The Hunter and the Navigator
Chapter 5
The Return
Spiraling colors and patterns were shown on the path ahead. It seemed that this portal was very similar to water going down the drain and to a black hole as well, spiraling, looping. Ahead seemed like it would take an eternity to get to the end and out of this mess. But in fact no one really wanted to reach its end. The reason of this is because there were portals inside of this vortex, each one leading to a different location. There were millions upon millions of portals on the both sides of the bottom most part of the vortex, each one leading to millions of millions of places on the earth. One could only comprehend to where each portal led them too. But when you were in a portal like this, reploids nowadays always looked for their destination, nothing more.
Three figures were floating in the air and traveling through this vortex.
"So anyway, you sure you know where the base is?" Axl had asked making sure he wasn't just bringing them to some unknown location to destroy them and take advantage of their present situation.
Zero and Axl were still had the signs of excessive damage from the laser cannon blast that Lumine helped to deflect and save the two Hunter's lives.
"Of course I know! I did steal this body from your base." Lumine answered back reassuring Axl.
"Well, its just I don't think you've really changed much. I still think you might just take us out to some deserted location and kill us." Axl said.
"Ok then, if I were to do that, don't you think that I would have done it?" Lumine asked him.
"Yeah, of course! But what do you mean?" Axl asked.
"Idiot…Look at the situation we were in several minutes ago. WE WERE ON A DESERTED LOCATION AND I COULD HAVE KILLED YOU!" Lumine yelled back at Axl. Lumine was appalled at the mindset of the hunter at this moment.
"Oh…" Axl chuckled. "My bad."
Zero also laughed. "Axl, to think that you would have more trust after he wasn't able to kill me back then. Lumine had more power back then, but since he was unarmed in this model he isn't able to attack. Which made me wonder. Lumine, how did you throw those shurikens (refer to chapter 2, I think, cant remember ) before." Zero asked confused and determined to find an answer.
"I found them stuck to some of the trees before and upon helping you, I thought I would mess with your heads at first." Lumine laughed.
"My apologies, but it is true that I am unable to shoot any weapons on me but I am an expert on using unattached weapons of any kind ie those shurikens I threw at you." Lumine explained cheerfully.
"Oh. I see. That explains some of the gaps, I guess." Zero said. "But we better hurry back to the base. I'm feeling a little weak from being in a damaged condition for too long. I'm not used to this."
"Do not worry we will be there soon." Lumine said.
"Anyway, I also have a question." Axl stated.
"Hmmm?" Lumine responded.
"You seem less hostile than last time. When we fought you, you were much more hostile. Why?" Axl asked also striking the attention of Zero because in fact this was a very good question.
"A very simple answer to a very simple question. My nature is normally hospitable. The reason is because I am working with people who deserve good treatment. People who have helped build the Orbital elevator and help keep maintenance deserve respect and not a supervisor that always treats everyone cruelly, no matter who it is. And since I possess the device you Maverick hunters possess then I also can not go Maverick and insane. So there is the answer." Lumine said.
Axl and Zero were quiet for awhile. They were trying to take this all in. After what Lumine had explained they were confused on why these new generation reploids go Maverick. They were all like Lumine once but they did not understand what the point of them going Maverick was. Even Lumine.
"Do not think on it much, my fellow hunters." Lumine said startling them. "The concept may be hard to explain but really all there is too it is that Sigma just wanted as much help and distraction from X and you two and he would do anything to get that help. He could not stop you alone so he continued to infect reploids until finally he was able to just control them without infecting them with the virus. That was a achieved by the copy chip that was created and exists today."
"I see. That's pretty logical." Axl said.
"Yes, it is." Lumine said.
"I have another question. If we destroyed you then how did you take over another model of yourself?" Axl asked even more confused.
"Ahhhh, a question I thought you would never ask. Well, Axl, Zero, have you two heard of ghosts?" Lumine asked the two first.
"No, why? What does that have to do with this question?" Axl asked.
"That's because that is what I became. I had become a ghost. Just like the new threat that is going around, he also became a ghost when he died. I somehow became a spirit, not only a mere hologram, but an actually spirit or a ghost as I should say. A ghost is a paranormal existence in the world that stays on earth because of some kind of materialistic attachment." Lumine explained to them.
"Oh, I see. I understand now." Zero said.
"That's good. My guess is that I was attached to this new model that they started making. They started making this model before you destroyed me. So I revenged to destroy it or either have it. They made it because they saw that I was capable of going Maverick and they feared that. But they were too late to stop me" Lumine explained.
Axl and Zero were totally amazed. Never before had they been so in the shadows of this story. They had no idea what was going on. Lumine was explaining all the happenings in the past. They were almost afraid to ask what was happening in the present.
"Ah, I think we have arrived at the Maverick Hunter Base." Lumine announced.
"It seems so." Zero said.
The three started to float downwards toward their destination portal. Lumine was first to enter then Zero and finally Axl. The three landed side to side with each other. They looked around. It seemed that they were in the control center of the Base but it seemed too quiet. Alia and Layer should still be at their posts from the last mission. They figured they would have tried looking for them for awhile.
"There's something not right here." Zero said.
"Yeah. Where is everyone?" Axl asked.
"Maybe they're in the R&D Lab." Lumine said.
"They could be there. Let's go check." Axl said.
Axl then walked ahead of the other two. Zero looking around to see if things in the control center were really okay. Lumine just walking forward with an expressionless face. They continued to walked towards the R&D Lab. They finally reach the door and the three could smell smoke.
"What's that smell?" Axl asked.
"I don't know, but it could mean trouble." Zero said.
Axl then opened the door and a giant cloud of dust came out. The three of them started to cough.
"What the hell?" Zero said.
"Pallette? X?" Axl yelled into the room. He was checking if everyone was ok but he couldn't see anything so it was difficult to tell.
"Layer?! Alia?!" Zero also screamed to see if the two were in there.
"Allow me." Lumine then used one of the new functions installed into is eyes. He was able to see through the smoke and dust in the air.
"I see them! Alia, Layer, and Pallette are all on the floor. They seem to be unconscious." Lumine said reporting his find.
"But there are two more bodies that have the same exact signatures, the data signatures of X." Lumine stated.
"What!? How is that possible? There's only one X in this entire universe." Zero said.
"Yes, I am aware of that fact but you remember that new threat I told you about, the one that also became a ghost. Well he has possessed X's body and something must have happened between the two." Lumine said.
The smoke started to clear and Zero and Axl had more visibility. Right away Axl spotted Pallette. He breathed a sigh of relief after he saw she was fine, but he was still worried over the fact that she was unconscious and what caused this mess. Zero saw Layer and also was relieve she was fine as well. Zero ran up to Layer.
"Layer? Layer? Wake up, girl." Zero said shaking her trying to wake her. Zero had to find out what had happened.
Layer started to slowly open her eyes while moaning. "Uhhhh, where am I?" Layer asked forgetting what had happened and she looked around.
"You're in the Lab." Zero said smiling at her.
She looked up and saw her love's face. Her eyes opened wide and she started to cry. "I can't believe you're ok! Oh my god, I was so sad that I saw you die from that laser cannon." She sat up quickly and hugged him.
"Heh, I thought you would have more confidence in me." Zero said in his arrogant voice.
"You'll never change." Layer said.
"Oh no, I remember now. X. He's over there. The virus has completely taken over him. We were fighting him and we had him but then he started using the instant transportation ability that was installed on him. That's when Alia found him in a pile of rubble and shot him and the blast of the attack knocked us all unconscious and did something to X." Layer finished and then pointed to the two figures lying on the floor in the middle of the room.
Zero looked at the two. He sensed that they both had X's data signatures. Just then one of the figures started to get up. Zero then pulled out his Z saber. He clutched the handle tightly and was ready to attack it, but unsure of who it was. Zero looked more carefully and it looked like it was the real X.
"X?" Zero said yelled towards the figure. Just then Zero found himself in a choke hold.
"UGH! What?! Signas?! What are you doing?!" Zero found out by looking at him.
Signas laughed. "You fool. I have regained my body again, except it is much stronger than the one that was given to me originally. I am now Signas X. Not even the three of you combined can defeat me!!" Signas laughed evil and was ready to crush Zero. He smiled evilly. "You're finished, my little red hunter."
A blast of energy came from behind Signas and broke the hold on Zero.
"Think again if you think that this is over! It's only just begun. The beginning of your end, Signas!!"
To Be Continued…
Sorry if this chapter is a little boring but I have to set the stage to the final chapter. Yes, folks the next chapter will be the final one. And in order for me to write my final chapter I will need 20-22 reviews. And for those who really like the story that's very important to you guys. Especially when I have a good idea what im gonna write and let me tell you, I cant wait to write it after I get 20-22 reviews. So for your sake, everyone who reads REVIEW!! (I accept anonymous reviews, even if you don't have a name you can still review DON'T BE LAZY!!)