Author's Note: So some people have lost track of what weapons Vile is using. There is a Vile battle coming up in this chapter, so I want to make sure everyone's up to speed. As of when he confronts X, Vile is using Distance Needler, Serotinal Bullet, Infinity Gig, Fire Murrain, Necro Burst, Parasite Sword, Splash Hit, Sword Bouquet, and Sea Dragon's Rage.
Repair Bay, Sigma Palace
Repair droids scrambled back and forth, recovering resources from repair kits to bring the three fallen generals back to life. As repair kits had been designed to restore humanoid Reploids, not everything in the repairs kits could be used; thus repairs took much longer. In addition the AI restoration program didn't restore the Sigma Virus that all of them had been implanted with as a safeguard against betrayal. Sigma wanted the virus replanted, but his technical advisor had warned against prematurely doing so since the stability of the Reploids' restored personalities hadn't been tested. If things went wrong, they would at least suffer irreparable personality damage. At worst, their programming would deteriorate to one of zero capability, leaving only an empty shell of a Reploid.
As much as it frustrated him to acknowledge it, Sigma knew better than any Reploid how intricate, complex, and sensitive their programming was to damage, both emotional and physical. While their AIs were the closest robotics had ever come to emulating the human brain they lacked the stability and resilience to mind damage from physical sources that humans had. Unfortunately, with no means to replicate the biological structure of the human brain Reploids were forced to settle for their much more sensitive electronic minds.
As the repair droids continued to slave away, Sigma turned and walked out of the repair bay back to his throne room. X would probably be on the move again...
Abel City Port
Launch Octopus and his army loitered just outside range of the port's security sonar. Unlike the others, he hadn't attacked when give the order, though the ships in the harbor had long been looted by Sky Claws and were trapped in the harbor by a massive minefield. No, the port was worth more to him when he held over ten thousand workers and merchant sailors hostage rather than having them all dead. Launch Octopus had instead fortified the seabed around the entrance. Suddenly an alert went off and Launch Octopus cursed. The problem with guarding a port was that the enemy could approach from any angle, and X had chosen to approach from a nearby beach, circumventing a large portion of Launch Octopus's army. The Reploid glared in annoyance at Vile, who had adapted his shoulder-mounted rotary torpedo launcher and was now studying one of Launch Octopus's tentacles, trying to figure out how to adapt it.
"Are you quite done, Vile? You aren't supposed to be here to start with; if your distraction causes this defense to fall Sigma will have your head..."
"I don't need to return to the palace. Sigma's not going to spare any forces to chase me. And I don't plan on being part of your defense; you know I don't work for others."
"A tough guy, hmm? You're not as bad as I thought. I like that attitude."
"Yeah yeah. You can have your tentacle back." Vile severed the end with a Distance Needler shot and let the rest of the limb fall. However, Launch Octopus could regenerate his tentacles on his own as long as they weren't severed at their base, so he didn't mind. Dissatisfied with the majority of his adpatations, Vile discarded them with poorly concealed noises of disgust and headed out to meet X. This time he wouldn't be denied his rematch.
X blasted several Amenhoppers that had been hiding behind a Mega Tortoise. One of them managed to reach the water and streaked along its surface towards him. X dove out of the way as the drone exploded. They must have been rigged with explosives to catch ships trying to run the blockade. Without giving the Mega Tortoise another thought, X obliterated it with a Spiral Crush.
Several feet ahead of him, the ocean bottom sloped down steeply and visibility decreased. X realized he couldn't see more than two feet in front of him and switched to infrared vision. Immediately he picked up two small heat signatures that had shot out of the sea floor. No sooner had he seen them than they began rolling towards him at incredible speed. X jumped out of the way only to be hammered by more Sea Attackers from every direction. The whole place was filled with vents that launched them. As they crashed into X, he desperately tried to escape, knowing that he couldn't take as much damage as usual due to the danger of short circuiting if the seawater exploited the slightest weakness in his waterproofing.
As he fled the field of Sea Attackers, he was greeted by an Anglerge fishing submarine. Though originally built for civilian use, X knew the nets and harpoons the sub carried could be a deadly combination. Netting spewed from the ports on the sides, weaving itself into a massive net of its own accord. X recognized it as the smart webbing the Hunters used to subdue Mavericks. He knew the netting could absorb energy and send them back as electric shocks and was almost impossible to destroy. X unleashed a Storm Tornado at the wall of netting and prayed it would work. The jets of wind were useless by themselves, but they stirred the water up into a vortex that twisted the netting unto itself. The "smart" net began to encircle itself as the vortex carried it back towards its caster.
The Anglerge AI hesitated as the net descended upon it, and that hesitation allowed it to finish wrapping around the submarine. X couldn't help but laugh at the irony of seeing the sub try to break free of its own netting, the net restricting it more and more as it tried harder. The amusement changed to pity for the AI as the net grew tighter and tighter. X moved on, trying to ignore the screech of tortured metal as the netting cut into the sub's hull and snaked inside the pump jet ports, ensnaring the impeller blades. Within seconds of that the pump jet motors tore themselves apart from the strain and the shrapnel cut the sub apart from the inside. X winced at the explosion and was immediately swallowed by a Gulpfer. Blasting his way out, he charged up a Spiral Crush and unleashed it on an advancing patrol of them. The shot tore their ranks apart and X escaped their grasp.
Explosions suddenly surrounded X and he looked up and saw the bottom of a Cruiziler-type automated patrol boat as it dropped depth charges on him. Several Sky Claws patrolled the surface, ready to snatch him as soon as he tried to surface.
Suddenly the craft's weapons were directed elsewhere and X saw a small yacht was making a run for it. A massive, ice-coated fist flew from the top of the patrol craft and smashed the yacht's delicate hull plating and fuel tank. X could only watch in horror as the pleasure craft exploded in a massive fireball. Another explosion caught his attention. It wasn't sharp blasts of depth charges, but rather a long boom followed by the distinctive sounds of a sinking ship as the patrol craft split in half and crashed into the seabed. The seemingly solid rock gave way the the craft fell further into a hidden cavern. Before X could investigate it, Vile landed in front of him.
"A shame I have to fight you, X. I'd much rather be testing my weaponry on more worthwhile targets." Vile sneered.
"You call innocent civilians and your comrades targets?!"
"Hey, they made a damn good show of dodging the blockade. Besides, best way to improve your accuracy is to practice on hard-to-hit targets." Vile deliberately ignored the second half of X's question.
"You...You're a monster, Vile. I have to stop you. You may once have been a Hunter, but now you're a psychopath!"
"Then go ahead and try, X! I don't need a Ride Armor to show you I'm stronger!"
Without another word, Vile unleashed a Necro Burst. The rapidly expanding energy field hurled X backwards, and X saw to his astonishment a contingent of Launch Octopus's minions vaporized by the shockwave before it dissapated. Vile rapidly closed the distance and prepared to use...his flamethrowers? X watched in horror as a massive stream of liquid nitrogen shot out of the nozzles, so cold that it felt hot to his senses. X found himself encased in a layer of ice Vile switched attacks and dropped a Sword Bouquet on him. The massive wall of energy it gave off destroyed X's prison, but he was still in a frozen stupor when Vile's Splash Hit lifted X up in its vortex. No sooner had the vortex trapped him than Vile was rising alongside, delivering blows with his fists and legs before falling back down. The vortex expired soon afterwards and Vile fired a rocket fist at X.
X sidestepped it and fired a Spiral Crush at Vile, but the Reploid dodged the attack and laughed as his fist struck X in the back, then swung around for another blow. The first impact had shattered its ice casing, but the fist traveled fast enough to do serious damage on its own. X was struck squarely in the left ear, and he felt himself go deaf as the fist ripped through his helmet and outer skin and seawater flooded into him. Vile laughed again and prepared to finish X off with another Sword Bouquet, but the blue bomber suddenly raised his buster and unleashed the Spiral Crush. Vile's body rattled with every successive blow, until every single shot had torn through his body.
For a minute, both of them lay there, unwilling to move while their autorepair systems patched them up. X managed to get up and purge the remaining seawater from inside of him, but Vile wasn't so fortunate. Riddled with holes and burns where the Spiral Crush had struck him, he teleported out once he saw X stand up and approach him, but not before leaving behind another Splash Hit. This time, it was lifting X inexorably towards a ceiling of spikes.
Launch Octopus sighed as he saw Vile retreat. Maybe his initial judgement of him hadn't been wrong. When he turned his attention back to X, he was stunned to see he had somehow escaped inevitable death. Suddenly another alert caught his attention. The ships in the harbor were trying to make a break for it now that they knew the Hunters had come to rescue them. With his hostage guards diverted to deal with X, the crews had reboarded their ships and prepared to break through the minefield. Despite his attitude, Launch Octopus was not foolish. He knew his army couldn't deal with both threats at once, and he immediately left his command center to deal with the escaping ships himself.
X explored the cavern the wreck of the Cruiziler had exposed. Inside, he found nothing but a spike-lined floor with several safe platforms. Suddenly there was a rumble and an Utuboros popped out of the ground, bearing straight for X. But he was ready. X unleashed a charged Storm Tornado just as the robotic serpent entered range and jumped up. The serpent's AI never suspected the trap and followed, its body completely inside the vortex for a split second. In that second, the currents seized hold of it and tore it apart from every angle, scattering pieces of its body everywhere. The head went flying and crashed into a hidden room, knocking out its fake wall. X looked inside and found another Heart Tank. Good. He could definately use some extra damage resistance in such a dangerous environment.
Repair Bay, Sigma Palace
Though barely functioning, Vile had managed to sneak into the repair bay and steal a repair kit. Thankfully he hadn't been critically damaged, so he could use it to restore himself before Sigma noticed. The restoration went without a hitch. As he had a largely humanoid form all he needed to do was connect the repair kit to himself and let it and his autorepair systems work.
Abel City Port
As several small freighters ran the mine gauntlet, Launch Octopus activated the last part of his defense: vortex generators. The freighters were either caught in the malestrom or swerved into mines. To finish off the trapped ships, Launch Octopus breached their hulls with torpedoes after the crew fled. Though he rarely had to deal with human bystanders when he was working for the Hunters, he remembered Sigma's words about Reploid potential on the eve of the rebellion. Their objective was to liberate themselves, at the cost of only necessary human lives. He sighed and reflected on the beauty of the water splashes his torpedoes made as they struck their targets.
With their destruction, the larger ships hesitated before discouragedly holding inside the harbor. If their smaller counterparts couldn't break the blockade then there was no way they could. Satisfied with himself for avoiding unnecessary casualties, Launch Octopus turned to withdraw to his command center. He saw X standing in front of him.
"Well, well, well...look what the catfish dragged in. I didn't expect the Hunters to send you, X."
"Your Maverick antics stop here Launch Octopus! Lift your blockade and leave. I don't want to force you to, but I will do what I must."
"Maverick? How dare you place me under such a filthy label! I am an artist, X. An artist of underwater combat! I spent years refining my combat style specifically to suit the Hunter's needs, and you dare place me in the same group as beserk, senile Reploids because of the symbol I bear!" Launch Octopus gestured to the Sigma emblem on his forehead with one of his tentacles to make his point.
"You're harming humans, Launch Octopus. That is the definition of a Maverick, and I must stop you. As a former Hunter you should know that."
"How dare you make accusations without studying the situation first, X! Sigma has ordered us to avoid unnecessary human casualties, and I have involved myself in the blockade personally to make sure of that! I tell you, not a single human has been killed since we imposed our blockade."
"Sigma is a Maverick, and if your taking orders from him, that means you are too!"
"You of all people should know it's more complicated than that, X. Sigma is fighting for our kind's freedom and recognition, not for ethnic cleansing. That being said, traitors to the rebellion like you must be put down." Launch Octopus gestured with one of his tentacles to prove his last statement. "Have at you! I'll show you how an artist fights!"
With that, Launch Octopus's shoulder batteries began discharging barrage after barrage of torpedoes. Though they always fired in spreads of 4, the sheer number of projectiles made it impossible to dodge them all. Knocked to the ground by several torpedo explosions, X fired a Spiral Crush at Launch Octopus, but the latter used his tentacles and few torpedo spreads to protect him from the worst of the shot, and his thick armor nullified most of the remaining damage. The brief respite was enough for X to recover but he was immediately slammed by four homing drones fired from Launch Octopus's tentacles. The drones didn't explode when they hit him, thankfully, but their speed was more than sufficient to sweep X off his feet, and their razor-sharp fins gouged deep cuts in his armor. Before X could recover, Launch Octopus had suspended himself over his position and began generating a vortex by spinning rapidly in place. X dashed to escape, but Launch Octopus's tentacles lashed out and restrained his arms. Two of them attached to his chest and X gasped as he felt his energy being sapped through them.
"You...call...this...artistic? This...isn't...even a fair fight!" X grunted, trying to break free of the tentacles. His energy was fading faster and faster...
"Oh, too much for you, X? Just concede defeat and I'll let you escape." Launch Octopus was clearly enjoying himself.
"Yeah...right..." With a final burst of will X broke free of Launch Octopus's grasp. For a minute, the latter was too stunned to act, and by the time he had stopped generating his vortex and faced his opponent, X had already recovered enough to keep fighting. Launch Octopus fired more torpedoes, but none of them intercepted X's Spiral Crush, and the blast slammed into the former before he could raise his tentacles to absorb some of the damage. The Reploid was blown off his feet and disappeared over a rise in the seabed. Suddenly, a massive blast knocked X to the ground and his thermal vision was overloaded with a bright flash. Yelling in pain, X managed to switch to standard optics and let his electronic eyes recover. When X reached the top of the rise, he winced at the sight below. The Spiral Crush had blown Launch Octopus into one of the mines that guarded the harbor entrance, and it had exploded when he had touched it, blowing off everything but his head and shoulders. As the military-grade explosive was designed to destroy armored warships, it had no trouble shredding even Launch Octopus's pressure hull. X walked over to the remains of the Reploid.
"The irony of it all..." he groaned as X approached.
"You got a taste of your own medicine, Launch Octopus. Now let's get you back to Hunter Base..." X's voice trailed off as Launch Octopus's sea-blue irises faded and were replaced by Sigma's emblem. Suddenly events of the past began to explain themselves...
"No, X. My loyalty lies with Sigma." With that the torpedo batteries whirred feebly and spat out one last point-blank volley. X only had time to raise his arms before the missiles hit him and exploded. Staggering to his feet, X saw Launch Octopus had gotten the worst of the explosion and his remains were shattered and lifeless. Ignoring a seawater-influx warning from his arms, he staggered over to the remains of one of Launch Octopus's torpedo batteries and copied the weapon data before his buster shorted out. Seconds later, a series of explosions began to rock the seabed and X hastily teleported out.
Throne Room, Sigma Palace
Despite the severity of the fact that X had destroyed almost half of his offensive forces within two days, Sigma couldn't help but revel in the irony of seeing Launch Octopus dispatched with the very same minefield that he had spent hours planning the layout of and many more overseeing its laying. As X went about his post-battle business, Sigma triggered the detonation of the minefield. The civilian ships were of no use to him - his forces had long since stolen anything useful - and there was no sense keeping them hostage; it would just be another place he would have to divert his forces to.
Behind him, the secretly-repaired Vile was watching. "I never understood your sense of sentimentaility."
"And I will never understand why you refuse to follow orders, Vile. I was well aware of the fact that you left the palace. I simply did not punish you because you never showed your cowardly face near me until now." Sigma stood and ignited his saber. Vile backed up slightly, and with blinding speed Sigma brought the blade to within millimeteres of Vile's helmet. "Do you expect me to change your orders because you refuse to follow them? Perhaps it will spare me some of the trouble you are causing. But I will not; discipline must be maintained, Vile. You know this as well as any other Reploid."
With that, Sigma brought his saber down. Vile rolled out of the way, but his shoulder cannon and ammunition belt fell the to ground, severed from his body by the slash. Vile scurried down the corridor, past the stunned guards. Sigma watched with satisfaction. Let him gather his various adaptations. They might be useful in testing X's potential; after all, Vile's furious malestrom of attacks had brought X to his knees within seconds during their latest encounter. But it had all been for nothing as the former's arrogance got the better of him and allowed X the opportunity to counterattack.
Sigma returned to his throne and called off the alert one of his guards had put out for Vile. The purple Reploid had his uses, despite the cost his services came at.
As he heard footsteps behind him, Sigma turned. Chill Penguin and Storm Eagle walked in.
"You requested our presence, Sigma?" Chill Penguin's voice was flat and emotionless, and his movement and speech were both slower than normal.
"Merely to see the successfulness of your repairs." Sigma mused. "It seems they were not...completely successful. However, they are adequate. Return to the position I assigned for palace defense. X will show up soon. Storm Eagle, stay here."
Sigma began to ask several questions to probe the extent of Storm Eagle's personality.
Prison, Sigma Palace
Teal was furious. She had heard from the guards of all people that Storm Eagle had been restored, yet Sigma had denied her the opportunity to see him like he had promised. She was so consumed by her rage she didn't hear the second part of the guards' exchange.
"I heard they weren't able to bring him back completely though."
"Yeah, they've been saying he looks like a re-animated corpse rather than a functioning Reploid, and he behaves that way too."
The first guard lowered his voice before responding. "She's not going to be happy," he muttered, gesturing at Teal's cell.
"Precisely the reason why the commander denied her visit. I wonder if Sigma's going soft on her..."
"At any rate, this isn't changing the way I treat her. Storm Eagle may be back in form, but if they ever restore him completely he's going to have our heads if he hears about anything."
"Damn straight. We'll probably get hate from Sigma for doing that, too. Causing internal strife and such."
Suddenly, a buzzer sounded and the guards walked over to the lift. A line of still-wet prisoners were then escorted, two at a time, to their cells. Launch Octopus's Sky Claws had plucked them from the water the moment they abandoned their ships, though it amazed them that Sigma's forces had chosen to spare them to the last man. The idle chatter had ceased, however, as they were confronted by the stern faces of the Reploid guards. Their capturers may have shown mercy, but the guard's faces showed that they would get none down here.
Throne Room, Sigma Palace
When he was done, Sigma sighed and dismissed Storm Eagle, deeply disappointed. The avian Reploid was nothing more than an animated corpse, with zero personality and memory. As a precaution, all Hunters of A/B rank and above did have a memory backup function that would activate upon their death in case they could be revived, and Sigma had carried that function over to his side when he rebelled. He had the personality backups, but for some reason the technicians had informed him they couldn't use them.
"No," Sigma decided. "I won't settle for that. If I am to unleash the true potential of Reploidkind, I must make any revival a whole restoration of their personality and body." Fortunately, Sigma already had a contingency plan for that. He summoned Vile to the throne room. The purple Reploid appeared minutes later, with a repaired shoulder cannon nonetheless.
"It seems maybe you do follow orders better than I predicted, Vile."
"Heh, the only reason I came is because I knew if you summoned me so soon after what happened it's because you have a job for me."
"I do, Vile. Bring me Dr. Cain. Alive."
Author's note: So the next chapter will be more of a mid-game stage like those of Mega Man 7 and 8. Will Vile succeed for once?