20xx - 21xx - Net .Pick your poison.

Sharp-Shooter of the Haunted Forest

"Please don't leave us captain. We can fix you. We can fix you right up! We can fix this problem. We can get the Maverick in you out. I promise." The very emotional reploid said. Tears were running down her cheeks as she held her now dying captain in her arms.
"Keh keh.. My time is already out, Lasher. Nothing to cry about." Sting chameleon said with a very honest voice.
"You can't leave. Not now. why did you follow him? Why captain?.. Why?.." The devastated Lash questioned.
"For more than one reason Lash. But. Kehk! That's nothing I can answer to you!" Sting's tail quickly stabbed Lash's back.

With a quick scream and explosion later X held his friend close in his arms.

"I'm sorry Lash.. Please.. I didn't want to do it but I had to. Please forgive me.." X said as his grip around his friend tighten.
Lasher was silent in X's arms. Her arms slowly going around him and tightening quickly.
"Lash.. We have to fix your wound.." X said in a soft voice.
Lasher looked up to him. ".... I'm alright X.. I can fix it. Please. Go. You have a job to do."
X hesitantly got up with her in his arms still. "Please be safe now Lash. I beg you." He let go of her. A second later he disappeared with pain written on his face.

Lash stood alone in the room her captain had just died in. She walked outside to get a breather. Everything was in chaos around her. Lasher's former base was now in chaos.
But she suddenly felt a pain going around her body. Lash quickly fell to the ground. The pain was to much for her. She couldn't help but scream out in pain.

Several months later...

"HA HA HA HAAAAHAH!!! I CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOUR WAY OF THINKING X! How can you still fight for the humans sake? They are already ready to die~" Says the fully Maverick infected Lasher.
X had his buster ready. It was aiming up to his former friends head. "Lash please. I know you're in there. Come to your senses."
Lash laughed maniacally as she jumped into the air. Her whip quickly getting a grip on X's leg which made him fall. Lash stood above him. Her mask showing a big toothy grin. Her eyes glowing a deadly red. She had her gun drawn up to his head.
Lash made her mask disappear. She had a big smirk on her face. Her eyes being disturbing even for X. Her black hair flowing softly in the wind. "Any last words X?~"
"Just four that I can think of." He quickly kicked his legs around. Kicking her legs to make her fall. X quickly got on top of her. His buster up to her head. "I won't kill you."

They had eye contact for so long. And for a second X saw his old friend in her eyes. X did a mistake that could turn deadly but he did it anyways. He turned his buster back into a hand. It gently stroke Lasher's cheek. It was still the same feeling as before she turned Maverick.

Lash gently held his hand that was on her cheek "Why do you still fight, X?... Isn't it meaningless by now?" Lash asked. Her voice being cold.
"I kept a promise. A promise I won't break. It's something a friend told me to keep." X said with a small smile slowly appearing on his face.
Lasher looked at him. She was silent now.
They both were close to one another. Lash moved in a bit closer to him. X being hesitant didn't at first but soon did the same. Their noses gently touched "..X... I-"
"X!!" The strong voice of Zero could be heard. He saw them both. He knew Lash was now maverick so seeing her so different now was a shock to him. But seeing her like this with X over her was a bigger shock. "What are you two doing!?"
"Zero it's not what it looks like!" X quickly said as he was up but not fully on his feet yet.
X quickly got kicked in the back by Lash. She got away from X as she let Zero pick him up.
"Aw how cute~ Kehe." She smiled darkly to the two. Lasher was just emitting a dark aura around her. It was giving both X and Zero a chill to their cores. "Well I've seem to have done some damage to you both already. I should probably start moving.... Bye~" Lash said with a slight cackle as she teleported away from Zero and X.

Zero quickly hit X in the head. "What were you doing?!?" Zero asked in a rather furious voice.
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing.." X looked at his friend beside him but he looked down as he had been so close to Lash this time. "I thought I could have turned her back to us.."
"By doing what? Kissed her or something? It's to late for her now. She's infected. Just like they are." Zero said in a cold voice. It was like he didn't care about her anymore.
X quickly looked up to Zero. His eyes were showing anger. He grabbed Zero's arms tightly. "If I had to do that then I would have, if it meant turning her back to normal! Don't you realize she's still our friend deep inside!? Zero. Lash is still in there!"
Zero looked down to X. His eyes were filled with sorrow. "...don't you think I would want her back as well?... I want everything back as it was X. But that's a dream we can't get. We have to take her down even if we don't want to.." He made X let go of him. Soon Zero left his friend to be.

X was left in anger but also sorrow. He desperately wanted his friend back. But he knew it was impossible. So he was left to think of the mistakes he's made.

But elsewhere someone was thinking about him as well.

Lasher was sitting alone in a tree. Looking up to the starry sky as she was in her old base. "Would you really have done it X? Would you have shot me in the head?" She had her gun resting a bit on her cheek. "Or what else?...." She touched her lips gently with her other hand. Feeling the soft texture of them. Lasher smiled softly to herself.
A soft breeze blew in the air. Her raven black hair blowing to her side as she looked up to the beautiful moon above her.
"I would have picked option two." Lash said softly to herself as she chuckled a bit. She soon stood up on her branch. Her mask promptly coming back on her face. "But I guess it can't be helped. This ghost has to somehow help those helpless fools realize some things."

She noticed someone running inside her old base. He looked very new. Brown spiky hair and black armor. He seemed very young. He must be one of those new kinds of reploids.

"Hm?.. Look like they got a new kid on their side huh?... Why don't I show him around? The new sharp-shooter of this forest won't disappoint~" Lasher said as she quickly moved to her old base.

Thank you for reading!