Chapter Six
"Iris!" I threw my arms around her, the expected tears already forming in my
eyes. She accepted it and squeezed me as hard as I did her. "You're back..."
She smiled and spoke into my ear. "Yes, I am, Zero. And so's Roll," she
said, gesturing toward Sable, now pulling off her helmet to reveal Roll's familiar
smiling face.
"The disguises definitely worked for you guys," I said. "Very stylish too, I
might add."
"OUR disguises?" Iris asked. "What is this?" She gestured to my clothing.
I laughed. "Chakra didn't recognize me either," I said. "I had Cain make it
for me while I was on vacation, and...well, I've kinda gotten to like it."
"I like it," Iris said. "It's just that we had no idea we were talking to you,
working with you to keep that train on the tracks."
"And you sure were snippity," I said. "You were really short with me."
"Sorry," she said. "I was another person, so I had to act different. When I
guessed you were a Maverick Hunter, I had to act like someone other than Iris in
case you recognized me and told...well, yourself."
"And I had my saber put away when you swung onto the scene, so you
couldn't have seen my emblem on the hilt..."
"We just did a pretty good job of fooling each other," Roll said with a
chuckle.
"And not that I mind the reunion, guys," I said as I continued hugging Iris,
"but why are you back? I thought you were going to find a cure for the Sigma
virus...?"
"We couldn't stay away that long," Roll said. "We knew there'd be a
shortage of Hunters during this Wraith business...so we thought we'd lend our
talents to you guys again for awhile."
"We never found anyone to work on an antivirus for us," Iris said. "We
found so many dead ends it wasn't even funny."
"I think I know why, too," I said. "I was looking at some files right before
you guys came in, and I think Wraith has a really unique ability that no one else
knows about yet."
"A special ability?"
"I was reading up on a problem Hunter, and found out he had something to
do with the destruction of a strain of an older virus, hardly ever mentioned in the
news, for some odd reason."
"And you thought..."
"It has to be Wraith. It explains the shortage of info on it, and it explains my
Hunter's aversion to any mention of the virus."
"So what's the ability you spoke of, Zero?" Chakra asked.
"Wraith...or whoever this virus was in the news stories...it was somehow able
to take humans as its Maverick host as well as Reploids."
Skyler raised an eyebrow. "That...could explain it. Only human scientists
are permitted to work on computer-virus news archives...if there was even one
human-Maverick among the group of scientists, he could have destroyed enough
information about itself..." He cast a glance at me; "...or Sigma..."
I nodded. "I think he's still alive and well. And he may not be as weak as
we liked to imagine."
Chakra and Roll both let out sighs. Iris narrowed her eyes. "Do you think
Sigma may have created the virus to begin with?"
"I doubt it," I said. "It's too involved of a plan for Sigs to think up. The one
he made up to turn the Repliforce against the Hunters not too long ago had to've
been hard for him. He's poetic and intelligent, yes, but not great at sticking to a
plan."
"So a scientist probably created the virus..."
"Whether by accident or not, it doesn't matter. Sigma got ahold of Wraith
somehow, and he's working for Sigs himself now, I'd wager."
"We have to rely on that," Chakra said. "If we're dealing with Sigma, or
even one of his cohorts, things'll happen like they always do...fast."
Skyler nodded. "I can get a ship out to any power station in this city in less
than five minutes. We can start in the morning. Tonight, you should take out some
newbies and train, Zero, a few you deem promising. We'll take them out on the
mission tomorrow."
Chakra nodded. "I think that'd be appropo," he said with a stroke of his
chin. "No way for the newbies to learn better than to go out themselves."
"Oh, and Roll?" I addressed her.
She gave an acknowledging "Hmm?" in response.
"I don't know if you've been told this just yet, but X has...well, taken a leave
of his own."
She frowned. "That doesn't sound like him."
"He said the war's beginning to get to him. He needs some time to recover
from all the fighting he's been doing lately. You know he's like that. He hates
violence, and stays away from it, if he can help it."
She nodded. "Will he be coming back to help us out with Wraith?"
I shook my head. "I got a message from him a few minutes ago. He said
he's purposely planning not to return until we've worked it out."
She lowered her head. "So you can talk to him?"
"Indirectly, through text messages. But yes, I can."
"I'll write to him, then, and tell him we're back. Maybe that can convince
him to return."
"Perhaps, Roll, but somehow I doubt it. I think X has made up his mind this
time."
She nodded. "I can still try."
"That you can," I said. "I'll give you his Hunter protocol ID number
tomorrow morning. I think a message from you would cheer him up."
"Would you care to slip out of here, Zero?" Iris asked, reaching for my hand.
I smiled, let her take it. "I think that would be wonderful. Do you
guys...mind?"
Chakra coughed. "No sir, go ahead. I think she's been away far too long for
you two not to go make out for awhile."
I slapped his helmet. "You're just jealous!" I said.
"Indeed I am, sir. Go ahead now and have some time alone. You certainly
need it."
And with that remark and a wink to Roll, I slipped out of the room with Iris
to the hall just beyond, clenching her hand a bit tighter as I began a teleport that
would take us to my meadow.
* * *
I almost immediately flopped back into the grass of the meadow the instant
we were free of the orange light that had brought us here. I still held Iris's hand, so
she had little choice but to join me. She laughed absentmindedly as she made
herself comfortable. I turned on my side to look at her and smiled. "I've missed
you."
She turned over and faced me as well. "And I've missed you," she said,
touching her index finger lightly to my nose. "I couldn't stop thinking about you
ever since Roll and I left."
"How far away from here did you travel?" I asked. "Where have you been
looking for answers to Sigma?"
"We traveled hundreds of miles to look for someone who could help
us...thousands, even. No one could do anything about the virus. Not one person
had enough of everything needed...funds, equipment, technology...no one had an
equal enough balance to do anything noteworthy."
"But now you're back," I said. "You put those thousands of miles behind
you, and now you've returned to me." I traced my own index finger down her nose,
over the outer rim of her ear, and down her left cheek to her chin. "I don't know
how I've lasted through all the paperwork without this to fall back on."
She closed her eyes contentedly and shimmied up next to me. "It's been a
lonely vigil, love."
"But not anymore," I said. I leaned in, and, starting at her forehead, placed
small kisses down her nose to her lips, where we both contributed to another
lengthy, more passionate kiss. I wrapped my arms around her and began thinking
to myself.
To think it had been her just the other night that helped me save the people
in that train...she seemed so different then. She said she was just trying to keep me
from recognizing her, but...I don't know...maybe there's just another side to her I
haven't seen just yet, some pretentious, condescending facet of her ego...
Her gentle voice shook me away from that thought. "Zero...has it seriously
only been six months?"
I smiled. "Yeah...I know it seems like so much longer."
"How has everyone been while we were gone?"
"Everyone's been pretty good...Chakra got to finally take a little of that
vacation time off I owed him," I chuckled.
She laughed. "Poor Chakra," she said. "He gets too much vacation for you
guys to keep up with." I stood up, taking her hands and hoisting her up after me.
Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight as she wiped away a stray tear from her
laugh. I was stunned at how much more beautiful she seemed now, now that she'd
been away for six long months... She seemed different, as if she had changed quite
a bit in just half a year...
And a pain beyond description gripped my chest. I fell to my knees, holding
my hand to it out of reflex. Iris followed my descent, looking more than a little
concerned. I propped myself on my free arm and found out I couldn't do much
more than groan. "I--Iris..." I managed to growl, "...Get...get away from here..."
"What?" she asked. "What's the matter, Zero? What's happening?"
"...It's the virus...getting to me...something's going to happen..."
"But what?"
"...Don't know...just go...don't want you hurt..."
I heard my Sigma root say something, but I was only able to hear a fraction
of the statement: ...Not time yet...wait for it...
I tried to figure out exactly what it was he was trying to say...but to no avail.
I crouched further as the virus's pang in my circuits showed no sign of easing up.
"...Get Skyler and Chakra...they'll know how to help..." I instructed her. "Go!"
She nodded, took a few steps back, and slid into a thin beam of white light as
she 'ported out and back to HQ.
I lay in the tall grass, still being assaulted by the nameless torment that tore at
my body. "Ssssssig...ma..." I strained to form the name.
You rang? my Maverick root answered.
"This is your doing...something's wrong..."
Oh, is it? Heh...Oh, it's not me directly causing this, dear Zero. You'll find
out what it is soon, I think.
"You l--lie..." I grunted. "It can't be anyone but you."
Have you forgotten so quickly about Wraith, my friend? You might have
been infected with that virus by someone of your acquaintance... And with that
ambiguous statement, he let out a small chuckle.
"My systems are too strong now...now that I've developed an immunity to
your virus, Sigma."
I think not, my friend. You're still vulnerable to this strain of the Wraith
virus...which means you'll have to be more careful this time.
"Indeed," I said through gnashed teeth. "Now silence yourself!" I said,
throwing a hand over my chest and forcing myself to stand.
Two streaks of light, one blue and one white, sped into the meadow from the
sky a few seconds later. Skyler and Chakra appeared from the shafts of
illumination, rushing to my side and steadying me.
"Are you okay, sir?" Chakra asked, hooking an Infolink cable up to my vitals
port.
I nodded. "I'm okay now...I think Wraith may have got me. Check it quick,
Chakra!"
He nodded. "You've got an infection, sir. Wraith Virus to the T. Let's get
you back to Lomae so he can defrag that dirty thing before it can develop into
anything."
I nodded. "Yeah, let's." Concentrating lightly, I warped out of the meadow
with my two friends back to Hunter Base.
* * *
Sitting me up, Lomae said: "Well, you seem to be okay, other than the Wraith
virus infection. It's a good thing Skyler and Chakra were able to get to you
quickly."
"It felt like my internal circuitry was being eaten. Thanks, Lomae," I said,
hopping off the examination table and hugging her. "You did get all of the virus,
correct?"
She nodded. "Standard antiviral procedures, like the ones we use for Sigma,
work just as well on Wraith. You're cured for now, and your system's
defragmented. Be careful out there, Zero."
"I'll try my best, Lomae," I said, "but don't be surprised to see me in here
again within a week," I said as I winked and dashed out the door.
"Um, Zero?" I heard her call.
Stepping back in the medbay door, I smiled and answered: "Yes?"
"Do you have any idea about what could have caused the sudden pain?"
I shook my head. "I really don't know. I was talking with Iris one minute,
and then the next, I was just struck with it out of nowhere. I don't know what
could have caused it."
She breathed a heavy sigh. "Okay. Just curious."
I arched an eyebrow. "Now, if you had some kind of theory or something,
you could trust your senior officer with it, right?" I asked.
She smiled. "It seems as if most of our plans are based on theories."
"Doesn't it, though?" I asked, grinning. "You work with what you have.
Anyway..."
"I don't have anything, sir..."
"Ah...wait a second, your voice trailed off! That means you think you know
something!"
"Sigma did say something to you about your being infected with the Wraith
virus by someone you knew, right?"
I nodded.
"Maybe, if Wraith is working with Sigma, just maybe, Sigma constructed
some sort of flaw in the code of Wraith to react violently with the Sigma virus, so
when the host was infected by both..."
"There'd be a conflict of code, and whatever's system was infected would
start to break down, like mine did," I finished. "You may be right. There's no
doubt in my mind that Sigma's behind Wraith, and he's been dying to get rid of me
for years. Even if this setup wasn't just for me, I have to wonder."
She nodded. "Ditto. Listen, I'm...gonna check in with Alia. She's down at
the newby classes, training in comp language. Would you mind locking up when
you leave the room? There's some fragile stuff in here, and I wouldn't want any of
the newbies coming along in all their intelligence and smashing something really
expensive."
"Go ahead," I said. "I'll lock up."
"Thanks, Zero," she said, dashing out the door and along the hallway. "See
you later!"
"I hope not!" I called to her. She just laughed, then disappeared around the
corner.
Strolling out of the room, I spoke into the lock panel: "Computer lock down
Medbay 12. Authority code #77629."
It buzzed for a second, then chimed: "Room locked and powered down.
Have a nice day, Zero."
And then I half-ran, half-walked away to find Iris and Roll.
"Iris!" I threw my arms around her, the expected tears already forming in my
eyes. She accepted it and squeezed me as hard as I did her. "You're back..."
She smiled and spoke into my ear. "Yes, I am, Zero. And so's Roll," she
said, gesturing toward Sable, now pulling off her helmet to reveal Roll's familiar
smiling face.
"The disguises definitely worked for you guys," I said. "Very stylish too, I
might add."
"OUR disguises?" Iris asked. "What is this?" She gestured to my clothing.
I laughed. "Chakra didn't recognize me either," I said. "I had Cain make it
for me while I was on vacation, and...well, I've kinda gotten to like it."
"I like it," Iris said. "It's just that we had no idea we were talking to you,
working with you to keep that train on the tracks."
"And you sure were snippity," I said. "You were really short with me."
"Sorry," she said. "I was another person, so I had to act different. When I
guessed you were a Maverick Hunter, I had to act like someone other than Iris in
case you recognized me and told...well, yourself."
"And I had my saber put away when you swung onto the scene, so you
couldn't have seen my emblem on the hilt..."
"We just did a pretty good job of fooling each other," Roll said with a
chuckle.
"And not that I mind the reunion, guys," I said as I continued hugging Iris,
"but why are you back? I thought you were going to find a cure for the Sigma
virus...?"
"We couldn't stay away that long," Roll said. "We knew there'd be a
shortage of Hunters during this Wraith business...so we thought we'd lend our
talents to you guys again for awhile."
"We never found anyone to work on an antivirus for us," Iris said. "We
found so many dead ends it wasn't even funny."
"I think I know why, too," I said. "I was looking at some files right before
you guys came in, and I think Wraith has a really unique ability that no one else
knows about yet."
"A special ability?"
"I was reading up on a problem Hunter, and found out he had something to
do with the destruction of a strain of an older virus, hardly ever mentioned in the
news, for some odd reason."
"And you thought..."
"It has to be Wraith. It explains the shortage of info on it, and it explains my
Hunter's aversion to any mention of the virus."
"So what's the ability you spoke of, Zero?" Chakra asked.
"Wraith...or whoever this virus was in the news stories...it was somehow able
to take humans as its Maverick host as well as Reploids."
Skyler raised an eyebrow. "That...could explain it. Only human scientists
are permitted to work on computer-virus news archives...if there was even one
human-Maverick among the group of scientists, he could have destroyed enough
information about itself..." He cast a glance at me; "...or Sigma..."
I nodded. "I think he's still alive and well. And he may not be as weak as
we liked to imagine."
Chakra and Roll both let out sighs. Iris narrowed her eyes. "Do you think
Sigma may have created the virus to begin with?"
"I doubt it," I said. "It's too involved of a plan for Sigs to think up. The one
he made up to turn the Repliforce against the Hunters not too long ago had to've
been hard for him. He's poetic and intelligent, yes, but not great at sticking to a
plan."
"So a scientist probably created the virus..."
"Whether by accident or not, it doesn't matter. Sigma got ahold of Wraith
somehow, and he's working for Sigs himself now, I'd wager."
"We have to rely on that," Chakra said. "If we're dealing with Sigma, or
even one of his cohorts, things'll happen like they always do...fast."
Skyler nodded. "I can get a ship out to any power station in this city in less
than five minutes. We can start in the morning. Tonight, you should take out some
newbies and train, Zero, a few you deem promising. We'll take them out on the
mission tomorrow."
Chakra nodded. "I think that'd be appropo," he said with a stroke of his
chin. "No way for the newbies to learn better than to go out themselves."
"Oh, and Roll?" I addressed her.
She gave an acknowledging "Hmm?" in response.
"I don't know if you've been told this just yet, but X has...well, taken a leave
of his own."
She frowned. "That doesn't sound like him."
"He said the war's beginning to get to him. He needs some time to recover
from all the fighting he's been doing lately. You know he's like that. He hates
violence, and stays away from it, if he can help it."
She nodded. "Will he be coming back to help us out with Wraith?"
I shook my head. "I got a message from him a few minutes ago. He said
he's purposely planning not to return until we've worked it out."
She lowered her head. "So you can talk to him?"
"Indirectly, through text messages. But yes, I can."
"I'll write to him, then, and tell him we're back. Maybe that can convince
him to return."
"Perhaps, Roll, but somehow I doubt it. I think X has made up his mind this
time."
She nodded. "I can still try."
"That you can," I said. "I'll give you his Hunter protocol ID number
tomorrow morning. I think a message from you would cheer him up."
"Would you care to slip out of here, Zero?" Iris asked, reaching for my hand.
I smiled, let her take it. "I think that would be wonderful. Do you
guys...mind?"
Chakra coughed. "No sir, go ahead. I think she's been away far too long for
you two not to go make out for awhile."
I slapped his helmet. "You're just jealous!" I said.
"Indeed I am, sir. Go ahead now and have some time alone. You certainly
need it."
And with that remark and a wink to Roll, I slipped out of the room with Iris
to the hall just beyond, clenching her hand a bit tighter as I began a teleport that
would take us to my meadow.
* * *
I almost immediately flopped back into the grass of the meadow the instant
we were free of the orange light that had brought us here. I still held Iris's hand, so
she had little choice but to join me. She laughed absentmindedly as she made
herself comfortable. I turned on my side to look at her and smiled. "I've missed
you."
She turned over and faced me as well. "And I've missed you," she said,
touching her index finger lightly to my nose. "I couldn't stop thinking about you
ever since Roll and I left."
"How far away from here did you travel?" I asked. "Where have you been
looking for answers to Sigma?"
"We traveled hundreds of miles to look for someone who could help
us...thousands, even. No one could do anything about the virus. Not one person
had enough of everything needed...funds, equipment, technology...no one had an
equal enough balance to do anything noteworthy."
"But now you're back," I said. "You put those thousands of miles behind
you, and now you've returned to me." I traced my own index finger down her nose,
over the outer rim of her ear, and down her left cheek to her chin. "I don't know
how I've lasted through all the paperwork without this to fall back on."
She closed her eyes contentedly and shimmied up next to me. "It's been a
lonely vigil, love."
"But not anymore," I said. I leaned in, and, starting at her forehead, placed
small kisses down her nose to her lips, where we both contributed to another
lengthy, more passionate kiss. I wrapped my arms around her and began thinking
to myself.
To think it had been her just the other night that helped me save the people
in that train...she seemed so different then. She said she was just trying to keep me
from recognizing her, but...I don't know...maybe there's just another side to her I
haven't seen just yet, some pretentious, condescending facet of her ego...
Her gentle voice shook me away from that thought. "Zero...has it seriously
only been six months?"
I smiled. "Yeah...I know it seems like so much longer."
"How has everyone been while we were gone?"
"Everyone's been pretty good...Chakra got to finally take a little of that
vacation time off I owed him," I chuckled.
She laughed. "Poor Chakra," she said. "He gets too much vacation for you
guys to keep up with." I stood up, taking her hands and hoisting her up after me.
Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight as she wiped away a stray tear from her
laugh. I was stunned at how much more beautiful she seemed now, now that she'd
been away for six long months... She seemed different, as if she had changed quite
a bit in just half a year...
And a pain beyond description gripped my chest. I fell to my knees, holding
my hand to it out of reflex. Iris followed my descent, looking more than a little
concerned. I propped myself on my free arm and found out I couldn't do much
more than groan. "I--Iris..." I managed to growl, "...Get...get away from here..."
"What?" she asked. "What's the matter, Zero? What's happening?"
"...It's the virus...getting to me...something's going to happen..."
"But what?"
"...Don't know...just go...don't want you hurt..."
I heard my Sigma root say something, but I was only able to hear a fraction
of the statement: ...Not time yet...wait for it...
I tried to figure out exactly what it was he was trying to say...but to no avail.
I crouched further as the virus's pang in my circuits showed no sign of easing up.
"...Get Skyler and Chakra...they'll know how to help..." I instructed her. "Go!"
She nodded, took a few steps back, and slid into a thin beam of white light as
she 'ported out and back to HQ.
I lay in the tall grass, still being assaulted by the nameless torment that tore at
my body. "Ssssssig...ma..." I strained to form the name.
You rang? my Maverick root answered.
"This is your doing...something's wrong..."
Oh, is it? Heh...Oh, it's not me directly causing this, dear Zero. You'll find
out what it is soon, I think.
"You l--lie..." I grunted. "It can't be anyone but you."
Have you forgotten so quickly about Wraith, my friend? You might have
been infected with that virus by someone of your acquaintance... And with that
ambiguous statement, he let out a small chuckle.
"My systems are too strong now...now that I've developed an immunity to
your virus, Sigma."
I think not, my friend. You're still vulnerable to this strain of the Wraith
virus...which means you'll have to be more careful this time.
"Indeed," I said through gnashed teeth. "Now silence yourself!" I said,
throwing a hand over my chest and forcing myself to stand.
Two streaks of light, one blue and one white, sped into the meadow from the
sky a few seconds later. Skyler and Chakra appeared from the shafts of
illumination, rushing to my side and steadying me.
"Are you okay, sir?" Chakra asked, hooking an Infolink cable up to my vitals
port.
I nodded. "I'm okay now...I think Wraith may have got me. Check it quick,
Chakra!"
He nodded. "You've got an infection, sir. Wraith Virus to the T. Let's get
you back to Lomae so he can defrag that dirty thing before it can develop into
anything."
I nodded. "Yeah, let's." Concentrating lightly, I warped out of the meadow
with my two friends back to Hunter Base.
* * *
Sitting me up, Lomae said: "Well, you seem to be okay, other than the Wraith
virus infection. It's a good thing Skyler and Chakra were able to get to you
quickly."
"It felt like my internal circuitry was being eaten. Thanks, Lomae," I said,
hopping off the examination table and hugging her. "You did get all of the virus,
correct?"
She nodded. "Standard antiviral procedures, like the ones we use for Sigma,
work just as well on Wraith. You're cured for now, and your system's
defragmented. Be careful out there, Zero."
"I'll try my best, Lomae," I said, "but don't be surprised to see me in here
again within a week," I said as I winked and dashed out the door.
"Um, Zero?" I heard her call.
Stepping back in the medbay door, I smiled and answered: "Yes?"
"Do you have any idea about what could have caused the sudden pain?"
I shook my head. "I really don't know. I was talking with Iris one minute,
and then the next, I was just struck with it out of nowhere. I don't know what
could have caused it."
She breathed a heavy sigh. "Okay. Just curious."
I arched an eyebrow. "Now, if you had some kind of theory or something,
you could trust your senior officer with it, right?" I asked.
She smiled. "It seems as if most of our plans are based on theories."
"Doesn't it, though?" I asked, grinning. "You work with what you have.
Anyway..."
"I don't have anything, sir..."
"Ah...wait a second, your voice trailed off! That means you think you know
something!"
"Sigma did say something to you about your being infected with the Wraith
virus by someone you knew, right?"
I nodded.
"Maybe, if Wraith is working with Sigma, just maybe, Sigma constructed
some sort of flaw in the code of Wraith to react violently with the Sigma virus, so
when the host was infected by both..."
"There'd be a conflict of code, and whatever's system was infected would
start to break down, like mine did," I finished. "You may be right. There's no
doubt in my mind that Sigma's behind Wraith, and he's been dying to get rid of me
for years. Even if this setup wasn't just for me, I have to wonder."
She nodded. "Ditto. Listen, I'm...gonna check in with Alia. She's down at
the newby classes, training in comp language. Would you mind locking up when
you leave the room? There's some fragile stuff in here, and I wouldn't want any of
the newbies coming along in all their intelligence and smashing something really
expensive."
"Go ahead," I said. "I'll lock up."
"Thanks, Zero," she said, dashing out the door and along the hallway. "See
you later!"
"I hope not!" I called to her. She just laughed, then disappeared around the
corner.
Strolling out of the room, I spoke into the lock panel: "Computer lock down
Medbay 12. Authority code #77629."
It buzzed for a second, then chimed: "Room locked and powered down.
Have a nice day, Zero."
And then I half-ran, half-walked away to find Iris and Roll.
