"Hey, Gen?" A voice belonging to a bespectacled woman called out. She had a notepad on-hand as if she was recording something.
A tall woman in a green uniform who was getting something from a shelf turned around, responding to her name as she climbed down from the stool she was standing on and walked into the woman's office.
"Yes, Boss?" She quietly asked, sheepishly waiting for her request.
"Don't have that look on your face all the time. People might think you're a downer." Her boss lightly joked, smirking. "I've got another request for you if you've got some spare time."
Relaxing, Gen replied, "Of course I have time to do a job for you, Boss... So what is it today?"
"A client gave me a call and she wanted to have someone to get something of hers that was caught in a tree." Her boss replied, reading over her notes.
Gen sat down with an exasperated sigh as she quickly became discouraged at the description. "That means they wanted someone tall to get it, right...?"
Patting her shoulder, her boss tried to encourage her. "It's not just that you're tall, Gen. You can really move once you get down to it, I'm sure it'll be okay."
"If you say so, Boss..." She said, getting back up as she grabbed her shoulder bag.
Her boss could only smile as Gen walked off into a different room.
"Let's see... I'll get some jobs done myself." She said, looking at her notes again as she turned on her holoscreen.
Down in the garage, Gen looks around trying to find something, growing concerned. Where's my motorcycle...?
Someone was making noise as they were fixing a motorcycle and noticed that she had walked in. "Gen, is that you?"
"How could you tell that was me, Bugle?" Gen asked, confused.
"Your footsteps, obviously." He noted, pointing at her feet. "You've got different shoes than Aero so it's pretty noticeable when you're around."
Chuckling nervously, Gen scratched her head. "Oh yeah... But they're my work shoes, I go everywhere with them on."
"Of course, of course. Anyway, your bike here's busted so I'm fixing it on my downtime."
"R-Really? Are you sure you don't have more important work?" Gen asked, flattered but not wanting to be treated special.
Bugle could only laugh at her response.
"You're my friend, and giving favors is what friends do. Just expect a fee out of your bill this time around." He replied, waving his index finger in a teasing manner.
Gen smiled slightly, causing Bugle to blush but he turned away before she saw.
"Thanks Bugle... I'll give you a big cut this time, so good luck!" She yelled, running off.
She's so cute sometimes...! He excitedly thought to himself.
"One has to wonder why she's so self-doubting, don't you agree Bugle?" Aero asked as he began to calm down.
Rubbing his nose briefly with a smirk, he then said, "It's probably just a height complex is all. She probably wants to be normal, but I think she's fine like that."
It might be more than that, you know... Aero thought, giggling deviously with her index finger close to her mouth as she winked.
"H-Hey, what were you thinking just now...?" Bugle asked, nervous.
She quickly turned around to hide her expression, now smirking.
"It's nothing~" She teased as she walked back into her office.
Meanwhile, Gen was walking to her supposed destination, when she heard a child crying in the park, going there instead.
"There, there, Eric..." The mother said as she attempted to calm her son.
"I-Is there a problem, ma'am?" Gen asked, concerned as well.
"Well, as you can see my son lost his kite in that tree there, and I can't get it with this dress on..." She replied, pointing out the facts as she mentioned them.
"It's a lovely dress, too." Gen quietly complimented, then saying, "I can get it for you, if you'd like."
"Really, it seems like such a bother, though..." She noted, discouraged.
"I wouldn't mind helping you, and besides, it's seems like that's all I can do." Gen joked nervously, pointing out her height.
She then looked at the tree to see where it was best to get the kite, and after a while, she managed to grab it while on her tip-toes.
"There you go." Gen said, offering the kite back to the young owner with a small smile.
"Wow... Thanks, miss! You're so tall so it must've been easy for you to get!" He yelled cheerfully, smiling.
Gen twitched slightly as her complex was realized, smiling nervously. "Y-You're welcome..."
"Thank you so much for doing that for us, we have to give you something in return." The mother said, thinking.
"You don't have to reward me, ma'am!" Gen yelled nervously, calming down in embarrassment afterwards. "J...Just a thank you is good enough for me."
"But I insist, miss... We never did get your name, did we?" She asked, uneasy.
Gen pulled out a business card from her bag for the woman to look at. "I work at Aero Express, so it's my job as a Transporter to make sure that everyone I see is happy somehow."
"Aero Express...? So you're the Transporter we requested, what a coincidence!" She said, overjoyed now.
Gen then nodded, smiling somewhat. "Thank you for your business."
"Come on now, Eric, let's go home." The mother quietly noted, patting her son's shoulder.
"Thanks again, miss! You should come over to play sometime!" Eric yelled, waving happily.
She waved back, satisfied that the mission was finished. This is just another time that reminds me how important being a Transporter is...
[It's cold...] A mysterious voice echoed in Gen's head, causing her to look around suspiciously as she held her ear module.
That's strange... Where is this voice coming from...?
As Gen ran towards the voice's location, it seemed to get stronger.[I'm trapped... I want to be free again...]
"I'll free you, whoever you are! Please wait for me!" Gen yelled in despair, getting desperate as there was no more land to search when she stopped at the freezing lake.
Does it mean that they're in the water...? She thought to herself, kneeling down to touch the water but wincing as she pulled her hand out as it was indeed very cold.
Quickly shaking her head afterwards, she pumped herself up as she scrambled to take off her bag. "No matter! Even if Mavericks will get in my way, I'll swim out of there!"
She then jumped into the lake regardless of the consequences and pulled down her visor with it activating to allow her to see in the dark instantly.
Holding her breath, she carefully began to search with her night vision. I don't see anything so far...
[Have you responded to my voice...?] The mysterious being asked, as something began to glow dimly near Gen's location.
Almost gasping, Gen turned to the light and swam towards a lake edge, using the water to remove the mud off the glowing object.
It turned out to be a small face-like fragment that looked like an eagle with folded wings along its edges. The eyes turned out to be the source of the light, occasionally fading in and out.
What could this thing be? Gen thought, soon moving closer to the strange object.
But as soon as even one finger touched it, electricity began to surround her as if something was trying to take over her body, with her eye color switching between bright red and her normal deep blue.
She could only wince in pain, but she tried as hard as she could to resist the possession and pulled the object out of the mud with a strong grip.
The electricity instantly dispersed and Gen finally fell unconscious from the attack, still holding onto the mysterious fragment as she slowly began to float to the surface.
[You seem to be too strong for me...]
...ey! H...! "Gen, wake up!" A voice shouted as he was lightly shaking Gen.
Slowly waking with a lethargic groan, Gen lifted her visor to properly see that it was Bugle. "Were you the one that rescued me, Bugle...?"
"You kidding? There's no way in heck I'd swim into that lake." He said, shivering as he imagined the scenario. "You just washed up on the shore unconscious."
"I see..." Gen quietly replied as she was fixing her hair somewhat.
"Say, what's that in your hand?" Bugle asked, pointing out that she still had the object that she recovered.
Gen jumped slightly as she noticed, getting panicked as she was switching glances between it and avoiding his curious eyes. "O-Oh, this? It's..."
She stumbled over her words to explain what it was but Bugle grinned. "You risked your life for some treasure, is that it?"
Turning back to him, Gen had a nervous expression. "T...Treasure, sure..."
"Don't worry. Finders' keepers, after all. So what is it?" He asked, getting close to Gen as he tried to look at it with her squirming back in response.
"P-Please don't worry about it, Bugle! I-I'll show you later!" She yelled, becoming extremely flustered at how close he was.
Suddenly the earth shook, lifting the snow nearby, and scaring them out of their situation.
"W-What was that...?" Bugle could barely ask, stammering.
"I-I-I don't know..." Gen responded nervously, gripping tightly on the object again.
A loud snort blew through the frozen air, as a large shadow cast over the two for a brief second, with the earth shaking at the arrival of a giant buffalo-like Mechaniloid.
It breathed slowly as if it was awakening. Gen and Bugle could only anxiously wait for it to move again to think about what to do next as Gen tightly gripped onto the fragment.
[Must... Destroy...] A deep yet distant voice groaned.
"Destroy...?" Gen wondered, before one of the Mechaniloid's fists slammed down near her as she rolled away to react in turn.
"Gen!" Bugle yelled, worried but backed off out of fear of getting hurt.
"It's after me Bugle, so run for cover!" She shouted back as the machine kept trying to hit her with its fists.
"But…!" He said, biting his lip nervously afterwards.
Then he noticed how hard Gen was fighting despite the odds, surprised. She's probably distracting that thing so that I can run away, and I'm just standing here like a moron...
Clenching his fists, Bugle ran to Gen's motorcycle and zoomed off, causing Gen to relax as she was still in her predicament.
"I'm glad that he'll be okay... But what about me?!" Gen panicked to herself, trying to back away as the Mechaniloid was recovering from its attacks.
From her fear and exhaustion, she relaxed her hand and dropped the fragment onto the snow. Suddenly the eyes flashed brightly and it began to float in front of Gen, looking to the monster.
[Destroy or be destroyed, is that it...?] It muttered, and then it turned to Gen.
"So you were the voice I heard..." She said out of awe, speechless at what she was witnessing.
[That is correct. I can't explain properly now, but I know that you have the resolve needed to fight this enemy. Or will you ruin my expectations and run away?] It asked in a serious tone, staring into Gen's eyes.
After a while of staring back, Gen swallowed nervously. "...Then why did you try to kill me before?"
[I must admit that was purely instinct, my apologies...]
"If everything could be solved by just saying sorry, would we not be in this situation now?!" Gen countered, suddenly yelling.
Realizing this, she was taken aback, calming down as she was looking away. Even if that thing tried to kill me before, that was uncalled for...
[Destroy!] The Mechaniloid shouted once more, causing Gen to turn back and notice that it was about to snag the floating object from the air.
"I won't run away from saving anyone!" Gen screamed, quickly jumping forward to get it before the monster did.
[Then I will help you with that.] The fragment calmly said as soon as she grabbed it, engulfing them in a flash of light as the Mechaniloid stepped back several steps as it was blinded.
Within the light, Gen was propelled upward through a column of wind as her hand was raised toward the sky with the fragment.
[Biolink established! B.E.A.S.T. System, Online!] It said, unfolding its wings as the eyes briefly flashed.
Gen relaxed herself as armor was appearing on her body: her long-sleeved shirt shortened as streamline gauntlets formed over her forearms, her ear modules gained antenna as Beam energy projected from several ports, a folded jetpack materialized onto her back, her shoes lengthened into knee-high boots with grated knee guards, two holsters with small Busters formed onto her thighs, her visor activated and turned into a clear eye shield, and lastly a helmet attached to her head, bearing two small gems in the front above her eyes, with the light and wind dissipating when the transformation was finished to reveal that the armor was a bright blue now instead of the green on her shirt.
"Whoa... My body's changed...!" Gen whispered excitedly, looking at herself.
[Don't get distracted, you're going to fall at this rate!] Somehow the fragment's voice was inside Gen's head now, surprising her as she then noticed their current altitude and its speeding decrease.
"F-Fall?!" She yelled, which suddenly activated her jetpack as it opened, revealing a design that has several jet ports to give a wing-like appearance. "Wow..."
[My name is Biomaverick Model E. You are now Beast Man Model E, Chosen One.] He noted, finally introducing himself.
"Model E... It's nice to meet you, too...!" Gen exclaimed, blasting down to land in the snow to properly face her opponent.
[This thing is the result of a failed transformation with the B.E.A.S.T. System; it's no ordinary Maverick, so don't let your guard down...] He noted as Gen was looking for a weapon to fight with, noticing the holsters on her legs.
"You're so bossy for someone who wants to fight with me..." Gen weakly noted, grabbing at the stocks of the Busters as the holsters released to reveal their full form. "Also..." [Yes?]
"It seems rude to call it just a Maverick and we can't define our enemy if we don't properly name it, right?"
[That's true... How about you name it?] Model E commented with a teasing tone but that panicked Gen instead.
"M-Me?" Gen asked, uneasily looking away from the Mechaniloid as she was about to shoot.
[Destroy!] The Mechaniloid shouted once more as it tried to slam its fist into Gen again but she jumped with increased height and distance than before.
"I-Is this another ability of mine?" She asked aloud, curious but quickly snapped out of it and aimed her Busters as she landed.
"Cyclone Busters!" She yelled, shooting several rounds of compressed air into the Mechaniloid to limited effect, barely scratching its armor.
"T-That didn't do much to...the Erroroid, did it?" She weakly noted, naming it after some brief thought.
[Erroroid? That's an interesting name.] He commented, chuckling.
"If it's a failed Beast Man, then it's an "error", so it's simple in that sense..."
"And if that didn't work..." She said, quietly concentrating as energy was flowing into one of her Busters.
"Then let's put some more energy into it, Cyclone Bullet!" She then yelled, blasting a small tornado out of one Buster and managed to damage the Erroroid.
Something was revealed underneath as its armor crumbled around the spot, irritating the large machine as it soon charged for her.
Freezing for a moment, Gen jumped into the air once more and hovered as she tried to recover her breath as she put away one of her Cyclone Busters. "Something's not right, Model E..."
[What is it?] "If you're right, then where is the Chosen One for this Erroroid?"
[When you attacked and the armor was damaged, I sensed something changed. There's a Reploid in there.]
"What?! How can I fight if there's someone there?!" Gen yelled, fearful.
[Calm down!] Model E shouted, snapping Gen out of her anxiety.
[You said before we transformed that you won't run away if you can save someone. Believe in your own words and fight, Beast Man Model E!] He stated, encouraging his partner as she closed her eyes to relax while landing as she put a Cyclone Buster back into its holster.
"Sorry Model E, I won't take back what I said." Gen said as some of her ear modules' "feathers" loosened and fell into her hand.
"Feather Illusion!" She then yelled, throwing the knife-like energy at the Erroroid's head, shattering its horns with extreme irritation for a "reply" as it charged again.
"That thing will never learn..." Gen noted with a grimace, jumping into the air and pulling out her Cyclone Busters while charging them.
"Raging Cyclone Bullet!" She shouted as the two tornadoes pierced into the Erroroid's body, completely shattering its armor to free its unwilling occupant as Gen quickly caught the Reploid and soon set him down into the snow.
[He's unconscious but it seems that he was not damaged in the fight.]
"I did it..." She noted in quiet awe as she kneeled down to see his resting face.
However he began to wince in pain as one of his hands was glowing.
It revealed that the Biomaverick was beginning to reform its armor once more on the man, but Gen forcibly pulled it out of his hand to prevent such and threw it on the ground.
Without another word, she quickly blasted it to pieces with another Cyclone Bullet.
Transforming back to normal, Gen fell to one knee from the amount of immense energy coursing through her.
[Are you all right, Chosen One?] Model E asked, worried about her as he reformed nearby.
"My…my name is Gen, Model E. Call me that..." She complained in exhaustion as she sat down in the snow regardless of the cold.
[Gen? Is it short for "general"...?] He asked curiously, now floating next to her at her eye level.
"G-General? I don't have such a title..." Gen replied as she was discouraged, resting her head in one hand.
[Now you do, because you are my leader.] Model E confidently said, surprising Gen.
However, she sighed as she shook her head with a slight smirk. "Whatever you say, Model E..."