Chapter 5
Take down

	Zero watched the screen horrified.  "Beta!"  He cried out, tears came to his eyes.  His 
dream had been a warning, one he chose to ignore.  And now it cost Beta her life.  He closed his 
eyes to blot out the images but when he closed his eyes he could see hers vividly.  Hauntingly 
blue.  Full of confusion and pain.  She'll never know why the man she looked up to so much 
attacked her.  It wrenched his heart.  "Night Cat, You Bastard!!"  He cried. He aimed Night Cat's 
arm cannon at the bars but, when he tried to fire, nothing happened.
	"We had that blaster disabled."  Fire Wolf said with a laugh.  "It'll do you no good."
	"Damn You!!"  Zero said, slamming his fist into one of the bars.
	"Keep screaming."  Fire Wolf said.  "It's entertaining."  Zero fell silent, the only 
sounds he made was a slight sob every now and then.  The others would never know what was 
happening until it was too late.
***
	"X to Zip and Matrix."  X said.
	"Matrix here.  Go ahead Commander."  Matrix answered.
	"Retreat back to Headquarters, immediately.  Be on the look out for Zero... He attacked 
Beta and I can't find Gamma."  X said sadly.  "Get back safely."
	"Aye, sir."  Matrix said in a tone that betrayed his confusion.
	"X out."  He turned off his communicator.  He lifted Beta into his arms.  He sighed.  
"What happened, Zero?"  He walked slowly towards the exit."
***
	Spark Koala and Shadow Vulture returned back to their hideout with Gamma.  "Special 
delivery.  Where do you want it?"  He asked Fire Wolf.
	"In with that thing."  He said pointing to the cage Zero was in.  Zero looked up sadly.  
Spark Koala walked over to the cage and unlocked the door.  Before he opened it he lifted his 
hand and gave Zero a mild zap, enough to knock him back against the other side of the cage.  
Koala tossed Gamma in and locked the door.  Zero knelt beside Gamma.
	"Damn you, Koala."  Zero said.
	"I thought it was odd when Zero talked like Night Cat..."  Spark Koala said.  "But this 
is just creepy."  Zero gently opened up Gamma's panel and found the problem.  He did the best he 
could to fix it, though he had no tools.  Slowly Gamma regained consciousness.	
	"Wha.. Where am I?"  Gamma asked.  His eyes shot open.  "Who are you?!"
	"Gamma, it's Zero."  He said calmly.  "Night Cat somehow switched our bodies."
	"C-commander?"  Gamma said timidly.  Zero nodded.  
	"He's using my body to attack the other hunters.  He... he already got Beta."  Zero 
pointed at the monitor, where X was seen carrying Beta, Matrix and Zip were headed back towards 
the entrance, and Night Cat, in Zero's body, stalked the halls covered in Beta's blood.
	"It... it can't be possible."  Gamma said.
	"Oh, it's possible, boy."  Spark Koala said.  Gamma was speechless.  He couldn't manage 
to make a sound.  He simply stared, wide eyed, at the monitor.  Zero placed his hand on Gamma's 
shoulder.
	"It's all my fault.  I let you down."  Gamma whimpered.
	"You didn't let me down, Gamma."  Zero said.
	"You told me to be paying attention.  You said you were counting on me to watch your 
back."  Gamma said.
	"You did your best."  Zero said.  "I fell into their trap, too."
	"What do we do now."
	"X will handle this."  Zero said.
	"How?"
	"He'll kill Night Cat."
	"But, sir, if he does, you'll be stuck like this forever."  Gamma said.
	"I know, Gamma, but it's a small price to pay for the safety of the others."  Zero said 
calmly.
	"Do you really think Commander X can defeat him?"  gamma asked.
	"Night Cat doesn't know the limitations of my body, but X does because I've trained with 
him so long."  Zero said.  "If X... When X figures out it's not me, he'll use it to his 
advantage."
	"What about us?"
	"Are your weapons online?"  Zero asked quietly.  Gamma nodded.  "Good, they forgot to 
disable yours.  Here's the plan..."
***
	Night Cat stalked slowly down the main hall.  Matrix and Zip had to go through here to 
reach the exit.  He clenched and unclenched the fist of the unfamiliar body.  "Such power."  He 
mused.  "That worthless goody-goody could have made an unstoppable maverick.  But it's my turn to 
be in power now."
	"Commander Zero?"  Came a voice behind him.  He turned an before him was his next target. 
Matrix had just stepped into the hall.  Matrix gasped at the sight of the blood that covered the 
reploid he thought was Zero's hands.
	"Matrix."  Night Cat said.  "I've been looking for you.  X has lost it.  I think the 
mavericks did something to him.  After I killed Night Cat, he accused me of attacking Beta and 
Gamma then ran off."  Matrix looked relieved.  "We have to find him."
	"Aye, sir."  Matrix said with a salute.  He turned and started to walk off, but stopped 
when there was a searing pain in his chest.  He attempted to cry out but no sound came out.  
Night Cat pulled the beam saber out and slashed down chopping the hunter in half.  The reploid 
fell lifelessly to the ground.
	"So trusting."  He mused.  "It's just too easy."  He heard a gasp from the hall Matrix 
had came out of.  Night Cat smirked.  "Come out, Zip."  He said.  "Avenge your fallen comrade."
***
	"Run Zip."  Zero pleaded to the monitor, knowing he couldn't be heard.
	"Give up, Zero."  Fire Wolf said.  "We've beaten you."
	"I don't give up."  Zero growled.  He nodded to Gamma, who fired at the lock of the cell. 
 The blast fizzled and nothing happened.
	"What?!"  Gamma gasped.  Fire Wolf Laughed.
	"Blast proof, hunter scum."  He said mockingly.  "Do you think we'd put a fighting 
machine in a cell that wasn't prepared?"  Zero clenched his teeth.
	"Now what, commander?"  Gamma asked quietly.
	"Plan B."  He whispered.
	"What's Plan B?"  Zero opened the panel on his blaster, and pulled out a thick wire.  
"But, Commander, it won't work now."
	"Shhh!  It didn't work anyway.  I don't care what happens to this body.  Resolving this 
situation, with as few casualties as possible, is all that matters."  Zero whispered, bending the 
wire.  When Fire Wolf and the others weren't watching he moved to the door and inserted the wire 
into the lock.  Within moments, there was a faint click and the lock released.  He spotted Night 
Cat's beam saber on the shelf.  He waved Gamma over.  Silently, he obeyed.  "I need a 
distraction."  Gamma nodded.  
***
	X entered the main hall and immediately a body was dropped to the floor at his feet.  
Horrified, he looked down at what was left of Zip.  "No."  He said softly.  He looked up at the 
figure that stood before him.
	"You're next, X."  It said.
	"Zero, I don't know what's going on but, I won't fight you."  He said.
	"Then you'll die."  He pulled the beam saber.
***
	Gamma fired blindly at anything that was in range.  Spark Koala and Shadow Vulture 
scattered, but Fire Wolf fired back.  Zero, in the mean time jumped up and grabbed the beam saber 
off the shelf.  "Alright, let's get out of here!"  He called to Gamma, who stopped firing and ran 
for the door.  Once out of the cell black, Zero and Gamma were able to teleport to the building 
where X was.
***
	Night Cat walked slowly towards X, who didn't move.  He raised the beam saber to strike 
and slashed downward.  The saber stopped inched above X's head, blocked by another saber.  X 
looked up in astonishment.  Night Cat scowled at the reploid who had stopped him from killing X.
	"N-Night Cat?"  X said hesitantly.
	"Get back, X."  Zero said.
	"You'll pay for that."  Night Cat growled.
	"Bring it on."  Zero said.  X clutched the lifeless body of Beta as he watched in 
confusion as who he thought was his best friend, that tried to attack him, battled who he thought 
was his enemy, that saved his life.
	"This just doesn't make sense."  X muttered.  The two reploids battled fiercely, but 
eventually Night Cat knocked the saber out of Zero's hand.  Defenseless, Zero simply stood there.
	"What's wrong, Night Cat?"  The real Night Cat, said mocking Zero.  "Give up?"
	"Hardly."  Zero said.
	"You'll be begging for mercy, when I'm done with you."  Night Cat said.  He charged at 
Zero.  Zero Jumped over Night Cat's head and kicked him.  Night Cat fell to the ground.  Before 
Night Cat got up, Zero slammed his fist into the blue crystal like thing on the helmet, smashing 
it and knocking him out.
	"Zero!"  X cried out.  Zero didn't say a word.  He didn't know how to tell X that he was 
Zero in a way he'd believe.  As Zero turned to face X, Gamma ran into the room.  "Gamma!  You're 
alright!"  X exclaimed.  "Where were you?"
	"I got the device Zero!"  Gamma said, ignoring X.
	"Zero?  What are you..."  X started.
	"You have it?  How did you get it?"  Zero said.
	"I stayed behind a minute and managed to steel it from them."  Gamma said.  It was then 
Zero noticed the burns and deep wounds on Gamma.
	"You're hurt!  We've got to get you back to the base."  Zero said.  X still stood in 
confused silence.
	"But, Zero, you can't go back like that."  Gamma said, pain starting to be heard in his 
voice.  "We've got to get you back to normal."
	" He needs to be conscious for that."  He said slowly, pointing to Night Cat.
	"Zero?"  X said.  "Is that really you?"  Zero turned slowly.  Looking into his eyes, X 
could see deep sadness in Zero's eyes.
	"Yes, X.  It's me."  Zero said softly.  "I'm glad I made it in time to help you, even if 
I couldn't save them."  His eyes went to the remains of Matrix, Zip and Beta.  After a moment he 
closed his eyes to blot out the site.  He turned around before he opened his eyes again.  He 
started to walk towards the door.  "X take care of Gamma.  He needs medical attention."
	"Where are you going?"  X asked hesitantly.
	"I... need to be alone for a while."  Zero replied.

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Awww.... so sad.  Only one or two more chapters to go.  I think one but it may end up being two.
Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion.