Vanishing Gungaroo had taken over the underground weapons factory in the vast city of Tridon. The normally peaceful factory was now a hot-bed of furious chaos-it looked as if there was a war taking place, right inside of the factory. The temperature was shocking, especially compared to what the trio had become accustomed to-it was unbearably hot. None of them preferred a hot sunny day over a calm, cool one-even cold temperatures were held in higher graces. Fires were spreading all over the place the way wildfires shot through a rainforest…..and Gungaroo's helpers were creating massive destruction all over the place. Fortunately, the Reploid workers of the factory had escaped from the devastating chaos-they were safe and secure inside of the Maverick Hunter base. One thing was for certain, though-
The factory needed to be taken out of evil's clutches.
A special type of shield was needed for survival, and that shield went by the name of "Ride Armor". The three Reploids of the Maverick Hunter base successfully located three perfectly unharmed suits-but the newly-acquired transportation didn't please Zero at all. The Crimson Flame was not used to being around hyper-active, vibrant individuals, and Axl was certainly the type of individual that was thrilled by almost everything his eyes fell upon. The young one had never set his eyes on Ride Armor before, so it was like taking a small toddler to the ice cream factory for the very first time-
"YEAAAAHHH! YEE-HAAA! TAKE THIS, SCUMBAGS!"
Mega Man X and his dearest friend watched the young one plow his way through the hordes of enemies-Axl looked like a young boy playing with army action figures. Another grin lit up the face of Mega Man X, and he looked over at Zero-
"He's no different from a child at Christmas, don't you agree?"
Silence.
"Aw, come on. You think he's adorable too, don't you? Just like a widdle puppy."
"Okay, now it's official. Both you AND Alia have gone COMPLETELY insane."
"Why do you say that?"
"Come on-'WIDDLE'? Are you serious? You never would have said that before any of this."
"Admit it. Axl has changed you too. That picture I took is perfect evidence. Now let's take care of our mission, liddle Zero."
Normally, the missions of a Maverick Hunter were solemn matters that needed to be dealt with in a swift, effective manner. Before Axl came into his life, X took care of his missions the way a true, dutiful soldier would, but now…..
It all seemed fun.
Fun.
Someone could have easily described the three of them as a "dream team"-all three of them worked perfectly together. It was as if they all shared the same mind, the same heart, the same goal, the same soul. Time flew right by them, smiling upon them….happy to be out of the nightmare that had plagued their hearts so badly. The mission, which would have been a strictly serious manner without the young Axl, was being taken care of perfectly, but the three Reploids were actually enjoying themselves. All of them felt like true soldiers of justice-not just individuals that had duties to attend to.
An hour passed drifted right by the three friends the way lightning struck a darkened horizon. Liberating the underground weapon factory wasn't a difficult task-the minions of Gungaroo weren't too hard to deal with, especially since the Ride Armors were operating perfectly….
And now everything just seemed fun.
At one point, the three of them entered a black room, which was filled with nothing but green, slimy liquid……it was easy to tell that it was radioactive waste, which was probably left behind from Gungaroo's activities. Axl told both of his friends that his former ally was an inventor-someone that loved to invent perfectly useless objects just for simple pleasure.
Or the liquid could have emerged from his own body.
He could have performed experiments on himself.
Thirty more minutes went by flawlessly.
The three Reploids arrived at the domain of Vanishing Gungaroo's….which was drenched in nothing but silence. Cold….hard….
Silence.
The temperature was no longer unbelievably hot but cold. Smog was slowly drifting through the darkened skies above their enemy's home…….
Or was it just fog?
The silence created a large amount of confusion, for all three Reploids. The dark, misty skies above them were adding suspense to the occasion…..no one could be seen, nothing could be heard…..everything was lost in silence. Eternal, cold silence……the silence that emerged from slumber after a long, dark storm of thunder….
Axl couldn't sense Gungaroo's energy levels-that fact created even more confusion. The young one had successfully found Boarski, who had decided to hide himself within the realm of darkness…..but Gungaroo was either playing hide-and-seek VERY well….
Or he just wasn't present.
The young Reploid folded his arms after a few minutes of awkward silence and sighed. Frustration entered his youthful, exuberant eyes, causing him to look like a child that had just been forced to give up a batch of toys. His eyes continued to scan his surroundings, but nothing he saw satisfied him.
And nothing he saw prepared him for what was about to happen.
"This isn't right……where is he? He couldn't have left!"
"He could have gone off to Sigma's headquarters…." X said softly, placing a hand on his forehead. The legendary Maverick Hunter and his dearest friend Zero continued to scan their environment…….and both of them were wearing confusion in their eyes. Zero, however, wasn't just confused by the silence-his eyes were also filled with anger. The Crimson Flame didn't like to be kept waiting-
"Where could he be? This isn't like him-I know he has to be here, somewhere-"
Zero whirled around to Axl, his eyes radiant with urgent concern and fear. Three words left his mouth in a rush-
"Axl! Watch out!"
The events that followed happened in a flash.
The young Axl looked back at his friend in confusion, but was instantly knocked out of harm's way. The Crimson Flame had just rescued his dear friend from an explosion he had detected seconds before Axl spoke. The explosion was a massive one-it pierced the ears of the three Reploids….and massive flames rose to the gray skies….creating an ocean of dark, dynamic force……
It wasn't anything like the ocean they had seen several hours ago.
The enormous explosion left behind a large fire, which created an immense level of heat-and the fire was only inches away from Mega Man X. Axl was on the ground, his eyes glued to the fire……and Zero was standing over him, shielding him…..
The individual responsible for creating the explosion made himself known a few moments later.
Vanishing Gungaroo emerged from the sea of flames, bearing the appearance of a bloodthirsty vampire. The member of Red Alert was riding in Ride Armor-it was probably one of the suits that had been left behind by the three Reploids. He truly did have the look of a vampire about him-his eyes were a deadly, devilish shade of red, and there was a smile……a sickening, twisted smile on his face. The Maverick was evidently ready to kill……but the look about him….was not normal. During his days as a Red Alert member, Vanishing Gungaroo had been a huge, self-centered "prince"…..but he definitely didn't act like a blood-thirsty, vicious vampire……
Sigma had gotten to all of the Red Alert members.
The deadly, poisonous melody of fire streamed into the ears of the three friends. The gray sky became even darker and murkier, like a swamp that did not want to be disturbed….and the eyes of their newest enemy were dark red gems of blood….he was small, yes-that was true……..but…….
Size didn't count.
He looked just like a true, malicious vampire.
A very hungry one.
"Are you all right!" Zero asked his young friend, his eyes shimmering with compassion. Axl nodded once, his own eyes blazing with the determination Mega Man X had come to love so well. "I'm fine." he assured his dear friend firmly, unsheathing both of his guns. His beautiful gemstones were on fire-they held even more power than Gungaroo's eyes. Zero looked over at Mega Man X, who had his eyes on their enemy-
"X! Are you all right over there!"
"I'm all right, Zero! Thank you!" the Maverick Hunter replied, his voice radiant with immeasurable devotion…..and bravery. His eyes stayed on their new enemy……the thirsty……vicious vampire…….
Sigma had gotten to him.
The eyes of Vanishing Gungaroo fell right on the bold, valiant eyes of Mega Man X-
"My dear friend, it seems like you're ready to play with me. Let's all dance, shall we?"
Sorry for the confusion I have caused! If any of you have read this chapter earlier, please read the previous chapter-Infinity-and then re-read this one if you must!
