MEGA MAN X: THE SOUND OF MAVERICKS
By Erico
CHAPTER ONE: A RECAP OF BOREDOM
"Councilor, I don't believe you fully understand the severity this action could bring." X said calmly, even though the inner fire of his eyes burned brightly. Standing in front of the 125 Delegates from all over earth's respective countries in the Global Defense Council, X seemed all alone and swallowed by darkness. He tried not to let the intimidation show.
The person he was addressing was Emilius Cristoph, the emissary from the North AmeriCanadian alliance. The man stared through his glasses and frowned, brushing back his bushy white hair.
"Oh, quite to the contrary, commander. I know full well the role you Hunters serve, as do my other colleagues. But look at the evidence! It has been close to a full year now since your Hunters put an end to Sigma underneath New Tokyo. The majority of the threat is gone." X blinked at that, forming his mouth for a retort. Cristoph cut him short with a snappy quip.
"Yes, we all know of the various maverick skirmishes that have emerged sporadically. But they are small threats, and ones that can be dealt with much more efficiently by a smaller force. We have no need of a large group of Hunters whereas 3 elite Units or so would do just as well. The age of Sigma is gone, Commander X. The age of the maverick rebellions are past us."
Boy, that made X laugh inside. Outside, he managed to keep an air of stoic seriousness. The age of Sigma would never end as long as there were mavericks. Sigma WAS the mavericks. Only after the latest Uprising, the mavericks showed no sign of infection. That was the only lucky point of it, but the assumption made by Cristoph was wrong.
A maverick is as deadly as ever, even if it is not infected. X shrugged at last.
"So it seems we have reached an impass, Mr. Cristoph. Your views are different from mine." Cristoph folded his arms and glared.
"As I would expect them to be. X, as a reploid-"
"I am not a reploid." X spat out, stopping Cristoph dead in his tracks. The truth was, X wasn't. He was the model by which all reploids were created. Cristoph smiled and took off his glasses, taking on the glowish charm of a man past his prime.
"Of course. You must forgive my old mind." Chuckles went through the room, but did little to break the terse mood. X was outnumbered, outgunned, and there was no support.
The majority of people in the Global Defense Council were anti-reploid. Haters of the race they had willingly created, and were unable to see as equal beings. It disgusted X to see a race that considered itself to be so much more civilized still held hate views.
First, the Jews. Then the blacks. Now, it was reploids. Only the target had changed.
X decided he couldn't take any more.
"If you all will excuse me, I must return to my duties. Cain is also expecting a report on these hearings." Cristoph nodded slowly.
"Of course. We await your return, Commander. Until then, this session is under recess until tomorrow at 8 sharp." The leader of the Council rapped his gavel, and X sighed, succumbing to the warp trails as he shot out of the roof like it didn't exist.
The arrival back at his home of the Maverick HHQ was unceremonious. It was oddly quiet, save for a few transports coming into the hangar, and only Wycost stood at guard.
Wycost, the angry green Hunter, the one individual who had shown X it was possible to overcome the Maverick Virus infection. In Wycost, there had been a volcano. An inner fire that glowed brightly with the suffering Wycost had felt.
Wycost was your genuine New Yorker. Tough, hardy, didn't take any guff from anyone. And during the Fifth Maverick Uprising, Wycost had joined up in a flash of skill that even X would have a tough time matching. Keeping a helmet spinning in the air by plasma fire alone was something that would have taken X forever. But the quiet, angry Wycost had kept it going for a full 15 seconds. And aside from the black streak down his right arm and his Buster, he looked no different from any other reploid.
Now, Wycost stood at semi-attention. But there was something different about him now. The anger was gone, and Wycost had succumbed to moping. With Sigma gone and his penance paid, Wycost seemed as deflated as a helium balloon with a hole in it.
"Hey Wycost, why the long face?" X asked. Wycost raised his eyes and shrugged, still having the glum expression on.
"I got left behind on this mission, X. Do you know how that ticks me off?" X put his hands to his sides and pondered.
"Well, I'm kinda happy when I don't have to go off and slaughter mavericks, but whatever lights your fire. You're like Zero-you hate peacetime." Wycost shook his head.
"It's not just that, X. I still feel like I let all my friends down." X's eyes softened.
"The ones who died during Nitro Narwhal's rampage." Wycost nodded, pulling down his goggles. The goggles were actually his control chip covers, which were able to slide down inside of his helmet and form protective eyewear.
"Yeah, them. Even though I stopped Sigma, and we haven't seen him, I still feel like they're staring at me for some kind of sacrifice." X brooded over it for a minute, then gently put an arm on Wycost's shoulder.
"Don't let it get you down. If there's one thing about this job Wycost, it's that the answers always come to you right when you want them. Just relax and take it easy." X smiled, but he wasn't smiling inside.
With all the talks of disbanding the majority of the Hunters, how would Wycost respond when he heard about his request being shot down?
A request which X himself had to veto.
"Fighting with a beam saber is not like blasting off a cannon, troops!" Zero barked at the new recruits who looked about sheepishly. "With an X-Buster, it's fire and go. Works in some cases, but not all. You can't expect your Buster to make your job easy. And remember; the people on the receiving end have weapons that are just as, if not more, powerful than your own little popgun."
In the training rooms of Maverick HHQ, Zero was once again doing his least favorite thing; teaching others to perform a job he liked to tackle by himself. This newest batch would eventually be sifted into 4 areas; the 3 elites of the 17th, #00, or the rising star lead by Bastion, the 21st. The last group was the lesser Hunter Units, comprised of those who lacked more than a few points off of excellent or thought being a Hunter was a part time job. With his saber raised and turned on, Zero decided it was time to emphasize a point.
"Watch and learn, all. See that target over yonder?" He pointed to a Buster target on the far end of the field. Eagerly, the newbies watched with interest, although some hummed in feigned ignorance.
Zero morphed his other arm into his Buster and fired a shot. The white hot plasma blob soared along through the air, at last striking the target dead center. Cheers arose, but Zero cracked a smile.
"Think that was it, eh? Prime your cannons, boys. Time to see if you have what it takes in real life. Shuffle into the holographic chamber-" Zero licked his lips happily.
"It's time to play ball."
Once they'd made it inside the room and Zero had set the final calibrations with the master computer, the lights went off and pitch blackness absorbed them.
It frightened some of the new Hunters, but a bark from Zero quieted them down. And then the computer spoke.
"Simulation profile verified. Maverick Hunter Uprising, June 4th. Threat; severe. Enemy weapons set to semi-kill." That made Zero smile, a thin grin curling up on his lips. Any shots or blows the Hunters got by the semi-solid holograms would be felt, but not quite at full power. A normal plasma blast askew would cause great pain, getting run over would knock you out-and being charged at by the holographic boss Vile in his walker 'Mech would give you a 3 day pass to lullaby land and a trip to Hazil's Medical Bay.
Then, the air shifted around them, and holographic skies filled the ring. This was where the fun was, Zero thought. Ruined highway roads filled the room, but only one gave the direct path along destruction.
In reality, this event took place many years ago, and the person who had run the gauntlet had been the infuriated, yet bumbling X. Only Zero had saved the fresh Hunter from certain death at Vile's squeezing hand.
"And now, I get to play hero for these hotshots." Zero chuckled. He didn't like speaking, but as a man of action, he enjoyed romps like this.
The Hunters took off along the road, firing as they went. What they didn't know was that they were hardly moving at all. Rather, micro-graviton control wells embedded in the floor allowed for realistic movement in the holographic field. Holographic technology had evolved much in the last hundred years, and this was top of the line.
Of course, there was always some concern these holographic simulations would be too real, that a person or reploid might be in a simulation and might mistake it for real life. It made for excellent training with the Hunters, but always so there would be some tag of sanity, all one would need to do was click their fingers and an interface would appear in front of their eyes with several options, such as 'Get me the heck outta here!'
Their progress was average. But Zero noted that none of them were working in tandem or groups, just by themselves.
"Bad news for them later on." Zero grumbled. If they were to ever make it, they would have to realize that in situations such as the one X faced on that night, it was best to work as a team. Worse, their sabers dangled uselessly at their sides. Zero frowned at that, but even more when he heard a dialogue exchange between two reploid rookies.
"Hey! Watch where you're going, bub." The small catlike reploid yowled, pulling its tail from the torturing foot of the humanoid beside him. The humanoid sneered.
"Watch it for me, feraloid." Zero clicked his teeth together. Those two would be getting screamed at later.
Luckily, a comm call buzzed in his ear, sparing him from further sights of embarassment. Tapping the side of his helmet, he quietly spoke.
"Zero here. If you ain't a friend, hang up now."
"Aw, shoot. I hoped I had gotten your answering machine!" Hazil snickered. Zero rolled his eyes. The doctor was calling again.
"Whaddya want, Mac?" Zero sighed. He referred to Mac from The Jetsons, the robot on wheels with a vertical file for a body. Hazil hated the connection terribly, and Zero was in a foul mood so far. Might as well level the playing field.
"Zero, if you call me that ONE MORE TIME!" Hazil screamed angrily. Zero's eyes glimmered faintly with a flash of a chuckle.
"Fine, fine. What can I do for you, Hazil?" Hazil took a deep breath and calmed down, but it was difficult.
"Tough enough I gotta take crap from every sweaty human who walks in, I don't need the best reploids in the business cracking jokes at my expense. Anyhoo my Crimson Friend, I was calling to say your medical report came back in." Zero's semi-smile vanished.
"And?" Hazil chuckled.
"All in the green, my friend. The original estimate made by me that the last traces of the Maverick Virus in you would vanish has proved to be true. You're mean, on the scene, in the green-and you're clean." Zero sighed in relief.
"Looks like I'll be keeping my job then." Hazil whistled thoughtfully.
"Lucky you, Zero. You owe me big. Hell, you owe ALL of us big for covering your bum. Even that old coot friend of X's-what was his name?" Zero thought for a moment.
"Cossack?"
"Yeah, thatsit. Cossack. You're gonna have to thank him for keeping that blasted cure long enough."
Doctor Cossack, a long time friend of the dead Doctor Light, and now X's close and personal buddy in Russia, had kept the mangled body of Rock as well as Light's final capsule in his Citadel. When X had come seeking answers, the Russian scientist put it out on the table and cleared up the new Blue Bomber's midlife crisis. He'd then turned around and given X a possible cure for the Maverick Virus, which was used by X to heal Zero. And in the end, X had had to fight the Virus within himself, and pull off an internal deletion.
Of course, that was a year ago, during the last day of the Fifth Maverick Uprising. Cain had taken the cooked up story made by X and Hazil, which was supported by Wycost and Bastion in turn. Cain had reneged on removing Zero from the Hunters because of his dark past, and everyone was happy again.
And now Zero was training newbies. Oh, well. It had perks. He got to be angry a lot of the time, which was his favorite mood in the first place.
"I'll remember to give you all boxes of candy on Christmas." Zero chuckled. He could almost picture Hazil cocking a finger and winking.
"You do that. In the meantime, X is back from his session. I think the guy is gonna need a perk up party today." Zero frowned.
"Those high and mighty buggers on the Defense Council still thinking of messing with us?" Hazil sighed.
"I'm afraid so. If anyone survived the cut, it would be your Unit, the 17th and the 21st. The best of the Hunters." Zero drew his hand over his face, blowing his lips angrily.
"If they're gonna hack the arm off, might as well blast off the feet." Hazil grunted.
"A metaphor, from you? Man, you're taking this seriously." Zero's eyes blazed for a moment, his inner emotions escaping the cool exterior.
"Deadly serious, Hazil. Deadly serious." Zero flipped the comm channel off and shook his head.
If things got any worse, any maverick that got lucky would be able to finish them off. And Zero hated terrible odds like that. Last time things were this rough, he ended up blowing himself to bits to save X. "That's one thing I'd rather not repeat." Zero winced.
Clearing his mind, he looked on ahead. The jumble of Hunters had been sheared in half by the roving Crushers and Ball De Vouxs. The ones missing from his active tally were seen soon enough, KO'd and in auto stasis from the blows. Zero shook his head and dashed on ahead.
"This is where we separate the hotshots from the Hunters." Jumping over a huge hole in the road, Zero was pleased to note the holographic Bee Blader below had been hit with precision blows at the rotor and sight turret. Obviously, the survivors had smarts in their skulls.
Moving on ahead, he finally decided to hack into the holo-training room's mikes. And he could hear the trainees talking.
"Watch it, Jad!"
"I see him, Kol. Another Crusher. Gah!"
"You two all right?"
"Sure thing, Gavin. Next time, take out the base. Otherwise, those things like to crash on us."
Only three trainees left: Jad, Kol, and Gavin, who seemed to be at the moment playing backup duty, blowing away the unexpected surprises that popped up. At least they were working like a team, which made Zero happy. First rule of Hunting: If you're not alone, working in a group is critical to success.
"Only bad thing is they're not using the sabers." Zero shook his head. X had taken on this assortment of dangers with less power than they were using-it was still bad practice. When you took out a target, you didn't pussyfoot. You took it down hard, fast, and without any chance for a comeback shot in your posterior.
"They'll figure out that lesson soon enough. I think they're about-"
"Gavin! Ship up ahead! And it's dropping a 'Mech!" Zero chuckled.
"To Vile's place." Zero finished with a wry smile. Now he'd definitely have to catch up-
To save their bacon, if they weren't careful.
"Watch it, he's making another pass!" Gavin shouted angrily. The giant 'Mech, piloted by the holographic image of Vile in the dark night boosted forward, an arm extended for a ramming shot. Kol jumped to the side to avoid the blow, releasing his plasma Supershot into the superstructure. But it did little to faze the highly tempered armor. Jad shook his head before dashing underneath the wide legs of the 'Mech to avoid being run over.
"Guys, the Busters aren't doing diddly squat! I think what Zero said was right. There are times a saber is better. And this might be one of them." Gavin looked over and nodded.
"Right you are, Jad. Pull 'em out and light 'em up, boys! Time to dice us up some fresh 'Mech." The three trainees reached behind their backs and pulled the sabers from their recharging sheathes. Flicking the switches on, they unleashed the coiled energy serpents to life. The blades hummed for a moment, filling the darkness with tinges of orange, green and yellow light.
"Gavin, I'll go in low and take a slice at his left leg. Jad, you swing at his right. Gavin, you keep him distracted with plasma fire!" Kol shouted into the sky. The other two nodded in agreement, and Gavin kept his Buster formed.
Gavin fired, drawing the attention of the 'Mech to himself. Kol and Jad had dashed to the sides long before, avoiding the immediate attention of the 'Mech's operator.
Vile and his craft swooped forward in an attempt to crush the owner of the plasma cannon. At that moment, Jad and Kol made their precision strike, dashing at an angle with their sabers kept in a horizontal position, holding onto the handles with both hands, more so as if they were to drive the blades into the legs as a plow, rather than precision sabers.
But the outcome was fantastic. The 'Mech was legless in moments, the beam sabers slicing through the tough outer shell with ease. The cut was ragged, as the craft had been moving, but it worked. The 'Mech collapsed forward, and Gavin went in with a vicious downthrust for the kill.
The 'Mech's explosion was fantastic, lighting up the false sky with the inner implosion of energy. But before the canopy blew, the occupant leapt out from the burning remains, standing tall with his red eyes glaring angrily.
The shoulder cannon mounted on him whined for a moment, and then pegged a yellow blast of energy at Jad. Jad brought his saber up to block the shot, but upon impact the energy dispersed, raking through the saber itself and leeching into his systems.
"It-it's a paralyze blast!" Jad grunted angrily as he fell to his side. Kol and Gavin gaped for a moment before Kol roared angrily at the unexpected attack. He dashed forth-
To be blasted into stasis by a hail of holographic bullets. Now, only Gavin stood fully functional, and he didn't quite know what to do. Vile's cannon came down, marking a bead on the trainee. Gavin's eyes went wide, and he froze in shock.
Luckily for him, a blaze of light slammed down the very center of Vile, causing the illusion to vanish in an explosion of simulated light. When Gavin opened his eyes again, Zero stood with one hand at his side, and the saber in his other.
The fury in his eyes was intense, but he looked at Gavin, and it vanished in respect.
"You three did well in this test run. Not only did you make it to end of the program, but you also managed to remember what I said. Kol and Jad did a nice job on the legs." Gavin rubbed his helmet.
"Funny-I don't remember Vile leaping out of the 'Mech on June 4th." Zero chuckled.
"He didn't." Gavin's eyes raised, and Zero waved his hand, putting the saber back in its sheathe. "Hey, news flash. The more intense the simulations, the better you are come the real thing." Gavin nodded, admitting to himself that the odd quirks of Zero had some deep nugget of truth to them. Gavin raised a lifelike hand and pointed to his companions.
"Will they be all right?" Zero nodded.
"A few days in stasis'll heal them up. They may be a bit grouchy afterwards, but then who isn't?" Gavin shrugged.
"Hazil? The guy's always grumpy. I think he smiles when he wakes up." Zero smiled a bit, nodding his head.
"He may at that." Zero walked over and pounded Gavin's shoulder. "I just need to take the data from this simulation to Cain, and then we'll get you and your friends something to do for a while. Congrats, rookie. You made the first cut."
"X, I'm not as young as I was in Light's heyday." Cossack grumbled, his white beard and mustache blowing gently. He rested in a plush comforter underneath his Citadel, in a section that was heated. Under Kalinka's strict orders, he had been keeping his activities to a minimal level, resting up his strength. And his age was beginning to show. Not that it hadn't when X had laid eyes on him before, but more so now than ever.
X sat opposite of the Russian robotics genius with his legs propped up. He had kept his armor behind in favor of a simple white T-Shirt and Blue Jean Cutoffs. The idea that a reploid-or X- couldn't get out of their armor was an incredibly stupid assumption. Newer models lacked this function because of humanity's continuing distrust, but X's ability to cloak his true identity was something he held sacred. It felt good to get out of the war weary blue metal now and then.
"I know that Cossack. But you're still alive, far beyond anyone's expectations." X motioned to Light's final capsule, still blinking with its energy in a far corner of the room. "Light must have known you would be alive to now, otherwise he wouldn't have sent the message bomb to you." Cossack gave a wry smile.
"X, that capsule would have stayed here until Doomsday waiting for you. My death would have had no effect on its outcome."
That capsule had contained no upgrade, but all the missing answers to X's questions of the past. It had told of Rock's death, of how his friends also perished-how the Maverick Virus caused a future fighter who would be known as Zero to destroy all in his path, even his creator Wily. And how the threat had been halted, only to be kept in stasis for later. It had been one which X learned to cope with in his own fashion.
The past was the past. Zero was his friend now, and what was done was not Zero's fault. It was that blasted piece of software code that had done the damage. 'Destroy, Infect, Survive.' That had been its 3 functions, and Wily had done well. Too well, for he had doomed himself as well as the future world.
If a different path had been taken-
Well, Sigma would still be leading the Hunters, Cancer would be alive, Cain would have full use of his legs, and X wouldn't be a Hunter. But he wouldn't have Zero as a friend.
"Allow me some measure of gratitude, you old fart." X muttered in thick Russian. Cossack's eyes widened and he laughed loudly at the joke. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Cossack shook his head.
"I forget you can speak the language of my native country, you roguish excuse for a savior." Cossack grumbled in even thicker dialect. "It pleases me to think there is still some grace of education in the world." X switched back to English.
"So, have you considered what to do with this place?" X motioned with a hand to Cossack's massive castle. Cossack shrugged.
"Kalinka will inherit it, as she should. It is high time she finds a husband, instead of looking after her old doddering father. Besides, I still have my robots." X shrugged and looked over to where Dust Man was calmly vacuuming the few mites of dust from the ground.
"Oh, sure. They may be good for menial tasks, but they're not meant to be caretakers." Cossack popped X a wry frown.
"X, Rock and Roll were Light's helpers long before today." X folded his arms.
"Yeah, and they had some emotions and highly advanced thought processes. Yours just have manner subroutines. There's a big difference. Maybe if they were reploids, but not robots. And Rock-" X looked over and sadly shook his head at his deactivated older brother. His spirit had saved X in his most dire hour of need, but the being that was would never return. Cossack nodded sadly.
"I know. What happened to Rock, Roll and Blues was a pure accident of the purest kind. Untraceable, un-recreateable, and unexplainable. He had meant to create robots that could help him around his duties, but in the end he managed to create robots that went beyond his dreams. As a matter of fact, you don't know this. But he contacted me shortly after Rock and the others were destroyed by your red friend, and told me where the design schematics for you had come from. He had examined Rock's designs to the fullest, and had believed he had pinpointed what made his creation go beyond the supposed limits of intelligence. Thanks to that one blip in 200X, he was able to create you-create all reploid life." X shook his head and laughed.
"I guess I'm more like Mega than I thought." Cossack pointed a finger.
"You are at that." Cossack motioned to the clock. "But we can discuss things as that later. Now, you must return back to your other home." X made a mopey face.
"Aww, do I have to?" Cossack laughed again, and switched to Russian.
"Begone, X! I'll be waiting for you whenever you need to return." X sighed.
"All righty. See you later then. Tell Kalinka I said hi." X got up and nodded his head. Shutting his eyes, he activated his warp controls and blasted himself out of the Citadel to the Maverick HHQ.
"Oh, doctors in the army, they say we're mighty bright-we work on patients through the day and nurses through the night!" Hazil sung loudly as he went about the Medical Bay. It was an old diddy from a TV Show known as M*A*S*H, and a favorite of the grumpy reploid. Rolling around on his wheel base, he sprayed a last few squirts of disinfectant around the lab and nodded in approval. Just then, the door to the Medical Bay opened. Hazil turned around with a fake grimace on his face, but he loosened it when he saw it was Bastion, who chuckled and finished off the tune.
"Oh, I don't want no more of army life-GEE MA, I Wanna go HOME!" Hazil laughed loudly and gave a round of applause.
"Excellent job, Bastion. Although a singing lesson is probably not why you're dropping by my humble abode." Bastion shook his head softly, letting his double layered hair bounce.
"Correct as always, you crotchety old frump." After his helmet was sliced open during Airborne Albatross's attack, Bastion had let his synth-hair finish growing to a second layer, a layer in which he had bleached a lighter brown. From dark to light, spiraling outwards. It was bigger and harder to manage, but Bastion liked the impression it put on his foes.
Hazil gave a knowing smile and motioned over to the only occupied table in the Medical Bay. On it was the unmoving form of the mysterious reploid Bastion's task force had come across in the latest mission. Blond hair tangled with strands of orange red lay limp underneath her head and helmet, and her entire frame was covered in pink and red orange armor. The boots looked more powerful than those found on ordinary reploids, like an advanced dash system. Bastion once again found his gaze freezing over on the form. With a frown, he shook his head and tried to push away the dazzling emotions in his head.
"So, you find out what's wrong with her?" Hazil cocked a steely eye on the form.
"Well, she's not infected with the Maverick Virus, or any other systems abnormality. But her energy meter was pretty low when I gauged it, and before I cleaned her up she was a real mess. She's been seeing some action somewhere, Bastion. Not all friendly. And for a while there, I thought-" Hazil stopped and shook his head, prompting Bastion to look over in surprise. "I thought for a while she might have been military. But a search on our mystery gal came up nil." Bastion frowned.
"Military? What gave you that indication?" Hazil pointed to her lower body and chuckled.
"Double Dash Thrusters, airborne capabilities." Bastion's eyes boggled.
"Wha? Double Air-Dash?! I thought only X could pull that trick off, and that's when he's in his X3 Golden Armor!" Bastion ran a hand through his hair. "You're right, that does sound weird. But it doesn't help us to place a tag on where she came from-or why she was even there when we were fighting with the mavericks." Hazil gave a small noise and raised his hands.
"Most likely she went into auto stasis during that battle. A concussion from a stray shot, who knows? In any case, her recuperation period's done. Bastion, it's time to wake the sleeping beauty." Bastion smiled.
"All right. Now we'll get some answers!" Hazil rolled over and hit a button on the console attached to the cushioned cot. A small current ran up, giving a boost of power into the reploid's systems and activating it. It was slow at first, and Hazil thought it wasn't working.
"Hmm. Stand back, Bastion. I'm gonna give this one a little more wakey juice." Hazil turned a dial, and the thrumming of power through the cot became louder. The reploid's eyes flew open, and Hazil cracked a smile, his face right over the reploid's vision.
"Congrats, all. I think weeeAAAAAAHHH!" Hazil's statement of joy went horribly awry as the reploid sprang to life. A look of fear and rage streaked itself across her face as she leapt high into the air, activated her Thrusters, slammed into Hazil, knocked him off balance-
Then proceeded to grab him by his tank tread base, spin him around several times and at last fling him towards the wall. Hazil's speed was incredible, his flailing arms a perfect representation of a cartoon character as his wide eyed scream filled the room. And then it stopped. Bastion winced visibly as Hazil's head drove through the Medical Bay wall, sticking out into the adjoining corridor to the rest of Maverick HHQ.
Bastion's Hunter instincts took over as he pulled out his purple saber and lit the blade afire. But he needn't have worried. Once Hazil had been disposed of, the blazingly powerful 'ploid stopped cold, blinking her eyes before collapsing to the ground in shock. She fell backwards, coming to rest against the opposite wall. Bastion's confused stare increased.
"What the blazes-man, this is nuts!" Bastion grumbled. Should he attack her, leave her alone, or what? Her actions were highly irrational, and yet Hazil had said there was no trace of infection. Finally, Bastion was satisfied the reploid wouldn't be getting up for a while and extinguished his saber, placing it back in its sheath. Most likely, it had been Hazil's not too pleasing mug that had scared her. But a reaction that strong came with years of training. Just where did this reploid come from?
Just then, Wycost ran through the door, his Buster primed for action and a look of scorn on his face. He sighted the scene, and when he saw Bastion was at rest, turned his Buster back into a hand. Sighing, he scratched his helmet.
"All right, boss. Mind telling me why Hazil's head is sticking out the corridor wall?" Bastion looked over and shrugged, his surprise still evident.
"That-reploid over there somehow managed to throw Hazil hard enough to do the trick. Most likely he scared the living daylights outta her." Wycost grinned.
"Shoot, Hazil'd scare anyone first thing in the morning." Bastion nodded slowly.
"He would at that." Just then, the reploid opted to groan and rub her head. Bastion and Wycost focused their stares on the becoming beauty with interest-and a hint of wariness. She shook her head, letting the blonde and orange hair tumble about, blinking several times and finally looking up with a weary stare to the two staring strangers above.
"Blimey-can you two crackers explain why I feel like there's a bloody Diamond Jubilee blasting about in me 'ead?" The accent was undeniably British, and Wycost's puzzled expression at the statement was evident enough for Bastion to crack a smile, albeit a small one. He rubbed his head and pointed a finger at the immobile and stunned form of Hazil.
"Maybe its got something to do with the fact you just flung our Chief Medical Officer through the wall of the Medical Bay." The British reploid blinked in surprise.
"I did that? Bloody 'ell. Now, if you'd be so kind as to help a lady, would you two Yanks like to tell me your names?" Bastion nodded.
"I'm Bastion, Commander of the 21st Maverick Hunter Unit. And this guy to my right is Wycost, also of the 21st and perhaps the deadliest guy with a Buster you'll run across." The British reploid blinked oddly with a disbelieving stare.
"Maverick Hunter? Buster? What are you talkin' about, luv?" Bastion's face shifted into her stunned gaze, and Wycost elbowed him grimly.
"Commander, I've seen this before. She's lost her memory. Speech processes and basic motor controls are there, but all her memories and historical databases have been wiped clean. It's called a 'memory wipe.' It's caused usually by intense emotional trauma." Bastion ruffled his hair and whispered back.
"I thought that was something that only happened to humans!" Wycost gave him a wry frown.
"Reploids often have things they'd rather forget. Sometimes the process takes more than an original memory itself. And a condition like this doesn't show up on medical scans. This is a severe case on our hands. It's like teaching a baby to walk, Bastion." Bastion nodded his head slowly, and turned back to the reploid in question.
"So, may I ask what your name is, miss?" The reploid shook her head for a moment before gazing up for a moment.
"I-I'm not quite sure, but I think it might be Bristol." Bastion held his chin for a moment and stared.
"Bristol, eh? Well, Bristol. Welcome to Maverick Hunter Headquarters in New Tokyo, Japan. I doubt that means anything to you, though. In any case, I'd like to take you to see Cain. He might be able to help you out with any questions you'd have." Bastion reached down and held out his hand for Bristol. Bristol drew back for a minute, but Bastion chuckled. "I won't bite." Bristol looked up and saw the warmth in Bastion's genuine expression, finally reaching out her own hand and letting Bastion curl his fingers around it.
Bastion drew her up to a standing position and pointed to the door.
"This way to Wonderland's rabbit, Alice." Bristol frowned.
"Wha?" Bastion sighed.
"Never mind. Wycost, pull Hazil out of the wall and make sure he's okay." Wycost shrugged and pulled down his dark shades.
"Oh, he'll be all right. He'll just be incredibly angry for a while." Wycost watched Bastion lead a dazed Bristol out the door, never once letting his gaze soften. Now Bristol was all right. But something about her put him at unease.
Wycost didn't trust Bristol much farther than spitting distance. Of course, Wycost usually was a little wary with new people.
Was his gut instinct right this time around?