It was going to be easy, they said. Just inspect the outskirts of Abel City, report back, and neutralize Mavericks on sight. Of course, what X didn't know was that a squadron of Mavericks was passing by and that they had a single hostage. As he darted from one rock to the next, he observed their forces with ease. The majority of them carried cannon-type weapons, with a few melee soldiers which had bright energy swords.
That A-Class rank had been given to him for a reason, after all, so the majority of the force was easy. X dodged and weaved his way through the line of fire and shot down the gunners, then went on to destroy all the other squadron members until there was one last Maverick standing: the leader. The leader of the squadron was equipped with a heavy shield and cannon, and was smart enough to deflect any projectiles in his vicinity. The Reploid hostage was behind him, only a foot or two, but no amount of effort could avail his attempts, as the Maverick was also smart enough that and was always in front of X, and eventually resorted to the one thing X hated the most in a hostage situation. The Maverick grabbed the Reploid and pointed its cannon at it, in a way that prevented X from getting a clean shot of the Maverick thanks to its shield.
"Drop the weapon or the kiddie gets it." the Maverick leader teased in a malicious tone as it directed attention toward the hostage in question.
Kid? The Reploid was a child?
X gritted his teeth before slowly lowering his X-Buster. He had a plan now, of course, but it was risky. Flashing different colors was always risky business in hostage situations.
But when the Maverick blinked, X changed into Spark Mandrill's weapon and fired a shot, which disabled the Maverick's cannon, then switched to his X-Buster and fired a fully charged shot at the weak spot in the armor and caused it to fall to the ground inactive. X fired a charged shot at the I.C. Chip and destroyed the Maverick leader for good, and then watched it begin to fall.
X grabbed the Reploid hostage before it fell to the ground, forming his weapon hand back into a hand and picking the Reploid up. The Reploid was surprisingly lightweight when compared to other Reploids, which struck X as another odd thing, and then X looked at the Reploid. The Reploid was wearing a yellow scarf, along with a shirt and jeans. Yet another detail that caught X off-guard— jeans were classic 21st century style, something not akin to the new and better-looking design and fashion. Either this Reploid was a hipster or was much older than originally expected... or not a Reploid at all.
X stopped and saved his thought processes for another time, entering a comm link with his Navigator to report;
"I found a Maverick squad here, they've been neutralized and I've found a hostage. It's a Reploid, one that doesn't look familiar to any standard or custom-made Reploid design."
"Understood," The navigator on the other side replied, "There are Paramedics on standby, engaging teleport."
When the teleportation process concluded, several nurses rushed over to X and took the Reploid off of X's hands, putting it on a stretcher and rushing to the medical wing. X watched them, wondering both who it was and if he had saved them in time.
He sighed and walked over to a nearby console, typing up and printing a mission report, before walking to the Navigation Room and handing it to his Navigator.
"What's the problem?" his Navigator asked, meaning no harm.
X looked up from the floor.
"Huh?" he absentmindedly replied.
"You aren't... yourself. Normally you would be more cheery, even after..."
Zero's death. That was what he meant.
"It's been exactly a year since that day... I just miss him."
"Everyone does, X." his Navigator told him- attempting to be some-what comforting. "But moping isn't going to make him any more alive. We just have to accept what has happened and move on. And hey— who knows, maybe one day someone will come along and join the Hunters, and become a good friend with you, just like Zero."
"You're right." X agreed in a dim tone. The Navigator frowned in response to X's feelings, but then came up with an idea as he gave X a hearty slap on the back.
"Hey, why don't you go and train? It's been a while since you ranked up to A-Class, S-Class isn't too far."
Bless the Navigator for trying; X then gave a small nod before awkwardly exiting the Navigation Room and went to the training room— the only place where he could take his mind off things and do something productive at the same time. He was okay with destroying holograms— they were just projections and not actual Reploids with actual lives.
As he shot down a couple holographic Mechaniloids, X's mind wandered to that Reploid, as rescue missions usually caused him to wonder about the people he rescued. This case was definitely not normal, because, well... a squadron of Mavericks for a singular Reploid? Not even an armed one? That was surely crazy. Of course, the fact that the model was definitely not a normal one, considering it was basically a child, was also a very odd thing. What was the point of making a child Reploid, especially since children were less able and very inefficient.
Of course, it would take a while for the Reploid to recover, so X would have to wait. And when there were no answers to an endless stream of questions, X could hardly wait.
More than a week later, the mysterious Reploid had finally made a full recovery. X was almost going to ask permission for initiating the test when the news came, so X decided he could wait and he headed off to the Infirmary. When he arrived, Lifesaver was standing nearby.
"Are you going to question him?" Lifesaver asked X with curiosity.
"Yes." he agreed with a nod. "I need to know more about who it is."
"X, I'm quite sure that the questioners will come and do their job soon. You're a Hunter, not an interrogator. Besides, this patient is most likely under severe trauma, with that much damage."
"You can't get an accurate estimate?" X inquired with a bit of surprise.
"Well," Lifesaver started, "The only way we could repair him was via DNA, and it took a long time. His core processor hasn't been damaged or touched, either. We don't know how he performs, but what we do know is that he is advanced. Almost advanced as you, X. Thank goodness Dr. Cain was able to replicate and transcribe all of your parts, or otherwise it would be nearly impossible to figure his systems out. All of them have been repaired to their previous state."
"Well, can you at least activate him now? I'm qualified enough to interrogate."
Lifesaver muttered something about the Hypocratical Oath before tapping a few buttons on the monitor. The Reploid's green eyes fluttered open, and it turned it's head to look at X. It blinked several times without saying or doing anything.
"Who are you?" X then asked when the Reploid did not take the initiative itself.
The Reploid raised an eyebrow, continuing to stare at X.
"Do you have a family?"
No response.
"What were you doing that led to your capture by Maverick forces?"
No response.
"Who is your creator?"
"X, he doesn't understand what you're saying." Lifesaver stated, staring at the Reploid.
"Then how am I supposed to interrogate him?"
"Leave it to the actual interrogators," Lifesaver said with a shrug, "I'm sure they might—"
"Je ne parle pas votre langue."
"What?" X nearly jumping in surprise from hearing the Reploid speak.
"He can speak?" Lifesaver exclaimed.
"Est-ce que tu parle français?" The Reploid spoke again.
"Oh, um... Oui! Je m'appelle X. Et toi?" X said.
The Reploid put on a thoughtful expression before replying,
"Je ne sais pas."
"Répete, s'il vous plaît."
It was inconceivable for a Reploid to not know it's name. Memory circuits didn't matter, it was programmed into the Reploid for it to know it's name. It made X suspect foul play.
"Je. Ne. Sais. Pas." The Reploid repeated slowly, as X raised an eyebrow.
Lifesaver tapped X on the shoulder. "Hey X, what is he saying?"
"He's saying he doesn't know his name."
"I'm not qualified enough to say this, but it sounds rather suspicious."
"Thanks for stating the obvious, Lifesaver." X retorted with a side look.
"Just doing my job as always as a Medical Officer." Lifesaver replied with a cheeky grin.
X turned back to the Reploid.
"Pouvez-vous rappeler quelque chose?" X then questioned.
"Nope."
X flinched.
"Quoi?!"
"No, I don't remember anything."
"Wh—How—What—"
"I analyzed your language while I was speaking French." the Reploid said to him with a blink. "Did you honestly not think I would be that stupid?"
"How can you speak French?"
"It is one of my default languages. Sadly, that is one of the few things I know."
X heard footsteps in the hallway, and looked down to see Allegro and Clef, the new interrogators. "Alright X, we'll take it from here." Allegro said as he came up to the group.
"I'll go watch in the Security Room." X told them.
"Alright then." Clef agreed. "Lifesaver, is this patient ready for release?"
"Of course, yes. I'm sure he can stand, but I can help him up if needed."
X left the room to watch the questioning, and the Reploid stood up from the medical bed. The only reason he remembered how to stand up was because all those stupid jerk people started chasing him and then tried to ask him about a subsystem that they thought he had.
"My name is Allegro, and the other guy is Clef. We're going to ask you a couple questions, if you'd like to."
"No, I do not see anything wrong with that." The Reploid answered, following the two to the Interrogation Room. Unknowingly to the Reploid, Clef prepared his blaster.
Several minutes later, the trio were all sitting down at a table.
"Do you drink E-Tanks?" Allegro asked, tossing one at the Reploid. The Reploid was caught off-guard but grabbed it with ease.
"No, but what ar—"
"Allegro, what did I say about hospitality? We could be talking to a Maverick for all you know!" Clef shouted, slamming his fist on the table, making the Reploid jump.
"Maverick?" the Reploid inquired, unsure if he had heard the term once before while held hostage.
"Don't play innocent, anyone with a working processor knows what a Maverick is! These spies are getting dumber than I thought. Let's just execute him already!"
"E-Execute?! I-I am not a spy!" The Reploid cried. One second, he was being treated to an 'E-Tank', and then another one passed and suddenly he was a Maverick, a spy, and somehow a high-class criminal that needed to be put down.
"Clef, stop." Allegro said in a neutral tone, glaring at his partner for a moment before continuing. "I'm sorry about that. My partner isn't exactly the best at keeping his temper. You do know what an E-Tank is, right?"
"No." The Reploid replied.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem a little new to... well, everything. Has your memory board been wiped?" Allegro asked.
"I believe so. I cannot recall anything beyond when I was awoken."
"Well then, can you tell us what you do remember?"
"I don't know how or why, but the first thing I remember was that several people were trying to access and install something into my systems."
"Did they succeed?" Allegro asked with a concerned look.
"Nope. It looked a lot like a Trojan Horse software, so I killed it with fire. I think that some of the coding was going to force me to go into HCF mode, and that caught my attention. I tried running away, but those people started shouting things and fired weapons at me. I teleported out of the area, but there were more—"
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but what is 'HCF'? And how did you teleport? I'm sure you don't have a support unit," Allegro deduced, jotting down notes in his notepad.
"HCF, or known as Halt and Catch Fire mode, is where a processor is halted from productive business and all programs begin competing for complete dominance. Not sure why they'd want that to happen, because as far as I know, it's impossible to recover from. And how I teleported? I initiated the startup sequence, chose coordinates and hoped for the best." The Reploid stated.
"Perhaps you don't know the nature of my question. Here in 21XX, there is no physical way a Reploid is able to teleport by itself. Teleportation is impossible without satellites and central teleportation computers. Now, how in the world can you teleport?"
"I have a subsystem labeled 'Subsystem 73139067'. That handles all mass-quantity matter transportation ordeals. I thought that would be industry standard, since the technology seems so simple, and you all have what looks like highly sophisticated tech."
"Well then," Allegro then said, taken slightly aback, "How did you become a hostage?"
"Well, I had inadvertently teleported into a field full of those rude people. They kept firing at me, and I could only run so fast... Eventually, they overwhelmed me, and then they knocked me unconscious. And trust me, it still hurts," The Reploid said, rubbing the side of his head. Allegro took notice of his seemingly Reploid-like ears, which resembled that of a well-known blue bomber.
"Are you really a Reploid?" Allegro asked, writing more things down on his notepad.
"I do not know." the Reploid shrugged. "I could be a robot, Mechaniloid, Android, Reploid, whatever. I cannot be sure of which of these classifications would fit me, and I do not really know how or why I don't spontaneously combust or just not work."
After a moment of silence, the Reploid spoke.
"Can I ask you two things, Mr. Allegro?"
"Sure, why not." Allegro agreed with a chuckle. "I asked you a lot, so it's only fair."
"Why do you use a notepad?"
"Pardon...?"
"In a world of sophisticated tech, where you could be typing much faster and with more document space on a netbook or a tablet, why do you use something as simple as a notepad and pencil?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, I really don't know myself. I was taught how to write using a pencil and paper, and I got used to it really easily. I started carrying around a notepad and pencil, and it just became habit to use it whenever I needed to write stuff." Allegro said, scratching his head with a cheeky grin.
"Understood." the Reploid said with a nod. "Finally, could you ask your partner to kindly stop aiming his weapon at me? He's been doing so ever since you silenced him."
"W-What?!" Allegro rose from the table and stared at Clef with disgust. "What have I told you about doing that?!"
"Oh, fine." Clef said, taking one of his arms out from under the table and forming it into a hand, before slamming it on the table carelessly. "Just this once."
"Why must you do this?" Allegro demanded. "This is nothing like the incident on the fifteenth—"
"You know nothing of that!" Clef spat bitterly, looking at the table. "I lost them all. Why do you think I joined, for some Q&A? No! I joined for justification of my family."
"I hate to, erm... interrupt," the Reploid then said, causing Allegro and Clef to snap their heads to look at it again, "But are both of you finished in your interrogation?"
"We got all the information we could out of him. Let's go." Clef said, before walking out of the small, windowless room.
"I hate to say it, but Clef is right." Allegro told the Reploid before starting to take his leave. "You've helped us a great deal, and I thank you. Before I leave too, I must ask, where are you going after all this pandemonium is over? I assume you do not know your creator, or even anyone here. Where are you going to stay?" Allegro asked, flipping his notepad to the cover and attaching the pencil to it.
"I— do not know." the Reploid admitted thoughtfully. "I have not thought that out completely, but I do know I now have a debt to this place— what was it called again?"
"Maverick Hunter Taskforce." Allegro inputted.
"Oh. That. I may try to join this organization of sorts, to investigate this place and try to find clues to who I am."
"Sounds noble," Allegro noted.
"I assume that would be noble in your culture."
"Well, I can direct you to the nearest sign-up area, or, if you're interested, and I'm sure it won't take up too much of his time, you can ask Lifesaver if you can try a DNA matchup."
"If it helps me figure out who I am, then I am in!"
Allegro smiled. "Do you need directions to his office? I can—"
"No thanks. I have already mapped out the directions."
"Well then, hopefully we will meet sometime again! I hope you have good luck in your search for your identity." Allegro finished before walking off. The Reploid stood there for several moments, before lifting up a hand that was still holding the E-Tank. He turned it around before looking up, and then began walking in the opposite direction.
"Alright, what do you want this time?" Lifesaver asked as the Reploid came over to him.
"Allegro, one of my interrogators, said that you could perform a 'DNA matchup' to help confirm my identity. Is this true?"
"Yep. And let me guess, you want me to perform one for you. Luckily for you, I have plenty of time. All right, roll up your left sleeve and sit down." Lifesaver said, before going to fetch a special syringe from a drawer. The Reploid sat down on a nearby chair and winced as Lifesaver methodically punctured the synthetic skin and drew a blood sample from the upper arm. He soon took out a special bandage and put it back on the area of which the syringe was injected.
"Before you ask, and I know you will, the bandage is meant to prevent infection and stop the bleeding. I'll be analyzing this sample for a moment, so please be patient." Lifesaver stated, while plugging in the syringe into a medical computer.
After several moments of waiting, the Reploid thought he heard '100% DNA Match' come from the computer, and Lifesaver's eyes widened. He walked over to an intercom system, flicked a switch, and said, "X, come down here immediately. I've found something amazing about the quote 'Reploid' unquote."
X was in the medical ward in a matter of minutes, rushing over to the monitor before having the same reaction as Lifesaver. Confused to what all this meant, the Reploid also walked over to the monitor. On the screen was the file of a person who looked almost exactly the same as him, but without the scarf.
"Data: Prototype-X
Registry No.: DLN-X-13
Creator: Thomas Light
Bio: One of the last creations of Thomas Light, little is known about this robot. DNA samples were found at the original Light household. While considered as the last Robot Master, his abilities are still unknown to this day.
Classification: Robot/Android Hybrid
Gender: Male
Height: 158cm
Weight: 52 kilograms
Location: Unknown"
The Reploid gawked.
"Are you sure this is me?" he asked, taking a look at Lifesaver.
"The data matched one-hundred percent. No denying that." Lifesaver stated.
"My name is Prototype-X...? If you all are okay with it, may I shorten my name to Proto-X? It sounds better."
"Whatever you say, bro." X said.
"'Bro'? Clarify."
"It means close friend, or a shorthand way of saying 'brother'." Lifesaver stated.
"Unders—Ack!" Proto-X was interrupted when X gave him a full bear hug.
"Lifesaver, what is X doing...?" Proto-X whispered.
"...That's called a hug. It's a sign of affection for someone."
"Family members like each other?"
"Supposedly, yes." Lifesaver said, turning off the medical computer and walking to his office.
"Can they show affection in ways other than trying to crush your ribs? Lifesaver...? Hello...?!"
Before I go on with the usual A/N, I have some stuff to say. Firstly, most of the characters (the ones you've heard before) are not mine. They are owned by Capcom. Secondly, I am thanking Kessie-Louise for beta-reading. They are a really cool person and you should check them out. Thirdly, this is a remake of a late 2014 story, X's Prototype. If you don't know that story, then good. I hope no one remembers but me. If you do, please seek phsychiatric help immediately, that thing was horrible and it may have scarred you for life and I don't want that to be the only thing you remember 'Thecowinspace' by. It was bad. But this is (hopefully?) better, so there.
Okay, it's time for the usual A/N now. No more pizza time Author's Note.
If you're wondering why that remake/continuation/something of 'Not Even If You Begged Me' (Arain Rose Light) isn't up, I have answers. Firstly, I don't know how romance work. I just don't. I need to find a formula that works for the forseeable relationships that will come. Secondly, I'm not sure how to begin the first chapter. I want to remake it, and I'm above copying and pasting Arain's earlier work. I'll make another deadline: 7/17. I promise.
However, if that deadline does not happen and the story isn't posted by then, feel free to hunt me down and make me drown in a river for witchcraft. I don't know anyone who would be remotely close to that violent, and I have a feeling this threat of trial due to witchcraft might come true. If you don't see another chapter of this posted in a while after that date, feel free to call 911 and set up a Missing Persons case. And if you do know my real identity, also feel free to tell my relatives and my pets that I love them, etc., etc. Just don't make it too sappy.
Well, that's about it. Thank you for reading, person. Bye!