Megaman X2: Eternal War

Chapter 17: The Azure Hunter's Rage

By Genoscythe

(Insert Disclaimer here)

AN: Once again, I want to thank all of my reviewers (I don't want to point out anyone in particular because I think you all deserve equal credit for posting a review) Anyway, on to the chapter!

Oh yeah, just a slight warning to the little tykes reading this (though I'm pretty sure there are none), this chapter's pretty heavy on a lot of things, like violence, drama, and romance. The end is a bit noticeable, but nothing you should really worry about. So, before I continue to spoil the story, read on…If you dare!

A soft breeze filtered through the window of Megaman X's sleeping quarters, caressing Calliope's face as she sat in a chair next to X's bed. The owner of the room was sleeping peacefully in the bed, still recovering from his battle with the X Hunter Agile. After the first day of being in intensive care, the lifesaver unit let him return to his room, but he was suspended from duty and was advised to relax until his wounds fully healed.

Calliope lovingly stroked X's cheek while he lay in bed. At the touch of her fingers, his eyes fluttered open and he gently reached up and took her hand into his own. " Have you been here this whole time?" He asked her.

" Yeah, ever since yesterday evening. I left to get some dinner, but that was it," She replied.

" You don't have to do this for me, you know," He said softly. " I know how to take care of myself. Besides, don't you have hunting duty?"

" You're welcome," She said flatly. He shook his head.

" Sorry. I just don't want you trapped in here waiting on me when you could be doing something more interesting," He explained

" Rock, there's nothing more interesting to me than simply being with you," She bent down and whispered in his ear. He faced her.

" You spoil me," He said, then kissed her softly. For several moments, they just looked into each other's eyes. Then, X saw a tear slide down from Calliope's dark blue eyes. She quickly blinked it away, but he still noticed it. " What's wrong?" He asked her.

" What? Oh, it's nothing," She said quickly. Then, she looked back into his eyes and found that she could not lie to him. " It's just that… I'm worried about your safety," X resisted the urge to laugh.

" My safety? I should be the one worrying about you," He said. Then he changed his tone. "…But I don't, because I know you can take care of yourself and I know how strong you are," Calliope's face melted into a smile again. Suddenly, she jerked forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her.

" Please," She said. " Just don't ever leave me,"

" I would never even dream of it. You just worry about protecting yourself on the battlefield," He said while stroking her hair. She looked him in the eye.

" What would I do without you?" With that, she leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. They held their position for awhile, but when Calliope gently arched her back, the kiss intensified. X pulled her down on top of him without breaking the embrace and they both lay on the bed, lips locked for a considerable amount of time. Finally, they pulled apart slightly.

" I guess you're feeling better," Calliope said to him.

" I feel wonderful, better than ever!" He exclaimed.

" Would you like to get out for awhile?"

" Great. It feels like it's been ages since I used my feet, let alone seen the city."

" Okay. I'll go get a jeep, and you can get ready. I'll meet you at the front door, alright?" She asked him.

" Sure," X replied. Once she left, he got dressed in his street clothes, a plain white T-shirt with a thin leather vest and dark shorts. He met Calliope outside shortly, where she was at the wheel of one of the Maverick Hunter armored jeeps. He hopped into the passenger side, since he knew how much she loved driving the off-road monsters.

" Ready to go?" She asked him.

" Yeah, just don't run over any turtles this time,"

" Oh relax. That was an accident. I could hardly see the thing; it was so well camouflaged."

" Huh. I guess that proves that natural defenses don't always help." They continued idly talking for the rest of the trip to the city.

" How could you? How could you possibly lose!"

" Do not underestimate his power…"

" After all that bragging! You just went on and on about how you were going to win the war for us! Now look at you. One hunter almost completely destroyed you,"

" Calm down Violen. We still have a chance with the two of us. Besides, we have our trump card waiting to be played,"

" Don't bother calling in another force to attack him, Serges. I'll kill him myself,"

" You really think you can beat him?"

" Don't worry. You've got his location, right?"

" He's moving into the city, but his energy signature's low. I don't think he's wearing any combat armor,"

" Aw, that's no fun. I'll just have to stop by our friends the Maverick Hunters and get it for him,"

" Are you insane! With his new armor, he'll tear you to pieces!!!"

" Calm down, Agile. You should be resting,"

" …Okay, fine, but I gave you a fair warning,"

Drake sighed. I can't believe that big dumbass got me stuck in here for a full extra day! He thought to himself. People had been questioning him about why he had been outside and unconscious last night, and why there was a surgical knife missing from his tray. Oddly, nobody mentioned the body of Jawbreaker. Either nobody wanted to ask him about it, or the body disappeared. He suspected the latter, because the fine people here at MHHQ didn't really seem to care when or what they ask questions about, as long as they got answers. Chances were, they were answers Drake didn't want to give.

His thoughts were dashed as a visitor entered his room. " Well, if it isn't Chuckles himself," Drake spat at Magus, the leader of Special Unit 0. The two reploids had been at odds since the day they met; however nobody knows why. Some people say it's because Dr. Cain built Magus right after Drake, so it would just be another sibling rivalry. Others say it's just in their nature. Even though people argue as to why they fight, everybody just accepts the fact that the two will always quarrel.

" I don't have time for your sarcasm, runt," Magus retorted. Since Magus was a few good meters taller than Drake, this was a nickname that especially annoyed him.

" Look, why don't you just ask me your damn questions and get the hell out of my sight," Drake said, his face flushing at the mention of his nickname.

" Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be here any longer than I have to, either,"

" Then get it over with!"

" Okay! Okay! HQ has asked me to tell you that, when you're fully recovered, you must help us devise a strategy for taking down the BOL,"

" Why me? I don't have a tactician program!" Drake argued.

" No, you won't be doing any actual planning. God knows what would happen to our hunters if we let you lead us!" He said with a short laugh. "However, you're the only one to have actually been inside the compound. We may need your help in finding weak points,"

" Fine, I'll do what I can. Now, can you just leave me alone?" Drake asked with acid in his voice. Magus nodded, then turned and left the room. As he left, he chuckled to himself and muttered the word "Tactician," under his breath. Drake sighed and lay back in his bed. However, as soon as his head touched the pillow, the door opened again. " What is it now?" He barked agitatedly.

" I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?" Said a calm, assured voice.

" VR? Sorry about that, man. I thought you were someone else," He replied.

" You mean Magus?" VR asked. Drake nodded. " I would like to know why you two are constantly at each other's throats. It just isn't logical,"

" Take a number," Drake muttered. " So, whadda ya need?"

" I'm just curious as to the events that occurred last night. All I know is that there was some sort of fight outside, and you were somehow involved," Drake sighed again.

" Awright, I'll give ya the full story. This may take some time, though,"

" It makes no difference to me,"

" Suit yourself,"

Calliope relaxed as the cool, steady wind whipped her hair about her perfectly human-looking face and ruffled her favorite denim jacket. She took another bite out of her sandwich that she was sharing with X, who was sitting across from her and eating the other half. They were sitting at a table outside Toni's Bistro, one of their favorite places to eat in Neo Tokyo City. Both of them loved Italian, but Calliope especially loved it. Anytime they wanted to go somewhere to eat, it was usually Italian.

X seemed oddly quiet, like he was in another world. Calliope figured he was still just getting over the massive energy drain he experienced when his armor was mysteriously reconfigured. The R&D branch was still examining the armor and testing out its various abilities. Then, she noticed that X was staring at a little human girl wearing a navy blue dress who was wandering through the tables, looking for her mother. She occasionally called out, but no one answered. She seemed to be about five or six years old.

A pitying smile dawned on Calliope's face. She sincerely hoped that the little girl would find her mother. She turned back to gaze at X, but she was surprised to see that his face was ashen. In an instant, he stood up, his chair tumbling backward. Calliope stood up too, and she turned around just in time to see a large black sphere smash into the Bistro, sending huge chunks of duracrete raining down on the tables below. Reploids and humans scattered, running in every direction.

Several cries emanated from the tables nearest the building. A large slab of debris was crushing several people. " Help them!" X commanded to Calliope as he ran around the small table and dashed to the railing of the balcony. Suddenly, a large orange reploid landed in the plaza below. The same spiked ball that had smashed the bistro was attached to the reploid's back. To X's horror, he saw his new combat armor clutched in one of the reploid's giant hands.

" Come on down, Megaman X. The party's just begun!" The monster called up to him. With a single glance back to see if Calliope was okay, he jumped from the several meter high balcony and landed in front of the reploid, who was beginning to look very familiar.

" You're one of the X hunters, aren't you?" X asked. " Violen?"

" Good memory," Violen grunted. " Here," He tossed X his armor. " I want a fair fight. Hold nothing back,"

" I guess it was fair when you nearly killed those humans back there, huh?" X growled.

" What can I say? I like to make an entrance," Violen said with a devilish smile. X just stared at him as he attached his armor, unable to think of words to express his anger. He checked to make sure all of the energy lines were secure, then got into a fighting stance. Violen's smile suddenly disappeared, and he started swinging his body around, and the ball automatically detached from his back and started swinging above his head. Then, he thrust his body forward and turned sideways, launching the ball at X. He jumped, narrowly avoiding the projectile. However, Violen grabbed the end of the chain and pulled on it, swinging the ball back in X's direction. It hit him squarely in the back in midair, and he went tumbling to the ground. He got up quickly.

Wow, X thought, I barely even felt that. This armor is amazing! Violen frowned at the ineffectiveness of his weapon. The only mark to show for the attack was two little scratches on the back of X's armor. Most reploids would have been crushed by that maneuver. He really is the legendary maverick-killer! Violen thought. Now, he knew that he could not win. Still, he had to distract X for awhile until…

***

Calliope dug through the debris of the restaurant as fast as she could. The little girl was crying, which made her dig all the faster. Finally, she tossed a large hunk of debris away and found the humans, who were huddled against the wall of the restaurant. They were covered in dust and bruises, but they were very much alive. She breathed a sigh of relief, but then she noticed something. It was a small gray sphere with a single button on it. It was a detonator charge

Calliope gasped. " Run! Get out of-" her yell was cut off by the explosion, blasting her backwards. She tumbled head over heels until she hit the railing of the balcony. She was dazed, but reploids were built to withstand more than a single explosion. Also, she was at the edge of the explosion. The humans, however…

Calliope put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming. The little girl's hand and forearm lay at her feet, charred and deformed.

***

X whirled his head around to look at the crumbling bistro, heard the explosion and the blast of heat. Violen was laughing quietly as a shred of the little girl's dress floated down onto the plaza. " My, humans are so fragile, aren't they?" Violen said with a smirk. X opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. There was no way he could express the anger he was feeling. At least not with words.

With a roar, Megaman X dashed forward, and the new jet boosters on his feet threw Violen off guard. X slammed his shoulder into the beast and they both continued flying until Violen collided with a wall. His wrecking ball took most of the blow, and he could vaguely hear it crack and chip as the strong duracrete gave way. X stopped then, and pushed off of Violen's chest and jumped into the air. In midair, he launched a massive volley of energy bullets that all hit Violen squarely in the chest.

Before X even landed, he began charging up his buster. As he charged, he felt power growing in his other hand as well. His body told him all he needed to do. He loosed a powerful energy bolt from his buster arm, which took Violen in his shoulder joint, blasting away the armor and exposing the metal skeleton underneath. He held out his other hand, and an enormous energy wave burst forth with five energy balls trailing behind it, each as powerful as a charged energy bolt. They hit Violen's weakened shoulder, and the ensuing explosion engulfed both reploids. To X, it felt like a hot breeze, but to Violen, the world was engulfed in fire and pain, and he could no longer feel his arm, which was disintegrated. When the smoke and fire cleared, X was still standing there, his expression cold as death. He grabbed hold of Violen by his remaining arm and swung him back towards the middle of the plaza.

Violen skidded to a stop, dazed and bleeding energy out of his arm. X ripped a long neosteel pole out of the wall, then charged at Violen. " Stop," Violen asked weakly.

" What is it?" X's voice was dripping with rage.

" I just want to ask you one question," Violen said. " Have you ever retired a reploid that you thought was a maverick, but it really wasn't?" He waited for those words to sink in. Then, X's face contorted in horror.

" You're not…"

" That's right. I'm not a maverick. I joined with them because I craved action and war. After all, that is what I was built for." Violen coughed. " Replitech made me as their prime anti-maverick soldier. Ironic how things worked out," X was still in a state of disbelief. " Don't worry, Agile and Serges are mavericks. You can kill them without remorse, but what about me? How will you dispose of me, eh?"

" I don't care…" X began. "…If you aren't a maverick! What you did today is the worst crime any reploid could commit," His rage began to build again. " And for that, I can't let you live," Suddenly, Violen sprung up and launched his wrecking ball at X. He rolled to the side, twirling the metal pole around the chain as the ball flew harmlessly past. Then, he lunged forward, jabbing the pole into one of the chain links with pinpoint accuracy.

Grabbing the end of the pole, he spun it in midair, coiling the chain and the ball around it. Then, he ran towards Violen, but instead of killing him, he jumped over him, landing behind the fountain in the middle of the plaza. He wrapped the chain around the fountain several times, then stuck the pole into the ground, driving it through duracrete and gravel. Violen knew that he was trapped. His chain was tied to the fountain and the pole was driven into the ground so hard, even he could not pull it out.

Now, X slowly walked toward the trapped reploid. " Well, they were right about you," Violen said under his breath. " You are the most powerful reploid ever built,"

" Just be quiet and accept your death," With that, X began firing. In fact, it wasn't until moments later that X realized that he had pulled the trigger. Now, all that was left of Violen was a burned-out husk. Ashes covered the plaza and bits of metal were strewn everywhere. He began to breathe heavily. Suddenly, he felt overwhelmingly exhausted. Soon, Calliope rushed to his side, holding him against her as tears flowed freely from her eyes.

X looked at her, trying to say something comforting, but there was nothing he could say that would be appropriate. Suddenly, there was a flash of light behind them. " Well, I must say that even I am impressed!" Came an old and weathered voice. The two spun around to find an old reploid wearing a dark cloak and an odd black hat. He was clutching Zero's torso in his small hands. " Just remember, Maverick Hunter, there are still two of us. I will be back," In another instant, he was gone, with Zero's part lying on the ground. X bent down to retrieve it, and when he stood up, he noticed that a gathering of people had formed around them.

Most of them were humans, but a few reploid faces were mixed in. The humans all stared at the two Maverick Hunters with hate and malice glistening in their eyes. " You say you protect us, yet this happens! In the middle of this city even!" One of the humans barked angrily.

One woman with tear-filled eyes was quick to join in. " My baby is gone! How could you let this happen?"

" My uncle and aunt were in that explosion!"

" How could this happen in the middle of our own city?!"

" You reploids are all the same!" On and on the crowd of humans jeered at them. The reploids in the crowd just looked on in sympathy, as if they had seen this very same thing happen hundreds of times before. Calliope clutched X's shoulder tightly and buried her face in his chest. That was enough for Megaman X.

" Shut up! All of you! If you grieve so for the dead, then perhaps you would like to join them!" X raised his buster to the crowd and several humans backed away, terrified by the reploid's strength. " Don't think I won't do it," He growled, and his eyes began to take on a reddish hue.

" Oh god…" Calliope moaned as she looked up into his face, a face contorted in anguish. At the sight of his love so distressed, he lowered his buster and began to calm down a bit. Then, he spun around and walked toward their jeep, which was parked at the other side of the plaza. Calliope was quick to follow him, however nobody else made a move of any kind.

On the way back to HQ, neither X nor Calliope said a word. X's thoughts were spinning, and the most terrifying thought of all was that he was actually going to shoot those people. He was seconds from pulling the trigger before he snapped out of his trance. Another thought in his troubled head was the idea that he might be infected with the maverick virus. He quickly dashed that thought away, for it was a prospect he did not want to even consider.

He was also worried about the effects this day had on Calliope. Her beautiful, perfect face was red from the tears she had shed. Also, she had a faraway look in her eyes, one that was common for a victim of mild shock. X's face was almost the opposite, grim determination written across his face, completely concentrated on the task of driving on the nearly unused road leading to the MHHQ, which was coming up on the horizon. The sun was barely a sliver on their right side.

It was dark by the time they reached the HQ. After parking the jeep, X took Calliope into the building, his arm draped across her shoulders. However, as soon as he opened the door of the massive garage, a hunter was sprinting down the hallway toward them. " Megaman X! Where the hell have you been?" The young and inexperienced hunter called out as he reached the couple. " We've got crisis coming at us left and right, and you suddenly leave? All the officials are baffled, and I think I'm going to commit suicide before this night is over!" The hunter, who, in his bluster, had completely forgotten protocol when talking to superiors, had caught up to them.

" What is it now?" X asked wearily.

" We've got reports from Outpost Beta that there's been a huge disturbance in the city, and as many as six humans were killed!" X nodded, knowing all too well what he was referring to. " Not only that, but your armor disappeared from the 16th division armory earlier this afternoon after you left," The hunter stopped to take a breath. " To top it all off, Mobius has been found!" X was caught off guard by his last remark.

" Did you say Mobius? But, isn't that a good thing?" X asked the reploid.

" Not at all. That crazy bat won't let anyone near him, and we think he's hiding in the main lookout tower. He nearly killed two hunters!" X was beginning to get overwhelmed.

" Look, he doesn't attack people unless someone goes near him, right?" X asked. The hunter nodded. " Then leave it be for now. This day is getting longer by the moment," X sighed, as much from exhaustion of his energy supplies as of the hopelessness he felt. " If anything happens, wake me." He said. Again, the hunter nodded. In an instant, he was running off again, probably to report the situation to his superiors.

X looked to his lover, and saw the pain and exhaustion in her eyes. She looked back at him, then grabbed his hand tightly. After removing his armor, X and Calliope went back to X's room, where their journey had begun. Standing outside his door, he looked Calliope in the eyes, where that pained expression was still evident. He wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned against him, as she felt her legs go weak.

" Are you sure you'll be alright?" X asked her. She nodded, then closed the distance between them and gave him a tender kiss. X wiped a tear from her eye and bade her goodnight. Later, as X lay awake in his bed, thinking about all that had happened, there was a knock on the door. X opened it to find Calliope, wrapped in a blanket, standing outside his room. He quickly let her in and closed the door.

He was about to ask her what she was doing, but she spoke first. " Why do the humans hate us, Rock?" As she spoke those words, a tear began to slide down her face. He quickly rushed to her and wiped it away, then held her in a loving embrace. "We never did anything to them, we even saved their lives! And yet, they yelled at us," She looked into his face. " They treat us as if we aren't living beings. They just can't grasp the idea that even though we're based on mechanic principles, we're still alive. We still feel pain. We still love…" With those last words, she lowered his head to hers, and they embraced in the most passionate kiss either had ever known. Calliope let the blanket fall away, and he realized that she was only wearing her underwear. He had never seen so much of the woman's well-toned body, and it was a beautiful spectacle that would not be matched for a long time. The bronze tone of her muscles accentuated her entire body, and perfectly honed muscles ran along her arms and just barely shaped her torso into something so perfect that it didn't seem humanly possible. Her strong , shapely legs held her firmly in their embrace.

Calliope arched her back, letting out small moans to entice X even more, her soft body brushing against his. The feeling of her skin against his caused him to deepen the kiss to a new level, parting his lips slightly as he repeatedly pressed them against hers. Sensing this change in him, she parted her lips also, but the moment their tongues met, they broke the embrace, yet he still held her in his arms. They both blushed deeply, as they found that neither of them were ready to go that far. After moments of silence, Calliope dared to ask him a question. " Can I stay with you tonight?" She almost whispered the question. He nodded, however the mere thought of it brought a blush to his cheeks. She let out a small laugh. " I didn't mean that, Rock!" She said as she gave him a sly smile. X began to breathe a little easier. " I just want to be with you for a while longer," She gave him a playful kiss.

" I guess this means you're feeling better?" X asked her.

" Yeah, I guess I am," She replied. She stretched, contorting the ripples of muscle on her body. "I guess we should try to get to sleep then," She said. X nodded. That night, both of them slept better than they had in weeks.

End

AN: Well, on that happy note, this marks the end of my longest chapter to date. I hope everyone liked it, and no, X and Calliope didn't do anything 'funky', if you know what I mean. Even though things got a little steamy, I think they're both too pure to do anything like that. I'm not that perverted. Or am I? Wait…no I'm not…I think… aw forget it.