Chapter 11: Storm Eagle: Maverick or Hunter? Birth of the Maverick Whisperers
X-Squad and the Koi Koi 7 were walking down the hallways of Maverick Hunter HQ. The Koi Koi 7 and Tetsturo were amazed and surprised to see more robots who looked like X, but in different shapes and colors working in this base.
"So this world's future has amazing technology and robots who work alongside mankind…" Miyabi muttered in astonishment as she also sees humans working alongside the Reploids as well.
"Um… Where are we going?" Tetsuro asked uneasily.
"We're going to see Commander Zero to discuss the machine that brought you to our dimension." Cecilia told him as they entered the command center. Inside, Zero was waiting for them.
"Hey X. I see you and your squad have brought back the visitors from another dimension safe and sound." Zero greeted.
"Yeah, a unit of Sigma's army ambushed them the moment they arrived." X reported.
"I believe introductions are in order. My name is Zero, I'm the temporary commander of the Maverick Hunters until Dr. Cain finds a new one to take over for me." Zero introduced himself.
"Hi! My name is Yayoi Asuka!"
"Um Hi… my name is Tetsuro Tanaka."
"Name's Sakuya Kazamatsuri."
"Hifumi Inokai, it's a pleasure to meet you, Zero!"
"Nice to meet you, Zero. My name is Akiwo Suzuka!"
"Konnichiwa, Otome Chono."
"I'm Celonius 28."
"And we're known as the Koi Koi 7!" Yayoi beamed. Zero looked at them oddly.
"That's uh… a very interesting name you got for your group. I'm sure you heard of our world's plight with Sigma trying to conquer the whole omniverse, right?" Zero asked.
"Yes. X and his friends said that Sigma mysteriously went Maverick and he's waging war on humanity." Celonius remembered what X and the IS girls told her and her friends about this dimension's current situation.
"Yes. Since Sigma is bringing in people from different dimensions, we could use the help we can get to take him down. So would you join our unit?" Zero offered.
"Sounds to me this Sigma guy needs a thrashing for rebelling against the people who made him." Sakuya smirked. "Count me in to put him in the scrap heap."
"Yippee! We get to go on an adventure on our summer vacation!" Yayoi squealed.
"Yayoi, this is war we're talking about. There's gonna be lots of fighting, bad guys and death." Hifumi scolded the ditzy airhead of the Koi Koi 7.
"Imcomprehensible…" Otome uttered.
"From what X and Houki's group told us, Sigma launched missiles at Africa. What he did was unforgivable, so I'll help out as well." Miyabi frowned as she crossed her arms.
"Since X showed us that powerful move he used on the idiotic Gokoh Five, I'll gladly help him and his squad kick Sigma's can and end his evil war." Akiwo grinned as she jabbed a thumb at herself.
"Oh lord… Now I have to get involve in a war for humanity's survival…" Tetsuro moaned as he sighed.
"Glad to hear it. As of now, you're part of X's unit until we get back the device needed to send you guys homes after we end Sigma." Zero smiled, he turned to X. "X, it'll take me tomorrow to find the next Maverick General. And while I'm at it, I'll locate one of Dr. Light's capsules for you. Why don't you take the Koi Koi 7 and their friend to your home? I take it Dr. Cain's old penthouse can hold more people?"
"Sure." Charlotte answered for X. "They can sleep with us in our rooms. Keep us posted, will you Zero?"
"Roger that." Zero saluted as X, the IS girls, the Koi Koi 7 and Tetsuro took the bus ride home.
(During the bus ride to X Estate…)
"Holy mackerel…" Tetsuro gasped in awe and surprise as he and his friends see a futuristic city that is Neo Tokyo. The IS girls noticed the looks on the Koi Koi 7 and Tetsuro's faces when they saw Neo Tokyo's beauty for the first time and they smiled to themselves. They were surprised by Neo Tokyo's beauty the first time when they awoke from suspended animation, though they were confused and thought this was an illusion used by the Phantom Task's virus gas.
"Are you amazed by our world's future?" Houki smiled as she leaned in and asked the Koi Koi 7 that question.
"It's super dupers! It's nothing like Meet the Robinsons and the Jetsons! This world where humans and Reploids live in rocks!" Yayoi squealed again.
"Yeah… If it weren't for the Mavericks' stupid war on humans, it would have been peaceful…" Sakuya muttered as she closed her eyes and looked away coldly.
"And that's why we're going to end Sigma's evil before he moves on to other universes after he's through with ours." Cecilia noticed the bus arriving at their destination. She pulled the bus stop signal and the gang got off the bus and walked towards X Estate.
As they were walking, Hifumi then realized something about the IS girls. "Hey, are you girls from another dimension as well?"
"No. We were born in this dimension. Technically, we just awoken from cryosleep three months ago before Sigma started the war on humanity." Laura began as she looked up at the sky.
"Huh?" Celonius blinked her single eye.
"Houki and her friends are people from an era before Reploids were created and before Dr. Light became the famous robotics researcher in 20XX. In that era, women have most of the power thanks to advanced exoskeletons called ISes which stand for Infinite Stratos." X explained while still walking with his friends.
"Holy… It's kinda like those novels where there is only one man on Earth and all the women ruled it." Akiwo looked at the IS girls with wide eyes. "You five were cyrogentically frozen? What happened that resulted in you five being put in cryosleep in your era?"
"The Phantom Virus Tragedy…" Charlotte looked down despondently, so did her four friends. X decided to explain why the IS girls were put in cryosleep because of the Phantom Task organization and how ISes were banned because the blame was pinned on Houki's sister, the creator of ISes Tabane for the Phantom Virus being leaked and killed off 10 percent of Japan.
"I'm… sorry to hear that…" Tetsuro looked down despondently. Even Otome was silent, if she had emotions, she would be sad too.
"Don't worry about it. We'll get over it one day…" Ling smiled slightly as the gang arrived at X Estate which is a huge building that resembles a different version of the one seen in Disney's Jessie. "Well, here is our home."
"This isn't a home," Akiwo grinned again. "It's like Las Vegas' mansions!" The gang entered the penthouse and where in the living room of their home. It was then they decided which of the Koi Koi 7 and Tetsuro would sleep with.
"Yayoi will sleep with me." Houki goes first.
"Awww… I want to sleep with Tetsuro…" Yayoi pouted as she crossed her arms.
"Don't be picky." Houki scolded her. "Sakuya can sleep with Cecilia." She added.
'Great, I'm stuck with the snob…' Sakuya frowned as she crossed her arms.
'And now I'm stuck with a gun loving lunatic…' Cecilia gulped as Sakuya glared at her.
"Hifumi and Akiwo can sleep with Charlotte." Houki added in the third roommate for Akiwo and Hifumi.
"Yo!" Akiwo greeted.
"Um… Yo?" Charlotte smiled nervously as she looked away timidly.
"Hope we get along well." Hifumi smiled.
"Ling can have Celonius as her roommate." Houki pointed out.
"Hope we become good roommates." Celonius smiled eerily.
"Uh… Sure?" Ling grinned sheepishly.
"Let me guess, I get Otome?" Laura looked at Otome who remained emotionless as ever. Houki nodded in agreement.
"So I guess that leaves me with X…" Tetsuro sighed.
"I have a spare bed in my room. I hope it's not too much trouble." X suggested.
"I can't believe I got sent to a world where my roommate is a highly advanced robot who acts like a human in the middle of a war…" Tetsuro whispered softly, X was confused on what he meant.
"Is there something wrong, Tetsuro?"
"N-Nothing!"
(With X and Tetsuro…)
"It's not bad at all." Tetsuro smiled slightly as he changed into spare pajamas offered to him by the maids who are friends of Dr. Cain's landowner and the one after her who is younger than her deceased mother. He sees X getting into his capsule. "X… If you don't mind me asking, why are you fighting this war against Sigma? Aren't you scared of war?"
"No… I hate fighting and wars, but for some reason, I have to fight and there's this unexplainable strength that told me I have to fight to protect those there to me." X lamented as he looked at the window in his room. 'And the reason I'm doing this is for Houki and her friends."
"You're fighting to protect not only them, but everyone in this world, huh?" Tetsuro looked at X with sympathy. "Do you like… Houki or any of her friends?"
"W-What?" X blushed a hint of red. "I… I haven't decided on that or either one of them. But for some reason, I know they have a special talent that could prove useful in the Maverick War. I became their guardian after I awoke them from cryosleep and I must protect them at all cost. I wonder what the future Dr. Light made me for has in store for me, but I will fight to not only protect Houki and her friends, but for everyone in this omniverse." X smiled slightly as he entered his capsule and closed the hatch and slept for the night.
"He is a determined warrior to save those he cared about…" Tetsuro whispered softly with a small smile. "…I wish I was strong like X."
(The next morning)
X was making breakfast for his friends including the Koi Koi 7.
"I didn't know X was a good cook!" Yayoi giggled playfully as X placed her pancakes on her plate and she used her knife and fork to dig in.
"Dr. Light programmed him with the abilities of legendary chefs after all." Ling turned her and saw something that almost made her eyes popped out of her sockets. She saw a connected plug sticking out of Otome's skirt as she sat down, silently drinking some juice. Well, she has seen robots before, but not one who would have a plug sticking out of their butt.
"So we're gonna check in with Commander Zero on the whereabouts of these Maverick Generals?" Sakuya asked roughly as she took a bite out of her toast.
"Yeah. We just received a text regarding the whereabouts of the next Maverick General." Cecilia nodded as she drank her tea.
"I have been meaning to ask you this, X." Miyabi eyed the white, gold and blue boots X has on at the moment. "Where did you get these amazing boots?"
"He got them from one of Dr. Light's capsules." Laura answered for Miyabi.
"Capsules?" Hifumi blinked.
"Before Dr. Light died, he left special capsules all around the world in case the world is in imminent danger. All we need to do is find them and power X up if we have any chance of defeating Sigma." Houki ate her pouched egg after giving the Koi Koi 7 information about the only means of powering X up if they have any hope of ending this war.
"I see." Hifumi nodded in understanding. "So basically, we need to find these capsules left by X's creator and power X up."
"Yeah." X nodded as he flipped an omelet. "After we eat breakfast, we go to HQ to discuss the whereabouts of the next Maverick General."
(Neo Tokyo Air Base, 39 minutes later…)
According to Zero's reports, the next Maverick General, Storm Eagle is located in this Maverick occupied airbase and also the fueling station of the Maverick Army's warship. And Zero also added that he picked up a faint signal from the air base. Could be another Light Capsule.
"This place is huge…" Ling muttered in awe as she, her friends, the Koi Koi 7 and Tetsuro looked around the base in awe. "How do you think we'll find the Maverick General in here as well as the Light Capsule?"
"We'll find them, trust me." X reassured them with a smile.
"Right. Let's move on." Houki nodded in agreement with X.
So they moved on through the air base, and they soon came to a tower-like wall that they had to climb over. When they got to the top, X looked down and saw some gas tanks. They seemed to be blocking an opening to something, and X wanted to see what it was. He knew just what to use to get them out of the way, too. They were marked, "WARNING: FLAMMABLE."
"Stay here, everyone. I'm going to check something out." X issued.
"Hey!" Sakuya growled as she was up in X's face. "We have no time for sightseeing!"
"Cool it, Sakuya. I think X may be on to something." Miyabi halted her friend. "We'll wait here for you, X." X nodded as he went to where he will find something useful.
So X went down the other side of the tower, and went over to the tanks. He switched his X Buster to his flamethrower, and blasted one of the tanks. The tank exploded, and caused all of the others to explode as well, one by one. Just as he had thought, they had been blocking an opening.
X walked into the gap that he had un-blocked. Inside, he was pleased to find one of the capsules that Dr. Light had said that he had hidden. He approached it, and an image of Dr. Light appeared.
"This capsule contains an enhancement for your helmet which will allow you to break certain things with a head-butt." Dr. Light explained, "Step into the capsule."
X did so, and just like before, light glowed around him. This time, his helmet changed. His helmet was now white, gold, and blue, just as his boots were.
X looked up and saw the same type of blocks that he had seen in the old robot factory.
'Hmm... I wonder...' X thought.
He kick-jumped up the wall and hit the blocks with his head. Thanks to the helmet, he didn't feel anything, but the blocks broke easily.
"I think we may have to go back to that robot factory and check that ceiling out later." X said.
X returned to his friends who were sitting on the ground waiting for him. When they noticed his new helmet, they gasped in awe.
"Whoa! Wicked sweet helmet you got there, X!" Akiwo grinned. "Is it from one of your creator's capsules?" X nodded.
"I like the helmet you have on there, X." Charlotte smiled with a slight blush, also making X blushed slightly.
"T-Thanks. We need to return to the factory where we fought Flame Mammoth later."
"Huh? Why?" Cecilia looked at him oddly.
"This helmet upgrade can break certain blocks. And I saw some blocks that were breakable the last time we were there. So I suspected it may lead to a Light Capsule. After we're done with this mission, let's head on back to the factory to prove my thesis on the location of the next capsule." X explained.
"I see. I hope you're right on this, X. It would be great if we found another Light Capsule in Flame Mammoth's old hideout after we reduced him to scrap metal the last time we were here." Houki nodded with a smile. Charlotte shivered, she doesn't want to be reminded of how she almost died at the hands of Flame Mammoth.
After exploring for some time, they finally saw someone. It was what seemed to be another Maverick. He looked like a cross between a man and an eagle, and the look on his face showed malice.
(Ling's POV)
Even though the first two Mavericks had been frightening, the look on this one's face made him look even more fierce and evil than they had. He looked strong, too, but this I along with my friends had expected.
X aimed his X-Buster at Storm Eagle, and said word-for-word what he had said to Flame Mammoth: "We can destroy you here and now, but we would rather you surrender and accompany us to HQ. Power down or face us." How many times would these Mavericks have to refuse this offer before he got it through his head that they wouldn't listen to him? He had to approach it differently than the way he was now.
"Or do we have to reduce you to scrap metal?" Sakuya growled as she and the rest of the Koi Koi 7 got ready for battle.
"Why on earth would I, Storm Eagle, surrender to you, Blue Boy?" the Maverick asked.
We had known that he was going to refuse...
"Storm Eagle," My friend Houki began to say, "I would like to ask you something myself."
X looked over at Houki and whispered to her "Why haven't you readied yourself for battle?"
I looked at X and smiled at him. "We're a lot like you, X. We rather persuade our enemies to join us in fighting the good fight rather than fighting them. But you can't get them to agree the way you're doing it. You can't offer once and give up. You need to keep trying. Make an offer they can't refuse. Trust us." X doesn't look too sure, but he agreed. Sakuya however, has some doubt on our plan.
"That's stupid! What if he's too thick-headed like those idiotic Gokoh Five?!"
"Well, it wouldn't hurt to try, won't it?" My friend Cecilia smirked, she agreed with Houki's plan, I can tell Char and Laura also agreed as well. We turned to face Storm Eagle with determination written over our faces.
"What do you want to ask, you scrawny little pests from an era long forgotten?" Storm Eagle asked with impatience.
"We want to know why you Mavericks are all so loyal to someone like Sigma. We have reasons to believe that he treats you all terribly." Charlotte stated bravely.
From the look Storm Eagle now held, I knew that he didn't know exactly how to answer our questions. It took him a moment, but he did answer.
"Because," He said, "We Mavericks share the same goal that Sigma does. We want to annihilate the human race."
"Why? Was it not humans who created you? Without humans, how would you even exist in this world?" Laura questioned. Again, he seemed flustered, but he answered this question more quickly than before.
"Humans only created Reploids to work for them. So that we could make everything easier for them. Humans are greedy, disgusting creatures that don't deserve to have life."
"Well those 'greedy, disgusting creatures' are the ones who so generously gave you the gift of life." I told him coldly.
"GENEROUSLY? They built us so that we could be servants!"
"Isn't that how Sigma is treating you?" Cecilia glared as she crossed her arms.
"N-no! Lord Sigma treats us well! He cares for our well being!"
"Let us put it this way, Storm Eagle. Humans built you so that you could help them that is true. But in return, they were willing to co-exist with you on this planet, and treat you just as they would treat anyone else. Even though Reploids were built to help mankind, that didn't mean that mankind was going to stop helping itself. Humans would still have jobs, as you would, you see? Sigma is using you to destroy the humans because he wants to be the dominant ruler of this planet. That means that once he gets what he wants, there's a good chance that he will treat you the way that you seem to think humans do. Not all humans are bad as you though they were." Charlotte said with a voice of reason.
"What are you trying to get at?"
"If you join with us to help save the human race, then you would be in a position for a much better future. If you become a Hunter yourself and help to save the human race, you will be a hero, and the humans will treat you as such. You will be honored, Storm Eagle. You won't get that honor if you stay with Sigma. All I ask is that you think about what I've told you. I've been in a lot of battles. We knew someone who is going to betray her family because she was scared and full of doubt and I can almost guarantee that Sigma is planning on turning on each and every one of you Mavericks in the end of this war. Don't go down that road. Join us. Put your strength and power towards a life worth living." Houki pleaded. Me and my friends understand what she meant. Ichika-san and Chifuyu's sister swore revenge on the family she was born in for forsaking her.
Storm Eagle stared at us with wide eyes. He obviously was taking in what I was saying.
"How can I be sure that you won't betray me if I join you?" He asked.
"Storm Eagle... we won't. Believe me, we won't."
"Do I have your word?"
"You do.
We smiled at ourselves while X and the Koi Koi 7 were impressed by this. Ichika-san… This is what you wanted, right? A world where peace is always there and everyone is living in harmony, human or Reploid and there are no wars.
(X's POV)
I was impressed by Houki and her friends ability to convert a Maverick back into a Reploid and recruited him as a Hunter. I looked at Sakuya who muttered "Well I'll be darned… They did it. They got a Maverick on our side…"
"Indeed. They say words are man's greatest weapons." Tetsuro smiled slightly.
Storm Eagle looked over at me, and I nodded to assure him that I promised not to betray him.
"Sigma won't be happy with me..." Storm Eagle said with a sigh. "But the chance to be honored by so many is impossible to refuse. I am not taken seriously among the Mavericks, and I can see that you are most definitely not lying to me. I will join you. But if you treat me at all unfairly..." Storm Eagle sent a warning glance towards all of us.
"We won't." Charlotte smiled softly. I lowered my X-Buster, after Houki and her friends convinced Storm Eagle to join us.
Storm Eagle still looked unsure.
"Storm Eagle, every word that she has just said is true. We will treat you as an equal. You have our word." I assured him.
Storm Eagle looked more confident now, and approached us. He held out his arm.
"X," He said, "You have the ability to copy other Reploids' abilities. Take mine. You may need it in this war."
I did so, and tested it. It was a tornado technique; very powerful. Needless to say, I was pleased. I was also proud of Houki and her friends for bringing another Hunter into our ranks. I think a title would be great for them. I will give them the title of Maverick Whisperers when we get back to base with our newest recruit.
To be continued…
Next chapter: Magic and Arm Upgrades: Return of the Gokoh Five and Enter Nanoha and Fate!
A/N: Well, Storm Eagle has joined our heroes and X got another upgrade from one of Dr. Light's capsules. Only two Light Capsule upgrades of Arc 1 left and only five Maverick Generals left and only two of the five remaining Maverick Generals will join our heroes like Storm Eagle did. What happens next? Find out next chapter.