13Hello everybody, this is X the Reaper, bringing you all yet another story from the depths of my subconscious.
This time, fan-sequel story! This one's continuing on where a particularly loved series of mine left off, a sequel hook so blatant I can't leave it floating there any longer. That hook being the ZX storyline of Mega Man, one of the most beloved gaming series around.
This story has been in a long time coming. Originally, it was to be my FIRST story I would ever write, but a combination of a rising appreciation for the Fate/stay Night series and ebbing of interest in Mega Man led me to put this on the back-burner. Then came my interest in BlazBlue, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Five Nights at Freddy's, MLP: FIM, Lyrical Nanoha and Odin Sphere, all while this idea gathered dust, occasionally being taken out, brushed off, then put away again.
However, a recent surge of nostalgia has lead me to give it another shot, in addition to several 'what-if' stories also set in this continuity, in particular one Megaman ZX: Return to Zero by RiceKrispie and Mega Man ZX Aspects of Omega by Kuraselache (which was the original inspiration for this fic). At long last, I intend to write this story.
And before anyone starts bringing out the pitchforks and torches, let it be known I'm still working on all of my other stories. I just have a bad habit of taking breaks by putting out new story ideas.
Disclaimer: Mega Man and all its sub-series belong to Capcom. X the Reaper owns nothing.
Alright, let's go!
The ashen skies of Area K burned crimson that evening as thick clouds of smoke and embers filled the sky with their poisonous fumes. The volcanic landscape seemed to rumble as the magma beneath shifted, seeking to free itself from its earthly confines. This place was synonymous with hell on Earth, and any who did not walk with some purpose on this field of rock and fire was nothing more than a fool with a death wish.
And yet, two young humans, one boy and one girl, siblings to any who was close enough to tell, stumbled along the landscape, coughing and wheezing as they breathed in the toxic fumes and flames of the place. Yet still they pressed on, their destination the crest of one of the many volcanic peaks.
Their names were Vent and Aile, and they were two of the most powerful beings on the planet, chosen to be the bearers of the power of heroes long past, granted through the power of the items known as Biometal. Together, they had faced and defeated a great evil the likes of which had not been seen in centuries. And here they had come to dispose of another such threat, one brought about by their own actions.
"Well...we're here at last..." Aile breathed quietly. Her body was surrounded in crimson armor, blond hair flowing behind her in waves as she clenched the emerald katana in her right hand, plasma blade glistening in the fading light. Yet it was far from pristine: The armor was covered in various slash marks, including one horrific one right across the chest, and looked like it was in danger of peeling off, bloodied from where it hadn't been able to protect her fully. Though covered by a black visor (which was cracked along the center), she turned her green-eyed gaze to her brother, glancing at him sadly. He was in even worse shape than she was, his blue armor heavily cracked and bloodied, the hand cannon attached to his right arm occasionally sparking uselessly. The full helmet that covered his head looked like it was about to come apart any second, and he was breathing heavily, trying his best to recover his strength, all while his left hand shook as if something was trying to get loose.
He shouldn't have come. She could have performed this duty by herself, but he had insisted on coming, if only so he could lay the ghost of his mistakes behind him. And she couldn't deny him that, not after what had happened.
"Let's finish this..." she added with a note of finality.
Vent nodded. Slowly, he walked closer and closer to the edge, lifting his left hand up. Pausing, he looked down at the artifact in his hands, taking just a moment to marvel at how this stone had caused so much pain. The dark crimson-colored stone seemed to vibrate in his grip, as if seeking to free itself, and it only increased as they got closer. Glaring at the ancient Biometal, he approached the fiery chasm as he spoke to it one last time.
"Model X was right all along. You just can't be trusted. I should have done the right thing and listened to my friends when they told me the truth about what you really were, left you to rot in that prison forever," he said, all while it hissed harshly upon hearing his voice.
Once, the crimson Biometal had desired the teen for itself, jealously merging with him whenever he sought to use one of his other Biometals. Due to its incredible power, Vent had tried to overlook its possessive nature, but its aggression had only escalated as he had matured, growing more and more frustrated by his compassion and desire to protect rather than destroy. Finally, the Biometal had snapped, attempting to forcibly merge with Vent whilst simultaneously attacking Model X so that it might become the only one who could Megamerge with him. It had taken Aile and Model Z together to pry the Biometal from her brother's body, but not before it had forced him to attack her in rage for her interference.
Finally, Vent reached the edge, staring down into the lava beneath them. He gave the Biometal one last look, as if attempting to burn the image of its slashed and damaged form forever into his mind. "Goodbye, Model O."
With a mighty heave, he tossed the dark Biometal into the pit, watching as it vanished into the smog, clattering against stone and earth as fell further and further towards the lava. Vent didn't move, simply standing there as he watched its descent, barely acknowledging his sister's presence as she joined him in watching it fall, until they could see it no more.
"Better?" Aile asked him softly, putting her hand on his shoulder and wincing as she had to reach. While they had both grown in the past year since defeating Serpent and Model W, Vent had definitely grown taller, his hair almost as long as her own now.
Vent took a deep breath, his shoulders slumping as he felt Model O's presence fade from his mind at last. "Yeah, lots. I just hope no one ever finds that thing down there..."
Aile smiled tiredly and slowly gave him a hug, careful not to aggravate either of their wounds. Vent accepted it gratefully. "Don't worry about it. With how Area K's been acting up over the past years, people would be mad to come here for any reason."
Vent dearly hoped that was the case, and upon remembering how close it had come to taking him over, he darkly hoped that Model O melted into slag within the depths of that crater. A better fate than what it deserved, but it was the only safe way they had to dispose of it.
"Let's go home," Aile told him. "Praire's probably freaking out about where we are now."
Vent chuckled as he let his sister lead. Right now, all he wanted to do was just get some sleep.
But Model O had not met its end that day. By some freak chance, a random throw of the galactic dice, the rogue Biometal had rolled away from the all-consuming magma, clattering neatly across stone to nestle safely in a large crack in the crater wall. Safe and sound from the magma below, Model O fell into an uneasy slumber as the azure gemstone in the center of its forehead cracked. The consciousness within began to spread its influence outward into the air, causing the volatile activity around it to settle down while it slowly lost awareness over the next few hours.
And finally, as the magma settled down to more normal levels, Model O fell asleep at last, dreaming dark dreams of days to come as it once more awaited the day of awakening, waiting for another fool to arrive and bring it back to the world...
Legion HQ (Private Quarters of the Sage Trinity), 25XX (Three Years Later)
Master Thomas, head of the Sage Trinity and one of the three, now two, leaders of Legion, stared silently outside towards the setting sun of day as had more or less become his habit, arms resting upon the hilt of his ceremonial red sword. Though he could no longer see it, he could still picture the massive ship that nearly blotted out the skyline merely a week ago, it's serpentine form representing centuries of betrayal and misdirection by a man he had once called friend.
Nary two weeks ago, Legion, the most powerful organization on the planet, forged from the remnants of the old world after the Ragnarok Incident, had suffered the greatest threat to both its and the world's existence since the Serpent Insurrection (the name given to the incident involving the head of Slither Inc. and his attempts to bring about global anarchy with an artifact of ages long past) but four years prior. Much like the Insurrection, leading up to the event were constant and occasionally massive maverick attacks by rampant mechaniloids, all seemingly coordinated by two wanted criminals: Two mysterious reploids by the name of Prometheus and Pandora.
The attacks started small: Mining camps or outposts were the norm, then progressively graduated to isolated towns or military encampments, and eventually major commercial centers such as Cinq Ville, around the world. It was the almost as if the nightmare of the Serpent Insurrection was being relived, but on a global scale compared to a country one.
Thomas, along with his colleagues Mikhail and Albert as part of their duties as the leaders and protectors of the world, had done their best to find a way to assuage the growing public panic. They enlisted the aid of both the Guardians (the independent peacekeeping force that had stopped the Insurrection) and the Hunter guilds (bounty hunters nominally associated with Legion) to combat the attacks in addition to their own army. They had begun researching what the goals, if any, this newfound threat had. The common theme almost seemed to indicate terrorists or anarchists of some sort, given the chaotic nature of the attacks and the scarcity of survivors often left, but never once did they receive any demands from whoever was running the show.
At least, that had been the story on the surface for the press and the public. Beneath it, the three had discovered evidence of a malevolent force behind the attacks, an ancient evil that had begun to awaken and corrupt machines into puppets for destruction for destruction's sake. It was this very same evil that had supposedly twisted the mind of Slither's president Serpent, and the two beings known as Prometheus and Pandora were supposedly its 'voices', serving its will and destroying any who would oppose their mission from it.
The Guardians, two in particular, had been very insistent on this particular matter. They called it 'Biometal', the soul of a living being bound to a mechanical artifact, created by freak accident yet maintained by the soul's strength of will to remain. This Biometal had been referred to as Model W, so named for it contained the soul of one of the evilest and most foul beings who ever lived on this planet, the man originally responsible for the second greatest calamity the world had ever seen and mastermind of Operation Ragnarok.
His name was Dr. Weil, and his new form was that of the shattered remnants of Ragnarok, the great orbital space-station/super-weapon forged at the climax of the war between the totalitarian government of Neo Aracadia and the Reploid Resistance. His death and its destruction, the final act of Zero (a legendary hero of two time periods) had been the catalyst that eventually formed Legion itself, but no one knew what became of the wreckage.
Yet according to the Guardians Model W should have been destroyed along with the Slither Inc. head office. How had it returned if it was in fact behind these events?
The answer eventually came, but with a horrible truth. For the true mastermind had not been some terrorists or even an ancient weapon, but one of their own.
Master Albert, one of the Sage Trinity, had revealed himself before his fellows as none other than the one responsible for everything, from the Maverick attacks to the awakening of Model W, to even the fall of Slither Inc. He had been the one who studied Model W and refined it: The one Serpent found had been the original and most powerful piece, but there had been others, smaller and weaker but no less potent. For centuries he had spread them across the globe from their wreckage within Ragnarok, sealing them away and allowing them to slumber, growing stronger in preparation for the day of reckoning.
His goal? To become a god of a new world, to 'reset' the old one and make way for a new evolution of man.
Mad? Most certainly, yet it was a mad genius who sought to make it happen. Even after revealing himself, Albert succeeded in his goal: He united the fragments of Model W into one, christened the Ouroboros. The eternal serpent that represents time and the universe was to be the symbol of the new world, and nothing it seemed would stop him.
And yet, he had been. In the end, Albert fell to pawns of his own creation. To further his ambitions, Albert had crafted a 'Game of Destiny', meant to draw in those with the potential other than himself to use the power of Biometals, christened 'Mega Men' as a reference to some ancient hero of days long past. Albert had created his Chosen Ones personally, imparting his DNA to survivors of Maverick attacks he orchestrated, as if he was attempting to play God already. Prometheus and Pandora had been two such beings, as had Serpent, but he needed more.
By some twist of fate, a Guardian scientist by the name of Ciel, one of the heroes of the last great war between humans and reploids, had learned about Model W and reverse-engineered the original Biometal, creating six new ones to fight it. Four of them would eventually fall into Albert's hands to be used to further his ambitions, but the other two, named Models X and Z, would be used by two young Guardians named Vent and Aile. Together, they would ultimately defeat Serpent and delay Albert's plans, and later Vent alone would join forces with another Chosen One by the name of Ashe, who bore a mysterious seventh Biometal named Model A.
Ashe had been the dark horse in Albert's race. She was not chosen by Albert himself to become a Mega Man, yet she could still Megamerge. This conundrum of a young woman had defied every planned contingency of Albert's schemes, and it was she who dueled him alone for the fate of the world, slaying the mad god upon his throne. In the end, it turned out she bore Albert's blood naturally, the last living descendant of Albert's human bloodline, and Model A his backup in case Model W somehow failed.
That had been a week ago. The Ouroboros was gone, its wreckage sunken into the sea. The world should be at peace now, and yet it wasn't. In those terrifying days, riots had run rampant in the streets, acts of crime committed daily as people, believing it to be the end of the world, acted as if there was nothing left to lose. Humans turned on reploids in ignorance and fear, believing them unjustly to be cause of this, while reploids lashed back in self-defense and anger. Even now, crime was still very much a real thing throughout the world, fear and paranoia gripping the cities in a death-grip.
Thanks to the lasting corrupting effects of Model W upon machinery, Maverick numbers had skyrocketed in the past weeks, and even now it was dangerous business to perform any sort of overland travel without armed escort. Legion's military was spread thin, and while the Guardians and Hunters were doing there best to help, it was still a precarious situation.
Even now, Master Thomas could still see smoke rising from various portions of the city, proof that the anarchy still continued. It reminded him of the early days of Legion, when he still had a flesh-and-blood form, attempting to forge order out of the chaos that had been Neo Aracadia's collapse, to reign in lawlessness and establish rules that would guide both humans and Reploids to a better tomorrow, safe from Mavericks. For two centuries he had dedicated himself to the idea that the two races could overcome their differences and fight their common enemy, and yet in just as many weeks it was as if nothing had changed.
It was enough to make a lesser man despair, but Thomas was far from a lesser man. He had lived for centuries and seen many things, and in these times of crisis he had hardened his heart and soldiered on. He would do what was necessary, as he always had.
"'To bring new life into the world', eh?" he mused to himself, remembering his colleague's final words. Had perhaps Albert been so wrong about the world needing to change? The means by which to reach it (the destruction and absorption of everything into Model W), most certainly, but had the end been something truly wrong?
Behind him, Master Mikhail continued to shift through the data that had been collected and sent to them, detailing, however incomplete, the discoveries their old friend had made in pursuit of his mad dream. Even incomplete though, it amazed the old Reploid, and if he still had a flesh-and-blood body he would find himself in equal parts shivering in horror and yet gasping in amazement at what Albert had managed to do. Technology, biology, bioengineering, history, chemistry, evolution: All these fields their former colleague had managed to gather and forge into his ambition to create the so-called ultimate Mega Man, the 'Mega Man King'.
He looked up briefly from his information gathering, one of his three mechanical eyes focusing its emerald gaze upon Thomas' back. Though he felt that Thomas had merely been speaking aloud to himself, he felt the need to say something. "In the last mission report...Albert said some rather outrageous things." It still hurt to talk about Albert; twisted as he might have become, there was a time they had called him friend, and Mikhail on some level missed him despite the evils he had brought about.
'Outrageous,' Thomas repeated to himself. Yes, they had been. But even the most outrageous things have some grain of truth to them.
"Mikhail..." Thomas began slowly, not turning away from the window. "Do you think it presumptuous for us to give birth to new life?"
Mikhail barely suppressed a snort of indignation and disbelief. Surely Thomas couldn't be serious? Friend or not, Albert's talk of bringing new life into the world had been that of a madman. Even if Model W had been capable of such a thing, who would want to exist in a world with life born of that abomination? A ghost of the past, born of the hatred and madness of a monster who had long forfeited his right to be called human, had no business creating perversions of 'life'.
"How absurd," he replied truthfully. "Thomas, you couldn't possibly hold fast to such foolish imaginings."
Thomas did not turn from the window, but his usually calm expression began to change to something darker, his hands tightening upon the sword's golden hilt. Of course Mikhail didn't understand, he reasoned to himself. He had long held a powerful view of what was right and wrong, and almost nothing in their two centuries of reign together with Albert had truly changed it. Suddenly, he recalled a similar argument his late colleague had had with Mikhail on a very similar subject, a decision that had shaped the very future of the world they lived in.
"There are laws that give equality to humans and Reploids, correct?" he suddenly asked. "Don't you remember?"
Mikhail turned fully away from the data now, his confused face towards his friend's back. Indeed he did remember, and he had opposed it vehemently. Humans and reploids coming together as one species? Yes, he could understand it from an objective point of view: Humanity had feared what their creations, the reploids, could do if allowed free reign, and countless years struggle and war had been the result of either reploids lashing back or humanity's own efforts to curb this fear going horribly wrong. At the dawn of a new age, the divide that had so long separated the races had to be healed before they could begin restoring the world to a better place. And what better way to do so than to allow the races to become one, or as close to similar to each as possible?
But Mikhail, still fully human, had resisted, though not out of any hatred for Reploids: He approved of the idea for equality. It was simply the gravity of the ethical issues of what they were going to do: To forcibly change both species into something they weren't? You couldn't make a human have the same life-span as a reploid, so the only other option would be to reduce reploid lifespans, something that no one should have the right to do. You couldn't give a reploid a flesh-and-blood body, so humans would have to receive bionic implants, a type of surgery that was both costly and carried a high-risk of death in the post-war setting of the world.
Mikhail had been concerned with the moral question: Was it right for them to force people to change? And what of those who didn't want to or resisted? Would they be imprisoned, killed for the simple act of wanting to be the ones who decided how they'd be? Overkill? Yes, but in the chaos that were those first few decades, such things were a very a real threat, and no one, especially the reploids, had forgotten the genocidal campaign Neo Arcadia had perpetrated for the past century, the likes of which only matched by the ancient Holocaust of the 1900s. It would be all too easy for such laws to be seen as the first steps Legion took towards becoming no better than the government that had just collapsed.
And yet in the end, they had been passed...
"Those were passed because Albert and I agree on them," Thomas continued, almost as if he could read his friend's thoughts. "Surely you recall what they entailed?"
Why was the old fool bringing this up now? Did he honestly feel as if the events of the past weeks had been indirectly his fault? That by agreeing with Albert, he had allowed this to come to pass? Neither of them could have known about what Albert planned, and Mikhail wasn't even certain exactly at what point Albert stopped caring about the people and began devoting himself to Model W. The laws might have originally and genuinely been an effort by Albert to bring the races together, no hidden agendas whatsoever.
And even if they hadn't, things had turned out for the best, despite Mikhail's fears. Humans and Reploids had become closer than they ever had before, standing together as one against the maverick scourge that threatened them all. With humans granted reploid strength and reploids in turn given advanced systems that allowed them to experience the same quality of life as their creators, the equality laws, contrary to his concerns, had narrowed down the differences between the two races, to allow them to see that they were really one and the same. Was that really so wrong?
"W-What are you saying?" Mikhail asked him, unable to keep the concern out of his voice.
At last, Thomas turned to face him, and the short Sage caught his breath at the look upon his face. Thomas' eyes, once so clear and filled with stony determination, were now clouded with a dark look and something resembling madness gleamed within them.
"Give humans bionic bodies and give Reploids mortality," Thomas replied, then spreading his arms wide, sword still clutched in his right hand. "So, where do you think the Human bodies for the reploids are? What do you think happened to the original Reploid data from before we gave them mortality?"
Before Mikhail could answer, there was the sudden sound of teleportation, indicating the usage of a transerver. As if summoned by Thomas' words, four flashes of light filled the room and once they faded, the short Sage stared in growing shock and horror.
Before him, four armored warriors-orange, blue, green and purple respectively-stood strong and proud, armor glistening in the setting sun. Their armors bore more than a passing reference to that of the four legendary Guardians of Neo Arcadia, the children of one of the greatest heroes that had ever lived, but those sentinels of light had never appeared so ominous, nor had they red eyes that seemed to stare directly into the heart or smirks that seemed to freeze the soul itself.
Mikhail knew who they were. They were but four of Albert's 'Chosen Ones', warriors tricked into the Game of Destiny and had attempted to gather Model W together to become the ultimate Mega Man. Each, as the Chosen One of Model A Ashe had reported to them, had their own reasoning for partaking in Albert's fanatical game.
Atlas, the Flame Mega Man and master of Biometal Model F, the soul of Fighting Fefnir. She desired a world of perpetual war, all so that humanity might evolve to become stronger as the strong survive while the weak perish.
Thetis, the Ice Mega Man and holder of Biometal Model L, the spirit of Fairy Leviathan. He wanted to punish humanity for destroying the environment even more so than it already is, committing a mass genocide to allow nature to replenish itself faster without human interference.
Aeolus, the Wind Mega Man and bearer of Biometal Model H, the vessel of Sage Harpuia. He sought to eliminate "the fools of this world", using the time-honored saying of madmen called "survival of the fittest" to justify his actions, killing those he deemed unworthy of upholding humanity's birthright and eliminating conflict.
Siarnaq, the Shadow Mega Man and controller of Biometal Model P, the container of Hidden Phantom. Perhaps the most disturbing of all, his goals for the power of Model W were never revealed to Ashe during any of their encounters, and thus he was the unknown of the group.
Mikhail also knew they were also supposed to be dead, trapped within the collapsing Ouroboros as it sank into the sea. Salvage crews had found no trace of their bodies nor even of Biometal Model Z, which had sacrificed itself to prevent them from killing Ashe or the Model X Chosen One Vent as they made their escape. Vent had even confirmed their deaths personally, and Mikhail saw no reason to doubt the youth.
For them to be here now...so alive and well...could Albert had used the immortality data on each of them? What had Albert done? What had Thomas done, to make them stand so firm along side him?
"Thomas..." Mikhail spluttered, the realization of what Thomas had done taking away his ability to forge any sort of complicated reply, "You...!"
Thomas smiled, and it was not at all pleasant. It was more like a predator bearing its teeth. "Albert was wrong, so I helped the Hunters. But I do think he was right about one thing."
He clenched his left fist together to emphasize his words.
"This world needs to be reset. Join me, Mikhail, let's create a better world together."
"Thomas...why?" Mikhail's mind was racing at several hundred miles an hour, trying to find some reason for any of this, some way to escape. Though he was wasn't exactly defenseless, there was no chance in hell he could stand against all four of them if they attacked at once. And that wasn't considering the chance that they were now immortal...and if there were, then may God have mercy upon this world...
"That should be obvious," Thomas replied, putting his arms down. "Look at the world outside these walls, Mikhail. Have you seen how the people are clamoring in fear? Crime runs rampant, Maverick attacks continue everywhere, and we are spread too thin to properly deal with it. It's just how it's always been: Conflict comes, people panic. The problem is solved, but the public continues to go to bed afraid. Our assurances can't keep back the tide. Not once has the cycle deviated in all our years of rule."
"Yes...everything is how it usually is in these trying times," Mikhail began slowly, moving away from the data as he spoke, but stopped when Thomas slammed his sword into the ground.
"Exactly!" Thomas shouted, jabbing his sword into the floor for extra emphasis, leaving it to stick there. "How many times have we watched this cycle repeat itself over the centuries? How many times has it repeated itself in the past? The Neo Arcadian purges? The Elf Wars? The Maverick Wars? The first coming of synthetic kind? The ancient world wars? The revolutions? How many more times will this cycle repeat itself into the future? We created Legion in a moment of idealism, claiming that we could bring everlasting peace after centuries of war, yet in a mere five years it's as if we're returning to the old days, unraveling over a century's worth of work at least!"
"We can't change human nature, Thomas," Mikhail replied, trying to placate his friend as he continued to slowly move into a better position. He wanted to be prepared in the event one of the Mega Men charged. "We swore that we would uphold those ideals when we first created Legion, but we are still only mortal, and therefore we aren't perfect. There will always be times that bring out the worst as much as the best in people, but that's just what humans and Reploids are. We are not gods, nor were we meant to be. We can only do the best we can to guide people in becoming something better."
The green Mega Man, Aeolus, snorted at those words. The blue one, Thetis, shot him a look, but the orange Atlas seemed almost interested in what he had to say. Siarnaq was silent, his emotionless red eyes fixed on Mikhail as he seemingly waited for an order to attack. It was hard to tell though, considering he had no face to view for expression, but he seemed to be the only one who realized what Mikhail was attempting to do.
Thomas himself seemed to calm down, but any hope Mikhail had that he was truly reaching him was dashed as he slowly shook his head. "Don't you see, old friend? That's why I must do what I must do. Because we're not perfect is why we can't truly save the world, because we're merely mortal we can't change human nature. That's why I need to reset the world. So that we can do that."
Mikhail felt a surge of anger at those words. "And how will you do that?" he asked him. "Become a dictator? Force the people to bend to your will? Wipe everyone off the face of the earth?" He gestured towards the Mega Men. "What of them? Will they be your immortal pawns, your enforcers? Your killers? What could you hope to gain? What could they hope to gain?! For god's sake, Thomas, they're only children!"
Aeolus started forward, his face twisting into a scowl at being called a 'child', but Thomas held up his hand, stopping him with a glare. Atlas seemed amused as her comrade backed down, if the slight smirk on her face was any indication. Thetis just stood at the ready, and Siarnaq seemed to be subtly tensing up in preparation for a struggle.
The red-haired Sage turned back Mikhail and reached into his coat pocket with that very same hand, as if trying to find something. "You misunderstand, Mikhail. They will not be the instruments of my plan." He then pulled a fist-sized object from his coat.
"This is."
As he unclenched his fist, the air in the room, already tense for confrontation, suddenly seemed to chill as a very wrong presence made itself known. Shuddering to himself, and noting with increasing worry that even the other Mega Men seemed to recognize this and shuffle a little distance away from Thomas, Mikhail took a moment to gaze upon the object.
It took him but an instant to realize this was a Biometal of some sorts, but not one that he recognized. Of the eight he knew that existed, four of them were in the hands of the Mega Men around them, and it was unlike any of the other four. It was a blocky shape (instantly taking the triangular Models W and A out of the equation) and was also dark brown (in contrast to the reported colors of the blue Model X and red Model Z). However, the brown in question seemed to be less a natural shade and more indication of aging, as if it had been left in the elements for far too long. However, the crystals that formed the 'eyes' as well as the main crystal were both a bright blue, indicating that it was still very much functional.
However, none of that explained why on Earth this thing seemed to be giving off an almost palatable air of menace, in addition to a strange hissing sound as if it were in constant pain. It was not like Model W, which gave off a feeling of fear and hatred that seemed to almost 'leak' out into the air. This felt like raw anger bottled up in a container far too small and ready to burst open at the drop of a pin. There was even what appeared to be a dark-purple aura about the Biometal's edges, as if the energy was taking physical form.
"What is-" Mikhail began, then stopped. He realized there seemed to be some sort of marking along the edges of the Biometal, faded and scratched, but there. He focused, and he sucked in a deep breath when he realized what it was.
A Greek letter. Specifically, the Greek letter Omega (Ω).
"Model O," Thomas supplied helpfully. "The False Mega Man. The soul of the Devil Reploid."
Mikhail shook his head, disbelief running rampant through him. Surely Thomas couldn't...he wouldn't...that thing couldn't be...
"Are you mad, Thomas?!" he shouted. "You would use Omega itself to bring about a better world?! Omega was the definition of insanity, a monster through and through! He was a God of Destruction and the very reason the Elf Wars happened! How can a being who only knows of destruction bring about peace?! Even Albert's plan to use Model W made more sense than this! At least with Model W there was a chance it could be controlled, but Omega obeyed no other but Weil himself! How could you hope to control it, now that its creator's influence has finally passed from this world?"
Atlas stared at the stone in some slight awe. This object contained the data of the most powerful Reploid to ever exist? She was tempted to take a step closer and get a better look, but Model F seemed to resist her efforts, unconsciously whispering to her that she needed to get away now. Atlas resisted the urge to back any further away, as she felt it would be a sign of weakness, but she acquiesced to staying put and her Biometal calmed down slightly. A glance revealed a similar scenario was playing out with the other three, even Siarnaq, a being who professed to no longer understanding fear.
Thomas weathered his colleague's words, resisting the urge to shake his head as his friend seemed to be on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. To be rendered to such a state in front of something so mighty, it was almost pitiful. He then held out the stone further. "You don't understand. Take another look at Model O, and tell me what you see."
The short Sage slowly calmed down and gave the stone another look. What could there possibly be left to see? Metal, crystal, crack-wait, crack?
Yes, sure enough there was a hairline crack running along and over the crystal in the center of Model O 'forehead', for lack of a better term. In addition, the Biometal seemed almost...damaged, for lack of a better term, scorch marks from buster fire and slashes from what might have been a saber. Was that the reason for why it was hissing?
"Model O is a defective Biometal," Thomas clarified. "It's been damaged in some form, no doubt by the very heroes who originally defeated Serpent, and can no longer Megamerge properly, even if I did find it a compatible host. It seems almost dead-set on the bio-signature of a certain hero, and until he dies Model O will resist another host. However, that doesn't mean it's useless. I need only analyze it and unlock the secrets to its power, but for that I need your help, friend."
He lifted his free hand towards him, offering it. "Help me unlock the secrets of Model O, Mikhail. Help me gain the power of the being that rivaled the legendary hero Zero! And with Model Z gone, lost with the Ouroboros, nothing will stop us! We can rebuild the world into a better place, free of evils that continue to plague it!"
Model O actually hissed even louder at the mention of Zero's name, causing Thetis to flinch slightly at the sound. Thomas, however, ignored it. He jabbed his hand back towards the window, towards the smoke that still rose from the city, almost beautiful in a disturbing way in the setting sun. He used that hand to tap at the window panel, bringing up digital videos of what was going on in the lands below and beyond. Videos were brought up, live footage of people dying in the streets as homes were pillaged by mavericks and irregulars alike. A number of humans were working alongside the hostile machines, ordering lesser mechaniloids to carry out brutal tasks. Mikhail watched in horror as criminals exchanged pillaged goods around, while cruel-looking reploids were rifling through the possessions of the dead. Men, women and children, human and reploid alike, laid dead as the hostile forces continued their work, cleaning out the community slowly and methodically, as if they had done this countless times before. Things couldn't have gotten this bad, surely!
"You spoke of human nature? Look out there. Word spreads that Legion is doomed. Humans and mavericks working together to ravage the land and take what they want, murdering innocents for simply getting in the way. Do you see anyone making them do this? No! Albert is gone and Model W destroyed, but who is to blame for the same wrongs this time? This is what human nature is really like, Mikhail, what people become unless managed with order and control!"
Reeling in shock at both Thomas' accusations and the images, Mikhail took a step away, hand raised to his head as he tried to make sense of what he had seen, internally growing sick. He was a peaceful man by nature, and such violence always made him ill. But the question had been asked: Was Thomas right, or was something more that was going on, something they had overlooked in their frenzied examinations of Albert's work? He flinched as he caught a glimpse of a human man gun down a reploid family, moving along with a pack of obedient galleons.
He spared a glance towards the other Mega Men, trying to gauge their reactions. Thetis looked almost as uncomfortable as he did, while Atlas' face and eyes were set in a stony expression, as if remembering an event from her past. Aeolus looked at it with a frown, while Siarnaq was as emotionless as before. Thomas simply bore a grim smile, and he turned towards Mikhail, arms spread out comfortably.
"Help stop this mindless violence, old friend. Let us show the people that the irrational fear that grips them is just that, irrational! With the work Albert left behind, we can work together to fix this-end the madness, but only if we are together."
Noticing his former comrade's continued reluctance, he then gestured to the Mega Men in the room. "If need be, I can always convince you to see things my way," he added. "But I would much rather you make this choice of your own free will, without such methods." His face then softened, and for a moment it was like he was back to old self. "Please, Mikhail. I need you. The world needs you."
Thomas sounded so sure, so sincere. He genuinely believed what he was going to do was the best thing for the world.
But Mikhail saw the madness in his friend's eyes. He realized that the desire for peace coupled with so many years of hardship had twisted his colleague, whether or not Albert had something to do with it was irrelevant. There were ways to peace, but this was not in any way one of them. Especially not if it involved Destruction Incarnate.
And so, he knew what his answer was even before he had tried to rationalize that this was his friend who was asking, that perhaps there was merit to the idea on some level.
"...I'm sorry, Thomas," Mikhail finally said, having moved himself so that he was directly facing across from his friend, perhaps two meters of space separating him from the Mega Men in the room. "But I can't do it. I cannot, will not join in this madness. I can't let you become another Albert."
"...So," Thomas began, his voice thick with betrayal. "You too have succumbed to the evil, eh?"
"The only evil that is plaguing the people is the type the likes of Albert and you bring about trying to 'help' them; the type that makes them think they have no other choice to survive out there!" Mikhail shouted, his temper getting the better of him, but he refused to be seen as a traitor. "Don't you dare assume I've turned against them!"
"Too late, old friend," Thomas replied, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "You just did."
Mikhail did the only thing he could think of. He snapped his key cane forward, pressing the button on the side. In an instant, the end part transformed to reveal a barrel, a laser shot already charging inside of it. Mikhail's three eyes locked directly onto to Thomas, taking aim for his old friend's heart. He was aware that the other four Mega Men were also reacting, raising their weapons in preparation for attack, but he didn't care.
Even if he died here, it would be stopping this madness before it began.
"Don't kill him!" Thomas shouted, eyes widening as he realized what Mikhail was about to do. Despite his words, he couldn't bring himself to watch his only other friend die. There was still a chance he could be convinced to see the light in time, to understand that although what needed to be done was horrific, was still necessary to bring about peace. Not to mention the fact he still needed Mikhail alive for the data he had managed to obtain from Albert's studies.
The four Mega Men hesitated, but Mikhail didn't.
He pressed the button, watching as the green laser fired from the barrel. He didn't get a chance to survey his work though, because he was suddenly aware of the fact that Siarnaq was already in front of him, an energy kunai raised to strike. Mikhail snapped his cane front of himself to block, but the Shadow Mega Man was only forced to divert his course slightly. Mikhail grunted in pain as the blade bit into his right shoulder, slicing down along his arm and forcing him to drop his weapon. He scrambled to grab it as he fell down, but he was rewarded with both a foot coming down onto it, crushing the gun area, and another foot smashing into his gut, sending him flying away.
Mikhail coughed as he came to painful stop, smashing into a pillar. Blood leaked down his right arm, and he realized he couldn't move it anymore, only getting searing pain as he tried, all while his ears were ringing painfully. He looked up, expecting to see his life flash before his eyes as a blade impaled him, but nothing came. Instead, he was greeted to the sight of Siarnaq with his hands over his head, as if trying to block out some sort of sound.
It took him a moment to realize that the ringing still hadn't stopped, but was rather increasing. It took him another moment to realize it wasn't so much ringing as it was screaming and that it was coming from where Thomas was.
To his surprise, Thomas didn't look harmed, aside from his eyes being shut in pain from whatever was making that noise, arm held out in front of him while his free one was on the side of his head. The other three Mega Men were also in various stages of pain, eyes shut as the noise got louder. Finally, Mikhail focused on where the sound seemed to be originating from, and his eyes widened at the sight.
Model O was literally vibrating, the screams so powerful they were shaking its form. Where the main crystal was there were only shattered remnants now, still smoking from where a shot had impacted. Mikhail realized that Thomas, by chance or reflex, had moved his hands in front of himself an effort to block his attack, and had managed to somehow get the Biometal shot instead.
Mikhail had no idea what would happen if he stayed any longer, but he doubted it would be any good. Grabbing the head of his cane, he forced himself to ignore the noise and began inputting a set of coordinates. One of the advantages of being one of the Sage Trinity meant you carried around your own private transerver to be used at your leisure. Never before had he'd been so glad for that privilege.
As he desperately fought both exhaustion and pain to complete the coordinates, the noise got louder and louder, then seemed to almost peak. Mikhail realized instinctively that something very bad was gonna happen, and he didn't wait to see what it was. He had only managed to get about half the coordinates in, but he realized he wouldn't have the time to finish.
With a silent prayer, he pressed the button, his vision filling with a familiar light. At the same moment, the scream promptly cut off. Right before Mikhail saw nothing but that light, he swore he saw the Biometal crack before it shattered into pieces.
The next thing he knew, he was gone, and all he could was pray he hadn't just teleported himself to an early grave. That would have been embarrassing.
Thomas screamed as his hand felt like it had been set on fire. Model O had exploded with all the force of a hand grenade, and his hand had paid the price for it. With a curse he threw whatever was left of it to the ground and cradled his hand, eyes shut as he tried to think through the pain. Around him, he heard swears as shots were fired, glass shattering as they apparently connected with the window, shutting off the sounds of the videos in a burst of static.
"The hell was that?!" one of the Mega Man, Thetis he believed, shouted, right before gasping in pain. "Ah! Crap...what just happened?!"
"That piece of metal is what happened, Thetis!" a female voice, Atlas, snapped back, coughing as she did so. "The old fart went and-wait, where'd he go? Siarnaq, where'd he go?!"
"DETECTION OF TRANSERVER WARP," the Reploid's machine voice intoned. "MASTER MIKHAIL HAS LEFT THE PREMISES."
'Left? Then that means...' Thomas' face warped into one of anger and rage. Mikhail was gone. Mikhail, the one he had trusted and now betrayed him, was gone. And that no doubt meant-
'No, I won't let him stop me!' "Siarnaq!" he barked, getting the Mega Men's attentions. "Go after Mikhail! Bring him to me alive if at all possible, dead if-"
"Wait, what are those?" Aeolus's surprised voice cut through the anger overtaking his mind, causing Thomas to open his eyes. He turned his head to snap at the youth for letting Mikhail get away, but he stopped when he noticed the look on his face. Turning in the direction that Aeolus was looking, he realized that the other three had stopped talking and were staring as well. And once he got a good look, he couldn't blame them.
Over the shattered pieces of what had been Model O, five brightly-colored lights were forming, seemingly gathering together from the dark aura that had originally surrounded the Biometal. All of them started out as white, but slowly began to shift to different colors: Black, Orange-Blue, Purple, White and Red. Then, they began to take on more distinct, humanoid shapes, aided as the physical fragments of the Biometal seemed to float upwards into each individual light, absorbing into them as they transformed.
Thomas realized what they were: Cyber-elves, sentient programs of pure energy capable of empowering machinery. But he had never seen Cyber-elves that looked like this. For one, they were already fully developed despite having just been 'born', and they were much larger than normal, each slightly larger than the size of the original Model O.
One was jet-black with the glowing face of a beautiful woman concealed within its flickering form. Spherical in form, the digital creation was a simple ball of shadow with a white light inside, floating silently in the air. Crimson energy crackled around its shape, causing hairs to stand on end upon feeling the energy.
Another was very similar to it in form, being spherical and jet-black, but it was two spheres instead of one, both half the size of the first Cyber-elf. One form seemed to literally be engulfed in orange flame while the other emitted a bitter blue frost, yet both seemed to cancel each other out. The two spheres constantly floated about each other but never truly separated, as if they were one being that had somehow split apart. Twirling about, they seemed joyous at their freedom, floating around eagerly as if they were children.
The third had a far more humanoid shape, appearing almost as a purple cloaked man or woman, though it was hard to tell due to its thin form and long hair. It gazed about intelligently, and seemed to radiate a sense of profound regret, so strong that those watching found themselves shifting uncomfortably as it turned its eyes upon them, even Siarnaq. It floated some ways away, as if seeking to distance itself from the other elves.
The fourth light continued the humanoid trend, though the effect was lost somewhat due to the pair of wings that were attached to its back, in the form of a mighty angel of some sort. The elf itself took on a form of an armored warrior, white and golden armor with various smaller wing attachments upon it, with the only true break in color being the blue helmet on its head, extremely reminiscent, minus wing attachments, of that of the helmet upon Model X's Megamerged form. In comparison to the previous one though, it seemed to radiate confidence and arrogance and took its position near the center, as if trying to draw everyone's attention to it.
And while it was certainly amazing looking, its hopes were dashed as everyone's attention were truly focused on the last Cyber-elf. Reminiscent of the legendary hero Zero, it bore his features, but the noble visage was somehow twisted and hateful. Hissing viciously, it called out to its brethren as if ordering them to return. Master Thomas reacted instantly, his hands clamping down onto the digital being before it could make any sort of escape, despite his injuries. The Cyber Elf howled as it was caught, immediately struggling to break free as it battled against his strength.
Thomas' eyes snapped towards the other Mega Men, who simply stared at him dumbly. "Don't just stand there, catch them!" he snapped, and the four youths reacted at his orders. However, the other elves hadn't been idle in watching their fellow get captured, and they immediately attempted to take off, screeching in anger and desperate to avoid the same fate.
Atlas fumbled, her hands too slow to grasp the purple one as it dashed between her legs and shot out of the window. Aeolus took flight in an effort to capture the white one, and it became a game of cat and mouse as they twirled about the ceiling area. Thetis slammed his halberd into the ground, creating ice pillars in an effort to trap the black one, but a burst of electricity from it was enough to give it time to zip past the obstacle and right by his face out the window. Turning his head to watch it go and too slow to react, he caught a glimpse of Siarnaq leaping forward after it, trying to grab the orange/blue one that was following it and failing, almost tumbling over the edge. The Model P user had managed to keep up with his during their own chase, almost catching it a few times before it gave him the slip. Finally, the white one used the ice pillars as a distraction to stall Aeolus, and it too joined its brethren in freedom.
Hauling himself up from the broken edge, Siarnaq skulked back into the room as Master Thomas stiffen with anger. The four youths watched him warily as he stormed across the room, grabbing a small container and roughly tossing the Cyber-elf into it. The Zero-like being tumbled a few times before stopping, snarling angrily at its rough treatment as Thomas slammed the lid on. Finally, he heavily sat down with a sigh, his eyes turning towards the data Mikhail had been analyzing as he went over his options.
Model O was useless to him now, though perhaps that had been a poor idea from the start, given that he couldn't even properly use it in its current form. He still had Legion's armies, along with four willing Mega Men, but without Model O's power to back him up that plan still had roadblocks, especially if the Guardians, Hunters, Vent and Ashe got involved, which they inevitably would. What unnerved him was the fact was that not only had Model O been destroyed, but had birthed five new Cyber-elves, something he hadn't believed could even be possible. Master Mikhail was gone, and without him Thomas was honestly at a loss at how to properly proceed, especially if Mikhail managed to reach those who would oppose him. Of the two of them, it had been Mikhail who had made the most progress on Albert's data, and time wasn't on his side in this game.
His ultimate plan had definitely been delayed, perhaps even ruined, before his eyes settled onto the imprisoned Cyber-elf, which glared at him hatefully.
...Perhaps Model O itself was no longer an option, but that didn't mean this Cyber-elf was useless to him. Maybe with it, he could gain enough data to recreate the device to his own specifications, perhaps even begin the restoration of the original Omega. It was possible, and the likelihood would only increase if he had the other Elves. They were an unknown quantity, but that could easily change. His mind working thousands of times faster than his original human brain ever did, a multitude of solutions came to him within seconds, each with various levels of success, and he relaxed slowly.
First things first though, he would have to bring back Master Mikhail, though preferably alive so that he would have time to understand his point of view. On a more pragmatic view though, he really had only need of the brain. Mikhail had analyzed the data faster, especially some of the unique information Ashe had sent them, than he had and it would go much smoother if he didn't have to waste time going back over data already obtained.
"Siarnaq!" he called out, causing the other three teenagers to look towards their colleague curiously. At once the Model P user stood at attention, awaiting the man's instructions obediently. Thomas nodded his head approvingly.
"Find Master Mikhail and bring him back alive if at all possible. If that proves to be too troublesome, I'll settle for his head, but he must not be allowed to let our enemies know of our plans. Go now, and deal with him quickly."
"ACKNOWLEDGED."
With that, the Shadow Mega Man teleported out of the room. Aeolus, Atlas, and Thetis looked at one another slowly, wondering what missions they would receive. Remaining seated, Master Thomas appeared to ignore them as he picked up the capsule containing the Cyber-elf to examine it carefully, locking eyes with the raging program. As the Model H user coughed politely to him know they were still there, the Sage looked towards them at last.
"You three, go and get some rest. Those Cyber-elves will be are long gone by now and you won't be able to track them at this time of night. The riots out there are getting worse, and the last thing we need is for one of you to start drawing unwanted attention should the Guardians be out and about dealing with mavericks...yes, Thetis?" he asked suddenly, surprising the smallest Biomatch. "Is there some reason you seemed to be almost worried?"
The blue-haired teen glanced about for a moment, then gulped. "Umm...do you want me to something about the ice?"
Thomas glanced about and realized that the ice pillars from his ill-fated efforts to capture the Cyber-elves were still in the room.
"If possible," he replied.
Thetis nodded and, ignoring Atlas' snicker, quickly pointed his halberd towards the ice, forcing it to dissolve. Unfortunately, that also meant it turned to water, which quickly dribbled into the carpet.
Thomas shut his eyes for a moment and counted to five. When he opened them, Thetis looked like he was expecting to get spanked and Atlas seemed to be holding back laughter. Even Aeolus had a slight smirk.
"Just go," he said simply.
Thetis nodded and quickly made his way towards the door, followed by a chuckling Atlas and amused Aeolus. Thomas watched as the Flame Mega Man playfully shoved her Ice counterpart through the door, leaving him alone.
He sighed. "To think, after so many hundred years these carpets would be ruined by a clumsy little brat..." he muttered as he turned his attention back to the data. Held captive inside its container, the Cyber-elf watched him with narrowed eyes, hissing slightly as it tried to guess at what the Sage had in mind. Thomas in turn ignored it, and began to plan once more.
"Gahh!" Ashe cried out, suddenly waking up with a gasp. Outside, a loud rumble of thunder echoed, perpetrated by the ever-present fall of raindrops as the storm continued onwards. Ashe sat up straight for several minutes, listening to the patter of the rain on the metallic roof of her quarters like gunfire as her heart slowed back down to normal.
Rubbing her tired green eyes, the Hunter wiped the cold sweat that had gather on her brow, remembering that she was safe and sound in bed at home and nothing bad was happening. "Damn nightmares..." she muttered to herself, hand to her forehead as she rubbed her face. "Can't even let me get some sleep..."
It had been a while since she'd had that one, but she remembered it clear as day. It was the same one she had often had as a small child and had plagued her randomly throughout her years as an adult. Half-dreams, half-memories of gunfire and screams filled her mind as she had tried to hide from the machines that had destroyed her hometown, darkness everywhere no matter how hard she looked. She remembered warm gentle arms wrapping about her trembling form as a soft voice tried to assure her everything was alright, a blurry face comforting her as she and the mother she could barely remember tried to hide from the carnage. Eventually, the noises quietened, and every time that Ashe thought it was alright, a pair of red eyes would appear in the darkness as another person savagely ripped her from the woman, carrying her away as she screamed and fought to go back. And then, in the darkness, a second pair of eyes would join the first, someone screamed, the sound of blood splattered across the grass...and then nothing.
It had been a common enough nightmare that she could remember every detail, but not once had she ever been able to sleep peacefully without bolting upright when it happened. However, it had been several years since the last time she had it and had almost completely forgotten about, although she suspected the battle with Master Albert had unsettled her enough that she had started to try and remember what her family had been like years ago. Complete monster or not, he had still been the only living family she had left, and with his death it meant she really was alone in the world, biologically speaking.
Or, she reflected irritably as the thunder boomed overhead again and she clamped a pillow down over her ears to block out the constant platter of rain, it might just be that the lack of sleep thanks to the growing number of Mavericks out there was finally catching up to her. A few nights of peaceful sleep weren't too much to ask for when you had saved the world, but apparently the rogue groups of Irregulars that were gathering around the edges of the Hunters Camp borders day by day, keeping her and her friends busy as the Hunters tried to thin their numbers thought differently. Why exactly they were appearing was beyond her; Master Albert and Model W were gone,leaving nobody none the wiser as to why their numbers were still growing...
With a sigh, the silverette curled up underneath the blankets, groaning in pain as she felt something hard underneath her. Flushing out Model A, the Copy Biometal's eyes glowed as it awakened, peering around the bedroom curiously as it sensed her unease. The mechanical device was highly attuned to Ashe's senses, able to feel her emotions as though feeling them itself if they were strong enough. The Biometal was silent as Ashe placed it on the table beside the bed, watching her as she turned around and flopped back onto the bed.
"Hey Ashe, are you alright?" it asked quietly, noticing how she was trembling faintly under the covers. "Did you have some sort of nightmare?"
"It's...it's nothing, Model A. Just a silly dream I haven't had in long time," she said quietly before sighing again. The Biometal tilted innocently, floating up from its resting place as it tried to get a better look as its Chosen's face.
"Well...do you want to talk about it? I mean, that's what I'm here for, right?" it asked again, genuine concern in its tone as it floated back down to land beside her. Ashe turned her head to look at it, allowing a small smile to cross her face. Who would have thought that her best friend would literally be a floating hunk of metal?
"Nah, it's okay. I can barely remember what it was about anyways," she lied, not wanting to worry her little friend. "Besides, I don't even know why I thought about it tonight. It was just one of those things that comes around at random, you know? I think the last time I had it was years ago. So yeah, I'm fine, really. Thanks though."
"Well...if you're sure you're okay, Ashe, then that's fine by me. I know things have been hard on you lately, but don't think I can't help out. I-I mean...there's no reason you should keep your problems are bottled up and stuff..." Model A replied, its voice growing more and more hesitant as if it was considering asking for something. Ashe quirked and eyebrow and her smile slowly changed to a smirk, noticing with increasing interest that the little Biometal couldn't seem to keep still on the covers it was on. Overhead, another rumble of thunder sounded, louder this time, causing Model A to flinch slightly.
"Looks like someone wants something..." Ashe said in a sing-song voice. Model A twitched guilty, then seemed to look up towards the ceiling as the rain came down harder and harder.
"Look...uh, could I maybe...sleep with you tonight? Just tonight though! It's not like I'm scared or anything, I just...really don't like how loud that storm's getting, that's all!"
Another blast of thunder sounded almost directly overhead, as if a cannon was firing off. Model A visibly cringed that time, almost shivering as the echoes faded away. Ashe continued to smirk, but a pang of pity overcame her amusement.
"Yeah, yeah, come on you little hero," she told it, sitting upright to allow Model A enough room to settle in comfortably. "Who knows, maybe it was the storm that made me have that dream. Maybe with you here with me, I won't think about it again."
Gratefully, Model A disappeared underneath the warm sheets, reappearing again as it nestled against the silver-haired girl. "Ah, much better. Way warmer and comfier than that table. Goodnight Ashe, and thanks..." it said as it yawned, 'eyes' dimming as it settled into sleep.
"Goodnight to you too, Model A," Ashe whispered softly, hugging the little Biometal as she began to drift off to sleep too, a smile appearing on her face as she rubbed her fingers along its dark shell softly, grateful for the company. Outside, the storm continued to rage as torrential rainfall plummeted the Hunter's Camp, but the two heroes within were oblivious to it as it continued through the long night, sleeping soundly until the dawn of the new day. It was only a storm after all, and in their shelter they couldn't possibly be hurt by it.
Unbeknownst to either Ashe or Model A however, as they slept peacefully, far away in a distant land another silver-haired person was beginning to awaken, green eyes slowly opening to the break of day. Little did he or they know that the biggest journey of their lives was about to begin, nor how their fates would become entwined.
End chapter. I admit, anyone familiar with MMZX Aspects of Omega will realize that this is extremely based on the first chapter, but that story hasn't been updated in over two years, and I'm sad to say is most likely dead or on long-term hiatus. I'm writing this story in tribute to it, and while things will seem very similar to it on the surface, such as Vent and Ashe being the Chosen Ones of Model X and A respectively, I'm happy to say that it will eventually evolve into its own thing, particularly in the form of new OCs replacing the ones the original story had.
Until then though, I hope that you guys will stick around.
And no, I have not abandoned my other fics, though at this rate I'll probably have a heart attack trying to finish them all up. Don't worry, Fate Stay Nightmare will be updated soon enough.
Review, fav, and follow people! I hope you guys enjoy.