CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Living Legend
"So they decided to make another one of you?" the new Zero said, his blue eyes growing colder. The fading sunlight cast dangerous shadows over his features. "They never learn."
"Wait… another one?" X asked, still unable to move, to tear his gaze from the deadly azure eyes. "What… what are you talking about? I'm…"
"Don't start with the 'I'm a hero' routine." The blonde warrior raised his buster pistol, pointing it steadily at the blue Hunter. "I'm tired of hearing this nonsense every time I see you. I've dealt with you twice, I don't need it again."
"Calm down." X raised his hands and smiled shakily, trying to appear as non-threatening as he could. "Just... just tell me what's going on here."
Zero's expression flashed momentary confusion, before it hardened again. "They didn't bother implanting memories in you this time? Not really that surprising, considering Weil probably thinks his Copy Xs are disposable." X watched as the man's finger tightened around the trigger of his pistol. "Let's get this over with. We'll see who destroys whom."
"Wait, please!" X said desperately. "I don't want to fight you!"
The warrior's aim did not waver. "Quite a change from a minute ago, X. A copy playing the pacifist? I don't buy it."
X swallowed hard as he watched Zero turn off his Z-Saber and slap its hilt into the bottom of his pistol. The weapon immediately began to glow violently. "Uh oh," X choked out, and instinctively threw himself to the side as a charge shot barreled towards him. He wasn't fast enough, however, and the shot hit him square in the chest, sending him off balance and reeling back a few feet. He stumbled somewhat clumsily upright again, wincing and forming his buster. "Fine, then! If you won't listen..." He fired off three shots in quick succession. The aggressive Zero easily dodged the attack, but it gave X enough time to dash away.
"Get back here, coward!" Zero shouted, darting after him.
"No!" X cried, rolling to the left to avoid a pistol shot. "What's happened to you, Zero?"
"Nothing's happened! Stand still so I can shoot you, dammit!" Zero fired off another charge shot at X, but missed by a slim margin. "You're just making this more difficult than it needs to be."
"And why would I make it easier for you to kill me?" X shouted back, dodging behind a boulder, which exploded a few seconds later.
Meanwhile, over by the rubble and ruins, Blues noticed the commotion as X hurtled toward them. "Hey guys! Look sharp, X is in trouble!"
"What's that chasing him?" Rock asked, squinting at the figure following closely behind.
"It doesn't matter! If it's chasing X, it's an enemy. Let's go get him!" Zero leapt over the low wall he had been using for cover. "Hey you!" he called across at the approaching adversary. "Get away from my friend!" He activated his emergency acceleration thrusters and drew his Z-Saber.
X saw the red and yellow blur as Zero rushed past. Looking over his shoulder, he watched as his friend locked Z-Sabers with the pursuing warrior. Each Zeros' eyes widened at seeing the other, but their surprise did not affect their sword arms. They leaned into their weapons, trying to force past the other's guard. Zero gritted his teeth and pushed harder, while his supposed future version stepped forward into the saber lock and frowned more deeply.
"So, they decided to make a copy of me now?" the other Zero grunted through his straining. "As if one of X wasn't bad enough!"
"What are you talking about?" Zero snapped back, his boots digging further into the dusty ground as he fought to maintain his block. "There's only one real Zero!"
"And that's me," the future warrior stated, breaking the saber lock and slipping away with his dash thrusters. Zero grunted in anger at losing his prey and chased after him with an aggressive saber swing. That attack was parried quickly and almost effortlessly by his double.
Pressing his offense, Zero let loose a flurry of devastating strikes at the future foe. Though the attack was powerful, each swing was blocked by a swift maneuver of his adversary's saber. The mysterious reploid was reading his opponent's movements perfectly and reacting smoothly, as though the deadly battle were nothing more than a dance. Then came the counterattack. After Zero performed what would have normally been a crushing vertical slash, his opponent blocked the swing, then countered by spinning his blade around, nearly forcing the beam saber from the Hunter's hand. Then, while the crimson warrior was reeling from the block, his enemy lunged forward and punched him squarely in the face.
"Hang on, Zero!" Rock called, unleashing a charge shot at the attacker. The future reploid leapt nimbly over the blast. While in midair, he deactivated his beam saber and shoved it into his buster pistol again, retaliating with his own charged shot. Rock slid out of the way and the plasma hit the ruins behind him, scattering debris across the sand.
"He's got some good firepower… but mine's better!" Bass yelled, firing a charged shot. His target quickly strafed away, but not to be outdone, Bass switched his buster to automatic. Spraying plasma across the battlefield, Bass tried to pin down his foe. But the red warrior was too fast to be trapped. With a dash and a quick jump, the other Zero vaulted over Bass's wave of shots, closing on him.
But before the future reploid could get close enough to use his Z-Saber on the black-armored robot, he was intercepted by Zero and forced into another saber duel. They traded blows for a few seconds, before Proto Man unleashed a carefully aimed charged blast. The shot managed to connect, rocking the future reploid away from Zero.
Shaken, but looking relatively unhurt from Proto Man's blaster, the other Zero then turned his pistol at the red robot. Blues easily blocked the low powered, rapid fire shots with his shield, the plasma pinging off of it harmlessly. Undeterred, the red assassin fell back slightly and turned his weapon on X again.
"Handy band of cohorts you have, X," the blonde said coolly, as X dash-jumped away from a line of plasma pistol shots. "Are they your new guardians after Weil banished your old ones?"
X gritted his teeth and began charging his buster, still dodging plasma bolts. "Look! Zero, stop this! We don't have to fight!"
"Sure, we can have a nice cup of tea and talk things over in a civilized negotiation." The warrior aimed his pistol at the blue Hunter once more, energy beginning to coalesce around the barrel. "Yeah right, copy. I intend to finish what I started here."
Bass's eyes darkened as his orange fins quickly turned yellow. This other Zero was turned away from him, and he had a very clear shot. Now to make it count while the enemy was distracted by charging his weapon. Cradling his Bass Buster with his free hand, he lined up the barrel.
Then a wave of lightning burst from the gun, rocketing up and down and forward, straight into the other Zero's back between the shoulder blades. Electricity from the Thunder Beam crackled throughout the reploid's body for several seconds, and the crimson warrior fell forward to the ground, limp.
"Bass! What did you do?" Rock cried, staring at the unmoving enemy and the impassive black-armored robot.
"I ended this fight," Bass said, shrugging. The electricity dissipated from his buster arm and he dispelled the weapon, his fins fading back to their normal color. "By putting him out of commission. Negotiation obviously was getting us nowhere."
"What if you killed him? Is he okay?" Rock said anxiously.
Blues carefully approached the fallen reploid. The first thing he did was to take the saber and pistol, tossing them over his shoulder to X. The elder robot then nudged the future warrior onto his back with a toe. The reploid did not respond, so he knelt for a closer look. "He's breathing heavily…" Blues said. He pushed the warrior's blonde hair aside, revealing more of his face. He did indeed look identical to Zero, now appearing strangely peaceful with features softened by unconsciousness. "Looks like that Thunder Beam worked him over pretty well. He's still functioning, though, and I think he'll be fine. Bass probably just shorted out a cooling unit."
"Won't he overheat?" Rock asked, concerned.
"Not likely," said Blues, tugging off his right glove and pressing a finger to the side of the reploid's neck. "His internal temperature has stopped rising. In fact, it's starting to go down. I'm guessing his auto-repair is kicking in." The red robot looked up at the others. "We'd better find a way to keep him from attacking us when he wakes up. I think he's going to be cranky."
"No kidding," said Bass, folding his arms. "Got any ideas?"
"Well, I saw some pipes and stuff in the ruins we were hiding in earlier," said Zero, pointing over his shoulder. "We might be able to use those to restrain him." Without waiting for an answer, he turned and headed for the ruins. He quickly disappeared behind the walls, and then returned a few moments later with several long, thin metal pipes.
"Do you really think those will be flexible enough to use, Zero?" X asked. "They look kind of brittle."
"I've got another brilliant idea." Zero smiled. "Rock, come here and use a bit of your Atomic Fire to heat these things up. We can bend them more easily that way."
"Whoa, Zero had a good plan," Bass mocked jokingly. "Well, the world appears to have ended already, so it was only a matter of time."
Zero made a noise that was half indignation and half laughing, and held the pipes carefully as Rock's armor changed color. The little robot began to heat the metal with controlled energy from Heat Man's weapon. When the pipes were hot enough, Zero lifted them carefully and bent them around his double's wrists and ankles.
"Are you sure that's going to hold?" Blues asked, watching as the pipes quickly cooled, forming circular metal handcuffs.
"It won't hold him forever, but it'll be long enough." Zero stood back up and put his hands on his hips. "Now what do we do?"
"Those Pantheons are sure to be back," X said. "I don't know how much longer my tricks will work on them."
"Good point. We should start moving." Blues brushed the trailing ends of his scarf over his shoulder, then stared off to the horizon.
"But... what do we do about this… Zero-looking guy?" Rock asked, glancing down at the reploid. "We can't just leave him here… he's what they're after. And if what Simone and Jean-Luc told us is true, they'd kill him if they found him."
"Rock's right," said X. "And right now, he's our only link to what's really going on here, I'm sure of it. We have to bring him with us."
"I'm not carrying him," Bass stated flatly, folding his arms. "No way I want a psychotic reploid waking up in my hands while we're on the move."
"I'll carry him, then. I can handle me," Zero said, trying to sound serious, although he was failing. "It's gonna be weird, though. Hell, it already is weird. I'm looking at… me. This seems so unreal."
"Yeah, this is weird. Too weird," Bass replied. "Well, we can grill him later… and there will be plenty of time to be shocked after we get the hell out of here."
"All right," Zero returned, picking up the limp reploid and flinging him over his shoulder. "Let's go. Pick a direction, somebody."
Blues pointed towards a dark mark on the horizon. "Looks like there are more ruins further away. We can probably find a place to hide out there somewhere. What do you say?"
"It's as good as anywhere else," Zero replied. "No objections, X? Rock?"
"No," Rock replied. "I just hope that Zero is okay."
"We don't even know if he's sane, rockhead!" Bass snapped.
"Let's argue about this later, okay?" Blues returned, silencing both of them. "Come on." He ushered Bass and Rock forward and then motioned for X and Zero to follow, which they did, but at some distance.
There was silence for a few moments, but eventually X spoke quietly to the red Hunter. "Zero… are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think so. But you try beating up someone who looks exactly like you, wondering what the hell he is." Zero's face was frozen in an unusually serious expression now, and his eyes reflected deep thought going on within his mind. He seemed to not be giving any regard to the fact that he had his alleged future self on his shoulder; he merely stared straight ahead and up, looking just above the horizon.
X was silent for a moment. "It's weird… he recognized me, but he called me a copy… what do you think that means?"
"He called us all copies, X. But… that is curious." Zero's eyes didn't leave their shallow skyward angle, but he was visibly contemplating X's words. "Wait a second," Zero exclaimed, his eyes lighting up and breaking his gaze at the sky. "Didn't Simone or Jean-Luc mention something about the two of us disappearing after the… what was it? Elf Wars?"
X nodded. "Yeah, but I don't understand what you're getting at."
"Isn't it odd that you would just 'reappear' without me? Considering if we both disappeared, it was probably for a reason…" Zero trailed off, and his face turned serious again. "Never mind. I mean, it's just as likely as you came back for a reason, just as I had one for not reappearing…"
"So what, you're thinking the X that reappeared wasn't me?" X asked.
Zero hesitated. "Well... if this guy says he's met a copy of you... It's possible that the X who clamped down so harshly on Reploids wasn't you, but someone's cheap replica."
"I'd hardly call it cheap if it fooled an entire civilization of people, Zero," said X, shrugging slightly. "It must've been a really, really good copy if it was mistaken for and accepted as me. And there's no guarantee that it wasn't me to begin with. I could have very well been Neo Arcadia's ruler, and then someone built a copy at some point down the road…"
"Why would they have done that, though?" Zero wondered.
"I don't know, Zero!" X said, throwing up his hands. "Nothing in this place makes any sense... But what we do know is that this Zero said he'd 'defeated' a copy of me before. And Mega Man X was supposedly killed recently... Maybe they're the same? And he's the one who did it?"
"That's possible too, I guess." Zero shrugged. "But do you think that's what it is? This scrawny guy over my shoulder killed whoever took over Neo Arcadia in your stead?"
"...You just insulted yourself, you know," X pointed out.
"Well, it's true! Look at him!" Zero lifted the reploid off his shoulder slightly. "I am not that wimpy-looking."
X chuckled slightly. "I'm not going to comment."
Zero frowned sulkily, shifting his reploid load so it rested more comfortably across his back.
"Well, you or not, if we want to know who killed Mega Man X he's our best lead," said X. "He has a beam saber, which is probably the 'glowing blade' that we were told about. Neo Arcadian officials seem hell-bent on killing him, considering their response to your appearance earlier. Really, why would they send that many troops to deal with a single Maverick otherwise? And then to send several full units chasing you out here to the wasteland?" X paused, himself looking to the sky. "And of course, he said himself that he's fought copies of me before."
"Wait, copies? As in plural?" Zero's expression darkened.
The blue Hunter nodded. "Yeah, he accused me of being the third."
"This… is entirely too weird." Zero sighed. "This future sucks!"
X laughed softly. "I guess you can put it that way."
Silence fell between them. The ruins were growing closer now, but were still some distance away. The desert wind picked up their footprints in the sand, erasing them as soon as they were made. X looked up at the sky again. The sun was almost below the horizon now, a brilliant blood-red sunset taking its place. "I just..."
"Hm?" Zero shifted the body of the reploid again, and looked over at his friend. "Did you say something?"
X glanced over at Neo Arcadia, a bright smudge of light stretching along to the east, rivaling the dying sun. "I guess... this is what Rock felt like, when he came to our era. To know that time went on, and nothing he fought for came to pass. That everything... just got worse."
"X." Zero's eyes were soft now. "This stuff? I don't believe it. There's no way you could have done all the things Simone and Jean-Luc said."
"But... what if I did?" X replied, looking down at the sand. "What if I do?"
Zero reached over with his left arm, looping it around X's shoulders and then gently tugging so the blue reploid was leaning against him as they continued to walk. "I know you didn't. You wanna know why? Mega Man X would never turn his back on the people. He's not like that. He's soft-hearted, kind, strong, and the most courageous person I know. But most importantly, he's my best friend. And that's never going to change."
"Zero..." X began, but the blonde refused to allow him to interrupt.
"Don't you Zero me, X," he said. "We've seen a lot today that I don't understand. But no matter what happens, I believe in you. I believe that you're someone who does what's right. Understand?"
"...I understand." X shook his head, and then laughed, attempting to dispel the melancholy air that had settled over them. "I'm sorry, Zero. I'm just being stupid."
"Well, at least you realize it." Zero slapped X heartily on the back, and the blue reploid nearly lost his footing. "That's the first step, y'know." The red Hunter smiled broadly with this comment.
"Oh, be quiet," X replied.
"Hey! What are you two slowpokes waiting for? Keep up!" Bass shouted back at them, having put considerable distance between the two teams. "He's not that heavy that you need to slow down! Move it!"
"Impatient, isn't he?" Zero laughed.
"Only a little. Come on, let's not dawdle… he'll never be quiet otherwise," X chuckled lightly, and increased his pace.
The group eventually came upon a large group of ruins that looked like a good place to take refuge for awhile. The area had no ceiling and was filled with rubble, but it looked safe enough with its walls being relatively high. They all stepped inside, walking carefully over the debris scattered across the dirt and concrete floor.
"Now what?" Zero asked, looking at the reploid slung over his shoulder.
"Just lean him up against that wall over there." X motioned with his hand as he spoke. Zero did as told, sitting the other Zero carefully upright, and then walked back to the other side of the room.
Blues quickly took to one of the tallest piles of rubble and scrambled up to the top of it. The pile was probably only waist high, but Rock figured Blues just wanted any little bit of height he could get. Bass merely leaned against one of the walls and folded his arms. An impatient scowl crossed his face, but it was only slight. Rock waited across the room from the disabled Zero, next to X.
"Now," X said, "we wait for him to wake up."
"That could take awhile," Blues replied. "His temperature may have been going down, but it might be some time before his system checks confirm everything's safe."
"So, how are we going to get anything out of him, anyway?" Bass asked.
"Not sure," Zero returned. "I really don't think resorting to violence would be a good idea, but we should definitely try to keep him secured for as long as possible until he proves that he won't try to kill us any longer."
"But X has his weapons!" Rock pointed out. "I don't think holding him against his will is fair if he's not a Maverick. I mean, really… he hasn't done anything wrong."
Bass nearly did a double take. "He tried to kill us, idiot!"
"You've tried to kill me, and I trust you," Rock replied.
"It's not the same thing!" Bass shouted back, throwing his arms up in frustration.
"Yes it is, Bass," Rock said. "I don't think we should treat him as an enemy. He is Zero, after all."
"Don't let his unbelievably handsome face fool you, kid," Zero returned with a smile, but his face turned serious a moment later. "You can never be sure who's friend or foe most of the time."
Rock turned his head. As his eyes traveled over to their prisoner, he thought he saw the still reploid move slightly. He blinked, and narrowed his eyes slightly, but quickly returned back to his normal expression. "I still don't feel comfortable with this, guys."
"Neither do I," X said. "I really would prefer if it didn't have to be this way. But we know nothing about this time period except what Simone and Jean-Luc told us… if we don't get more information somehow, Wily and Sigma will slip through our fingers and we'll be in deep trouble."
Blues took this chance to cut in. "Did any of you stop to think that Zero might be a member of that Resistance they had been talking about? Think about it, if the Resistance conducts operations against Weil and Neo Arcadia, and if that Zero was attacking Pantheons and treated X as an enemy, isn't it possible that he could be one of them?"
"That would make sense, I think…" Rock trailed off. "But if he's a member of the Resistance, that means he'd be fighting for the rights and freedoms of not only Reploids, but humans now too…"
"Hold on, Rocky," Blues said. "We don't know if he even is a member of that group yet. I merely suggested it as a possibility."
"I'd say it's a good one…" X said, quietly.
"Well, we'll just ask him when he wakes up," Zero returned.
"Do you think he'd help us find Wily or Sigma?" Rock asked. "If they get away with any technology from this era, I think we might be in some serious trouble…"
"Hell no, he won't help," Bass answered. "Honestly, Rock. Did you even think about what that means? That means we'd have to tell him we're time travelers, we're from the past and that our Zero might be his past self or something! And do you really think he'd believe us? Hell no! I barely believe it and I'm actually doing the time traveling!"
"I'd agree that the odds of him believing any of that are pretty slim, Rock," Blues stated. "Then again, X and Zero over there believed us; if only because we ended up having them meet Dr. Light."
"And we are not dragging him with us back to meet your dad. That'd be the dumbest thing we could possibly do!" Bass added.
"I couldn't agree more at the moment," Blues returned.
"I still think holding him against his will like this is unfair," Rock stated again.
"We get the idea, shrimp," Bass snapped back.
"Well," X cut in before Rock could return a reply, "I think we should just watch and wait for Zero there to wake up… we'll try diplomacy one more time with him then… hopefully he won't be too furious about being bound like that."
"Oh, I am, don't worry," came a voice from the still Zero. The startled group turned as one to look at him. His blue eyes were open now, and with his hair disheveled and bearing an angry scowl, he looked exceedingly irritated. "Now, are you going to explain yourselves?"
"How… how long have you been awake?" Bass demanded.
"That's for me to know," the other Zero replied, glaring at the black-armored robot.
"Zero... that is your name, right?" Rock began. "May I ask you something?" The other blinked, but nodded curtly. "Are… are you a member of that Resistance we've heard about?"
"…Why would a copy of Mega Man X not know that?" Zero's eyes were narrowed and he glanced over at X, but oddly his tone wasn't overly venomous. Rock picked up a hint of curiosity in the reploid's voice.
"So you are, then," Blues stated.
He inclined his head. "...And who the hell are all of you?"
"You seem to already know X. That's a start. And you seem to know yourself…" Blues said, his voice slightly amused. "That one," he continued, pointing at the younger of the two blue-clad warriors, "is my little brother, Rock. The black armored one is Bass. And I'm Blues."
"…That's it?"
"I believe you're the one being questioned here, Zero," Bass returned, furrowing his brow.
"Bass, there's no need to be like that, he's not our enemy," Rock asserted. The other Zero gave him a dubious look. "You're wondering why I think that, right?" Rock answered his silent question, folding his arms. "Because I know Zero, that's why. Zero's a reploid who always fights for the right cause, and who helps people. And if you're really him, so do you." The future Zero made no immediate reply, but Bass visibly rolled his eyes at Rock's comment, while X and Zero watched stoically.
"Confident, aren't you?" said the other Zero finally.
"I'm also sure you heard everything we said earlier," Rock stated calmly. "Ever since we've been here in the ruins."
"What makes you think that?"
"I saw you move, first of all, even if it was slight. I think you were testing your bonds. And furthermore, you would want to listen to our conversation, to find out more about us. Blues said you might not be unconscious for too long, so… that's how I guessed." Rock sat down cross-legged on the ground and rested his hands on his knees. "Second… if you really were really worried about your safety, you probably would've shattered those pipes already."
The future Zero looked taken aback for a moment, and then he smiled. There was a loud creak and then the snapping of metal as the blonde reploid broke swiftly out of his bonds and stood up. "Like that?" The other robots tensed visibly, except for Rock, who simply smiled.
"Exactly."
"So you knew, and didn't say anything," Zero stated, his tone less than friendly, but not quite aggressive.
"Didn't see the need," Rock shrugged. He glanced over to Bass, who looked like he was about to blow a fuse. He noticed Blues was wearing a smirk on his lips; he probably suspected the same things he had. "Anyway, if you're willing, could you tell us about the Resistance?" Zero made no reply. "Didn't think you'd want to. But that's your choice. We're not going to force you to."
"…You said you were time travelers," Zero said finally. Rock smiled, knowing the question was coming.
"Yes, we are time travelers... it's a bit hard to explain." Rock paused. He'd known the question would be coming, but he hadn't figured out the best way to answer. "...We came here following some dangerous people from our eras, who have also gotten ahold of a time machine. We have to find them before they mess up history too badly."
"So, you want me to believe you know nothing about this era, and you want me to explain," the future reploid said flatly.
"That's the general idea," said Blues.
"We met some reploids while we were hiding in Neo Arcadia who told us some things," said X, "but their knowledge was rather limited. Your perspective would be appreciated."
"I'm sure," said Zero shortly.
"Please, Zero," Rock pleaded. "We didn't want to fight you in the first place, and we can't really stop you if you try to run now. But you're the only lead we have." The boy silently hoped for Bass to keep quiet; this was a very delicate situation, and the black robot's opinions on this matter were not the most trust inspiring. Fortunately, Bass had some discretion; though whether this was through his own will or because Zero had kicked him in the shin when he opened his mouth was anyone's guess.
The other Zero remained silent, the time-travelers watching him. Finally, he said, "What do you want to know?"
Rock let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. X smiled slightly. "Well, you kept calling me a copy before. What did you mean by that?"
"…I suppose that's safe to tell you," said the other Zero, sounding slightly irritated but no longer enraged. "...Shortly after the Elf Wars, the heroes Mega Man X and Zero disappeared. However, X reappeared suddenly and became leader of Neo Arcadia and the Maverick Hunters." He turned, folding his arms. "That X was a fake. Copy X, as he's known to the Resistance, was built by a scientist who believed the world needed a hero. She used plans in the historical databanks to reconstruct the legendary X. However, the product was flawed. He could not live up to the legend. He corrupted X's values, retired countless innocents, and clamped down on all aspects of Reploid life. Eventually, I destroyed him."
X had an odd expression on his face, and Zero was nodding thoughtfully. The other Zero glanced at them, but continued his story. "The Maverick Hunters concealed his death, not wanting to lose their hold over the city or cause a panic. However, not long ago, a man named Dr. Weil built another Copy X. Since the people never knew X had died, he was accepted as leader once more. The new copy was even more twisted than the last, pardoning Weil's crimes and following his every bidding. I eventually destroyed him as well."
"So what happened to the real Mega Man X, then?" Rock asked.
"…That's a long story," said the future reploid. "And I don't think you need to know it."
"I'd say so," said Zero. "Considering Mega Man X is standing right over there." He pointed a thumb in X's direction casually.
His twin did not look convinced. "How can I be sure he's not just another fake?"
"Trust us?" Rock shrugged.
The other Zero paused for a moment. "…Fine, I'll bite. I actually have spoken to the real X in the past… and he told me something about himself that no copy could ever know."
"Ask me anything, then!" X returned, his voice confident. "...As long as it happened before May of 21XX, mind you."
Rock thought the other Zero might have smiled at that, but it was gone in a moment and he decided it must have been imagination. "Fine. You once told me of someone, and how you got them a present, and how you planned to give it to them at the start of a new year. What did you give to this person, and what was their name?" The future reploid folded his arms, and glared at X, his eyes demanding an answer without hesitation.
X's face immediately turned bright red. He fumbled with his fingers, then made hand gestures as he spoke. "Her name's... Alia. It was a small silver bracelet with three rose quartz stones embedded in it. It has an inscription on the underside..."
The past Zero immediately burst out laughing, turning to his friend. "I remember that! Half the base thought you were proposing when you handed her the box!"
"We're just friends, Zero!" came X's rather loud reply.
Zero grinned slyly. "That's what you say now," he teased. "But apparently she's important enough for you to mention later on..." The blond reploid's face suddenly hardened. "…Hey, wait a minute… why would you tell me about that? I was there." He turned to his twin. "And wouldn't you already know about this meeting, since I'm here now? ...You answer to Zero, but who exactly are you?"
"…Those are very good questions," Blues agreed, turning to look at the blonde's alternate. "Would you care to answer them?"
The future Zero stood by the wall, looking rather numb. "How… how is this possible? It can't..."
"Of course it's possible!" Rock chimed in. "That's Mega Man X, circa 21XX. Along with… well, you. From the same time period."
"And how would a copy of X know the answer to your question? Let alone a copy of you?" Bass added.
The other Zero was still looking shocked. "I... I suppose… you are telling the truth then."
"We are. But… could you please tell us what happened to you?" Blues said, his voice even, and actually almost friendly.
The other Zero was looking at the ground, his blue eyes still confused. It was relieving to see him displaying an emotion besides anger, Rock thought. "...The legend says that Zero was sealed away at the end of the Elf Wars. Two and a half years ago, the leader of the resistance, Dr. Ciel, found me in an ancient laboratory. She woke me, pleading for my assistance but... I don't remember anything from the past. Whatever happened before Ciel woke me up is beyond me." The Resistance fighter shrugged. "Does that answer your question?"
"A little too well…" Zero replied, his face unreadable. "But how did you talk to X if you've forgotten everything?"
"...Do you know what a Cyber Elf is?" the other blonde said finally.
Bass nodded. "Yeah, to some degree."
"Well, only moments after I awoke, Ciel and I were confronted by one of Neo Arcadia's Golem robots. I was unarmed, so I used a pistol from a dead Resistance reploid to defend myself, but partway through the fight a Cyber Elf appeared and gave me my Z-saber, telling me to save Ciel." He glanced over at the saber, now lying in X's lap. "I later found out that the Cyber Elf was actually the real Mega Man X. He helped me bring down Copy X." An odd look of relief spread over X and Zero's faces as the future Zero spoke. "He then went into a period of hibernation to rest from everything that had happened to him. Recently... he re-emerged to help me fight the second Copy X and to combat Weil's first major plot."
"So... where's he now, then?" asked Bass.
The other Zero shook his head. "After that battle, he said that the forces that held him to this world were growing weak, and he's since vanished again… I doubt he's ever coming back. What he described was basically his death." X's face darkened again, but not as deeply as it had previously.
"How'd he become a Cyber Elf in the first place?" Blues asked.
"Well, that's…" Zero started, but he abruptly cut himself off. Rock could've sworn he heard a light beeping sound. His thoughts were confirmed when Zero put two fingers to the side of his helmet. "Zero here. What happened to radio silence?" Zero's eyes suddenly widened. "What do you mean, a division?" His face hardened. "They're sending that many troops out here? How close are they?" He paused. "There's no way I can take that on alone. I couldn't agree more about the evac. Ciel, prepare a transfer for…" He paused, and looked at each of the others quickly. Rock could tell he was hoping what he was about to say wouldn't be a mistake. "...six." Another pause. "Yes, six. …And keep unauthorized personnel out of the command room. I'll meet you in your lab. …Things have just gotten a lot more complicated. I'll explain when I get back. Zero out." He removed his fingers from the side of his helmet.
"A division?" Rock asked. "How many soldiers is that?"
"Too many," said Bass, folding his arms.
The other Zero nodded. "...Just what did you all do to attract their attention?"
"Existed, I think…" X replied, nonchalantly. "And they're coming here?"
He nodded. "In about two minutes."
"Wonderful," Zero replied.
"Well, if that's the case…" X trailed off, walking over to the future Zero. "Here, you'll need these back." He tensed as he spoke, hoping he wasn't about to make a huge mistake himself, then handed over the warrior's Z-saber and gun. "I trust you, Zero."
Zero nodded, and took his weapons back slowly. He holstered both weapons immediately, then looked off towards the city through a crack in the ruined walls. "I don't see them coming yet… but they'll be here."
Rock looked up at the rapidly darkening sky, listening until he heard the unmistakable whine of approaching Neo Arcadian aircraft in the distance. He stood up, stiffening noticeably, and armed his Mega Buster. Glancing to the side, he saw Bass had already done the same. Seconds slowly ticked away as the noise grew louder.
One of the dropships then flew directly overhead. Rock heard the engines slow, and he gritted his teeth. This was it, the first of the many that would arrive. However, before he could begin charging his weapon, the future Zero disappeared in a column of light. Turning, he saw Blues and X vanish next, and then felt his own body dissolve as his molecules drifted skyward and to parts unknown.
------
He solidified again in a large room, reminiscent of the control room of 21XX's Maverick Hunter HQ. In front of him was a set of large monitors, each screen showing various holograms of sections of Neo Arcadia. The sounds of computers beeping and whirring permeated the room. Looking around, the only people he saw in the room were his friends, and two female Reploids sitting in raised chairs, typing ceaselessly on keyboards in front of them. Rather surprised, he ended up taking a step backward into Blues. Before Rock could apologize, the future Zero motioned for them to follow him. He led them out of the room quickly, without talking to either of the reploids in the room.
The Resistance fighter led them down a corridor, lit by overhead fluorescent lights. The walls were metallic and sparse; little effort had been given to ornamentation. Rock supposed that living in hiding left no time or energy for building anything that wasn't strictly functional. Each door that branched away looked exactly like the one before.
The hallway ended, and the blonde warrior halted before the final door. His fingers flew over a small keypad to the left of it. A light above the portal turned blue, and the two metal halves split apart to give him entry.
The room beyond was furnished as a laboratory. The walls were the same metallic grey as that of the hallway, but there were various lab tables and computer consoles and a large tank of green liquid in one corner. Near the tank and in the most brightly lit part of the room was another computer on a large metal desk. A young woman was bent over the surface, sketching something onto a large sheet of blueprint paper. She was completely absorbed in her work, blonde hair cascading from her high ponytail and over her shoulders and back.
The future Zero walked up to her, but she seemed not to have noticed the sound of the door or his approaching footsteps. Reaching out with one gloved hand, he tapped her on the shoulder. "Ciel?"
The woman jumped several inches, spinning around in the chair. Now Rock could see her more clearly. She wore mostly pink; a pink top and matching skirt, with a black jumpsuit similar to those that reploids of this era wore underneath. Her hair was pulled up with a white metallic device that seemed to double as a headset. However, though she dressed very much like a reploid, Rock could tell that she was human. Her reaction did not have the fluidity of motion that all robots possessed.
"Zero!" she exclaimed, now sounding happy rather than surprised. "You're safe! I didn't hear you come in..."
"You were busy," the other Zero said, shrugging.
Ciel nodded, a faint pink tinge creeping into her cheeks. "Yes, but I should have been paying more attention, especially since I knew you were on your way."
"It's fine," he replied.
"You said you wanted to see me when you got back?" the young woman said, looking up at him and frowning. "You didn't get hurt, did you? And what was that about a transport for six, anyway?"
"No, I'm fine," Zero assured her. "And the other thing is... what I need to talk about."
"What do you..." She suddenly seemed to notice the others lurking over her friend's shoulder. "Zero, who are they?"
"They're the reason the Pantheons were so active," Zero replied.
Ciel stood up, pushing the chair back towards her desk with her foot before stepping forward. "You're on the run from Neo Arcadia, then? It's nice to..." Her voice trailed off, her eyes suddenly focusing on X and Zero, who stood beside one another. "What... who... X?"
"It's nice to meet you, Miss Ciel," X replied evenly.
Ciel stared at him. "What... what is going on?" She turned to her Zero, wide-eyed. "Zero?"
"It's... rather unbelievable," the other Zero replied carefully, "but... this is the real Mega Man X."
"What?" Ciel shook her head. "But... that's not possible..."
"It's a complicated story, but it's true," X replied. "I'm X, and this is my friend Zero." He nodded towards the blonde man at his side. Ciel's eyes flickered from him to her own Zero, the blue orbs growing even more confused.
"Would someone please explain?" she demanded.
"They're time-travelers, Ciel," the future Zero said heavily.
"Time... travelers?" Ciel repeated, with disbelief.
"Yes ma'am," Rock piped up. "My name's Mega Man. And I come from 20XX! X is my little brother."
"Little... brother?" Ciel said faintly. "20XX?"
Blues put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "That's enough, Rock," he said gently. "I think you're scaring her."
The young scientist looked dazed. "Zero... how... how is this possible?" she asked, turning to her friend, imploring him for a logical answer.
Zero paused. "They've proven it's the truth, but I don't know the details," he said. "I've been waiting to hear that myself."
"It's... a bit of a long story," X said.
Blues nodded. "To make it simple... my brother Mega Man, Bass, and I come from the dawn of robotics, the year 20XX... There's a man in our time named Dr. Wily, who has repeatedly tried to take over the world with his robots. He built a new device that malfunctioned and accidentally sent the three of us through time to 21XX, where we met X and Zero." He gestured towards the two Hunters.
"The doctor then managed to team up with that century's most wanted man, a Maverick named Sigma," Rock continued. "Our creator, Dr. Light, built us a time machine of our own to try and stop Wily before he messes up the space/time continuum too much."
"...Dr. Light?" said Ciel, blinking. "The famous roboticist? The one who built X?"
"Yup!" said Rock. "That's why he's our little brother!"
Ciel frowned, studying him. "...You're Mega Man, X's predecessor?"
"Uh-huh," Rock replied. "You can call me Rock, though. Mega Man is more of a battle title."
She nodded, and turned to Blues. "...And what is your name, then?"
"Proto Man," he replied. "But call me Blues."
"Proto Man?" Ciel repeated, her eyes narrowing. "...Then... you wouldn't happen to be..."
"I'm the first sentient robot ever built," he said, answering her implied question.
"Amazing..." Ciel breathed, staring at Blues with an expression similar to that of a researcher observing a rare captured specimen. She circled around him, looking thoughtful. Blues turned to follow her, looking a bit nervous. "This is fascinating..." Ciel declared finally, halting and peering at his face, her left hand on her chin. "You're dated compared to the robots of this time period... yet you're amazingly well constructed..."
"Um... thanks?" Blues said warily.
"Dr. Light was truly as great a genius as history says..." Ciel continued, her eyes alight with scientific curiosity. "Oh, if only I could... say, would it be possible for me to run a few tests on you? This is truly an amazing opportunity and I—"
"No," he said firmly.
Ciel blinked, then looked abashed. "Oh... I'm sorry if I offended you..." she said apologetically. "I've been getting carried away. Please, do forgive me."
Blues smiled at her. "I understand completely, Miss Ciel. It's nothing personal. But, I don't allow anyone to pry inside my head."
"Yeah. That's true," said Rock, nodding. "Like the magazine incident..."
The red robot gave his brother a withering look. "Rock, please keep quiet."
"So you two are Dr. Light's first creations..." Ciel said, still sounding awed. Then she turned to look at Bass, who lurked at the back of the little group. "And who are you? Blues called you... Bass?"
Bass nodded reluctantly. "Bass was built by Dr. Wily," Rock explained, "but he's decided to help us out now."
"I see..."
"Miss Ciel," said X. The young scientist turned to look at him, several strange emotions swirling in her eyes. "You're probably wondering why we've come to this era..."
"Well, yes," Ciel admitted. "You said you were following some enemies of yours?"
X nodded. "We have reason to believe that Wily and Sigma are somewhere in your era, probably in search of futuristic weapons and technology."
"They intend to use anything they recover to give them an advantage in the past," said Blues. "That, obviously, would alter history... probably for the worse."
Ciel nodded, looking thoughtful. "That is true..."
"But if these people are from the past," the other Zero said, causing the rest of the group to turn towards him, "they can't be that powerful, comparatively. If they try to start trouble, I'm sure the Hunters of Neo Arcadia will handle them."
"Zero, Sigma has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent humans and reploids over the past decade," X said softly. "He very dangerous, and will not be deterred by someone unprepared for him. If he does show up, Zero and I need to be able to confront him. He's our problem. We'll deal with him."
"There are more things out there that'd like to kill you than Sigma, though," said the other Zero, shaking his head. "Especially if you're walking around with a version of me."
"Well, X can make those drones listen to him..." Zero said.
"The Pantheons obey you?" Ciel asked, turning to the blue Hunter questioningly.
X nodded, then gave a brief summary of everything that had occurred since they first arrived in 22XX. The young scientist and the future warrior listened intently.
"Well, it is fortunate that the Pantheons still obey X's commands," Ciel said finally. "But it won't take long for Neo Arcadia to discover that there's someone impersonating their former leader. I wouldn't count on that ability to keep you out of danger."
"Aw, that's too bad," said Rock. "It was cool watching X ordering all those drones around!"
Bass scowled. "Mega Man, if you don't have anything intelligent to say, then don't speak at all."
"Now, Bass," said Blues patiently, "if he did that, he'd never get to talk at all."
Bass laughed, and Rock pouted. "You're mean, Blues..." he said plaintively.
Blues smiled at him. "I'm your brother. It's my job."
Ciel watched the exchange with an amused expression. X swiftly cut in before things got out of hand. "Well, since you think wandering on our own isn't a good idea," he said, and the two Resistance members turned back to him, "is there any way you can assist us in locating Sigma and Wily?"
Ciel nodded. "Of course, we'll help you however we can. Those two will be as much a danger to us as they are to you, if they are fiddling with time... But it will take a while for us to conduct a search. In the meantime, we'll make rooms available for you. Please, make yourselves at home."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Ciel," X said, smiling at her.
"It's the least we can do," she replied. "But X, you may want to be careful."
He blinked. "What do you mean?"
"We spent years struggling against your copies..." Ciel explained. "Some members of the Resistance probably won't trust you..."
"We'll just tell them he's harmless," said Bass, shrugging.
Ciel smiled, but shook her head. "I'm not sure everyone will give up their mistrust so easily, especially without learning about the apparent... time travel."
"Then he can take off his helmet," Zero suggested. "No one seems to recognize him without it."
X reached up and took off the metal object. Ciel studied him, then nodded. "I think you're right. It's the armor that's recognizable, more than the face. And your armor is designed differently from Copy X's anyway."
"If you say so," said X.
Ciel nodded. "I think you'll be all right... but still. Zero, could you make sure everything goes smoothly?"
"Of cour—" both Zeros began. Then they broke off simultaneously, glaring at one another.
"Not you, Zero," said Ciel. "I was speaking to Zero..." She stopped, and frowned. "Oh, dear."
"Which one of... she was talking to me!" both Zeros exclaimed.
Blues, chucked, watching the irate twins. "That's amusing..."
"No, it's not!" they replied, turning their glares on him.
X sighed. "...This is going to become a problem."
"All right, all right!" Rock held up his hands, stepping between the two blonde warriors. "We need new names here!"
"What?" the pair asked together. The past Zero scowled at his duplicate, then said, "Why can't we just both stay as Zero?"
"Because it's way too confusing!" Rock replied. "Hmm..." He pondered for a moment. Then his eyes lit up. "I know! We can call the future Zero just 'Z'!"
"Z?" Bass scoffed. "That's a letter, not a name! ... er... no offense, X," he added, after the blue Hunter gave him an odd look.
"None taken, I guess..." he replied.
"Let's just call them Zero and Zero II," Blues suggested. "It sounds decent enough."
"I call 'Zero,'" both Zeros proclaimed at once.
Blues put a hand to his temple. "The Zero from this time comes later, so he's Zero II."
"Hah!" Zero said, smirking at his future version. The other blonde frowned.
"I'm sorry, but it is only fair," Ciel said, looking as though she was attempting not to laugh at her friend's predicament. "He did come first."
"...Fine," Zero II said, seemingly resigned to his new nickname.
Ciel put a hand on the back of her chair, looking around at the group. "Well, if that's settled, then... it's getting rather late. I'm sure you all are tired."
"Yeah, it's been an exhausting day," X agreed.
"Zero II can show you to you your rooms, then," Ciel said, smiling at the blonde warrior. His eyes narrowed slightly, but Rock could tell he didn't really mind the name.
"Thank you again, Miss Ciel," said Blues politely.
"It's my pleasure," she assured him. "Hopefully we'll have some information for you by the morning. Sleep well, all of you."
"This way," Zero II said, and motioned to the door. The group followed him outside, leaving Ciel to her work.
---
Zero II led them through the hallways to an elevator, down one floor, and then down another hallway to a pair of adjacent rooms. They were both rather small, each containing a pair of metal bunk beds. The group conferred briefly and eventually decided that Bass and Zero would take one room while the Light brothers took the other.
It was late and everyone was exhausted, so they bid goodnight to Zero II at the door. He nodded and told them he would come by in the morning to see how they were doing, as well as where the hookups were so they could recharge as they slept. Rock found this last bit of information to be rather odd, but he didn't comment on it. The blonde warrior finally left, the doors sliding shut behind him and leaving the three brothers alone in their room.
"I call top bunk!" Rock said immediately, dashing over to the nearest bed and climbing the ladder. Blues shook his head but walked to the opposite bunk, claiming its top bunk as his own. X contented himself with the bed underneath Rock's.
"I don't understand what Zero II meant by recharging hookups, though," Rock said, hanging his head over the edge to peer upside-down at X. "And he didn't offer us dinner, either... I'm hungry."
"Rock, I think that's what he was doing," X replied. "I'm not sure the reploids here get very much to eat. Food is probably difficult to obtain when you're a group of guerilla fighters... most likely they can't find enough to keep them running efficiently without recharging."
Rock made a face. "That doesn't sound fun. And I don't really want to spend all night with a wire in my arm..."
"Well, considering we don't have any food with us, there isn't much else we can do," X said evenly. "We can find out more tomorrow. For now, just do as Zero II said. You want to have enough energy to stop Wily, right?"
"I guess..." Rock said, frowning but knowing there wasn't anything he or X could do to change things.
X found some sleeping clothes in the drawer of one of the small metal wardrobes that stood along one wall. Only one pair was blue and X handed it to Rock after the boy gave him pleading eyes. The clothing was slightly too big, but for borrowed pajamas, it wasn't too bad. X found a red pair for Blues and a green pair for himself.
They changed in silence, X and Blues feeling exhausted after their long day. Rock, however, was still full of energy, despite his complaints about hunger. He sat cross-legged on his bed and beamed at the other two.
"This's kinda like a sleepover, isn't it?" Rock said cheerily. Blues and X gave each other sideways glances. "We should sing songs! Or play Truth or Dare! Or tell ghost stories! I know a good one about a robotic ghost hamster who—"
"Rock, X and I are very tired," Blues interrupted. "I think we'd both just like to go to sleep, and you need your rest too."
"You guys are boring," Rock said huffily, slumping over onto the mattress.
"Some other time, maybe," X suggested gently.
Rock sighed and pulled the covers over him. "Goodnight, then."
X's eyes softened, hearing the disappointment in his brother's voice. He stood up and walked over to the bed, then reached through the bars and gently ruffled Rock's hair. "How about I tell a short bedtime story, then?" he suggested.
"...Okay," Rock agreed. X smiled, and then pulled a chair over. Rock quickly climbed down from his bunk and sat on X's bed, swinging his legs idly. Blues, looking amused at the whole situation, took a seat beside him.
X took a deep breath, looked at his audience, and began speaking in a resonant tone. "Once upon a time..."
"Did you really have to start it off that way, X?" Blues cut in, a smirk visible on his face. "It's been done."
X shot a glare at Blues, then continued, ignoring his older brother's snide comment. "Once upon a time there was a great conflict that erupted in a far away land..."
"Was it the Rebellion against the Empire?" Blues suggested.
"That was a far away galaxy, not a land, Blues," Rock answered.
"...Exactly, Rock," X said. "This was a land called... um..."
"Oz?"
"No, Blues. Not Oz," X said, a muscle in his temple beginning to twitch. "Are you going to let me tell the story or not?"
Rock nodded. "Yeah, if you keep interrupting him, he might go Wicked Witch on you."
"Well, the name really isn't important," X continued, before Blues could reply. "Anyway, in a small cottage in the middle of the war torn land lived a young boy named..." Blues opened his mouth, but X cut him off quickly, "—Simon."
Blues made a noise that resembled a chuckle, but X ignored him and moved on. "Simon was a brave lad, but he knew he alone could not end the war."
"Of course not," said Blues. "He's some kid from some cottage in the middle of nowhere."
X narrowed his eyes. "Do you enjoy being annoying, Blues?"
The elder robot shrugged. "It's a hobby," he said with a smirk.
"Get on with the story!" Rock prodded.
X obliged him. "So Simon thought for awhile about what the whole conflict was all about, and what had started it."
"Was Simon's middle name X?" Blues wondered.
"Blues!" Rock exclaimed.
"Don't worry about it, Rock," said the blue Hunter, shaking his head. "He's no worse than Zero."
"...Okay..." Rock shot a final glare at Blues, but then turned back to the storyteller. "What happened next, then?"
"Simon obviously recruits a bunch of motley teenagers with swords, staves, and magic to save the day," Blues answered.
"It wasn't quite that simple," X replied, exasperated. "The area all around Simon's house had been turned into a desolate wasteland by the leader of the enemy army, the black dragon Irontongue."
"...And he left the one house standing?"
"Um...Simon had magic... or something?" X said. Blues raised an eyebrow, and X frowned at him. "...It just happened, okay? Don't think too much."
"I never thought I'd hear you say that," Blues said, amused. X frowned more deeply.
"Maybe Irontongue got bored?" Rock suggested, trying to defuse the situation.
"We'll go with that," said X. "Anyway... so Simon set out across the wasteland to obtain the aid of the oracle who lived near the faraway mountains." He paused, waiting for Blues to interject, but surprisingly, he didn't. "The journey was long and arduous, but he eventually reached his destination."
"What did he find?" Rock asked eagerly.
Blues shrugged. "The oracle was probably some sort of fairy and she gives him a magic sword..."
X sighed. "Fine, Blues, we'll listen to you this time."
Blues smirked. "I wouldn't want to be accused of being a scene-stealer. You go ahead."
X rolled his eyes. "Okay... Well then, the oracle is a mermaid and she gives him an evil-slaying axe."
"And what did the mermaid tell him?" said Rock, impatient for the story to continue.
"That he needed to kill the dragon, obviously," said Blues.
"...Well, yeah," said Rock. "But I mean... didn't she have sage advice for him?"
"Um..." said X, thinking, "...well... no, she didn't."
Rock frowned. "What kind of oracle is that?"
"That's what he asked her," said X, nodding. "And she simply told him that the wisest seek answers within themselves."
"And that's not sage advice?"
"As far as oracles go, it's pretty cop-out, Rock," Blues replied.
Rock ignored him. "So what did Simon do then?"
"Simon took hold of the axe," X continued, "but before he left the oracle's dwelling, he sat down to plan his attack on Irontongue."
"That's easy," interrupted Blues, shrugging. "He runs up to chop off its head, then gets burnt to a crisp."
"That's why Simon sat down to think, Blues," X said, sounding forcedly patient. "He knew attacking head on would get him killed. And he learned that if he continued working alone, he might die before he made it to the dragon."
"So now he gathers the group of motley magic and sword wielding teenagers?" asked Rock.
X sighed. "...Yes, now he gathers the teenagers."
"Seems awfully convenient that he could find so many kids who could be a threat to this dragon in a desolate war-torn land..." Blues mused.
X narrowed his eyes. "It's a story, Blues, deal with it."
"You can't just leave plotholes like that," Blues replied sagely. "Doesn't anyone pay attention to their own continuity anymore?"
"Okay..." X said, giving Rock a look that said, 'I pity you for having put up with him for so many years.' "Well, Simon recruited all the best sorcerers and swordfighters still living in the land, and marched towards the dragon's lair. The dragon and his army flew out to meet them, but the sorcerers protected Simon and the others from their flames with magical shields."
"Ooh..." said Rock, sounding impressed.
X nodded. "Simon and his allies eventually pushed through Irontongue's army and reached his stronghold."
"Then what?" said Rock eagerly, leaning forward as though the story would continue faster if he were closer to the storyteller.
"Then there was a mighty battle," said X. He was smiling now, and looked much more engaged in the tale. "Simon dashed at the dragon but one swipe of the beast's tail sent the axe spinning from his grasp. All hope seemed lost. Irontongue bore down upon him, teeth bared, eyes glinting with fury..."
"Then Zero appeared and cut off the dragon's head with his mighty Z-saber," said a disgruntled voice. The three brothers looked up to see the blonde Hunter standing in the doorway, wearing bright pink teddy-bear print pajamas. His hair was loose from its usual ponytail and it looked exceedingly odd, hanging around him like a yellow cape. "And then he told everyone to please shut up and go to bed. The wall is way too thin."
"Zero... why are you wearing those?" said Rock, eyeing the flamboyant apparel. "...Is that all there was?"
"Maybe," said Zero irritably. "Now go to bed, or I'll cut off all of your heads as well. I'm not joking!" Then he turned and stalked out of the room, his hair narrowly avoiding being caught as the door hissed shut.
"I think we'd better listen to him," X said in a low voice.
"That'd be wise," Blues agreed.
"Aww... but we didn't even hear the moral of the story!" Rock whined.
"Don't play with matches," Blues replied. "Now go to bed, Rocky."
The boys retreated to their respective bunks and X switched out the lights. Rock lay awake for a while, his eyes barely registering the outline of Blues' bed in the dim thread of light seeping in from the hall. Even though he was in a foreign world two hundred years from home, he couldn't help feeling safe and secure knowing that his brothers were only a few feet away. For all their quirks, Rock couldn't have wished for a better family.
His eyelids began to droop, the stress of the day's events finally catching up with him. He slowly drifted to sleep, lulled with visions of magic axes and mermaids and himself and his brothers in shining armor, questing to slay the dragon together.