Ch. 3: Expedition to Sector Z
Loading Bay 1. The largest transport bay of HQ, with all manner of air, ground and water transport. X, with the reploid General Signas next to him, stood nervously as they both watched Alia tapping away at a computer console. She was accessing satellite readouts of the South Pole.
"X, you know that the chances of this signal actually being Zero himself are very slim."
"I agree," Alia turned from the console. "This was a very obscure signal. It could be a mistake…"
"Wasn't it Zero's signal that you picked up?" X asked. Alia nodded. "Then it HAS to be Zero! His energy signature, like mine, is unmistakable. There must be a chance. I can't miss an opportunity to find him!"
Alia looked at Signas, who shrugged. Arguing with X's single-minded devotion to Zero was like trying to convince Sigma to take ballet classes (although Sigma no longer existed).
"I have the readouts."
"Let me see."
They peered at the screen.
"There's a snowstorm. That means we can't teleport you there," Signas said at last, with a hint of relief in his voice. X placed his hands on his hips.
"Any other remarkable readings?"
"Well, if there is something else out there besides snow, it must be heavily shielded if the satellite can't detect it."
"OK! I'll have to arrange a suitable transport…"
"X! You can't go out there! Trying to find anything in those conditions would be impossible!" Signas protested. X shook his head.
"You can't change my mind. I'm leaving you in charge, Signas!"
X ran off. Signas stared blankly after him.
"Isn't that my original job?"
"I guess he means that if he doesn't come back, you'll be in charge."
"Don't be ridiculous. If I knew anything about X, I would know that he always returns."
"I hope you're right."
"Clark? I need your help."
The black clad pilot turned to X. He had been on the way to the lounge, but if X needed help, he would not deny him.
"Sure. What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to get the Natural Disaster Response Unit up and running. I'm going to the South Pole!"
"W- What! Why would you want to go to the South Pole? Did I hear you right?"
"Yes. Alia picked up Zero's energy signature there."
Clark was utterly bewildered. Zero? The South Pole? It didn't make sense!
"But…"
"Just do it, Clark! If not for me, for Zero! Weren't you in his unit for a few months?"
"Well, yes, until I got into Natural Disaster Response detail. OK, I give in. The craft will be ready in forty minutes. It's been a while since I last flew it."
"Excellent. I'll be there!"
The two reploids went their separate ways. Both had arrangements to be made, if this expedition was to be successful.
Forty minutes later…
Alia and Signas watched as X and Clark walked up the stairwell to the craft.
"I give it the green light. We're ready to leave!"
"So am I."
"Good luck, X!" Alia called from below. She was waving.
"I hope that your mission is successful," Signas said, holding up a hand in a gesture of farewell.
"I'll be OK! Just keep things in order around here before I return!" he replied.
"We have just enough fuel to drop you over the coordinates, and make it back to HQ. Let's go!"
The two disappeared into the sleek craft. It was designed to withstand many variations of climate, weather and temperature. The engines charged and roared, as the craft rocketed toward the South Pole, on a mission that seemed to be hopeless.
Half an hour later…
"X, we're approaching the South Pole. The storm is still going strong, so I suggest you strap in tight."
"I'll be there in a moment," the blue Hunter called from the passenger room. He had been on his feet and staring out over the ocean for the entire journey. He made his way past rows of seats and entered the cockpit. Clark was at the controls.
"I hope we find something out there. For Zero's sake."
X remembered the Saber he carried on him. It might come in useful.
X strapped in. He looked through the view screen, and could clearly see the swirling clouds of snow they were about to enter.
"We're almost in the storm. Will be experiencing turbulence right about… Now."
The craft shuddered and shook as the storm suddenly enveloped it. Clark fought with the controls to keep the craft steady. They heard many clanking sounds about the ship as hailstones battered its heavy shielding.
"Oh, no! This can't be!" Clark exclaimed suddenly, jamming various buttons left and right as warning klaxons sounded.
"What?"
"Our fuel lines… they've been cut!"
"What! How? I thought the ship could handle this storm…"
"It can! I checked everything thoroughly before we left. It could only mean sabotage or…"
"Or what?"
"Someone just attacked us."
"Here! How could 'they' even see us in this storm?"
The ship shuddered more and more.
"I have no choice! We're turning back now before we run out of fuel entirely!"
"No way! I came all this way to find Zero, and nothing can stop me!"
"But, we don't have enough fuel to make it to the coordinates and back! We'll crash!"
"Then I'll go at it alone!"
X un-strapped himself and ran toward the rear of the ship. In the cargo, he called Clark on the radio.
"Clark! I'm going to open the cargo doors and use a hoverbike for the rest of the journey!"
"Are you insane!?" Clark yelled into the microphone, "You can't just drop yourself from the ship and take a ride in this weather!"
"Yes I can! I'm breaking contact now!"
"X! Don't be foolish!"
X was not listening, of course. He punched a button, and the cargo door groaned open. He was deluged by sleet, snow and a gale, but managed to unhook one of the bikes and zoom out. He fell two hundred feet to the ground, but he gunned the bike to compensate for the fall, wasting nearly all its fuel. When near enough to the ground, he charged on with the bike through the relentless storm. The bike was also designed for severe weather, so he had relatively little trouble riding it. Not even Mother Nature could prevent this reploid from finding his friend.
Above, Clark swung the ship around and headed for home. He could not land the ship and repair the damage in this storm. He prayed that X would find what he was looking for- and come back alive.
About half an hour later, the fuel in the bike finally ran out. X muttered to himself about how unreliable modern technology was, and hopped off the bike. He threw up an arm to protect his face from the fierce snowstorm, and trudged onward in the general direction of the coordinates.
A few minutes later he stumbled upon a mound in the snow, taller than he was. He checked the homing device. Yes, this was the exact place. He felt around the cold, hard snow and eventually, something gave way.
On the mound, a door appeared. It opened.
"Zero… I'm coming."
He walked inside, and the door closed.