The Hunter and The Navigator

Chapter 3

The Ones in the Shadows

"It's very simple actually. All I did was take DNA samples from X's model and armor and I was able to hack into the newest version of the Lumine project. Since I was such an important figure I had to be rebuilt. But since you three were under the protection of the Jakob project then I had to find a way to discreetly get a way to reincarnate myself." The figure said almost as if he had this planned ever since he was first destroyed.

"But why? Why did you revive yourself? You know that we can defeat you again and again. Our models have been remodeled and we have more than enough power to destroy you." Axl said but with a very unsure voice. Axl himself wasn't very sure of their power now, even Zero had his doubts.

"But are you so sure of your powers. How about your certainty of your control of your powers. Are you really ready to take me on a second time?" the figure said trying to scare the two hunters, especially Axl.

"It doesn't concern you if we are sure or not. We will keep that information for ourselves. All we want you to know is that….WE DESTROYED YOU ONCE AND WE CAN DESTROY YOU AGAIN, LUMINE!!" Zero said with the utmost courage and confidence in his powers, though Axl wasn't as confident.

"Don't you think that we might need X to help us, Zero? We may be in over our heads." Axl said with a wavering voice.

"Don't think like that, Axl!! He's asking us those questions to try and mentally weaken us. Sigma did that to me once and I was easily swayed. You need to be stronger than that!! Now snap out of it and we need to stop him now!!" Zero said trying to get Axl's cocky attitude back instead of the wimpy child attitude he was expressing now.

"Uhhh, right…Let's do it." Axl said starting to lose himself. He was now lost on what to do. He did not know if he wanted to really fight Lumine again. After the incident that happened to him last time. He had such bad nightmares after that.

"Hahahaha! So easily fooled. You have the power to destroy me right now and you will not use it?! Hahahahah you are such a fool, Axl!!" Lumine said in a mocking voice. He was laughing at Axl now.

"Shut up!! Your going down now!" Zero said in a ready voice. He was ready to engage in combat with Lumine and was planning to win.

Zero charged at Lumine and sliced his sword vertically at him. Zero had attempted to slice his arm off and then in succession he would slice his head off in one swift motion. But Lumine had avoided both attacks by the tip of his robotic hairs.

"Impatient are we?" Lumine said in a sarcastic voice.

"Shut up!!" Zero said very angry.

Zero then continued his barrage of attacks from his Z saber to try and take him out. Unfortunately for Zero he was missing but not so badly. Lumine was also struggling to avoid them successfully. Zero then used his Knuckle weapon and started to use punching and kicking attacks. Lumine now had to worry about his feet and above his waist.

Zero then used a foot sweep and tripped Lumine. Lumine was caught off guard and was now completely vulnerable to any attack Zero would throw at him.

"I have you now!!" Zero said with a triumphant voice and a smile.

He then threw three punches to his middle section of his body armor. His middle section was now dented and destroyed. Lumine now was paralyzed on the floor.

"Ugh, damn you!!" Lumine said in pain and griting his teeth.

"I can't believe you were able to hit me so hard!!" Lumine now hated the red Maverick Hunter more than ever.

"If you weren't so impatient you would have found out that I can help you and that I was willing to help you!" Lumine said.

"What?! What do you mean?" Zero said confused.

"Why would you help us?" Axl said out of no where. This statement where Lumine said he would help attracted Axl's attention.

"I'm willing to help because there is a bigger, stronger and worse threat going around than me. Actually I am no longer a threat anymore. These systems are Maverick and virus resistant. They are smart. My functions are only to help supervise and to help direct. I have no battle combats at the moment. But if we head back to the Maverick Base then I can be equipped. That way I can help in combat and in supervision." Lumine explained calmly.

"But we thought like this last time and I almost got destroyed!! How can we trust you again?" Axl asked now ready to shoot at Lumine. He was now his cocky self again. Remembering the past event of being hit in the head by the corpse of Lumine's body the first time they defeated him.

"Axl!!! Use your head now!! Don't get cocky now. Scan his body. There's proof of the device that prevents this reploid from going Maverick." Zero said trying to stop Axl from unnecessary violence at the moment. Axl then looked at Zero and then back at Lumine. He then adjusted his eye and scanned Lumine.

"Alright. I saw the proof. Your considered an ally, for now." Axl said still not trusting the Reploid.

"You will see in time that I will be very useful to you and that I will prove to be a very good and loyal ally. Time will tell, Axl." Lumine said trying to confuse Axl.

"Whatever. Just help us to get back to the Maverick Base." Zero said.

"As you say." Lumine said. Lumine then closed his eyes.

"Both of you, grab onto my shoulder." Lumine said. Zero and Axl looked at each other and nodded. They both grabbed one shoulder and then a circle surround them.

"What is this? Is this magic?" Axl asked.

Lumine laughed. "No, of course not. Its my new kind of power. It was to be used to get to almost anyplace of the Orbital Elevator if there was maintenance to be done or whatever. But unfortunately, it wasn't completely when I took over this body. So I have to charge it before I can use it." Lumine replied.

"Wow that's amazing. An independent teleport system." Axl said. "I'm starting to think better of you now, Lumine." Axl joked.

Lumine laughed. "I'm glad you do, Axl."

All of a sudden the three disappeared and they were traveling through a vortex, awaiting to reach their destination.

Maverick Base…

"I can't believe that their gone. I can't believe they died so easily. Zero and Axl are stronger than that, but it may be because X is with them. Why?" Alia said.

"Yes, I know what you mean. I lost the one I loved very much, Zero. Why did he have to leave so soon. It's only been a year since we confessed our love to each other." Layer said.

The two girls were sitting at the console and were depressed over the loss of their friends. They did not move for at least 2 hours after the incident. They had just been sitting there in silence with tears in their eyes. The room had been quite for way too long. They did not even attempt a second time to try and find the two. They were too depressed. They had spent at least the whole time that they were sitting there looking but did not find anything.

"We looked everywhere, but it was in vain because they did not have their communication units on them." Alia said.

Layer just sat there and nodded. She did not feel like talking at that time.

R&D Lab…

"I'm almost finished. I need to hurry. I need to find out what happened to Axl and Zero. It seems to have calmed down in there but the silence it too eerie for me." Pallette said.

Pallette was rushing to try and fix X before the virus reached the helmet. The virus was to reach the helmet and activate X. If the upgrades were complete then the virus would be nullified and X would acquire a new set of powers, but if it failed then total destruction will be reeked on the land. She was upgrading the device that prevented the sigma virus from infecting his system and upgrading the helmet so that his body would activate. He eyes showed much sign of fatigue, but her eyes show determination to finish X's upgrades. Her eyes kept moving around along with her hands. They were moving in every direction.

Pallette finally finished after an hour of hard work. Just in time too. The virus was at the forehead of X. Pallette closed the helmet of X and the virus reached X's helmet. The red jewel on X' helmet glowed bright red. X then suddenly sat up.

"X?" Pallette asked worried and scared.

"X, is that you?"

To Be Continued…

Hahaha yet another cliffhanger baby!! Hahahahaha well this chapter was pretty long eh? Yes it was and I took some of your advice and I worked on the spacing. Should be a little easier to read now. But whatever. Are the chapters action packed enough? Im really trying to just make it suspenseful and informative. I need to set the stage, ya know? Hahahah well anyway just review.