Megaman X: Elysium Rising
Chapter 25: Elysium Revealed
By Genoscythe
Directly below the spot where Pyre Mystic and Stealth Claw were cuddling, Nephtis and Marx trudged into their dingy apartment. Everything still reeked of dust and humanity. However, at the moment Marx could care less. Nephtis had her cool hand wrapped tightly around his. This time, there was no gunfire, there was no earth-splitting artillery firing at them, and nobody was in mortal danger. What was more thrilling was that she had actually begun to open up on the long walk home, finally showing the woman that had been buried under all the heartbreak and strife.
As amazing as all these things were, he was dead tired. Without another word, he released her hand and trudged over to the least dusty spot on the floor and laid down. Nephtis looked at him like he had lost his mind. "What are you doing?" She asked as she tossed her jacket onto the table.
"I'm tired. This is what I do when I'm tired."
"You lay down on the floor?"
"I sleep," he corrected. Silently, Nephtis walked over and pulled him to his feet.
"What kind of girlfriend would I be if I made you sleep on the floor?" She said sweetly. Marx's heart did laps around his chest.
"Uh, well..." He stammered. This wasn't quite what he expected, but he sure as hell wasn't going to complain. Nephtis seemed to realize what this sounded like before he asked the question.
"Not like that," she said as she slipped carefully into the bed. Both the floor and the bed itself whined unhappily. "I'm not quite ready for that yet. I just don't want to see you rolling around in the dust all night." Marx's heart slowed down to a light jog. Damn.
"You're the boss," he conceded as he squeezed in next to her. It was barely a two-person bed, more like one and a half. However, that was the least of their worries. The bed moaned loudly under the weight of two reploids. "Y'know..." he began.
"This..." she continued.
"Doesn't really..."
"Feel..."
"Safe," they both concluded. No sooner had they said this than the bed snapped, crashing to the ground and splintering at least three floorboards in the process. The floor was now beginning to sag dangerously.
"Shit," Nephtis hissed. Marx nearly jumped out of the bed.
"Hey, maybe this is a sign," he offered, sitting down on a chair to catch his breath. The chair seemed no happier to see him than the bed had. "Maybe we need to get a new place."
"Maybe? Marx, we've needed a new place since we got here. There's a catch, though."
"Money," Marx finished. "We're flat broke. Not a single cred."
"Wait..." Nephtis said thoughtfully, digging through her jeans. Her hand emerged with a tiny golden octagon. "We still have some of X's money left."
"Yeah," Marx muttered. "Even less than what we started out with. Look what that got us."
"Let's just suffer through it for one more night, shall we? I'll sleep on the floor with you."
"I don't think the floor will be too happy about that..."
"Screw the floor. I'm tired."
"I'm with you there, but..."
"But what?" Nephtis asked as she stretched herself out at the foot of the bed.
"We might hurt someone. I mean, if the floor breaks..." He broke off. His argument was quite literally falling on deaf ears. Nephtis had already shut down. As badly as he wanted to lose himself in her arms, necessity overrode those thoughts and he lay down on the far end of the apartment. With any luck, their weight would even out and he wouldn't wake up in someone else's room come morning.
X was running, chasing after the quickly fading form in the distance. Repeatedly, he called her name, but she never once looked back. Her cinnamon hair whipped about, obscuring her face. Nevertheless, X knew it was Calliope. And she was slipping out of his grasp once again.
After an eternity, she faded to black. X slumped to his knees, staring horrified at his hands. They were powerless to stop her death. Just like they were powerless to stop HQ from being demolished by Thunder Raven. Just like they were powerless to stop Mobius from going maverick and becoming 'Dark Dizzy'. Just like they were powerless to stop Drake from being sliced apart by the Godkarmachine. Just like...
"I'm disappointed, X," A familiar voice said. Abruptly, X realized the scene of a burning city had been replaced by the infuriating calm of Elysium. Not a plant stirred, and not a drop of water made a sound. He was still on his knees, and completely helpless as Genoscythe circled around to face him. "You don't have time to waste on dreaming."
"What do you mean?" X lashed out. "I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do!"
"You should know where Elysium is by now," Genoscythe said, almost scoldingly. "It was programmed into you the last time we talked."
"Well, maybe I don't want to find it! Whatever's there, it's causing more trouble than it's worth!"
"Calm down, X. You were just pulled out of a pretty harsh dream, I know. I knew those hunters too, remember?"
"You didn't love them," X said in an animalistic growl. "You never actually got attached to anything when you were here, did you? You were just playing the part."
Genoscythe nodded. "And now, you have to play yours. You know Malakai, right?"
"...vaguely."
"He's one of us. He's an agent for the Master. Ask him, and he should be able to get you to Elysium."
"Malakai?" X said, his rage momentarily snuffed by surprise. "How many agents do you have down here?"
"Well...technically they're not 'down' anywhere; Elysium is on Earth right now."
"It is? Why?"
Genoscythe sighed, and looked as if he were about to reveal something extremely embarrassing. "We got jumpy. We were afraid Eden would find a loophole or something that would allow it to activate the Carbon Reinitialization Program, so we destroyed Elysium's engines. We forced it to land in the Pacific Ocean, and that bought us some time. Of course, that time is almost up."
"But...didn't anyone see it?"
"We erased the minds of the ones who did," Genoscythe explained. "That's the beauty of controlling everything: we can do whatever the hell we want. So now, this brings us back to square one. I need you to get Malakai to take you to Elysium."
"No," X said, almost imperceptibly.
"What?"
"I said no. I'm not going anywhere."
"You don't have a choice here, X. It's either this, or watch your world get blown away."
"If anyone's going to decide what I'm gonna do, it's going to be me."
Genoscythe chuckled. "Remember? You can't move. You don't have any power here, and I could just as easily leave you stuck in your own mind if you don't co-operate."
"You wouldn't. You need me."
"Do we? Can you really be so sure?" X didn't respond. Instead, he began to think. This was his body, first and foremost. Nothing they could do would take that away from him. And, if it was his body, then he was still in control. Whether he had realized it or not, he was in control. Slowly, deliberately, X rose to his feet.
"I wouldn't try to bluff if I were you," X said coolly. "That's not the Genoscythe I remember."
"Well..." Genoscythe began, stumbling over his words. "I'm not the Genoscythe I used to be. I used to be a reploid. Now I'm a Purifier again."
"You're not going to control me," X said as he raised his buster.
"X, wait! If you're gonna do this, let me tell you one thing before you do," he said disarmingly. X's buster wavered slightly, but he didn't drop it. "It's about Zero." This lowered X's buster. "Have you noticed anything strange about him?"
"Of course I have," X said.
"The virus is taking control of him," Genoscythe said cryptically. "It's been working him over all this time, but now Eden's accelerated the process. He doesn't have long."
"...until what?"
"Until he's a slave to Eden, and the Alphas."
"Alphas?"
"The faction trying to activate the CRP. It's easier to say."
"So, what do I do?"
"You watch him carefully. When he turns, be ready to put him down."
X laughed bitterly. "It seems so easy to you, doesn't it? No, I can't do something like that. Even if he does turn maverick...we'll just find a cure."
"You can't keep lying to yourself, X."
"Can, and will." X raised his buster again.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," Genoscythe finished as X fired. When the shot hit his former commander, the entire scene about him shattered like glass and he returned to nothingness.
When X awoke, he felt it was the best sleep he'd had in ages.
This indomitable feeling, the realization that he was under nobody's control, was quickly shattered. As he opened the door to report to HQ, he found the box of chocolates he had laid at Alia's door, smashed against his. Chocolate had been steadily oozing down the sleek metal, and was just now beginning to pool on the floor. Another item of interest was a crumpled piece of paper on the ground. It was the love letter – unopened.
Resisting the urge to yell a string of curses down the hall, he threw the squished box of chocolate into a trash can in his room and crumpled the love letter into his pocket. What had he done now! When had an apology suddenly become an insult? Feeling the last of his confidence shattered, and being quite pissed about it, he left his room and made the short walk to Cain Laboratories. Stopping at the impromptu register list tacked to the lobby's wall, he made his way to the command room. To his utter dismay, he found Alia working furiously on a computer. Adding to this, she was alone in the room.
X expected one of two responses. The first being the cold shoulder. She would just pretend he didn't exist. The second being a fit of madness. She would probably leap at his throat, and start hitting his head against the wall. However, neither of these things happened. What actually happened was that Alia sprang up out of her seat at the sight of him and grabbed his hand, pulling him roughly over to the computer console.
"X, help!" She cried, err...helplessly. "Look at this!" She pointed to the screen. An oversized face appeared on the monitor, a geeky human with glasses and horrible acne. Above and below the face were the words, "u h4v3 b33n h4xx0rD. ur h0le n3tw0rk is m1n3. suxxx 2 b u."
"It's on all the computers!" She wailed. "I can't do anything."
"You think I can? I don't sit at a computer all day."
"Just...shoot it or something."
"Are you kidding?"
"If Signas finds out, I'm dead. I'd rather have a destroyed computer on my hands than a virus in the whole network," Alia pressed her fingers against her temples, trying her best to think and only making it harder. X suddenly noticed something.
"Hey, down there..." He pointed to a message in extremely small print on the lower right side of the picture. It read, "This is a message in leaking vital information: Don't Do It" X couldn't help but laugh.
"I think Signas just made his move."
"Hey, shut up! I thought I was done for!" Alia huffed, clicking on the 'Don't Do It' and immediately the screen went back to normal. An awkward silence fell over the room. X coughed uncomfortably.
"Uh, speaking of –"
"He's two floors up. Central office." Alia finished brusquely. She began working furiously on the computer again, trying her hardest to ignore him. With a painful glance back at her, X trudged back to the elevator and up two floors to the administration division. Finding the late Dr. Cain's old office, his hand hovered over the door as he heard an unknown voice from the other side.
"Look, about last night...I gotta tell you something." It was a male, teenager by the sound of him.
"What is it? Are you saying that that was really you, and not your evil twin?" A female now. A smile broadened on X's face as he realized what he was hearing.
"No...It was my evil twin's clone." The woman had suddenly burst into a wild fit of tears.
"I thought you loved me, Ricky!"
"I'm sorry, Shannon. I'm just a man. Or...am I?"
"What?"
"I should have told you sooner. I'm an alien from Jupiter, sent to observe human lifestyles and create twisted love triangles. Occasionally love squares." X heard a barely audible gasp from inside the room.
"I don't believe you!"
"Can a human do this?" With an exasperated sigh, X pushed open the door and the video screen flickered off in an instant. Signas sat at his desk, looking perfectly composed. X thought he saw a tear on the corner of one eye, but the Hunter Commander blinked and it disappeared.
"Ah, It's just you, X. I've been looking for you."
"That's not what it sounded like from outside." X said slyly.
Signas cleared his throat uncomfortably. "...right. We sent scouts out to the Maverick Disposal Plant, and we've uncovered something big. Something that could be the mavericks' main base of operations here."
X let out a slow breath. "Sigma?" He asked, trying to keep the venom out of his voice.
"We don't know, but from the size of this base, I can only assume so. Plus, a maverick broke in last night, and he said he was sent by Sigma."
"...how? Don't we have hunters keeping watch?"
"This wasn't just any maverick. He got away from Endymion."
"Is he okay?"
"Of course. This is Endymion you're asking about."
"Should've known," X muttered. "So, what are we going to do about the maverick base?"
Signas sat back in his chair. "I thought that would be obvious. We destroy it, just like they destroyed HQ. Hammurabi's code. An eye," Signas leaned forward for dramatic effect. "For an eye."
"When?"
"As soon as we can get enough hunters together to do it."
"Judging from the size of this place, how many do you think we'll need?"
"The entire 8th, 9th, 14th, 17th, and Unit 0, at least."
"Damn."
"This base is massive. If we aren't prepared, we will regret it."
X nodded as he stood. "I understand, sir. I'd like to speak to Endymion, do you know where he is?" Signas held up his hands.
"As far as I can tell, he's still in the medlab. However, knowing Endymion, I doubt it."
"I'll check just in case," X said as he opened the door. "I'm won't hope that we can finish this once and for all, but we'll at least keep Sigma dormant for a little while. Start getting the hunters ready, and call me when you're done."
"I will, X. Good luck."
"I don't understand," Endymion's monotone carried down the hallway. "Why can't you just release me?"
"You must be fully repaired before you are cleared for active duty again." An equally dull Lifesaver's voice followed it.
"I am fully repaired! This is merely aesthetic!"
"You are only 99.8 percent repaired. By regulations, the skin on your face must be sealed properly." X raised an eyebrow and walked more quickly.
"Captain!" X called out as he neared the pair. Endymion turned to look at him, and X nearly jumped back. Three jagged scars ran across his face, from the upper-right of his skull down to his neck. It might have extended farther, but Endymion's gray hair obscured the rest of it. "...what happened?"
"I was beaten," Endymion said plainly. "I need these to remind me of my failure." X raised an eyebrow, biting back the urge to say I doubt that.
"I need to know exactly what happened last night," he said, casting a dismissive glance at the Lifesaver.
"A maverick broke in. He used abilities similar to mine, and he attacked Douglas."
"I'll bet Alia's happy," X muttered under his breath.
"Normally, we would all rejoice. However, Douglas stumbled onto some important information regarding the technical issues we've been having. He has isolated the source to a point in the Pacific Ocean, but he was attacked before I could find out where it is."
"He's not dead, is he?"
"No, but he is being extensively repaired. I have made a theory of my own. This disturbance, whatever it is...it is called Elysium." X's eyes bulged, and Endymion gave him a quizzical stare. "Odd, Stealth Claw said you didn't know about it..."
"Care to explain?" X asked, trying to keep his breathing steady.
"The maverick...Stealth Claw, he said Sigma sent him to check on our progress with finding Elysium. I don't know what it means, but Claw mentioned a 'promised land'. You know what he's talking about?"
"Yeah," X said. "I'll tell you about it once we can get everyone together. So, did this maverick do anything else?"
"Not exactly," Endymion said, in a rare display of emotion. "However, I've got a suspicion about the girl Commander Zero picked up the other day. I swear, she recognized the maverick! Not only recognized him, but helped him escape."
"...Are you serious?" X asked, knowing full well that Endymion never joked.
"We can't prove anything at this point, but we believe she shut down the security systems and distracted me while Stealth Claw made his escape. Whether she did or not, she knew that maverick!"
"Where is she now?"
"I believe she is in the other section of the medlab."
"Alright. I'm going to see if I can get some answers out of her myself. Do me a favor though, Endy."
"Yes?"
"Don't tell Zero."
"Why not? More than any of us, he has a right to know."
"He's got enough on his plate without something like this to think about. He doesn't need the extra pressure."
"He doesn't need a maverick spy either!" Endymion interrupted.
"...Plus, this is all based on your opinion. This could turn out to be a false alarm," X continued undaunted. "Trust me, we wouldn't be helping him."
Pyre Mystic was trying her hardest to stop sweating bullets, but she was failing miserably. Not only was she back in the clutches of the Maverick Hunters, but that creepy silver Maverick Hunter was on to her. She sat on the edge of a bed, swinging her legs back and forth when a bold, yet soft, voice broke the silence.
"Excuse me, miss...?" She whipped her head about to face him. He was moderately tall, only a bit taller than she was. His unruly hair was a very light shade of brown, and his piercing green eyes stopped her breath for a split second. He exuded a sort of calm aura, one of quiet strength. He walked like a man who believed in what he was doing.
Without realizing it, she had started trembling. Mystic fidgeted nervously as she replied with "My name's Mystic...are you Zero?" She asked hopefully. She prayed that this reploid was Zero.
"Uh..." His step slightly faltered, and he seemed oddly taken aback. "No, I'm Megaman X." He was now standing right in front of her, and she found herself sweating for a different reason.
"I'm sorry, did I say something weird?" She offered.
"Not really," X said, scratching his head. "Well...sorta. I don't want to sound like an egomaniac, but we're kind of famous. It's just strange for someone to get us confused, that's it." He sat down on the bed next to her, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Oh. Well, I'm not really normal. I'm don't know a whole lot about the world." Mystic found herself tripping over her own words. Damn, he's gonna think I'm a defect.
"That's alright," X said, flashing another reassuring smile. "I can understand if you're a little nervous after what happened last night. I heard you got caught in the middle of a maverick attack."
"Yeah..." She whispered. Then, she realized what he was trying to do. He was trying to weasel out any connection she had to the mavericks. Well, if the silver reploid was going to play it that way, then so be it. "Yeah, that's it. I just can't get the picture of that crazy maverick outta my head."
"It's tough, I know," X said.
"And the weirdest thing is, I've seen him before." At this, X's eyes widened a fraction of a bit. "I saw him attacking a group of humans downtown. In fact, I was trying to get away from it when I got caught up in that other maverick attack..." She gave him a mirthless grin. "Ran away from one maverick right into another."
A pall seemed to have lifted off of X's face. He stood up, that aura of calm nearly doubled. "Thanks a lot, Mystic. I'd like to get to know you better, if you're going to be staying around HQ..."
"Of course I am!" She very nearly shouted. "I mean...I don't have a home. No family, no real friends, and I'm too scared to go back to my old haunts with that maverick on the loose, you know?" She said, hoping to cover up her irrational outburst.
"Well...great," X replied, his eyes boring into hers. "I'll see you around then."
"Dinner at 7?"
"Yea – wait, what?"
"If you wanna see me around, then take me to dinner tomorrow. Seven o' clock."
X paused for an excruciating moment, then it seemed as if he had come to a revelation. "I don't see why not," he said, and Mystic thought she could see him clutching a crumpled piece of paper with the words 'dear Alia' written on it. With a small wave, he turned and walked down the hall. Mystic let out a deep, satisfied sigh. Butterflies were having a party in her stomach. However, reality soon hit her like a hammer, crushing all the butterflies in the process.
"Shit!" She hissed as her eyes shrunk into pinpricks. She had just gotten a date with the wrong Maverick Hunter.
End of chapter 25
AN: Still not a lot happening, but it's all buildup for what's gonna happen soon. In the next few chapters, the action and story is gonna pick up something fierce. On another note, how's the love pentagon I've just made? (X – Alia – Zero – Mystic – Claw, for those who aren't keeping track anymore). Seriously, that was just a spur of the moment thing. In fact, about half of this story is spur of the moment things. But then again, maybe I shouldn't be telling all of you these things...
PS: Hey, school's out! And I'm already bored! That means chapters galore, unless something really interesting starts happening in the next few weeks.