Previously:
"Zero...What an interesting reploid."
Chapter 4
Cyber Elves
For the past few days, Zero had been trying her hardest to hide away from Ciel. The incident that happened a few days ago had traumatised the female combat reploid to the brink of driving her insane. This time, she had successfully hid in Cerveaus' lab, where Ciel rarely patronize.
"Zero..." Cerveau sighed for the umpteenth times of the day. "I don't want to be rude." he turned to the reploid hiding under his working desk. "But you're being an inconvenience to me. If Ciel finds out that I'm the one hiding you for the past two days, she'll do more than just grounding me!"
"I'm sorry." The female reploid apologised softly. "I'll make it up to you with some E-crystals."
"If you say so." The engineer said, returning to his work. "Oh! And I have these for you." he handed three data chips to Zero.
"What are these?" Zero examined the items given to her.
"Element enhancement data chips." Cerveau said, returning back to his work. "I've took some time off to create the data for your Z-saber."
"Element enhancement chips?" Zero said in surprise. "These data chips are not easy to find!"
"They are not easy to be found." the engineer admitted. "But they are easy to be reproduced." he finished with a grin.
"Reproduced, huh?" Zero muttered. "Are these as powerful as the original ones?"
"85% of the original power." Cerveau answered. "Strong enough to deal some significant damages to your enemies."
Zero loaded one of the chips into her saber and ignited it. Instantly, the green beam turned into a flame torch in the shape of a saber. The combat reploid looked at the fire sword with awe.
"Does it suit your taste?" Cerveau asked.
"Yes." Zero kept her saber in her left thigh pocket and the chips in a small compartment at the top of her wrist. "It's better than I expected."
"Glad to hear that." the engineer smiled. "I hate to break the news to you, but Ciel requires your presence at the command briefing room."
Zero shuddered a little. "Right now?"
"Yes, right now." the smile widened.
Zero dropped her head and reluctantly walked out of the lab, towards the briefing room. Cerveau had tried to keep himself from laughing at the misfortune of the poor female reploid.
The trip to the briefing room took longer than it was intended, as Zero slowly trudged her feet towards the room. Knocking on the door upon arrival, Zero waited for the reply. The door hissed open, revealing a pouting scientist at the door, glaring at her. Zero leaked cold sweat on her face and leaned back, trying to keep away from the death glare given to her by Ciel.
"Where have you been, Zero?" Ciel scolded. "I've been searching for you for days." she huffed and turned around.
"Er..." Zero glanced around, trying to find the right answer. "I've...been exploring the base." she tired.
"Is that so?" Ciel turned around, giving the reploid a suspicious look.
"Yes." Zero quickly said. "I'm...still not very familiar with the place."
"If that's the case." Ciel turned back and walked towards the main desk of the room. "Then I have nothing to hold against you." the scientist smiled. "Shall we begin with the mission briefing?"
Zero nodded and quickly went to her seat.
Colbor, who was sitting just beside the female reploid, nudged her and gave Zero a thumb-up. "Nice." he whispered under his breath. Zero nodded quietly in respond, hiding her smile and sighing inwardly.
"Everyone." Ciel's word drew everyone's attention in the room to her. "I believe that this mission is not something new to most of you." the scientist said in a commanding tone. "Many have tried. Some had succeeded, some had failed." around half of the reploid soldiers nodded knowingly, while the rest listened attentively.
"What's the mission?" Zero whispered to Colbor.
"For those who don't know what this mission is about." Ciel said before Colbor could answer. "The objective is to disrupt the enemy's supply by destroying their transport train."
The soldiers began to discuss among themselves. Ciel raised a hand and quietened the chattering down. "Every month, Neo Arcadia will send a train out to one of the old platforms out here to get their supplies." She said. "Base on the report from our scout unit, this month, the train will be sent to the platform near our base. This is our chance to attack." she turned and faced Zero. "Zero, I need your help with this mission."
The said reploid nodded her head in affirmation.
"Now." Ciel continued. "We will commence the operation in 12 hours sharp. Get ready at your stations and standby till then."
"Roger!" the reploid soldiers saluted and exited the room.
"And Zero." the command stopped the female reploid, who tried to blend into the crowd and sneak out of the room, at her track. "I have something to talk to you about."
"Yes, Ciel?" Zero creakily turned around, forcing a smile.
"After the mission, I'll be waiting for you in the command briefing room." Ciel said, adding the effect with a glare. "And don't even think about trying to hide away from me."
"Y-Yes, Ma'am!" Zero squeaked and quickly retreated from the room, sweating profusely.
"You alright?" Colbor asked. "Sound like you are in a pretty bad situation." the veteran soldier chuckled, earning a full-blown glare from the female reploid.
"You, out of everyone here, should know how it feels to have Ciel pinning you down with-!" Colbor quickly covered Zero's mouth, prevent the female reploid from saying anymore.
"Shh!" the soldier whispered. "You don't want to scare the others."
"Mmph!" Zero slowly nodded. Colbor removed his hand from the girl's face. "Let's get prepared. I don't want to recall the traumatising incident and let it get to me during the mission." Zero walked away, grumbling.
"I'd second that." Colbor followed the combat reploid.
Underground passageway: 11 hours and 45 minutes later
"This is Ciel. Do all of you hear me?" the voice crackled through from every hearing device of the reploids in the underground passageway.
"Loud and clear, Commander." Colbor replied.
"Good." Ciel said. "This is going to be brief. The transport train, that I mentioned during briefing, is lying deep within this underground passage. This train will be leaving in 45 minutes time. Stop them, and keep your guards up for enemies."
"Roger!" the soldier replied in unison.
"Alright guys." Colbor announced. "Let's get them!"
"I'll be going up front to make sure to reach the train." Zero said and ignited her saber. "You guys take care of anything I missed."
"Got it." Colbor flashed her a grin and turned to the rest of the team, giving out orders.
Zero smiled and started through the tunnel, slicing through hordes of machines with her beam saber.
Half an hour of hacking and slashing, and jumping over bottomless pits throughout the tunnel, Zero concluded her surrounding. "This place must have been abandoned for a long time." she dodged a jumping live cable. "It's still running. There's still power in this place. I've to be careful." she dash-jumped over another pit, cutting a passing-by mechanic bat into two.
"Damn..." Zero groaned under her breath. "Just how long is this tunnel? I'm getting impatient." she grabbed a reploid by its head and slammed it into the ground, smashing it into pieces, followed by a thrust-kick at another head. "Come on...come on..."
"Zero!" Colbor's voice came through the tele-communicator within the said reploid's helmet. "The end of the tunnel should not be too far away from your current location. Proceed with caution."
"At last..." Zero sighed with relief, catching a sight of a door not far away. "I'm sick of taking out small fry."
"As expected of the legend." Colbor said again. "Normal reploids are nothing to you."
Zero tried not to click her tongue to the title addressed to her. "I'll be going through the door. Don't come in until I tell you so." she ordered, and opened the door, leading into a railway junction. The reploid scanned the area and saw something that was no suppose to be in the place.
"What's that?" Zero glared at the machine standing in the middle of the junction. "An enemy?"
The machine itself was at least twice of Zero's height, an triangle-shaped mechaniloid wielding a spike mace on the left side of its body and a shield in front of it.
Zero noticed something glowing behind the shield. "Let's see if I can bust the shield." Zero loaded her Z-saber into the barrel of her buster. She looked back up and took aim at the shield, waiting as the power bar of her buster started filling up. The mechaniloid suddenly revving its engine and charged towards the female combat reploid.
"Shi-!" Zero barely dodged out of the way and fired at the machine. The shield was spun around the body of the mechaniloid, and deflected the fully-charged shot from the buster. "Damn! This guy's a tough nut."
"Zero." Ciel's voice came from the tele-communicator.
"What is it, Ciel?" Zero jumped to the side again, dodging the charge from the machine, barely.
"I've run a scan on the enemy you are facing now." Ciel said. "Be careful, Zero. Its power core is in between its treadmills, just behind its shield. But it's extremely resistance to attacks at the lower half of its body, and its shield is almost impenetrable."
"Er...Isn't it a tat too late to tell me that?" Zero dodged the thrown mace at her. "But it's almost impenetrable, right?" she glanced at the power bar of her buster again. Finding it filled fully, she smirked a little. "Then the head is mine."
"Zero..."
"Don't worry." Zero took aim. "This will be a easy one." she fired, jerking backwards from the recoil.
The fully-charged energy shot hit the top quarter of the mechaniloid. The machine leaned back from the blast, revealing a glowing sphere behind the raised shield.
"There!" Zero grabbed the saber from her buster and ignited it, stabbing into the sphere. The machine started to sparkle electricity around its body. "Uh-oh." Zero pulled her saber out from the sphere and jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding the explosion. The shockwave of the explosion send the reploid crashing heavily into a nearby wall, cracking a crater into the metal.
"Zero!" Ciel almost screamed. "Are you alright?"
"Ugh..." Zero slowly pushed herself off the crater in the wall. "I'm fine." she shook her head a little, clearing it.
"Thank goodness." Ciel sighed, relief. "Please be careful, Zero. There may be more enemies up ahead."
"Got it." Zero said, grabbing the saber handle from the ground not far from her. "Gotta move fast!" she staggered a little towards the largest gate of the junction.
"Zero, are you sure you're alright?" Ciel asked, concerned.
"Don't worry." Zero replied as her head cleared. "I fine." she punched a button beside the door which opened it. "I can still handle this."
"Zero..."
"I said I'm fine!" Zero snapped, shutting the scientist up. "I'm sorry. I...need to concentrate in the mission."
"Zero..." Ciel said softly. "I..."
"I'm sorry." the combat reploid said. "I'm...just a little edgy. Sorry I snapped at you."
"Don't be." Ciel said. "I'm at fault too."
Zero said nothing as she continued her way, reaching the train just beyond the door. "Ciel, I've reached the train."
"There is a cyber-elf, named Totten, held within the train." Ciel said. "It was stolen from our base. If it's taken to Neo Arcadia, they will abuse its power."
"What?!"
"Please, Zero." the scientist pleaded. "Rescue it."
"You don't have to tell me twice." Zero sneaked to the back of the train and peeked around the edge. Some of the reploid was carrying crates into the train while others stood around the place, guarding the car.
"Guards..." Zero muttered. "Colbor." she whispered.
"This is Colbor." came the reply. "What is it, Zero?"
"I need snipers." the combat reploid said. "Three of them, each at different spot."
"Got it." the reply was soon accompanied by several gunshots, and followed by the reploids falling to the ground. "And the job's done."
"Thanks Colbor." Zero flashed a thumb-up in the air. "You know what to do."
Warning! Enemies detected! Alarms blared from the train. Executing emergency departure. The train started moving.
"Damn!" Zero cursed and dashed jump onto the train.
"Zero!" Colbor's voice came from the tele-comm.
"Don't worry about me!" Zero replied. "Defend the area at all cost!"
"Zer-! Never mind. Roger that!" Colbor watched the train leave the platform. "Contact Ciel. And let's hope that we'll only get an earful."
"Yes sir!" one of the soldier reploid saluted.
"Tsk." Zero held tighter onto the frame of the train. "This is getting troublesome." she grabbed a ledge and flipped herself to the top of the carriage.
"Zero!" Ciel's voice came in. "Zero, come in!"
"This is Zero." the reploid hacked an arm off her opponent. "Is there a problem, Ciel?"
"I've done a signal reading scan on the train. Totten's signal is found at the engine chamber if the train."
"Great." Zero rolled her eyes. "I have to fight to the front of this metal worm."
"Please be careful, Zero." Ciel's sickeningly sweet voice echoed throughout Zero's helmet, giving her chills down the spine.
I have a bad feeling about this...The thought flashed through the reploid's mind, almost distracting her from the enemies. Zero continued slashing along the length of the train. It didn't take long for her to reach the engine chamber.
"Zero." Ciel's voice came in again. "The signal reading I've scanned is just in front of you."
"So this is it." Zero muttered.
"Be careful." Ciel continued. "Large signal readings is also found in the engine chamber."
"Got it." Zero pushed open the door. What she saw in the engine chamber was not what she expected. Half of a reploid was attached to a large metallic sphere by dozens of cables. A look of disgust found its way onto the combat reploid's face. "What...the hell...is that?" Zero muttered.
"That must be the main engine of the train." Ciel said.
Suddenly, the part of the ceiling right above Zero opened up, revealing rows of deadly spikes. The floor beneath Zero jerked a little as something unlocked from it. "What the-!" the piece of metal floor ejected upwards, pushing Zero towards the spikes above.
"Crap!" Zero ignited the thruster beneath her boots and dashed sideways, dropping off the rising platform seconds before it slamming into the spikes. "That would have killed me." Zero loaded the saber handle into the buster's barrel, charging the gun. "Let's be kind and let me return the favour." she fired a full-charged shot at the reploid, blasting its left shoulder into pieces.
A screech was heard from the reploid and its single eye flared. The sphere started moving forward, fire blasting from a blowtorch below it.
"I guess I did something..." Zero backed away slowly. "And it's not really happy about it."
The sphere continued pushing its way through the chamber, closing in to Zero steadily. Zero fired another fully-charged shot at the reploid, this time hitting it right at the head, shattering it. However, the sphere continued moving towards Zero, its blowtorch flaring uncontrollably.
"Great..." Zero sighed and started firing rapidly at the sphere, breaking holes and denting the shape. After firing countless amount of bullets, the engine could not take the hits any more and exploded, taking out half of the engine chamber and slowing the train into a stop.
"Zero!" Ciel's voice echoed throughout the ruin. "Zero! Do you copy?!"
Coughing was heard as a piece of metal was pushed out of its place. "Yeah...*cough*...I'm fine." Zero pushed herself out of the ruins. "I'm f-Gwafuh!" she was suddenly tackled by something into the face.
"Zero?" Ciel asked, concerned about the sudden sound. "Are you alright?"
"Thank you so much!" a chirpy voice was heard through the tele-communicator. "Thank you so much, Miss. You saved me!"
"Totten!" Ciel almost squealed. "You're safe!"
The female reploid spent some time pulling the cyber-elf off her face. "That's dangerous." she scolded. "You could have gotten yourself hurt."
"I'm sorry." The cyber-elf looked down in guilt.
Zero, however, smiled. "But I'm glad. You're safe." she patted the small creature in the head.
"Yay!" The elf brightened almost instantly and tackled Zero's face again. This time, Zero was prepared and managed to recover from the tackle.
"Thank you, Zero." Ciel said. "This mission is a success. I really appreciate your help."
"It's alright, Ciel." Zero stood up, with the cyber-elf still hugging her face. "I'm coming back." she started walking back to the base.
"Colbor is on his way to pick you up." Ciel said. "He should be there any moment."
"I saw him." Zero waved, seeing a dot down the railway track. "Thanks Ciel."
"It's my pleasure."
Neo Arcadia Headquarters
"What did you say?!" A fist hammered onto the table, crushing the tabletop. "The train transporting supplies for this month was destroyed?!"
"M-My deepest apology, Lady Harpuia." The kneeling reploid shrunk inwards. "We've underestimated the abilities of the Resistance force. It's our miscalculation."
"And the cyber-elf?"
"It couldn't be found."
"Get out." Harpuia sighed, frustrated. "And send me the report within an hour."
"Understood, Lady Harpuia." the reploid bowed and exited the room. He turned and bowed again, as he passed by a tall and tan reploid. The reploid was wearing a bright red sleeveless trench-coat, underneath the coat was a set of red and white armour platings covering the matching jumpsuit.
"Never took you as one to get frustrated that easily." the reploid leaned against the door frame. "Is that new reploid of the Resistance that good?"
"That reploid destroyed our disposal facility, Fefnir." Harpuia growled, glaring at the reploid. "And this time she blew up our supply train." Fefnir whistled at the words. "And apparently, Master X is not very happy about that." Harpuia stressed the last sentence with her pursed lips.
"Ah." Fefnir opened her mouth to hide her chuckle. "I can...understand that." she said. "But fear not. Besides Master X, there is no living reploid that can defeat us, the Shitennou of Neo Arcadia."
"I hope you're right." Harpuia put on her green cloak. She walked towards the door, pushed pass Fefnir and got out of the room. "Where's Leviathan and Phantom?"
"Leviathan?" Fefnir almost chuckled. "She's dunking herself in cold water, complaining about the weather. God knows what's going on in that head of hers."
"And Phantom?"
"Hell if I know where she is." Fefnir huffed, smirking. "You're asking about the reploid who rarely shows herself to others..." she paused for a moment. "Alright....maybe except during mission briefing."
Harpuia sighed out loud. "Great..." she walked on, Fefnir following closely behind her. "And why are you following me?"
"I guess I'm bored." Fefnir shrugged.
Harpuia tried hard not to facepalm. "I'm glad I've such an interesting family." she grumbled and ignored the red reploid behind her.
Resistance Base
"Totten!"
"Alouette!"
The cries were accompanied by a small reploid and a cyber-elf tackling into each other. Giggling was heard from the entangled duo as Alouette slowly stood up, holding the cyber-elf in her small hands.
"Totten must be very special to Alouette." Zero said, smiling at the scene.
"Yes." Ciel stood beside Zero. "Alouette was the one who found Totten before we found her at the ruins. They're very close with each other."
"I see."
"Totten may be a child now. But she's a unique cyber-elf." the scientist continued. "And with love and care, she'll learn an awesome ability when she grows up."
"That will be great." Zero muttered. "But I hope she need not sacrifice herself." she whispered at the last part.
"Zero?" Ciel looked at the reploid.
"Ah...it's nothing." Zero quickly said, laughing sheepishly.
"I see. And Zero." Ciel suddenly snapped her fingers. Instantly, half of a dozens of soldier reploids, all female, latched themselves onto Zero.
"Wha-What?!" Zero tried to struggle free from the hold. "Hey!"
"Let's go, girls." Ciel said as she led the giggling reploids to her room.
"Wait! Wait! Hold on a second." Zero turned to Colbor as she was dragged into the dreaded destination. "Colbor! Save me!"
"Let's go play some cards." The said reploid had already turned around and patted his comrades at the back.
"Sure." the rest of the soldiers followed him, away from the girls.
"Colbor you traitor!" Zero's scream echoed around the corner of the hallway.
"Good luck again, my comrade in arms." Colbor turned and saluted after the group, soon followed by the rest of his group. "I hope you can survive that again, with your mind intact."
Yay!!!! Fourth chapter is out! Hope you've enjoyed it. I'll leave it up to you to imagine what was being done to Zero.
Anyway, reviews please, or even favourite or add it into your story alert. Do it! Do it! XD
Preview:
"I'm Anubis Necromaness the Third. I work for Fefnir, one of the four guardians. I'm the king of destruction and the ruler of the desert!"