ARK: Survival Evolved – The Zero Chronicles
Prologue: A Legend's Sacrifice
Space station Ragnarok
Above Area Zero –
In the skies of death above, a mobile weapon of mass destruction floated up at the very edge of outer space, the barrel of its cannon pointed at a sanctuary of life like the finger of death itself. However, if anyone peered closely enough, they would be able to spot two superhuman beings doing battle on the space station Ragnarok, which would either disintegrate during descent or crash down on the earth below. One of the combatants, an elderly mad cyborg scientist and the ruler of the former utopian city Neo Arcadia named Dr Weil, fought only for his own selfish ambitions; the other, a noble, crimson-armoured robot warrior named Zero, for those he cared about.
As the two sworn enemies stared each other down, Zero could feel his long blond hair brush against his face as his life flashed before his eyes. Dr Weil, the despot whose monstrous, two-horned body was now joined to Ragnarok by a series of thick wires, had recently attempted to destroy the nature-rich Area Zero using Ragnarok in a bid to seize total control over the otherwise devastated and war-torn planet. However, Zero, who was one of many advanced and emotion-feeling robots known as Reploids persecuted by Weil and also a resistance member fighting against the mad doctor, had fought back with mostly sheer determination, laying waste to the Einherjar Eight Warriors, Weil's top reploid lackeys, with his powers. It was he who had also struck the final blow on Weil's conical Plexiglass helmet with his Z-Saber, the energy sword breaking open the helmet and letting loose the breathable fluids that kept Dr Weil alive. As a result, Dr Weil was now mortally wounded, his wicked dreams of absolute power dashed virtually overnight.
"How...could I...be defeated by a miserable doll like you?! Unbelievable! Pure, utter unbelievable!" Dr Weil shrieked as he sensed his life ebbing away like waves on a sandy beach. His life's work had been built up over centuries with blood and sweat, only to be smashed to nothing by what he deemed a mere copy of the so-called "God of Destruction", another name for Zero due to his original purpose as a harbinger of devastation.
Zero coldly looked Dr Weil in the eye and responded, "This...is a result of your hellish deeds. You have massacred far too many innocents and indirectly claimed the lives of even more people and Reploids because of the impact of your actions. Even your predecessor Copy X is among your laundry list of victims who are now dead thanks to you. Burn in hell."
Infuriated by the last sentence, Dr Weil grit his teeth through the immense pain as he telepathically brought out a grey cube with hexagonal tessellations all over it from a hidden compartment in his lower horn, located below his head. After a few seconds, the cube broke open in a flash of green light, revealing a mysterious diamond-shaped prism. The object was ebony black with an orange band on the surface, also diamond shaped. Zero asked dismissively, "You think this will save Ragnarok, asshole? I've dealt with enemies much worse than this hunk of garbage. Just give up already, Weil!"
Despite the pained state that Weil was clearly in, the merciless glee portrayed by his maniacal grin was real, as was the sadism in his red eyes. "You foolish, cheap reploid knock-off… did you really think I wouldn't have a contingency plan in case I was defeated? I had one final back-up scheme in the event Ragnarok failed!" Even as he spoke, a faint glow emanated from the prism and slowly grew brighter, prompting Zero to unsheath his blade once more.
"With this, even if Operation Ragnarok ends in failure, I'll take you down with me, and you will never live to see your so-called utopia, for you will perish forever!" With that last declaration, Dr Weil, who was mortally wounded from all the damage he had received, cackled maniacally while the prism paralysed Zero in place before he could destroy it.
Zero could only shut his eyes to the blinding light as Dr Weil used the last of his strength to unleash the power of the enigmatic prism on his mortal enemy. A few moments later, as what remained of Dr Weil's life force was spent on the prism, the insane scientist allowed his eyes to close forever and Zero's mind slipped into total darkness.
Meanwhile, back in Area Zero, where the resistance movement against Weil parked their trailer, the inhabitants were anxiously waiting for Zero to return. Chief among them was a teenage girl named Ciel, whose blonde hair was tied up in a long ponytail behind the pink helmet she wore. She had first met Zero while he was in hibernation following the Elf Wars initiated by Dr Weil, who'd launched his campaign of global domination before being banished from Earth. Because the resistance was being hunted down by Copy X, one of Weil's predecessors, Ciel ended up awakening Zero from his slumber and Zero had defended the resistance ever since.
At a nearby computer terminal, one of Ciel's navigators, Rouge, was analysing the data from Zero's final mission in space. She too had been looking out for signs of Zero's survival, but all that she found was a crumbling Ragnarok and static displayed on a massive projector screen near Ciel. "Ragnarok… is… breaking… apart…" She reported, clearly at a loss for words despite her calm facade. "Ragnarok has entered the atmosphere. Most of it will burn upon entry… and impact with Area Zero has been averted. The mission was successful after all…"
Desperate for Zero to at least come back alive and despite the static-filled screen, Ciel called out over the radio in a futile attempt to reach the reploid saviour. "Zero! Come in, Zero… please, come back to us in one piece…"
Rouge shook her head lightly in hopelessness. "It's no use Ciel, all I'm getting from Zero is pure static. I think he might not have made it out alive after all…" No sooner had her voice trailed off than Ciel ran out of the trailer to the outside world. Before Rouge could call her back, the door had already closed. The operator could only sigh tiredly as she prepared to disconnect the transmission.
"Look at that! A shooting star!"
The rest of the resistance members had watched the destruction of Ragnarok unfold in the skies above, knowing that Zero's mission had succeeded. Some were veterans who had been with Ciel since the founding of the resistance in the days of Copy X, while others were part of a more recent caravan that had fled to Area Zero to escape Weil's despotic rule. One of the caravan arrivals, a young boy named Typhon, gasped as he spotted several more bright streaks of light raining down from the sky. "Wow! Lots of shooting stars!"
Another caravan arrival, an older boy called Tornado, looked up to the sky and saw more light streaks fall down towards the ground. "No, those are pieces of Ragnarok… does this mean... we're saved?"
The female leader of the caravan, a redhead by the name of Neige, was also hoping that Zero would come back safely from destroying Ragnarok. Her good friend Craft, initially the commander of the Einherjar Eight Warriors, had gone rogue and fired the Ragnarok laser at Neo Arcadia in order to assassinate Dr Weil, slaughtering at least twenty million in the process. Zero had to put him down before he could fire another shot, and as a result of the battle, Craft had perished from his wounds, but not before he realised the error of his ways. Zero… Neige thought as she scanned the skies in the hope that Zero was still alive.
Just then, Cerveau, a resistance member, spotted Ciel running towards them, looking as though she might give out from exhaustion due to the running. At first, he thought of asking Ciel what had happened to Zero, but from the looks on her face, the news was definitely not good.
The silence on both sides lasted a few minutes more, before Ciel recovered from her exhaustion and broke the news to the Resistance. "Zero… he didn't make it back… but… it's okay… I'm sure he's still out there… and one day he'll come back to us!" Even as the last part was said with a smile on her face, Ciel's sadness could clearly be seen on her face by Neige and the others. Running off soon after, she stopped at a nearby hilltop under a tree, while the others could only watch in silence.
Gazing up towards the sky, Ciel watched as more burning streaks of light shot down from above. Though their shape might have gotten them mistaken for shooting stars, they were in fact the remains of Ragnarok. Grief-stricken at the loss of Zero, she knelt down and began to break down in tears, crying her heart out for a continuous thirty minutes as tears streamed down her face.
"Zero…" Ciel sobbed as she struggled to stand after half an hour of crying, her body trembling with grief. "You believed in us… now it's our turn… to show that your faith in us… was not misplaced…" Finally managing to stand up, she clasped her hands close to her chest, but not before drying her tears. "Watch, Zero… I'll make this world a better place… one where humans and Reploids can walk hand in hand, living in peace… just come back someday… I..." As the last of the fiery streaks started to burn out in the skies above, she began to smile. "I believe in you!"
Meanwhile, out in the burning heat of the desert canyon, as the sun radiated its endless onslaught on the ground below with rays of intense sunlight, on the dry ground, there lay a whole pile of debris that was splayed out like a huge puddle of water, spanning for miles along the floor of the canyon. At the edge of this field of debris, lay a crimson helmet with accents of black and white, cracked and forlorn on the desert floor.
Had anyone been present at the scene, they might have recognised the helmet as belonging to the legendary saviour, Zero. With Ragnarok's explosion, he had been assumed to be dead and given up for lost. But even if they had recognised the helmet, no one could have noticed the small pile of rocky debris beside it among the layers of stone and metal. And beneath this pile of debris, another small object gave off a low hum and a faint white glow, waiting for someone else to uncover the secrets it held.
Author's note:
What's up guys! Here is my first ever piece of work on this website and very likely the first ever Mega Man Zero and ARK: Survival Evolved crossover fan-fiction as far as I know of! I have posted this together with the first chapter in the series. This prologue basically details Zero's final battle against his nemesis Dr Weil before the former's arrival in the world of ARK: Survival Evolved. This is my first time writing on the site, so please forgive my writing and give constructive criticism or PM any questions or concerns that you might have (although I have a busy schedule so I may not be able to answer them all).
Disclaimer: I do not own Mega Man or ARK: Survival Evolved. Mega Man Zero (alongside all associated content in official media and the entire Mega Man series) is owned by Capcom. ARK: Survival Evolved (alongside all associated content in official media) is owned by Studio Wildcard. The rest of the story is mainly my imagination.
Enjoy!
Signing off,
SF UberMan.