Mega Man 1. Prologue: The Return

Disclaimer: Megaman, X, Zero, and all other characters in this story are property of Capcom.This is a purely creative, non-canon addition to an already great storyline.

* * *

_You have only one purpose: to destroy_… 

In an old, dilapidated underground lab, a computer terminal activates, the monitor flickering on.

_It is your only mission; it is why I created you_…

A program initiates, and the green schematics of a robot appear on screen. On the far side of the room, a large glass tank begins to glow with a faint green light. Inside the tank is a form, with many wires running from it. It is suspended in a preservation liquid, and floats gently in the cylindrical container.

_You are a clone, and you must destroy your original_…

The form in the tank begins to stir. The light grows a little brighter, and reveals the form to be a robot. The robot is black, humanoid in form, and has a very ornamental helmet adorning its head. Its closed eyes begin to squint tightly, as if it were trying to wake from a nightmare. The computer begins feeding power to the tank, making the tank's light increase in intensity and slowly powering the robot inside.

_You are like him, but better; you were built for battle. You __**will**__ destroy him, for you are my most powerful creation yet_…

The robot begins to thrash around violently, its fists beating on the walls of the tank. It does not take much; the old, fragile glass breaks easily from the strength of the robot's arms, and the robot, with all the wires still connected to the inside of the tank, comes tumbling out of its stasis pod.

_If you fail me, I will dismantle you. If you disobey me, I will dismantle you. You are nothing more than a tool, an instrument, in my plans_…

The robot gasps, hurriedly pulling the wires from its arms and back. It tries to stand, but fails, and falls to its knees, only to let out a vicious scream that echoes throughout the empty lab.

_That fool Dr. Light thinks his little house robot can stop me so easily? Ha! Well, now we can show him otherwise. Rise, rise and go forth to fulfill your destiny_…

It looks at its hands, and focuses on its right arm. The arm instantly transforms into a blaster cannon, and the robot's red eyes gleam with intent.

"Such power… what is this?"

_Do what you were created to do, and destroy Megaman_!!!

The black robot stands once again, and lets its arm return to its original form. It puts its hands to its head and groans.

"Who… am I?"

* * *

In the streets of Neo Arcadia, a blonde woman strolls through the thick crowds of humans and reploids. She stops for a moment and looks up to see big, billowy clouds floating amidst the deep blue of the sky. She smiles and continues walking, humming to herself. It is a good day for Neo Arcadia.

Six years after the sinister Dr. Wiel tried to crash the space cannon Ragnarok, the city has finally been rebuilt. Prejudice no longer exists between humans and reploids; there is more than enough energy for everyone and virtually no Mavericks. It is the utopia it was meant to be. The young blonde enters a large building near the center of the city. The building stretches far up into the sky. It is Central HQ, the monitoring facility of the entire city. Inside, reploids and humans work together, hustling and bustling to keep the city running smoothly. As the young woman begins towards the front desk, she hears a familiarly annoying voice calling her.

"Dr. Ciel! Dr. Ciel!!"

Ciel turns, her normally sweet, happy face contorted with agitation. A young male reploid is running towards her. She immediately recalls thinking when she woke up that this is the last person she wanted to see at the beginning of the day. It is Haru, a new employee at HQ. An energetic but naïve recruit, he was stationed in Ciel's department by Ciel herself: the Department of Energy Management and Control, or EMC. As head of the department, Ciel knew he would be a valuable asset to the group. Unfortunately, she did not think he would develop a crush on her as soon as he arrived for work. Now, Ciel must endure his bashful advances on a daily basis; despite her patience, it is beginning to get on her nerves.

"Dr. Ciel, I'm glad I caught you!"

'_Sigh,'_ she thinks. "Hello, Haru. What is it that you need?"

The reploid blushes and puts his fingers together. "W-well, Dr. Ciel, I, uh, have a message for you." He looks down at his feet, making occasional glances at her but not being able to hold eye contact.

Ciel waits patiently but the young reploid continues to pause. "Well? Can I have the message?"

"OH! Yes, of course!" he blurts. "Well, uh, there is some commotion at the gate to Sector 1. The guards say there's a strange reploid asking for you there."

"Really? Geez, I just get here and there are already problems." Ciel turns around quickly to leave the building. She stops and turns towards Haru. "Thanks."

Haru blushes again. "A-anything for you, Dr. Ciel!" He watches her leave, sighing in contentment. _'What a beautiful woman!'_

Ciel stands outside of the building and hails a taxi. A yellow hover car stops in front of her. The mechaniloid driver asks her in a synthesized voice as she enters the vehicle, "Where to, miss?"

"Gate 1, please."

"Right away," the driver responds, and begins the ride to the said destination. Ciel leans back in her seat and sighs again. _'I have a feeling it's gonna be a loooong day,' _she thinks. She looks out the window and stares at the city. She cannot help but smile again. _'If only you could see this, Zero. You'd be so happy.'_ Ciel feels tears prickling her eyes as she remembers the legendary hero. She shakes her head, willing them back. _No more crying. You got over it, right?_ She looks at herself in the taxi's rearview mirror. _Right._

"We're here, miss. That'll be 20 credits, please."

The door opens and Ciel steps out of the vehicle. She moves towards the front window to pay the driver.

"Here you are." Ciel flashes her I.D. card across the taxi's card reader, and the fee is charged to her account.

Upon confirmation of the transaction, the driver says, "Thank you miss, and have a nice day!" It then drives off to find its next fare.

'_I hope so…'_

Ciel walks to Gate 1. Five reploid guards stand and salute her when she arrives. The commanding officer at the gate addresses her after saluting.

"Dr. Ciel," he says, "there is an unregistered reploid here with no papers claiming he knows you. We didn't want to let him in without confirmation."

Ciel looks over his shoulder at the reploid in question. He has a ragged cloak drawn over his shoulders, covering his armor. Ciel notices his red and black helmet, with ginger hair protruding from the rear of his head. She has never seen him before.

"I don't know this reploid, officer," she replies.

"Alright, m'am, that's all I needed." The officer begins to command the guards to force the mysterious reploid from the city.

"Wait, let me talk to him. We can at least give him that much," Ciel says suddenly. Something about the reploid seems strangely familiar to her, like a fleeting memory. The officer brings him over. She notices the officer holding two twin blaster pistols in his hand. _'Definitely not standard issue. They must be this guy's. Who exactly is he?'_

The reploid stands before her, tall and proud. There is a spark in his eye that catches her attention. She is about to loose herself in his gleaming eyes when he speaks.

"Um, are you Dr. Ciel?"

She starts, surprised at his voice. "Yes, I am. May I ask why you called for me when you clearly do not know me?"

The young reploid in front of her chuckles and his shoulders shake lightly with laughter. "Sorry, these guys wouldn't let me through, so I had to get there attention."

"Well, it's their job. We can't have unknown reploids wandering around in Neo Arcadia; they might be Mavericks," she states matter-of-factly.

"I'm no Maverick, _**doc**_," he shoots back. Ciel is again surprised with the force of his voice. _'What's his problem?'_ she thinks. She becomes impatient with the reploid and asks him why he was there in an irritated tone.

"Sorry, doc, I just get a little irked when people call me a Maverick. I spent a long time killin' them, you know." The reploid put his hands behind his head. "I heard your name while I was lookin' for someone. I'm here to see Zero. Do you know where he is?"

Ciel is taken aback. _'He knows Zero?'_ "… What? You don't know about…" she trails off. Ciel cannot imagine someone not knowing about Zero's heroic sacrifice.

_The monstrous space station began breaking up in the atmosphere. Dr. Wiel, the enemy of humans and reploids, lay dead, fused in the core of Ragnarok. Zero withdrew his deadly green blade, holstering the hilt in his armor. He looked past the burning station at the green and blue world below. He looked up at the infinite black space above him. He closed his eyes and smiled as the station exploded into a million tiny pieces…_

Ciel shakes her head as she recalls her recurring dream. She focuses on the still nameless reploid in front of her. "I'm sorry, who are you? How do you know Zero?"

"I was a Maverick Hunter with Zero a long time ago. The name's Axl. So, uh, can I get in the city now or do I have to stay at this gate forever?"

* * *

A/N - My first try at a fanfiction. I'd appreciate reviews so I know the story is worth continuing. Criticism and/or flames are welcome, too. 


	2. The Axl Turns the Wheel

Disclaimer: Yeah, still don't own Mega Man. All this belongs to Capcom.

* * *

A cloaked figure drags his legs as he travels the desert.

'_Mega Man…'_

After breaking out of the underground lab, the mysterious robot began walking with no particular destination. Hatred and anger are all he feels as he struggles through the harsh heat and driving sand. His joints are clogged, his armor and circuitry worn. He takes a few more steps and collapses in the sand. He feels consciousness leaving him, and he closes his eyes, wanting to let the darkness in his heart claim him completely.

"Uh… you all right there, fella'?"

The robot looks up and sees a man looking down on him. As soon as he lays eyes on the human, his anger flares, and he forces himself up off the ground, refusing to appear weak before the other being. He groans as he stands, his body weak and unstable. The desert hermit continues to look on curiously, leaning on a large wooden cart filled with a random assortment of possessions. "Hey, you there, I say 'you all right there'? Ain't ya' hear me?"

"Silence, human." The robot winces as his right arm twitches with pain.

"You don't look so good. Why you all the way out here, not safe n' sound in Neo Arcadia?" inquires the hermit.

'_Neo Arcadia?'_ the robot thinks. "What I am doing is none of your business, wretch. I am," he winces, "traveling of my own accord, and that's all that matters!"

The hermit shrugs and turns away. "Suit yourself, I was only tryin' to help ya'."

The cloaked robot pauses before asking, "What is this… Neo Arcadia you spoke of?"

"Why, it's a city o' course! Best dang city anywhere near here. All the humans and reploids live there, 'cept me. Me, I prefer my privacy." The hermit takes some water out from his cart and takes a long drink. "You look like you could use some repairs. Want I should take you in?"

"Reploids? What are those? Stop trying to confuse me, you pitiful creature!" The robot shouts.

"Whoa, there, don't go n' git your wires all in a tangle, now. Reploids are robots; you ought to know, you are one!"

"Where," the robot grinds out, "is this city?"

"You ain't to far, now. Just be headin' northeast and you'll hit there in no time," The hermit replies. "You should really let me take you, 'cause you in no shape to be travelin'."

"I'll die before taking help from a human," the robot sneers.

"Well, you sure is a lot different than X is, I reckon." The hermit whispers to himself spits in the sand.

"X?"

"Yeah, X," the farmer explains. "You know, X, the leader of Neo Arcadia, the legendary Maverick Hunter, the blue reploid who saved humanity? What, you been livin' under a rock all your life?!"

'_You could say that,'_ thinks the robot. "You said a blue robot? Legendary?"

"Yeah, last I checked he was the ruler at that there city. Hell, I ain't been to the city in years now, though, so things might've changed since then."

'_Blue robot…'_ Immediately thoughts of a young blue robot appeared in the black robot's mind. So many battles, so many losses… the image of an old man laughing maniacally comes to his mind, and he grasps his head again. _'Is this the same robot? The one I'm supposed to destroy?'_ The black robot pondered. "… You have helped me, human, despite your uselessness. I'll make your demise quick in return. It's the least I can do; after all, humans did create robots." Under his cloak, the robot's right arm whirrs as it transforms into his blaster.

"Now hold on just a sec, I've had just about en—" The hermit's words are cut short.

The robot's blaster protrudes from his cloak, a small wisp of smoke flowing from the barrel. The hermit sinks down onto his knees, and then falls over completely, with half of his head blown away. The robot's arm returns to normal, and he sighs.

"That felt good."

He faces northeast and smiles. His joints feel loosened and his body's energy returns as he begins walking towards Neo Arcadia.

* * *

Ciel gapes at the old Maverick Hunter. "Axl?! That's impossible!!"

Axl smirks. "I see you've heard of me. Aren't I awesome?"

Ciel shakes her head. "No, I mean, there is no way _**you**_ are Axl. There's no proof; besides, you haven't been around since the end of the Maverick Wars centuries ago!!" Ciel is flabbergasted, to say the least. _'There is no possible way that this arrogant, self-centered reploid is Axl! But didn't Zero say he was kind of cocky?'_ Ciel is thinking hard when Axl interrupts her train of thought again.

"So, you don't believe me?"

"NO!!" she screams.

"Okay," he says, then quietly to himself, "what can I do to convince her?… AH! I know!"

Axl looks at Ciel, and right before her eyes he begins to glow. The light he emits grows blindingly bright and dies down again in an instant, and before her stood a new reploid in red armor, his long blonde hair flowing behind him as he looks at her intently.

She gasps. "Z-z-… Zero?" Tears find their way back to her eyes, and Axl realizes his folly, immediately changing back to his original form.

"Sorry, sorry!" Axl puts his hands up, trying to calm the crying girl in front of him. "Hey, don't cry, it was just a test, right? C'mon, you see him everyday, why are you crying?"

The guards shuffle awkwardly, eyes on the ground, realizing what Axl does not.

Ciel sniffles as she tries to cease crying. "You… honestly don't know?"

"Know what?" Axl is curious now. Why can't he see Zero already?

"Look, Axl, you better come with me." Ciel finishes composing herself and walks over to the guard officer. "Captain, he's okay. I'll bring him in personally."

"Yes, ma'am," salutes the captain. He orders the guards to return Axl's pistols.

Axl receives his guns eagerly, spinning them around his fingers expertly before holstering them.

"Axl, this way please."

He looks over to see Ciel gesturing for him to follow her. He walks over and they begin to move away from the outer gate and back to the inner city. Ciel takes him down to the Quick-Tram, the city's subway system. They take the next train to Central HQ. On the way over, Ciel looks at Axl again, studying him. She notices more detailed features: the scar that lay on his nose and between his eyes, the blue crystals on his helmet and chest-plate, and how his spiky red hair branches out from behind his head. The spark in his eye attracts her attention once again. In his eyes she can see a warrior's will, and she knows that Axl is not one to give up on himself or his friends.

Axl is looking at Ciel as well, though not to judge her character. Axl is drawn to her blatant attractiveness. In the several years since the rebellion against Neo Arcadia, Ciel has grown from the teenage wiz-kid to a beautiful woman. Axl can easily make out the curves of her body from under her clothes, and has a fleeting thought of changing into her form to get a better idea of what lay underneath. Ciel is about to ask why he is staring at her so hard when the train car suddenly jerks violently to a halt. Ciel is wrenched from her seat and into the arms of Axl, who breaks her fall. Axl looks around the train car as everyone else tries to find their bearings after the abrupt stop.

"What happened, Ciel?"

"I don't know," she answers, looking around. "Something made the train stop."

Ciel stops talking when she hears a groaning coming from the train. The car begins to rock back and forth and is lifted up. The groaning grows louder as the car begins to split into two. Axl draws Ciel close to him and dashes out of the train car's window before it is torn apart. They hit the ground with a thud. Axl looks back at the train to see a large, bulky reploid throw half of the car to the other side of the tracks.

"I thought you said there weren't any Mavericks in Neo Arcadia?!" he asks Ciel.

"There aren't," she snaps back as she stands up and dusts herself off. "It must be a malfunction, although I've never seen a reploid quite like that."

"Sounds like a Maverick to me," Axl says. He stands and throws off his cloak, drawing his pistols out. "Whatever it is, it needs stopping, and I haven't had a good fight in years!"

Axl leaps towards the rampaging reploid, landing directly in front of it. At first the violent robot does not seem to notice Axl, giving Axl a second to analyze the monster. The reploid is orange and white, massive, at least eight feet tall, with humongous arms and fists comparable to small boulders. Its mandible is nothing more than a metal face guard, making the sound that come from it seem highly synthesized. Its chest is also massive; the whole thing looks like a robotic equivalent to a professional body builder. Axl wonders if direct confrontation with such a strong adversary was a wise choice as the robot turns towards him.

"GUUUUUTSSS!" it roars.

"Shit," is all Axl is able to say before a massive fist connects with his torso and sends him flying back into a wall. Ciel gasps as Axl's body collides and creates a crater in the wall. She runs over to him as he slumps down to the ground.

"Axl!" She shakes his shoulders, trying to wake him. "Axl!!"

"Ah, damn that thing is strong," Axl groans. He stands again, picking up the pistols that lay near him as he stands. "This is gonna be harder than I thought." Axl activates his hover ability and slowly rises into the air. He looks down at Ciel. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I ran with X and Zero, remember?" With that, he speeds towards the destructive robot once more, firing off several shots before making a sharp left to avoid the enemy's oncoming fist. Axl dances around the robot, firing shot after shot until his pistols run out of ammo. He reloads both guns at lightning speed and begins firing again. His shots echo throughout the subway tracks, as do the roars of the huge robot.

"GUUUTTSS!! GUUUUUTTSSS!!"

"Is that all you can say?" Axl jests as he avoids another punch. "Not to bright, are you big guy?"

"GUUUTTSS!! You not make fun of Gutsman, puny robot!" Gutsman puts his huge fists together, and they meld into a big hammer.

"Uh-oh…"

Gutsman grunts as he smashes the ground with his Hammer Fist, creating a massive shock-wave that heads towards Axl. Axl dashes straight through the shock-wave, his ability to roll through some attacks proving useful for once. "You'll have to do better than that!"

"Grawr! Gutsman break you!!" Gutsman bounds towards Axl, preparing to launch a Gut Punch, but stops suddenly. Axl stops too, surprised as he watches Gutsman crane his head as if he is listening to someone. Gutsman lets out a heavy, mechanical sigh. "Fine." And with that, Gutsman teleports out of the station, his attack ending as quickly as it began.

Axl sighs and floats back to the ground, disengaging his battle mode. He holsters his pistols and looks around for Ciel. She is nowhere in sight.

"Crap," he says, and he rushes to find her.

* * *

5 miles away from Gate 5, the mysterious black robot looks upon Neo Arcadia from atop a hill of sand. He scowls as he thinks of humans and reploids living together in harmony.

"What a joke, humans and robots working together. Don't those fools realize we are the superior race?" He looks into the sky, trying to remember one of his many lost memories. He cannot, and his gaze returns to Neo Arcadia. "Where are you, Mega Man?"

He begins his final steps towards the city.

* * *

"Ciel! Ciel!!" Axl shouts as he searches the area for the missing doctor. Still in the underground subway, he scanned the entire wreck area and further to no avail. He is about to lose hope when he hears a distant voice.

"Axl!"

"Ciel!" He sees her running towards him with a number of police and firefighters behind her. "Ciel, where did you go?"

"I went to go get help," she pants as she stops in front of him. "I couldn't just sit there!"

Axl smiles. "Good going."

Ciel beams up at him. The police and firemen rush to the scene of the crash, one officer remaining with Ciel and Axl to take their statements. After being released from the area, Ciel and Axl begin their walk to Central HQ.

"What a way to start the day, eh?" Axl jokes.

Ciel just sighs. "Let's just get to Central."

"Am I gonna get to see Zero now?" Axl asks hopefully.

"Look, Axl, I don't know how to tell you this… Zero is…. he's…. no longer with us."

"… Oh." Axl looks away for a second. "For how long?"

"About six years now," Ciel says quietly.

"Never thought Zero was one to die. That's big news. How did X take it?"

Ciel lets out another exasperated sigh. "X is gone too."

Axl is speechless for a moment. "What happened?"

"They each sacrificed themselves for what they believed in. They did it to protect us." Ciel stops walking and looks over her shoulder. Axl follows her gaze and gasps.

They are at the center of the city. Before them are two towering statues: one of X and the other of Zero. Their backs are to each other as they watch over each side of Neo Arcadia like stone guardians. X holds his X-Buster in hand while Zero brandishes his deadly Z-Saber.

"We Neo Arcadians will never forget what they did to ensure peace. They fought for a long time… they deserve their rest." Ciel bows her head in respect, then addresses Axl again. "Come on, I'll explain more at Central."

They begin towards Central HQ again.

On the roof of a particularly tall building, a black figure watches the city. His red eyes fall onto the image of X and glow with fury.

"Mega Man… I've finally found you…"

* * *

A/N - Has anyone guessed the black robot's identity? Promise I'll reveal next chapter. Also, this is not going to be an Axl-Ciel pairing, but I might do some fluff/lemon if I get enough reviews. Keep that in mind!!


	3. Battle Is His Forte

Disclaimer: Mega Man and all other characters and events are property of Capcom.

* * *

Ciel and Axl walk through the entrance of Central HQ. Axl looks around in awe at the spacious interior and the busy employees hustling to work faster. The whole thing reminds him of the old days with the Maverick Hunters.

"So this is where you work, huh?" he asks as the walk through the main lobby. "What do you do here?"

"I am director of the Department of Energy Management and Control," she states simply.

"Hmmm… sounds dull," Axl muses.

"Maybe, but if it weren't for us, Neo Arcadia would be ancient ruins by now. The DEMC keeps everything in order," Ciel explains. They round a corner and approach a long corridor.

"Yeah, but, where's the action?" Axl complains. "Energy management isn't a very exciting field."

"You'd be surprised," she replies. Ciel stops in front of a large door. It is heavily armored and blast proof. Axl wonders why an energy manager would need so much security. Ciel takes a key card out from her bag and swipes it across the card reader. A computerized voice says, "Identification confirmed. Welcome, Dr. Ciel." The blast door opens, revealing two Neo Arcadian soldiers standing guard on the other side.

"Good morning, Dr. Ciel. We heard about your accident; nothing serious has occurred since the incident in the Quick-Tram," one of the guards says. "Are you all right, ma'am?"

"Fine, thank you. This here is Axl, he will be accompanying me today."

"Ma'am!" the guard salutes. Both soldiers step aside to allow Ciel and Axl through into the department quarters.

As they continue down the corridor, Axl asks Ciel why energy management would need blast doors and military protection.

"The DEMC is the heart of Neo Arcadia," Ciel explains. "We make military decisions, address political and social issues; anything the city needs. This city survives because of energy. You can't imagine how many want to take it away. Without us, Neo Arcadia would fall apart."

"So… you guys run Neo Arcadia?" he asks.

"Not so much run, but for lack of a better term… yes."

"And you run the DEMC?"

"Yes?"

"So you're the leader of Neo Arcadia, aren't you?"

Ciel stops, turns, and looks Axl dead in the eye. "I am no ruler. This city is a perfect model of democracy and equality. I fought like Hell to make X's dream come true. I would never betray his ideas like that!"

"Okay, okay, sorry," Axl apologizes. "It's just, well, kinda hard to imagine. In my time, this world was just a dream."

Ciel sighs. "I know, I know. It must be hard for you to accept, but this is real. We did it, Axl. We saved the world."

Axl says nothing.

"Ah, Ciel, what kept you?"

Ciel smiles and looks at the source of the voice that just greeted her. "Cerveau, hi. Sorry I took so long, got caught up in something."

"I heard," says Cerveau. Axl looks at the engineer. Cerveau, a reploid, is wearing a green lab coat and has a white visor over his eyes. The visor glows red as Cerveau looks back at Axl. "Who is this, Doctor?"

"Oh, this is Axl. _**The**_ Axl."

Cerveau sputters and coughs. "W-w-what?! Another legendary reploid!! Oh, my, this is grand!" The reploid rushes over to Axl and immediately begins inspecting him.

"Hey, hey, HEY!!! Quit treating me like a fuckin' artifact!" Axl yells.

Cerveau backs off. "My apologies, it's just so incredible I can hardly contain myself!"

Ciel chuckles. "Cerveau is our engineer, Axl, and one of my best friends. He's made many contributions to the city."

"Ah, but Ciel gives me too much credit. The original design for the system of energy that saved Neo Arcadia several years ago was hers," Cerveau says. "We'd be lost without our little genius here."

"I'm not so little any more, Cerveau. Anyways, Axl's had it rough, so clean him up for me, okay. Axl, when he's done just come meet me in the conference room. You'll find it." With that, Ciel walks away.

"Alright, then, sir Axl," the over-excited Cerveau offers. "Let's get you down to my lab so we can fix you up. That armor of yours looks so old, let's see if we can't find you something more… today."

"Okay, whatever, just don't start taking me apart or anything."

"Of course, of course, now come."

* * *

A human male in an expensive business suit crosses a street near central Neo Arcadia. He is headed for the Square, one of the main market areas of the city. His ear-piece buzzes to alert him of an incoming call. 

"Hello? Yo Reece, I've been waiting for you, man. Listen, about that ship—" His conversation is cut short, due to a hole that suddenly appears in his chest. He falls, and a woman near him screams in fear. She backs up in shock from the dead man in front of her, but her retreat is obstructed by another body. She turns and stares up into gleaming red eyes.

"Pitiful wretch. Shall I give you a similar fate?" the black robot asks mockingly.

The woman screams again and bolts away. The person she bumped into grins and chuckles. He looks around at the crows of people staring in fear at him. He swings back his tattered cloak and brandishes his buster cannon.

"Look at all of you pathetic creatures," he shouts to them all, feeling satisfaction as they tremble at the sound of his voice. "You have no value. You all lead meaningless lives, cause unnecessary conflict and contribute to the destruction of this world." The robot begins pacing back and forth. "You are parasites, sucking everything from an area until there is nothing left. You do not have a symbiotic relationship with the world. You take, but do not give, and no one expects anything else." He points his buster at a particularly fat man. "You there! What have you done for your world, your people? What makes you different from any other human?!"

The fat man manages to say, "I-I'm not a h-h-human, I'm a-a reploid."

"Keh, even more despicable that a robot like you can mingle with these mongrels," said the robot. He strides up to the fat reploid. "And why would you make yourself look like this? It's disgusting! You act like you want to be human!"

"But… I do…"

"SILENCE!!! Your very existence is an insult to all robots. We are the superior race, and you demean us all by acting in such a manner." The black robot grabs the reploid by his neck and lifts him into the air while simultaneously choking him. "Give me one good reason why I should not snap your neck right now?"

"FREEZE!!!"

The black robot turns. "Oh, this should be interesting."

* * *

Cerveau examines Axl's schematics on his screen while Axl rests on an operating bed. Cerveau smiles, thinking, _'I've really outdone myself.'_ He walks over to Axl. "Alright, you're all done. You were pretty banged up, but I managed to fix you up nicely."

Axl gets off the bed and flexes his arms. "Huh, new armor?"

"Yes, I'm glad you noticed!" Cerveau exclaimed. "It's much more streamlined than your last armor system."

Axl moves towards a large mirror in the room to look at his new armor. He notices that all the bulky leg and arm pieces are gone, replaced with skinnier armor pieces. His pointed shoulder guards are also gone. His helmet remains pretty much the same, except the blue jewel at its center is smaller. The jewel on his chest is also slightly smaller. The rest of the armor is also more streamlined; the gray-black color remains, but the whole thing is sleeker and more connected. The wing-like attachments on his back are now retractable. Axl continues looking himself over and notices the jet boosters on the side of his legs are gone. "Hey," he says, "how am I supposed to hover now?"

Cerveau laughs. "I replaced those old boosters with anti-gravity pads on the soles of your boots. Also, the wing attachments also help initiate and stabilize your hover ability."

Axl removes his helmet and stares at his face, scowling as he sees the cross-shaped scar. "You could have done something about this."

Cerveau frowns. "I figured it was something personal. I didn't want to do anything without your permission; besides, I'm no cosmetic surgeon."

"It's alright. Sometimes the past comes back to haunt me." Axl puts his helmet back on. "I'm gonna go on ahead and see Ciel."

"Yes, she called while you were rebooting. She wants you to go directly to her office. I'll show you the way."

Cerveau takes Axl to Ciel's office and bids him farewell. Axl opens the door to her office. It is a large room. Ciel sits at her desk on the far side of the office. She looks up from her computer as Axl enters the room. "Axl, come in. Oh, go ahead and get rid of that armor; there's no need for it here."

Axl walks in and as he does so his armor flashes white, then disappears. Underneath is a grey, skintight suit. Axl flashes once again, and is instantly dressed in normal clothing: a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a white long-sleeved T-shirt. "So what's up, you gonna tell me everything I wanna know?"

"Yes," Ciel says. She types a few more keys on her computer then stands and walks around her desk. "Axl, as I said before, X and Zero are… gone. Officially, they both died fairly recently. Six years ago Zero died, and a few months before that X was killed."

"What happened? Start from the beginning."

Ciel took a breath. "X created Neo Arcadia. He did that a long, long time ago. At the end of the Maverick Wars, several things happened. You disappeared – according to history – and Zero sealed himself away for repairs. At least, that's what he said. He told me he actually did it because he was afraid he would restart the Maverick Wars, since he was the first Maverick and the source of the Maverick Virus. That left X, who began building Neo Arcadia. About that time, Cyber Elves were created to help the advancement of the human/reploid population. Mother Elf was the first; she was created as antibody program to counter the Sigma Virus. However, an evil man named Dr. Weil corrupted Mother Elf, turning her into the Dark Elf. Using the Dark Elf and a powerful reploid named Omega, he wreaked havoc on the city and began what we call the Elf Wars. Because Zero was gone, X fought alone for a hundred years, until he finally beat Weil. However, the Dark Elf was too powerful to be left alone. So X sacrificed his body by using it to power a prison cell able to contain the Dark Elf. After that, there was peace. I created a copy of X to lead Neo Arcadia. He was supposed to be perfect. But when the energy crisis hit, he began exiling reploids to make sure there was enough energy for the humans. The reploids who resisted were labeled Mavericks and killed. I formed a Resistance to stop Copy X and the Neo Arcadian army from slaughtering countless reploids. We were losing, but I managed to find Zero and awaken him. He had amnesia, but helped us stop Copy X. He even managed to destroy him. Zero continued to help the Resistance fight Neo Arcadia. I found a reploid named Elpizo and he helped me lead the Resistance. He ended up destroying the real X's body and freeing the Dark Elf. Luckily, Zero stopped him too."

Ciel paused, looking towards a glass case on the wall of her office. In the case was a red object.

"Then Dr. Weil came back, seeking the Dark Elf. He revived Copy X and helped him lead Neo Arcadia, until Zero killed him again. Then it was just Weil in charge. And Weil used Omega and the Dark Elf to try and destroy the Resistance. Zero beat Omega, too, even though he had to destroy his own original body. But Weil was still around. He created a space station equipped with a massive cannon. It was called Ragnarok." Ciel began to feel tears well up in the corners of her eyes. "He was going to use it on a human refugee camp. Zero went to stop him, and… and…"

"He died," Axl finishes. Ciel bursts into violent sobs, falling to her knees and holding herself to keep from shaking. Before her is the glass case. In it is Zero's broken helmet.

"I found it in among the remains of Ragnarok after it exploded," she chokes. "It was all that was left."

Axl walks over to her, kneels down and holds her tightly. "I know it hurts. He was my friend to."

"But I loved him!!!"

"Shhh, shh, it's okay." He pats her back to try and comfort her, but cannot think of anything else to say. _'God, she's really messed up over this. Dammit, Zero, X, why did you guys have to die?'_

They remain hugging on the floor for several moments. Then, Ciel's office phone rings. Ciel sniffles as she releases Axl and stands. "I'm okay; I've got to answer the phone."

"Sure." Axl lets her get up and rises after her. Ciel rushes over to the phone and picks up the receiver.

"Hello?" she asks. "Yes, what's wrong? …… What?! What's going on? …….. Get some more guards down there now!!!" Ciel slams the phone down and runs out of the office.

"HEY!!" Axl shouts. "What's going on?"

"The Square!" Ciel responds. "Some reploid is rampaging in the Square!"

* * *

The body of a soldier goes flying several hundred feet before crashing into the side of a building. The black robot from the underground lab pants as he exerts more strength to hold of the guards rushing into the Square.

"Why do you try to stop me? It's futile!! I'm am the ultimate robot master!!!" he screams as he looses a volley of purple shots from his buster. Several guards drop instantly. "None can stop me! Now, Mega Man, come to me so that I may crush you!!!"

A military grade all-terrain vehicle pulls up near the Square. Axl jumps out, pistols in hand. "Stay here, Ciel, I'll see what's up." He then dashes towards the area of the ruckus.

"BE CAREFUL, AXL!!!" she shouts after him.

Axl speeds to the scene of battle. He sees the black robot shooting wildly and rushes over, landing a powerful jump kick into the robot's back.

The black robot is sent flying some feet away before hitting the ground with a hard thud and rolling a few more feet. He picks himself up to face his attacker. "Who are you?" he growls.

Axl points both guns at the robot's head, slowly walking towards him. "I should be asking you that. What the hell are you thinking?"

The robot bares his teeth as more soldiers surround him, rifles ready to fire. He remains still, his hands at his side.

"Well, who are you?" Axl demands.

"… Bass."

"Bass, huh? Well, Bass, I suggest you calmly surrender so that there is no more damage today." Axl keeps his guns ready, stopping as he nears Bass's vicinity. "There's no need for anyone else to die. Let's talk, negotiate, something. Just surrender."

"Surrender?" The idea infuriates Bass. He growls again, his gaze darting from Axl to the other guards and back to Axl again. "Surrender?!?!"

"That, or we leave your bullet-strewn carcass here to rot."

Bass's features take on a thoughtful look. "… Alright." He raises his hands slowly, allowing two guards to come and cuff him from behind.

"Enemy secure, sir," the guards say.

"Thanks," Axl says. He walks right up to Bass and puts his face close to his. "What's your game, Bass?"

"Mega Man. I want Mega Man."

"Don't know him."

"Don't play dumb, you've got a statue of him right over there!!" Bass looks at X's stature.

"Uh, that's X, man, you got the wrong guy."

"I know my arch-nemesis when I see him!" Bass retaliates.

"Axl!"

Axl turns to see Ciel walk up to him. "Axl, what's going on?"

"This," he points to the captive robot, "is Bass. And apparently, he wants X… or Mega Man, or something."

"Mega Man?" Ciel wonders aloud. "Who's that?"

"WHY ARE YOU ALL ACTING LIKE SUCH IMBECILES?! MEGA MAN!!! THE BLUE BOMBER, THE HERO OF THE HUMAN RACE!!! WHAT, IS IT THE DAY, THE YEAR, OR JUST HUMAN STUPIDITY THAT PREVENTS YOU FROM UNDERSTANDING WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Okay, he's crazy," Axl concludes. "Let's just put him down and be done with it."

"Wait," Ciel says. "Bass, what year is it?"

"Are you trying to make me kill you?" Bass sneers. "It's 20XX!!!"

"No, it's not. You're almost a hundred-and-ten years behind."

Bass blinks several times. "What?"

"It's 110 years after 20XX!"

"… What?"

'_This is hopeless,'_ Ciel thinks. "Alright, let's get ready to take him in for questioning."

Bass looks down, thinking hard. _'Not 20XX? How? That would mean…'_

"Wait."

Ciel looks back at Bass.

"So, then, Mega Man is dead?"

"If you really are from the year 20XX, and if he was too, then probably." Ciel says curtly.

Bass immediately changes. His entire thought process stops. He stares blankly at the ground. _'If he's gone, then… what am I doing? What is my purpose?'_ Bass closes his eyes and mutters, "Kill me."

Ciel walks briskly back to him and roughly grabs his chin, forcing him to look at her. "I would, but the whole fair trial system prevents it. So get up and let's go."

Axl looks on in quiet awe as the soldiers haul Bass up and drag him to a police vehicle.

* * *

A/N: I tried to get all the events from the Mega Man X and Mega Man Zero series correct. So is it getting any more interesting? What was up with Gutsman? Why is the past suddenly turning up in the future? Review, offer ideas, flame, anything to get feedback. I'll update soon; the next chapter will introduce more characters! 


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Mega Man, Adventure, Drama