Disclaimer: I do not own MegaMan.EXE or MegaMan X.
Of Souls and Reploids
Thoughts "blah"
Chapter 3
Pallette spent the better part of the next day digesting yesterday's revelations. She was concerned that the fact Axl was once human would render her advances useless. "No! I'm not going to give up that easily...but still I can't help but wonder if he has someone back home..." Brushing her thoughts aside the young navigator went to attend to her duties for the day.
When she got to the control room for the Maverick Hunter missions she found her good friend Layer monitoring training exercises of some new recruits. In Pallette's opinion most of these guys would either be cut or scrapped within the first month. "Guess they really don't make 'em like they used to."
"So...how are things going with Axl?", the purple haired navigator asked. Of course she knew that Pallette had given Axl her full attention. Layer had even been there when the younger reploid had asked Axl to teach her how to use different guns. She also knew that to Pallette that was their first date, but Axl didn't see it as anything more than training a comrade on how to defend herself.
The young blonde took her seat next to Layer and began her job of assisting the Hunters with finding hidden routes. "I...well I...", she sighed trying to think how much she should tell her friend, "Axl still just thinks of me as a friend. He did however tell me a little bit about his past."
Layer stopped what she was doing and turned to look at the younger reploid. "What did he say? What did he say?", she asked.
Pallette wasn't surprised by the reaction, in fact she had even been expecting it. Everyone at the HQ had always been curious about the origins of the New Generation Reploid Prototype, but he'd always refused to tell anyone anything more than his days with Red and 'Red Alert'. Naturally if anyone heard even a slight detail about him everyone wanted to know. "Just who designed him and how he'd had a rough life before 'Red Alert'. I really shouldn't say anymore than that. It seemed so painful for him to just tell me that little bit."
"Oh...Well I can understand that...So what can you tell me?", she begged. Before she could receive an answer one of the trainees cried out in pain as he'd been shot by a drone. Quickly Layer turned her attention back to the recruits feeling a little embarrassed by her goof.
As the two navigators provided assistance Pallette explained, "I can't really tell you anything other than the fact that Axl was built by someone name Denise Wildman. The rest is just too personal to share...I'm sorry."
Layer understood and made a mental note to run a search for Denise after her shift ended. "Maybe we have her somewhere in our database...", she thought as another recruit dropped after ignoring her advice to attack the drone from the side. "Idiots...If this is the future then we may as well hand our lives over to any future Mavericks."
In the infirmary Alia was checking over Axl when she noticed patches of white armor scattered across the Hunter's body. "Now when did this happen Axl? Get into a fight with a paint can?", she mused out loud.
Said reploid growled a response before shifting into the form of X. He then grabbed her hands and began to confess his eternal love for her.
Alia knew he was mocking her and X's relationship, so she stomped down on the teens foot which had been hanging off the bed when she began her inspection. "THAT'S NOT FUNNY AXL!", she growled. Taking a few deep breathes to regain control of her temper she resumed her inspection, "Seriously when did these patches first appear?"
The teen looked thoughtful for a minute or two and then answered, "I just noticed them this morning." Indeed when he'd gotten up he had the pleasure of greeting an angry nurse that had glared at him all morning long, but what had stood out to him was a white patch appearing on his normally black colored arm. Axl didn't really think anything of it at first, but now he was concerned that it might be something hazardous. "It's not that virus Lumine infected me with is it!", he asked frantically.
Alia forced the boy to lay down on the bed while she ran a few scans on his body. The scans came back with results that made no sense to her, "Axl, I don't think it's the virus. At the same time I can't really tell you what it is. I'm afraid I just don't know enough about your design to give you any explanation." She checked the equipment just to make sure it was defective and found that everything was in working order. "Perhaps if your creator was here it could shed some light on this...anomaly."
Immediately following the words leaving Alia's mouth Axl's eyes shot wide open and he seemed to pale. "Oh no! Not Denise, anything but that.", he thought remembering the day her left her determined to make it on his own in the world. He turned to the navigator and asked, "Are you sure you can't fix this on your own? I've seen you fix X when he was in much worse condition than me."
Alia considered the teen's words for a minute and replied, "Sorry Axl. But X supplied me with detailed schematics on himself. Your design on the other hand is still a bit of a mystery to us. It's true we could replicate some of your original design, but not all of it. To make matters worse we really haven't been able to understand all the advancements made to your specs."
Knowing that the 'doctor' was right Axl agreed to make contact with the scientist that built him and have her come to HQ. "Hmmm...God help me. I know I'll never hear the end of it once she arrives.", he muttered.
The navigator however caught the last part, "She? As in the person that built you is a woman?" Alia's eyes light up with the knowledge that a fellow woman had created such an advanced reploid without the help of any man. "That's one giant leap for us women. Take that Dr. Light."
Poor Axl had watched the expressions cross Alia's face as she dwelled on the recently discovered fact. "Oh God, not another one."
Zero and X had just finished up with another mission as they entered Commander Signas office. The swordsman greeted the Commander with ,"Another batch of Mavericks have been sent to the scrap heap. Any rookie could've handled that assignment."
The ranking officer gave the Hunter an annoyed look and said, "Well if that's the way you feel I can always let you clean the floors, polish my boots, or maybe even walk Alia's dog."
Zero paled realizing he'd pushed too far, "Come on sir. I just want a tough assignment, not something that's going to bore me to death." The blonde thought for a second and then asked, "Perhaps I could train some new recruits?"
Signas broke into a fit of laughter hearing the Hunter's suggestion while X found the floor to be exceptionally interesting. During the laughing fit Signas managed to get out, "You...you...and...the recruits."
Zero was thoroughly annoyed at his superior's reaction, "What's so funny!"
Managing to suppress his laughter the Commander responded, "The last time I had you train recruits they all petitioned me to get a replacement instructor. Everyone of them were completely terrified of you and couldn't even hear your name without tripping over each other trying to find a hiding place. Then again you also had nearly everyone of them in the infirmary on their first day." Signas recalled facts from that chaotic week, "I do believe only one managed to avoid any extreme damaged and that was Axl. The rest nearly had to be completely rebuilt after you were done with them. Thankfully we avoided any lawsuits."
Zero didn't think he'd been 'that rough' on the trainees. In fact to him he had went easy on them their first day. He knew Axl could hold his own, so he didn't find it necessary to hold back during that session. "Lan nearly beat me too. Thankfully he didn't know who I am or he would've been able to predict my moves and pin me down."
Zero was going to try a different approach to get to the trainees when Alia broke into the room. "Sorry to interrupt sir.", she addressed the Commander.
Brushing aside the interruption Signas informed her to proceed. "Yes sir.", she began, "Something is happening to Axl."
Zero and X immediately turned their attention to the navigator as she went on, "I don't really know what it is or if it constitutes a danger to his health or the rest of the population, but in order to find out we need help."
The Commander asked, "What do you need from me?"
"I just need a skilled bodyguard to pick up...Axl's creator.", she said knowing the questions she was in for. "Sir Axl managed to get in touch with the person and now we need somebody to escort them here to help diagnose Axl's...condition.", she finished not really knowing how else to word it.
Zero frowned recognizing the look he saw on the Commander's face. "You've got to be kidding me. I don't play taxi for anyone."
"Well Zero, I guess your going to get your 'new assignment' after all.", the smirking officer said.
The Hunter was outraged to be forced on such a lame task, but when Signas pointed out that Axl needed to have this person here Zero's protests were silenced. "You owed me big time for this Lan...and I intend to collect."
In DenTech city Laika and Searchman had been forced to take over in the absence of the city's two finest NetSaviors. "It's been six months since 'it' happened and Nebula has been relentless in their attacks."
Searchman was inclined to agree. Since the 'deaths' of Chaud and Lan Darkchips were popping up everywhere and Darkloid attacks were frequent. "Dr. Regal has become relentless, but we're all this city has left...no all the world has left." During the absence of Chaud and Lan the Sharo soldiers had reluctantly agreed to use the Synchro-Chip Dr. Hikari had made for them. While they were able to crossfuse the first try Laika still hated having to use it deeming it a display of weakness.
Misaki Gorou had been chasing down leads hoping that by some slime chance he'd manage to catch Ms. Yuri. "If I can capture her she will surely know the whereabouts of Dr. Regal."
Lan's friends and NetNavi MegaMan still mourned the loss of their best friend and protector. The Hikari family was taking it badly as would be expected with MegaMan being the most shattered.
MegaMan still held on to the hope that his twin was still out there somewhere. The navi had felt the bond he shared with his NetOp weaken severely, but to his surprise it wasn't destroyed. Yuuichiro was uncertain of what to make of this strange twist and contributed it to denial on MegaMan's part, not that he could really blame him.
The blue navi spent most of the time trying to comfort his mother while she grieved over losing another son...but this time he couldn't be saved even by something as extreme as converting him into a navi. The main reason for this is that when Dark Protoman had attacked the two human NetSaviors he had used a device Regal had created that generated a temporary black hole which had consumed both boys. MegaMan was saved by the Darkloid only to prolong his pain and suffering.
"I swear I'll avenge you little brother...even if it costs me my life a second time.", the navi vowed as another day came to an end.
