About farkin' time for an update, huh? I've been off on some craptacular adventures in life, so writing was one of the farther things from the first on the list. However, I did take some time to go looking through the X games storylines, to make sure I could get at least some things right. Characters I've forgotten about will be remembered, and things I've felt missing will be taken care of. Enjoy, my avid readers. (And those of you who just happened to see what this was about.)
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Lost Island was a humid, tropical island that sat atop, most people guessed, an island. What they didn't know was where it was located, hence, the name. X had decided to have the team travel across land to the laboratory that he was to investigate. His 'team' consisted of himself, Shift, the ever-cold scientist, Salvo, the massive weapon-on-foot, and Larc, the battle-scarred Grunt Unit captain. Larc's unit trailed only slightly behind on foot, which was decent considering the Commander and Captains were traveling by ATV's. X had suggested the excursion by foot, as it were, for this very reason. Even Hunter Headquarters had limited information on Lost Island, so this would grant them insight to the inner workings of it.
"This is a beautiful island" he whispered to himself.
From the Facility, they'd headed south, following a low mountain line that seemed to wind along the coast. In front of the mountain range sat a windbreaker of jungle. Short, green pines and furs lined the base of the mountain, making the appearance more of a majesty than had been noticeable from the confines of the Research Facility. The team kept the mountain range to their left side, and a batch of the Grunts stayed a distance behind and to their right. Off past the Grunts, X took note to a valley that interceded a lake; small considering it was located on an island. The lake seemed near crystal blue, and X wondered if he might be able to enjoy an afternoon watching the nature around it. Hope sparked that this adventure would leave him time for that. Ahead, in front of him, Shift slowed her ATV to a creep, the others doing the same.
X slowed and came up next to Shift. "What's the problem? Are we at the lab?" he inquired, surveying the area. It seemed exactly like the rest of the trip had been- mountains and trees, bright blue sky, and not a moving being in sight. Shift, however, looked worried.
"I don't know. Excuse me a moment" she replied, stopping her transportation completely. She pulled out a lap-top from a side compartment of the vehicle, and opened it up on the front of her seat. X took this as a blow-off, and rode up to Salvo.
"Salvo, what's going on here? I asked Shift, and she doesn't know, or doesn't want to talk to me. Can't understand why, what with her chatting up everybody else…." he let the sentence end itself.
Salvo had to grin before responding, "That's Shift, all right. It seems we've come into contact with something that wasn't here last time. The lab is only up around that bend, but we got readings from Larc that says we got company near the base." He pointed up ahead, where the tree line turned west. X knew that this was bad, if the readings were Maverick. If they'd found the base, there was no telling what they'd do with the contents. That is, if they could get to the contents.
"Got it. Send Larc back to me, and tell him to bring 3 Grunts with him" he said. Salvo nodded and signaled the order. Moments later, Larc popped up next to X, almost startling him. The Grunts took another moment, but were standing in line next to their Captain, awaiting orders.
"Larc, do me a favor. I won't say this is an order, because it's dangerous. Take these three, and swing a wide arc out around the bend, you nearest the tree line. If there's any Mavericks up there, they'll notice these three first, and you'll be able to bail them out if something comes up. I want all information sent back to both Shift and I, got it?" he rattled off the request as though he'd done it a hundred times. Truth was, he almost had.
"Yes, sir!" a quartet snapped back. Before he had time to look back to see Shift, they were gone.
Taking a quick glance at the blue sky, the lake he wished to visit, and the trees he hoped would aid him, X sighed, and resignedly started back toward the intelligence officer.
"Shift, tell me what the readings are. I don't care if you think I don't need to know. This could be dangerous, and I want to keep anyone, I mean anyone from getting injured." He halted the ATV next to her, and stared her down, waiting for a response.
"Fine" she said, turning the lap-top toward him. The line graphs and vector models made almost no sense to him, and he looked back up at her.
"So, what is it?"
"It's a defense system that activated somehow while we were gone. Apparently the lab has it's own AI system that we hadn't noticed before, due to it's ancient style of craftsmanship. I can't understand how it booted up, though."
"I bet I can" X's reply came out louder than he'd hoped. He looked at Shift, who eyeballed him as though he were a new super-program she had to analyze.
"Care to tell me?"
"No."
X turned the vehicle around and headed back to Salvo, leaving the Int. officer to gape open-mouthed at his response. He waited on his ATV for a grueling time before word came back to him from Larc.
"Hey Commander, you'd better come take a look at this. The area's secure, though I'm unsure if this thing should be considered hostile."
"What do you mean, 'unsure if it's hostile'? Is it attempting to harm you?"
"No, but it won't let us go anywhere closer to the lab. I don't know how, but it doesn't move, and we can't move toward it, no matter how hard we try."
"We'll be right there."
X started forward, followed by the others, creeping up behind him at an exact pace. As they rounded the bend in the mountain range, they saw what Larc was talking about. A large, black reploid, looking more like the skeleton of a reploid than a completed one, stood nearly 9' tall in front of the double doors to the lab.
"The Creator be damned…" Salvo uttered, gawking at the huge thing. They'd all come to a stop not more than 15 feet from it, where Larc stood waiting.
"I tried talking to it, and no response. As I said, I tried going toward it, and nothing. It's like there's a force-field there nothing I have can pick up on. The thing hasn't flinched since I saw it" he said lightly. He stared at it almost as intently as the rest of them, but glanced around at his troops. They hadn't the faintest idea of what this was, but their weapons held steady on it. If it moved in a threatening way, they'd blast it to bits.
"Commander," Shift spoke up, "why don't you try getting closer? It might be on a closer energy signature to you than us. That might give you the edge on getting us in."
"I'll try that. Keep me covered, and if anything happens, inform HQ." He nodded to Salvo, then stepped down from his vehicle. He proceeded to walk slowly toward the statue of a guard the lab had in place. He closed a five foot gap between the skeleton reploid and himself before he was stopped dead in his tracks. He put his hand up, trying to push forward, but found himself blocked, everywhere. As he slid his hand along the invisible wall, he heard a sound come from the black reploid. Squeaks and hisses spewed forth from it, making everyone in the vicinity flinch. X pulled his hand back, but dared not move. The head of the reploid came up, looking directly at X.
"SYSTEM RECOGNIZED. AUTHORIZATION IN PROGRESS." The reploid spoke in a monotonous, mechanical voice. It seemed that the reploid was in fact a mechaniloid only doing it's programmed job. Apparently, X had triggered something by touching the force-field, and now it seemed as though he might be able to gain access to the lab.
"This should be interesting" X said, keeping an eye out all around him. He had the buster program ready at a thought, but he wasn't sure this old thing would go down from it. Moments turned into minutes, while everyone waited for the thing to speak again. At last, it did.
"AUTHORIZATION DENIED. ACCESS DENIED."
The group's heart's sank a bit. The mechaniloid began to lower it's head, but stopped mid-process, raising it back up.
"AUTHORIZATION OVERRIDDEN. SYSTEM CODE-NAME 'X' GRANTED ACCESS."
X had to think before he instinctively stepped forward. He turned to look at Salvo, then to Shift. "I'm guessing this means I'm the only one going in. Keep the computer linked to my video program, that should keep you informed." Shift nodded, punching keys on her lap-top, and looking back up at X, worriedly. He shook his head with a smile, then turned and headed for the laboratory doors. He felt no resistance this time.
Shift watched from the lap-top, which was now running the video from X's viewpoint, as he came upon the box that controlled the door. X opened the front panel, and pushed a few buttons to see if anything would work. Only when a loud voice echoed through her ears did Shift know how he was to figure the controls out.
"LOCKING MECHANISM INTERFACED WITH DIRECT AI CONNECTION. CONNECT WITH LOCKING MECHANISM." The mechaniloid seemed to be programmed with instructions for X, and it was helping. X pulled his Buster panel open and unhooked a wire from within it. He pulled it out a little farther, and inserted the end into a similar plug in the control box. Whirring and clicking ensued, then a small green light turned on at the top of the control panel. X took it on faith, and replaced his wire, stepping back from the panel.
"Well, here goes nothing," X muttered to himself. A gust of hot, rusty wind ripped across his face as the double doors slid open, leaving him to wonder exactly how long this had been closed off. If the air came out like this now, the mechaniloid had to have come from another source. The lab couldn't have opened on it's own, even with an AI program controlling it. As the doors stopped at a rough 8 feet apart, X glanced once more over his shoulder and proceeded into the lab.
The walls inside the doorway were silver, and showed no signs of tarnish or rust, as the doors themselves did. That, too, appeared to be only on the outside. Fresh air hadn't hit this laboratory for years, X could tell, as his olfactory sensors were almost climbing out of his body. The hallway, a decent 10' wide by 10' high, went on for close to 100 yards. The walls held no sign of anything, literally. The dull silver became as monotonous as the mechaniloid's voice had been. At the end of the hall, a normal size door was shut in front of him. The door seemed to belong on a century- or two-ago house, not a lab. The knob on it was simplistic, a short metal handle that when pushed downward pulled the stopping mechanism out of the doorframe. Easy enough, but X could not find the will to push the handle. At long last, he set his hand upon it. Pushing downward, he pulled the door toward him, and let out a gasp as he surveyed the lab's contents.
"What in the hell?" Shift almost yelled. As soon as X had entered the hallway, the signal she got from him had faded, and the farther he walked, the worse it got. By the time she'd even remotely noticed he'd stopped, the signal was totally gone. She slapped the monitor of her lap-top, knowing better, but hoping it would help nonetheless. She shook her head and slammed the thing shut, tossing it back into the compartment on the side of her ATV. It seemed as though she'd be waiting like the rest of them.
"So what's up, Shift? That's the second time I heard you yell at that mechanical piece of junk in about a minute" Salvo questioned.
"We lost the signal, so even I have no idea what's going on. He could be in trouble for all any of us know, and there's nothing we can do about it" she replied, annoyed. She sat in the seat of her vehicle and placed her head in her hands, staring toward the lab doors. She might be here a while.
Salvo looked intriguingly at the mechaniloid. He wished he had something that big backing his unit up at times. Maybe when this assignment was over he could talk X into letting him tinker with it. He doubted it, but this was too good to not try for. As he found a spot to sit, Larc accompanied him, eyeballing both the door and the mechaniloid.
"That's a big toy, Salvo. I don't think they'll let you have it if they know what you're thinking. Hell, I don't think I'd let you have it if I knew what you were thinking" Larc snickered. Salvo had to chuckle at the comment.
"No, I highly doubt you would" Salvo replied. The two conversed for a long time, trying to keep each other off of the obvious worry that consumed them all. If X got injured, or worse, it'd be their hides, and they knew it. Not to mention they had respect for the azure hunter, and the thought of his demise threatened to increase their paranoia. It was a long time, close to an hour or so of Salvo and Larc's obvious stupid humor before they knew anything about what had taken place inside.
"Shhh! I'm getting something again!" Shift threw a rock at Salvo to quiet him. She'd pulled her lap-top back out some time ago, deciding to finish other work while they waited for something to happen. Now, the screen showed solid black instead of the static that it had. Salvo jogged over to her, and looked at the monitor.
"Doesn't that mean we still don't know what's happening?" he asked. His expression played out confusion and worry all in the same moment.
"Yes, but it also means that we know he's somehow on his way out of there" she replied, looking toward the lab doors. Salvo's gaze followed hers, and they stared momentarily before glancing back at the monitor. Nothing changed. Or so it seemed. A tap, tap, tap could be heard, the sound growing louder, signifying footsteps coming this way.
Running back to Larc, Salvo yelled "Larc! Get the Grunts ready! Something's headed this way!" He took position behind his ATV, lowering a shoulder cannon and pointing it at the door. He nodded to Shift, who just sat quietly on her vehicle. All eyes were now focused on what was headed their way.
…………………………
The morning meeting hadn't g one as well as planned, and Zero was obviously irritated.
"Axl, could you go talk to Alia and find out who deals with the pay situation? I don't want to answer any more 'Aren't we getting paid today?' questions, or I'm going to teach some hunters the art of Seppuku" Zero groaned. He'd only been Commander a day and already wished X was back. He'd heard more complaints and aggravating questions than should be allowed by any individual. He and Axl walked down HQ main hallway toward the control room. The hallway branched off around the control room, leading to two small alcoves where the elevators were placed. At any given time, both alcoves could be said to have traffic close to that of Giga City's main highway. Though there were 18 different normal elevators, there was close to 150 or more hunters residing in the HQ. It made for an odd assortment of parties, late night city travel, and one hell of an HQ-wide get-together.
"Yes, sir. Mind if I ask why you decided to stand in for X? You knew it wasn't as easy as he made it look, and I doubt anyone would fault you for letting Douglas or Alia take care of it" Axl asked quietly.
"I know, Axl, but if I take command for a while, maybe Signas will ease up on me when I pull another stunt on Alia." Zero stopped suddenly. "Speaking of which, I haven't told you what I was planning, have I?"
Axl grinned evilly. "No, sir, you haven't. I take it you'd like the help, then?"
"Of course I would. I don't think I could pull this one off by myself anyhow." Zero smirked, then put his hands on his hips and chuckled. "I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier. Axl, I'm gonna need you to get Douglas, and get some parts for me. I need a Metool, a surveillance camera…" The conversation continued into the control room, and both hunters were laughing uncontrollably by the time it ended. This would, by far, be the best prank Zero had pulled to date.
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"Alright, stay where you are!" Salvo shouted over his ATV. The shoulder cannon on his right side was down, fully extended, and fully charged. It was also aimed at the door to the laboratory, where a black reploid had appeared carrying X.
"Salvo, be calm! Commander X can't be harmed!" Shift yelled as she ran to where the emerald hunter was positioned. She took a good look at the reploid who held X in his arms. He stood even with her, and was in full battle gear it seemed. His helmet bore a dull yellow crystal, and both sides of the helmet swooped up and back over his head, making it look like a crown. His armor was pitch black with orange trim around the edges, and his joints and limbs were bare, almost like X's. His armor flared out on the shoulders, giving him a more sinister look. His face wore no expression, and he seemed to have no trouble at all holding X bridal-style for a lengthy amount of time. When he'd emerged from the lab and took a look around, he had stopped dead in his tracks and hadn't moved since.
"Reploid! This is Shift, Captain of the 1st Unit Reconnaissance team from the Lost Island Research Facility. You hold our Commander in your arms, and we want him back. We wish this to be as peaceful as possible, so anything you can do to aid us would be appreciated." Shift had stepped out around Salvo and his vehicle, Salvo readjusting his aim to make sure he could nuke the freak if he tried anything. Shift's gaze held on the reploid, and she saw him nod. She sighed.
A gruff voice came back at her, seemingly too low to hear, but everyone did.
"I will not harm your Commander, but please, lower your weapons. I will explain everything to you all on one condition- I wish to come back with you all. I have been locked in this lab for over 30 years, and I wish to be somewhere else."
Shift looked shocked, but understood. She waved down everyone's weapons, and they complied, hesitantly. Salvo folded back his cannon and stood up, taking place next to Shift as she steadily walked toward the reploid. The black figure slowly walked forward, carrying X softly. X was alive, but seemed to be completely out of it. His eyes were open, but it was as if he had become catatonic. Shift looked at him, then up at the figure. They stood no more than 4 feet from him.
"I am called…. Well, I was called Bass in my previous life. Since it seems I'm starting over, I would appreciate it if you gave me time to think of an appropriate name" he said calmly.
"If that is what you wish. You know that we cannot trust you until we ascertain the information from our Commander, correct?" Shift asked cautiously.
"I know. All I ask is to be given a room, and some decent food. Lock me up or give me a bodyguard, I don't care." His answer seemed genuine.
"Very well" Shift replied, turning back to Larc and his troops, "Everyone! Let's get back to base, on the double!"
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A shriek came from the control room of MHHQ. Zero and Axl twisted their index fingers in their ears in mock-deafness.
"Oh my god! He's so CUTE!" Alia screamed, wheeling around in circles. In her hands was a Metool, but not just any Metool. This one had a comm. unit for it's helmet, and it was the color of Alia's armor. Zero had told her it was to make up for his past pranks on her, and promised that he would stop now that she knew about them. She'd accepted the gift happily. Extremely happily.
"Zero, you are completely forgiven, and I'll give you the codes to change your hair back right away!" She hugged Zero tightly before going back to making baby noises at the little ball of reploid. Zero smirked in Axl's direction when she turned her back, but kept his expression smiling when he spoke.
"Ok, Alia, but you don't have to worry about it now. The hair's color isn't that bad, now that I've had it a while. I'm just glad you're happy. Well, we have work to do, so we're gonna get out of here. Keep him safe, and try to get on that payroll thing, will you?" he asked.
"Of course, Commander." She stood, holding her Metool in one hand, and saluted with the other. Zero smiled, returned the salute, and waved Axl out the door before stepping out himself. When the door closed completely behind him, Zero chuckled heartily.
"Isn't this a little too much, Zero?" Axl inquired.
"It's never too much, as long as it's fun" the crimson hunter replied. He smiled and shrugged. "Well, back to work. We'll see how they're doing later."
"That should be an interesting thing…" Axl said quietly.
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"I made my promise. You will all be informed, though with the Commander still out like a light, I see no point in doing so now. Please, just let me rest a day or two, and we'll see if your Commander has awoken" Bass said. He sat in one of the seats at the conference table, close to the head seat. Arturo sat silent, contemplating what he'd been told about the incident. Magnet, Hermes, Tread, Larc, Salvo, and Shift, of course, all graced the table with their presence. Bass had been brought in with Salvo's cannon at the back of his head, and now had to sit with it pointed at the right side of his face. The hunters were going to make no mistake about this reploid.
Arturo looked around the room at his Captains, and wished X were awake to tell him what had transpired. Unfortunately that wasn't the case.
"Well, Bass, it seems you have lodging until we can clear this matter up. I expect you to cooperate with everyone here, but if anyone gives you grief, send him or her my way. I ask of you one more thing. Shift, as I well know by now, is going to ask to study you. I ask that you let her. Since you're such an old model, it is amazing that you've stood up to the years without anyone's help." Arturo left it hang there, staring at the black reploid with interest.
"Very well. I could use some company anyway, but do me a favor, ok? Stop calling me 'Bass'. I told you, that was who I used to be. I'll inform you of my new name once I figure it out" he replied.
A smile spread across some of the hunters faces as it did Arturo's. "Done. Is there anything anyone else needed to ask about?" Arturo inquired. The room remained silent. "Good. Now, you all have your assignments, and I'm sure our new guest would love to get to his room. Salvo, see him to it."
"Yes, sir." Salvo stood, saluted, then held his hand toward the door in a 'this way' gesture toward the midnight figure, who stood and followed the emerald hunter out the door.
"So, now that I've got my bodyguard, is this going to be me talking, and you not replying?"
Salvo looked over his shoulder, smiling. "No, but there's a problem with me talking to you. It consists of me trusting you, and unfortunately, I don't yet. I don't know what happened in that lab, but until I hear from X, you are suspect number one, my friend." He turned back to where they were going. The elevators. The two rounded a corner and Salvo stopped, pushing the button for 'up'. His traveling companion stood next to him, humming a tune he didn't know, just looking around. Salvo began to wonder what was in this guy's head. Here he was, standing in a facility full of people who want to study him, who don't trust him, and just plain don't know him, and he's just whistling away, staring off at things. He'd finish that thought later.
"I'm thinking something ancient… like Hades… or Anubis… hmmm…" the black armor clad figure said quietly.
The elevator bell dinged and the doors slid open. Salvo stepped through, followed by his companion.
"Thinking of a new name?"
"Yes. Any ideas?"
"What are you good at?"
"Blowing things up, really. I haven't had a lot of time to do otherwise. Well, there was those 30 years I spent modifying myself." He shrugged.
"Then why not something related to that? Like… Well, truth be told, I have no idea." Salvo looked at him, a smirk on his face. "I honestly don't know what to call you."
The elevator stopped, the doors opening again. Salvo stepped out first, pushing through a few hunters who were waiting patiently for the elevator. His partner followed, stepping around the hunters, bowing politely. They headed down a hallway, dull blue walls with fluorescent light bulbs overhead. One of the bulbs flickered as they walked by, passing doors left and right, each with it's own identification on it. Every door had a letter and three numbers, signifying where in the facility it was located, and who's it was. The room they stopped at was marked 'L337'.
"I take it this is my board?" The question was pointless, as he had already begun to step into the room. It was bare, a single bed, a regen rube, and a small desk with a lamp. The walls were white, but dull. It looked as though no one had been in here for weeks, save for maybe the cleaning crew, and that was pushing it.
"Not much to look at, huh?"
"Never is until you get settled in. In all honesty, I hope you join us." Salvo smiled, then pulled his door shut and walked off down the hallway toward his own room.
The black reploid chuckled to himself, and peered out his door. No one was anywhere near here.
This should be easier than I thought. With the modifications Dr. Light tried to give me, I'm surprised I'm still myself. The 'good' doctor will want to hear of my progress. I'll wait until the morning to inform him.
He stepped over to his bed, and rolled into it. It had been a while since he'd been so comfortable. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to stay here a while. He could get his job done just as easily with any amount of time, but his superior wanted it done, and soon. Megaman X would be out of the picture for a few days, so he had time to work. His last thoughts as he pulled the covers over him were of his blaster discharging at point blank range against Megaman's face.
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Maybe not the best writer in the world, but at least this update was pretty good. I hope, anyway. The action didn't come as I wanted it to, but now maybe it'll spring out. At least things are getting interesting. Please, for the love of cheese, review! I need reviews or I will explode! I do that sometimes…. LOL. Anyway, someone let me know how I'm doing. Next chapter- hopefully not this long to get done!