Paradise Never
By: SylentStryke
Rated PG-13

Disclaimer: Well, awright!!! My first fic!! I don't own Megaman X. (If I did, Megaman X7 wouldn't have been so bad, IMHO….) Anywayz, you guys know the rest! Enjoy!


Chapter 1: Off Time

Time-20:08

Footsteps. Swift, but quiet, footsteps. There were dozens of them. The 13th Maverick Sting Corps ran swiftly through the thick forest brush. They were on a mission: destroy the Maverick Hunters Headquarters (MHHQ) leaders. Determined, they quickened their pace. As unit leader, Scar had a lot riding on his back.

-Flashback-
"Scar… how would you like to, make a little deal, hmm?" said a mysterious figure.

"......"

"If you complete this mission, I'll give it back. If you fail, I shall destroy it along with your pride. So, what do you say?"

With a stone cold glare in his eyes, he said, "...Deal..."

-End Flashback-

Scar showed no emotion. His soul was burning with one desire, to complete his objective. He looked down at his wrist; 20:12, 200 feet until destination. He signaled his unit to slow down. They stop near a ledge, overlooking the massive MHHQ. Security is heavy. Not sumo heavy, but elephant on steroids heavy. Flood lights searching every corner of the giant structure. Infrared lasers guarding every door. Timed security pulse scanners emitting a 50 yard radius scanner every few minutes.

"Oh shit. Sir, are you sure we can do this?" asked a rookie Maverick. "I mean, look at this security!! If we take a step closer, we'll be..." Scar didn't say a word; he instead looked the rookie right in the eye, sending a wave of ice through him. The rookie gulped.

"We WILL complete this mission, kid. Why do you think we spent so much time preparing for it?" a cocky Maverick said a few moments later. She went by the name of Echo. Second in command, and damn proud of it, she grinned widely. "Better get that adrenaline pumpin', cause with your experience, you're gonna need tons of it!"

"Hold that thought Echo..." Scar said, looking down at his communicator. His voice startled some of the rookies. "Looks like our plan has been delayed until morning. I recommend all of you resting for now. I want this operation to run smoothly tomorrow."
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Meanwhile in MHHQ...
-21:28-

"YAHOO!!!!" Doors crashed open, as the proud Maverick Hunter known as Zero, comes dashing through the Level 4 hall. Why was he so proud? .....Who knows? Any poor pedestrian in his way either got a faceful of wall, or got trampled. "Hehehe!!!" Zero giggled like a little kid. Suddenly, he stopped his rampage and stood there, with a blank look on his face. "Man, I never knew how good it felt to get offa work so early! All that stupid work with the paper, and the writing..."

"Paperwork?"

"Yeah, that's it! Pa..."

Zero froze his sentence right then and there. Only one person on the entire base could have such a voice. A voice that could be sweet one minute, terrifying the next. A voice that he heard 5 days a week, 3 PM to 10 PM, at the desk across from his cubicle. With a heavy gulp, he turned around to face his fear.

"Um, yea! Uh, that's what it's called, that paperwork stuff. They let me get off early." He put on the widest grin he could, hoping that Leyna would buy the bridge he was selling.

"Oh really? Is that why you dashed outta there so quickly? We wouldn't be skipping, would we?" Leyna stared at him with accusing eyes.

"Mmmm.... So, who's the ass wipe that told you that?"

She pointed down the hall at all the victims who were either face planted in the wall or on the ground. Zero looked at them with eyes only a murderer would have, and they all scattered.

"Plus, your computer is broken. How did that happen?"

"Oh, that! Umm, let's just say, I kinda sorta, maybe, probably played with my saber while waiting for a file to load?"

"..."

"Wait, how did you know it was broken?"

"Because I think that your saber kinda sorta, maybe, probably ran through my monitor as well?"

"Oh! Sorry? Are you gonna write me up?" he said with the guiltiest voice.

She sighed. "Nah, I think I'll skip the rest of the night with you."

"Are you serious!?" The grin returned.

She put on a grin wild enough to match Zero's. "Yup."

His guilt vanished, and mischief returned. "Well, come on then!" He grabbed her arm and continued his mad dash down the hall.
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Armory
-21:41-

Sluggish, heavy feet carried X to his armor locker, which was down in the B5 basement sector of the armory. Poor X had to walk down the stairs with what felt like 1,000 pounds of Titanium X grade steel armor on his body. Five flights of stairs and heavy armor, the perfect equation for eternal soreness. He finally made it to his locker minutes later.

"Ahhh." X sighed as he sat down on the bench across from his locker. He started to remove the Arm Cannon SC, and his helmet. "Man, what I would give to be a rookie again..." Off goes the Cannon and helmet. He thought about his past battles. Vile popped up in his thoughts. "Nevermind..." The boots, chest and back plates, and left gauntlet fell to the floor. "AHHH! Now that's weight off my shoulders!" He looked around to see if anyone heard his bad joke. Not a soul in sight. Good, no embarrassment today. That is until he opened his locker, only to have tons of water to be dumped on him. And that water was cold!!! Freaking frost was developing on his door! Inside, in a dry spot on the far wall, was a note, it said:

"Hey X! Hope you don't mind me hiding this ice chunk in your freezer! Be back to get it in about 3 hrs. CYA!!!

-Zero"

Too shocked from the water to express anger, X tried to recuperate from his near system reboot. He pulled a pen from his pocket, and scribbled on back of the note. Then he stuffed it in his pocket along with the pen, took a long sigh, and reached for a drying towel. Well, at least now he doesn't need a shower, just a heater.
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