MLaaTR: Maverick Hunter X

By Drewmaster

21. Chapter 21

"It was the strangest landscape I had ever laid eyes on. This particular planet was in a star system with a red star, but this planet was such a position where it received most of its light from the star of the system's neighboring star. It was a very large and very bright neutron star. One would think this planet would be pulled out of its orbit by the gravity of the neutron star, but that didn't happen. It was just the right distance away necessary to remain in its proper orbit. Cluster's scientist figured that the reason it wasn't snatched from its orbit was also due to the very strange phenomenon that caused the planet's orbit to be distorted. The other four planets all followed the same horizontal elliptical pattern whereas this one followed more of a diagonal orbit. The landscape was mostly rocky surface with plenty of melted slushy ice in large bodies in certain areas. The unusual part was the way the odd violet light illuminated the surface. Then there were the shooting stars we witnessed. I've traveled to many planets in my reign and I had yet to see this. I remember how most of us admired this sight…as I remember how Smytus thought we were merely wasting our time. I understood his indifference considering he had seen more than I have in my lifetime. There was also the fact that he never admired art very much anyway. I also remember the time I had a conversation with my daughter. She asked me why robots were so superior to flesh beings. For some reason, she didn't understand. I remember being frustrated with her…yelling at her…slapping her…forcing my beliefs on her. I also remember seeing that man run as fast as the wind. My soldiers weren't fast enough to stop him from advancing to spot where I was standing. My top guards did stop him. Before he was impaled through the chest, he asked that I actually stop for a moment and ask myself what my purpose really is. I remember thinking that such a thing was rubbish. I issued the order, and he was dead. As I stared at his terror-stricken face that the pain of the death blow caused him, I do remember asking myself why death always looks so terrible. I also remember a time where a man that I held in the air by his shirt collar saying that if I weren't trying to kill him, he'd ask me out on a date because he thought I was so beautiful. I did kill him. I remember blushing slightly and wondering how it was possible for a flesh wearer to be attracted to a robot. I also remember defeat…frustration…anger…hatred…loss…sadness…loneliness…regret…guilt."

These were the words that appeared letter by letter on the screen revealing Vexus's forethoughts. She lay there on an operating table inside of a large closed container with a window so she can look out of it when she wakes up. Everyone in the room stared at the screen speechless.

A moment later, Vexus's voice was heard through the computer's speakers saying and a trembling tone "So I see you've been reading my dream."

They all looked through the glass to see tears streaming down her face. Neither of them had ever seen her like this.

"It wasn't intentional. It was as if you were trying desperately to be heard, so you hacked into my computer's text program. That's the way it seems as far as these readings are concerned," Ms. Wakeman explained.

Vexus looked around the room to see who all was in attendance. She then lay eyes on a man in a suit.

"Hello there, Vexus," the man greeted.

"Who are you?" Vexus asked nervously.

"My name is Gary Hodges. I represent the Global Defense Force. Yours is a special case indeed. I have been sent here to determine if you qualify for us to agree to spare you as far as criminal prosecution is concerned," Mr. Hodges replied.

"This is the risk I've decided to take. I was sure that the reason Jenny hadn't been trying to arrest me was because she wasn't required to," Vexus said.

"It's good that you understand the risk you took by coming here. Yes, it's true. XJ9's citizenship is unusual, so her responsibilities as a citizen are complicated. Also, she took no oath to protect the Earth. She was made that way. It was decided that since her mind wasn't much more developed than that of a child in the sense that her level of real life experience is lilted compared to that of a human adult, that she wasn't required to act as an officer of the law. The one rule she was required to follow however, was that if she made a decision that would put Earth's safety in jeopardy, she would suffer the consequences. In your case, your track record over these past two years has lead us to believe that you may be sincere about trying to change your life. There's been no report of you attacking anyone. Neither have we had much of a reason to believe you'd try to take over the Earth again. It's not as though you have the resources to try anyway. Then there was the attack four months ago. Some of us did debate over whether or not you were trying to help us. Many, as well as I, believed you were only trying to help yourself. Then there was Captain Black Phoenix. There was no reason to believe that you had any affiliation with him, nor were you trying to gain anything from his presence. You risked your life against someone who was clearly strong enough to destroy with ease. With that realization in mind, we thought we'd try to evaluate you to see if you are trustworthy. I need you to understand, though, that if you are serious about trying to win our favor, the process will not be easy by any means. Listen to me carefully when I say this. I lost my grandfather to your tyranny. I spent decades thinking about how I was going to exact my revenge on you. These past two years have taught me that you are not the devil I thought you were. I'm going against my better judgment believe that you can be changed and that revenge isn't worth it. I hope you are sincere. Now, before I forget; the other reason for this evaluation is because of the incentive that you would be a great asset in this war against the Mavericks," Mr. Hodges explained.

"Of course there's that incentive: all the help you can get. My official statement is that I will help you fight in this war. The only thing I ask for in return is the upgrade I requested. I have no right to ask you for anything beyond that. You have won already. I am in your custody. I already know that this building is surrounded by many armed guards and an energy barrier that prevents me teleporting away from here. Even if I managed to overcome the guards, I'd have Jenny over there to worry about. To put your minds at ease, I'm turning myself in willingly. I'm tired of running and hiding. I've reached the very bottom of the barrel in my life. I'm guilty of too many crimes to deserve mercy. If you decided to kill me and jettison my scrapped body into the cold of space, I'd be fine with that," Vexus said with the same trembling voice.

"That was unexpected," Jenny said.

"My pride has vanished. Living alone has taught me that really am no better than anyone else. I often thought I was above or immune to the possibility of me being on the receiving end of some violent act that would ruin my life and end the lives of everyone I cared about. I didn't really care about anyone in that way, so I thought all of that was beneath me. I tried many times to keep myself from imagining what it's like to live on your end of the spectrum, but I really couldn't. I'm beginning to understand now how you all must've felt when I destroyed so many of your loved ones. Seeing how that little boy was hurting so badly when he couldn't wake his dead mother hurts me to this day. I hate how the only thing I managed to do with my life is cause so much pain. I wasted over a thousand years on selfishness. I don't really know how to relate to your suffering, but I only wish there was a way to give back everything I've stolen and repair all the damage I've caused. I've done too much…to even be given the chance…to try," Vexus said before finally burying her face in her hands and crying like she's never cried before.

The United States president was still in the White House at the time this was taking place, and she could hear the entire conversation between everyone in that room. She could hear everyone's reaction to Vexus's crying. Even the president herself didn't expect this. Her eyes even began to water. When Vexus's crying finally calmed some, she pressed the button on the console in front of her and her face showed up on Ms. Wakeman's computer screen.

"I didn't think you planned to say anything in this conversation, Ms. President," Jenny said.

"Let me guess, they sent you to pass judgment on me?" Vexus guessed.

"You're wrong about one thing. You did do something worthwhile in your life. You not only saved that little boy's life, you managed to help prevent the extinction of the human race. The credit was given to XJ's 1-9, Ms. Wakeman, Sheldon Lee, Melody Locus, and Skyway Patrol, but no one wanted to even mention your part in it. It was only later that certain citizens began to send in letters and e-mails regarding your role in saving the world. They wanted the mainstream media to recognize what you did, but they refused. Not one government in the world wanted to recognize your help because of your record. We humans fear pain to point where most of us are willing to hold the most ruthless grudges…unwilling to forgive. We don't know how much of a threat Phoenix was, but you did manage to play a key part in his retreat. For those things, I thank you. As a person, I forgive you, but as President, I cannot so easily do that. Based on the votes that have come in, you will be given the opportunity to redeem yourself. You will however be placed under tight restriction and will be sentenced to global services such as reconstruction and defense if it is determined that you can handle it. Those two things are the only things I know for sure you will be sentenced with. Any other requirements of you will be determined in the near future. You will be upgraded and expected to fight in this war. Any attempts to attack any of us without a good reason to defend yourself from an unjust action by any individual or group, or trying to conquer our world in the future will be a breach in our agreement a will result in a new trial an you will be judged according to the crime or crimes committed. Do you understand what I am saying to you?" the president asked.

"Yes, I do?" Vexus answered.

"Good. The upgrading process will begin as soon as you and Ms. Wakeman are ready. Just remember, do not take this favor lightly. You said you wanted to try to make amends for your transgressions, so we expect you to deliver. You will hear from any of our representatives again very soon. Good luck in the fight out there. For now, I must tend to other matters. Good day," the president concluded before the screen returned to the image that was displayed before the president interrupted.

"So much is happening so fast. I honestly didn't think I would be spared. I'm glad that I have been given another chance. I plan to make it up to all of you. I'm ready any time you are ready Nora," Vexus said.

"First, I need to tell you that I did seriously consider killing you. I lost friends and a few cousins to your tyranny as well. It's going to be very difficult for me to see you as anything but that ruthless murderer you once were. Pain like this does not go away easily. However…you did play a great part in motivating me to build my daughters, and that is something to thank you for. Who would ever imagine, though, that the very idea that was meant to destroy you ended up saving you. I guess it's true that they are not merely weapons, but they also have the ability to be saviors. You have caused me to reevaluate life twice. I'm giving you this second chance. Please don't blow it for yourself," Ms. Wakeman said.

"Thank you very much. I apologize for all the pain I've caused you. I forgive you for all the pain you caused me, and if you don't want to forgive me, I'll except it," Vexus said before wiping the tears from her eyes and face.

Ms. Wakeman turned and stared directly at Vexus with an obviously angry expression.

A second later, she turned away from Vexus and said "I'll be ready in an hour. I still need to wait for some parts to arrive."

As Ms. Wakeman spent her time improving Vexus's body, Jenny had to rush to yet another Maverick attack. This time, the attack was in Tremorton of all places.

"This must be an insult or something. I see they're not crazy enough to attack our house. My mom's house is like a battleship," Jenny said as she headed towards the scene.

She was feeling a certain amount of confidence knowing skilled warriors like X and Zero were helping her out, only in this case, they are scheduled to be quite late due to a mandatory meeting with a few government officials. The other XJ's were still practicing with battlefield simulations so they could get used to their upgrades.

As soon as she saw smoke, her eyes widened, and then she asked, "Why did it have to be the orphanage?"

When she arrived on the scene, she noticed something odd. There were thousands of rose petals lying around everywhere. She stopped a few of the people running from the scene and asked them where to find the Maverick. They told her to check the park beside the orphanage. She arrive to see a male humanoid reploid with a mostly green and black body, a white mask over the bottom half of his face only revealing his eyes, and bright red mechanical rose petals sticking out of his head appearing to be his hair. He was sitting on a bench, and as soon as he noticed Jenny approaching, he smiled under his mask. She could tell that he was smiling.

"Why do you seem so happy?" Jenny asked.

"Happy is definitely the word. You are as cute in person as you are on television," he replied.

Jenny blushed a little and thought to herself "_His voice is so sexy. I hate the fact that I know he's a bad guy_."

"Okay, look…I can see that you're interested in me, but I can tell you've been sent here to destroy me. If that is the case, then why bother showing your interest?" Jenny asked.

The reploid laughed and said "Destroy you. I wasn't sent here to do that. Before we continue, I must introduce myself. My name is Axel The Red; not to be confused with that Hunter named Axl."

"Okay, Axel; if you're not here to destroy me, then what are you here for?" Jenny asked.

"My commander, Sigma, has become interested in you as well, though not in the way I am. You see, a person with a virtually undefeated track record as yours is exactly the kind of person he admires. You managed to live through countless battles against your enemies, and you defeated all of them, with the exception of that one incident with a former friend of yours. I forget her name sometimes, but that's not important. He feels as though it's time for you to hear our side of the story that those two Maverick Hunters didn't tell you. In our world, we have fought hard to gain the same rights and privileges that humans have for a long time now. There came a time when we realized that humans were just incapable of understanding that the fact that we have life the way they do entitles us to those rights. They are selfish and are willing to deny that we are on the same level that they are simply because they don't want to have to compete with someone else for resources, status, etc. We decided that since they operate on such primitive principles, they have forfeited their self-proclaimed right to called superior. In all honesty, I was never able to see their so-called superiority. I'm sure a woman of your stature can understand where I'm coming from. Not only that, they constantly make new laws that try to limit our potential for growth. Imagine that; a limit designed specifically to keep themselves superior to feed their little false sense of security. We couldn't except such a thing, so the so-called Mavericks were born. We rebelled against such a terrible fate. Now are starting to understand why we did what we did?" Axel asked.

Jenny paused for a moment, and then said "I do understand. I haven't lived it, but I can say that I would be pretty upset if a law was passed to limit me. However, it seems as though you conveniently left out some details. Why is it that you continuously attack the humans even after the law was thrown out?"

"Huh?" Axel asked.

"Don't play dumb. X explained it to me. The humans needed law abiding reploids to defend them, so a group of them formed the group called the Maverick Hunters. And since the only way to fight the Mavericks effectively was to be able to continue upgrading themselves, the law was thrown out only because they didn't have a choice. So why do you continue to attack them?" Jenny asked.

"It's because we know that if there is some kind of peaceful agreement made, or a treaty if you will, the humans would still try to find a way to limit us," Axel answered.

"If you're so concerned about that, then why don't you guys just move to an area to live by yourselves. You can't seem to get along with each other, so why not leave?" Jenny asked.

"To do that, we would have to have the humans in the area leave. That goes to say that the only places for us to go that aren't inhabited by humans are places where all of the natural resources with any value have been taken. How long do you think you would survive in the middle of a desert or some other form of wasteland?" Axel asked.

Jenny closed her eyes and sighed.

A moment later, she opened her eyes and replied "Not very long. It's just…well…why didn't you just try to continue trying to persuade the humans to come to an agreement that you both can agree upon?"

"We considered that, but then we realized that humans just aren't capable of coming to such an agreement. What it really boiled down to was that we let the humans know that since they not only brought us into that world beyond our control, and then have the nerve to say that we were meant only for servitude, we were going to fight for our right to live a life where we can work toward a great future, even if it meant that we would do it violently if necessary," Axel answered.

"I get where you're coming from. I just don't understand why you feel it necessary to resort to mass murder," Jenny said angrily.

"The reason…is because we are at war. That's how war is: both sides refusing to give an inch, or lose an inch, resulting in the inevitable need to take what you need by force. If they have to die for me to get what I need to live, then so be it," Axel explained.

"Why are you switching your story around? You didn't say this was about survival until now," Jenny pointed out.

"I didn't say anything about surviving. I want to live, as in, I want to live my life to the fullest and reach my highest potential, uninhibited by the rules of primitive beings that are jealous of the fact that reploid evolution is leaving them behind. We are working towards a bright future where reploids can create a utopia for themselves. Humans have a bad tendency to drag everyone else down with them in order to make themselves feel as though they are greater that they really are. That way of thinking itself is poisoning themselves and everything they come in contact with. We reploids and anyone else who shares our vision are constantly trying to find ways to improve ourselves and everything else around us. When you finally realize that humans have virtually no chance of doing away with their destructive behavior, you then realize that in order to end the destruction, you must get rid of the humans, or at least the selfish destructive ones. It is the only logical thing to do. I have little reason to believe that you haven't realized this yourself, and Sigma shares my view about you. Sigma has sent me here to ask you to join us in a bright future that's ahead of us. I…am asking you to join us," Axel requested.

"You don't get it, do you? What you are asking for is too much. You can't expect humans to allow so many of you to progress so much without them being sure that they also have enough resources to survive on. Your fabulous new evolved bodies would require too much energy to maintain themselves for there to be enough resources left to sustain the humans' bodies. You have the ability to evolve quickly. There's no question about that. It's just that everyone else who can't keep up will eventually die. That's why nature has a balance; to prevent that from happening. I know that humans are selfish and self-destructive, but killing them is not the answer. They have made progress, and they still need time to improve," Jenny explained.

"That is far too much time to wait. There's no guarantee that they will ever improve that much. To ensure a safe and prosperous future, extreme measures must be taken. It sounds harsh, but that's the way it is," Axel added as he raised his voice slightly.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to decline your offer. I can see what you people are after now. You told me probably without realizing it. You said you want to live your life to the fullest, but what you really mean to say is that you want to insure that you are able to see that brave new world Sigma speaks of within your lifetime even at the cost of all human life if necessary. The truth…is that you're just as selfish as the humans you complain about. Yes they are selfish, but I also happen to know that many of them in your world have learned that they were headed down the same path that you are now, and that's why they have started to compromise and have learned to live long side plenty of the reploids. That is the only sensible explanation for so many of them living with each other. You didn't seem to mention that part, now did you? You tasted an unfair amount of power and are not willing to give it up, and that's why you're making excuses to cover your own selfishness," Jenny said.

Axel sighed and said "It's a shame…really. We had such high hopes for you. You would have been a great addition to our team. I had such high hopes for you. It saddens me that such a beautiful person such as you must go to waste."

Suddenly, Jenny noticed a surge of energy surround her body. She then noticed a bright pink light concentrating around her body and pushing her limbs together restraining her. Letting out a scream, she tried with a great deal of effort to free herself. Even her lips were restrained. Now she was frightened.

"That's why I left all of these rose petals everywhere. I made a perimeter around this area to make my new restraining ability most effective. Not only that, you can't call for backup because all radio frequencies are being blocked. It really didn't have to be this way. I was hoping that one day we could be together, but I see that it wasn't meant to be. By the way, we're not destroying your body; just your mind. Your technology will be quite useful to us. The beauty I saw in you was not merely physical. It was also your personality. Without that, you would only be a machine to me. That is your fate now. Hold on, what are you staring at?" Axel asked.

He turned around at the last moment and caught a flying metal trash can top with his right hand. He then looked at the person who threw it at him.

"Who are you?" he asked aloud.

"_What is Grace doing here? She's going to get herself killed by this maniac_," Jenny thought to herself.

Grace continued walking towards Axel with a furious expression on her face.

"You don't need to answer that. You do need to learn some respect for a superior being," Axel said angrily.

"You really…are crazy," Grace commented.

Axel threw the top back at her knocking her down. Jenny wasn't confident that Grace was dead, so she didn't panic. Axel walked over to where Grace lay, and picked her up by her shirt collar. He pulled her face close to his but a little below.

"What…exactly did a pathetic young girl like you think you could do to hurt me? I should kill you now," Axel said.

Grace noticed that there was blood coming from an open wound on her face. Fearing for her life, she flexed the muscles in her left arm and swung it as hard as she could. Jenny's eyes widened when she saw a ripple form in Graces arm that started from her shoulder and worked its way up to her fist. At the moment of impact, her fist was three times its normal size. The punch was hard enough to throw Axel's body nine feet away. Pieces of his mask and face were seen flying through the air.

Both of them lying on the ground, Axel yelled "That's impossible. There's no way she's able to do that. She's only human."

Grace rose to her feet as quickly as she could. Jenny, Grace and Axel looked on in surprise when they all saw that Grace's left forearm and fist were swollen to at least three times their normal size, her fist being slightly larger.

Terrified, Grace yelled "What…the fuck is…this? What the hell is going on?"

As she questioned this, the biceps, triceps, and shoulders on that same arm increased in size. Fearing for his life, Axel screamed and charged after her head on trying to end her life. Her body seemed to act on its own causing her to dodge at a superhumanly fast speed. She then punched a hole through Axel's chest and out his back. The force of this punch separated his shoulders and head from the rest of his body. He could no longer produce enough energy to restrain Jenny, so the light disappeared. Jenny remained motionless from her shock.

As Axel's eyes began to lose their light, he asked "Why…did this happ…?"

As his body lay there dead, Jenny ran over to a now freaking out Grace. Grace put her hand on her face to find that her wound had already healed.

"Do you have any idea how…?" Jenny yelled.

"No! I have no clue," Graced yelled in response.

"I don't know what to do?" Jenny yelled as she began panicking.

Several people saw this from a distance and were very concerned and very frightened. One person walked over to them.

"What the…hell are you still…doing here, Jason? You could've been hurt," Grace yelled angrily.

"I came to see if there is anything I can do to help. Now that I think about, I don't know how to handle this situation at all. I just reacted to the fact that you were in distress, so I ran over here. I didn't think that through. But I see now why you're in distress. I'm just going to guess wildly and say that the best thing that might help for now is to just try to calm down as much as possible," Jason said somewhat frantically.

Grace thought about it for a second, then closed her eyes and began taking slow deep breaths. A few moments later, the swelling went back down and the shape of her arm finally returned to normal.

Jason grinned and asked "So Grace did all of that, huh? It was hard to tell from that far away, but I think I'm guessing it right."

"Why are you grinning?" Jenny asked.

Grace looked up at Jason puzzled, and Jason replied "Nothing could be done to prove my theory, but I know now that when I thought her past was much more complicated than even she realized, I was right. You told me not to ask you about your past, and at first, I thought you knew everything. When you freaked out in the cafeteria, I noticed that you seemed confused as to why you freaked out so much. Now I see that you're freaking out with this. Not just that…but I actually happen to think it's kinda cool. I probably sound crazy to you right now," Jason said while still grinning.

"Cool? This could be really dangerous," Jenny said.

Grace grinned a little and said "You've always been one to…find the bright side of these…kinds of things, haven't…you? Don't answer that. I need to go…visit your mother, Jenny."

Grace's grin disappeared and Jenny asked "Why her? I should be taking you to a hospital."

"No fuckin' way…am I…going to a…hospital. They'll probably drag me away…somewhere and do experiments…on me. I need her to analyze…me. Besides, I just killed…one of Sigma's men. I'm sure…they know it was me, and they will be after me," Grace explained.

"Okay then, I'll carry you there. It'll be much faster that way. Hold on…why are you here anyway, Jason?" Jenny asked.

"Oh yeah; that. I was in the area heading towards the corner store down the street over there for a specific item that they don't sell on my side of town with a few of my cousins. I remember seeing Grace looking out of a window, and she saw me too. A couple of seconds later, that green guy came rampaging through the area, so we scattered. I stayed long enough to see if everyone else left the orphanage. I had no idea Grace would try to come back here. I followed her until I saw this scene taking place. I didn't think I stood a chance against that guy, so I froze. That was the first time I've seen you run, and you can run really fast, Grace," Jason commented.

Grace had no response.

"Okay then; whatever. We need to leave this place, now," Jenny said.