Chapter 16: Crimson Palace
The bolt securing the front doors revolved until the doors were free to slide open. High-Max stormed into Crimson Palace, looking imposing due to his extra large size. The large open hall reverberated with every step of his wide, metal boots. Red was standing at the far side of the main hall, waiting for his guest. His prominent, pointed shoulder blades matched the red interior of the place. His grim expression did not betray his pleasure at the return of the Maverick leader. In addition to the guards that are typically arrayed in this room, Hyenard stood at the side of Red. His body, riddled with flame nozzles, was in its usual hunched over posture.
The booming of High-Max's heavy steps ceased as he came to a stop in the centre of the room. "We have kept our side of the bargain."
Red took a couple of steps forward. "And we will keep ours." He lifted one arm to reveal the neuro-augmentor, bowl shaped and covered in circuitry and sensors.
High-Max took the device and held it up to study it. His expressionless countenance did not betray any satisfaction. In this moment of distraction, he failed to notice Red's swift movement. Red was holding a data crystal against the circular, red jewel in the centre of High-Max's chest, stretching upwards to reach it. High-Max felt paralyzed the moment the data crystal made contact with him.
"Unfortunately for you, there is a higher bidder." Red grinned menacingly.
The second red jewel in High-Max's forehead glowed brightly. The data crystal in Red's hand, normally transparent and colourless, now emanated a light blue hue. It resounded an electric crackle. High-Max dropped to his knees, unable to move. Finally, Red withdrew and took a few steps backwards. High-Max did not change his position on the floor.
"Bring in the Maverick Hunters," Red commanded.
One of the interior doors to the hall slid open to reveal X and Zero, entering the hall. They cautiously approached High-Max and Red, who was still holding the antivirus. He contacted High-Max with it several more times to clearly demonstrate that it had been applied.
"Behold the power of the Sigma Antivirus!" Red spoke in a loud, overly-theatrical manner.
High-Max remained on his knees, motionless, with a blank look. It was strange to see the hulking giant humbled on the floor. X and Zero inched closer, struggling to believe that this powerful Maverick was no longer a threat to them. Was this really the beginning of a new era in which they could peacefully release reploids from the effects of the Sigma Virus without a fight?
"High-Max will be reprogrammed as a soldier for Red Alert," Red continued. "He is the first of many Mavericks that Red Alert has dealt with, on your behalf, in our new partnership. If you rely on us for this service, you will be able to end the war."
Zero grimaced. He was very sceptical of this new arrangement and Red's smug attitude irritated him. He felt that whether these reploids were Mavericks, or members of Red Alert, they would eventually have to fight them either way. If it was up to Zero, they would have taken back the antivirus by force.
X noticed the docile High-Max still held the neuro-augmentor in his hand. When he reached down to retrieve it, he got too close, and was thrown off guard. High-Max had unexpectedly raised his free hand, which discharged a series of electrical arcs. X could feel the strings of energy wrap themselves around him. He was paralyzed, as if all of his limbs were pressed against his body, and he fell to the floor. He was able to see Zero, also laying on the floor, with the electrical energy entangling him.
Red was laughing maniacally. High-Max rose to his feet. The Maverick Hunters had fallen into a trap, but how was this possible? High-Max had clearly received the antivirus. Was he now attacking them on behalf of Red Alert? Had Red betrayed them already?
Resistance against the electrical arc entanglement was futile and Zero was completely immobile. However, his processor's capacity for rage was unhindered. He felt that they had looked for an easy solution and were now paying the price for it.
"You Hunters so desperately wanted the antivirus and the neuro-augmentor." Red had returned to his place at the end of the hall with Hyenard at his side. "You failed to realize that Doppler had invented another card for me to play. Like a good Maverick, he had improved upon the Sigma Virus to make it resistant to the antivirus."
X looked up at Red with eyes wide and mouth agape, horrified by the idea that the Mavericks had come up with a way to neutralize the antivirus. The plan to win the war using the antivirus was crumbling right in front of him.
By now, Zero had pieced together what was happening. Red had been infected with the Sigma Virus. The entire exchange was a ruse to lead them into the Mavericks' trap.
"You have just witnessed the beginning of the end of your pathetic plan." High-Max's loud, commanding voice matched his imposing stature. "I am the first Maverick to receive this update and now, assured of its efficacy, we will spread it to ensure that no Maverick will be lost to this antivirus."
Facing the incapacitated Hunters, High-Max failed to realize what was happening behind him. Hyenard had swiped the data crystal from Red's hand and pressed it against Red's forehead. The Red Alert guards sprang into a battle ready position, but they recognized that it was too late for them to take any action. Once again, the transparent rectangle emitted the light blue colour as Red's face went momentarily blank.
For a moment, Zero wondered if Hyenard had enough of Red Alert, that they had gone too far for his liking. But why had Red not infected him as well?
Suddenly, Hyenard's body flashed in a shimmering light and transformed into Axl.
"Well, that's one Maverick lost right there!" Axl spoke animatedly.
"You used me!" Red had regained his composure and now cast a pointed finger at High-Max. "Guards, apprehend him!"
The Red Alert guards moved out of their neat, linear formation and closed in on High-Max.
High-Max glared at Red with a look of disgust. "If you prefer, I'll leave you to your life of human servitude."
The Maverick leader slowly levitated off the ground, out of reach. X noticed he still held the neuro-augmentor in his grasp. High-Max now accelerated away from them towards the far-side wall of the chamber. Upon crashing into the side of the structure, his massive body tore a hole right through the wall as he passed through it.
Suddenly, Zero's limbs burst free of the energy field entangling him, in a flash of sparks. As his distance to High-Max had increased, the energy field weakened, and Zero was able to overpower it. The legendary red hero was back in the fight. Zero had enough of these elaborate schemes. It was time to take down the enemy his way. He immediately dashed towards the wall of the structure and leapt onto it. Executing a series of wall kicks, he scaled the red interior. His long golden hair was the last to disappear through the tear in the twisted metal that High-Max had created.
"Thank you Axl. You stayed true to the cause and served me better than merely following my orders." Red's voice was humble, different from his usual defiant tone. "I have failed Red Alert. I'm not even certain when I was infected. I always felt in control. But corruption and greed consumed me. Was that the work of the Sigma Virus? Or is this what opened me up to the virus?"
Axl was overjoyed to have Red back to his usual self. He beamed with pride at Red's words of praise as well as the opportunity to collaborate with his heroes, X and Zero. Axl now realized that indirectly, he had been manipulated by the Mavericks, and felt some vindication at striking back at them in this way.
"The important thing is that Axl was able to bring you back and he did it without causing any more destruction." The electrical entanglement around X had dissipated and he was picking himself up off the ground. "But this antivirus will become useless if High-Max gets out and begins to update his Mavericks to become resistant. He also has the neuro-augmentor. We can't allow him to use it. He must be stopped."
"I fear that Zero will be unable to defeat him," Red replied. "He has become too powerful."
X knew that Red was right. There was nobody else who could stand up to High-Max. Red didn't have the speed to catch up to him. Axl was quite fast, but it was unfair to expect so much from the young, inexperienced reploid. Once again, X felt the familiar crushing burden of the weight of the world on his shoulders. No matter what he tried to do to avoid violence, he always found himself thrust into these seemingly hopeless situations with no other option. He wanted so desperately to be something other than a battle machine. It was unfair that he was forced into this position, but if he didn't fight, he would be leaving Zero to fight alone against impossible odds. He felt that he was so close to a peaceful resolution and High-Max had snatched it away. The stakes could not possibly be higher. If High-Max got away, the escalation in this war would be devastating. Was there a real chance at peace if he could be stopped in time? It seemed like one last battle could end the war, but X had been down this road before and knew that it would never end.
X looked down at his arm with the X-Buster components concealed within the wrist. It had been such a long time since he had resorted to it, when he was forced to destroy his closest friend. The pain of those memories came rushing back as X thought back to that day. Going without the Buster for all this time felt like some kind of accomplishment. He would be throwing that away, and the moment he activated it, he would already be defeated.
So there he stood, paralyzed by indecision. Every second that went by would help his enemy, but the conflict within X was an epic struggle. Was he the only reploid even capable of indecisiveness? Still looking down at his wrist, X watched as the plates opened up and the large, round panels swivelled out and locked into place. The digits of his fingers were now stowed neatly away in the thick casing that surrounded his forearm. The ends of the plates formed a large, circular muzzle where his hand had been. The massive plasma cannon was now fully assembled. He wanted to look away, but he forced himself to bear the full shame of it. X had once again become a weapon.