Chapter Thirty-One: Settledown

All he saw was nothing but pitch-black. Seconds later, the image has those annoying horizontal folds of crooked lines and the projections of inactive data circulating the air appeared. Seconds later again, the lines blurred more to become the blur surroundings of X's office. He sat up straight and rubbed his eyes with his left hand.

"Oh, darn it… I do not have enough rest. And yet, it's only 8.35 in the morning. One day I must make dear boy sleep for longer hours…" It was Lumine, who still had control over the prototype body. His eyes were still tired yet he somehow woke up.

It was still the same day of day 123. The trio-in-one Lumine-led Reploid had battled a Maverick for over 6 hours. The sun had risen from the horizon. Apparently the office door was still locked, meaning X never entered his own office.

The white Reploid saw that Axl and Iris had not gotten up so he silently walked over to X's desk to access his computer. Hacking into Axl's account, he went on the Internet to read some news. Bad and irritating news, he got.

According to the morning news, despite the destruction of four Big City districts, the press centers had not been involved and they somehow got exclusive photos and many articles written about the previous night's battle. In the wee hours of the morning, the media had arranged a conference with the Maverick Hunters the same day.

The last thing Lumine needed was attention from the press because he preferred a quiet life. On a better note, an article was written about his talk with White Axl shortly before his demise. Most people didn't understand what they were talking about; only hints such as body mechanisms. This meant that no one found out about the secret of the prototype body containing three data souls.

Having had enough of the news, he abruptly logged out and switched off the computer. At the same time, Axl and Iris got up from their sleep and greeted him.

"Hello, dear boy and girl. Had a nice rest, I assume?"

"Yeah, I'm refreshed. So how's everything here?" Axl stretched himself in the computer brain. The white Reploid looked slightly sad. "Most things are under control, dear boy. Just expect some rude conferences later." He told them the news he read.

Iris was the first to speak up. "I know how much you hate to meet those kinds of humans but I think this time, it will be necessary for you."

The white Reploid was flabbergasted by the suggestion. "Unbelievable. You know that fact and yet you are asking me to attend to their negative demands? What might be your rationale behind this, dear girl?"

Iris made a grumpy face. "Listen, the whole districts have been devastated by a battle just hours ago. Most humans and Reploids spotted both you and a Maverick that looked like Axl. Most humans will tend to focus on the negative aspects of such incidents. Now you have the power to correct that kind of perspective."

Lumine, stubborn as ever, still refused to comply with Iris.

Seeing the situation going nowhere, Axl decided to threaten Lumine. "Well, if you don't go, then I'll go. I'll tell the humans how I decided to spare an ex-Maverick in my body, hiding in my head all this while. I'll also tell them it was me who set the Maverick loose to the City and allowed the battle to go too destructive."

"What?! Dear boy, then you'll get the entire negative attention from everyone! Those battles were my doing, not yours! Father will be most disappointed in you! Everyone, humans and Reploids, will despise you for those facts! I…I don't want you to go through all the isolation and backstabbing again! Please don't do that to me!" Lumine was shaking quite violently; his heart filled with excessive emotion.

They saw that Lumine was truly one who cared much for his friends. He didn't even want his host to take all the blame for his revengeful and destructive motives so badly. He couldn't believe that Axl was going to do this. It meant a lot to him. Dropping on his knees and facing down, he let go several tears drop on X's office floor.

"Dear boy, I did all those things. Don't take all the blame. I can't bear to watch you suffer anymore. You suffered much negative perception because of me in the past four months. Please, just don't…" Iris and Axl exchanged looks, unknown to Lumine.

"Gee, Axl. He really cares a lot for you. Why do you do this to him?"

Axl said nothing. In the computer brain, he walked forth to the crying Reploid. His palms reached the respective shoulders. "But Lumine, if you really cared for me that much, why are you still so stubborn?" Lumine's eyes widened.

"The way I see it, the damages was caused by both of us. All three of us, in fact. We let you destroy White Axl but at the cost of the City's peace. Someone should bear responsibility for all this. You were the one who performed the battle to stop White Axl. If you're not going to go press to settle some things, it's fine by me. I'm going instead. I permitted this destruction and I'm at fault."

Axl grasped back control from Lumine. His full physical features were displayed but his eyes still had the tears the white Reploid had released. Axl wiped away the tears and assumed his normal behaviour self. The white Reploid was still bent on the pitch-black floor and Iris was looking at both of them.

"Well, I'm off. I'm going to the east wing where the Main Hall is located."

Some minutes later, what he was told of was true. Members of the press, both human and Reploid, were gathered so early in the morning to ask various questions to X and Zero, who were sitting on a stage behind a large desk. So far, the reporters have already asked the questions concerning Big City reconstruction.

"We are only providing assistance of Hunters in construction. The government and the Prez Corporation have jointly decided to settle any financial concerns. We have started the reconstruction; it's only a matter of time."

Axl crept behind the stage just as before and hid behind the curtains. Seeing that there were only two chairs of two Commanders sitting at the desk, he was about to grab another chair from behind when he felt the sudden warmth inside him.

Axl and Iris turned to the source: the white Reploid. His red aura stretched out far to envelope the body inside. His expression was that of no longer sadness; more accurately it was close to full gratitude and a strong sense of cheerful responsibility.

"You're right, dear boy. I've been very stubborn, all to protect my own ego. I'm sorry. I'm going to settle the issues now. Who cares about what I think of those people, it's you that I care for. Like I said, the battle's my whole fault. I don't want you to get all the blame; I'm fine with being blamed as long as you're happy."

He then took control of the body and grabbed the chair instead. As a surprise to everyone in the hall, he plainly walked from behind the curtains and sat next to X. "Oh, you've come just on time. What happened?"

"Nothing much. I owed an apology to dear boy, that's all."

Almost instantly, many reporters raised their hands and called on the trio to answer their questions. X picked the choice while Zero stared on. "Commander X, what are your first perceptions of Lumine now that the new crisis has been solved hours ago?"

X smiled. "Oh, I think he's just doing his job. Ever since he got back from the Moon, he's a totally changed Reploid. Well, more accurately he returned back to his former true self. We managed to get around and solve many problems together. We had to make his presence secret before the time was right. Along the way he helped us fight against many Mavericks. Now, we feel, is the right time to tell everyone."

X pointed to a human close to the stage. "Who is the cause of these troubles?"

Upon hearing that question, the white Reploid let out a sudden burst of laughter that stirred the hall. "Ha ha ha ha! You really weren't paying attention to your own articles, were you? Of course it's the human criminal Bob. He stirred attacks in the City twice! Isn't that enough proof for you humans? Ha ha ha ha."

Zero spoke. "Bob invented a Maverick that was responsible for the Jakob crisis. That Maverick had just resurfaced in the City and he is a copy of a fellow Hunter Bob despised so much. He was designed to wreck havoc. We only went ahead and stop him, though I must say the extreme degree of violence was highly regrettable."

"In fact, that fellow Hunter was the one who saved Lumine from further going Maverick. Bob was very angry so it was only natural that he tried to frame the same Hunter." The white Reploid nodded. "However so far, we found no traces of Bob as of recently. Efforts had been increased to locate him."

X pointed to another reporter. "What are your ideas of mister Prez's corporation? Isn't he too domineering in many fields? What will you do with the wealth you've inherited? Will you do anything to the giant monopoly he holds?"

The white Reploid got slightly irritated about those issues. "My father is not dead yet. He still holds the wealth and everything else, not me, so I have no right to say anything about that. Ask another question, human."

X pointed to another human reporter. "Do you find it hard to gain trust from your surroundings?" X and Zero exchanged looks while the white Reploid raised an eyebrow. "Was it hard? Of course it was hard. Especially since when I first came to about three hours after the government had branded me Maverick. It was never that easy."

"Now that you've shown to the people that you are not a Maverick, is there anyone in particular you would like to give thanks?"

He was in deep thought then. "Well, I suppose so, human. I owe it to that fellow Maverick Hunter who brought me back down to Earth and another Reploid who restored me back to my original pride. The other Reploid is my sister. I would also like to thank these Commanders for being patient with me and allowing me to prove myself worthy. Lastly, a thanks also goes to my father."

The hall was buzzing with chatter about his 'sister', known to be Prez's third unknown Reploid child. Lumine reclined on his chair with peace because he had been careful not to reveal Axl's and Iris' identity. Zero glared at him for claiming Iris as his sister. X then managed to calm the hall down by picking another reporter.

"Would you care to give us their names?" Lumine glared back.

"I don't think so. The three of us prefer a quiet private life and mine was an unfortunate case. Saying their names out would severely disappoint them."

The conference went on for another two hours or so. It was to imagine that after an outburst of emotion, the white Reploid had so quickly resumed his normal mean and sarcastic self. The trio were having some hard times answering questions from the media but nonetheless, settled them properly. One thing's for sure, all vital issues have been solved and the proper image it should be has been established.

Some bare minutes after the conference, Lumine was already leaning against the corridor walls, being looked at by other Hunters. He ignored the negative comments and instead focused on his conversation with Axl and Iris. They were impressed with his way of censoring important info.

"That was neat of you to censor us properly. Thanks."

"Thank you, dear boy. I have to or else we will all be under much unwanted attention. Well then, I think we ought to go and have some issues checked with father. I may be smart but I do tend to be forgetful. Well, rarely. We want to know what exactly makes the newer Reploids more distinct than the first batch, don't we?"

"Hey, I almost forgot about that! Take us there now!"

Instantly after Axl's request, the white Reploid teleported away. Unknown to him, X was watching him not far away. The Commander sighed and entered a door, leading to the backstage of the Main Hall. Zero bluntly stared at him.

"You still hadn't informed them? C'mon, don't trouble the old human already."

"No, I can't just bring up the issue so suddenly. Axl's inhabitants have previously disagreed with the idea and I don't think they'll ever talk about it again. I have seen this problem when mister Prez announced the heir the other time so I immediately notified him the problem. They would be better off told by him than me."

"Suit yourself, but don't come telling me that Axl grumbled at you again. C'mon we have to go assist the other Hunters in construction." The two Commanders walked out of the Main Hall and it was locked by security guards.

Meanwhile, 35 miles north of the HQ in another district, the trio-in-one Reploid arrived in the south wing compounds of the giant grounds of the Prez Corporation. The white Reploid made a speedy go towards his creator's office.

This time, around the gigantic factories, things were going rather slowly. The machines and gears weren't working as fast as they used to and the humans and Reploids were moving faster than usual. The ceiling-born and ground forklifts were all busy carrying around various precious materials.

"This has to be the reconstruction of the districts."

No sooner minutes later, the three of them arrived in Prez's office. As partially expected, the tycoon wasn't there. The immediate option was to gaze on the giant screen above that dominated the room. The human was in the areas of the new plant.

"The new research facility… something about minute Reploids and assistance. Hm, this is more interesting than the previous time." Lumine jotted down the coordinates on his teleporter and warped himself there.

He ended up in a giant area where never-before-seen machinery has been assembled. The machines were large cylindrical tubes with hemispheres on top of them. Instead of pipes, wires decorated the surrounding airs. Tubes containing mysterious green fluid were everywhere. Various charts and graphs were displayed on the screens.

The area was quite dark and empty. Suddenly, the lights were switched on. The person who turned on the power was just behind him and it was indeed Prez. "Father?! What are you doing here?" He walked slowly to Prez.

"You three are the first to see the new plant for yourselves. It's nearly 12 noon and you're here. I was planning to call you and all the scientists to start working but you are ahead of me, I guess. C'mon, let's have lunch. Follow me."

After boarding an elevator upwards and walking past some corridors of the 18th floor, they arrived at a balcony overlooking the forest and urban areas, north of the grounds in the same district. A table of delicious marinated chicken and vegetable with some wine had been prepared earlier on.

They had already settled down on their chairs and began light consumption of the chicken. Mister Prez began speaking.

"Well, congratulations to you three for defeating Maverick Axl. As you would have probably known by now, the cost of the construction has been jointly paid by me and the government. It is most regrettable such destruction had to take place."

Lumine hung his head down. "I'm sorry, father. I know you warned me previously not to be too violent but-" Prez held his hand out, telling him to stop. "There's nothing to be sorry about. I know you don't want such destruction. You can do as you please, of course. This whole place will belong to you soon enough."

His eyes widened. "No, I prefer to be bound by ethical codes and what I think is right, father. I also intend to share this place with dear boy and dear girl."

"Well, of course you do. Finally, this is the you I remember between eleven to three years ago. Mean, sarcastic, brilliant but also caring, nice and cautious. My parting and efforts all these years have paid off. I am proud of you and I'm also proud of the way you two interact, Axl and Iris."

"They said thank you, father. Father, could you possibly enlighten us as to what are the programmings of the newer Reploids? They seem to be pretty well-functioned and the only Mavericks in the City and the world are old Reploids."

"Ah yes. The newer Reploids or the second batch of new generation members. Well, the history does go back to as far as twenty years ago or so. Ten years after the Eurasia incidents, the world's reconstructions had been progressing fine. Then, somehow amid the new beginning Mavericks started to show up again. I tried to look for an alternative or cure for this repeating disorder. Firstly I consulted Alia."

Axl blurted via Lumine: "Alia? The navigator? How's that so?"

"Hm…well, there was this brief article about her trying to create a vaccine to create corrupt-resistant Reploids. I was halfway trying to figure out a solution and I saw it. I had some private talks with her and decided to buy the idea and mechanisms. The payment was in the form of the construction of the HQ's east wing."

"After having scientists analyze the schematics, we started a brief prototype. No, it wasn't you because it was applied data vaccine to the Maverick Reploids. However the test subjects reveal that the vaccine wasn't strong so my own modifications came in and combine that with Reploid scrap and the result was you, Axl."

"So after the Red Alert kidnapping scheme, it took me at least another ten months to create Axl's replacement: you, Lumine. The schematics were different as all data of nearly every Reploid has been implanted, including a tiny bit of Sigma's personality to repel the same bits. Oddly the mechanisms made the new Reploids already Maverick. I don't know how but I wasn't going to spend extra millions on research."

Axl remembered Lumine's explanations about that issue many weeks back.

"Receiving the report on Maverick after the Jakob crisis, I just remembered that Axl has been fighting Mavericks all this while. Axl, you have set your mind for justice by the right means. That determination never made you go Maverick. So that became the basis for a second breed of new generation Reploids."

Axl blurted out via Lumine: "You reverted back to my design?"

"Yes, but slightly different. This time I omitted the copy chips for fear of any incident repeating. However, I did incorporate a tiny fragment of Sigma personality in each data soul, just like the way magnets work; south repels south. I also made some restrictions regarding their thoughts: they are meant to love the Earth and peace so all developments will become very positive."

"Having done that, copy chips have become quite irrelevant. So what about adaptability and survival? Simple. The new mechanisms now incorporate much stronger nuclear energies which not only repel any foreign personality but also to reconfigure armour design to withstand harsh surroundings. They are not meant for battle however, unlike the prototype body you three are in."

"Let me summarize the entire thing. The newer Reploids have Axl's mechanism designs but more nuclear energies for better anti-Maverick purposes and to survive harsh environments and their mindset has been restricted solely to the contribution to peace. Copy chips are no longer relevant. They have showed no evidence of possible corruption so they have been rolled off the factories around three months ago."

Lumine drank some wine. "That was very satisfying, father. Our curiosity is officially dry. You did something great this time, father."

"Yeah, I guess so. But I would have preferred models based on X's design instead so I don't have to spend so much. That way peace would have been long achieved. The only downside is that you three would have never existed."

"HEY!" They all laughed for a moment there.

"Yeah, there's a price to pay for everything we want. For peace, we had to purge all new generation Reploids and replace them with the second version. For peace, we must spend more to understand the designs of X and Zero. For peace, I have decided to venture in the new project: Cyber Elves. Neat name, huh?"

Iris squealed wildly. "That's a cute name for the whole batch! How'd you do it?"

"Well, there was one day when I decided to discuss it with someone I know. I called on X to get Alia and we had a private chat. She proposed a number of other names so I was left undecided. After going through the list this morning, I chose Cyber Elf. They're cute, small like elves and their programming is based on cyber energies."

Lumine smirked. "Well then, it seems we have to thank her for all this."

Prez smiled. They continued on eating the chicken slices. After drinking another cup of wine, Prez continued talking. "Hm, has X told you anything yet?"

"Not that I've heard of, father. What seems to be the matter?"

"Oh I see. I guess I have to break the news to you. X has already labeled you two, Lumine and Iris, as officially alive. Based on recent events, he decided to change and clear the whole history records. His reasons were very good so I've decided to separate the three of you in the near future by creating your own bodies."

The three of them burst out: "WHAT?!"

Prez sighed. "Yes, well it seems that you two do deserve your own right to freedom and self-expression even though you wanted to remain together in Axl for all eternity. I know you three enjoy being together but think about it. The corporation will need you, Lumine, very much in the near future. You can't expect to occupy Axl's body and talk to the directors while Axl's on a mission now, can you?"

"But we want to be together! Can't you do something about it, father?!"

The human smiled. "As a matter of fact, yes I can. This time the new bodies will have transmitters. Let's say Iris is in her own body. When she wants to, she can then send herself over to Axl's body and you two can be together. By the time the bodies will be complete, I'll install a transmitter in Axl too so he could send Iris back to her own body to avoid any time clashes. I'll think you should expect the bodies in around a year's time. I've started working on it already."

"By the way I have a present for all three of you." Prez took out a small case of a box with purple wraps and silver strings. "This is a little something I came to know by watching you. I've a big collection of music discs in here that you all will like to listen. Although it's tomorrow, happy fourth month anniversary, Lumine!"

The white Reploid received the present amid cheers of thanks from his friends. His eyes glittered and he stood up from his chair. Prez also did the same; Lumine hugged the human. "I… I … thank you, father."

"Oh that's no problem. I love to see you three happy anyway. Oh did I mention that the new body Iris will have is based on her new form? I noticed the new form, Iris and I know Lumine made it for you around 2 1/2 months ago. That is brilliant!"

Iris blurted out via Lumine: "You did? Oh I didn't even know you did! That was nice of you, father! Thank you!" The white Reploid shut his mouth.

"Dear girl, do you mind? I can't stand you talking through my mouth. If you two really need to talk, I'll just switch on the speakers then."

The speakers were switched on. "Hey, don't be so rude!"

Everyone there gave a long laugh. The human seemed to be enjoying it the most. "Ha ha ha! Ah, you three make me feel so happy. C'mon, finish your lunch first. I want you to meet my fellow workers while opening the new facility."

They sat down again and munched up all the food they could reach. Mister Prez only ate a bit of meat because his old body couldn't take so much digestible solids and demanded more insoluble materials.

After getting up from the chairs, human father and Reploid child strolled along the corridors while the human servants cleaned up the table. Without any word of warning, the human held on the Reploid tight to himself. The strength was pretty strong for an old man. The Reploid felt a strong grasp.

"Ow, father! You're almost going to crush me!"

"Relax, this old man couldn't be strong! Ah yes, I almost forgot! You apply the microchip by slotting it in the watch you have while you are in human form in order to enjoy the other human form. Oh yes! X said that you three have to participate in reconstruction of the City districts, no excuse."

"That's no fun." That was the last sentence the white Reploid said before they continued walking down the corridor silently to the new research facility. They gave another long laugh just before the elevator door closed shut tight.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Vacation

'The white Reploid, also heir of the world's largest diversified corporation, Lumine has made a stunning, unexpected appearance here in the Big City Maverick Hunter HQ in order to give the society answers to vital issues yesterday morning.'

'Shortly after a near-7 hour battle that plunged four districts into severe destruction, the Reploid had resurfaced again and this time, with the support from Maverick Hunter Commanders X and Zero, further solidified claims that the previous criminal Bob was responsible for the unleashing of madness in the City.'

'When asked about to whom he owed gratitude upon revival, he merely replied "a fellow Maverick Hunter…another Reploid…, these two Commanders… (and) my father." The "another Reploid" was revealed to be his 'sister', the third Reploid child of mister Prez, besides himself and Axler. He however declined to reveal her name.'

'On another side, the government had announced more searches around the Big City island for the human criminal Bob. So far there have been no signs of him and although the chances of finding him are slim, the government said they must take actions to prevent further destabilization of the nation and the world.'

Axl kept reading the same article again and again. His head turned left to right and back and forth. Feeling dizzy, Lumine harshly made Axl's head became stiff and even jerked his body repeatedly to shake off the paper.

"Hey, I was reading that! I have another three-quarters more to go! Let go of my body! Urgh!" Axl was made to be lying like a log on his beach-chair. The white Reploid held on tighter and smiled rather sneakily at him.

"Dear boy, this is the third time I'm telling you to stop shaking your head, so deal with it. Also, I've said many times before that I do not enjoy reading articles concerning myself. At the same time, let me remind you that we didn't have a good rest for the past two days so I'm making you rest to the full so that you will continue back on duty working at the construction sites! Don't make me do this to you again!"

It was already day 125, two days after the conference and a day after the article had been printed and Axl was sent out to a group in Megalopolis to assist reconstruction of the powerhouses. Just like mister Prez said, they were on a vacation in the southern islands of the Big City.

Ironically, it was revealed that mister Prez never wanted a vacation. The issue which the directors were talking about when Lumine chased them away for Axl's pranks was actually about Prez's health. They decided that the human must take a vacation or else they will threaten to protest. Prez had never given in to those sort of demands but eventually decided to give in, making the board sighingly happy.

No one there noticed the presence of the duo, making Lumine more comfortable. On other side notes concerning the white Reploid, he was pleased to inform his friends that no viruses of foreign files of the sort have been detected, meaning that the body was now clean and he easily disabled the program to a far corner of the mind.

Other news; the old sir at the store had been notified that his debts were permanently slashed and he even got some millions from Prez as aid to run the store but was not a dominating share. Some children had returned and worked for their father, thus replacing the 'resigned rich kid'.

Axl has begun a step-by-step self-education about the world outside of that of just fighting the Mavericks. Now that the Hunters won't be hearing much from Mavericks, their time was to be spent on some things else more beneficial; Axl for example was taught human education, manners on the floor and enjoying music.

Back to the relaxing outing; Axl was eased of body strains by the white Reploid and he could relax on his beach chair. The umbrella shaded him nicely and the golden sands were breathtaking, if he could breath. Axl would try to get off the chair and do something else but Lumine constantly jerked him if he did, so he had no choice but to lay down on the beach chair.

"Axl, just relax. I've have enough of battles and constant movement, so Lumine might be right in forcing you to lie down." Iris stepped out from being alone to being with her host and fellow inhabitant. "Um… can someone play some music discs? I'd love to listen to some of those nice tunes right now…"

"Hah, sorry dear girl, but that will have to wait. I don't want dear boy struggling with me. He's been reading some articles I'd rather not read and that irritates me. So right now, the best thing for me to do is watch over him and stun him if he does anything I don't like." Axl grumbled under his breath.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not a big problem, right? That reminds me, I hope father is okay…" That sentence attracted Lumine's attention. "What do you mean by that, dear girl? Are you trying to bring up the subject of his death again?"

"Ah, no! That's not what I meant! Two days ago, after that talk in the Cyber Elf plant, He strangely remarked something about applying the microchip into your watch to enjoy another human form… what was that all about?"

Lumine reminisced. "… oh, that one. I have no idea what he was talking that time. It's most likely a symptom of old age and forgetfulness, which reminds me again about that will father force me to sign…"

Iris made a squirmy face. "Uh… let's forget about that. Talk about – oh no! Lumine, that battle between you and White Axl! Zero gave away details too! What if the Reploids learn that Axl is a major key role in all of this!? Isn't everyone back in the Hunter HQ going to recognize that Axl helped you back on Earth?!"

The white Reploid smiled. "Relax, dear girl. Haven't you remembered? X met with us yesterday on this issue too. He said that there was no way all the Hunters are going to know about this, nor any humans. Simply said; no one can access the secret documents of the Maverick Hunter archives ever since X locked them up."

"So even if some Hunters or humans had managed to get a glimpse of White Axl and Axl on separate accounts, they will mostly ignore it and not bother searching for clues to this little secret. The archives are locked, no one can have any proof to stir up any rumours and it will all be forgotten."

Iris sighed. "Wow, that's a relief … I don't want to be known to the public so much… I'm glad I can be with everyone I care for without having to spill more secrets. Hey, Axl, what are you doing?"

The inhabitants felt Axl's left leg move downwards onto the floor. He was slowly going to rise up from the chair to try to get something to drink. Lumine thought that he was up to no good and decided to stun him everywhere. In his head, he left out a scream as his body got limp from the shock.

"Aw, come on! Can't I just walk around or do stuff or something?!"

"Sorry, but I insist you relax on the chair. We need a good rest, after all."

Axl glared on at Lumine so much that the white Reploid couldn't dare continue looking at him. He sighed and immediately emitted his aura to grasp all of Axl's body controls. Iris got slightly annoyed and powered her aura to counter the white Reploid.

"Lumine, please! Not on this day! Why are you fussed up anyway!?"

"Dear girl, I really need dear boy to rest! I do not have enough rest, even with all the sleep for the past two days! Unfortunately I don't have my own body to control to do as I want so I have to rely on dear boy's cooperation!"

"Lumine, what you are doing isn't asking Axl to cooperate! You're forcing him to do something he doesn't want to! Let me try for you, okay!?" After listening to Iris' logic, he relented. "Fine, let's go with your way."

The aura clash stopped and they agreed to try out the soft approach to check out what made Axl quite restless. Axl, on his side, let out a huge sigh. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it if you two don't fight over me."

"Lumine is right in his own sense, I know. He fought much the other day and he hasn't recovered. Well, even I want to relax too by other means. Originally I wanted to read the article so I can doze off. Guess that doesn't work."

"But, it seems no matter what I do, I can't relax. I can't give us the sleep. That's because … I'm thinking about something that's important to me. That's all. I hope you'll understand, and I'm sorry if I can't get my body to make us sleep."

Lumine, briefly touched, replied: "It's okay, dear boy…"

Iris asked: "Axl, what is this you keep on thinking until you can't relax?"

"I can't relax because … I thinking about Sue." The situation in the computer brain completely changed. Iris watched on as the atmosphere in the computer brain turned dark and gloomy.

"Well, I can't stop thinking about her though it was only a short period of time. So, please, let me go and get something to drink. I'm feeling the need for some water." Axl got up and walked to a vending machine.

Placing some banknotes in a money slot, he pressed a button and a can drink came out. Breaking the lid, he drank many gulps and also talked to his friends in his head.

"What will happen to her anyway…?"

Lumine sighed. "You don't have to worry, dear boy. Don't even imagine wildly that Eurasia ruins will try and destroy the airship." Axl blushed slightly. "Come on, dear boy, Eurasia is a dead place, a painful memory of the past. Like father said, he didn't want to recycle the area due to his own painful memories."

Iris stepped in. "It is not a dangerous place but the government recommends not going there instead. C'mon Axl, nothing wrong's going to happen."

Axl felt a shoulder tap and turned around only to find an unexpected guest.

"SUE?! What are you doing here?!" He was clearly very shocked to find the human girl staring with a smile at his face. "Hi, Axl. Actually today's the day I'll be leaving for the mainland Federation but I thought I'll go on a reunion with my friends. Humans, that is. We are having a party in this hotel too. I never thought I'll see you here too."

"Oh really? Wow, I'm glad I could see you here too! Say, do you want to meet my dad? I know he blew himself that time but not today. He's taking a short vacation so his mood is fine." Soon, Sue shook hands with the most important man in the Federation.

"Ah yes. You must be Sue, the daughter of the niece of my former admiration. Hm, I'm such an old man. Today must be the day you're leaving. I'm so sorry for you leaving. I only wanted that (Sue's dad's name) to leave the place, not you."

"No, sir. It's alright. This time, we'll control my dad for sure. It's such an honour to meet you, sir. Especially your heir and Axl. I wish I could meet your sister, Axl. But I suppose she just wants privacy and low profile all to herself."

"No, not really. You see me and you're also seeing her… if you pardon the bad joke that is." Sue gave a light laugh while Iris hushed Axl to keep her secret. Prez smiled. "Alright, I understand how much you two like each other so you have my permission to spend the whole day to yourselves. I'll be fine here."

After thanking Prez, the duo walked off. "Okay, so Sue where do you want to go?"

"Oh, let's get out of this place to somewhere much better. I know of a game carnival down the road and we could get some time to ourselves."

"What about your human friends?" "Nah, you matter the most to me!"

Sue grabbed his hand and pulled him forward so suddenly. Axl struggled to maintain his balance while being pulled by Sue. His inhabitants gave a light laugh to him.

"Aw! Axl, go have your fun! We're just walking by here!"

"Yes, dear boy. We'll just watch over you. Have fun."

"Thanks, guys." Axl turned up to Sue, still pulling him with much strength. Eventually he caught up and started to pull her this time. They ran out of the hotel, hands still holding each other and turned right towards the great gate of the carnival.

Sue hurriedly bought tickets so they could be permitted to enter the carnival. Axl felt he was really being dragged on but he didn't care now that he saw what a human carnival looks like on the inside. Humans were running along wildly from rides to rides and the presence of balloons was especially notable.

"So Axl, which ride do you want to go first?" Axl made faces.

"Gee, I dunno. I've never been to this kind of places before. I don't usually see much of this stuff. It's what you humans are best at. Lead the way."

"Okay then! C'mon, let's go on the roller-coaster!"

Sue got them both front seats of the roller-coaster and she personally buckled Axl up. The giant ride was pulled upwards very slowly. They were going up nearly vertically. Axl looked down and he saw the many small buildings below getting smaller.

"Em, how high are we now?" "About a 50 meters. It's no big deal. Oh my! We're going DOWN NOW! AAAHHHHH!" The roller-coaster took a deep ride downwards and Axl felt the mighty force of the winds blowing on him hard. "Oh man! This is so cool! I'm enjoying speed during a non-Maverick occasion!"

"Hm. It's those speeding things again. Call me when this thing is over."

"Aw, Lumine! You're spoiling your own fun!" The white Reploid vanished.

The roller-coaster went for further swirls and tilts. Most humans whose eyes are swirling would get headaches or even throw up. Axl and Sue felt nothing but fun. The strong winds blew their hair back and they were screaming and all like crazy. Just when they passed over the 360-degree-swirl, the ride was over and came to slow down.

"Wow. Over already? That was great, Sue! Where next?"

"The video game arcade! C'mon it's this way!" Sue pulled Axl off the stage and charged towards her left. Firstly they made a go at the water balloon contest. If anyone hits a certain target, he or she wins a prize.

"Hah! This one is easy!" Having bought some tennis balls from the keeper, he immediately threw two of the balls towards heavy bowling pins and knocked them down easily. The keeper grudgingly gave them extra tickets to other rides. Sue was doubtful of the keeper but turned back to Axl.

"Gee, Axl. That was very fast. Wanna go try some other games?" "Sure."

Sue first took him for some shooting rounds where the obvious was obvious: Axl bulls-eyed all targets of wooden dogs and cars and won Sue some more tickets. She partially wished she hadn't brought Axl to the bumper cars because kept on ramming into a lot of other humans.

Even his inhabitants were uncomfortable with the constant crashing. Both tried to grasp hold of Axl's body but Ax; was able to deter them, resulting in slight rougher crashes on others. He even crashed on to quite roughly.

Some 30 minutes later, it was already around 2 in the afternoon.

"We've been here for only two hours or so, Sue. Isn't there some better booth which can provide us some relaxation and togetherness?" Axl grumbled. They were already eating some lunch at the carnival's food court. It was the usual sight of busy humans and the unusual sight of 21st century carnival settings.

"Well, there is one ride I wanted to share with you but I'm afraid…"

"Afraid of what? Nothing wrong's going to happen."

Axl found himself buckled to a seat just next to Sue in a relatively small boat. Surrounding the boat was water and the walls were full of murals and various light flashes. Axl made a face at Sue. "This is the place?"

"Axl, it's a tunnel of love. Somehow when I first met you, you have such a huge feeling of reliance and trust. In fact, safer than anyone else I know. I had always wanted to take you here so we could be lonely together. That's all."

Axl made a shocking face. He blushed slightly and turned his head downwards out of embarrassment with his eyes close. He also saw his two inhabitants snickering at him. He became more embarrassed and turned back to Sue.

"Well, the flow of things is slow here. It's just odd that this huge booth rarely receives customers. So this means…we are… lonely?" Sue immediately landed her head on Axl's shoulder. She leaned closer to Axl, making the Reploid blush more.

"Huh… Axl, I just feel so relieved being with you. I just don't know the exact words to express it but, you're just the kind who can give pure relaxation." Her hands gripped on Axl's hands. Axl, somewhat in the mood for relaxing, leaned on to Sue as well.

"Sue… you're a nice girl too. I'm just sad you're leaving."

"You know what Axl? I don't want to just think about you. I also want to keep in touch with you. I know it's not normal, me having a limited life on Earth but so not you but at least I want to show that I also care for anyone around me, human or Reploid. Well…" She sat back up, ruining the moment. "Can I have your contacts?"

Axl's mood was also ruined. "Er… yeah. Sure. Here you go-"

Just suddenly, everything came to a halt. The boat stopped moving at a certain junction close to a steep waterfall. All lights were blacked out immediately, making the entire place dark. The sound of running water was still heard. Sue hurriedly held on to Axl, giving the Reploid quite a fright.

"Gah! Sue, don't do that again!" Sue didn't say anything. Axl closed his eyes and found the inside of his head surprisingly brighter than his surroundings. He ran towards two figures not far away. His inhabitants were also running to him.

"Iris! Lumine! The whole place got dark suddenly! Do you have any idea-?" "Simple. It's a short circuit." It was the white Reploid who answered. "Some 80 meters from where we are, the circuits blew up due to sudden overreaction. Some opposite wires have crossed so the flow of electricity was messed up. The whole place is affected."

"Wow. How do you know that?!" He smiled back at Axl nicely.

"Sorry if I'm boasting, but this is one of the many abilities father gave me when I was programmed. I can just check the whole place without you knowing and it helps a lot just in case. Don't you worry, dear boy. Soon technicians are bound to surface."

"Technicians… uh, you remind me of Abe. Stupid Reploid."

For the next tens of minutes, Sue had clutched on tight to Axl's body just in case something went wrong. No one said anything so far. The sound of running water still drenched the air. Feeling her hands over his lap, Axl moved his hands to hold on hers.

"Don't worry, Sue. Everything's going to be okay. We'll be out of this place in no time." Sue blushed but her face wasn't seen by Axl. "Gee, thanks. You're such a sweetheart. Brr… it's quite cold in here, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess it is kinda cold. Here, take my sweater and cover yourself."

Though they couldn't see each other, Sue was still able to take the warm sweater from Axl ad covered herself. "Axl, don't you feel cold? Oh silly me. You Reploids can't feel so much cold air. Ha ha."

"Not really. I can feel the cold airs but only to a certain extent. That's when I feel as if it is really cold and start to shield myself. Well, anyway, I don't think the power supply will come back so fast. Why don't you get some sleep first? You must be tired."

"Thanks. You're a nice Reploid." Sue tucked herself in on the boat.

Several hours later, there was still no sign of any signal from the outside. Sue had fallen into a deep sleep and Axl was stroking her gently. He couldn't move his right hand elsewhere because Lumine had seized it to do something. His middle and second finger were pointing to an unknown direction, swirling in small circles.

In the computer brain, Axl and Iris sat in front of him while he folded his arms, standing with his eyes closed. "Hm… there are still no heat signatures on the outside… Hm? What's this? Two figures are walking. One of them is bending down and doing something… Red signals everywhere? Dear boy, dear girl, the power supply is back!"

The moment Axl opened his eyes, a great flash occurred. All the lights were surged with excess power and then darkened back to its original brightness. For some reason, the lights flickered out colours more brightly and when Sue woke up, she was astonished.

Her eyes flickered. "Wow… this is so beautiful! Me and you getting to see this together!" Once again, Sue leaned on Axl, this time closer and even to the extent of nearly hugging him. Axl blushed more but with his mood of care back, he felt it was only proper to return the act with a hug as well.

Finally, the boat was moving. They made past the waterfall junction and back into the semi-dark caves. Sue and Axl were still on to each other. Apparently, his inhabitants had decided to give them some quiet time to themselves.

Several minutes later, they were close to approaching the exit. Sue had already let go of Axl and upon arriving at the main stage, Axl helped he disembark from the boat. The skies outside were light and dark brown. Sue's eyes widened.

"Oh no! My flight to the mainland is at 7.30 pm! How will I make it in time to the airstation? I would have missed the flight by then!" Axl turned to her.

"So, you've got your baggages and stuff all in this island?"

"No, they're all with my family. I only came here with my handbag, that's all. And the airstation is around 400 kilometers west of this island. I will never make it in time!"

"Hey, have you forgotten already? I'm a Maverick Hunter and all Maverick Hunters are equipped with teleporters. We'll get you there in less than a second!"

Sue slapped her forehead. "Oh right. Sorry, I forget things when I'm in a rush." They both gave each other a light laugh. Step by step, they walked to the food court. It was time for some dinner and Axl chose a food they usually eat when together: hotdogs.

"Hm… hotdogs. Ha ha." Axl gave a meek laugh and handed one to Sue. They sat down at a nearby table and munched in together.

"Sue… I guess that… we could only go as far as friends. That's all. I'm sorry for disappointing you in any way. Reploids and humans are not supposed to engage in strong relationships. The results are usually disappointing…" Sue stared back.

"Everyone knows that, Axl. Besides Maverick hunting, don't you observe? We humans only tend to be polite with your kind, more as a trustworthy ally. But we never go to the extent of being close friends. We know it hurts us when we do so. That's why. But I guess you and Lumine are a different case. Mister Prez is your father."

"I guess you can say so. Hey, time passes fast. Isn't it time to leave? I guess you should. You don't want to be late for your flight." Axl bore a quite sad face. Sue smiled. "Aw, cheer up. I won't forget you. I won't forget Lumine too. You guys are sweet. It was initially hard to imagine you two being related. Ha ha."

"Yeah… that reminds me. My sister and Lumine wish you a safe trip to the mainland. They hope you'll have a great time there." His inhabitants had no idea Axl would do that actually but nonetheless, appreciated it.

"Oh thank you. Please send my regards to them. C'mon, send me there now."

Some seconds later, Axl and Sue were already in the grounds of the airstation. It was back to post-modernity as the structures are constructed with the red lights and techno designs. The airstation is located at the tip of the central south district of Big City and nearby was a flat green land which serves as a sparse park.

They were outside the main lounge where vehicles come and go, dropping and picking up customers and baggages. The duo safely crossed the roads before arriving at the main door on the airstation. Sue turned around to Axl.

"Well, this is it. My dad and family are there." Sue pointed to a very far counter at the convenient shops and restaurants. Sue's mum could be seen nagging the fat bloke and her son while packing the baggages on the conveyer belts. No one saw Sue with Axl and that was a good thing.

"Oh… this really is goodbye. I'll be in a new home and a new school. But like I said, I will never forget you. You're such a sweet Reploid. You helped the old sir cancel his debts, you sort of helped me relieve my troubles, you took me on a first date and had given me so much fun and joy. I can't really express how grateful I am for you so I guess this is the only way." Sue gave a light kiss on Axl's lips.

The trio were surprised by the act. Axl was the only one who blushed more from the kiss. Sue briefly waved goodbye and ran inside the airstation. The Reploid remained standing where he was for the next few seconds. Getting back proper consciousness, Axl dashed inside and tried to get a last minute look at Sue.

"Grr… Why was I just numb there? Sue!"

The most he could go further was towards a out-stretching walkway. He saw Sue already walking on a platform ground below him with her family. None of them noticed Axl; at least until Sue dropped a piece of paper and saw him.

"Don't worry! I'll keep in touch! Goodbye!" That was her last sentence.

The family of blokes and beauties disappeared behind the shuttle door which led to another gateway where passengers boarded the airship. Axl only waved at her though she didn't see it, until she disappeared behind the shuttle.

Feeling all sad on the inside, Axl stopped waving and walked out of the place. After going through many curves and turns down many floors, Axl's inhabitants found themselves moved to a sparse green park behind the 7-storey airstation.

"Well, that's it, dear boy. She's gone." Axl gazed on an airship which just floated in the air briefly before flying horizontally to the west and slowly rising in the air. He was lying down on the grass plain and the winds blew his hair nicely.

"Yeah… and tomorrow it's back to working in the construction sites. I'm just tired."

"Hm. If you wanted to ditch the work, you could ask me, dear boy. I'll gladly do your work for you this time." He got rebuked by Iris but Axl smiled. "Nah, that would be cheating. I think I can manage by myself anyway."

Iris spoke: "That was nice of you to pass some regards to her, Axl, although we really didn't think about doing that. Yet you represented us. I'm sorry. So I'm your sister now, huh?" Axl laughed briefly.

"I guess we can say that. Theoretically in age, you're the oldest and Lumine's the youngest. Hey, Lumine, next time listen to my orders!" "That's not fair, dear boy!" They laughed further. Axl again lied on the plain.

"Huh… time passes so fast. It's already so dark. The Moon seems rather glaring tonight. Such old memories." Iris felt awkward suddenly.

"Em… Axl? Sooner or later, we're bound to separate. We will have to forget our pledge then, isn't it? I don't think we could spend so much time with you any more when that time comes. How'd you feel about that?"

The white Reploid smirked. "I suppose you're right, dear girl. Soon, I won't be able to spend so much time with you, dear boy, compared to the present. Do you really think X was right? We deserve to be free despite our choice?"

Axl made a cheerful face. "X was right previously. I guess we are rather stubborn on remaining together at the time. Heck, we went through quite a lot of concentrated trouble here. This much trouble during the first four months since you came, Lumine, is about the same of… 5 years or so before the Jakob Project. But eventually, this couldn't last long. We have to separate soon. Dad needs you the most but he's just comfortable with me and Iris. Don't worry. We'll think of something."

"If you say so, dear boy." In the computer brain, he relaxed on the pitch-black floor. "Remember, if you need me, I'm always here by your side." Axl smiled. "That's kind of helpful. Iris, what about you?"

"Gee… I love to stay with you, Axl but I also want to explore the places around me."

"Well, then go explore the places. It's no problem. I'll be fine even if you two are gone. But I will need you two occasionally. That's because… we are family now…" No one spoke further of the issue any more. They decided to spend the next half-hour staring at space; the Moon and the stars were glittering too beautifully to resist.

In time, they will be separated. In fact, over the next few years, peace and development prospered all over the world, despite sporadic Maverick attacks, thanks to the newer Reploids. The trio continued spending time together with their 'father' as time elapsed and they did many things humans could do.

However, something will happen. Something that spread far over the world; something more devastating than any crisis previously. This moment will change many things in the future. Perhaps even the destiny of the planet called Earth…

The End.