A/N: WHAT'S POPPIN'? LOL! I'm not dead, I've just been on twitter for God knows how long! As you can tell, I've been absorbed into the Mega Man franchise and I had a LOT to think about when it came to characters once more. X has become a top favorite character of mine because of a lot of violence that's been going on recently. As a result, I wanted to dive deep into his psyche for some fun! Hope you enjoy this!
Disclaimer: Obviously, I do NOT own the Mega Man franchise, as it all belongs to Capcom! But, I'd do something special with it if I owned it. Maybe you'll see that in the future someday, lol.
"… I'm sorry."
Lights from a moving train flickered, showing the nasty sight below in an alleyway. The lights reflected off a shaky arm cannon, which was aimed at the damaged, dangerous, panther-designed Reploid laying flat on the ground. Previously, the convicted felon dug his claws deep into the ground and pulled away from being caught. Inevitably, however, he was overpowered by the hunter before him.
"You wish! Just try and end me!" the Reploid shouted in defiance, challenging such an enemy despite being held at gunpoint. Pieces of his silver, sharp, toothy jaw laid beside him, forcing his mouth to hang open as he spoke. The tattered yet fully-armored gunman winced in response, latching his hand onto his buster for more support. The light on his helmet flickered a bright red, and his breaths were scattered, as he had a hard time keeping up with his own pace.
"You know I didn't want to do this! I never wanted to fight! I don't enjoy this, unlike you! Maverick scum!" the hunter retorted, firming his unseen brows at the culprit.
"… I see the look in your eyes," the Maverick said in a lower tone, setting his eyes on the hunter, "You may hate your job, but I love mine. We're two different Reploids. You're not cut out for the grit and grime."
By that point, the hunter would have blasted a fully charged shot at an enemy before ever letting him finish. Yet, the words were cutting into him deep, as he froze in place.
"Only an idiot like you would show mercy. How many Mavericks you're gonna shred through before you realize your time is worthless? You insult me by towering over me, and then try to give me grace?! I should've ended you sooner!"
"That's enough! You should've thought it over before shredding through anyone yourself! At least I protect the innocent! Don't compare any merciless act you do with what I do!"
"Well, that's not what you would normally say, right?"
The hunter gasped, speechless from the realization.
"You always hesitate. That's why you have that rank you never moved from right now. You never had a single bone in your back to defend what you do. You can try and stop as many Mavericks as you want… but it won't change your remorse."
The hunter pulled his gun back slightly.
"You hate violence. You already know this is a waste of time… don't you?"
The hunter was left with his mouth agape. As if he were in a trance, his green eyes were locked onto the red eyes of the Maverick. His silhouette blended into the shadows of the alleyway he was found, but the light in his eyes flickered to show consciousness.
"Shoot me, X. Do it," the Maverick commanded in a guttural, low growl, which echoed throughout the alleyway, and throughout the mind of the hunter.
"X! X! Don't listen to him!" a stern, feminine voice rang throughout his head. He found himself snapping back to reality to pick up on the call he was receiving.
"Gh—! Alia?!" X asked, touching the circular pieces of his helmet to focus on the static-ridden voice.
"Don't fall for it! We know how this always ends! Shoot him while he's down!"
"… Right! I know!"
Damn it! I should've known she was gonna say something… either her or Commander Signas… he thought.
"Like I said! I'm sorry about this, but you left me with no choice! I know what I have to do."
Beams of solar light gathered to the center of the buster, forming a bright, ball of light that slowly increased in size. The mechanical whirring sounded, rumbling through the alleyway like all the other sounds before it. The fingers on his free hand tightened on his arm, freezing the shaking.
"Mark my words, X! All your hypocrisy will catch up to you someday! I swear—"
PWSH!
The ball of light fired from the buster at a blinding speed, lighting up the dark area for a mere moment. It suddenly came into contact with the broken Maverick, blasting his top half to smithereens. The area suddenly returned to darkness, where the remnants of the Maverick remained. X stared at the mutilation, wincing once more.
"Nice work, X. Please report back to the base," Alia stated in the call.
"Roger that." Without hesitation, for once, X was consumed by a blinding beam of vertical light, before disappearing into it.
… I really am sorry, was ringing through his head on his way home.
That same blue light crashed through the roof of the base where all the other hunters resided. X was then molded from the light, showing his roughened state in better lighting from the base.
"Welcome back," the pink Reploid told the blue one with a smile on her face. She was going to be met with a grimace until he gave a sheepish smirk.
"Thanks. Sorry I hesitated again," he said.
"You're fine, X. Don't worry about it."
"Right. Any other incidents I need to take care of?"
"Zero was sent out a little after you were. He should be taking care of a line of infected Mavericks right now. Axl's still doing his job taking care of another sinking ship. You're practically free for now."
"I see…"
For now, he thought.
"Something on your mind?"
"Oh! It's nothing. I just… need some time to think, that's all. Don't worry about me, Alia."
"… If you say so. I won't interrupt."
"Thank you."
He stomped out of the teleportation room, with Alia eyeing him from behind. The smile on her face faded into a solemn frown.
Poor X… he must have a lot on his mind, she thought, letting the moment of hesitation he had play in her mind.
As the wind swept X's hair, X was entranced by the twinkling stars in the sky. He sighed, wishing to see more of them, but knew that they were buried under the florescent lights of the base and the city beneath him. A thought of him reaching for the stars with some kicks off the wall made him chuckle.
He was suddenly reminded of the incident he had with the last Maverick he handled, taking his smile away.
"Only an idiot like you would show mercy. How many Mavericks you're gonna shred through before you realize your time is worthless?"
His fingers dug deep into the empty space of his helmet he held onto.
"You always hesitate. That's why you have that rank you never moved from right now. You never had a single bone in your back to defend what you do. You can try and stop as many Mavericks as you want… but it won't change your remorse."
He even gritted his teeth, showing how tightly clenched they were, as they were grinding against each-other.
"You hate violence. You already know this is a waste of time… don't you?"
He head sunk low, looking at the bar on the fence his arms were resting on.
"Shoot me, X. Do it."
As those words echoed in his brain, X looked at the buster on his arm.
Sometimes… this buster feels like a curse, he thought to himself, feeling shame and regret for even wielding such a powerful yet destructive tool.
Another memory played in his mind, where a man with a rather thick and fluffy white beard towered over him with a smile.
"I gave you power to think… to worry, and to grow and evolve as you fight, but… it is to soon for this power to be unleashed."
"Doctor!"
"I'll use this power to fight for justice," he said, before looking to the man with a look of courage, continuing, "to fight for hope!"
I had this thought… right as he's telling me I'm wrong.
A memory of his stomach being pierced from a blinding green light entered his mind next. He remembered a tall figure shoving such a dangerous tool into him, while smiling in his gasping face. Any regular Reploid would be on their knees from a sight.
I promised to use it to fight for justice, but… everyone knows that's not what I wanted. Everyone knows… I want other ways for peace to be restored, other ways of handling violence. I HATE fighting, more than anyone.
With his lids sinking in despair, his thoughts continued, I hate thinking about it, but that Maverick had a bit of a point. Even with all the damage I do, I only feel like I contribute to this war, not finalize it. And the worse part is…
Multiple events flashed through, so much that he had a hard time keeping up with each frame. The moments he found himself snapping his backstabbing comrades back to reality, the moment Magma Dragoon laid on the floor in pieces, the moment a red Reploid with long and blonde hair hovered before him as a threat, and every single instance where he mowed down Mavericks bit by bit.
I feel like… I'm the one to blame for this destruction. I'm fixing everything… but not in the way I wanted to.
"Chill Penguin! Why?!" X shouted, his words bouncing off the icy walls.
"Why?!" the metallic penguin asked in such attitude, "I never thought YOU'D understand! Just look at you X, you act so high and mighty! I can't stand it! HUH!"
All the friends I thought I had… they all abandoned and turned their back on me. It was so sudden all those times, too. The only person I could really trust was… Zero.
"What about Zero?! He doesn't know yet! Are you going to sacrifice him, a soldier who fought to save the Earth and all of us?! Do we have to let my one and only friend, my BEST friend, die?!" X shouted in pure defiance, adamant on saving the friend that held onto him through all the wars. He screamed at the monitor that showed the damage pieces of a fallen colony scatter throughout space and entering the Earth's atmosphere.
Man, I'm SO happy he was able to survive through all of that! Seriously! At least the others remained for a good while… Alia provides good work. So does Pallette and Layer, really. Signas will hold me down when I'm fired up, nothing I can help. It's hard to keep my cool when someone's ready to turn on me. I've had long-time comrades turn on me much later on… it's frustrating!
He stared into space with concern, thinking, … Now that I think about it… I know that's why I was hard on him. At least, it was one of the reasons.
A brief memory of him shouting at a black and red Reploid with spiky copper-colored popped up afterwards. Though he remembered the Reploid to be rather energetic and spunky, that particular moment showed that he was in clear distress. X scratched his head with the circular tip of his buster at the thought.
Axl… he's been handling things so well lately… If I hadn't stepped in, Sigma would have used him somehow. He looks up to me, too. I should apologize later. Still…
X brought the buster close to his chest, sounding a small clanking sound as the metal tapped against each-other.
Such power can only bring chaos. I don't know how much more I can handle this. I wish… I had another way of doing this. I hate thinking that I'm the reason I can't maintain peace and have friends. I'm sick of it! It feels like I'm the only one who cares about violence sometimes. I know Zero cares… and Axl left Red Alert after what they were doing… so…
He shut his eyes closed, letting his feelings sink in as his thoughts rushed by, Humans and Reploids can coexist! I know they can! I know I'm not the problem! I know it's not crazy for me to want peace, they can't make me feel any other way! I know there has to be other ways to fix things! I just—
"X! I'm so sorry!"
"Huh?!"
That static-ridden voice returned. He slammed his hand on his ear to listen in, shocked from being disrupted from his thoughts.
"Alia? What is it now?"
"It's… it's another Maverick!" I know you wanted to be alone, but I had to tell you! Zero and Axl haven't returned yet, so…"
Dang! They must be really busy. I hope they're alright, he thought as he scoffed.
"X, come in!" she said, breaking his train of thought again.
"… Sorry, Alia! I'm on it! Just teleport me!"
"Okay!"
… This again, huh?
Not wanting to waste another moment of Alia or anyone else's time, X fitted the helmet onto his head, concealing his hair. The moon, the one thing visible from the sky aside from the few twinkling stars, reflected on the red light on his forehead.
"One day… we will have peace again," he whispered, before letting that glimmering light consume him again.
A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Rate and review, lemme know what you think, and tell me what's your favorite X character is! See you again!