//------------------------------// // 8: Four-saken, part 2 // Story: Melody of the Future // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// As Axl warped into the Primrose base, he took in its rather bare hallways. He knew it was an anti-gravity laboratory, so he fully expected gravity to go wonky at any time, making his usual reliance on his pistols possibly problematic. Close range combat would be the better strategy, so he holstered his guns and pulled out the Red Scythe. Even with it being his own now, he still thought of it that way. Feeling his amplified A-Trans abilities interacting with the weapon, he knew Shadow's upgrade had been successful. With that done, he dashed forward. At first, he only encountered smaller Mechanaloids, each of which were split down the middle with a single slash. The chamber dead ended at a teleporter, which took him to a smaller chamber with large blocks and pressure switches on the floor and ceiling. Triggering the floor switch caused gravity to reverse itself in the chamber, making the blocks fall and reveal another teleporter. This led to a similar chamber with several gravity switches and spikes on floor and ceiling. Axl dealt with it easily by using his boosted hover-boots to glide across the entire room, slashing any Mechanaloid that got too close. This pattern continued as Axl teleported from chamber to chamber, making his way forward through the base. The only major obstacle occurred towards the middle of the lab, where spiked blocks repeatedly tried to crush Axl as he dodged around them until the mechanism eventually ground to a halt, allowing him to move on. This left only minor obstacles preventing him from reaching the 'Maverick' that was causing problems. Gravity Antonion was an ant-based New-Gen Reploid, whose body was a brightly colored mix of purple, pink, red, and green. He had a bulging thorax, two legs, two arms, two large pincers, and two antenna with sharp prongs at the front. He seemed absolutely calm as he faced Axl down. "Gravity Antonion," Axl greeted bluntly, "you have broken the laws made by the people of this world, and your endeavors threaten the world as it is. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" "I feel it is this world that needs to defend itself, not I my actions," Antonion countered calmly. "It is what is in the wrong. Can you not see that?" "All I see is that my family is on your hit list," Axl growled. "To my eyes, that means we're part of the 'problem' you're trying to fix." "An unfortunate but accurate conclusion, if you can't let yourself see beyond it," Antonion allowed. "Is this where you tell me to surrender or die?" "Surely you're intelligent enough to realize you're outmatched," Axl pointed out, focusing energy into the scythe. "The only logical action on your part is to surrender." "Assuming the only way I can achieve my objectives is to defeat you, you mean," Antonion countered. "If, on the other hand, my own defeat will do as much-" Breaking off mid sentence, he rushed forward, drawing in gravitational energy for an attack. Axl reacted, swinging his scythe up and across defensively...neatly quartering Gravity Antonion, dispersing the energy and destroying the 'Maverick'. He stared in confusion, wondering just what Antonion could have been trying to do. As Octavia warped into Metal Valley, she took in the dusty dunes surrounding her and the few structures. "Reports said a large Mechanaloid had gone Maverick here," she muttered to herself. A large bipedal Mechanaloid dropped down right in front of heer, smashing a mining machine that had been there to smithereens. A quick look showed no readily available way to damage it. "There it is," she murmured to herself as she activated her Nova Dash to take her as fast as she could in the other direction, the Mechanaloid in hot pursuit. She dashed in a corona of fire over crates, machinery, and what looked like dinosaur fossils as the Mechanaloid pursued her until she eventually reached a massive magnetized crane at the top of a cliff. "Hmm...could be useful..." Landing by the controls, she waited until the Mechanaloid was close enough before pulling the lever...after making sure to read the labels so she got the right lever. The magnetized grip of the crane swung into the Mechanaloid's head, smashing into the superstructure. After three such hits, the head unit was destroyed and the entire machine began to overheat. "Great, self destruct," Octavia grumbled, quickly following along behind it and blasting away in an attempt to destroy it before it blew up the mine. The chase eventually led to inside a warehouse, and Octaiva followed inside. A small chamber blocked her actually reaching the Mechanaloid right away, and crystalline columns shaped out of the ether rose from floor and ceiling at either end of the chamber before sliding across in an attempt to smash her against a wall. Quick movements on her part allowed her to evade. "These are generated by a Reploid's weapon systems," Varia observed after deep scanning the attack. "Then they've already attacked a properly identified Hunter," Octavia mused. "Guess I don't have to hold back." Once the 'trap' ended, Octavia entered the warehouse proper, making her way up to the upper floor where she could target the head of the Mechanaloid with another crane, knocking it back and forth until the Mechanaloid eventually broke down. This allowed her to continue into the final chamber, where the 'Maverick' waited. Earthrock Trilobyte was a trilobite based Reploid, with a golden shell and short stubby limbs. He arrived in crystal columns that arose from the ground just like the ones that had attacked her in the entryway. "Do you realize-" he began in a stalling, oddly pitched voice. "Tatsumaki Senpukyaku!" Octavia interrupted, unleashing her devastating move before Earthrock was able to react, tearing the armor from his body as the electrical tornado ripped at his insides. "B-but...you're supposed to..." he complained as his systems started to overload. "You already attacked me before I got here," Octavia pointed out dryly. "I was properly identified as a Maverick Hunter when I teleported in, and I've been giving off my Hunter ID signal the entire time. As per regulations, the 'Hunt' began in that small entry chamber." She watched calmly as the Reploid exploded. "Now let's get this mission over with so I can get back to more important things." "Like finding a girlfriend for Axl?" Varia asked teasingly. "Precisely."