Author's Note: I hope that this chapter offers some answers to questions that were presented in the last chapter. There will be some answers that will have to come in later chapters, as they are plot devices, but there will be a great many things answered and introduced in this installment of the story. Once again, I apologize for not meeting my previous promised deadline (from chapter 2), and I promise to try to make that deadline from this point on. Don't be afraid to give me a "poke" email, or even an email that is nothing but yelling at me to keep typing, I won't get pissy, I'll just accept it and work harder. I'm not giving you people permission to email me, no… I am begging you to email me with your personal comments, questions, and general gripes about my not working fast enough. I need something to keep me on task on occasion… Anyway… now for the might Disclaimer…
Disclaimer: Once again, 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. I own only those characters which I introduce as new additions to the Mega Man X universe, which are (so far), Wy, Reaver, and Celmet, as well as all other small bit parts that I didn't feel like covering in the disclaimer. If you want to use any of them, email me. You know the procedure.
Chapter 4: Adjusting
X had left the room, and Wy
was still feeling her victory, but it wasn't as sweet as she thought it
was… No, she didn't feel the absolute
joy of having succeeded against such harrowing odds. She didn't not feel happy, no, she was very jazzed about
having won, but it was as if she couldn't bring herself to want the
credit. Like some part of her was
thinking that this was only a job, that she didn't have to get all worked up
over a job.
She wasn't sure of that, but
she didn't get much time to think about it, not when the crowd that had been
waiting, gathered to see this incredible fight, rushed through the doors as
soon as they were opened by the unsuspecting X. It was too late for him, he was swallowed whole by the group and,
as good as he was at battle, he was no match for fielding questions…
X was bombarded by questions
like, "Did you know the new recruit could fight like that?", and "What's her
name?", and "Is she single?", as well as a fair share of "Who made her?", and
"Where did she come from?"… X was
overwhelmed, trying to answer the questions as fast and as best as he could,
but more kept coming, and he just couldn't keep up… Poor X.
Wy, however, was not to go
unnoticed. She was about to face her
own horde of "rabid Hunters" when one of the Hunters in question stepped in
front of them and shouted out, "Leave her alone! She's obviously tired from her fight, and the last thing she
needs is to be badgered by a bunch of guys!"
The figure held his hands out
in front of him, pleading the crowd.
The strange part is that most of them listened. The few that didn't hold, soon faced the
steely-eyed reploid in ice blue and gray armor that had stepped up in front of
them, to back up the other Hunter's efforts at trying to stop the crow. She was beautiful. She had an unearthly glow about her, but she had an aura about
her, something that told people that she was dangerous. She wasn't exceptionally tall, but she
wasn't truly short, either.
Her armor, while smooth and
streamlined in appearance, upon closer inspection, would yield harsh lines in
places that should have been smooth.
Those lines added to her dangerous glow… Her colors ran in a pattern resembling X's color scheme, the ice
blue covering the main armor, and the gray making up her under-suit. It differed in a few key places, mainly in
the helmet and the chest piece…
Her helmet formed an almost
perfect triangle, the sharp edges adding yet more to her appearance. The ice blue ran in lines that terminated in
sharp points at the edge of the helmet, where her face showed through. The sapphire blue control jewel rested where
her forehead would be. The helmet was
all gray, except for those lines. Her
chest piece was primarily the same, except for a swell of the breasts, with a
sapphire jewel in the center of the chest piece. Ice blue lines ran towards that jewel in lines just like those on
her helmet, ending in sharp points as they touched the jewel.
She turned her steely gaze to
the remaining few, her gaze seemingly penetrating their very core. She said, "You heard Reaver. Leave her alone. She has more than enough on her mind without your questions."
The remaining few Hunters
stopped in their tracks. A combination
of fear and respect flowed across their collected faces. The very person who stood before them was
none other than…
"C…Commander Celmet." The total awe and respect spoken within
those words was enough to fill volumes.
This reploid had a reputation of being the best Hunter since X and
Zero… She was deadly and she knew
it. The problem was, she didn't seem to
care that she was deadly. It was just
another part of her, as far as she was concerned…
She turned towards Wy and
examined the dark Hunter. She took in
her colors and her appearance. She
seemed to think for a moment, and when it looked as though she'd finished her
thought, she looked Wy right in the eye.
She stepped forward and said only one word. "Stand."
Wy felt compelled to follow
this order, compelled out of a need to stay alive… She had an unexplainable fear of this one reploid. It was much the same as staring down a wild
wolf in its home territory, seeing that absolutely passive look in their eyes,
seeing that they could just as easily kill you as leave you alone, and it
wouldn't bother them a bit. That was
what Wy saw within her new Commander's eyes…
Commander Celmet stood in
front of the now standing Wy, looking her in the eye, and she looked past the
healthy fear that Wy was showing…
Celmet saw something that, evidently, she was looking for. She smiled, barely a twitch of the lips, and
she said,
"You'll do."
With that, Celmet turned and
left the room, the crowd of reploids parting before her, giving her a wide
berth… After she left, the Hunters
present obeyed her orders and left Wy alone.
However, she had said nothing about X…
They went to pester him, leaving Wy alone with the one Hunter who had
stepped forward to help her…
"Reaver, was it? Next time I need help,
I'll ask for it."
She coldly brushed off the
cobalt and gold hunter, walking past him and through the door. She paused outside the door, feeling pity
for X at having to practically fight his way out of that mob later, and letting
her eyes slide past X to the rather confused looking Reaver… He's cute… She shook her head a bit, then left, walking down the hall to
rest in her quarters, to think about what had happened during the battle…
Unfortunately, Reaver, as cute
as he may have been, lacked a certain degree of telepathy, so he didn't know
what Wy thought of him, nor did he know that Wy was like that; fiercely independent. The Hunter, whose cobalt armor, accentuated
with gold highlights and a white under-suit, and startling brown eyes, felt and
reflected a puzzlement all the way to his core. Feeling the need to voice his confusion, he said, while shrugging
his shoulders, "What'd I do?"
He removed his helmet, which
closely resembled X's helmet in design, but instead of gold where the light
blue would be, it was a darker, midnight blue, rimming his face, outlined with
gold, with a topaz control jewel…
Underneath the helmet, though, his hair flopped down to his shoulders,
released from the confined space, and now flowed freely in a frothing mass of
honey brown and copper. His skin color
was much the same as his hair, but more a bronze complexion. Closer to a rich tan, but it wasn't.
Where his Buster should have
been, there was none, but he was not unarmed.
Resting on his hips were two disc-like weapons, with holes for his
fingers to hold on to. The edges were
as wide as an atom's width, kept sharp by laser sharpening, as well as a slim
Beam energy that encompassed them when in use.
The weapons looked like they might be thrown, or maybe used in hand to
hand combat, but they looked a bit difficult to get the hang of, and not cut
one's self up using them…
Reaver gathered his hair up,
and he replaced his helmet. He looked
back at the now swamped X. He felt pity
for the Commander of the 17th Unit, but he knew that X could get out
of it if he wanted to. He knew that X
didn't need any help. So he walked out,
walking to the Gardens. He wanted to think,
and then he wanted to ask his Commander what she had meant when she'd said that
Wy would do… He also wanted to analyze
that strange reading that had come from within the SDR, wondering what it had
been, where it had come to and gone just as fast… He had a bad feeling about that reading…
As Reaver left for the
Gardens, X had had enough. He didn't
feel like answering these stupid questions anymore. So he did something that he'd never done before…. His body tensed, his eyes steeled, and his
entire demeanor changed. He spoke very
softly, but his voice seemed to carry to every last one of the mob… "Go away."
Commander X was now in full
combat mode, his mind in the place it was when he needed to terminate
Mavericks, and he didn't want to lose sleep.
His mind was in that place of white static, where everything was calm,
and nothing mattered any more. The
place where he could do anything he wanted to, and he wouldn't feel guilt. His eyes became a barren wasteland, like the
cold landscape of the Antarctic.
The closest of the mob saw his
eyes and they began to back off, some tripping over those behind them. Some protests began to be made about, "What
was the big deal? Why'd you do that?"…
Then X was seen, and all words failed the gathered Hunters. Fear was not a word that could cover this
emotion. It was now something that
closely resembled the instinct to flee, to stay alive. They knew by looking at X that death
followed him when he was like this, and they didn't want to have any part of
it.
Quickly, the gathered mob
dispersed, and X was left standing by himself, just inside the doors of the
SDR, still in combat mode. He stood
there, quiet and peaceful, but very dangerous.
And then, one straggling Hunter came through the doors, late for having
to have put her console on autopilot.
"X! I missed it didn't I?"
Alia stepped closer to him,
completely missing the tenseness of his body, the total difference in his
demeanor… She touched his arm, and X
looked at Alia, slowly. His eyes met
hers, and she gasped as she stumbled back.
X's eyes were no longer the calm, barren wasteland that they had been,
but they were a solid blue fire…
"X! What's wrong?"
X looked at her for a moment,
cocking his head to the side, measuring Alia, before his conscious mind took
over again, and his eyes bled to normal.
He shook his head, stumbling a bit, and he looked around… "Wha? What happened? Where did
everybody go? Alia? What are you doing here?" His eyes were once again just eyes, and they
searched Alia's eyes, seeing the fear from them, and he was hurt by that fear.
"What did I do?" He said it so quietly that Alia barely heard
it. She stepped closer to him, almost
hesitantly, reaching out to him, her eyes fixed to his. "X?"
Her voice was just as soft as his, but her eyes weren't confused
anymore. They held a combination of
relief and something akin to heartbreak…
Her hand touched his cheek, softly, almost as if she were afraid that he
would disappear if she touched him too hard, like he would pop…
Upon feeling Alia's ginger
touch, X closed his reached up to take her hand in his. "What's wrong, Alia? What's got you so spooked?" His voice carried genuine concern, and his
eyes reflected the same. He held her
hand firmly, but didn't draw her to him.
He just held her hand, and met her eyes. Her eyes fixed on his, Alia took a step closer to him, placing
her other hand on his chest. She broke
the eye contact and looked down, at her feet.
"X… I worry about you.
Sometimes you scare me. I know
you don't mean to, but you do, just the same.
But… I…" She was about to finish, but she was
interrupted by a hearty "cough" at the doorway, behind her. Both she and X were startled, and began to
lightly blush, as if they'd been caught doing something meant to be kept behind
closed (and locked) doors…
"If I might steal Commander X
away from you, Alia? I have some
pressing matters that have come up that need X's attention. Unless, of course, you've got something that
he needs to, ah, 'address'…?" Signas
always was a smartass... But, all the
same, he had a point. She didn't need
X. So she stepped aside,
wordlessly. She just seemed to say to
him, with her eyes, "I need to talk to you, later." X didn't acknowledge it, but he knew where he could find her
later.
In her quarters, Wy gave
serious thought to all that had happened in the past few hours. She'd managed to complete what had at first
seemed like an impossible task… Well… maybe not impossible. Just really damn hard! She'd been removed from X's unit, and given
the rank of First Officer of her father's old unit. That was only a little surprising. I was wondering how long it would take X to get rid of me… And being stuck into #0 Unit, well, that was
inevitable. I knew that was going to
happen sooner or later. But… as First
Officer?! She'd defeated Dynamo the
very first time she'd ever met him.
Weird thing was, even though he was real, his attacks registered as
VR… Why was that? … … OH!
That room is set up to affect any
reploid's system, not just the ones that enter in at the beginning of the
scenario! Because he came in during the
middle doesn't mean that his weapons would have been real, because he, like me
and X, would have been reduced to minimum output, and the SDR would do the
rest, making the damage 'real'. I get
it now… Wy's thoughts kept her
thoroughly occupied during the next hour or so…
Meanwhile, Reaver had been
sitting in the Gardens, doing his own thinking. He was thinking about that strange signal that he'd seen on
Alia's console before he rushed down to the SDR. It had shown up on the radar as what looked like a modified warp
signal, but it had been so damned fast…
Then it came again, this time going the other way, not five minutes
after the first occurrence. It had to
have been the same signal...
But what was it?? Where did it come from in the first place? How did it, whatever it was, slip through
the defense grid? I don't like how easy
that thing did what it did… I'm going
to tell Commander Celmet as soon as I find her. She'll know what to do.
His mind made up, Reaver stood
and turned around, only to stand face to face with Alia, the very tech who's
console he'd been peeping at… She had
always hated it when he read her console over her shoulder, or worse, when he
read over her head… She'd told him that
she didn't like having him ask her all sorts of questions about her work, even
though she knew that he was probably the only other Spotter in the entire MHHQ
that was as good as her… Though, he'd
retired from being a Spotter, and opted for becoming a Hunter.
He'd had to learn how to use
those dangerous discs of his in order to do it, but he'd become a fairly decent
Hunter. Good enough, at least, not to
get his butt shot off whenever he went out in the field… She'd mentioned to him, in passing, that she
often wondered about what it might be like to go hunting herself… She wasn't equipped with a Buster either, so
she'd have to learn some sort of weapon herself… He just didn't' think that she had the dedication to violence to
want to learn that stuff. She didn't
have any reason to want to learn anything like that. She seemed comfortable being a Spotter. But still… She mentioned often that, despite the apparanant
difficulties, she thought about what it might be like… if she were a Hunter…
Feeling that he needed to
break the silence, he said, "Uh… Hi.
Did X ever get himself unburied from his adoring public?" It was an innocent enough question. Reaver didn't really care, but it was polite
conversation… However, the look from
her made him rethink how polite his question may have sounded… "Uh, did I say something wrong?" He was really confused by how she was
acting.
Her eyes were starting to get
a little watery, she trembled a bit, and she looked startled… It was as if X had… done something to
her… Or maybe… Aw, no.
I hope it's not that… He
decided to go for honesty and try to be helpful… "Alia, did X turn you down?"
SMACK! Her open palm slapped
across his face, which was unguarded as he'd taken off his helmet and still
held it in his hand. The resounding
impact didn't really hurt all that much, but it was sure as hell surprising!
Alia glared at Reaver, then
she ran off in the direction of her room.
This left Reaver standing there, rubbing his cheek, and confused, for
the second time in less than an hour.
This was _not_ a good day for him…
He shook his head slowly,
letting whatever was eating Alia go, it wasn't his problem, and she obviously
didn't want him to help, and he had the mark to prove it. He just gathered his hair and put his helmet
back on, the hair fitting snugly beneath the helmet, and he walked back to #0
Unit's meeting room. It was where the
Commander spent most of her time… He'd
just go tell her about what he'd seen, so she'd either report it to Signas, or
think about it on her own. She did
that. A lot.
X's attention was indeed
needed for matters most
pressing… Signas needed X to report to
Douglas for his monthly refit, and then to Lifesavor, for his monthly EVAL
(Epsilon Virus Assimilation Level).
Those things were a pain. He'd
heard that human woman dreaded having something called a "Pop's mear" (whatever
that was)… They didn't know how easy
they had it… An EVAL could take all day if Lifesavor found something he
didn't like. All that trouble just to
get a stupid number about a weird vaccine for a virus that barely even existed
anymore.
Joy and rapture. I just love my EVAL's… The refit isn't all that bad, but the EVAL
sucks major cookies. I wish they'd just
abolish that damned thing! X
thought crossly as he entered the R&D room for MHHQ, seeing Douglas, as
usual, working on something else that
one of the Hunters had broken (for all he knew, it might have been him!).
"Douglas. I'm here for my refit. I've got ten minutes, then I've got to get
to Lifesavor…" X didn't need to say any more. Douglas immediately knew.
He piped up with his own opinion on the subject, even. "Y'know, that test is just silly. It's plain silly. Why does anybody need it anymore? The Mav Virus is so rare anymore that anyone who contracts it
will be affected within an hour of having caught it! I mean, it's not like these stupid EVAL's are saving us, or
anything… Like that stupid vaccine will
actually work. HA! Oh, sorry, X. I'm rambling, aren't I?"
X just nodded, but he was
smiling. He knew Douglas fairly well
now, and he didn't mind Douglas' habit of talking excessively. It was actually kind of comforting. He liked it, in a strange, friendship kind
of way. "Don't worry about it,
Douglas. I don't mind." X smiled to prove his point.
"Oh, that's good. I'd hate to annoy you. I mean, you're, like, the only person who
puts up with me and my talking anymore.
Even Signas tells me to shut up.
He used to let me talk all the time.
I enjoy talking, it fills the silence and passes the time. It's a lot better than silence, don't you
think? Yeah. Me too. Oh. I'm finished now, X. You should probably better get going to
your, ah, appointment. Good luck."
X smiled, and stepped off the
refitting station. He walked out of the
R&D room, and soberly walked to his inescapable destiny. The enemy that even Sigma would rather
run from! The cruel and unusual
punishment! The horrible, ill fate!
… …
X got so caught up in his
musing that he blurted out his next line as walked into the Infirmary. "The horror! Oh, the horror!" An annoyed
voice broke X from his reverie, and into an embarrassed silence. "Oh, be quiet X! It's not that
bad!" Though, X had a hard time
believing Lifesavor. It probably had
something to do with the rubber gloves and the various and assorted probes and
needles….. Oh… Joy.
End Notes: Sorry for
not getting this out sooner, but I had a major case of writer's block for half
a week, and it was in the MIDDLE OF THE FRICKIN' STORY!!! Argh!
Don't you just hate when that happens??
Anyway. You know the drill. Now that you've read the story, please read,
and I'll use the feedback and be a happy little FF.net author…
Next chapter: Life after EVAL. Life after Alia. Life with … A new
character. Gotta keep reading to find
out more.
