CHAPTER NINETEEN
Escape Velocity
"Zero!" the blue Hunter cried, grabbing the blonde's shoulder and shoving him further into the room. He gestured wildly at his surroundings. "What is this?"
The room looked like a war zone. The dressers had been overturned, beds undone, blankets scattered everywhere. There were suspicious looking scuff marks on the ceiling and one of the beds had collapsed. "What happened here?" X demanded, turning to Zero, arms akimbo.
"I told you, we had a pillow fight," Bass said, from the side of the room. He leaned against the wall, sheets and remnants of the dressers at his feet. Blues was in the room as well, looking with dismay at the wreckage of his bed. The sound of running water showed that Rock was taking the hot shower he had requested.
"Using busters and the Z-saber?" X asked.
"It's called a fight for a reason," Bass replied.
X rolled his eyes. "Really, you two are the most irresponsible..." He turned back to Zero, only to notice that the blonde was not paying attention to him. He was staring at the wall, a very un-Zero like downcast expression on his face. "...Zero? Are you okay?"
"X, I hate myself," he answered, running a hand through his hair.
Startled by the uncharacteristic statement, X blinked, then frowned. "Zero... I know that Zero II is a bit prickly—"
"No, I meant I hate myself. As in me." The blonde sank wearily onto the remains of a chair. "I am a complete idiot."
Bass raised an eyebrow, moving away from the wall to stand beside his brother. "What made you decide to admit that now?"
"Bass, you ought to be more considerate..." X began.
Zero shook his head, giving a weak smile. "No, it's okay, X. That's just the way he is. I just... ah, I don't know..."
X frowned again, then looked at Bass, who shrugged. Blues caught his eye and inclined his head towards the door. Nodding back, X gently touched Zero's arm. "Come on, we need to talk," he said, nudging him toward the exit. Zero stood up obediently and began walking. X glanced over his shoulder as he reached the door. "And Bass, you'd better start cleaning, because this is where you're sleeping tonight." Ignoring the black armored robot's indignant reply, he stepped out into the corridor and led Zero down the hall.
"Where are we going?" Zero asked, as the blue Hunter ushered him into the elevator.
"We're taking a page out of Blues' book," X replied, as the lift began to rise. "To the roof."
The roof of the Resistance base was a relatively wide, metal space, flanked by several guard towers. There was no one else up there, and X led Zero to the railing, where someone had placed a small bench overlooking the desert. The sun was beginning to set, turning the sand blood-red.
"So what happened, Zero?" X asked, after they were both seated. "Last I saw you had followed Zero II..."
"I... got into an argument with him," Zero replied. He ran a hand through his hair, disrupting his ponytail. "I said some stupid things, and he got mad... and rightfully so. He basically accused me of disliking him and wishing he didn't exist." He folded his hands in his lap. "...And the horrible thing is, he's right. And I hate myself for it."
"...I see," said X.
"He's not a bad person... I just... I don't know what to do," Zero admitted, staring at his hands. "He's right... I don't want to become him. There are too many things I don't want to forget, X. Too many people..."
"I understand," X replied. "I... can't say that I want you to become him, either. But... I don't know, Zero. Looking at this place... Everything we knew and cared about and fought for is gone. Maybe it's better you don't remember."
"I believe any memory, no matter how bittersweet, is better than none at all, X," Zero replied softly.
"That's true," X said, smiling sadly. "But at least he seems relatively content here. And you can't say he's not fighting for a good cause."
"Yeah, but..." He shook his head, turning away.
"But what?" X coaxed.
"But it shouldn't be like this, X," he replied finally. "I promised you I wasn't going to leave again... and look what's happened."
"Look, Z..." X said, tugging lightly on a strand of his hair so he would turn to face him. "What you told me yesterday holds on my part, as well, you know. You're my best friend, and that's never going to change. Even if you don't remember me..." Zero tried to turn away again, but X put a hand on his shoulder and continued. "Even if you don't remember, I'm not going to stop caring about you."
"X..." Zero said, but then shook his head and smiled. "...Thanks, buddy."
"Now stop moping," X said, giving him a light shove. "That's my job."
Zero laughed, and returned the shove. "Okay, I get it." But then his face darkened again, looking out on the setting sun. "But even still... I am really looking forward to getting home and putting this place out of my mind."
"...I know what you mean, Zero," X replied.
Zero sighed, then reached over and gave X's hand a brief squeeze before standing up again. "Come on, we'd better get back and make sure Bass isn't causing trouble." Then he looked slightly sheepish. "And um... sorry about the room."
"Well, you're going to be the ones sleeping in it," X said cheerfully.
Zero rolled his eyes. "Thanks again, buddy. Now let's go."
------
"Come on, Blues, don't do this again," Rock said grumpily, watching his brother's sleeping form. The three brothers had moved into the intact room for the night, allowing Bass and Zero to salvage what they could from the remains of their pillow fight. Once again, Blues was sound asleep long after Rock and X had already awoken. They had made the red robot take one of the bottom bunks this time, but neither brother wanted to get close enough to poke him.
"We ought to ask Zero II to find us something sharp," X replied, from across the room. He was sitting on his own bed, reading a book.
"...where did you get that from?" Rock asked, staring at the object.
"You think I wear these enormous boots for show?" X replied.
Rock blinked. "That's a good idea, actually..."
"Morning, people," Zero announced, walking into the room and promptly shoving Blues out of the bed. Ignoring the older robot's retaliatory fist, he sat on the vacated bunk. "How is everyone this fine day?"
"Well, you're cheerful," X replied, handing Blues his sunglasses and helping to disentangle him from his sheets.
"I slept very well," Zero said.
"It was probably the pajamas," Bass said cheekily, as he walked through the door as well. "They made you feel pretty and restful."
"Shut it," Zero said evenly.
"Well, I'm just glad you're feeling better," said X. He sat back down on the bed and folded his arms, leaning back against the wall. "Now all we have to worry about is Wily's next move."
"Hopefully he'll show himself soon," Bass muttered. "I'd like to get out of this Orwellian nightmare." The others turned to glance oddly at him, and he rolled his eyes. "What? I'm not an idiot, jeez."
"I didn't know you liked dystopian fiction, Bass," said X, interest flickering on his face.
"I don't," Bass said bluntly. "But I'm not stupid."
"Right," X replied, looking rather disappointed. Off to the side, Zero tried to stifle a chuckle.
After X glared at the blonde and he managed to contain himself, there was a pause of silence for several moments. "I kinda wish I had brought something to do," Rock muttered finally, sinking onto the bed. "I think carrying my Game Boy with me might be wise from now on..."
"Don't worry, Rocky. There's bound to be something you can find to do around here," Blues replied with a smile. Rock knew very well what he was implying; though tea with Alouette would only work for so long. He rolled his eyes at his brother in reply.
A knock then came at the door. "Huh? Who is it?" Zero asked, looking at the door. "Come in! It's open!"
The automatic door slid open, and Zero II stood on the other side, arms at his sides. Rock smiled at him. "Hey, Zero. Any word on our next mission?"
"No," he returned. "But X needs to come with me for the moment. Ciel has called for him again."
"Well, all right." X stood up, and set the book on his bed beside where he had been sitting. He approached Zero II and the red warrior turned with him as he past.
The door slid shut behind them both, and they proceeded down the bland, drab corridor. X felt a sensation of gloom fall over him. It always happened when he walked the halls. They were so cold feeling; it was like being trapped in a warehouse.
"So, what was it that Ciel needed me for?" X asked, glancing over to the silent Resistance member beside him.
"You'll find out," Zero II replied. His tone was not short, but it did have enough authority to put the question to rest immediately. They reached the elevator in a matter of moments, and they went down a floor from their quarters.
X was tempted to ask why they were going down, considering the command center and Ciel's quarters were several floors up. However, the blue Hunter decided against it figuring he would get only a single sentence non-answer from his companion. He followed Zero obediently down the hall and through a door, leading to another small corridor. It looked decidedly identical to the one on the floor above. Zero led him to one of the doors lining the walls.
"She's waiting for us in here," Zero II said, rapping on the door once with his fist. The portal slid opened, and he stepped inside slowly. X followed a second later, and he could see the blonde scientist in the room as he entered.
"You wanted to see me, Ciel?" X asked.
"Well, yes and no," she replied, turning toward him. "Though I enjoy your company, I wasn't the one who asked to see you. They did." She pointed a little further into the room. X followed her gaze, and his eyes widened. Several different emotions flashed through his mind at once as he saw the two Reploids they had met upon their arrival to this time period seated across the room.
"Simone? Jean-Luc?" X said shakily, looking at the visitors. Relief flushed into his systems, and he loosened slightly. "Thank goodness you're okay." There was a long and awkward pause. X's body tensed up again, seeing the eyes of the two Reploids in front of him piercing him to his core. He was now regretting his somewhat rash decision to tell the pair his true name. It had seemed a good idea at the time, but now, faced with them...
"It was thanks to you, after all," Simone said finally, breaking the quiet.
Ciel nodded to Zero II, and they quickly excused themselves from the room. The door shut behind them, but suddenly everything felt more real to X, and he could feel his body tensing even more. He knew they wouldn't hurt him, but the Hunter couldn't help but feel anxious.
"…Are you fidgeting?" Simone gently asked, tilting her head slightly.
X realized that he was slightly with his hands, but he promptly stopped. "Sorry," X said, sheepishly.
"Ciel… she told us about you," Jean-Luc said. His face was oddly neutral, but X thought he saw a darkness in the reploid's eyes. That thought sent a shiver through his mind. "…So you really are Mega Man X. The Mega Man X."
"Yeah, I am," X quietly replied. He paused. "I'm… sorry I lied to you about it at first."
"Well, really. What else were you supposed to do?" Simone laughed lightly. "You certainly couldn't tell us outright that you were X. We understand why you did it now that we know the whole story."
"...Ciel told you about where we're from, then?" X asked.
"Yes, but we swore to keep it secret. No one else will hear it from us." She answered back to him with a smile. "Not that they'd really believe us anyway."
"I'm glad they found you," X said, finally releasing some of his tension.
"Ciel told us that you personally requested aid for us after you arrived here," Jean-Luc replied, placing a hand on one of Simone's. "I must admit, I was surprised when a squad of Resistance soldiers showed up to rescue us. I could hardly believe my eyes."
"But they were real," said Simone. "And… now we're here. Probably as safe as we'll ever get in our lives."
"The Resistance has offered us posts here in the base once we're settled and ready. Strictly voluntary service," Jean-Luc continued. "But I intend to serve once we're settled in here. Manufacturing weapons was what Simone and I were good at in Neo Arcadia; and now I can finally put that skill to a cause I believe in."
X smiled. "Things are looking up, then?"
"Oh yes," Jean-Luc returned. "And… well, we owe it to you and your friends. Without you, we probably wouldn't have made it much longer in that warehouse." There was a pause, but he continued. "You and the others really came through for us."
"But don't think we've forgiven you for that shock you gave us," Simone added.
X resisted the urge to flinch. The female reploid's unwitting comment brought back bad memories of Elec Man. "Yeah, sorry about that," he sheepishly said.
Jean-Luc's expression darkened after a moment of quiet. "It's just... funny that we'd be saved by the very figure we had come to hate. It's very strange. I… don't really understand it all anymore."
"Trust me, I'm just as confused as you are about how this all happened. I understand what happened… just not how." X ran a hand through his hair. "And I wish I knew of a way to set things right. I was trying to help make a peaceful world, and I failed. I wish I knew why I failed." The Hunter glanced upward, his eyes fixing blankly at one of the lamps embedded in the ceiling.
The other two reploids exchanged a glance with each other, and then looked at X, still gazing numbly at the light. "You genuinely don't like what you see," Jean-Luc said after a short silence.
"Of course I don't," X returned, weakly. "How could I? It seems that everything I do is destined to mean nothing in the end. This era is entirely opposite of what I've been fighting for in my time..."
"Then keep fighting to fix it," he replied. "You have the strength, the ability, and the will. Even if you can't alter the past, you can help the future." The worker's face lightened as he saw the Hunter's eyes move from above to meet his own gaze. "Like how you helped us."
X nodded slowly. "You're right," he answered, letting out a short sigh. "Though I still don't like it..."
"Though, I have learned one thing from all of this," Simone cut in, standing up from her bed. She approached the blue Hunter slowly. "The legends about X being a hero were very true." She extended a hand and rested it gently on his left. "Thank you, Mega Man X."
X was silent for an instant, that chill that had been haunting him the whole time disappearing in a flash. "You're welcome."
------
Rock sighed, glaring down one of the seemingly endless hallways in the Resistance base. Bored with sitting in the room and not wanting to hang around with Zero and Bass, he had gone for a walk. Now he had somehow managed to get himself lost again. This time, though, Alouette wasn't around to guide him back to civilization. He absently rubbed the back of his neck, trying to remember the path he had taken to get here. With a sigh, he turned and walked back through the drab hallways. He passed rows of identical doors, marked simply with a letter and a number. Rock knew this meant they were apartments, remembering the room he and his siblings shared. However, the designation showed he was on the wrong floor.
He passed through a large automatic door that simply read "Corridor," the numerical designation having worn off and not been repainted. How anyone found their way around in this base was truly beyond him. After spending several more minutes wondering through this nameless corridor, he finally stumbled upon an elevator. Relieved, he stepped inside and pressed the button for the second floor and his room.
The door slid shut, and the machine creaked to life around him. Rock hummed tunelessly to himself as the elevator descended, waiting patiently for his number to light up. Suddenly though, the elevator halted part way to his floor. Startled, Rock took a step back as the doors opened.
Zero II stepped onto the elevator, his expression neutral. Seeing Rock, he gave the boy an acknowledging nod. He then pressed the button for the first floor. The doors closed and the elevator rumbled to life once more.
Rock watched the blonde warrior for a few moments as the elevator continued to descend. The man seemed perfectly content to remain silent, but Rock was never one to pass up conversation. "Hey Zero," he said tentatively, and the warrior turned to glance at him. "Where are you off to?"
"Cerveau wants to see me," he replied.
Rock cocked his head to the side. "Who was that again?"
"Our chief engineer." His gaze returned to the front of the elevator.
"Oh! Did he fix your shield thingy?" Rock asked, eyes widening in excitement. "That was really cool! And really useful, too!"
"Yes, it can be. When it works." He glanced down at his gauntlet and gave a subtle shake of his head.
"Hey, would you mind if I came to see it installed?" Rock asked eagerly. "I mean, I don't really have anything else to do..."
Zero II frowned. "I don't know..." Rock's face fell, and the blonde's expression softened slightly. "Cerveau is a bit overprotective of his equipment, Rock. I don't know if he'd want you in there."
"Well, I may not look like it, but I was built to be Dr. Light's lab assistant," Rock pressed. "I won't touch anything, I promise!"
"I'm not worried about you breaking anything." Zero II looked down at Rock. "Cerveau's the one you have to impress."
"It'll be fine," Rock said. "Please?"
Zero II gave a slow nod as the elevator halted on the main floor. He exited at a deliberate pace, and Rock diligently followed. The walk took them through a series of honeycomb doors, but Zero II knew well where he was going, so it didn't take long to reach a door labeled simply 'Lab'. With a mechanical hum and the grinding of gears, the door opened wide and Rock entered after the Resistance warrior.
Cerveau's lab wasn't as large as Rock had imagined, but it had no shortage of equipment. Every available inch of space was crowded with mysterious devices, blinking and humming as they worked. Most of the machines set up in the lab were beyond Rock's understanding.
"Cerveau," Zero II said, raising his voice slightly over the noise of the machinery. "I'm here."
A head popped out from around one of the taller machines. The reploid had black hair and a visor covered his eyes, instantly reminding Rock of Blues. However, the reploid looked and carried himself as an older man, and he wore a green uniform the same shade as most of the guards. When he walked out from behind the machine, it became obvious that his uniform was more like a robe or a lab coat than a combat uniform.
"Zero, excellent timing," the older-looking man said, pulling off the oil-soaked gloves he had been wearing and producing a new, clean pair from a pocket of his coat. "I'd like to reinstall the Shield Boomerang unit right away." He walked closer to Zero II, but then noticed the little blue visitor beside him. "…Zero, who is this child, and why is he here with you?"
"This is Rock, one of our visitors," Zero II said evenly. "He wanted to see the lab."
"Zero, you know I don't like having unauthorized personnel in my laboratory," Cerveau said sternly, and Rock wilted slightly under his gaze. "Especially children. They end up breaking things… not purposefully, of course. But regardless, it ends up causing problems."
"You have to repair my equipment all the time, Cerveau," Zero II pointed out.
"Thus my comment about children breaking things," Cerveau said dryly, and Rock had to stifle a grin. "This is the third time I've had to fix your boomerang, Zero."
Zero II frowned slightly, but Rock thought he saw a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Regardless, Rock won't cause you any problems," he said. "I'll take responsibility for him."
"Well, if you vouch for him, I suppose it will do no harm to let him stay," Cerveau conceded. He turned to Rock. "Just don't touch anything, alright?"
"No problem!" Rock smiled, giving a thumbs up.
"Anyway, Zero," Cerveau said, wheeling around and disappearing between two large machines. "You'll be happy to know that I've tweaked the Shield Boomerang's functions slightly to make it less likely to break down in the future."
"Good," was Zero II's noncommittal reply.
"Of course, that will only help as long as you're actually trying to keep your equipment in one piece." Zero II made a dismissive noise which Rock could tell Cerveau chose to ignore. The mechanic reappeared from the back of the room, carrying a slender rod-like object. In the middle of the rod was a circular unit, which Rock guessed was where the shield formed. "Now then, let's get this hooked in."
Cerveau took Zero II's left arm and forced him to lay it down on a nearby worktable. He opened the gauntlet with a small tool, revealing a compartment about the same size as the rod lying on the table. Rock figured Cerveau must have modified Zero II's gauntlets himself, given the ease with which the unit slipped in. The mechanic tightened a few bolts and a moment later, he used the same tool to close the compartment. The grey center of the device now protruded from the armor. "Do me a favor and test it out," he said.
Zero II nodded and moved his arm away from the two onlookers. There was a quick hum and the green energy shield flitted to life. The energy within it spiraled like a slow-moving typhoon, making it appear like a whirlpool with the gray unit as the center.
"Good!" said Cerveau cheerfully. "It's working better than ever."
"I can still throw it, right?" Zero II asked, twisting his arm experimentally.
"Of course. Why you would though, I don't know." The mechanic gave the blonde a disapproving look. "That's part of the reason why you break it so often."
Zero II paused. "If you didn't want me to throw it, why did you call it a Shield Boomerang?"
Cerveau waved off the question. "It sounds better than 'shield unit' or something equally inane."
"But you designed the projector to shoot off at high speed and return."
Cerveau scoffed. "I had to give it some sort of offensive function as a last resort weapon. I didn't expect you to use it so frequently in combat."
"If you say so," Zero II said.
"Excuse me," Rock chimed in. "Did you use some sort of homing program to get the boomerang to return?"
"Yes, actually," Cerveau said. "I programmed it myself."
"It looks pretty neat," said Rock. "I've seen programs like that before for other weapons, but nothing quite like what you made."
"Thank you, son," said Cerveau, seeming to inflate slightly upon hearing praise for his design skills. "Zero, why can't you be as well-mannered as this lad?"
"Five minutes ago you were afraid he was going to destroy your lab," Zero II pointed out.
He waved a hand absently, slipping back into the maze of machinery. "You can't honestly expect me to remember that. Anyway, we're moving on. I have something else for you!" He rummaged behind a large console and emerged triumphantly brandishing a medium sized metal pole. "A brand new weapon!"
Cerveau held out the unit so the other two could see it clearly. It was about five feet long and colored silver, with a dark grey handgrip in the middle. There also appeared to be some sort of extendable handle in the grip. Zero II put a hand to his chin. "So this is what you've been busy with."
"Yes," said Cerveau, sounding pleased with himself. "I've found a way to implement all three of your previous weapons into a single unit. I'm sure you remember your Triple Rod and Chain Rod?" Zero II nodded. "Well, I realized that with some effort, I could modify the Recoil Rod to contain the powers of your previous weapons as well." He handed the spear to the blonde warrior, who inspected it carefully, running a hand along the shaft. "You can attack with it normally much like you did with the Triple Rod. Also, the head of the spear is extendable, so you can hit things from further away than your saber can."
Zero II spun the rod in his hands like a short staff, and then turned it on. A green energy spearhead lit up the end of the rod. He thrust the weapon forward, and it extended out several more feet.
"With that, it was easy to install Chain Rod functionality into it. You can launch the head out like a hook, and its energy tether will allow you to either grapple with it, or you could do like what you did a lot; rip parts off of enemies. Whichever works best for you. There's a handle in the grip for you to use while grappling." Cerveau folded his arms. "Finally, you can use the spear to vault yourself skyward if you build up a substantial charge. Both ends of the unit work the same way, so you could feasibly fight enemies all around you."
Zero II deactivated the weapon, letting it rest across his palms. "So what did you call it?"
"Well, after thinking on it for a while and searching the thesaurus, I decided to call it the Trinity Rod," said Cerveau, with only a little pride. "I'm sure you'll find it useful."
"Probably. Once I get used to it," Zero II replied.
"It shouldn't take you long. Enjoy it, Zero. And… try not to break it."
"I'll keep it in mind."
"Oh, and one final thing..." Cerveau took the weapon from Zero II and tapped the butt of the weapon on the ground three times in quick succession. The two ends shot inwards, leaving him holding only the handle. "It's collapsible, too. Should make it easier to carry. I've even made a special holster for you to use." He rummaged in a pocket, withdrawing a heavy white plastic holster attached to a similarly-colored belt. He placed the rod in its holder and then offered the collapsed weapon to the red warrior.
"Thank you, Cerveau," said Zero II, accepting the device. "It'll be helpful." He buckled the belt around his waist, allowing the rod to hang down just behind the beam saber holstered on his upper leg.
"That's so cool, Zero!" said Rock cheerfully. "I wish I had awesome weapons like that! I mean, I can use the Robot Master weapons but yours are just way cooler!"
"You have the advantage of not being able to drop your weapon," Zero II replied evenly.
"...That's true," said Rock, looking thoughtful. "Never thought about it that way!"
"Just what are you discussing?" Cerveau asked, looking confused.
Zero II was about to answer, when a beep emanated from his helmet. He tapped the side with two fingers. "Zero here." Rock watched as he listened to the person on the other end for a moment. Finally, he said, "All right. I'm on my way."
"What's up?" Rock asked, as the Resistance fighter removed the hand from his helmet and turned back to him.
"Ciel wants us," he replied. "Something's come up. Come on."
------
The group had congregated in the command center, which this time held a full staff of support workers. Ciel motioned for Zero II and Rock to join her around the holographic display, where the rest of the group was huddled looking as inconspicuous as they could.
"Good, everyone's here," Ciel said, looking around at the assembled reploids. "I'll get straight to the point." She moved to a small panel and pressed a button. The holographic projector turned on fully, and in a bright green three-dimensional show of light, the shape of a building formed. The facility looked massive and industrial, so Rock assumed it would be somewhere in Neo Arcadia.
"I think I've determined just what Freeze Man did in the Antarctic Computer Base," Ciel quietly explained. "From everything you've told me and the recent events I'm about to explain to you, it would seem he placed a virus into the systems of Neo Arcadia."
"A virus? Isn't that really dangerous?" Bass asked, an unusual tone of concern creeping into his voice. "Is it affecting the life support systems?"
Ciel shook her head. "Fortunately, not to our knowledge, Bass."
"I'll bet I know what the viruses are doing," Rock said. "If it was Freeze Man who planted them, he must be using them to make all of the computers…"
"If you finish that sentence, so help me I'll hurt you," Bass threatened.
Rock ignored the threat. "Freeze!" Bass growled audibly, but Ciel gave a light laugh at the blue robot's joke.
"Please, Rock. I appreciate your humor, but we must be serious." She pointed up at the hologram. "But to an extent, what you said is correct. We believe the virus has disabled and frozen Neo Arcadian communications. There appears to be a severe outage all along the grid, disabling their ability to organize effectively."
"Then what does this building have to do with the virus?" Rock piped up again.
"Our back door into the Neo Arcadian defense grid indicates the teleportation shield surrounding this facility has been disabled. We were barely able to detect it through the virus's interference, but there's no doubt about it. Something is going on at this plant, and it surely has to relate to the attack on the Computer Base."
"How can you be sure, Ciel?" Blues asked.
"In the brief window where we could access the security systems, no other facility had a shield drop. Furthermore, it seems the defense systems within the factory there have been activated."
"Factory?" X asked.
"It's a weapons plant in northeastern Neo Arcadia," Ciel replied. "And if what you told me about Dr. Wily is correct, it's a prime target for his objectives. He most likely has operatives in the plant right now, stealing supplies."
"Wait, a weapons plant?" Zero said, frowning. "Why do I feel like I've heard that before...?"
"Jean-Luc mentioned a weapons plant in that area," X replied softly. "He said it had a... reputation."
Ciel nodded. "Yes, this is most likely the same place, X. This plant, and the ones surrounding it, are well known for being particularly brutal to their workers... and suffer a large number of uninvestigated workplace 'accidents'."
"Then why haven't you all done something about it, yet?" Bass demanded, folding his arms.
The scientist smiled softly. "While I very much would like too, Bass, the situation is the same as with the Computer Base. Under normal circumstances, there is no way our forces could hope to infiltrate a place like that. It's one of the largest manufacturing centers for golems and other heavy mechaniloids. Even now... it's probably extremely dangerous in there. However, it's a risk I'm forced to ask you to take, not only because of Wily, but because we believe there are Reploid workers still stuck inside that factory." She closed her eyes briefly. "There's no telling what might happen to them in this chaos. Zero, can I count on you to lead any survivors to safety?"
"Of course," Zero II stoically replied.
"That, and stopping the attack on the plant will be your primary objectives," Ciel continued. "But I should warn you… it will not be long before Neo Arcadia figures out what's really going on and sends reinforcements, so you'd best hurry."
"Anything else you could tell us?" Blues asked. "Like how long we actually have?"
"Well, based on information we've received, security lockdowns are not uncommon at this plant, so the Neo Arcadians may initially assume it's standard procedure in an event like this. But even if that's the case, you can't count on that alone. Be swift."
"Got it," Zero II replied, walking over to the Trans Server. "I'm ready." The others quickly followed him onto the platform. "Operator, begin the transfer procedure." A nod came from the dark haired operator, and she began typing furiously on the keyboard.
"Zero, be careful!" Ciel called to him.
"Yeah, I will be," the simple reply came, and the team was whisked away in several flashes of light.
------
The group solidified into a scene of chaos.
They had landed in a hall adjoining the main corridor of the complex, placing them just outside the action. The main passage before them was filled with a steady stream of reploids. They surged past the party, seemingly unaware of their new observers. Dozens of reploids—male, female, of all sizes and designs—formed a stampede running from some unseen danger.
"What's going on?" Rock asked, over the sound of the panicked crowd. But his answer came a moment later as screams began to echo towards them. A rumbling followed quickly and Zero II drew his buster gun, shouting, "It's a golem!"
Before Rock could do anything the creature smashed into view. It was enormous, filling the entire hallway, its steel frame bending the wall supports as it scraped through the passage. Despite its massive frame, it managed to float a few feet above the ground. It was little more than a giant armored pair of arms attached to a conical body, coated in thick armor. The fleeing reploids were no match for its strength. The slower were trapped and crushed by its massive fists as it ploughed onward, the faster caught by the energy beams that shot from its head. Coolant and limbs splattered across the floor. It was a massacre.
Some of the reploids ducked into the party's passage to escape the behemoth, dashing heedlessly past the group. Rock formed his buster, his eyes wide and his arm shaking. So much death, so quickly... how could this have happened?
"We have to retreat," Zero II said, energy beginning to glow around the barrel of his gun.
"But... the people..." Rock said faintly.
"We'll be slaughtered if we stay. There's no room to maneuver," Zero II replied.
"Right," X agreed, his own weapon readied. "Back that way, everyone!"
The group turned, racing down the corridor away from the menacing roar of the golem. Unfortunately, the creature noticed them, and their drawn weapons. Registering them as a threat, its huge form swiveled and then began rolling up their corridor, the walls around it twisting and buckling as it passed.
"...Damn, this is not good," Zero muttered, glancing over his shoulder at the creature. The party had enough of a head start that they were still ahead of the range of its laser, but they were losing ground every second. They were also hampered by the 20XX trio, who did not have the added speed of a dash function.
"If we stopped to call for a trans-server exit, we'd be killed," X agreed, his buster fully charged and on standby. "And there's no way we can fight in this corridor..."
"Look! Up ahead!" Rock called. The hallway widened onto a large open-raftered room. The floor was covered with concrete and there were giant crates scattered here and there. It looked like a loading bay of some kind, although all production appeared to have been halted.
"As soon as we reach that, fan out," Zero II ordered. "We have to take this down, now."
"Uh oh," said X, looking further ahead. The others quickly saw what had caught his attention. A group of reploids were huddled at the far end of the room, desperately trying to open one of the large doors to the outside. The door remained tightly locked despite their efforts.
"They're sitting targets..." Blues muttered.
"I'll take care of them," Zero II said shortly. "The rest of you, get rid of the golem!" He activated his dash thrusters, speeding ahead of the group and out of the corridor.
The others did not argue, quickening their pace as best they could and bursting out into the loading bay. Moments later the golem followed, the sound of its massive engines echoing throughout the room. X wheeled to the left with Rock while Zero, Bass, and Blues ran right, preparing to distract the monster from the civilians.
Across the room, the reploids looked up in fear as the Golem smashed its way into the room. "Stand away from the door!" Zero II ordered, as he dashed towards them. As frightened of the strange red-armored newcomer as the giant mechaniloid, they quickly moved to obey, standing away from the door and the inoperable control panel.
Zero II ignored the panel completely, instead slashing his saber across the metal door. The steel sizzled and melted where the energy sword made contact. A few swipes later and he had made an impromptu rectangular opening. One kick was enough to break the section away from the rest of the door and create an escape to the outside.
"All of you, get out of here," he ordered, as the grateful reploids moved towards the exit. Not waiting to see the last of the group disappear outside, the red reploid turned back to the Golem, drawing his buster pistol and dashing towards the fray.
Back on the other side of the room, X unleashed a charged blast at the mechaniloid's head. The blast left a visible dent in its armor. X smiled slightly and began to charge his weapon again. The X-Buster was more effective than he had expected against the metal monster, but it still had plenty of fight in it. The metallic terror opened what resembled a mouth and fired a laser blast at the blue Hunter. X slipped away using his dash and easily kept away from it as the Golem tried to track him.
Taking this chance, Blues and Mega Man both emerged from behind cover and launched a pair of charged blasts at the machine, damaging the head even further. The machine tried to rush Rock, its thrusters forcing it forward at a high speed, but the blue warrior was speedy enough to slide out of its way. The machine was far too slow to turn, and while it skidded to a halt, Zero II caught it in the head with a pistol shot.
The Golem, now greatly confused by the number of potentially lethal targets, spun around and tried to get its bearings. It shot another laser at X, but before it could even begin to lock on to him, it received another charged blast to the back of the head. The mechaniloid rocked forward, and before it could regain stablity, Zero leapt on top of it and jammed his Z-Saber into the casing surrounding its vital components. Sparks went flying from the machine, and its hovering systems began to stutter horribly. The machine wobbled as its hover jets began to give way, and Zero withdrew his weapon and dash-jumped away gracefully.
It fell over with a deafening crash. The front part of the machine exploded violently, the blast ripping into its generator and setting off a small chain reaction of explosions. When the smoke cleared, only the husk of the mechaniloid's armor plating remained on the loading bay floor.
"Well, that was invigorating," Zero remarked, looking back at Bass, nonchalantly who blew away a puff of steam from his buster. "Almost too easy."
"Don't get too proud of yourself," Zero II returned, sheathing his pistol. "That was only a basic model, and only one of many. Let's move out. We don't have time to sit around."
"But where do we go?" Rock asked. "It doesn't look like what we're looking for is here."
"We probably need to go back up that corridor," Zero said, a tinge of concern creeping in his voice. "It's a good bet that where the workers were running from is where we need to go."
Nods were quickly exchanged and they ran back down the corridor they had only moments ago used for an escape route. When they reached the T branch where they originally arrived, Zero II pressed himself alongside the wall. He glanced down the hall where the monstrosity had charged from and observed nothing but a very damaged hallway, filled with dead reploids.
"…Looks like it's clear," he muttered. "Let's move on." He stepped out into the hall, his drawn saber in one hand. Taking a quickened but alert pace, he led the team through the hallway, ignoring the drips and hisses from the devastated pipes and the slippery coolant left on the floor from the machine's victims.
Rock felt his stomach turn as he followed behind the resistance fighter's lead, trying desperately not to look at the cold faces of the dead reploids scattered through the hall. He instead moved to walk alongside Blues, who quietly accepted the hand Rock slipped into his without reacting. This place was terrible and frightening, but the little blue robot tried to swallow the fear with every step he took. If he let the scene get to him, he knew that he wouldn't be able to do anything to help the other reploids trapped in this facility. And to Rock, that was worse than any fear.
Passing several branching paths along the way, they followed signs posted on the walls pointing to the main manufacturing chambers. If anything was important in the factory, it was most likely there, so that was where Wily's troops would be as well. As they drew closer to their objective, they discovered fewer and fewer slain reploids and more disabled and destroyed Pantheons. They too, looked like they were in the path of the berserk golem robot. But as they progressed, they could hear the sounds of clashing metal further up the hall, and the noise continued to grow louder.
There were even more corpses of the blue drones by the broken door at the end of the hall. What remained of the double doors were twisted pieces of steel buried amid the pile of corpses. They approached the portal cautiously, the sound of clanging metal reaching a crescendo. Suddenly, a loud noise shook the ground as a golem crashed through the wall by the door, sending debris flying into the hallway. Rock covered his head with his arms as he was showered by concrete dust.
The giant armored machine completely ignored the group, however, activating its thrusters and blasted forward through the hole again. Another loud clash of steel followed, and the heroes cautiously moved to follow the sound, peering around the broken door and into the next room.
Rock was astonished to see two golem units fighting with each other, completely wrecking the production facility. The conveyer belts were shattered, machines blown apart, and bodies of workers and Pantheons lay lifeless, amid scattered parts and small fires burning all across the production room floor. In the midst of it all, these two behemoths furiously launched themselves at one another. The deactivated frames of other Golems lay throughout the room; some destroyed, others simply not functioning. A maze of twisted metal had replaced what was supposed to be an orderly assembly line.
The golem that had crashed through the wall lunged forward at the other, its armored fists plowing into the other's side. A massive dent was left behind in the plating second golem, and it reeled backward into another set of machinery. It countered with a laser blast, which merely bounced off the armor of the first until it was aimed at the head. The laser penetrated the armor of the machine, and the hiss of melting metal filled the air and reverberated off the walls.
Its head exploded violently, and the machine fell over and detonated.
The final golem patrolled left a short way, but quickly turned its head as its sensors picked up its visitors.
"Get out of the way!" Zero II shouted, shoving both Rock and Bass aside as the green laser beam tore down the middle of the hallway, narrowly missing all three of them.
"It has us targeted! Shoot it, X!" Zero shouted.
"I can't get a lock on it!" X replied, the hum of his fully charged weapon filling the air.
"I can," Blues stated, raising his shield. His armor's color flipped to yellow, and he peeked out around the door frame and quickly shot a Thunder Beam into the room. The laser stopped an instant later, the powerful electric attack interfering with the mechaniloid's systems. "Come on!" he shouted, charging into the room shield first.
The five quickly dispersed into the room and took cover behind various pieces of large debris. Just as they finally settled in, the golem recalibrated itself and turned to try to find the attacker that proved the greatest threat.
It decided to target Blues. Rock watched as the behemoth shot another laser toward him, and it began eating through the twisted metal machine the red robot had taken cover behind. Blues slipped away from where the beam was penetrating and charged his weapon for a counterattack.
He popped out from his hiding place in time to see another blast of Thunder Beam, this time from Bass, hit the machine and stop the laser again. Rock also saw the opportunity and unleashed a stream of Atomic Fire. The golem, having been covered in all sorts of coolants and oils from its rampage, was quickly engulfed in roaring flames.
Blinded and confused by the searing flames, the Golem spun around rapidly, trying to extinguish itself, only to be blasted by both Blues and Zero II. Its head exploded loudly just as a shot from the X Buster reached it. The blue energy streaked across the room and destroyed what was probably the final functional machine in the room.
"That went well," Zero snorted. "Those things aren't so tough."
"Only so long as you avoid the laser," Zero II returned, glaring at him. "That's a serious piece of hardware."
"Good plan, using your special weapon like that, Rocky," Blues congratulated while approaching his brother. "Very good call."
"Thanks, Blues!" Rock beamed, flipping back to his Mega Buster.
"Save the celebration for later," Bass said bluntly.
Zero II moved through the debris, stopping by a small directory on the wall. He gave it a cursory glance and then said, "There's no one here. Let's move on up a floor." The Resistance fighter continued walking to a large set of double doors further along the production floor, which had a small control panel next to it. Unfortunately, the panel had been blown out, and this earned a frown from the warrior. "Looks like we're taking the long way. There's a stairwell over here."
The five robots progressed silently through the staircase and climbed up a flight of stairs to the main above-ground level. They came out into another set of corridors. Dead Pantheons lay against the walls here as well, with a few dead workers around them. Despite this, there seemed to be no activity.
Zero took point, leading the team forward quickly. As they passed by a four way junction, Rock turned his head.
He thought he had seen something move swiftly down the hallway. He raised an eyebrow, thinking he was imagining things. But a moment later, it zipped past again, leaving a slight blur behind for only an instant.
"Something's over there," Rock said, pointing.
Bass and Blues turned their heads, but saw nothing.
"Are you sure?" Bass asked. "Because I sure as heck don't see anything."
"No matter, just keep moving," Zero II said, flatly. "We need to find out what's going on here. We don't have time to chase phantoms."
Zero again pushed forward, though his stance had shifted to be more defensive since Rock issued his warning. At least someone looked like they were taking him seriously. The march continued in silence for several more moments.
X was walking alongside Zero II several paces behind the main group. The blonde was glancing behind him, scanning the corridor with one finger on the trigger of his buster gun. "...You okay?" X asked finally, after the other had said nothing for several minutes. The blonde gave him a questioning look. "I mean... you seem a little more on edge than usual."
The Resistance fighter nodded curtly. "I'm fine."
X smiled sadly. "You still aren't comfortable around us, are you?"
Zero II considered that. "No... that's not it entirely. But it is... interesting... meeting you like this."
They passed a row of glass windows, some shattered by plasma fire, the room beyond dark and empty. "...I really don't understand it..." X said softly.
Zero II looked sideways at the blue Hunter. "What?"
X smiled, shaking his head. "All we've both ever wanted is for everyone, human and reploid, to live in peace. And yet we basically ended up on opposite sides. What happened...? Where did I go wrong...?"
"No one 'went wrong', X," the blonde said. "What happened was beyond your control or mine. And it's in the past now, anyway. All we can do is move forward."
"Rather ironic, isn't it...?" X gave a soft laugh.
"I suppose," said Zero II. "...We'd better catch up to them." He nodded towards the slowly growing distance between the team members. "We're losing pace."
Wordlessly, they continued through the halls. The corridors were eerily silent; there were no more sounds of Golems on destructive rampages, and the patrols seemed to have stopped. The silence caused an unease that crept through Rock's circuitry. This whole plant was creepy; grim death machines being manufactured on the assembly lines by oppressed Reploids. Their release haunted Rock's mind. He couldn't begin to fathom why the Neo Arcadians would turn weapons on their own workers. The Golems hadn't been that hard to destroy, all things considered. But they were still a terrifying weapon; Rock immediately understood why they were feared. He silently prayed that he'd never run across one again.
But then, in the middle of his thoughts, he was startled when he heard a noise behind him. He spun around and primed his Mega Buster. Carefully avoiding X and Zero II, he pointed his weapon down the hall to see a streak zip down one of the side corridors. "There it is again," Rock said. "Did you guys see it that time?"
"No, but I definitely heard it," Blues replied, cocking his head slightly. "Be on your guard. I doubt it's friendly."
"I'll watch our backs," Zero II stated, turning around and arming his pistol. "Let's keep moving. We don't have much time."
Their pace quickened as they continued down the corridors to the main storage room. It was an unusually long walk, but with the service elevator out of order, there was little other option. Moments before they reached the storeroom, Zero abruptly paused and signaled for everyone else to hold.
"What is it?" Bass asked, eyes darting around the hall.
"Heard something," Zero replied, signaling to the door next to them. "Check it out. Standard opening procedures apply." He motioned for the others to come closer, and they all pressed themselves against the wall next to the door, except for Zero. He activated his Z-Saber and sliced through the door instantly, then kicked open its remnants. X was beside him with his gun pointing into the room.
"They're coming!" A voice from within the room shouted. "Take cover!" The red Hunter watched as several Reploid workers dove behind overturned tables and desks to hide from what they thought would be a heavy onslaught of attacks.
Zero raised an eyebrow at this, but put away his Z-Saber. "Uh, we're not here to hurt you," he said, scanning the room which to a casual glance was now devoid of reploid life. "We're here to rescue you." He held out his empty palms in a gesture of peace.
"How can we trust you?" A female voice shot back from somewhere behind a desk.
"If we wanted to harm you, wouldn't we have just started attacking by now? Just come out of your hiding spots." Zero tapped his boot impatiently while he waited. No response came. "All right, fine. If that's what you want, next time a Pantheon patrol comes by, you can deal with them yourselves." He turned to leave the room, but gave a wink to X and the others.
Rock noticed Zero's signal and knew what he was trying to do, so he didn't say anything.
"Wait… you're not with them?" the first reploid said, his voice sounding less fearful and more curious.
"Nope. Just came to help," Zero said. "But if you're not interested…" he trailed off, and he could hear the clatter of boots moving. Several workers emerged from behind the various makeshift barricades, and poured out into the middle of the room. "…Wow, there's a lot of you here, aren't there?"
Rock counted almost two dozen workers that had joined together in the center of the room. His eyes widened; most of them looked exhausted, disheveled, and frightened. "There are that many of you?" He said, not really thinking before he spoke.
"No, that's not all of us. There are more of us in the next room attached to this one. Another couple of dozen, actually…"
"So there's like… fifty of you hiding out here?" Bass demanded. "Wow. How'd you not get spotted?
"This place is pretty far out of the way and the Golems usually don't usually get into the small side rooms, so a lot of us hide out here in the meantime and wait for things to cool off," said the female reploid who had spoken earlier. Her plain uniform was tattered and stained, and she appeared to be bleeding coolant from an injury on her arm. Several other reploids seemed to have minor injuries as well. "But is it all clear? Are we free to go back to work?"
"…No, you're just free," Zero II said, walking into the room. "We're here to rescue you. Not just from the Golems, but this whole place, if you're all willing to go."
"…Where did you have in mind?" a man standing near the front of the group asked, a cautious tone overtaking his voice.
"I'm offering you a chance to join the Resistance against Weil's tyranny."
A clamor started up amongst the group, many voices shouting out at once. "…The Resistance came to help us?" "I can hardly believe it!" "It's a miracle!" Hearing the commotion, the reploids from the next room over came pouring in. The noise level grew quickly with the added people, but Zero cleared his throat loudly. Zero II shot the red Hunter a look, but it was actually more of a 'thank you' than anything else. He stepped up onto an overturned desk so everyone in the room could see him clearly.
"Listen," he said, scanning the crowd. "If any of you don't want to join us, say so and leave now." There was silence. No one moved. "…Good." The Resistance fighter put a finger to his helmet. "Ciel? I need a major Trans prepared. Yeah. I think there's about fifty people here. Yes, five-zero. They're refugee workers we managed to rescue. Thanks." Zero removed the finger from his helmet. "Prepare to transport out of here. All of you. And keep order once your transport is complete, is that clear?" Zero II asked. Several people nodded, and everyone remained quiet. "Good."
He motioned for the party to retreat back into the corridor. A moment later, a golden glow spread over the refugees and they began flashing into energy and out of sight in rapid succession.
"Wow. We just won over a bunch of new members for the Resistance, huh?" Rock asked, looking in at the now-empty room.
"Looks like it, Rocky," Blues replied. "They'll be much better off now, I'm sure. But since we've taken care of that, we need to move on. We're not far from the storage room."
They pressed on to the large double doors at the end of the corridor. Opening the door slowly and ignoring the loud creak it made, they stepped inside. The storage room was massive in size, filled with crates of various sorts. Still, there was plenty of space to move around in, though there were more boxes than Rock could count stacked against the walls.
"I'm guessing all of these contain war material." Bass snorted. "Overkill as usual. Typical for armies, I guess." He scanned the walls, but when nothing jumped out at them immediately he settled back into a state of alert caution.
Rock relaxed slightly himself, but that did not last long. He caught a flicker of something in the corner of his eye. "Hey!" he hissed, raising his buster and tugging on Blues' elbow with his free hand. "I think I saw that thing again..."
"Where?" the older robot muttered back. Rock's eyes darted around the room, and then caught a flash of movement to the right. Instinctively, he fired.
The blur vanished instantly, replaced by a reploid standing just beyond the mark the plasma had made on the wall. He leaned nonchalantly against a crate as though he had always been there. The newcomer was fairly tall, about the same height as Zero, and clad in red armor over a black bodysuit. A yellow, v-shaped ornamentation adorned the front of his helmet, mirrored by a similar design on his chest armor.
"Well, that explains it," Blues said dryly, arming his buster. "Quick Man is too fast for normal sensors to pick up."
The reploid identified as Quick Man smiled, seemingly unaffected by the guns now trained on him. "Nice to see you again too, Proto Man," he said calmly. "And of course you as well, Mega Man."
"Another Robot Master, then?" X asked, holding his buster steady.
"At your service," Quick replied, giving a mock bow. Then he blurred out and was suddenly on the other side of the room. The party jerked their weapons to the right. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a delivery to finish," he said, as four busters and a pistol targeted him again.
"Like heck we're letting you run off with a load of weapons," Bass snapped.
Quick Man folding his arms. "Look, I'm not looking for a fight. Just stay out of my way and everything will be cool, okay?"
"Until Wily decides to bathe the planet in futuristic weapons fire," said Blues.
Quick shrugged. "I'm just doing my job," he said, and hopped up to sit on one of the crates. He let his legs swing idly over the side of the metal container. "If it were up to me, I wouldn't be here. I don't care about world domination and all that."
"Then why do you still follow Wily?" X asked.
"Why does Mega Man follow Dr. Light?" Quick countered. "He built me. I owe him something."
"But he doesn't owe you anything," Bass returned. "He won't hesitate to scrap you if he feels like it."
Quick's eyes narrowed. "I don't intend to give him a reason to."
"So you're just going to go along with what he tells you, even though you don't agree with it?" X asked.
"It's not my place to question it," Quick said evenly. "It's not like I was created to live, anyway."
"That's probably the most depressing thing I've ever heard someone say, and I hang around X all the time," said Zero. X glared at him.
"Maybe, but I don't really care," Quick said, shrugging. "Hakuna Matata and all that, y'know? We're lucky to exist at all, and if that existence gets cut off, who are we to complain?"
"But..." Rock began.
"We need to end this," Zero II said, breaking in to the conversation. "The longer we talk, the closer Neo Arcadia gets to finding us."
"He has a point," said Zero. "I suppose on philosophy, we'll have to agree to disagree, Quick Man. And I'm going to have to disagree with you taking those weapons, too. Hand them over or we'll take them by force."
Quick Man sighed, spreading his hands in a defeated gesture. "Well, if I can't talk you out of it..." He flicked his right wrist and light surrounded it, growing and solidifying into a bright yellow boomerang. He let it dangle from his hand in a cocky, careless fashion. "Get ready, Light-bots!"
"Light-bots?" Bass said, livid. "You tin pile of scrap, you know who I was built by!"
"Sorry, Bass," Quick apologized easily. "It's just easier to refer to you as a collective. Now, let's begin!"
He tossed the boomerang at Zero and vanished in the same instant. The blonde ducked to avoid the projectile, only to have it caught just behind his head and then brought smashing downward. The red Hunter collapsed from the stunning blow and Quick darted away again, boomerang spinning in another deadly arc across the room.
"Damn it!" Bass swore, his buster on automatic and firing plasma fruitlessly at the blur whirling around the room. "He's too fast to track!" Even aiming as quickly as he could, he was still a second behind the Robot Master's path.
Meanwhile, X helped Zero to his feet, the blonde still dazed as his sensors recalibrated from the sudden blow. However, just as he regained his balance, a push from the passing Quick Man sent the two friends toppling to the ground once more. X aimed his buster from the ground as Quick continued, but the shot went wild and left a burnt mark on one of the nearby crates.
"Bass! Watch where you point that thing!" Rock yelped, as Bass's buster, still tracking Quick Man, turned in his direction. The little blue robot ducked and the plasma shot over his head, impacting on the far wall.
"Sorry!" Bass shouted back, sounding insincere. Zero and X were back on their knees by now, watching their adversary warily as they struggled upright.
Zero II appeared to have had enough of the chase. As the speedster sped by, he lashed out with his Z-saber. The energy sword sliced through the air, a whirl of green energy... and Quick Man merely leapt nimbly over the blade, continuing his course unharmed.
"This is ridiculous," Zero muttered, finally standing again, his own saber in a guard position. "There's six of us and we can't even touch him!"
Blues, meanwhile, watched Quick Man sail past, his boomerang following a few moments later and narrowly missing Rock's head. Calmly, the red robot armed his buster, color scheme shifting.
Blues' carefully calculated plan took seconds to unfold. A blast of ice enveloped the space just ahead of Quick Man. Blues had not aimed the Freeze Cracker at the speeding robot, but instead on the floor directly in his path. The icy mist enveloped the tile, solidifying into a sleek, shimmering sheet that was completely unavoidable. Seeing the obstruction, the speedster tried to turn, but his momentum carried him forward directly onto the icy tile.
Three things happened in rapid succession. First, Quick's legs were jerked violently out from under him as he lost traction. He then skidded across the icy floor and slammed headlong into the wall, momentarily stunning and more importantly, stopping him. Blues then followed up the attack with a quick flip back to his buster and a plasma shot, which tore directly through Quick's right arm as though it were made of paper. Sparks rioted along the injury and the boomerang he had been clutching fell from his now-useless fingers.
"..Wow," said Bass, glancing at the damage. "He's not too tough..."
"That's the drawback of being fast," X said. "You can't wear heavy armor."
Quick Man staggered to his feet, but it was obvious how unsteady he was; his legs shook noticeably. He grunted in pain as he tried to move his right arm in vain. "Agh, damn it!" He looked back at the heroes, but gave a special glare to Proto Man. "You think you're so clever, huh? Well, if you hadn't been so slow getting here, I wouldn't have already gotten away with everything the Doc wanted."
"What?" said Rock, alarmed and dismayed. "Then what were you still doing here?"
"That's none of your concern," Quick Man replied, his voice pained and angered. "I'm out of here, and don't wait up!" Before anyone could pipe up, Quick Man illuminated with white light for a brief instant, before vanishing away in a beam of light.
"Well, that's that, then. We couldn't stop him in time," Zero said, frustrated tone in his voice.
"Unless he was bluffing about the equipment," said Blues.
"I doubt it," said Zero II quietly. "This storeroom should be holding much more than it is."
"Well, regardless, you asked a very good question, Rock," said X. "Why did he stay here if his job was done?"
"Questions are great and all," Bass replied, furrowing his brow, "but in case you two forgot, we need to get the heck out of here before we get overrun by Pantheons. I'd rather not be around when the rest of Neo Arcadia decides to show up."
"Bass is right," Zero II stated. "We've done all we can. We should withdraw." He placed a finger to the side of his helmet. "Ciel? We're done here. Bring us home."
------
Several corridors away, the facility's security control room stood silent, lit by the glow of a bank of television screens. The Pantheon operator lay motionless, its single red eye dim and cracked as though a blunt object had been smashed through its head. Red coolant dripped down its face and pooled onto the floor.
The door swished open. A man stepped inside, boots clicking on the polished metal floor. His green eyes swept across the computers and the deactivated guard, noting the absence of movement.
"No one here, either," he reported, lowering the short beam saber he held in his right hand and walking further into the room. "Looks like we missed them."
A woman slipped past him, the long, ornate wing-like protrusions on her blue and white helmet narrowly avoiding knocking into his own green back-mounted jetpack. "They couldn't have left long ago, though," she said, brushing invisible specks of dirt from her vest. Her armor was in the usual general style of 22XX reploids, blue over a blue-grey jumpsuit. She walked over to the bank of computers, surveying the dead operator while leaning on her spear. "These Pantheons look freshly wrecked."
A third person entered the room, and the green-armored man moved further out of the way to allow him passage. The newcomer was clad in red, and was more heavily outfitted than his two companions. His twin guns gave him more the appearance of a small tank than a reploid. "So we're not going to get to fight anything? Man, at this rate, I'm gonna rust away before I see another decent battle..."
"It's only been three weeks, Fefnir," the first man said dryly, running one hand along the wings of his helmet in an almost absent gesture. "You'll have plenty of opportunities to indulge yourself later." He turned to the woman. "Leviathan, could you see what's on the surveillance tapes?"
"Right away, oh illustrious General Harpuia," the woman replied, with a mock salute. She pushed the chair containing the Pantheon away with her spear. Pulling up another, she sunk gracefully into it and began accessing the main computer. Boxes and lists of data streamed past as she typed.
"Y'know, I never stop being envious that you can do that, Levi," Fefnir said, taking a seat beside her and leaning his head on his gauntleted wrists. "I don't have the patience for computers."
"You don't have the patience for anything, Fef," she teased, fingers still flying over the keys. "Just be thankful I had the foresight to build us a backdoor into Neo Arcadia's system before we left. Even I'm not good enough to hack it from the outside."
"Have you found anything?" Harpuia asked, standing behind them with folded arms.
"Does it look like I have, Harpy?" she returned. "Honestly, you're worse than Fef sometimes."
"You really think we'll find something about Master X here?" Fefnir asked, turning to his green-armored companion.
Harpuia shrugged. "He was last seen attacking Pantheons. Seeing the state of this base... it's a likely location to run into him."
"I don't understand how Master X could be back again," said Leviathan, managing to shake her head while not averting her eyes from the screen. "And especially fighting Pantheons. If this is just another... trick by that man... he wouldn't be killing his own troops."
"Well, the rumor says he destroyed a large number of Pantheons," Harpuia replied. "And given the lengths Weil is going to suppress that rumor... I'd say there must be some grain of truth."
"And Weil's not happy about it, that's for sure," said Fefnir.
"Which is all the more reason we need to discover what is going on," Harpuia returned.
"Aha!" Leviathan exclaimed, smiling. "Finally. Here's the security tape, guys."
The televisions around them blinked and then switched to show various parts of the facility, the timestamp showing footage from a short time ago. It was from after the initial stampede, and the corridors were mostly quiet, save for a few golems patrolling corridors and the last remaining fleeing workers. The three reploids watched intently. "Look, over there..." Fefnir said, as movement flickered on one of the monitors. There was a small cluster of figures, picking their way methodically through a corridor of dead pantheons. "Those people..."
Leviathan squinted at the screen. "They're not clear enough yet..."
The group passed from the range of one camera into another. "Huh. Looks like it was just the Resistance, Harpy," Leviathan said, as they finally walked closer. "See? There's Zero." The red-armored reploid was unmistakable, leading a group of other warriors.
"...Who're those guys with him, though?" Fefnir wondered, pointing at the screen. "They're not wearing the usual uniforms..."
"...Wait," said Harpuia. "Levi, can you pause that?"
Leviathan did so, freezing the frame onscreen. Harpuia indicated one of the figures trailing Zero. "That person..."
"He has hair just like Zero's," Fefnir replied, sounding confused.
"...Look!" said Leviathan suddenly. "Beside Zero... is that...?"
"Start playing it again," Harpuia ordered. Leviathan did so, and the group began walking again. The person moved out from Zero's shadow, allowing them to see him clearly.
"...That's Master X..." Harpuia breathed, staring at the screen.
"So the rumor was true," said Fefnir, looking awed. "But why's he with Zero?"
"Does this thing have audio?" Harpuia asked, turning quickly to Leviathan.
She frowned, gazing at the keyboard. "Only one of the cameras does, lousy cheapskates," she grumbled. Fast-forwarding the recording, she stopped it when the party moved into range.
"...I really don't understand it..." said the recording of X, as he walked underneath the camera.
"What?" Zero replied, glancing at his companion.
X shook his head. "All we've both ever wanted is for everyone, human and reploid, to live in peace. And yet we basically ended up on opposite sides. What happened...? Where did I go wrong...?"
"No one 'went wrong', X," Zero replied. "What happened was beyond your control or mine. And it's in the past now, anyway. All we can do is move forward."
X chuckled slightly. "Rather ironic, isn't it...?"
"...They're out of range of the microphone," Leviathan said, as the pair turned a corner.
"That doesn't sound like a Copy X," said Harpuia, frowning.
"...He's speaking with Zero... cordially," said Fefnir.
The tape continued to run. The three turned back to the console as Quick Man appeared, and just as speedily vanished again. "Looks like that boomerang guy was the one who set off the alarms," Fefnir observed, as the robot master sped away.
"This whole situation makes no sense," said Harpuia, shaking his head. "Master X is alive, some unknown reploid robbed a Neo Arcadian facility, and Zero's group tried to stop him. Why would Zero help Neo Arcadia? Why would X help Zero?"
"And who were those others with Zero, anyway?" said Leviathan. "Like Fefnir said, that one has the same hairstyle as he does..."
"What're we going to do, Harpy?" Fefnir asked, turning to his companion. Leviathan turned also, looking just as expectant.
The green-armored reploid folded his arms. "We investigate. We have to."
"And what if Zero's somehow leading us into a trap?" said Leviathan.
Harpuia shook his head. "That's not his style, Levi. Something else is up, and I want to know what it is. If whatever is going on threatens the people of Neo Arcadia, whether it's this new X or that other reploid... it's our duty to stop it."
Fefnir nodded. "Right."
Harpuia took one last glance at the screen, then turned and began walking to the door. "Both of you, we're leaving. It won't be long before Neo Arcadia realizes there's something wrong here, and we shouldn't be around when they come to investigate."
"Gotcha, Harpy," Leviathan said, and began closing down the computer.
"Oh, and Levi..." Harpuia turned back to her. "Erase those video files. There's no sense... alarming anyone."
She nodded, and one by one, the screens went dark.