Harry: Lemme at dem! I'll take dem all on! -squirms against Web's grip-
Web: -struggles to hold back deranged Met- Easy, there! Chill, Harry. You don't have to take it as a personal challenge.
Harry: If dey wanna rumble, let's rumble!
Web: How about we don't? Guys, do me a favor and don't threaten Harry. It gets him a little worked up.
Harry: DAT'S AN UNDERSTATEMENT!
Web: Anyways, yes, Sigma's back. To quote Miranda Paugh of the MMHP again, "You knew he was in this somewhere."
Ciel glanced around the doorway, back into the laboratory. It was like watching history come alive, before her eyes, Zero and Sigma were about to brawl once more... It was uncanny.
She hadn't really reacted when Zero had miraculously shown up to save her, it had all seemed perfectly normal as if it were supposed to happen and so she had reacted on instinct by escaping. But that was just it, Zero was supposed to be dead... but here he was, alive and well...
And did that mean that Allouette was alive too?
Or was that even a dream she should hope for?
"I'll destroy him with pleasure." Sigma drew his gleaming silver sword, and prepared to attack, swiftly he closed in on his prey, ready to strike.
"Feeling's mutual." The swordsman snapped his blade around. His sword clashed against Sigma's stopping it in its tracks. The red Reploid retaliated, snapping his foot around at his opponent.
The Maverick stepped back, causing the kick to miss. He drove his sword forward again, attempting to cut through his opponent's defenses.
Zero slipped out of the blade's path, and then sent his blade cutting through the air. His sword came to an early stop when it rammed against Sigma's weapon. Instantly he had drawn back, and the Hunter struck again, slashing with his blade.
Again Sigma blocked the attack, but this time he leapt backward, putting distance between the two. Then, he raised a hand and pointed it at his opponent, a sparking sphere of energy leapt out of his palm and across the room towards his adversary.
Zero threw himself up and over the attack, clearing the sphere of energy. Quickly he revved up his power and then unleashed another spiked blast of energy, the Throw Blade, at his opponent.
The Maverick sidestepped, allowing the blast to whistle past him.
"I expected more from a duplicate of your caliber." Zero muttered as he landed, and began circling with his opponent.
"And I of you." Sigma likewise rotated with his adversary. "But, I have not yet begun to fight…"
As soon as those words left his mouth, the Maverick became a green blur as he rocketed through the air at incredible speed. The speeding Reploid shot through space at his opponent.
Zero threw himself to the right, just barely avoiding the charge. As he did so, he cast a look over his shoulder, trying to trace his opponent. He wasn't even on the ground and already Sigma has streaking back towards him…
No sooner had the swordsman touched down, than he was forced to spring upward to avoid Sigma's next charge. Instantly he flipped backward, suspecting that his opponent would already be launching another charge. His guess proved correct, as the blurred image of Sigma whipped over his bent frame.
Zero slammed into the ground, already spinning around and raising his blade. The Maverick was instantly on him, lashing out furiously with his sword. It took all of Zero's skill and speed to snap and parry his blade around to block the avalanche of attacks pouring at him.
Abruptly, Sigma stopped in mid-swipe, and then 'blinked', vanishing from one spot and teleporting to another.
The hunter glanced around uneasily, trying to guess where his adversary would reappear.
A slight chuckle caught his attention; it was coming from somewhere… overhead?
Instantly, Zero leapt forward, just as Sigma came down from the sky, sword first, into the spot he had just vacated. The Hunter twisted around, landing upright, sword raised. Immediately Sigma was on him, blade crashing against his own.
"What the- Wiel?"
As Zero's blade locked against his opponent's. The swordsman risked a glance over his shoulder to see the massive Fefnir standing in the basement doorway, the Fire Guardian looked absolutely shocked to see the rebel scientist standing in a Neo Arcadia Governmental building's basement.
A split second later, the Fire Guardian's blaster was up and firing at the crazed scientist.
A blast of flame ripped away from the blaster and headed towards its target.
And then burst apart into a horrific explosion. Slowly the flames died away to reveal Harpuia, the Thunder Guardian, with daggers drawn and extended.
Fefnir's eyes bulged slightly, as he realized that Harpuia had blocked his attack.
"Fefnir, listen!" Zero shouted as he leapt over a slice of Sigma's sword. Instantly he was on the ground and blocking the opponent's next strike. "You've got to fight Harpuia, trust me!"
The Fire Guardian just stood there too stunned to try and figure out whom to believe. He thought he knew that Zero was the enemy, but Wiel was also a threat, and Harpuia had just protected him…
"Listen to Mr. Zero!" Merge became visible again, and began trying to convince the Guardian about the truth in his friend's claims. "Mr. Zero telling the truth! Mr. Harpuia, is-!"
"Fefnir, allow me to explain," Harpuia lowered his weapons and approached the other Guardian. "This is all just a big misunderstanding-"
The interrupter was interrupted, as a sleekly blue harpoon came flying out of nowhere and narrowly missed the Thunder Guardian.
Fefnir gasped as Leviathan stepped into view; she had been completely restored and was alive again.
"Fefnir, he's lying to you." The Ice Guardian summoned another harpoon and held it at the ready. "Wiel hasn't been manipulating him,but indirectly,he's been manipulating you. The Resistance had nothing to do with those so-called Maverick attacks, it was all Wiel's doing!"
"What the-" The crazed scientist stared at the revived guardian. "But how? You should be nothing more than a solid heap of scrap metal by now!"
Zero twisted away from another one of Sigma's thrusts before joining in the conversation. "Did you honestly think I'd just come charging in here unprepared? You can thank the Mother Elf for giving me the antidote."
The answer hit Wiel like a ton of bricks, before coming in here after him; Zero had stopped and reactivated Leviathan. Somehow, he had gotten her to trust him just long enough to follow him down into the basement and learn the truth about the events of the past few days.
"You meddler!" The deranged scientist screamed at the Hunter. "Sigma, stop playing around and destroy the fool!"
"It'll be a pleasure!" The maverick slashed his blade down on his opponent, forcing Zero back a few steps. The second that there was enough clearance between the two, he raised his sword over his head, causing a think glow to build up around the blade.
Zero…
The Swordsman twisted out of the way, allowing Sigma's blade to whip past his head.
"Took you long enough, X…" Zero grumbled under his breath, "What have you got that'll help?"
Zero… Listen, I can't maintain… our link much longer… Open the doorway to my right… Hurry…
"If you say so!" Zero ducked out from underneath another one of Sigma's slashes, and then flipped backward through the air. His leap took him out of the Maverick's range, and bought him some time to act. Whipping his arm about, the Hunter unleashed a powerful Throw Blade that sailed through the air… And smashed through the doorway X had mentioned.
Because he was forced to duck another swipe of his opponent's blade, Zero never noticed a green blur rocket out of the opened doorway.
The Hunter snatched up his Buster and powered it up to the max… only to have his attack cut short as a blast of electrical energy rammed into him; Harpuia had attacked him from behind.
Sigma swept his blade through the air, unleashing a slash of power that exploded across the room, and into his stunned opponent. Taking the full force of the blast, the Hunter was sent flying backward through the air, and into the solid wall behind him.
Dazed, Zero sank to the floor, too overwhelmed by the attacks to react.
"Fefnir, we must act!" Leviathan leapt into action, hurling herself into the air, and throwing her harpoons rapid-fire at the deranged Guardian, who effortlessly blocked them.
Sigma took advantage of his downed opponent, and raced in, delivering a stunning kick that sent the Hunter. The force of the blow sent the swordsman spiraling into the far wall. With a sickening thud, the red Reploid slammed against the wall, and then sank to the floor.
Immediately, Sigma was leaping through the air towards his adversary. The Maverick's hand snaked out and seized Zero, lifting the swordsman above Sigma's head.
"This is the end for you, Zero…"
"Fefnir, we don't have a choice!" Leviathan twisted out of the way, as one of Harpuia's swords swished past her head. Quickly she lashed out, sending her foot around towards the Thunder Guardian's body, only to have him slip away and avoid the attack all together.
The Ice Guardian cast a hopeful look at her ally as she launched another spear at Harpuia.
The look cost her dearly, as a lightning blast caught her head on, sending her flying backward across the room. As soon as she had crashed to the floor, the Thunder Guardian was standing over her; daggers raised and ready to deliver the final, lethal blow.
Leviathan's face went white as the blade's plunged down at her…
And snapped to a stop, inches away from her chest.
"Leviathan!"
A blast of flame ripped through the air, and over the still Leviathan. The attack smashed into the hesitant Harpuia, and sent him flying off of the Water Guardian and into a far wall. The Thunder Guardian slid down the vertical surface to floor, where he lay still.
"Fefnir, thank you." Leviathan struggled to her knees.
"My only regret," Fefnir's reached out with his hand, and helped her to stand, "is that I did not act sooner. Leviathan… I've missed you."
"You have?" The Ice Guardian blinked in surprise. "How… much?"
"I've… uh…" Fefnir's reply died off, as he noticed a horrible scene over Leviathan's shoulder. "Fairy, down!"
The Fire Guardian pushed his ally, forcing her to the floor. A split second later, a burst of electrical power ripped through the air, and Fefnir.
The attack ran its course, and then vanished.
Exhausted, Fefnir slumped to the floor and lay still.
"Fighting!" Terrified, Leviathan scrambled to her knees and leaned over the Fire Guardian to examine his wounds. The Reploid was barely breathing.
"A pity…" Harpuia's voice drifted through the air, causing Leviathan to look up at him. "I expected a bigger challenge…"
The Ice Guardian's eyes widened in horror, as Harpuia crossed his daggers across his chest. This was it, the finishing stroke…
But Harpuia never made his next move.
Two curved blades of energy whipped through the air, and cleaved into the Thunder Guardian and sending him flying.
Leviathan gasped as a green boot hit the floor in front of her. Amazed, she looked up, to see…
A second Harpuia standing in front of her, his blades drawn and ready to fight.
"Wiel!" The Thunder Guardianglanced at the other Harpuia and the deranged scientist. "Impersonation of a Neo Arcadian Guardian will not be tolerated."
"There's..." Levaithan gaped in awe, "Two Harpuias?"
"Worse," Fefnir groaned weakly, "One'sa Copy-Harpuia."
End Chapter!
Next: Sons of Thunder!
