Mega Man X: The Mist Enigma

Chapter 27: Without Limit

X lied virtually unconscious on his stomach. His head was turned to the side, eyes blank and mouth agape. It was scary to say the least. We were all drawn to various screens displaying this site. The sound of doors opening broke our trance. It was Douglas. "I can't take it being stuck in the lab. How are they doing?" He then saw the big screen. He ughed in worry. "Not good, huh?"

"Nope," I answered him. "Come on, X," I muttered to myself. "Wake up."

Isoc was chuckling. He looked down upon X. "I know you're not done yet, Mega Man X. Whatever happened to that limitless power you are supposed to have? Did that fool Light make that up?" He turned and looked down to the rubble of New York. "Hmm. I wonder if a fall from here would be enough to smash you beyond repair?" he inquired.

Douglas thought aloud, "I sure hope not."

Alia was typing rapidly. When finished, she urgently responded, "At that height, with that velocity, that's just wishful thinking."

Isoc picked X's body up with both large hands. As he raised him over his head, he shouted, "Better yet, what would happen if I THREW him!!!?"

We all stood up again. "NO!" we cried.

Even if Isoc could have heard our plea, it would not have stopped him. He chucked X off the large pillar, sending him rocketing to the rotting city below. Isoc raised the right hand. "And just for good measure..." He thrust the hand down with Z-Saber claws pointed. The claws shot off the hand, following X on the trip down. Isoc cackled vigorously. "FAREWELL, MEGA MAN X!!!"

My eyes were wider than they have ever been before, as were everyone else's. Signas looked down and closed his eyes shortly after. He sighed heavily. Pallette held her hands over her mouth, exhaling with fear. Douglas gawked at the screen. Alia was crying heavily, her lip quivering. She held her hand out to the screen before her and shouted, "X!!!!!!"

Throughout the fall, the camera Bulbrite stayed focused on X's face. Still blank, not realizing how close death was approaching. The cracked concrete grew closer incredibly quickly. Misty had reminded me that X has made miracles before, and we all prayed that he'd make another one.

When the ground was a foot away from X's helmetless head, his eyes regained their features. We gasped yet again. As soon as we did so, X flipped himself over and landed on his feet in a blink. The force of the landing created a generously sized crater below him.

Pallette's face lit up. "X! He did it! He's alive!" Signas quickly shushed her. She nodded quickly and resumed concentration on the events unfolding.

Alia drew her hand back and covered her mouth. "X..." she sobbed.

The jewel in the center of X's Ultimate Armor shone brightly. The deep purple of the armor quickly changed to golden. Aura muck like the Nova Strike surrounded X, causing his brown hair to flare upwards. He looked up to the top of the pillar, as if staring Isoc down. His face was motionless and unwavering. He looked back down and jumped in the air slightly. In a split second, he used the Nova Strike to plow through the base of the pillar. It began rumbling, debris falling like rain. It quickly began to fall to the ground. On the other side, X stood still, as if he was waiting.

The pillar imploded to the ground with a storm of dust and a loud boom. When the dust cleared, Isoc was floating a couple feet in the air, Zero and Axl's bodies on either side of him. His face was paralyzed with fear. "H...How? How did he survive?" He paused shortly. With more shock, "What is this power? Is this...Is this X's infinite power!?"

X slowly turned around to face Isoc. After meeting Isoc's terrified eyes with his own, X began cupping his hands behind him, light pouring between them at an immense rate. The light and his hands shone so bright, the fog and dirt clouding the sky cleared, revealing the moon and stars.

With as little movement as possible, I managed to force out, "Oh my God."

X thrust his hands forward with great force. From them shot an incredible ball of fiery light with a diameter twice as tall as X. The Hadoken forced its way over the ground to a terror stricken Isoc. Isoc quickly held the large hands out to force the Hadoken away. It proved useless, as the Hadoken exploded on contact. The arms were vaporized by the light. A shockwave emitted from the explosion forced Isoc back several feet onto his rear end.

Two small lights remained once the arms were completely gone. Those two lights floated to Zero and Axl and entered their chests. The two hunters' eyes slowly opened. They tried to get up, groaning in the process. They glanced first to Isoc, shaking with terror. They then glanced to X and were awestricken.

"X..." "How did he...?"

Signas was in pure awe. "I've never seen an attack that powerful before. X is far stronger than I ever imagined."

Alia put her hand over her heart. "X..."

Pallette ran over to Layer, still on the ground. "Wake up! Wake up Layer! They're back! X brought Axl and Zero back!"

Layer strained to move. "Zero...?" she whispered.

Lifesaver walked in, slumping slightly. "Perfect timing," Douglas said to him. "How is he?"

"Dynamo's repairs are done," Lifesaver panted. "He just needs to rest." He caught glimpse of X. "Oh my... I did miss a lot."

X's left hand was still shining brightly. His eyes were still focused on Isoc. He raised it behind him and prepared to pounce. Isoc was crawling backwards. "Wh...what are you...what are you going to..." he stammered.

X screamed and leapt forward incredibly quickly. Isoc screamed in fear as X drew closer. Once in reach, X thrust his hand forward and grabbed Isoc's face, much like he had done to inflict the scars on Sigma's face. X growled and squeezed Isoc's face like a sponge. Isoc cried in pain and tried to wiggle out of the death grip, limbs flailing. X shouted at the top of his lungs. His aura and the light in his hand both glowed brighter than ever. X's hand closed into a fist, crushing Isoc's head, parts flying every which way, ENS pouring out like blood.

It seemed like time froze at that point. No one moved nor made a sound for a few seconds. It was incredibly surreal.

Isoc's headless body slumped to the ground, electricity and smoke emitting from his open neck. X on the other hand stayed in the very same position. His aura fell, light no longer shined, the gold fading back to purple. His face morphed from angry to blank.

Zero and Axl looked at their comrade in disbelief. "My God," Zero said.

"He did it," Axl said. "He did it."

Douglas and Pallette cheered and jumped in the air. "YAHOO!!!" They then danced around Lifesaver, who laughed with relief and a hint of confusion.

Signas smiled and chuckled. "You'll never cease to amaze me, X."

Layer had sat up and looked at the screen. "They're alive," she whispered in shock. "They're alive!" she repeated louder. "They're really alive!" She got up and hugged Alia.

Alia was crying and laughing at the same time. "They sure did."

I smiled with all teeth showing, something I don't usually do. I chuckled a little bit. "Way to go guys."

Misty's voice rang in my head. "See? What'd I tell ya?"

I laughed hard. "Like I ever doubted you!" My joyous mood suddenly ceased when I saw Isoc's body beginning to explode. I called into the microphone, "Zero! Axl! Get X out of there! Quick!"

They both shook out of their trance and nodded. They grabbed hold of X. I pushed the button that would warp them back home. And just in time, because the force of Isoc's explosion destroyed the entire block, sending rubble and fallen buildings to what was Gate's lab. The signal cut off before I saw any more.