MLaaTR: Maverick Hunter X
By Drewmaster
31. Chapter 31
Later that day, Jenny was walking around the base alone. She didn't have anything better to do at the moment. She did have a lot on her mind that she was wrestling with. She began to question why events occur in the way that they do, on a grand universal scale. There were a few times in the past that this thought passed through her mind, but it was only recently that she really spent large amounts of time thinking on the subject.
According to her, there had to be an answer. She noticed that most people tend not to think about such things; or at least it seemed that way. Even if they did, they never talk about it, to her knowledge. To her, it felt as though there was some kind of difficult to decipher pattern, or rhyme of sorts, to the way the events of life and reality as she knew it happen. She made a decision. As she walked, she decided to set a portion of her processor that she normally didn't use to attempt to try to record and evaluate the frequency of occurrences based on a list of categories. At a later time, she planned to consciously evaluate the information gathered and try to make some form of logical sense out of it.
She made her way to the end of a long hallway when she heard what sounded as though someone was in distress. She barely heard it, but she instinctively reacted to it. She opened the door to the room she believed the sounds to be coming from and ran to a closet. The noise stopped, but she opened it anyway.
Surprised, Jenny said "Vexus!"
Vexus was sitting in a closet crying with her back against a wall. She stared back up at Jenny. Slowly, Jenny rested her knees on the floor.
With a concerned tone, Jenny asked "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Trying to calm herself, Vexus said "Somehow…I thought…I was afraid you were…going to grin…and say something about how…ironic it is that I'm in this state."
Jenny felt a sudden surge of emotion flow through her body, and then she said "No! No, I can't do that to you. That was the old me. I know you're trying to change. I would be wrong for trying to make it harder for you that way. Umm…to tell you the truth, I've been really worried about you for a long time now. I'm serious! I know we were once enemies, but I don't want us to be enemies anymore. You've been alone for a long time now trying to survive on the bare minimum. I've been worrying that that must've been very hard for you. At first, I thought you deserved everything you were getting, and I can't believe I even laughed and thought it was funny. I hate myself for that. Later, I spent time trying to imagine what it must've been like to live like that, and after a while, the thought became depressing. I'm so sorry for putting you through that."
Staring at Jenny surprised, Vexus said "You've changed so much. I thought you were just being nice to me to put on a show for your family and friends. How can you be nice to a monster like me?"
Jenny raised her voice a little and replied "You have done terrible things. I can't lie and say those things never happened. I also can never forget them either. I just know that nothing can be done to undo that damage. Holding grudges doesn't help make things better either. I want things to be better than they were. I don't want to be angry at you anymore. I don't think being mean to you is going to help any of us."
A moment later, Vexus said "I don't want us to be angry with each other anymore either. I just didn't know how you'd feel about it. I'll answer your question, but please don't tell anyone about this."
"I won't. I promise," Jenny assured.
Vexus lowered her defenses, and in a trembling voice, she explained "It just feels a little embarrassing. I…was crying because of how…lonely I am. I spent so much time away from people that it became really depressing. I thought I didn't need anybody: that I was totally self-sufficient: that I was completely emotionally secure. I thought I'd be fine on my own. I thought I was going mad with only Smytus and Krackus to talk to, but when they were gone, I slowly became this. The first time I cried in over a thousand years was a little over a month ago. I still feel lonely even with all these people around because I can plainly see how everyone either avoids me at all times, and the ones that do talk to me, only do so to settle some curiosity or to handle business. I thought Zero had become comfortable talking to me, but he hasn't said a word to me in almost two weeks. I don't know what to think sometimes."
A moment later, Jenny asked "Are you saying that you want a friend?"
"I need you to keep one more secret. I have made one friend. She's a human of all people. I know you're surprised. I don't want to explain how it all happened right now. I can't reveal her name for her protection. I haven't seen her since shortly before I turned myself in. That's why I still feel lonely. There more time I spend alone, the more depressed I feel. I wish I could spend time with her again, but I don't want to put her in danger," Vexus explained.
Jenny pulled Vexus close and hugged her. Needless to say, but Vexus a little more than surprised.
Jenny then said in a calm comforting voice "If you want; I can be your friend, number two."
Vexus lost control of her emotions and hugged her back very tightly as she started crying.
About a minute later, she said while still crying "I never thought…I'd see the day. I was so afraid…that we'd…always be enemies. I can't stand…seeing you suffer anymore…either. I don't ever…want to see you try to kill yourself again."
Jenny now looked as if she could cry too.
A moment later, Vexus asked "Do you really…want to…be my friend?"
"Mm hmm," Jenny answered with a trembling voice.
By this time, Vexus wasn't crying as much, and she said "I want…to be your friend too."
Jenny then pleaded "Please don't return to your old ways. I don't want to fight you anymore. I really do want our friendship to work."
A few seconds later, Vexus replied, "You don't need to worry about that. I don't ever want to hurt anyone again. I'm so sick of my old ways that I could throw up like a human."
"That's a very big relief. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this until you are ready," Jenny assured.
"Thank you," Vexus said.
Meanwhile, in the Maverick base, Sigma was standing still observing how intensely Burn Rooster was training. His strongest physical attacks were his kicks. Each time he kicked something made of metal, it sounded similar to thunder. A minute later, he paused from his training and looked at Sigma with an impatient expression.
"Sorry for my insolence, but I'm tired of waiting around here, master. When are you planning to attack them again?" Rooster asked.
"I admire your enthusiasm, but you have to remember that their forces have grown stronger. To make matters worse, the Wakeman robot, XJ9 has gotten stronger than before, and so has her sisters. With one shot, XJ2 rendered Gravity Beetle's arm mostly useless. We don't even know what The Red Angel is capable of. Let me ask you this then. Why do we lose every damned battle against X and Zero?" Sigma asked.
"I only fought with you once, so all I've gathered, was that it was a preparation issue," Rooster guessed.
"You're correct, but that's not all. What usually happens is that what we think is enough power is not enough. This, of course, means that we have to do something drastic to win. I also plan to fight dirty…even more so than usual. There are certain limits that I usually set for myself, but it looks like we're going to have to surprise them with how low we're usually willing to sink to win. Do you think that's a bad way to go about it? Be honest" Sigma prompted.
Rooster couldn't help but laugh.
When he stopped, he answered "Of course not. I was wondering when you'd start using more underhanded tactics. I'm not looking forward to being scrapped again. That Blaze Heatnix was a strange one. He'd rather test his strength against someone than sneak up behind them. That's the way it is with a lot of the others. I say we fight as dirty as possible."
Sigma grinned and said "Yes, the way of the proud warrior just isn't working anymore. This is that time in history where we should throw out those ideas, at least until this war is over. The answer to your question is very soon. The final preparations are close to completion. High-Max's modifications have been completed today. Everything else is only a matter of time."
"That's good to hear. I can't wait," Rooster said.
"INTRUDER ALERT IN CENTRAL COMMAND ROOM!" Sounded the alarm system.
All capable fighters headed to the room as quickly as possible. They all feared the worst. No one could seem to understand how anyone made it past the security system at the main entrance to begin with.
When they all arrived, the intruder was nowhere to be found.
"This makes no sense. Where is this person…or thing? We don't even know what we're dealing with," A male soldier yelled.
He wasn't the only confused one.
"There is definitely something in this room that's not supposed to be here. I can feel it, but I can't find it," Angel explained.
"I will show myself…if you promise not to attack," A very familiar voice said.
"You gotta be kidding," Sheldon said.
"Misty?" Jenny yelled shocked.
"Seriously? I thought she wasn't coming back," Sheldon said.
"Everyone; lower your weapons, but don't deactivate them. If you don't attack us, we won't attack you," Jenny yelled.
As soon as the others did, a purple cloud accumulated from inside the ventilation shafts into the center of the room. The cloud took a humanoid shape, then it formed the Misty that Jenny remembered, or so it seemed at first.
"You look like you've been through something harsh," Jenny commented on Misty's expression.
"Is that really all you have to say to me after not seeing me for two years?" Misty asked angrily.
"Well, shit; what the hell am I supposed to say to you? You really expect me to greet you with open arms after you beat the fuck out of me. You were going to kill me too if my memory serves me right," Jenny responded.
"I should've guessed that'd be the memory you've been focusing on all this time. I thought you'd be angrier at my methods than something I did to you. Shows how much of a selfless hero you really are," Misty retorted.
You're really pushing it. I'm mad at both, dammit. Being willing to kill people to save people is not hero work at all. I didn't understand the concept of a mercenary that much until later on. Even if you are one, that doesn't make it okay to use those kinds of tactics," Jenny explained.
"Do you know what hell is like?" Misty asked in a distressed tone.
This question shocked everyone.
"What? Where did that come from?" Jenny asked.
"I don't know either, but I feel like I've been through something similar. Most of that shit that happened back then, I don't even care about anymore. I've spent the past few months piecing my mind back together, and I know I'll never be the same again. Things change. That's the way life goes; but how did that nice little life we had back then become this? First, you get depressed and try to off yourself, and then my life goes to shit too. I thought it was just that Earth was having a bad luck streak, but I see crazy shit happening all over the place. I bet you're tired of hearing this, but even Vexus is fighting through a crisis. Ending up here had to have been a long and painful journey for that woman," Misty explained.
"It was indeed. That's one thing about young people. They seem to believe that they're immune to tragedy. I'm no better though. I trained and fashioned my mind into believing I was invincible too," Vexus added.
"I bet you want to know why I'm here. I don't have a reason to explain myself, but I'm here to let you know I'm going to help you all fight those Maverick people I heard so much about," Misty explained.
"How do I know Sigma didn't hire you to destroy me? Jenny asked.
"What the fuck? The past must've really put a stain on your brain. I'm a mercenary, not a person willing to aid in the destruction of an entire race. I don't trust that bastard anyway. Besides, other people's lives are more important to me now than they were back then. If it weren't for our differences, I would've probably never been able to see that," Misty explained.
Jenny calmed down some and said "You're definitely telling the truth. I can tell. I know you well enough. If you came in here looking the way you used to, and if you had the same demeanor, I would have a hard-damned time believing you. I've been through extreme stress myself, and I can tell you've been changed by your recent experiences. There's just one problem. I just don't understand why you of all people would want to help us. I'm at a total loss."
Misty then began breathing heavily and staring very intensely at her violently shaking hands.
She then said in a very harsh tone "I…don't. I don't even know for sure! Why am I…helping someone else without expecting something…in return?"
She then fell on her knees and buried her face in her hands. Before she knew it, she felt Jenny's left hand on her left shoulder. She looked up at Jenny very quickly as though she were prepared for an attack. She noticed that Jenny was looking away from her at the floor with anguish in her eyes.
"Why are so many people falling apart, Misty?" Jenny asked.
Misty then replied "I don't know. It's like the hand of fate broke one of its bones and it's making us suffer for it."
Jenny then had one of the most awkward looking grins that any of them had ever seen. The pain was still quite prominent in her eyes.
"I kinda wish I could prove that…only so I could have something to blame. Then I would get shit from people around me about how that's the cowards way of looking at life," Jenny said.
Her frown returned, and then she said "I don't know what happened to you. I hope you get better. I think that you're volunteering to help because you don't know what else to do. That sounds strange, but…I believe I'm right."
Misty involuntarily took a deep strained breath, and then yelled "I don't know what else to do! I feel…a part of me…missing. I need to find it. I don't know where I lost it. I feel like a dog, retracing its steps. It's not like a buried bone…that I can reach out and grab. If it were tangible, I would've grabbed the first bone I could find, and use it as a replacement. I wouldn't be here now."
"Are you telling me the truth when you said that our differences no longer matter to you?" Jenny asked while staring Misty directly in her eyes.
"They are the least of my concerns. Focusing on settling that old score is meaningless," Misty answered.
"You also said you wouldn't play a part in destroying a whole race of people. Is that on just a grand scale, or are you still willing to sacrifice a few for your own gain? If that's the case, we have no room for that kind of philosophy," Jenny said.
"You must be referring to that comment I made about breaking a few eggs to make an omelet. I don't see the world the same way I did back then. Everything looks the same, but totally different too. Man, this sounds crazy. I've never been the one to be able…to imagine myself in someone else's shoes for most of my life. It took me a long time to grasp that concept in my mind. What if I was one of those children? What if I was one of those patients? What if I was about to be destroyed by a blind fool? I never asked myself such questions before my crisis," Misty explained.
Jenny smiled slightly and said "Now that you can understand that, you can begin to imagine what kind of stress Vexus must've gone through to be where she is now. If she was still like you were, I wouldn't be able to place as much trust in her as I do. Change isn't easy, and I'm not expecting you to get used to it easily. As far as our differences are concerned, I've been wanting to end that shit for a long time now. I was really hoping it wouldn't have to end in bloodshed. Since that no longer seems to be the case, I was hoping that…"
Misty cut Jenny off by grabbing her hand and saying "I was wrong to think of you as my enemy. You were only doing what you thought was right by telling me to leave. You feared for those you swore to protect. If your friendship with me had to die to save lives, you were willing to make that sacrifice. You were the only real friend I ever had. I tried hard to ignore that horrible feeling I had in my heart when we separated, but I failed that one miserably. We are still friends…right?"
Trying her best not to cry, Jenny answered "Sure. Of course we are."
She was about to cry not only because of the reunion, but also because of how much Misty's hand was trembling. She could only imagine the ordeal she must've had. Misty stood up slowly, and they hugged each other. A feeling of relief that a battle wasn't about to begin spread throughout the room. The others barely understood their issues, but they were happy for them.
"Are you okay, Jenn?" Misty asked concerned.
Barely able to control her emotions, Jenny asked "What happened to you? You seem…so weak. Your hands are…shaking…so badly. You look like you haven't…slept or eaten in weeks. How can someone so strong end up like…this?"
"Please. I don't want to talk about it right now, much less think about it. I promise I'll explain it to you later, but not in front of a bunch of people I don't even know very well," Misty pleaded.
A few seconds later, while trying to regain her composure, Jenny said "You wanna keep it…between friends. Okay…that's fine. I'll wait."