Chapter XXII – Battle Plans
"Sigma, you say?" asked Cain. "Already?"
"Yes," X said, breathing heavily. "I saw a floating fortress come towards us."
"Hmm, yes, I suppose that would be Sigma, then," Cain said, still unnaturally calm.
"Why aren't you more concerned over this!" yelled X.
"If you were thinking that I was going to run around like a chicken with its head cut off," Cain said sternly, "then you are mistaken. I have much more pressing matters to attend to, including rebuilding Bass, before I'll worry about an attack that won't actually start for at least twelve hours. If you saw it on the horizon, and it really is a fortress, then it would be traveling very slowly."
"Um . . ."
"Now bring me Bass' upper torso," Cain ordered, setting the legs upright. X brought the top half and held it over the legs. Cain knelt down and started connecting wires and servos between the two pieces. "Put him down now, X," Cain said as he pull his hands out from Bass systems. X gently placed Bass' body on his legs, and Cain picked up a small fusion welder and set to work securing it. After a few minutes, and a complete rotation around the black robot, Cain stood up. He grunted in pain as he stood, and put his hand on his side, using the cane to get all the way up.
"X, get me his helmet," Cain directed as he peeled off the artificial skin and hair on Bass' scalp. Running out of the hall, X realized that he still had the jetpack on. He stopped at Gate's lab to tell him about the test, then went back to his room. X glanced at the newspaper clippings that he had pinned up on the walls, grabbed Bass' helm, and ran back to Cain.
When he got there, Bass was leaning against one of the walls, tapping his foot impatiently. X tossed him the finned helmet, and Bass quickly put it on. "Where's Treble?" he asked.
"On the roof," replied X. "In fact, if my knowledge of the building plans is correct, then he's right above us. Try whistling out the window."
Bass gave X a quizzical look, and walked over to the window. He whistled, and a loud barking could be heard. It got quieter, then louder in the hallways. X opened the door in time for the three to see Treble skittering past, then doubling back and running in to pounce on Bass. Treble barked happily.
"Okay, okay, calm down, Treble," Bass said. He pushed the wolf off of him and stood up. Treble stopped barking and immediately went back to being a quiet, calm, seemingly brooding wolf.
"Bass, can you give us your report?" asked Cain.
"What? Report? Oh, yeah, at Sigma's place. He's building a floating tower, and he'll attack within the month."
"We already knew that, Bass," said an irritated X. "He's headed right for us at this very moment."
"What!?! Oh, no, he must be attacking now so that my info is useless."
"It would appear so," said Cain.
"Well," said Bass, "There's only one thing we can do. We have to attack Sigma right now, before he can reach us."
"That would be a suicide mission!" X said.
"Oh, come on, how many times have you done that so far? It's obviously not a suicide mission, if you are still here."
"Bass is correct," Cain interjected. "We must strike now, while we have the chance. I don't want to risk the lives of the Hunters, so I will assemble a group of the best we have to go in with you."
X said quietly to Bass, "Watch how me and Zero will be the only elite Hunters to go."
"Nah, I'll get to go as well. Plus there's my contact in the base," said the black armored robot.
"Contact? Oh yeah, the guy that brought you here."
"What is this of a contact?" asked Cain. He had overheard the last comment.
"Oh, I found a robot, who was built be Doctor Light, on my way to the mining base. Dragon managed to keep his cover when I was caught, and hopefully he's still in a position of power."
"Another Light-Bot!" exclaimed X. "I thought that I was the only one to survive!"
"Nah, there's a bunch of different robots in a hidden lab I came across. There's just not enough power to activate all of them."
"Wow. I guess I'm not an only child, then."
"Okay, enough joking, X," Bass said, walking out of the room with Treble at his heels. "We need to get Zero."
The red Hunter was in the garage, overseeing modifications to a hover-bike. Wings were being attached to the sides of the bike, and he base of each wing curved so that a person's legs would fit comfortably. Zero turned when he heard X call him.
"Oh, hello X, Bass," said Zero, turning back to the bike.
"Er, what are you doing?" asked Bass, who was staring at the hover- bike.
"You mean with that thing? Gate said that he wouldn't be able to create a flying upgrade for me, because my design is so radically different from either of yours. So, he gave the guys here," Zero pointed over his shoulder at the maintenance crew, "plans to make a flying hover-bike. Ironically, the thing won't be able to hover during flight, so I would have to fly in a circle or something to stay in one spot."
"He must have known about the fortress coming," said X. "But how?"
"Everyone knows. After seeing you rush through the halls like that, quite a few of the Hunters listened in on your conversation with Cain. As soon as Sigma was mentioned, they told every person they could find. Say, where's that rocket pack of yours, anyway?"
"Oh, I left it with Gate. I'll need to get it back."
Bass cut in to their conversation. "Okay, X, Okay, X, you get your jetpack, I'll double check with Cain who's going on this mission, and Zero, you try to get these guys to finish that bike. We meet up here in an hour."
"Why an hour?" asked X. "It won't take that long to get the pack, or for you to talk to Cain."
"X, that bike is not going to be finished in ten minutes," said Zero. "Now go get your pack."
X was back in the ARR wing. Gate was nowhere to be seen, though his lab coat was draped over one of the chairs. The robot wolf was still deactivated, only now it was hooked up to a computer, and was having personality subroutines uploaded. X called out to Gate, but got no answer. Looking around, X saw his jetpack on a table near a machine for modifying Reploids. X had used it to switch armors after his battles with Sigma, as the cumbersome advanced armors were a hassle to wear every day. X picked up the jetpack, and when he got up he saw Gate in the machine.
'I wonder what he's doing,' thought X, as he left the room.
"Sigma, you say?" asked Cain. "Already?"
"Yes," X said, breathing heavily. "I saw a floating fortress come towards us."
"Hmm, yes, I suppose that would be Sigma, then," Cain said, still unnaturally calm.
"Why aren't you more concerned over this!" yelled X.
"If you were thinking that I was going to run around like a chicken with its head cut off," Cain said sternly, "then you are mistaken. I have much more pressing matters to attend to, including rebuilding Bass, before I'll worry about an attack that won't actually start for at least twelve hours. If you saw it on the horizon, and it really is a fortress, then it would be traveling very slowly."
"Um . . ."
"Now bring me Bass' upper torso," Cain ordered, setting the legs upright. X brought the top half and held it over the legs. Cain knelt down and started connecting wires and servos between the two pieces. "Put him down now, X," Cain said as he pull his hands out from Bass systems. X gently placed Bass' body on his legs, and Cain picked up a small fusion welder and set to work securing it. After a few minutes, and a complete rotation around the black robot, Cain stood up. He grunted in pain as he stood, and put his hand on his side, using the cane to get all the way up.
"X, get me his helmet," Cain directed as he peeled off the artificial skin and hair on Bass' scalp. Running out of the hall, X realized that he still had the jetpack on. He stopped at Gate's lab to tell him about the test, then went back to his room. X glanced at the newspaper clippings that he had pinned up on the walls, grabbed Bass' helm, and ran back to Cain.
When he got there, Bass was leaning against one of the walls, tapping his foot impatiently. X tossed him the finned helmet, and Bass quickly put it on. "Where's Treble?" he asked.
"On the roof," replied X. "In fact, if my knowledge of the building plans is correct, then he's right above us. Try whistling out the window."
Bass gave X a quizzical look, and walked over to the window. He whistled, and a loud barking could be heard. It got quieter, then louder in the hallways. X opened the door in time for the three to see Treble skittering past, then doubling back and running in to pounce on Bass. Treble barked happily.
"Okay, okay, calm down, Treble," Bass said. He pushed the wolf off of him and stood up. Treble stopped barking and immediately went back to being a quiet, calm, seemingly brooding wolf.
"Bass, can you give us your report?" asked Cain.
"What? Report? Oh, yeah, at Sigma's place. He's building a floating tower, and he'll attack within the month."
"We already knew that, Bass," said an irritated X. "He's headed right for us at this very moment."
"What!?! Oh, no, he must be attacking now so that my info is useless."
"It would appear so," said Cain.
"Well," said Bass, "There's only one thing we can do. We have to attack Sigma right now, before he can reach us."
"That would be a suicide mission!" X said.
"Oh, come on, how many times have you done that so far? It's obviously not a suicide mission, if you are still here."
"Bass is correct," Cain interjected. "We must strike now, while we have the chance. I don't want to risk the lives of the Hunters, so I will assemble a group of the best we have to go in with you."
X said quietly to Bass, "Watch how me and Zero will be the only elite Hunters to go."
"Nah, I'll get to go as well. Plus there's my contact in the base," said the black armored robot.
"Contact? Oh yeah, the guy that brought you here."
"What is this of a contact?" asked Cain. He had overheard the last comment.
"Oh, I found a robot, who was built be Doctor Light, on my way to the mining base. Dragon managed to keep his cover when I was caught, and hopefully he's still in a position of power."
"Another Light-Bot!" exclaimed X. "I thought that I was the only one to survive!"
"Nah, there's a bunch of different robots in a hidden lab I came across. There's just not enough power to activate all of them."
"Wow. I guess I'm not an only child, then."
"Okay, enough joking, X," Bass said, walking out of the room with Treble at his heels. "We need to get Zero."
The red Hunter was in the garage, overseeing modifications to a hover-bike. Wings were being attached to the sides of the bike, and he base of each wing curved so that a person's legs would fit comfortably. Zero turned when he heard X call him.
"Oh, hello X, Bass," said Zero, turning back to the bike.
"Er, what are you doing?" asked Bass, who was staring at the hover- bike.
"You mean with that thing? Gate said that he wouldn't be able to create a flying upgrade for me, because my design is so radically different from either of yours. So, he gave the guys here," Zero pointed over his shoulder at the maintenance crew, "plans to make a flying hover-bike. Ironically, the thing won't be able to hover during flight, so I would have to fly in a circle or something to stay in one spot."
"He must have known about the fortress coming," said X. "But how?"
"Everyone knows. After seeing you rush through the halls like that, quite a few of the Hunters listened in on your conversation with Cain. As soon as Sigma was mentioned, they told every person they could find. Say, where's that rocket pack of yours, anyway?"
"Oh, I left it with Gate. I'll need to get it back."
Bass cut in to their conversation. "Okay, X, Okay, X, you get your jetpack, I'll double check with Cain who's going on this mission, and Zero, you try to get these guys to finish that bike. We meet up here in an hour."
"Why an hour?" asked X. "It won't take that long to get the pack, or for you to talk to Cain."
"X, that bike is not going to be finished in ten minutes," said Zero. "Now go get your pack."
X was back in the ARR wing. Gate was nowhere to be seen, though his lab coat was draped over one of the chairs. The robot wolf was still deactivated, only now it was hooked up to a computer, and was having personality subroutines uploaded. X called out to Gate, but got no answer. Looking around, X saw his jetpack on a table near a machine for modifying Reploids. X had used it to switch armors after his battles with Sigma, as the cumbersome advanced armors were a hassle to wear every day. X picked up the jetpack, and when he got up he saw Gate in the machine.
'I wonder what he's doing,' thought X, as he left the room.