Maverick Hunter X – Next-Level Insurrection
Chapter 2: Limitless Madness
(A/N: I am back with the next chapter. This one will have more to do with Sigma's fall from grace, and the seeds planted for his turn to Maverick. Enjoy it folks!)
DISCLAIMER: It is heavily advised that this story be read with awesome Mega Man music playing in the background. I do not own any Mega Man X related characters or themes. All characters from Mega Man, Mega Man X, Mega Man Zero, Mega Man ZX, and Mega Man Legends are all owned by Capcom. Please support the official release!
X and Zero had some rather redundant duties as Maverick Hunters, but this was probably one of their strangest. They were serving as guides to the new young intern, Iris, as she was staying as an assistant navigator. It was not exactly a job but more of a thing to do for newbies to be taught. But X didn't think he was that good a teacher.
For now, though, they were left giving Iris a nice tour around the base. X thought Iris was nice. She was very sweet and sung nothing but praises to nearly everyone she came across. He didn't think there was anything inheritly bad about her. Zero, meanwhile, felt his heart pulsating like mad the more he was with her. This wasn't the first time he had been in love. He had previously dated another hunter named Layer, but they broke up when Layer got ousted after being caught in a scandal. But Iris seemed different. His heart felt more alive when he with Iris. Was this true love?
X began showing her around the needed rooms. "So this is the training room. The Maverick Hunters perform simulated combat to be prepared for any kind of situation we find ourselves in."
Iris looked around the room. It was immeasurably huge, with dark blue walls in a dome shape, with a few windows near the top for onlookers and supporters to operate it. The group turned around and saw a white deer-based Reploid walk in, nudging X aside. He had fire for antlers, blue and red armoring, and an orange undersuit, and looked like a guy that enjoyed fighting a lot. This was Flame Stag, and Nellia followed close by.
"X, Zero…and whoever this is." Said Flame Stag. "I suggest you leave. I need to teach this sham some manners."
"Manners?" Nellia said "If I recall, Flame Stag, you're the one that insulted me and Lena!"
"Because you are not a true fighter. Daguva-Zeba Arts, what a joke. Did you steal that from a 2000 J-Drama at all?"
"You know damn well I'm a good fighter, even if I haven't retired a single Maverick! I made my own fighting style to showcase it to the world."
"I doubt the world would want to be students of this pitiful martial arts form…"
"Oh, you stepped in it now!" Nellia shouted and charged at Flame Stag.
X rolled his eyes and chuckled nervously. Nellia and Flame Stag would constantly go at each other, both verbally and physically. Stag would always be a jackass, and Nellia was very quick to piss off. Usually, when they went at it in combat, Flame Stag would be the one to be left standing.
Nellia was determined to see a different result. She jumped up to kick Flame Stag, but he caught it and slammed her into the ground. He stomped onto her gut a few times, then turned his back to her, believing it to be over. If there was one thing she could not stand more than people seeing her as just "the lesbian hunter", it was being mocked or underestimated.
"KYUUBATA!" Nellia jumped up and spinkicked him with literal fiery tenacity. It hit hard. She then unleashed quick hard palm strikes and ankle hits. Flame Stag was surprised and had little reaction time to counter, barely able to block, but had less time before he found himself face down, with one of her legs wrapped around his neck, and her other wrenching his arm in a rough armbar.
Iris was almost cringing at what she saw, but Zero found an odd perverse pleasure in it that was almost weird yet satisfying to watch. Stag screamed as he felt a rotator cuff snap, and was tapping out. Nelia released the hold and stood tall, satisfied with her work.
"Well, if my fighting style's pitiful…then you're just pathetic, Stagger." Nellia winked and walked over to the boys and Iris.
"That was…an interesting sight." Commented Iris.
Nellia giggled and was about to spill some friendly banter to the trio, but was jumped from behind. Flame Stag did not take kindly to his loss and threw fire-based punches to Nellia's body. Zero wasted no time in firing a green buster shot to Flame Stag's face to get him off of her. X took the time to help Nellia up.
"Disgraceful." Said Flame Stag. "For you to take that punk's side."
"The only one disgraceful here is you, Flame Stag." Said X. "You're nothing but a sore loser!"
Flame Stag merely scoffed and walked out. A green chameleon hunter with a red left eye, Sting Chameleon, just laughed at everything happening, mocking the fiery jackass Reploid before sticking his long tongue out to the group. X just ignored him; Chameleon was always a cruel prankster and was never a fan of him.
"Sorry you had to see that, Iris." X apologized. Zero bowed as well.
"It's quite alright." Iris said. "It sure was a learning experience. Anyway, where to next…?"
Zero took control of the tour and continued on, taking Iris's hand. X felt that it was like Zero was apologizing instead. They did look cute together, too….
18:30 – PROFESSOR RIMMER'S ESTATE – FULHAM, LONDON
A trip from the heart of London to the neighboring town of Fulham was exhausting for Sigma, but it was worth it to see one woman: Professor Kristine Rimmer, one of the foremothers of the Reploid race. She was someone in her mid-40's and had medium length light brown hair. She normally wore a magenta buttoned up shirt, white slacks and heels, and a short-sleeved blue jewel-neck sweater. Tonight, she was enjoying a nice summer evening when Sigma arrived. They were sitting in the dining room, having nice cups of tea.
"If there's one thing I enjoy about our visits, Professor, it's the pleasantries and condiments that come with it." Praised Sigma.
"I am glad you think that, Commander." Said Rimmer. "But I know you didn't drive six miles from Maverick Hunter headquarters just to have tea and crackers. I assume you wish to discuss the recent Maverick activities happening here…"
"Yes, and much more. The continent has seen more action in these past few months than in the three World Wars combined. It's become quite a load for us to handle."
Professor Rimmer nodded. She was aware that Maverick attacks were not exclusive to Europe, nor was the Maverick Hunters' reach. But they mostly stay confined there as that is where a vast majority of Maverick crime has occurred recently. Besides, the rest of the world had Repliforce and other similar groups to deal with them.
"But…it seems that the humans are as great Mavericks as we Reploids." Sigma continued. The professor stopped sipping her tea. She did not like Sigma's sudden shift in tone.
"Please elaborate, commander." She said.
"During today's mission, I saw something disturbing. A human mistreating and physically abusing his Reploid coworker. No one saw it, nor did they care if they did. And as I arrived here, I noticed a group a human thugs beating on another female Reploid with cricket bats. They treated her like she was filth. Like she did not matter to them. I must ask…how can we simply stand aside and do nothing to this violence, yet not ignore the vile ways of our kind?"
Professor Rimmer took a deep breath. She was afraid that Sigma would ask something like this. Humankind was not so squeaky clean as the Reploids believed, and Sigma has learned this firsthand. The Reploids were also still a race not so universally accepted as she would have liked. With a small sip of her tea, she gathered her thoughts and began to speak.
"Unfortunately, when change comes, there is a massive divide. There are some accepting of this change. Some that embrace you as new companions. But there are others that do not. They fear what is different because they think of what could happen. Change and variety can be difficult and scary to people, but eventually, we as humans come to accept this change. But it takes time for this to truly be accepted by the masses."
"Time we may not have, professor." Said Sigma. "Our duty as Maverick Hunters is to quash any and all forces that threaten the innocent, is it not? Then how can we even do such, if we cannot even harm those outside our kind that do just as bad?"
"I understand your concern, commander. But we as humans are very vain and arrogant. We have trouble accepting those not like us. But eventually, they will understand. X has not given up on our kind. Neither should you."
Sigma was about to counter back, but realized it was useless at this point to argue. It seemed that the professor would not give a definite and conclusive answer, nor a solution. He seemed willing to leave, but he stayed a bit longer for one thing.
"It's interesting you bring up X." he said. "He has been doing a commendable job…but I feel he could do more. His judgment and abilities are very impressive, but he tends to hesitate to act quick in moments of required decisiveness."
Professor Rimmer chuckled. "I figured he would be like that. Worrying too much is one of X's finer qualities… and a source of his potential as well."
Sigma looked confused. Potential, in worrying? That didn't make sense. "I'm not sure I follow, professor. What do you mean, potential?"
"X's power lies within his emotions, and the limitless potential that he and the Reploid race brings. During the early days of the war, I studied robotics and engineering at the University of Oxford, under the tutilege of one of the greatest minds in history: Dr. Thomas Light. He was a father to me and taught me everything that I needed to know. As the war progressed, the Western European nations charged him the duty of creating the ultimate combat robot: an android that could replicate human emotions, learn from experiences in battle, and turn the tide in the favor.
"Dr. Light despised creating weapons of war. He refused many times, until the United Kingdom gave him an offer worth listening to: if successful, this machine would be the prototype. The first of a new breed of machines, which we later dubbed the Reploids. However, by the time he was finally willing to cooperate, the Doctor grew ill. I knew he would not be able to do or finish the project. Therefore, I took on the task of designing and programming X myself…"
Sigma listened intently. This seemed very interesting to hear, with the birth and creation of his kind. He was interested in X more now than before.
"It was a simple idea to put on paper. But the process of creating it was not so." She continued. "I worked excruciating hours to create the right look and feel to X. I had never built a robot on my own before either, which meant I needed to work harder and make less mistakes. As the war progressed for years, I continued my work. I lost sleep many times. Days of exhaustion, weeks of pain, months of sleeplessness eventually took its toll.
"Worse still, it was difficult to program chips and wiring to replicate actual human emotions. It is simple for sentient life to feel, but difficult to convey it. But I would not falter. I could not. And so, after nearly three years of hard work, it was complete. X was finished and ready for his purpose…"
"So he was ready for combat, to be used in World War 3?" asked Sigma.
The Professor sighed. "To the nations that pushed me, yes. He would have been. But to me…he was not. I did not make him to be a war machine or soldier. I made him to create new life. To wake him up and then immediately send him into war would be like giving a five-year old a gun and telling them to shoot their own pet. It would not feel right. X needed time to be integrated. His emotions and experiences in the war could have shaped him into a hero…or a monster.
"I did not take the risk of sending him out to kill. The European nations pestered me, but I would not budge. By then, the war ended and humanity was rebuilding. I took the time to release X and have him live with me as I taught him everything that diagnostics and testing could not. When I felt he was ready, I showed him to the world. I feared they would not accept him, but the governments approved. People were in awe, and I won many awards. But I did not do that for recognition, rather…to ensure robots could exist as equals to mankind…"
"A fascinating story, Professor." Said Sigma. "I'm in awe of what X represented. But what kind of potential did you mean?"
"X was designed to think, feel, and act like humans can, like with you Reploids. But I made him with more emotion, more humanity, than the ones that would go off the assembly lines. His raw emotion is one source of his potential. That is why you see him hesitate. He cares so much, that he feels, mourns, angers, and loves more than any robot I have seen. But…such a powerful thing could be dangerous. If X were to lose control of his emotions, he could be a danger to not just Reploids, but the entire world."
"So that is why he hesitates. Because he's that compassionate. But you said one source. Is there another?"
"Why yes. His Special Weapons System. You may be unaware of this…because so is X. When designing him as a combat unit, I took into consideration what kind of powers to give him. Through inspiration of old 1980's video games, I installed a system in X that would allow him to copy and use the abilities and powers of those he defeats where he would learn through his experiences in battle. The process, however, would be slow and the abilities are locked.
"As he battles, his optical sensors would keep track of some of his opponent's abilities. When a Maverick uses special attacks or something unique enough, the optical sensors scan and download into his memory circuits and X-Buster, making them his to use. But they only extend as far as what he views, but defeating more of the same kind of enemies allows his abilities to enhance. The powers he has are near unending, and if matured enough, or used to its full extent, X could quite possibly be the most powerful warrior on the planet. He may even be stronger than you, Sigma."
"Stronger than me…? That is…unfathomable. It's surreal to believe." Sigma said. "What other powers does he have?"
"X has several modes that represent the abilities he can potentially gain. These include, but not limited to, fire, water, wind, light, earth, electric, ice, and cutter. But he may be able to find and create new ones, or improvise his own uses."
Sigma took a few moments to gather his thoughts. He gained a bit more of an admiration of X and his abilities, and now seemed to want to bring them out. The issue was that X could not bring it out on his own. He needed something to push him, much as this racism issue is pushing Sigma. Something needed to be done for both….
Sigma got up and began to leave. "I thank you for the discussion this evening, professor. I shall be on my way."
"It was an honor, commander." Professor Rimmer said as he left. But she could not get over a chilling feeling that something was wrong…
19:45 – FULHAM, LONDON
Sigma began walking through the streets. He denied a ride back to Hunter Base and chose to take in the sights and sounds of a London night. The city was quiet but lively. The chavs were minimal and hardly noticeable. The double-decker buses were bustling. And stalkers were sexually assaulting a Reploid Pop Group.
….wait, what did I just write down?
Sigma turned an alley corner, hearing screams. He looked over to see a shocking sight. He had seen two acts of violence by humans onto machines, but now this was crossing it. A male in his late 40's was cornering the Reploid pop group, Beats of Magma, consisting of three Reploids that wore black dresses similar to Cinnamon's. Their names were Cumin, Jasmine, and Saffron.
"Ooh, the Beats of Magma!" he shouted, in excitement. "How I have longed to have you girls…."
"G-Get away, you creep!" shouted Saffron.
"We aren't some…pervert's playthings!" shouted Jasmine.
"I hate you!" defiantly screamed Cumin.
The man only laughed and began holding the girls tight. It was exciting for him to be in the pressence of beautiful robots. Sigma knew exactly where this was going, and he was sick of standing around. He readied his saber for combat, but just as he was ready to charge in, a Reploid dropped down with his own saber and swiftly charged in, slashing the man repeatedly. In mere seconds, the man was cut in half and screaming in agonizing pain, before giving in to the pain and blood loss.
The Reploid was a dashing, prince-like humanoid, with red hair in a ponytail, with it covering it right side of his face, and blue eyes. He wore black tights, a high-collar fuchsia jacket with gold linings, a cyan vest underneath, white gloves, black tights, and fuchsia boots, along with a beret as well. Sigma recognized this gentleman. He was Repliforce Lieutenant Elpizo, a graceful fighter but ruthless in his tactics.
Elpizo scanned the man he had just killed and grinned. Then he turned to the pop group. "Are you ladies alright?"
The girls frantically jumped up and surrounded him all excitedly. They were more than happy to be rescued by him.
"Oh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou THANK YOU!" shouted Cumin.'
"We were nearly goners, Lieutenant!" said Saffron.
"You saved us so! How can we repay you?" asked Jasmine.
The girls swarmed him for a minute or two, Elpizo looked very uncomfortable. He was a fairly humble person on the surface, but he was often uneasy around his admirers. Takinhg a deep breath and blushing, he spoke. "This…is embarassing to ask. But for my colleagues… can I have….your autographs?"
"Absolutely!" the Beats of Magma said in unison.
They took out a marker and signed their names on a few pictures of themselves and gave them to him. They kissed his cheek and ran off, giddy as heck. Elpizo scratched his head, slightly embarrassed, then regained his composure at the sight of Sigma. The two stared at each other for a good moment before Sigma spoke.
"Let's talk."
3 MINUTES LATER…
Sigma and Elpizo were walking onto a bare high-street, leaving the neighborhood of Fulham and onto Kensington and Chelsea. After several minutes of friendly banter, Sigma began changing the subject to something more serious.
"So you're well aware of it?" he asked. "The humans' acts against our kind."
"Indeed, Commander." Elpizo replied. "I've seen it everywhere, nearly every time I go out. How long have you known?"
"I have been blind to the humans' racism until today. I saw no less than three instances of abuse against Reploids. I told the professor of this, and she merely stated we needed more time to be accepted. That I should not lose hope."
"Rimmer is a fool for thinking her kind to be that compassionate or patient. That or she isn't as smart as she lets on. As for me, I have seen this violence since the day I was created. Humans are disgusting. Using us for labor, war, and even…intimacy. They're fucking deplorable."
Sigma shuddered when Elpizo brought up the intimacy part. He had heard rumors of humans using Reploids to purge sexual desires, and vice versa, but he would just brush them off as the thought made him physically ill. Perhaps as ill as thinking of the acts he had seen today from humankind. He wanted to deal with them so much…
"If only I was not so attached to a responsibility, I could do something about this injustice. But my hands are tied for the time…"
"Then try untying them, Commander…" Elpizo flippantly said. Sigma stopped walking and turned to him.
"What are you suggesting, Lieutenant?" he asked.
"You believe in justice for Reploids, do you not commander? But how can there be justice if the humans hold us back?"
"That is…a valid point. But what can be done? The governments woud not heed us."
"Then topple them. Assemble groups of followers to lead a crusade against these wretched organics! This abuse and corruption cannot be ignored. The humans… they are pests, and you must deal with them. Nay…. we must deal with them!"
Sigma looked at Elpizo. It was unlike a high ranking Repliforce member to suggest any sort of Maverick activity, and was highly suspect. It did not feel right to hear this and felt some sort of need to arrest him on the spot. But… he couldn't.
Sigma thought long and hard, never looking away from the Lieutenant. He was right; the human supremacy and corruption was something that could not be ignored or left unchecked. He had seen that even humans are capable of becoming Mavericks, and it could not stand. He thought long and hard on this, and thought of his highest ranking Hunters. Surely, they would agree and follow his decision, even if their motives were different.
"I cannot disagree at all, Elpizo." Sigma grinned. "These humans must be taught a lesson, and those that defend them must die alongside them. I know just how to deal with these termites…"
Elpizo chuckled in turn. "I knew if one bot would understand, it would be you… Lord Sigma."
He then bowed to his new master, grinning wider.
20:15 – MAVERICK HUNTER HQ – LONDON
"And finally, this is the development lab." Said Zero.
Zero led Iris onto the last stop of their tour, which was the development lab. It looked to be an average late 21st century laboratory, with many high tech equipment and experiments onto its tables, and holographic monitors on the walls. Among the chief Reploids in this lab was a humanoid woman with long blonde hair with a thin, sexy look. She had blue eyes, wore a black undersuit with pink and red upper armor, arms and legs, and a white chest, which some could swear was to show off her D-cup breasts.
She was Alia, one of the top scientists and researchers in the Maverick Hunters organization. She was originally a navigator for the Hunters, but was shifted away into the science capacity, as she was not a good nav. She was hounded by complaints of not being clear in navigation, annoying in constantly calling, or would state the overly obvious instead of new facts. Sigma was kind enough to put her in a scientific role, which she shone in developing new tech and weapons for the Hunters.
Alia turned to the trio and smiled. "Hello X, and Zero. Nice of you to drop by."
"Always nice seeing you, Alia." X smiled. He always thought Alia was nice, even if she was not the best at everything.
"Who is that? Is she your new girlfriend, Zero?" Alia asked.
Zero blushed like mad. "N-No, not at all! She's the Colonel's sister, and our intern! Her name's Iris."
Iris greeted Alia politely, but Alia was unsure. "You're sleeping with the Colonel's daughter, huh? Good luck with that." Now Zero was getting even more flustered. X couldn't help but chuckle at all this.
"S-stop that Alia! Have you been talking with Layer lately?!" Zero asked.
"No. I have, however, been fixing your Z-Saber and making improvements on its performance. Now it's done."
Alia handed Zero the handle to his own energy blade. It looked to be a bit more refined than Sigma's. Zero was built as a swordsman in mind, but he had recently been having issues in handling his saber, so he had Alia check it out in the past week to get it fixed up. Alia had appeared to make some rather noticeable tweaks in its design and its performance, but Zero would need to test the latter out in combat.
"Well at least you got this right. Thanks." He said.
Alia smiled a bit, but still felt a bit underappreciated.
"It was still nice meeting you, Alia. Though Zero and I aren't… well.." said Iris, politely.
"I understand. I just wanted to tease him for some reason." Alia smiled.
Zero rolled his eyes, and the trio walked off. They eventually finished the tour at the main control room, which looked much grander and bigger than the ones they were in before. Iris walked towards one of the computers and systems, and sat besides Nana.
"I take it you liked the tour?" asked Nana.
"Yes. The base is wonderful." Said Iris. "Nearly everyone is nice, and X and Zero were great guides."
"Well, that's…. nice to hear."
Nellia was talking to her girlfriend over her comms. Nana warned Nellia time and again that calling Lena was not a responsible use of her comm systems, but these would fall on deaf ears.
"Man, these nights haven't been the same without ya, luv." Said Lena on the other line.
"I know, Lena. But these Mavs won't let up. We pound 'em hard, and they keep coming—okay, that did not come out right." Nellia said, blushing.
"Tee. Didn't know ya missed me that much."
"Much…much more than you realize. But I got the weekend off, so you and I can have all the time in the world."
"Well that's fantastic, because I couldn't think of any—huh?! What the fu-?"
Lena's change in tone concerned her greatly. Nellia tried to talk, but heard loud noises on the other end of the line. "Lena? Lena, are you there?! What's happening!?"
"Nellia, we got company! Our home's shakin' up! Get over here as fast as-!"
The lone suddenly died. All she got was static now. Nellia shouted her lover's name again and again, but nothing. She couldn't reconnect. Something was wrong, and an eavesdropping X knew it. Not long after, the alarms in the base blared. Nana and Iris, the latter just getting settled into the role of navigator, began their work on finding the reasons as the other navigators got to work.
Nana was the first to report it. "Looks like trouble. Massive Maverick readings detected at Point 5567: The Sky Lagoon near Sunderland."
Sky Lagoon was an aerial city in England. During World War III, several high-tech floating sanctuaries were created to keep civilians safe during the massive crises. These sanctuaries would become their own cities after the conflict died down, and the Sky Lagoon was the first of its kind. Losing it would be a devastating blow to history and England.
"Looks like I got back in time!" said a voice. X and Zero were happy to hear this one.
The voice was a blue, eagle-based Reploid, with a yellow and red "mask" on his head, with blue and violet wings, yellow details on his body, gold talons for feet, a green gem on his forehead, and a retractible large arm cannon on his right arm. This was Storm Eagle, an air-based Maverick Hunter and one of the most respected Hunters around. Nearly every hunter held Eagle in high regard, and X and Zero had the upmost respect for the bird. He seemed to make everything so much better just by being there.
"Storm Eagle! Am I glad to see you!" said Nellia. "My call with Lena got cut off and her home is under attack."
"I'm sure she'll be okay, but we need to be sure." Said Eagle. "Nana, Iris, have you contacted Commander Sigma?"
"I've been trying myself," said Iris, "but I can't get a hold of him. Something is jamming the radio waves towards him…."
X took initiative and walked off, preparing to depart. Zero looked concerned at X's sudden determination, but he knew where X was coming from. Innocent lives were in danger. They could not sit idly by, nor could they wait for Sigma to arrive before deploying.
"Nana, I'm teleporting out now." X said. "If anyone wants to join me, they're welcome to."
"I'm with X." said Zero.
"Then so am I! I have to help my friends up there!" shouted Nellia, determined.
"I will lead a team to assist as well." Said Storm Eagle. "Iris, contact Repliforce. We may need assistance."
"Already on it." Iris hurridly began pressing buttons.
"Is this really wise?" Nana said cautiously. "Standard protocol states we need to wait for approval from high-ranking Hunters to begin assembling missions. Besides, Iris has no training in any of this!"
"There isn't any time, Nana!" shouted Zero. "If we wait, then people will die! We have to move now!"
"Try to understand Nana that Sigma may not be there all the time. We need to act immediately, and I will damned if I let anyone suffer on my watch!"
Zero's reasoning was very direct and more understandable, but Nana always felt warm in her heart hearing X act so selfless and noble. She saw the care in him that he could not let anyone die or be hurt, it's one quality that made her fall for him. After a moment to fantasize, she shook off and nodded.
"Very well. I will begin the navigation systems for your arrival."
X nodded, and then he, Zero, Nellia, and a few more hunters were surrounded in a light colored after their personal preference, teleporting off. Storm Eagle also flew off to help, as Nana and Iris began their work. They could only hope they weren't too late…
TO BE CONTINUED…
(A/N: That does it for Chapter 2! This was a sucker to get done and took just over two weeks to do. I may get some critiques on Zero's portrayal here, but it will pay off eventually. The next chapter will probably take longer, but I hope you enjoyed this one! Enjoy it and see ya for the next one!)