This story belongs to me and my creative mind. However, many of the characters, names, and places all belong to their respective companies, so don't yell at me for copyright infringements! Remember, Italics represent a person's thoughts or the telling of past events.
Enjoy...
: : Bound by Weakness : :
Elpizo knew what was asked of him, and he did it to the best of his abilities. Transfer physical copies of reports, help file paperwork, and act as a witness to board meetings of the highest members in the government. He was a gopher for the paper soldiers in the vast administrative sector of Neo-Arcadia. He was passed on from official to official, an extra hand to help with overburdened sections to increase efficiency throughout the government. An overglorified secretary, if one was so inclined, that knew of so much more than he let on.
Even if he was for the government, he was for reploids first. Just like Miss Ciel.
"While her activities weren't closely monitored, it was known as a fact that she associated with rebel factions in the city and gave them advice on how to evade the law. Previous weeks had seen an increase of meetings with reploids and visitors to her private quarters in the residential sectors. One such reploid, known only as a former member of the civilian security corps, is speculated to be a leader among the reploids who fled Neo-Arcadia to the south. My encounter with her and said reploid confirms that she did leave the city with them. Current whereabouts are known to be approximately thirteen kilometers to the south in the ruins of the old world metropolis. All current attempts to remove her from this location have met with failure."
Elpizo finished his speech, reading from his lengthy report on the security failure that allowed this event to happen. While he wasn't responsible for what happened, he felt the angry stares of the board members as they looked at him.
"The details of these attempts are best told by its commander. I submit my report as complete per his explanations."
"Very well." The stocky human looked to the other members of the council he sat on. "Are there any further questions?"
"None." Each man replied.
"You may go. I ask that Megaman X take the podium."
A figure from the back of the council room stood and approached. He ascended to the podium, rested his hands on either side, and looked to the dark mass of human counselors before him. He glanced behind him to note Elpizo, then nodded lightly to let him know he did well. The secretarial reploid nodded as well, then turned to leave the room and be back to his work.
"Fellow council members, I start by saying that my four generals have pinned down these pitiful rebels, and are finishing the last details on an attack that will-"
The door closed, cutting off the words from Megaman X. Elpizo slumped against the wall, feeling lightheaded after dealing with the powerful men in that chamber. Each had a firm hold in Neo-Arcadia's power, and each were biased against reploids holding a seat of power. That they called in Master X and himself for an explanation on the failure to capture Ciel was as risky as pointing a loaded pistol to your head.
'This has gone too far. Master X can barely make a case for himself with those humans mistrusting his words!'
Standing up, he took a slow pace for the elevator to take him to the ground level and a railcar back to familiar sectors of Neo-Arcadia. He stepped inside a lift and ordered it to the first basement level where the railcars ran.
'It's time to do things my own way, now. Seeing Neo-Arcadia restrict my rights, label me as a maverick and not trust my judgement. There haven't been mavericks in decades. They have no right to call me that!'
"They have no right to punish me like this!" He growled, pounding the wall of the lift.
Elpizo took a calming breath, knowing that he couldn't let himself get worked up over words. He always got upset too easily, too aggressive whenever someone questioned his legitimate right to be. All he wanted was a place to call home, for him and all reploids. Instead he was given a prison, a place where your rights meant little and were growing lesser by the week. After learning that hundreds of reploids had escaped from Neo-Arcadia, he felt something inside slip and suddenly the idea of leaving didn't seem so terrible. Even Miss Ciel left, and she was only a human; weak, fragile, so needing of protection and strength.
The lift chimed the arrival to the basement floor and opened its doors. Elpizo was determined to help her as best he could, and knew what to do when he stepped out to the busy grounds of the subway railcar station.
>>>
His home was threadbare for a government worker who was paid much more than the average civilian. A frontroom with chairs, a couch, and a central table. A small kitchen to prepare quick meals and a bedroom with all the equipment he needed to keep his body in top condition. It seemed so artificial and stale, but it was his own. No one else could come inside unless he wanted them to. It was safe inside.
It was Elpizo's sanctuary from reality.
He went into the bedroom and fished out his old suitcase, a dusty artifact that he rarely used since he became a government employee. Taking it to the front room, he set it on the table and opened it. There was a small travel kit inside, simple necessities to keep up one's appearance. There was plenty of space for things, and he was determined to use it all.
'What will I need once outside of Neo-Arcadia? Water and rations I can buy before I go, but will I need extra clothes? Emergency energy packs? Protection? What will I need once in the wilderness and away from civilization?'
"Ah yes." He muttered, going to the kitchen. He opened one of the cabinets, shoving out the cleaners and sprays, then pushed on the corner of the floorboard. The opposing corner lifted up enough for Elpizo to catch it and pull the entire board up. The secret space held only one item wrapped in cloth, which Elpizo handled with care. He unwrapped the item, revealing the golden hilt of a fencing sword. "We can't forget about you."
He lifted it up, and with a gentle squeeze, ignited the plasma blade of the saber. A meter long plasma blade shimmered before him, tapered thin for thrusting and of a pinking hue. It was a sword that he bought long ago in his youth, but never took to seriously. Since Neo-Arcadia banned reploids from owning weapons, he hid it for safekeeping. No law would make him dispose of such a fine weapon. It was the first of many steps that made reploids defenseless against the authorities that sought to oppress them.
He disengaged the saber, then put the weapon into his case. He threw in several packs of portable foods, two empty bottles to fill with water once on the lay, and a extra thick coat if the weather turned sour on his trip.
"Trip." He muttered. "I make it sound so simple. I'm leaving society to run through wastelands and deserts, and all I call it is a trip. Exile seems more appropriate! Exile because of those fools in the government!"
He gritted his teeth, then sighed and shook the pent in anger away. Now was not the time to let his blind aggression force him into a blunder. He would have to take extra precautions to gather things to live off of, get his savings electronically transferred to a safe account, then actually leave the city. Stopping his work, he connected to the wireless network that ran throughout Neo-Arcadia and sought out his savings records. Locating them in a secure server, he logged in and did the transfer of his money to an account in Cragspoint. Nearly a three quarters of a million dollars safe in a city that was still a bastion of reploid rights in the world.
"One item down." He snorted. "The only easy one."
Closing his suitcase, he went into his bedroom and slipped into his bed. A seven hour rest and then his own flight for freedom would commence.
>>>
Morning came quietly and without distraction. The sun rose and held itself just above the horizon when Elpizo woke from his slumber to greet the day from a room with no windows. The walls, sensing the rise in energy to bring his body into operation, illuminated the bedroom with a subtle white glow along the corners of the ceiling. Elpizo opened his eyes to wake into a morning of sterile appearance. He was already morose, knowing it could be the last time he ever woke in such peace.
"Time to go." He murmured to his home.
Standing, he nearly tucked in the sheets to his bed and made certain that everything was in its place. Even if he never returned, he wanted his sanctuary to be neat and clean. The front room was the same as yesterday, the old suitcase calling him to flee this corrupt city and make his own life in the freedom of the world. He closed it with a click, then went into the kitchen and got a glass of water. The cool liquid was refreshing, building a reservoir of energy in his systems to use as time went on. He put the glass into the sink, then made his final preparation before leaving.
'I must remove the limiters that were installed in my body. If I am to run from Neo-Arcadia, I must have all my strength available to me.'
He made an internal search of his memory core, scouring his 'brain' for a certain program that he picked up when he was assigned to the security branch. It popped up in his mind's eye, glowing yellow with a promise of power. He executed it, and it unfolded and sent out seeds to all corners of his body. He felt a shiver run along his spine, the program seeking out the limiters that kept his mechanical body in check and disposing of them. Several seconds later, his body jumped as if someone electrocuted him. The program ended and deleted itself, but Elpizo knew that it did what he wanted.
"My power..." He grinned, flexing fingers that could warp metal pipes, legs that could propel him almost ten meters into the air, actuators that could take brutal punishment and still run. He was built a step above normal reploids, before the vast restrictions were placed on them. Now he was certain that there was no turning back, not when he could stand on par with the military arm of Neo-Arcadia.
Elpizo picked up his suitcase, stepped outside of his home, and closed the door on his past. Only the future lay before him.
>>>
Pyrric Square.
It was still in ruin from the fight a week earlier. The husk of the fallen hovercarrier still sat in the center, the cold bodies of reploids littered the ground. Only the patheon units had been taken, the rest was left as a reminder to those reploids remaining that resisting the system would not be tolerated. Their bodies looked as horrific as the day they died, melted and shattered, stained with fluids and artificial blood.
It disgusted Elpizo beyond words.
He took a tentative step into the park, wondering if he could walk around the massacre. That thought made him pause, and he cursed his weakness. If he wanted to leave Neo-Arcadia, he would walk the same path those reploids had taken before him. He wouldn't disrespect their sacrifice. Another step followed the first, and he slowly walked across the length of the square turned graveyard. He paused by the carrier, seeing that it was brought down by volume of damage rather than accurate shots at the engine. The reploids that came under attacks simply shot at it until it fell. Who knew how many died before it did?
"Leaving?" A deep voice asked.
Elpizo turned to face the speaker, and he nearly yelped when he saw General Phantom standing behind him. The black leader of the Stealth unit looked as brooding as ever, arms crossed and his stance ready to leap into action. The general lifted his head a bit, eyes glaring a multitude of questions.
"Going to side with the rebels?" He continued.
Elpizo hesitated, but shook his head. "I-I just want to be free."
"Where will you go?"
"Wherever I want. I just want to live free, in peace."
"There are few places to go these days."
"I know, but..." He struggled for words, unable to voice his desire in front of an Arcadian General. "Y-You're a reploid, don't you know what Neo-Arcadia is doing to us? We enjoy freedoms given to us, but how long will they last? If humans mistrust us, then sooner or later they will want to scrap even reploids working for them! How can you kill reploids when you're one yourself!?"
Elpizo caught himself, eyes wide that he actually spoke against Neo-Arcadia in front of it's premiere assassin. The General, however, remained as impassive as ever. Neither spoke for many seconds, each staring at the other and wondering what he would say next.
"Go."
Elpizo nearly jumped once more. "Huh?"
"Go, if you want." Phantom half turned, looking at him from the corner of an eye. "We all have our paths to follow. Make sure yours does not cross mine again."
"I-I will! Thank you."
"Don't thank me, Elpizo. You're choices may lead you to something worse than retirement." With that, the General walked away, never looking back.
Elpizo stood still for a minute, running over what happened. A General of Neo-Arcadia had spared his life for trying to leave? Their most skilled killer at that? He stood still for a long minute, wondering why Phantom had spared his life. Was it possible that he was not as ruthless and obedient to the system as he appeared?
'This...must be the right path. That has to be a sign that I'm doing the right thing.'
He ran a hand through his hair, pushing the locks into their proper place against his face. "I'm doing the right thing."
>>>
The days passed by in mundane stretches of time, the skies bright with the sun and the ground hard and cracked from years of abuse from mankind. He was already thirty seven kilometers south of Neo-Arcadia, following a long abandoned road along the edges of the wastelands. There were faint rises of mountains on the horizon, and the beginning of the muggy Antare forest. He could find easy safety in the vast lengths of trees, water from streams and places of rest for his energy taxed body.
Four days into his journey and not a thing had gone wrong.
"At least the landscape never ceases to amuse." Elpizo commented of the land, talking to himself just to break the silence.
He stopped and sat down, opening his suitcase and picking out a vacuum sealed rations bar. He munched on the tasteless oats, washing it down with a swallow of tepid water. Closing the case, he stood and surveyed the land to get his bearings.
"Well, so long as I follow the coast, I'll end up in Cragspoint sooner or later." He looked further south, squinting his eyes in the glare of the sun. "Hopefully I won't get mixed up in the forest...eh?"
Something in the distance caught his attention, so he focused on it with his optical sensors in his eyes. Twice magnified, he saw the tiny forms of people ahead. Green dots on the brown and red land, many of them in a tangle.
"P-people!?" He sputtered. "Why are there people out..." He froze at the meaning. "No...reploids! They must have retreated from the ruins!"
Taking a firm hold on his suitcase, he kicked forward and began running towards the figures in the distance. His body complained about the strain, but he ignored the weariness and focused on gaining on them. His body could take the punishment, it was more powerful than any common reploids around. Gritting his teeth, he kicked into a sprint, hoping to squeeze every last bit of power his body could muster. The figures looked just as far away, but he knew that he would catch up with them eventually.
'If they are part of the rebels, then they must know where Miss Ciel is! If I can find her, then I can start working to free my brothers from Neo-Arcadia's tyranny! I won't let them get away with this genocidal war, not when I can use my power to stop it!'
Eplizo's sprinting left him ragged, but he came closer and closer to the reploids in green. His internal energy matrix was growling warnings to him, telling of low power and overtaxed muscular actuators. He ignored them all, knowing he was strong enough to make it. He had to be strong enough. If he couldn't keep up a simple run, then how could he possibly help the reploids fight against Neo-Arcadia?
"Wait!!" He shouted across the wind, hoping they would hear him.
Some of the figures stopped and looked his way, then they all stopped and faced him. Elpizo smiled widely, recognizing the uniforms of the security corps and the physical difference between humans and reploids. Some of them began moving to meet him halfway, and Elpizo knew he made it.
His legs fell out from beneath him, and for some reason, he felt extremely tired and decided to get some rest when he collapsed on the dusty ground.
>>>
"Uh..." Elpizo moaned as he woke. His body felt worn out, and he wanted nothing more than to stay asleep and let his internal repair matrix fix any bugs in his body. Why was he so tired, anyway? He opened his eyes slowly, seeing a canopy of green leaves overhead.
"Hey! Our man's awake!" Someone shouted.
"Who's there?" Elpizo asked, leaning up from his prone position.
"My name is Doigt." He stepped into view, showing a reploid with white hair and eyes covered by yellow goggles. "I'm an assistant engineer, or at least I was before I left. You nearly maxed yourself out there, mister, running in this heat. Here, drink up."
Doigt offered a bottle of water, and Elpizo took it and drank greedily from the contents. Immediately his body began working to break down the molecular bonds to convert it into energy. He took a deep breath, then got into a proper sitting position.
"So what's your name?" Doigt asked.
"Elpizo."
"Elpizo? Odd name..."
"Are you part of the resistance against Neo-Arcadia?"
He nodded. "We are, except we're not really good at fighting, so we decided to make a run for it."
"How many of you are there?"
"Oh, a couple 'a hundred thereabout. We're pretty scattered around to keep safe."
"So what're you doing here?" Another voice asked.
Elpizo looked to the new speaker, seeing a lanky reploid with brown hair held back by a red bandanna. Behind him were several other reploids in green armor, holding rifles and keeping an eye on all sides of the forest.
"I'm looking for Miss Ciel."
"Oh?" The bandanna reploid mused. "We'll, you're in the wrong place for that, my friend! You see, we're just the civilians and can't fight, so we're headin' south for safety. Miss Ciel isn't here."
"Then where is she?"
He motioned to the north. "The ruins."
"The ruins? Where all the fighting is!?" Elpizo stood up with a start. "Why did you leave here in that dangerous place?"
"Oh, she isn't in any danger at all!" He laughed, slapping Elpizo's shoulder. "You must not've heard the news, my friend. We've got ourselves a bonafide god of destruction on our side, and he's been ripping Neo-Arcadia a new once since we've left!"
"A...god?"
"Well, at least that what we describe him as. He's really an ancient reploid that Miss Ciel found in the ruins and brought back to life! The guy's on the quiet side, but he's murder with a plasma sword or pistol. He just can't be beat!"
Elpizo found the idea of an all powerful reploid unsettling. Certainly there wasn't someone stronger than the Generals in Neo-Arcadia, and he was as strong as any of their subordinates. "Who is he?"
"His name's Zero. Speaking of which, what's your name, my friend? They call me Hirondelle."
"Elpizo."
"Another odd name! I swear the world is made of people with funny names, and the funnier they are, the most important they tend to be! So you must be some big-wig, right?"
"Well..." Elpizo hesitated, wondering if it would be wise to mention where he came from.
"Ah, it doesn't matter at all, friend! You're a reploid, oddly dressed, and running from Neo-Arcadia! You'll fit in like home with us. Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the rabble."
"Where exactly are you- I mean we, going?"
Hirondelle snorted. "South and south like bloody migratory birds in the winter. Miss Ciel found some data about an abandoned military outpost that's about seventy kilometers from here, so we figure on shacking up until things cool off."
"Will Miss Ciel be going there?"
"I suppose she will. Me excluded, but few people enjoy lurking in the sewers for safety like she is."
"And will we fight?"
Hirondelle gave a muddled expression. "We aren't looking for it, but if it finds us, it had better come packing."
Elpizo hesitated a moment. 'I found the reploids who escaped from Neo-Arcadia. Soon Miss Ciel will be joining them, and soon they will end up fighting with Neo-Arcadia. I can use my power to fight them off. I can protect her from danger until we win this war. Everything will fall into place.'
"Elpizo?"
The reploid smiled. "Hirondelle, I believe that things are finally looking up for me."