Spoiler Show
I decided to do this when I was on a walk a few nights ago. I've been wanting to write stories about games for a while now, and this game seems like a good start!
What I mean is: I've always enjoyed taking the dialogue and scenery of a game cutscene and writing it in text format. This allows for me to add embellishments to make the scene more vivid to those reading.
As a gamer, I love to actually PLAY the games for myself. As an aspiring author, I want those who haven't played these games (or have) to be able to enjoy a very engrossing experience. Anyone who's played a game knows that occasionally the lines between player and character become blurred. Watching an LP on YouTube is an excellent way to get the story of a game, but in my opinion, it makes you feel sort've "detatched." If a game has the potential to pull you in, you DESERVE to be pulled in! You deserve the chance to step into the protagonist's shoes and experience what's going on.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that the "story" of a game is not secondary to the gameplay for me. Even if it was the worst, hardest, most messed-up game ever but it had a great story...I'd play it. That's just my personal opinion. But a game can be fun without a story, I know that. I just prefer a good yarn, myself~
This story seemed like a good idea when it came to me, and I'd like to share this game with some people who might NOT know it. For my first one of these (hopefully more to come) I chose the beginning of Mega Man Zero. The first game in a cycle of 4, it lacks a bit of the finesse that other titles in the series acquire. But this leaves more room for interpretation, in my mind!
I'm doing this as a one-shot, but give me a shout out if you like it. I'm equipped to do the rest of the first game, at least; but only if enough people want me to. I kinda hope you do ;D
And for the love of Mike: the Gods or whatever make the world go round did NOT want me to finish this. After a bazillion retypes, here it is. Enjoy my frustration, and congratulate me on finally downloading a notebook app to rescue me from the heartache! (and headache)
Spoiler Show
I will be using characters from Capcom's Zero series and their actual dialogue in this story. I will be adding quite a bit of my own content and imaginings as well.
Warning: In-game spoilers ahead!
Also: I'm sorry this is so long. I didn't want to cut up the beginning, and it ended up being a LOT longer than its less than 10min game counterpart!
Spoiler Show
It's so dark.
Where am I? WHO am I?
I can't remember. Maybe I never actually knew. But this darkness...It's so vast. I can feel it pressing in around the corners of my mind, quelling my thoughts, snuffing out my self-awareness like a breeze does to a flame. I can't feel anything. Just a disembodied mind in the blackness. No physical form to call my own.
It's so quiet here.
How long have I been wandering alone in the dark? Days? Months? Perhaps years? Have I always been in this place? It doesn't feel right. Something is wrong. I'm not supposed to be here.
There's a glimmer of a memory. A blue figure smiles at me. We must've been close, I feel. Then another fleeting glimpse of something else. A glass door closes over me, and I see monitors and high-tech machinery, lights flashing and numbers on a screen. I close my eyes.
And now I'm here all over again. I try to hold onto the memories, but they slip through my mind like fish whisking past in slivery flashes until they're all gone again. Vanished upstream. I'm left with nothing.
It's so dark.
Where am I? WHO am I?
I can't remember.
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"Is this it?" asks a gruff male voice. The man is in uniform green. He wears blue goggles over his eyes, and black garments on underneath his vest. His green beret covers it, but he has spiky brown hair. He's breathing heavily, as if he's just run a long way from something.
A group of similarly-dressed soldiers file in. At the fore of the group stands the speaker, head tilted upwards at a massive doorway. The wiring is fried from years down in the cold, damp lab, but the structure itself remains intact. It shines with metallic radiance as light filters in through holes in the ceiling. A large, circular lock that might once have had a passcode takes up its center, and pipes spiral out from there; pistons attached to the edges of the frame that might've once opened it up. Water has collected on the floor at a height of almost half a foot; its murky sludginess coating the soldiers' boots with algae and debris from parts of the jungle outside that made its way there.
A female figure pushes her way to the front. She has long strawberry-blonde hair that comes out the back of her helmet in a long ponytail. Slightly different than the green-clad soldiers, she wears a pink uniform vest and skirt with black underclothes and has two white, oval-shaped pieces of armor covering her cheeks. She carries herself with authority to the front of the group, her stride never betraying her fear of the inevitable pursuit. This was to be the last hope for the Resistance. If the sources were true, a great ally could be lying in wait behind this door; one that could win the war against Neo Arcadia and make the world safe for Reploids once more. It was her duty to save everyone. Her responsibility. Her mistake that had cost them so much already. They had to win.
"Destroy the door."
The soldiers all took aim and began firing in unison. The sound was deafening as the flashes of light lit up the room even brighter. The whole group seemed rigid with fear.
Just then, a straggler can limping up to the group. The girl ran towards the wounded soldier, grasping his shoulder. The other soldier left the door to be by her side, face contorted with tension.
"We couldn't hold them off any longer, Miss Ciel," he sputtered. A bronze-red oil leaked from where his arm had been blasted off, and there was another gaping hole in his chest. Complex circuits could be seen sparking within his frame, and he was twitching uncontrollably. The soldier's eyes were clear, though, and he seemed to understand that he was going to die. He must have accepted it long ago.
"You did what you could. Thank you." Ciel rested his body against a wall with the help of her subordinate. They were both covered in green water from kneeling as they looked back towards the doorway. The Reploid soldier took one last shuddering breath before he went still as the sounds of gunfire continued to fill the room. Down the corridor the swish of moving water could be heard. The girl's eyes widened and she shot a look at the brown-haired soldier.
"Quiet!" he barked. They all fell still, looking down into the green water; breathing hushed and eyes wide with terror. Ripples came towards them and silently died against their legs as they collided, creating smaller counterparts in opposing directions. But none of the soldiers were moving at all.
"The door!" Ciel screamed.
Machines burst through parts of the ceiling and from down the hall; robots shaped like men with blue-and-gray armor and a lone, glaring red eye. Drones with purple blades for wings buzzed overhead, small insectoid creatures burrowed from mounds in the ground, and a huge white mech with enormous fists hell-bent on crushing thundered towards them.
The surge when the robots hit the soldiers pinned against the door was too much, and it gave way with a mighty crash. Many of the small group of green-clad soldiers were crushed or blown apart in the onslaught; mangled arms and legs floated lifelessly along the soaked floor's constant coat of grime. Gunshots echoed in the empty halls as everyone poured into the room, firing barrages of light at the mechanical nightmares in pursuit. The crushed remains of fallen Reploid soldiers littered the entryway, the dark oil turning the water shades of black and filling the dank air with a chemical smell.
It was over quickly. The large mech could not fit down the narrow corridor, so it abruptly ended the chase, seemingly thwarted. It whirled around, crushing smaller robots in its haste to reach the surface once more. By the time all of the robots were destroyed, the entirety of the small resistance group of Reploids lay broken or dying, with only Ciel and the first officer still intact. They lowered their weapons and sunk to the floor in exhaustion.
"We can't do this anymore," the green soldier snorted angrily. "When the next wave comes Ciel, we're both going to die. I hope your dream was worth the chase, commander." He stood up and stalked towards the carnage, kicking remaining parts of the enemy robots and swearing under his breath. He wasn't usually one to be so short with authority, but the carnage had obviously shocked him.
Ciel stood up and walked to a dark alcove. She reached for a tiny capsule on her belt and pulled it off, unscrewing the top in a familiar motion. "Passy," she breathed, "What should I do? What if he's not here...?"
A light flew slowly out of the capsule and solidified into a small, humanoid being. As tiny as she was, her small form shimmered with energy like heat waves over metal on a sweltering day. She wore cherry-red armor with two long metal prongs sprouting from her back like wings and two tiny yellow spheres on both sides of her head. A tuft of light-colored hair peeked out from beneath her helmet, and she smiled at Ciel with the kind of certainty that only the strongest of friendships could endow. "I can feel him, Ciel." She had such a small voice, her dark eyes glittering as they looked over the room in a cursory way. "You know your dreams are my dreams, too."
"Passy..." Ciel wiped away a tear. Turning towards the officer, she commanded strongly, "Milan! Passy feels that he's around here. Help me look."
Grumbling, Milan began patting down the walls for secret switches, buttons, or levers. Ciel held Passy aloft as the tiny creature closed her eyes and tilted her head as if trying to hear a very high-pitched sound. They continued like this for a few minutes. Eyes flying open, Passy alighted on a small glass globe in a darkened corner of the room. Ciel and Milan rushed towards her as Passy generated energy to open the door. The globe lit up, and a secret room revealed itself from behind a console, raining particles of dirt from the edges of its hidden crevices.
Ciel, Milan, and Passy moved into the silent space. The water was in this room, too, but it was much warmer here. Light shone down in shafts towards the center of the floor, illuminating floating dust motes and a prone figure kneeling there. He was hunched over with closed eyes, tubes sprouting from his back like roots and hooking up to a massive supercomputer that dominated one corner. The arms were broken, cracks spidering their way along and up the sides, and red armor that adorned the body must have once been bright and clean but was now covered in algae and grime, faded by the uneven exposure to the sun over the years. A long swathe of matted blonde hair fell and covered one side of his face.
Everything seemed to stand still, the only sound to be heard being the breathing of the three newcomers. Finally, Milan decided to break the spell.
"This must be..." his jaw dropped in awe.
Ciel shifted and started forward very slowly, Milan and Passy close behind. She approached the figure warily, wanting to reach out but afraid that it was just a mirage; a beautiful illusion of a powerful dream. "This must be...Zero..." She breathed in wonder, daring to believe. Everything that they'd heard: rumors of two powerful Reploids who led the world into peace an age ago...they must be true. There really were two of them.
But why hadn't he told her that it was true? To protect his best friend? Or to hide him?
"We found him at last!" Milan shouted triumphantly, reaching towards the still form of the red Reploid. Multicolored light suddenly flared to life around the body, shocking Milan and sending him sprawling into the water. As soon as it had appeared it was gone, once again invisible. The look on his face was complete bewilderment.
"It's protected," Passy said flatly, trying to keep a straight face. Ciel couldn't help but snicker. As dire as the situation was, the small group still had it in them to smile.
"What should I do?" Milan asked, standing up quickly. He had obviously recovered from his initial shock, and was circling the prone form on the ground, prodding the edges of the barrier gently to test its limits. He kicked the barrier angrily.
Without warning one of the dying Reploids by the large doorway let out a scream of pain. The three whirled around and looked out to see a swarm of blue robots filing into the secret room, at least a dozen man-made killing machines. Guns clicked as their glowering red eyes focused on the three targets. Some seemed slightly confused as to whether or not the figure on the ground was a threat, and this sent a ripple of hesitation down their ranks; gun sights switching from the intruders to the red figure.
"Watch out!" Milan shoved Ciel behind him, Passy at her side. With a heavy sigh, he lifted his gun, setting his shoulders firmly. His tone hardened. "We're cornered! We have to evacuate now!"
"But..." Ciel glanced at the Reploid on the floor. If only Zero wasn't so broken...He was in no condition to be activated to help them, now.
Milan began firing precise shots at the eyes of the robots without warning. Ciel was too shocked to speak, and just stood there, numbly. After all they had achieved in the past eight years...The idea that this was where it was going to end had turned her very human blood to ice. They were going to die here. "We can't-" she began.
"We have no time to argue!" he shouted, rushing forward. He took out several more before a robot clipped him in the shoulder with a bullet, causing him to fall backward and sprawling onto the ground near Zero's prone form. More robots began firing at him, sensing the threat, peppering him with gunfire as he lay on the ground, unable to move.
"MILAN!" Ciel ran towards him, flipping him over and holding his head up in her lap. It had all happened so fast! His chest was riddled with gashes; sparking bursts and bronze-red oil leaking from various wounds.
He smiled at her, managing to reach up enough to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Passy begun to cry softly overhead, burying her face in Ciel's hair. "You can do anything, Ciel. Anything you really truly believe in." The light left his eyes and his head lolled to the side. Dead. Just like the others.
Passy wiped a tiny hand over her eyes and put on a resolute face. Glaring at the mass of robots that didn't even see them as a threat - guns aimed but not firing - she steeled herself. "Ciel." She tugged on her friend's hair.
Ciel was in shock. She didn't move, just sat there silently with wide eyes looking at nothing.
"CIEL!!!" Passy shrieked. Energy was humming in the air around her, amplifying her voice.
"Huh?" Ciel mumbled, staggering upright. She seemed to notice the blue robots for the first time all over again, and raised her own gun, self-preservation kicking in. The robots' weapons clicked and locked on, whirring noises filling the room.
Passy flew in front of Ciel's gun, pushing the barrel downward. "You have to use my power!" she shouted to be heard over the noise. "You have no choice!"
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I know I can hear voices, now. I can't see who they belong to, but the endless parade of silence is finally at an end. My mind thrums with restless energy. There's something out there. Someone NEEDS me. I'm not sure how I know, but I just do.
I try to move...something, but I feel detatched. I don't have any control. I still my speeding thoughts and focus on what is being said. It's like a dream; where you know what's happening but you are relentlessly carried away by the tide of images and sounds. It's only when you wake up that you remember what happened and that you could've DONE something.
I need the power to help, but all I can do is listen.
"You should use my power!" "You have no choice!"
The first voice. It sounds small, but full of something much stronger than determination. Resolve.
"What!? Passy...if I do, you'll be..."
The second voice is hesitant. There must be an option worth weighing, here.
"Don't worry about me."
The first voice again.
"Remember, everyone is waiting for your safe return!"
A pause before the answer.
"Okay. Thank you..."
"No. I should thank you, Ciel. Goodbye..."
I'm so much more awake.
"PASSY!"
The second voice is screaming, the world slowly fills with light around me. Particles like stars rain down into my darkness, and a small creature appears. She gazes around the lightening grays of my mind and finally sets her sights on what she feels is most ME. I can feel her eyes radiating heat like two small suns.
"Wake up, Zero. You have to save her. Save them, Zero."
As she fades away, I'm blinded by the radiance she's leaving behind. My mind flinches from the pain, pushing itself into the farthest, darkest corner it can find. From somewhere deep inside, I ask a question aloud. I know she's gone, but I do it anyway, if not for her, but for myself. I don't know how I thought this, where it came from, but it's THERE.
"I always need to save everyone from MYSELF, first."
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I open my eyes to see a decrepit laboratory and a swarm of mindless drone robots staring me down. There is a girl behind me, sunken to her knees in the fetid water that's pooled on the floor. The sound of weapons charging for a shot deafens me, a constant whirring that fills the small space. Casting my gaze about, my eyes eventually come to rest on a fallen soldier grasping his gun in one hand, the other arm blasted apart around the shoulder.
I'm contemplating how to cross that space to reach the weapon when the girl says quietly, as if to herself, "Zero...has been resurrected..."
I'm not sure what I'd say to her even if this was the best time, which - judging by the trained gun sights - I'd say it certainly wasn't. So I said nothing and paused for another moment, formulating a plan to get out of this situation. The robots weren't firing but had obviously assessed the threat. They'd attack swiftly and efficiently at the slightest motion...
The girl shifted forward, causing the water to swish and sending ripples cascading outward. "Zero? Help me. Please."
This was just the distraction I needed.
As the focus changed to the girl, I shot forward, somersaulting through the water and grasping the gun in my left hand. I knew I had to protect her: she was responsible for bringing me back, somehow. This much I could guess. I owed her a debt, at least. So I targeted the eyes of the robots in my sight and fired off beams of light in succession; bursts of plasma that disintegrated them and blasted their metal frames to pieces. I'm not sure how I knew to shoot there to hit the cores, and I was beyond asking at this point. So I grabbed the girl and urged her into a run, pulling her the first few feet as we dashed over pieces of metallic debris.
The next room was an awful sight, but somehow I knew I'd seen worse. Fallen Reploids littered the floor in the shadow of a massive doorway. The door itself was gone, the Reploids just pieces littered about in the water. About a dozen more of the blue robots filed in through the massive broken doorframe, but I dispatched them just as easily as the first set. The girl covered her eyes and dashed forward through the opening. Perhaps, I thought, she is stronger than she seems.
Outside the doorway was a long hall. Lights flickered and the sun shone through holes in the roof of the building, casting long shadows across the walls. Machinery covered everything, and my mind kept flashing to a similar mapping of this place, but less complex and cluttered. I could see computers strewn along the walls in an orderly way, the metals shining and new. People in coats bustling about, running diagnostics and operating various parts of the lab with the touch of a button. I saw the glass lid closing on me again, but in a different room than the one before...
"Zero!" Came a call from somewhere down the hall. The girl was standing around a corner, gun raised at her side. Her face was set in a determined grimace. "It's this way!" As if I wasn't familiar with this place...Somehow. I ran to catch up to her swift pace.
We passed flashing monitors, moss-covered tanks, gaping holes in the floor with the circuitry hanging out and a dark abyss down below with water slowly trickling down...This place must've been an important research lab at one point, most likely for Reploids judging by the equipment and lack of human staffing in my memory. It was strange, the two being juxtaposed together...
Suddenly I stumbled, pitching forward into a wall with a metallic clang. Hearing the sound, the girl doubled back. Reaching me, she asked alarmed, "Are you okay?" Shaking my head to clear the dizzying sensation, I nodded. Pushing her forward, we started running again. I felt slightly...off, my body not responding as it should. The influx of images slowed in my mind, and I ignored the rest. Best not to let anything like that happen during a fight. Those robots that had attacked earlier could come back in force. Now wasn't the time to be weak.
Coming up against a wall, we had to stop. "What!?" The girl stepped forward, touching the metal surface and possibly looking for a switch or a lever in the half-dark. "It's a dead end..." She turned back towards me, thoughtful. "What should we do...?" She trailed off, the sound of her voice quickly swallowed by the massive hallway.
Suddenly the ground began to shake. Her blue eyes grew wide with surprise as the floor beneath her gave way, collapsing with thunderous appeal. I dashed forward as quickly as I could and grabbed her, supporting her as we both fell down into a dark pit far below. The impact with the ground was jarring, and my knees buckled but somehow I remained standing. The girl scooted out of my arms as if she'd been singed, and I leaned heavily against the wall, more shocked by all the recent action than tired.
"You..." She gave me a thoughtful glance, almost as if she were comparing me to someone. She didn't seem afraid, just surprised that I might do something like that without an apparent second thought. I thought she was going to say that I saved her, but I'm pretty sure we both knew that already. "Thank you."
I stood back up and stepped up to her side. I must've looked confused in some way, because she gestured and said, "This place seems to be a pre-historic laboratory." Mumbling, she stepped forward gingerly, testing the ground. I had to give that a half-smile: I had already scanned the floor for any signs structural weakness. "...we may be able to find a Trans Server, which we can use to go back to the Resistance Base," she had been saying.
Walking forward slowly, we climbed up onto a ledge above the line of the water. Lights flickered brightly on the ceiling here, and we left behind the shadow of a massive bay door and leaky pipes to find a huge console next to another hall. The passage was choked with debris.
"How nice..." She frowned, shoving at the pile of rubble and machinery. "This passageway has collapsed in."
I'm guessing it was her attempt to lighten the mood, now that we seemed to be in the clear and out of the muggy humidity of the upper levels.
"Shall we go back?"
Nevermind. I grimaced.
Suddenly, I saw a subtle shift in the rubble nearby. "Stay back!" I called out, alarmed into finally breaking my silence. A massive mechanical arm reached through the debris, snatching the girl and pulling her down the hall quickly. To her credit, she didn't panic; just yelled in surprise and began kicking and thrashing as she disappeared around a corner. Tingling with newfound energy I dashed off in pursuit, leaping over pieces of scattered stone and masonry.
After a few paces, I found the source. We were in a fairly small room that I could assume was the housing for the main central console for the entire facility. A large floor computer covered the left wall, and by the ceiling above it hung two large monitors. The apparent years hadn't been kind: the left monitor was a broken mess, a large Y-shaped crack scored across its center with smaller fractures spidering outwards. The rightmost monitor was unscathed but coated in a thick layer of dust. Both still clung firmly to the wall. Beneath them, the main desk was cracked in half by the force of some great impact, only a small section seemingly intact. Colored lights of every kind had been broken and smashed all across, and parts of the machinery were strewn about the floor nearby.
I turned my attention the the giant mechaniloid. Covered in a thick gray-blue and white armor shell it grasped the girl tightly in a huge fist. She struggled fitfully, but it had her arms pinned in its palm. When she realized she couldn't free herself that way, she bit down hard on the fist. That was surely the second time she'd made me smile a little, I had to admit.
I took the chance to do a quick scan of my opponent. The thing itself took up most all of the room we were presently in. It's detachable arms were linked to the fists by massive black pipes that could be retracted or elongated at a distance of potentially fifty feet, and I'd already witnessed their speed firsthand. The chest of the mechaniloid was dominated by a giant grill that radiated red light and heat: this presumably powered the two thrusters that allowed it to hover a few feet off the ground. I could see a door behind it. My assessment was cut short as it turned its flat white gaze on me in the entryway.
The girl had spotted me as well. "Zero! No!" She shouted as I trained my gun on the giant robot. "Run! You can't damage this thing with a Buster..." She trailed off. Most likely because she realized that I wasn't listening to her. It's not that I don't believe in no-win situations. I just didn't feel like this was one of those times, and I couldn't afford to think that way, either.
The mechaniloid rushed me, smashing its unoccupied right fist into the wall where I had been standing. My assessment of its speed had been correct, and I knew I was much faster even in my semi-weakened state. I started around behind it and grappled onto its arm, swiftly climbing the shoulder to stand by the head. The size of the room was inhibiting its actions and causing it to be more sluggish, so it was a few moments after I began shooting at the armored helm that it retracted the fist from its home and charged the wall. I jumped off with seconds to spare, having predicted the motion. The thing drove hard into the wall, causing the room to shake and dropping huge chunks of plaster from the ceiling.
I should have anticipated that the room's infrastructure would be unstable, but in my current state I was still somewhat disoriented from the sets of images overlaying this place in my memory. I sped around the rubble just in time, missing being crushed by a few inches. Kicking off a block that had fallen, I vaulted across the room to where it was slowly turning around. If I couldn't destroy it, I just had to get the girl from its clutches.
"Zero! What're you-" She exclaimed as a grabbed onto the fingers that held her firmly in place. Understanding dawned on her and she began struggling again, rolling her shoulders to try and free up her arms. I planted my feet on the second finger and wrapped my arms around the first, throwing my head back and pulling with everything I had.
The mechaniloid seemed to realize what was happening. Destroying me was not it's primary function, it was obviously just here for the girl. But as an obstacle that stood in its way, I had to be removed somehow before it could continue with its mission. Swinging with brute force it crushed me against the wall. I had pivoted at the last moment, placing my right arm to my side to take the force of the hit, but the effect was instantaneous. I smacked the wall with such force that I sunk into it, fissures erupting from the stone and out from the point of impact. When it pulled the fist away, I fell to the floor with a heavy thud, vision blurring. The mechaniloid ran a cursory eye over me before it began to turn away, the apparent threat subdued.
Struggling into a kneeling position with my broken right arm hanging lifelessly at my side was a chore in itself. Cracks in my armor covered the right side of my body like the bottom of a dry riverbed, and black spots danced in my vision. Using the wall for support, I stood up fully and took a step forward. I was not going to be beaten like this.
"Rats!" I huffed. I don't get off on being the most creative with curses, even in the best situations. And this was certainly NOT the best of situations.
I glared at the back of the mechaniloid furiously as it ignored me. It's not over until one of us is destroyed, I thought grimly. And I'm still standing.
All at once the air pressure dropped. The girl gave out a startled yelp as her ears popped, and I could hear the hum from a sudden undercurrent of energy. The giant froze what it was doing as if paralyzed, and the rightmost monitor on the wall flickered to life. An image appeared on its surface; hazy at first but growing more defined. It eventually materialized to be an orb of multicolored light with two halos spiraling around it; one from the upper right to bottom left and the other from the upper left to bottom right. The two crossed paths to make a familiar symbol...
Suddenly there was a whisper. It was as if a voice were calling from a deep well, echoing cavernously; but also muffled similar to sounds after a snowfall. The force of the sound was powerful as a shout, but the tone was as if whoever was speaking stood right by my side. I stared into the monitor and strained to make out the words. The sound was static and psychic. I'm not sure how exactly I knew, but I was certain of it. And the voice was one I knew. The memory fluttered silently from my reach, and I was certain that whoever the voice belonged to knew about my past; knew more about me than I ever could.
I strained to make out the words, baffled at my reaction. A bewildered "Huh?" was all I managed. Ever so affluent, I know.
The voiced seemed strained with effort, but I finally began to pick up the words. "...USE THIS...ZERO..." Light manifested in front of the monitor in a blinding flash, coalescing into a cylindrical form and flashing through the air to land embedded in the tiles beside me.
"Who are you!?" I asked gruffly. I was caught off guard by my emotions moments ago, but now I was wary. Staring at the silver hilt of a sword - no - my saber protruding from the floor beside me, I reached for it with a sense of déjà vu. How did all this feel so familiar?
There was an audible sigh as the voice seemed to lose power, and the tension in the air slowly began returning to normal. I quickly realized that whoever the voice belonged to had used up all their energy to give me the weapon, but that also meant the mechaniloid would soon be coming out of its paralyzed state.
Seemingly ignoring my question, the voice replied, "HURRY...YOU HAVE TO...SAVE HER..."
I nodded in understanding, withdrawing the saber from the ground, green blade flashing in an arc as I pulled it to my side with my left arm.
I could imagine the owner of the voice smiling. "DON'T WASTE TIME..." it said before fading with a crackling pop. The image on the screen disintegrated and went black once more.
Reassessing the threat, the mechaniloid had turned towards me and was charging up a green sum of energy in its maw. I noticed that it lifted its helmet to do this, exposing the weaker core beneath. Rolling off to the side to avoid the searing blast, I kicked off the wall and flew straight for the head of the giant. It was gathering more energy as I swung my blade in a deadly arc, connecting and sawing the head clean off with one swipe. The hand that clutched the girl immediately loosened its grip, dropping her unceremoniously to the floor with a startled gasp.
I fell heavily to the ground afterwards, but I knew what was coming next. The surge of energy the thing had collected no longer had and outlet. I dropped my weapon and used the last of my power to get up and reach her in time. I managed her push us both up against a wall, shielding her with my body as the giant robot exploded in a blinding rush of heat and light.
But my world went black.
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Quick Links!
Prologue: This page
Chapter 1: The Resistance Base (Top)
Chapter 2: Watchful Eyes (Bottom)
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