Megaman Phoenix
By Ysionris Gavotte

Prologue

When it is said that there is no other choice, do people really mean that, or a way to deceive, do lie to either others or themselves? No choice. It is meant that their way is the only way. But is it?

The realm of choices is an unimaginable realm of no limits. All one has to do is move one atom from one place to another, and a completely different fate can be shaped. And with so many combinations, nothing can track it. No supercomputers, no geniuses, nothing. Except that we were all meant to know all the choices before we made one.

But how come we don't know, when we are supposed to know, when we're meant to know? What sort of paradox is this? Up in our minds, we do not know what is the direct outcome of a certain choice. There is always uncertainty around the world, even in the most obvious questions. Even computers come up with a ninety-nine point nine percent of validation when asked if one plus one is correct.

How are we to know that if we take Main Street, we are to be involved in a tragic accident? How do we know that if we take the third sauce can from the left in the supermarket, we are to die of food poisoning because something happened to the package? There is no way. But we were meant to know it.

What does that mean? Is it possible for us to have a sixth sense? There is said that there was a child who could predict things before they happened...everything went exactly as he said, but as he grew, he slowly lost that ability. What was the factor behind it?

Was it because of pessimism? A certain loss of enlightenment in our hearts because of sorrow, because we can no longer concentrate of what is around us. We become enclosed in our own hearts, holding everything. But what we hold so tightly can only slip out so easily.

Or perhaps it was what we called "knowledge" and "logic"? That belief of where there are no psychic powers, no sixth senses, no phenomenon. That idea driven into our minds by those who "care" for us, that believe that it is nonsense.

But perhaps we are simply running. But what are we running from? Truth? Fear? Death? The three are all alike in their own ways. So what is it they face? Those who run?

Perhaps they run from themselves. Who they really are. And who are they really? Who are those who reach out to the universe to embrace the final gift of humanity...?

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

In front of him, the computer perched on the table that faced him, the screen displaying what he wanted to see.

Vincent Swan.

Rapidly typing through the secure channels of the encrypted servers, he struck through the system as he rapidly entered queries, causing the system to lag, and buying enough time to slip past the first firewall. Twenty- seven more to go.

The room was relatively dark and solitary, but Vincent liked that best, when he was alone. He felt secure, but vulnerable at the same time. He never understood why, never tried to understand, because he was that way. A sound of liquid dropping onto the ground sounded like a metronome, and Swan figured that he would like to listen to that, to keep his mind occupied for the time being.

He passed through the second firewall. Moving quickly, he didn't even really think about what he was doing, just did it as though he didn't care much about it. He was a Gemini after all...not according to his birth, but slang for a person who survived the Seventh Haven Assault. He virtually had two minds...one that concentrated on his hacking, the other on what he was truly thinking about.

About Eli. About cradling her body, that girl who had died in his arms, her usually white hair matted crimson with blood and brown with dust.

But it really didn't matter what he was thinking about. Realizing that he was in secure enough to cause havoc, he repeated his process, overloading the server with pings. Afterwards, he inserted a less secure ping, one that will definitely be detected by the system. But when the server can actually locate him, he would be completely gone.

Track this, you Neo Arcadian bastards.

Sighing, he stretched the collar of his shirt. Shutting down his laptop, he quickly left the room, computer in hand, leaving without a trace, except with only a dead body in the corner, the blood dripping from his pale body...

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

His name was Lance Sigel.

"Lance!" Vincent called from the technology compound, walking over with his laptop in hand. Lance looked over his shoulder, watching his old friend approach from behind. Lance smiled as he was temporarily disrupted from his work of writing the physics paper from the gardens of Aegis University of Third Haven.

Lance Sigel was thin and lanky, but he was ordinary-looking enough. He had long blond hair that cropped almost below his shoulders, unlike Vincent, whose hair had reached shoulder length.

"Hey," Lance smiled, motioning Vincent to sit on the bench with him. Vincent did so as he looked over at his paper.

"These graphs," Vincent pointed, "Did you do them with the software or a image processor?"

Lance laughed, knowing that Vincent would immediately start picking on his report. To help, of course. "Actually, it was done with the software's graphing feature. Some of the stuff I wanted wasn't there, though, so I had to re-route certain channels to support the graphing, and the system registry also..."

"Using the point seven six files with the proxy override code?"

"Yeah," Lance stifled a grin, "Just as you taught me."

"Good," Vincent smiled, "You're getting better as I talk."

"Well," Lance laughed, "How can I not when you're always around me? Where were you, anyways?"

"Doing some work for the professor," Vincent shrugged, and brushed through his long, blue hair, tossing them into the air, "I suppose he might call back for me soon, if I hadn't done the blueprints well enough."

"Unlikely," Lance couldn't help but grinning, "The professor will probably be the one making the inadequate blueprints."

"Heh, is that so?" Vincent chuckled, and stretched.

Lance nodded silently and looked around the garden. It was his favorite place to do his papers, and it was peaceful here. Some students came and admired the flowers, but they never really disturbed Lance. Besides, the air around Third Haven was very nice in this particular region, so he often stayed here...exactly why Vincent knew exactly where his old friend was.

Lance turned to Vincent, "Oh, by the way, I'm going to have lunch with Aden and Mia today. You going to come along?"

Vincent recoiled in surprise. "Me?"

"Yeah, who else?" Lance laughed, watching his friend's startled reaction, "What's wrong with you? It's not like we're going to force you to pay for our bill."

"Really," Vincent joined in with the laughter, nodding, "Alright...I guess I'll come. But I might leave soon."

"Aw, come on," Lance nudged Vincent in the shoulder, "If you do that, I'll be sure to make you pay for the bill."

Vincent laughed, and lay back against the bench, looking up into the sky. He was going to have to get Lance out of here with him when they came. Although no one else knew it very well, Third Haven was only safe for a few more moments...

The Redemption set its rudder out to sea as the propeller hit full reverse and halted the ship to a stop just outside the border of Third Haven's radar range. The side propellers turned as the Redemption set around at a full ninety degree turn and set the runway of the cruiser facing the island of Third Haven, just beyond the horizon of the sea.

"I know we've been moved here abruptly, but the brass back at Eurasia Command Center wanted us on this place ASAP. It seems that Third Haven has been located northwest, in the middle of the Atlantic."

The voice Captain Atrium Svivern sounded soft, like the sound of a fine- tuned violin. But the five-man spec-op strike team knew better than to underestimate the deceptiveness of his voice; Svivern was the best there was...only short of Admiral because of some poor relationships with other field commanders.

The men all in uniform around him in the metallic briefing room before his podium were part of the 7th Special Operations Unit, specifically selected by Captain Svivern. Although they didn't exactly have a lot of combat experience, they were young, only in their teenage years. Exactly why Svivern chose them so he could build his own unit up brick by brick.

At the head of the unit was Subaru Alto. A level-headed soldier, he was calm, decisive, and also very intelligent. However, Svivern had been hesitant about placing him at the head of the unit; he was reluctant to kill, despite the fact that he had taught him that enemies were enemies, with weapons or without.

Sakura Sonata, like Subaru, was most a pacifist. She relies heavily on intelligence and reconnaissance, and does not like to take risks. Svivern appreciated that at most, although she is sometimes looked down by others, mostly her fellow teammates, for her extreme cautiousness.

Meanwhile, Lloyd Pierce was more of an enigma. His hair cropped completely forward to almost completely hide his face, he was a mystery to his fellow teammates. He always kept his eyes closed, and could still see, or seem to see. No one even knew what his eye color was. He was cold, calculating, and intelligent, usually a step ahead of everyone else.

Meanwhile, Brandon Carter was violent and arrogant. He is calm at times, but at others, he goes berserk. He usually carries himself with supremacy, and will not hesitate to destroy anyone who got into his way. Two symmetrical scars ran from his cheeks to his ears, from an earlier battle wound. Brandon refused to have it removed.

Carol Allegro, however, was dangerous in her own way. She wasn't as talented as the other when it came to fighting, but she was acrobatic, and seductive. Often used for covert missions where assassination was necessary, Carol had an obsession of keeping track of her victims. Svivern recalled her saying that she had already claimed seventy-four lives, although he was sure there had been an update.

"Third Haven," Subaru nodded, "What's the method of approach?"

"The United Nations probably won't try to fight us until we start to open fire," Svivern cocked his head to one side as he switched the monitor to the map of the island, "You'll be approaching from the southeast section of the island. While we're hoping to avoid civilian casualties, you technically have no rules of engagement, although it is suggested that you do not fire upon innocents."

"What the hell," Brandon snorted, "You call them innocents? They're the ones with the UN. Let's just bomb the damn place."

"You want to repeat Seventh Haven all over again, Brandon?" Subaru said dangerously, "I remember quite well that it was our most successful sortie, as well as our most failed one." Brandon reserved his silence, although he glared at Subaru furiously. Subaru noticed that Lloyd looked upset as well...upset was an understatement; he looked at the verge of exploding. His teeth were gritted together, and his eyebrows arched in an unmistakable glare, although his eyes were closed.

"You should meet almost little resistance," Svivern continued, "Most of the island is basically used for housing for the UN civilians. However, you will expect to meet disorganized military forces."

"Is the intelligence reliable?" Sakura asked cautiously, "I don't want to be caught unprepared."

"I've heard that they've sent recon planes lately," Lloyd nodded, "We should be okay."

"It doesn't matter that much," Carol shrugged her shoulders, "Just blow them all to hell, like Brandon said." Subaru ignored her. Carol had a tendency to side with Brandon most of the time anyways.

"We will be using the X33 Prototypes," Svivern informed, "The armor should be adequate to keep you all alive. They'll be launched via Leon Platforms, which you should dispose to engage in ground zero combat. The 24th Airborne Unit will be giving you backup and air support. One the side note, I've also heard that they're modifying the X31 to implement automaton functions."

The occupants of the room, other than Svivern, looked shocked.

"They've actually approved that?" Brandon growled, "What do those bastards think we're fighting for? We're destroying the Reploid bastards, and they keep coming with more! Bastards!"

"Calm down, Brandon," Lloyd said calmly, recovering from his shock early, and was now leaning against one of the walls.

"It seems that there is not much more to say," Svivern shrugged, "I suppose we can get on with the mission. We'll launch in twenty minutes. Be prepared for combat ASAP." The five soldiers saluted, and walked briskly out of the briefing room. However, Lloyd lingered behind. Svivern caught sight of him.

"You sure this isn't a trap?" Lloyd asked, "They said they caught a hacker from Third Haven and traced it to this location, but do you think they'd get that careless? The United Nations is trying to hide their islands from us after all..."

Svivern nodded. "I understand how you feel, Lloyd, but we have our orders. You can say that I'm only a messenger."

Lloyd looked at Svivern, or seemed to look. He hadn't opened his eyes, but merely nodded, acknowledging the fact, and walked out of the room.

The mission hadn't started, but Lloyd already had a bad feeling about this.

"...I mean, seriously, you expect something like a Albatross to take down a X31? That's unlikely. If this place is ever discovered, we'll be in some deep shit."

Aden Hikari concluded his thoughts snappily, taking a bite of a chicken sandwich. Other than Lance, Vincent, and Aden around him, there was also Mia Elysium, all eating their respective lunches at a small café inside the vicinity of the university. The summer sun that shone down on the plaza was only blocked by an umbrella that shielded their eyes from the intense light.

"Well," Vincent shrugged, "They're going to call a meeting for the militia pretty soon, so we're going to have to check in sooner or later."

"I don't think Neo Arcadia is ever going to find us," Lance shook his head, "We're pretty safely concealed in a place where Neo Arcadia doesn't think there are inhabitants, and we're pretty far from any shores. Besides, I don't think they have any reconnaissance satellites yet. Who'll think of looking here?"

"But imagine if they do," Mia said, "I only chose to live in Third Haven because it was one with less military. Places like First Haven and Second Haven are basically overrun by soldiers. No schools, no parks, just miles and miles of military installations. I don't even think they have stuff like housing over there. Full of barracks."

"Well, look at the bright side," Aden laughed, "Neo Arcadia is mostly after Reploids. We're humans. We're civilians, so they probably won't do a whole bunch of stuff to us."

"You actually think it's alright to say that?" Lance looked at Aden disapprovingly, "The United Nations functions so that humans and Reploids can live together, and yet you're talking about them like we're superior or something."

"Whoa, whoa!" Aden slowed down, "No need to get all over my case. Wasn't what I meant."

Vincent nudged him slightly on the shoulder, laughing, "Don't worry. Lance knows."

"But I agree with Lance," Mia nodded, "You should really watch how you talk. Don't forget that half the population on this island is Reploid."

"Gotcha," Aden winked, and took another bite into his sandwich. Vincent smiled, but looked over the horizon, seemingly distracted by something. Squinting into the sparkling sea, he wondered how he was going to save the lives of his friends now...it should be okay if he could get them to a shelter, but he was going to have to find another way to get to the Phoenix.

But mostly, he could feel something else. Something coming.

You're coming, Vincent thought silently, aren't you?

"All hands, secondary battle stations. Prepare for Leon Platform launch."

Klaxons blared as the human soldiers rushed onto deck to secondary battle stations. Svivern watched from the bridge as the men quickly assembled to their positions, moving in unison. Technicians immediately went to their computers and prepared launch preparations. On the other side of the cruiser, boomerang-shaped Leon Platforms were being prepared for launch. Used for aerial combat, the Leon Platforms were miniature hovercraft that could soar through the air at high speeds while maintaining a superior sense of maneuverability.

"Technician crew two through five, be prepared to receive launch subjects now. Identification, 7th Special Operations Unit."

Svivern watched as the 7th Special Operations Unit ascended from the platform below the cruiser launch pad. They all wore identical blue and white X33 Prototypes, shaped with a metallic alloy that covered every part of the body except the face, where it was covered with a transparent reinforced glass. An internal chain gun was fixed in the internal parts of the armor on the wrist. They carried a wide variety of weapons, with Subaru and Lloyd carrying assault rifles, Sakura with a sniper, Brandon with a chain gun , and Carol with a rail gun. They checked their equipment, and Subaru gave a short nod.

Ready.

Five miles away, Leon Platforms were seen being launched from another cruiser, the Junction. That would be the 24th Airborne Unit launching first. Subaru nodded to his team, and they quickly bored the Leon Platforms. The armor quickly locked onto the platforms, and it whirred to life as it began to hover a foot above the ground.

"All hands, prepare for Leon Platform launch."

Subaru watched the status display monitor on the right as the system made final checks. Once all green, the Leon Platforms would be ready to launch.

"All hands, T minus ten seconds to launch."

Subaru gritted his teeth uneasily. Many accidents have happened with launches, and safety measures had not been applied with Leon Platforms yet. What would happen here could decide how this battle will play out. Looking at the monitor, Subaru watched as the status grid showed green all over. Weapons check okay, fuel canisters at maximum, backup energy intact, stabilizers ready, shields holding, reinforced armor in place...

"All green. Launch."

"Launch!" Subaru shouted, and immediately, the Leon Platforms roared to life as it took off with a jet of wind around them, sending them soaring into the air. They spiraled in a circle formation for a second, then averted the engines to their destination, Third Haven.

"For Neo Arcadia," Subaru whispered, and headed with his team into the fray.

"All hands, this is Captain Miguel speaking," the Reploid spoke into the Storm of Fire intercom, "Neo Arcadia forces have been detected seven miles south, near Third Haven. All hands to secondary battle stations, and prepare to defend Third Haven at all costs."

Miguel clicked the intercom offline, and sighed as he shifted uneasily in his command seat. His co-captain, Lieutenant Helios, nodded, acknowledging their uneasiness. More than twenty Leon Platforms were detected in an inbound course to the vector of Third Haven. Despite the fact that Miguel liked to take chances, he was at no position to ponder whether or not he should intercept Neo Arcadian forces on route to Third Haven. The Storm of Fire may have been completed recently as a high-performance Dragon III Prototype, but that didn't mean it was invincible.

The Storm of Fire was only recently sent on their test run two days ago. Having no combat preparations yet, going into a battle might be a problem. The Storm of Fire looked almost like a hovercraft, with a large body in the middle and two smaller bodies on the side that acted as two hangar bays, engine rooms, and weapons. The Storm of Fire sported eight M2 cannons, barrels that launched a 2.25 shell at high speeds, four Class-A SAM launchers against aircraft, four M99 chain guns, four anti-torpedo torpedo launchers to counter submarine attacks, six PTPFAF "October" missile launchers, and two 7AFPC2 heavy plasma cannons that could destroy just about anything in one hit.

"Move to course seven-seven-four," Helios snapped briskly at the bridge officers, "Inbound vector to Third Haven, maximum speed. Charge up all weapon cycles, and prepare to launch the 3rd Airborne Unit if this ship is engaged with aerial forces. Contact surrounding ships for reinforcements."

Miguel looked down at Helios. Although both were Reploids, Miguel never really understood why Helios was so uptight about so many things. While Miguel took his duty seriously, he was always relaxed in person...not like Helios, who was so stuck to military regulation and protocol. Most of his command crew were all Reploids...not because he had something against humans, but none seemed to want to apply into the military. Maybe they thought war was for the work of Reploids.

"Moving to course seven-seven-four," the navigation officer, Major Phalanx, responded, "Inbound vector to Third Haven, maximum speed. ETA...fifteen minutes." He shook his head in frustration, most likely trying to find a way to get the ship to move faster.

"Power has been diverted to weapon cycles," the operation officer, Major Archangel, reported, "Reactor running at one hundred fifty percent. Preparing backup coolant." She attended her job briskly, moving her eyes to every control panel in front of here.

"Weapons charging up," the weaponry officer, Major Juno nodded, "Expected time of full charge is less than estimated time to combat range." Checking again, she nodded, somewhat satisfied. At least they won't be caught unprepared.

"No reinforcements nearby," the communications officer, Major Cruz, scowled, "I'm sending a message over the Second Haven. I don't think they can send reinforcements in time, but they have to know."

Miguel nodded, and reassumed his stare at the monitor in front of him. Fifteen minutes...the battle could simply be over by then.