-32-

The massive maverick walked to the edge of the mechaniloid factory's roof and looked down at the many reploid police units surrounding the building. They weren't doing anything, obviously waiting for a Maverick Hunter to come. That made him chuckle. A Hunter wouldn't stop him, he was bigger and stronger than all of them. Grinning, he pushed the button of the detonator he carried in his massive hand, activating the rocket launchers he had strategically placed in the Factory so that they fired a barrage of missiles aimed at the police. The resulting attack completely destroyed each and every Reploid in the vicinity, leaving only a ruined perimeter around his building. That should have been all, but he then realized there was a police spybot above him, so he lifted his left fist and fired three bombs from his arm- mounted launcher, laughing as they exploded high up in the air, destroying the flying pest. Satisfied, he thumped his chest, confident nobody would dare challenging the destructive power of the Master of explosions… Bomb Triceraton!

=0=

Vile touched ground right outside the Mechaniloid factory and was greeted by the loud noise of the Tunneler inside it. He had to admit that as much of a sick bastard as Lumine was, placing a nuclear bomb in the middle of a large city was an effective way to strike terror in the population, which seemed to be one of his main goals. That New Generation psychopath had truly crafted a plan that would have made Sigma at his craziest extremely proud.

"According to my readings the factory is full of Runnerbombers," Scarlet said then. "But their specs are low, you shouldn't have any trouble with those, Vile."

"Of course not, those idiots are trash! They're even weaker than Disk Boys," replied Vile.

"There are several ride armors in the factory, I'll send you a list with their locations," Scarlet continued. "Unfortunately, it seems some Runnerbombers are piloting armors as well."

"Hah, that only makes this more interesting," he declared. "Pay attention, Scarlet. I'll show you how strong I am!"

Vile cut communication with his navigator and walked to the Factory gates, which he found were being guarded by wall-mounted bomb launchers, which responded to his movements and shot two bombs each in his direction. The purple-armored hunter waited for the explosives to hit the ground and then jumped over them, shooting a rocket from his own shoulder cannon at the nearest bomb launcher in order to both destroy it and to activate his antigravity chip, which allowed him to stay in the air for a couple of seconds longer while he used his guns, to allow for better aiming. This maneuver helped Vile avoid the explosion below him, and just as he landed, he shot a quick barrage of bullets from his finger gun to destroy the other bomb launcher.

"Hah! Triceraton is an idiot if he thought this could stop me!" the renegade hunter laughed. He glanced left and right to make sure there were no more surprises and then knelt to shoot a grenade from his knee launcher. The grenade hit the ground, rolled and struck the factory gates, destroying them with a loud blast.

And just as Scarlet had warned him, a group of Runnerbombers rushed in his direction, guns at the ready.

"This is going to be fun!" Vile said and prepared to stand his ground.

=0=

"You want me to give you a clearance code to access the armor room?" Alia asked, staring at Splash Woman as if she had grown a second head. Splash Woman had interrupted her while she was monitoring X during his mission in the Deep Sea Laboratory, and never imagined the Robot Master would make such an unusual request. "But why? I mean, all the Light Capsules are inactive. They always stop working after X obtains the armor piece contained inside them, even if I give you the code, you'll find nothing useful in there."

"You don't know that," the mermaid challenged, her arms crossed in defiance. "I am a Lightbot and you are not; the capsules may react to me just like they did with X."

Alia held back her answer as she considered Splash Woman's words. She had to admit the Robot Master had a point, she was indeed a Lightbot; the only other one around besides Mega Man X. There was no harm in letting her visit that room, and if the Light capsules did react to her, it may be the key they needed to learn more about X's armor system.

"Well?"

The blonde navigator nodded. "You're right, the capsules may identify you as a Lightbot and reactivate. I'll give you a code."

"Excellent," the Robot Master said and smiled, pleased that she would be able to see the last creations of her maker.

"Just insert this card in the corresponding slot above the door's lock," Alia explained as she handed the mermaid a shiny, small silver rectangle. "It contains the code you'll need."

"Thank you," Splash woman said. "I'll let you know if something happens."

"If I may…" Viktor Cossack, who had been listening to the conversation with discreet interest, said.

"Of course, Doctor," Alia said, politely smiling at him. "What do you need?"

"Would it be a problem if I went with Splash Woman?" He asked. "I've always wanted to at least look at the Light capsules, this is a rare chance that I wouldn't like to miss."

"Well, if she doesn't mind…" the navigator then looked at Splash Woman. "Is it alright with you?"

"Yes, it's alright," Splash Woman nodded. "I think having an expert roboticist like Doctor Cossack with me is for the best in case the capsules react in any way."

=0=

Vile crouched to avoid a punch from a Ride Armor and then dashed so he was behind it. He took aim and shot a rocket from his shoulder cannon, hitting the Runnerbomber piloting the armor in the back. The resulting explosion not only destroyed the annoying humanoid reploid, but it unfortunately damaged the armor's controls, if the smoke coming out of the cabin was any indication.

"Bah, I guess I'll have to find another," Vile grumbled as he opened the door the Runnerbomber had been protecting. He entered a large area, which turned out to be the main assembly line, and from what he could see, it was well protected by enemy mechaniloids which appeared to follow a set pattern. The main inconveniences here as far as the hunter was concerned were that the robot arms in charge of assembling machinery were all active. Said arms were very well-armored and powerful, and Vile was certain they would try to attack him when he approached them.

He remembered the list Scarlet sent him and pulled it from his databanks to confirm that there should be three Ride Armors in this location. Further inspection revealed it was truth and Vile chuckled in pleasant anticipation. To his right, behind a few crates, was a Ride Armor ready for him to take, and the path to it was clear off enemy mechaniloids.

"Leaving even one ride armor unguarded is stupid," Vile murmured. "But it's good for me so, sucks to be them."

Vile slid behind the crates, jumped into the armor and comfortably sat behind the controls. He relaxed once he started its engine, feeling the uplifting sensation that always invaded him when he was piloting a Ride Armor. He simply loved the things! They were so practical, so convenient and most of all, so unstoppable! The renegade Hunter activated the armor's massive fists and punched the metal crates away, proceeding then to crush everything that tried to stop him. And while he did this, his mind distractedly went back to what happened a few hours before, when Signas showed up in his base of operations.

He and Scarlet had been evaluating job offers, thinking that maybe going after a gang of reploid thugs that were targeting a construction company's transports should be the first one they accepted when Signas entered their home. Vile had been actually surprised by this, and was more so when Signas simply sat in a chair and asked for a few minutes of their time. Scarlet had been startled but she quickly recovered, trying to calm Vile down enough so that he considered listening to her former commander.

Except that Vile didn't want to listen. It was one thing to have Zero invade his home, but this Signas? He was not going to have any of it. Or that is what he thought, because just as Vile was about to kick him out of his base, Signas simply lifted his hand and activated a Special Weapon he called the 'Dark Hold'. A very useful weapon that stops time around the user, for as long as the weapon energy lasts, Signas had so helpfully explained. Oh, and of course the pompous Maverick Hunter Commander had explained that he had enough weapon energy to keep the damn thing going for almost twenty minutes.

Vile recalled the fury he felt at being paralyzed recede when he actually listened to what Signas had to say. Lumine stealing nuclear bombs and threatening civilization with global earthquakes and nuclear holocaust, Nightmare Drives for sale… not a pretty picture at all. Vile, however, considered that he could profit from all that chaos, until Signas said a few things which made him reconsider. The first one was the offer of a full pardon for all his recorded criminal activities. The second was a substantial amount of money, which Signas promised he'd ask the High Command for and finally, he mentioned that it would be a shame if Lumine's plan ended up destroying whatever it was that Vile wanted to protect. And those words helped Vile discover that he did want to protect Scarlet, kind of. She was resourceful, strong and most importantly, she was the only person he tolerated enough to actually like somewhat. Because she got him, and finding someone who understood what made him tick and appreciated him for it was something he always thought he could never have.

And so he had agreed to help Signas and so far he was not regretting it! He now had the chance to piss off Zero and X as much as he wanted, with the added bonus the two idiots couldn't do anything to him and besides, he'd get enough money to really start his operation. Not to mention having the opportunity of wrecking the rust out of a maverick-controlled area had always been Vile's idea of 'super fun' times.

"Yeah, not a bad deal, all things considered," he thought returning to attention as his Ride Armor punched down the gates separating him from the factory's testing grounds, where he knew the Tunneler was located.

=0=

The testing grounds consisted of a very large area, littered with damaged prototype vehicles and other pieces of machinery. The Tunneler was right in the middle, half of it already beneath the ground. The nuclear bomb was there as well, on the far side of the testing grounds. To Vile's left was the control panel that directed the Tunneler-D16 and before him stood a tall reploid, taller than even Flame Mammoth had been: Bomb Triceraton.

"Well, if it isn't Vile," Triceraton observed with evident disdain. "I was hoping to meet X or Zero… even Axl, but you? You're not a challenge, not even with that Ride Armor. This is insulting!"

"If that's what you think then you're sadly mistaken, Tricera-fool," Vile laughed. "I'm here to turn you into scarp!"

"That so? Let's see how true that is!" the dinosaur reploid taunted and unleashed three bombs from his left arm, aiming to destroy both Vile and his ride armor.

Only that he didn't hit the renegade hunter, Vile had expertly dodged the attack and closed the distance separating him from Bomb Triceraton in mere seconds.

"True enough for you?" Vile announced, pushing the right lever of the ride armor's controls, making it deliver a powerful punch that connected with the tall maverick's face, dropping him on his back with a loud metallic clank.

Bomb Triceraton hated being hit and the fact Vile had managed to do so had him seeing red. Getting up quickly, he roared in fury and charged towards the armor at full speed, capturing it in a deadly hug and smashing it against a wall, where he started tearing the machinery apart with his incredible strength.

"You're finished!" the maverick yelled, detonating three bombs at point blank, destroying what was left of the ride armor with a single mighty blast.

"I see you are not all talk," Vile, who had jumped high right before his armor exploded, taunted as he landed on atop Triceraton's broad shoulders. "Good, that will make things interesting!"

"Get off me!" the triceratops based reploid screamed, thrashing around to get rid of the renegade hunter.

"As soon as I do this," Vile said, while holding tight on one of Triceraton's horns with one hand. After steadying himself, he stabbed the maverick's eye with his middle and index fingers to shoot six bullets from his finger-gun straight into Triceraton's skull, hoping to hit the maverick's brain for a quick kill.

The result was not exactly what Vile was hoping for. Enraged beyond his limits, Triceraton shot his hands up and managed to grab the renegade hunter by the leg before he could jump away. The maverick then threw him against a prototype truck with such force Vile went through it like a cannonball, ending buried under the collapsed vehicle.

"Ok… that didn't work the way I wanted," he muttered, feeling his back aching like a beast. Vile ran a quick diagnostic and sighed in relief when he saw none of his inner systems were damaged. His armor was dented in places and cracked in others, which explained the agony he felt and worse, his Power Core had decreased to 59% after the impact, but his weapons worked well so he could still fight, and his self-repair systems were already numbing the pain he was experiencing. Angered by the damage he'd received, Vile decided it was time to destroy Triceraton in the most painful manner possible.

"Vile, your energy levels just decreased, are you alright?" Scarlet asked, concern evident in her voice.

"This is nothing, I am fine," he answered as he pushed the twisted metal out of the way so he could get back up. "Have the other idiots uploaded any Special Weapons to the database?"

"Yes, X and Axl… wait, Zero just uploaded one more!"

"Which ones?" Vile asked, surprised the stupid trio had been useful for a change.

Scarlet hurried and listed the new weapons and then said, "Triceraton's armor is highly resistant to heat, so don't use the Fire Stinger. He is very vulnerable to cold because it slows his Power Core's output, and that in turn limits his movements. Freezing him is your best option!"

"Thanks for the info, that gives me an idea on how to take him out," the purple-armored reploid replied as he stepped out of the wreckage. Triceraton was standing there waiting for him, right hand covering his mauled eye.

"Good. Retire that big bucket of rusty bolts like only you can!" Scarlet encouraged and ended the call.

"I'm going to make you hurt!" the maverick swore. "I'll crush your body and then I will blast whatever is left into tiny little pieces!"

"Shut up, you fourth-rate piece of junk!" the renegade hunter shouted in order to distract Triceraton while he downloaded the Tsunami Wave and the Ice Slither. "I don't have to listen to an ex-demolition worker like you, who got fired because he was too stupid to do his job. All you were ever good for was causing accidents!"

"Curse you!" the dinosaur reploid growled, he hated being reminded of his shameful dismissal from Cain Labs. It had not been his fault the bridge collapsed before intended. It had not! Furious, Triceraton shot his Triple Bomb at the hunter, but with his optics damaged his aim was off and the bombs ended up exploding several meters away from Vile.

The hunter took advantage of this to use his Combiner System on the two Special Weapons he had downloaded. Vile, unlike X or Zero who could copy Special Weapons or learn techniques based on them, possessed a different tool to use the abilities of defeated mavericks. His Combiner System, which had been developed for him by Doctor Cain himself, allowed him to combine two or more Special Weapons to grant a multitude of effects for the ammo used by the many weapons hidden in his body. And so, by merging the data of the water and ice type weapons, Vile obtained the Ice Spear Missile.

This happened in less than three seconds, so when Vile finished combining the Special Weapons Triceraton was only just only marching towards him, his bomb launcher aimed and at the ready. It was obvious the maverick wanted to shoot him from as close a range as possible to maximize the chances of hitting him. A shame that wouldn't work.

"Eat this!" Vile exclaimed, firing a blue sharp missile at his enemy. It hit him in the arm, freezing his bomb launcher and preventing Triceraton from shooting his triple bomb attack.

"This is nothing!" The dinosaur reploid shouted and smashed his left fist on the ground to shatter the ice. Unfortunately for him, when his arm froze the explosives already in the bomb launcher had only delayed their detonations, and when Triceraton punched the rock beneath his feet all he managed to do was to trigger the explosives, the three of them blowing up loudly, enveloping him in smoke and fire.

When the smoke cleared Vile was greeted with the image of Bomb Triceraton on his knees and howling in pain, grabbing at his mauled arm and trying to stop the power fluid gushing from the wound. His attempts were useless; the leak wouldn't stop, which meant his emergency and self-repair systems had been severely damaged by the blast.

"I will not die alone!" Triceraton swore, glaring at the renegade hunter with his good eye as he charged him in a mad rush, the three horns crowning his head aimed at his enemy's chest, hoping for a kill by impalement. "I am going to take you with me, you Maverick Hunter scum!"

Vile watched and waited until the very last moment to dive left, dodging the deadly charge. Not wasting any time, Vile rolled back to his feet and, taking advantage of Triceraton's reduced reaction time, managed to shoot another Ice Spear Missile at him, hitting him in the gaping hole where his arm used to be. The effect proved to be catastrophic; the Ice-based attack froze Triceraton's core with deadly results. His Power Core immediately started overcompensating to counteract the sudden change in temperature until it overheated, frying all of the maverick's inner workings and wiring, short-circuiting his electronic brain and frying the rest of his systems, effectively killing him and leaving nothing but a shell full of molten circuits and wires behind.

"Hey, Scarlet," Vile called. "I just retired Dumb Tricera-fool. You can send a bomb squad now."

"Consider it done," she replied. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll return to HQ for some quick maintenance before I go squash the second maverick Signas assigned me." Vile went on as he reached with his fingers into the dead maverick's eye socket, looking for something which he found quickly enough: Triceraton's weapon chip.

"Very well, I'll see you here," Scarlet said. "Congratulations on a hunt well done, Vile."

"Were you expecting anything else, Scarlet? Anyway, I'm uploading this useless fat reptile's weapon data to the database," the renegade hunter declared and cut off communications while he walked to the control panel. He stood before it and considered for a moment using it to send the Tunneler to his base, but it wasn't worth it. He didn't have the means to give the vehicle the necessary maintenance and it would be too expensive anyway. Deciding this, Vile simply pointed his cannon at the control panel and shot at it, destroying it with a satisfying boom!

Seeing how the Tunneler creaked to a sudden stop, Vile laughed and teleported out of the factory.

=0=

Notes:

Thanks to Adam for beta reading.

This chapter was fun to write, but mainly because Vile is also a fun character to work with.