Chapter 39: Positions
"Vital signs for Godkarmachine have ceased," Diavus reported somberly. "I'm afraid our security officers are dead."
"How many were there?" Commander Sigma hissed through his teeth.
Diavus sweated and looked at his program, which had tracked the number of voices that had come up during the battle. "Excluding Bit and Byte, there were eight intruders. At least one of them is dead, and another one…" Diavus blinked. "I'm not sure it even corresponded with a body."
"The one the brothers were talking about," Malevex suggested. "Ares."
"Ares…" Sigma turned the name over on his tongue. It meant nothing to him, and that was plain in his eyes. Whoever or whatever this Ares was, Sigma had never heard of it. He of course knew the mythological background behind the name, but he seriously doubted he was dealing with an actual god of war, and therefore he dismissed it. "Well, that leaves six Hunters, one of whom is our good friend X."
"Come to save his buddy, you wager?" Mortar asked easily.
Sigma just grunted and looked back to Diavus. "Do we know where they are now?"
"Yes," Diavus replied after a moment. "The hidden cameras pick them up…well, look at this." He motioned to a monitor. The shorter Mortar had to step up to the monitor to see over Sigma and Malevex. "I've got this group here moving towards the freight elevator leading to the very lowest levels, but X doesn't seem to be with them."
"Lovely," Teytha whispered despite herself.
"They've split up," Malevex concluded easily, looking to Sigma. "I'll wager you this party's heading down to blow our foundation."
"I wouldn't bet against you," Sigma responded with a slight nod. "It's an old trick. X slips in and mines the foundation, and then deals with the major enemies. Or, he has someone else mine the foundation while he kills off the major enemies, as seems to be the case here. Either way he's brought down many a building in his day." Sigma frowned. "What kind of security do we have down there?"
"Mostly wall cannons and automated security bots," Malevex said apprehensively, and then brightened. "But we also have a little something we lifted from Gold Serpent. It's called AN-701, though we just call it the Android." Sigma's raised eyebrow told Malevex to elaborate. The ebon Maverick looked to Mortar, who was far more in tune with technical details.
"The Android is about as tall as you, sir, only thinner," Mortar explained to Sigma. "Its entire body is composed of a white alloy resistant even to adaman bullets." That visibly impressed Sigma, but Mortar wasn't finished. "It attacks mostly through physical blows, though it is equipped with a chest cannon. However its program limits the use of the cannon to emergencies, since the chest cavity can be damaged when the cannon is activated."
"Any other weaknesses?" Sigma inquired.
"Well it's slow," Mortar admitted. "And kinda brainless, even for a drone. That has a nifty effect, though. Picture a big white soulless blank slowly stalking toward you that you can't blow up no matter how many times you shoot it. It has a certain terror value, if you will."
"So it does," Sigma agreed with a smooth grin. "What would one have to do to destroy Seraph Castle's foundation?"
Mortar took that one, too. "Probably they'd have to demolish the main support pillars on the lowest level possible. In Seraph Castle's case there are six pillars and all are well ingrained into the walls, but any skilled demolitions expert with a boxful of fireworks can change that. However it's a bit deceiving in this case, since the pillars are most vulnerable on the next to last floor, not the very bottom. A series of powerful explosions there would cause the upper floors to cave in on themselves."
"Then that's where we'll focus our defenses," Sigma decided. "Where is Android now?"
Mortar looked to Diavus, and he began to do a check, but another voice cut him off. "Android is on the proper floor, sir."
Sigma turned his head to look at Cyber Peacock, sitting comfortably at his own monitor. "You think it will be enough?"
"Doubtful," Peacock replied, shaking his feathery head slowly. "Very doubtful. The Hunters are a skilled bunch, they are. Android and a few wall cannons won't be able to handle them all. I suggest a team of our best soldiers on base. However," Peacock smiled mirthlessly. "That would grant X free roam of our base, would it not?"
"Hm…" Sigma nodded. "X is going to be looking for this command chamber. He'll want to shut down the leaders of our little uprising." The Maverick King threw a sidelong glance at Malevex, Teytha and Mortar. "You will all need to watch your backs. This man is dangerous, more dangerous than any other Reploid out there…except maybe Zero, but Zero isn't going anywhere."
"We can take care of ourselves," Teytha assured him, though fairly emotionlessly.
Malevex was going to nod in turn but then he stopped, blinked, and rushed over to Diavus and his monitor. "Is that…are they…?"
"No," Diavus shook his head. "No, that's not the right hangar. That ride armor is on a different elevator."
"Good," Malevex said in relief. "I was afraid they were going to find our Weapon."
"Not today," Sigma said confidently. "I've hidden that one very well. The Hunters won't find it, though Gredam might come calling for it soon enough. It's bound to be hectic where he is, and—"
They all stopped to look at the data flowing in on Diavus's screen. Cyber Peacock was getting the same information, and his faster processor allowed him to come up with an analysis first.
"We've lost contact with Split Mushroom in Brazil," Peacock announced blandly. "Looks like we don't have anyplace to fall back on."
"Pity." Sigma's lack of emotion somewhat startled his subordinates. "What, did you really think Brazil would go without being found? That was just a decoy site. We've got another base waiting in Arabia, one of my properties that I haven't used yet. Part of me wonders if we shouldn't be on our way there now…"
"Well the other part of you needs to make a decision," Peacock stated. "X is running around somewhere and we need our best units to handle him. On the other hand, equally powerful Hunters are trying to blow up our home. We've got to divide our forces somehow, sir."
"Do we?" Sigma asked with a quizzical half-grin. "Tell me, Kujacker, what's on your mind?"
"I propose we divide nothing," Peacock smiled back craftily. "Send everyone to the lower levels and butcher that Hunter party. We'll let X run around and waste his time up here, and then we'll evacuate all our soldiers. From there it's a clean break to Arabia, and we're done."
"I like it," Sigma said cautiously. "But if only it were that simple. X works fast…very fast, and doubly so if he manages to free Zero somehow. We need to isolate them, or at least stall them, and for that…" He looked up at the Terrornova assassins. "Do you understand? The mission is to stall. Don't get yourselves killed off fighting an impossible battle. Keep him busy as long as you can and then beat it." All three nodded, not letting any of their apprehensions appear on their faces. Sigma looked to Peacock. "Cyber, I need you to keep guarding the Spare. Once we're ready, take it and warp away."
"But what about the Hunters down below?" the bird protested.
At that moment the door whooshed open and a patrol of four Mavericks entered the room. Only two were familiar to Malevex, who stepped forward to address them. One was a short but well-armed and well-armored cricket Maverick—it was Loader, the one from the Sub-City 3 ambush. Another was a female white tiger with a serrated energy blade at her side—Kismet, another Sub-City 3 soldier, out to avenge her friend Fang. One of the other two was a raccoon Maverick carrying a nasty looking rifle.
"Who are you?" Malevex asked.
"Gerritt, sir," the Maverick replied.
"He survived an attack on our radar posts," Teytha explained. "Even downed an enemy commander, I think."
"Hmm." Malevex nodded at Gerritt and looked to the fourth, a short Reploid in blazing red and orange armor. "And you?"
"Arson," he explained. "We were summoned."
"I did it," Diavus explained. "These are all the ones that responded to the call."
"Great," Peacock shook his head. "This is your counterforce?"
Malevex paused for a minute, and then looked to Diavus. "You have your rifle?"
"Yeah," Diavus acknowledged nervously. "You want me to go with them?"
"I want you to lead them," Malevex elaborated.
"For most of it, at least," Sigma interjected mysteriously. Then he explained with a cold smile. "I see no point in saving myself for X. I'll go with you, Diavus, Gerritt, Loader, Kismet. Arson…you stay behind, actually. Help out whoever's guarding this control room." Sigma strolled to the exit doors. "Head downstairs, the four of you! I'm going to check on the Weapon, and then I'll be right there with you. There, Peacock, is a counterforce!"
"I see, sir," Cyber Peacock said with a smile, standing. "Then I will return to my chambers and guard the Spare until the time comes to flee. If you need me, you know where to find me." That said, bands of neon light enveloped the Maverick, and he slowly shimmered out of existence, teleporting to his private chambers.
"Come on!" Sigma said, at the door. Kismet, Loader, Gerritt, and Diavus exchanged glances and hoisted their weapons, filing out of the room full of apprehension. Sigma then turned to his Team and for once didn't know what to say. "Be strong now," he said finally. "The humans thought it your fate to die, but I believe you can break the chains of that fate. We all can." With that he turned slowly and marched out of the room, leaving a strange quiet behind him.
Malevex at length turned to Arson and waved him to sit down at Peacock's former spot. Then he walked out of the room with Mortar and Teytha, and they looked down the only hallway. It was wide and full of shadows. A good place for an ambush, they all thought…
"Well…" Mortar finally began. "I'll take the first ring."
"Why?" Teytha asked instantly. "Why not just all attack together? Even X wouldn't be a match!"
"That's what we said about Chartreuse," Mortar pointed out gingerly. "Besides…our job is to stall, not kill…which is about what we'd be doing anyway."
Malevex nodded slowly. "Are you sure, then?"
Mortar smiled. "I'm not sure where X will pop up, but the first ring has the strongest defenses and they need someone unflappable to keep them in line." He grinned at their reaction to that. "Besides. You're technically still the base defense commander, Vexy. This control room is your responsibility. Hide in the shadows," Mortar suggested. "Strike from there."
"Yeah," Teytha agreed quietly. "We're assassins, not duelists. We're not going to go all out, but…if we have the chance to kill X, why not?"
"Be careful," Malevex cautioned instantly. "For Christ's sake, I don't need either of you dying on me now."
"And that goes double for you," Mortar said, poking Malevex in the chest. "Though you've taken care of yourself these past years…shit still happens."
"We'll be careful," Teytha said for them both.
Mortar smiled, nodded, and started off with a spring in his step. He turned and grinned back at his comrades. "We going to Arabia or something?"
"I don't…I don't know," Malevex admitted. "I guess we are, if things don't go completely to hell."
"And if they do?" Mortar prodded.
"Just run into the mountains and hide under a great big rock," Malevex suggested. "It's the best I can think of."
Mortar chewed on this and nodded again. "I'll see you soon enough, then." And he turned and was gone.
There was no chill of dread that passed down either of their spines at seeing the old man go off to fight the big blue dragon. He'd be back. He'd left no question of that. Teytha turned to Malevex with a tiny smile and lowered her eyes to her boots. "Guess I'll take the second ring, then."
"You don't have to go." He had to try, after all, being unable to conquer the protectiveness he felt towards her.
She shook her head slowly. "No. Mortar and Gredam are doing their part…and you're doing yours. I have to pull my own weight."
"You say that like you never have."
"Heh. I've never been quite as…gung ho as you are, towards all this."
"That's not a bad thing at all," he said, brushing her hair out of her face. "There's not much good to being a killer. Even if we think it's justified."
She nodded, and then looked up at him. "I'll come back."
"You had better," he replied, smiling and brushing a thumb over her cheek. "It'd blow ass to lose you now."
"Lord, you're irreverent!" she laughed. There was another damned awkward pause, but they both conquered it and kissed again. Their embrace lasted almost a full minute, during which they drew enough strength from each other that old fires were rekindled. The thrill that came with the concept of a free life was back before them, and all that stood in their way was this tiny obstacle.
"Stay sharp," she said after they reluctantly broke the embrace.
"Happy hunting," he said, smiling at the irony of the term. Teytha left with the same vigor Mortar had, leaving Malevex with similar energy. He was ready now. Let X come. The blue bastard would never see it coming, not from these shadows…and Malevex had long ago mastered the use of shadows.
The ebon Maverick turned to see Arson standing in the doorway, a bit embarrassed and expecting some kind of reprimand for watching lord knew how much of the previous scene.
"The Hunters have reached the freight elevator," Arson said uneasily.
"Good," Malevex said with too casual a smile for Arson's liking. "Go on and tell Diavus's party to use the northern elevator. Give me a minute and I'll see that Android is up and running." He stepped past Arson and made for the monitor. "Well what are you waiting for?" Arson was still standing there staring uneasily. Malevex grinned lopsidedly. "One day you'll understand, kid."
Delates was a capable sniper, but he'd never fancied himself much of a spook. While certainly adequate at stealth maneuvering, he would never be capable of this ninja shit Acrystos was pulling off before his eyes. Delates and Acrystos had run ahead of the other three to do some scouting, and the acting Unit 0 commander was starting to feel quite inferior.
"Not all that nimble for an elite," Acrystos chided, and her whisper was the only part of her that made a sound as she glided down the dark hallway in silence.
"Not all that humble for a…a…common soldier," Delates chided back, sort of.
Acrystos gave him a low snicker in reply. "You're just acting commander. Once Zero comes back you're back to the common ranks."
"Of the elite," he pointed out with a wicked grin. He was no longer really worried about cameras—they were there, he was sure, but they were hidden in the walls and thus there was nothing he could do about it. There also did not seem to be any security around this area. "Tell me, Madam Aegis, this place remind you of anywhere else?"
Acrystos chewed on that one for a while. "The closest thing would be a warehouse during the Repliforce War. Castle and I had to do some recon."
"Ah yes, the Dynamic Duo," Delates said offhandedly. "You guys really as inseparable as they say?"
"I'm
here now, ain't I?" She turned her head back and grinned through the
shadows. "And I'll remember that next time I catch you flirting with
Damia…who happens to be a Commander, you miserable commoner!"
"Hey now!" Delates
was grateful that the shadows covered his blush. "I never said—Acrystos,
get DOWN!"
She didn't wait, and flattened herself on the floor a second after Delates did, and not a second too late. A spray of machine gun fire flew overhead, slamming into the wall.
"Drone guns," Acrystos realized after doing a quick infrared scan of the area ahead. Delates did the same scan, locating the two guns, one on each wall. They seemed to lock onto movement, and Acrystos played on this, crawling silently through the shadows closer to the targets. She knocked twice on the floor, and then snapped to her feet while raising a machine pistol and firing a spray of lasers, turning the drone gun on the right wall to scrap.
Delates had converted his arm to a cannon as soon as he'd hit the floor, and when he heard Acrystos tap the ground in a signal to attack he leapt up and loosed two shots at the left gun, disabling it. He and Acrystos pivoted, looking for other threats but finding none. Acrystos went forward and quickly found what the drone guns were guarding. "What do we have?" Delates asked, his cannon still smoking.
"Looks like a freight elevator," Acrystos announced after a brief inspection. She activated her wrist communicator and called up Tyclammel. "Looks like we're going down."
Diavus, Kismet, Gerritt, and Loader moved together down the vacant halls of Seraph Castle. Along the way they passed very few Maverick guards, but those they found were quite eager to join the crowd, seeing safety in numbers. By the time they neared the third ring's elevator, they had a party of eight Mavericks.
"With Sigma at our side this should be child's play," Diavus thought aloud.
"That so?" Kismet said frostily, tossing her head full of white hair. "Exactly where is the great Sigma now?"
"Suppose he doesn't show up?" the nervous Gerritt fretted.
"Shut up, both of you," the cricket named Loader grumbled. "Sigma said he'd be there and he will be there, when we need him. There's eight of us here, that should be enough."
"Let's hope," Kismet snorted. "These aren't going to be pushovers we're fighting. You all take care of yourselves?"
"I was capping targets long before you were a schematic in your father's brain cell," Diavus said simply.
"First off, I don't have a father," Kismet retorted. "And second—"
"Who cares?" Loader said with a shake of his head. "We can all take care of ourselves. I don't want to hear any bickering. It annoys me."
"Look," Diavus said, taking charge as he stepped onto the elevator. "Our goal is simple enough, but we can't stab the enemy if we're too busy stabbing ourselves, all right? There's this Android machine sitting on our target floor, so we'll let it draw their attention. Then we'll launch a surprise attack."
"Now see?" Loader chided. "That wasn't hard, was it?"
"I can do one better," Diavus continued with a grin. What do you say we stop by the garage on the first ring? There's some ride armors left over that will be plenty useful to our cause. No better way to a job than to do it in style…wouldn't you say?"
X had been wandering down hallways for what seemed like forever, and now, his internal map told him, he was heading down the long, ascending hallway that would take him right to the middle of the second ring. Unfortunately, he had no idea where to go after that. His "map" wasn't really a map of the place he was now—it was a map of Seraph Castle drafted before Seraph Company sold it unwittingly to Sigma. These halls had been added by the Mavericks, and the directions X was relying on were general guesses; he knew based on elevation that he was heading to the castle's second ring, and assuming this hallway ended where X thought it did, he'd be emerging into the mapped portion of Seraph Castle very soon. The problem was, where did he go after that? He had no idea where Zero would be kept, or where the Mavericks would be hiding out. He was here to rescue Zero and eliminate the Maverick commanders, and he didn't know where any of them were. Sure, there was probably a command center of some sort on the upper rings, but given what X knew of these Maverick bosses they would be spread out throughout the castle, maintaining defenses on the spot rather than sitting in a control room. He remembered their names easily enough: Gredam, Teytha, and Malevex. Three targets. There was also that Mortar guy, but X didn't know if he was here or not. Three, perhaps four targets, plus the objective of freeing Zero, and X could have Delates destroy the castle and they could all go home to stop that airship.
The hallway was just leveling off when all the already dim lights went out. X blinked once in the utter darkness before turning on his infrared sensors…
…Just in time to see twin small mechaniloid tanks rush down the hall towards him.
Guardians, X realized, but he should he able to handle them easily enough. The Hunter leapt into the air just as the enemies rushed underneath him, firing his cannon downward and hitting a turret. X landed and spun around, noting the damaged turret starting to turn. He fired again, and the mechanism shorted out, but the second tank had redirected itself and sent a blazing red bolt of plasma X's way. Startled, the Hunter threw himself down to the floor and let the projectile pass overhead. Then, from the ground, he charged his cannon to level 2 and loosed the blast, which resembled a thick green thunderbolt. It slammed into the turret and destroyed it.
Smug, X prepared to get back to his feet…just as he noticed that the first tank was now speeding his way, and he was about to be crushed under the treads. X's jumped into the air and his dash boots flared to life. He sped over the machine and touched down…just as the second tank moved his way. Acting insanely quickly, X pressed himself back against the wall and a heartbeat later spun himself like a top to the hard left, letting the mechaniloid slam into the wall. Once he had his distance, the Hunter's armor shifted colors and he fired a ball of energies that fell right to the floor. It took the form of a miniature stingray, and sped towards the recovering tank. The Ground Hunter tore into and clear through the treads, leaving one of the two guardians stationary. The other tank was coming back at X, who just fired another Ground Hunter that stopped the tank right next to its comrade.
Smug again, X prepared to turn around and head up to the gate ahead of him. Then he heard a sharp clicking sound. He turned back to see…both tanks had sprouted two "arms" which were really machine guns. They came to life with a whir and a hum, and fixed themselves on X.
Smug no longer, X turned and ran his ass down the hall as a fury of lasers pelted the area behind him. A few shots stung him in the back, and he realized he'd never outrun these shots. His armor reverted to its normal coloration and his cannon began charging to the maximum level. Halfway to his destination, X finally turned and pointed his cannon back the way he had come. He could still see his targets…two big infrared blobs in the distance. He fired his shot, and the whole room blazed with wild white light as a gigantic glob of plasma ripped down the hall, incinerating everything in its path including the two tank mechaniloids. When it was over all that was left were two shimmering orbs of dissipating energy where the plasma had struck its targets.
Smug for good reason, X turned and entered the gateway without being harassed.
When the gate closed X shut off his infrared sensors, because he was now in a hallway considerably brighter than the labyrinth he had just emerged from. It took him a while to adjust, and then he checked his map, confirming that he was now inside the second "ring" of Seraph Castle. The décor was very cold and metallic, with very little color other than silver and gray. The hall was empty, but there was something coming…sounded like…footsteps. There were at least two people, X noted. Playing on a hunch, he flattened himself against the shadiest portion of the wall he could find, right by a corner. Whoever was coming would walk right past him…he hoped.
"I'm tellin' ya, Surge," a nervous male voice piped up. "We should get in a group for this."
"Nonsense, Vastor!" a more confident man countered, his voice growing larger as he approached. "There's two of us and we know how to take care of ourselves. All we have to do is wait until we find a straggler, and then we pick him off. The Hunters are bound to split up."
"But what if the Hunter we find is really powerful?" Vastor persisted.
"Pshht!" Surge blew it off. "I don't care how powerful a guy is—ain't no one who can do anything about a shot from behind. Now stop being such a baby!"
"But you don't shoot," Vastor pointed out. "All you got is that sword of yours."
"It's
a damn powerful sword!" Surge insisted. "And I can charge it to make
it do all sorts of things. Don't you worry, Vastor. How long have we been
friends, huh? When have I ever been wrong about things like this? I'm the sharpest,
cleverest, most attentive tracker the Mavericks have on their forces!"
Surge asserted, walking right past the stone still X, who was fighting to keep
a smile off his face and thus twitch.
"I just hope you know
what you're doing, is all," Vastor said, glancing around nervously.
"After all the shit we've been through, it'd suck to get wasted now."
"Don't worry, Vastor. No one gets the drop on old Surge here!"
No sooner had he finished his sentence than the telltale whine of a charging buster came from behind the two humanoids. Both of them froze.
"S…Surge!" Vastor stammered. "That's…that's a…"
"Buster," X finished, trying not to laugh, because this was like holding up a Christmas tree: Vastor was a short, bright red Reploid and Surge was taller, and deep green. "Sorry, Surge, but no matter how powerful one is, ain't no one who can do anything about a shot from behind."
Both Mavericks whirled around at the same time.
"Holy Jesus Christ!" Vastor gasped. "It's X! Oh shit, I feel sick…"
"Daa….da da…daaa…" the slack jawed Surge emitted, his legs wobbling.
"Here's the deal," X explained, his armor flashing like glitter as the light from his charging buster danced maliciously over the surface of his shiny alabaster Fourth Armor. "You two seem like nice gents, by which I mean you're stupid. And since most stupid people aren't really evil and just need a few brain cells to call their own, I might let you two wander off on your merry little way. If you tell me what I want to know."
"We'll tell ya!" Vastor promised, nodding his head vigorously with a stupid, gaping, nervous smile. "We'll tell ya anything we know! Right, Surge? Tell him. Go on. Surge? SURGE!"
"Da…daaaa…."
"Cat's got his tongue, I guess." X smiled thinly. "Where are your bosses?"
Vastor blinked. "Our…bosses?"
"Terrornova, dimwit." Vastor's face was still blank. X sighed. "Gredam. Malevex. Teytha. Where are they?"
"Gredam…Gredam's gone," Vastor managed. "He's on that airship…with Gravity and Storm."
"Gravity and…you mean Gravity Beetle and Storm Eagle?"
"Yeah, them!" Vastor was nodding like a fool again. "And the others…and the others…" His world was spinning. He threw out an arm behind him…down the hall leading back to the first ring, but first to a large guarded chamber. "The…the bird is there!"
"The bird?" X blinked. "Who's that?"
"You know!" Vastor asserted strongly, waving his fingers as if that would help X understand. "The bird! The…the…Captain Feathers! You know?! Flap flap!!! No wait, he doesn't flap…not this one. Go on, Surge, tell 'em who I mean!"
"Daaaaaaa…."
"What in the hell are you two talking about—" Then it hit him. The bird…not Storm Eagle, but the bane of the Maverick Hunter security…
Kujacker!
"Cyber Peacock," X said aloud.
"Yeah! Him!" Vastor was nodding again. "He waltzed into that first room down there like he owned the place! Come to think of it, I think he does."
"Peacock's lair," X whispered to himself. "And just like that, I have another target." He jerked his cannon at Vastor. "What about the others?"
"What others?"
"Malevex! Teytha!"
"Oh, right! Shadow Warlock and Speed Witch! They're…well I don't know where they are."
"Wrong answer," X said darkly, and his cannon hummed louder.
"Tell him!" Vastor shouted. "TELL HIM, SURGE!"
"DAAA!!!" Surge's legs finally gave out and he landed hard on his rump, though the impact did little to jar his senses.
"I swear! Please!" Vastor pleaded. "Don't kill us, we have turtles, and they neeeeed ussss!"
"You WHAT?" X lowered his cannon, his face twisted with confusion.
"Turtles! You know!" Vastor was gesturing blindly, his eyes rolling like marbles. "We feed 'em, and they're happy, and they play, and they're our pets and if we die no one will feed them and they'll die and get all shriveled and birds will come and eat them out of their shells and leave their ruined bodies for the necromancers to revive and combine with furless weasels and then it's allllll ovverrr! YOU CAN'T!" He pointed at X's lowered cannon. "Mr. Wormwood and Sarah! They need us!"
"Mr. Wormwood and…" He just shook his head. X's cannon deactivated just as Vastor joined his friend sprawled out on the floor. "All right. You two have been fine gentleman, by which I REALLY mean stupid, and I'm gonna let you go on the condition that you find a psychologist with a very long last name and lots of fancy degrees and awards, cause damn." X walked forward past the two shaking Mavericks. Surge was still staring blankly ahead and Vastor's eyes were following X's every move. As soon as the Hunter passed the clouds in both Maverick's eyes blew away and they sat there blinking for a few seconds. Then they turned, looked at each other, jumped to their feet, and ran screaming in the direction opposite X, towards the chamber guarding entrance to the third ring.
The images displayed themselves on a large computer monitor, and finally focused on the lone Hunter X, walking down the hall towards the large guarded chamber. One Maverick watched the show, sitting comfortably in a thin chair built to accommodate his thin body.
Cyber Peacock smiled a beaky smile and rose to his feet. At long last, his moment was coming.
The Maverick's tail feathers were all bunched at the top in what looked like one single green curved blade rising up from the Maverick's back. The rest of him was pretty much the same as it had always been, except for one glaring difference: the armor. While Peacock still had the same build as before, the armor was much more sharp and was in many areas black instead of the colorful purple/green combination he'd chosen in the past. The black ran in a V shape up from his waist around his shoulder epaulets, which still held their original form but were now black and purple with gold trimmings…the whole black V was lined with gold. Gemstones of various colors adorned the armor. Peacock had always been a fan of color. All in all, he looked like one threatening bird.
The room around him was a curious one. The walls were hollowed at the middle, creating a spherical room. Everything was a dull red color, and all around the room were green orbs lodged in the walls. Only Peacock really knew their significance. Everything in the room, except for the mainframe he used to monitor events throughout the base, was a part of his new strategy.
The room was one big holography chamber.
Cyber Peacock rested his hands on his hips and gazed lazily about his chamber. For years he'd waited for a moment like this, a moment where he could once more confront Megaman X and pay him back for the undignified death the Hunter had given the Maverick in the realms of cyberspace years ago. Peacock knew full well and from experience that X could not be defeated even with Peacock's ordinarily mysterious abilities. But mystery was all the bird had going for him. He wasn't built to be a bruiser, and while he had very advanced weaponry now, he didn't want to take any chances. No, there was only one way to defeat X with surprise…and that was by overwhelming him.
And that was precisely what he would do, Peacock thought as he glanced at the green orbs in the wall. X wouldn't know which way was up by the time Peacock got done with him. And that cheap Soul Body trick wouldn't work this time.
"Don't get too cocky."
The voice resonated from somewhere within Peacock's chest cavity, and actually produced noise throughout the room. It was a powerful baritone.
"You don't have to remind me, Ares." Peacock sniffed. "I've learned from my mistakes."
"Let's hope. Those friends of yours turned out to be utterly useless."
"If you mean Bit and Byte, they were no friends of mine. I just happened to work with them."
"Nevertheless, Kujacker, I will be most disappointed if all my efforts with you were for naught."
"You have four other Mavericks at your disposal already," Peacock pointed out. "Why not have them all come at the Hunters at once?"
"Their time will come. But you have already chosen your mission—I merely helped you find the means."
"Are you ever going to tell me why?" Peacock asked, curious.
Ares was quiet for a while before answering. "Call it curiosity. I want to see how one of my agents stands up against the most powerful Reploid of our time. I increased the program speeds of those other two Mavericks, but they weren't equipped with my armor."
"Of course not. To get your armor, one has to go to your base, and they didn't exactly have time."
"No, they did not, and thus they died. But you…you are a different story. Your attacks are much different now, Kujacker…and your strategy, I must say, is very clever. Yes…I am very curious indeed. Just don't get cocky. Too many have done so before this one, and they have all perished."
"And why should you care if I live or die?" Peacock asked pointedly. "Aren't I just another pawn?"
"I have no pawns!" Ares fairly bellowed. "All who work for me do so by choice. And they are well rewarded for their troubles, as you already know well. And at any rate…the time is coming, Kujacker, when I will call upon all my agents for a grand mission. We must keep the world heading down the path of war…only then am I truly alive."
"And if I should win?" The side of the bird's beak turned up in a strange smile. "If I defeat X, will you extend any invitations to him?"
Again, there was silence. When Ares did speak his words were laced with a heartless malice and a threatening rumble that put even the arrogant Cyber Peacock in his place. "I am the face of war. He is the face of peace. We cannot coexist, ever. He must die. And you must do it," Ares said, very directly.
"I see," Peacock whispered. "Yes…if you are to succeed then X cannot be allowed to live…" He straightened and looked towards his chamber's gate. "You won't have to worry, boss," he said with that twisted grin returning. "There's no way he'll escape me this time."
"Don't worry, boss. There's no way he'll escape us this time."
Mortar nodded at the three surly lizard Mavericks standing before him. They looked like lizard-men, bulky with muscle and with sharp claws and menacing teeth. All were from a ghetto in Steel Alley, and were generally recognized among the Seraph Castle Mavericks as the most ruthless grunts in employment. Now all three of them stood with Mortar in the large, rectangular chamber at the end of the first ring, guarding access to the second. The three reptilians left through the hissing gate, positioning themselves in the shadows near the large room directly past Mortar's chamber. The way Mortar figured it, X was already inside the central portions of the castle, and if he came for Mortar at all it would be by backtracking through the second ring to the first. Therefore, by positioning the brutal reptilians in ambush positions outside the room Mortar would…soften X up for the main event.
"Yo," the old Reploid said into his wrist communicator. "Mortar in position."
"X just destroyed two guard mechaniloids in the area leading into the second ring from Revolver's garage," Malevex updated him from the control room. "I don't know which way he's going, but if he's headed your way he'll be pretty tired. Cyber Peacock is waiting in the chamber nearest to the garage."
"I've got a few surprises waiting for him before he enters my abode," Mortar informed his comrade. The aged Reploid smiled a wily smile and glanced off into the shadows, where his trump card was hidden. "And should he make it this far, I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve."
"Don't press your luck," Malevex cautioned, almost in a monotone.
"Be listening for my call," Mortar responded, very serious now. "If by some chance I can't contain that son of a bitch and can't get away from him…you and Teytha need to get the hell out of this base, and Arabia be damned."
"Let's not even consider that an option. It's not worth anything to join all the others who died fighting X, for any reason."
"We'll see, won't we? Take care, Malevex. Mortar out."
Unlike Mortar, Teytha had no fellow Mavericks in her chamber waiting for orders. The lithe girl entered in the shadows and remained in the shadows—the entire smallish square room was lit only by a single dim bulb on the ceiling. She immediately headed for one of the corners. She left her two sabers unignited but in her hands. There would be no duel waiting for anyone who entered this chamber…only a quick, sudden, and very unfair killing strike. If that failed she figured she could win if she closed in on X…he was a distance fighter, wasn't he? And she moved fast enough that his martial skills would have trouble hitting her. Still, she had no delusions about a fight to the death under any circumstances, unless X was the one doing the dying.
"I'm ready and waiting," she said to Malevex via wrist-com.
"X last showed himself in the hallway leading into the second ring," Malevex informed her. "I've already told Mortar, but he's in a better position. If X heads south he'll cross Peacock before Mortar, and Kujacker's no pushover."
"I always thought that was a stupid name," Teytha opined.
"Our names aren't what you'd call normal," he responded with the smallest of smiles in his voice. "If X comes north, you know what to do."
"Strike fast, strike hard, and if I miss, run like hell. I've done it enough in the past."
She could clearly picture his wince at the other end. "That's ending. We'll make it end."
"You bet." She smiled with determination. "We'll bury the past here, in X's grave."
And so, all the pieces were put into place and the gears started moving, with all the key players ready for the action that awaited them. Well…almost all of them.
There really was nothing worse in the world, Zero decided, than wandering through a Maverick base while completely unarmed. The crimson Hunter hadn't had a chance to download a map of Seraph Castle into his systems, so he didn't know that his prison cell was located near the end of Seraph Castle's second ring. He was now creeping cautiously down the hallways, not really sure where he was going or what he intended to do…well, he sort of did. He wanted to stop Sigma, and that meant getting a weapon. However the hallways were quite scarce of Mavericks with stuff to swipe.
The Hunter stopped in his tracks when he saw, to his right, a very large ventilation shaft near the ceiling. The idea was crazy, said Logic, but the more he thought about it he'd want to stay out of sight until he found something to cut people up with. Plus, who knew? Maybe the shaft would be an easy way up to the control room where he figured Sigma would be hiding. The Hunter leapt into the air, his dash boots flaring underneath him and propelling him clear to the ceiling. He grabbed the bars of the shaft and latched onto the wall below it. He dislodged the bars with a minimal effort and began the slow, clumsy process of crawling inside. No sooner had he done this and crawled forward when he hit a wall. He felt above him in the darkness to find…nothing. So he stood up. Not only could he stand at his full considerable height, but also there was plenty of room to turn around. Cool.
That's when he first heard them.
"I told you!" a nervous voice piped up. "I told you it was a bad idea! I told you we should have found a group first!"
"Shut up! We handled it, didn't we?"
Zero turned around and crept down back into the vent, crawling slowly back the way he came.
"But what now, Surge?" the nervous one was saying, coming closer. "I mean, we already pressed our luck once, and it didn't go so good."
"What are you talking about, Vastor?" Surge said with a laugh that struck Zero as only partially confident. "We handled it, didn't we?"
"We did not! You stood there and gawked while I did all the talking!"
"And what talking it was! You, my friend, are a natural."
Zero felt a smirk creep over his face. He crawled back to the front of the shaft. When he peered outside he saw, rounding the corner, a short red humanoid followed by a taller green one. The little one, Vastor, was shaking his head and looked like he was getting over hyperventilation. The taller one, Surge, was catching his breath, but appeared cocky enough. In short, Zero knew he could wipe the floor with them, weaponless or otherwise. Perhaps he had found his guides.
"I tell ya, Surge," Vastor was saying. "You sure play some of these really close."
"Well I was right, wasn't I?" Surge said proudly. "You never let the other guy get in a shot from behind. We'll never make THAT mistake again."
"Excuse me," a new voice broke into their conversation. "I seem to have lost my way."
"Yeah, you and us both, pal," Surge said without turning around. "Where you goin?"
"Well I'm trying to find out where Commander Sigma is."
"What? What business would you have with SIGMA?" Vastor did turn around. Then he froze. "Oh."
"Daaa…" Surge was saying.
"So if you don't mind," Zero said, grinning, his hands clasped politely behind his back, "point me in the right direction."
"Jesus," Vastor stammered. "Jesus, I can't believe you…escaped!"
"Escaped?" That brought Surge back to life. "Oh yeah!" The Maverick's eyes narrowed. "We caught you!"
"And we can all see how well that worked out," Zero said, still polite, though taking a menacing step forwards. "Now tell me. Where is Sigma? And come to think of it, where are your happy fun time battle instructors? Those assassins? I'd like to speak at them, while I'm at it."
"Don't tell him, Vastor!" Surge barked, cutting his friend off. Vastor looked at him incredulously, and the look just got even more incredulous as Surge ignited his green lightsaber. "He's unarmed! Now's our chance to really hit it big!"
"Surge!" Vastor shouted, too late. Surge dashed forward, sword poised to strike.
"Feck," Zero murmured, sidestepping the attack. Surge growled and sliced hard to the side. Zero leapt back, right into the wall. Grinning, Surge stepped forward to impale the Hunter, but Zero slipped nimbly out of range and let the Maverick stab the sword into the wall. Surge angrily tore the weapon free, but by the time he accomplished this Zero's hand was already clasped onto Surge's right forearm. With a great heave Zero threw Surge across the room clear into the other wall.
"Damn you!" Surge moaned, getting to his feet. Then he glared at Vastor. "For god's sake, DO something!"
But it was Vastor's turn to stare blankly for this encounter. He wasn't budging. Nevertheless it distracted Zero's attention long enough for Surge to spring back into action, swinging hard at Zero's neck. The Hunter, wide-eyed, dropped to his knees, narrowly avoiding decapitation. At the same time his dash boots flared and he rocketed into Surge's legs, spilling the Maverick hard onto the floor.
Zero and Surge both got halfway to their feet. Then Surge struck again, swinging forcefully but awkwardly, and Zero, acting quickly, caught his sword arm's wrist. Both of them struggled against each other, and since both of their bodies were so badly twisted around, neither could move their other arm into position.
"FOR THE LOVE OF SERVOS, MAN!" Surge almost shrieked. "SHOOT HIM!"
Vastor considered it, but Zero shot him a look that plainly said, "I dare you." Surge tried to take advantage of the distraction by twisting his body around so his other arm would be in play. Sensing this, Zero pulled his feet under him, getting into a squatting position. Then his dash boots flared again, much to Surge's horror, and the Hunter shot into the air dragging the Maverick up by his arm. The saber, pointing up, lodged itself in the ceiling. While Surge was still recovering from the shock, Zero elbowed him in the face, completely disorienting him. All that was left was for Zero to bring his right boot forward in a brutal kick that knocked Surge off him and down to the floor.
"Nice sword!" Zero commented, still above the Reploid. "I wonder if it can withstand my power, though?"
"What are you talking about?" asked a thoroughly cowed Surge.
"Let's find out," Zero answered, ripping the sword from the ceiling and holding it out in front of him as he fell. "Hyouretszuan!" he cried, and ice encased the sword, creating a powerful lance that Zero drove hard into the floor. The particles shattered and sprayed all over Surge…who was laying not six inches away from where the blade had touched home. Grinning at the horrified Maverick, Zero jumped twice in the air and swung his sword in arcs. The blade glowed yellow and extended somewhat. Zero landed and nodded at his new weapon, deactivating it and sheathing it on his back where his old saber had been. "Yep. Works just fine."
"That's mine!" Surge protested weakly.
"And I thank you most profusely for your generous gift." Zero gave him a mock bow and turned to Vastor. "And were it not for your little friend being such a gentleman and letting us keep the battle to ourselves, I'd try out my new doohicky on you right now." He tipped an imaginary hat at Vastor, who nodded dumbly. "Though I still have a question that needs to be answered." His eyes hardened. "Sigma. Malevex. Teytha. Mortar. Where are they?"
"Gredam's gone," Vastor offered weakly.
"Gredam's on the ship. They told me that."
"They told you?" Surge asked, shocked.
"They told me a lot," Zero responded, walking with an eerie calmness towards Surge, who still lay stunned on the floor. "And now I want you to start telling me a lot."
"We don't know where they are exactly! Okay?!" Surge was panicking now.
"The control room is upstairs!" Vastor tried. "Just go that way—" he pointed towards the end of the second ring. Zero could even see the gate in the distance. "And keep going. You'll get there eventually. I don't know who you'll find on the way, if anyone, but that's all we know! We swear!"
"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Zero asked, calmly scratching the back of his neck, placing his hand much to close to his lightsaber for Vastor's comfort. The Maverick shuddered and finally broke down.
"Don't kill us Mr. Zero, don't, for Mr. Wormwood's sake!"
"And Sarah!" Surge put in. "You can't do that to the turtles!"
Zero blinked. "Mr. Wormwood and…" He shook his head. "All right. I've had enough. You two…scram. I've got no beef with you. Sure you tried to kill me, but I figure robbing you blind compensates for that. But if I ever catch you making trouble again, you'll catch it! Mr. Wormwood and Sarah be damned!" They groveled in submission. Zero could barely believe it. "Now GO! I can't stand this whole…stupidity thing you've got going for you. Matter of fact, find some shrink with a—"
"A very long name and lots of degrees," Vastor finished, nodding his head rapidly, like a retard. "We know."
"You know…" Zero blinked again. "Oh just go." And go they did, racing like stock cars down the hallway from which they had just fled. Zero shook his head yet again and started a calm, pointed walk towards the gate leading to the third ring. At least he had a weapon now, he thought, approaching the purple doorway.
Then by some impulse he looked up, and saw…yes, there it was. The ventilation shaft…it ran up along this roof, and into…could it possibly lead into…?
"Well what's life without a little adventure?" the Crimson Hunter thought to himself, backtracking with much spring in his step. There was something about having weapons in his possession that made Zero happy as could be. He arrived back at the vent where he'd gotten the drop on Surge and Vastor earlier and propelled himself back up. When he finally wriggled himself in again he crawled forward until he bonked his head on the end of the horizontal shaft and had to stand up in the vertical one. Zero raised his arms to try to find the top, but even with his reach he couldn't find it. So, his boots flared again and up he went, moving his arms in the blackness to search for—
"DAMMIT!" the Hunter raged after slamming headfirst hard into the shaft's ceiling. His arms immediately began flailing as he began falling, and though he was seeing stars it didn't interfere much, as there wasn't anything else to see anyway. By some miracle he found a ledge leading into the upper horizontal shafts. He tried to reorient himself and remember what direction he was supposed to go in. He remembered that the last time he'd checked his compass it had been going towards the gate, and he'd been going north. He checked his compass again, found north, and started crawling through the shaft leading in that direction.
As he crawled, he reflected on how much it would suck if this shaft didn't lead into that second ring guardian chamber. That would mean a very long backtrack process, and Zero had a feeling he was being pressed for time as it was. Then again, if he DID find a way into that chamber…
Well, whoever was inside would have a big surprise.
Of course, Zero reminded himself, this wasn't about killing. Well it was, if Sigma was sitting in there, but somehow Zero doubted that. What would he do, though, if it were someone else? Could he really bring himself to kill—
"Might not have a choice, pal," he whispered to himself, forgetting to feel foolish. "You can do what you can, but if the going gets tough…well, the less tough start dying. There's never been a way around it. And I'm damned because of it." He growled deep in his throat. "Damn you, Sigma, for the positions you put me in. You'd better hope you get away from this place before I find you. You're so dead if you don't. And that's a killing I won't have nightmares about."
