Chapter 16: Unforeseen Ally

Author: Lady Blue

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"Now Solar Fury, just stay real still. I'm just taking a couple of scan on your structure" Ciel said as she gives Solar Fury a short glimpse before turning to the console in front of her.

It took only a short second for the computer to scan Solar Fury tiny structure and in just a few second an output has been display on the console screen "Amazing. Its design is extremely complex even for a cyber elf"

As Ciel was about to further study Solar Fury design a sudden loud shattering sound draws her attention away. Ciel turn around and switch off her visor to see both Alouette and Yuna looking back to her, Yuna's hands holding a ball and on the floor was the remained of her flower vase.

"I'm sorry Ciel" Yuna apologies as she's about to pick up the broken vase.

"It's alright girls" Ciel said as she helps pick up the last piece of the broken vase and put it away. Both girls looked rather worried that she might be mad at them. She smile and know that she has not been spending much time with both girls.

"Girls do you mind playing outside?" Ciel said "I'm kind of busy here"

"Sorry Ciel" the two girls said in unison.

"That's alright, just play outside. I promise I'll spend some time with you once I'm done with Solar Fury here" Ciel said, patting on Alouette head.

"Ciel can Seraph play with us?" Alouette asked.

Ciel turn to the angelic cyber-elf in the corner of the room, staring at Solar Fury. He seems rather quiet the whole time and Ciel doesn't seem to have any program in her schedule for him just yet.

"I see no harm in that. Beside, I'll be pretty occupied with Solar Fury here for some time" Ciel said. "Seraph would you mind keeping an eye on them for me?"

The angelic cyber-elf just nods his head and flies to Alouette.

"Yeah" both girls cheer as dashed out of the room.

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X stops his approach as he gazed around his surrounding. Nothing but bamboos shoots as far as his eyes can see. X slowly removes his hood to take a better view. He wouldn't have guessed that Dr. Light would build his lab somewhere so remote, deep in China.

"Why me?" a female voice complained "I'm just an operator"

X shook his head and look back to the amber hair girl as she slowly catch up to him. Not far from Chris two cyber-elves follow closely along with a resistance soldier.

"Stop whining Chris" X uttered. "You've been at it for over two hours. Give it a rest will you"

"I can sense you are nervous Ms. Chris" Spirit said as she hovers in front of the terrified operator.

"Nervous! I'm terrified!" Chris yelled as she keeps looking left and right "I'm not meant for field mission.... why did Ciel choose me?"

"Easy, because Haruka and Jun are on duty" Passy replied as she fly over to X.

"Chris stop being so paranoid, there is no one here but bamboos for miles" X said before he looked back to the white cyber-elf.

"We're here" Spirit said nodding her head and flies to the front looking rather confused a little.

"Spirit, are you sure we are in the right place?" X asked looking around their surrounding and sees nothing but bamboo shoots.

"From the coordinates provided we are suppose to be standing right in front of the door, but I don't see anything here" Spirit said worriedly.

"Me neither, maybe this is not the place.... Let's go home" Chris uttered as she was about to leave but was pulled back by X. "Not so fast"

X turn to the resistance soldier, the guy looked as confused as he is "See anything?"

"No Sir" the soldier replied.

Trusting Spirit's judgment X walk forward and gazed around, but fail to see anything abnormal about the place "X"

"Hmmm.... Dr. Cain used to hide his lab under a graveyard, Chris can you scan and see if there is any metallic object around this area?" X asked.

Chris nodded her head and pull down her visor. "Wait I got something" Chris said. "It's about three meters in front of you. There seems to be some sort of metal substance there. Its signal is rather weak, but I'm sure is made out of metal" she pointed to a small clearing left to where they are standing.

X waste no time as he walk towards the clearing. As he near the site, he could see a rusty metal plate sticking out from a small patch of grass "X.... are you sure... we're not even sure what lie under there... it maybe a trap" Chris said as he retreated back a bit.

"Stop worrying Chris, you got a hero here" X shrugged his shoulder "What can possibly go wrong?"

"Everything.... If you haven't notice this is just like in all those horror movies, I'm just a side character.... and side character always gets kill!" Chris grab hold of X's vest and shake violently.

"You watched too much of those classic tube movie" X said. However before X could open the small hatch, he could feel the ground he is standing on starts to give way. Before X could react he felt his whole world suddenly gone dark and a painful feeling coming from his back.

"X, are you alright down there?" Chris asked looking down to the hole. "Are you hurt?"

"Only my pride" X muttered as he rub his rear. X looked up and sees that he fallen quite deep. He got up and dusts off the dirt on his body before taking a short glimpse of his surrounding.

"Passy, get down here"

Passy did what she instructed and fly down to the dark hole. As she reached to X, her body emulates enough light.

"Okay Chris, you jump down and I'll catch you" X shouted.

"But-"

"Come on we don't have all day" the soldier said.

Chris shook her head and looked down. From what she could tell, it's a real long drop from where she is standing. She knew this was not her day when X says their going for some fieldtrip. Chris mumbles as she slowly climbs down the ledge. "X, you're going to catch me right?"

"Will you just let go of the ledge"

Chris takes a gulp and let go off the ledge. She felt her whole weight drop like a rock and within a second something gentle caught whole of her body. Chris opens her eyes and sees X smiling back to her.

"Coming?" the soldier asked.

"Huh?" Spirit seems to be lost in mind for a second. "Coming"

Not far from their location a small little creature looked back to them, in silence. "Master Free Fall, X has entered the base, do you wish me to follow?"

"Non mon cheri, stay az you are" Free Fall replied "We wait"

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As they approach deeper into the tunnel, they finally reach to the end of the corridor. As they approach the dark room, X suddenly heard a loud humming sound coming from all around them. He pulls out his weapon and was about to fire at anything that is coming their way. But instead the whole room light up, showing them an abandon laboratory around them.

"Guess there's still some power left" Passy said as she gets off X shoulder and fly around the room.

"It's a lab" Chris said looking at the place. "Looks like it seen some action" Chris said.

X felt silence and walk to the middle of the laboratory. The whole place is really mess up. It looks like someone has use a high energy weapon in here. There were burn marks all over the wall and most of the equipment in the room is trashed.

X walk over to one of the doors and hit the panel. The door slide opens and lit up. Capsule after capsule is seen pile up till the end of the room. As X and Passy entered the room, Passy seems to look into one of the Capsule. There were fade wording written on it.

"Sh... Shadow Armor" Passy mumbles.

"That armor was never completed" Spirit suddenly said. Passy felt a little surprised and gives a high shriek. "Don't do that" Passy screamed.

"Sorry"

X didn't bother the two cyber elves as he notice something lied near the last capsule. He bends down and picks it up. It looks like a thorn piece of pink garment. This somehow brings back some memory of Alia, she always did like pink. He even mentions to her that the color suits her eyes. X gives a sighed and hoped that she was not here when the fighting breaks out.

X got back on his feet and stare at the capsule before him. It looks like something has blast through the glass and left a scorching mark inside the capsule. X was about to turn around and walk back to the lab when he suddenly hear a girl's voice echoes in the room "Crescent get out of here. I'll get X"

"But-"

"Go" The girl shouted.

"X wake up" a girl voice called to his name. X shook his head a few times and when he opens his eyes he found himself inside the capsule looking out. He could see that a blond girl banging outside of his capsule, trying her best to wake him up, but to his best effort, everything looks blurry and unclear.

"X Help me" the voice continue to scream. X recall that he was about to smash his fist in respond, but then a cloak figure appeared behind the girl and hurl her into the lab as he looked back to him with its red fury eyes.

"Don't even bother to trouble yourself" the cloak figure said as he points his blue cannon pointing to X. "In a matter of second it wouldn't make any different"

"No" the girl screams as X sees and thought he feel a powerful energy weapon rip through his body.

X lean on the capsule as his mind suddenly return to reality. He continues to breathe heavily as he partially remembers what happened back then.

"X, are you feeling alright?" Passy asked.

X turn to the Passy and nodded "Yeah"

"X! I found something" Chris yelled. X spun around rushed out of the room. He found Chris sitting near a console.

"What is it?" X asked.

Chris gives a few tap on the badly damage console. For sometime there was no respond, but after a few more tap the projectile unit sprung to life, displaying what seems to be a list of files.

"Looks like a data entry log" Chris said looking at the screen.

"Can you play it?"

"I can try" Chris responds as she continues to tap on the console. "Got it"

Few more second past, but Chris was finally able to reconstruct what remained of the log file in the system. Then another projectile not far from them comes to life and projected an image of an old man wearing a lab coat staring back to X.

Dr. Light gives a sighed "After a long debate with my assistant.... I have finally come to a conclusion. We have agreed to revive X to help Zero tackle with the new threat of dark cyber-elf outbreak that is spreading like wildfire lately. All of Zero's old comrade from Giga City has been completely wipeout from a recent ambushed set by a group of reploids possess by the dark cyber-elf and now Zero and Axl are facing a large foe that was built to assist them in the first place.... this is very disturbing yet we have no choice in this" Dr. Light said as he hang his head down in doubt

"At first I intend to seal X for his own good. To revive him when I feel the time is right... when peace strive on earth.... yet what my assistant said was true.... we can no longer ignore this problem nor can we turn our back like we did on the last Maverick War.... something has to be done....." Dr. Light said before his image disappeared.

Chris then hit the console and played the next archive.

"We have completed in the implementation of cyber-elf into X's body. They will serve as his friend and armor if he intent to use them. However Solar Fury's power is unpredictable.... like most of X's old armor, Solar Fury's Novastrike can cause devastating effect on his enemy, but there is a small problem to it.... Once the Solar Burst is initiated, the armor will be deactivated and this will leave X in a vulnerable situation... I hope that it will not come to that" Dr. Light said "I'm about to reactive X once my assistant gets back from her recon... I hope she is alright.... she was never built for field mission"

"That's the last of the data log X, the remaining logs were quite corrupted" Chris said turning to X.

"Try your best Chris" X said. Chris nod her head and play the next file.

"--- This is incredible-- - th-- da--- Baby Dark Elf my assistant caught so--- how have a strange program embedded into them" Dr. Light said as his image flickers a few times.

"Can you clear it up?" X asked.

"I think so" Chris gives a few more tap "I think I got it"

"My assistant and I were able contained the baby cyber-elf in one of Solar Fury's old containment unit" Dr. Light said "It seems to be holding her for now. Unfortunately we do not know for how long. Her power increase within every hour and her cries seems to carries out a signal wave, no doubt trying to signal the others to our location"

The image then changed a bit, this time with a picture showing the dark cyber-elf. It looks like every other normal cyber-elf, except that its skin tone is darker and her eyes were ruby red like blood staring back to the screen.

"From the outcome of our experiment the strange code located in this cyber-elf doesn't seems to harm her in anyway, instead it seems to maximize her power to a limit that most normal cyber-elf could not, like a steroid pumped into a human. This is a very disturbing thought, like someone has implemented a maverick virus into this cyber-elf" Dr. Light rub his chin a bit and sighed "The readings coming from the codes looks familiar.... like the one I analyze back when Duo-" the video was cut off. Chris knew there was nothing she could do, so she continues through the next working log.

"Usually a cyber-elf is very friendly and obedient, however dark cyber-elf seems to be more independent... they tend to be shy and in a constant state of delusion.... yet they are very dangerous when they are in this state"

"There is another record" Chris said.

"Play it"

"My expectation was correct and the implementation was successful" Dr. Light said "We have implemented her pro---m into X's D.N.A like we did with the others except with a little help------ ------------. Since part of her program is being influence by a strange energy we have soul link ----------. Currently she is playing with Spirit and it seems that her skin tone and look have morphed into a new frame -- - - ---- - - She is very friendly and - - - - -- - --- -- ------" the video keeps breaking off, Chris tried her best to clear the image, but there was nothing she could do to improve the quality of the output

"We are under attack, I'm not sure who it is, but they were able to get through to our defenses" Dr. Light uttered, X and the others could hear a sound of fire coming from the background. "Run ----- Take Crescent and -------" then the video end.

"That was the last log X" Chris said "Most of it was destroyed or beyond recovery"

"Save what you can Chris. I'm going to have a look around" X said as he walk out towards the door.

"You're leaving me here.... alone?" Chris said, turning to face X.

"Nope, Passy and the others will be staying here as well" X said "I just need to get some fresh air"

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"Okay Haruka, try it now" Jun said. Haruka nod her head and hit the command on her pad "Anything?" Jun asked as she slides from under the machine and looked back to Haruka.

"Not a single swat of signal" Haruka replied "I think this switch is fry Jun"

"Well, all the more reason for us change it" Jun said as she got on her feet and wipe off the dirty off her dress.

"Now don't start on me with that red riding hood crap Jun, I'm not in a mood here" Haruka replied as they both starts to giggle.

"Girls I call you both down here to help me sort out the equipment, not standing around chit chatting" Cerveau said. The two girls continue to giggle; Cerveau just shook his head and walk over to the main server.

"Huh?" Jun suddenly feel surprised and found Yuna hiding behind one of the machine.

"Yuna! What are you doing here?" Jun asked squat down looking at the lime hair girl.

"Shhh.... I'm hiding from Alouette" Yuna whispered.

"Well you just have to find another spot; this is no place for you to play in" Cerveau uttered as he help the little girl up.

"Sorry Uncle Cerveau" Yuna bow her head.

"You better hurry, I think I heard Alouette voice from here" Haruka said as she show Yuna the way out.

"Come on Seraph"

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X leaps out from the ground and landed with ease. X looked around his surrounding, he was feeling rather uneasy. The record he sees and the detail he got from the mysterious ghost avatar back in the network seems to have the same conclusion regarding the dark cyber-elf that it seems to be control by an unknown force. How he wish he could get some straight answer for once. Everything seems to be like a riddle to him waiting to be unfolded.

X gives a heavy sighed and was about to take a short stroll when he suddenly heard a sound coming from a clumps of bamboos not far from him.

"Huh?" X suddenly sees a green beam shoots his way. He barely dodges it as he hit the ground. The beam cuts through some of the bamboo and dissolved. X got back on his feel and activates his saber. He was not really expecting any company.

X stood still, listen and wait. It didn't took long as a blur figure leaps out from the clumps of bamboos and slams its weapon down on X. X dodge the attack and was about to slash his saber, but the attacker ran back into the cover of the bamboos. This somehow frustrate X, he was not in the mood for a fight nor is he in any mood to be a target for any hit and run.

X spun himself around as he hears noise coming around him; the attacker is smart to use its environment to cover its tracks. The rattling sound coming from all around X makes him hard to pinpoint where the attacker may turn up next. A few times the attacker leaps out from the clumps and try to take a hit on him, but X always manage to dodge the attack. After a few try on hitting him, X finally gets the attacker's pattern. He stood and waits, with his saber on.

As predicted, the attacker's leaps out from behind X and try to cut him down. X turn in time and block off the attacker's weapon. X felt the force pushing him back a little, he was lucky that he hit his feet of the ground or else he might have been thrown back hard against the clumps. X looked back to the attacker as their weapon locks together. From what X could see it looks a lot like a pair of recoil rod that generate out blue beams instead of green. X gives a push and throws the attacker back a little before he activates the other end of his saber.

"Damn, this guy is tough" X muttered.

The attacker landed on one knee as its spread its recoil rod and prepares to attack X. The attacker wearing a gray cloak slowly gets back on its feet and changes its position by pointing one of the recoil rods in front and places another behind it.

"So which one of Zero's lackey are you?" X asked, always keeping an eye on the cloak figure.

The cloak figure lowers its weapon and pulls off the hood. To X's surprised it turns out to be a girl with long white hair and crimson red armor with strips jump suit underneath. The girl's helmet almost similar to Zero's has two blue rubies on each side on the helm instead of one in the middle like Zero.

The girl gives a light chuckle as she stare back to X with her violet eyes "Sorry to disappoint you luv, but I am not one of Zero's weak and pathetic guardians. My name is Tiger Fang and I work for a higher order" Tiger Claw said. "As you know by know, I am send here to kill you"

"Really?" X asked not sounding too seriously.

"You doubt my abilities?" Tiger Fang said as she removes her cloak and throw it aside.

"Not entirely. However I don't have any quarrels with you kid, now why don't you be a nice girl and go home before you get hurt" X said, deactivating his weapon.

X was about to walk away when Tiger Fang suddenly hurl one of her rod at X. X fire his weapon and deflect the rod. He then quickly activates his saber staff and block off Tiger Fangs attack. "Look kid, I don't want to fight you, now back off" X uttered.

X swing his staff a bit, trying to scare off Tiger Fang a little, he really has no intention of fighting her at all. But when he sees it in her eyes, he could tell that she was offended that he didn't want to fight her.

"Just too bad luv cause I was rather in a mood for a little mayhem" Tiger Fang said as she swings hard at X with her weapon "And if you won't fight a woman then that is just your luck luv"

X continues to block off Tiger Fang's attack. From what he could see, she stills an amateur, he could have knocked her out a long time ago if he wished, but he really didn't want to hurt her. X swings his saber staff to draw Tiger Fang's attention a bit before he knocks her off her feet with his hilt.

Tiger Fang shook her head a little before turning to X.

"Have enough kid?" X said pointing his saber down on her. However Tiger Fang just gives a smirk on her face. X knew something was wrong. He turns around and sees another cloak figure jump down on his position and swing a long katana weapon at him. X raised his hilt and block offs the assault, but got thrown back instead by the force.

"It's about time you show up" Tiger Fang said as she got back on her feet and when after X. X didn't get enough time to respond as he felt Tiger Fang weapon slash on his vest, sending him landing on a clumps of bamboos.

"Yikes" a small blue cyber-elf shrieks as was almost flattened by X.

"Times up luv" Tiger Fang uttered as she leaps up and about to slash down on X. However before she was able to do so, a green beam suddenly burst out from the other corner of the field and leash on Tiger Fang's legs.

Tiger Fang felt herself being pulled back and before she knew what happen, she felt something sharp pierce through her legs and sending her propel on the ground like a rock.

"Monsieur X may not wish to use brute force on you mon cheri, but I don't give a damn" Free Fall said as he deactivate beam whip, but kept his saber staff activated just incase. X got back on his feet and looked back to the white reploid before he turns to Tiger Fang. He could see that white reploid has severed her leg apart.

"Damn I was so close" Tiger Fang said, banging her fist on the ground and tries to get back on her feet, but was unsuccessful.

"That is enough Tiger Fang. I think the gentlemen here have proven his point" Yoshiyuki said as she helps Tiger Fang up. "Beside, you have violated the master's wishes on engaging X"

"But Yoshiyuki I-" Tiger Fang wanted to protest, but she could see clearly under Yoshiyuki's hood that she very serious of what she said. "Well fine"

"We will meet again X and the next time I am sure you will not have your friend here to help you" Yoshiyuki said.

"See you luv, now you be a nice boy and wait for me" Tiger Fang wink her eyes before she is teleport out. Yoshiyuki then swipe her long blade katana back. "Thank you X for holding back on Tiger Fang" Yoshiyuki said before she teleports out.

X was in a bit of confusion, this Yoshiyuki seems to be an opposite of Tiger Fang and she seems to hold some sort of honor in herself. If not, she would already join Tiger Fang in assaulting him. Guess she believes in a fair fight. X turns himself to the white reploid that just saved his life.

"How are you doing Luna?"

"A little shaky" Luna replied.

"Thanks" X said as he stand where he is, feeling that he should be taking more precaution then letting down his guard. He doesn't really know anything about this guy.

"Don't give moi your merci yet Monsieur X" Free Fall said "I could be here for ze same purpose"

"I see, then why bother saving me in the first place? Why not let them finish me off?" X asked placing his hilt aside and ever ready to activate it if the guy feels like backstabbing him.

"It would be such a waste zat they make ze kill and claim ze bounty on your head" Free Fall replied as he deactivate his saber staff.

"You're a bounty hunter or worse Mercs"

"On occasion, you couldn't believe ze bounty they placed on your head Monsieur X. Very tempting price indeed" Free Fall said before turning to Luna "How much waz it mon cheri?"

"Thirty million the last I check" Luna replied.

"So are you going to claim my head?"

Free Fall gives a light chuckle and looked back to X with an unserious expression on his face "Not really Monsieur X. You see Zero may want you dead but not moi"

"And why is that?"

"I work for anyone but Zero" Free Fall replied.

"You seem to dislike him. Guess we have something in common Mr...."

"Free Fall, Ethan Free Fall to my friendz Monsieur X" Free Fall introduce himself as he gives a little bow.

"Yes, I do despise Zero az much az ze next reploid, but my hate iz more personal. You see Monsieur X, Zero took the only thing I cared most beside my own life.... my mentor" Free Fall said as he show X his saber staff. X then notice the saber staff was the same one he encounter during the fifth maverick war, the very same one Dynamo used when he assaulted the Hunter base.

"Dynamo's you mentor?"

"Oui Monsieur X, he was my mentor and like a father to moi. He took me in when I was homeless and thus thought me all the trade of survival" Free Fall said "I don't really give a damn about those war ze resistance is fighting for, but when Zero strike him down a couple of years ago for being a maverick..... Zat was ze last draw"

"I'm not surprised" X said, knowing how annoying Dynamo was and how he work for Sigma. It was only time before the Hunter Label him as a Maverick.

"Enough of my past Monsieur X. I'm sure zat you are very interested in why I saved you"

"Very"

"Well let put it thiz way Monsieur X, I have a need of you"

"Really?"

"You are more valuable to moi alive now then dead Monsieur X because of your reputation of causing havoc among ze ranks within Neo Arcadia" Free Fall said as he reach into his vest and pull out a crystal device "This somehow makez my job easier. You see I notice zat they pay more attention to you and they do on me and thus thiz allow me to easily hack into their system without being notice zat much. Most they will think that I am some punk kid trying to have some fun cracking into their network"

"Let me get this straight, you want me to cause trouble on Neo Arcadia so they put all their attention on me instead on you, kind of a fair deal" X said sarcastically.

"Correct Monsieur X" Free Fall replied as he flips the crystal to X. "And for starter ze crystal in your hand has all the base location, patrol route and strength of Neo Arcadia occupying in North America"

"So we are ally then?" X asked.

"For now Monsieur X, I'll call you when ze time is right" Free Fall said as he turn around and about to leave "Just watch you back mon ami"

"Better to have a friend then none" X smirk.

"Nicely said Monsieur X" Free Fall said as he wave his hand "Au revoir mon ami"

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"Is everything in place?" Phantom asked as he looked back to the dark figure, only able to make out the outline from the dim light.

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I only have some minor stuff to clear up" the dark figure said "Just wait for my signal"

"You are taking to long" Phantom said.

"Hey do you think is easy breaking into a tri-cryptic base firewall with ten billion encryption code to break into?" the girl uttered "If you do, please by all mean you can have this job instead of shaking your legs in a safety of your office"

Phantom gives a sighed and shook his head "Very well, I will tolerate with you for now"

"Have you found the info I asked for?"

"Yes, seems like the unit GA-DSXC was transferred out two weeks after apprehension, location unknown. Not even to my level of access. This is rather strange as only Master Zero have higher access then we do" Phantom said "Why is this so important to you?"

"That's my business"

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Author Notes: Sorry for the last pic. Seems like fanfiction new system cause a little error on my document by making all my divider disappear : P