Alright, so Obliviously, Omega had no idea of X and Zero's history together. Also, I apologize to all the canon aficionados. If I got something wrong in the MMX timelines and plot and details, please forgive me.
So…he was now wearing a frilly pink dress to match his ribbon. A mild punishment for the padlock he had broken and the mess he made in the Vedic exposition hall.
Omega would probably kill them all for this affront, but the damn ribbon made this impossible. Not that he'd really care at this moment.
Zero's…let's call it health, had taken a bad turn.
Omega had checked his copy after being forced to wear the torture device, worried for the Red Legend.
As it turned out, the red symbol beside his battery status indicated whether the rechargeable diamond was whole or broken.
It was broken…and they were not in a place where they could find such specialized parts.
Zero...was dying. Slowly.
Omega looked at the two Vaishnava as they very gently lowered Zero in the red suitcase. He was still attached to the egg generator; his head-gem was flashing. Both of his eyes were closed…
'He's dying…like, not in battle' in the heat of battle, death would happen suddenly, one would have a hard time processing it. But now, in time of peace…away from the chaos of war, the ever-looming presence remained. A harsh reality that would never leave.
Death…no one was free from it. It would happen to everyone, no exceptions. Even Omega knew he would have to face the void…
It made Omega…uncomfortable to see what essentially him, facing it so slowly…so serenely.
There would be no wounds…no spilled nanite… no screams of pain, no explosion.
Zero would just…stop. And he would be…
"Can he be fixed?" Omega anxiously asked, wringing his braid.
Yavata and Karuna were busy packing Zero, stuffing every void with a pillow. They had covered the damaged reploid with the plant with a neck scarf, revealing the print consisting of Sanskrit writing, the Maha-Mantra. They also included a few garlands, some plush toys depicting the Lord. (One set of Radha-Krishna, once very well made set of Gaura-Nitai. And Prahlad-Nrshimha of course.) And an electronic box that contained the recording of the maha-mantra by an old man…
Zero had been quick to connect to the cheap electronics via the headphone jack. This had been the last time the red Legend had moved.
Karuna-Sindhu looked up from his task; he had been applying some red dust and some gray clay onto Zero's cheeks and forehead with care. Once again, it was the holy name…Radha. And Omega had noticed the dead guy anointing the broken copy's forehead with very fragrant oil. (He had also received some too. It smelled very nice.) "Omega…I said I know some people who could fix him…but for this, Zero needs to survive the eight-hour train ride and the four-hour car ride to Mayapur…and the roads are definitely not at all reploid friendly."
Omega let his crimson glance back to Zero; his gem was still flashing…like a flutter, really. The Nanites that formed his hair were now dull…almost gray, and already breaking apart.
He began to fiddle with his own hair; Omega had never been so out of his dept.
"…He will disappear…". His voice chip felt tight.
"No, he won't." Karuna-Sindhu kindly dismissed. "Remember what I told you this morning, Omega? About tour nature as spirit souls?"
Omega closed his eyes, accessing this particular Memory. "We are the eternal soul animating the body; we do not disappear at death but change the bodies that are we inhabit." It had been written and shown in the exhibit.
Karuna gave the 'mad' reploid an encouraging smile. "That's good. And?"
"And…and I'm a soul…and so is Zero." After some time mulling over it, it made more sense than just being a pile of code. Besides, there was no way Doctor Weil could have codded something as awesome as he, Omega. He had to come from God.
"Why?"
"Because we are conscious…we are also eternal and filled with bliss. But right now, we forgot about our identity." Once again, this was also something a certain Srila Prabhupada had written in his commentary on the Bhagavat-Gita. The biggest book Omega had the chance of seeing.
"Yes! You got it!" Karuna praised…
Omega never knew praises could sound so nice.
"So…Zero' about to change his body?" He asked, still keeping an eye on his copy.
Zero looked…cosy in the oversized suitcase.
"Everyone is Omega…some will change it faster than others" Karuna put a gentle, comforting hand on Omega's shoulder. A Mysterious smile on his lips. "Personally, I don't know about Zero, but I have a feeling Krishna won't let him die just yet." Karuna grew quiet. "Death…many people think it's the ultimate end, the answer to suffering….just returning to nothing or even sleeping forever. But death…death is the same thing as changing the old, used cloth for a newer one. Sometimes you're dressed as a human, sometimes as a dog, fish, plant, demi-god, bacteria…" he turned his brass colour glance back at Omega. "Reploid…"
Yavat made a noise and began to sign something. "Sorry…Dolls."
"Anyway…the soul is in constant migration from the body to body. And in every single body, he experiences pain and pleasure for a time…and then he goes to another body, and another one to burn trough his allotted Karma…making more Karma in the human form..."
"It's reincarnation, right?" Omega remembered reading about it from a diorama.
"Yup…and it ain't all that great, to be honest since, the moment you die, you have to leave everything you know and love behind. And you have to start again, reborn in the family of complete strangers. They speak a different language then you, they look different, and they don't understand the hell you went through for…well, nine months for humans…."
"I thought birth was normal."
"Not for the eternal Soul… So, to stop that repetition, we practice here is called bhakti-Yoga. It's the process of linking back to God through loving service. And, by His causeless mercy, we can revive our eternal identity as either a servant, a friend, a parent or…". Karuna-Sindhu trailed off.
"Or a lover…"
Omega's eyebrows rose to his hair cap.
"Omega…you know what is the most amazing thing in the world?" The plant suddenly asked the reploid.
"Aah…this morning celebration?" it had been the most amazing thing Omega had the chance of seeing.
A grin light Karuna-sindu's face. "Yeah…but that's not the answer I'm looking for."
"That you can be a lover of God?" to be quite honest, ever since meeting Karuna and Yavata, everything had been all over the scale of amazing.
The Mandrake shrugged. "Well…yeah, considering we ditched our best friend out of envy, then yes, it's pretty amazing that Krishna didn't just delete us. But that's Krishna's nature for you." Karuna crossed his arms. "No…it's something we see every day."
"?"
"We are surrounded by death at every single step. Dead bugs, dying relatives, it's on the news, in the movies, in books…and everyone is super award of old age but." He dramatically raised his finger. "No one thinks that he will die. A materialist always thinks it will happen to someone else."
Omega's eyes bloomed a bit wider…yes, he did notice. "No…they know. But they chose to hide it."
Karuna smirked at the crimson death. "Oh yeah, but only those who have started receiving Yamaraja's warning really us them." Then he went back to Yavata and Zero. "Welp…I guess that's all we can do for him." Yavata nodded gravely, a hand on Zero's cracked helmet.
And with that…they closed the suitcase with all care and attention; Karuna-Sindhu chanted more mantra's…mantras about Lord Narashima deva, the half-lion half-man incarnation of Krishna. The Supreme protector.
'Maybe I should go and pray to him…'
Karuna got up, very carefully putting the case upright. "You ok there, Zero?"
There was a bell sound; the green-haired Vaishnava checked his smartphone.
"Sure…got it, Z. and yes, you can still SMS me…oh, alright. I'll let him know." He then turned to Omega. "Zero has some message for you."
The dress-wearing God of death perked up.
"Zero says, 'I'm sorry…thank you for everything. You're not as bad as I remember."
Omega's eyes widened…this had been the last thing he thought his rival would tell him…
It was…painful. 'Zero's dying….he will leave…'
"Come Megha-devi; let's offer some prayed to Sri-Narahari before we leave." Nanashi did a mock bow.
Omega half-scowled, half-smiled. He absolutely loved this deity of the Lord. The way he snarled in pure fury, the look of pure anguish and agony Hiranyakashipu wore as the supreme and absolute truth tore at his abdomen, ripping out his intestine with His beautiful nails and wearing the bloody rope around his smooth neck like a pendant.
Yes, Srila-Prabhupada had been right; there's always something attractive in Krishna, even for a god of destruction.
"I was just thinking about that…can I get some flowers for him?" He had noticed how worshipers would offer him gloriously terrifying lord flowers, fruits, money, incense and whatever else they could give to Him.
So…you could bribe God.
"Of course, Omega. Just don't forget to keep your head covered and to wear your mask. Don't want to start yet another commotion, don't we?"
Omega rolled his eyes…there was nothing wrong with a bit of chaos.
'I take that back…chaos sucks.' Omega thought as he tried to navigate the horror that was the New Delhi train station on a Wednesday night. It seemed like half the population of India had crammed in the claustrophobic building. People were shouting, babies and kids were crying and shouting. He was shoved, bumped, groped and neglected by the veritable sea of humanity.
'Once his damn ribbons come off, I'm gonna manage India's population better.' He had experience…plenty of experience.
But the worst had been to keep Karuna -Sindu and Yavata in his sight; just to follow them was a task that was nearly impossible for the murderous reploid in pink.
Oh, and there was also the pink dress, it was ugly, almost neon and the craftsmanship was terrible…and it made it practically impossible to climb stairs or even walk normal. Let alone pulling around the wheeled suitcase Zero was in...
: Zero…you better survive this. he sends over the radio. : Or else…I will make you pay.:
Only static came back, but omega could feel some tired amusement.
He smiled, his fangs hidden by a cloth mask and his red eyes by a veil. But distracted, the usually nimble reploid tripped on the long dress and crashed in a woman, playing on the ground like cotton candy thrown by a brat.
"Oh my…are you alright?" the woman asked as she climbs back to her feet. "I didn't see you there, miss."
Omega bristled and yet remembered that he was not supposed to speak…
Well, he could, but if this was a mild punishment, what would be the price to pay for disobeying him a second time.
The woman…she was dressed in a white dress decorated with plenty of black trim and a red cape covered her shoulders, and a crow with a red eye in his breast sat on her snow-white hair. She helped Omega to his feet. "I'm so sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going." She began to dust the reploid.
Omega kept his mouth shut…this woman was also very powerful. She even glowed…
'What's up with me and running in humans shaped powerhouses…?' Omega had believed he had been the most powerful reploid in all existence…no the most powerful being in the entirety of creation…
He realized he and Weil had been dead. Wrong.
Mathura departing in twenty-minute. All passengers are-
"Oh…that's my train. I'm sorry, miss. May Krishna grant all your desires." And with that, the powerful woman grabbed her red suitcase. A red, rigid shell suitcase with a rosary tied to the handle…
Just like the one Zero was in…
"ZERO! Oh no!' Omega had been about to open his own when she remembered that it would be a terrible idea.
He was already very noticeable but add to the fact that he was carrying around what amounted to his dead-looking twin in a suitcase.
: Zero…Please tell me you're Ok…:
He received a feeble reply.
Zero was O.K…but not for long.
"Yo! Omega-Devi. Over here." Karuna called out from the top of Karuna's shoulder. "C'mon sis, our train's about to leave, hurry up!"
Omega sneered behind his cloth mask…while he could not kill, he could still plot revenge.
It's not like Zero could stop him anytime soon. (He tried not to let the painful squeezing of his chest distract him…Zero would just take birth again…somewhere. And he would not be Zero anymore. Meaning Omega would have the run of the place… and it would be fun, bloody, chaotic…glorious bloodshed unopposed.)
(Not that a break for all that was not nice…like…a very long break…he just wanted to have Zero during those times.)
He looked at Yavata and Karuna-Sindu's affectionate smile…compassionate smile…loving smiles that held no mocking, no superiority.
As he came to them…the Murderous reploid could not help but feel…repentant. Knowing full well that he didn't deserve it.
For the first time in his life, Omega knew he had failed at something…
The train ride from New Delhi to Mayapur was a long and boring one. Yavata was sleeping with his head in Karuna's lap. The green-haired Vaishnava was chanting on his beads as he sat on his bunk-bed.
And Omega?
Well, they had given him a set of beads, telling him that he could chant on them if he felt like it.
Omega didn't felt like it…he was thinking.
Now, usually, omega would not have time to think, even during those times he was a Neo-Arcadian in his armour.
He didn't need to think. Doctor Weil would think for him…and everything was foggy.
Now though?
He had so many things to think about…mainly about Zero...and what the future would hold for him.
Zero's chance of salvagability where thinning by the second. Omega knew…he couldn't even feel his copy anymore; that's how weak he was.
But…what would it mean for Zero to be…Gone?
Omega would be the only reploid in the world. He would also be missing his twin…not that he knew him all that well anyway.
Still, Omega had grown attached to Zero. He had spent so much time and energy trying and maintaining him, had even tried to fix the glitch only to realize that he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do.
And now…Zero was fading away.
He would be gone…
And Omega would be alone in an unknown territory…
"Hey…what's eating you, Omega?" Karuna asked, having paused his chanting.
The reploid raised his eyes, trying to understand what the plant was saying.
"You are deep in thought; something is bothering you."
Omega sighed and removed the stupid mask; most of the caboose was sleeping at this hour of the night, so no one would notice. "Karuna-Sindhu…I just don't know what to do." He rand a hand in his hair. "All my life, it's been fighting, fighting, killing, dominating and respawning…but now."
"You're out of your dept."
Omega huffed. Wrapping himself in his arms.
To be in his armour and to fight X and Zero…to slaughter an unlimited amount of human and reploids with the help of the corrupted elves had been synch, but this…
"Zero's…"
"I know…"
"But…he's…why should I cry if…you know…he's just a soul in a body!" He'd rather be a soul in a body then just a bunch of numbers…it felt right.
"Just a soul?" Karuna raised a brow. "Omega…a soul is the person, and eternally separated atomic part of God, Krishna. You got attached to the person that made 'Zero' move-"
"But I don't know who he is!" Omega blurted out. "I just know of his feat on the battle field, his bravery, and his rage…his camaraderie with X." It was hard not to see it; the two legendary reploid would fight as one, aware of every move the other would make, anticipating, dancing, and weaving around one another as they took Omega down. Again and again and again.
It had been…a thing of beauty. And Omega had to admit; he was jealous of what they had. Sure, Weil made it sound as if their bond was a sign of weakness, but…the walking apocalypse had wondered many times how it would be to have an equal…or at least someone a bit weaker than him.
Obliviously, lugging the half-dead Zero around New Delhi under the torrential downpour did nothing to answer this particular question.
And yet, during those rare times where Zero would move or…somehow show that he had been listening to him, Omega had felt this…pleasant warmth in his core.
And then this morning…he had seen the same glorious rage, the same determination to kill him that would animate the inferior copy when on the battle field…
Sure, there had been hatred and fear…this, Omega knew; he thrived on it. And to see it from Zero...It gave him hope, it made Omega happy.
But…it was all gone now. The only thing Omega had were a few half-hearted radio messages.
"Omega…do you want to know who Zero is?" Karuna asked as he removed his hand from his bead bag.
Omega scoffed. "What would be the point? Zero's practically dead; I'd rather not have more regret."
That was something new for the walking Armageddon; he was starting to regret some of his decision. Like breaking that padlock…and shaking Zero. Maybe even that one time he hit him to see if it would somehow fix him.
And feeding him some low-quality hydraulic fluids and motor oil. Omega could take it, but not the damaged hero.
Listening to Weil…not that he…well, no, it would've been so easy to kill the doctor. But the question remained what would he have done after having killed his…maker? No…Doctor Weil didn't build him…
Did he…why did he listen? Why did he do each and every bidding of one unworthy even to see his shadow?
Omega groaned as he buried his face in his hands. This was getting too much.
He heard some cloth rustling…and then Karuna was sitting right beside him, with an arm around his shoulders.
Usually, Omega would get away. Better yet, he could even rip his arm. (He wouldn't kill Karuna…so it should be fine.) But…as much as he loathed to admit it…feeling this powerful, benevolent presence so close to him, strong, solid and caring.
The crimson reploid had to admit that it made him feel…better. Safer even…
"Can you tell me about Zero? And…who do you know about us?" Omega had noticed That Karuna and especially Yavata would look at them and even interact with too much familiarity.
As if…as if those two humans-like beings knew of them.
Karuna sighed. "Do you remember what I told you about the place where you came from?"
"That it doesn't exist."
"Well, it does exist…but not here." Karuna clarified, "Where you and Zero came from is called a Hermitage."
"A hermitage?"
"Basically, a hermit, or a powerful being, usually a human, find a hole in a wall, a crack in a rock, a bottle in a shipwreck. Anywhere there's a crack. There, they make their own little world, seemingly away from the general rules that govern the material planes."
"Hmm…kind of like Cyberspace."
Nanashi looked to the train's broken light fixture. "Yeah…yeah sounds about right. So…in this place, usually, a hermit would meditate on the impersonal Brahman, Krishna's glow."
'Krishna glows?"
"Oh yeah, that's sunshine you need? That's just the dim reflection of his toenails."
Omega's mouth dropped wide open…how much light doe Krishna generate? How much energy…it was staggering.
"Anyway, that's the intended use of a hermitage." Karuna's featured darkened. "Now…there are some…hermits who used the place to play God. They make a world, a universe the way they like, then they throw a bunch of unfortunate souls in, cover them in an illusion and let them try to survive through thousands of scenarios…like what you, X and Zero went through."
"Even X?"
"Oh yeah…" Karuna nodded gravely. "There are some hermits…most of them really who even sell whatever happened in their realm. They make movies, work of fiction…videogame."
"So…you man, my story was…entertainment." Omega had no words for how he felt…but it was not nice. He felt…exposed…
"No, yours. X and Zero… and the reason why we know so much about you…we used to be fans. Well, Yavata was, I know a little about you two."
At the tone of voice Karuna Had used, Omega had to wonder if he really wanted to hear it.
"I'll make it short…ish." Karuna removed his arm from Omega's shoulders. "Let's see. Mega Man X was the first 'free-willed robot in existence. His creator was named doctor Thomas light. Not to be undone, his rival doctor Albert made another robot meant to destroy X, or failing that, everything X held dear. he was the most powerful, the fastest, ruthless, and filled with bloodlust android in existance and filled him with the Maverick Virus…"
"That's the virus I used for making other reploid mad…it wasn't made by Weil then." Another lie…obliviously, the doctor was not as good as he claimed. "And that sounds like me."
"Nope…So, this other Robot…that's Zero."
"But…Zero's not like me. Sure, he can be ruthless on the battle field but…"
"Omega, I'm not done; just let me speak."
Omega closed his mouth.
"So yeah, X and Zero…build to destroy one another. But that's not what happened, obliviously. You see, doctor light wanted to test X's moral compass since…you know. X was very powerful, and doc light didn't want to unleash a monster. So he let X go through thirty years of testing…he was found a hundred years later by a doctor Cain in the ruins of Doctor light's abandoned lab."
"And what happened to Zero?" Omega had very little interest in X, to be honest.
'Bot was gone; no use learning about him.
"Zero…Nobody knew why but he was also sealed for a hundred years. And then, once he was found, he slaughtered a group of elite Maverick hunters with no weapons."
Omega's eyes grew wide. "Wait…he did…"
"Oh yeah…he almost killed Sigma." Karuna's eyes darkened. "Sigma managed to damage Zero enough that he went to a shut down. Then…nobody knows what happened, only that He and X became good friends."
"Really," Omega raised a brow. "Just like that, no explanation, no nothing."
"Nope, some fan came up with some good theory, but we have absolutely no idea how maverick Zero and X became friends…But, that was not the end of it." Kripa's face darkened. "Zero forgot about his past…and he became the best maverick hunter, becoming X's mentor. And then tragedy struck…"
Omega didn't like this…at all.
"Sigma, after his first encounter with Zero, got infected by the Maverick virus. And then…he infected the other maverick hunters…they began to destroy mega-city, first by bombing the place, then by taking control of the facilities. So X and Zero went hunting and kill their own colleagues...maybe even some friends."
Once again…Omega had this awful feeling. Not that he hated a good story, but…it was just a feeling; he could be wrong too.
"And then Zero sacrificed his life to save X, dying in his best friend's arms, and X kill Sigma, avenging Zero."
"Wait. But…that's not how he…He fell from Ragnarock!" This was one thing he remembered Yamuna telling him. That, and Krishna's being God, of course.
Karuna-Sindhu gave him a wry smile. "Oh…that's just the first game, the first maverick war."
"Second war, some mavericks managed to recuperate Zero's broken Body and were about to rebuild him. Obliviously, they want His power for conquering the world." Karuna rolled his eyes. "So X, knowing that this was also a trap, process to gather all of Zero's body part, Kill those X hunters and finally, his best friends came back from the dead. By the way…Sigma was behind the whole debacle. They killed him again."
"War number three; Doppler town. Doctor Doppler, the guy made a vaccine against the maverick virus, and then the cured/ immunised reploid, made a town that bore his name."
"Let me guess, it was a hoax?" He had a feeling…
"Got it in one. And guess who had to clean up that particular mess?"
"X and Zero."
"X almost got Killed, Zero managed to save him, and they had to put down Doppler. And then Sigma revealed-"
"Sigma? Again?" Omega's eyes blew wide. "How did he manage to return?"
"Had a bunch of bodies…or something like that. Anyway, they killed him."
"again"
"And then came the Repliforce debacle…" Karuna leaned back. "Let's see…After so many robots going crazy, humans decided to make a specialized reploid force or Repliforce. At the head were General and Colonel.
Now, the colonel had a little sister named Iris…no, those two were not human, they were actually a failed experiment to make the perfect leader. Someone who both ruthless against his enemy, like Zero, and yet as Compassionate as X., it failed, and they instead got two reploids that were at the extreme end of both spectrum. Zero ended falling in 'love' with the sweet and innocent iris, X gets a Navigator by the name of double, and everything seemed to be working well."
"Until." Omega was starting to see a pattern there…a terrible pattern.
"The shit happened, Repliforce gets labeled as maverick because…I don't remember and, X and Zero have to deal with the mess again. X has to put down General, and double, a double agent for Sigma."
Omega let out a low growl.
"And Zero kills Colonel…and, out of grief, Iris fused with her brother's core, and Zero has to put her down also."
"Shit…" Omega cursed.
"He held her as she died."
Omega let out another curse…no, he didn't get that 'finer' sentiment, but he did know how it was to lose a pet.
He had lost many, mainly due to Weil's not liking annoying humans.
"Zero never was the same again. Once brash, loud, cocky and self-confident. He became subdued, quiet and a bit more introspective…and then came the fifth war."
"Let me guess…Sigma again." It was not a question.
"Oh yeah…and this time, X and Zero were on a very tight time limit," Karuna explained. "Sigma managed to infect a space colony with the maverick Virus, having merged with the thing to become an abomination. His plan was easy, foolproof even; he would drop the giant space station on mother earth, making her uninhabitable and spreading the mad-bot plague all over her surface." Karuna-Sindu rolled his eyes. "As if mother Bhumi's husband would let that happen."
"Who's Bhumi…" Omega asked with atilt of the head.
"Bhumi, that's the name of the presiding deity of earth. She actually the planet were on. Her husband is none other then Varaha-deva, the boar Incarnation of Krishna."
"Wait, you mean planet earth is a person? And God can take the form of a boar?!" That was pretty amazing in its; if…and it gave Omega a break from the tragi-comic adventure of blue and red.
"Oh yeah, if it exists, Krishna had the form first."
"so Krishna's…also a woman?"
"the best of them." Karuna nodded with folded palm.
"and a boar?"
"yes…you already saw His ten Avataras, right?"
Omega nodded. "But…that's just his ten forms."
"The ten forms that we know of," Karuna explained with a stretch. "There are twenty-five official incarnations of Krishna listed in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Starting from Balarama and passing by all the Vishnu forms, the Pastime Avataras like Varaha, Narasimha, Rama, And ending with himself Again, as Lord Sri-Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his brother Nityananda." Karuna explained as he sheepishly rubbed the side of his head, accidentally caressing his lotus. " I'm…not well verse in Avatara science, though; you need to ask my mom, Or read the first canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam." The Vaishnava gave a helpless shrug. "But you have to know that all the forms of life in this universe…and other universes also had their source in him; in other words, Krishna has unlimited forms."
"even as a…as a reploid?"
Once again, Karuna gave this one-shoulder shrug. "He has a robotic form in the Vedic exposition hall, the one you kept insisting told you it was alright to break that pad lock." The green-haired mandrake gave a pointed look at the punished god of death.
Omega grunted, shrinking under the powerful entity's hard gaze.. "…And then?"
"Welp, this time, there were three endings. The first one has X and Zero find the parts for a big laser to destroy the falling space colony; that's the good ending. They still beat the cra…err..the sunlight out of one another for no good reason, though. X thought Zero got infected by his own virus…but, you know. Ended up both in the infirmary…ended up having a good laugh after that,"
"Not the one he had." At that point, it wasn't hard to understand that X and Zero were fated to have a terrible life filled with unending tragedy.
"No…he had two more endings…well, three more. The worst one ends in complete failure; the colony falls, everybody dies…humans, that is. The second one involves Zero absorbing so much Virus that it revives his old personality as Wily's god of destruction."
"Huh…That's also my designation." Omega commented.
"Yeah, well…you're supposed to be how Zero was intended to be. You know, before his 'evil' value got so high it looped back on itself…that's the official story anyway." Karuna shrugged.
Omega stared, his mouth wide open. "Wait…that's…that so stupid. I'm evil, and I can stoop even lower the low…but I've never…you just can't…evil's not but e mere numeral Value!' Doctor Weil didn't impute anything; he had woken up as the walking Armageddon, lusting for blood and the scream of his quarries…not that he could indulge in it anyway.
Of course…aggression value could be tweaked to a certain point, but the more aggression one had, the more animalistic he became. And Omega liked not being an animal, thank you very much…
'Thank Yamuna…'
And as much as he loathed to admit it, Being at peace felt nice…it was an overdue change of pace.
Karuna-Sindhu turned to Omega, a kind smile on his face. "You're completely right. The source of all evil is Lust and lust alone."
"I have no desire for sex." Omega sneered…such a waste of time and energy.
The plant beamed brighter. "Good! Me neither." Karuna agreed, "But lust is not just about Sex…it is one of the most prevalent ways it show its ugly head thought. Lust is actually the desire to exploit others for pleasure ones own pleasure. The problem is, when we try to get pleasure for ourselves, we take it from other. So the lustier you are, the more you take, the more you make other people suffer…and you bring misery to yourself also."
Once again, it was something Omega could relate to. Sure, causing chaos and destruction was fun…it gave him a buzz like nothing else. (Short if this morning ceremony). But He would always have to face X and Zero…and Zero.
To say that it was painful to lose to them…well, it was. Physically that is… He'd gotten used to the pain of dying, and he's soon associated it with restarting his game...and nothing else.
"anyway…X has to kill his best friend and doctor Light, who's had cyber elf updating X for all this time erase Zero from his memory. "
"Dang…that's harsh."
"Wait…you haven't heard the last one. It the last one, X and zero, couldn't gather the enigma cannon piece in time…so one of them has to go and destroy Eurasia in a manned rocket."
"A suicide mission…"
"Zero made the sacrifice…"
Omega let out a low growl…
"I know…Some hermits just love making their toys suffer. It's power, control…and to control…it makes them feel like God."
"The way you said it, it sounds like being in Control is bad."
"It is," Karuna confirmed. "If you want to control other, but you can't control your mind or senses…then trouble happens. Being a leader is not just forcing people to do things…it's about controlling yourself first and caring about others' wellbeing. Trying to control others by force…there's nothing good that will come out of that…at all. Especially if you try to take God's place."
Omega hunched his shoulder; he had a feeling those words were meant for him.
Karuna-sindhu let out a huff. "Listen…there's only one supreme controller…and that's Radha-Krishna. If we let him control our life, nothing bad will happen, and we attain our eternal position. But if we try to be independent controllers…Listen, I've only been five years out of my own hermitage, but let me tell you, those who try to take God's role will only cause disasters. As History has shown us over and over again."
The 'mad' reploid hunched his shoulders. "Ah, but…what if you have to control an army."
"Love and respect go a long way, Omega," Karuna explained.
Omega raised a brow. And scoffed. "Really? Love?"
"The first for of control is through fear, above fear is power, above power is beauty, and above beauty is love…and Love controls even the supreme controller."
"Mother Yashoda's rope!" Omega (quietly) exclaimed.
"Got it in one…again!" Krishna-Kripa beamed. "Now, if this works for God, It will work on others…as long as they're not emotionally crippled."
"hmm."
"Now…to return to our delightful subject matter."
Omega sneered…he liked Krishna's pastime, there were so…so…he just liked them, and Krishna knew who to kill demons in a gruesome yet efficient way. And he was getting tired of hearing of X and Zero's tragic life and all of their suffering.
Sure, he liked to destroy them…and he didn't want to feel pity for them!
"War number six, a scientist named gate found one of Zero's pieces in the crash site, made the Nightmare Virus, and an insane copy of Zero creatively named Nightmare Zero…."
"Let me guess…Sigma was behind all of this, and X had to kill this particular-"
The sight of a sneering X met his eyes, his glowing buster releasing the last charged shot needed to end his existence…his own body, his perfect body facing a fatal hardware failure…
He laughed…he screamed…no! It couldn't!
"Megha? Megha!" He felt Karuna-Sindhu gently shake him. "C'mon, man, not you too."
"I'm Fine…I'm…fine stop it!" He removed Karuna's hands from him. 'Note to self; never shake Zero ever again.'
"Are you sure?" Karuna asked with deep concern.
"Yeah… Also…please don't shake me anymore; it's not…I got some error popping up."
"Oh…sorry, Bud." Karuna sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Don't scare me like that."
"No promises," Omega smirked, showing his fangs.
Karuna rolled his eyes. "Good enough, I guess…anyway. X destroyed the insane copy of his dead Buddy…but the explosion almost killed him, it took a miraculous intervention by Zero to save him extremist."
"Wait…wasn't he dead?!"
"Oh yeah…In tiny pieces…Nah, he survived…barely. He had to hide from this reploid called High Max and the nightmare Police as he repaired his broken body with whatever he could find." Karuna shrugged. "He collapsed in X arms after that particular stunt…needed further repair, like actual repair. Anyway. This was conflict number six; number seven was…well, a new victim was brought in the game, his name Axl and X basically sits this one out. Obliviously getting in a burnout and trying to work things through intelligent means and not by brute force anymore...only to be dragged back to the battle field. Sigma gets killed again, but it's clear the guys are losing steam."
Omega flopped on his cot.
"War number eight, this one had those fancy new-type reploid that could take the shape of other, older model. It was in a hope to make their ever-changing DNA un-infectable. Axl; was the prototype."
"Let me guess…it failed."
"Oh yeah, because sigma's model was included in the repertoire."
Omega groaned…Causing Karuna and Yavata (who had just woken up) to chuckle.
"Wait, that's not the best one." Karuna Continued. "So basically, the real Sigma, who' basically just a ghost at that point, Kidnapped this reploid called Lumine. He head Architect for the Jacob Elevator project. Basically, an elevator to the moon." At those words, Booth Vaishnava burst into stifle laughter.
Omega looked at both of them. "I don't get it."
"Ok…First of all, no one can make an elevator that tall, it would take way too long even to reach the stratosphere. Second, there's the earth and the moon dancing around each other…no way you can connect them with a flimsy tower. Third, there's the Van-Hallen Radiation belt; I don't need to tell you how an earthly body reacts to radiation, right?"
The reploid in pink shook his head, smirking at how stupid the whole thing was.
"And finally, the Moon is a celestial, heavenly planet way further then the sun from the earth. We're talking almost at the top of the universe far. "
"But…how about the moon landing?" Omega asked; this was one thing he was aware of.
"The world's most expansive hoax, the U.S is still trying to shove it down everyone's throat…even after the whole thing had been blown open…but hey, that's demoniac mentality for you."
Omega grunted…
"So anyway, long story short, Lumine was actually the bad guy, and Sigma was just there, Zero and X's protégé Axl got…something that was in Lumina's body stuck in his head gem aaaaand that what we know of the entire incident." The Vaishnava shrugged. "Only Krishna knows what happened to them in their next century of so; us poor mortal only know that there was the elf-war. The war you were in and that Axl was nowhere to be seen."
Omega opened a ruby red eye…no, he was not sleeping... just very relaxed. "Yeah… I don't remember much of it…just a blur of death and destruction. I only remember Axl X and Zero running after me…always too late…too weak." Once again, the walking Armageddon felt some guilt. "I think I killed Axl? But maybe he was just another reploidBut…when did Zero fall from Ragnarock?"
"Oh…in the next four-game," Karuna-Sindhu spoke as he lay beside Omega. "Game one, a blond girl named Ciel run away from some mechanoid shaped like X, her reploid guards all died a messy death. Then, she finds Zero in a broken hibernation chamber."
"Reason?"
"Oh, basically, the previous war started because Zero surrendered himself to Doctor Weil and another blond woman…an ancestor of Ciel."
"Convenient."
"We know…so yeah, after Zero sealed himself to have everything about him studied, they came up with Elipse from his coding and viral data…basically, his daughter."
Omega's eyes flew open. "Oh…"
"Yep…so, his body got stolen by Weil, Weil stick you in, and you start ravaging the earth in four years…which wouldn't be possible in real life."
"And why is that?"
"Well, there's Gargi, Yamuna devi dasi and her family, Mother Uttara, My mom…even if she's not fighting much anymore. And then there's Yashoda and the Indian army, some guru Kula boys I know…basically Omega, you're not the most powerful here."
"Yeah… I noticed." The sound of the train, the low lighting, the gentle, rhythmical movement…"The whole place was already deserted…so I just stuck around Neo-Arcadia and some other places where there was a dense-ish human/reploid population."
Karuna-Sindhu grunted. "Yeah, that makes more sense, to be honest. Anyway, after you started your rampage, Zero got a new, inferior body…maybe. and with the help of X."
"Hey…I already knew what happened then…I get stuffed in a space shuttle for a hundred years." Omega mumbled…he didn't want to remember that.
"Right…so yeah, Zero did with all the tragedy. He seals himself again, at X's great chagrin., the Mother elf goes crazy due to Weil's curse, X sealed her, sacrificing his body to seal the dark-elf…and then this somehow made the four guardian…basically his kids. The original story says that his soul splits in five, but…well a soul can't be broken, shattered, atomized or whatever fiction writers can come up with." Karuna audibly rolled his eyes at this silly notion.
"Kids he had with his best friend's daughter." Omega commented…while he was not well versed in human…anything, he still had a sense of what was right and wrong. And X having kids with his best friend's daughter…Nah, it's didn't sound right.
There was this very awkward silence. And then some laughter.
"Yeah...Ok…moving one. " Karuna chuckled. "So give or take a hundred years later, for some pretty twisted reasons, the humans want X at the head of neo-arcadia again and commission this ten-year-old genius to try to make a new body for him. X is like. 'Aw hell naw!' and leave his old body behind, entering cyber-space as Cyber-elf X."
Omega grunted… "So…he's dead?"
"No, kind of like in a coma." The plant guy explained. "So yeah…Ciel makes the rejected body as a replacement for X, but the guy she put in is a real brat…no, I have no clue how one can but a soul in a doll either; you need to ask my mom."
Another grunt.
"So, Copy-x is basically what X could be without his thirty-plus years of testing; he's too biased for human and thus gives them all facilities for useless enjoyment and thus start an energy crisis, so he start to cull all civilian grade Reploid…but not his military personal. A resistance group form, headed by Ciel, the genius which made him, things keep getting worst."
"Of course."
"And thus Ciel Managed to find good old Zero, broken, off-line…she sacrifices an elf to save him, he saves her but then there's a problem."
"Which is?"
"He has amnesia…can still fight, though but, he's not even sure he's Zero anymore. But anyway, Ciel sends him to kill copy-X, he does…and then learn that his best friend…who he sorta remembers now is as good as dead. Comes game two, a member of the resistance, a guy named Elpizo, wants to grow in power to destroy Neo-arcadia with the power of the baby-elves…but he wanted mother-elf, since she was the original, and thus more powerful. So he managed to get to where X's body is kept and stabs him to death…in front of a helpless Zero."
Omega made a note of the glitch's name…Only he had the right to do that…
"So yeah, Zero saw his best friend died…a best friend he had died for…"
"Did X come back?"
"No…next game…you were in it. Weil takes over Neo=Arcadia using you…do you remember what happened there?"
"No…not really. I was sleeping when not needed, so…" But he did remember this fake X, a jumpy brat with a huge lack of self-confidence…and who was also pretty delusional and…
Broken…scared…a ball raw wires.
At first, Omega had found the brat to be quite entertaining…and then annoying whit how whiny he was…and then…
And then Copy-X had started to speak to him, to open up about his fears, his hopes and dreams…about how he wanted to be a Hero…a real Hero away from X…he wanted to be his own person.
This had been the last time Omega would see him until the next cycle…and then…everything was the same for him…
So he would sleep…until he would see Copy-X again.
'I won't see him anymore…' this…it made his core sorta crunch on itself…very painfully crunch on itself…kind of like how he felt about his Zero leaving his body and never coming back…
"Oh…I see. Anyway. Zero didn't kill Copy-X this time. Cyber-elf X stopped the fight, appearing to his copy."
Omega breathed a sigh of relief.
"But Weil but a bomb in him…it activated when he tried going 'murder angel' on X and Zero."
Omega clutched the soft fabric in his hands…something was burning inside him…and he felt something about his eyes… "That's it…Weil's dead…next time. I will kill him…over and over again.'
He felt Karuna Shift on the train cot, and the plant-like being put a hand on the grieving reploid's shoulder. "I know…It sucks…I think you know what's happening next, right."
"I die…and my cycle starts anew…" Omega spoke as he began to rub the moisture out of his eyes.
"Hey, It's alright…once we're in Kolkata, I'll ask mom if we could raid your hermitage. Who knows, we may be able to salvage a few more souls there." Karuna-Sindhu Proposed.
"First save Zero…and then I'll see." Omega could not even feel him anymore…and all his radio ping were unanswered.
"Alright…pray for him then, like I showed you."
Omega grunted as he curled to his side…if there were one way to describe X and Zero's adventure, it would be 'very depressing' and 'hopeless.' "will Krishna answer if I do that?" He asked.
"If he feels like it...but My Krishna will definitely be more willing to change faith if you do."
The Yavata made a noise and furiously... passionately began to sign something to Karuna'.
" But...Krishna's like a butter puppet in his pure devotee's hands and will literally make each and every one of their desires come true." Karuna-Sindhu slily conceded.
Omega perked up at those words.
" Of course, it's still up to Him. Krishna's a person, the supreme person, and thus, he gets the last words in everything. Still, if you start chanting Hare Krishna as we showed you, then Krishna will be a bit more willing to hear you since...we'll you calling his names you now, your calling him." Karuna explained as he pointed to the Japa bag that forlornly laid beside Omega.
The Reploid eyes the innocuous black bag with Narasimha-deva sown onto it..."Maybe...Maybe I'll try but...later." Omega conceded; sire hearing the mantra made him feel happy, but he still wasn't sure what he wanted to do. Especially with how...how Zero was.
Karuna-Sindhu nodded gravely." Good, I'll hold you to that. So…after you…go 'kablooie. The explosion takes out the four guardians and forces X to use the last of his energy to protect Zero and purify Mother-elf of the curse put on her by Doc Albert - witch in pure an utter Bullshit." Karuna spat.
Omega raised a brow at that.
"Omega, my moms a powerful celestial, I know a magician, and as a Hare Krsna, we know curses. What Al gave to Elipse? A ghost, nothing more then that."
Omega grunted...he had no idea what a ghost was...maybe he would look it up...later, "So…they all died." The crimson reploid could feel proud that he managed to get the last laugh on that one…but it also meant that Zero was all alone now.
"Yeah…You, Harpuia, Fefnir, leviathan…phantom had already suicide in game one, so…anyway. Zero finally remembered who he was complete; mother elf got freed of her curse, and Weil is still on the run." He felt Karuna Sindu shrugged. "If it ended there, then at least Zero could've worked out how to live, hunting down doc Weil and maybe even hook up with Ciel, but…"
"Ragnarock." He had heard the word for Yamuna Devi Dasi…and he also remembered some blurry memory about Weil's obsession with a kill-sat.
"Long story short, with no one on the throne and the Neo-Arcadian believing Zero to be the king's killer."
Omega sighed…'Zero can't catch a break…can't he?'
"Ciel, Zero and the resistance were still trying to evacuate whoever survived the missile…and now everyone is running away from that rat-face. We learn that Humans are ungrateful, whinny little she-jackals who can't even appreciate being saved by Zero, and who blame their entire problem on the reploids…" Karuna closed his reddish eyes as he let out a heavy breath. "And then they met up with the Eihejar, a group of reploid wanting to change the world…all under Weil's order."
Once again, Omega let out a curse…he didn't like were things were going with this.
"There was this one guy named Craft…he was building the Ragnarock kill sat. And he finished it, firing the ray onto Neo-arcadia in a bid to kill Weil, having turned on him. He killed…no idea how much, but I doubt more than a hundred bodies were recovered from the crater…and Zero had to watch the whole thing helplessly, once again too late.
"Then Zero return to area Zero, the place Weil wanted to destroy, forcing everyone to remain in Neo-Arcadia to suffer from his dictatorship. Only to have Weil show that no…he was still alive, and Ragnarock was falling." Karuna-Sindhu spoke darkly, and Omega felt a shiver running down his spine.
"Zero went back to Ragnarock…and faced Weil. He won, but Weil…his mechanized body dying, made a last-ditch effort to destroy the survivor camp, he fused with Ragnarock and made the space station fall faster…"
Omega closed his eyes as he braced himself for the imminent impact.
"Zero…Ciel could've to teleport him out, but He chose to stay and kill Weil, knowing he wouldn't survive."
"He won…He killed Weil. But he…he didn't survive the fall; the only thing Ciel found the next day was his singe and destroyed corps. A hundred years, later…Weil was back."
"That's it." Omega rasped. "I'm gonna kill him…I'm…Weil's a dead man!" he hated how his voice cracked…but Damn it!
Damn it all!
"Maybe you did…how many times did you go through the same thing, Omega?" Karuna asked, his voice filled with compassion.
"I…I don't know…" The 'God of death' dressed in pink buried his face in his palms… "I…I knew I would regret asking you about Zero's life…"
"Yeah, well, there were two more games, but…he was reduced to something called Cyber-metal. And his situation got even worst. And, as I have told you, Weil got turn into this abomination called an utsuro, his body made of the smelted parts of thousands of reploids…and that's how the whole Saga ends."
"Spare me, please…" The fearsome reploid curled up onto himself…he had known Zero as a Hero, a hero that chose not to move anymore…a hero that was showing his cowardice…but now he knew…
Zero was…not a survivor, and Omega loathed calling him a victim. But it was clear the legendary reploid…and his brother in arms had suffered more then him…On repeat.
Really, Zero's apathy toward everything…his lack of will to live…Omega would have lost it at the first Cycle.
'No…I would have kept fighting…destroyed the place…' and yet he knew…he would be the one stuffed in a suitcase, waiting for death.
Karuna-Sindhu gently began to rub omega's head. "Hey…It's alright…he out of the wood…both of you. You won't have to face this hell ever again."
Under the soothing touch, the gentle movement of the train, the soft mattress and the balmy air, Omega closed his eyes, his whole frame growing heavy. "Karuna…Zero…he won't make it…"
"We'll cross this bridge once we get there…right now. Just rest." The plant-like being spoke gently, and Omega had no power to fight it.