The Construction of Zero
by Ganon
Dr. Wily had been defeated time and time again by his rival, Mega Man, and it wasn't getting any easier. Even the inventions of Bass and Treble proved to be futile. Wily decided, after the twelvth time he had been beaten, to create something so powerful that even Mega Man would not be able to stop him. Obviously, this idea had proven to be a constantly reused. However, Dr. Light had had a similar idea to stop Wily forever, and Wily had been supervising it carefully. Wily made plans to distract Mega Man and the rest.
Wily had rebuilt some of his greatest robots: Heat Man, Cut Man, Wood Man, Ice Man, Guts Man, Crash Man, Gyro Man, Magnet Man, Plant Man, Gemini Man, Napalm Man, Dust Man, Cloud Man, Shade Man, Slash Man, Freeze Man, Turbo Man, Junk Man, Rock Monster, and Pumpkin Bot, to distract Mega Man. He also made nine appearances himself. Behind the scenes, Wily made a copy of Light's plans, and began to work.
Mega Man, however foiled his plans once again. Wily escaped, however, and continued work on his project.
"What are you building now, Wily?" said Bass one day.
"For your information, the robot I am building now will succeed where you failed. It will blow Mega Man away," replied Wily.
"Fine. You hardly ever build anything better than junk, anyway."
"We'll see."
Wily eventually discovered a dark energy, and experimented it in his new project. Wily built eight more Robot Masters to buy him some more time, on the off chance that they would make short work of Mega Man. However, Mega Man triumphed once again, even gaining aid from a robot that came to do away with the dark energy. Wily again had to make an appearance, but was beaten.
The loss stung, but Wily knew that his master plan was coming along nicely. The body of his new work was nearly complete.
Wily needed more time again, so he rebuilt some old robots: Bubble Man, Heat Man, Flower Man, Gyro Man, Centaur Man, Shadow Man, Dive Man, Slash Man, Cut Man, Shade Man, Stone Man, Elec Man, Mad Roller, and Yellow Devil, to distract Mega Man. Proto Man, however, ended up doing all of the work. Wily made some appearances, and was again defeated. Wily's defeat didn't make much of a difference; his creation's design was complete.
"My new creation is better than Proto Man," stated Wily matter-of-factly to a nearby Bass.
"What? This girlie-looking, long-haired robot? Don't make me laugh!" said Bass.
Next, the emergence of a robot called King distracted Mega Man once more. Wily used King to buy him more time to complete his new creation, which now had a name: Zero. Zero was so-called because the other project, the one Zero was based on, was to be the first of its kind. Therefore, Zero had to be before the first. Wily even rebuilt Tengu Man to join in with King, after building seven other robots.
King was defeated, and so was Wily, by Mega Man. However, the defeat didn't matter to Wily at all. Zero now had another name: Omega, because he was to be the end of Mega Man and his friends. Zero Omega, the end.
Zero was now in the final stage of production. Wily had made it so that Zero would have the ability to feel and think, just as the other creation, now called Mega Man X, would be able to. Light had sealed Mega Man up in a capsule to run diagnostics tests. This would take years.
'Perfect,' thought Wily. Now Zero would have little trouble in vanquishing all opposition.
Only one thing stumped Wily. Mega Man X and Zero were essentially the same. Their personalities were only a bit different. The only thing that separated them was Zero's red color, as opposed to Mega Man X's blue, and the Wily logo on the top of Zero's head.
This prompted Wily to experiment more extensively with the dark energy he had discovered. This energy, he found, could be used to make a certain "virus". He developed this virus, which would cause a rebellious nature and a strong desire to kill, and infected Zero with it. Finally, the change in personality had been made.
Zero only needed a few more months to become stronger.
Mega Man strutted around the Light Lab, anxious from the period of peace. Wily hadn't attacked for several months now and Light was starting to believe that Wily had finally been defeated, but Mega Man wasn't so sure. He would just have to wait and find out.
"Finally, my creation is complete," said Wily, as Bass watched. Wily walked over to the capsule Zero was contained in and pushed a green button, which lifted the cover of the capsule. Wily then pushed a white button, and walked over to the front of the capsule to greet Zero.
"Zero..." said Wily.
"Who are you?" asked Zero. Zero had a strangely...innocent voice.
"My masterpiece..." continued Wily, ignoring Zero's query.
"But... who are you?" asked Zero.
"After him! He is my nemesis. Our rivalry is what gives me motivation in life. Now go! Destroy him! That's an order."
"Huh... ? Wait!"
"I assume you are confused. I didn't see the need to program this information into your head, seeing as you are almost like a human being. See, your name is Zero Omega, and you are one of the first, if not the first, robot able to feel and think for yourself."
"Who are you?"
"I am Doctor Albert Wily. My nemesis is a blue robot named Mega Man. He has foiled my plans sixteen times in the past. I want you to destroy him. I also want you to destroy everyone else who opposes you. Make sure you destroy his brother, Proto Man, also. He is a red robot. The lab is called Light Lab, you will find many signs pointing to its location, don't worry."
"I understand, Doctor Wily. I will do my best to destroy them."
"Hah, your best is more than enough. Now, before you go, you may want to test your strength."
At this point, Bass slipped away, taking his dog, Treble, with him. As soon as he got outside of Wily's lab, he stepped on Treble's back and flew away in search of help.
Zero was led to a large, white room, with a rectangular prism, with a leather outside and stuffed with a soft metal, about Zero's height and width. There were also two small slits on either side of this prism. Set up next the the prism was a black scoreboard-like object, which now read "0000".
"Zero, I want you to fire a single shot with your arm cannon at that prism," said Wily.
Zero obliged. The small shot traveled and hit the prism. The scoreboard now read, "500".
"Excellent," said Wily. "Bass is only able to score '400'. Now, charge up the shot for a little while, and release."
Zero obeyed the instructions and sent the shot at the prism. After contact, the scoreboard read, "750".
"Great. Mega Man charging his Mega Buster is only able to get about '550' on that type of shot, of course, from my calculations during our fights. Now, charge it up even longer, and fire it at the prism."
Zero charged up even longer than the last time, and fired a slightly larger shot. The hit had a power of "1000".
"Wonderful! Only fully-charged Mega Buster attacks have even a power of '700'! Now, to use your most powerful current attack."
"Current?" asked Zero.
"Yes. Like Mega Man, Proto Man, Bass, Roll, Rush, Treble, Duo, and even your not-yet-activated counterpart, Mega Man X, you have the ability to increase your abilities. Your most powerful attack now might not be your most powerful attack in the future. However, this will be more than enough to crush resistance. Charge up until the charging sound can reach no higher frequency, or for about four and a half seconds if you can't tell, and release at the prism."
Zero charged up until the noise wouldn't climb anymore, and released. Two snake-like, pink, criscrossing, shots, traveled at the prism, making full contact. The board now read "1500".
"Perfect, now to test your speed. There are built-in sensors on the floor. Dash using your built-in dashing system. You'll know how inherently, like firing your arm cannon. Now, begin!"
Zero dashed forward, and the scoreboard reached "700".
"Now, run forward."
Zero ran forward, and the scoreboard reached "500".
"Finally, walk forward."
Zero walked forward, and the scoreboard reached "300".
"Excellent. Bass's fastest only ever reached '575'. Now, to test your jump. Jump as high as you can."
Zero did.
"Good, now dash forward and jump."
Zero then leapt an amazing distance.
"Fine, now jump forward as far as you can."
Zero made a leap.
"Now, Wall Jump by jumping at the wall, then use your built-in gravity systems to stay on the wall, then continuously jump up the wall."
Zero succeeded.
"Now, jump to the wall, then dash-jump off the wall."
Zero obeyed. Wily seemed very pleased.
"Now for the skill-testing portion. You are to defeat four robots without rest. The first is this," said Wily, as the slit to the left of the prism slowly began to widen. The floor opened to show a pit of water. A big red fish was at the bottom, spitting out smaller fish. Zero leapt down into the water.
Zero fired a shot each at the four fish the big fish had been spitting. They all were destroyed in a single shot. Zero charged up for a little, and fired at the rod on the big fish's head. The big fish exploded after firing two more small fish, which Zero destroyed with one shot each.
Next, Zero had to leap out of the water. The floor closed over the pit, and Zero found himself facing a small enemy that fired five shots at him, then arched its gun so its shots arched as well. Zero charged briefly and fired, obliterating the enemy.
Third, a hermit crab-like enemy appeared, which just walked back and forth. Zero simply destroyed it with one shot.
Finally, a large cat emerged from the right slit, which had just opened wide. It fired streams of fire at Zero, who dodged them easily. Then, charging a third-level shot, Zero fired, then charged and fired a second-level shot. The cat was destroyed, and Wily was, once again, quite pleased.
"Excellent, even Mega Man almost always took at least one hit from the Jalapeno Cats. Now, go destroy Mega Man and Proto Man, as well as all opposition. Go! At once!"
And Zero made his way to the Light Lab with astounding speed.
With Zero one-quarter of the way to the lab, Bass had already reached it. "Mega Man! Quickly!" shouted Bass.
"Bass!" shouted Mega Man, leveling his arm cannon at his foe.
"No, Mega Man! Wily has stolen plans for Mega Man X!" continued Bass.
"Bass, how do you know about Mega Man X?" asked Light.
"Didn't I just say how? Wily has stolen plans for him! He's made a robot based on the designs of Mega Man X. It's probably on its way by now. It's, according to Wily, the strongest. Stronger than anything even Mega Man's ever fought!" said Bass.
"How do we know you're not lying?" said Mega Man, refusing to lower his Mega Buster.
"Just trust me! I know I've done you wrong in the past, but I despise Wily, now. I don't like his side," said Bass.
"What?!" said Mega Man.
"I know it sounds stupid, but Wily's a loser. I'm tired of being on the wrong team. You'll need all the help you can get, anyway. Just trust me!"
"...If what Bass says is true, then this new robot is much more powerful than what we've faced in the past," said Light. "Bass! Does this robot think and feel for itself?"
"Yes! It's coming right now! You'll need to bring out Mega Man X!" exclaimed Bass.
"I can't. If the diagnostic tests are not complete to ensure that Mega Man X is stable, he will probably join Wily's side," said Light. Mega Man lowered his Mega Buster reluctantly.
Just then, a whistle reverberate throughout the lab. "Proto Man!" said Mega Man at once. The yellow-scarfed, red-schemed robot appeared.
"I've just been listening."
"Proto Man, your systems are unstable. You could be destroyed from the inside before this new robot even comes!"
"I know my own body, I'm all right," said Proto Man.
"No!" shouted Light. Everyone turned and stared in disbelief at the normally pacific Doctor Thomas Xavier Light. "Proto Man, we need strong, able-bodied robots. Now, if you'll just allow me to insert this antidote..." said Light, carrying a needle filled with a black liquid.
"Fine," said Proto Man.
Light injected the antidote. "Thanks, doc," said Proto Man reluctantly.
Just at that moment, when Zero was three-quarters of the way to the lab, Duo had landed on the planet of Earth, and began to walk toward Light's Lab. He had sensed a mass of dark energy moving speedily toward the lab. Duo sped up.
"All right, everyone, get ready," said Light. Mega Man was closest to the front door of the lab. Behind him were Proto Man and Bass, next to each other, making up the second rank. Behind them were Roll, Rush, and Treble, making up the third rank. Behind them stood Beat, Tango, Eddie, and Auto, making up the fourth rank. Behind them was Doctor Light. All were waiting cautiously for the arrival of the new robot. Mega Man took this opportunity to charge his Mega Buster. It was so quiet that the only sounds were Mega Man's Mega Buster charging and the simulated heartbeats and breathing of the robots, and the heartbeats and breathing of Light.
Zero stood outside the lab, taking in his surroundings. Walking slightly foward, Zero placed his hands on the door. His right hand transformed into an arm cannon and charged slightly....
The others heard a charging noise on the outside of the lab. Then, the door burst open. In the doorway stood a tall robot, patterned in red and white, with a "W" symbol on his forehead. His helmet had points similar to foxes' ears. His basic body structure, including the white hands and arm cannon, was similar to Mega Man's. He had long blonde hair which trailed down below his wasteline. This new robot certainly cut an imposing figure.
Just then, Wily, who had been traveling in one of his spaceship-like transporters, emerged next to Zero.
"Dr. Light, Mega Man, Proto Man...Bass..." said Wily, saying "Bass" with a snarl. "...And the rest..." said Wily, eyeing Roll and the others. "I am proud to introduce my masterpiece...Zero Omega!" said Wily. He turned to Zero. "Kill them."
A smile came on Zero's face. Flexing his fingers, Zero leaped up once and landed, and walked toward Mega Man. Mega Man let loose the shot he had been charging. A cloud of smoke came with the shot, but Zero emerged relatively unharmed. The first two ranks let loose a barrage of shots, half of which Zero dodged, a quarter of which just bounced off of Zero's body, and a quarter of which hit Zero full-force. Zero looked around, deciding his first victim. He spotted Auto, and smiled. Zero raised his arm cannon, and fired four shots, all of which hit Auto. Auto exploded.
"Auto!" shouted Roll. She charged up her own Mega Buster, firing at Zero. Mega Man and Roll both charged up to full while Proto Man and Bass occupied Zero. Both Mega Man and Roll released their shots. Zero was now beginning to feel the attacks.
"Hmmm..." he said. He raised his arm cannon at Mega Man and fired a shot. Mega Man was hit, and two more shots hit him. Mega Man, however, wasn't down. Eddie supplied a Large White Energy Pellet to Mega Man. Mega Man fully recovered, and Zero saw Eddie as a threat.
Firing two slightly-charged shots and a small shot, Zero attempted to destroy Eddie. He succeeded. Tango was next to go down, taking five shots until he fell to a sixth. Beat charged at Zero, and landed a powerful hit, knocking Zero back slightly. Beat moved in for another hit to be met with a third-level shot, then four more shots. Beat exploded in a cloud of smoke.
"Not Beat!" shouted Mega Man. Next, Mega Man called Rush to himself, while Bass called Treble. Both flew on their robot dogs' backs at Zero, firing shots while avoiding Zero's.
Zero decided to eliminate this threat as well. He fired seven shots at Treble, who fell out of the air, Bass included. Treble slinked away, a fact Zero didn't notice due to the barrage of shots coming from Bass. Treble was leaking artificial blood, but he managed to crawl to an alleyway, where he would remain until discovered by Sigma nearly a century later. He was to become Velguader.
Zero next fired nine shots at Rush, who exploded. Mega Man fell out of the air, seething with rage. Rush had been his companion since the third time Wily tried to take over, using Gamma. Mega Man fired and fired until half of the room had been covered in smoke. But Mega Man continued, ending with a fully-charged Mega Buster shot. Zero emerged, blood coming from his mouth. Zero wiped the blood away, and charged up to full. He aimed seemingly at Mega Man, but then switched his aim to Roll. However, Roll survived, miraculously. Six more shots did away with her, even though she managed to dodge four.
Mega Man couldn't believe it. His dog, Rush, his sister, Roll. Both dead. The only family Mega Man had left was...
"Proto Man, watch out!" shouted Mega Man. Proto Man, however, took the full force of a fully-charged arm cannon shot, but survived. He got back up again, and dashed at Zero.
"Die!" shouted both Proto Man and Zero simultaneously. Both fired a plasma shot. Proto Man's hit, but so did Zero's fully-charged shot. Proto Man barely survived, getting to his feet once more. Now, Mega Man and Bass rushed at Zero.
"Can't you see?" said Zero. "You're nothing! I am the strongest! You are stupid insects to me!" Zero fired a third-level shot at Mega Man, who took it in full.
Zero began to charge another shot, which Proto Man would surely not survive. Proto Man also charged to full, and both fired at the same time. Zero was hit hard, but Proto Man was utterly destroyed.
The only one Mega Man had left was Doctor Light. Mega Man was furious; Zero would not get away with this. "Zero!" shouted Mega Man, charging his Mega Buster. "Die!"
The Mega Buster was almost charged to full when Zero smiled and dashed in on Mega Man. 'What speed,' thought Mega Man. Zero jumped over Mega Man, turned around, and fired a third-level shot. Mega Man was hit squarely in the back. Bass now fired at Zero, even though Bass was unable to charge shots.
Zero was hit seven times, but this didn't seem to stop the insanely powerful Maverick. Zero was still on his feet. Mega Man released a fully-charged shot, but Zero dodged. Mega Man and Zero traded shots for some time, with Bass firing support shots at Zero. Mega Man fired, but Zero jumped, and fired a small shot, which Mega Man dodged. The fire went back and forth. Neither Mega Man nor Zero landed a hit.
'He's better than I thought he was,' thought Zero. Zero decided to put an end to Mega Man. Firing rapidly, Zero managed to hit Mega Man four times, then, charging a second-level shot, hit Mega Man again. This sent Mega Man hurtling back. Mega Man was down now, and Zero began to charge a shot that would end it all, when he was hit in the back by a shot from Bass. "Ahh!" shouted Zero in pain, falling forward. Zero pushed himself up. "Stupid, worthless trash!" shouted Zero, landing a second-level shot on Bass. Zero then lifted up Mega Man, smiling. Zero leveled a fully-charged shot at Bass to keep him down. "Now, Mega Man, to end this stupid conflict," said Zero. Zero charged a second-level shot, ready to send it at Mega Man. He did so, at point-blank range, sending Mega Man back. The blue robot survived. Surely a final shot would finish him.
However, Bass was back on his feet, leveling shots at Zero. An astounding thirteen shots landed on Zero. Bass and Zero dueled for a while, and Bass was seemingly gaining the upper hand. "This is a battle to be remembered," said Zero. "The battle of Wily's two greatest creations. However, there can only be one greatest creation. You have been my greatest challenge yet, Bass, but it is time I finished this!" Zero landed a third-level shot, then, with a look of triumph, pumped in a second-level shot. With that, Bass was dead.
Next, Zero strutted confidently over to Mega Man. "This will be the end of Wily's greatest nemesis. At last, Mega Man, Wily and I will be victorious! Die!" Zero picked Mega Man up by the throat. Mega Man charged up to full, and fired. Zero was sent sprawling backward. "Heh, I didn't know you had it in you!"
Zero stood back up, picked up Mega Man once again, and pointed his arm cannon right at Mega Man's stomach. "Goodbye," said Zero. Zero fired a small shot. Artificial blood splattered over Zero's hands. Zero dropped Mega Man's body. Mega Man, Wily's greatest nemesis, Light's greatest creation, was dead. Zero looked down at his blood-stained hands.
"No!" shouted two voices. One belonged to Doctor Light, the other belonged to a huge robot lurking just behind Zero. Duo had arrived.
"You, mass of dark energy, have killed Mega Man," said Duo. "He was my...friend. You shall pay dearly, unidentified robot."
Duo raised his arm cannon, charged up to full, and fired. Zero was sent sprawling, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Heh," said Zero. "You are quite strong, but I am the strongest!"
Zero dashed at Duo, arm cannon raised. However, Zero's "W" symbol flashed, freezing Zero in his tracks. Duo used this opportunity to fire another fully-charged shot, again sending Zero flying. "No!" shouted Zero. "None can be stronger than I!"
Duo and Zero both fired shots. Duo jumped, the shot missing, and his shot hit. Zero was clutching his head, screaming, moaning in agony. "NOOOOOO!" shouted Zero. "No one can be stronger! I am the strongest!"
Zero fired a fully-charged shot, screaming in rage like a wild beast. Duo took it full-on, sent flying backwards, but Duo stood up once again, relatively unharmed. "You will feel the pain you caused Mega Man and all of the others," said Duo.
"Jusdie enmy jusdie!" yelled Zero, stuttering. "Donlive anymore jusdie enmy jusdie! Youcan't win I am the stornggest! Killnemesis I did it! Killoppsitin need to do! Jusdie! I am the stornggest! Die!" Zero fired rapidly at Duo, who took half of the shots and dodged the rest. Duo finally shot three fully-charged shots at Zero. Zero fell backwards each time, finally unable to get up. Duo stood over him, and all went black for Zero.
Duo sealed Zero up in a capsule while Light looked on questioningly. "The diagnostic tests of the capsules should help this robot," explained Duo. "He could help the world with his great power in the future. Of course, if he doesn't, the only hope is what you've been building.
"I must go now. I can not face this scene any longer."
With that, Duo left.
Light gathered up the bodies of the fallen robots and put them in capsules. There was no way for them to be brought back. Light left the robots in the care of Dr. Cossack and his daughter, Kalinka. Light, remembering what Duo said, resolved to dedicate the rest of his life to creating parts and upgrades for Mega Man X, in case Mega Man X was ever needed to fight in the future.
Wily, satisfied with the work he had done, ended his life of crime, retiring from menacing Light, and spent the rest of his life in hiding.
21XX, a robot by the name of "X" was discovered today.
21XX, a robot named "Zero" attacked Sigma, one of my newest reploids. However, Sigma was able to immobilize it and bring it in. "Zero" was repaired and ridded, mostly, of all Maverick infection.
21XX, several reploids revolted today, led out by Sigma, who, sadly, has gone Maverick.
21XX, the remaining Hunters have begun an effort to stop Sigma, led by the peace-loving and reluctant-to-kill X, and the seemingly-trustworthy Zero. Both X and Zero have proven to be extraordinary Hunters, and are quite capable.
by Ganon
Dr. Wily had been defeated time and time again by his rival, Mega Man, and it wasn't getting any easier. Even the inventions of Bass and Treble proved to be futile. Wily decided, after the twelvth time he had been beaten, to create something so powerful that even Mega Man would not be able to stop him. Obviously, this idea had proven to be a constantly reused. However, Dr. Light had had a similar idea to stop Wily forever, and Wily had been supervising it carefully. Wily made plans to distract Mega Man and the rest.
Wily had rebuilt some of his greatest robots: Heat Man, Cut Man, Wood Man, Ice Man, Guts Man, Crash Man, Gyro Man, Magnet Man, Plant Man, Gemini Man, Napalm Man, Dust Man, Cloud Man, Shade Man, Slash Man, Freeze Man, Turbo Man, Junk Man, Rock Monster, and Pumpkin Bot, to distract Mega Man. He also made nine appearances himself. Behind the scenes, Wily made a copy of Light's plans, and began to work.
Mega Man, however foiled his plans once again. Wily escaped, however, and continued work on his project.
"What are you building now, Wily?" said Bass one day.
"For your information, the robot I am building now will succeed where you failed. It will blow Mega Man away," replied Wily.
"Fine. You hardly ever build anything better than junk, anyway."
"We'll see."
Wily eventually discovered a dark energy, and experimented it in his new project. Wily built eight more Robot Masters to buy him some more time, on the off chance that they would make short work of Mega Man. However, Mega Man triumphed once again, even gaining aid from a robot that came to do away with the dark energy. Wily again had to make an appearance, but was beaten.
The loss stung, but Wily knew that his master plan was coming along nicely. The body of his new work was nearly complete.
Wily needed more time again, so he rebuilt some old robots: Bubble Man, Heat Man, Flower Man, Gyro Man, Centaur Man, Shadow Man, Dive Man, Slash Man, Cut Man, Shade Man, Stone Man, Elec Man, Mad Roller, and Yellow Devil, to distract Mega Man. Proto Man, however, ended up doing all of the work. Wily made some appearances, and was again defeated. Wily's defeat didn't make much of a difference; his creation's design was complete.
"My new creation is better than Proto Man," stated Wily matter-of-factly to a nearby Bass.
"What? This girlie-looking, long-haired robot? Don't make me laugh!" said Bass.
Next, the emergence of a robot called King distracted Mega Man once more. Wily used King to buy him more time to complete his new creation, which now had a name: Zero. Zero was so-called because the other project, the one Zero was based on, was to be the first of its kind. Therefore, Zero had to be before the first. Wily even rebuilt Tengu Man to join in with King, after building seven other robots.
King was defeated, and so was Wily, by Mega Man. However, the defeat didn't matter to Wily at all. Zero now had another name: Omega, because he was to be the end of Mega Man and his friends. Zero Omega, the end.
Zero was now in the final stage of production. Wily had made it so that Zero would have the ability to feel and think, just as the other creation, now called Mega Man X, would be able to. Light had sealed Mega Man up in a capsule to run diagnostics tests. This would take years.
'Perfect,' thought Wily. Now Zero would have little trouble in vanquishing all opposition.
Only one thing stumped Wily. Mega Man X and Zero were essentially the same. Their personalities were only a bit different. The only thing that separated them was Zero's red color, as opposed to Mega Man X's blue, and the Wily logo on the top of Zero's head.
This prompted Wily to experiment more extensively with the dark energy he had discovered. This energy, he found, could be used to make a certain "virus". He developed this virus, which would cause a rebellious nature and a strong desire to kill, and infected Zero with it. Finally, the change in personality had been made.
Zero only needed a few more months to become stronger.
Mega Man strutted around the Light Lab, anxious from the period of peace. Wily hadn't attacked for several months now and Light was starting to believe that Wily had finally been defeated, but Mega Man wasn't so sure. He would just have to wait and find out.
"Finally, my creation is complete," said Wily, as Bass watched. Wily walked over to the capsule Zero was contained in and pushed a green button, which lifted the cover of the capsule. Wily then pushed a white button, and walked over to the front of the capsule to greet Zero.
"Zero..." said Wily.
"Who are you?" asked Zero. Zero had a strangely...innocent voice.
"My masterpiece..." continued Wily, ignoring Zero's query.
"But... who are you?" asked Zero.
"After him! He is my nemesis. Our rivalry is what gives me motivation in life. Now go! Destroy him! That's an order."
"Huh... ? Wait!"
"I assume you are confused. I didn't see the need to program this information into your head, seeing as you are almost like a human being. See, your name is Zero Omega, and you are one of the first, if not the first, robot able to feel and think for yourself."
"Who are you?"
"I am Doctor Albert Wily. My nemesis is a blue robot named Mega Man. He has foiled my plans sixteen times in the past. I want you to destroy him. I also want you to destroy everyone else who opposes you. Make sure you destroy his brother, Proto Man, also. He is a red robot. The lab is called Light Lab, you will find many signs pointing to its location, don't worry."
"I understand, Doctor Wily. I will do my best to destroy them."
"Hah, your best is more than enough. Now, before you go, you may want to test your strength."
At this point, Bass slipped away, taking his dog, Treble, with him. As soon as he got outside of Wily's lab, he stepped on Treble's back and flew away in search of help.
Zero was led to a large, white room, with a rectangular prism, with a leather outside and stuffed with a soft metal, about Zero's height and width. There were also two small slits on either side of this prism. Set up next the the prism was a black scoreboard-like object, which now read "0000".
"Zero, I want you to fire a single shot with your arm cannon at that prism," said Wily.
Zero obliged. The small shot traveled and hit the prism. The scoreboard now read, "500".
"Excellent," said Wily. "Bass is only able to score '400'. Now, charge up the shot for a little while, and release."
Zero obeyed the instructions and sent the shot at the prism. After contact, the scoreboard read, "750".
"Great. Mega Man charging his Mega Buster is only able to get about '550' on that type of shot, of course, from my calculations during our fights. Now, charge it up even longer, and fire it at the prism."
Zero charged up even longer than the last time, and fired a slightly larger shot. The hit had a power of "1000".
"Wonderful! Only fully-charged Mega Buster attacks have even a power of '700'! Now, to use your most powerful current attack."
"Current?" asked Zero.
"Yes. Like Mega Man, Proto Man, Bass, Roll, Rush, Treble, Duo, and even your not-yet-activated counterpart, Mega Man X, you have the ability to increase your abilities. Your most powerful attack now might not be your most powerful attack in the future. However, this will be more than enough to crush resistance. Charge up until the charging sound can reach no higher frequency, or for about four and a half seconds if you can't tell, and release at the prism."
Zero charged up until the noise wouldn't climb anymore, and released. Two snake-like, pink, criscrossing, shots, traveled at the prism, making full contact. The board now read "1500".
"Perfect, now to test your speed. There are built-in sensors on the floor. Dash using your built-in dashing system. You'll know how inherently, like firing your arm cannon. Now, begin!"
Zero dashed forward, and the scoreboard reached "700".
"Now, run forward."
Zero ran forward, and the scoreboard reached "500".
"Finally, walk forward."
Zero walked forward, and the scoreboard reached "300".
"Excellent. Bass's fastest only ever reached '575'. Now, to test your jump. Jump as high as you can."
Zero did.
"Good, now dash forward and jump."
Zero then leapt an amazing distance.
"Fine, now jump forward as far as you can."
Zero made a leap.
"Now, Wall Jump by jumping at the wall, then use your built-in gravity systems to stay on the wall, then continuously jump up the wall."
Zero succeeded.
"Now, jump to the wall, then dash-jump off the wall."
Zero obeyed. Wily seemed very pleased.
"Now for the skill-testing portion. You are to defeat four robots without rest. The first is this," said Wily, as the slit to the left of the prism slowly began to widen. The floor opened to show a pit of water. A big red fish was at the bottom, spitting out smaller fish. Zero leapt down into the water.
Zero fired a shot each at the four fish the big fish had been spitting. They all were destroyed in a single shot. Zero charged up for a little, and fired at the rod on the big fish's head. The big fish exploded after firing two more small fish, which Zero destroyed with one shot each.
Next, Zero had to leap out of the water. The floor closed over the pit, and Zero found himself facing a small enemy that fired five shots at him, then arched its gun so its shots arched as well. Zero charged briefly and fired, obliterating the enemy.
Third, a hermit crab-like enemy appeared, which just walked back and forth. Zero simply destroyed it with one shot.
Finally, a large cat emerged from the right slit, which had just opened wide. It fired streams of fire at Zero, who dodged them easily. Then, charging a third-level shot, Zero fired, then charged and fired a second-level shot. The cat was destroyed, and Wily was, once again, quite pleased.
"Excellent, even Mega Man almost always took at least one hit from the Jalapeno Cats. Now, go destroy Mega Man and Proto Man, as well as all opposition. Go! At once!"
And Zero made his way to the Light Lab with astounding speed.
With Zero one-quarter of the way to the lab, Bass had already reached it. "Mega Man! Quickly!" shouted Bass.
"Bass!" shouted Mega Man, leveling his arm cannon at his foe.
"No, Mega Man! Wily has stolen plans for Mega Man X!" continued Bass.
"Bass, how do you know about Mega Man X?" asked Light.
"Didn't I just say how? Wily has stolen plans for him! He's made a robot based on the designs of Mega Man X. It's probably on its way by now. It's, according to Wily, the strongest. Stronger than anything even Mega Man's ever fought!" said Bass.
"How do we know you're not lying?" said Mega Man, refusing to lower his Mega Buster.
"Just trust me! I know I've done you wrong in the past, but I despise Wily, now. I don't like his side," said Bass.
"What?!" said Mega Man.
"I know it sounds stupid, but Wily's a loser. I'm tired of being on the wrong team. You'll need all the help you can get, anyway. Just trust me!"
"...If what Bass says is true, then this new robot is much more powerful than what we've faced in the past," said Light. "Bass! Does this robot think and feel for itself?"
"Yes! It's coming right now! You'll need to bring out Mega Man X!" exclaimed Bass.
"I can't. If the diagnostic tests are not complete to ensure that Mega Man X is stable, he will probably join Wily's side," said Light. Mega Man lowered his Mega Buster reluctantly.
Just then, a whistle reverberate throughout the lab. "Proto Man!" said Mega Man at once. The yellow-scarfed, red-schemed robot appeared.
"I've just been listening."
"Proto Man, your systems are unstable. You could be destroyed from the inside before this new robot even comes!"
"I know my own body, I'm all right," said Proto Man.
"No!" shouted Light. Everyone turned and stared in disbelief at the normally pacific Doctor Thomas Xavier Light. "Proto Man, we need strong, able-bodied robots. Now, if you'll just allow me to insert this antidote..." said Light, carrying a needle filled with a black liquid.
"Fine," said Proto Man.
Light injected the antidote. "Thanks, doc," said Proto Man reluctantly.
Just at that moment, when Zero was three-quarters of the way to the lab, Duo had landed on the planet of Earth, and began to walk toward Light's Lab. He had sensed a mass of dark energy moving speedily toward the lab. Duo sped up.
"All right, everyone, get ready," said Light. Mega Man was closest to the front door of the lab. Behind him were Proto Man and Bass, next to each other, making up the second rank. Behind them were Roll, Rush, and Treble, making up the third rank. Behind them stood Beat, Tango, Eddie, and Auto, making up the fourth rank. Behind them was Doctor Light. All were waiting cautiously for the arrival of the new robot. Mega Man took this opportunity to charge his Mega Buster. It was so quiet that the only sounds were Mega Man's Mega Buster charging and the simulated heartbeats and breathing of the robots, and the heartbeats and breathing of Light.
Zero stood outside the lab, taking in his surroundings. Walking slightly foward, Zero placed his hands on the door. His right hand transformed into an arm cannon and charged slightly....
The others heard a charging noise on the outside of the lab. Then, the door burst open. In the doorway stood a tall robot, patterned in red and white, with a "W" symbol on his forehead. His helmet had points similar to foxes' ears. His basic body structure, including the white hands and arm cannon, was similar to Mega Man's. He had long blonde hair which trailed down below his wasteline. This new robot certainly cut an imposing figure.
Just then, Wily, who had been traveling in one of his spaceship-like transporters, emerged next to Zero.
"Dr. Light, Mega Man, Proto Man...Bass..." said Wily, saying "Bass" with a snarl. "...And the rest..." said Wily, eyeing Roll and the others. "I am proud to introduce my masterpiece...Zero Omega!" said Wily. He turned to Zero. "Kill them."
A smile came on Zero's face. Flexing his fingers, Zero leaped up once and landed, and walked toward Mega Man. Mega Man let loose the shot he had been charging. A cloud of smoke came with the shot, but Zero emerged relatively unharmed. The first two ranks let loose a barrage of shots, half of which Zero dodged, a quarter of which just bounced off of Zero's body, and a quarter of which hit Zero full-force. Zero looked around, deciding his first victim. He spotted Auto, and smiled. Zero raised his arm cannon, and fired four shots, all of which hit Auto. Auto exploded.
"Auto!" shouted Roll. She charged up her own Mega Buster, firing at Zero. Mega Man and Roll both charged up to full while Proto Man and Bass occupied Zero. Both Mega Man and Roll released their shots. Zero was now beginning to feel the attacks.
"Hmmm..." he said. He raised his arm cannon at Mega Man and fired a shot. Mega Man was hit, and two more shots hit him. Mega Man, however, wasn't down. Eddie supplied a Large White Energy Pellet to Mega Man. Mega Man fully recovered, and Zero saw Eddie as a threat.
Firing two slightly-charged shots and a small shot, Zero attempted to destroy Eddie. He succeeded. Tango was next to go down, taking five shots until he fell to a sixth. Beat charged at Zero, and landed a powerful hit, knocking Zero back slightly. Beat moved in for another hit to be met with a third-level shot, then four more shots. Beat exploded in a cloud of smoke.
"Not Beat!" shouted Mega Man. Next, Mega Man called Rush to himself, while Bass called Treble. Both flew on their robot dogs' backs at Zero, firing shots while avoiding Zero's.
Zero decided to eliminate this threat as well. He fired seven shots at Treble, who fell out of the air, Bass included. Treble slinked away, a fact Zero didn't notice due to the barrage of shots coming from Bass. Treble was leaking artificial blood, but he managed to crawl to an alleyway, where he would remain until discovered by Sigma nearly a century later. He was to become Velguader.
Zero next fired nine shots at Rush, who exploded. Mega Man fell out of the air, seething with rage. Rush had been his companion since the third time Wily tried to take over, using Gamma. Mega Man fired and fired until half of the room had been covered in smoke. But Mega Man continued, ending with a fully-charged Mega Buster shot. Zero emerged, blood coming from his mouth. Zero wiped the blood away, and charged up to full. He aimed seemingly at Mega Man, but then switched his aim to Roll. However, Roll survived, miraculously. Six more shots did away with her, even though she managed to dodge four.
Mega Man couldn't believe it. His dog, Rush, his sister, Roll. Both dead. The only family Mega Man had left was...
"Proto Man, watch out!" shouted Mega Man. Proto Man, however, took the full force of a fully-charged arm cannon shot, but survived. He got back up again, and dashed at Zero.
"Die!" shouted both Proto Man and Zero simultaneously. Both fired a plasma shot. Proto Man's hit, but so did Zero's fully-charged shot. Proto Man barely survived, getting to his feet once more. Now, Mega Man and Bass rushed at Zero.
"Can't you see?" said Zero. "You're nothing! I am the strongest! You are stupid insects to me!" Zero fired a third-level shot at Mega Man, who took it in full.
Zero began to charge another shot, which Proto Man would surely not survive. Proto Man also charged to full, and both fired at the same time. Zero was hit hard, but Proto Man was utterly destroyed.
The only one Mega Man had left was Doctor Light. Mega Man was furious; Zero would not get away with this. "Zero!" shouted Mega Man, charging his Mega Buster. "Die!"
The Mega Buster was almost charged to full when Zero smiled and dashed in on Mega Man. 'What speed,' thought Mega Man. Zero jumped over Mega Man, turned around, and fired a third-level shot. Mega Man was hit squarely in the back. Bass now fired at Zero, even though Bass was unable to charge shots.
Zero was hit seven times, but this didn't seem to stop the insanely powerful Maverick. Zero was still on his feet. Mega Man released a fully-charged shot, but Zero dodged. Mega Man and Zero traded shots for some time, with Bass firing support shots at Zero. Mega Man fired, but Zero jumped, and fired a small shot, which Mega Man dodged. The fire went back and forth. Neither Mega Man nor Zero landed a hit.
'He's better than I thought he was,' thought Zero. Zero decided to put an end to Mega Man. Firing rapidly, Zero managed to hit Mega Man four times, then, charging a second-level shot, hit Mega Man again. This sent Mega Man hurtling back. Mega Man was down now, and Zero began to charge a shot that would end it all, when he was hit in the back by a shot from Bass. "Ahh!" shouted Zero in pain, falling forward. Zero pushed himself up. "Stupid, worthless trash!" shouted Zero, landing a second-level shot on Bass. Zero then lifted up Mega Man, smiling. Zero leveled a fully-charged shot at Bass to keep him down. "Now, Mega Man, to end this stupid conflict," said Zero. Zero charged a second-level shot, ready to send it at Mega Man. He did so, at point-blank range, sending Mega Man back. The blue robot survived. Surely a final shot would finish him.
However, Bass was back on his feet, leveling shots at Zero. An astounding thirteen shots landed on Zero. Bass and Zero dueled for a while, and Bass was seemingly gaining the upper hand. "This is a battle to be remembered," said Zero. "The battle of Wily's two greatest creations. However, there can only be one greatest creation. You have been my greatest challenge yet, Bass, but it is time I finished this!" Zero landed a third-level shot, then, with a look of triumph, pumped in a second-level shot. With that, Bass was dead.
Next, Zero strutted confidently over to Mega Man. "This will be the end of Wily's greatest nemesis. At last, Mega Man, Wily and I will be victorious! Die!" Zero picked Mega Man up by the throat. Mega Man charged up to full, and fired. Zero was sent sprawling backward. "Heh, I didn't know you had it in you!"
Zero stood back up, picked up Mega Man once again, and pointed his arm cannon right at Mega Man's stomach. "Goodbye," said Zero. Zero fired a small shot. Artificial blood splattered over Zero's hands. Zero dropped Mega Man's body. Mega Man, Wily's greatest nemesis, Light's greatest creation, was dead. Zero looked down at his blood-stained hands.
"No!" shouted two voices. One belonged to Doctor Light, the other belonged to a huge robot lurking just behind Zero. Duo had arrived.
"You, mass of dark energy, have killed Mega Man," said Duo. "He was my...friend. You shall pay dearly, unidentified robot."
Duo raised his arm cannon, charged up to full, and fired. Zero was sent sprawling, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Heh," said Zero. "You are quite strong, but I am the strongest!"
Zero dashed at Duo, arm cannon raised. However, Zero's "W" symbol flashed, freezing Zero in his tracks. Duo used this opportunity to fire another fully-charged shot, again sending Zero flying. "No!" shouted Zero. "None can be stronger than I!"
Duo and Zero both fired shots. Duo jumped, the shot missing, and his shot hit. Zero was clutching his head, screaming, moaning in agony. "NOOOOOO!" shouted Zero. "No one can be stronger! I am the strongest!"
Zero fired a fully-charged shot, screaming in rage like a wild beast. Duo took it full-on, sent flying backwards, but Duo stood up once again, relatively unharmed. "You will feel the pain you caused Mega Man and all of the others," said Duo.
"Jusdie enmy jusdie!" yelled Zero, stuttering. "Donlive anymore jusdie enmy jusdie! Youcan't win I am the stornggest! Killnemesis I did it! Killoppsitin need to do! Jusdie! I am the stornggest! Die!" Zero fired rapidly at Duo, who took half of the shots and dodged the rest. Duo finally shot three fully-charged shots at Zero. Zero fell backwards each time, finally unable to get up. Duo stood over him, and all went black for Zero.
Duo sealed Zero up in a capsule while Light looked on questioningly. "The diagnostic tests of the capsules should help this robot," explained Duo. "He could help the world with his great power in the future. Of course, if he doesn't, the only hope is what you've been building.
"I must go now. I can not face this scene any longer."
With that, Duo left.
Light gathered up the bodies of the fallen robots and put them in capsules. There was no way for them to be brought back. Light left the robots in the care of Dr. Cossack and his daughter, Kalinka. Light, remembering what Duo said, resolved to dedicate the rest of his life to creating parts and upgrades for Mega Man X, in case Mega Man X was ever needed to fight in the future.
Wily, satisfied with the work he had done, ended his life of crime, retiring from menacing Light, and spent the rest of his life in hiding.
21XX, a robot by the name of "X" was discovered today.
21XX, a robot named "Zero" attacked Sigma, one of my newest reploids. However, Sigma was able to immobilize it and bring it in. "Zero" was repaired and ridded, mostly, of all Maverick infection.
21XX, several reploids revolted today, led out by Sigma, who, sadly, has gone Maverick.
21XX, the remaining Hunters have begun an effort to stop Sigma, led by the peace-loving and reluctant-to-kill X, and the seemingly-trustworthy Zero. Both X and Zero have proven to be extraordinary Hunters, and are quite capable.
