"When we don't know who to hate, we hate ourselves." Chuck Palachniuk
"Not interested." Cloud Strife
"All units." Lelouch called out on the radio. "Begin to retreat."
Zero opened his eyes after he had fallen from the top of the mountain and landed where he was. He was still in a large forest shrouded area. A thick fog loomed over the area as Zero scanned to take a look around. He proceeded to get up after looking around for a few seconds. Admist difficulty, he got up fine and was able to shake off the damage that he had been inflicted. He would definitely need some form of repairs when he returned to the base.
He opened his map system in his brain and began to map out where he was. A 3D wireframe of the mountain appeared in his sight, along with many dots and blimps, representing units for either side. Some units had the names of which pilot was on which, which Reploid was which, etc etc. Zero looked around the mountain to find his location. Upon scanning, he realized how far he had fallen. He was all the way on the opposite side of the mountain. The scanning indicated that Zero was more than five hundred meters from his original location. Then again, Zero's battle with X was near the top. What really surprised Zero was the fact that X did not pursue both him and Axl; and praying to anyone that X believed them to be retired.
Zero attempted to plot a course with his teleportation system, but as soon as he had it plotted, an error in his OS occurred. Confused, Zero ran a diagnostic of his body to detect and find the error.
ZERO SYSTEM v1.0 SYSTEM DIAGNOSTIC
Ready.
INITIALZING…
Scanning…
23 Errors found
12 Minor errors
9 Major errors
2 Critical errors
REPAIR SYSTEM? This may cause a loss of data. Y/N
Y
REPAIRING SYSTEM….
System repairs complete. Some data may have been lost.
Use system backup to restore lost files? Y/N
Y
RESTORING FILES…
ALERT! Repairs cannot be completed. This may be because of damage to the system or to the hardware itself. Return to nearest repair station for evaluation and repairs.
Press any key to continue…
CLOSE SYSTEM? Y/N
Y
DIAGNOSTIC PROMPT SHUT DOWN
"Damn." Zero said. "X messed me up pretty bad."
"All units!" Lelouch's voice continued to bellow out on the radar. "Retreat immediately!"
Zero looked up towards the direction where Lelouch was seen on his map (which really turned into Zero staring a large mountain which was now in his face). Zero now had no choice but to walk the way there. Zero cracked his cybernetic neck to get it battle ready. After picking up his saber and putting it away, the red armored Reploid sped off towards the direction of where Lelouch was.
On his way, he saw Axl lying on the ground. Axl was injured, some of his armor broken, with wires and hardware parts lying on the ground.
"AXL!" Zero shouted.
Zero boosted over to him and grabbed Axl, putting his head on his hand.
"Axl!" Zero shouted, coaxing the Reploid to come back to life. "Axl! Come on man! Don't you die on me!"
It took a few minutes of shaking and talking before Axl began to shake back to life. However, the moment he did, he wished he didn't. Sharp pain shot straight into him from the open portions of his body. Axl gritted his teeth and forced a small yelp from his mouth. Zero cursed on the fact that Reploids could feel pain, but he was glad that the Reploid was still alive.
"Still alive?" He asked.
"Yeah." Axl said, slowly moving to his feet. "I'll…I'll…be fine…I think."
"How badly are you messed up?" Zero asked.
"I can't move my right arm." Axl said. "My booster systems are out. Most of weapon data is corrupt and I need to use one of my backups when repairs are complete."
"Anything else I need to worry about?" Zero asked.
"My feelings are hurt." Axl said.
Zero face palmed himself and then continued.
"Anything else that is actually important?" Zero asked.
"My pride?" Axl asked.
"Damn it Axl; seriously!" Zero shouted.
"All right; nothing else after that." Axl said.
"Good." Zero said. "Are you going to need help getting back to the JLF?"
"Probably." Axl said. "A sniper isn't useful if he can't grip his rifle; let along form it."
"Follow me." Zero said.
Zero turned around and walked towards the direction of the JLF base. Axl slowly followed behind, gripping his arm. Axl was definitely hurt, no matter what he tried to say when he made those jokes. Zero's repair system was kicking in and already fixing him on the inside for the damages that were minor, but he knew Axl had no such power (not to mention all the major damage could not be repaired through auto repair system). Therefore, Zero had to keep a close eye on him. He knew for a fact that Axl stood no chance to a Knightmare now. Zero held his saber on as the two continued to move.
The forest they we're in was thick and heavy. Most of the trees above them began to cut off light sources. They're we're very few openings left to see the forest. If Axl hadn't got injured from the fall, or at had back then downloaded the Repair program and installed it when they we're maverick hunters like Zero told him, they would not have been in this situation.
And with X around, god knows what could be roaming around. If they encountered X, all would be lost.
Zero continued to move on the ground. Streams of water moved among the area. Snow. White snow poured from the sky as it rained down from the shaking of the trees. Zero hacked and slashed through brushes as the overgrowth of the trees covered the entire area. Axl had trouble moving around the area. Anytime he had had move his leg up farther than necessary, pain shot through his leg. Within minutes after moving around the area, Zero had to grab Axl and put him on his shoulder. Axl and Zero and managed to continue around the area.
"Man I just realized you are being nice to me." Axl said.
"I know." Zero said, in a slightly happy tone. "I'm just glad."
"Glad?" Axl asked.
"Glad." Zero said. "Most of the people that I know have so far been trying to kill me. It's nice to meet someone one I know that isn't trying to kill me. It feels good actually."
"Yeah." Axl said.
"We're almost there by the JLF base." Zero said.
"Zero…" Axl said.
"Yeah man?" Zero asked.
"Can you take me to where the Black Knights are?" Axl asked.
"Huh?" Zero asked.
"I kind of want to meet Zero." Axl said. "I got something to ask him."
"Why?" Zero asked.
"I want to…nah…this is too good to spoil now." Axl said. "I'll wait till we get there."
Zero nodded his head, and began to move in the direction of the access point.
The forest brush at this point began to become more and more intense as the two descended from the mountain. Zero used his acceleration system very little to conserve energy. His energy reserve only marked at 23%. Zero knew that he'd need to stay in his capsule for a few nights after tonight.
At one point while Zero was walking, he heard a sound of a weapon discharge in the distance. As soon as he looked in the direction, an energy blast sped towards him. Zero simply rolled to the side (while carrying Axl) and easily dodged the shot.
"Ow!" Axl shouted. "Not so rough!"
Zero simply dropped him.
"Oh that's real mature!" Axl said. "Injured guy and all and you drop me uncomfortably on the ground. Real mature Zero…"
"Quiet!" Zero shouted.
"Okay." He said.
Zero pointed his arm forward and his Arm cannon formed and he kept in pointed forward. Zero kept it forward as he waited for his target to appear.
"Might as well come out!" Zero shouted. "I can already see you. C'mon X! Let's finish it!"
"That would be the case if I was X." A voice said.
Zero hesitated for a few seconds. The voice he heard was not X's. It was darker. More sinister. Besides, X would never have assassinated him. He would have let Zero know he was there. Zero let down his buster for a few seconds as he waited for the figure to appear.
Moments later, a black armored reploid from the thick brush. Behind that reploid, there was also a purple wolf like robot following him. This machine walked over to Zero; until he was at least within twenty meters of him. Then he stopped and looked right at him.
"That armor…" Zero began. "That hardware. You're severely outdated piece of junk."
"Outdated huh?" He said. "I"ll remember that."
"First thing first." Zero began. "Who the hell are you and why did you fire at me?"
"My name is Bass." He said. "In all essence, i'm your big brother."
Zero nearly shot back when he heard the word brother. He was so shocked they he even deactivated his Z-Buster. Zero's feelings we're so mixed. Could this machine be telling the truth? Could this Bass robot truly be his brother?
Zero had no idea what to think at the time. He merely stood still and waited. There wasn't anything he could think or say that could tell him; especially since he didn't even know the machine at the time.
"You seem to be confused with all of this." Bass said. "Here, let me show you."
Bass pressed a button on his helmet and formed a screen in front of him. Seconds later, Zero gasped when he saw the mysterious "W" symbol appear in front of it. There had been many times in his life that he wanted to know what it is. He had seen that symbol before. Very rarely, but he had seen it before. Zero figured it was something to represent his creator.
"I guess you're convinced now." Bass said. "You girly looking robot."
"What'd you say!?" Zero shouted.
"Ha!" Bass said. "I knew you would react like that. All those years of waiting and I finally could tell you that."
"So much for the brotherly love." Zero said. "So brother, what was the reason you came from the relic ages and just to come and bother me?"
"I've come to take you to that worthless Doctor." Bass said.
Zero's eyebrow went up when he heard that. His father? Well, technically his creator. But the fact was the he had a chance right now and talk to the one who created him. Yet, something just didn't not feel right.
"Not interested." Zero said.
"I didn't say you had a choice." Bass said.
Bass formed his Buster and pointed it at Zero. Zero jumped back and formed his.
"I'm taking you with me, whether you like it or not." Bass said. "Then we'll make all those little useless ideals you hold onto go away."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zero asked.
"From what the doctor said, your purpose was to spread the Maverick virus and to force the entire Reploid community to rebel against their masters; and by doing that, unraveling the seeds of anarchy and destruction across the Earth." Bass said. "After that, your father was going to take over this wretched world."
"Okay; I am so confused right now!" Axl shouted.
"Shut up Axl!" Zero and Bass said.
Both of the two machines looked at each other for a few seconds after that was said. Zero then smirked after that time had passed.
"I guess you are my brother after all." Zero said. "Regardless, there is no way I am letting you infect my body with the virus. I like the way I am now; and in no way do I ever plan to be a harbinger of chaos again. You want to infect me...fine! But I'll retire you long before you do that!"
"Suit yourself." Bass said. "Let's go Treble!"
The wolf machine howled to the sky and then leaped into the air. Zero watched as the doglike machine compact in on itself and turned into some form of armor. As soon as that happened, the armor covered Base and he gained his armor form. After that, Bass's arm cannon formed and it fired at Zero.
Zero moved quickly to the right and activated his arm cannon. Zero fired a massive Z-Buster at Bass. Bass easily flew over the blast and fired several Bass Busters at Zero. Zero began to run on from his position to the right, using the trees as cover from the sudden attacks. He pulled out his Z-Saber, but did not activate it. When an opportunity struck, Zero leapt from the woods and charged directly at Base. Zero activated the Z-Saber and slashed at one of the engines for Bass's armor. The thruster was slashed clean off and Base began to fly in different directions; until he eventually crashed on the ground. Bass struggled to get up while Zero moved towards him.
Bass got up and fired his fist at Zero. Zero rolled under the fist. At some point, the fist turned around and proceeded back towards where Zero was. Zero simply ducked when he saw It come back. The first latched back onto to Bass's arm and he fired some Bass Busters at Zero. Zero used his saber to deflect the massive balls of energy, sometimes have to jump out of the way of some. Either way, Bass's attacks never made contact with Zero.
Zero then leaped in the air and landed right next to Bass. Zero was then successful in slicing off the other thruster. At that point, Treble then leaped off of Bass. Treble limped away from the area in pain. Zero could see some of its body damaged. The thrusters we're obviously not the legs.
Bass swung his fist down and knocked the saber out of Zero's hand. Zero and Bass then engaged each other in fist to fist combat.
Zero threw the first punch. Bass blocked the fist with his arm and then threw a punch of his own. Zero moved out of the way and blocked another punch from Bass's left arm. While Zero held it still, Zero spun to the left and punched Bass in the face with the back of his left arm. Bass startled back. Zero charged forward and performed a flip, kicking Bass in the chin. Bass was knocked off his feet but quickly regained his balance as Zero landed gracefully and resumed his fighting position. Bass charged forward and used his feet to kick him. Zero blocked the first kick, but Bass managed to twist around and kick him to the side. Zero moved slightly to the left, but stayed still. Bass performed a roundhouse kick, but Zero blocked that with his arms. When he secured his block, he grabbed Bass's foot and threw him to the side. Bass was flung into a tree. The tree was uprooted as soon as Bass hit it.
"Yeah Zero!" Axl shouted. "Kick his ass!"
Bass leapt up from the uprooted tree and fired a Bass Buster from the air. Zero backflipped and dodged the shot. He then fired his own Buster. It missed. Bass landed about ten meters from Zero.
Zero then sped forward towards the machine. Zero then gave him a clean right hook, knocking Bass to the ground. Bass tried to get up, but Zero pounded him into the ground. He attempted to do it again, but Bass rolled out of the way, kicking him as he did. Zero was barely phased by it. Instead, he waited for Bass to get up. When Bass did, Zero uppercutted him into the air. Then Zero leapt in the air and flipped down, kicking Bass back into the ground. Bass tried to get up, but Zero grabbed him by the throat and then punched him in the stomach.
Bass lurched forward and stopped struggling. Even though he was an advanced piece of equipment, he was still nothing compared to Zero. He couldn't take nearly as much punishment as Zero could. Even though he was beaten, he still managed to form a smile.
Hook, line, sinker.
Zero held him in his grip as he looked at him with serious eyes.
"Now tell me!" Zero said. "What do you know about this W guy?"
"What an odd question." Bass said. "Why do you wish to know that?"
"If you're my brother," Zero said. "And you know my father, you can tell enlighten me with some details that I'm still a little confused on. Like for example...what did you mean about spreading the virus?"
"That doctor…" Bass began. "He wants you to come back to him so you can reprogrammed."
"Reprogrammed!?" Zero shouted.
"Yes." Bass said. "You never meant to experience this much freedom with your emotions. You never supposed to make your own choices. You we're supposed to hold the virus and spread it to all Reploids."
"The Maverick virus?" Zero said.
"Yes." Bass said. "You see, my creator and yours designed the core aspect of the virus and what it was supposed to do. While Doctor Cain worked tirelessly to develop the Reploid project, your creator hacked into the network and sent a corruptible ,bat file into the system. Reploids are intended to make their own choices. Some who do become so insane that they lose abilities and such. This batch file makes it possible so that the whole system crashes and files become deleted. SO that they do just the basics. Kill."
Zero's anger flared up instantly when he heard that. His father…the man he wished to meet…was the whole reason the Maverick Hunters had to be formed. The whole reason Reploids had to be sacrificed.
The whole reason she died.
"You little punk!" Zero shouted.
"Let your anger grow." Bass said. "You'll need it for what's to come."
"What are you talking about?" Zero asked.
"This." Bass said.
Zero looked at one of Bass's free arms. Under his hand, a hidden blade appeared. The blade came to sudden and too quick. Zero was unable to react when the knife went into the body. Zero looked at the steel blade as he saw a purple enigma of energy pass from the knife from the knife, into his body. At the same time, he also saw something from the inside of his body go from his body into the knife and into Bass's. Bass retracted the knife as Zero let him go.
"Got it." Bass said. "I got his specs. And you got…a little present from dad."
Zero looked at his hands as he saw red energy begin to form on his hands. Sooner or later, energy began to surround Zero as if he was one fire. Zero held onto his head as pain began to rise into it. Zero screamed. His HUD began to fizzle and become distorted. Unusual combinations of binary coding began to appear in his head. Zero became disorientated and fell down on the ground and struggled against the invisible force.
While Zero struggled and Axl looked upon the scene with pure horror, several other machines began to appear from the woods. They we're of course some of Wily's Sniper Joe machines. Cut Man and Guts Man also appeared from the woods.
"Don't worry my friend." Cut Man said. "It'll all be over soon. Then you won't have to go through that pain anymore."
"What have you done to me!?" Zero shouted.
"We've reawakened your power." Bass said. "Let it flow into you and release. Come on Zero...become a Maverick. That way I can my upgrades for spending time doing this grunt work."
"Ne..ne…Never!" Zero shouted.
"ZERO!" Axl shouted.
Axl stretched his working hand out and formed the only weapon he could. His pistol. Axl fired several rounds at one of the Sniper Joes. It flung back as the bullets penetrated straight through its head. The Sniper Joe fell down, dead.
"Take him out!" Bass shouted.
Two of the Sniper Joes charged at Axl with their shields up. Axl tried to fire and defeat the guards, but the bullets never went through the shield. The two sniper Joes grabbed Axl and then punched Axl in the face, immobilizing him.
"Shall we kill him?" One of them asked.
"No." Bass said. "Waste of time. Let him watch the transformation of his so-called friend."
"Isn't this dangerous Bass?" Guts Man said. "I mean, building Zero was the reason the Doc was killed anyway. Aren't we taking a risk by giving him all of his original powers back?"
"We ourselves are built with a coding of the virus as well." Bass said. "Zero won't attack those he recognizes are his allies."
"Bastards!" Axl shouted. "You guys are making Zero something he's not!"
One of the Sniper Joes punched Axl in the stomach, damaging his hardware even further. Axl gritted in pain as he looked at Bass with anger.
"Who the hell are you people!?" He shouted.
"We're the rulers of this world now, punk." Bass said. "And you get to watch the instrument of annihilation awaken after one hundred years of waiting; and when it's all over, you and I are going to fight to the death. And I'm going to destroy you to become the most powerful robot ever! And there's nothing you can do about it!"
It was true. Axl at this point was completely restrained. He had no method of helping Zero at this point of time. All he could do was watch in horror as the red energy began to torture him. Axl whimpered as he wondered what the true Zero could be.
However, in a flash of light, a buster came from the sky and smashed into Bass. Bass flew back from the sudden assault. Bass struggled to get up after he was hit, gripping his arm when managed to get up. He looked up to see a blackened figure charge right at him. Another Buster was fired at Bass. Bass backflipped over the shot and looked as the figure landed.
There, Bass saw a red and gray armored Reploid, with a yellow scarf and large shield land on the ground, separating Zero from his brother. He spun around and fired a blue ball of energy at Zero. The ball entered Zero's body. As soon as it did, Zero began to float as a bluish glow incased his entire being. After that had happened, Zero landed on his feet, completely normal. Zero looked at his hands to see the powerful flames we're no longer there. He looked up to see the Reploid or machine looking right at him.
"There." He said. "That should stop the virus from contaminating your systems."
"No way!" Bass shouted. "You can't still be alive Proto Man!"
"I am." He said, turning around. "The question is how you are still alive after all this time Bass? Can't you stay dead?"
"I think Sigma knows that better than me!" Bass shouted. "May I remind you that I was only killed once!"
"Whatever." Proto man said.
"Get out of the way, Proto Man!" Bass said.
"Unless you want to face all of us!" Cut Man said.
"With pleasure." Proto Man said.
Proto Man reached into his back and pulled out a long rod like object. Within seconds, two blades formed on each side of the rod. A double bladed saber. Proto Man pulled his Proto Shield out and charged right at Bass and his lackeys.
The first Sniper Joe fired at Proto Man several times. Proto Man jumped in the air, avoiding the shots. He got right next to it, using the shield to deflect the next shots, and then sliced the robot in pieces. Proto Man instantly turned around and used his shield to deflect the next few attacks. Proto Man charged forward and slashed it, destroying it. Proto Man then turned around and fired two Proto Busters at the two Sniper Joes holding Axl, causing them to release Axl. Axl realizing he had been released, turned over on his back, and used his pistol to finish the two off.
Zero at this point, not entirely knowing what was going on, grabbed his Z-Saber and sliced another robot attempting to fire at Proto Man in half. Zero then thursted his hand forward and stabbed the next one. The robots fired their weapons. Zero pulled out the shield boomerang and used it to block shots or reflect them. Proto Man finished off another robot and slid nearby Zero.
"Go!" He shouted.
"Why!?" Zero shouted as he used a Z-Buster on another robot.
"It's you they want!" He shouted. "Go or the Doctor's Anti-Virus Quarantine program will have been all for nothing!"
"Wait…" Zero began. "What!?"
Guts Man charged right at Zero. Guts Man used his fist to punch the ground where Zero and Proto Man we're. Zero and Proto Man struggled to retain their balance. Guts Man then charged forward and tried to punch Zero. Zero however saw the attack, and simply ducked and stretched his leg out, tripping the large robot.
"WWWWAAAAHHHHH!" Guts Man shouted as he tripped and fell down.
"All brawn no brains." Zero said.
Cuts Man fired several of his scissors like weapons at Zero. Zero simply cut the mechanisms with his Z-Saber, while he kicked Guts Man back over by Bass.
"Imbeciles!" Bass shouted. "Get them!"
More Sniper Joes appeared from the woods.
"GO!" Proto Man shouted.
"But…" Zero began.
"Just go!" Proto Man said. "You'll get another chance later! For now, just retreat!"
Proto Man charged forward and Zero watched as the small red robot began to hack and slash at the machines appearing from the Woods. Zero at that point simply nodded. He grabbed Axl and began to dash his way into the forest. He never looked back. The sounds of battle slowly died behind him.
Zero managed to regroup with the Black Knights about three hours later. Lelouch had been missing for some time. He had apparently encountered the Lancelot by himself with no backup and was defeated, but managed to survive thanks to this mysterious green haired woman. No one knew who she was, but Zero and Lelouch. But they kept that part to themselves. What was there to talk about anyway?
The Black Knights had lost in total fifty-two of their members, and five Reploids. For a force of less than two hundred going against Britannia's three hundred Elite units lead by Princess Cornelia, this was an astonishing victory. Britannia had lost ninety-percent of all attacking units on the field. The JLF had an uncountable number of deaths, but to Lelouch, they did not matter. Only the result mattered to him.
If anything was bad though, they had failed to capture Princess Cornelia. But then again to Lelouch, he had a feeling he'd get another shot at it at some point.
Axl was taken to the medical repair bay to be repaired by Cerveau. Cerveau began piecing Axl slowly back together while Axl laid on the table before him. Lelouch oversaw the Reploid's repairs and began to talk to him.
"Oh yeah." Axl said. "That feels much better."
"You look as though you we're in bad shape." Lelouch said.
"That's totally my fault for fighting X." Axl said.
"Well," Leviathan began. "Your at least in better condition than Phantom over here."
"You don't look to good yourself Leviathan." Phantom said as two Reploids continued to repair him.
"Love you honey." Leviathan said. "So boring...don't you think?"
"I love this chick!" Axl said. "She's got a great personality. What's your name honey?"
"Leviathan." She said.
"Like the sea serpent?" Axl asked.
"Yeah!" She said.
"That's awesome." Axl said. "YEOW! Watch where that hydro spanner goes man. I actually feel pain unlike your computers and fancy dancy equipment."
"Sorry." Cerveau said. "You know, it's just hard to fix someone who fiddles around with everything nearby him."
"I'm not fiddling with stuff." Axl said.
"Then why are you holding that grenade?" Cerveau said.
Axl looked at his hand and then dropped the explosive on the floor.
"What grenade?" He asked.
"You seem to have such a carefree personality." Lelouch said.
"Hell yeah!" Axl shouted. "Better than bitch pants Mccrabby over there."
"You stole that from Red Vs Blue Axl." Zero said as he played poker with Tamaki, Ohgi, and Kinoue.
Zero moved some Britannian pounds forward and then laid down his five cards on the table. Ohgi and Kinoue had already folded.
"Flush." Zero said, revealing a Queen, seven, four, ten, and six of clubs. Ohgi and Kinoue were heard grunting at that, but Tamaki held his cool.
"Full house." He said.
"Dammit!" Zero said.
Tamaki laughed as he collected the pot and put it all on his side. Zero then got up and began to walk away.
"Leaving so soon?" Tamaki said.
"Well," Zero began. "Seeing as I only have 21% of power left and I just lost thirty pounds, I think now would be a good time to get a full recovery. I'll be in my capsule. No calls."
Zero left the room, leaving Tamaki to clean out Ohgi and Kinoue.
"Well…what can I say?" Axl resumed. "I prefer to enjoy life and do my job."
"And what is your job?" Lelouch asked.
"That's actually what I wanted to ask you about." Axl said. "I want to join the Black Knights."
"Are you sure?" Lelouch asked.
"Positive." He said. "It was Tohdoh's final command to me. You see, while I was waiting for enemy targets to come, I got a secure transmission from Tohdoh."
Axl to command." He said. "General man you copy?"
"Axl!" He shouted."You made it."
"Hey alright!" He said. "You guys are still alive! For a minute I thought that I talking to a bunch of bullet rattled skeletons."
Axl laughed for a few seconds. The JLF didn't respond.
"All right." Axl said. "I'll stay out as long as I need. Use this opportunity to escape."
"Thank you Axl." The General said before killing the com.
Axl flew up towards the top of the mountain and set up his sniper rifle at a position somewhere on the top. And after that, he looked out and waited. While he did, a transmission came to his tac-com. Axl pressed his ear to answer the com.
"Yes Tohdoh?" He asked.
"Axl…" Tohdoh said. "I want you to join the Black Knights."
His eyes grew widened as soon as the voice message reached him.
"The JLF is falling apart. As much as I hate to admit, the JLF will not survive in the next later months. But the Black Knights…the Black Knights can and will survive. I can already predict it. And their Reploid is far superior to that of yours. Mega man X as you call him is a great danger to the freedom both of organizations represent. By ourselves, we cannot hope to defeat X. But if you and this Second Zero work together, then maybe there is a chance that X can be defeated. Go to the Black Knights. May you serve them well."
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"Yes." Tohdoh said.
"…understood." Axl said. " Whatever you think is for the best."
"Good bye Axl." Tohdoh said. "It was an honor to fight alongside you."
"And so you wish to join us?" Lelouch said.
"Yeah." Axl said. "It would help you defeat Mega Man X. Defeat him and there's nothing stopping Zero from marching right where the king is and finishing him off."
"I see." Lelouch said. "What skills do you have that makes you worthy of the Black Knights?"
"Top of the line marksman." Axl said. "I can copy the data of a weapon into my hardrive and materialize into my hand. I got a whole collection of deadly Reploid weapons downloaded directly to my brain. I can also assume the form of a Reploid for a short time, and even copy their weapons and abilities for a short time too. And the ocular implants in my eyes can let me analyze any pattern of a Reploid in seconds. Perfect for sniping. And my rifle can shred Knightmares to pieces. Hell, I shot that Green Reploid out of the sky at the hotel jacking incident."
"That's all I needed to hear." Lelouch said. "Welcome aboard Axl."
"Nice to meet you Zero." Axl said. "Sweet. Hey I know too Zeroes now! Sweet!"
Zero entered the chamber where the Rejuvenation capsules were. Zero slid into the nearest one, activated it, and then shut his eyes and powered down his systems. As Zero slept to restore his systems. One of the command line screens nearby him began to act array. It began to fizzle and display an unusual combo of binary. Seconds later, a "W" formed on the screen as the following prompt displayed:
Name: Omega Zero
Model: Version 1.0
Logon user: W
Omega boot up process initiated.
Progress: 0%
Checking required files:
Zero,sys…confirmed.
Weapyle,sys…confirmed.
Lesys,exe…confirmed
Dxdiag,exe…confirmed.
System128,exe…confirmed.
Omega,exe…confirmed
Zerosystem32,dll…confirmed.
Mavvir,dll…confirmed.
Mem,dat…confirmed.
All remaining start up files have been accounted for. Initiating POST test.
POST successful. No problems detected.
Progress: 7%
Users: Zero…disabled.
Omega…enabled.
W…enabled.
All users logged on.
Progress: 10%
System diagnostic beginning…
System diagnostic complete. No problems detected.
Progress: 15%
Checking for required file…
Required file located: maverick,dll
Begin Process: Y/N
Y
Installing software: %0
%34
%75
%98
Finalizing Operation….
%100
Software installation complete.
There is an update to the weapon systems. Do you wish to download this update? Y/N
Y
Installing software: %0
%34
%75
%98
Finalizing Operation….
%100
Download complete: Maverick Energy claws downloaded.
Continue Earlier Operation: Y/N
Y
Progress: 23%
Calibrating Hardware…
Hardware Calibration complete!
Progress: 28%
Installing Registry Keys.
Registry keys installed
Progress: 34%
System Restore online.
Activate Restore point. Please input date: YYXX/MM/DD
20xx/06/13
Enter Password: *********
Beginning System Restore…
ERROR
You do not have Administrator rights. Contact your administrator for assistance.
ERROR CODE: 54335
Canceling…
Warning: Canceling action will stop the installation process and erase all operations done. Do you wish to continue? Y/N
Y
Canceling…
One of your items is still installed on the system.
Maverick Energy Claws
Awaiting action.
ACTION: LOGGING OUT USER: W
LOGGING OUT USER: OMEGA
No users logged in.
Enabling default user…"ZERO."
System Override shutdown…
The Prompt vanished seconds later. No one saw anything that occurred.