User:Dryuu/From Zero to Mega Man Hero

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I already have a history on ff.net, so I asked myself, "What's the harm in putting this fic somewhere else?"

From Zero, to Mega Man Hero
The hatch opened, and Zero jumped out of the opening, landing on the floor beside it. He was in a dimly lit, round room. There are wires snaking through the floor from the walls, and all of them bundle and gather up at the center. The center of the wires saw a large, gold-and-white object, shaped like an upside down sword, floating in mid-air. beneath the sword is a circular opening where the wires originate, which would probable be the generator of the space station.

Zero approached the floating object. "So this is the Ragnarok core..."

Suddenly, maniacal laughter echoed throughout the circular room. "Hehehe... Welcome to your front seat for the end of the world!"

Startled, Zero whirled around, trying to find the source of the voice. He recognized the speaker, but it can't be... "That voice... Dr. Weil! How did you survive that attack from Ragnarok!?"

Weil teleports into the room. His robes are burned and torn. The glass case around his head, which had contained fluid, is now broken. Further injury to his condition has made it apparent that, beneath its skin, his body is mechanical. "Survive? That's easy... Because I can't die!"

"What happened to you!?"

"Hehehe... Did my mechanical body surprise you? Did you think that I was a Reploid and you could fight me? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm pure human... Even with a body that looks like this!"

"How!?"

"When the Dark Elf took control of the Reploids and destroyed the Mavericks in the Elf Wars... The humans of the time modified me... They transferred all of my memories into program data... And switched my body for this armor with the power to rejuvenate me... Do you have any idea what that means? I can't age, and wounds heal more quickly than normal.

"After the war, I was cursed to live an eternity in a world without light or nature... The humans expelled me from Neo Arcadia!"

Zero was startled and speechless, so Weil continued his rant. "Justice!? Freedom!? Worthless ideals! You Reploids are just machines, but you started a war a long time ago in the name of freedom! And humans! Look what they did to me! Driving me away while spoutingthe word justice! Zero, would you insist on saving them!? Controlling the Reploids is nothing! The destruction of all mankind is only fleeting!

"Not quite alive... Not quite dead... Forever, by my side! I'll make you suffer a fate far greater than anything ever experienced before!"

Weil waved his hands at the core. The core splits into pieces and encases himself with them, thereby attaining a new, larger, ability-modifying armor. Even Weil's head container was repaired, and the mechanical monstrosity of his face was obscured by the fluid.

In his new armor, Weil landed on the ground, with the tip of the sword-like armor touching the floor. Robes started flowing out the sides, reminiscent of Weil's own scarlet robes, and large mechanical, clawed hands were summoned from out of nowhere, attaching themselves to Weil's new body.

"Bwahahaha! I'll teach you there is no place for fools to hide!" Weil held out his right fist in front of Zero, and clenching it with a crunching noise. "Fools must live under my rule and my rule alone! Thanks to Ragnarok!"

To start the battle, Weil floated back up, and quickly vanished. Zero readied his Z-saber, hoping he can anticipate the madman's moves. Weil appeared from the side, and summoned several short spears from the ceiling. Zero use a barrel-roll dash to barely dodge the spears, as they lodged themselves against the floor.

Weil reappeared, holding a sphere of electric energy in between his claws. Zero used his Shouenga, the rising sword uppercut, to hit him. The attack barely connected, when Weil smashed the sphere he was holding into little pieces, electrocuting Zero and the spears on the floor.

As soon as Zero hit the ground, he was electrocuted for a second time by the currents flowing through the spears. Zero somersaulted to return to his feet, and grabbed one of the spears out of the ground, and timed it so that when Weil reappeared, he hurled it straight at Weil.

The spear hit Weil at the shoulder joints, but he didn't even flinch. He instead detached his hands/claws, and these remote weapons now attack Zero from various directions, making his side of the battle even more difficult.

One of the claws shot straight forward at Zero, ready to grab him. Zero held it at bay against his Z-saber, only to learn that the other claw is closing in on him from behind as well! Zero forced a semi-charged Zero Knuckle behind his back, barely halting the latter projectile.

With Zero holding both of Weil's remote hands at bay, he is a sitting duck. A large, crystalline prism about Zero's size appears in front of Weil, as he prepares it to impale Zero. Zero saw this in the nick of time, and, just as the crytstal morphs and divides into three, smaller yet sharper projectiles, jhe let go of Weil's arms, crashing them into each other whilst somersaulting backwards himself.

Zero dodged two of the crystal shards sent his way, and deflectyed the third and last with a hard punch. After destroying the projectile, Zero found Dr. Weil charging at him at full speed, trying to ram Zero with his body. The Maverick hunter didn't have time to evade the tackle, so instead he used his Z-knuckle again, only this time he used both, to hold Weil's armor back.

Weil, however, had other things in mind. Once again, his remote arms appeared on either side of Zero, and began firing lasers at him, tearing at his clothes and armor. Zero endured the attacks, as Weil continues to tackle him. Zero felt his feet hit something from behind, realizing he's now backed up against the wall, literally.

Zero feigned weakness, which Weil fortunately took advantage of. As Weil continued to bear down on Zero, Zero let go of the hold his right hand has against Weil, giving the rest of the pressure to his left. Zero's Z-saber shot out of his lefg holster, which he grabbed, and slashed Weil with it in 3 quick successions.

The remote arms shot towards Zero again, trying to ram him again, as Weil flinched from Zero's attack. Howver, Zero neatly sidestepped both this time, then grabbed them with his own Z-knuckles(one each). Zero then hurled both weapons at Weil, one after the other. The sharp claws of the first projectile shot through Weil's armor through the abdominal region, and the second impaled Weil just beneath his face.

Weil continued to stagger after these continuous attacks. Zero then decided to do the shoving himself, using his strength to tackle Weil forward. Zero stopped when the two of them are halfway across the room. Weil realized he was now hovering dangerously on top of the generator opening. Before he could retreat, however, Zero appeared on top of him, holding his Z-saber high in the air.

The concentration on Zero's face indicated that he charged up a smash attack of the Z-saber earlier. IUndeed, before Weil could react, Zero brought down his sword in a powerful slash, hitting Weil at the tip of his container, smashing it, and sending Weil falling downwards through the opening, to the generator.

The resulting collision caused an explosion so powerful, that the whole room blew apart. The walls and roof of the Core station were blown off, and the floor now a small mass floating in space. Wires flew all over the place, sparks emanating from their edges.

The turbulence caused by the explosion made Zero momentarily fall to his knees. In the distance, he could see the Earth looming closer and closer. "Agh! I can't stop the descent!" he said through gritted teeth.

Ciel, he leader of Zero's Resistance faction, barely managed to reach Zero through the interfering radio reception. "Zero! Reaching critical speed! If it goes any faster, I won't be able to get you back! Hurry!"

Another voice was heard, however. "No... This isn't over yet!" Weil reappeared, ascending from a hole in the floor. His armor is battered, sparks flying from loose joints, and his head container is shattered again. But the damage to Weil's face shows even more circuitry, giving him a more grotesque appearance.

"Weil!"

"Hehehe... Bwahahaha! I told you... I can't die! Nobody can stop Ragnarok now!"

Ciel tried reaching Zero gain. "Z-Zero! There's no time! Get back here!"

Zero knew there is only one way to stop Ragnarok now, and he also knew that Ciel isn't going to like it. "No, there is no other way. If I destroy Weil's core, the explosion will take Ragnarok out with it... If Ragnarok is blown apart, it no longer poses a threat!"

"But what about you?" Ciel asked.

Before Zero could answer, Weil answered for him. "Bwahahaha! Are you even capable of it!? The Reploid hero... Protecting justice and humanity! I am one of those humans you were sworn to protect! Do you have it in you to defeat me!?"

The wires flying around Weil started circling him, before attaching themselves to his armor, from the back. Siphoning power from the Ragnarok station itself, Weil grew to an enormous size. His armor also started bending forward so his face would be at the very center of the large contraption. A large, thick horn appeared beneath Weil's face, slanting upward so it could act as a shield to Weil's face. To complete the transformation, Weil's hands from his previous transformation reappeared, stationing themselves on either side of Weil's core.

"I never cared about justice, and I don't recall ever calling myself a hero... I have always only fought for the people I believed in. I won't hesitate..." Zero lashed out his Z-saber again, and, pointing it menacingly at the monster, glared Weil straight in the eye. "If an enemy appears in front of me, I will destroy it!"

Ciel tried reaching to Zero again. "Zero! Zero!"

At this point, Weil's finished his transformation. A second horn appeared at the very top of the monstrous structure, protruding like a sword. And finally, Weil's face is covered for a third time, this time by a dome. This is symbolic in the fact that Weil IS the Ragnarok core!

Zero reached to the side of his helmet, ready to shut down the radio communication. But he gave Ciel one last message before shutting it off completely. "Ciel... Believe in me!"

"Zerooo!!"

Click.

To begin, Weil summoned ice shards to fall onto Zero in an arch. Since Zero has little ground to move around in, he had to deflect the ice shards by swinging his sword instead of moving. Weil also mobilized his remote arms again, fullfilling the same role they had in the previous battle. That was just a momentary distraction, as Weil lowered his spike guard, with smaller, needle-like spikes sprouting out of the edges, then having it point straight towards Zero.

The spike detached from Weil's body, shooting straight towards Zero. The latter could barely move in time to dodge the attack, and it grazed him by the right elbow. Weil's arms orbit him again, firing at Zero in any, and all, of the eight directions. They were faster this time, and Zero could only dodge one while being hit by the second.

Zero dashed towards Weil, his Z-saber thrust forward at Weil, but his arms flew in the way, firing at Zero again. The shots knocked Zero backwards, falling from his dash. Then, one of Weil's hands grabbed Zero from behind, locking at him with a powerful vicegrip. The arm lifted the paralyzed Zero into the air then slammed him back to the ground, then back up again. Zero tried struggling out of the vicegrip, but its hold tightened on him even more.

As Zero knelt, battered, in front of the core, his wounds begin opening up. Weil laughed, as sickening as ever from Zero's hearing. "Face it, Zero. You cannot destroy me, because I will keep coming back to haunt those that have wronged me!"

Gritting his teeth, Zero tried standing up, only to fall to his knees again, Weil's hand bearing down on him as it tightened its grip on his body. Weil, feeling he is now victorious, continued his monologue. "After this battle, humans either have to die, or accept my rule. There is no alternative.

"I will restart my rule by destroying those who keep opposing me. Beginning with your futile Resistance!"

Upon hearing the threat, Zero's anger took over. "I. Won't. Let. You!" With surprising adrenaline, Zero broke free of the arm by forcing both of his (charged) Z-knuckles on it, tossing it off himself towards the other arm. The two remote weapons crashed into each other, exploding into pieces. Zero then rushed forward towards Weil again. However, the latter quickly saw this move, and fired his core laser straight towards Zero. The laser hit at point-blank range, and hitting the wall behind it, destroying it.

Weil laughed again, thinking he's destroyed Zero once and for all. He watched as the station continues to crumble around him, and the Earth in his sights. "Ragnarok will now truly begin!"

"But, it will end right here," came Zero's voice. Startled, Weil desperately tried looking around for Zero's voice.

Zero emerged from the bottom side, breaking through the metal floors. He had both Z-sabers in his hands, and slashed at Weil with both, in a horizontal fashion, creating twin parallel gashes over and under Weil's dome.

Fueled by his own determination, Zero quickly disappeared before Weil could counter his attack. As adrenaline continues to take over Zero's body, memories flash before his very eyes, remembering the promises he's made back on Earth.

One from a rogue commander of Dr. Weil's army: "Zero... The humans... The Reploids... The world... And Neige... Watch... over them..."

And another from an old friend, who only recently just passed away: "I want you... to protect humans and Reploids. You can do it... You... can..."

Weil, cringing from Zero's new attack, desperately looked for him, whilst blindly using all weapons left in his arsenal all around, but Zero amazingly moves fast and out of sight of Weil. His voice, however, continues to echo through the madman's ears.

"I made a promise to a lot of people. And those promises I intend to keep!" Zero dashed forward from the shadows, slashing at Weil again, with a slanted cross-slash coming from both sides. This hit shattered the core's glass dome, and also caused Weil's flesh to tear from his face, revealing the mechanical monster he truly is. However, the retaliation is Weil using a point-blank shot, tearing off Zero's own right arm clean from his shoulder!

However, it didn't deter Zero. Weil watched as Zero's feet leave the ground, either by gravity or by sheer will, no one knew. Zero now had his one saber(the other one was obviously lost when he lost his arm) held high above his head in the air, preparing for the final slash.

"Weil, human or not, you are still a Maverick, and it's my duty to bring you down!"

Zero lunged downward, and brought the saber down, for the overhead slash. Weil, as a last resort, raised his spike guard upwards, straight at Zero. Zero, unable, or unwilling, to evade, was impaled by the spike at his chest area, but he managed to deliver the final blow. The slash ends with the Z-saber hitting Weil at the right side of his face, and Zero using the last of his strength to thrust it further into the core. Zero, exhausted, kept on holding to the saber as he glared eye to eye against Weil.

The damage to the core was enough, and Weil could hear everything inside of him starting to burst and explode. Soon enough, Weil was engulfed by the most powerful blast, disintegrating his body, and the Ragnarok station with it. Zero, however, was sent flying backwards by the blast, unable to move on his own anymore.

His strength finally escaping him, his lifeless body simply lies on the floor, awaiting his demise. As the ensuing explosion slowly envelopes him, Zero's consciousness lingered for one last time. Seeing the Earth's sphere closely approaching in the distance, he remembered one last promise, from someone who gave him a reason to fight again: "Just be careful, okay? Please make it back safely, Zero..."

Zero closed his eyes, hoping to picture Ciel in his mind. Regardless of his perdicament, he even smiled a little, thinking what it would be like living in a peaceful world with his friends. But, ultimately, Zero also knew at the same time that he will never find out.

"Ciel... I'm sorry, I couldn't... come back this time. It's up to you now. Take care of this world... I believe in you... Just as... you believed in me..." One last blast surrounds Zero's mangled body, and then, nothing more.

On Earth, the nearing shadow of Ragnarok's fall is no more. The explosion of the station in the sky was seen for thousands of miles. Nearly all have seen the explosion, coming outside from their homes and shelters to see it before their very own eyes.

Only one remained inside. This is Ciel, staying inside the Resistance mobile base, watching the monitors, trying in vain to regain contact with Zero. The other person inside the truck, the Resistance operator Rouge, slowly interpreted the results of the mission.

"Ragnarok... is... breaking apart... Ragnarok has entered the atmosphere. Most of it will burn on entry... Impact with Area Zero has been averted. Mission... successful..."

Ciel wasn't listening. She was staring at the mission monitor. Zero's reception is shown in complete static. "Zero! Come in Zero! Zero... please... Come in..."

"There's no response from the receiver," Rouge silently continued. "The connection has been lost..."

Ciel was completely silent, but her moth was quivering. Closing her eyes, she slowly turned around. Without another word, she fled out of the trailer. "Ciel!" Rouge shouted in worry and concern.

The inhabitants of Area Zero, a mixture of the Resistance, and the human Caravan, plus some survivors of Neo Arcadia, saw a meteor shower. Typhon, a little human boy standing on one of the human Caravan's flatbed trucks, saw one first.

"Oh! A shooting star!" he shouted enthusiastically. Suddenly, more begin to fall from the sky. "Wow, look! A lot of shooting stars!"

Tornado, the older Caravaner next to him, slightly corrected the boy. "No, those are pieces of Ragnarok... Wait, does this mean... we're saved?"

Neige, a journalist, on the ground near the other two, gazed at the starlit sky, as pieces of Ragnarok continued to fall. "Craft... Zero..."

Ciel suddenly, came into view, running all the way from the Resistance trailer. She stopped short right in front of the others, trying to catch her breath. Cerveau, the Resistance engineer, asked, "... Did you... reach Zero?" No answer, and Ciel looked up at them. It was apparent that her eyes are now bloodshot.

"...Zero," Cerveau said, who quickly understood Ciel's expression, "why..."

Colbor, another Resistance soldier, spoke up. "How could this happen... After saving all of us... And just when humans and Reploids were finally coming together... What do we do now?"

No one had an answer. Even Neige, hardened though she is, felt like her lips were quivering in sadness as well. But, Ciel tried to force a somber expression on her face as she looked back at everyone.

"It's okay... I'm sure Zero is... still out there... And one day he'll come back to us!"

Without another word, Ciel continued running out of the encampment and to the mountains nearby. Neige followed Ciel with her gaze. "Ciel..."

Ciel contined running, further and further away from everyone. The night is still young, and the rain of "shooting stars", the pieces of Ragnarok, continue to fall from the sky. Ciel, exhaustion gripping over her, stopped at the top of a small hill, overlooking the Area Zero encampment. Initially, she doubled over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath, but her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground on her knees.

"Zero," Ciel said, tears now overflowing in her eyes. Memories of all the times Zero has been there for her, drove her further into grief. She clearly remembers those things, from waking up in his arms after saving her from Neo Arcadia, to all the times she awaits and worries for his return every dangerous mission.

The last memory just took place not long ago, as Zero's last words echoed through Ciel's ears: "Ciel... Believe in me!"

Ciel wiped her tears from her eyes, and stood back up. The soft nightly breeze ruffled through her hair as she stands up strong, looking down at the encampment below, and then up at the rain of shooting stars. Tears continue to fall from her face, and they, too, were carried away by the wind.

"Zero... You believed in us, and 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..." Ciel held her hands close to her chest. "I believe in you!"

Morning comes, and the sun shines brightly to a new day. With Weil's death, and the destruction of Ragnarok, survivors from the crisis move on forward, and build a stronger and better society, for humans and Reploids alike. True peace has finally arrived with the new dawn.

Hundreds of miles from the vegetation of Area Zero, where the land is still barren, a small crater is visible. Inside this crater, are charred remains of machinery, indicating this is where some of Ragnarok's fragments fell. Amongst these ruins, the sun's glare is reflected against a familiar red helmet, shattered beyond repair...

''After all the battles he's fought, and all the sufferings he's endured; the soul of a legendary hero is finally brought to rest. The awakening of the original God of Destruction started the chain of bloody conflict, and so it ends with his death...''