Megaman X2: Eternal War
Chapter 20: Infiltration part 2
By Genoscythe
Hey, I only have to write a disclaimer three more times!
AN: Alright, a million apologies to all my fans who no doubt have been less than pleased with the huge break between chapters. I wish I could give a good explanation, but I really can't. Part of the reason why this chapter came out so late is that one of my friends got me hooked on Ragnarok, and I spent a great deal of my time on the computer playing said game. Also, I'm writing another story, an original fantasy that I want to have published as opposed to putting it on the internet. I realized that by putting it on a website like Fanfiction.net, I leave it open for someone to steal it and publish it and make millions. I haven't thought of a title yet, and I have a ways to go before I'm finished, but I'll somehow let you know what to look for if any of you are interested.
Anyway, that's beside the point. What got me started in writing again was going onto Fanfiction.net and finding that nobody has posted a death-threat review for my long absence yet. This was very reassuring, and showed me that my fans were still eagerly awaiting the next chapter (Not trying to sound presumptuous or anything). So here you go. Enjoy.
Drake glanced around frantically, looking for any traps that had been sprung by his discovery. The hallway looked secure, but he wanted to be positive. He took an empty magazine out of his belt and tossed it down the hall. It clattered to the ground and stopped at the corner. Everything seemed to be fine, but…
Drake looked closer at the empty mag. It was cut perfectly into two halves. All at once, he understood what had happened. He pressed a button on his helmet and an infrared visor pulled down over his eyes. Sure enough, thin red beams going horizontally from one wall to the other showed up on his visor.
" Damn it," Drake groaned. They were laser cutter nets, commonly used in home and office security. Almost any known metal could be cut easily by these things with laser precision. They also left no large gaps to crawl through, so the only way to get through them is either by deactivating them, or going through in pieces.
The emerald hunter sighed and slumped against the wall. Thinking was never his strong point, but it was the only option he had left.
***
VR had already checked every door in the room, and found that they were all locked, save the way he came in. Frustrated, he decided to look at some of the control consoles to see if there was anything useful that he could find. He did find one interesting console. On it, he found the controls for the IT/radio wave disrupter. " This could be important…" VR thought out loud. He flipped several switches, and he began to hear a dull hum coming from somewhere above him. Slowly, the sound faded away. Turning on his radio transmitter, he hailed Megaman X.
" VR? Is that you? I thought our radio signals were being jammed," VR heard through the comm. link.
" I disabled the jamming device, sir,"
" Great. Where are you now?" X asked.
" I don't know, actually. I'm in a large room with several control consoles." Then, VR added " All the doors are locked." There was a brief silence as X thought.
" I'll go find the security control room. Wait there," The transmission was cut. Once again, VR found himself waiting for something to happen.
***
Drake was still in the process of figuring out the least fatal way to get through the defense system when he got an unexpected call from X.
" Drake! Are you there?" The transmission caught him completely off guard, as he assumed all radio transmissions were being jammed.
" 'Course I'm here. The transmitter's only connected to my damn helmet!" He said agitatedly.
" …Right. Well, VR took care of the jamming device, so I just wanted to check your status."
" My status, huh? Well, my status is fine. My status is freaking wonderful. My status couldn't be better! I'm knee-deep in shit, though."
" Okay, fine! Have it your way. How are you doing?"
" Not so good. I'm trapped behind a laser cutter net, and I have absolutely nothing to do. Say, you didn't bring my Gameboy X1500 did you?"
" You aren't helping," X said exasperatedly.
" I'd be in a better mood if I wasn't so bored and scared. Those two aren't a good combo for me," Drake said.
" Well, it's a good thing I called you. I'm heading to the defense system station right now, and I'll disarm the beams when I get there."
" That'd be right fine of you, neighbor." Drake said sarcastically.
" Shut up." X hissed. He was about to retort, but then he realized that X was serious. He waited, and at length, X said, " I'm cutting transmission. There's something coming. Something big." Drake sighed and turned off the transmitter.
" Damn good time to run into some maverick," He grumbled. " I wish I could get some action here. Then maybe I wouldn't be so stressed." Drake thought he heard a footstep to his left, at the end of the corridor. He looked, and there was nothing. " Shit, X. Hurry up…"
***
X dropped to the ground and fired at the large mechaniloid before him as one of its fists soared above his head. He had never seen a model like it. It had a rounded body, with large, curved forearms ending in large claws. Its head was a mono-camera design, with a wickedly grinning mouth full of teeth under the 'eye'. Its legs were short, but they could propel it several meters into the air, as X learned. It was colored different shades of green, and its color scheme almost matched that of Drake's armor. The mechaniloid lunged at him again, and X had no time to get up.
It landed on top of him, completely pinning him to the ground with its powerful arms. He tried to move, but all efforts were worthless. Its head suddenly began to vibrate wildly, as energy was being gathered into its mouth. X struggled, and his energy reserves began to activate, giving his joints added strength and disconnecting the pain receivers in his arms and legs.
X freed his legs, and pulled them up to his chest. With an intense burst of strength, he kicked the mechaniloid in the stomach and sent it flying into the air. It landed hard on its back, flailing its arms and kicking out with its small feet. X walked over to the prone mechaniloid and raised his blaster to his head, letting loose a fully charged shot at point blank range. There was nothing left of the robot's upper torso.
He had no time to marvel at his new blaster, as both Drake and VR were now depending on him. He raced down the hallway, following instructions from a map he had downloaded from a wall panel. He also wanted to get back to Calliope as soon as he could. It was hard enough leaving her in the first place. He turned a corner, then went into a small side hall that lead directly to the security control center.
In front of X, a myriad of consoles confronted him. After quickly looking them over, he flipped the appropriate switches and pressed the right buttons. In seconds, he got a call from Drake.
"I dunno what ya did, but it worked. Thanks man," He said.
"Just doing my job," X replied.
"On my way to the generator. Gimme a call when you want me to blow this thing," He said as he switched off his communicator. X then called VR.
"VR? I disabled the locking systems,"
"Great. I'm on my way," Came the reply. VR's communicator switched off as well. As X headed back to the lobby, he began to wonder why Magnas had unlocked all of the doors for them except the ones VR had encountered. Maybe the ex-hunter was just cocky. At least, that's what X hoped it was…
" So, the little rats are finding their way through the maze, eh?" Magna Centipede hissed.
~ Just kill them now while you have the chance. We can't let them take the central computer.~ The head of the infamous Sigma spoke from a monitor on the reploid's control console.
" You have nothing to fear, my lord. You know what I did to the hunters who came before, do you not?"
~ I already told you, these hunters are different. And we no longer have our trump card.~
" Serges is here. Between him and I, we will have no trouble at all taking care of these intruders,"
~ Serges is a tactician, not a warrior. If your plan revolves around him fighting Megaman X…~
" My lord, please trust in my abilities,"
~ You hold the future of the Purifiers in your hands. Just remember, there are worse things than death.~ Magna Centipede nodded, then killed the transmission. Serges floated out of the shadows behind the maverick on a hovering disc.
" He does not trust in either of us,"
" Our lord gave us permission to…"
" 'Our lord' gave us permission to kill the intruders, and nothing else. He will most likely want to intervene, because he no longer trusts us. He thinks we are weak. He is wrong,"
" Our lord knows best,"
" Hmph. A perfect reprogramming. I must give credit to Sigma's technical division. However, you apparently aren't seeing the whole picture. Do you think Sigma will have any use for the reploids he deems 'weak' once his new world is created? He not only wants to wipe out humans, but those reploids he finds are useless and weak. Sigma obviously doesn't think we are capable of fighting these hunters head-to-head,"
" As long as my lord is served, then my purpose will continue. If he wishes me to end my own life, then so be it,"
" Do you see what I am saying? He will kill us! I've seen it before. Don't you care about your own life?"
" All I do is to serve the lord. I do not fear death, nor deactivation," Then, Magna Centipede narrowed his eyes. " You're trying to turn me away from Lord Sigma! You're a traitor!" Serges did not reply, but merely glared at the dangerous maverick across the room. Suddenly, Magna Centipede's hand shot out, and an invisible force pulled the hover disc from under Serges's feet. The old-looking maverick fell back, landing on his feet and pulling a handgun from beneath his cloak. He fired at the centipede, but the maverick was using the hover disc as a shield to block the shots.
Serges growled. Magnas threw the disc with incredible power, driven by reverse-magnetic forces. A second before the disc hit Serges, he disappeared in a brilliant shower of light. The disc sailed harmlessly across the room and banged into the wall covered in shadow.
***
X was completely taken by surprise when he walked into the lobby to find Serges the X Hunter standing before Calliope, who appeared just as surprised as he was. The maverick turned his deep red eyes upon X, his wicked looking face bathed in the light from those glimmering eyes.
" Megaman X. I was fortunate enough to find you immediately," He spoke.
" Fortunate? What are you talking about? If you're here to kill me, then go ahead and try. Just step away from Calliope," X said through gritted teeth.
" Ah, but I was wrong. You are the fortunate one tonight. I am not here to kill you or your girl, in fact I am here to help," If X was surprised before, he was shocked now.
" That's bullshit. You're a mindless maverick, aren't you? You're programmed to kill me,"
" I am not as mindless as you might believe. I have discovered that Sigma no longer holds me in high favor after our failed attempts to kill you. In order to save my own life, I want you to kill Sigma, and everyone else who stands in your way," Serges was about to continue on, but X stopped him.
" Sigma? How…"
" Oh, you didn't know? Sigma is still alive, and his thirst for vengeance borders on madness. That is part of the reason why I want you to eliminate him. I can unlock all of the doors and most of the systems inside this building,"
" Sigma…Can't be alive,"
" Apparently you do not know the true nature of the entity that was once Sigma," Serges said cryptically.
" You can activate the elevator?" Calliope spoke up. X realized she hadn't faced Sigma before, and the news of his revival wasn't so surprising to her.
" I shall do so now," The X Hunter said as he fell into a comatose state, connecting to the mainframe. X immediately walked over and stood between Calliope and Serges. He looked back at his love.
" Get to the elevator and wait there for me," He whispered. " I don't want you to be around if Serges goes back on his word,"
" But… the corpses…" Calliope began.
" Don't worry. I'll catch up to you soon," She looked imploringly at him, but he held his gaze sternly. With a gulp, she stood up and ran down the corridor to the elevator. Almost as soon as she was out of sight, Serges awoke. He looked about.
" The girl is gone?" He said. " You are more cautious than I believed. Well, I am a reploid of my word. Eliminate Sigma now before he can track me down. You must promise me this," X nodded.
" I'm a reploid of my word too, Serges. I have my own reasons for wanting to kill Sigma," X emphasized by transforming his arm into its buster state. In an instant, a burst of light whisked the old-looking reploid away. X activated his comm. link as he ran in the direction Calliope went.
" VR?"
" Yes, commander?"
" The elevator is activated. Return to the lobby and await further instructions,"
" How? I haven't reached the controls yet,"
" It's a long story. We have to shut down Magnas now before he does more damage than he already has,"
" Then I'll come with you,"
" No, your weapons have solid shells. You couldn't help us,"
"…Affirmative. I will return to the lobby,"
" Good. I'll contact you when Calliope and I reach the elevator. Megaman X, out," He shut off the comm. link, and he soon ran into Calliope waiting at the corner of the final hall. She was leaning with her back to the wall, not wanting to look at the death-filled corridor lined with hunter corpses. When she heard him approach, she looked to him and brushed a lock of silky brown hair from under her helmet away from her eyes.
" Rock…I don't want to look…" As soon as he caught up to her, he clasped her left hand tightly in his.
" You can close your eyes. I'll guide you," She nodded, tears brimming in her deep blue eyes. She turned around and closed her eyes. He took her by the hand and whispered in her ear. " Be strong. You have nothing to fear. I'm with you now," She let out a deep breath and strengthened her hold on his hand. Taking a deep breath himself, he turned the corner and stared down the blood-soaked hallway. Dead Maverick Hunters lined the halls, nailed roughly by large spikes. Despite this, he took a step, and Calliope mimicked him. Slowly, he picked up speed, and she matched him perfectly. They were halfway through the corridor now…
The stench of death blanketed the air like a fog. Every step X took, his hatred for the mavericks multiplied. He never stopped to look at the hunters nailed to the walls, for he did not want to know if he recognized any of them. At length, they reached the end, where the elevator sat wide open.
X turned around, about to tell Calliope to open her eyes. To his astonishment, they were wide open. He gaped at her. " Cal…Did you…" She exhaled deeply.
" On the way down, let's take the stairs." She said feebly. Despite the situation, X managed a chuckle. He clasped her on the shoulder, then encircled her in a hug.
" Of all the hunters that have ever signed onto the force, you are the strongest of them all," He said. She returned his embrace, and when they parted, she spoke.
" Just 'cause I was looking doesn't mean that wasn't the worst moment I've ever experienced," She said nervously.
" Why don't we just get on the elevator and take care of business," He said, taking her by the hand once more and leading her into the open door. She punched in the number 115, and the doors slammed closed and the machine buzzed to life.
" I can't believe Serges was telling the truth," Calliope said.
" Don't jinx it," X said jokingly. The elevator picked up speed, propelling them toward the skyline. Suddenly, the opposite wall turned to glass, and they were looking out at Neo Tokyo City.
" X, look!" Calliope said, pointing out the window. " You can see the Sky Lagoon from here!" The sprawling shopping district, suspended in the air by a repulsor-lift generator with thin, pipe-like walkways was nearly halfway across the city from Central Control, but it was easy to spot most of the Sky Lagoon from the altitude they were reaching aboard the elevator.
X remembered to call VR, and ordered him to check on Mobius and Drake. The elevator began to slow down, and X gave Calliope's hand a squeeze. " Magnas is nothing we can't defeat,"
" Are you sure?"
" Positive. Remember, I'm here this time. My blaster is energy-based, so he can't deflect my shots,"
" But we're both primarily metal. He can crush us with a mere thought!"
" Then we can't give him time to think," X growled determinedly as the elevator ground to a halt. Before the doors opened, three metal beams blasted through the doors, and only by way of inaccuracy did they miss the two hunters. They tore into the windows and flew out over the city, losing speed as Magna Centipede stopped his reverse-magnetic energy flow.
X and Calliope pressed themselves against the wall of the elevator to avoid another direct attack. This was a mistake. From beyond the elevator, Magna Centipede stood with as much of a smirk as his mandibles permitted. He clenched one of his fists and projected the magnetic force which he wielded. The elevator began to fold in on itself as force beat against the metal casing, bending it and twisting it like paper.
The light armored hunter nodded to his companion. He rolled in front of the shattered doorway and fired uncharged shots in Magnas's direction. He ceased crushing the elevator for a moment to send the shots back at him. He was shocked, however, when the energy bullets continued on and battered his chest armor. They were minor stings, but it was more pain than Magnas had ever experienced. He growled.
Maybe Sigma was right, Magna Centipede thought. This is no ordinary Maverick Hunter. Another hunter stepped into view. The centipede immediately recognized it as Calliope. Drawing her two beam swords, she charged at him.
" Calliope! Stop!" X yelled. He got up from his crouch and ran after her, firing at Magnas to keep him busy. He easily dodged them now that he knew what he was up against. The maverick in turn fired concentrated magnetic energy at X's legs, knocking them out from under him and sending him to the ground. Turning back to Calliope, he shot two other hands out and stopped her arms from moving just as she tried to slash at him.
" I trust you got my message. I did not lie. I will kill you first so you will not have to watch your friends suffer," His fourth hand moved toward her chest, and she suddenly felt her mechanical skeleton being torn apart. Pain like no other spiked through her system, and she screamed in terror and anguish. It felt like someone was driving hot needles into her body from the inside, and at the same time it felt like her mechanical organs were being crushed. " Your skeleton is strong. You must have had an excellent creator," Magnas remarked. Any human would have died from the pain, and at the moment Calliope wished very much that she was human.
A slight relief from the torture followed, but the cause was unknown. She opened her eyes as she fell back and saw Magnas on the ground, twitching a bit. He slowly got up and glared at Megaman X, who had recovered and fired a fully charged shot at the ex-Maverick Hunter. Calliope's insides still felt like they were splitting apart, but the pain was not getting worse. After trying and failing to stand up, she lay on her back, totally defensless. She could barely move any of her joints, as Magnas had probably mangled her metal skeleton beyond the use of her limbs. She couldn't even move her head to watch the battle.
X was getting furious. Every time he fired a powerful shot, his foe would gravitate to the metal wall faster than anyone could normally dodge. Magnas offered very little in resistance at first; he merely fired small bursts of electromagnetic energy from his hands. Then, as X's energy reserves felt the drain they were getting, the centipede made his move. He jumped into the air and flipped upside-down so that his feet were pointed toward the dark ceiling above.
X scanned the dark area, desperately wanting to run to Calliope and help her, but knew that he would be dead if he lost concentration for a moment. Concentration didn't seem to be a factor, for Magna Centipede plunged down from the ceiling at an impossible rate onto X's back, slamming him into the ground and making the whole floor shudder. Before X could think, Magna Centipede pulled his head back with magnetic force and leveled his enormous pincer-laden tail toward his exposed neck.
A sharp thrust, and the pincers were around his neck, squeezing mightily. The skin around his neck was cut through as though it were tissue paper, and artificial blood seeped out of the large wounds. However, Megaman X's metal skeleton was many times stronger than the skeletons of reploids Magnas had ever fought. Even though he was unable to cut cleanly through X's head, the Maverick Hunter was still helplessly pinned down. His pain receptors were shut down, a feature not present on many reploids, and he readied himself for the worst.
The pressure suddenly disappeared, and the weight of the maverick on his back went with it. He got to his feet and looked to where Magnas had fallen a few feet away from him. The maverick's tail lay severed at X's feet, the hilt of a beam saber lying next to it. He then looked to where Calliope had fallen, and found to his astonishment, that she was standing with a grimace of utmost pain on her beautiful face. She was clutching her other beam saber in her left hand; she had thrown the right-handed one at Magnas, which lead to the demise of the maverick's wicked tail.
She staggered forward and dropped to her knees, where she tried to keep herself upright with little success. He rushed to her, glancing back at the maverick moaning on the floor. He let her lay easily on the ground, whispering for her to stay put, and that it would be over soon. As soon as he got up, though, he felt the icy cold hands of magnetic energy on his back. The energy's power was lessened, however due in no small part to the severed tail.
X felt himself being pulled backward, and he readied his blaster and charged it to full. He was nearly upon Magnas when he swerved his legs to the left, firing his booster packs and partially disintegrating the magnetic field. The boost flipped him around so he was face-to-face with the maverick scum, and he fired his shot at the surprised maverick. The blast knocked X back, and when the light and particles cleared, one of Magna Centipede's right arms was vaporized and armor across his chest had been shredded. He dropped to one knee, using his lower arms as support.
X expected a charge or some other kind of attack, but instead the maverick began firing a hailstorm of concentrated magnetic energy out of his remaining hand. The Maverick Hunter tried to minimize damage from the egg-shaped particles battering his armor, but they were flying at him too fast to counter them all. Many slipped past his strengthened gauntlet armor and smashed into his chest. The hits were accumulating, and for once X's armor was showing signs of real damage. He didn't know how much longer he could survive the storm...
Magnas was running out of energy quickly. He knew that if he continued the hail of energy, he would completely run out of power before the Maverick Hunter would be dead. So, another idea popped into his brain. He ceased his attack and brought all his arms together in front of his slim body. X looked through his defensive posture at the maverick. Magna Centipede was routing all his energy into a special power tank. One he had hoped he would never have to use...
The soft armor on the maverick's body, such as his gloves, began to glow a pale blue. X could see that it could only mean Magnas had thought of a new strategy. As the glow increased, X pulled out his blaster and began to charge. The two opponents' weapons seemed to charge at the same rate, and soon the centipede's entire body was bathed in a pale blue. Two seconds before X fired his shot, the energy in Magnas's body ripped out of him and spread throughout the room, knocking the hunter back and sending the shot wild. As X spun as if weightless, he saw his energy blast spasm and react oddly with the magnetic field the centipede had released into the room. It seemingly became unstable, then hardened into an amorphous ball, floating in the changed atmosphere of the room.
Strangely, several metal instruments in the room acted as if they had been struck, and when the pale blue light engulfed them as well, they began swirling about the room at dangerous speeds, caught in a sort of 'magnetic vortex'. Larger machines, like the three reploids and the massive central computer set back into a large crevasse in the wall, were less violently effected by the magnetic field. The constant polar and non-polar energy kept them in a kind of limbo; they could not move properly and felt as though they were weightless.
Magna Centipede was completely drained of his magnetic powers. All he had left were his fists and his superior maneuverability. He had hoped the electromagnetic field would disorient the maverick hunter and disable his arm cannon. His cannon was apparently malfunctioning, but the dense ball of energy floating near the ceiling caused him brief concern. He had never seen energy react like that, although he had never combined Megaman X's buster energy with his own magnetic power. It seemed stable enough, so Magnas ignited the small rockets built into his back and legs, designed for this specific occasion, and propelled himself at the Maverick Hunter.
The magnetic field was playing tricks with X's sensory perception; everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. He saw that Magnas was moving toward him, but he still appeared to be several feet away when he felt metal fists pounding his chest armor. His armor was already weak from the previous attack, and X had no way to counter. There was only a matter of time before his armor would be smashed open, and he would be far worse off if that happened. His eyes were conflicting with his electronic brain. Whenever he tried to make a move, his eyes would show something different.
The traitor delivered a crushing punch to X's jaw. He flew back through the magnetic swamp, and in his delusion he came to his senses. He switched off his eyes, and diverted power to his hearing. Suddenly, everything became, quite literally, loud and clear. He heard the boosters that propelled Magnas toward him. He could 'feel' where the maverick was going. He still didn't know how to move, but he could at least counter the mavericks attacks.
Magna Centipede noticed that X's eyes had gone blank and colorless. He at first thought that he had dealt more damage than he thought, but when he sent another punch at the hunter, X grabbed his arm with his left hand and his right fist shot out, slamming into his chest and knocking him back. How? Magnas thought. He... He must be using his audio sensory to detect my movements...
X realized that, by increasing power to his hearing, he could almost feel the ripples in the magnetic field caused by movement. He felt, rather than heard, that Magnas was still falling back, floating toward the opposite wall. He also felt the ball of pure, destructive energy that he had unleashed as the field had engulfed the room.
Magna Centipede let himself float backwards so that he could push himself off the wall and deliver the final blow to his enemy. If he had the hearing capabilities of Megaman X, he would not have done so. He would have realized that he was floating straight toward the quietly rumbling ball of energy, which began to increase in instability. His only warning was when he saw X grab Calliope, and change direction so that his back was to him.
It was all over in a matter of seconds. A screaming, incandescent outpouring of pure energy followed immediately after Magnas touched the ball. Beams streaked out across the room, burning magnificent holes in the walls. One struck X on the shoulder, blasting his armor to shreds and sending shards into the air. The magnetic field dissipated in the blink of an eye and the hunters fell to the ground, but the explosion that bathed the room in radiant white, blue and yellow energy grew in intensity and volume. The surface of the explosion writhed with deadly energy and bits of metal flew about in all directions. The walls began melting, and the maverick hunter could feel himself beginning to overheat. The metal casing on the floor began to peel back from the force of the outpouring energy, exposing the concrete foundation beneath. Eventually, the lightning-like beams grew smaller and more instantaneous, and the mass of energy gently subsided.
X was breathing heavily, amazed that he was still alive. He switched his visual sensors back on and looked down at Calliope, and realized to his horror that she had shut down. She wasn't dead, but her system was in stasis due to the intense physical strain her body had been put through.
"...ander....comma.... X...COMMANDER!!!" The comm. link in X's helmet screeched. It was Mobius's voice, but X ignored it. He tried to stand, lifting Calliope in his arms. She's not dead...She's not dead... He kept reminding himself. However, if she stayed in shut down mode for too long, there would be a catastrophic brain crash, and she would surely die. He now turned on his comm. link.
" Hunter Base, this is Megaman X. I need evac immediately at the Central Control," He tried to keep the panic out of his words, which he spoke quickly. Every second counted.
" What's your status, Commander?"
" I need evac now,"
" I need your position,"
" Get me some evac NOW! Send them to the roof!" He turned off his link, then looked to the doorway on the left hand wall. It was completely demolished, so X moved as quickly as his damaged limbs could permit with Calliope in his arms. However, he cast a look back into the room to make sure Magnas was gone. To his surprise, the entire wall was completely gone, and if X wasn't so desperate, he would have marveled at the view of the city's skyline through the side of the building. There was absolutely no sign of the traitorous Maverick Hunter; he had been completely vaporized. X turned back to the task at hand.
Through the door, there was a flight of stairs. He limped up them for three stories and came to another door. Beyond it, he heard sounds of battle. Gunshots, metallic screeches, and the cry of a monstrous beast. X weakly kicked the door open to find Drake, VR and Mobius surrounded by small, ravenous mechaniloids. They were fairly battered, and the creatures were clawing at their armor faster than they could blast them off.
They all looked up in surprise when X, on the verge of shutting down himself, stood in the doorway holding Calliope in his arms. Figuring questions would have to come later, they continued fighting off the mechaniloids. X looked back at them with a pained expression, for he did not have the energy to keep up the fight. Every time the amount of mechaniloids dwindled, more rushed up from the sides of the rounded building. During their fight, as Drake switched his assault rifle to shotgun mode, he looked at X and nodded, showing that he understood if he couldn't fight.
Mobius fired his twin shotguns at an alarming rate, thus having to reload often. His advantage over the other two combatants was that he could fly to safety to reload, so whenever they needing to reload themselves, he kept the monsters off of them. Even so, the fight was going badly. Everyone was low on energy, and just when things seemed impossible, a hail of hundreds of bullets filled the air and tore the little mechaniloid's ranks asunder. The smooth roar of an Alleviator class air shuttle filled the sky, and X looked up to see the metal vehicle hovering above their location.
X's comm. crackled to life. " Commander, evac zone is hot!" He heard the pilot say as the copilot sprayed bullets with twin chain guns mounted on the nose of the bulky craft.
" I know! Touch down anyway! The mavericks are clearing out!" Was X's reply. The pilot shook his head at X, but the mavericks were indeed thinning. Finally, the pilot brought the bulky shuttle near the ground. X lifted himself and Calliope onto the open personnel bay while the other hunters mopped up the remnants of the mavericks. Soon, they all followed suit and the engines flared to life. As soon as the bay door closed, X laid Calliope down on a bench and walked to the cabin.
" I need a life support machine," He said to the copilot.
" What for?" He asked in return.
" One of my teammates shut down. I need to get her energy before her system crashes," He said hurriedly. The copilot got up and followed X to the personnel bay. He showed the copilot Calliope, and he flipped the visor on his flight helmet up.
" This isn't good..." The reploid said. X felt his insides collapse. " We don't have any life support equipment aboard, but I might be able to..." He trailed off as he walked back into the cockpit. He came back with two energy capsules. He turned her over and opened the slot on the back of her armor that connected to her energy reserves. He tried to insert the capsule into her, but it was blocked.
" My god...What happened to her? Her skeleton looks like it's been through a compactor. I can't fit the capsule in. Her port is too mangled," He said worriedly. A cold, empty feeling began to wash over X. It wasn't the end...it couldn't be the end...
The other Maverick Hunters stared in silent horror, afraid to speak. The copilot turned to the pilot. " Get us at top speed, and take us into the emergency med port!" The pilot nodded, and pushed the throttle to full. X quietly knelt down beside Calliope and put his hands on her back, burying his head against her and letting tears flow freely from his eyes.
End
AN: I can't apologize enough to everyone, but I'm hoping a jumbo-sized chapter with a large side order of awesome boss fight will smooth things over. I've gotten back in gear, and let's hope I stay that way until I'm done with this thing.