Relic of the seas
By
Dr Facer
-40-
Lumine groaned his displeasure at the images in his monitor. X and Zero were already on his Factory's turbolift, something they were not supposed to do so quickly, if at all. Of course, the only reason they managed to do that was because Vile had, surprisingly, decided to fight the Sigma-MK9 on his own, giving the irritating blue hunter and his annoying red armored friend the opportunity to reach him faster.
"Irrelevant in the end," he mused as he started pacing around his control room. "Perhaps the Sigma copy didn't kill them all, but that only gives me the chance to do it myself."
Standing very still as he waited for his enemies to arrive, Lumine's mind wandered back to the moment he found Isoc in Gate's secret laboratory. He had been going through the files in the main computer when Isoc's programming manifested in front of him, explaining he was trapped inside the computer and that he couldn't get out because of the electromagnetic interference in the area. Lumine had refused to help him at first, but then Isoc offered his scientific skills, sharing the plans to build things like the Mandala Q5 or the Sigma-MK9 in an effort to prove his usefulness.
"Despite his shortcomings he was a far more useful tool than expected," Lumine admitted. Grudgingly accepting Isoc's assistance had helped accelerate his plans, since the scientist had agreed to stay and work in this factory while he was busy using Axl's body to collect relevant information, recruit his eight Maverick generals and then stealing and securing the nuclear missiles. Isoc also built him this new body following all the specifications he was given, and he even helped perfecting the Nightmare Drive design.
"But Isoc was also arrogant and a coward," he decided, frowning as he recalled the moment Isoc abandoned the factory. "Finding him and killing him later will be such a pleasure."
The door to his right suddenly opened, interrupting his thoughts of vengeance.
"Lumine!" X called as he and Zero dashed into the control room.
"It's over!" Zero said.
"Welcome," Lumine smirked and crossed his arms, unimpressed by the two hunters. "I imagine you are proud of yourselves, getting here fifteen minutes before the Great Winter launches… poor, deluded fools, there is no way you can stop it, my new world is right at hand!"
"You're insane," Zero retorted. "And we will stop you!"
"Evolution can't be stopped, I can't be stopped! The old world you hold so dear is finished… finished!" Lumine declared as he rose to the air, energy glowing around him. "Ah… but I see hope still shines inside you, does it not? ...Very well, then come at me, Maverick Hunters. Come at me so I can crush your hopes and end your lives!"
=0=
"Vile just beamed to the medibay," Lifesaver announced, his face appearing in one corner of Scarlet's screen. "I thought you'd like to know that, given how many times you've asked in the last few minutes."
"Thank you, I'm going there now!" Scarlet said and turned off his terminal, relief washed over her finally knowing her Vile had returned and would be repaired!
"Something happened?" Signas asked, looking up from the monitor he was watching, where Layer was showing him how the progress the bomb squads in charge of recovering the nukes from the eight areas the hunters had cleared was going.
"Vile's here!" Scarlet replied, rushing out of Control room, not bothering with asking for the Commander's permission to leave.
…
Scarlet entered the medibay just in time to see Lifesaver and three other medics carrying Vile into an Operating Room. She couldn't see much of him, other than he had lost his legs and was still leaking power fluid. Her surprise was instantly replaced by a strong concern that filled her every circuit and she rushed to his side, she had to make sure he could be fixed!
"Wait, let me in!" she demanded, pushing the doors of the Operating Room open, startling the medical team that was about to start working on the purple armored hunter.
"We need to stabilize him, please wait outside," Lifesaver said without looking back at the emotional navigator. The medic was busy connecting Vile's core to an energy recharger, and didn't want to be interrupted constantly during the important repairs that he would need to perform.
"I'm not waiting outside!" Scarlet exclaimed. "I won't leave Vile alone!"
"Let her stay…" Vile said. "She won't… shut up otherwise."
"You're still conscious?" Lifesaver asked, quite surprised by how tenacious Vile was. The reploid doctor quickly decided to ignore whatever drama Vile and Scarlet had going on between them and signaled his helpers to begin working on the hunter's lower half, sealing the power fluid leak so they could refill him and start replacing his damaged servomotors.
"He says I can stay," the redhead repeated as she approached the operating table, only to stop cold the moment she actually saw Vile. His helmet was partially destroyed and exposed most of his face. What Scarlet saw made her circuits crawl; Vile's face was skinless, nothing but a mesh of artificial muscle and tendons crossed by wires that covered his metallic skull.
"Yeah… that's the reaction I… was expecting…" Vile coughed. "Are you leaving?"
"…No," she declared, her voice soft and comforting as she walked to his side to gently place her hand over his exposed forehead. "I'm staying here, Vile. I'll never leave you."
"But my face… is incomplete… no artificial skin… I never…" the hunter started.
"It doesn't matter," she reassured with a smile. "Incomplete or not, you are Vile, and I love you."
"That's… nice," he said after a moment of hesitation. "Not something I wanted to hear in front of an audience and damaged almost beyond repair… but it's… nice. I guess… I also…"
"Listen, I'm glad for you both," Lifesaver cut in then. "But I do need to put him in stasis or I won't be able to replace his legs and torso."
"You heard the doctor… Scarlet," Vile said, straining to speak now but also feeling glad for the interruption. "Let them work, I promise we'll talk… after I'm fixed."
=0=
Lumine was pushed back and hit the wall hard, his systems protesting as electricity coursed through his body in painful waves. The New Generation tyrant had been using the Magnet Barrier to protect himself from harm, but X used the Thunder Striker to destroy the force field, something Zero took advantage of to hit him with a special attack he called the Denki Tatsumaki. As a result his Power Core descended to 90% and that was not supposed to happen!
"I'm going to mangle you!" Lumine swore, switching to the Triple Bomb and using it to attack X and Zero with his enhanced version of the explosive attack.
"I think we're making him mad," Zero said while jumping back to avoid the first row of bombs.
"Lucky us his strategy is the same as the last time we fought him," X replied as he followed his friend's example, jumping to avoid the second row of explosives, "which means I can do this!"
Dashing under a new set of bombs, X quickly switched weapons and selected the Ice Slither, shooting five frost needles at Lumine, hitting him in the chest and arms. The attack was successful enough to make the mad reploid stagger back a few steps.
"That was not enough!" Lumine yelled, bringing his hands forward, unleashing a Flash Claw shot. The wave of light struck X in the shoulder, completely paralyzing him. "Now die!"
"Not while I'm here!" Zero said and dashed towards Lumine trying to buy X some time to recover. When he was right in front of his enemy, the crimson hunter activated the Fire Stinger, igniting his body in flames as he drove his saber forward, calling the name of his special technique. "Honō no ha-zashi!"
"What?" Taken by surprise and unable to block Zero's quick attack, Lumine ended up enveloped in flames, and was forced to switch to the Tsunami Wave in order to counter the fire burning him and consuming his energy. Frustrated, he activated his antigravity system and floated high to gain some space and gather his thoughts. Was this how Sigma felt when these two hunters refused to die? Possibly, he decided, but unimportant. Focusing again on Zero, Lumine selected the Thunder Striker and released a powerful electric blast against him, grinning as he saw how the red armored hunter had to twist and dash out of the way. Yes, this was how it should be, maggots like X and Zero should always flee from his power!
Lumine's contemplations were cut short by a charged shot hitting his back, dropping his energy to 75%. A quick look revealed X had recovered and was already preparing another charge!
"Damn you X!" he cursed, unleashing a barrage of electric blasts aimed at the blue hunter.
"We're definitively making him angry!" Mega Man X said as he jumped and bounced off a wall to avoid the lighting Lumine sent his way.
"Then let's piss him off even more!" Zero told him. "Double charge shot?"
"Yeah, double from each of us and at the same time," X answered. "Build your charge and get ready, we need to take him down fast!"
"Dangerous idea, X," Zero smiled as he did what his friend suggested. "But I like it, let's do it!"
"Whatever you're planning, it will be useless!" Lumine screamed, this time attacking with a modified version of the Ice Slither, throwing several icicles at the hunters. The attack was slow, but it covered a wide area, making it difficult to avoid.
X and Zero split, he going right and Zero dashing left, barely dodging the ice wall. X's systems warned him against building a charge on both his busters, but he ignored it and instead drove more power into his weapons. Zero's weapon system flashed a similar alarm but the crimson hunter likewise ignored it and continued feeding his busters with power.
Glancing at each other, both hunters nodded and quickly synchronized their movements as they closed in on their opponent. X dashed under Lumine's Fire Stinger attack, while Zero double jumped over it, effectively completing a pincer maneuver that cornered their foe.
"Take this!" X shouted, bringing forth both busters, unleashing two charged shots at point blank.
"You're finished!" Zero announced and also discharged his own charged shots from above.
"Impossible!" Lumine shouted as he was engulfed by the huge wave of energy the two hunters attacked him with.
=0=
"Did we get him?" X wondered while his optics fixed on the dissipating smoke that covered the spot where Lumine had been standing.
"Not sure…" Zero said. "I hope we did, we only have ten minutes left, and…"
The smoke cleared then, revealing Lumine was still standing. The New Generation maniac had greatly resented the attack, and it was obvious he was damaged beyond repair as his power fluid gushed from countless cracks on his armor. He straightened slowly and glared at X and Zero with red glowing eyes.
"I… I really hate you," he hissed after noticing his energy had decreased to only 2%. "You two hurt me again! Again! That is unacceptable!"
"Guess we didn't get him," Zero said as he reached for his beam saber. "Let's finish the job, X."
"Agreed," the blue hunter nodded, raising his buster. "It's time to end this."
"You'll do nothing!" the villain shouted, anger boiling inside him. "Don't think this is over, I will still kill you!"
Screaming in rage, Lumine expelled a surprising amount of energy that shook the ground beneath his feet. Suddenly, an orb made of red and black metal broke through the wall behind X and Zero, forcing them to dash out of the way to avoid getting hit. The sphere flew towards the white armored reploid and stopped when it was floating right above him.
"What the hell is that?" asked Zero.
"Whatever it is, I bet it's not good," X answered.
"This is the final Nightmare Drive… the Nightmare Armor!" Lumine stated, gazing up at the dark orb with a triumphant smile. Isoc had indeed built it well, and he was sure it would serve its purpose perfectly. "Loathe the moment you made me use it!"
"You won't!" Mega Man X swore, switching to the Fire Stinger and blasting the floating sphere with burning flames that did absolutely nothing, the orb remained unscratched.
"Fools! My Nightmare Armor is completely indestructible!" he cackled, staring at X and Zero with insanity filled eyes. "Taste destruction!"
Still laughing like a maniac, Lumine brought his hands up, summoning the sphere to him so he could merge with it.
=0=
"It's no use, Splash Woman," Alia said with a disappointed sigh, leaning forward and staring at her monitor. "The interference around Laguz Island and the first two levels of the Nightmare Factory is gone, but it's still too strong in the deepest part of the building, there's no way to see what's happening down there."
"I'm sure X will be alright," Splash Woman predicted, hoping her words would come true.
"Me, too," Alia agreed with a nod. "X has never failed before; he'll be back in no time."
"I hope Zero returns safely, too," Layer said then, her eyes set on her terminal. "He's usually the one who gets damaged during missions…"
"Zero won't get hurt," Alia promised. "When he and X fight together, they're unstoppable!"
Splash Woman stared at Layer and realized that if Zero could get a woman to worry so much for him and to also earn the trust and friendship of so many, then maybe he wasn't as terrible as she believed. Perhaps Doctor Wily's Last creation could be trusted not to end up like Bass did when things got really bad.
"Maybe he really became a good person…" she thought, suddenly realizing she had been unfair to him, judging him only for being a Wilybot without giving him a chance. "I'll have to apologize when he returns."
=0=
X and Zero could only stare in silence at the monster floating in front of them. After fusing with the Nightmare Armor, Lumine had transformed into a truly demonic form; his head earned two large horns, he grew a pair of wings worthy of a dragon, his hands became horrible claws and his armor had gone from pristine white to a sinister and spike covered black and red monstrosity adorned with a shining green jewel in the chest. The worst of this transformation, however, was the potent energy the hunters could feel emerging from their enemy.
"This goes beyond anything I've seen before," X admitted, frowning as he tried to think of a safe way to defeat the demon in front of them. "Sigma never had this much power!"
"We'll figure something out," Zero said, clutching his saber. "But yeah, it won't be easy."
"This… this is incredible!" Lumine exclaimed as he looked at himself, relishing on the strength he had just acquired. "It's much better than what even I imagined… I have no limits now… I can rule all… I am a king… no, more than a king, an Emperor!"
Lumine's monologue was interrupted by a charged shot impacting against his energy shield. The powerful plasma shot was absorbed without causing any damage, but it did manage to capture his attention.
"The emperor of madness," X said, his buster still aimed at the evil maniac in front of him.
"Madness?" Lumine asked, gently floating towards the blue hunter. "Poor X, unable to understand the glory in front of him, he brands it madness."
"From where we stand it's quite clear you're insane," Zero rejoined. "And we will stop you!"
"Stop me? Fools, you are no longer my equal," he disputed with a laugh. "I am more than any reploid before me, more than humans, more than life... I am a God!"
Deciding the time to end his enemies had come, Lumine flew high, selected the Fire Stinger and brought his hands forth, unleashing a rain of fire that transformed the control room into a burning inferno.
=0=
"He almost incinerated us!" Zero said while clinging to the wall, waiting for the fire below him and X to die, something easier said than done, for Lumine was shooting lightning at them, forcing them to go up and down the wall.
"Don't get distracted," X warned, switching from the Flash Claw to the Acid Bubble, hoping this weapon would actually work, because so far nothing in his arsenal had. Lumine's energy shield was just too strong!
"We have nothing that can get through that shield of his," the crimson hunter lamented as he shot at Lumine to offer X some cover.
"Maybe this will!" the blue hunter said jumping at the monster and shooting several Acid Bubbles at him. The acid, however, evaporated the moment it touched the energy shield. And that was the last weapon X hadn't tried!
"Pitiful!" Lumine chortled as he retaliated with a blast of ice that sent X crashing violently into the ground.
"Hey, he's my friend!" Zero shouted. "You'll pay for that, you creep!"
The red armored hunter double jumped to go above the maverick and brought his Z-Saber down; hoping that attacking at close range would be the key to penetrate his shield. Unfortunately, the beam saber bounced harmlessly over the energy field, leaving Zero open and unguarded.
"Idiot!" the monster laughed, taking the opportunity to blast Zero with electricity, sending him spinning down, where he crashed next to Mega Man X.
"That really hurt…" Zero groaned as he got back up. "I'm at 60% now, what about you, X?"
"45%, but I'm ok," X said not looking at Zero, his attention set on the energy field. Was it completely invulnerable as Lumine claimed? He didn't believe it. That shield had to have a weakness somewhere!
And then, as the black and red Demon swooped towards them, X finally saw it: a thin, almost invisible tendril of energy emerging from the green jewel in Lumine's chest. That was what generated the Energy Shield!
"I can see your weak spot!" X whispered and reviewed his arsenal. He had used all the 8 weapons from the defeated Mavericks without damaging the shield, but… Splash Woman's Laser Trident! He knew the weapon was capable of penetrating everything but… would it work now?
Well, there was only one way to find out.
"Cover me," X said as his armor changed colors to a combination of light blue and yellow. "I think I can destroy his shield!"
"I'll do my best," Zero promised.
Both hunters dashed in opposite directions, dodging the incoming dive attack. Zero quickly jumped back and released a charged shot that bounced off the energy shield. It didn't matter, Zero wanted to distract Lumine so that X could get in position.
"If you are so eager to die, Zero, I'll be happy to comply!" The Demon stated, going up and then turning in midair so that he could disembowel the crimson hunter with his claws.
"Not so fast!" X shouted while dashing in front of Zero and shooting a laser beam in the form of a trident aimed at Lumine's chest.
Then the impossible happened.
The Laser Trident clashed with the energy shield and, for an instant, it seemed as if it would be absorbed but then it went through, hitting its target!
"It… it can't be!" he yelled in rage, looking down and seeing the gem that projected his force field had cracked, opening a hole in his defenses. "It just can't be!"
"Hit him with all you have!" X urged while switching from the Laser Trident to the Ice Slither, shooting a barrage of ice needles at Lumine, several of them going through the hole in his shield.
"What? No!" the villain shouted. The Ice Slither had frozen part of his left arm, and it was starting to sap his power. "No, I can't believe this!"
"Believe it!" Zero said then, rushing at his enemy and double jumping towards him. Taking careful aim, the hunter ignited in flames and brought his Z-Saber down, screaming: "Honō no ha-zashi!"
This time the flaming Z-Saber went through the weakened shield, cutting through it with a descending slash that struck the gem in the monster's chest…
=0=
"You… you cursed pests!" Lumine howled. He had dropped to one knee and kept his hand over his chest. Zero's burning attack had destroyed his energy shield projector, leaving him somewhat vulnerable and in pain. "I won't forgive you!"
"As if we cared!" Zero spat, rushing at the Demon and trying to cut him with his beam saber, but the light sword bounced off one of the villain's wings.
"I still have these," He gloated, hiding behind his wings. "And they're indestructible!"
"Nothing is indestructible!" X argued, selecting the Thunder Striker and shooting it, only this time he was not so lucky, for his attack was absorbed by his enemy's left wing.
"It's time for you to die!" Lumine declared while taking to the air, his body glowing with the sick, green power of the Nightmare Souls. "Face my most powerful attack… Nightmare Extinction!"
And saying this, the Demon spread his wings open, unleashing a wave of energy so massive it covered the entire room, leaving no place for the hunter duo to hide…
=0=
"…X?" Zero called, trying to get back up. The hunter was struggling just to stay conscious; his energy was only at 5% and every circuit inside him was screaming in pain. If it weren't for his systems using the subtank he carried automatically, he would have died when Lumine hit them with that Nightmare Extinction attack. His Z-Saber wasn't so lucky, however, as it had been destroyed by the blast.
But where was X?
"This has gone on for long enough!" Mega Man X shouted. Zero looked up and noticed that his friend was already standing, and that his armor had changed colors, turning white and a lighter shade of blue.
"How… how is he standing, and what happened to his armor?" Zero wondered, making a reading on X and noticing he was at just 3%. Well, the crimson hunter was not going to let X show him up, so he called for all his remaining strength and managed to walk to where his friend stood.
Lumine was still flying above them, clearly enjoying seeing them in pain.
"He's right, it's time we end this," Zero announced as he summoned his electric Halberd.
"I'm going to need a few seconds to complete a charge," X whispered at Zero. "He'll defend his front with his wings, but not his back, can you stab him there?"
"I think so…" Zero muttered in response. "Double team him again?"
"It's our only option," the blue hunter nodded. "I hope it works, because I can barely stand."
"Same here," Zero admitted. "Let's do it, then."
"What are you pathetic maggots planning?" The monster mocked, returning to the ground. "Are you going to beg for mercy? You won't have it, I'm going to execute you!"
"In your dreams!" Zero answered, dashing to the right and then forward, bringing his halberd down, forcing his adversary to once again block with his wings. This was just what Zero wanted, as he used this chance to slide and crouch behind the Demon, waiting for X's signal.
Meanwhile, X also dashed at Lumine, who was turning to face Zero, but the blue hunter was on top of him before he could. Placing his buster right on the evil megalomaniac's chest, X prepared to shoot a fully charged Laser Trident.
"Now, Zero!" Mega Man X shouted, releasing a long energy trident that shined like a small sun. The charged Laser Trident was made of piercing solid light and it penetrated Lumine's armor with ease, destroying his core and main circuit boards, emerging between his shoulder blades.
"Ok!" Zero said, bringing his weapon up, impaling the Demon from the low back in an upwards motion. The Electric Halberd easily severed connectors and servomotors, generating massive amounts of damage.
"This… is… unfair…" Lumine coughed, power fluid leaking from between his lips as he looked down at himself with tears of frustration wetting his eyes. "Why…? Why don't you… let me… bring in… the… new… world…? I was… so…"
But Lumine could say nothing more, his body exploded in a blast of blinding light.
=0=
"I think now we got him," Zero said, his right hand over his bruised left shoulder.
"Yeah, I think so, too," X agreed, covering a dent in his torso. He had already deactivated the Apollo Chip, and his armor was back to his standard blue shade. Just like Zero, X had also used his subtank to survive Lumine's Nightmare Extinction attack, and he really hoped they could find some energy around soon, after they completed the mission. "Let's go to the next room to deactivate the Great Winter, we only have three minutes left."
"Y-you w-won't d-d-do t-that!" Lumine's voice stammered from somewhere.
"What the…?" Zero exclaimed, looking back to see an amorphous white blob had leaked out of Lumine's remains.
"His true form," X remembered. "Just like on the moon. But listen to him, he's malfunctioning."
"I w-will p-possess your b-body, X-X!" the thing swore, taking the form of a tentacle that launched itself at the blue hunter. "W-with y-your body-body my e-evolution w-will be co-complete!"
"I think not," X stated and switched to the Fire Stinger, blasting the approaching white mass with powerful flames. "Good bye, Lumine."
"Burn in hell," Zero said and did the same thing as X, releasing a wave of fire from his Z-buster, helping Mega Man X destroy the tenacious New Generation reploid.
Shrieking desperately as he was incinerated Lumine, the one who claimed would be the Emperor of the New World, was finally destroyed, cremated in a ball of fire until there was nothing left of him.
=0=
"My systems can't detect anything," X said. "It seems we finally destroyed him."
"I can't detect him either," Zero agreed. "Good. That bastard just wouldn't die!"
"We can talk about that later, let's go stop the missile!" The blue hunter urged, dashing to the next room.
Zero followed X, sparing one last look at where Lumine had burned to cinders, thinking he would still be there. Seeing nothing, the crimson hunter closed the door behind him, only to see X was already working on the control panel. The monitor in front of him showed the gigantic nuke was already on the final countdown.
"Can you shut it down?"
"Yes, I think so…" X said, pressing a series of commands on the keyboard and then a large yellow button to his right. "Done!"
Both hunters looked up, smiling in triumph as they saw the countdown had stopped at 00:04. The Great Winter would not launch.
"You did it, pal!" Zero grinned, raising his fist at X. "Congratulations!"
"To both of us!" Mega Man X exclaimed, fist bumping Zero. "We saved everyone!"
=0=
They walked together, the Nightmare Factory behind them as they approached the cliff that overlooked the ocean, and once there, the two friends simply stood in silence, observing the magnificence of the sea, enjoying the sound of the waves and the fresh wind raising from below, where the waves endlessly collided with the ancient rock.
"I wonder…" X started and then took in a deep breath. "I wonder if the battles will ever end. What if another monster like Sigma or Lumine attacks tomorrow, or next week, or…?"
"If that happens we'll stop him, X," Zero reassured. "That's what we Maverick Hunters do, right? We protect everyone."
X took a moment to consider his response and then nodded.
"Yes, you're right," he agreed. "We will protect everyone, and someday I'll help build a world where nobody has to fight anymore."
"I'm sure you will," Zero smiled. "If there's anyone capable of achieving that dream, then that person is you."
"Thank you," The blue hunter said. He was about to say something else, but three voices interrupted him before he could.
"X!"
"Zero!"
"Mega Man X!"
"Alia is here," Zero announced, looking back at the factory, seeing Alia and Splash Woman rushing in their direction. "And your sister, too."
"Yeah, and they brought your girlfriend with them," X chuckled, noticing Layer had come too.
"I keep forgetting you have a sense of humor, you should use it more often," Zero snickered. "Oh well, let's go meet the ladies, shall we?"
=0=
Notes:
Second arc completed!
But there's still more story to tell, so make sure to be here for the next chapter!
Also, I created a blog where I uploaded an illustration I made based on the Sigma-MK9 versus Vile fight, if you want to check it out, the link is in my profile.