The New Generation Reploids were supposed to bring an end to the war, not start a new one. With Lumine gone and others quickly stepping up to take his place, it's up to X, Zero, and Axl to bring an end to the latest maverick uprising.

Maverick Wars
Part I: Uprising

.: Prologue 01 :.

"Just twenty-four hours ago, Maverick Hunters X, Zero, and Axl were dispatched to the moon via the Orbital Elevator in order to defeat Sigma, who was once again behind the recent attacks, and to recover the Jakob Project's director, Lumine, who had been taken two weeks prior by a revived Vile during a maverick outbreak at Noah's Park. Sigma was defeated once again, perhaps for good this time around.

However, according to X and Zero, upon Sigma's defeat, Lumine revealed himself to be behind everything, and declared that all New Generation Reploids, immune to all viruses thanks to their copy chip's unique DNA changing properties, have the ability to "go maverick at will."

During the fight on the moon, Axl was attacked by Lumine and was rendered unconscious. As of yet, his condition has not changed, and he has been taken in by the New Generation Research Centre for further observation.

Both Sigma's and Lumine's bodies were destroyed during the fight, leaving nothing to recover at the Moon Palace."

All the eyes of the World's Leaders stared at Commander Signas, the silence in the room deafening after finishing his report. An emergency meeting had been called as soon as his initial report had been sent in, and every world leader with ties to the Jakob Project, all Maverick Hunter Commanders, and a few scientists tasked with oversight of the project had been brought in as well. Despite being worlds apart and separated by the large holographic monitor displayed right in front of him, he noticed himself shifting his weight between his feet.

"Commander Signas," one woman spoke up, "as you can imagine, your report contains some very disturbing news. Is it all true?"

Signas nodded. "Yes, as of this moment, this report is up to date and contains everything we know about the situation."

"I see..." Her eyes narrowed. "And the one hunter attacked by Lumine… Axl, correct? It is my understanding that he is also a New Generation Reploid."

"Only a Prototype, ma'am."

"Still, he possesses a copy chip. If all New Generation Reploids do have this flaw that allows them to turn maverick of their own volition, surely that means the prototypes, which share the same copy chips and abilities as them, do as well?"

"With all due respect, ma'am, Axl is one of our best hunters. If you look at his history-"

"I'm well aware of the Red Alert incident, Commander Signas," she cut him off. "He turned on his original team, so who is to say he won't turn against the hunters as well?"

A rather loud cough caught their attention and the screen zoomed in on one of the scientists called in on the meeting. He was built rather young-looking, but everyone silenced themselves and focused on him.

"Now, now, let's not get too hasty here," the young scientist started. "Y-yes, there have been reports of the New Gens going maverick since Lumine's disappearance and the hijacking of the elevator. However, not one of these reports have listed a prototype as the culprit, and thanks to the research done by the Maverick Hunter's Headquarters, we have confirmed that the only ones that have gone maverick so far are those that contain Sigma DNA."

"Sigma DNA?" The woman shouted. "What purpose does Sigma DNA fulfill? Sigma is the most dangerous maverick in our current history and you decided that embedding his DNA into the copy chips was a good idea?"

"Ma'am, if you just give me a moment to explain - S-Sigma DNA is safe in all regards! Copying someone's appearance is not harmful in the slightest. Why those particular New Gens have decided to go maverick is b-b-beyond us at this time, but I can guarantee that no Prototypes contain Sigma DNA, and even if they did, it would disappear from their systems within hours - it's how their copy chips work. Prototype's copy chips function differently, which is why they pose no threat of becoming mavericks."

The woman stared at him, letting a sigh escape her lips. "Fine, I will grant the prototypes an exclusion, but I want all New Generation Reploids, especially those with Sigma DNA embedded into their systems, rounded up immediately. I am also declaring a cease order on the production of copy chips and New Generation Reploids, also effective immediately."

"T-thank you ma'am. I assure you, this issue will be cleared up in n-no time at all…"

"Axiom, you continue to test my patience. I remember the day you brought your first prototype to me over a decade ago, and you assured me that your new technology would bring about the end of the Maverick Wars. Now look at this - they have started their own war."

The young scientist turned away, looking down from the screen. "I-I-I apologize. I promise, I will prove to you that the New Generation Reploids will lead us into a brighter era."

Five days passed since the emergency meeting, and still there had been no changes to Axl's condition, and there had been no discoveries as to the significance of the attack.

At the New Generation Research Centre, two Reploids watched over the comatose hunter - a female scientist overlooking his vitals, and another in dark armour looking into the capsule where he was being kept in. The repair to his helmet's crystal was complete, but he still remained unmoving.

"Alphie," the female scientist called out, "I know you are enamoured by your copy, but perhaps you can stop staring and help me out here?"

The Reploid didn't move, still staring at the hunter through the long bangs that never stayed out of its eyes for long. "He isn't my 'clone', Delilah. Just because we share a blueprint does not make us the same person. We don't even look the same."

The scientist sighed, returning back to the screen displaying Axl's vitals. "Whatever you say, Alphie. Still, I could use a little help, as much as I hate to admit it. I must be missing something here - his copy chip overheats every time he tries to wake up, and I haven't been able to track down a reason. Any suggestions?"

Alphie laid its chin in its palm. "Copy chips usually overheat from excessive use, or by trying to use incompatible DNA. I'm assuming here that there's no DNA stored in his copy chip at the moment, ruling out the latter…"

"So, there's something in his systems causing the copy chip to overheat… Is there perhaps something attacking his systems?"

"Maybe. Do you know what happened to him?"

Delilah shook her head. "Lumine attacked him. I wasn't told much else, though."

Alphie sighed, turning and walking towards the computer. "I never got to know Lumine as much as the other two, but from what I do know is that he wouldn't do sloppy work - we need to comb over every system and make sure not one thing is out of place."

"I assume you will volunteer as the base, then? It'd be easier to do a direct comparison. You do share the same blueprint, after all."

It sighed. "I know, I know, he was built off of my copied blueprint. But who's to say that we were programmed the same?"

"Oh for crying out loud…" She laid her face in her palm, shaking her head. "You're being more difficult than usual today..."

Alphie opened their mouth to say something, but was interrupted from a loud groan coming from the capsule. On the monitor Axl's vitals sprung to life as his systems started up one after another.

Delilah narrowed her eyes, focusing on the state of his copy chip, which was steady and showing no signs of distress. "I… I think he's coming out of it!" She spun around, looking at the capsule where Axl was moving around, like he was trying to get comfortable. Although his eyes hadn't opened, his copy chip system was still holding out. "Alphie, get Professor Kirov - I'm going to call Professor Axiom. He's waking up!"

The news of Axl coming out of his coma reached the Maverick Hunter Headquarters right away, and within the hour Commander Signas, Zero, and X had rushed to the Centre. All three were forced to stay outside the room while the Professors checked over their friend's systems for any damage.

After what seemed like an eternity two scientists left the room, one a male Reploid hunched over as he slumped out of the room, and the other a human woman.

Signas approached the two. "Professor Axiom, Professor Kirov. How is Axl doing?"

"He's doing just fine, Commander," the woman responded, "he's still a little out of it, but it's to be expected."

X and Zero both let out a sigh of relief.

"So, Professor Kirov-" Signas began.

"Please, no need for formalities. Just call me Estelle," the woman corrected.

"All right then. Estelle, were you or Axiom able to discover the reason behind his extended comatose state?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Every time he attempted to wake up, his copy chip would overheat, forcing him into an emergency stasis to prevent damage to his systems. We were unable to find the reason behind the overheating before he woke up."

"I see…"

"Excuse me," X interrupted, "but when can we see him?"

Estelle let out a small laugh. "I understand you're eager to see him, but we're just running a few more tests to make sure he's at one-hundred percent. He's suffering from some minor side effects from the hit, but they should clear up within the next few days. The amnesia, on the other hand…"

"Amnesia?" Zero cut in. "That doesn't sound minor to me."

Axiom groaned, lifting a hand to bury his face in it.

Estelle glared at him out of the corner of her eyes, and then cleared her throat. "I know any amount of missing memories isn't a good thing. His memory loss is limited to what happened at the Moon Palace. He's also suffering from a lack of balance and blurred vision, so we're sure it's linked to the hit Lumine did to him."

Signas brought his fist to his chin, letting out a groan. "This isn't good news. Axl was the first to confront Sigma, and if he can't remember what Sigma said during the battle we might miss out on what's going on with the New Generation Reploids that are turning maverick."

"It's unfortunate, but we'll just have to deal with it," Axiom responded, looking up at Signas with tired eyes.

Estelle looked over at her colleague, caught off guard by his bluntness. "Yes, it's not the greatest news at this point in time. Whatever comes of it, we'll get by." She let out a sigh. "I think it's been a long day. Why don't you come back tomorrow? I'm sure Axl would be thrilled to see you then."

Signas nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. We'll return in the morning."

Author's Notes: Well, if you've made it this far I'm assuming you didn't get up near the beginning to hunt me down. Or you haven't read Aftermath (a one-shot written by yours truly. You have been warned). I'M SORRY FORGIVE ME I HAD TO OKAY IT WAS TOO GOOD OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO PASS UP.

In case someone (or someones) didn't get past that beginning part and is hunting me down and succeeds, 2211Nighthawk has already written my obituary which I will post here in case the next chapter never comes…

Hannaji (Writer, Fangirl)

She was a good friend - my best friend. MegaMan was her life. We both loved fanfiction and MegaMan… she loved that the most. She wrote many a good story, but then she wrote her final one. The masses rioted and it was the last that I saw of my dear friend Hannaji.
Killed by rabid fanfolk.
I miss you, Hanna. You were the best...