MEGA MAN X: END OF A DREAM
By Erico
CHAPTER TWELVE: FRIENDS ANEW
"He's right this way, although I'm not sure how he'll respond," Kalinka spoke. She was leading the discovered X down through the dark halls of the lower Citadel, beyond the tour's bounds.
"I don't care, just as long as he's still alive. I cam here for answers, and from what I know, Cossack is the only one who can help me get them." X's face was grim, but his outlook was good. He had made it this far and he wouldn't stop yet. His white and golden armor brightly glinted off the dim lights of the tunnel. X lifted his face to beyond the old, but attractive woman and stared at the endless darkness.
"So tell me Kalinka, why did you make a pass at me?" Kalinka visibly blushed, and X almost dropped the question. But Kalinka spoke up.
"You looked pretty cute. I swore you were at least eighteen, just very boyish." X raised his eyebrows.
"So, you do this often? Geez, things must get pretty lonely." Kalinka smacked him on the back of the head. "Oww!" X cried out, rubbing his tender helmet. Kalinka kept going.
"When I want to do something, I just go to Moscow. But the rest of the time, I run the tourist shop here. And you are right, things get lonely." Her eyes glazed over and stared at the darkness ahead. "The only reason I stay is because of my father. He's too old to be by himself, even with his helpers." X kept walking.
"At least you HAVE a father to take care of. Mine's dead." Kalinka winced, and then walked over to a statue of Cossack. Shaking the statue's hand, the wall behind the statue slid open and Kalinka walked inside. X followed. Now he was closer than ever to his goal.
While X was walking through tunnels in search of answers, Wycost was back at Maverick HHQ. He was looking at himself in the mirror, with his freshly painted green armor. He smiled from ear to ear as he saw his brilliant colors shining once more.
"Hah! Man, I had almost forgotten how goood I look! If only those blasted mavericks could see me now…" his smile disappeared, and Wycost suddenly realized why he was here. "Don't worry my friends…I'll get your revenge." He looked over at his X-Buster, also colored green, but with a streak of black running down the long axis…the only thing that remained of his maverick period; a stark reminder of the evil and hatred that had once been all he knew. He rotated his wrists and pulled his right hand back into his X-Buster. Checking the discharge barrel for scouring, he was satisfied to note it was clean. But the noise of a door opening made him turn around.
It was Bastion. Looking like all of fall with his colorings and the dark purple Powerstorm jetpack armor, he was an imposing sight. But Bastion was smiling weakly.
"Well, Wycost. Welcome to my unit. I was very impressed with your display, but you might have chosen a better spot to hold it in. Cain and Hazil were a bit frazzled." Wycost grunted.
"Nice rhyme. So, where can one test out his full abilities around here?" Bastion raised a thumb towards the rec room.
"Full maverick simulation. I've already checked out an hour for you. I'll be assisting." Wycost started walking towards the door.
"I don't need any help. Just upgrade my dash boots for max ground thrust, and I'll be all right." Wycost slammed the door open and stepped out. Bastion shook his head.
"He's hiding something. Or he doesn't want to remember it. In any case, there's something about him…I just can't place it." Bastion walked out the door, following his young hotheaded warrior.
If he stood up well in training, he might stand a chance in battle. If his anger didn't get him killed first.
Cain and Hazil were looking over Zero. They had given him a full recharge, complete with a new beam saber and an armor pain job.
"You look better than you did when you came in." Hazil grunted, pulling out a scanner. He turned it on and scanned Zero. Suddenly, a powerful bleeping signal emanated from it, and Hazil raised his eyebrows in surprise. Cain looked over and gasped.
"What the hell…MAVERICK?" Zero got up and looked at them, wondering why they were so shocked.
"What did you find, Doc?" Cain stared at him and backed off a few steps.
"The scanner says you've been infected…how did that happen?" Zero looked down, and ignored the question for a while. Then he looked up with a pained stare.
"Do you really want to know?" Cain nodded, his face hard. He trusted Zero, but this...Zero cleared his throat.
"Now a lot of this surprised me too, OK? I'll tell you, but remember that I'm fully a hunter here." Cain crossed his arms. "Sigma…he kidnapped me and he dragged me down into the sewers for a new plan of his."
"Which would be?" Hazil asked warily. Zero put his hand on his helmet and looked down.
"He tried to turn me into a Maverick…"
"For days I was tormented. I faced maverick leader after reconstructed maverick leader, each time the maverick virus inside of me trying to escape and command. As I fought, I grew weaker and weaker, but always I stopped it by pushing back with all my inner power. Then Sigma caused me to snap, and it finally won me over." Zero cradled his long hair and laughed. "The crazy bastard got more than what he expected. Not only did I scare all of them, but Vile was destroyed. Then it went back to the same cycle, until that crazy dark green guy showed up and helped me to escape. I got the feeling he did it only so I would stay out of his way. And I came back here." Cain whistled.
"You're right. That IS a load to deal with. And I will need some consideration." Zero blinked.
"Consideration? For what?" Cain picked up his walking stick and coughed.
"To see if you are still fit to command. The consensus will be taken tomorrow." Zero couldn't believe his ears, for what Cain was proposing what his possible resignation. When a Maverick Hunter is considered to be a risk, all available personnel are assembled, and they take a vote. If it is voted for excusal, that Maverick Hunter is taken out of his position, and in severe cases disintegrated.
"Hold on a sec, doc. Don't you think that's going too far?" Cain stared at him, and then Zero's situation fully sank into him. He frowned, his face twitching. "So that's how its going to be, huh?" he slammed his fist on the bench, breaking it apart.
"Goddamnit! I've been here since the First Maverick Uprising, AND NOW YOU DOUBT ME? You would be willing to persecute one of your best troops just because he WAS infected, but has overcome it?" Cain spoke up.
"It's not just that, Zero. You are an exceptional hunter, I'll give you that. But you are unstable, and now I see why…You're all too prone to the Virus, and that's a critical weakness we can't afford."
"LOOK AT ME, DOC!" Zero thrust his arms out, an expression of dismay on his face. "I've been a hunter all my life! Even if I was one, that is no reason to warrant my excusal."
"I think it is. Report to your quarters, Zero. Security will get you tomorrow for your hearing." Zero blinked back tears. He was being abandoned by the very people he had saved and aided hundreds of times before.
"Can I talk to X?"
"I'm afraid not. He went off on some crusade for his missing answers, and hasn't reported back since. But that is of no concern. Now go, before I am forced to restrain you. You are under house arrest, so get moving." Zero choked out a simple sob and pounded his fist into the wall, leaving a large crater. He ran out of the door, and down the hall to his quarters.
"X, where are you?" Zero sniffed. "I need someone to talk to."
"What would you do if you weren't running this museum, Kalinka?" X asked as they continued. Kalinka smiled.
"I would have gone into modeling." X laughed. She sure could have. "Here we are. Father, there is a visitor here to see you!" X looked up. A hunched figure was sitting in a wheelchair, typing into a PC.
"Kalinka, I told you! No tourist is supposed to see this place, no matter how much money they offer you!" the man's voice was sharp and scratchy, carrying a thick Russian accent. X blinked, then spoke up.
"Sir, I am no tourist. I have been looking for you for some time now. My name is X…" X waited as the figure turned around to face him. "Mega Man X." the man coughed, then pulled off his glasses and cleaned them off. He stared at X for a moment, then spoke up softly.
"So, you've arrived. Light was a genius, I can see that in your frame. You look so much like Mega." X stared at this man, Dr. Cossack. He had gone so long without knowing, and now all the answers would come to him in mere minutes. Cossack was old, and crippled from the looks of his wheelchair.
"I came here because I hoped you would be able to give me the answers I have been searching for." Cossack laughed.
"Ah, so naïve are you. Born into this world without your answers, without knowing your creator or your past." X could not believe his ears, for Dr. Cossack seemed moody and irritable, yet very contemplative. Cossack stared at him for a while and chuckled.
"Don't worry, X. I'm not loony, the body went before the mind. I can tell you your answers, and anything else you want to know about your past…about Mega Man and Light." X smiled and walked over to him.
"Can I shake your hand?" Cossack smiled, then raised his. X clasped it in an embrace and shook it.
"So what do you want to know?" X thought for a moment…so many questions to ask…
"Are any of Light's robots still active right now?" Cossack shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but they were all deactivated, by choice or by circumstances. I have only one thing left from them…" Cossack pushed a button on his wheelchair and the podium behind him raised. The base opened to reveal an elevator, and Cossack rolled in. "You are coming, X?" X nodded his head vigorously and walked in. The door shut and X could feel them dropping, dropping to another hidden secret.
Wycost jumped off the wall, avoiding the powerful jump of the foreboding frame of Flame Mammoth. The holographic behemoth trumpeted in anger as he threw a ball of flammable gel at Wycost. Wycost dashed underneath the flung jelly and shot off his X-Buster, a fully charged shot. It hit true, and Flame Mammoth exploded. Then the simulation ended and Wycost found himself standing in the rec room sim chamber once more.
"So Bastion, what was that like?" Bastion could only stare in amazement. Even if this kid was cocky and ignorant, he was a supremely skilled Buster fighter, able to handle himself and his cannon with equal discipline and expertise.
"You did great. Recorded time for victory was underneath a minute…fifty eight seconds flat." Bastion shook his head. When X had fought the real Flame Mammoth during the First Maverick Uprising, it had taken him over five minutes, and he was severely damaged. Wycost didn't even have a scratch on him. Wycost pumped his fist and turned off his X-Buster, his other hand sliding out to form an arm, no longer the weapon of destruction. Wycost walked out of the room to look at his battle stats. Bastion, his Powerstorm flight armor lying against a chair lazily was once more a complete figure of fall, his brown hair lying back casually. Bastion shook his head again and handed Wycost the printout.
"You're skilled enough to be a Unit Commander, at least with your battle skills." Wycost smiled widely.
"Great! Sign me up. I assume it comes with a pay raise?" Bastion shook his head.
"There's more to being a Unit Commander than just being an unstoppable hunter. You need logic, understanding, empathy and respect for your troops…in short, EXPERIENCE. You're new here Wycost. Give it time. You already have moved far ahead of everyone before you in rank status. Just a day and a half here, and you're already part of an elite unit. That's enough to make anyone proud." But Wycost had stopped listening long ago, and his left hand was clenched into a fist. What he had heard was that Bastion considered him untrustworthy, a loose cannon that needed to be refitted. It made him angry…
"Hey Wycost…your X-Buster is turning black!" Bastion said in surprise. Wycost looked down to see that not only had his arm turned into the X-Buster once more, but the prominent jagged black line was spreading outwards. Wycost calmed down, more in fear than anything. Bastion stood, waiting for an answer, but Wycost merely stood there silently.
Then the warning klaxon went off, and the doors opened. Bastion put his Powerstorm armor back on and waved a hand towards Wycost.
"Come on, Wycost. There's a job to be done." Wycost sighed in relief and checked his arm. The black line had faded back into its thin stream once more.
"Saved by the bell." He uttered as he ran out of the door.
Sigma was sitting in his chair in the middle of the maverick base. He had much to think about, for so many things had happened so suddenly. Zero had escaped with the aid of a maverick named Wycost, which meant that soon their base would be infiltrated and overrun by Maverick Hunters. Something had to be done to prevent that.
"But what option do I have?" Sigma mused. It had taken him months to set up this base, and worse he had no body to inhabit. The plans had been stored in the weapons storage room, and Wycost had blown that up. If he died, then his maverick function could not continue.
"That just means I'll have to find another body to inhabit…but who?" Sigma pondered the question for a while. X would not do, for he was far too strong, his purpose and goal giving him the strength to overcome everything Sigma had thrown at the wily blue boy. Then it hit him, the answer was so simple, it was incredible he had not thought of it earlier.
For weeks now, he had known that his only purpose during this was to turn Zero back into a maverick, even at the cost of his own life. And what better way to do that than infecting the red hunter himself?
"That is what I must do." Sigma's mind was set. He cared not for the losses his forces would attain; even if they were all destroyed, that was of no concern to him. They had been infected to serve the Maverick Virus's bidding, just like Sigma.
The Maverick Virus could be said to be the most unfeeling thing in the world. When it infected, it made you forget your past, made you lose hope for the future. It took away your empathy, your understanding. You turned into a hollow shell of yourself, with your powers fully operational, but lacking the understanding mind that let you consider your options. When a threat arose, there were two ways of dealing with it; destroy or infect. When one came near death, like Airborne Albatross, or realized they had to fight it, like Wycost, the virus lessened off, but then returned, stronger than ever. Even Wycost had not fully overcome the virus, for it was the deadliest ever created. The Maverick Virus can only be gotten rid of in two ways; a total disintegration of the host, or the transfer of all virus particles to another being, like Zero to Sigma. But Zero's transfer was not totally complete, for a few remained, and grew. Zero controlled them, but they grew stronger, until he finally exploded and destroyed Vile.
Sigma stood up from his chair and walked over to the console.
"Who's still fighting?" a maverick troop pointed to a screen, which showed the faces of the 8 maverick generals. Six were blackened; one was flashing and one was perfect.
"Only Strobe Stallion remains. Fluid Ferret was captured and taken to Maverick HHQ." Sigma rubbed his chin.
"That's the losses of war. Keep watching, soldier."
Wycost accompanied by Bastion warped into the area of which they were called to. The distress site was the Mount Fuji Tower, a crucial part of the islands of Japan. If the Tower was to be destroyed, mankind's control over the powerful and dangerous mount would vanish. Its purpose was to provide a moderately effective safeguard over seismic activity. With earthquakes long ago unheeded thanks to the advent of liqui-gel stabilizers and their other technological brothers, only volcanoes presented danger. And if this thing was to go off, there would be trouble.
"The Mount Fuji Tower naturally opens the top every few months or so to release gases harmlessly into the air. But right now there is a great flow that the tower is controlling. If the mavericks destroy it, then all of Tokyo and Japan…AND BEYOND…will be affected seriously." Cain had said during the briefing. With X out, and Zero untrustworthy, Bastion had been assigned the mission. He had chosen Wycost as an assistant, for any more than two would have been crazy and inefficient with the cramped quarters.
"Come on, Wycost. This tower needs to be climbed. At the top we will find the maverick general and the others. But I'll bet they have the place guarded." Bastion spoke confidently, holding an air of leadership in his voice. Wycost grunted and began to charge his X-Buster.
"Just show me those mavericks. I'll handle the rest." Bastion pulled out his beam saber and turned on the Powerstorm thrusters, raising into the air.
"One thing to remember, Wycost. Don't just blast away at anything that moves. If even one of your shots misses, it could severely damage the equipment the tower crews use to operate the volcano. Recklessness is one trait that will hinder us. Speed is good, but only when you use it rationally." Wycost stared up at the rising hunter.
"You sure talk a lot, boss."
"Only when there is something to be said. You get their attention, while I sneak into the tower's peak and destroy their leader." Wycost couldn't but help to realize how smart his commander was. Even if he hated taking orders, Wycost couldn't argue with common sense.
"All right, Bastion. I'll do that. Are you sure you won't need help?" Bastion laughed and stuck his arms out.
"Do I look like I need help? I'm unstoppable!" Wycost's face suddenly became an angry one as he raised his X-Buster and fired off his supershot. Bastion screamed and ducked the blast, but it would have missed him. Bastion suddenly heard a loud explosion behind him, and particles crashed against his back. Wycost lowered his cannon and smiled.
"Watch your back, man. That was a flying bomb drone. Before you tell me what to do, follow your own directions. I'm outta here. Somebody has to play hero while you ramble on." Wycost turned around and blasted in the tower's entrance door, dashing inside.
"That…that…that's…"
"Mega Man." Cossack spoke softly, stopping X's consistent stammer. The lower basement of Cossack's Citadel was deep, and it hid a powerful secret. The crumpled form of Mega Man, battered and unchanged lay dormant. X couldn't help reaching out with his hand to touch his older brother.
"Where's his helmet?" X asked. Mega Man's helmet, the famous blue dome was missing, revealing the tattered black mane beneath. Cossack pointed at X.
"You're wearing it." X could barely believe his ears as he reached up. He took off his helmet and compared it. It looked very similar to Mega Man's, except for the fact it was white and had a weird chevron top.
"How can this be Mega Man's helmet?" Cossack shook his head.
"I just know it is. If you want all the answers, you'll have to ask Dr. Light. Shortly before his lab was buried in an unfortunate volcanic eruption, he sent out your capsules, and they dispersed throughout the world." Cossack rolled around and hit another button on the handle of his wheelchair. The wall to X's left rotated sideways, until X could see the familiar blue and red glow of a capsule. Cossack pointed.
"This one was sent to me specially. Light wanted me to hold onto it until you found it. He thought it would take you a while to get to it, and I guess he was right. Maybe you're more ready for it now than you were before…" X ran into the tiny room, and the capsule sprung to life.
When X approached one of his capsules, it sensed his energy signature and activated all of its systems. Often, it was nothing more than an upgrade and a brief message about it. But this one was different; for X could see no upgrade beneath, just the familiar ghostly frame of Light. The apparition looked out at X with cold eyes and began to speak.
"X, if you are listening to this, then you are in Dr. Cossack's Citadel. This capsule is far different from any other you have encountered. As you can see, it contains no devices for giving you an upgrade of any sort. This one is not for your fight, but for your mind. I can barely imagine the torment you must have felt all these years, not knowing the truths of me and your past, of Mega Man or the rest of my family. I am sorry, but I did not have time to do that then. I could only give you what I thought you might need in the future. In a way, I am sort of trying to create a penance with these capsules; a penance for all the damage my original ideas created. With Duo's words, I was able to see from what he told me what the future looked like. It was a bleak one, and I saw you destroyed in trying to save the earth." X blinked away a tear and tried to focus in on what Light's ghost was saying to him.
"Because of that, I began work on the capsules. My greatest fear is that you, like the others like you that I saw in that vision, will turn to evil. I can only hope that your dedication to the sanctity of life is far stronger than anything Dr. Wily has created." X's eyes widened. Did Light just say..Dr. Wily?
"Yes, X. Dr. Wily. His curse and shadow still loom over everything. He was the creator of an entity we called "The Demon", and is to blame for the lack of your past. During the Seventh Robot Rebellion, one of Wily's robots known as Bass came into the lab and stole several papers, including the design notes for you, then trashed the place. Luckily, I had a copy of them stored away for safekeeping. When I realized that Wily had begun work on a next-generation robot of his own, I set to work on you. It wasn't easy, even with using Mega Man for a model. I gave you his helmet for a reason; to give you a link to the past." Light paused for a moment, and X could see him coughing out a wad of phlegm, the effect of pipe smoking.
"Wily's robot…he looked like this." Light's hologram ghost vanished, only to be replaced with a hologram of…Zero. X gasped, realizing the horror.
"Protoman, Mega Man and even Bass fought valiantly against this Demon, only to be destroyed with no hope of reactivation. But the robot took severe damage himself. I almost thought of activating you, but then I realized you would only become like him. It was Duo that survived this robot's rampage, but Duo could not bring himself to destroy the robot forever. He kept muttering about 'this one's future'. Personally, I could have destroyed him myself, after the loss of my family. But I took actions otherwise. Duo buried the robot back in Wily's lair and then left for a troubled area of space. Then it was just you and Auto, Eddie and Rush being destroyed as well. I reprogrammed Auto to defend one capsule, then sent the other capsules on their way, including this one." Light's figure came back into the capsule and continued.
"Aside from this message, the capsule contains my databanks and entry logs from before the First Robot Rebellion. This is what you wanted to know, and now you do. It isn't a pleasant picture, but that is life for you. There is no upgrade to be found here…but there is the knowledge and wisdom from your family's age…the Twenty-First Century, and I can tell you all you want to know that I can. My time here has ended, and my work must continue. X, the future of the world is yours. I hope you give it back." Light's hologram blinked out, and X crumpled to the floor, the tears flowing freely from his eyes, his cry of anguish filling the room and echoing throughout the hollow, empty chambers of the Citadel.
Another unit radio went dead, the silence preluded by screams.
"Gah! That's the fourth patrol unit below!" cried out a moderator. A steady gallump came into his ears as a strange figure trotted over. He looked like a metallic horse, and his name was Strobe Stallion.
"That must be one crazy Maverick Hunter," mused the giant horse. Just then, a crash to his right surprised him, as the giant plexiglass window shattered. He swiveled his upper torso to look at the intrusion, and there crouching amongst the tiny particles of window was a fearsome figure, his blazing purple beam saber lit up and sending off a constant glow. The orange and red hunter looked up, his brown hair covering the dazzling eyes beneath.
"Target found. Who are you?" the hunter spoke, his wings folding back in. The horse maverick stood tall and totally turned around to face his foe.
"I am Strobe Stallion. And you would be…" Bastion stood up to reveal his entire frame, tall and gaunt, and with the wings closing down, looking for all the world like a dark angel.
"I am Commander Bastion of the 21st Maverick Hunter Unit. I have been assigned to end this maverick operation. It begins with your demise." Bastion activated his dash boots and skimmed across the ground, his beam saber upraised for the first strike. But Strobe Stallion let a small smile come across his lips as he raised up his left hand. The palm opened up to reveal a tiny lightbulb of some sorts, which then began to glow slightly. Bastion still kept coming, even though he prepared to guard himself from what he thought to be a plasma shot. But when the light flashed with the powerful energy of a strobe, it caught Bastion totally off guard, and he found that he had been blinded.
"Ahh!" Bastion cried out as his eyes sent signals of pain back to his mind. Reploids, like robots before them were given neuro-sensors to help them realize when they are in danger. The original message was one of simple computer code, saying 'move away!' but due to the advent of more technologically advanced reploids, these neuro-sensors now had the ability to send more complex signals back, mimicking those of a human. At times they proved to be very useful, but there were other times some like X wished they could just feel a thump against them, like when Dr. Cain smacked them on the head with his stick.
Strobe Stallion laughed as the now blinded Bastion kept charging, slashing blindly. The maverick stepped to the side and stuck out one of his four feet, sending Bastion flying into a wall. Bastion hit it soundly, his body stopping from full force to zero in an instant.
"Think that was it, huh?" Strobe Stallion whinnied. He raised his right hand and it morphed into an X-Buster. He released a salvo of shots that all together overwhelmed the disabled hunter, being bounced around by the blows. And it was his Powerstorm jetpack that was suffering the most damage. Bastion could do nothing, for he was still recovering from the jarring blow he had received. And now the plasma onslaught was doing him far more damage than he had wanted. Strobe Stallion stopped his attack for a moment, letting Bastion drop to the floor. The maverick horse walked over and grasped the wounded Bastion with his free hand, raising him up to eye level. But Bastion's eyes were still shut, working on repair cycle to restore his vision.
"Did you REALLY think you could stop us? Your insolence will bring nothing but disaster to all here! We will unleash the mighty flows of Mount Fuji upon the land!" Bastion grunted.
"What about your base? You'll destroy yourselves as well." Strobe neighed in a humorless chortle.
"If we die carrying out our mission, so be it. And now you will die, along with the volcano." Strobe Stallion opened a window and walked outside. Bastion could hear the wind whistling past them as his legs dangled freely in space.
But a new noise interrupted Bastion's plunge, as a powerful X-Buster shot passed through the floor, and a figure could be heard leaping from the hole. Strobe Stallion turned around, but Bastion could only hear what was happening.
"Wycost! So, you have finally fully betrayed us. I will relish your blood upon my hands!" Bastion smiled weakly. Even if he was too damaged to continue, Wycost would finish the job…but how did Wycost betray the mavericks…
"Even if I was one of you, I am no longer. And there is only one thing I want; revenge." Wycost's voice was calm and collected, but Bastion heard it bristle with intense rage and anger.
"Fine. We will fight, just as soon as I have finished discarding this trash…" Strobe Stallion said, pulling Bastion back towards the tower and raising him up into the air. Wycost gasped, then growled,
"Put him down. Our fight does not concern him!" Strobe laughed.
"Have you forgotten, Wycost? Mavericks will always use cheating and blackmail to gain the upper hand."
"And that is why you are weak!" Wycost screamed, raising his cannon. Bastion heard him fire off a shot, then he felt a powerful blow against his chest as he was shoved back by the blast, loosing himself from Strobe Stallion's grip. Bastion's eyes slowly opened; his repair cycle was finishing up. Strobe trumpeted his anger as he raised his hand with the flashbulb.
"Very well then! Taste my feet upon your skull!" Bastion almost became blinded again by the blast, but he covered his eyes. And when he opened them, Wycost was standing no worse for wear, for his eyes were protected by a pair of black sunglass lenses.
"Did you think I'd fall for that trick, old FRIEND? You forget I know all your techniques. I even had these installed personally. They usually cover my control chip, but I just think about it, and they slide down through my helmet to protect my eyes." Wycost kept the shades on, just in case Strobe Stallion tried the same trick again.
"Fine then. I see you are only going to fight me on equally. Let us begin." Bastion could make out their two forms, dashing and running in every direction, powering up shots and releasing them. The walls became scorched, but every console remained intact. They each made full use of their reflective armbands, deflecting shots. But more were hitting Strobe Stallion than Wycost, and finally Wycost squeezed off a final shot, fully powered beyond any other he had done. Strobe Stallion raised his flash arm to block it, but the force of the plasma was too great, and it cleanly blew his arm off. The blast continued and struck Strobe Stallion right in the chest, carrying him across the room until he hit the wall and fell to the ground, an empty shell of himself.
Strobe Stallion had been shut down, and Wycost was the victor. Bastion groggily got up and walked over to the hunter.
"You never told me…" Wycost looked at him and walked over to Strobe Stallion's shell. He gingerly picked up the bulb, scanning it for a moment before slipping it into his chest.
"If you knew the truth, would you have enlisted me? Or destroyed me?" Bastion honestly could not tell the truth.
"Is that why your X-Buster has that black scar down the middle? Are you a maverick?" Wycost shook his head.
"No. I overcame the virus and destroyed it from every part of me. I am as clean as the day I was made…at least physically." Bastion sighed in relief.
"You said something about revenge; what was that for?" Wycost shook his head.
"I think that is what's causing my problems as yet. I was part of the Brooklyn Neighborhood Watch. When Nitro Narhwal and his goons came to town, we went in to stop them. All my friends were destroyed, humans and reploids. Only I survived…and that bastard had the nerve to infect me." Bastion thought for a moment.
"It must not be too hard to overcome, if you did it." Wycost flared up in anger, and he grabbed Bastion by the jetpack behind him.
"LISTEN TO ME! When I was infected, NOTHING was great. There was no hope, and our only purpose of existence was to carry out that damned computer code's will. IT IS EXTREMELY HARD to overcome." Wycost dropped Bastion back down. He shifted his goggles back up to cover his control chip, then shook his head.
"I'll never fully get over that. If you went through what I did, you'd feel the same way. I think only that Zero guy could understand what I truly went through." Wycost sat down, but then felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Bastion smiled, and spoke up.
"Wycost, you have proven to me without a doubt that you are a true maverick hunter. The scars are in your mind, and I will help you to heal them. But right now, we need to head back to base." Wycost looked up.
"Why?" Bastion checked his escape unit.
"To plan our attack on the maverick base."
When Bastion and Wycost warped in, Cain and several others were running around, klaxons wailing and nobody making any sense. Bastion finally grabbed Cain by the shoulders.
"Doc! What the hell is going on here?" Cain looked at Bastion with a mask of fear and disbelief.
"You remember how we detected some maverick particles in Zero? I sent him to his quarters, pending his excusal. But it seems he has escaped. Not only that, but he went to the armory and stole several weapons, including three Sub-Tanks. After he did that, he released Fluid Ferret. Now that crazy maverick is running the streets, free as a bird. And Zero…" Cain put his hand against his head.
"I don't know what to think of him anymore. His actions imply that he truly is a maverick. I wish I didn't have to, but I must for total safety." Cain ran over to a console and typed in his access code.
The screen above him flashed with a picture of Zero, and the words, "Irregular maverick hunter. High risk. Shoot on sight."