CHAPTER FIVE: THE HEART OF A SCHOOLGIRL

Iris, her daily duties completed early, decided to pay a visit to the H.Q.'s main communications room; she had started work nearly a week before, and had not seen one trace of Spiral the entire time, and she missed the pegasus. He had not come over for a visit since Dr. Thorne died, out of respect.

"Well, well, well," Spiral called out at her entrance, "looky! I never thought I'd see you in that uniform ever again."

"Isn't it the stupidest thing you ever saw? I feel foolish," Iris giggled, holding out her arms, and gave the wide skirt a reprimanding glance.

"Ah, my sweetness, a burlap bag would look good on you," Spiral winked. "Sit, sit!"

The wall in front of the two was lined from the middle up to nearly the ceiling with monitors. Their phosphorescent glow illuminated the faces of those in the rather dark room with ghostly shadows, glaring off their cheekbones and eyes. Iris's eyes strained, and she pushed back her chair a little ways.

"I can't see how you can just stare at these things for two hours straight," she remarked. "It gives me a headache, and I'm not even looking directly at them."

"Don't knock it, you. It's because you're in at the wrong time. The night shift--not that I'd really know, but I hear the stories--has a pretty good time. They see the most amazing things, let me tell you."

"I don't want to be told, if you don't mind."

Spiral leaned back in his chair, looking at her somberly. "I'm serious now, though. How has it been for you, Iris?"

"It's been decent, I suppose," she admitted a bit uncomfortably. She had not spoken to anyone about the circumstances of her creation, not even to her brother, and thinking about Dr. Thorne pained her. "My brother and I have gotten by very well. We've found a very nice apartment, roomy enough for the both of us, and it's just a matter a time before we move in. Colonel's especially glad; living in the Repliforce officers' quarters was a deep blow to his pride."

"Egos heal. Don't worry about him."

"I know."

"And how has everyone been treating you? No flashing your dainties at the other couriers, I hope." Spiral's nostrils shivered mischievously. Iris's cheeks turned bright red, and she laughed.

"Will you never let me live that down?"

"Nope!"

"Jerk. Anyway, I've stayed out of trouble." She paused, searching for a new topic of conversation. "Say, have you heard about the new program that's going to be implemented soon? The one where lower Repliforce and Hunter officers can be exchanged?"

Spiral's wings rattled in anticipation of an unpleasant subject. "Yeah."

She didn't know why she was telling him this, but, knowing her friend's fits of pique, it was probably better than letting him find out on his own. "Colonel says there's a good chance that I may be transferred to the Hunters as a spotter."

"Awwwrk!" Spiral pitched forward and belly-flopped on the floor. "Say it isn't so!"

"I'm afraid it's true," Iris said, trying not to giggle as she helped the pegasus up off the floor. She had barely got him back in his seat when the door opened, Colonel's massive bulk looming in the frame.

"There you are," he said. "I thought I sensed an unusually convivial air in here."

"We were just talking about the newest exchange program," the sister answered, happy at his entrance.

"Indeed? How fortunate, because that is something I wish to talk to you about." Colonel stepped into the room, his eyes focused on her intently. "You know that you have been considered to be transferred. Well, today I heard that you've been chosen."

"No!" cried Iris and Spiral simultaneously. Spiral was on his feet.

"What kind of brother are you? Letting your own dear sister fall into the clutches of those...those beasts! Have you no pity?" Spiral wailed.

"And," Colonel pressed onwards, ignoring the outburst, "I hear the Special 0 Unit is in dire need of a spotter. I would not be surprised, Iris, if Zero takes you underneath his wing for a time. I've talked with him about it, and he says he'll keep an eye on you."

"Oh, God," Spiral moaned, clutching his chest, "you're killing me."

"That's wonderful!" Iris said. "I'll feel more at ease there with X and Zero around to help me. When do I start? What do I need?"

"A porcupine-tipped chastity belt and some mace," Spiral muttered. Colonel placed an arm around her shoulders and led his sister out of the room--if they stayed, he never would have gotten a word in edgewise.

*************

Iris brushed nervously at some invisible dust specks on her spotter's uniform, working her throat to get rid of the itchy dryness inside. Reploids and humans bustled past her, some giving her an inquisitive glance or two before going on their way, and she was painfully aware of the looks. She didn't know where to go. She had arrived at Maverick Hunter H.Q., and she was standing out in the hall like a ninny, too afraid to ask anybody where to find help. She wanted to go back to her brother.

Just then, glory be, a beacon of crimson red flashed in the corner of her eye; Iris turned and nearly started to run towards the figure, grappling to a surge of hope like a lifeline before she even consciously recognized the vision.

"Zero!" she called, eyes sparkling.

"Hey there," he said easily; he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile. "I thought you were around somewhere. First day, huh?"

"Yes. Are you going to meet your unit? I have to report somewhere, I guess, and I don't know my way around quite yet. You don't mind taking me?"

"'Course not. Follow me. And before I forget," Zero turned around, walking backwards as he spoke, "if you ever need any help, just call for me. X'll be willing to oblige, too. If there's one thing I don't need it's the Colonel getting on my case about sisterly neglect."

Iris inclined her head and thanked him with all her heart; she didn't need her brother getting on her case either.

*************

And so it happened that Iris began to undertake the rather dubious honor of spotting for the 0 Unit--and by dubious it is meant that, from the very start, the missions she was assigned to were of the worst sort.

Her first assignment was sheer horror. Zero had requested her assistance in what turned out to be an extremely gruesome case, a scenario in which reploids had the very life essence snatched out of them, leaving their eyes and faces blank masks that burned into her soul and appeared underneath her eyelids as she drifted off into mechanical stasis for days afterwards. Empty. Just empty. For some reason that just terrified Iris, emptiness; she was thankful beyond words that X and Zero managed to destroy the menace that had snatched away such life. And she was thankful that no other mission was half as bad as the Soul Erasers was.

During this time Iris made herself more at home with the other Hunters, and she befriended quite a few of them; however, she spent most of her time with Zero and X, especially the former. She followed him just about everywhere during her spare time: she watched him train (even if he could be rather vicious with the battle robots at times), she helped him polish his armor or work on damaged equipment, and sometimes she just talked or looked quietly at him. There were many reasons for this course of events. Iris felt secure in Zero's presence, for one thing, as many of the other reploids at Maverick Hunter H.Q. still intimidated her greatly--in Zero's care, they would not condescend or speak harshly to her. Also, Iris had no other places to go in her free time, so why not spend it with Zero and X? And the last question brings up another reason, which was that Iris had grown speedily fond of Zero. She couldn't help but like him. The Hunter was courageous to a fault, confident, and, despite his reputation as serious and distant, he treated her warmly, as he did all close friends. He seemed ready to accept her, and that made Iris overjoyed.

Zero was content at first to have the extra baggage around, but DAY after DAY after DAY of his spotter trotting at his heels like a puppy-dog ("Zero's little puppy" was what some voices snickered behind his back), he became exasperated, and Iris was blissfully unaware of it.

One day, the crimson hunter couldn't stand the quiet but unshakable presence that trailed him any longer. He and X were leaving the conference room after a meeting with Dr. Cain and, as usual, Iris was outside the door ready to receive them with a smile. X greeted her kindly, as was his wont; Zero grunted and nodded. But she still didn't take the hint and followed. Zero snapped like a twig.

"Oh, god dammit!!" he exploded, whirling on her, green eyes glinting fiercely in a freak of impatience. "Don't you have anything better to do than follow me around all the time?! Go home, Iris! Why do you persist in hounding me when I have nothing to say to you? Find someone else to pester for a change!"

Iris stepped back a pace and put a hand up to her lips to make sure they didn't quiver. Every circuit inside her head was sending the pulse to bring out tears, but she fought the urge well enough that her eyes merely watered. She spoke, trying to quench the catch in her voice.

"I am sorry. I didn't know I was bothering you. I am sorry. I'll leave you alone, now." And she did just that, turned slowly on her heel and walked away, gleaning a spot of pride through the agony inside herself that she wasn't running like a rabbit.

X turned to his best friend and said the only thing that he could truthfully say, for the blue reploid liked Iris. "Zero, you are such an ass."

Zero only scowled.

*************

Iris lay on her bed, staring up at her ceiling with an expression that was completely blank save for her eyes, which were calm but distraught into a near black hue. How she had managed to get past her brother's inquisition at suppertime with a straight face was beyond her powers of explanation, but here she was, free to mope at last. Everything was in ruins--they didn't want her around. He didn't want her around. And without him, working with the Hunters was sheer boredom tinged with the terror of being sneered at. She didn't want to be liked by everyone, she merely just wanted to be left alone to her own devices and desires...

She was naive. Iris was intelligent enough to realize that, and it didn't bother her to be such. She was also soft-hearted, too much so. And she was gutless. These things alone did not distress her: it was the fact that they got on other people's nerve that killed her. It was seeing the shadow of her creator in every sneer and taunt given when she annoyed someone. But it appeared that she couldn't stop annoying the people she was fond of unless she locked herself away for good, and her brother wouldn't let her do that! Maybe it was time to get a new personality chip--couldn't those clever scientists make that possible? Or perhaps she should resign? Maybe, if she tried very hard, she could simply disappear from existence altogether. Iris closed her eyes and shuddered out a sigh. The hell with it.

There was a tapping at the door. She lifted herself up and looked in amazement at the entrance for a space, then wiped her face. If it was her brother, his timing was the worst there was.

She silently swung open the door; she promptly stifled a squealing gasp. Zero stood there, face and eyes cloudy--how in all that was holy he had managed to sneak up to her room without her watchdog brother noticing...

Devoid of thought, Iris motioned for the Hunter to come into her room, and he shuffled in, uttering no word. She closed the door. The green eyes focused on her with almost unbearable intensity.

"I am sorry," Zero said. His face looked drawn and weary. The smallest hint of a smile flickered on Iris's lips, and she nodded.

"Thank you," she said. "Would you like to stay for a little while? That is, if you don't have anything to do, or you're too tired...it is late, after all, and I was about to go to bed myself before--"

"I don't need to be anywhere. I don't sleep often. Don't like to. I get headaches." His face flinched very slightly at the last remark; Iris did not see it fit to delve any further into the matter. But she could see the traces of fatigue and sleeplessness in his eyes: it bothered her to no little extent.

"Perhaps I can help. Here. I know you're not the most keen on physical contact, but let's see if this works," Iris offered as she raised up her hands, placing her fingers lightly on Zero's temples. The crimson reploid looked a bit confused, but made no move to resist, so she began to lightly massage the sensitive circuit points. The green eyes faltered, blinked, and drifted shut, his breathing, which had been held in and wary at first, grew regular and deep. Iris looked closely. Had he actually fallen asleep while standing up?

When she had ascertained that, yes, Zero had been smitten by the Sandman, Iris very carefully lowered him to the floor. He was too heavy for her to drag all the way up into her bed; besides, he probably wouldn't appreciate it when he awoke. Crossing her legs, Iris lifted Zero's head and cradled it in her lap. His expression never changed as she continued to massage his temples. As long as she did that, she was sure he would rest easy.

A laugh almost escaped her lips. If her brother should come in, he'd kill her. No, she amended, he'd kill Zero and chide her for being so easily led on--Colonel could be quite silly when it came to these matters, being woefully inexperienced. He never had a smitten reploid pegasus fancy him, so even her past embarrassments made her more of an expert than he was.

Iris looked down at Zero. Her stomach felt soft, like it was made of jelly; her face went pale and her eyes sparkled. She had always been taken with him. He was similar to her brother in very many respects--they both had a sort of inherent nobility that clung to them like an aura, an energy that gave them authority and the power to command. But Zero was not her brother; he had an air of danger that Iris found dashing. She had not seen his like before. Yet it was none of these things that touched her that night. It was because he had hurt her and apologized for it--nobody had ever done so much for her, and it struck Iris to the quick of her being. Because Zero had done that, Iris was consumed with a strange, needy emotion she had never felt before.

Reploids do not reproduce; they are created. Therefore, romantic "love," in the purest sense of the word, is unnecessary, and most reploids lack the emotion, for it is not programmed in, nor do they discover it. But Zero had struck a chord in Iris that night, and, so starved for any sort of affection was she, all the love that nobody but her brother ever seemed to have wanted was focused on him. And it manifested itself as the heedless, consuming, almost obsessive emotion that was only to bring them both sorrow in the end. Iris didn't care, nor was she ever to know. How could she? All she knew was that Zero was half her world. She adored him.

Feeling uncharacteristically courageous, Iris leaned over and touched his face. He made no move. Now even bolder, she kissed him quickly on the temple, her face burning. Zero still did not stir. She sighed happily; it was best he did not know now. She resolved never to tell him how she felt...it might distress him. He might not want it. No, better not to tell anyone. It'd be her very own.

She linked her hand with Zero's own, and she watched over him while he slept well for the first time in a very long while.

The author here. Regarding the story, I have only two things to say. Iris, you poor sot. And: once again, this is not my best writing. Sorry. I suck at romance, even stilted, crazy romance like Iris's.

But I mainly want to say that I am finally back in business with this story. I know it's been a very long time since I posted up the last chapter. While there are many reasons for the delay--laziness being one--my main tie-up has been due to the fact that I was busy with ANOTHER fic while trying to work on this one at the same time. But now the other fic, a huge honky, has been completed, and my will to write has been restored after a long break. So I am back. Weep for your sanity.

--Themis