[Story] It's not over yet! (Megaman X series Genderswap/BE)

[Goluxas]

It's Not Over Yet!
by Goluxas

The Institute of Reploid Research and Development had been overwhelmed by Mavericks in mere hours. As Zero cut his way in, leaving the corridors riddled with shredded robot parts, he was attacked by more than a few scientist Reploids-turned-Maverick. The Sigma virus, the insidious source of the mental corruption that turned innocent Reploids into Mavericks, was here in force.

That was the real reason Zero had been chosen for this mission. Though no one was sure why, Zero was immune to the effects of the Sigma virus. More than immune; though Zero never told anyone, the virus made him feel stronger. X, fellow Maverick Hunter and Zero's partner, was on another mission to recover a recently unearthed capsule containing another update for his armor. Command's analysis determined it would protect X from the Sigma virus, so he could help. For now, though, Zero was alone. He liked that; nothing got in his way.

Zero's radio crackled in his ear, the operator back at base contacting him with an update. “Zero, our instruments picked up a massive surge of energy in the central tower. The Sigma virus is spreading from there at a startling rate. It's already interfering with our scans; before long, we won't be able to stay in contact with you. We're uploading the coordinates of the energy spike to you now.”

Zero's map interface pinged, showing his new target location. “Roger, Command, coordinates received. What's X's status?”

There was a pause. “He's activated the upgrade capsule, but... There's a complication. It reconfigured some of his base specs in an unusual way.”

Zero's beam saber slashed a white-hot line through a large mechaniloid that had thought to attack him while he was distracted. Too bad for it, Zero thought, I'm never distracted. “What do you mean, 'unusual?'”

“It's changed X's appearance, rather drastically. We're running some analysis to make sure he's okay before we send him in. Will you be alright?”

“Nothing I can't handle,” Zero responded, slashing a pair of flying drones before dashing at full speed toward the hive they spawned from.

“Good.” Static began to buzz in Zero's ear. “Radio sil... ...is point.... lone... good luck.”

Zero grunted. It looked like he'd be alone for a while.

He dashed through the next door, getting ever closer to his target. His heads-up display indicated an increase in the Sigma virus concentration, and his body echoed that with an increase of power. His beam saber flared, glowing brighter.

This room was filled, wall-to-wall, with Mavericks. Scientists armed with large cannons, flying mechaniloids with laser drills, shielded security Reploids toting rapid-fire plasma firearms, and a variety of other bots all stood ready to bar his way. Zero met their defiance with a smirk and charged headlong into them.

The carnage flew by majestically. Zero's saber swung in rapid arcs around him, leaving beautiful afterimages in his vision as the waves of enemies fell before the onslaught. There was simply too much fire to dodge, but it didn't slow him down in the least. When a stray shot hit, he hardly felt it, the virus fueling his rampage as well as theirs. Zero felt a growing bloodlust in him, but he welcomed it. These Mavericks had given up their lives the moment they had turned against humanity. He could retire them at his will. And he did.

Pulling his saber free from the head of his final victim, Zero paused at the doorway to the next room, catching his breath. An indicator flashed, warning him that his energy was desperately low, so he activated one of his subtanks to recharge. His radio still crackled with static.

As he reached for the door, his virus detector sounded a warning alarm. The next room contained an even higher concentration of the Sigma virus, more than he had ever encountered. The viruses he had absorbed in this room hadn't been purged, and likely wouldn't be until he had left this place. At his current exposure, any other Reploid would have turned Maverick. Even X, the machine after which all Reploids were modeled, the one with the strongest resistance to the Sigma virus, couldn't have handled this. But Zero felt strong. The next room was a death trap, he was sure.

For anyone else. He flung open the door and charged in.

The room was empty. His virus detector buzzed loudly in his head, so he shut it off. The round room stretched away in every direction, a few more doors like the one he had entered lined the walls, and an elevator platform stood in a column in the center. Other than that, there was nothing.

His map indicated this was the base of the tower, so Zero knew what he had to do. He stepped onto the elevator platform, which activated at his weight and lifted him higher into the tower.

Though his virus detector was off, he could feel the presence of it all around him, penetrating the his systems' firewall. Power seemed to radiate into him with each successful invasion. He held up his hand and gave a start as he saw a faint glow emanating from it, a red aura. His energy indicator was malfunctioning, showing his current energy higher than the possible maximum. Even his beam saber was behaving oddly; the blade, which would normally retract when not in an active swing, still extended from the hilt, pulsating and crackling with excess energy. He supposed it should frighten him, but instead he was exhilarated. Whatever was causing this outburst was going to have to face Special A Class Maverick Hunter Zero, at greater than full strength. They didn't stand a chance.

The elevator stopped, the doors swung open, and Zero exited into the highest floor of the tower. This room was similar to the one on the lower floor, but a massive window encircled the entire periphery. A single chair sat, back to Zero, opposite the elevator exit. Someone was sitting in it.

Somewhere inside, the logical voice of Zero the Maverick Hunter said he should demand explanations and surrender. But Zero the Badass was in charge now. Without hesitation, he dashed to the chair in an instant and sliced it in half. For good measure, he swung with a kick and sent the halves flying and bouncing across the room. A tattered cloak fluttered to the ground, but the Maverick was nowhere to be seen. Agitated, Zero scanned the room, seeking his target.

“Hasty today, aren't we?” A familiar voice resounded in his head, though Zero still couldn't see him.

“Sigma...” he growled. “You're back again.”

Laughter echoed. “You Maverick Hunters never understand. As long as Reploids exist, as long as the virus can form, I will live.” The cloak Zero had seen lifted into the air on its own and began to spin. Something shifted within, and when it landed, Sigma stood threateningly within it. His hand emanated what looked like deep purple smoke, but Zero knew what it really was. Sigma virus, so concentrated that it was visible to his optical sensors.

“I would be impressed that you could make it here, to my home, without losing your mind,” Sigma continued, “but I know your true past. I know why the virus doesn't affect you like the others. And I know how to awaken the real you.”

“Go ahead and try,” Zero snarled, dashing in with the saber generating a slicing aura around him. The Shippuga technique, amplified to extremes by the virus, rent the air with his approach.

But Sigma wasn't there. He reappeared behind Zero, floating in the air, hand outstretched. “It's not that easy, Zero. Now, awaken!”

Zero spun just in time to be hit face first with a blast of purple energy from Sigma's hand. It didn't even hurt. Zero gave him a smirk and crouched in preparation for another lunge. Sigma seemed unshaken, but Zero was going to make him eat that overconfidence.

His legs gave out. Shocked, Zero collapsed to hands and knees, staring at the floor. His vision cut in and out, flashing strange images. Schematics of X, a wild-haired human scientist, Iris's blood on his hands. He screamed.

Sigma laughed. “Yes... yes... Awaken, Zero, to your true purpose!”

Amidst the chaos of his mind, a warning flashed across Zero's vision.

WARNING: VIRUS CONCENTRATION CRITICAL

INITIATING VIRUS QUARANTINE PROTOCOL: CAIN

In moments, Zero's vision cleared. He stood, shakily, the excess of power from before fading along with the debilitating effects. A new indicator appeared on his heads-up display, showing a slowly filling gauge labeled “CVP.”

Zero looked to Sigma, who was gaping at him. “What did you do?” they both asked, simultaneously. Confused, Zero then noticed that Sigma wasn't meeting his eyes. He seemed to be staring... at his chest?

Zero looked down. The green spherical capsules on his chest, which had always seemed useless and somewhat strange, glowed brightly. But more than that, they seemed larger. And... soft? That made no sense. He always thought they were made of glass.

A few seconds later, Zero knew he wasn't imagining it: not only were they larger, they were growing. They had started the size of a human fist, but they had already doubled in size. Weirder, he could feel them, like a part of himself. Before, they had just sat on his chest like idle decorations. He wasn't sure what they were for, or even if they were for anything. Now, he could feel their weight as they stretched and expanded, drooping with their own mass.

Puzzled, Sigma mumbled, “This shouldn't have happened...” He leveled his arm at the awestruck Zero and fired another energy blast.

Zero flinched as it struck, but the blast slammed into an invisible barrier and was absorbed. Simultaneously, a warm sensation in Zero's chest signaled that his capsules were expanding again. They shuddered as the energy filtered into them, swelling till they met in the middle, squished together. Zero realized with a start that they were going to affect his fighting ability, especially if they got any bigger. He planted his feet and lunged toward Sigma again, shouting “It's not over yet!”

Sigma growled and leapt backwards. “Fine!” he grunted. “If you won't turn to my side, I can still retire you.” He threw his cape to the side, revealing a body quite similar to his original, complete with a beam saber of his own. Purple smoke poured from him, filling the room with a haze of the Sigma virus.

Zero swung his saber in a quick overhead swipe, which Sigma met and easily countered. The two battled ferociously, sabers leaving trails in the mist as they clashed again and again, light flashing. Zero's capsules bounced dangerously, threatening to knock him off balance with every attack. They continued to grow as the virus in the room was absorbed into them. By the time they were roughly twice the size of his head, Zero was struggling to keep up with Sigma's attacks.

Sigma sensed it and met Zero's eyes with his trademark smirk. He redoubled his speed, and Zero could only barely prevent his swings from separating his head and body. Small wounds cropped up on Zero's body as his reactions dimmed too much, allowing Sigma's saber to get too close. His capsules were now huge and unwieldy, pulling Zero around severely with their weight. He had to end it soon.

An idea came to him. It was undignified, but if it worked... He had to try, or Sigma would eventually drain his energy to nothing. As he parried another attack, Zero hooked an arm under the capsules and waited for the next. It came, as expected, and he parried one-handed, using the force to twist around to the side and letting Sigma's own momentum carry him forward. Then, as Sigma turned, Zero flung his arm upward, bouncing his now-massive capsules towards his enemy. Sigma recoiled, unsure how to react as the giant green balls flew toward him, and Zero allowed the momentum of their bounce to carry him upward, swing his saber in an underhand arc.

It met Sigma just below the waist, undefended. Zero felt the rush of victory as his saber sliced easily through Sigma's body, slicing him into two uneven pieces. Unfortunately, the momentum of his bouncing capsules carried him through the attack, and he landed on his back under their weight, but Sigma's growling scream told him he had won.

“Curse you, Zero! You may have won today, but as long as Mavericks exist, I will return. You will never be rid of me!” His final words were punctuated by his core melting down. The resultant explosion shook the room, though the windows held.

To Zero's horror, however, as Sigma's body failed, more and more purple smoke filled the room. “It's not over yet?!” he complained. His capsules hadn't stopped swelling, and were threatening to permanently pin him to the floor. He reached around, embracing their bulk, and rolled over onto his stomach. Even there, he was elevated almost to his standing height by their bulk, and still they expanded. Strangely, they were starting to feel... good? Not good like the power he had felt before, but like... pleasure. He squeezed them again, and an unbidden moan escaped his lips.

* * *

Some time later, the elevator doors opened and X rushed into the room, sporting a new helmet. “Zero!” he began, “I'm here to help!” His words died in his throat, however, as the view of his friend sank in. Zero rested atop a pair of green mounds that very nearly lifted him the full twenty feet to the ceiling. They squished against the glass on either side, sending cracks along the windows. His face was flushed, and he seemed to be trying very hard to keep himself together.

“X, you're a little late...” he answered, between heavy breaths. “I took care of Sigma already.”

“Sigma was here?!” X asked, alarmed, then shook his head. “Never mind. What happened to you?”

Zero shrugged, an awkward pose in his position. “An anti-virus modification, courtesy of Dr. Cain, it seems. Any chance he could fix this?”

“I'll... uh... I'll find out,” X answered, backing away from Zero, holding his hands behind his back. The upgrade capsule he'd found had contained his new helmet, an upgrade that offered total protection against the Sigma virus. At a cost... It had drastically altered his appearance. As he turned to take the elevator back down, Zero saw it. A cat-like tail extended from X's backside, complete with an oversized pink bow.

Zero was about to laugh when X glared back at him. “Laugh,” he warned, “and I'll bring everyone from Command here.” Zero's laughter died in his throat, and he nodded gravely in understanding as X descended. Happy April Fools!

[demondrakex]

Heehee...

This is quite fun.

[MadmanDarkHeretic]

I kinda found it fun as well.

[Sir Kibble]

APRIL FOOLS? ...But I actually enjoyed it.

[Lock]

Nice April 1st gag..Times like these remind me WHY I hate some April Fool's gags(AKA, ones that seem true.)