Disclaimer: Megaman and all related content is not mine; they, albeit somewhat regrettably, belong to Capcom Ltd. But don't even think about stealing my original characters! Just ask first, and give credit where credit is due. As usual, spelling/grammar/formatting mistakes are fault of Word or FFnet (feel free to point them out, though).

A/N: This is the end of this one. This little denouement was the last bit I had planned for it and (in my fan-conspiracy-driven opinion) a fairly good explanation of the resolution of things. Thanks for sticking it out the whole way; those of you who did review really helped me out a lot; a lot of things happened since I started typing this up, and if not for one particularly insistent fan, this story would have likely ended without resolution, and without seeing justice done to it. You know who you are, so, once again, thanks. I may write up a related work to this, or I might just start something completely new (or I might not even write one at all for a while), but if you've got something you'd like to share, feel free to drop me a line. Anyway, here it is, the end of the Titanium Showdown.

Titanium Showdown: Tale of the Zero Clones

Epilogue: Tears Blood Red

Another war –do they ever end? When one finishes, another begins. It was only ten years after Sigma's death, five years after the stabilization of world society, and three years after X stopped his search that this new war started. Cyber Elves –creatures new and unknown, some good, some bad, all prepared to fight, to die –divided the new order X and his companions had made. Some sided with X and his Hunters, others sided with the scores of Mavericks who still believed humans should die.

This war has been the bloodiest war ever fought. All kinds of weapons have claimed countless lives –both human and reploid –and the body count yet rises. Already, the war has taken its toll among the commanders of the forces as well. The Mavericks have undergone many changes of leadership. X remains the unquestioned leader of the Hunters, but many of his closest friends have died already, and only Omni remains alive of the brave Zero duplicates. Worried for their remains safety, they were buried under graves bearing false mark: Harp, Wiz, Levi, Shade, and Fef.

X is fast losing hope, and his armies are wavering. The Mavericks gain new ranks every day, every hour, and the Hunters dwindle slowly, painfully. Few join the Hunters and many people have stopped supporting them entirely. A Dr. Bai has created a war machine that he claims is capable of tipping the scales back in favor of X, but there is one problem: Dr. Bai designed it under Sigma's stewardship, and its design calls for Zero to be inside the machine to act as a power source. X has already scoured the planet for his hero, and has not found him –alive or otherwise. Everything seems hopeless and grim until one day, after another difficult battle, X receives an ominous radio transmission.

kzzt! Master X… found some… you'll need… see it… your eyes only… this… top priority… can't hold too long… mobilizing on our position… too important to lose… hurry. Over. kzzt!

"I don't believe it would be wise for you to leave HQ, X; you could be walking into a trap and killed!"

"As opposed to being killed of inaction here?" X was sulking again; his advisor, Omni, was trying to dissuade him from leaving for the position of the transmission. After a long pause, Omni spoke again.

"I can't give you orders, X, you and I know that… but will you at least listen to reason? We need you here, we need you as our leader, however hopeless it may be. You've changed since that day, and I can't say it's been entirely for the better. Please, reconsider what you're doing." His commander and companion's depressing mood was getting to Omni. They'd lost their friends –their siblings –too soon, too close, and it had changed them both into different people. X found it hard to see the good in situations anymore, and Omni was more prone to showing his emotions –with or against his will.

"It's too late now, Omni. Our fight is hopeless, but there has always been our fight. Ze—he wouldn't quit. Even if there were no hope for any change in the circumstances, he wouldn't quit. There could be something here that will help us. There might be a chance to improve our way, and that's enough for me. I'm going –trap or no."

There were no more words between them now. X stepped up onto the overused TRANS machine and tapped in a command. In a quick zap of light, he was out of the HQ building, and in a sewer close to the transmission source. A few soldiers greeted him tiredly, and they made their way to the place where the "something urgent" lay.

X felt strange as they trod slowly through the rubble-strewn walkway. He began to feel many things, many strange things; for everything he felt, he also felt its opposite; for all his bravery, he also felt fear, for all his strength, he also felt weakness; something was strange about this sewer. He struggled to the top of one last incline, and stopped at the height. The room was mostly empty, huge, and damp. Everything was covered in dust so thick, it must have lain for a decade. X couldn't see anything unusual –nothing seemed important, until he spotted something under a pile of rocks and dust: it was a reploid decked in armor gray with dust; long, pale hair fell matted about its shoulders. The thin, cracked armor plates were unmistakable. X was suddenly flooded with memories of that day when everything had been turned upside down

He tried to rush forward and pull the body from the rocks, but the soldiers around him held him back with worried looks.

"Sir! You can't go any farther than this! You'll die from exposure to the Virus! It's so full in the air that you can almost see it! Please, calm down!" Five soldiers struggled against X's strength while one of them screamed protest. It was some time before X came to his senses. Then everything sort of clicked inside him. The broken transmission, the cryptic message, the strange feelings –they were all because of the Virus, and Zero's body was still producing it! Letting on about the presence of this much of the Virus would cause the Mavericks to overwhelm the position with everything they had, and that would be the ultimate defeat for X: to find and then lose Zero again. X collected himself immediately –Zero had won him the last war, and he just might win him this one as well.

"Soldiers! Hold this position at all costs! Reinforcements will be sent as soon as possible! You men may just be the reploids who saved Civilization as we know it! I will return shortly." X bolted off down the hallway. A euphoria overtook him as he ran.

Only moments later

X was back with one hundred more soldiers, a host of heavy weapons, Omni, and the mysterious Dr. Bai. Already, the quiet sewer had become the most important place in all the world. X called the group to attention for a moment.

"This is the pivotal moment." He spoke forcefully, but with compassion and pride. "Dr. Bai is setting up his machine to prepare us for victory through Zero!" There was a cheer at the name. X calmed them after a moment. "You will all witness history made, you will all be heroes remembered for the rest of time. But…" X looked over the group. "not in name." There was a confused murmur. "I must ask you all to swear, by everything you hold dear, that after this day, you will never speak of this place or what takes place today again –nor may you visit this place. You must make a solemn vow of secrecy. I am sorry that I must make such a demand of you all, but such is our circumstance. After today, this war will end, and we can all live…" suddenly, X faltered. He could do nothing but stare for a moment. Then, at last, the word came to him, "peacefully."

The reverie from the speech was short lived. Somewhere near the back of the crowd, there came a yell. "Enemy advancing on us! They'll be here in thirty minutes!" Reploids scrambled to their positions. There was a semi-ordered panic in the cramped space. X stole a glance at the screen displaying the forces arrayed against them; the view was dismaying. Dr. Bai was already working feverishly, and Omni was coordinating the defenders.

After almost thirty minutes, as estimated, the Maverick war force could be seen on the horizon. Everyone dug in to his position. Everyone prepared for bombardment and combat. Everyone became ready –the air of fanaticism in the room was overwhelming. Then, things became unnerving.

"Master X, I have a problem that is most urgent."

"What is it Dr. Bai?" X was so preoccupied that he missed precisely what Bai had called him.

"It's about Zero… he… will no longer fill the function in Omega." That got X's attention.

"WHAT?"

"You see… the body that Zero is in… does hold the Virus' source, but it is not the same body. Some things are different and… it won't work." X seemed quite taken aback. He had no idea how to solve this problem –if that wasn't Zero's body, then what could be done? It was then the shelling started. The loud booms didn't help the problem solving any.

"X, Bai, what's the situation?" Omni joined them then.

"Not good." Bai's response was dismayed, but otherwise indifferent.

"How so?"

"Zero's body is not correct for the machine. We seem sunk, Omni." X piped in. The three fell silent to ponder the dilemma. X turned and walked away. Omni and Bai began to speak. Every boom of the artillery shells exploding seemed to weigh down more and more on X. He thought back on other times. The years of his life all seemed the same. Everything he could remember involved fighting –when he awoke from his stasis, and reploids were first made, fighting soon started; when things seemed to be getting back on the right track, fighting started again; when the world seemed to be coming to order, fighting broke out again. In all of his memories, there were four central figures: Himself, Sigma, Dr. Cain, and Zero –three of them were now dead. One was gone for good, body and program; another died of his drinking habit; and the third lay dead in a room behind him.

This fight seemed as hopeless as all the others, but it was different. Sigma was not the evil that drove this fight. This time, it was far simpler than that. But even without Sigma, he should have been able to win the fight. It was the difference of Zero. Zero had been shut down before –destroyed even –but Zero had always come back, and this time he hadn't. When Vile was about to kill him all those years ago, Zero had sacrificed himself to save X. When Sigma's first –and failed –copy had threatened X's life, Zero stepped in and saved him. It was Zero's beam sword that had saved X's life in the fight against Sigma in the next fight. This time, though, Zero would not be alive to save X just when he needed it most. This time, it seemed, that X really would lose.

X felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked down and saw the white gloved hand of his friend, Omni. "It's horrible to say it, but it looks like we can't do this. Without a power source, Omega will not work, and we don't have any alternative sources that work for a reploid that size."

X looked up, and then down at the hand again. Something in his mind said that there was a way… that something would still work, and then it hit him.

"Omni! Zero's body won't work because you have it!" Omni looked confusedly and concernedly at his friend, and then he got it as well.

"Dr. Bai!" The two rushed back to the scientist reploid. The sounds of combat began to accompany the bombardment –time was running even thinner.

"Dr. Bai, could Omega to function on my modified chassis? It was Zero's first, after all, and should be the one that will serve the purpose."

"Oh my. Oh my, yes! I believe I can! But…"

"But what?" X asked.

"Well, it's just that… well, look at this. Quickly now." Bai produced a small chart with a few things labeled on it; it was a chart of Zero's systems. "This one: S001a. That is the source of the Maverick Virus. That is what I need, but there is a catch. Zero is still alive, and removing it would make any hope of recovery virtually impossible. It would also mean that most, if not al, of Zero's memories would be lost. Then, there is the process of putting it in you, Omni." The news hit the two like a buster shot to the forehead. It was the buster shots behind them that urged them on.

"We have no choice, Bai. Do it. No matter what the circumstances, do it. I am prepared." Omni spoke up before X could protest, and sent Bai on his way. Then, he turned to X. "This is the only way X. I'm sorry. Here. If there's no way for me to come back, I want you to have this." Omni held out the hilt of a beam sword. "It was Zero's first, then yours, then mine. Keep it."

"Come, Omni, it is ready." The two looked over at the scientist. He held a glowing red-purple crystal in his hand; Zero looked untouched. However, Omni went forward without question…

X turned to the fighting then, and joined the fray. It was only minutes later that X heard a terrible noise, as of a self-destruct system charging. He looked and saw Omega standing. The shining white reploid war machine adjusted to activation for a moment, and then rushed the front lines. From that point on, there was no more fight –merely a massacre. Maverick reploids fell in droves as if they were nothing. Reploid blood spilled everywhere, covered every rock and tree. The sight was horrible, terrible, but such is war. X had to look away –only the blood-frenzied Omega could stand to watch the fight. X had bought himself a victory, with all of his friends and his hero, and even with the lives of so many saved, he still could not decide if the price he had paid was too high…

Long after that…

Everything was dark, but at least there was something. Before there had been nothing, now darkness filled that void. His body ached, and he could not move. It was like he had slept for a long time after being awake for too long, doing too many things. The pull told him only two things: he existed, and someone needed him. He didn't know why, but he was answering that call.

From the darkness, he thought he heard someone scream. It sounded sad, painful, strange –sounded like someone said "Passy." After that, things started working. He moved, he stood, and he saw. He heard monotonous footfalls and heavy breathing. He looked up and saw a girl with yellow hair looking at him, saying something. He couldn't hear her. All he saw was the block of glowing, red singular eyes. Something within him told him they were bad –they were evil –and he attacked. The girl said something behind him: "Zero!" and he knew somehow, that was his name, and this was his purpose.

And so ends the Titanium Showdown