Author's note:  I am really sorry for not posting for so long, but my life has been effectively turned upside down since when I originally uploaded this story.  I won't go into the details, there are way too many.  But, I will say that I should be able to upload at a bit more of a regular interval now.  Anyway, enough blabbering, on with the rest…

Disclaimer:  Once again, before Zero or anyone else can zap me, I will say that I do not own any of the Mega Man X characters.  I do not, have not, and likely will not own any of them.  So there.  The only character I do own is Wy.  She is mine and only mine.  If you want to use her, ask first.  My email should be in my profile, if not, I'll put it in there, I need to update anyway.


Chapter 1:  Wy


            Signas watched X come down the hallway, and saw that something had changed in him, something that may not ever come back.  He was … different somehow.  He wasn't sure if it was the way X walked, or if it was something entirely different, but Signas was sure that something was indeed different about X.  But he hoped that whatever it was, it would leave when X met her…
            X walked up to Signas, wondering why he was looking at him like that.  What was that smile for?  He passed by Signas and entered the darkened room, his eyes immediately beginning to compensate for the darkness.  The room was too dark though, as all he could make out was two vague shadows in the room.  He called out for Alia, to find her amongst the shadows, and she answered him, revealing that she was the shadow closest to the door.  That left this other shadow… truly a shadow among shadows.  X could barely make the shape out.  Just as he thought that he could make out the shadow, the lights were flipped on by Signas, leaving both X and Alia blinded.
            When X could see again, he wasn't certain that he was really seeing what he was seeing.  He closed his eyes, lightly shook his head, and when he opened his eyes, there stood a vision…
            She had vibrant lilac eyes, and her long hair was a brilliant shade of scarlet red.  Her armor so closely resembled Zero's that in a dimly lit room, she might have been mistaken for him.  It was smaller, and more form fitting, with less hard edges, and more smooth contours, but it was startling how similar it was to his.  Instead of being red, this armor was black with her white and gold highlights. 
            The huge difference between Zero and this female reploid was the absence of the Z-saber.  Or at least, the absence of it in its normal place of holding.  Instead of being mounted for an over the shoulder draw, there was a mount for being drawn from a lower angle, for an initial upward strike, rather than a downward strike. 
            The control chip in her helmet was a pale shade of gray, as were the two jewels in her breast plate.  On her left shoulder was a gold insignia.  It was a stylized 'W' and 'Y' forming the name 'Wy'.  Her arms were slender, and where the usual bulge of a Buster was, there wasn't.  Yet, there were exhaust ports for the plasma exhaust of a Buster.  Her legs were this way as well.  Where there should have been a bulge for the Dash system, there was none.  Yet, again, there were exhaust ports for the system to perform dashes. 
            When X had finished examining this new reploid, Signas spoke from behind him.  "X, Alia.  I'd like you to meet Wy, Zero's legacy.  Before you two ask me anything, let me explain why you never knew about her before this.  Zero had left me specific instructions not to activate her until he had been either deactivated or would be gone for a very long time.  He had built her during his spare time, and he put her in your old pod, X.  Since it wasn't used, and the pod was kept in storage, it was the perfect hiding place, especially since it was still capable of keeping her in stasis."
            "He updated her information from time to time, until this most recent of events.  She has his experience with a Z-saber, and she has been programmed with several of his personality quirks.  But, X.  He programmed her to also have two things that he believed were your greatest virtues.  Loyalty and honor.  In a way, she is the daughter that he will never know.  He left this letter for you, X.  And this was left for you, Alia."  He handed the two their separate letters, and waited for them to read them.
            X read the words on the screen of the letter, and he felt tears well up in his eyes.  The letter said:
            X, please understand why I have done this.  Please, don't mourn for me.  I will return.  There are much better things in this life to do.  I have left a companion for you.  She is my daughter.  I will likely not meet her until I awaken, so I am counting on you to take good care of her.  Her name is Wy, and she's going to be a lot like us.  She'll be a great help to you in the fight against Sigma, if he ever returns.  When I built her, I created a vaccine against the Maverick Virus that I carry within me.  That has been added just recently, as you might tell.  She should be immune to Sigma, and as such, will be able to help you in ways that I was never able to.  Her armor is made of the same material that repels my Z-saber and is tolerant to most forms of Busters.  She can take a lot of damage, and her system is built in such a way that if she ever falls beneath a certain power level, an Emergency Warp will bring her back to your pod, which has been loaded with a stasis field for her.  Please, don't tell her about the Emergency Warp.  The way it works, she'll never know what happened.  To her, it will seem as if she fell unconscious and she will wake up some time after the Stasis pod repairs her sufficiently to get her to Sick Bay. 
            I wish you well, and I pray that you carry on well without me these next several years.  I should be very disappointed to learn that you pissed your life away and became a sorry moper in my absence.  In which case, Wy will be perfectly justified in kicking you tin-can-butt all over MHHQ.
            My brother, I would say that I will miss you, but as I will be in stasis, it will seem like only a few short moments have gone by.  But, I can honestly say that I wish you well during the time that I am gone.  Please, be well, and live life like you mean it.

Sincerely,
Your Brother,
Zero Omega

            X was crying silently at the end of the letter.  Zero's words repeated in his head as he stood there, silent.  He glanced over at Alia, who was also in tears, but she was smiling.  X wasn't confused about that, he knew what Zero had probably said to her.  X was broken from his reverie by Signas' voice.  "X, Alia, if you're finished, I'd like you to take Wy here for a tour of HQ.  Report back to my office after you've assigned her a room."
            X and Alia stood for a moment, a bit unsure of how to do this next thing, when Wy spoke up.  "Are you two gonna stand there forever, or do I have to kick you out the door?"  Blunt and to the point.  Signas wasn't kidding when he said that Zero had put some of his own quirks into her… 
            As the three were leaving the office, Signas said one last thing to X.  "Oh, and X?  She's been assigned to your unit."



End Note:  Like the last chapter, I desire feedback.  Feedback makes me happy.  It also tells me if I'm doing a decent job, or if I totally suck.  Please, be as brutally honest as you want.  But, my policy about flaming is this:  Don't flame unless you can prove that you can do better.  Thank you.  As with last time, the more feedback I get, the quicker I will act.  This time, I mean it.  Again, thank you for reading.