Chapter Text
Hellblaze Returns
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Chapter 73: March of the Dead
Bass types away at the computer after they found the control room, the Batonton is sitting at the control panel as it’s eyes are glowing and downloading data he’s gathering. X watches him work as he types away looking for any clues to the where abouts of Sigma. His mind wanders to Bass’s fight with Boomer Kwuganer.
‘He’s getting stronger and stronger each time I see him fight.’
“Xavier..” X snaps out of his thoughts and looks at him. “..what’s on your mind?”
X: Oh..sorry..its just..you’re so strong. Of all the battles I’ve seen with you, I just wonder how strong can you be? What’s your secret?
Bass smiles. “I’ll tell you when we go home, right now this information is vital. Alia, I hope you’re getting all of this.”
Alia: [I am thanks to your Batonton. Pallette and I will analyze every bit of information to find Sigma.]
He nods. “Xavier, you should join up with Zero and Axl, they’ll need your help to go after Lumine.”
X: What about you?
Bass: I’ll be fine here, besides every information is downloading this could take a while. Lumine has to be stopped.
Zero: [Hey X. You done being with your boyfriend? We found something you should see. Come to our location.]
X hears him as he sees the location in his optics. “I see it. I’ll be there in a few, any Mavericks?”
Axl: [Nope you missed out after chasing him.]
X blushes. “I couldn’t help it you two, I’ll tell you all about it when I meet up with you both.” He looks to his boyfriend who nods. He turns and heads out letting him work, he knows the two will be busy once they get back home.
Back at headquarters
Lindsay throws up in the bathroom after having her food this morning, Treble and Rush X keep an eye on her as Rush goes to grab a towel in his mouth and hands it to her once she’s done. She flushes the toilet and grabs the towel to wipe her mouth. “Ughh...thanks Rush.” Treble comes with a bottle of milk in his mouth, the cap is sealed. She takes it and opens it, she drinks the milk. “I wish Zero was here..I really need him here.” She rubs her stomach where Iris is still being developed, she can feel time is running out. Slowly she stands up and heads to the kitchen to look at the calender. “Next month..” She looks out the window, winter has come and she can’t sleep while her baby is about to be born, she can feel the cold weather even if it’s outside, she can even smell it.
Treble nudges her with his snout knowing if she falls asleep, she won’t wake up and the baby won’t be born.
She looks down and pets him. “Thanks you two, besides Zero you both keep me awake. Still..Iris is the one keeping me awake the most. I can’t wear my armor to stay awake.” She feels Zero is surprised on something. “Zero...feels like you have found something. I have a bad feeling, soon I’ll join the fight when Iris comes to this world. Our vision for a bright future for our child will come and I’ll be the one making sure of it.”
With Zero and Axl
X makes it back to the two and walks in. “What’s up you two?” He gasps as he looks seeing what he has found. “Alia...are you...seeing what we’re seeing?”
Alia: [Yes..we all are seeing this.]
Axl looks staring at the shells. “Is this..how we..are made?”
Zero: No..this is what Lumine has been doing all this time. This isn’t anything like what we found in Korea.
X keeps staring at the shells of Repliods in capsules, they are Repliod shells with clone codes inside of them. “What does this mean?”
Zero: I’m not sure..but I don’t like it, maybe Lindsay knows, I can feel she’s awake.
X: Its best we don’t disturb her, she needs rest since she’s about to give birth soon. Right now let’s go after Lumine before he gets away.
Axl snaps out of it. “He’s right, lets get this mission done so we can end this war for good and return home!”
Zero: I have a feeling this isn’t over, it won’t end.
The trio make their way up to Lumine’s office, however more mechanloids block their way. X gets his buster out and ready while Zero who still has his saber out and charges fast, slicing at the mechanloids. Axl fires his guns in his hands as the three keep making their way while leaving the mechanloids out of commission in their wake.
Lumine waits for them as he hears the commotion outside as he sits in his chair. The clone smirks as the three burst open into the room. “Welcome..welcome. Glad you three made it. I have waited for you.”
X: It’s over Lumine! Call off your Mavericks and surrender!
Lumine: Surrender? I think not, you know we Mavericks don’t stop until our function ends.
Zero: If it’s a fight you want we’ll give you one! LET’S GO! I like to return to my wife soon as possible and end this war!
“Your wife is the one I wish to see when I’m done through you Hunters. Once you’re all destroyed, this world will be rebuilt under my rule and vision!” The lavender Repliod gets ready to attack them, the three gets ready as well. He starts off by raising his arm up and the 8 Mavericks the three have destroyed come bashing through the walls in the room and surround them. Their optics are red but their bodies don’t look like they are functioning right. “You killed these Mavericks, eight of them, they are now back for revenge. I wonder if you can handle them all.”
X: This is bad..not good.
Zero: Alia..Signas..what do we do?!
Signas: [Retreat for now.]
Bass: [I rigged the whole building with explosives. You three need to get out of there fast!]
Mavericks: ARAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!!
They run at them and begin to attack. Axl breaks into a run and so does X and Zero.
Axl: W..what’s going on with them!?
Bass: [They’re dead, remember what we talked about! The Mavericks you have killed have run out of time, I don’t think that’s Lumine ither these are dead Repliods and they will rampage until they kill something!]
Zero: Damn it! Wish my wife was here to finish this!
As they go down to get to the elevator more walls break and the shells of Repliods they have seen are going after them. They fire shots at them, some even have guns they picked up.
X: The elevator!
Zero: Let’s get in and get out of this place!
The three get in as Axl fires his guns at the dead Mavericks, some go down others make it to the elevator, but the door closes as X pushes the button to the first floor.
Axl: This is like a horror movie!! What was Lumine and Sigma thinking!?
X: I don’t know, Bass, how long?
Bass: [3 minutes that elevator you are on is fast enough.]
Signas: [You four are not leaving when that building is destroyed, we need to investigate why and how those Repliods are coming back like this. I’ll send units to the area to investigate once the area is clear.]
X: Roger that.
The elevator shakes as it goes down further, a blade slices through the roof of the elevator, it’s Dark Mantis. “AAAAARRRRR!”
Axl shoots at him with his guns. “Oh no not him! What now!?” Zero thinks of a way, using his saber he slices the door as Dark Mantis who is rittled with bullet holes is still walking and moving who jumps into the elevator with the two. Using his blades he tries to kill them, the three get out of the way but his blades hit through the elevator door and they get stuck on the metal wall which stops the elevator. It tries to break free.
Zero uses his saber and slashes the door. “X! Make a hole we’re going on foot!” X nods and has his buster out, he fires a charged shot and destroys the wall which is big enough for the three. The three jump out through the hole and make a run for it leaving the dead Maverick wailing in anger.
Axl: What do we do now?
Zero: We bust through that window and jump! We got 1 minute left not much time!
As they run more block their way, it’s the Mechanloids they killed earlier to get to Lumine. Axl is stunned. “HOW!? We offlined them!?”
X: Doesn’t matter let’s get to the window and jump out of here!
The mechanloids fire their weapons but Zero makes a path for them, slicing his way through. The ceiling crumbles and its Bamboo Pandamonium. “GOWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
X: Oh no! He blocked our way out!
Bamboo throws a punch but gets hit through its gut by a purple energy blast, he goes down and thrown to the left side. X knows who did that and smiles.
X: Bass!
Bass hovers smiling as he looks seeing the Mechanloid copter come. “Get in! Good thing there was one nearby.” He jumps in and the door opens, the three run and jump inside just in time as more Mechanloids come, Bamboo gets up and jumps as he grabs Zero’s leg.
“GAH! Get off of me!” He slices Bamboo’s arm off as it falls down towards the building, as the Mechanloid moves away with the three inside, the building starts to explode. Bamboo is seen falling into the building as the fire spreads where the building once stood, goes down crumbling. He watches as he gets inside but has Bamboo’s arm on his leg. He grabs it and rips it off of his leg. “What the hell is going on?”
X: I guess we’ll find out when the area is secured. Bass, let’s head down there once it settles.
He nods as the Mechanloid copter is still hovering in the air as they watch the fire burn the building.
2 hours later
The area where Lumine’s building once stood is now a smoldering pit of scrap metal, the dead Repliods and Mavericks that were once in the building are buried, some of their limbs sticking out as Unit 17, Unit 0 and Unit 4 move in to investigate and surround the area to keep civilians away. X, Zero, Axl and Bass stand on the building looking at the debris.
Zero: Once Repliods, then Mavericks, then they were dead, and then..they come back.
Axl: Like in a human zombie horror movie. The dead coming back to life but Sigma and Lumine behind it.
X: More like it’s Sigma doing it. You know this isn’t gonna sit well with Lindsay once she hears about this.
Zero: I’ll brief her on it after the child is born. Oh..which reminds me, once we’re done here I had an idea to invite everyone to our room for dinner. She’s been in our room for a while and she needs some company besides with the dogs and myself.
X smiles. “We’d love to join you two for dinner, plus I like to see how she’s doing with the baby. I can’t believe only one more month is coming up soon.”
Axl stares at the building after seeing the clones inside that one room. The blonde looks seeing he’s in deep thought.
Zero: You alright kid?
Axl: Huh? Yeah just that...those clones we saw. I still wanna know more about myself and my cloning ability.
Zero: I’m sure you’ll know more when we do find Lumine, oh..where did that guy run off to by the way?
Bass looks at them. “He left to one place no one can touch him and Sigma is there also.” He looks up seeing the Moon shining bright, the three look up as well.
Axl: How? How can anyone get up..there?
Zero smirks. “Only one can, if they want her, they have to wait until she recovers. Once I brief her, she’s going to want to get in on all the action. I think she wants to go at it alone and show them who’s boss.”
X looks at him. “Are you sure about allowing her to go alone up there?”
He smirks. “X...she’s strong and tough, she can’t die by those two, there’s only one way and only both of us know it. I won’t say it without her consent, let’s respect my wife. For now..I think after all this we should have dinner at my place.”
Bass nods. “He’s right, once her baby is due she’s going to need all of us to be there to support her. After all, we are like family to her, she only had us as family she never had a real one. With Zero, this is her start to a real family.”
X nods as he gets an idea. “Oh..Zero..I was wondering when are you going to reveal the gender of the baby?”
He smirks. “Let my girl tell you, not me, only ones who know is Lifesaver and myself. Let’s keep you all surprised at the dinner table.”
Axl: Oh! I just remembered! Isn’t a human holiday tradition coming up?
X: Oh that’s right..Lindsay never celebrated last year because she slept!
Axl: A trip to the stores! Oh..wonder what I should get her. I don’t know what she likes!
Bass sweatdrops. “How about just give her things for the baby? I think she would want that more than anything right now. I just hope she doesn’t fall asleep after delivering the baby. The temperature has dropped at Abel City so she should be sleeping at this time of year.”
X: And she hasn’t because of the baby, well at least it’s a good thing we can all give her a holiday special she never had before. I’m sure she never partied before either.
Bass: I’ll pick the music since certain ones are banned that will make her crazy or sleep.
Axl: I can’t wait to decorate the place! I’ll ask Pallette to help!
Zero smiles as he looks up at the Moon. ‘Sigma...you’re going down, my girl will take you down for good this time.’
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Author’s note: Christmas is coming up so 1 this week and Christmas special next week.