“Wake up, Zero.”
The smaller blond moaned a protest, rolling away from the voice and pulling the sheets higher up over his head. The sheet was ripped away, causing Zero’s eyes to fly open and he jerked up, covering his nakedness with his arms the best he could.
“Omegaaaaaaaaaa…” Zero whined, squinting at the morning light filling the bedroom. His eyes watered slightly and he rubbed at them, looking to the side of the bed where Omega stood, clothed and arms crossed.
“I’d figure,” Omega started, “you’d want to say bye to me before I went to work.”
“Oh!” Zero scrambled out of bed, nearly falling on his face as he tumbled out of it. He threw his arms around Omega’s waist, hugging him tightly. “Will you come home early, since you went yesterday?”
Omega patted Zero’s head. “I doubt it, puppy, but I also figured you’d want a rest from last night, so no toy today, hm?”
Zero blushed, his eyes falling to the nearby nightstand where the horrible contraption laid. “Thank you.” He stepped back from Omega, pulling some of his hair over his shoulder to shield his body shyly. “I…”
“You’ll be good, yes?” Omega said, speaking quickly. His tone made Zero look up at him, brow knitted.
“Always. But, uhm…” his blush intensified. This was a normal thing, wasn’t it, to feel like this when trying to say… “I wanted to tell you…”
“Tell me later.”
“B-but…”
Omega shook his head. “Later. Do me a favor though, today. In the attic is the weapon storage. There’s an old saber there—give it a clean, hm? I’m going.”
Omega was never this tart about leaving for the day, and Zero wondered if he did something wrong. “O-Omega…”
“Good-bye, puppy.” The taller blond awkwardly waved at him, and Zero took a step forward.
“Wait, Omega…!” Zero reached out, but his keeper teleported away, and his hand went through the afterimage. Tears gathered in Zero’s eyes as he pulled his hand back to his chest. “O-Omega…”
Zero sniffled, rubbing his eyes with the back of one hand as he shuffled his feet to a closet. Omega had brought home various outfits for him, and Zero initially reached for a casual shirt and pants, but at the last second his hand snatched the duplicated ensemble of his usual armor. He wasn’t sure why, but he had a feeling he was going to need the protection.
“Well,” Zero muttered to himself as he picked up his undersuit, slipping into it and zipping it up. “You are about to go handle weaponry…”
It wasn’t the first time Omega had tasked him with cleaning weapons. Zero wasn’t sure what Omega did for a living, but it involved fighting, and gruesome fighting at that. Zero had to clean off blood and coolant off Omega’s saber, and rub out the scorches from his pistols more often than he cared for. He had yet to mishandle any of the dangerous items, but if this saber was a model different from Omega’s, who knew what would happen. Zero was just being careful; nothing could possibly happen today.
Why was he so dodgy? Zero’s mind asked as he climbed into the attic, going for the sealed metal door and inputting Omega’s usual pass code. He said I did good last night…
Maybe it wasn’t an action. Zero glanced around the rather empty weaponry, moving toward an elongated box propped up on a table; flicking it open revealed the saber he was seeking, and it didn’t look too different from Omega’s own.
Zero glanced around, as if expecting his keeper to suddenly appear. He cleaned Omega’s weapons, yes, but he never really got to see or mess with one… A little messing around would cheer Zero’s rapidly depressing mind anyway.
He picked up the saber carefully, twirling it in his hand before grasping it firmly. Something felt familiar, felt right, having the saber in his hand. Sure he was holding it correctly, Zero flicked the weapon on; the large, triangular green blade materialized cleanly and smoothly, almost glittering with fresh power. It hadn’t been used in a long while, Zero noticed.
I could use this, Zero suddenly thought as he swung the weapon. Although awkward at first, the sizzle of the air as the blade cut through sounded right and familiar. The lightweight weapon was becoming an extension of himself…
I know how to use this.
The shock hit Zero like a ton of unrefined titanium. He knew how to use a beam saber; at least, he thought he knew. It was definitely familiar, maybe one of the memories that were erased? It would be strange if someone like Omega kept a weak person…
Then why won’t he teach me again?
Maybe he’s afraid Zero would be stolen again? Rationalizing every possible argument, Zero deactivated the weapon and fell onto the floor on his butt, staring at the handle as he thought. He knew how to fight, at least somewhat, at one point. Maybe that’s what got him stolen in the first place, and why Omega hadn’t started to teach him.
Thinking of Omega brought back the morning to Zero, and he frowned at the saber handle. Omega was very curt today, short and interruptive. Normally he didn’t care if Zero rambled or said things, but he apparently did not want to listen to his voice today. Each time he…
Zero nearly dropped the saber, eyes widening. Omega only cut him short when Zero tried to confess just how he truly felt. Did Omega already know? And if so, if he didn’t want to hear Zero say it, did that mean… Did Omega not feel the same? Did he not want there to be love in their strange but content relationship? Did he not care in the ways Zero thought?
That thought brought angry tears to Zero’s eyes. Omega had to care—Zero was not a whore. He didn’t spread his legs for Omega just because he liked to, he did it because he loved his keeper and his keeper…
… was just a keeper, nothing more?
Zero was on the verge of breaking down from the thought when he heard pounding on the front door below him. His entire body froze and he stopped breathing; Omega never used the front door, and no one ever came to the house. Who could it be?
The hand not holding the saber clapped over his mouth to muffle his worried cry as he heard the door get kicked down, and several heavy footsteps entered his home. Thieves! It had to be the thieves! They’ve found him!
Omega…
Zero’s eyes suddenly narrowed as he got to his feet. No, Omega was gone. If he didn’t want to get stolen, he had to care for himself, and prove to Omega he was worth keeping, worth caring about! Just like a cub had to prove itself to the alpha wolf, Zero had to prove himself to Omega.
Kicking the thieves out of their home would do nicely.
~*~
“There’s no one here,” a soldier grunted, looking at Colbar. “Sure we at the right place?”
“Our esteemed leader was certain,” Colbar grumbled.
“He also said we needed to be careful and patient, that Zero’s general programming is running, not his normal one,” one of the females of the group said. “But you just kicked down his damn door.”
Colbar turned to her, scowling, “We nab the brat and take him back to the base. Who cares if his delicate ‘general’ programming gets traumatized, we’re here for his regular one! Split up, groups of two, search the place.”
The female that spoke frowned. “We’re not here to—”
“Let’s get in and get out,” Colbar yelled, “Before we’re caught!”
The group of six split off into three groups of two and began a thorough search of the house, keeping up with each other via their radios. Although the house wasn’t particularly large, it had many rooms and hidden areas for their quarry to hide. X had asked them to approach Zero carefully and cautiously with patience and kindness, yet Colbar, who hated the thought of having to rely on some mysterious Reploid, could have cared less. Get in and get out, that’s all he wanted. The house was barely on the skirts of Neo Arcadia, and was far too close to the enemy home base for comfort.
Unknown to the group, Zero perched himself in the exposed rafters of the living room, watching groups walk slowly under him. Nervousness and fear ate at him, gnawing at his gut, but he could not let these people just rifle through his and Omega’s home and get away with it.
He looked at the saber in his hand. You’re a combat model, he told himself. Let your combat programming deal with these.
Zero closed his eyes, searching his internal hard drive for that very program. Knowing what he was seeking, it was easy to locate; to his own despair, his combat programming was on default set to off. He gripped the saber handle and turned the program on.
Power surged through his body, strange power he never felt, and it made Zero gasp. A group below him heard the noise and glanced up, guns raised.
Zero dropped down on them, landing on one and slashing at the other with the activated saber. His weapon sliced the hand holding the gun as he kicked the one he landed on in the head, knocking the Reploid unconscious as the other charged at him. The gun and hand fell to the ground, sparking dangerously on the carpet.
Zero let the program take over fully, and his body swung into action smoothly. He spun out of harm’s way and lashed out with the saber in a wide circle, catching the man in the back. The intruder howled as his spinal cord was severed and he fell to the ground, unable to move. Deep down, Zero was glad the man was a Reploid—he could survive the damage.
The man’s screams brought the other four into the room, but they filtered in one by one. Zero’s programming used this to his advantage, gutting the first one to come in and smashing his fist into the second’s face. The third and fourth, a female soldier and Colbar, entered at the same time and leveled their guns at Zero, who raised his saber up menacingly.
“Come with us,” Colbar ordered. “Quietly.”
“Make me,” Zero growled, dashing right at Colbar.
Colbar nearly squealed, his eyes widening as he could barely see how fast Zero was moving. He backed up several steps, throwing his hands up just as the flickering tip of the saber rushed to his face.
Zero suddenly fell to the ground at Colbar’s feet, and the cowardly squad leader slowly lowered his eyes and opened his eyes. The woman Zero had landed one earlier and thought he knocked out was brandishing a metal rod, and when Colbar glanced down, he saw the back of Zero’s helmet was cracked.
“Thank god,” Colbar breathed. “Let’s get him and go.”
Colbar assisted his crippled teammates as the two women heaved Zero up by his arms, dragging him out as they evacuated the building before authorities could come investigate the screams. Get in and get out, Colbar said. They didn’t expect to be dealt such serious injuries, especially from such a kid-looking Reploid.
Reaching their portal Trans Server, Colbar glared at the prone form of Zero. Legendary Reploid, huh? So who’s the guy at Neo Arcadia who claimed to be Zero?
At the base, scientist Ciel and the shimmering form of X were waiting at the Trance room. The moment the team materialized, instead of the happy congratulations and praise Colbar expected, X exclaimed indignantly and Ciel gave out a despaired cry.
“What have you done?” X cried as he seemed to float to them. “I told you to convince him to join us, not beat him to a pulp!”
“He attacked us,” Colbar growled, jerking his chin to the Reploid Zero had crippled with a strike to the spine. “We had to defend ourselves.”
“You obviously scared him!”
“We did no such thing!”
“Enough,” Ciel said gently, both men glancing at her. “Let’s get him to the lab. I’ll check him over, Master X.”
X openly scowled at Colbar, but nodded and floated aside. The females dragged Zero toward the lift, and Colbar hobbled away to the medical bay with his comrades.
Once alone with her, X turned to Ciel, worry in his eyes. “I should have gone…”
Ciel shook her head slightly. “It’s too late to worry now… I’ll fix him up and we’ll convince him then. Colbar, however…”
X frowned deeply. “He needs to be dealt with. He can’t be violent every time!”
Ciel nodded. “I know… let’s go tend to Zero, though.”
The Cyber Elf shimmered, still obviously angry, but he followed after Ciel readily enough. Colbar could wait, but Zero needed to be tended to and spoken to now.
~*~
By evening Zero jolted awake, and immediately he knew he was not at home. Fear gripped him solidly as he wildly glanced around, not recognizing the Spartan bedroom he was occupying. Worse yet, his wrists were cuffed with specially crafted handcuffs meant for Reploids—it forced his arm circuits to cease functioning. Even if Zero activated his combat program for the burst of power, he would be unable to use it. Where was he?
You got stolen… again. Zero thought glumly. Idiot.
He hopped off the bed, scouring every inch of the room for a way out. The door had a knob, which Zero couldn’t open thanks to the cuffs, and he was sure it was locked anyway. No window to smash through either, and the walls were solid metal. It was definitely a prison, it had to be. Looking at the walls and ceiling, he was two black domes, and he was certain they were security cameras. He attempted to simply activate his teleport mechanism, but naturally, there was a shield. Zero was completely and utterly caged, not to mention defenseless.
That last fact brought back the fear, and the fact he was alone made it worse. Zero scrambled to the farthest corner of the room from the door, crouching in it and tried to hide in the shadows. He drew his knees up to his chest and slugged his arms over them before bowing his head. Silence, stillness, completely alone… Zero openly cried. He didn’t care if they heard or saw through their security—he never felt this hopeless, this alone, this terrified before.
Omega! Zero’s mind wailed. Please, save me… Omega…
He wasn’t sure how long he sat in that corner, sobbing and mentally calling out for Omega. He felt raw and ragged by the time the door to his prison finally opened, and when Zero glanced up, he had to blink his burning eyes several times.
Before him stood a young girl, fourteen at most and a human by the looks of it, her blond hair swept up in a high ponytail by a helmet almost more fitting for a Reploid. She smiled at him reassuringly, and a familiar little light floated near her shoulder.
Zero lost all interest in the girl when he saw the light. “X!”
The girl’s smile grew. “You know him? Wonderful, that’s wonderful! I’m Ciel… Zero, right?” he looked at her and nodded. “Zero, I want to personally apologize for how you were brought here today.”
“You… you sent them after me?” Zero scrunched further into his corner. The girl suddenly didn’t seem so harmless anymore.
“Ciel and I lead the Resistance,” X spoke up, floating toward Zero, “specifically, against Neo Arcadia. My… well, my copy has begun to malfunction, but neither of us can get close to fix him, as the Guardians of Neo Arcadia believe we’re trying to kill him.”
“What does that have to do with me…?” Zero whined, grimacing as X landed on his knee.
X fluttered. “Zero, you don’t remember right now, but you’re a very accomplished combat Reploid. You experienced that fighting Colbar and his irresponsible group earlier today. We wanted to formally ask you to help us… but Colbar did it the wrong way.”
Zero shook his head. “Even if you asked, I’d say no. I don’t fight… not anymore.”
“But, Zero, if you fought with us, we could save so many—” Ciel begun, but Zero flew to his feet, glaring at her.
“Your little Resistance and Neo Arcadia have nothing to do with us!” Zero exploded, desperation making him irrational. “We were perfectly happy with how we were! I demand to be returned!”
“We…?” Ciel glanced at the now flying X, who gave the impression of shrugging by bobbing in the air.
“His ‘keeper,’” X explained. “Someone woke him up and filled his head with nonsense.”
Zero bristled at that, turning his glare, which was starting to become teary, to the Cyber Elf. “There is no nonsense. He’s my keeper, and he takes good care of me! I was happy! Take me back home! I want to go home!”
The little ball of light seemed to huff, then it floated toward Ciel. “Ciel, could you leave the room, please? Let us talk in private?”
Ciel nodded good-naturedly, turning for the door and shutting it firmly. When her footsteps echoed away, X floated to the middle of the room, and Zero shut his eyes firmly, turning his head away when X suddenly emitted a bright colorful light. When Zero cracked open his eye, he saw not the little ball of light X usually was, but a shimmering, full-bodied Reploid clad in a shining, angelic robe, a halo of rainbow data flowing from his blue helmet.
Zero didn’t know why or how, but the serene face now smiling at him, the deep green eyes, were so shockingly and painfully familiar, tears ran down his cheeks. “X?”
“That’s right…” X floated to him, holding his hands out and resting them on Zero’s cheeks. It felt like a gentle summer breeze. “Do you remember…?”
Zero blinked several times. “I-I…” he stared at X’s shimmering, almost transparent face. “You’re so much more… familiar.”
X’s smile grew. “Oh, thank god…” he breathed before hugging Zero. Despite how it seemed like X was squeezing him, the sensation was still light, barely there, and Zero’s brow knit in confusion. “You haven’t lost your memory, it’s just locked.”
“Locked?” Zero pulled away, staring up at X with wide, glistening eyes. “My memories can be restored?”
“Yes,” X nodded, his hand petting Zero’s hair. The blond barely felt it. “You’ll remember me… everything. But, to ensure a smooth transition, we’d have to erase your current persona…”
Erase…? Forget Omega…? “N-no, we can’t do that!”
“Zero…” X’s eyes softened. “Who’s your keeper, Zero? We’ll contact him. Explain it to him. Whatever he told you is a lie, but you obviously care for him. We can give you that much.”
“A lie? He didn’t lie to me!” Zero shook his head vigorously. “No! No, he wouldn’t lie to me, he cares about me, I know he does!”
“Zero, I’m not saying he doesn’t—”
“Take me home, I want to be with him.” Zero begged. “Please, X. You said we’re best friends… then let me be happy! Let me be with him, I lo—”
“No, Zero…” X leaned close, and Zero drew back slightly. “No, whatever this ‘keeper’ has told you isn’t true. You never ‘belonged’ to someone. You weren’t always fifteen, you know.”
Zero’s lower lip trembled, thoughts running amuck in his mind. Is this why Omega was so dodgy? He was feeling guilty; he had been lying this whole time? The idea of Omega being so uncaring would not register.
“No…” Zero moaned. Despite the pain of such a thought, it made sense to explain Omega’s earlier behavior, his curtness. “No… no! No, he loves me, he…”
“No, Zero. Whoever he is, if he loved you, you’d be more than a pet.” X frowned deeply, raising a hand to Zero’s cheek. “Oh, Zero… let me unlock your memories… remember me, us…”
“U-us…? We… we were an ‘us?’” Zero swallowed.
“Not in that regard… although we… we sort of thought of it,” X blushed slightly, his smile returning. “We were too afraid, because of the war. But I miss you, Zero. I care about you… whoever this guy is, he doesn’t give a damn, but I do. Trust me, Zero…”
“I-I-I…”
X sighed, leaning closer to him. “Oh, Zero…”
When X’s transparent lips touched his, Zero froze, eyes wide. X’s eyes closed and his arms wrapped around Zero protectively, almost possessively, much like how Omega would hold him when they kissed. The coolness of X’s lips on his, the security and safety he seemed to emit from himself in waves made Zero sigh and close his own eyes, and if he could, he would have returned the embrace. There was a sense of familiarity, a part of him that longed for X like this since day one, ever since…
He barely felt it, yet when Zero registered one of X’s hands sliding up his vest, it snapped him back to reality. Why was he kissing X? He belonged to Omega, should only ever desire Omega!
“Stop it!” Zero wailed, throwing himself back against the corner. X gasped, his eyes flying open to watch Zero press himself against the wall. “I-I can’t, X! Not with you… I…”
“S-sorry…” X stammered, awkwardly lowering his arms. “I didn’t mean… Oh, no, Zero, don’t cry! I didn’t mean to do that. I’d never… Zero…”
Zero pressed his cheek against the wall, tears flowing copiously from his eyes, tiny sobs issuing from his lips. “Take me home, X. I don’t… I don’t wanna fight. I just want to live in peace with… with him…”
“I’m sorry, Zero.” X came to him again, hugged him again. And again that security, that safety, but Zero felt wary of it. “Just… just trust me, okay? I won’t force you to do anything, but trust me? Please?”
Zero stammered, and X raised a hand to wipe away his tears. X froze, eyes reflecting confusion, and he cautiously tugged Zero’s high vest collar down. “What the…?” X murmured. “A... a dog collar??”
Zero gaped, raising his hands to block it, but X was faster and he pulled Zero’s collar down further. “If lost, contact and return to… no!” X’s serenity crumbled, and Zero gasped at the sudden explosion of rage he felt come from the Cyber Elf. “No! Out of anyone in the world, Omega?! No!”
“Y-you know Omega…?” Zero whispered. X’s shimmering body was trembling, his face twisted in anger.
“Take that degrading thing off!” X cried. Zero backed further against the wall, turning his head to avoid any more contact between X and the collar. “I can’t believe it… no wonder! That sick piece of shit…”
“N-no…”
“Zero, I don’t know what he’s said about me or anything else,” X snapped, “but that… that demented bastard is definitely not your keeper! He’s a lunatic, a murderer, a—”
“Shut up!” Zero cried, and X gaped at him with wide eyes. “Omega takes care of me! He makes me happy! I’m his puppy and he’s my keeper and… and I love him!”
The look of pain and betrayal on X’s face made Zero want to take back his words, guilt washing over the blond although he didn’t know why. X’s eyes seemed to shine at the bottom edges, and he angrily swiped at his eyes.
“I-I can’t believe this,” X murmured, but he took deep breaths and calmed himself. Zero was now young, impressionable. He didn’t know better. “Zero, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have exploded like that. Omega and I… have a history. As I said, I don’t know what he’s said about me, but anything he has to say is a lie. I care about you… really care.”
Zero fell to the ground, pressing up against the wall. “I don’t know,” he wailed. “I just don’t know. I feel like I know you, but I can’t betray Omega! Take me home… take me back to Omega!”
X swallowed, but he shook his head. “I can’t, in good conscious, willingly give you back to that devil. Trust in me, Zero, and I will take care of you.”
Zero shook his head, crying again, and he shoved at X when the Cyber Elf tried to come close. X sighed heavily, winking out of the room. The blond would need time, but he’ll settle down, listen to reason, and allow restoration of his former self. At least, X hoped.
~*~
Omega didn’t know what fear was. He never felt the emotion before, as nothing in the known universe frightened him. He could kill anything or anyone, could take whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. He was fearless—he was the God of Destruction after all.
Thus when Omega realized someone had broken into his human home, trashed his place and taken his most prized possession, Omega’s first reaction was pure, unbridled rage. He had only ever been this angry when he was exiled by X and Zero, and now his vision was going red from the same degree of hatred and fury finding his Zero gone. Who would dare…?
It wasn’t Weil. Omega was with the old man the entire day, and if he had caught Zero in Omega’s stolen home, he would have gloated or exploded. None of the Neo Arcadian military came with reports of another Zero, so Copy X and his little minions were out. The only people who knew Zero existed were Weil, Omega himself, Copy X, and the Resistance.
Omega heard a spark nearby, and upon entering his trashed living room, he saw the severed arm sparking on the floor, still clutching its gun. Picking it up, Omega recognized the saber wound immediately; most fighters in today’s age were not skilled enough to wield sabers. In truth, the only person outside of himself that he knew had any sort of skill was Harpuia.
Zero had fought back.
A bit of pride swelled beyond the anger, but it was quickly swallowed down when Omega recognized the green cuff of the Resistance uniform. It was them—that bitch Ciel found out, somehow, Zero was awaken and here. How the hell could a human find Zero?
No. A human couldn’t. Someone attuned to Zero’s specialized wave emission.
X.
Omega roared, crushing the arm in two. Original X was alive, he had to be, and he stole Zero from him.
Neo Arcadia had been attacking the Resistance right at their base for the past month, and although he had not cared at the time, Omega still remembered hearing the thereabouts location of it. If he had to rip the doors off their hinges and kill ever Reploid and human in that complex to get Zero back, he would.
Even if he didn’t have to, he just might anyway.
Omega teleported out to the desert, where one entry to the Resistance base was reported. He would get his puppy back, and teach those unruly bastards to never mess with Omega’s pack.
The moment Omega materialized he leapt into action, hand outstretched and grasping the first sentry by the head. The man yelped just before Omega crushed his head in his hand, his other hand drawing his saber and slicing the other sentry in half before he could get over his shock. Before either body hit the ground Omega was on the move, diving deeper into the Resistance base.
By his fourth victim the sirens were blaring, non-combat Reploids scrambling to get away from him. These Omega let go, focusing mostly on those that dared to fire at him. Most gaped at him, as if surprised he would be tearing people apart, and it only cemented Omega’s worry: Zero was here.
Omega drew an Arcadian issued buster pistol from a hostler at his thigh, firing in a quick succession. Those foolish enough not to duck for cover lost their heads or their energy cores, and through the sprays of their blood Omega dashed and swung his saber at those behind barricades. One woman wailed before Omega cut her down, her face still shocked and afraid, mouth open in a scream as he stepped over her.
The blond found himself in the center of the base when the Resistance finally got their act together. Omega casually glanced down each hallway attached to the room he paused in, watching in amusement as they filled with armed soldiers. Before he knew it, Omega was surrounded except for the way he came; their guns leveled squarely at all supposed weak spots. Their pathetic leader, Ciel, was even among them, armed with a plasma rifle.
A blue light blinked into existence before him, and Omega lost his humor the moment he recognized X.
The shimmering form of his enemy stepped forward, a finger pointed at him. “Omega, the abomination,” X sneered. “I guess if you’re here, Weil and his army of mindless hounds are as well?”
“I’m here alone,” Omega snarled. “And I only want one thing. Return to me which is mine, and I won’t kill anyone else.”
X’s face hardened in a mask of fury. “I don’t think so,” he hissed. “You can’t hurt him anymore!”
Omega’s eyes narrowed, his shoulders tensing, the well-defined muscles rolling beneath his skin-tight undersuit. “I thought you were better than this, X,” Omega scoffed, “stealing an innocent boy from his home.”
“Anywhere near you is hell!” the soldiers tensed at X’s tone.
Omega growled, a low, rumbling sound akin to an angry wolf. “He’s mine,” Omega rumbled. “I claimed him, I own him!”
X’s glare was intense, the entire room filled with the smell of fear and a nearly tangible tension. Who would snap first—Omega, or X and his soldiers—was entirely up to fate.
~*~
Zero whined as he struggled, planting his foot on the chain of the cuffs and jerking his upper body up; if he could just dent one of the links, he could force a kink, and eventually the link would snap. Once the cuffs were no longer connected, their systems would fail, and mobility to his arms would be restored. But he wasn’t physically strong enough—no matter how much he tried, Zero could not budge the cuffs.
He wailed in despair and fell back onto the floor, his lower lip trembling. How was he going to get out of this?
Zero winced, turning towards the door as it slowly opened. It wasn’t X or Ciel, as he was expecting, but a small, very young Reploid girl, clutching a stuffed cat toy in her arms. Her eyes were wide with fright, but she boldly stepped into his cell.
“You…” she whispered, her voice shaking. “You’re the one, that the big red man came for.”
Big red…? “What do you mean?” Zero asked, rising to his feet. He dared let hope flutter his heart.
The little girl came up to him, her fear turning into a glare. “If I let you go, will you go to him and make him go away, before he hurts Sis and Brother?”
Chance! “Yes!” Zero nodded vigorously. “I’ll make him go away!”
The little girl stuck her tiny hand into the toy’s mouth, pulling out a tiny key. She began to fiddle with the cuffs, her own hands shaking horribly.
She was so young; Zero couldn’t clump her in with the rest of the Resistance brutes. “My name is Zero,” he said shyly, “and I won’t hurt you, or let Omega hurt you… thank you.”
The girl looked up at him. “I’m Alouette,” she said. “Ciel takes care of me. Brother X says you shouldn’t go with the evil red man, but if it’ll save him and Sis, no offense, but I’d rather the red man take you.”
“That’s okay,” Zero smiled, the first since being kidnapped. “I want to go with him. He isn’t evil at all.”
The cuffs fell away, and immediately Zero felt his arms again. He flexed them, stretching them above his head as Alouette again dug through her stuffed cat. From it she produced the white saber handle, the one Zero used to fight against Colbar and his team.
Zero’s smile grew. “Thank you, Alouette,” he whispered, taking the weapon from her.
“If you take a left and go straight for three hallways, you’ll run into where Brother X and Sis said they’ll detain the evil red man,” Alouette said. “Hurry and get him out of here, before he hurts more of my friends.”
“I will. Thank you.” He bent down, kissing the top of her head before dashing out of the room.
Alouette hugged her cat to her chest, praying she did the right thing.
~*~
“This is ridiculous, X,” Omega said, his eyes never leaving the shimmering form of his enemy. “Is one boy worth the many lives I’ll take down before you can even scratch me?”
X’s left eye ticked. “The world will suffer if Weil commands both you and Zero.”
“Weil has nothing to do with my ownership over him,” Omega snapped, and X was caught temporarily by surprise. “The moment I can, I’ll rip his head off his shoulders myself. Your stupid war, your pathetic attempts to save the world, has nothing to do with me and my puppy.”
“I cannot let you—”
“Omega!”
X whirled around as Zero burst through the line of soldiers. “Stop him!”
Soldiers grabbed Zero, who wailed as his flight to the safety of his keeper was brought to a halt. Four soldiers pinned him on his chest to the ground, cheek against the floor. Zero whined pathetically, and it made Omega’s blood boil.
Anger flashed in him, and Omega pointed the pistol, firing off a shot. Ciel screeched in pain as the plasma bullet went cleanly through her thigh, dropping her rifle as she fell to the floor. Omega kept the pistol leveled with her head as she dropped to her knees, despite the Reploids blocking his view of her.
“I’ll make this easy on you, X!” Omega snapped. “You know very well these pistols from Neo Arcadia, when set to max, are meant to cleanly cut through at least two golems. You don’t have enough soldiers to make two golems’ worth—release Zero and let us go, or I’ll kill your little human. If you still refuse after that, I’ll simply kill everyone present, detain your data and give you to Weil.”
X gaped at him. “Isn’t that your mission, you bastard? Hunt the Resistance down as per Weil’s orders?”
Omega snarled. “Like I said, Weil has nothing to do with this. Give back my Zero.”
Ciel quietly sobbed in pain, blood pooling around her as she desperately tried to slow the bleeding of her leg with her hands. Zero shivered, not used to this cold, bloodthirsty version of his beloved Omega, and all the more afraid, but also all the more determined to be returned.
“Do what he says, X!” Zero called. X turned to him, betrayal all over his face. “I’m not worth Ciel’s life… I’m not worth anyone’s!”
“Zero—”
“Please, X,” Zero begged, trying to look at him despite his painful pinning. “You told me to trust you… I do! I trust you to make the right choice… Omega can, and will, kill everyone! It’s not worth it!”
It sounded so much like something the real Zero would say, and it made tears come to X’s eyes. How could he give his best friend, his first love, over to the heartless bastard? “Zero, I…”
Zero struggled against his captors. “X, please.”
Omega snorted. “You have five seconds, X, or I’m pulling the trigger. Five. Four. Three. Two.”
X clenched his eyes closed and waved his hand. “Let Zero go!” when the soldiers didn’t move, X turned to them, eyes open and spilling tears, screaming, “Let him the hell go!”
Shock made the soldiers’ grip lax, and Zero scrambled out from their hold. Omega extended an arm to Zero, and the smaller blond flew to him, wrapping his arms around Omega’s torso and pressing his head to the taller Reploid’s chest. Omega’s free hand pressed against Zero’s head.
“Lift the teleportation barrier,” Omega commanded.
“It’s lifted,” X rasped. His anger, his hate returned and he glared. “This isn’t over, Omega. I’ll make Zero remember, he’ll know the truth!”
Omega sneered. “Like hell,” despite his inner demon wanting to go back on his word, to pull the trigger and end the stupid girl’s life, Omega bent his arm and pointed the pistol to the ceiling. He got what he wanted, and killing Ciel would only help Weil.
“X…” Zero whispered, watching the man who claimed to be his best friend stare at him, tears streaking down his face like falling crystals. “X, thank yo—”
Omega teleported them both out, and X fell to the ground. He raised his palms to his face, sobbing into them for a few seconds before his body melted away to the little ball of light he usually was.
“Get Ciel to the medical bay,” X mumbled, floating miserably inches off the ground. “Salvage all we can.”
The soldiers glumly did as they were told, and X remained in the room long after it emptied.
~*~
Omega carefully scrubbed Zero’s cheek, washing away the little bit of dirt there. Zero kept his eyes averted, accepting the somewhat rough washing, unable to stop wincing each time Omega’s washcloth brushed the scrap on his cheek. Omega dipped the cloth in the warm bathwater, bringing it up to Zero’s other cheek.
Silence stretched, Zero sitting quietly in the bath and Omega washing him by hand. He kept one hand braced against Zero’s back, the other constantly washing him, dipping into the water, then repeating. Zero wanted to think Omega wanted to keep both hands on him to reassure himself that Zero was back in his care, but the smaller blond wasn’t sure if that was the truth. For all he knew, Omega was simmering in anger and, possibly, hatred for the fact Zero got himself stolen.
Zero blinked several times, fighting tears as Omega rubbed his chest vigorously with the washcloth. Although only his face and hair were dirtied, Omega was silently adamant in fully bathing Zero down, despite his own somewhat grimy appearance.
He wanted to ask Omega about what X talked about, who Weil was, about what was going on. But Zero was afraid of the answers, afraid of what Omega could say… and would he even know if Omega lied or not? A part of him, the cowardly part, told Zero to forget it and go back to being blissfully ignorant, and be thankful to have someone like Omega care for him. And yet… yet…
By the time Omega was done washing him, the water was only slightly brown, and Zero never felt cleaner in his life. Omega flung the washcloth into the bathroom sink as he rose off the floor, grabbing a towel and indicating at Zero, who slowly rose from the water and out of the tub. Omega draped the oversized towel over Zero’s head, rubbing his scalp roughly to towel-dry the top. Zero bore it with no argument, not even a whine or whimper, and eventually Omega let it drop from his head. Zero tucked the towel around his body, the edges of it sweeping to his ankles like a giant shawl, the tail of his hair still dripping onto the floor.
Finally Omega broke the silence. “Your clothes and armor are still washing. Go pick something out of the closet, I don’t care if it’s yours or mine.”
He sounded dismissive, and Zero could no longer hold back his emotions. He ran to Omega, pressing his face against Omega’s chest as his hands clutched at his vest, keeping the towel around him.
“I’m sorry,” Zero whispered, “that I got caught, that I couldn’t do anything, that you had to come save me. I’m sorry… please don’t… please don’t hate me.”
“If I hated you, puppy, I wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble to get you back.”
Zero closed his eyes tightly, pressing further against Omega. “Hold me,” he begged. “I… I…”
Wordlessly, Omega wrapped both arms around Zero, and the moment it registered that Omega listened, the smaller blond collapsed into tears, leaning against his keeper for support. As his knees failed him, Omega tightened his hold, raising one hand to press against the back of Zero’s head.
“That’s enough, puppy,” Omega said, strange gentleness in his voice. “You knew I’d come get you. You knew I wouldn’t leave you. You knew, didn’t you, deep down?”
Zero thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. He knew, while he sat in that room he was locked in. Deep down, the more confidant part of him told him Omega would come soon, that he wouldn’t be there long. He should have listened to it, had more faith in his keeper.
“Thank you,” Zero whispered as he clung to Omega.
“For what? I’d be a terrible keeper if I abandoned you.”
“For keeping me,” the smaller blond glanced up, noticing the odd look on Omega’s face. “For… putting up with me. I know I can be… I can be annoying, and someone like you could find someone else easily, but you kept me and…”
Omega’s arms fell away from Zero, his hands coming up to frame the smaller blond’s cheeks in his palms. He leaned down, pressing their foreheads together and looked intently into Zero’s dark eyes.
Zero knew tears were glistening in his eyes at the look Omega was giving him. “I love you,” he whispered, dropping the towel from his body
to wrap his arms around Omega’s neck. “Omega, I love you, I love you…”
“Yeah. I know,” Omega murmured before his lips dropped to Zero’s in an explicitly soft kiss.
Zero kissed him back almost zealously. It didn’t matter what the past was… it was just that—the past. He had now, the future, to worry about, and all that truly mattered was him and Omega and their now.
We were good friends, X, and I’m sorry we aren’t anymore. But I’m happy now… Omega is my happiness. Please understand that.
Omega pulled from the kiss and held Zero close. Even if Zero was just an ass to fuck, or a maid for his house, there was that attachment Omega couldn’t deny—his actions today proved it to himself. Zero was his, only his, and not a damn thing would change that. No one stole from Omega, no one ruined his pack… and that included this little blond-haired boy who used to be his enemy, who now loved him.
Omega fought off the urge to scoff at the thought, but instead focused on the assurance of Zero back at his side, where he now belonged. Omega claimed him, owned him… he didn’t have to love Zero to want to keep him. But if Zero wanted to love him, if it kept Zero to his side, then let Zero love him.
He could grow to like it, who knows.
<---Previous Chapter Next Chapter --->
The smaller blond moaned a protest, rolling away from the voice and pulling the sheets higher up over his head. The sheet was ripped away, causing Zero’s eyes to fly open and he jerked up, covering his nakedness with his arms the best he could.
“Omegaaaaaaaaaa…” Zero whined, squinting at the morning light filling the bedroom. His eyes watered slightly and he rubbed at them, looking to the side of the bed where Omega stood, clothed and arms crossed.
“I’d figure,” Omega started, “you’d want to say bye to me before I went to work.”
“Oh!” Zero scrambled out of bed, nearly falling on his face as he tumbled out of it. He threw his arms around Omega’s waist, hugging him tightly. “Will you come home early, since you went yesterday?”
Omega patted Zero’s head. “I doubt it, puppy, but I also figured you’d want a rest from last night, so no toy today, hm?”
Zero blushed, his eyes falling to the nearby nightstand where the horrible contraption laid. “Thank you.” He stepped back from Omega, pulling some of his hair over his shoulder to shield his body shyly. “I…”
“You’ll be good, yes?” Omega said, speaking quickly. His tone made Zero look up at him, brow knitted.
“Always. But, uhm…” his blush intensified. This was a normal thing, wasn’t it, to feel like this when trying to say… “I wanted to tell you…”
“Tell me later.”
“B-but…”
Omega shook his head. “Later. Do me a favor though, today. In the attic is the weapon storage. There’s an old saber there—give it a clean, hm? I’m going.”
Omega was never this tart about leaving for the day, and Zero wondered if he did something wrong. “O-Omega…”
“Good-bye, puppy.” The taller blond awkwardly waved at him, and Zero took a step forward.
“Wait, Omega…!” Zero reached out, but his keeper teleported away, and his hand went through the afterimage. Tears gathered in Zero’s eyes as he pulled his hand back to his chest. “O-Omega…”
Zero sniffled, rubbing his eyes with the back of one hand as he shuffled his feet to a closet. Omega had brought home various outfits for him, and Zero initially reached for a casual shirt and pants, but at the last second his hand snatched the duplicated ensemble of his usual armor. He wasn’t sure why, but he had a feeling he was going to need the protection.
“Well,” Zero muttered to himself as he picked up his undersuit, slipping into it and zipping it up. “You are about to go handle weaponry…”
It wasn’t the first time Omega had tasked him with cleaning weapons. Zero wasn’t sure what Omega did for a living, but it involved fighting, and gruesome fighting at that. Zero had to clean off blood and coolant off Omega’s saber, and rub out the scorches from his pistols more often than he cared for. He had yet to mishandle any of the dangerous items, but if this saber was a model different from Omega’s, who knew what would happen. Zero was just being careful; nothing could possibly happen today.
Why was he so dodgy? Zero’s mind asked as he climbed into the attic, going for the sealed metal door and inputting Omega’s usual pass code. He said I did good last night…
Maybe it wasn’t an action. Zero glanced around the rather empty weaponry, moving toward an elongated box propped up on a table; flicking it open revealed the saber he was seeking, and it didn’t look too different from Omega’s own.
Zero glanced around, as if expecting his keeper to suddenly appear. He cleaned Omega’s weapons, yes, but he never really got to see or mess with one… A little messing around would cheer Zero’s rapidly depressing mind anyway.
He picked up the saber carefully, twirling it in his hand before grasping it firmly. Something felt familiar, felt right, having the saber in his hand. Sure he was holding it correctly, Zero flicked the weapon on; the large, triangular green blade materialized cleanly and smoothly, almost glittering with fresh power. It hadn’t been used in a long while, Zero noticed.
I could use this, Zero suddenly thought as he swung the weapon. Although awkward at first, the sizzle of the air as the blade cut through sounded right and familiar. The lightweight weapon was becoming an extension of himself…
I know how to use this.
The shock hit Zero like a ton of unrefined titanium. He knew how to use a beam saber; at least, he thought he knew. It was definitely familiar, maybe one of the memories that were erased? It would be strange if someone like Omega kept a weak person…
Then why won’t he teach me again?
Maybe he’s afraid Zero would be stolen again? Rationalizing every possible argument, Zero deactivated the weapon and fell onto the floor on his butt, staring at the handle as he thought. He knew how to fight, at least somewhat, at one point. Maybe that’s what got him stolen in the first place, and why Omega hadn’t started to teach him.
Thinking of Omega brought back the morning to Zero, and he frowned at the saber handle. Omega was very curt today, short and interruptive. Normally he didn’t care if Zero rambled or said things, but he apparently did not want to listen to his voice today. Each time he…
Zero nearly dropped the saber, eyes widening. Omega only cut him short when Zero tried to confess just how he truly felt. Did Omega already know? And if so, if he didn’t want to hear Zero say it, did that mean… Did Omega not feel the same? Did he not want there to be love in their strange but content relationship? Did he not care in the ways Zero thought?
That thought brought angry tears to Zero’s eyes. Omega had to care—Zero was not a whore. He didn’t spread his legs for Omega just because he liked to, he did it because he loved his keeper and his keeper…
… was just a keeper, nothing more?
Zero was on the verge of breaking down from the thought when he heard pounding on the front door below him. His entire body froze and he stopped breathing; Omega never used the front door, and no one ever came to the house. Who could it be?
The hand not holding the saber clapped over his mouth to muffle his worried cry as he heard the door get kicked down, and several heavy footsteps entered his home. Thieves! It had to be the thieves! They’ve found him!
Omega…
Zero’s eyes suddenly narrowed as he got to his feet. No, Omega was gone. If he didn’t want to get stolen, he had to care for himself, and prove to Omega he was worth keeping, worth caring about! Just like a cub had to prove itself to the alpha wolf, Zero had to prove himself to Omega.
Kicking the thieves out of their home would do nicely.
~*~
“There’s no one here,” a soldier grunted, looking at Colbar. “Sure we at the right place?”
“Our esteemed leader was certain,” Colbar grumbled.
“He also said we needed to be careful and patient, that Zero’s general programming is running, not his normal one,” one of the females of the group said. “But you just kicked down his damn door.”
Colbar turned to her, scowling, “We nab the brat and take him back to the base. Who cares if his delicate ‘general’ programming gets traumatized, we’re here for his regular one! Split up, groups of two, search the place.”
The female that spoke frowned. “We’re not here to—”
“Let’s get in and get out,” Colbar yelled, “Before we’re caught!”
The group of six split off into three groups of two and began a thorough search of the house, keeping up with each other via their radios. Although the house wasn’t particularly large, it had many rooms and hidden areas for their quarry to hide. X had asked them to approach Zero carefully and cautiously with patience and kindness, yet Colbar, who hated the thought of having to rely on some mysterious Reploid, could have cared less. Get in and get out, that’s all he wanted. The house was barely on the skirts of Neo Arcadia, and was far too close to the enemy home base for comfort.
Unknown to the group, Zero perched himself in the exposed rafters of the living room, watching groups walk slowly under him. Nervousness and fear ate at him, gnawing at his gut, but he could not let these people just rifle through his and Omega’s home and get away with it.
He looked at the saber in his hand. You’re a combat model, he told himself. Let your combat programming deal with these.
Zero closed his eyes, searching his internal hard drive for that very program. Knowing what he was seeking, it was easy to locate; to his own despair, his combat programming was on default set to off. He gripped the saber handle and turned the program on.
Power surged through his body, strange power he never felt, and it made Zero gasp. A group below him heard the noise and glanced up, guns raised.
Zero dropped down on them, landing on one and slashing at the other with the activated saber. His weapon sliced the hand holding the gun as he kicked the one he landed on in the head, knocking the Reploid unconscious as the other charged at him. The gun and hand fell to the ground, sparking dangerously on the carpet.
Zero let the program take over fully, and his body swung into action smoothly. He spun out of harm’s way and lashed out with the saber in a wide circle, catching the man in the back. The intruder howled as his spinal cord was severed and he fell to the ground, unable to move. Deep down, Zero was glad the man was a Reploid—he could survive the damage.
The man’s screams brought the other four into the room, but they filtered in one by one. Zero’s programming used this to his advantage, gutting the first one to come in and smashing his fist into the second’s face. The third and fourth, a female soldier and Colbar, entered at the same time and leveled their guns at Zero, who raised his saber up menacingly.
“Come with us,” Colbar ordered. “Quietly.”
“Make me,” Zero growled, dashing right at Colbar.
Colbar nearly squealed, his eyes widening as he could barely see how fast Zero was moving. He backed up several steps, throwing his hands up just as the flickering tip of the saber rushed to his face.
Zero suddenly fell to the ground at Colbar’s feet, and the cowardly squad leader slowly lowered his eyes and opened his eyes. The woman Zero had landed one earlier and thought he knocked out was brandishing a metal rod, and when Colbar glanced down, he saw the back of Zero’s helmet was cracked.
“Thank god,” Colbar breathed. “Let’s get him and go.”
Colbar assisted his crippled teammates as the two women heaved Zero up by his arms, dragging him out as they evacuated the building before authorities could come investigate the screams. Get in and get out, Colbar said. They didn’t expect to be dealt such serious injuries, especially from such a kid-looking Reploid.
Reaching their portal Trans Server, Colbar glared at the prone form of Zero. Legendary Reploid, huh? So who’s the guy at Neo Arcadia who claimed to be Zero?
At the base, scientist Ciel and the shimmering form of X were waiting at the Trance room. The moment the team materialized, instead of the happy congratulations and praise Colbar expected, X exclaimed indignantly and Ciel gave out a despaired cry.
“What have you done?” X cried as he seemed to float to them. “I told you to convince him to join us, not beat him to a pulp!”
“He attacked us,” Colbar growled, jerking his chin to the Reploid Zero had crippled with a strike to the spine. “We had to defend ourselves.”
“You obviously scared him!”
“We did no such thing!”
“Enough,” Ciel said gently, both men glancing at her. “Let’s get him to the lab. I’ll check him over, Master X.”
X openly scowled at Colbar, but nodded and floated aside. The females dragged Zero toward the lift, and Colbar hobbled away to the medical bay with his comrades.
Once alone with her, X turned to Ciel, worry in his eyes. “I should have gone…”
Ciel shook her head slightly. “It’s too late to worry now… I’ll fix him up and we’ll convince him then. Colbar, however…”
X frowned deeply. “He needs to be dealt with. He can’t be violent every time!”
Ciel nodded. “I know… let’s go tend to Zero, though.”
The Cyber Elf shimmered, still obviously angry, but he followed after Ciel readily enough. Colbar could wait, but Zero needed to be tended to and spoken to now.
~*~
By evening Zero jolted awake, and immediately he knew he was not at home. Fear gripped him solidly as he wildly glanced around, not recognizing the Spartan bedroom he was occupying. Worse yet, his wrists were cuffed with specially crafted handcuffs meant for Reploids—it forced his arm circuits to cease functioning. Even if Zero activated his combat program for the burst of power, he would be unable to use it. Where was he?
You got stolen… again. Zero thought glumly. Idiot.
He hopped off the bed, scouring every inch of the room for a way out. The door had a knob, which Zero couldn’t open thanks to the cuffs, and he was sure it was locked anyway. No window to smash through either, and the walls were solid metal. It was definitely a prison, it had to be. Looking at the walls and ceiling, he was two black domes, and he was certain they were security cameras. He attempted to simply activate his teleport mechanism, but naturally, there was a shield. Zero was completely and utterly caged, not to mention defenseless.
That last fact brought back the fear, and the fact he was alone made it worse. Zero scrambled to the farthest corner of the room from the door, crouching in it and tried to hide in the shadows. He drew his knees up to his chest and slugged his arms over them before bowing his head. Silence, stillness, completely alone… Zero openly cried. He didn’t care if they heard or saw through their security—he never felt this hopeless, this alone, this terrified before.
Omega! Zero’s mind wailed. Please, save me… Omega…
He wasn’t sure how long he sat in that corner, sobbing and mentally calling out for Omega. He felt raw and ragged by the time the door to his prison finally opened, and when Zero glanced up, he had to blink his burning eyes several times.
Before him stood a young girl, fourteen at most and a human by the looks of it, her blond hair swept up in a high ponytail by a helmet almost more fitting for a Reploid. She smiled at him reassuringly, and a familiar little light floated near her shoulder.
Zero lost all interest in the girl when he saw the light. “X!”
The girl’s smile grew. “You know him? Wonderful, that’s wonderful! I’m Ciel… Zero, right?” he looked at her and nodded. “Zero, I want to personally apologize for how you were brought here today.”
“You… you sent them after me?” Zero scrunched further into his corner. The girl suddenly didn’t seem so harmless anymore.
“Ciel and I lead the Resistance,” X spoke up, floating toward Zero, “specifically, against Neo Arcadia. My… well, my copy has begun to malfunction, but neither of us can get close to fix him, as the Guardians of Neo Arcadia believe we’re trying to kill him.”
“What does that have to do with me…?” Zero whined, grimacing as X landed on his knee.
X fluttered. “Zero, you don’t remember right now, but you’re a very accomplished combat Reploid. You experienced that fighting Colbar and his irresponsible group earlier today. We wanted to formally ask you to help us… but Colbar did it the wrong way.”
Zero shook his head. “Even if you asked, I’d say no. I don’t fight… not anymore.”
“But, Zero, if you fought with us, we could save so many—” Ciel begun, but Zero flew to his feet, glaring at her.
“Your little Resistance and Neo Arcadia have nothing to do with us!” Zero exploded, desperation making him irrational. “We were perfectly happy with how we were! I demand to be returned!”
“We…?” Ciel glanced at the now flying X, who gave the impression of shrugging by bobbing in the air.
“His ‘keeper,’” X explained. “Someone woke him up and filled his head with nonsense.”
Zero bristled at that, turning his glare, which was starting to become teary, to the Cyber Elf. “There is no nonsense. He’s my keeper, and he takes good care of me! I was happy! Take me back home! I want to go home!”
The little ball of light seemed to huff, then it floated toward Ciel. “Ciel, could you leave the room, please? Let us talk in private?”
Ciel nodded good-naturedly, turning for the door and shutting it firmly. When her footsteps echoed away, X floated to the middle of the room, and Zero shut his eyes firmly, turning his head away when X suddenly emitted a bright colorful light. When Zero cracked open his eye, he saw not the little ball of light X usually was, but a shimmering, full-bodied Reploid clad in a shining, angelic robe, a halo of rainbow data flowing from his blue helmet.
Zero didn’t know why or how, but the serene face now smiling at him, the deep green eyes, were so shockingly and painfully familiar, tears ran down his cheeks. “X?”
“That’s right…” X floated to him, holding his hands out and resting them on Zero’s cheeks. It felt like a gentle summer breeze. “Do you remember…?”
Zero blinked several times. “I-I…” he stared at X’s shimmering, almost transparent face. “You’re so much more… familiar.”
X’s smile grew. “Oh, thank god…” he breathed before hugging Zero. Despite how it seemed like X was squeezing him, the sensation was still light, barely there, and Zero’s brow knit in confusion. “You haven’t lost your memory, it’s just locked.”
“Locked?” Zero pulled away, staring up at X with wide, glistening eyes. “My memories can be restored?”
“Yes,” X nodded, his hand petting Zero’s hair. The blond barely felt it. “You’ll remember me… everything. But, to ensure a smooth transition, we’d have to erase your current persona…”
Erase…? Forget Omega…? “N-no, we can’t do that!”
“Zero…” X’s eyes softened. “Who’s your keeper, Zero? We’ll contact him. Explain it to him. Whatever he told you is a lie, but you obviously care for him. We can give you that much.”
“A lie? He didn’t lie to me!” Zero shook his head vigorously. “No! No, he wouldn’t lie to me, he cares about me, I know he does!”
“Zero, I’m not saying he doesn’t—”
“Take me home, I want to be with him.” Zero begged. “Please, X. You said we’re best friends… then let me be happy! Let me be with him, I lo—”
“No, Zero…” X leaned close, and Zero drew back slightly. “No, whatever this ‘keeper’ has told you isn’t true. You never ‘belonged’ to someone. You weren’t always fifteen, you know.”
Zero’s lower lip trembled, thoughts running amuck in his mind. Is this why Omega was so dodgy? He was feeling guilty; he had been lying this whole time? The idea of Omega being so uncaring would not register.
“No…” Zero moaned. Despite the pain of such a thought, it made sense to explain Omega’s earlier behavior, his curtness. “No… no! No, he loves me, he…”
“No, Zero. Whoever he is, if he loved you, you’d be more than a pet.” X frowned deeply, raising a hand to Zero’s cheek. “Oh, Zero… let me unlock your memories… remember me, us…”
“U-us…? We… we were an ‘us?’” Zero swallowed.
“Not in that regard… although we… we sort of thought of it,” X blushed slightly, his smile returning. “We were too afraid, because of the war. But I miss you, Zero. I care about you… whoever this guy is, he doesn’t give a damn, but I do. Trust me, Zero…”
“I-I-I…”
X sighed, leaning closer to him. “Oh, Zero…”
When X’s transparent lips touched his, Zero froze, eyes wide. X’s eyes closed and his arms wrapped around Zero protectively, almost possessively, much like how Omega would hold him when they kissed. The coolness of X’s lips on his, the security and safety he seemed to emit from himself in waves made Zero sigh and close his own eyes, and if he could, he would have returned the embrace. There was a sense of familiarity, a part of him that longed for X like this since day one, ever since…
He barely felt it, yet when Zero registered one of X’s hands sliding up his vest, it snapped him back to reality. Why was he kissing X? He belonged to Omega, should only ever desire Omega!
“Stop it!” Zero wailed, throwing himself back against the corner. X gasped, his eyes flying open to watch Zero press himself against the wall. “I-I can’t, X! Not with you… I…”
“S-sorry…” X stammered, awkwardly lowering his arms. “I didn’t mean… Oh, no, Zero, don’t cry! I didn’t mean to do that. I’d never… Zero…”
Zero pressed his cheek against the wall, tears flowing copiously from his eyes, tiny sobs issuing from his lips. “Take me home, X. I don’t… I don’t wanna fight. I just want to live in peace with… with him…”
“I’m sorry, Zero.” X came to him again, hugged him again. And again that security, that safety, but Zero felt wary of it. “Just… just trust me, okay? I won’t force you to do anything, but trust me? Please?”
Zero stammered, and X raised a hand to wipe away his tears. X froze, eyes reflecting confusion, and he cautiously tugged Zero’s high vest collar down. “What the…?” X murmured. “A... a dog collar??”
Zero gaped, raising his hands to block it, but X was faster and he pulled Zero’s collar down further. “If lost, contact and return to… no!” X’s serenity crumbled, and Zero gasped at the sudden explosion of rage he felt come from the Cyber Elf. “No! Out of anyone in the world, Omega?! No!”
“Y-you know Omega…?” Zero whispered. X’s shimmering body was trembling, his face twisted in anger.
“Take that degrading thing off!” X cried. Zero backed further against the wall, turning his head to avoid any more contact between X and the collar. “I can’t believe it… no wonder! That sick piece of shit…”
“N-no…”
“Zero, I don’t know what he’s said about me or anything else,” X snapped, “but that… that demented bastard is definitely not your keeper! He’s a lunatic, a murderer, a—”
“Shut up!” Zero cried, and X gaped at him with wide eyes. “Omega takes care of me! He makes me happy! I’m his puppy and he’s my keeper and… and I love him!”
The look of pain and betrayal on X’s face made Zero want to take back his words, guilt washing over the blond although he didn’t know why. X’s eyes seemed to shine at the bottom edges, and he angrily swiped at his eyes.
“I-I can’t believe this,” X murmured, but he took deep breaths and calmed himself. Zero was now young, impressionable. He didn’t know better. “Zero, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have exploded like that. Omega and I… have a history. As I said, I don’t know what he’s said about me, but anything he has to say is a lie. I care about you… really care.”
Zero fell to the ground, pressing up against the wall. “I don’t know,” he wailed. “I just don’t know. I feel like I know you, but I can’t betray Omega! Take me home… take me back to Omega!”
X swallowed, but he shook his head. “I can’t, in good conscious, willingly give you back to that devil. Trust in me, Zero, and I will take care of you.”
Zero shook his head, crying again, and he shoved at X when the Cyber Elf tried to come close. X sighed heavily, winking out of the room. The blond would need time, but he’ll settle down, listen to reason, and allow restoration of his former self. At least, X hoped.
~*~
Omega didn’t know what fear was. He never felt the emotion before, as nothing in the known universe frightened him. He could kill anything or anyone, could take whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. He was fearless—he was the God of Destruction after all.
Thus when Omega realized someone had broken into his human home, trashed his place and taken his most prized possession, Omega’s first reaction was pure, unbridled rage. He had only ever been this angry when he was exiled by X and Zero, and now his vision was going red from the same degree of hatred and fury finding his Zero gone. Who would dare…?
It wasn’t Weil. Omega was with the old man the entire day, and if he had caught Zero in Omega’s stolen home, he would have gloated or exploded. None of the Neo Arcadian military came with reports of another Zero, so Copy X and his little minions were out. The only people who knew Zero existed were Weil, Omega himself, Copy X, and the Resistance.
Omega heard a spark nearby, and upon entering his trashed living room, he saw the severed arm sparking on the floor, still clutching its gun. Picking it up, Omega recognized the saber wound immediately; most fighters in today’s age were not skilled enough to wield sabers. In truth, the only person outside of himself that he knew had any sort of skill was Harpuia.
Zero had fought back.
A bit of pride swelled beyond the anger, but it was quickly swallowed down when Omega recognized the green cuff of the Resistance uniform. It was them—that bitch Ciel found out, somehow, Zero was awaken and here. How the hell could a human find Zero?
No. A human couldn’t. Someone attuned to Zero’s specialized wave emission.
X.
Omega roared, crushing the arm in two. Original X was alive, he had to be, and he stole Zero from him.
Neo Arcadia had been attacking the Resistance right at their base for the past month, and although he had not cared at the time, Omega still remembered hearing the thereabouts location of it. If he had to rip the doors off their hinges and kill ever Reploid and human in that complex to get Zero back, he would.
Even if he didn’t have to, he just might anyway.
Omega teleported out to the desert, where one entry to the Resistance base was reported. He would get his puppy back, and teach those unruly bastards to never mess with Omega’s pack.
The moment Omega materialized he leapt into action, hand outstretched and grasping the first sentry by the head. The man yelped just before Omega crushed his head in his hand, his other hand drawing his saber and slicing the other sentry in half before he could get over his shock. Before either body hit the ground Omega was on the move, diving deeper into the Resistance base.
By his fourth victim the sirens were blaring, non-combat Reploids scrambling to get away from him. These Omega let go, focusing mostly on those that dared to fire at him. Most gaped at him, as if surprised he would be tearing people apart, and it only cemented Omega’s worry: Zero was here.
Omega drew an Arcadian issued buster pistol from a hostler at his thigh, firing in a quick succession. Those foolish enough not to duck for cover lost their heads or their energy cores, and through the sprays of their blood Omega dashed and swung his saber at those behind barricades. One woman wailed before Omega cut her down, her face still shocked and afraid, mouth open in a scream as he stepped over her.
The blond found himself in the center of the base when the Resistance finally got their act together. Omega casually glanced down each hallway attached to the room he paused in, watching in amusement as they filled with armed soldiers. Before he knew it, Omega was surrounded except for the way he came; their guns leveled squarely at all supposed weak spots. Their pathetic leader, Ciel, was even among them, armed with a plasma rifle.
A blue light blinked into existence before him, and Omega lost his humor the moment he recognized X.
The shimmering form of his enemy stepped forward, a finger pointed at him. “Omega, the abomination,” X sneered. “I guess if you’re here, Weil and his army of mindless hounds are as well?”
“I’m here alone,” Omega snarled. “And I only want one thing. Return to me which is mine, and I won’t kill anyone else.”
X’s face hardened in a mask of fury. “I don’t think so,” he hissed. “You can’t hurt him anymore!”
Omega’s eyes narrowed, his shoulders tensing, the well-defined muscles rolling beneath his skin-tight undersuit. “I thought you were better than this, X,” Omega scoffed, “stealing an innocent boy from his home.”
“Anywhere near you is hell!” the soldiers tensed at X’s tone.
Omega growled, a low, rumbling sound akin to an angry wolf. “He’s mine,” Omega rumbled. “I claimed him, I own him!”
X’s glare was intense, the entire room filled with the smell of fear and a nearly tangible tension. Who would snap first—Omega, or X and his soldiers—was entirely up to fate.
~*~
Zero whined as he struggled, planting his foot on the chain of the cuffs and jerking his upper body up; if he could just dent one of the links, he could force a kink, and eventually the link would snap. Once the cuffs were no longer connected, their systems would fail, and mobility to his arms would be restored. But he wasn’t physically strong enough—no matter how much he tried, Zero could not budge the cuffs.
He wailed in despair and fell back onto the floor, his lower lip trembling. How was he going to get out of this?
Zero winced, turning towards the door as it slowly opened. It wasn’t X or Ciel, as he was expecting, but a small, very young Reploid girl, clutching a stuffed cat toy in her arms. Her eyes were wide with fright, but she boldly stepped into his cell.
“You…” she whispered, her voice shaking. “You’re the one, that the big red man came for.”
Big red…? “What do you mean?” Zero asked, rising to his feet. He dared let hope flutter his heart.
The little girl came up to him, her fear turning into a glare. “If I let you go, will you go to him and make him go away, before he hurts Sis and Brother?”
Chance! “Yes!” Zero nodded vigorously. “I’ll make him go away!”
The little girl stuck her tiny hand into the toy’s mouth, pulling out a tiny key. She began to fiddle with the cuffs, her own hands shaking horribly.
She was so young; Zero couldn’t clump her in with the rest of the Resistance brutes. “My name is Zero,” he said shyly, “and I won’t hurt you, or let Omega hurt you… thank you.”
The girl looked up at him. “I’m Alouette,” she said. “Ciel takes care of me. Brother X says you shouldn’t go with the evil red man, but if it’ll save him and Sis, no offense, but I’d rather the red man take you.”
“That’s okay,” Zero smiled, the first since being kidnapped. “I want to go with him. He isn’t evil at all.”
The cuffs fell away, and immediately Zero felt his arms again. He flexed them, stretching them above his head as Alouette again dug through her stuffed cat. From it she produced the white saber handle, the one Zero used to fight against Colbar and his team.
Zero’s smile grew. “Thank you, Alouette,” he whispered, taking the weapon from her.
“If you take a left and go straight for three hallways, you’ll run into where Brother X and Sis said they’ll detain the evil red man,” Alouette said. “Hurry and get him out of here, before he hurts more of my friends.”
“I will. Thank you.” He bent down, kissing the top of her head before dashing out of the room.
Alouette hugged her cat to her chest, praying she did the right thing.
~*~
“This is ridiculous, X,” Omega said, his eyes never leaving the shimmering form of his enemy. “Is one boy worth the many lives I’ll take down before you can even scratch me?”
X’s left eye ticked. “The world will suffer if Weil commands both you and Zero.”
“Weil has nothing to do with my ownership over him,” Omega snapped, and X was caught temporarily by surprise. “The moment I can, I’ll rip his head off his shoulders myself. Your stupid war, your pathetic attempts to save the world, has nothing to do with me and my puppy.”
“I cannot let you—”
“Omega!”
X whirled around as Zero burst through the line of soldiers. “Stop him!”
Soldiers grabbed Zero, who wailed as his flight to the safety of his keeper was brought to a halt. Four soldiers pinned him on his chest to the ground, cheek against the floor. Zero whined pathetically, and it made Omega’s blood boil.
Anger flashed in him, and Omega pointed the pistol, firing off a shot. Ciel screeched in pain as the plasma bullet went cleanly through her thigh, dropping her rifle as she fell to the floor. Omega kept the pistol leveled with her head as she dropped to her knees, despite the Reploids blocking his view of her.
“I’ll make this easy on you, X!” Omega snapped. “You know very well these pistols from Neo Arcadia, when set to max, are meant to cleanly cut through at least two golems. You don’t have enough soldiers to make two golems’ worth—release Zero and let us go, or I’ll kill your little human. If you still refuse after that, I’ll simply kill everyone present, detain your data and give you to Weil.”
X gaped at him. “Isn’t that your mission, you bastard? Hunt the Resistance down as per Weil’s orders?”
Omega snarled. “Like I said, Weil has nothing to do with this. Give back my Zero.”
Ciel quietly sobbed in pain, blood pooling around her as she desperately tried to slow the bleeding of her leg with her hands. Zero shivered, not used to this cold, bloodthirsty version of his beloved Omega, and all the more afraid, but also all the more determined to be returned.
“Do what he says, X!” Zero called. X turned to him, betrayal all over his face. “I’m not worth Ciel’s life… I’m not worth anyone’s!”
“Zero—”
“Please, X,” Zero begged, trying to look at him despite his painful pinning. “You told me to trust you… I do! I trust you to make the right choice… Omega can, and will, kill everyone! It’s not worth it!”
It sounded so much like something the real Zero would say, and it made tears come to X’s eyes. How could he give his best friend, his first love, over to the heartless bastard? “Zero, I…”
Zero struggled against his captors. “X, please.”
Omega snorted. “You have five seconds, X, or I’m pulling the trigger. Five. Four. Three. Two.”
X clenched his eyes closed and waved his hand. “Let Zero go!” when the soldiers didn’t move, X turned to them, eyes open and spilling tears, screaming, “Let him the hell go!”
Shock made the soldiers’ grip lax, and Zero scrambled out from their hold. Omega extended an arm to Zero, and the smaller blond flew to him, wrapping his arms around Omega’s torso and pressing his head to the taller Reploid’s chest. Omega’s free hand pressed against Zero’s head.
“Lift the teleportation barrier,” Omega commanded.
“It’s lifted,” X rasped. His anger, his hate returned and he glared. “This isn’t over, Omega. I’ll make Zero remember, he’ll know the truth!”
Omega sneered. “Like hell,” despite his inner demon wanting to go back on his word, to pull the trigger and end the stupid girl’s life, Omega bent his arm and pointed the pistol to the ceiling. He got what he wanted, and killing Ciel would only help Weil.
“X…” Zero whispered, watching the man who claimed to be his best friend stare at him, tears streaking down his face like falling crystals. “X, thank yo—”
Omega teleported them both out, and X fell to the ground. He raised his palms to his face, sobbing into them for a few seconds before his body melted away to the little ball of light he usually was.
“Get Ciel to the medical bay,” X mumbled, floating miserably inches off the ground. “Salvage all we can.”
The soldiers glumly did as they were told, and X remained in the room long after it emptied.
~*~
Omega carefully scrubbed Zero’s cheek, washing away the little bit of dirt there. Zero kept his eyes averted, accepting the somewhat rough washing, unable to stop wincing each time Omega’s washcloth brushed the scrap on his cheek. Omega dipped the cloth in the warm bathwater, bringing it up to Zero’s other cheek.
Silence stretched, Zero sitting quietly in the bath and Omega washing him by hand. He kept one hand braced against Zero’s back, the other constantly washing him, dipping into the water, then repeating. Zero wanted to think Omega wanted to keep both hands on him to reassure himself that Zero was back in his care, but the smaller blond wasn’t sure if that was the truth. For all he knew, Omega was simmering in anger and, possibly, hatred for the fact Zero got himself stolen.
Zero blinked several times, fighting tears as Omega rubbed his chest vigorously with the washcloth. Although only his face and hair were dirtied, Omega was silently adamant in fully bathing Zero down, despite his own somewhat grimy appearance.
He wanted to ask Omega about what X talked about, who Weil was, about what was going on. But Zero was afraid of the answers, afraid of what Omega could say… and would he even know if Omega lied or not? A part of him, the cowardly part, told Zero to forget it and go back to being blissfully ignorant, and be thankful to have someone like Omega care for him. And yet… yet…
By the time Omega was done washing him, the water was only slightly brown, and Zero never felt cleaner in his life. Omega flung the washcloth into the bathroom sink as he rose off the floor, grabbing a towel and indicating at Zero, who slowly rose from the water and out of the tub. Omega draped the oversized towel over Zero’s head, rubbing his scalp roughly to towel-dry the top. Zero bore it with no argument, not even a whine or whimper, and eventually Omega let it drop from his head. Zero tucked the towel around his body, the edges of it sweeping to his ankles like a giant shawl, the tail of his hair still dripping onto the floor.
Finally Omega broke the silence. “Your clothes and armor are still washing. Go pick something out of the closet, I don’t care if it’s yours or mine.”
He sounded dismissive, and Zero could no longer hold back his emotions. He ran to Omega, pressing his face against Omega’s chest as his hands clutched at his vest, keeping the towel around him.
“I’m sorry,” Zero whispered, “that I got caught, that I couldn’t do anything, that you had to come save me. I’m sorry… please don’t… please don’t hate me.”
“If I hated you, puppy, I wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble to get you back.”
Zero closed his eyes tightly, pressing further against Omega. “Hold me,” he begged. “I… I…”
Wordlessly, Omega wrapped both arms around Zero, and the moment it registered that Omega listened, the smaller blond collapsed into tears, leaning against his keeper for support. As his knees failed him, Omega tightened his hold, raising one hand to press against the back of Zero’s head.
“That’s enough, puppy,” Omega said, strange gentleness in his voice. “You knew I’d come get you. You knew I wouldn’t leave you. You knew, didn’t you, deep down?”
Zero thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. He knew, while he sat in that room he was locked in. Deep down, the more confidant part of him told him Omega would come soon, that he wouldn’t be there long. He should have listened to it, had more faith in his keeper.
“Thank you,” Zero whispered as he clung to Omega.
“For what? I’d be a terrible keeper if I abandoned you.”
“For keeping me,” the smaller blond glanced up, noticing the odd look on Omega’s face. “For… putting up with me. I know I can be… I can be annoying, and someone like you could find someone else easily, but you kept me and…”
Omega’s arms fell away from Zero, his hands coming up to frame the smaller blond’s cheeks in his palms. He leaned down, pressing their foreheads together and looked intently into Zero’s dark eyes.
Zero knew tears were glistening in his eyes at the look Omega was giving him. “I love you,” he whispered, dropping the towel from his body
to wrap his arms around Omega’s neck. “Omega, I love you, I love you…”
“Yeah. I know,” Omega murmured before his lips dropped to Zero’s in an explicitly soft kiss.
Zero kissed him back almost zealously. It didn’t matter what the past was… it was just that—the past. He had now, the future, to worry about, and all that truly mattered was him and Omega and their now.
We were good friends, X, and I’m sorry we aren’t anymore. But I’m happy now… Omega is my happiness. Please understand that.
Omega pulled from the kiss and held Zero close. Even if Zero was just an ass to fuck, or a maid for his house, there was that attachment Omega couldn’t deny—his actions today proved it to himself. Zero was his, only his, and not a damn thing would change that. No one stole from Omega, no one ruined his pack… and that included this little blond-haired boy who used to be his enemy, who now loved him.
Omega fought off the urge to scoff at the thought, but instead focused on the assurance of Zero back at his side, where he now belonged. Omega claimed him, owned him… he didn’t have to love Zero to want to keep him. But if Zero wanted to love him, if it kept Zero to his side, then let Zero love him.
He could grow to like it, who knows.
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