Anyone reading this might be confused about the secret ending in ZX advent, of which I seem to have excluded. This is simply because I didn't know about it at the time of writing the initial chapters. As such, that ending is "nonexistent" in this storyline, at least for now. Thank you again for your time, now enough of my rambling; On with the show!
Darkness... all he could see was darkness. It went as far as the eye could see. The black eternity was relentless, fogging up his mind and surrounding him completely with a cold loneliness. Was he alone? Was this life after death? Where was his sister?
He struggled vainly against the void. He felt nothing, smelled nothing, heard nothing. He was nothing. But all he could think of was his sister. Where was she? He needed to find her!
"Sis... Where... Where are... you... Sis...?"
The darkness didn't answer. He thrashed around, but to no avail. The shadows merely taunted him with their eternal depths, curling against his senses with a sinister silence. He tried, one last time, to contact her.
"...Sis... Please... Sis...!"
Nothing. He gave up, unconscious.
A unknown time later, he felt his consciousness stir once more. The darkness was still there, flickering at the edge of his vision, but something was different. It did not consume him as it did before, its tendrils only able to reach for him halfheartedly. It was calmer than before, like a gentle sleep rather than the gaping maw of death. A small light glowed from a distance, shedding soothing rays towards him and banishing the darkness. He wanted that light, wanted desperately to get to it. But when he tried to go towards it his feet cut through the darkness below like it was air, allowing him no purchase for his limbs to push against. It was a fruitless endeavor for him to even think of trying to move. Frustrated, he resorted to yelling at the glowing orb when his enraged flailing proved worthless.
"You stupid light! Come here, whatever you are! I demand you come to me right now!"
Surprisingly enough the light obeyed, floating closer with agonizing slowness.
"Hurry up, I haven't got all day!"
It sped up. Just outside of his reach it reduced its speed, taunting him with its presence. He yelled at it again in anger, but this time it didn't respond. It just drifted there, antagonizing him. He swiped at it in annoyance. It backed off from clawing digits, leisurely floating back once his hand retracted. Taking more care this time he slowly, ever so slowly, inched his hand towards it. He was getting closer, closer...
He opened his eyes. The white room shone with a blinding glare, causing him to blink in surprise and mild pain. Once his eyes adjusted to the harsh light he surveyed the room, or at least, what he could see of it from the awkward position he seemed to be in.
As he had first seen, the room was a bright white, but his vision was blurred enough that the light sources could not be distinguished as it diffused throughout the room. There seemed to be cabinets of some sort off to his left, the glass front distorting the image of bottles and small containers just behind it. Sadly he could not look to his right because of a strange machine blocking his view, small monitors and beeping noises sounding at regular intervals. He felt too sluggish to get up, at least not without a fight. Feeling around his body he discovered that he was on a cushioned surface of some sort, perhaps an operating table or bed?
Across the room in front of him was a door, blank and unyielding. It began to open, creaking slightly as the metal knob turned. A figure walked into the room. It looked familiar, but his recovering vision and bedraggled mind prevented him from discerning who it was immediately.
"Hey! You're awake! How're you feeling?" the figure asked, concern and curiosity mixing in the young male voice.
The man grumbled internally, hoping it wouldn't be someone annoying. After a moment of collecting his thoughts and a better attitude (you never knew who was the wrong person to piss off after all), he answered with a grunt, "Shitty."
"I wouldn't doubt it after what you two went through."
"Us two?" he struggled upwards, his mind racing to pick up the pieces scattered in his brain. Grasping his head he leaned forward, looking around once more. Now that he was at least partially erect he could see past the machine. There was another bed to his right, one with an occupant. And the person laying in that bed...
"Pandora!" He sprang out of bed, exhaustion forgotten in the mad dash to her side. "Sis! Wake up! Sis!" Despite his not-so-tender ministrations the white witch refused to move. He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her lightly while his heart beat a wrenching staccato in his chest. Her eyelids finally twitched, the female Mega Man opening them slowly to her brother's immense relief.
"Hmm? Pro...? Prometheus...? Prometheus!"
Prometheus hugged her, tears of joy in his eyes for his sister's recovery. "Pandora, you're okay! You're okay! Oh thank heavens, I was so worried!"
"I'm... I'm fine. You... I was worried about you, too..." she said. They stayed in their embrace for a while, rejoicing in the other's presence. In that small moment the world didn't matter at all. That is, until they heard the other figure speak, breaking their elated reverie.
"I'm glad you guys are doing so well! When we found you in the ocean, we were all concerned that you might not make it..." He smiled. The two tightened their grips at the now-familiar tone. The pair simultaneously looked over to see that the figure was Grey, nervously shifting on the spot.
"Grey? Who's we? What...?" stuttered the grim reaper, instantly alert. What was going on here? Were they captured again, were they going to be punished, imprisoned, or worse? Just then the door to the room creaked open as another stepped into the small space.
"So you are up, it seems." Master Mikhail stepped into the room, cloak swishing against the linoleum floor. He wore a friendly smile, his posture relaxed in a remarkably courageous gesture considering whom he now addressed.
"You! What are you doing here? Where's-!"
"Albert? I'm going to guess you wanted to know about Albert," He grinned sadly, "in all honesty? Six feet under somewhere, not that I have the time or inclination to care. He got what he deserved. He was once my friend and I'm sad at what happened with him, but it ended how it had to. That being said, with him gone there's a lot more work popping up around here." From the end of a hallway outside the door an unknown voice called. "Speaking of work..." The Master left the room, huffing in reserved frustration.
Puzzled, Prometheus continued to stare at the door. He was thoroughly disgruntled at this point, his mind screeching to a halt trying to figure things out and failing miserably. Thankfully the blank stare was soon interrupted by Grey, now smiling shyly.
"So, do you like them?"
Prometheus's view slid from the door to Grey. His puzzlement had grown into a full-blown confusion that showed plain as day on his face. "Like what?" he frowned, still unsure of the situation and clearly hesitant about whether or not he should be aggressive at this point.
"Your new bodies! Didn't you notice them?"
Apparently he hadn't. Grey watched as the confusion turned into elation. Prometheus' gaze first went to his hands, then to the rest of his body. Pandora was doing the same.
"New bodies? New bodies! Does this mean-"
"That we don't have to fight anymore?" Pandora finished. She rocketed out of bed, barely missing her brother. She grabbed her brother's hands, dancing around in a circle and dragging her sputtering sibling along with her.
"We're free-ee, we're free-ee, we're finally free-ee!" They continued dancing, nearly colliding with Grey as the pair broke out into shrieks and laughs of shock and elation, relief and joy evident on their features. Prometheus suddenly broke his grip on Pandora, grabbing Grey in an overly-friendly chokehold.
"This has got to be the best news ever! I could kiss you! Thank you thank you thank you!" He tightened his hold. His frown suddenly slipped off of his face as he glanced at his captive.
"You tell anyone I said that and I'll kill you."
"You're doing a good enough job of it already..." his sister pointed out mischievously, her hand in fornt of her face as she giggled. Grey was struggling against the former Mega Man's arms, his face turning an unhealthy purple.
"Oh whoa! Not good! Whoops!" Prometheus dropped Grey hastily, the latter whom began to wheeze as he bent over. "Are you alright? Oh shoot, I didn't hurt ya too much, did I?"
"No..." the Model A Mega Man said tiredly, "but remind me to stay away from you the next time you're overly happy, okay?"
"Uh, sure?"
Several minutes passed. When Grey finally caught his breath he looked up at the two siblings. A smile formed on his face, and he began to laugh. The laughter spread and soon they were all leaning over, clutching their stomachs from the force of their merriment.
"Hahaha! And then I-"
"Choked me you were so... Gwahahaha!"
"Heeheehee! Shoot, I wish we had a camera! Haha!"
Outside the room, peering through the space between the wall and the door, was a very smug looking Mega Man. A red scarf cut noiselessly through the air as he whispered to the purple biometal floating at his side.
"If only they knew. If only they knew..." In his hand, a recording device was pointed at the giggling trio inside the room.
"So, Siarnaq, are you happy that I can talk now?"
"Yes. Yes I am."
Unbeknownst to anyone within the room, the pair continued their vigil, a small light on the camera lit merrily.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Omega woke up as the sun cut through a semi-closed curtain, shedding its rays directly into his eyes. Morning had arrived. The red reploid grimaced at the light rudely intruding upon his face. He yawned and stretched, assessing the room nearby for any changes before promptly jumping back with a yelp. Opal laughed as he, and the couch, fell backwards with a crash.
"Gotcha! Good morning, sleepy head!" she looked at her handiwork as she leaned back, noting with satisfaction that Omega was clutching at his heart.
"What was the point of that!? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" He got up, brushing off some dust and fuzz from the carpet he'd landed on as he growled at her.
"Nah, I'm just here to wake you up. You slept in, you silly twit! Now come on, we're gonna be late!" she huffed impatiently.
Omega crossed his arms, grumbling at her unappreciated enthusiasm. "That's what Amethyst said when we first met. Are you guys always in a hurry or something?"
"Nope, just while you're here." She grabbed his arm quicker than he could blink, dragging him towards the door ruthlessly. "So get a move on, we've got work to do!"
"What kind of work?"
"SHOPPING!"