Everyone, hello! Once again I'd like to thank everyone for their support-my work is having the effect I hoped it would have! (bows) I have a title for my X8 novelization-I think I'll call it 'Until the End of Eternity'! Sounds nice, huh?!?! (smiles)

Uzu-Chan: Thank you so much for being such an enthusiastic fan! Your words always make me happy. And you know what? I think you're psychic….you'll find out why when you read this chapter, mon ami. (hugs) BIG HUG!! Millions of thanks to you.

Prjct.War: The duel between Axl and Tornado reminded you of Kenshin? Now that was a pretty deep compliment. I didn't think I did that well on it! Thank you very muchies! I'm glad you liked it a lot.

PRIVATE: My secret?!?!!??! (whispers) Well, you know what? I update whenever I can! And I like to update a lot because I know my story makes people happy! I gots such wonderful friendses!! I'm sorry if I'm dishing out too much, but I get really excited when I write this! Sheesh, I'm gonna be awful when I actually have a real story published out in the big world, huh?!

To the Esteemed Khilai: Thanks a lot for the feedback on my battle. I'm glad you liked it, and I can't believe you like the way I portray the characters when your story is blowing ME out of the water. (burns Red's corpse over a huge wildfire and cheers with her friends excitedly) You're doing a wonderful job! And you know what you said about 'there wouldn't be too many fanfics if we had to model our stories after the real thing?' Right on. I totally agree with you!

--The young Reploid vanished into a world of rapid, relentless anticipation and made his way to the Maverick Hunter Infirmary, trying to figure out how a bomb could have gotten inside of the Infirmary…….

There was no way anyone could have known….about Zero…..

The sounds of chaos filled his ears, but he became oblivious to them as he tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The faces of frightened Reploids met his eyes…..and he could almost hear the heartbeats of everyone he came across….

How did a bomb get inside of the Infirmary?

For a moment his thoughts went back to X. Leaving him behind wasn't a very good idea-but he had to check out what was going on. And hopefully X decided to make contact with General Signas…..

Sheesh….I hope he's okay. I hope Zero's okay.—

Six minutes elapsed.

The Black Tiger stopped the second his feet touched the floor of the Infirmary, and shock consumed his entire body. His eyes widened and shimmered with the ethereal yet deadly fires of scorn…and his heart stopped for what felt like a year.

"Oh no…."

He examined his surroundings and found nothing that pleased him. The Infirmary was a black painting filled with nothing but an ocean of crimson red flames……..the Infirmary workers were on the floor, unconscious….Gate was on the floor, unconscious……and…..

"Well. Hello there, good friend. How have you been? Long time no see."

Axl's youthful, shimmering eyes lit up with a massive, deadly amount of hatred. He recognized the speaker's voice, and the voice didn't belong to a friend. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.......

The tiger was about to become very angry.

Again.

Apparently, this guy didn't know too much about tigers either.

"Snipe. How nice to see you again." The young Reploid's tone would have caused a werewolf to keel over and die from fright. "Tell me-how did you get in here?"

"Easy. Let me show you!"

The speaker had been hiding in the shadows of the flames…..he stepped out and approached his ex-ally, wearing a wicked, hateful smile. The young Reploid gasped when he emerged from the shadows-

He had the voice of Snipe Anteater-

But he had the appearance of an Infirmary worker.

"Disguises are a lot of fun, don't you think?" Snipe asked him, enjoying the moment.

His fun wasn't going to last long.

The ex-Red Alert member whipped out both of his guns and aimed them right at Snipe's forehead, smiling……

But his smile would have made a black, red-eyed dragon whimper.

"Sorry, pal, but your time here is up."

Surprisingly, Snipe didn't back down. The triumphant look on his face stayed put.

But why?

"Heh heh. Don't tell me you forgot-I was the sneaky one, remember? Look at what I've got behind me!"

A moment later Axl's heart dropped a hundred miles.

Another Maverick-it looked like one of Sigma's henchmen-stepped out from behind Snipe, carrying…..

Zero.

What?!?!

Axl's eyes darted over to the analyses tube-

It was broken……

And, of course, EMPTY.

"Zero!"

"That's right!" Snipe said happily, savoring the sweet taste of victory.

He thought he was at the top of the game-

But he was actually making his own grave.

Axl didn't lower either one of his guns an inch.

"I've got the poor widdle Maverick Hunter RIGHT HERE. So, here's how it's gonna go. You shoot me, and the Hunter gets it. Capeesh?"

His words didn't have the desired effect.

The tiger lowered his head……and was silent for a minute. The silence caused Snipe's smile to become even brighter-

He had won.

There weren't any openings…..any options….

Right?

The silence ended.

And so did Snipe's little celebration.

The young Reploid, at first, began to snicker, sounding as if he was at a really bad circus show……

He actually WAS at a really bad circus show.

The snickering developed into laughter a minute later, but all of it confused Snipe.

Why on Earth was he laughing?

A flash of red light went off in Axl's eyes-

And the look of triumph on Snipe's face shattered.

Before the tiger made his attack, he said these words.

"Yep. I understand."

At the speed of light, he aimed one of his guns at the head of the Maverick holding Zero with an incredible display of style, and then dodged Snipe's furious attack and fired both of his guns at the Red Alert member.

Sigma's henchman was dead-

And Snipe?

He wasn't any different from a clown that had just lots all of his dignity.

Smiling with the greatest amount of satisfaction, Axl blew off both of his guns, winked at the wounded Snipe Anteater, and chuckled.

"Looks like I came out on top. Don't even think about touching Zero-unless you want to lose both of your eyes too."

Axl's threat made Snipe look at both of his hands. Both of them were completely damaged-they were almost ready to fall off. He looked back up at the young Reploid, fuming with fury-

"Disgusting little wretch! How could you?!"

"It was easy. Look, all I did was-"

"Enough! I've had it up to high heaven with you! And I once called you my friend?!?! Hah!"

Unable to remove his eyes from his hands, Snipe drifted back into the darkness of the crimson red flames….his eyes glowing with an aura of savage hatred. His voice wasn't any different-it bore a great resemblance to the voice of a murderer.

"You'll see me again. I swear you will. Just wait, all right? We'll have another party, soon."

The Red Alert member vanished in no more than a second. The young Reploid dropped both of his guns, immediately fell to his knees, untangled Zero from the arms of the dead Maverick, and immediately started speaking to him, his heart racing with fear.

"Zero! Zero!! Zero, can y'hear me?!?! Come on, wake up!! Tell me you're still in there!"

Nothing.

The Maverick Hunter was……he wasn't any different from…..

The capsule he had been inside was the only thing keeping him alive.

Being cut off from life support…..wasn't a very good thing…..

"Damn it-Zero!!!!!!" Axl RARELY ever cursed, but there was a first time for everything….and now was a really good time to be upset. "Zero!!!!"

He took a second to scan his surroundings once again. There wasn't anything available. Everything in the infirmary had suffered serious damage….

And all of the workers were still unconscious.

He knew he could figure something out, but there just wasn't enough time……

There wasn't any time at all….

"Zero!!!! Come on, dammit! Answer me!!!"

Crap!!!!

The Maverick Hunter was as lifeless as a rag doll. He wasn't breathing-

He wasn't doing anything.

"Damn it!!! Zero, talk to me!!!"

He's….in there. I know he is. He just…..needs some big time help. Like, NOW.

--My college resumed their classes today, but I'll try to update whenever I can! So no worries, and thanks again! But now none of you have to worry about being assaulted by twenty million chapters all at one time! And thanks again!