Queen Sunstar: Dental surgery went well. I'm back in action with an update!
Zero: insert hideously long and boring disclaimer here.
Queen Sunstar: Read on, my loyal readers!
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Gate stepped off the transport and entered the HQ. His white lab coat flowed behind him as he ran for medical bay. He was shocked at the degree of suffering he saw in the building. Many of the hunters sported red badges of courage somewhere on their bodies. The faces he saw were downcast. It looked like a war had ragged. Gate entered medical bay. It was full. Lifesaver and Cinnamon were doing the best they could while clearly running on fumes. Alia was nearby, holding a sobbing Medic. Gate went and sat down next to the crying Reploid and hugged her. Medic sank into his arms. He didn't speak, but asked with his eyes what happened to Alia.
"There was an invasion, and Zero is MIA. So is Axl." Alia closed her eyes.
"Medic, I am here for you. Zero will come back. Why, I remember being called here once to find Zero in about four pieces. He was awake and talking the whole time. If he can bounce back from that, he'll return." Gate soothed, "Why don't you help me deal with X?"
Medic didn't respond, but she nodded. She let Gate pull her up.
"You have a way with her." Alia noticed.
"I should. I was the only rookie brave enough to baby-sit her when she was little. I was 15 at the time." Gate relied.
"Gate was my favorite baby-sitter. Every time Dad or uncle D had to leave me for a bit, I always begged them for Gate. Gate made things fun." Medic gave a small smile, "I knew having Zero was too good to be true."
"Zero loves you. He'll return." Alia relied, leading the way into X's room, which by the way was the isolation chamber. Gate went to work. He'd already decided that he was going to stay for a bit and put his medical expertise to good use as soon as he was done with X.
"Classic stasis. Sometimes in these cases it is better to let nature run its course. In this case however, that is not possible. In stasis, we should still have movement of the major joints. See this elbow? It is locked. That tells me that it is an advanced stasis. The eyes should be forward and blank. Here, they are rolling back. That tells me what, Medic?" Gate turned to Medic.
"Advanced Stasis with, um, what was it now… oh! It's ASCD! Advanced Stasis with Cranial Dysfunction." Medic looked pleased with herself. Gate loved testing her.
"Right. What are its causes?" Gate had his infamous I'm-going-to-test-you-for-a-full-half-hour glint in his eyes.
"Um," Medic thought, "Normal stasis is brought on by low energy. It is a failsafe to insure survival in Hunter type Reploids. Advanced Stasis is brought on by, um, some viruses similar to the human disease called Cancer. Um, in cases with Cranial Dysfunction, it is triggered by something in the brain. Researchers have yet to find out what that is exactly. Some say it has to do with a sudden surge of electrical energy flooding the brain. Some medicines can trigger it too."
"Very good. How do we correct Stasis?" Gate caught Alia's eye.
"There isn't much we can do. We make sure the Reploid is comfortable and we treat each symptom as they come while letting nature run it's course. In cases with cranial dysfunction, all we can do is monitor the healing brain and treat each symptom as they come while letting nature run it's course." Medic replied.
"Very good." Gate said, "We need to get his body to relax. To do that, I am going to give him a mild sedative. X will be fine in a few hours. This is a short lived Stasis. See? His body is already coming out of it."
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"Delta, did you get the Prize?" Protoman asked.
Delta stood before him, her left arm and forehead wrapped in bandages.
"I have not." Delta replied, "I was busy trying to help drive a flood of Mavericks out of Abel City."
"X is fine. Gate is tending to him." Bass replied, "I don't get it. Shouldn't Sunstar have attacked by now? What is he waiting for?"
"jeez you idiot! Who do you think sent that Maverick army? Sunstar knows, and he is testing his prey!" Delta snapped.
"Why test them? We all know he could wipe out the earth without lifting a finger!" Bass grumbled.
"Sunstar is searching for the Pure." Protoman replied, "He wont destroy the earth until he has the Pure."
"Why does he need the pure? He is already invincible." Delta asked.
"I wish we knew. Roll? What are you doing here, and why is Rush with you? Cossack sent me and Bass, no one else, to the future." Protoman asked. Rush went to him and dropped a paper at his feet. Protoman recognized Light's nearly illegible scrawl followed by Cossack's neat print.
"I came with Rush to help you." Roll replied, "Light has found something."
Protoman picked up the paper and read it.
"Sunstar made sure to destroy his only weakness in the past, and is planning to do the same to X in this time." he read, "do not let the Pure fall into his hands, or we're screwed royally." he flipped it over to find Willy's neat cursive, "Willy is helping them now? Anyway, You can not fail us. Please, do not fail us. Hey wait a minute here! I haven't failed him before!"
"Oh really?" Roll rolled her eyes, "how many times have you saved Megaman instead of defeating him like you were supposed to?"
"Those don't count!" Protoman snapped.
"How about turning off the defense system to Willy's base so Megaman could get in easily?" Bass taunted, getting a punch to the gut that doubled him over in pain. Rush growled.
"okay, so maybe I failed once or twice. You two, get back to your missions. Where do you think you are going, Roll?" Protoman asked.
"I'm going in under cover." Roll glowed, her body becoming taller, and her hair longer. She wore blue green and white armor, "I'm Navi, a navigator, in this form. Rush is a part of my disguise." Rush yelped, finding himself glowing. His body basically stayed the same, but his red coat darkened into a deep blood red. His face slimmed a bit, but that was it, "Rush is now Red, my beloved pet."
"But Roll!" Protoman protested as the female Reploid left.
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"Alia, can you show Navi the works?" Signus's voice jolted Alia back to reality. She had zoned off while the computer hummed, searching for Zero. She'd made it her mission to find Zero for Medic.
"Yes, Signus. She can use the computer next to me." Alia watched as the new navigator sat in the chair next to her. A dark red dog followed her faithfully and curled up at her feet. "I'm Alia. That is a pretty dog you have there." Alia smiled.
"It's my late brother's dog. Poor thing is still shy of everything. His name is Red. I'm Navi. Nice to meet you, Alia." Navi smiled, "How can I be of service?"
"Let me explain the works, and get you started on trying to help locate missing Hunters." Alia explained everything.
"Who are you looking for?" Navi asked an hour later as her computer hummed.
"I'm looking for a friend's husband." Alia decided to keep her mission to herself.
"I've got Storm Eagle." Navi heard her computer beep, "Found him! He is moving toward us."
"Good." Alia said. Zero, where are you? "I've got most of my list done and the computer is still working on locating my last hunter. Would you mind giving me a call if it beeps? I have a… friend, in medical bay. He wasn't in the recent battle because he is sick."
"Go ahead. I'm waiting for my computer to spit out the location of Axl already." Navi smiled.
Alia ran to medical bay, which was just as crowded as friends and family tried to visit loved ones inside. She wormed her way to the darkened isolation chamber where Medic was sitting.
"How is he?" Alia sank into a chair, "I'm still searching."
"Gate is happy. X is already out of stasis. He could awaken soon." Medic looked sad, "At least you tried."
"I'm still trying." Alia told her, taking X's left hand into her own and giving it a gentle squeeze, "X, I don't know if you can hear me, but I just want you to know that I'm here." She felt him squeeze her hand in response to her voice. Gate poked his head into the room.
"Oh good. You are here, Alia. Talk to him. Let him know you are there." He said, "Medic, I need you out here. Cinnamon, you go sit with X and rest yourself."
Cinnamon came in and sank into the chair Medic had vacated.
"My feet are killing me, my body is protesting each hour without food and sleep, and I almost wish I'd stayed on Giga Island." Cinnamon curled up in the chair and was soon asleep. Alia knew that Cinnamon had an uncanny ability to take ten minute power naps and wake up fully refreshed. She turned to X, whose eyelids were fluttering. She hoped he would wake up soon.
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A bright light was shining into his face. Axl blinked, and opened his eyes to see a kind male face looking down at him.
"You are awake." the faces owner replied.
"You saved me?" Axl asked, "Who are you?"
"I'm Sungod. Yes, I saved you. I also saved your friend, Zero." Sungod smiled warmly.
"Where is Zero?" Axl asked.
"My, we are full of questions. Zero is resting. He took a lot of damage to his abdomen but I was able to save him. You were hurt pretty bad too. I have a reason for saving you two. One of my own is in your HQ." Sungod paused, "I would like her back. I do not mean any harm."
"We are your bargaining chips?" Axl asked.
"Of course not." Sungod replied, "I came to your aid in battle and saved you and Zero. I plan to return you both alive. First, I am going to contact HQ."
Axl sat up and watched as Sungod went over to a vast computer and issue a command. The screen lit up and Signus's face came into view.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Sungod. I have Axl and Zero here with me. They were both hurt bad, but I was able to save them. Axl can go home in the morning. I'm keeping Zero here so that I can make sure he is healing right. As soon as he is able, I'll let him go home too. You have one of my own. I would like her back. You know her as Ruby." Sungod explained.
"Are you the one who turned the tide in battle?" Signus asked, "I'm afraid Ruby is dead."
"Yes, that was me. Ruby's dead? I still want her back. She is my sister." Sungod explained, "Please, let me lay her to rest."
"You may come and take her. Just remember to return my hunters." Signus found himself practically being thrown aside by a very thrilled Medic.
"You have Zero? Is he okay? May I see him?" Medic asked.
"Of course." Sungod smiled, "I take it you are Medic? Zero is very worried about you. He is asleep right now." the screen changed to a darkened room. Zero lay asleep on a bed, his chest and abdomen swathed in thick white bandages. His hair fell around him in golden waves.
"Oh, Zero!" Medic looked like she might start crying, "I want to go be with him!"
"I'm going to bring Axl back to you guys and pick up my sister. Medic, you may come with me." Sungod replied.
They didn't have to wait long for Sungod to appear carrying Axl. He set Axl down on his own two feet.
"Axl!" he disappeared in a swarm of navigators.
"Can't breathe!" Axl squawked, "I didn't know you all loved me this much!"
"Okay, break it up. Axl needs to go to medical bay for further treatment. Sungod, Ruby is down there too." Medic led the way. Axl took a few steps and swayed. Sungod turned and steadied him.
"Easy, Axl." he said, "take it slowly."
They arrived in the still overcrowded medical bay. Gate pounced on Axl and led him over to the scanners. Medic went to the back room and opened its door. Sungod went straight to Ruby.
"My sister, I'm sorry." he carefully picked up the body, "Lets go." he laid a wing on Medic and they teleported. Sungod left her with Zero. As he stepped out into the hallway of his base, his body glowed as his armor turned purple and his wings vanished. Sunstar let an evil smile play on his lips. Soon, he'd have Pluto restored and the Stardroids would all be together again.
"You got her!" Terra pounced on his Leader.
"They know nothing." Sunstar walked toward another room, "Soon, Pluto will be back among us."
"You can bring her back?" Terra asked.
"I'm a god. Of course I can raise the dead." Sunstar entered the room and put Pluto down on a table. His hands glowed as he healed all of the damage she'd sustained. As he healed her, her armor reverted to normal. Then he leaned down and kissed her.
"Awaken, Pluto, Guardian of the world farthest from me." Sunstar called.
Pluto's eyes opened.
"Terra? Sunstar? You saved me! I thought I was a goner! Who knew that whelp was so strong?" she sat up, "when do we get to go after him?"
"We don't." Sunstar said, "He has been neutralized."
"You mean he's dead?" this came from Uranus, who had just entered the room.
"He is going to be dead soon. Only then can we strike by eliminating his successor, Megaman X. I let Axl leave as he is no threat to us. Zero is here with us, thus eliminating him." Sunstar explained, "as soon as Jupiter gives me word of Megaman's death, we will strike hard and fast."
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His body ached. He felt someone squeezing his left hand lightly. Medic. Oh great, he'd been injured in the battle. He'd made Medic worry. He returned the squeeze with a gentle one of his own.
"Zero, can you hear me, my love?" Medic asked.
Zero finally wrenched his eyes open, "Medic…"
"Shh, rest. I'm here now." Medic had to resist the urge to throw her arms around him.
"How bad?" Zero asked.
"You took a hard hit to the abdomen that destroyed your armor in that area. You are going to be fine." Medic replied, "Sungod told me that he had to remove bits of your armor from the wound."
"Sungod?" Zero asked.
"Sungod saved us all. He saved you and Axl. Axl is fine. We are currently staying in his place while you heal." Medic smiled, "I was so worried about you."
"I'm sorry for worrying you." Zero felt his strength leaving him.
"Don't be. I'm happy you are going to be okay." She watched him drift off into sleep, "Rest, my love, and grow strong again."
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"Gone? The Prize is gone?" Protoman screamed, "I give you a simple task and you can't complete it?"
"I am sorry, sir. Sungod got to her before I did. She is his sister." Delta cringed.
"Sungod?" Protoman paled, "Oh crap! We're dead! Think about it! Sungod is another name for Sunstar! Sunstar has the Prize! The Prize is Pluto! They are all back toge- Ow! Thank you, I needed that. We're still dead!"
"Calm down, Protoman. We still have a chance. Megaman X carries the Pure, which is the one thing Sunstar fears." Bass said.
"Sunstar doesn't fear the Pure you clout!" Protoman turned on Bass.
"We need information, and I know how to retrieve it. Sunstar took a doctor with him when he left with Ruby so the doctor could go be with her husband. What if we used her to obtain information?" Delta asked.
"I hate to endanger anyone else, but I see we have no choice. Delta, get in contact with her." Protoman decided, "Bass, you still are on X duty."
"Yes sir!" both Reploids ran off.
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Axl wondered how much longer Gate was going to poke, prod, scan, and do everything else short of surgery on him. His injuries had healed up already. He felt Gate poking the small of his back.
"Face it, doc. There is nothing wrong with me." Axl complained, "I heal fast."
"Not this fast. I can't even get a blot clot test done on you. There has to be something in you that is causing this phenomenon." Gate replied, drawing yet another pint of blood, "If I can isolate the process that causes it, I will then be able to give it to the other hunters. This means that in battles or on missions, they'll be able to heal from injuries much faster. You are free to go."
Axl hopped off the table and took off for the isolation room.
"Alia, I'm not here!" He dropped into a chair, "Gate's gone crazy!"
"Relax, Axl. Gate is only trying to figure out why you are healing so fast, and no, you are not going to die from blood loss. Gate only took two pints." Alia replied, "you are fine." She turned her attention back to X, who was still except for the occasional flutter of his eyelids, or a twitch of his fingers. Gate had said that this was the worst part, waiting for the Reploid to wake up after they leave stasis. It could take a long while. Axl hoped it would be soon. He was getting tired of waiting. Cinnamon was in another chair, still asleep. Gate had made Lifesaver go rest in the office on the cot. He was giving them a few hours of rest. Alia looked outside in the main part of medical bay. Gate was in his element, tending to the injured and nursing the sick back to health. She knew this was what he loved to do. The two sliding glass doors slid open to reveal Storm Eagle and Teal with their daughter, Snow Eagle, between them. Teal was just starting to show with her second pregnancy. Snow Eagle looked a bit flushed. Gate got down to her level and had her giggling as he lifted her to the examining table. Snow Eagle was a pure snowy white with her mothers black hair and her fathers eyes. She didn't inherit her fathers beak, but she had his wings. Alia's mind drifted as she imagined herself with X bringing their children to Gate for their check ups.
Alia!"
"What? I'm sorry, I spaced out for a minute there." Alia returned to the present.
"X opened his eyes for a few seconds. He'll be awake soon!" Axl looked excited. The isolation room door opened as Eagle looked in.
"He isn't awake yet?" he asked.
"Not yet, but soon." Alia replied, "How is Teal and Snow?"
"Snow has a cold, and Teal is doing fine. She says she can't wait to have her body back. She says this is going to be her last pregnancy." Eagle smiled, as he stepped into the room, "Zero is lucky to have a Kouhai that has become his closest friend. I actually was jealous of him. My Kouhais all ended up hating me."
"I didn't." Axl said, "You taught me how to fly."
"You were the only one that actually put up with me." Eagle and Axl began a discussion of the fine points of flying. Teal came in with Snow beside her, who ran to Alia.
"Guess what? I get to be big sister to two little brothers or sisters!" Snow was excited.
"Really?" Alia smiled down at the child, "I bet you are excited."
"What?" Eagle spun to face his wife, "Twins?"
Teal nodded, "I'm shocked too. Gate thinks they are going to be identical twins."
"But, twins? How are we going to find the space?" Eagle asked.
"We will find it." Teal replied, "Snow? It's nap time! Mommy is tired."
"I not sleepy, mommy!" Snow protested, "I too big for naps!"
"You are only three. You need your nap. Remember what Dr. Gate said?" Teal picked up her daughter, "You need to get lots of rest so you get better from your cold." She left.
"Twins? Snow was bad enough as a baby. How am I going to survive?" Eagle asked himself out loud, "Teal is going to need me, got to go." He left.
X's eyes fluttered again. Axl watched, wondering if this was it. He could see Alia watching too. Gate came in and went to his patient. He did a quick examination and gently took X's left hand from Alia.
"X, I need you to squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Gate felt X respond with a squeeze of his hand, "Good, he is responsive. X, I need you to wake up." X's eyes fluttered, but didn't open, "I know it is hard, but you need to wake up on your own." X's eyes fluttered some more, but still didn't open. "I'm giving him one more hour to come out of this on his own. After that, I'm going to run a battery of tests to see what is going on." Gate turned to Alia, "I can however give him a low dose of a stimulant to help get things moving. He has been down for too long as it is. Alia, your choice."
"What would the stimulant do?" Alia asked.
"It will basically help him wake up. It is like a jumpstart. There are side effects. This could trigger a relapse into Stasis, it could cause a bad reaction, or it could kill him. The dose is very low, the same size dose I would give to Snow if she needed it. Do you want me to proceed?" Gate asked.
"What would you do?" Alia asked, "Are there other ways?"
"Well, I would try the stimulant. There are some other ways, yes. We could wait for him to come out of it on his own, or I could try to shock his systems out of it, or there is the reboot." Gate laid out their options. Alia looked over at Axl.
"No, I don't want no part of this!" Axl said.
"Lets try the stimulant in one hour." Alia decided, "I want him to try to come out of this on his own."
"Good choice." Gate replied, heading back out into the medical bay. Alia looked down at X. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought he was sleeping. She knew that the longer X stayed down, the more damage that was being caused.
"Please, X. Wake up. I know you are fighting so hard right now, and I know how easy it would be to let go. Please, I love you so much. I am not ready to say good bye to you. Wake up for me. Wake up for a few minutes at least, so that I know you are okay." Alia closed her eyes, and let the tears fall.
Axl didn't have to be a doctor to know why Gate was getting worried. He knew how bad Stasis could be. He also knew that if X didn't awaken soon, the damage to his systems would become irreparable and X would end up dying. This sucked. Zero lay injured at Sungods place and X was probably dying. That met that with two of the top hunters out of service, it would all fall on his shoulders to try to figure out the where and why the Mavericks had attacked Abel City so brazenly. Axl heard a soft groan and looked down at X. X's eyes opened slowly, but they were blank and unfocused.
"X?" Axl asked, uncertainly.
X turned his head toward him, and a vague recognition flashed over his face.
"Axl?" X's voice was rough from disuse.
"X!" Axl smiled, "You are awake! Alia! He's awake!"
"Alia? Who's Alia?" X teased.
"That is not funny, X!" Alia was smiling as she hugged him. X returned the hug.
"Would I ever forget you?" he asked, "how long have I been stuck down here?"
"It has been almost two days. You've been in Stasis. How do you feel?" Alia asked.
"I'm fine." X replied as Gate came in.
"Morning, X." Gate said, "X? I'm over here." Concerned, he pulled out a penlight and shone it into both of X's eyes, "X, can you see the light?"
"Yes." X replied, "Everything is just a little fuzzy."
"Right eye dimmed normally, but there is no reaction in his left eye. I'm going to cover your right eye. Do you see the light?" Gate asked.
"Nothing." X replied, "It's all dark."
"How about your right eye?" Gate repeated with X's right eye.
"Um, I see some light." X responded, "I'm blind?"
"I'll have to run some scans to be sure, but I believe your blindness is only temporary." Gate gave a reassuring smile, "Give yourself a few days for it to return."
"What if it doesn't return?" X asked.
"Relax. We'll cross that bridge if it comes to it." Gate said.
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"Navi." Delta went over to the navigator, "Can you patch me through to Medic?"
"Sure." Navi typed in a few codes, "I've got her."
"Thanks, Navi. Medic, it's Delta. I have a favor to ask you. How is Zero doing?" Delta asked.
"Zero is doing fine, why?" Medic asked.
"I meant, has Sungod done anymore work on Zero?" Delta asked.
"Sungod has been coming in every five to six hours to heal Zero's injury a little more. He said that by mimicking the body's own speed while healing the wound is better on the injured Reploid as it is less stressing. Why?" Medic looked confused.
"Medic, my favor is for you to gather some information on Sungod. I am not sure if he is what he says he is. Check Zero's injury. I don't think Sungod is healing it." Delta replied, "I don't want you to know too much yet. This is for your safety."
"Okay, I'll see what I can find out." Medic signed off, "Pluto! You startled me. I was just talking to Delta. She is just paranoid."
"I would be paranoid too if I found out that two of the top hunters had their lives saved by someone pretty powerful." Pluto smiled, "You want some information about us?"
"It will put Delta at ease. She is too suspicious for her own good." Medic agreed.
"Well, I am the second youngest of my large family. I have two sisters and ten brothers. Sungod is the oldest of us. We all know there is something different about us. Our armor doesn't break like a normal hunters armor does, and we seem to have long lives. Ruby was the youngest of us. I miss her terribly." Pluto lied, "Terra is the second oldest with Mercury, Mars, and Venus born just two years after him. They are triplets. Jupiter and Saturn were born nine months later. The three years later came Uranus, and Neptune. Then I was born followed by Ruby. Our parents died while I was still young, so Terra raised me and Ruby. Sungod went through a dark period of grief and left us to fend for ourselves. Then, many years later, Sungod came back and we became a family again. Ruby left us and now she is gone. Terra thinks we might be Stardroids, but I don't believe it. The Original Megaman defeated the last of the Stardroids."
"I never got to know my mom." Medic went back to Zero, who was awake. She noticed the fresh blood specks seeping through the bandage. Pluto took her leave. Medic removed the bandage and tended to the wound.
"Odd, you should be nearly healed." Medic decided to try her own healing touch.
"You don't think Sungod is doing something to it each time he works on it, do you?" Zero winced at Medic's gentle touch, "It's not working. Is it?"
"That is strange. Oh! Sungod, I thought I'd help Zero heal faster by using my own healing touch." Medic turned around and screamed.
"Interfering little whore!" Sunstar flicked his wrist, sending Medic crashing into a wall, "Time for payback, Red Demon!"
"Medic!" Zero struggled to sit up, ignoring the stream of blood that erupted from the wound as he moved, "Red Demon? What are you talking about?"
"You know what I'm talking about!" Sunstar hissed, his left hand glowing as a long golden sword appeared in his hands, "Die!" He thrust the blade down at Zero.
"NO!" Medic screamed, throwing herself into the swords path.
"NO! MEDIC!" Zero screamed, trying to reach her. Medic coughed up a river of blood.
"It's okay, Zero." she smiled weakly, tears falling from her eyes.
"MEDIC!" Zero screamed again.
Slowly, Medic keeled, going limp, as Sunstar planted a foot on her back and kicked her off his sword. She ended up in a bloody heap on the ground.
"Worthless." Sunstar spat.
"You Maverick!" Zero struggled to his feet, but his legs gave out from under him.
"How gallant." Sunstar sneered, kicking Zero viciously in the stomach, hard. Zero crumbled into a heap, coughing up a violent spray of blood. He saw Medic and reached for her. The kick had sent him rolling closer to her. If he could reach just a bit farther… a flash of gold caught his eye and he rolled to the left and managed to grab Medic's hand. Sunstar charged, but Zero teleported. They landed with a resounding crash inside the medical bay at HQ.
"Zero! Medic!" Gate ran to them, "Lifesaver, Cinnamon! I need help!"
"I'll take Zero!" Cinnamon ran to his side as Lifesaver joined them.
"Cinnamon, I'll help you." Lifesaver and Gate both lifted Zero onto a bed.
"No, Medic first!" Zero's eyes shot open.
"Are you crazy? Gate has Medic. She'll be okay. Let me tend to you." Cinnamon replied, "Zero, I mean it."
"No. nobody touches me until I know that Medic is okay!" Zero screamed, coughing up another wave of blood.
"Medic is fine! The sword missed her vital organs!" Gate screamed at Zero as he turned, "You will let Cinnamon and Lifesaver tend to that wound right now." his voice held an edge, "I'm nearly done patching her up!"
Zero seemed to relax somewhat, but dissolved into a violent coughing fit that sent droplets of blood flying into the air. Cinnamon tore Zero's shirt open and grabbed a wad of gauze. She began to mop up the blood. Gate turned to her.
"Medic will heal. She is not in any danger. I'm thankful that her baby is okay." Gate took over, "He is losing too much blood. Run a transfusion pronto." Cinnamon didn't move. Both she and Lifesaver stared at Gate open mouthed.
"Medic's pregnant?" Cinnamon asked.
"You guys didn't know?" Gate looked at them in shock.
"How far along is she?" Lifesaver asked.
"She is about six weeks, why?" Gate asked, "transfusion, go!"
"My little girl is going to be a mom." Lifesaver smiled, "Transfusion going!"
"Oh god, I found the source of the bleeding!" Cinnamon plunged her hands into the huge slash, slowing the blood flow to a trickle, "Damn! I can't heal it!" She quickly sewed it closed, "This is bad. What ever hit him damaged his stomach. He is going to be out of action for a long time."
After some more work, Gate moved Zero to the ICU with Cinnamon watching over him. Cinnamon ran another transfusion. She hoped Zero would pull through for Medic's sake.
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Axl heard his com go off. He and X were visiting the still sleeping Medic. He stepped aside to talk with Signus.
"I need you up here in the Command Center. Mission." Signus ordered.
"I'll stay with her. You go." X felt a pang of envy as he heard Axl's footsteps race off. While he was worried about Zero, he wanted to make sure Medic was okay. He knew that Zero wouldn't fight if Medic was gone. Gate had told him that Zero had gone into a coma from severe blood loss. X knew that to save his friend, he'd have to save Medic first. X remembered back when Cinnamon had restored him, she had told him that she had a boost from the Pure residing within him, and that it helped her heal him. He wondered if he could use the Pure now to save Medic.
Axl entered the Command Center where Signus was waiting for him. With him were Storm Eagle, and a new Hunter Axl didn't recognize. Signus cleared his throat.
"Navi has picked up a strange energy signature coming from deep within Mount Sheer. I need you three to go check it out. This by the way is Blues, a Hunter from Austria. He has transferred here to help pick up the slack left by X and Zero as they are both on medical leave. He is very skilled and knows the dangers. Good luck and god speed." Signus watched them leave.
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Axl and Blues were on hover cycles while Eagle flew above them. They had hit the main highway which was mostly repaired and turned toward the east where Mt. Sheer rose into the sky. The mountain was tall and it's sides were evenly slopped. Then the gentle climb gave away to sheer cliffs and nearly impassible ravines. It was an extremely dangerous place. Axl had come prepared with mountain climbing gear and couldn't wait to tackle Mt. Sheer. He decided to strike up a conversation with Blues.
"So, you are from Austria. That's out by Germany, isn't it?" Axl asked, screaming to be heard over the roar of the hover cycles engines.
"It is south of Germany." Blues replied, "It is a beautiful place. I heard about the attack here." Blues hit an incline and went airborne over a small gap, "It must have been bad."
"It was bad. I was hurt, Zero was hurt, and thanks to Gate, we are all nearly patched together. Do you know about Mt. Sheer?" Axl asked.
"Who doesn't?" Blues asked, "get ready to jump again!" he and Axl cleared the next gap with room to spare, "I'm an avid mountain climber and I can't wait to tackle Mt. Sheer. Our best bet would be coming in from the northeast as we can use the cycles to climb half the mountain."
They reached the turn off to the mountains and kicked the cycles into second gear. Two hours later, they reached the mountain. Eagle landed.
"Axl and I both can fly to clear those ravines ahead. Blues, you may want to hitch a ride with one of us." Eagle replied.
"Not to worry." Blues smiled, "I'm not a strong hunter for nothing. I brought Red, my late brothers dog. Navi is my sister. Red, flight mode."
Blues cycle shifted into Red, who then shifted into flight mode. Basically, he crouched while a panel on each side of his body opened itself to form a wing.
"Wow. Red really is good to have around." Axl said as they started toward the first ravine, "Is it getting warm or is it just me?"
"Guys, there is lava in the ravine. I thought Sheer wasn't a volcano." Eagle looked into the ravine they'd just arrived at.
"It isn't." Axl looked into the ravine, "Where is this lava coming from?"
"Are you two going to stand there all day and talk about the lava?" Blues called from the other side of the ravine. Axl and Eagle crossed quickly. They worked their way up the mountain, and it was Blues who found the opening first. The opening was not very large. Axl wiggled through easily with Blues behind him, and Red behind them. Eagle's wings made it impossible for him to get through. He decided to stay outside and act as a relay point for their communicators.
"It is getting hotter." Axl noticed, "We have got to be getting close."
"Ether we're getting closer to our target or we're getting closer to the lava." Blues replied.
The tunnel gave away to a large cavern. Blues and Axl crept to hide behind a rock out cropping. Blues scanned the area and let out an angry hiss.
"Sunstar!" he hissed. Axl shushed him. They listened.
"So, Professor Gaudille. Do you know what this is?" Sunstar asked, holding something glowing in his hand.
"No I don't!" Gaudille's face gave him away.
"Lies." Sunstar snapped, "You know about the Pure!"
"Okay! I know about the Pure! All scientists know about the Pure!" Gaudille screamed, "I'm not telling you anymore!"
"You will tell me everything you know about the Pure." Sunstars voice was almost hypnotic, "Or else, I'll order Saturn to kill your precious Cinnamon!"
"No! not my Cinnamon! I'll tell you everything! I promise! The Pure is a very rare form of energy found only in Mount Pure, which was destroyed in a major eruption during ancient times! All the Pure that is left was hidden by Dr. Thomas Light!" Gaudille screamed at the towering Stardroid.
"You found a way to make more of it. Tell me how and I will spare Cinnamon." Sunstar hissed.
"Supra Force metal!" Gaudille cried, "Purify it!"
Axl had heard enough of what was going on. He went to rise, but Blues stopped him.
"Are you nuts?" Blues asked, "He's a Stardroid! He'll kill us!"
Unfortunately, he spoke too loud. Sunstar turned and fired a burst of light at the rock outcropping, revealing Axl and Blues, who screamed, "Teleport!" Axl focused, but Sunstar blasted them apart. Axl scrambled to his feet, but Sunstar turned on Blues, who stood his ground.
"Sunstar!" Blues screamed, "You may have defeated Megaman from our time, but you'll never defeat Megaman X in this time!"
"I already have. Stupid fool can't see a thing. That creation of Willys is comatose. No one can stop me! No one!" Sunstar roared, "not even you, Blues, or should I say Protoman?"
"I'll stop you!" Axl locked his pistols together to form his crossbow. His arrows only bounced off of Sunstar's armor, "or may be not!"
"I defeated Pluto!" Blues screamed back, "She was nothing! You call yourselves Stardroids, yet I, a simple Reploid armed with nothing more then a buster, defeated Pluto!"
"You only won because Megaman interfered by fighting me! How does it feel, knowing your brother is dying a slow and agonized death that you can do nothing about?" there was a tone, "The great Megaman has finally died!"
"You liar!" Blues threw himself at Sunstar, pounding him with both fist and buster shots a like. Axl switched to another of his weapons, his copy shot. It had no effect on Sunstar. Thinking quickly, Axl shifted into X and accessed the ultimate armor. He charged both guns.
"Blues, get down! Nova Blast!" Axl hit hard and fast, but Sunstar took no damage.
"New plan!" Axl dropped his X form and shifted to Zero. He then accessed Zero's Absolute form. Diving, he raked his claws on Sunstars shoulder, tearing apart the armor. Sunstar screamed. Blues rose, buster maxed out, and hit the damaged area on Sunstars shoulder, blasting the arm apart. Sunstar screamed, and vanished. Axl shifted back to himself.
"We drove him off!" Blues went to Gaudille, "Are you okay?"
"I'll be better once we get out of this place!" Gaudille replied.
"Blues, wait. Who are you?" Axl asked, staring at the other Hunter.
"It's time I came clean." Blues decided, "I'll explain back at HQ. Promise." Blues led the way back to the tunnel outside.
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Queen Sunstar: Sunstar is a character from the classic Megaman series along with the Stardroids. Yes, I know. I got the update done early. Next weeks update on Thursday may be a bit late because I'm moving into my own apartment! I'm excited! It is not big, but it is perfect. It even has a cathouse for my cat. If you don't hear from me by Thursday, the next chapter will be up during the following weekend.