Chapter 3: Battle
Maverick Hunter Medical Bay 1:00pm Jan. 14
X sat on the icy metal examination table. He had changed out of his fighting uniform and was now wearing a pair of light blue shorts and a white tank top. Without his helmet to cover his head, X's short brown hair fell about his face in untamed locks, making him look about the age of a twelve year old boy.
Large light fixtures in the ceiling produced a bright-white light that illuminated the wide room. Computers with their gauges, buttons and colored lights covered the expanse of one silver gray wall and other pieces of equipment littered the other sides of the chamber. To X's left, there was a shutter style door, the kind that would slide into the top of the door frame at the slightest touch, concealing a hallway that lead to the recovery rooms, and to his right a room used for care of patients in critical condition. X shuddered as he gazed in that direction; he had hazy memories of waking up there a couple of times.
Just to the side of the front doors of the Medical Bay was another pair of large white doors set into the wall. These lead to the Emergency Room. Although having no memories of this, X knew he had been there a few times too.
He turned his attention back to watching Life Savor, the Hunters' medical physician, who was connecting long, ribbon like wires that ran from a computer to ports in the underside of X's right arm. These ports weren't normally visible, being covered by a thin layer of artificial skin and metal that moved aside by sliding slightly up and then back.
Life Savor was a Reploid who had been built and trained for the specific reason of repairing and taking care of other Reploids. He had a calm, but also strict, demeanor. He had also learned to keep his cool no matter what. His face was stern and his eyes had a look of experience. He was built with a broad body and unlike X and Zero, his lab coat like uniform was solid and could not be removed.
Because they were so important to the survival of the world, the Maverick Hunters had always received the best workers in every field that could be provided. Life Savor was a top-of-the-line surgeon; therefore he was a must to keep the force running smoothly.
One of the things that allowed him to do this and keep his emotions in check so well during a frantic situation was the fact that he could make multiple copies of himself at will. Each duplicate was identical to the original, and allowed the doctor to do multiple tasks or be in more than one place at the same time.
Striding back across the room, Life Savor adjusted some controls on the computer console, causing X's schematic and other information to appear on the monitor.
"First, we'll run a level one diagnostic check. This will ensure that all systems are in proper operating order." He told X in an informative tone. X had been through this routine many a time before, but Life Savor always insisted on caring things out according to protocol.
Life Savor activated the diagnostic program. X felt a wave of warm, tingling energy flow through him. It gave him a strange sense of tranquility, as if he was floating in a blanket of light. All the tension and stress temporarily left him, and he allowed himself to fully relax, something he didn't get to do often.
"State your full name and Hunter status." Directed Life Savor. X repeated the memorized information in a clear, articulate manner.
"Mega Man X, Class Special A Commander of the 17th unit of Reploid Maverick Hunters."
"Memory and speech are fully functional." Reported the white clad doctor after checking with the computer. "Next, turn your left arm into a cannon, then your right."
X complied, changing both arms with ease. He did this by temporarily changing his hand and lower arm into energy, than the energy morphed into the programmed shape, a plasma cannon that had its barrel where his wrist had been, and then finally the energy became solid matter again. Visa Versa to get his hand back. This could all happen in the blink of an eye.
"Transformation Systems check out." Life Savor ran a few more tests, checking for viruses or any energy complications. Finally he moved on to a physical examination, most of X's visit had just been a routine check-up.
Having X sit up tall and straight, Life Savor reached under the Hunter's tank-top and placed the flat disk of his stethoscope on the soft artificial flesh of the robot's back. X gasped involuntarily at how cold it felt against his warm skin. The Blue Bomber took slow deep breaths as the doctor moved the stethoscope, listening to his repertory system, a Reploid's equivalent of a human's lungs, take in and then discharge air.
Life Savor removed the metal plate, and then replaced it on X's chest, repeating the process. Appearing satisfied with what he had heard, the doctor jotted a few notes down on his clipboard.
Replacing the disk on X's chest and then on his back, Life Savor this time carefully listened to the strong, steady beating of his patient's heart. No matter how many times he had done this, Life Savor still couldn't figure out why a creator would replace an energy generator with this unusual component, even if it was still made out of cybernetics. Disregarding this thought, Life Savor finished the examination by checking X's reflexes and eyes. At last the tall Reploid doctor came to his conclusion.
"Everything seems to be in perfect condition." He stated. "All I can think of is that you might be overly stressing yourself. I'm sorry X, but there's not a lot I can prescribe for that. I think it's best if you just take it easy for the next few days and try to relax." As Life Savor shut down the computer program that had been running, X felt a slight sense of despair as all of the tension and anxiety replaced the serene calm that he had experienced just a moment before.
Pulling the wires from his arm, X slid off the table with a small sigh. Looking up into the face of the white clad Reploid, he placed a hand on Life Savor's shoulder.
"Thank you, Life Savor. I know you don't hear this a lot, but I really appreciate everything you've done." He said in a voice that sounded like that of a young boy, unusually high pitched. X gave the tall robot a warm, thoughtful grin. Life Savor's usual serious demeanor melted and was replaced by a gentle look of relief. Although he sometimes seemed cold, even Life Savor had to admit that he often felt concerned about the little warrior robot.
He does seem to have a way of getting under your skin. He mused.
"Hmm, seems you've helped me more than I could help you." Life Savor quipped with a soft chuckle.
The rest of the day was the same as it had been for the last few weeks. The Head Quarters did not receive any news on Maverick activities, so the Hunters had another day off.
Many choose to spend the rest of the afternoon in the Battle Dome, a fighting arena that could simulate terrain settings and allowed Hunters to dual with each other without sustaining any real damage. This meant that, although their real bodies battled, they could fight at their highest level without having to worry about hurting their opponent. Of coarse if a Hunter was dealt a fatal or disabling blow, than the simulator forced the person to 'die' or go 'unconscious', just like a virtual reality game. The simulation was so real that Hunters could easily forget that it was all fake.
After some thought, X decided to take Zero up on his original offer, though he knew Life Savor would throw a fit if he found out that X had ignored the doctor's orders to take it easy. Once again clad in his fighting uniform, X found Zero and the two class SA Hunters (short for class Special A, the highest rank a Reploid can receive. Only the best Hunters were given this title.) entered the arena. The terrain was set to 12 and the protective force field closed around them.
All the spectators grew silent. X and Zero both looked around them to become familiar with their surroundings. They were standing in the middle of an area that looked like an earthquake had just occurred between two mountains, spilling their tops onto the ground below. The earth beneath their feet was jagged, with large boulders, rocky cliffs and slabs of stone that protruded straight up from the ground. Both combatants realized that this kind of terrain could pose both an advantage and disadvantage at the same time. Good, they loved a challenging fight.
Turning back to each other, Zero flashed X a sly smirk. X casually returned the gesture, and then dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
At the point when the tension that was building in the room threatened to burst, Zero suddenly bolted toward X. His long pale-blonde ponytail whirled around him like a curtain of silken fabric as he shifted his stance in mid dash, drawing his Z-Saber, a blade that was made out of plasma energy, in a flourish of green radiance and making an upward slash at X. At the last moment, X leapt to one side and fired a Buster shot that he had been charging during Zero's approach. But the red armored Reploid just rolled forward as the blazing shot whizzed over his head. Continuing with the momentum of his roll, Zero spun sideways and made a quick sweep at X's feet.
Not missing a single beat, X jumped the blade, making a high arc over his opponent's head. His titanium blue body changed to a hue of bright red with orange accents, and his eyes went from green to the color of a blaze, while he fired a blast of hot yellow plasma down at Zero. The Rad Raider stood his ground and, with an agile flick of his wrist, deflected the ball of fire back in the direction it had come from. In response, X twisted his slender, sinuous body in mid-air, canceled the plasma bomb with a medium charged Buster shot, and then landed gracefully on the ground facing Zero.
"Hey that's not fair; you didn't tell me you still had a Master Weapon from the Maverick leader, Blaze Heatnix." Zero teased, placing one of his oversized white gloved hands on his hip and holding his Saber over his shoulder with the other. "How many other tricks do you have up your sleeve, X?"
The blue android just gazed back at his friend from the other side of the arena and gave him a taunting grin.
"You'll just have to wait and see."
Changing back to his normal state, X jumped back into the battle, both arm cannons blazing. Zero moved in and out from behind some of the large boulders and other obstructions to keep from being hit by the rapid fire, working his way toward his opposition in attempts to line up an opening to strike.
Standing with his back to a massive slab of rock, it suddenly came to Zero's attention that the sound of shots pinging off the rock had ceased. Carefully leaning to one side, Zero looked over his square white and red shoulder plate to gaze around the corner of the stone. He was startled to find that his opponent had vanished!
Suddenly, out of no where, X came rushing straight at the red Reploid. Zero barley had time to turn around, his dark violet eyes growing wide as his attacker was upon him. Reflexively, the Rad Raider grabbed X by one arm and sent him flying into the air.
Having to change the direction he was facing during his flight, X's metallic boot clad feet found support on the side of one of the craggy cliffs. Coiling against the wall, X launched himself back at Zero with a flying kick. Dodging backward at the last second, Zero just managed to avoid the force of X's thrust, which caused the ground to crumble and cave in where the red robot had been standing just a second before. A blow like that could do some serious damage if it made contact.
Recovering from his landing with blinding speed, X shifted to another Master Weapon, the non-plated parts of his uniform turning a shade of pale blue and his armor snow white. Starting to glow, X pointed his cannon at the ground and released the charged version of the Ice Wave. As with X's buster shots, charged up Master Weapons did more damage than a normal shot. X could cause this charge to happen by holding the energy that made up the weapon longer, allowing more to accumulate in his cannon before firing.
The ice that sprang from the muzzle of X's cannon crept across the ground toward Zero, leaving a path of slick surfacing behind it. Zero yelped in surprise as the ice moved under his feet, causing him to slip. Managing to get his hands under himself before he hit the ground, Zero back flipped off the frozen surface with X in hot pursuit. Having the adapter for the Master Weapon, X could stand on the highly slippery floor with perfect balance as if the ice didn't even exist. Springing out of a flip, Zero landed a few feet from his partner.
"Oh, so you're going to play that way, huh? Alright then, my turn!"
Zero dashed toward the patch of ice on the ground that X still stood on, stopping just a few inches from its edge. In a flash of light, a red silhouette of the Hunter shot forward from his body. This was the Master Weapon known as Twin Dream, which Zero had earned by defeating the Maverick Axel Red. The shadow was made of pure energy and therefore damaged any thing it touched. But X didn't even flinch, instead he just calmly stepped backward, knowing that as long as he kept his ice in place, the attack could not hurt him, for Zero could not cross onto the ice, and the shadow had limited range. Zero cursed himself under his breath for letting X so easily slip out of that one.
The match continued with the two combatants dancing in and out of battle in a stalemate for about half an hour, neither one seemed to be able to land any successful blows. The audience began to murmur with anticipation; neither X nor Zero showed any signs of fatigue.
Suddenly, as if growing bored with the battle, Zero preformed a risky tactic. With a piercing battle cry, he launched himself in an all out frontal attack. Half way to his target, Zero crouched onto the uneven ground and began to roll, thrusting his Saber to one side, perpendicular to the ground, in a saw like maneuver. As the living blade closed the distance, X steeled himself to spring to Zero's Saber's one blind spot. But instead of following through with his attack, Zero stopped on his back directly in front of X. Thrusting his feet upward, Zero caught his opponent off guard. The double-heeled-donkey- kick struck X right in the midsection of his torso, sending the stunned Reploid soaring into the air.
X landed flat on his back on the rocky terrain with a deafening thud! A loud explosion of cheering erupted from the crowd, some shouting for X, others spurring on Zero. The Rad Raider just ignored all the noise and stood there in concentration, waiting for X to rebound to his feet and make his next move.
Abruptly, as swiftly as the uproar started, the room fell silent with a disturbing hush. Even Zero, who knew X to bluff in battle, had a strange felling that something wasn't right, for the Blue Bomber didn't stir at all; he just lay there on the artificial setting. Still having the slightest caution of a spring attack, Zero carefully approached his fallen opponent. The red Reploid kneeled down beside X and reached to help him up. Eye's flying wide, X bolted to a sitting position. Zero was so startled that he fell over backwards. With one look at Zero, X cracked up.
"Ha, ha, ha, Zero, y-you should have seen the look on your face! Mmmph- fhht-ha, ha, ha!" X covered his mouth with a hand, but try as he might, he could not stop laughing. "I-I'm so sorry, Z-Zero, b-but it's s-so, fah-ha- funny!" Zero just sat on the floor, stunned. The simulation around them slowly started to fade, indicating the end of the match.
It was getting late, so X and Zero said their good nights and went their separate ways. They had both decided to stay in the training station, watching and some times even participating in other battles. Now Zero walked alone through the still silvery corridors of sector #0, headed toward his Sleeping Chamber, a pod that had a cushion like mattress with a pillow attached to it. The pod had a lid made of a green tinted glass with a metal rim.
Zero strolled along slowly, thinking out loud. "Something's not right… X would never pull a stunt to deliberately scare someone. Was that just a cover-up…? Did I really 'hurt' him?"
Zero paused in the hall to think harder. The only Reploid to ever beat X in a match before was Sigma, and that was only once...something is definitely wrong here, sure we've had draws in battle, but X has never lost a match to me before.