Chapter 3: Leviticus
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Phantom cocked his head to one side. Though it appeared as if he were trying to listen for something, in truth he was receiving a direct radio transmission.
"Sir, I'm getting a report from the 9th Unit. One of the Golems managed to capture Dr. Ciel, and is currently engaged in battle with the reploid believed to be Zero. Shall I put it on the monitor?"
"Go ahead."
X steepled his fingers in front of him as the viewscreen flickered on. "This should be very interesting...."
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Zero was starting to run out of options. The machine's laser was chewing up vast portions of the room, and he was starting to run out of places to duck for cover. If he tried to shoot back, its armor was too thick for him to be anything more than an annoyance. The only way to damage it seemed to be when it dropped the plate covering its laser, but even that was heavily fortified. Zero had lost track of the shots he had poured into that monstrosity.
"Ciel, are you allright?!" he called out from behind an upended bank of computers, his voice echoing through the room...thankfully, this prevented the machine from getting a bead on him. She had become dangerously quiet during the altercation, and he was worried about her. Her reply was weak and strained. "Zero...Zero, why are you still here? You'll die...." Zero frowned slightly, raising his pistol and shouting back moments before leaping from his cover: "That's not the point!"
The Golem finally got a good lock on him as Zero dashed from cover. If the machine could grin, it would have, as the face-plate dropped and its lens began to throb with gathering energy. Zero's gun was raised; it was a showdown, but he had no hope of winning the exchange. This shot would tear the rebel to shreds for sure, it's computerized brain reasoned.
Then, there was a bright flash of light. The machine reeled as if physically struck, and Zero turned towards the source. One of the computers had activated, and a flickering image of a brightly-colored 'X' was on the screen. This confused Zero, as some sort of memory deep down stirred within him. Why was it familiar to him....?
Then the computer 'spoke', the voice thin and broken. The speakers had been corroded from centuries of neglect. "ZERO....USE....THIS...." And suddenly, a small metal object went sailing into the air. It looked like a metal tube, and as Zero watched, a blade of shimmering green energy extended from one end. It landed blade first in the ground, and began to hum ominously. Again, Zero was struck with a sense of deja vu. He said nothing, shaking his head as if to try and clear the cobwebs in his mind. "DON'T....YOU HAVE....SAVE HER....I...." Then, as soon as it came, the computer shut down again. Leaving Zero, the Golem, and Ciel. The machine seemed to snap out of its daze, and began to charge towards Zero at full speed.
However, Zero knew an opportunity when he saw one. He sprang towards the beam sword embedded in the ground, ripping it free in a tremendous arc as the Golem approached. Before he'd even really known what he was doing, the machine's arm was ripped free at the shoulder by the sheer force of his blade. The arm holding Ciel clattered to the ground, and she scrambled out of its now-limp grasp. The machine recoiled, trying in vain to compensate for the injury; streaks of lightning ebbed and flowed from the gash where its arm once lay. Zero grinned in a feral fashion, leaping into the air with his sword held high overhead. "YOU'RE FINISHED!"
Blade met armor in a dazzling flash of light and electricity. For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Zero's saber was buried to the hilt in the Golem's "chest", the armor running like water around the high-energy blade. Then, the Golem collapsed, its body twitching reflexively before finally lying still. Zero stared in wonder at the blade he held in his hand, looking it over. Finding the switch, he turned it off, and it fizzled away. It felt natural in his hands. Again, the feeling confused and bewildered him.
"That was amazing, Zero!" Ciel called out, walking over to place a hand on his shoulder. He suddenly didn't look at all well. Then, he collapsed to one knee. "Ugh....." Ciel frowned slightly, and kneeled next to him. "You should take it easy and rest for a moment. You probably still have hibernation sickness. I'm sorry for putting you through all this, Zero." He smiled thinly. "No...it's allright."
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Phantom just stared at the viewscreen. As the Golem's signal cut out, he began to hear a strange, ominous creaking noise.
When he turned around, he saw X still seated in his command chair, but gripping the arms so tightly that cracks began to appear in the wooden surface. His left eye twitched spasmodically. It was a very disturbing sight for the Guardian.
"Sir...? Sir, are you allright? Should I call a medic?"
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"Ciel....I want to ask you something."
She paused. After the Golem was downed, they had found a corridor leading off behind it. Ciel thought that the thing she was looking for was that way, so Zero had acquiesced. "What is it?"
Zero frowned slightly, as if considering. "What if....what if I'm not Zero? What if I'm just some reploid with a sword and a gun?" She smiled. It was a warm, friendly smile...not one of the forced or grim ones she had given him before. He decided at that moment that he liked her smile. "Zero....you saved me from that monster. That's all the proof that I need." He fell silent at that, having no clue how to respond. He looked faintly embarrassed.
Eventually, however, they came to the room Ciel was searching for. "This should be it. This appears to be an old Trans Server terminal. We can tap into it from here to get back home. Have you used one of these before?" Zero shook his head. Ciel frowned slightly. "That's right....I'm sorry."
Zero said nothing, then, instead looking around the room. There was a small circular pad in the very center, and a computer terminal nearby. Without quite knowing why, he walked over to stand on the pad. "Okay, that's good. Give me a second to enter the co-ordinates...." She tapped at the keypad. "And we're good." Ciel then joined him on the pad. "We should be going in 3...2...1...."
Then Zero's world seemed to fade into a brilliant flash of white light.