| Forward: This story takes place immediately after the introduction of X6 (okay, so it’s really immediately after the recap of the end of X5), and then branches off from the main story of that game. My apologies to any inaccuracies on references to other X games, as I have only played X, X4, and the first half of X6. Although the time is set for after my first fan fic “The Future is Coming” and references to it will be made (with explanations!), all the crazy cross over characters from “The Future is Coming” will make no appearances here so I can stick to a more authentic storyline. The Dream Machine Prologue Through the plotting of the Maverick Reploid Sigma, the space colony Eurasia collided with Earth. The shuttle which Maverick Hunter Zero piloted on a collision course with Eurasia failed to deflect the space colony. High amounts of pollutants were released into the earth’s atmosphere when the crash occurred. Also released to the earth surface are high amounts of the Sigma Virus, which seems to cause Reploids to go Maverick. In a strange turn of events, this virus reacted with an existing virus on earth to form a virus emitting the same reading as the Maverick Hunter Zero. This virus has been dubbed the “Zero Virus.” While its effects on Reploids are unknown for now, many are still weary about it. For these reasons, many humans and Reploids have relocated to underground colonies called “coves.” The details about the final battle between Sigma and the Maverick Hunters are sketchy. The only survivor from the battle was X, Maverick Hunter and leader of the 17th unit. He returned unscathed, but could not recall key details of the battle. He could only say that Sigma had been destroyed… Curiously, he lost all his memories about Zero, his best friend and fellow member of the Maverick Hunters, with whom he has worked with for many years. Perhaps it is because during the events leading up to the final battle, Zero himself went Maverick and X could not accept the situation. Or maybe his memory was accidentally damaged in the battle. No scientist of this age could tell you for sure, since the creation of X-decades before the creation of the other Reploids-was shrouded in mystery. The story continues… The Dream Machine Chapter One: Zero An electronic buzz traveled through my head as I regained functions. A green status screen came on, and light beeps accompanied the scrolling text. Interesting, it tells me I’m functioning at 25 percent. My self-repair systems are working on repairing the rest. My legs are non operational, but will be repaired in approximately four hours by the self-repair systems. Not bad for someone who got blown into pieces. … Wait a minute. I thought I was dead. The last thing I remember hearing was my maintenance system reporting my fatal shutdown over X saying something. My damages were too much for my self-repair system to handle. There was no way I could have survived by myself. Someone must have put me back together. “X!” I shouted, or at least thought I shouted as I opened my eyes. No one came running. I turned my head and noted that I was in an unfamiliar lab. Since I tried to use my vocal systems, my status screen informed me that they were non-operational as well. This is obvious now since I noticed someone else was in the lab, but she did not turn to look at me. She must have not heard anything. From the lab table I was laying on, I could only see her back, but I was sure I haven’t met her before. She was immersed in some work at the computer terminal across the room. I thought for a second how I would get her attention. I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t walk over to tap her on the shoulder. So I knocked my hand against the lab table. She heard immediately, and turned to look at me. A look of surprise was on her face, which was quickly replaced by a sigh of relief. She hopped out of her chair and ran over by the table. She was human. She had a short, blond haircut, and green eyes. A lab coat? Is she a scientist? She was probably in her mid-twenties, but the smile she was wearing on her face at this moment made her look like a ten year old staring at an ice-cream truck. “Zero, right?” She asked. “I’m Dr. Sky. I saw your name on your programming. How are you doing?” She stared at me, expecting a reply. I looked blankly back at her, not sure what to do since I couldn’t speak. I tried for a long shot. I knocked on my table once again. “Oh! Morse code. Of course! You can’t talk. I’m sorry, I haven’t fixed that part yet. You were in horrible shape when I found you. ‘How long have I been out?’” She was reading out my questions as I tapped them. “I don’t know, but I found you the week of that horrible crash. I should say I found bits of you. If your head weren’t mostly intact I wouldn’t have known to look for you at all. ‘Did I find anyone else?’ No, I only found you. I couldn’t find bits of any other reploid… not bits I could fix.” She didn’t find X. Was he alive? “Are you okay? You suddenly got even more depressed looking.” I tapped her a reply. I told Dr. Sky about how I ended up in pieces. About Sigma, Eurasia, X, me turning Maverick... there must have been something wrong with my systems still, because there was no need to tell her I was a Maverick. She might even decide to deactivate me after she found out. But she did not. It didn’t seem to matter to her I was a Maverick. “If you tried to kill me,” she said, “I’d be sad.” It was a very stupid answer. But I had no intentions on killing her anyway. “Are you still a Maverick?” She asked. I shook my head slightly and told her I didn’t think so. It’s hard to explain. I remember everything about my battle with X, and how much rage I felt when I hit him with my attacks. I also remember the moments before my death, why I wanted to kill Sigma instead of finish X. How does anyone change their mind so fast? She told me she hadn’t heard about the Eurasia incident, since she was living in a secluded lab out in what used to be the mountains (because of the pollution from the crash, most of her lab was buried in sand). Of course she knew something had crashed on the planet, but she had no access to the news wire. While exploring the newly devastated area, she found many Reploid parts. That was when she found my head. She saw a bright blue light emanating from that area and came to find me. She immediately searched for my other parts. What she could not find, she rebuilt from the blue prints included in my programming. I asked her if she knew what the blue light was, and she in turn said that she was hoping I could shed some light on the matter. Blue light? Was it Dr. Light’s hologram? I asked her how she knew how to rebuild me, since your average human was not that familiar with reploid technology. She told me that she was a student of all sciences, and had studied about reploids some time ago. “My main occupation is a plant biologist,” she told me, beaming like a child again, “but it’s hard not to read up on everything else.” So I was alive again. Feels strange, cheating death so many times. I really thought it was going to end this time. It would be so much easier if it had. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about the mavericks, Sigma, or the war anymore. I wouldn’t have to worry about X either. X, the one I want to save, and the one I need to kill. I wonder if he’s dead or alive. Fan Fiction - Top |
