CHAPTER 12
CONFRONTATION
Gently twinkling stars slowly poked out of the fading clouds as the last of a gentle snow fell. A light wind blew, forming small snow dunes on the sidewalks. A winter's midnight in St. Paul was always a beautiful sight.
"OK, so, what're you doing again, Professor?" Iris asked.
Inside the museum, everyone huddled around Professor Smith's computer while he typed fervently. "I'm hacking into the CONSTRICT INC. computer system and getting ahold of their transportation records," Smith said. "Any recent shipments of a large, metal object like Zero's capsule would be saved for posterity..."
"So we can tell where Ribosome took Zero?" X asked. "Brilliant! You'd have made a great spotter for the Hunters, Professor."
"Heh heh heh..." Smith chuckled embarassedly. Suddenly, he became very serious. "Ah! Here we are... This shows that Ribosome personally oversaw the delivery of an oversized metal container to his research lab in Saudi Arabia. That's GOT to be it!"
"Of course," Snake Man said. "Even these days, Saudi Arabia is the perfect place to manufacture deadly weapons and stuff..."
"Professor, do you have a map?" Darren asked.
"Sure," Smith said as he hit a few more keys, and a map of Saudi Arabia appeared on the monitor. Darren stared hard at the lab's location.
"What's wrong, Darren?" Snake Man asked.
"I dunno..." Darren said as he continued staring. "I remember from history class that there's something buried around that spot, but I forgot what it was..."
"What do you suppose Ribosome will do with Zero?..." Iris asked.
"Well, he could strip him for parts, drain off his energy, brainwash him, turn him into a new bioweapon, remodel him into a vending machine..." Sharon grumbled as she counted on her fingers.
"Oh, no..." Iris gasped.
"Nice going, Sharon," Darren grumbled.
"Hey, she asked!" Sharon retorted.
"Whatever Ribosome's planning, we have to stop him," X said as he made a fist. "If Zero doesn't have the syrum installed when he's reactivated, the Maverick virus will spread like wildfire, and the war between humans and Reploids will begin all over again..."
"Well, let's quit yappin' and get over there!" Darren said. "What're we waiting for!"
"Yeah!" Iris said defiantly. "It's time..."
"Uh, Iris," Snake Man started. "I don't mean to be rude, but do you really want to fight in that?..."
Iris glanced down and noticed that she was still wearing the clothes that Smith had given her. "Oh. Uh..." Iris gulped. "I forgot my armor's not fixed yet..."
"Actually, Professor Olson finished repairing it," Smith said as he motioned towards a nearby workbench, upon which lay Iris's standard outfit. "You can re-equip it whenever you want."
"Wonderful!" Iris said as she grabbed the clothing. "I'll have to thank him for patching it up..." She strained for a moment, and suddenly the armor vanished and reappeared on her body.
"WOAH!" Sharon exclaimed. "How did you do that!"
"Automatic Armor," X said. "It's a built-in function that allows Reploids to swap what they're wearing with their battle armor." X strained and his familiar blue armor appeared over his garments. "See?"
"Wow," Darren said. "You learn something new every day..."
"Well, enough chitchat," Snake Man said. "Let's go and help Zero."
"Yes..." Iris said as she drew her I-Saber. "It's time to pay Ribosome another visit..."
The whir of power tools and the stench of burning metal filled a huge hangar as Ribosome watched his robot mechanics assemble his latest creation from an observation deck. Ribosome always enjoyed watching the assembly of his machines; the sounds, smells and activity all reminded him of the power he commanded. He smiled cruelly at the thought of the additional power he would obtain through using the new machine.
"Construction of R-Alpha prototype is 95 percent complete," a computer stated.
"Good," Ribosome replied. "All it needs now is its edge... Begin integrating-"
Just then, alarms began to scream and the lights flashed red. "Intruder alert!" the computer announced. "Two humans and four Reploids have breached the security perimeter!"
Ribosome chuckled darkly. "So, she's come... Dispatch the sentries."
The CONSTRICT INC. laboratory stood tall amidst the howling desert winds and sand dunes, reaching towards the cloudless blue sky above.
"So, here it is," Smith said as the six friends looked up at the structure. "Ribosome's Saudi Arabia research lab. I've heard all sorts of things about this place, and none of them were good."
"Aha!" Darren exclaimed suddenly. "Now I remember! This lab is built over the ruins of Skull Tower, one of Dr. Wily's strongholds!"
"Doctor who?" Sharon asked.
"No, Dr. Wily," Darren restated. "Haven't you been paying attention?"
"I thought something like that..." X replied as he looked around. "I sense a dark aura around this place..."
"Dark aura?..." Iris asked. "What do you mean, X?"
"Some things can't be scanned for or analyzed," X said. "You've got to feel them in your spirit... It's something that Zero taught me."
"Zero..." Iris murmured. "I guess I still have a lot to learn..."
"This thing's the only sign of life for miles around... It almost looks like a mirage, huh?" Sharon asked.
Suddenly, the lab's doors opened and five large robots marched out with plasma rifles trained on the group.
"I knew Ribosome would have guards!" Smith said. "This isn't going to be easy..."
"We'll take care of 'em!" Sharon yelled as Iris, X, Snake Man and she lept at the sentinels. The guards' shots came too late to be a threat, and all five were quickly destroyed.
"Well, that was a nice warm-up," Snake Man said as he lowered his arm cannon. "I'm sure it'll get tougher, though..."
X inspected the fallen sentries. "...These are just robots," he said. "They operate on basic commands only."
"Yeah, having a mindless drone security force is cheaper than sentient grunts," Smith muttered. "Ribosome was always a penny-pincher..."
"Good," Iris said. "That makes it a little easier... Now, let's get in there!"
The six travellers ran into the laboratory and immediately were attacked by several more drones. Thanks to Iris's sword skills, Sharon's karate techniques and X's gunmanship, though, they were dispatched with little trouble.
"Ha!" Sharon laughed as she pumped her fist. "This is TOO easy!"
"That's what worries me..." X said as he glanced around. "We could be walking into a trap..."
"I'm with X on this one," Smith agreed. "Ribosome's got something up his sleeve; we need to be ready..."
"Hmm," Ribosome said as he watched the Maverick Hunters through a security camera. "You're as observant as ever, professor... Iris will be easier to handle without all of you getting in the way... I'm afraid I'll have to separate you. Computer, change security programs every five minutes."
"Affirmative," the computer beeped. "Loading sentinel programs 'Fisticuff,' 'Watcher,' 'Impenitrable' and 'Giga.' Randomly selecting every five minutes..."
Ribosome turned away and chuckled again. "This ought to eliminate any problems..." he said.
Iris and her friends ran down one corridor after another, searching for anything leading to Ribosome and clobbering any guards that attacked. Soon, Iris came across a long hallway on the third floor. "Maybe he's this way," she suggested as she pointed down the hall.
"It's the only place we haven't tried yet," Darren acknowledged. "Let's give it a shot!"
"Just be careful," Snake Man warned. "No telling what's down there..."
Everybody who could armed themselves, and the party started down the hall.
"Man, is this a weird laboratory," Sharon said as she looked around. "There are offices and cubicles all over the place, there're fluorescent lights on the ceilings, and the floors are carpeted... It doesn't really scream 'evil,' if you catch my drift..."
"Labs aren't always beakers and machine parts," Smith said. "Besides, Ribosome's a businessman; he's not going to make his labs look like deathtraps."
"I'm used to fighting fruitcakes who do that sort of thing," X replied. "I think it's a nice change; Sigma never had shag on his floors..."
Iris and her friends walked through a door at the end of the hallway, and instantly they found themselves in a steel-walled hallway filled with flashing lights and whirring monitors.
"...Here we go," Darren muttered.
"Let's keep going," Sharon said as she broke into a sprint. "I'm sure Ribosome is just up ahead!"
"Yes, let's-OOOFFFF!" Iris started to follow Sharon, but stopped dead in her tracks, seeming to collide with something.
"Iris, what's wrong?" Darren asked as he ran up towards Iris.
"I hit something," Iris said as she put her arm forward. Sure enough, it touched something cold and solid. "...I think there's an invisible wall here..."
"Invisible...?" Darren asked as he walked up and kicked at the air near Iris. Sure enough, his foot banged into something. "There IS a wall here!"
"Huh!" Sharon asked as she turned and headed back towards her friends. "You guys are nuts. There's no- URRRFFF!" Sharon grunted as she smacked into the wall as well.
"Woah!" Smith exclaimed. "We've been separated from Sharon! This isn't good..."
"But why?" Snake Man asked. "I thought Ribosome wanted Iris, not Sharon."
X thought for a moment, then frowned. "He thinks we'll each be weaker alone, so he's trying to break us up!"
"OK, this ain't funny..." Sharon growled as she hammered on the wall. Suddenly, three wiry, fast robots appeared in front of everyone and assumed attack stances.
"Martial arts troopers!" Sharon asked as she struck her own battle pose. "Now this is my kind of fight! Bring it, boys!"
The three guards lunged at Sharon with various punches, but Sharon leaped away and knocked one into the wall with a vicious kick, then punched the remaining two simultaneously. The three attacked again, but Sharon lept straight up and hit all three with a whirling kick. When she came down, though, they were ready; one guard slid on the ground and tripped Sharon, and another kicked her straight to the third, who put his arms around her in a tight bear hug. Sharon's eyes glazed over with primal anger.
"Uh-oh," Darren gulped.
"What's wrong?" X asked.
"Nobody should EVER touch Sharon," Darren said.
Suddenly, Sharon let out a loud shriek. What happened next came in a whirlwind.
"...Oh, geez," Snake Man gulped.
"Ugggh!" Iris gagged as she stuck her tongue out in disgust.
"Oooh!" Smith winced, continuously cringing and flinching.
"You weren't kidding," X said, his eyes wide in horror.
"That's Sharon for you," Darren said. A severed Reploid head smacked against the wall right in front of him and he let out a high shriek.
Sharon emerged from a dissipating smoke cloud with one of the guards' arms slung over her shoulder. "Well, that's that," she stated.
"...Uh... Way to go, Sharon!... I think," Iris cheered halfheartedly.
"Yeah!" Sharon laughed. "I rock!"
"Hey," Darren said as he swung his hand around in front of him. "The wall is gone! I guess we can move ahead."
"Well, let's do just that!" Smith announced. "Come on, gentlemen! Time's a-wastin'!"
The party ran a while more down the long hallway, but suddenly came upon a sealed, metal door. "What's this?" Iris asked as she pushed on the door.
"Whatever it is, it's shut tight as a drum," Smith said as he eyed the doorway. "It's totally set in the wall."
"How do we get through it?..." Snake Man asked as he glanced around and scratched his chin.
"Look, over there," X said as he pointed to a small keypad on a nearby wall. "I'll bet this door is password-protected."
"That sounds like Ribosome, all right," Smith said with a sigh. "He never wanted anybody in on his trade secrets..."
"Aww, geez," Sharon grumbled as she glared at the keypad. "I just got done fighting! I don't have time for this!"
"We'll have to decipher the password..." Darren said as he looked over the pad; it had six slots on it, and each slot but the last two held a shape. "...Is anybody good with patterns?" he asked after a moment.
"OK, that does it!" Sharon snarled as she drew back into a fighting stance. "I'm gonna give this thing a password!"
"No, wait, Sharon!" Iris started.
"Entering the wrong password could-" X started.
Sharon kicked the keypad as hard as she could, reducing it to scrap in the process. Immediately, sirens blared and lights flashed red.
"...Set off a trap," X finished.
"EMERGENCY!" a loud electronic voice declared. "INTRUDERS! ACTIVATE SECURITY PROTOCOLS!"
"Way to go, Sharon!" Darren snapped.
"Uh... Oops?" Sharon said with an embarrassed chuckle. "...Hey, what's that noise?... AHHH!"
Suddenly, the floor beneath the party disappeared, and everyone but Sharon plummeted into the darkness.
Sharon clung to the wall for dear life. "OK, Shar, not your best moment," she grunted. "NOW what do I do?..."
Sharon glanced over at the smashed keypad and thought for a moment. "...Well, I hope I didn't bust it TOO badly..." she said as she reached for it.
Professor Smith whooped and screamed as he slid down a tube and crashed face down on a cold floor. "Vuoooo..." he groaned as he picked himself up. "What... Where am I?..."
Smith looked up and down the unending hallway; none of his friends were to be seen. He called out their names, but there were no answers. "We've been separated..." he muttered as he glanced around. "I hope everybody else is all right..."
Just then, the entire hallway shook. "Activating Security Program 'Impenitrable,'" a mechanical voice boomed through the tunnel.
"Impenitrable? What the..." Smith grunted as something began whirring behind him. He turned around and to see a gigantic, heavily-armed sentry drop from the ceiling. The robot eyed Smith and immediately pointed all of its artillery at him.
"...On second thought," Smith gulped as he nervously started backing away. "Maybe I should worry more about myself!..."
"Hmmm..." Darren growled as he glared at the predicament in front of him.
"Yes, it's quite a tricky one, eh?" Snake Man asked.
Darren and Snake Man stood in a corridor, staring down an imposing obstacle; a half-open door could be seen on the far end of the hall, but two mechanical, floating eyeballs hovered up and down the tunnel, totally blocking their progress.
"So, this is Security Program 'Watcher...'" Snake Man mumbled.
"I don't suppose we could just run past them?..." Darren asked.
"Let's see..." Snake Man said as he quietly deployed one of his Search Snake ground missiles. As soon as the little snake started to skitter across the floor, the eyes looked right at it and vaporized it with white-hot laser beams.
"Crap," Snake Man cursed. "Those eyes locked on faster than I could blink!"
"Too bad we don't have a giant blindfold..." Darren joked halfheartedly. "We'd be able to sneak past them easily..."
"Darren, this isn't time for-" Snake Man started. Just then, his hand struck the wall, and a loud CLUNK echoed through the entire hallway.
"Ahhh!" Darren gasped as he grabbed his hat and waited for the eyes to fry them. After a few moments, though, he opened his eyes and looked.
"That's strange..." Snake Man observed. The eyeballs hadn't seemed to notice the obvious loud noise; they merely continued to patrol the doorway.
"...They... They didn't hear that?..." Darren asked. "Woah. Well, eyes weren't made for listening, were they?..."
"Hmmm..." Snake Man said as he scratched his chin in thought.
"I wonder where everyone else ended up," Iris said as X and she wandered down a dark hall.
"I'm sure they're all fine," X replied. "I don't know them that well, but something tells me we'll see them again."
"That's good..." Iris said. After a brief pause, she coughed akwardly. "Um, X, can I ask you a question?" she asked.
"What's up?" X asked as he turned towards Iris.
"Well..." Iris started as she scratched her head uncomfortably. "What... What was Zero like... you know, after the Repliforce Affair?..."
X nodded, seeming to understand what Iris meant. "...Cold as ice," he replied. "He didn't open up to anyone but his few remaining friends, and he fought against the Mavericks with less than all his heart... He never really was the same."
"Oh..." Iris said quietly. "I guess I meant more to him than I thought..."
"More than you thought?" X asked.
"Well, I guess at first, I thought that I must not have been very important to Zero if he killed my brother, knowing very well how much I loved him..." Iris said. "But..."
"Trust me, Iris," X said as he faced Iris completely. "You meant something to Zero. He once told me that there were only two people in the world that meant anything to him: myself and you. Trust me, when he says something like that, he's serious." X paused and looked away.
"X..." Iris started.
Just then, a gigantic robot guard rose up from the floor and blocked the friends' way. It had gigantic, sharp claws, a strong, thick body and an angry glow in its cycloptic eye. "Activating Security Program, 'Giga...'" a mechanical voice echoed.
"How are we going to stop THAT thing?..." Iris gulped as she backed away.
"The way that Zero and I always beat our foes," X said as he smiled bravely at Iris. "Teamwork! I'll distract him while you attack his power source!"
"OK," Iris said as she glanced up at the homicidal machine. "Um... Where's his power source?"
"Heck if I know," X said as he pelted the guard with a storm of plasma shots. "Hurry and attack!"
The guard whirled towards Iris and swung its shining claw, but Iris rolled beneath it as it tore huge gashes in the wall.
Iris lunged at the monster's torso with her I-Saber and swung with all her might; her beam slashed right through the metal armor, but didn't scratch it at all. "Wh-what!" Iris asked as she landed and stared in disbelief. "But... But it went in!..."
The guard was unfazed by Iris's attack, and it immediately sent both claws flying right at her.
"Iris! Watch out!" X yelled as he charged his arm cannon and fired a shot right into the sentry's claws. The claws tilted off course and smashed into the other wall.
Iris ran back to X while the sentry pulled its claws from the wrecked wall. "The power source... must be somewhere else," she panted. "My sword just passed right through..."
"I saw," X answered. "This thing's got cunning..."
With a mighty pull, the guard yanked its claws loose and lumbered towards the Hunters again. Iris looked up at it nervously. "There has to be some way to find its power source..." she mumbled.
"He's coming..." X growled as he stepped backwards and the sentry continued advancing.
Suddenly, Iris had an idea. "X, fire at all parts of his body!" she said quickly. "See if it reacts anywhere!"
X complied with Iris's idea, and both of them opened fire on all parts of the guard. Most of their shots were ignored and bounced right off, but when X fired right at its head, the sentry's arms immediately flew up and blocked it.
"Look at that..." X said with a wry smile. "Great idea, Iris."
"Hmm... But it's blocking our projectiles, and the head's too high up for me to slash..." Iris grumbled as she thought some more. "Now what?..."
"Now I've got an idea," X said as he turned to Iris. "It's not that conventional, but it could work." He got down on one knee and motioned for Iris.
"What're you doing?" Iris asked.
"Climb on my back!" X ordered. "Hurry!"
"Well, OK," Iris said as she ran over and mounted X's back. "...No funny business, now!"
"Let's go!" X shouted as he charged straight at the sentry, Iris holding on with all her might. The sentry lifted another claw to strike them down.
"NOW!" X yelled as he leaped into the air towards the guard's head as the guard's claw came whizzing in, and Iris leaped off X's back just as the claw slashed into him. Iris pulled out her I-Saber and sent its blade right through the sentry's head. Sparks flew for a few moments, then the machine grew dark and toppled over with a loud smash.
Iris landed, sheathed her I-Saber and ran to check on X; he was staggering into a sitting position, a huge claw mark torn right across his armor. "X! Are you OK!" Iris asked.
"Just got the wind knocked out of me," X wheezed. "Good thing that claw only hit my armor... I'll patch it up later."
"That's good to hear..." Iris said as she helped X to his feet. "I wouldn't want to lose any more friends..."
"Not to worry," X said as he looked ahead. "Come on, I think I see a door up ahead. We should meet up with the others..."
"Yeah," Iris nodded as she started forward.
"Hey, Iris," X said suddenly.
Iris turned and gave X a questioning look.
"You did great back there," X complimented. "You're really strong!"
Iris smiled again. "Thanks," she answered. "Um..."
"If you want to talk some more, we can do that later," X said as he looked towards the iron door. "We have to stop Ribosome now!"
"I'm right behind you, X," Iris replied as she followed the blue Reploid to the door.
Iris and X shoved the door open and walked into a high-ceilinged room the length of a locker room. The room glowed a quiet blue, casting shadows on the Reploids. Several other doors decorated the walls, each emitting the same blue light.
"Hmm..." Iris said as she looked around. "This is a puzzle..."
"I wonder if we have to try all these doors?..." X asked. "That'd be pretty tedious..."
Just then, a door to the left slowly began to open.
"Look out!" Iris shouted as she yanked out her I-Saber and leaped at the person emerging from door. She grabbed the figure by its clothing and pulled vigorously. "Come out here!" she huffed.
"(COUGH) Agh! OK! You got me! I give!" a familiar voice cried out.
Surprised, Iris removed her hand and looked at her 'assailant.' "...Huh!" she asked. She was staring right at an equally startled Professor Smith. He looked sweaty and nervous, and he clutched a sharp metal pole.
"Nice to see you, too, Iris," Smith grumbled as he fumbled with his glasses. "You almost gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry," Iris apologized. "I thought you were another robot guard... Hey, where did you go?"
"I ended up face-to-face with a gigantic sentry," Smith explained as he motioned at the pole. "Good thing I knew that particular model would just fall apart if I jabbed it in the right place. Now I'm glad I studied robot weak points!..."
"Hey! Anybody in here!" Sharon called as she stepped out of another door. "...Hey! Iris! Prof! You're OK!"
"Sharon! Thank goodness," Iris said.
"I guess you figured out that passcode after all," X said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, I did..." Sharon said with an embarrassed look. "Sorry 'bout that, guys..."
"That's almost everyone," Smith remarked. "But where are Snake Man and Darren?"
"Hello!" Darren exclaimed as Snake Man and he emerged from a third door.
"Darren!" Iris cried happily as she greeted her friend. "And Snake Man, too! Wonderful!"
"Where did the trap send you two?" X asked.
"We ended up in a hallway full of huge motion-sensor guards," Darren explained. "It looked pretty hopeless, until Snake Man realized they were deaf!"
"By cloaking ourselves with the Chameleon Sting, we were able to sneak up on the guards and destroy them," Snake Man finished as he patted his arm cannon. "I guess I can see where this thing's gonna come in handy!" Just then, he vanished completely. "...Or not," he sighed.
"So, everyone's back together," X remarked. "That's good. We can press on now."
"Oh, yeah!" Sharon laughed as she threw a few punches. "Let's take that jerk out!"
"It looks like there's only one door that nobody's been through," Iris said as she pointed to the portal straight ahead. "I bet Ribosome's right behind it..."
"Very good," a familiar, dark voice emanated from the door.
"Here he comes..." Darren growled as everyone braced themselves.
The iron door slid open, a nd out stepped Ribosome, looking as business-like and gentlemanly as ever. "Excellent work," he said to the six friends. "I've watched each of you make your way through my defenses. You're all cunning, defiant and strong, much like myself. CONSTRICT, INC. would benefit greatly from your skills. Surrender Iris now and I'll make the rest of you high-level employees."
"If you know us so well, you already know the answer to that," Snake Man said. "Bribery won't get you anywhere!"
"You know what we're here for," Iris said. "Give Zero back, and we'll leave."
Ribosome chuckled again. "You foolishly refuse the power and wealth I offer you to satisfy your arcane ideals... How naive you are. You wouldn't last long in the business world."
"That's it!" Sharon huffed as she balled her fists. "Hand over the red guy, or this's gonna get ugly! Capische!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Ribosome answered. "You see, Zero has become a very important part of CONSTRICT, INC."
"What... What do you mean?" Iris asked.
The door behind Ribosome swiveled open, and he stepped through it. "If you want to know, you could simply follow me," he said. "However, I've grown tired of your antics..."
Ribosome snapped his fingers and the Reploid mech from the volcano smashed into the room, its drill arms whirring with malice. "This is my ride armor prototype, R-Beta. I'm sure it will be enough to take care of you," Ribosome stated bluntly. With that, he turned and walked back into the darkness.
"Wait! Ribosome!..." Iris called as she ran towards the door. Instantly, R-Beta flew in front of her and blocked the path. Iris set her jaw as she stared down the machine.
"Wait, Iris!" Darren called. Iris turned around to see her five friends standing behind her, each clutching whatever weapons they had.
"...Darren?" Iris asked.
"You save Zero!" Darren said with a smile. "We'll take care of this and catch up!"
Iris looked at her friends thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded. "OK," she said. "Be careful!"
"Let's get you past this walking dental accessory," Sharon said as X and she picked Iris up and tossed her over R-Beta's head. She ran to the door, but paused and looked back at her friends.
"Guys..." Iris said. "Thank you..."
"No time for mush now!" Smith called. "Stop Ribosome!"
With a determined glower, Iris turned and ran through the door.
"OK, then, ugly," Sharon laughed as R-Beta readied its weapons. "Let's dance!..."
Iris plunged into complete darkness as she stepped through the iron portal. The air was warm, and the stench of burning steel almost overwhelmed her. Her footsteps echoed loudly as she walked, declaring that the room she was now in was very large.
"Ribosome... Where are you?" Iris called into the void.
"So, you've come all by yourself," Ribosome's voice echoed back. "You're very brave."
"Come on, Ribosome!" Iris said. "This has gone on long enough! Why are you after me?"
"I told you," Ribosome said as a spotlight activated and shone down upon the crooked businessman. "You have something I want."
"But there's been so much pain... So much violence!" Iris replied. "Whatever it is that you're after, it couldn't be worth all this!"
"No, you're correct..." Ribosome said. "It's worth much, much more. Once again, I offer you a chance at greatness. Forsake your foolish ideals and work under me, and you will be able to have everything your heart desires."
Iris shook her head. "No..." she said. "It doesn't work like that... Money can't get you everything... You can't buy friendship, happiness, or love... Those are the things that I've wanted for the longest time... Ever since I came back, I've experienced friendship as I never had before, and I've never been happier... But there's still a hole I need to fill, and there's only one person who can do that..." Iris looked up at Ribosome defiantly. "I don't want to be rich, Ribosome. I just want to live a normal, happy life... The only thing left I need to accomplish that is Zero... So, please, give him back!"
Ribosome looked at Iris boredly for a moment, then dryly applauded. "Very touching," he said. "However, you're very mistaken; money can and will get a person anything. Everything is for sale; you just have to match the price. That's how the real world works."
"That's just sad," Iris said. "I hope someday you understand..."
"Utter rubbish," Ribosome retorted as a machine whirred and he moved upwards and away from Iris. "Whatever the case, you don't seem to want to cooperate, so I'm ending negotiations."
"Ending negotiations?..." Iris asked.
"You see, my dear, my offer was simply a courtesy," Ribosome said as the spotlight went out. "I don't need you to be... alive... to obtain what I need..."
The entire room slowly brightened, and Iris looked up and recoiled in shock and terror.
Before Iris stood a dangerous-looking bipedal mech. The monsterous machine was standing one and a half stories tall, painted dark violet and armed to the teeth with huge energy weapons. At the top of the mech sat Ribosome, leering down at her with triumph. "My R-Alpha will put you back to sleep," he said. "Just relax..."
"No," Iris declared defiantly as she drew her I-Saber in one hand and activated her Buster in the other. "I'm staying this time! I've got too much to live for!"
The mammoth mech lurched forward and swung its mighty fist, but Iris rolled away. She fired several rounds, but they simply bounced off the R-Alpha's glistening armor. Ribosome swung his other set of knuckles and smashed the ground beneath Iris to knock her over. When Iris hit the ground, the mech's chest compartment opened up and fired a salvo of missiles. Iris got to her feet and shot down all of the projectiles but one, which caught her side and sent her crashing into some crates on the right.
"N'ghhh..." Iris groaned as she struggled to free herself from the crates, but to no avail. Ribosome's mech lumbered over, reached down and grabbed Iris in its iron grip.
"You only delay the inevitable," Ribosome's voice boomed across the room. "Why won't you go quietly?"
Iris strained and clasped her I-Saber tightly. In a flash, its purple beam burst through the R-Alpha's wrist. As Ribosome gasped in surprise, Iris swung the saber in a full circle and took the entire hand off. It crashed to the ground and loosened its fingers, and Iris leaped out with her I-Buster ready.
"I'm just not that kind of person!" Iris replied as she fired several charged volleys intro the R-Alpha's sparking wrist. With a ferocious yell, Ribosome staggered backwards, the arm sparking and smoking everywhere. With a grunt of frustration, the mech detached the sparking arm, which crashed to the ground with a loud clatter.
"Very well," Ribosome growled. "One arm is more than enough to put you down."
"Really?" Iris asked as she aimed her I-Buster again, this time at the R-Alpha's torso. "Every mech has its power core in the center, and with only one arm, you can't protect your chassis as well!"
"Is that so?..." Ribosome asked. "Did you honestly think I only had the mech's weapons to defend its core? Poor girl. The truth is..." The R-Alpha's chest slid open to reveal a sickeningly familiar structure.
Iris gasped in horror. "No!..." she cried.
"Indeed," Ribosome said as the capsule containing Zero glowed with an eerie, green light. "So, go ahead and attack... However, you might hurt my special guest. What will you do now?"
Iris bit her lip and lowered her arm cannon. Before she could react, the R-Alpha swung its leg and kicked her straight into the wall.
"...Smart girl," Ribosome chuckled darkly. "Don't worry... You'll join your friends soon enough."
The R-Alpha 's remaining hand scooped Iris up and began to squeeze. "A-aaaagh!..." Iris moaned as the strong, metal fingers grew tighter and tighter around her. Her air began to cut off, and the world grew darker and darker...
"Don't worry," Ribosome said as he flashed a greedy smile. "Your powers will go to a worthy cause: mine."
Suddenly, the second arm also started sparking, and billows of smoke poured out of its openings. "What!" Ribosome asked angrily. "What's happening!"
With a loud SNAP, the second hand tumbled to the ground and released Iris. "Phew..." Iris gasped as she crawled out of the grip. "That was close..."
"What... How..." Ribosome choked. Just then, three missile-powered drills tore out of the back of the arm. Ribosome looked down to see that Iris's armor color had changed. "Agh!..." he gasped.
"Tornado Fangs... Whew," Iris panted. "I'm glad I had those..." Without another word, she raised her I-Buster and shot a charged round into the remaining arm, and it snapped off without a hitch.
"Agh!..." Ribosome yelled as the R-Alpha 's empty arm sockets vented gallons of steam. "Impossible!..."
"Ribosome!" Iris cried up at the mech. "This sick game ends now!"
Ribosome responded by firing another missile barrage at Iris, but another of her charged bursts destroyed the projectiles. Iris leaped up to Ribosome's chamber and drew her I-Saber. With one swift movement, she sent the blade straight down into the R-Alpha 's upper torso, high enough to miss Zero's capsule.
The R-Alpha teetered for a moment, then toppled backwards as Iris leaped off. With a loud CRASH, the mech hit the ground and lay still. Iris looked at it for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief. "Whew... It's over..." she said.
"Hey! Iris!" a voice behind Iris called.
Iris turned around and saw all of her friends run into the room. "We're here to help!" Sharon declared. "Where's Ribosome!"
"The R-Beta won't be bothering anyone for a while," Darren said. Just then, he noticed the toppled R-Alpha. "Woah..." he said.
"Well," Snake Man said with a chuckle. "It looks like Iris didn't need our help after all."
"Nice work, Iris," X complimented. "I knew you could do it."
"So did I," Professor Smith said with a smile. "Now, let's get Zero out of there and go home!"
"Right," Iris said. "Did you bring the syrum?"
Smith fumbled through his labcoat pocket and pulled out the small cube. "Here it is," he stated.
"Great!" Iris exclaimed with a smile. "I know where in the mech Zero's being held. Let me-"
X grabbed Iris's shoulder as she turned for the mech. "Wait," he said. "Something's wrong."
"What?..." Iris asked as she turned back to X. "What's wrong?"
"It's never this easy," X replied. "Ribosome could be-"
"Iris..." Darren gulped as he backed up. "Look!..."
Everyone turned around and gasped in surprise. The R-Alpha seemed to be turning inside out; its bits and pieces were being pulled toward the center, and new parts emerged and took new positions. After about thirty seconds of the transformation, the R-Alpha was a huge, purple, four-legged wolf-like creature with a sharp tail and a green crystal on its forehead.
"Holy crap..." Sharon gulped.
"I didn't think you could stop my R-Alpha, Iris," Ribosome's voice echoed again. "However, my mech has two attack modes. You may have stopped the R-Alpha HUMAN mode... but all of you will fall to the R-Alpha WOLVERINE!"
With that, the R-Alpha opened its mouth and unleashed a bloodcurling roar.
"AAAGH!" Snake Man shouted.
"How are we supposed to fight THAT!" Darren choked.
"The best we can!" X growled as he discharged his X-Buster right at the monster's face.
The R-Alpha opened its maw and engulfed the burst, then fired it right into the ground at X's feet, knocking him flat on his back.
"X, be careful!" Smith warned as he glanced at X. "Your chest armor's already damaged... Another hit could shatter it completely!"
"You can't swallow something that isn't going towards your mouth!" Snake Man said as he fired a barrage of Search Snakes at R-Alpha's legs.
The wolverine raised its claws and slashed the projectiles to ribbons.
"...Errmmm... I forgot about those..." Snake Man gulped embarassedly.
With another roar, the R-Alpha charged towards the party, stood on its hind legs and buried its claws in the wall right above them.
"Huh?" Darren asked. "What's it doing?..."
With another roar, laser cannons emerged from the R-Alpha's arms and salvos of energy beams rained down on the friends.
"Agghhhh!" Smith yelled as Darren and he ran for safety; humans would be burned to crisps if one of the lasers hit them.
"Leave them alone!" Iris yelled as she shot at R-Alpha's underbelly. The plasma shots hit the stomach and the wolverine shrieked and recoiled in pain.
"Hey, it doesn't like gettin' hit there!" Sharon chuckled. "OK, you big rug, time to roll over!"
Sharon leaped up and swung a fiery fist right into the R-Alpha's eye, and the wolverine machine roared furiously. Sharon leaped again and lashed the other eye with her Sonic Tentacle weapon, and the R-Alpha shrieked again. Finally, Sharon sent a spinning uppercut kick right into the monster's jaw, and the beast staggered back a few steps.
"Ha!" Sharon laughed as she landed and swung her fist defiantly. "How do you like THAT! C'mon, fuzzball!"
"Sharon, be careful!" Iris called. "He's got Zero in there!"
"Yes, indeed," Ribosome's voice emanated from the R-Alpha. "I have Zero, and that will make all the difference..."
The crystal on the R-Alpha's forehead faded away to reveal Zero's capsule, which flashed with eerie green light. "Zero..." X gasped as he gazed in horror at the sight. "Ribosome, stop! You don't know what you're doing!"
"Heh!" Sharon growled as she ran towards the R-Alpha again. "That doesn't scare me, Ribo! Gimme your best shot!"
"With pleasure," Ribosome chuckled darkly. Zero's capsule flashed rapidly, and the R-Alpha raised its tail over its head, where the tip flashed with green light at the same speed as the capsule. "Let me show you just what Zero has become!..."
"Oh, no..." Iris gasped. "Sharon! Get away from there, NOW!"
"Fire the Pulse Cannon!" Ribosome shouted. Instantly, the tail's tip unleashed a huge, green energy ray that shaped into speedy wave rings. The waves engulfed Sharon and pulsated violently.
"SHARON!" Darren yelled.
When the beam vanished, Sharon was embedded in the far wall, her body scarred with burns and bruised. "Ohhhhh..." she wheezed as she crashed to the floor. "That... was his best shot, all right..."
"What did you do to her!" Snake Man asked the giant mech.
"My Pulse Cannon blends a barrage of laser rings into one powerful death ray," Ribosome's voice boomed. "We've been developing it at CONSTRICT, INC for years, but could never find a power source able to sustain it... until now."
"Agh!" Darren cried. "Zero! He's using Zero to fuel that weapon!"
"Your friend has a powerful energy inside of him," Ribosome chuckled. "That was just what the weapon needed to function. Care for another demonstration?" The R-Alpha's tail swiveled over to Snake Man.
"Snake Man! Run!" Iris yelled.
Snake Man turned to get away, but once again, the beam swallowed its victim and left him wedged in the wall. "Ohhhh..." he groaned as he fell on his back. "So strong..."
"You're sick!" X yelled. "That energy shouldn't be tampered with!"
"Good lord..." Smith growled. "We've GOT to get Zero away from him!..."
"With such a powerful weapon at my disposal, I don't see why I should prolong this scuffle any longer," Ribosome said as the tail pointed straight at Iris. "So, farewell, Iris!"
"Whaaagh!" Iris cried as she turned to move, but stumbled and fell.
"Iris!" Darren yelled.
"No!..." X gasped.
"Firing Pulse Cannon!" Ribosome boomed. The green beam burst forth from the tail. Iris covered her face and awaited the blast...
Iris heard rapid footsteps, then the cannon firing, then someone else's scream. Iris looked up to see X smashed into the wall right behind her. His entire torso armor was gone, exposing his normal flesh. "X! Oh, no!..." Iris cried as she ran to her friend. "X! Are you OK!" she asked.
"Don't worry about me..." X coughed. "Get Zero... away from him!..."
"What fools," Ribosome said as his tail trained on Iris again. "I've no sympathy at all."
Iris yelled loudly and ran as the Pulse Cannon blew a huge crater where she had just been. She turned and quickly dived behind some warehouse crates to catch her breath.
"Oh, thank God you're OK!" Darren panted as he smiled at Iris. Iris looked up; Darren and Professor Smith were sitting behind the crates with her.
Iris looked at her friends; Everybody was down for the count except the three of them. "What can I do?..." she asked. "This seems so hopeless..."
Darren and Smith looked at each other and nodded. "Iris," Darren said. "We'll get up there and remove the capsule from the mech."
"What!" Iris exclaimed. "No! Please, don't! You'll get hurt, or...!"
"Not if you're backing us up," Smith said. "Iris, we can't fight, and we're pretty danger-prone, but I know the most about fixing Reploids, and Darren's a great engineer. This is how we can help you."
Iris bit her lip; she remembered how badly Darren had been hurt when he had fought Fefnir for her, and the last thing she wanted was to put him at risk again. She had the same concern for the kindly professor who had brought her back to life.
"Iris, please," Darren said as he clasped her hand tightly. "We want to help..."
Iris looked away for a moment, then gave Darren and Smith a sad look. "Promise me you'll be careful..." she said quietly.
"Of course," Smith chuckled. "We don't wanna get vaporized any more than you want us to."
"...All right..." Iris said. "I'll keep him busy."
"Attagirl, Iris," Smith smiled. "We knew we could count on you!"
Iris leaped out from behind the crates and drew her I-Saber. "Ribosome! This ends now!" she shouted as she ran at the R-Alpha.
"You still wish to fight?" Ribosome's voice asked. "I don't understand why, but..." The R-Alpha's tail flashed and the Pulse Cannon fired again.
"Haaaaaaaa!" Iris screamed as she shut her eyes and leaped forward. In what seemed to be a miracle, she flew beneath the Pulse Cannon's blast and slashed the R-Alpha's leg. The bestial machine shrieked angrily and glared down at her.
"If Darren and Professor Smith are going to be safe, you can't be moving!" Iris said as she held out her I-Saber. "...And I have just the plan for that!" The I-Saber's beam changed from purple to blue, and ice formed all over it. "HYOURETSUZAN!" Iris yelled as she thrust the sword into the ground, and instantly a tremendous patch of ice spread beneath the R-Alpha.
"What's this?" Ribosome asked as the R-Alpha's tail locked onto her again. "Are you trying to make me rust?..."
"No..." Iris said as her armor turned pink and yellow. "I'm just a little warm!"
"Whatever you're planning won't work," Ribosome growled as the R-Alpha raised its claw and lunged.
"Really?" Iris asked as she launched a blue, rolling sphere. The R-Alpha's raised foot slid over it and the entire mech toppled onto its back. "Armored Armadillo's Rolling Sheild," Iris said as she approached the mech. "I knew it would help... Darren! Professor!"
Darren and Professor Smith immediately hopped out from behind the crates and mounted the downed R-Alpha's forehead. "Thanks, Iris!" Darren called.
"Just keep him down!" Smith yelled.
"Argh!" Ribosome growled as the R-Alpha struggled to regain its footing, but kept slipping on the ice that the Hyouretsuzan attack had spread. "Stop! Don't you dare touch that!"
"You're not that scary now, bud," Darren said as he produced a wrench and started unhinging the bolts that held Zero's capsule in place.
"N'ghhh!..." Smith grunted as he pulled at the capsule and it moved a little. "It's loosening, but it's still wired right into the mech!..." he stated. "We'll have to cut the cords!"
"Tamper with my weapons and you'll regret it!" Ribosome yelled. "Do you think the Pulse Cannon is the only weapon I have installed!" The R-Alpha's tail glowed a bright red.
"What!" Iris gulped. "No! Darren, Professor, get away from there!"
The R-Alpha's tail fired a bright red laser onto the ice, which immediately vanished in a burst of steam.
"A heat ray!" Smith gulped. "We're in trouble!"
"I'm almost done!..." Darren shouted as he wrenched off the final bolt. "...Got it!"
The R-Alpha quickly righted itself, flinging Darren, Smith and the capsule away in its rages. Since the capsule was still wired into the mech, though, it bungeed back to the forehead and then drooped across the wolverine's face, and since Darren and the Professor were holding onto the capsule, they also flew back.
"You two have caused enough trouble!" Ribosome's voice boomed, and the R-Alpha writhed and pitched around, violently swinging the capsule this way and that. The two humans held on for dear life, but the longer they held, the worse the R-Alpha thrashed.
"No!" Iris yelled as she drew her I-Saber and leaped up towards the thrashing machine. "Leave them alone!"
"And don't think I haven't forgotten about you!..." Ribosome growled as the R-Alpha's tail locked onto Iris and flashed green again.
"IRIS, LOOK OUT!" Darren yelled as the springing capsule soared right towards Iris. Iris quickly lunged and sliced the wires holding the capsule. Zero's capsule, Darren and Smith crashed to the ground and Iris leaped away from the fuming wolverine.
"NO!" Ribosome yelled as the green aura in the R-Alpha's tail faded away. "This tears it... You'll never leave this place alive!" he roared. The R-Alpha opened its mouth and riddled the ground with plasma shots.
Iris dodged the R-Alpha's bullets and rolled to the side, but Ribosome was ready; the wolverine brought its foot down and pinned her to the ground. Iris cried in agony as the razor-sharp claws slowly pushed into her skin.
"Oh, no!" Darren gasped. "Iris is in major trouble! Professor, you've gotta hurry!"
"All right," Smith said as he took a deep breath and pried the capsule open.
Lying in the capsule was a masculine Reploid with long hair tied into a ponytail and flashing, red armor. Darren let out a small gasp as Smith eyed the Reploid intently.
"It's him..." Smith said as his glasses fogged up with sweat. "It's the legendary Maverick Hunter, Zero..."
Darren glanced back at Iris, whose struggles were weakening by the second as the R-Alpha's claw pushed into her. "Hurry and reactivate him, Professor!" he pleaded. "Iris is almost..."
"I need to give him the syrum," Smith said as he pulled the small cube from his labcoat. "I can't implant it, so I'll just install it in his helmet. That'll do for now." He pried the blue diamond from Zero's helmet, quickly hooked the cube up and replaced the jewel. "Now, to activate him..."
"It doesn't matter," Ribosome's voice boomed. "In just a few more moments, Iris will once again be only a memory..."
"Agh..." Iris choked. "Zero... Darren... Pro...fessor... I-I'm..."
"Iris! No!..." Darren cried. "No... I can't do anything to help her!... DAMMIT!" He angrily brought his fist down on Zero's chest.
Suddenly, the red Reploid's eyes snapped open and he abruptly sat up. "Woah!" Smith exclaimed. "Whatever you did, Darren, it worked!"
"Huh?..." Darren asked.
Zero stared straight ahead with glazed eyes, like a person just waking up from a long sleep.
"Zero," Smith said quickly. "Please, stop that machine!..."
Iris's vision began to darken and the pain in her back dulled, as if it was stopping altogether. Her imminent doom at hand, Iris closed her eyes and recalled all the wonderful times she'd had in this new world. She thought of her friends, who, though still fairly new, had been the best ones she'd ever had. She exhaled one final time and waited for the world to disappear.
The next thing Iris heard was a loud metal-on-metal smash and the R-Alpha roar in rage and agony. Suddenly, Iris could move again. "...Huh?..." Iris asked as she looked up, her sight and strength quickly returning to her.
The claw that had been pressing into Iris was now smashed against a far wall, and the R-Alpha was teetering on three legs in front of her. Right next to her stood a familiar red Reploid, his hands dripping with oil from the mech's severed limb.
"Ze... Zero?..." Iris asked quietly.
"You... YOU!..." Ribosome snarled as the R-Alpha growled at the newcomer. "How DARE you interfere with me!"
Without a word, Zero flew at the R-Alpha and kicked off another of its limbs, and then ripped off another while the beast mech howled in agony and Ribosome screamed vulgarities from his microphone. Finally, Zero grabbed what was left of the mech and pulled. Very slowly, he lifted the beast over his head and then ferociously slammed it onto the ground. Whisps of smoke curled from all around the wolverine; the R-Alpha was finished.
"...Woah," Darren stated as he gaped in awe at the sudden chaos.
"Iris, now!" Smith yelled.
"The power core!" Darren called. "Destroy the power core!"
Iris drew her I-Saber and leaped onto the R-Alpha's stomach. With one quick motion, she sent the sword home. The R-Alpha sparked a few times, then grew dark and silent.
Iris stumbled onto the ground, panting and sweating like she never had before. "We... We did it..." she panted.
"Iris!" Darren called as Professor Smith and he ran to Iris. "Are you OK!"
"Darren... Professor..." Iris said as she smiled happily at them. "We did it!"
"Yeah, we did, didn't we?" Smith chuckled. "We sure showed Ribosome!"
"We can't take all the credit," Darren admitted. "You did most of the work, Iris."
"Oh, go on," Iris said as she blushed and looked away. Just then, she remembered something. "Oh! The others! Are they all right!"
"Hey, guys," Snake Man said as he limped up to the party. "What did I miss?... Well, what do you know... Way to go, Iris!"
"Ooogh..." Sharon coughed as she approached Iris. "Looks like ya did it without any help, Iris. Nice job!... I woulda helped, but... COUGH"
X walked over to the group and smiled. "Well done, Iris," he said. "You rescued Zero and defeated the madman who was after you. If this were a hundred years earlier, you'd be a shoe-in for the Maverick Hunters."
"Oh, you guys..." Iris said, reddening even more from all the praise. "I couldn't have done it without everyone's help; X, Sharon, Snake Man, Professor Smith and you, Darren... Thank you."
"Hey, aren't you forgetting someone?" Smith asked. "Zero gave you a hand at the end, there..."
"Zero..." Iris said. "Ah! That's right!"
Everyone ran to the other side of the mech. Zero was standing in the middle of the wreckage, still looking dazed and groggy. "So, that's him, huh?" Snake Man asked. "Boy, he sure does look dangerous."
"Hmm..." Sharon said as she looked down at her own body armor. "Yep. Definitely based off of his."
Iris slowly approached the red Reploid. "...Zero?" she asked quietly.
"Zero..." Zero said in his low, solemn voice as he rubbed at his face. "Yes... that is my name... I'm Zero..." He turned and looked at Iris. "Who... Who're you?... I... I can't remember..."
"It must be hibernation sickness," X said as he came up beside Iris. "You're still pretty groggy, aren't you, Zero? Don't worry; your memories will all return soon."
Zero glared at X hard for a moment. "...Mega Man X..." he said slowly. "You're X..."
"Right," X agreed.
"...X?..." Zero said. "What... What's happened?... I don't remember much since I sealed myself away..." He looked around at the wrecked R-Alpha and the strange assortment of people in front of him. "Who... Who are all of you?..." He glanced down and looked right at Iris. His eyes widened, then he rubbed at them and looked again. "My eyes must be playing tricks on me..." he muttered. "I see Iris standing in front of me..."
"Zero," Iris said as she put her hand on his shoulder. "I AM in front of you. It's really me... "
"Iris..." Zero said as he rubbed at his face and shook his head. "You... You're alive?... But... You couldn't be... Could you?..."
"This is going to take a lot of explanation," Smith broke in. "Maybe we should get back to the museum before anything else happens."
"Yes," Iris agreed. "Let's go outside so the transporter will work..."
"Hey, guys?" Darren said as she walked around the remains of the R-Alpha. "Where's Ribosome?"
"Ribosome!" Smith exclaimed. "Oh, no, we forgot all about him!"
Smith, Iris and Sharon ran to the mech and found a large, open hatch on the side. "Dammit! He got away!..." Sharon huffed.
"Knowing him, we'll be seeing him again very soon..." Smith muttered.
"Ribo... Ughhh..." Zero groaned as he wobbled back and forth.
"Easy!" X exclaimed as he grabbed Zero. "You've had a busy day! Iris, help me out here, will you?"
Iris and X put Zero between them and, with their friends in tow, walked him out of the laboratory.