Rescue Ciel

Ciel requests Zero's help at the start of the mission.

Rescue Ciel is the first mission in Mega Man Zero. It takes place in the Underground Laboratory area and begins immediately after the intro cutscene plays, which ends with the newly resurrected Zero finding himself in a cave with Dr. Ciel.

As the name of the mission indicates, Zero's task is to rescue Ciel by escorting her to the exit. Ciel follows behind him and can be hurt by enemies or trapped by Securipider webs - while she cannot die, any hits she takes affect Zero's mission score at the end of the mission and may harm his rank.

Enemies

Name	Image	Description	HP	Attack	Area	Cyber-elf
Pantheon Hunter		Walks around and stops to fire three projectiles forward. Attacks knock them back a little and can prevent the attack.	3	1 (contact) 1 (projectile)	Underground Laboratory (Rescue Ciel), Disposal Center (except Stop Giant Mechaniloid Invasion), Subway (Rescue Colbor), Desert (Duel in Desert), Neo Arcadia Tower, Neo Arcadia Core	Gireff (5, Disposal Center mission)
Kumotial and Hoppider		A spider nest that spawns up to 6 Hoppiders at a time, which jump out and skitter towards Zero.	6 (Kumotial) 1 (Hoppider)	2 (Kumotial) 1 (Hoppider)	Underground Laboratory (before Retrieve Data)	Stoccue (5 Kumotials, Rescue Ciel)
Securipider		Spider robots that come in several varieties, moving at one of two speeds and appearing on the floor or ceiling, with some being able to climb on walls. They can lower themselves from the ceiling by a thread and spit projectiles at Zero. Some also launch webs from the ceiling or walls that immobilise him (or Ciel) for a short time.	1 (Securipider) 1 (thread)	1 (contact) 1 (projectile)	Underground Laboratory (Rescue Ciel, Retrieve Data), Factory (Occupy Factory)	Stickle (5, Occupy Factory)
Pantheon Guardian		A basic Pantheon that shambles around, punching Zero with its spark rod arm if he comes to close.	6	2	Underground Laboratory (before Retrieve Data), Hidden Base, Resistance Base (Hanumachine mission)	Stocchu (5, Rescue Ciel)
Colpper		A metal sphere that flies back and forth horizontally or vertically within a small area. It explodes when touched or destroyed, which can harm Zero, but also damages enemies close to it.	1	3 (contact) 2 (explosion)	Underground Laboratory (Rescue Ciel, Retrieve Data), Factory (Occupy Factory), Hidden Base, Desert (Duel in Desert)	Bomga (5, Retrieve Data)

Layout

Kumotial spawning Hoppiders.

Zero begins in the large cave where he was resurrected, with an exit on the right and multiple Pantheon Hunters in his way, which parade back and forth rather than shooting. After overcoming this first obstacle, the stage continues in a winding path through a desolate facility, populated by Kumotials (spider nests) and the equally spider-like Securipiders, which mostly come down from the ceiling and are able to shoot webs.

A Pantheon Guardian and Colpper.

Moving deeper into the facility, the spiders give way to Pantheon Guardians, as well as Colppers, all of which move vertically and which are placed so that detonating them at the right time can optionally take out the Pantheons as well.

At the rightmost end, the path culminates in a bridge leading into a dead end; however, when Ciel steps on it, it collapses, forcing Zero to save her as she falls down a long shaft. At the bottom, the two discover an abandoned laboratory and enter it in hopes of locating a Trans Server; however, a Golem's fist breaks through the wall, grabbing Ciel and initiating the game's first boss fight.

Boss

Name	Image	Description	Mission	Drops	Weakness	Refought?
Golem			Rescue Ciel	Nothing	Z-Saber	No

Cyber-elf X gives Zero his Saber.

During the boss fight, Zero's attacks may harm Ciel if he is not careful, costing him mission points. After Zero destroys the Golem (either by using the Z Saber given partway through the battle by Cyber-elf X or slowly whittling its health down with the Buster Shot), Ciel discovers a Trans Server in the next room, which can Zero can use to teleport to the Resistance Base, ending the mission.

Cyber-elves

Name	Image	Quote	Description	Duration	Class	Size	Cost	Source
Stoccue		"I'm able to stun enemies."	Temporarily stuns all enemies.	Temporary	Hacker	Small	-	Rescue Ciel (Destroy 5 Kumotials)
Stocchu		"I can stun certain enemies."	Temporarily stuns all enemies.	Temporary	Hacker	Small	-	Rescue Ciel (Destroy 5 Pantheon Guardians)

Trivia

• As the mission starts automatically rather than being selected from a menu, its name does not appear on the screen under normal circumstances. However, if the player uses cheats to teleport to the Resistance Base without completing the mission, it will appear as a fully functional choice when talking to Ciel.
• The Stoccue Cyber-elf in this mission cannot be obtained without deliberately forcing enemies to respawn, as there are not enough Kumotial enemies in the stage otherwise.
• This is one of two "escort missions" in the game, the other being Find Shuttle.