X1

What seemed like too long a teleportation finally ended with Zero staring into the trunk of a biomechanical tree. It stared right back at him.

"Alright X, hurry up and get back here. I have the feeling this won't be my average mission."

The robotic flora and fauna of the forested area haunted the otherwise dead air surrounding Zero. He drew his electric blade and began to make way into the ruins.

"Ugh, I always knew this place was bad news. Shoulda been torn down for scraps years ago! Wait, what's that?"

Zero barely got his words of shock when a frog-like Reploid leaped into vision, toppling over him and pressing him to the hard ground.

"Ack! Damned Mavericks come in all colours these days! Even green!"

A sheen of light protruding the middle of the Maverick mini-frog sent it crackling into two tiny explosions pulsating on each side of Zero's downed body. He quickly rose to his feet and climbed a small barrier leading further into the base ruins.

"I won't let some shrimp punk Maverick keep me from that bastard Sting Chameleon."

More lumberjack Mavericks that Zero had seen on his scouting missions in the North made him furrow his face into an imperfect scowl.

"*sigh* Not even worth the time it took to construct them..."

Wasting very little energy, Zero merely leapt over the lumberjacks, using their own replicating tree weapons as a jumping board. He dashed his way over a small pond riddled with algae, making his green Saber glow beautifully in its own green reflection. He once again came upon another lumberjack Maverick and frog-like Maverick. KA-CHING! One fell swoop of the blade sent both Mavericks into a fizzing frenzy. They laid there making quiet ticking noises all the while Zero cautiously scaled up a much taller barrier.

"Anymore o' these guys and I'll have to check my mainframe for double vision!"

Zero had approached the opening to a small cave, but also to a crossroads.

"Hmm...up, down, or forward? Hmm this is strange. I'm getting bizarre energy readings from way high up."

Zero looked up above the cave.

"Well, this just needs further investigation. Looks like I'm goin' up!"

He dash-jumped towards the cave, landing just above the opening and scaling upwards through fast kicking motions along the cave wall.

"Alright, just a little further and...huh. Dead end."

Before Zero had time to turn back, slabs of immovable rock crashed down on top of one another, blocking his only means of escape. Escape from what remained to be seen.

"Okay Sigma, what you got for me now, huh? COME ON!"

The inevitable Maverick casually jumped down from apparently nowhere and stood there, almost as though it had been there the entire time.

"You! You were supposed to be dismantling this base, not dismantling harmless Reploids and humans!"

The large green Maverick cackled with a very monotone laughter, if it could be called that.

"Foolish Reploid. As a follower of Sigma, only now do I see the weakness in humans. Even in pitiful sympathizers like you do I too see another weakness...the trite hope that we can all live in harmony. That world can never exist because Sigma's ideals conflict with our society. Now then, let me show you how your weakness is my strength!"

The steaming Maverick launched gigantic clasping arm towards Zero but he quickly dashed underneath it. He did not see, however, the other arm fully extend past his body and clamp onto the fallen rock wall.

"Ha! You missed!"

The green Maverick's cycloptic eye flashed in amusement.

"Did I?"

The clamped arm wheeled in the towering Maverick, crashing into Zero's body and sending him flying upwards into the air. After safely connecting with his clamped arm, the Maverick furiously turned around and clamped his free hand onto Zero's body.

"I'll crush you like a petty worm from this petty forest!"

Zero tried to free himself with his own hands against the massive clasping hand but it was no use. The grip was too tight and Zero felt his insides collapsing. Then he had an idea.

"You know..." Zero uttered, "crushing me will be very difficult with no arms!"

Zero's favourite Saber began cutting into the arm of the Maverick but Zero had got his hopes up too soon.

"You think it's that EASY?"

He dropped Zero hard onto the ground before he could make the final cut. With a few spins of the arm and a quick metallic self-healing overhaul, the Maverick was back in business. Zero laid on the ground in searing pain.

"I said I was going to crush you and crushing you is what I will do!!"

The lone eye on his head beeped with intensity as it drew closer and closer to Zero. He remained helpless and immobile despite the sheer panic in his eyes. The menacing green foe now leaned over to catch a glimpse of the frail Hunter.

"Is that it? Is that all you had to give me? Some silly light show with your little knife? Bah! Even killing you won't be satisfying enough now. Hmm, maybe I'll give you over to Sigma and he can show you how truly GLORIOUS it is to be Maverick! Ah ha ha ha!"

Zero bit his lip hard and jumped high in the air.

"Noooooooooo!"

He took his flaring Z-Saber and plunged it firmly into the eye of the green Maverick.

"I will NEVER join the ranks of you or your evil organization!"

The green Maverick looked back at Zero and did nothing but teeter to one side before falling to its resting place sloppily on the ground. Zero stood there finally becoming aware of the damage he'd taken.

"Urrgh, gotta *urk* be more *nuh* careful next time."

He fell to one knee and grabbed his torso with his free hand. The other hand held the Z-Saber still inside the dead Maverick's head. He slid it out, sending sparkling wires flaying around with its removal. Upon composure he also saw an ominous dark circle sliding away from the ground, revealing another more metallic circle hiding underneath.

"No...have I found another one? Damn X, wish you were here."

The capsule rose slowly with a sort of fog swirling its entire frame. It looked almost like a holy pillar if not for the flashing lights and giant red bulb on its top.

"Doc, this...is Zero. Can you hear me? Urgent message from Zero..."

A faint voice came from the arm communicator.

"Zero! This channel is for emergency use only!"

Dr. Cain sounded annoyed and quite busy with the bustling and trinkling sounds coming from the other side of Zero's arm communicator.

"Well, Doc, this is...one of...those..."

"Wait Zero, are you okay?"

Zero winced and grimaced through the pain.

"Yeah, found one of those capsules meant for X. Was thinking that maybe he could use the extra juice considering the position he's in. Plus I'm not exactly feeling chipper right now...I could use a hand."

Dr. Cain said nothing for a minute, which seemed like an hour to Zero.

"Hmm, I've only repaired X to about eighty percent capability. I don't want to risk further damage in his weakened state."

Zero pounded his fist and the communicator to the ground.

"Dammit, just send him here! I'll give you my coordinates. We need more Hunters and X is the best I've got for now! This upgrade could be what he needs to turn the tide against the Maverick forces here in the base ruins!"

Zero punched a few codes and numbers into his arm communicator and waited.

"...Okay. But do be careful, Zero. X won't be in the best condition, so help him get to that platform."

"Yes sir! Zero out!"

Not wanting to look defeated, Zero rose up and used his own two hands to push an exposed piece of connection wire back into his torso. He bit his own lip so hard it shorted out for a quick time.

"The things I do to keep up appearances..."

A blue light fell down from the sky and landed right where Zero's coordinates indicated. X wasn't in fighting fashion though, as he limped and fell to the ground on both knees.

"Zero...why am I here? I'm not ready, I'm not powerful enough."

Zero merely pointed towards the capsule and patted X on the back.

"You will be soon. Go."

X hobbled up and made his way to the platform. For a third time, he saw his father in holographic form.

"This capsule contains a new type of body armor."

Zero smiled as he covered his own wounds with his hands.

"It will reduce damage to your systems by fifty percent."

X reached out to try and touch his long-lost father but before he could make it, the image was gone. Already on the platform, the capsule began to shine and emit bursts of light surrounding X in a magnificent spectacle of flashes and bangs. His chest glowed so brightly that it almost completely dissipated from Zero's view were it not for the rest of X's shiny blue armor glistening in the brightness.

"X! X can you hear me? Are you alright?"

After the lights had dimmed, X stepped out of the capsule, eyes as wide as the horizon and smile as long as the day.

"I'm more than alright, Zero. I feel amazing!"

Another flickering voice came from Zero's communicator.

"Zero! Zero! How was the capsule? Is X alright?"

"X is fine, Dr. Cain. The capsule contained an upgrade to his armor. It fully repaired him and cut his damage intake by half! I think he'll be just fine for now."

"Good news. Okay, get back here as soon as you can after you make due with Sting Chameleon. Dr. Cain out."

A last fizzle from the communicator made Zero smile and happily shut off the device for the time being.

"Damn X, you had me worried back there."

X lowered his eyes and grinned even more.

"Now that doesn't sound like the S-Class Hunter I've grown to know."

"You know X, you might just be of some use to us yet."

Before the two could exchange any further pleasantries, they turned to watch the once impenetrable rock wall crumble before their very eyes. A relieved Zero sighed but grunted hard at the oncoming pain from his torso.

"Ah that's right. Dr. Cain sent one of these along with me. Said you sounded a bit 'weathered'."

Zero turned and frowned at the sight in X's hand.

"What? An E-Tank? What good is that gonna do ME?"

X shoved it into Zero's hands despite his protest.

"Look, it's not much but it'll give you enough to at least heal you. I know it's no gleaming white body armor but..."

"Ah just shut up and lemme get this over with."

He aborbed the E-Tank into his torso and was immediately healed. The rest of his body would have to wait for further minor repairs, however, as Sting Chameleon was still setting his sights on reactivation of the ruined Hunter base.

"Alright X, seeing as how you're a little better off than me right now I'm gonna trust you with scouting ahead for serious Maverick activity. Maybe you'll find Sting Chameleon first and put your new armor to work!"

X took one last long look at his whitened bodyframe and blinked several times.

"Are you sure I'm up to the task? I mean, look what happened last time."

Zero put his hand firmly on X's white shoulderpad.

"That's all it was. The last time. All there is now is this mission, which I am trusting you with. So stop thinking about the past and do this for me. Okay? Okay. Now get outta here before something else happens. Oh, and keep an eye out for more capsules! The more, the better!"

Zero's "better" couldn't even be heard by X as he was by now on the other side of the cave below Zero. With Z-Saber in hand, he scaled back down to the mouth of the cave and entered. The rock all looked very unstable and weak, as though a tiny laser blast could send the whole thing collapsing at any second. Above was a cluster of rock hanging by almost a single pebble. "A strange stalactite indeed," thought Zero. But it was no stalactite. It dropped in front of Zero and quickly revealed itself to be a shape-shifting Maverick!

"Shit! Another one!"

Zero had no time to hurl his Saber at the enemy as it was already throwing a rock his way. Thankfully this particular Maverick has the aim of a blind Met and missed Zero by a longshot.

"Big mistake, junior."

Zero jumped over the igneous enemy and stabbed it from behind, without even looking back.

"Gonna play like a rookie, gonna get killed like a rookie."

Up ahead Zero saw several of the same peculiar rock formations hanging from above. Quite sure that these were more of the same Mavericks, he put his Z-Saber away and began dashing towards them.

"Not even gonna bother with these wanna-be Mavericks."

He dashed under each one before it could topple over on Zero's head. The crash of each rock formation made Zero dash all the harder.

"X, you better be doing me good out there."

X was actually doing quite well despite Zero's initial hang-ups about him. He'd made it past the cave and the marsh with ease.

"Whew. I dunno how Zero does it, but this scouting can be a real pain. At least my new armor's holding up quite well! Wish I could thank you in person, Dr. Light...father..."

X looked on into the door leading to Sting Chameleon's hideout, an old weapons storage area long abandoned of any guns or ammunition.

"Hmm, alright Sting, here's hoping you'll listen to what I have to say before you force me to retire you..."

X walked past the first security door and came out the second. There stood Sting Chameleon, with the biggest smile X had even seen gracing his face.

"X........Perfect."

Meanwhile, Zero had only made it halfway across the marsh by the time X entered Sting Chameleon's lair.

"Damn these Ride Armors. What the Hell's wrong with a good Buster or Saber anyway? Could blast these things from halfway across the forest!"

Zero clumsily fiddled with the controls as his Ride Armor gyrated and seized multiple times. Another Ride Armor was coming straight at him, and the rider did not look friendly.

"Hey! Stop! In the name of the Maverick Hunters, I order you to stop!!"

The rider heard nothing as it bellowed its way into Zero's failing contraption.

"Aww screw this hunk of junk!"

He jumped out and somersaulted in the air, sheathing his Saber squarely across the body of the other Ride Armor and splitting it in two. The rider was still tightly buckled inside. To his unfortunate luck the buckle, along with the rest of the machine, exploded in a torrent of flames and black smoke.

"Heh, so much for safety. Now let's get past this sticky marsh!"

Jumping three or four times every second, Zero slowly made his way across the gum-like polluted muck of this once clearwater marsh.

"First Reploids, now the environment. Geez, everything's going Maverick. Oh crap..."

Zero's exclaim was due to the fact that another Ride Armor and a froggy Maverick stood between him and the security door leading to Sting Chameleon's hideout. He leaped at the frog Maverick and sliced its legs off. The only thing remaining was a flailing headpiece looking like a fish out of water. Zero put it out of its misery with a quick swipe of the Saber across its head. Zero hadn't been paying attention to the Ride Armor as one of its bearlike arms cuffed away Zero's Saber from his hands, plunging firmly into the ground just outside the security door.

"Ah, my Saber! Oh you'll pay for that dearly..."

Zero jumped onto the very arm that stripped him of his weapon and shuffled up to the hand. The arm began waving wildly as the rider diligently tried throwing Zero off the machine. But to no avail. Zero managed to get his hands around the giant hand and twist it off, making an electric popping sound on the final twist. He shuffled up to the shoulder and smiled at the rider, looking him dead in the face.

"So, take away my weapon? Well here, have YOURS!"

Zero smashed the giant hand over the rider's head, rendering him unconscious. Zero grabbed the small Maverick with one hand and tossed him into the slimy muck behind him.

"Nobody touches my gear."

Zero jumped out of the deactivated Ride Armor and walked calmly to his Saber. He pulled it out of the ground and walked past the first security door. But something wasn't right. He could hear laughter coming from the other side, and it didn't sound like X.

"Oh no! X!"

Zero ran into the next room and was shocked to see Sting Chameleon poking and prodding X with his electrified tail. X was fastened to a series of electrified vines protruding from all sides of the room.

"One move...and your dear Hunter is FINISHED!"

X could barely open his eyes as his armor was heavily damaged from electricity.

"Zero...get out of here. Ambush...couldn't do anyth-AAAAAAH!"

Sting Chameleon zapped X with another charge of energy, flowing all throughout his sizzling circuits.

"Sting, your fight is with me, not him. He's just a rookie. If you want a real battle, you come face me fair and square."

Zero walked towards Sting but he raised a hand.

"Ah ah, no closer. You're in no position to negotiate, anyway. But alright, I'll humour you. I had this feeling you never really did like me, anyway."

Zero showed his teeth in anger.

"You're right, I never did like you. Underhanded, careless, self-loving, murderous, psychotic..."

Sting smiled even more.

"Hmm, sounds like your resume from a few years ago, doesn't it Zero?"

He couldn't help himself. Zero took hold of his Saber and jumped at Sting Chameleon. But he was too ready for such an obvious move. Sting Chameleon thrust his prehensile tail into the torso of Zero, opening up his wound from the battle with the green Maverick.

"You think I don't monitor this place? You think I'm such a fool to fall for the classic run and gun move? And you think I don't know your weaknesses? Such an idiot. You would make a terrible Maverick. Thank God that wound is going to kill you. Couldn't stand to hear you bitch for another minute."

Zero collapsed immediately onto the ground. Motionless. X recoiled in horror at the S-Class Hunter's fall.

"I'll be heading out now, as Sigma's got other business for me at his base. This place'll be up n' running with new Mavericks in no time! As for you two...well..."

Sting Chameleon grabbed Zero's Saber and cut his left arm off.

"Been a 'slice'! Ah ha ha ha ha!"

Sting Chameleon quickly made haste out the security doors, leaving Zero and X to die. Zero screamed in pain and X wailed in agony as the two remain in Sting Chameleon's torture room suffering slow deaths.

"X...this isn't over...we'll get him...we will..."

X's face was turning red from a heat overload.

"Zero...I failed...the peace we wanted...the peace..."

The two Reploids laid on the ground, and everything went black.