X and Zero jogged down the halls of the Maverick bunker. Their entry had been smooth enough. The watchmen surrendered immediately upon sighting the Hunters. The undercover policewoman showed the Hunters the path down before she called for pickup. The Mavericks' resistance was minimal. A few gave up at once. However, the majority either attempted to fight hand-to-hand or retreated to arm themselves. Even then, they were no match for the 17th and 0th Maverick Hunter units.
Missing, though, was Dan. X gave explicit instructions to his unit to notify him immediately if Dan was seen. Zero did the same with his element. So far, neither one had used their weapons, though they both kept them at the ready. If Dan truly had gone Maverick, they needed to be prepared.
The two Hunters came up a junction where heavy weapons fire was being exchanged. Several scorch marks lined the walls. Zero identified them as belonging to mid-level energy based rifles. While not as powerful as plasma based weapons, they could still cause plenty of damage if hit in the right area. Glancing at the Hunters, he could see a few of them had their armor seared. Obviously, the Mavericks on the other end had some slight skill, though they seemed to be hiding more instead.
"We've had more opposition from the training sims than these wanna be's," Zero dryly commented. X did not reply. Scattered reports from his unit indicated that the west wing was under their control, and that they were making rapid advancement into the east wing. Dan had yet to surface.
"Shit, don't we have any sort of concealment here?" Zero shouted out to the Hunters. One from his unit, as indicated by the patch on his shoulder, spared a look from his place by the hallway corner.
"Sorry, sir. This place is pretty bare boned. Whatever funds they had coming in got spent somewhere other than security."
"Damn it, I hate urban fighting."
By the tone in his voice, X could tell that Zero was getting eager to fight. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, lending the Crimson Hunter greater strength than normal. He started gripped his Z-Saber tighter and tighter. He would be white knuckling, if his hands were not already covered by white gloves. He clenched his jaw, trying to force back the urge to leap into the fray. Every part of his being sang out to him, "Yes! Go and fight! Take thrill in this contest of strength and spirit!"
Zero's willpower was great, but his love for the battlefield was greater. With a shout, he slammed his beam saber into its recharge pack, and shifted his left hand into buster mode. X did not bother to try to stop him. Zero ran across the hall entrance, looking down it for any targets. A female Maverick crossed his sights. She held a rifle, attempting to charge the Hunters' position. Zero let a single shot loose from his buster. The cerulean plasma belched forth and soared down the hallway. The Maverick reacted immediately, falling into a prone position.
The azure shot roared over her head, singeing her hair. Just as she slammed onto the concrete floor, Zero's plasma hit the wall behind her, and exploded into nonexistence. The Maverick did not waste any time; she tucked the stock of the rifle firmly in her shoulder and fired. The yellow bursts lanced out from the muzzle, peppering the area where Zero had been a second earlier. The nearby Hunters slightly crouched further behind the protective barrier of the walls, waiting for an opening.
"Die, Maverick Hunter dogs!" the Maverick shouted out, spraying the opposing area wildly.
One of the Hunters, part of the 17th, recognized the weapon the Maverick was using. He signaled to his companion, and Megaman X, to wait until she had to reload. Several seconds of continued gunfire later, the Maverick's rifle charge ran out, forcing her to stop and change the magazine, just as the Hunter had predicted. Without hesitation, he leaned around the corner and fired off a level two charge from his X-Buster. The plasma shot chewed through the female Maverick's unarmored torso, leaving a gaping hole where her right breast used to be. She fell down, dead, her rifle clattering to the floor beside her.
The Hunters barely had a moment to relax before more Mavericks began firing on their position from behind a corner on the opposite end, their shots coming out in short, controlled bursts. Obviously, they had some more skill than their female comrade did.
"What I wouldn't do for a grenade," Zero mumbled. He peeked around the corner to get a better look. The Mavericks shooting at them were on the left side of the far end. He could not tell exactly, but Zero figured that there were only two Mavericks. Movement on the other side of the hall caught Zero's attention. He looked, ready for any other Maverick that might show.
What he saw was Dan, staring at the Crimson Hunter, his right forearm in buster mode.
"Oh my God," Zero said, his face falling.
"What is it?" X asked, briefly glancing away from the Mavericks.
"It's Dan."
X's head immediately snapped towards the red armored man, following Zero's gaze. As soon as he made eye contact, Dan lowered his head. X and Zero stared at the man. In truth, the two had hoped that it was all just a mistake, that it had not been Dan in the picture.
"So this is it, Dan?" X softly asked to no one. "You've chosen to be a Maverick?"
As if in response, Dan lifted his head towards the Hunters, a look of determination on his features.
X and Zero's blood ran cold as he raised his buster towards them. Time seemed to freeze in that moment. Through the heads of the three men, X, Zero, and Dan, memories of the past month came flooding back - all the pain and hatred that Dan had suffered from society, the grief from losing Kate, of the utter loss of hope.
Yet, Dan did not fire on them. Rather, his arm continued traveling up in an arc, coming back around and down, twisting with his body's turn, until he finally leveled his buster at a target – the Mavericks.
For the first time, of his own conscious control, Dan fired his weapon. A brilliant emerald shot came from his uncharged buster. It rocketed into the Mavericks, causing as much damage to them as a level two X-Buster shot. Dan continued to fire upon Mavericks unseen to X and Zero. Shot after plasma shot rained down upon the Mavericks.
A reploid jumped onto Dan's back, interrupting his barrage, and wrapped his arms around his head. Dan twisted his head, trying to break free from the reploid's grasp. He raised his unchanged left hand, and began beating the reploid with it. The Maverick ignored Dan's blows. He slightly moved his right thumb, igniting the plasma blade of his beam saber. The luminous reflection of its silver blade danced wildly across Dan's curved visor. Dan reacted immediately, tightly grabbing the Maverick's right arm, holding the deadly beam saber at bay.
The two forces grappled with each for several moments, the gap between the plasma blade and Dan's neck slowly growing shorter. Suddenly, Dan reached up with his reformed right hand, grabbed the Maverick reploid by the tuft of his red hair, and tossed him over his head. The Maverick landed roughly on his back, Dan still holding onto his right arm. Reacting quickly, Dan delivered a swift kick to the reploid's head, rendering him unconscious.
There was quiet in the hallway then, for a moment. The Maverick's right hand had gone limp, releasing his iron grip on his beam saber. Its roaring blade fell to the floor, silent without an owner to wield it. Slowly, Dan kneeled down, and picked the weapon up. He was more than willing to oblige the weapon, to bring it to life once more. His left arm snaked up behind his back, and brought his shield in front. With his shield in one hand and the saber in the other, Dan walked across the open hallway, right pass the Hunters and X and Zero. None of them opened fire.
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Dan was like a berserker. Maverick after Maverick fell before him and his blade. At first, they were shocked. They had all seen Dan, thought he had been a kindred spirit. He had lived among them, sat with them, broke bread with them. The shock rapidly dissipated, replaced by rage. They turned their weapons upon him. They could not harm Dan, though; his shield deflected every rifle shot, every plasma burst, and every beam saber slice.
Everything was so clear to him now. He knew why he had yelled at the crowd. He knew why he had not danced with the Mavericks. He knew why he had joined the Mavericks. It was all for a concept that was as old as creation itself.
Revenge. He wanted revenge on the world for they had done to him. For every ounce of suffering they had inflicted upon them, he wanted them to make them pay for tenfold. How dare them. How dare they ostracize him, for casting him out because of something he had no say over. It had taken seeing X and Zero again, however, to make Dan realize another truth. If counted himself among the Mavericks, he would be doing more than just giving them the perfect excuse to kill him.
He would prove them right. If nothing else, he refused to have that.
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The fight did not last long, merely fifteen minutes. Several warp signals had been detected fleeing from the area. A small squad comprised of members from the 17th and 0th units gave chase. MSWAT forces arrived at the warehouse halfway into the fight to block off the road and haul off the surrendered Mavericks to jail for future trials. The remaining Hunters returned to MHHQ, except for two…
X and Zero slowly walked away from the MSWAT vans, finished handing over control of the area to them. The earth below their feet was soft and pliable, leaving broad footprints as they passed. This far away from New Tokyo, the night sky reveled in its entire splendor, each star shining brightly. Ahead of them, quietly standing by himself upon the plain, was Dan, his back towards the Hunters as he stared out upon the Rocky Mountain range.
X and Zero came to a halt a few paces away from Dan. At first, they said nothing. What could they say? That they were sorry? Berate him for joining the Mavericks? They did not know. However, there was one thing that did have to be said.
"Dan?" X asked.
"Hm?" Dan replied, turning to face them. Zero caught a glimpse at the space between Dan's shield. Mounted on his shoulders was a portable saber recharge unit, obviously stolen from some Maverick. It had been arranged was so that Dan would have to reach behind and underneath to grab his beam saber, instead of above and over, as the Crimson Hunter did. Zero thought it was a smart idea for Dan to carry around a beam saber. Dan's buster had a slow rate of fire, leaving him exposed to fast moving enemies, and to any that got close.
X faltered for a moment. His mind had just fully registered what Dan looked like now, or rather, who he looked like.
All he needs is a yellow scarf and he'd look just like Protoman…
"Yes, X?" Dan repeated, his voice firm and even, snapping the Blue Bomber of 21XX out of his reverie.
"Zero and I have talked it over with MSWAT and our units. We convinced them that you were a Hunter spy. You won't be accused of going Maverick," X slowly said.
"That's a relief. I know I'm not one."
Zero took a few steps closer to the man.
"You know, Dan, some of my men saw you in action. They come up with a nickname for you." Dan groaned.
"Not another one."
"Trust me, it's not as lame as Alpha."
Dan sighed, and crossed his arms.
"Let's hear."
"They're calling you, 'The Scarlet Knight.'"
Dan laughed.
"The Scarlet Knight," he repeated, letting the words roll off his tongue. "Now that I like."
"Speaking about you in action," Zero continued, falling into a much more casual mood. "You've got a lot of natural talent. If you go through the motions and get the proper training, I'm positive that you'd get as high as a unit commander."
Dan looked away, an uneasy look on his face.
"Thanks, Zero. That means a lot to me. But, I'm not going back to the Hunters." He glanced back at them. "I have to find my own way in this world. It might be with the Hunters, it might not; I don't know. I will find it, though."
X smiled, feeling a tremendous loud lifting from his shoulders.
"And when you do, we'll be here for Dan. We'll always be here for you."
Dan uncrossed his arms, and genuinely did something that he had not done for a long time. He smiled.
"Thank you."
The man stepped forward, and offered his right hand. X and Zero firmly shook it. Then, Dan turned around, and started walking away, not knowing where he would go. The two Hunters stared after him for a while.
"Are you sure that he's not lying, X?"
"I'm sure, Zero." X grinned. "I trust my brother's word."
X and Zero turned around, and were about to walk back to the MSWAT vans when they heard something.
Dan began to whistle. This time, though, he did not stop after four tones and five notes. He continued on, carrying into a full song. There were no words, yet the notes were entwined with emotions. The song spoke of solitude, of long days spent staring into ones soul. It sang of loneliness, and the sadness that came with it. However, in the end, there was hope, that the one who sang the song will not forever exist in the shadows.
The two Hunters continued on, all worry for Dan banished by his song.
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The world continued without Dan's presence. The public's eye, ever wandering, soon found other things to distract itself. Cain breathed easy, knowing that Dan had not fallen into a pit from which there was no escape. Emilius Cristoph, and the organization he secretly worked for, had more important matters than hunting down on rogue man, such as two female reploids that threatened to expose them. Megaman X and Zero were able to work as they had, not knowing they were soon to reach the end of the postwar dream.
As for Daniel Parker…
Some reploids had wanted to call him Alpha, a beginning. Some humans had wanted to call him Omega, an ending. He was neither, though he could not go by his real name anymore. He chose a new name, one that reflected his unique origins and unknown future.
He was Protoman X.
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