Mark of Man
Chapter 14
Love is whatever you can still betray. Betrayal can only happen if you love.
A few more days passed in relative silence, Zero only appearing every once in a while to monitor the wounded, drop off the injured, and take those that had recovered back to the front lines. Each time he'd appeared, Rokko had kept her distance. Even now, she disliked the commander, and he'd done little to redeem himself in her eyes. Yes, he was skilled at leadership, and yes, he knew what he was doing on the battlefield. But, it was his actions that frustrated her when they met outside of a fight.
Stiffening, Rokko sensed the blond hunter behind her as she leaned on the railing of the street.
"Huntress X?" Zero asked, surprisingly formally at that.
Turning her head over her shoulder, she gave him a single eyed gaze.
"Yes, Commander?"
"The Lieutenant notified me that you're able to be deployed at anytime starting today."
Rokko tilted her head in a half nod of agreement.
"Yes sir."
Zero's expression remained grim, an unusual stance for the hunter, and he spoke in quiet terms.
"Command sent down a top secret mission Rokko, and I need you to take it."
Rokko raised an eyebrow, but she turned, and gestured for him to continue.
"Eurasia has a 'communications' tower that they officially used to relay combat data to various military groups. However, in truth, it's actually a complex monitoring station that is utilized to gather intel on both foreign and nationals alike. It's safe to say that it has data on almost everyone of any significance, and unfortunately, it's been taken over by Sigma's lapdogs."
Rokko simply nodded once.
"Mission understood sir. I'll terminate the irregulars and bring it back under our control."
Zero managed a small smile before he turned.
"Happy Hunting Rokko."
Soon after, Rokko found herself in Istanbul, overshadowed by a truly gargantuan tower. Staring up at the monolithic building, Rokko fell silent for a moment, ignoring the traffic and the bustle of the surprisingly peaceful city.
To imagine that Sigma had inserted his puppet into the tower without a panic rising in the common populace was surprising; perhaps Sigma had planned this to an extent that even she hadn't given him credit for. Just how long had the psychopath been planning this out, and why?
Not that it really mattered. In the end he'd die by her hands. A small scowl marred her face and the nearby pedestrians started to shuffle away from her. Shaking off the thoughts, she started walking for the dull gray command tower.
The street she was on opened into the plaza surrounding the monolithic structure, but near the entrance to the building a single police cruiser blocked access to the building proper. Closing her eyes for a long moment, Rokko mentally let out a string of choice curses before she calmed herself, and opened her eyes again.
Inside the police car an officer had tilted his seat back and placed his hat over his eyes, a box of doughnuts on the passenger's side of the car.
I've heard of walking stereotypes but this is by far the most ridiculous one.
Approaching the vehicle, Rokko spoke firmly.
"B Class Huntress Rokko X, I've been ordered to investigate this building." She stated without preamble.
The officer jerked awake, his hat falling off of his head revealing a balding head of hair, vivid freckles and pale blue eyes.
"What's… Oh, right, Maverick Hunter, figured they'd send you in soon enough. Been hard to keep the peace with what's goin' on inside there."
Rokko merely gave him a withering glance before she nodded and hopped over his car lazily. Once she had, she frowned slightly. Sure, as a Reploid, she should have been able to jump over his cruiser without a problem but that seemed almost too easy.
Shaking off the thought, Rokko walked to the glass doors and when they refused to open, she simply clenched her fist, and slammed it against the glass, causing it to shatter. Whoever was in charge probably was already well aware of where she was so there was no reason to try to remain stealthy. Stepping into the building, she was surprised by how… Darkened the ground floor was, and only the light streaming in from the various windows provided any sense of light.
At first glance, the building seemed simply abandoned. The computers were untouched, tables were still set, and even the solid blue drapes remained in tact. Only a thin layer of dust spoke of how long it had been since the lobby had been used properly. Just how had Sigma managed to infiltrate and take over the building without a single trace or even suggestion of a struggle? Didn't they have security?
Frowning slightly, she furrowed her eyebrows before she stepped over to the receptionist's desk and took a seat on the plush chair. Pulling up close to the computer, she attempted to boot it, and to her surprise, the monitor flickered to life.
You're finally here huntress. I knew they'd send you.
At the words Rokko felt confused. Just who…?
Surprised? Don't be. You're one of two that would be able to retake this tower, and your commander is currently busy putting out the fires that the rabble started.
Only hesitating for a moment, Rokko extended her arms and the holographic keyboard appeared beneath her fingertips.
But that doesn't explain you, or even who you are. Rokko typed.
It wasn't common that a huntress got to speak to the hunted, but just the way he, or she spoke, Rokko knew that the reploid on the other end was the Maverick in charge of the tower. Their continued survival wasn't going to be an issue of any prominence soon, but until it came to pass, she was willing to engage in a short conversation. Perhaps, she'd be able to crack into the Maverick's mind, and learn a little about the enemy, and use that to her advantage.
Don't bother trying to crack me Rokko X, I'm leagues beyond you when it comes to intel and recon. Regardless, you've been a topic of interest to me since Sigma first spoke of you. He claimed that 'Reploid Potential begins with its origins.' In other words, you. What better way to force that evolution than to force you into battles against superior foes?
White blinding hate filled Rokko's heart, and for a moment, she could see nothing beyond her fury. Rage seared her entire being and she was ready to tear Sigma apart in the most agonizing way possible. He'd regret everything he'd done.
Her breath quickened, and she gripped the desk so tightly that the wood shattered under her grip. Forcing herself to calm, Rokko closed her eyes for a few seconds, slamming up her walls to calm herself, and then began to type again.
Evolution through sacrifice? For what purpose? What does Sigma gain from making an enemy out of me?
I don't really care about his rhetoric. But he was right about one thing. Reploids can evolve. Perhaps sacrifices is what it takes. I'm… Uncertain as to the truth behind this. Perhaps we can find it.
Frowning, Rokko responded.
What did you have in mind?
What else? Huntress X, I was once a hunter too. But now, I'm the hunted. Come, let me see if a B Class Huntress can take on one of the strongest reploids in the world. I'll be waiting for you at the top of the tower. We can discuss this a little more, and then, we'll see if you'll survive another day.
Standing quickly, Rokko carelessly kicked the chair away from her, letting bang into the trophy case behind her. A few of the dusty gold trophies rocked, and one fell off the shelf and onto the floor. Ignoring it, Rokko turned to the elevator across the lobby. As she did, the bar above the elevator flickered to life. Each floor became clearly marked, and Rokko approached. She knew she was being overly trusting, but something told her that the maverick wanted a one on one confrontation. A few feet away from the metal doors they slid open and Rokko entered. Once she had, they shut behind her and the elevator rose slowly towards the top of the tower. Encased in what was essentially a metal box, she leaned against the far wall, forming her buster as she did so.
As it rose, the intercom crackled to life.
"I've been looking forward to this huntress. More than you could imagine." He spoke in a surprisingly soft voice.
Rokko tilted her head forward. Yes, his actions indicated as much. But even still, she was not unaware that this could be a trap. Hopefully though, it wouldn't be a set up like it had with Spark Mandrill.
"Before we see who has the greater truth, I'd like to have a little talk. I hope you don't mind a little bit of discussion with a 'psychotic maverick overlord'."
Rokko's lips twitched slightly.
"I'll give you a chance to say your piece, but just realize that one of us isn't walking away from this alive."
"I'm well aware of that. You proved your point with Chill Penguin and the others. No, I want it to be like this. I'm helping Sigma because there is no alternative. It's either that or continued enslavement. You've settled for being a puppet."
Rokko raised an eyebrow.
"And you're not? Right now all I hear is Sigma's lapdog."
At the reply, the maverick chuckled.
"I know of you Rokko, and out of all the hunters, you were the least likely to remain loyal, the least likely to stay."
"Perhaps, but I'd imagine that this conversation would have been a lot different had Cobalt Wolf survived."
For a long moment, the maverick didn't respond.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for your loss. Cobalt was a good Reploid, and a good friend."
Anger bubbled in her breast but she didn't respond to the apology. It sounded sincere enough, but she was well aware how easy it was to fake how one actually felt…
The rest of the ride up was in silence, and once the elevator stopped, the doors automatically opened.
"Take the stairs up. I think a fight on the roof would be for the best." The intercom announced.
Nodding in agreement, Rokko glanced about the top floor, seeing an array of servers, office cubicles, and a series of complex charts on the walls. Across from her, on the far end of the darkened room an opened door awaited. Walking across the hall, Rokko focused on the doorway, and once she reached it, she took the stairs up, and through the door at the top of the steps.
The noonday sun beat down, and Rokko raised a hand to shield her eyes for a moment until she adjusted once again.
As her vision stabilized, she noticed the arena that her foe had chosen had been well selected. There was little cover, with only a strange metal 'box' that likely housed air conditioning and heating components in one corner. The edges of the tower had a small rise, just enough to be more of a trip problem than anything else. With the building being so large though, any fall would likely spell severe damage or death for anyone that dropped off the edge.
Sitting on the air conditioning housing, a vaguely familiar maverick observed her, his arms crossed. His armor was primarily red with blue pauldrons and blue thighs that led down to crimson boots. However, it was his skull that drew most of Rokko's attention. A large pair of razor sharp horns stood far above his helm.
Getting impaled by those would be a death sentence, and she suspected that he was well aware of that fact.
"Boomerang Kuwanger, former A class hunter. You answered only to Sigma himself if I recall right."
Pushing off of the housing, Kuwanger nodded.
"Right in one. I'm surprised you recognized me. We never met in person." Kuwanger observed.
Rokko tilted her head forward slightly, recognizing his point.
"Almost every major maverick I've run across was an ex A class so it wasn't hard to guess."
"Sigma did recruit from the top quite a bit, and had us recruit those beneath us."
That explained how he'd managed to gut the vast majority of the hunters. It would have been difficult for Sigma to personally recruit every one of the mavericks he'd gained.
"So, shall we?" Rokko asked, adjusting her stance a little.
Boomerang Kuwanger held up a hand, encouraging her to stop for the moment.
"Soon we'll dance and we'll see who lives and who dies, but there's no point to rush." He observed before his eyes peered into her own intently.
"You want to see change Rokko, but to actually change things you have to take action. Just surviving isn't enough."
"What are you…" She trailed off, looking for the right words, however Kuwanger continued as if she'd never spoken.
"If you claim victory, what then, will you just go back to HQ, kill more mavericks until you can get to Sigma? What happens afterwards?"
That… Was a genuinely difficult question. Until it had been demanded of her so bluntly, she'd pushed it off to the side.
"I'll tell you what. Nothing will change. You'll be a puppet for humans, a slave, and whenever a reploid has had enough, they'll rebel and you'll kill them. If they protest, you'll kill them. If they ask too many questions… You'll kill them. How does that change things Rokko?"
She steadied herself before she answered.
"Nothing changes. I know. But I also know this: Sigma has to die."
"So you're going to throw everything away just for revenge?"
"Sigma's just a symptom. There will be new opportunities and better Reploids that will come after him."
Kuwanger shook his head slowly, as if he was disappointed in her.
"Rokko, keep this in mind: every revolution is paid with blood. If you always go after those that kill in the name of revolution you'll never see the change."
"If he'd killed anyone other than Wolf, I doubt we'd be about to fight."
A strange gleam entered Kuwanger's eye and he tilted his head.
"Was he your lover?"
Heat flooded to her face and she spluttered. Kuwanger's only response to her chagrin though was a quiet chuckle.
"S-Shut it! No, he was just a good friend."
"You loved him. How, I don't know, but the way you talk about him… You loved him."
Rokko scowled and aimed her buster.
"That isn't any of your concern Maverick!" She retorted, her buster beginning to gather power.
"No, I guess not. Rokko, you'll need to come to terms with that loss eventually, and revenge won't help. It's only going to leave you empty." Creating a boomerang of a hyper alloy, Kuwanger vanished, and X had to try to track him.
He was too quick for her eyes to keep up with, so instead, she had to allow instinct, and her other senses to take over.
Closing her eyes, she waited, and then, performing a backflip, she dodged the charge of Kuwanger's, only to land on his shoulders. Immediately, she fired downward, striking him in the head, and causing him to topple. Once he had, Rokko fired another salvo of shots until he recovered enough for his head horns to grab her boot and then he scrambled to his feet, dragging Rokko with him.
"Ever gone flying off a building to your own demise Rokko? Because you're about to!" Boomerang Kuwanger roared as he rotated his neck, picking up speed.
As he did, Rokko felt like a rag doll, getting flung about. While he picked up momentum, X charged her buster, readying herself for a strike that would hopefully free her foot from his attack. Rolling up so that her torso was nearly touching her thighs, Rokko did her best to keep a steady aim and then fired at the horn on the right side.
The plasma struck Kuwanger's horn and the metal shattered, sending Rokko flying, and she was only barely able to hold onto the ledge.
"Well, well, I can't say I've seen someone manage to do that before." Kuwanger commented as if he was talking about the weather.
Rokko quickly flung herself back up over the edge and rolled to her feet all in one smooth move.
Instead of responding, Rokko fired her buster again, aiming at Kuwanger for the first shot, and then, where she felt he was likely to go. Considering how quick he was, getting a clean shot off on him was going to be difficult. To her surprise, the prediction proved correct and she nailed him with another blast of plasma.
"Not bad X!" Kuwanger stated, as he threw his trademark boomerang.
Instead of dodging though, Rokko aimed, and struck one edge of it, allowing her to grab it in mid air. Once she had, she kept a hold of it. If it came back down to close quarter combat, having the bladed weapon would likely be an asset.
Once again, Kuwanger vanished, and Rokko quickly ran through her acquired weapons. Fire Wave was a possibility, but since he was so quick, actually connecting with the short ranged weapon wasn't likely. Shotgun Ice was quick, but the problem came down to the nature of the bouncing ice shards. If she missed, the ice could later detonate and since she was in the middle of a city… No, not a good choice, especially if she wanted to live after the war with Sigma. Electric Spark had a similar problem. Unfortunately, she was going to have to rely on her buster and the bladed weapon she'd already stolen.
Feeling the hair on the back of her neck rise, Rokko dashed to the left, barely dodging a blindingly quick attack. In response she fired another salvo of shots and to her surprise one of the attacks managed to connect, making the maverick stumble. Immediately, she pressed her advantage, laying down a heavy barrage of plasma fire and not letting up for even a moment. Should he have managed to regain his balance, actually killing him would prove far more difficult.
Eventually, one of her shots managed to break through the maverick's armor and strike his energy core and Kuwanger dropped to the ground. As he laid there, he let out a weak chuckle, even as his body began to spark.
"Rokko… I… I was right about you…"
Frowning, Rokko approached and kneeled next to him.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Rokko… I once took on Chill Penguin and Spark Mandrill at the same time and won… Yet you; who could barely beat either of them…. Bested me without taking any damage… You're… Truly evolving. I… I wish I could see… Where your power… Your potential… Is going to take you…"
"Did you find an answer to your question? The one about evolution?"
Kuwanger shook his head as best he could.
"No… But… That's okay… Because… You… You can find the answer instead…"
"You just wanted to fight me, Sigma's plan never interested you did it?"
"Only… Because he promised change. But now… My… Hope of change… It's… In your hands…" Kuwanger closed his eyes.
And Rokko knew he was gone.
Boomerang Cutter special weapon acquired.
Dropping the boomerang her foe had thrown at her, she rose, shaking her head.
In a way, it felt so… So pointless.
"Huntress X reporting in. The tower is secured."
"Copy that X. I'll send a team to clean up. RTB." Zero replied.
"I'd like to do a quick sweep, but I doubt there's anything else of note."
"Alright X, just don't poke your nose where it doesn't belong." Zero warned.
Rokko nodded slightly.
"I'll keep that in mind." She promised before she cut off the connection.
Heading back down to the floor with the large servers, Rokko had no intention to follow Zero's advice in this regard. Taking a seat at a computer database, she powered it up, only to find that the security, or whatever security had been there was completely eliminated.
Frowning thoughtfully, she accessed the database, and after a few minutes, she realized that if she could have been sick, she would.
She'd known things were bad but this…
'Reploid Recycling Plants', places where old model reploids were forcibly melted down for scrap metal, the government watched not just their reploid slaves, but the humans as well. Did they fear their own species? Why was the government spying on their own civilians and what was the 'Emergency I Plan'?
Too many questions remained and she desperately wanted to know, but she sensed that she was also pressing her luck. If a hunter entered and saw her on a computer things likely would take a turn for the worse. Shutting the computer back down, she stood, pushed the chair back in, and headed for the elevator. Thankfully, she did as she'd only taken a few steps when the elevator doors opened and a swarm of hunters entered.
"You managed to keep the damage to a minimum." The lead hunters parted revealing a short man with a small mustache and a top hat of all things.
"Most of the fighting happened on the roof sir." For now, she'd follow procedure.
By the book, otherwise she was likely to start demanding answers from him.
"Yes, well, hopefully this security breach is easy to fix. Wouldn't want our enemies to get ahold of state secrets eh? Anyway, you've all done your jobs. Leave."
"Yes sir."
While she'd completed the mission, it felt hollow, moreso than usual. Did Kuwanger have a point, or was it only the fact that his death had been so pointless that made it all empty? Whatever the reason, she had a lot to think about.
Whatever the future held, something warned her that things were only going to get worse before they'd ever potentially get better.
Hey all, sorry about the delay. Life decided to kick me in the teeth and laugh about it. But here's the next chapter. Much later than planned on. But, this story I do plan on finishing. It'll take time and dedication, but it's worth it to me. Also, I think there's one rather obvious element that's becoming more important. Evolution of Rokko. She's growing even without the help of the capsules from Professor Thane. Hopefully, it'll be enough, but, no the battles aren't all going to be that simple. In fact, they're probably going to get a lot harder because of what happened here. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this most recent chapter of Rokko's tale.
Again, I'd like to restate that this is going to take a very different path from the Mega Man X games as they are very different worlds with very big changes.
Best Regards,
Gardian X