A Fallen Savior excerpt from a future, un-named chapter <3
X’s eyes blearily opened, blinking to try to clear the sleep from them. He groaned as he attempted to sit up, his tangled mop of black hair clinging to his clammy face.
Why was he awake?
As the ancient android moved to wipe away the annoying strands of inky black and blue, a sudden jolt of pain lanced through his arm, the limb twitching and seizing for a few agonizing seconds before suddenly ceasing.
X gasped sharply at the pain, holding his breath before releasing it as the pain faded.
What the hell was that?!
With a shuddery whimper, the man quickly ran a diagnostics test on himself internally.
Everything was damaged now, when was it not?
Power core fluctuations were new, but not unexpected.
Wire degradation was also new, but he didn’t have the self-repair nanites to spare anymore…
His core was corrupting, slowly but surely. But again, that hadn’t been surprising.
Memory leak here, shorted cable there, cracked internal drives, yes, yes. This was all completely routine for X.
He wondered briefly how truly furious Cerveau would be if he could witness the depth of his rot.
Oh…there was something new.
Another jolt of pain ripped through him as his arm spasmed again, the man seething through his teeth, the pain so sudden, he couldn’t even produce sound.
New readings came across his mind.
:WARNING: CRITICAL POWER ERROR: KERNEL POWER EVENT ID 41
:LOCALIZATION: SHOULDER B
What?
X read the code over and over, trying to wrap his mind around it. He desperately wished his mind wasn’t slowing down with his core…
The answer popped into his head right as another strike of pain hit him. He whimpered through his teeth, gritting his eyes shut as the wave passed him.
The error flashed again.
Of course…there was THAT possibility…
But could it be…?
With great effort, X swung his legs over the side of his recharge bed.
He breathed heavily as his core began to heat up, his body warming as he forced himself to stand. His legs trembled for a moment, but held.
He hadn’t walked since Elpizo…
X grit his teeth, rocking a little as another wave struck him. Holding the spasming arm with his other hand at least kept him from bending it in the wrong way, potentially breaking it.
It didn’t help with the inferno of pain he felt in that moment.
As the wave passed, he let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
X looked at the door in front of him, already dreading the long journey ahead. He needed to get to Cerveau’s lab.
But that was on the other side of the floor, across the Command Room.
And…past Zero’s door.
He shook his head, trying to clear himself of the guilt that washed over him thinking about his dear husband.
He’d understand X’s decision…someday.
With an uneasy tremble to his legs, X took a step forward. His knee shook, but held his weight as he took another step.
Progress was agonizingly slow, he felt like he was moving in slow motion.
For a moment, the android felt confident in his legs, stepping quicker and giving his leg less time to adjust to his weight.
He briefly snickered to himself as he remembered how athletic he used to be.
Ah, to be a Maverick Hunter again, racing through the streets of Able City, patrolling with Zero and grabbing food at that lovely little café!
What was it called again…?
Where…?
With a yelp, X collapsed to the floor, his knee giving out underneath him as he was ripped from his memories.
Pain lanced through his arm again, causing him to nearly gag as he silently screamed into the floor where he fell.
What the hell happened?
He was there in Abel City again and then this!
X felt his chest tighten in panic.
He didn’t know where he was!
He looked around wildly until his eyes rested on his helmet, still resting proudly on the table next to his bed.
He blinked owlishly at it for a moment before everything came flooding back.
That was right…he was in the Resistance Base.
The Maverick Hunters were gone.
Abel City was destroyed.
The grief came and left faster than he had expected.
Last time this had happened, he had cried for a few moments before coming back to his senses.
Ah, right.
Memory leaks.
X sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping as he began to lose motivation. He wanted to go back to bed…
As another wave of pain struck him, and his teeth gritted tightly in agony, he remembered why it was so important to get to Cerveau’s lab.
“V….voltmeter…” X gasped, forcing his trembling legs back up.
With renewed determination, and a mounting sense of dread, X dragged himself towards the door.
Reaching it felt like a herculean task, but he knew that the real challenge lay ahead. His core raced, the rumbling of it audible in his aural cones.
Opening the door, his eyes adjusted to the dimly lit hallway. No sound came from either direction, nor any movement.
It must be the middle of the night.
Perfect.
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm the raging sea of anxiety inside of him before he began.
There were too many things that could go wrong, too many things that could BE wrong! If he was telling the truth, he’s absolutely terrified of the implications of his ailment.
X thanked any higher power that would listen for the silent night as he used the wall as a crutch, leaning against it and dragging himself as quietly as possible down the hallway.
The android paused as he passed Zero’s door.
He briefly wondered if his husband would be willing to carry him the rest of the way…
He shook his head to clear the thought.
How selfish could he really be?
The idea of asking his husband to carry him to steal equipment from a comrade, and not allow him to ask any questions or make any move to change X’s fate made him feel dizzy with guilt.
He moved on as quickly as he could, leaving his longing at his husband’s door.
Progress felt even slower as the hallway stretched on and on. His arm continued to spasm, each time causing X’s knees to shake and his eyes to flicker from the intensity of hurt he was feeling.
With each passing wave, X’s anxieties about the cause grew, speeding his progress ever so slightly.
Finally, he reached the Command Center.
Looking around, he grimaced at the center platform.
He remembered the last time he had been here. He had slapped the former Commander for leading his fellow resistance members into a slaughter.
A new emotion came over him as he remembered that moment.
Disgust.
His eyes flickered as the pain failed to properly register this time, each wave becoming increasingly intense.
The disgust at the memory, however, remained crystal clear.
When the wave passed, X sighed but moved forward into the Command Center.
This was the part he was most worried about.
The center platform was connected on either side by a nearly railless walkway. It was wide enough to allow small carts and transports across, and was a useful place for gathering a large amount of people.
But the railless part was what made X swallow in fear.
His legs shook as he forced the limbs to move out onto the walkway, trying to keep from stumbling off of the side and into the wiring below.
He briefly wondered why he had approved this design before remembering it was simply a relic of this place being a former Maverick Hunter outpost.
Reploids didn’t need rails.
He fought the memory of visiting outposts just like this as his time as Commander of the 17th Unit from creeping over his already sluggish mind.
The voices of his subordinates crept at the corners of his hearing, their distant laughter and teasing haunting him like a ghost.
Mega Man X would not fall victim to the phantoms of his past!
The thought of his full title ripped him from reality, his subordinates' hands grabbing at his body and dragging him below into the murkiness of his past.
Faces blended and blurred, pain dancing alongside euphoria, it was like a carnival of nostalgia and agony.
He laughed and smiled as he tried to put names to faces, ecstatic at seeing his team again!
There was Marty! Or, was that Big Jack?
Retro! Or, what looked like Retro a moment ago now suspiciously looked like Diego…
Or…who was…
It was…
Zero’s face was crystal clear among the sea of eerie grins and morphing expressions.
He looked so sad…
X gasped sharply, his eyes staring below into inky darkness. His arm lay twisted at an odd angle behind his back, his other arm bracing him against the lip of the edge of the walkway.
He had collapsed, he must have!
The man used his remaining arm to push himself away from the edge, his legs scrabbling weakly behind him as he attempted to put his feet underneath him.
Why weren’t his legs working?!
Panic mounted again, his head swimming in confusion and dizziness. Everywhere he looked, he felt a new feeling of desperation overtake him.
Finally, in his growing panic, his eyes landed on the Command Center’s main console.
The raised platform was empty and dark now, the giant screen behind it turned off and blank, leaving the room in a strange, ambient gray.
X stared at it wide-eyed as memories came back to him.
That’s right…
Elpizo was up there, and Zero was next to me…
The realization that he had experienced another memory leak frightened him. He really needed to get back to his room, and gey hooked back up to his power supply.
He felt…disappointed in himself. He was better than this, wasn’t he?
How the mighty had fallen!
Sigma would laugh and sneer if he could see how low X had fallen.
In a way, he supposed, it was comforting.
It was comforting to know he had fallen, and could fall no further.
X stared out into the darkness, his legs shaking underneath him as he contemplated the depths of his fall from grace, willing the tears to stop welling in his eyes.
The android blinked as his vision briefly shut down. He braced for pain that never came, even when the spasms in his now, most likely, dislocated shoulder still caught his attention.
Uh-oh, that wasn’t good.
What was it Dr. Cain had said?
Ancient reploid model designs and diagnostics ran through his mind, hazy and murky as it was, he remembered something important.
A reploid unable to feel pain in a region of their body is a reploid in need of serious and immediate repair.
X snorted at the thought.
Yeah, no shit.
Creeping along, he blessedly made it to the other side of the room without further incident.
Catching himself against the door, he looked back, wondering how he was going to get back to his room without a mountain of luck.
He decided he’d cross that bridge when he came to it, figuratively and literally.
Blink! His vision flickered again.
The door to the small hallway leading to Ciel and Cerveau’s labs opened with a hiss. The space itself was lit with a single light, the glow from the lab doors locks giving off a homey, verdant ambience.
It was comforting, but X was determined not to get distracted more than he had.
Using the wall again, he dragged himself onward, nearly trembling in relief as he finally came close to Cerveau’s door.
A brief jolt of panic went through him as he realized Cerveau might be inside.
His mind raced with excuses he could tell the engineer, desperate to get out of the situation without a lecture. And without Zero finding out.
His mind was eased as he remembered that it was night time, and unlike the previous base, everyone actually had their own rooms.
Blink! Another flicker.
With a huff and a quick swipe of his credentials, the door to the lab whooshed open.
Inside, the room was dark, X’s eyes struggling to adjust for a moment as they attempted to recalibrate.
This power event…thing was beginning to annoy him.
Stepping into the room, he scanned around for the voltmeter, using the tables and workbenches to stabilize himself.
Finally, he spotted one, hanging up on the wall across from him, resting peacefully exactly where Cerveau left in.
X stumbled towards it, knocking items off of the worktables, wincing as the tools clattered to the ground with a loud bang.
There was no way no one heard that, X thought.
With a yelp, he fell forward, just before reaching the voltmeter, a rolling cart full of tools falling alongside him, metallic rings echoing out of the lab and into the halls.
With a gasp and a rush of frustration, X grunted as he reached for the device, another memory clawing at his mind.
This one was a happy memory.
It came in flashes, every few blinks he was transported back in time.
X didn’t falter, pushing through the memory as his fingers grazed the device.
Another blink and he couldn't tear himself away for a moment.
There he was, his armor has been specially made for this day. It was a silly thing, to ask Zero to change his armor for one silly event.
But the man had agreed, donning his white chest plate and gauntlets. All for X.
X blinked and Zero was gone, the voltmeter had fallen to the ground with a sharp crack against the metal floor of the lab.
Using his brief moment of clarity, he scrambled for the device, his spasming arm even reaching for it, as if his desperation for answers was overtaking the error.
With a sigh of relief, X leaned back against the wall, his chin nearly resting on his chest, his eyes flickering and his mind fading into another memory.
With his remaining arm, he reached for the metal wand attached to the side. Flicking the button on, the screen lit up, showing him the different voltage measurements as the wand buzzed.
With more force than he intended, X stabbed the wand into his shoulder, wincing sharply as the wand dug painfully into his synthetic flesh.
Now all he had to do was wait for another spasm and…
With a sudden shutdown of his vision, followed by a moment of intense terror, the voltmeter beeped, right as his arm began to shake and twitch.
He looked down at the reading, his eyes wide in terror.
No…a reading this abnormal meant…
He ran another diagnostic, this time looking specifically for what he feared most.
He sent test queries at his core, desperately hoping that what was happening wasn’t happening.
Agonizing seconds passed by as memory threatened to overtake fear. X willed his body’s self repair system to work just a little faster, even with the fire of the Dark Elf still raging inside him.
“Why must you torment me like this? Isn’t it easier to just kill me already?” He pleaded outloud, staring into the ceiling.
There was no answer. He wasn’t sure who he was expecting it from.
His test queries came back, tearing his mind from the image of Zero placing a ring on his finger to the results of the report from his core.
The floor dropped out from underneath him, dread threatening to swallow him up.
There were terrible ways to die sure, but this was a terrible way X hadn’t anticipated in the slightest.
The voltmeter dropped from his hands as heat and haze overtook his mind. The reports sat innocently in his mind's eye, still conveying the same message.
As honeyed dreams of Zero and sunny days began to drown him, he had one, terrible thought, slumping over and closing his eyes.
X stood by Zero’s capsule, watching him as he slept.
The last conflict he had had with Omega left him needing longer repairs than normal, and their opponent would not wait for Zero to recover.
X knew what he had to do, but now being faced with the task at hand, he was having trouble finding the courage to do so.
“Axl, I’m sorry to ask you to do this.” X started, still looking down at his sleeping husband, his new armor looking so different than he was used to, yet still somehow fitting.
Even with almost an entirely new body, he was still Zero.
“But you need to take Zero and run. You have an hour, gather everything you need, anything you absolutely have to take with you. You can’t stay here, and neither can he.” X finally looked to Axl, the young hunter staring in shock at him.
“X, are you crazy? Omega will kill you, and if he doesn’t, the Dark Elf will. You can’t stay here by yourself!” Axl exclaimed, incredibility written all over his face.
“There’s a chance that the Dark Elf could possess me, and use me to destroy everything. Zero is the only one who could stop me at that point, and I won’t be responsible for everyone’s deaths like that. Yours included.” he turned to face the reploid that he called family.
“I can buy you and Zero time to get away, to hide so Zero can repair himself, and so you can repair yourself too. But you have to leave now Axl, find somewhere remote, somewhere far away. You can’t tell me where you go, they could use me to find you. Leave here and save yourselves.” X finished, his heart breaking with every word.
Axl put a hand to his head, trying desperately to think of a way out of leaving, “X, I can’t leave you here, you’ll die! There’s gotta be another way, when Zero wakes up we can-”
“AXL, THERE’S NO TIME!” X’s shout startled the young hunter, staring wide eyed at his father figure.
With a shaky breath, he walked forward, hugging Axl against his body.
“Axl, I’m not commanding you to do this. I’m not asking as your mentor, your leader, your father. Nothing like that. I’m asking you as your friend. Please, take Zero and hide, don’t return until it’s safe.” X stepped back, looking into the young reploid’s eyes.
Axl’s eyes watered, but he nodded, stepping towards Zero’s capsule to begin getting it loaded onto a transport for them.
X turned to leave, unable to watch the two people he cared about most in the world get sent away.
“X, what about you?” Axl called after him, his voice uneven as if he was trying to keep from crying.
X straightened his back, pulling himself together before turning to look at Axl one last time.
“As long as you both are safe, I’ll be fine.” he spoke with conviction, willing to do anything to ensure their safety.
As long as he’s safe.
-------------------------------------------------
X cried out as he slammed into the ground, his armor sparking and melting where Omega’s plasma saber had sliced him.
The reploid with his husband’s face grinned wildly, holding his hands out to each side.
“X, why can’t you see what I’m doing? I’m trying to save you! Every single being on this planet is capable of sin and evil, you all cause pain and suffering!” Omega spun around, facing the setting sun.
X tried sitting up, his body protesting as he did. He just had to keep Omega monologuing long enough for his self repair to kick in, give him time to escape.
“If I kill everyone, no one can hurt anymore! You won’t hurt anymore X, I can free you!” he looked back at his opponent, his face split with a smile of pure glee.
“I AM THIS WORLD’S SAVIOR, X, I AM YOUR SAVIOR! I AM THE MESSIAH! LET ME SHOW YOU A GLIMPSE OF THE WORLD I HAVE ENVISIONED!” Omega called out to the sky, his head tipped back as he laughed.
The Dark Elf revealed herself above him, spreading her “wings” and opening her eyes.
X watched in horror as she opened her mouth, her scream piercing through his head. Everything felt like it was on fire, the pain so great that he thought for sure it would kill him.
He didn’t know when he had lost consciousness, merely realizing it when he finally opened his eyes.
Omega and the Dark Elf were gone, X was laying on his side in the dirt and rubble of whatever city this had used to be. It was well past midnight at this point, judging by how dark it was.
With a groan, X sat up, unsurprised to find his body protesting any movement at all.
“Alia? Are you there? I need a status report, where did Omega go?” the android pulled himself to his feet, his head throbbing from residual pain.
He trudged forward, not heading in any particular direction. He just needed some shelter, to get himself repaired a bit while he waited for evac.
X waited for a response, but was met with silence.
“Alia? Come in Alia, I need help.”
Nothing.
Panic began to rise in his chest, Alia was always there when he called!
“Maverick Hunter HQ, please respond, I need assistance.”
Silence.
X shuddered, his panic getting harder and harder to push down.
“....X….come in X…”
A voice came over his comm, not Alia, or a voice he recognized, but a voice nonetheless.
“Yes! Yes, I’m here, please, I need a report, what’s going on?” X was almost breathless with relief, leaning against some shattered remains of a wall.
“X? Oh thank god, we need help! Omega did something, we’re getting reports of mass casualties!” the mystery navigator sounded tearful, their voice breaking over the radio.
“W...what do you mean mass casualties…?” X’s words shook, panic taking hold of him again.
This couldn’t be happening.
Omega’s words rang out to him, letting X see a glimpse of his world.
Was this what that meant?
“Hunter casualties are at ninety five percent, they’re all gone, they’re all dead! The commander, all the navigators, everyone’s dead! We’re getting reports of civilian casualties too, the numbers won’t stop going up! Reploids everywhere are dead!” the voice broke down, sobbing as they exclaimed their horror.
X fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
Dead?
Everyone?
Where was Signas? Or Alia?
Did this person really say all navigators?
“What’s the percentage of casualties all together…” X whispered, unable to make himself louder.
There was silence over the line for a moment as whoever else was there gathered themselves as much as they could.
“Reploid casualties en masse are at eighty-seven percent, they’re still going up.” The voice was small, clearly just barely holding themselves together.
“X...what do we do?” the voice asked.
X didn’t answer. How could he? What could he say?
“X….please….”
Axl....Zero...did they make it out? Were they okay? Nothing felt real, it had to all be a lie. Omega and the Dark Elf couldn’t have killed that many people remotely...could they?
In one agonizing moment, X realized that not only could they, but they did. Everyone was dead, they were all gone. Alia, Layer, Palette, Signas, Douglas, Axl…
Zero.
X fell forward and screamed until he couldn’t scream anymore.
“Damn...that kid looks rough, is he the one you pulled out of the ocean?”
A voice woke X this time, his pain receptors flaring up to remind him that he still was very much NOT okay.
“Yeah, he is, and I’d show a little respect, Doigt, that’s no kid. That’s Mega Man X.”
Another voice, this one much closer. He must be the one touching X, another fact he was being made unfortunately aware of.
“Holy shit...that beaten up reploid is X? What about the one we saw makin’ that announcement this morning? Was that not X?”
The first voice, Doigt, sounded astonished. X wondered what he looked like right now to make them not recognize him.
“Cerveau...what does this mean? What are you going to do?”
A female voice this time, she sounded so solemn.
X wanted to say something, to move, to do anything.
He wanted Zero.
“Z...ze…” his voice was hoarse, words not forming properly. It seemed that the beginning of his husband’s name would be all he could manage, as his mind faded into blackness again.
X’s eyes blinked open slowly when he woke this time, adjusting to the light directly above him. He didn’t feel as immediately panicked as he had when he woke on Weil’s lab table, but the fear was still there.
He turned his head as carefully as he could manage, trying to gauge his surroundings in case he needed to make another run for it.
He was met with a reploid’s face looking back at him, having the appearance of a middle aged human.
X grimaced for a moment, trying to get the pain in his head to dampen for a moment so he could attempt a conversation with this person.
“Well, good morning to you too.” the man huffed, folding his arms in front of his chest.
“What are you...doing to me…?” X’s voice was scratchy, either from trauma or misuse, he didn’t know.
“Saving your life, trying to put your organs back where they belong.” the man spoke, a note of sympathy lacing his voice.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say someone was trying to strip you for parts, and while you were still alive.”
X winced, sucking in a sharp breath at the memory of Weil’s hands pulling him apart. The memory felt too fresh in his mind still.
“Hey, shit I’m sorry, that wasn’t very smart of me. Look, my name is Cerveau. I’m an engineer from the lower districts of Neo Arcadia.” The reploid, Cerveau, drew the conversation away from X’s memories, bringing him back to the present.
“It’s fine. Just don’t touch me anymore. I don't want to be touched.” X mumbled, his face still tight from the phantom feeling of being opened up.
“Right, how am I supposed to repair you from here on then? You may be the legendary Mega Man X, but you aren’t immortal, and right now you’re a mess.” Cerveau snorted, looking X up and down.
X pulled a face, not particularly enjoying this conversation.
“I don’t want you repairing me, I want to be left alone. Go away.” X knew he was acting immature, but something in him really didn’t care. He was tired of being nice when he was uncomfortable.
“Yeah, that’s not happening. I don’t care who you are, Rocinolle and I can’t just let you walk around half dead. You need repairs.” the reploid reached for his tools, clearly ready to get started repairing X again.
“Don’t fucking touch me. I mean it.” X seethed, glaring at Cerveau.
“Look, I’m not real fond of you right now either. Your policies on mavericks and what classifies a maverick got some of my friends killed. A lot of reploids really don't care whether you live or die lately, but…” Cerveau trailed off, looking away from X for a moment.
“I can’t in good conscience let someone die when they’re clearly in need of help. So shut up and let me repair you.” He reached again for his tools, but gave pause when he saw X’s face.
“What do you mean by my policies on maverickism… ” X’s eyes were wide as he looked at the engineer, mind racing.
He hadn’t put any rules or legislation into place on Mavericks, he hadn’t done anything like that in over a century, not since the Maverick Hunters were still around.
Something wasn’t adding up, and X had a nagging feeling he knew who was behind it.
“Any reploid found participating in suspicious behavior was to be brought in for questioning and possible retirement under suspicion of maverickism. It’s been happening for a few years now, but it’s been steadily getting...worse…” Cerveau hesitated, watching X’s face morph from confusion to horror to sickened realization.
“Oh my god, you didn’t know did you...you had no idea this was happening…” The reploid sat back, his tools falling from his hands.
X turned to face the ceiling again, tears falling from his eyes,
“I’m such a fucking fool. This was happening right under my nose, and I was so wrapped up in my own pity, I didn’t even notice.” X hiccuped, his body pulsing in pain from the seal and Weil’s tampering.
Both reploids sat in silence, stewing in their own thoughts. Cerveau was the one to break the unpleasant void they had found themselves in.
“Well shit, there goes my justified anger. Guess we’re all fools then.” Cerveau chuckled darkly, moving to stand up again.
“If you won’t let me repair you, let me at least get the tools you need to do it yourself. I tried to patch out whatever virus that was that's tearing up your code, but nothing would work. I just patched the firewall that was messed with instead.” He explained, walking around the room and gathering various tools and pieces of metals.
“Whatever that thing is, it’s nasty. I’m sure you can feel it breaking you down. It’s gonna keep doing that until it either rewrites your code entirely, or kills you. It’s going to cause you a lot of physical pain, but I can help you fix th-”
“No. I can’t mess with it more than you already have. I’m the only thing keeping her at bay. I’ll survive until I can get the original code back.” X interrupted Cerveau, sitting up and reaching for a soldering iron.
“You idiot, did you not hear what I just said? It’s going to kill you, after putting you through hell and back. Is that what you want?” The engineer grumbled, pushing the equipment closer to X and turning it on.
“Yeah, I heard you, I just don’t give a damn right now. I just need to focus on getting back to the sanctum and fixing all of this.” X grunted, beginning to solder down the wires in his arm, one that had been shredded by the grenade. The wounds looked so old, hadn’t they just happened a day ago?
“How long has it been since you found me in the ocean?” X asked, wincing as the metal and wires began fusing. It wasn’t the first time he had done this, but considering the amount of pain he had been through recently, and the Dark Elf’s influence still harassing his code, he really didn’t find himself caring too much about the sting of heat and metal.
“It’s been about seven months, I honestly thought we were going to lose you there for a while.” Cerveau faced away from X, searching for something.
X paused, processing the absurd amount of time. Seven months? Had he really been gone for so long?
“I’ve...been gone seven months? And no one’s noticed my absence?” He turned to face Cerveau, his mind racing.
In all that time, the Dark Elf’s seal remained closed, how had Weil not busted it open at this point?
“They have a very convincing body double for you, X.” The man shook his head, his own world view being thrown.
“That bastard...I hate him.” X’s voice was dripping with venom, anger flowing through him. Weil truly was something else, and X wasn’t sure how much damage he had let the man get away with at this point.
“We’ll worry about that later. Since you won’t let me help fix you, and I’m guessing you won’t let Rocinolle help either, the least I can do is craft up some new armor for you. You can’t be walking around naked like that.” Cerveau stood, walking towards the door.
“Don’t make it white...I hate white.” X called after the engineer, earning himself a chuckle.
“What, should I make it red? Like the legendary reploid, Zero?” Cerveau called back, looking over his shoulder. X felt his whole body tense up, his husband’s name something he couldn’t say out loud.
“Don’t. Don’t say his name.” X’s voice was barely above a whisper, his hand clenched tightly around the soldering tool.
“Make it blue...I like blue. I miss it…” he wouldn’t look at the engineer. Tears dripped down his cheeks, landing onto his bare lap.
“You got it, blue it is. Your hair is really long too, do you want Rocinolle to cut it for you?” Cerveau’s voice was soft, clearly taking the hint that Zero was a big no-no subject to X.
“No, I want it to stay long. Thank you though.” X reply was final, willing his tears to stop so he didn’t make more of a fool of himself
Cerveau said nothing as he left the room, closing the door to his lab with a quiet click.
X put his tools down, reaching up with his one functioning arm and wiped his tears away.
I swear, I won’t let you make me cry over you anymore Zero. I will not cry over the past anymore.
Dim electronic lights hummed and crackled overhead, the energy crisis becoming more and more dire everyday. The spartan lab turned personal quarters felt cold and unappealing, dirty silvers and muted greys covering most of the room. The only splash of color was the former leader of Neo Arcadia.
X rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve the pain there. It had been a while since the last flare up, the Dark Elf continually finding ways past his firewalls.
He hoped that nothing would happen today, their last few missions going a little rougher than he had intended.
Cerveau and Rocinolle had done a fine job creating new armor for him, his chest covered in a deep blue vest with an X on the front. His greaves and gauntlet-like armor had been replaced from that irritating white to rolling deep indigo.
X was grateful that his helmet had once again survived the changing of armors, only slightly changed to remove the wings that Neo Arcadia had put there. He had made it a point as well to let his hair stay down, the long black locks drifting down between his shoulders. His bangs were so long that they fell from the front of the helmet, falling over his nose and peeking out from the sides of his face.
It felt right, donning blue armor again and letting his hair fall where HE wanted it to.
He stood, looking around the room.
Maybe it was silly, for an ancient hero like X to have formed a resistance group against the people he was supposed to lead, but Neo Arcadia had forced his hand.
After months of recovering, gathering supplies and rescuing humans and reploids alike, he now had a safe haven for anyone fleeing from Weil and Neo Arcadia’s tyrannical ways. X’s departure from the city had opened the floodgates for even stricter and crueler rules against Reploids, to the point now where even some humans had begun to question the shady behavior.
X shook his head. There wasn’t really anything he could do to change that right now, his main concern was getting people out and getting them the help they needed.
Cerveau had begrudgingly become somewhat of a field medic, assisting Rocinolle in keeping any refugees healthy and in working order. Doigt...helped when he could, X found him more useful in helping run supplies through the base than at Rocinolle’s side. He was a fine budding engineer however, and definitely helped keep Cerveau from drowning in projects, X being his constant headache.
X regretted letting some reploids pick up weapons, but they needed to defend themselves, especially on rescue missions and raids. Young men like Colbor and Milan helped him with missions. It made him sick letting them fight.
He used that anger he felt as fuel to push through the pain of the Dark Elf and his still-healing body, determined to save as many people from his mistakes as possible.
With a huff, and an adjustment of his vest, X retrieved his buster from the table of his room.
He strode briskly through the hallways, lights flickering and the smell of dust filling his nose. Few reploids scurried around, attending to their own tasks to keep the Resistance base in working order. The single elevator in the middle of the base led out to the surface and below to the engine room.
X selected the latter, letting the mechanism lower him deeper into the base. If he wanted to, he could slide down the walls of the elevator shaft, letting the boosters in his legs help him descend faster like he did when he was younger. The thought instead left his legs aching, grumbling to himself that he was too old for that kind of crap.
The elevator stopped with a metallic groan, the doors opening with a squeal. X sighed, he supposed he’d have to look at that and make sure the damn thing wouldn’t fall apart with some unfortunate reploid still inside.
He strode through the engine room, looking over the supplies, doing last checks before their mission. A young woman walked up to him, her long brown hair pulled back by a red headband.
“Master X, I have the latest information from the scouts, the refugee targets are three reploids, one child repoloid and a human girl.” The woman spoke, reading out from a small datapad in her hands.
“What? A human girl? Why would a human be with a group of reploids to be executed?” X faced the woman, his brows knit in confusion.
“I don’t know, she was seen holding the little reploid girl, and she appeared to be trying to protect the other reploids. One of the Four Guardians apprehended her, according to reports.” She shrugged, looking distraught at the mention of the Guardians.
“Thank you Rouge, I appreciate the reports. I’ll be heading out soon.” X watched her leave with a dip of her head and a look of gratitude on her face, wincing at the subtle spike in pain in his body.
“And when you return, I’m taking another look at your back, Master X.” A voice chided behind him.
“Cerveau, I’m really not in the mood to hear you lecture me about this again.” X grimaced, turning to face the man as he walked out of his lab, Doigt trailing behind.
“Regardless of whether you’re in the mood or not, Old Man, you are still healing, and pushing yourself like this will only get you killed. After this mission, we’re looking at your back again.” Cerveau crossed his arms, the only one in the entire base brave enough to talk to X like that.
Probably because he had basically brought him back from the dead.
X sneered lightly at being called ‘Old Man’, but let it slide.
“I’ll get to my back when I damn well please, Cerveau. And if it kills me, then good, maybe then I can rest for a while without someone breathing down my goddamned neck all the time.” The android sassed back, turning and walking back towards the elevator.
He could vaguely hear Cerveau insult him before the door closed, Doigt waving goodbye and smiling sheepishly next to the engineer’s angry shouts.
X knew Cerveau was right, but he couldn’t really stop to care about himself now. There were too many innocents suffering because of his mistakes, and he would fix them even if it put him in the ground.
The elevator rode up the shaft, taking him to the Trans-Server room. When it opened, X made a note in his head again to make sure to look at it at some point when he got back and moved away from it.
Milan, the ever faithful young man, jumped up from his spot on the floor, the other reploids following suit, when they saw X step out.
“Commander X! We’re ready to deploy, Joan already gave me our report.” Milan trailed behind X, going over their own details of the mission they had received.
X was reminded momentarily of Tria, walking him through their patrol route before being murdered in cold-blood in front of his eyes. That wasn’t a fun thought to have before starting another mission.
“Thank you Milan. I want you and your squad to deploy first. I’ll follow behind and get to the captives. Keep them busy.” X spoke, his buster humming as he prepared it for battle. He didn’t look Milan in the eyes as he gave him his orders, best to keep him at arm's length.
Milan nodded, signalling to his other squadmates to head through the Trans-Server. He watched them as one by one they deployed into Neo Arcadia’s holding cells, ready to engage with his city as ‘terrorists’.
Once all of the reploids disappeared, X stepped forward, readying his buster. With a sigh, his boosters in his legs hummed to life, ready to dash immediately as he arrived.
“Transfer!”
A beam of light struck the android, and in a split second, he was gone.
Neo Arcadia stood silent and intimidating in the raging sea below, its glowing tower and high walls protecting the last remaining humans and reploids on the decimated planet. The silver moon shone its dim light on the city, casting the stark, white and gold buildings in an eerie light.
Standing at one of the windows, overlooking his bone-white city, Mega Man X watched over the crashing waves with a silent eye. He had never truly felt at home here, hiding out in the waves with only trains and lonely highways being their connection to the land.
The ocean was somber, as if it was in mourning for its fallen comrade in the form of the Earth's soil.
So many lives had been lost, landscapes devastated, entire continents wiped from the map. X had seen it all, had lived through every disaster, and had been utterly powerless to stop it.
Omega, and the Mother Elf, cursed with the power of destruction, had descended onto the peoples of earth like a shadow of death, the accursed reploid wearing Zero’s face personally seeing to some of X’s greatest nightmares. They still didn’t know where the monster had come from, and why the newly named Dark Elf had been with him. X hadn’t had time to contemplate the idea either.
90% of the Reploid race, the very beings that X had helped create centuries ago, had been wiped from the planet. If they were an organic race, that would mean extinction, with not enough individuals being able to keep the species going.
60% of the humans had been lost, and they were avoiding extinction by a mere thread. X honestly wasn’t sure if the humans were quite out of the woods yet, only time would tell he supposed.
X shied away from those thoughts, they never helped on nights like these, where the stuffiness of Neo Arcadia forced him to his window, longing for his home and his friends.
With a huff, X pulled at his hair, adjusting the ponytail he was forced to wear at all times. He had never had hair long enough to pull it up like this when he was younger, he honestly hadn’t even thought it was possible for his hair to grow, seeing as how that was typically a trait of beings of flesh and blood. His father always left him with surprises however, and as the Elf Wars went from weeks to months to years, and the time for silly things like personal care went away, his hair had grown with the time.
Now, his raven black hair drifted past his shoulders when he let it down, and if he didn’t tuck his bangs into his helmet properly, they drifted over his nose, almost into his eyes.
X found he liked it down much better than when it was up. The ponytail pulled at his head and felt uncomfortable in his helmet, as inconceivable as that was. The armor already caused him great distress, like many things that the inner council of his own city forced him to do and wear. His armor was to be worn at all times, and his helmet could only come off when no one was around.
“To keep up appearances, Master X! The people need to see their savior as perfect at all times!”
The android shuddered, remembering that particular conversation.
Halfway through the wars, following a particularly nasty conflict with Omega, X’s armor had been utterly destroyed, the shining blues and silvers being shredded and turned black with wear. New armor had been created for him, a push from what little governments had survived the fallout, giving X a more...ethereal feel.
His blues that he had lived his entire life with were gone, a silly thing to mourn, but stripped away among the rest of everything X held dear. It was replaced with whites and golds, a false promise that X could save everyone, like some kind of angel or savior for the world.
It made X sick, this falsehood and promises of salvation. As if X was anything but a failure. His armor had been designed to adhere to his body as closely as possible, and had been polished to a shining white, like some beacon of hope in the plains of desolation.
Zero would have said it suited me…
X shook his head at that thought, the idea of his partner’s soft affirmations being the thing to finally tip him over into despair.
He supposed he wasn’t getting any sleep tonight.
“Greetings, Master X.”
There came another headache. Mega Man X cursed under his breath, turning away from his sulking window to face the largest stretch of a “human” that he had ever had the displeasure of meeting.
Dr. Weil approached him, one of the key members of Neo Arcadia’s parliament, and the oldest living human left on the planet.
Living is not how I would describe him…
X schooled his thoughts into place, letting the tiny spark of pettiness well up and subsequently die inside of him.
“Good evening, Doctor. Is there anything I can help you with tonight?”
X spoke evenly, vaguely aware of the headache pulsing under his tight pony. He would do anything to be able to rip it out and let his hair flow over his shoulders. But, Weil would surely report his “Master’s” disobedience to the Council, and a lecture would surely follow. So much for being the leader here.
“Ah, I just wished to run some paperwork by you, there have been more and more reports of rogue mechaniloid and pantheons along our foraging routes. I know it is informal for someone as esteemed as yourself to take charge of patrols, but it may be necessary. The energy crises grow ever more dire, and the seal on the Dark Elf won’t hold forever.” Weil’s twisted grin remained on his face throughout his report, the paperwork in his hands holding more stress and dread than the man perhaps knew.
Or maybe he knew just enough, being the one who always seemed to be the bearer of bad news, and finding joy in his role.
X knew Weil enjoyed testing the android to see how far he could push X’s limit of stress management. Why he did, he would never know, seeing as how X’s survival and health were directly tied to the Dark Elf’s seal.
X had always kept the man as far from him as he could, but there was only so much he could do.
“I see...and this couldn’t wait until the morning? I’m aware of the good doctor’s rapport for diligent work, but I ask that the evenings be saved for myself.”
X chided as professionally as he could. God how he hated this.
“My apologies, I was aware of your...nightly activities, but I felt that this should be brought to you immediately, seeing as how your duties have been shifted tomorrow so you can take lead patrol.”
Weil dipped his odd, encapsulated head, his eerie grin piercing through what little remained of X’s comfort.
“I’m sorry, did you say my duties have been rearranged? Without any consultation with me? Forgive me Doctor, but you are aware of how dangerous it is for me to leave the city.”
X grit his teeth to keep from yelling. His adopted way of speech driving him insane, he wanted to scream and shout about how absolutely ludicrous the idea was.
Weil only shrugged, dipping his head again.
“Forgive me, Master X, but the decision is final. We feel it would be best if you protect the salvage teams tomorrow from any..stray threats.”
With that, the doctor bid X farewell, and left.
The android remained standing at his window, his uncomfortable armor pinching his “skin” and his back aching from remaining ramrod straight.
This didn’t feel right, everything in X’s being was screaming at him that this was wrong. The further he was from the Dark Elf, the more strain on the seal there was. For safekeeping, he had remained solely in the inner sanctums of Neo Arcadia, putting as little strain on the seal as possible.
But now, every day, the Council seemed to be pushing their luck, forcing X farther and farther away from Yggdrasil, with Weil always being the one to give the final push.
This seemed too far. Much too far, this was a risk that they shouldn’t take.
What X would do to have Zero here...to have anyone here...
Mega Man X inhaled sharply at the thought, his disastrous thoughts finally doing him in. He would do the patrol, if only to shut the Council up. Maybe then, he could get some rest.
He retrieved his helmet from the sill of his brooding window, placing it on his head and waiting for it to properly come online. The helmet was the thing least modified about his body, even with the addition of little wings on it, the one thing that had remained a constant, the azure metal comforting in a way he hadn’t had in a long, long time.
If he was to leave Neo Arcadia, and possibly get himself into a fight, then he needed to be fast, and accurate. This meant a trip to the shooting range.
With one final glance, he turned from the ocean, heading inwards into the sanctum to prepare for his first trip out of the city walls in years.
-----------------------------
“I delivered the message. He has been informed of his schedule change, and is leading the first patrol out of Neo Arcadia. Be prepared, we have one shot at this.”
“Approximately how long until he reaches the agreed upon point?”
“It shouldn’t take him more than half a day, if the convoy keeps its speed.”
“Understood...and Doctor?”
“What is it?”
“Are you sure this is the right thing to do? Master X has been as diligent as he can be to help humans...are we sure this is what’s best?”
“X has been humanity’s protector for a very long time. Using the Dark Elf, we could finally give him the utopia he has strived his whole life for. We just need to break the seal.”
“Ah...understood sir, thank you. We will move forward with the plan.”
The line disconnected as the doctor smiled, his plans falling seamlessly into place.
Soon, Omega will return, and the Dark Elf with him. I can finally achieve what I have been striving for since the start of the Elf Wars.
X huffed, his body aching as he twisted and stretched. His armor pulled and pinched at his sore muscles, never fitting quite like it was supposed to. He wished that his synthetic muscles and bones wouldn’t hurt like they did, but he supposed it was another sacrifice he had to make.
The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, and he was only one tired, old reploid.
The concept of age never really had bothered X before. He knew he was old, he had been old since the day he awoke. He had never felt old, and he certainly never looked it. Even now, nearing 300 years of age, X still retained his ever youthful face, as if he had just turned 20. His systems were ever evolving, always two steps ahead of current technology.
That didn’t change the weariness he felt all the way down into his soul. It didn’t change the sheer centuries worth of emotions and physical trauma he had endured. Mega Man X was exhausted, deep down into his core.
X was old.
His head pulsed in pain when he heard a knock at the door. He groaned lightly, stretching one last time as he got up to make another sacrifice.
X opened the door, greeted by two young, Neo-Arcadian soldiers. Reploids from the looks of them, and still new to the world. Their eyes hadn’t seen the Elf Wars, they must have been created after.
The tired angel sighed, what would prompt such young souls into a life of danger and violence? He had seen it so many times before, far too many bright young souls lost.
He remembered a reploid not unlike himself in his younger days, his auburn hair flying wildly out the back of his helmet, his X-shaped scar across the bridge of his nose adding to the mischievous air about him.
Oh how X dearly missed his friends! That particular stab of nostalgia and grief left him as quickly as it struck him. He had work to do.
“Greetings Master X, Dr. Weil ordered us to escort you to the docks for today’s patrol.” one of the young men spoke, a slight waver to his voice. It wasn’t often one got to meet the Legendary Mega Man X in person.
X nodded, his armor glinting in the dim light of the inner sanctum as he stepped out of his quarters and into the hallway.
“Very well, I thank you for this. Let’s be on our way.” X didn’t wait for the two young men, stepping away and down a path he hadn’t taken since the Dark Elf was sealed. Even now, he felt her tugging deep in his core as he walked further and further away from Yggdrasil.
This is a mistake. Please don’t let anything happen, please…
X pleaded in silence. Was he pleading to Zero, or perhaps Dr. Light? Maybe he was pleading to some foreign higher power. He wasn’t sure. All he knew was the feeling of dread filling his entire being had only increased tenfold since the previous night.
He was vaguely aware of the two reploids behind him, whispering excitedly to one another as they walked.
"It's amazing, he's amazing!"
"I know, I never thought we'd ever meet him, he's shorter than I expected but he's still so cool!"
X almost smiled at that, reminded of his own days as a Maverick Hunter. Long ago, he had been that starry eyed hunter, gushing about meeting someone with so much perceived power.
Power...what power, as if it could stop Omega and the Dark Elf. Power is a false god that too many spend their lives praying to….
Ah, Zero, when did I get so philosophical? Wallowing in my own sorrow…
With X’s mood now soured beyond repair, he ignored the reploids behind him as they continued their journey.
On and on, the hallways of Neo Arcadia’s inner and outer sanctums stretched, making X wonder if he had forgotten his way to the outside world.
He had helped design the city, been one of the ones there from its initial concept to its construction after Omega had been defeated. He should know these hallways, shouldn’t he? Was that how out of touch he had been with everything?
Grief and sheer exhaustion had muddied many of his memories of those days, only able to glide through each waking hour with the help of his Council, even Dr. Weil. He really should thank the man more for guiding him through that tumultuous time. Even now, the managing of his schedule kept him from slipping too deep into depression.
He really ought to thank his council, even when they frustrated him like this.
Just when X was beginning to wonder if he’d need to ask the young men behind him for reassurance that he was in fact, heading to the loading docks, the hallway turned, and opened up into a large, cavernous room. Trucks of varying sizes were parked all around the room, tanks and other war machines from the Elf Wars lined the walls. The wall farthest from X had been opened, leading out into the desolate air and empty highways. Early morning light streamed through, causing X to wince and have to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment.
A kind of hush fell over the reploids and soldiers in the room, everyone watching their leader step forward and walk towards the open door. X felt the Dark Elf’s connection to him thrum, the pain seemingly magnifying with every step, as if she could sense how close X was to leaving Neo Arcadia.
He ignored her, his mind solely set on the clear blue sky and warm sunlight in front of him. It had been years since he had last stepped outside of the sanctum, years since he had truly felt the sun’s golden rays on his body.
Mega Man X gasped when he fully stepped outside of the city, the seal on the Dark Elf and himself straining under the force of her attempting to escape, the term “dormant” being used incredibly loosely for her containment.
X again ignored her as he sighed happily, the sunlight muting the pain he felt through their shared connection. He hadn’t realized just how much he missed being outdoors, feeling the sun on his face and warming his body. Even with the stress of the Dark Elf, he hadn’t felt so content in years…
“Master X, I’m sorry to disturb you, but the convoy must leave on time. If you’re ready…?” one of the convoy captains stepped forward, calling X back from his basking. The android reluctantly returned to the trucks, leaving that tranquility and blissful feeling at the entrance to the garage.
The convoy captain that had approached him led him to his vehicle, introducing him to the reploids that would be accompanying him on their patrol, including the two young soldiers who had escorted him here.
X offered them a small smile, a distant echo of the commander he used to be, before turning back to the captain. It was the least he could give them for being kind to him.
“So, our route will take us around the wastelands to the edges out the Forest of Dysis, and then back through the Old Residential District before we return to Neo Arcadia. The patrol shouldn’t last for more than eight hours.” the captain finished his report of the route to X, looking up at him to ensure that the android was listening.
X nodded, mentally tracking what kind of route that would be and how close to the forest they would get. A little flicker of hope sparked in X’s chest that maybe they could scan for Zero, just to see if maybe, in some one in a million chance that he was still alive, that they could find him.
He stamped that hope out as quickly as it appeared, not letting himself believe even for a moment that his husband was still alive.
“This all looks excellent Captain…?” he glanced up at the reploid again, asking for the Captain’s name.
“Captain Tria, Master X. Dr. Weil assigned me as leading Captain today.” Tria answered, holding his hands behind his back. Pride seemed to radiate off of the reploid, being Weil’s chosen clearly doing a lot for the young man’s ego.
“Ah, thank you Captain Tria. I assume we’re in safe hands then. What kind of opposition will we be facing?” X wished they could stop discussing the mission and just leave already, his entire being wishing it could be back out in the sun, ignoring the Dark Elf’s prying connection.
“Rogue pantheons and mechaniloids, mostly reported here, around the edges of the Forest. We’ll check as thoroughly as we can there before we send any salvage teams.” Tria held a data pad out for X to take, a holographic map showing little red dots where higher activity had been reported.
X sighed, rolling his shoulders to help alleviate the stiffness in his joints and chase away the dull pain. He handed the data pad back to Tria, walking over to his assigned truck. He was pleased to find that his buster had already been placed in the truck.
X’s iconic Mega Buster had been lost long ago in the wars, his entire arm having been smashed beyond repair by Omega during one of their later conflicts, the reploid’s mad obsession with violence finally taking full hold as he had attempted to shred X apart piece by bloody piece.
X supposed he had been lucky to make it out of that one. His arm hadn’t been so lucky. He found, however, that he actually preferred the buster he had now to the old one, instead of it being an actual weapon attached to his body, being a hand held pistol. He liked that his weapon was no longer part of him, something he could separate himself from whenever he wanted.
It was freeing, in a grim, morbid kind of way. Something capable of so much destruction being ripped from his very being.
X ran his hand over the weapon, hesitant to use it again after so long of leaving it. His “gut” twisted as he realized it had been years since he put the weapon down, and here he was, picking it back up again.
“Master X...are we ready to proceed?” Captain Tria spoke from behind him, clearly anxious to get going.
“Yes, lead us out. And let us hope for an easy mission.” X spoke, not turning to face Tria, drowning in his memories once more. He mindlessly boarded the truck, taking the passenger seat so he could help watch for any potential threats.
The convoy set out onto the highway, X’s truck taking the middle spot. As it drove out onto the open sea, the android’s eyes were drawn to the ever turning blue expanse, watching as they crashed against the pillars holding the highway up.
Melancholy filled him as he watched the water, just as it always did when he looked at the ocean. The deep blues and greens reminded him of his younger days, days spent with Zero and his friends in between wars. Precious memories that he held close to his heart. He visited them more often than he cared to admit, allowing himself to experience what little joy was still to be had in those days.
Sure, they weren’t perfect, X knew that. He was a hunter, a unit commander, and carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
But they were there to help me. Alia, Signas, Douglas, Axl, Palette, Layer…
Zero…
X didn’t pay attention the rest of the ride, the Neo Arcadians in the back of the truck conversing and laughing, living their own lives as X lived out his memories in silent torture. Hours passed, the ocean fell far behind them, and the great leader of Neo Arcadia existed only in his mind, even the Dark Elf’s incessant beating against his systems falling into the back of his consciousness.
Captain Tria’s voice brought him back to reality, along with the sheer strain his body felt as the connection between him and the city stretched so far. X almost gasped as he was suddenly made aware of his current existence, the pain from the seal taking his breath away for a moment. It had never felt this intense before, not even the initial sealing itself had felt this painful.
X pushed it aside as he answered the Captain’s call.
“Master X, we’re approaching the Forest of Dysis. We will be slowing the convoy down and scanning the length of the highway. Please be prepared to alert us and make contact with any mechaniloids or pantheons you may find.” Tria instructed, the convoy slowing as it approached the raggedy sea of half dead trees. X pinged back a quick confirmation before grabbing his buster and climbing out of the truck.
The driver spluttered, attempting to call him back in as the vehicle was still moving, but X ignored him, the pain making him act somewhat rashly.
He positioned himself on top of the truck, buster in one hand, and his other hand placed gently on his helmet. Dr. Light’s armors and upgrades from all those years ago paid off, as his scanner was more advanced than most around, even without the Second Armor.
Meticulously, X began scanning the surrounding area, taking time to ensure he swept every possible crevice around, the Neo Arcadians below waiting and ready for Mega Man X to call out the signal of an attack.
But none ever came.
As they continued down the length of the highway, X became increasingly confused. Nothing was coming up at all, no stray pantheons, no mechaniloids, nothing.
Captain Tria called for the convoy to stop as they neared the end of their route. X leaped from the top of his truck, wincing as the landing shook his already aching body, the pain still heavy enough to cause him to hesitate before making his way to Tria’s truck.
The captain himself sat in his own truck, puzzling over the data pad he had shown X earlier. The android rapped his knuckles against the side of the man’s door before opening it.
“Greetings Master X, I’m just ensuring that we have the correct route here. This doesn’t make any sense…” the man muttered, his eyes still glued to the data pad in front of him.
“Maybe we got lucky this time. I scanned every inch of this highway and there's nothing out here. Is there any chance the data is wrong?” X scanned their immediate area again, unsurprised to find everything coming up as empty.
“No, no...This was the latest report we got from the last scouting mission. This is supposed to be the most updated data we have. They couldn’t have all just...vanished, right?” Tria looked up at X, clearly attempting to appeal to X’s experience and wisdom.
“You’re right they wouldn’t. So either your data is wrong, or something went wrong with the equipment. One thing is for certain though, there’s nothing here. We might as well head back.” X glanced in the direction of the city, its shining gold and white pire completely lost in the distance now.
Tria nodded, tossing the data pad to the side. “Yeah, you’re right. There’s nothing around so we might as well go home. Thank you for coming with us on this mission Master X.” the man gave a slight smile, his eyes tired and almost regretful.
What would Tria have to regret about an uneventful mission? X decided not to think about it, as the only answer was that he WANTED the violence.
“Of course, I’m only grateful for a quiet expedition. I hope we have the same peace on the way home.” X responded, patting Tria’s door twice before slamming it shut and returning to his truck.
In a few moments, the convoy started again, the scanners still active but not being as closely monitored. X turned his off, instead focusing on blocking out the pain from the Dark Elf and relishing his remaining time outside.
As dangerous as the escapade out of Neo Arcadia had been, it felt so relaxing to be out and in the open air again. Much of the planet had been destroyed and polluted by centuries of war, so “fresh air” was a stretch, but the sentiment was there.
The convoy set off for the Old Residential District, still scanning the area as it went. Many of the Neo Arcadians in the back of the truck took to napping or sitting silently as they made the journey home. X found himself slumped against the window, his eyes threatening to close. He couldn’t remember the last time he had had a proper nap.
Probably not since before the Elf Wars. Maybe his last nap had been wrapped in Zero’s arms, safe and sound before the world descended into chaos.
X imagined Zero was here now, holding him and telling him to rest, he had earned it…
“INCOMING!”
If the panicked shout over everyone’s comms hadn’t scared X out of his sleepiness, the resulting explosion of one of the trucks would have.
There was a moment of silent affirmation as everyone looked out of their respective windows to see the last truck in the convoy go up in flames, X’s own core going still for a moment as he watched the vehicle turn into a pile of blackened metal, any of the poor souls trapped inside being lost in the initial explosion.
What happened next could only be described as absolute chaos. All of the Neo Arcadians began shouting, calling for orders, formations, confirmation on where the attack was coming from. X grabbed his buster, leaping out of the door and hitting the ground running as his scanner picked up dozens of enemies.
“They’re surrounding us, don’t let them cut us off from the city!” X called over the comms, shooting a pantheon as he ran by, the creature raising its weapon to begin firing at the convoy.
Plasma shots and missiles flew out of every corner of their path, the trucks being peppered with fire as they slid to a stop.
X didn’t have time to let himself grieve as he heard the cries of the Neo Arcadians being shot down by their enemies, only able to concern himself with eliminating as many of them as he could. The faster he destroyed the mechaniloids, the more of the Neo Arcadians would survive.
Mega Man X tore through droves of enemies, the Dark Elf’s presence completely muted to him as he fought to ensure their survival. Decades of fighting experience came back to him, every movement he made feeling as natural as it ever had.
He had almost forgotten he had been built for combat by his hypocritical father, all those years ago. A being that strove for peace but had been built for war.
“Master X, help! Please!”
One lone cry that rang out above all else gave X pause, snapping his attention around back towards the caravan.
It was a massacre, the sheer amount of pantheons and mechaniloids easily overwhelming the Neo Arcadian forces. The same people X had shared the day with now lay in varying piles of burnt, destroyed parts and synthetic flesh.
The voice that had called out to him was one of the young men who had escorted him that morning, his eyes wide in terror as a pantheon warrior gripped his body in its massive, mechanical arm.
The man reached out for X, his eyes pleading as he gasped one last time before the pantheon crushed his body, tossing him aside as it turned its horrible gaze to X.
X could only stare, rooted to the spot in agony as he had watched the reploid’s death. It was happening again, his supposed “power” not enough to save the very reploids who looked up to him. They needed him, and he could only stand by and watch as they died.
“X, move! Now!”
Tria’s shout didn’t register to him, but the explosion at X’s feet did. His entire body was thrown backwards, shrapnel decimating his pristine white and gold armor. He could feel the molten pieces of metal ripping through his body, shredding everything they came in contact with. The little wings on his helmet were ripped off, his legs barely holding on from his thighs down. The pain was so great that X actually didn’t feel it, laying instead gasping in a pool of his own blood.
He didn’t hear Tria’s voice in his ear, telling him he was okay, and that they’d make it out of this. He didn’t see the few remaining Neo Arcadians grab what they could of his armor, his buster and their fallen comrades. He didn’t feel them dragging him towards the last remaining truck and piling what they could in the back.
X could only stare at the ceiling of the truck, feeling it rumble as it sped away from the horror scene. Tria’s face entered his vision, wiping his hair from his eyes and speaking to him to keep him calm. The poor reploid couldn’t have known that X could barely understand him, his processor dedicated to keeping him from experiencing the full effect of what could only have been a grenade detonating against his legs.
X didn’t know how long he sat there, his eyes flickering from Tria’s face to the roof of the truck. He wanted to go home, he wanted to be back in his bed, his body hurting from the seal and having boring meetings all day.
He wanted Zero back. He must have spoken Zero’s name accidentally, simply because of Tria’s reaction. The man reached around and grabbed X’s buster, holding it out in front of him and saying something along the lines of “I don’t know who Zero is, but here, maybe this will help? Just stay calm Master X, we’re almost home…”
X wanted to reach up, grab the buster and throw it away. His arms, however, stubbornly refused his call to move. Tria couldn’t have known that X was talking about his long lost partner, and not him not having a weapon.
Maybe, Zero wouldn’t be so long lost anymore...X could feel his life draining around him, death closing in on him like the gentle embrace of night.
The truck stopped, X could feel it by how the inertia moved his body. It felt like too much was open to the air and sliding around, unstable and free.
That wasn’t right, in fact it was quite rude of his body to be so open like that.
How dare it.
X turned his head to the back of the truck, watching as Tria jumped out to meet Dr. Weil and the rest of the council. He was speaking quite animatedly, panic clearly written on his face.
Weil nodded, taking X’s buster from Tria’s hand as he listened. X wondered why no one was rushing to help him, or panic over his broken body.
Perhaps they’d come after they helped Tria, X knew he needed it.
Weil nodded again, still holding X’s buster in his hands.
With one hand, he charged the pistol and leveled it at Tria’s head.
The resounding shot shocked X, but the sound of the Captain’s body hitting the floor shocked him more. What the hell just happened?
Something bitter filled X, overcoming the encroaching blackness of death. That simple act of merciless violence snapped something in the android. Was it rage he felt? Indignation?
Or was it a realization of sorts?
X wouldn’t have time to think it over, the veil of night finally covering his eyes as Weil turned to him. For the first time in X’s long, long life, he felt genuine fear as he gazed into those dark eyes.
“Damnit, I needed him dead, why can’t anyone do one fucking job correctly…”
X was more aware this time, and he really wished he hadn’t been. Something was being taken from him, he could feel it, something deep inside his code being ripped from him.
“If I can’t break the seal...I will weaken it until this bastard machine dies.”
X’s eyes flew open, the pain hitting him so quickly it caused his processor to short out for a moment. Everything inside him felt like it was on fire, the Dark Elf’s code wreaking havoc on his own stripped body.
He knew Weil was in the room, he could sense him. He also knew in that moment what Weil had been doing.
The system errors he was getting were too deliberate, too perfect. Bits of code taken here, pieces of his systems missing there.
X was being stripped for parts while he was still alive. The thought alone made him violently ill, that he was being taken apart from the inside by the people he trusted.
He knew Weil, the man had been there to help him create Neo Arcadia, he had helped X with everything since the day Zero left.
How could he do this? Why?
X paused his morbid ministrations, noting that Weil had left the room. This was his chance. Like hell he would stay here and let the man he had once called trusted root around his insides like he was some experiment.
The android heaved himself to the side, gasping as he felt the remnants of his torn body collapsing off of the table and onto the floor. The pain made him cry out, his whole being shaking violently from the stress of movement.
X hazarded a look down, trying to assess the damage. Things were not where they were supposed to be. His entire torso had been opened up, mechanical parts and reploid “blood” barely staying inside of his body. His armor had been peeled off of him, his legs barely held together. He looked like a mechanical skeleton.
He whimpered, trying not to make himself sick at the imagery, his own body horror driving his need to escape even higher.
His helmet was still seated on his head, and his scanner still worked. Perfect.
With a great deal of effort, the skeletal remains of Mega Man X stood, one arm wrapped around his midsection while the other kept him steady, helping him regain his balance.
Escape. Run, X!
The voice in his head prompted him to move, whether it was his own or maybe his father’s, he didn’t know. He simply began moving, the lab that had contained him scattered with pieces of his armor and body.
With shaking hands, X grabbed and replaced what he could, pain clouding his thoughts. The only thing he could make out was escape.
Once sufficiently repaired enough to move faster, X stepped out from the lab, noting it was one very close to Yggdrasil. The Dark Elf’s seal felt so much more active than ever before, fire racing through his code as the virus rewrote him and attempted to corrupt him.
X grimaced, turning away from the direction of Yggdrasil, and focusing instead on making it down the hallway. Every step sent pain lancing through his body, but he grit his teeth and kept moving.
If I can make it back to the garage...I can take a truck and escape…
God but where will I go? What will I do? Fuck, this is bad. This is really bad....
X tried not to whine, despair flooding him as he realized he had no plan other than escape. Maybe he could go and die somewhere in the desert, somewhere Weil couldn’t touch him. Maybe he would find Zero…
“Hey! There he is, he’s over there!”
A shout, followed by footsteps rang out of the hallway. X turned as fast as his shaking body would let him. Reploid guards stood further down the hall, calling to one another before running towards him.
“Shit...shit shit shit…” X hissed under his teeth, forcing his body to pick up the pace. His knees wobbled and threatened to give out under him, a hobbled trot the only thing he was capable of. The hallway turned, leading into a straight corridor with windows on either side.
They were gaining on him, and X knew he wouldn’t outrun them here. He eyed the windows further down, panic building in his throat.
If that was his only means of escape, then so be it.
With a cry, X ripped the remnant of his charred white and gold armor from his chest, the last piece of the armor he had been forced to wear. He turned and threw it towards the curve of the hallway, not watching as he heard the satisfying thunk as it hit the closest pursuer as they turned the corner.
X hobbled as quickly as he could, his eyes glued to the one open window. Other reploids and his own council appeared at the other end of the hallway, Dr. Weil leading them as they all attempted to catch him.
Weil looked furious, his hands reaching out for X as they all sped closer.
X wondered for a brief moment who would reach what first. Would he reach the window first, or would Weil catch him before then? The panic and pseudo-adrenaline coursing through him told him that he needed to reach the window first.
Everything else disappeared as X’s vision narrowed onto the open window sill, his hands reaching out for the frame.
He couldn’t have known that Weil had almost grabbed him by his hair as he launched himself out of it, into the crashing ocean below.
As X twisted and turned in the air, free falling into the roaring sea, he realized that Weil had planned all of this. Weil meant for him to die on that patrol.
Weil had betrayed him, and all of Neo Arcadia. No, he had betrayed all of the life on earth, jeopardized everything that X had sacrificed so much for. Everything that Zero had sacrificed himself for.
As X’s body hit the water, he decided that was truly unforgivable.
“You are all FUCKING IDIOTS!” Weil roared in rage as X leaped out of the window, taking everything Weil had been working on with him.
TK-31 shrank deeper into the shadows, he wasn’t having a very good day. How unfortunate could one get to find themselves in the middle of an attempted assassination/coup?
“You should have killed him while he was in your lab Weil, what are we going to do if he comes back?” one of the council members, a shorter man with a balding head spoke up, gesturing to the open window.
“I couldn’t have killed him, anyone who looked into how he died would have seen that it was deliberate! The reploid boy ruined it by throwing a grenade at his damn feet, X was supposed to die to a fucking saber.” Weil turned to the man, shaking in wrath.
Why would anyone try to kill Master X? Wasn’t he the only thing keeping the Dark Elf asleep?
“If he had died this morning on the patrol like I had planned, none of this would be happening. It would have been clean, with no damage to his hardware so I could take his parts to repair Omega and bring back the Dark Elf! That stupid boy I sent to escort him this morning KNEW that when we set the trap!” Weil collided his fist with the shorter man's face, sending him reeling.
“If he had died this morning to pantheons, we could have framed it to the humans that it was the reploids’ fault, getting them on our side and finally destroying the rest of these idiot reploids. We wouldn’t have had to cover our tracks because these stupid humans would have believed any lie we spoon fed them about their glorious leader’s death.”
“Instead, we now have no X, no Dark Elf, and only pieces of X’s data.” Weil finished, his hands still held in fists at his sides.
Frame reploids? For Master X’s death? But why? That would cause war, reploid kind would be falsely persecuted, X would become a martyr for nothing.
Something about the whole situation made TK-31 angry, indignant that someone was attempting to use Master X’s name to cause suffering.
He couldn’t do much about it though...
Best to stay hidden for now, his message for Master X clearly wasn’t going to get delivered.
“Doctor, do you really think he would have survived that fall?” one of the other council members, a thin, tall woman spoke up. Her face was gaunt as she watched the scene unfold around her.
“Let’s hope that he didn’t. In the meantime, we need a solution for X’s disappearance. He still makes his rounds and meetings. No one can know that he’s gone.” Weil grumbled, making his way towards the hallway X had run from.
Dr. Weil turned his back to TK-31, this was his chance! The messenger reploid began creeping away, sticking to the shadows and hoping that his blonde hair wouldn’t give him away.
Wait…
Weil stopped in front of what looked like a piece of scrap metal. Stooping down, he picked it up, smiling devilishly as he did.
“I think I have a plan for our missing leader. I don’t think anyone would notice if he had been replaced with a Copy…” Weil chuckled darkly, turning to face the remaining humans and reploids in the hall. “No one is to speak of what happened here tonight. If you do, there will be consequences.”
Weil turned from the council, the armor in hand, and began walking back to his lab.
The man couldn’t have known about the little messenger reploid staring in horror as he hid around the corner.
He had seen the whole thing! TK-31 trembled, he couldn’t tell anyone about this, he had to keep quiet.
The reploid slipped away, going down the opposite hallway as Weil had, desperately wishing he hadn’t been seen.
