In case you missed it earlier--THIS FIC HAS THAT BOY/BOY CRAP that most of you seem to not like. It's not central to the fic, but it's there. Don't want it? Hit back now. ^_^ Thank you. (Flamers, I will be interested in any flames you might have. I run a Hall of Flames and it's a pretty popular part of my page. ^_^)

Due to 's formatting policies, I had to change the way the Voice's text was laid out. Anything the Voice says is denoted in (~text~), instead of the red text previously. Thank you. ^^;

___________________________

PATHOS: A quality, as of an experience or a work of art, that arouses feelings of pity, sympathy, tenderness, or sorrow.

"Science bestowed immense new powers on man and at the same time created conditions which were largely beyond his comprehension and still more beyond his control." ~Winston Churchill

He stepped into the realm of god.
No... he usurped god's absolute authority.
He created. Yet, he did more than simply create... he infused into his creations the very characteristic which god had given only to the humans.
It is what had set mankind apart from the animals.
Freedom of volition, unhindered by preprogrammed commands.
He had usurped god's authority.. and he was now facing its dire consequences.
He wasn't the first to do it. But he had been warned. He was the one that unearthed the first model. He was the one that set the time bomb.
All for the chance to play god.
Was it worth it, the unforeseen price? The chance to be god, to become divine?

___________________________

The large transport moved like a wounded animal, its treaded wheels struggling through the thick muck of slick forest loam. Rain pounded mightily against the transport's enormous bulk, branches slapped angrily at its sides. Trailing behind the transport was some number of Land Chasers, manned by soaked Hunters, none of whom were very pleased.

Of course, nor was I.

Beside me, Zero slowed his bike down to a halt, face set into that tight-lipped, narrow-eyed expression that I've come to associate with his displeasure. I slowed down too, the Hunters behind us drifting by without a word, their spirits dampened by rain and the events earlier in the day.

"You know, the longer you stay out here, the more rusty we get," I quipped light-heartedly, in an attempt to head off the explosion I knew was approaching.

Rather calmly, too calmly, Ze--five--ro reached behind him, delicately squeezing the wat--four--er from his matted hair, onl--three--y to have it immediately soak--two--ed again by the stinging rain.

One.

"This is THE most crappiest day of my WHOLE frickin' existence!!" Zero cursed, eyes gleaming like brilliant, hard gems.

He was incredibly predictable at times.

'Not only do we TOTALLY screw up during this damned raid, but now we're traipsing through this blasted rain cause the STUPID transporter is down "due to weather"... my ASS! I'm wet, I'm tired, and I just want to blow something the HELL up!!!" His hands tightened into fists, as if choking some imaginary Maverick.

"Look on the bright side," I interjected mildly, staring at some point behind him.

"What bright side?" he growled through clenched teeth in attempt to be discreet, as his previous display turned a few heads of the rookies struggling past us.

I shifted my gaze to stare straight at him.

"You're not dead."

That brought him up short, real quick.

He fell silent, glaring at the controls on his bike, the previous pouty expression replaced by nothing. When the last Hunter passed us, I leaned over and rapped my knuckles on my friend's helm. "Let's get moving."

He didn't reply, simply gunned his engine and went off without bothering to wait for me.

You see, Special Class #00 Unit had faced some strong casulaties that day.

I sighed. Funny how people have grown to believe that there can be bloodless war. Why are people so shocked when there are casualties? It's only natural after all, for there to be death in the act of killing...

The act of fighting other Reploids...

But they're diseased, affected by a virus that renders them into something similar to rabid dogs.

Or at least that's what I keep telling myself. Else I could not keep fighting.

I followed after the ghostly forms of the Hunters, wiping the rain from my eyes.

Why do I fight? Why must I? Why should I?

___________________________

++++++Log: 0624 HRS Friday, 21XX (B75, 1231)

The sun was just barely cresting over the hilltops, its pale light illuminating the tree-topped landscape with a sickly glow. Creatures underneath those canopies were just beginning to stir, peeking through the leaves and gazing up at a wispy dead sky with wary eyes. However, they scattered back into their shelters at the stealthy tramp of foreign feet within their midst, and the uneasy air of that pale dawn intensified.

Zero gestured to SC#00 to a halt upon his first visual sighting of the dull bunker half hidden by moss and foliage.

Theta crawled up next to his commander, faceless features giving no hint of the thick tension that permeated the atmosphere. "Lyric's contacted alpha commander of #17, sir," he relayed quietly, humming voice issuing from a throat syrinx. The only feature on his smooth face, a burning red eye on the right, flickered ferally, signifying a terrifying grin.

The crimson Reploid never shifted his emerald gaze from the hidden base, face grim, voice silent.

Theta continued without missing a beat. "We have the go ahead at the scheduled rendevous, sir."

Zero checked his internal time system. "We leave in four minutes then."

"Yes, sir."

Zero lowered himself to the rich loam, unable to shake the unsettling idea that something was terribly wrong. Just nervous. ...for once. "Everyone in place?"

The burning eye flickered. "Of course, sir. We're not Special Class #00 for nothing, sir."

"You seem rather glib today, Lieutanent." His subordinate's reckless attitude ground heavily on Zero's taunt nerves.

Theta shrugged. "Thrill of battle and all that shit. Too quiet after that Repliforce incident if you ask me." The black and green Reploid lifted a sharp claw and mauled the soil viciously. "I need to hurt someone."

"Well, leave the dirt alone. You'll get your action soon enough." Zero became silent again, turning his head to the base, brooding. Air's funny. Smells funny. Feels funny. Something's wrong.

Theta cocked his head as a transmission echoed through his interal communications system. "One minute, sir."

Zero turned to his branch of the Class #00 penetration: the Twin Reploids and Theta, standing and assuming a stance of authority almost unconsciously. "Get ready kids. Time to play."

Last minute checks on weapon systems were made, and the phantom sihoulletes of alpha Class #00 moved from the crest overlooking the Maverick base and toward their target.

**** 0629 HRS

Lyric shoved aside the tree branch, sliding precariously down the gentle slope, nearly colliding with another Reploid placed under her beta command who had stopped adruptly in his descent.

"What the hell is up?" she hissed.

The Reploid Hunter, a pristine white creature, glanced back at her with large blue eyes. "Mines," he stated simply, pointing down below him.

Another Hunter, a stocky, hairy human, skidded up behind them. "Traded patrol for bombs, eh?" he speculated in a gruff, hushed tone. "Them Mavericks be gettin' dumber and dumber each time, no?"

Lyric stifled a groan, flicking fine red hair from her mean features. "Well, Tenshi," she spat out to the white Hunter, "hurry up and navigate us through, or not only will we be late, but we'll miss the action. We don't have time for this bullcrap."

Tenshi nodded curtly and started descending again, but at a much slower pace. "Step only where I do." The other two members of beta SC#00 nodded tersely.

"I hope the others are having a better time than we are," Lyric muttered.

Overhead, beyond the canopies, clouds rolled.

**** 0631 HRS

The base was unpatrolled, confirming reports given by the forerunners.

"Awfully dead," one of the Twins noted to Theta, who immediately hushed him with a harsh, gutteral sound.

Ahead of them, Zero stalked with z-saber drawn, its gleaming green glow illuminating the dusky walls around them with flickering shadows. The uneasy feeling intensified within him tenfold as alpha #00 team had approached the base with little problem. Undermanned or not, Mavericks leave no base unwatched.

Theta stomped over to one of the huge garage doors that graced the southernmost wall, raised his heavy adamantine halberd and sliced with an echoing crash through the door. Dropping his halberd with a thud into the dirt, he reached into the slit in the door and wrenched open a wide opening.

"Entrance cleared," the reckless lieutanent stated with a mock salute to his commander.

Zero's emerald eyes flashed in annoyance and he nodded curtly. "You and I are going to have a little talk, Hunter," he snapped. "You act like you belong in a rookie unit."

Theta shrugged, picking up his fallen halberd. "Just doin' my job, sir."

Zero ignored him, stalking past the green and violet Reploid, blonde hair swishing like an angry cat's tail as he took point, leading his team through the impromptu entrance.

**** 0632 HRS

Lyric negotiated the last of the mines, and swiftly joined the other two Hunters huddled by stacked cargo some ten feet from their target.

Tenshi pulled out a laptop from the pack upon his back and immediately began to set up. He held out a small satellite dish to the human Hunter, gesturing to the Maverick compound. "Set that up, Bryn, and then all we need to do is wait for the commander's signal."

**** 0633 HRS

Elsewhere, blurs of shadows slowly tightened about a mass of Hunters waiting near the fortress, closing the ring of death.

Thunder rumbled softly, a voice of approval.

Or regret.

**** 0634 HRS

It was dark. The wavering glow from the z-saber and the glowsticks did little to help alleviate the oppressing blackness.

Zero paused as he managed to make a faint outline of a door to his right, white gloved hand searching on and around its smooth surface for handle or keypad.

Theta stopped by his side as the other two Hunters continued on into the darkness. "What is it, sir?"

Zero smiled quietly in victory as he found the slick indentions of a keypad. "Bring that light over here, Lieutenant."

Theta obliged, the yellow-green glowstick brightening the door and keypad. The dim outline of a label reading "Restricted Area: No Admittance" floated on the portal like some poltergeist.

"Times like this I wish I had Tenshi's skills," Zero muttered, studying the encrypted symbols on the pad.

Theta's eyes flickered and he chuckled. "Other ways of opening a locked door."

"I'm sure," Zero replied dryly, glancing at his second-in-command. "Let's keep our urges under control till the fighting begins, ok?"

A shrug, then a tilt of his head that signified a transmission.

"Sir, the Twins found something," Theta informed his scarlet commander.

"Do they think it's the target?" Zero asked, turning away from the door.

"Is it the target?" the lieutanent repeated over his comm. "They're checking..." A pause. "Well, sir, it seems to be..." The crimson light that was Theta's eye suddenly dilated. "NO!" he shrieked both through his comm and to Zero. "DON'T TOUCH--"

The red-orange ball of flame which flared through the corridor and streaked outside with detonating force cut off any further transmissions.

**** 0636 HRS

"What the hell?" Lyric shouted as the enormous shockwave of the explosion in the southern block rocked their precarious perch on the side of the fortress.

Tenshi's voice crackled over her comm. "What was that?"

Bryn lowered himself on the pulley he was dangling from, gazing past an outcropped ledge toward the southern ward. "Bloody ashes," he swore softly. "The forest is on fire."

Another voice crackled over Lyric's comm, the young, polite voice strained but calm. "Miss Lyric? Have you--" The comm hissed static. "--ive yet?" An earthshattering shot ended the transmission.

"Commander X, please repeat, you're breaking up, over." Lyric tapped her human companion on the shoulder, motioning for him to get back to work with a worried glance.

"Have you completed your objective yet?" X reiterated, this time clearer. A boom reverberated through Lyric's ears.

"No, sir. What's going on down there?" Sounds like a warzone... Her eyes widened in sudden realization.

"Ambush," the short reply confirmed before X shut off his comm link.

**** 0640 HRS

Theta glanced up, dazed, his visual systems taking in a blurry image of red and green. The blur then pulled off him and the concerned tone of Zero echoed over his audio systems, as his commander helped him off the floor.

"Yeah, sir, I'm hunky-dory," Theta's voice system screeched in reply to Zero's question. He cut himself off, hand going up to his throat, wondering if his syrinx was somehow damaged.

"What happened?" Zero's voice was hoarse.

Theta was unsure himself. It was so chaotic the events.... then he knew... he remembered what happened...
Of the Twins relay of a door, much like the one Zero had found, at the end of the corridor.
Of the small object that seemed to be its lock.
Of the explosion that resulted from tampering with the disguised bomb.
Of Zero's lightning reflexes and the flash of green that sliced the door to their right from its hinges.
Of his commander's tackle that brought them both crashing through the doorway and onto the hard metal floor.
The brilliant searing flames streaking overhead, consuming all in its ravenous hunger...

"Holy shit," he whispered. "Bomb."

Zero said nothing, face grim, and stepped through the melted slag of a doorjamb into the incinerated hallway, some of the metal still glowing red-hot from the trap.

"Ambush," Zero noted, the expressionless mask tightening over his handsome face. "Poorly done, but we still walked into it."

"--ero? ....Zero?!"

"X?" Zero answered, putting a hand up to his helmet to hear his friend better through the static and sounds of ... plasma shots?

"Thank goodness, you're okay. I had trouble reaching you for some time."

Theta moved past Zero in a daze, his red eye a pinprick.

"Theta."

The green and purple Hunter turned.

"The Twins," Zero began, then stopped, unsure how to continue. The mask cracked minutely.

Theta nodded in understanding, running off to the end of the corridor.

"We have a problem here, X, and we might have to abort the mission. We've been--"

"Set up," X interuppted. A crackle. "I know. Zero, listen, we need to continue. We're in too deep now. You must find and eliminate your original objective. We--" The rich sound of plasma shots cut off his friend.

"X?" Ambush... damn shit, I frickin' KNEW!

"Still here," came the tense reply. "Take out that target, Zero. Everything's riding on that." The line adruptly ended.

**** 0643 HRS

Tenshi's slender fingers flew over the keyboard, and he ducked low to avoid the stray plasma shots flying over his head, the visual testimony of the fight his teammates and the enemy were engaged in. They were fighting to protect the satellite until alpha #00 could take out the generators, but Tenshi doubted that Zero and the others were even alive...

He couldn't think about that now, though. Something was pervading into his network... a virus that had been downloaded into the satellite system by enemy hands... Tenshi was fighting his own battle, his slicer skills pushed to the limit in the game of seek and destroy...

"An ambush," he muttered, trying yet again to deadwall the virus as a a flash of brilliant light blinded him.

Wet drops splattered to the earth below.

**** 0647 HRS

"Are they done yet, sir?" the tall golden Huntress asked, her face characteristically apathetic, voice its usual monotone. "We're not going to be able to hold these coordinates much longer."

"Zero'll make it," X assured her, sending a half-hearted smile to Geist.

The earth reeled beneath their feet, sending Geist flat into the mud. X managed to stay on his feet, glaring up, up, and up at the large Maverick sculpted like a bipedal fox which confronted them.

Without thinking, X charged his buster, clicking his boot rockets into motion as he dived toward the Maverick, dashing between its legs. He twisted his body, releasing the shot at the back of the creature. The engorged plasma collided with the Maverick's jet boosters, sending shrapnel to join the rain.

He braked to a stop, continually firing smaller bullets at the enormous fox's leg joints in an effort to cripple and topple.

"You better make it, Zero," he mutterd, as the Maverick turned about to face him. He charged his buster and stepped backwards as the Maverick lumbered toward him, and took careful aim for its grinning vulpine features.

The thrumming of another charging buster joined his, and he stepped back against a jutting object.

Oh shiiiiii....

"Turn around slowly," a mellifluous voice ordered.

X complied, half expecting to be shot into gears and shards any moment.

The first thing he saw was the business end of a buster aimed straight at his head, dripping with rainwater. His azure eyes slowly followed their way up the arm of the Maverick and rested finally on a boyish face and slitted gold eyes, hard with determination and worldliness.

What struck X the most was the prominent 'R' backed by a triangle emblazoned on the upper left of his chest.

......Repliforce....?!

Behind X, the giant Maverick towered threateningly, twitching to kill.

The mysterious Repliforce Maverick fired.

Suddenly, X dropped to the ground, gritting his teeth at the jarring pain searing through his wires as the large ball of plasma grazed his shoulder. The blue Hunter rolled onto his back and fire the shot he had been holding for quite some time at the gargantuous vulpine monstrousity, joining the Repliforce Irregular's misfired blast in felling the beast. The fox ignited in minute explosions before combining into a blinding pillar of fire, raining burning metal into the muddy earth.

X then swung his charging buster at the surprised Maverick that nearly killed him, half-sitting up. "Don't move," he said flatly to the enemy, inwardly relieved as he saw Geist's golden if muddied form streak in behind the Repliforce Maverick.

"Commander X," a voice rose from the fray and rain. "The generator's down!! I repeat, the generator's down!"

About time, Zero, X congradulated mentally to his friend, nearly collapsing back into the mud. We might still win...

___________________________

Flipping open the tent flap, I ducked in from out of the rain gratefully, brushing dripping water from the tip of my nose. The impromptu camp set up by the Hunters signified the end of a long, long day. I sighed, slumping my shoulders, happy that the Committee decided we should halt for the day. My energy was not only horrendously low, but my spirits had just about been clean shot into the mud...

"Stop dripping all over the fine carpet, kid."

I opened my eyes wearily and flashed a tiny smile at my partner sitting on his bedroll and meticulously repairing mildly damaged circuitry in his left arm.

"Yo," he greeted, reaching behind him with his free hand and throwing a frayed towel at me. "We have to sleep on that canvas you know. Clean yourself up."

I made a face at him, but moved to dry myself off. (Always liked bossing you around, huh? Still thinks you're a rookie.)

"Did the Scavengers report yet?" I asked, briskly sponging water from my torso.

Zero kept his eyes focused on repairing his wires. "Must we talk about it when we're off-duty?"

"We're not 'off-duty', Zero," I pointed out, putting a hand on my hip and waving the towel at him. "We're still in hostile territory, in a crippled and compromisable situation, and until the Scavengers give the a-okay, we're not relieved of our dut--"

"I know," Zero snapped, glaring at me through thick eyelashes and frizzy blonde bangs.

(Yeowch! Someone tightened his bolts a little too much this morning.)

His face softened upon my hurt look. "Sorry," he muttered. "No, they didn't report yet. The rain slowed down their inspection."

Flinging the damp towel over my shoulder, I removed my helm, only to be immediately blinded by long strands of dark, shaggy hair. "The Committee is estimating a loss of almost 50% of our troops." I plopped down next to Zero, setting the blue helm upon the floor with a sigh.

"Yeah, I heard." His voice was flat, controlled. He went back to work on his arm, injured during while trying to reach the well-guarded generator.

(Apathetic bastard, isn't he?)

No, I corrected, gazing at him with some worry. Just stoic. He was reacting better than I expected, and I was relieved to see that he wasn't blaming himself for the deaths of the Twins, Lyric, and Bryn... The Twins had fallen prey to the crude trap in the south ward... and Lyric and Bryn had perished protecting the satellite that was to jam the base's automated weapons and defenses... that's what really won us that pyrrhic victory in the end...

Zero shifted under my concerned scrutiny, glancing up at me. He flashed me his trademark crooked smile.

I made another face at him. (Stoic, huh?) "How's the arm coming along?" I inquired, blowing hair from my eyes. I knew better than to dwell on his emotions--he not only hated that, but he would have closed himself up more.

"Just peachy --3," he quipped, flexing his fingers "Lay your worries at the door, X. Pull that stick outta your ass and--" he cut himself off upon seeing my irritated look, which, by the way, only caused him to grin broadly.

>(What an asshole. Why is he still your friend?)

"Please continue, Zero," I replied archly. "I'm curious as to what I should do with said stick."

I almost immediately mentally slapped myself. I had left myself wide open...

(Really, you need to brush up in your verbal sparring.)

Zero's eyes sparkled as he prepared to deliver the fatal blow in our little repartee when--thank goodness--his second-in-command, a spunky Reploid lieutanent named Theta, strolled in, carrying a small set of... ah.. "rations": energy subtanks.

The veridian and violet-trimmed Hunter unceremoniously dumped the subtanks on the canvas-covered ground. "Soup's on, sirs."

(I dunno who's more annoying--that guy or blondie here.)

Zero shot Theta a warning glare. "What have I told you about enetering your superiors' quarters?"

Theta's eerily featureless face somehow reflected the impetuous grin his eye flashed at his crimson commander. "Pulling rank, eh, sir?"

"It's something called 'respect.' Look it up."

I reached for a subtank, letting the two quibble. Twisting open the end of the container, I couldn't help but smile at the two; both were so alike. No wonder they quarrelled about every single thing. It was cute if not entertaining.

However, listening to their barbed insults grow sharper (now this is a verbal sparring. You taking notes?), I decided it was best to intervene before things got worse. "You stayed behind with the Scavengers, right?" I asked, addressing Theta while removing the inner core from the subtank.

Theta paused in his comment about Zero's hair (which would have caused some damn fine fireworks, party crasher!), blinking at me. "Uh, yeah, sir. Just caught up with your entourage half-an-hour ago." An innocent look. "Couldn't be away from my commander's charming company for long, sir."

Zero glowered at both of us, fingers tightening around the screwdriver he clutched like a weapon. (If looks could kill...)

"What did they report?" I continued, ignoring my friend.

Theta laughed, a raspy sound echoing in his damaged voice box, settling down next to me and clapping an arm amicably about my shoulders. I winced as he nudged the exposed circuitry in the wound I received earlier that day. "Question is, sir, what did they report that was good." The red eye sparkled in humor. "Cause I can tell some tales about everything bad that happened."

"Spare us," Zero muttered, directing his attention back to his arm.

"Is that an order, sir?" Theta replied mildly, poking his commander in the side with a single claw.

Extracting myself from Theta's grip just as Zero flung the screwdriver at his second, I inserted the small energy core into a compartment in my forearm. "Okay, Theta, I'll play. What's the good news?"

"None," Theta said, pulling a serious demeanor. "We lost too many Reploids and humans, too many Mavericks got away, we burned down nearly a quarter of this forest, and the list goes on and on..."

(They're getting smarter... or you all are getting careless.)

I drove away the sleepy euphoria that came from recharging. "This was just a waste then," I murmured.

Theta shrugged. "The Scavengers didn't think so. You know how creepy they are." He ran a claw over his hairless head. "The base was a munitions facility--like we expected, only the Scavengers found it to have ten times more crap than was originally estimated."

"Ten times, huh?" Zero snorted, affixing the armor for his forearm into place. "The Committee's probably chewing on their shoes right now."

Theta laughed. "Just wait till they find out about that Repliforce POW that was caught."

The two shared a gloating look. Needless to say, both had no use for the Committee that were, in essence, the superintendents of the entire Hunter force and beyond.

"Repliforce POW?" I asked, trying to mask my irritation for their total lack of respect for the Committee's authority.

"Yeah," Theta confirmed, tossing me a strange look. "Don't you remember? You were the one that caught him."

The Voice laughed at me.

___________________________

Ruaki's Notes:
BGM v.X: Lost Complex [Iceman, Lost Complex,]
BGM v.0: Demo Intro [Square Einhander Demo Disc]

RMX:R homepage: Complete with some artwork, and BGM files for the series. And various other stuffs. ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own most of this stuff--just like to play with them once and a while. Sorry. ^_^;