(A/N: Hey guys! Long time, no see. And hoo boy, three long years since I started this. I really didn't intend for it to be this long, but I had the shittiest 2021 ever. Let's just say having six teeth extracted, an incredibly low morale, high stress level, and everything wrong happening played a part in what was a crappy year for me personally. But this chapter is finally done, and here we finish the Sigma stages... except not Sigma. Anyway, enjoy!)
Maverick Hunter X: Next-Level Insurrection
Chapter 15: A Vile Gauntlet
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!
MAY 7, 2053
10:57 – SIGMA'S FORTRESS
The elevator finally stopped and brought X into a long blue and gold hallway with several Mavericks guarding it. Back in his normal form, the Azure Hunter ran across the base, laying waste to any defenses in his path. X punched, kicked, and shot at the Reploids and Mechaniloids that were in his way, not wasting a single motion. Several Hoganmers tried blocking X's advance further down, but the Azure Hunter switched to Shield Form and countered with his own defenses. He threw his Rolling Shield at their heads, slashing them off and also knocking off some airborne enemies. Advancing further, X made it to a shutter door, ready for whatever was next.
"X, I'm detecting an odd electro-magnetic reading coming from this Maverick. It's one I think we've seen before… be on guard!" warned Nana.
"I'll be careful, Nana!" said X as he dashed in. When he did, he was surprised with who he saw. "What? Magna Centipede?!"
Centipede stood there, looking down at the ground. He didn't react to X calling his name. It had been a few days since the Maverick Hunters last heard from their comrade. They were all feared the worst, but X was relieved that the ninja Reploid was alive and well. Yet he couldn't shake this feeling something was wrong. The Blue Bomber slowly walked to his comrade to see what was wrong. Centipede had barely moved from his spot, only grabbing his head with his upper arms. Now X knew something was wrong.
"Get… out…" Centipede whispered.
"Centipede, what's wrong?" asked X.
"Get out, X… please… I can't… hold it together…!"
"Centipede, what's happened to you? What did Sigma do?!"
"Not Sigma… Not… myself! Get out… get out, X…!" Suddenly, Centipede began twitching more and more, clenching his fists and looking up to X with dark red and squinted eyes. It was as if he was possessed by a demon. With little warning, Magna Centipede prepared to strike at X. "GET OUUUUUUUTTT!"
X very quickly jumped back before Centipede's fists could collide with him. Before he could even question what was wrong, his reticles began to scan Magna Centipede. There was no doubt what had happened to him. He was brainwashed into being a Maverick and forced to fight. Now X was pissed. Sigma's actions were extremely low up till now, but this was crossing it for him! If Sigma was willing to brainwash other Reploids for his own ends, there was no line he wouldn't cross!
"X, there's a bit of interference on our end. What's going on up there?" asked Nana.
"It's Centipede. Sigma's brainwashed him!" X said.
"What?!"
Centipede charged forward towards X. The Blue Bomber put his arms up in a defensive position, activating the shields of his form. Centipede's strikes bounced right off X's titanium plating. The Maverick Hunter kicked his former friend away a bit back and stood ready. As much as he was being forced to, he didn't want to fight Centipede. Not like this. However, the now-brainwashed Maverick would not give him a choice. Magna Centipede began throwing Magna Shurikens at X, who blocked them with the Rolling Shield. He then threw the shield right at Centipede, knocking him back a bit. The Maverick jittered a bit unnaturally. X knew he couldn't waste more time on him. He swapped out to Electric Form and hit a mighty Volt Punch right to Centipede, knocking him upwards through the roof and into the skies.
"We'll find and rescue you, my friend. I promise." X said to no one in particular and advanced onward.
When he moved on to the next set of hallways, he found a Maverick standing next to a Ride Armor. X was quick to dispose of dash over and knock him out before he could even jump into it. Then the Blue Bomber boarded it and charged through, smashing through every Maverick in his way. The fists of the Ride Armor punched through most of the defenses and walls he went through. Jammingers tried to reign down to bother X but he swatted them all away. This Hunter would not be denied. Eventually, X came to the end of the hallway. He jumped off the armor and climbed a ladder upwards to progress further.
Once X got up, he moved onwards and found himself on a bridge outside. The winds gusted the morning breeze as the battle outside intensified. Thousands upon thousands of Reploids and Mavericks were being blasted out of the sky, Repliforce intent on keeping the Mavericks at bay as long as they could while the Hunters took out Sigma's operations. However, the Mavs were starting to get wiser as the battle dragged. They knew they were being punked and tried to regroup back to the fortress. X knew that this farce of an operation was not going to last long. He needed to help them out ASAP! Clicking his LED display, he decided to try out the last form he hadn't used yet…
'SKY FORM'
X's armor completely changed to be more intricate than any of his other forms. His armor was now white with shade of blue and gold throughout, his buster resembling the talons of a mighty bird, and he now even had jet booster wings on his back. X wasted no time activating them and took to the skies to assist the air force. Skyborne Mavericks tried flying over to the fortress when the azure hunter cut them off with buster shots across the board. Now the Mavericks were dead focused on X, exactly as he intended. The Blue Bomber flanked most of them from behind and activated the Gatling Feather attack, destroying much of the forces. The bigger jets charged right at him, but X flew around them to outmaneuver the enemy forces. Several airships turned their cannons right at X, who responded with firing off the Storm Tornado several times to blast them out of the skies.
The tide was beginning to turn again. Now Repliforce was able to regroup and counter the Mavericks, getting their attention once more. Skiver flew up to several fliers and uppercut them out of the sky. He turned and saw X giving the assist. He wasn't surprised that the Blue Bomber was turning attention from Sigma to help out in the air, but the Air Force commander had hoped X would focus on his own mission, especially with so many lives at stake.
"Thank you for the assist, X! I think we can take it from here!" said Skiver.
"Happy to assist, commander!" X saluted.
At that moment, X was struck from behind by a massive kick to the side, blowing him down to the bridge from whence he started. The hunter got his bearings and jumped back up to his feet where he came face to face with Amelia Eaglyde, the rookie Maverick he and Nellia fought before. Back then, she seemed very eccentric and carefree. Not this time, however. She was staring a hole down at X as she flapped down to meet her foe. Eaglyde no doubt had not forgiven X for that fateful clash with Storm Eagle.
"Trying to add more skeletons to your closet, X? My hero wasn't enough for you, was he?!" she exclaimed, furiously.
"You think I wanted to recycle Storm Eagle?! I was as sick to my hard drive doing that as you were seeing it, Eaglyde!" said X.
"I'm sick to my hard drive just looking at you, Maverick! I'll destroy you and avenge Eagle, along with everyone you've killed!"
"I don't have time for this, kid. If I don't stop Sigma, millions of innocent people are gonna die! You think Storm Eagle would be proud of that?!"
"Don't you dare go there, X! You don't have a right to use his name like that!"
X quickly realized there was no reasoning with this crazed fangirl. For someone that idolized Storm Eagle, Eaglyde knew very little about him. He had little time to waste with this girl. He had to get to that weapon and quick before it was too late. The Blue Bomber raised his buster at Eaglyde, intent on showing her the error of her judgment the hard way. He shot at her damaging her quite a bit before she took flight. X activated his jet boosters and took after her. Eaglyde turned back and activated her Gatling Feather attack to intercept the pursuing hunter. The Blue Bomber maneuvered around her metal feather projectiles and gave her a kick to the stomach.
Eaglyde was sent several meters away by the brunt force. She glared at the Maverick Hunter, preparing her buster for a huge attack. X was not going to let her get to it though. He unleashed his Storm Tornado right at her from afar to deter her. The wind was perhaps stronger than Eagle's version, but hardly a problem for Eaglyde to withstand. Her wings flapped to discard the wind gusts with some windy conditions of her own. However, when the gusts subsided, she noticed something wrong. X was nowhere to be found. She knew this Hunter was not the kind to run away so easily. She looked all around her and below, but there wasn't a sign of the azure hunter. Then it hit her, quite literally.
From above, X dove down in Water Form and crossed his arms into an X shape. Then in a mighty stance, he unleashed a Marine Cyclone right above Eaglyde. The typhoon caught the young Maverick and caused her to swirl around in the pressure, as well as short out several of her systems. By the time it subsided, Eaglyde was flown away by the force of it and tumbled down the skies and onto the beaches below. X grabbed onto the walls and looked down. He could tell Eaglyde would survive but she would be out of it for a while. He had to move now while he could. With great tenacity, he walljumped up until he reached the top of the tower he was holding onto and dashed through a large door.
Reaching inside, X looked around the dark room. He saw a massive spike pit in the middle of the floor, lined up with a strange metallic mural on the north side of the room. He felt it a little odd that Sigma built such a bizarre chamber in his fortress. Then the room for a bit brighter and two eyes on the mural lit up. This room was a trap, set up to dispose of any intruders, and X walked right into it! He wasn't alone either. A trap door from the ceiling opened up and Dynamo dropped down, falling on his back just barely avoiding the spikes, though springing back to his feet shortly after. The rogue cowboy cooly looked and turned to X as they found themselves in this odd predicament.
"Dynamo! What happened with you?" asked X.
"Ehh, just felt like dropping in." Dynamo smirked, all but dodging the question.
Suddenly, the eyes popped right out of the wall and circled around the room, intent on disposing of the hunter intruders. The floating orbs began to fire laser projectiles at the two hunters, who dash jumped around the room to avoid it. Dynamo actives the red side of his blade and reflected the shots back to the eyes. Then the two unleashed powerful buster shots at the orbs which did considerable damage. X switched to Steel Form and used the Boomerang Cutter to break them completely.
"Heh, barely broke a sweat." Dynamo said, confidently.
"That was almost too easy…" said X, getting a little worried.
"Watch out, guys! The room is modifying instantaneously!" Nana called.
True to Nana's words, the two heard a massive whirring and the walls instantly pushed forward. X and Dynamo jumped onto the walls as they closed in, which stopped short of the spike pits. There had to have been something they were missing to get out of this trap. Just then, a mechanism on the mural resembling a nose popped out and began bashing itself against the walls and the two hunters, trying to knock them both into the pit of spikes. About a minute n, it knocked at Dynamo and caused him to slip, but X quickly grabbed his arm to catch him then blast it with a charged shot with his free arm. It landed in and exploded the spikes, giving them free safe space to land down.
"Now we're even, Dynamo." Said X.
"Nice one, dude!" Dynamo said with a thumbs up. The both of them wall-jumped up and burst through the trap door to progress. They had to be quicker than before…
Atop the eerie and vehement fortress were the Maverick masterminds looking over the chaos around them. Sigma and Elpizo looked through all the monitors recording the action across the floating island. Repliforce was causing lots of carnage on the outside, while the Maverick Hunters blasted through the interior defenses almost entirely. Zero and Colonel Patton had caught up, fighting side by side to destroy their toughest obstacles and defense turrets. However, the one that truly impressed them most was X. He was their main target and concern, because they had known for some time for vast his fighting potential was. The Blue Bomber was exceeding all expectations, though.
"X…. you have failed to disappoint me once more." Sigma mused.
"Indeed. He's grown more powerful than even I expected, my lord. Both the Bospider and Rangda Bangda were completely annihilated, and even Eaglyde nor Centipede could deter him." Said Elpizo, "Your plan is working perfectly. However, I feel your human purge plan will fall to pieces within an hour if we don't fire the cannon soon."
"Elpizo, this is a monumental occasion. To eradicate the human race on their own celebratory date would be far more apropos than any other weekday. Besides, X has yet to grow close enough for us to be concerned."
"With respect, my lord, that arrogance may prove to be our undoing. If we don't fire it now, our enemies will have ample time and opportunity to halt this whole operation! I insist we fire it!"
"Noted, but I am sticking with the plan. We fire it tomorrow at dawn and that is final…. Not that X will ever know it though."
Sigma grinned at his dragon in chief and pressed some buttons on the console connected to the megacannon. He still had no intention of firing it off now, but if they could convince the hunters and Repliforce that he was ready to kill the humans earlier than planned, it may cause a sudden sense of urgency and panic. Panic would lead to desperation, and desperation would breed great mistakes. Perhaps now he push X unlike any before.
"Prepare to charge up the cannon. Let's see if X can handle himself when the gloves have been cast aside…" smirked Sigma.
"Of course, my liege." Elpizo returned the smirk and charged up the weapon. Now the ball was in their court.
X and Dynamo jumped up to a series of pipelines to move forward towards their respective goals. The other Maverick Hunters were causing enough damage to the rest of the fortress and helping in their own way. Now Dynamo had to help out where he could, and X needed to shut down that superweapon as well as defeat Sigma once and for all. Nothing would stop the Maverick Hunter at all, or so he believed. Suddenly, the two felt the ground shaking a bit. There was no earthquake, not when they were at a place of this altitude. Something was terribly wrong.
"Uhh, dude? You can feel that, right?" asked Dynamo, "I ain't losing it?"
"If this means what I think it does, I wish you were!" X said.
"Attention all hunters! Attention all hunters! Situation critical!" announced Nana, "Positricity readings from the base are spiking! Sigma's going to fire the cannon soon, estimated ten minutes before attack!"
"I was afraid it'd be a matter of time before Sigma pulled the trigger early. We gotta move, now!" shouted X, increasing his running speed.
Dynamo ran after him, jumping up to the higher platforms to keep up with X, who was walljumping across the landscapes at incredible speeds. All the Mechaniloid guards in his way X either wasted or didn't even bother with. The millions of lives down on the surface were of greater concern to him. Instead, Dynamo casually took them out with his saber. The Blue Bomber was not going to wait for him though. He burst through walls and rooms with incredible pace until he found himself cornered by four different Mavericks. Two of them were Bubble Crab and Flame Stag, two former hunters that had defected, while the other two were new. One was a strange green rose-based Maverick while the other another vampire looking one. X didn't have the time or patience to deal with any of them.
"Long time, no see X! Hope you don't mind staying a little while with an old friend…" sneered Bubble Crab.
"Get out of the way! If Sigma fires that weapon, the whole world will be in chaos and millions of lives lost!" X shouted.
"The world will approve, X." said the green Maverick, "Once the stench of humanity is cleansed from it. Lord Sigma shall lead us to a new age of peace and prosperity without these disgusting and vile humans…"
"Got that right, Rosered!" shrieked the vampire Maverick, "And we're gonna have a blast or my name ain't Dark Dizzy!"
"This is the end, X! Prepare to meet your demise!" said Stag.
Just then, an orange figure dropped down to double kick Stag and Crab back a bit. Nellia appeared alongside X in a battle position, ready to engage the traitors in fisticuffs. X couldn't have been happier to see her here. Then Spike Rosered converted one of his hands into a vine whip and prepared to strike, but it was caught quickly from behind by an approaching Dynamo, who swung the Maverick around the room like a ragdoll, then slashed at Dark Dizzy with his blue blade.
"Starting another party without me, X? You keep this up, I may start thinking you guys don't like me…" he said.
"X, you go and stop that cannon! We'll take care of these guys!" said Nellia.
"Thanks guys! I promise to put an end to this!" X said and then dashed off. Rosered tried to pursue, but was interrupted by Dynamo's blade.
X was unsure if he could make it in time but he had to try. He dashed as fast as he could, jumping over any obstacle he could. The longer he went, the more Maverick guards he saw. Realizing how little time he had, he switched to Jungle Form and activated his Camo-flague ability to turn invisible. The enemies across the palace were the none the wiser to X's presence. He quickly jumped up to a vent to get further ahead but then something burst from the ceiling and collided with X, sending him back and forcing him out of his invisible mode. When the azure hunter stood up, he found Armored Armadillo unrolling from ball form to confront him.
"X, I'm afraid I can't let you pass! This is where your delusions die!" said Armadillo.
"What delusions, Armadillo?! That the humans deserve a chance to live alongside us Reploids? That this justice you guys talk about is just an anarchy for Sigma and his Maverick followers?!" X exclaimed.
"The humans see us as tools for their own benefit. To hide their stories history of crimes and death, to clean up their world that they themselves contaminated! This megacannon will bring an end to their cruel ways… and cleanse the Earth of their sins for good. Lord Sigma needs you to understand that more than anything!"
"What I understand is you're an instrument of mass murder! I won't let you guys get away with it!"
X quickly changed to Electric Form and used a Spark Pound in the floor to send electric waves around the room. However, Armadillo anticipated this and curled up, bouncing around the walls to evade any electric attacks, eventually hitting X when his guard was down. The Maverick was better prepared for the Blue Bomber's tricks this time. He threw a Rolling Shield right at X from a distance, but the hunter dashed out of the way of it. X had to finish this quickly. Time was not on his side and he had to stop the cannon before it ran out! X quickly switched to Fire Form and launched a Hadouken at Armadillo, but the armored warrior swatted the attack away with his shield. Thinking fast, X jumped up and prepared a Blaze Kick. Armadillo blocked in preparation of it, but X didn't hit one; he hit several consecutive kicks, burning Armadillo's armor bit by bit.
With one last Fire Wave attack, X burned up Armadillo and his tough reinforced armor, knocking him down and onto the ground face first. The Maverick was surprised X was able to do that. He had believed the fire attacks would do little to his armor or be any match for him. Was X just becoming that more powerful with each fight? "Im…possible! How did you… break through my… my armor?!" he exclaimed.
"Good question. But I'm afraid I don't have time to try to answer you right now." X said, then dashed off into the distance, leaving an embarrassed and hateful Armadillo to look on at his own failure.
With all the strength and speed he had left in him, X dashed over and over to get to the cannon, going over every obstacle with fierce determination. His drive was so intense that he could barely hear the sounds of a call from Zero. The navigators tried contacting X, but he didn't hear them. All that mattered was stopping the cannon from firing. The azure hunter fired off a charged shit at a massive door and dashed through. There he saw it: the megacannon in all of it's terrifying glory. The thing covered almost the entirety of the room, with only a wide circular runway around it to stand on. The weapon glowed a mighty green light as it charged up. It looked ready to fire. X had no time to lose!
"Nana, I'm right in front of the super weapon. Preparing to destroy!" he said.
"Not to cut this any closer, X, but you got company! A Maverick reading just popped behind you, and it's a big one!" Nana said.
X quickly turned around and saw a big Mechaniloid drop down. This thing was a sort of strange tank like structure, with the head of a T-Rex on a massive dolly that served as the foundation. It was called the D-Rex and it looked primed to halting the Maverick Hunter's progress. X didn't have time to deal with another one of these guys with the cannon about to fire. He needed to act quick! X quickly changed to Fire Form and unleashed a Fire Wave which burned the Mechaniloid but did little else. Then the head of the D-Rex dismounted and began charging around the room, bumping into anything and everything. X was dashing out of the way as fast he could, but time was running out!
"X, you only have one minute! Hadouken that bitch ASAP!" Nana shouted.
Just as quickly as X heard her, the D-Rex fired off one massive energy ball after the other. The Blue Bomber barely moved out of the way, taking a few scratches. It was time to end it. He charged his hands with massive energy and unleashed a massive Hadouken attack that not only pierced through the Mechaniloid's upper half but also tore apart the megacannon. The room began to be illuminated by explosions and shrapnel as everything spontaneously exploded around him. X didn't hesitate to jump up to the exit on the other side onto the scaffolding, making it out in one piece as the cannon fell from the palace and into the sea below. Sigma's doomsday plan was thwarted.
"This is X! Target has been destroyed! We've taken out the megacannon; Sigma's V-Day plot is toast!" said X.
"Awesome job, X! You really did it! As if there was a doubt…" cried Nana, "If I could, I'd kis—Uhh, hug you! V-Very tightly! For saving the world of course!"
"World isn't completely saved yet, Nana. There's one last bit of unfinished business left to take care…"
Nana, who was red in the face after her slip-up, nodded in understanding. The super weapon was dealt with, but Sigma was still alive and well. He would just be back with another more powerful weapon to punish the human race, and more followers to lead in killing thousands more innocent people. None of the hunters could let that happen. X had to finish this fight and bring Sigma to justice! The azure hunter rearmed himself, reverting to normal and proceeded on. Now he needed to contact Zero and let him know what he intended to do.
"Zero, come in! The cannon is destroyed, I'm heading right up for Sigma!" said X over his comms. But he got no response. "Zero? Zero, do you copy?! Zero!"
Suddenly, from beyond a door across the corridor, he could be hear sounds of warfare. Explosions, saber clanging, steel and metal banging hard. But the most telling was horrific screams of pain. X knew those screams better than anyone. Zero was in trouble, and he had a suspicion who was dealing the pain. The Blue Bomber quickly dashed through the door and entered a long purple room, where his worst fears were confirmed. Vile was sitting proudly in his Ride Armor tightly gripping a battered Zero, while also engaged with Colonel Patton. The colonel of Repliforce nimbly struck at Vile whenever he could, while the sadistic Maverick would block and counter him at every chance, all while using Zero as a shield every now and then to hold the colonel back. Patton lunged his sword forward to break Vile's Ride Armor, but Vile caught it with the mech's free arm, forcing it into the ground as he threw Zero right at him, knocking both of them back as Vile unleashed a fiery mortar right at them. This caused an amazing explosion that blew Patton right into the wall on the other side. The colonel was in complete disarray, laying beat up flat on his face. Zero, however, was in worse shape. His lower half was blown clean off and only had one arm left. The crimson hunter was barely holding together.
"ZERO!" X finally shouted in horror. Iris was too horrified at base to say anything. She had witnessed her brother get completely mauled and her crush practically destroyed. She was petrified with grief.
X quickly ran over as Vile turned to the azure hunter, his right eye blinking on at the sight of the seemingly toothless Maverick Hunter. He always disliked X and his self-righteous pacifistic ideals. Ever since the day they met…
JANUARY 3, 2053
A cold winter's day in Liverpool could be seen as serene and well to a normal person on a normal day. However, the jobs of the Maverick Hunters was anything but. Explosions rattled the streets as a large brute Maverick wrecked havoc on everything it saw. Vile was begrudgingly called to the scene to deter the threat, as well as rendezvous with Commander Sigma for assistance. Not that Vile really needed or wanted the help, but the violent hunter had little say in the matter. It mattered little, since he would still get to put more Mavericks into the ground.
As he passed by fleeing civilians, Vile couldn't help but scoff at them. These people were so weak and insecure. Most times he wondered why he even bothered with trying to save people that could barely save themselves. Seemed like a waste to him. Very soon, he found Commander Sigma's small escort squad arriving to assist just before Vile could get to work. Alongside the bald commander was a blue-clad humanoid Reploid he hadn't seen before. Yet he seemed so familiar to the violet hunter.
"Seems you do have some restraint to not engage until my arrival." Sigma said.
"Only because Alia wouldn't stop bugging me until I did. Again." Vile responded.
"Well someone has to ensure you don't go overboard and kill more civilians than Mavericks!" said Alia.
Vile just ignored her nagging and looked right at the new arrival. He didn't seem too impressed by whoever this was. "So who's the azure scrub?" he asked.
"Vile, this is X. He's our latest hunter joining my personal squad." Said Sigma.
"X? Hold on… you mean that prototype Reploid Professor Rimmer made? Is this some kind of joke?!"
"I agreed to join on certain grounds, but yes. I'm looking forward to working with you." X responded politely. He wasn't much in the way of a fighter quite yet, but he still wanted to help any way possible.
Vile wasn't impressed. With only a scoff he walked right past X and cracked his iron knuckles. The violent hunter was ready to get to work. "So we gonna stand here all day or we gonna kick some ass… sir?" He asked.
"To the point, as usual. Okay, you and X follow me. And try not to cause too much damage this time." Sigma said.
"HA! You know I can't promise that!" Sigma glared at Vile but left his attitude be for the time being and rushed to lead his team to confront the threat.
The group came across their target in short time. It was a green bull-like Reploid with multiple weapons around him. He had massive cannons on his shoulders, claw-like laser blasters on his wrists, and several missile launchers from his chest and hind legs. The hunters could already tell this would be a hard one to take down. Sigma approached the scene with several hunters, X and Vile following close behind. The commander began doing hand signals to the two, hoping to flank the Maverick and take him down quickly. X was quick to act, running around some debris quickly. Vile, however, hated this idea. It was more fun to make his prey cry at his knees.
The violet hunter jumped on top of an apartment building, intent on sniping his target from a distance. Sigma could tell Vile was not going to cooperate, as usual. He could hope that X would fare well enough. The Blue Bomber, meanwhile, knelt down from behind a girder waiting for the right time to take out the target. He hoped they could disarm the Maverick and make it a bit easier for them to bring in the criminal peacefully and with as few casualties as possible. Soon, he saw the bull Maverick come a bit closer, roaring and laughing out at his handiwork of carnage and destruction. X couldn't understand how he could be so proud of all the death he's caused here.
"X, the target is now within your approximate radius." Alia said in a reminding tone, "Target the legs first, then the others can take care of the rest!"
"Roger!" X responded and quietly emerged, setting his sights on the legs.
Just as he was ready to take aim, Vile fired off a barrage of mortars from afar at the Maverick, landing hits square in the face. This caused the bull to wobble backwards. Now X couldn't properly coordinate his aim. The mission was already turning bad. "Vile, I almost had him! What are you doing?!" shouted X through the comms.
"Showing you how to do your job right, rocky!" Vile sneered, unleashing laser blasts at the Maverick, who was now firing missiles everywhere.
The violent hunter laughed at his target's tantrum. This was becoming way too easy. All the weapons this bull had at it's disposal and he didn't even know how to use them effectively. The other Maverick Hunters, however, were far from amused. Vile just made their job a lot harder than it needed to be. Sigma ordered most of the remaining hunters to begin operations to minimize the now growing number of casualties, while he and X had to salvage this operation. X ran to a more suitable place to take care of this, hoping to try and calm the rampaging Maverick down.
"Attention, Maverick! This is X of the Maverick Hunters!" he announced, "Surrender peacefully and I promise no further harm will come to you!"
"GRUHH! Easy for you to say after that cheap shot, punk!" said the criminal.
"I know you are hurting others, smuggling those weapons! I can't forgive you for that. But if you turn yourself in, then we can both end this without any loss of life."
"HAH! If you think I'm gonna fall for that trick, you got another thing coming! Besides, I haven't even gotten started on my body count!"
The Maverick started firing off his cannons at X who swiftly dashed away from the rocket blasts to dodge. He had to be careful not to get anywhere near any blocks with any civilians left around them, he didn't want to cause more damage than they already were. The bullish Maverick opened its canopy and released an onslaught of missiles aimed at the azure hunter, but X dodged or countered most of them with some buster shots. However, the blunt of the attacks sent him back a bit. He hadn't been in quite a firefight like this before, so such blowback was new to him.
But he couldn't falter, not when lives were at stake. Vile was striking from a distance still, picking his spots with peak precision. X made his shots count as well, aiming and shooting right for the legs as instructed. They seemed to completely hinder the Maverick's movements. The bull then shot randomly around everywhere, often missing. But X saw one stray laser shot about to hit a nearby civilian trapped under some rubble. He knew that person would be dead soon. Instinctively, X rushed over and took the hit full burst for the human. The Blue Bomber was brought down to one knee from it with the bull closing in. However, just then, Sigma rushed in to slash at the Maverick and its weapons, completely incapacitating him. This mission seemed finished.
"Thanks for the save, commander." X said, holding his arm.
"Your nobility is admirable, X. But you must remain vigilant and focused. This fight could have gone far longer than any of us would have liked." Said Sigma before turning his attention to the Maverick on the ground. They wondered what to do with him. This bull was disarmed but he was far too dangerous to let live. Even if they spared him, there's a good chance he may find a way out of prison. This was a tough choice.
"Hold on! I give up, you got me!" pleaded the Maverick all of a sudden, "My creator's family is extremely poor. I had hoped by smuggling these weapons and selling them on the black market, I could pay off their poverty! They would never have to fear for their lives again! I just wanted to help…"
X looked down in pity for the Maverick. He felt bad for a Reploid that was trying to help others, even if he went about it the wrong way. He wished he could do something. Sigma did not share X's sympathy. This could have easily been a trick to save his target's own steel. It didn't matter to him what the reason was, this Maverick was still committing a felonious crime. The Maverick Hunter commander wanted to slay or lock up this bull without a second thought. He never got the chance.
A massive reign of fire blasts came down onto the defenseless bull, who screamed in agony as he was charred. Vile dropped down, his shoulder cannon aimed at the Reploid, laughing at his prey's predicament. He could see the Reploid, who was talking a lot of scrap beforehand, now cowering in fear for his miserable life. "Ha ha ha, I love it when they think they can weasel their way out of hell! Not in this lifetime, bubba!" shouted Vile.
"Vile, stop!" cried X. But it was no use. Despite the screams of mercy from the disarmed Reploid, Vile stomped onto their withered broken body and then unleashed two grenades at him point blank, causing a massive explosion and destroying the Maverick. The violent hunter emerged unscathed, dusting and walking it off with a sick laugh echoing through his helmet. X was devastated and furious. The Maverick was already disarmed and begged for mercy, and Vile just murdered him without a shred of remorse. The Blue Bomber ran up to him, furious at his fellow hunter.
"What was that for, Vile?! He was already disarmed and ready to surrender!" X yelled at Vile.
"That chump was clearly lying out of his ass to save it. I don't give mercy to punks that are in my way anyway!" said Vile, not turning to the newbie.
"And what if he wasn't?! It doesn't change the fact you murdered an innocent defenseless Reploid!"
"Innocent? Defenseless? HAHAHAHA! Man, you're too much rook! You really think anyone with that much ammo would be innocent? Besides, he was a Maverick scum! We're made to kill anyone that causes a ruckus."
"We are supposed to kill when there's no other option and they can't be reason with! We don't just kill anyone we like, there must be limits on us! Otherwise, the world will just be stuck in a loop of—"
Vile had enough of this bot. He socked X right in the kisser and the kicked him in the chest to knock him down. The violent hunter was not going to be lectured by an idealistic trash heap. He slammed X right into a wall and threw a grenade at him. The newest hunter screamed in pain, dropping to one knee. Vile jumped up and stomped on him repeatedly, taunting him as he made him miserable. If he was going to bore Vile with double standards, it's only natural the violent hunter knock some sense into him. "How's that for another option pal? Wanna lecture me on how to be a hunter, and who to kill?! Well how about you join that pile of scrap in the junkyard!"
"Enough, Vile! Stand down!" Sigma yelled, finally having enough of this.
"Sure thing, chief! Just as soon as I teach this idealistic malfunction a little lesson in fear and survival!" Vile cackled as he further crushed his feet and arms into X, who screamed out in pain. It was excruciating to deal with, he couldn't comprehend how nasty Vile was.
Sigma was having none of this. He jumped in and swung his beam saber right at his insubordinate hunter which caused him to jump a few feet back. The Maverick Hunters commander stood in front of X and pointed his saber at Vile's chin, glaring at the loose cannon of a Reploid with tranquil fury. He was making his message clear. "I said, stand down. Now."
Vile was as predictable as a bolt of lightning, but he wasn't stupid. When Commander Sigma was serious, he took no prisoners and would wreck him in an instant. Taking the hint the violet hunter clenched his fists and backed off. Just before he turned to walk off, he looked at the two with a glaring red eye and pointed right to X. "One of these days, commander, that pansy Reploid is gonna lead us off a cliff and into a goddamn furnace! Don't blame me when he does; that's a guarantee!"
Without another word, Vile stomped off in a furious huff. He didn't have time or patience for these softies. A warrior like him didn't deserve to be in the presence of glorified politicians. One day, they would see…
"Little late to the party, aren't we X?" Vile sneered at the azure hunter. X just gritted his metal teeth and glared at this sociopathic Maverick. Even after all this time, he still couldn't believe Vile was this heartless.
"I don't get you Vile. Someone like you could be used for so much more than what you are, not some serial killer Maverick! Why?! Why go through any of this?! What the hell is your gain in all this?!" X exclaimed.
"I already told you, X; Sigma has something that I want. Something I need. I couldn't care less about the world, the humans, the Reploids; it's all white noise to me. All that matters is showing him what kind of a badass soldier I truly am!"
"That's it? Just a show of your own power at the expense of everyone around you? You really think you haven't caused enough damage with your own crimes?!"
"Enough is never enough! There is one man that needs to see it. And when I find him…" Vile clenched his iron fists as he spoke venomously, "he'll wish he never made a walking tank like me! I'll be his judge, jury, and executioner!"
X gritted his metal teeth at Vile's petty ambitions. The death and destruction he helped Sigma cause, even all he did as a hunter, wasn't enough to satiate his bloodlust. He wanted to take even more lives to vindicate his own existence. Not only that, but he intended to take the life of his own creator. He couldn't believe Vile this deplorable. There was no salvation for this one. He was among the worst of the Mavericks. Seeing him gloat about this over the broken bodies of Patton and Zero all but proved it.
"Spoken like a Maverick… you could be far more. What a true pity…" Patton said, barely sitting up on one knee.
"Pity? PITY?! DON'T YOU PITY ME LIKE YOU KNOW ME, ASSHOLE!" Vile shouted, blasting the Colonel with mountains of plasma, further wounding him. X had seen enough of this and charged his buster at the Ride Armor, which did minimal damage at best.
"CINNAMON, GET UP HERE NOW!" X shouted over his comms. He knew the nurse Reploid was going to be busy.
"Already there!" said Cinnamon as she teleported in and ran over to Zero and Colonel Patton, who were barely holding on. Vile laughed in amusement at her arrival. He didn't expect such easy prey today.
"Don't you idiots know the first law of combat: always kill the medic first!" Vile laughed, taking aim at Cinnamon with his cannon. He wouldn't get a chance to fire however.
'WATER FORM'
X fired off Homing Torpedoes from behind which blew several holes into Vile's Ride Armor and caused the violet Maverick to stagger a bit. He maneuvered around to face the Maverick Hunter, his mech's fists giving a gesture for X to bring it. And he did. The azure hunter unleashed a Marine Cyclone that shorted out the Ride Armor and eroded Vile's armor a bit. The sadist Maverick hardly seemed fazed though. He hardly noticed X changing to Fire Form with a look of disgust.
"Oh no, waterworks, my one weakness!" said Vile with heavy sarcasm, "Gimme a break, X! Is that really all you can do?"
"No… this is." Said X, clasping his hands together, "HADOUKEN!"
Vile laughed again at this gesture. Did X not remember how little that fireball did against him the last time? Even more, his Ride Armor was more powerful than before. A little spark was going to do very little, if anything to him. However, X fired off the Hadouken which completely tore apart the Ride Armor and pushed Vile back against a wall. As the violent Maverick fell down to one knee, he looked up confused and surprised. How could that have hit him and done as much damage as it did just now? Has X really gotten that much stronger? X jumped out of the explosions and began throwing punches and kicks that Vile roughly evaded and blocked to his own pace. However, he found X's strikes had gotten a bit stronger this time. The azure hunter hit a spinning Blaze Kick to the side of Vile's cranium, blowing him back a couple feet.
"What the scrap?! How are you this strong now?!" Vile exclaimed.
"I try not to think about it. It will only make me angrier." X said, preparing to change forms, "And trust me, Vile; I am the last bot you want angry!"
'JUNGLE FORM'
"I'll rip you into pieces!" shouted Vile, charging at X as he changed forms.
X however used his Tele-Dash to begin running at hyper fast speeds. Vile stopped dead in his tracks the moment he lost sight of X. He scanned his surroundings looking for the Blue Bomber, but X only appeared to slow down to score some kicks and punches in on the war machine. Vile was unable to react in time for many of them, getting knocked about for a minute or two. The Maverick got pissed and just shot at thin air in complete anger. X used his Camo-flague ability to turn invisible and hang onto the walls, waiting for the right moment to strike. This would prove ruinous. Vile's heatscan was able to detect X in an instant and he launched a blast from his shoulder cannon at the wall, knocking X off.
"Thought you could hide from me!" shouted Vile, charging at X whose invisibility died off as Vile grabbed him by the face and slammed him into the ground several times over.
X's face was smashed into the concrete floor several times which caused him to bleed from his helmet profusely. Vile then yanked X's arms while stomping on his spinal cord, stretching the pain a thousand-fold. Vile stopped and stomped on X's legs, cracking them wide open. X screamed in absolute pain as he felt his lower body absolutely tear at his very being. He could hardly sit up and was back in his basic form. Cinnamon looked over and saw how beaten up the azure hunter was. It wasn't good. She just finished fixing up Colonel Patton, having given him a small sedative to ease the pain. Now came the hard part in Zero. She wasn't sure how much of him she was able to save but she had to try.
Vile snickered as he dropped onto X's legs one last time. The spineless hunter wouldn't be getting up for a while. He could easily just blast X now and put him out of his misery, but that would mean recognizing him as a threat. Even with his newfound power, X was barely worth thinking about. He was more am annoyance to Vile, so he kicked X aside intent on leaving him to rust. He turned his attention to Cinnamon and the two swordfighters he just wasted. The vicious Maverick was ready to finish his prey; he hated to leave a job unfinished. Slowly but methodically, he moved close to the trio. Colonel Patton was still dazed, unable to fight back. Zero was barely conscious as Cinnamon did everything she could to keep him alive.
"Cinnamon… get out! Save yourself…" Zero struggled to say, as Cinnamon worked to apply first aid materials to his armless shoulder.
"Not a chance! I'm not letting anyone go down on my watch!" Cinnamon said.
"Forget me… already. Vile…. He's going to…."
"The nurse always saves her patients even if she has to die for it! We've lost enough innocent people this week, and you are not joining them!"
"Well aren't you brave little girl?" snickered Vile, pointing his cannon directly at Cinnamon, "Well if that's how you wanna die…."
'STEEL FORM'
Just then, a Magna Shuriken from behind struck the violet Maverick hard, literally stopping him in his tracks. Vile could hardly move, he was stun-locked in place. He moved his head and saw X on one knee. The Blue Bomber was not staying down and looked at Vile with a determined glare. X slowly rose to both feet and fired off a few Boomerang Cutter attacks to do a bit more damage. His legs were in tremendous pain but he was ignoring it. He had to. Vile and the hunters were stunned at X's resolve.
"Give it up, X! You can hardly stand, let alone walk!" sneered Vile.
"I'm… not done! If I do little… or nothing… then people die." Said X, "I… won't let you… or Sigma… or any Maverick… do as they please! I'm going to stop you… and save this world! No matter the cost!"
"Urgh, if I could, I would throw up! Grrr…. You wanna die that bad? Be my guest!" shouted Vile, breaking out if his stunlock and turning to the azure hunter. He immediately fired off two blasts of nuclear energy, something that would easily kill anyone.
'SHIELD FORM'
Just before the blasts hit, X swapped to Shield Form. As the dust cleared and energy dissipated, the Blue Bomber stood there tall without a scratch. Or rather any new ones. X slowly moved towards the Maverick with the shields active and an intense look on his face. Vile clenched his metal fists at this. He couldn't believe X was not staying down. He unloaded every blast of power and ammunition that he had at the azure hunter. X shielded and deflected every shot at him, not stopping his movement. He then unleashed a Rolling Shield energy wave that hit Vile and pierced his torso armor, sending him back a bit. Vile couldn't believe that had happened. Not only was X still walking but he managed to make a large cut in his armor. Now the gloves were off. He charged at X to blast him point blank.
'ELECTRIC FORM'
Vile instantly stopped when he heard the voice say that when X changed forms. The mere mention of electricity brought back some painful memories of him, of his creation. As X completely changed to Electric Form, he did not even notice the hesitation in Vile, nor did he care. All that mattered was making the violent Maverick pay for his sins. Vile shook his head and aimed his cannon right at X. The Blue Bomber, running only on adrenaline, dashed forward and landed a mean left hook on Vile's cranium flinging him back. The violet Maverick was completely taken aback at X suddenly pummeling him.
"This… this is impossible!" he yelled, "I slagged your mobility! You shouldn't even walking, nevermind dashing! How are you even doing this?!"
"I told you, I'm the last Reploid you want mad! These are my violent emotions, my metal heart beating to the sound of your misery!" X yelled, "I have a mission to complete, and I will not be stopped by scum like you Vile!"
X put an exclamation on this by using a Spark Pound on the ground, but Vile flew overhead to the ceiling before he could be struck by the bolts. However, one reached the ceiling and electrocuted him. The shock caused him to let out a painful scream as he was heavily damaged. As he fell to the ground, X jumped up and unleashed a powerful Volt Punch that further pained the psychotic Maverick. The pain was excruciating for Vile, as he felt his right arm and shoulder cannon get blown off. He was thrown to the floor in agony, cracks and missing parts all over his body. X limbed over to the killer Reploid with hate in his eyes. As Vile got up, he found something in him he never felt before: fear. He was shaking seeing this Maverick Hunter completely decimate him in such a way. It was like a monster he never knew existed, a true nightmare.
"What the… What the hell are you?!" Vile exclaimed with utter terror in his voice.
"Are you afraid, Vile? Do you feel scared, helpless, and hopeless?" asked X, "Well now you know how all those people felt when you slaughtered them so callously this whole time!"
Vile was frozen for a bit, consumed by this instant dread of the Maverick Hunter before him. He had believed X to be spineless, weak and too idealistic to be effective at all. Now he saw what a menace this toothless really was, and Vile was a fool to underestimate him. The violent hunter shook off his fear for a brief moment and hastily charged forward, hoping to go do or die on the azure hunter. X stood still, clenching his fist ready to strike. Finally when Vile was close enough, X unleashed a vicious Volt Punch that smashed through his torso entirely, circuits and oil flying everywhere. Vile screamed as he felt extreme pain course through him and eventually he exploded into many pieces. The violet Maverick was finally finished.
With the adrenaline now subsided, X felt the pain in his legs return, reverting back and limping over to Cinnamon, Colonel, and Zero. Colonel Patton was finally recovering. Zero, however, was still in bad shape. Even though Cinnamon was a great medic and a lifesaver, she was struggling to keep him stable. She couldn't help but shake at how useless she was right now. "X, Zero… I'm sorry. I feel so worthless. I'm programmed to save lives, and I can't even save my own friends…" she whimpered.
"Don't beat yourself over this, Cinnamon. You're doing everything you can!" X encouraged her.
"But it's not good enough…. Is it…?" she seemed on the verge of tears.
"X… forget me…" Zero spoke up, "Your power… it's on a… a whole 'nother level… You can… you must beat Sigma…"
X knelt down to his friend. Zero was one of the first hunters he had met and was one of the few that seemed to appreciate his pacifistic and idealist views on their job. Seeing his comrade like this broke him completely. He didn't want to lose another good friend to this conflict. Zero reached to X's hipjoints and his arm to try and keep his azure compatriot under control. It was almost as if he was accepting his fate. "Just… end this. And… tell the others… not to cry for me. I'll go out… like a warrior. You… need to… fulfill your dream too. Okay, buddy?"
"Zero…" X was speechless at Zero's resolve. Colonel Patton slowly got to his feet and took what little was left of the hunter, as well as the remains of Vile. He was not going to let Zero's story end like this.
"I can take it from here." He said, "It will take time… but I will make sure Zero gets back better than before."
"Thank you, Colonel." X saluted, wobbling a bit. Cinnamon realized that X couldn't take a Sub-Tank right now, he needed all of them to beat Sigma. But in his condition, he was not going to last long. She got up and halted X before he could progress. A blue light emanated from her hands and then surrounded X, slowly but surely healing all of his wounds. The Blue Bomber felt better than ever.
"You better reserve that energy and your Sub-Tanks. You'll need all four against Sigma." She said.
"Thank you, Cinnamon!" said X, "But… why didn't you just do that with Zero before?"
"Well for starters, it's a bit draining on me. I need plenty of positricity reserves to heal someone to full strength in that manner. Secondly, I can't fix what's not there, you know?"
"I understand. Now… I'm going to finish this! For good!"
Colonel and Cinnamon nodded and wished X good luck. He then dashed forward towards his mission objective. He was going to stop Sigma once and for all, or he would die trying….
TO BE CONTINUED…
(A/N: And thus the final battle begins. I once again sincerely apologize for this going as long as it did and making you all wait. I've had my mind on many other things, so it took a longer time than I would have wanted. Hopefully this will be the year it gets finished and I try to move to the next entry. Please R&R, share your thoughts, critique as desired, and let's hope for a far better year!)