A green figure ran through the corridors of an immense building, speeding down countless maze-like hallways to reach his destination. Nimbly cutting sharp corners and using the jets on his back to rocket up long staircases he made his way to the very top. Everything was made of a harsh, sterile metal; and his rubber soles made a scuffing sound on the silvery floor. No one was in sight, which was just as well since he had neither the time nor the patience to deal with bothersome interruptions at the moment.
News from the reconnaissance stationed near the Resistance Base in secret had reached his ears. If any were to be believed, the enemy had gained a powerful new ally...
The Master must know about this at once.
The green Reploid reached the Council chamber without interruption. Since his Master had returned a few years ago they had removed any distractions from these floors in the Tower: distractions that included most anything that had ears and could listen in on the plans for the military. Passing the room where they held meetings the Reploid slowed now, nearing his destination. He was unsure at first how to present the news to his Master, who's moods were always unpredictable and flashing from one space to the other; just like his eyes. When it came to protecting and preserving humanity, everyone was suspect.
Gathering himself before a massive door, he let the space recognize his DNA coding with a beam of light and stepped into the threshold as it swung open silently. Nothing in Neo Arcadia was built lacking in efficiency, least of all the Master's chamber in the Tower. As he had stood for that moment in the light, he had collected his thoughts and knew what he would say. As the Sage of the Four Guardians, it was his responsibility to speak with the Master and bring his words to the Council meetings since he rarely attended.
The corridor was long and unlit as he finally stepped up to a massive monitor at the end of a several hundred foot-long hallway. Pillars arced to support the high ceiling, and the room was as pitch save for the monitor and the light cast from its hundreds of individual screens; each flashing with different shots of the city. Humans walked the streets alongside robots and Reploids, carrying out a peaceful - if not ignorantly so - existence. They did not know the dangers that lurked beyond the high city walls, but the populace was content in their illusion. The job of the Master and the Council was to do just that, though it made the green Reploid slightly uneasy. Peace was to be achieved in its own time. It was not something that just stole over you as you slept. It was a hard battle, but the humans knew next to nothing about it. Not for the first time, the Reploid pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. Duty and service before self.
A pair of searing red eyes flashed from the darkest corner of the room, pinning the green Reploid with their stare.
"Harpuia."
The green Reploid stepped closer to where his Master sat, the throne of the city cloaked in darkness. The only thing he could discern were those eyes. Still, he spoke when spoken to, locking his green gaze.
"Master X," he bowed. "It would seem that the rumors of the Resistance's new ally are true. Many of Phantom's reconnaissance units have already confirmed the existence of the red Reploid. They call him Zero."
"Zero?" X's red eyes flashed brightly. Whatever emotion was hidden there, Harpuia could not identify. He must've stood up, because his sight was far above the Sage now, looking down at his prostrate general. "Interesting." Turning away he began to hum, wandering towards the wall of monitors. The sound echoed eerily in the silence.
Harpuia realized that Zero was a serious morale boost for the Resistance. Master X had often spoken of an old ally to the Guardians in the Council chamber during meetings when he used to attend. He would grow thoughtful and ask himself what a certain someone would think of a decision he made. But that was before he had disappeared and come back. Things had changed suddenly, and Harpuia wasn't the fool to have not noticed.
But was it possible that X's old ally was Zero? They had all heard the stories, but X never confirmed them for sure. He was always hiding something, but he'd never let that stop him from bringing peace to Neo Arcadia as its leader. His Master's reaction to this sent chills down Harpuia's mechanical spine. He could feel that something was off. X was deathly calm, as if all the pieces would simply...fall into place.
"Master X?" Harpuia stood and turned towards his leader for orders on what to do about the threat.
The humming stopped as suddenly as it had started.
X's form was a dark silhouette against the light, and he didn't turn around when he said calmly, "Take your most trusted Mechaniloid, Harpuia. I want you to watch him closely. Soon he will understand that he is fighting for the wrong side."
"But our units can't get close enough to the main base to find out where they're headed. We can only listen in on what the patrols say when we find them since we don't know the exact location..."
X's head turned, a red gem on his helm flashed with his eyes; and he grinned, baring his teeth.
"I know where he'll be."
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"The Disposal Center?" I remembered that Ciel said they were forcefully retiring Reploids, but in a compactor? The thought of it was truly morbid.
"Yes. I'd like you to shut it down. No one else has ever been able to do it before because they keep it too well-guarded. Until now we've never had a member who could do any solo stealth missions. That is, if you're up to it."
The Resistance needed my help desperately. Ciel had already briefed me on the specifics of the mission, stating that she would be my operator - which is a guide via communications - during all the missions that she could. The Disposal Center was only one of several places that they had no means of destroying by relying on force. Guerilla warfare was really all they had against the military might of Neo Arcadia, but their numbers were too few to even be stretched effectively. Cerveau disliked not having enough supplies to manufacture weapons for the majority of the members as well. They were always low on weapon tanks for ammunition and the actual firearms themselves. It was something else I knew she wanted to ask me about, but I wasn't quite sure if I was ready to supply them with firepower just yet. Debts are paid, but trust must be earned.
"Show me how to use the Trans Server so we can get the mission started, Ciel."
"Of course."
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Rain was pelting down in furious sheets when I arrived at the Disposal Center. The building loomed in the distance, perhaps a mile away. Lightning flashed behind it and thunder rolled over the ground; rattling pebbles on the broken human road I stood on. Cars might've once zoomed by on this once-busy highway, but all was still now without a trace of life. Fences with electric lines were scattered everywhere, but they were riddled with spaces torn out of them; the power that once fueled them long-dead. If I thought Ciel might be lying, I would assume the place abandoned. I started forward, brushing my soaked hair from my shoulder.
The walk there was quiet, save for the thunder and constant drumming of the rain making ping, ping, ping noises as it hit my armor. The doorway was a standard affair at least; nothing too flashy like I'd seen but just standard for a warehouse-like environment. I flattened myself against the wall next to the entrance and pulled out my Buster silently. The flash from the light as it materialized from its chip matched the lightning, but I silently cursed my foolishness. This was dangerous and heavily-guarded territory: I needed to be more careful.
Training the sight through the door, I followed it in. There was...nothing. Not a trace of any activity, at least not recently, anyway. I walked in the open space, the rain echoing just outside the door. I left it open in case I needed to bid this place a hasty farewell, but it would seem that was unnecessary. Further exploration revealed a few cameras that seemed to still be in operation, but I took care of those with a few well-placed shots. So perhaps there was a sign of something here, but it was otherwise seemingly unoccupied.
At the end of one area, hidden behind a massive pile of rusty crates, was a ladder. It was practically shining against the dusty façade of the building so far. My eyes darted to the top, but I couldn't discern anything in the dark. The flashes of lightning were poor illumination past this point, and there were no more lights dangling from the ceiling as there had been in a few other sections. I stowed my Buster and began to climb.
The top was fully dark, and there was nothing at all save for a grate in the wall. I peered closely at it, my dark blue eyes illuminating like moonbeams and spying a few scratches on the edges where the grate might've been moved before. I smiled slightly and wrapped my fingers around the sides, giving it a pull. The shriek of the metal sliding was enough to stand one's hair on end...good thing I was ready for it. I quickly put it down and climbed in, eyes lighting the way wherever I looked.
A few paces later the floor curved into another section of wall. Dim light seeped out of the cracks and I kicked it outward with a crash. If there was someone here they would've heard me by now. Or they were simply waiting. I hopped out into the space.
Apparently this led straight to the compactor itself. The floor was a giant crusher with sharp spikes along the bottom: safe to walk on but not safe to be in the room underneath. Massive windows showcased the outside and the ceiling was likely a hundred feet up; twin pistons to raise and lower the floor acting as pillars to the roof. There were a few lights, but not too much to see by. The area itself must've been camouflaged in the gloom outside or ingeniously reflective because I couldn't have seen it even in the lightning. Perhaps this was why they could never destroy it: the operatives were picked off somehow even before they reached it. I expected I was not in for a warm welcome.
As I stepped quietly onto the surface there was a massive crash! At first I thought that lightning had struck the roof, allowing rain to fall down onto one area of the floor. It pooled on the flat metallic surface and dripped off the sides. But it wasn't lightning that had caused it. A large, bird-like Mechaniloid was descending from the ceiling after having punched a hole through it. The thing must've seen me come in and been waiting here to ambush me. It was obviously able to fly, so the vast size of the room would give it an advantage. No turning back now, though: going outside would only be worse.
High above in the near-dark a scratchy voice cawed, "I know where you are, Zero! My eyes can spy prey for miles! There's no use hiding!"
"Let's just say my eyesight isn't as good," I shot back. "Come down here and we'll see just who the prey is!" A challenge in earnest, but it would benefit me to know what I was up against.
The Mechaniloid slowly hovered towards the ground, the rain bouncing off its armored shell sizzling in the heat of the metal. He wasn't much larger than myself, which is rather small for a Mechaniloid. He had two long and thin bright yellow legs ending in taloned feet; and his arms were four-foot electromagnetic prongs shaped like blades that hummed with energy. Those must've allowed him to fly. He had small white rockets on his shoulders and his green torso held a heated grill just like the Golem. He had some blue and red armor as well, but there was something is his face that those colors couldn't distract me from. His head was shaped like a massive bird's beak with two large red eyes set on the sides. But below that - just above the grill on his upper chest - were two small shining scarlet lights. An idea started to form in my mind.
"I am Aztec Falcon," he said with his scratchy voice. "My master, Harpuia the Guardian, sent me to clean up." He leaned forward, tilting his sparking blade-wings behind him, beak just a few feet from my face. With a sneer in his voice, he rasped, "You must be some of the garbage."
I lunged at him, materializing my Saber in an instant and swiping for the grill on his chest. He sprung back to avoid me and vaulted into the air. Shrieking with anger, he dive-bombed me. I rolled away in time, but the metal was slippery, and the edges of the top of the compactor didn't exactly reach the walls. If I fell down the side, getting out would be a challenge even without him harrying me.
Swooping down in a flash of lightning, he clipped my shoulder with a claw as I scrambled upright, knocking me sliding towards the edge. Thinking fast, I stabbed my Saber into the ground and pulled out my Buster with the other hand; surprising him on his way back and making him veer sharply in the air. He was fast! Just as soon as he'd corrected himself he was screaming towards me again, wings crackling with electricity and fury.
I sprung towards him, which must not have been what he expected. He collided headfirst with my chest in the air with a sickening crack, and I swiftly wrapped my legs around his neck. Before he could fling me off, I swung my weapon in a luminous green arc at his left wing, slicing it clean off. He cried out sharply and the we came barreling into the floor. Unable to control where we fell, the both of us went over the side and to the room below.
I was the first to rise. Looking down at my chest I pulled out the sharp curve of the tip of his beak and threw it to the floor. I didn't seem to be hurt since it had gotten stuck in my armor, but the same couldn't be said for Aztec Falcon. He propped himself up on his good wing, glaring at me with his red eyes. It was darker in the compactor, so now I could see the blue energy thrumming through the blades of his wing. There were many piles of scrap for him to hide behind down here. After all: it was dark and full of the remains of Neo Arcadia's suspected mavericks. More than one skeleton in this closet. I advanced towards him, Buster trained on his chest.
"Do you surrender?"
"NEVER," he spat venomously. "You're a fool to think you've won just yet, Zero."
He extended his wing before him and the prong split in half, crackling with power. Suddenly my feet were sliding along the ground as an electromagnetic force pulled me in along with a few other pieces of machinery. I dug my Saber in again and held on tightly, trying to aim my Buster at him while not losing it to the pull.
"Rrrrah!" With a shout, he propelled everything backwards, knocking my weapons away from me. Cackling, he fled into the debris and I lost sight of him. I warily searched the floor, using the light from my eyes to lead me to my Saber where it lay sheathed on the ground. Before I could pick it up, an arc of electricity struck me in the back, making me writhe. I did my best to roll behind cover, leaving the Saber where it lay.
"Do come out, Zero," he said in a singsong voice. "Aren't you going to claim your victory for that band of petty rebels?"
"Why don't you understand that what you're doing is wrong!?" I shouted in anger. "These Reploids were no mavericks! They were just standing up for themselves!"
"Over here!" He hissed right next to me, smacking me with his wing and a blast of electricity then retreating. I dashed to a new hiding place and rammed my fist into the ground. I couldn't see him, but he could see me. I needed to use his voice to find him, whereas he could use his eyes as well. I had to respond to his taunts.
"Poor, poor Zero. Doesn't remember, does he? Doesn't know that he's fighting for the wrong side."
"And you're fighting for the right one?" I dashed closer to where I'd heard him.
"My master is one of the four Guardians! They take orders directly from Master X. Humans have known peace, no thanks to your rabble!" He came at me, but I was ready. I threw my fist with all my might under his helm, smashing the two small lights I'd seen peeking out from his armor before. The eyes on his helm were false eyes. I also crushed in the front of his grill, causing him to sink to the ground immobilized.
"My eyes!" He shrieked, thrashing his wing at me. I dodged in time, but the blast of electricity started up the compactor. It came groaning down on top of us with a sound of thunder, spiked ceiling looming only a few feet up. I dashed to where my Saber lay and then my Buster which I had just spotted. Scooping them up I headed to the wall and began digging debris out of my way to get to a ladder. Behind me, I heard Aztec Falcon's hoarse laughter.
"My master will avenge me, Zero! You cannot destroy what we have worked so hard to build! I will be waiting for the time we meet again, foolish Reploid!" I vaulted up the ladder just as the ceiling closed on my enemy with a rumble.
Heading quickly to the top, I scanned the area. After a few moments I decided that everything was clear. "Ciel?" I called over my comms unit.
"Zero! Are you alright!? We lost your signal when you entered the building. What happened?"
"Long story. But this place will be out of commission for a while. I'll see you back at Base." With that, I found the control interface for the building and blasted a hole in it. Then I took my leave, heading back to the Trans Server.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harpuia held the remains of his subordinate as he watched the building burn. He'd set fire to it himself: no need for others to find out what it was used for. His green eyes burned with anger hotter than the blaze as he watched the ruins crumble long after the rain had come to an end.
Spoiler
