When Sigma first opened his eyes, there was no one to greet him into the new world. He was alone on a table, like some sort of specimen. There was red blood on the table, and his brain told him, human blood. He shrugged it off. What was there to do?
His brain was a toy to him, and he enjoyed playing with it and making questions. Why is there human blood? Why can I ask questions? Can I talk?
"Yes," he said, the surprise of his deep voice startling him. "Yes, I can talk."
He pulled himself off the table, with no ill effect. A sudden shatter caused him to reel around, and instinctively he formed an arm cannon.
Not caring about who was there, he gasped as he realized he could turn his arm into the big gun at will. He even fired a few shots, which, in his mind he thought, no, too clumsy.
As a small cat walked in, and he watched it, in a sitting posture somewhere between getting up and sitting down. The cat raised back its head and wailed, but, as Sigma listened to it, it wasn't a cat, it was a dog…
The dog watched Sigma curiously. Sigma petted it behind the ears, and it triggered a hologram.
The hologram did not work at first. Sigma ran his hands through it, trying to study how it worked, when he realized it was light. And he concentrated on his brain. The answer was in his RAM Memory; he just had to access it. So he focused and tried to access what was going on. The only thing he could get was the dog's name, Velguader.
The hologram flashed, and there was a bright light. Sigma had to cover his eyes. There was only a shape, there was no detail, and the voice was a computer's. Sigma wondered who it was.
"Sigma Unit 0," it said. "You have been created to help humans. This is no joke. You have been made to fight these Mavericks. You can access this information when you have the need. You may think that your arm cannon is clumsy. If you do, I have a quest for you that may take you to where you can access to your full potential.
"The world is cold and dark, Sigma. You may be able to warm it up."
The hologram flickered, and then it was finished. Sigma wanted to learn more. Perhaps he would investigate this quest.
He scratched Velguader's head again. "We are lucky," he muttered.
The dog wagged his tail. Sigma got up, and paid no heed to the blood and walked out the door he had spotted earlier.
If he were to stay, he would have found his creator on the floor. She lay dead, her eyes reflecting pain, while a silent red figure hovered over. The figure would have attacked, but found it more amusing to watch and wait. Besides, the "Sigma" didn't even notice its creator on the ground, dead! Then, what was the point of slitting her throat?
Sigma walked into a bedroom. There was a made bed, and a desk, and, enjoyably, a mirror.
The bed was made with little patterns of anime characters. It was nicely made, and there was a whimpering sound behind the door.
Sigma opened it, to see much to his amazement, a small feminine child who was hiding.
"Please, Sir," she asked. "Please, let me in before he comes!"
"Who?" Sigma asked. Velguader whimpered.
"The Red Death!" Sigma opened the door wider.
"Why are you here?"
The girl blushed. "I work here, but today was my day off. My sister, though, Cara, wanted me to earn some extra money. We're poor, even though we have a rich father- he never pays child support."
Sigma felt a question enter his brain. "What's Child Support?"
The girl's mouth fell open. "You're new, aren't you? Then, we don't have much time. We must run!"
The girl attempted to run out the window, but Sigma held her still. He figured he could have made the jump, but she couldn't have. Velguader whimpered higher, and Sigma locked the door.
"Let me go!"
Sigma did as he was told. The girl was obviously in panic. She ran out the window and into the air.
Sigma left as quickly as possible. The house no longer concerned him, he needed to get out. He would find out about the world on his own, with Velguader behind him.
The pathway of the street bugged him. It was nighttime, and people were getting restless. He dogged and weaved, but he still stood out like a sore thumb. There was a small bus stop in front of him. In that bus stop, a map. The city he was in was named "Starlight City" and his, or his creator's, house was located a few blocks south. He touched the screen and instantly, there was a news report.
A black woman appeared on the screen, and in her hands were pieces of paper. "On 1418 Grand, there was been two murders, apparently linked."
Sigma blinked. He only recalled one. The woman continued.
"The late, but great Dr. Shirley, was killed earlier today, apparently by a slitting of the throat. The other had a broken neck and died screaming, 'the red death!'"
A picture of the girl he saw earlier was on the screen, being carried away into a body bag. In a woman's hands, was a piece of paper.
Sigma focused on the piece of paper. His instinct said to get it. A man, who had been watching it with him, sighed. "Damn, she was a pretty thing, even though she was talking to Cain."
"She was apparently my creator," Sigma said, for whatever reason.
"You sure? I know Velguader was. He was a purple-" Velguader sat down in front of its new master.
"Ohh. Okay." The man took this in. "Well, you're unarmed, uneducated, and in need of a place to stay. I can give you the place to stay. Here!" The man reached into his trench coat and pulled out a card. "Call my phone number if you need me. I'm Bob."
"Sigma," Sigma replied, shaking the man's hand. "Where will she go now?"
"Well, in the olden days, she would have been taken to
a funeral home with an undertaker. Now, she'll be given to the Roman Catholic Church on 52nd avenue and her funeral will be tomorrow. And, here's a cash card with 3,000 bucks. Get some clothes."
Sigma could not help but be disgusted by the man's outfit, strips and spots, but then again, clothes would be more preferable to his fighting uniform.
The man walked off, and Sigma's eyes narrowed. "To the church, then. To get that paper."
Sigma had debated over whether or not to start with clothes or the church first. Clothes won.
The department store had nothing fashionable in his size. The only pants were for pregnant women.
"Excuse me," he asked the salesman, "Do you have anything for men?"
The man nodded, his mouth full of pins. He spat the pins out onto a magnetic board. "Yup. You're a repliod, right? Dr. Cain's? Or someone else's?"
Sigma was stunned by the question. "Someone else's. And no one believes me."
The man threw four pairs of jeans at Sigma. "Understand, Dr. Cain is in Megacity. You, my friend, and in Starlight City. It's a long walk. There are only cornfields and desert, and nuclear waste."
Sigma went over to the counter. "I'll buy these then," he stated. "How do I get to the Church?"
"The Roman Catholic one? Take a bus. That's 200 dollars, man."
Sigma walked out of the shop, and looked at an ad on a hologram screen. "Uncle Joe of the United Nations wants all abled bodies to be a Maverick Hunter! Come any time!"
The commercial showed pictures of people and robots, or "relpoids" as the man had called them. What were they? Were they like him?
Sigma walked out of the mall, and walked past a library. He put on his jeans, then and there, then walked into it, saw a book, and began reading.
Cara had the night shift. Terry had said that this man had read for three hours straight, at an alarming pace. She tugged on her hair.
"Sir?" she asked. The man did not get up. "Sir?" she tried louder.
The man coldly looked over his book.
"Sir, it's closing time. Please forgive me, but you can check out a book if you like."
The man shrugged, then glanced at her nametag. "Cara…" he murmured. He shook his head. "No. That's okay."
Sigma walked out the door. He had learned much about human etticate, behavior, and literature. He especially liked the book "Thomas Covenant: Unbeliever: The wounded land."
He had also learned of the Reploids: Robots with the abilities to think, feel, and make their own descions.
He sighed and glanced up at the big clock. It was twelve. He figured now would be the best time to get the paper.
The church wasn't too far, in fact, it was a pleasant walk with Velguader. The church was open for anyone to come in, and Sigma asked someone point-blank where someone who was dead would go.
The woman had answered him, obviously surprised. "Downstairs."
Sigma nodded his thanks, and went inside, down the stairs, and into the "Funeral Home".
An old man cried out. "Are you the one called Sigma?"
"Yes," Sigma replied.
"This paper was for you." The old man handed Sigma the paper and walked away.
Sigma read.
When All Hell brakes loose,
you go to the cross………
Startled, Sigma looked up into the big cross, and saw a piece of paper. He would have climbed up it, but his research told him Humans would be upset.
The next problem he had was where to spend the night. He had a cash card, but a hotel was a bit too much. And he wasn't going as a homeless man, either. Could he go back to the house?
Again, he went outside and touched the map. Nope. Now, there had been a big explosion, killing reporters and cameramen alike.
Sigma sighed, and called up Bob through the payphone.
"Yes?"
"Hello, Bob? It's Sigma. I need a place to spend the night."
"Well, come on over. You can step into a teleportation tube at the west end of the city. Aren't you asleep?"
"No, why? Were you? Did I accidentally wake you up?" Sigma silently hoped he hadn't.
"No, no, I have a late night project. You were fine."
Sigma turned off the communication. Next problem: Which way was west?
He spun around to see Cara, again. Cara's eyes were blurry, and she had water coming out of her eyes. Not water, Sigma reminded himself. Tears.
"West is that way." she said. "I've gotta make a call to my folks. Susan's dead."
Sigma shrugged. "I'm sorry," he said. "I lost a loved one today, as well."
She smiled, and picked up the phone, and swiped her cash card.
Sigma went westward. The city seemed darker and darker, until the teleportation tubes were in sight. He turned to Velguader, faithful no matter what.
"Do you like teleportation?" Sigma asked.
Velguader barked, and hopped into a tube. Sigma followed. "Destination?" The computer asked.
"Uh…" Sigma looked at the card. "1545 Light Road."
The teleportation process made him feel liquidy, as if he had no shape or form. As he stepped out, a wave of dizziness caught him.
"Sigma! Good to see you!" Bob ran up to him. "This is the north side of Starlight, but there's a big river in the way. The only things that connect are something called 'roads', and they're beat-up junk, and then teleportation."
Sigma nodded. "I'm… tired," he decided. "Can I go to sleep?"
Bob nodded. "I'll show you around tomorrow."
Sigma followed Bob into a small room with a bed on it. The bed was soft, and it called out to Sigma: Sleep on me. Sleep on me!
Sigma slept, his first day gone by.
When he woke up, Bob wasn't there. His first thought: Where am I? His second: In Bob's lab, you dolt!
"Bob?" Sigma asked. "Bob?" A rounded sphere greeted him outside his doorway. "Bob is not here," it announced. "However, you may leave thataway. You can come back some other time."
Sigma and the sphere exchanged dirty glances. Sigma held back his arm cannon.
"Do you have a gym or something?"
"Downstairs." The sphere shot Sigma a nasty grin. "Go ahead and use it."
Sigma walked down the steps into the gym. "Gym" is too small a word. "Training center" would be more like it.
Sigma was overwhelmed by the options. Swimming, boxing, track, ect. He decided to use it for "Training".
Instantly, everything disappeared, and Velguader walked back a few paces, to the safety zone.
Five huge figures loomed over Sigma. One slapped him in the chest, flinging Sigma like a cat swatting a mouse. Little known to him, the sphere had it set for the highest level possible.
Sigma groaned. How could he defeat these monsters? He looked up. Negotiation was out of the question. He saw their unprotected eyes…
Again, the fist drew down to smush Sigma. This time, however, Sigma dogged, carefully watching his step. "Hey, bucket-ball!" Sigma yelled, "eat this!" He fired a charged-up blast.
The first figure fell down, and exploded, and the second went down with it.
The third did the same thing that the first had done, and tried to slap Sigma into the wall. Sigma again dogged.
"Try this!" Sigma let loose another blast.
Three fell down, exploding.
The vision ended. The sphere growled, and so did Velguader.
"Interesting, but not good enough."
The sphere scowled, then went eyelevel with Sigma.
"I don't like you."
"I noticed. I did not expect to be liked."
Velguader went to the door, and pawed to be let out. Sigma opened the door for him, and went out himself.
He slammed the door on the sphere before it could leave.
Sigma made his way to the church. He was going to get that paper, no matter how hard the people tried and stopped him.
A little boy walked up to him, then pulled on his hand.
"What?" he asked, annoyed.
"Are you a hunter?" he asked.
Sigma's face to on a look of confusion. "No," he admitted. "I don't even know what those are."
The boy walked away. Sigma's eyes fell upon a poster. "Join the Maverick Hunters today!"
Sigma's eyes narrowed. "Maybe I will," he said. "Maybe I will."
Sigma's feet clanked on the metal floor of the base. He looked around the surroundings. Starlight City's north side had been free of dirt or gangs, but here there was a feeling of uneasiness and a quiet chaos.
"You there! Who are you?"
Sigma spun and faced a Reploid with cat-ears, an eye in the middle of his forehead (and helmet), a tail, and an assortment of charms and a utility belt. Sigma bowed.
"I am Sigma," Sigma answered.
"Are you here to join up?"
Sigma straightened up. "I want to know what they are about. I am strongly considering joining up, yes."
The cat-eared Relpoid smiled. "I'm Kravenclaw. Let me show you around."
Now, compared to the main headquarters (in the future), this was reasonably small. It had about 5,000 Hunters and staff combined, versus the 17,000 of the future base.
Kravenclaw showed Sigma the medical unit first. "We have a major volunteer, Cara Richester."
Cara was bandaging a person's foot. She saluted to Kravenclaw, and so did the injured human.
"At ease, man," Kravenclaw said softly.
"Thank you sir. Miss Deborah ain't here right now. She's tending the refugees."
Sigma and Cara shot glances of knowing at each other, but other than that, they avoided eye contact.
"Miss Deborah is the lead doctor in the Med. Unit," Kravenclaw explained.
"Are humans hunters, too?"
Kravenclaw shot Sigma a glance. "Why wouldn't they be? Humans should be protecting their existence, shouldn't they? Half of our hunters happen to be that- mind you, Reploids aren't big in manufacturing yet, and I'm one of the first to be built. We have one rookie human who will be big someday, a top leader. The Maverick population isn't high, heck, it ain't even low, it's so bad, but the human effort is decreasing, and that's outraging more Reploid Hunters."
Sigma nodded. "I guess I'll join, then."
Kravenclaw grinned. "Welcome. We'll see what you can do later."
Kravenclaw led to the main computer unit, where the computers (huge), were. Sigma was overwhelmed, as this was nothing like Bob's lab.
"Kravenclaw! Sir! There's a Maverick outbreak!"
Kravenclaw's face grew grim. "How many? Get a team of hunters out at once!" he commanded.
"There are twenty, sir, going through west Starlight!"
Kravenclaw grew ashen, but he motioned to Sigma and the two were off.
Kravenclaw certainly knew how to command his troops. He knew their weaknesses, and he knew their strengths. There was only one rookie, named Chaos, who was doing dangerous things like Kravenclaw.
"Reditar! Stop!" Kravenclaw shouted, clawing and biting his way through the Maverick forces. Chaos and Sigma were straight behind him, beating on Maverick.
Sigma's Maverick pounded him, and instinctively Sigma's hand formed as if he was holding something. A light shot out of a cylindrical object, and Sigma used the newfound blade to ram into the Maverick, blood spilling.
Chaos was a bit messier, but not by much. She left a small mark on hers, and the Maverick exploded, inside a barrier left by her.
"Sweet trick," Sigma stated.
"Thanks," she replied. They looked at Kravenclaw, fighting Reditar. Reditar took a swing at Kravenclaw's gut, knocking him backwards. The remaining Mavericks fled.
"Kravenclaw!" Chaos shouted, rushing up to him.
"I'm okay," he responded. "Sigma, this is the rookie human I was telling you abou-" Kravenclaw suddenly coughed blood, and fell. A pool of the dark liquid poured beneath him.
As the rescue team came in, Sigma realized many could not see them. They were far too high. Heck, they probably couldn't hear them. Velgauder was back at the base, pacing back and forth. What could he do?
"HEYY! WE GOT AN INJURED COMMANDER UP HERE!!!" Chaos shouted, almost knocking Sigma off his feet. Sigma gained new respect for Chaos immediately.
The medical unit pointed, and instantly a blonde in a handkerchief, with supplies around her belt, climbed up. She was in great shape, and got there in no time, but Kravenclaw's pool continued to grow. Chaos was muttering something wildly.
Cara appeared, and whipped out some bandages. "Oh, gee," she muttered. "The wound reopened." She pulled out the bandages.
"Help me put him onto the stretcher." Sigma helped, and Chaos held the rope the stretcher was attached to. Kravenclaw's face was seemingly pale.
Sigma had read that humans with blood loss would die in five minutes. Reploids? Could they?
Cara sighed, and lowered Sigma down. "Don't worry. He'll be fine, but if he continues to exert himself like this…" she shook her head. "Miss Deborah warned him. Reditar knows it. Kravenclaw's going to get himself killed one of these days, maybe."
Kravenclaw was lowered, and the medical team moved him into a teleport-ambulance. Sigma had read about those. They travel to a spot, teleport, and drive into the med. Unit.
Cara sighed. "Let's get down."
Chaos nodded, then whistled. A tabby appeared at her side. Cara stroked it under the chin. "Sweet cat," she murmured.
Sigma couldn't help but smile, too. This was going to be his family from now on.
Part II: The lone rookieWeeks had gone by. The date: 01/19/XX.
A tune whistled through Sigma's head as he lined up for drill exercises. He had been assigned the unit Yeranin, and it was almost a strict-rookie unit. There was no difference, Sigma had seen, between Reploid and human, until the level of difficultly. But even then, some humans could manage to keep up pretty well.
While waiting for their commanded, called "Foxie-tail" by them, the humans would tell where they were from. Many humans were from poor families or families killed by Mavericks.
Jared, a boy about 16, would proudly tell his story. "Me mother be a sly one. She saved half of her twelve children from Maverick. I vowed to get back at the other six. I was born and raised in the South, under an ol' bridge which was torn apart in the 'Great War'."
The 'Great War' was the end of civilization as we no it. It was a nuclear Winter, and in the confusion countries attacked other countries. With recent happenings, the U.S. had fallen to Russia, who fell to Germany, to finally, a group in Antarctica. Desert covered most of the land. Atomic bombs were used, and people lived in cities built where they could. Different languages were spoken in different parts of the world, but it was mainly one language.
The cities were separated from the rest of the world in everything but scientific news. Starlight's pride and joy of science was the acclaimed 'star' it had captured that caused the Nuclear Winter.
"The bridge had everythin' you would need, too. Chaos, I should show you it one day."
Chaos shrugged. "Perhaps I have lived in such a place."
Jared simply replied, "No way someone as pretty as you could lived under a bridge."
Sigma would watch in wonder. Chaos seemed to be the only human who was not affected by these "hormones". Humans could repopulate anywhere, anytime. "Hormones" were the little signs that told them.
"Fox-tail" came in. He cleared his throat, and everyone got in line.
"50 laps, go!"
The "Laps" were 1/50 of a mile, and there was really only one. At each fifty mark was a challenge to the mind or to the physical body, and each were different.
Sigma's thoughts turned past the track. The humans were diminishing. The older ones stayed, but new recruits were shortening. They were getting replaced by Repliods.
Sigma decided to keep his mind to the task. Jump over pit, punch bag, ect.
When he finished, he was not the first, but he was not the last. Chaos was the first human, after the fifth Reploid. He seemed drawn to her as a friend more than anyone else. A chubby kid, about 13, was last.
"Do it again," Fox-tail told him.
The soldiers stood and waited. When the kid was done, Fox-tail stood attention. "At our last battle, we, uhhh… how should I put it… SUCKED LIKE HELL! It was pathetic! Our commander was injured! We, about 250 hundred Rookies, couldn't attack 28 Mavericks! Reditar is still out there, folks, his red little hiny smirking his face off."
Chaos stood even more upright.
"If you can't battle, then don't battle. There are other things to do. Jared! Review!"
Jared took a breath. "Help the civilians to safety," he droned. "Take care of medical unit. Find pathways to reach battlefield and report them. Block exits. Throw bombs. Clean medical supplies."
Fox-tail nodded. "Very good. Chaos?"
Chaos stepped foreword. "Yes, sir?"
"Show us what you would do to a Maverick."
The lights dimmed, and a holographic Maverick appeared. Chaos snuck up behind it, put on a patch, and let it explode in it's confined force field.
The lights brightened again, making many humans moan, and clutch their eyes. Fox-tail nodded to Chaos an at-ease.
"Now, Chaos makes it look easy. Indeed, it is not. Do not fight a Maverick if you cannot win."
A Reploid raised his hand.
"Yes, Heritcle?"
"How will you know if you can't beat a Maverick?"
Fox-tail's eyes flashed evilly. "You will know. Go to your stations."
The "stations" were work-out centers, and the training was mainly done to see if you could premote. Chaos had been passing up her turn to others. Sigma found her as his work-out partner for the day. "Hi," she said gleefully.
"Hi. What's our station?"
"Ohh. We get the training course."
"Ugh. I've had it up to here with training." He put his hand to his neck to show how much. "But if it gives me a chance to learn, I'm there."
Chaos nodded her agreement. "Let's see… We're to time each other. You want to go first?"
Sigma looked at the course. "I'll go first. Thanks."
"No problem."
Sigma lined up with the line, body tense and ready for the "go"!
"Go!" Chaos shouted.
Sigma ran a flat meter before jumping over a wall. Then, he jumped several hurdles, and climbed up a wall and into a net. He navigated across the net to see a long jump down. Jumping down, he raced to the finish line, jumping over a pit, and under a net. He finished and the timer had stopped.
2:30. Two minutes and thirty seconds. Sigma felt proud. He timed Chaos. "Go!" he shouted.
Chaos completed the time with amazing speed.
1:30.
Sigma stood flabbergasted. His pride shooken, he muttered a "good job," before racing in with the other Hunters.
Chaos didn't say anything. She spoke to Fox-tail, who in turn nodded. "Sigma!" he yelled, and Sigma stopped and faced the two of them.
"Why don't you two work a bit longer?"
Sigma
stood, again speechless. Fox-tail wanted him to work with her? He used an alibi.
"I have to get to the sword dueling," he explained.
"Oh,"
Fox-tail said, disappointed. "I would have written you up an
excuse."
"Thanks, maybe tomorrow."
Chaos watched him go. To Fox-tail, she said, "Too bad. I passed that class a week ago."
"Maybe if you would take the promotion test, you would be in charge of it."
Chaos laughed. "As if. No, not for me."
"Why not?"
"Because… it's not me. I don't teach."
All through the lesson, Sigma's mind wandered back to the incident. Of course she was better than him. But she was a human!
He mentally shook his head. No. That was no excuse. Chaos had seen his pride hurt. Maybe, maybe he should have gone with her.
He had two free periods. The humans would take classes on computers and computer viruses, and the Reploids would talk and spread rumors around during this time. He ducked into the gym, expecting a class. There was no one, expect Chaos.
Chaos was running the course. She spotted Sigma, and waved, and finished. She pushed the record button.
"Hi, Sigma," she said.
"Hi," Sigma replied, surprised. "What are you doing?"
"Today I don't have Med. Duty. The rookies always switch, you know."
Sigma looked at the clock. 1:59. She had been practicing all along. No wonder she beat him. His pride healed a bit.
"This is what you invited me to do?" he asked.
"Yep. Though, you had better leave. The generals are outside, but this is their time in the gym."
Sigma nodded. "You? Why are you here?"
"Oh. Right. I finished. 100 laps around." She pulled on her dry shirt, over her sportsbra. "I'm gonna go shower."
Sigma shook his head. "No. Don't you have a class?"
"Passed it!" she called.
Sigma stood for a long time, thinking. Indeed, he had strength better than most humans, speed better than most humans, and stamina better than them, too. But what was that compared to practice and experience?
At that moment, he heard voices, and decided it was better to think in the privacy of his room.
Velgauder was waiting for him.
"Hello, Velguader."
Valguader wagged his tail, saying, "Welcome back, Master!"
Sigma lay down on his bed thinking. Velguader held something in his jaws, and flapped it onto Sigma's chest. Sigma picked it up, and read it.
"After lunchbreak, I have Med. Duty," he told Velguader. "What do you do?"
Velguader had gotten in trouble with Computo Cat. However, the language barrier between dogs and Reploids/humans kept Sigma from knowing it.
Lunchbreak was… Lunchbreak! For humans, it was "Eat-as-much-food-as-fast-as-you-can-time", and Reploids, "Social hour." Sigma had little friends, but that was because he was new. He sat where he usually did. By Vile, a rookie like himself. They both had mysterious creators. Both had high egos. Vile, had a crush on Chaos, but a sharp tongue.
"Hello, Sigma."
"Hello, Vile." Sigma took a seat across from Vile.
Vile watched Chaos. "I heard an interesting rumor today."
"What?" Sigma asked, curious. Vile did not take his eyes off Chaos.
"I heard Chaos is a goddess." Sigma laughed, but Vile's face stood stern. "I'm serious."
Sigma shrugged. "I couldn't care less," he admitted. "She's just a girl."
Vile nodded, and turned away as Chaos moved her head in their direction.
"What's for Med. Duty?"
"Oh, you just bandage up humans and listen to Fox-tail bark some more. You know," Vile continued, "If we got some more volunteers or jobs here, we wouldn't have to put up with it."
Sigma nodded. "I can handle the Reploids fine. They heal pretty fast. But humans are a different story. They break like Legos."
Vile shook his head. "Not Chaos, for whatever reason."
"She's different. She spends all of her free time exercising." Sigma looked at an apple. "I wonder what it tastes like."
Vile shrugged. "Like I'd ever know," he said softly.
Fox-tail was upset for some reason. "Sigma you're five seconds late."
"Why does that matter?" Sigma shot back.
Fox-tail pounded on him. "It means that you could be late for a battle. Five seconds may be crucial in the battle, and it was lost." Fox-tail pounded on another student, later than Sigma.
"Start out with the humans," Fox-tail snapped. "A few lucky ones will have a break and care for a few Reploids."
The wounded were pretty bad. Sigma's human was named Jake. It was standard that you learned your patients name.
"What's wrong?" Sigma asked.
"It's my leg," Jake replied. "It… it… hurts…" he said through gritted teeth.
Sigma took a look at it. Purified flesh. "Something bite it?"
Jake nodded. "A wolf. Damn Mavericks."
Sigma whistled. "You've seen Miss Deborah?"
"She said that a cure exists in the Maverick territory."
Chaos was standing behind them. "I'll get it," she said suddenly, startling them both. "What is it called?"
"Wolfbane,' Jake replied. Chaos turned and walked down the hallway.
Sigma followed after her. "Chaos! What are you doing?"
Chaos spun around. "If there's a cure, I'm there. Science is my favorite thing here. And, it shows. I can find any antidote. And if that antidote's here, or in Maverick territory, I'm going."
"You can't do that!" Sigma protested. "You'll stay a rookie. You won't get promoted!"
Chaos shrugged. "I care not."
Sigma shook his head. "You'll die! How many Mavericks do you know in there? None! They aren't exactly your best friends!"
Chaos shrugged again. "Very well," she replied. "You will come with me."
"Me?" Sigma managed to utter. "But… I can't! For the same reasons!"
Chaos waved a hand. "You know how many humans would be saved by the Woldbane?" she asked.
"A lot?" Sigma guessed.
"Exactly. A very lot." Chaos walked out the door, Sigma following.
"So, we're going into Maverick territory, and then, you point out- you AREN'T scared?"
Chaos turned around in the tunnel. "Yes," she whispered. "And be quiet, for crying out loud. The base with the wolfbane should be coming up."
"That's a relief," Sigma muttered sarcastically. "I can't wait to die."
"I have no will," she replied, slipping into the door.
Sigma followed. "What'dya mean, you have no will?"
"A will is something humans leave so that when they die, their possessions and money will go to ones they care about."
Sigma was astounded. "You have no will, and you aren't afraid of death, what else?"
Chaos chuckled. "You don't really want to know. Trust me."
Sigma crossed his arms. "Try me."
Chaos continued walking, until Sigma ran to catch up. Up ahead was the Maverick base.
The base was quite nice for a sewer. A lounge, and dinning hall, even a bar…
"Sigma, I want you to stand guard."
"I want to fight. Where else can I kick some Maverick butt?"
Chaos shook her head. "There'll be plenty of 'butt' to kick when I get back. I can't exactly go in there, order some wolfbane and get out home-free."
"Oh, yeah…" Sigma muttered.
"Good, it's somewhat settled. She ya in about ten minutes." Sigma watched in wonder as the fearless human walked straight into enemy territory, unafraid. Heck, she even waved to a Maverick, who in surprise, waved back.
She walked straight up. Sigma could hear what she was saying over their radio.
"Hey, do you know where the wolfbane is?"
"Yeah," the Maverick asked suspiciously. "Why?"
"I, am, unfortunately, some weird chemist, who enjoys mixing things with no actual meaning." Chaos was almost believable. She continued. "Hell, my face is also a problem. I hate looking like a human. Half the reason I'm a chemist is so I can screw up my creator's face. And the damn woman let me have a freaking nature to talk as much as I can, till someone sends me on my way."
The Maverick was speechless. Sigma stifled a giggle. She was good! So serious, and she spoke every word with a sicking sincerity.
"In the greenhouse. You new?"
"Nope. Just want to screw up my face before a big fight."
"The greenhouse-" the Maverick continued, in shock, "is at the northern tip of the base. Through the lounge, not around, and into the sewer with almost no light, and blocked off by a million other things. Take the only exit and that's where they are."
Chaos thanked him, told him even more things that rattled off in her brain, and walked to the lounge. Sigma lost sight of her after that.
A hand tapped Sigma on the shoulder. Sigma jumped three feet.
"Looking for someone?" A cold voice said. Sigma looked up slowly to see Reditar standing above him, claws extended. "And my poor brother sends his best rookies to destroy me. Or are you naughty Rookies, and in need of-" He pulled his claws in front of his eyes for a dramatic effect- "a lesson?"
Sigma held the speaker to his mouth. "Chaos, help," he muttered weakly.
Reditar sniffed the air. "Ahh, yes, a human slipping into our defenses. Again. That's the same one. I must do something about it."
A voice spoke in Sigma's ear. Chaos's voice. "Sigma, I'm a little busy with the wolfbane. The guy said that no chemist uses Wolfbane for explosions. Now, I'm-" the voice broke off a second and Sigma heard a frightening roar- "In a huge battle. It's not like you're battling Reditar, right?"
Sigma found his voice, his eyes wide and fearful looking at Reditar, who was biding his time, counting ten wicked claws. They were shiny but crooked and wickedly sharp, unlike his brother. "That's exactly the situation."
Reditar's arm twitched, and Sigma jumped back, just in time as those evil-looking claws swiped down, missing him but hitting the wiring to the speaker.
Sigma drew his beamsaber, poised and ready to attack. He, however could not help but feel dread and the fact that he would lose.
Reditar knew this. There is nothing worse than a foe who knows you are afraid. It works to their advantage. "Come, Sigma," he cooed. "Become a Maverick. You can take pride in your Maverickdom. Otherwise, what's the point? You'll stay a slave to the humans forever."
Something flashed in Sigma's brain. Something scary. A woman's cries, a flash of claws…
"You!" Sigma cried, raising his beamsaber. He thrust it down with all his might and Reditar tried to block it with a claw. The claw broke under the extreme pressure, and Reditar jumped back, a sliver of fear in his bright green eyes.
"You killed my creator!" Sigma roared, again with the beamsaber crashing down. This time, Reditar was hit in the mouth.
Reditar's fur came in quite handy. The beamsaber should have cut away the skin, and even through the metal, but it caught the fur. Reditar wiped the blood from his mouth.
"You're a fool, boy," he growled in a low, hating voice that cats give off when you annoy them. "And I kill fools to kill them."
Sigma straightened up. The last two hits had given him confidence. "I will kill you," he stated simply, showing no arrogance, pride, or even a hint of fear. "You don't scare me."
They locked eyes, when a huge barking sound caught Reditar's ears. They flattened, then he knocked Sigma down in pure panic. Sigma watched as he fled through the sewer.
Computo Cat and Chaos walked up to him, Chaos singing, "Who let the dogs out…"
Sigma sat on his bed. He had been punished and promoted that very day. Chaos, too, but she said she would go as far as Sigma.
His punishment: Not being promoted as far as he should have.
Chaos's punishment: To clean the bathrooms.
He laughed. Chaos had an interesting sense of humor. Velguader came running in, and Sigma sat upright.
"What have you there, boy?" he asked, pulling a bra out of Velguader's mouth.
"VELGUADER!!" A woman passed by, leaving a shocked Sigma. "Whoa," he said. "Interesting hobby you have there."
Cara appeared, chasing after the encrazed woman. "Velgauder, don't steal from her drawer," she scolded, petting him on the head. "Where's the bra?"
Sigma handed it to her. "There. I don't want to touch one as long as I live."
Cara laughed, a middle-pitched laugh that had a certain grace to it. Heck, everything she did seemed graceful, expect for the gleam behind each eye.
Sigma had seen it before. In worriers, in battles. One was the gleam of rage beyond all senses. The other was a gleam or despair Cara raced off, embarrassed by the situation.
Sigma scratched the back of his head. "I will never understand human women."
Velguader nodded, but remained silent. He didn't understand female dogs, either.
Chaos met up with Sigma in the hall. As a General, they both fit their roles almost perfectly. Sigma was still a bundle of curiosity, and kept trying to learn. Being a General was almost the same as a rookie. The only difference was that you weren't in a class. You taught yourself.
Sigma had his assignment: To look up all information on Reditar. He hadn't been issued a Med. Duty for weeks.
"You looking up info. too?" Chaos asked.
"Yeah," Sigma admitted. "Man, getting a promotion is hard work."
"I happen to hate hard work," Chaos muttered. "But see you anyway. Hey, I hear Cara is a good witness. I, am going into the streets to sort out rumors. See ya!"
"Cara?" he questioned, then went around to see if she was there. No, he told himself. She would be in the library-
"Sigma!" Sigma spun around to face Bob.
"Hello, Bob," Sigma replied. "What brings you here?"
Bob smiled. "I heard about your promotion. Good job, although Reditar isn't someone you should look up on."
Bob signaled to Sigma to keep his head down, and Bob began to whisper. "Meet me in the library, and I'll tell you more."
"I was just going there," Sigma explained.
"Good!" Bob said, straightening. "We'll go together." They walked out the door, and Bob began.
"There was a Reploid named X, found by Dr. Cain. X was built by Dr. Light, a genius who built many others. Anyway, Dr. Cain tried to duplicate the programming, but indeed, he did- and so did many others, making their own corrections as they saw fit. Henceforth- Reploids. You are one. And, unfortunately, the programming was too loose or something, and they began to hate humans. Henceforth- Mavericks.
"There was a famous scientist, not Shirely, mind you, but Dr. Malcom, and he made two Reploid twins. He made them in the forms of cats, for he deceased daughter loved them. One was Reditar, the eldest, and the other was Kravenclaw. One turned bad, the other good.
"It may be best for you, Sigma, not to say anything negative about Reditar, unless simple fact. Kravenclaw is still sensitive to that." Bob walked off. They had made it to the library.
Cara was walking further down the street. "Cara!" Sigma called. "Please- wait up!"
Cara spun around, and waved. But then, a rumble, and the manhole cover flew off and a blue, scaly Maverick appeared. Cara took a step back. "Your sister awaits you!" the blue Maverick shouted, extending chains. Cara screamed.
Sigma began to run towards them. "Stop! Maverick!"
The blue figure turned. "If you must know," he snarled, "It's Stardust. I was in charge of the great Star." He flung his chains at Sigma.
"And you obviously aren't that powerful," Sigma responded, almost cutting through them. Stardust snarled again. They were locked into battle.
Sigma finally landed a blow, cutting Stardust in the back. Stardust slipped back where he came from. "Beware," he muttered. "You will be the one you dies, not me."
Cara went behind Sigma cowardly. "Thanks," she said, in shock, and watching Stardust sink beneath the surface.
"No problem," Sigma replied. "But I had better walk you home." They began to walk. "Any reason it was you?"
Cara was silent for a bit. "…………It was my sister. She was killed by Reditar. And, now, he obviously wants me."
"But, why?"
"Because, I know something valuable. His weakness."
"Tell me. Then, he'll strike me down first," Sigma replied. He wanted to battle again. Reditar would not be so lucky next time. He was a commander of a unit, but that pleasure was for him.
"He hates dogs. He will do anything to get away from it. I know the location of a weapon, called the 'dog call'. That's his weakness. It'll get him good."
Sigma nodded. "Thanks," he said. "I'll remember that."
"The problem is, Dr. Shirely uploaded it into Velgauder. Then, it's the end. He thinks I own V."
"Oh. His mistake. Why didn't he attack you before?"
Cara shrugged. "He's been taunting me," she replied. "Saying that he knows things only the governor would know… Have you heard of the land called America?"
Sigma shook his head, and they began to walk towards Cara's house.
"Well, it fell to Japan after Japan bombed the capitol city. It was huge and perhaps the biggest, bossiest country, but it could prove it. And then, the rest of the world sided with the American rebels and launched the Great War, blowing off chunks of the planet and merging it almost into one. And then, the world saw that Radioactivity was high. So, we have huge cities and they are tall, we have flat farmland, but here-" she waved a hand, narrowly missing a passer-by, "is desert until Megacity."
Sigma nodded, and Cara blushed. "I'm rambling. I do that when I'm nervous. My bad."
They got to her house. She waved, and an old lady came out to greet her. "You her boyfriend?"
"No…" Sigma uttered.
"Wanna spend the night? It's getting dark out."
"I'll get back to base, thanks," Sigma replied.
"You wanna stay here?" the old woman asked again, eyes narrowing.
"Yeah, sure," Sigma replied.
That night, Sigma had the worst dream. He was in the core, and then, Mavericks attacked, asked for Velgauder, and ran, with Sigma as the only survivor. Sigma awoke, and if he was a human, he would have awaken in a cold sweat. He was not human, he told himself. He was not a human. He was a robot. Something stupid. He was upset and had a few problems to sort out.
Chaos appeared at the doorway. "Do you need help?" she asked. "No," Sigma replied. "Why are you here?"
Chaos laughed, a high-pitched laugh, and then-
Sigma awoke to a sunny-sunshine filled morning. Freaky dream, he thought.
The entire week, Cara was quite shy toward Sigma, who in return, was shy back. They said nothing, avoided each other, and kept out of each other's way. Velgauder couldn't care less, and often brought them together. Finally, one day, as Sigma was working with Chaos, who was going to be his partner from now on, Chaos suggested something.
"You two should go to a movie," she told him. "You'd look cute."
Sigma was speechless. Chaos laughed. "It's a date then. I'll talk with Cara and us three will go."
So Sigma found himself waiting at the hologram theater door. Cara came next, and Chaos finally arrived, her face grim.
"You two," she said, "Are going to a comedy. I, in my wisdom, have decided to go to a movie that I'm sure to wake everyone at the Hunter Base up from screaming. Bye!"
She entered the door titled "Bunny Rabbits Go A-hopping."
Sigma and Cara entered the door marked, "A Scary Movie," and watched.
The next day, they were talking again. Unknown to them Chaos watched. She enjoyed playing Cupid. Kravenclaw was bothered. It bugged her, nagged at her. If Kravenclaw was going Maverick, then… how many lives could she save? A handful? She had evacuated a few, but most thought it a lie, that she was a jealous human.
But she would always be more than that. And Sigma… she knew Sigma's fate to well.
Six months had gone by.
Cara couldn't help but feel a tightening in her stomach as the wounded came in from the previous battle. She wanted Sigma to be safe, sound, and him to keep away from Chaos. It was her hormones, but she did, indeed, love Sigma.
Chaos appeared first. She came up to Cara. "Sigma's fine. Saved a few leader's butts a few times, too… I want you to know, we're strictly partners, and occasionally friends."
Cara's mood lifted. "Thanks," she said. "I needed that."
"I know." Chaos walked off.
Sigma walked out next. "Hi, Cara," he said. "I'm okay. Denim has to learn how to save her own butt." He sighed. Denim came out next, scratched up and bangled.
"It is soo not my fault Reditar likes picking on me. And it was mainly your dog."
"Big difference," Sigma joked, and Denim scowled, but took it jokingly.
"I was worried," Cara replied. Then, the other hunters came out. Most were fine.
They walked away. "I like the gardens," Cara popped up suddenly.
"So do I," Sigma replied, "But our date is canceled. Kravenclaw wanted to talk with Chaos and I."
"Oh," Cara said, her eyes dropping with sadness. "Ok. I'll be in the library."
"Computo!" Someone yelled. "Don't do that!"
Computo scrambled onto Chaos's shoulder, and the two co-workers entered Kravenclaw's office.
"Sigma, Chaos," he began, "We're going on an outing with several other partners. Would you like to come?"
Chaos watched Kravenclaw closely. "Sure," Sigma replied. "Why not?"
Chaos's face was pale. "I cannot come," she said quickly, "as fate will allow it. I… must do an outing of my own. My family has a reunion today, and I must be going." She left.
"Odd," Kravenclaw stated. "She acted as if we were Mavericks or something."
"Sir?" Sigma asked. "Are these rumors true? Are we Reploids truly outnumbering the humans 10 to 1?"
Kravenclaw nodded. "Yes, Sigma."
The outing was of 13 Hunters. There were six humans, and, duh, 7 Reploids in all. They went to the top of the Starlight City tower.
"Wow," Someone exclaimed. "I sure would hate to fa-" He was pushed off the 83 story tower. Sigma looked. Kravenclaw had pushed him. "Darn." He said. Sigma readied his beamsaber. "Oh, Sigma," Kravenclaw laughed, "Don't worry. They're only humans. They deserve to die."
Sigma didn't lower his weapon. "You're going to kill the humans?"
Kravenclaw nodded. "What better way than to blow up the place they live? All our Reploids are protected by 'special' assignments. But ours is suicidal. We will die for our cause."
"I am not dying for a cause in which I do not believe!" Sigma shouted, hurling his beamsaber at Kravenclaw. "You were once my respected commander. Never again." He hurled his beamsaber into Kravenclaw's weakpoint, the gut, the stomach. Kravelclaw spit out blood. But Sigma knew his fate was sealed. Reditar was coming.
"VELGAUDER!" Sigma roared. "GET OUT! FIND CHAOS! HELP THE HUMANS ESCAPE!!!"
Velgauder heard, and howled his response. Sigma ran inside to the main core. There was one dead Reploid on the floor, with other humans. He had been the top leader, his skills were not forgotten, and he launched to attack.
One Maverick answered his call of rage. "Die, human sympathizer!"
"**** you, Maverick!" Sigma wasn't too worried about what he was going to say. He was going to die, after all. He whacked off the Maverick's head, and pushed the body into the core. The others responded by continuing the bomb. One by one, they fought.
When Sigma was to the last one, he was stained with the blood of Mavericks and his own blood.
"You can't win," the Maverick stated, not coldly, not smugly, not mockingly. Just stated. Sigma felt fear in a long, long time. Almost a year. His fear was renewed. Sigma was going to lose.
The bomb clicked into place, and the Maverick teleported off. Sigma was not so lucky. Thirty minutes to find the humans, to let them go…
He jumped off of the building. He fell upon a rooftop, and like stairs, he jumped them until there were no more. "Cara!" he yelled, spotting her. "We've got to leave! Now!"
Cara nodded. "Let's go. Chaos has been warning humans about it. They're scattering like sheep."
They ran to the edge of the Central City. They now had to cross a river. 10 minutes had gone by. They forded the stream, but the current was swift.
"Hold it!" Cara shouted, when Sigma was on the other side. "This river leads outside the city, right?"
Sigma nodded. "It may not be shorter, but the same length."
"But it's way faster." She jumped in, grabbed ahold of a piece of wood, and let the current take her. Sigma followed her lead. They watched in the cold, freezing water, how the landscape of the city changed, from north to south to east to west. They watched as the old buildings from the center mingled in with the new, and how houses were becoming less than the businesses.
Finally, the Grand Gateway opened, and the river fell into a steep waterfall. Cara made her way to the edge of the river, climbed out, and began to run. Sigma took a mighty leap and came behind her.
"We don't have enough time," Sigma muttered. He scooped up Cara in his arms, and launched them both into the cliff. They landed with a thud, and continued their run.
When they reached the first desert bank, they turned to look at the city.
"It is time," Sigma said simply. "To lose our homes and our lives…"
Cara sighed. "Goodbye, mother," she said softly.
Starlight city seemed to explode in the middle, and a shockwave that made everything seem to explode. It was a brilliant flash of red, blue, and yellow, then, it was gone, just fire and burnt out shells of things.
Sigma heard a howl. "Let's go," he told Cara. "The others, they're this way."
They ran to where Chaos had kept her group, about thirty.
"Fifty went back," she said, trying to keep the pain out of her voice. "And I don't know about Computo… I hope she's not dead…"
Velgauder whimpered. Sigma placed his hand on Chaos's shoulder. "How did you know?" he asked, softly. Cara nodded.
Chaos sniffled. "I saw it coming. Kravenclaw was giving the best promotions to the Repliods. There were an even amount of human hunters, but then it seemed exclusively for Reploids. Humans were getting laid off. He once tried to kill me, make it look like it was an accident. I didn't trust him."
Cara sighed. "What will we do?" she asked, looking at the refugees.
"The humans who go back will die. I told them, but some were too stubborn. We won't die out here. We're going to Megacity, the only place we can go." Chaos looked toward the Northwest. "80 miles. Give or take. We might make a few days. I needed Computo to give us a contact, so they'd be ready."
Sigma nodded again. He was numb, unemotional, cold, soaked, and tired. He wanted to sleep. Cara was grim.
"They'll pay for what they've done," she said softly. "They will all pay. Reditar's alive. I know it. He set the entire thing up."
Chaos nodded again. The she spoke out to the group of Reploids and humans. "My friends," she began, "we must try the best of what we can do. We must go to Megacity, where new opportunities lie. We can live in the desert like bums, or we walk. Tough choice. We shall march forward. The world must know of this happening, I swear it. To Megacity!"
The humans cheered, along with the Reploids, but it was an almost fake cheer. Their spirits were broken. They could barely believe the truth.
"Hold me," Cara asked, and Sigma did, two lovers in a band of refugees.
Part Three: MegacityThe next day, Chaos's head turned softly. "Sigma," she said, "I think you should handle the Mavericks. They're on our trail."
"I'll go, too," Cara volunteered. Velgauder growled his partake in the action. The humans moved away from the Hunters.
Sigma and Cara waited silently, while Velgauder sat on top of the dune they were hiding in. They all heard footsteps.
"Damn cat," They heard Reditar mumble. Computo? Was she alive?
"Reditar, you are a genius," one Maverick supplied. There were five.
Velgauder howled. "DAMN DOG!!!" Reditar shouted, hurling himself at him. It was almost too late, but Velgauder stopped as Sigma and Cara appeared.
"Going somewhere?" Cara asked, holding a gun to them. The Mavericks seemed to grin as one. They responded by hauling out their weapons.
Sigma started for Reditar, and Cara began at a small Maverick. The other three were commandless, until Reditar shouted, "KILL THE HUMAN!"
Cara took fine care of herself, but in a very gruesome way. The first maverick she bit its throat out, the second, she fired a hole, also damaging the third, whose fate was sealed by another blast. The fourth took off and ran.
Reditar and Sigma were having their own fine battle. The claws met beamsaber. Evil met good, and then, Reditar knocked heads with Sigma, knocking Sigma off balance.
"Looks like I win, then," Reditar said, laughing. "Indeed, you loose." A gunshot took the grin off his face.
"Think again," Cara responded. Behind her were the rest of the humans, along with Chaos. "Reditar!" she called. "Your time is up!"
"Petty speeches," Reditar called. He paid no attention to Sigma whatsoever.
Sigma looked at him, then, Cara, and finally, the humans. Without a cry or a noble call or a word, he silently slipped the beamsaber into the Maverick's heart. Reditar let out a groan, but fell on the ground, dead.
Sigma's heart was on the ground. He was depressed. Every step he took, he walked on it. Walked away from the "quest".
Cara had been kind to him. She had understood him, and related to him.
It was joy to heard Chaos cry out, "MEGACITY!"
Computo had been found, and she quickly beeped and buzzed. There was a small escort waiting for them.
A tall, green Hunter greeted Chaos. "Welcome, band of Starlight Civilians. Welcome, fellow Hunters. I am Gamma."
"Hi," Sigma responded. Cara said her thanks, too. Chaos immediately started helping the humans out, along a blue Reploid doing the same.
"Hello, I'm Chaos. Who are you?"
"I'm X," X replied. "I don't know much about myself, but…" he voice trailed off.
"That's okay. I'm sure you'll find out."
The escort took the humans to the refugee camps. Sigma immediately signed up for the Hunters. Chaos did not. The had a small talk.
"Why?" Sigma asked. "You were good there…"
"Sigma, I must go now. Computo and I are needed else-where. Fear Reditar. He's gotten even more powerful," she said, and walked away. She faded into the city.
The new Hunter took his place and line.
Cara was sitting in the Hunter's garden. Sigma sat beside her. "The city is nothing compared to ours. We were much, much more segregated. They have smooth connections all over. I wish ours was like that. But, it's not like we'll get the chance, right?" she asked, bursting into tears.
"We will, Cara," Sigma responded, his heart aching for her. "We'll start right here." And he gave Cara Richester a long, sweet kiss.
Author's note: Yes, we all know what happens to Sigma after that, he becomes a good hunter, then a Maverick, and a Villain on the X-series. This also took me quite a while to write. Many-a-night with nagging mothers. I think, that perhaps, the good parts of life are better than the bad… but a side note: Many of the humans and Reploids committed suicide during the journey to Megacity. Fifteen arrived, not counting Chaos, Siggy or Cara. And farewell, my friends, we bid thee a duo…