Me: (reading through papers) Damn... Null's pretty crazy... Maybe I should've toned it down some...
Lacadian: Are those her notes from X's Memoirs?
Me: Yup. Did you read them?
Lacadian: Yes, I did. And I must say, Sypher, that you've created quite the monster in her.
Me: I know, I know. I wanted a BAAAD bad guy... I just didn't expect it to be THIS bad.
Null: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?! GIVE ME THOSE, NOW!
Me: (tosses notes to Null and backs away) Just calm down...
Null: You... Just because you are the Author, doesn't mean you can do as you please with my things! It's bad enough Lacadian has my book, now YOU'RE rifling through my belongs.
Brav: I bet they're love letters. Am I right?
Null: ABSOLUTELY NOT! Aren't you supposed to be incapacitated?
Brav: 4th wall, baby! I'm fine here.
Me: Enough! Before this gets outta hand, disclaimer please.
Brav: Sypher owns none of Capcom's shit. His story and OC's, including my awesomeness, is all his though. Lacadian, the notes are love notes right? Sypher, my man, I'm right aren't I?
Me: (sigh)...i'm gonna die before this story's finished...
Chapter 10- General Chaos
Kay returned to the ruins site and positioned himself where Brav had left his hoverbike. The area offered little cover, and Kay's massive size further hindered his ability to stay hidden. But he hadn't been sighted, as far as his scanners had shown, so he settled in and waited.
For three hours he watched his radar, IR, thermo and comm-wave scanners. Nothing. Not even a dust rat had crossed his path. Boredom had set in around hour two, but he remained vigilant at his post keeping his keen eye on his scanners as well as randomly checking the area visually. He'd even linked into Brav's bikes' scanning systems to boost his overall range. Nothing. So he finally decided to just sit and rest.
The day was slowly dwindling into evening and the heat was dying down. He found it easier to concentrate without the light of the sun and the oppressive heat from the rocks that baked under it, 'Not to mention it almost nullifies my thermo scans.' Reaching into a side compartment on his leg, Kay removed a deck of old playing cards and began a game of Solitaire.
Most Reploids who saw the playing cards were shocked, as they weren't used by many anymore since the invention of H-Cards. But Kay preferred the old fashioned laminated deck, they had a historic feel and he thought it was a more refined style of play. 'It keeps me just that much more above the rank-and-file.' he thought as he finished setting the cards out and started his game. He'd gotten several moves in before his radar began chiming. Quickly gathering the cards and replacing them, Kay flipped his HUD into active scan and searched the area. Although his radar was continuing its alert, Kay couldn't locate the source and readied his weapons for a surprise attack. He was soon startled by a sinister whisper he recognized instantly.
"Taking your duties lightly, General?" said the whisper.
"Uncloak yourself, Andromeda. I won't talk with shadows." Kay replied, his tone befitting his rank.
A yellow glow materialized near Kay revealing the masked assassin Reploid. Her cold blue eyes showed she was smiling beneath her mask. Her floor length cloak hid any and all other features from view, even as she walked toward the general.
"What are you doing here, assassin? More importantly, how did you know I was here?"
Andromeda chuckled, an almost snake like rasp which always unsettled Kay when he was privy to hear it.
"I know a great many things, General. Where I may find comrades of the Armada is one such thing. I also know of Vale's demise and Brav's unfortunate condition. What I do not know is the same as yourself and the Commander: Who is responsible. That is WHY I'm here."
"And what of your own duties? You've just abandoned your posting to investigate this situation?" Kay snapped, his ire rising. Andromeda again chuckled.
"Of course not, General. My post is covered by Lott, Mears and, of course, my Shadow. Fear not, all is well where I should be as I AM there." Andromeda's whisper-voice cooed.
"If you intend to harass me, the least you can do is make yourself useful. I obviously can't infiltrate those ruins without being sighted. So, now you are my subordinate for the duration of your stay within my presence."
Andromeda tilted her head slightly, a challenging look in her eyes, but she deferred to the general with a nod and shimmered out of existence once more. Kay swore silently and adjusted his sensors to detect the subtle energy shifts Andromeda created when cloaked. He never cared for Infiltrator/Assassin units. They were, in his opinion, lesser warriors who relied on trickery, as opposed to skill, to complete missions. 'What solider needs to sneak around and kill from the darkness? A weak one...' Finishing his adjustments, Kay tracked Andromeda's progress in his HUD until she disappeared into the excavation site. Adding a life-sign reader to the other scans currently displayed on his HUD and settled back down with his playing cards to continue his game. She would be gone for a while, and there was no need to just wait, 'Might as well pass the time.' he thought as he re-dealt the cards.
Andromeda moved swiftly into the cave, soundlessly making her way through the maze-like tunnels. She easily found the entrance to the base's ruins and ran a scan for security systems. Finding none, Andromeda dropped into the base using her Hover mod to slow herself before landing. After another scan revealed several life signs, as well as a fair amount of power inside the thousand year old ruins, she grew curious and decided to explore before searching out the imprisoned Armada fighter.
She made her way to the elevator she'd spotted and descended to a busy, and loud, floor that looked to be a workshop. Slipping out of the service elevator and quickly past the human scientist and his two Reploids, as her scan had revealed to her, Andromeda made her way to the local elevator at the end of the corridor. She paused there and turned her head back towards the workshop. The blonde Reploid was now standing in the corridor, apparently looking for something. 'Or some ONE.' she thought with a smile. 'He's good. Very attuned to his surroundings. I'll not be slipping by him again.' She waited a handful of moments before the Reploid went back into the shop and she called the elevator and went down to the last available level.
The small display in the elevator read: B3-Containment. Andromeda stepped out-and her Cloak immediately failed. She hissed through clenched teeth as her Eye-HUD produced line upon line of information regarding the defense systems on the floor. Aside from auto-guns, advanced thermo and IR scanners and audio detection/disruption there was also old Anti-Stealth tech that her Cloak wasn't designed to negate. Even in her irritation, Andromeda couldn't help but be impressed with the Maverick Hunters available security technology for their time. 'I must tread carefully now... They would've been superb foes had they survived, and I'd rather not be caught unawares again.'
Activating her 'Run-Cold' protocol, a system created for Infiltrator units that lowered their operating temperatures to match their surroundings and ablated the ability of IR scans to detect the unit, she hovered above the floor on her repulsers to avoid further tripping the defenses. It was a slow process to reach the first of the three doors on the floor, taking almost 4 mins to cross the 150 foot stretch from the elevator, and easily accessed the room. Her scan of the room revealed no special defenses in place aside from a broken scanner pod above the door. Setting down from Hover and waiting for the door to close behind her, Andromeda found herself in a Detention Block. Rows of Incap Cells lined the room, with an old Mag-Shock cell in the rear, and a single cell in use. She smiled, her objective was located.
She made her way over to the containment unit and lowered the power just enough to give its occupant some lucidity. The one armed solider's eyes blinked several times before he finally looked up, and his shocked expression gave Andromeda a small chuckle.
"You are the missing fighter from Vale's unit, are you not?" Andromeda's whisper-like voice asked.
"Yeah... And you're Captain Andromeda Darkhood. You here to get me out?"
"That all depends on what you tell me in the next few moments. Our Commander feels you may have exposed Armada secrets to our enemy. As you know, that would be unacceptable."
The fighter had a slightly nervous look as Andromeda spoke, but indignantly stuck out his chest in a display of bravado.
"I'd never betray the Armada! Truth-Scan me, and you'll see."
"I don't have to scan you. Your cell will do it for me." she responded as she punched several keys and turned a dial located on the top of the cell. "These containment cells were also designed as Interrogation platforms. I'll ask you questions and it will scan your memory banks. If you're truthful, I'll see no abnormal readings. If you're lying..." she left the sentence unfinished to emphasize her point. "Let's start simple, shall we? Name?"
"Xan Lemas." Nothing.
"Rank?"
"Corporal, 3rd Class." Nothing.
"Unit designation?"
"Wildfire Unit, 227-53." Again, nothing. 'Time to get serous.' Andromeda thought.
"Were you present for the death of Lt. Vale?"
"Yes I was. As you can see, I was injured by the same Reploid."
"And was this Reploid also the one who captured you?"
"Yes." The fighter was beginning to show his irritation. Andromeda pushed on, ignoring it.
"Were you interrogated by said Reploid?"
"Yes I was! And I said nothing to compromise the Armada!" he finally snapped. No sooner than his outburst did the scan flash green then red then back to green and finally red once more staying steady. Andromeda smiled wickedly under her mask and glared with icy eyes at the prisoner.
"It would seem, Corporal, that you've lied to me. What did you tell them? Lie again, and I promise that your missing arm will have been the least amount of pain you've had to deal with."
Xan knew of Andromeda's penchant for slowly, and joyously, extracting the life from her victims. Swallowing hard and lowering his head, he told her everything he's told his captors.
"I told them about the Commander and General Kay. About Brav. About the recent increase in patrols in this area. Sizes of the patrolling units and equipment they should expect should they encounter them." Xan smiled at Andromeda, a sad yet sinister smile. "I even told them what to expect if they ran into you, Captain Darkhood. So, if you're planning on killing me, just know that they're expecting an S-Elite Assassin class Reploid to do it. I knew I was dead when I got captured. Figured I'd do something useful about it."
Andromeda threw her cloak back to reveal yellow glowing fists and, with a single mighty punch, shattered the containment cell. Reaching in, she took hold of Xan's throat and lifted him from his feet, her frozen stare piercing deep into his core. Before another thought could pass in his mind, Andromeda produced a dagger that enveloped itself in the same yellow glow as her fists and she drove deep into his chest several times. She continued to stab until the light of life left his eyes and she tossed the body to the side like trash. "Mission Accomplished." she said as she turned to leave the chamber, noticing only then that an alarm had been triggered when she'd broken open the cell.
"This could be troublesome..." She said to herself as she dashed to the Mag-Shock cell in the rear of the room and climbed in to hide, the lack of viewports making it ideal for the purpose. Switching her Eye-HUD scans into wide spectrum, she waited for whatever guards would come to check the alarm. Several moments passed before three Reploids practically burst through the doors. One she identified quickly as a Special Operations Infiltrator, his armor a shocking green. The next was a stock fighter in Imperium blues and finally came the blonde Reploid she'd seen earlier. This time, however, he was clad in crimson armor of the Dueling class that Andromeda hadn't seen in use except in historic re-creations.
The red armored Reploid ran to the broken body of Xan and confirmed the Armada solider was dead. The Infiltrator paces around the cells by the doorway, touching the side of his helmet, Andromeda assuming he was filtering through scanning programs. A few seconds passed and the green Reploid turned to the red one.
"Hey, Boss. Think I got somethin'."
"What is it, Roto?" The blonde in red armor replied.
"Energy shadow by the cell. There was an Infiltrator down here with Deady McCorpse over there."
"How can you tell? My scans don't detect anything." That was the Imperium unit.
"I'm an Infiltrator, Avery. I've got programmin' suites you weren't designed with. Most Infiltrators are equipped with somethin' called Run-Cold. It deads most sensor pickups against the unit. But, if said unit is in a spot long enough they leave an energy 'shadow'. There's a pretty nice one right by the cell, but nowhere else that I can detect. Mighta already escaped the floor."
Andromeda cursed silently. She hadn't expected another Infiltrator unit to be here, nor for them to be fitted with such a sophisticated sensor suite. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself, hoping the Mag cell and that action would dampen the 'shadow' she was generating. The red Reploid spoke next.
"Roto, you and Avery search the upper levels for our 'intruder'. Before you go, though, I want you to upload your sensor suite to my HUD. I'd rather not get pounced on from the shadows."
"No prob, Big Red." Roto replied and linked up with the red Reploid and after a few seconds departed.
Andromeda, for the first time in a long time, felt a creeping fear filling her. Although she'd never encountered this Reploid before, there was a presence about him that exuded Power and, more so, Destruction. 'He is something... Different. I mustn't be caught...' Andromeda watched as the Reploid called 'Red' approached the her hiding place and she held her breath. He stopped near the cell, scanning it closely with a small smile.
"I remember tossing Vile in here a few times. Never thought I'd think pleasantly about HIM."
He walked away, continuing to scan the room. Seeming to be satisfied with his search, 'Red' exited the room and Andromeda exhaled. Slowly and quietly exiting the cell, she made her way to the door and scanned the hallway, the Hunter had entered the room across hall and she made a break for the elevator. She kept looking back, waiting for the Reploid to exit and see her. The elevator opened and she slipped in just in time to see the Reploid exit the other room, a look of shock crossing his face as she waved to him through closing doors and began to ascend to the floor above.
Having seconds before the Hunter would on her heels, Andromeda activated her Cloak and dashed to the workshop area and slipped past the Human once more and boarded the service elevator, the Human looking up from his work as the elevator seemed to move on it's own. 'Almost there...' she thought as the doors opened, and see saw the exit... And saw Red standing in her way. 'Dammit!' she thought as he produced an Emerald beam saber.
"Peek-a-boo, I SEE you!" he said and advanced toward her. Realizing there was no point to hiding any further, Andromeda uncloaked and drew her daggers, which ignited in yellow energy immediately. The fear she'd been feeling had doubled as she stood face to face with the Hunter, but she forced it down and readied herself.
"You're no Imperium warrior, this is clear. What are you? I sense terrible power within you."
"As you should, Maverick. You infiltrated my base, killed my prisoner and attempted to escape. Only two choices for you now: Surrender or be Retired. Your choice."
Andromeda rushes forward and locked blades with the red Reploid. Holding his saber in place with one of her daggers, she quickly unloaded an energy charged punch into the side of his helmet unlocking their weapons and sending him backward. Flipping over him and narrowly avoiding his counter slash, Andromeda scaled the the wall and dashed out into the ruins. She Booster-Dashed as fast as she could out of the ruins and activated her comm.
"General, we have incoming! The traitor has been dispatched but my cover was compromised. Assistance is required!"
Looking back she saw the red armored Reploid in pursuit, followed by Roto and Avery. She was close to Kay's position when she heard the whirring of the General's twin Gatling Guns preparing to fire. Waiting until she was a handful of yards away and leapt to the side as the big general opened fire with high speed death. She saw the red armored Reploid spinning and spiraling his blade into an Emerald wall of light, deflecting the high speed rounds. She had little time to watch the battle as Roto and Avery approached her ready to battle. Standing to facing the pair, Andromeda tilted her head with a smile, hidden by her mask, and teleported away.
Kay continued to fire on the red Reploid, pumping round after round down on his green wall, attempting futilely to break his defense. Kay noticed the two others behind him attempt to square off against Andromeda before she teleported away. 'Fucking cowardly assassin!' he thought as he fired a blast from his arm mounted Proton Cannon at the crimson armored foe. It sent him flying back with smoke rising off his armor, but no other damage visible. Opening his chest, Kay launches a small barrage of Micro-Missiles at the three Reploids that stood against him. The green one dashed to the side, grabbing the Imperium solider who stood with him, avoiding the projectiles.
His blonde opposition, however, wasn't as lucky and was struck with several of the explosives sending him tumbling away even further. "ZERO!" The green armored Reploid shouted as he saw his ally stuck. 'Zero? That's the legendary Zero?' Kay thought, unimpressed.
"So, you're Zero? I expected more from the 'Crimson Death'. The Commander wants you alive, but I don't think you're going to make it back to her in one piece." Kay said smugly.
"You're not the toughest Maverick I've come across. The REAL General could've smashed you into loose change, and I Retired him!" Zero retorted, pain evident on his face. "Roto, take Avery and get back! I'll take care of this."
Kay laughed as he looked down at Zero, who was standing once more with his Saber held before him in a defensive stance. Raising his Cannon again he fired another round at Zero, who nimbly dodged and dashed at Kay. As he got close enough, Zero unleashed a series of slashes at the larger Reploid who defended against the Saber without so much as a scratch and retaliated with a massive punch that sent Zero rolling away. Laughing, Kay stalked over to Zero his Cannon beginning to charge.
"Foolish little swordsman, I was DESIGNED to fend off beam weapons like yours. However, YOUR not designed to withstand my offensive."
Kay fired the medium charge blast into Zero sending him careening across the ground, cracks opening in his armor and sparks and smoke issuing from them. Kay aimed his Gatling Guns down once more and opened fire on the prone Zero, pelting him with round after round of hot metal. Laughing, Kay stopped firing and dashed over to Zero and delivered a huge kick to him. The red Reploid howled in pain as his rolled, trying to regain his footing.
"What's wrong, Zero? Running out of fight? Where is the 'Power' you're supposed to have? Where is the 'Fear' you inspire? You're useless! A sham! Nothing more than a relic from a bygone age! Time to retire you, Maverick Hunter Zero. When you see X in Hell, tell him YOU FAILED!"
Activating his ram-bolts to mount himself into the ground, Kay began to charge his Proton Cannon and aimed it at Zero intending to incinerate the Red Blade. To Kay's surprise, Zero had returned to feet and was encased in purple and black coursing electrical energy. Suddenly the energy surged and burst outward in a massive shockwave that wobbled Kay even as he was bolted into the stone ground. The shockwave also produced a blinding light that Kay had to shield his eyes from, but as it subsided he was looking at a Zero clad in midnight black armor with burning crimson eyes and none of the damage he'd had a moment ago. Zero spoke, but his voice was deep, evil and sounded like the over-lapping speech of two, for some reason chilling Kay to the core.
"I am the one you were seeking, Kay. Yes, I know who you are General. I know of your pitiful Armada and its maddened Commander. I am The Power, The Fear, The Omega."
Kay's Cannon reached full charge and he fired the massive energy bolt. Containing the power of a dozen atomic blasts and three times the size of it's target, Kay expected Zero to be turned into ashes and almost short circuited when the black armored Reploid walked through the attack as though it was a drop of water. Kay once again opened fire with his Gatling Guns as he began to charge another Cannon shot. None of would matter.
Zero's right hand converted into a Buster, which Kay also hadn't expected, and he unloaded several rounds that crashed into Kay with such force that they peeled away some of his armor plates and melted others. He dashed forward, a ghostly red afterimage following in his wake, and ignited his Beam Saber again the blade having also turned a bloody red an grew to the dimensions of an oversized broadsword. Kay attempted to unbolt himself from his position, but wasn't quick enough as Dark Zero closed the gap between them with incredible speed, leapt towards Kay and swiped one of the Gatling Guns from his shoulder almost taking the entire arm with it.
Kay staggered, finally unbolted, his HUD flashing madly with numerous critical damage alerts. He tried again to attack Zero, only to be rewarded with two more Buster rounds that shattered the joints and servos in one of his legs and left him falling towards his demonic opponent. As if sensing the end was near, Zero smiled like some creature born from Hell's depths and swung his blade once more connecting with Kay already injured Cannon arm and severing the limb completely.
Kay smashed into the ground, eyes wide with shock at the damages he'd sustained in a matter of seconds. The seemingly impervious beast now stalked over to him, bloodthirsty smile burned onto his insane face, and raised his charging Buster at Kay.
"Tell your masters: Omega has returned and I'm coming for them as well."
Before Kay fell victim to another of the vicious blasts, his Emergency Teleport system triggered and he beamed safely away, leaving the incarnate of Destruction far behind.
A/N: I'm sure some of you expected something like this to happen, but I'm hoping not. Omega, in my world, manifests himself in Zero through a monumental shift in power output and actual personality when Zero is no longer able to protect himself as explained, slightly, in a previous chapter. It's a temporary condition, so fear not for the Red Death. Hope everyone enjoyed seeing what Kay was capable of as well as Andromeda. Keep your eyes open for them in later chapters. As usual, R&R. Any and all feedback welcome.