Previously on Mega Man X: Maverick Buster...
As X began his ascent of Mt. Magma, Alia and her backup -known only as GBD- discovered that there was a bomb within Wheel Gator's tank! Both Reploids got clear of the tank before it exploded, but due to the seismic activity around Mt. Magma at the time, neither of them or Layer could get in touch with X, who was busy shooting his way into the volcano. When the volcano erupted, X escaped and discovered that his upgraded X-Buster could charge what weapons he had picked up.
Soon, X confronted Flame Stag. And while the Maverick put up a good fight, X managed to defeat him with Bubble Splash and a double Charge Shot. After copying Flame Stag's weapon, X spotted a beam of light coming from the junkyard nearby, and thought only one thing... "Zero." Thinking it was his friend, X told Alia & GBD to rendezvous with him at the base of the volcano.
Meanwhile, Zero met the X-Hunters, who were shocked to see that Zero had taken Sigma's Laser Saber. They then tested Zero's abilities by activating a polygon sword to fight Zero. After a brief struggle, Zero managed to destroy the sword by using a technique he called "Tenshouha!" Which is the same beam of light that got X's attention, but Zero teleported out of the abandoned Reploid factory without X seeing him, threatening the X-Hunters in the process. "I'm comin' for you three next."
Now that Zero has finally escaped from where he was revived, can he finally reunite with X? Will Zero be able to defeat the X-Hunters before X does? And why did the X-Hunters revive Sigma along with Zero? Find out next in Mega Man X: Maverick Buster!
Mega Man X: Maverick Buster
Season One: The Search for Zero
Episode 6 - Chapter Six: Bugs in the System
X, Alia and GBD were closing in on the junkyard with their Ride Chasers, unaware that they were being watched by small Mechaniloid bugs... which were transmitting what they were seeing to a bug-like Maverick.
"Excellent, our guests have arrived." He said as he hung from the ceiling in what looked like string. "Now, my loyal spawnlings... it's time to take the B-Class Hunter's strength, and use it against him..." Suddenly, the bug Maverick lost one of his feeds, concerning him slightly... while the three Maverick Hunters aimed at the direction of the gunshot that was heard, it was pitch black, as the shot was heard from a pile of wrecked robot parts that blocked the sunset.
"It's nothing, guys. C'mon, we're sure to find Zero in this abandoned Reploid factory!" Alia pointed out, before she and GBD started moving deeper into ruined building. But X stuck around, and squinted his eyes at the direction of the noise...
"I could swear that I'm seeing... a brand-new Buster cannon..." He said to himself.
"Hey, X! This is your lead we're chasing, here!" Alia shouted, snapping X out of it before running after his teammates. Once the three Reploids entered the building, what X saw jumped away from the junkpile and ran towards the open side of the building...
Walking through the abandoned factory, the three Maverick Hunters walked past some startling things; Like damaged Reploids hanging from webs, old weapons aimed at sections of the hallway, and they even heard bug-like screeching.
"Can I be the first to admit that this place kind of freaks me out?" Asked Alia, looking nervous as they pressed forward.
"Just keep moving. I know Zero is here somewhere..." X told her, but they all stopped when they heard the one voice laughing all around them.
"You are HALF right, Maverick Hunter X..." Said the voice, as the three Maverick Hunters saw a number of red eyes surrounding them... most of them were from the bug Mechaniloids, while the rest were from broken Reploids. "Zero WAS here... but not anymore... Mm-hmhmhmwahahaha..."
"Who are you? And what have you done with Zero?!" X angrily asked, unaware that some of the bugs were closing in on the three from behind.
"Patience, X. I could tell you..." Said the voice.
"Ahhh! X!" Alia screamed, as one of the bugs was crawling up her leg. X aimed at the bug with his Buster, but he couldn't bring himself to shoot, as he was worried about hurting Alia. GBD managed to shoot a bug that was approaching X, but he ignored one that was climbing up his own chest.
"...but why waste words when I have new puppets to make you suffer?" Asked the voice, as the bugs on Alia and GBD clinged to their heads and attached their legs to the Reploids' earpieces, making both Alia's & GBD's eyes glow the same eerie red light as the bugs.
"...Alia?" X nervously asked, before Alia & GBD smirked at him.
"Let's make a deal, X..." Said the voice, through the mouths of both Alia & GBD, though Alia's voice could also be heard saying the same thing. "Survive and destroy those you care about, and I'll tell you where Zero is now... hahahaha..." Both Alia & GBD then prepared themselves for battle, making X reluctantly do the same...
Alia fired some rapid shots at X, but he backflipped away while charging up a shot. He then fired at the ground in front of Alia & GBD, making the green Reploid leap towards X! GBD landed on X's foot, allowing X to kick GBD off of him, before he took aim at the bug on GBD's head. Seeing X hesitate to fire made the bug Maverick scoff through Alia. GBD then jumped back towards X, attempting to throw a punch at him. X caught one of his fists, but GBD tried punching with his other hand, which X also caught. As X struggled against GBD, Alia was charging up her Buster, and a number of damaged Busters and weapons were being aimed at X!
"I still don't see why Sigma thought you were important for the future of all Reploids..." Said the Maverick through Alia, as he made her continue to charge her Buster, making X look back as he struggled with GBD. "All this... worrying... of yours makes you WEAK." This made X mad.
"Why do you give a damn what Sigma thinks?" He angrily asked. "Sigma's DEAD!" The Maverick merely laughed in response through GBD.
"Perhaps... but his dream lives on through ALL Reploids! Especially you, X." Suddenly, another Buster was cocked... and was aimed at one of the hanging Reploids.
"Then why are you so determined to destroy X?!" Yelled the owner of the Buster; A male adult human with metal cords attached to his Buster, free wrist and boots. This human then destroyed the Reploid by rapidly firing at it, getting the attention of everyone else.
"A human?!" Exclaimed X, as he was startled by this. So was the mysterious Maverick, but he quickly made everything he was controlling focus on the human.
"Vaporize it! NOW!" He ordered, as GBD broke away from X. But the free willed Maverick Hunter was charging up both of his Busters.
"NO!" He shouted while firing both charged shots at a wall, creating a hole that he leapt towards. "Over here!" The human ran over towards X and into the hole as X's body changed colours; From blue-and-cyan to green-and-white. "Spin Wheel!" Once X was inside the hole, he threw the Spin Wheel at the ceiling just in front of him. The Spin Wheel's constant sawing resulting in the entrance to the hole caving in, blocking the Maverick and his puppets.
Once they were sealed in, X turned to the human with concern.
"What're you doing here?" He asked. "It's dangerous for a human like you to be fighting rogue Mechaniloids, let alone Maverick Reploids!" The human responded with a smirk as he cocked his Buster.
"Well, I obviously did good, cause I just helped you out of a jam, right?" He replied with a great deal of cheek in his voice, making X look away in embarressment.
"I... I guess you're right..." He said, before turning back to the human. "But who are you?"
"The name's Cutup." The human replied, before shoving his hand out the end of his Buster, in order to shake X's hand. "Aaron Cutup. And you're Mega Man X, aren't you?" X nodded as he shook Aaron's hand, exciting the man. "You just HAVE to tell me! What's it like being THE Maverick Hunter that defeated Sigma?!" X quickly removed his hand from Aaron's grasp. And the Reploid did not look happy...
"I didn't want to do that..." He said, confusing Aaron. "I joined the Hunters to protect innocent Reploids and humans from Mavericks. I just wanted to help those lost Reploids find their way back into the light... but that damn Maverick Virus is forcing me to destroy those I once considered my friends..." As Aaron looked to his feet in shame, X fell to his knees in the same way. "You don't know what it's like to be forced to fight someone you care about..."
"Actually, I do..." Aaron softly replied, getting X's attention. "Some of those Mavericks came to my hometown, testing something called 'Force Metal' on humans..." Hearing the words 'Force Metal' startled X. "The tests caused my wife and many of my friends to go beserk, causing as much damage as they could to themselves and anything they saw. I tried to reason with every single person who fell victim to the tests, but they finally destroyed our home, along with themselves..."
"I... I'm sorry to hear that." Said X, now feeling guilty for his outburst.
"It's okay." Aaron replied, before pulling his right hand back into his Buster. "I've been doing what I can to honour their memories... especially since I built myself a Buster cannon." This intrigued X. But before he could ask about it, his sensors picked up a familiar signal...
"Another Light Capsule?" He asked himself as he walked deeper into the cave, making Aaron follow him. Soon, the two indeed found a Light Capsule. Before Aaron could say anything, the capsule opened, and a hologram of Dr Light appeared within it. "Dr Light..."
"X... please step into this capsule..." Begged Dr Light. "I will give you an upgrade to your armor, as well as a new attack called the Giga Crush." The hologram quickly vanished after that, and X walked into the capsule before it closed on him. Aaron merely watched in awe as lights surrounded the capsule while X was inside. When the capsule opened and X emerged from it, he now had a white-and-yellow chestplate with blue-and-red lining. Just then, the hologram of Dr Light returned. "I only hope you use this upgrade for the good of all mankind and robot kind. My dream for everlasting peace rests in your hands, X..." It was then that the hologram disappeared again, and the capsule closed up.
"So... Giga Crush?" Aaron asked, making X look at his hands.
"According to the information with this upgrade, I can use Giga Crush to damage any enemy within a ten-foot radius." X explained, intriguing Aaron. "But I can only use it when I've taken a certain amount of damage..."
"Interesting." Exclaimed Aaron. "Could we use it to get out of here?" X shook his head.
"It looks like this only works on enemies I've locked onto. Plus, the damage meter isn't high enough yet. And I don't want to hurt my friends..."
"Maybe you won't..." Aaron pointed out, confusing X. "Think about it... that new upgrade will only hurt your enemies, right? So while the bugs controlling your friends will get hurt, there's a good chance that your friends will be spared..." Once the message sunk in, X switched one of his hands for a Buster.
"You're right, Aaron. And I know just how to save them. Here's the plan..."
Meanwhile, Zero teleported into a forest with green plantlife everywhere. And along with small Mechaniloids buzzing around the place, it was raining, so Zero found some cover before having a think...
"X-Hunters..." He said while feeling anger towards the very Reploids he mentioned, unaware that someone was listening from above. "I've got to find them, and make them regret resurrecting me..."
"Is that any way to thank your saviors?" Asked a very feminine voice, that made Zero look to see a female Reploid with wings flying in the rain above him; This red-and-pink Reploid had a very feminine figure, as well as sharp -yet strangely shaped- wings. "I'd listen to little ol' Ferham, if I were you..." Zero merely scoffed.
"Says the babe flyin' in the rain." He replied. "You wanna be an airborne lightning rod? Be my guest." Once he turned away from the Reploid calling herself Ferham, an electro-magnectic whip wrapped around one of the pillars keeping Zero protected from the rain. The instant the whip was pulled back, it took the pillar with it, making the ceiling collapse, and forced Zero to jump out from underneath, letting him see that the whip came from Ferham. Sighing, Zero pulled the Laser Saber from his back and lit it up. "All right. Bring it on, bitch."
Ferham then flew down towards Zero at an incredible speed. While Zero avoided her tackling him, he didn't notice that she wrapped her whip around his leg, which pulled him up with her as she rose back up into the rainy sky! Zero tried shooting at Ferham with the Buster on his free hand, but it just seemed to excite her...
"So, you want a rougher ride? I can happily oblige..." Ferham told Zero, before she started swerving through close buildings and trees... forcing Zero to slam into whatever she passed!
"Grr... enough!" He shouted before slicing through the electro-magnetic whip, freeing him as he quickly swapped his Saber for his Buster and started charging up energy. "Take this!" As he fell towards the ground, Zero managed to land a fully-charged shot on Ferham before landing on his feet!
"No! How could you have hit me?! I'm supposed to be faster than sound with the Force Metal I've equipped!" Ferham complained as she got to her feet, getting Zero's attention.
"'Force Metal?' Care to fill me in?" He asked curiously, but he was ignored.
"I guess it needs more testing... back to the human-only settlement!" Ferham flew away from Zero as fast as she could, but Zero found a Ride Chaser nearby and followed her on it...
Back at the "abandoned" Reploid factory, Alia, GBD, and the other Mechaniloids and broken Reploids under mind control were firing at the wall X & Aaron were hiding in... until they detected intense heat coming from the wall. Before the Maverick bug realized it, the wall exploded with X charging through the wall with a firey aura in front of him (X was also coloured red-and-blue), with Aaron holding onto his arms!
"Are you OK?" X asked Aaron once they were clear, but Aaron didn't worry about X's concerns.
"Don't worry about me... your friends are the ones who need your help, now!" Aaron replied, before shooting at Mechaniloids from his Buster. X joined him once he changed back to green-and-white, by throwing Spin Wheels that sliced through the Mechaniloids! Aaron couldn't help but be amazed at X, attacking like that while taking hits from enemy attacks. However, that was when the bug Maverick made both Alia & GBD hold their arms out in a sacrificial pose, concerning both X & Aaron.
"It's your choice, X." He said through the two Reploids he was controlling. "Surrender yourself to me and destroy the human... or be forced to kill your Hunter friends..." While the Maverick was laughing, X noticed something blinking on his right arm, before he unintentionally locked on to the Mechaniloids around him... including the two attached to Alia & GBD. "Well? What do you have to say, Maverick Hunter X?"
"Aaron, brace yourself. GIGA CRUSH!" As he shouted that, X unleashed an almost-blinding flash of light that not only made Aaron shield his eyes... but it vaporized every Mechaniloid in the area! As a result, Alia & GBD fell to the ground, due to regaining control of themselves.
Seeing all of the monitors showing nothing but static, the bug-like Maverick angrily hissed and sent another bug Mechaniloid away.
"You may be getting close to me, X..." He said to himself. "...but you will never penetrate my wall of junk!" As the Mechaniloid ran as fast as it could towards the enemy, X was on his knees with an unconscious Alia in his lap.
"Alia? Alia please, wake up!" He said with concern in his voice. "Of all the Reploids on this planet, you're the one I can call a friend that's as close to me as Zero!" It was then that Aaron placed a hand on X's shoulder, which got the Hunter's attention.
"I'll look after them, X." He told him, before pointing to a tunnel leading outside. "You go get the bastard that did this to them!" Sighing before nodding, X stood up and ran towards the tunnel's exit. Just then, that Mechaniloid ran in between X's legs, and climbed up the wall, into a bulky-yet-damaged Reploid. Once activated, it fell to the ground and started shooting at Aaron!
"Aaron, look out!" X cried, but a wall slammed down in front of him, preventing him from helping his new friend. But that was when dozens of red lights started shining behind him...
"Forget your friends... you know that it's me you want..." Said the bug Maverick, making X walk through the tunnel of spying Mechaniloids in anger.
Soon, X reached the exit of the tunnel, where he found a strange Reploid wrapped in some kind of cocoon, attached to the ceiling by a tether of some kind.
"Morph Moth..." X exclaimed, once he saw who was responsible. "With all of the manipulative bug Mechaniloids around here, I should've known it was you..." Hearing the accusations, the bug Maverick merely laughed.
"Yes, you should have." He replied, while he started swinging back and forth. "And now your friends will pay the price for your mistake... do you really think that human can save your Hunter friends from my control?" X started getting angry and scared by Morph Moth's words... angry enough to swap one of his hands for his X-Buster. All of the bug Mechaniloids in the area noticed this, and crawled towards X. "Stay back, my brethren. I will deal with this one myself. Besides... I'm close to evolving..." Hearing this, X started building up energy for a Charge Shot.
"I'll make you suffer for what you've done to my friends!" X yelled with rage in his eyes, as he fired his Charge Shot at Morph Moth. While it did hit him, the attack just made the Maverick swing around even more, dropping debris from the ceiling that X had to dodge! While X did get a little damage from the debris, his Giga Gauge was increasing as he changed to red-and-blue again. "Take THIS!" X quickly shot fireballs at Morph Moth. And while they did hit him -and even seemed to do more damage, at that- the Maverick was cackling. "Now what're you laughing at?!"
"YOU, X." Morph Moth replied, as burning cracks appeared on the outside of his cocoon. "You just helped me accelerate my evolution!"
"'Evolution?'" Asked X, before shielding his eyes from the cocoon's explosion, and a Reploid about X's size leapt out!
Meanwhile, Aaron was fighting off the bug-controlled Reploid that constantly shot at him. Eventually, the human jumped behind a wall of junk that protected him from the Reploid's shots, allowing him to collect himself.
"*sigh* I really wish you were here right now, Aile... Vent..." He said to himself as he moved his hand around inside his Buster to change weapons. "...cause I could sure use some backup right now." Just as he was building up energy for a Charge Shot, the Reploid was blasted with a Charge Shot from Alia!
"Quick, finish it!" She shouted at Aaron, who nodded before firing his Charge Shot, which destroyed the Reploid and the Mechaniloid.
"Phew! Thanks for the assist." Aaron said to Alia, as GBD came to. "Are you OK?"
"Never mind me, where's X?" Asked Alia. While Aaron didn't respond verbally, he looked at the wall seperating them from X & Morph Moth...
X was staring up at a flying Reploid with a similar build to him! Except this Reploid had a bug-like face and antennae, as well as a pair of wings suitable for a moth.
"You... your...?" X couldn't say much, making the Maverick laugh.
"Beautiful? Yes, thank you." He replied, with the same voice as Morph Moth, making X somewhat regain his composure. "Thank you for helping me evolve, X."
"Evolve..." Repeated X, before a question came to mind. "Morph Moth... are you one of those 'New Generation' Reploids?" Hearing this, Morph Moth scoffed.
"Please! That was just a rumour that Sigma started to scare humans! But you know all about scaring humans, don't you?" He replied, distracting X enough to blow pollen down from his wings. "The war with Repliforce... the Day of Sigma... so many humans died because of Sigma, including... Dr Cain..." X felt more rage when he heard "Dr Cain," but his feet were stuck to the ground, due to Morph Moth's pollen! "You are so easy to manipulate, X..." Morph Moth then sprayed X with a more concentrated blast of pollen at X's chest, encasing him even more! "...I've been trapping you with my Silk Shot, and you never even noticed!" Morph Moth then landed on the ground in front of X, feeling proud of what he's done. "The X-Hunters shall reward me greatly when I tell them I turned Mega Man X into a copy of me!" This startled the Maverick Hunter. "Oh, did I not mention? If I trap you in my Silk Shot for long enough... well, let's just say you'll get wings of your own..."
"Ngh! I-I can feel something on my back!" X groaned, intriguing Morph Moth enough to look at X's back, only to see that he was charging BOTH of his Busters. "Speed Burner!" X quickly broke free of the pollen with his firey aura, before running red hot rings around Morph Moth, giving the Maverick bug some real damage!
"N-No! Stop!" Cried Morph Moth, as his wings started to burn away. "You cannot stop the X-Hunters from reaching their goals!" X then stopped quick enough to kick Morph Moth into the wall that sealed X in, and giving it a crack. X also managed to copy the Maverick's weapon data with the kick to the chest. Looking up to see X building up energy for a Charge Shot, a weakened Morph Moth still had the energy to laugh. "You will have to fight Zero... and Sigma..."
"I already told you... Sigma's dead." X replied, before firing his normal Charge Shot at Morph Moth, destroying him in the process. "And not only is Zero still alive, but he'll be the same friend he's always been to me..."
Seconds later, Aaron and the other two Hunters break down the wall seperating them from X.
"X! You're okay!" Alia exclaimed as she hugged her friend. X blushed a little, but he gladly hugged her back.
"Heheh! Me? I'm just glad that you guys are all right!" X replied, before breaking the hug and turning to Aaron. "Thank you, Aaron. You really helped us out today."
"Aww, don't mention it." Said Aaron nonchalantly, before quickly getting excited. "Does this mean I can join the Maverick Hunters?!" Both X & Alia chuckled when they heard that.
"That's really up to Commander Signas to decide..." Alia pointed out, before X revealed a holographic card.
"But for now, you can give us a call if you ever need help." He added as he handed the card to Aaron. On the card was the logo of the Maverick Hunters, as well as a code of some sort. "That's the communication code, so you can get in touch with us." Aaron was briefly at a loss for words, until he wrote something down on a piece of paper and gave it to X. "What's this?"
"Your communication code?" Joked Alia, but Aaron shook his head.
"Those are the coordinates for the base of the X-Hunters." All three Hunters were startled to hear that! "When the Mavericks were invading my hometown, I overheard some of them repeating these coordinates."
"You really have been a big help today!" Exclaimed Alia, as X shook Aaron's hand. "Though what's next for you?"
"I'd better head back to my village." Aaron replied. "I've got friends there who are probably falling apart without me!" Aaron then walked towards a wrecked Ride Chaser as he chuckled, before jumping onto it. "I'll call you!" After Aaron left, the three Hunters looked at the coordinates he gave them, but none of them had any idea where they were...
"Can you tell us where this is, Layer?" Asked X.
"I'm afraid not." Layer replied via communicator. "There's some kind of electro-magnetic field that's disrupting my sensors from pinpointing that location." It was then that Alia activated her map, but she too found static amongst those coordinates.
"I see it, too. We're not teleporting there." She added, before spotting a land-mark near the coordinates. "What about this place, Layer?"
"Oh, that's the Weather Control Station. But due to the constant changes in weather, you won't be able to teleport there, either." This was starting to frustrate X.
"So how can we reach those coordinates?" He asked.
"We'll have to go through the desert in order to reach the Station, and hopefully, we'll find something there to stop the disruption around those coordinates..." Alia replied, before she and X realized something.
"Maybe Aaron can guide us through the desert..." X pointed out, before all three Reploids jumped on their Ride Chasers and raced after their human friend...
END OF CHAPTER