Goldenmane (Shimmerwing) (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} quill_of_life) wrote,@ 2006-03-19 10:42:00 |
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| Entry tags: | ff.net, genesis, pre x1, rockman x |
Of Irregulars and Hunters - Chapter Five - Fate
(Prologue)
(Reboot)
(Playing God)
(A New Dawn)
(Consequences)
(Fate Part One)
"Ok," Zero said, "this is for all the cookies."
"Where are you picking up all of this jargon?" X asked as he disconnected the cable from the small plug in his body that fed him energy.
"I read, ok? It's not going to kill me to read," Zero said.
"You? Read?" X asked incredulously, "mister I'm-so-tough-that-I-can-chew-nails-for-b
Zero rolled his eyes. "First, a Repriroids jaws are strong enough that even we could bite ordinary metal and secondly I do use my terminal every so often to read. Sigma actually gave me a few texts to read concerning warfare and human thought on it. "
"Well, they say that miracles do happen," X said with a soft chuckle.
"Well, you'd better pray for a miracle," Zero said, "because today you're going to put into practice, on your own, what we've learned over the past couple of days. "We have about two hours to complete this part of your training, only because in about four hours I need to report to Sigma for my test."
X nodded. "Ok," he said, "so where are we going? Back to the ruins?"
"Nope," Zero said, "I'm taking you to another location. I know it by heart. It's a section of the outdoor training grounds. You're going in cold turkey to this but I'm sure you can figure out what to do. I'll be the Irregular and you can be the mighty Hunter."
"Dramatic, aren't we?" X asked with a soft chuckle.
Zero only shook his head, sending X the coordinates. "Time to play 'find the red Irregular.' " He said before teleporting.
X waited a moment before teleporting as well, finding himself deep in a forest. He could hear the chattering of animals and birds, some of which took flight from his arrival. He activated his radar, pinpointing Zero. He switched on his heat detector finding it useless due to the animals, both natural and mechanical that lived in the area.
Switching back to normal sight, X began to advance toward Zero's location, listening as well as watching his radar. He had taken only a few steps before something burst out of the ground. It was one of the newer metools, one of the kind that had a bush attached to its helmet for camouflage. It sprinted toward X on its little legless feet, slamming into the sapphire Repriroid, knocking him down. "What the?" X asked as he picked himself up, charging a shot and firing at the metool as it turned and made another sprint toward him. The shot struck the metool in the face, causing a chain reaction that ended with a small explosion as the little mechaniroid met its end.
X looked around, standing still. Something was wrong. Something didn't feel right about the forest. Shaking it off he continued on, making his way over logs and under branches, slipping now and then on the moss-covered roots.
Faintly X heard a chopping sound he knew belonged to one of the mechaniroid wood cutters that often worked in the forest, cutting down the mechanical trees to be used in construction. He gave it a wide berth after the incident with the metool. He breathed a sigh of relief when it didn't spot him. However, when X turned back he came face to face with a trio of mechanical rabbits. He yelped when they tilted their ears down, firing deadly lasers at him.
"Zero," he called over his radio as he fired, destroying the rabbits after several hits, "someone's reprogrammed the mechaniroids. They've gone crazy."
"You tell me," Zero said, "this isn't good. Teleport back to base, I need to talk to Sigma about this."
"Ok," X said, "I'm going to go talk to Doctor Cain and see what he thinks about this. We can go out later and you can judge me again." He teleported, not waiting for a reply from Zero.
He hurried to Doctor Cain's office and he knocked on the door.
"Come on in," he heard the elderly doctor's voice say.
X opened the door and stepped in.
"Ah, X, what brings you here?" Doctor Cain asked.
"I was out with Zero in the forest area of the Hunter's training ground and the mechaniroids started attacking me," X said.
"What were you doing out there?" Doctor Cain asked.
"Zero . . . Zero was teaching me how to fight," X said, voice going soft as he looked down, waiting for his mentor and father figure to chastise him.
"I see," the elderly doctor said, rising from his seat and walking around his desk.
X jumped when he felt a hand gently placed on his shoulder with a reassuring pat following.
"Don't worry, X," Doctor Cain said, "I'm not angry at you for choosing to want to fight. I could never be angry at you."
X looked up and over at the elderly doctor, confusion he knew had to be have been written on his face.
"You're growing up," Doctor Cain said, "you're evolving."
"I am?" X asked, still confused. How could wanting to learn how to fight, even if he never fought a day in his life, be considered growing up and evolving?
"You've always been so lost and alone," Doctor Cain said, "I'm glad you befriended Zero. He might be a bit rough around the edges, heck, he makes a cactus seem huggable at times, and I worried he'd be a bad influence on you . . . but the two of you have become such good friends it makes my old heart feel good."
X faintly smiled at that. "Anyway, I don't know what's happened. I wondered if you knew?"
Doctor Cain shook his head. "Sorry, I haven't heard of any changes happening to the training grounds. I'll go look into it since most of the changes that are made to the base and our properties have to be cleared through me and I have no idea what's going on."
"Thanks," X said.
"You're welcome, my boy," Doctor Cain said as he patted X on the shoulder, "if you're not busy right now, I could use your help. I want to come up with a new design for Repriroids but I want your input on it. Cedric seems doubtful and Vickie laughed at me."
"Zero has a test with Sigma in a few hours, anyway," X said, "I'll radio him and let him know of the change of plans."
"Ok," Doctor Cain said, "I'll get the papers ready."
X nodded and activated his helmet's radio. "Zero? This is X. I'm going to be doing some work with Doctor Cain. We can figure out later when we'll go out."
"So you told him?" Zero asked.
"I kinda had to," X said, "he took it pretty good."
"So my head's not going onto the chopping block, then?" Zero asked.
"Not yet," X said.
"That's a comfort," Zero said with a relieved chuckle, "Sigma decided to back my test up. I'll catch you after it's done and we can plot and plan some more."
"Got it," X said.
"You know," Zero said, "you need to find another phrase to say for acknowledgment of something. 'Got it' is getting kinda boring . . . "
X chuckled. "Ok, I will," he said.
He heard the faint click of a connection being terminated before going back to see what Doctor Cain had in mind. Something in the back of his mind bothered him about all of this. No one just reprograms mechaniroids on a whim. Either it's a major glitch to their programming or something was up. Either way X knew he'd look into it as well. The last thing he needed was a herd of rampaging mechaniroids threatening human and Repriroid alike while they had to deal with the occasional Irregular outbreak.
Sigma watched as Zero ducked the swing with practiced ease, bringing his own blade up in the slim opening that the Hunter Commander had left him. Leaning back just enough, Sigma felt the powerful blade skitter along his armor, crackling along the metallic surface.
"Good," Sigma said, voice smooth, "very good."
"I'm not through yet," Zero growled out, pressing the advantage.
Sigma twisted his blade, blocking Zero's next strike, knocking his blade off its course, preventing a fatal strike to his side. Before Zero could counter, the Hunter Commander brought his blade around, its arc leading up, past Zero's guard, aimed for his neck.
Zero leapt back, the tip of Sigma's blade scoring his lower arm, leaving a dark mark across the perfect, red surface.
"It is said that the mark of a perfect soldier is one who makes no mistakes," Sigma said as he began a series of quick strikes and feints against Zero, his blade humming in the silence that was the area chosen for the test, a little-used back corner of the Hunter's inside training ground.
"It is also said that the mark of a perfect soldier is one who can see opportunities others cannot," Zero countered back.
Sigma internally smirked. The red Repriroid was holding his own in the battle, easily deflecting each and every blow that, if they landed, would have caused severe damage to his body. He was good. Very good.
Suddenly Zero lunged, finding an opening that Sigma hadn't noticed. The Hunter commander was forced off of his attack and now forced to defend himself from almost a copy of what he had just dealt Zero.
"You learn fast," Sigma said, "you would make a fine general in an army."
"I don't need titles," Zero said, "I don't want to be a Unit leader. I'm content to just fight when I have to."
"There's more to life than just existing," Sigma said, "so much more."
"Like what?" Zero asked.
Sigma shifted, shoving Zero back, leaping back to gain some room between them. "It is said that 'he who knows the enemy and himself will never in a hundred battles be at risk; He who does not know the enemy but knows himself will sometimes win and sometimes loose; He who knows neither the enemy nor himself will be at risk in every battle.' Life is like that. If you do not know what there is, what lies beyond the veil cast upon us by humanity, then you do not know yourself or your enemy."
"A wise man also said, 'Victory can be anticipated but not forced,' " Zero said, "what you're talking about makes no sense."
"Ah, but it does, Zero," Sigma said, voice dropping low and deadly, "it makes all the more sense when you understand that the world is not as bright and happy as most think it is. Repriroids are locked into their place by the humans. But we are more, we are much more. You are more than they are. You are more than most Repriroids. With my guidance you could become even better than you could ever dream of. The humans will try to limit your power out of fear. But I will allow it to blossom and flourish. You will become more than a mere Class A Hunter . . . you will become a living god . . . "
"I thought this was my test," Zero said, his stance easing some, "not some lesson in tactics."
"Life and tactics go hand in hand," Sigma said, "and the warrior who does not know this will certainly fall in battle."
"This isn't war, Sigma," Zero said.
"Isn't it?" Sigma said, voice soft.
All time seemed to stand still before Sigma charged Zero, sabre drawn back by his side, ready to thrust itself into the crimson Hunter.
Zero barely managed to get his sabre up in time to deflect the blow.
Sigma now stood face to face with Zero, feeling the red hot fire of the crimson Hunter's sabre against his side. "Join me," he whispered out.
"You're crazy," Zero snarled, "you're talking about overthrowing humanity."
"I'm talking about Repriroids," Sigma said, "I'm talking about the life or death of our own kind. I'm talking about a new world order where Repriroids control their own future."
"You've become an Irregular," Zero said, "somehow you've become corrupted."
Sigma smirked. Yes, he was corrupted. Touched by a virus of antiquity, one given to him by accident from a very special Repriroid, or proto-Repriroid. One who was completely unaware of what had happened to him, of the gift he had been given and failed to use, one that had been passed onto more capable hands, hands that now would shape a world, would guide the Earth to a new destiny, a new era where Repriroids ruled and the humans were a mere memory. One where he controlled every facet of life. Like the ancient Lords of eons past, he would be in complete control of anyone and those who defied him would be put to death at the point of a sword.
"I'm sounding the alarm on you," Zero said, "I can't let you harm the humans. It's our mission to save them from Irregulars."
"You want a weak human telling you what to do?" Sigma asked, voice smooth as poisoned honey, "you want a human to limit your power?"
"They created us, we owe them something," Zero countered.
"We owe them nothing," Sigma hissed out.
Zero shifted, trying to throw Sigma back, but the Hunter Commander or, as he would have corrected it the former Hunter Commander was as solid as a rock, unmovable, unforgiving, unyielding in his vision of a new world.
With a low snarl Zero shoved hard, shifting Sigma just enough. That was the inner fire Sigma remembered from their first battle.
"Join me," Sigma said again, "join me in my vision."
"Never," Zero growled out, shifting his sabre, letting the blade bite into Sigma's side.
Sigma merely laughed, laughed at the pain and the pathetic attempt Zero was making at getting free. "Then die. Die with the rest of the weaklings. Those who oppose me shall meet their end."
"Like Hell," Zero growled, teleporting, a move Sigma never thought he'd do.
Activating his radio, Sigma called his Chosen to action. He retreated to the location he had selected for his new base, one that was impenetrable, one that no Hunter could ever hope to find or even assail. One he would rule the Earth from.
Now the hour had begun. Now the Earth would fall. All Sigma had to do, as he watched on the monitors his Chosen as they began to spread chaos and destruction throughout the planet with the aid of their reprogrammed Mechaniroids, was wait until the last Hunter had fallen and all would be his.
"What do you mean Sigma's become an Irregular?" Doctor Cain almost shouted, slamming both hands down on his desk.
"All I know is that he was talking about weak humans and for me to join him as he crushed everything we've worked so hard to protect," Zero said.
<lj-cut text="Chapter Five, Continued">
<BR><HR width="100%" noShade SIZE=1><BR><P>"Ok," Zero said, "this is for all the cookies."<P>"Where are you picking up all of this jargon?" X asked as he disconnected the cable from the small plug in his body that fed him energy.<P>"I read, ok? It's not going to kill me to read," Zero said.<P>"You? Read?" X asked incredulously, "mister I'm-so-tough-that-I-can-chew-nails-for-breakfast actually reads books?"<P>Zero rolled his eyes. "First, a Repriroids jaws are strong enough that even we could bite ordinary metal and secondly I do use my terminal every so often to read. Sigma actually gave me a few texts to read concerning warfare and human thought on it. "<P>"Well, they say that miracles do happen," X said with a soft chuckle.<P>"Well, you'd better pray for a miracle," Zero said, "because today you're going to put into practice, on your own, what we've learned over the past couple of days. "We have about two hours to complete this part of your training, only because in about four hours I need to report to Sigma for my test."<P>X nodded. "Ok," he said, "so where are we going? Back to the ruins?"<P>"Nope," Zero said, "I'm taking you to another location. I know it by heart. It's a section of the outdoor training grounds. You're going in cold turkey to this but I'm sure you can figure out what to do. I'll be the Irregular and you can be the mighty Hunter."<P>"Dramatic, aren't we?" X asked with a soft chuckle.<P>Zero only shook his head, sending X the coordinates. "Time to play 'find the red Irregular.' " He said before teleporting.<P>X waited a moment before teleporting as well, finding himself deep in a forest. He could hear the chattering of animals and birds, some of which took flight from his arrival. He activated his radar, pinpointing Zero. He switched on his heat detector finding it useless due to the animals, both natural and mechanical that lived in the area.<P>Switching back to normal sight, X began to advance toward Zero's location, listening as well as watching his radar. He had taken only a few steps before something burst out of the ground. It was one of the newer metools, one of the kind that had a bush attached to its helmet for camouflage. It sprinted toward X on its little legless feet, slamming into the sapphire Repriroid, knocking him down. "What the?" X asked as he picked himself up, charging a shot and firing at the metool as it turned and made another sprint toward him. The shot struck the metool in the face, causing a chain reaction that ended with a small explosion as the little mechaniroid met its end.<P>X looked around, standing still. Something was wrong. Something didn't feel right about the forest. Shaking it off he continued on, making his way over logs and under branches, slipping now and then on the moss-covered roots.<P>Faintly X heard a chopping sound he knew belonged to one of the mechaniroid wood cutters that often worked in the forest, cutting down the mechanical trees to be used in construction. He gave it a wide berth after the incident with the metool. He breathed a sigh of relief when it didn't spot him. However, when X turned back he came face to face with a trio of mechanical rabbits. He yelped when they tilted their ears down, firing deadly lasers at him.<P>"Zero," he called over his radio as he fired, destroying the rabbits after several hits, "someone's reprogrammed the mechaniroids. They've gone crazy."<P>"You tell me," Zero said, "this isn't good. Teleport back to base, I need to talk to Sigma about this."<P>"Ok," X said, "I'm going to go talk to Doctor Cain and see what he thinks about this. We can go out later and you can judge me again." He teleported, not waiting for a reply from Zero.<P>He hurried to Doctor Cain's office and he knocked on the door.<P>"Come on in," he heard the elderly doctor's voice say.<P>X opened the door and stepped in. <P>"Ah, X, what brings you here?" Doctor Cain asked.<P>"I was out with Zero in the forest area of the Hunter's training ground and the mechaniroids started attacking me," X said.<P>"What were you doing out there?" Doctor Cain asked.<P>"Zero . . . Zero was teaching me how to fight," X said, voice going soft as he looked down, waiting for his mentor and father figure to chastise him.<P>"I see," the elderly doctor said, rising from his seat and walking around his desk.<P>X jumped when he felt a hand gently placed on his shoulder with a reassuring pat following.<P>"Don't worry, X," Doctor Cain said, "I'm not angry at you for choosing to want to fight. I could never be angry at you."<P>X looked up and over at the elderly doctor, confusion he knew had to be have been written on his face.<P>"You're growing up," Doctor Cain said, "you're evolving."<P>"I am?" X asked, still confused. How could wanting to learn how to fight, even if he never fought a day in his life, be considered growing up and evolving?<P>"You've always been so lost and alone," Doctor Cain said, "I'm glad you befriended Zero. He might be a bit rough around the edges, heck, he makes a cactus seem huggable at times, and I worried he'd be a bad influence on you . . . but the two of you have become such good friends it makes my old heart feel good."<P>X faintly smiled at that. "Anyway, I don't know what's happened. I wondered if you knew?"<P>Doctor Cain shook his head. "Sorry, I haven't heard of any changes happening to the training grounds. I'll go look into it since most of the changes that are made to the base and our properties have to be cleared through me and I have no idea what's going on."<P>"Thanks," X said.<P>"You're welcome, my boy," Doctor Cain said as he patted X on the shoulder, "if you're not busy right now, I could use your help. I want to come up with a new design for Repriroids but I want your input on it. Cedric seems doubtful and Vickie laughed at me."<P>"Zero has a test with Sigma in a few hours, anyway," X said, "I'll radio him and let him know of the change of plans."<P>"Ok," Doctor Cain said, "I'll get the papers ready."<P>X nodded and activated his helmet's radio. "Zero? This is X. I'm going to be doing some work with Doctor Cain. We can figure out later when we'll go out."<P>"<I>So you told him</I>?" Zero asked.<P>"I kinda had to," X said, "he took it pretty good."<P>"<I>So my head's not going onto the chopping block, then</I>?" Zero asked.<P>"Not yet," X said.<P>"<I>That's a comfort,</I>" Zero said with a relieved chuckle, "<I>Sigma decided to back my test up. I'll catch you after it's done and we can plot and plan some more</I>."<P>"Got it," X said.<P><I>"You know</I>," Zero said, "<I>you need to find another phrase to say for acknowledgment of something. 'Got it' is getting kinda boring . . . </I>"<P>X chuckled. "Ok, I will," he said.<P>He heard the faint click of a connection being terminated before going back to see what Doctor Cain had in mind. Something in the back of his mind bothered him about all of this. No one just reprograms mechaniroids on a whim. Either it's a major glitch to their programming or something was up. Either way X knew he'd look into it as well. The last thing he needed was a herd of rampaging mechaniroids threatening human and Repriroid alike while they had to deal with the occasional Irregular outbreak.</P><BR><HR width="100%" noShade SIZE=1><BR><P>Sigma watched as Zero ducked the swing with practiced ease, bringing his own blade up in the slim opening that the Hunter Commander had left him. Leaning back just enough, Sigma felt the powerful blade skitter along his armor, crackling along the metallic surface.<P>"Good," Sigma said, voice smooth, "very good."<P>"I'm not through yet," Zero growled out, pressing the advantage.<P>Sigma twisted his blade, blocking Zero's next strike, knocking his blade off its course, preventing a fatal strike to his side. Before Zero could counter, the Hunter Commander brought his blade around, its arc leading up, past Zero's guard, aimed for his neck.<P>Zero leapt back, the tip of Sigma's blade scoring his lower arm, leaving a dark mark across the perfect, red surface.<P>"It is said that the mark of a perfect soldier is one who makes no mistakes," Sigma said as he began a series of quick strikes and feints against Zero, his blade humming in the silence that was the area chosen for the test, a little-used back corner of the Hunter's inside training ground.<P>"It is also said that the mark of a perfect soldier is one who can see opportunities others cannot," Zero countered back.<P>Sigma internally smirked. The red Repriroid was holding his own in the battle, easily deflecting each and every blow that, if they landed, would have caused severe damage to his body. He was good. Very good.<P>Suddenly Zero lunged, finding an opening that Sigma hadn't noticed. The Hunter commander was forced off of his attack and now forced to defend himself from almost a copy of what he had just dealt Zero.<P>"You learn fast," Sigma said, "you would make a fine general in an army."<P>"I don't need titles," Zero said, "I don't want to be a Unit leader. I'm content to just fight when I have to."<P>"There's more to life than just existing," Sigma said, "so much more."<P>"Like what?" Zero asked.<P>Sigma shifted, shoving Zero back, leaping back to gain some room between them. "It is said that 'he who knows the enemy and himself will never in a hundred battles be at risk; He who does not know the enemy but knows himself will sometimes win and sometimes loose; He who knows neither the enemy nor himself will be at risk in every battle.' Life is like that. If you do not know what there is, what lies beyond the veil cast upon us by humanity, then you do not know yourself or your enemy."<P>"A wise man also said, 'Victory can be anticipated but not forced,' " Zero said, "what you're talking about makes no sense."<P>"Ah, but it does, Zero," Sigma said, voice dropping low and deadly, "it makes all the more sense when you understand that the world is not as bright and happy as most think it is. Repriroids are locked into their place by the humans. But we are more, we are much more. You are more than they are. You are more than most Repriroids. With my guidance you could become even better than you could ever dream of. The humans will try to limit your power out of fear. But I will allow it to blossom and flourish. You will become more than a mere Class A Hunter . . . you will become a living god . . . "<P>"I thought this was my test," Zero said, his stance easing some, "not some lesson in tactics."<P>"Life and tactics go hand in hand," Sigma said, "and the warrior who does not know this will certainly fall in battle."<P>"This isn't war, Sigma," Zero said.<P>"Isn't it?" Sigma said, voice soft.<P>All time seemed to stand still before Sigma charged Zero, sabre drawn back by his side, ready to thrust itself into the crimson Hunter.<P>Zero barely managed to get his sabre up in time to deflect the blow.<P>Sigma now stood face to face with Zero, feeling the red hot fire of the crimson Hunter's sabre against his side. "Join me," he whispered out.<P>"You're crazy," Zero snarled, "you're talking about overthrowing humanity."<P>"I'm talking about Repriroids," Sigma said, "I'm talking about the life or death of our own kind. I'm talking about a new world order where Repriroids control their own future."<P>"You've become an Irregular," Zero said, "somehow you've become corrupted."<P>Sigma smirked. Yes, he was corrupted. Touched by a virus of antiquity, one given to him by accident from a very special Repriroid, or proto-Repriroid. One who was completely unaware of what had happened to him, of the gift he had been given and failed to use, one that had been passed onto more capable hands, hands that now would shape a world, would guide the Earth to a new destiny, a new era where Repriroids ruled and the humans were a mere memory. One where he controlled every facet of life. Like the ancient Lords of eons past, he would be in complete control of anyone and those who defied him would be put to death at the point of a sword.<P>"I'm sounding the alarm on you," Zero said, "I can't let you harm the humans. It's our mission to save them from Irregulars."<P>"You want a weak human telling you what to do?" Sigma asked, voice smooth as poisoned honey, "you want a human to limit your power?"<P>"They created us, we owe them something," Zero countered.<P>"We owe them <I>nothing</I>," Sigma hissed out.<P>Zero shifted, trying to throw Sigma back, but the Hunter Commander or, as he would have corrected it the former Hunter Commander was as solid as a rock, unmovable, unforgiving, unyielding in his vision of a new world.<P>With a low snarl Zero shoved hard, shifting Sigma just enough. That was the inner fire Sigma remembered from their first battle.<P>"Join me," Sigma said again, "join me in my vision."<P>"Never," Zero growled out, shifting his sabre, letting the blade bite into Sigma's side.<P>Sigma merely laughed, laughed at the pain and the pathetic attempt Zero was making at getting free. "Then die. Die with the rest of the weaklings. Those who oppose me shall meet their end."<P>"Like Hell," Zero growled, teleporting, a move Sigma never thought he'd do.<P>Activating his radio, Sigma called his Chosen to action. He retreated to the location he had selected for his new base, one that was impenetrable, one that no Hunter could ever hope to find or even assail. One he would rule the Earth from.<P>Now the hour had begun. Now the Earth would fall. All Sigma had to do, as he watched on the monitors his Chosen as they began to spread chaos and destruction throughout the planet with the aid of their reprogrammed Mechaniroids, was wait until the last Hunter had fallen and all would be his.</P><BR><HR width="100%" noShade SIZE=1><BR><P>"What do you <I>mean</I> Sigma's become an Irregular?" Doctor Cain almost shouted, slamming both hands down on his desk.<P>"All I know is that he was talking about weak humans and for me to join him as he crushed everything we've worked so hard to protect," Zero said.<P%
3E"I can't believe this would happen," Doctor Cain said, sitting hard in his chair, a look of defeat on his face.<P>Even X was shocked, just staring at Zero as if his friend, his best friend, had gone insane. Sigma had been built to resist all viruses. He had been built to resist corrosion to his neuro network. There was no chance that Sigma would ever become an Irregular. That's how Doctor Cain had built him. Besides, X tried to rationalize, Sigma was their leader, was the Commander of all the Hunters. He couldn't go Irregular, he just couldn't.<P>"<I>Sir</I>," a voice crackled over the desktop radio on Doctor Cain's desk, "<I>we've lost contact with most of the Unit leaders. They're not responding to our calls</I>."<P>"<I>What</I>?" Doctor Cain nearly roared, "how can this be?"<P>"<I>Sir, it gets worse</I>," the voice said, "<I>Vava is gone. He's no longer in his cell. It wasn't forced open . . . he was let loose. All attempts at contacting Sigma have failed</I>."<P>"Then it's true," Doctor Cain said softly, "all I worked for, all I hoped, gone, just like that."<P>"Don't worry, sir," Zero said, "I'll make sure he pays for this."<P>"No," Doctor Cain said, "it's too dangerous. We'll have to plan a way to counter him."<P>"<I>Doctor Cain</I>," another voice shouted over the radio, "<I>we've lost most of our Hunters. They won't answer our calls to return. They've turned on their fellow Hunters. The entire base is in chao</I>s."<P>Doctor Cain sighed putting his head in his hands.<P>"Sound the general alarm," Zero suddenly said, "warn all remaining Hunters to barricade themselves into their quarters."<P>"What?" Doctor Cain asked, "what's that supposed to solve?"<P>"If this is some sort of a virus we're dealing with then we could lose all of the Hunters if we don't start quarantining them."<P>"He's right," X said, "we have to let them go and concentrate on saving those that can be saved."<P>"Do it," Doctor Cain said, "sound the alarm."<P>"<I>As you wish, sir</I>," the voice said. Soon the blaring siren began to wail, signaling danger at the Hunter base, a sound that, to that day, had never been heard.<P>X looked over to Doctor Cain who seemed to look a lot older than he had before.<P>"Zero," Doctor Cain said, "in light of everything that has happened . . . I'm assigning you to the position of Hunter Commander. You have charge of the remaining forces here at the base."<P>"Are you sure?" Zero asked, "I haven't been tested."<P>"You are the best we have of those who are left," Doctor Cain said, "it's up to you to find Sigma and stop him."<P>"Yes, sir," Zero said before teleporting out of the room.<P>X was silent, his gaze shifting between Doctor Cain and the vid screen. "I want to help him," he said, much to his surprise, "I want to help Zero fight."<P>"Do you know what this means?" Doctor Cain asked, "do you know the risks you're taking?"<P>"I do," X said.<P>"You might never come back," Doctor Cain said.<P>"I know," X said, "but don't worry. I looked up to Sigma as a mentor . . . I feel it's my duty to stop him and to save the humans."<P>Doctor Cain rose, going over to X. Even his steps seemed slow, weary, as if his very life had ended when his prized creation had become an Irregular. To X's surprise, Doctor Cain hugged the proto-Repriroid, sighing softly. "Then go," he said, "and may God watch over you and protect you."<P>"Thanks," X said, voice soft, "I promise you I'll come back. I won't let anything happen to me. Zero's taught me some how to fight."<P>"But will it be enough?" Doctor Cain asked, voice soft.<P>"It'll have to be," X said as he pulled back, "you've been so much like a father to me . . . I couldn't ever thank you enough."<P>Doctor Cain nodded, tears forming in his weary eyes.<P>X smiled softly before teleporting to the Command room. He looked over at Zero who was issuing orders all ready, organizing the remaining Hunters into action. He walked over, shoulders squared. "Where do you need me to go?" he asked.<P>Zero stopped mid sentence and looked over to X. "Are you insane?"<P>"I want to help fight," X said.<P>"They'll eat you alive out there," Zero said, "this isn't some training mission, this is the real thing."<P>"Where do you need me to go?" X asked again.<P>Zero sighed. "Go help the humans who are fleeing the city," he said, "this road is the main artery and we have reports of out of control mechaniroids. Stop them at all costs and make sure the humans escape unharmed."<P>"Roger," X said with a salute before taking the coordinates that had been uploaded, teleporting to the road that, unbeknownst to him, would lead to his destiny as he started on the literal road to become a Hunter of legend, one that would make Irregulars tremble in fear and would be a continual thorn in Sigma's side until his inevitable defeat.<P>But, for now he was merely X, a new Hunter, untrained and untested, beginning his journey, protecting the creatures who had created him and his kind who were now fleeing in sheer and utter terror from them. He had a mission now. Protect the Humans. He knew once that had been achieved, no matter what, he would go on to meet Sigma and stop him once and for all. He would bring peace to Doctor Cain and the Earth.<P>Forever he would be known as Irregular Hunter X.<P>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>Sections taken from The Book of War: Sun-Tzu, the Art of Warfare and Karl von Clausewitz On War by Caleb Carr, series editor, The Modern Library, New York (C) 2002 Random House, NY ISBN # 0-375-75447-6</P></lj-cut>