Megaman X: Final Prologue

By: SylentStryke

Rated: M

Disclaimer: I would write something about how I don't own Megaman X and how Capcom owns him and his crew, but I forgot how to do that. :)

A/N: This is one of my spontaneous large chapters. A lot of stuff is going on, so here we go! Oh yea! Bonus points go to anyone who can figure out how this chapter earned its name.

Chapter 7: Crash 0

MHHQ- Navigation Sector
Time: 10:34 A.M.
Date: 6-18-22XX

"Get me the 16th Commander on the line!" A young, energetic navigator yelled into the comm.

"Kicker, get a medical squad down to the transit bay, ASAP!" A purple haired navigator yelled into her monitor.

"Pilot of transport number fourteen, what is your current status?" Alia asked roughly into the microphone of the headset she was wearing. She constantly stared at the screen of data, processing and analyzing it many times faster than any human could. She tossed a disk from her console to a reploid on the opposite side of the room, letting it float in the air like a feather.

"Ma'am! We're in Arcadia! I repeat, we are in Arcadia!" The pilot yelled into the speaker. There were sounds of heavy weapons fire and war cries filling the background.

"Personnel status?"

"All personnel accounted for. Except...Colonel X." He added that last bit of info on quickly, hoping she wouldn't catch it.

"What happened to X!" Alia screamed into her comm. She saw the pilot cringe as his hopeful wish was shattered. "Where is he? What did he do?" She interrogated. A navigator tapped her on the shoulder, earning her attention.

"Alia, Colonel X has been spotted on the battlefront. He is engaging the enemy directly." Palette informed the pink clad navigator. "His position is point 54B130A." The young navigator smiled as she watched Alia input the coordinates with lightning speed. The image of a blue hunter running across the sand was displayed.

"Thanks, Palette." She said before turning back to the monitor. "X! Are you okay?"

- - -

"I'm fine, Alia!" X spoke into his comm link. He hopped to the left to avoid a plasma bolt. "I was informed that a new type of armored unit was deployed from Arcadia." He dove into a roll to avoid a stray grenade and the following explosion.

"New armored unit?" Alia asked inquisitively. "Do you see it yet?"

"One sec." X said quickly as he confronted a Maverick, who threw a jab at the colonel's head. X simply side stepped and grabbed the reploid's arm, then spun around quickly, launching the unlucky Maverick into the fray. He did all this without missing a beat. As Alia watched him fight, she smiled as she saw how calmly he moved about. She wondered what he thought about when he fought.

"(Survival? Protecting peace? Does he think of me?)" She thought sheepishly.

"No." X replied suddenly.

"What? No what?" Alia was confused. She suddenly felt embarrassed. "(Did I think that out loud?)"

"You asked if I saw the armored unit. No, I don't see it yet." X responded more clearly. Alia sighed.

"Oh, right. Let me know when you engage the enemy. I'll send Layer the details." She responded, sounding distracted. X formed his buster and charged it halfway.

"Roger that!" He hopped on top of a Maverick's shoulder and placed his arm cannon on his face. He released the blast at the same time he activated the dash function in his boots and propelled himself many feet into the air.

"X, how did you manage to get on the ground?" It was X's turn to smile.

"Heh heh. I jumped." He said nonchalantly as he cancelled out a plasma beam with his own buster shot.

Battlefield- Frontline
Time: 10:36 A.M.

Locke flipped backward over the large boar type Maverick as it charged at her. She extended her arms over her head when she was upside-down and shot her wrist blades into the armor of the mechanical pig. She twisted mid-air and planted her feet in the ground when she landed. Then, with more strength then her small figure should allow, she flung the enemy into a group of Mavericks closing in on her. A large Maverick with a cackling blade of energy jumped at her and performed a simple horizontal slice. She quickly parried the blade then stepped in to dig one of her own blades into the Maverick's arm. With a quick twist, the arm holding the blade tore loose from the shoulder. Another bladed Maverick tried a sneak attack from behind her. Locke rolled behind the mauled reploid to avoid the attack, then swept its feet from under it. While it was falling, she ran the blade through its owner and into the reploid preparing for another attack. She kicked the scrapped heap away before they could explode. Smirking, her eyes glowed, showing that she enjoyed the thrill of battle as she waltzed off into the inviting melee.

- - -

Stryke on the other hand barely dodged an energy knife aimed at his throat. He leaned back, feeling the heat of the offensive blade glancing over his skin. Drawing his Wastelander Pro(a pistol he had designed specifically for him), he whipped the knife out of his assailant's grip with a spin of the pistol and placed it in the reploid's mouth. "Seventeen!" He pulled the trigger, sending a wave of energy and reploid blood into the air. He holstered his pistol and drew out his trusted rifle. A canine mechaniloid charged at him, knocking him to the ground. He held out his rifle as to prevent the dog from sinking its teeth into his skull. He placed his foot into the mutt's ribcage and activated his dash system. "Let go, boy." He whispered as he launched the canine off of him. Subconsciously aiming with his patched eye, he muttered "Eighteen" as he pulled the trigger. With a sharp yelp, the dog fell limp before exploding. He placed the rifle on his back and thought about what just happened. He had just aimed with his left eye. His bad eye. "And I killed that Maverick with a single shot? This is some eyepatch." He marveled in the wonder of Douglass's gift to him before deciding to get back to the battle. He didn't have time to react as a swift reploid tackled him to the ground. He wrestled with the controlled Maverick as they rolled along the sand. Stryke stumble backward as he was thrown off of the Maverick, he drew a knife from his waist and charged the reploid, aiming for the artery in her neck while drawing out his custom pistol. She knocked back his knifing arm quickly as she stabbed at him with a blade on her arm. He fell to the ground in an attempt to dodge the blade. Though successful in dodging the blade, he left himself open for a kick to the abdomen, which sent him flying into a destroyed tank. He sat up dazedly and looked at the blurry image of the Maverick that punted him.

The ambience of war, the sounds of battle cries and explosions, the smell of burnt metal and blood, the taste of the stagnant air that filled the landscape, it all seemed to be drowned out by the image of the Maverick approaching him. She looked...familiar. In fact, his situation seemed familiar. "...wait. Locke?" He whispered as he stood up on shaky legs, his equilibrium system off balance from the last blow. "No...Not again!" He shouted upon remembering what happened so many years ago. He couldn't fight her then, and he sure as hell couldn't fight her now. He fell to a knee. "Ugh! Damn it! I can't move!"

The crazed reploid was upon him within a moment of his collapse. She kicked him to the ground and proceeded to stomp on his back, causing him to yell out in pain. Each stomp seemed to bury him deeper into the sand, and at the same time become less painful. Multiple reploid parts rained down around him as he struggled to get up. The ground felt...soft? Before he realized where he was, he was falling through the hole in the sand created by the reploid that was stomping on him. He struggled to revive his balance system before he hit the ground as he plummeted into the destroyed room underneath the desert sand. His mind was racing with thoughts. "(No, Locke! Not again! Why is this happening...wait a sec...? Her EX drive was removed, so maybe UGH!)" He slammed into the ground on his back, sending a wave of blunt pain through his spine. Then he heard something shift, which sent even more pain through his body. He gasped out in agony as a heavy weight crashed into his chest. He managed to raise his head up enough to speak.

"Enngh, Locke! Don't...do...it...AGH!" His words were cut short by a forceful kick. He flew inches over the ground and skidded into an old door. He ended up in a sitting position against the door and the floor. Through the dust he saw a figure walking toward him with glowing eyes. "Locke...snap out of it!" He tried one last time. She stopped. Then she laughed maniacally.

"Sorry, Stryke. Lord Weil is the only one I'll listen to!" She shouted in a warped voice before dashing at him with her blades drawn. He wanted to shut his eye and be surprised at how it would all end, but he refused to run away. When the crazed reploid closed about half the distance, he caught a glimpse of an orange glow in the dust. Then the charging reploid jerked and shuddered violently. She turned around slowly and stood stiff as the glowing blade was ripped out of her. Another blade flew forward and cleaved through her mid-section. The new figure then kicked the top half of the corpse across the room before running toward the one-eyed reploid, its eyes glowing fiercely. Stryke just stared at the new threat as it came closer and closer. He began breathing faster as the maverick approached him.

"(If it could kill Locke, then I'm a sittin' duck. Almost literally.)" He thought as he started at the quick reploid. Then he heard something that raised his hopes.

"Stryke! Stryke! Are you okay?" The reploid shouted almost desperately. He smiled as he recognized the voice. The reploid in search mode stopped and peered through the darkness.

He stood up slowly as his balance system revived itself. "I'm over here...Locke..." Stryke spoke softly, hoping she would hear it. She did as she ran over to him and embraced him tightly, almost knocking him off-balance again. He was slow to return the hug, causing Locke to look up at him.

"What's wrong?"

"I think my sync engine is outta whack." He replied looking downcast. Locke gave him a pitiful look then kissed him. She stepped away from him and held him at arms length, making sure he wouldn't tip over when she let go.

"Poor guy. I'll fix you up." She said before disappearing behind him. He was confused as to what she had on her mind. He felt a pair of arms hooking around his own. He was slowly lifted off the ground as Locke pressed her back into his own. He felt a sharp sting in his lower back as she bent over forward, forcing his back to arch and pop. He gritted his teeth as the dull pain escalated and spread as he was rocked side to side.

"Just one more pop, Stryke. Hang in there!" She said tenderly as she twisted once more. A loud crack echoed in the room as Stryke's sync engine slid back into place. He turned around after Locke set him down. She hugged him again, and again, he was slow to react. "Stryke, somethin's on your mind." She concluded.

"...Locke. I...didn't want to lose you." He murmured out, looking deeply into her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I...thought you were brainwashed again. I...what the hell was that thing?" He nodded toward the torso of the Locke look-alike. She showed him a rip in her jumpsuit on her stomach.

"That was a newtype Copy 'roid." She stated.

"Copy reploid. Like Axl." He stated. Locke nodded in confirmation.

"Almost. Those guys can copy any reploid they come into contact with. That particular bastard was a wolf type when I fought it." She explained.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS?" A female voice bellowed out from the other side of the room. Locke berated herself silently for getting off-track.

"Dammit, that's Ixion! Stryke, X needs your help with that newtype enemy armor!" She told him quickly.

"Locke! Did you find him yet?" An impatient Ixion shouted out, looking through the darkness.

"Yea, I found him!" Locke spoke up as she and Stryke ran toward her.

"Well it's about damn time! What were you two doing in there?" She said in a suggestive tone. The two reploids suddenly felt ill. Not because of how Ixion questioned them, but rather the fact that she smiled. It was the first time any of them had seen the demon smile. But it faded just as quickly as it came.

"What the hell are you starin' at? Let's go!" She shouted as she leapt up the wall to the battle. Stryke and Locke looked at each other in shock before doing the same.

- - -

As soon as they surfaced, a stray bolt of plasma blew a crater in the sand next to them. They ran behind the destroy remains of the tank. Ixion knelt down and gripped her comm headset. Stryke looked around for X, but all he saw was a load of dead reploids.

"Locke, where's X?"

"He should be..."

"LOOK OUT!" Ixion shouted as she dove into the two hunters, rolling them away from the tank as a sharp green laser sliced through it vertically. A solid line of glass in the sand showed the laser's path as it continued to cut into the sand before phasing out.

"What the hell fired that?" Locke screamed out. Ixion un-slung a rifle from her back and tossed it to Stryke. He began to calibrate the sights and adjust the energy output.

"That thing is called a Golem. Colonel X is battling it now. It's wiped out forty-five percent of our frontline units." She stated in a bitter tone. Stryke stopped fumbling with the sniper rifle and stared at the massive mechaniloid. It was at least twelve feet tall. It hovered over the ground with twin gravity eliminators. Its armor was gray and chrome with splashes of red scattered over it. He also saw a faint blue figure firing rapidly at it. Ixion's ear beeped and a second later, X's voice filled her ears.

"Ixion! Are you okay?" X shouted over the sounds of buster fire and screams.

"Yes, sir. We're all fine. Did you locate the weak point?"

"Affirmative! Have the sniper aim for the Golem's mouth!" X shouted before he let off charged plasma blast that could double for a flare.

"He's over there! You heard the Colonel. Get ready, Stryke!" Ixion ordered. Stryke climbed the empty shell of the tank and found a clear line of fire. "When I give you the signal, pull the trigger!"

"Got it!" Stryke shouted as he peered through the scope. His mind was racing once again. He thought about how they would deal with Weil, with him being a human and all. How they would deal with him? They couldn't even get to him. If humanity was to survive, then Weil must be stopped. He's already invaded Arcadia. The reploids of Giga City are dead. Hell, Giga City itself is dead. If he wasn't here right now, he wouldn't have been able to hold the rifle he now aimed through. He wouldn't be able to stop the Golem. Or, could he stop it? What if he missed? What if he accidentally shot X? Who would save humanity then? When the time comes when Weil has the barrel of a cannon in front of his face, who would be there to-

"PULL THE TRIGGER!" Ixion's voice shattered his thoughts. Without actually interpreting what she had said, Stryke did it anyway. After a tense moment, the Golem exploded fiercely.

Battlefield- Frontline approach
Time: 10:38 A.M.

X landed with a thud over the crowd of clashing Mavericks and Hunters. He continued his pace, leaping over plasma beams and dodging melee weapons of all types. When he reached a clearing, a large Mechaniloid erupted from the sand and shot a massive morning star at him. It collided with him and threatened to knock him back. X wrapped his arms around it as much as he could, then tossed the ball off to the side. He dashed at the mechaniloid and drove his fist into its upper body, knocking it into the ground. The spiked ball was flung into the air, so X quickly caught the chain and redirected it's momentum into the mechaniloid. He clutched at his chest plate, which had become dented from the heavy metal ball.

"Dammit, that hurt..." He whispered to himself, forgetting that his comm link was still on.

"X, are you okay?" Alia asked in her usual worried tone. Before he could give an answer, a loud explosion rocked the area, followed by multiple screams and weapons fire.

"Alia, I've located the armor unit! Sending video feed now!" X confirmed as he switched his optics to streaming mode. He stared in horror at the giant as it ripped through a crowd of hunters, splashing their blood over the sand.

"Oh my God, THAT'S the armored unit?" Alia gasped out in shock. X took note of the weapons used against it.

"Looks like it. Alia, do you see any weak point on it? Standard weapons won't destroy it." Alia was silent for a moment.

"Well, what about your buster? I'm sure it should be able to damage it. What version is it again?" She suggested.

"It's a MK X." He said after thinking it over. He groaned as his chest started hurting. "I can try to stall it for the time being, but I can only last about ten minutes.

"Ok. I'll have Layer analyze the thing and get the information to you." Alia said. She noticed X's breathing was a little bit harder than normal. "X, are you sure you're okay?" He wanted to say "No", but that wouldn't do him or her any good. He didn't want to lie either.

"I'll be fine." He said as he began charging his buster.

"X...be careful. And...Good luck." She said, her full of worry. X dashed off toward the giant mechanical nightmare.

- - -

He ran across the sand instead of dashing in order to conserve energy. His comm link rang shortly after he started running.

"Colonel X, this is Layer. I have some intel on that unmanned armor."

"Alright, Layer. Give me some good news."

"That is a prototype Geothermal Operated Liberation Mechaniloid, or Golem. I hoped that Cain Laboratories would have scrapped that idea..."

"Waitasec! Cain Laboratories created that thing!" X asked in a stupefied manner.

"Not exactly. Weil has somehow obtained the experimental data from Cain Labs. That thing should have never seen the light of day. But since it's here, we have to face it."

"That's what I had in mind. What can I do to hurt this thing?"

"Colonel X, listen closely. Its weak point is the energy emitter in its mouth. Standard grade weapons won't damage the Golem. Your buster should be able to do some damage."

"How long do you think it would take to destroy it with an MK X?"

"MK X? I'd say about thirty fully charged shots." X cringed at the large number.

"Layer, I'm not gonna have nearly enough stamina to destroy it. My energy stabilizer was damaged. Is there another option?"

"Yes, but it requires a sniper. A pulse energy rifle should be able to damage it significantly. Do you know anyone with that skill?"

"Yea, I do. Thank you, Layer."

"No thanks are necessary, Colonel X. Take extreme caution when engaging the Golem."

When he reached the giant, he shot his charged plasma blast at its head, stopping the large threat. X spotted at least thirty hunters in the area that were wounded, yet still alive, and no less than twice that amount dead around the beast.

"Go! Get out of here!" X shouted as he rushed towards the giant. The large beast rushed past him toward the fleeing hunters. "NO!" X shouted as he charged up another plasma blast and shot the mechanical monster. It was unfazed as it shot a fist at the group of hunters, killing them.

"What kind of monster is this?" A hunter said to no one in particular as she struggled to get up. The massive armor prepared to throw another punch at her. X scooped her up and dashed away before the fist could connect. He handed her over to another hunter before turning around and firing a fully charged plasma shot. The Golem let out what could be interpreted as a scream of pain. X charged up another shot as he tried to contact Stryke. Nothing. The Golem charged at the new threat in an attempt to flatten him. X jumped out of the way, fired another shot and started charging again. Next, he tried contacting Locke. Nothing again. He fired the shot. Of all the different possibilities, X never expected the Golem's fist to deflect it back at him. He barely rolled away from the cackling orb of death. He also didn't expect the fist to shoot out and snatch him up.

Luckily, he had an arm free. As the Golem drew him in he activated his Giga Attack. X's body began to glow with a fierce light as the wings on his back extended, breaking the Golem's grip on his body. He hovered in the air for a bit before dashing in the opposite direction. When he landed on the ground, the raw energy surrounding his body dissipated. He fell to a knee as he tried sending out a random transmission. Someone responded.

"This is Ixion. What's up?" A sharp female voice came through on the other line.

"Ixion, this is X."

"Colonel X! What is, sir?" X began charging another shot.

"I need you to find Stryke." X took a moment to dash under the behemoth mechaniloid. "I need a capable sniper to take out this Golem. Can you find him?"

- - -

Ixion looked around in the fray around her. No sign of Stryke. She was about to call back to X, but then she saw a familiar female dashing her way. She smiled and reported. "Colonel X. I've located our sniper by a decimated tank. I'll retrieve him in a matter of minutes."

"Great! Please hurry! I'm runnin' outta steam!" X said exhaustedly.

Ixion grabbed Locke by the shoulder, jerking the chocolate haired girl out of her dash.

"Locke, where's Stryke?"

"I was going after him! He's in trouble!" Locke shouted as she dashed off toward a destroyed tank. Ixion dashed alongside her, slamming the butt of her rifle into the skull of a maverick as she went.

"Listen up, Locke: Colonel X just contacted me. He needs Stryke to snipe that newtype armor. Go get him, I'll cover you!" She ordered as she formed her own buster. She placed her free hand on the ground and positioned herself so that she was in a one-handed handstand. She set her buster to rapid and fired a torrent of energy into a crowd that followed her. Still firing, she extended her right leg and activated her dash output in that leg alone. That caused her to spin around on her palm while she shot up the surrounding crowd. As they drew nearer, she lowered herself to the ground and began twirling on her back, kicking the mavericks that grew nearer. She propelled herself into the air over the crowd and activated a pair of beam blades, becoming a whirling bladed tornado. When she hit the ground, something similar to a blender could be heard as the blades cut though the surrounding reploids. She placed her foot down in the sand and slowed her spin to a stop. "Heh, how didja like that, bitches? The Ixion Hurricane." She went off toward the tank.

- - -

X jumped straight up and fired a burst of plasma at the Golem, scoring a hit. The Golem tried to drive X into the sand with its fist, but he read its move and countered by catching its fist by the chain. Then he felt a large surge of energy shifting about in the air. It seemed to flow toward the Golem's energy emitter. X quickly started to charge his buster, but the energy was drawn out of the buster as he charged it. The emitter started to glow a fierce green. He reached up and grabbed his comm link.

"Ixion! Did you find Stryke?" He asked hurriedly while eyeing the Golem's emitter.

"Yes, sir. Stryke is configuring the rifle as we speak." The Golem's emitted stopped glowing suddenly. Then a budding bulb of energy formed. X glanced behind him and spotted the tank Ixion mentioned earlier. He saw three hunters standing next to it.

"Shit! Ixion! GET AWAY FROM THAT TANK!" X shouted out in a desperate attempt to get them away before the laser fired. He rolled to the right as the green laser shot out at an impossible speed. He turned around as he unfurled himself and stared at the glass path the laser made in the sand. He heard the screams of many as the laser cut through the crowd of reploids.

"Ixion! Are you okay?" X shouted as he fired his buster at the Golem.

"Yes, sir. We're all fine. Did you locate the weak point?"

"Affirmative! Have the sniper aim for the Golem's mouth! Wait for my signal!" He charged his buster and leaned back to fire it at the Golem. Instead of bracing himself with his free arm, he winced in pain as he fell back and shot a plasma wave into the air. As it passed the Golem, the excess plasma from the laser fused with it and made it glow like a flare. He rolled off of his severed arm and lay on his back. "So, the laser got me anyway..."

The Golem began to charge up the energy again. After he saw that the Golem would shoot another laser, he hopped up and grabbed something near the massive mechaniloid and dashed as fast as he could from the monster. Then he gave the command.

"NOW!" Time seemed to freeze as a bolt of hyper plasma sailed over his head and into the Golem. The resulting explosion was massive. X screamed out as he felt the intense heat engulf him. The last thing he heard was Ixion's voice calling out to him desperately.

To be continued...

WOO! This was an extremely fun chapter to write! Seriously, it started out okay, and then I got a bunch of inspiration after I played Megaman X Collection. That's the reason I took a while to get this chapter out. I could have had it out a few days ago, but MMXC and my growing imagination took over, hence the long chapter. I hoped you enjoyed it, because I sure as hell loved writing it. And as always...

Till Next Time!