Mission: Hunt down the Maverick

[Zero]

Zero and Spartan appeared in the dense forest of Area Zero. Memories of Eurasia rushed through his head as he began to look around. The last time he was here, he had crashed a space shuttle into the space colony. Despite Zero's attempt, the colony still did a great deal of damage to the area. The last thing he thought would be here was a forest.

From what Zero understood, X was somewhere North West of their location. To be sure, he contacted the base for directions. "They should be about 5 miles North West from your location," was the response he recieved from the operator. They were closer than he had though. It had been a month since he had seen X. He couldn't wait to meet him once again.

Zero began his journey towards X, know that Spartan would follow.

[Bladedwind]

Spartan warped in behind Zero, calmly observing the area. He knew well what was going through his comrade's head right now. He to, had experienced the horror that was the Eurasia incident. It was during this incident that Spartan received his first set of missions, supporting both X and Zero in their fight against the virus and the swarms of Mavericks. During just one incident, one disaster, Spartan had become legendary. He had been sent on patrol to a remote outpost with just four hunters to investigate strange distress calls from the outpost. When they arrived, they were immediately ambushed by swarms of Mavericks. Displaying his skill, not only was he able to escape the situation alive, but he was able to save his comrades as well, killing over 200 Mavericks in the span of four hours before being evacuated by hover craft. He still had fond memories of the fighting, as well as the satisfaction of seeing the relieved faces of his team mates.

"Spartan to HQ. We have arrived at the target area. We will commence the search for our Maverick soon."

Spartan then removed one saber from his waist and kept a tight grip on it, ready to activate it at a moments notice in case they were attacked. He had seen careless Hunters killed in mere seconds after being ambushed by hiding Mavericks, and he never took chances. Also, he sensed another Reploid presence nearby, and wasn't sure if it was the target or an observer.

[Zero]

It had been awhile since Zero had seen nature at its best. He hardly ever left the Maverick Hunter Base unless he was out on a mission. The atmosphere had a surreal affect on Zero, giving him a sense of peace that he had not felt in awhile. He had been hunting Mavericks for so long that he forgot what it felt like to be a simple civilian who enjoyed life. Zero wouldn't mind taking a break from the Maverick Hunters, but he was a leader there. He couldn't just get up and leave whenever he felt like it, but things had been very calm lately. Who knows? Maybe he would get a break soon anyway.

As he and Spartan voyaged on, he began to notice small glowing balls flying around. They almost seemed to hover around him and Spartan. This had to be what X was investigating. And if it was, he had to be close by.

"Just a little further..."

[Bladedwind]

As the strange creatures approached and floated about them, Spartan couldn't help but feel fascinated by their nature. Where exactly did these strange beings of light come from? Why hadn't they made their presence known to the rest of the world? And what exactly would these little fairy-like creatures be able to do to unite Reploids and Humans? The only answers that Spartan knew he might find was with X and Gate, who weren't too far off.


"Aye. I'll go on ahead to scout it out. You follow. If you need me beforehand, Zero, just give me a shout on the com, or tell Alia."

{Exiting Thread for Cyber Elf Discovery}

[Zero]

[From Cyber Elf Discovery]

Zero wandered through the forest clenching the Baby Elf in his hand. He had removed his hand over his chest and began to feel better, however, he still felt strange. These things had a negative effect on him, but he couldn't just let go of the elf. As uneasy as it made him felt, he knew the potential these elves had, especially this one. Gate was no fighter, yet just a normal elf increased his strength to almost equal his own. The elf Zero had received felt like it had more energy in it than any of the other elves. Who knows what sort of effects this Baby Elf could have on his body. Maybe he could give it to Spartan when he caught up. There was no way Zero was going to use this thing unless he absolutely had to...

Zero stopped and looked back, waiting for Spartan to catch back up.

[Bladedwind]

[From Cyber Elf Discovery]


Spartan followed behind Zero shortly, observing his squad leader with a slight concern. His strange behavior had not gone unnoticed. It seemed Zero was uncomfortable around these strange creatures. Spartan felt nothing out of the ordinary; if anything, being near the Cyber Elves felt almost soothing, or empowering. It seemed to depend on the Elf he was near. But for something to cause discomfort like that? It didn't seem normal.


"Zero. What's wrong? You're acting strange."

[Zero]

Zero closed his eyes and sighed. "Its nothing. These Cyber Elves are having a negative affect on me is all." He opened his eyes and handed Spartan the Baby Elf. "Here. Hold on to this for me. I would like to test it out, but I don't want to ignore my gut feeling. I know it'll help us out in a tight situation, but we still don't know what could happen if we use it. We shouldn't need it anyway."

Zero took out his Z-saber and activated it. "And besides, this Maverick is going against two experienced Maverick Hunters. He doesn't stand a chance."

Zero continued walking with his Z-saber glowing in his right hand.

[Bladedwind]

Taking the Elf quietly, Spartan pondered Zero's words. Why would the elves make him uncomfortable? It made no sense. He and Zero were very alike in design; they were among the first Reploids ever created, back from when robotics were making great leaps. Spartan knew his creator's identity; the famed Russian scientist, Dr. Cossack, had invented him. X was also created by a famous scientist, the legendary Dr. Light, and it was off X's designs that all other Reploids were based. Spartan realized that nobody knew who made Zero; he his existence and creation were a mystery. Perhaps the reason he didn't interact well with the elves was because of something in his past.

Spartan let the baby elf fly around him. It seemed to take a liking to him, and stayed rather close. When Zero reached for his saber, Spartan did likewise, his weapon glowing red a bright, hot light. His eyes darted back and forth, attempting to pick up any signs of the Maverick. He was worried when no readings came up, save for X and Gate. How could this Maverick hide from them?


"I don't like this one bit..."

[Ashram]

"Heh heh heh..."

The sound of someone laughing quietly began to fill the air around the two Reploids; a slow, menacing laugh. Little had the two Maverick Hunters realized, they had stumbled onto the almost exact area where the Space Colony Eurasia had crashed years ago... the real Area Zero. While overgrown with grass, the crater where the colony had fallen still remained. And at the very center of the crater was a Reploid that looked oddly like a human... his body was not as bulky as the two Maverick Hunters' bodies. He was clad in black, and his body was surrounded by an oddly familiar purple glow.

He looked up at Spartan and then Zero; an evil grin crossing his face as he noticed the red Reploid. He lifted his arms and spread them outward, gesturing to the crater around him.

"Do you see this place, Zero? Do you remember it? You should, since it was the beginning of the end for you."

[Zero]

Zero pointed his beam saber at what appeared to be a human with a silent rage behind his eyes. He wasn't surprised that the 'human' knew what Area Zero ment to him, especially since the Eurasia incident was reported World Wide. Nevertheless, to have someone bring back such a painful memory only incited his rage.

Zero approached the 'human' until he was about 10 feet from him. He kept the saber pointed at the reploid and spat out a reply.

"What business do you have here? You can't possibly be a human. Surrender now or we will be forced to take action."

[Ashram]

Ashram grinned as he watched Zero point his saber in his direction. He knew full well what he was talking about; the Space Colony Incident had indeed been reported to the far ends of the globe, especially the part about Zero nearly sacrificing his life to destroy the colony by crashing a shuttle into it. But he also knew the much darker, much more sinister truth... about how Zero had begun to revert back to his original self, and the power of the Sigma Virus. Or rather, the Zero Virus. About how X and Zero had fought each other, nearly to the death. And about the cause of all of the battles: Sigma. All of this knowledge was imparted to him by the very thing Zero had rejected.

"I think you know very well what I'm doing here, Zero."

[Bladedwind]

In a flash, Spartan's stance went from a casual stroll into a crouching, defensive stance. How could he have not detected the enemy's presence? At least, he thought it was the enemy. He couldn't say for sure. The sinister smile on the Reploids? face hinted at some kind of malcontent, and the aura surrounding him didn't help to ease Spartan's worries. If this Reploid? did, in fact, pose a threat, Spartan would not hesitate to slice him into pieces and reduce the parts to nothing but a smoldering pile of ash.


"If you do not stop speaking in riddles, we will be forced to take offensive action. I would advise against it, as I have a rather quick Maverick Termination Time Record."

[Zero]

"And I think you're full of garbage," Zero spat out. This reploid was trying to get on his nerves, and was succeeding at doing so. The memories of the Eurasia incident brought back memories of him fighting X, which, in turn, reminded him of the Sigma Virus. The feeling the virus gave him was of power and of evil: a feeling that he began to feel recently with the Cyber Elves. Something about this reploid bothered him. He could feel the Sigma Virus's presence radiating from this guy. Looks like we found our Maverick

Gripping his saber with both hands, Zero brought his right foot back and brought his saber up to his ear, still keeping the saber pointed at the reploid. "Last warning. Give up now, or prepare to be retired."

[Zero]

OOC: Will there ever be a time where all of a forum's members stay long enough to get a plot finished? I guess I'll finish this up myself...
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Zero glanced over at Spartan, seeing that he too was getting ready for combat. However, Zero didn't want his friend to get involved if he didn't have to, not wanting to risk what happened to Axl once again. In a low voice, he addressed his comrade. "Stay out of this, Spartan. I can handle this myself."

Zero rushed at his opponent with his saber still up by his ear, ready to get this fight over and done with. He still felt uneasy from the Cyber Elves, giving him more motivation to end the fight quickly. He thrusted the blade at Ashram's torso, keeping an eye on what his opponent would do.

Ashram wasn't going to fall for such a ridiculous strategy. He jumped up into the air and aimed a well placed kick at Zero's face, watching the blade as it passed under him. The purple glow around him gave him a rush, inciting a wicked smile to appear on his face. "Is that it?"

Zero wasn't a moron. Ducking from the kick, he brought his saber up into an upward slash, ensuring that his opponent would be struck.

Ashram, however, spun around and brought his other foot down using a heel drop on Zero's head. This would be too easy for Ashram with the Zero Virus' power.

The attack was a success, preventing Zero from finishing his previous attack. He stammered backward and prepared his saber for another attack. Great he thought. The Sigma Virus is increasing his power. It looks like I'll have to go all out... Zero jumped in the air and delivered a downward slash at his opponent.

Ashram pulled out his scythe to counter the attack. Luckily for him, his scythe was longer than Zero's saber, giving him the distance advantage. Ashram merely slashed at Zero while he was in the air. The attack would prevent the slash from making contact with him and would knock his opponent out of the way.

Instead of getting slashed by Ashram's attack, Zero used his core technique to jump once again in the air to dodge Ashram's attack. A good distance above Ashram, Zero threw his saber in a spiral at the Maverick.

Ashram jumped backward, dodging the attack and countering with an attack similar to Zero's. He threw his scythe at Zero causing it to spin in the air much like Zero's. When the beam saber reach the ground, Ashram ran over to it and jumped up toward Zero who would be on his downward trip.

Zero maneuvered his body to barely miss the scythe, but Ashram's upward climb toward him could not be prevented. Ashram made contact with Zero, thrusting the saber through Zero's body. Zero spat out oil from pain, needing to recover quickly to counter Ashram's attack. Locking both fists together, Zero slammed them down on Ashram's back, forcing him to lose grip with the saber. Zero pulled out the saber and rushed downward toward Ashram, delivering another downward slash at his opponent.

Zero just wasn't a match for Ashram. Ashram jumped out of the way once again, laughing at the Hunter's failed attempts at combat. "Haha! Is this all the great Zero has to offer? Maybe you should of just died at Eurasia instead!"

Zero landed on his feet with his upper body close to the ground. Zero's rage began to envelope him, causing a faint purple aura to appear around him. The area was still saturated with the Sigma Virus, but the Cyber Elves had begun to take the virus away. Nevertheless, Zero was once again becoming affected.

He yelled at Spartan, resorting to unnecessary measures to beat the reploid. "Spartan! Give me the Cyber Elf! This Maverick will die today!"

Spartan was hesitant to give the elf to Zero. Ashram was now in between the 2, making it difficult to get it to his friend anyway. He yelled back to Zero, "I won't, Zero. I'll fight with you instead." Spartan rushed at Ashram and slashed out with both of his beam sabers. Ashram side-stepped him and delivered a kick to his back, sending him closer to Zero. Spartan stumbled from the kick, but remained on his feet. Zero, who was now in front of Spartan, reached up and grabbed the Elf hovering around Spartan. "Sorry...but there is no other way" he said as he brought the elf close to his core. Immediately, his body was enveloped in a bright light, permanently transforming Zero into his superior form.



Zero's eyes began to glow purple, and an evil glare appeared on his face. The Cyber Elf had changed Zero, enhancing his power. But at what cost?

He stared at Spartan with an evil grin of desire for blood.

[NPC]

Spartan starred at his friend's new body, both amazed and frightened by the elf's effects. The glare that Zero sent his way wasn't reassuring, and it didn't help that Ashram was right behind him as well. Things were beginning to look bleak for Spartan...

Ashram's response was just the opposite of Spartan's. He laughed with joy at the reploid's new body. "Ha! Maybe now you'll be a match for me Zero." Keeping Spartan in between himself and Zero, Ashram slowly made his way closer to his scythe. He was sure he wouldn't need the scythe, but he didn't want to make a crucial error by fighting his opponent without a weapon.

Spartan, who now had to defend himself, brought both of his sabers in the shape of an "x." On his right was Ashram, and to his left was Zero, whom he tried desperately to get a response from. Spartan had a bad feeling about this...

"Zero...is that you? Answer me! Zero!"