Chapter 11: Resurrection

With all the X-Hunters defeated, X was sent into the end of the passageway leading into the back entrance towards the computer facility. Even with the X-Hunters' demise, X had to still get to the computer in time to destroy it, and he had roughly fifteen minutes left to do so. X was dropped down into a small shaft after being teleported by Alia. This shaft was lined with purple metal walls, and the room was barely lit. After the chaos of the X-Hunters' main base, X was a little bothered by the absolute silence in this room.

Looking around as much as he was allowed to at the moment, X thought that there might be some sort of trap waiting for him here. Defeating the X-Hunters so easily just seemed very odd to him, even if he had figured out their weaknesses. X climbed up the shaft with wall jumps and ended up near two teleportation pods. One was broken apart, suggesting that it was the one that would have taken X directly to the computer facility, and the other one was perfectly functional and seemed to be operating as a detour in case the other one went down.

X was certainly right to be cautious as he stepped onto the functioning pod and found himself teleported across this mysterious part of the tunnel. He ended up inside of another room, this one contained a series of levitated steel platforms all across the entire expanse, and there was a high ledge containing an electronic barrier blocking the way to a hallway further into the facility directly in front of where X had ended up. The room was still a little dark, but now the problem was that there were some sparks of light coming from eight different sources around the room…And those sources in question were metallic statues of the eight Mavericks on the platforms around the room.

"This doesn't look good…" X commented as he stepped forward slightly away from the spot he was teleported onto, followed by Alia calling in and saying "This wasn't the path you were supposed to take X. Looks like the X-Hunters sabotaged the right pod you'd have to take to get to the computer facility." "I can't waste too much time here…Alia, can you break through this electric barrier up there?" X inquired as he looked around to see what was up with the Maverick statues.

X leaped off the ground to reach the closest one, which represented Magna Centipede, and laid a hand against it while murmuring "Just why would these be here…?" There didn't seem to be a switch or button on any part of the statue, and the eyes glowed brightly for no reason except to add to the eeriness of the area. Alia chimed in and told X "I can't believe it, I'm not able to hack into the barrier and shut it down. It seems to be connected to something…" X widened his eyes and then cautiously stepped back off of the platform the statue was on while saying "I think I know what's going on here…"

"X?" Alia remarked quietly out of concern, and X lifted his arm cannon up and remarked "When I infiltrated Sigma's base, he had rebuilt the eight Mavericks as mindless drones to guard the way to him…The X-Hunters were nothing more than followers of Sigma's methods, so it only makes sense that they'd do the same thing he did. But considering how quickly I went after them upon defeating Crystal Snail, these must be copies of the Mavericks, not rebuilt versions…"

"And you think they are going to come to life and attack you? But X…From what I'm understanding here, the statues aren't capable of coming to life, and whatever's keeping the barrier up is close by your current location. In fact…It's coming your way!" With Alia's warning, X turned around to look at the room, hoping he hadn't missed a passageway or that Alia wasn't referring to said being teleporting inside. "Alia? Where is coming from?" X inquired while keeping his arm cannon held tight.

"They are coming from the passageway above you…And-…N-No way…" Following a gasp, Alia was suddenly left at a loss of words, which made X quickly point his arm cannon up at the passageway to confront the threat that left his ally concerned. But then he too was left in a state of absolute disbelief as he saw the shadowy frame of the person walking right through the electrical barrier and positioning themselves on the edge of the ledge. "W-What is going on here? How could this be?" X stuttered in absolutely disbelief, his mouth partially agape as he looked up at the ledge.

On the ledge was a tall Reploid with a black, almost vampiric cloak wrapped around his body while it was attached to his broad, curved and pointed metallic shoulders. His head was shaped like a human's, but with a slightly bigger chin and triangular pupil-less blue eyes with a black scar running through each one. His head was attached to a bright silver neck sticking out from a barely visible chest of green metal armor. X did not have to see the rest of the body to know who this person was, especially when they smirked and said as he looked down at X "I knew you would make it this far, X."

His voice was deep and commanded a particular presence, one that fit his dark cape and statuesque height, and it said a lot when X widened his eyes and murmured the man's name in a combination of surprise and fright "T-This is impossible…S-S-Sigma? This has to be a trick the X-Hunters left behind…You can't possibly be alive, you can't possibly be real!" Sigma lifted his right arm out a bit and said "You think I'm a fake, do you? Tell me X…"

Swinging his cape aside, Sigma reveals his body, which had underwent some changes since the last time X had seen him. Now he was a lot more detailed, with thick silver edging added to his shoulders and his green chest being buffed with orange metal plating. He also had visible metallic abs on his stomach and spiked bands on his heavily armored boots. His hands had become blue and there were extendable wolverine claws on his right one. Finishing his sentence off from earlier with confidence, Sigma asked "Then why would I have a new body?"

X froze up for a moment and grit his teeth, growling internally before he began charging his arm cannon and exclaimed "I don't care! Die Sigma!" He fired a large charged shot through the air at Sigma, but the reborn Maverick quickly drew his claws from his hand and swiped at the projectile to cut through it with such finesse that not a single bit of energy survived. He moved no part of his body save for his arm as he did this, and once he was done with his defensive slash he chuckled a bit and remarked "You've gotten stronger X, but it seems your temper hasn't changed in the slightest. But you seem to have finally listened to me and begun to not hesitate…"

Sigma's words were filled with mockery towards X's efforts, and with how easily he had taken care of X's attack he was right to speak with such arrogance. X didn't attempt another attack and instead lowered his arm cannon a bit, growling a little more before he said "How is this possible? I destroyed you…Your base collapsed on top of whatever remains there could have been! You shouldn't be alive!" Sigma lowered his arm down beside the fold of his cape and remarked "And yet here I am…Poor X, you really never understood how far this business with the X-Hunters went, did you?"

"What are you talking about? Answer me, Sigma!" X demanded answers, but as Sigma pointed out "The only reason I'm answering them for you X is because I wish to, not because you are in any position to demand information from me." X growled even more, followed by Sigma lifted his right hand to his chin and said "The X-Hunters were very loyal to my cause, but in the end they were nothing more than fanatics to my cause, and it was easy to use their loyalty to my plans. First they needed to acquire Zero's parts from the ruins of my old base and put them back together in a good enough condition…"

Sigma smirked a bit and then said "That way, they'd be able to show them to you, and your loyalty to your ally would make you come to this island region in order to get his parts back. The goal from there on was for the X-Hunters or the Mavericks they had recruited to kill you…But I knew from the start that they would just be stalling for time while my real plans went into motion. I remember how you defeated my eight Maverick generals the last time around X, and copied their powers and used them against the others…So while I was waiting for my new body to be made, I came up with an idea…"

"Using the knowledge of the eight Mavericks the X-Hunters had recruited and their weaknesses, I made it so you'd make it to Crystal Snail last. I had Serges give Overdrive Ostrich the order to fire the missile, knowing that the Maverick Hunters would make it the top priority to stop. Then, other threats would be unleashed that would keep you going through the weaknesses of the other Mavericks in the proper order until Crystal Snail was the last one you needed to defeat. And you know why I wanted you to save him for last, X?"

"…I think I can understand why." X said, as much as he didn't want to admit that he knew the truth, and Sigma moved his hand away from his chin and held his arms out while remarking "That's right. Before you had defeated me six months ago, I had created Crystal Snail and had him work within those mines to gather all the appropriate materials needed to create a new body for me. And with Serges' assistance along with everyone else's efforts to stall you, my new body was finished around the time you destroyed Magna Centipede."

With a look of sheer joy on his face, Sigma exclaimed to X with all of his excitement "And now, with my body having taken the next step in Reploid evolution, I shall continue where the X-Hunters had left off and finish Project: Unification!" "This still doesn't explain how you got into this new body! I destroyed your last one and it was buried in the sea with the rest of your base!" X pointed out in an angered exclamation, but Sigma just calmly told him "Hahaha…X, you really don't understand, do you? I am the world's first immortal Reploid, I cannot be killed no matter how hard you try."

"I-Immortal? No one is immortal…Not humans, not Reploids, no one!" X stated, and Sigma responded by gesturing his right hand out and admitting "Hmm, I suppose you do have a valid point X, but you would be quite surprised at how far some will go to keep themselves alive. Or do I need to bring up Cain putting his consciousness within cyberspace? Actually, I have also heard of a man who carried such a deep hatred from another that he spent the rest of his life learning how to live on as a robot…And eventually succeeded."

"Tsk…You killed Dr. Cain though, betrayed him and all he stood for just because of your insane views on 'evolution', Sigma!" X responded with, caring not about the points Sigma made due to how he viewed the Maverick. But Sigma responded swiftly with "You keep calling me insane, but in the end my only goal is to give purpose to those Reploids out there that are mistreated as tools by the humans. To take the Reploids to a new stage of evolution, and make them the dominant race on the planet…But I suppose I cannot expect a Reploid who has done nothing but kill the non-compliant on the orders of the humans to understand my views."

"I will never understand your views…And you try to use that argument against me when you used the X-Hunter generals as tools yourself?!" X stated, and Sigma replied "I have no qualms with being labeled as a hypocrite if in the end it serves my purposes, X. In the end, evolution requires sacrifice…It's a law that has always been in place since the dawn of time itself, and no matter how much you fight it X, someone will eventually succeed even if I somehow fail. Now tell me X…With that in mind, what does it matter if you manage to kill me again?"

"…" X paused and said nothing, leading to Sigma stating coldly "You've already seen how the X-Hunters were absolutely loyal to my views of the world, even though in the end it led to their demise. You think they were the only ones left that are loyal to me in this world? My words and actions have left a permanent impact on the world as you know it X…There are thousands upon thousands of Reploids out there willing to give up their roles in society to take on a more important position in the new world order I am building, and as time goes on the Maverick Hunters will continue to be overwhelmed as their forces dwindle and the Mavericks grow in number. I may have begun this revolution X, but it will not end with me…That's something you'll just have to accept regardless of what you think."

After a few seconds of mulling over Sigma's words, X raised his arm cannon up and said "If anyone else wants to take up the same ideals as you Sigma, then I will stop them all the same. You are not going to dissuade me, Sigma!" Sigma swayed his cape out and remarked "So you will destroy any that follow my path, is that right X? Then what are you going to do when your own allies are turned against you?" X flinched for a moment upon hearing that, leading to Sigma telling him "You seem to have forgotten what the stakes are once I appeared before you…"

"The satellite dish…" X murmured, followed by Sigma stating "That's right X. I have stalled the clock for now so I can show you how futile your actions are, but you know exactly what the computer is capable of transmitting…You know what will happen once it goes off. A signal will go out to the Maverick Hunter HQ, and everyone there will become a Maverick. So even if by some miracle you survive this encounter, all of your allies will become your enemies. Not only that, but Project: Unification will be complete."

"What is this Project: Unification you keep talking about?" X inquired, feeling only the tiniest bit calmer knowing that Sigma was arrogantly holding the timer back. Sigma grinned and said "It is a double-sided plan concocted by myself and the X-Hunters…The endgame being the rebirth of Zero. You see, we happened to collect a copy of Zero's blueprints for ourselves, meaning that it would be far too easy for Serges to rebuild him." X recalled the blueprints of Zero's body he had seen in the computer facility, but now that he knew why they were there he had to know what they were planning to do with his body and quickly asked "You can't be serious. So were you planning on creating an army of Zero clones all along or was that just the X-Hunters end goal?"

"Heheh…An army of Zero clones, you say? There's no such need for that…One Zero is more than enough for me. The X-Hunters never would have managed such a task. No…The purpose of Project: Unification was this. You see, each of Zero's parts are equipped with a hidden transmitter, one so deeply buried that it cannot be detected by any scanner. The parts are able to be teleported back with a press of a button, meaning that we could have made them come back at any time…Of course, we would have done that if you had only succeeded in capturing a couple parts and perished beforehand. However, I think this result is much better…"

Sigma swung his arms out and said "I know you've been rebuilding Zero within the HQ thanks to Cain's help! I can't say for sure though whether he's recreation is finished yet, but it matters not…Once the signal from the satellite strikes the HQ, whoever is working on Zero will be taken over, and Zero himself will become a Maverick just like me! And you've placed him right in the perfect spot to unleash him upon the humans!" X widened his eyes and exclaimed "Zero would never join your cause! You don't understand him at all!"

"Hehehe…Hahahah! Oh X…I know him far more than you could ever, EVER comprehend. It is Zero's destiny to be by my side and rein in the humans who oppose the evolution of Mavericks. I was hoping in the end to have Zero destroy you once he turned Maverick…But I must admit, I still carry a little grudge against you for destroying my first body. Though the irony of your best friend killing you after all you've done to save him would be a great thing to enjoy, I must also admit…" Sigma stated, and X exclaimed in response "Fine! If you want to fight me, then I will destroy you just like I did before! You will not succeed Sigma!"

"You just don't get it X…You're the only 'Reploid' in this entire world who cannot become a Maverick. So fight all you want…Eventually, it shall be you alone against a Maverick world! So destroy me…Destroy me again and again and again! I will persist until my goals are accomplished! Now, it's time for you to realize just how far your ignorance extends, X!" Sigma then raised his right arm beside his face and snapped his fingers loudly, and all of a sudden the lights go off on all of the Maverick statues in the room, with a very audible noise coming from each of them as they suddenly awaken from their dormancy.

The metal shell around their bodies disappear, showing that they were simply camouflaged until Sigma had ordered their movement. X swung his body around while aiming his arm cannon at Sigma still, but found that all eight Mavericks had been perfectly reconstructed, and all of them pointed themselves at X while continuing to stand on their individual platforms. As X looked at all of the Mavericks, Sigma held his arms within the folds of his cape and said "Rebuilding and cloning Zero is a struggle that's not worth it's time…But the standard Mavericks you've fought before? How could I not choose to keep copies of them in store just in case one of them falls? But of course, it also helps that these clones are incapable of showing free will."

"Enough of this insanity Sigma!" X exclaimed as he aimed his arm cannon up at the madman, who just laughed at his attempt at defiance and remarked "You may have gained the ability to shoot without hesitation X…But will it really do you any good here? You should focus your attention on the Mavericks surrounding you. Of course, considering it's an eight versus one scenario, not including the fact that you'd still have to fight me afterwards…Even with your new armor, I'd say your chances of surviving this are roughly 10%. It's a pity that your empathy towards the humans means you cannot be reasoned to join my side X…It was, in the end, the only way you'd ever fight by Zero's side again."

Sigma raised his right arm into the air and then snapped his fingers again while putting on a happy grin, and the eight Mavericks growled before they prepared to leap from the platforms at X. X turned himself around and pulled both of his arm cannons out, but with his ability to use only one of the Mavericks' weapons at a time he knew it would be quite difficult to take them out. His armor could not last forever against the unified assault of these eight foes, and the confined space meant he had little area to move around. X was worried about his situation, but he kept a firm expression on his face and began to charge his arm cannons at the same time as the Mavericks leaped from the platforms. But then a voice responded to Sigma's earlier comment, and it was one voice that X had almost believed he wouldn't hear again…

"Well then, why don't I add one more Zero to those odds, Sigma?!"

All of a sudden, a zip of red streaked into the room and landed with his back pointed to X's own, and before the Mavericks could land a single blow the figure drew a weapon and swung it in a swift three-hundred and sixty degree cut, managing to not hit X at all as it cleaved through all the Mavericks in a single slash. As the blade cut through the Mavericks, X slowly stopped his charged shots and turned his head to glance over his left shoulder with his mouth agape, and the sliced Mavericks quickly explode apart into many parts. X didn't say a word as he looked at his rescuer…

Behind X a long amount of golden "hair" waved in place to the side, all of it extending out from a red helmet that had crown-like spikes at the top and a jewel of triangular blue on the front of it's white center. The robot's shoulders were protected by reinforced plates, one of which contained a yellow and blue edged "Z" symbol on it. The robot's body was framed much like X's was, but with a slightly bulkier red chest and a white waist. He wore armored boots like X with protection on his kneecaps and toes, and his hands were protected by pointed metallic wristbands. But the most noticeable thing was that the robot had gripped in his right hand a beam saber with a wavy blue appearance and a thin but functional handle, something X knew he did not have before.

"X, are you alright?" The robot said in an inquiring but somewhat adolescent tone of voice as he stood himself upright and clicked the on the handle of his sword to remove the beam blade, putting the handle onto a holster in the back of his body. X turned around, smiling before he nodded his head and told his revitalized friend "I-I'm ok Zero. Thanks for saving me." Zero turned his head over his right shoulder and remarked with a bright look on his face "Actually, I should be thanking you X."

Zero turned back to look up at Sigma and folded his arms together, explaining to his friend "I was briefed on everything you've done to get my parts back X. You've been fighting hard against the X-Hunters for the last six months, and it seems Sigma has come back to life while I was gone as well…You don't have to fight alone now X. We'll face Sigma together!" Alia suddenly chimed in to X's helmet and told him directly "Sorry I was silent for a while there X. I didn't want Sigma catching on to the fact that Doppler and Cain had finished reconstructing Zero and he was on his way to your location."

"Cut it a little close there Alia, but thank you…" X said with an honest sigh of relief, and then he and Zero both focused on Sigma, who had gotten over his surprise and said "So you've been given a few upgrades, Zero. It seems that's something we've shared on this day…Of course, that's not all we have to share between each other." Sigma extends his right hand out and explained to Zero "Don't you feel it, Zero? The pull of destiny that guides you to fight by my side in this new Maverick world I wish to create?"

"Sigma…I don't believe in any 'destiny'…However…" Zero reached at his back and pulled out his beam saber, pointing it at Sigma while stating bluntly "If I did, the only destiny I'd believe in is the one where we will stop you and your insane goals!" Sigma pulled back on his arm and remarked "A shame…But if that's your decision, then I still have my back-up plan to rely on."

Snapping his left fingers immediately after saying that, Sigma steps back a little and lets another robot walk in from the side of him. It was a black copy of Zero, with him looking more like Zero's old appearance and thus not having the new sword or shoulders. Zero flinched a tiny bit as X looked a lot more surprised as she stood behind him, leading to Sigma explaining "This was always going to be my alternative if by some chance you could not be reconstructed…Instead I think I'll use this Zero as a way to test your new upgrades. So why don't you have some fun with this while I go and activate the satellite? Heheh…"

Sigma then turned around and began to walk off while the electric barrier shutdown, and the black Zero leaped down from the ledge and landed a few feet away from the real Zero. Zero keeps his sword pointed at his clone while saying to X "I'll handle this X. You can deal with Sigma!" X commented "Zero…" with a little bit of doubt in his voice, leading Zero to cheer him up by exclaiming "I know you can do it by yourself X! Sigma wouldn't have been trying to dissuade you unless he was worried about your power! And don't worry about the computer…I'll destroy it once I'm done here."

Zero lifted his sword up and aligned it with his shoulder, pulling back on it and pointing it straight at his clone while X thought about what Zero said for a moment and then nodded his head, telling him confidently "I think that's all I needed to hear Zero. Thank you…We're both going to make it out of this alive." Zero smiled a little and said "Of course. I have no intention of spitting on all of your hard work by dying ever again, X. Now go! Take Sigma down!" X did not even need to let Zero finish his sentence as he leaped up the platforms and made his way for the passageway Sigma had gone down.

Once X had disappeared from sight, Zero focused all of his attention on his clone as it grinned maniacally his way, and with a firm grip on his beam saber and an expression of confidence he said "I haven't gotten used to this new body yet, but I'm not going to lose to a fake. Sigma is going to learn the hard way that he should've paid closer attention to my blueprints, because there is only one Zero!" The two Zeros then leaped right at each other, engaging in a battle of grand proportions…

But it is X we focus on at this moment, as he sprinted his way through the passage and eventually emerged right at the start of the computer facility after a good couple of minutes. Alia reminded him quickly that the timer had been restarted by Sigma, and there were now eleven minutes left on the clock. With the security system deactivated after his last excursion through this place, X rushed through the place as quickly as he could to catch up with Sigma, who he found no signs of his presence until he reached the room with the projector, where a hole in the ground had now been open up leading to a very deep part of the facility. X gripped onto his right arm cannon and leaped into the hole, knowing that the final battle with Sigma awaited him at the very bottom…

Next Time: Sigma's Ideals…X's Empathy