Megaman X2: Eternal War

Chapter 7: Battle at the H.Q. (part 1)

By Genoscythe

Disc: Do you think I own Megaman? Huh? Do you?

A.N: Sorry this chapter took so long, I was fighting off the annual 'back to school sickness' that everyone seems to be getting now. All I felt like doing was sit on my ass all day and down fever pills. Which is pretty much what I did, anyway. I also played the Resident Evil remake to pass the time. I was waiting for inspiration to come to me, and it did, so now I present to you chapter seven in Megaman X2: Eternal War.

" We can't afford to waste anymore time. The hunters have already eliminated the volcano and desert base, and I don't think that our mavericks can hold them long enough. We have to intervene."

" Attack the base!"

" Shut up, we need to devise a plan."

" The dinosaur tank is not yet completed, so a preemptive strike may be risky. We could take with us about five hundred cloaked transports and maneuver them around to the south coast of the island. Since Maverick Hunter H.Q. is right on the coast, we should be able to take them by surprise."

Commander Genoscythe strode down the well-lit hallway with a quick gait, anxious to get his report in and retire to his quarters. He entered his passcodes into the door to the control room and stepped through. The control room wasn't by far the largest room in the building, but it was close. The walls were lined with video screens, some small, some large. Technicians and operators worked away at computers on either side of the circular room. In the center, a large cylinder that could stand for a table stood. The top of it was clear, indicating that it could produce holograms. It was used for mapping, briefing, storing information, and many other needs that the hunters might have.

Commander Briggs was looking over a map as Genoscythe came in. Briggs turned to him. " What's the report?" He asked plainly.

" We've eliminated the volcano base and the desert base. The greenhouse team will be leaving in half an hour. And…" The 17th's commander trailed off.

" Yes, Dr. Cain told me about the incident at the Central Control. I'm very sorry, but we need to press onward. Find a way to get the Central Control back, no matter what,"

" Any other orders?"

" No, you may do as you were," Instructed Briggs. Genoscythe turned on his heels and headed for the door. He was already out in the hallway when he heard the alarmed cry. Immediately, he spun around and dashed back into the room. One of the operators at a computer screen was staring pale-faced at the monitor, and Genoscythe assumed that the scream had emanated from him. He ran over to the young boy, and Briggs followed.

" What the hell just happened, private?" Genoscythe bellowed. The poor reploid boy pointed a shaky finger at the screen. It was nearly filled with red dots. Red dots showed anything infected with the maverick virus. The operator stammered a few times, but finally swallowed his fear and spoke with a strong and calm voice.

" I saw an irregularity on the radar, just out on the south ocean. The scan came out clear, but when I looked at the visual display, I saw little ripples in the sky, like the light was bending away from something, much like a cloaking shield. Since nothing came up on the visual or radar display, I tried hacking into their shield's code, and I was able to break it. When the shield disappeared, I saw this." The kid pointed to the screen again. "I'd say that there are more than seven hundred transports out there right now. From their size they probably hold about two thousand mavericks each."

" Shit," Genoscythe hissed. " How close are they?"

" They just reached the coast now. It'll probably take them about twenty minutes to get here." Without saying a word, the commander turned to Briggs.

" Get the 15th ready for battle. Call the 7th and tell them to get an air strike ready. I'll get the 17th, 0, and 14th units and head out to the frontline. We've got to stop them from getting into the city."

" I'm not sure that it's the city that they want," Briggs stated.

" Why?"

" It's simple. We obviously pose the most threat to the Mavericks, so why would they try to go through us to get to the city? It's suicide, even in the crazed mind of those damned fanatics. They must be trying to get rid of us in a combined attack."

" Then we'll give them everything we've got." Genoscythe yelled so that the whole room could hear.

" I'll sound the alarm," The young operator piped in as he flipped a switch and the siren began.

Five minutes earlier:

As soon as X, Calliope, and Drake entered Jett's room, they were overwhelmed with a sudden feeling of dread. He was lying on an operating table, with hundreds of tubes; needles and other equipment attached to him. They didn't even have time to get his black battle armor off, but Calliope doubted that they could even if they had the time. There was a gaping hole in his chest, clear from one side of his body to the other. Mobius had futilely tried to stop the blood flow, but his armor and torso were still completely stained crimson. Speaking of which, the head doctor was sitting in a chair, staring at a computer screen.

Mobius was a bat-type reploid, with completely black synthetic fur all over his body, with some patches of metal on his chest and arms. His lab coat had to be made with special holes in the back for his leathery wings, which he had constantly draped over his body like a cloak. Both his eyes were blood red, with no pupils. His enormous ears poked up far above any other hunter's standard height, measuring at about 10 meters in height. Now he rose, his wings folded across his body. " He's losing more fluids that we can pump into him," He stated matter-of-factly.

" Isn't there anything you can do for him?" Calliope asked, her hands clasped together tightly.

" Depends," Mobius said. " Depends on if this DAMN COMPUTER will work!" As his voice rose, he whirled around and punched a well-sized fist into the glass of the monitor. With a roar, he pounded his fist on the metal desk. This was why people questioned his sanity. It was also why nobody would dare to go near him unless he asked. " He has traces of an unusual magnetic substance near the wound, and any machinery we get near it goes on the fritz. I don't know if we can do anything for him," Mobius said after calming down a bit. " In fact, the only thing that's keeping him alive is the power generator that's giving his suit energy." Calliope hung her head, and X held her close to him to comfort her.

" So, basically what you're saying is that he's screwed and there's no point in keepin' him alive?" Drake asked incredulously.

" Yes. I MEAN NO! If we could somehow get the magnetic residue out of his body, then we could save him. But we CAN'T! Nobody knows how to perform a procedure that complicated."

" So he is screwed,"

" Exactly,"

" Shit."

Just then, a claxon sounded out from a panel on the wall. The lights turned red and a voice came over on the comm. link. " Attention all Maverick Hunters! A maverick attack is imminent! Suit up and head to the south coast as soon as possible!" Without hesitating for a second, the three hunters turned and sped off for the armory. Mobius sat back down on his chair and folded his hands together.

" What the hell are you mavericks up to now, I wonder?"

Maverick Hunter H.Q. stood on the edge of Neo Tokyo City, about a kilometer from the city and several kilometers from the coast. "Coast" really wouldn't be a good word for it, though, since it's the equivalent of a vertical wall of jagged rocks many, many kilos above the waves. This was where the maverick ships were positioned. Two had just been lost to an air raiding party, but it didn't slow down the mavericks one bit. Thousands were already on their way to the H.Q., while others were preparing weapons and equipment.

X lay on the short pile of boxes, eagerly watching the mavericks with a pair of binoculars. " This doesn't look good," He said to Drake, who was kneeling next to him. " They've got everything from siege tanks to hover trucks. Not to mention a good line of artillery in the back ranks." His green-clad partner snatched the binocs from his hands.

" Holy shit, you ain't kiddin' me," He swore, quickly scanning the premises. " Genoscythe had better know what he's doin'."

" As a matter of fact, I do." Suddenly, the tall imposing commander was next to the two, with his arms folded across his chest. He barked orders to some passing hunters, then turned back to the other two.

" With all due respect, sir, where are the 12th and the 16th units? Shouldn't we be concentrating all of our firepower on the frontline?" X asked in a subdued tone.

" They're with the 6th. They're going to try and take them from behind."

" You mean they're actually gonna try and scale the cliffs?" Drake asked incredulously.

"Sort of, there are a number of tunnels that the 6th use to get from the base to the ocean, and by using those tunnels, the 12th and the 16th will easily be able to make it to the top." Genoscythe explained.

" I get it. That's a great strategy." X mused.

" Thank you. Now get ready, 'cause the fight hasn't even begun yet," With that, Genoscythe turned around and began walking away. " Oh, and guys," He turned around mid-stride. " Don't wear yourselves out. Take it easy, and give 'em hell!" Drake slumped down where he sat, and moaned. This was not going to be fun.

End

A.N: So, you like? Please review as always, and I'll be sure to keep writing. I'll probably keep writing anyway, since I'm doing this for fun only, but reviews are always welcome. I've got a major setback in production, so the first chapter of Drake's side story won't be up for a while longer, sorry. Not much other news, so sayonara (as usual)!