Chapter 12: A Sight for Sore Eyes

"Uuurgh..." Vile wanted to reach for his forehead in an attempt to make the throbbing dissipate, only to find the limb unresponsive. After a few tugs and the sound of rubble shifted, he managed to free his arm. Slowly, he came to his senses and sat upright. A quick glance around revealed just how lucky he'd been to dash away from the explosion as much as he had, as the corridor had completely collapsed barely a meter away from him. The only debris covering him were small bits and pieces, including a broken grid, which he could effortlessly shove off of his chest.

'That sneaky bastard... I'm going to shove one of those bombs right down his throat for this,' angrily, Vile rose to his feet. He had to find a way around the rubble, which was easier said than done. As far as he remembered, the markings guiding people to the various departments in the facility seemed to all head down different hallways, making Vile question whether they ever met up anywhere again. Not about to give up, Vile looked behind him, over his shoulder. There was a fork in the corridors back there, with one of the possible paths taking him further west; into the mountain. He remembered seeing several hallways behind Dynamo when they'd been talking. Maybe there was a way to get there by circling around?

It was a better course of action than digging or blasting his way through. Not only would that take more time, but it might cause the rest of the place to collapse on top of him. Wasting no more time, Vile dashed away from the site of the explosion and boosted down the corridors as fast as he could. He still needed Nana. Without her, his chances of getting the answers he wanted got significantly bleaker. After attacks from Maverick Hunters and Revenants alike, things had also taken a turn for the personal. That put revenge on his to-do list as well. Whoever was behind all of this had to die, just like anyone connected to this mess.

The massive, green-armored Reploid that had saved Nana in the nick of time, looked down at the operator from the corner of his eyes. A slight smile tugged at his lips at seeing an old friend, before his focus returned fully to Dynamo.

The mercenary had risen to his feet and taken a deep breath to calm himself. He studied the interloper briefly before awarding himself with another one of his arrogant, annoyingly confident grins. "I know you. You're Steel Massimo," Dynamo chuckled softly while wiping away some gravel from a shoulder pad. "You're that washed-up hero nobody needs anymore. What, pray tell, are you doing here of all places?"

Massimo's eyes narrowed and he gripped the shaft of his halberd tighter upon hearing the insult. "I go where I am needed. It might be true that the people of Earth need me less as a protector now than before. But that doesn't mean I just sit idly by and do nothing while villains like yourself still roam free! I knew the Supra Force Metal kept here would lure Mavericks like yourself into the open. It wasn't hard to get me hired as a security specialist," to add some more force behind his words, Massimo took a step forward. His boot descended with enough force and weight behind it to bend the panel beneath it.

Massimo's name was apt in how it implied the size of the Reploid. As broad as he was tall, his green and gold frame was heavily armored, complete with a helmet that hid most his face, save for a set of blue eyes. Large, steel, red, bat wing-like flaps on his back made him stand out even more and added to the menace provided by the energy-bladed polearm in his hands.

Steel Massimo had been continuing the mission of his mentor and departed friend; the Reploid whose name and armor he had been given. Because of the stabilization of the planet and the renewed authority of the Maverick Hunters, though, work had become scarce for the giant. There was no more need for him to be a hero of the people.

"Good for you, big guy," sarcasm dripped from Dynamo's tone of voice. "But. I have a job to do. And you're in my way," the mercenary's usually friendly expression turned into a far more vicious one in an instant. He flurried his weapon threateningly, dead-set on removing the last obstacle standing in the way of his mission. "And I assure you, that's not a good place to be."

Massimo, seemingly not intimidated by the display, activated the hover function of his boots. The massive, metal boots created enough magnetic force to lift him up slightly over the ground. Even with his ability to skim across the floor to pick up speed, the valiant Reploid was still very slow. By the time he had closed the distance between himself and Dynamo, the much nimbler Reploid had jumped over him.

"You think you can catch me with all that bulk of yours? And what is that weapon? I'm surprised you've got enough room to swing it around!" Dynamo almost cheerfully criticized the hero as he landed behind him. A rapid slash traced a cut across Massimo's back. But fortunately, his thick armor had absorbed most of the attack, sparing his body any real damage.

The giant spun around, swinging his pole-axe for Dynamo's head. The silver-haired mercenary ducked under the strike and kicked upwards. The heel of his boot connected sharply with Massimo's chin. However, the impact barely registered with the titan, as he proceeded to attempt to crush Dynamo under the weight of his weapon. He lifted it high over his head and brought it back down with his massive strength. Once again, though, his Maverick opponent dashed aside, out of harm's way. The axe hit the steel floor, with the energy blade shredding the steel like paper. Debris was scattered about as that section of the floor buckled under the force of impact.

'Now that's what I call power! Gonna have to take him a little more seriously...' Dynamo's thoughts were betrayed by his surprised expression. One solid hit from that halberd and they'd find pieces of him on the other side of the mountain!

"Stand still and fight with honor!" Massimo shouted as his boots allowed him to pivot relatively quickly so he could face his opponent. Dynamo started to back away and jumped whenever Massimo lashed out with another, potent swing.

The large Reploid thought he saw an opportunity and attempted to bash Dynamo's face with the blunt end of his weapon's shaft. But, in a violet haze of humming energy, Dynamo skillfully deflected the attack. While spinning with the momentum of his defense, Dynamo flurried his double-bladed saber in a deadly dance, slashing for Massimo's boots three times.

The green Reploid gritted his teeth as one of those gashes managed to damage his right boot enough to compromise their hover capabilities. He was forced to deactivate both of them to allow him to keep his balance and allow self-repair systems the opportunity to deal with the damage.

Before the mercenary could return to his defensive posture in preparation for Massimo's next attack, he was knocked back hard by a powerful jab from the hero. The punch had come out of nowhere and Dynamo was shoved by a good eight feet before coming to a full stop after stumbling. While still on his feet, the dark-blue Reploid shook his head to get rid of the ringing. That single punch had left him dazed long enough to barely notice Massimo charging him like a stampeding rhino.

"You and your kind believe they can do whatever they please! Endangering innocent lives for your own selfish desires!" Massimo's roar was followed by an attempt to ram the full weight of his body into Dynamo.

Once again, the mercenary proved too nimble to catch. He jumped towards one of the pillars inside the room and kicked up the wall to stay out of his opponent's reach.

"But, there are always those who will not sit idly by and watch you commit atrocities! That is why my mentor took on the name Steel Massimo! And that is why he passed it on to me!" Massimo looked up the pillar before casting his eyes down at its base. He gripped his halbard as tightly as he could and wound up for a powerful swing. The impact of his weapon easily shattered the structural integrity of Dynamo's temporary haven. Fortunately, there was some redundancy in the supporting structure of the domed room they were in, so one column's collapse was not going to bring the whole chamber down.

Dynamo was forced to jump off the falling debris, climbing up slightly higher as it collapsed before pushing off to jump over Massimo.

"You can preach all you want, 'hero', but the world favors the strong. You're just lucky you have the power to do what you feel is right. If you hadn't, you'd either be cowering uselessly or be as dead as those guards outside," Dynamo aimed his buster down at his bulky opponent and proceeded to fire a volley of split shots.

Massimo saw the barrage coming and raised his arms to protect himself. The shots were numerous enough to punch holes in his armor, damaging several internal systems.

The height Dynamo had had might have given him an excellent vantage point from where to engage Massimo, but also ensured that he hit the floor hard upon landing. He was forced to roll with it to prevent damaging his legs. Despite a slight disorientation, the Maverick didn't let up, and charged the temporarily disabled giant.

"And now you stay down," calmly, Dynamo swiped his saber at Massimo's head in the hopes of decapitating his enemy in one fell swoop. The attack never connected as he gasped when he felt a stinging pain in his arm. Massimo had gripped his wrist before the saber connected, displaying reflexes one would never attribute to a Reploid of his size and function.

"No! Massimo never goes down!" Massimo's defiant shout echoed through the room. He effortlessly lifted the now-dangling Dynamo and proceeded to swing the Reploid up and over him, all the while still holding onto that wrist.

The Maverick shouted loudly as he was slammed into the ground hard, though the hold on his arm only seemed to tighten. Massimo activated his single hover boot, which allowed him to begin spinning around exponentially fast. A split second later, and Dynamo was hurled away, mid-swing, like a ragdoll. His body spun in mid-air with the centrifugal force being applied to it.

Dynamo had enough presence of mind to attempt to get a lick in of his own. While heading straight for one of the pillars in the room, he was somehow able to throw his saber at the now-dizzy Massimo. The hero was unable to dodge the weapon properly and though he swayed aside as much as he could, the sword still cut into his chest deeply. Dynamo didn't even see whether or not his attack connected, as he collided hard with a pillar and fell face-down.

"Can't believe how sloppy I am today..." Dynamo muttered through gritted teeth as he planted the palms of his hands and tried to get back up. That same cocky grin he always had reappeared on his face as his weapon-of-choice returned to him, having added another cut to Massimo on the way back. This time, it was the green Reploid's back that flared up in pain at the injury.

"Massimo!" Nana felt powerless as she stood by and watched her friend get hurt. She was worried but could do nothing to help in her current situation. If only she had a weapon, or her equipment to try and help Massimo analyze the dangerous mercenary's attack patterns. Anything to be able to play to her strengths! It felt like Giga City all over again, before X and the others had rescued her from the torture Silver Horn had put her through. She had sworn it would never happen again, and yet there she was...

Dynamo finally managed to get back up and cracked his neck by tilting it left, than right. With a taunting wave of his hand, the Maverick beckoned Massimo; daring him to come at him again.

The green hero wasted no time and charged for his damaged enemy, ignoring the multitude of injuries across his body that protested to such a reckless rush.

Dynamo simply sighed. "I keep telling you people to keep your heads in the game. To keep your cool. But you never listen. Oh well."

The black Reploid reached behind him, gripping the last of the explosive devices he had left. Just before Massimo was able to get too close for him to be able to use the bomb without hurting himself, Dynamo sprung his trap. He leaped back and chucked the bomb at his opponent with a nonchalant flick of the wrist. On impact with the ground, the resulting explosion forced Nana to cover her eyes. Debris and dust were flung all over the hall and only slowly settled.

Dynamo landed gracefully and ran a hand through his hair before chuckling. "You really are made of stern stuff," the mercenary was able to make out Massimo's large frame through the blanket of smoke.

The giant had used his weapon to defend himself against the blast and had avoided more serious injuries to vital systems, but he was still clearly worse for wear. With his halberd having been torn from his hands and sent flying out of his reach, he was now left unarmed.

"That bomb was enough to kill Vile, but here you are, standing and functioning. Sorry it has to end like this, but you should've known this would happen if you challenged me. I gave you a chance to walk away, but now I gotta keep my reputation and make sure you're never in my way again."

Massimo was unable to do anything as Dynamo charged him, attempting to strike the final blow. He didn't get very far, though, as a passing bolt of energy forced him to come to a full stop to prevent getting hit. At the same time, a familiar purple Reploid dashed from the entrance of the hall further into the room.

"Dynamo!" Vile roared as he charged the mercenary, who was completely taken by surprise. With ferocious precision, Vile shoulder tackled Dynamo, the hit knocking him back a fair distance. A volley of bullets from the renegade's arm-mounted machine guns further damaged the already injured Reploid before he even hit the floor.

"Wh-Who?" Massimo had dropped to a single knee, his voice weak as he attempted to make out who he had to thank for saving him.

"Vile! You're alive!" Nana felt elation she never thought she would at speaking those words; an emotion increased even more by the fact that her friend had been spared.

The former hunter clenched his hands as he looked over to where Dynamo had ground to a halt. "You dare try to blow me up, ya silver-haired freak?! You're more trouble than you're worth! I'm not going to bother trying to find out what ya know; I don't care! This is where I reduce you to the scrap you are!" Vile was far too furious to start asking questions now. Just like in many of the battles he's been in throughout his violent life, he was seeing red.

'I can't believe my luck. If that lame wanna-be hero hadn't been here, I'd have been long gone,' Dynamo's eyes moved from Vile to Massimo to Nana, before darting back to Vile again. He only had a split second to make a decision as the enraged renegade wasn't going to waste any time messing around. He'd taken far too much damage in his fight with Steel Massimo to stand a chance against Vile now. He hated to admit it to himself, but he had to get out of there while he still could.

"It's been fun, but I know when I'm not needed. Three's a crowd after all, right? Sayonara," Dynamo grinned as he tapped his forehead with two fingers as a salutation. He'd hacked into the facility's transfer systems in case things went south, allowing him to use the base's own infrastructure to teleport him to a location from where he could make his escape.

Vile fully realized the mercenary had another trick up his sleeve and charged up the Front Runner. He hoped to have just enough time to gather energy to destroy Dynamo in one hit, but his gamble didn't pay off. Before he could shoot, Dynamo had already vanished in a blue beam. The talkative Reploid's escape prompted Vile to take out his anger on the side of the nearest column, which was blown up by the energy he had charged in his shoulder cannon.

"Massimo!" Nana ran up to the large Reploid the instant it appeared safe to do so. He had managed to straighten his back by that point and stood tall despite his injuries. "Are you alright?"

Friendly, blue eyes looked down at the pink-haired operator and the valiant Reploid smiled softly. "Of course! You know it takes a lot more to keep me down," he was obviously understating his wounds, but ever since finding the courage to stand up for himself back at Giga City, Massimo had also learned what it was to take pride in one's abilities. His smile disappeared once he turned his attention to Vile, though. "I might be hurt, but if you think I'm going to let you take the Supra-Force Metal, you're sorely mistaken."

Vile heard him being addressed and – still fuming – he about-faced and walked towards the large Reploid defiantly. "Oh? And how exactly are you going to do that? Think I can't tell you're barely standing upright?" Vile immediately got in Massimo's face. "Come on than. Do it. I dare ya."

"Both of you, stop it!" Nana interjected, placing a hand on the chest of each of her associates and trying her hardest to push them away from each other. Vile complied with a cocky little chuckle, while she didn't seem capable of making Massimo budge one inch.

"What is going on here, Nana?" Massimo backed away a little but did not take his eyes off the wanted criminal before him.

Vile crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. "Yeah, that's right. Back up, big guy."

That comment earned Vile a glare from his partner, which only seemed to tickle him more. The operator had no idea how someone could possibly be as abrasive and antagonistic as Vile but, there he was, living proof assholes didn't always get what was coming to them.

"Just relax, Massimo. He's with me..." Nana's admission had her casting her eyes to the floor.

"With you? Nana?" Finally, Massimo tore his focus away from Vile and instead looked at the operator with obvious confusion. "Have you taken up the company of Mavericks?"

"Of course not! Just. Let me explain," she raised her hands as she tried to prevent the tension in the room from rising any more than it already had.

"Yes, please do, Nana," Nett added as he walked up to her. He'd woken up in time to see the fight's conclusion, as well as hear Nana's words. "Please explain why you manipulated me into giving you a tour of this place, and made sure one of the biggest criminals on the face of the Earth knows exactly how to reach one of the greatest, technological marvels in history?"

The female Reploid bit her lower lip and turned her gaze away. The guilt over deceiving her old friend crept up on her again. She proceeded to explain some of the reasons why they were there but kept most of the facts hidden from Nett and Massimo. She did not want to endanger them further.

Vile was wholly uninterested in anything any of them had to say, so he had moved towards the Supra Force Metal in the center of the room. He stared into its deep blue light through a viewport, fascinated by the fact that the small fragment could bestow such power.

Nana sighed and rubbed the back of her neck as she felt both Reploids' eyes on her. "I'm sorry Nett, I really am. But you have to understand that I have no other choice. It's either do whatever it takes, or let whoever's behind all this get away with it. Who knows what they're planning to do? You said yourself how dangerous it would be for anyone irresponsible to get their hands on that fragment."

Her only answer was an insulted and disappointed glare from the scientist, which was far worse than an angry one would have been. Nett shook his head and turned away from the conversation briefly, pacing to wrap his head around everything.

"I understand why you're doing this. Chief R meant a lot to many of us on Giga City. But, Vile?" Massimo looked at the renegade who had placed the palm of his hand on the glass that separated the Supra Force Metal from them. "He's a loose cannon. A dangerous and insane Maverick."

"I'd take offense to that, but I don't generally care with weaklings like you think," Vile interjected momentarily, without even turning to look at the others.

Massimo ignored the volatile Maverick and continued to argue his point. "He's killed so many, and will continue to do so. Why do you think he'll be any different now? Or after this is over? This is just replacing one evil with another."

"I know the dangers. I don't need to be reminded of the risks I'm taking. But, this is the only way out that I can see. I'm open to ideas but I've not heard any so far," Nana's voice contained a hint of anger at being lectured on things she already knew. Part of that anger was projection as well, though, as she had gone over this a hundred times in her mind, and every time she felt like her situation was worse than the previous.

Steel Massimo took a deep breath before smiling again. "I know you. And I know your heart," He reached over to plant a large hand on her shoulder. "You'll do what's right. Just promise me you'll remember that the same doesn't apply to your partner over there."

Nana returned the soft smile and nodded. "Stop worrying so much, you big lug."

"How cute. Now shut up, the both of ya," Vile turned around to face them halfway, one hand raising to point at the viewport behind him with a thumb. "We're taking the Supra Force Metal to that duck you know, Nana." That was clearly a non-negotiable order and Vile wasn't in the mood for anymore talking.

"You what?!" Nett stopped his pacing to look at Nana again, one hand motioning for Vile almost frantically. "You think I'm just going to let you walk out of here? You might've charmed your way out of Massimo's judgment, but I'm having the both of you arrested!"

"Please Nett. It has to be done. Professor Gaudile – who's a platypus, by the way," that interjection had Nana send another one of her glares at the renegade, who merely scoffed in response. "He can thoroughly analyze it, maybe give us a some clue why they're after it specifically. Each piece of Force Metal has unique properties that make it more suited for one application than another. The same logically applies to Supra Force Metal. He can do it much faster than anyone else can. I promise you, Vile won't be using it, not now, not ever."

"Your words hold no more value to me, Nana. Massimo, detain them while I alert security. They're skimming the wrong sections of the facility for the intruders right now."

"You take one more step and I'll make sure there's a hole where your gut used to be, poindexter," Vile's threat was punctuated by a low humming in his shoulder cannon.

However, Nett seemed unperturbed and attempted to turn around anyway, only to find a massive arm blocking his way.

"Sorry, Nett. But Nana's my friend. I trust her. This is for the best," Massimo's eyes remained fixed on Nana's.

"That was a direct order, Massimo! You could get fired for this. Or worse, charged with conspiracy and aiding fugitive criminals," all of Nett's reasoning was to no avail, as the large Reploid simply shook his head slowly.

"The greater good, Nett," Massimo looked over to Vile next. "I'll make sure you get a head start on them. But, I can't use violence to stop them from pursuing you, so it won't be a lot."

"Yes, of course, we'll hurry. Thank you, Massimo. You're a lifesaver," Nana smiled before turning around and making her way over to one of the terminals.

"I can't believe you're just going to let Vile walk out of here with a power source that could devastate the world," the Reploid scientist shook his head in defeat.

"You should thank him. You're alive only because of him," Vile stated as he crossed his arms and waited for Nana to finish unlocking the safety measures on the Force Metal behind him. However, he soon grinned behind the visor of his helmet. "Come to think of it, though... One more word, and I'll do it anyway," his threat was followed by the Front Runner very slowly lowering to aim in Nett's general direction. The scientist's complete silence only seemed to amuse the renegade further.

The massive device in the chamber then proceeded to deactivate. Its many displays and virtual keyboards powering down. The glass protecting the Force Metal slowly rose, allowing Nana to carefully lift the precious fragment from its confines. There were several containers within reach that were designed to safely store it, so the operator quickly made use of one of them. She then turned to her partner and nodded resolutely. "Let's go. We don't have much time."

Massimo's heavy footfalls brought him over to them and he handed a small card to Nana. Ordinarily, it contained his regular contact information, but he had already taken the time to electronically change some of it. "Before you go, take this. I'll have to go into hiding for a while. I'm pretty sure I'll be wanted for my part in this. They'll want to interrogate me. But, you'll be able to use that to contact me. If you need anything. Anything. You need just ask."

Nana smiled up at Massimo softly before Vile barked a 'let's go' at her.

As the two sped off, Massimo kept his eyes on the blast doors they left through, frowning in worry. His thoughts were interrupted by Nett, however, who had activated an intercom device located on one of the intact desks.

"This is doctor Nett, captain Hur, please come in," the scientist was about to repeat his hail when he was startled by a large hand crushing the device. All Massimo had had to do to render it inoperable was lean on it. Once he lifted his hand up again, it was as flat as a pancake and Nett was in disbelief.

"Oops. Clumsy me."