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Chapter 10: Storming the Erasers
Ikijuka Desert
Time:
-19:04-
A small sand armadillo moved its head hesitantly out from its grainy home. It peered around for a bit looking for any possible food or dangers. Slowly, it crawled towards what appeared to be a source of food. It was bright, and appeared to split into many different brightly colored objects. Suddenly, each bright dot grew bigger and brighter with each passing second. A slight rumble on the ground told the little 'dillo that it should retreat. It quickly went towards its home as the ground shook even more and a roaring sound was now audible. As it ducked into its sanctuary, it took one last look at the impending foodstuff of doom before ducking back into the barely visible hole. Moments later, a countless number of speeding Landchasers flew over the desert, distorting the wind and ambiance as they went.
The Hunters flew through the desert with incredible speed. Locke and Stryke caught up to Megaman X, who was up towards the front of the pack.
"Hey, X! We almost there yet?" Stryke yelled out. X looked at him a pointed towards his helmet comm.
"Whoops. Forgot." Stryke turned on his comm and then tuned to X's frequency.
"X, how close are we to their base?"
"About 50,000 meters. The 4th and 0th will be dismounting soon."
"All right. Let's do it!" Stryke yelled out loud. Zero had gotten used to the speed and was a bit more courageous. He readied his weapons programs, particularly the Renzukuken and his all-time favorite, the Zantezuken. X turned his head to say something.
"Ok, Zero. Get ready to dismount. 10,000 meters. 9,500 meters."
"Alright, 0th! Ready for dismount!" Zero yelled in his comm, upsetting his entire squad.
"8,500!"
"It's time for you to awaken..."
"7,000!"
"Time for who to awaken?" Zero said in his comm.
"6,500!"
"Zero, what are you talking about?" Leyna snapped back at him. Zero made some weird sounds in the back of his throat.
"But someone said, 'It's time to wake up!', or somethin' like that!"
"5,500...SHIT! Zero! Hold ON!"
"HUH!" Zero said as he was jerked to the left. Seconds later, an explosion shook the area violently.
"Dammit! What was that for?" Zero asked, regaining his poster.
"Zero, tell the 0th and the 4th that they're gonna have to dismount early! We're under fire!" X exclaimed.
"Ok! Attention 0th and 4th! We will dismount early! Watch for my signal!" Zero yelled as the 0th and 4th got ready, all eyes on him. Zero also stood up slowly.
"Commander X! There's a huge barricade obstructing the path! Everyone must dismount!" A hunter in the 11th yelled over the comm.
"No! I'll destroy the wall! 17th, drop your speed to 80!"
"X, what the hell are you doing!" A squeaky female voice was heard over the abused comm.
"Alia, don't worry. I won't injure myself this time." X said as a faceplate and black visor appeared over his face. He jerked right this time to avoid a blue beam, then hopped the Landchaser over a barrage of smaller, faster bullets.
"All right Zero, I'm gonna hit my front brakes, while you time your jump for maximum propulsion. With some luck, you should land over the wall. Then, get as far left or right of it as possible, because I'm gonna ram my Chaser into it."
Zero was motion sick by this time. "YOU'RE GONNA DO WHAT?" Zero shrieked out in horror.
"Zero, NOW!" X cried out as he pulled the Chaser's front air brakes, causing the rear of it to rise to a 90 degree angle. This resulted in Zero getting flung from the seat he was in like a catapult. While airborne, Zero hit the camo-shielding device and became invisible.
As he flew towards the wall, he saw many a brigade of Outpost reploids lined up, ready to go. X backed up a few meters and gunned his engines. He also switched the Chaser's weapon plasma to the engine output, set the drive mode to autopilot, and began charging his buster. About 2,000 meters from the wall, he stood up on the seat and charged his dash output to plus sixty percent and burst mode. Then, he jumped just as the bursting dash energy discharged from his boots. He sent himself into a jumping swan dive, arms spread out. He looked down to see a group of Outpost reploids move in Zero's direction. He looked down at the customized landchaser that tore a hole in the wall. This caused a massive explosion that rattled the soon to be battlefield. X landed with a thud on a pile of snow. As soon as he landed he let loose his overcharged buster and tore a hole through a few ranks of the Outpost. He turned towards the base and thrusted a hand forward.
"Hunters, attack!" Waves of ride chasers spilled in from the hole in the wall. As the 17th began their attack on the Outpost, Zero met up with his unit and the invisible 4th. "Alright guys. Tune in." Zero listened intensely to a channel in his comm.
"Zero...the time is near...it's almost time to spread the vaccine..."
Zero gripped his forehead and let out a low growl. "0th! Go with the 4th!" "Roger that. All right guys let's go!" Zero said as the 0th and 4th charged towards the defense turrets. They waited for a moment. Three of the eight guards received a long range surprise. The rest were busy trying to fend off the Hunters.
Zero scaled the wall to check for any opposition. Sure enough he found what he was looking for. Ten or so guards that were readying the defense turrets scrambled about in the confusion. Smirking, Zero pounced on the nearest guard and cleaved him in half. Startled, the rest of the guards turned to see a glowing saber dancing closer to them. It suddenly dashed forward to gut out the point man. Then the saber jumped into the air and began spinning rapidly. Three unlucky Erasers met their end by plasma cannon while watching the dancing saber. A crimson figure suddenly warped in front of them. They wasted no time in surrounding their attacker before realizing who it was.
Zero caught the saber and replaced it in its holster. "I-it-it's the crimson devil!" He couldn't help but smirk as they cowered. He took a step towards his prey and watched their expression before a sudden ache consumed his cranium. "No! Ugh, What the hell!" Zero cringed and held his head. He let out a loud howl as everything he saw took on a reddish tint. The once horrified guards saw this and took the opportunity to attack the demon.
The first one to strike met his end by a torrent of plasma pellets. The second and third received kneed stomachs and rifle butted heads. The last few found themselves falling from the forty foot tower window.
Zero opened his eyes and saw the blurry figure of a slender woman over him. He checked his most recent system log.
-Log # 5787.31.00.03:Critical Operating System Error-
-Log # 5788.31.00.03:EMERGENCY RESTART-
-Log # 5789.31.00.03:Emergency restart successful-
"Zero! Zero!" A voice said to him. His vision cleared up enough for him to stand up. He turned towards the source of the voice and saw Leyna, staring at him with glossy eyes. "Hey...what happened?" Zero said in a shaky voice. Leyna immediate smiled and almost lunged at him for a hug. "Zero, you were clutching your head like you were in pain. Are you okay now?" She asked worriedly. Zero shook his head and gave her a smile.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. How's the situation?"
"We just marked the area for the 23rd and the 1st. Now we just have to get out of here." Zero nodded as the duo walked towards the window. Leyna jumped first while Zero looked at the ruined room one last time before leaping to the ground. Then a thought struck him.
"Leyna, were you crying?"
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X rolled left to avoid a volley of charged plasma bursts, then countered with a half charged blast from his buster. Locke ran forward with her gauntlet blades spinning at full force. Plasma rounds threatened her but were quickly dismissed when they collided with the rotating blade. She threw a punch at an Eraser, which caused the blade to tear cleanly into him. She withdrew her blade and delivered a spinning kick into his abdomen. Two more Erasers lunged at her from opposite sides with energy broadswords. She disengaged the rotation of each blade and parried the two attackers. Locke ducked under a swung blade and swept the feet from under the right side attacker. Rolling behind the other attacker, she thrust a blade into his chest from his back, just missing his power core. As he fell limp, she hopped over the fallen enemy towards the one that was still in the air from the sweep kick. While airborne, she brought a blade down vertically across his midsection. Locke withdrew her weapons back into her gauntlets and looked for another target. Behind her was a mess of blood stained snow and severed reploids. Her tactics were brutal, but effective.
Stryke was behind what seemed like a wrecked supply box. He was waiting for them to pounce on him. He had a few rounds left in his rifle, and he needed those for later. So he waited. The shuffling of the snow around him quickened. Suddenly, four Erasers fell on him. Or rather through him. They looked surprised as the hologram of Stryke flickered. They looked horrified when they realized they were on a grenade. The elusive Hunter landed on the ground next to the hologram and picked up the emitter. He went over and joined X and Locke.
"Seems like we whittled down their frontline already?" Stryke said looking around at the 17th.
"Yea, I expected a lot more resistance." Locke said.
"I have a gut feeling something's not right." X said to his two subordinates.
Beep-
"X. What's your situation?" A female voice came over his comm.
"Alia, we just drove back the remaining Eraser forces. We have minimal casualties. Also..."
"What is it, X?"
"Alia, this whole thing doesn't sit well with me. It's almost like they are rushing fighting us blindfolded."
"I was thinking the same thing. The perimeter defenses are ready for demolition as well. This was too easy... Please stay safe, X."
"I will. Over and out."
Beep-
Scar and Rayne mounted up on a hover bike. He activated the bike's weapon system and directed the power into the engine. They needed to get far away from here. They needed to find Echo. They needed to let the Hunters stop the cannon.
"Scar. It's almost over. All those years of suffering. It's all going away." Rayne said as he revved the engines.
"I know. As soon as we find Echo, we can leave this city." Scar said as he launched the bike from the bay. They sped away from the hellish place they refuse to call home into the dark, cold night.
The hunters of the 17th, 4th, and 0th stood waiting for the 23rd Heavyarms Unit to blow a hole in the side of the fortress. The battle on the frontlines lasted for little more than 45 minutes, so the 23rd were surprised when they had to deploy 20 minutes ahead of schedule. X sat down with Zero, Locke, Stryke and Leyna to discuss how they would go about getting rid of this monster cannon.
"Okay. We know that dispersing plasma into the cannon itself will cause it to get rid of the chem agent. But judging by the quick frontline battle, I think it's going to be a challenge trying to even get close to it." Zero said to his fellow hunters.
"Not a problem. Echo told me she knows some security defaults as well as where the cannon is located." X interjected. He looked around for the brown haired girl. "Um, where is she?"
"Echo said she needed a moment to recollect. She's over there." Zero said pointing over towards the rear of the unit.
"X, I've been meaning to ask you. Why did you agree to let that woman be a hunter? No offense, but you are the last person I would expect to let an enemy, who threatened your life might I add, join the Hunters." Stryke asked his superior with an anxious voice. X looked over at Zero, who returned his glance.
"Well, a few years back, before you guys joined, Arcadia was destroyed. You remember the name of the syndicate, right?"
"Wasn't it Silph, or something like that?" Locke perked up.
"Yes. Back then, there was a small resistance group that started retaliating against Silph. They informed us that Silph was a huge threat to Neo Asia. We ignored them at first because we had our hands full with the remaining Maverick organizations. Within that group was Echo herself." Locke, Stryke and Leyna all gasped. Zero nodded his head sagely.
"Along with her was Scar, Rayne and a prototype reploid, Raydia. Those three disbanded when Silph was eliminated. Scar joined the hunters, Echo and Rayne laid low for a while before being forced into the present day Maverick Corps." Everyone let out another gasp, Zero included.
"They were forced in!" Stryke said mystified.
"Yes. Apparently..." X stopped. He suddenly remembered that he was supposed to keep that last part a secret.
"Apparently?" Leyna prodded. X was saved by an announcement. "The 23rd is here! Everybody move behind them!" The group got up and moved to the designated location.
The 23rd consisted of two large tanks with over-the-top artillery. This unit is a new addition to the Hunters, which came into play after the Silph incident. The 23rd was designed to be anti-air, artillery, basically destruction on treads. If these things didn't put a dent in the wall, then nothing would.
"All right! Plug your ears!" One of the tank commanders yelled out. Echo ran over to the group and sat down. Everyone did so and patiently waited. The snow falling from the clouds above started to pick up pace. Then both the tanks simultaneously fired their plasma emitters. At first, the already quiet ambience grew even quieter. Then the entire area lit up with an unusual bright light, followed by a deafening roar of condensed energy being discharged at once. When the light faded back into darkness and the sound faded, the Hunters looked towards the cannon.
The front end of both tanks were glowing with intense bluish white, and were cackling with energy. The snow on the ground in the area around the line of fire was gone; not melted, but replaced by a sheet of solid crystalline glass. Also, there was no snow falling in the area. Those cannons were definitely a force to be reckoned with. Zero was the first person to observe the damage done by the cannons. His eyes went wide.
"No...frickin'...way..." The wall attacked by the large tanks stood as firm as it had been before the 23rd arrived. Aside from a burnt spot, the wall was relatively unscathed. "X, that's not good, is it?" Leyna asked, knowing the answer to her question.
"Hold on." X ducked raised a hand to his helmet and connected with his comm link.
Beep-
"Alia. What's the status of the 1st?"
"One moment...X, the 1st doesn't have enough fuel to make it there with an air strike. All of the spare fuel was used to get the 23rd there so quickly."
"Dammit..." X engaged in serious thinking for a while. He decided on a solution. "Ok. That's what I'll do. Over and out."
"X, what do you mean 'that's what I'll do'!"
"I'll be fine Alia."
"X!"
Beep-
X stood up and looked around at his fellow Hunters. They all gave him curious glances. He looked at the buster cannon on his left arm.
"X, what are you planning to do?" Locke asked her commander suspiciously. X activated his left arm cannon and set it to hyper mode. The gauntlet morphed into a huge arm cannon. It had silver and black trimming with multiple vents for air cooling.
"You guys stand back." He walked over to where the tanks were and pointed his cannon towards the door. Plasma particles began to swirl around him.
"X! Zero, what's he doing!" Stryke asked the red hunter.
"I don't know. Looks like he's planning to blow the door up." Zero said without looking at Stryke. X stood steady with his buster arm extended. The hunters that swarmed around the door instinctively ran behind the rapidly charging reploid. The buster now glowed with intense fury. X checked his cannon's power output. '96' he kept charging until he came to the limit.
-WARNING: POWER OUTPUT AT MAXIMUM-
X closed his eyes as he broke through the limiter and pushed the charge to 150. The buster radiated with intense pressure and now had a scarlet glow. He opened the vents, releasing tremendous pressure from the cannon.
"Ohmigod! He's gone nuts!" Locke exclaimed as she gazed at the powerhouse. The stray plasma particles in the air were drawn towards the ebony clad hunter. The sound from the charging buster escalated into a ghostly scream. X placed his free hand on the now trembling cannon to keep it steady. He activated the face guard on his helmet and opened his eyes. His once green colored eyes were now teeming with bright white. A surge of white energy coursed over his body in waves and collected in the buster.
"Zero! That's his E.X.!" Leyna screamed, seeing as how talking could not be heard.
"Tell me about it!" Zero said. He was caught by surprise when a massive shockwave emanated from Megaman X. "Brace yourselves!" Zero said as he desperately clung for the ground. Everyone was thrown back as the shockwave erupted.
Now for the final phase. X leapt into the air and start glowing with intense amber. Metallic wings sprouted from his back as surges of golden energy flowed into his buster. The dozens of warning alarms going off in his head screamed at his to stop. Ignoring them, X flew towards the door and let loose the blast with a battle cry.
The colors of the world inverted as time seemed to stop. As the colors faded back to normal, X was thrown back a great distance into the side of the tank. The plasma wave emitted from X's buster charged through the entire side of the building and disintegrated the structure of the building. This left a gaping hole in the both the base and on a lot of peoples faces.
"WOOO!" Zero yelled, looking at the destruction left by Megaman X. A visible distortion could be seen in the air where the plasma wave traveled.
"Where's X!" A distraught Alia yelled through Zero's comm.
"Don't know. Hopefully, he's still on Earth." Zero answered back.
"ZERO! GO FIND HIM!"
"Ok, mom!" Zero said as he dashed off towards the tanks. He was followed by the rest of the gang. They reached the tanks and took in a horrible sight. There, up on the side of the large, double fortified armor of the tank, was a large X shaped cut out. Even worse, the shape continued through the tank, indicating that X was thrown through the entire tank.
"Goddammit, X..." Zero said as he sprinted around to the back of the tank. The rest followed with worried expressions. The scene they saw further enforced their fears. The Hunters were surrounding X, who was lying in a pile of snow. But that's all he was doing. Just lying there.
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Okay. I'm back! With a vengeance, might I add. If you've read what I have so far in Birth of a Demon, then you have read a bit of a spoiler. But forget about that for now. I have found new vigor to complete this story. I will update this fiction as much as possible. Special thanks to Archaon, for his reviews. And sorry for the three-month update! Until next time!
P.S.
I like cliffhangers...
How about you?