A/N: Aaaaaand the big chappy is out! I wanted to at least get this one done before the middle of next week. I will be out of town, so no updated chapters then :-(
Enjoy!
X tossed in his maintenance bed. He sighed, opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling, inwardly cursing his familiar state of restlessness. He needed the uninterrupted rest more than ever, but his circuits bristled with anticipation. As a result, just when he relaxed into its comforting tangle of cables and plugs, his mind cycled him back into wakefulness.
He lifted his head from his maintenance bed at 0700. An hour remained until his life forever changed, for good or ill. He gave up on sleep and hoisted himself from the bed. He stretched his joints and retracted his buster arm to ensure everything felt normal. He shook the rest of his fatigue off as he exited his quarters.
His footsteps broke the dead silence of the empty hallways. As the morning advanced, however, more and more Hunters began filling the space. The noise of activity and conversations rose in proportion to their numbers. To see so many Hunters going about their day - like it was any other - helped dull his anxiety.
"Hey, X!" a Hunter shouted. "Good luck!"
X stopped and looked over to see the Hunter give him a wink and a thumbs-up.
"Really?" X asked.
The Hunter knitted his brow and said, "Yeah, really."
Another Hunter said, "Show 'em not to mess with us B's!"
X grinned. "I'll do my best!"
Hunters continued to shower him with encouragement as he continued on to the testing wing. By the time he reached room A-3b, his fatigue disappeared and his spirits came to full sail. Whatever awaited him beyond the door, he would face it with all his might.
The door parted, and he stepped through into an antechamber. He first noticed a large portal ahead of him, gated by two double doors. He steeled himself and approached it, but stopped when a side door swished open. Storm Eagle stepped through.
"Good morning, X," Eagle said. "You're early. That's a good sign."
About to reply, X stopped when Zero appeared, following behind Eagle. He smiled at him, then said, "I'm ready as I'll ever be."
"Very well. I will be your evaluator today. Zero is here because its his right as your sponsor. While your test isn't scheduled until 0800, we can begin now if you like."
X nodded. "Yes, sir."
Eagle regarded him for a pause. "Something's different about you. I'm curious to see what it is. I will open the gate from the evaluator room."
As Eagle turned around to leave, Zero winked at X. When he left, X shook his head, pushing out thoughts about the odd glitch in his systems. He did not need that kind of distraction, not until his trial ended.
X heard the larger doors click, then pull apart. X stepped into the testing room, an expanse with a high ceiling and bare, steel gray walls. X looked over to the large, blast-proof window that separated the testing chamber from the observation room. The tinted glass obscured the inside, but X knew Zero and Storm Eagle could see everything. Good, X thought.
"All right, X," Eagle said through the comm. "This test is comprised of three events. The first event requires you to shoot down the targets before they disappear. You must hit 98%. Miss more than that, and I will have to end the test and fail you."
"Understood," X said.
"Ready! Beginning in three, two, one!" Eagle said.
X heard the blip of an activating hologram before he saw it. He aimed his buster and fired, hitting the target bat mechaniloid squarely as it appeared. The blips continued, picking up their frequency. Their images floated across the room towards the opposite wall, varying their height and speed. X's focus was as precarious as balancing on a tightrope. Thoughts of Zero observing in the other room threatened to push him off into an free fall.
The holograms materialized and moved faster, some of them now diving and sweeping. X suddenly noticed that he had backed up considerably from his starting point, and his heels brushed against the wall behind him. He leaned back to hit a fast-swooping hologram and felt the back of his helmet knock against the surface.
The heat in his buster arm built up quickly, and the cooling mechanisms struggled to keep up with the accumulation. His buster grew so hot, that when he fired, the back kick caused a jolt of pain to course through his right arm. He winced, and the break in his concentration allowed a bat to slip by him.
"You let two of them go!" Storm Eagle said through the intercom. "You're at 99%. Miss three more, and you will fail."
Two? X thought. X cursed inwardly for only having his buster gun to rely on. He did not have a sword or whirlwinds like Zero and Eagle. The holograms swooped in closer. He gritted his teeth and fired a few more shots while cradling his buster arm.
"You missed another one. You cannot allow even two more by you, X," Storm Eagle said.
"What?" X said, continuing to fire. He did not even see which one had passed him. He could not believe it. He just might fail the very first event. He continued to fire, but he expected Eagle to end simulation to end at any moment.
Then, just as he thought that his arm would explode, he saw that the number of holograms was thinning. Without thinking, X cried out and, for a moment, he blocked out the pain. With renewed ferocity, he continued to cry through gritted teeth as he shot down the rest of the oncoming flock. He continued to fire, even after the last hologram fizzled. Finally, X fired his last shot, leaned against the back wall and slid down to the floor. The pause made his arm feel so much better.
"Well done, X!" he heard Eagle's voice say. "You destroyed enough of the targets to pass the first event. That covers the accuracy portion of the test. I think you'll be happy to know that for the next portion, we will be testing your overall agility which - and it appears you'll be glad to hear this - will not require the use of your buster arm."
X barely heard him. He stared at his buster in disbelief. He had never completed the test beyond this point.
Zero's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Wait, X. Belay that. We have some guests."
Curious, X rose to his feet. Immediately, the door to the testing chamber swished open. Two A-class reploids entered the room. He could identify one from rumor: the checkered white, black, and gold armor and the head sporting two long, black bull horns. X recognized them as belonging to Tremor Longhorn, a relatively young Reploid, having been constructed just before the creation of the Maverick Hunters. Due to his success despite being fresh out of production, was frequently talked about as being a prodigy to watch.
X did not recognize the second. Striped in black and deep purple, she possessed a svelte figure and a ethereal face. However, her grappling hook hands in addition to a long, chained whip sprouting from the back of her head gave her an intimidating presence. X noted the purple bulb at the end of the whip, tipped with a nasty black spike.
A sharp screech of feedback sounded in the testing chamber, followed by the sound of the microphone being grabbed. X then heard, "Slight change of plans, X." X's fears dropped into his belly like a stone: Sigma.
Sigma continued, "I'm glad we could make it before you failed again. Congratulations on making it further than I expected."
A long silence followed. He glanced between the two Reploids before him, feeling the awkwardness settle in.
X nodded toward each Hunter and said, "Nice to meet you?"
Scorpion gave him a once over and said, "This ought to be over quickly." She then turned to take her mark across from X.
Longhorn said, "I will be honest, you look every bit as though you belong in a museum rather than in a testing chamber. Let's see if you prove me wrong, grandpa." He then, too, took his mark across from X.
X felt the familiar sting in his eyes. Grandpa? How old did other Reploids think he was?
Feedback sounded again, then Eagle's voice came over the intercom. "X, there has been an alteration to your test. Please meet Tremor Longhorn and Misty Scorpion, the A Class Hunters who will be testing you today instead. Scorpion will explain to you the requirements."
Scorpion said to X, "You have three points. Both of us will spar with you for 3 minutes. You may defend yourself however you see fit. You must endure our assault without suffering a blow. We will deduct a point for every direct hit from us. Lose all points and you fail the test. Understand?"
An acute feeling of horror came over X. He expected more holograms and fake targets- not live ones. He refused to believe what Scorpion said.
"I don't want to hurt you. I don't want anyone to get hurt," X said. He turned to the evaluator room and shouted, "Is this some kind of joke?"
Sigma's voice boomed from the comm. "I'm sick of hearing your naive protests about peace and fellowship. You are a Maverick Hunter. You will do as ordered, or you will forfeit this test. I'm sure Zero here will be so proud of you."
Anger shot through X. He had enough of his Commander's cruelty and capriciousness. Without another word, he shifted towards the two Reploids before him and raised his buster, now feeling much better after the momentary respite. He was ready. He was definitely ready. What was 3 minutes?
"I'm ready," he said.
"Good choice. Go!" Sigma boomed.
In an instant, X saw a flash of white and gold, then felt a solid mass collide with his nose and jaw. He flew backward onto his rear. He whipped a hand out of clutch to his gushing, bloody face. He looked up through his fingertips at Longhorn who bellowed, "One!"
One point down. X rose to his feet, wiping his nose with his arm. He saw the purple streak of Scorpion's headpiece snapping out toward him. X bend forward at the waist and listened to the whip crack above him. He sound made him tense, and his thoughts were scrambled with fear. He realized that was a real brawl, and he was not at all prepared for the ruthlessness of his opponents.
Scorpion struck again, this time at X's legs. Before X could think to move, the cord snaked around one of his legs. The stinger on the end embedded sharply into X's leg armor, and it's venom burned the plating. The lasso then lifted up and pulled his leg out from under him. Once again he landed with a dull thud on the training room floor.
"Two," Scorpion said cooly.
Tears again stung X's eyes. He slapped his hands on the burning wound.
"Aww, you made him cry!" Longhorn said derisively. "Gee, does it hurt?"
X could have cried out, not from the physical pain, but from utter frustration. He understood why Sigma put him up against two far stronger opponents. Sigma did this to guarantee his failure. All of the work X had put into his training, all the faith Zero gave him- all negated in under three minutes.
X heard the click of the microphone, then Zero's voice, "X! Come on! Put up a fight at least! You're better than a couple of thugs!"
"Excuse me?" Scorpion said, huffing.
Zero's words fell on X like a match on gasoline. He imagined Sigma in the next room with smug, sadistic expression, congratulating himself on how easy it was to ensure that X never succeed. Anger billowed and swept aside X's fear. Absent his fear, X's thoughts were only in the present, only on the battle. He felt his systems realign to match his state of mind. Senses heightened, targeting snapped to. He felt data stream into his mind. As his systems examined Scorpion and Longhorn, he felt like he knew their intentions well before they did. For the first time, he embraced his full capabilities.
Longhorn slammed a foot down. X teetered on his feet when shockwave that emanated knocked him off balance. Then, the Scorpion whip again snapped out towards his legs again. Charging his buster, he narrowly evaded the attack, but then brought his own foot down on the whip, pinning it. The move yanked Scorpion forward, her neutral countenance replaced with surprise. She then pleaded, "No!" when X aimed his buster and severed the whip with a tremendous blast. Scorpion shrieked in pain and fell to one knee, stunned.
Longhorn bellowed with anger for his wounded comrade. "You, you piece of worthless scrap!" He then charged at X with head down and horns pointing directly at him. Each of his steps shook the ground.
With an angry wail, Scorpion raised her claws and pointed them forward. The tips of them shot out as homing boomerangs, and their trajectory curved towards X's position. Thinking of little else, X pivoted and ran in the opposite direction.
Longhorn chuckled. "I'll crush you against that wall, fool!"
The wall approached. X leaped with all of his strength, and he caught himself on the wall just high enough to avoid Longhorn's charge. X then turned and, seeing the incoming claws, pushed off of the wall and somersaulted over to dodge them. He landed on his toes, and, without sparing another moment, performed his own reckless charge at the vulnerable Scorpion.
"No, stop!" she cried. X ignored her plea. He thrust out his knee and it collided with vicious force against Scorpion's face. The blow shattered her glassy eyes into thousands of fragments and flung her onto her back.
X, breathing heavy, massaged his knee and looked upon Scorpion's motionless body. He then staggered backward, his brow stitched in disbelief at his definitive victory.
"You," he heard from behind him. Longhorn approached the shattered body of his comrade. "You freak!"
X raised his buster. He then dropped his arm when he heard Sigma's voice boom from the intercom: "Longhorn! X! We are done here. X, you were supposed to avoid getting hit, not destroy them! As your Commander, I hereby confine you to your quarters until it is determined what the appropriate consequences are for this."
X suspended his combat mode. Longhorn, however, continued to approach him.
"I can think of some appropriate consequences," Longhorn said, cracking his knuckles. He then reeled his arm back and punched X in the solar plexus. X's breath hitched and sputtered. Longhorn then steadied X with his other hand, then threw another punch directly into X's cheek. Black fluid splashed out of X's jaw.
X held his arms up to block. "Sto-!" was all X could get out before Longhorn struck him again in the stomach.
"That's enough! Enough!" X heard Eagle say.
Longhorn cracked another fist across X's cheek. As X continued to endure the beating, all he could wonder was where Zero had gone. Was he standing there with Sigma, the latter cruelly watching with glee as the scene unfolded?
Suddenly, X felt the tips of his feet tingle. The sensation traveled up through his spine and to the back of his neck. His sight blurred as though he were looking through a prism. His ruby headpiece glimmered, then glowed reddish white. He groaned as data, immense amounts of data, flooded his senses, filling his thoughts and making him feel as though his head would burst.
The event caused Longhorn to pause mid-strike, and he took a step back. "What is this?" he said. "What are you doing?"
The data flow soon shut out all sensory inputs. X could neither see nor hear. His head burned. But just as he felt he would overload, the flood began to recede. The pressure in his mind seeped out, and his sight and hearing returned as if he were stepping out from a heavy fog.
"X? What the hell is this!" Longhorn said, retreating further.
X looked down at himself. Rather than the azure blue he was expecting, he reeled seeing his armor had taken on the dark violet and black hues of Scorpion. He then looked over at his buster, which had transmogrified into a launcher, also modeled after Scorpion's.
As curious as much as certain, X raised his buster and fired. To the amazement of both Reploids, a pair of black, boomerang-like missiles, whipped out and wove their way towards their target.
"No, X!" Longhorn shouted, throwing his arms up to block the incoming salvo. The missiles converged and the detonated, their payload enveloping him in a corrosive smog. X heard Longhorn gag and electricity pop. As the smog dissipated, Longhorn fell to one knee, with wires frayed from his joints and his armor blackened with toxic decay. His eyelids drooped and he drew shaky breaths.
X still kept his modified buster pointed at Longhorn, as if X did not trust his eyes. Only when Longhorn then said, "No more! I concede! You have beaten me. Both of us!" did X drop his buster arm. X's face fell, sickened by the damage he inflicted. All he could think was that this outcome might have been avoided if not for Sigma.
Longhorn's next words sickened him further. "That-" He twitched. "How can you do that? Take your enemy's power?" He glanced over to Scorpion's comatose form. "Steal away their soul?"
The question struck him hard, and he stumbled backward. Worse, he had no answer. He had no idea he possessed such an ability. He had no intention of stealing a Reploid's soul. He felt Scorpion's data flow over him, and he heard signals whisper in the back of his mind.
"I don't know," X said, looking at his buster. "It was an accident. I wasn't meaning to! I was desperate, and then...I couldn't control it!"
"Then you're going to consume me, too, aren't you!" Longhorn said, panicked. He attempted to stand, but instead tipped backwards and landed with a dull thud on his backside. Undeterred, he frantically but weakly pushed himself further from X. "No! I can feel it! You, you Maverick!" With his remaining energy spent, he collapsed unconscious.
X felt it, too. The same tingle from moments before, signaling the impending data transfer. "Stop!" X shouted, grasping his head, willing the process to abort. He immediately jumped up and ran to the door of the observation room. Just as he was to collide with it, however, the door to the test chamber hissed open and X stumbled out, still clutching his head.
X heard Zero call his name. X fell forward onto his knees and wailed from the stress. He looked up to see Zero's panicked face, but only for a moment before his sight faded from him.
Zero stepped back, terrified by X's white eyes and shining forehead, proving X to be well into the throes of acquiring Longhorn's power. "I have to-. I have-. Stay-. Away-." X's overloaded state truncated his speech. The uniqueness of his voice also receded, and he sounded more like a mechaniloid than a Reploid. His blue armor then began to glow and morph.
A medical team stampeded into the testing room and gathered behind Zero. They, too, came to a sudden halt and gasped in seeing X's vulnerable state.
"He's going to explode!" one of the nurses shrieked.
Zero turned to them and said, "Just give him a minute- I think he'll be fine." As Zero said those words, X's breathing began to normalize, and the light from the crystal on his forehead dimmed. His irises and pupils reemerged and the white glow from is armor dissipated in an instant, revealing the marks and colors of Longhorn.
X rose to his feet, his demeanor confident and lucid, as if the last minute did not happen. Looking down, he lifted one of his feet. He then slammed it down. The floor cratered underneath and those looking on wobbled in the aftershock. X then saw the medical team. "Oh!" he said as if they had just arrived. He stepped aside and said, "There are injured officers in there. Please help them."
The medical personnel hesitated, then started to move into the chamber when another voice stopped them. "You'll do no such thing."
All present looked to see Sigma approach. Behind him, Storm Eagle followed. Sigma continued, "And Zero, I don't want you to even think about trying to intervene without my explicit orders again."
"Sir," Zero said.
Sigma turned to the medical personnel. "The medical team is unneeded here. You all can go. Eagle, assign a couple of Hunters clean this place up and carry those two away for scrap." With a wave of his hand, the medical team promptly retreated.
Eagle blinked, surprised by the order. He said, "With all due respect, sir, those are A Class officers. Why would you scrap them when they can be easily repaired and put back into service?"
Sigma glanced behind him at Eagle, then over at X. He said, "Because those worthless excuses for A Class lost so utterly. They overestimated themselves. There is no excuse for such a appalling performance. Demoting them would be an embarrassment to me and the Hunters, yet the strength of the A Class would be diluted by their existence. You will do this. Now."
Eagle nodded and said, "Right away, sir." He threw a cold stare at X before turning to leave the testing chamber.
Zero tilted his head down toward the floor. From X's angle, he could see Zero's jaw quiver.
Sigma then looked at X and said, "However, it appears at least one good thing came of this fiasco. Now we see this 'potential' Dr. Cain has been blathering on about. I suggest you pay him a visit promptly."
"Yes, sir," X said.
"Am I to be penalized?" Zero asked.
"No. I should commend you. You motivated X to overcome his hesitation. You accomplished something I could not."
Sigma then paused to examine X's altered form. "However, despite your performance, I cannot promote you. I cannot have this be an example for how B Classes may conduct themselves during a test, or in any capacity. The thought of a B Class striking a superior officer without consequences cannot be allowed. The only reason I have not punished you more is because this has never happened before."
"I understand." X fought the urge to contradict him. X never would have harmed those officers if not for Sigma's interference. The Commander's denial of his own responsibility enraged him.
"Will he be able to take the test again?" Zero asked.
"Hmph! Don't sound so eager. We lost two officers because of him! I haven't decided!" Sigma said. "You both are dismissed!"
"With all due respect, one last question," X said.
"What!" Sigma barked.
X glanced over to Zero. "Are we still barred from speaking?"
Sigma looked over to Zero. He chuckled, then laughed out loud. "I couldn't care less!" he said. He continued to laugh as he left the antechamber.
Zero shrugged. He said, "Well, that's something. Let's get out of here."
In the hallway, X kept looking down at himself and at his transformation. Other Hunters who passed by stared at him in shock.
"So are you, you know. You okay?" Zero asked.
X shook his head, saying, "I can't believe he's just disposing of them, like they were broken mettaurs. That's cruel, even for the Commander."
"Yeah," Zero said thoughtfully.
"And it's his fault! Not mine!" X spat.
Zero replied, "You don't have to convince me. If he hadn't disrupted your test just to screw with you, those officers would still have a life of service ahead of them."
"Exactly!" X said. He took a deep breath and relaxed. "But why do I still feel guilty?"
"This is a lot to have to deal with at once. But are you okay physically? Does anything hurt?"
X glanced over to him and said, "Oh. No, not at all. Mentally, I'm running optimally. Better than ever, in fact. My head feels so clear. Yet- yet I feel very sick."
Zero said, "Me, too." He then pressed his lips together in thought. He continued, "Come on. I think the Commander is right about one thing. We need to call Dr. Cain."