Zero's Disappearance
As the clock continued to strike against the heroes, there was something else afoot back on the ground. Just as X and Zero had met up with Omega, Sigma made his move against those who remained on the Earth. Letting out a hellish cry of tortured agony, Sigma's form twisted with anger as it sped through a wall... Raining the Reploids below with shards of metal and concrete, Sigma floated above them all... his face marred with extreme delight...
"No.... X...." Sigma muttered, "This is magnificent! None of you piss ants can come close to my powers now! You've all met your match! Assassins Guild! Come to me! ATTACK!"
"I don't think so Sigma," Xephyr grinned, "We've got quite a lot to answer for and this time we're not siding with you! I can't believe that I allowed your kind into my ranks! Your crimes will be atoned for with your passing... My crimes will continue to haunt this world! This is my gift to humanity and my brothers! You won't live out today!"
"Interesting development," Sigma laughed, "I thought there was no cure for my plague.... Oracle must have had something to do with this! No matter... You still have no hopes in spreading it before this world is cleansed!"
"It cost many lives to create it," Oracle hummed, "It was worth the lives sacrificed to see our brothers, human AND Reploid, returned to us... Your evil reign is over Sigma! We stand here today to end what should have ended long ago... your life!"
"I don't think so," Typhus grimaced, "You've all been played as fools! Omega is the true demon that will rule this rock!"
"Ahhhh," Sigma smiled, "Look at this... It's the snake in the grass himself! I knew I'd like you Typhus! You're about as underhanded and deceitful as myself! Omega picked well for his spy! Yes I know.... I mean come on... My brother thinks he can outsmart someone like me? Preposterous!"
"What you don't know is that your dear brother entrusted me with a present for you," Typhus cackled, "This is the last remnant of the Sigma Protocol downloaded from Elysium! Ahhh... but unlike before I beefed it up! You won't be walking away this time!"
"You've got to be joking!" Sigma howled out in laughter, "I'm beyond your attempts at an anti-virus! I'm evil incarnate! I'm the one who will correct your own viral infection! Omega's influences have clouded your mind too long! I'm going to work to correct that!"
"I don't think so," Typhus mocked as he pulled a long blade from his sheath, "This blade was crafted for the purpose of your demise! It is a sword unlike anything this world has known! With this... I'll recreate everything in Omega's image!"
"Crazed abomination," Sigma hissed drawing his scythe, "It's time for you to meet your maker!"
Sigma's eyes deepened as a glow of red overtook them... A storm of evil energy cascaded around him as he floated over the ground... Looking down at Typhus, Sigma's eyes glowed brilliantly with dark energy... as he swiped his scythe around in the air... In a blur of movements that seemed to melt away, Sigma started his attack on Typhus and made quick work of his demise... All Typhus could do was stand there and watch it all as his blood started to come to the surface.... for soon his blood was not the only that would be spilt...
Shutting his eyes amidst the slashes and cuts on his body, Typhus could feel the pain flood his systems but bared it all as he held the sword in his shaking hand... His blood oozing freely onto the ground, Typhus waited to strike and seal Sigma's fate... He could see Sigma's face as he smiled at how Typhus' very energy dropped with each blow... He could see Sigma slash his body and..... he could see his opening to strike... Jamming his blade into thin air, Typhus opened his eyes to see Sigma's stuttering form before him...
"This is it Sigma," Typhus gleed, "You're through! My master has won!"
"Th... Thi... Think again," Sigma stuttered, "X and Zero have beat him... You've lost..."
"Your virus has been corrupted beyond any salvation this time Sigma!" Typhus jinxed, "It doesn't matter if Omega has been defeated or not! You will die here today!"
"Not before you," Sigma smiled as his hand faded, "If I go down, I'm taking you with me!" Stretching his hand into Typhus' chest, Sigma pulled out a wisp of energy from Typhus' body... As Sigma's eyes glowed with dark energy, his aura deepened as the energy merged with his own... On the receiving end, Typhus did not fair too well against this attack... Reeling and squirming, Typhus' body transformed into a ghostlike form that howled and distorted as light poured forth... The columns of light solidified into a rain of sparks that shot out against the sky... His eyes wildly shifted around and transfixed on Sigma... As his last moments drew out, he silently cursed Sigma as his breaths started to get shallower... The light intensified as Typhus shut his eyes and readied for his impending doom... Exploding in a bright array of light, Typhus was no more... another death to add to Sigma's kill list... which seemed to be extending at this very moment...
"Your soul is mine now Typhus! Welcome to your new eternity.... back stabber..." Drawing the sword from his back, Sigma flung it into the ground where it shattered... Stumbling around, Sigma fell onto a knee... A series of light beams started shooting out of Sigma's body as he started to fade away... Stretching his distorted arms over his head, Sigma let out a cry that sent a dark aura around him that easily overtook the light energy...
"I will not be defeated by such a meek attempt! Is there no one else who wants to join him?" Sigma jostled with a grin, "Come now! No one wants to play hero?"
"Bite your tongue!" Zenith stepped forward, "We gathered here today to put an end to your wicked deeds! You can take our lives but it won't stop the inevitable! You will die Sigma! This is the end of the road for you! Your time has run out and it's time for the final curtain pull!"
"Please," Sigma rolled his eyes, "Enough with the melodrama! I swear... Are you the drama queen of the X family? I knew X was the stick in the mud but... geez... cut it out will you?"
"Mock this foul demon," Nemesis rushed toward Sigma with his sword drawn, "You've killed countless people for your view of perfection! You've killed your own friends! You've killed your own minions! I won't allow your hands to be stained with anymore blood!"
"If it isn't the legendary Nemesis," Sigma chuckled, "I've heard you've never been beaten with sword weapons.... Wonder if that's the truth..."
"NEMESIS!" Oracle jumped at him but was knocked back.
Spinning his scythe around, Sigma shattered Nemesis' sword with a single blow and drop kicked him to the ground... Looking down at his unworthy adversary, Sigma turned his scythe down onto Nemesis... However, before the final blow could be made, Zenith rushed forth and knocked back his scythe as everyone, who stood around, ganged up on Sigma...
"Pathetic," Sigma chided as he floated above them, "If you wanted to throw away your lives so much, I'd be more than willing to oblige... all you had to do was ask! I have a much better purpose for your energy anyway!"
Swirling his scythe around, Sigma slashed his foes with a long swipe which they easily dodged... As they recuperated, Sigma gathered himself for an attack that would leave his enemies on their knees... Gathering his dark energy deep inside of him, Sigma unleashed a souped up version of the Mother Virus onto the uninfected Reploids... As they came into contact with it, they all fell over as their eyes glowed with red energy... A smirk crept up on Sigma's face as he lifted himself up over the clouds.... His eyes radiating with the most potent dark energy, Sigma called forth all the energy lost from the inhabitants of the Earth... As it surrounded him, he could feel himself gaining powers unlike anything he had felt before... While the hopes of Earth dwindled, Sigma floated in midair allowing the power to course through his veins... From his skyward view, he sucked the life force out of the planet as everything seemed to get bleak for the poor defenseless blue orb.... As the darkness of eternity stepped ever closer to damn them all, the two heroes were no where to be seen.... no where to save anyone... leaving the Earth to its grim fate...
Back in Elysium, X and Zero were trying to let the anguish of losing their own pass from their hearts... Crying softly, Zero's tears pooled underneath his curled body... Every once and awhile, he would cry out Iris and twitch at the thought of her loss... Whimpering amidst his tears, Zero could barely function anymore with the tragedy... He had lost the only one that had meant the world to him... He had lost all hope for the future... As the downpour of tears continued, he had no clue what was going on below him...
As Zero dealt with the loss of his beloved, X stared out the window overlooking the planet below... Alone he stood there sobbing lightly... and tried to let it sink into his head that she was truly gone... As he stood there looking below, the tears streaked down his face as the sadness seemed to consume him... Holding back his tears for a moment, X could have almost swore he saw the Earth get darker... Watching intently onto the planet below, he watched with horror as the entire orb seemed to grow dark and devoid of any light... Swallowing hard and forcing back his tears again, X bolted into action and ran to Zero's side to get his friend up on his feet... There was not a second to lose for the time had come to return and defeat Sigma's evil... once and for all...
"Zero!" X breathed with panic, "We have to get to Earth... Sigma's done something terrible!"
"Iris," Zero stammered amidst his tears, "I don't have any point on living anymore... She was my only reason to carry on... Now it's all over... I don't have anyone now..."
"Damn it Zero," X shouted, "We have to get going NOW! I know the pain is too close to you but we have to get moving! The Earth is in danger and I fear that everyone below has been defeated..."
"My beloved," Zero whispered, "I'll be with you soon... It's my time to do my part to save the world..."
"We have to get to the Ea... Wait a moment... We have to get rid of Omega before anything else," X pointed to the capsule behind them, "then we can get to Earth... It's imperative that no one finds this capsule... There's a debris field not too far from here... That's the perfect place... We have to hurry... You've got to remember whatever happens from here on in... we must carry on and we must defeat Sigma at all costs..."
"Iris," Zero forced out as he touched the window, "Goodbye for now my love..."
Dragging the capsule out toward an escape pod, X and Zero made their way through Elysium... Reprogramming the escape pod to jettison its fuel, they launched Omega into a satellite debris field... to never be found again... to be forgotten within the realm of time... Looking one last time at Elysium, X and Zero teleported out of the ship and back down to the Earth. Before they had teleported though, X swore that he was being watched... but shrugged is off as his teleportation unit activated... What they did now know was that they were being watched in the hallway... Gritting his teeth and slamming his fist into a wall, Elpizo cursed X as he shut his eyes remembering the friend he had just lost...
"You'll pay X," Elpizo stuttered, "One of these days... I'll have my vengeance on you... You'll wish to forget the day you met Omega after I'm done with you..."
Feeling solid soil underneath their feet, X and Zero looked unto the face of Sigma which was distorting madly under the weight of the energy he was absorbing... Looking swiftly around, they saw that the uninfected's energy was being contributed as well.... Cursing under his breath, X's eyes filled with tears as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists together... They too had joined the ranks of the dying... Slamming his fist onto the ground, X readied to meet up with the demon known as Sigma... Drawing his sword and nodding to his friend Zero, X and Zero tried to anticipate Sigma's next strike... as they readied to merge their powers in one....
"It's time," X nodded to Zero, "Let's awaken Omega X! We'll be able to fix him then!"
"I'm ready, bro," Zero smirked, "Let's together put an end to this baffoon!"
"UNITY ACTIVATE!" X mumbled as his body glowed with golden energy... His armor turned into its Unity form as Zero's body glowed with crimson energy...
"X!" Sigma shouted, "You will not create Omega X here! I have siphoned off all the ambient energy from this rock! There's nothing left to use to start the transformation!"
"I don't think you can understand what's going on Siggy," X taunted, "We don't need just any energy! We have plenty!"
"Siggy eh?" Sigma laughed, "I say I have something else to say about your wanting to combine powers again!"
In a jolt of fast movement, Sigma stormed down to the ground, at which it shook under the extreme energy he was holding... Making a fist, Sigma grinned as he saw the look on X's face... Jamming his faded hand into X's chest, Sigma tried to pull a wisp of energy from within him...
"Give me your soul!" Sigma yammered, "You can't resist me! You won't!"
"I.... I w.. I will resist!" X gasped, "You can't take what's not yours!"
"It's impossible!" Sigma hesitated, "Give it to me now!"
Grinning at his annoying Sigma, X quickly regained himself and drop kicked Sigma across the ground... With sword in his hand, X rushed toward Sigma ready to change the world... Vanishing from view, Sigma appeared behind X at which he drew his scythe and tried to finish him.... However before anything could happen, Zero shot in and slammed Sigma across his face with a closed fist... Laughing at Zero's try, Sigma disappeared again and found himself behind both X and Zero... Slashing his scythe forward, Sigma caught nothing but an after image as X and Zero were behind HIM.... Launching their attack, X fired a blast from his blaster and Zero rushed at Sigma as the blast made its way toward him.... Shaking his head, Sigma caught Zero and flung him at X which sent them both tumbling to the ground... Catching the blast in the palm of his hand, Sigma flung it back at X and Zero who fled the area before it could get them... If only they were a little quicker for as they dodged, Sigma tapped them on their shoulders and knocked them back to the ground...
"You made a nice effort to combat against me," Sigma mocked, "but I'm afraid I have to end this now... I have a lot of things to destroy and so little time!"
"You won't win!" X hesitated, "I won't allow it... Your evil ends here tonight!"
"Right... One shall stand and the other shall fall!" Sigma grinned, "I just love how this'll make my grand ascension look! Taking out my unworthiest adversary with his planet! Wonderful! Just simply wonderful!"
"You wish!" X mumbled, "My tried and true blade... will guide my hand and make its final strike a remembering one!"
"I correct myself," Sigma fumbled with a hand over his face hiding his laughter, "Zenith's not the drama queen I thought he was... It's a tie... Give me a break will you?"
"This is for my wife... her best friend and all of my friends I lost," X jinxed, "You'll lose this time and there'll be no coming back!"
"Time will only tell..." Sigma smirked, "Although from what I've seen... Evil will continue to reign on this world.... so you cannot truly kill me!"
Spinning his blade around in the air, X went on the attack and tried to vanquish his foe... Wanting to make this fight draw out a bit longer, Sigma let X think he was gaining the upper hand... One slash after another, Sigma feigned like he was getting hurt when in actuality he was deflecting every hit with ease... Laughing at X, Sigma took X's sword from him and flung it into the ground next to Zero.... Pummeling X to his knees, Sigma mocked X's tries of defeating him...
"Nice try X," Sigma grimaced, "This is the end.... Your time has drawn near and the Grim Reaper is here to take you down to Hell!"
"I refuse to give up!" X yelled, "You can beat me within an inch of my life but I will continue to stand and oppose you!"
"X..." Zero called as he tossed him his sword, "I don't know how you keep doing it but I'm not able to keep up with you... I'll stand on the sidelines on this fight!"
"Thank you Zero," X hesitated, "You're a true friend... This is it!"
In a bright flash of light, X disappeared from everyone's view as time totally froze... Floating before him, several orbs of light flashed around him as he tried to figure out where he was... Standing in a large room that was pitch black, X looked unto the multicolored orbs of light before him... at which they started communicating....
"Welcome..." one of them stuttered, "Welcome X... We've been expecting you... Now is the time for our ascension... Use our powers well to vanquish Sigma... We will stand with you..."
"What's going on," X looked around, "What are you?"
"We are the cyber elves," another spoke up, "We were once great champions but we have faded to this form.... To pay back our debts, we have come back here now to give back the lives that you've given us..."
"Give the Earth back its light," the first one hummed, "This is for our brothers... This is for the betrayal and pain we've all endured... It's time now X... Take up your sword and use our power to finally put an end to him..."
Fading away in another flash of light, X found himself staring in thin air at what was just floating before him... Zero stood staring at X with a perplexed look on his face trying to understand what X was looking at... Regaining his senses and blinking a few times, X grasped his blade firmly and ran toward Sigma...
"Sigma!" X shouted, "This is the end! With the power of this earth and its fallen warriors, I VANQUISH YOU!"
The faces of Alia, Iris, Signas, Douglas, Lifesavor and all of the fallen Hunters seemed to be fading behind X as he ran when all of a sudden several orbs of light transfixed on Sigma's position... Arching his back in agony, Sigma tried to break free from the circle of cyber elves binding his powers... A bright white orb came into contact with X's sword as it glowed brilliantly with energy... Sending a slash through the air that halved everything in its path, X stood back as time returned to normal.... The cyber elves were dancing madly around Sigma's distorted body as he trembled and fell...
"In the name of all those you have killed," X stammered, "Your last life has been taken... Go where you belong foul demon... STRAIGHT TO HELL!"
"Nooo," Sigma cried, his face warping against the light of the elves, "My evil influences will reign supreme... I will not be defeate...d..."
The elf that had empowered X's sword floated up over Sigma as energy seemed to sparkle over him... A voice could be heard coming from the energy... a female voice... telling Sigma one last goodbye before the coup de grace...
"Sigma," she vexed, "Your evil will never tarnish this world ever again... The ones you have killed in your war against humanity have come back here today to see your defeat! Together they have bound your influences and defeated you! Together we are strong and together we will forever watch this world! Your purgatory is over! Now you go to Hell!"
The cyber elves rotated Sigma's distorting corpse into the air as he wildly tried to break free... In a brilliant flash of sparks and light, Sigma exploded in a vast array of colors as the cyber elves drug a wisp of energy down underneath the ground... The screams of torture and anguish echoed across the landscape as Sigma was no more... The cyber elves had all vanished with Sigma's soul... However, there was yet one more elf that still remained where the others were... It hovered over Zero for a bit as time froze once more... and her voice called to him...
"Zero..." she began, "I'll always be watching you... Your wife has never left your side... I will be awaiting you when your last task is done... What you saw here today was not only your friends but also Hunters destroyed from years before... I am still Iris but I have transcended this realm of existence... My selfless act allowed me to be at your side once more... for now... I am the Mother Elf... Goodbye my love... I will always... love... you..."
Twirling over Zero's head as time returned to normal, a sparkling energy rained down over him as all the sadness inside of him melted away... The Mother Elf zoomed off over the horizon as X and Zero stood bewildered at what had just happened... As the sun rose overhead, light returned across the world and it would seem that everything was at peace... However, there was now something else wrong... The Reploids and humans that were infected with the Mother Virus were not moving... For in fact, their life forces were nearly depleted as X's eyes filled with more tears... He had lost after all... The people of the Earth were gone and now he could not do anything about it... Running every worst case scenario through his head, X could not grasp what he could do to stop it... He had failed afterall... The people of Earth had died... Their sparks extinguished before their prime... to never take another breath once more... As the consequences of his actions flushed through his mind, X stood there trying to understand the ramifications of what he had done... Falling to his knees, the tears poured out over the ground as X found himself powerless to save anyone...
"All this power," X stammered amidst his tears, "I have limitless potential... yet I still cannot save the ones I love... I have all this power and it means nothing! All I want is to grant these people a new life but I can't do it..."
"X," Zero soothed as he touched X on the shoulder, "There still may be hope... The anti-virus has to be around here somewhere..."
"We don't need an anti-virus..." X hymned, "We need a miracle and the savior of this world time and time again will make such... I can't give up... This is my gift to all of you... This is for you Alia... and all the people who gave their lives to see this moment... "
"What are you talking about?" Zero stammered, "Wait.... You're not going to do what I think you're going to do... Are you?"
"You've been the best friend anyone could have asked for Zero," X sullied with a smile, "Goodbye... It's time to do the right thing..."
"No, X," Zero tried to stop X, "Don't leave me too..."
Stepping forward, X's body glowed with a mixture of white and golden light as it started to encompass everything in the area... A series of golden and white flames started to come off of X's armor as his wings started to flail... With his sword still clenched in his hand, X shut his eyes as a single tear slid down his cheek... He could see Alia's face calling for him in the distance as in a brilliant glaze of golden and white light X exploded.... Radiating the most potent golden white light across the landscape, it rushed forward covering every inch of the Earth... at which it enchanted every infected life form with a brilliant gold white hue... The seconds ticked by as the hues intensified and glowed across everything... Every Reploid, man, woman, and child gasped with new life as X's arms seemed to be stretching across the globe... purifying them all from Sigma's evil influence... As the light faded, everyone stood looking in the horizon knowing that their savior had saved them one more time... Little did they know it would be his last...
Back at the battlefield, the light had died down as X's lifeless corpse fell to the ground... The sword that was fixed in his hand fell to the ground and shattered... Several feathers fell next to the sword as stillness crossed everything... Rushing to X's side, Zero tried to wake up his best friend to no avail... His friend was lost to him... self- sacrificed to save the world from its grim fate... The tears forced their way to the surface as Zero twitched with sadness about having just lost not only Iris but also his best friend, X... Slamming his fist into the ground, Zero cursed silently about him not being able to save anyone...
"X..." Zero whispered through muffled tears, "Why did you have to leave me? I'm so alone now... I don't have any reason to continue on living... Why did you have to die X? Why?"
"Zero..." Zenith muttered, "X gave his life to save the people he fought to protect for so long... We cannot forsake the gift he granted us all..."
"Let no man misuse his name," Nemesis stepped forward and bowed his head, "Here where he fell... Let this place be known as hollowed ground... Right here where this hero, whom personified the hearts and minds of this Earth... Let us erect a statue in his honor... Bring me his sword... No man should be denied such a honorable death... May you rest in peace X... You will surely be missed..."
"Here we stand," Xephyr started with a frown, "the day after Armageddon... and on this ground... we breath new life... The honorable man who gave his life to give us a fighting chance will always be remembered... Let no man take for granted this life that he has granted us... Zero... I think it's best you say some words..."
"X," Zero fumbled, "The best friend I ever had... Even though I was created by Dr Light's rival, we set aside those family squabbles to be the best to each other... I will never forget him... He has changed everyone's lives so many times before... I just hope we can live up to the lives that he gave us..."
Grabbing the shards of the sword and taking X, they all walked off toward Dr Cossack's laboratory... Opening the large doors of the lab, Ciel instantly lunged forward and helped them get X to the operating table... A form of Dr Cossack fixed on the screen as his face frowned sadly at X's loss...
"He's gone," Ciel saddened, "The best I can do is seal his body away in hopes that some day we can revive him... His body will be in stasis lock for as long as that takes.... There is also something else I must talk to you about... but I must insist that we be alone Zero..."
"It's alright," Xephyr bowed, "We have work of our own... The retribution of the Neo Arcadian government will be swift... Let's get going and find our other members... We have to prepare the Resistance for its counter strike..."
The group of Reploids left leaving Zero, Ciel and Dr Cossack behind... Typing onto her computer, Ciel looked up at Zero... Trying to hide her sadness, she looked deeply into Zero's eyes... and began...
"Father," Ciel yawned, "I think I'll tell him... Anyway... Our extensive work on the cure for the Mother Virus had produced results... Luck be it that Oracle and Nemesis found us and helped us in time to figure it out... That virus is at bay and now we have another to worry about... Your viral infection Zero... I'm afraid we need to put you in suspended animation until the virus can be removed... We cannot allow another Sigma to be born..."
"I understand..." Zero stammered, "I don't have any reason to stay here do I? My wife, Iris, and X have both been killed..."
"I'll teleport you to your home," Dr Cossack cut in, "I'm sorry it has to be this way... but we cannot stress how important this is... The Sigmus Virus has to die with Sigma..."
In a whiz of light, Zero and Ciel were transported into a room with a capsule in it... Checking the systems one last time, Ciel helped Zero into it and allowed the systems to take over from there... Closing his eyes and wishing to forget everything, Zero fell into a deep sleep that he would not awaken from for a century... In his pod, he kept thinking about everyone he had lost to get this far... and there he slept with his nightmares haunting his dreams... Shaking her head, Ciel felt sorry for Zero and all that he had lost.... She wished him a good sleep and contacted her father again... Being told her next move, she returned home without a second's notice.... Teleporting back into the lab, Dr Cossack smiled at Ciel and told her that it was her turn...
"My daughter," Dr Cossack smiled, "Now that everything has been done... You need to get some rest... This capsule will allow you to sleep away the infection in your system... Good night... I am proud of you, my dear..."
"I'll see you when I awake," Ciel nodded, "Good night Father... I love you..."
Ciel smiled sweetly at her father and nodded as she got up into the capsule... With a hiss, the capsule sealed Ciel inside where she would remain... As Dr Cossack's computer systems were shutting down, he teleported X's capsule deep within a secluded cave and went into a state of slumber... Everything had been done... The Ill-fated reign was over... The friends that were lost burned and faded in glory.... The cyber elves remained and had come to usher in a new age... An age of dampening hopes of this world.... An age where Neo Arcadia damned Reploids to a fate worse than death... For soon, another war would start where the last one had ended...
As the clock continued to strike against the heroes, there was something else afoot back on the ground. Just as X and Zero had met up with Omega, Sigma made his move against those who remained on the Earth. Letting out a hellish cry of tortured agony, Sigma's form twisted with anger as it sped through a wall... Raining the Reploids below with shards of metal and concrete, Sigma floated above them all... his face marred with extreme delight...
"No.... X...." Sigma muttered, "This is magnificent! None of you piss ants can come close to my powers now! You've all met your match! Assassins Guild! Come to me! ATTACK!"
"I don't think so Sigma," Xephyr grinned, "We've got quite a lot to answer for and this time we're not siding with you! I can't believe that I allowed your kind into my ranks! Your crimes will be atoned for with your passing... My crimes will continue to haunt this world! This is my gift to humanity and my brothers! You won't live out today!"
"Interesting development," Sigma laughed, "I thought there was no cure for my plague.... Oracle must have had something to do with this! No matter... You still have no hopes in spreading it before this world is cleansed!"
"It cost many lives to create it," Oracle hummed, "It was worth the lives sacrificed to see our brothers, human AND Reploid, returned to us... Your evil reign is over Sigma! We stand here today to end what should have ended long ago... your life!"
"I don't think so," Typhus grimaced, "You've all been played as fools! Omega is the true demon that will rule this rock!"
"Ahhhh," Sigma smiled, "Look at this... It's the snake in the grass himself! I knew I'd like you Typhus! You're about as underhanded and deceitful as myself! Omega picked well for his spy! Yes I know.... I mean come on... My brother thinks he can outsmart someone like me? Preposterous!"
"What you don't know is that your dear brother entrusted me with a present for you," Typhus cackled, "This is the last remnant of the Sigma Protocol downloaded from Elysium! Ahhh... but unlike before I beefed it up! You won't be walking away this time!"
"You've got to be joking!" Sigma howled out in laughter, "I'm beyond your attempts at an anti-virus! I'm evil incarnate! I'm the one who will correct your own viral infection! Omega's influences have clouded your mind too long! I'm going to work to correct that!"
"I don't think so," Typhus mocked as he pulled a long blade from his sheath, "This blade was crafted for the purpose of your demise! It is a sword unlike anything this world has known! With this... I'll recreate everything in Omega's image!"
"Crazed abomination," Sigma hissed drawing his scythe, "It's time for you to meet your maker!"
Sigma's eyes deepened as a glow of red overtook them... A storm of evil energy cascaded around him as he floated over the ground... Looking down at Typhus, Sigma's eyes glowed brilliantly with dark energy... as he swiped his scythe around in the air... In a blur of movements that seemed to melt away, Sigma started his attack on Typhus and made quick work of his demise... All Typhus could do was stand there and watch it all as his blood started to come to the surface.... for soon his blood was not the only that would be spilt...
Shutting his eyes amidst the slashes and cuts on his body, Typhus could feel the pain flood his systems but bared it all as he held the sword in his shaking hand... His blood oozing freely onto the ground, Typhus waited to strike and seal Sigma's fate... He could see Sigma's face as he smiled at how Typhus' very energy dropped with each blow... He could see Sigma slash his body and..... he could see his opening to strike... Jamming his blade into thin air, Typhus opened his eyes to see Sigma's stuttering form before him...
"This is it Sigma," Typhus gleed, "You're through! My master has won!"
"Th... Thi... Think again," Sigma stuttered, "X and Zero have beat him... You've lost..."
"Your virus has been corrupted beyond any salvation this time Sigma!" Typhus jinxed, "It doesn't matter if Omega has been defeated or not! You will die here today!"
"Not before you," Sigma smiled as his hand faded, "If I go down, I'm taking you with me!" Stretching his hand into Typhus' chest, Sigma pulled out a wisp of energy from Typhus' body... As Sigma's eyes glowed with dark energy, his aura deepened as the energy merged with his own... On the receiving end, Typhus did not fair too well against this attack... Reeling and squirming, Typhus' body transformed into a ghostlike form that howled and distorted as light poured forth... The columns of light solidified into a rain of sparks that shot out against the sky... His eyes wildly shifted around and transfixed on Sigma... As his last moments drew out, he silently cursed Sigma as his breaths started to get shallower... The light intensified as Typhus shut his eyes and readied for his impending doom... Exploding in a bright array of light, Typhus was no more... another death to add to Sigma's kill list... which seemed to be extending at this very moment...
"Your soul is mine now Typhus! Welcome to your new eternity.... back stabber..." Drawing the sword from his back, Sigma flung it into the ground where it shattered... Stumbling around, Sigma fell onto a knee... A series of light beams started shooting out of Sigma's body as he started to fade away... Stretching his distorted arms over his head, Sigma let out a cry that sent a dark aura around him that easily overtook the light energy...
"I will not be defeated by such a meek attempt! Is there no one else who wants to join him?" Sigma jostled with a grin, "Come now! No one wants to play hero?"
"Bite your tongue!" Zenith stepped forward, "We gathered here today to put an end to your wicked deeds! You can take our lives but it won't stop the inevitable! You will die Sigma! This is the end of the road for you! Your time has run out and it's time for the final curtain pull!"
"Please," Sigma rolled his eyes, "Enough with the melodrama! I swear... Are you the drama queen of the X family? I knew X was the stick in the mud but... geez... cut it out will you?"
"Mock this foul demon," Nemesis rushed toward Sigma with his sword drawn, "You've killed countless people for your view of perfection! You've killed your own friends! You've killed your own minions! I won't allow your hands to be stained with anymore blood!"
"If it isn't the legendary Nemesis," Sigma chuckled, "I've heard you've never been beaten with sword weapons.... Wonder if that's the truth..."
"NEMESIS!" Oracle jumped at him but was knocked back.
Spinning his scythe around, Sigma shattered Nemesis' sword with a single blow and drop kicked him to the ground... Looking down at his unworthy adversary, Sigma turned his scythe down onto Nemesis... However, before the final blow could be made, Zenith rushed forth and knocked back his scythe as everyone, who stood around, ganged up on Sigma...
"Pathetic," Sigma chided as he floated above them, "If you wanted to throw away your lives so much, I'd be more than willing to oblige... all you had to do was ask! I have a much better purpose for your energy anyway!"
Swirling his scythe around, Sigma slashed his foes with a long swipe which they easily dodged... As they recuperated, Sigma gathered himself for an attack that would leave his enemies on their knees... Gathering his dark energy deep inside of him, Sigma unleashed a souped up version of the Mother Virus onto the uninfected Reploids... As they came into contact with it, they all fell over as their eyes glowed with red energy... A smirk crept up on Sigma's face as he lifted himself up over the clouds.... His eyes radiating with the most potent dark energy, Sigma called forth all the energy lost from the inhabitants of the Earth... As it surrounded him, he could feel himself gaining powers unlike anything he had felt before... While the hopes of Earth dwindled, Sigma floated in midair allowing the power to course through his veins... From his skyward view, he sucked the life force out of the planet as everything seemed to get bleak for the poor defenseless blue orb.... As the darkness of eternity stepped ever closer to damn them all, the two heroes were no where to be seen.... no where to save anyone... leaving the Earth to its grim fate...
Back in Elysium, X and Zero were trying to let the anguish of losing their own pass from their hearts... Crying softly, Zero's tears pooled underneath his curled body... Every once and awhile, he would cry out Iris and twitch at the thought of her loss... Whimpering amidst his tears, Zero could barely function anymore with the tragedy... He had lost the only one that had meant the world to him... He had lost all hope for the future... As the downpour of tears continued, he had no clue what was going on below him...
As Zero dealt with the loss of his beloved, X stared out the window overlooking the planet below... Alone he stood there sobbing lightly... and tried to let it sink into his head that she was truly gone... As he stood there looking below, the tears streaked down his face as the sadness seemed to consume him... Holding back his tears for a moment, X could have almost swore he saw the Earth get darker... Watching intently onto the planet below, he watched with horror as the entire orb seemed to grow dark and devoid of any light... Swallowing hard and forcing back his tears again, X bolted into action and ran to Zero's side to get his friend up on his feet... There was not a second to lose for the time had come to return and defeat Sigma's evil... once and for all...
"Zero!" X breathed with panic, "We have to get to Earth... Sigma's done something terrible!"
"Iris," Zero stammered amidst his tears, "I don't have any point on living anymore... She was my only reason to carry on... Now it's all over... I don't have anyone now..."
"Damn it Zero," X shouted, "We have to get going NOW! I know the pain is too close to you but we have to get moving! The Earth is in danger and I fear that everyone below has been defeated..."
"My beloved," Zero whispered, "I'll be with you soon... It's my time to do my part to save the world..."
"We have to get to the Ea... Wait a moment... We have to get rid of Omega before anything else," X pointed to the capsule behind them, "then we can get to Earth... It's imperative that no one finds this capsule... There's a debris field not too far from here... That's the perfect place... We have to hurry... You've got to remember whatever happens from here on in... we must carry on and we must defeat Sigma at all costs..."
"Iris," Zero forced out as he touched the window, "Goodbye for now my love..."
Dragging the capsule out toward an escape pod, X and Zero made their way through Elysium... Reprogramming the escape pod to jettison its fuel, they launched Omega into a satellite debris field... to never be found again... to be forgotten within the realm of time... Looking one last time at Elysium, X and Zero teleported out of the ship and back down to the Earth. Before they had teleported though, X swore that he was being watched... but shrugged is off as his teleportation unit activated... What they did now know was that they were being watched in the hallway... Gritting his teeth and slamming his fist into a wall, Elpizo cursed X as he shut his eyes remembering the friend he had just lost...
"You'll pay X," Elpizo stuttered, "One of these days... I'll have my vengeance on you... You'll wish to forget the day you met Omega after I'm done with you..."
Feeling solid soil underneath their feet, X and Zero looked unto the face of Sigma which was distorting madly under the weight of the energy he was absorbing... Looking swiftly around, they saw that the uninfected's energy was being contributed as well.... Cursing under his breath, X's eyes filled with tears as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists together... They too had joined the ranks of the dying... Slamming his fist onto the ground, X readied to meet up with the demon known as Sigma... Drawing his sword and nodding to his friend Zero, X and Zero tried to anticipate Sigma's next strike... as they readied to merge their powers in one....
"It's time," X nodded to Zero, "Let's awaken Omega X! We'll be able to fix him then!"
"I'm ready, bro," Zero smirked, "Let's together put an end to this baffoon!"
"UNITY ACTIVATE!" X mumbled as his body glowed with golden energy... His armor turned into its Unity form as Zero's body glowed with crimson energy...
"X!" Sigma shouted, "You will not create Omega X here! I have siphoned off all the ambient energy from this rock! There's nothing left to use to start the transformation!"
"I don't think you can understand what's going on Siggy," X taunted, "We don't need just any energy! We have plenty!"
"Siggy eh?" Sigma laughed, "I say I have something else to say about your wanting to combine powers again!"
In a jolt of fast movement, Sigma stormed down to the ground, at which it shook under the extreme energy he was holding... Making a fist, Sigma grinned as he saw the look on X's face... Jamming his faded hand into X's chest, Sigma tried to pull a wisp of energy from within him...
"Give me your soul!" Sigma yammered, "You can't resist me! You won't!"
"I.... I w.. I will resist!" X gasped, "You can't take what's not yours!"
"It's impossible!" Sigma hesitated, "Give it to me now!"
Grinning at his annoying Sigma, X quickly regained himself and drop kicked Sigma across the ground... With sword in his hand, X rushed toward Sigma ready to change the world... Vanishing from view, Sigma appeared behind X at which he drew his scythe and tried to finish him.... However before anything could happen, Zero shot in and slammed Sigma across his face with a closed fist... Laughing at Zero's try, Sigma disappeared again and found himself behind both X and Zero... Slashing his scythe forward, Sigma caught nothing but an after image as X and Zero were behind HIM.... Launching their attack, X fired a blast from his blaster and Zero rushed at Sigma as the blast made its way toward him.... Shaking his head, Sigma caught Zero and flung him at X which sent them both tumbling to the ground... Catching the blast in the palm of his hand, Sigma flung it back at X and Zero who fled the area before it could get them... If only they were a little quicker for as they dodged, Sigma tapped them on their shoulders and knocked them back to the ground...
"You made a nice effort to combat against me," Sigma mocked, "but I'm afraid I have to end this now... I have a lot of things to destroy and so little time!"
"You won't win!" X hesitated, "I won't allow it... Your evil ends here tonight!"
"Right... One shall stand and the other shall fall!" Sigma grinned, "I just love how this'll make my grand ascension look! Taking out my unworthiest adversary with his planet! Wonderful! Just simply wonderful!"
"You wish!" X mumbled, "My tried and true blade... will guide my hand and make its final strike a remembering one!"
"I correct myself," Sigma fumbled with a hand over his face hiding his laughter, "Zenith's not the drama queen I thought he was... It's a tie... Give me a break will you?"
"This is for my wife... her best friend and all of my friends I lost," X jinxed, "You'll lose this time and there'll be no coming back!"
"Time will only tell..." Sigma smirked, "Although from what I've seen... Evil will continue to reign on this world.... so you cannot truly kill me!"
Spinning his blade around in the air, X went on the attack and tried to vanquish his foe... Wanting to make this fight draw out a bit longer, Sigma let X think he was gaining the upper hand... One slash after another, Sigma feigned like he was getting hurt when in actuality he was deflecting every hit with ease... Laughing at X, Sigma took X's sword from him and flung it into the ground next to Zero.... Pummeling X to his knees, Sigma mocked X's tries of defeating him...
"Nice try X," Sigma grimaced, "This is the end.... Your time has drawn near and the Grim Reaper is here to take you down to Hell!"
"I refuse to give up!" X yelled, "You can beat me within an inch of my life but I will continue to stand and oppose you!"
"X..." Zero called as he tossed him his sword, "I don't know how you keep doing it but I'm not able to keep up with you... I'll stand on the sidelines on this fight!"
"Thank you Zero," X hesitated, "You're a true friend... This is it!"
In a bright flash of light, X disappeared from everyone's view as time totally froze... Floating before him, several orbs of light flashed around him as he tried to figure out where he was... Standing in a large room that was pitch black, X looked unto the multicolored orbs of light before him... at which they started communicating....
"Welcome..." one of them stuttered, "Welcome X... We've been expecting you... Now is the time for our ascension... Use our powers well to vanquish Sigma... We will stand with you..."
"What's going on," X looked around, "What are you?"
"We are the cyber elves," another spoke up, "We were once great champions but we have faded to this form.... To pay back our debts, we have come back here now to give back the lives that you've given us..."
"Give the Earth back its light," the first one hummed, "This is for our brothers... This is for the betrayal and pain we've all endured... It's time now X... Take up your sword and use our power to finally put an end to him..."
Fading away in another flash of light, X found himself staring in thin air at what was just floating before him... Zero stood staring at X with a perplexed look on his face trying to understand what X was looking at... Regaining his senses and blinking a few times, X grasped his blade firmly and ran toward Sigma...
"Sigma!" X shouted, "This is the end! With the power of this earth and its fallen warriors, I VANQUISH YOU!"
The faces of Alia, Iris, Signas, Douglas, Lifesavor and all of the fallen Hunters seemed to be fading behind X as he ran when all of a sudden several orbs of light transfixed on Sigma's position... Arching his back in agony, Sigma tried to break free from the circle of cyber elves binding his powers... A bright white orb came into contact with X's sword as it glowed brilliantly with energy... Sending a slash through the air that halved everything in its path, X stood back as time returned to normal.... The cyber elves were dancing madly around Sigma's distorted body as he trembled and fell...
"In the name of all those you have killed," X stammered, "Your last life has been taken... Go where you belong foul demon... STRAIGHT TO HELL!"
"Nooo," Sigma cried, his face warping against the light of the elves, "My evil influences will reign supreme... I will not be defeate...d..."
The elf that had empowered X's sword floated up over Sigma as energy seemed to sparkle over him... A voice could be heard coming from the energy... a female voice... telling Sigma one last goodbye before the coup de grace...
"Sigma," she vexed, "Your evil will never tarnish this world ever again... The ones you have killed in your war against humanity have come back here today to see your defeat! Together they have bound your influences and defeated you! Together we are strong and together we will forever watch this world! Your purgatory is over! Now you go to Hell!"
The cyber elves rotated Sigma's distorting corpse into the air as he wildly tried to break free... In a brilliant flash of sparks and light, Sigma exploded in a vast array of colors as the cyber elves drug a wisp of energy down underneath the ground... The screams of torture and anguish echoed across the landscape as Sigma was no more... The cyber elves had all vanished with Sigma's soul... However, there was yet one more elf that still remained where the others were... It hovered over Zero for a bit as time froze once more... and her voice called to him...
"Zero..." she began, "I'll always be watching you... Your wife has never left your side... I will be awaiting you when your last task is done... What you saw here today was not only your friends but also Hunters destroyed from years before... I am still Iris but I have transcended this realm of existence... My selfless act allowed me to be at your side once more... for now... I am the Mother Elf... Goodbye my love... I will always... love... you..."
Twirling over Zero's head as time returned to normal, a sparkling energy rained down over him as all the sadness inside of him melted away... The Mother Elf zoomed off over the horizon as X and Zero stood bewildered at what had just happened... As the sun rose overhead, light returned across the world and it would seem that everything was at peace... However, there was now something else wrong... The Reploids and humans that were infected with the Mother Virus were not moving... For in fact, their life forces were nearly depleted as X's eyes filled with more tears... He had lost after all... The people of the Earth were gone and now he could not do anything about it... Running every worst case scenario through his head, X could not grasp what he could do to stop it... He had failed afterall... The people of Earth had died... Their sparks extinguished before their prime... to never take another breath once more... As the consequences of his actions flushed through his mind, X stood there trying to understand the ramifications of what he had done... Falling to his knees, the tears poured out over the ground as X found himself powerless to save anyone...
"All this power," X stammered amidst his tears, "I have limitless potential... yet I still cannot save the ones I love... I have all this power and it means nothing! All I want is to grant these people a new life but I can't do it..."
"X," Zero soothed as he touched X on the shoulder, "There still may be hope... The anti-virus has to be around here somewhere..."
"We don't need an anti-virus..." X hymned, "We need a miracle and the savior of this world time and time again will make such... I can't give up... This is my gift to all of you... This is for you Alia... and all the people who gave their lives to see this moment... "
"What are you talking about?" Zero stammered, "Wait.... You're not going to do what I think you're going to do... Are you?"
"You've been the best friend anyone could have asked for Zero," X sullied with a smile, "Goodbye... It's time to do the right thing..."
"No, X," Zero tried to stop X, "Don't leave me too..."
Stepping forward, X's body glowed with a mixture of white and golden light as it started to encompass everything in the area... A series of golden and white flames started to come off of X's armor as his wings started to flail... With his sword still clenched in his hand, X shut his eyes as a single tear slid down his cheek... He could see Alia's face calling for him in the distance as in a brilliant glaze of golden and white light X exploded.... Radiating the most potent golden white light across the landscape, it rushed forward covering every inch of the Earth... at which it enchanted every infected life form with a brilliant gold white hue... The seconds ticked by as the hues intensified and glowed across everything... Every Reploid, man, woman, and child gasped with new life as X's arms seemed to be stretching across the globe... purifying them all from Sigma's evil influence... As the light faded, everyone stood looking in the horizon knowing that their savior had saved them one more time... Little did they know it would be his last...
Back at the battlefield, the light had died down as X's lifeless corpse fell to the ground... The sword that was fixed in his hand fell to the ground and shattered... Several feathers fell next to the sword as stillness crossed everything... Rushing to X's side, Zero tried to wake up his best friend to no avail... His friend was lost to him... self- sacrificed to save the world from its grim fate... The tears forced their way to the surface as Zero twitched with sadness about having just lost not only Iris but also his best friend, X... Slamming his fist into the ground, Zero cursed silently about him not being able to save anyone...
"X..." Zero whispered through muffled tears, "Why did you have to leave me? I'm so alone now... I don't have any reason to continue on living... Why did you have to die X? Why?"
"Zero..." Zenith muttered, "X gave his life to save the people he fought to protect for so long... We cannot forsake the gift he granted us all..."
"Let no man misuse his name," Nemesis stepped forward and bowed his head, "Here where he fell... Let this place be known as hollowed ground... Right here where this hero, whom personified the hearts and minds of this Earth... Let us erect a statue in his honor... Bring me his sword... No man should be denied such a honorable death... May you rest in peace X... You will surely be missed..."
"Here we stand," Xephyr started with a frown, "the day after Armageddon... and on this ground... we breath new life... The honorable man who gave his life to give us a fighting chance will always be remembered... Let no man take for granted this life that he has granted us... Zero... I think it's best you say some words..."
"X," Zero fumbled, "The best friend I ever had... Even though I was created by Dr Light's rival, we set aside those family squabbles to be the best to each other... I will never forget him... He has changed everyone's lives so many times before... I just hope we can live up to the lives that he gave us..."
Grabbing the shards of the sword and taking X, they all walked off toward Dr Cossack's laboratory... Opening the large doors of the lab, Ciel instantly lunged forward and helped them get X to the operating table... A form of Dr Cossack fixed on the screen as his face frowned sadly at X's loss...
"He's gone," Ciel saddened, "The best I can do is seal his body away in hopes that some day we can revive him... His body will be in stasis lock for as long as that takes.... There is also something else I must talk to you about... but I must insist that we be alone Zero..."
"It's alright," Xephyr bowed, "We have work of our own... The retribution of the Neo Arcadian government will be swift... Let's get going and find our other members... We have to prepare the Resistance for its counter strike..."
The group of Reploids left leaving Zero, Ciel and Dr Cossack behind... Typing onto her computer, Ciel looked up at Zero... Trying to hide her sadness, she looked deeply into Zero's eyes... and began...
"Father," Ciel yawned, "I think I'll tell him... Anyway... Our extensive work on the cure for the Mother Virus had produced results... Luck be it that Oracle and Nemesis found us and helped us in time to figure it out... That virus is at bay and now we have another to worry about... Your viral infection Zero... I'm afraid we need to put you in suspended animation until the virus can be removed... We cannot allow another Sigma to be born..."
"I understand..." Zero stammered, "I don't have any reason to stay here do I? My wife, Iris, and X have both been killed..."
"I'll teleport you to your home," Dr Cossack cut in, "I'm sorry it has to be this way... but we cannot stress how important this is... The Sigmus Virus has to die with Sigma..."
In a whiz of light, Zero and Ciel were transported into a room with a capsule in it... Checking the systems one last time, Ciel helped Zero into it and allowed the systems to take over from there... Closing his eyes and wishing to forget everything, Zero fell into a deep sleep that he would not awaken from for a century... In his pod, he kept thinking about everyone he had lost to get this far... and there he slept with his nightmares haunting his dreams... Shaking her head, Ciel felt sorry for Zero and all that he had lost.... She wished him a good sleep and contacted her father again... Being told her next move, she returned home without a second's notice.... Teleporting back into the lab, Dr Cossack smiled at Ciel and told her that it was her turn...
"My daughter," Dr Cossack smiled, "Now that everything has been done... You need to get some rest... This capsule will allow you to sleep away the infection in your system... Good night... I am proud of you, my dear..."
"I'll see you when I awake," Ciel nodded, "Good night Father... I love you..."
Ciel smiled sweetly at her father and nodded as she got up into the capsule... With a hiss, the capsule sealed Ciel inside where she would remain... As Dr Cossack's computer systems were shutting down, he teleported X's capsule deep within a secluded cave and went into a state of slumber... Everything had been done... The Ill-fated reign was over... The friends that were lost burned and faded in glory.... The cyber elves remained and had come to usher in a new age... An age of dampening hopes of this world.... An age where Neo Arcadia damned Reploids to a fate worse than death... For soon, another war would start where the last one had ended...