Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Plasma blasts shot back and forth over the city. The combatants did their best to avoid being struck, but each attack that missed continued eroding away the few buildings that hadn't already been toppled into smoking heaps, providing progressively less cover and occasionally stunning soldiers with stray sprays of pebbles. Two Guardians carefully skirted the edge of the center square, where the fighting was its worst, and stopped when they came to a corner.

"Are you ready?" one of them asked.

"Just hurry up!" the other snapped at her.

The first soldier peered around the corner. The coast looked clear, so she turned around to signal to her partner. Before she could, he was shot in the shoulder.

"Crap!"

Scrambling for her gun, the Guardian locked eyes on the purple Reploid that sat perched on the roof across the street, but wasn't fast enough to predict their next shot—the weapon was blasted right out of her hands, leaving her fingers singed. The two soldiers abandoned the idea of counterattack and prepared to flee, but they realized their chances weren't looking good. The Reploid leveled their gun at them.

A massive ball of plasma rammed into the Maverick from the side, blasting them into at least a dozen pieces. In the direction the shot had come from, someone was bounding from roof to roof with uncanny speed, and they soon dropped onto the street and came to a stop in front of the wounded duo. She was a young Humanoid woman with green eyes and fair skin, with plates of bright blue and pure white armor over her black skintight suit. Where her left forearm should have been, she instead sported a large, cylindrical buster—at least for a moment, until it vanished to reveal a normal arm.

"Are you alright?" she asked, crouching next to the two.

"Not really," said the Guardian with the shoulder wound. "But, thanks for the save, Aile."

"Sorry Commander," apologized the other. "We let our guard down."

Aile smiled at them as she stood back up. "Just don't let it happen again. I'll clear the square, but there might be more coming. As soon as you can, you should fall back and get some first aid."

"Yes, ma'am."

Recreating her buster, Aile dashed around the corner and into the square, firing a flurry of shots as she sailed right past the Mavericks positioned there. She kept going, verifying their destruction by the sounds of explosions and metal scraping the pavement, and rounded another corner into a narrow street. More Mavericks were waiting up ahead. They opened fire immediately, so she jumped to avoid their shots; kicking off the nearest wall, she charged energy in her weapon's barrel as she twisted out of the way of more bullets, and upon touching down she thrust her arm forward and fired. Another massive sphere shot out, plowing through the assembled enemies like they were nothing. Aile rushed past their remains.

"Do you think the civilians all got out?" she asked.

A gentle voice responded, "It's doubtful that all of them made it. Some are probably hiding nearby."

"Yeah, that makes sense. We should look for them."

"Ordinarily I would agree. But, given the circumstances, I think we should leave that to the other Guardians for now, while we focus on the task at hand."

"…You're right. Thanks, Model X."

The city was remote, on the very edge of Legion's territory. So when a call about a Maverick attack went out, there weren't any official security forces nearby to handle it, which the Guardians knew meant it was up to them whether the city's residents lived or died. That was reason enough for Aile, but as they came closer to their destination the crew had picked up something very unexpected on the radar.

We need to find the source of the Biometal signature and disable it, Aile thought. Whether it's a Mega Man or a new Pseudoroid, X and I are the only ones here who stand a chance of defeating it. Once we've done that to ensure the safety of our allies, then we can go back them up.

She launched herself over a high pile of rubble in her path, getting a good look at the street that lay on the other side. There must have once been buildings along it, she thought, but now they had all been decimated. Mounds of mortar and steel fenced in the broken street Aile landed on, making the area feel as if it were cut off from the rest of the city. She was about to get moving again when the sound of footsteps caught her attention. Instinctively raising her buster, she froze and waited.

He appeared slowly from behind a ruined billboard, making no further attempts to hide as he made his way for the center of the street. Aile took the opportunity to size up her opponent: the first thing she saw was the snout of a mechanical horse (one slightly taller than she was), but as it emerged it revealed a human-like torso rising from its back, simulating a rider with the notable exception of a head. Heavy, black armor with red highlights covered the creature, and the yellow eyes of the horse were fixed on her with an eerie knowingness.

When he reached the middle of the street, he stopped. The two of them stood still for a moment, before Aile said, "So it's a Pseudoroid after all. That can't be a good sign."

The Pseudoroid laughed, his mounted torso shaking as if the sound was coming from the headless rider. Pointing, he called out in a deep, gravelly voice, "Aile! It is time for you to despair. Zenull the Dullaroid has come for you, and I will not leave until I have your head!"

"I was the one who came for you, you stupid…" Aile trailed off as the realization sank in. "…You said your name was Zenull? Starting with Z?"

Zenull didn't answer. Instead, he reached up towards the hole where his head and neck should have been—reaching just inside, he took hold of something and pulled, visibly straining as he did. Up out of the torso came a long, segmented strip of metal plates, looking just like a spinal cord, and when it finally came totally free he paused and made a sound like he was catching his breath.

Aile grimaced, her revelation forgotten for the moment. "That's disgusting!"

With a laugh, Zenull flicked the spine, causing the plates to snap together and glow with red light. The energy reached out and solidified, forming a triangular blade of crimson plasma, and he made one swing for show before pointing it directly at Aile.

"That confirms it," Model X said. "This is a Model Z Pseudoroid."

Setting aside her distaste, Aile said, "We've finally found him, then. Okay, X! Let's bring our old friend home!"

Zenull reared back, raising his blade high, and then broke into a full gallop. Aile fired a few shots to see how he would react, but he kept coming without so much as flinching. He was upon her in seconds—he braked hard and swung as he skidded forward, grazing her shin armor as she leapt back and landed just barely out of range. Zenull paused to laugh as she jumped back again for additional distance. Aile started charging energy in her buster, but hung back to see what her foe would do. He ran at her again, and this time she was better able to avoid the slash, countering with a blast that struck Zenull's torso. The Pseudoroid shuddered.

Come on, I know you've got more tricks than that.

A soft chuckle came from Zenull. As he slowly lifted his sword, the blade melted into a thin aura and the "spine" relaxed. When he swung it, the aura extended suddenly and the segments of metal floated down its length, creating a long whip that cut a surprised Aile across the side of her face. Sent sprawling by the blow, Aile rolled back to her feet just in time to avoid Zenull's follow-up attack; she peppered him with shots as he transformed the weapon back into a sword, one of them striking his rear legs. Zenull cried out in pain, making Aile freeze.

"That must be his weak point," X said.

"Which means the more we hit that, the more damage is done to Z," Aile said. "I guess it's been so long I forgot how Pseudoroids work. I'll have to take better aim."

Now recovered, Zenull charged at her once more, sword held high. She shook off the surprise and focused once more on the battle.

"Okay but, of all the things you could've used as a weapon, why would you choose your spine?" Aile asked as she dived out of the way of another slash. "Though, I guess that might've been the idea of whoever made you. Who did make you, anyway?"

Zenull laughed and readied his whip. "Why would I tell you that? The knowledge will be of no use to you in the afterlife!"

Aile dashed, but the attack still managed to make contact. Model X suggested, "We need to put more focus on distance. This area is fairly wide open, and our buster shots have superior range to his whip attack."

"And it's never a good idea to be right in front of anything with a Z Saber," Aile added with a smirk.

Turning her back on the enemy, Aile dashed off as fast as she could. She heard Zenull galloping, but he stopped soon enough—she spared a glance to see him a distance behind her, readying for another charge, but she didn't stop until she reached the barrier of rubble that fenced off the street. Zenull's second charge still didn't get him close enough, only putting him in position for a charged buster shot to stun him. He readied the whip next, and Aile quickly weighed her options. Ultimately, she dashed towards Zenull, managing to completely avoid the lash, and using the extra energy she had stored earlier she unleashed another charged shot at point-blank range. Not waiting to see how he fared, Aile jumped past Zenull and returned to putting distance between the two of them.

The Dullaroid chased her back across the arena once more, succeeding only in taking more charged shots, before pausing suddenly. As he started to laugh, Aile spun to face him, though she still backed away slowly while waiting to see what he was up to. Zenull threw his arms wide, and brilliant red flames burst from the horse's mane and hooves—the torso was instantly hidden in the veil of fire. Aile bumped into the wall. Her foe turned, his eerie yellow eyes now red as well, and leapt.

In a single bound, Zenull was halfway across the area. With a second, he nearly stomped Aile underfoot, only a timely jump onto the wall saving her. However, Zenull bounced onto the wall as well, and when he did, powerful shockwaves surged out from where his feet touched, running through Aile's body and shaking her from her handhold painfully.

Dodging this isn't going to be easy.

Zenull ricocheted back across the area, but then came back at Aile again. This time she waited until he made his second jump, and then rolled aside; the shockwaves didn't reach her, but when Zenull bounced off the wall he angled so that he would pass her, and made a sweeping blow with his sword that cut her along the back. Luckily, once he returned to the far side of the area the flames died down, and the Pseudoroid finally stood still for a few moments.

"Are you alright, Aile?" X asked.

"Been better," Aile replied, getting back on her feet. The wound on her back stung terribly, making it difficult to get into a proper stance. "So here's a suggestion: let's beat him before he uses that attack again. What do you think?"

X didn't respond. Aile got the impression he would be shaking his head if not for the fact of being a disembodied chunk of metal.

Now recovered, Zenull galloped forth yet again. Aile expertly dodged his swing, and the next, and then he readied his whip. When it lashed out, Aile stayed where she was—twisting her arm, she let the whip wrap around her bracer and grabbed the energy weapon. It was a painful maneuver, but it allowed her to reel Zenull in and deliver a charged shot to the horse's face. She pummeled the machine with as many hits as she could before he finally headbutted her to break her grip.

"I thought we agreed to focus on distance?" X said.

Aile shrugged. Brandishing his sword, Zenull said, "You fool! Do you really think putting yourself in such a risky position will bring more benefit than harm? If you are so eager to be rent apart, then allow me to oblige!"

He charged, and Aile dashed. Zenull turned around and prepared to charge again, but Aile didn't seem concerned.

"X," she said. "You're not going to like this, but please trust me."

"I hate it when you say that…"

With a roar, Zenull galloped forth. Aile crouched and waited. The Pseudoroid bore down on her without holding back, but she just sat there, waiting…until she jumped. Zenull stopped and moved into a skid, but the next thing he knew, Aile had flipped overhead and landed on the horse's back behind his torso. It was now he realized her buster was glowing. Zenull tried to slash her, but he couldn't move fast enough: Aile had already pointed her buster at the open hole atop his body, and in the blink of an eye, she fired.

The Pseudoroid was ripped apart in a violent explosion, and Aile was blasted back into the wall. The impact stunned her for a moment. When she had her senses back, she stood and surveyed the wreckage, spotting Zenull's head lying a few meters away.

"Impossible…" he croaked. "I am the bringer of death…how could I be the one…to die…?"

A second later, the light was gone from his eyes. Aile turned, saying, "We need to find the legs…"

There was a bright flash at the edge of her vision. She hopped towards a pile of scrap metal that was pulsing with light, and just as she was about to dig through it, something shot up out of it to float at about eye level. The compact object was made of black, white, red, and green metal, with a design on the front that resembled a face. Aile gaped for a moment, but then her expression broke into a huge grin.

"Model Z," she whispered.

In a flash, Aile dropped out of her Megamerged state. Her clothes beneath were still blue and white, but now her long brown ponytail was free to fall behind her. Model X appeared in the air next to her, a piece of blue metal similar in design to Model Z.

"It's been a while, Z," X greeted.

"Sure has," Z said. "Heck of a greeting, too. Did you have to blast it right in the weak point?"

"Ah, sorry about that," Aile said, chuckling sheepishly.

"Oh, you've survived worse," X said.

"Fair point," said Z.

Aile stepped forward. "It's really good to see you again, Model Z. Sorry it took us so long to track you down."

"No, that's not your fault. A lot happened after we parted ways…but, maybe now isn't the time."

X turned back to Aile. "He's right. We've got to finish cleaning up the Mavericks and make sure the townspeople are safe."

Aile nodded. "We'll catch up back at HQ when this is over. Model Z, why don't you rest for now? X and I can handle things."

The Biometal seemed to consider this for a moment, before ultimately saying, "Think I'll take you up on that."

Taking both Biometals, Aile stored Z in her pocket and held X out. "Megamerge!"

With her armor back, Aile dashed over and scaled the wall of rubble, making her way back to where the other Guardians were, keeping her buster ready.

Finally, she thought. Now maybe we'll get some answers.

***

Grey barreled down the hall of the Guardians' airship, bursting through the door labeled "LAB". Standing at the computer console inside were Aile, who looked a bit surprised but ultimately smiled, and a short elderly man with a long white beard, who just scowled.

"Is it true?" Grey asked. "You really got Model Z back?"

Aile nodded, and then gestured to her side. Model Z floated up to hover above her hand, saying, "Good to see you again, kid."

Grey rushed forward excitedly, saying, "This is great! With you, Aile can get back to full power, and we can go on the offensive! And you probably know what happened to the others after Ouroboros, right?"

"We were just getting to that!" the old man said, shoving Grey back. "Honestly, must you be so loud?"

"It's no big deal, Fleuve," Aile chuckled. "We're all pretty thrilled—there's no harm in celebrating a little, right?"

Fleuve grunted. "I'll celebrate once this is all over. Now…" He sank into a rickety-looking chair. "Model Z, I've been able to repair most of the damage you sustained. I'll still need a few E-Crystals to finish the process, though, so don't go trying anything crazy just yet."

Model Z turned slightly. "We'll see."

Aile faced the Biometal, her face growing serious. "So, Model Z…can you tell us what happened?"

"Well," Z sighed, "after the kid beat Ouroboros, everything started to collapse. The four working for Albert managed to get out, but I didn't quite make it. I was sealed in the ruins when they fell underwater. Not really sure how long I was there, but eventually, someone came and found me."

Aile nodded. "And that person was?"

Model Z looked right at her. "It was Master Thomas."

She gritted her teeth, hissing, "Damn. I didn't want to be right."

"No way…" Grey said. "Really? You're sure it was him?"

"Positive," Model Z said.

Another piece of Biometal appeared from behind Grey. "Th-then, all those rumors we've been hearing are true? About Legion ignoring Maverick attacks, and what happened to Master Mikhail?"

"I don't know what all you've heard, Model A, but Thomas is definitely our enemy. He's the one who stuck me in that ridiculous horse Pseudoroid, and the other four Mega Men are working for him—might've been working for him all along, I can't really say. But you'll see for yourself soon. The reason Thomas unleashed Zenull was because he wanted to draw out Aile, and now that he has, he's going to set the next phase of his plan into motion."

Aile crossed her arms, glaring at the floor as she processed the information. "…If he wanted me to have Model Z back before kicking things off, that's awfully bold. He must think this is a solid plan."

"Model Z," Fleuve said, "is there anything more you can tell us? What is Thomas's plan anyway?"

"Afraid he didn't tell me much else," Z said. "All I know is that things are about to get rough, and that he wants to 'reset the world', whatever that means."

"Sounds just like Albert," Grey said. "Maybe Model W got to him too?"

"But we destroyed all the Model Ws when we destroyed Ouroboros, didn't we?" Model A asked.

"Maybe," Z said. "But if the hatred powering Model W was easy to kill, it wouldn't have turned into a Biometal in the first place. We can't rule anything out yet."

Aile turned to Grey. The Reploid boy stood with his fists clenched and his eyes shut, hunching over and shaking very slightly. "Grey. Are you alright?"

"What am I gonna tell the Hunters?" he asked. "We've been taking so many jobs from Legion, and now, it turns out we've been helping our enemy all this time? I don't know what we're going to do."

Fleuve shrugged. "You're Hunters. If Legion's still paying you well, you'll keep at it."

Grey whirled on Fleuve. "Right, because Hunters only care about money, is that it?!"

"Well, you don't see the Guardians charging the people we save."

"Don't act like you've never taken payment for a job! If the Guardians do more free work, it's only because you're always in hiding—Hunters have saved just as many people, if not more!"

Fleuve started to get up, but Aile stepped between them. "That's enough! We can't afford to keep bickering like this!"

Leaning back, Fleuve grumbled, "It's not like they stopped cooperating with Legion the first time we warned them…"

Aile shot a quick glare at Fleuve. Turning back to Grey, she said, "I'm sorry, Grey. But we can't change what's already been done. What we need to focus on now is preparing to fight whatever Thomas has cooked up."

Grey slowly relaxed. "…Fine. I'll try telling the other Hunters, but I can't guarantee they'll all believe me." Glaring at Fleuve, he added, "Don't blame me if some of them keep taking Legion jobs."

"Actually, it might work to our advantage if they do."

Everyone turned to look at Aile. "What?" Model A asked. "We find out that Thomas is trying to destroy the world, and you want us to keep doing business with him?!"

"I don't want to arouse his suspicions if we don't have to," Aile said. "Of course, he knows about you and Grey, so that might already be out the window…but there's a chance he might still try to manipulate you and the other Hunters to his advantage. If he does, and if you play along, it could give us an opportunity to outsmart him."

Grey averted his gaze. "…I guess I'll consider it."

Before Aile could say anything else, the door burst open once again, this time allowing a Guardian into the room. "Commander Aile! Sorry for the intrusion, but it's an emergency! We've picked up another distress call, and…"

As the Guardian tried to catch her breath, Aile said, "Alright, well, set a course."

The Guardian shook her head. "We already did, ma'am, but I had to inform you because…it's a Guardian signal…"

Aile nodded slowly, still not understanding why she was so flustered. "Okay. Which squad sent it?"

"It's not a squad. This signal…it's Priority Zero!"

Instantly, Aile's eyes shot wide. She started forward and said, "R-Really?! You double checked it?"

"Triple checked it, ma'am! It's the real thing!"

Aile ran out the door, shouting back, "We'll talk more later, Fleuve!"

"Priority Zero?" Model A repeated. "What's the big deal about that?"

"Got me," Grey said.

As he went back to work, Fleuve said, "A Priority Zero call can only be sent out by the Commander of the Guardians."

Grey looked at him sideways. "What? But Aile's already here."

"I suspected she hadn't told you. Aile is the Acting Commander. She's been filling in ever since the real Commander left for a special mission years ago."

Model A and Grey exchanged a look. "So," Grey said, "then this call must be the real Commander, I guess?"

Not waiting for a response, he headed to the bridge to see Aile issuing orders. Looking up at the radar map displayed on the main screen, she grinned, and said, "Give the engines whatever you can—full speed ahead! It's finally time to rendezvous with Prairie!"

Chapter Text

Aile raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun.  The desert continued for miles around in every direction, broken only by the large rock formation just up ahead.

“That must be it,” she said.  Looking over her shoulder, she added, “You didn’t have to come with us, you know.”

Grey reached his arms out to steady himself as the sand beneath his feet shifted.  “Whatever happened to ‘thank you’?”

Aile laughed and pressed on.  “I just mean I wouldn’t be offended if you left.  You must be eager to get back home, and this isn’t really your responsibility.”

“No way!  If there’s someone out here who needs help, then of course I want to lend a hand!  Besides, it’s been too long since we’ve gotten to fight anything together, don’t you think?”

“Eh, maybe, but I’m not sure if there’s going to be much to fight out here.  Prairie probably just sent that signal so we’d know to pick her up.”

“Yet you still had the HQ hang back.”

“…Well, no harm in being a little cautious.”

Grey slid down another dune, stopping to count how many more stood between them and their goal.  “So…this Prairie person left you in charge while she went off?”

Aile nodded.  “Prairie went to follow a lead.  You see, the first Commander of the Guardians—the one who studied a Model W and made more Biometal to combat it—went missing after Serpent fell under W’s influence.  No one knew what really happened to her, but about three years ago, we found evidence that she’d been through one of the outer region towns.  Prairie was determined to follow the trail, but she didn’t want to sidetrack the entire Guardian force…so, she left on her own.  We haven’t heard from her since.”

“Oh,” Grey said.  He stopped and thought for a moment, and then took off to catch up to Aile.  “So you think she’s found her?”

Aile frowned.  “…I think she’s found…something.  But there’s no way the first Commander is still alive.  She was a human who lived two centuries ago—before cybernetic implants were a thing, though even those probably wouldn’t have lasted her quite this long.”

“Well that’s a morbid thought,” said Model A.

“I don’t understand,” Grey said.  “If Prairie knew the first Commander was already long-dead, why’d she go looking for her?”

Aile turned to face him.  “Closure, Grey.  She had to know for sure what happened to her.  Prairie was very close to the first Commander, and seeing her just disappear…”  She turned back.  “Well, that was a long time before I was born.  But whenever Prairie talked about it, it was like something in her just…wilted with every word.  She knew it must’ve been something to do with Model W, and she’d say she understood that.  Deep down, though, that was never really going to be enough for her.”

Grey processed her words and tried to come up with a reply.  Before he could put one together, however, he and Aile both spotted movement at the base of the stone wall.

“Damn,” Aile said, “I guess she found some trouble after all.”

As she reached for Model X, Model Z said, “Hey Aile.  Give the Double Megamerge a try.”

“Huh?  You heard Fleuve: you aren’t fully repaired yet.”

“I’ve rested up, and I’m bored already.  Give me a chance to stretch my legs.”

Aile smiled.  “Hmph.  I’d better not hear you complaining that it’s too much.”

Holding out both pieces of Biometal, Aile was engulfed in bright light for a moment before emerging in a new form.  Her boots, bracers, and torso armor were red with golden highlights, while her thighs were protected by white plates.  The helmet she wore was framed in sharp red metal, with the middle being black covered by a pale green arrow design, and the amount of gold hair spilling from beneath it put Aile’s original ponytail to shame.  She hefted the white pistol in her hand, spinning it around a few times before pointing the barrel forward.

“Oh, I’ve missed this,” she murmured.  “Come on!”

As she dashed off, Grey grabbed Model A and executed his own transformation.  His armor became dark blue and red, with two golden points on his helmet, and two rather large silver busters appeared in his hands.  He followed suit, shouting, “Hey, wait up!”

Aile kept her eyes peeled as she closed in on her targets.  Behind the next sand dune, she spotted an odd cylindrical structure lined with spikes—it rotated suddenly, opening up to reveal a Reploid who was aiming its gun arm at her.  She swung her pistol around and pulled its trigger.  Her own weapon only emitted a faint whine, while the enemy’s actually fired.  The plasma blast was more surprising than painful; Aile tumbled downhill and popped up to find that the small bunker had closed up again.

“You’ve been using the X Buster too long,” Z snickered.

Aile stared at the pistol.  “That’s right: with this one it’s hold down to charge, release to fire.”

The bunker opened up again, but before the Maverick could attack, Grey leapt forward and blasted it to pieces.  He ran over to Aile and asked, “You okay?”

“Uh, yeah,” Aile chuckled as she picked herself up, “just embarrassed.”

Realizing the other Mavericks had been alerted to their presence, the pair resumed their advance a bit more cautiously.  Another bunker was waiting for them, but Aile successfully shot its inhabitant and returned her attention forward.  To her surprise, six Mavericks were coming out to meet them, riding over the sand on what looked like modified hover-sleds as they fired away.  Aile waved Grey to one side as she headed the other way.  She charged her buster, evading until she had a clear shot, and then blasted one Maverick and their sled to smithereens.  The blast also kicked up a small cloud of sand, concealing Aile as she dove in and ignited her Z Saber, allowing her to cleave one of them down the middle while keeping an eye on the bewildered third.  They spotted her, but she had already flipped backwards through the air, spinning her sword around her, and she sliced them apart before landing on their vehicle.

“This looks like fun!” she said, steering it back towards the cliff face.

Grey got as close as he could and thrust one weapon forward, sending out a wide swath of violet light that reached several yards ahead.  When two of the Mavericks were within its perimeter, two small bursts of energy lanced from his weapon, homed in on the both of them, and punched cleanly through their chests.  The now-unmanned sleds shot off into the distance as Grey focused on dodging the shots of his final foe.  The Maverick circled around Grey, moving too quickly and erratically for him to lock on, and soon managed to graze his arm.

“Screw it,” Grey said.  “You think you’re hot stuff just cause you’re fast, huh?  A-Trans!”

Grey’s body emitted bright light as it morphed instantaneously: the Reploid boy became an entirely different creature, a purple, bipedal machine with wheels on its feet.  He leaned forward to charge at his enemy…only for his wheels to slip out from under him.

“Argh, stupid sand!”

Another blast stung at him.  Pushing himself up, he transformed again, this time into a woman with red armor, a horned helmet, and two enormous busters.  Grey fired a blast of flame from one of the cannons: the Maverick swerved, but the blast suddenly changed direction as well, finally smiting his persistent adversary.  Returning to his original form, Grey muttered something under his breath and ran to catch up to Aile.

Only a handful of Mavericks remained at the base of the rock formation, and Aile managed to pick one off as she rode in.  She leapt from the sled to avoid return fire—it crashed into the rock and exploded, forcing her foes to take cover.  Darting forward, Aile carved up one Maverick before it had a chance to stand, leaving only one machine still functioning.  That last enemy sprang up and fired wildly, and Aile backed away carefully to avoid their shots.  They refused to let up, not giving her a single opening, but it was this focus that prevented them from seeing Grey close in and launch the shot that ended it.

“That’s that,” Aile said, putting her weapon away.  “There must be a way inside somewhere.  See if you can find an opening.”

She and Grey went in opposite directions, carefully studying the rock’s surface.  Grey used his A-Trans to become a warrior in purple and white armor, a form that increased his senses and would hopefully reveal any hidden passages.  Before too long he stopped and placed a hand on the wall.

“Aile, I—“ he began, but stopped abruptly.  Even after all this time, it was still jarring to hear someone else’s voice coming out of his mouth.  He returned to normal and shouted, “Aile, over here!”

Not waiting, he felt around the wall until his fingers caught on something.  Grabbing hold, he pulled as hard as he could, and a slab of stone swung outward slowly, revealing a dark tunnel beyond it.  Grey stepped forward to take a look inside.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Model A said.

Grey chuckled.  “What, are you afraid of the dark?  Come on, let’s—“

A bright flash came from the darkness.  Grey dove aside, narrowly dodging a bolt of lightning.  He came up with his busters ready, not taking his eyes off the entryway, and sure enough, his attacker soon emerged.  The young woman was clad in white and pale blue armor, held a staff in one hand, and floated about a foot off the ground; she locked eyes with Grey and came to a halt, her expression totally blank.  Grey twitched.

“P…Pandora?!” he exclaimed.  “What are you doing here?”

In response, the girl pointed her staff at him and shot another bolt of lightning.  Grey tripped over backwards, managing to avoid a direct hit in the process, and then came up into a run with his busters firing.

“Talkative as ever, I see!”

Aile was close enough to see them now, and had her pistol ready.  She sensed something above—quickly rolling away, she saw a young man in purple and gray armor swoop down on the spot where she had just occupied, his energy sickle finding only sand beneath it.  He chuckled, saying, “It’s been too long, ‘Ultimate Mega Man’.  Glad to see you haven’t lost your edge!”

She grimaced and lit her Z Saber.  “Well, you know edge better than anyone, Prometheus, so it must be true.  What do you want?”

Laughing, Prometheus stood and rested his weapon on his shoulder, flashing a toothy grin.  “What do you think?  That Guardian girl’s been hunting down traces of her poor sister, one of the only people who’ve been able to create Biometal!  Did you think you were the only ones who’d want to find her?”

Aile’s face darkened.  “…If you’ve done anything to hurt her…”

“Please!  If I’d gotten my hands on her, her corpse would be at your feet already.”

Aile clenched her teeth, her stance shifting unconsciously.

“No, she locked herself in the depths of this rock.  Even we weren’t able to break down the door to that bunker.  But, as fate would have it, we still got something for our troubles: our two favorite Mega Men, ready to charge straight to their doom!”

“Enlighten me, why don’t you,” Aile said.  “Albert’s game is over, so I know you aren’t egging that on—and from what Grey tells me, you and he had a pretty bad disagreement before you vanished again.  What’ve you been up to since then?  And what is it that you’re after?”

Prometheus’s grin finally gave way to a scowl.  “Hmph…I’ll admit that slippery bastard tricked us.  We’ve been offline since then, though—just woke up the other day not far from here.  Someone must’ve kept us running…but we’re still in the same boat as before.”

“Wow, not one word of that sounds like a lie.”

“But enough of that!” he said, unlimbering his scythe.  “I was content to have Albert’s precious dummy as my last kill, but finally doing you in will be much more satisfying!”

He lunged a nanosecond later.  Aile leapt to the side, bouncing back after his blade had passed to make a strike with her own, but Prometheus pushed against the flat of her sword with his elbow and only took a shallow cut to the shoulder.  His fist glowed with orange light, and he jabbed at Aile.  She got out of the way just in time, cartwheeling away as a fireball shot out from her opponent’s fist, but Prometheus was on her again instantly, shearing off a few strands of her hair.  Aile fired a slew of shots as she ascended the rock wall, Prometheus angling his blade to block each one before spinning it in a circle around himself and jumping after her.  She tried to jump clear, but the attack still grazed her.  Prometheus stayed high and began lobbing fireballs at her, so she took evasive action, charged her buster, and waited for an opening.

Grey found himself in a similar situation, weaving his way around lightning bolts and icicle spears while Pandora floated just out of range of his buster’s lock-on scanner.  When he had a bit of room to breathe, he activated A-Trans, becoming a man with green armor equipped with wing-like boosters—he shot through the air, managing to dart through an opening and get behind Pandora, and swung two energy blades in her direction.  Each saber spawned a miniature whirlwind that arced towards the surprised Reploid.  She spun her staff around and vanished, avoiding the attacks and reappearing a short distance away.  When she tried to locate Grey, however, her vision became obscured by a flash of blue, and something clamped down on her body.  The gigantic crocodile-like creature swung its maw a few times to rattle the trapped Pandora, and after hurling her directly into the rock face, it vanished to reveal a triumphant-looking Grey.

“You’ve had that one coming for a long time!” he shouted.

Prometheus turned to check on Pandora—seeing her chance, Aile released the energy she had stored, and the resulting blast scraped Prometheus off the wall with a loud sizzle.  She readied her sword and advanced quickly as he fell.  The scythe came for her, but she ducked under its horizontal swing, and twirled her own blade in a quick three-strike combo before leaping to Grey’s side.

“I don’t suppose you got anything out of her?” Aile asked.

“She hasn’t said a word.”

“Lucky you.  Want to trade?”

Purple light enveloped Prometheus, and he threw his arms wide.  His hair extended, shooting into the ground, and a few seconds later sharp spikes emerged from beneath Aile and Grey.  They jumped in time, but Pandora was waiting for them: she created a large block of ice on the end of her staff, and then swung the makeshift hammer at the two Mega Men.  Grey reacted quickly, taking on the form of a bee Reploid and maneuvering out of the way.  Aile took the brunt of the attack, being flung back down onto the spikes and narrowly avoiding puncturing anything vital.

“Dammit!” she croaked.

Grey aimed his stinger at Pandora and shot a bolt of fire to scare her off.  Prometheus quickly retracted his hair and swung his scythe vertically, sending out a shockwave that hit Aile before she could recover from her landing.  The twins regrouped and raised their weapons.  Grey dove to where Aile lay and transformed again, taking on the form of a massive crustacean with a thick white shell large enough to cover both of them.  He did it just in time, as Pandora and Prometheus began launching a ferocious volley of elemental blasts, pinning Grey down and not giving him a chance to get up.

“You okay?” he asked.

Aile pushed up against the shell.  “Aside from being flattened…but it’s better than the alternative.  Thanks.”

The sound of blasts started to grow louder.  “They really aren’t letting up,” Model A said.  “How are we supposed to get an attack in like this?”

“We can’t stay here forever,” Z said.  “Even if it’s risky, we’re going to need to strike back.”

“There must be a smart way out of this,” X said.  “Any ideas?”

Aile dug her fingers into the sand as she tried to think.  Slowly, a grin crossed her face.

Outside, Prometheus and Pandora came ever closer to Grey, not stopping their assault for a second.  Once they were close enough, Prometheus switched from fireballs to attacking with his scythe, though even that couldn’t pierce the heavy armor protecting his foes.

“Come out and face us!” he shouted.  “Give us one last thrill before our time runs out!”

Suddenly, Grey’s body flashed.  The twins didn’t stop attacking, but they could feel themselves slowing down against their will, meanwhile their opponents snapped to action with no such hindrance.  Grey transformed again, this time becoming a small, yellow, hedgehog-like creature, and he slipped between two shots before curling up into a ball and rolling out of their range.  Prometheus thought they would at least hit Aile, but the girl was nowhere in sight.  Looking down, he realized she had dug a small pit into the sand and crouched there, and before they could take better aim, she slammed her saber into the wall in front of her and kicked loose a massive cloud of sand in Prometheus and Pandora’s faces.

“Agh, coward!” Prometheus shouted, trying to wipe his eyes clean.  “This won’t save you!”

Aile ran away from them as fast as she could.  At the same time, Grey rolled back up to them, returning to his normal form and jumping into the air.  With a mighty shout, Grey squeezed the triggers on his busters and twirled them around, a violent storm of plasma bullets erupting right on top of Prometheus and Pandora with more than enough force to bowl them over.  When Grey finally ran out of energy, Aile doubled back.

“Why are you two even fighting us?” Grey asked as he caught his breath.  “What do you have to gain from this?”

Prometheus laughed.  “Gain?  The better question is, what do we have to lose?”

Pandora jammed her staff into Grey’s chest, stunning him.  As he stumbled back, a ball of lightning formed on the weapon’s tip, and she jabbed again to send him flying.  Aile raised her sword on instinct—Prometheus’s scythe clashed with it a second later, and she dug her feet in to avoid being pushed backward.

“Our time is almost up!” Prometheus said.  “Not even whoever kept us alive all this time could fix us permanently—in the end, Albert wins again!”

“Then why do exactly what he would have wanted you to do?!” Aile asked.  “Why not find another way?”

Prometheus pressed forward harder.  “There is no other way!  This is all we’re able to do, thanks to that old freak!”

Grey tried to steady himself.  Pandora rode her staff through the air towards him, knocking him back down, and then took the weapon in her hand for a moment.  Electricity ran down its entire length, and she hurled it like a boomerang.  The volts lanced through Grey’s body immediately on contact, leaving him stunned for the moment; Pandora reclaimed her staff and moved in.

Prometheus flicked his scythe, pushing Aile’s saber aside.  “And if this is all that’s left to me, then I’m going to enjoy it while I can!”

He raised his scythe high.  Aile pointed her buster in his face and pulled the trigger.  But rather than swinging, Prometheus flinched suddenly, dropping his weapon and taking a half-step back.

“…Damn…another second…and I…”

Pandora staggered in much the same way.  Aile didn’t move, just to be safe, but she knew this wasn’t a ruse.

“Heheh…oh well,” Prometheus chuckled weakly.  He dropped to his knees, clutching his chest and still glaring at Aile with all the ferocity he could muster.  “I guess your world doesn’t need us, Mega Man…I can’t wait to see the look on your face when Thomas destroys it…”

Aile twitched.  “What was that?”

Her opponent collapsed.  She took a moment to look at Pandora—she was still leaning on her staff for support, staring sadly at the ground as she gasped for air.  Grey took a tentative step forward and reached out towards her.  She gave him a curious look…and then she too hit the ground.

“Out with a whimper in the end,” Z mused.

“It’s unfortunate they had to pay the price for Albert’s designs,” X said.  “At least we didn’t have to end their lives with our own hands.”

Aile looked at the gun in her hand.  She was still holding down the trigger.

Right…hold to charge, release to fire…

Shrugging off the feelings that came next, Aile put the weapon away and went to Grey’s side.  Two small, blinking orbs of energy rose from Prometheus and Pandora, and they floated over to the Reploid boy and vanished into him.

“Huh,” Grey muttered.  “I always kind of wondered what it’d be like to use their powers through A-Trans.  Guess now I can find out.”

Aile put a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look her in the eye.  She asked, “Are you okay?”

He took another look at the two dead Reploids.  “They were like me, you know?  We were all made by Albert, all just pawns in his game.  I managed to break free, but…they couldn’t.  I thought I’d gotten over it, but I guess seeing them again brought some old feelings up.”

They stood in silence for a moment.  Eventually, Grey inhaled sharply and turned away.

“We should get inside.”

Aile nodded and took the lead.  The corridor inside the rock face sloped downward sharply as soon as they entered, diving several meters into the earth before reaching a gigantic door made of ancient metal.  It was covered in scratches and blast marks, but it held fast.  Aile walked over to the computer console at its side.

Pressing down a button, she said, “Prairie?  Prairie, it’s me, Aile.  We’ve beaten the Mavericks back—it’s safe to come out now.”

There was no response.  X said, “Either the comm-link is broken, or she’s fallen unconscious.  Regardless, this door seems to be the only way into this room, and I don’t think we possess the firepower to force it open.”

Trying not to worry about the worst case scenario, Aile examined the screen in front of her.  “Password-protected, I see.  Hmm, so Prairie sealed herself inside here when Pandora and Prometheus attacked?  If I were in that position, I’d figure they saw me input the last password, so I’d definitely change it.”

“She would’ve had to come up with it very quickly, so it can’t be too hard to guess,” Z said.

Aile thought for a minute.  Ultimately, she decided to just go with the most obvious answer she could think of—it seemed as good a place to start as any.  She reached out and typed in a name.

“Ciel.”

The ancient doors creaked at this command.  Aile jumped back as they slowly moved open, and as soon as there was enough space she stepped through into the bunker.  On the far wall was a demolished computer console, and before that was a small pile of rubble, underneath which lay a blonde Reploid girl wearing a pink coat.

“Prairie!”

She dashed inside and immediately started throwing away the debris.  Grey stepped in next and surveyed the room in greater detail, not that there was much to look at.  Aside from the broken console, there was an archaic refrigeration unit, a cluttered desk, and a bed, the last of which was currently covered by a sheet.  Something human-shaped was definitely underneath, and Grey had a good idea of who it was.

“Grey!”

He started forward at the sound of his name.  Aile cradled Prairie’s body, looking up at him with a desperate expression he’d never seen her wear.

“Please, get outside and signal the airship!” she said.  “Tell them we need a medical crew, and to make it fast!”

***

Aile locked the door behind her as she stepped into the medical quarters.  It was dark, but she could still see Prairie lying in the bed, connected to a series of machines that hummed faintly.  After a long pause, Aile quietly came forward, pulled a chair up to her bedside, and took a seat.

“I’m supposed to be the reckless one, you know,” she said.  “But it looks like you acted pretty rashly this time.  When Prometheus and Pandora attacked, you downloaded all the data onto a disk, and then destroyed the console so no one else could have it…and that disturbed the surrounding rock, and brought part of the ceiling down on you.”

Aile eyed the wound on Prairie’s head.

“Muguet was scolding you something fierce when she was treating you—I’m sure you’ll hear it again once you’re awake.  But she said that you will wake up…so that’s good.”

She smiled, and her tone picked up a bit.

“We’re analyzing the disk, of course.  You did a hell of a job encrypting it, though, so it is going to take us a while.  Geez, I know you were in a hurry, but you could’ve at least taken a second to give it a passcode and make our jobs a little easier, don’t you think, Commander?”

She paused as if expecting a response.  Her smile fell away.

“…We recovered her body.  She’s in the morgue now—we all agreed that you were the only one who could decide where we’re going to bury her.  Z might have some suggestions, though.”

Aile reached out, gently squeezing Prairie’s hand.

“I’m sorry you had to see her like that, Prairie.  Hopefully now you’ve got the answers you were looking for.”

Aile looked down at the item she had brought with her: it was an old, weathered stuffed animal, a white cat with a smiling face.  She stood and leaned over Prairie, setting it on the pillow next to her.  She continued to hover there for a time.

“…Please, Prairie,” she whispered.  “Please come back.  It’s way too cruel to tease me with the idea of seeing you again and then just die on me.”

She kissed Prairie’s forehead, and then stood and wiped her eyes.  Aile quickly put herself back together, walked over to the door, and took one last look back at her fallen friend.  Then she walked out and returned to her duty.

Chapter Text

Aile lunged and swung her wooden sword.  The Guardian she was training with, Oeillet, parried her blow and stepped back, thrusting towards her midsection.  Aile used her own blade to knock the incoming one aside, and then seamlessly shifted her grip on her weapon as she pushed it towards her opponent’s neck.  She stopped just before making contact, and then turned and walked back to the other side of the training court.

“I think you’ve got it, Com…Aile,” Oeillet said, lowering her weapon.  “You’re not making any of the mistakes you made yesterday.”

Aile stopped to take a drink, and then replied, “Thanks, Oeillet.  I didn’t know for sure how rusty my sword skills were, and I’m going to need to use Model Z’s power to the fullest for whatever comes next.”

Oeillet walked over to her, saying, “You don’t have a thing to worry about.  If you ever want to spar again, though, all you have to do is ask.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.  I’m going to head back to the bridge now—I’ll see you later.”

They parted ways, and Aile stepped into the first elevator she saw.  As she went, Model Z said, “Good work, Aile.  Now we don’t have to worry about any more slip-ups.”

Aile rolled her eyes.  “I get hit once, and you just can’t let it go.”

“Joking aside,” X said, “we really do need to stay on our toes.  It’s very peculiar that Thomas hasn’t made another move by now.”

“Yeah,” Aile mumbled.  “Have to admit, I’m getting a little anxious.  I guess we could just go to Legion HQ and confront him directly, but…”  She glanced at Model Z.  “…I don’t want to do anything reckless.”

“Something will surely come up,” X said.  “If Thomas had what he needed to enact his plan, then he would not have made Zenull, or sent Prometheus and Pandora after Prairie.”

“Are we really sure he was behind that?” Aile asked.  “Prometheus could’ve just been bluffing.  I don’t really get how Thomas would have gotten access to them, given where Grey left them before.”

“If those two were completely left to their own devices, I’m sure they’d have come straight for us, not try to snag Ciel’s research data first,” Z said.  “Thomas must think she knew something he needs to know.  Which means he might come for that disk someday.”

Aile nodded.  “We’ll be ready if he does.  I won’t let her research fall into the wrong hands, Model Z.”

“You mean aside from the other Biometals that are still missing?”

Aile sighed, choosing not to dignify his question with a response as she stepped off the elevator and made the short walk to the bridge.  As soon as she stepped onto it, one of the operators, Tulip, came running up to her.

“Commander Aile!” she said.  “We’ve picked up a Biometal signature!”

Pausing to smirk at Model Z, Aile said, “That’s great!  Where is it?”

“There’s a forest near the edge of Legion’s territory.  We received reports that a fire’s been spreading, and our investigation revealed the signature in that area!”

Aile frowned.  “Hm…well, it could be a Pseudoroid, but if not…”  She shook her head.  “Thanks, Tulip.  Take us in—I’ll transport down as soon as we’re in range.”

Tulip nodded and returned to the console.  Aile stepped back out into the hall, Model X saying, “We can’t let them get away this time.  This could be our last chance to rescue one of the others.”

“Don’t worry about a thing, X,” Aile said.  “It’s just some mortal combat with someone using the powers of one of the strongest Reploids in history—it’ll be a cakewalk.”

“Aile,” X said, his tone sounding a bit darker than usual.  “Please, take this seriously.”

She stopped to look at him.  “...I’ll get them back.  I’ll get everyone back, X—they’re going to be okay.  I promise.”

X said nothing, so she resumed walking.  Z chimed in with, “And if it is a Pseudoroid, try to mind the weak point this time.”

Aile rolled her eyes.  “My gosh, did you always hold grudges like this?  How did I not notice?”

***

It wasn’t so much a forest fire as a path of destruction carved into the earth.  The land in front of Aile was entirely flat, but off to either side she could see plentiful trees extending for miles, with only the closest handful burnt and smoldering.  The smoke wafting into the air wasn’t particularly thick either, meaning she was able to see and breathe with no problem.  Aile inclined her head as a loud boom echoed from up ahead.  A new pillar of smoke soon rose from the skyline.

Aile put a hand to the side of her helmet.  “Marguerite, do you copy?  The situation isn’t too bad down here—tell the fire team to hold off for the now, and that they probably only need about half of the crew they’ve prepared.”

“Copy, Commander.  Fire team will stand by.”

Starting forward, Aile took her buster pistol in her hand and kept her eyes peeled.  The booming sound continued, but she seemed to be gaining on it fast; more curious, she thought, was the fact that she didn’t hear anything else.

Sure the wildlife has fled, but I was expecting some Mavericks at least.  This is eerie…

Soon she could see large flashes to accompany every boom, and it wasn’t long after that she laid eyes on her target.  Standing in front of a line of trees was a woman in red armor with a horned helmet, hefting two massive busters in her hands that were currently glowing with heat.  She rammed one against the nearest tree: a huge torrent of flame came pouring out from the barrel, washing away another swath of the forest, accompanied by a loud booming noise.  Aile raised her pistol and held down the trigger.

“Atlas!” she shouted.

The woman turned.  Upon seeing Aile, she grunted and said, “About time you showed up.  Thought I was going to have to level this entire area.”

Aile smiled.  “There are easier ways to get my attention.  So, where’s your backup?”

“Feh!  I came here alone.  Wearing you down first would make defeating you meaningless!”

“You can’t beat me, Atlas.  Just hand over the Biometal and you can walk away.”

Atlas took a wide stance.  “You said the same thing last time.  Sounded like an idiot…at least, that’s what I thought until we started fighting.  Never could figure out how you were able to fend off all four of us at the same time.”

Aile stepped forward, her pistol humming loudly now.  “Then you should know better this time, right?”

Gritting her teeth, Atlas shouted, “Please!  I’ve spent the last two years preparing for the day I could face you again, Aile.  This time, I’m coming out on top!”

“As if F would bond with anyone who wasn’t stupidly stubborn,” Z muttered.

Aile kept her eyes focused on Atlas, taking a few more slow steps forward.  When Atlas pointed a cannon at her, she rolled to the side, feeling a gust of hot air as flames rushed through the space she had just occupied.  Aile released her shot from a low angle and then came up on her feet.  Atlas ignored the attack, already launching a second blast with her other weapon.  Aile dodged again, but this one curved sharply, forcing her to leap in towards Atlas to avoid being singed.  Atlas slammed both cannons against the ground—a wave of fire washed over it, so Aile jumped high and ignited her Z Saber.  She twisted as she fell, narrowly avoiding the small shots Atlas fired at her en masse, and surged forward as soon as she touched the ground.  She feinted left, drawing Atlas’s fire.  With her arms spread wide, she left herself open, so Aile rushed in and swung, only for Atlas to crouch down and catch the blade on her horns.

“Heh,” Atlas chuckled.  “Saw that one coming.”

Aile was surprised for a moment, and it cost her.  Atlas swung her right hand inward, brutally knocking Aile to the side, and then swung her left in a powerful jab, punching Aile with her cannon so hard that the other woman was sent flying several yards away.  She dug her fingers into the dirt, managing to gradually combat her momentum, and blinked until she could see straight.  Blood was dripping onto the ground in front of her, but she didn’t have time to pinpoint where it was coming from.

“So you have gotten better,” she said as she nimbly dodged another curving flame blast.  “Here I thought close-range fighting was still your weak point.”

“Just needed to adjust to the extra weight,” Atlas replied.  She stopped firing for a moment, letting Aile get up.  “Thanks to you showing me that weakness last time, my offensive power is now totally unstoppable!”

Aile glanced over Atlas, trying to find some kind of opening.  Her eyes darted to the side, and Atlas fired—the blast nearly hit Aile, and the follow-up managed to graze her shoulder.  Ignoring the pain, she released a few shots from her pistol as she ran towards the trees.  The first two shots hit Atlas’s armor, not accomplishing much, but the third hit her square in the face and made her flinch.  She refused to leave an opening, however: she began to rapidly fire from both cannons, releasing a massive volley that made approaching impossible.  Having already figured as much, Aile continued towards the trees, getting deep enough into them that she was out of view by the time Atlas recovered.

“Coward!” Atlas yelled.  “I came here for a fair fight with you, and you run and hide?”

Aile cupped her hands around her mouth, calling back, “Anything goes in a real fight, moron!”

She dashed away quickly, only a second separating her from a powerful wave of fire.  Aile leapt onto a tree and ascended it as quietly as she could.

“Come out and face me!” Atlas shouted.  “I want to settle which of us is stronger!  Don’t you want the same thing?”

Aile gently yanked a branch off the tree she had climbed, hurling it off into the distance and loudly striking another tree with it.  Atlas spun and fired in that direction, giving Aile a chance to fire a charged shot that hit her in the ear, making her stumble about for a few seconds as Aile moved on to another hiding place.

“Why would I?” she called as she bounded to another tree and then to the ground.

Atlas returned to firing wildly.  “Don’t give me that crap!  I can see it in your eyes: you’re a warrior deep down, just like me!  You enjoy the thrill of the fight, of pitting yourself against your opponent and proving yourself stronger!  Don’t try to deny it, Aile!  I’ve already seen through you!”

Ducking behind a boulder, Aile waited and listened as the rain of bullets passed over her.  She glanced around, spotting an especially tall tree nearby, and readied her pistol.

“So let’s face each other as warriors!  We’ve both come so far, evolved so much from who we used to be—I know you want to find out what your new limits are so you can set your sights on overcoming them!  Someone like me, who understands that way of thinking, is the only one who can do that for you!”

The bullets stopped.  Aile paused for a few moments.

“Well?!”

She leaned out and fired at the base of the tree, and then dashed in the opposite direction.  The plasma blast shredded through the trunk, and the tree buckled under its own weight, falling straight towards Atlas.  The woman gave a mighty shout and thrust one cannon upward, pulverizing the wood into dust.  That was when she felt a powerful sting in her side.

“What?”

Aile emerged from the brush with her pistol still smoking, quickly transforming it into its saber mode so she could take a swipe at Atlas.  Her foe was unable to block the swing, and though she quickly countered with another swipe of her cannon, Aile was prepared and used a short jump to clear the attack, also kicking out to block Atlas’s other arm just as she began to move it.  Aile brought her blade down towards Atlas’s helmet, but the other woman twisted just right to avoid damage and the sword ended up planted in the dirt.  Atlas pulled both cannons up in an attempt to fling Aile skyward—Aile flipped over and dropped towards the ground, keeping one hand on her sword while the other touched down, and then thrust both feet out and sent Atlas sprawling.  It took both of them a moment to get back on their feet, and they both attacked as soon as they were.  Aile was able to catch both cannons on her blade, holding them at an angle just awkward enough that Atlas wouldn’t be able to blast her, but she pushed back with such force that she knew it would be dangerous to break the stalemate.  Atlas grinned.

“Yeah, I can see it,” she said as she locked eyes with Aile.  “You’re enjoying this every bit as much as me!  Knew you couldn’t resist!”

“I’m fighting to get back the Biometal you stole,” Aile said, “that’s all.  F’s power doesn’t belong to you, Atlas.  This fight won’t prove anything one way or the other.”

“Like hell it won’t!  You think I could improve so much without Model F’s help?”

Aile’s eyes widened, but just for a moment.  “You’re bluffing.”

“Nope.  I managed to get in contact with Model F, if only a little.  Sure he’s not fully awake, and that I’d be much stronger if he was, but there is a connection now.  Our thirst for battle, our drive to get stronger, our dreams of defeating those who have bested us before—so many of our feelings have resonated with each other, and it’s allowed me to tap deeper than ever before into the well of power Model F possesses!  He might not agree with our overall goals…”

Atlas shifted downward suddenly.  She pushed Aile’s blade in one direction, and pulled back her other cannon.

“But we definitely agree on wanting a good fight!”

Aile endured a vicious uppercut that launched her back into the trees, hearing a few branches snap before she finally came to rest in a tangled heap.  She worked quickly to regain her bearings, but Atlas wasn’t willing to give her the time she needed: a powerful flame blast cut through the forest, the heat piercing Aile’s armor to sear away at her skin, and it was all she could do not to scream in pain.  Ending up on the ground, Aile came up into a standing position and readied her sword, watching Atlas closely as she advanced.

I’ve taken way too much damage.  If I don’t end this fast, it’s all over.

Atlas pointed one cannon forward, but she didn’t fire.  Staring hard at Aile, she said, “I want you to admit it, Aile.  We’re the same.  We charge into battle, loving every second of it, and come out stronger in the end.  We survive and evolve!  Isn’t that right?”

Aile didn’t move an inch.  “…You really need to think that, don’t you?”

Atlas cocked her head.  “Huh?”

“You want to think that I’m the same as you, because I already beat you.  And with the way you think, that means I’m right, and you’re wrong…but if we really are the same, then you’re not so wrong after all.”  She smiled.  “Right, Atlas?”

A fire blast came at her.  She was able to catch it on the flat of her blade.

“You’re pathetic!” Atlas shouted.  “You want to fight, but you won’t even admit it to yourself!  Someone like you doesn’t deserve to be a Mega Man!”

Aile saw her chance.  She feinted left, then right, then charged left.  Atlas fired to the right, but soon realized where Aile was actually coming from.  She pulled in her left cannon, but Aile lifted her blade to meet it and managed to push it back; she continued to close in, shifting her grip on her sword as she went, and pushed the edge towards Atlas’s neck, knocking her over backwards in the process.  Aile used her free hand and one foot to pin Atlas’s arms, keeping her sword firmly against her foe’s throat.  Atlas stared up at her in total bewilderment.

“I’m taking Model F,” Aile stated, her tone quiet and even.  “Hurry up and decide what happens to you.”

After a few long seconds, Atlas leaned back and closed her eyes.  In a flash, her armor vanished, and a piece of red, orange, and white Biometal appeared in her hand.  Aile kicked it out of Atlas’s grasp and then leapt between her and the object, stooping to pick it up without taking her eyes off of the other woman.  Atlas didn’t even try to stand.

“Get out of here,” Aile said.  “Tell the others that I’m coming for them next.  And tell Master Thomas that he’s not going to get away with what he has planned.”

Atlas grunted.  Sitting up, she glared at Aile and said, “You don’t even have the slightest clue what you’re trying to stop, do you?  Fighting blind like that isn’t going to get you anywhere.”

She teleported out before Aile could respond.  Taking a moment to breathe, Aile turned to her communicator and said, “Marguerite, come in.  Situation’s handled down here—send in the fire team as soon as they’re ready.”

***

Aile stood in the back of the lab, Model X and Model Z floating to either side of her.  They all watched silently as Fleuve typed away at the computer, muttering to himself all the while, until he took one very long pause and then made a final keystroke.  Data flashed on-screen—Aile couldn’t make any sense of it, but the old man’s smile seemed promising.

“Quite a tough one to crack, but I’ve done it,” Fleuve declared.  A compartment in the computer opened, and out slid Model F.  Handing it to Aile, he said, “His data was all intact, and I swear the soul inside was just about to wake up on its own.  Whoever wrote that code to suppress his will, be it Albert or Thomas, they knew what they were doing.  I’m glad the first one you brought back was so responsive, otherwise this could have been far more laborious.”

Aile gently took the Biometal in her hands, X and Z crowding around to get a look.  A faint glow soon came from the object, and a few seconds after that, a voice said, “Urgh…Aile?  Is that you?”

She let out the breath that she had been holding.  “Yep.  Welcome back, Model F.”

“You’re really awake!” X said, practically sounding like he was cheering.  “I’m so glad to have you back, F!  How are you feeling?”

The Biometal slowly floated out of Aile’s hand, rotating in a lazy circle.  “The HQ…ah, good.  No worries, X: back to my old self at last!”  He turned to face Aile.  “This must mean you’re finally going to crush Thomas, right?”

“Eventually,” Aile said, “but we’ve got some other stuff to attend to.”

“Huh?  Like what?”

“Your siblings, for instance,” Model X said, his usual tone now back.  “It would be most unwise to challenge Master Thomas without recovering all the lost Biometal.”

“Hey, F,” Z said.  “I bet I know the answer, but were you able to pick up anything on Thomas’s plan?”

“Not a thing,” F said.  “I was too out of it to hear much of anything going on.  Well, except for when Atlas got in touch with me.”

“Right.  About that…how stupid are you?”

Model F moved in on Model Z.  “What was that?!”

“That woman is our enemy.  I can’t blame you for being used against your will, but from what she was saying, it sounds like you were actually helping her out a little.”

“…Only a little…”

Model X approached them, saying, “F, why would you do something like that?”

F whirled and answered, “Hey, it was the first time in over a year anyone even tried to talk to me!  Can you blame me for being a little stir-crazy?”

“Is that all?”

After a very long pause, F said, “That, and…I figured it was my only chance to fight Z again.”

Model Z sighed, floating down to Aile’s pocket.  “Unbelievable.”

“I suppose what’s done is done,” X murmured.  “But Model F, should anything like this happen again, please try to be a bit more careful in who you respond to.”

“Come on, everyone,” Aile said.  “Thanks again, Fleuve.”

“I’ll be ready for the rest,” Fleuve said.  “When you pick up another signature, let me know, and I’ll have the computer prepped by the time you get back.”

Thanking him for his confidence in her, Aile exited the lab and started the walk back towards her personal quarters.  She was about halfway there when Model F suddenly said, “Hey, Aile?”

“Hm?  What’s up?”

“All I could tell was that the fight ended, so I gotta ask…did you kill Atlas?”

Aile shook her head.  “No.  She let you go, so I let her go.”

“Oh, good.”

“Good?” Z repeated.  “Why is that good?  She’s probably just going to be another problem for us later on.”

“It’s good that we were able to avoid any unnecessary deaths, Z,” X said.  “It also bodes well: even if we can’t truly negotiate with our enemies, the rest might also be receptive to a relatively peaceful resolution.”

Model F said, “Sure, but actually I’ve kinda taken a liking to her.  Was hoping we could track her down after we put Thomas in his place.”

A few seconds of palpable silence came from X.  “What?”

“Of course,” Z said.  “He finally met someone as single-minded and punch-happy as him.  Why would he want to let that go?”

Aile laughed.  “We can figure out what to do about Atlas some other time.  For now, I need some rest, and then in the morning I’ll need to get in some practice with Model F.  Hope you’re up for it?”

“Anytime!” F said.  “I can’t wait to get into a fight I can actually enjoy again!  Let’s tear apart everyone who stands in our way!”

As X chastised F about wanton destruction, Aile glanced out the window at the clouds passing by.  Her thoughts drifted back to the fight, replaying it in her mind to see where she had made mistakes, coming up with alternatives she could employ the next time she was in a similar situation.  And then she thought about what Atlas had said to her.  She shook her head, trying to push it from her mind.

I only fight to protect the people I care about.  That’s it.  I don’t do it because I enjoy it…I mean, if I did enjoy fighting these life or death battles, that’d be pretty awful, wouldn’t it?  That’s not the kind of Mega Man I want to be.

The fight replayed again, and Aile continued to scrutinize every last detail.  She could remember every move, every reaction, every thought and every feeling she had experienced.  Her fingers started to fidget on their own.

…I really, really don’t…want to be that kind of Mega Man…

Chapter Text

Aile stood quietly in the shooting range, merged with Model FX and holding one cannon forward.  As a result of the Double Megamerge, her form looked a bit different than Atlas’s, though mainly in minor details; the only difference noticeable at a glance was that the horns on her helmet went back along her head rather than sticking out.

A buzzer sounded and numerous small targets began to move along the far wall.  Aile rapidly pulled the trigger of her weapon, and each time, she visualized the blast making a series of sharp turns as it flew through the air, each one taking a different but very specific path.  The bullets complied with her will, each darting and weaving towards different targets, and in the end only two of them failed to hit their mark.  Another buzzer went off, and Aile let out a small sigh.

“Never did totally master it, but at least it’s coming back to me,” she muttered.

“Can we move on to something else now?” Model F asked.  “When you said we were gonna train, I was expecting something more intensive than shooting a wall.”

Aile chuckled.  “Sorry to get your hopes up.  This is really the only tricky thing about using your power, so I think I’m good otherwise.”

“Besides, we shouldn’t get carried away and exhaust ourselves,” X said.  “We need to be prepared in case a new mission appears—if we’re tired before it starts, it won’t go well for us.”

F quietly grumbled to himself as Aile unmerged and went to take a seat.  Taking a moment to stretch her arms, she said, “Right…if Atlas was out and about, there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing the other three Mega Men soon.  While I’m sure none of them are quite as dedicated to their training as she was, I doubt they haven’t improved at all.”

“There’s a bigger concern here,” Z said.  “If those four are attacking, it must be because Thomas gave them the go-ahead.  And, not to sell you short, but…Atlas gave up Model F a good deal easier than I expected.”

Aile nodded.  “…It almost seems like Thomas wants me to have all the Biometal back.  Can’t imagine why he would, though.”

“Maybe he’s just a glutton for punishment,” Model F said.

“Heh, well, that or he’s so confident in his plan he thinks I won’t be able to beat him even with a full deck.  That could actually be an advantage to us: pride before the fall or whatever.”

“We can’t know that,” Z said.  “If Thomas really does want to get the Biometal back in your hands, we have to assume he thinks it’ll give him the advantage somehow.”

Crossing her arms, Aile said, “I guess…but, we can’t just not rescue them.”

“Agreed,” X said.  “Whatever Thomas plans, they’re safer with us.”

“I’m not saying we let him keep the others,” Z said.  “We just need to be careful about how we proceed is all.  Keep an ear to the ground, try to figure out why he might be so willing to let the Biometal go.”

“We’ll see what we can do,” Aile said.  After a few seconds, she sighed and slumped back against the wall.  “Gosh, I wish there was something else to say.  I hate being in the dark like this!”

“We just need to have patience, Aile,” X said.  “Things will work out when the time comes.”

Aile groaned and turned onto her side.  A moment later, the door to the shooting range slid open, so she quickly scrambled to her feet as another Guardian walked in.

“Ah, here you are,” Bar said.  “How’s your practice going?”

“Eh, well enough,” Aile said.  “What’s up?”

“A new Biometal signature just appeared on the radar.  We’re en route, and Gardenia estimates we’ll arrive in a half hour or so.”

Aile nodded and went to the control panel on the wall, saying, “Got it.  Where’s this one?”

“It’s a water filtration facility connected to one of Legion’s cities.  Reading up on it, turns out its productivity has really skyrocketed the past day or so…but, no one’s heard anything from any of the people employed there.  Legion doesn’t seem eager to check up on them either.”

The lights shut off, and Aile and Bar made their exit.  “Sure sounds suspicious,” Aile commented.  “Guess it’s up to us to arrange a surprise inspection!”

***

Aile walked through the crowd, trying her best to blend in as she observed the facility from a distance.  As best she could tell everything seemed to be in order, since it looked just like any other factory to her, and there didn’t appear to be any guards or painfully obvious security cameras.  Deciding to be careful just the same, Aile slipped into an alleyway before merging with Model ZX and sneaking in closer.

Times like this I really miss Model P.

Circling around, she darted towards what appeared to be a loading area, coming up to the wall just outside it.  She looked up.  A grate was just a few feet above her head; jumping up, she hacked it off with her sword and caught it before it hit the ground, and then leapt once more to make it inside.  It was a tight fit, but she crawled until she could look through another grate beneath her and paused to observe.  She couldn’t see or hear anything going on down below.  Gently removing the grate, she cautiously stuck her head out and surveyed the area.  Sure enough, the hallway was totally empty, so Aile dropped to the floor and slowly started walking.

As she neared the corner she finally heard movement.  Aile held her sword ready and waited silently, until the source of the footsteps came into view.  The Galleon unit immediately tried to raise its buster, but Aile was quicker, slicing through its head and grabbing the body before it fell.  After setting the corpse aside, Aile peeked around the corner to make sure no others were coming before dashing the way the Maverick had come from.  She spotted a sign on the wall: apparently she was headed for the main plant.  Slowing her steps, Aile crept up to the large doors at the end of the hall and took a look through the window set in one of them.  At first glance, everything looked normal.  Numerous Humanoid and Reploid workers could be seen going from one station to the next, fiddling with various terminals and pieces of machinery, and the whole process moved with incredible smoothness.  Soon, however, Aile caught a glimpse of the blank expression on a worker’s face.  A quick check of the others revealed they all had the exact same look.  Worse than that, several of them had various injuries that looked like they required immediate attention, but each of them carried on just the same, as if unaware of their wounds.

Okay, so that’s weird.

Aile prepared to push the doors open, but then thought better of it.  Down a side hallway was a door leading to a stairwell; a Galleon could be seen just inside, so she quickly pulled the door open and ran them through, letting them slump against the wall as she bounded up the steps.  Aile kept her eyes peeled as she ascended, and caught sight of another guard—no, two more—on the top level as she rounded a corner.  Without losing her momentum, she leapt and kicked off the wall, grabbing the attention of the guards and surprising them, and swung her sword around in a spiral as she closed in, decapitating them both before they could properly respond to what was happening.  After quickly checking the hall beyond, she made her way to the upper level entrance to the main plant and stepped onto the catwalk suspended over it.

Okay, be cool.  I belong here.  They won’t even notice me.

She casually strode across the room, and it seemed the workers below were none the wiser.  The catwalk eventually terminated in a low railing, and leaning over it, Aile saw the surface of a massive pool of water that was slowly being pulled into the machinery.

Hm…nothing informative up here.  What should I do next?

She turned just in time to see the Galleon down the catwalk firing at her.  The blast pushed her back over the railing, and a second later, Aile plunged into the murky water below.  She struggled to regain her bearings as she sank to the bottom—there wasn’t much lighting, but she didn’t see any other enemies around, and thankfully her Biometal had extended a clear mask over her face to fill with enough oxygen to keep her breathing.

Ugh, I don’t even want to know what I’m swimming in…

“There you are!”

Aile spun and drew her pistol.  Floating a few feet away and above was a boy covered in blue and white armor sporting a single massive turbine on the back of his helmet, and holding a long white halberd in his hand.  He smiled at Aile, waving hello, and swam a little closer.

“I was wondering how long it was going to take you to show up!” the boy said.  “I was thinking we might have to send you an invitation.”

“Well, I appreciate the thought, Thetis,” Aile said.  “Huh.  I think you might’ve actually grown a bit since I last saw you.”

Thetis chuckled.  “Only a little.  But, I guess it’s time we get on to business.”

“Probably.  So, what have you done to the workers?”

“I haven’t hurt them.  I just outfitted them with a little device Master Thomas threw together to make them a bit more diligent in their work.”

“They’ve hurt themselves, though.  Shouldn’t you care a bit more about your employees’ well-being?”

“I should.  That’s exactly the point.”

Aile blinked.  “…Okay?”

“When you have a responsibility to protect something, you need to devote your all to it,” Thetis said.  “As living things, it’s our responsibility to protect the planet, but we haven’t devoted ourselves to that cause at all.  These people are trying, but they’re not doing enough.  If they have to shoulder the entire burden themselves—“

“It’ll destroy them,” Aile finished, “and the planet will just end up even worse off once those few who actually care about it are gone.”

Thetis brightened immensely, saying, “Yes!  I knew you’d understand!”

Aile shook her head.  “I get what you’re trying to say, but I really don’t think this metaphor holds up.  This isn’t going to prove anything, Thetis, it’s just going to hurt innocent people.”

Thetis frowned.  “…What?”

“If what you really want is to take care of the planet, then that’s something we can talk about.  But I need you let these people go and hand over Model L.”

Thetis stared at her blankly for a moment.  Then, with a short sigh, he grumbled, “Why does no one get it?  Am I really the only one who sees what has to be done?”

“Thetis—“

“Fine.  Even if it’s just me, I’m going to take my responsibility seriously!”

He brandished his halberd and charged.  Aile managed to twist out of the way, but he was too fast for her to get in a counterattack.  She fired a volley of shots as Thetis turned around, each of them missing, and then jumped towards the wall, activating her Z Saber as Thetis summoned a large chunk of ice.  Thetis shattered the block, sending a storm of shards flying at Aile—she managed to deflect the ones headed straight for her, but Thetis dashed in as she was swinging, and spun his halberd in a circle, knocking her off the wall before dashing away again.

He has too much of an advantage underwater.  Then again, I can’t exactly move the fight to the plant, or the workers will just get caught in the crossfire.  Hmmm, I don’t like this.

“Don’t you care about the planet?” Thetis shouted, hurling a giant spike of ice.  “How are people supposed to survive without someplace to live?”

Aile leapt out of the way, firing a shot that just grazed Thetis.  “I said we can talk about protecting the planet.  But isn’t killing people to get there kind of missing the point?”

“So many people just don’t care.  They do whatever they want, slowly destroying this planet, and don’t even realize it!  Selfish people like that need to be taken out of the picture if we’re to make any real progress!”

Thetis pointed his halberd.  Ice poured forth, forming into a serpentine dragon that homed in on Aile as Thetis moved to flank her.  Aile quickly switched to Model FX and charged energy in both busters: one, she used to punch the ice dragon to smithereens, and the other, she used to shoot a ball of superheated plasma that forced Thetis to back off.

“But the people you’re hurting here are people who might actually be willing to help you!” Aile said, backing up towards the wall.  “You’re not making any sense, Thetis!  Stop and think!”

Thetis charged, spinning his halberd to deflect Aile’s shots.  He swiped when he was close, creating a long block of ice and boxing Aile in; he then summoned another ice dragon, but Aile was ready, and used her buster to punch through it and hit Thetis.  Unfortunately, the difficulty of moving underwater weakened the blow, and Thetis was pushed back only a short distance.  Aile tried her best to climb up the wall anyway.

“I’m done waiting around!” he shouted, swimming back up to Aile.

Aile blocked his swing and managed to get in a shot.  Thetis dodged when she tried to follow-up, however, and then he swam higher and created an ice dragon right above Aile, scraping her off the wall and pushing her back towards the filtration machinery.  Aile managed to get free in time, and watched as the dragon charged into the device and was torn to pieces.

“I didn’t want them dead,” Thetis said.  “I just wanted to make you see—to make everyone see, so that more people would care and help out!  Then we wouldn’t have to carry so much of the burden…”

Aile looked up at him.  “…I get it.  Working so hard, all alone, to the point where it destroys you…that’s what you’re afraid of, isn’t it?”

Grunting angrily, Thetis raised his halberd.  Aile shot another plasma ball, knocking him back, and then dashed across the chamber while he recovered.  She fired a shot upward, forcing Thetis to dodge, and then jumped up and punched him back.

“Sorry, kid,” Aile said, “but even if I feel bad for you, I’m not going to let you do as you please!”

She clung to the wall and pointed one buster at Thetis.  He created a block of ice as she fired, but the bullet swerved, circumventing the barrier entirely and striking Thetis anyway.  Aile jumped out and grabbed hold of the ice, riding it as it floated towards the surface.  Thetis pointed his halberd.  The block suddenly exploded, sending Aile flying into the wall and sticking her with several shards of ice in the process.

Well, it seemed like a good idea.

As she sunk back down to the bottom, Thetis hurled another large spike at her.  Aile shattered it, but Thetis tackled her before she reached the floor, carrying her through the water and slamming her into the wall again.  She tried to hit him before he retreated, but he was still too fast for her.

“People just don’t care about what’s really important,” Thetis said.  “If that’s the case, then I don’t have a problem wiping you all out!  You’re too selfish to protect anything!”

Aile gritted her teeth as she recovered.  “Stupid kid…”

Thetis created two blocks of ice, and Aile readied her busters.  When Thetis shattered the blocks, a great hailstorm of shards rained down on Aile, and she did her best to keep track of each one.  Rapidly firing, she guided each blast to meet a different shard, obliterating them before they could reach her.  Just as she was about to stop, she noticed a subtle movement in the water above her.  She swung her buster upward.  The uppercut connected with Thetis just as he was about to attack, pushing him higher up.  Aile jumped and used another uppercut, launching him higher, and then bounced off the wall to deliver another.  One more swing, and she successfully launched Thetis up and out of the water; bounding up the wall as fast as she could, Aile got right up in front of Thetis just as he was about to fall, and slammed her buster into him, launching him at the wall with such force that he tore a hole in it and ended up in a hallway outside the main plant.

…Maybe that was a bit much.

Aile pursued, finding Thetis lying on the concrete floor groaning in pain.  There was a flash as his Megamerge deactivated, and Model L appeared a few inches from him.  He moved his hand.

“Don’t,” Aile said, aiming her buster.

Thetis turned enough to glare at her.  “Would you really shoot me?”

Aile didn’t answer.

“…Well.  I guess I don’t need it anyway.”  He pulled away from Model L, sitting up to face Aile.  “Free them if you want.  But they’re going to work themselves to death eventually, unless someone finds a way to make people care.”

Still, Aile didn’t say a word.  Thetis teleported away, and she lowered her weapon, released a breath, and walked forward to scoop up Model L.

“Only two more,” she said.  She stared at the Biometal for a moment, then turned back towards the plant.  “Now, how are we going to handle this mess?”

***

“You know,” Model L said, “this is completely unnecessary.”

Poking her head out of the shower, Aile said, “Sorry, didn’t catch that.”

“I said it’s unnecessary.  The Biometal protects you from any contaminants in the water, so you don’t have anything to worry about.”

Grimacing, Aile said, “Yeah, that isn’t quite enough.  I still feel dirty.  Just let me have this.”

L sighed as Aile disappeared behind the curtain.  Floating closer, she said, “You didn’t tell me: how are the workers doing?”

“They all had to be hospitalized,” Aile said.  “We made sure it was safe to remove the device, but when we did they all collapsed from exhaustion.  No one was in critical condition, though, so the doctors assured us that they’ll all recover after a few weeks.”

“That’s good, I guess.  What will the plant do in the meantime?”

“The management was able to hire a few temporary workers—a couple Guardians even volunteered.  They’re still a bit understaffed, but it sounds like they’re going to make it work.”

“Hm.  And, any leads yet on H or P?”

Aile sighed.  “No, nothing yet.  But I think I’m starting to see a trend, so I doubt it’ll be long before they show up.”

“I hope not.  They’re better than me at getting F to shut up.”

L made her way back across the room, turning at the sound of the water shutting off.  Aile stepped out and grabbed a towel, saying, “It’s a bit late now, but I was hoping we could do a little training tomorrow.  I haven’t had much opportunity to use a halberd over the past few years.”

“You should also practice your underwater combat skills a bit more.  I vaguely recall getting in a good number of hits, and you should be able to evade better than that.”

“Yeah, I’ll add it to the list.”

Using the towel to dry her hair a bit, Aile left it draped over her head and set her hands on the bathroom counter, leaning forward to examine her face in the mirror.  She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but it did surprise her just how tired her eyes appeared.

“…Aile?” L asked.  “Something wrong?”

Turning sharply, Aile smiled and said, “Ah, sorry, just worn out.  It was a long day.”

She stretched her arms and yawned.

“I’d better quit wasting time.  I need to be up bright and early for that refresher course!”

Aile wrapped the towel around herself and walked over to the cabinet, while Model L remained floating where she was.  The woman’s movements seemed normal now, but L could see a deliberate effort in each one that hadn’t been there the last time they had seen each other, as opposed to the energetic fluidness she usually saw.  L wondered if she should press the issue.  In the end, she didn’t.

Chapter Text

Three small blocks of ice shot up out of the pool.  Jumping out after them, Aile, merged with Model LX, swung her halberd in a wide circle to smash two of the targets to bits, and then twisted around and sliced through the third before expertly diving back into the water.  Leveling out to swim just above the bottom of the pool, Aile turned to look up at the surface as she gradually slowed.

“It’s not that hard,” she said.

“Hah, you’re just being a show-off,” Model L said.

“Then I’d say she’s mastered your act pretty well,” F said.

Before L could shout back, Aile said, “So anyway!  Maybe we should take it easy after this.  Besides, if something does come up it’ll pay to be rested.”

“You can rest while we’re en route,” Model Z said.  “If there’s no immediate threat, then you should continue to polish your skills.”

Aile sighed.  Climbing out of the pool, she said, “Alright, can’t blame me for trying.”

While she began practicing attack maneuvers with her weapon, X said, “You need to be prepared.  Aeolus and Siarnaq are surely just waiting for their chance to strike, and we can’t be sure they’ll give up as easily as Thetis.”

“Wish I could’ve seen you beat him,” L said.  “Said he doesn’t need me, huh?  The little twerp probably couldn’t swim a single mile without my help.”

Aile paused.  “That’s been bugging me too.  Why wouldn’t he need Model L?  The only thing that could really make a Biometal obsolete would be having another Biometal…unless Thomas really has cooked up something wild.”

“These guys were all trying to get their hands on Model W,” F said.  “If a piece of that was still lyin’ around, they might be willing to trade us in to get their hands on it.”

“Glad to know you think so highly of our sworn enemy,” L murmured.

“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that, I’m just sayin’ that’s how they coulda seen it!”

Aile swung her halberd up, shooting a bolt that quickly solidified into a ball of ice.  She caught it on her weapon when it fell, rotating it just right so as not to drop it, and kicked it off the other end of the polearm so she could skewer it.  “So again, Model W is a possibility we need to consider.  But do you think there’s anything else?  Something we might be overlooking?”

“Whatever the case, I’m not sure it’s something we have a means of stopping right now,” X said.

“We’ll just beat back whatever Thomas unleashes,” Model Z.  “And for that, we need to be prepared.”

Aile shrugged, and then slammed the ice ball on the floor to shatter it.  Turning to face the wall, she hurled the halberd, hitting a target dead-center, and then leaned back and smiled.

“Got a minute?”

Jumping a bit, Aile turned to see another Guardian, Hareng, standing there.  “Uh, sorry, didn’t hear you come in.  What’s up?”

“Transmission from one of our recon teams,” he said.  “They’ve detected a strange weather pattern in a mountain range in the outer region.  There’s a village nearby, and if the storm travels much further, we may need to consider evacuation…or prepare search and rescue.  The team is underequipped to deal with either task properly and has requested backup.”

“Alright.  Set a course, and have the analysts ready to get more in-depth readings as soon as we’re close enough.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Hareng said, and then was out the door in a flash.

As Aile deactivated her Megamerge, F said, “I bet anything that’s the guy who’s got H.”

“I think crafting a severe storm is a bit beyond what a suppressed Model H could handle,” X said.  “But, with some outside augmentation…it’s possible.”

“We’ll focus on the people first,” Aile said.  “Once they’re safe, then we can deal with the root of the problem, be it Biometal or not.”

***

A thunderclap echoed overhead.  Aile took a quick look up at the clouds, and then returned her attention to the mountain pass before her.  The Guardians were standing by to evacuate the town if it became necessary, but the storm seemed to be holding position just out of range, with this particular pass appearing to conveniently cut right to the center of it.  The radar readings had been inconclusive, but Aile had little doubt left in her mind when she spotted Galleons patrolling just up ahead.  Merging with Model ZX, she picked one off with her buster and charged in.

One of the Mavericks actually came to meet her, swinging an energy blade that Aile easily sidestepped.  This put her in another enemy’s line of fire, however, so she quickly cut her assailant down and then climbed up to a higher ledge so she could take stock of how many foes she was dealing with.  Switching to Model FX, she charged her cannons and then leapt off the ledge, slamming the weapons into the ground as she landed and calling up an explosion that blew them all away.  She then returned to ZX and went deeper in.  Aile couldn’t see any enemies immediately ahead, but a deafening thunderclap soon stopped her in her tracks.  A bolt of lightning shot down from the clouds and struck the mountain, blasting loose a dozen or so massive boulders that came tumbling downhill right towards her, only a timely dash saving her from being crushed.

Guess I should keep moving.

There were a few more Galleons for her to dispatch just ahead.  As she was dealing with them, she spotted three Eyeballoons floating through the air above, lazily tracking her position.  Aile impaled the last Galleon and made her way up the wall, but when she closed in on a ledge she realized there was already something sitting there: a tall hunk of green metal styled to resemble a face.  She recognized the contraption and tried to move away, but it opened its mouth and spat out a ball of electricity that knocked her off the wall.  The Eyeballoons closed in as she recovered from the shock.  Narrowly dodging their blasts, Aile shot them down and turned back towards the ledge when another lightning bolt struck the mountain.  She grunted and ducked underneath the ledge until the rockslide went by.

Wonder if that took it out?

A spark crawled down the wall next to her in response.  Getting back out into the open, Aile activated Model LX and gave a mighty swing of her halberd, summoning a dragon of ice that arced through the air to tackle the odd machine, damaging it beyond repair.  Not wasting any time, Aile headed still deeper into the pass.  Unfortunately, the path soon vanished, leaving a sheer drop down the side of the mountain just ahead.

“Right, can’t have it be too easy.  Let’s see here…”

She scanned the rock wall, taking note of the footholds available to her.  More Eyeballoons stood watch, and though she could see the path resume up ahead, two more Shock Faces were set at its edge like goalposts.  Aile quickly planned her route, and after switching to Model FX, she ran at the ledge and jumped, landing precisely on the nearest ledge.  She fired one shot before jumping to the next; she could hear an Eyeballoon explode, but she didn’t stop to look, and instead started to make her way up the wall as she fired another shot.  She nearly lost her grip when another lightning bolt struck.  Aile looked up at the falling rocks, trying to find a gap between them, but it didn’t look like she was going to be that lucky.  Quickly, she pulled herself up onto the next ledge.  She pivoted, reared back slightly, and as a boulder bore down on her position, she dealt it a swift uppercut with her cannon, launching it right back where it came from.  After firing another shot at the Eyeballoons, she leapt to the next ledge before the rock came back down.

Yikes…

Aile faced the remaining Eyeballoons and shot them out of the sky.  Only a few jumps separated her from the ledge where the Faces sat, but just as she started her approach, lightning struck yet again.  She knew she had to think fast, so she jumped and fired—one of the Faces was destroyed.  Throwing one glance upward, she saw a rock dangerously close to her, and knew she had no choice but to jump for it.  She fired a shot before she even landed, but the Face opened at the same time.  The machine was destroyed, but the electric shock it released hit Aile just as she touched the edge, and her body spasmed backward.

Shit, shit!

The wall rushed past her as she fell.  As soon as she could move again, she switched to Model LX and plunged her halberd into it, gradually slowing her down until she stopped completely.  Aile took a moment to breathe.  Then, she heard another thunderclap.  She flung herself upward and returned to Model FX, climbing as fast as she could while keeping an eye on the falling rocks.  Both she and the landslide reached the ledge at about the same time.  Clinging to the wall just beneath it with one hand, Aile threw a punch, her timing just right enough that she was able to alter the boulder’s trajectory slightly.  Pulling herself to relative safety, Aile leaned forward and groaned.

“Are you alright?” X asked.

“Yeah, think so,” Aile gasped.  “Hell of a rush, though!”

“She’s fine,” Z said.  “Come on, we’re almost there.”

Aile soon resumed her trek.  Another handful of blade-wielding Galleons stood in her way, but using Model ZX she was able to carve them apart effortlessly, and beyond them was a steep ascent to a small plateau.  A man in a green coat stood at the opposite edge, facing away with his hands resting on the pommel of a sword.  Aile kept hers drawn.

“So, you made it after all,” he said, not turning to face her.

“What was that?” Aile said.  “I can’t hear you over the wind.”

The man turned, saying, “I said you’ve made it.”

Aile put a hand to her ear.  “Hm?  What?  Speak up!”

Scowling, the man said, “You should take this more seriously, Mega Man.”

“And you should lighten up, Aeolus.”

He rolled his eyes, and then gestured to the clouds.  “You do realize what’s at stake?  I am in control of this storm.  I could wipe that village out in an instant.”

“Really?  How did you manage that when you’re not even using Model H properly?”

“Properly?  And what would you know of that?  I am the Biomatch for Model H—you are the one who inelegantly mashes together Biometal that doesn’t belong to you.”

Aile grinned.  “I dunno, seems to get the job done.”

Aeolus glared at her a moment, then sighed.  He held one arm forward and pointed to a silver band around his wrist.  “I control the storm using this device Master Thomas created.”

“Oh, neat.  Could I convince you to get rid of it?”

Aeolus lowered his arm.  “As a matter of fact, you have an opportunity.  A chance to save those simpletons and reclaim Model H for your own purposes.”

Aile raised an eyebrow.  “…Really?”

Drawing Model H, Aeolus said, “Those are the rules of the challenge I am issuing.  Winner takes the loser’s Biometal, and, if you should defeat me, I will even spare this village and leave in peace.  Do you accept these terms?”

Aile watched his face closely as she said, “Hm.  That’s weird.  Atlas and Thetis didn’t seem too broken up about parting with their Biometal, and if you’re willing to bet yours you must not care too much either.  Why try to win them back?”

“Just because they are no longer necessary does not make them wholly useless.  Further, returning Models L and F to those dolts would serve as quite a persistent reminder of my superiority over them.  I think that reward more than justifies this risk.”

“Wow.  Okay.  Uh, anyway, when you say ‘no longer necessary’—“

“I’ve told you enough.  Do you agree to my terms or not?”

Feeling like pushing the matter wouldn’t get her anywhere, Aile relented and looked down at her armor.  “Well, you guys should get a say in this too.  What do you think?”

“Never turn down a fight!” F replied.  “It’s not like you’re going to lose anyway!”

“I’m not exactly pleased with being some token to bet with,” L huffed, “but under the circumstances I suppose I’ll agree.”

“For once F is right: it’s a moot point,” Z said.  “Give him hell.”

“We trust you, Aile,” X said.  “Please, win back Model H.”

Nodding, Aile turned back to Aeolus.  “Good, we’re all on the same page.  In that case, I accept!”

Aeolus scoffed.  Holding both the Biometal and his sword forward, a bolt of lightning struck him, shortly before a veil of wind wrapped around his body.  When it was gone, he was covered in green and white armor, two large wings made of translucent pink energy fixed to his shoulders and blades of the same color in each hand.  He drew his weapons apart and lifted off the ground.  Aile just watched him, waiting for him to make the first move.

It wasn’t long before Aeolus dashed forward.  Aile dodged to the side, firing shots from her pistol as she did and landing a few grazing blows before Aeolus angled skyward.  When he dove at her, she leapt and spun, clearing his attack and leaving a shallow cut on his back at the same time.  The next thing she knew, however, a miniature tornado rammed into her, and she was pushed back towards the edge of the plateau.  She spun around immediately.  Aeolus was right in front of her, already in mid-swing.  Aile hopped out of the way, raising her own sword to parry the second swing; she then dashed away at an odd angle, so that when Aeolus swung both his swords in unison the shockwave they produced ended up missing her by a mile.  She tried to counterattack, but he was back in the air before she could.

“So tell me,” Aile said as she charged her buster.  “What is it you hope to get out of all this?”

“I seek only to eradicate ignorance,” Aeolus said.  “Conflict is such a pointless, wasteful thing, yet the foolish masses continue to enact it time and again.  Therefore, by wiping out those stupid enough to spark conflicts, I shall restore peace to this world.”

“And to do that…we’re fighting?”

Aeolus spread his swords.  “One final conflict.  But this one serves a true purpose!”

Above each blade he generated a small ball of plasma.  The orbs began to move through the air, but Aeolus dashed in far faster, forcing Aile to shoot at him and prepare to evade.  Aeolus twisted around the blast and tried to cut Aile as he passed, narrowly missing her.  Not a second later, the plasma balls were upon her, and though she was able to stumble away from one, the other hit and stunned her.  Aeolus’s next slash hit home.

Dammit!  I need to ground him somehow…

Hesitating a moment, Aile switched to Model FX and opened fire.  The bullets all curved towards Aeolus, and he wove between them expertly, but the amount of open space he had to work with was quickly shrinking.  Diving at Aile, he brandished his swords and swung them both.  Aile switched to Model LX at the last second, raising her halberd to block the attack, and then swung the weapon around and bashed it into the side of Aeolus’s head.  When he got up, she saw that the stabilizer on that side of his helmet was crushed.

“Got you!” she said as she raised her weapon.

Aeolus drew back his swords.  “Hardly!”

A powerful whirlwind shot out at Aile.  She planted her halberd in the ground to avoid being blown off the edge, and by the time she looked up Aeolus was flying again.  However, his movements were noticeably less precise than before, and that was enough to give Aile a second wind.

“You know,” she said, “everyone who starts a conflict is convinced it has a purpose.  You’re no different than the ‘idiots’ you’re trying to take out.”

Aeolus generated another pair of plasma balls.  “Silence!  I am well above the common stock of this ignorant world!”

He threw the orbs, but he didn’t charge after them.  Aile stayed right where she was, calling up, “Oh, of course!  That’s why you only took up this noble crusade after being taken in by the Sages!”

She created two short walls of ice on either side of her.  They absorbed the plasma balls harmlessly, and Aile looked back up to see Aeolus creating more.  She shattered one of the walls: the fragments of ice shot out and struck him, disrupting his attack and bringing him crashing down to Earth.  Aile bounded forward and smashed her halberd down on him, releasing power as she did to form a thin layer of ice on his armor.  She chuckled.  Aeolus responded by slashing her ribs.

“Shut up!” he said as she stumbled back.  “Only I know what’s best for this world!  I will use what tools I must to reach my goals, but I am no one’s servant!”

He rushed at Aile.  She blocked his strike, but he pushed against her, forcing her halberd back.  Its end became stuck in the other ice block Aile had created.  He reared back, and that was when Aile spun, twirling the block around and using it as a makeshift hammer to smack Aeolus hard and send him skidding towards the edge.

“You’ve got a weird way of looking at things,” Aile said, cautiously approaching him.  “Even if you think people are dumb, how do you jump all the way to wanting to kill them?  Why not try to educate them instead?  Or are you so convinced that no one else could possibly see things the way you do, that you won’t even bother to try?”

Aeolus got to his feet.  “Enough!”

“You’re just some arrogant prick screwing around with something someone else gave you.  Someone else armed you for their cause, and you’re out here fighting for it.  But no, you’re clearly the smart one here.  Don’t know what I was thinking.”

With a shout, Aeolus hurled another tornado at Aile.  She got low, digging into the rock beneath her, and pointed with her halberd.  An ice dragon shot out of it, and Aeolus could only stare at it in shock as it closed in on him.  The construct snapped him up in its jaws and carried him up into the sky, did an about-face, and then came careening back down, smashing its prey back into the plateau.  Aeolus didn’t get up.

“I’d say that’s game, wouldn’t you?” Aile said.  “A smart guy like you must know when he’s beaten.”

A quiet groan was all she got in reply.  Aeolus slowly lifted his arms and touched the device on his wrist, and above, the thunder ceased and the clouds gradually began to part.  Aile moved forward as he sat up, her halberd ready.

“No need to threaten me, Mega Man,” he said.  “I keep my word.”

He deactivated his Megamerge, gently setting Model H on the ground before him.  Aile snatched it up quickly.

“I concede defeat, but only for now.  You will not stop me from culling the fools from this world.”

With that, Aeolus teleported away.  Aile examined the Biometal in her hand.

Not necessary, huh?  For some reason that makes me real uneasy…

***

Model H flashed in Fleuve’s hand.  Slowly floating out of it, he asked, “Where…am I?”

Turning around, Aile was there with a smile on her face.  “Welcome back!”

“Oh, it’s you.”

“What was that?  I’m the one who saved you from that Aeolus guy, I’ll have you know.”

“Hmph.  Should I thank you for doing what was required of you?”

Aile sighed and crossed her arms.  “Glad to see you’re the same as ever.”

Model H paused to regard the other Biometals, then said, “I see Model P is still in their clutches.  Do you have a plan for rescuing him?”

“The other three Mega Men have been attacking one after the other, so I’m sure Siarnaq is on the move already.”

“That’s not a plan.  If Siarnaq is anything like Model P, letting him set the rules for your encounter is going to make it impossible to win.”

“’Impossible’ is a bit of an exaggeration,” Model Z said.

H turned sharply in Z’s direction, but said nothing.

“I’m not sure there’s anything else we can do,” Aile said.  “Wait for him to appear, try to track him down, storm Legion HQ…no matter what, I don’t see us getting the jump on him.  Do you have a better idea?”

After taking a moment to think, Model H answered, “I suppose not.  In that case, you’ll need to ensure your skills are at their peak.  We should begin training immediately.”

“Hold on,” Model X said.  “You need some time to recover still, and Aile’s worn out from the fight.  For tonight we should simply rest.  Tomorrow, we can get to work.”

“…Very well.”  H paused a moment.  “How long has it been since I was stolen?”

“About three years,” Aile said.

“That long?”

“Hey, I did my best.”

“Hm.  Someone fill me in on what has happened in that time.”

As the other Biometals began to explain, Fleuve gestured to Aile from the computer.  Walking over to him, she asked, “What is it?”

“I’ve done some further analysis on those devices Thetis was using to control the plant workers,” Fleuve said.  “Turns out, they run on an energy almost identical to Cyber-elves, and work in a similar way: they target and rewrite specific coding, and in this case that means the coding that connects thoughts to motor functions.  Luckily, they weren’t powerful enough to totally overwrite it, otherwise…”

Aile shivered.  “Are you saying Thomas used Cyber-elves to make these?”

Fleuve stroked his beard.  “Hard to say for sure.  Cyber-elves typically expire as soon as they use their power, so having one that runs constantly like this is a bit unusual.  Not unheard of, but in those cases I would expect more permanent results.  It’s more like Thomas built a machine based on the same principles somehow.”

“I see…”

Aile glanced at the Biometals.

“…Fleuve…Biometal contains what, exactly?”

“Eh?  The souls of old Reploids, of course.”

“In other words…Cyber-elves.  Devices powered by Cyber-elves, that modify and enhance the person they’re bonded with.”

Fleuve froze.  “…Aile, are you suggesting…?”

“Thomas hasn’t just been manipulating the Biometal and building Pseudoroids with it,” Aile said.  “He’s been trying to find a way to create his own Biometal.  This thing is a far cry from a working prototype, but I could certainly see it as a proof of concept.  Add to that the things the Mega Men have been saying…”  She swallowed hard.

Turning back to the computer, Fleuve said, “How dreadful.  But, could something as complex as Biometal really by powered by this artificial Cyber-elf energy?  And more than that, there’s the issue of bonding: even Ciel couldn’t figure out how Biomatches are registered, she just copied the mechanism from Model W.”

Aile felt a bit sick remembering that.  Pushing it aside, she said, “That would explain why he tried to steal Ciel’s research data.  Even so, he has four capable Mega Men already under him.  I don’t think that part is going to be a real problem.”

The Biometals seemed to be wrapping up their conversation, and one by one they started to look over at the two of them.  Model F said, “Hey, what’s up?  Why do you both look so worried?”

Aile turned to face them.  “Well…I think we’ve got a better idea of what Thomas is trying to do.”

Chapter Text

Aile rotated her arm as she walked out of the infirmary, saying, “Thanks, Rose—feels good as new!”

The doctor was barely two steps behind her.  “Just be sure not to push it.  You need to rest for at least the remainder of today.”

“Well, that’s not entirely up to me, but I’ll do what I can.”

“I’m serious, Aile!  If you don’t give it a chance to recover, you’ll only hurt yourself even worse.  Promise me you’ll take it easy.”

Aile sighed.  “Okay.  Barring any life-threatening emergencies, I’ll take the rest of the day off.”

“Good.”

Aile half-turned, stood there a moment, and then quietly asked, “Um, while I’m here…any change with Prairie?”

Rose shook her head.  “No, still no change.”

Her gaze fell to the floor.  “Oh…”

“That’s good news, Aile.  As long as she stays stable, it’s only a matter of time until she recovers.  We just have to be patient.”

“Yeah, I guess…”  She took a long pause before putting on a smile and looking back up at Rose.  “Well, thanks again.  I’ll see you later.”

As she headed down the hallway, Model H said, “Even with modern enhancements, human bodies are just too fragile.  I can’t believe you sprained your shoulder doing such a simple maneuver.”

“Simple for you, maybe,” Aile mumbled.  “You never had me do anything that complex before, and now after having three years off you expect me to suddenly pull it off?”

“You agreed to do it.”

“…Yeah, well…if I got it right, I’d look cool, and if I got it wrong the blame would rightfully be yours.  It seemed like a win-win.”

She ignored H’s huffed response and continued on to the bridge.  L said, “I thought you were taking it easy?”

“And I will,” Aile said, “I just want to check in on things.  Getting an update from the field units isn’t exactly strenuous.”

She sat down at her console and got to work.  Before too long, however, she heard a ring come from the front of the bridge, and Tulip said, “Incoming call from Hunter’s Camp.”

Aile looked up.  “Oh, put it on-screen.”

A section of the main viewer blacked out for a moment, and a second later it was replaced by an image of Grey.  He was Megamerged, unconscious, hanging from something by the cords on his back, and had some sort of device with a timer chained around his neck.  Aile felt her heart stop.

“What the--?!”

The screen went black again as someone moved in front of it, the shadows covering their face so completely that all that could be seen was a single red eye that burned with inhuman focus.

Siarnaq!

“TIME LIMIT: 15 MINUTES,” stated a cold, overly robotic voice.  “FAILURE TO RENDEZ-VOUS WILL RESULT IN TERMINATION OF MEGA MAN MODEL A.”

He stepped away so that Grey could be seen, just as the timer around his neck started to count down.  The call ended.

“C-Commander?” Tulip said.

Aile bolted out the door.  She burst into the Transerver room and grabbed the console with both hands, trying to set the transport for the Hunter’s Camp.  The screen gave her an error message.

“Damn!” she breathed.  “Of course not.  What’s the closest one?”

“Aile,” X said.

“Probably the Tower of Verdure, right?  I’ll head there.”

“Aile, wait a minute.”

“We don’t have time to wait!”

“We also don’t have time for mistakes,” Model H said.

Aile shuddered.

“Listen, Aile,” Model X said.  “Siarnaq is going to be ready for us.  We need to calm down and approach this carefully, or else we won’t be able to save Grey.”

“…Right,” Aile said.  She stepped back.  “Right, charging in…isn’t going to help anyone…”

“For starters, you should Megamerge before you transport,” Model Z said.  “There’s a good chance Siarnaq will anticipate which Transerver you’re going to use and have something waiting, so you’ll need to be protected.”

“I am the best choice,” said H.  “We need to move as swiftly as possible, and my speed is unmatched.”

Aile nodded, fumbling with the Biometal.  She paused to take a few deep breaths, and then merged with Model HX, stepped back onto the Transerver, and prepared to set the destination.

“Stay alert, but don’t stop moving,” H told her.  “Avoid what you can.  Cut down what you cannot.  15 minutes is far more time than we will need.”

“That device didn’t seem too complicated, so I’m positive rescuing Grey will be a snap,” L said.

“And then we’ll crush that Siarnaq guy beneath our heel!” F said.

“…Thanks, everyone,” Aile said.  She took one more deep breath, and then steeled herself and reached out.  “Okay.  Let’s go.”

The world warped around her.  As soon as it came into focus, she fired the jets on her shoulders and shot out.  Sure enough, a flock of small bat robots were already descending upon her, and five Galleons stood right in her path.  Aile leapt high and extended her blades, clearing the Galleons and bisecting the bats quick enough to be in her range.  She twisted to slice one Galleon as she landed—the smokescreen created by their explosion prevented the others from aiming properly, allowing her to dash through the main section of the tower and right into a cramped hallway.  The ceiling was higher than she realized at first, concealing a line of bladed yo-yo-like devices that shot down as soon as she drew near them.  With one swing of her sword, she sent forth a tornado that ripped them all out from their foundation, leaving the way ahead clear just long enough for her to get through; the remaining scrap metal fell in a pile behind her, preventing any chance of her welcoming party pursuing her.

The path from the tower to the Hunter’s Camp was surprisingly empty, dotted with a few stationary cannons but otherwise free of obstacles.  When she reached the wall of the campsite, she decided it would be smarter to scale it rather than use the entrance, but as she leapt up, a Hunter poked their head over the wall and looked down at her.

“It’s Aile!” she shouted, climbing as fast as she could.  “Grey’s in danger, I’m here to—“

She stopped to focus on jumping clear of the plasma bullet rocketing towards her.

“Hey, it’s me, Aile!  Hold you fire!”

More shots were the only reply the Hunter had.  Grunting, Aile just continued her climb and dodged when she had to.  Upon reaching the top, she spared a glance, but then leapt past the Hunter and jumped out over the campsite.

Alright, I’m here.  Now I just need to—

The Hunter fired again, hitting her in the back and forcing her to make a quick landing.  Her first instinct was to turn and yell at him, but she remembered why she was there and kept moving.  More Hunters could be seen up ahead.  She was about to call out to them, but then she noticed they had their guns out as well.  As they raised them, Aile stopped.

“I’m here to help!” she said, using her swords to absorb their bullets.  “Grey’s in danger—you need to let me through so I can help him!”

They didn’t answer her.  Model Z said, “I don’t think they’re gonna listen.  We need to get past them.”

“We can’t hurt them!” X said.  “They’re our allies!”

“I wasn’t saying we kill them or anything.  But we can’t get by like this, so we need to create an opening.  Anyone have any suggestions?”

“First things first,” L said, “aren’t you getting tired of blocking?”

Aile switched to Model LX as soon as she could, dodging a few shots so she could charge enough energy to make an ice wall for cover.  Model F then said, “Let me have a go.  We’ll fake ‘em out with a little explosion, that should at least give us a chance to move.”

“Sounds good,” Aile said as she switched.  She charged both cannons and hit the ground at either side of the ice wall, consuming it with a much taller wall of flame that caused the Hunters to rear back and shield their eyes.  While she had the opportunity, she ran behind the nearest building and pressed herself against the wall.

“Where’d she go?” she heard one of the Hunters ask.

“Not sure.  Should…should we look for her?”

“What kind of question is that?!”

“I mean, if we just say she got away—“

“He’ll see right through that!  We need to give this our all, or else our comrades are dead!”

“I know, but…”

“Then get a move on!”

Aile peered around the corner.  Verifying the coast was clear, she dashed behind the next building and waited for a moment.

I think I see what’s going on.  Man, that bastard really is going to make this as tough as possible…okay, so.

She took a quick look around the camp before ducking back.

It sounds like he has multiple hostages, which means he must be keeping them somewhere with a decent amount of space—somewhere that’s accessible so he can get them all in, but defensible so I can’t sneak past him.  No way of knowing how many people he’s got, so it’s difficult to say for sure, but my first guess would be…

Stepping around the corner, she laid eyes on the camp’s bar.  Almost instantly, she jumped back, and a kunai made of white energy dug into the wall next to her.

Yep.

Staying out of sight, Aile fired a volley of shots from her cannons that curved back towards the bar, and then switched to Model HX and got to the roof of the building she was hiding behind.  The Hunters ran to the spot where the shots had emerged from, leaving the road relatively clear.  She dashed, jumped, and twirled her swords around, deflecting more kunai and landing right outside the door.  It opened automatically, but she didn’t enter.  Siarnaq dropped down from the ceiling and hurled a massive shuriken at her.  Aile strafed and tried to jump in through the window, but Siarnaq was too quick: he got in front of her and dealt a swift kick to her face, knocking her out onto the street as the Hunters were regrouping.

“Too much of a coward to fight me yourself?” Aile asked as she sprang to her feet.

“TAUNTING INEFFECTIVE,” Siarnaq stated, not moving an inch from where he stood.  “COMBAT WILL PROCEED AS INTENDED.”

Aile evaded shots while keeping a close watch on the other Mega Man.  “I’m here, aren’t I?  I met your conditions—now let your hostages go!”

“NEGATIVE.  SECOND PHASE OF CHALLENGE INITIATED.  HOSTAGES REMAIN IN CAPTIVITY UNTIL I AM FORCED INTO RETREAT.”

A shot grazed Aile.  Gritting her teeth, she turned and hurled a small, very weak tornado, just enough to scatter the Hunters without badly injuring them.  She spun all the way around to find Siarnaq right on top of her.  He swung a kunai at her neck, which she just barely blocked with one of her swords, and then rolled aside when she thrust her other blade.  Aile leapt up as Siarnaq lunged at her, getting clear and creating two balls of plasma while she hovered.  She threw one, which Siarnaq dodged easily, but held onto the second until he jumped at her, releasing it at close range and managing to knock him back.  He recovered quickly, however, and several kunai stabbed into Aile’s back as she landed.  The Hunters were getting up now—she swung one sword behind her to deflect a shuriken, and then switched to Model FX to blast the building they stood next to, creating a cloud of dust to obscure their vision.  Siarnaq punched her across the face, slipping away before she could return the favor.  He readied another shuriken, but a stray shot from the Hunters hit him in the side; as he stumbled about, Aile ran up and hit him with one of her cannons, flinging him down the street.

Now’s my chance!

She ran inside the bar.  On the far side was a door, and that was where Grey hung, his cables stuck to the top of the frame with kunai.  She was halfway there when she heard something flying towards her.  Spinning around, Aile kicked a nearby table up, successfully blocking the handful of kunai that were on their way, and then fired a few curving shots before turning back to Grey.  Siarnaq stood between them.

“What do you need him for?” Aile asked.  “You knew all you had to do was ask, and I’d be happy to take that Biometal off your hands.  You didn’t need to draw the Hunters into this!”

To her surprise, Siarnaq laughed.  As he slowly raised his arms, he said, “UNNECCESARY…BUT PREFERRED.”

Aile raised her cannons to block.  However, the dozen shuriken that Siarnaq created began to orbit around him instead, and Aile drew her arms apart as she realized her mistake.  That was when Siarnaq charged.  Aile jumped up, watching Siarnaq’s barrier shred the table apart, and used her curving shots to circumvent the protection and cause some damage to her opponent.  Siarnaq waved his arm, and the shuriken fanned out suddenly.  Aile narrowly avoided them and quickly checked on Grey: he hadn’t been hit either.  That second cost her, however, and Siarnaq dropped down from above to kick her head into the floor and make her drop one of her cannons.

“DESIRED SOLUTION: YOU ARE FORCED TO KILL HUNTERS,” Siarnaq said, cautiously circling the downed Aile.  “PREDICTED PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE BENEFICIAL TO END GOAL.”

Aile glared at him.  “Well, that’s not happening.  So why don’t you cut your losses and just fight me?”

She fired a shot at Siarnaq’s legs.  He jumped towards her, creating kunai as he did, but Aile grabbed a chair that was lying next to her and swung it, bludgeoning Siarnaq out of the air and stunning him.  She reclaimed her lost weapon as she rolled to her feet, quickly switched to Model ZX, and then brought her saber down on Siarnaq with a tremendous burst of energy.  He managed to slip away after that, so she retreated towards Grey, keeping her buster charged and not taking her eye off of her enemy.  Siarnaq laughed again.

“It’s over, Siarnaq,” she said.  “No one’s dying today, and you’re not coming out on top even with your cheating.  Hand over Model P and get out of here.”

Siarnaq took a step back.  “TIME LIMIT…UP.”

Panic seized Aile.  Spinning around, she snatched the device around Grey’s neck and yanked it free, seeing that the timer was mere seconds away from expiring.  Kunai pierced her arm, but she ignored the pain—she hurled the device out the window, and then pulled Grey off the wall and hunched over him.

She waited.  And waited.  When she finally looked up, Siarnaq grabbed her by the neck and threw her clear across the bar, wrecking a shelf full of bottles and leaving her in a heap of shattered wood and glass.

“PREDICTED COURSE OF ACTION TAKEN,” Siarnaq said as he slowly approached.  “ENEMY WEAKNESSES VERIFIED.”

Aile pulled herself up with a shout.  She readied her saber in one hand and used the other to vault over the bar, but as she did so, her shoulder spasmed and the arm gave out.  Aile yelped as she crashed back to the floor, and Siarnaq stopped to stare at her as she writhed in pain.

No no no, not now!

“COMBAT OVER,” Siarnaq said, forming a shuriken in one hand.  “COMMENCE RETRIEVAL OF BIOMETAL.”

Aile managed to raise her sword as Siarnaq charged.  She deflected his swing, but in his other hand he held a kunai ready to stab her.  All she could do was brace for the pain.

Suddenly, a shockwave hit Siarnaq in the back and stunned him.  He looked over his shoulder, and Aile followed: what they saw was a very angry-looking Prometheus standing there, scythe drawn and eyes focused on Siarnaq.

Grey?!

Siarnaq leapt away from Aile before she could recover from the surprise.  Grey bellowed and charged straight at him, ramming blade-first into his foe and sending him rolling out into the street.  The other Hunters were still there, watching on in confusion as Grey pounced on Siarnaq and pressed his sickle against his neck.  For a few long seconds, nobody moved.

Aile got to her feet, making her way over to the door.  “Grey!  Thanks for the save.”

Grey didn’t answer.  Raising his free hand, a ball of orange flame appeared within it, and he just continued to glare fiercely at Siarnaq.

“…Grey?  Hey, you already won.  Ease up a bit.”

A chilling smirk crossed Grey’s face, the exact kind the real Prometheus would’ve worn.  Aile’s eyes widened.

“Grey!”

He paused.  In that instant, Siarnaq pushed the scythe away, kicking Grey’s legs out from under him as he did.  As Grey rolled backward, Siarnaq leapt up and drew something; Aile and the Hunters prepared their weapons, but Siarnaq threw it at the ground before they could shoot.  A cloud of smoke engulfed Siarnaq, concealing him from view and making them all much more nervous.  However, a blue beam of light was soon seen shooting out of the top of the cloud, and when it cleared the only thing left there was Model P.  The group breathed a collective sigh of relief.

“You alright, Grey?” Aile asked as she walked over to him.

Grey sat there a moment before returning to his normal form, and then put a hand to his head and sighed.  “I-I think so…sorry, I guess I kind of freaked out for a second there.”

Aile helped him up.  “Totally understandable.  Glad to see you in one piece, kid.”

“Sure was close, though,” Model A chimed in.  “You nearly got us killed!”

“Hey, it wasn’t my fault!” Grey argued.  “He got the jump on us—and if you hadn’t kept shouting at me, I would’ve been able to focus better!”

One of the other Hunters came forward, saying, “We’re sorry about the rude welcome, Aile.  Siarnaq said that if we didn’t try to stop you—“

She held up one hand.  “No worries.  Go take care of the rest of your friends.”

The Hunters nodded in thanks and rushed into the bar.  Grey turned to Aile and asked, “What’s wrong with your arm?”

Aile chuckled, “Ahah, I, uh, kinda messed it up training earlier.  That sure would’ve been an embarrassing way to die…anyway.”

As she stooped to pick up Model P, Z said, “Hey, Aile, where’d you toss that timer?”

“Huh?  Oh, right.”

Circling around the bar, Aile found the device laying at the foot of the next building over, its timer now blank.  Aile pried the casing off and squinted.

“Could’ve sworn it was a bomb.  Seems odd he would bluff like that.”

“It is,” X said.  “He seems the type ready to kill anyone, so why would he spare Grey?”

Aile shrugged and headed back to Grey.  “Think you’ll be alright?”

“Sure,” Grey said.  “Thanks for helping out, but we can take it from here.  Looks like you could use some rest.”

Aile averted her eyes, mumbling, “Yeah, Rose is gonna kill me…”

“So, hey, you got all the Biometal back now, right?” Model A said.  “Now that that’s done, what’s the plan going forward?”

Aile put a hand to her chin.  “Well…I hadn’t thought that far ahead.  I’ll be in touch as soon as I have something, though.”

“Don’t keep us waiting,” Grey said.  “The sooner we take Thomas down, the better.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be in touch.  Shouldn’t you be helping your friends?”

As Grey went off, Aile looked down at Model P, then back to the timer.  Try as she might, she just couldn’t make sense of the situation.  Still, she decided, Model A was right: all the Biometal had been retrieved, so now she had to figure out what to do next.

Now that he’s out of Mega Men, it’s hard to say what Thomas will do.  Maybe, once P is awake and my shoulder’s good…I should pay him a visit and see if he feels like chatting.

***

Grey sat down next to the Transerver, using his sleeve to wipe the grease off his face.  “Done?”

“Just about,” replied Gary, who was still elbow-deep in the machine.  “Siarnaq really did a number on it.  Once I’m done here I’ll need to run calibration tests all night…”

Leaning back against it, Grey said, “Man, what is that creep’s problem?  I can almost understand the other Mega Men, but I was never able to get a read on him.”

“He wasn’t always like that.”

Grey paused a moment before turning his head.  “Wait, what?”

“Didn’t you know?  Siarnaq used to be a Hunter.”

Grey lost his balance, slipping and falling flat.  He sprang back up and asked, “Wait, really?!”

Gary stepped back from the Transerver and grabbed a rag to wipe his hands.  “Yep, sure was.  Tended to take on dangerous, nasty missions like some kinda thrill-seeker, but he was a reliable guy.”

“…What changed?  When did he leave the Hunters?”

Gary adjusted his glasses as he thought.  “Let’s see…must’ve been at least six years ago, now?  Though to say he left isn’t quite right.  He and three other Hunters went out on a scouting mission, but the others returned without him and said he had died.  Never did get the whole story from them, but they were lying anyway.”

Grey crossed his arms.  “Hm…well, maybe they actually thought he died?”

“No, they never did seem too broken up about it.  They looked happy splitting the reward three ways.  Half a year later, it was the three of them who turned up dead…guess now we know why.”

“That explains why he drew Aile in by manipulating the Hunters,” Model A said.  “He still wants to cause us as much pain as he can, as revenge for what happened to him.”

“But then, that makes it even weirder that that timer wasn’t connected to a bomb,” Grey said.  “Not that I’m complaining.  It’s just annoying not being able to tell what your enemy’s thinking.”

Gary shrugged and reached back into the Transerver.  “Well whatever the case, just keep an eye out.  He was always very thorough in carrying out his missions.”

Before Grey could say anything to that, the console on the wall began to chime.  Walking over to it, he pressed a button, and a window popped up on the screen.  Grey nearly jumped when he saw who it was.

“Ah, just the man I was looking for!” said Master Thomas.  “How are you doing, Grey?”

“I-I, uh,” Grey stammered.  “I’m doing okay, I guess.  Uh, can we help you with something?”

“As a matter of fact, you can,” Thomas said.  “I have a mission for the Hunters—specifically, I was hoping that you would be willing to take it.”

“Me?  Why’s that?”

“You see, we’ve had a recent security threat here at Legion HQ.  We’re in need of additional guards, and with your unique skills as a Mega Man, you could easily do the job of ten.  Or rather, thirteen?  How many DNA codes have you copied by now?”

Thomas laughed, and Grey nervously joined in.  The young Reploid scratched his head as he replied, “Well, to be honest, Master Thomas, today’s been…long, and I’m a little exhausted.  Uh, would it be alright if I called you back in the morning?”

“Oh?  Very well, I suppose we can wait until then.  I’ll send full details to the Transerver in the meantime for you and some others to look over, to aid in your decision.”

“Ah, thanks.”

“I look forward to hearing your answer.  Until then.”

The call ended.  Grey stared at the screen blankly for a few seconds, and then lunged at the keyboard, typing in the contact info for the Guardians’ airship.

If he really doesn’t think I know, then this is a great opportunity.  Of course, refusing would make him suspicious, so maybe I should just agree?  I don’t know.  But something about this definitely doesn’t feel right.

Chapter Text

Fleuve stepped into the training bay and glanced about.  It appeared to be empty, but the lights were still on, and it was where Aile had said she would be…

“Aile?” he called.  “Are you here?”

There was no response.

“Aile?”

“Yeah?”

Fleuve jumped.  He turned and looked up, seeing Aile merged with Model PX and hanging upside down from the ceiling, a smug grin quite visible beneath her mask.

“Don’t do that!” he grumbled.  “Surprising a man my age—you should know better!”

Aile dropped to the floor, crouching as she touched down and resting her head in one hand.  “Oh, hush.  A little fun isn’t gonna kill you.  Anyway, what brings you down here?”

Still looking very annoyed, Fleuve walked past her to the nearest bench.  “Thought you might want to know...I’ve made a minor breakthrough in decrypting Ciel’s research data.”

Aile shot up.  “Really?”

“I’ve been able to analyze the encryption that Prairie used, and it’s one that I know how to break.  But I will need more time to find and execute the exact right solution.”

“That’s great news!  Prairie will have a pleasant surprise to wake up to.”

“She shouldn’t be too surprised I figured it out,” Fleuve scoffed.

Aile waved dismissively, saying, “Right, whatever.”

“But I have noticed something odd now that I know what I’m looking at.  The data appears to be sectioned off, with slightly different encryption on each individual piece.  It seems Ciel left behind quite a bit after all…but my point is, each piece will need to be decrypted individually.  I can’t say how soon we’ll have total access.”

Aile nodded, and then looked upward silently.  Fleuve sighed.

“Also…what about the boy?”

Turning to him, she said, “Hm?  You mean Grey?  What about him?”

“He’s been working that Legion job for over a week now, and we haven’t heard from him.”

Aile gasped.  “Fleuve…are you actually worried about Grey?”

“Don’t be absurd,” Fleuve sneered.  “But if the brat gets imprisoned or killed, we’re going to be shorthanded for Thomas’s next scheme.”

“Happy thoughts, those,” Aile murmured.  “I’ve got Guardians nearby, and they’ve caught enough glimpses to know that he’s okay.  You know contacting us from in there wouldn’t be easy.  He’s only to call if there’s an emergency—no change is good…”

She trailed off, turning away from Fleuve.  The old man said, “Nonetheless.  Thomas hasn’t acted, and Grey hasn’t found anything of use.  How long is this stalemate going to go on for?”

Aile crossed her arms as she thought.  After a few seconds, she deactivated her Megamerge, and the six Biometals began to float in a ring around her.

“Let’s rush in and level the place!” Model F said.  “We’ll take Thomas by surprise, and leave him with no way of striking back!”

“F, you need to think of the collateral damage that would entail,” X said.  “There are hundreds of people working in Legion HQ—there’s no need for them to get hurt.”

“I think we should continue to wait it out,” L said.  “With Grey there, we have eyes and ears on the inside and can react as soon as Thomas tries anything.  It’s the safest route.”

“Is it, though?” Z asked.  “We’ve gotten lucky so far, but if we keep letting Thomas make the first move we’ll always stay one step behind.  Taking back the initiative might put us in a better position.”

“Yeah, so let’s attack!” F said.

“Hold on,” H said.  “We still don’t know what to expect.  Thomas has had years to craft this plan, and has been unusually silent since requesting Grey at his base of operations.  That’s more than enough time to steel his defenses.”

Z muttered, “Of course.  Isn’t that how we got Grey inside in the first place?  His heavy hitter is on our side.”

“But he’s likely hired others, others who have no idea what they’ve gotten into,” X said.  “A frontal assault is too reckless.”

“Right,” L said, “so again: let’s just wait.  Sure it’s boring to stay on defense, but what’s the alternative?”

Aile glanced at Model P.  The purple Biometal simply floated in silence, facing directly at her.  With a shrug, she said, “Well…we’ll just get around the defenses and go straight to Thomas.  You and I can handle that, right P?”

“It would be exceedingly simple,” P replied.  “The perfect solution to our dilemma, really.”

“Oh, shut up,” L said.  “You act like getting in without a single person noticing is a walk in the park.”

“It will be.”

H said, “You underestimate our foe…but I must admit, your talents do seem well-suited to this situation.”

“Well, better than sitting around doing nothin’,” F said.

X turned to regard P, and then faced Aile once again.  “Yes…I think that would be best.  We shouldn’t just leave Thomas to do as he pleases.  But Aile, you must be careful: if we are spotted even once—“

“I’ve got this!” Aile interrupted.  “Don’t worry so much, X.  No one but Thomas will even know we’re there.”

Fleuve cleared his throat.  “Seems you’ve decided?”

Spinning to face him, Aile said, “Yep!  I’ll warp to the nearest Transerver and make my way in—tell the pilots to head in that general direction just in case I need back-up, but not too quickly.  We don’t want Thomas to see the ship closing in and get suspicious.”

“Why would we need back-up if no one will know we’re there?” X groaned.

“I mean, we won’t need it,” Aile said, “just, you know…never hurts to be prepared.”

“That’s not very reassuring.”

Aile grabbed Model P and headed for the door.  “C’mon, P.  Looks like some people need to see to believe!”

***

“Perhaps it would have been wiser to train a bit longer,” Model P said.

Aile leapt from one of several expensive-looking chandeliers to another, keeping a close eye on the guards patrolling below.  As they moved away from her, she whispered, “Hey, we’ve made it this far!  Quit complaining.”

“We’ve nearly been detected five times.”

“And I escaped detection every time!  I didn’t say it would be perfect, the point is it’s working!  Now can I get some quiet?”

Aile made it to the far side of the room and checked the guards again.  She waited until none of them were looking her way, and then silently dropped to the floor, ducking into a hallway with a lower ceiling and keeping her eyes and ears peeled.   With Model PX active she could sense the general layout of her surrounding area and the presence of nearby lifeforms, but she had learned long ago that relying too much on that sense would get her into trouble.  So, even though she didn’t sense anything ahead, she opted to be as careful as she possibly could.

“…Isn’t this strange?” X asked.  “If Thomas is worried Aile might attack, then I would expect to see more guards.”

“Too many guards would get conspicuous,” Z said.  “He still has the eyes of the public on him, and seeing Legion HQ crawling with security could make people nervous.”

“Even still, none of these hallways seem to have any security—only the wide-open areas where it’s easy to evade their line of sight.  Isn’t it a bit too easy?”

“Maybe he was expecting a frontal assault over a sneak attack,” L said.  “If we came in guns blazing he’d have time to mobilize more troops, so maybe they’re all on standby somewhere else.”

“Hm…maybe…”

“We’ve almost reached Thomas’s office,” P said.  “We’ll find out soon enough.”

Aile came to a door and paused.  A guard was on the other side, pacing slowly; when he was facing away, Aile threw the door open and clamped her arm around his neck, pulling him back and rendering him unconscious.  She bounded up the now-unguarded stairs and down another short hallway, coming to a stop in a rather large room with a skylight and tall double doors on the wall farthest from her.

“Here we are,” Aile said.  “Now we just need to—“

She whipped around.  Someone was coming.  Aile scaled the wall quickly and then leapt for the edge of the skylight, clinging to the ceiling just next to it and flattening herself as best she could.  She watched the entrance as footsteps drew closer, even creating a shuriken in one hand in case she needed it.  The guard walked in a few seconds later.

“You sure?” Grey asked as he passed under the skylight.  “I don’t see anyone here.”

“I’m positive I heard something!” Model A said.  “Take a closer look!”

Aile narrowed her eyes.  Right, should’ve figured Thomas would want to save a Mega Man as his last line of defense.  So…do I tell him, and we break in together?

Grey sat down in front of the door.  “If someone’s here, they’ll show themselves soon enough.  Let’s just wait.”

X might’ve just been worrying too much about the lack of guards…but, Thomas knows what we’re capable of.  He made it easy for me to get all the Biometals back, so he knows exactly what skills are at my disposal.  It would make more sense for him to prepare for every possibility…which could mean he wanted me to sneak in like this…

“Who could get this far, though?” A asked.  “You’d think we would have heard about an intruder by now.”

…If this is part of Thomas’s strategy…then maintaining Grey’s cover could be a useful backup plan.  I don’t have anything to lose by being cautious on this one.

Grey said, “Yeah, that’s why I think you were just hearing things.  I mean, who would even—“

He cut himself off as Aile struck the side of the skylight with her shuriken.  She jumped down as he looked up, delaying her throw just enough that he had time to Megamerge and leap out of the way.

“Aile?!”

“So, that’s how it is!” Aile declared, pointing dramatically at Grey.  “You’ve taken Legion’s side!  I’m sorry, Grey, but I won’t let you stop me!  If you’re my enemy, then I’ll fight you!”

Grey stared at her for a moment.  “What are you…”

Aile switched to Model ZX, brandishing her saber.  “Take this!  HA!”

Grey jumped backwards.  Aile struck the floor, then backed up a half-step, and then ran forward to make another clumsy swing.  Grey seemed to understand as he ducked, because he fired a shot that missed Aile by quite a bit.

“Um, Aile!” he declared as she backed away.  “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but, uh, i-it’s my job to guard this place, so…I’ll do what must be done!”

Yeah, he’s got it.

Purple light shone from Grey’s buster.  Aile kept moving backwards to stay out of its range, firing her own weapon with every step and only landing a few glancing blows.  Eventually she bumped into the wall, and Grey charged.  Leaping up, she narrowly avoided the targeting beam, and when she landed she pointed her pistol at Grey’s back.  The boy rolled aside to dodge the blast, and then began firing wildly as he circled around.  Aile took a hit to her shoulder and stumbled back.  Readying her sword, she began to deflect the bullets and moved at the same pace Grey did, maintaining the distance between them until she stepped under the skylight; the sun glinted off her armor, temporarily blinding Grey, and Aile used the opportunity to bound forward and execute a diving slash, not hitting Grey directly but kicking up some loose debris that bowled him over.

“Give up!” Aile said, pointing her saber at him.  “You can’t defeat me!”

Grey rolled his eyes.  He moved his buster, but then paused for a moment.  Aile held a defensive stance, but when the pause seemed to go on too long, she cleared her throat and started forward.  A flash of light enveloped Grey, and when it faded, Aile was staring at a perfect duplicate of herself.

“Then maybe this will turn the tables!” Grey said as he locked swords with the real Aile.

Aile felt a chill run down her blade and through her spine.  She didn’t let her face show it, but a deep unease swelled in her heart, tensing her muscles and making her next swing short and slow.  Grey dodged easily, activating his buster pistol and shooting her in the side.  Aile grimaced as she stepped back.

“Er…not bad!” she said.  “But let’s see how well your imitation holds up to the real deal!”

She feinted, drawing Grey’s attention, and then made a high swing that Grey just narrowly ducked under.  He moved to counterattack, but Aile was closed enough now to kick him in the midsection, sending him rolling back while she charged her buster.  The shot hit the wall—Grey was already moving again, dashing in close to use a rising cut that very nearly met its mark.  Aile hopped back and took her pistol in both hands.  She lunged, swinging the weapon horizontally as if she was shifting it to its sword form and prompting Grey to parry.  He took the bait, and she landed a clean shot on his helmet, sending him sprawling.  Aile chuckled to herself.  When she realized that, she frowned darkly, but quickly caught herself.

“Is that the best you can do?” she asked, spinning her pistol around her fingers.  “I’ve wasted enough time here!”

She faced the door to Thomas’s office and took a step.  Grey dashed between her and her goal, glowing as he came to a stop, and emerged in the form of a massive, blue and white machine that barely fit in the room, its enormous, icy teeth snapping directly in Aile’s face.

“Think again!” he bellowed.

A whirring sound could be heard.  Aile jumped back as Grey opened his maw, narrowly dodging the bladed wheel that shot out at her.  She aimed at the side of his face, but he spun around with surprising speed, using his tail to smack her into the wall before facing her again.  Though a bit dazed, Aile got moving: icicles were flying at her, burying themselves deeply in the wall when she stumbled clear of them.

He’s taking this a bit seriously…

Aile returned to Model PX and threw a kunai at the corner of Grey’s mouth.  He snapped his jaws shut, and then Aile came forward and grabbed onto his nose, clinging tightly as he opened again so that she would be flung up and land directly on top of her foe’s head.  Grey did his best to dislodge her, but she held fast nonetheless.  Eventually, Grey transformed again, leaving empty space beneath Aile and forcing her to make a hard landing on the floor.  She looked up to see Grey in the body of Siarnaq.  Rolling back, she avoided a storm of kunai, and then retaliated with some of her own; Grey knocked each of her knives out of the air, and then he formed a shuriken in each hand and leapt forward as Aile raised her hands.  A barrier of solid energy wrapped around Aile, blocking Grey’s attack but vanishing instantly, and then she grabbed him by the neck and hurled him to the other side of the room.

“Ah, that’s more like it!” Aile declared.

Grey next took on Atlas’s form, so Aile merged with Model FX.  The two ran forward and punched, meeting each other perfectly and causing a wave of fire to burst out from them.  They backed up and swung again, and again, matching each other blow for blow until Grey aimed at the floor.  Aile held her ground as a wave of fire sprang up from the point of impact—not only that, she leaned forward to throw her own downward punch, this one colliding with Grey’s head and smashing it into the floor.  Aile paused to laugh, giving her opponent enough time to recover.  Activating A-Trans again, Grey shapeshifted into a vulture-like robot carrying an electric guitar, a sight that stunned Aile long before a blast of weaponized sound rammed into her.  Getting back on her feet, Aile switched to Model HX and began dashing away, but Grey’s wings lit up and he lifted off the ground, shooting forward through the air after her.  Aile tried to bank off a corner to take the advantage, but Grey swung his guitar up and knocked her off-balance, and then another blast of sound grounded her.  Her ears were ringing as she worked to get upright.

“Um, you should give it up, Aile,” Grey said as he landed nearby.  “If you surrender now, there might still be…a way for this to turn out…well…for you…”

Aile grinned.  “I’ll agree on one thing…this has gone on long enough!”

She swung her arm as she switched to Model LX, allowing her to hurl its halberd the second it formed.  The polearm buried itself in Grey’s guitar, flustering him and giving Aile the chance she needed: she bounded forward and punched Grey across the face, and after yanking her weapon back out, she swung it around, sent him flying.  A quick blast of ice froze him to the wall, and Aile allowed herself a quick sigh.  Grey didn’t say anything.

“You fought valiantly, Grey!  But it’s over!  I’ll be on my way, now.”

Figuring that was the end of their performance, Aile turned and began walking towards the door.  She stopped when she heard A-Trans activate.  Turning around, Aile found Pandora locking eyes with her, the ice that trapped her falling away bit by bit.  Instinctively, she switched to Model ZX.

“It’s over, Grey,” she insisted.  “Walk away while you still can!”

Grey lifted his staff.  Two pieces of his helmet detached and levitated to either side of him, floating farther away as energy began to build up around them.  Blasts of ice and thunder came at Aile, and she carefully dodged each one, trying to work her way over to Grey.  The blasts changed their angle quickly, however, forcing her back; she switched to Model HX and tried using its maneuverability to circumvent the attacks, but all it did was drive her up towards the skylight.  Grey pointed his staff at her.

“Disappear,” he said.

Aile’s eyes widened as a massive blast of electricity came at her.  There was no time to dodge, so in the split-second available to her—

KA-BOOOM!

The blast detonated on contact, blowing out the skylight and raining sparks and glass down on the room.  Grey stared blankly up as the smoke cleared, and when it did, Aile was nowhere to be seen.  A few moments later, a look of horror crossed his face, and he returned to his normal form and ran over to the center of the room.  Before he could do anything else, a loud creaking sound reached his ears.

“My word,” Master Thomas said as he emerged.  “It would seem you’ve learned some new skills as of late, Grey.”

“U-Um, yeah,” Grey said.  “S-Sorry about the mess.”

Thomas shook his head.  “Nothing to worry about.  I cannot tell you how grateful I am, Grey—even when faced with your old friend, a fellow Mega Man, you honored our agreement and fought to defend me.  Thank you.”

Grey nodded, a short, jerking motion.  “Right, right.  You’re welcome.”

“Why don’t you go get some rest?  I’ll call someone else to take care of the cleanup.”

Grey thanked him and hurried off, and Thomas headed back into his office, shutting the doors behind him.  He crossed the wide-open room to where a desk sat, and then stood there perfectly still.  It wasn’t long before the window shattered, and Aile came crashing into the room.  She rolled to her feet, pointed her ZX Buster at Thomas, and then froze as she caught her breath.  Thomas didn’t even face her.

“Master Thomas,” Aile said, slowly walking towards him.  “If you’re not busy, I was hoping we could have a word with you.”

Finally turning to look at her, Master Thomas folded his hands and regarded her with a cold, clinical gaze.  Aile stopped mid-step.

“I must say, Aile, I’m surprised you waited so long to launch your attack,” Thomas said.  “Perhaps you’re a bit more rational than I thought you were.  An excellent show, by the way—maintaining Grey’s innocence was quite the tactical decision…if ultimately futile.”

“…So you knew?  Then why’d you hire Grey for this security gig?”

“I still needed a chance to observe Model A up close.  But, I believe I have enough data now.  His services will no longer be required.”  Thomas held out one hand.  “Well then.  Where shall we begin?”

Aile adjusted her grip on her pistol.  “Well, I’d say I’ve used up most of patience already.  Why don’t you just tell me what your plan is and why you think I should let you get away with it?  Or, we could always just go straight to the part where I take you away if you’d prefer.”

Thomas shook his head, turning his back on Aile.  “It would seem you haven’t changed much after all.  Hmph.  Disgraceful.  Humanoids are the result of over 400 years of cumulative scientific breakthroughs, and still they cannot grow beyond the same stubborn limitations that have always plagued beings of this world.”

Gritting her teeth, Aile said, “Oh, right, you want to ‘reset the world’ or whatever.  Just what is it that makes you any different from Albert?”

“Albert was a fool.  What he saw as ‘resetting’ was just continuing the stagnant trend this world has been locked into for centuries, pushing it further into decline and handing the reigns off to whoever he decided should have them.  I hear that his Model W drove him to nearly give up his plan and simply destroy the world.  Fitting, for that is exactly what a ‘Mega Man King’ would have ultimately done.”  Thomas looked up at the ceiling.  “I, on the other hand…seek to truly start things anew.  I aim to wipe the slate clean and begin a new world from nothing.  No Reploids.  No robots.  No humans.  Only what comes next.”

Aile squinted at him.  “…And what exactly ‘comes next’?”

Thomas laughed.  “Curiosity—good.  You’re not a complete waste.”

“My gosh, do you even know what a straight answer is?  Look: I know you’re trying to make your own Biometal, same as Albert.  Is that what you’re planning to build your new world out of?”

Thomas sighed.  Facing Aile, he asked, “Aile…do you know where your name came from?”

Aile blinked.  “My…what the hell are you on about?”

“Parents don’t often realize how the name the give their child reflects back upon them.  You see, I was named after a distant ancestor of mine: a scientist who lived before our current recorded history, but whose notes my family have been able to preserve and keep hidden away all this time.  He was a man truly ahead of his time, a genius even by our modern standards.  It is because of him that the world as we know it exists.”

Thomas frowned then, every line in his face darkening as his eyes burned with frightful intensity.

“It was his name I was given.  A call to the far reaches of time, pleading for someone else to be here in my place.  Do you know what that is like, Aile?  To live your entire life in the shadow of such greatness, to know that it is the standard to which you will forever be measured?  To know that no matter how much you achieve, and how far you go, all you will ever do is confined within the world created by someone who you were asked to be…yet could not?”

Aile gaped at him for a moment.  “Seriously?  That’s your tragic backstory?  Wow, yeah, now I’m definitely glad I never bother to ask.”

Thomas turned sharply.  “Fine, mock me.  But do not call my story a tragic one.  When my plan is complete, the world of my ancestor will be brought to an end, and a world of my making will come to stand in its place.  My story will be one of triumph—I demand it to be so.”

Aile loudly stepped forward, keeping her gun pointed at Thomas.  “Take it easy.  Let’s say I believe you: if everything in this world can be traced back to your ancestor, then doesn’t that hold true for Biometal too?  Why build a plan around it?”

“You misunderstand,” Thomas said.  “I am using Biometal for only the first part of my plan.  The second phase will be entirely of my own design.”

“Right, first phase being…?”

“The destruction of the current world.  It will be done using the very technology that birthed it, the only end that is fitting.  Time and again, the Reploids derived from my ancestor’s design have nearly brought this world to ruin—even if I did not will it, this lineage of technology would still bring about its own end.  I will only quicken it, and build the next world once it is done.”

As Aile tried to make sense of this, she heard Model X say, “Aile…I think, maybe…he’s telling the truth about his ancestor.”

“What?  Does that even matter right now?”

“You don’t understand, Aile.  All Reploids…they were made using my original body as a basis.  This world is derived from the achievements of one man…the man who created me…”

Thomas smiled at Aile.  “That’s right, X.  I may have needed to study the other Biometals, but capturing you was never necessary.  I already have all the notes I need on you.”

“…So I guess this is like a family reunion for you, huh?” Aile said.  “Sorry to say, X, I’m not a fan of your relatives.”

X paused a moment, and then quietly said, “This could be my chance…to finally learn more about my creator.  I’ve had so many questions for so long…”

Aile was taken by surprise for a moment.  Shaking it off, she said, “Well, you’ll have plenty of time to talk once we take him in.  Fascinating as this all is, Thomas, none of it changes the facts.  You’re trying to destroy the world.  It’s my job to protect it.  Now, let’s go.”

For a few moments, silence covered the room.  Then, to Aile’s surprise, Thomas took a step forward.  She now noticed that he carried a sheathed sword.  “And what are you going to do if I do not cooperate?”

Aile pulled down the trigger of her pistol, letting a charge build up.  “Then I’ll stop you by force.”

“Please, surrender peacefully,” X said.  “There’s no need for any life to be lost today!”

Thomas took another step forward.  “I would rather die than give up.  The thing that I’ve yearned for my entire life is finally within my grasp, and you expect me to just relinquish it like that?”

“Don’t be an idiot!” Aile said.  “Just put your hands—“

Thomas didn’t wait for her to finish.  He drew his blade, and in a flash, he rushed forward and aimed for Aile’s face.  Automatically, Aile released the trigger.  The barrel had been pointed straight at Thomas’s head.

At first, all she could do was stare.  She was in shock.  But slowly, her brain began to process what she was looking at, and she dropped her pistol and stumbled over backwards.

“Aile…” X said.  “He’s…”

“I-I didn’t…m-mean to,” Aile stammered.  “H-He…I was just…”

She sat there in silence for a minute.

“Well,” Z said, “that’s that, I suppose.  C’mon.  Let’s collect Grey and go home.”

Slowly, Aile got to her feet.  There was a pause before she deactivated her Megamerge.

“Z,” X said, “how can you just dismiss this?!”

“What else would I do?” Z replied.  “Aile had to defend herself.  This is hardly the first time we’ve had to do that.”

“It is the first time we’ve killed a human,” H muttered.  “I believe that’s worth noting, at least.”

“So what?  Society has spent the last couple centuries doing their best to blur the line between human and Reploid, to make them truly equal.  Are you saying it’s still fine to kill all the Reploids we’ve been fighting, but humans deserve more protection?”

“Of course not!” X said.  “No life should just be thrown away like this!  There should never be a need to kill anyone!”

“X,” Z said.  “Aile gave him plenty of warning.  He chose to die.  That’s all there is to it.”

Aile held up her hands.  She watched them shake for a moment, and then buried her face in them.  “He wasn’t a combatant…if I had just subdued him right away, this wouldn’t have—“

“Aile, cut it out,” Z said.  “You’ve got nothing to feel guilty over.”

Aile looked back to Thomas’s corpse.  “This…isn’t the kind of Mega Man…I want to be…”

Suddenly, the lights in the office went out.  Before Aile could even react, a terrible screeching sound pierced the air, forcing her to clamp her hands over her ears in an attempt to block it out.  The sound slowly went away, and she became aware of a screen on Thomas’s desk that was now lit up.

“How touching,” said a voice that come from the device.  “But there is no need to grieve, Mega Man.  Save your tears for the death of your world.”

Aile’s eyes widened.  “M…Master Thomas?!”

“Did you really think I would face you without precaution?  I was fully prepared for you to strike me down—in fact, that is exactly what I needed.  My body had grown frail and weak, rendering it useless even with all the enhancements available to me.  I needed a new one…however, my soul did require an extra push to make the change.”

The blank light on the screen gave way to an image.  A figure stood there, eight feet tall and covered from head to toe in red and purple armor.  The face atop it looked human, save for the glowing red light that poured from its eyes, and its features were unmistakable.

“This,” Thomas said, “is what my new world will look like.  But I am afraid this small glimpse is all I can afford you at the moment, Aile.  While I have gathered much data from the Biometal you so graciously loaned me, I feel a bit more testing is required before I construct my final weapon.  You have been so very helpful thus far…I would be honored if you would continue to lend me your aid.”

Four smaller windows appeared in the corners of the screen, each showing a different location with coordinates listed beneath.

“Four Pseudoroids have been set loose at these locations.  They have no orders, no goals…no restrictions.  They are free to do whatever they please.  Some are closer to human settlements than others, but none are especially far.  I wonder what how they will end up behaving?”

It was a bit much for Aile to take in.  She could feel something rising up within her, but whatever it was, she was disconnected with it somehow, unable to truly feel what it was.

“I look forward to seeing what results our work turns up, Aile,” Thomas said.  “We will meet again, when the time is right.”

The screen shut off.  Aile remained where she stood, staring at it silently as she tried to bring the world back into focus.

“Aile!” X said.  “We need to get moving!”

She could start to feel it now.

“Let’s bring Fleuve down here to inspect the terminal,” Z said.  “I’m sure he can extract those coordinates, and we can plan how to proceed from there.”

Yes, she could feel it quite clearly.  She gripped the desk and hunched over, clenching her teeth as he entire body started to shake.

“Aile?” X asked.  “Aile!”

It was all too much for her.  Aile reared back, faced the ceiling, and screamed at the top of her lungs.

Chapter Text

From the look of things, she was already too late.

Once she had managed to calm down, Aile had contacted the Guardians and ordered them to meet her at Legion HQ, and then immediately found Grey and brought him up to speed.  Once the coordinates for the Pseudoroids had been extracted, she had needed to make some quick decisions: two Pseudoroids were only a short distance from settlements, so the bulk of the Guardian forces went to handle one while Grey led a team of Hunters to investigate the other; one was far enough away that they didn’t seem like an immediate threat, so only a select few elite Hunters were sent to keep an eye on the situation; the fourth, however, had been deployed virtually right on top of a settlement, so Aile had taken a handful of Guardians and headed there immediately.  Upon arriving, however, she found the city in ruins, and deathly quiet.

“Hello?!” she shouted.  “Is anyone still here?”

A flash of motion caught her eye.  Turning, Aile saw someone standing just inside a crumbling house waving to her frantically, motioning for her to stay quiet.  She took one step in their direction before a shriek could be heard overhead.  Aile looked up, but something rammed right into her, sending her sprawling on the ground.  The other Guardians shouted and fired at the thing, driving it back into the sky as Aile scrambled back to her feet.

“Ah, good!” the creature said.  “Finally prey with some fight in it!”

Aile reached for her Biometal as she finally got a good look at the Pseudoroid.  She was plated in gold armor with green highlights, with a humanoid body contrasting her otherwise avian features: enormous talons at the ends of her legs, a bird’s face with a short, curved beak, and rather than arms, two massive wings that she flapped constantly to stay aloft.

“Why did you destroy this place?” Aile demanded.  “What was the point of all this?”

The Pseudoroid scoffed.  “Point?  Why should I need a point to do the things I feel like doing?”

Aile merged with Model HX.  “Monster!  I’m putting an end to you!”

Tilting her head, the Pseudoroid said, “Oh, that’s lovely armor.  Are you the one Thomas told me about?  Well, I’d be happy to play with you if you’d like, but don’t call me ‘monster’.  I’m Haklaw, the Harproid.  You’d do well to remember it…well, for as long as you survive!”

She dove straight at Aile.  Reacting on instinct, Aile rolled out of the way, but she had no chance to counterattack—Haklaw was looping back up into the sky by the time she got sight on her.  Her companions opened fire as she came in for another pass: the bullets restricted her movement if nothing else, giving Aile a clear shot to fire off a shockwave from her blades.  Haklaw rotated her body so that she just barely avoided the attack, leaving Aile wide open as she tried to get back in a proper stance.  The Pseudoroid kicked in a downward arc, slicing her claws down the front of Aile’s body before flattening the nearby Guardians with her wings.  With a laugh, she jumped back into the air, giving Aile time to pick herself back up.

“She’s fast,” Aile grumbled.  “I need to be more precise.”

Haklaw rose higher.  With one powerful beat of her wings, a dozen or so feathers shot out from them, each one crackling with electricity; the Guardians were each grazed by one of the projectiles, but nothing more.  Aile just continued to watch her.

“Not taking the bait?” Haklaw called down.  “Oh fine.  I’ll come to you!”

She swooped down some distance away, staying only a few feet above the ground as she closed in.  Aile ordered the Guardians to hold their fire.  When Haklaw was almost in front of her, she dashed forward and swung both swords, and her foe angled upward sharply.  Anticipating this, Aile used Model HX’s jets to dash up after Haklaw, twisting as she did in order to bring her swords around more quickly, and managed to land a clean cut on the machine’s leg just before she got out of range.  Haklaw stared at her in surprise.  Aile shouted at the Guardians to attack, but the Pseudoroid grabbed her before they could.

“Not bad,” Haklaw said.  “Pity you’re not as maneuverable in the air as I am, though!”

She tightened her grip, putting more and more pressure on Aile’s body as her talons slowly sunk into her skin.  Aile fought the pain as best she could, shouting, “Fire!”

The Guardians hesitantly raised their guns.  Haklaw waved Aile back and forth as she said, “Careful now!  Don’t want to hit your precious Mega Man, now do you?”

“Just fire!” Aile yelled.  “That’s an ord—AGH!”

Haklaw squeezed.  This time, however, bullets came flying at her, though they seemed to do little more than surprise their target.  She sighed.  “You’re no fun.”

She ducked slightly and swung her body, hurling Aile at the ground.  Aile managed to steady herself with a combination of HX’s back and feet jets, but she still landed hard.  Nevertheless, she immediately got back up.

“Let’s try a different game!” Haklaw said, flexing her talons.  Her wings slowed the next time she raised them.  Aile’s eyes widened.

“Find cover!” she shouted.

Countless electrified feathers rained down on the Guardians.  They did their best to stumble out of the way, but each took a hit to an arm or a leg or a shoulder.  Haklaw moved to dive as they all fell over.  Aile rushed forward to meet her, but the Pseudoroid screeched, and a massive, powerful burst of wind and sound rammed into Aile headfirst, flattening her.  With no one to stop her, Haklaw snatched up one of the Guardians and carried them high into the air.  Aile’s heart skipped a beat.

“What are you doing?!” she shouted.

“If you want your friend back,” Haklaw called down, “come meet me on the peak at the edge of this town!  And I mean you alone, Mega Man!”

Aile cursed as she pushed herself off the ground.  She turned to the remaining Guardians—they all seemed to be in good enough health—and said, “Search the town.  Make sure all the civilians are accounted for, then start estimating how much supplies and repairs will cost.”

She was off before any of them could protest, dashing over the rubble as fast as Model HX could carry her.  The trip was silent for only a second.

“Aile,” X said.

She didn’t answer him.

“Aile, you need to take a moment to—“

“To what?” she interrupted.  “She’s got a hostage.  I don’t have time for anything else!”

“I understand the urgency of the situation.  But I don’t think you should go into a fight like this.”

“Like what?”

“You’re upset.”

Aile hopped up on the remains of a wall at the city outskirts.  Craning her neck, she looked up the massive cliff face not far in front of her, catching a glimpse of Haklaw as she soared above it.

“Aile—“

“I’m not going to just stop being upset!” Aile huffed as she took off again.  “Thomas made a fool of me.  I did exactly what he wanted me to do, and now innocent people are going to die unless I hurry up and kill these Pseudoroids!”

“But that’s also what he wants.”

Aile grunted.  She leapt up onto the cliff to begin her ascent, asking, “Then what do you want me to do?”

“Try to find a peaceful solution!  Maybe we can talk the Pseudoroids out of this.  They must’ve only recently been brought to life—they’re probably confused, just trying to figure out who they are and what they want.”

She had to try very hard not to roll her eyes as she answered, “You heard her.  She’s not interested in peace.”

X sighed.  “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to be a violent Mega Man?”

Aile missed her next handhold.  She fired her jets for a moment to catch herself, and then hung there on the wall for a moment.

“You can’t give up on that goal just because you’re embarrassed, Aile.”

She gritted her teeth.  Before she could say anything, however, Model Z interjected, “X, this isn’t the time.  She’s motivated—prodding further is only going to imbalance her.  Maybe when the mission is over we can settle things more properly.”

“But Z,” X said, “this is—“

“X,” Z said, his tone serious.  “Let it go.”

His reluctance was obvious, but X said nothing more.  Aile resumed her climb in absolute silence.  When she finally reached the top, she pulled herself up just enough to scan the area; she immediately dashed up and to the side, narrowly avoiding a set of feathers, and landed on her feet with her swords drawn.

“Hehe, good reflexes,” Haklaw said, perched on a boulder a few yards away.  “I’m beginning to see why Thomas values the data you give him!”

The captured Guardian lay unconscious at the base of the rock.  What surprised her, however, was that he lay at the feet of a bored-looking Aeolus.  A scoff came from Model H, but it seemed that was all he had to say.

“Funny,” Aile said.  “When you asked me to come alone, I figured you wouldn’t be bringing any friends either.”

“I am not here to compete with you, Mega Man,” Aeolus said, brushing aside a lock of hair.  “How would I even begin to without Biometal?”

“Isn’t Thomas making new models for you four idiots?  Or did that part of the bargain fall through?”

Haklaw leaned forward, staring intently at Aile.  “Ooh, she’s figured some things out, hasn’t she?  Good, a proper plaything needs to be clever.”

Aeolus inclined his head.  “Hmph…I wonder just how much you actually know?  I heard you inferred a good bit from cleaning up Thetis’s mess, but if Biometal is all you’re thinking about, then there are still important questions you’re not asking.”

For just a second, Aile dropped her stance to shrug.  “You know what?  I don’t give a damn!  Now get out of here so I can carve up that overgrown turkey!”

Haklaw spread her wings and shouted, “Turkey?!  I’ve changed my mind: now I just want you dead!”

The Pseudoroid launched herself at Aile with a shriek.  Aile dodged at the last possible second, managing to get a hit in before Haklaw angled up once again.  A barrage of electrified feathers rained down, so Aile focused on dodging them as she asked, “H, what’s her weak point?”

“Well,” H said, “unfortunately she doesn’t seem to have one.”

“What?”

“It would seem Thomas was very thorough in this new design.  The Biometal energy runs throughout her entire system, as opposed to being stored in a specific area we can disable.”

“Fantastic…” Aile said with a grimace.

Haklaw swooped again, this time too fast for Aile to counterattack.  As she dodged another storm of feathers, she switched to Model ZX and began to charge her buster, and the next time Haklaw charged she was knocked out of it by a point-blank shot.  Aile lunged at the Pseudoroid with her saber, but Haklaw squirmed out of the way and kicked Aile in the face with her talons to buy time to take off.  Another shriek, and a blast of air sent Aile flying towards the cliff’s edge—she dug in with her sword just in time to avoid falling off.

“You really aren’t any fun,” Haklaw said as she circled above.  “Maybe if you cut loose you’d enjoy yourself a bit more!”

Aile dashed away from the edge.  Haklaw took the opportunity to dive, just barely missing Aile as she pressed herself against the ground.

“Careful what you wish for,” Aile grumbled as she stood back up.

Haklaw stayed in the air, firing an occasional feather just to keep Aile on her toes.  Aile found her impatience starting to take over as this continued.  When she had an opening, she switched to Model FX and began to fire rapidly, the curving blasts taking Haklaw by surprise and managing to keep her pinned down for a time.  However, she soon dashed off faster than Aile could react to—flapping her wings, she sent out a very precise feather attack that stunned Aile, the electric shock bringing her to her knees just as Haklaw swooped in.  The next thing Aile knew, she was being carried up into the sky.

“Better!” Haklaw said as she started to level out.  “But you’ll need to try much harder if you want to live!”

Aile knew she needed to move fast.  As soon as Haklaw moved to throw her, she switched to Model PX and used its clinging ability to adhere herself to the talon that had just released her, swinging with the momentum to flip up onto the Pseudoroid’s back.  Haklaw squawked in surprise, unable to stop Aile from stabbing a kunai deep into her body.  She faltered, losing a bit of altitude, and then spun around rapidly in an attempt to dislodge her foe.  Aile hung on until she could safely jump to the ground.  Haklaw launched feathers at her as she fell, but she threw a handful of kunai to intercept the attack.  Landing back on her boulder, Haklaw shook her wings and hissed at Aile.

“Maybe I should’ve given you more credit,” she said.  Her talons scratched deep gashes into the stone.  “You should know I don’t respond well to pain, Mega Man.”

Aile made a quick motion with her hands, and then took a step forward.  “Does that mean you’re going to shut up?”

Haklaw charged.  She kicked out with her talons and pushed them straight through Aile, only to find her target vanishing like a mirage to reveal the real Aile, merged with Model LX, a bit farther back swinging a halberd at her.  Cold energy consumed Haklaw, freezing her body and bringing her to the ground once more.  Aile walked over and raised her weapon.

“Aile…” X murmured.

She paused.  For a few seconds, she just stared down at Haklaw, but then, without lowering her halberd, she said, “Alright.  I’ll give you a chance, Haklaw.  Give me some information on Thomas and I’ll let you leave here in peace.”

The Pseudoroid tilted her head.  “…What?  All that, you’re ready to strike a killing blow, and then you just stop?”

With a sigh, Aile said, “Yeah, I guess.  So?”

She had barely moved when Haklaw suddenly flexed her wing.  Aile was knocked over backwards, and then Haklaw pounced on her, grabbing her tightly and lifting her up just to immediately pound her into the rock.

“You’re stupid!” Haklaw screeched.  “Like I would just give up!  That mistake is going to cost you!”

She smashed Aile into the ground one more time before letting go and flying up, firing another sonic blast to keep her opponent down.  Shaking off some rubble, Aile pulled herself into a sitting position.  She shouted a long, wordless blast of fury, and then glared up at Haklaw with an angry eagerness.

“Fine then!” she said.  “That’s the only chance you’re going to get!”

While Aile got to her feet, Haklaw circled above her laughing.  “What are you going to do?  You’ll never catch me up here!”

Aile took a few running steps forward and slammed her halberd into the ground.  Ice exploded out from the weapon, forming into a large, serpentine dragon that faced the sky and charged.  Aile grabbed onto its head and rode it as it went.

Haklaw changed the angle of her flight.  “Huh?”

The dragon sped up, bringing the enraged Aile closer and closer.  Haklaw backed away, firing a barrage of feathers, but the dragon wove through most of them and just powered through the rest, and by the time Haklaw realized her predicament she was too late to respond to it.  She prepared to scream another sonic blast, but Aile jabbed suddenly: an ice blast hit Haklaw in the face, cutting off her attack.  The dragon shot forward with one final burst of speed, and Aile ran her halberd through Haklaw’s chest.

The Pseudoroid’s eyes went wide as she gaped at the wound.  She then looked to Aile, but the woman said nothing, just glaring silently as the dragon arced downward to slam into the stone.  Haklaw was knocked loose on the impact.  She had barely landed before Aile swung her weapon around and decapitated her foe.

“So,” Aeolus mused, “that’s what happens when you ‘cut loose’.”

Aile threw her deadly gaze over her shoulder at him, sending a chill creeping down his spine.  He did his best not to show it.

“Take your friend,” he said, waving dismissively.  “I only need the data your fight produced.”

Aile just stood there, glowering at him.  He rolled his eyes and started to walk away.

“I bet Thomas is happy,” Aile quietly said, “that all us puppets are playing our parts.  Don’t you think so?”

Aeolus stopped.  Spinning on his heel, he said, “I am no one’s puppet!  Working alongside Master Thomas is a means to achieving my own ends, you insufferable mongrel!  Do not place me on the same level as you common filth!”

He backed up a half step as Aile turned fully to face him.  She said, “You really believe you’re better than other people, don’t you?  I don’t see any reason why you’d think that.”

“…Is it so wrong to have pride?” Aeolus said.  “I’d wager it is that commonality that allowed me to Megamerge with Model H.  I’ve been told you were quite prideful in your day as well, weren’t you, H?”

Model H appeared then, floating forward as he answered.  “Silence.  I was not proud of myself simply for being what I was, the way you are.  I was proud of what I did.  I knew that the masses were weaker than me, that they needed protection and guidance.  It was my duty to provide that to them.  To serve them.  And it was an honor.”

The Biometal moved as if shaking his head.

“But you…you could never understand that simple feeling.  And yet you have the nerve to call others stupid?  How disgraceful.  Think of yourself as exceptional if you wish, but if you do not use your gifts to help those without such boons, then you will never have anyone to admire the gaudy pedestal you’ve fashioned.”

Aeolus was left speechless.  Model H returned to Aile, who gathered the kidnapped Guardian and then immediately turned and headed back towards the town.  She didn’t even consider looking back.

***

“…and be sure to notify me when we’re close!”

Aile stepped inside the lab and turned expectantly to Fleuve.  The old man looked up from his keyboard to say, “You seem very tense, Commander.”

“Can’t imagine why,” she said flatly.

“You may want to be a bit more cordial if you run into any civilians.  I haven’t had time to see how Legion is spinning the Guardians’ descent on their HQ, but I’m certain it won’t be very helpful to our public image.”

“Is that why you wanted to see me?”

Fleuve sighed, leaning back in his chair.  He gestured to the screen and said, “I’ve finished the first part.  I thought maybe you were still interested.”

Aile blinked as she worked out his meaning.  “…Wait.  Are you talking about Ciel’s data?”

“What else would I be talking about?”

She rushed forward to look at the screen.  “Well, what is it?  What does it say?!”

“Calm down!” Fleuve said, pushing her back.  “It doesn’t ‘say’ much—I don’t think this was the part she meant for us to see first.  That being said, it’s not exactly a bad pick.  What we have here, Aile, is upgrade data for Model H.”

The Biometals all floated closer to the screen.  H asked, “An upgrade, hm?  So that’s what Dr. Ciel spent her final days working on.”

“Just for H?” L asked.  “That’s so unfair!  What about the rest of us?”

“This part is for H,” Fleuve said.  “I’m certain the remaining pieces of data contain similar upgrades for all of you.”

Aile nodded as she looked over the screen.  Most of it was a stream of numbers and equations she couldn’t make sense of, but at the top it was labeled in large text.  She muttered, “’Armed Incarnation’…what is that supposed to be?”

“Sounds like our old Armed Phenomenon ability!” F said.  “Ciel must’ve found a way to restore it!  Great, I can’t wait to go full blast like that again!”

“If that was all, she wouldn’t have renamed it,” P said.  “I doubt our Biometal forms could ever properly channel that much energy.  Whatever it is, the only way to find out for sure is to test it out.”

H turned to Fleuve.  “Can you apply this data?”

“I only need ten minutes,” Fleuve said.  Facing Aile, he said, “Surely it will take longer than that to reach our destination?”

H faced Aile as well.  She glanced at the door for a moment, but then turned back to nod.

“I’ll monitor the operation just to be safe,” Fleuve said.  With a keystroke, he opened a small compartment in the console, and Model H floated down into it.  “When that’s over with, I’ll get right on the next portion—it shouldn’t take me as long to crack the remaining pieces.”

“An extra boost would be really helpful right now,” Aile said.  “I’ll be back to get H when he’s done.  Contact me if anything goes wrong.”

“Of course,” Fleuve said.  “Get some rest while you can.”

Aile sighed as she exited the lab, the remaining Biometal going with her.  Model X immediately started, “Aile, about what happened…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Aile said.

“…I don’t know that I’d say that.”

“There’s nothing to be done about it.  We’ve got to focus on our next objective now.”

Aile hit the button for the elevator a bit harder than she needed to.  

“Alright,” X said, “but…I have to ask.  Will you be giving the next Pseudoroid a chance to end things peacefully?”

“Don’t see a reason to.”  She stepped onto the lift, hitting a random button as she did.

X said, “I know you’re frustrated, but you only have one opportunity to show these foes kindness.  If you pass it up, you could regret it.”

The wall inside the elevator was polished, showing Aile her reflection.  She twisted a bit, noticing the scars Haklaw’s earlier kick had left, and mumbled, “I’ve got plenty of regrets.  What’s a few more?”

X floated up to eye level.  “Stop that. 

Aile clenched her teeth.  “X, I don’t want to talk about this.”

“We need to!  You’ve always been careful about how you conduct yourself as a Mega Man, but now it’s like you’re ready to throw all that away.  Are you really going to turn around completely just because Thomas outsmarted us once?”

A bright flash of red obscured Aile’s vision.  Smashing her fist into the side of the elevator, she yelled, “Dammit, X!  I can handle being outsmarted—that’s not the point!  I was…”  She clamped a hand over her face.  “…I actually let myself feel sorry for that bastard.  I thought I’d killed him, and I let that mess me up, and for nothing!  I was trying to do things your way: I was trying to care, and I got played!  And that makes me feel like shit.  I got emotional—I was vulnerable, and all I did was make everything worse!”

“I’m sorry,” X said.  His tone hadn’t changed.  “It’s unfortunate that things happened the way they did.  But now, you have to choose how you’re going to react to it.  You have to choose what kind of Mega Man—“

“What does it matter?!  A peaceful Mega Man can’t fix this!  If I have to be a violent one, then fine, that’s what I’ll be!”

“But you’ve always said that’s not what you wanted to be!”

Aile faced X and shouted, “Because that’s not what you want me to be!”

X backed up slightly.

“You’re always, always going on about how much you hate violence, how much you hate what we’re doing, and I get it!  Okay?  I get it!  And since you’re the legendary hero, the gold standard a Mega Man should aspire to, I’ve done my absolute best to try to do things the way you want!  But I!  Can’t!”

She faced the wall again—her punch had shattered part of its surface, her reflection now distorted across a dozen cracked shards.

“I’m not you, X!  And every time I can’t do things the way I know you want to, I feel like I’ve failed!  Every time I have to kill someone, or every time I’m having just a bit too much fun fighting someone, it’s like proof that I’ll never be able to do this the right way!  I’ve known for years now that I’m never going to be the kind of Mega Man I want to be!  I’ll never be as good at this as you were, but I’m forced to keep on trying!  And I…”

She stumbled back against the opposite wall, her shoulders trembling slightly.

“…I hate it…I just hate living like this, but there’s nothing I can do about it.  There’s no end to it, and I can’t get a single part of it right.  I hate…”

Aile slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor.  A few tears came, but she didn’t have the energy to properly cry.  For a time, the only sound came from the elevator, beeping softly as floors passed.

“…I’m sorry,” X finally said.  “I didn’t know you felt that way.  I should have been paying more attention.”

Getting back to her feet, Aile grumbled, “It’s not important.”

“No, it is!  We’re partners, Aile, and if I’ve been putting that much pressure on you…”  X paused to sigh.  “Look.  I was never as good at this as people think.  I hate violence, and I try to solve things peacefully, but in all my years…it’s hardly ever worked.  I’ve fought and killed hundreds, if not thousands.  I was also a violent hero.”

He turned around.

“…And, after a while of that…there was a time where I stopped caring.  I continued to fight, but I didn’t see any meaning in what I was doing.  The violence ceased having an effect on me.  And that…terrified me to no end.  It felt like I was losing who I was, becoming nothing but a mindless force of destruction, and that thought scared me.  I was able to take more of a back seat for a while, and that helped.  But now that I’m out here fighting again…I’m scared that I could lose myself again.  I’m scared that I won’t care about the fighting, and I want to do all I can to prevent that from happening.”

X slowly faced Aile.

“But since I’ve seen it more as my place to guide you, I guess I ended up trying to stop you from becoming that.  And that’s not fair to you.  You’ve never given me any reason to doubt your integrity, Aile, and I’m sorry that I made you think you did.  I failed you.”

Aile stared at him in silence.  The elevator doors soon slid open; she quickly wiped her face and checked to make sure no one was there, and then stepped out into the hall and examined the new cuts on her knuckles.  She faced X again.  Unfortunately, she didn’t have any idea what to say.

“Aile,” Z broke in.  “You really should get some rest before we reach the next Pseudoroid.  For now, that’s what’s most important.”

She nodded and headed down the hall.  None of them said another word.

Chapter Text

Over a dozen Hunters were scattered around the entrance to the mine, each one looking more battered than the last.  Aile didn’t feel anything in particular as she moved past them, but when she spotted Grey slumped against the rocks, the situation suddenly felt very real.

“Look who showed up,” Grey said, smiling for a second before wincing and recoiling.

Aile rushed over, crouching down next to him.  “Sorry, traffic was rough.  I take it you found the Pseudoroid?”

“Yeah.  We did our best, but…”

“It’s alright, Grey.”  Pausing to activate her communicator, she said, “I need a medical team down here ASAP!”

“It was too much for them—the other Hunters.  When I realized that, I had to focus on getting them out.”

“And you did it,” Aile said.  “Everyone’s safe thanks to you.”

A dark frown spread across Grey’s face.  “Yeah, but…when he cornered me…”

“Just take it easy, Grey,” Aile said.  “We’ll have you patched up in no time.”

“Grey,” Model A said, “tell her.”

Hesitantly, Grey said, “Aile…something weird happened.  I—“

Aile raised a hand to cut him off.  She noticed a silhouette moving just inside the mine, and quickly merged with Model ZX.  The figure soon came into the light, and when they did, Aile lowered her weapon with a frustrated sigh, much to the newcomer’s dismay.

“What, aren’t you happy to see me?” Atlas asked.  “Don’t tell me this is a surprise.”

Ignoring her, Aile scooped Grey up in her arms and carried him away from the tunnel.

“I got excited after Aeolus’s report,” Atlas continued as she took a few more steps into the open.  “He made it sound like you were finally being honest with yourself.  I’m in for a real treat once you and the Pseudoroid get to trading blows!”

“Can’t you find another way to get off?” Aile grumbled.  “I’m not here for your amusement.”

Atlas put her hand on her hip, and shook her head slowly.  “Quit acting.  According to Aeolus, you really enjoyed brutally murdering that last Pseudoroid.”

Aile whirled.  Her teeth were bared, her eyes narrowed into a gaze that gave even Atlas pause.  Whatever she was thinking, however, she elected not to voice it, and turned back around.

“Wait, what happened?” Grey asked.

“It’s not important,” Aile muttered.  “I just did what I had to do.”

“You did what you wanted to do,” Atlas said, now only a few steps behind her. “You became the ruthless warrior you’ve always had the potential to be.  Why not just embrace it, Aile?  You can’t hide from who you are!”

As Aile ground her teeth, Grey suddenly shifted in her arms.  Straining to look around her and straight at Atlas, he shouted, “Lay off!  What do you know about who Aile is?  She doesn’t have anything to hide from: she can be who she decides she wants to be, and what she decides is none of your business!”

Atlas just squinted at him.  Aile stared for a moment, but when she let out her breath, she felt some of the tension leave her—she wouldn’t exactly call it relief, but at the very least, she felt a bit calmer than she had a few seconds ago.

“Thanks,” she said.  “But you should save your strength for now.  Medics should be down in a minute.”

Grey flinched a bit as he readjusted himself.  “It just gets under my skin.  Don’t let her tell you who you’re ‘supposed’ to be.”

A smile came to her face.  “Alright, I won’t.”

The medical team was approaching them now, so Aile handed Grey to one of them.  Taking a moment to steel herself, she turned and marched back towards the mine entrance; Grey reached out to say something, but a sudden spasm cut him off, and the Guardian carried him away before he recovered.  Aile walked right up to Atlas and stared her dead in the eye.

“Take me to the Pseudoroid,” she said.

Atlas grinned.  “Heh, I can do that.  Follow me.”

“Aile,” X said, “are you sure we should trust her directions?”

“She wants to see a fight,” Aile said.  “I can’t show her one if she doesn’t get us there.”

So she followed Atlas into the mine, the natural light of the sun almost instantly vanishing to be replaced by sparse wall-mounted lanterns.  The tunnel declined sharply as they reached a fork in the path.  Atlas led her to the left.

“Tell me,” Atlas said, her voice echoing slightly off the rocky walls.  “Why do you act like you don’t want to fight?”

Aile sighed harshly.  “I don’t know.  Why are you so into it?”

Atlas glanced over her shoulder for a moment before facing the path again.  “I was a soldier.  When my country came under attack, I fought in a war to protect it.  At first, we were overwhelmed, and it looked like it was only a matter of time before we were all going to be killed…plenty of other soldiers didn’t make it.  But some of us survived.  Some of us grew stronger and more determined with every battle, gradually taking on more and more challenges until enemies that once frightened us were falling at our feet.  We won that war because we evolved—we grew as much as we needed to, to survive.  I love the thrill of battle, but more than that, I saw that conflict is what pushes people to surpass their limits and achieve new heights they thought were impossible.”

She stopped and faced Aile.

“A few years ago, did you ever think you could do the things you do every day now?  You reached an entirely new level because of the battles you’ve fought!  How can you not be amazed by your own improvement?”

Aile didn’t say anything.

“We need conflict to grow.  If we always had that—if the world was at war, a war that never ended, we’d grow exponentially, as individuals and as a species!  Just imagine what we could accomplish!”

After a long pause, Aile shook her head.  “Is that really your big plan?”

Atlas scowled.  “Tell me I’m wrong!”

“Of course people grow from conflict, you idiot!  But what’s the end goal?  What are we improving for in that kind of world, just another chance at improvement?  We’d never have a chance to enjoy our achievements—we’d only wear ourselves out!  And the death toll, my gosh, have you even thought about that?  We’d run ourselves into extinction!  And for what?  So you can lift 100 pounds on your last day instead of 95?  Yeah, that makes it all worth it.  Truly a genius plan.”

Atlas crossed her arms.  “Only 100 pounds?”

Aile stared at her.  “…Why are we talking?”

She pushed past Atlas, heading down another fork.  Atlas cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Wrong way!”

Aile stopped for a moment, then retraced her steps back to the fork.

“Fine,” Atlas said, “putting all that aside: if you agree that we grow through conflict, then why act like you hate fighting?  And don’t try to lie to me.”

Aile looked up at the ceiling of the tunnel.  Quietly, she said, “Because…growth isn’t all you get from conflict.  You also get loss.  And with how much I’ve already lost…to say that I enjoy the thing that takes people I love from me, and from so many other people…it doesn’t seem…right.”

She expected a cold retort from Atlas.  Instead, to her surprise, Model F floated up in front of her and said, “Wait just a damn minute!”

Aile blinked.  “What?”

“You sayin’ anyone who likes fighting has to like killing?  You think I’m just some trigger-happy murderer or somethin’?”

“What?  No, no, I just—“

“Fightin’ isn’t just about killing your enemy, Aile!  How the hell do you not know that?!  I’ve never enjoyed myself more than the times I fought Z, and none of those fights are what killed us!  If I killed him, then I wouldn’t get to fight him again!  Of course I didn’t want that!”

Aile looked to the side, still off-guard from the sudden confrontation.  “Um…”

“F,” Z said.  “If you haven’t noticed, Aile doesn’t really have experience fighting foes who don’t want to kill her.  You can’t expect her to put her feelings in a context she knows nothing about.”

F grumbled incoherently for a moment.  Then, turning around, he shouted, “Hey, Atlas!”

Atlas perked up.  “Hm?”

“Tell Thomas to put a rush on that Biometal he’s makin’ for ya!”

Aile’s eyes widened.  “F, what are you—“

“And when it’s done, you have a good old-fashioned fight with Aile—without tryin’ to kill her or anything!  If she needs taught how to fight for fun, then I’m tappin’ you to teach it to her!”

Cracking a grin, Atlas said, “You don’t need to tell me twice.”

“Cool it!  If you’re gonna do this right, then you need to cut that nutty crap!”

Atlas’s expression immediately fell.  “Huh?”

“That ‘endless war’ plan!  It’s crap!  You’re not really fightin’ to better yourself when you’re fightin’ for your life—and you oughtta know that!  How much stronger did you actually get from shootin’ at folks, compared to these last two years you had the time to dedicate yourself to proper training?”

Atlas thought for a moment.  She averted her gaze, reaching up to scratch her head.

“That’s what I thought.  Now listen up!”  He turned back to Aile.  “Fightin’ doesn’t have to be the opposite of peace.  Least, not for people who can do the things we can.  And even if you are dealin’ with high stakes, so long as you don’t get carried away, there’s nothin’ wrong with lettin’ yourself feel the thrill of a good battle!  That’s got nothin’ to do with any of that loss stuff you’re worried about!”

Aile said, “But—“

F moved right up into her face.  “Not.  A damn.  Thing.  Got it?”

Aile gritted her teeth.  “…You’re too close.”

Before F could say anything else, L said, “That’s enough!  You’re not going to brute force through this issue in one go, F!  You’ve said what you have to say.  Now give it a rest, alright?  We’ve still got a job to do.”

With obvious reluctance, F withdrew, and Aile allowed herself to relax for a second.  She looked to Atlas—still staring sheepishly at nothing—and said, “So it’s this way?”

Snapping to attention, Atlas said, “Huh?!  Oh, right.  He should be straight ahead.”

Aile nodded and went on her way, not sure if Atlas was still coming and not really seeing what difference it made.  She continued down into the earth until she heard a loud, constant, scraping sound somewhere further in, at which point she readied her ZX Buster and proceeded a bit more cautiously.  It wasn’t much longer until she could begin to make out a form.  It was massive, whatever it was—she was a little surprised it fit inside the mine.  The figure moved slowly but deliberately, swinging one arm, then the other, clawing at the wall in front of them and shifting solid rock away like it was sand.  The walls around them glittered with some kind of metal ore, wreathing the miner in an eerie halo of sorts.  She stopped when she was still some distance away from them.

“Hey!”

The figure paused.  He turned slowly, allowing Aile to take in his features a little better: he was covered in red and orange armor plates, arranged across his body like the scales of a reptile, and the limbs that extended from his massive frame were compact but powerful-looking, the arms (ending in human-like hands tipped with short claws) far larger and longer than the legs.  There was a tail, also, and two long wings that were tucked against the back—there was no way they could be extended in such a cramped space.  Atop it all sat a draconic head with a round snout lined with gleaming steel teeth, from behind which two great yellow eyes glared out at Aile.

“You again?” the Pseudoroid bellowed.  “I thought I put you down for good!”

“You’re thinking of someone else,” Aile answered.  “We haven’t met.  I get the feeling I’d remember someone like you.”

The Pseudoroid tilted his head.  “Huh…oh.  Thomas said there were two Mega Men.  You’re the other one!”

“That’s right.  I hear you ran the villagers out of this mine—any chance you’re willing to give it back?”

“Bah!” the Pseudoroid scoffed, clawing at the wall.  When he pulled his hand away, a lump of ore was within it.  “Why would I give this up?  All the precious metals I could ever want!  I won’t let anyone take this from me!”

In a flash, he snatched up the ore in his jaws, gnashing it to rubble in seconds before swallowing it.  It took Aile a short time to process that, but then she said, “That’s the wrong answer.”

The Pseudoroid looked back to her.  Baring his teeth, he leaned forward and snarled, “Oh, I see.  You’re going to attack me like the others!  Well, you’ll fall just like them!  No one can defeat the might of Fafnakkel the Dragonroid!”

Orange light came from his mouth.  Aile narrowly dodged a fireball before releasing her buster shot, but Fafnakkel barely seemed to notice—he surged forward faster than she expected him to, delivering a punch that launched her back into the slope she had just come down.  She bounded away from another fireball and towards Fafnakkel, but he anticipated her, snapping his jaws and grazing her arm with his teeth.  Aile pressed on anyway and slammed her saber into the side of his head, and the dragon stumbled backwards.

“Aile,” H said, “if we’re going to use the Incarnation, we should start charging it now.”

“Kind of a wild card, isn’t it?” Aile said, circling Fafnakkel as he took another bite of ore.  “…Well, guess we should see what it does for future reference.”

She switched to HX as Fafnakkel faced her again.  Her attack had left a gash across his face, but the wound was glowing now, and it appeared to be rapidly shrinking.  He spat out more fireballs, Aile maneuvering around them easily and closing in; avoiding his punch was even easier, but as she prepared to retaliate, her foe reached up to punch the tunnel ceiling, and a loud rumbling followed.  Aile moved back carefully to avoid the rocks that fell, but Fafnakkel shrugged them off as he advanced.  Her vision failed her as a fireball hit her dead-on.  She then felt a powerful punch connect, but she bounced back immediately and swung her swords, managing to carve a few scales off the Pseudoroid’s arm.  When she looked up at him again, she saw that the wound in his face was gone, and now the scars on his arm were glowing.  Fafnakkel shot another fireball as he plucked more ore from the wall.  He left himself open when he ate it, so Aile quickly stabbed his leg before backing away.

“So that’s why you came here,” she said as the latest wound began to shine.  “You melt down the ore inside your body, and then use it to patch your wounds.”

“That’s right!” Fafnakkel said, flames spilling from his mouth as he grabbed another handful.  “Long as I have this stuff, I’m immortal!  Your puny attacks won’t be able to kill me, Mega Man!  Hahahaha!”

Aile squinted.  The flames shed additional light on Fafnakkel, and that allowed her to notice something odd on the left side of his chest: a portion of his body where the scales had been removed, and the area underneath looked mangled and broken.  She pointed and said, “I see you haven’t healed that.  Care to explain?”

She moved quickly to avoid a fireball.  Fafnakkel shouted, “Ask your friend!”

He began to eat, so Aile moved in.  Before she could attack, however, he spun around, whipping his tail out and catching her by surprise.  Aile hit the wall hard, stunning her while Fafnakkel reached up to bring down more of the ceiling.  She managed to avoid being buried, but the rubble still proved a distraction, giving Fafnakkel the chance to launch her back up the tunnel with a powerful jab.  His laugh echoed behind her as she brought herself upright.

“That wound you noticed does seem to be cut off from his internal energy system,” H said.  “I don’t think he can heal it.  That makes it an ideal point of attack.”

“Easier said than done,” Aile said.  “Can we use the Incarnation yet?”

“No, it will be quite a while at this rate.”

“Fantastic.”

Aile brandished both sabers and charged, hoping to draw Fafnakkel’s attention.  She succeeded, and when the Pseudoroid coughed up another fireball, she launched herself over it at an angle so that she would land on the wall, and from there shot straight at Fafnakkel.  He managed to guard his exposed point, but that didn’t stop her from sinking her swords deep into his armor.  She jumped back to avoid his punch—he spun next, so she jumped up to avoid his tail, and then brought both swords down when she fell, unleashing a surge of electricity through Fafnakkel’s tail and into his main body that paralyzed him just as he was trying to devour more ore.  Aile cut his side as she dashed past him, and then stabbed one sword directly into the exposed spot on his body.  Fafnakkel roared in pain.

“Damn you!” he said.  “I’m gonna make you pay for that!”

Aile dodged as he swiped his arm.  He then bent down suddenly, snapping his jaws shut, and caught Aile’s leg in them.  Whipping forward, he threw her into the ground, punched her before she could get up, and then smothered her in flames before finally stopping to roar again.  Aile rolled to her feet to see another punch coming, and now she was the one who roared.  Suddenly, she switched to Model FX, and stepped slightly to the side as the massive fist came towards her.  She reached out both arms and wrapped them around her foe’s wrist.  Then, she dug in her feet, called on all of Model F’s strength, and pulled and twisted as hard as she could.  Fafnakkel tried to pull free, but her grip was too strong.  He let loose a terrible screech as the scales on his shoulder started to pop off, and soon after that, his arm was torn clean from its socket.  Aile grinned up at him as she hefted the severed limb.

“Try me!”

She heaved, hurling Fafnakkel’s arm into his own face.  In an instant, she was using Model HX again, and began to hack wildly at the Pseudoroid.  Fafnakkel was too stunned to act for a time.  Before long, however, he took a large bite out of the wall, and Aile readied for him to finally retaliate.  However, she was still caught off-guard by his method of attack: picking up the arm she had ripped off and bludgeoning her with it.  Fafnakkel jammed the limb back in place then, the point of connection glowing white-hot as he tried to mend it.

“We’re nearly there,” H said.  “A few more attacks should do it.”

As Aile stepped forward, X murmured, “We should still be cautious…you don’t heal as fast as he does, Aile.”

She sidestepped a fireball, tossing an orb of electricity in return.  “…Right.  I’ll watch out.”

Fafnakkel could do little more than shoot fireballs as he focused on healing his arm.  Aile made sure to dodge each one, having plenty of time between to land saber slashes; now that each cut she made stayed there a while, she realized just how much progress she was making, and that thought helped her focus a bit.

“Damn Mega Men,” Fafnakkel growled.  “You’re just as psycho as that kid!  Are you gonna pull out a scythe too?”

Aile’s movements slowed as she worked out what he was saying.  Fafnakkel noticed immediately.  His arm had healed more than he had let on, and when he saw the opening, he spun as fast as he could and drove his reclaimed fist forward, hitting Aile head-on.  He smiled a flame-encircled grin…until he pulled his fist back.  Aile was standing right where she had been, swords crossed to catch the blow she had just received, and glaring quietly up at Fafnakkel.  Then, she gave her own smile.

“Help me test something out, Fafnawhatever,” she said.

She spread her arms, and a brilliant surge of electricity blanketed her body.  Her armor began to emit bright green light, swirling into a sphere around her, while smaller points of light spiraled outward above and below her.  For a moment, she was totally obscured from view…and when it passed, she looked no different.  Then, the jets on her back flipped wide open, snapping into place as pink energy erupted from within them to form rounded, wing-like projections behind her.  The stabilizers on her head were completely consumed by a blaze of pink, and as Aile gently lifted off the ground, every piece of her armor glimmered and shifted, becoming slightly but noticeably sleeker and more aerodynamic.  She raised her arms and her swords vanished.  The tips of her fingers began to glow, more pink energy forming webbing between them.  Aile took a moment to look down at herself, and in that moment, new information swelled into her mind, telling her everything she needed to know about the power she had just unleashed.

Fafnakkel, meanwhile, watched in mild horror as his foe transformed.  “W…what the hell is that?!”

Feeling the rush of energy, Aile looked back to Fafnakkel and held her arms out in a rather dramatic fashion.  “Model H Armed Incarnation…Zephyrus Sprite!”

She slashed the air with one hand.  A powerful shockwave flew out, severing Fafnakkel’s good arm.  He recovered quickly, throwing a punch with the arm he had left, but Aile vanished in a flash only to reappear right in front of his face.  She clawed at his nose before he could react, and was gone long before he opened his jaws to counterattack.  A flurry of shockwaves battered Fafnakkel as he tried to pinpoint where Aile was.  He resorted to shooting fireballs randomly, and, somehow, it worked: Aile was struck, forcing her to stay still for a moment, and Fafnakkel used the opportunity to grab her in his claws.

“It’ll take more than that!” he roared, flames already building up behind his teeth.

Aile smirked.  “Alright.”

She wrenched one arm free and reached out as if to grab something.  A bolt of lightning shot from her palm, striking Fafnakkel in the eyes and paralyzing him.  The electricity continued to pour forth from Aile, spreading across the Pseudoroid’s entire body as she floated away from him, leaving him powerless as she flexed her other hand.

“Ciel,” she mumbled, “you really were something else.”

She slashed.  A narrow shockwave flew straight into Fafnakkel’s exposed chest, and scales erupted from his back.  Her lightning attack ceased, and Aile slowly descended back to the ground, landing just as the glow left her armor.  In an instant, she was back to normal.  Fafnakkel collapsed before her.

“So it doesn’t last very long,” H noted.  “We’ll need to be careful about when to use this power.”

“Definitely,” Aile said.  “Still, it does a hell of a lot of damage.  I had more than enough juice to take down this guy.”

F laughed.  “Sounds like you enjoyed yourself, Aile!”

She paused.  “…Well…maybe a little…”

Then, Fafnakkel stirred.  “I’m not…dead…yet…”

Aile drew her swords.  “What, you really want another round?  Face it, you’re done for.”

“You’re right…I can’t win.  But if I have to die, then at the very least…”  He paused to chuckle.  Orange light began to shine from every opening in his body.  “I’ll take you with me!”

That easily got his point across.  Aile turned and dashed back the way she had come, not getting far before she heard a massive explosion behind her.  The entire mine began to shake, and she kept moving, not even slowing as she dodged the rocks falling above her.  That changed, however, when she saw Atlas lying unconscious beneath a broken stalactite.

“Seriously?!”

She grabbed the woman without thinking.  The extra weight slowed her down, and small rocks were now pelting her every few seconds as she made her way towards the exit.  Soon she could see daylight.  As she raced towards it, a terrible groan echoed all around her, and she focused all the strength she had into firing one powerful burst from Model HX’s jets.  Aile and Atlas were propelled out of the mine a fraction of a second before its entrance crumbled shut.  The mine continued to shake loudly for a few seconds, and Aile had to take that time to catch her breath.  But soon, it was all over; she picked herself up, looked back at the mountain, and let out a very long sigh.

“Damn…”

She then turned to Atlas.  The other woman was starting to stir as well, and when her eyes snapped open, she sat up immediately and took stock of her surroundings.  The look she eventually gave to Aile was one of confusion.

“Did you…save me?” she asked.

Aile averted her gaze.  “Um…I guess…”

“Why did you do that?” Atlas asked as she got to her feet.  “I’m your enemy!  What do you gain by keeping me alive?”

Her weariness turning to exasperation, Aile grunted, “I don’t know!  Do I need a reason?”

A quiet laugh came from X.  Aile paused a moment, and then deactivated her Megamerge and turned to leave.

“Wait,” Atlas said.

“I don’t really have time,” Aile said, though she still stopped to face Atlas.

Atlas stood there a while, looking like she was grappling with what she wanted to say.  Eventually, though, she crossed her arms and said, “Nevermind.  Get going.”

Aile rolled her eyes and kept walking, tapping her communicator as she did.  “Come in.  Can you give me an update on the Hunters’ condition?”

***

“Still here?”

Atlas looked up.  Aeolus stood in front of her, looking condescending as ever.  She sneered, “What’s it to you?”

“I figured as soon as you filed your report, you’d be off to train or something.  You never seemed the type for deep contemplation.”

“Screw you.”

Aeolus turned to the side and took a few short steps, producing a tablet that he eyed with disinterest.  “I glanced over it.  You say that when Fafnakkel destroyed the mine, the entrance was sealed off…I was a bit confused by that.  Assuming you teleported to safety, did you teleport to the surface for some reason, rather than straight back here?”

Atlas leaned back in her seat, staring up at the ceiling.

“Or is it presumptuous to assume you escaped under your own power?”

“You’re presumptuous, that’s for sure,” Atlas said.

Aeolus gave something halfway between a scoff and a laugh.  “Oh Atlas…for all your talk, you needed Aile’s help to escape your death, didn’t you?”

She didn’t answer.

“I wonder.  How does it feel to know you’re nowhere near as strong as you think?”

Atlas clenched her teeth and leaned forward.  “How does it feel to have a stick up your ass?”

Aeolus faced away, pocketing the tablet.  “Hmph.  Crude as ever.”

A long silence passed.  Atlas broke it by saying, “Aeolus.  You said you want to wipe out people who don’t meet your standards.  Try to keep the world safe by deciding who gets to live in it.”

“Very good.  You remembered.”

“How are you sure that’s gonna work?”

Aeolus turned back to her.  “You think your idea is better, simpleton?”

“Cool it.  I’m just askin’.  How do you know you haven’t got the wrong idea?”

“Judging by what I’ve seen, it’s what makes the most logical sense.  Fools sow chaos and destruction.  Only those with intellect are able to maintain order.”

Atlas shifted her weight.  “...Other people have different experiences…learn different things.  What if you lose something by eliminating those people?”

Aeolus just stared at her for a moment.  “Did Aile say something to you?”

“Yeah.  Her and Model F.”  She glanced at him.  “Did she say something to you too?”

Aeolus looked away.  Before he could give an answer, the door slid open, and the air suddenly felt thicker.  Master Thomas strode into the room, his new form only barely fitting through the doorframe.  Aeolus stepped aside unconsciously; Atlas, on the other hand, jumped to her feet.

“Atlas,” he said, fixing his cold gaze directly upon her.  “In your report you mentioned something called an ‘Armed Incarnation’.  Tell me more about that.”

Undaunted, Atlas shrugged.  “I don’t really know much.  That’s just what Aile called it when her armor changed.”

“Did she say anything else?  Even something that seemed inconsequential?”

Atlas thought back.  “Just that it was powerful…they needed to be careful with it…and, uh, something about a…Ciel?”

Thomas’s eyes narrowed.  “Hm.  As I thought.”

With that, he turned to leave.  Aeolus cleared his throat and said, “And what exactly does this mean?”

“It means that Aile has begun to decrypt some very crucial data,” Thomas replied, not even looking over his shoulder as he began to walk towards the door.  “That is all you need to know.”

Aeolus pursed his lips, but said nothing more.  Atlas said, “Hey, Thomas!  When are we getting that Biometal you promised us?”

Thomas’s pace didn’t slow at all.  “All things in good time.  There is still much work to be done.”

He was out the door before she could press further.  She put her hands on her hips and grunted.

“Someone’s eager,” Aeolus said.  “Did seeing a real fight make you impatient to get in one of your own?”

Atlas shook her head.  “…Got a promise I need to keep.  That’s all.”

Aeolus raised an eyebrow.  Atlas said nothing more, so he decided to leave her be.  She remained standing there, glaring at the floor, trying her best to make sense of what she was feeling.

Chapter Text

The wounded Hunters were all recovering well, with Grey even departing to help the other squad monitoring the least-concerning Pseudoroid.  Before he did, however, he told Aile that something odd had happened when he fought Fafnakkel: that he had blacked out for a moment, and when he came to, Fafnakkel had been badly wounded.  He said he felt fine now, so Aile told him not to worry and wished him good luck.  She had then pointed the ship in the direction of the Pseudoroid the Guardians were dealing with, stopped in to see Fleuve and temporarily left Model F in his care, and then gone to sleep off what fatigue she could.

Now she stood on the beach, the salty air calming her a bit despite the situation.  Many of the Guardians on-site were slowly combing the ocean with small watercraft, while more formed a line along the shore, their weapons ready as they waited for a target.  Aile looked away as someone called out to her.

“I’m afraid we lost track of it, Commander,” a Guardian informed her.  “Though to be honest, we weren’t doing much good when we were fighting it.”

“Don’t worry, looks like the situation’s still pretty under control,” Aile said.  “I’ll go in and see if I can’t draw it out.”

“One more thing,” the Guardian said, though he hesitated a bit.  “We, um, found this child wandering around here…we told him to go home, but he said he was here to talk to you.  We weren’t really sure what to do, but he’s in our custody.”

Aile sighed.  “Oh, right.  Can you bring him here?”

The Guardian left and returned with Thetis in tow.  The boy grinned up at Aile, bouncing a bit as he said, “You’re finally here!  What took so long?  The other Pseudoroids weren’t really giving you trouble, were they?”

Aile crouched.  “Alright, Thetis.  What kind of Pseudoroid am I dealing with here?”

Thetis’s eyes gleamed.  “Thomas created an amazing one!  He’s an unstoppable creature that rules over the sea, called Levortex the Serpentoid!”

Aile grimaced.  “Wonderful name.”

“It’s only a matter of time before he destroys this area!  Then, with these humans and Reploids gone, there’ll be no one to threaten the ocean—and Levortex will move on to the next settlement, and the next!  He’ll eliminate anyone who could pollute the water!  I can’t wait to see it!”

Aile didn’t say anything, just placed her chin on her fist and aimed a concerned stare at Thetis.  The boy’s enthusiasm gradually faded.

“…You still don’t want to protect the ocean, do you?”

“What did I say last time?” Aile asked.  “We can talk about protecting the ocean.  I’m all for clean oceans.  But, maybe we can do it in a way that involves less…genocide?”

Thetis scowled.  He was probably trying to look intimidating, Aile figured, but if so he wasn’t having much success.  “Fine!  I don’t need you anyway—I’ll protect the ocean by myself if I have to!  I’m used to no one listening to me, ignoring me because they think I’m some dumb kid!  You’re the same as everyone else!”

Aile cocked her head.  It was Model L who came forward, the Biometal shouting, “Ugh, enough!  You know why everyone treats you like a dumb kid?  Because you’re acting like a dumb kid!”

Thetis recoiled a little, but then stamped his foot and replied, “Shut up!  What do you know?”

“A hell of a lot more than you, that’s for sure!  Listen to you, so sure that you’re right and everyone else is wrong, that your way is the only way anything’s going to get done!  No one wants to work with you because you don’t know how to work with others!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Weren’t you listening?  You’re stuck on this one particular way to do things, and want everyone else to agree with you.  Meanwhile Aile’s saying she will help you, and you blow her off entirely because she wants to do it differently!  It’s the most inane, self-defeating mentality I’ve ever seen, and as long as you hold onto it, you’re going to stay every bit as lonely as you are now!”

Thetis started to shrink away.  Aile touched Model L, saying, “Hey, that’s enough.”

L glanced at her, then back to Thetis, and finally backed off in a huff.

“Thetis,” Aile said.  “I’m sure you’re being stubborn because you think you have to be—protecting the environment has always been an uphill battle, and maybe it always will be.  But what you’re planning to do is kill loads of innocent people just because they don’t agree with you.  That’s wrong.  Do you understand?”

Thetis crossed his arms and turned away, not saying a single word.  Aile began working on another attempt, but she heard shouting coming from the Guardians, and turned to see what the commotion was.  The ocean was churning, waves rising and falling in a very unnatural way.  The Guardians on its surface carefully made their way back to shore, and up above, the HQ flew over the disturbance as the water began to bubble.  Something broke the surface then, erupting in a pillar of water that reached high enough that it almost consumed the airship; Aile rushed down to the shore as the veil fell away, revealing Levortex to her.  The serpent was massive, perhaps the largest Pseudoroid she’d ever seen, with not a single gap visible in the smooth bluish-white armor that coated his body.  His wedge-shaped head was encircled with massive ice spikes, and while his teeth were small, there appeared to be hundreds of them, a sight almost as terrifying as the look he gave her, his eyes laser-focused despite the feral energy bursting behind them.

Levortex roared.  The spikes on his head separated from him, flying through the air like missiles locked onto the line of Guardians on the shore.  They opened fire, barely managing to destroy the projectiles in time, but their foe was too far away for their shots to reach him.  He gave an unsightly grin at this.  Above, however, he heard a high-pitched whine, and turned to regard the airship.  A massive blast of energy met him head-on.  Levortex screeched in pain, seeming to retreat back underwater.  A second later, his tail lashed up out of the sea, only a quick turn saving the airship from being torn open by it.

“Yikes…” was all Aile could think to say.

Levortex soon resurfaced, now even farther out than before.  The icicles on his neck had already grown back.  He faced the sky and roared once again, but this time, the sky darkened at his call, the clouds turning gray as they all gathered together.  Aile felt a drop of rain.  It came slowly at first, but escalated quickly into a deluge that threatened to wash them all away.  Thunder rolled above her as Aile activated her communicator.

“Come in!” she yelled, trying to be heard over the din that surrounded her.  “HQ, pull out!  It’s not safe for you up there!”

The reply was near-instant: “This is Tulip, Commander.  We can handle a little rain—and judging from our ground troops’ reports, this thing can move fast.  You might need us to keep an eye out in case it tries to run.”

“Now’s no time to…” Aile began, but then she stopped.  As she watched Levortex sink back beneath the waves, an idea she hated struck her; much as she would rather get her crew out of harm’s way, her priority was stopping the Pseudoroid…and there was a way they could help her with that.

Aile merged with Model LX and waded into the ocean.  Putting a hand to her ear, she resumed, “Alright, Tulip.  Keep this channel open.  Eyes on the Pseudoroid.  If things get too rough, I want you to get out of here…but until then, follow my orders, and keep the ship’s weapons charged.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

With that done, Aile submerged and fired Model LX’s turbines, shooting forward until she could see Levortex’s massive frame moving in the distance.  Angling down, she slowed her approach just a bit as she tried to slip in under the creature.  When she passed under his tail, however, she saw one of his fins twitch, and the water between them began to move.  The next thing Aile knew, a whirlpool had enveloped her, tossing her about but luckily doing no real harm, and eventually she managed to throw herself free.  The first thing she saw once she was out were the jaws of Levortex as he charged at her.  Spinning around, she just barely got to the side of the serpent as it swam past her, and she took the opportunity to switch to Model FX.  She punched Levortex in the side as hard as she could, sending him rolling off to the side, and then returned to Model LX and touched her helmet.

“Thirty meters from my signal, opposite my heading—fire!”

A beam of energy lanced down through the water, striking Levortex with enough force to hurl the already-stunned Pseudoroid to the ocean floor.  Aile rushed him down, switching back to FX only when she was right on top of him, and she slammed both cannons downward to send a wave of flame along his body.  Levortex roared furiously…but then, with a flick of his tail, Aile was launched through a nearby coral reef.

Tough bastard, huh?

Ice spikes were bearing down on her.  She used Model FX to obliterate them all, but then the water picked her up, spinning her into another whirlpool, and this time Levortex smacked her out of it with his tail.  She bounced off the sea floor, switching to Model LX as she ascended, and then circled around her foe as he started to move again.

“Tulip, can you fire a volley?  100 meters to my…”

She sighed, not sure which direction was which after being spun around.

“Make it a circular spread, radius 120 meters from my position.”

Blasts began to rain down then, smaller than the earlier attacks but still just as fast.  Aile carefully wove through them as she tried to get closer to Levortex.  The Pseudoroid was pelted by a few shots before he began to twist and turn, his enormous body cutting through the water like it weighed nothing, avoiding any further damage from the volley.  But it distracted him—and Aile threw her halberd like a javelin, puncturing his snout and giving her something to grab onto when she finally reached him.  One of his eyes, larger than her whole body, glared at her as she clung there.  She glared right back.

With a roar, Levortex swung to the side, smacking his face against the coral in an attempt to dislodge Aile; she switched to Model PX just before impact and jumped to the other side of Levortex’s face, using the Biometal’s ability to adhere herself there in an instant.  Levortex slowed as he pulled away, so Aile went back to Model FX, and she began to pound away at the Pseudoroid’s face, the surface beneath her punches slowly but surely giving way.  As she reared back for another blow, she was suddenly blinded by a bright light.  It came from Levortex’s eyes, now glowing brilliantly as he bucked and dislodged the off-balance Mega Man, and he swam away then, stopping only to swat her aside with his tail.

“Dammit!” Aile grunted.  She sped after him using LX, ordering, “Tulip, advance along my heading—see if you can cut him off!”

She rolled from side to side as more missiles came at her, but she never strayed from her course.  While she was clearly gaining on Levortex, it wasn’t by much, and she would likely only get one chance to stop him once she did catch up.  However, surprising him didn’t seem likely, and useful as Model LX was for underwater combat, its attacks didn’t pack the kind of punch she was going to need.  The water ahead warped—she banked hard to avoid the distortion, barely clearing the whirlpool when it began.  Levortex was changing direction, probably hoping to circle around and attack her, but upon seeing she had avoided the trap he instead charged off in another direction.  Aile angled her approach to intercept.

“Can you see him, Tulip?”

“Yes—we’re changing course!  We’re just about on top of him, Commander!”

Aile knew that meant she needed to think of something fast.  “Alright…when you get over him, aim for the head.  Then I want you to circle around and stay on the defensive for a minute, in case he counterattacks!”

“Understood!”

“Model F…I know we’ve only had a few chances, but we’ve been able to get some energy towards the Incarnation, right?”

“Some, yeah,” F replied.  “Both you and the Pseudoroid have been makin’ your hits count, but we’re gonna need a lot more.”

Aile nodded.  “Okay…stand-by.”

Levortex watched Aile as she came closer, not trying to avoid the interception at all.  His eyes lit up as she drew closer, and though she raised one arm to block it (while pulling the other back and making a fist), she still floundered a bit and lost some of her pace.  Levortex smiled.  However, as he turned to attack Aile, another blast from the airship came down, hitting the side of his head and leaving him defenseless as he tumbled through the water towards Aile.  At the last possible second, Aile threw a punch and shifted to Model FX, letting the momentum of LX’s underwater speed add to FX’s strength to land an extraordinarily devastating blow to the Pseudoroid’s skull.  Cracks spread out from the point of impact, and one of his eyes exploded out of its socket.  His entire body twirled around as he fell face-first into the ocean floor, skidding for over a hundred meters before finally coming to rest.  Aile stayed where she landed and watched to see if he would get up.

He did.

“How are we now, F?” Aile asked.

“Close, but not close enough,” F said.  “It’d take another hit like that to finish charging, and I don’t know if we’re gonna get that chance.”

Levortex roared at her, firing a barrage of icicles as he aimed his body and started to swim.  Aile focused on shooting them down, knowing she had at least a little time to think, but Levortex was still growing ever closer.

“Commander!” Tulip said.  “He hasn’t returned fire—what are your orders?”

That gave Aile an idea.  She hated this one too, but again, she didn’t see much of a choice.  Bracing herself, she said, “Tulip…fire on my position.”

“What?!  Repeat that, Commander!  It sounded like—“

“Fire at me!”

“Aile,” X said, “even if that’s enough to charge the Incarnation, it’ll almost be enough to finish your energy!  If your Megamerge fails here, you won’t float back to the surface fast enough!”

“I know, X.”

“Aile—“

“It’ll work!  Trust me, okay?”

X hesitated.  Levortex was close now, so Aile shouted, “Tulip!  Hit me!”

The next instant, she felt nothing but pain.  The energy blast hit her dead-on, nearly knocking her off her feet, but somehow she managed to stay upright.  Levortex was scared off by the attack, hanging back to see if she had survived.  She swayed a bit as the world came back into focus.  Then, she glared up at Levortex, and she raised both cannons.

“Let’s do it…Model F…”

A hysteric laugh came from the Biometal of Flame as orange light enveloped Aile.  The water around her boiled, spiraling orbs of light mixing in with the sheet of bubbles that enshrouded her, and then, as one, they all burst.  Aile sunk ankle-deep into the sea floor as her armor bulked up immensely, and her cannons floated out of her hands, turning into shining spheres of orange.  After hanging there for a second, they transformed suddenly, each growing into a massive, cylindrical blaster five times Aile’s size.  They hovered at Aile’s sides, each extending two long cables that connected to her forearms.  Aile’s hands curled into fists as she lowered them.  Levortex regarded her curiously.

“Model F…Armed Incarnation…”

She slowly lifted her right fist.

“Brimstone…Gatling!”

She punched.  The cannon on her right fired a great orb of flame at high speed, catching Levortex completely off-guard—and then consuming him in an explosion that burned too brightly for the water to douse it.  Aile punched with her left.  Another blast, this one from her left cannon.  She punched again, and again, faster with each jab, her fists moving back and forth in a blistering rhythm, and in response the cannons poured forth a ferocious barrage of exploding fireballs, the flame and smoke being enough to completely obscure Levortex from view and even breaking the surface of the ocean far above them.  Levortex managed to poke his head through the cloud, and willed a whirlpool into being around Aile.  But the heavy armor kept her planted firmly in place, and Levortex was out of sight once more, wailing in agony.

Eventually, Aile stopped.  She felt a bit light-headed as she watched the smoke clear, but she was still lucid enough to see a badly-damaged Levortex still squirming around in the water.  So, she clenched both fists and pulled them back, and the barrels of both cannons began to glow with heat.

“You’re not…escaping this,” Aile said.  “I’m going to wipe you…off the face of the Earth!”

Levortex mustered what strength he had left.  He charged forward, mouth open, but he never made it to Aile.  She thrust both fists forward, launching two final blasts of Brimstone Gatling, and blew the Pseudoroid to smithereens.  Her cannons shrunk down then, and her armor returned to normal.  She took a moment to be sure he was really gone.  Then, she smiled, feeling awash with a sense of relief…and then, her body cried out in sheer agony.

“Commander?!” Tulip shouted.  “What was that?  Are you alright?  Aile?!”

It seemed to take ages for her hand to reach her communicator.  “I’m here…Tulip…the Pseudoroid…is…gone…”

Somehow, she couldn’t hear Tulip’s reply.  She became very aware of the ebb and flow of the water around her, realizing it was pulling her with it, slowly wrenching her off her feet, and there was nothing she could do to steady herself.  The world warped around her—and she thought she was back at HQ’s transporter room, but only for a moment before she lost consciousness.

***

Thetis sat on the edge of the walkway, feet kicking slowly as they dangled out in open air.  Beneath him, down at the bottom of Legion HQ, was a sprawling, bustling city filled with humans and Reploids going about their daily lives.  The crowds had a certain flow to them, he thought, and watching it gave him something to do.  Still, there was also something about it just made his heart ache.

“What are you doing?”

He looked up.  Aeolus was slowly making his way across the bridge, staring down his nose at the boy.  Thetis jumped up and said, “People-watching.  What about you?”

“I’m returning to my quarters to rest.”  He passed Thetis, not slowing for a second.

Following him, Thetis said, “Hey, did you read my report?  Anything interesting you learned from it?”

“I did, and no.”

Thetis frowned.  “Aw come on.  Aile was able to take down something as big as Levortex, even after being worn down by the other two!  That’s exciting, isn’t it?”

“We already know she’s capable.  I see no point in getting worked up about it.”

“Really?  You get worked up over little things all the time.”

Aeolus turned on his heel to see Thetis sticking his tongue out at him.  With a heavy sigh, he said, “Thetis.  You are a Mega Man.  By now, I think it only fair to expect you to act like one.”

“Technically, none of us are Mega Men right now.”

“My point still stands.  You have more than enough reason to have outgrown the immaturity that you still allow to define you.  But if anything, you’ve dived even deeper into that pointless behavior.”

“What?  That’s not fair!  I’m totally mature!”

Aeolus paused.  “Do you truly think that?  Even now?”

Thetis furrowed his brow.  “Even…what are you getting at?”

“According to your report, just today you told Aile that Levortex was going to scour the coast wiping out all civilization, in order to protect the ocean.  But Levortex cannot speak.  And as with all the Pseudoroids, Thomas gave him no directive whatsoever.”

Scratching his head, Thetis said, “Well…maybe I inferred a bit, but—“

“You projected your own desires onto a machine with questionable sentience.  You were so desperate to feel like someone finally agreed with you, that you decided to invent a connection, and presented it as fact to someone else you hoped to convince.”

Thetis’s eyes wandered.

“The Pseudoroids are tools for collecting data.  Not weapons to be used for your own foolish dream, and certainly not our friends.  To think anything else is a sign of weakness not befitting one with your potential.”  He stepped forward, casting his shadow over Thetis.  “Grow up.  Or give up.  Those are your only options, Thetis.  I suggest you consider them carefully.”

He departed, leaving Thetis alone again.  The boy stared hard at the floor, slowly clenching his fists; he raised one sleeve to wipe his eyes, and then he turned around and sat back down where he had been, now sitting totally still.

“No one cares,” he mumbled.  “Why do I keep trying?”

Soon he heard footsteps, but he didn’t turn to see who they belonged to.  “Thetis.”

He recognized the voice.  Quickly getting to his feet, he said, “Oh, Master Thomas!  Is there something you need?”

Thomas stood there looming over him a moment, his expression unreadable, and then stepped beside him and looked down at the city.  “When Aile went to fight Levortex, you did not pursue.  Tell me why.”

Thetis fidgeted.  “Uh, well…without Model L, I didn’t really have a way of getting out there…”

“The Guardians had numerous crafts.  You could have taken one of them.”

“…I was still able to record the data.”

“Barely.  I would have preferred clearer readings.”

Thetis hung his head.

“Did you at least carry out the other task I assigned you?”

“O-Oh, yes!  I slipped the beacon into the Guardian’s pocket when he wasn’t looking.”

Thomas nodded once.  “Hmph.  Then that is good enough, I suppose.”

Hesitantly, Thetis said, “Um, Master Thomas…once he realizes it’s there, won’t he break it?”

“He will not discover it.  The casing will degrade quickly, and then the beacon’s true form will emerge…a cyber-elf that will hide within the Guardian airship where no one can find it, allowing me to track its location no matter where it goes.”

“Oh.  Must be one you made yourself, I bet!  Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

Thomas turned to look straight at Thetis.  “Because then you would have gotten cocky, and you would have implied something to Aile, allowing her to figure it out.”

Thetis didn’t know what to say to that.

“For now, Thetis…it is best if you simply stay out of the way.  I will call for you when I have thought of some use for you.”

Thomas walked away.  Once again, Thetis was alone.  For a minute or so, he just stood there, trying to take stock of his feelings.  When that was done, he sat back down again, buried his face in his hands, and quietly began to sob.

Chapter Text

Aile jolted awake, a flash of panic filling her as she looked at her surroundings.  Upon realizing she was in the Guardians’ infirmary, it faded away, and she began to take long, deep breaths.

“Easy, Aile.”  Muguet was standing next to her bed, she realized.  The old nurse scowled at her, but Aile knew her well enough to tell she was relieved.  “We brought you up in time.  You’re alright.”

“Ah…thanks,” Aile gasped.  She put a hand to her head, trying to stay focused on her breathing.  “…How long?”

“You just slept through the night,” Muguet said as she scribbled something onto her clipboard.  “And before you ask, we’ve gotten in touch with Grey: he’s fine.  Having some trouble with the Pseudoroid, but probably doing better than he would’ve if you’d charged off to help in the condition you were in.”

Aile glanced across the room to the bed where Prairie lay.  Before she could say anything else, Muguet said, “That was a damn stupid thing you did, Aile.  Don’t go pulling any more stunts like that.”

Aile grinned weakly.  “Well…I promise to try…”

Muguet huffed.  “Wait here.  I need to do a few more tests before I release you.”

She walked off.  Aile laid back down and closed her eyes for a moment—she may have just woken up, but she was already exhausted.

Still…as soon as Muguet’s done, I need to go take down that Pseudoroid.  If Grey hasn’t been able to stop it by now, it must be a tricky one.  I just want this over already.

When she opened her eyes, she found the Biometals floating above her.  She gave them a smile.  “Hey guys.  Sorry if I worried you.”

“Hah!  Don’t apologize!” F said.  “That was a blast!  Can’t wait to see how the next Pseudoroid tops it!”

“F,” H said.  “We cannot continue to behave so recklessly.  What if Aile had not been rescued in time?  In the future—“

“Yeah, yeah,” L said, “she already said she was sorry for that.  Cut her some slack.”

P didn’t say anything, and Z just nodded.  When she looked to X, he quietly said, “It was reckless, and I was worried.  If things had gone any differently, you wouldn’t be here with us now, Aile.”

Aile groaned, rolling over onto her side to look the other way.  “Alright, I get it.”

“…But,” X went on.  “You’ve always been reckless.  So at the same time…it was nice to see you acting like your usual self again.”

Aile didn’t say anything.  L pushed forward then, saying, “By the way, Fleuve cracked another piece of the data while you were out!  I’ve got my own Armed Incarnation now, and I insist we use it as soon as possible.  I’m sure it’ll be incredible!”

F snorted.  “Like anything can compete with my Brimstone Gatling!  Don’t get your hopes up, L.”

“Oh please!  What sort of stupid power-up is ‘bigger guns’?  My Incarnation will surely be something far more elegant.”

“It’s not a competition, you two,” Z said.

“Heh, don’t be jealous, Z,” F said, “I’m sure Ciel’s got a gift for you too.”

Z twisted suddenly, as if about to say something, then faced away and stayed silent.  Aile chuckled and pushed herself into a sitting position.  “I’ll do what I can, L.  Can’t say I’m not curious.”

Muguet returned soon and waved the Biometals away.  It didn’t take her long to run the remaining tests, and though she recommended Aile rest a bit longer, she went ahead and gave her permission to leave.  The ship had already reached its destination, so after checking in with everyone, Aile merged with Model ZX, readied her pistol, and transported down.

The sight that greeted her was far more tranquil than she had expected.  Chunks of ancient, moss-covered stone were strewn about all around, organized just enough that she could tell this must have been a settlement long ago.  It was quiet—save for the occasional birdsong or buzzing insect—and as she entered the town gates she met nothing that changed that.  She almost put her pistol away.

There’s plenty of cover here.  I don’t know what I’m dealing with when it comes to this Pseudoroid, and I’m sure Siarnaq’s around…even without Biometal, I shouldn’t take him lightly.

Finally, something shifted up ahead.  Aile crouched and waited, but when nothing came, she slowly advanced to where she had heard the sound.  She popped around the corner, pointing her weapon right at—

“Grey?”

The boy looked over his shoulder, jumping a bit at the sound of her voice.  Once he recognized her, he gave a sigh, and then said, “Don’t sneak up on me like that, Aile.  I thought you were the Pseudoroid.”

“Sorry,” Aile said as she walked to his side.  “Care to fill me in?  You don’t look roughed up, but this hunt has been going on a bit long, hasn’t it?”

Grey grimaced.  He turned and started walking, gesturing for her to follow.  “Yeah, well, this Pseudoroid isn’t the kind of fighter I’m used to.  It’s more like he’s been hunting us.”

“Oh.  Then, the other Hunters…?”

All Grey could do was shrug.  “They’ve been disappearing one-by-one.  I think I’m the only one left.  Hopefully…they’re not dead…”

Aile hesitated.  “…Not to make a bad situation worse, but have you seen Siarnaq anywhere?”

Grey glanced at her.  “Siarnaq?  No, don’t think so.”

“Hm…not sure if that’s good or bad…”

A noise caught their attention.  They surrounded a building that was mostly intact, peeking through the windows to spot a handful of Galleons inside.

“Hey, Aile,” Model L whispered, “we can charge my Incarnation fighting these guys!”

Aile rolled her eyes, but went ahead and switched to Model LX.  The Galleons heard her transform and faced her direction, but Grey shot at them from behind, keeping them stunned long enough for Aile to charge into the room.  She skewered one Galleon instantly—the tip of her halberd emerged from their back, and from it shot a bolt of ice that froze a second enemy solid.  Aile ducked under a shot as she removed her weapon from its victim.  Grey fired a precise shot at the Galleon’s cannon, rendering it useless, and then Aile came forward, generating icy spikes on her knuckles before punching a hole in her enemy’s chest.  She stepped back quickly, but Grey had already finished the remaining Galleon; she took a moment to shatter the one she had frozen, and then the two of them moved on.

“I don’t know where he keeps getting these,” Grey said.  “It feels like every time I turn around he’s got a new batch of those things for me to fight.”

“Only Galleons?  Could be worse.”

“Sure, but it’s exhausting to keep fighting and fighting and not feel like I’m making any progress.  You know?”

Aile’s steps slowed a bit.  “…Yeah, I do.”

After a short pause, Grey went on, “Even if we beat Thomas…do you think someone else will come up with some new evil plan?  And then another, and another, and…”

“I don’t know…maybe,” Aile said.  “We’ll just have to stop them too.”

“We keep fighting to try to maintain the peace.  But…it kinda feels like peace never really sticks.  Like there’s always some other fight around the corner, and we’re just part of some never-ending cycle.  And don’t get me wrong: I’m glad we stopped Albert, and I definitely want to stop Thomas.  I’m just…not sure if I’m actually doing any good.  What’s really the point of saving the world if it always gets back in danger?”

Aile stopped walking.  She wanted to answer him—she tried as hard as she could to think of an answer to give.  But the more she thought about it, the more incredibly tired she felt.

Another squad of Galleons soon appeared, saving her from her stalemate.  She and Grey made quick work of them, and then they continued on without another word, encountering a few more pockets of enemies before reaching the opposite end of town.  Grey groaned loudly as they wandered through the gate.

“This is hopeless,” Grey said.  “Don’t we have a more accurate way of tracking the Pseudoroid?”

“You know we don’t,” Aile said.  “We’ll just have to keep at it until we find them.  Let’s—“

She was cut off by the sound of footsteps.  She and Grey both readied their weapons, and from around the corner came—

“Grey?!”

The boy had his weapons armed.  “Aile!  That over there is the Pseudoroid!  Get away from him!”

Aile turned to the Grey she had been traveling with, who was staring wide-eyed at his duplicate.  “What…?  H-Hang on, I’m not a Pseudoroid!  I’m the real deal!  You must be the fake!”

As he also raised his weapons, Aile muttered, “The Pseudoroid…is a copy of Grey?”

“He can disguise himself as other people!” said the newer Grey.  “Tricky bastard must have been trying to get you to let your guard down.”

“Hell of a way to introduce your powers!” said the first Grey.  “What, you expecting her to shoot me instead so you can get a free shot?  She’s not gonna fall for that!  Right Aile?”

“Aile, it’s me!”

“Aile!”

“Shut up!” Aile shouted.  “Both of you, just…give me a second.”

She looked from one to the other, but as far as she could tell they were identical.  From the direction of the newly-arrived Grey, Model A called out, “Aile, it’s really us!  You’ve gotta believe us!”

Aile thought for another moment.  She then glanced expectedly at the Grey closer to her, who just kept staring at his doppelganger.  After a few seconds, she pivoted to face him, and then he sighed heavily and lowered his weapons.

“I mean, I could do the voice, but I’d have to move my mouth,” he said.  “Nice job, Grey.  Didn’t expect you to be done so quickly.”

Aile brandished her halberd.  “So what’s the plan?  You had plenty of opportunity to attack me on the way here.”

The Pseudoroid shook his head.  “The point wasn’t to attack you.  I just wanted a chance to get to know you a little.  You’re as incredible as I expected, Aile.”

She squinted, not sure what to make of that.

“I guess we have to fight now…but not here.  I prepared an arena already, it’s—“

The Pseudoroid stepped aside quickly, narrowly dodging a shot from Grey.  “No!  We’re doing this here!”

“Don’t be rude,” the Pseudoroid said.  “Listen, you want the other Hunters back, right?”

Grey bared his teeth.  “…What have you—“

“They’re perfectly safe, don’t worry.  You should be thanking me, really: if I hadn’t secured them, Siarnaq probably would have killed them all just for the hell of it.”

Aile quickly surveyed the area.

“Alright, so,” the Pseudoroid went on, “if you head two blocks back into the city, then hang a left, you’ll eventually come to a ruined building with a few busted floodlights out front.  That’s where I’ll be waiting.  See you there.”

He vanished suddenly.  Aile and Grey held their stances a moment, but eventually relaxed and regrouped inside the city.  Grey said, “So that’s what it’s like to fight against yourself.”

Aile set a hand on his shoulder.  “You okay?”

“Just…frustrated.”  He pulled away from her.  “He was impersonating a Hunter earlier.  I managed to find him out, but he slipped away from me then too…”

“Guess we’ll just have to go fight on his terms,” Aile said.  “Thanks for chiming in, Model A.  Not sure I would’ve figured it out otherwise.”

“No problem!” A said.  “I’m just glad we got to you in time!”

They began to follow the Pseudoroid’s directions.  Grey said, “So he’s been pretending to be me?  What were you two doing?”

“Just making our way through the city, fighting some Mavericks.”

“Was he trying to get information from you?”

“I don’t think so.  He really only…”  She trailed off.

Grey turned.  “…What?”

“Well, he was saying something about…even if we stop Thomas, there’ll probably be someone else we’ll have to fight next.  There’s always another threat, how much good are we actually doing, that sort of thing.”

“Oh.  So he was trying to destroy your will to fight?”

“Yeah, maybe that was it,” Aile mused.

“…Did he?”

“What?  No, no, I’m still ready to fight.”

Grey paused.  “But, you are still thinking about it, aren’t you?”

Aile sighed.  “…Yeah, I guess.  It is hard to feel like we’re accomplishing much in the long-term when more and more things keep going wrong.  I can justify a single fight, but in the grand scheme of things…sometimes, I do kind of wonder why it is I keep fighting.”

She shook her head.

“But, enough of that.  We’ve got a Pseudoroid to fight.”

When they reached the building in question, they circled around it to see if they could spot the Pseudoroid and get the jump on him.  Unsurprisingly, they couldn’t see him at all, so Aile motioned for Grey to hang back and then made her way inside.  The “arena” was quite spacious: whatever this place had once been, it must’ve been able to hold hundreds of people, she thought.  Now it was entirely empty inside, though there appeared to be some fresh markings on the ground.

Did he really take the time to clear this place out?

She looked up sharply.  A number of half-destroyed ceiling beams jutted out from the walls at random, reaching over the sky like ancient tree branches; they creaked loudly, with no reason being obvious, so Aile kept her eyes trained on them for any indication of movement.  There was a flash—something fell through the air to the center of the floor, landing in a cloud of dust, and she backed away and aimed her pistol as it rose to its full height.  All she could make out was the silhouette of a cloak with a high collar.

“And thus, it begins,” boomed a deep, dramatic voice.  “Aile, the Ultimate Mega Man, and Grey, the Copy Mega Man, star in the fight of their lives.  Their opponent…”

The figure swung their cloak wide, dispelling the dust around them.  He had the body of a simple Reploid, if an unusually lithe one, with only dull iron-gray plating sheathing him.  The cloak outshone him: black on the outside, with a vibrant red lining that made the garment hard to miss.  His only other noteworthy feature was the mask he wore, an angular, pearl-white eye covering that Aile immediately recognized from Model PX.

“A creature of shadow, one born only to die…Persoul the Spectroid.”

Though he kept his gaze on Aile, he beckoned in Grey’s direction.  The boy hesitantly peeked out from his (apparently useless) hiding place.

“This conflict could decide the fate of the world.  Or is it already decided?  Be it weighty or empty, the fight has been commissioned.  It must be carried out.”

He paused to bow slightly.

“Shall we?”

Aile stared hard at him for a long while.  Then, she lowered her pistol.  “…You’re an odd one.  Judging by your little aside, it sounds like you’re not too keen to fight us.”

Persoul shrugged.  “Admittedly, no.  I have a good idea of how this will end—I’m a bit sharper than my siblings are.  Were.”

A pang of guilt bit into Aile’s heart.  “Okay, then why fight?  So long as you’re not bothering anyone, I don’t have any reason to take you down.  I’ll leave you be.”

Persoul smiled, humming to himself as he breathed out.  “I appreciate the offer.  I mean that.  But, I’m afraid it isn’t quite so simple: I’ve been cast in this role whether I like it or not, and it’s been made quite clear to me that I am expected to carry it out to the best of my ability.  The show must go on.”

Before Aile could argue further, Persoul threw his arms wide, palms crackling with bluish white energy.  This moment of flair gave her just enough warning—Persoul formed a kunai and hurled it in her direction, and she dashed out of the way.  She tried to make another appeal, but Persoul hadn’t stopped.  The energy around his other hand shot out in the form of a long cord, still connected to his palm at one end, and the other stretched out across the arena and wrapped itself around her midsection.  With a spin, Persoul pulled Aile off the ground and sent her flying into the wall.

Grey went on the offensive now: he dashed at Persoul, firing with one gun while trying to lock-on with the other, and managed to keep up fairly well as his target danced between each shot.  The Pseudoroid jumped up, connecting his tether to one of the ceiling beams, and ascended up out of range, disappearing from view as soon as he landed.  Grey extended the lock-on field from both his busters and walked slowly under the beams.

“Where are you?” he murmured.

Aile switched to Model PX and closed her eyes.  She could sense where Grey was, but when she tried to locate Persoul, she couldn’t pick up anything.  Opening her eyes, she stepped forward; a presence spontaneously appeared above her, and before she could react to it, an energy tether wrapped around her neck and pulled her up.  The Biometal protected her from being immediately killed by the whiplash, but she knew she needed to act fast.  Twisting her body, she used her momentum to swing towards a low-hanging beam, and managed to latch onto it with her clinging ability.  Now anchored, she was able to grab the cord with her other hand and yank on it, sending Persoul crashing to the floor.  Grey, in the form of Atlas, rushed over to the Pseudoroid and sent him flying with a punch.  Aile switched to Model HX to intercept him in the air.  He stabbed a kunai in her direction, but it was only a grazing blow—Aile used both swords to slam him down again, and Grey used his Queenbee form to launch a bolt of fire that engulfed their downed foe.

“You alright?” Grey asked.

“Think so,” Aile said, rubbing her neck.  “Be careful, though: that lasso is no joke.”

She switched to Model LX as the flames died down.  Persoul flourished his cloak as he stood, and then slowly walked to the side.  As he did, a duplicate of himself remained where he had initially been standing, and several more clones appeared this way before he stopped.  Each created a large shuriken in their hands.

“I know this trick,” Aile said.  “These are just illusions—they aren’t solid.”

The Persouls smirked.  Only one spoke, but all their mouths moved: “Are you certain?”

Grey quickly transformed into Siarnaq, but he too had difficulty detecting Persoul.  He and Aile prioritized dodging when the shuriken were thrown, and then they both bounded forward with weapons drawn, cutting through the first Persoul they could reach but both discovering it only to be an illusion.  A tether latched onto Aile’s chest as she was turning around.  Persoul reeled her in and rammed his fist into her gut, knocking the wind out of her.  Grey formed kunai in both hands, but Persoul pushed Aile into his line of fire, and the Pseudoroid was gone before she could stumble clear.

“Dammit!” Aile coughed.  “Guess he’s not going to make it easy for us…”

She flicked her halberd behind her head, deflecting a kunai just in time.  Grey threw a shuriken in the direction it had come from, but it just clanged against the wall.  Aile got up, standing back-to-back with Grey as he returned to his basic Megamerge, and they both waited silently.  One of the beams gave way.  Grey fired twin charged shots in that direction, while Aile sent out an ice dragon to freeze the surrounding area.  They couldn’t land a direct hit, but Persoul was close enough that frost settled on his invisible armor—Grey immediately took Aile’s form and charged, saber drawn, while Aile moved to flank the opponent.  Persoul became fully visible as he tossed his cord, catching Grey’s saber and nearly pulling it from his hand.  Grey managed to hang on, however, so Persoul was a bit off-balance when Aile bore down on him.  She thrust her halberd, tearing a hole in Persoul’s cloak, but the Pseudoroid himself leapt back and dismissed his tether, instead forming a kunai he wielded to deftly parry Aile’s next thrust.  He tried to get in under Aile’s guard, but she was quick enough to jump back.  Grey fired, hitting Persoul on the shoulder, and then Aile slammed her weapon down at his feet, causing freezing energy to erupt and consume him.  She retreated then, letting Grey through with a charged saber slash that sent Persoul sprawling.  He didn’t get back up.

“Persoul,” Aile said.  “There’s no reason to keep this up.  Why don’t you just surrender?”

A laugh came from the Pseudoroid.  He pushed himself off the ground, his back to the Mega Men, saying, “Ah, if only I could.  But you’d kill me in an instant if I tried, wouldn’t you, Siarnaq?”

Grey looked around.  Aile stayed focused on Persoul as he continued to slowly get up.  She noticed that his mask had broken off, now laying shattered where he had fallen.

“It’s as I said, Aile…the show must go on.  If you want it to end, then you’ll have to tear the curtain down yourself.”

He turned to face her.  Without his mask, a mess of jumbled wires now bulged out around his eyes, sparks crackling from them intermittently as they pulsed with a steady rhythm.  Persoul started—Grey charged at him, but the Pseudoroid removed his cloak and threw it at the boy, blinding and entangling him while he charged at Aile.  Aile came forward with a thrust.  Persoul vanished on contact, meanwhile something invisible got a cord around Grey and carried him up onto the beams.

“Let him go!” Aile shouted, taking careful aim as Persoul came into view.

Ignoring her, Persoul climbed until he reached the highest point of the crumbling wall, and then spun Grey in a circle above him a few times before hurling him straight at Aile.  She changed stances, trying to find the best way to cushion the impact, but Grey transformed just as he finally threw the cloak away.  Aile wasn’t quite sure who it was that bowled her over.

“Oh, Aile!” Grey said as he rushed to her side.  “Sorry, I—“

“Don’t worry,” Aile groaned as she got up.  “We…move!”

At least a dozen kunai were flying at them.  Aile rolled aside, and Grey, who she could now see had taken the form of Argoyle, dashed at the wall.  He kept his wheels rolling as he jumped, and began skating up to where Persoul was, a hazy doppelganger appearing a few feet to his side as he went.  Persoul jumped and used his tether to swing to a different wall; Grey tossed a bomb when he did, and once he figured out where Persoul was going to land, his shadow spun around and kicked it, sending it flying straight at Persoul and catching him in the explosion.  He fell only a short distance before he threw another tether at the wall.  Aile rode an ice dragon up to meet him, holding her open palms together and forward to fire a spray of weak ice pellets to try to keep him off his guard.  Persoul soon let go, but then lassoed the dragon’s tail and swung up onto its back, forming a kunai as he ran straight at Aile.  She managed to block, but then he attacked with his other hand, stabbing her in the ribs, and managed to get his cord around her wrists.  Aile threw a knee, but Persoul did the same to block.  He headbutted her in the face, his loose circuits giving her a mild shock, and then flipped over her and kicked her back towards the edge.  A well-placed spike on the dragon’s side was the only handhold Aile could find.  She immediately set about snapping her binding, but Persoul was already right above her.

Just as he raised his hand, Grey came soaring by as Vulturon, slamming his guitar into the Pseudoroid…only to find he was an illusion.  The real Persoul tackled Grey, making him lose his concentration, and then kicked him into the wall before using his tether to pull himself to a different one.  Aile managed to pull herself back up onto the dragon, and steered it around to face Persoul.  He rapidly threw kunai at her, and she spun her halberd as fast as she could, deflecting several but feeling far too many dig into her armor.  She was saved when a great tremor rocked the wall Persoul clung to, knocking him loose.  Below, Grey pivoted the massive body of Bifrost around to snap its jaws at the falling Pseudoroid, but the target was too quick: he connected a tether to the side of the snout, pulled himself clear of the teeth, and then swung around, under, and above Grey to tie his mouth shut, finishing with a kick to the side of the face that sent him toppling over sideways.  As Grey lay there dazed, Persoul leaned down over him.

“In the basement,” he whispered.

“What?” Grey asked.

Persoul looked up sharply.  The ice dragon had shattered, its body falling as enormous hail, with Aile hidden somewhere amongst them.  Persoul leapt off of Grey and into a relatively clear area, and then tethered one chunk of ice and pulled it into his hand.  He threw the ice block, hitting Aile and sending her spiraling out of control, and then disappeared from view as she crash landed next to Grey.

Grey changed back to normal and helped Aile to her feet.  “Do you have a plan?”

“I wish,” Aile said, wiping dirt from her face.  “He’s fast, agile—and even if we can match him, he has this invisibility tactic to fall back on.”

She and Grey went to the center of the arena, keeping their eyes peeled.

“It’s not the same as what I could do,” P said.

“What’s that?” Aile asked.

“It is clear that Thomas sought to imitate my abilities, but his method of doing so is different.  Further, he has yet to disguise himself as another person, leading me to believe he can only copy appearance, and not abilities like Grey.”

“And what does that tell us?” Grey asked, his impatience evident.

“Manipulating appearance, concealing appearance, generating illusions,” P said.  “If I am right, they are all linked.  A singular ability that allows him to manipulate light waves.”

“Light waves…” Aile mumbled.  Her eyes then widened, and a grin came to her face.  “Hey, L?”

Model L giggled.  “I’ve been waiting for the perfect time.  Just say the word, Aile!”

“Grey, I think I can disable him,” Aile said.  “When I do, you finish him off!”

Grey nodded.  Aile raised her halberd and twirled it above her head…and then Persoul lassoed her ankle, pulling her feet out from under her and dragging her close enough that he could kick her face.

“Aile!” Grey shouted.

He fired wildly, but Persoul was already gone.  A second later, he appeared right in front of Grey, slashing him across the chest.  Grey stumbled away, but Persoul’s cord caught him, pulling him back in to be stabbed again.  He swung his fist in a wide arc, forcing Persoul back, but leaving himself open; the Pseudoroid surged forward to attack again.

“Now!” Aile yelled as she leapt between them.

Her halberd touched the ground first, and when it did, water exploded out from it in all directions, sending Grey and Persoul tumbling away in different directions.  The water expanded until it reached the edges of the arena, and then stopped, climbing higher as if inside some invisible tank to form a massive box of water with dimensions that perfectly fit what remained of the building they fought in.

Persoul shook his head and tried to get steady.  Aile was already charging through the water at him, her armor looking a bit different.  In addition to the two turbines on her helmet, she now had one attached to each calf, and fin-like protrusions jutted out from her forearms and back.  Four long, tentacle-like appendages extended from her shoulders, and when she was close enough, two of them sharpened into fine points and extended towards him.  He just barely rolled out of the way, and tried to turn invisible to escape.  His form blurred and distorted, but he did not vanish entirely; Aile turned around in a flash and cut him, and then grabbed him by the head and poured cold energy out of her hand, freezing his entire body near-instantaneously.  She smashed him into the floor, and then ran her tentacles through his limbs before he could recover enough to thrash about.

“Model L Armed Incarnation: Tidal Capsule!” Aile declared, sticking Persoul to the floor and then stomping on his chest.  “No one can beat Model L’s underwater maneuverability!  And don’t even try your illusions: you won’t be able to account for the diffraction!  Grey, you ready?”

Grey trudged through the water towards them.  Persoul shot one arm towards Aile, but she grabbed and froze it before he could form an attack.  Light consumed Grey as he activated A-Trans, and when it faded, he had the form of Pandora.  Aile frowned.

“Interesting choice…”

His armor took on a yellow tint.

“H-Hey, wait a second, that’s—“

A massive ball of lighting appeared at the end of Grey’s staff.  The electricity instantly shot through the entire tank, electrocuting not only Persoul but Aile as well.  Aile managed to fight through the pain, but beneath her, Persoul was clearly succumbing, his circuits frying and pieces of his body blowing off into tiny bits.  Eventually, Grey ceased his attack.  Aile glared at him, but he just returned an empty stare, until he returned to normal and averted his eyes.  Slowly, the water receded, and Aile’s armor reverted to its original state; Persoul strained what was left of his body in an attempt to rise, but then he collapsed back against the ground.

“Was that really the best option?” Aile asked.

“N…no,” Grey said.  “I’m sorry, I just…I don’t know what…came over me…”

Persoul laughed, water still spurting up out his mouth.  “Well done…you two…I’m glad…that my death was…spectacular…”

Aile stepped back.  As she looked at the mangled Pseudoroid, her heart started to ache.  “We…we might still be able to repair you.  You’ve played your part—maybe now you can try out for a new one.”

Persoul smiled.  “It’s a nice thought…but even then…I wouldn’t be safe from—“

Three kunai flew out from the shadows.  Aile and Grey were able to defend themselves, but Persoul was not.  The Pseudoroid twitched one more time, and then his body went limp, the light totally draining from his eyes.  Aile looked up to see a teleport beam, and then sighed, turning back to her defeated enemy.

“…We need to find out where he hid the Hunters,” Aile said.

Grey inclined his head.  “Oh!  That must be what he meant!”

“Huh?”

“He said something about a basement.  I think he was trying to tell me where the Hunters are, without Siarnaq hearing us.”

Aile nodded.  “Okay.  Let’s see if we can find a basement, then.”

As Grey turned to leave, Model A said, “Hey, wait a minute.  We just defeated a Pseudoroid, right?  Why are we not registering his DNA for A-Trans?”

Grey stopped.  “That is weird.  It usually happens automatically…is something wrong with your systems, Model A?”

“What, it’s my fault?!”

“Hey, I’m just trying to figure it out!”

Aile crouched next to Persoul.  “Well…Thomas did say he wanted a chance to study Model A up close.  Maybe he found a way to make these Pseudoroids’ DNA unreadable to your system?”

“That’s possible,” Model X said.  “But…to be able to do that, he’d need to have a very fine control over their DNA...”

“…Hmph,” Z said.  “He’s a long-lived scientist with plenty of resources.  Not that hard to imagine he can do some crazy things.  Come on.  We’ve got to find those Hunters.”

Aile stood up, but continued to stare at Persoul for a moment.  Now that all the Pseudoroids were gone, she had to decide what to do next…and she found herself again wondering what exactly her efforts were going to accomplish.

I’m going to stop Thomas, at least.  That much I can do.  But beyond that…I really have no idea.

Chapter Text

She awoke to the sound of an alarm blaring overhead.

After defeating Persoul, Aile and Grey had discovered the Hunters unharmed and taken them back to the ship, though it hadn’t been long before they departed for the Hunter camp—including Grey, who wanting to get a better grasp of the Hunters’ status before they made their move against Thomas.  Aile had promised to contact him before they attacked, and then visited Fleuve to get Model P upgraded, steered the ship back in the direction of Legion HQ, and gone to get some much-needed rest.  Unfortunately, something had now interrupted her.

She leapt out of bed.  The Biometal flew over to her as she ran towards the door, clipping her communicator to her ear and asking, “What’s happening?!”

All she got back was static.  Pausing to merge with Model ZX, she threw open the door and barreled down the hallway, trying again to get in touch with anyone.  She nearly fell over when a powerful tremor rocked the ship.

“Damn,” Aile said.  “Alright, guess we’ve gotta head to the bridge to find out what’s going on.”

Before she could take another step, the wall ahead suddenly groaned and gave way, exploding inward as something came crashing through the ship’s hull to land between Aile and her destination.  She took a moment to steady her footing as wind whipped around her.

What the…

It moved, whatever it was.  Its frame rose, slowly, growing taller as it did—it was a person.  He stood up, barely fitting inside the hall, and glared forward at the wall for a moment.  When he turned his head, he saw Aile scowling ferociously at him.

“Thomas!” she spat.  “Guess you saw us coming and decided to save me the trouble?”

Thomas turned to face Aile fully, plainly asking, “Where is Dr. Ciel’s research data?”

Aile readied her Z Saber.  “That’s what you’re after?  Care to tell me why?”

“I’ve no reason to.  Now, turn it over to me.”

“Please.  Why would I do that?”

Without missing a beat, and in a very matter-of-fact way, he answered, “If you do, I will refrain from slaughtering your entire crew.”

Pure rage was boiling within Aile now.  “Here’s my counter-offer.  You get the hell out of here, or I’ll kill you again and make sure it sticks this time!”

He grinned at her.  “And will you weep for me this time as well?”

Disgust.  Then embarrassment, then more rage.  She fumbled for words.

“Aile,” X said, “don’t let him get to you.  Just stay focused.”

Quickly, she took a breath.  She then pointed her sword at Thomas and said, “Get.  Out.  Now.”

The armor encasing Thomas’s forearms shifted slightly.  His hands retracted, and in place of his right he gained a long blade made of red energy, while the end of his left arm now became some kind of lens.  The lens flashed red, producing a tall, wide shield that Thomas raised in front of himself.

“I should clarify something, Aile.  You have no further use to me.  If I must kill you to obtain Dr. Ciel’s work, then I will do so without hesitation.”

“Oh, good,” Aile said.  “Sounds like I finally have a chance to really screw you over!”

She charged at him full-speed.  Her saber slammed into Thomas’s shield, the barrier holding strong, and then she danced back to avoid his counter swing.  Aile was preparing to attack from a different direction when she saw movement behind Thomas: two short arm-like extensions flipped out from his back and over his shoulders, each one sporting a gun with a long barrel.  A rapid stream of bullets came at Aile, who dashed back as she evaded to give herself a little more reaction time.  Thomas began to slowly advance towards her, shield still up.

“Cheating bastard,” Aile grumbled.

She aimed a charged shot at one of the machine guns, but Thomas raised his shield just enough to block it.  This provided a small reprieve from the firing, at least, so Aile switched to Model PX and rushed back up the corridor, flinging kunai at the guns with one hand to force Thomas to keep his shield high.  An illusory copy of her drew Thomas fire while she ducked and threw a shuriken at his exposed ankles.  The hit connected, and Thomas buckled.  Aile bounded forward—Thomas raised his shield again, but she grabbed the edge of it and swung around behind him, immediately stabbing with a kunai.  Before she could make contact, however, one of his gun arms swiveled around and smacked her out of the air.  She hit the floor and came up in a crouch, switching to Model FX as Thomas turned around.  Even one of Model FX’s punches wasn’t enough to break the shield, though it did push Thomas back a few inches.  The victory was short-lived, as bullets began to graze Aile, but she kept close and kept punching, changing her angle slowly and, she hoped, subtly.  Soon Thomas realized he was being forced back towards the open wall.

“Foolish girl,” he said.  “You think it will be so easy?”

His machine guns opened up, the arms coming together to allow their shifting parts to rearrange around each other.  A single weapon was formed above Thomas’s head, and as it angled towards Aile, it began to shine with a brilliant multi-colored light.  Aile dodged back at the instant it fired.  The beam was larger than she expected, singing her a bit, and punched a hole right through the floor beneath them.  Aile faltered a moment.  It cost her.  Thomas rushed forward and bashed her with his shield, stunning her, and then knocked her into the wall with a slash of his sword.  He advanced to thrust, but Aile rolled out of the way and switched to Model HX.  She dashed behind Thomas, and while he managed to dodge the worst of her swing, he still came away with a gash on his back that caused him a great deal of pain.  His upper arms separated their weapon into twin guns once again as he got Aile back in his sights.

“Why do you want Ciel’s data?” Aile asked again, HX’s mobility making weaving between bullets effortless.  “What do you think is in it that makes you so desperate?  It’s just upgrades for these specific Biometals—it won’t do you any good!”

Thomas continued to drive Aile back.  “I suspect there’s far more to it than what you’ve uncovered.  I intend to find out for myself!”

He rushed her, using his guns to keep her on the defensive until it was time for him to swing.  Aile dashed to the side, deflected a bullet with one blade, and then slashed with the other.  Thomas turned towards her, taking the hit, and bashed his elbow into her face, knocking her back into the wall.  His sword retracted and his hand returned.  He reached forward to grab Aile, but sparks exploded out from her body to force him back.  It bought Aile enough time to recover, but unfortunately, it wasn’t able to stun Thomas—he swung his fist forward, crushing the floor when she dodged it.  His shield was up in time to block her next slash.

“What else could you possibly need?” Aile asked.  “You can already make Biometal!  Or do you think Ciel came up with something essential to your perfect world?”

“I told you,” Thomas said, “my world will be purely of my own design!  No other contributions will be required!”

He feinted left.  Aile read him and dodged his right swing, but when she went to attack he covered his opening faster than she expected, locking swords with her.

“Sure,” Aile said with a grin.  “That’s what you’ll tell everyone, at least.  But is sounds like the truth is that you can’t make the world you want without someone else’s help!”

Thomas kicked out.  Aile dodged into a hail of gunfire, and then Thomas punched her with his shield, sending her flying all the way to the end of the hall.

“Imbecile!” he said.  “My world is already perfect.  But as for the Biometal that will end this one…there is only one attribute that still confounds me.  One thing Albert did not leave any record of, and that I have not yet found a way to recreate.”

Aile got up slowly, trying to look more hurt than she actually was.  Placing one hand on the wall as if steadying herself, she asked, “And that would be…?”

Thomas stared at her for a moment, and then, quietly, said, “The Biomatch system.”

“Oh, that?  Ciel never figured that out either, dumbass.  You’re not going to find what you want here.”

“She failed to solve it before her disappearance, I am aware.  However, she had several years afterward to continue her research—and, as made clear by your Armed Incarnations, she was able to make significant progress in her study of Biometal during that time.  It is possible she was able to figure out how Biomatches are registered...that data is the only possible place that information could be recorded.  So even if it is not guaranteed, I must possess it for that chance.  And I will not allow you to—“

Aile quickly threw a ball of plasma in his face, buying her a moment as the wall behind her slid open to reveal an elevator.  She ducked inside and hit a button, and the lift took off, Thomas’s shout echoing up after her.

“Which way are we headed?” Z asked.

“Not sure,” Aile said.  “I want to make sure Fleuve is safe, but I don’t want to lead Thomas right to him.”

She pressed herself against the wall as another massive beam shot up through the platform, halting its ascent.  Aile switched to Model LX and twirled her halberd once, pointed it down to fire an ice dragon at Thomas, and then broke through the nearest door before patching it up with an ice wall.  She started in one direction, but stopped.  Switching to PX, she leapt onto the ceiling just above the door and formed kunai in her hands, and then waited patiently for her foe to arrive.  Eventually, Thomas came smashing through the ice; Aile dropped down on him, swinging with enough force to slice his gun arms clean off, and then narrowly jumped over his sword and dashed away.  Once she was around the corner and inside a room, she weighed her options.

“Come out!” she could hear Thomas shouting.  “Make yourself known!”

This should be a little easier without his ranged weapons.  Still…

A flash caught her attention.  On the other side of the room, something darted out from under a console: a cyber-elf, pulsing with soft white light as it made its way to the center of the room.

Where…did that come from?

The next instant, the wall beside her fractured, and Thomas’s hand came through it to grab her by the throat.  He pulled her out, breaking away more of the wall with her body, and then smashed her into the floor with so much force the metal bent beneath her.  All Aile could do was grunt in pain.

“It was not mere coincidence I was able to intercept you, Aile,” Thomas said as he kicked her down the hall.  The cyber-elf flew over to him, hovering above his open palm.  “No matter where you went, I would have been able to find you.”

Struggling to pick herself up, Aile switched to Model ZX and began charging her buster.  “What…has that thing done…to my ship?”

“Nothing.  This elf is merely a beacon—it is not programmed with any other functions.  But now…I have a new task for it.”

His fingers curled upward.  A purple-black flame erupted between them, consuming the cyber-elf in its blaze, and it shuddered terribly as its white light slowly turned to red.  Thomas soon dismissed the flame, and the elf’s light brightened considerably.  It shot through the air and collided with Aile’s shoulder.  Searing pain ran through Aile, making her think for a moment that her arm had been pulled from its socket.  The cyber-elf circled around her, swooping back in and stinging her leg—she dropped down on one knee, weakly waving her pistol to try to fend the creature off.  And all the while, Thomas walked slowly towards her.

“Aile,” Z said, “get back!”

Aile managed to hop backwards, barely avoiding the elf.  She fired, hitting only Thomas’s shield, and said, “We might need to make this a close-quarters fight.”

“No!  No matter what, Aile, do not let him touch you!  If he just did what I think he did…”

Aile swatted the cyber-elf with her saber and then backed up some more.  Thomas grinned, saying, “Always the sharp one, Model Z.  But I doubt I’ll be able to keep hold of Aile long enough to do any permanent damage.”

“What’s he talking about?” Aile asked, continuing to fend off the cyber-elf as she maintained distance with Thomas.  “You recognize that power, Z?”

Before he could answer, a squad of Guardians rounded the corner.  They called out to Aile, giving her a second to move, and then opened fire on Thomas, though they weren’t able to do a thing against his shield.  The cyber-elf stayed focused on Aile, but Thomas set his eyes on the new arrivals.  Aile moved to stop him, but he knocked her back with his sword, the cyber-elf taking the opportunity to sting her ribs and keep her back.  Thomas advanced quickly.  He knocked the entire squad down, but then picked up one Reploid and swung him around to show Aile.

“This one,” he said, “is a different story!”

The dark flame consumed the Reploid.  He cried out in agony, and his body spasmed wildly; Aile beat back the cyber-elf and ran forward, but she stopped in her tracks as one of the Guardian’s arms abruptly snapped.  The limb twisted unnaturally, bending back and warping, until it became some hideous, gangly clawed appendage, and it was only then that Thomas stopped whatever he was doing.  Aile stood there gaping.

“Humans with cybernetic implants, Reploids with limited lifespans,” Thomas mused.  “Blurring the lines between two species was no easy task.  Even the brilliance of the Sage Trinity required the proper tool to make such changes.  A tool with total control over mechanical life, capable of completely rewriting all Reploid DNA…”

There was something in the back of Aile’s mind—some story she had heard, something Prairie or the Biometals had told her about—and it sounded like what Thomas was describing now.  But she couldn’t fully put it together until Z spoke.

“So I was right,” the red Biometal said.  “Thomas…what have you done to the Mother Elf?”

Thomas smiled a hideous smile.  “She was quite useful to our efforts, and very compliant as well.  Her good nature allowed her to see the benefits of a society where such barriers had broken down.  So, with help from Mother Elf, we crafted a new breed of Reploid, with a mortal body almost indistinguishable from that of a human, and cybernetic implants that would give humans all of Reploids’ greatest strengths.  For ages, she remained hidden safely away within Legion HQ.”

Aile noticed the cyber-elf floating off to her side.  Dark flames began to encircle Thomas’s fingers again.

“However, I knew that Mother Elf would not agree with my current goals.  Therefore, rather than let such incredible power go to waste…I had to take it for my own.”

“You monster!” X said.  “How could you?  The Mother Elf was created to end suffering, not to inflict more of it!”

“And end it I shall, X,” Thomas said.  “Perhaps you don’t agree with my means, but in the world I create—“

He brought his shield around to block a charged shot.  Aile stared him down, sheer revulsion beaming from her eyes.  His smile finally became a frown.

“…Yes,” he said, “perhaps we have wasted too much time.  You understand the current situation, don’t you, Aile?”

“Think so,” Aile mumbled.  “You’re going to say that if I don’t show you where Ciel’s data’s being kept, you’ll rip him apart at the genetic level.”

Thomas hefted the captive Guardian.  “A most excruciating death, as you may imagine.  Now, your answer, please.”

Aile put away her pistol.  “…Fine.  Come with me.”

She began to walk, Thomas staying just behind her.  Aile moved a bit slower to give herself time to think, but Thomas didn’t object, only his loud footfalls providing a backdrop as Aile wracked her brain for a solution.

What do I do?  I can’t just let him take Ciel’s data, no matter what’s actually in it!  But if I try anything…

Much too soon, the door to the lab came into view.  Aile glanced to the side—the red cyber-elf was there watching her.

Fleuve…you’d better be prepared in there.  As far as I can tell, that’s the only chance I’m going to get.

She stopped and reached for the door.

“Step aside,” Thomas said.

Aile did just that.  With his free hand, Thomas tore the door off its hinges, and Aile put all her senses into overdrive.

“Where is—“

A shot to the face cut Thomas off.  It was exactly what Aile needed.  In one fluid motion, she drew her pistol, transformed it into the Z Saber, and sliced Thomas’s arm off, letting her grab the mutated Guardian and pull him aside.  Thomas turned towards her, but he was shot in the face again, and so instead moved to deploy his shield.  The cyber-elf had no such distraction: it charged straight at Aile, but the Mega Man was ready, batting it away with a swing of her sword.  She set her sights on Thomas.  He turned to block her slash, taking another shot to the side of the face.  Aile whirled, managing to knock his shield back, and then severed that arm as well.  Thomas stumbled about in absolute shock.  Aile swung, and he managed to sidestep her blade, but another shot stunned him, and Aile kicked at the back of his legs and forced him to his knees.  She turned and reached out.  The cyber-elf charged forward, and she snatched it out of the air, gritting her teeth as she endured the pain it put her through; she then pressed it right against Thomas’s back, causing him to cry out.

“Damn you,” he gasped.  “Damn you…worthless…!”

Aile raised her saber.  “It’s over!”

There was a flash as she brought her sword down.  Thomas managed to teleport away, and she stabbed only the floor.  The cyber-elf slipped free, but it was shot only a second later, and evaporated into nothing.

“…Damn,” Aile said, breathing heavily as she stared at the spot where Thomas had been.  “Well.  Nice shooting, Fleuve.  For a second there, I…”

She trailed off as she looked up.  Fleuve was in the lab, but he was peeking out from behind the console, his hands empty.  In front of him, still in a hospital gown, clutching a pistol in one hand and a weathered stuffed animal in the other, stood Prairie.  Aile froze.

“P…Prairie?” she said, her voice only a whisper.  “You’re awake?”

The blonde girl lowered her weapon and giggled, giving Aile a warm, playful smile.  “It’s pretty hard to sleep with all this racket, Aile.”  She paused to look up.  “Oh, I haven’t been reinstated yet…I should be calling you ‘Commander’, shouldn’t I?”

Aile staggered forward, her eyes so wide they looked ready to burst from her head.  “Prairie…you’re really…you’re…”

Prairie stepped towards her, saying, “Aile, are you—“

Aile surged forward suddenly, locking her arms tightly around the other girl.  Tears in her eyes, she said, “You’re okay!  Prairie…Prairie’s okay!  You…you…”

She wasn’t sure if she was laughing or crying.  She didn’t entirely care.  She just clung to Prairie, some small part of her still feeling like if she let go she would disappear.  It took Prairie a moment, but once she wriggled an arm free of Aile’s grip, she returned the embrace, and quietly said, “Sorry if I worried you, Aile.  I’m alright now.  It’s going to be alright.”

***

“…and, uh, yeah.  I think that’s everything.”

From where she sat, gently hugging Prairie’s stuffed animal, Aile glanced over to where the Guardian Commander stood.  She could see her face in the mirror as she finished fixing her hair, but her expression was unreadable.  Finally, Prairie lowered her hands, looked down at the vanity, and muttered, “I see.”

Aile shifted.  “Sorry.  I know it’s a lot to take in.”

Prairie cracked a small smile as she turned to face Aile.  “Oh, I’m used to a lot happening all at once.  Back when Z had his own body, it seemed like we always went from knowing nothing to knowing everything over a day or two.  I’ll process it.”

Aile smiled back.  Her gaze drifted a bit, and she ended up staring out the window at clouds passing by.

Prairie crossed the room and set a hand on her shoulder.  “How are you handling everything?”

Aile didn’t face her.  She bit her lip, then tried to smile, then scratched her neck.  “…Not…great.”

Prairie moved to the side, trying to meet her gaze.

“But, I mean, I’m working through the worst of it, I think.  Nothing to worry about.”

She finally looked back at Prairie.  The girl wore a somewhat stern look, and said, “I’m guessing you didn’t find someone else you could talk with?”

Aile’s eyes fell.  “…I was going to.”

Prairie’s expression softened.  “Aile…I’m sorry.  I put another huge burden on you for so long, and—“

“N-No, don’t apologize!” Aile interrupted.  “You don’t have anything to be sorry for!”

Prairie sat down next to Aile.  After a moment, she leaned into her, setting her head on her shoulder.  “I wish there had been a better way.  Some way to follow Sis’s trail without leaving everyone behind, or keeping the Guardians too occupied to do their job.  It’s been a long…lonely…few years.”

Aile offered the stuffed animal.  Prairie took it, hugging it tightly and burying her face in its head.  Aile slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a half-hug.

“Thomas’s attack didn’t happen to damage the morgue, did it?” Prairie whispered.

“No.  I made sure to check, and they assured me everything’s fine.”

Prairie sighed.  “I thought I knew what to expect, but…seeing Sis’s body…”

“It’s not something you can ever be prepared for,” Aile said.

“I guess not.”  She wiped her eyes.  “It shouldn’t be long now until Fleuve’s fixed the network and decrypted the rest of the data.  Soon we’ll know everything Sis left behind.”

Aile turned her head.  “…Are you…ready for that?”

Prairie hugged the stuffed animal even tighter.  “…Yes and no.  After so long I definitely want closure.  But, now that it’s here…knowing that, after this, that’s it…it’s scary.  I want more time with Sis.”

Aile nodded slowly.

“…But.  Delaying this won’t give me that time, not really.  If Sis’s work is all that’s left of her, then what I need to do is put it to good use.”   She smiled at Aile.  “And Aile…you’ve already done so much of that.  Thank you.”

Aile returned the smile.  “It’s my pleasure, Prairie.”

Her communicator buzzed.  Setting a hand to her ear, Aile said, “Go ahead.”

“It’s me,” came Fleuve’s voice.  “I’ve, erm, got it all sorted out over here.  Whenever you’re ready.”

Aile looked to Prairie.  She nodded, so Aile replied, “We’re on our way.”

The two of them stood.  Prairie went over to the bed and picked up her hat, setting the stuffed animal down only long enough to adjust the headwear before tucking it under her arm.  Aile opened the door, and the two of them headed down the hall towards the lab.

“You’re so much taller than me now,” Prairie said.  “It’s a little weird.”

“Yeah,” Aile said, “it’s going to take some getting used to.”

They entered the lab.  Fleuve stood next to the console with a solemn look on his face, the Biometals all hovering a short distance away.  Aile straightened her back and turned to Prairie, stating, “Prairie, I hereby return command of the Guardians to you.”

Prairie nodded.  “I relieve you of your duties as Acting Commander.”

They turned back to Fleuve, who nodded and began to work on the keyboard.  “With the Armed Incarnations already cracked, there were only three more portions of data to decrypt.  And one of them…is a recorded message from Commander Ciel.”

Prairie took a deep breath.  Aile set a hand on her shoulder.

“Alright,” Fleuve said, sounding more than a little hesitant.  “Here we are…”

He pressed one more key and backed away.  An antiquated-looking window appeared on the monitor, looking so rough Aile was surprised it was even compatible with the current system.  It displayed static for a few moments, but then, slowly, it smoothed out into an image, and she felt Prairie tense up.  It showed the bunker they had discovered, and hunched over the console was an old woman with long, snow-white hair that was loosely arranged into a ponytail, with quite a number of errant strands draping over her face and shoulders.  Her face was heavy with wrinkles, and her sunken eyes had a glazed look to them even as she stared directly into the camera.  She opened her mouth to speak.

“…How do I even start this?” she croaked.

Prairie shuddered.

“Um…my name is Ciel.  If you’ve found this data, please, I beg of you: do whatever you can to get it into the hands of the Guardians.  Well…if they’re still around, I suppose…”

She brushed aside some of her hair.  Her eyes looked about slowly as she gathered her thoughts.

“I’m really not sure what to say—I don’t know who’s going to see this.  I don’t know if anyone…”  She shook her head, and then turned and glared in a random direction for a few seconds.  Eventually, she recomposed herself.  “Many years ago, while I was the Commander of the Guardians, I discovered something that came to be known as Biometal Model W.  It was a piece of the space station Ragnarok, and contained the soul of a vile man who tried to use the station to end humanity.  I realized what this meant…despite all our fighting…everything we lost…”

Ciel covered her face.  Model Z shifted a bit.

“…the threat he posed was not yet over.  So I studied Model W.  With the help of the finest minds I knew, I analyzed its every property, and found a way to make Biometal of my own, Biometal to house the souls of the strongest Reploids I’d ever known.  They had saved the world before…I hoped they could do it again.  But…I’ll never know for sure, will I?”

Aile realized Ciel was trembling.  Soon, Prairie was as well.

“Model W…is a foul, wretched thing of evil.  It warps the minds of those around it, trying to bend them to its will.  It preys upon the worst parts of ourselves: our fear, our rage, our hatred.  And it successfully claimed the mind of a Guardian named Serpent.”

Aile twitched at the name.  X glanced at her, but she discreetly shook her head.

“He betrayed us,” Ciel said.  “He took a fragment of Model W for his own.  I’m not sure what he hopes to accomplish, but nothing good can come from that thing.  I had already sealed away the core, but he attacked us in an attempt to capture the rest of the Biometal, who hold the passwords needed to reach W.  I managed to escape with them...but, I…I couldn’t return to the Guardians.  I couldn’t, because…”

She wrung her hands.  Prairie leaned forward expectantly.

“…Model W…affected me, too.”

Everyone’s eyes went wide.

“I can still hear it,” Ciel said, running a hand up over her face.  “Even now, it’s taunting me, trying to take control of me.  I’ve lost so much, and it’s like…like a deep trench has been carved into my heart.  Model W has found its way there, and I can’t get it out, no matter how hard I try…!”

She sobbed a few times.  Prairie clamped a hand over her mouth.

“…I couldn’t…I couldn’t face the Guardians like this.  So, I left them.  I found a safe place I could hide, and tried to finish my work on the Biometal.  But I…I said terrible things…I acted so horribly…and after a while, I just couldn’t stand it anymore.”  She swallowed hard.  “I erased a portion of the Biometals’ memories.  I didn’t want them to remember what I’d done…the way Model W made me act.  And then I handed them off to someone I trusted, and had them taken far away.  I’m confident, that…somehow, they’ll end up in the right hands.”

Ciel took a deep breath.

“I’ve gotten a bit better at holding Model W’s influence at bay.  I’ve continued my work with what data I still have, trying to find a way to improve the Biometal if someone ever finds this data.  The Biometal I created is imperfect—it can’t fully replicate all the powers and abilities of the Reploids it emulates.  In an attempt to get closer to that power, I’ve achieved…a sort of compromise.  Among this data, you will find upgrades for the Biometal containing the souls of Sage Harpuia, Fighting Fefnir, Fairy Leviathan, and Hidden Phantom that provide them with an ability I’ve termed ‘Armed Incarnation’.  It isn’t quite perfect…but it should give them a much better chance of taking on Model W.”

Models H, F, L, and P all exchanged looks.

“In addition to that, there is also an upgrade for the Biometal containing the soul…of Zero.”

Everyone looked at Z.  He remained still, focused entirely on what Ciel was saying.

“…Zero,” Ciel repeated, her voice now softer.  “I could work for ten lifetimes and never repay all that you’ve done for me.  But, I had to do whatever I could…and I found a way to restore some of the functionality of your Z Saber.  Again…it isn’t perfect.  But now you’ll have the strongest sword I can forge.  And, knowing you…”  She smiled.  Light returned to her eyes, and for a moment, she looked to be the happiest person alive.  “…You’ll find a way to do the impossible with it.”

Prairie laughed a little.  Aile let out the breath she had been holding, but the reprieve was short-lived, as Ciel’s features darkened once more.

“Unfortunately,” Ciel said, “I’m afraid I don’t have anything for the last Biometal I created.  For X.  And…I’m sorry.  Really, truly sorry.  But whenever I…whenever I would try to, when I was working on your schematics…”  She twitched.  “It would…I couldn’t, focus, and it…would just…it would remind me of…”

She clenched her fists.  She tried a few more times to speak, but then she stood and whirled around, shouting in the same direction as before.

“Shut up!  I did the best I could—I had no idea he would turn out like that!  I know it was my fault!  I did everything I could to try to stop him—Zero did stop him—just shut up!”

Her breathing was ragged.  Eventually, she sat back down, keeping her back to the camera.

“Dammit…every time…”

She looked over her shoulder.

“X…please, understand…”

X nodded immediately.

“…Anyway,” Ciel said, turning herself back around.  “There’s, ah…there’s still one more thing included in this data.  Back when I was studying Model W, there was one thing in particular that I just wasn’t able to figure out.”

Aile inclined her head.

“There was a very sophisticated mechanism that allowed it to lock onto the DNA of a host, allowing them to use the M.E.G.A. System to merge with it.  Someone must have tampered with it before I got to it, there’s no way that just happened…but, in any event, I had no choice but to use the exact same mechanism in my own Biometal, meaning anyone who could use them could, theoretically…also use Model W.  That’s something that’s been bothering me for a very long time.”

A weak smile came to Ciel’s face.

“Finally…I finally figured it out.  The final portion of this data contains all the information needed to make Biometal…including a wholly unique Biomatch system that can be used to link it to anyone.”

Prairie looked to Aile for a moment, then turned back to the screen.

“I hope this gets where it needs to be in time,” Ciel said.  “Please…use the Biometal, and the additional upgrades I’ve provided, to stop Model W and protect the peace of this world.  That’s all I ask.”

She reached forward, seemingly ready to end the recording.  But she paused.

“…And…just in case…you’re watching this…”

Tears started to fall from her face.

“…Alouette…”

Prairie started forward.

“I’m sorry…I’m so, so sorry, for everything.”

“No,” Prairie said.

“I left you all alone, with all of the responsibilities that I was supposed to take care of…”

“No,” Prairie said, “no I don’t blame you!  Please, don’t think I blame you!”

“You deserve so much better, Alouette.  I hope…well, I know it’s selfish, but I hope…you’ll forgive me.”

“Of course I do!  Please, you have to know that!”

Ciel laughed a little, and smiled.  “But even if it’s hard…I know that you’ll make a great Commander.  Hey, maybe by the time you see this, you’ll have already taken out Model W!  That wouldn’t surprise me one bit!”

Prairie stood there shaking, tears streaming down her face.  “Sis…”

“…Please, Alouette.  If absolutely nothing else…know that I love you.  And that I always, always will.  Okay?”

Prairie nodded.  “O-Okay.  I love you too.”

Ciel nodded.  “Okay…okay.”  She wiped her eyes, and then took a deep breath.  “…Goodbye.”

The recording ended.

It was only a second later that Prairie broke down weeping.

Aile hugged her tightly, wanting to comfort her but having no idea what to say.  Fleuve stared down at his keyboard.  The Biometal all hung where they were, not saying a word, until Z finally looked up.

“Ciel was a genius,” he said.  “The smartest person of her age, no doubt—maybe smarter than anyone in history.  She accomplished so many great things, despite living a life filled with hardship.  Can’t help but wonder…if circumstances had been a bit kinder to her, what else could he have accomplished?”

He turned, looking over the assembled group.

“There are any number of ways to think about it.  What if I had been there to stop Neo Arcadia before it got so bad?  What if we’d put a proper end to Wiel when we had the chance?  Any number of ways we might’ve made it so that Ciel could’ve grown up in an age of peace, without all the pain that limited her potential.”

He shook his head.

“I mean, we couldn’t have known.  We never know what kind of people are going to be born into the next generation.  But I don’t think that absolves us of the responsibility to shape the world waiting for them.  Geniuses or not…people need peace and stability to achieve their full potential.  To live a meaningful, fulfilling life.  So tell me…Aile.”

He locked eyes with her.

“Do you still need a reason to fight?”

Aile looked from him, to the other Biometal, to Prairie.  Hugging her even tighter, she said, “No.  I’m good.”

“Glad to hear it.”  Z turned to Fleuve.  “Alright.  Upgrade me.”

“Of course,” Fleuve said.  “I should also mention: with the data provided, I could easily upgrade all of you to use the new Biomatch system.  Is that something you want to do?”

X floated over to Aile.  “It won’t make a difference to me.  I’ll stick with my current match.”

“Think I’ll pass too,” Z said.  “Rewriting the mechanism could erase all record of my previous match.  I don’t want to risk that happening.”

The remaining four Biometals muttered amongst themselves for a moment.  Ultimately, H came forward and said, “We will forego the overwrite as well.  It’s impossible to predict how such a change could affect the Double Megamerge, and especially in our current situation, we don’t want to jeopardize something so important.”

Aile smiled a little.  “Thanks, everyone.  I appreciate all your help.”

“You’ve proven yourself worthy of our trust, Aile,” H said.  “And, more than that...we still have much to atone for.  A great deal of Dr. Ciel’s suffering was caused by us.  It may not do much good now, but the honorable thing to do is to continue to carry out her wishes, and fight to create a world she could be proud of.”

Z entered into the console, and Fleuve immediately set to work.  Aile turned to Prairie, who was now just about calmed down, and wiped away the first tears she saw.  Prairie took a deep breath before getting back to her feet.

“…Thank you, Fleuve,” she said.  “I needed to see that.”

Fleuve nodded.  “I’ve saved a copy of it, just to be safe.  Let me know what you want me to do with it.”

“Right.  I’ll be back to check on Model Z in a bit.”

She left the room.

“Huh?” Aile said.  “Wait, Prairie!”

She followed her to the bridge, where everyone stood to greet her.  Prairie cleared her throat and stood tall.

“Nice to see you all again,” she said.  “It seems we’ll need to catch up later, though.  How are repairs to the ship?”

“Nearly done, Commander,” a Guardian replied.  “We should be done within 30 minutes.”

“Good.  As soon as we’re ready, I want you to resume course towards Legion HQ.  Also, I’m told we have some friends at the Hunter Camp ready to lend us a hand?”

“They’ve been apprised of our situation, Commander,” said another Guardian.  “We’ve been told we can count on them to launch a coordinated attack once we arrive.”

“Excellent.  That’s all for now.  Let’s get to it, everyone!”

The crew returned to their stations, working with more fervor than Aile had seen in a long time.  Prairie sat down at her console, setting her stuffed animal on a small chair just to her side, and then looked back at Aile.

“And you,” she said, “need to get some rest.”

Aile blinked.  “What?  I can help out!  Plus, I need to be ready when—“

“You do need to be ready.  And the only way that’s going to happen is if you go and get some rest.”  She paused to smile.  “That’s an order, Aile.  Leave the preparations to me.”

After a moment, Aile smiled too.  “…Alright, Commander.  I’m going.”

“Good!  We’ll wake you when we’re on our final approach, and then brief you on the plan before deploying.  Good night.”

“Good night,” Aile chuckled.  She lingered a bit at the door, watching Prairie and wondering if she should really go.  But every one of Prairie’s actions was direct, determined—it was as if no time had passed, and she was just as passionate about her job as ever before.  Aile nodded to herself.

There’ll be time later.  All that’s left is one final push.

***

The four of them made their way into Thomas’s office.  He sat in a chair with numerous mechanical arms extending from the back, each quickly moving back and forth as they worked to repair the damage done to his body.  A dark scowl covered his face.

“Looks like you got your ass handed to you,” Atlas said.

Thomas glared at her, but she didn’t react.  He closed his eyes then, and said, “Due to a grave miscalculation…I was unable to retrieve what I sought.  Aile is on her way here.”

“Then it sounds like we need Biometal,” Aeolus said.  “Or are you going to tell us you no longer have the time to make it?”

Thomas turned his head.  Along the wall was a narrow, rectangular case propped up on tall legs.  “They are already complete.”

Thetis rushed over as the case opened, while Siarnaq and Aeolus moved at a moderate pace.  Atlas hung back a bit, saying, “Then why the hell did you wait until now?”

Thomas looked away.  “My plan was to create new bodies for the four of you.  But, in order or the Biometal to work with those bodies, I would first need to create a new Biomatch system that would be compatible with them.  As that is no longer possible…there was no reason to further delay compiling the data and completing the Biometal.”

Four objects the size of a fist were laid in the case, each one gleaming silver in color and shaped to vaguely resemble the Biometal of the Four Guardians, though lacking in finer details in a way that made them seem half-formed.  Atlas picked hers up and glanced it over.

“Familiarize yourselves with your new capabilities,” Thomas ordered.  “When Aile arrives, I will send for you.”

They made their way out.  Siarnaq was gone before anyone could say anything.  Thetis bounced with excitement, saying, “Wow, new Biometal!  Finally!  I can’t wait to see what it can do!  Hey, why don’t we go test them out together?”

Atlas looked up.  “Huh?  Oh, uh…sure, kid.”

Thetis smiled, and then turned to Aeolus.  “You want to come too?”

Aeolus scoffed.  “These are not toys, you are aware?  I think I’ll go find somewhere more tranquil to assess this weapon.”

Atlas put a hand on her hip, sneering at him.  “It’s a simple question, asshole.  Calm down.”

She received no reply as the man walked off.  Thetis half-frowned, saying, “Well…okay.  Guess it’s just you and me, Atlas!”

He led the way, heading off down the hall with a spring in his step.  Looking back, he saw Atlas trailing behind, and reduced his pace so she had a chance to keep up.  She just continued to stare at the Biometal, a distant look in her eyes.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” he asked.

“Hm?  Oh, just, uh…”

Thetis stopped, spinning around to face her fully.  “Yeah?”

Atlas took a moment to think.  “…I dunno.  Guess I just expected something a little different.”

“Hey, we haven’t even tried it out yet!  Don’t be so quick to judge!”

She shrugged.  “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

“Are you nervous ‘cuz you know Aile’s on her way?”

“Hah!  Nervous?  If anything I should be excited for another shot at her!”

“You don’t look excited.”

Atlas paused.  “…Hmph.  Yeah.  Wonder why that is…”

A long silence followed.  Shifting his weight a bit, Thetis said, “Um…y’know, you don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.  I-I was just trying to be polite.”

“Huh?  No, I’ll come with you.  Was hoping I would get a chance to spar with someone once we finally got these.  Let’s go.”

Thetis smiled and continued down the hall.  Atlas shoved the Biometal in her pocket as she followed, trying not to look so transparent as she followed him.

Hard to put my finger on it, she thought.  But for some reason…all of the sudden I’ve got a bad feeling.

Chapter Text

Chaos had erupted in front of Legion HQ.  The combined forces of the Guardians and Hunters had arrived to find an army of Mavericks and Mechaniloids waiting for them, and it was all they could do to keep the fighting contained there rather than spreading into the city.  Where one Maverick fell, three more sprang up in their place, and with no real cover it was rare that a shot fired without hitting one of the combatants.

Somewhere in the midst of the crowd, a Hunter worked to drag an injured Guardian to safety; the downed Reploid coughed and groaned, “Heh…don’t expect to get paid extra for this…”

The Humanoid rolled their eyes.  “Shut up before I leave ya.  We’re almost to the—“

They stopped short as a loud sound came from overhead.  Three massive, insect-like Mechaniloids were soaring over the army, shots fizzling out against their tough armor.  The Hunter raised their gun, and the Guardian managed to do the same.  Before they could try, however, something rushed past them—Aile, merged with Model HX, got as close as she could before using her jets to shoot up into the air, switching to FX as she came level to the first Mechaniloid.  One punch crushed its face in and sent it hurtling away.

“Everyone fall back!” she shouted.

A second Mechaniloid faced her as she began to lose altitude.  She twisted around its shots and merged with Model LX, spinning her halberd around and releasing a frosty mist, quickly encasing herself in the head of an ice dragon that flew up and stabbed straight through the enemy before arcing towards the third.  The retreating forces panicked a bit as the massive machine fell.  Grey emerged from the crowd, spinning as he transformed into Bifrost, and used his powerful tail to bat the wreckage back into the swarm of Mavericks.

“Give me an access point!” he yelled, just before another flash consumed him.

The ice dragon moved over the final Mechaniloid and shattered, and Aile switched to Model PX as she dropped down onto its head.  She held fast as it tried to lose her, noticing Grey in his Queenbee form flying up towards her, and then jabbed her hand into the monster’s skull to rip out its central processor.  Grey jammed his stinger into the opening left behind and focused on the Mechaniloid—it sputtered through the air for a moment, but then steadied itself, and turned back to face the imposing tower of Legion.

“Well that’s swell,” the Hunter grumbled, “but I don’t know if it’ll be enough.”

They heard another sound from above, this one coming from the opposite direction.  A powerful laser beam lanced through the sky, striking at the heart of the Maverick forces and vaporizing a wide swath of them.  They glanced up to see the Guardian airship circling around.

“Have a little faith,” the Guardian said.  “We’ve got a few more tricks up our sleeve.  Don’t you?”

The Hunter smirked and continued carrying their ally away.

Above, Grey spurred the Mechaniloid onward, while Aile stood up and switched to Model ZX.  He looked over his shoulder and asked, “You think they’ll be okay without us?”

Aile jabbed her thumb towards the airship.  “Now that the ship’s weapons are back online, I wouldn’t worry.  We just need to focus on taking Thomas down as fast as possible.”

She walked up to the front of the Mechaniloid as she drew her pistol.  When she swung it out, its parts shifted and the Z Saber emerged, now glowing an otherworldly violet color.  Sparks of the same shade leapt back along Aile’s arm and over her entire body, causing Model ZX’s armor to darken somewhat, and she closed her eyes while making a fist with her empty hand.  An immense wall had been raised in front of Legion HQ’s entrance, and Grey charged towards it without stopping.  Just before they were about to hit it, Aile opened her eyes, leapt forward, and dove through the air, her fist now glowing with brilliant blue light.

“Rekkouha!”

She slammed into the ground directly in front of the barrier fist-first.  At once, dozens of beams of light exploded up from all around her, obliterating the Mavericks nearby and shredding the barrier to bits as easily as if it were cloth.  Aile stood in a small crater, violet sparks still bursting from her, and gazed upon the now-exposed tower entrance with a satisfied grin.

“Ciel,” she mumbled, “you really were something else.”

The Mavericks began to regroup.  That was when Grey released his control over the Mechaniloid, letting its carcass drop on the unsuspecting Reploids to engulf them in a fiery explosion.  He hovered down to Aile’s side, reverted to his normal Megamerged state, and the two of them headed inside.

A handful of security guards stood there with their weapons half-raised, watching the two warily but not wanting to actually engage them.  Aile turned to one and calmly asked, “Where is Master Thomas?”

The guard gulped.  Shakily stepping back, they said, “I-I-I, uh…I don’t know…”

Grey surveyed the room.  “Does anyone else know?”

Silence answered him.  Aile prepared to simply move on when she spotted movement: a lone cyber-elf was in a hall off to the side, dancing through the air in front of a heavy door marked as restricted.  Directing Grey towards it, they walked over and pried the door off its hinges to watch the cyber-elf lazily spiral down a long, dark staircase.  They followed it.

It was several minutes before they spotted dim light below them, and a few minutes beyond that saw the staircase descend past a ceiling and into open space.  The room beneath looked to be the size of a city, expanding out in every direction with no indication of where it ended; a constant hum filled the air as countless towers of machinery worked tirelessly, gears turning and conveyor belts rolling as something was pushed from one station to the next under domed coverings.  Aile and Grey stepped onto solid concrete, and the cyber-elf they had followed changed direction.  It disappeared back up into the opening they had just come from, and the stairwell immediately receded, a thick layer of metal sliding shut as soon as it was through.

“I sure hope that comes back when we’re done,” Grey said, scratching his head.

Aile shrugged.  “Eh, there’s a good chance this place is going to get at least partially blown up.  We’ll have some kind of exit.”

They proceeded alongside the conveyor belt, keeping their eyes open for any sign of Thomas.  Soon Aile stopped: she thought she could see a point where the belt ended, and went to investigate.  Sure enough, she found the end of the assembly line, and a vehicle with a large storage bed parked right at the end of it.  Something came flying out just as she came around, landing haphazardly in a pile of similar objects.

Aile bristled.  Staring back at her was a pile of lifeless, human-like bodies.

“I told you,” called Thomas’s voice.  “The only life that exists in the next world will be life that I have designed.”

Aile raised her saber.  Grey jumped on top of the conveyor belt’s hood, grimacing as he too noticed the pile, and kept his guns high.

“I have had lifetimes to study the human body, how it functions, how it grows.  After so long, I have finally found a way to completely replicate such processes artificially.”

The vehicle lurched without warning.  Aile and Grey backed up, but it just drove off without acknowledging them at all.

“Machines that eat and drink, grow old and reproduce—perfect mirrors of human life made by the hands of man…once the world is cleared, I will breathe life into them, and they shall prosper.”

Aile and Grey slowly moved in the direction the truck had driven.  The lighting was even poorer, but they could still see, just barely being able to make out someone moving in the darkness.  He stopped and faced them.

“What do you think of them?”

Aile fired her buster.  An invisible barrier appeared to defend Thomas and whatever was behind him.

Thomas shook his head.  “Impatient…still so impatient…”

He clicked his fingers.  The lights went up, and now they could see what Thomas was standing in front of: a computer server, but one that was the size of an entire building.

“This,” he said, gesturing with one arm, “is what will end the current world.  This is a Biometal of my own design…the Final Mega Man…Model T.”

“This thing is a Biometal?” Grey asked.

“It’s not much to look at,” A said.

“As with Model W,” Thomas answered, pacing across the floor, “I required a core capable of storing a vast amount of data for the fragment to call upon.  I saw no need to fret over the aesthetic of such a peripheral.”

Aile raised her buster again.  “Great.  I’m gonna break it.”

As she prepared to resume firing, she sensed something coming at her, and moved to dodge an incoming shot.  Someone had stepped out from the shadows that remained—no, four people had emerged, now surrounding her and Grey.  Aeolus, Atlas, Thetis, and Siarnaq all stood ready to pounce, each wearing new armor that all gleamed the same silvery color.  Aile sighed.

“I see you didn’t fret much over this aesthetic either.  Honestly, they’re all silver?  That’s so bland.  Is your entire world going to be this boring to look at?”

Grey snickered.  “Says the girl who always wears the same blue jacket.”

Aile glanced at him for a moment.  “…I don’t always wear it.  Usually, sure, but that’s…you know, you don’t have much of a leg to stand on either, Short Shorts.”

Thomas turned his back on them, staring up at Model T.  “You will never know what my world looks like, Aile.  Now that you have proved a nuisance in my attempt to locate the final piece of this puzzle, I have decided that you shall not be allowed to see it.”

Aile closely watched the four Mega Men.  “Gee.  Sucks to be me.  Here Grey and I are only prepared to kick one ass, and now we have to kick five?  I just don’t know if we can handle that.”

Grey’s busters lit up.  “Honestly, I’m not all that bummed about it.  Where do we start?”

Thomas started to laugh.  As he started to turn, a flame-like aura of dark purple began to enshroud him, and he said, “You still do not understand!  You were a fool to bring the boy here with you, Aile!  Now your death will be ten times as painful!”

He curled his fingers and reached in Grey’s direction.  Instinctively, Aile jumped in front of him, holding her sword ready to block anything Thomas was about to throw at him.  “Don’t even think about it!”

From behind her came groaning.  “Ugh…Aile…”

She kept her gaze focused on Thomas.  “It’s alright, Grey!  I won’t let him hurt you!”

Grey grunted in pain.  “Aile…I don’t feel so good…”

She turned ever so slightly.  She could see a pained look on Grey’s face, a flash, and then a charged shot.  It pierced her in the ribs.  Aile muffled a cry of pain as she stumbled away from him.  “G…Grey?!”

He dropped his guns, staring at her in horror.  “N-No…no!  I-I didn’t…hurk!”

He doubled over, dropping down to his knees.  Aile locked up.

“Aile…I…can’t…!”

Grey shuddered violently, and then went totally still.  Aile edged forward.  “…Grey?”

He didn’t answer.

Aile turned to face Thomas—her side ached, so she planted a palm against it.  “What have you done to him?!”

Thomas chuckled.  “Why don’t you ask them?”

Aile turned back to Grey.  His face was right in front of hers, wearing a vicious, deranged smile that she found so thoroughly jarring she was unable to dodge when he cut her across the chest with his scythe.

Wh…at…?

As Aile fell over backwards, Grey hefted his weapon onto his shoulder and faced the ceiling, laughing hysterically.  “Finally!  Oh, I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting for this!  Quite a nice fit, don’t you think?”

His face went completely flat in a nanosecond.  In a monotone, he answered himself: “It is far from ideal.  But…it shall suffice.”

Aile clutched her wound, managing to push herself up into a sitting position.  “Grey?  What’s going on?!”

The maniacal grin returned.  Grey said, “Sorry, Mega Man!  Your friend’s not here right now!  But since it’d be a shame to let this perfectly fine body go to waste…”

He struck the bottom of his scythe against the ground.  In a flash, he used A-Trans to take on the form of Prometheus, and suddenly the cruel expression seemed right at home.

“…we figured we’d take it off his hands!”

Another flash, and he was Pandora, saying, “The minds of Grey and Model A have been successfully sealed.  Control over this body is now absolute.”

Aile stared up at them, eyes wide.  Model X said, “No…how can that be?!  There’s no way what you’re saying is true!”

Prometheus returned, crouching to look Aile in the eye.  “Did you forget why Albert made this body in the first place?  This Biometal?  They were intended as failsafes in case anything happened to him or Model W!  Sure, the version of A-Trans they were programmed with was still incomplete…”

Thomas stepped forward.  “But that is something I was able to amend.”

Aile glared back at him.  Model Z said, “I see…you recreated Albert’s True A-Trans!”

With a nod, Thomas said, “I discovered Prometheus and Pandora not long after Albert’s demise.  They agreed to help me hunt down and decode all of his remaining data if I found a way to remove the limitations put on their lifespans.”

Prometheus became Pandora.  “But he could not.  Even with all of Albert’s data, he was unable to repair us.”

“Therefore,” Thomas went on, “I found another way.  I rewrote their DNA with the power of Mother Elf, so that when Model A scanned it, it would absorb their souls into itself the same way Albert and Model W did!  From there, they could wrest control of that body away from Grey, and finally have the freedom I promised to grant them!”

Pandora became Prometheus.  “Psh.  He says it like it worked flawlessly!  But you still had to find some phony reason to bring Grey to Legion HQ so you could tweak a few things without him noticing.”

Thomas growled.  “Enough!  You have what you wanted.  Our agreement is upheld.  Do what you want with Aile.”

Aile sat there, still working to process what she was hearing.  “Grey…Model A…they can’t really be gone…can they?”

Prometheus just smirked at her.  Now Aile could feel her anger rising.  She leaned forward and clenched her teeth.

“Not again…I’m not going to let you bastards take away someone I care about again!  I—“

Prometheus knocked her flat with his scythe.  Standing tall, he said, “Get over it!  What can you do in the miserable state you’re in?”

Aile aimed her pistol at Thomas and started firing.  The barrier was still there.  Prometheus jabbed the handle of his scythe into Aile’s spine to make her stop.

“That’s what I like about you, Mega Man.  You’re too stupid to know when to quit!”

Pandora appeared, and the scythe became a staff.  Electricity ravaged Aile’s body.  She tried to endure it, but the pain overwhelmed her, and she screamed out in agony.  When the attack stopped, she went limp.  Pandora grabbed her by the throat and lifted her before returning control to Prometheus.

“I’ll spell it out,” he said as he raised his scythe.  “This is the end for you.  So hurry up and pick your last words, because I’m not going to take my time!”

A haze of pain filled her mind, dulling all her senses.  But she could still see Prometheus laughing at her.

They’re going to take them…Grey, and Model A…just like they took…

The world began to sharpen.

Just like they took Boss…!

She reached up, grabbing Prometheus’s arm with both hands.

And if I can’t stop them, they’re going to kill everyone!  Everyone on this planet, including…

Prometheus tilted his head.  “Eh?  Got something yet?”

Aile’s eyes gleamed as she locked gazes with him.  “Eat shit.”

She tightened her grip on Prometheus’s arm, producing a loud cracking sound.  He flinched, and that was when she swung her body, sending her knee straight into his chin and making him lose his grip on her.  Aile dropped to the ground—the pain cost her a moment, but she made sure it was only one.

“Model P…” she groaned.  “Come on…”

She switched Biometal just as the other Mega Men armed their weapons.  Prometheus got back up immediately, and as the others fired, he sent forth an energy shockwave.

“Spectral Phase!”

The attacks converged on Aile, creating a bright flash that consumed her.  When it disappeared, the room felt darker than before—and then it continued to grow darker.  Thomas tried to increase the lighting, but the shadows grew only stronger, until only the light of the Mega Men’s weapons allowed them to see anything at all.

“What is this?!” Prometheus shouted.  “What are you up to, coward?!”

A silhouette of Aile could be seen.  It looked warped somehow, but it was hard to describe in what way.  Two pinpoints of red light popped into being.  She stared directly at Prometheus, and he growled at her defiantly.

“Die already!”

He swung his scythe through her.  It had no effect.  She dashed forward, and Prometheus shivered involuntarily as she seemed to pass through him like he wasn’t even there.

“What the—get her!”

The Mega Men opened fire, but none of their shots were able to illuminate Aile.  Even her brightly glowing eyes were gone before long, and so they stopped shooting to just stand about in darkness, unsure of how to proceed.  Eventually the lights came back on.  Everyone turned to Thomas, whose face remained darkened by the scowl that he wore.

“Find her!” he barked.  “Bring her back to me, alive or dead!  She must not be allowed to interfere with the Carbon production!”

The Mega Men fanned out.  Prometheus, however, remained where he was.

“I thought you would be the most eager to give chase?”

Prometheus smirked.  “Believe me, I’m plenty eager to kill that girl.  But I’m not in the mood for a wild goose chase.”

He became Pandora.  “Experience suggests that she will be able to best the Mega Men under your control.  After that, she will return here, and make another attempt to disable Model T.”

“Hmph,” Thomas grunted.  “You have such little faith in the Biometal I have provided them?  She will fall before them.  I am sure of it.”

Pandora became Prometheus.  “We’ll see about that.  But for now, I’m going to wait right here.”

Thomas turned around and said nothing.  Prometheus sat down on the floor, legs crossed and scythe across his lap, and waited, excited to see just how much longer Aile would be able to survive.

***

Aile had her arms wrapped around her body as she leaned against a large storage unit, trying to keep pressure on her wounds.  She wasn’t bleeding—not yet, at least—but they still stung horribly, even worse now than a minute ago.

“The Armed Incarnation put extra stress on your body,” X said.  “The others are nearly charged, but we’re going to need to use them sparingly to get out of here.”

“If at all,” Z said.  “Do anything too flashy and those jackasses will pile on top of us all at once.  We have to play it as safe as possible.”

Aile didn’t answer at first.  She just stared ahead, trying to steady her ragged breathing, and gritted her teeth.

“Dammit,” she mumbled.  “I should’ve paid more attention to what was happening to Grey.  Maybe I could’ve—“

“Stop,” Z interrupted.  “What’s done is done.  Right now, we need to focus on how we’re going to proceed.”

“But, Grey—“

“Then save him.  That’s all there is to it.”

Aile leaned her head back.  “Of course I want to save him.  But I don’t have any idea how!  I don’t have a way to meddle with Reploid DNA, and I’m not sure if I can beat Prometheus and Pandora without…”

She sighed.  X said, “Aile…I know how hard it is to fight your friend.  But right now, we’re the only chance Grey has.  There must be a way—and we can’t give up until we find it.  Alright?”

Slowly, Aile nodded.  She prepared to say something, but then she cut herself off.

“Someone’s coming,” Model P said.

Shrugging off the pain, Aile turned slightly, and peeked out around the side of the storage unit.  There was nothing there.

She rolled away quickly, a kunai burying itself in the space she had just occupied.  Her eyes darted back and forth, but no matter where she looked, she still couldn’t see anything, and even Model PX’s senses weren’t picking anything up.

Well, it’s not like I can use Model PX to the fullest right now anyway.

She waited to dodge another kunai before switching back to Model ZX, brandishing the violet saber as she slowly stepped to the side.  A cloud of smoke erupted suddenly.  Aile leapt back, and then spun around and raised her sword, just barely blocking Siarnaq’s own blade.  His new armor was very simplistic in its design, the helmet and shoulders rounded and sleek, with a shuriken-shaped ornament on his forehead and boots with geta-like protrusions on their soles.  His tattered red scarf fluttered behind him as he flipped backwards to avoid Aile’s counterstrike.

“Had a feeling you wouldn’t be far behind,” Aile said, regretting how out-of-breath she sounded.

Siarnaq threw more kunai at her feet, so she backed up.  She almost charged forward next, but she realized these kunai were red rather than the usual blue, and jumped even farther back instead.  A second later, the knives exploded.  Aile looked back to where Siarnaq had been: he was gone.  She heard something behind her, ducking as a shuriken flew just over her head, and then saw Siarnaq charging with his sword, throwing herself flat on the ground to get clear.  Aile sprang back up, kicking Siarnaq aside as she did.  They clashed swords, and then Aile stepped forward and drew her blade upward, flames trailing behind it; Siarnaq dodged and spun, cutting Aile’s exposed side before retreating again.  She could feel herself bleeding now.

Just perfect.

Siarnaq threw a volley of kunai, and Aile deflected them with her saber.  He threw a shuriken, so she ducked and fired her buster, but he somersaulted through the air, and when he landed there were three of him.  Aile kept her guard strong as they charged in unison.  They flanked her, and she had no idea which one was real.  Just before they swung, she punched the ground, and chunks of rock leapt up from it—the two illusions were dispelled, and Siarnaq had to delay his attack to avoid being struck in the face, giving Aile just enough time to block.  This counter was a shorter swing.  Siarnaq still dodged, but she maintained distance and swung again, still not connecting but managing to throw him off-balance.  Siarnaq tried to throw himself clear, so Aile jumped and swung her saber around herself, flinging small shockwaves in every direction; one of them struck Siarnaq, freezing over a part of his armor and bringing him crashing to the floor.  Aile landed just long enough to bounce forward, bringing a heavy saber slash down on her foe.  She pressed the edge against his neck before he could recover.

“Listen here,” she said in a low voice.  “I’ll give you one chance, and only one.  Leave your Biometal behind and get out of here if you want to live.”

Siarnaq stared at her for a moment.  Then, he started to laugh.  A smoke bomb on his belt detonated, the sudden blast pushing Aile back, and then he leapt up and slashed, carving one of the points off of her helmet.  Aile shouted and swung, but Siarnaq was gone again, leaving Aile to stand out in the open again.

Damn…alright, focus.  What’s the best way to fight this guy?  I can’t just let him keep sniping me like this, or else—

She dodged away from an exploding shuriken.  When she came up, she noticed that the door of the storage unit was partially open.

…That…doesn’t seem like a good idea.

More shuriken came at her, some exploding while others did not.  Aile was able to keep dodging, but she knew that wouldn’t last forever.

Hell, at this point I might just need to settle for “less terrible”.

She charged inside the unit, leaving the door wide open behind her.  Inside were shelves upon shelves lined with the same lifeless bodies as earlier; a chill crept down Aile’s spine at the sight, but she did her best to ignore it, turning and backing away slowly as she kept her pistol aimed at the door.

BANG

The shot connected with something, bursting right in the middle of the doorway.  Aile fired a few more shots, driving the target back, until they began to sail off into the distance.  She stopped.  And then a shuriken hit the doorframe, blasting it to smithereens.  Something moved through the resulting dust cloud—Aile swung her saber, hurling a crackling shockwave at it, but she didn’t hit her mark.  She ducked behind one of the shelves and stayed quiet.

Come on…

A sword whistled past her ear as she twisted her body around.  She grabbed onto Siarnaq’s invisible face, moving forward to slam him into the floor, and then readied her sword as he became visible.  He kicked her in the side, right where she was bleeding, and slipped away as she crumpled, leaping onto the ceiling and walking across it as easily as if it were a floor.  Aile deflected another kunai and fired a shot.  Siarnaq dropped and rushed forward, and Aile caught his blade on her armguard and landed an uppercut on his jaw.  She then noticed a red kunai in his other hand.  He stumbled about, only able to drop the weapon as they both tried to get clear, and when it exploded it knocked down all the shelves around them.  A pile of lifeless bodies fell on Aile, and it took all of her willpower to keep still.

No, this…this could…work to my advantage…

She did her best to remain calm as she peered through the tangle of limbs.  Siarnaq could be seen, slowly circling the pile with his sword drawn.

Thomas probably doesn’t want these destroyed.  Siarnaq might not be willing to push his luck that far.

For what seemed like a very long time, they both waited, trying to call the other’s bluff.  Eventually, Siarnaq edged forward and grabbed one of the bodies.  He brandished his sword as he tossed it aside.  Aile stayed where she was.  He hesitated, and then moved a second.  Still nothing.  It was when he grabbed a third that she threw the puppets off of herself and slammed her fist into the ground, sending a series of plasma blasts radiating from herself that knocked Siarnaq into the wall.  She grabbed her pistol with both hands and fired rapidly, keeping Siarnaq pinned.

Got you now.

Siarnaq yelled out.  He threw his sword at Aile, and she flicked her buster to deflect it, sending it spinning up into the air.  She immediately resumed firing: Siarnaq charged a bit, but then leapt up, his feet clinging to the ceiling as he ran forward to grab his airborne blade and then dive down on Aile with it.  Aile formed her saber and kicked out her foot as she twisted out of the way.  Siarnaq had barely touched down when his legs were kicked out from under him, and he fumbled with his weapon as he fell forward, eyes going wide as the sword ended up stuck in his own chest.  Aile stepped back to see if he would get up.

He looked to her, and then rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling.  “FAILURE…FAILURE…”

Aile put a hand to her side.  Try as she might, she couldn’t bring herself to be happy about this outcome, but she said nothing.

Siarnaq’s eyes slowly moved towards her.  “BODY IS FAILING…BUT MISSION WILL STILL SUCCEED…”

His sword turned red.  Kunai and shuriken of the same color began to spill from his palms.  Aile turned to run as soon as she saw it, but even then it was too late.  The next thing she knew, her consciousness was swallowed up by a tempest of searing pain.

Chapter Text

She became dimly aware of the world around her.  Something was beneath her—the ground?  No way to know for sure, since she was in too much pain to even open her eyelids.  Her body shifted, but it wasn’t her doing.  Maybe someone was moving her?  There was definitely someone there, they were speaking, but she couldn’t make sense of it just yet.  They set her back down.

Eventually, Aile’s senses started to clear.  She slowly opened her eyes, and found herself staring up at what appeared to be the night sky.  She breathed deeply, and her ribs cried out at the affront.

“Aile!” X exclaimed.  “Thank God you’re alright!  We weren’t sure if you were going to wake up after taking that much damage!”

Groaning, she rolled slightly as footsteps approached her, and looked up to see who was making them.

“Well?” Atlas asked, crossing her arms.

Aile started.  All she really accomplished was wracking her entire body with painful spasms.  “Rr…A…wh…?”

Atlas cocked her head.  “I guess that’s something.  If you’re worried, don’t be: you’re not dead or anything.  But it’s a good thing I was the first one to that wreck.”

“It’s okay, Aile,” X assured her.  “Atlas is the one who brought you here.”

Aile glanced about.  Now that she looked closer, the “sky” was a ceiling dotted with a few hundred tiny lights.  Numerous warehouse-like buildings made up the city squares, the organization reminding her of the storage units she had just been around.

“We’re still under Legion HQ,” Atlas said.  “This is some testing ground where Thomas was experimenting with his fake people—don’t think he’s used it in a while, so it seemed like the last place anyone would look.”

Atlas drew something from her belt, crouching down next to Aile and offering it.  It was a silver canister a little larger than a thermos, with a green indicator bar on one side that was filled completely.  Aile recognized it.

“Thomas gave us each a Sub-Tank as a precaution.  Here—you’re gonna need it.”

Aile glared up at her.  Atlas seemed taken aback for a moment, and then glared back twice as strong.

“Screw you!  Hate me all you want, but you don’t really think I’d stoop to dirty tricks like that, do you?  Just drink the damn thing!”

“You should take it, Aile,” Z said.  “If she wanted to kill you that badly, you’d already be dead.”

“Is that the best way to put it?” X mumbled.

After giving it a little more thought, Aile set her suspicions aside and started the long, arduous process of sitting up.  When she was more or less upright, she took the tank from Atlas and stared at it as she caught her breath.  Atlas walked a few steps away and sat down.  Eventually Aile was able to screw the cap off the Sub-Tank and drink its contents; as soon as she did, her pain began to subside, but she still felt awful when it was done.

Wish these worked as fast for us as they do for Reploids…

She set the tank down and shifted her weight, preparing to stand.  Atlas snapped, “Take it easy!  Wait until you’ve got all your strength back before you get up, dumbass.”

Aile grunted.  “…Thanks.”

Atlas scoffed, turning her head away.  “I want to beat you in a fair fight.  Can’t exactly do that if you’re already on death’s door, can I?”

Aile leaned back against one of the buildings.  She focused on her breathing as her pain continued to ebb away, trying to clear her mind but doing a fairly abysmal job of it.  Eventually she realized she was still Megamerged; she deactivated the transformation, feeling her muscles relax a bit, and then pulled her jacket open and twisted to examine herself.  Her bodysuit was stained with blood around her side and chest, but she poked at them to discover that the cuts had healed already.

That’s good, I guess.

She looked up and sighed.

Grey…

“It’s not right,” Atlas muttered.

Aile turned.

“What Thomas did to Grey,” Atlas said.  “It wasn’t right.  Tricking him, using things he couldn’t control against him, taking his own body away from him…it’s despicable.”

It took Aile a moment to realize what she was trying to do.  She felt she should give some kind of reply, but nothing seemed to fit, so she stayed silent.  But as she thought more and more about the situation, it weighed even more heavily upon her, and before long she had a hand clamped firmly over her face as she worked to hold back tears.

Atlas grimaced.  “What, are you crying?”

“Shut up,” Aile growled.

“You think that’s gonna fix anything, huh?  Or have you already given up?”

Aile felt something burst.  Glaring at Atlas, she yelled through sobs, “Of course I haven’t given up!  But I’ve spent the past few weeks working myself to exhaustion and risking my life to try to stop this petty asshole with a god complex, and at the end of it all I have to watch someone I care about get their soul sealed away, so I think it’s fair I’m feeling overwhelmed!  Piss off!”

Atlas scowled at her but, surprisingly, didn’t say anything in response.  Aile worked to compose herself—it took longer than she would have liked—and when she was nearly calm again, she got to her feet and merged back with Model ZX.

“Alright,” she said, “let’s get this over with.”

Atlas stood, but she didn’t merge.  After a few moments, Aile asked, “What’s the holdup?”

“This isn’t ideal,” Atlas grumbled.

Aile groaned.  “What the hell is it now?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot.  I promised Model F I’d have a proper fight with you once I got my new Biometal.”

Aile blinked.  “…Oh.  You actually care about that?”

“Of course I do!  Why else would I have said it?”

At a loss, Aile just shrugged half-heartedly.

“But, this situation,” Atlas said with a shake of her head.  “There’s too much at stake here to call it a simple fight.  I’m not sure if I should…”

“Alright,” Aile said.  “Then, we’re not going to fight?”

Staring hard at her, Atlas added, “But…this might be my last chance to see if I can beat you.  And if so, I can’t just let it slip away.”

Aile’s expression quickly grew flat.  “…Right.”

Atlas continued to mull it over.  Just when Aile was thinking she should try to leave, Model F interrupted, “Ah, just go at each other.  No point in passin’ up a perfectly good chance to fight!”

“Model F!” Aile shouted.  “We can’t afford to waste any time!”

“We won’t!  Thomas isn’t gonna do anything until he takes care a you first.”

“But Grey—“

“Do you still not have any idea how to help him?”

Aile didn’t answer.

“Then what’s the rush?  Who knows, maybe this’ll give you an idea!”

“Yeah right,” Aile said.  “Look, Atlas.  I’ve got things to do.  I appreciate your help, but if you’re not going to make me fight you, then I’m on my way.”

She turned to leave.  Model F said, “Hey, wait!  I’m tellin’ you, we shouldn’t pass this up!”

“Can it, F!”

“Aile, listen!  This is the exact opponent you need right now!  This is someone you can have fun against!”

Aile clenched her fists.  “Fun?!  How am I supposed to have fun while Grey’s a captive in his own body?!”

“By fighting Atlas!”

She grunted.  Atlas smiled, saying, “I think I get it.  You’re kind of a mess right now, Aile—if you go against Thetis or Aeolus like this, you might slip up.  And while I certainly won’t take it easy on you, I’m not planning to kill you either.  Maybe I can help loosen you up a bit.”

Before Aile could offer a retort, F said, “Exactly!  Like I was sayin’ before, you can still enjoy a fight with stakes!  And the ones here will be a little lower than the others, help you ease into it.  Whaddaya say?”

Atlas drew her Biometal.  “Works for me!”

There was a blast of heat and light as the silver armor formed.  Her helmet produced a mask over the bottom half of her face and was topped with a small flame, and similar, taller flames also danced atop the quarter-circle decorations on her shoulders.  The armor on her body was thick and had a few ridges on the center of her torso, and her forearms were encased in massive armored gauntlets.  Thickest of all was the armor on her shins, widening as it reached her feet, the soles of which now sported miniature treads that dug into the ground beneath her.

“Come on, Aile!” she said, getting into a wide stance.  “Let me show you what Model Tf can do!”

Aile began to protest as Atlas drew her fist back.  Seeing it would go unheard, she tried to ready herself, but when Atlas punched, the treads on her feet pushed her forward at an alarming pace—all she had time to do was roll out of the way.

“Well I don’t have much of a choice now, do I?” Aile huffed.

She fired at Atlas as the woman slowly turned around.  The shots didn’t seem to do much, and Atlas responded by punching the air and firing a burst of fire from her fist; Aile dodged to the side, only to see Atlas charging again, and an elbow to the face sent her sprawling.  She jumped up as Atlas stepped forward, fists still sizzling.  Prioritizing dodging for the moment, Aile carefully wove around the punches thrown at her, waiting for an opportunity to retaliate.  When an opening did appear, she guided her sword towards it.  Atlas caught them blade between her palms.

“Hah!” she laughed.  “Nice—“

Aile drove a glowing fist into Atlas’s gut, the weak energy charge not sufficient enough to cause real damage to her armor but rattling her just enough to buy time to retreat.  She backed away and watched Atlas closely.  To her surprise, the ridges in her foe’s chest armor slid open, revealing three or four lines of gun barrels.

Are you kidding me?!

A torrent of plasma bullets bore down on Aile, bending through the air to converge on her just like she hoped they wouldn’t.  The concentrated firepower was too much for her to defend against.  Just as she thought she might be able to break free, Atlas came charging in again, returning the earlier gut punch with a bit of extra momentum behind it, not to mention a few hundred degrees of heat.  The blow flung Aile back with such force she crashed through two of the warehouses before finally stopping.

Damn her…

Aile ran behind another warehouse, hoping to have a chance to think.  The two she had unintentionally demolished were swiftly torched.  Right when she was wondering how likely hiding from her foe actually was, the warehouse behind her shook, and she turned to see Atlas lifting it up off the ground and over her head.  She knew what to expect next—Atlas hurled the small building at her, but a precision swing of the Z Saber was able to cleave it in two and send the pieces off to either side of Aile.  Atlas punched Aile in the face while she was open.  She moved to attack again, but this time Aile caught the fist in her hand, and held it in place as she glared at Atlas.

“Come on!” Atlas said.  “I know you’ve got more than that!  Hit me with everything you have, so I can get up and hit you back with more!”

“What does this accomplish?!  What does it prove?  All you’re doing is wasting my time, Atlas!”

An orb of orange light appeared in Atlas’s free hand.  “You sure about that?”

Aile rolled to the side as Atlas launched the attack.  It sailed off into the distance and exploded, scarring one of the walls of the facility.  Atlas threw a hook, and Aile dodged and swung.  The treads on Atlas’s feet reversed, pulling her out of harm’s way, while her chest plate opened again in preparation for another onslaught.  Aile switched to Model HX as she dodged—the bullets continued to chase her, her jets firing constantly to keep her ahead of them, but the gap was slowly closing.  She spun without slowing down, creating a tornado in her wake.  Many of the shots were sucked up into the funnel, but Atlas fired relentlessly, providing a second wave of attacks that avoided it entirely.  Aile spun again, so Atlas stepped forward and kept firing.  This time, however, Aile sent out two shockwaves from her swords; they struck Atlas dead-on, electrifying her armor and stunning her, and Aile used the opportunity to charge at her at full speed.  She was about halfway when Atlas recovered.  The fiery warrior punched the ground, causing a fissure of flame to open up before her and forcing Aile into the air, and then hurled a fireball straight at her.  Aile managed to avoid the attack and extended her sabers as she fell towards Atlas.  Atlas moved forward and caught her with an uppercut, launching Aile high and then following with an explosive sphere that hurled her back into the ground.  She slowly picked herself up.

“F,” she breathed, “I blame you for this.”

“Hey, this only proves my point,” F said.  “’Sides, you’re the one who’s losing.”

“He’s right,” Atlas said.  “Your heart’s not in it, Aile.  You still need to let go and have some fun with this fight!”

Aile gave a frustrated sigh.  Before she could come up with more of a response, she heard a curious sound and turned to look.  Not far away, a door had opened in the facility wall, swinging just wide enough to allow one person inside before closing behind them.  They went stiff the moment they saw her.

“Aile?!” Thetis cried.  “How did you get in here?  Actually, how did you survive that explosion?  Or were you able to get away before Siarnaq…”

He glanced over to Atlas, and then back to Aile.

“Well, I guess that doesn’t matter.  Good job tracking her down, Atlas!  I’ll help you finish her off!”

Thetis drew his Biometal, and Aile groaned to herself.  Before he could merge with it, however, Atlas turned and shouted, “Hold on, Thetis!  This is just between me and Aile!  Stay out of it!”

He gaped at her for a long moment.  “W…what are you saying, Atlas?  We’re supposed to bring her to Master Thomas!  It’ll be a lot easier if we work together, don’t you think?”

“I don’t care about that!  I’m just trying to see if I can beat Aile—one-on-one, without any help!  Don’t interfere!”

Thetis looked back and forth between the two, apparently at a loss for words.  Eventually he said, “Atlas…we have our orders.  You can’t just decide not to carry them out!  Who knows what Master Thomas will do if he discovers this?”

“I know what happens to soldiers who disobey orders.  But I don’t care.”  Atlas gestured to Aile.  “If Thomas succeeds, then I won’t get another chance to fight Aile ever again!  If I don’t take this opportunity, then I’ll never know if I’ve surpassed her or not!  And if I have to die to know that, then that’s something I’m fine with!  So butt out, Thetis!  This is my fight!”

Thetis recoiled.  He didn’t say anything, but he backed up against the wall, and remained there without making any aggressive action.  Atlas turned back to Aile and nodded.  Aile just stared at her.

“You understand, right Aile?” Atlas asked.

With a heavy sigh, Aile stood tall.  “…Yeah.  I understand you, Atlas.  And I understand what it is you don’t get.”

“…Huh?”

“You’re someone who’s driven to constantly improve themselves—someone always trying to reach their full potential.  You want to be the absolute best possible ‘you’.  Right?”

Atlas pumped her fists.  “Of course!  And you’re the same, aren’t you?”

Slowly, Aile nodded.  “Yeah…I have that same drive.  I want to keep bettering myself, to feel like I’m improving and becoming a more complete person.  But here’s where we’re different, Atlas.”  She pointed.  “You think power is the only way to measure improvement!  And I know that’s a load of shit!”

Atlas growled.  “You trying to tell me you don’t want power?  That’s a load of shit!”

“No…I do.  I may not be proud of it, but there’s a part of me that wants to keep fighting until I have enough power to beat anyone.”  She shuddered.  “…But.  Even if I’m chasing that, I can still improve in other ways.  I know that there’s more to life than power—that I have the potential to be more than just power-hungry.  And now I can see…that you never got to learn that.”

Atlas said nothing.

Taking a step forward, Aile said, “You said you were a soldier.  That’s all you know, isn’t it?  You’ve only known violence, because no one ever taught you anything else.  So you think that’s the only way you can better yourself—and when there’s only one way to achieve that, you’ll do anything to chase it.  Maybe I could stand to enjoy fighting a little more.  But Atlas…you need to learn to enjoy something other than fighting.  That’s essential if you want to truly better yourself.”

A long silence passed.  Raising her fists, Atlas said, “If that’s what you think, then prove it to me.  You know how.”

Aile switched to Model FX.  “Yeah.  I do.”

She walked up to Atlas, busters at the ready.  Atlas punched, but Aile met the blow, and they locked eyes for a moment.  Atlas laughed when she saw fire burning in Aile’s eyes.  They pulled back for a moment, and then Aile feinted a jab before smashing her other fist directly into Atlas’s chest, wrecking the armor there to make sure she couldn’t open her guns.  Atlas quickly responded with a flaming blow to Aile’s face.  Aile rolled with it and punched the ground as she did, prompting it to spew magma up at Atlas to distract her.  She then came at her from the side, kicking her in the ribs, and punched one of her shoulders, chipping off a piece of the armor there and stifling the flames spewing from it.  With those gone, it was clear for Aile to swing at the back of Atlas’s neck.  Atlas stumbled forward and tried to roll.  Her armor was a bit too heavy to adequately pull off the maneuver, but when Aile moved forward to seize the opportunity, Atlas kicked her and activated her treads, the extra push throwing Aile completely off-balance and bringing her to the ground right next to Atlas.  Each fired a close-range blast—the resulting explosion hurled them both back, and onto their feet, and Aile immediately opened fire as Atlas came charging through the barrage with her fists doused in flame.  Aile stopped at the last possible second and punched.  Their fists went right past each other to collide with their opponent’s face, stunning them both momentarily.  Atlas punched Aile in the gut with her other hand, but then Aile lowered both hers to grab Atlas by the arm; before Atlas could react, Aile kicked her feet out and hurled her overhead, slamming her flat on her back, and then fell forward to ram her elbow into her prone foe, fire leaping up through the ground beneath Atlas at the same time.  A second later, Aile’s buster was right in Atlas’s face.

“Bang,” she said.

Atlas growled.

“I win.  You’re not going to be a sore loser, are you?”

“…I yield,” Atlas said.  “I need to get a little stronger before I can surpass you.”

Aile stood up and paused a moment.  Reaching back down, she offered a hand to Atlas, and said, “Think about what I said, alright?”

Atlas snorted.  But she took the hand.

As they both demerged, Model F said, “That’s more like it!  We had some real fun there, right Aile?”

Aile grabbed the Biometal and gently punched him.  “I didn’t have fun, jackass!”

F yelped.

“Maybe you were right about getting my head on straight, but I didn’t have a good time!  There’s way too much else to worry about!”  Aile turned to Atlas.  “…But if you want, we can try again when this is over.  I’m starting to see how fighting you could be fun.”

Atlas grinned.  “Heh.  Tough talk.  But you haven’t stopped Thomas yet.”

Aile looked over to Thetis.  The boy had come forward a bit now, still looking a little hesitant but with his Biometal ready.  She stepped towards him and said, “Thetis, I’d rather not fight you.  But if you won’t stand down, then I will get past you.”

Thetis waited a moment.  Then, he clutched the Biometal and merged with it in a flash.  The armor had angular plates on the shoulders and shins, but still had an overall streamlined design, detailed with stylized icicles on the chest plate and wrists.  Tubes filled with flowing water were built into the legs, running up to a belt with numerous studs across its surface; a singular tube reached up from either side of his chest plate to wrap behind his neck.  Over his head was what looked to be a hood, its edges lined with smaller icicle designs like the one on his chest.

“Don’t talk like you’ve already won!” Thetis said.  “I’ve got a new Biometal too, and I’m not going to just back down!”

Aile merged with Model ZX.  “Fine.”

She fired at him as she walked forward.  Suddenly, the ground beneath Thetis froze over, and skates extended from his feet—he slid across the ice, and it moved with him, making sure there was always ice in front of him but disappearing as soon as he had passed over it.  He flicked his hand forward.  A spear of ice shot through the air, an attack that Aile easily sidestepped.  Thetis skated circles around Aile, flinging one spear after another, keeping her on the defensive even if he wasn’t actually connecting.

“This is a huge step up from Model L!” Thetis said.  “Now I don’t need a specific environment to be able to use my full power!”

L grumbled, “Well excuse me.  I thought you liked the water?”

Thetis’s attacks stopped briefly.  “…Well, I do, but…”

Aile took the chance to fire at him.  Thetis saw it coming and leapt into the air, the ice actually following him up, and when he spun it coalesced around his outstretched leg before extending into a long blade that cut Aile’s shoulder from several yards away.  It melted back into a thin covering when Thetis touched down, and he laughed as he darted away from her.

“Alright,” Aile said, “let’s give F a try.”

F grunted.  “You sure you want my help?”

“Now’s not the time!  Come on!”

She switched Models as Thetis resumed hurling spears.  Swiveling around, Aile began firing both busters, obliterating the projectiles and putting Thetis on the defensive.  The bullets kept curving towards their target, but Thetis was still too quick for them.  Aile adjusted her grip.  Now each buster shot bullets in a different path, working together in an attempt to pincer their target; Thetis was grazed by a few of these and stumbled forward, but by the time he got up, he had created a snowflake-shaped shield in each hand that he used to absorb the incoming shots.  Aile kept up the pressure.

“It’s pointless!” Thetis said.  “You can’t stop Thomas, Aile: he’s going to remake the world, and once he does, the ocean will finally be safe from all the harm people have done to it!”

Aile kept firing with one buster while rearing back the second.  “Thetis, snap out of it already!”

She slammed her buster into the ground, sending a flaming fissure at him.  He leapt up to avoid it, flinging two spears as he did, but Aile kept firing as she rushed him down, the constant hits keeping him too distracted to attempt any further attacks.  Aile was there right when he landed, and sent him flying into the wall.

“What makes you so sure Thomas actually cares as much as you do about the ocean?” Aile asked.  “You really don’t think he’d lie just to get your help?”

As Thetis peeled himself off the wall, he said, “Well…then why should I trust you instead?”

It was L who answered: “Because the whole reason I was built was to clean the sea, dummy!  Maybe I’ve gotten a little distracted, but out of anyone here, I’m the only one who actually has experience with what it is you want!  I know for a fact Thomas doesn’t.”

“She’s right, Thetis,” X said.  “Think about it: all the pollution you hate so much, hasn’t it occurred to you that a great deal of it likely comes from Legion itself?”

Thetis clenched his fists.  “…That doesn’t mean Master Thomas—“

“What has he done to stop it?” Aile asked.  “He’s got the most power in the country, especially now that he’s the only Sage!  Has he ever used that power for the ocean’s benefit?”

Thetis looked at the floor.

“He’s just tricking you, Thetis.  Do you really not see that?”

The boy raised his arms.  “Who cares?!”

A massive block of ice shot straight at Aile, who pulverized it with one punch.  Thetis then brought his hands together, and the fragments converged, battering Aile from all sides and joining together to freeze her solid.

“No one cares,” Thetis said as he walked towards her.  “Not about the ocean, not about me…what does it matter who I believe?  Once Thomas is done with his own plan, I can use what he’s given me to carry out my own!  If his Carbons don’t respect the ocean, then I’ll wipe them out too!  I’ll keep the ocean safe, all by myself…even if I have to be the only person in the world for that to happen…”

Aile’s busters flashed.  The ice was instantly turned to steam, and she rushed through it to tackle Thetis.  He bounded back up immediately and skated away.

“Dammit!” Aile hissed.  “After that I’m not sure if I’m gonna have frostbite or burns…”

“Aile,” L said, “use me.  My power is exactly what you need to win this.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Aile complied.  She walked in Thetis’s direction, and he shouted, “Hah!  You seriously think that outdated Model stands a chance?”

He hurled more spears and began to circle her again.  Aile decided to resume dodging, but when he made another leaping kick, she reached out with her hand.  The ice blade connected to Thetis’s leg touched her palm and immediately stopped moving.  Thetis flailed oddly as his body reacted to the sudden shift in motion, and Aile pointed her halberd at him.  An ice dragon carried Thetis back into the wall, and Aile slowly walked towards him.

“Ow,” the boy said, holding his head as he sat up.  “What the heck…?  Model Tl is supposed to have superior elemental power—how are you able to just stop it like that?”

“Years of practice,” Aile said.

“For both of us,” added L.  “Raw power means nothing if you don’t know how to use it, Thetis.  And you definitely don’t.”

He got to his feet.  “Oh yeah?”

“Yes!  You don’t have any idea how to use power!  Not mine, not this knockoff’s, not even the power you’d have in this daydream you’ve constructed!  I can tell you first hand that wiping out your enemies is a lousy way to go about cleaning the sea!”

Thetis’s hands started to glow with blue-white light.  “I’ve had enough of you!  I know what I’m doing!  Now buzz off!”

He thrust his hands out, willing an enormous wave of cold energy to gush towards Aile.  She held her hands out as well, stopping it dead in its tracks, and worked to turn it back on Thetis.  He managed to keep it at bay, leaving the chaotic swirl of arctic energy suspended in the air between the both of them.

“I’m going…to do this!” Thetis said through clenched teeth.  “You…can’t…stop me…!”

“I’m getting tired of telling you, Thetis,” Aile said.  “We’ll help you.  If you’ll let us.”

“If I do it the way…you want!  But I’m sick…of compromises…that never do any real…good!  But my way…will work…just as soon as…”

Aile stepped forward.  “Think it through!  What will you even be protecting if Thomas goes through with his plan?  He wants to wipe out anything and everything that’s a part of this world.  Do you think he’ll decide to spare the life in the sea?”

Thetis faltered.  The energy reached out around him, but stopped again as he reasserted his focus.

“If Thomas succeeds, the oceans will be empty.  There won’t be anything in them to protect, nothing to benefit from the clean habitat you’ll make.  What’s the point of that?”

“You’re…lying!” Thetis said.  “He wouldn’t…that can’t…”

“Thetis,” X said.  “Think about what it is Thomas wants.  He hopes to create a world filled only with life of his own making.  Isn’t that the case?”

Thetis lowered his head.  The energy started to waver, spitting out bursts of cold all around him.

“If you go through with this, you’ll only be ending the very lives you’re trying to protect!”

He dropped to his knees.  The energy rushed back onto him—Aile did her best to divert it to either side, but when it had passed, his body was still covered in a thick layer of frost and icy shards.  She watched him carefully as he just laid there.

“What am I supposed to do?” Thetis groaned.  “I don’t want to give up…I want to make things change…I thought this was the best way to do it, and I didn’t want to let anyone stop me.  It was my decision.  I wanted to carry it out.  But…I don’t…”

He rolled onto his side, covering his face with his hand.  Aile thought for a moment.  Then, she stepped next to him, and said, “Thetis…I have to hurry.  I’m sorry.  But if you want to stick around, then when this is all over, I’ll do what I can to help you.  Okay?”

She didn’t receive a reply.  Turning towards the door, she thought, Well, that only leaves Aeolus, Prometheus and Pandora…and Thomas.  How am I going to deal with them…

“Wait,” Atlas called.

Aile looked back.  Thetis was sitting up now, and Atlas was coming closer, saying, “You should take Thetis’s Sub-Tank with you.  It’d be disappointing to see you get killed out there.”

Glancing at the boy, she said, “He doesn’t have to.  I’ll manage.”

She was about to turn again, but Thetis said, “No…it’s alright.”

He detached the canister and held it up.  Aile looked at him: he had a downcast expression and tears in his eyes, but for one reason or another he seemed sincere.  Tentatively, she took the tank from him.

“Thank you,” she said.  “…Atlas?”

“Eh?”

“Be nice to him, alright?”

Atlas crossed her arms.  “Just get going.”

No one stopped her this time.  She passed through the door to find herself back in the larger storage area, and looked around the ceiling before darting over to one of the warehouses.

“Good call, X,” she said.  “I guess talking can work…sometimes.”

“Not as often as I’d like,” X sighed.  “But, I still think it’s always worth trying.”

Aile nodded.  “Yeah.  I think you might be onto something.”

Chapter Text

Aile, merged with Model PX, stayed pressed against the storage unit as she weighed her options.  Up above, Aeolus was slowly flying by, scanning the area gradually for any sign of Aile—yet he had no idea how close she actually was.  His new armor was sleek, and looked incredibly light: his torso was protected by something that looked like chainmail, and he had curved plates attached loosely to his shoulders and vambraces on his forearms.  Thin plates were strapped to his shins, and over his face he wore an oval mask with oversized eyeholes.  He flew using the bat-like wings attached to his back, but Aile couldn’t help but feel there was something just a bit unnatural in his movements.

Honestly, it might be better to get the jump on him.

Aeolus turned around, his back now exposed to her.

…But…if I lead with that, then try to talk, he definitely won’t listen.  If I’m going to have any chance of reasoning with him, I have to do it now.

He turned as if to leave.  Silently groaning, Aile crossed to the opposite warehouse and jumped on top of its roof, crossing her arms and staring up at Aeolus until he noticed her.  His hands crackled with lightning as he lowered towards her.

“Model Th, I’m guessing?” Aile said.  “Super original.  Anyway, I’ve already kicked all three of your friends’ asses, so what do you say we skip your attempt and get on with our lives?”

Aeolus chuckled as he raised one hand.  In a flash, a sword appeared in it, a long, slender blade with one edge and electricity dancing down the opposite side.  “Now why would we do that?  Your success against my colleagues means nothing.  I outclass them in every way, after all.”

“No, I wouldn’t exactly call you classy,” Aile mumbled.  “Look at it this way.  Do you really gain anything from fighting me?  Win or lose?”

“Of course.  I have to bring your head to Master Thomas before he will initiate the final stages of his plan.”

Aile smirked.  “Oh, that’s right.  Thomas’s plan.  I forgot how dedicated you were to serving his cause.”

No mask could disguise the scowl Aeolus wore.  He thrust his sword out, and a bolt of lightning leapt from it to where Aile stood.  She flipped back to the other side of the roof to avoid it.

“Buzzing gnat,” he said, extending his other arm.  Four flat blades extended from a central point on his vambrace, and quickly spun until they seemed to form a solid shield.  “The time has come for you to expire!”

He fired another lightning bolt as he moved forward.  Aile leapt out of the way and threw a few kunai, but the spinning blades deflected them all in different directions.  What’s more, Aeolus was moving a bit faster than she anticipated, forcing her to parry his sword before she could try to put more distance between them.  Aeolus thrust his palm forward.  A huge gust of wind appeared, sending Aile tumbling backwards and keeping her off-balance long enough for one of Aeolus’s thunderbolts to hit her.  She shook her head and looked up to see him swinging his shield arm.  The whirring blades detached from him, arcing through the air straight towards her as they spun—she switched to Model ZX and knocked them aside, but this left her open to another thunderbolt.  She took up a defensive stance as the spinning blades returned to Aeolus.

“Still a sore spot, I see,” Aile said.  “Maybe it’s been nagging at you for a while now?”

She dodged a thunderbolt.  The shield was airborne again, and Aeolus was moving in, so she spun her sword around to release tiny shockwaves in every direction, knocking the shield to the ground and stunning Aeolus.  Aile pelted him with a few shots before he lashed out, and then carefully blocked his sword and pushed back.  He slipped up and away, swinging from a point where he could enjoy his weapon’s reach advantage, and a few of Aile’s severed hairs floated across her field of vision as she did her best to dodge.  The shield was whirring again.  Aile turned to face it, but what she saw was a deadly spiral of wind being fired at her—the cutting air stung her, and Aeolus slashed her back before flying up and calling the shield back to him.

“You are one of the most frustrating beings it has ever been my displeasure to encounter,” Aeolus said as he glared down his nose at her.

Aile smirked.  “I try.”

“Stubbornly clinging to outdated ideas, childishly egging others on, fighting and destroying as you go…fools like you are the exact reason this world cannot be saved!  Perhaps you are blind to logic?  Or could it be you know that you are a parasite, but deny it out of pure self-interest?  You claim to be a hero, but what is truly best for this world is the erasure of people like you, and you—“

He cut himself off as Aile dashed forward, saber held high.  Throwing his shield so that it would curve around behind her, Aeolus threw one bolt before charging in himself, but as Aile adjusted her approach he noticed her fist was glowing.  She punched the ground just as he tried to reverse course, causing blasts of plasma to shoot up and strike both him and his shield; he steadied himself quickly, but Aile was already upon him, slicing straight through his mail and then aiming for a wing.  He only narrowly escaped.

“I-Imbecile!” he cried.  “Listen when your betters are speaking!”

“You move a bit too well for a winged creature,” Aile said.  “What is it, hidden jets?  Some minor gravity manipulation?  Or are you using wires?”

Aeolus growled.  With a flourish of his sword, he used a wind gust to push Aile back, and then rapidly hurled bolts at her as he called out to his shield.  The connected blades spun through the air and positioned themselves right above Aile, shooting down a focused cyclone while Aeolus tried to box her in; she opted to take one of the bolts, and then immediately fired a charged shot to distract Aeolus while she switched to Model HX and began dash-jumping closer to him.  Aeolus easily evaded when she leapt and swung at him.  Dipping back down, he locked his sword against one of Aile’s, and the shield returned to his arm, though Aile immediately jammed her other sword into it so it couldn’t spin.  Aeolus chuckled.  One by one, the connected blades all swiveled back to stack right on top of each other, the surprise pressure throwing Aile off just a little.  She focused on compensating, allowing Aeolus to twirl his proper sword back and smack the electrified portion into her ribs.  Aile crumpled, and Aeolus pulled back and used his shield’s tornado to run her into the ground.

“If you must know, it’s gravity manipulation,” Aeolus said.  “Now, back to more important matters.”

Aile spread her swords wide as she stood.  “I’m gonna level with you: nothing you ever say sounds like it’s actually important.”

“I am trying to explain to you why—“

“Yeah, shut up!  You think everyone’s dumb and ruining the world and you want to save it, I know.  It’s absurd for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that you don’t seem to get you’ve only ever been a pawn!”

Orbs of plasma encircled Aile as she ran forward again.  They fanned out as she got closer, slowly moving to try to surround Aeolus; he dodged past Aile and threw a bolt at her, but he missed, and the orbs turned to converge on him again.  After dodging a shockwave from Aile, Aeolus threw his shield and let it slice through the orbs one by one while he kept an eye on his foe.  Aile reared back her sword as if to aim high, prompting Aeolus to drop a bit, and then stabbed the ground before her, spawning a tornado that managing to sweep Aeolus up and leave him dizzy when it spit him out.  He remained so turned around that when his shield returned to him, it smacked him right in the face.

“Enough nonsense!” he shouted.  “I have told you: I cooperate with the Sages to further my own plans!  I am no one’s pawn!”

“Fine, be a rook if it makes you happier!” Aile shouted, hurling a rapid series of shockwaves.  “But you’re delusional if you think you’re in charge, Aeolus!  And that’s what a guy like you really wants!”

Aeolus wove through the attacks and reclaimed his shield.  Now able to safely block, he replied, “You haven’t a clue what you speak of!”

Aile grunted.  “You know how Guardians and Hunters refer to you?  Trick question: they don’t!  They just talk about ‘Albert’s Mega Men’—or ‘Thomas’s Mega Men’ now!  The only people who even know you exist consider you just part of a set!  Hardly sounds like someone who’s in control of their own life!”

Aeolus actually paused at this.  Aile used the opportunity to switch to Model LX, and she then created a trio of ice dragons, jumping atop one as they all spiraled towards Aeolus.  Snapping out of it, he destroyed one of them with a thunderbolt, throwing his shield at a second but watching as it bounced off the construct’s thick hide.  Prioritizing Aile and her mount, he pointed his sword at her, but she threw her halberd just as he was turning around and hit him dead in the shoulder, totally splintering the piece of armor hung there.  The two dragons tackled Aeolus as one, slamming him into the ground and leaving him buried in a mountain of ice.  Aile emerged with her halberd in hand and kept a safe distance.  A few seconds later, the snow was all blown away by a vicious wind.

“Oh, what of it!” Aeolus shouted.  “I shall still see my plan carried out!  Master Thomas will wipe away this world’s stupidity, and a new age shall begin!  That is what I desire!”

Aile danced around lightning bolts.  “Really?  You’re okay with Thomas carrying out your plan?  Doing all the real work, getting all the credit for it?  Are you really fine with that?”

Aeolus’s attacks came slower, missing by wider and wider margins.  In a way Aile was furious that this was actually working, but even still, she knew she had to keep it up.

“Face it, Aeolus.  If Thomas succeeds, he’s the one who’ll be celebrated for the ‘world free of conflict’ you both supposedly want.  You’ll get maybe a statue—two if you’re lucky—but do you really think they’ll hail you as a hero, or even name a holiday after you?”

Aeolus stopped completely.  He kept his sword charged, his shield spinning, but he remained where he was, feet firmly planted on the ground.  Aile wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or scream.

“Come to think of it,” she said, “is Thomas’s world really going to be ‘smart’ enough for you?  I mean, I don’t know where exactly your astronomical standards lie, but…the whole time I’ve been down here, I haven’t heard a peep from any of the Biometal he’s made.”

Aeolus looked down at his armor.  “What does that…?”

“It’s all we really have to gauge his work off of, right?  Well, that and the Pseudoroids, who weren’t exactly geniuses.  But this Model T Series Biometal you’ve all got...it doesn’t seem to have any real intelligence.  Is it even alive?  And if Thomas is willing to let something so crucial to his plan be totally mindless…”  She shrugged.  “Well, I just get the feeling that were it you, you’d want every cog in the machine to be tuned perfectly.  Am I right?”

She watched Aeolus as he slowly mulled the problem over.  Eventually, his shield stopped spinning, and he straightened his back to hold his head up high.

“Hmph,” he scoffed.  “Obviously, you’re only saying all of this because you wish to dissuade me and make your own goals easier to attain.”

Aile held a hand to her chest.  “Who, me?”

“Nonetheless…upon further reflection…perhaps my and Master Thomas’s goals do not align quite as closely as I once thought.”

Aile closed her eyes for a few seconds to refrain from rolling them.  Aeolus demerged, and placed Model Th and a Sub-Tank on the ground.

“I shall impede you no longer, Mega Man.  But know this: when next I set out to achieve my goals, it will be done using methods entirely of my own design, so that there will be no further confusion as to my role in them.  Understood?”

“Perfectly,” Aile mumbled.

Aeolus scoffed once more, flourished his coat as he turned on his heel, and walked away.  Aile demerged, ran a hand through her hair, and stared wide-eyed at the ground, quietly saying, “Oh my gosh…”

“He’s even more of a disgrace than I realized,” H growled.  “How someone like that was able to use my power, I never want to know.”

Aile went to pick up the abandoned items, first glancing over Model Th.  She could feel the energy it radiated, and while it was not totally unlike that of the other Biometal, there was certainly something about it that felt…off.

“Hello?” she asked.  “Can you understand me?”

She held it to her ear, but received no reply.

Alive…but not alive.  Too weird.

“What are we going to do with it?” Model Z asked.  “An empty husk like that isn’t going to be of much help.”

“We can’t just leave it here,” X said.  “They could get destroyed, before they even have a chance to develop their own mind.  And maybe Fleuve could find a way to help them?”

“Maybe,” Aile said.  After another moment, she pocketed the Biometal.  “Might as well give it a try.”

She then turned to the Sub-Tank.

This gives me two.  Good…depending on how this next part goes, Grey might need one for himself.  I’ll save one, and the other…

Aile flexed her arm, and then poked at her wounds from earlier.

Since I drank the other one, I’ve fought three Mega Men back to back…I’m not in awful shape, all things considered, but it’s taken a toll.  And now I need to fight Prometheus and Pandora.

“What do you guys think?” she asked.  “Should I use this now, or wait so that I’m at full strength when it comes time to fight Thomas?”

“There is no guarantee an opportunity will present itself,” Model P said.  “It seems wiser to use the chance you have right now.”

“And aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself?” H said.  “We should not simply assume that we will win.”

“Oh, don’t listen to him,” L said.  “Still, I’d take it now.  Those two have always been a real pain to deal with.”

“I don’t really see the difference,” F said.  “Either way, we’re just gonna beat ‘em up!  Whatever the others say is fine with me.”

“We should focus on the more immediate task,” Z said.  “Not only are those two strong, now we’ll have to see how they fight while sharing a single body.  And on top of that…there’s an extra psychological strain on this one.  You’re going to need to be at your best.”

“I agree,” X said.  “Besides, once we get Grey and Model A back, we’ll have them to help us take on Thomas!  This is what’s going to be the hard part.”

Aile nodded.  After drinking the Sub-Tank, she tossed it over her shoulder and waited a moment for it to take effect, and then she merged with Model ZX and started walking.

I’m coming, Grey.  Somehow, I’m going to save you.

She still wasn’t ready by the time the giant form of Model T came into view.  Thomas stood in front of it, working at a control panel with his back to her, while Prometheus sat there with his head resting on one knuckle.  When he opened his eyes and saw Aile approaching, he flashed a savage grin.

“Well well well!” he said, pulling himself up onto his feet.  “Looks like I was right after all!  Care to tell us what became of Thomas’s precious pawns?”

Thomas glanced over his shoulder.  He looked annoyed, but said nothing.

“Siarnaq blew himself up,” Aile said as she came to a stop.  “The others are alive, but I managed to talk them down one way or another.  They won’t be coming to stop me this time.”

Thomas scowled at this.  Whirling, he shouted, “Those idiots!  All they had to do was use my technology properly, and they would’ve smote you with ease!  But you’re saying that they just gave up?!”

“I wouldn’t quite put it that way.  But I’m not here to talk about them.”

She locked eyes on Prometheus.  He snickered, and said, “Don’t expect the same tactics to work on us, Mega Man.  We’re not leaving until we’ve killed you!”

“I figured you wouldn’t listen.  But, Grey’s a good listener.  So I’m interested to hear what he has to say.”

Prometheus became Pandora.  “He cannot hear you now.  Our control over this body is absolute.  For all intents and purposes, Grey no longer exists.”

“I don’t believe that!” Aile said, brandishing her saber.  “You’re still in there, aren’t you Grey?  What about you, Model A?  There’s no way you’re going to let these two get the better of you!  So come on out already!”

Pandora became Prometheus.  “The poor girl’s in denial!  Looks like we’ll have to beat the truth into her…good thing I was planning to anyway!”

He shifted his stance as he drew his scythe back.  Aile raised her sword defensively; out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Thomas turn back to his panel.  Expecting that the barrier was still protecting him, she decided to forget about him for the moment.

I have to reach Grey…and I have to be prepared for whatever that might take.

Prometheus lunged.  Aile parried his swing.  He kicked at Aile’s ankles, but she pivoted and transformed her weapon, firing near-point-blank and forcing him to dodge back.  Prometheus leapt up as he did so, armor glowing; pillars of twisting flame then sprang from the ground to singe Aile.  She hopped backwards a few times, trying to keep her aim steady in anticipation of an opening.  But as the flames crossed each other, she heard a sound behind her, and spun around to throw a punch.  Her fist connected with a construct of ice that had almost run her over, blasting it to bits while Pandora watched with disinterest from a short distance away.  Aile moved forward and swung.  This time, Prometheus parried her.

“Wake up, Grey!” Aile shouted.  “Don’t let them use you!”

As she leapt away from a series of scythe swings, Prometheus said, “Still at it?  Don’t you remember how well that worked last time this sort of thing happened?”

Aile surged forward in anger.  Prometheus jumped back, becoming Pandora to glide back even farther; balls of electricity came flying from her staff, and Aile took every shot she could as she dodged around them.  Pandora deflected most of them, and then Prometheus appeared to summon four skull-shaped projections that burned with purple flame.  Aile rushed forward, avoiding most of their attacks and blasting them away one by one, and hurled a shockwave from her blade just as Prometheus was about to retreat, stunning him and giving her a chance to follow-up.  Wincing a bit, she did so with the flat of her blade.  Prometheus rolled away, and it was Pandora who came up.

“You hesitate,” Pandora said as she lifted off the ground.  “Even now, you wish to prevent doing harm to this body.”

“Grey, I know you can hear me!” Aile called.  “Break through!  You can do it!”

An aura of sparks cloaked Pandora, conjuring up four electric imitations of her staff that floated in a circle around her.  The projections rotated and expanded outward, knocking Aile back and blocking her shots, fading only when Pandora became Prometheus and slammed his fist into the ground.  Eerie red flame leapt up at Aile—she pulled away, but through it charged Pandora on her staff, just grazing Aile as she passed and knocking her flat for a moment.  Aile came up in a crouch and waited.  Prometheus soon appeared above her, so she swung her sword upwards and managed to cut his shoulder while taking only a small cut in return.  He sneered at her, and then once again, their blades were locked against each other.

“Normally I enjoy the desperate cries of my prey,” Prometheus said, “but for some reason you’re only annoying me!”

Aile noticed his hair reach out to pierce into the ground.  She leapt away just as spikes emerged where she had stood, and spun her sword to send out freezing shockwaves; however, Pandora’s drones absorbed the hits, and then she blasted Aile and warped farther away with a twirl of her staff.

“Aile,” Z said, “we’ll never win if we stay on the defensive like this.  You’re gonna have to be more aggressive.”

Aile gritted her teeth.  “…I’ll do what I can.”

“Hold on,” X said.  “They’ve been trading off control between each other, but they haven’t used any of the other forms Model A has DNA data for.  Either they’re saving them for later…or their control over Grey’s body isn’t as complete as they want us to think.”

As Aile was taking this in, Pandora raised her staff.  A trio of sparks flew out, and Prometheus added to the attack with a shockwave before letting Pandora fly in closer.  Aile ran forward and jumped, twisting just right to narrowly avoid the attacks, and swung at where she expected Pandora to be.  At the last second, her foe shifted forms, and Prometheus dropped to the ground before spinning his scythe in an upward spiral, knocking Aile away.  They clashed when he landed—Aile twisted with her momentum to fling her hair in his face, stunning him for a moment before ramming her fist into his gut and blasting him onto his back.  She pushed her advantage, but Pandora swatted her back with an ice-covered staff.  Aile tried to find her balance, but there was no time: Prometheus cut her, forcing her into a roll in an attempt to recover, and then Pandora electrocuted her, causing her body to seize up.  Prometheus grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the ground, keeping her pinned there as he grinned at her.

“Any time…Grey,” Aile muttered.

“Enough already!” Prometheus said, tightening his grip.  “Albert’s little placeholder won’t be coming back!  Don’t you see?  This is exactly what he was designed to do—what he was destined to do!  He can’t break free of the one purpose that was given to him!”

Aile turned her head a little, a faint glow dancing across her helmet.  “Bull…shit…!”

She knocked her head back against the ground, releasing the charged energy and knocking loose just enough rock to damage Prometheus face.  As he twisted away, she kneed him in the ribs, and then rolled them both so that she now sat on his chest.  She wasted no time in beginning to punch him over and over.

“Who gives a damn about what Grey was ‘designed’ to do?” she asked.  “It doesn’t matter what purpose he was given!  He was finding his own purpose!  I am so!  Sick!  Of hearing!  This!  Crap!  About!  Destiny!”

Prometheus became Pandora between punches.  Her drones detached from her helmet, and Aile just barely got away in time, one of their ice darts leaving a cut on her cheek.  Pandora warped away and caught her breath.

“Destiny…is inescapable,” she said.  “We were destined…to serve, and to die.  Grey was destined…to be a vessel.  And now…you are destined…to die with your world.  There is nothing that can be done to change that.”

“The one who owns that body knows otherwise!” Aile said.

Pandora became Prometheus.  “I told you he’s gone!  Face it, Mega Man.  One way or another, you’ve already lost this fight!  Even if you beat us, you’ll kill your friend in the process—just like before!  Or is letting this body live worth letting the entire rest of the world die?  Those are your only options!”

Something rushed through Aile.  It was something powerful, something primal…something that renewed her strength and showed her exactly what it was she was doing, what she needed to do.  She faced Prometheus, leaned forward, and shouted with all her might, “Who the hell says so?!  I don’t care what the odds are, or what you think my destiny is: I keep fighting until I find a way to make my own options!  That’s the kind of Mega Man…”  She shook her head violently.  “That’s the kind of person I am!  I’ll rage against whatever destiny you throw at me, tear it to pieces, and build a better world out of what’s left!  A world that’s better for the people I love—better for all people!  I’m not someone who listens when you tell me what it is I’m ‘allowed’ to be!  I choose my own destiny!  I don’t stop fighting until I win!”

Aile brandished her Z Saber.  Violet sparks exploded all around her, and her hair billowed out around her in the chaotic waves.

“And there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop me!”

She shouted as she ran forward.  Prometheus scowled at her, mumbling, “Destiny isn’t always so easy to escape…”

He rushed forward and swung his scythe.  Aile redirected his swing with her saber, and then punched him clean across the face.  He stumbled back and tried to regain his bearings.  Aile sent him flying with a kick to the chest.

“Show ‘em you’re the same, Grey!” she yelled, slowly walking towards her foe.  “You changed destiny before, right?  Here’s your chance to do it again!”

Pandora rapidly hurled electrical attacks.  Aile kept closing the gap as she dodged, and though one of the attacks did hit her, she simply brushed it off and pointed her pistol at a wide-eyed Pandora, blasting her away.

“Better act fast!  I’d hate to upstage you, but if I have to rip these two out of you myself, then you know I will!”

Pandora watched her for a moment.  Then, she raised her staff and formed a ball of electricity and ice above it, before giving control to Prometheus, who spun his scythe through the attack to let the weapon absorb its energy, adding a bit of fire to it as well.

“You think screaming is enough to make it true?!” Prometheus shouted.  “Fine then!  Let’s put it to the test, Mega Man!”

He ran out to meet her.  Aile grabbed her saber in both hands, stopped in her tracks, and then stepped forward at just the right time to block his swing.  An invisible shockwave radiated out from the clash.  Prometheus snarled ferociously as he tried to break the stalemate, and Aile just calmly glared back at him, and even deeper fire gleaming in her eyes.

“My name is Aile,” she said.

She moved abruptly.  Prometheus’s scythe went aside, and the pommel of the Z Saber jammed right into his face.  He swung blindly, only to receive an uppercut to the jaw, and then was slammed back into the ground by a powerful charged slash.  Pandora took over and attempted to flee.  Aile froze her, and then punched as she landed right on top of her, using a small flurry of plasma blasts to send her sprawling.  Prometheus resumed control, and he yelled wordlessly at her.  She simply walked forward.

“And yours…is Grey!”

Prometheus reared back his scythe, and Aile reared back her sword.  But it was only Aile who swung.  A look of shock crossed Prometheus’s face as he looked down at the massive wound on his chest, yet he remained frozen in place.

“What?!” he croaked.  “No…n-no way!  You…can’t…be serious…!”

His whole body lurched.  Pandora took over, but one arm and one leg didn’t transform.  She twisted, genuine confusion on her face, and put a hand to her shoulder.

“Not…possible,” she murmured.  “Not…”

Aile smiled.  “That’s it!  I knew you could do it!  Come on, let’s finish this already!”

Pandora and Prometheus switched control back and forth, none of the transformations completing properly.  After a few moments of this, they stumbled back, and with one arm of Prometheus, and one of Pandora, the head that appeared atop the body was the one that belonged to Grey.

“Dammit!” he said.  “That hurt, Aile!  Couldn’t you have found…a gentler way…?!”

“I tried!” she said.  “But someone needed a little convincing!”

Grey grunted as he hunched over, both arms reaching up over his face.  “Damn…get…out…of…me…!  Help me out…Model A…!”

His body flashed.  Slowly, he extended both his arms, and the busters of Model A appeared in his hands.  Aile jumped out of the way as he pulled the triggers.  With a tremendous shout, two giant beams of purplish energy poured out of the weapons, and when it was all done, Grey’s body had returned to its original state.

“Th-There,” gasped Model A.  “That should…do it…”

A short distance away, two cyber-elves flitted about angrily.  Grey smiled and ultimately fell over backwards.  Aile jumped in front of him, keeping a close eye on the floating lights.

“Glad to have you back, Grey, Model A,” Aile said as she reached for the last Sub-Tank.  “It’s been way too quiet without you.”

“Weren’t you just screaming your lungs out?” Grey muttered as he took the container.  “You’re such a hypocrite.”

Aile chuckled.  “…I’m really…really glad you’re okay.”

The cyber-elves started to float closer.  Aile adjusted her grip on her sword as she stared them down, but a second later Grey was on his feet and walking towards them.

“Huh?  Hey—“

“Don’t you two get it?” Grey called up to the elves.  “Look at yourselves!  You’re free now!”

The cyber-elves grew still.  Aile continued to watch them carefully.

“You aren’t bound to bodies with a limited lifespan any more.  You don’t have to serve anyone to keep yourselves alive!  You’re finally free to do whatever you want!”

The elves backed up slightly.  Model A said, “Grey…are you really sure you want to do this?  Even after what they just pulled?”

Grey nodded.  “This is what they’ve always wanted.  Well, maybe not quite how they wanted it, but…there’s no one else to hurt them now.  So there’s no reason for them to hurt anyone else.  I’m not saying we should just forgive them for everything they’ve done, but…I want to give them the chance to live without Albert hanging over them.  I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

He glanced at Aile.  She looked from him to the elves and back again.  Finally, with a heavy sigh, she slowly lowered her sword.  “…So long as they don’t cause any trouble…then I guess I won’t argue.”

Grey smiled at her.  “Thanks, Aile.”

“Go on, get out of here!” Aile said, waving off the two cyber-elves.  “Hurry up or I might change my mind.”

One of the elves buzzed and floated forward a bit.  The other moved up next to it, pulling it aside and quickly calming it down.  After a few more seconds of hesitation, the two of them turned as one and began to float away, finally, finally putting the conflict of Mega Men behind them.

A ball of purple-black flame suddenly consumed them.  Before Aile and Grey’s eyes, they were broken down until nothing remained.

“…Wh…at…?” Grey mumbled.

Against everything she expected, Aile felt her fury return to her in full strength.  Slowly turning around, she locked eyes on Master Thomas, whose hands still shone with the deadly fire.  He glanced at her for a moment, that same cold, clinical look in his eyes as he brushed his hand against his cloak, as if wiping away a speck of dust.  And then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of Biometal shaped like a small, rounded helmet.

“Worthless,” he mused.  “Even to the very end, everything produced by this world…is utterly, completely, worthless.”

Chapter Text

Aile swung her sword at Thomas.  She still couldn’t pierce his barrier.  Grey hung back, continuing to stare up in shock.

“Why?” she asked.  “Why the hell did you do that?!  You couldn’t just let them go?”

“They failed me,” Thomas answered.  “Failure is something that I refuse to tolerate.  The same fate awaits those other three, who thought they could simply walk away from my glorious designs.  At least Siarnaq sought to be useful.”

Aile hit the barrier again.  “You sick freak!  I won’t let you lay a finger on them!  I’m ending your nonsense right here!”

“Try, if you like,” Thomas said, lifting the Biometal he held.  “But I think you shall find Model T more than capable of annihilating you.”

“How are you even going to use it?” Model Z asked.  “You’re still using Albert’s Biomatch mechanism.  I doubt he left the door open for you.”

Thomas scowled.  “…I have done what is necessary.  Much as it pains me, I have infused Albert’s DNA into this body in order to activate the Megamerge.  Words cannot express how livid I am, soiling my own creation like this…but, once this world has been destroyed, I can simply create a new body, one with no need to deviate from its intended course.”

Aile stepped back, keeping a glare locked on Thomas.  “Then let the shield down.  It’s time we settle this.”

“Hmph.  You are even impatient to die?  So be it.”  He held the Biometal forward.  “Model T…Megamerge!”

The servers behind him began to shine.  The fragment in his hand melted away, the metal quickly streaming up his arm and over his entire body.  It first formed a purple bodysuit for Thomas, before creating heavy red armor over his chest, with flat shoulder plates that reached down over his upper arms and were decorated with five silver spikes each.  Similar spikes lined his belt and the wrists of his massive gauntlets, and there was one on each knee of his large boots.  A sleek red helmet covered his head, with rounded grey nodes over his ears, and a line of silver ran down the center of the headgear from back to front—where it ended just above his eyes, a flat, steeply angled crest of silver was on display.  A purple visor slid over Thomas’s eyes, and Aile readied her sword as he stepped right through the barrier.

“Come, Mega Men,” he said as he clenched his fists.  “Fall before me, so I may finally terminate your world!”

Aile swung, sending out an electric shockwave.  Thomas jumped to the side and formed a flat metal blade in his hand, hurling it at Aile while his other hand changed into a buster.  Aile avoided the projectile, but then realized Grey still hadn’t gotten moving.  When Thomas pointed his weapon forward, three large blasts of lightning shot out of it, and Aile positioned herself between him and Grey in order to stop one from hitting him.

“Grey!” she shouted.  “I’m sorry, but there’s no time!  We still have to finish this!”

He turned sharply, finally snapping from his trance.  “He…he just…”

Aile grabbed Grey and pulled him away from another blast of lightning.  “I know!  But—“

“Damn!” Grey shouted, aiming his busters at Thomas.  “Damn you, Thomas!”

An oval shield appeared in front of Thomas, blocking the hits as he came closer.  Grey kept firing, shouting at him, and it was up to Aile to shoot down the blades Thomas threw at him.

“Focus, Grey!” Aile said.  “Attacking blindly is only going to get us killed too!  We’ll get him, but we need to think about how first!”

Grey stopped firing.  Biting his lip, he looked over his shoulder and asked, “So what is the plan?”

Thomas pulled back one fist.  Aile pointed at him and said, “Look out!”

He punched, hurling a blast of flame from his arm.  The two Mega Men avoided the attack, staying on their toes as they landed, and kept their distance as he fired his buster again.

“Right now we need to see what he can do,” Aile said, quietly as she could.  “Just watch, learn, try to look for openings.  And most importantly: don’t get hit!”

Thomas drew more blades.  These looked different somehow—when he threw them, they arced in an odd pattern, catching Aile off-guard and nicking her armor.  Grey tried to flank him, but Thomas kept him in his sights, using another flame punch to keep him back.  Aile switched to Model FX and opened fire.  The bullets curved around Thomas’s shield in an attempt to strike him, but something went haywire and the blasts all sailed off in random directions.

Guess that data he collected on the Biometal didn’t go to waste…

He fired lightning at Aile, and raised his free hand over his head, forming a rapidly growing orb of orange light in his palm.  Aile slid under the bolts and prepared to resume firing; before she could, Thomas hurled the orb at her, turning his buster on Grey.  She dodged with little difficulty, noticing Thomas flick his hand as she did.  A line of ice rushed across the floor, covering the distance between them in a split-second, and Aile found her feet frozen in place.

“This won’t hold me!” Aile said as she raised her busters.

A sudden pain made her flinch.  She had been too focused on the ice, and Thomas had thrown one of his blades at her—it was now sunken in her shoulder, cutting straight through the Biometal and into her skin beneath.

Yikes…

“Aile!” Grey shouted.  He dashed towards Thomas, pelting his shield with homing shots, and waited until he fired his buster.  Dodging the lightning, Grey transformed into Atlas and punched the ground, calling up enough flame to obscure him as he closed the gap.  He emerged right on top of Thomas, punching his shield to pieces, and then followed up with a hit that pushed his enemy back across the floor.  Thomas sneered at him.

“Get out of there!” Aile said as she ripped the blade from her shoulder.

Grey transformed into Argoyle and charged.  He leapt into a kick, missing as Thomas stepped to the side.  Spinning around, he charged again, and missed again—but this time a doppelganger appeared behind him, kicking Thomas in the face and then skating around him right behind Grey.  The two of them attacked at once.  Thomas swung his arm out to block Grey’s leg, and in a flash of light, a shimmering copy of Thomas appeared to block Grey’s own doppelganger.

“Uh-oh,” Grey murmured.

He tried to pull back, but Thomas rushed forward and grabbed him.  Grey felt a spark run through his system, but before anything else could happen, one of Thomas’s own blades sliced across his arm, causing him to grunt in pain and release his grip.  As Grey retreated, Aile moved up to meet him.

“Watch it!” she said.  “He still has Mother Elf’s powers!  There’s no telling what he could do to you!”

“Right,” Grey said.  “I’ll keep my distance.”

Thomas dismissed his double as he faced them.  A gust of wind came forth, forcing them both back, and the next trio of thunderbolts nearly struck them.  While Aile was still recovering, Thomas dashed forward and used an uppercut to launch her into the air.  He then threw his hand downward: gravity suddenly intensified around Aile, sending her crashing back down to Earth prematurely, and she struggled to break free of the pressure.  Grey, using the form of Thetis, leapt back and sent an ice dragon after Thomas.  He simply held one hand up, and the construct shattered to bits.  However, through the snowy blast came a large shuriken, hitting Thomas in the head and successfully disrupting his focus.  Aile rammed both her busters into him as she stood up, sending him careening backwards.

“Grey, help me out!” Aile said as she switched to Model HX.

Nodding, Grey transformed into Aeolus, and they both swung their swords to send twin hurricanes after the off-balance Thomas, the storms joining together and intensifying to pick him up off the ground and toss him about.  They prepared to add to the attack, but suddenly the funnel was burst open—Thomas’s entire body was glowing with pink light, and meteors with the same shine sprang into existence around him before raining down on the battlefield.  Aile and Grey took evasive action, but they both lost sight of Thomas in the chaos.  As she turned to look for him, Aile felt something strike her back and cling there.  She tried to shake it off, but it held fast, and she couldn’t quite reach it.

“Oh—“

The resulting explosion slammed her to the floor.  Grey went to help her, but suddenly the floor beneath him froze.  Thinking quickly, he jumped and transformed into Vulturon, hovering just above the frozen surface, and looked to see Thomas aiming at him.  He played his guitar to surround himself with sound waves, managing to block the attack.  Thomas threw another punch, but this time, his fist actually detached from his body and flew out—Grey smacked it away with his guitar, but realizing how low his energy was getting, he then focused on getting clear of the ice while he was still airborne.  Thomas’s fist reattached automatically, and he began to charge another orb over his head.

Suddenly, he faltered.  Aile, using Model PX, had managed to get behind him, and had stabbed a kunai deep into the unarmored portion of his leg.  Thomas turned to grab her, but she jumped out of the way.  Grey shot him in the back, and was gone by the time Thomas turned back around, so he simply waited.  He ended up throwing his attack when a massive wall of ice rose up behind him.  Aile charged through the falling fragments to drive him back with LX’s halberd, while Grey sniped him with homing shots from some unseen position.  Thomas turned and fired three torpedoes from his buster, and then heated up his fist and punched down at Aile.  She caught him on her weapon, but he was too strong for her to escape—he pushed harder, forcing the halberd down and Aile closer and closer to losing her footing.  The torpedoes had found Grey, prompting him to give up his hiding spot to avoid damage.  He continued to shoot nonetheless.  Thomas extended his hand and exerted his gravity power, pinning the boy down; Aile twisted her body then, letting her halberd jam into the ground so she could swing around it and kick Thomas in the face.  Surprised, Thomas let both his foes escape in the next second, and they moved to regroup not too far away from him.

“Well, what have you learned?” Grey asked.

“That he’s got an assload of different weapons programmed into that thing,” Aile grumbled.  “Can’t exactly come up with a good strategy when he could whip out something new at any moment…”

“Isn’t that what he’d want us to think?  Maybe we’ve seen it all already.”

A yellow aura sprang up around Thomas.  Holding his arms out to either side, he bucked forward and shot through the air in a burst of speed, passing right between Aile and Grey and flooring them each with a clothesline hit.

“Urgh…nevermind…”

“Do you concede yet, Mega Men?” Thomas asked.  “Surely this is enough for even you to see how futile your plight truly is!”

Aile got up on one knee, switching to Model ZX.  “Weren’t you listening earlier?  I don’t give up!  One way or another, we’re going to beat you down and keep this world safe!”

Thomas threw a dozen blades at them.  Some flew straight, while others arced, but Aile and Grey both managed to track them all and stay out of the way.  It was the exploding shuriken added to the mix that threw them off.

“Dammit,” Aile said as she picked herself up again.  “We’re just getting started, aren’t we?”

***

Atlas stalked between the warehouses with a scowl on her face.  In the distance, she could see a bright light shining over the rooftops, and she aimed herself in that general direction.  But each step seemed to come slower than the last.

Behind her, Thetis asked, “Are you…going to help Aile?”

She finally stopped.  Crossing her arms and closing her eyes, Atlas let out a long sigh before answering.  “…I don’t know.”

Thetis looked off to the side, a downcast expression still masking his features.  “I thought you wanted her to live?  So you could fight her again?  Thomas is going to kill her, you know.”

Atlas scratched her head.  “Hmm…that doesn’t mean I have to keep her alive.  But, more importantly, I’m not sure I even can help.”  She pulled Model Tf from her pocket.  “Thomas is a damn coward.  I wouldn’t put it past him to wire some kind of failsafe into these things, make it so he can shut ‘em off by blinking if we try to fight against him.  And if that’s the case…then all I’ll do is get in the way.”

She stared at the Biometal for a moment, and then, with a grunt, punched the nearest warehouse.

“Dammit all!  I can’t stand just waiting around like this!”

Thetis’s eyes wandered.  “…Who cares?  It’s not like anything else we’ve done has actually mattered.”

Atlas turned sharply.  After taking a moment to calm down a little, she asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Thomas never really needed us.  And it’s not like we were able to slow Aile down all that much.  There’s no place for us in this fight…even once Thomas resets the world, there won’t be a place for us.  It’s hopeless.”

A long silence passed.  Atlas came forward and crouched in front of Thetis, waiting until he turned to look her in the eye.  “Listen up, kid.  If you think like that, then you’re already as good as dead.”

Thetis’s gaze immediately fell to the floor.

“Hey, listen!” Atlas said, lightly jabbing a finger against his chest.  “Don’t ever decide things are hopeless!  Don’t decide things are impossible!  You never know what your limits are until you run up against them—and even then, the only thing stopping you from pushing past them is yourself!  You gotta have at least some hope if you wanna change anything.”

Thetis started to shake.  “I’ve tried to change things…but I just keep failing.  Even when I decided to throw away everything else and just focus on my goal, I still couldn’t reach it!  You don’t know how frustrating that is!”

Atlas rested her hands on her knees.  “Kid.  I know exactly how frustrating that is.  How do you think I know what hopelessness does to a person?”

Thetis looked up at her, trying his best not to cry.

“Consider this one of your limits.  Maybe right now you can’t see a point in continuing on.  But that’s only gonna stay the case if you give up.  So just don’t give up.  Alright?”

Before Thetis could come up with a reply, he spotted something moving up ahead.  Atlas turned and saw it too, and immediately merged with Model Tf and got into a fighting stance.

“Who’s there?!”

The figure walked out of the shadows, undaunted by her display.  Her eyes widened.

“…Siarnaq?”

It looked just like him—barring the new purple body armor, and a few small changes in his silhouette.  He gave her the same blank stare that he always did.

She shook her head, saying, “That’s not possible…I saw what was left of you!  You can’t still be alive!”

“BACKUP PLAN HAS BEEN DISCOVERED,” Siarnaq said—his voice sounded slightly off, but it was the same harsh tone as ever.  “UPON EXPIRATION OF ORIGINAL BODIES, CARBON UNITS HAVE BEEN PREPARED TO RECEIVE OUR CONSCIOUSNESS AUTOMATICALLY.”

Atlas looked him up and down.  “You mean like when Aile shot Thomas?  I guess he did say he was planning to give us new bodies…but why the hell didn’t he tell us?”

“UNKNOWN.  ALSO, IRRELEVANT.”  He pointed towards the light.  “OBSERVATION SUGGESTS TARGET SURVIVED MY DETONATION.  CONFIRM.”

“Uh…yeah,” Atlas muttered.  “Aile survived.  Managed to beat the rest of us too, and now it looks like she’s fighting Thomas.”

Siarnaq lowered his arm.  “STATE CONDITION.”

“What?”

“IF ‘GOOD CONDITION’=TRUE, WE MUST PROCEED.  MASTER THOMAS MAY REQUIRE ASSISTANCE.”

“Oh.”  Atlas crossed her arms.  “Count me out.”

Siarnaq paused.  “REPEAT.”

“I said count me out.  Aile’s earned her shot at him—and if he’s so sure of his fancy Model T, then let him prove its worth.”

“SUCCESS OF MASTER THOMAS’S PLAN IS PRIORITY.  WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR RENDERING ANY ASSISTANCE POSSIBLE.”

Atlas scoffed.  “I don’t see it that way.  ‘Sides, he probably won’t want anything to do with us now.”

After a few seconds delay, Siarnaq said, “HYPOTHESIS…YOU PLAYED A ROLE IN AILE’S SURVIVAL.”

She inclined her head.  “What if I did?”

Siarnaq shifted his weight, and he narrowed his eyes at her.  “TRAITOR.”

Atlas held up her fists, igniting them.  “Traitor with Biometal, which that new body of yours isn’t able to use.  Don’t try anything stupid.”

Reaching behind his back, Siarnaq pulled out two small white cylinders.  He squeezed them, and green energy erupted from the ends, forming bladed tonfa that he spun once as he moved into his stance.  Atlas grinned.

“Well, if you’re that eager, I could use a good punching bag.”  She looked over her shoulder.  “Hey, kid, you might wan—“

She was cut off by a slash to the face.  Atlas pivoted with the momentum and ducked down a bit, and then came back with a straight punch.  Siarnaq dodged easily, and she launched a fireball from her other fist just as he was about to land, hoping to catch him there.  He stuck one tonfa in the ground to alter his movement and roll clear.

“Get back, alright?” Atlas finished, waving Thetis towards the warehouses.  The boy took one nervous step before breaking into a run.

“TRACKING SECONDARY TARGET,” Siarnaq said.

“Hey, eyes on me.  Don’t think you can half-ass this and come out on top!”

Siarnaq threw shuriken at her.  Atlas opened her chest plate and shot the projectiles down, forcing her foe to keep his distance.  She activated the treads on her feet and shot forward, keeping low to the floor—Siarnaq moved to dodge, but she skidded to a halt at just the right moment, blasting him a fireball and keeping him grounded.  Atlas jumped forward to follow-up.  Siarnaq used one tonfa to block and redirect her fist, and then jammed the other straight into her gut, the force of the weapon sending her flying backwards in surprise.  Shuriken were coming at her now, so she focused on dodging them.

“Not bad,” she said, forming an energy ball in one hand.  “But you’ll need to hit a lot harder than that to put me down!”

She hurled the ball.  Siarnaq got out of the way, letting it blow up the warehouse behind him, and prepared himself as Atlas came charging in.  She stuck to lighter punches this time, quickly recovering each time Siarnaq parried her blow and not leaving him an opening.  He swung high in an attempt to surprise her.  Atlas hit the floor as she dropped down, causing it to erupt right beneath Siarnaq.  He leapt high to avoid it, and Atlas threw a fireball at him; it was then he pulled out another weapon, a long energy chain with a spike on the end, and latched it onto a warehouse, yanking hard on it to fling himself out of harm’s way.  Atlas grunted at this.

“If you want to fight, then come down and fight!”

She fired at him, but Siarnaq threw up a smokescreen to get away.  Atlas made a wide swipe to knock away some shuriken, and then turned and leaned to one side to avoid the end of the chain—Siarnaq reeled it back in quickly, however, and Atlas discovered that it had latched onto one of the deflected shuriken, widening its range enough to cut her on the return trip.  With a shout, Atlas launched fireballs from both fists.  Siarnaq came at her from above and used his tonfa to knock her into the floor.  She was prone, so Siarnaq came forward and aimed the tip of one tonfa for a killing blow.  Atlas grabbed the blade and held it at bay.

“Bastard…”

A knee to the gut pushed Siarnaq back.  Atlas engaged her treads as she kicked him, keeping him off-balance, and then twisted to her feet and punched her foe directly in the face, singing his scarf and making him hit the ground hard.  He was back up in a second.  Atlas’s chest plate opened, but Siarnaq connected his chain to her armor before she could fire, pulling her towards him before using a tonfa blow to send her flying back.  Shuriken rained down on Atlas as she tried to recover.  She managed to open fire this time, and though she lost sight of Siarnaq, she kept firing in the hopes of making it harder for him to approach.  It was only a faint sound that alerted her when he dropped down from above.  She jumped aside, ignited her fists, and shot forward; Siarnaq rammed both tonfa into her gut in an attempt to repel her, but Atlas just increased the speed of her treads to counteract it.  Siarnaq was dazed by a hook to the nose, and Atlas followed up with a combination of punches that left cracks all over his new armor.  Eventually he managed to drop a smoke bomb and escape.  Atlas walked out of the cloud with a grin on her face.

“Come on out!” she bellowed.  “Finish what you started, Siarnaq!”

A lone shuriken flew out.  Atlas hurled a fireball that incinerated it and continued until it hit the projectile’s source.  However, there was no one there.  Another blade came at her—she did the same thing, but again, Siarnaq was nowhere to be found.  This repeated several more times before Atlas got frustrated.  She opened her chest plate, but in that split-second, Siarnaq hurled a shuriken tied to a smoke bomb that erupted right in her face.  As she coughed and choked, trying to regain her bearings, he dashed towards the cloud with his tonfa drawn.  However, he never reached her.

When the cloud finally dissipated, Atlas turned to see Siarnaq with his feet frozen to the floor.  Thetis, merged with Model Tl, was peeking out from behind a nearby warehouse, sheepishly glancing between the two of them.  He cleared his throat and said, “I, um…well, maybe you still don’t want my help…”

Atlas focused on Siarnaq.  “Huh…I already know I could beat this freak in a straight fight.  So, if you want to help me bust through his tricks, then I guess that’s alright.  Just don’t let your guard down.”

A small smile came to Thetis’s face.  Siarnaq glared back at him, striking the ground with his tonfa to launch himself up with enough force to break the ice so he could swing onto the top of another building.

“TRAITORS,” he stated.  “TRAITORS WILL BE DISPOSED OF.  DIRECTIVE MUST BE CARRIED OUT.”

He drew more shuriken.  Atlas ignited her fists again, and Thetis donned his skates.  At once, they all leapt back into action.

Chapter Text

Thomas stood glowering at his enemies, who gasped breathlessly as they muttered back and forth about something.  He raised his buster and fired.  Aile and Grey dodged in different directions, nodding to each other, and Thomas walked forward to see what they were planning.

“Over here!” Aile declared, using a barrage of shots from Model FX to try to draw his attention.

Thomas simply created another shield to protect himself, and then glanced over at Grey.  The boy used Argoyle to kick a small bomb at him before transforming into Queenbee and flying up, launching a blast of flame around the shield while Thomas detonated the explosive from a distance.  While the fire did hit Thomas, it did little to slow him down: he threw a series of blades at Grey to force him into taking evasive action, and only glanced over his shoulder when Aile crushed his shield.  Model ZX’s sword missed him by an inch, and he swung his arm to generate a shockwave that cut Aile in return.  Undaunted, she swung her sword in a leaping uppercut, and Thomas just barely avoided it by backing away.  Behind him, a mirror image of Aile landed sword-first, releasing a splash of energy that stung at him.  The real Aile launched into a saber combo while Grey swung at his ankles.  Thomas took a few hits before sending them both flying with a punch and a kick, and then he called down another storm of meteors upon them as he growled in anger.

“Was that the best you could do?!” he shouted.  “Face it, Mega Men!  There is no way…for you…to…”

As he spoke, he realized his body was moving slower and slower.  He caught the slightest glimpse of Grey in the form of Chronoforce, glowing with light, and then Aile came charging back at him.

“Got you!” Aile said as she pulled back for a heavy swing.

Thomas, now glowing as well, suddenly leaned forward and punched the wind out of her.

“Time manipulation,” he said.  “Did you really think it would be that easy?”

Clutching the arm he had attacked her with, Aile smiled.  “Kind of…had a feeling…it wouldn’t…”

Grey reverted to normal, and his aura turned a shade of purple.  Thomas tried to turn, but Aile held him in place, using all her strength to keep him at too odd an angle to attack Grey.  With a yell, Grey twirled his busters around and fired a furious storm of shots, pelting both Thomas and Aile with them and blasting gashes into the floor and walls.  Aile endured the pain and managed to flip Thomas over her head and into the ground.  She pressed her own buster right against his face, but at the last second, gravity suddenly reversed for her, flinging her sky high.  Thomas rose to his feet.

“It is as I said,” he explained.  “My technology, when used properly, is more than capable of destroying you both.”

Aile landed hard at the foot of the barrier protecting Model T’s servers.  She felt a bit lightheaded as she pushed herself up, but she tried not to let it show.

“Aile!” Grey shouted.  “Are you alright?”

“I’m…fine,” Aile panted.  “I’m not…done…yet…”

“I believe you are,” Thomas said.  “It is time to face facts: nothing you can do will be enough to stop me.  The power I wield is simply too great to be overcome.”

“Screw you!” Grey said.  “You think you’re the first person to say that?  Maybe it won’t be easy, but you can bet we’re still going to find a way to win!”

Thomas shook his head.  “That stubbornness…it may just be the single largest factor in this world’s continued decline.  Even with all the proof before your eyes, you are blind to the truth!  You choose to ignore that which you do not find favorable—you act as though pretending the warning signs do not exist will take away their meaning!  And so no one tries to fix this world, because all they need to do is believe and all of their problems will be solved!  Thus things continue on just as they have, repeating the same mistakes again and again, teetering back and forth on the edge of oblivion, and still clinging to this inane illusion of optimism!”

Grey began to charge his busters.  “Shut up!  If that’s what you see, then you’re the one who’s blind!  Maybe we are stubborn, and maybe it does come back to bite us, but don’t act like it only creates problems when it helps solve them too!  You’re talking like the world is always constantly breaking down, decaying with no chance of ever getting better.  That isn’t true!  I’m no expert, but I’ve heard plenty about what things were like a century or two ago, and I can see for myself that things are a lot brighter now!  It isn’t perfect.  It never will be!  But that doesn’t mean the only logical thing to do is wipe the slate clean!  That’s crazy talk!  No matter what it takes, I care too much about this world to let you destroy it!”

As he raised his busters, Thomas started to walk towards him.  “Idiotic machine!  What do you expect that to do to me?!”

Grey smiled.  “Believe it or not, I know exactly what I’m doing.”

Thomas raised his buster.  Out of the corner of his eye, however, he noticed Aile raising her fist, which was now shining vibrantly with blue light.  He turned, but it was too late.  Aile punched the ground, calling up towering geysers of plasma underneath the barrier she stood before, and though it tried its best to hang on the assault was simply too much for it.  As it gave way, Grey swiveled to take aim at the now-exposed servers.  Thomas extended his arms.

“NO!”

There was a flash.  Aile blinked.  However, that was all she could do, as the blizzard that had suddenly filled the room had managed to freeze both her and Grey totally solid.

What?!

Thomas dashed over to the servers.  Placing one hand on the device, he hesitated for a just a moment, and then said, “I cannot risk its destruction…so I will accelerate my plans!  I shall use the full power of Model T to crush the both of you into dust!”

The light coming from the servers intensified, becoming so bright in obscured all of them and Thomas in a single sphere of luminescence.  Tremors rocked the chamber as the orb slowly lifted off the ground, its outline shifting rapidly and randomly.  Aile managed to break herself free and tried shooting the mass, but her shots disappeared into it with no effect.  She went to Grey’s side as he finished freeing himself, and after exchanging a look, the two of them readied their weapons and looked back up at the thing as it began to settle on a form.

Dozens of legs reached out from the main body and down into the earth like a system of pipes, each segmented with ridges around the turns to make them appear as the skeleton of some spider-like being.  At the center of them all stood an immense pillar, tall enough to push through the ceiling of the expansive chamber, with a large portion of its front shaped into a mechanical representation of Thomas’s face that was entirely too life-like for comfort, with shimmering red crystals for eyes.  The glow faded to reveal gunmetal gray armor with an otherworldly sheen, but the tremors did not cease.

“Gaze upon the splendor of my invention!” Thomas said, his voice booming like a peal of thunder.  “Using all the data I have accumulated, Model T possesses mechanisms capable of shaking apart the earth, of tearing the skies asunder, of swallowing up all civilization with the oceans!  You will regret forcing me to unleashing its true might upon you, Mega Men…for you have only made your deaths that much more gruesome!”

His eyes flashed.  Two large metal orbs sprang into being on either side of the pillar, each about half the size of an adult Humanoid.  Red light shone from each, and some sort of malleable, clay-like substance began to ooze out of them, forming into gigantic hands that twitched mechanically.  Aile gripped her saber.

“Stationary final form, eh?” she said.  “Reminds me of old times.  Alright, Grey: stay on your toes, but keep whittling away whenever you can.  Even a series of regular shots should wear this thing down eventually.”

Grey nodded.  “Sounds like this form is more for the world-ending part than for combat.  This might finally be the break we’ve been waiting for!”

A high-pitched whine drew their attention.  Thomas opened his mouth, and from it shot an enormous laser beam.  Aile and Grey both managed to dodge the attack, but when they looked back, they saw that the floor had warped tremendously under the force of the blast.  Unconsciously, Aile shuddered.

One of the hands floated towards her.  She started to fire on it, but the blasts seemed to have no effect on the clay.  It swatted the ground, a move that was easy to avoid, and Aile tried to slice off one of its fingers.  Her saber passed through the hand, but it held its shape.  She backed away as it floated up off the ground.

There’s got to be some way…

She spotted the orb poking out of the palm.  Aiming her buster there, she fired again, and the hand shuddered when the shot landed.

“Yes!” she said.  “Grey, hit the core!  It’s the only—“

Something smacked into her.  The hand had shifted suddenly, dividing itself into a multitude of tiny blocks, and one by one they all shot out in Aile’s direction.  She avoided them as best she could, but their movements proved tricky to predict.  Eventually the hand reformed, flexing its fingers, and Aile tentatively aimed at the core again.

“And be careful!” she added.

It came a bit too late: Grey was firing at the core of the other hand just as she said it.  It too separated and flew at Grey, who transformed into Hedgeshock to more effectively roll away from it.  He sprang up and fired a spread of electric orbs from his spines, hitting the core just as the hand finished reforming, but also striking one of Model T’s pipes and causing sparks to burst from it.  Noticing this, Grey dodged the hand again and repeated the attack, and this time the pipe broke in two.  He grinned.

“Hey Aile!” he called as he resumed dodging.  “Those pipes are fragile—start breaking them if you get the chance!”

“Got it!” Aile said, shooting the core and then turning to Model T.

With her saber, Aile cleaved through one of the pipes with a combo, and decided to ignore the hand and go for a second one.  However, no matter how many times she slashed that one, it didn’t seem to have any effect.

What the…

She paused to dodge the hand, and then fired a charged shot at the pipe.  It broke.  She fired at another, but now the blast had no effect.

“Uh, Grey?” she said.

She turned to face him, but then realized Thomas was preparing another laser.  Aile barely got out of the way, though she ended up right underneath one of the hands, and was swiftly smacked off into the distance.  Grey was discovering the curious effect on his own, and he too was surprised by one of the hands.

“Still, you underestimate me,” Thomas said.  “In this form, Model T possesses an adaptability system that allows it to nullify subsequent uses of any attack that causes it harm!  Varied as your arsenals may be, my armor will adapt to your powers long before you are able to destroy me!  Fight all you like, Mega Men…and help me grow even more invincible!”

Aile got back up, shooting the hand that was charging at her.  “That is a problem.  We’re going to need to maximize what hits we get…where are we with Armed Incarnations?”

X answered, “All four are charged, but remember that you’re pretty banged up, Aile.  You can survive using one, maybe two, but beyond that…”

As she dodged the incoming chunks of clay, Aile mumbled, “Yeah…definitely need to make those hits count…”

So she and Grey both did what they could, attacking Model T’s main body whenever they could stave off the hands, using a different form or ability every time.  Most of the pipes were demolished by their onslaught, and even the central pillar started to take quite a bit of damage, but eventually they realized they were low on options, and Thomas continued to stare down at them with a smug, confident grin.  When Aile and Grey regrouped for one final push, Grey unleashed another Giga Crush that finally destroyed both hands and dealt a hefty blow to Model T as well.  Aile proceeded to leap forward and turn another Rekkouha upon their target.  Pieces of the ceiling rained down around them, the cloud of debris obscuring Thomas, and Aile pulled back and held her breath.  Her heart sank as a coarse laugh reached her ears.

“Excellent work, both of you!” Thomas said.  “You managed to scuff up my armor quite a bit!  But now, I see that you have finally reached the end of your rope.  There is no longer anything that I can gain from you.”

His eyes flashed, and a new pair of hands appeared next to his face.  Grey slumped over, out of breath, saying, “No way…there’s gotta be something else…what are we gonna do?”

“I still have the Incarnations,” Aile said.  “I just hope…they’ll be enough…”

In her head she quickly went over what each of them did, trying to decide on the best order in which to attempt them.  As she did, she stepped forward to buy some time, shouting up, “You’re pathetic, Thomas!  With technology like this, you could’ve done so much to help the world—but you’d rather end it, all because of some chip on your shoulder?”

Thomas scowled.  “This world does not deserve my help!  Every advancement it is built upon—every single one—has brought infinitely more misery than benefit!”  An aura of purple-black flame surrounded the central pillar.  “The Mother Elf is all the proof I require!  Made to cure Mavericks, yet it instigated conflict that wiped out nearly all life on Earth!  Or need I remind you?”

The same aura sprang up around the hands.  They swooped in, faster than before, and it was all Aile and Grey could do to dodge them.

“Even before the Elf, what of that wretched blue robot whose soul you carry?  Everything that plagues the current world can be traced back to X!  Once he was unearthed, once Reploids were created from him, peace became a thing of the past!”

“Don’t listen to him, X,” Aile said, trying to fend off one of the hands with her pistol.

“Aile, he does…have a point,” X murmured.

“No, he doesn’t!  You’re not responsible for what other Reploids chose to do!”

“Why do you defend him, Aile?” Thomas asked.  “Is he not the root of your suffering as well?  Was it not meeting Model X that threw you into this life of Mega Men you hate so much?”

Aile stabbed one of the hands in its core, flinging herself over it to avoid its counterattack.  She looked up at Thomas and shouted, “Shut up!  You don’t know anything about X!  He’s always striving to do what’s right, always working towards peace, no matter how much he gets hurt in the process!  I’m proud to be able to fight alongside him and the others!  I already knew about suffering—meeting X didn’t start that!  It’s what allowed me to meet so many other people, who…”

She paused for a moment, her eyes widening ever so slightly.

“It’s X…who connects us all…”

Thomas scoffed.  “I know everything about X.  Made to emulate the human soul, christened so for mimicking our infinite potential.  But in the end, what has he accomplished?  What potential does he have now?”

A light flickered in Aile’s eyes, and a grin came to her face.  “Oh, he’s got more than enough.  We all do.”

Thomas frowned.  The hands moved to converge on Aile, but she jumped back and put some distance between herself and Thomas.

“X,” she said.  “You’re not gonna like this, but hear me out, alright?”

X sighed.  “Here we are again…”

“So, you’re connected to the other Biometal through Double Megamerge, right?  You can access their systems, including the Incarnation charges?”

“Yes, I can.”

“And you’re pretty adaptable yourself, aren’t you?”

“Aile, what…wait.  Are you thinking—“

“I am.  Can you do it?”

X hesitated.  “Aile…even if I could, I have no idea what that would do to you.  It could—“

“What, kill me?  At this rate I’m bound to die anyway.  This way sounds like it has a better shot, don’t you think?”

“Aile…”

“So tell me, X.  Can you do it?”

X took a long time to think.  Finally, he said, “You’re right, Aile.  This is our best shot.  I’ll need some time to work it out, but I will make it happen.”

“That’s what we like to hear!”  Turning to Grey, Aile said, “Grey, I’ve got something that should be strong enough to finish him off for good.  But I might need a moment or two to use it.  If I do need time—“

“It’s yours,” Grey said, raising his busters high.  “I’ll watch your back, Aile!  Thomas won’t touch you!”

The hands were nearly upon them.  Aile shot one while Grey shot the other, and they both dodged past as they disassembled and edged back towards Thomas.  Their foe shot a laser beam at them, but at that range they had more than enough time to dodge.

“Hey, Thomas!” Model A said.  “You really think Biometal doesn’t have potential?”

“Why would it?” Thomas replied.  “You are wholly dependent on others.  You cannot shape the world—you can barely communicate with it.  You are mere weapons, possessing souls you do not require.”

“And that’s why none of your Biometals have souls,” Aile said.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve!” Model A said.  “So what if we’re dependent on others?  At least we have someone we can depend on!  We share our potential with each other, and get even stronger together!”

“Nonsense,” Thomas said.  “If the potential of one soul is already infinite, what is there to gain from adding a second?”

“Alright, Aile,” X said, “it’s now or never!”

Aile grinned.  In a flash, she was merged with only Model X, while Models Z, H, F, L, and P all began to orbit around her.  She said, “Hey Thomas, answer this.  What’s greater?  X…or 7X?”

The ring of Biometal began to shine, rotating faster and shrinking around her.  Eventually they became pure light, vanishing into her armor, which then changed from blue and white to white and gold.  Sharp points grew from her ankles, wrists, and knees, while the armor on her chest became a large, flat plate shaped like a pair of wings.  The gem in her helmet gleamed to life with brilliant, rainbow-colored light as she grunted in agony.

“What’s this?” Thomas said.  “…I see.  You’re trying to channel all of the power you’ve built up through Model X.  Ha!  Do you really think such a thing can be done?”

Aile strained to keep a grin on her face.  “Heheheh…let’s…find…out!  Together!”

“This is it, everyone!” X said.  “The world’s counting on us!  Don’t hold anything back!”

Another flash.  A projection of green light extended from Aile’s back, unfurling into a large, angelic wing.  Thomas frowned.

“It has always been my sworn duty to protect the people of this world,” H said.  “I will gladly risk everything that I have left to uphold that vow.”

As Aile clenched her fists, another wing sprang from her other shoulder, this one made of orange light.

“Now this is gonna pack a punch!” F said.  “Come on, Aile!  Let’s show this asshole what it really means to have guts!”

Thomas’s eyes flashed.  The hands came towards Aile now, their aura growing in intensity.  Grey, in the shape of Thetis, rode an ice dragon forward to impale one of them through its core, and then transformed into Bifrost midway through leaping at the second.  The ground shook when he landed, snapping the hand up in his jaws and whipping it around and down onto the first.  Aile gained a wing of blue beneath the one of orange.

“This world belongs to everyone,” L said.  “No one has the right to decide it must end!  You’ve reached far beyond your boundaries, Thomas, and that’s why we’re going to end you!”

Thomas opened his mouth, another laser building up within it.  Grey bit down on both hands and hurled them forward—the beam could not penetrate them, but moments after it ceased, they fell to the ground, slowly breaking down into dust.  As he returned to normal, Grey stepped forward and looked at Aile.  Beneath the green wing came one of purple.

“Justice will be served,” P said.  “No matter what wrongs plague the past, a bright future can still be built!  With that truth as our blade, we shall strike you down!”

Aile raised one shaky arm, transforming it into a long buster with golden accents and another rainbow-colored gem.  As she steadied it with her other hand, she began to charge blue energy within it, and a second later the buildup of plasma became a spiral of pink and red.

“I might not have a fancy super form,” Z said, “but I still have all the power Ciel entrusted to me.  Let me entrust it to you, Aile.  So you can use it to open the way to the world that she always wanted!”

Five small wing-shaped decorations sprang from Aile’s helmet.  She closed her eyes for only a moment—intense pain was ripping through her entire body, and it was only getting worse.  But she had already decided she was going to endure it.  When she opened her eyes, they too were aglow with rainbow light.

“You are only throwing away your life!” Thomas shouted.  “There is no power you can muster that can overcome my brilliance!  Now…disappear!”

As he prepared another laser, Grey moved in front of Aile.  He gave her a smile.  “I know we can do this!  And I know that everyone else believes in us too!  We’re not about to let them down!”

“It’s not just Mega Men who get to shape the future!” A said.  “It’s everyone!  And just this once, we can all agree on one thing: that we all want that future to exist!”

Thomas fired.  Grey jumped and spun, transforming into Chronoforce.  He cried out as the beam struck his shell, steadily searing off its layers, but he still managed to keep it at bay.  Aile opened her mouth to speak, but at first she only coughed up blood.

“Thomas!” she yelled, her voice rougher than she’d ever heard it but still carrying all the way to her enemy’s ears.  “Every living thing has to find their own place in this world!  So instead of blaming everyone else for not being who you want to be…take responsibility for yourself!  And eat this!”

The laser ceased.

“SEVENFOLD—“

Grey hit the ground.

“NOUMENON—“

Thomas’s eyes widened, and Aile aimed right between them.

“BUSTER!”

A ring of light pulsed outward from the end of Aile’s cannon.  And then a beam of raw energy that utterly dwarfed her poured out from its tip, narrowly missing Grey as it rocketed across the room and totally obliterated Model T’s central pillar.  The blast carried on, blowing an enormous hole in the roof of the cavern and soaring off into the sky above, and Aile screamed in an overwhelming mixture of pain, fury, and determination.  She knew it only lasted seconds, but it felt like years.  And when the beam finally stopped, and her blurry vision saw through the smoke streaming from her buster, she saw what was left of Model T: a heap of broken, burning metal, damaged beyond all repair.

We…did it…

She managed to look to Grey.  He returned to his normal form and sat up, wincing every inch of the way.  After taking one look at the results, he let out a cheer, and threw himself onto his feet.

“We did it!” Grey said, turning to face Aile.  “We did it, Aile!”

Aile slowly smiled.  Then she lurched forward, and a huge amount of blood shot out from her mouth.

“Aile?!”

Her armor reverted, and she fell over backwards, the other five Biometals laying scattered around her.  Grey rushed to her side and gently cradled her head.

“Aile, get up!  Come on—we won!  It’s over now!”

He looked up at the wreckage as if to prove it to her.  That was when he noticed the flames consuming Model T were turning purple.

“…Oh no…no…!”

The fire rose.  And from the center of the mess, now a ghostly image dancing in the flames, appeared the warped, enraged visage of Thomas.

“How…dare…you…!” he croaked.  “You shall pay for this!  All of you!”

Grey got up and readied his busters as Thomas crawled forward.

“This is but a temporary setback!  Do you hear?  I still command the powers of Mother Elf: I can place myself into a new body, into any of the empty Carbon bodies lying around this place!  I will escape, rebuild, and return to reenact my plans!  I…will…”

Thomas stopped.  The rage began to leave his face, slowly giving way to fear.  The fires around him grew higher.

“What…what is this…what is…happening…?!”

The flames all converged on Thomas.  He gripped his head in both hands, leaning forward and howling in pain, and Grey could only watch him in confused silence.

“No…this power…is mine!  I am in control of it!  I will…control…it…!”

All the fire had now moved into Thomas.  He hunched over, trying to contain the stolen power within himself.  And then he threw his head back and screamed, sending up a pillar of dark flame that nearly reached the hole in the ceiling above.

“NO!” he shrieked.  “NO, NOT NOW!  NOT WHEN I’M SO CLOSE!  I CANNOT DIE NOW!  I ALMOST BUILT A WORLD OF MY OWN!  I ALMOST PROVED MYSELF!  I CAN’T…DIe…noo…oooow…wwwww…!”

His words faded away, lost in the crackling of the cinders.  And then he too was gone.  Grey watched until Thomas’s makeshift pyre finally burned up, though out of relief or horror, he would never be sure.

“It’s…really over,” he breathed.  “It’s over.”

He returned to Aile’s side.  Her eyes flickered, but she still looked up at him.  “G…Grey…?”

“It’s okay, Aile!” he said.  “I’m going to get you out of here!”

As he was trying to find the best way to lift her, a sudden noise caught his attention.  Whirling, Grey saw Siarnaq come crashing through one of the conveyor belts, following by Atlas and Thetis bounding after him.  Siarnaq came up on his feet and took a quick look around.  Nobody dared to move.

“…What the hell?!” Grey finally asked.  “Siarnaq?  Aren’t you supposed to be dead?  And what are you two doing here?”

Atlas took one look at the wreckage and grinned.  “Heh.  Doesn’t really matter much, does it?  The important thing is, it looks like you took Thomas down.  Must’ve been a hell of a fight—can’t believe I missed it all!”

Thetis went pale as he spotted Aile behind Grey.  “W-What happened to Aile?!  Is she alright?”

Grey was about to answer when Siarnaq suddenly faced him.  He leaned forward aggressively, trying to hide just how worn out he was.  But Siarnaq didn’t make a single move.

“…CONFIRM,” he said.  “MASTER THOMAS…HAS FAILED?”

“That’s right,” Grey said.  “We destroyed Model T, and then he lost control of Mother Elf’s power.  He’s gone for good.”

Siarnaq just continued to stare at him.

“Guess that means you’re down a reason to fight, eh?” Atlas said, crossing her arms.  “What do you say, Siarnaq?  I’ll let you walk away.”

For a few moments, there was only silence.  Then, Siarnaq dropped one of his tonfa, took the other in both hands, and drove its point into his chest.  Thetis jumped back at the sight.

“TOTAL…MISSION…FAILURE,” Siarnaq said.  “FAILURE…FAIL…URE…”

He collapsed.  Thetis and Grey gaped, but Atlas just shook her head.  She walked over towards Aile—Grey snapped to attention, ready to fend her off, and she grunted at him.

“What, you want to carry her out yourself?” she said.  “I bet you’re too worn out to even get her ten feet across the floor.”

Grey gritted his teeth.

“I’ll get her out.  You pick up the Biometals if you really want something to carry.  Sound good?”

Grey still hesitated, until a hoarse chuckle came from Aile.  “Grey…it’s…alright…”

Reluctantly, he stepped aside, keeping an eye on Atlas as she demerged and scooped up Aile.  He collected the Biometal as fast as he could, and then jogged to catch up with Atlas, tripping and nearly falling along the way.  He looked up to see Thetis offering him a hand.  Grey took it.  None of them said another word as they made their way back up to the surface.

***

Prairie, dressed all in black, clutched her stuffed animal tightly as she stood before the grave, Model Z floating silently next to her.  The wooded hill overlooked the ruins of some sort of facility, broken to bits long ago and now completely overgrown.  After glancing over the scene, Prairie’s eyes returned to the headstone:

CIEL

Scientist

Leader

Sister

“Back where it all began,” Z murmured.  “No other place would do.”

“I think she’d feel the same,” Prairie said.  “What about the service?  Should I have done something more?”

“You did just fine.  Everyone important was here, and Ciel wouldn’t have wanted anything too flashy.  I’m sure she’s smiling.”

“I hope so…”

Prairie looked back over her shoulder.  The crowd of Guardians were still strewn about at the base of the hill, all busy chatting with each other, and from it emerged Grey and Fleuve, the former pushing Aile’s wheelchair up towards them.  Bandages peeked out from the neck of her dress, and a shawl had been thrown over her shoulders to hide the cast and sling that held her left arm.  She kept her head down at first, letting the wide-brimmed hat she wore shield her eyes from the sunlight that poked through the clouds—as they drew closer she looked up a bit, squinting and blinking until Prairie came into focus.  She smiled softly.

“How are you feeling?” Prairie asked.

“Slightly better,” Aile said, her voice still a little raspy.  “How are you doing?”

Prairie faced the grave again and nodded.  “…Alright.  I was finally able to bring her back here.  Now, I can come see her whenever I want.”

The rest of the Biometals went to join Z as she paused.

“We explained everything to the Legion officials,” Prairie said.  “It took some patience, but they believed us eventually.  We even managed to procure some of Thomas’s data, and that’s looking to be a wealth of information.  For now, at least, we haven’t been declared enemies of the state or anything.”

“Who’s in charge now?” Aile asked.

“One of Master Mikhail’s relatives.  She was a governor of a major district up to now, and after a vote it was decided she would be the best…’interim Sage’, I think is what they’re calling her?  I’ve met with her.  She’s optimistic about working with us.”

“That’s good to hear.  I was beginning to lose faith in authority figures.”

Prairie smirked.  “Oh, is that how you feel about me?”

Aile chuckled.  “Obviously you’re special.”

“Obviously.”

“If we can form better relations with Legion, it’ll really make our job easier.  Might also help us get along with the Hunters a lot better.”

“Things have already improved,” Grey said.  “That’ll happen when you risk your lives together, I guess.  And I’m gonna do what I can to speed things up.”

“Hm,” Fleuve muttered.  “Well, I suppose it might be worthwhile to have some extra eyes and ears.  Maybe we can make it work.”

Grey patted him on the shoulder.  “Yeah, I like you too, gramps.”

He turned back to the crowd, spotting an awkward-looking Thetis among them.  Fleuve took hold of Aile’s chair, and then Grey went to greet the boy, who quickly looked a good deal more comfortable.

“…Aile,” Prairie said.  “Now that your head’s clearer, are you still sure we can trust Thetis?”

“I am,” Aile answered.  “I understand it might be difficult for everyone to accept him right now, but just give him a chance.  He’ll prove himself.  He has a good heart, and with the right guidance, I know he’ll make a great Guardian.”

Prairie nodded.  “Alright.  And Atlas?  We haven’t heard from her since the battle.”

“She’ll check in for a fight once I’m on my feet, I’m sure.  I don’t expect her to get friendly, but…I don’t think we need to worry about her either.”

“Hm…well, that’ll do for now.  But if she becomes a nuisance I might have to keep an eye on her.”

Aile coughed, cringing as the sudden motion shook her ribs.  She straightened her body right away, and took a deep breath.

“That just leaves Aeolus.”

Aile let her breath out slowly.  “…I don’t think there’s any reasoning with him.  As for what he might do, it could go either way.  Maybe he’ll try something.  Maybe he’ll just lock himself away and quietly hate people for the rest of his life.  If he becomes a problem, I’ll deal with him.”

“I know you will.  I just want to make that easier for you if I can.”

“Heh.  I’ll be fine.”

Prairie turned and looked Aile up and down.  “Didn’t you say something similar last time you went out?”

“And, I’m…alive…so there.”

Prairie rolled her eyes.  “Anyway…the Guardians will resume normal activity shortly.  More or less.  For the first time I can remember, I don’t think there’s anything in particular we’re actually searching for.  All we really need to do is keep an ear to the ground.”

“A less tense atmosphere should lift the crew’s spirits,” Fleuve said.  “With no urgent matters to deal with, I’ll be able to focus on continuing Dr. Ciel’s work and refining the Biometal.  I’m starting to get reactions from Model Th.  Once they wake up, maybe we can find a new partner for them, and have yet another Mega Man to lighten Aile’s burden a little.”

“I always knew you cared,” Aile said.

Fleuve grumbled to himself.  Prairie giggled, and then took hold of Aile’s chair so he could leave them alone.  She crouched next to her and tilted her head.  Aile smiled at her.

“I’ll be okay, Prairie.  I’m not the type to give up.”

Prairie smiled back at her.  “I know.  And neither am I.”

She stood and moved behind Aile, gripping both of the chair’s handles and pausing to look at the grave again.

“Rest easy, Sis,” she said.  “The world is in good hands.”

Prairie turned and wheeled Aile down to where the others waited.  The Biometals hung back for a moment before, one by one, heading off to join them.  Z and X waited the longest.

“She’d be so proud, X,” Z said.  “Of all of them.”

X nodded.  “Then we’ll just have to be a little extra proud in her place.”

“Heh…I guess so.”

The two of them left to rejoin with the others.  And as they did, the clouds finally parted, revealing a beautiful sky that smiled down upon them.