Disclaimer- Plug is mine. The rest you should know by now.
Important, read: Dear readers, just a heads up. I am NOT familiar with the names of the attacks/EX skills that Omega already has (ie the rolling slash that sends out the ice energy). So, because of that, I will be coming up with my own little "nicknames" for them (such as Frost Wave for the aforementioned skill). I'll try to tell you whenever/whatever they are if I use them, such as Frost Wave, which will be used here today.
Omega shifted against the leg of his aircraft. Morning light seeped in through the hangar's window, causing the ship to glow gold and crimson. He moved his fingers against the cold concrete floor, grit scratching against them as he changed into a more comfortable position. A bright ray struck his eyes. Omega blinked, turning away from the invasive light. It didn't go away, so Omega yawned, resigning himself to waking up. His stiff body gave a twang of stretchy pain in protest, but only for a second.
Placing his palms firmly against the floor, Omega raised himself off of it. He arched his back, stretching it, then stood up. Giving his legs a shake, he took a mental note to bring a pillow the next time he decided to sleep in the hangar. That was one nasty floor.
Omega went over to the window, making sure that it was securely closed and locked this time. Looking up, he saw that a torn gray curtain was wrapped flimsily around a steel rod above the glass. Omega gently let the curtain down, blocking out the light entering the hangar. The hangar, having had its single light source blocked out, darkened considerably. As he went over to the door he began pondering the recent events. There were many things beginning to nag at his mind, such as yesterday's interaction with the "Model A", along with whatever the "Ouroboros incident" the landlord had talked about was. Not to mention his new EX Skill.
He reached the door, stopping to consider some options about his predicament. He concluded that he should deal with the EX Skill first. Omega bolted the door shut. He learned best by experience, so why not? Checking to make sure no one could see into the hangar, he activated the EX Skill. A short descriptive warning of the ability rang through his head. "EX Skill: Heat Launch. Charged jump allowing for quick propulsion."
As Omega charged energy into his legs for the skill, he could feel the anklet around his heels expand slightly. The dash boosters contained within began to glow, and when he felt the stored energy reach its peak, he released it in a fiery blast.
The resounding CLANG was heard throughout hunter's camp, causing all who heard it to wince. Omega fell straight back to the charred ground, unable to react properly due to having head make a rather large dent in the ceiling of the hangar despite it being over two stories tall.
Getting up while rubbing his sore posterior and head, he managed to walk haltingly back to the ship. As he fell, somewhat controlled, Omega decided that his ponderings could wait. He fell asleep again almost instantly to recover.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Vent wiped his hands on an oily rag, sighing as he looked up towards the once-proud ship. The Grand Nuage sat horrifically broken in the repair bay, rends in her outer armor revealing a damaged interior, the after-effects of being rammed full speed into the demonic Ouroboros. "Man, these repairs are taking forever..." he groaned, depressed at her condition.
"Hey, at least you can repair it!"
Vent looked over at the gray haired girl sat nearby, shaking his head, "True, true... I suppose that's better than not having a ship at all. Although, the problem now becomes if we'll even be able to afford a new power core, armor, weapons..."
"You worry too much, Vent," she waggled her finger, "It'll be okay, alright? Tell you what, I'll go to Legion and ask if they can help out." She jumped down from her perch on a nearby crate, landing neatly in front of the grease-covered Mega man. Vent scratched at his hair in exasperation, serving only to further spread the grime.
"Ashe, Legion has enough problems to deal with without us adding another one. I mean, one of their own just went maverick on them, so they'll be hard pressed to smooth over relations with all of the different countries. And let's not forget-"
"Screw that! You sacrificed your base to get me and Grey on board the Ouroboros, the least Legion can do is help you repair it! That's why I've been helping! So just leave it to me, I'll get 'em to help!" She dashed off, leaving Vent no time to object.
He scratched his hair again, turning back to the ship. "Oh well, it would help out with fixing up the Nuage..." as he turned, he saw his reflection in a wayward mirror. Vent grimaced at his appearance. He was covered with muck, not to mention that a patch of his hair was now black and stood up at an odd angle.
"Really have to stop that habit of mine," he grumbled, moving off to help work at another part of the ship.
x-x-x-x-x
The sound of the teleporter faded, leaving Ashe standing on a circular terminal. An operator on a computer typed in some unknown codes before turning to Ashe, "Welcome to Legion. Please step off the teleporter and move to the next room," they said in a monotone voice. A door shot open to Ashe's right, so she jumped off the machine and followed the light coming from outside.
She found herself on an elevator. The door closed behind her as the elevator started to move upwards. A minute later it opened to a grandiose lobby. She stepped out from it as it left to gather more visitors to Legion.
Ashe strutted towards a large, curving desk, hailing the receptionist behind it. "Oi, is this where I get service around here?" she placed her hand on the counter expectantly.
The receptionist jumped, startled at the identity of the one addressing her, "Miss Ashe! How may I be of service to you?"
"Relax, I just came here to ask for some help concerning one of my friend's ships. You know, the only one that was functioning properly when Ouroboros lifted off the ground. My buddy's having a bit of a problem footing the repair bill by himself, so we just wanted to get a loan or something."
The receptionist nodded, giving Ashe a nervous smile, "Yes, I see why you'd be needing help. After what I heard had happened, I can imagine the bill would be quite salty."
Ashe gave her one of her trademark grins in return, "You don't know the half of it."
The receptionist ran her fingers along the touch-pad keyboard, swiftly entering Ashe's request. "It'll take a little while for the request to be examined, so if it's alright can you come back tomorrow and check up on it?"
"Eh, sure, whatever," Ashe waved, heading back towards the elevator. The receptionist gave her an admiring glance as the elevator reappeared and Ashe went inside. The mega man smirked when the doors shut. She smirked to herself. Being a Mega Man and saving the world certainly got you respect.
The elevator headed down. Ashe brought out a communicator from her pocket, typing in Vent's number. He appeared on the screen moments later.
"Hey Ashe, how'd it go?"
"It's gonna take a day for them to sort it out."
"Ah, okay, thanks a tonne. Hey Ashe, think you could do me another favor?"
Ashe gave him an interested look, "Favor? Sure! What kind?"
"We just ran out of T-31 bolts, but they're really expensive, so we can't afford them right now. I hate to ask you to do this, but would you mind doing a mission or two so we can get the money to afford them? We can order them from here, but as I said before, we don't have the money... And sadly, we need these bolts as soon as possible."
"Well, I don't know..." she coyly replied, "I've been helping out so long in that stuffed, cramped up repair bay, and getting a mission would mean that I'd have to go out and have some fun blasting stuff-"
"Oh gerroff and find a mission already!" he laughed.
"Sure, aye aye boss!" she saluted jokingly. "I just have to go find Grey and get Model A off him first, alright? Any idea where he might be?"
"He's in Hunters Camp with Aile." Ashe peered at him questioningly, so Vent continued, "she called me earlier today since I wasn't calling her. Heh, with all the work around here, I forgot to tell her how the Grand Nuage was doing," he said, scratching his hair again.
"Lemme guess, she chewed you up for it."
"Like a dog with a dinosaur bone."
Ashe giggled, "That's our Aile! See you later then, Vent!"
"Later!"
She turned off the communicator, putting it back in her pocket. When the elevator door opened and she stepped out, she turned to the operator. "Hey, could you put me through to the Hunters Camp?"
"Yes, certainly. Please step on the teleporter and I'll send you on your way."
"Thanks!" Ashe did as she was told. Soon enough, she was in Hunters Camp, the familiar dusty smell surrounding her. She took a deep, relaxed breath.
"Aah, it's good to be back. Well, down to business!" She shot out of the teleporter room, waving to some of the hunters as she passed.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Prometheus stood with a guilty look on his face, avoiding Pandora's gaze. She'd just finished telling him of what had transpired yesterday. They walked down the main drag of the camp, no longer enjoying the many small and interesting aspects of it.
"Sis, I'm so sorry! I didn't know something like that was going on! If you'd just called me-!" he started.
Pandora patted his back, "Brother, I couldn't have if I'd wanted to. You know our reputation. If I went hollering our names everywhere, people would hear! And we're not who we used to be, it'd put the both of us in danger!" she explained.
Prometheus frowned, ashamed at not having been there to protect his sister, "I guess we need to come up with a way to contact each other without tipping others off, then. But, how are we going to do that?"
The pair fell silent, considering their options. Pandora turned to her brother, smiling to reassure him. "I'm not sure, but I'm positive we'll figure it out somehow. For now, we should try and enjoy ourselves. What's past is past, so let's learn from it and move on."
"Great idea!" Prometheus grinned, patting his sister on her back. "We'll just have to avoid calling each other's name. And I won't run off again, promise!" he concluded. From the tone of his last sentence, Pandora could tell that he was being serious, even if no one else could. Suddenly he stopped, rubbing his chin. "Hey sis, I just had a thought..."
"Did it hurt?"
"Ha ha, very funny, sis," he growled, casting an annoyed glance her way, "as I was saying before you so rudely interrupted, I think we should go properly thank that guy who saved you."
Pandora's cheeks turned pink almost instantly, and she shuffled her feet, embarrassed. "No, no, it's okay, I thanked him already-"
"I know you did, but I didn't! Besides, I'd like to see him! After all, any guy who can make, of all people, my sister blush, then he's gotta be pretty neat. Unless you're afraid..."
"I am not afraid, I just... just... uh..." she retorted nervously. Prometheus's face broke into a wide smile.
"You wouldn't happen to have a crush on him, would you?"
"No! I don't have a crush on him! Who said I did? I know he's cute, but-!"
"Gwah ha ha! Knew it! You like him! C'mon then, let's go find him!" he took her hand and dashed of further into the camp, dragging along a very red-faced Pandora behind him. The two (or more accurately, Prometheus) kept going through Hunters Camp, asking whoever they could about the whereabouts of the strange reploid, but few had even heard of him, much less seen him. Only after a long time of searching did they come across anyone who knew about him.
"Oh yeah, I heard of him. Yelled at one of my buddies and tore outta camp looking for a fight, I think. Maybe you should go look at the job board?"
"Thanks man!" Prometheus returned, changing direction and running towards the board. By now, Pandora had given up on resisting and ran along beside him. About halfway there, they nearly ran into someone.
"Whoa, sorry- Grey? What're you doing here?"
The young reploid in question smiled at him, "Just exploring some more around camp, really. Aile was talking with Vent earlier, so she said I could go have some fun."
Prometheus crossed his arms, giving Grey a strange look, "Since when did you start obeying her?"
"Since I adopted her as my mom! You-know-who was technically my dad, but he's gone now, so I wanted to find someone who could help take care of me! I know I'm a Mega Man, but I'm still kinda young..."
The two siblings nodded in understanding. Pandora giggled slightly. "Since Albert was technically our dad as well, that means you're our brother, right? So do you think that makes Aile our mom too?"
Prometheus looked comically aghast, "What? No, perish the thought! We're a lot older than her!" his grin faded to be replaced by a look of confusion, "Wait, if we're so much older than her, does that make us the grandparents or something?"
"So you guys are my siblings and my grandparents at the same time? That doesn't make sense..." Grey mumbled, clearly frazzled. Pandora laughed as her brother tried to explain to him.
"No kid, we're just buggin' you, don't worry about it. We're sibs and that's that, okay?" Grey seemed to take this explanation, even if he was still a bit confused.
"M'kay..."
"There you are!" Ashe appeared out of nowhere, panting. "I've been looking all over Hunters Camp for you! I need to borrow Model A for now, all right? Oh, hello!" she turned to Pandora and Prometheus, only just noticing them. Squinting her eyes she asked, "Have we met before?"
"You have, believe or not." Grey said. "Remember what I told you when I phoned you? It's-"
"We'd prefer you not say our names in public, Grey. Sorry, but you've gotta remember that we have a bad reputation." Prometheus intervened. Ashe blinked at them for a second, then opened her mouth in a little 'o'. She then shook her head up and down in acknowledgment of who they were.
"So how's the new life been treating you so far? Enjoying the freedom?"
"You bet! There's still some stuff we have to get used to, but we're having fun for the most part. Actually, we were looking for someone up until we met Grey here. He's got long white hair and he's pretty tough looking, from what sis has said. Have you seen him?"
"I might have, yesterday! He was in a hangar with a cool looking ship, but he got really mad when he found out I was looking at it. Isn't that right, Model A?" Grey fished around in his pocket, bringing out the tricky little biometal.
"You bet! And he was quite rough-looking, wasn't he? Jerk didn't know who he was dealing with! Since you guys are looking for him, how about we go back to that hangar, Grey? I wanna give him a piece of my mind!" it shouted, floating away.
"Hey, wait up!" Ashe yelled after it. She ran after Model A, the others following suite.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Omega woke up to pounding. Was it his skull? Or was it the hangar? Whatever the source, it annoyed him and hurt his head. He yelled angrily at it.
"Stop that and leave me alone! Go away!" The effort cost him. A fresh crack of pain seared his mind, causing him to flinch. He routed his energy to fix whatever was going on in his skull, and his headache cleared up quickly. Another round of banging came from the outside of the hangar.
"We know you're in there, mister! Can you open up, please?" a voice rang out. Omega recognized it immediately.
"I thought I told you to scram, kid! Now beat it before I beat you!" he roared. He was surprised to hear a female voice respond.
"Watch who you're threatening! We're the Model A Mega Men, and we won't ask you again! Open up your hangar, or else!"
"Fine fine, just shut up and give me a minute, alright?" Omega decided to do as they asked. The way the female voice had said "Mega Men" made it seem that they were something to be feared, so he'd play along for now. He went over, picking up his parcel from yesterday. One quick change later, he went and unbolted the door to the hangar.
Four people stepped inside. He recognized one pair of them as the girl and her brother that he'd seen at the market. The other pair was the nosy gray-haired boy and another girl with a similar hair colour.
"What do you want?" he snapped. The second girl stepped inside like she owned the place. Something that rubbed Omega the wrong way, "I'm busy, so make it quick."
"I'll take as much time as I want, thank you. And don't you know who you're talking to?" she demanded, stopping in front of Omega and attempting to stare him down. Which was hard to do, considering that he was taller than her.
"Don't know, don't care, so buzz off as soon as you tell me why you're invading my personal space," he snarled lightly, stretching up to his full height and crossing his arms.
"Well, I was just tagging along with some of my friends who wanted to visit you, if you must know." she replied nonchalantly. Then she did a double take. "WHAT? Did you say you don't know who I am!"
"That's exactly what I said," Omega sneered, "And I already saw these friends of yours yesterday. The one thanked me for saving her, even though I really didn't care a hoot about her. I explained to her already, I didn't beat that guy for her, I did it because he was an idiot. And quite frankly, you too are being an idiot. So leave now or regret it!"
The girl shook with anger. "Me, regret it! You've just insulted me! You're the one who's going to regret it!"
"Please Ashe, calm down!" the gray haired boy came forward, but to no avail.
"Leave me alone, Grey. C'mon Model A, let's show this one what a mega man is!" She grabbed the floating object beside her, yelling. "MEGAMERGE!"
A bright flash of white later, she stood ready. She brought out two guns, brandishing them in a daredevil manner. The Model A Mega Man stood in all her glory, smirking. Who wouldn't be impressed by this show of power? she thought.
Ashe got her answer. Omega didn't bat an eyelid when he saw her in her transformed state. He'd seen similar before with Weil's numbers. "Whoop de frickin' doo, you can quick change in public. Now would you get out of my hangar already?"
Ashe gaped, completely taken back by Omega's (under)reaction. "But... Ooh, I'll show you! This isn't all I can do! C'mon, A-TRANS!" she roared, and after another flash of white, a red deer psuedoroid stood in front of Omega.
"See? I can transform into whatever enemy I've defeated!" She changed back, smiling victoriously.
Omega had to admit that it was impressive, although he certainly didn't show it. "Something I'll have to watch out for," he thought. On the outside, he yawned, walking past Ashe and pointing to the door, "So you're a copycat, too. Wonderful, but you're really trying my patience, so get out. I intend to get a mission later, so I need you children to leave so that I can lock up, kapeesh?"
Ashe was shocked. All that and he hadn't even flinched! And he'd called her a "child" too! She growled, this wasn't over, not by a long shot! "So you're getting a mission later, huh? I'll tell you what, I need to get one too, so let's make a bet out of this! We'll do the same mission, and whoever completes it first gets the payout from the mission!"
Omega frowned. "I'd rather not-"
"HAH! I knew it! You're all bark and no bite!" Ashe scoffed.
"As I was saying, I'd rather not do that because I'd have to show you my "methods"... which I highly doubt you'll be able to stomach. You're nothing more than a weak, annoying pestilence, all of you are in fact, so get out now before I get serious and kill you," Omega threatened. Prometheus stomped forwards, shoving his face into Omega's.
"Did you just call us all "weak, annoying pestilences"? I'm warning you, don't underestimate us! Especially now that you've insulted me, and more importantly, my sister! No one gets away with that, no matter who they are!" He pushed Omega backwards. Caught by surprise, Omega stumbled. Prometheus continued his verbal assault, "You don't know who you're dealing with! Not that I'm gonna tell someone like you!"
"No, you don't know who you're dealing with," Omega moved back into his previous position, his voice menacingly calm, "you think you're all so high and mighty, the lot of you, but I've destroyed and dethroned bigger things than your egos!" Omega snarled, revealing his large canines, and his eyes glinted murderously. "I'll admit, I'm impressed by your bravery. You're the only one here who has acted physically aggressively towards me, but don't let it happen again, got it?"
Prometheus backed up. Something in those eyes frightened him, and yet... was so familiar...? Ashe stepped forward, putting herself between the two men.
"Come on then, mister "I'm so dangerous", if you're so good, then prove it!"
"I think I will," he replied. "So go on, I still have to close up. Go and pick a mission, I'll be right behind you!"
The group filed out of the hangar, and true to his word Omega closed and locked the hangar behind him. He gave a short, mocking bow to Ashe. "After you." he gestured down the road towards the job boards. Ashe nodded stiffly, and they both started off. Pandora, Prometheus and Grey stayed behind, watching them leave.
"I guess I'd better go find mom now," Grey said when the two were out of sight. He left in the opposite direction, leaving his siblings alone by themselves. Pandora stared after him for a minute, then turned to her brother.
"I'm sorry, this is my fault..."
"No it isn't, sis... That's just how he is, I guess. But something about him... I think he really is hiding something." He frowned, "I mean, did you see the look in his eyes? It seemed a bit scary, yet sorta familiar for some reason."
"I think I know why..." she responded. Prometheus looked at her strangely, but let her continue, "because I've seen that look before. In our eyes..."
"What are you saying?" he asked.
"Hatred... and distrust towards everything. We had that look in our eyes because of what Albert did to us... But now that he's gone, we don't need to worry about thing like that, so that feeling is gone."
Prometheus's eyes glazed over in thought, "But what could he have possibly gone through to be like that?"
"I don't know... but I intend to find out."
Prometheus jumped, astonished at his sister. "What? After what he did to you, to us!?"
"Just think about it for a moment, brother! We've always been alone, since no one else could possibly know how we felt. Used and abandoned... But if that's how he feels, then maybe we aren't alone! Besides, would you really want to let someone go through what we did? We always had each other, but he doesn't seem to have anyone... perhaps we should give him another chance. That's what we got, and look how happy we are now."
Prometheus smiled, "Sis, you were always the thinker. Alright, another chance for him it is. Besides, if he is hiding something, it might be interesting to find out what! So let's just go chill out for now, but maybe we can ask around in the meantime to see if anyone knows anything about him, 'kay?"
"'Kay."
The sun hit its zenith as they walked down the same direction as Grey, intent on enjoying the rest of the day.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"How is your research going, Alfredo?"
Scimitar strode regally into the room. He wore entirely different clothes than when Omega had seen him the fist time. After all the money they'd made, he and the crew, along with their ships and everything else, had gotten a makeover.
"So-so. The data is mostly corrupted, and what can be salvaged is encrypted. Damn good thing the first data we found wasn't. But apart from that, nothing new, really. How goes your investments?"
"Wonderfully. The money is really flowing in, and production has started."
"Exceptional! I will call you when I get something else."
"Thank you. Now, I have a meeting I must attend, so the best of luck to you." He exited the room, leaving the scientist to his own work. And a lot of work at that.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Back at Hunters Camp, things were heating up.
"This one!" Ashe shoved the piece of paper in Omega's face triumphantly. Omega barely noticed. He was leaning against the wall of the building, watching with mild interest as the Mega Man dashed about looking for the hardest possible mission.
"If that's what you'd like," he yawned, quite unfazed by the whole affair. To be frank, he was getting bored, but the girl needed to learn a lesson in humility. If only she would settle on a bloody mission already!
"No, you're right, I don't want it! Too easy! Oi, got any S-rank missions?" she yelled at the man operating the board. He scrambled behind the counter, doing his best to comply with the mega man's orders. He turned to a chute beside him as some sort of request blasted down from it. Reading it through quickly, he sighed in relief, handing it over to Ashe.
"Yes mam, just got one in. It seems to be from Legion-"
"Great, Legion usually has some good ones!" she snatched it as soon as it was within reach, swiftly glancing over its contents, "Oh, it's a good one, alright! There's some sort of disturbance in a restricted area, and they want it investigated. Something about a ravaged power plant by some old ruins... bleh, who cares about that! This is the one! C'mon you, let's get going!" Ashe tossed the paper at Omega, dashing out the door. "The race is on!"
Omega read through the mission, careful not to miss anything. And he was very glad he did. Smirking, he settled himself against the wall in a more relaxed position, waiting for Ashe to return. She did after about five minutes, looking angry and flustered. Omega displayed the paper, pointing at the last line.
"Also, the teleportation circuit in the area is knocked out, be advised that you will need to fly there." he scorned, reveling in the nasty look he received from her.
"You shut up. I don't see you doing anything to get there," she shot.
"Of course not, I needed to rub this in your face first. That, and I'll admit, I don't know what direction Area Y-5 is in. I could make you a deal, if you want. You tell me where to go, and I'll fly you there. Sound fair?"
Ashe crossed her arms, peering suspiciously at him."Yeah, sure, let's do that. But why the heck would yo want to be fair? I highly doubt you'll be able to beat me if you keep that up."
Omega gave her a mysterious smile, confident yet concealing, "Don't worry, you'll see soon enough..."
He ambled off towards the door, and Ashe followed. One brisk walk later found them back at the hangars. They headed towards his, Omega reaching inside his pocket and fumbling for something. He opened the main garage door in the back of the hangar then brought out his keys, pressing a button to open the aircraft's hatch. He jumped in, but as Ashe prepared to do the same, he stopped her.
"Whoa, wait a minute. I've got a password to punch in here first."
"And how long will that take?" she asked, disgruntled at being told to wait. The ship thrummed into life, roaring gently as its systems turned on.
"Not long," he grinned. Ashe rolled her eyes, leaping up behind him into the passenger's seat. She lowered herself into it, giving the interior an admiring glance.
"Where'd you get the ship? Hate to admit it, but it's a beaut."
Omega pressed a few more controls, turning slightly to the girl behind him, "I'd rather not say. But if you must know, well... let's just say I got it for completing a mission."
"You're not telling me the whole truth, are you?"
"Nope."
"Figures," she sighed. Shifting in her seat, she put on her seatbelt as Omega steered out the door and onto a runway that ran behind the row of hangars. As he taxied around to position the ship properly on the takeoff strip, Ashe chided him.
"You know, you really should check in with the air control tower."
"Like I need to. No one else is here. But if you insist," he grabbed the radio on the console, passing it back to her, "then you can do it."
Ashe snorted derisively, but took the radio. After a short conversation with the tower, they got the go-ahead. Omega started up the boosters, and they rocketed forwards. About halfway down the runway, Omega pushed the launch button. The landing gears shortened, then quickly reverted to their full height, springing the ship into the air. Ashe was taken by surprise and fell further into her seat with a yelp.
"You could have warned me that this was a jump jet!"
"I didn't know that there was any other kind." Omega replied.
She sat up, frowning, "How could you not? Jump jets are the most expensive! Didn't the guy that gave you this tell you that?"
"I said I got this for completing a mission, I didn't say it was given to me. I took it off the raiders-"
"Raiders? You stole from raiders! You idiot, are you trying to get yourself killed!"
"Relax, they won't be after me anytime soon, trust me." he waved. "Now, which direction are we going?"
"That way," she pointed at somewhere to the front and left of the ship, "and just what do you mean, trust me?"
"Exactly what I said. But don't bother asking me anything else about it, because I won't tell you," he said.
"Bloody money grubbers," she grumbled, "alright, I won't ask you about that. Instead, I'd like to know where you came from."
"Mercenary, not money grubber. And I came from the desert."
She gave him a confused look. "Desert? Why there?"
"I was a hermit until recently. Hey, what's that down there?" he pointed down at a green blob on the horizon, which soon began to grow in size.
"That's our stop," she responded. "Looks like you'll have to park on the outskirts."
"Fair enough, prepare for landing." He lowered the ship's altitude and speed. As they came to the forest's borders, he brought the ship into a hover, then lightly set it down. Omega shut down the engines, opening the hatch to let Ashe out. After getting out himself, he shut the hatch and locked it.
"Prepare for landing? Geeze, you're as bad as Siarnaq," she complained. Stretching herself out, she megamerged. After that, she began trotting towards the forest.
"Who's Siarnaq?" asked Omega.
"Another Mega Man like me, only he's got the Model P. He's a ninja and acts all mechanical and mysterious, but that's his gig, I suppose. Ah well, follow me." she gestured for Omega to follow her.
Omega had a quick flashback about Phantom, the guardian of shadows. "No way it could be him..." he muttered worriedly to himself. It took him a second to realize that Ashe had left him behind, so he ran in the direction she'd taken, determined not to lose their competition.
The forest was dark and thick. Twisted and mangled vines covered every surface not concealed by gnarled bark, serrated leaves, or scuttling, shadowy creatures. Moss covered rocks and jagged ferns littered the ground, along with the occasional felled log. There were many different shades of grimy green and olive, further broadcasting the sinister atmosphere of the verdance. Because of the thick branches and foliage overhead, little sun shone through to the forest floor.
Omega couldn't have cared less about the scenery. The only thing he noticed about it was that it was filled with hiding spots for anyone who may have decided to track them. He kept a close watch on the forest, seemingly calm, yet poised to strike at a moments notice. Nary a sound or movement escaped his notice. No matter what came, he would be ready for it, was read for it. Ashe, on the other hand...
"Fuck! Goddamn vines! Why I don't just- EEK!" she fell flat on her face, her foot stuck in the coil of a protruding root. She picked herself up, wiping mud and moss off of her face, and complaining rather loudly, "Bloody hell, why did you have to pick this mission? Of all the rotten places to go, you just had to choose the one that'd get us stuck in a filthy-"
TWANG! Before she could say another word, she stepped on a trap. A rope noose tightened around her ankle, hoisting her high into a tree as it sprang. The tree showered leaves on her. Had it been his style to, Omega would have been rolling around on the forest floor, laughing his extremities off. As it was, he could barely hold back his guffaws. That, and he was still worried bout traps himself. Ashe hung upside down, blood quickly rushing to her head, and more obviously, her face.
"Stop that! It's not funny!" she barked.
"On the contrary," Omega replied, "it's quite hilarious!" He smiled at his own joke, further angering the Mega Man. Because of all of her falls she was covered with mud, and her condition was only worsened by the leaves that were scattered from the tree. The majority of the leaves had landed on her, sticking to the mud. The result...
"What's the matter, someone ruffle your feathers, Ashe?" Omega scoffed as she tried to get free. She twisted to face him, giving him a look that could freeze hell.
"You shut your trap!"
"Why? You seem to be having so much fun with the one you just triggered!" he smirked.
"Ha ha, very funny," she shot back sarcastically.
Omega shrugged, "Hmm, oh well. It's a shame a poor chick like you can't take a joke."
"That's it! As soon as I get down there, you're dead meat, buddy! Your goose'll be cooked so fast-!"
"Oh, so you can take a joke!"
"GAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" she screamed in frustration, flaying her arms in an attempt to get her hands around his throat. He stayed just beyond her reach, taunting her. Soon enough, she tired out, letting herself go limp.
"All better now?"
"Fuck off."
"Nah, we still have a competition to finish. Then again, maybe I should go ahead and leave you here! It'll make my life a lot easier!" Omega chuckled. He turned to leave, but stopped at the sound of a gunshot. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Ashe had blasted the rope tying her to the tree. She caught up with him, scolding.
"No way, not gonna get rid of me that easily!"
"Eh, was worth a try." he replied. They kept walking. Ashe was taking a lot more care in where she put her foot, watching for any telltale signs of trouble. Time passed slowly as shadows grew longer. About an hour later the forest began thinning out, signs of an ancient civilization poking through.
Omega jerked, perking his hearing sensors. The cheerful sound of a flute seemed to weave its way through the foliage, changing the forest's atmosphere from one of gloom to playfulness. Ashe stopped, glancing back at Omega.
"What's wrong?"
He stayed silent as the flute kept playing, assuring himself he wasn't imagining things. Then he spoke. "Don't you hear that?"
"Hear what?" The pair stood absolutely still, Ashe giving him a strange look, "I don't hear anything," she said. Then the flute hit one clear, high note, and her eyes opened wide. "Oh, now I hear it! C'mon, let's go find it!"
They followed the sound of the innocently twittering instrument, Omega in the lead. His keen senses picked up the noise far better than Ashe's did, but soon enough, even she could pick it up clearly. They ran until they hit a clearing with a huge stone temple. The temple was built a long time ago, judging by the worn rock, but signs of more recent remodeling were there too. Parts of the stone, worn away by time, revealed tangled wires and glowing electronics inside. Yet even the technology wasn't safe from weathering as some of it was broken and falling apart. A small shadow suddenly darted into the temple, too quick for Omega to discern its identity.
"Heh, looks like we've found whoever knocked out the teleportation circuit," Ashe grinned. She dashed forwards while Omega followed, past the clearing and into the forbidding mouth of the temple.
It took about one minute for them to spring the first booby trap. Ashe, ahead of Omega, stepped on a strange floor panel, causing it to sink. Noticing this they both ducked, just in time to avoid the darts firing out of the walls. Ashe laughed nervously as they got back up.
"Aheheheh, I don't think the people who built this temple liked visitors..."
"No shit!" Omega grunted.
Having lost the elusive shadow, the two decided wordlessly to follow its tracks, and carefully at that. Numerous spike pits, lance holes, and so on were avoided because of this. They continued along long, winding passageways, down stairs plummeting to the bowels of the earth, and past foreboding statues and ancient texts. Being several centuries old, Omega was programmed to know the old languages, and whenever his eye caught a warning in the stone walls, he took the time to be more cautious, something Ashe picked up on immediately. When in the thick of things she was no slouch. All too soon the tunnel came to an abrupt end.
They were in a room, not very wide or long, but extremely tall. Ashe whistled as she looked up a sheer wall, too smooth to climb. "Looks like it's a dead end... for you. See that up there?" she pointed up to the top of the wall in front of them. It was more of a cliff than a wall as there was a ledge at its peak, and beyond the ledge there seemed to be a dark tunnel. "I'll bet you anything that leads somewhere. Well, this is where we part!" she yelled triumphantly. One A-trans later a fiery red Bee was flying up towards the ledge, then over it. The sound of another transformation rang from beyond the ledge, and Ashe began giggling to herself.
"Looks like I won our little bet by default! See you around!" she called. Omega didn't respond. Instead, he began charging his heat launch. After a quick check to see that the ceiling was high enough, he discharged the energy, leaving scorch marks in the floor below. His bound brought him to the same height of the ledge, and one double jump later, onto the wide precipice. Ashe was still chortling to herself, walking away from him. She hadn't realized that he'd managed to get up behind her. Omega smirked, placing his hands on his hips.
"You know, it's a lot easier to "see someone around" if you look in the right direction."
Ashe stopped dead, turning her head around slowly to face him. It was clear from the flabbergasted look on her face that she hadn't expected him to be able to do that.
"What... how did you...?"
"That's my little secret, although, you would've known how I did it if you'd only been watching," he said, wagging his finger. He strode past her confidently, leaving her behind. She shook her head vigorously, then caught up.
"Look, there's no way a normal person could have gotten up here that fast. And buddy, when all this is over, you are going to tell me just who the hell you are!" she exclaimed. Omega ignored her, continuing to walk down the passageway. Ashe shook her head in annoyance at being ignored, then ran towards him. He stopped abruptly in the middle of the hallway, and she barely avoided bumping into him.
"Looks like we'll have to split after all," Omega pointed out. The hallway forked into two separate paths, apparently leading in opposite directions. Ashe stepped towards the right passageway.
"Fair enough. This one's mine!" she almost flew down the path, running at a high speed. Omega watched her leave for a while. Mega Men... as much as he hated to admit it, he'd have to do research on them later. Especially since he'd just revealed a portion of his powers to one.
He was jolted back to reality by the sound of the flute. It slunk softly from the path opposite of Ashe's, inviting him to come find its source. Omega obliged. He followed the cheerful sound down his hallway, through a labyrinth of walls, dead ends and traps. Not only that the source seemed to move, often leading him towards mechanisms designed to maim or kill those unfortunate enough to not notice them. After half an hour of trekking around the barely lit maze, Omega began to lose his temper.
"Damnit, whoever is playing that stupid flute had better come out now, or you'll regret it! Quite being a cowardly will-of-the-wisp and fight!"
"Oi, no one calls me a coward! And my flute isn't stupid, either!"
Omega stopped at the voice. It was high pitched, like a kid... on helium. Oh, this was going to be a headache.
"I might be less inclined to call you a coward if you weren't one! Show yourself!" he yelled. He dodged just in time as a small, yellow object hurtled towards him from on top of some thick wires hanging from the ceiling. It picked itself up in an indignant manner, bringing itself to it's full height. Which wasn't much. Even with its tall, thin ears, it barely measured up to Omega's chin. It had more projections, similar in shape to its ears, coming out of its back and tail area. The torso and waist were angular, and it's feet were spikes. Everything else seemed fairly plain except for the green stripes curving from either side of its chin and up to the forehead, merging with a small gem above its cute, slanted eyes. Drawing its hand up in a (what it thought to be) dramatic gesture, it pointed a single-chambered flute at him, a stripe running around its ends.
"Hah, me, regret it? You've underestimated me already! I'm the electric haroid, Plug! And no one calls me a coward twice and lives to tell about it!"
"How wonderful, a drugged up bunny rabbit trying to scare me," he replied.
Plug's ears stood up straight on end, "Bunny rabbit? BUNNY RABBIT? How dare you! I'm a hare, not a bunny! Why else do you think I'm called a haroid? Hare. Roid. Not that hard if you practice it, mister!"
"Eh, whatever," Omega waved, "let's cut to the chase and fight, alright? I'm getting bored of this chatter." He gripped the handle of his sword, motioning for Plug to fight with him.
"What? You're not going to ask me why I'm here first?" Plug questioned.
"No, why? Is it standard procedure or something?"
"Well, no, but doesn't the hero usually ask first, then shoot?"
Omega laughed mirthlessly, "Buddy, I'm the farthest thing from a hero that you'll ever find."
"Oh, really? That's good, maybe we can work together! Ya see, I got commissioned by someone who's getting paid to do some building, but they were runnin' out of energy, so they wanted to find somewhere discreet to steal power from. So I came here, and low and behold, I found a power plant! So-"
"Just shut up and fight already! I don't give a damn about your life's story!" Omega shouted. He drew out his saber. Plug smirked, his nose twitching.
"Hey, fair enough! I was hoping for a fight anyways! I just want to ask you something first, though."
Omega rolled his eyes, "Make it quick."
"Why is your energy signature so strange? I'm pretty good at detecting energy, it's what I was built for, but yours seems so weird! Not even the Mega Men's signatures are that unique!"
Omega smiled murderously, bringing his blade up in a battle stance, "Probably because I am unique. You won't find another reploid like me on the face of this planet."
"Isn't that what unique means? Oh well, this is getting boring. Time for some fun!" Plug swiftly jumped back, spreading his palm outwards. Three balls of electricity radiated out. Omega jumped over the balls, only to have them hit him after bouncing off the walls behind his back. The haroid giggled, then sprang up into the wires.
Omega grimaced. With the rabbit on top of the wires, he couldn't use his Frost Wave EX Skill. At least he knew his opponent was an electric type. Plug began playing a quick little ditty on his flute, prancing about above the wires. This caused electric bolts to rain down from above. Suspecting the bolts might spread when he hit the ground, Omega double jumped out of the way. His suspicions proved true, but his "forecast" prevented them from harming him.
Plug jumped down from the wires, giggling again. Omega took the initiative, launching himself towards Plug and utilizing his Frost Wave. Ice beats electricity, and the haroid went down hard.
"OW!" he screamed. Before Omega could launch another Frost Wave, Plug leaped up and away from him. He jumped at the wall, his spike feet sparking upon contact. He turned to Omega, grimacing, "You're mean, mister! That hurt! So take this!" he shrieked, throwing three spark balls towards Omega. Omega only had to duck one, as the other two missed him. He tensed to jump, but these spark balls didn't bounce. But the delay cost him. Plug let himself fall off the wall, throwing more electricity at him, then bounding back up into the wires. As Omega dodged the ricocheting orbs, Plug again played the flute and danced about, taunting Omega as the lightning bolts hit.
Omega received a shock or two, but was otherwise unhurt. Despite that, he was determined to pay back the haroid. As soon as Plug started to jump down, he jetted towards him. Caught in midair, Plug had no choice but to take the full force of another Frost Wave. The icicle covered psuedoroid crashed to the ground. Omega triple-slashed him, then vaulted back as the ice around Plug broke. He tried to get up, but another Frost wave brought him to his knees. Plug's armor was cracking considerably from the combination of ice and sword attacks. Omega prepared to finish him once and for all. Just as the ice broke again, Omega sprang forward, slashing as fast as he could. Seven deep gashes cut through the ice, and consequently, most of the haroid's body. The last of the ice crumbled off, leaving Plug weak and broken on the ground.
"G... gah... why does it... hurt so much...?" he whimpered, his lifeblood leaking out across the cold stone.
"It's called death," Omega stated. He brought up his sword, holding it at an angle. One quick plunge later, Plug met his end. He brought out his sword, tapping it against one of the rocks strewn across the floo rand dislodging a few blood drops by doing so. Data slowly leaked from the haroid's mechanical carcass, floating towards Omega. His sword clean, he deactivated it, letting the haroid's data flow into his palm.
"DNA information acquired. EX Skill "Static" obtained. EX Skill Static negates descent against suitable surfaces."
"Negates descent? That must mean I won't slide while clinging to something like a wall..." Omega mused, "but what does "suitable" mean? Ah well," he muttered to himself.
He exited his thoughts, turning his attention to his environment. After all that time navigating the maze, Omega guessed that there wasn't an exit to it. So he jumped up to the wires above. The moment he grabbed them, he began to slip on their smooth surface. Hoping for the best, he activated Static. It worked. Electric currents ran through his hands and feet, bonding him to the wires. Clambering to the top of their metallic surface, Omega took stock of his surroundings.
To his surprise, he could see the way out. Previously hidden by the walls, which he was now slightly above, the way out was as clear as crystal. He memorized the path, along with any visible traps, and headed back.
Omega stepped into the hallway and out of the maze soon after. He stretched, happy with his newest EX Skill and the good battle that had earned it. Blinking, he looked down the tunnel Ashe had gone down, wondering how she was doing. But when he took a a step towards the tunnel to find out, the ceiling opened up.
"YeeeeEEEEEAAAAAHH!" Ashe screamed. She came flying out of the hole at full speed, slamming into the ground. Omega winced, glad he wasn't the one who'd just met the business part of the floor head on. Or perhaps, to be more accurate, "butt on", judging by which body part she was rubbing.
"Ooooowww..." she complained. Dragging herself up, she noticed Omega, "Oh, hey. Having any luck?"
"As a matter of fact, I am. I just thrashed some stupid psuedoroid who had a flute."
"Okay, I see. They must've been the one who'd downed the teleportation circuit. I just managed to put it back on, actually. Turns out that the path I went down leads to an abandoned power plant! So I guess that means that I completed the mission, doesn't it?" she grinned smugly.
Omega frowned, "No, that just means that you turned the circuit back on. I'm the one that dealt with the "disturbance"."
Ashe darted down the tunnel leading to the forest's entrance, "We both did half! So let's race, all or nothing!"
Omega saw the floor in front of her, noticing the odd pattern in the floor too late, "LOOK OUT!" he yelled.
She turned back to him, "For what?"
Shing!
Ashe's eyes opened wide in shock. She gaped, open mouthed at Omega, then slowly moved her vision to the thin lance protruding from just below her right collarbone. She coughed. Blood appeared on her lips.
"Shit!" Omega cursed. He dashed forward, swinging his blade to cut the lance. What he hadn't cut slid gratingly back into its point of origin. Ashe started to fall, but Omega caught her, immediately putting pressure on the injury. She coughed again, and more blood appeared, beginning to trickle down her face.
"Aheheh... should've watched my step..." she groaned.
"Don't talk, it'll make it worse. Damn it, what have I gotten myself into now?" he grimaced. A Mega Man lay seriously wounded in his arms, a Mega Man, of all things! Judging by everyone's reaction to "Mega Men" they were pretty important people. And now one was bleeding furiously right in front of him. Shit, if anyone found out he was here, they would investigate his part in this "accident". And they'd check his file, if he even had one. If he didn't, they be hunting for him, and he did...
It wouldn't be pretty.
Ashe squirmed, her eyelids beginning to droop. Her lips moved, trying to say something. "C... c... comm..."
"Communicator?" Omega asked. She nodded, then shifted her hand to her pocket. Omega understood immediately, reaching into the pocket and bringing out a round vid-screen radio. There was a long, thin red button under the screen with "emergency" printed on it. He was about to press the button, then thought twice about it. He placed it in her hand, causing her eyes to go wide with fear. Then he moved her thumb around and onto the button.
"If anyone asks, there was no one else here, got it? Got it? Or I'll hunt you down and finish the job!" Omega moved the communicator around so that it faced Ashe. He pressed the button using her finger.
"Legion emergency services, what do you- Oh my GOD! Someone, line 15, it's Ashe! For crying out loud, IT'S ASHE! Don't worry Ashe, we'll transport medics over there immediately!
The sound of many people scrambling came from the radio, presumablyfrom the other side of the line. Omega let Ashe's hand drop to her side, then dashed down the hallway. Just as he leaped off the high ledge to the room below, he heard the characteristic sound of teleportation behind him.
x-x-x-x-x
Vines and leaves were thrown aside as Omega dashed through the forest at top speed. He glanced behind him for pursuers. Seeing none, he slackened his breakneck pace. Panting, he looked around. The forest was thinning, and he wasn't far from the edge. The sound of a stream trickling peacefully through the forest came from not far off, birds tweeting sweetly from the treetops. Omega let himself relax, glad that he'd escaped unnoticed. Still, he listened intently for something out of place, peering through the few shadows. While nothing seemed abstract, the smell of blood overpoweringly filled his nostrils. With a pang, he realized it was him. His red shirt was soaked with Ashe's blood and his pants were covered with dust and body fluids from his fight with Plug.
Omega looked around again, this time searching for a way to get the incriminating evidence off. Light glinted off water about twenty feet away. He jumped towards it, hopping off roots and rocks to avoid leaving tracks. He stopped on a particularly large root, peering down at the cold running water below. It was clear enough to see that the stream was empty, except for a few naturally occurring fish. One more quick glance around his surroundings, and he jumped in.
The water came up to his waist. Omega gasped, then let out a sigh of relief as the water washed over his burns and cuts, some still there from fighting Wallaburn. He looked at his hands, covered with crimson.
"When they say your hands will never comes clean, they really mean it," he joked. He slid his thumb and fingers together, the warm liquid lubricating them. Inspiration hit.
He closed his eyes, focusing. His hands glowed slightly from gathering the DNA from her blood. He smiled, pleasantly surprised that it worked.
"DNA information Acquired. EX Skill "Reflect Laser" obtained. EX Skill Reflect Laser causes fully charged O-buster to fire energy that will rebound off of solid surfaces."
Omega chuckled. Two EX Skills in one day! He was getting better at this! His business done, he submerged his upper body, scrubbing at the blood and dirt soaked into his clothes. When it was gone, he got out of the stream, shaking the water off. He began walking towards where his ship was, taking his time. With no one following him, he might as well go leisurely and dry off, right?
Several hours later, he arrived back in Hunter's camp. The place was abuzz. Hunters whispered into each other's ears, darted their eyes nervously around, and gasped in amazement.
"Did you hear..."
"About what happened to Ashe?"
"No way, are you..."
Omega parked his ship in his hangar. Locking all the doors and the window, he left it behind to venture into the heart of the camp. No one payed attention to him, all concerned with the newest gossip concerning Ashe. Apparently, information traveled fast.
Omega remembered his "promise" to the Gem Gang, so headed in their general direction. About halfway there, he saw them huddling off to one side of the main drag. They spotted him shortly after. Running over to him, Omega could see that they were afraid, as was everyone else in camp.
"There you are! Didn't you hear about what happened to that Mega Man?" Ruby shouted, fidgeting.
Omega shrugged, feigning ignorance. The Gem Gang gave each other concerned glances before huddling around him, explaining.
"I heard she got attacked by a monster! A huge mechaniloid!" Opal started, anger and concern coming off of her in waves. Now that Omega noticed her, she did bear some resemblance to the Model O female. Hero worship, perhaps?
His musings was cut short by Diamond, "No no, I'd heard it was an assassin! And a damn good one too if it's true, nearly did her in!"
"No way, it was an ancient deity of-"
"Pure evil! That's what that purist guy-"
"Was saying, anyways." the twins cut in, flailing their arms excitedly.
Ruby crossed her arms, snorting, "Poppycock! I heard the real story, she was attacked by an army! Those religious Purist always blame something on an ancient deity of pure evil! You can't listen to them and be sane at the same time!"
"I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually," Amethyst said sedately, bringing their discussion to a close. Sirens blared from the corners of every building, ringing out over the street. The gang looked at the sirens, then looked at each other. A voice blared over the intercom.
"All hunters and civilians, please return to your homes and workstations immediately. A level two lockdown is in place to ensure everyone's safety. Repeat, please return to your homes and workplaces. Thank you."
"Level two lockdown?" Omega questioned. Diamond beckoned the group to follow him, then raced towards their apartments. Amethyst explained to Omega as they ran.
"Well, level two means that something very concerning happened somewhere, to someone important usually, so they keep everyone locked up. It's to prevent such an occurrence from happening to anyone else. It's also a great way to keep any suspects where they are, since if someone runs, then they know something's up. And even if no one runs, they're all sat nice and tight in their homes when the investigation of the incident starts."
"Ah, that makes sense..." Omega nodded. It seemed that he'd ended up back in camp just in time. The group went into the main room of their apartments, chatting with each other about what might have really happened to Ashe. Omega joined in the conversation for a bit, but after a while, told the others that he was tired. He crept over to the couch and fell asleep.