Ultimate Sacrifice
As the dawn of the next day began, the footsteps of doom drew ever closer to imprinting their final judgment on humanity and Reploidom... The icy cold breath of the Grim Reaper seemed to be thick in the air as both humanity and Reploidom teetered on the balance of life and death... Their moments were fading fast as their time was soon to come... While everyone was stuck on how to protect the Earth, everyone forgot about its inhabitants....... The virus did not forget and now the infected were on the brink of becoming extinct... For now... their pleas of release would not be answered... For at this moment in time, they drew their diminishing breaths as they remained locked inside of their own bodies... Their time was soon at hand.. The heroes still had no clue as to how long they had... for soon it would be too late... No cure... No hope... No one around to lament anyone else's passing.... forever...
Across the globe and amidst broken glass and chaos, Reploid and mankind tried to muster up enough energy to continue... Men... Women... Children... Reploid... All of them... had sweat pouring down their foreheads and blood smears in the corner of their mouths and eyes... Their breaths ever deepening as their moments were drawing near their end... While they fought to stay alive, the virus was soon to stop draining their life force and finish them off... Nothing could be done for that hour, for any such hope, was soon to pass... However... what these hosts did not know was that this energy was going to be put to a good use... by someone else...
The tinkering of machines and the sounds of voices carried through the hollowed halls of Elysium... The voices echoed throughout every corridor as X and Zero tried to talk sense into Iris... Crazed and mutated by the Omega Virus, Iris thought that her boyfriend and best friend were both her enemies... of which needed to be dealt with... Dark purple energy floated up around Iris as she smirked at her adversaries...
"Ready yourself," Iris cackled, "The good Iris you once knew is gone! Trust me... This will be an enjoyable fight... or am I wrong Zero? You killed me and my brother once... You should know if this is indeed an enjoyable fight! Let's get it over with! Send me off to see my brother, you foul demons."
"Iris," X rationalized, "Please stop this... We won't fight you... You'd have to kill us!"
"Then," Iris laughed wildly, "I will twist your forms and scatter your bits into the wind! There will be no resurrecting you after I'm done!"
"Iris," Zero muttered under his tears, "I love you! I will die for you! Don't do this! You mean the world to me... Without you, I couldn't carry on..."
"Oh, Copy Zero," Iris jinxed, "How could you love me? I'm just a carbon copy of the original Iris! You know... You're just as bad as Gate! Both of you! You resurrected me to do your bidding! You didn't care what you did or how you did it... you wanted to replace something you lost! Iris is gone! You don't even realize it!"
"Iris," Zero cried, "Our souls are in these copied shells but it's what's inside of them that counts... Though this is just a copied shell, my heart still remains as it was in my original form... and it's hurting seeing you like this... The pain that I fought off when I lost you... It all faded when I brought you back... Won't you think about this?! If you throw away your life by letting Omega to control you, you will be just like everything you tried to stop with the Repliforce coup.... I won't fight you Iris... I'm taking the initiative here... I'm through with fighting my friends... Stop this now while there is still hope..."
"Hope!?" Iris delighted wickedly, "There IS no hope! You fools don't realize what's going on around you! I was NEVER your friend! I just played the part to get information for my master, my one TRUE love! How could anyone stomach being your friend? I couldn't even stomach being within your grasp... Your eyes froze me to the bone and your kisses killed me... I hated every moment of your friendship and your love! No one could ever love you! Hell, most people distance themselves from you out of fear! They don't know what to make of you, a Hunter or a Maverick! Look at X... the look on his face... What I say is true! That look says it all!"
"No, Iris," X shook his head, "People don't distance themselves from Zero. He's the greatest friend I could have ever had. He's stuck with me in the thick and thin... I can't remember anyone else that could possibly personify the title "best friend". Now stop this Iris! You're spouting insane gibberish... Do you even realize what you're saying?"
"It's almost time," Iris sputtered, "Let's make this quick... My love is awaiting your remains!"
Firing a dark purple blast toward her friends, Iris disappeared in a mist of purple energy. Quickly dodging the blast, the duo watched as it dissolved even before it hit anything... Quickly trying to find Iris before she could do them harm, X and Zero went on the defensive trying to guard against her attacks and take the first move... However, this was all a feigned attempt for she would take first blood... Reappearing behind Zero, she drew an energy sword from thin air and slashed him down the backside trying to pierce his energy cell... His cries of agony called out throughout the halls... as he hit the floor... Lifting up his hand at Iris, Zero's blood started to run freely from the wound... Laughing wicked delight, Iris teleported behind X and jammed her energy sword into his chest plate... as everything started to slow down in Zero's eyes... He could only watch as his best friend fell to the ground and watch a blood pool fix underneath his frozen face...
"X..." Zero winced, "No... Iris... What have you done?"
"I killed your best friend," Iris feigned crying, "What are you going to do now? Send me to the recycling heap? Retire me? Go ahead! I've been dying every second with your poisoned arms around me!"
"Iris..." Zero stuttered as his eyes fluttered with more tears, "You can't do this! I won't fight you... You can't make me fight you... I just won't"
With the blood dripping from his open wound and his tears streaking down his face, Zero fell to the ground trying to shut out everything happening around him... Rolling up in a ball, he placed his hands on his helmet muttering things to himself about how he could not kill his one true love even after she killed his best friend... Thinking back to all the good times, the torrential downpour of emotions flushed through his eyes of all the moments he shared with them both... Rocking back and forth, he tried to block out the blurred pictures of happiness from his memory... No matter what he would do, the memories just kept forcing their way through... Moment after moment of love and joy transfixed onto the smiling face of Iris as Zero's tears deepened furthermore... Every bit of emotion he tried to hide ripped its way to the surface as the squirming mess of Zero twitched and twisted under the amassing pool of tears... Watching this whole moment, Iris could only watch as a single tear stretched down her cheek and fell silently to the ground...
"Awww," Iris mocked, "What's wrong Zero? Did I touch a soft spot? The one you loved is gone! I'm no more than a wicked abomination that you and X created! Another pawn for that dead and decaying Maverick Hunter Base!"
"No... No... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Zero shouted out, "It won't.... It can't.... I won't allow it! My love can't be taken from me... She means everything to me... X won't die... He just can't...."
"Zero..." X muttered placing a shaking hand on his shoulder, "It's alright... Take this... Use it against her... Don't use it to kill her but to bind her... We'll fix her up after we get rid of Sigma..."
"X..." Zero stammered holding back his tears, "Your sword... I can't use it... I don't have the power... I'm worthless... I can't do anything..."
"Wrong," X smiled, "When we fused as one, we shared the powers of the crystals... which can only mean..."
"I'm part of them now," Zero had an epiphany.
"Yes..." X hesitated as he rested his head onto the floor, "Now just do this... Raise it into the air and jam it into the floor... Focus your hopes into the sword and yell "DARKNESS CONTAINMENT!" It should hold her for awhile... til then we can get rid of Omega..."
"I don't think so, X," Iris giggled maliciously as she shot the sword out of his hand.
Aiming his blaster, X focused his light powers into it and fired a blinding white light at Iris... Reeling in agony, Iris fell to the ground temporarily blinded by the attack... Saving his sobs for later, Zero picked himself up and readied for his chance... Seeing his one moment, Zero jump dashed toward the sword jammed into the floor and grasped it... Feeling the power course through his veins, Zero rose it into the air and slashed it a couple times to get the feel of it... Golden light poured forth from the sword as Zero focused all his hopes and dreams into the blade... Placing his hands onto the sword, he jammed the sword into the floor as white light emanated around the cracks...
"I hope this will hold her," Zero whispered as he rose his voice to yell, "DARKNESS CONTAINMENT!" A series of white tendrils shot out from around the sword and slinked toward Iris... Wrapping around her, the tendrils solidified into an intense binding light that froze her within an immense crystal... Touching the crystal, Zero looked at Iris' face as his tears subsided... He had done it... He had stopped Iris without killing her... Looking at Iris' face one last time, Zero turned his back and helped X to his feet.
"I thought I lost you," Zero grinned as he hid wiping his eyes clean, "Guess Iris isn't as bad as I thought."
"Oh... She is as bad as she was saying," X shrugged, "She got my main power but didn't get my back up. She just barely missed my heart by a mere centimeter... Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner but it was a rough time trying to let those repair functions take up the slack... Without the elements, I'm kinda helpless... Reminds me of the last time I was a guest up here... Although I was in worse shape then... Are you going to be ok now?"
"Yeah, I'm alright," Zero tried to tease, "I was only getting my ass kicked over here AND there. You know how it is with me! They always seem to mop the floor with me. Oh yeah... Here's your sword back... It doesn't look like it will hold her for long... I think we're going to have to hurry this up!"
"Couldn't agree with you more," X said as he sheathed his sword, "Time to meet this "original" Zero and put him back where he belongs, six feet under."
Looking back at Iris one last time, X and Zero smiled at the stunned look on her face and ran off toward Omega... Following the tunnels, they rushed through the varying lights and computer systems as they found their target... In a room overlooking the Earth, the demonic form of Omega turned to meet the heroes' faces... The lights of the tinkering computers highlighted the demon's face as his long flowing blonde hair sparkled with the shine of a beam saber in his other hand.
"Ahhhh... So we meet at last," Omega grimaced placing his sword into its sheath, "Copy Zero, I believe I've made your acquaintance before. But... so... this is the legendary X. Forgive me. Your skills precede you. I was half expecting someone taller and more macho looking."
"Enough," Zero forced out trying to hold X back, "How did you get here? Who released you?"
"Simple enough," Omega laughed, "Typhus is a double agent of sorts. He's been not only working the Assassins Guild but he's been working for the Neo Arcadian government. On a dig sanctioned by the Neo Arcadian government, he found my capsule and released me. Of course, the Assassins Guild knew nothing about what he was doing... That was a given... Anyway... After I was released, I repaid him with his powers now. In fact, the only reason why Sigma and him never hit it off was because of my influence. I always liked a little chaos here and there... I also got him to play the part of the mind-controlled servant in order to keep tabs on my brother. Sigma sure is an eye sore. I now know why Black Talon installed me inside your systems Zero."
"Why Iris," X hesitated, "Why corrupt her?"
"Start with the woman you love," Omega began, "and take away everything you'd ever have and love. It's my way of making you suffer. I don't know how the hell you broke my control. I don't even know how the hell you got that copy body to reject my virus. You will pay dearly for it! Do you really think that my destroying the Neo Hunter HQ was payment enough? Ohhhh no it wasn't!!! The real price you ask? Everyone you loved... starting with Iris! First I will crush her and then X... then I will crush the very Earth you so love!"
"I don't think so! I won't let you kill anyone," Zero barked clenching his fists, "I will protect them myself even if I have to take you to the depths of Hell with me! You will answer for everything you've done or I'll be damned trying!"
"I wouldn't make any sudden movements," Omega ordered with a creepy grin, "I can destroy all the life on that planet below with a touch of this button. Black Talon's legacy is right here, the Proteon bomb. A bomb so powerful that it will not only wipe out all life down to the microscopic level but it will also vaporize artificial life. It's truly ingenious..."
"THAT'S OVERKILL!" X shouted trying to control his anger, "The people... on Earth are infected with the Mother Virus already! You can't..."
"Ahhh," Omega cut in with a smirk, "but what about the other life on the planet? There are the uninfected, plants, bugs, cute lil bunnies... Do I really have to continue? The life below us is just sickening! It infects everything with its putrid smell and spreads over every terrain like a virus! I'm doing the Earth a favor! I'll cleanse that planet clean with the bomb and raise my own army of machines here that will live with the Earth. Once I'm done here, I'll bring my Father's legacy to fruition, the ruination of the Universe at the might of Black Talon!"
"There's one thing I can say," Zero jostled, "You're more faithful to your creator than Sigma!"
"Shut it copy," Omega jinxed, "I won't take your rude comments. Now stand there and be a good lil boy. Your love Iris will be coming to the party soon... and since you didn't kill her, you get the pleasure of watching her GET killed!"
"BASTARD!" X fumbled, "I've seen the hellish infernos of the darkest chasms of hell and I've been there and survived! I've survived the torments of oppression from your kind too damned long! I will not allow your evil to pollute this world! You will answer for your crimes here and now!"
"X... NO!" Zero tried to hold him back again, "The bomb!"
"He won't be alive long enough to trigger the bomb," X smiled as a charge of energy transfixed inside of his blaster, "He's going to regret ever reawakening!" Shooting the control panel, X laughed at Omega's stunned face. "See?" X blew his blaster off, "He can't drop the bomb now. I just fried the terminal! All he can do now is kill us... like that's even a possibility anyway..."
Not too far from this scene, a rumbling rocked the ship as a giant explosion rattled everyone off their feet... Managing themselves back on their feet, they could only guess as to what was going on... For down the halls, the one whom they were awaiting had just released herself from her prison...
As Shards of crystal pinged off of the walls, Iris stood smoldering against her dark energy cloud... Her evil face twitched with wicked merriment as she stretched out and kicked the few pieces of crystal in her away to the side.... Looking around for her targets, she could not seem to find them anywhere. Cursing silently, Iris left the area of her confinement and leapt forward as she vanished in a glaze of purple... Mists of purple randomly trailing behind her, Iris found the group awaiting her in no time... Reappearing before them, she took her place beside Omega....
"The guest of honor has arrived," Omega yammered, "Welcome Iris. Your so-called friends are trying to kill me. What do you have to say about that?"
"You'd have to go through me first," Iris blocked way to Omega, "I can't allow you to harm my love. We will rule the world below from here... and together we will crush the universe!"
"Well," Omega interrupted as he quickly took out his sword, "I'm afraid that there's a change of plans. I'm one that really can't really share power so... you must... DIE!" Omega rose his sword into the air and jammed his blade into Iris' chest plate... A ghoulish moan haunted everyone's hearing as Iris fell to the ground.... Her dark energy fading fast, she reverted to her original form as blood started to gush from her wound. Omega grimaced as he sheathed his weapon, "Oh... What have I done? I've killed your one true love! What are you going to do now? Bring down Elysium? Kill me? Please! I'm a virus. I can infect other forms! You'd only be killing this shell!"
"Iris..." X and Zero stammered in unison.
"Awwwww," Omega mocked, "What's wrong? Tongue tied? Well... I'll help! I really do hate losing so let's set the timer for.... Hmmm... It'll take you three minutes to get in an area where your teleporters can get you out... and we're four minutes from an escape pod... It's decided... The Proteon bomb will go off in two minutes and thirty seconds! Once it goes off, it'll wipe out all the work the Neo Arcadian government has done... and us along with it!"
"I know something you don't Omega," X frowned trying to hide his smile, "This room will be the last one you see!"
"What are you talking about?" Zero whispered as he looked at X and saw what he saw, "Ohhhhhhh... This is the room with the stasis pod!"
"Shhh," X hushed Zero, "When I say now, you go right and I'll get him on the left."
"My right or your right," Zero joked as X shot him a disgusted look, "I got you. Ready!"
"NOW!" X shouted as he rushed at Omega.
In a flurry of fistocuffs, X and Zero pummeled Omega across the room. Dancing across the room, Omega was almost blowing their kicks and punches aside... Almost to the brink of laughter after their failed attack, Omega countered their last few moves with a kick and stood shaking his head at them. Flexing his wrists a bit, he tried to fight back his laughter for he had expected far more from such legendary fighters...
Falling to the ground, X and Zero found themselves being laughed at and becoming the butt of Omega's joke. Yet he did not realize that he himself was the butt of a joke... A much more sinister joke was going to be played on him...
"Remember Sigma?" X pondered as he got back up, "Well... This is the room where he acquired his new body... Remember it now? It wasn't this well lit before was it? And your standing within a kick's range of the stasis pod!"
"No..." Omega vexed as he tried to find a way out.
"It was nice to meet my other half but," Zero smirked at X, who nodded, "This is where we say goodbye for now."
Running towards Omega, X and Zero delivered a double kick that knocked him into the opened capsule. With a hiss, the pod pressurized and started to do a systems check... While everything started to rush forth, Omega tried to break free from its grasp for he was not going to go down without a fight... Trying to get rid of the clamps holding him down, the pod linked his mind to the onboard computer system... Before he knew it, the pod had him subdued and forced its way on him... His systems going into stasis lock, Omega could do nothing more than sit there as everything faded to black... Blinking his eyes a few last times, Omega fell into a deep, deep sleep of which he would not awake from for a century...
"Well," X smiled, "That was easy... I say we get rid of this nuisance one and for all... HEY! Let's make him just another piece of space junk up here... It would be appropriate and I don't think anyone would find him in that rubbish!"
"Ummm," Zero frowned, "It's a great plan... but... I think we don't have time... From what I gather, the bomb will go off in one minute... At least... that's what the timer reads..."
"WHAT!" X jumped back, "All that work to get vaporized... Geez... This just isn't my day!"
"Ze...ro," Iris coughed with a scratchy metallc voice, "Z...Zero... I have some things to answer for... You must listen... Omega came to me a week ago and introduced himself as the REAL Zero... I didn't know what the hell to believe but he knew things that no other knew... I believed him and his lies... When I allowed him into my heart... I felt as if I betrayed you... After this... I thought it would be better for me to just vanish from your life... Then guilt overtook me again.... It was all my fault that the Neo Hunters Base was destroyed... I gave him the coordinates.... I didn't know wut wazzz happenin... I... waz... led to believe.... that a secret Neo Arcadian complex was staged there.... A place where they kept every Reploid DNA soul... on f.... file..."
"Try to hold on, hun... Please... just save your energy, Iris," Zero clasped her hands, "We can get you out of here..."
"No... You can't..." Iris forced out, "I must answer for my crimes... You were right... I'm just as blind as the Repliforce was... I don't know if I can atone for all the lives that were lost... but I have to do something... Just save yourselves... I'll stop the bomb from going off..."
"IRIS!" X and Zero lunged at her.
"Don't do this," Zero cried out frantically, "There must be another way! Don't do this please!? I need you... You're my other half... You make me complete... Please..." Zero fell to his knees as a storm of tears streamed down his face... On his hands and knees, pleading with Iris, Zero tried to make her stay but it was all for naught... Iris had made up her mind... and it was to be as such... for it was meant to be...
"Goodbye," Iris grunted as she started to fade away, "I'll always love you Zero... And I'll be awaiting you on the other side..."
A hue of dark purple energy radiated through the room as Iris vanished... Reappearing across the rooms in a streak of purple energy, Iris made her way through Elysium toward the Proteon bomb... Her thoughts focused on saving her husband and her best friend from the same fate... as she found herself at the doorstep of the device... Dark purple energy faded to white as tears streaked down her face... Her life flashed behind her eyes as she used her powers to envelop the bomb.... All her happiest moments forced their way through as a single tear flushed through her eyes...
"Goodbye Zero," Iris muttered, "I leave the fate of the world to you... Prove Omega wrong... Save the world..." Muttering her last words, Iris prepared herself for her last moments... As the bomb went off, she shielded everyone and everything she loved from the blast... Vanishing amidst the glaze of white light, Iris left this realm of existence... She had made the ultimate sacrifice for love... However, she was not the last one to pass from this realm... for soon there was to be another...
As the dawn of the next day began, the footsteps of doom drew ever closer to imprinting their final judgment on humanity and Reploidom... The icy cold breath of the Grim Reaper seemed to be thick in the air as both humanity and Reploidom teetered on the balance of life and death... Their moments were fading fast as their time was soon to come... While everyone was stuck on how to protect the Earth, everyone forgot about its inhabitants....... The virus did not forget and now the infected were on the brink of becoming extinct... For now... their pleas of release would not be answered... For at this moment in time, they drew their diminishing breaths as they remained locked inside of their own bodies... Their time was soon at hand.. The heroes still had no clue as to how long they had... for soon it would be too late... No cure... No hope... No one around to lament anyone else's passing.... forever...
Across the globe and amidst broken glass and chaos, Reploid and mankind tried to muster up enough energy to continue... Men... Women... Children... Reploid... All of them... had sweat pouring down their foreheads and blood smears in the corner of their mouths and eyes... Their breaths ever deepening as their moments were drawing near their end... While they fought to stay alive, the virus was soon to stop draining their life force and finish them off... Nothing could be done for that hour, for any such hope, was soon to pass... However... what these hosts did not know was that this energy was going to be put to a good use... by someone else...
The tinkering of machines and the sounds of voices carried through the hollowed halls of Elysium... The voices echoed throughout every corridor as X and Zero tried to talk sense into Iris... Crazed and mutated by the Omega Virus, Iris thought that her boyfriend and best friend were both her enemies... of which needed to be dealt with... Dark purple energy floated up around Iris as she smirked at her adversaries...
"Ready yourself," Iris cackled, "The good Iris you once knew is gone! Trust me... This will be an enjoyable fight... or am I wrong Zero? You killed me and my brother once... You should know if this is indeed an enjoyable fight! Let's get it over with! Send me off to see my brother, you foul demons."
"Iris," X rationalized, "Please stop this... We won't fight you... You'd have to kill us!"
"Then," Iris laughed wildly, "I will twist your forms and scatter your bits into the wind! There will be no resurrecting you after I'm done!"
"Iris," Zero muttered under his tears, "I love you! I will die for you! Don't do this! You mean the world to me... Without you, I couldn't carry on..."
"Oh, Copy Zero," Iris jinxed, "How could you love me? I'm just a carbon copy of the original Iris! You know... You're just as bad as Gate! Both of you! You resurrected me to do your bidding! You didn't care what you did or how you did it... you wanted to replace something you lost! Iris is gone! You don't even realize it!"
"Iris," Zero cried, "Our souls are in these copied shells but it's what's inside of them that counts... Though this is just a copied shell, my heart still remains as it was in my original form... and it's hurting seeing you like this... The pain that I fought off when I lost you... It all faded when I brought you back... Won't you think about this?! If you throw away your life by letting Omega to control you, you will be just like everything you tried to stop with the Repliforce coup.... I won't fight you Iris... I'm taking the initiative here... I'm through with fighting my friends... Stop this now while there is still hope..."
"Hope!?" Iris delighted wickedly, "There IS no hope! You fools don't realize what's going on around you! I was NEVER your friend! I just played the part to get information for my master, my one TRUE love! How could anyone stomach being your friend? I couldn't even stomach being within your grasp... Your eyes froze me to the bone and your kisses killed me... I hated every moment of your friendship and your love! No one could ever love you! Hell, most people distance themselves from you out of fear! They don't know what to make of you, a Hunter or a Maverick! Look at X... the look on his face... What I say is true! That look says it all!"
"No, Iris," X shook his head, "People don't distance themselves from Zero. He's the greatest friend I could have ever had. He's stuck with me in the thick and thin... I can't remember anyone else that could possibly personify the title "best friend". Now stop this Iris! You're spouting insane gibberish... Do you even realize what you're saying?"
"It's almost time," Iris sputtered, "Let's make this quick... My love is awaiting your remains!"
Firing a dark purple blast toward her friends, Iris disappeared in a mist of purple energy. Quickly dodging the blast, the duo watched as it dissolved even before it hit anything... Quickly trying to find Iris before she could do them harm, X and Zero went on the defensive trying to guard against her attacks and take the first move... However, this was all a feigned attempt for she would take first blood... Reappearing behind Zero, she drew an energy sword from thin air and slashed him down the backside trying to pierce his energy cell... His cries of agony called out throughout the halls... as he hit the floor... Lifting up his hand at Iris, Zero's blood started to run freely from the wound... Laughing wicked delight, Iris teleported behind X and jammed her energy sword into his chest plate... as everything started to slow down in Zero's eyes... He could only watch as his best friend fell to the ground and watch a blood pool fix underneath his frozen face...
"X..." Zero winced, "No... Iris... What have you done?"
"I killed your best friend," Iris feigned crying, "What are you going to do now? Send me to the recycling heap? Retire me? Go ahead! I've been dying every second with your poisoned arms around me!"
"Iris..." Zero stuttered as his eyes fluttered with more tears, "You can't do this! I won't fight you... You can't make me fight you... I just won't"
With the blood dripping from his open wound and his tears streaking down his face, Zero fell to the ground trying to shut out everything happening around him... Rolling up in a ball, he placed his hands on his helmet muttering things to himself about how he could not kill his one true love even after she killed his best friend... Thinking back to all the good times, the torrential downpour of emotions flushed through his eyes of all the moments he shared with them both... Rocking back and forth, he tried to block out the blurred pictures of happiness from his memory... No matter what he would do, the memories just kept forcing their way through... Moment after moment of love and joy transfixed onto the smiling face of Iris as Zero's tears deepened furthermore... Every bit of emotion he tried to hide ripped its way to the surface as the squirming mess of Zero twitched and twisted under the amassing pool of tears... Watching this whole moment, Iris could only watch as a single tear stretched down her cheek and fell silently to the ground...
"Awww," Iris mocked, "What's wrong Zero? Did I touch a soft spot? The one you loved is gone! I'm no more than a wicked abomination that you and X created! Another pawn for that dead and decaying Maverick Hunter Base!"
"No... No... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Zero shouted out, "It won't.... It can't.... I won't allow it! My love can't be taken from me... She means everything to me... X won't die... He just can't...."
"Zero..." X muttered placing a shaking hand on his shoulder, "It's alright... Take this... Use it against her... Don't use it to kill her but to bind her... We'll fix her up after we get rid of Sigma..."
"X..." Zero stammered holding back his tears, "Your sword... I can't use it... I don't have the power... I'm worthless... I can't do anything..."
"Wrong," X smiled, "When we fused as one, we shared the powers of the crystals... which can only mean..."
"I'm part of them now," Zero had an epiphany.
"Yes..." X hesitated as he rested his head onto the floor, "Now just do this... Raise it into the air and jam it into the floor... Focus your hopes into the sword and yell "DARKNESS CONTAINMENT!" It should hold her for awhile... til then we can get rid of Omega..."
"I don't think so, X," Iris giggled maliciously as she shot the sword out of his hand.
Aiming his blaster, X focused his light powers into it and fired a blinding white light at Iris... Reeling in agony, Iris fell to the ground temporarily blinded by the attack... Saving his sobs for later, Zero picked himself up and readied for his chance... Seeing his one moment, Zero jump dashed toward the sword jammed into the floor and grasped it... Feeling the power course through his veins, Zero rose it into the air and slashed it a couple times to get the feel of it... Golden light poured forth from the sword as Zero focused all his hopes and dreams into the blade... Placing his hands onto the sword, he jammed the sword into the floor as white light emanated around the cracks...
"I hope this will hold her," Zero whispered as he rose his voice to yell, "DARKNESS CONTAINMENT!" A series of white tendrils shot out from around the sword and slinked toward Iris... Wrapping around her, the tendrils solidified into an intense binding light that froze her within an immense crystal... Touching the crystal, Zero looked at Iris' face as his tears subsided... He had done it... He had stopped Iris without killing her... Looking at Iris' face one last time, Zero turned his back and helped X to his feet.
"I thought I lost you," Zero grinned as he hid wiping his eyes clean, "Guess Iris isn't as bad as I thought."
"Oh... She is as bad as she was saying," X shrugged, "She got my main power but didn't get my back up. She just barely missed my heart by a mere centimeter... Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner but it was a rough time trying to let those repair functions take up the slack... Without the elements, I'm kinda helpless... Reminds me of the last time I was a guest up here... Although I was in worse shape then... Are you going to be ok now?"
"Yeah, I'm alright," Zero tried to tease, "I was only getting my ass kicked over here AND there. You know how it is with me! They always seem to mop the floor with me. Oh yeah... Here's your sword back... It doesn't look like it will hold her for long... I think we're going to have to hurry this up!"
"Couldn't agree with you more," X said as he sheathed his sword, "Time to meet this "original" Zero and put him back where he belongs, six feet under."
Looking back at Iris one last time, X and Zero smiled at the stunned look on her face and ran off toward Omega... Following the tunnels, they rushed through the varying lights and computer systems as they found their target... In a room overlooking the Earth, the demonic form of Omega turned to meet the heroes' faces... The lights of the tinkering computers highlighted the demon's face as his long flowing blonde hair sparkled with the shine of a beam saber in his other hand.
"Ahhhh... So we meet at last," Omega grimaced placing his sword into its sheath, "Copy Zero, I believe I've made your acquaintance before. But... so... this is the legendary X. Forgive me. Your skills precede you. I was half expecting someone taller and more macho looking."
"Enough," Zero forced out trying to hold X back, "How did you get here? Who released you?"
"Simple enough," Omega laughed, "Typhus is a double agent of sorts. He's been not only working the Assassins Guild but he's been working for the Neo Arcadian government. On a dig sanctioned by the Neo Arcadian government, he found my capsule and released me. Of course, the Assassins Guild knew nothing about what he was doing... That was a given... Anyway... After I was released, I repaid him with his powers now. In fact, the only reason why Sigma and him never hit it off was because of my influence. I always liked a little chaos here and there... I also got him to play the part of the mind-controlled servant in order to keep tabs on my brother. Sigma sure is an eye sore. I now know why Black Talon installed me inside your systems Zero."
"Why Iris," X hesitated, "Why corrupt her?"
"Start with the woman you love," Omega began, "and take away everything you'd ever have and love. It's my way of making you suffer. I don't know how the hell you broke my control. I don't even know how the hell you got that copy body to reject my virus. You will pay dearly for it! Do you really think that my destroying the Neo Hunter HQ was payment enough? Ohhhh no it wasn't!!! The real price you ask? Everyone you loved... starting with Iris! First I will crush her and then X... then I will crush the very Earth you so love!"
"I don't think so! I won't let you kill anyone," Zero barked clenching his fists, "I will protect them myself even if I have to take you to the depths of Hell with me! You will answer for everything you've done or I'll be damned trying!"
"I wouldn't make any sudden movements," Omega ordered with a creepy grin, "I can destroy all the life on that planet below with a touch of this button. Black Talon's legacy is right here, the Proteon bomb. A bomb so powerful that it will not only wipe out all life down to the microscopic level but it will also vaporize artificial life. It's truly ingenious..."
"THAT'S OVERKILL!" X shouted trying to control his anger, "The people... on Earth are infected with the Mother Virus already! You can't..."
"Ahhh," Omega cut in with a smirk, "but what about the other life on the planet? There are the uninfected, plants, bugs, cute lil bunnies... Do I really have to continue? The life below us is just sickening! It infects everything with its putrid smell and spreads over every terrain like a virus! I'm doing the Earth a favor! I'll cleanse that planet clean with the bomb and raise my own army of machines here that will live with the Earth. Once I'm done here, I'll bring my Father's legacy to fruition, the ruination of the Universe at the might of Black Talon!"
"There's one thing I can say," Zero jostled, "You're more faithful to your creator than Sigma!"
"Shut it copy," Omega jinxed, "I won't take your rude comments. Now stand there and be a good lil boy. Your love Iris will be coming to the party soon... and since you didn't kill her, you get the pleasure of watching her GET killed!"
"BASTARD!" X fumbled, "I've seen the hellish infernos of the darkest chasms of hell and I've been there and survived! I've survived the torments of oppression from your kind too damned long! I will not allow your evil to pollute this world! You will answer for your crimes here and now!"
"X... NO!" Zero tried to hold him back again, "The bomb!"
"He won't be alive long enough to trigger the bomb," X smiled as a charge of energy transfixed inside of his blaster, "He's going to regret ever reawakening!" Shooting the control panel, X laughed at Omega's stunned face. "See?" X blew his blaster off, "He can't drop the bomb now. I just fried the terminal! All he can do now is kill us... like that's even a possibility anyway..."
Not too far from this scene, a rumbling rocked the ship as a giant explosion rattled everyone off their feet... Managing themselves back on their feet, they could only guess as to what was going on... For down the halls, the one whom they were awaiting had just released herself from her prison...
As Shards of crystal pinged off of the walls, Iris stood smoldering against her dark energy cloud... Her evil face twitched with wicked merriment as she stretched out and kicked the few pieces of crystal in her away to the side.... Looking around for her targets, she could not seem to find them anywhere. Cursing silently, Iris left the area of her confinement and leapt forward as she vanished in a glaze of purple... Mists of purple randomly trailing behind her, Iris found the group awaiting her in no time... Reappearing before them, she took her place beside Omega....
"The guest of honor has arrived," Omega yammered, "Welcome Iris. Your so-called friends are trying to kill me. What do you have to say about that?"
"You'd have to go through me first," Iris blocked way to Omega, "I can't allow you to harm my love. We will rule the world below from here... and together we will crush the universe!"
"Well," Omega interrupted as he quickly took out his sword, "I'm afraid that there's a change of plans. I'm one that really can't really share power so... you must... DIE!" Omega rose his sword into the air and jammed his blade into Iris' chest plate... A ghoulish moan haunted everyone's hearing as Iris fell to the ground.... Her dark energy fading fast, she reverted to her original form as blood started to gush from her wound. Omega grimaced as he sheathed his weapon, "Oh... What have I done? I've killed your one true love! What are you going to do now? Bring down Elysium? Kill me? Please! I'm a virus. I can infect other forms! You'd only be killing this shell!"
"Iris..." X and Zero stammered in unison.
"Awwwww," Omega mocked, "What's wrong? Tongue tied? Well... I'll help! I really do hate losing so let's set the timer for.... Hmmm... It'll take you three minutes to get in an area where your teleporters can get you out... and we're four minutes from an escape pod... It's decided... The Proteon bomb will go off in two minutes and thirty seconds! Once it goes off, it'll wipe out all the work the Neo Arcadian government has done... and us along with it!"
"I know something you don't Omega," X frowned trying to hide his smile, "This room will be the last one you see!"
"What are you talking about?" Zero whispered as he looked at X and saw what he saw, "Ohhhhhhh... This is the room with the stasis pod!"
"Shhh," X hushed Zero, "When I say now, you go right and I'll get him on the left."
"My right or your right," Zero joked as X shot him a disgusted look, "I got you. Ready!"
"NOW!" X shouted as he rushed at Omega.
In a flurry of fistocuffs, X and Zero pummeled Omega across the room. Dancing across the room, Omega was almost blowing their kicks and punches aside... Almost to the brink of laughter after their failed attack, Omega countered their last few moves with a kick and stood shaking his head at them. Flexing his wrists a bit, he tried to fight back his laughter for he had expected far more from such legendary fighters...
Falling to the ground, X and Zero found themselves being laughed at and becoming the butt of Omega's joke. Yet he did not realize that he himself was the butt of a joke... A much more sinister joke was going to be played on him...
"Remember Sigma?" X pondered as he got back up, "Well... This is the room where he acquired his new body... Remember it now? It wasn't this well lit before was it? And your standing within a kick's range of the stasis pod!"
"No..." Omega vexed as he tried to find a way out.
"It was nice to meet my other half but," Zero smirked at X, who nodded, "This is where we say goodbye for now."
Running towards Omega, X and Zero delivered a double kick that knocked him into the opened capsule. With a hiss, the pod pressurized and started to do a systems check... While everything started to rush forth, Omega tried to break free from its grasp for he was not going to go down without a fight... Trying to get rid of the clamps holding him down, the pod linked his mind to the onboard computer system... Before he knew it, the pod had him subdued and forced its way on him... His systems going into stasis lock, Omega could do nothing more than sit there as everything faded to black... Blinking his eyes a few last times, Omega fell into a deep, deep sleep of which he would not awake from for a century...
"Well," X smiled, "That was easy... I say we get rid of this nuisance one and for all... HEY! Let's make him just another piece of space junk up here... It would be appropriate and I don't think anyone would find him in that rubbish!"
"Ummm," Zero frowned, "It's a great plan... but... I think we don't have time... From what I gather, the bomb will go off in one minute... At least... that's what the timer reads..."
"WHAT!" X jumped back, "All that work to get vaporized... Geez... This just isn't my day!"
"Ze...ro," Iris coughed with a scratchy metallc voice, "Z...Zero... I have some things to answer for... You must listen... Omega came to me a week ago and introduced himself as the REAL Zero... I didn't know what the hell to believe but he knew things that no other knew... I believed him and his lies... When I allowed him into my heart... I felt as if I betrayed you... After this... I thought it would be better for me to just vanish from your life... Then guilt overtook me again.... It was all my fault that the Neo Hunters Base was destroyed... I gave him the coordinates.... I didn't know wut wazzz happenin... I... waz... led to believe.... that a secret Neo Arcadian complex was staged there.... A place where they kept every Reploid DNA soul... on f.... file..."
"Try to hold on, hun... Please... just save your energy, Iris," Zero clasped her hands, "We can get you out of here..."
"No... You can't..." Iris forced out, "I must answer for my crimes... You were right... I'm just as blind as the Repliforce was... I don't know if I can atone for all the lives that were lost... but I have to do something... Just save yourselves... I'll stop the bomb from going off..."
"IRIS!" X and Zero lunged at her.
"Don't do this," Zero cried out frantically, "There must be another way! Don't do this please!? I need you... You're my other half... You make me complete... Please..." Zero fell to his knees as a storm of tears streamed down his face... On his hands and knees, pleading with Iris, Zero tried to make her stay but it was all for naught... Iris had made up her mind... and it was to be as such... for it was meant to be...
"Goodbye," Iris grunted as she started to fade away, "I'll always love you Zero... And I'll be awaiting you on the other side..."
A hue of dark purple energy radiated through the room as Iris vanished... Reappearing across the rooms in a streak of purple energy, Iris made her way through Elysium toward the Proteon bomb... Her thoughts focused on saving her husband and her best friend from the same fate... as she found herself at the doorstep of the device... Dark purple energy faded to white as tears streaked down her face... Her life flashed behind her eyes as she used her powers to envelop the bomb.... All her happiest moments forced their way through as a single tear flushed through her eyes...
"Goodbye Zero," Iris muttered, "I leave the fate of the world to you... Prove Omega wrong... Save the world..." Muttering her last words, Iris prepared herself for her last moments... As the bomb went off, she shielded everyone and everything she loved from the blast... Vanishing amidst the glaze of white light, Iris left this realm of existence... She had made the ultimate sacrifice for love... However, she was not the last one to pass from this realm... for soon there was to be another...