//------------------------------// // Prolouge-End of the Line // Story: Megaman Zero E // by KaijinZero //------------------------------// Zero stood over Weil, exhausted after fighting the mad scientist. He was still finding it hard to believe that he was human. Never in his long lifetime had Zero met such a mad creature, even Sigma didn’t want the world to be destroyed during the EURASIA incident. But right now, he didn’t have time to worry about old problems; he had a station to stop, again. He headed for the controls and began to search for Ragnarok's pilot function. "C'mon! Where is it!? It has to be here somewhere!" after some frantic searching, he heard s slight beeping sound. He turned to see that the new Cyber Elf had found the panel. A look of relief came over his face. "Finally! Now, it’s time to end this once and for all!" He said. As he headed toward the panel, his instincts told him to dodge, barely missing a beam aimed at him. The controls however, weren’t so lucky due to the fact that unless it happens to be powered by a mad program, panels can’t move. "What?! Weil, you..." "hehehehe... I told you...I can’t die..." Weil said, slowly rising up from the ground. Then, several tentacles from the main core moved towards the madman, plugging into his back. As they did, a bright light formed around him, until finally, with a flash, the scientist reemerged in a monstrous form, having merged with the core of Ragnarok. "Hehehehe...BWA HA HA HA HA! ITS OVER! NO ONE, NOT EVEN A CENTURIES OLD HERO, WILL STOP RAGNAROK NOW!" as he said this, Ragnarok sped up even faster than before. A voice over Zero's com link came up. "Zero! There’s no way to stop it! You have to get out of there now or I won’t be able to get you out of there!" Zero looked at Weil. "Humph...why is it that I have to kill you mavericks twice before you stay down..." he said calmly."Ceil..." "Zero? What are you doing? If you don’t leave now, you'll never make it ba-!" "Ceil...do you remember what we're fighting for?" In the base, Ceil was taken aback by Zero's statement. She remembered how green Area Zero was after hundreds of years, and then she pictured what would happen to the rest of the world if Ragnarok crashed. "Listen... Weil's connected himself to the core of Ragnarok. If I can destroy that, It should disintegrate before it even comes close to the atmosphere." he said calmly. "BWA HA HA! You destroy the core! HA!" Weil said with a sneer. "In case you forgot, you're a Reploid, and I'm a human...and you know that a Reploid can never hurt a human. How will you adhere to your oath that you will protect humanity, when one of the very things you're sworn to protect is what you must destroy?!" Zero was silent. Then, he grinned. "Croire...head back to the base before it’s too late." The Elf looked at Zero with a worried expression on its face."I'll be fine; humanity needs you more than I do. Go now." the Elf nodded sadly before teleporting back to base. "Whats this?" Weil said after the elf left. "Sending your Elf away? You must be crazy if you think you can beat me without it." "I've survived several fights without a Cyber elf. I think this last one can be handled without one." "But Zero!" Ceil called out from the cam link, "You don’t have to do that! If you hurry, you can make it with Croire to the-" "I never cared about justice,” Zero interrupted Ceil." and I don't recall ever calling myself a hero... I have always only fought for the people I believe in. I won't hesitate... If an enemy appears in front of me, I won’t hesitate. I will destroy it! " Weil was shocked at what he heard. Ceil was just as surprised. "Z...Zero..." "Ceil..." as he said this, he grabbed his saber from his belt."Believe in me!" The screen went blank as Ceil called out to Zero one more time. As Zero fought, he began to question what he said. Sure, he didn’t care if Weil was human or not, he would defeat him all the same. As he dodged another attack by Weil, he thought about why he had never cared for justice. was it because his creator was evil, much like Weil, or that he had been fighting for what was right for so long, he just didn’t care anymore. A shot clipped his helmet, knocking it off and shattering it. That was far too close, even for him. As if that had ever stopped me before... he thought, jumping onto the glass dome that Weil was in. "W...Wait! You can’t do this!" He yelled a look of fear on his face. "I’m still a human, even in this cybernetic body!" Weil said, desperately pleading with the red Reploid. "Funny..."Zero said, aiming his buster at Weil's head, a cocky smirk on his face. "You look like just another Maverick to me..." At the base, the screen was now showing Ragnarok being broken apart. "Ragnarok... is... breaking apart... “Rouge, the Operator said. As they watched it slowly turn red, it began to enter that atmosphere. "At the rate its going," Cerveu, the head scientist said,” it will break apart before it even comes close to the ground." "So we've won?" the Operator asked. "Yes...Rouge, have you contacted Zero yet?" The Operator quickly pressed a few keys on her console, trying to get his signal. She then shook her head, eliciting a moment of silence from everyone there. After a moment, Ceil turned away and headed out the command station. "Ceil, wait!" Rouge cried out, but Cerveu stopped her. "Let her go... she needs some time alone." Meanwhile, Area Zero was full of activity. Someone had said that a shooting star was out, and everyone wanted to see it. As the inhabitants watched, more shooting stars were seen. "Wow! There’s so many!" Typhon said a look of glee in his young face." Now my wish that Zero will save us will come true for sure!" Neige smiled at the young boy. "Actually, I think your wish has come true. Those must all be from Ragnarok...Zero has won." As she said this, Ceil came into the clearing. "Ceil! Did Zero..."Neige began to ask, but then she noticed that she had been crying."Oh..." Tornado, one of the young boys who had been with them to protect them from Weil's Reploids punched a tree he was near. "Damnit! How could this happen!" he said." Reploids and Humans were beginning to get along, and now he's...he's just..." Everyone was silent. Then Ceil Looked up. "It's Ok." She said. "Zero told me that he has more lives than a cat, so I'm sure he'll come back someday." she said. She then looked at the sky. "Zero... You believed in us... Now it's our turn to show you that your faith in us was not misplaced... Watch Zero... I'll make this world a better place... One where humans and Reploids can walk hand in hand, living in peace... Just come back someday..." "I... I believe in you!" How could this happen (it didn’t happen) He lost (he didn’t lose) Wait, he was still alive, able to make out thoughts. (I’ve never been more alive) He had fused with Ragnarok completely, so that meant that he had become a program that had to be it. If so, he was in the Cyberstream. And he knew what he had to do. Sigma had put his 'soul' into many pieces of his body whenever his got destroyed. That meant that maybe... (Yes! The remains of Ragnarok!) His body may be gone for now, but eventually, Ragnarok would come together again. He could feel each piece resonating with his energy. He would have to make do with the energy of others, but what? (I hate this) That’s it! Hate.... Anger Bitterness Anything that was Negative, he wouldn’t just use it to power himself (I shall feed on it) The power of a God! What had been the name of Omega's creator's nemesis...? (Mega Man...) Yes, how ironic. The Destroyer of the world would be called Mega Man! (I will be Mega Man!) It would take millennia, but the payout would be so perfect. (The world will be mine!) And the best part? "You won’t be around." Who said that!? X!? (Impossible!) "I sense you are aware, Weil." X said, floating to the small piece that was Weil. X! (Blue Light! Destroy Him!) "Zero fought too hard to just let you come back. I can see that bits of you exist in the wreckage of Ragnarok as well. pity." With that, he raised a hand. "You won’t see what becomes of your plan as you. It will only be vague whispers. The plans will NEVER be yours. Now, Begone from this world, Maverick Human!" A flash of light and the piece of the core with Weil inside disappeared. Now that he was gone, X began to plan on how to stop what was left of him. Likewise, he too could not return to the world as he was. He had to rely on someone to take in his power. But he wouldn’t be able to do it alone. He would need help. The Guardians would be perfect, but they alone wouldn’t be able to stop Weil. He would need Zero to help, but then...who would stop Weil wherever he had sent him? And what of Zero's wishes? Centuries of fighting, and now he could finally rest for good. He would have to worry about that later, that trick had drained what was left of him entirely. He would no longer be able to keep himself separated from the Cyberstream. Already, he felt his thoughts of self fading. Ceil. She could help stop Weil as well; even better, she could give humanity his final gift. Their own Mega Men. "How ironic. The idea of a mad scientist will save the world. But we won’t use Dark thoughts Weil. Courage and Bravery, things like that will be what make our Mega Man strong!" "I only hope that someone can stop him, wherever he is." X said before vanishing into the cyberstream to go tell Ceil his plan.