Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything in the Megaman ZX series.
Summary: The future has become a dangerous place after the death of Master Albert. Master Thomas has a deadly scheme to reset the world after war breaks out across the globe, using Model O to carry out his sinister plans. The Game of Destiny escalates as Mega Men continue to fight amongst one another while the world's end draws ever closer.
Mega Man Zero 4 OST - T08: Fragile Border (Tension)
Giga Arcadia. One of the world's largest cities, and widely renowned as the fastest growing for hundreds of years since the great Utopia known as Neo Arcadia was annihilated by the orbital space weapon, Ragnarok. Strongly reminiscent of the historic city, Giga Arcadia closely resembled its ancient predecessor in all but name, despite roughly two hundred years seperating their state of existence from one another. It wasn't always that way however, for the tropical region where the great city was situated had been known for years simply as Arcadia up until several months ago.
Originally beginning life as a small island community set deep in the heartland of the southern tropics, Arcadia was a quiet region where aging Humans and Reploids could settle down away from the bustle of major cities such as Cinq Ville. The distant location of the isles meant that the inhabitants also remained safe from the ever-present threat of Maverick attacks, as few of the hostile machines possessed the means to travel that far from the continental mainlands. However, Arcadia's idyllic peace soon came to an end in recent years as the region suddenly experienced an explosion in both population and economic terms. Smaller cities throughout the world had been overrun, devastated not only by coordinated attacks but collapsing from within as civilians struggled to get by on dwindling resources. Technically there shouldn't have been any shortages at all, for the Energy Crisis had long since been resolved thanks to the efforts of Slither Inc. in developing the world-renowned C.I.E.L System. That was until the company had suddenly been destroyed in a massive assault roughly five years ago, causing energy production to grind to a halt until similar systems could be mass-produced and established worldwide. Although Cinq Ville quickly rebuilt from the devastating attack and energy production began to increase once new systems were developed, riots quickly broke out after a series of terrorist attacks committed by dangerously intelligent Mechaniloids caused people to believe that the dreaded Maverick Raids from decades ago were starting up all over again.
While Legion assured the populace that everything was under control, even they couldn't commit the vast resources necessary in rebuilding so many damaged communities, nor aid in effectively pushing back the increasingly aggressive invasions committed by the feral machines. While the Guardians and other military forces dedicated to protecting civilians worked hard on purging the areas now occupied by Irregular forces, the surviving refugees from afflicted countries fled to safety overseas, seeking sanctuary far away from the horrors of war until the threat back home could be contained. Arcadia was one of these places, a distant series of exotic islands located within the southern hemisphere offshore the coastline of what used to be known as Southeast Asia.
Over the previous year when recent attacks hit several major locations, Arcadia swiftly evolved from a minor community into a burgeoning metropolis and continued to grow as people sought safety within the isolated region. While the innermost city was formed primarily of old housing, new buildings and apartments were developed at a rapid pace, expanding outwards away from the original foundations and spilling across the former borders into the surrounding environment. Enclosed on all sides by verdant jungles and mountainous terrain, the developing city nestled safely within the heart of the island while the perimeters of the land were well-defended by jagged reefs, steep cliffs and powerful ocean currents, the natural hazards rendering the offshore tropics a difficult location to reach, let alone attack. As the population reached twenty million and rising, it wasn't long before Arcadia started being referred as Giga Arcadia, in honor of both the original foundations of which the city had been built upon and the historic civilization built centuries ago to foster peace between Humans and Reploids. Unlike the original Neo Arcadia, Giga Arcadia had no need for an Eden Dome; the weather being pleasant year round and the isolated location of the city rendered the threat of aerial assault highly unlikely. Equally unlike its predecessor, Humans and Reploids worked peacefully together, united as one as they focused on developing their new home. As the months passed, refugees continued to arrive at an increasing pace as fighting around the world grew more and more intense, mass expansion now a necessity in order to sustain the exploding population.
Most of the new arrivals had no idea who was in charge of Giga Arcadia exactly, only that he was considered the undisputed president for all the work he had done in developing the city in order to house so many in relative comfort. Sharp-eyed and imposing, Thane Messanos quickly gained popularity with the local authorities after he arrived from Outlands with the proposition of installing a prototype C.I.E.L System for the locals. Cinq Ville had just been attacked at the time, energy production almost non-existant after Slither Inc's Head Office collapsed after a mass energy overload which, even now, had yed to be explained, nor the cause disclosed to the general public. The authorities leapt at the chance to obtain the marvellous system, one of a few that worked on a mass scale and was able to provide not only Arcadia, but the surrounding countries with enough energy to fuel them many times over as well. During the previous year after the attacks started up, Messanos then had the idea of further developing Arcadia for surviving refugees so that the Guardians could focus on eradicating the Maverick threat unhindered. Legion agreed, donating plentiful funds and resources so that establishing a safehaven for civilians worldwide could be brought underway immediately. From there on, Messanos had only advanced in position - until suddenly it was apparant that he was now the one in charge as a new military group appeared with the pledge of protecting the newborn region from harm. While the original populace despaired at the overcrowded mess their once-peaceful isles had become, the refugees viewed their newfound president and his military force with approval, many signing up into his employ immediately to help bolster his forces's numbers and do their part in safeguarding their new homeland.
With Master Albert defeated, it was thought that peace would return once more and the refugees of Giga Arcadia could head back home, but the attacks worldwide had not decreased. In fact, they seemed to be increasing at rates not seen since the Maverick Wars centuries ago, which led to rising fears that another apocalypse-level catastrophe was soon underway. And so Giga Arcadia continued to florish, with thousands continuing to arrive at the city gates daily. While overpopulation was fast becoming a concern, so too was the fear of global war breaking out worldwide. To many people, it was now a matter of when that would happen, not if.
Remastered Tracks Rockman Zero TELOS, T1-24: Neo Arcadia III
It was a quiet morning in Giga Arcadia as the sun rose above the mountainous horizon, flooding the city streets below with rich golden hues. Overhead the skies shone like a new sapphire as the coming dawn chased the fading stars away, the inhabitants of the land slowly awakening to begin another day in their lives. Despite the tranquility of early morning, it was apparent that there was an eerie stillness hanging over the region, casting a cloud of tension over what should have been a relatively peaceful setting.
Standing guard at the city gates were a pair of steely-eyed reploid women, dressed in dark grey military outfits and armed with a gleaming array of rifles. Known to all as the Syndicate, the joint Human/Reploid force in the employ of the city president, both females were members of the elite guard tasked with protecting the borders of Giga Arcadia from any and all potential attacks. The first woman, named Sofia, was blonde and tall with striking green eyes. Her expression was one of boredom as she stood in the shade of the city walls behind her, trying not to yawn and iniate conversation with the younger redhead standing next to her. Her name was Gabrielle, privately dubbed Gabby in Sofia's mind due to the woman never being able to keep her mouth shut. Her expression was also one of boredom as she stood guard, her sparkling blue eyes constantly flickering back and forth.
"This is sooooo boring. I thought this job was going to be much more exciting..." Gabrielle sighed, clicking her teeth as she chewed on a wad of gum. Sofia shifted uncomfortably, keeping her eyes trained on the horizon before them. Although both girls were equipped to deal with just about any situation that could be thrown at them, the likelihood of a Maverick attack happening was about as likely as a snowstorm descending across the tropical region. In other words, not very likely at all.
"Stop complaining. The work's easy and we're doing a good enough job just standing here. If the refugees are happy, that makes the boss happy... which is good for us. What more do you want?" she grumbled, tugging at the tight collar of her jacket. It's way too hot to be dressed in this get-up, she thought with some annoyance, the thick material of her Syndicate's outfit almost stifling in this muggy heat. Her partner seemed to think along similar lines, the redhead pressing against the solid wall behind her to be covered up by more shade. It wasn't even eight in the morning yet and already it was baking hot.
"I still don't get why we have to stand out here all day long. There's hardly any Mavericks out there anyway, they'll never attack," Gabrielle muttered sullenly. Sofia rolled her eyes, wondering what she ever did wrong to get stuck working with such a complainer.
"That's right, they won't attack because we're so well-armed. Just be grateful you have a nice easy job down here. You could be stuck somewhere else, fighting for your life against thousands of the damned things. If things keep up this rate, Giga Arcadia will be one of the only safe locations left. Then you and I could be reassigned outside the region, helping the Guardians take back all of Inner Peace."
"Which'll be more interesting than baking in the sun out here. I swear my circuits are gonna overheat any moment..." Gabrielle sighed, running her slender fingers through her crimson locks. Sofia was just about to bite a retort when a flicker of motion in the distance caught their attention. Grabbing ahold of their rifles immediately, both women relaxed as they recognized it was a false alarm, the distinctive uniforms of the approaching humanoids alerting the girls that it was simply a pair of reinforcements returning from their overnight patrol around the jungle borders. Resuming relaxed positions, Sofia and Gabrielle waited until the newcomers, both male, finally reached the city gates. Gabrielle smirked at their sweaty appearance, pleased that at least it wasn't just her suffering from their ridiculously warm uniforms.
"You took your sweet time coming back. No problems with any Mavericks out there, I hope?" Sofia asked. One of the men, a middle-aged human, shook his head tiredly as he fought to catch his breath. He'd long grown used to the hot climate here, but he wasn't as young as he used to be and had rushed back as quickly as possible to fill in his report.
"No more than usual, though some of our surveillance 'bots detected an odd frequency reading down at the southernmost beach. None of us have gone to investigate it yet, we thought it would be better to return and let you know first," he answered. Gabrielle was quick to admonish him.
"And why didn't you think to call us instead of running all the way back? That's what your communicators are for, dummy."
"We couldn't call back. Whatever's out there, it's fried our communication systems completely. Check your own readings, they're probably all screwy too," the reploid male answered, sticking up for the older man. Gabrielle merely continued chewing on her gum as Sofia flicked open her communicator, her eyes widening in surprise at the readings she saw. It was true, the signal around the city was incredibly poor for some reason due to a strange interference that appeared to be resonating all the way from the other side of the island, just like the man had said. If that was true, then Messanos would need to know right away for the odd frequency could cause problems for incoming refugees. While the transervers were amazingly advanced technological equipment, they were surprisingly delicate and such a disruptive interference could possibly damage them, which would land them all in trouble.
"Fine, we'll be sure to let the boss know. Hold our post until we get back," she said, grabbing ahold of Gabrielle's collar as she turned to leave. The redhead spluttered, tugging away from the blonde's grasp to follow after her instead as they made their way towards Syndicate HQ inside the inner city.
"Who's we? I'm not going into his office, the man creeps me out," the younger reploid hissed petulantly. Sofia resisted the urge to swat the younger girl, losing patience with her more quickly than usual.
"You're the fifth person to say something like that. Has the president ever done anything to you to make you feel that way?" she asked, as Gabrielle stammered, unable to find a reply.
"Well, no, but..."
"Then shut up. He does a good job managing the city and that's all people care about. Without his help, thousands would be dead and even more left homeless, yourself included. He's a hero, and you should think better of him than that," the blonde chided, as Gabrielle frowned.
"You know who else people thought was a hero? Serpent, and look what happened to him," she scowled.
Sofia sighed. Of course Gabby would have to bring Serpent up, having come from Cinq Ville. The redhead had been there when Slither Inc's Head Office collapsed and lost her family in the resulting energy runoff, which had caused the city's C.I.E.L System to explode, tumbling down from the skies to result in major damage to the interior of the inner city. While most people managed to make it out alive, Gabrielle's family had been amongst the unfortunate numbers unable to make it out in time, the redhead almost joining them in death were it not for the Guardians making it to her side in time. She'd moved away from the city after the incident to recover, but her plans on returning back home had been put on hold indefinitely thanks to the recent attacks going on. Sofia's expression softened a little as she thought more about what the other reploid had been through, and thought perhaps she had been too harsh with her lately.
"Slither Inc. got sloppy with defenceand he paid for it. That was five years ago, Cinq Ville's rebuilt and moved on and it's time you did as well. Anyway, we're almost there now so keep quiet about your thoughts on the boss," she said as the building's doors slid open. Unlike Slither Inc's Head Office, Messano's personal office was much smaller in nature and located fairly close to the city entrance. Had Sofia not known better, she would have mistaken the unidentified building for another one of the makeshift abodes for the refugees littered around the area. Perhaps the man was a little odd in regards to that, but it was said that he didn't have a frivolous nature and really had no need for a big fancy office when managing Giga Arcadia's dwindling resources was difficult enough as it was.
Sofia turned around to see how Gabrielle was holding up. The redhead stood outside with crossed arms, evident that she was not going into the man's office. Flipping her the bird, Sofia grinned as she earned a rogue smirk in return before heading inside the small building. The rush of air conditioning on her sweaty brow was wonderfully cool, the woman immediately heading right from a secretary she didn't know the name of at the main desk. Climbing the stairway, it was mere moments before the reploid female stood before the entrance of his domain. Taking a deep breath, she knocked several times and waited before the doors slid open to allow her entry. Stepping inside the dimly-lit quarters, she entered as quietly as she could.
There, the man's hulking figure could be seen, looking for all the world as if he'd been working throughout the entire night. Did the man ever stop to take a break? Probably not, judging from the cold mug of coffee next to his computer as he typed away vigorously. Sofia tried not to stare; it was the second time she'd actually seen the man up close, the first time being the night she arrived in Giga Arcadia as Messanos gave the island community an uplifting message that he was expanding the city borders so that everybody had more room to live. While she'd been in his employ for almost a year now, she hadn't really spoken to him on a one-to-one basis, and finally understood why Gabrielle thought him so creepy.
Tall and muscular, the dark skinned human male was rather handsome despite signs of aging beginning to appear. His hair was short and finely cut, though the dark strands were peppered lightly, perhaps telltale signs of stress in managing the affairs of the great city so. Unlike the drab building, his uniform was exquisite, setting him apart from the spartan foundations around them. Not a crease showed on his clothing, and Sofia wondered if perhaps he cared more about his appearance than she was led on to believe earlier. Coughing lightly to catch his attention, Sofia winced as Messanos typed furiously, as though annoyed with the interruption. A moment passed before he stopped and finally looked up at her, causing her to jump in surprise. His glacial blue eyes were so pale that his irises borderlined on stark white, lending his intense gaze a stare so piercing it chilled even her artificial blood. Snapping out of her surprise, Sofia stood to attention and relayed her report.
"Sir, we've detected a strange interference signal at the southernmost beach. Border Patrol Group #2 confirmed an unusual frequency that distorted their communications systems, rendering them unable to call for assistance or alert us to the problem. Their reports also suggested increasing Maverick activity around the area. We're unsure as to if they're the cause of the interference or if they're being attracted towards the signal. Nonetheless, the frequency interference is so strong that it's affecting our systems at the city gates. We fear it may potentially affect the city's transerver system if left unchecked," she finished, waiting for his reply.
Messanos remained silent, while underneath his desk, a pair of cruel-looking eyes gleamed at her. A Velguarder-Class Mechaniloid Hound poked its gleaming muzzle out to view the seemingly unwelcome guest, its massive jaws slotting opening to reveal razor-sharp fangs. Sofia's eyes widened. Where the hell did he get one of those? They didn't exist anywhere outside of Outlands, what the hell was he doing hiding one underneath his desk? As though noticing her growing tension, Messanos kicked at the muzzle of the growling beast, causing its ears to flatten back in submission and slink back underneath his desk harmlessly. Far from putting the blonde at ease, it only unsettled her more that the man could control what most people would consider a Maverick so easily.
As though the incident hadn't even occured, Messanos calmly checked his security logs, confirming the status of the unusual frequency readings at the beach. The signal was quite strong even all the way from there, but shouldn't prove too much of an issue for the city transervers. All the same, it was hindering the Syndicate's communication's systems, and therefore it was important to deal with the situation as soon as possible. The city's defences had to be at their best at all times, or else the population would lose faith in him...
"I'll send a group to investigate. Carry on as you were, Sharon..." Messanos said at last, as Sofia's eyelid twitched. It's Sofia, not Sharon, she thought irritably, but didn't dare correct him as she left the office as quickly as she could without seeming rude. The sound of typing filled the room once again as she slipped through the door, and shivered as she felt the cold eyes of the Mechaniloid watching her leave. The woman wasn't sure which one creeped her out more, the man or his so-called dog.
Inhaling deeply, Messanos ceased typing and stood up, walking over to his office window to gaze outside at his magnificent city. The majority of Giga Arcadia's population was now awake, helping to develop the city's landscape. Other refugees less capable in building and design ported supplies and other variable resources around, assisting wherever they could. Though the city had some way to go yet, it wouldn't be much longer until everything was complete. Soon Giga Arcadia would be perfection, and the greatest city in the world... but first he had to ensure its protection, for there were many out there who would see its destruction. Messanos narrowed his eyes coldly as he gazed off across the horizon towards the distant beach to where that abominable frequency was emitting from. How he hated Mavericks.
Not satisfied with what they'd done to the rest of the world, the feral creations were beginning to overun his isles like the vermin they were. Luckily the Syndicate had done a fine job in keeping them at bay, but how much longer could they hold the peace? Refugees were continuing to flocking to Giga Arcadia's shores en-mass, and if he couldn't protect them, then what would people think? They adored him for keeping them safe and had no desire to rebel when he and his forces provided them with everything they needed. Keep them safe, give them the security they so desired and the simple-minded would do anything to ensure that peace remained. That remained true, as long as he appeared strong and portrayed himself as a positive leader for the people to look up to. Nobody could complain really; it wasn't as though anybody else was looking out for the little people, but even if they were displeased, it wasn't as though he'd give up his position willingly. It had taken five long years to get to where he was, and Messanos would allow nobody, Maverick or not, to take that away from him. He would make sure of that.
Mega Man ZX Gigamix OST - T13: Awake
Walking along the forest path, a teenage boy stuck carefully to the narrow route as he made his journey towards the city on the other side of the jungle, making sure not to get too close to the vibrant undergrowth surrounding him at any time. While Arcadia was a fairly safe region, there were more than Mavericks to be wary of and the exotic woodlands of the tropical isles could easily get a person lost should they stray too far from the path. Dappled sunlight flooded down through the thick canopy overhead, giving the forest a surreal appearance that, far from entrancing the youth with its beauty, rather set his nerves on edge. Pausing, the boy stared around the path warily, listening to the deafening silence all around him.
That's odd, the forest is so quiet today. There's not even a bird singing and this area is normally full of them. I'd better be careful in case there's any Mavericks up to no good, he thought to himself, clutching at the straps of his backpack as he hurried onwards a little more quickly.
With dusky-coloured skin and off-silverhair, the teenager looked just like another native of these tropical isles were it not for the telltale marking across his forehead identifying him as a reploid. His name was Grey, and he had lived in Arcadia for little less than a year. Appearing roughly fifteen years old, the teenager was handsome despite his young age, due to a pale scar marring his cheek which lent him a roguish appearance that made him seem older than he really was. His clothing consisted of a red and white jacket that doubled as a thin hoodie, which was paired up with a matching pair of shorts that reached down to his knees. Underneath his clothing was a dark blue bodysuit, which contrasted well with his bright uniform. Strapped across his back was a small backpack, filled with meager belongings that would sustain him until he reached his destination.
Unlike most newcomers to the isles, Grey had ended up in the region entirely by mistake. After awakening in a strange laboratory with no memories of his past, he ran for his life as a mysterious woman named Pandora tried to kill him, labelling him Defective for reasons beyond his understanding. By sheer dumb luck, he'd managed to elude her clutches and escape outside, or at least until a giant Mechaniloid appeared on the bridge he'd gotten out onto. He'd managed to destroy it after a difficult battle by using a pistol-type plasma weapon he had taken off of one of the bodies beside him after the woman Pandora had made her initial threat, though the effort had almost killed him, and the resulting explosion had caused the bridge to collapse, sending him and his foe tumbling into the waterfall's currents below. Washed out to sea, Grey had swam for his life until he lost consciousness and sank into the bottomless depths, before waking up in the home of an elderly human couple who'd found him washed ashore on these very lands. Though he'd been badly injured, they'd cared for him until his wounds finally healed, treating him as though he were their own child.
Grey's shoulders slumped as he thought of the couple he considered his grandfather and grandmother. As much as he wanted to stay with them for good, Arcadia was becoming too dangerous for anybody to remain outside the great city. They'd moved away from the metropolis after the city underwent its mass expansion project, not caring for the huge crowds or for the president in charge of the city, but they didn't want Grey growing up in isolation after everything he'd been through in his short life. Compared to them, Grey's life was only just beginning while their own was almost at an end. Though he'd tried to encourage them to come along with him, they were adamant about spending their remaining days in the peaceful wilderness of Arcadia, Mavericks or not.
I guess I can see their point... I'm still going to miss them a lot though, he thought sadly as he continued on his path. After several minutes, the forest became clearer as the thick canopy overhead became more sparse, having reached the next checkpoint that would take him one step closer to Giga Arcadia's gates. Grey's eyes were momentarily blinded as he stepped out into a patch of unfiltered sunlight, the bright rays flooding down from the cloudless heavens above. As his sight cleared, Grey turned to view his surroundings to see which path he had to take next, gasping gently as a strange sight met his eyes.
"Woah..." he breathed, gazing across the ocean horizon in the distance. He'd come a lot further than he thought he had, the forest having concealed the visage of the southernmost beach where he'd washed up almost a year ago. However, there was something different about the coastline that he hadn't noticed before. Littered across the vast stretch of white sands was the most enormous wreckage that Grey had ever seen. Spanning across the entire length of the shore, it covered the sands entirely, tremendous pieces of metallic fragments that sparkled in the sun. Even more of it lay submerged halfway out in the submerged waves, glittering enticingly at him. Grey hestitated, biting his lip as he looked back down the path towards the city where he'd finally be safe. However, the temptation of seeing exactly what had washed ashore proved too much for him to resist.
Keep to the path and don't stop, whatever you do, echoed his grandmother's voice in his mind. Grey smiled guiltly as he remembered her words, but didn't think stopping for a few moments would cause any trouble. "I know you said not to leave the path... but I've been here before and taking a break for a few minutes won't hurt," he grinned, jumping down off the path to slide down the sandy dunes to the beach below. Within moments, Grey had crossed the sands and ventured out into the scattered debris before him, marvelling at the bizarre pieces littered all around him. The majority of the fragments were large and white, each one considerably larger than him. Many of these pieces had grey-coloured circuits patterning their surface, some even possessing a large ruby-coloured orb across their surface which glittered dully in the bright sunlight. Cords of thick black wires hung from out of large cracks, looking as though they'd once been attached to one another. Grey lifted one, pulling away with a grimace as his palm was coated with dark sludgy gunk.
Just what is this stuff? he thought to himself in disgust, wiping his hand clean on his shorts. Moving away from the giant white shards, he walked further into the heart of the wreckage close towards the ocean's edge, noticing different objects amongst their numbers. The remnants of a broken guitar, and close by what appeared to be half of a purple paw. Embedded in the wet sands next to the incoming tide were a number of cracked orange spikes, sparking with arcs of electricity whenever the lapping waves touched their surface. Grey stepped away quickly, making sure not to get too close to the dangerous sparks as they crackled loudly. Next came a large piece of dark blue metal, feeling so tough that nothing could scratch it despite quite evidently having been shattered by some immense force. The reploid lifted one such piece up, wondering what it had once belonged to. It almost seemed as if these originally be to be pieces of... Mechaniloids, though far more advanced than he'd ever remembered seeing before. Interesting as they were, he doubted anyone else would be, for these had all been destroyed quite thoroughly. By what, he did not know, and wasn't sure he wanted to find out either.
Next were a number of other fragments, much like earlier though these pieces were slightly different in appearance from before. Orange in colour, the circuits covering these were much brighter, adorned with golden patterns as though these pieces were supposed to be more ornamental in nature. However, they were as tough as the dark blue material from before, and much more dangerous, for Grey suddenly cut his finger on the razor-sharp edge of one shard as he went to touch it. "Son of a-" he hissed, cutting his words short as he instead clutched his dripping finger. Droplets of artificial blood splattered across the sands as he moved, several of the crimson-coloured droplets of fluid landed on one of the nearby shards as he turned away and shook his stinging hand. Had he stayed to watch a moment longer, he would have noticed how his blood was absorbed into the strange material, the ruby-red core of the fragment brightening after absorbing the fluids he unknowingly offered.
Continuing with his investigations, Grey decided to give the beach one last look around before returning back to the waiting path. Spying a wad of clothing nearby, the reploid picked it up and unravelled the unusually heavy load, thinking that there might be something interesting inside. As he loosened the tangled threads, he peeled back the sodden material and uncovered what appeared to be...
"Ahh!" he screamed, immediately dropping what appeared to be the remains of a reploid's head. Stretched tight over the mechanical skull was peeling synthetic skin, almost completely burnt off as though the person had been caught in a powerful explosion. Strands of burnt violet hair hung limply in greasy strands, peeling away along with the melted synthflesh it was attached to. The head quickly fell into the ocean waves with a loud plop, the single remaining eye staring up at him accusingly as it rolled upright to stare him in the face. The violet-coloured strands of hair drifted in the waves like rank seaweed, causing Grey to shiver with disgust as he backed away slowly from its intense gaze.
I'm certainly not taking that with me, the teen thought to himself, unable to break eye contact with the thing as it continued to glare at him. Yet he couldn't help but shake the feeling that the face, or what remained of it rather, felt oddly familiar somehow, as though he'd vaguely remembered seeing it somewhere before long ago. Shaking his head to clear his mind of such thoughts, Grey's heel was suddenly clipped by a piece of debris, causing him to fall backwards into the waves with a splash.
"Ow! W-what the-?" he grumbled, rubbing the back of his sore head. Scrabbling in the waters to see what had tripped him, the reploid soon yanked up something half-buried in the sands below. Roughly the size of a closed fist, perhaps slightly larger than his own, clutched in his palm was a metallic device shaped to resemble a face of sorts. Patterned red, white and black, jutting underneath its 'chin' was a short point protruding downwards, perhaps that being what had tripped him in the first place. Set in the center of its formation was a bright green gemstone, paired together with a smaller set on either side appearing not unlike a pair of eyes. Caked with grains of wet sand, Grey cleaned it off in the seawater patiently, washing the metallic object until at last its surface was gleaming in the palm of his hand. Tossing it from palm to palm to dry it off, Grey marvelled at its otherworldly design, and how light it felt despite being solid enough to withstand whatever had caused such damage to the rest of the debris scattered around them.
"I wonder how much you'd sell for?" he said quietly, more to himself than to the object in his hand as he pressed down gently on the gemstone across the top of its surface. As he did so, its small eyes glowed brightly as it emitted a sharp sound, as though it didn't like what he just did. Pulling his finger away quickly, Grey was amazed that whatever it was was still working despite what it had been through. It was then that the device rattled powerfully, almost pulling away from his grip entirely due to the sheer strength it possessed. Struggling to hold onto it, the teen gasped as he was dragged along the sands after it.
"Hey, calm down! What's got you so upset all of a sudden?" he asked as it pulled him behind one of the large white fragments jutting out of the ground, seconds before gunfire hailed down around him. One of the bullets almost clipped his leg as he disappeared behind the protective material, causing him to duck his head instinctively as the sound of shooting echoed through the air. The device settled down after it had pulled the boy to safety, still rattling madly in his grip as he recovered from his fright. Lifting his head, Grey peeked over the edge of the large shard to see who or what had fired at him. His verdant green eyes widened in fear as he realized he wasn't as alone as he previously thought, for surrounding was a small group of Mavericks, quickly closing in on their prey.
ZX Tunes: Rockman ZX OST, T2-02: Crisis Zone
Galleons! One of the most dangerous and recognizable of common Mavericks wandering the Outlands, these particular machines were humanoid in appearance and could easily be mistaken for another person at a distance. Standing roughly as tall as an adult male, they were covered by thick purple-coloured plating that protected the majority of their weak points, making them a difficult opponent for the inexperienced to take down. A single green optic covered their helmets, flashing brightly as they scanned the transfixed youth before them. Like all standard models, they had one humanoid arm with dexterous fingers and a thumb while the other arm had a large gun grafted onto their dominant limb. The tips of their rifles smoked thickly in the air, evidently marking them responsible for firing at him.
Crouched behind the wreckage shard, Grey quickly considered his options. He'd dealt with Galleons before during his escape from the laboratory he'd first woken up in, but he was lucky enough in that he only had to deal with one at a time. Here, he had no such luxury. Thankfully his gun was still in his backpack, but with how closely the machines were watching him, Grey doubted he would have enough time to search through it and still be able to take each of them down. There were seven of the machines in total, spread out across the beach from one another as they slowly moved to circle around him. He might be able to take one or two down, but after iniating combat, that he doubted he would be able to shoot down the rest before they got to him. Moving in complete silence as their footsteps were muffled by the beach sands, the Galleons were imposing enough, but there was one amongst their numbers that looked distinctively out of place.
Taller and bulkier than the other six, this particular Galleon was almost jet black in colour as the sun glinted off its inky chassis. Its silver-white armor was much thicker than the others, giving it a sense of leadership as it lumbered forth towards him on stocky legs. In structure, it appeared identical to the others, aside from the fact that its legs appeared significantly more developed than usual with a series of ports attached to the side of each thigh. For what purpose, Grey could only speculate as the other six parted ways for it to approached unhindered. Given that they seemed to defer to it, Grey dubbed this particular Galleon a Centurion, for its more richly decorated appearance reminded him distantly of an ancient army officer from times of old. As opposed to their flashing green optics, the Centurion's optics were bright blue in colour, pulsating hypnotically as it crackled odd noises from its throat. The others nodded their heads as it 'spoke', scurrying forth to obey whatever commands it had just uttered.
He's definitely the boss of the group, Grey thought to himself warily as he shifted his position, trying not to allow any of the machines access to his unprotected back. The Centurion appeared to watch him with an almost predatory intelligence as his fingers brushed across his backpack beside him, trying to slip his hand through the opening on top so he could reach the weapon hidden inside. However, he couldn't open the bag properly unless he broke eye contact and looked down, and the Maverick seemingly understood, its glimmering optics appearing almost as if it were daring him to try. Sensing that time was running out, Grey quickly stuffed his hand inside the bag and grabbed the first thing he felt, which fortunately was the handle of the gun. Immediately as he did so, the Centurion barked out a sharp command and the two Galleons closest to him lunged fowards and seized him from behind. A single bullet managed to fire, missing his enemies entirely as Grey was shoved forwards face-first into the metallic shard he was taking cover behind. Behind him, the Galleons' steely-fingers were digging painfully into the soft flesh of his upper arms as they struggled to pry out of his hand not the gun he'd just grabbed, but the metallic device that he'd picked up moments earlier. It rattled again as Grey cried out in pain, this time as if in anger. Instinctively the boy held onto it as tightly as he could, sensing that if the Mavericks wanted it so badly, then he must not let them have it no matter what.
Fortunately for the reploid teen, the Galleons lacked the one major advantage he had; namely the use of two good hands. While their rifles were dangerous weapons, their hands were not nearly as well-developed as the average reploid and their fingers, strong as they were, lacked the dexterity which would have made restraining the boy and snatching the object a much easier job. The Centurion growled impatiently as its minions struggled in loosening his grip, managing to drop only his gun before the metallic device in the reploid's hand suddenly glowed with an intense light. Grey was unharmed by the energy that the object omitted, but the two Galleons were tossed into the air by the mysterious force as though they were nothing more than a pair of ragdolls, tumbling through the skies before landing in the ocean waves with a loud splash.
Mega Man Zero OST - T16: Crash (Boss Theme)
With a piercing shriek, the Centurion snarled in fury and charged forwards towards him on its powerful legs to take care of the situation personally. Snatching up his dropped weapon off the sands, Grey crouched down and fired, but the bullets which so easily destroyed the machines before merely bounced harmlessly off its gleaming hide. Within seconds, the Maverick had sprinted across the entire stretch of sand and Grey barely had time to roll away as it bolted past like a raging bull, the momentum of its charge smashing the material he was hidden behind and continuing to carry it forth some distance before it wheeled around for a second attack. The four remaining Galleons bobbed their heads excitedly as their leader took control of the situation, while the other two floating in the sea had already recovered from their fall and were swimming back to shore. His shoulders slumping hopelessly, Grey stiffened as the object in the palm of his hand emitted a gentle light, flooding his body with warmth as he looked down at it curiously.
"Hey kid, it seems as if you're in a lot of trouble. How about I give you a hand?" it said directly into his mind, while Grey blinked in surprise. "You're telling me! But... who... what are you exactly, and what can you do to help?" he asked in turn, looking up to see what the Centurion was doing. It had already turned around, and was steadying its powerful legs for a better grip on the sands before charging again. This time he doubted it would miss, for the other Galleons were closing in on him to ensure that he couldn't dodge like before. The device emitted a bright green light, enveloping Grey with its warm aura as it appeared to scan him. Apparantly satisfied with what it saw, it continued speaking, instructing Grey quickly as the Centurion braced itself for a second attack.
"I'm Biometal Model Z, and I need you to listen very carefully. You and I appear to be compatible, all I need you to do is yell 'Megamerge' as loud as you can!" it said as the Centurion charged. Without a moment to lose, Grey decided to trust in the device's words for now and lifted it into the air as high as he could. The onlookers watched intently as he did so, their green optics flickering with fear as the reploid shouted out the word as loud as he possibly could.
"MEGAMERGE!" he screamed, his forearm trembling as Model Z responded to the command. "Biolink Established! M.E.G.A. System Online!" the device called out as it dispersed into a stream of digital data. Power unlike anything Grey had ever felt before surged throughout his body, circling around his entire form as Model Z's light filling him with new strength. The digital stream of energy appeared to flow around him, drowing out the rest of the world as it settled across his entire body. Suddenly he felt heavier, and Grey realized with astonishment that his clothing had dematerialized, instead armor taking its place to encapsulate his form. Crimson armguards covered his forearms, far more protective than the threadbare hoodie he'd been wearing mere seconds before. A similarly-coloured jacket appeared over his torso, while a matching pair of red boots replaced his earlier shoes. His thighs were sealed over by thick black armor, white armor appearing alongside it to protect his upper thighs and groin from harm. His ear-ports lengthened, sharply sweeping backwards like arrowheads as a dark visor erupted from either side to conceal his eyes. As it did so, the light cleared, leaving Grey intensely focused on the situation before him.
The Galleons jumped back in surprise, the transformation having lasted just mere seconds but changing the youth completely during that length of time. Gone was the young reploid boy; instead standing in his place was a fierce-looking warrior with red and black armor, with a dark eyeguard to conceal his facial features. His short silver hair had also changed drastically, the artificial locks now a flowing mane of gold that cascaded down his back. Clutched in his fist was no longer Model Z, but a long blade formed of green plasma that cracked with power as he swung it down, preparing to defend himself at all costs as the Centurion continued charging towards him. Its thick legs thumped heavily on the damp sands as it propelled itself towards its prey, but Grey reacted instinctively, no longer afraid as Model Z's influence helped him decide on how to deal with the incoming Maverick.
*WARNING WARNING*
"Krrgrhhzz?" the Centurion grunted in confusion as the youth suddenly vanished, stumbling to a halt as so not to collide with its more dim-witted packmates gawking stupidly before it. Following their gaze, the Maverick staggered back in surprise as Grey descended from the cloudless skies, having jumped so high and quickly that its optics didn't detect the move. Swinging his blade down, the Centurion barely managed to avoid getting its face painfully slashed, and this time it was the Maverick having to roll away as its dangerous new foe, the Red Mega Man, came slashing after it. Snarling in outrage, the Centurion leapt backwards, using its powerful thighs to put some distance between it and its smaller enemy. At once, the Galleons responded to its commands, although this time Grey noticed that they did so with some reluctance. Watching the youth with newfound wariness, the Centurion cackled a variety of odd sounds as the teen struggled to make sense of its words. His attention was immediately brought back into the battle as he sensed a presence behind him, jumping up into the skies again as a Galleon attempted charging him from behind like its superior did. Its legs lacked the power to propel it forwards as furiously as the Centurion could however, and the subordinate tripped clumsily as it misjudged the distance between it and its foe.
Immediately Grey twirled around, perfectly balanced as his new hair flowed behind him at all times, and the Centurion watched with horror as the Mega Man angled his body around lithely, swinging the sizzling blade along with his momentum to completely decapitate the falling Galleon below him. Immediately it staggered, its lopped head dropping down onto the sands as its flailings legs continued to carry it forwards. Without its head attached it quickly fell, limbs twitching as it crumpled into a heap and ceased to move ever again. Not finished yet, Grey jumped up again - though not as high as before as Model Z gathered a pool of energy to empower the Z-Saber in Grey's hand. Plunging the blade down into the sands, beams of light erupted from the ground to incinerate three of the Galleons, leaving only two left. This time the Centurion could no longer ignore him, the Mega Man killing four of its packmates an insult that had to be punished. With a scream, its thickly armored thighs suddenly flared, jets of flame rocketing from its muscular legs as it dashed towards him at unbelievable speeds.
Once again Grey jumped, hoping to take his enemy out much like he'd done to the first Galleon, but the Centurion proved smarter than its fellows as it feinted and leapt away from the lethal blade at the very last second. Instead, it jumped backwards and continued propelling itself forwards just as Grey landed, and this time it scored a solid hit. Slamming heavily into his side, Grey was sent flying through the air and landed awkwardly some distance away, not used to his heavier form nor fighting on the soft dry sands further up the beach. The Centurion roared its success aloud as the remaining two Galleons squealed in excitement, rushing towards him as their packleader appeared to have downed the youth. Breathing heavily as his aching side throbbed, Grey tensed his muscles as Model Z filled him with energy once again, though this time the reploid did not release it immediately. As the three Mavericks bolted towards him, Grey continued gathering the energy that Model Z flooded him with, until his hair cracked with the amount of power flooding his systems. Eyes glowing bright green underneath his visor, Grey lifted the Z-Saber and held it before him.
"Z-SLASH!" he cried, sprinting forwards himself. Time appeared to stop for all as Grey rushed forwards, moving so quickly that the Galleons appeared to cease all movement altogether. Slashing once, twice - three times, Grey darted around the battlefield in a Z-shaped motion, the attack having lasted little more than a second, but having crossed the path of each of the three Mavericks and landing delicately behind them. The Centurion stood in place numbly, unable to comprehend what had just happened. It stared around, noticing that its remaining packmates had similarily stopped. Tilting its head almost as if in confusion, it watched unblinking as the two Galleons slowly dropped to the ground in pieces, artificial fluids gushing richly across the white sands as their bodies fell apart completely. Gurgling wordlessly, it clutched pitifully at its gaping throat, having not even noticed the youth dicing it to pieces like he'd done to the others. Thick shoulders slumping gently, the Centurion's blue optics dimmed as it sank to the ground for the final time, its last sight being that of the Red Mega Man staring it down with his pitiless gaze.
He watched as it died, but the Mega Man sensed there was something amiss and that trouble hadn't passed just yet. The sands underneath his feet suddenly trembled, as the ocean waves rolled back and forth as though an earthquake was shaking the entire region. Around him the wreckage shifted, groaning as it somehow appeared to be coming to life.
Mega Man ZX Advent Tunes OST - T27: Ouroboros (Doomsday Event)
The wreckage around him was moving, the vast fragments of metallic chunks littered across the coastline's expanse shifting together as one. Above them the cloudless skies darkened, as the crimson orbs embedded in each of the tremendous shards blotted out even the sun with their intense glow. Grumbling like an angry beast, Grey watched in astonishment as each of the shattered fragments moved independantly from one another; the thick coils of wires hanging out of each piece squirming around like blind worms as they sought one another out. Revulsion rippled through the Mega Man as he listened to the coils entwining around each other, the thick oily sludge coating their surface making slick sounds as they wound themselves together. The great white plates quickly pulled themselves towards each other, soon forming a serpentine head of sorts which eyed the reploid standing below beadily. Its gigantic maw dropped open with a dry hiss as it reattached itself loosely to the still-forming skull, the orange shards that Grey had earlier cut his finger on jutting out of its snapping mouth as though mimicking fangs.
"What IS this thing?" Grey whispered in fear, as the vast wreckage began heaving itself out of the frothy waves towards him. The consciousness of Model Z rattled inside of him, instinctively warning him that he must get away from it immediately.
"This is Ouroboros! Watch out!" the biometal called out from inside his mind, as the great coils sprawled across the sands attempted to wrap themselves around his leg. "Oh no you don't!" he cried, jumping away as the slick wires sought to snare hungrily around his ankle. They followed him after through the air, the Red Mega Man having to twist around and beat them off with the edge of his blade to prevent their coils from wrapping around him and rendering him immobile. Retreating reluctantly, the coils withdrew back into the interior of the wreckage as it continued to try and reform itself. Deprived of live sustenance, the inky wires immediately sought the bodies of the fallen Galleons scattered nearby, snaking around their remains before scooping them up and dumping them uncermoniously into the great snakelike maw of the wreckage's head. Grey watched in horror as the Centurion vanished along with its packmates, the entire group swallowed up in a single noisy gulp.
Both the boy and Model Z felt sickened as they listened to the wet sounds of metal fusing with metal, as the heads and limbs of destroyed Mechaniloids and other various contraptions were also eagerly devoured by the bloated amalgam. The head that he'd picked up earlier disappeared into its mouth along with the rest of the debris washed ashore, though Grey started in surprise as everything that Ouroboros swallowed suddenly began falling through the cracks littered throughout the length of its body. The dark wires attempted to keep Ouroboros' bulk held fast together, but the abomination had consumed so much in such a short amount of time that its bulk simply could not contain everything it had devoured. Fusing into one seemless mass, Ouroboros and the ocean debris merged together in a formless entity. Heads, limbs and tails stuck out at odd places; even the head Grey had picked up earlier danged from out of the gaping throat, gibbering nonsense from its missing jaw as it hung suspended from dripping wires.
Don't hesitate. Strike before it completes its transformation! came Model Z's voice from within his mind again, directing his attention towards the largest of the red spheres located inside what appeared to be the abomination's formless chest. The light within pulsated as though mimicking some grotesque heartbeat, growing stronger as seconds continued to pass. The shapeless head appeared to take notice of what Grey was looking at, and hurriedly lifted one of its massive plates to conceal its weakpoint. Losing no time at all, Grey charged forwards as quickly as he could, rushing towards the towering mass rising up towards the blackened heavens as the slick wires erupted from around its exposed chest to stop its enemy once and for all. The Z-Saber in Grey's grip glowed intensely, a guiding beacon of light in the sea of darkness surrounding the Red Mega Man.
"Hyahhhhhhhhh!" Grey screamed, lunging towards the bloated amalgam as he forced his way through the greasy coils seeking to wrap around him once more. Sliding off his smooth armor uselessly, the Mega Man continued to push his way towards the pulsating orbs, knowing that if he missed this chance he'd never be able to put an end to the foul monstrosity. Ouroboros seemed to understand his intentions, panicking as the glowing Z-Saber resonated the closer it got to its interior orbs. With a final burst of energy, the reploid teen shoved his way past the closing plate, plunging his Z-Saber down to pierce the foul 'heart' of the beast once and for all. Ouroboros roared, the great monstrosity shaking the whole of Arcadia as it screamed its final death cry. The orbs concealed within its chest cracked open as Grey pulled the Z-Saber away, liquid light pouring out of the mortal wound he'd inflicted. Splattering across the white sands, the Red Mega Man quickly leapt away as dark fluids gushed forth to spill noisily across the sands, dripping down into the ocean waves below as the giant formation stretching into the darkened skies teetered back and forth slowly.
With a gurgling moan, Ouroboros' eyes dimmed for the last time as it fell backwards heavily into the ocean waves, its tremendous weight shaking the entire region as its thrashing coils beat heavily against the pristine sands. Slowly, it soon lay still in the ebbing tides as it finally began to crumble apart, the fragments comprising its entire form shattering into smaller pieces to hopefully be washed out along with the retreating tide. Puffing and panting, Grey pulled the shimmering Z-Saber out of the dispersing wreckage, looking for all the world as though he were a crimson knight who had just slain a mighty dragon. As the fading light dimmed, the darkness that befell the region vanished as sunlight cascaded down from the cloudless heavens once again. Finally, after hundreds of years of devouring the souls of countless innocents, Model W and the foul consciousness contained within was at last no more. Grey stood strong, victorious and proud of facing down the most dangerous being he had ever faced in his life. Had Model Z possessed lips, it would have smiled, and inwardly the biometal hoped that wherever he was, if he was watching right now, that Giro was proud his sacrifice had not been in vain.
His final mission, as well as Vent's, had been accomplished at long last. Model W was finally gone.
ZX Tunes: Rockman ZX OST, T1-18: Black Burn - Electpital Dance
"That's... a lot to take in..." Grey said, roughly half an hour after his battle with the revived monstrosity that had once been Ouroboros. Sitting comfortably on the sun-kissed sands some distance away from the lifeless wreckage currently drifting out to sea, the reploid boy listened intently to the biometal's words as it recounted its tale, right from the very beginning when its original owner, a reploid man named Giro, found a pair of young human children huddled together in a devastated fairground. They were twins, a boy named Vent and a girl named Aile who, after surviving a vicious Maverick Raid that had not only killed their mother, but killed everybody else in the region on that day many years ago. Grey had heard about the incident before from his grandfather, who had lived in Cinq Ville with his wife at the time, but he'd never known that anybody had actually survived the horrific incident. Considering how severe the attack in Area H had been, the teen found it hard to believe that out of thousands of people, just two young children remained. It rather put his past into perspective, and Grey was suddenly glad that he couldn't remember what had happened to him after all.
Model Z had then continued with its story, describing how Vent first became the biomatch of another biometal called Model X before gaining Model Z after a surprise attack from a man named Serpent. Grey's eyes widened as he heard how the man somehow took control of Giro, and forced the man to attack his own adopted son. The reploid teen was shocked that anybody could do such a horrific thing, forcing somebody younger even than him to literally kill his own family member. Model Z's words were bitter as it recalled Giro's death, but understood that Grey needed to know everything that had happened. Unlike Vent, there was nobody here to help Grey at all, and Model Z took it upon itself to teach its new host all about being a Mega Man. If it had to recall memories it would rather forget, then so be it.
And so Model Z didn't hold back, giving Grey a brief history over what had happened over the previous few years, and of how it ended up on the beach along with the wreckage of Ouroboros. It told him of the various biometals that Vent had obtained before they were stolen by their arch enemies, a pair of reploids named Prometheus and Pandora. Grey started as he recalled the mysterious woman named Pandora from the first night he awoke, the coincidence too strong for him to ignore. Finally, Vent had travelled to Legion's mainland, intending to track down the missing biometals before getting swept up into a series of events that led him to fight alongside a Hunter named Ashe in a great battle against Master Albert, who Grey heard had retired as opposed to turning against the rest of the world in an attempt to wipe out all life with Ouroboros. Legion hadn't let that one slip, Model Z noted with a chuckle, although it was understandable to the reploid youth that they'd cover the incident up, for one of the Sage Trinity acting out and abusing his power would cause the already tense population to snap and break out into all-out civil war.
The noon sun shone from high above as Grey bathed in its warm rays luxuriously, thinking carefully about what Model Z had told him. He finally understood pieces of his own past and how he came to be; he'd always suspected there was something odd about him after Pandora called him a 'Defective' and tried to dispose of him, but never in his wildest dreams did he think he possessed a power like this; the power of Mega Man. It was a lot to take in over one afternoon. Suddenly the reploid teen remembered something about the abomination he'd just fought, and sat back up to look at the biometal floating beside him.
"Wait, so you're telling me that Ouroboros was a Biometal like you? And it was responsible for creating all those Mavericks?" he asked, as the red, black and white device nodded.
"In a way, yes, although Model W was never intended to be used by people like other Biometals normally are. As you saw, it evidently had a mind of its own and was filled with a malicious consciousness that corrupted everything it touched. I think it's safe to say that both it and Ouroboros are dead at last though, thanks to you. I can't sense its presence any more."
Grey eyed the ocean waves carefully, the remaining wreckage little more than crumbled pieces of scrap metal drifting out to sea amongst the tidal currents. With a bit of luck, it would vanish to the bottomless depths without trace, and never be seen again.
"Well that's good then, but what with those Mavericks we fought earlier? I've seen Galleons before, but none that like that big dark one. It was almost as if it was... sentient..." he said, remembering how eerily intelligent the Centurion had appeared. Model Z drifted around quietly, also curious about the Maverick in question. In all the time it had been with Vent, it had never seen one like that before, although it was apparant that it too was a Galleon of sorts - albeit one of a more advanced nature.
"Despite what most people believe, Mavericks usually prefer to avoid combat and keep to themselves, attacking settlements only when energy resources are in low supply or their territory is being threatened. Since nobody has been mass-producing combat-type reploids or Mechaniloids for a long time, they've had to find their own way of sustaining their population to ensure they continue to survive. Did you ever hear about the incident in Cinq Ville five years ago, when Slither Inc's Headquarters collapsed for no apparant reason?"
"Yeah, gramps told me about what happened. He was there when the building collapsed, but he and grandma managed to get away in time. It's why they settled down here in Arcadia where it's nice and safe... or at least it was, until the Mavericks showed up here as well..."
"Right. Well, it wasn't quite a Maverick invasion, at least not in the way most people think. Unknown to many, Serpent was a Mega Man, and it turned out that the core of Model W, which you destroyed earlier today, was controlling him. Through its manipulation, it was he who ordered the Mavericks to attack Cinq Ville, just so that he could gather enough life energy from those he sacrificed to fulfill Project Haven. Every attack, every incident that ever happened was because of him, Area H included. Slither Inc. was just a twisted facade so that Serpent could gain the trust of the population, just so that he could sacrifice their souls to Model W and use its power to transform into the Ultimate Mega Man."
Grey's mouth dropped. One man had caused that much destruction just to make himself all-powerful? It was bad enough what he did to Giro, but to think he was responsible for so many deaths! And that wasn't even the worst of it, for Serpent had also been a victim of Model W just like the others, twisted into fulfilling its evil ambitions. His knuckles tightened as he recalled plunging Model Z's blade into the heart of Ouroboros' core, and while he'd acknowledged the lesson that Model Z had clearly explained; that hatred never solved anything, the youth hoped feverantly that the abomination suffered at least a fraction of the pain that it had caused to countless innocents. It deserved nothing less.
"Just like Serpent and Master Albert, Mavericks are equally susceptible to Model W's influence. When left alone, most of their kind generally stay away from conflict unless provoked or in need of resources. That was until recently so it seems, as their mentality seems to be undergoing a type of evolutionary shift along with their designs. Years ago when the world was recovering from the effects of the Elf Wars and Ragnarok's satellite cannon, the Mavericks had very little recourse but to hide in Outlands while the remaining Humans and Reploids settled down in Area Zero. Neither side had the resources nor the numbers to attack one another for no reason, and unnecessary battles caused the population on both sides to drop drastically. This had a unique effect on the Maverick's designs however, as the weakest and most flawed models were the first to be wiped out in battle. After a couple of generations, the remaining species with the most advantageous designs succeeded in passing their schematics on, just like evolution in the past. Lately this must have induced a shift in their AI, as their mentality is having to catch up along with their more advanced systems. It's possible that they're now intelligent enough to pursue their own agenda, rather than simply act out in another's stead. Those Mavericks from earlier didn't attack because Ouroboros demanded it; it activated only after they were destroyed, when their energy reawakened it."
In this case, the Centurion and its packmates recognizing Model Z for the threat it was, and trying to steal it away before Grey could use it against them. It was all starting to make sense, how they were suddenly coordinating their attacks that much more efficiently. If that truly was the case, then it at least explained why attacks around the world were increasing, although what the Mavericks were after was anybody's guess...
"But... what can the Guardians do now, Model Z? They're just one organization, and these attacks are happening all over the place. If the Mavericks are evolving and getting smarter, then there's no way they can handle them all alone. Even with Ouroboros gone, not everyone's a Mega Man and capable of fighting off those things."
"I'm not sure... but if anyone can get to the bottom of this, they can..." the biometal finished, sounding certain of itself. Grey bit his lip, unsure of what to do exactly. Running his fingers through his silvery locks of hair, the reploid stared around the beach one last time. It was the second time he'd had a life-changing experience here, the first washing up almost a year ago and now his birthplace as a Mega Man, a warrior dedicated to protecting the people of the world from the threat of the Maverick scourge. As the remains of Ouroboros washed out along with the ebbing tide, Grey's mind was soon made up, in that he would take on where Giro and Vent had left off and protect his loved ones from harm. Though he would likely never see his adoptive grandparents again, he would do onto others as they had done for him, protecting innocents from harm as best he could. Mavericks or not, he could not stand aside and watch any longer.
"Well, Giga Arcadia's not too far away from here. It'll take a few hours to get there yet, but we should be able to make it there before nightfall and contact your friends somehow," he said, pointing across the jungle horizon. There, Giga Arcadia could be seen in the distance, shining across the land like a beacon of hope as the skies overhead began to cloud over. A rumble of thunder echoed throughout the land as heavy raindrops began pattering across the pristine sands, before sheets of water began cascading down from the heavens. Grey grimaced; the tropical thunderstorms of this region were as dangerous as they were sudden, and standing out in the open unsheltered like this was a bad idea.
"Come on Model Z, let's get out of here!" he said as he gathered his meagre belongings. Model Z floated quietly into his palm, merging with him immediately in a flash of light. Shaking his long golden hair as the rain began to soak him thoroughly, Grey tensed his muscles and sprinted off across the sands towards the forest path once again. Yet neither he nor Model Z realized they had been watched the whole time they were there, as camoflaged perfectly in the thick jungle undergrowth was a human male dressed in a dark Syndicate uniform. He watched the event with unblinking eyes as Grey vanished from sight in mere moments, before suddenly remembering the mission he was there for.
Fumbling with his communicator, the man quickly dialled a number with shaky hands and waited with bated breath until the person on the other end of the line picked up. Messanos had to know about this immediately.
ZX Tunes: Rockman ZX OST, T2-15: Phalanx
Biting her lip nervously as she approached the president's office, Sofia tried to steady her racing heartbeat after she ran up the stairs as quickly as possible. It was raining heavily outside and she hated getting caught out in it. Knocking on the door, the blonde reploid waited until they slid open like they did earlier that day, allowing the woman entry into the man's dimly-lit domain. Also like earlier, Messanos remained in exactly the same position as before, although his coffee mug was refilled with a hot beverage that he paused to take a mouthful of. He didn't look up as she entered, and Sofia hesitated, wondering exactly where to begin.
Typing away on his computer rapidly, the president of Giga Arcadia listened as his employee quickly relayed the information that Michael had given her, describing how a young teenage boy had been spotted lurking around a massive wreckage of unknown origin that had washed ashore overnight. Whatever it was had apparantly been the cause of the strange frequency, upon which it soon attracted a number of Mavericks to the area. Upon discovering the boy, the machines had then attacked him, though instead of perishing in their assault, the boy had managed to fight back somehow, having obtained a strange artifact that transformed him from a defenceless child into an armored warrior. The boy had then made short of the machines, before the wreckage reactivated and came to life. He'd then destroyed that too, before vanishing into the jungle without trace and taking the device along with him.
Messanos continued typing, seemingly oblivious to her prescence after she'd finished her report. Sofia grew nervous as the silence stretched on. It was a bizarre story, yes, and she wasn't quite sure she believed it, but she was only repeating what Michael said to her, the man excited and jabbering on about what he had seen.
"Sir?" she called, coughing slightly to attract his attention. The president looked up upon hearing the sound, his unnaturally pale eyes causing her to shiver, though hopefully he might believe she was just cold and wet after getting drenched outside. He leaned backwards, his expression one of thoughtfulness as he slowly looked away.
"I see," he said quietly before turning to his computer again. Sofia hovered, having not been dismissed. She coughed again to catch his attention and he replied immediately, this time a hint of irritation creeping into his tone.
"What are you standing around for? Return to your post, Shandra. I'll handle things from here," he said as the woman left quickly, this time glad just to get out of these as quickly as she had. Several minutes passed in silence as Messanos thought about what the woman had said, and what had transpired at the beach. The Velguarder-Class Mechaniloid lifted its head as he hummed thoughtfully, the man absent-mindedly scratching its ears as he began thinking quickly. Could that boy have possibly found a Biometal? During his running days with the Raiders, Messanos had heard tales about Biometals and of the unbelievable technology they contained. Though they'd never found any before he split from the group, he'd remembered the rumors from over the years, petty gossip, half-truths and outright lies all, but distinctively remembered the incident of Cinq Ville when Slither Inc's Head Office collapsed. Stories of a young boy transforming into a variety of warriors with the use of little devices circulated around the globe, before it was stated that an overload of energy due to invading Mavericks had caused the C.I.E.L. System to cave in on itself. Only an idiot would believe that however, as there was enough footage on the internet proving that theory completely false.
He thought again about what had happened that afternoon, of how similiar that boy sounded to the one in Cinq Ville. It was far too much of a coincidence for him to ignore, although that posed a question of what he ought to do about it. If that child had truly found a Biometal, then he had to have it no matter what. With such a device in his hands, he too could gain incredible power and lead his Syndicate army out across the world to eradicate the Maverick threat once and for all. Should he succeed where Legion could not... no, succeed in what nobody had ever managed to accomplish since the days of the Maverick Rebellions centuries ago... should he wipe out the Mavericks and free Earth from their taint for good, then it would be him, Thane Messanos, who deserved to be not only the president of Giga Arcadia, but the rightful leader of the entire world...
But first he had to get ahold of that biometal, if it did exist, and Thane pondered deeply to himself. While the boy was a dangerous opponent, the man had his own advantages that the child did not. Currently there was no way off the exotic isles except through Giga Arcadia's transervers, which were located in the very heart of the city. The island's natural defences made leaving the islands without the use of a transerver a near certain death sentence. If one managed to make it past the deep ocean currents and raging whirlpools surrounding around the perimeter of the isles, the sheer distance to the closest continent would be too much even for a Mega Man to handle.
With the Syndicate bristling for real action and the civilian refugees terrified of potential invasions, it ought to be a simple enough matter to wait for the lad to reappear before taking him out. As powerful as he was, even he wouldn't be able to fend off Giga Arcadia's army of millions, nor survive the other defences waiting deep underneath the city streets. Breaking out into a cold smile, Messanos picked up his phone and dialled a number, waiting patiently for the other person on the end of the line to pick up. Quickly he did, and Messanos grinned as he relayed his orders.
"Activate Khajarta and have him ready to be deployed to the inner city ASAP. There's a Maverick on the loose and I'd like to welcome it to the city personally..." he said, his pale eyes gleaming in the darkness as he thought of his trump card. The Chimaeroid was one of the most powerful Mechaniloids currently in existance, and was a perfect candidate to test out the battle worthiness of this so-called Mega Man. The Mechaniloid Hound nuzzled at its master's leg like a faithful pet, and Messanos idly scratched its ears once again before closing his communicator off, evidently in the best moods he'd been in for a long time.
It was just a matter of time until the boy showed up again, and when he did, Khajarta would be ready for him. The president of Giga Arcadia had no reason to doubt the strength of his ultimate creation, and settled back down comfortably to continue with his work. That Biometal would be in his hands before the end of the week, he was sure of it.
Mega Man Zero Soundtrack - For Endless Fight (Epilogue)
Meanwhile, miles and miles away on the mainland, atop a jagged, rocky peak in the outlands, sparse plantlife dotting its face as the massive gray fangs of stone rose into the sky, a lone figure ascended its heights along a slightly slanted pathway. Though the barren wastelands surrounding the rocky peak was many meters below, jagged rocks rising up like a ravenous beast's fangs as though in anticipation for their next meal, the figure seemed to show no fear, or even any inclination as to any real conscious effort in what he was doing. For most, even veteran Hunters or Guardians, such a journey through the Outlands and a heavily-infested mechaniloid territory such as this one would require a finely-tuned squad of at least a half-dozen, armed to the teeth and weighed down cumbersomely with heavy supplies for the journey. However as evident by the smoking and/or destroyed mechaniloid remains dotting the trail behind him, some with holes punched through their chassis, a few bifurcated cleanly in two with lubricating fluids leaking out, and some blown apart completely as though hit with the force of a freight train, the ascent he was making appeared to be no different than traversing an open field.
The figure was a little over five and a half feet tall, shoulder-length raven-colored hair bearing a deep blue tint waving in the crisp evening air as the day gave way to night, a silver visor on his face reflecting the final vestiges of sunlight as the sun set on the horizon, which at the moment was colored deep red. He was athletically built, showing that unlike most he did not lead a sedentary lifestyle available through the long-lasting peace, and his skin was slightly tanned from his apparent time under the sun. His ear-ports were also customized from the standard that most bore over the high-quality electronics that served as their auditory system; His left ear-port bore a three-inch antennae tapering behind his head in a tangent, while from his right a small black microphone snaked its way to his mouth from around his jawline, the neck flexible should he need to move it out of his way, or adjust it. Beneath his black one-piece bodysuit it was evident that he wore some form of protective padding, and to go into the Outlands without it was paramount to suicide. Over his shoulders he bore a black trench coat, collar up and top buttons clasped around his chest as the tail of his trench coat billowed in the wind behind him. Over his legs he bore traditional camouflage-printed cargo pants, mini-belts binding them to his knees and ankles, bearing a multitude of pockets that carried effectively-packed supplies for the journey he was undertaking. His footwear was unlike those that civilian wore, as instead of being segmented into two parts, it was instead segmented into three, conforming to the shape of his foot while offering arch support at the same time. One would think that the guy had never taken a hit in his life from how "decked-out" he was, however, a thin scar running horizontally under his left eye proved otherwise. An inch higher and he would've required an implant, which was quite expensive so most took to wearing an eyepatch or just had a metal plate grafted onto their skin.
Breathing the night air in through his nose as the sun began to set behind him, his body beginning to blend into the shadowed background as the local fauna that dominated the night began to rise from their slumber, the teen then flexed his left wrist in a well-practiced motion. Within moments from the metallic silver wristband he wore on his left hand, a holographic screen and compartmentalized keyboard, both colored magenta and offering a small amount of artificial light, formed over his forearm. Pressing a few buttons on the keyboard, the two panels changed to a three-dimensional wireframe of the mountain he was now on, his own position in the form of a single golden blip, the trail he had taken up highlighted in white. Placing his right thumb and index finger together at the model before flicking them apart, the model zoomed in around his current position, the individual "fangs" surrounding him rendered in greater detail, down to the general shape of the mountain around him.
"I see. I'm getting close," the figure said with a nod. Tapping a green circular arrow running clockwise, the teen reafirmed his position to ensure that he was right where he needed to be. Relaxing his wrist and allowing the holographic tool to fade, his finger then went to his visor, flicking one of the buttons on the side as instead of pitch black that he couldn't see the contours of his hand in front of his face, the landscape turned a military shade of green, the outer edges of his surroundings light green while the majority was colored dark with speckles of neon illuminating them. "Night vision. Gotta love it," the teen chuckled to himself. All those other kids his age were going on about the latest action movie, or video game, but here he was, living the adventure that none of them had ever dared to try, remaining blissfully ignorant in their fenced-off cities. It was a complacent lifestyle; the same that led to the downfall of Neo Arcadia so many decades past. "Well, time to get to work."
Tapping the ground at his feet a few times, his naturally-honed hearing heard the low rumble of weakened stone that he was looking for. The next moment he rose his foot into the air, suddenly bringing it down onto the slanted path at his feet and causing the platform he stood upon to collapse. Stone rumbling as it made his way past him, the teen expertfully slid down the slope as his metal-soled feet skid down the mountainside, rocks of varying size bouncing down the veritable avalanche before nearing the edge of a cliff. Crouching before leaping into the air, spread eagle, he then flipped forward, his back rolling across a secluded rock platform that most would be unable to reach from below. Sliding to a stop as he neared the next edge, he skillfully backpedaled as a few pieces of the platform he found himself on tumbled down to the mountain below. The activity would attract the attention of any night-bound mechaniloids in the area, but if his scouting of his present location from afar via high-powered telescope had been correct, he was more or less on his own for now.
At the moment he stood on a small stone clearing like any other, however the paths leading up to it had collapsed, leaving it isolated by foot. The sheer face of the cliffs and probability of an avalanche made it suicide to approach from below; The Condoroids that made this area their home made certain of that. It was for this reason that he hazarded the mountain heights. For this one small chance to reach this hideaway nestled back into the mountainside, only visible from far away and near-impossible to reach by conventional means. Under the light of the moon as the cloud cover parted above, a small wall of foliage was revealed covering the rock face, which the teen moved towards before yanking the vines away without a moment's hesitation. A few minutes later after picking what few brambles stubbornly tried to pierce his glove and get to the soft skin below, he came upon what appeared to be the entrance to an old mineshaft, planks of steel riveted and welded into place, barricading him from what lay within. With that a sly grin appeared on his face, and his left wrist flexed once more.
Were one to be watching his spot from the distance, they would've spotted multiple flashes of white and pink in the distance, similar to if one were to wave a flashlight about. However, atop the rock face the adventurous/suicidal teen was wielding no flashlight. Instead from the holographic gauntlet on his forearm, was a foot-long blade extending from above his hand, the end hissing as metal shavings fell off its heated edge, the barricade before it now nothing more than several metal planks on the ground, edges still warm from when the concentrated blade of plasma sheared their opposing resistance asunder. Relaxing his wrist, the teen once more dispelled the holographic tool on his arm as he kicked some of the metal away, a satisfied smile on his face before he once more flexed his wrist, positioning the microphone from his right ear-port to his mouth before speaking.
"After ascending the rocky heights of Stormspire Peak, I've come across the only remaining, uncollapsed entrance to the mineshaft I had scouted out several weeks prior to my treck up this dangerous mountain," he spoke aloud, his words recorded onto the device hovering around his arm. "All calculations were spot on, and aside from a couple bruises, I've more or less made more progress in a few days than most would make in a week," he spoke as he entered the cavern, toggling with the settings on his visor to offer more clarity to the darkened mineshaft he was now entering. "For the past few months since the 'Maverick Instigations', mechaniloid activity around this area has increased exponentially. Even with all prior scouting, I am still unsure as to whether the mechaniloids are congregating upon this area in search of more resources to propogate their numbers, or for something else. Signing off until next entry," he said tapping the side of his ear-port again, the holographic tool dispelling before his hand went to his right hip, drawing an old-model yellow-bodied pistol-type weapon as he entered the mineshaft's maw, darkness swallowing him as he entered its depths.
End of chapter two...
Author's Notes: My apologies for the longer-than-intended wait! It took a while to decide exactly what changes I wanted this time round, although hopefully this was a slight improvement from before. What I wanted changed most of all at this point was the villain himself as Thane was, admittingly, very poorly-written in the original adaptation. Also, a small note that upcoming chapters are going to be significantly different from now on, so if you think you've read it all before then the next update is an all-new chapter featuring an original character that you might have read about in another story.
My thanks to NeoNazo356 for inspiring this rewrite with his own story, Mega Man ZXA: Rebirth Redux. It's well worth a read if you like stories set during the ZX period or just happen to like good fanfiction altogether. Filled with intense action, witty humour and the character development of a well-written OC, it's definitely a story I'd recommend reading whenever you've got the time. My thanks to all who've taken the time to read and comment so far also.
Data File #65 - Theory of Maverick Evolution #1
It is common knowledge that the 'Elf Wars' was the most violent and bloody period recorded during Earth's history. Taking place shortly after the Maverick Wars (which lasted approximately one hundred years in total) roughly three hundred years ago, the Elf Wars was significantly more bloody despite lasting only four years altogether. 60% of Humans and 90% of Reploids perished during that brief period, causing all aforementioned wars to pale in comparison in which mere millions died between the period from 21XX to 22XX. Although the Elf Wars were won thanks to the efforts of Master X and the Legendary Reploid known as Zero, most (if not all) surviving Reploids were disarmed to due to fears of such a horrific event ever happening again. After the Energy Crisis hit, Reploids were further weakened once it was ordained by the authorities of Neo Arcadia that they be created to be more energy-efficient in the future. While the new age models used much less energy, they were nowhere near as powerful as their original progenitors and succumbed easily in most combat scenarios.
Due to the severe lack of reliable combat models, the authories of Neo Arcadia then mass-produced a series of Mechaniloid-Reploid hybrids designed to protect humanity at all costs. Known to all as Pantheons, these particular models were created in the likeness of the Master X. Due to the lack of energy resources at the time, their physical designs were kept as simple as possible so that specific adaptations could be easily applied later on. Being so versatile and adaptable, the Pantheons were widely considered the perfect warriors to defend Neo Arcadia and keep the peace, surpassed in power only by the Four Guardians (Sage Harpuia, Fighting Fefnir, Fairy Leviathan and Hidden Phantom). The Pantheons' production costs, production time and energy usage were most likely quite low, allowing for sheer quantity in numbers to be employed against whatever (or whomever) threatened the city and the people living within it. However, the Pantheons soon disappeared once Master X perished and Dr. Weil seized control of the city. Appearing in their stead as Neo Arcadia's new 'Guardians' (rather they were Dr. Weil's loyal soldiers which terrorized the inhabitants of the land) were the Variants. Details are sketchy, but from what files I have managed to uncover, these particular models were considerably much more advanced - and aggressive - than their predecessors ever were.
Due to their similiar appearance, it is highly likely that these Variants were the ancestors of today's Galleons. Around the time that Neo Arcadia was destroyed, it is believed that a small number of Variants managed to survive the extermination process commited by the Resistance and escaped into the wilderness of Outlands. These survivors were intelligent enough to fend for themselves, capable of repairing their own injuries and gathering resources from inhospitable areas to repopulate their numbers. Whether this was a quirk of their AI or an ingenious design installed by the late Dr. Weil, it wasn't long before the Variants repopulated and took control of Outlands for themselves. As the world hasn't yet fully recovered from the destruction wrought by Ragnarok, nor the damage sustained during the Elf Wars over a century ago, Legion deemed it best that areas capable of sustaining human life (termed Inner Peace) be seperated from the areas that had yet to recover (Outlands) rather than throw valuable lives away retaking land that could not efficiently sustain organic life. While the Variants continued to remain a threat to both Humans and Reploids, people generally remained safe within Inner Peace as long as they didn't stray across the borders.
Sometime during the last century, the Variants of Neo Arcadia disappeared from the wilderness altogether as Galleons rose up to take their place, although I believe that the Variants never disappeared at all - but evolved into the Galleons we currently see today. Stronger and more intelligent than most Irregulars, Galleons are usually content to remain within their own territory and can only be controlled by highly advanced methods of reprogramming (such as forcibly installing a reprogramming chip - risky at best for even veteran Hunters). With the recent appearance of advanced individuals leading others of their kind, it may be that their original AI from centuries ago has evolved enough for some of these beings to become completely sentient, their intelligence rivalling that of the average Human/Reploid. Whether or not this means they're acting out on their own accord (or are being influenced to act in another's stead) is yet to be discovered.