Author's Note: Wow, over a thousand views in three weeks! Thanks guys!
Back to business...Unlike other chapters, this one is a direct continuation of the previous one. Sigma Stage 1's adaptation will get its own chapter.
Also, with my version of Teal being quite a bit different from the Rockman X manga's, I decided to take that all the way and rewrite her character completely.
Militia Commander's Quarters, Abel City
X looked out at the sun setting over the sea, knowing the flying Sigma Palace was somewhere out there. He had just scavenged for its teleporter beacon and access codes to breach the fortress's various barriers; there would be no stopping the Hunters from coming after him, especially after they had captured a large amount of equipment from the Militia. But after today, X wasn't sure he could do it. He pondered the events of the last few hours.
"They might be doing wrong, but there's one thing Sigma's generals aren't: cowards. Almost all of them paid the ultimate sacrifice so I could live, and they all risked defying Sigma by siding with me...why...?"
As X watched, the setting sun turned the sea various shades of vermillion and gold. He knew the same generals that he had fought the Militia and Vile alongside him today would be waiting for him as enemies once more tomorrow. They wouldn't change; Sigma would have ensured that with the virus. Despite Storm Eagle's assurances, X still wasn't the least bit assured of the effectiveness of Dr. Cain's antivirus; he had no physical proof that the virus couldn't take control even after the generals had sided with him; after all, Storm Eagle had informed him that was still acting in lieu with Sigma's orders. "No," X thought. "I can't trust that the generals have been freed, or even if they changed their opinions."
But, regardless, he had. Fighting alongside them had made X realize there was a lot more to them all than he had heard of them while they were all Hunters or when he'd fought them one-on-one. X found himself once again facing the question he had been stumped by for so long: When lives were at stake, human or Reploid, could he overcome his emotions?
Repair Bay, Sigma Palace
Sigma watched as Dr. Cain and the various repair droids scrambled to repair the eight generals. Vile had been repaired only to a state where he could function; it was high time that the purple Reploid learn that there might be irreparable consequences for his deeds.
"Sig...ma...I've fought X...almost a dozen times...but I still don't understand...why him...? What...what's so special...about him..." Vile laced the last word with what little detest he could manage.
"What exactly did you plan to do, Vile? Would you stand before me as a Maverick Hunter? Kneel at my feet and place yourself before my mercy?"
"What...did I plan to do...?" To the surprise of them both, Vile began to laugh weakly. "Thinking about it now...I'm not actually sure..."
Sigma dropped his calm demeanor and thrust his saber through Vile's half-built chest. "I am millimeters away from destroying your I.C. chip, Vile. If you wish to live, listen carefully." Sigma jerked his saber slightly to the other direction to prove his point. "You have one last chance, Vile. When you are repaired, return to your guard post and stay there. Destroy anyone entering the fortress. I do not care by what means. You will be provided a new Ride Armor to help you do the job. If you think X isn't special, than show me your potential. This is your last chance."
"Why..." Vile groaned. "Why did you resurrect me...?"
"I have my uses for you yet, Vile." With that, Sigma turned and called the repair droids. "Retrieve Vile. Restore him completely."
Dr. Cain gave a slight sigh of relief as Sigma walked out and turned his attention to repairing Storm Eagle. Thankfully, his job was relatively easy as the body had stayed intact and most of the damage was contained by the Reploid's armor. Nearby, Doppler was supervising and aiding several droids in the much more difficult task of repairing Boomer Kuwanger's shattered body.
Cain's mind was, however, elsewhere. Evidently, "simplified" damage synopsis he'd given to Sigma had convinced the latter that there was no need to re-download the Sigma Virus into his generals' programming again. On the other hand, with the Hunters in possession of a means to assault the fortress, it could simply have resulted from a lack of time; Sigma wasn't one to incidentally forget matters, regardless of their triviality.
The approaching Hunters also meant that Cain's own precarious position was becoming increasingly more apparent. Having restored Sigma's generals and various other members of his army multiple times in some cases, it would be very difficult for the humans to view him as anything other than a collaborator given their previous opinions. Storm Eagle and those without the Sigma Virus might vouch for him, but what would their word be against the humans' when they had fought under Sigma's insignia? And Cain wasn't even sure if X would: unlike every other Reploid he didn't share the view of Cain as his father/creator, and their relationship had only grown colder in the weeks leading up to Sigma's revolt.
"Storm Eagle!" Cain smiled as he watched Teal run into the repair bay. If there was any proof that humans and Reploids could peacefully coexist, it was these two. Cain's satisfaction at vindication of his belief, however, did not last as Teal gasped at the damage.
"Not to worry, my dear, it looks worse than it is. Your...friend..." Despite his beliefs, Cain still felt "boyfriend" wasn't quite an appropriate term. He cleared his throat and continued. "...Storm Eagle's armor took most of the damage. You should consider him extremely lucky; almost every other victim of these rockets, human or Reploid, was killed."
Cain's response calmed Teal slightly, but her hands were still shaking as she grasped Storm Eagle's hand in both of her own while Cain resumed his work.
Titanium Park, Abel City, 1 year ago
Five speeder bikes and an armored car with Maverick Hunter markings pulled up next to a line of almost twenty police cars on the avenue on the east side of the park. Immediately, a police sergeant walked over to deliver a status update, snapping to a salute as the lead Hunter dismounted.
"Well, sergeant? Be quick about it; those Mavericks won't put themselves down."
"Commander Sigma, so far my boys haven't been able to put any of these pyrotechnics down. Their Tazer cables are melting in the heat, and those bastards are smart; they got six of my men when we tried flanking them."
"And is the park evacuated?"
"Yes, the area closest to them is evacuated, but not without civilian casualties."
"A necessary cost, I'm afraid. You and your men have done your part; the Hunters will handle those Mavericks from here."
By now, the other eleven Hunters had also dismounted and were waiting for orders. Their ranks consisted of Zero, Storm Eagle, Boomer Kuwanger, Armored Armadillo, X, and six members of Sigma, Zero, and Storm Eagle's support companies. Sigma ordered his and Storm Eagle's squad to help evacaute any remaining police and civilians. The other seven ventured down a trail after him.
It wasn't long before an unnatural red glow began to show in front of them. As the eight Hunters drew nearer, they could hear crazed screams and laughter from a clearing ahead. Sigma ordered them to halt a few seconds later, and they could make out about twelve Mavericks, along with numerous mechanaloids, attempting to burn down the forest. Ribbons of flame wrapped around the artificial trees, but their synthetic nature made them extremely difficult to burn and thus they hadn't progressed much beyond burning smaller foliage.
"You know the plan, gentlemen. It may be unnecessarily risky, but if we can capture a Maverick alive and unsubdued we can be that much closer to terminating this scourge once and for all." Without further exchange, Armored Armadillo lead the remaining axuiliary Hunters away to a cluster of especially tall trees, which the two promptly began to climb, assembling their sniper rifles once they reached their perches and leaving the grumbling Armadillo below. Zero went his own way, as did Storm Eagle. Boomer Kuwanger and X took the side of the clearing opposite the snipers.
"Kuwanger," X whispered. "Can you double check for humans around here? I can't pick up any, but you've got the better sensors."
His partner complied without replying. Though they had started as a team only weeks earlier they had been deployed together many times already and they both knew that protecting humans was top priority.
"No signs of any...shit! There's a few hiding in some foliage about twenty yards ahead of the flames."
X relayed the information to Sigma, and Zero and Armored Armadillo responded that they were heading towards their location. Meanwhile the blue bomber tried to figure out a quick way to them as well.
"Can you teleport other Reploids, Kuwanger?"
"Not across such small distances. You know how those blasted long-range teleporters can't function at such ranges."
X cursed. "Then we'll just have to be quick about getting there..." Just then, one of the Mavericks spotted Zero's red armor through the foliage, only a few yards from the humans.
"Out in front!" he screamed and unleashed his flamethrower. The other Mavericks, as well as the various other mechanaloids aiding them, were drawn by the cry and also unleashed waves of fire in Zero's direction. The red robot dodged, but he was now cut off from the civilians, who despite his frantic calls to move, had remained paralyzed by fear.
Sigma cursed as screams issued from the other side of the clearing. "Civilian casualties confirmed! Scramble medical teams!" Emergency responders monitoring the frequency acknowledged, but Sigma was already issuing orders to his men.
"Forget Cain's request! Neutralize them by all means necessary before any more civilians are harmed!"
The Hunters burst into the open. Despite their superior numbers, the Mavericks were temporarily caught by surprise, and in that moment the Hunters brought down eight of them. The remaining four retreated out of the snipers' line of fire and began to fight back, driving Sigma and Zero back with fire blasts while throwing crude firebombs and fireballs to keep Kuwanger and X away. X stumbled as he dodged a jet of fire and landed in front of the Mavericks. Sigma tried to find an opening through the flames to help, but there was no need; an egg suddenly landed among the Mavericks and exploded. Three of the pyrotechnic Mavericks were soon engulfed in their own fire fuel and screamed as they were melted to slag.
Demonstrating some reason, the last Maverick surrendered, but the Hunters had already moved on to neutralizing the horde of mechanaloids. Meanwhile, human police and medical teams were moving into the area, where the civilians had been burned to various degrees but were all alive. Fortunately, the mechanaloids mostly surrenedered or self-destructed when they saw their Reploid overlords had been subdued.
Storm Eagle landed next to X. "That's three you owe me now, X..." his voice trailed off as he caught sight of one of the EMTs. She had hair as black as a raven's wing, and a lithe body that almost craved attention...Storm Eagle shook his head to clear his thoughts of the new emotions he was experiencing. "Who is she?"
X chuckled as he saw his friend's reaction. "I presume you mean her? That's Teal. I met her a couple times already. Not on any desirable circumstances, though."
"Fortune favors the bold, X. An elementary lesson of life." With that, Storm Eagle sauntered off to introduce himself. X smiled as he watched her casually rebuff his advances before reluctantly opening up to him. Storm Eagle hadn't ever tried to ask someone out, not even for the Christmas dance the Hunters usually hosted for the city. That said a lot, as even Sigma had succumbed to pressure on that one. That made this entire scene all the more impressive; the fact that he could hold his first girl's attention like that either meant he had been really lucky or he was a natural.
Right as he thought that, he heard a slap and saw Teal storming off, screaming something about desirous Reploids. X burst out laughing at the sight, and Zero suddenly fell out of a bush near Storm Eagle doing the same. There was a thud behind him and X saw one of the snipers had fallen from his perch after watching the whole thing through his scope. He could also hear the other Hunters snickering through the radio net.
"What's going on here?" Everyone snapped back to attention as Sigma walked towards them after reporting the action to the police sergeant.
"Nothing, sir." The Hunters answered as one.
Sigma's eyes narrowed and it was paramount that he did know what had happened, but he said nothing more. "Report back to base for repairs if necessary; otherwise, you are free to roam the city but remain on 30-minute alert. Dismissed. Storm Eagle, X, and Zero, stay behind."
Abel City General Hospital, 30 minutes later
Teal sighed as she changed out of her EMT uniform. She hated the thing; it sexualized her, but she couldn't do anything about it.
She reflected on the events of the past hour, but mostly, her interaction with that Reploid. Despite his rather aggressive approach, she had to admit that he was handsome, and his personality was definately the type she could go for. But...walking around with a Reploid, what would everyone else think?
"Alex?" She asked him of all her team members because he was male and they had previously gone out. While it had fallen through, Teal still trusted him above the others. "What would you think if I went out with a Reploid?"
"Depends on the Reploid. Though there are some on the Hunters many of us have been sizing up as potential rivals..."
Teal laughed. "I'll take that as an 'I don't care.'"
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
Teal didn't answer and walked out, flashing a smile at him as she passed.
"Agh...dammit..." Storm Eagle grumbled, cursing himself for saying it over the net.
"You're not still hung up over her, are you?" Zero asked. They were currently heading for a club that was a favorite of the Hunters and quite a few eye-catching girls.
"No..."
"That was hardly convincing; sounds more like a yes to me," X joked. His tone suddenly became more serious and he continued, "Don't worry man, I'm sure if you keep at that act you'll get someone."
"It's not that. You guys have just been doing casual flirting with no long term plans. I abstained from that because I wanted to have a serious relationship."
The trio continued on in silence for a few moments before Zero broke it. "Well, unlike most people you've got a second chance." He smirked and gestured to the entrance to the club, and sure enough, Teal was loitering near it, trying to look casual and ignore the repeated glances of Boomer Kuwanger.
They parked their bikes and X and Zero walked in, muttering words of encouragement to Storm Eagle as he nervously approached Teal. X quickly shepherded the reluctant Kuwanger inside.
"Fortune favors the bold, bud. Should've tried it before Storm Eagle did if you wanted her."
Teal looked up and saw the avian Reploid approaching, gratefullly noting that Kuwanger had disappeared. She smiled and met him halfway.
A few minutes later, X, Zero, and almost every other patron were stunned to see the two walk in as a couple. Teal remembered vividly the priceless expression of jealousy and shock on Boomer Kuwanger's face.
Repair Bay, Sigma Palace, the present day
Teal's eyes welled with tears as she continued to recall their first date. Thankfully, Dr. Cain broke the stream of now-painful memories and handed her a welder's mask.
"I have to weld his armor plating back on; this will only take a little bit but it's best if you shield your eyes. Don't worry; after this he'll be good as new. I just wanted to leave him deactivated since the welding hurts a bit."
She nodded gratefully and pulled the mask over her face. So much had changed since that night, and the months that followed, when she believed they could have a happy life together. So much had changed since then. Especially since the hostage rescue...
Sigma Palace entrance, Three weeks ago
It was barely a day after Sigma's devastating missile strike, and the Hunters were only now recieving reports that numerous hostages from around the city had been taken by Sigma's forces and the Militia during the chaos. They wouldn't be able to pull off a rescue any time soon with their resources stretched so thin, unless...
Storm Eagle sighed and looked back at the other three Maverick generals who were willing to attempt the most dangerous action of their lives. "There can't be any turning back beyond this point. If anyone wants to opt out, I won't blame them. It's absolutely understandable if you fear for your own safety."
"What about you, Storm Eagle?" asked the humanoid (A/N: Yes the OC) Reploid.
"I have nothing to lose in this endeavor, Judas. I will not fight for Sigma if I can help it. And I can."
"Alright..." the Reploid began to open a channel to the Hunters. Soon the transmission came through, and Storm Eagle sighed with relief as he saw X had answered.
"Hunter Base."
"X...it's me."
"Storm...!"
"Not now. Listen. A few of us haven't agreed to Sigma's plans, and we're going to try and break out the hostages just after the brig's guard change at 1130 hours. Bring as many Hunters as you can by 1200; no hardware or it'll slow us down. Try to have evac ships on standby, though."
"...Alright..." X cut the transmission without another word. Storm Eagle sighed. For now there was nothing to do but wait until the time came to move.
Unknown to him, the transmission had been routed to more than one recipient.
X and Zero teleported in front of the entrance to Sigma Palace.
"Are you two it?"
"Yeah, other than six unarmed dropships."
"Then let's make it quick. Down this tunnel."
Moments later, the wall to the first floor of the palace brig was blown open by one of Storm Eagle's bombs.
"Hey, what the fuck was that?" A guard began jogging over. He only had time to register X and Zero's presence before Storm Eagle impaled him with razor feathers and he fell almost silently.
"Spread out to your assigned cell blocks. Kill any guards there. The gates are alarmed, so release them all at once to give the greatest amount of people the chance of escaping. Try to keep noise to a minimum until the gates are released."
Five minutes later, every guard on the floor was dead and they were ready. But just as Storm Eagle gave the signal, the lift opened.
Inside were five Reploids in Ride Armors.
The commander gave a cold acknowledgement to Judas before ordering his men to attack. The battle was a disaster; though all five Ride Armors were disabled, the alarm had been hit as soon as they engaged. The prisoners had all been released, but they were crowding around the tunnel and it wasn't big enough to allow many through at once.
The five would-be-rescuers were running towards their exit tunnel as well when Sigma stepped out of the lift and, with a single jump, covered the distance between them and the crowd of prisoners.
"Going somewhere?" As he spoke, Flame Mammoth, Spark Mandrill, and Chill Penguin stepped out of the lift and began moving over to the prisoners, who were now being held at buster-point by Judas.
Faster than thought, Sigma ignited his saber and charged the five of them. Storm Eagle tried to lift off, but his large wings made an easy target and Sigma sliced one off before knocking the avian Reploid to the ground with a deep slice to the chest. Boomer Kuwanger was next, being fooled into teleporting onto Sigma's saber, and Sting Chameleon fared no better, ending up dismembered and headless within seconds.
"NO!" X screamed at seeing Storm Eagle's demise. Blinded by grief, he charged Sigma, firing wildly as he did.
"X! Don't do it!" Zero warned, but it was too late. Sigma easily stopped X's rush with one hand and lifted him into a chokehold.
Zero drew his own saber and charged, hoping to force Sigma to let go of X. With a single, fluid motion, Sigma disarmed Zero, sliced off his left arm, and ran him through. Zero gasped in pain and then surprise as Sigma sheathed his saber and grabbed Zero in a chokehold too.
"Do you see the potential we Reploids possess now? When we fight for ourselves, there are no human limitations to restrict us! Behold!" Sigma spun then both around as the four Mavericks generals led the prisoners back to their cells, aided by a doubly-reinforced contingent of guards.
As if to emphasize his point, Sigma whistled and Velguarder suddenly projected an image onto the wall. X watched in horror as the overloaded Hunter dropships were shot out of the sky by jets launched from the palace. The military had been placed on standby preceding the operation, but their own fighters only arrived in time to see the flaming wreckage of the last dropship plummet to the ground and explode in a fireball.
"No more!" X begged. "Just...kill me...now..."
"I'm afraid not, X. Both you and Zero have a lot to prove about your potential..." Letting that thought hang in the air, Sigma tossed them both into the tunnel they had made as several maintenance droids began welding a steel patch over it.
Storm Eagle fought to stay concious through his pain. He could not believe that Judas had betrayed them. He followed almost as strict a moral code as Storm Eagle himself. Suddenly a cry drew his attention.
"Storm Eagle!" He turned at the sound of his name and saw Judas escorting Teal to her cell, and making no attempt to mask his desirous motives. Enraged, Storm Eagle got to his feet.
"Judas! You backstabbing scum!" Without a means to fly or much coordination, Storm Eagle's charge was clumsy, but he closed the distance fast for such a badly-damaged Reploid. Storm Eagle flipped over as he approached and sliced the surprised humanoid apart with his talons.
"Storm Eagle..." Teal hugged him tightly as he struggled to stay awake.
"My...dear...I'm sorry..." Storm Eagle's voice was barely a whisper.
"You did everything you could." At that, he relaxed slightly and sank into a peaceful darkness, a slight smile on his face. Teal remained crying over his unconcious body until several guards had roughly separated them and thrown her back into her cell.
Repair Bay, Sigma Palace, the present
Teal returned from her thoughts and realized she must have fallen asleep. The welder's mask was gone, and someone was gently stroking her hair.
"Ah, you're finally - omph!" Storm Eagle grunted as Teal hit him hard under the chin, but in the next second she had embraced him tightly.
"What did you think you were doing, trying to take a missile like that?" Storm Eagle sighed and folded his wings around her before replying.
"I had no choice. There wasn't anyone who could stop it or intercept it, even if they wanted to."
"Did...did X try to help?"
Storm Eagle nodded. "He...was taking it hard until he saw I was okay."
That seemed to answer Teal's implicit question, and as Storm Eagle slid off the table and onto his own feet, she kissed him passionately.
Dr. Cain smiled as he watched the two interact. Nothing made him happier than a manifestation, however small, of his and Dr. Light's vision. A single step now could be bounds in the future.
In this confused, yet starkly divided world, maybe there was still hope for peaceful coexistence. Cain just hoped it could happen before the conflict consumed all.
Author's Note: So OCs...I don't think I did a very good job considering that I've hyped up this OC Maverick general a bit before this chapter, but I'd appreciate any and all feedback on that matter.
Some people have posted that they have issues seeing new updates. I'm sorry if you can't, but it's some issue with FanFiction's system (I've been getting it too) that I have no power to fix. Rest assured, if the description's updated then the chapter was published, even if it doesn't show up.
Thanks for all the views, reviews, and favorites, guys, it means a lot to me!
Next time, it's back to game adaptation for the long-anticipated Sigma Stage 1!
UPDATE: For those of you waiting on Chapter 14 of "Variable X," I've been working on it, rest assured. I had to start from square one again because of this site's blasted editor.