~Author's Notes:
First off here, people, I'd like to say that this is a final warning. This fanfiction series will involve a great deal of issues that may be considered taboo in today's society, and some that I know for certain are. Such issues as mental illnesses, genocide, rape, sex, corruption in government, organized criminal activity, violence, homosexuality, et cetera.
Second, I know I don't follow Capcom's continuity, and you've no need to tell me that. I also know for a fact that Capcom didn't intend X and Zero to be lovers, and I know they aren't *portrayed* as such in the games. But hey, I'm a writer. And fanfiction is just that. Fiction written by a fan.
Third, this story involves something called a 'human-side' upgrade, which Jenna develops around the third or fourth chapter. It uses a fiber-optic nervous system and various other items and materials that make a Reploid's body seem very, very, human. Sometimes unnervingly so. This means they are anatomically correct, and are sensitive to stimuli normally only capable of being felt by human beings.
Fourth, I deal with Reploids as if they were created to be like humans, which -- in theory -- they were. In other words, cognizant thought without preprogrammed reason, the ability to choose and make one's own decisions, the ability to understand, comprehend, and act upon emotion, the ability to understand reason and logic, and the ability to discern fact from fiction. This also includes the ability to lie, cheat, scheme, and do other bad things Reploids shouldn't be doing in accordance with the First Law.
Fifth, this fic takes place 73 years after the end of X4, vaguely disregarding timeline, 37 years prior to X5, and Iris is very.very.dead. Like she was in the end of X4. Da.
Any and all flames will go to Sigma, since he's having his first annual Maverick Company Picnic soon, and his grill ran out of charcoal.
Now, with all that settled... Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, and enter the realm of "Something Wicked This Way Comes"...~
.oOo~Rebirth~oOo.
Zero growled... a low, feral sound. The Hunter Base, so cold and dark. How long had it been since he'd come here? A slender-fingered hand ran over the smooth wall, cringing back when it nearly struck a cobweb. A slightly upturned nose set within a pixie-ish face wrinkled. The place had fallen into a sad state of disrepair since they'd all left... gone their seperate ways. Behind him stood X, gentle blue eyes taking in his surroundings. Zero frowned deeply, his eyes flickering in the darkness, a light blinking in the corner of the left. Carefully accessing his database, he sighed as he checked his internal map for the location of what he and his old partner were searching for.
The central control chamber. That was it. He looked around. "We go left here."
X's soft, angular face scrunched up. "I don't get why we had to come here. It's so dark and gloomy."
A snort as Zero tossed back a few strands of long blond hair, the only ones loose from the braid he'd quickly fitted the mass into. X smiled somewhat affectionately. Even in the dim light, Zero managed to look bold and heroic. An odd trait of his.
They trudged foreward with purpose, both of them set on the task at hand, until a light caught them both by surprise. The command room was lit up brightly, as if someone were already inside. Shadows cast on walls looked as threatening as they came, and instantly, the two drew the stunners they had at their hips. However, as they burst around the corner, they were surprised at what they found.
There was a girl, no older than 17, sitting and typing codes into the computer. Her fingers flew over the keyboard without missing a stroke, eyes never straying down, focused on the screen. She had obviously dyed burgundy hair and brown eyes, fair skin and a slim figure, a dragon tattoo winding its way up her right arm. She did not look up. "You felt it, too. The Mavericks are rising again. Welcome back to Maverick Hunter HQ, Unit Zero... Unit X."
The two were speechless, watching the girl in total shock. Zero's face suddenly shifted to an aggravated sneer. "What the fuck...?! Who the hell do you think you are, barging in here?! This territory is off-limits...!"
"I am Dr. Jenna Ann Light, and I am here under command of the International Board of Robotic Sciences. X, Zero, I'd like you to meet your new general, Signas." Both bots turned to a figure in the shadows, a tall Reploid with heavy armor. He looked sort of like a younger, smaller version of the General. "You know as well as I do that this war is starting once more. I've come here to call all of the Hunters that went their seperate ways back to HQ."
X gave the girl a sideways glance, blue eyes narrowing behind whisps of wild, dark brown bangs. "Light? As in the famous Dr. Thomas Xavier Light?"
"The very one that designed you, dearling." She smiled softly. "Actually, I'm his niece. Several generations removed, of course. Ah, here we are... all Hunters contacted. Those that haven't gone Maverick, of course... Boys, welcome back to the war."
*****
That had been several months ago. Now, X and Zero were helping in the rebuilding process. Unlike other humans that had assisted in leadership or had lead entirely beforehand, Jenna was out working as well, a pair of robotic gloves over her hands to help with the tougher jobs. Zero sighed as he finished one part of a wall that had taken particularly nasty damage. "Damn... I didn't know this place was so torn up."
"You should've figured, Zero." X was grinning from ear to ear as he walked over to his friend. "It's been how long? 73 years? God, it feels like just a couple of years..."
"To us..." A young female Reploid X had known for a long time, Clef, hefted a long metal bar up in slender hands. "Dr. Cain is dead now, and this new kid has taken his place. She's smart, though, I'll give her that."
Zero laughed. "You don't trust her at all. Do you, Clef?"
The look Clef shot Zero made even the senior Hunter jump back a little. "No, I don't. She could be the neice of Dr. Light or Dr. Lightheadeddimwit, and it wouldn't be a difference to me."
A snicker escaped X and he quickly covered his mouth with a hand to hold back the rest as Zero scowled at Clef, green eyes flashing his indignance. "You don't trust anyone."
X snickered again, trying his best to speak in a somewhat normal tone as he smiled at his companion. "Don't be so hard on her, Zero. You can't blame her. As nice as Dr. Light is, she's new and none of us know her well. But I'm sure we'll all get used to her with time."
The three Reploids turned their head to the girl again, who was finishing up on her end. "I d'no..." Clef finally grinned. "Maybe she'll actually do some good around here."
*****
Life at Hunter Base returned to normal almost instantly after the rebuilding was done. Alarms every couple of hours, Hunters rushing in and out, repairs being made, upgrades performed. X sighed as he watched a small group of rookies rush past, one of them helping an injured older Hunter walk. To think he'd almost missed this.
Up ahead, he spotted Zero. The tall, handsome blond was flirting with one of the rookie twins, Allegro. Again. X frowned deeply, ignoring that strange sensation of tightening in his chest and abdomen, that little nagging twinge of... what was it? Oh yes. Fear. Or was it jealousy? He couldn't remember which.
Muttering to himself, he turned to walk off, when Zero's smooth tenor cut into his escape. He stole a glance over his shoulder to find that Zero was jogging up to him, a grin on his face that could've blinded someone. "Allegro just gave me some very interesting news. You and I have some brand new upgrades waitin' for us."
"Oh, fun," groaned X. "Three days of laying in stasis on a table."
Zero only grinned again, nudging X with his shoulder. "Nope. Only a CPU transferral. Wait until you hear about it!"
"If you'd just *tell* me, Zero...!"
The other reploid laughed, catching his friend in a headlock and playfully poking the side of his helmet. "You're gonna love it, boy blue! Just wait and see!"
~Tsuzukeru...~
I know this was short and uninformative, but it'll get better, believe me. This pretty much just set up our scenario. The next chapter, "Douglas", looks to be much more interesting, with character tidbits revealed and violence as well. ^_^;
First off here, people, I'd like to say that this is a final warning. This fanfiction series will involve a great deal of issues that may be considered taboo in today's society, and some that I know for certain are. Such issues as mental illnesses, genocide, rape, sex, corruption in government, organized criminal activity, violence, homosexuality, et cetera.
Second, I know I don't follow Capcom's continuity, and you've no need to tell me that. I also know for a fact that Capcom didn't intend X and Zero to be lovers, and I know they aren't *portrayed* as such in the games. But hey, I'm a writer. And fanfiction is just that. Fiction written by a fan.
Third, this story involves something called a 'human-side' upgrade, which Jenna develops around the third or fourth chapter. It uses a fiber-optic nervous system and various other items and materials that make a Reploid's body seem very, very, human. Sometimes unnervingly so. This means they are anatomically correct, and are sensitive to stimuli normally only capable of being felt by human beings.
Fourth, I deal with Reploids as if they were created to be like humans, which -- in theory -- they were. In other words, cognizant thought without preprogrammed reason, the ability to choose and make one's own decisions, the ability to understand, comprehend, and act upon emotion, the ability to understand reason and logic, and the ability to discern fact from fiction. This also includes the ability to lie, cheat, scheme, and do other bad things Reploids shouldn't be doing in accordance with the First Law.
Fifth, this fic takes place 73 years after the end of X4, vaguely disregarding timeline, 37 years prior to X5, and Iris is very.very.dead. Like she was in the end of X4. Da.
Any and all flames will go to Sigma, since he's having his first annual Maverick Company Picnic soon, and his grill ran out of charcoal.
Now, with all that settled... Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, and enter the realm of "Something Wicked This Way Comes"...~
.oOo~Rebirth~oOo.
Zero growled... a low, feral sound. The Hunter Base, so cold and dark. How long had it been since he'd come here? A slender-fingered hand ran over the smooth wall, cringing back when it nearly struck a cobweb. A slightly upturned nose set within a pixie-ish face wrinkled. The place had fallen into a sad state of disrepair since they'd all left... gone their seperate ways. Behind him stood X, gentle blue eyes taking in his surroundings. Zero frowned deeply, his eyes flickering in the darkness, a light blinking in the corner of the left. Carefully accessing his database, he sighed as he checked his internal map for the location of what he and his old partner were searching for.
The central control chamber. That was it. He looked around. "We go left here."
X's soft, angular face scrunched up. "I don't get why we had to come here. It's so dark and gloomy."
A snort as Zero tossed back a few strands of long blond hair, the only ones loose from the braid he'd quickly fitted the mass into. X smiled somewhat affectionately. Even in the dim light, Zero managed to look bold and heroic. An odd trait of his.
They trudged foreward with purpose, both of them set on the task at hand, until a light caught them both by surprise. The command room was lit up brightly, as if someone were already inside. Shadows cast on walls looked as threatening as they came, and instantly, the two drew the stunners they had at their hips. However, as they burst around the corner, they were surprised at what they found.
There was a girl, no older than 17, sitting and typing codes into the computer. Her fingers flew over the keyboard without missing a stroke, eyes never straying down, focused on the screen. She had obviously dyed burgundy hair and brown eyes, fair skin and a slim figure, a dragon tattoo winding its way up her right arm. She did not look up. "You felt it, too. The Mavericks are rising again. Welcome back to Maverick Hunter HQ, Unit Zero... Unit X."
The two were speechless, watching the girl in total shock. Zero's face suddenly shifted to an aggravated sneer. "What the fuck...?! Who the hell do you think you are, barging in here?! This territory is off-limits...!"
"I am Dr. Jenna Ann Light, and I am here under command of the International Board of Robotic Sciences. X, Zero, I'd like you to meet your new general, Signas." Both bots turned to a figure in the shadows, a tall Reploid with heavy armor. He looked sort of like a younger, smaller version of the General. "You know as well as I do that this war is starting once more. I've come here to call all of the Hunters that went their seperate ways back to HQ."
X gave the girl a sideways glance, blue eyes narrowing behind whisps of wild, dark brown bangs. "Light? As in the famous Dr. Thomas Xavier Light?"
"The very one that designed you, dearling." She smiled softly. "Actually, I'm his niece. Several generations removed, of course. Ah, here we are... all Hunters contacted. Those that haven't gone Maverick, of course... Boys, welcome back to the war."
*****
That had been several months ago. Now, X and Zero were helping in the rebuilding process. Unlike other humans that had assisted in leadership or had lead entirely beforehand, Jenna was out working as well, a pair of robotic gloves over her hands to help with the tougher jobs. Zero sighed as he finished one part of a wall that had taken particularly nasty damage. "Damn... I didn't know this place was so torn up."
"You should've figured, Zero." X was grinning from ear to ear as he walked over to his friend. "It's been how long? 73 years? God, it feels like just a couple of years..."
"To us..." A young female Reploid X had known for a long time, Clef, hefted a long metal bar up in slender hands. "Dr. Cain is dead now, and this new kid has taken his place. She's smart, though, I'll give her that."
Zero laughed. "You don't trust her at all. Do you, Clef?"
The look Clef shot Zero made even the senior Hunter jump back a little. "No, I don't. She could be the neice of Dr. Light or Dr. Lightheadeddimwit, and it wouldn't be a difference to me."
A snicker escaped X and he quickly covered his mouth with a hand to hold back the rest as Zero scowled at Clef, green eyes flashing his indignance. "You don't trust anyone."
X snickered again, trying his best to speak in a somewhat normal tone as he smiled at his companion. "Don't be so hard on her, Zero. You can't blame her. As nice as Dr. Light is, she's new and none of us know her well. But I'm sure we'll all get used to her with time."
The three Reploids turned their head to the girl again, who was finishing up on her end. "I d'no..." Clef finally grinned. "Maybe she'll actually do some good around here."
*****
Life at Hunter Base returned to normal almost instantly after the rebuilding was done. Alarms every couple of hours, Hunters rushing in and out, repairs being made, upgrades performed. X sighed as he watched a small group of rookies rush past, one of them helping an injured older Hunter walk. To think he'd almost missed this.
Up ahead, he spotted Zero. The tall, handsome blond was flirting with one of the rookie twins, Allegro. Again. X frowned deeply, ignoring that strange sensation of tightening in his chest and abdomen, that little nagging twinge of... what was it? Oh yes. Fear. Or was it jealousy? He couldn't remember which.
Muttering to himself, he turned to walk off, when Zero's smooth tenor cut into his escape. He stole a glance over his shoulder to find that Zero was jogging up to him, a grin on his face that could've blinded someone. "Allegro just gave me some very interesting news. You and I have some brand new upgrades waitin' for us."
"Oh, fun," groaned X. "Three days of laying in stasis on a table."
Zero only grinned again, nudging X with his shoulder. "Nope. Only a CPU transferral. Wait until you hear about it!"
"If you'd just *tell* me, Zero...!"
The other reploid laughed, catching his friend in a headlock and playfully poking the side of his helmet. "You're gonna love it, boy blue! Just wait and see!"
~Tsuzukeru...~
I know this was short and uninformative, but it'll get better, believe me. This pretty much just set up our scenario. The next chapter, "Douglas", looks to be much more interesting, with character tidbits revealed and violence as well. ^_^;