Finally I write again! This chapter is deitcated to Variance (forgot the AIM name ;) who gave me a big enough ego boost to get me to write again.
We're onto the second-to-last chaper! W00! Now it's time to see where I've been leading to all this time. Joyful!
Mad-man: Jeans and a t-shirt, and the concrete is steel-reinforced. or something. Plus, did you ever see Zero break through concrete without his sabre?
Chapter 9: Shindeimasu (To Be Dead)
Hitomi ran through the halls, the low alarm drowning out the sound of her feet, her brown hair and white labcoat flowing behind her as she ran at top speed. She could hear gunfire and screams in the distance, but so far none of the guns had trained on her. She had tried to figure out why for a while, but now she was merely running, trying desperatley to catch her breath without slowing down.
Her need to figure out a method was brought to an end when a tall man, his spiky gothic armor shining in the flourescent lights, stepped into the corridor. He grinned slightly as he saw her, silver eyes calm, staff held loosely in one hand. "Konnichiwa, Hitomi-hakase," he said in a quiet voice that would have sent shivers down most spines.
However, Hitomi was too frightened to notice. "Deathsong-sama! Thank God! We need to get out of here, the computer is-"
Deathsong cut her off with a casual wave of his staff. "I know, I know. It took me long enough to figure out how to do it, so I should know what it does."
Hitomi stared at him, the fear in her eyes growing. "You don't mean..." she whispered.
Deathsong laughed a little, the tines of the staff beginning to vibrate. "You people really are idiots. I killed Sigma, yes, but that's only so I could take control from him. It's really too bad... if you had trusted the scrap metal, you might have lived... But as it is, you have to die now..." He pointed the tines at her. "Any last words before I sing the rhapsody for you?"
"....Zero will survive somehow... you will not win in the end..." she said quietly.
Deathsong laughed again. "Such defiance! I like that in a woman. It's so bad you have to die anyway." He struck the tines with one finger, and then the sweet, pure note embraced her body, delivering her to darkness...
Zero still sat alone in the cell. he had tried to break the walls with new vigor, but he had only succeeded in chipping the reinforced concrete. However, as he was about to try again, the door stood open. He could see the shillouette of Deathsong against the light behind him, with something draped in her arms, limp and still, a coat or something the figure wore brushing the ground.
Then his eyes adjusted, and he could see Hitomi's limp figure, the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were open, but they were empty, gems without any sparkle.
Zero found himself unable to speak as Deathsong stepped forward. A smirk crossed the Maverick's face. "Ah, good. I was hoping this would affect you. It wouldn't be as good a battle if you had nothing to fight for, Zero-sama..." The honorific was pronounced mockingly as he tossed Hitomi's limp form aside. "But no matter how hard you battle, Zero-sama, you will lose. You said it yourself many times. You are obsolete." The last words dripped poison as he raised the staff. "I will give you time to prepare, although it will do no good. There are many Hunters outside. Take the armor from one of them, then return..."
Zero felt his shock turn to anger. "I do not need a handicap!" he shouted. "If it is to avenge Hitomi, I will-"
"-Fight without any weapons or armor because you're an idiot and die without the slightest chance to avenge her. Bright idea, Zero-sama." Deathsong sighed. "I just want a decent challenge of skill, and you deny me even that?"
Zero wanted to scream and charge, but Deathsong was, unfortunatley, correct. He needed some form of weaponry, at the very least. He got up slowly and went to walk outside, and Deathsong stepped aside for him. "Remember, no running away," the Maverick mocked.
Zero glared at him as he passed. "I will not run away. I will avenge her." However, as he stepped aside, he almost reconsidered the thought.
The bodies of Hunters were strewn everywhere, almost covering the floor. Oil and blood mixed in large pools, and quite a few humans lay there in addition to the reploids. The wounds ranged from almost-invisible sonic diruption from Deathsong's staff to the obvious laser burns caused by the security cannons. Zero stared in utter horror. This man is a monster... he thought in shock. However, his fear quickly changed to anger. And I will avenge all those he has killed!
He walked over to one of the fallen Hunters, who was wearing armor that was clearly styled on his own, although with a black undersuit instead of a grey one and no shoulderpads. There were a few other minor changes, and the sabre was different from what he was used to, but it would do. "Forgive me for this," he whispered to the fallen Hunter as he touched the large gem that rested in the chestplate of the armor.
As he had expected, the armor dissapeared as he touched the gem, and the gem itself lifted away easily. That was good - the armor was a standard model after all. He pressed the gem to the chest and ran the activation program he assumed would fit the gem's coding, and indeed the red-black armor appeared around his body.He grinned darkly and grabbed the sabre, switching the green blade on. Slowly he walked back into the cell he had lay in for days. Deathsong lounged against the opposite wall.
"Ah, Zero-sama, I see you choose close to home!" Deathsong stated, mocking once again. "Model... hmn... Cipher 1, if I remember correctly. Stylisitcally based on yours, but I'm afraid the details are different, so you may have some trouble... But I assume you'll fight anyway...?"
Zero nodded grimly. "For all those you have killed."
"Even Sigma?" Deathsong said, grinning.
"...Just shut up and fight..." he muttered.
Deathsong shrugged. "Your funeral." He charged and swiftly moved the staff downwards.
Zero was barely able to block in time, the sword catching between the two tines. He's too good... he thought, desperation tinting the mental words.
Deathsong twisted the staff around, freeing the tines and nearly disarming Zero. "Impressive, for an obsolete piece of junk like you," he said quietly. Some of the mocking was gone from his voice, replaced with a spark of anger. "I'm actually kind of annoyed. I was hoping this would be over soon."
"No such luck," Zero replied, and stabbed forward. Deathsong dodged easily, leaping forwards in the same motion and...
Pain shot through Zero's systems. A sudden major damage report flashed into his vision. He looked down to see his own arm, lying before him...
Deathsong laughed at this, the mocking tone returning to his voice. "Dropped your guard, Zero-kun!" he saiid laughingly as he wiped the oil off his staff. "Junk like you has to be on the defensive to last five seconds against me!"
"Damn... you..." Zero muttered. He charged again, putting all is energy into the charge, and then collapsed. He realized in horror that now his legs were missing. Deathsong had moved so fast, he hadn't even seen it... and now the damage reports were showing a major loss in power, a desperate need to shut down...
Deathsong stood over the fallen figure, staff pointing tines down. "Any last words...?" he said, a sick grin growing on his face.
Zero half-smiled, readying himself. If he was going to die, he might as well... "Yeah," he said quietly.
"And they would be?" Deathsong asked, staff still held at ready.
The smile on Zero's face grew. "Junk... like you... needs to be on the... defensive..." With that, he stabbed upwards with his remaining arm, the blade catching the suprised Deathsong in the chest. The oil sizzled as it hit the energy blade.
Deathsong's face twisted into a scowl. "You..." he began, then collapsed backwards, the life vanishing from his already-cold eyes. Zero smiled at the sky, eyes closing as various systems effectivley gave up.
"Hitomi... I'll join you now..." With those words, he passed into darkness...
A/N: GASP! Anyone with any clue as to what I'm doing gets a cookie. Hint: The armor and the exact limbs that are amputated are big hints. Bigbigbig hints.
Also, I've wondered what those stupid armor crystals are about for YEARS. I finally just gave up and decided they are the armor.
Next chapter: Sundeimasu! You translate, I'm too lazy. The unconjugated form is "Sumu", if that helps.