Two hours and forty-five minutes passed.

The light of the sun began to break out through the black clouds, which rested over the Maverick Hunter base. However, it was not yet ready to blossom-it was waiting for the star of hope to complete its mission. The winds were still cold and strong….but…they had died down a bit…..it was as if they were waiting for the young star to rise to the heavens as well. The clouds no longer looked ominous and evil-they too were watching over the young one that had made so many deep promises….to individuals he had just befriended hours ago.

Axl entered the Maverick Hunter base at the same speed he entered the Red Alert homebase. Time was draining away fast-just a couple of minutes ago, an Infirmary worker contacted him and told him that Zero only had about twenty minutes left, and so he knew that he had to hurry. The young tiger didn't stop running once he entered the Maverick Hunter base. Ignoring the greetings of the Reploids he passed by, including General Signas and Alia, he made his way to the Infirmary…where Gate and the others were still monitoring Zero. Not a single word escaped the young one's mouth-he made his way to the Infirmary in swift, rapid silence….thinking of only one individual.

Zero.

In his left hand was a small disc of data. It was a black disc, with a white label on the front. There was a word on the label-

Panakeia.

Alia was able to read the label, even though Axl passed by her at an incredible speed. She repeated the word over and over in her mind, trying to figure out its meaning…..after the third time, she began to say it to herself out loud…

"Panakeia…panakeia…."

"Doesn't that sound like the word 'panacea'?" Douglas, the Head Mechanic of the Maverick Hunters, asked her urgently, picking up on the situation quickly. All of the puzzle pieces were swiftly putting themselves together. Alia gasped, and her gentle eyes lit up with realization.

"Panakeia DOES mean panacea! It's Greek!"

"Do you think…."

"Where's he going!" A young male Reploid asked the Maverick Hunter Navigator frantically, already knowing the answer to his own question. She looked at him with bright, hopeful eyes and answered him, unable to restrain the high amount of excitement welling up inside of her.

"He's headed for the Infirmary!"

"Do you think….Axl could have found the…."

Douglas didn't want to say it. It was too much to hope for. It couldn't have been true. There WAS no cure to Zero's virus…..

Alia, on the other hand, was ready to place all of her hope with the young Reploid. With a huge smile in her warm eyes, she looked at her old friend and laughed with sweet, golden relief. Her eyes were beautiful gemstones of sunlight…..they resembled the sunlight that wanted to break out over the entire base. "I think he may have found something, Douglas." she told him softly, feeling her heart swell with tears of happiness.

Douglas, however, wasn't ready to celebrate anything.

"Don't get your hopes too high in the sky, friend. We tried everything we could, but everything we did meant nothing. Zero's virus can't be removed from him."

"Ah. We'll just see about that."

That voice belonged to none other than Dr.Cain. Like Sigma, he had a nasty habit of popping up when it was least expected, but to his friends, his habit was a hilarious, harmless one. The old man was like a phantom of the night sometimes-he came and went where ever and whenever he wanted to. He smiled at the two of them, and placed an arm about Alia's shoulders. "I'll have to side with her on this one, Douggy." he said triumphantly. "I'm rarely ever wrong about these things."

"But Zero only has-"

Dr.Cain turned to the female Reploid that had spoken.

"Pipe down, Starcross. We all know that. Just hold your horses, all right?"

Silence filled the base for what seemed like the millionth time, but……this time, it was a different type of silence. It was soft, warm and tranquil……but at the same time, it was suspenseful and toxic. All of the Reploids that saw Axl dashing towards the Infirmary told the Reploids that didn't get the chance to see him about it. Hope poured throughout the base like a colossal wave of sky blue water…but was it right to hope? Was it safe?

Did this young Reploid actually find a way to heal their fallen captain?

-"Gate!"

Axl's voice surprised the gentle researcher-he jumped away from his data tables the very second the young Reploid entered the Infirmary. His eyes widened in surprise, and he placed a hand over his heart. "Axl!" he cried out in shock. "Wha-what are you doing here!"

"Doc, I think I may have found something. Listen. Everyone knows that we don't have much time left."

Without wasting a second, the young runaway handed the researcher the disc. Gate looked at it for a second, completely confused and clearly uncomfortable with hectic situations, but Axl wasn't interested in wasting any time at all. "Look." the young one said sternly. "I need you or someone else to check that out. It's…a cure. A cure for our friend's problems."

"Are you sure! This…..this isn't possible-I-"

Gate's face lit up with both excitement and fear. His heart began to pound at an unbelievable speed…..and his head began to spin madly. He was in the middle of a dream-none of this could be real. There wasn't any cure!

"I know it's weird but you've got to hurry up! Zero's not going to wait for us!"

"You're right." Gate gripped the disc in his hands firmly, ready to guard it with his life. Sunlight filled his eyes the way ocean blue water fell from the most beautiful fountain….

"We've got to get this to the ICU room immediately. There's no time to waste."

The two of them made their way to the ICU room….the very room Zero was resting in. During their small trip, Gate contacted every single one of his crewmembers….being swept up in the waves of the very thing called hope. Sunlight was replacing the black rainstorm that had swallowed his soul whole….and the sunlight felt warm and serene, like the gentle embrace of a loved one.

He couldn't believe anything that was happening.

Axl, a Reploid that had been a member of the Red Alert Syndicate, a Reploid that had just dropped in on them hours ago……was holding a cure for Zero's virus in his hand.

The young one had taken on so much….and the burden shouldn't have been his. He had his own burden to deal with….his own problems to face…..but he took on the burden anyway. He decided to be strong and place his belief in the very thing no one could think about-

Hope.

Gate had never met such a strong Reploid before. Never.

And he was so young too.

I guess….life can throw some pretty weird curveballs at you….especially when you're not looking.

-The sunlight that was flowing through Gate's heart began to flow into Megaman X's dormitory. At first, the Hunter didn't notice it, since the pain he was in blinded him….but after a short while, the light began to enter his heart the way it had entered the heart of Gate. He didn't know why…..but he knew…

It had something to do with Axl.

He's back.

The Hunter opened his eyes, and wiped away the mist of his tears. He looked around his dormitory, realizing that there wasn't a single light on in his room….but things were somehow becoming brighter by the second. He didn't know what was going on…..but…the young one had made him a promise…..

Did……

"No. It can't be true."

"X! Captain X! It is I, General Signas! Answer me at once!"

X began to feel incredibly lightheaded. The nightmare was turning into a dream. He looked at his wrist communicator and answered the caller.

"Yes sir! What is it, sir?"

"Make your way to the ICU room immediately. Gate has just informed me that Axl may have found a cure for our dear Zero's virus!"

"I'm on my way, sir. X out!"

The face of his general disappeared, and a great smile blossomed on his face…and in his heart. Tears entered his eyes…but for the first time in what felt like decades…..they were tears of joy and disbelief. The smile on his face became brighter and brighter with every passing second……

Could it be true?

Did Axl actually find…..

Well, it looks like we're about to find out.—

Five minutes passed.

Axl was at Gate's side, excitedly watching the researcher load the program into the system. General Signas was right behind the young reploid……standing right next to Alia, the Navigator for the Maverick Hunters. Megaman X was right next to her….holding her hand….Dr.Cain was also inside of the ICU room, watching the climatic event with a calm, warm smile on his face…..looking like a proud teacher observing his students….

"Well now. It's all coming together."-

Suspense was soaring throughout the base like enormous waves of fire. Every single Reploid worker was tuned in to the events going in the ICU room in some way, and everyone was completely silent……not one could speak, no one could breathe……they all bore a great resemblance to people watching a breathtaking horserace-

And the horses were neck and neck with each other.

The suspense was maddening.

The Maverick Hunter base was cold, but at the same time, it was warm…….the hearts of the Reploids had become one whole heart…one whole soul….

All of them were waiting….

For the miracle that was getting ready to occur.

And that miracle was being created by one young Reploid.

-"Ah!"

Axl gasped instantly at Gate's cry, and his eyes widened in horror. "What is it!"

"It's this program! It's going to take at least fifteen minutes to decode!"

"WHAT!"

The Black Tiger looked at the messages on the screen…..

The data was scrambled……everything was…

"Oh no….."

There's another barrier of data!

"We don't have fifteen minutes! We're running out of time!"

"Gate!" Axl cried out, being swept up in the waves of relentless fear. "Move over-I'll deal with this!"

The researcher moved right out of the way-the Black Tiger was in no mood for hesitation. The young one looked down at the keyboard, and then up at the data-

Damn it. There's not just ONE barrier. Things must have changed because Gate's working on a different computer….or maybe its because the system here is having a hard time accepting the program!

"Come on….."