WB: -scans reviews- Oh, picky, picky, picky, you complain about the cliffhangers, so I go easy on you that time. And then you complain about the lack of cliffhangers. Now I know how ShoPro feels. (Please, no dubbing comments)
Harry: Well, we're making up fer dat now. Dis chapter is Intense, wid a capital 'I'.
WB: Natsuko37, yep, he's got his ugly hand in this. Rioni Riishu, I know, Dachu's one-dimensional. But what's the point on giving him a personality if you're just going to wipe him out on his next appearance?
Harry: Well, for one, it makes da fic dat much more believable.
WB: Who asked you? Anyways, there were other forces at work in Leviathan's downfall than just the bonk on the head.
Harry: 'Bonk on da head', wow, really articulate dere.
WB: Yeah, yeah. Darth, uh, in a word: 'no'. X's physical body was destroyed in MZ3, and even if I created a new body for him, it wouldn't fit since X (repeatedly) said that he was tired of fighting. Plus this is the MegaMan Zero series, bringing X into it would just mess things up.
101010101010101010101010101010
"X Drones can't catch me!" Merge whipped around another corner, and waited for the Drones to catch up to him. Once the robots had entered the hallway, the Cyber Elf shot down the corridor upside down, so that his back was to the floor, and then he propped his arms behind his head.
"X Drones so slow…" The Elf yawned in mock boredom. "Come on, speed up!"
"Uh oh," Merge gasped as his pursuers suddenly picked up speed. "Merge had to say that…"
The Elf flipped over so that he was right side up and summoned every last ounce of speed that he could out of his small wings. If he could just get around that next corner…
Merge put out one last desperate burst, and whizzed around the bend.
The X Drones also sped around the corner.
A loud crash echoed through the complex.
With several small thuds, the X Drones collapsed to the ground, having just run smack dab into a dead end wall.
"Ouch…" Merge ghosted his head back through the wall and glanced down at the stunned robots. "That had to hurt… X Drones feel that tomorrow…"
With that smug remark, the Elf ghosted back through the wall and set off to find his friends.
BREAK!
"Well, it appears that my trap has worked."
"Fefnir." Ciel looked up to see the Fire Guardian standing in the doorway, and it was clear that he wasn't going to let them leave anytime soon.
"Yeah, I used Allouette as bait to trap you," The blaster carrying Reploid muttered, "Now I'll use you as bait to catch Zero."
All throughout the exchange, Dande had been making some quick calculations. If he moved fast enough, then he might be able to disarm Fefnir and give them a chance of escape. It was the least he could do since Ciel had done so much for him.
"Don't even try it." Fefnir noticed the look in Dande's eyes. "If you so much as breath on me, I'll blow you to scrap metal."
"Fefnir, why?" Ciel couldn't figure out the change in Fefnir's character.
"Because, you murderous traitor, your war machines nearly killed Leviathan!" The guardian's eyes blazed in anger, "And then we learn that you were secretly plotting to overthrow Neo Arcadia all along! Well, now your scheming days are over, I'm going to personally guarantee that you don't cause us any more trouble."
"Hold it right there." Fefnir shifted his cannon to bear at Dande, who had been inching in his direction, "I see that I can't trust you…"
Ciel didn't like the look in the Guardian's eyes.
"You." The red Reploid pointed free hand at Allouette, "Come here, now."
The blond scientist gasped as she realized just what Fefnir was planning to do; take Allouette hostage.
"No." Ciel wrapped her arms around her adopted daughter, "No, I won't let you. If you want to take someone hostage, then take me."
Fefnir grinned as he realized that he had found a weakness.
"You don't know who's in charge, I am." The Guardian announced, "And I don't want you, I want her."
Ciel refused to release Allouette, who sobbed quietly.
A familiar rock hard voice broke the air.
"I ought to destroy you right now..."
Fefnir spun around, just as a red blur shot past him. The next thing he knew, his cannon had split into two, separate, useless pieces, and clattered to the ground.
"… But I'm not going to sink to your level." The blur slowed to a stop, revealing the familiar form of Zero.
"Ah, Zero." Fefnir forgot about the other three in the armory as he formed two sparking spheres in his palms. "You arrived for your destruction."
"Fefnir, I'm only going to tell you once." Zero kept his Saber raised defensively, "Let them go."
"You're not the one to be giving orders!" With that remark, the Fire Guardian slammed his hands into the ground, causing two waves of aftershock energy to rip through the ground towards Zero.
The Hunter bounded out of harm's way as he unleashed a Throw Blade at his opponent. Sweeping has arm around, the Swordsman sent the green, arrow-shaped blast of energy ripping through the air at his adversary.
"Bring it on." Fefnir leapt out of the attack's way, just barely clearing the blast. "I can still fight you without my cannon!"
Zero readied himself for the next exchange of firepower, but he knew that he was working with a serious handicap. Fefnir didn't care what or who he damaged, while Zero had to take care that he didn't hit his friends in the crossfire.
Ciel had also noticed that, but she had also seen Fefnir's groundbreaking attack damage the far wall, and she didn't like the looks of the armory's roof, it was starting to crack...
The Hunter leapt over one of Fefnir's punches, and sailed over Fefnir's head. Instantly, he pointed his saber downwards and went into his Saber Smash move. The swordsman dropped toward the ground, his blade cutting through the air below him.
Fefnir slipped out from under Zero, avoiding the attack. Roaring in fury, he summoned another pair of groundbreaking spheres in his hands.
Ciel gasped, there was no way that the structure could withstand another round of that attack.
The Hunter realized that he had to stop the Guardian now. Snatching his Buster, he revved it up to the max and cut loose with his Reflect Laser shot.
Fefnir smirked as he sidestepped, allowing the laser to miss him completely.
He had forgotten that Zero had equipped a special move, his Reflect Laser, which allowed his attacks to bounce off of objects. The laser whipped past Fefnir, bounced off of a far wall, reflected from a crate, and continued on to slam info the Fire Guardian's back, effectively stopping his attack.
Fefnir gasped as the energy ripped into him, his systems rebelled against the pain, locking tight in an effort to assess the damage done.
Zero capitalized on his advantage by leaping forward, his saber slicing through the air in front of him.
Unfortunately, the Fire Guardian snapped out of his daze. And it was plain to see that his rage had reached its crescendo.
"This ends now!" Fefnir growled as he rolled out from under the swordsman's blade.
"GROUND BREAKING!" The Neo Arcadian screamed as he formed another orb of energy in his palms, without a second's delay he slammed it into the ground, unleashing a shock wave that ripped across the armory- and took out the last of its supports.
Ciel looked up and gasped as the ceiling began to shudder and groan. Any second now it could come plunging down on their heads.
"Let's go!" Dande grabbed Ciel's arm and tried to pull her towards the exit.
In panic, Ciel followed the Reploid across the collapsing armory, towards the exit to safety.
Just as blocks of rubble started to crash to the ground, they reached the doorway and ran to the safety of the hallway.
"Ciel!"
The blond woman slid to a stop, her heart pausing as well. That voice, Allouette's voice, had come from behind her.
"Oh no, what have I done?" The blond scientist's eyes widened as she realized that she had assumed that her daughter would follow them. But Allouette hadn't been able to keep up; she was still back in the armory!
"What are you doing?" Dande grabbed onto Ciel to keep her from bolting back into the war zone. "You can't go back in there!"
"But, Allouette's still in there!"
Inside the armory, Zero had seen it all; Allouette had tripped on her way to safety, and Ciel hadn't seen it due to Dande's persistent tugging.
The Hunter sidestepped away from the attacking Fefnir, and then was forced to scramble to temporary safety as several large chunks of wreckage collapsed onto the spot he had just vacated. By now the place was rapidly collapsing; dirt, dust, and debris was raining down everywhere.
It was time to get out of here.
"Sorry, Fefnir." Zero lashed out with his foot and caught the Guardian squarely in the chest. Under the impact, the Fire Guardian was knocked backward several feet.
Taking advantage of the Fire Guardian's lost balance, the Hunter lashed out. His open palm slammed into the front of Fefnir's helmet.
"But I need your fire powers more than you do right now." The swordsman finished copying Fefnir's abilities onto a new Fire Chip, and then bounded away, heading for the stumbling Allouette. Instantly his system had produced three identical weapons chips, which he fed into his three weapons.
Fefnir growled in anger, but realized that he still had one move left before he was forced to vacate the area.
Zero finished his leap and landed just where he had planned, right behind the Reploid girl. Instantly he had Allouette in his arms and was dashing through the falling debris toward the exit.
When it happened.
The Fire Guardian made his last move, a Ground Breaking aftershock ripped across the floor, knocking Zero's feet out from under him. The Hunter lost his balance, and pitched headfirst into the floor, Alloutte still clinging to his arms.
The Hunter realized that there was no way he could escape in time now.
As the last of the building came crashing down, he positioned himself over the Reploid girl, shielding her with his own body.
And then a world of concrete, steel, and wreckage slammed into him, effectively burying them; and sealing them off from the outside world.
The last thing Zero heard, before the world went black, was the sound of Fefnir's laughter.
End Chapter!
Harry: Whew… -gasps- intense! So now Zero's been buried alive! Well, things go from bad to worse, as Ciel tries to escape…
