Zero and X picked themselves up from the remains of the diner. Shaking their heads to clear it, Zero looked around. The humans were relatively safe, having been behind the counter at the time of the blast. Looking around, Zero realized someone was missing.
"Where's Veronica?" asked Zero with wide eyes. X's whipped around, scanning the rubble for signs of life. Picking up a faint pulse, he pointed where the ceiling collapsed. Zero sprinted to it and pulling away the cement and bricks. He let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. She was bruised, but breathing. He gently pulled her out of the rubble. X helped hold up the rubble until she was out safely.
They carried her back to HQ and laid her out on a table. Her breathing was labored and her skin was halfway between metallic and normal. Zero and X were kicked out of the room to make room for the med team.
"What happened?!" Signas asked through clenched teeth. He was looking at the two. X looked at the commander and sighed.
"We fucked up." X answered. Zero raised an eyebrow at the use of language.
"I could have told you that." Signas snapped. "What will happen if she dies on that table?"
"That won't happen." A nurse said. "Her body is mending itself."
Zero narrowed his eyes. "How?"
"Her body contains little microscopic machines that destroy viruses both mechanical and biological. That's what makes her skin turn into that metallic alloy." The doctor clarified. The other nurses and doctors walked out of the room. X and Zero walked in and saw that she was putting her hair up in a pony tail.
"Thanks for fishing me out of the rubble." She whispered. She looked physically exhausted. She walked out of the room with the two hunters on her heels.
"We still need answers." Zero said removing his helmet. She turned on his heel and looked up at him.
"You don't need anything. You want answers. And I'm sure the doctors told you everything." Veronica calmly said. Neither one of the reploids said anything. "That's what I thought."
She walked away from them and towards the exit. The two let her go.
She left them and didn't look back.
The next week saw another maverick invasion. Of course with a majority of the hunters turning maverick, Zero and X were the majority of the fighting force. They tore through dozen of bases and Mavericks, but one the last one where Sigma was hiding, someone had got to it before they could.
Zero and X heard sounds of fighting in the distance past the rubble and carnage. The two looked at each other and ran to help whoever was fighting. To their surprise she brought the fight to them.
"Surprise boys!" She yelled as she was fighting Sigma with what looks like a scythe. She spun it expertly. Her hair fell out of her holders and it flowed freely. Her eyes gleamed dangerously and her skin was a steely gray. She let out a crackling laugh. "What took you so long?"
"We had to work our way up." X said. Veronica chuckled.
"I almost feel bad for you." She smirked. Zero slashed at Sigma and cut out an eye.
Sigma yelled curses and slashed wildly at the air, slamming Zero in to the wall. X went to get him and Veronica calmly sliced off his head. Sigma fell and she dropped the scythe.
"Zero.." Veronica whispered, shaking him awake.
His head snapped up, but something was wrong.
X yanked Veronica back and Zero gave a psychotic smirk. She yelped in surprise.
"What the hell?" She asked. X sighed.
"Sometimes he becomes susceptible to the Sigma virus." X sighed. "it'll fade in a few minutes, but until then…" he gestured towards Zero.
"I bet I can speed up the process." She smirked and ran towards the maverick hunter.
He charged towards her as well, but she was too fast for him and tripped him up. He snarled at her but she didn't seem to be two disturbed by it. In fact she seemed to smirk at it. Zero drew his sword, but surprisingly didn't swing it. She ran up towards him and let her skin return to a metallic silver and ducked when he threw a kick at her.
"Now Zero, where are your manners? Don't you know how to treat a lady?" She whispered coyly and moved closer to Zero. Before either of them could react, she kissed Zero and a neon green light surrounded him. When she pulled away, Zero collapsed and looked at her in shock.
Veronica chuckled softly. "I guess my services are necessary after all."