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To Chapter [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Protoman had followed Zero and Sigma, thinking that Hunter might need some help finishing the Maverick Leader. To Protoman's surprise, Zero and Sigma were having a conversation. Protoman noticed that Sigma was unarmed while Zero had his Z-Saber out. "What the hell does he think he's doing?" Protoman thought. "He has a big opening, why isn't he doing anything?" "Zero has been acting this way since he destroyed Sigma on Final Weapon." Protoman recalled X saying. Destroyed Sigma? Then why is it that he is still alive? "You can't kill me." Sigma declared. "Because you know we're on the same side." There were more words exchanged, and then Zero launched himself, Z-Saber drawn, to attack Sigma. The Maverick just stood there, grinning at Zero. Before Zero could hit Sigma, though, he moved his Z-Saber to one side, leaving Sigma unscathed. Protoman watched in horror as Zero teleported away and Sigma roared in laughter. "...The same side?" Protoman thought. "Zero and Sigma?' Then it occurred to him. "Dr. Wily." ************************************************************************ Back at HQ, the Maverick Hunters rounded up the Mavericks that Sigma and Vile left behind. Vile and the other more powerful Mavericks managed to get away. There was no real damage to the HQ building, as if Sigma was just taunting the Hunters. Dr. Cain, Zero, X and Protoman were in Cain's lab, trying to figure out what Sigma was planning. "If Sigma really wanted to destroy Headquarters," Dr. Cain observed, "He would have put up more of a fight." "Maybe he was just teasing us." X suggested. "Trying to tell us that he's back." "X," Protoman began, "I thought you said Zero destroyed Sigma." Zero felt all eyes turning towards him. "What am I supposed to tell them?" Zero thought. "That Sigma and I are old buddies?" "He must have had help getting off Final Weapon." Zero said. "When I left him, he was completely inoperational." "That's not the important thing right now." Dr. Cain said. "Sigma has mysteriously returned to life, time and again. The question is what does he want this time." "Well, we know our old buddy Vile is back." X said sarcastically. He suddenly remembered something, and turned to Zero. "Zero, what did Sigma mean when he said you were once a Maverick?" Zero's eyes wandered to the side of the room. "I don't remember X. I only remember things starting from the time some scientists from the repair center activated me." Zero turned back to X. "It must be a lie. I could never be a Maverick." Dr. Cain carefully studied Zero. "Zero, Sigma was once a Maverick Hunter. I do remember one strong Maverick wiping Gamma's unit, and he was brought into The Phoenix Repair Center. But I can't tell you who it was until I check the files. I did not come into contact with this Maverick myself." "Please, go ahead and check, Doctor." Zero said. "I have to go track down Sigma." Zero began to leave. "I'm coming too." X got up to follow. "No, X." Zero declared. "I'll take care of it." Zero turned towards the door and left. "X," Protoman said, "I saw Zero and Sigma today, during the attack. I didn't want to say anything while he was here, but Sigma told Zero that they're on the same side. And Zero had an opening to kill Sigma but he didn't take it." X turned to face his brother. "No, Zero probably didn't see the opening and was waiting for me to come and help." "X," Protoman tried to convince his brother, "Sigma was completely unarmed. Zero could have finished him off, and he didn't." "It's some kind of trick." X shook his head. "When it's Sigma, anything can happen. He's trying to mess with our minds again." Protoman turned to Cain. "Dr. Cain, where did Zero come from?" "No one knows." Dr. Cain replied. " I can check back files to find out, but this is going to take awhile." "Meanwhile, X," Protoman warned, "Just ...keep an eye out on Zero. There's something wrong with him." "...." X looked to where Zero was sitting. *********************************************************** Zero sat silently in his room. He had lied to X and the others. After Sigma reminded him, Zero did remember being a Maverick. He recalled Gamma's Unit, out to capture him, and he could see himself killing those Reploids, one by one. Sickeningly, he enjoyed crushing the skulls of those wretched Hunters, and he remembered laughing heartily when Sigma, then a Hunter himself, screamed with terror. Yes, he could see Sigma, lying on the ground, with only one arm, and his entire shiny armor crooked and bent. Zero had raised his arm to finish him off, but something stopped him. It was like someone was tugging on his mind. "Zero." That was the first time he heard the voice, Dr. Wily's voice. Zero wasn't aware of the terrible nightmare that the voice will summon. The future, in which, everything would change. Sigma took this opportunity to knock Zero out, and brought him back to the Hunter's Repair Center to be studied. After he was repaired, Zero had the urge to join the Maverick Hunters. No one questioned it, because they just assumed Zero was tying to show his gratitude by helping the Hunters. What eluded everyone was the true, twisted reason why Zero joined the Hunters: He wanted to find Mega Man X...gain his trust... and now, as Dr. Wily tells him, destroy the Blue Hunter. This was also news to him. He never questioned his own motivations. He enjoyed being a hunter and working X. But now... "Was everything a lie?" Zero asked himself as he clamped his hands together. "My life, my duty, my friendship. Was it all a lie?" *********************************************************** X, Zero, and several other Mavericks carefully entered a high rise building. Headquarters received a call earlier about several Mavericks breaking into a safe on the top floor vaults, where all the valuable computer chips were held. Zero motioned for the others to gather around, and began to draw out a plan to enter the vault floor to surround the robbers. X had a look of concern on his face. He wasn't bothered by the software thieves they were about to encounter. Instead, he was thinking about the whole Zero/Sigma thing. What did the two have in common? Protoman's words still nabbed at his mind. His first instinct was to side with Zero, who has always been an asset to the Maverick Hunters, and a good friend. But what if Protoman was right? Then is Zero really to be trusted? "X, you take Amp and head for the north stairway." Zero said as he pointed to the map. "Electra and I will take the south stairway and bust into the room first. You and Amp count the number of Mavericks, so we don't get surprised. Electra and I will bust into the room in exactly ten minutes. We'll take care of the Mavericks we do see, you and Amp take any others who might be hiding." The team nodded in agreement and took their positions. X lead Amp up several flights of stairs to the north corridor of the vault floor. He stood silently and listened to make sure no one was in the hallway to greet them. When he made sure it was safe, he gave Amp more instructions. "Zero and Electra will go in from the other side. We'll take position at the doorway, and see what we can spy from there." He motioned for Amp to follow him as he moved towards the door. X slowly turned the doorknob, and waited five more seconds before pulling it slightly to look inside. He counted the number of Mavericks and raised his hand to indicate that there were five reploids inside. X continued to wait at the door for Zero to engage the reploids. Again, X couldn't help but wonder if it was wise to listen to his brother. "If I don't watch out and Zero does turn out to be against us, I could be putting many lives on the line. But I can't constantly watch him and do my job at the same time, that would also be dangerous." A loud noise inside the room snapped X out of his thoughts. Zero and Electra pointed their weapons at the Mavericks. X burst in, followed by Amp, and took the Mavericks from behind. Everything seemed fine, but then a sickening feeling came over X. Something was very wrong, X only saw four Mavericks before him. "Four?" X panicked. Before he could react, the fifth Maverick tackled him from the side. The two landed on the ground with a hard thud. X was too surprised to act, while the Maverick brought out a large stick and swiped at X's head. The blow landed, and X let out an agonized cry. Amp finally got his thoughts together and fired a shot at the Maverick, sending him flying across the room. X tried to get up, but the blow to the head made everything around him spin. As X tried to take a step forward, he fell to the side, crashing through the large window. X blindly grabbed onto the ledge, only to find that the sharp glass edges were digging into his hands. X tried not to think about the fifty stories of air under his dangling boots. He moved his lips to scream for help, but the panic welled inside his throat, muffling any sounds he tried to make. Zero appeared on the ledge. X could see the fuzzy image of Zero, hair all disheveled and helmet slightly bent out of shape, probably from beating that fifth Maverick. Zero looked down at X, and for the briefest split second, X could have sworn Zero was going to let him fall. A look of confusion took over the usually confidant Zero and he froze. Even through his distorted vision, X saw that something was horribly wrong with Zero and tried to pull himself up, but his throbbing head and the sharp glass made it impossible to do so. Every move X made sent shocks of pain down his arms. "Ugh." X finally managed to yell out as one of his hands slipped. X's eyes wandered down to see the fifty story fall. When he turned his head back up, he saw Zero again, this time, putting his hands around X's arms to pull him up. After X was on secure ground again, he let out a big sigh of relief and tried to clear his head, which currently felt like it was stuffed with cotton. "You all right?" Zero asked. "Yeah," X said, "I can't believe I missed that fifth Maverick." "Why? Did something distract you?" X remembered that he was distracted, by thinking about Zero. It was his own fault that the Maverick knocked him over. "Well," Zero said, "We nabbed those Mavericks. I especially gave the one who hit you a good pounding." Zero raised his eyebrows casually, joking to lighten up the mood. X managed to let out a few laughs, but he still remembered that Zero hesitated before pulling X back up. "It's not like Zero to hesitate about anything." X thought. "Why did he wait?" "Earth to X." Zero said. "Zoning out again. I swear, you do that again, and next time I'll just let you fall." Zero laughed again. X, though, did not. "Protoman told me to keep an eye out on Zero." X thought. "Maybe he was right." Then his head throbbed again. "Of course it could've just been my head." [HOME] |
