped onto the tank and got into a ready stance.
"You wanna die already?! Fine by me!!" Ignis dashed backwards, his wings outstretched. He pointed his open palms at Night and black vents appeared, wrapping his arms in flame. "I got a knuckle sandwich for ya, get it while it's hot!" He charged forward and before Night could react, struck him with an uppercut to the chest. Night swung back, but Ignis was already airborne and looking for an opening.
"Nice shot, but it'll take more than that to beat me!" In the back of his head, he knew that a quarter of his energy was just beat out of him. He lunged at the Maverick, thrusting with his right arm. Ignis flew back against the wall, laughing as he dodged. "Gotcha!" Night yelled, triggering a second dash as he slashed with his other arm and fell to the ground.
"AGH! You son of a bitch!" Ignis screamed. He stretched out his arms, firing a steady stream of fire. Night jumped back, unscathed. "That all you got?!" With a scream, Ignis landed, dashing forward for another Fire Strike. Night jumped over it, slashing at his opponent's back and quickly dashing away from another flamethrower attack.
The battle continued as Night kept tagging his opponent after each rush. With a flip and double strike, Night kicked the Maverick with a dash- enhanced roundhouse, sending him crashing to the ground. "Damn, for a guy with wings, you can't maneuver for shit!"
"Shut up!" Ignis struggled to stand, but fell to his knees in pain. "I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!" Night grinned and strode forward, blades at his sides. He shook his head and sighed as he jumped off of the tank tread.
"We can do this the easy way or the fun way. I suggest you surrender, even though that's SO boring." Night laughed when Ignis spat at him, dodging to the side. "Good range! Is that you're special attack?"
"You human-loving dog!!! I won't let you kill me!" He stood up, defiant, his arms aflame.
"Whoa, there, buddy. I'm not gonna 'kill' anyone-"
"Liar!!! That's not true, it isn't! This...this is the Truth! Veritus!" Ignis's eyes began to glow with a purple light and the flames changed colors and surrounded his body. "Time to die, Hunter scum!" With a feral scream, he rammed his body into Night, pinning him against the wall. The flames slowly melted Night's armor. The pain was turning everything in Night's mind into a purple blur as his vision began to fade. "Come on...Scream for me! Scream, you sorry bastard!"
Night struggled silently as the flames grew hotter. He felt himself slipping away. Every ounce of rage and frustration within him wasn't enough to break the death grip. His blades sputtered, then died as his body tried to conserve his quickly failing energy. Every alarm and warning exploded in his mind. So, he thought. This is what dying is like...doesn't hurt all that much...
DON'T GIVE UP YET, NIGHT. USE YOUR POTENTIAL...GET UP!!!
Ignis didn't notice the low rumble in Night's throat. Even as it grew louder, the haze of Veritus left him thoughtless. Not until the groan became a hoarse scream did Ignis finally hear it. By then, it was too late. Overriding the safeties, Night's dash boosters fired with their full fury, sending both Ignis and Night flying towards the tank, towards the cord that was trying to charge it. As they hurtled forward, Night used the last of his strength to reactivate his Duel Blades, ramming them for all he was worth into the steel floor. He managed to stop his forward thrust. Ignis wasn't so lucky. As he hit the cord, it fried and shot thousands of volts of electricity through him. The sheer force flowing through him overloaded his core, and he exploded in a flash of flames and plasma. As Night watched his opponent burn, he suddenly felt more tired than he'd ever felt. He barely managed to warp back to base before he passed out.
Beyond his field of vision, a screen had been on the entire time. A silver-haired girl watched the flames die out, her deep blue eyes turning a glowing purple.
R&R, please, folks. I'm really gonna do that SOON, too...I PROMISE!!!! )
Chapter 5: Opposites Attract
"I'm going, Alia," said Night. His fists were clenched in anticipation. "Like hell you are! What units do we-" night put his hand on Alia's shoulder, silencing her.
"You know as well as I do that we don't have Hunters to spare right now. Mavericks are coming out the woodworks, and besides, I can handle this loser..."
"This isn't the time for heroics, Night! You're untrained, unfocused, and you're too close to this fight!" she yelled. She stared into Night's eyes and for a moment he met her hard gaze evenly. Then he burst into laughter.
"Guess it runs in the family..." He shook his head, letting the humor fade from his face. "I'll be fine, Commander. I need to do this. Alone. Trust me."
"Shit...Fine! Hurry up and get out there! And watch yourself, kid!" Night was gone before she could finish, and everyone was silent for a moment. Most of them had never seen real combat, and were so nervous they just stood there. Alia sat down, typing into her terminal. For a moment, the tapping of keys was all that could be heard. "Guys...GET ME SOME GOD- DAMNED DATA ON THAT GOD-DAMNED FACTORY!!!" In a mad rush, the war room was alive with activity. "I hope you know what you're doing, kid..."
_____________________________________________________________
"Sir! We've sent out the first shipment of stolen bots!" Ignis nodded, staring up at the most beautiful tank he'd ever seen. His subordinate rattled on with his report, and Ignis didn't hear a word. Look at this damn thing..., he thought. Rocket launchers, plasma cannons, lasers, treads bigger than houses...What a pretty toy.
"Yeah, yeah, I heard you! What's the status on my Super Mega Destroyer Tank? Designed it back in the slave days!" With a burst from his wings, he jumped and landed on its flat roof. "Isn't it COOL?!"
"Um, uh, yes, sir! It will be operational in less than an hour! It takes quite a while to charge! But, sir, the shipment included gunner drones, dragonflies, Metools, flying bombers, and a few Supermechs that are- "
"I don't care! Get out of my face, and get my baby running!!!" Ignis yelled. "Save your freakin' reports for someone who cares, you little kiss- ass!"
"Um, y-yes sir!" The soldier saluted and ran off, more scared of his 'commander' than of the visitor on his way. Ignis chuckled wildly as he left, rolling on the roof of the tank.
"You're such a child before a fight, Jaran..." Ignis turned to the vidscreen and pretended to pout.
"What'd I tell you about that, 'Na-dia'?! I'm Ignis now, the Burning Angel!" He struck a heroic pose and flipped off of the tank with a wing- powered spin. He bowed for his adoring audience then looked up to the image of a not-very-amused reploid. She was tying back her silver hair, trying to shake her head at the same time.
"You'll always be my 'cute liddle Jaran', Ignis." Ignoring his grimace, she went on. "You be careful, now. That Night kid managed to hurt Gabe and I don't want to see you hurt or worse..."
"No worries, babe! He caught that sissy Gabby by surprise! He won't be so lucky this time! I'll kick his stupid ass, and then I'll take you out on the town in my brand-new Super Mega Destroyer Tank of Loooooove!" He laughed at his own joke, wiping tears from his eyes. Even she had to stifle a giggle. "Man, no wonder you can't resist me! I'm so irresistible!"
"Yeah, no wonder...Just be careful, okay? Promise, lover?"
"Yeah, yeah, I promise. How 'bout this? I'll make you a ring out of his dinky black armor, huh?" Just then, the alarms went off.
"How romantic. But it looks like you've got company. Love ya. Aqueous out!" The screen winked out and Ignis jumped back onto his new tank.
"I'm waiting...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
_____________________________________________________________
Night warped into a mess. Even outside of the factory, the place was devastated. Robots were on the rampage, destroying every vehicle they could find. Everywhere he looked, machinery was ripped apart and blasted. Some of the rubble looked too much like reploids for comfort. He took in the grim scene for a moment before putting his shades on and dashing in the general direction of the mayhem, blades drawn.
He soon met up with resistance as bug-like reploids dove at him, trying to grab him in their claws. He managed to dodged a few, slashing them as they passed, but one caught him off guard and he felt himself being painfully drained. "Stupid son of a-" With a pair of dashes aimed right at the dragonfly drone's midsection, he knocked himself face-first into a windshield. "Damn! That hurt like a bitch..." A quick scan showed he was down to 85% energy. He pulled himself out of the transport and ran ahead, now looking up as he went, his lesson learned.
Unfortunately, the threat came from below. Before he could reach the inner gates of the factory, a huge drill burst from the ground, sending him flying. "Ugh...60%...oh, crap..." He jumped to his feet, cursing under his breath at the new enemy.
"Give it up, Night! No one can defeat the Angel Corps!" A soldier stood in the cockpit of the drill-tank, ready to strike again. "This whole thing is made out of Ex-Alloy!" The soldier spurred his tank onward, slowly moving forward to crush Night. Night just stood there, his arms crossed and a huge grin on his face.
"I think you're forgetting something..." Night yelled. The tank inched forward, the drill spinning and rattling in a metallic blur. It drew closer, an inch a second and Night didn't seem to care that he was trapped. He even started laughing.
"Wh-what are you laughing at?! This tank is going to, to kill you!" The soldier was furious as he beat at the controls, trying to speed up the process. When he looked up, Night was gone. "What the-"
"Hey, dumbass!" The soldier turned to look straight into a closed fist. He was out cold. "I can dash jump over the stupid drill bit. You're not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?" Under his control, the tank tore the gate to shreds and Night moved onward, dodging and slashing at the mounted cannons all over the interior of the factory. "What in God's name were they making in here?!"
He dashed to the left, landing on a cannon and thrusting down into its frame. He barely managed to jump out of the way of another beam of plasma and used his second dash to land in front of another cannon. "Oh, shi-" he was knocked back by the shot. Screaming in pain, he double dashed at and through the last cannon, Duel Blades outstretched. He was greeted with an energy capsule and a steel door. "Seems like they're expecting me." As the new energy coursed through him, repairing the cracks in his armor, he felt ready to face what he knew was coming. The door opened as he walked forward. It sealed behind him and another door waited in front of him. "Isn't this cliche..." Night dashed through the last door. Ignis was waiting for him.
_____________________________________________________________
"Sup, loserboy, ready to feel the burn?" Ignis stood on his new tank. With a deep bow, he said, "Ignis, at your disservice."
"Are you gonna spout one-liners all day or are we gonna fight?!" Night jumped onto the tank and got into a ready stance.
"You wanna die already?! Fine by me!!" Ignis dashed backwards, his wings outstretched. He pointed his open palms at Night and black vents appeared, wrapping his arms in flame. "I got a knuckle sandwich for ya, get it while it's hot!" He charged forward and before Night could react, struck him with an uppercut to the chest. Night swung back, but Ignis was already airborne and looking for an opening.
"Nice shot, but it'll take more than that to beat me!" In the back of his head, he knew that a quarter of his energy was just beat out of him. He lunged at the Maverick, thrusting with his right arm. Ignis flew back against the wall, laughing as he dodged. "Gotcha!" Night yelled, triggering a second dash as he slashed with his other arm and fell to the ground.
"AGH! You son of a bitch!" Ignis screamed. He stretched out his arms, firing a steady stream of fire. Night jumped back, unscathed. "That all you got?!" With a scream, Ignis landed, dashing forward for another Fire Strike. Night jumped over it, slashing at his opponent's back and quickly dashing away from another flamethrower attack.
The battle continued as Night kept tagging his opponent after each rush. With a flip and double strike, Night kicked the Maverick with a dash- enhanced roundhouse, sending him crashing to the ground. "Damn, for a guy with wings, you can't maneuver for shit!"
"Shut up!" Ignis struggled to stand, but fell to his knees in pain. "I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!" Night grinned and strode forward, blades at his sides. He shook his head and sighed as he jumped off of the tank tread.
"We can do this the easy way or the fun way. I suggest you surrender, even though that's SO boring." Night laughed when Ignis spat at him, dodging to the side. "Good range! Is that you're special attack?"
"You human-loving dog!!! I won't let you kill me!" He stood up, defiant, his arms aflame.
"Whoa, there, buddy. I'm not gonna 'kill' anyone-"
"Liar!!! That's not true, it isn't! This...this is the Truth! Veritus!" Ignis's eyes began to glow with a purple light and the flames changed colors and surrounded his body. "Time to die, Hunter scum!" With a feral scream, he rammed his body into Night, pinning him against the wall. The flames slowly melted Night's armor. The pain was turning everything in Night's mind into a purple blur as his vision began to fade. "Come on...Scream for me! Scream, you sorry bastard!"
Night struggled silently as the flames grew hotter. He felt himself slipping away. Every ounce of rage and frustration within him wasn't enough to break the death grip. His blades sputtered, then died as his body tried to conserve his quickly failing energy. Every alarm and warning exploded in his mind. So, he thought. This is what dying is like...doesn't hurt all that much...
DON'T GIVE UP YET, NIGHT. USE YOUR POTENTIAL...GET UP!!!
Ignis didn't notice the low rumble in Night's throat. Even as it grew louder, the haze of Veritus left him thoughtless. Not until the groan became a hoarse scream did Ignis finally hear it. By then, it was too late. Overriding the safeties, Night's dash boosters fired with their full fury, sending both Ignis and Night flying towards the tank, towards the cord that was trying to charge it. As they hurtled forward, Night used the last of his strength to reactivate his Duel Blades, ramming them for all he was worth into the steel floor. He managed to stop his forward thrust. Ignis wasn't so lucky. As he hit the cord, it fried and shot thousands of volts of electricity through him. The sheer force flowing through him overloaded his core, and he exploded in a flash of flames and plasma. As Night watched his opponent burn, he suddenly felt more tired than he'd ever felt. He barely managed to warp back to base before he passed out.
Beyond his field of vision, a screen had been on the entire time. A silver-haired girl watched the flames die out, her deep blue eyes turning a glowing purple.