Heartbroken

When Zero got the Maverick Hunter Base Iris was nowhere around. He quickly ran down the corridor looking around everywhere for Iris while the siren kept repeating, "They've left for outer space! Scramble all Maverick Hunters!" Zero however was barely paying attention to the siren. He was still in search of Iris.

"Where are you? Iris!" Zero ran back to the main control room, but Iris wasn't there either. Suddenly a slow realization spread across Zero's mind. "She left with them? No!"

"Maverick Hunters! Scramble!" The siren kept on yelling.

"I'm on my way! Don't do this to me, Iris," he whispered. He then teleported to The Final Weapon in outer space.

Zero landed in the Final Weapon with fire burning in his eyes. The Final Weapon was massive! It looked like a giant laser and in fact, it was a giant laser, a laser that could destroy the Earth in one hit. Zero had to stop it. He ran forwards, careful not to get hit by the many lasers that were planted through out the room.

He was in a hallway at the moment and by the looks of it the hallway didn't seem very long. Zero ran forwards and destroyed a missile machine along with two lasers. He then continued. More of these machines appeared, but Zero quickly slashed them away. Before he knew it he was at the end of the hallway and above him was a gate leading into a hallway and then into another larger room.

Zero jump-kicked up the wall, slashing a laser down along the way and then he entered the hallway. It was full of wires and machinery like the rest of the ship. Zero would just stick his laser in the wires to stop The Final Weapon, but he was afraid the weapon might blow up and the world along with it. So Zero continued on through the next gate and into the next room.

"And who could be in here?" Zero asked himself as he dropped from the ceiling to the floor. "A Maverick, a Repliforce scum, a-"

Whatever Zero was going to say it didn't come out. The person in the room was the last person Zero excepted. It was a person he thought and hoped he would never ever have to fight. It was Iris. She was holding a glowing, purple, ball in her hands and she looked very angry.

"Iris!" Zero yelled, happy and a little bit nervous to see her.

"So you fought with my brother," she said sadly as she faced Zero. Zero started to feel bad. All he could say to Iris was, "I'm sorry."

"Then it's over! Everything," she snapped at him.

Zero was in awe. Iris was challenging him! A class SA Maverick Hunter?

"Wait Iris! Listen to me!" He tried to yell.

"Good bye Zero," she said sadly and harsh as she threw the ball into the air.

"Iris!" Zero yelled, but it was no use. Iris was concentrating on the ball, not on Zero.

Zero looked up and noticed that the ball was heading towards the ceiling. It stopped once it reached the top and what it did next Zero would have never guessed. The ball exploded into a giant purple crystal, a little bit smaller than Zero himself. The crystal then shot a beam of purple light down on Iris and suddenly pieces of armor started to appear on her body. The whole process took about ten seconds and now Iris was challenging him to a duel.

Zero didn't want to fight. He didn't want to fight his love, the only person he ever really loved. However, Iris didn't stop for a second thought. She lunged straight at Zero. Her armor was about three Zero's put together, it had wings, and a giant purple arm cannon that could fire like a fully charged laser.

Zero's eyes suddenly became fierce and concentrated. He was in his fighting mode and was ready to take on anybody. Even Iris.

"This isn't Iris! I must defeat it!" Zero said aloud as he lunged for Iris. He attacked her with great force and showed no mercy. His slashes were long and hard and left huge gashes. Every time Zero hit the armor it would send out two mines which became a hassle. They kept hitting Zero, making him weaker and weaker. Zero quickly made quick waste of these and noticed that the crystal had come out of Iris' body. Getting ready to lunge at it, Zero back against the wall and then dashed forward to it. Once he was close enough to it he started to slash at it madly.

Iris however wasn't going to let Zero win. She had other plans. Getting ready for her ultimate attack she ordered the crystal to get below Zero. It obeyed perfectly and followed below Zero wherever he went. Then she raised her arm cannon and fired.

Zero quickly jump-kicked up the wall and kept there waiting for the laser to die down. However, he forgot about the purple crystal below him. Iris smiled from within her armor.

"Dodge this Zero." There was whirling noise and the crystal shot a laser upwards. Zero didn't have a chance to move. The laser hit him from underneath and he fell to the ground with a clank.

"Urrrraaaaaahhhhhh!" Zero yelled as he got up and slashed at the crystal. Iris machine started to smoke and an odd noise came from it. Zero stared the machine straight in the eyes right where Iris' eyes should have been. He then slashed at the crystal one last time and there was a bright flash of light.

Zero watched as all the pieces of the armor fell off and Iris' body falls to the floor. Zero smiled at a job well done. He had defeated another Maverick and the world was once more safe.

Or was it?

Slowly the realization of what Zero had just done was coming to him. He had hurt Iris, he might have killed her. "No!" He yelled as he started to run forwards toward Iris' body.

"Iris!" He yelled. Her eyes were closed and she didn't respond.

"Iris!" He yelled again, but to yet no answer.

He had reached her and was now kneeling next to her. Suddenly great relief flooded back into Zero. Iris opened her eyes! However she was still bleeding badly.

"Zero," she said weakly.

"Hang in there Iris," he said to her as he checked her wounds. Her two legs were bleeding badly and he face had scratches all over it.

"Please," she said to Zero still lying on the floor, not moving. "Stay away from Repliforce, let's live in a world where only reploids exist." Iris said weakly. Zero shook his head and said, "Iris there is no world just for reploids. It's only a fantasy." Iris slowly shook her head and said, "Yes, I know. But I wanted to believe it! I wanted to live in a world where only reploids exist."

She stopped and slowly raised her hand to Zero's chest as to touch him the last time. Then she slowly said, "With you."

Zero clasped his hands around Iris'. He couldn't let her die like this. Not now, not today. "Iris," Zero slowly said as he watched her close her eyes. Right before her main computer went out she saw Zero's face. For the one last time. She smiled and slowly died.

"Iris!" Zero said to her, not accepting the fact that she was gone. "Iris! Iris!" He yelled again. He lifted her head into his arms and started to gently shake her. "Iris!" He said again, but he knew she was gone. Gone forever. Never to return to Zero again.

"Iris," Zero said sadly knowing the truth. He couldn't bear it. He couldn't take it! He quickly lifted Iris up in his arms and started to yell, "No! This isn't happening! There's no reason for me to go on! What- What am I fighting for!?"

Zero slowly started to cry on Iris' limp body. She was gone and Zero now had nothing to live for. He couldn't bear life without Iris. He loved her and now she was gone. But he had a mission to complete! Slowly he stopped crying and placed Iris slowly on the floor. He needed to stop the Repliforce no matter what it took.

As Zero walked away he couldn't dare looked back, but he had too. With one last glance at Iris' body in the darkness he started to cry once more. Zero was lost forever. There was nothing more to life now.

Zero was heartbroken.