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Chapter Four

Silence was dominant in Wily's lab. He cackled and called over a radio, "Oh Bass, come to Lab 06."
Bass rolled his eyes and grunted. He entered the lab after a few moments, "What do you want, Old Man?"
He stepped away from the standing figure in front of the pod, "Meet your new and improved brother..."
Zero stood with his arms crossed in front of his new armour, his hair was still tied back, and the hilt of a sword could be seen over his shoulder.
Bass looked him over, "He looks even more like a girl then he did before!"
Zero glared.
Wily snarled, "Do not insult one such as Zero. No one shall be safe from his wrath, not even one as useless as you are to me Bass." he snapped his fingers, "Zero, show your...BROTHER what you think of how he treated you..."
Zero smirked some and waved a hand in front of himself, "I think its only fair, Bass, that you get the first attack."
Bass growled, "Fine!" He quickly pulled out his blaster, charged, and fired at Zero.
Zero made a quick motion that Bass couldn't track, and his attack dispersed into thin air as Zero now held a glowing energy sword at his side.

"Stop toying with him, Zero." Commanded Wily.
Bass stepped back a little, "Th-that was toying?!"
Zero nodded, "Yes, Doctor." Zero lunged forward, and dashed passed Bass, landing on one knee, his sabre held in front of him.
Bass blinked, his mouth hanging open, unable to speak. He glanced down and saw a huge slash across his stomach. "No...way..." he managed to mumble before collapsing to the ground.
Zero stood and turn to face Wily and the fallen Bass.
Wily nodded his approval, "Dispose of him, then come back to me. I think it is time to see if our Doctor Light would welcome our...'visit'..."
Zero nodded, "Yes Doctor." He put his sabre away and slug Bass' body over his shoulder. As he carried him through the halls, Zero glanced at him and shook his head, "Maybe...If you had been nicer to me. I might have spared you. Oh well." Zero opened a door to a dark room and tossed Bass in, then turned and started back, closing the door behind him. Treble wondered to the door and scratched at it, whining lightly.
Zero re-entered Wily's lab, "Bass has be disposed of..."
Wily let a grin crack his features, "Then Zero...Let us be off."
Zero nodded once again and glanced off into space, 'Be ready, X. I wont go easy on you.' he turned to prepare for their attack.

Light stood back with a look of awe at his own creation. Still veiled in mist from his pod was X. His once bright, playful eyes duller and solemn. He did not look up as Light asked, "X...? Are you well?"
X nodded slowly.
Light took a breath and said, "Come, let us show you to your Brothers and Sister."
X only replied quietly, "Yes Doctor..."
Light cringed at the older, deeper voice, "Ahem, well yes. Come along."
Light led him to the Living Room, where the three sat.
Roll and Mega stood as soon as he entered.
Blues looked back at them, over the couch, having stayed sitting. He whistled, impressed.
Roll approached X and stared, "Do you...uh, feel alright?"
X nodded, "Yes..."
Light frowned, "I must confess. We cannot spare any time. I have a horrible feeling Wily is preparing his attacks. I'd hate to rush you all, but please Guard the Lab and wait for him."
Without another word, X stalked away outside with almost slow grace.
Blues nodded, and turned as X left. Then he, himself, left to go to his post on the roof of the building.
Mega sighed, "Its hard to believe he was once so carefree..."
"Times change, and as much as I hate it, he must as well..." Light looked after X with what looked like a pained expression.
X stood at his own post, the darkness shimmering off his armor. The moon reflected off his emerald eyes as he tipped his head back and stared up at it. He sighed, 'I wish it didn't have to come to this...' he thought.

A hour later, Zero stood a top of a hill, over looking the Light building. His hair blew in the wind behind him. As he looked down at the building, he glared. He just waited for Wily's command.
Wily stood at his side and grinned, "Go, wreak havoc until none of them stand, Zero. And there!" he pointed to the door and to the still form of X, his head down as if he were dozing, "Is your prey!! He is to be brought to me, I want him alive."
Zero nodded and started down the hill. He turned one of his hands into a buster and grabbed his sabre with the other.
Blues scanned the dark hills and narrowed his eyes as he noticed a green glow coming towards them, "No. He's here already!" He ran to the edge of the roof and jumped, "X! Everyone! He's he--" he was cut off by an energy blast.
Zero lowered his smoking blaster arm and continued down the hill, "One down."
All X could hear was a roaring in his ears and a faint cry of Mega's alarm. And at his feet, lay the smoking body of Blues. As if something weighed his head down, he lifted it sluggishly with his buster and aimed it at Zero. Without hesitation or a faultier, he fired a fully charged pulsating Plasma Shot.
Zero leaped into the air, the shot flying under him and into the hill side. Zero smirked and fired a return shot.
X bounded away, faster than lightning. The shot hissed into the door and X charged at Zero, his eyes burning as he saw again Blues fall before his eyes. His bellow of rage and pain ripped the night air as he shredded the ground under foot and lunged like a possessed thing.
Mega watched in horrid fascination and awe of the two juggernauts about to do battle.
Zero laughed and met X's charge, holding his sabre in front of himself. "Come, X. Lets dance!"
X's eyes were wild as he jumped into the air and came down at Zero, grabbing his wrist and gun with powerful vice like hands. He snarled, "You killed Blues!!" he stared at Zero with such hate he could not keep the trembling from his body.
Zero smirked, "Oh? So I did. He fell almost as easily as Bass did." He head butted X and kicked him in the gut, and jumped back. "And didn't we agree I'd come over one day and meet your sister, Roll?" He grinned and slashed the air with his sabre.
X recoiled back, and hissed, "Not while I still have breath in my body!!" and lunged again at Zero, his Buster humming with stored energy.
Zero shook his head, "I don't have time for this." He lunged back at X, his sabre between them, "I have orders to kill everyone here, except you. Wily seems interested in you."
X growled like a feral dog and spat, "He can try, but I won't let you take me alive or dead!!" he raised his Buster, "You can hate me for leaving you, I already know you do, but I won't let you hurt the only thing that matters more than you already have!!"
The two Warriors took no notice as Mega and Roll led Light away from the Lab through a back door and fled to safety. They knew there was little they could do to help their Brother.
Zero just laughed in X's face and slashed at him, "Then lets see you do it, tough guy!"
X again saw in his mind Blues falling before Zero and another cry tore from his throat and he kicked and punched out savagely at Zero.
Zero took that attacks, but never stopped smiling. Then he jumped back, rubbing his cheek. He spat and laughed, then lunged at X, bringing his sabre for a horizontal slash at X's gut.
X only shuddered as the energy blade tore his stomach. He ignored the blood like substance running down his legs and fired another shot straight at Zero at point blank range.
Zero didn't have enough time to move and was set flying back several feet. He hit the ground and slid back a few more feet. He slowly rose, "Lucky shot!" he growled. "You shall not land another!" He leaped into the air, holding his sabre in both hands, aiming to bring it down on X's head.
X rolled away and shot again, aiming at Zero's torso.
Zero landed and jumped again, but not fast enough. The shot hit his leg and Zero fell again. And again he got up, "Ok..." he cracked his neck, "...Lets do this."
X panted lightly and brought up his Buster, but something made his shot hesitate. Suddenly he saw the two of them bent over in the tree, building the tree house. His arm shook and his attention wavered. Could he really kill someone? Robot or not? He stared at Zero as if he had been struck across his face. This was once a child as innocent as himself.
Zero, on the other hand, did not hesitate. He charged straight at X, bringing his sabre up for an attack. The only things going through his mind were X leaving him to Bass, Bass constantly picking on him and beating him up, and Wily's order to attack and destroy.
X stood in place, and was dimly aware as someone threw themself in front of Zero's attack.
The cry of pain next was what woke him from his stupor. He let out his own cry as he saw Mega laying at his feet, unmoving.
X felt hot tears sting his eyes as he stared down at him.
Zero grunted, "The fool." he kicked Mega's body, "Oh well, he saved me the time of hunting him down. Now all that remains is the girl and that fool of a doctor, Light." He looked up at X, "Oh, sorry. Were you remorsing?"
X was shaking uncontrollably. He looked sharply up at Zero, his face radiating hate. Hoarsely he cried, "I'll Kill you!!" and he lunged at Zero to clamp his hands about his throat.
Zero yelled as he fell back from the new force of X's attack. Zero glared and placed his blaster on the cut on X's gut and fired.
X screeched in pain, but his hands remained on Zero's throat, and his grip beginning to slacken.
Zero growled and fired again, "Let GO!" he yelled as he fired a third time.
It felt like eternity as he let go and slipped to the ground beside Mega. A small sob escaped his lips as he reached for his fallen brother and tried to shake him. He let his head sag onto the ground, but still his hand reached for MegaMan.
Zero got to his feet, rubbing his neck, "That's it." he shook his head, "I don't care what Wily says. Your dieing!" He stood over X's body, raising his sabre into the air, pointing the tip down at X's back, and held into the hilt with both hands. "Good bye, X." he said, his eyes shining their red hate.
Wily had a small device in his hands, which he tapped that made Zero freeze up, "Ah, Ah, AH! Not following my orders are we my pet?"
Zero's eye twitched slightly and he breathed deeply, "Of course not...Doctor..." he said between clenched teeth. "I don't know what came over me..."
"Hate and Power are what we call those things Zero." he then snapped, "See that you can control them better. I cannot let a little wonder such as this one get away." he gave X a hard kick, but all that he got out of X was a feeble groan and twitch. He cackled and released Zero from his frozen state.
Zero nodded slowly, "Yes sir. Of course." He put away his sabre and returned his buster into a hand. "I'll go find the other two." he turn and started towards the house.
Roll and Light pounded away as fast as Light could run. Rush was at their heels, but often he would turn and whine, knowing what had befallen the others, then sullenly he'd catch back up.
Light panted, "We must find somewhere safer! And a faster way there!"
Roll looked back, and to her horror saw Zero off in the distance, "Hurry Doctor!! Come on Rush!!" The sight of him made the trio pick up speed.
Zero entered the house and exited it five minutes later through the back door. "Where are you..." he glanced around and saw the three of them running. He smirked and pulled out his blaster and fired them a warning shot.
Roll shrieked as the shot hit a few feet from her and they ran pell mell into the darkness of a wood.
Light fumbled in his pocket and took out a small pad like device, "I should have thought of this sooner, grab onto me!" he told Roll, who nodded and did so. Light tapped the thing a few times on its tiny buttons and they disappeared in a flash of white.
Zero reached the three of them just as they vanished, "Damn it!" he blasted a tree and turned to leave the forest. "The doctor isn't going to like this..."
Wily was still near X's pathetic form, "Ah, so many fun things to do to you, oh yes..." he was mumbling more things to himself with a insane grin painted on his face.
Zero came up behind Wily, "Sir, they got away in the wood. Some sort of teleportation, I think."
Wily seemed undaunted by Zero's announcement, "Pah, we don't need HIM anymore. I have the brat, that's all I need anymore. With you and him, once he's under gone a few changes of course, I will be UNSTOPPABLE!!"