AN: I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed my story. I really appreciate the feedback. I hope you all continue to enjoy my story.
This time the POV belongs to the Maverick everyone loves to hate . . . Mr. Clean himself, Sigma.
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Sigma
That hurt . . . actually it's amazing that I survived that stunt. Unfortunately it looks like they've survived as well.
X and Zero the twin banes of my existence . . . I was certain that when I self-destructed that those two would be dead. I'm too badly damaged and can barely see . . . I can make out a red blur on the ground in front of me, it must be Zero. I can sense that he's still alive but barely . . . and I can sense another person still alive. That could only be X. His presence is stronger than Zero's, so he must have weathered the blast better.
I don't get it. Everything was going according to the plan that the old man and I cooked up. The virus was spread all over the planet. The new virus on the colony merged with the strain of the virus that has become my very essence and transformed it into the purest form of the Maverick virus, the only thing capable of restoring Zero to his senses. Regrettably the amount proved insufficient to bring out Zero's true nature, but even so Zero was still drawn to this place. He was walking right into my clutches; the old man had even started planning on how to finish the process of making Zero Maverick once more. I even had the most powerful battle body ever created at my disposal. So how did it go all wrong?
X . . . this is his fault. I would have had Zero were it not for him interfering.
Obviously I was right to be concerned when X followed Zero here; he had single-handedly stopped my plans in the past and killed me at least a half dozen times. I should have known he would do so again, but I never believed he would come to a place with such a high virus concentration. So, I decided to keep a close eye on him as he tracked Zero down.
I wonder what X and Zero would have thought if they knew how easy it was for me to keep tabs on them. I could follow them through the whole base and they would be totally unaware of my presence. They never knew just easily I could have attacked them at any time I chose or how I was sometimes only standing a few feet away from them. That's the beauty of this realm the old man calls Zero Space. The virus is so heavily concentrated that it can bend reality, that's how I was able to follow them without their knowing it. The virus even created manifestations of enemies they had battled before and assumed the forms of the guardians known as the Shadow Devil and Rangda Bangda. I used these creations to delay X and Zero while my body was completed. That's the only reason I didn't attack them, I wanted my other body as close as possible to completion before I risked taking on either one of them. Besides if I had attacked too early, I might have had to fight both of them at once while they were still at full strength. I also wondered why they had arrived separately. X and Zero normally either work as a team or alone. If they work as a team, both always arrive at the same time. If they are working alone, then only one of them shows up. My curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to wait and see what they were up to. Then something I had always hoped for but never expected happened, my two worst foes turned on each other.
This fortuitous event warmed my heart. Maybe Zero was closer to his real self than I had anticipated! He was willing to fight and risk killing X in order to reach the center of Zero Space, where I was waiting for him, all in the vain hope of finding answers he should already have known. I stood there, watching them try to rip each other apart and they didn't know I was there! It was a glorious fight . . . it was more evenly matched than I had expected. I'm still amazed at how long the battle lasted and that neither of them died. In all honesty I expected X to be the last one standing. I know how powerful Zero is, but I doubted his chances because of all the times I had witnessed X's power up close and personal.
X's power . . . a power that should be mine! I will never forgive Zero for his interference at Doppler's lab. I was in my viral form and had X trapped like a rat. He would have been my new host were it not for Zero. I know X has only begun to discover his true strength, but I know that using the virus and my tactical genius I could take that power further than even Dr. Light had dared to dream! I would have been able to capture Zero and crush the Hunters. I could have completed my plans for eliminating the humans once I seized X's body for my own. I would have been invincible! But that idiotic fool had to use Doppler's anti-virus on me, forcing me to retreat or face deletion. That was probably one of my best opportunities to rid myself of X and increase my own power at the same time.
Of course revenge is sweet . . . I made Zero suffer for his actions that day. It wasn't too long after the Third Uprising that the Repliforce was formed and I managed to gain influence there. Although the primary goal of the Fourth Uprising was making the Repliforce and Hunters wipe one another off the face of the Earth, it gave me the perfect chance to take revenge on Zero and show him what he really is. I set things up so that the Colonel would inevitably fight Zero. I could have used that prideful fool to attack X instead, but the psychological effects on Zero would be greater if he were the one to fight Colonel. Iris was just a bonus. She and the Colonel had a type of mental link and feeling her brother's death through that link drove her to the brink of madness. I had learned that originally the two had been meant to be a single, ultimate reploid but were made as separate units because Iris's compassionate, peace-loving nature conflicted with the Colonel's more aggressive, war-like personality. I had Double recover Colonel's memory chip and power source and bring them to the Final Weapon. It wasn't long before Iris showed up, distraught over the loss of her brother who in some ways was quite literally a part of her. It was easy to manipulate her into fighting Zero at this point, without Colonel's sacrifice she never would have listened to me. I gave her Colonel's chip and power source and assisted her in installing them. Once Iris installed those components, the programming conflict they created pushed her over the edge and madness took control of her. Since her programming was not compatible with her brother's fighting protocols she would eventually been destroyed by the conflicting programs. Not that I cared anyways, I never expected her to beat Zero. I just wanted her to fight him. If he lost, I could recover his parts and rebuild him. If Iris was defeated, then it was no big loss and Zero would have to deal with the psychological scars while he fought me next. I was only concerned about whether she would live long enough to fight Zero. Fortunately, she survived long enough to attack Zero and force him to kill her. The pain he suffered from killing those two deluded pawns of mine was almost enough to make us even for the events in Doppler Town.
Really, Zero should be thanking me for that. I showed him the answers to the questions he had about himself. That day he should have realized who he was and what his purpose in life was, all because of me. I showed him the truth that those close to him will never be safe from him . . . it is Zero's destiny to destroy X and help the Mavericks bring about a new era of peace and prosperity, free of human corruption and bigotry.
As disappointed as I am at Zero's stubbornness in embracing his true nature, I eagerly await the day where we will once again fight side by side. Eventually he will see the light and join me. If he remains obstinate however . . . well, sometimes you must force salvation upon someone . . .
X is moving up and moving towards Zero now. He doesn't realize that I'm still alive. I've rerouted some power to my optics so I can see clearer than before. If I wait just a moment longer X will be in a perfect position for me to launch one last attack at him. The blue bastard won't know what hit him. No, I want him to know not just who killed him but that he's about to die and there's nothing he can do to save him or Zero. Just a little longer and he'll have reached Zero. He no doubt hopes to save his friend just like Zero did for him today.
Another opportunity to kill X wasted because of that Zero's meddling. After the battle with Zero, X was defenseless and I chose to end him then and there. But Zero cancelled out my attack with a shot from his buster.
He may have saved X but the fool still followed me here. I never expected to beat Zero without the body the old man built for me. Zero crushed my first body, but was unprepared for my ultimate battle body. He was too weak to resist for long. I enjoyed taunting him about his dreams of the old man and how I intended to kill X once I defeated him. Then X had to show up and attack me. He did better than Zero since he didn't have to fight my first form and it looked like he might do me in. Then I started attacking Zero again and my nemesis threw himself in front of my attacks to protect his friend. X was laying on the ground, beaten, yelling at me to "stop using Zero as a shield" when I told him that I would send the both of them into oblivion together. An ironic statement considering X was the one acting like a shield for Zero.
I was so focused on X as the main threat that I ignored Zero. The next thing I know Zero is leaping to attack the jewel in my forehead with one of his Twin Dream duplicates. By the time I knew what was happening, my former protégé was about to land the killing blow and I couldn't stop him. So, I did the only logical thing and self-destructed in the hopes of killing both of them.
Now here I am . . . barely alive and with a perfect shot at X. The fool believes I am dead and has turned his back on me. He he he he, this is too perfect. At long last I will have my revenge! Let's see how much you enjoy being killed X!
"D . . . dro . . . drop dead!"
I watch as the last of my energy is channeled into a beam of purple light that will finally kill X. Oh, how I wish I could see the look on his face! I wish I could see his expression as he realizes that he has failed and is going to die. I want to see the look of pure agony on his face when my attack hits.
There! It went straight through his back and chest, just below his generator. I can't believe it! His body exploded! Oh, how I've waited for this day! The only thing left of him is his now armless upper body and his head. Too bad my shot didn't hit his reactor and completely destroy him . . . my targeting sensors must be off. Not that it matters. I've won. I finally won!
"How persistent . . . you are . . . Die . . . Sigma!"
ARRGGHH! No! Zero . . . how . . . he shot me . . . I'm dying . . . again. He must have used every last bit of energy he had left . . . the shot still couldn't have been that strong. Then again in my current state . . . it wouldn't take much to finish me off, especially with after using most of my remaining strength to kill X.
It's interesting . . . you'd think after all the times I've died, that I'd be used to it. Apparently dying is not something one gets used to . . .
I do not fear death though. It does not hold the terror for me that it does for others. For me death is only a temporary setback. I don't know how, but the virus always brings me back to life. Therefore I am immortal. My foes will never be rid of me. I will simply outlive them if that is what it takes to bring my dream to life. But I'll be back. No matter how many times I am defeated, I always come back. Even with the virus no longer concentrated enough in any one spot to revive me now, I know I will return. The old man may even speed up my revival or find some patsy to do it for him. I know Zero will be back as well. That old man won't allow him to die until he fulfils his function . . . to destroy the Light's legacy, those reploids who are not infected by the virus and who would create a world where their race is subservient to the humans. Zero and I are born of a different legacy . . . we will end Light's dream and create a true utopia, with me as its benevolent ruler of course. One day Zero will return to who he once was, that is when everything I have envisioned will come to pass.
I can feel myself reverting back to my viral form again . . . I can feel that form beginning to dissipate since infecting so many reploids at once has weakened its ability to keep my consciousness intact. No, I must hold together now or be lost forever . . . I will survive and return stronger than before. At least X will no longer be a problem. If I do die for good by some chance, at least I can do so happy in the knowledge that X also shares my fate.
When I do come back that is something to look forward to though, no more X. He he he, wish I could say it was nice knowing you X, but I'm just glad to have you out of my hair once and for all . . . Don't worry too much though, many of your Hunter friends will be joining you in death as soon as I am reborn into a new body.
Now comes the boring part, waiting in limbo until I can get a new host. That's a small price to pay for immortality though. Given the current state of the planet however . . . it might take awhile before I find a suitable body. When I do find a new body, and I will find a new body, the world shall tremble at my feet once again. As long as the virus exists, I will continue to return. That is the one and only constant truth in this world that everyone should realize by now . . . no matter what happens, I'll be back.
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AN: Well what do you guys think? It was kind of hard for me to write this chapter and I'm not really sure how well it came out . . . If I come up with something better for Sigma I'll probably do a quick rewrite.
I took some liberties with the battle against Sigma. In the game you can only fight him with X or Zero, but I figured both of them fighting Sigma's final form fit in with the ending scenes and was a bit closer to reality.
Anyways, thank you for reading and please review.
