The Next Age Chapter Two Part Four
The bright light almost blinded Xavier's tired eyes as he made his way forward, the scent of fresh air and the warmth of the rays of the sun hit his senses almost immediately. He shielded his eyes with his arm as he climbed the earthen stairs and stepped out through the opening. Lowering his arm somewhat as he looked to see what was so spectacular.
They were in the middle of a great forest. The trees, untouched by the hands of men or robots, stretched to touch the sky, their branches home to many songbirds whose cries filled the air and mingled with the calls of other animals. Bright, colorful exotic flowers bloomed in the high grass adding splashes of color to the forest scenery. Xavier gasped in awe. Even the wilds of Tokio Island weren't this magnificent. The very size of the trees suggested that this was a very old place, perhaps these same trees had stood growing as far back as the ancient age, much older than any place he had ever been to before.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Kiara asked as she moved to stand at the base of one of the massive trees. "If only my family could see this….we would declare it a national treasure."
"Yeah and look at these trees! I could climb up and touch the sun!" Zero said happily.
Kiara shot him a dirty look. The very thought of that outcast even touching this beautiful display of nature was sickening.
"This is absolutely incredible. I didn't think I'd ever see a place like this outside of a book!" Xavier said as he looked around. "My mother would love it just for those flowers. Kiara, how did this happen, none of us saw any opening before we went into the room."
"I'm not sure myself." She said. "One moment it was blocked and the next, I felt the warmth of the sun on my back. When I turned around, there it was!"
"Hmmn….this is odd.." Xavier spoke as he took out his scanner again. "Why hasn't anyone ever found this place before?"
The scanner suddenly jumped to life in his hands, displaying readings he never thought were possible. The energy was off the scale towards the north where a small dirt path lead deeper into the forest. His eyes went wide, wondering what in the world would give off a reading like that. It had to be very large..maybe it was the forest itself.
"Prince Xavier, what is it?" Kiara asked, noting the concerned look on his face.
"Something's up ahead…" He replied in a serious tone.
"Any idea what it is?" She questioned.
"No..I was about to ask you the same thing." He answered.
"I can dash up ahead and check it out for you." Zero offered, feeling the urge to kick in his jets.
"No Zero, that could be dangerous." Xavier spoke.
"Nah, this is all weeds and dirt. I won't go too far anyhow, I promise!" Zero said, smiling brightly.
"Well..alright but be careful! Don't go smashing into any trees or messing with anything you find, okay?" Xavier said.
"Sure!" Zero said excitedly and activated his thrusters, dashing forward nimbly and gliding around the tree roots and other obstacles until he disappeared into the foliage.
"AND COME BACK IF YOU FIND ANYTHING!" Xavier called after him.
"Whatever!" Zero yelled far in the distance.
Xavier shook his head. Sometimes Zero was too wild for his own good. He couldn't blame him though. Zero had to be bored by now and a little "adventure" on his own would probably ease his sense of wanting something to do. In the meanwhile, Xavier just hoped he wouldn't get into any trouble.
"Well…he's certainly 'unique'" Kiara remarked in a degrading tone.
"Yeah but he's okay." Xavier spoke as he started forward on the path.
"Is it true what they say about him?" She asked.
"I don't know, what do they say?" Xavier asked, knowing full well what Kiara was getting at.
"That he's an outcast." She replied.
"Zero is Zero, that's how I see it." He spoke.
"You don't care? But he was born out of wedlock, his mother violated the policy of reproduction and he almost looks like a girl! He's not even a true proto robot or so they say…."
"Zero has feelings too you know." Xavier snapped angrily. "He's had a hard life and he doesn't need anyone judging him."
"Why do you defend him? You're a prince, he's an outcast. You're above him." She asked.
"Zero is my best friend, we grew up together and we were both outcasts as kids. I would be Zero's friend no matter what he was or what people called him. I don't judge people by what society thinks of them, I judge them by their hearts." Xavier retorted.
Kiara was taken aback.. It was not what she had expected to hear. What in the world was royalty like Xavier doing defending a lowly outcast? Maybe they were friends because he pitied Zero, they had grown up together according to the stories after all.
"Oh." Was all she could find to say.
"Give him a chance, Kiara. Zero is one of the coolest people I know." Xavier said.
Kiara just nodded in response.
Far ahead, Zero zipped through the forest completely ignorant of the conversation going on behind him. The dirt path twisted around the trees and Zero cheerfully followed. He loved to dash and move quickly, racing with the wind. He was going along peacefully until a something suddenly moved out in front of him, raking across his chest with a burning pain. The shock and the force with which it hit him knocked him over, his thrusters immediately shutting down when he hit the dirt. At first, he had no idea what had happened as he lie catching his breath. Then he felt warm blood on his metal skin. In shock, he reached to touch his chest wondering why it hurt so much and found three wounds, his own blood staining his fingers. Zero was horrified and confused. He opened his mouth to scream but all that came out was a high pitched whine. His breath started to come quickly, each heave of his chest bringing extreme pain as panic started to set in. Then he saw it… A tall lizard like creature reminiscent of the dragons in fairy tales emerged from the bushes, wickedly sharp claws poised in front of it ready to lash out. It folded it's dull gray scaly wings neatly behind it's back as it looked around, grumbling lowly, it's eyes were pools of infinite darkness, the eyes of a predator. Slowly it snuffed the air, searching for the scent of its prey. Zero tried to stay still, his body beginning to tremble as he watched the large creature and prayed to every deity he knew of that it would just wander away and forget him. It drew in a deep breath, glancing in Zero's direction as if it could hear his thoughts. Throwing its head back, it let out a loud roar, unfurling its huge wings as it finally caught the scent it had been searching for. Glaring at Zero, it bared its teeth, hunger in its eyes as it prepared to strike once more. Zero was frozen in place with fear as it loomed over him, unable to look away. Finally, he found his voice, crying out for the only person he knew could help him.
"XAVIER!!!!!!!!!!!"
Xavier and Kiara had been walking along peacefully when a scream broke their conversation. Even from this far, Xavier knew it was Zero crying out for him. The desperate cry was followed by several terrified screams.
"Oh Goddess, that's Zero!" Xavier exclaimed.
He ran off without a word of explanation to Kiara. He had never heard Zero cry out like that before, not even when the worst of bullies had ganged up on him. Why had he let Zero run off on his own? Goddess only knew what was out here! He had to find him and quickly! Xavier pushed himself to run faster. His canon came to his arm with barely a thought. Kiara, not knowing what to think, broke into a gallop and drew her spear just in case as she followed him forward.
Zero had managed to get to his feet, having no clue how he had managed to do so but knowing he had to move and fast. He kicked in his thrusters quickly and without warning, darting away from the creature that roared in protest. He practically ran Xavier down when he found him, throwing his arms around him tightly and shaking like a leaf.
"Zero! What's wrong?? Are you alright??" Xavier asked, almost out of breath.
Then he felt something odd, a warm fluid touched his skin. He immediately pushed Zero back in confusion, his eyes falling upon the gaping wounds on his chest as he did so.
"Oh my Goddess…."
There were three of them, spaced apart and looking much like the wounds caused by the claw of an animal. They were bleeding profusely, it was a wonder Zero was still standing. He needed to get him to the lab as soon as possible.
"Xavier we have to go!!" Zero cried frantically.
"What in the Hell did this to you!?!?!?" Xavier asked in shock.
"WE HAVE TO GO!" Zero repeated.
There was a loud crash, branches fell to the ground and a loud flap of many wings could be heard as the birds fled from their perches. The dragon-like creature emerged from the trees with a loud scream of rage. Zero clung tightly to Xavier, whimpering.
"What is that!?!?!" Xavier asked, turning to Kiara.
"I don't know!" She replied, pointing her spear towards it.
"Zero..get behind me!" Xavier ordered.
He knew Zero was defenseless and it did not look like this was a "friendly creature of the forest". Zero obeyed with out question, cowering behind his friend as the creature snuffed the air once more, lowly growling as it moved towards Xavier stopping only to taste the blood Zero had spilled on the ground. Without warning, Kiara charged towards it with her spear, taking advantage of its distraction. The weapon hit its side with a flash of light and knocked the creature back. It growled angrily, turning towards her and raising its deadly claws. Xavier took that chance to fire off a plasma shot and hit it in one of its wings. It shrieked in pain, lashing it's tail out towards Xavier and catching him by surprise. It knocked him off his feet, sending him face first into the dirt. Trembling, Zero found himself face to face with the "dragon" again. It almost seemed to grin at him as it lunged forward and it is claws tore new wounds into Zero's skin with a spray of blood, pushing him back onto the grass. The agony he was in, the panic and the blood loss was simply too much for his body to handle. He slipped into unconsciousness with a soft cry.
When Xavier finally got to his feet again, he saw the creature standing over him and Zero, salivating as it bared its yellow teeth. Zero lay still on the ground behind him, badly wounded.
"ZERO!"
As Xavier rushed to his friends side, Kiara charged again at the creatures side, drawing its attention away from Zero and thrusting her spear into it.
"Prince Xavier! I'll hold it off for you!" She called, galloping away from them and luring the creature further down the path.
Xavier nodded in agreement as he gently shook Zero, trying to rouse him. The face of the young robot was pale and his breathing had become shallow. If his wounds weren't tending to soon, he could die. Needless to say, this didn't set well with Xavier. This creature, whatever it was, had almost killed his best friend, his Zero, his pal since childhood. He stood back on his feet, his canon hummed as it charged up and filled with energy. If Zero died, he would never forgive himself. It was time to send this thing straight to Hell…
"Get back Kiara!" Xavier called to the centaur girl. "I'm going to make it wish it was never born."
The anger in his heart swelled as the canon reached its maximum capacity. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes as he gritted his teeth. Kiara, seeing the serious look in his eyes and the glowing energy surrounding his blaster, trotted away from the creature lest she be caught in what looked like it would be a major plasma blast. With a thought, Xavier fired. He didn't see exactly where his shot hit, all that was important was that it had. The "dragon" screeched in agony and hit the ground with a loud thud. Xavier didn't care, he was back at Zero's side again.
"Zero? Zero? Are you still in there? Please..please Zero..don't be….."
Xavier couldn't bring himself to finish the thought.
Kiara poked the creature's side a few times with her spear to check if it was dead though she doubted anything could survive the type of blast Xavier had fired off. So the rumors about Xavier having a plasma canon were true. He really was a fighter being trained by RockMan himself no doubt. A fighter and a Prince…. She trotted quietly over to where Xavier was tending to his fallen friend. He looked dead. It wasn't that big of a loss, he was only an outcast after all.
Xavier propped Zero up, resting Zero's head on his arm. He knew his healing powers weren't much but maybe he could at least stop the bleeding and seal off the severed circuitry. How could he have been so stupid to come out here knowing that something dangerous could be waiting for him? Zor had been right and if he had had any sense, he would have listened to him and stayed in bed at home. Instead, he ran off on a whim. This was always the type of mess he was getting Zero out of, this time, he had helped Zero into it. If only he was been more awake, if only he had been able to think… warm tears made their way down his cheeks. Gently he placed his hand upon Zero's wounds, closing his eyes as he began to concentrate, drawing the energy in the air into his body to heal Zero as best as he could.
"Zero..Zero please say something." Xavier pleaded softly, using all the energy he had in his body for his friends sake.
As the last of his strength left him, he saw Zero's eyelids flicker. He was coming around.
"Xav..ier..??" Zero spoke with a bit of pain, looking up into his best friend's eyes.
The last thing he remembered was a flash of agony before he hit the ground. Now his whole body ached and he felt weak. Xavier was gazing don at him with tears on his cheeks. Zero knew he had been hurt but he didn't think it had been bad enough to upset Xavier so much. Zero tried to sit up on his own.
"No, stay still Zero, let the nanites do their job." Xavier said.
Zero didn't object. Xavier looked like hell, he looked like he was in dire need of rest. It was obvious he had exhausted himself. Zero didn't feel much better but at least he was lying down.
"That..thing, it's dead right?" Zero asked.
"Yeah, it's dead." Xavier assured Zero and wiped the tears from his eyes.
Thank the Goddess Zero was alive. He owed her big time for this.
"I'm gonna live, right Xavier?" Zero asked.
"You better!" Xavier replied, sniffling. "Who would I be best friends with if you didn't?"
"Thanks.." Zero said with a smile.
"Just don't ever scare me like that again! No more running off and no more of this silly adventure! Not if things like that are out here." Xavier said as he scooped Zero up in his arms. "Kiara, lead us back out."
"Prince Xavier, are you sure?" She asked.
It was too soon for him to go, she didn't exactly like the idea of continuing on but she wasn't ready to head home yet.
"Positive." Xavier answered.
"I thought we were gonna find ancient stuff. You're sure gonna get it when we get home." Zero remarked.
"I know." Xavier sighed. "and we're gonna get it, not just me. This is the last time I listen to you, your idea almost got us killed."
"My idea? You're the one who wanted to- "
"We'll argue about it later. You need to get to the lab, Zor can fix those wounds better than I can."
Zero didn't argue with that. Suddenly this place didn't seem so inviting and beautiful anymore. Kiara, on the other hand, really didn't want to let Xavier go. What were the chances she'd see him again? What would he say if he found out that she was just a kid wandering on the outskirts out of curiosity? Maybe he'd understand. It really didn't sound like he was supposed to be out here either.
"Don't worry Zero, you'll be all spiffy again as soon as we get back." Xavier assured his pal.
"Just in time for your funeral.." Zero remarked.
"You can't feel that bad if you still have your sense of humor…"
"It only hurts when I laugh."
Xavier smiled slightly at the remark.
"I'm sorry about the trouble we ran into, Prince Xavier." Kiara apologized.
"It's not your fault." Xavier spoke.
A rustling noise interrupted his thoughts. He immediately tensed, half expecting another creature to rush out from the bushes and attack but that wasn't what he saw. Several stone and metal buildings rose among trees up ahead. They must have been obscured somehow before, maybe by the branches that had since been torn away by the creature's rampage. That had to be it, they hadn't been there before and now they were so prominent that they couldn't be missed. Was it a mirage? An illusion? The ruins of some lost Human City? Did Zor know about this? No, he couldn't have known. There was no way he could've kept this a secret. Kiara and Zero were both silent, making Xavier wonder if they were seeing what he was. It was tempting, almost too tempting but he had to get Zero back to the lab. This place was dangerous and he was ill equipped to handle anything else not to mention completely exhausted. He couldn't deny the feeling that his need to find out was calling to him, urging him to go forward and solve the mystery.
"Xavier, let's go…I don't like the looks of this." Zero spoke, fidgeting in Xavier's arms.
"Wait…I want to at least take a reading." Xavier replied. "Think you can stand for a little bit?"
"Yeah, I guess." Zero replied.
"Okay good." Xavier said and gently set Zero on his feet, wrapping an arm around him to support him and taking out his scanner with his free hand.
The energy readings were unbelievably strong. This was obviously the source of what he had picked up on earlier. The dirt path seemed to lead right to it now that he thought about it.
"Xavier…you're not going to go over there, are ya?" Zero asked.
"Kiara, take Zero back to Haven for me." Xavier spoke, his eyes focused on the ruins ahead. "I'm sorry Zero, I have to get a closer look."
"ALONE!?!? Are you nuts!?!?" Zero sputtered.
"Nope, don't think so. My psyche evaluation came back clean." Xavier said with a smile.
"There could be more of those things up there!" Zero said, pointing to the dead creature. "C'mon Xavier, a moment ago you were talking sense but now you're acting crazy!"
"Call it my need to know, I've always wanted to see ruins up close." Xavier answered.
"Xavier! You'll get killed!" Zero said.
Zero was right. He wasn't exactly using his best judgement marching into ruins that had just seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was an odd twist, usually Zero was the one doing things like this and Xavier had to talk him out of them. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was out there though, just waiting for him to find it.
"I've got to do this Zero." Xavier said. "I came here to see something and prove myself to Zor."
"A few crumbling buildings makes you forget that I almost died?" Zero questioned.
"Of course not. That's why I want you to go back with Kiara. I don't want either of you to get hurt."
"And what about you? I don't want my best friend to get squished!"
"Zero, I can take care of my-"
A sudden movement in the branches of the trees drew Xavier's attention away from what he was saying. Something blue or maybe purple darted amongst the leaves and twigs. An animal? A monster? Another Robot? He tried to scan the trees to pick up on the object in them but the energy interfered with his readings. All he could tell was that it was possibly humanoid.
"Kiara, take Zero and head back, I'm going in." Xavier spoke, taking his arm from around Zero and heading forward alone, scanner in hand.
"Xavier C'mon, death isn't on my calendar today! Xavier!! XAVIER!!" Zero called, wobbling slightly on his feet as he took a step towards his friend.
A sharp pain pierced his chest, reminding him that he wasn't full healed inside.
"Xavier…" He spoke through gritted teeth.
"Zero, go home!" Xavier said turning back.
"No! Not with out you!"
"Zero…."
The trees rustled again, only this time something jumped from the branches and landed almost gracefully in front of the three startled robots…..
Zero, RockMan and others are copyright Capcom of Japan
Xavier, Kiara and whatever the hell that creature thing was are copyright Roll-Chan productions.
I get nothing for writing this fic except gray hairs.
I HATE THIS CHAPTER! I HATE IT! Ahem I feel better now..I think I'll go to bed ^^;;
Send all comment to Roll_Chan@Yahoo.com
var PUpage="76001072"; var PUprop="geocities"; yvSM=0;yvVP=0;var yviContents='http://us.toto.geo.yahoo.com/toto?s=76001072