Chapter 19: The End of the Revenants
"Sir! We're nearing the drop zone! The pilot advises the three of you get ready o jump!" The co-pilot of a Maverick Hunter dropship shouted in the hopes of making himself heard over the sound of the engines of the vessel. These vessels were known for being tremendously sturdy, but with the sheer volume of turrets installed all over and around the tower, there was no way the vessel would survive moving in any closer. One of the sides of the passenger compartment of the vehicle opened up, giving the occupants a view of the chaos below. The sounds of battle and the wind rushing in through the opening were almost deafening.
"Alright. All set?" X asked his two companions. Both he and Zero had strapped on a jump pack which would activate a pair of boosters to slow their descent.
Zero walked over to the side and looked down at the streets below. They hadn't passed beyond the walls yet, but they would be dropping right onto the firing line Typhus' forces had put up at one of the gates. "I'm ready."
"So am I," Axl replied as he cocked one of his handguns and double-checked both of them to make sure they wouldn't fail on him mid-combat.
"I think it's safe to say Nana's accusations have merit, I'm counting more than a few of those four-armed Mechaniloids we saw on the security records of the destroyed outpost," Zero commented calmly, looking at X from over his shoulder as he approached the open side of the aircraft as well.
"It seems that way. Our own investigation turned up leads indicating a possible traitor…" X' eyes saddened briefly as he was reminded of Nana's pleading words when she'd contacted him directly. "I can't believe we didn't act faster. Didn't figure out what was going on ourselves. Nana had been branded a Maverick, she was to be hunted down. If we hadn't found the evidence we did – and if she hadn't been able to get through to us – it could've been too late for her."
"Hey, come on X, all's well that ends well," Axl interjected before standing up and walking over to place a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Nana got her message through. We got the proof we need to turn Typhus in and we've got Signas backin' us up. Trust me, she knows we did everything we could to help her out."
X's lips curled up in a smile as Axl's words cheered him up.
"Now's not the time to get sappy, we've arrived," Zero's white index finger tapped the overhead 'attention' sign that lit up bright red to notify the occupants of an imminent drop. "And don't forget, Nana might've trusted Vile, but he's still a loose cannon and he's down there fighting an army by himself. He'll be the same adrenaline-fueled Maverick he always is and I doubt we can classify him as friendly should we catch up to him."
"Right. Let's head out!" X proclaimed before leaping out of the craft. Zero and Axl soon followed their fellow Hunter, the latter not needing the help of a backpack to slow his descent as he had jet boots of his own.
All three Hunters dove down fast and only activated their boosters once they were close enough to the ground. Each exhaust flared brightly and nearly slowed them down to a mid-air halt, just above the asphalt. The packs automatically disconnected and were discarded. Explosives, energy blasts and bullets were flying overhead and the instant X's feet touched down, he activated his dash boots. In a blue haze, he was propelled forward and his powerful arm weapon, the X-Buster, fired several well-aimed shots to take out one of the rebellious Hunters. He then unleashed a few more blasts to take out two more, incapacitating them instead of killing them.
The instant the third fell, Zero jumped over X and used his green energy saber to slash a semi-cloaked Mechaniloid cleanly in half. A solid kick knocked the scrap metal aside, clearing the road for the crimson Reploid to push onward. With blinding speed he slashed apart another drone and severed the arm of a Hunter to neutralize him. Zero's rush ended with an upward, diagonal sweep of his blade that essentially bifurcated the upper body of a rogue Mechaniloid. The momentum of the attack was more than enough to cast a piece of the severed torso up into the air.
The crimson Hunter halted briefly to catch his bearings and spotted a Robo-Ride Armor nearby. It was smashing its way through a squad of loyal Maverick Hunters. Heavy weaponry hadn't arrived yet, which was giving the SA-Class Hunters' allies more than a few headaches when trying to deal with Typhus' fortifications.
Without losing a beat, Axl jumped into the air and fired both his handguns at the bipedal tank. The spray of bullets did little more than scratch the paint job, but it did attract the pilot's attention. The armor turned to face Axl while the Hunter was still airborne.
The controller proceeded to open fire with a blast from a cannon mounted on its right arm. The projectile missed its intended target when Axl flared his jet boots to push himself out of the blast's path.
Another flare boosted him far enough to close the distance between him and the large humanoid vehicle. Momentum carried him over the Robo-Ride Armor and all-the-while, he continued to fire his handguns. He aimed as best he could for a weak point on the machine's back. As he landed, he rolled up onto his feet and did not stop the barrage of energy pellets. The unending spray caused the machine to buckle and tilt forward from the pressure. As soon as the metal plating on its back had been peeled away, Axl called on a heavier hitter to finish the job.
"X!"
"Gotcha!" the blue Hunter dashed forward and – after hopping into the air – was given a boost by Zero. He'd been charging his X-Buster the entire time. The moment he landed behind the machine that struggled to keep its balance, he turned to face its exposed back. "Take this!" X exclaimed before unleashing the bright, blue orb of intense energy which drilled a path through most of the machine's torso. The damage severely compromised the vehicle and a mere seconds later it exploded violently.
With the Ride-Armor gone, the attacking Hunters' morale soared and they pressed the assault. X straightened and turned to look at the high walls of the traitor's headquarters.
"Commander X, Typhus' forces are putting up a bigger fight than expected, but their defenses at the southern gate have crumbled," a Hunter officer approached the X with an update on how the siege was progressing.
"Unit 0 was dispatched to the southern gate. They'll hit heavy resistance in the courtyard. I'll go help them out right away," Zero suggested as he approached the pair.
"Me and X can stay here and try to punch a hole in their main defensive line," Axl replied as he too rejoined his colleagues.
"Agreed, once we're through we'll launch a pincer attack on the troops in the courtyard. They won't be able to hold up against a two-pronged assault," X added before issuing further orders to the officer.
"See you on the other side than. Don't forget what Alia said about those Revenants. Those mercenaries aren't against ganging up on you. And I don't think having four high-powered Reploids rain down on you is healthy," with that said, the red swordmaster hurried off to help his own unit.
"Let's just hope we can stop Typhus before he can finish whatever it is he started," Axl's concern was palpable in his tone of voice.
"And that we have enough strength left to handle Vile once the smoke clears," X's buster hummed back to life as both Hunters charged the enemy line.
The small light source Vile had activated allowed him to look around the dark room he found himself in. The gate he had rushed through had led to the underground garage where the garrison's vehicles were stored. Most of those machines were fighting outside or were undergoing maintenance. The garage had a low ceiling, but it was still high enough to allow the tanks and Robo-Ride Armors to maneuver effortlessly.
The white outlined parking spots were of varying sizes, depending on the type of vehicle they were intended for. They seemed to be grouped in three spots for smaller vehicles as each group was separated by a column that prevented the massive structure above from collapsing on the subterranean facility.
The larger vehicles were bulky enough to require a whole segment to be parked properly. An explosion outside seemed to have cut most of the power to the place as only a few auxiliary lights were still on, lights that indicated control panels or the exit to the stairs or an elevator. The garage itself was big enough to fit hundreds of Ride Chasers and spanned the diameter of the tower above. The renegade knew he had to be careful as he had no way of knowing who was hiding in the darkness. He didn't think anyone would've had the foresight to post a few guards here but it was better to be safe than sorry in this case.
Suddenly, a slight beep startled Vile, breaking him free of his train of thought and making him reflexively brace himself for battle. It took less than a second for the jumpy, adrenaline-fueled Reploid to realize it was his own helmet notifying him of an incoming message, and that he alone could hear the sound. With a slight sigh, he relaxed and inspected the communiqué. He recognized the id of the incoming call and couldn't help but grumble at the prospect of probably being lectured by an operator he had come to know all too well.
"What is now, Nana? I'm busy. If you're still trying to talk me outta this, save your breath. 'Sides, it's a little late to turn back now."
"No, Vile. I know better than to try and talk some sense into that thick head of yours. I'm guessing you've figured out who is attacking the tower by now, right?" Nana's aggravation at the way he picked up the call was obvious, but she swallowed the urge to tell him off and stuck to the matter at hand.
"Maverick Hunters. Why?"
"I know you wanted to do this on your own. But I couldn't let you throw your life away just because you're convinced that this is all you're good for. A wise man once told me that all life must be treasured, no matter the past. I contacted Hunter HQ. I used the old number X had given me back during the Giga City Incident to get in direct contact with him."
"What?! You called X here?!"
"Yes. Despite your grievances with him, Zero and Axl, they want Typhus brought to justice for his crimes as badly as I do. They were able to convince Signas to look over what proof we've gathered and it was more than enough to get an arrest warrant on Typhus. Everyone knew he wasn't about to go along with this quietly, so that's why most of the Hunter forces from the surrounding regions have come down on Typhus' tower."
"I don't care! You couldn't leave well enough alone! This is my fight, I don't need anyone's help. Not yours, not the Hunters', and certainly not X'!" Vile's angry shout echoed through the shrouded garage.
"Open your eyes, Vile! It's a miracle you made it this far! Even you can see that you're in over your head. The only reason that garage isn't packed with Typhus' troops, is because they're all outside fighting the Maverick Hunters."
"In over my head?!" Vile snorted as he crossed his arms. "I've survived worse! And besides, as long as I rip Typhus' head off his shoulders, I can die a happy Reploid."
Nana grunted in frustration before taking a deep breath to calm down. Only that purple nuisance knew how to get under her skin like that. The operator was the epitome of a calm, collected and rational Reploid under any other circumstance.
"What's done is done. Look, I know you don't want it, but please, let me help you. I… Don't want to see you die out there. You'll need an operator if you want to find your way through there, especially now that the HQ has moved to red alert and additional security measures have been put into place. Please, Vile." Nana pleaded, biting her lower lip as she listened for the stubborn Reploid's reply.
An uncomfortable silence lingered for a few seconds before Vile finally answered her. "Fine. Just shut up and find me a way out of here."
"Can do, it'll only take a second."
Vile could suddenly hear Nana yelp over the call, the sound of an explosion briefly cutting off the communication link. "Nana?!" For a few moments there was nothing but static over the link, until she finally spoke up again.
"I'm fine, I'm just not used to being this close to combat…"
"What do you mean? Where are you?"
"I'm through sitting in front of a terminal safely in some apartment on Giga City. After contacting the Hunters I followed your transfer trail and met up with them."
"Are you out of your mind?! You're no soldier."
"I can take care of myself, you know. Don't worry, I'm behind friendly lines, in a command vehicle. A stray missile just hit a little closer than comfortable."
"Worry? Who said anything about worry?"
The quiet of the underground garage was suddenly pierced by the sound of three engines firing up. Headlights flashed and almost blinded the helmeted Reploid.
"What the-?"
Three Ride Chasers stood between the renegade and the other end of the hall. The hovering, high-tech bikes were quickly put into high gear and its drivers rushed for the purple war machine. Vile was forced to dive out of the way or risk being turned into road kill. The three Hunters quickly circled around the garage, hoping to corner their target.
One of the Ride Chasers rounded the corner behind Vile and its rider opened fire with the on-board buster. The former Hunter quickly took cover behind a pillar and reappeared from the other side to fire his shoulder cannon at his foe's back as he passed by. A cry of pain was quickly followed by a powerful explosion as the vehicle crashed into the garage wall at high speed.
The other two came around and pushed their vehicles into overdrive. The renegade watched their approach closely, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. A mere split second before one of the Ride Chasers rammed him head-on, he activated his jet boots and dashed forward. He stretched out his arm to catch the rider by the neck, the impact more than enough to sever vital connections between the neck and torso. As the Hunter fell to the ground violently, it was clear by his limp body that the hit had killed him instantly. The bike quickly spun out of control and crashed, almost taking the last enemy down with it.
The third rider slowed to a halt, only to turn around and fire up the bike once again. Vile had been itching to use one of the weapons installed in his knees for quite some time now and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. He knelt to allow his left boot to open up and reveal the nozzle of a flamethrower. The inferno the weapon produced burned through the frame of the Hunter before he could reach Vile and the fuel tanks of the machine he rode detonated when the flames reached the flammable liquid.
The renegade couldn't help but enjoy the sight of the carnage before him, but a message from Nana reminded him that he didn't have time to enjoy the chaos he caused.
"The only way out is a personnel elevator behind you. It's been locked down but by the time you get over to it I'll have it unlocked for you," Nana explained.
Vile turned to look at the steel door on the far end of the garage. "I'll fly up the shaft. If I take the elevator itself they'll know I'm coming."
Nana's lips tugged into a half-smile. "Well, they already know you're coming. Your attack wasn't exactly the most subtle infiltration mission I've ever seen…"
"Just get it open," Vile shot back as he stopped in front of the elevator shaft door.
The thick, steel barrier normally slid open to allow a user access, but the lockdown kept it firmly in place, despite the presence of the actual lift pod behind it. After a short wait, the door finally opened to reveal the rectangular pod. Vile knew better than to take the express elevator up to the main lobby, as it seemed that was as far as it would go. They'd be waiting for him up there and a narrow lift door didn't exactly give him a lot of room to maneuver. Catching them off guard was his best bet.
The renegade effortlessly tore off the grid and steel plate that were the only barriers between him and the elevator shaft above. Flames burst from his boots as he took to the air and flew up the two floors of the massive garage to reach the top.
"Any idea how many Hunters are waiting for me out there? If any?" Vile asked his operator. Since she was along for the ride she might as well make herself useful.
"I'm still trying to see if I can hack into the feed from the security cameras. So far no luck though. In other words, I don't know. Looking at all the troops out here, I'd say there'd only be a bare bones security unit on the other side. Typhus can't risk pulling out too many of his forces on the outside or the Hunters'll rip through his line of defense like it was made out of paper."
"I love taking risks, but I still like to be informed. Oh well. Open the door remotely," Vile ordered and readied himself to dash out into the main lobby. The elevator was still on the bottom floor of the garage, which meant the guards would have no idea he was coming. The indicator over the door would feed them false information.
The instant the door opened, Vile burst forth, ready to dispense some hurt. However, he found the room quite empty. No guards, Mechaniloids or automated turrets in sight. The lobby was two floors high and decorated tastefully. The elevator shaft the purple Reploid had used was behind one of three counters that lined the wall in the back of the room. On either side of the line of counters were large, steel flights of stairs that lead up to a balcony that circled the upper floor of the lobby. Red carpet made the floor more comfortable for the feet of visitors and wood-covered, metal chairs and benches lined the sides of the stairs.
Vile spotted numerous elevator doors to his left and right with potted plants and large, cheap vases decorating the room that otherwise consisted of little more than dull, metal walls, ceiling and floor. Across the room from the shaft Vile had used and the counters were two-story high windows with sliding doors that revealed the chaos outside. The Hunters hadn't broken into the courtyard yet it seemed, or at least not at this end of the facility.
"I guess you did a bigger number on his private army than I thought," Nana commented as she deduced the situation from the lack of gunfire and explosions.
"That, or a trap. But I'm not waiting to find out. How do I get up to Typhus' office?"
"There are several elevators scattered across the lobby, but using those'll tip them off immediately. They know you're in, but they don't know where exactly, we should try and keep that advantage."
"So, what do you suggest?" Vile asked as he landed.
"There's a large cargo elevator near your position. It doesn't go all the way up to the top floors, but it will take you up about three quarters of the way. During high alerts like these they're always shut down, but I can hack its control system and reactivate it. With luck, Typhus' operators will be too busy with the battle outside to notice the small power divergence to the elevator," the tapping of Nana's fingers on her portable computer system was clearly audible over the communications link.
"Alright, where is it?"
"Up the stairs, through the door labeled 'Maintenance only'. It's at the end of that corridor."
Without wasting another second, Vile made his way up the stairs, keeping a watchful eye out for a potential ambush. Using his trademark finesse, he forced the maintenance door open and dashed through the narrow, metal corridor. A large, heavy shutter blocked his path and the typical yellow- and black-striped markings denoted the function of the elevator behind it.
"Got it, it should be unlocked. Once inside simply press the button for the highest floor it can take you," the operator yelped again as another missile impacted the asphalt dangerously close to the command vehicle she was occupying.
The renegade looked to his left to find the control panel for the massive gate and the press of a single button parted the barrier. The elevator had a decagonal shape with a large column in the middle to aid in its stability. The shaft had a diameter of at least 60 feet with thick railings protecting anyone stupid enough to hang over the sides as the actual moving platform wasn't as wide as the shaft containing it. Dim lights were scattered across the shaft and the center column, but did not illuminate the elevator as well as Vile would've liked.
The purple Reploid looked up and found he was unable to see the top of the shaft. Shadows engulfed his view after about 30 feet. There wasn't much cargo on the platform other than a few stacks of crates here and there, which meant Vile would have little cover if he was ambushed while riding it. He hoped Nana knew what she was doing, but she hadn't failed him so far, and he didn't have any other options right now. After pressing the button for the 30th floor, Vile waited patiently until, finally, the elevator began to inch up the shaft to his chosen destination. The elevator moved slowly, but the war machine figured it was better to lose a little time than the element of surprise in this case.
The powerful impact of an energy blast from a Maverick Hunter armored vehicle proved more than enough to tear down the gate that kept the troops led by X and Axl from charging forth into the courtyard of the facility. Zero's forces had already engaged Typhus' defensive lines on the other side of the structure and the crimson Hunter would likely appreciate his allies taking some of the pressure off his unit.
The courtyard no longer resembled the pristine, well-maintained garden it had been before. Craters, wrecks and destroyed buildings were scattered across the charred roads and grass patches. Plenty of opposition remained, but many of the tower's turrets had been destroyed by numerous volleys from the aircraft circling the impressive building.
X was one of the first to vault over some of the rubble that was piled up in front of the broken gate. He quickly dashed aside to take cover behind the remnants of a wall, to prevent being torn to shreds by incoming fire. The blue Hunter panted slightly, it had been a while since he'd been in a prolonged battle. Sigma's latest schemes had usually involved hidden agents whom X had to fight in short, heated fights. But this was an entirely different battlefield altogether. He couldn't help but feel guilty over taking the lives of several of his fellow Hunters and he tried to incapacitate whenever possible. But, X knew that many of these Hunters were as corrupt and traitorous as their employer. Mega Man X charged his X-Buster and stood up to fire an energy shot at the nearest armored target. The bright blue and white projectile pierced the chest of a weakened Robo-Ride Armor, forcing it to the ground.
As he flew over the debris of the destroyed gate, Axl spotted the fireball that was the result of X' fierce attack. The young Hunter used the smoke as cover to land behind a building closer to the enemy lines than the one X was positioned near. He pressed a button on the side of one of his handguns to change its firing mode. It would fire narrow beams that could reflect off walls and other surfaces. Having gotten a good view of several enemies behind a barricade, Axl knew just where to shoot. He aimed carefully, getting the correct angle, before firing several shots at one of the sloping walls of a structure in front of him. Each beam ricocheted off the surface and passed him by once again, only to end its trajectory by taking down a Mechaniloid. A few more shots were all he needed to take down the other three traitors behind that pile of crates and barrels.
X smiled at his friend's performance and signaled some of his teammates to proceed. The veteran Hunter sprung from cover, firing his buster at several Mechaniloids that immediately designated him as a priority target. X tried to make his way to one of the Armadillo vehicles that was outfitted with a rocket turret. That heavy ordnance had been wreaking havoc on Zero's troops and needed to be taken out quickly. He was almost close enough to fire a charged shot at a weak point in the tank's armor when a large figure appeared from an alleyway between two storage buildings to X's left.
The giant Reploid swung his fist for X's face and the impact sent the hunter skidding across the floor for several meters. The blue Reploid uttered a loud groan when his back hit the side of a burned out Robo-Ride Armor.
"Vile might've gotten away from me, but I can still have my fun with you, X. Let's see just how legendary you really are," Onslaught's deep voice crackled slightly as the destruction of his Particle Projector Cannon had damaged some internal systems.
"X!" Axl exclaimed as he ran from cover towards his comrade. However, he was stopped in his tracks by a seemingly unseen force. Axl tugged at his booted legs several times before casting his eyes downward. The floor had been frozen solid several feet around him and the ice had crept up his legs to lock him in place. "What the-?"
"You Hunters are all the same. Cocky little upstarts. But I'll put you in your place!" Frostbite jumped down from his perch atop the building Axl had been taking cover behind. As soon as his feet touched the ground a crystalline javelin began forming in the palm of his hand.
Both mercenaries were far from being in peak condition. Onslaught's armor showed all the marks of battle with Vile and two Particle Projector rods had snapped off – while a third had bent – rendering his powerful weapon useless. His shield was broken and the synthetic skin on his gruff face showed plenty of rips and tears.
Frostbite had undergone extensive repairs since his encounter with the renegade, but he still wasn't completely patched up. The freezing fume exhausts on his shoulders seemed to be deactivated as they had not produced the two lethal spikes they had before. While his synthetic skin had been replaced, his armor still showed dents and holes, and his left hand seemed twitchy and incapable of precise movement. Before long, Frostbite was brandishing a long, jagged javelin and he did not wait another moment to throw the projectile at the immobilized Hunter.
X crawled to his feet and shook his head to brush off the feeling of having dashed into a steel wall. His eyes widened when he saw that the Revenant was almost upon him. Onslaught's fists were ready to pound him into the ground. X rolled aside just in time and the massive blow made a Ride-Armor wreck behind him crumble and twist like a pretzel. Onslaught's knuckles, on the other hand, were entirely unscathed.
X quickly armed his buster and opened fire, pelting Onslaught's frame with uncharged energy shots. Some of the blasts hit the bare circuitry of the giant, but they did little other than angering the Reploid further. He reached back and gripped the hilt of his rifle, which he had recovered, and activated it. Using the targeting sensor over one of his eyes, Onslaught quickly had a lock on X. A press of the trigger later, and X was forced to dodge several plasma beams. The narrow projectiles burned holes into the tiled floor and broken walls.
Axl was quick on his feet as always. Before the javelin could pierce his back, he set his handgun back to its normal setting and unleashed a short barrage on the icy shackles that bound him to the ground. The ice shattered, freeing the Hunter, and once he had dashed out of harm's way, he revealed his second Axl Bullet gun. As the momentum of his dash ended, Axl rolled forward to put just a little more distance between him and his foe, all the while firing a rapid storm of bullets at Frostbite.
The tiny, but nimble, Reploid jumped up high and crafted two more javelins, one in each of his hands. The one in his broken hand was malformed, and when he tossed it at Axl, the frustration on the mercenary's face revealed how grossly diminished his accuracy was. The other spike was dead-on however; piercing Axl's side painfully. The hunter left the projectile where it was for now, not having the time to try and pry it from the wound.
A sense of utter chaos filled the minds of all those present. While the four dueled, buster shots, missiles, rockets, shells and other projectiles passed overhead. The deafening sound and blinding flash of powerful explosions only added to the destruction. Fire and smoke had engulfed the courtyard, threatening to bring the entire structure down eventually. The people living around the tower had been evacuated by that point, but they still anxiously watched the war zone from afar.
"Keep up the pressure! They've already reached their limits and they've got nowhere else to retreat to! It won't take much more for them to crack and surrender!" Zero exclaimed the Hunters under his command. They had driven the traitors back to the base of the tower and – despite taking heavy losses – they had the upper hand. Zero flurried his saber and decapitated a four-armed Mechaniloid that had de-cloaked near him. Another swift slash of his blade disposed of an energy shot headed for him.
"Commander, over there!" One of Unit 0's Hunters pointed towards an ebony Reploid that appeared from the ranks of the enemy forces. The Reploid jumped over the barricades that Typhus' forces had put up to serve as protective cover.
Spectrum had his crimson eyes transfixed on Zero and his hands reached back to grab hold of the hilts of both his sabers. As soon as they were drawn, yellow beams of energy emerged from the weapons. "Zero! We have a duel that is yet to be concluded." The mercenary commander announced as he continued to casually make his way towards his opponent.
"Humph. You Mavericks are insane. But you're right. We have unfinished business. No one interfere, he's mine!" Zero announced and charged the shape-shifting mercenary.
Spectrum had given the same order a mere moments prior. While the fighting continued around them, neither side purposely opened fire on the two duelists.
Zero was the first to strike, his green Z-Saber aimed to slice through Spectrum's abdomen. The agile mercenary blocked the slash with his right saber, immediately counterattacking with a fluid slash from the other. The two began exchanging rapid attacks, each of them striking and parrying in turn. The power of an energy saber assured that one wrong move would result in certain death.
After stopping both golden blades of his opponent, Zero pushed Spectum back and – with a grunt – he lashed out at his foe's neck.
Spectrum swayed back in time to prevent losing his head and a short burst from his dash boots had him jumping over Zero's head. The fast, black Reploid made sure his jump was low enough to grant him the opportunity to strike Zero's shoulders and back before landing, and he seized it.
Zero was not caught off-guard and took a single, long step forward. This move – coupled with skillful parries – prevented Spectrum from cutting off more than a few strands of blonde hair. Without turning around, Zero activated his boots and dashed backwards, sending his elbow into Spectrum's gut. He then added a swift kick and hoped to finish the duel with a diagonal slash across Spectrum's chest. The Hunter was not quite so lucky, however, as Spectrum hopped back in time to avoid that fate.
"Hrmm… This could take some time," Spectrum took another few steps back while opening a communication channel to one of his teammates. "Morrigan, Vile's likely headed to your position. Keep your eyes peeled. I, Frostbite and Onslaught will keep the Hunters occupied. It's imperative Vile doesn't reach Typhus, understood?"
"I have to admit, you're good. But I didn't survive this long just to be beaten by a washed-up mercenary," with a battle cry, Zero once again engaged the mercenary in a flurry of slashes. The lingering trails of their green and yellow sabers soon began to blur and their mastery of the blade was obvious to anyone watching the scene.
While the cargo elevator had a slow but steady ascent, it would take forever to reach the 30th floor. The small screen on a control panel displayed the floor the elevator was on and – to Vile's dismay – that number increased at the pace of a snail. The renegade had crossed his arms and tapped his left foot impatiently.
"At this rate, someone is bound to notice the activation of this elevator. It would've been faster to take the stairs…"
"Stop your whining, it was the best, and safest, course of action. Besides, you could do with a short break. You were made for battle, but that doesn't mean your systems can handle the constant strain of giving it your all," Nana replied, growing tired of the purple Reploid's incessant nagging.
"I don't need breaks, I barely broke a-," Vile's boast was cut short by the creaking and groaning of steel and gears. Violently, the elevator ground to a halt, almost causing Vile to lose his balance.
"What happened?" Nana inquired.
"The elevator stopped, did they notice?"
"I don't think so, I'm not reading any new activity on the network. They still seem preoccupied with the battle outside. And the power feed to the elevator hasn't been interrupted. There's no reason for it to halt unless someone pulled the emergency stop."
"Poor Vile… Seeking your origins all this time, but when you finally learn the answers, you can't handle it. You rage at your allies and fellow Reploids. The Hunters, the Mavericks, the humans. You hope to destroy the entire world with your hatred. I pity you, I truly do," the calm, serene voice of Morrigan filled the elevator shaft and seemed to come from all sides.
"You again, show yourself ya coward! Or are ya gonna to hide in the walls again?" Vile's temper was already flaring.
"See? Even now, every thought in your head consists of the various ways in which you think you can tear me apart. I know why you're here. To seek revenge on Typhus and to close this chapter. You came to the realization that you had always been used by others. But now that you know that you're nothing but a weapon to be directed, you're trying to root out anyone with the knowledge to wield you. You're desperately clinging to the idea that you have a choice. And even then, you make a choice that only a brutish machine of destruction would. You choose to kill. But instead of having some sort of direction, all you do now is beeline at the nearest person you can vent your frustration on," Morrigan chuckled softly, the mockery echoing through the dark shaft.
"Shut up! You know nothing about me!"
"When Typhus is dead, who's next? The Maverick Hunters? Who then? When will you stop? Sigma wanted a world only for Reploids. Once he would have it, he would have ended the bloodshed. But when will you cease? Pathetic."
Vile roared as he fired several plasma shots in random directions. Electricity crackled across his body as he once again began to lose control completely, giving into his hatred and unbridled anger.
"Calm down! She's playing you! She's saying those things to mess with your head!" Nana pleaded. The operator was still heartbroken over the discoveries they had made. She had seen what little progress the renegade had made revert to what he had been before they had met. He was rapidly returning to the mad murderer had made him into after reviving his shattered body.
"You're a beast. Instinct paired with minimal intelligence makes for a raging predator that should just be put down. And that is exactly what I'm here to do," As she spoke, Morrigan slowly descended from the darkness above, her right hand loosely gripping the long shaft of her hammer. Her long, silver hair flowed gently in an unseen breeze and complemented the silver, white, gold and dark-blue hues of her body perfectly. Her feet were covered by high-heeled boots while a slender belt and gauntlets added basic protection to those parts of her body. Her hips, waist and upper arms were covered only by a silver skintight frame, while the rest of her torso was protected by thin armor that resembled flowing strips of cloth and a cloak more than protective plating.
Gold trimmings and sapphire symbols covered the cloak as well as the steel headband that covered her ears and the top of her head. Spiky bangs of silver hair partially hid a circlet embedded with a blue gem around her forehead. Two lightning-like streaks ran over her eyes, ending on either side of her thin lips.
"You won't reach Typhus. You won't have your revenge. You will die an empty shell; a gun that has emptied its clip. A waste. A fool," as she finished her speech, she aimed the palm of her hand at the renegade. A bright flash briefly illuminated the elevator as she fired a paralyzing orb of electricity.
Vile wasn't about to get hit by the same attack that crippled him last time, so he activated his boots and took to the air. The purple Reploid immediately counterattacked with several blasts from his cannon, rage still clouding his judgment.
"You know that won't work, stop and think for a minute!" Nana shouted as she followed the battle on her end. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as Vile continued to chase Morrigan around the center pillar of the elevator shaft. Each of his attacks passed through her harmlessly while she continued to hover through the darkness like an ethereal banshee, her condescending laughter clearly audible.
As Vile prepared to launch a missile, knowing full well his targeting systems were unable to even get a proper lock on her, Morrigan struck first. Just as the renegade was ready to fire, she stopped in her tracks and dashed forward, becoming tangible for a brief moment. As she passed by Vile, she slammed her hammer into his chest, knocking the war machine down to the floor violently.
Vile's body buckled the steel slightly and his cry of pain made Nana cringe. The sudden strike had connected just as Vile had fired his readied explosive. The missile flew upward with no defined target. It connected with the central column, which fortunately held under the strain.
Morrigan had vanished through one of the outer walls of the shaft, only to reappear from under Vile. The renegade had not had the chance to get up on his feet when she rose her weapon and attempted to flatten his head against the ground. The hammer's massive impact echoed but it had connected only with the floor as Vile had managed to roll aside in time.
A nimble jump later and Vile was back on his feet. He activated his wrist-mounted, rotary machine guns. A spray of bullets – paired with more blasts from the Front Runner – were hurled at the intangible mercenary, but did little more than scar the walls of the room.
Morrigan flew up high, only to descend upon a helpless Vile; a powerful swing of her weapon enough to knock him aside.
Vile stumbled to keep his balance, one hand holding his left side where the slab of metal had connected. He responded quickly, however, and ejected a fragmentation grenade. He threw the explosive at the elegant Reploid before him, in the hopes of catching her in the ensuing blast.
"Do you honestly believe I will fall for the same tricks again?" Morrigan vanished into the ground while her rhetorical taunt further aggravated her foe. She didn't allow the explosion to cloud her vision as it had done during their previous fight.
"Watch out, you're close to the walls of the elevator. She could come from any direction," Nana's advice was met with a barked response from her partner.
"I know that! I don't need your help! Just shut up and get this elevator moving!"
"You should listen to her and stay calm," Morrigan's voice preempted her attack as she appeared from the wall directly behind Vile; hovering above him slightly. She swung her hammer down at his waist, the direction of the attack crushing the renegade's body against the wall she had appeared from. The heavy impact caused Vile's knees to buckle and he slumped down to sit with his back against the cold steel.
He regained his senses in time to drop prone completely and prevent his head from being smashed by a follow-up attack from the Revenant. Vile stumbled to his feet as Morrigan once again phasing into the wall. By the time the former Hunter turned around to attack, she had already vanished.
"Shit! She's reading me like a book," the mercenary had done her homework, remembering how he had fought last time.
Before he could react, the silver Reploid emerged from his left and smashed the shaft of her weapon into his side. The impact even managed to lift him off the ground slightly. He then felt a painful burning sensation as she fired one of her paralyzing electric orbs at his left leg; rendering the limb useless.
Without missing a beat, she then used the other end of her hammer's shaft to hit the back of the struggling Maverick's neck. However, when she attempted a fourth attack, she pushed her luck too far.
Vile pivoted his upper body to face her and grabbed hold of her weapon with one hand. With his foe – at least temporarily – locked in place, Vile had the opening he had been looking for and sent his fist up into Morrigan's chin. The wild blow knocked her head back and forced a muted scream from her lips.
"Just die already!" One of Vile's shots finally hit its mark. The shoulder cannon blast left a smoldering scorch mark on Morrigan's chest, her thin armor offering no real protection from Vile's powerful weapons. The renegade couldn't get another attack in however, as she quickly phased out once again and retreated into the darkness above.
"Damn," Vile didn't know which injury to grab hold of first. His chest burned, his side groaned, the back of his neck felt like it had been snapped in half and his left leg barely responded anymore. It was useless from the knee down and was little more than a crutch now, which meant he could no longer fly or dash without losing complete control.
"A cornered beast is a dangerous one, indeed. No more risks. Spectrum needs me outside, so I will end this quickly," Those words once again seemed to be coming from all directions at once, the profound echo in the shaft only making the confusing effect worse.
"Get out of there, Vile! There are maintenance ducts all over the place, do whatever you can to escape. Help out X, Zero and Axl; this it too much for you to handle on your own," Nana's voice only added to the renegade's frustration with the battle. Morrigan had the perfect ability to fight him. Vile relied completely on his brutal attacks and impressive firepower. Raw power was useless against such a subtle means of defense, and Spectrum had known that all too well when he chose to leave the protection of the tower's interior to Morrigan.
"Too much to handle?! Gimme your worst!"
Vile's words were accentuated by bright flashes that lid up the darkness briefly. Morrigan circled above, out of reach and out of sight, and had resorted to bombarding Vile with paralytic shots. The barrage was endless and as soon as Vile tried to fire up into the darkness, his attention became divided between dodging the orbs and hitting his foe. That mistake caused the first orb to hit his shoulder cannon, rendering it useless. The next sphere to hit his frame disabled his right arm.
Vile cried out in pain as he dropped to one knee, his single operational arm firing a spray of bullets up at where he believed the Revenant to be. None of his shots even remotely scratched the ghostly Reploid and more orbs hit the injured Reploid. His other leg was the next limb to fail him. It was followed by several hits to his chest and back, causing his generator – analogous to a human's heart – to become dangerously unstable. The barrage stopped when his last remaining weapon – his left arm – was engulfed in the painful electricity. His legs were locked in their kneeling position, while his arms dangled lifelessly by his sides.
"No, Vile! Please move, don't just sit there!" Nana's cries went unheeded.
Morrigan descended and landed softly in front of her completely helpless foe.
"Your last words. Speak them now, for I have no time to lose," she whispered serenely.
Vile merely roared savagely, his body not responding to his will at all. His mind was filled with fury, the words she had spoken earlier still causing him to rage like a berserker.
"Fine, it is as you wish. You were created to be a monster, it's only appropriate you meet your end behaving like one. Farewell," Morrigan rose her hammer overhead, ready to end the battle.
"Please get up Vile, don't let it end like this," Nana whispered. The young operator sat in the co-pilot seat of a command vehicle not that far from the front lines. The occasional explosion rocked the craft, but she was out of harm's way. She sat there alone, in the darkness of the armored vehicle, her eyes cast down at the floor and tears flowing from them. She had never felt so helpless before, unable to aid the one she was supposed to operate.
"Monster?" Vile cast his eyes upward at Morrigan, his voice suddenly quite calm, not at all as enraged as it had been moments before. "Mindless beast?" With a deep grunt, Vile suddenly rose up, violently headbutting Morrigan.
The Revenant was caught completely by surprise and stumbled backwards, holding her face with one hand.
"Why does everyone keep underestimating me?!" Vile unleashed another roar as he spread his legs and arms, casting off the paralyzing, electrical current like steel chains. With his body free, he quickly fired a small, spherical, metallic device from his shoulder pack. He had used the trapping spheres before and they had always come in handy.
It connected with Morrigan's waist, where it opened to emit an electric field that could easily trap a Reploid of her size. Not wasting even a single second, Vile raced forward, his hand reaching for Morrigan's gut, his red eyes flashed brightly. The sound of metal and synthetic fabric shredding could be heard over the comlink, leaving Nana confused as to what was happening.
Morrigan gasped and grunted, her eyes wide in disbelief as she looked down towards her waist. Vile's left arm had torn straight through her, his hand gripping a small device as it protruded out the other end. The renegade placed his other hand on one of Morrigan's shoulders to rip his arm free. He then calmly straightened himself to show his prize casually, his helmeted head tilting to the side slightly in a cocky fashion.
"Wh-What have you done?" Morrigan stumbled backwards, her free hand covering the hole in her body that crackled dangerously.
"You're a coward, hiding behind this thing. I figured that whatever was giving you the ability to phase in and out like that must be located in your torso. To test my theory, I played along with your taunts. My blast from earlier had hit your chest quite hard, but you were able to phase out again instantly. So I took a wild guess, and it paid off. Your phase-shifter is located in your stomach. Or should I say, was?" Vile explained, chuckling cruelly, as he crushed the device in the palm of his hand.
"How dare you? I'll show you… That I'm not defenseless without it," Morrigan coughed, synthetic blood trickling down one of the corners of her mouth. Despite severe damage, Morrigan tried to swing her hammer with one arm, only to have the shaft grabbed by Vile.
"You were dead the day you chose to accept Typhus' contract. You were dead the day you decided to get between me and vengeance," the renegade wasted no more words on his opponent and he tilted his shoulder cannon at Morrigan, firing a single shot from close range.
The blast gravely damaged Morrigan's chest and caused her to let go of her weapon and stumble back. Two more shots were added and she collapsed, falling backwards onto the steel floor of the elevator. Her frame was now ripped, shredded and torn all over, her eyes faded and circuitry laid bare to crackle in the open.
Vile chucked the hammer aside and walked up to her, the cold T-shaped helmet staring down at her, the latest of his victims.
"You've bested me. I never thought I'd see the day-," several broken coughs interrupted the mercenary's words briefly, "- that I'd fail my Spectrum. Tell your operator to check the Emergency Accident subroutine within the cargo elevator's systems," Morrigan had tricked the system into thinking an accident had occurred on the elevator, forcing it to perform an emergency stop. "I only ask that you spare me, so I can see Spectrum one last time. My injuries are lethal either way..."
"You think I'm going to let you die peacefully, do you?" Vile scoffed angrily as he gripped his shoulder cannon and tilted the weapon down at her. "You and your associates caused me far too much trouble. I'm gonna to take as much pleasure from beating you as I possibly can. And that's by ending you myself. Right now."
"You would deny me this?!" Morrigan's disbelief was palpable.
"No, don't do it. Don't kill her! You're better than that," Nana had just finished her sentence when she was startled by the sound of Vile's cannon firing. Her hand covered her mouth as she gasped at the realization of what was nothing more than a brutal execution.
Vile returned his cannon to its neutral angle and turned around to walk away from the remains. "Get the elevator running, now. I'm through playing games and playing dumb. Only two more to go."
Nana was speechless, unable to grasp what depths Vile had sunk to. He had been an aggressive warmonger before, but ever since their meeting it had seemed he had improved. At least enough to listen to her pleas. But it seemed that finally learning of his origins had caused something to snap in his head. Permanently, this time.
She couldn't abandon him now, not after all this time, but she feared that when he was done with Typhus, he'd immediately attack X and the others. It was obvious to her that he wanted to end it all, as violently as possible. Either he was the last one standing, or someone finally finished him off, once and for all.
This realization made her shiver as her fingertips tapped out the last commands to get the elevator moving once again.