Zero stood proud over the trashed remains of his former enemies. The wave
of cyborgs that swarmed him moments before were reduced to scraps and Zero
had not taken a scratch. What power! Zero thought to himself. I really do
amaze myself. Was X possibly this powerful? Would I win if I fought the
true X and not that pathetic clone? Of course I would! I am the ultimate
reploid!
Zero had never been this confident. Since Ciel released him from hibernation he was quiet and passive, not even as brash and hotheaded as he was now. Before he continued gloating, Zero looked about his surroundings. His eyes saw no limit, only endless desert for miles and miles with no base in sight. He realized the horror of the situation and kicked away a fallen reploid stuck on his foot.
"Pathetic garbage. I'm not even cut out for this." Then Zero's soul felt like it was sucked into a black hole. He grabbed his head and hated himself for his arrogance.
"What am I saying? This isn't me. What's gotten into me? I have to find Ciel!"
Zero dashed off into the North where the desert sands became harsher and harsher. A sand storm scraped at Zero's body and lacerated him unmercifully. He trudged through three feet of sand and tried to protect himself with his arms. Three hours later, the tempest died off yet Zero was left beaten and helpless. Now he was surrounded by sand dunes and still no sign of the base. Tired, his ankles gave out and Zero fell to the ground giving up the struggle to live.
"I'm no hero. I've failed you, Ciel. You too, X. Please forgive me!" He buried his head in his arms and wept. It was the first time Zero remembered crying since his hibernation. Lying on his back, he saw a circle of eagles in the sky barely visible from the glaring sun. Not wanting to be a feast for birds, Zero pulled out his beam saber and prepared to commit seppuku. Before thrusting his saber into his belly, a beam of light struck the ground meters away from him. When the light cleared, Zero recognized the figure. His hands were frozen on his saber hilt. It was Fefnir.
"So, Zero, this is where you've been." Zero's eyes unfocused and drool trickled down his face.
"What about that match you promised me, Zero? I've been waiting to fight you again. You've beaten me twice but you will not defeat me now! Look at yourself. Your kneeling like a dog before your master. Stand up!"
Zero was silent.
"Stand up, fool! Are you giving up now? I can't believe how pathetic you've become. You're nothing but trash. A shadow of a former reploid cast off into the sun. It is quite hot out here, actually. I could use some lemonade."
Zero dropped his beam saber and fell face-first back onto the ground motionless.
"You give up too easily! Forget honor. I will kill you where you lie!" Fefnir charged forward and jumped twenty feet into the air and dived downwards targeted for Zero's limp body. Before Fefnir's cannon drilled into the ground, Zero rolled under him and swiftly slashed off his huge gun arm. He squealed with agony and Zero dashed backward ten feet.
"Surprised, Fefnir? They're called sub-tanks. Useful when the going gets tough!"
Fefnir had only a bloody stump where his huge cannon arm was before. "Haha! Nicely done, Zero! I love the pain! I love it! You haven't weakened a bit, have you? I'm ecstatic! Let the fight begin!"
Fefnir charged at surprising speed at Zero and prepared to cave in his head. Zero blocked Fefnir's punch and gave a roundhouse kick to the face followed by two double punches and an uppercut. His eye was dented in but it didn't stop him. He launched his fist into Zero's stomach and kneed his head. Grabbing him by the helmet, Fefnir swung Zero around like a rag doll and pulverized him into the ground. Zero retaliated and sweep-kicked him off his feet and dropkicked him in mid air. Fefnir soared backwards and Zero fired his Z-Buster at the victim blasting several holes into his chest. Fefnir fell backwards and burrowed into the ground.
"What? A new trick?" Zero was puzzled. Before he could react, the devious reploid burst under Zero's feet, carried him forty feet into the air and smashed him back into the ground with a rocket punch. A sandy mist erupted from where Zero crashed and both could not see through it. Trusting his senses, Zero blasted a fully charged shot which cleared the mist and Fefnir shot a huge fire blast towards Zero. He dashed away from the inferno but his enemy immediately landed on him. Zero's torso was in crushing pain as Fefnir pounded him with his boot.
"What now, great maverick hunter? Too peace-loving to fight back? Go back to the garbage bin where you came from!"
Zero grabbed Fefnir's foot and flipped him backwards. He braced the beam saber and sliced the evil reploid in half. In pieces, Fefnir stared blankly at Zero and loathed him.
"No. How could I have lost? For the third time?" Zero sheathed the saber and stood straight.
"You're blinded by your anger. If you coordinated your attacks in an orderly fashion you might have tickled me."
Before Zero could finish him off, he noticed that the arm cannon that was sliced off minutes before was still there.
"Your arm? How did it-"?
Before Zero could blink, Fefnir's lower half sprung anew from his waste and he was ready to fight again.
"Oh, it's just a small upgrade. I call it regeneration. When you blew up X's fortress, radiation spread for miles and miles mutating any reploids in contact with it. I got a lucky card in the hand. Now let's see who wins!"
Zero's gun was immediately pointed at the reploid's head. "Regenerate this."
Scraps of his cranium shot in all directions as Fefnir's body fell limply to the ground. Zero knew he was down for good and walked away from his fallen foe. Before he got too far away from the corpse, Fefnir jumped back up again with a new head. He shouldn't have laughed so loud for Zero to hear.
"Just die already!" Zero launched a fully charged shot at him and the following explosion sent ripples through three miles of sand. His aggressive enemy was no more and Zero had one less burden to worry about. Proud yet unfulfilled, he continued his journey through the desert tempests to find Ciel.
The End
Zero had never been this confident. Since Ciel released him from hibernation he was quiet and passive, not even as brash and hotheaded as he was now. Before he continued gloating, Zero looked about his surroundings. His eyes saw no limit, only endless desert for miles and miles with no base in sight. He realized the horror of the situation and kicked away a fallen reploid stuck on his foot.
"Pathetic garbage. I'm not even cut out for this." Then Zero's soul felt like it was sucked into a black hole. He grabbed his head and hated himself for his arrogance.
"What am I saying? This isn't me. What's gotten into me? I have to find Ciel!"
Zero dashed off into the North where the desert sands became harsher and harsher. A sand storm scraped at Zero's body and lacerated him unmercifully. He trudged through three feet of sand and tried to protect himself with his arms. Three hours later, the tempest died off yet Zero was left beaten and helpless. Now he was surrounded by sand dunes and still no sign of the base. Tired, his ankles gave out and Zero fell to the ground giving up the struggle to live.
"I'm no hero. I've failed you, Ciel. You too, X. Please forgive me!" He buried his head in his arms and wept. It was the first time Zero remembered crying since his hibernation. Lying on his back, he saw a circle of eagles in the sky barely visible from the glaring sun. Not wanting to be a feast for birds, Zero pulled out his beam saber and prepared to commit seppuku. Before thrusting his saber into his belly, a beam of light struck the ground meters away from him. When the light cleared, Zero recognized the figure. His hands were frozen on his saber hilt. It was Fefnir.
"So, Zero, this is where you've been." Zero's eyes unfocused and drool trickled down his face.
"What about that match you promised me, Zero? I've been waiting to fight you again. You've beaten me twice but you will not defeat me now! Look at yourself. Your kneeling like a dog before your master. Stand up!"
Zero was silent.
"Stand up, fool! Are you giving up now? I can't believe how pathetic you've become. You're nothing but trash. A shadow of a former reploid cast off into the sun. It is quite hot out here, actually. I could use some lemonade."
Zero dropped his beam saber and fell face-first back onto the ground motionless.
"You give up too easily! Forget honor. I will kill you where you lie!" Fefnir charged forward and jumped twenty feet into the air and dived downwards targeted for Zero's limp body. Before Fefnir's cannon drilled into the ground, Zero rolled under him and swiftly slashed off his huge gun arm. He squealed with agony and Zero dashed backward ten feet.
"Surprised, Fefnir? They're called sub-tanks. Useful when the going gets tough!"
Fefnir had only a bloody stump where his huge cannon arm was before. "Haha! Nicely done, Zero! I love the pain! I love it! You haven't weakened a bit, have you? I'm ecstatic! Let the fight begin!"
Fefnir charged at surprising speed at Zero and prepared to cave in his head. Zero blocked Fefnir's punch and gave a roundhouse kick to the face followed by two double punches and an uppercut. His eye was dented in but it didn't stop him. He launched his fist into Zero's stomach and kneed his head. Grabbing him by the helmet, Fefnir swung Zero around like a rag doll and pulverized him into the ground. Zero retaliated and sweep-kicked him off his feet and dropkicked him in mid air. Fefnir soared backwards and Zero fired his Z-Buster at the victim blasting several holes into his chest. Fefnir fell backwards and burrowed into the ground.
"What? A new trick?" Zero was puzzled. Before he could react, the devious reploid burst under Zero's feet, carried him forty feet into the air and smashed him back into the ground with a rocket punch. A sandy mist erupted from where Zero crashed and both could not see through it. Trusting his senses, Zero blasted a fully charged shot which cleared the mist and Fefnir shot a huge fire blast towards Zero. He dashed away from the inferno but his enemy immediately landed on him. Zero's torso was in crushing pain as Fefnir pounded him with his boot.
"What now, great maverick hunter? Too peace-loving to fight back? Go back to the garbage bin where you came from!"
Zero grabbed Fefnir's foot and flipped him backwards. He braced the beam saber and sliced the evil reploid in half. In pieces, Fefnir stared blankly at Zero and loathed him.
"No. How could I have lost? For the third time?" Zero sheathed the saber and stood straight.
"You're blinded by your anger. If you coordinated your attacks in an orderly fashion you might have tickled me."
Before Zero could finish him off, he noticed that the arm cannon that was sliced off minutes before was still there.
"Your arm? How did it-"?
Before Zero could blink, Fefnir's lower half sprung anew from his waste and he was ready to fight again.
"Oh, it's just a small upgrade. I call it regeneration. When you blew up X's fortress, radiation spread for miles and miles mutating any reploids in contact with it. I got a lucky card in the hand. Now let's see who wins!"
Zero's gun was immediately pointed at the reploid's head. "Regenerate this."
Scraps of his cranium shot in all directions as Fefnir's body fell limply to the ground. Zero knew he was down for good and walked away from his fallen foe. Before he got too far away from the corpse, Fefnir jumped back up again with a new head. He shouldn't have laughed so loud for Zero to hear.
"Just die already!" Zero launched a fully charged shot at him and the following explosion sent ripples through three miles of sand. His aggressive enemy was no more and Zero had one less burden to worry about. Proud yet unfulfilled, he continued his journey through the desert tempests to find Ciel.
The End
