Chapter 7: Information Gathering
Author: Lady Blue
Disclaimer: Capcom owns all this characters. This goes for Yuna and Sera :)
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"Here you go X. I'd stayed up all night making this for you" Yuna extended her hand holding to a grey cloth.
X smiled back to the little girl and accepted the cloth. He spread it open only to find that it was actually a cloak. "Thanks"
"It's not much, but it will keep you warm" Yuna explained. She was quite happy that X accepted her gift. She then turns her head to her side and found another girl about her age standing beside her.
"X, please takes good care of Ciel for us" Alouette said.
X place a grey cloak over his body and glance down to Alouette before turning back his attention to Ciel who's packing up her equipment into her bag in the other corner of the room.
"Don't worry Alouette. I'll make sure that no harm will come to her" X said placing his hand over Alouette head and give the girl a little pat. She gave an innocent smile to X.
"And please take care of Passy for me" she added while Passy hover beside Ciel position to X and stand on his shoulder.
"Err... sure" X answered, looking at Passy. X then spun his head to Ciel whose finish packing her equipment.
"I don't get it? Why you must come with us?" X asked.
"I need to be there personally to access the data from the cell server" Ciel said walking up next to X and smiled. She gave Alouette hug before facing X again.
"Why not use the personal Trans Server?"
"It won't work. The area is shielded with a high electromagnetic field. No Trans Server module can penetrate the shield" Ciel explain as she placed her back on and look back to X, knowing that every excuse of getting her off the mission is overcome by a logical reason.
"In that case why don't you just guide me through the process?" X asked, feeling that Ciel doesn't actually have to go to such a dangerous place.
"The process is too delicate, I'm afraid that you might wipe the data out"
"I'm not that of a jinx just tell me what I need to do to get the data" X said confidently.
"Well seems you put it that way, you need to bypass the firewall, reset or shutdown the security programs, access database which is at least a centuries old, recalibrate the hardware so that they are synchronies, write a new program so that the data transfer can be access on the new system" Ciel explained. She looked back to X with a dumb look on his face and she gives out giggle a little.
"Okay.... I think I leave the technical stuff to you"
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X step into the Data Center follow by Ciel. He glanced around the room; the entire Centre is really huge with servers lying all around in every corner of the room. Some of the servers seem to have broken down and others not even fully functioning. He raised his head and takes a look above and notices another floor of servers just above them.
He turn back his attention to Ciel, she seems oblivious of her surrounding except for the hardware in front of her.
"How long is this going take?"
"Just let me upload the data into a storage disk and we'll be out in no time" said Ciel looking around and found the console she uses the last time she was here.
"Good I don't like to stay here any longer then I have to" X glance around the room, it somehow gives him an uneasy feeling, as if someone was watching his every move.
"Why? Are you scared?" Passy asked, teasing X a bit.
"Do you mind getting off my shoulder and use your wings?" asked X. He spun his face to his left staring at Passy "I'm not your chauffer" he complained.
Ciel ignore the two and proceed to the group of console not very far from where she stands. She gives a few taps on the keyboard seeing if the console is still working. Fortunately for her that console is still function and was not damage during the fight. She withdraws a small little file notebook from her bag and placed it on the table. She then hit the activation button on the file and a menu screen lighted up.
"Connecting" Ciel whispered. She gives a few tap on the notebook and within a short period of time the system show a ready sign.
"Let see what we got" said Ciel with a small smile on her face. She took some time to tap into the server security system, however after a long time trying to access the server she was finally able to break into the database.
"Okay I'm in" Ciel said with a cheerful voice.
X turn to Ciel, seeing her working with her notebook. At a short glimpse, X thought he saw something in Ciel. He spun his head over to Ciel and takes a deeper look; to his surprised the way she works somehow brings back some hidden memories in him.
"Just give me a minute to search for the record" Ciel said, busy typing her keyboard.
He shook his head for a moment, thinking that he might remember something. He turns back to Ciel, but what he saw with his own eyes is not Ciel, but another girl, sitting in the same position as Ciel. The girl spun her head to him, one of her hand were over hear right ear, holding to a headphone. Her black clothes cover by her pink armor."Captain..." A familiar voice flow through his mind. X shook his head again and this time Ciel seems to be sitting in front of him instead of the girl he saw.
"There seem to be a lot of records here... some may be related to the Maverick Hunters and others to the Dark Phoenix project" Ciel said not noticing that X is staring at her.
X stare for a time, the image of the girl seems to pop in and out of his mind, remaining him of something he had forgotten.
"Private Alia X521D of the 17th Hunter Unit reporting for duty, sir" Alia said saluting to him.
"... Alia" X whisper.
"What? You said something X?" Ciel asked, thinking that he was talking to her.
"No, nothing" X replied. The image was gone, leaving only the presence.
"I'll be your eyes and ears, sir" the voice flow through his mind.
"Alia... Hunter?" X whispered.
"X... X" Passy called out to X, but he was not paying attention to the cyber-elf.
"Strange the data's gone... it can't be" Ciel begin typing like crazy on her keyboard. "Someone is access to the database from a remote terminal and deleting the database from there... I can't stop it"
"Stay here" X said, placing Passy on Ciel shoulder and walk out through the door they entered.
"Hey X! Come back" Passy shouted, but X was long gone.
"Where is he going?" Ciel asked, feeling as confuse as Passy. Both girl glances at each other, not knowing what had just happened.
Ciel got up from her seat and was about to chase after X when she suddenly heard a loud footstep coming from outside the room. The footstep got louder and louder as the floor start to tremble with every passing moment. She quickly pick up her notebook and place it into her bag before heading straight to the exit, hoping to escape what's coming their way.
"Well, well look what we have here" A mammoth figure stands in the exit, blocking off Ciel and Passy inside the room.
"Oh no" Ciel gasped.
Ciel and Passy backed away while the reploid knocked its way into the room mammoth forces its way into the room, smashing through the small doorways and revealing its giant form of a metallic mammoth to the girls. The mammoth reploid takes a small foot step into the room. Because of it gigantic size, its foot relatively smashed into the fragile tiles. The giant reploid try to get a better footing but it was futile; every step it takes just smashed through the platform tiles that were the foundation for the Centre.
It gazed back to Ciel and Passy, standing not very far away from it "Come here little one" it commanded. It was about to catch hold of Ciel and Passy until a figure overshadows his body. He raised his head up only to find X standing on the second floor with his weapon activated in saber mode.
"Hey Jumbo! Head's up" X shouted and leaps off the second floor with his saber ready to slash the mammoth reploid.
"Huh?" The mammoth notice the attack and slide to the corner avoiding X saber.
X saber slams into the ground and burst into the earth with full force. He quickly pulls his saber out and spun himself facing the mammoth reploid.
"What in the world?" X didn't have the chance to react as the mammoth reploid charge at him with its body and slam him toward the wall. The impact was so great that both X and the mammoth reploid smashed through the tick wall like it was a piece of cardboard.
"X" Ciel yelled and is about to give chance. However, she stopped her advance when Passy flies in front her.
"Ciel don't! You'll just get in his way" Passy advised.
Ciel nod her head to the little cyber-elf and stay in the room, gazing out to the hole that the mammoth reploid just made, and hoping that nothing have happen to X.
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X could feel the tremendous force when the mammoth reploid smash his body towards the wall and throws him to the next wall in the other room. The force of impact was worse then the time he fought the Golem. He shook his head a bit before turning his head to the mammoth reploid, standing several meters away from his position. The guy doesn't seem to have a single scratch on his body. Whoever he is, he is a tough one.
"So which one of the jokers are you?" X asked getting on his feet.
"My name is Maha Ganeshariff. I'm in charge of data processing and handling information. All of the information of your past had has been stored in the server in my body. If you want it back, you'll have to destroy me and download it from my memory... Will you do it??"
"Guess I just have to extract the data out from your dead carcass" said X.
X was about to attack Maha with his saber, but before he could attack his target he notice Maha have activates its dash system and it's on a collusion course with him. X quickly dodges to the side and barely got out off the way as Maha smashed its mammoth body to the nearby wall, knocking it down.
X was somewhat surprised at the speed Maha possess, with its body he would have thought that the reploid might be slow as a snail, but he never did imagine its dashed system would allow it to move that fast. However, something else caught X attention during the battle, Maha seem to take a long period of time to turn its body around to position itself at X, he guess it must have be the design of its short legs that it makes maneuvering hard for the big guy. Maha activates its dashed system again and this time X was prepared for it and roll to the side avoiding the giant Neo Arcadian.
Maha was turning his back on X and with its gigantic size; X knew it would take the Neo Arcadian time to turn to face him. Without wasting anymore time he activates his dashed system and rush forward towards Maha. Maha sees X advance and swing its arm directly at X. The swing would have knocked X back except X was expecting this move and leap above Maha landing on its back. X then activated his weapon into saber mode and wait for the chance to strike.
The mammoth reploid tries to shake X off its back as it swings its body fiercely, but with no result. X then raised his saber and jams it hard into Maha's back and then slides his saber down causing great pain to the Neo Arcadian. As his feet touch on the ground, X quickly pulls out his saber and switches it to saber staff mode. He then dashed forward and slices Maha both knees and forcing the Neo Arcadian to fall on the ground hard.
The cripple Maha fell flat on his back while X climb on its body and stare down to the Neo Arcadian with a serious look on his eyes.
"It's over Jumbo, give me the data and I promise you that I won't kill you" X said pointing the tip of his saber on Maha neck. Somehow Maha begins to laugh and X knew something was wrong.
"It's too late" Maha continue laughing. "I've already start deleting the data off my memory... anytime soon"
"Give me back those data you stupid elephant. I come this far not to let you cream my past" X shouted
Without hesitation X makes a crucial move and smashes his fist into Maha chest. Maha scream out pain as he pushes his fist deeper into Maha's chest. Once he reach deep into Maha chest, he could feel the device he was looking for, and without much care for the Neo Arcadian suffering, he grab the device and pull it out with all his might.
"I'm not letting you... out... of here alive... I've activated the... self-destruct code.... It will go off anytime soon" Maha said as his voice gets weaker.
"Why can't you sore looser ever give us a break?"
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"X" Ciel called out his name as she sees him running out from the room. However, she can tell that something was wrong with the picture.
"No time to talk we got to get out, now!" X said, he quickly grab Ceil hands and guide her to follow him, she still oblivion about the whole matter, but didn't argue with him "You too sugarplum" X commanded.
Passy sensing a high-energy reading coming from the other room quickly follows X as fast as her wings could take her.
As they made it out from the room, the corridor behind them starts to erupt in flames. Without wasting anymore time X continue to pull Ciel along as they ran for the exit.
X spun his head back and sees the inferno flame chasing after them. Even the rooms they pass through were erupted in flames. X knew he could easily outrun the flame if he activates his dash, then he remembers Ciel still trying her best to catch up to him.
"Excuse me" X said.
Ciel didn't understand what he meant at first, but X hastily cover her with his cloak and place Ciel on his arms as he quickly activates his dashed system. She could feel the immense heat coming from around her as X quickly carried her to safety.
X didn't slowdown as the heat gets worse. He could also feel as if the whole building is sharking violently. He only hopes that he could make it before the whole building collapse with such an explosive force. As things were getting to from bad to worse, X finally sees light coming in front of him. X knew he was near the exit.
"Hang on" X instructed. Ciel acknowledge by holding to him very hard as he burst out from the crumbling building.
"We made it" X said, still trying to catch his breath. He turns back and looked at the building; the entire building crumble down like a deck of cards and within a blink of an eye, it was turned into piles of rubbles. Ciel raised the cloak covering her face and looked back to the building as she gives sighed.
"That was a close call. We could have been barbecue" Passy pop out from nowhere.
X glanced back to Ciel, she was blushing a bit. X then remembers that he is still holding her in his arms; it must really look kind of embarrassing from their point of view right now. "Sorry" X said placing Ciel on her feet.
"That all right X" Ciel said as she pass back X cloak to him. "X, the data?" Ciel asked, remembering the stolen data.
"Is not lost" X said, withdraw out a little black box, still covered in energy fluid. X wraps it with his cloak and past it over to Ciel.
"A memory unit" Ciel said looking at the little box.
"Tell me what you can find from the device" X said.
"I will try my best" Ciel smile.
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"Ready?" Ciel asked as she place a small coin like device on X's hand. X blink a little. The thing is just about a size of a quarter.
"But I thought you said that it won't work here?" X asked as he flips the device like a coin.
"Passy" Ciel said as she turns to the little cyber-elf.
"The shield is down. The building was actually a giant conductor generating an electromagnetic field around the restricted zone" Passy explained.
"And since you demolished the building" Ciel pointed out to X.
"I get it" X said.
Ciel just smile and placed her Trans Server on the back of her hand and hit the little button in the middle. She turns to Passy thinking that she might be clinging to her shoulders, but what she sees somehow surprised her a little. Passy just hover to X and sat on his shoulders. X doesn't even show any sign of rejection towards the cyber-elf.
Ciel continue smiling "Ready?" Ciel asked.
"Ladies first" X said.
Within second, Ciel's body turns into light and warp out of the restricted zone. X was about to switch his unit active, until he have that same uneasy feeling he had inside the Data Centre. The feeling that someone is watching him. X glanced around his surrounding, but finds no one in sight.
"X" Passy calling his name. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing" X said as he hit his unit active and warp out of the site.
Standing above and abandon building a shadowy figure glance back to where X was standing and gives a grin on his face. "Interesting"
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X stand waiting outside of the Resistance Data Centre as he waited for Ciel. Passy was tired of hovering all the time, decide to sit on X shoulder as they both waited patiently for Ciel. X shifted his head a little and glance back to Passy.
"What?" Passy asked.
"Nothing" X said, not feeling like arguing with the cyber elf. Passy just shuddered her shoulder and turns her attention back to the door.
Moment later the door slide open and Ciel walks out of the room with the data storage on her hand. She turns back to X with a disappointing look on her face.
"I'm sorry X... but the unit is totally corrupted and there not enough data I extracted to tell me what we already know about Project Dark Phoenix... even the data from the Maverick Hunters record were wiped clean" Ciel said passing the unit back to X. X just takes the unit and stare back at it before he looked back to Ciel.
"That alright, is best that the past stay in the past" X smiled.
"X" Ciel whispered, feeling that X was a little upset. However X just smashed the data storage with little force and it turns into a small ball of metal.
"Here" He said, passing the ball to Ciel "Now you have a new paper weight" he joked.
"X, I am really sorry"
"Don't be sorry Ciel, there is nothing to be sorry about" X said in a cheerful manner.
"X... there is one more thing I like to ask you...." Ciel said feeling a little reluctant. She knows that he must be feeling a little depress by now and does not know if she should ask him such things.
"Yeah"
"When we were in Cain Industry... you called me Alia.... was she someone you cared?" Ciel asked
"Oh, I just have a slip of tongue" X said in an unserious tone "I thought I saw something back then... but it was nothing. Must be someone I knew once" X shudder his shoulders.
"Do you have anymore mission you need me to undertake?" X asked leaning on the wall.
"No... Not at this moment" Ciel said, shook her head "Please get some rest... I call if there is anything new"
"Sure. I think you know where to find me" X said as she turn and walk down the corridor. Not looking back.
Ciel still feeling a little uneasy looked back to Passy hovering beside her. The little cyber-elf gave the same expression she is giving now. "Passy... please keep an eye on him for me please" Ciel suggested.
Passy turns back to Ciel and nods her head "Alright Ciel" Passy said as she flies down the corridor searching for X.
Ciel stands for a moment longer, thinking in her mind. "Alia... the Maverick Hunter Alia... could it be her?" Ciel whispered.
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X stand on top of an abandon water tower as he gazed out to the city before him. His cloak flows with the wind making him look like a nocturnal creature of the night.
He was not disturbed by the fact the Ciel was not able to recover any of the data, he was actually disturbed by the fact that he starting to enjoy a little of the fighting. Though he felt that deep in him, there is a voice or something telling him to stop the killing, but he knew it to well that he need to do what is right.
The fact now was he did not kill anyone for fun; he did only in self-defense and to protect those who are needed him. X takes a deep breath and turns his head over his shoulder and sees the little cyber-elf looking back to him with a worried expression. They both stare at each other for a long time before any of them said a word.
"Are you going to tell me not to jump?" X joked. Passy gave X a blank look on her face. He spun himself around and leans on the rail as he folds both his arms together and smiles back to the Passy.
"No... Not that" Passy said softly "I was worried for you and..."
"Thank Passy... for caring but I am alright" X said. Passy just nods her head and smile back to X. this was the first time X ever sees the little cyber-elf smile. It was kind of nice and weird at the same time.
As he decides to get off the tower, X notices another figure sitting not very far from his position. Just about a few meters away in the abandon building, opposite the tower, X sees Rina sitting near the ledge all by herself. She didn't seem to notice his presence. From the look of thing she appear to be listening to something, maybe a song as she shut her eyes and her fingers moves like a wave.
Kind to think about it, X kind of notice Rina is always a loner type. He never sees her along with the other resistance reploid, except for Cerveau.
Passy feeling curious of what X is staring at spun herself around and gazed back to what he is looking. "Rina?" Passy said.
"You like her?" Passy asked, seemingly teasing X a little as she circles around X.
"Hell no" X said "I'm just curious why she is alone most of the time?"
"Oh that... I don't know that myself.... she's kind of a mystery to me" Passy stopped and shudder.
"I thought you know her?" X asked.
"Not really... she was here before I was activated. I heard the other says that she is a Neo Arcadian once" Passy said.
"Now that is an interesting gossip" X said and turns back to Rina. However, she has already left the site. X shudders and thinks is about time he had back into the base.
"Let's go" X said to Passy as he climb down.
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Author Notes: Got only two words to say.... Review Please.
