MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman) Fan Fiction ❯ Black Alpha, Red Omega ❯ Worries ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Megaman. -Chapter 1- -Worries-   X sat morosely in the cell, trying to ignore the pain in his broken arm and shifted against the damp wall trying to get in a more comfortable position and grit his teeth against the waves of nausea that coursed through his body whenever he moved. He had been unceremoniously tossed in the dank and dark place three days ago. He was not fed, he was not spoken to, no one bothered to check in on him. It was if they totally forgot about him. But who would, with the famous Commander X in their grasp. X just lay there, not bothering to call for help, not even to cuss at whoever was out there. He had already searched the entire cell for any weaknesses until his fingertips were bruised and raw, but it was no use: the walls were too thick to blast through, and even if he had his plasma canon with him, it wouldn't even scratch the walls.

He couldn't send out a distress signal, they removed his helmet which had his ear mike and armor, which had his tracer. So now nobody could trace his location via satellite, and even if someone actually managed to figure out his secondary tracer ID, the electromagnetic field installed around the cell would scramble the signal.

X shivered violently and gave several wracking coughs. The cold and wetness of the cell were not doing any good for him. He brought up his uninjured arm and felt his forehead: he was burning hot. "Ohhh, I should've never taken that stupid reconnaissance mission alone," he muttered. "Stupid, overconfident me. If Zero would see me now. . ."

He saddened at the thought of the blonde reploid, who was probably running around in the H.Q. demanding to know where he was, all the while threatening to tear anyone's spleen out. The reploid sometimes worried about him too much. Zero would never admit it but he had deep affection for the smaller reploid, a strong current of emotion under the arrogant and tough macho exterior.

He groaned as another coughing fit shook his slender frame and pain pulsed in his temples and arm. He couldn't last long in this condition. . .

"Someone. . ." Hot tears of despair slid down his cheeks. "Please help. . ."

But no one came. His condition grew steadily worse as time passed and he was reduced to a pitiful state. He could not move or breathe without pain throbbing everywhere and cough attacks assailing him. Delirious with weakness, starvation, and agony, he did not notice when one day he was picked up in strong arms and led out into the light.

**

Zero was getting worried. X had been gone for a long time, much more needed than usual for a simple reconnaissance mission. He tried to dismiss the thoughts, thinking that X could take care of himself and he had in previous occasions, but he could not squash the doubt that rose up in him like a dark cloud. The blonde was currently walking down the hallway to his room after a snatched conversation with Alia, his long legs hurried in their paces with agitation. He gave his voice ID and went inside his quarters and dropped a stack of papers he was carrying in the little room that counted for his office and living room, leaving the light off. He turned on his coffee machine and while it heated up he went to a little intercom screen that was installed in his wall. Pressing a button, the little screen lit up with the image of a female reploid operator who said in a clinical voice, "Konnichiwa, Commander Zero, to whom may I direct your call?"

"Is Signas busy?"

"He is free at this moment; do you want me to contact him?"

"Yes."

"Chotto matte kudasai." The female reploid was replaced by white fluffy clouds floating through a blue sky while soft jazz music played. Zero impatiently tapped his fingers on the wall and ran a nervous hand through his long blond hair, waiting. The coffee machine started sending droplets of dark liquid into the cup, a soft hissing noise accompaning the sound of the droplets softly plinking in the receiver. Where was X? he thought. Did he get captured? The Mavericks are acting up lately, I wonder if another war will break out. Oh that's all we need. Cities just finished rebuilding from the last war, and another one is potentially going to explode any moment. I can't go around fighting not knowing where my best friend is, I want the security of knowing he's alive, fighting with his unit alongside me.

A musical tone caused him to look up and see Signas's face staring at him from the screen. Zero straightened and gave him a quick salute and Signas returned it. Signas looked at the face staring back at him from the big screen on his wall and sighed, noting the dark circles under Zero's eyes and slightly desperate expression. No doubt he was calling about X and his mysterious disappearance and wanting to know what he could do to help. Really, those two were almost practically inseparable. "If it's about X, no, we don't know where he is, and no, there is nothing you can do that we haven't done already."

Zero looked slightly surprised (Aw man, I really wanted to threaten him in tearing his spleen out) but then shook his head ruefully. "Figures," he said. "I think it's the Mavericks. There is nobody else that has a grudge against him and there's always little renegade bands roaming around that are desperate for ransom."

Signas nodded. "There are some human bandit gangs that would be too happy to sack him simply because he's a reploid. There may be a possibility there."

Zero winced. "I find it ironic that the people X fights to protect would turn on him in an instant." He rubbed his eyes and turned his head; the coffee was ready and the heady scent of it filled the kitchenette. "Really, I don't know. . ." he disappeared from Signas's screen and came back a moment later with a cup of coffee. ". . .why he goes on." He took a cautious sip. Then he smiled a little at some memory or other.

Signas did not smile; he looked at Zero in concern. "Zero, you look ready to drop on your feet. Why don't you go to bed early?"

"I have to," Zero said with a rueful grin. "My unit's being deployed in the morning."

"Yes you are, now take a direct order and go to bed already -- why are you drinking coffee?"

"Don't worry it's decaf," Zero gave a tired salute. "Good night, General Signas."

"Good night, Commander Zero."

But Zero did not sleep right away. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling, and thinking of his missing best friend.

**

Bright sunlight slowly pulled X from his deep slumber. What a horrible dream . . . He tried to blink away the fuzz of sleep and slowly looked around, seeing that he was lying in a hard bed in a small, austere white room, and there was an I.V. rack next to the bed. Still a bit disoriented, he thought he was in the Maverick Hunter H.Q. infirmary, and that someone finally came and rescued him. Someone came for me after all. Relief surged through him and he gave a weak laugh.

A soft sound caught his attention and he turned his head to see who it was. "Zero?"

A sudden migraine seized him and he gasped with the horrendous pain as memories and images flashed in front of his eyes and dissolved. He tried to bring up his hands to clutch his head but he couldn't, his hands were held to the bed with metal bands.

Who is X?

He moaned in agony.

Who is Zero?

"Aaagh. . ." X tried desperately to grasp the images but they slipped away and fragmented. With a sudden panic, he realized that he didn't remember what his best friend looked like.

Who are you?

"Nooo!" He writhed in pain, eyes screwed shut., teeth clenched. Rough hands held him down. He opened his eyes. Through the haze of pain he saw a man with black hair.

"Who. . .are. . .you?"

"It doesn't matter now, does it?"

"Leave me . . .alone."

PAIN

"How do you like the virus implanted in you?"

stop

"I can assume it's not pleasant to be you right now."

please

--images, people, memory dissolving--

"But don't worry, it'll stop soon enough."

". . .someone. . .help." A desperate, pain-filled plea.

"Who will come?"

it hurts so much

"Help. . .please. . ."

"No one will come."

why?

A soft whisper in his ear. "They left you. They will never come."

no

"You are all alone."

noooooooooooooooo

X didn't notice he was screaming the word out loud until he wrenched his hands free from the bindings in a fit of insane strength and locked his fingers his fingers around the man's throat. Horrible pain shot up his arm which was in a cast, but that didn't compare to the agony in his head that left him nearly blind. He tightened his grip on the person's neck. "Leave me alone you fucking bastard," he snarled savagely. So absorbed was he in crushing the person's throat to nothing that he did not notice the alarm blaring.

The door burst open, he looked up -- a fist came at his face and he knew nothing more.

Vile of the Mavericks put his hands on his throat as X slumped back on the bed. Before he weakly fell to the floor he noticed a lone tear running down the small reploid's face. "Good job." Vile could not look to see who it was as his neck hurt like shit and he did not feel like turning his head, but he already knew whose voice it was. He mutely gestured at himself; he could not speak: his vocal chords were no more. "Aah, that can be fixed," the person said dismissively. "Though," he looked at X, whose blank eyes were staring straight ahead, “I think you overdid the mind game a little."

Nah, thought Vile from his position on the floor, the little bastard deserved it.

Sigma, Overlord of the Mavericks, smiled evilly. "Phase one complete."   End chapter one.