Disclaimer: I own no characters accept for a few…but you'll know who they are.
Author's Note: This is a collection of short stories that tell the stories of characters that will be introduced in a later fanfic.
A Tale of Heroes
Chapter 1
Jet the Tragic Warrior
Jetstream…that was the name that I was given when I was awakened. I was told that the word "Jet" means wind and my ability to control it in my left hand and the word "Stream" means water and my ability to control it in my right. I have committed many sins with these elements and now I must atone for all of them. My redemption starts with my two lords. My original purpose was to be a protector…I swore to protect them. The first of my lords is Zero…he is brave but his sword has no right direction. The second of my lords is his younger brother, Cloud…he is kind but timid and is easily frightened. I now go by the name of Jet to avoid my past of sins. Am I merely running away from my past with this action? I don't think so. I am now living my life as a Maverick Hunter always ready to give my life no matter what.
Jet walked down the hall of the Maverick Hunter base. He entered the recreation room to see only three hunters. One was sleeping, one was reading a book, and the other looked like he was filling out paper work. The sleeping one looked the youngest. He had dark red hair and an X-shaped scar on his face. He looked like he was just on his own world. Jet walked up to him and pulled the blanket he was using over him more. He watched as the young hunter curled into it more. He then looked over at one of the older boys. Jet examined the book he was reading. It was a pretty old story according to Jet's memory banks. At the bottom of the cover was the author's name and at the top in yellow letters red the words 'The Odyssey'. The boy reading the book moved some of his dark brown bangs from his face. He watched the last boy. At Jet's first examination the boy looked like he didn't enjoy doing the paperwork. But he was finished and leaned back on the couch he was sitting on.
"It's late," Started Jet. "Shouldn't all of you be asleep? Commander Signas will be very crossed to find the two of you awake still and Axl sleeping in the recreation room."
The blonde haired boy yawned obviously he was tired and Jet talking about sleep just made him more tired. "Can't sleep," he said. "I just can't stop thinking. This can't be the end. I highly doubt the Mavericks would give up on you so easily."
The boy who was reading the book folded the corner of the page he was about to read and then closed his book. He too gave a yawn. "I don't want to be pessimistic but I think Zero is right. You and Falcon are still in danger and he never really gave up on Cloud and Rose."
Jet sighed and ran his hand through his long hair that reached his lower back. He pulled some loose hairs from it. He had a couple strands of his pitch black hair and a strand of some of his gold streaks. "I believe you two are right…I need to stay alert."
Zero yawned again. He lied down on the couch he was sitting on and fell asleep. Jet looked over at X and found him already asleep. He smiled and walked out of the recreation room turning off the light behind him.
Jet continued down the hall and back to his own room. He examined his own walls. The walls of his room were covered with newspaper clippings of the heroic deeds of the Maverick Hunters. There were some of him but more were about the dedication and teamwork of the Hunters. After finally letting his eyes get heavy he finally fell asleep pulling his thick blanket over him.
Jet was a man of tall stature. He had long raven black hair with gold streaks going back in it. Normally he wore a navy blue body suit and pitch black armor to go with his hair. Unlike the others his forearm guards and leg guards weren't as thick as the standard armor. His forearm guards had thick steel plates covering his fingers and wrist and his right leg guard was decorated with three thick silver stripes pointing up ward like a triangle with out the bottom line. He did not wear a helmet but when on a mission he did wear a silver dome over his right ear with a small transparent green screen coming from it and over his eye. But right now he wore just normal sleeping clothes. Black sweatpants and a gray tank top seemed to fit him while he slept.
That morning Jet awoke refreshed. He walked into his bathroom like he did every morning to wash his face and wake himself up more. He ran a finger down each of the three scars he had. One went down the right side of his cheek, another was on the side of his neck, and the last went straight through his left eye. He achieved all these scars in one fight. It was a fight against the red knight himself, Zero.
Jet remembered what happened in that fight all too perfectly. His now dark blue eyes were red as he saw the memory. He glared at Zero with these devilish looking eyes. Jet was laughing. His laugh was a maniacal one. In his right hand he gathered water and in his left he gathered the wind. He shot a blast of both elements at the swordsman. The red warrior stood his ground and took the hit. Jet was surprised to see him withstand such an attack. Jet was furious and came in for an attack at Zero. But before Jet could get a hit in Zero took one swing with his sword. Jet was sliced from his hip all the way to his shoulder. He was nearly killed.
"Damn you Zero!" he shouted.
"A life for a life…you saved what means everything to me and I'll spare your life in exchange," responded Zero. The red warrior walked off to let the Maverick wallow in defeat.
Jet shook his head from the memory. After that the Mavericks, whom Jet was so loyal to at the time were ready to dump and retire him along with another Maverick who met a similar defeat to X named Vert. Jet remembered the message/distress signal he sent the hunters and he begged them for forgiveness in his message. They responded by rescuing him and Vert. Jet really didn't remember anything after that a thing after that. He just remembered waking up with his new armor and body suit and the gold streaks in his hair. He remembered looking at the young operator, Palette.
"You're Jetstream, right?" she asked.
Jet shook his head. "Jetstream is gone. Please…I wish for you not to call me by my Maverick name. From now on I will be known as Jet."
Jet finally opened his eyes after his trip down memory lane. He ran his fingers down his scars once more. It was those scars that gave him motivation to do the right thing. He got ready putting on his bodysuit and then armor.
He walked into the hall and made his way down to the recreational room. The first thing he did was pick up the newspaper and sat down in the recliner. He just sat silently reading to himself. He was surprised about an article in the news paper. There was one about him! It spoke of heroic deeds by apprehending the bank robbers. This was a deed that had happened two days ago. He smiled and tore out the page with the article on it. It was another clipping for his wall. He put down the newspaper and walked out of the recreational room with the article.
Zero saw the happy look that Jet had. "Hmm…he must have found another decent article."
Axl turned his attention away from what he was doing and looked over at Zero. "Is that why he reads the newspaper every morning?"
The older warrior nodded his head. "That's exactly why, Axl. You see Jet is a former member—no former leader of the Repliforce. He was taught the ideals of teamwork. He likes seeing teamwork at work. But he mostly keeps the articles for motivation to keep moving and continue the deeds. He feels that redemption should be the only thing that matters to him."
"But he's become a real friend."
"Exactly…as his friends we need to show him that there are other things to life than just fighting to regain that which is lost. His nobility was born from the many tragedies that he had created as a Maverick. That sounds good for a story but this is real life."
"We can't just change someone's life style though…it doesn't work that way."
"Now you're learning, Axl. You're absolutely right and it's going to be difficult but I believe deep inside he can change because he is Jet, the Tragic Warrior."
Next Chapter
Rose the Blood Arbiter. A former Maverick assassin is now a hunter operator. He is one with nature and protects and cares for the last garden on the planet. He takes on the Mavericks for he believes that they are trying to destroy the beauty that Mother Earth has created.
