Hey everyone! I've been unable to access the USB drive containing my updates, so that's the reason that I've taken so long with this. The good news is, the next chapter is almost done, and I should have it up within this week.
I just read ZEROGRAVITY1's story, a triple crossover between Inuyasha, MMZXA, and MMZ called Megaman Zero Fusion Cross, and it turns out he had an idea very similar to my time crystal idea (read it and you'll see what I mean!). As I'm not sure who came first when publishing the idea, can't say if he got the idea from me or not (I'm not accusing anyone of plagiarism here, imitation is a form of flattery they say). Just wanted to comment on that, because it was really creepy how similar the idea was (It even had Pandora and Prometheus!)!
Rant aside, I had a fun time writing this chapter and I hope you all enjoy reading it! Enjoy the fifteenth chapter of "Twist in Time!"
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OCs.
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"So why did you call us in again?" Zero asked. He was in the command room, along with X, Axl, Giro, Grey and Ashe. They had all just been called there moments ago, with absolutely no idea why.
"Do you guys remember that time crystal that Vent and Aile managed to...retrieve from Bomber Lizard?" Alia asked.
"You guys already found a time crystal?" Grey asked. He and Ashe still didn't know exactly everything that had happened before they had shown up to rescue Axl. Sometimes it felt like they were purposefully withholding information. He supposed they still had some troubles trusting them.
"Bomber had it. We didn't even know until Vent and Aile found out and...Removed it from his possession," Axl explained.
"Well, by using the signal emitting from that crystal," Alia began, "We were able to locate another crystal." She brought up a location on-screen, "The crystal is located here, in an abandoned military base." The Hunters then noticed the multiple other signals in and around the "abandoned" base.
"You're kidding! That place is infested with Mavericks!" Axl exclaimed.
"We know," said Alia gravely, "We aren't yet sure if the Mavericks realize what they have in their possession yet, but it's only a matter of time…" She left the rest of the sentence hanging in the air.
"Mavericks…with a time crystal's power…I can't imagine…" Giro muttered, "We have to retrieve it!" He said.
"Actually Giro, Signas wants you and Grey to check on another area. We can't detect anything yet, but we suspect Maverick activity," said Alia in an apologetic tone.
"Huh? Why do I have to go with him?" Grey asked.
"Trust me on this one, taking regular missions will pay off in the long run. When do we go?" Giro asked.
"I already have the teleporter on standby. You all can head to your respective destinations when you're ready," said Alia.
"Hold it! What about me?" Ashe asked, realizing that she hadn't been given anything!
"Well…Signas wants you to stay here. Apparently he thinks it's too risky for you to be sent out."
Ashe seemed furious for a moment, and then became strangely relaxed, "Alright, the commander does know what he's doing," She said in a calm tone. She then turned and left the command room.
"She took that way too well. She's up to something, I know it!" Grey said.
I agree. She had that look in her eye. But why wasn't she sent out with the rest of us? She can use me just as well as you can. The Model A spoke ("Still not used to hearing it," Axl muttered under his breath.)
"It has to do with the fact that Ashe is human. Signas is too sure of her abilities quite yet," Giro explained.
And how she did against Bomber Lizard yesterday doesn't count for anything?
"I guess not," said Grey, still worried that Ashe was going to pull something off. He just hoped that if she was planning something, that it wouldn't wind up getting her killed.
n/n/n/n/
"Okay, here's the plan. We go in, grab the crystal, and get out of there as fast as we can," said Zero.
"Zero, the Mavericks aren't stupid. If we go in demanding the crystal, the Mavericks might wonder why the crystal is so important," X pointed out.
"I see your point. So how do we get to it without one of the Mavericks deciding to find out what makes the crystal so special?" Zero wondered.
"Simple! We just go in there pretending that we're simply on another Maverick raid, and then we 'stumble' on the crystal," said Axl.
Zero's eyes twinkled with familiar anticipation, "Great idea! We'll kill two birds with one stone by ridding the world of these Mavericks while getting the crystal while we're at it!"
X merely sighed. He was hoping this would be one mission in which they would actually be able to get away with minimum conflict.
n/n/n/n/
Well there's certainly no Mavericks here. Just sand, sand, and more sand, said the Model A. Grey and Giro had been asked to investigate an area in the middle of the desert. But neither had found anything to even remotely suggest that there were any Mavericks at all.
A's right. I doubt we're going to find anything. Model Z said, We should probably find somewhere to rest.
"Good idea," Giro agreed.
Grey looked around. As Model A had said, there wasn't very much except for sand dunes and the occasional cactus. Then he spotted something in the distance, "I think I see something. We should try over there."
Giro looked in the direction Grey was indicating, "There IS something there. Might be an oasis. Shall we go see for ourselves?"
n/n/n/n/
Zero loved this part of his missions. There were a few guard Mechaniloids and a few Mavericks talking to each other. He listened in on them,
"What about that strange crystal thing Flit found?"
"Boss says it's nothing of importance. He'll probably wind up giving it to Flit as a reward if he pulls off the mission he's been given."
"Does that bird even have the guts to pull it off?"
"Heh, we'll find out soon enough!"
Zero first let out a mental sigh of relief. The Mavericks hadn't found out about the crystal's powers yet. He began, with complete silence, to sneak up to the guards. He was just a few feet from them in a few moments, hidden by some dense foliage. He allowed himself to smile. These Mavericks would never see him coming.
He quickly leapt out from his hiding spot and, with a few quick swipes of his saber, dispatched the guard Mechaniloids. It took the Mavericks a few seconds to process what was happening.
"Hey! What's hap-" The last thing any of them saw was a glowing green saber.
Zero smiled in satisfaction. He turned on his com, "The guards are gone. Let's clean house."
n/n/n/n/
"So it WAS an oasis," said Giro as he and Grey finally arrived. The water was clear, indicating that the water was clean. Some vegetation, including a few trees, grew up around the sparkling water. If either of them had been human, the water would have been a welcome sight. "Let's rest here for a while, then let's head back to HQ."
Giro unmerged, while Grey looked on in surprise, "I thought you said…" Grey began.
Well, think about it Grey. We're in the middle of the desert and miles away from any kind of civilization. What are the chances that someone will see us way out here? The Model A asked.
"Good point." Grey umerged and soon he and Giro were sitting at the edge of the oasis. In the background, they could hear their Biometals chatting.
"So, what's your story?" Giro asked curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"The Model A, how did you come across it? And what about Ashe?"
Grey smiled sadly, "I'm not really sure…but…alright." He took a deep breath, "I woke up, in a strange place, with no memory of who I was or where I came from. I had an encounter with Pandora…" His voice trailed off.
"Don't like talking about it?"
"I try not thinking about what she tried to do to me…or her reasons for doing so. I managed to escape from that place somehow. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in Hunter's Camp."
"I see. And is that where you met Ashe?"
Grey shook his head, "No…I met Ashe on a train bound for Legion. I joined with the Hunters so I could go there and maybe find out something about who I was."
And of course, I was there too! A suddenly chimed in.
Giro blinked at the Biometals sudden interruption, "How?"
Grey chuckled slightly and allowed himself a slight smile, "It was on that train…that Model A first merged with me and Ashe. I'll never forget it."
n/n/n/n/
"So, when are we leaving anyway?" Grey asked. He was on a train, accompanied by the Hunter, Billy, that had helped him earlier.
Billy let out an amused chuckle, "Not yet. There's someone else who's coming along. Ah! Here she is!"A girl entered the area. She looked about sixteen, with blue gray hair. "You're Ashe right? They told us you were coming to help."
Grey heard the girl, Ashe, talk to herself, "This guy knows a lot about me. Well, I guess that makes it easy. Now we don't have to beat around the bush."
"Heh heh, it's nice to have a girl around." As Ashe climbed on the train, she noticed Grey.
"You don't really look very much like a Hunter. What's you're name?"
"My name is Grey, and I actually just started," He explained as the train started to move.
Ashe seemed surprised, "You just started and you're already trying to cash in on something like Biometal? You must be pretty ambitious."
"Actually, Grey here is apparently suffering from amnesia," said Billy, "I'm taking him with me to Legion. He'll probably find something about himself in the databases there,"
"I see."
"By the way, don't you think that a train for a single container is overdoing just a little?" Grey asked.
Ashe looked at him like he was nuts, while Billy said, "What's in that container is called Biometal. Its very rare, and very valuable. So there's a reason we overdo it."
"Biometal…Why does that sound familiar?" Grey mused.
Changing the subject, Billy said, "So Ashe, you're pretty brave to want to continue with this mission. Why do you want to be a Hunter so bad?"
"A group of Hunters found me as a little girl, and they raised me," she replied, "They said that the town I was in was attacked by Mavericks, and that I was the only survivor," he voice took on a sad tone, "So, no one knows who the real me is. I don't even know."
Grey looked at her in disbelief while Billy suddenly looked awkward and said apologetically, "Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have asked that."
"It's okay," said Ashe good-naturedly, "So I decided to become the greatest Hunter in the world! I want my story to go down in the history books! People will remember the name Ashe."
She's just like me! She doesn't know where she comes from either! And does he know about me? Grey blinked. While that first part had been his general train of thought, the second part hadn't been. And that had definitely not been him thinking!
"Who said that?" Grey asked.
Ashe seemed similarly confused, "What was that? Was that someone's voice?"
Hm? You two can hear me?
Who, or what, the hell was that!? Grey wondered. But before the strange conversation could continue, a swarm a Mechaniloids suddenly flew overhead, attacking as they went.
Billy cursed, "Mavericks!" He fired at one, destroying it, "They're heading for the engine! You two wait here!"
Soon after Billy left, the one person that Grey didn't want to see again warped in, accompanied by what looked like the Reaper incarnate.
"There you are…! Defective Megaman…!" Pandora hissed.
Ashe gave Grey a questioning glance before turning back to the pair before them, "Prometheus, I had a feeling you would show up!"
"You again! You just don't give up do you? And Pandora, you couldn't even take care of one measly bug?" The Reaper, Prometheus, sounded creepy, and there was clearly a level of insanity beneath his voice.
"My apologies Prometheus…And who is that girl…?
"Never mind her, she's nothing. Let's take back the Biometal and get rid of the Defective while we're at it!"
Grey couldn't believe what was happening, "You think I'm going to let you kill me without even knowing why!?" He demanded.
"Kill you!?" Ashe looked at him in disbelief. It was obvious that she didn't have much of a clue as to what exactly was going on. She turned back to the Pandora and Prometheus, "If you two want the Biometal, you'll have to take it from my cold Hunter hands!"
Prometheus responded to their comments by sending out a shockwave with his scythe. Grey felt it rip through him, severely damaging him in the process. "Just lie there and die quietly scum," Prometheus hissed.
"No…I'm…I'm…"
Ashe was similarly hurt, "No! Not like this!"
The voice he heard earlier rang through Grey's head again, Hey! Grey! Girl! If you don't want to die, do exactly as I say!
"Who are you!?" Grey demanded.
I'm Biometal Model A! Now I want you both to focus! Yell 'Megamerge!' as loud as you can!
Despite how much it hurt, they both managed to steady themselves. With simultaneous cries, they yelled out,
"MegaMERRRGGGEE!"
n/n/n/n/
"And the rest after that is history, right?" said Giro.
Grey smiled, "Pretty much. A lot happened after that, but what mattered was that that was a turning point for me…for all of us."
"After what occurred with Pandora and Prometheus, you both must be pretty willing to help us out with them in this time."
Grey shook his head, "While I'm not sure just what those two plan to do in this time, me and Ashe found out a lot about them. There's more to those two then you know." And under his breath, he added, "I just hope our next encounter goes over better."
"What?"
"Nothing."
After all was said and done, we thought it was over. But then that fiasco involving Vent and Aile happened and now we're in the middle of a battle all over again. Model A said.
Giro blinked, "What fiasco?" What had happened between Vent and Aile and the two Model A Chosen Ones that had sent all four back in time, two intent on altering time, the other two trying to stop them.
Before Grey could reply, a voice came over their coms, "Grey, Giro, we need you to come back to base immediately. Your mission is over."
n/n/n/n/
Destroyed Mechaniloids were everywhere. And at the center of it all were X, Zero and Axl.
"All these Mechaniloids and the occasional Maverick and still no sign of the crystal!" Axl sounded a bit frustrated, "Why can't they give as an exact location again?"
"There's something interfering with the signal," X explained, "We can only get a general area."
"That doesn't make any of this any easier," said Zero, "If we don't find that crystal soon, I think it's only a matter of time before they find out about it and come looking for it themselves."
There was no need for Zero to explain just who they were.
"X! Zero! Axl! The time crystal should be just up ahead! Make sure to-Oh no!"
"What is it Alia?" X asked.
"The time crystal…it's started moving!"
"WHAT!?" The trio yelled simultaneously.
"How!?" Zero demanded.
"Never mind that Z! We gotta catch up with that thing!" Axl activated his dash thrusters and dashed up ahead, with X and Zero close behind.
The next room was obviously a storage area, as there were Sub-Tanks and E-Tanks all around. There was also a destroyed Maverick in one corner. X went to take a look at it,
"It was destroyed by a buster," he noted, "Likely wielded by someone of considerable skill."
"This is probably where they kept the crystal," said Zero.
"Which way did the crystal go Alia?" Axl asked.
"Follow my directions."
Following Alia's instructions, the S-class Hunters followed the moving signal, destroying any Maverick that got in their way. After a few minutes, X realized something,
"However that crystal is moving, its heading outside the base!"
Zero cursed, "If it gets outside the base, we may never get it! We need to move!"
He turned a corner and stopped, his eyes widening.
"What's wrong?" Axl asked, coming up behind Zero. He saw what Zero was looking at and gasped. When X came up to see what had shocked the two, he couldn't help but feel shocked as well,
"Holy…" X breathed.
The hallway was littered with destroyed Mavericks. Wires crackled and sparks flew. All across the floor, there were various mechanical parts. Some of them had been obviously blown to pieces by some kind of blast. It was obvious that something deadly had been this way.
"Someone besides us is here," Axl said, sounding slightly spooked.
"No shit," said Zero.
X checked one of the Mavericks, "They were destroyed by buster shots…Just like that Maverick in the storage room!"
"So the guy that did all this is the same guy that destroyed that Maverick?" Zero asked.
"Probably."
"But who the hell would be strong enough to do this!?" Axl gestured towards the various decimated Mavericks.
"From what I can see, the buster shots themselves weren't very strong. Whoever it was is familiar enough with using the weapon to do serious damage without using simply brute strength."
"I'd hate to see what the guy can do with more power," Zero remarked. Just then, their com came on,
"Guys, Signas wants you three to come back to the base."
"Huh, why?" Axl asked.
"We lost the signal. The time crystal is gone."
n/n/n/n
"So in the end, we were unable to retrieve the crystal," said X sadly. Everyone had returned from their missions and they were now all back in the command room with Alia and Signas. Ashe was strangely absent. They assumed she was bitter about not being sent out.
"I can't find it anywhere either," said Alia, "Either the Mavericks found a way to cloak it or it's in an area where the radar can't reach."
Zero was beyond frustrated, "Dammit, one of our most crucial missions ever and we blow it! Who know what the Mavericks plan to do with that crystal?"
"It was no fault on any of your parts," said Signas, "None of us could have predicted the time crystal moving or it's vanishing. The best we can hope for it that next time we find it, we use everything we have to retrieve it."
"But now the Mavericks have what is a very dangerous weapon in itself," X pointed out. How could he have failed this mission? Who knew how many lives would be lost because of this?
"Alia,"
"Yes sir?"
"Tell all our units to keep a lookout for anything unusual, such as unusually fast reploids or things appearing without explanation."
"Of course sir."
There was a silence that followed. The three S-class hunters were racked with shame and disappointment. Until a familiar voice was suddenly heard at the command room entrance,
"Were you all looking for this?"
Everyone turned to the entrance of the command room. There, leaning against the doorway with a smug look, was Ashe. She was tossing up and down a strange yet familiar object. It took them all a few moments to realize what it was.
A time crystal! While the previous time crystal they had seen had been pink, this one was blue with darker blue energy glowing in the center. Besides that, it was identical to the other crystal.
Everyone was stunned. Except Grey, who merely slapped himself,
"I knew you took not having a mission too well earlier!" He said, sounding slightly exasperated, "The time crystal started moving because Ashe had gone out and got it herself. Then she managed to sneak back here. The reason no one could detect it is because it was in the one place that the radars couldn't reach: Maverick Hunter HQ!"
Ashe chuckled while Axl suddenly remembered something, "Those Mavericks we saw destroyed…was that your work Ashe!?"
Ashe nodded at Axl, "Yep! Not a bad job, eh? Grey, you really do know me like a book, don't you?"
"Comes from trying to keep up with you during missions," Grey muttered.
Signas was furious, "Why would you risk yourself on such a reckless venture!? Our hunters were perfectly capable of handling it."
Ashe snorted, "For your information, one of the Mavericks had just cracked what the time crystal did by the time I got there. I took him out of course but if it wasn't for me, they would have been facing a time crystal wielding Maverick," Her voice then got low, "There are two reasons I did it."
"Really? Enlighten us."
"One, because that's what the Hunters of my time do. We retrieve things from places. You thought that was difficult? It was no different from getting some old artifacts from a Maverick-infested ruin for me. Here, catch," She tossed the crystal in X's direction. X caught and looked at it. If he didn't know what they were capable of, he would almost say that the crystal was a nice thing to look at.
"And the second reason?" Giro asked curiously.
Ashe's voice took on an irritated tone, "The second reason was because I wanted to prove that I'm not as helpless as some people might think I am!" The last few words were nearly a snarl and caused everyone to jump.
"But you can't fight very well without your Biometal and Grey's using it so-"
Ashe cut Alia off, "He can unmerge so I can use it and back quickly enough that few will notice. And even when we can't do that, I can still fight without it. I was doing it long before the Model A chose me. You're just making excuses because none of you want me out there. The question I have is, why?"
"The simple reason is this: You're human. I'm not sure how the government would take it if they learned about you and that we were using you for dangerous missions," said Signas.
Ashe furrowed her brow in thought for a moment then said, "By any chance, was that Draynor guy with the government?"
"You met Draynor?" Giro asked.
"I did. That guy has some seriously twisted views. He wanted to use me for something, but I turned him down," There was a note of resentment in her tone.
"Why exactly?" X asked.
"I already said! The guy had some completely wrong ideas! He called reploids 'expendable' and crap like that. Said it was one of the reasons that normally only reploids are allowed to become Maverick Hunters. I could barely believe what he was saying."
The Hunters, meaning X, Zero, Axl, Alia and Signas, went into a silent shock. No matter what Vent and Aile might have said or have acted, they still had some difficulty believing that one day, humans and reploids would actually live together in peace. But Ashe's words were further enforcing what Vent, Aile and Giro had all said about their time.
"Ashe," said Giro gently, "Draynor's views reflect the opinions of a lot of humans in this time. I'm afraid it's just the way things are."
Ashe was silent for a few moments while Grey took in exactly what was being said. Up until this point, he didn't know what had happened when Ashe had gone with Draynor that day. But now he knew. So basically, reploids like himself weren't considered on the same footing as humans? He felt glad and a bit relieved that Ashe so strongly disagreed with such a view.
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This chapter was longer than I thought it would be…ah well. Does anyone here read Anne McCaffery's Dragonriders of Pern books? After I'm done with this story and after I've done a story favor for NeoSpearBlade, I'm thinking of writing a ZX crossover in that fandom. I'm a reader as well as a gamer so I'm a big fan of Anne McCaffery's books.
As a treat for making you guys wait so long, I included part of my own version of a ZX Advent novelization. I can't help but feel that I rushed this chapter too much though.
In the next chapter, the focus temporarily shifts to P&P and the four Guardian Megamen. There's a surprising (and slightly unwelcome) appearance, some reflections on goals, and musings on this side of a conflict that threatens to echo throughout time.
A sincere thanks to all my reviewers!
R&R!