Me: Seems I was wrong about the last chapter. It wound up being a bit longer than expected.
Null: (grabs Sypher by the throat) I...am...NOT...happy...with you!
Me: (choking) I...can...tell...
Null: STOP TRYING TO KILL MY PEOPLE! (throws Sypher into a wall)
Roto: (runs over to Sypher and helps him up) You ok, bro? Hey, Crazy-Face! You need to chill out!
Me: (coughs) I'm good. (coughs)
Roto: Want me to blast her ass outta here?
Me: (rubs neck) Nah. Hit the disclaimer for me though... That really hurt...
Roto: SypherZero owns nothing from MMX or Capcom related stuff. This story, which Capcom should buy an' pay him for, and all its dope-ass OC's belong to him. Ya sure I can't blast her?
Me: Yeah, man. I stir up enough shit with Null, don't get yourself mixed up in her crazy.
Null: I'M NOT CRAZY!
Me&Roto: Sure you're not.
Chapter 13- Approaching Dusk
Null sat in the complete dark of her bedchamber alone, forehead resting in her hands to quell the throbbing that had began when word of Kay's return had reached her. For the second time this week she'd found herself on the Medical floor checking on another of her people who'd encountered Zero and been badly damaged. Although she had no special feelings for the large general, seeing the mighty warrior in such a state of destruction had triggered something in her that affected her confidence. And for the first time since her activation, Null saw the possibility of losing the war, and it shook her to the core.
The image of Kay was burned into her mind: one arm entirely removed from his body, armor shattered and melted, his artificial skin charred and peeled away to reveal the endoskeleton beneath. Never had she seen such brutality inflicted by a single opponent. 'Never did I assume Zero capable of such terrible power...' Even with that thought, Null found herself more fascinated by the legendary Hunter than frightened.
The darkness she's encased herself in was broken by her terminal activating and initiating a video feed. She rose and moved over to the screen, knowing only one being who could contact her in this manner, and took a seat in front of the terminal.
"It would seem things aren't going well for you, Null." said the deeply augmented and filtered voice of the shadowy figure on the screen.
"No, it's not. The Imperium has found a weapon of great power and destructive force, Creator. In two days it's managed to kill Vale and incapacitate Brav and Kay. The latter being much worse for the encounter."
"You sound defeated, Commander. Will I be required to replace you with a more suitable individual? Someone less prone to a breakdown in times of hardship?" asked the Creator darkly.
Null's cheek twitched slightly in irritation. She pushed it down.
"Considering I don't lose, and wasn't designed to, this situation isn't something I was prepared for. However I do have a plan."
"Oh do you? I was afraid you'd lost the will to complete your task. What is your plan?" the Creator asked with snide inflection.
Null ignored it and elaborated as the Creator listened. After her explanation the Creator nodded, seemingly satisfied with her creations' plan.
"You're reasoning is sounds, which is good. I'd hate to scrap you and start all over. Go and implement your machinations. Do not fail me, Null. Although you are one of my prized creations, you are NOT irreplaceable."
With that the screen cut off and drove the room back into darkness. Null could feel the fury boiling inside her, the volcano that was her rage threatening to explode. However she controlled it, quelled it, cooled its fury until her body stopped shaking. 'So superior... I wonder if that'll be the case when I pull your frail human heart out and show it to you, Creator.'
Null had told the Creator of 'a weapon' found by the Imperium, and her plan to take control of it. What she didn't say was that weapon was Omega. She suspected her Creator knew of Zero/Omega's return to the world, but she wasn't about to say so if that wasn't the case. Null rose from the seat and made her way to the door, it opening silently at her approach and bringing her face-to-face with Andromeda. Instantly, Null lost the control she's just regained and grabbed the assassin by the throat an slammed her against a near wall, an inferno burning in her crystalline violet eyes.
"You... Cowardly... Wretch... You left Kay to DIE! I should 'Retire' you where you stand for you're actions. Who leaves a comrade to die?!"
Andromeda looked down into the burning eyes of her Commander with little Fear, as Fear wasn't part of her emotional range. Her normally whisper-like voice even more hoarse and low due to Null's hand around her throat.
"I...do as...I've...always done. The...mission...MY mission...was complete...and the general...didn't seem...to require my further...assistance."
Null slammed Andromeda into the opposite wall with greater force, her ire bubbling over.
"Your MISSION was to assist Kay should he require it. You interpreted that as assassinate the traitor then SAVE YOUR OWN SKIN! You conniving sneak..."
Null drove a fist deep into Andromeda's midsection, doubling her over and leaving her prone to the evil right hook that came next. The blow connected with such force it threatened to snap the assassin's neck and tore the mask from her face, ripping a gouge in her cheek and splattering Null, and the floor, with blood. Andromeda hit the floor right after her mask with a yelp of pain, her hand clutching her injured face and a vengeful glare in her icy eyes. Null aimed a knife-edged hand at the downed Reploid, her fingertips beginning to sparkle with a faint violet light a split second before a serrated lance of Hard-Light shot forth into Andromeda's shoulder and pinned her to the wall. She screamed but quickly silenced and Null drank in her pain before speaking.
"You are under MY command! Your orders are just that- Orders. They're NOT open to your interpretation! I hereby court-marshall you to the rank of Sergeant 2nd Class and strip you of your Unit Command. You'll be placed under Kay's command, when he's recovered enough to resume his duties. Until then, you're confined to the brig for Gross Insubordination. Any actions that you take from this moment on that I deem to be contradictory in ANY way will be considered Treason and treated as such. Are we clear, Sergeant?"
Andromeda nodded, in too much pain to do much else. Null doused the Hard-Light and summoned two guards to drag the injured Reploid away. There were too many things falling out of Null's control lately and she was growing tired of it. If they wouldn't Fear her, Pain was the next best option. And with the way she'd been feeling, Null didn't particularly mind doling out some Pain. Her mind was drifting in so many directions that she felt out of place, lost amidst ocean currents with no safe harbor in sight. This moment, the reassertion of her Dominance over the Defiant, was an anchor she desperately needed right now.
Returning to her quarters to change and wash off the blood, Null activated her terminal and queued up the video comm. After a moment a bald, male Reploid appeared. His face was scored with heavy scars, the worst running down the right side of his forehead across his eye and down to the jaw. A brilliant red optic replacement stood in the socket, a sharp contrast to the viridian eye that remained on his left. He spoke with a deep and gravelly voice that dripped with insidious intent.
"Commander. It's been a while since we've spoken. How may I serve?"
"I've need of your skills, Vagrant. I plan to infiltrate Neon City in disguise and require a 'Vicious Maverick Attack' as part of my cover."
Vagrant smiled darkly.
"Of course. Typical 'Smash & Burn' or are you looking for something more... Interesting?"
"I need large amounts of devastation over a wide area in a small timeframe. I'll assign you 4 Elite attack groups and provide you with all information regarding my cover. I'd prefer to NOT be where you will personally be, as collateral damage is a speciality of yours. Make sure your people know to watch for me. If I'm injured by my own I'll be most displeased."
Vagrant laughed, a sound that could rumble to soul from ones body.
"Of course, Commander. You can trust me to cause the appropriate chaos and keep your condition in the green. Anyone 'special' you're drawing out that I should keep eyes on, or is this an 'anything goes' situation?"
Null thought for a moment, wondering if she should trust 'The Wandering Madman', as he'd come to be know, with her plan.
"I'll send you more detailed information before you and your groups deploy. I trust you not to tell anyone, aside from them, any details of this operation. I'm finding that, these days, trust is hard to come by."
"Trust in general and total, Commander, is hard to come by. It has a tendency to lead folks into an early grave."
"Something that I'm becoming painfully aware of. Be ready for my summons, you'll be getting it soon."
Null ended the transmission and walked to a mirror. She was beginning to show signs of the fatigue and stress that's been plaguing her for the last 48-hours. Because of the sophistication of Reploid construction, like Humans, they suffered from similar physical and mental symptoms when they didn't rest properly. Null hadn't slept since Brav's return, and it was manifesting itself in the forms of dark circles around her eyes and her shortened temper. 'Soon...', she thought, 'Soon I'll have my rest, but not yet. Not until HE'S here.'
Still gazing into the mirror, Null began shifting through different faces by way of her Chameleon Cloak. Two hours passed in this manner until she finally decided on a perfect guise. The unfamiliar face was slightly tanned and much friendlier. Her hair was longer than Null's and a ginger-blonde mix. All that remained of Null's own features were her ghostly violet eyes and when she smiled Null instantly recognized herself.
"Hello Lily Thorn. You and I are going to capture someone's heart. But first, however, we must gain their trust. And, if I do say so, how could one NOT trust this face?"
Null would need to test this guise out, and she had the perfect subject in mind. Deactivating the Chameleon, Null left her room and headed down to Sub-Level 59's ventilation access. Taking care to avoid detection she found the maintenance duct and quickly climbed in. The tight confines of the duct works made Null appreciate further her compact build as she crawled and shimmied her way down to Sub-60. She located the power access for the security measures protecting the vent system to Lacadian's cell and deactivated them and crawled to the ceiling vent cover above the door. The researcher sat in her cell looking through sheets of paper that brought a twinge, as well as a small smile, to Null's face. 'Shame on you, Lacadian, for reading someone's personal items.' Null thought as she Chameleoned and began to gently remove the vent cover.
Lacadian noticed the noise of the cover being removed and stood quickly to watch as 'Lily' dropped from the ceiling, more than a little shocked. A look of apprehension soon replaced her shock. Null smiled internally.
"Who are you?" Lacadian asked suspiciously.
"I'm Lily Thorn. Imperium Command Infiltrator, 'Deep-Six' unit." Null responded, knowing Lacadian would've heard of the famous Imperium Unit. "I was sent here almost 5 years ago. My mission was to confirm your status and provide you with support where possible. Sorry it took so long, Doctor Lacadian."
Null had to choke the words from her mouth, but kept her tone and expression even.
"How did you find this chamber? It's not on the bases' schematics. Null has said as much to me over the years."
"It wasn't easy, but I've been keeping track of power outputs around the sub-levels for a while now and noticed odd readings around this area on a few occasions. That coupled with random teleport signatures into a nonexistent locale on the base helped me to determine your location."
"Are you here to get me out?"
Null's heart jumped. It was working better than she's hoped, but now it was time to dash the researchers' hopes. She gave a sad shake of the head.
"Negative, ma'am. I'm not equipped to extract you. This was the first opportunity I had to make contact. The Nihilists believe me an Imperium defector, and as such don't trust me. But now that I have confirmed you're alive and, mostly, well I must attempt to contact my superiors at Command. I realize it's been a long P.O.W stay for you, but it's almost over. Once I get word back, I'm positive they'll set up a rescue op to retrieve you."
Null watched as Lacadian filled with a hope that she's hadn't seen in the captured Reploid in years. Null could've burst with pride for herself. Her cover had worked on Lacadian, which meant it could stand up to other Imperium-friendly individuals. The test phase of her plan was complete. She would, however, visit Lacadian some more as 'Lily' and give her 'updates' on the situation to further gage the veracity of 'Lily's' continued use. Lacadian spoke, brining Null quickly back to the current endeavor.
"You must be careful, Lily. If they discover you... Let's just say that Null has shown me the handiwork of her people when they discover spies. I've waited 150 years for rescue, no sense in rushing into it now. Be safe and good luck."
'Lily' smiled, a sweet yet somewhat sad expression, and with a quick bounce off the wall leapt back into the ventilation system. Replacing the cover and speedily making her way out of the vents and back to her quarters, Null gazed at herself in the mirror once more with a predatory smile. Some of that stress and angst had melted away in the last hour and she was starting to feel like her usual self. 'This will work.' she thought, 'I will have Zero. And then I will have Omega. And, together, he and I will put an end to Humanity and its flaws. Together, we will build Paradise.'
A/N: Null is crazy... That's just all there is to it. R&R. Let me know if you agree. Any feedback is good feedback. Hope everyone is enjoying it, things are getting convoluted fast and the Fan's spinning. Shit has to hit sooner or later. Until the next chapter!