Note: Hello everyone! The final chapter before my brief hiatus is here! Given that I've been building up to this moment, I hope it's enjoyable for you all to read! FoxMcCloude/BlueReaver has also said that this would be beneficial for him as it'd give him more time to translate what I've already got done.

Thanks again for that, and thanks to everyone for reading!

The battle coming up is based on the boss fight in Mega Man X 2 should you fail to recover a certain Reploid's parts. Unfortunately, I can't say his name yet as it hasn't been officially stated in the story either.

With that said, I hope you enjoy it!

Blue vs. Red

The world outside the structure's door was still and calm, but the minds of the two Hunters waiting outside were in complete chaos. The Commander had been inside for nearly an hour now, yet there was still no sign of him.

"I can't stand it anymore!" Glenn cried out, turning around. "We've got to get help!" But before he could go anywhere, his fellow Maverick Hunter seized him by the wrist.

"Don't even think about it!" Ray told Glenn. "The Commander told us not to let anyone get involved!"

"And does that mean we just leave him to die?!" Glenn argued back. "He's been gone way too long, and who knows what that Maverick's done to him!"

"You're talking about the Commander here!" Ray retorted. "He can handle anything! And why are you so sure that he's in trouble?"

Glenn was quiet for a short while before speaking again. "You saw what that guy did to Gamma. To all of our friends," he said. "I'm not going to let that happen to the Commander!" He jerked his hand free from Ray and ran, leaving Ray alone in the vast, barren wilderness. "Commander..." Glenn said aloud, going as fast as his legs could carry him. And even if he could far exceed the speed of a human, he was afraid not even that would be fast enough.

And if the Commander fell, they would all be doomed.

Dig Site

He should be there. It killed him not to be, but each time X thought he had worked up the courage, he was reminded of the elderly human he was guarding. X had been nothing but pacing back and forth all over the site and had stayed up all night, unable to even think of sleep. And while he had urged the older man to do so, Dr. Cain couldn't sleep either, staying up with the blue Reploid. Yet now, it was clear that exhaustion was catching up with the human, his eyes drooping and head bobbing when sleep nearly overtook him.

"You need to get back in the tent and rest," X told Cain, feeling very much like Roll. "Staying up for this long isn't good for you."

"Yes, I know," Dr. Cain replied. He then placed a hand on X's blue shoulder. "Sigma is with them. There's nothing to worry about."

X looked down at the ground. He wished he could believe that his sister would be returned safe and sound, and the one who took her put in cuffs. However, the leader of the Maverick Hunters, now being involved in Roll's rescue, didn't comfort him much. There were still so many details about this Red Maverick that he didn't know, and he still believed there was more than what Ray, Glenn, and even Sigma had told him. And this only compounded his already intense anxiety.

"Hey! Help!" a voice from afar cried out, immediately drawing the blue Reploid's attention. To his shock, he saw Glenn sprinting towards them, clearly panicked. He then stopped, his vents going to work in cooling his systems. "H-Help. You've gotta...help me." Glenn wheezed.

"Whoa there, slow down." Dr. Cain told the Hunter, going over to him. "What's going on? What do you need help for?"

"Where's Roll?" X interjected. "Where is she? Did you see her? Is she hurt? Why isn't she with you?"

"I don't know," Glenn confessed. "But I don't think she's the only one in trouble."

"What do you mean?" Dr. Cain questioned. "Is your partner all right? Is Sigma all right?"

"I don't know!" Glenn shouted. "I don't know! Ray won't admit it, but I think something happened in there! I think," he then paused for a moment. "I think he might be in danger."

Danger? What kind of danger? Better yet, what could pose a threat against Sigma? He was constructed with the most advanced systems and skills in combat! How could someone such as him be in danger? Better yet, judging from Glenn's trembling, in grave danger?

Suddenly, both human and Reploid heard someone they didn't expect to speak. "You're Glenn, right?" X asked; Glenn nodded in response. "All right," X continued. "Which way did that Maverick go in?"

Glenn gestured in the direction he had come from. "That way. Why?"

"Could you do me a favor?" X asked. "Stay here with Dr. Cain." X then gazed in the direction his sister's abductor went. He then began walking away from the both of them.

"W-Wait!" Glenn called out. "Where are you going?!"

X stopped and looked back. "I'm going to take care of this.

Unknown Location

If he wasn't going to kill her before, he most certainly would now! Roll had no idea where she was going, panic and terror having taken over and disrupted her internal compass, but she had to keep running. She had to keep moving; otherwise, he'd catch her. Please, no! she thought, but instead of her voice, it was that of a little girl. Her younger self. Please, no! You don't have to do this! You don't have to fight him! she begged.

Find the Professor! Get him out of here! Proto Man's voice echoed in her processor. Get him and yourself out of here!

No! I'm not leaving Mega Man! she argued back. Though she could see it, she knew that the other robot was glaring at her underneath his thick visor.

You'll be good to no one dead! So what sense is there in getting yourself killed!? There's nothing you can do!

Nothing you can do. Nothing you can do. Nothing...

Roll stopped for a moment, concealing herself behind a large pillar. Thankfully, she peered around both corners to see that the Red Maverick was nowhere in sight. Still, that didn't mean she could rest just yet. She had to escape from here! What was she thinking throwing that rock?! She should've just stayed quiet and tried to escape when that Maverick was distracted. Roll then felt disgusted with herself, remembering the state Sigma had been rendered to. She knew that throwing that rock was foolish, but she couldn't just allow herself to let someone die!

But what good did that do?! she thought, mentally kicking herself for being so stupid. So now I've gotten us both killed! Roll lamented, holding her head in her hands. And after he's done with me, he'll surely go back to the dig site. And those two other Hunters...Dr. Cain...she then covered her mouth, keeping in a gasp. X!

She had to get out of here! She had to get help; if not try and warn everyone else! If this Maverick was capable of doing what she witnessed to Sigma, who knew what would happen if he came into contact with humans?! Let alone her brother?! Roll peered around the corner again, and once the coast was clear, she would make a run for it. Her feet began to move, yet as she began to run, she felt a restraining hand hold her wrist.

Outside

The overwhelming silence was broken by the sounds of approaching footsteps, alerting Ray that he was no longer alone. Whirling around, he was about to draw out his weapon but stopped himself upon seeing just who was approaching. "You?!" Ray exclaimed, surprised to see X had come. "What are you doing here?!"

X looked at the entrance to the structure built within the mountain, ordinarily gentle eyes gazing intensely into the small space created by the opened door. "I'm here to help," he said. "Besides, it's my sister that's in there. I should've come the moment she was taken."

"Your duty is to stay with Dr. Cain." Ray reminded the blue Reploid. "You'll just be putting yourself at risk."

"Glenn's with him." X answered. "And forgive me, but I'm going in there, regardless of Sigma's orders."

"No way!" Ray protested, blocking X's path. "He doesn't need you involved! The Commander's orders are-"

"More important to you than his life?!" X interrupted, Ray rather taken aback by how aggressive his voice had become. "He could very well be dead or dying in there. And if he is still alive, wouldn't it be your duty to try and save him? And don't forget, he's not the only one in potential danger!" X continued, getting close to Ray to make sure he made his point. "So unless you want to come with me, I suggest you get out of my way."

Ray didn't even get a chance to move or refuse to do so, as X pushed him out of the way, the blue Reploid rushing towards the massive door. A few moments later, X had reached the structure and ran in, green eyes scanning the area for any signs of his sister or Sigma. Or even that Red Maverick. X continued on his way, trying to keep his steps quiet while walking quickly. He was tempted to call out for Roll or the Hunter leader, yet X thought better of it, as it'd either give the Maverick his location or further endanger everyone else.

Suddenly, he heard a low moan, X steadily made his way to the noise to see a one-armed Reploid on the floor, badly damaged and assumedly unable to move. "Sigma!" X gasped, rushing over and kneeling to inspect his wounds. He looks like he's been mauled! X noticed, greatly disturbed by the display of such barbarism. "Sigma, can you hear me? Sigma?" The taller machine weakly croaked out something, but X couldn't make it out. "Look, don't talk. I'm going to get you and Roll out of here-" It was then that X's attention was drawn towards the darkness and away from the fallen Hunter leader, his green eyes widening in horror at what his audio receptors were picking up.

Roll was only still alive, but X couldn't tell how much longer—especially given how her screaming was resounding throughout the mysterious structure.

"No!" Roll screamed, her captor dragging her towards the wall. He released her, the bow-wearing Reploid nearly tripping over herself before her face met the wall behind her. She rose to her feet but got no chance to react as the Red Maverick flipped her over to where she up against the wall. He grabbed her wrist and held it firmly, Roll swung at him with the other arm, but he seized it just before she could strike him. "A-Ah!" she groaned, the Maverick's grip on her becoming tighter. He lifted her off the floor, Roll kicking against him to make him release her. But it was all for naught; he was simply too strong for her. Despite her inability to cry, her eyes were wide and glassy and fear-filled. "Help me, Rock." she stammered quietly, having ceased her kicking, knowing it was useless. "Please...somebody help me."

This was it. She was going to die here. She was going to be torn into pieces by this horned demon. And she could do nothing about it. There's nothing you can do.

The Red Maverick paused, still holding onto his captive. Roll shut her eyes, waiting for death, yet nothing happened. She was trembling, the suspense unbearable. Then, opening one eye, she saw that the Red Maverick seemed puzzled by her reaction. As if he were the one confused by the other Reploid's terror. "You..." Roll stammered. "W-Well? What are you waiting for?" she questioned. "Aren't you going to...?" she didn't want to stay it, but if it was going to happen, she wanted to just get it over with. "Or will you make me beg for it?" she inquired. "Are you just wanting to torment me further? You ARE cruel!" He drew closer to her; Roll turned her head, eyes shut and trembling. He had the perfect opportunity to end her. There was nothing or no one here to stop him from doing it. So why? Why wasn't he ravaging her as he had Sigma? Why? Why?! "Do it!" Roll cried out, unable to stand it any longer. "Just do it, damn you! Do it!"

She was only answered with silence. And not long after, she felt her captor's hold on her loosen. She was still held up against the wall, but the Maverick's grip was no longer so tight. Roll opened her eyes and saw that the long-haired Reploid's expression remained neutral. He didn't appear enraged at her for throwing the rock, yet his eyes still made her cringe. Did he really have no intention of killing her? If not, then why all this waiting?

He wasted no time going for Sigma, and he was explicitly upgraded for combat! She was just constructed out of cheap materials that could be easily ripped from her! So what was he waiting for? Just who ARE you? she was about to speak-

BOOM!

Only to have her words morph into a scream, a blast from behind came dangerously close to her captor but was off by just mere inches. The spot the plasma shot had struck was black and sizzling, having been delivered at close range. The Red Maverick and Roll looked to see X standing a few feet away, his buster cannon smoking from the blast he had just released.

"X!" Roll exclaimed, fear for herself being replaced by fear from her sibling.

"Get away from her!" X bellowed, Roll was rather surprised at the fierceness and aggression he displayed.

"X, no!" Roll cried out. "You need to get out of here! He's insane! He'll kill you!"

The Red Maverick turned his back to Roll, facing the blue Reploid that had just fired at him. "I said, get away from her!" X commanded, silently praying that he managed to get this criminal's attention off of his sister. Yeah, that's right. X thought, the Maverick leaving Roll and coming towards him. Eyes on me. But just as the other male Reploid could come any closer, he stopped. X had to admit, those steely blue eyes were intimidating, but he didn't budge. Just what was this guy planning?

Both X and Roll found that out very soon as the Red Maverick extended his left arm, the red metal on his forearm was engulfed in white light for a brief second before something entirely new took its place. In place of a hand was the white barrel of a cannon. A cannon that lay inside a slightly enlarged forearm of red and white.

A buster. both Light siblings thought. He's got a buster too. Neither of them could say whether it was fear, awe, or a strange mixture of both. But the second he saw a small, white light beginning to develop from within the darkness of the barrel, X knew that there was no other way around this.

This Reploid had to be stopped.

The Red Maverick released a powerful blast of plasma surging with blue and golden energy; X rolled out of the way just in time to deliver a few shots of his own. To X's and Roll's shock, the Red Maverick batted the shots away as if they were nothing but objects to be swept out of the way. The long-haired, red renegade rushed towards X, seemingly going for a more physical approach. X ducked and ran to the side, firing a charged shot in the Maverick's direction. Instead of merely batting it away, he ducked underneath it, firing a charged shot of his own in X's direction.

All right, X thought. It seems he's not too keen on taking something like that. With that in mind, the blue Reploid began charging his shots and firing, trying to maintain a distance between himself and the Red Maverick.

His opponent fired in X's direction, who fired back, ducking behind a worn down, broken computer. The machine was quickly destroyed, robbing X of the refuge he had taken. X leaped out and fired another charged shot, this time managing to strike the Maverick. The long-haired Reploid released a cry of pain as he clutched his abdomen (where the shot had been delivered). Waves of surging electrical shocks and intense burning throughout his entire system made the Maverick realize that he couldn't waste time with this blue menace: he would have to take out that buster first. Or at least make sure that it was no longer a problem.

He then dashed forward at an incredible speed, dodging X's shots as he swerved left and right, drawing closer and closer to the blue Reploid. Then, just before X could deliver another charged shot, he found a clenched fist met his face. The impact sent him flying back and skidding across the floor until he finally came to a stop. He didn't have much time to recover as X looked to see the Maverick standing above him, readying to deliver another blow. X rolled out of the way mere seconds before his face could be smashed in, the floor serving as a substitute. The Maverick's fist forced the floor to surrender to his strength, a small hole created underneath.

"X!" Roll shouted, about to run to her sibling, but the green-eyed Reploid saw her approaching.

"No, Roll! Don't come near! Stay back!" X urged her; this momentary distraction allowed the Maverick to seize X by the throat and throw him against a steel bar like a rag-doll.

Before X could do so himself, he was hoisted to his feet by his aggressor and thrown against the bar, being delivered a series of blows to the vulnerable areas built into his body. He was then seized by the throat again and lifted, held by the Maverick's strength. The Maverick then held up his buster at X's face; the other Reploid's green optics were shirking in terrible comprehension as the small, white light was seen. The Maverick didn't power his weapon up right away, allowing the energy to build slowly; the light and surging energy from within drew closer to X's face. It was clear what his opponent was planning and that unless he stopped it, he would be finished.

All of them would be finished.

It was then that X realized that while he couldn't stop his aggressor from firing, the energy from within the buster was desperate to escape. But he could perhaps save himself from having his face blown off. He had to work fast, his buster charging up as quickly as possible. The energy began to develop slowly, not entirely used to generate so much in such a short time, yet X overridden the safety feature and continued to build up more and more power. This would be risky, and he would likely receive some damage to himself, but there was no other way out of this.

"Get down!" X shouted to his sister, just moments away from unleashing everything he had built up from within his buster. "I can't shoot in any other direction but this!"

"X!" Roll cried out, reaching for the blue Reploid.

"GET DOWN!" he could contain it no more.

Roll's optics shrank in terror and awe as the energy from both the Maverick and her brother's busters collided, the collection of surging plasma heading in her direction.

Outside

"Dammit, Glenn! You just HAD to go and tell, didn't you?!" Ray hissed, cursing himself for even letting his partner escape from him. He also cursed himself for not keeping that blue idiot from going in! And who knew if either he, the Red Maverick, or the hostage were even still alive? If the Commander was still alive? For all Ray knew, that Maverick could've taken that Reploid specifically to lure the Commander here to take him out. It wouldn't surprise Ray if that was the plan all along. If that's the case, then I guess I'll have to come in for you too, you red bastard!

His plans to go on in were put to a halt, however.

A loud explosion was heard and felt from inside the structure in the mountain, blinding light flashing from within for a few brief moments, then it all went quiet again. Ray lifted himself from the ground, having been knocked off his feet, and he looked in the direction his Commander and X had gone in. "W-What the hell?!"

Inside

He was jolted from unconsciousness by the reverberating echo of a massive release of energy, knowing the sound of an unloaded buster better than anyone, even if he possessed none. Sigma winced in pain as his right eye was severely damaged, unable to get a clear picture of the outside world. His left was still functioning, but the Red Maverick had made some marks on the surface, so there was still some distortion.

What...what happened? Sigma thought, steadily rising to where he could support himself on his hands and knees. Suddenly, he felt fluids rising in his throat, a stream of red liquid trailing down his defined chin before he coughed up a small puddle. Yes, it was beginning to come back to him. That Red Maverick, he did this. You bastard...Sigma made his way to his feet, though he had to use the wall beside him for support. Once he finally got himself steady, the Reploid steadily went in the direction he had heard the explosion come from. That Maverick was undoubtedly responsible for it in one way or another.

And he was going to make that Maverick pay for all of this.

Her sight had just returned to her, the darkness steadily diminishing as she propped herself up to look around her. X and the Maverick's combined blast had blown a sizable hole in the wall, just mere feet away from where she was now. But her main concern was that of her sibling, who she looked around for until she spotted him a short distance away. He lay on the ground, his buster sizzling and damaged; cracks had appeared around the cannon. She was about to go to him but stopped upon seeing the Red Maverick walking towards him, albeit with a slight limp.

He had taken damage from the violent reaction of both charged shots, his own buster displaying cracks and signs of damage. X's systems had come online again, and he was alerted that the long-haired Reploid was, somehow, not yet down. X rose to his feet again, yet was punched in the stomach and sent headfirst into a steel bar. He then felt the back of his head being taken and slammed into it repeatedly, each impact being used with more force. Finally, after a short while, the Red Maverick let X fall to the floor, the blue Reploid's vents trying to cool him from the intense heat in his body.

His systems were going into overdrive trying to keep him going, yet were steadily growing weaker and weaker. Finally, he tried to rise, yet a red boot thrust down on his chest, keeping him on the floor. X looked up to see the Red Maverick standing over him, grinning triumphantly. He then brought his hand down on X's red gem on his helmet: a direct passage to his cerebral chamber and everything. He immediately went to work putting tremendous pressure on the gemstone, X unable to contain the cry of agony from the excruciating sensation.

His entire forehead felt as if it were being caved in! In just a few moments, his aggressor would break through the glass, and he'd have free reign to rip and tear all he could get ahold of. "R-Roll..." X said with a strained voice. "G-Get Sigma...and get out of here!"

"No!" Roll immediately protested. "I'm not leaving you!"

"There's no time! GAH!" X hollered, one of the Maverick's had worked its way through a small hole created in the gem. He had just begun to dig into X's head, scraping at the surface of the silver shell underneath his skin that protected his operating system. "There's nothing you can do for me now! GET OUT!"

Nothing you can do...

"No..." Roll shook her head, wanting to run towards her brother, yet she knew it would do no good. "No..." There was nothing she could do to save him. There was nothing she could do to stop what was surely going to happen. Then, she saw the Red Maverick raise his right hand, just about to plunge into the red stone's small space. "NOOOOO!"

"You're going to pay for what you've done!" the young voice roared, voice trembling and filled with rage despite his "age." the boy in blue armor rushed towards the taller red figure, firing shot after shot in his direction.

Unfortunately, despite his efforts, he couldn't overcome the other robot. The blue child struggled to get to his feet, ready to fire yet again, but he knew it would be useless.

Yet the death he had expected never came, as his aggressor was met by someone else. Someone that both had seen before, but only now, would fully see in action.

Suddenly, just as the Maverick's finger broke through the cerebral chamber's surface, his blue eyes were met by a blinding glow from the red gem. Although the flash momentarily blinded him, he stepped back, taking his boot off X's chest. This allowed X to rise, the glow dying when he finally got to his feet. What just happened, neither X nor the Maverick (or even Roll) had any idea what had just happened, but the blue Reploid found himself struck with a powerful sense of familiarity.

Born. He heard a voice in his mind. It didn't belong to the blue child, yet another. He couldn't match a face to the voice, yet what it said made him realize just what he had to do. Born for the sole purpose of destroying evil. X locked his green eyes with the Maverick. The evil energy!

He had taken more damage than he thought. True, he had been low on energy, yet he was able to eventually overpower that taller Reploid. And he would have finished it, had "she" not intervened. And while he wasn't exactly pleased with being having a rock thrown at him, there was no point in killing her. He didn't want her to break again. But if he didn't get rid of this blue intruder, he'd never get the chance to do much of anything as his opponent seemed set to end him! Fine then, if that was the way he wanted it, then he could come.

Better yet, the Maverick would take it right to him!

The long-haired Reploid dashed forward, fist out, yet X maneuvered to the left and delivered an uppercut to the underside of his aggressor's chin. This sent the Red Maverick stumbling back, allowing the one he had previously been beating to return the favor. A white fist met his gut, the Maverick got no time to react as another fist sent him to the ground, landing facefirst. However, he recovered quickly and got back on his feet with a push and flip over X's head. X got no time to react to the swift kick delivered to back, sending him into a nearby wall.

X dove out of the way of the incoming kick, the Red Maverick performing a high-jump aimed right at the other Reploid. Upon seeing he hit nothing, X's aggressor rushed towards him again, yet Sigma saw that X saw to dodge the Maverick's attacks instead of fighting back. Granted, he didn't manage to miss every blow dealt to him, but when he had the chance to attack, he didn't.

Just what are you doing, you idiot?! the Hunter leader thought, noticing that the hostage was watching the scene take place, seemingly torn between whether to intervene or not.

If that blue fool wasn't going to act, he would!

"Fight him." Roll whispered. "Fight him, you've got to fight him!" she balled up her fists, wishing for nothing more than the strength to pound the beast that dare lay his hands on her brother! Yet X still refused to attack him! "X, please! What are you doing?!"

Then, she saw the Red Maverick grasp her brother's throat, lifting him off the ground. The Maverick then began to try and pry away X's pectoral plates, intending to rip open his chest and get to his core. Even if she ran to him, Roll knew that she'd only be delaying the inevitable. She could do nothing.

There's nothing you can do.

However, it was then that both she and Sigma witnessed something neither of them expected.

X's left hand had suddenly begun to glow slightly at first, but it grew in intensity within seconds. It was bright, and the light of sea-green consumed his entire appendage. Then, X rose his glowing hand and thrust it down on the triangular, blue gem on the Red Maverick's forehead. Unlike his opponent, X didn't place as much pressure on the glass, yet it seemed he didn't need to give the Maverick's reaction. He immediately released an agonizing scream of pain as if he were burning alive from within.

And in a sense, though no one could've known, that was what was happening.

It had been dormant for so long. So long away from the world, yet now it realized that its brief period of being free would end if it didn't do something quickly! The energy being poured into its host's body was causing it to deteriorate molecule by molecule! True, it could use this Reploid to get him off and escape, yet its weakness had been found! And now, the one who bore the means to kill it would surely hunt its host down!

It had to do something!

X's hand ceased glowing, and the Red Maverick released him, holding his head and howling as the throbbing, stinging fire coursed through his entire cerebral chamber, traveling throughout his entire systems. Then, after a moment, the Red Maverick fell to his knees, vents desperately trying to expel the overwhelming heat in his body.

"Finish him off, X!" Roll shouted. "Do it now!"

X kept his green eyes on the Red Maverick, waiting for him to make the next move. He was in no condition to continue fighting for long, but neither was X. If this continued for much longer, it was a real possibility that neither of them was walking out of here alive. The Maverick stared at X, blue eyes looking intensely into his green, yet there was a subtle change to them. True, there was still aggression and an unwillingness to admit defeat, yet he noticed something else since he had delivered that strange surge of energy into the Maverick's gem.

Almost as if he had just recognized the blue Reploid after an immeasurable time.

It was then that the Maverick's features began to smooth over, eyes growing wide with curiosity and then recognition. The long-haired Reploid began to approach X, yet his steps were slow and steady, trying to keep going despite his damage. X readied himself if he needed to fight just a little longer, yet, to his surprise, it seemed that the Maverick didn't have such a thing in mind. What is he doing? X thought. He was tempted to ask this, yet he reminded himself that this could've been a ruse. Still, despite his logical components ordering him to end the Red Maverick, X couldn't help but begin having doubts.

Then he too found himself struck with yet another sense of deja vu. "You," X said. "I...I know you."

Roll was unsure of what this meant, but whatever sort of robot or Reploid this Maverick reminded her brother of didn't matter! What are you waiting for?! Do it! She mentally begged her brother. Do it!

Before X could go towards the Red Maverick or go to deliver the finishing blow, he saw a bright flash from within the blue gem. It was an angular symbol, X not recognizing it first. But looking closer, he saw, to his shock, that he had been mistaken. The symbol was a letter. Specifically, a "W."

You...you can't be. X thought. Can you?! Are you really a-

His thoughts were interrupted when the Maverick began groaning in pain, clutching at his head. Then, the gemstone began to glow, yet instead of bright green, violet energy looked as if forming from within the small space in the gemstone. The Maverick's groaning soon evolved into screaming, his fingers grabbing and scratching uselessly at his dome. Given what he had seen this Reploid do, X could've assumed that this Maverick was trying to tear open his head!

"OUT OF THE WAY!" X was knocked to the side and the ground; the one-armed Sigma ran towards the Maverick and broke through the glowing gemstone with one well-timed punch.

The Red Maverick was knocked back and landed on his back, golden hair spreading out underneath him. The Reploid twitched somewhat, but he went still and silent after a few seconds. Finally, his blue eyes glazed over, consciousness slipping from him and the rest of the world.

Outside

At long last, Ray saw a tall figure emerge from the mountain. "Commander!" he shouted, overjoyed at seeing his leader still alive. He knew that the Commander would succeed! No one could stand against him! "Commander, where is...?!" Ray began, going to his leader, but saw that Sigma was in much worse shape than he had thought. "Commander! What happened?!" the Hunter then looked back at the open door in the distance. "Where's X? And the hostage? Are they-"

"They're fine!" Sigma snapped, Ray, stopping in his tracks before he could go to his Commander's side. "Go in and collect them," he ordered, voice much less angry. "And call Dr. Cain and Fujiwara. I want that Maverick transported and analyzed as soon as possible. Then, I'll meet you back at the dig site."

"Commander, are you sure you're-"

"Leave me!" Sigma pushed Ray out of the way when he tried to reach for the taller Reploid. Sigma left his subordinate behind, all alone in the barren wasteland.

Inside

X was forced to kneel, unable to keep himself standing any longer. "X!" Roll raced to his side and immediately helped him up; both Light siblings looked at the now unconscious Maverick that had tormented them a short time before.

Roll laid her teal eyes on her captor and glowered in his direction, an intense loathing for what this wild animal had done to Sigma and her family consuming her. But, on the other hand, X was utterly unsure of how to feel. From rage at the possibility of his sister being harmed to confusion at his aggressor's sudden need to approach him non-aggressive manner. True, it could've been an attempt to get his guard down, but he couldn't help but have his doubts. Especially since, even if it was for a brief moment, the Maverick looked at X as if he were an old friend.

Note: The end fight inspires the fight in the Street Fighter 2 anime film. As in, the one that's actually good. Don't get me wrong, I adore the cheese of Street Fight: The Movie, as well as the cartoon, but if you want a decent video-game movie, that'd be an excellent place to start.

Also, X's action against the Red Maverick (will address him by name when it's revealed in the story) is from the remake of the 1st game, which in itself has a bit of fascinating history especially since X's English voice actor (previously as he's retired) was in another property dubbed by the same studio.

As you've probably guessed, Mega Man 8 will play a significant role in this retelling, as ultimately, this is the only way the virus or anything makes sense. I adore this franchise, but the plot can be so full of holes and bottomless pits of questions that'll never be answered.

But the virus' influence over others doesn't translate to complete possession, which will be explained later.

With that said, thank you kindly for reading! Give you input on what you'd like to see in the future, alert me of any errors you might have spotted, and I'll see you all in the future!