Rise Of Zionus: An Introduction

by EternalSage

This is a story of Ragol. Zio was defeated, but his malignant spirit lingers, leading to an entirely new cycle of chaos. A new generation of hunters must take up the challenge of defeating him.

2. Battle With Zionus

A frantic buzzing of the doorbell summoned Leah to her living room. "Hold on a sec, I'm coming." If X forgot his key again, I'm going to kill him. Opening the door, she was nearly bowled over by a short, slightly built Fonewearl with purple hair. Before she could say anything, her visitor began talking excitedly.

"Auntie Leah, Auntie Leah! Where's Uncle X? I really, really need to talk to him. Where is he?"

"Ayame, calm down. He left on a mission about two hours ago. What's so urgent?"

"Something really, really bad is going to happen, and if Uncle X is there, I'm afraid he's gonna get hurt. I was supposed to go with him, but he left without me. I'm really worried."

"Ayame, just relax. I'm sure he'll be fine. He's with other hunters, and he's very good at what he does."

"Yeah, but there's some big bad things that have been able to beat even him. I need to go to where he's at. Do you have the coordinates? I lost mine..."

I'm probably going to regret this, but she's proven she can take care of herself before.
"Sure, I'll give you the coordinates. Just be careful. I'm assuming X will have everything taken care of by now, but still..." Leah proceeded to copy the coordinates from X's computer into Ayame's PDA. "Ok, now be careful. And tell X to go by the store when he gets done. I've got to go to work. See you later."

Ayame wasn't really listening to what she said. For weeks now, she'd been having a recurring dream. In each, a dark figure would attack her, and kill the ones she loved, one by one. Each time, she would wake up in a cold sweat right before she herself was attacked.

Last night, though, it was much more vivid, and all the more horrible. She had seen X be incinerated in a beam of energy and she was powerless to stop it. Since beginning her training with Sage, the incidents of her powers acting up had gradually subsided. The precognitive dreams had been mostly been proven to be simply dreams. She had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach about this one, however. Determined to prevent it, she resolved to hurry.

With a muttered "Hinas!" she teleported herself out of Leah's living room, not even stopping for a thank you. The uneasy feeling was growing stronger by the second...

Huh, that was odd. Usually she says goodbye before she leaves. She must be really worried. Oh, well, I'm sure the idiot has everything under control. With that thought, Leah began to get ready for work.

Eriror, Brom and Kikuu materialized outside of the abandoned temple on the surface of Ragol.

"Let's take this by the book. I'm on point. Brom, you take left flank. Kikuu, you take right. Set your scanners for D-Cell emanations. If something's going to pop up at us, I want to know about it beforehand. We need to get in there and find out what's going on ASAP. Get ready." With that, Eriror drew his massive greatsword, the legendary Zanba. Settling it comfortably on his shoulders, he started towards the ruins.

"Hey, Brom. 5000 meseta says that when we find whatever's in there, Tollaw'll kill it before we get a chance to." The tall, slender, yellow-colored Hucast said to his companion.

The robed figure declined to answer at first, intent as he was on readying his equipment. Drawing out his Imperial Pick, he turned to Kikuu: "I'd take that bet, but I'm sure you'd win. He's a freakin' killing machine. Why do you always call him 'Tollaw', though? A Tollaw's a type of bug native to Ragol, isn't it?"

"A type of bug that 'was' native to Ragol. Eriror made them extinct pretty much single-handedly. They were vicious and freakishly intelligent. A total menace. He wiped 'em out." Kikuu was saying as he and Brom stepped toward the ruins. "Tell you what, instead of money, how about we share information on the bet. Why'd you join this outfit, and why do you wear that stupid bum getup?"

"Once again, it's no contest. Betting on the outcome's pretty pointless. But anyway... I wear this "bum get-up" because it's a type of camouflage. And I joined because he's supplying me with a choice new targetting upgrade after this year's service. A top of the line military model."

"Ok, I knew you were an android. Why camouflage yourself as a meatbag, though? Have some droid pride, man!" With this, Kikuu finally decided to draw his weapons, pulling out a pair of well-worn S-Red's Blades. His prowess with these was almost as well-known as his utter ferocity in combat.

"I prefer my camo. People look at androids strangely. They don't look at me. I'm just some nameless bum. Anyway, we should probably get going. The boss is already inside."

The two androids stepped inside, catching up to their leader. As the three proceeded into the first anteroom, they were surprised to see a shimmer of light flash in front of them. Readying themselves for combat, they were unprepared to see the Fonewearl that appeared out of thin air to land on her backside with a muffled "oomph!"

"Hi, I'm Ayame. Are you here to investigate the ruins?"

"Yes, we are." Eriror said with a bemused look on his face. "What are you doing here, miss?"

"I'm here to help my Uncle X. Something really bad is about to happen, and he's gonna need my help. I have to hurry."

"Show me your Guild Card, now please." Eriror took Ayame's card, and after scanning it for a brief instant...

"We're planning on heading that way, and since you are a registered Force, I'll allow you to accompany us. This is a military operation however, and you will be subject to my command. Do you agree?"

"Yeah, sure, Mr. Soldier-Man. We just have to hurry!'

"The name's Eriror. These are my subordinates, Brom and Kikuu."

"Nice to meet you."

"So, Miss Ayame. What type of 'bad thing' are you talking about? Our scanners detected a massive surge of energy a little while ago. It may be connected to what you were referring to. '

"Yeah, it probably is. It feels all funny in the pit of my stomach. It's like a bad guy's staring at me constantly. And I can feel a lot of power running around here."

"Kikuu? Picking up anything odd?"

"No, sir. Nothing has changed about the energy emanations, although the pulses themselves seem to be getting steadier."

"Well then, we should hurry. Move out."

Three high level hunters and a force make for a rather efficient team, and they swiftly cut down any resistance they encountered. As they progressed deeper into the temple, they came upon a massive doorway blocked by an energy barrier. Despite their best efforts, they could not find a way past.

"Hmm, Kikuu? Report, please." Eriror said, after about ten minutes of trying to force his way past the barrier.

"Well, sir. The source of the energy is a few hundred meters past this blocked doorway. We can't get past, however."

Brom spoke up. "Sir, I'm assuming that whatever's giving off the energy is creating this barrier. The structure of the temple prevents teleportation into and out of the building, at least while that barrier is up. We're standing in between that thing and its only exit. I suggest we wait for it to get done, and then make sure it doesn't leave, since we can't do anything right now, anyway."

"Well, sounds like a good plan. Ayame, do you have anything to add?"

"The bad feeling is strongest that way, past the barrier. And Uncle X and Mr. Sage are there too! We have to try and help them, but we can't with that barrier up. I guess there's not much we can do at this point. I hope they're ok."

Sage, huh? I didn't know he was here. Oh well, maybe I'll luck out and he'll get killed... Eriror thought.

"Very well. We'll wait until the barrier drops, then kill whatever's inside. Take your positions, people."

Standing in the middle of the room, glowing with divine energy, the being known as "Zionus" was an intimidating prescence.

" So, which of you dare to face me? X, I have a score to settle with you, but I like to leave the best for last. So, who's first? "

Megatron, deciding to take the insane demi-god up on his challenge, stepped forward. "Bring it, glow boy! What're you gonna do, bad anime-quote me to death?" His quip was answered by a searing beam of light that shot from Zionus' suddenly outstretched palm. The beam pulsed for a second as it hit Megatron's arm.

When it subsided, only a smoking bundle of wires was left at the place where his right arm would have been. "Aaugghh!," he cried out. Although he was physically incapable of feeling 'pain', his sensors detected the sheer amount of power required to vaporize his arm. With the utter lack of effort it seemed to take Zio to turn him into an amputee, he assumed that he was in major trouble.

Observing this spectacle, the rest of the group stood, shocked, briefly immobilized in awe. Seconds later, their brains kicked in, and they scattered, Sage hurriedly casting Shifta and Deband as they spread out to make a smaller target.

Megatron simply stood, giving a decent approximation of an android's shocked stare. This was a serious tactical error on his part, because the second beam Zionus cast at him knocked him flat. This beam had less cutting power behind it, but a lot more force. His scrambled sensors briefly registered the amount of force as enough to flatten a mountain, before his auto-repair subroutines shut him down for emergency repair. He managed to get out a muttered "Sage, kick his ass!" before he lapsed into the android version of a coma.

Thirty seconds into the fight, and already a member of the team was down. Why do I always end up getting my people hurt and killed? Sage wondered, as he tried to telepathically probe Zionus. Hopefully, he could shut down his brain and end this fight quickly, before anyone else got hurt. From what he'd heard, Zio was a powerful wizard, and had given X a lot of trouble during Neifirst's rebellion. He seemed to have gotten even stronger since...

The sheer power he felt as his mind met Zionus' was stunning. It was like touching the surface of the sun. As he broke the link, Zionus just laughed evilly. He shouldn't have been able to detect that. Oh no, what are we up against?! He slammed shut his mental defenses, and began working on keeping himself protected against more traditional forms of attack.

Lucca was amazed. In thirty seconds, Megatron had been taken out. Hoping against hope that her, Sage and her idol, X could take this thing down, she readied her Red Scorpio photon launcher, and fired off a blast. It hit Zionus full on, with no effect. He laughed, and blasted her gun into slag, curiously leaving her unharmed. She shrieked in terror, unable to stop herself.

Don't worry my little pet; I'll play with you later. I just wanted to get rid of that dangerous gun before you hurt yourself.

Hmph, X... it seems as if your new friends are no match for me. Would you like to try? Hahahahaha!!!

X, hurriedly doging the balls of energy Zionus was rapidly casting at him, began to get a little worried. He's not really trying. I wonder why... Is he that powerful? I had trouble taking him down last time, and that was with competent help. This time may be a bit more complicated...

Zionus, being unable to hit X because of his incredible speed, decided to change tactics. Blasting at him wasn't working, so he opted to melee instead. Descending from his hovering position, he formed a fraction of his new divine power into a blade of pure light that streamed from his hand.

"Well, you insignificant little gnat. Let's try this your way, since you're afraid to try and attack me"

'Insignificant gnat, huh? He's getting overconfident. It's like he wants to die. Oh, well... far be it from me to deny him a trip to the reaper..."Alright Zio, let's go. You seem to have forgotten the ass-kicking I gave you last time, so let me refresh your memory!" he yelled, as he drew his katana and leaped at Zionus in a perfectly timed slash. The beam of light caught the katana, and a few blows were rapidly exchanged, with neither combatant gaining the upper hand.

Watching the furious display of swordsmanship that had erupted, Sage and Lucca were transfixed. Seeing firsthand the awesome skill that had earned X the title of 'Legend' was amazing. Even with X's superior skill, Zionus seemed to be holding his own. They knew that a fraction of a second's mistiming on X's part could lead to his downfall. Evidence of this was scattered around the room, as Zionus' light blade cleaved walls and chunks of debris far more often than it came close to X's blade. With the ease of which it slashed through them, it was easy to see what it could do to X. The mythical Orichi-Agito that X wielded seemed to be immune to its effects, as it deflected the blade time after time with no ill effects.

So, they decided to prevent that. Lucca drew her mechguns, and began blasting away at the pissed-off demigod, as Sage tried in vain to help Megatron. Sprinting over to his fallen comrade, Sage cast a Reverser technique that had no effect. When Resta and Trimates both failed next, he realized that it was pointless. He would have to let Megatron heal on his own, and try to give him the time to. As he realized this, a voice spoke inside his head...

Wise one, this battle cannot be won at the present time. Trying will only make you lose more than is gained. To defeat Zionus, you must sever his connection to the Great Light. Doing this is impossible without the ability to survive his power. Come to Dezolis, and gain the knowledge and power to do this. We beseech you! Take up the mantle of Lutz, and destroy this usurper of the Great Light's divine power! A gate shall be opened soon... you must go through it, no matter what the cost. Good luck.

Sage stood stunned for a second, wondering where that voice had come from. The battle raged on in front of him, but his thoughts were elsewhere, trying to reestablish contact with the mysterious, yet comforting presence he had just felt.

Sage decided to stop gawking, and drew his guns as well, pouring a furious volley of fire onto Zionus. Lucca's shots were often going awry, but the sheer volume was overwhelming. This, combined with X's furious assault, and Sage's telekinetically guided bullets, soon began to take a heavy toll.

As the hunters gained the upper hand, Zionus began to get frustrated. Why can I not defeat them? I'm a god! I'll destroy them all!!!

A split-second later, when Zionus went to dodge a blast from Sage, X leaped into the air, coming down on him with a icy stab. "Hyouretsuzan!", he yelled as he descended with a terrific force. Trying to block this, he was tagged by a stream of Lucca's bullets, and screamed in a mixture of rage and frustration.

"Die, you pathetic maggots! This farce ends now!!!"

Dispelling his blade, he raised both hands, causing a barrier of solid energy to spring up around him, knocking X back. Surrounded by his barrier, he began to gather power, screaming with rage all the while.

With his attention focused on gathering power for his blast, he was unable to keep up the interference barrier that was blocking telepathic transmissions out. Sage, sensing a familiar presence, called out to Ayame. "Ayame, it's Sage.'

"Sage?! What's going on? Are you and Uncle X okay?"

"Yes, for now. Zionus is gathering power for a massive attack. The barrier he has up will likely drop. I'm going to shield us against the attack, but I can only pull it off once, likely. You need to teleport in when the barrier drops."

"Okay, I'll try. Be careful!"

"Heh, okay. Thank you, and good luck. We need you..."

By this time, Zionus had gathered enough energy. He released it mere heartbeats after Sage had surrounded himself, X, Lucca and Megatron in a powerful telekinetic barrier. The force of the blast filled the room, expanding in a dome of destruction similar to a Rafoie technique.

Shielding against the blast took almost everything he had, and he slumped to the floor, spent and breathing heavily as Zionus screamed his rage.

WHY WON'T YOU JUST DIE ALREADY!!!!!

With this, what was left of Zionus' "sanity" completely snapped. He was a god, and these insects were impeding his path to glory. As X leaped at him in another furious slash, he simply raised his hands and unleashed a wave of energy, warping the fabric of space and time around the airborne hero. When the light subsided, only his katanas were left...

No! Damn, I've failed again... X... Sage, reeling with exhaustion and pain, fell to the floor. Unfortunately for him, this was the time that Zionus chose to assault him.

Die, little telepath! Focusing his energy, he fired an entirely different kind of beam than the one he shot at X. This, instead of his dimension-warping beam, was more akin to the piercing laser he'd used to amputate Megatron's arm, yet infinitely more powerful. When it was intersected by a hurtling one-armed android, it only served to enrage him even more.

"Sage, run!" Megatron managed, as the beam meant for Sage obliterated him.

All that was left of the android was a small pile of parts and some assorted circuits when Zionus finished venting his rage...

Back at the sensor center:

"Sir, I've just picked up a massive surge of energy, followed by a teleportation signature out of the temple."

"Is the energy source still there?"

"Yes, it's like someone was teleported out of the ruins by the entity."

"Keep me appraised. We can't inform Commander Eriror, because our communications are unable to reach him. Let's hope nothing is going wrong.'

As Ayame teleported into the room, unnoticed by all, the first thing she saw was X disappearing in a flash of light. Stunned as she was by this, she was even more shocked when the shiny silver guy tried to kill Sage. Seeing the robot sacrifice himself to save Mr. Sage was the last straw, however.

Raising her Summit Moon, she cast a massive fireball at Zionus' unprotected back. It hit him squarely, as his attention was elsewhere, and winded him. Ayame proceeded to follow up with every technique she had, blinded by rage as she poured arcane destruction onto him.

"You big meanie!! Why'd you have to hurt Uncle X?!!? I'll make you pay!!!" Sobbing with rage and anguish, she loosed her full power, attempting to blast him into oblivion.

Surprised by Ayame's sudden, fierce attack; and drained from the energy he'd been putting out, Zionus decided to make a strategic retreat. He had plans to take care of, and needed to gather his strength for the next stage of his plan. With but a word, he vanished, teleporting away to parts unkown.

Ayame, seeing her prey escaping, decided to follow. Focusing on the energy he was putting out, she attempted to teleport to where he was. "Hinas!', and she was gone.

With Ayame's routing of Zionus, Lucca and Sage were able to take stock of the situation. X was gone, vaporized or something. Megatron was a pile of parts, and both Sage and Lucca were exhausted. Not only that, but they had found what was in the ruins, but failed to contain it.

"Lucca."

"Yeah, Sage?" she said, as she slowly walked over to him.

"See if you can salvage Megatron. I've got something to take care of.

With those words, a woman garbed in white, with a veil covering all of her face but a pair of piercing blue eyes appeared from thin air.

"I am Lissandra. I shall heal you." With a single cast of her super-Resta, both Sage and Lucca's wounds were healed, their exhaustion lifted. "The android is too far gone, I'm afraid. However, his memories can be saved."

"Who are you?" Lucca asked, with a hint of suspicion in her voice.

"Ask your friend. I spoke to him earlier. He knows my intentions..."

"Lucca, she's here to help. I'm not reading any deception from her."

"Yes. I come from Dezolis, the bastion of hope against the Darkness. I can help you defeat Zionus, if you are willing to accompany me."

"Ok, lady, I'll go. We were powerless against him, anyway. I'm tired of my failure costing people's lives. He must pay." Sage said, as he stepped closer to her. "Lucca, take Megatron to a man named Dante. He can tell you what to do. Then, get in contact with Labyrinth at the Guild. He can come up with a plan."

"But Sage, how are we supposed to fight a god? He's invincible..."

"I'm going to find out. Hold out here until I get back. And tell Dante what happened, he can help you."

"Lucca, good luck. I shall help Sage to the best of my ability, and then we will return to aid you. Be strong, young one. There will be trying times ahead for you..."
Sage and Lissandra stepped through the portal, and vanished. As they left, Lucca heard a voice in her head. Lucca, the gate will stay open for a few minutes. Try to keep anyone from going through it. May your journey be successful.

As Lucca walked over to Megatron, attempting to salvage what she could, Eriror, Brom and Kikuu walked through the door.

"What happened here, soldier?"

Lucca, snapping immediately to attention, replied: "The entity that appeared when we were sent to investigate the ruins, which is known as Zionus, destroyed both X and Megatron, then was driven off by a Force. Sage disappeared through that portal with someone who said they could help stop Zionus." Lucca realized as she said this that mentioning Sage's name had been a mistake. From what she had picked up, the commander hated Sage.

"Brom, I want you to follow him and report. I don't know where this portal leads, but in recognition of this service to me, I'll consider your part of our 'deal' completed upon your return. You will receive your reward when you return, regardless of the six months left on our contract. Good luck, soldier."

"Yes, sir." Brom stepped through the teleporter, over Lucca's intense protests. He vanished, and seconds later the portal closed.

"Sir, no one was supposed to follow. Extra passengers may have destabilized the portal. I feel that action was inadvisable and dangerous." "Sir", she added hastily.

"Lucca, you have been a good subordinate. But Sage is not to be trusted. I'll take your comments under advisement, and because of the ordeal you've suffered I won't write you up for the insubordination you just blatantly displayed. I'll expect you to report to headquarters tomorrow morning. Get some rest, soldier."

"Kikuu, gather up the parts of that droid for analysis. We're leaving." Eriror then created a telepipe, and prepared to step through. When Kikuu joined him with Megatron's remains, they departed.

Lucky for me, I've got his control chip. I need to find that Dante guy. The commander isn't taking this seriously enough. He's powerful, but so is X, and Zionus flattened him. I'm worried. Shaking off her doubts, she telepiped out of the temple.

Lucca telepiped back to Pioneer II, looked up Dante, and went to his living quarters. The door was answered by a tall, thin man with dark hair, the build of a retired hunter, and a large bionic right arm.

"Hello, are you Dante? Sage sent me. I'm Lucca, and this (indicating the memory chip she held) is all that's left of Megatron."

"Yeah, I know. I have a telepathic link with Sage. He explained what happened right before he left. I hear you guys got your asses kicked. Hmph, he shouldn't have gone without me."

"Yeah, it was pretty bad. We were lucky to make it back alive. Look, the military has most of Megatron's parts. This is all I could grab. "

"Heh, that's ok. The part you grabbed is his memory bank, and that's what makes him special. The rest of the parts are slag compared to this. Would you like to come inside?"

"No, thank you. I'm exhausted, and I have to make a report tomorrow. Good night." With that, she turned and walked off.

"Thanks for saving him. And for watching out for Sage. I'm impressed. Good luck tomorrow."

"Thank you."

I'm probably going to need it...

Hmm... she's a cutie. I wonder where Sage picked her up. She seems a little uptight, but... never mind. Now to see what I can do about Megatron. Dante wandered back inside, and set about trying to salvage his greatest creation.

The next day, Lucca trudged to headquarters to give her report. After debunking everything she said, condemning her for letting Zionus escape, belittling her for believing Sage and temporarily suspending her, she was allowed to leave. As she walked out of the tribunal's room, Eriror approached her.

"Lucca, I'm sorry about that. The suspension is for your own good, however. Sage is a psychic, and he can sway people's perceptions. With that, and the ordeal you just went through, you need a while to get your head straight."

"Sage isn't a criminal! If it wasn't for him, we would've all died!"

"As opposed to two of you dying? It seems as if he didn't try to stop that."

"Commander, why do you hate him so much? What did he ever do? He has a spotless record of hunting, and earned some high accolades."

"We have... history together. We crossed paths many times, and have a pattern of conflict. I can't believe that he wasn't acting in his best interests at the cost of others'."

"Thank you for the information, commander."

"Oh, and we gleaned all the information we could out of what was left of the android. Should we dispose of the remnants?"

"Sure, go ahead. It doesn't matter to me, I'm not his owner."

"He was emancipated. What would be a fitting burial for him, since you knew him?"

"Probably space disposal. I'm not really sure."

"Very well, then. Get some rest, Lucca."

"Thank you, sir. I'll keep in touch."

The interior of the Hunter's Guild, later that day:

Labyrinth is looking up the report on the computer, wondering how best to approach the situation. With the lack of hunters, his job doesn't seem that important. However, the new threat of Zionus seems fit to put the Guild back in business. Turning from the computer screen, he is surprised as his sensors pick up a massive surge of energy.

"Greetings. What business do you have with the guild? We serve to enrich the lives of Hunters..."

"My business, droid, is with the world. I need to 'borrow' your broadcasting equipment. Thank you for your time. Now, die!

Zionus fired the same blast at Labyrinth that he fired at Megatron, but this time it had drastically different results.

Although he did not "know" it consciously, Labyrinth was originally intended by his designers to be the ultimate combat model. With the dying off of the hunting trade, and the mass exodus to Vanadile, those subroutines were simply buried. Under extreme provocation, however... they could be reactivated.

Reacting faster than a human could see, Labyrinth had raised his hands to deflect the blast before he even knew what he was doing. The beam-reflective coating on his body absorbed the beam, shunting it to his servos, having an effect akin to Shifta. Long-unused combat programs sprang to life, and he leaped at Zionus bare handed, hitting him with a punch that sent him reeling.

What are you? Zionus asked, as he slowly drew himself to his feet. The blast of energy he was preparing was unneeded, however, as Labyrinth's anti-violence subroutines shut him down.

Labyrinth's combat abilities had been blocked, and barring a reboot and reprogramming, he was unable to use his combat potential without shutting down, as a safeguard against hurting humans. Zionus looked human, so he was included in the "no-violence" parameters.

Double-checking to see that the droid wasn't moving, he proceeded to do what he came for.

Tapping into the system, he began to speak:

People of Ragol! I am Zionus, the avatar of the Great Light. I have been sent to purge this system of the unclean. All who join me will be spared, all who oppose me will die. Come, and join in the new golden age by giving your souls to me. Refuse, and be cleansed in the flames of divine wrath!

As a red-robed figure lounged in a chair, flipping through channels aimlessly, his programming was interrupted by a message. Gah! Not another one of these damnable public service announcements... He was drastically mistaken, which he soon found out when he observed Zionus' tirade.

People of Ragol! I am Zionus, the avatar of the Great Light. I have been sent to purge this system of the unclean. All who join me will be spared, all who oppose me will die. Come, and join in the new golden age by giving your souls to me. Refuse, and be cleansed in the flames of divine wrath!

"Umm... Kiara? I think you might want to come see this. Some nut job's on the screen. I think he might be one of those televangelists."

The blond-newman female in the black outfit turned from her indoor practice ring. Sheathing her twin Kamuis, she fixed her green-eyed gaze upon the screen.

"Hmm... this looks serious. We might want to go get Nova. Axios, you wanna do it? You know how he hates being interrupted when he's training..."

"Sure, Kiara. Just make sure that if televangelist boy here says something cool, I hear about it. I'll be right back."

The red-haired Fomar stood, stretched lazily, then left to find his partner.

Outside, a row of target firing machines was set up. A black-garbed, dark-haired Ramar hit a switch with his back to where the targets would go. Waiting a half second, he whirled, drew his mechguns and began firing. Seconds later, all of the targets had been broken by a hail of Yasminkov bullets. At ranges that would be unheard of on a good sniper rifle.

"Why do you keep practicing, Nova? You're already the best shot on the planet."

"If I dont' keep practicing, I won't be the best. Besides, I like shooting stuff. With no jobs around lately, that particular itch hasn't been scratched in a while...'

"Well, speaking of jobs, some nutcase is on the screen talking about 'world domination', and 'cleansing of the unclean.' I think it may be related to the ruins incident the other day. We might even be able to finagle our way into a government contract for this one. I heard X got taken out..."

"Yeah, sounds like the Dreamchasers' kind of thing. Let's go check it out."

The group of hunters settled around their viewscreen, as transfixed by the spectacle unfolding as everyone else.

On the screen:

To prove my omnipotence, I shall bring back an infamous killer. He was thought slain by your precious "hero" X, but then again, who wasn't? I present to you...

As Zionus says this, the viewpoint zooms out to a glowing circle on the floor. Arcane chanting can be heard, and a blinding portal seems to open inside the circle. A slender human with dark hair steps out, garbed in red and black with a huge nodachi sheathed on his back. Turning to face the camera is the frightening visage of X, but with cool blue eyes instead of his normal warm green.

the legendary hunter, Zero!!!

Leah, watching at home, does a spit-take with her tea. Here she had been, not hearing anything from X even after coming home from work ... and his dark side reemerges. Before she knew what was happening, she was sobbing uncontrollably. I think it's the end of the world. If Zero's back, then everything we worked for, all the peace and prosperity is gone. X, where are you...?

In the Military High Command, Eriror is watching the viewscreen with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Kikuu, we're leaving. Now's our chance!" They hurried to the transporter, hoping to catch their quarry before he left again.

Dante, watching on the screen, put in a call to Lucca. "Isn't your android friend at the Guild?"

"Yeah, Labyrinth is there. Do you think he's alive?"

"If it's the same Labyrinth I'm thinking of, yeah. He's a top of the line combat model, and damn-near indestructible. He just doesn't know it..."

"Could we download Megatron's memory into him?"

"Yeah, but that's highly illegal. Does little Ms. Military want to go lawbreaking?"

"I'm suspended, and yes. He would be extremely helpful."

"Alright then, I'll meet you there. Let's hope Zionus leaves soon..."

Meanwhile, Eriror and Kikuu were halfway to the Hunter's Guild. Unfortunately for them, as soon as Zionus made his announcement and stole some equipment, he left. "Dammit, we're too slow."

"Sir, what should we do with the droid? He's a Omega-class..."

"Leave him. HQ has tracked Zionus. We're going to end his little rampage today. We can worry about a decommissioned secretary droid later."

They left hastily, in hot pursuit of Zionus. About ten minutes later, Lucca and Dante showed up.

"Wow, he really trashed the place. Let's go."

"Dante, help me he's rather heavy."

"Okay, ok. I'm gonna warp us directly back to my house with him."to his communicator "Jessie, hon... could you warp us back, now?"

from the communicator, a voice is heard "Yeah, sure. Hold on a sec.... energizing."

With that, they warped to Dante's workshop. "Lucca, this is my wife, Jessie. Jessie, this is a friend of Sage's."

"Nice to meet you. Are you going to be working in the lab again?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm downloading Megatron's memory into this bot, and doing some maintenance."

"Alright, have fun. But remember, it's your turn to watch the kids tomorrow."

"Okay, ok. I won't forget..."

After Jessie left, they set up Labyrinth and began to work. Several hours later, they had removed the anti-violence subroutines, rebooted his original personality, and released the locks on his weapons.

"Why didn't they let this guy loose before? He's a freakin' killing machine!! Nearly impenetrable armor that absorbs energy, kinetic or otherwise. A marksmanship ability that's better than most human masters. Superior strenght, better than most Hucast's. Triple-redundant repair and anti-virus systems. He even has a beam cannon in his chest! He's wonderful!!! And with Megatron's memories, he'll be sure to have a bone to pick with Zionus. Let's activate him..."

"Hello, master and mistress. What is your command?"

mumbling, then a flipped switch "Keep away the smileys! They are the devil!!!"

Another flipped switch "Lucca, Dante. Thank you for rebuilding me. Do we have a plan to stop Zionus, or what?"

Lucca & Dante sighed their relief. Finally, he was done.

"No Labyrinth, not yet. Sage is working on it."

"Very well."

"You know, Lab... you've got so much hardware built into you, we outta call you Labyrinth Tank...." Dante said.

"No, just no. I like Labyrinth. Thank you for your unneeded opinion, however."

Lucca heaved a sigh, and stretched. "Ah, this is going to be interesting. I'm going home and going to bed. Good night, guys. "

Standing outside Dante's house, she stared up at the stars, wondering where Sage had gone to and why she found herself caring so much....