MEGA MAN X: END OF A DREAM
By Erico
CHAPTER NINE: CREATURES OF THE WAVES
When X and Bastion returned to Maverick HHQ, there was great celebration. Although they had not been able to avert the explosion at the Hawaiian Volcanic Geothermal Plant, thanks to Bastion's great thinking they had nonetheless averted the nuclear disaster, and now three maverick generals were out of the picture. But still, X could not stay in stasis. He worried about Zero. Often, X would wander the city streets at night, cloaked by the darkness and cloaked by his emotions. Not even his mountain ledge, a place where nature grew fruitfully, held any tranquility for him. In a way, it was like X had lost his brother. For as long as they had been together, they shared an intense bond, two individuals in a world gone crazy, with only themselves to rely on. It was one of those nights again, and X's legs dangled off the side of the cliff. An owl hooted above him, and the stars twinkled, but X did not see that. All he could see in the stars was the figure of Zero, a proud, tall figure, with a smile too large to look at.
"Zero…"X muttered. "Zero, where are you?"
Little could X know where Zero was, or what he was doing. The crafty reploid had faked stasis, which was not hard for his weary condition. Then when the guards left to partake of the maverick's pub, Zero had quietly slipped out, unlocking his door with a piece of Armored Armadillo's thick shell (rebuilt and pitted against Zero earlier.) Zero had snuck down the halls of the complex, dodging in and out of the tunnels, avoiding the sleepy sentries. His ultimate goal was the armaments room. If he could get his hands on a beam saber, then he would be invincible. And then there it stood, the armaments room. Lost in his thoughts, Zero had wandered into the den. Zero's eyes darted around, until he saw a full sub-tank lying on a table. Quietly he sneaked in and placed it in his chest compartment. Instantly, he felt his system revitalized by the pure energy, soaking into his circuitry. The feeling was one that he had felt before, and it was always a welcome one. The only sad part about sub-tanks is that they wore out, with an average lifespan of six months.
Now that he was fully charged, Zero turned about and looked at the walls. There mounted on the wet cement was a wide array of shoulder chainguns, arm cannons, hand grenades…and HIS BEAM SABER. There it waited, lazily placed on its rack. Sigma obviously had fine control over his cohorts, because the superior craftsmanship of that saber was unsurpassed, and Zero thought someone might have tried to steal it.
Like him. Cautiously, Zero walked up to his beauty. He could almost see that spouting green blade of wrath shoot out of the hilt. He wrapped his white fingers around the handle, and then pulled it back slowly.
He never even got it fully off the rack. A powerful electric shock activated, for the hilt had been resting on a switch, pressure controlled. When Zero had picked up his saber, the switch rose and activated the defense mechanism. And now the shock was destroying Zero. He could feel his system go haywire, the miniature servos and control systems shorting out. In short, his body was shutting down. His recharge vanished, as his internal repair systems tried to cope with the stresses. Then he slumped to the floor, to see a laughing Sigma above him.
"Did you REALLY think that I would LET you sneak out, Zero? Oh no. We haven't even begun to get that far yet. Vile, take him back to his chambers. I want our little friend to be well rested for the day ahead." Sigma bent down and patted Zero on the cheek. All Zero could do was scream.
Back at Maverick HHQ, Bastion was being promoted. No longer was he captain of a measly sub-unit, now he was Commander Bastion of the 21st Maverick Hunter Unit. X himself had recommended Bastion for the upgrade, due to his valor and quick thinking at the Hawaiian mission. And although his tactics were a bit rough, X had been working with Bastion in his spare time at the rec room. While Bastion was taking a liking to the fine capabilities of the beam saber, X hated close combat, not to mention the fact all his upgrades seemed to be pushing him towards the path of Buster fights.
"And it is because of these points brought up by Commander X and others in the Maverick Hunter Squadrons that I bestow upon you the rank of Commander." Cain pronounced proudly. It was always a joyful occasion for him, because rising to the rank of Commander meant that there were reploids completely dedicated to their role. Cain reached in the oaken case that X was holding, then pulled out a shiny medallion. Gingerly he placed the band over Bastion's head and let it drop. Then he stepped back and released a salute. Bastion saluted back, and then everyone in the room cheered wildly.
But Cain was suddenly interrupted by a loud wail of the klaxon. Bastion frowned, and turned to X.
"I guess we'll have to cut it short. There's work to be done." X nodded the feeling of happiness floating away from him. A maverick hunter's life had few breaks. It could be said that it was a lot like being a doctor; there was always a patient to be saved.
Only these doctors saved more than lives, they saved the world.
X and Bastion looked on in awe at the viewscreen. Cain frowned, tapping his cane on the floor.
"Well, X. It seems that our friends are smarting up a bit. Now they're working in unison!" Cain grumbled. X shook his head. Before now, all of the uprising Generals had been by themselves, but now it seemed fate would not repeat itself. Cain froze the picture just as two mavericks appeared.
"From what we can tell, these are the leaders of the operation. They have taken over the water recycling and treating plants in Antarctica. The one on the left is called Bladed Beaver, and the other beside him is Fluid Ferret." X memorized their appearance. Bladed Beaver was a small creature, but from the looks of it that didn't hinder his speed. He had a large tail with needles on the end, a brownish appearance, and two arm cannons. The other Fluid Ferret was more odd to look at. He was about X's height, streamlined with a tail, smaller than Bladed Beaver's. His coloring was blue, and it seemed he had powerful jaws as well. It seemed he could scamper about without a care in the world.
"Now I don't need to tell you how important it is we regain those facilities. The entire world depends upon Antarctica's supply of water to exist." Cain continued. X nodded. From his information on the original Mega Man, a reprogrammed Wily robot master known as Ice Man had done the same thing.
"With two of them, things will be more difficult. I will need help on this mission. Sir, may I take Commander Bastion with me?" X asked. Cain blinked, then nodded. It was hard for him to think about it, but there was a time that X would have refused the help of Bastion. Now it seemed, X was slowly replacing Zero…
No, it couldn't be, Cain thought. X wouldn't give up on Zero yet…would he? X powered up with his Golden Hyper armor and grabbed an energy shield from the armaments rack nearby. Bastion took a Sub-Tank and a small jetpack and checked his personalized beam saber. Bastion turned to X, and then they blinked out, two light rays of blue/yellow and orange. Cain took a breath, and walked back to his office. Now even he was worried about the crazy red lunatic.
They arrived at their location less than gracefully. Just as they had been placed in the surf at Hawaii, they now were dumped onto an iceberg at the shore by the plants. X groaned.
"Great." Bastion chuckled.
"Not to worry sir, I brought my own transportation this time." Bastion pointed to the small rocket pack. Although it was designed for short use, it would do the trick. X smiled. Together they dash-jumped off the small floating chunk and soared through the air. Below them, a small pack of seals perked their heads up from the waves and stared at them oddly. Just as they reached the apex of their jump, they activated their devices. X air-dashed, pushing himself forward and up twice in quick succession, while Bastion gave a steady stream of fuel to the small but powerful fuel turbojets.
How they worked was the turbojets acted much like those on military aircraft. This was the combination of space age and air age put together, and its design was so varied, they cost little more than a small computer. And you could refuel them anywhere. X on the other hand, used his fuel reserves of Hydrogen, Nitrogen and Oxygen from the atmosphere, burned them and expelled them like rocket repellant by the small thrusters on his boots. His first set of Dash Boots, which he always wore if he didn't have a more advanced set with him, was the first item he had obtained from the deceased Doctor Light's capsules.
In any case, they landed safely and much more elegantly than they had before. Bastion turned off his engines, and X skidded to a halt on the packed ice. X reached up to his helmet and clicked a button on the side. A small map appeared in the corner of his eye, with 2 glowing marks about five miles apart. This is where the main maverick groups were located. X turned it off and activated his energy shield, a device that dated back to Mega Man. What it did was create an energy barrier around the user that would take hits for the wearer. Luckily, maverick systems were incompatible with it, because infection to an energy shield shorted it out long before it became of any use. X turned to Bastion, who was swinging his saber and testing it out.
"All right, Commander Bastion. There are two clusters ahead of us. One to the southeast, one to the southwest. Which would you like?" Bastion grinned. Now he would be able to fully test himself in full- fledged maverick combat.
"I'll take the one to the southwest." X nodded.
"Stay in comm contact. And if things get too harrowing, REPORT IN. Then get the hell out of there. We already have too many dead heroes on our hands." Bastion frowned.
"Why would you say that?" X turned around and began to walk to the southeast. Then softly, almost like the cold whistling wind, Bastion could hear him say;
"Because, after the war is finished, when it is all over…there are no heroes. Only mourners."
To Bastion, the trek was no big deal. Even if he couldn't swim, he could still slide. And the range he traveled was just that, a slide. The cold arctic wind whipped in his face as he glided effortlessly over slope after slope, with the sea to his left and a pure white cloud to his right. It was that time in Antarctica, where the sun never sets, it just hangs there day in and day out, casting continual sun on the frozen fields. Scientists had long ago confirmed that when Antarctica was part of Pangaea, the massive singular continent on the earth, this place was a warm, lush area. Then when the continents broke apart it went south. Too far south, to the bottom of the earth it traveled. Now the crushed grass and ground lay underneath several miles of crushed snow and ice, compacted by age. But to Bastion, all it meant was his playing field was immense. Too bad, he thought. If the mavericks were out here, he would have a lot of fun playing with them. But they had done the usual thing and set up shop in the facilities.
"Hey, X. you read me?" Bastion chirped as he pushed the comm button on his helmet. Static, then a solid answer.
"Yes, Bastion. What did you find?" Bastion chuckled.
"Not much, sir. The base is two miles ahead. How would you approach it unnoticed?" X stopped his slide, then turned to face Bastion, a mile away. A mere speck in the whiteness.
"Last time I faced something like this was at the Repliforce Arctic Base. I warped in from far away, and took the low road. I guess the thing for you to do Bastion is to wait until the snow drifts, which should already be starting up. That should provide some cover for you to sneak past the guards. Take them out, then head inside and BE QUIET. The easiest way to die is to attract the attention of every plasma cannon in the area. I should know. Luckily, the first time I learned that they were throwing snow, not superheated gas." Bastion chuckled.
"Thanks, sir. See you after I beat the snot out of the mavericks." Bastion chirped his comm off and dashed. The water treatment plant was pretty big, and he could pick out the long fence. The guards, heavily protected in Chimera mechs guarded the supposedly only way in or out of the compound, the main gate. But Bastion remembered X's sage words and slid down to the left of the main entrance. About ten minutes later with a path sliced open by his saber, Bastion came underneath the electrified fence and popped out onto the main grounds. The fence originally was used to prevent penguins and other native creatures from walking in, but now the mavericks had created a deadly current that snaked through it, waiting to strike the unlucky intruder. And Bastion had just outsmarted the lot of them. Now all he had to do was survive the trip inside and take out the operations master, the awaiting maverick general.
X was having similar luck, with the same outlay. But unlike Bastion who could only sneak and dart around, X came fully equipped for the job. Powering up his Narwhal Cannon, he fired off several explosive bursts, destroying the fence and seriously damaging the Chimera mech guards. When they came charging at him, a superpowerful Hyper Cannon plasma beam disintegrated them. X checked his weapons array. He only had a 70% charge left on the Narhwal Cannon, but the Dante's Inferno flame-thrower and Koala Slash were at full power. In any case, he soon found a weapons capsule rolling around aimlessly, left behind by one of the troops. Plugging it in, he regained 5% of his Narwhal Cannon, then tossing the empty container aside, he set a course for the main control room.
Bastion had achieved his first objective of getting into the water treatment facility. But to him in the high rafters, it was nothing more than a maze of pipes and wires. But he dared not drop below, for Chimeras were patrolling the area. And he knew in his current state to go against anything more than one Chimera was foolish. Perhaps if he had a hand grenade, or some other anti-tank weapon. But his simple saber although effective at dueling with mavericks, would take several hacks to take down the heavily armored carrier. Bastion looked up ahead of him and saw nothing more than an endless tunnel of pipes. He looked below. Two of the three Chimeras had walked away, scouting the other pathways. An idea flashed in his head, then he leaped off the high tunnel and down below. Activating his saber, he sliced the pilot maverick clean in two. Throwing away the inactive remains, he activated himself as the pilot. Instantly he could feel the system giving him an edge of protection and power. Bastion grinned. He turned the mech around and faced the path which one of them had chosen. Activating the saber arm attachment, he pushed the dash thrusters into action with the button placed on top of the left steering grip. The mighty mech moved forward at what seemed an impossible speed for its bulky frame. Then Bastion could see around the corner the enemy Chimera just turning back. Bastion launched forth, and with a mighty war cry split the metal warrior in half. Both parts exploded, but Bastion was already making a huge dash jump with his mech through some tubes in the middle of the room, opposite of which stood the last Chimera.
"Hey, Bennie! You all right?" the pilot yelled. His statement was interrupted as Bastion smashed through the barrier, his saber arm outstretched.
"YAAAH!" Bastion screamed. His Chimera's own inertia caused it to stab the other mech, spearing it until the edge of the blade pierced the other side of the enemy walker. The walker exploded, and Bastion looked at his mech's systems. The explosions had partially damaged the Chimera, but it was still at 80% operating power. Bastion tapped the area schematics onscreen, then smiled as he located the main control chamber. Slowly, he shifted the Chimera forward.
"Hold on, my maverick friend. You'll soon have company."
X meanwhile had nothing holding him back, for his Super Helmet would recharge any damage he took, not to mention the fact his energy shield was still working. These two things and the fact he knew these were the same mavericks who were holding his friend Zero turned him into a rampaging war machine. With his Hyper Cannon at the ready, he steadily progressed through the water collection plant, taking care not to destroy any of the equipment, but taking full time to ensure every enemy unit was disposed of.
This was not an easy thing, for when he had first blasted into the compound, the alarms had been going off crazily. X at the time had cursed himself for being so rash. But now it seemed the element of surprise was not needed. The superior strength of his armor and weapons were defeating everything the maverick forces threw at him.
"Where the hell is the blasted control chamber?" X muttered, firing off another plasma blast. But then he looked down, because he was beeping. His energy meter was glowing orange, meaning he was down at dangerously low levels of operating power.
"DAMN!" X cursed, morphing into his Koala Slash armor, which made him a dark gray. X did this because of the one drawback to the Hyper Cannon; its energy requirements. To pop off the incredibly powerful plasma blasts it needed, it drew off his main operating power. A few would have little noticeable loss on him, but he had fired off what…thirty, forty? X took a breath and stood still. After a few seconds, his helmet patched up a screen in his eyesight.
"Do you wish to recharge?" X sent a signal back, and his systems slowly began the process of filling up his energy again. This was the Super Helmet's function, to restore health to his systems. But to do it, he needed to remain still, not fighting, much like a sitting duck. X grumbled at the slowness. Even if it was useful, he still thought it took too long.
"Come on…" X growled. The meter blinked mercilessly. Forty percent, fifty, sixty, seventy, seventy five, eighty two…
Then a powerful blast of water stopped the recharge and smashed X against the wall, taking off his energy shield's overall power. X looked up to see a powerful robot crouching down on him from above. It looked like a guardian, not the main maverick general, but a subordinate, lacking in thought power.
A lot of the maverick mini-bosses, as X jokingly called them did not have the reploid abilities of thought. In many ways, they were merely big bots from another age…the age of Mega Man. Able to do only what they were programmed to do, they were the epitamy of what many thought was the ultimate advancement in robotics. When Light created Mega Man, who could imitate humans to a remarkable level, the bar was raised. And then came reploids. It always pained X to destroy fellow reploids, for even if they were mavericks…they were his family.
This was pretty true, for X was the first of his kind, not a reploid at all, the one from which all others were made. In a way, he was the father. A father that now had to go out and kill his sons and daughters.
But X felt no qualm in destroying simple programmed machines, unfeeling cold-blooded killers. They were not his kin, and not of his design. Therefore, he felt obligated to scrap every mini-boss he could find. The problem was, could he hold out against them?
This one was a small one compared to some X had encountered in the past, but that allowed him greater mobility and power. It seemed he had a basic plasma cannon, and X knew that the cannon could also fire powerful jets of water, probably so that the fully charged plasma shots could hit home when enemies were defenseless. X got up and examined his Koala Slash power. Now, he would see what this weapon could do. Activating it, long claws suddenly emerged on the upper exterior of his X-Buster. X chuckled. This seemed a lot like the Sonic Slicer weapon he had gotten from Overdrive Ostrich during the Second Maverick Uprising. And because of that, X realized how easily he could use it. He pumped his other fist, activating the energy transfer. The power drained from the Koala Slash came not from the claws, but the energy that was instilled in them. When X cut into his target, the energy would be released, causing powerful electrical shocks along with the damaging physical wounds. If he charged the Koala Slash, it would release a powerful half-moon shaped charge into the air, devastating anything he hit it with. Like X had thought before, it was a lot like the Sonic Slicer.
The robot crashed to the ground, and X dashed to the side to avoid the powerful blast of water he knew was coming. The high-pressure stream splashed against a wall harmlessly, releasing a fine mist into the air, which turned into frost and ice due to the temperature. X kicked his Dash Boots into action and charged the monstrosity. But the demon turned his head and fired two small plasma bursts at him. X dodged the first, but the second hit home, knocking off a good portion of his energy shield. It wasn't as damaging as taking a real plasma hit, which would scorch and melt his armor, possibly even destroying vital circuitry, but it still hurt.
"Goddamnit!" X cried out. He leaped into the air and came falling down, his koala claws raised high up. The robot saw this, but his cannon could not rotate to fire. X fell like a stone, but the force of the inertia was put not into the hard concrete floor, but rather the robot's torso. X screamed a powerful war cry as the Koala Slash's power sliced through the thick armor of the guardian, the power overloading his circuits. When the damage extended to his internal water reserves, the effect was immediate. The beast exploded furiously, flinging X against the wet wall with great force. Chunks of robot, charred, smoking and sizzling all at the same time smashed against his frame like large pieces of shrapnel. When the explosion died down, X looked at his energy gauge. Twenty percent operating power. Shield energy; sixty percent. X blinked, then walked over to a dark corner and hid himself.
X had long since known that crazy bravado got one nowhere, and after an intense battle he would often look at what had happened. HE COULD HAVE DIED. But by now, that extreme shock was wearing its effect on him. No longer did he convulse for minutes, realizing his life had been in jeopardy. Now he just took time to relax himself and calm down.
"Computer, begin auto recharge." X spoke softly, as he closed his eyes. His systems blinked a message on his view, then vanished.
For now, he would wait and get strong. But he still had a powerful foe to go against. And when the time was right, he would finish the job he came to do…retake the water recovery facility.
While X was waiting for the right moment to strike, Bastion was acting in much the opposite fashion. Armed in his Chimera mech he was charging through hordes of reploids. Under the situation, he noted that were he in the Frog mech he would be dead right now. The sheer amount of armor and weaponry that the Chimera held was incredible. He had read the data files on armored mechs in the reploid library at Maverick HHQ.
The Chimera was the oldest of all the mechs. When the maverick threat emerged, one maverick by the name of Vile, which Bastion knew X had dealt with twice before was never seen without his Chimera mech, affectionately named "Goliath." The first time X had encountered it, it took Zero's intervention to save his life. The second time, Zero once again intervened, destroying his own life so X could face Vile on an even par. Because of this, the Chimera mechs were favored by maverick forces and were prevalent in great numbers more than any other. They could even withstand hot burning lava!
Bastion could imagine what it looked like to watch a gray blur with an orange top to come speeding by, and then suddenly realize you have been utterly destroyed by the same blur, before blinking out of existence. He kind of liked it, the power he held. The power to decide between life and death.
But he snapped back as he realized that ahead of him was a slim door. No way the Chimera could fit in it. He turned on the saber attachment and charged the wall. But the response was unexpected. An ionic shield had been placed around the wall, so that his saber proved useless. Much like breaking a twig, Bastion saw the blazing blade of yellow bend harmlessly, off the wall much like a large letter L. Bastion frowned. Whoever was behind the door wanted to face him by himself.
"All right you maverick scum. I'll play by your game." Bastion called out, dismounting his Chimera mech and walking to the door. A voice behind it chuckled loudly,
"Good, good. I'd hate to think the conquering hero was a bad sport." Bastion backed off for a minute, reaching for his saber and turning it on. The comforting purple glow flickered to life and he smashed the door in with his boot. He dodged to the side just in case the maverick behind it was trying to fire at him while he was in the kill zone, but it was not necessary. Only silence came from the doorway.
"Oh, come, come now. Did you think I would steep to such a low level to fire at an unsuspecting Maverick Hunter? Well, maybe I would BUT THE POINT IS…just get in here, will you?" Bastion smiled. He had caused his opponent to become flustered, and that would be an advantage. Bastion stepped slowly through the metal frame, moving to the side and raising his blade.
A figure became clearer to him as the lights flickered to life, becoming brighter very slowly. His enemy was short, with a large tail…
"Bladed Beaver, I presume?" Bastion asked warily, eyeing his foe for any sudden movements. But the maverick only smiled, revealing two rows of sharp, white teeth. Bastion could take a wild guess at what he was going to do with those. Beaver nodded.
"And who would you be, my brave BUT FOOLISH adversary?" Bastion stared at him for a moment, then replied in an even tone,
"Commander Bastion, leader of the 21st Maverick Hunter Unit." Bladed Beaver's smile became even wider.
"Ahh, I see those fools have sent me one of their finest. That will only make my victory even more sweet!" Bastion blinked, then replied,
"I don't know you. Which unit were you a part of?" Beaver's smile widened even more as a wide raucous laugh filled the room. Bladed Beaver laughed so hard, he raised his tail to support himself. When he finally stopped laughing, he snickered a bit, then managed to eke out a comeback.
"I wasn't! I am a pure maverick, made from scratch! Did you REALLY think I'd want anything to do with your pathetic band of lawkeeping loonies?" Beaver's laughter began anew as he fell backwards, his tail slapping on the pavement with silliness. His attitude angered Bastion greatly.
To laugh during a battle is to say to the other side that your full concentration and effort are not needed. Bladed Beaver was very obviously informing Bastion he thought he was unworthy as an opponent. Bastion almost charged him, but then X's words stopped him in mid-dash.
"There are no heroes, only mourners."
He jumped back and stared at Bladed Beaver. Sure enough, the crafty devil had been waiting for that move, and had swung his mighty metallic tail in a wide arc, hoping to hit Bastion with it. Had Bastion acted in the heat of the moment, not thinking clearly, he would have been hit and possibly even been taken out. Bastion smiled, thanking X silently for his guidance.
"Nice try, tubby tail. Now, how about we do this for real?" Bladed Beaver fumed, leaping up and into his crouching position.
"Very well then, you rapscallion. I must warn you, no one has ever insulted me and lived to tell about it." He raised his teeth and chattered furiously. Bastion dropped his smile and lowered his beam saber to a horizontal position. A cold gust of wind blew through a broken window, filling the air with snowy dust.
X emerged from his place in the shadows, fully charged. At least with his main operations energy. His weapons were still depleted, with the Narwhal Cannon at 80%, the Koala Slash at 92%, and with the Dante's Inferno at full power. X turned his head and walked over to the main computing piece of the Chimera he had destroyed ten minutes ago. Placing his hand on it, he used his data transfer ability to scan the memory for the facility blueprints. Almost all Chimeras held maps, just so that the mavericks controlling them knew where to patrol. X smiled as an image burned into his memory, then he got up.
"All right. Now I should be heading…this way." X said to himself quietly. Slowly he began to walk, trying to remain silent as possible. He turned another corner, and he spoke again.
"I'm not far off. If I'm right, I should be seeing the door to the main control center soon." A loud warcry broke his monologue. X's spine, if he had one chilled and shivered at the very sound of it. When X walked around the corner, his Hyper Cannon raised in defense, he saw what caused it. There was the small door leading into the control chamber, and a figure standing behind it. X dropped to the floor and scanned his surroundings. He had to find another way in, otherwise the maverick would have him right in his ambush zone. X scanned the map he held in his system and looked for any other ways in. Suddenly, an opportunity presented itself, in the form of a simple airduct. X looked down to his left and saw the entrance.
Maintenance robots used these ducts to clean out the air circulation systems humans required, as well as a quick way to move around the facility without being trampled on by the workers. And now, these same tunnels would help X liberate this plant. He had to be quiet, or else the maverick general on the other side of that door would get wise and follow him…or worse.
Gently, he used a fraction of his Koala Slash to cut open the grate covering the tunnel. The process was slow, but X knew that this time, unlike the last, time was not of the essence. Survival was.
He pried it off and crept in, slowly shifting back and forth down the shaft. When he went far enough, he could another grate on the right side of the tunnel. Since he had been going up as well, X knew this would let him literally get the drop on his foe. X stopped and peered through the thin bars of the cover grate, and saw…nothing.
The room was empty as far as he saw. His mystery maverick was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly a loud grating noise screeched against the duct. X swiveled his head quickly, seeing two rows of incredibly sharp teeth gnashing through the passageway. X raised his Hyper Cannon and fired a small uncharged blast at the metal grate. It blew off its hinges like a bomb had hit it, and X snaked out of the thin passageway, dropping to the floor. Instantly, his Hyper Cannon gained a bead on his adversary. X recognized the threat instantly from his name.
"Fluid Ferret." The foe jumped down from his position, his tail waving madly in the air as he fell. He was tall, thin, and wiry. The picture perfect image of an incredibly angry ferret. In the wild, Ferrets were dangerous creatures whose viselike gripping teeth clamped down on their victims until they bled to death, pinned down and helpless to defend themselves. And if a wild animal could wreak such havoc, X could only imagine what this demon was capable of. His small but bushy tail wagged back and forth, his teeth still held bits of air duct. Ferret gnashed the bits and swallowed them, then smiled at X.
"So, the great X. Destroyer of Sigma, the first reploid. We meet at last. I am sorry to say your time here is extremely short, however." X frowned, his cannon at the ready.
"I don't consider myself to be the first. I consider myself to be of an entirely different classification. A reploid is short for replicate android. In short, I am above you, for you are nothing more than the reconstructed shadows of myself." X's words rang true, for he had often had this internal struggle with that. And now, he had finished it, just in time to fight this menace. Fluid Ferret merely smiled even more. He knew that X was trying to fluster him, to make him lose his cool. But he had studied his predecessor's failures. And every one of them underestimated his true power. He would not do so.
"Nice try, X. But your pretty speeches solve nothing. As far as I know, you are probably using an energy shield, or a Sub-Tank, or both. Do not think I will be merciful on you, for unlike my comrades who failed to realize your true power, I have fully realized every option you may take!" X squinted his eyes. To himself, he thought of what this could mean. Fluid Ferret was betting on the option he had come fully loaded, which meant energy attacks would not be part of his regimen, seeing as the energy shield would cancel their effects on him. This also meant any opportunities to fight at long-range would be dashed. His Hyper Cannon would be useless. This was to be a close-combat fight. Only his Koala Slash would do. He accessed the weapons array and selected his Koala Slash. Instantly, his white-blue suit became a dark gray, and 2 pairs of claws emerged from his cannon socket. Fluid Ferret looked on in surprise, for this was something he had not counted on. X looked up and gave a weak smile, one that was grim.
"So, you want to fight close in, no energy weapons? Fine. I'll do the same." Fluid Ferret smiled, his jagged teeth glinting light off in every direction.
"You surprise me, X. but I like it. This will be a great victory, the ultimate test of my skills! And don't forget…I will win." X crouched, then raised two fingers and motioned to Ferret.
"Stop talking and fight you little weasel!" The maverick smiled again and then charged X, his scream turning into an ear-splitting wail. Fluid came in low, but X air-dashed to the left, avoiding the ground skimming attack. Fluid Ferret suddenly bounded up from his low dash and flew right at X, his eyes blood red with anger. X looked down in surprise and slashed his first down. The Koala Slash made contact with Fluid Ferret's own razor-sharp claws, both sizzling furiously as they tried to cut their way past the blockage. Fluid Ferret took the distraction from the intertwined weapons to try and crane his jaws up by X's neck. But X saw the sudden movement and reacted to it, bringing about his second hand and slicing Fluid Ferret with a powerful uppercut across the chin. X then turned his left Dash Boot into Ferret's stomach and fired the air-rockets. What X had done was strike a minute blow and at the same time separated them. X dashed again before he hit the ground, coming to a slow stop. But when he took a look at his Koala Slash reserves, he saw that when their fists had melded during the brief period of a little more than a second, it had drained off their energy down to 75%. X glanced back up again, but Fluid Ferret was just standing up. He raised his head, and showed X the slight cut on his chin.
"You're a powerful one, X. Now I see why the others were at such a disadvantage. It seems even my friend Killer Koala could not destroy you, as evidenced by your weaponry." X let a tiny smile come to his lips. If this great warrior could admit X was an exceptional fighter, he possibly stood a chance of winning. But Fluid Ferret's speech took a turn for the worse. "However, let it be known my friend that I am the strongest warrior of all the mavericks you have fought. It is little note that you have won before. You were playing in the little leagues…welcome to the majors!" Fluid Ferret snarled again and launched himself at X viciously. The attack was one X could not block, and he was knocked flat on his back. By the time X could move, the demon had latched onto X's right arm, and was slowly chewing it up into scrap. Reploid blood, purple spurted from his arm, and X screamed in pain. He reached around with his other hand and sliced at Ferret's face in the cheek, but the blow was a weak one and the maverick continued his grisly work. X's hand fell limply to the floor, his face stained by his own blood, his systems at 10% energy.
I'm doomed, X thought. His mind flashed hundreds of images across his viewscreen, each of them from his past. Even ones he could not identify…Dr. Light???
Fluid Ferret jumped up and looked down on the severely damaged maverick hunter, the greatest maverick hunter, Mega Man X. A grim smile crossed his face.
"Well, X. It has been fun, but now I am afraid you must die. I wonder; when you die, will you go to heaven or hell? Surely, hell I am thinking. Look at everyone you have killed mercilessly. Every maverick you have fought, dead, their spirits gone from this plane. If mavericks possess such a thing!" Fluid Ferret laughed at his own witty comment. X could only stare loosely, his eyes glazed over. He was close to death, and he could focus on nothing.
To him, time moved slowly. Everything appeared hampered by molasses. X was feeling what many humans do when they are about to die. The old memories, their lives flashing before their eyes, then the slowness of events. Suddenly, the blur of Fluid Ferret vanished, and a small figure appeared in front of him. X blinked weakly, trying to focus in. But he could not see anything. Just a lone figure with large eyes that looked at him pleadingly. X, GET UP AND FIGHT!!!
"Why? Why must I fight? I am tired, I want to die." X whimpered, a small tear of systems fluid dropping from his face. The figure looked at him even more. His face was haunting, and X could not tear his gaze from it, nor shut his eyes from the sight. X, you must fight. I know you don't want to, but if you don't, then millions will suffer. The figure's head came into vision. It was round, with outcroppings on the top and sides. Then X saw a glint of blue, a dark sea of blue. His helmet was blue.
"Mega Man.." X whispered. The figure closed his eyes and vanished, until only a whisper of his voice remained. Fight, X. fight to survive. Then the ghostly image of Mega Man vanished, and Fluid Ferret appeared once more. The maverick reached down with one of his hands to sever X's neck and forever end his life. But suddenly X felt rejuvenated, and with a burst of pure power, he launched himself up.
"NO!" X shouted, taking his left arm and slashing viciously at Fluid Ferret's chest. The wound ran deep and the charged energy overloaded his circuitry, throwing him back a few feet. But X slumped to his knees, weakened by his outburst. X had just received for what humans would be pure instinct. The instinct to live, fight or flight is the most basic and the most powerful in all creatures. And with the same power X drew from his flesh and blood kin, he had prevented his death.
But now, Fluid Ferret got up, grasping his open wound. His face was stone cold, a look of pure death in his eyes. He would kill X. The massive demon reared back on his legs to prepare for the leap that would conclude with X's neck in his mouth, and X shut his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Mega Man. I tried." He whimpered softly. Another tear fell from his eye, and he waited. But the sound he heard was not the one of sharpened fangs slicing his throat, but one of an exploding wall. X opened his eyes to see the wall to his left blow in. The chunk flew straight, crashing into Fluid Ferret and pounding him into the opposite wall, where he fell into a crumpled heap. X turned left again, and there in full glory, riding atop a massive Chimera riding tank was Bastion, a little scrounged, but with a look of pure joy on his face.
When the dust cleared, Bastion scanned the room, and saw X lying on his side, a pool of purple blood beneath him and a mangled arm. Bastion leaped out of the tank and dashed over to his comrade.
"X! Speak to me, man!" X lifted his head weakly.
"I've set my helmet to recharge, but I'm too far gone for it to do any good. I'm dying, Bastion." The orange reploid shook his head and clicked a button on his chest.
"Not for long you aren't. Just don't die on me yet!" Bastion reached inside the newly opened chest compartment and pulled out his Sub-Tank, unused. With a vicious thrust, he jammed it into X's chest compartment and set it to feed.
How Sub-Tanks work was based on the simple principle of energy. A reploid's energy meter was based on how much energy his system could divert from the main power core to repair itself if the reploid took damage. When the reploid did, small microrobots scampered to the damaged area and sealed it off, healing it as well. The energy meter was based on how much energy these small probes could divert from the reploid's power generator, a micro-fusion fuel tank to use for their purpose. X could feel the energy flowing into his fusion tank, the microprobes activating and fixing him up. X stood weakly, his legs shaking.
"I'll be all right now, Bastion. Thanks. Why didn't you use it?" Bastion grinned from ear to ear.
"Didn't need to. That guy was so busy trying to play cheeseball tactics on me, I didn't need it. I even picked up a new move. I call it the "Whirling Slasher" I just basically spin about and slash everything who's too close." X smiled. This young warrior was progressing fast.
"I'm afraid I had less luck. Of course, I wasn't fighting Mr. Stupid. You see that pile of rubble over there? There's a maverick by the name of Fluid Ferret underneath. Grab him for interrogation, and let's go home."
"I'm with ya there, X. Be right back!" Bastion happily bounced over and kicked the rubble aside. There underneath it was Fluid Ferret, his wounds recuperating in emergency stasis. Bastion lifted the sleeping demon and warped out, with the wounded X following closely behind.