Author: I'm back. I haven't update recently because of getting settled into a new house. I read the reviews I have been getting, and I must say I'm inspired to give this story my personal best. Of course, problems about splitting up chapters were due to the horrendously slow connection I had. Now, I have Dick Sucking Lips (DSL. Old joke from middle school) to speed up my Internet connection. Enough about me, here is the next chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from MMZ. Those rights belong to Capcom. Any created characters such as Dex, Max, Sam, and others are my own.
The Iris of her Eyes
"Oh my..." Ciel covered her mouth, appalled by what she saw.
They finally managed to get into Reploforce's plans with the help of Zero and Dex. After Zero had gone into the Internet and deleted the Phantom virus, the file was assessable. However, when the file was opened, the plans were more horrific and perilous than any of them thought. The plans were blueprints of a type of weapon. It resembled a space colony on the outside, but the bottom of the "colony" had a large cannon facing Earth. The size of the colony was that bigger than the Sky Lagoon and Eurasia (A/N: Spell check, please.) combined.
"Crap, that is big." Dex fixed his specs.
Zero wrinkled his brow and looked a bit closer at the screen. The design of the weapon looked similar to something long ago. There were amplifiers opened up around the barrel of the cannon, and the entire "colony" had a purple exterior.
"The Final Weapon." Zero said, tersely.
"What?" Ciel asked.
"It's the Final Weapon." Zero pointed at the title on the monitor. "Reploforce must be trying to eradicate the entire human race, so they must plan to use this to fire a shot that could destroy all organic life forms around the entire earth."
Dex looked at Zero incredulously. "That can not be true. There is not enough energy to supply all of that power. They will not be able to find a source to conduct that much energy to fire such a weapon."
Zero grabbed the mouse and scrolled down. The words "Dark Elf" appeared in large text.
"They do have one. Whether or not they found it, I don't know, but they are trying to use the Dark Elf to activate the cannon." Zero frowned.
"If they use the Dark Elf, then we are all doomed!" Tears formed in Ciel's eyes. "We have to stop them!" She grabbed Zero's arm and squeezed it. "There must be a way to stop them."
"There is."
Ciel and Zero both looked at Dex.
"How?" They both asked in unison.
"The plans suggest that they do not have all of the parts yet, including the Dark Elf. Conveniently, the plans indicate where the locations for the needed resources are. If we beat them to it, we can stop them from completing the Final Weapon." Dex folded his arms and smirked. "Simplistic."
Zero rubbed the back of his head. "So what you're saying is that you're sending me on errands."
Ciel and Dex nodded.
Zero sighed, but then he smirked. "Well then, where's the closest place?"
Dex looked at the screen. "North of here in an old rundown factory. The coordinates are listed here, so I will send them to the Operators." He turned around to tell this to Zero, but he was already gone.
Change of scene
"They got the plans?"
An unseen figure spoke in the shadows. The three silhouettes were on their knees before this figure. The tone of voice the figure had wasn't that of an angered voice, but imperturbable to anything. The silhouettes were expecting the aggravated voice. The dimly lit light bulb did not reveal the facial features of anyone's faces. The room only served as the meeting place of these figures.
The large one spoke. "One of our underlings leaked the information to Zero in the middle of the Weapons Smuggling Operation."
The figure held his hand up, as if he were trying to swat away something. "I already know that, I just wanted to know if they got the plans. One of my associates already took care of the underling."
The large silhouette bowed his head, as if a dog were accepting punishment from its master. He knew that he did not want to cross with General Omega on any terms. He knew the figure wasn't Omega, but someone working for him, as did he. He didn't know where Omega really was, but he wasn't going to question his authority.
The female silhouette spoke up after the large one. "Zero is probably after the parts of the Weapon as we speak. Allow me to stop him." She bowed her head after she spoke.
"Permission denied. One of my underlings is already after Zero. Speaking of assignments, you three should already know yours."
The three nodded and stood up. They stepped back into the shadows. After they were gone, the figure started to laugh. His voice changed from the calm, collective voice into a different voice entirely.
"Soon, Omega will be complete." The figure laughed.
Change of scene
The old factory was far from intact. Its paint dried and peeled off of the walls. The windows were shattered, cracked, or not there. Inside, there appeared to be no light or anything electronically working. As Zero stood outside of the factory, he was skeptical, thinking that there was no possible way that some part of a weapon as colossal as the Final Weapon could be in that factory. Nevertheless, he kicked the doors open.
The spaces where the windows used to be were the only sources of light. The rays from the sun shot into the factory, giving it spaces of sunlight and darkened areas. For a factory, there weren't any parts of machinery or anything inside. Zero activated his Z-saber to illuminate the darkened area around him. Surely enough, he saw a switch on the far left side of the factory. He flipped it up without hesitation.
The dim lights went on. The shelves that were supposed to have parts were cleared out. Conveyer belts that were stationary didn't have anything on them. There was nothing.
"Parts, eh? I don't see any parts." Zero crossed his arms, but something caught his glimpse. At the end of the factory (it wasn't a large building), there was a lone part, sunbathing under a spot where the sun shone. It was a sort of container, similar to the ones that held Cyber-elves, but it had an odd marking on it. Without a second thought, Zero dashed towards the part.
As he sped closer, he saw somebody lying down on the floor. The person had long brown hair. She wore a blue and red dress, and she had a beret on her head. Zero knew immediately who it was.
Change of scene
"Iris! Iris!"
Zero kneeled down to pick her up. She had badly injured after their fight. She used a dark power to try to avenge her brother, but Zero beat her. He had no choice but to. Iris slowly opened her eyes and said weakly, "Zero..."
He tried his hardest holding back the tears. Iris wasn't done speaking, however.
"Zero...please forgive me. I believed in a world where only Reploids can exist. I thought I could help build a place, so I can live there...with you."
She lifted her hand up slowly, trying to touch Zero's face. The Legendary Maverick Hunter grabbed Iris' hand.
"But it can't happen. It's only a fantasy."
Iris smiled, but her smile quickly faded and she slowly closed her eyes. Her hand felt cold in Zero's hand. Her head dropped to the side, lifeless. She was dead. Gone.
Gone forever...
Change of scene
Not again.
Zero held Iris in his arms.
I will not let this happen again!
"Iris! Iris!"
Iris slowly opened her eyes. She smiled weakly and opened her mouth to speak, but she closed it. It pained her to try to speak, but she opened her mouth again.
"Zero..."
She looked exactly the same way as she did before she died. Her face expressed sorrow, concealed by a weak, faint smile. Zero shook his head and pleaded.
"Don't die! Not again!" He lost control and tears started to flow down his face.
"Zero...kiss me..." Iris closed her eyes and tried to move her face closer to Zero's.
Zero, on the other hand, grabbed Iris' head and pulled her face closer his. He opened his mouth and kissed Iris. Now that he was reunited with his Love, he thought he would finally fill up that hole in his heart, and melt away the ice inside of him.
But it didn't.
The hole felt like it was expanding, and her lips felt cold. Zero broke apart and looked Iris in the eyes. She had the same face, but the iris of her eyes was a dull gray. He remembered that Iris had the color blue for her irises.
"Oh Zero..." She said.
Zero could feel her arm around his waist.
"Yes, Iris?" Zero asked.
Iris' eyes narrowed, and she smiled a devious smile. Her voice became maculate and the dull gray iris of her eyes glinted.
"You pathetic fool."
"Iris" had grabbed Zero's Z-saber when he wasn't paying attention and activated it. It shot out from his back and came out through his pectoral armor. It pierced through his flesh, and pierced right through his heart. He had been stabbed in the back. The pain pervaded through Zero's entire body and he cried out in pain, but he couldn't hear his own scream.
"Iris" smiled again. "Kiss me, Zero."
"Iris" pulled in Zero's face and kissed him, hard and long. As "Iris" did, her skin started to fold over and change. Her hair turned from brown to white, and her feminine body structure became a masculine structure. Zero had his eyes opened the entire time, and even in pain, he felt utterly disgusted.
The reploid broke apart from Zero and licked his lips seductively. "Mmm...you taste good, Zero." He flipped his white hair and kicked Zero into a wall. Finally, he stood upright. He wore only a black jumpsuit, but it had a hidden reflection of different colors every time light shone on it.
Reploforce Covert Operation Agent
Camo
He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe how easily he was deceived. The thought of even toying with his emotions and memories infuriated him. How dare he toys with me? With my memories? With Iris? The heat of his anger burned the pain in his body away.
Zero bolted upright and pulled out his Z-saber from his chest. Blood started flowing where the wound was, but Zero didn't care. He was pushed beyond the limits of normal anger to care. All he could see was Camo, and the blood covering the hilt of his Z-saber. He wanted that blood to be Camo's.
Camo stuck out his tongue in disgust, and swatted the air away with his hand.
"That's nasty! Ewww! You were supposed to be finished!" The playfulness in his voice sprayed oil to the fire inside Zero. He completely forgot about his mission or what he was supposed to do. He forgot about Ciel, the Resistance, and even Iris. All he wanted to do now was to kill Camo.
Despite the wound, he drew his Z-buster from its hoister and fired several shots at Camo. The white-haired reploid changed into a Pantheon Hammer and used its shield to deflect the buster shots. Zero dashed towards Camo and swung the Z-saber with full force. It didn't slice Camo, but it did slice the shield in half. Before he could react, Zero connected with a second saber slash. Thinking quickly, Camo turned into Phoenix Magnion. In that form, he teleported right before the slash could connect.
Camo reappeared behind Zero and tried to ram into him. The Blond Bomber didn't have time to react when Camo rammed him into a wall. Engulfed in flames, Camo grabbed Zero. He turned into Kuwagust Anchus and used his mandibles to crush Zero. Then he threw Zero up into the air. Camo transformed into Harpuia this time, and he held up both of his sabers in an X formation over his head.
"Thunder Strike!"
A bolt of thunder hit Zero in mid-air and shocked the Blond Bomber so badly that the bolt created an explosion when it made contact with him. As the smoke cleared, Camo turned into Copy X and charged up his buster cannon. When the smoke cleared completely, however, he didn't see Zero.
That's because Zero appeared behind Camo and struck him with a fully charged saber attack. Even though Camo could copy appearances of many different reploids, he did not have armor as effective as that. The attack snapped Camo out of his transformation and the resulting wave blew him across the factory. He was stunned, and he nearly broke his back. He coughed and wiped the blood gushing out of his nostrils and spit to the side.
Camo turned to Zero, but before he could even glance at him, the Maverick Hunter kneed him in the face, breaking his nose. Camo's head snapped back, but Zero grabbed his head before it could go anywhere. Then, with overbearing strength, he slammed Camo's face into the wall. As if that weren't enough, he dragged Camo's face along the wall, leaving a trail of missing wall chunks and blood along the factory wall.
He used both hands and threw Camo across the other side of the room. The anger in Zero was cooling off, and now he started to fatigue and feel his wound. Clutching his pectoral wound, he collapsed on the ground, trying to balance himself on one knee. The paucity of vitality was in dangerously low levels, and Zero was starting to lose his vision.
Camo stood up. Even after the punishment from Zero, he still wore a smile. The white-haired reploid wiped the blood off of his face and transformed into Copy X. Using his regenerating power, Camo healed himself substantially. He noticed Zero was getting tired, and he laughed a hearty, girlish laugh.
"Nah-nah! You're all burned out! Now time for some revenge."
Camo transformed into the Legendary Maverick Hunter himself and started to charge his saber. Zero was in no position to do anything, since his wound was wearing him down. Finally, Camo had a fully charged saber in his grasp.
"Take this!"
Camo held up the charged saber above his head. Zero couldn't even see Camo anymore. The white-haired reploid struck Zero with a charged saber attack. The attack struck through his armor and the wound. The energy from that attack blew Zero into the other side of the factory. The Legendary Maverick Hunter landed on the floor with a loud thud. He was bleeding from the mouth, and the wound got even worse.
Camo walked up to Zero and smirked.
"I would finish you off right now, but I want you to die a slow, painful death." Camo pulled out a purple beam-dagger. "Sweet dreams, Zero." Camo stabbed Zero on the other side of this chest. The dagger had a special poison function that slowly erased the target's memory, and ultimately, his data. Zero would die with nothing left. The poison wasn't terribly fast, but it would start working right from the puncture of Zero's body.
Camo laughed at Zero. "Time for me to motor!" He grabbed the part and got ready to teleport away. Just before he could, a bright light shone beside Zero. Max, and seven reploid soldiers appeared before Zero. They all aimed their weapons at Camo.
"All right you monster! Time to stop this!" Max aimed his pistol at Camo.
Camo smiled innocuously and looked to the side. "What, little ol' me? I'm just one reploid while you eight are big, strong burly reploids! What harm could I possibly do?"
"Enough! You hurt Zero, that's what!" Max pulled the trigger and fired a Revolver shot at Camo. The white-reploid easily dodged it and smirked.
"While you may be big, strong, and burly, you guys aren't that smart, are you?" Camo changed into Copy X and shot a charged blast at them. Max and the others all tried to shield themselves, but they knew it wouldn't be enough. Just before the shot could hit them, Zero got up and used his body as a shield to take the attack.
"D-damn..."Zero collapsed onto the floor, completely unconscious.
"Zero!" Max yelled.
"Hah! Oh well! Time to go." Camo activated his portable trans server and was about to retreat with the part in hand.
Thinking quickly, Max saw Zero's Z-saber beside him. He grabbed it and put the hilt inside the gun barrel of his pistol. He fired it, and the Z-saber shot out of the barrel. The saber missed Camo's chest, but it did hit his arm. It impaled his arm, which came off, and the part rolled away to the side.
"No!" Camo tried to grab the part (using his other arm), but he teleported because he activated his portable trans server.
The reploid soldiers went to grab the part, but Max picked up Zero.
"Come on guys! We need to get Zero back to base!" Max and the soldiers teleported back to base with the part and Zero.
Change of scene
"Zero..." Ciel held Zero's hand. When Max and the others brought Zero back to the base, he was knocked out. In fact, he was in a coma. The poison function was taking place, and Cerveau tried everything he can to reverse it. They couldn't keep up with the poison, but they bought him some time, giving him a momentary vaccine. However, it would wear off soon, and Zero was still in the coma. In the Maintenance Room, Max, Alouette, and Ciel stood next to Zero's capsule. The fallen Maverick Hunter slept in the capsule as the vaccine took its effects. The others only watched as Zero slept.
"I should have been there...I could have done something!" Max punched the wall.
Ciel smiled weakly at Max. "But you did do something, Max. You made sure Reploforce didn't get the part, and you also saved Zero from being left there."
Max frowned at Ciel. "Saved him? I didn't save him! He's dieing as we speak! Damn it!" The hothead reploid stormed out of the room.
Ciel sighed. "Oh Zero, please wake up. Don't you see we are a mess without you? Don't you see I'm a mess without you?"
Alouette held her stuffed animal closely. "Don't worry, Zero will wake up! He's too strong to just fall asleep like that! Just you watch!"
I hope so...Ciel rubbed the glass on Zero's capsule. What happened back there, Zero? Did something bad happen?
Indeed, something bad had happened back in that factory. Now all Zero could do was search himself before the coma finishes him.
Change of scene
That scene. That terrible scene. All Zero could do was just watch. Watch that terrible scene play in his mind, over and over again.
He stood watching his memories. All he could do was watch. He just watched himself fighting Iris. He watched himself pick her up. He watched her die. Before his eyes, she died. Again. And again. That scene played over and over like a broken film, staying on one scene.
Zero couldn't speak. He couldn't move. All he could do was watch and listen. Stand there, powerless to change anything. No one can change the past. The powerless Maverick Hunter wanted to die right there. He was about to let his body be taken over by the poison function. It was better than being in stasis, because that way no one can wake you up. He wanted to join Iris.
A large hole appeared under his feet. He was falling into the abyss. He was about to be defeated. He was about to be erased from existence. He fell down.
Down.
Down.
Goodbye Ciel, and the Resistance. Goodbye X, I'm so sorry. Let me die with the dignity I have left.
"When you die, you don't have dignity."
Zero stopped falling. The scene changed to the conversation with Harpuia after the fight they had. He felt his own voice speaking to him, as if he was in Harpuia's position.
The scene quickly changed to the fight he had with Leviathan a while ago. She swam through the water with grace and levity. Her little swim was interrupted by Zero's charged saber attack. She felt to the bottom of the room. In defeat, she laughed as if she had won.
"Zero, you strength drives me crazy. I always enjoy the battles we have together." Her look softened. "Zero. Don't die before I could defeat you."
The scene then changed to Fefnir's fight with Zero. The fiery-red reploid shot several Blast Shots at Zero, but he quickly evaded all of them. Then with a tremendous leap, the Legendary Maverick Hunter jumped over Fefnir and struck him with a charged saber attack. Fefnir fell to his knees, but he laughed.
"Man, this is too fun! One day, I'll beat you, Zero! Don't you dare die before then, you hear me?"
A bright light blinded Zero. When he opened his eyes, he found himself watching the memory of himself, reawakening. Ciel was hiding behind Zero. It was when Ciel had reawakened Zero.
"Zero...please protect me." Ciel held onto Zero.
"Alright." The Zero beside Ciel held up his Z-buster.
That's right. Ciel woke me up so I could help her with the war. So far, it's been a worthless effort. Zero watched himself lead Ciel through the Pantheon guards, destroying each one that crossed his path.
Why did it seem so easy back then? Why did I have no trouble fighting? I know. I didn't remember my horrible past back then. Yet, I still don't know everything now. I thought I could help Ciel. I thought I could make the same difference back then. I guess I am too old for this.
"Zero..." The Dark Elf hovered above him.
The scene was changed to the part where Zero met the Dark Elf, shortly after his fight with Elpizo.
"Dark...Elf?" He watched himself talk to the Dark Elf in his memories.
The Dark Elf, however, surprisingly turned to the Zero who was watching. He thought they were just memories, so how can they see him? The Dark Elf hovered closer to Zero, as if she were trying to say something.
"Zero...I want you to be happy, too." The Dark Elf slowly smiled.
Now he could finally speak. "What? What do you mean?"
He didn't get an answer, because everything around him turned into a bright white. All he could see now was vast emptiness.
"Wait! Dark Elf!" He neither saw nor heard nothing. He was alone. He felt erased already.
"All my memories...gone? No! I don't want to throw them away! I want to stay here, where I can hurt no one! I won't cause any problems here!"
"You will cause problems if you are here, Zero."
Zero turned around to see who said that. When he turned, it turned out to be Passy, the Cyber-elf that Ciel used to reawaken him.
"Passy? I thought you were..."
"Zero, when Cyber-elves are used, they are usually found inside the body of the user. I never left, Zero, but I saw everything you did and read every thought you had. Zero, you have to wake up."
Zero covered his ears with his hands. "No! I don't want to wake up! I'll never wake up!"
Kelon appeared before him. "Come on, Zero! I didn't give you higher jumps for nothing, you know! Wake up! Fulfill your purpose as well!"
Jettah also appeared. "Zero, you are a speed demon thanks to me! Now come on! Wake up and pump those legs!"
The four Bomb elves hovered over Zero. "Come on, Zero! Time to go Super Zero 4!"
Grandie also hovered beside Zero. "Please Zero, wake up. Ciel needs you."
Then all of the Cyber-elves Zero had used appeared before him, each one urging him to wake up.
"Zero, you have to wake up and help Ciel! She needs you!" Passy said. The other Cyber-elves nodded in agreement.
"Even if I do wake up, she'll end up dead, just like Iris! It's better if I just stay put, and be erased from existence." Zero sulked.
"Zero. If you don't wake up now, the war will take its toll on everyone." It was X in his Cyber-elf form.
"What do you mean, X?" Zero asked.
"What I mean is that if you don't wake up now, the Resistance will be completely taken over, and all humans and reploids are doomed. The tragedy of the Elf Wars will be repeated, and this time everything will be completely wiped out. The armies in this war are being prepared as we speak, Zero. As we speak, as these Cyber-elves urge you, as you sulk in your own past, the armies are fast approaching. Zero. You have to help the Resistance stop this war. Right now!"
The sounds of marching rang through Zero's ears. He heard the sounds of soldiers fighting, and reploids dieing. He could feel the cold lifelessness around his body after the war. It was the same feeling he had before. Loneliness.
Zero scoffed and turned away. "And what could I do? Everything will end in tragedy anyways. I let Iris die, and I'll end up letting Ciel and the Resistance die as well if I wake up. I'll screw everything up!"
X hovered closer to Zero. "Do you remember what happened after Iris' death?"
"What?"
"I said, do you remember what you did after Iris had died?"
X didn't wait for an answer.
"You kept fighting, Zero. You didn't just give up after you couldn't save one person. You knew that other lives had to be saved. You helped me defeat Sigma countless times. You kept going. You didn't give up, Zero."
The scene changed, and Zero watched himself fight Sigma, Dynamo, High Max, and others that he had fought after Iris had died. He saw that he had a determined look on his face. He knew that Iris would tell him the same thing the Cyber-elves and X were trying to tell him. Don't give up.
Zero smirked. It was the same expression he always wore to battles back in the day. X and the other Cyber-elves were relieved.
"You're right, X. I shouldn't give up now. Too many lives are depending on me."
The white light grew brighter around them.
"Zero. Remember the past, live in the present, and dream of the future."
The white light blinded Zero.
Change of scene
"Zero's awake! Zero's awake!" Alouette jumped up and down, tossing her stuffed animal in the air and catching it. Ciel looked at Zero's capsule as saw that he was awake. Zero, realizing he was in a capsule, punched the glass and crawled out of the capsule. He stood upright.
"Hey."
Alouette jumped up and down. Ciel went up to Zero and hugged him tightly. She was crying tears of joy.
"Oh Zero...you're awake! Thank Goodness you're awake!"
"Good to be awake, Ciel."
Cerveau walked into the room. "Zero! You're finally awake! I don't know how you erased the effects of the poison, but it's good that you're..." He shrieked.
Zero looked behind him and noticed that he broke Cerveau's capsule. He looked at Cerveau innocently.
"Uh...oops?"
Cerveau frowned, but he had more important things to do. "Zero, the Operators want you to report to the Operations Room! There's something you have to see!"
Zero dashed out of the room and to the Operations Room. He broke down the doors because they didn't slide open fast enough. When he was in the Operations Room, he faced the Operators.
"What's the problem?" Zero crossed his arms.
The Operators were very relieved that Zero woke up, but professionally didn't show it and briefed Zero.
"The camera outside of the base caught someone very interesting. He's waiting at the front gate as we speak."
They turned on the camera screen. The interesting "someone" was Harpuia, waiting outside of the Resistance. He held Leviathan on his shoulders and used his other arm to hold Fefnir. Both of them looked pretty beat up, and were unconscious. The Emerald Guardian noticed the camera and looked straight into it. He spoke to it as well.
"Zero, we need to talk."
End of Chapter
Author: Well, that's it. Personally, this chapter was one of my shorter ones, because this wasn't meant to be a pure "Boss Battle" chapter. This chapter is one that moves the story forward. The story is reaching its climax soon, and the war will finally be decided. I finished MMZ3, so now I know what changes to the story I have to make. The next coming chapters will be much more action-packed (perhaps the one after the next). Please read and review!