Chapter 31: Battle March

            "Seems pretty smooth, jefe," Manny Rodriguez said, looking over the map one more time and nodding his approval.

            "That's the idea," Commander Yammark agreed. "The Brazilian jets will do most of the work. All we have to do is move in and clean up afterwards. Manny, bring your boys in from the east. Julio, come in from the west. Comprende?"

            "Si, jefe," Julio Gomez responded. "It's not a problem, boss. Manny and I will meet up in the middle of the site, and see if we can't bag us some prize prisoners."

            Yammark nodded. "I'd like to hear what our friend Split Mushroom has to say for himself. Whatever they're up to down here, it smells of something more than just a base camp."

            "Yeah," Rodriguez agreed. "These guys definitely did not expect to be found. We ID'd 'em totally by accident, remember?"

            "Good thing we did," Gomez observed. "So, who are our primary targets?"

            "Mushroom, of course." Yammark produced a picture and placed it on the map before his two comrades. The picture showed a tall, well built green Reploid. They both recognized him immediately as the one who'd caught the dragonfly drone during their last encounter. "We've also identified this man. His actual name is Ix-8, but everyone calls him 'The Breaker'. Frankly, I can't blame them," Yammark added, looking at the overabundance of metal muscle on the robot in the picture.

            "How'd you figure that out?" Gomez queried, looking over the man in the picture and memorizing his target's appearance.

            "Our employer has many friends," Yammark replied simply. "It wasn't that difficult. Good as this man is, he like everyone must leave a paper trail at some point. He's not a professional intelligence officer, so he never adapted the 'total secrecy' attitude that those fellows carry with them. He is, however, involved in more illegal deeds than legal ones, so he does know how to keep a low profile. I'd like to know how he got mixed up with the Mavericks. Money, I'm sure, but maybe there was something else."

            "We'll find out," Rodriguez promised. "We'll get the bastard alive. He'll sing like a canary…they all do, especially these mercenary types. They aren't loyal to nobody but themselves. Anything for a lesser sentence, you know?"

            "What if this Breaker or his Mushroom boss gets killed before we can get to them?" Gomez asked.

            "Tough, I suppose," Yammark replied with a shrug. "It would be nice to take them alive. Nice does not mean necessary. Do what you can, gentlemen, but don't try to work miracles."

            "Got it," Gomez said, yawning. He checked his watch, noting the late hour. They would be on the move shortly, but all preparations were completed.

            Yammark took the look on Gomez's face for what it was. "Get some rest. The army should be contacting us shortly, and Gate soon after that. Figure four hours? I'll recharge and stand by." Recharging would only take him an hour, he supposed, and there was no way the order would get here that soon. This was not a time for haste, after all. You wanted to take time to make sure that everything went correctly.

            Satisfied with the meeting, Commander Yammark dismissed his two squad leaders and headed into the shoddy concrete structure that housed the Reploid recharging bays, in addition to the many computers that kept Gate's Brazilian camp running smoothly. Several such computers controlled the recharging bays. Upon passing one of them, Yammark noted one scientist still at work, typing busily away.

            "Don't you people ever sleep?" Yammark asked with a yawn. "It's gonna be a long day, Manolin. Don't burn yourself out now."

            "Oh believe me," the scientist Reploid replied with a chuckle, "I'll be unconscious shortly enough, in bed or out of it." He motioned to the screen before him, and to the recharging bays to his right. "There was a slight problem with the startup program. The boss sent me in to fix it. I'll be done in a jif, Commander, and I promise I won't make all that much noise."

            "Yeah," the dragonfly Reploid's voice carried the essence of a grin. "Us soldiers need our beauty sleep before we head off to kill people." He started for one of the rechargers. "It's crap, Manolin. We came here to study the forest, but even here we gotta put up with this Maverick bullshit."

            "It is unfortunate," the scientist agreed, watching Yammark climb awkwardly into the capsule-shaped recharging bay. The dragonfly's hands were mere prongs, making it difficult for him to get a good grip. Therefore, he hovered in the air and gradually descended into the chamber. Manolin turned back to the computer screen. "Good luck tonight, my friend."

            "Thank you," the dragonfly replied, allowing his systems to submit to the recharger's programs. "We will end this as quickly as we can."

            "Yes," Manolin agreed quietly, after Yammark slipped into inactivity, "we will end this, as quickly as we can." It irked the scientist that the whole Maverick charade was still in effect. Tonight's target was Gate's illegal base, and they were going to wipe it off the face of the earth to prevent that scientist/politician from his own illegal activity. It wasn't right, Manolin knew. Gate had betrayed them all. He'd seen the evidence. It couldn't have been fabricated, could it? No, that man had been a believer, a true believer, and Manolin knew one of those when he saw one. That man had given him all the evidence he'd needed…and the means to fight back.

            He couldn't stop the air strikes. That he knew and accepted. But he could still stop Yammark from coordinating the ground attack, and that would complicate things, wouldn't it? It would be so easy, he thought, to kill the dragonfly in his sleep, right here, right now, and put a halt to the entire operation. But, no, he decided, killing wasn't his role. He was a scientist…a biologist. He studied life…he didn't destroy it. Reploids were not life forms per se, being mechanical in every way. Still, most people thought of them as being alive, Manolin included, though perhaps being a Reploid himself made him a bit biased. What was life, anyway? The state of awareness? If so, then he was as alive as any human. Was it something deeper? Did it matter? No, it did not, he decided, producing the Breaker's floppy disc and quickly inserting it into the proper drive. This was a safer method, one that would leave no ties to him personally. Yammark would not be able to fly, and that would effectively paralyze him. That was the plan, anyway. All he could do was play his role, which he did, opening a line to Yammark's CPU and calling up the contents of the disc. He'd studied the program to make damned sure he knew what it was. It wouldn't do to infect Yammark with the Maverick Virus. The Breaker hadn't lied, Manolin had learned—the disc contained a simple program that would block Yammark's flight capabilities until the proper counter virus was installed, and by then it would be too late, Manolin was sure. The scientist took a slow breath and uploaded the program, sending it through the recharging bay into Commander Yammark's vulnerable CPU, where it nestled itself away and waited for the Reploid's wings to get the command to start. That would be the virus's cue to take action, and Yammark would be grounded.

            Manolin let out his breath just as slowly as he'd taken it in, realizing that he'd done it, and no one had seen him. It was time to get away, he knew. He removed the floppy disc from the drive and casually slipped it back in the pocket of his lab coat. He'd destroy it as soon as he got back to his quarters, he knew. He couldn't keep anything that might tie him to this incident. Sure, Yammark might remember seeing him at the mainframe, but simple suspicion wasn't enough for an accusation, and Yammark would know it. Manolin was effectively safe from all repercussions.

            The scientist left the concrete building and looked out at the trees in the distance. The Fauna program would save them, he hoped. Somehow they would find a way to keep all those trees alive, and if that required extensive measures like this one, well, that was the price that had to be paid. Manolin and his colleagues still knew what was important…even if Gate didn't.

***

            He'd forgotten how great this was. The big tank hummed and came to life at Tetra's command, and the Reploid's command was a very skillful one at that. The former tank driver had quickly reoriented himself with the tank controls, and while he didn't dare to move the behemoth machine around inside this hangar, with all the other Maverick machines laying around, he knew it would function just fine when the time came. Satisfied, the new Maverick powered down the mobile monster and opened the top hatch.

            "You are able to manage?" Boomer Kuwangner rasped when Tetra disembarked.

            "It's a piece of cake!" the Reploid declared, brushing off his hands and grinning like a kid at Christmas. "It ain't like I forgot everything, y'know? It's really pretty simple when you get down to it."

            "I'm glad you are pleased," Kuwangner said in what passed for dryness. "Is it possible to train others…?"

            Tetra blinked. "Of course, partner, but…you got the other tanks?"

            "We will," Boomer replied simply. He looked to the row of Bee Bladers and the additional rows of mini-tanks and ride armors. "Our first objective is to attack the Megacity Army at their nearby base. Most of their assets will be gone," he added, noting the skepticism on Tetra's face. "They've donated most of their heavy artillery to the Hunters."

            "What about Alden Base?" Tetra pointed out. "They can send reinforcements."

            "We will plan for that," Kuwangner acknowledged. "However, at the moment we believe that Alden Base will not be a threat." That was thanks to Cassius, a Reploid Tetra didn't know. "They may have tanks left over."

            "Oh, jeez," Tetra observed. "You wanna pull a hit and run?"

            "Yes, I believe that is the phrase…only, we will 'run' in their own tanks, if we can. We need all the firepower we can get," the career Maverick pointed out.

            Tetra considered this and nodded. "If you've got a few guys, I can train them right now. That way, they can just jump aboard the tanks when the time comes. But, uh, can I just ask one question?"

            "Of course," Kuwangner responded absently, scanning the small crowd of Mavericks for the tank pilots he had in mind.

            "How exactly do you plan on defeating the Hunters?" Immediately he felt awkward. Kuwangner turned and fixed him with a curious look. "Well," Tetra went on, explaining himself, "you know, even with tanks and all that, the Hunters can give us a run for our money."

            The lanky stag beetle continued to stare before he remembered that he hadn't actually briefed Tetra on the full mission yet. This was worth a chuckle, a thoroughly horrible sound, Tetra thought, coming from this rasping insect Reploid. "The Maverick Hunters," Boomer explained, "have another engagement tonight. I do not expect that they will be out long, which is why we must strike fast…but yes," the Maverick nodded, and the curved blades on his head gleamed as they caught the ceiling lights, "we will have a brief time window when the Hunter Headquarters is very, very vulnerable."

            "I see," Tetra said, though he didn't really see. "You're going to knock on the door when you know that no one's home."

            "Something like that," Boomer acknowledged. He didn't know how Tetra felt about nuclear firepower, and so he couldn't go any further. Once the Buzzbombs flew from Gallagher, everything would hit Tetra at once, and that was when Kuwangner would see if the man was a true believer or not. If he was, then tanks would lead the assault on the ruined Hunter HQ. If not, well…that was why Tetra would be training others to pilot tanks tonight, Kuwangner thought with a cold inner smile. The Maverick located his prospective tank pilots and went off to speak to them, with Tetra in his wake. There were still these final preparations, Boomer knew, but he'd be getting the order soon enough. Then, finally, a full year of planning and the past few months of hard effort would pay off. It had been a long time since Kuwangner had been really enthusiastic about a plan's chance for success, but this time he felt particularly elated. Soon, he knew, Megacity 5 would run red with more than just blood. The thought was worth another blood curdling cackle.

____________________

            Even at its most active state, the Hunter army was a small one. They moved one unit at a time, the footmen approaching the proper site and then teleporting, and the vehicle pilots making their way to the roads that would lead them to their destination a few miles north. Winter was descending upon this sector of the world, and there were reports of a snowstorm coming in from the west. This news had not been appreciated by the Hunter command, but even the best of preparations could not thwart Mother Nature. Unit 8 was already in the Catskills, and the other units were now for the most part on the move. Units 17 and 0 led the pack, while Zion's Unit 20, Archer's Unit 5, and Mason's Unit 3 moved in as a big pack after them. Zegmann's Unit 15 already had its more important machines on the move, but the majority of the unit was still sitting inside Hunter HQ, waiting for the remnants of 20, 5, and 3 to finish their departure.

            There was always the chance that a Maverick in the city might see the Hunters setting out and report it to the Mavericks in Seraph Castle, but what could be done about that? The only thing the Hunters could do secretly was teleport their soldiers to the vicinity of the castle and hope that the Mavericks didn't have spy drones in the sky, or worse, a satellite in space. Vulcan and Rykov hurried with the rest of Unit 5's foot soldiers to the proper place for safe teleportation, both awaiting the thrill of combat before them, but at the same time hating to leave the safety of Hunter HQ behind them.

            "Man, I don't know what Krysta was bitching about," Rykov commented as they shuffled into place. "It just hit me now that people are gonna be shootin' at us…lots of people are gonna be shootin, Vulc."

            "Tell me about it," Vulcan replied, watching his squad mates as they took their turns, disappearing in colored streaks of light. The silver Reploid checked the pistol in his belt, the rifle in his hands, and the saber on his back. He'd done this a hundred times already, but he was never satisfied. His nightmare was arriving on the battlefield with less than he needed to properly compete, which would almost certainly get him killed.

            Rykov in turn triple checked his big chain gun, making sure that everything was in proper order. "This be it, I guess. Anything to say before heading out on the mission into hellfire and death?"

            "When did you become such a cynic?" Vulcan asked, vaguely alarmed.

            "Dunno, Vulcan, dunno…" He tried to smile, but appeared nervous nonetheless. "I really don't know. I did the quarry mission just fine…no jitters or nothin'. Now, though…" He struggled to find the right words. "I just don't know. Can't really explain it."

            "Something just feels…?"

            "Yeah," Rykov nodded. "Something's gonna go wrong."

            "Of course something will go wrong," Vulcan agreed, somewhat to Rykov's surprise. "Things always go wrong. That, however, is a problem for the commanders to worry about. Us guys, we just do what we're told to do. It doesn't matter why. It's not up to us to figure out the hard things, so…don't worry about them."

            "You're in the wrong profession, Vulc," Rykov observed as he began to activate his own teleporter.

            "Am I?" the silver Hunter asked, doing the same thing.

            "Yep." Rykov grinned as his outline shimmered in a bluish hue. "You were obviously built for philosophy."

            "Philosophy," Vulcan agreed, a silver hue surrounding his person. "Philosophy of death?"

            "Bulls eye," Rykov nodded. But death for which party? He didn't ask, as he teleported into the night sky, shortly followed by the streak of silver that was Vulcan. It was not, they both knew, something they should dwell on now, of all times.

____________________

            The Hunter airfield, too, was alive with activity. The Raven jets were taking off one by one. Raven 10's engines flared to life and it shot down the runway like a newly fired bullet, lifting off quickly and without incident. Its pilot tilted his mini jet a bit and began to circle the HQ airspace with the rest of the airborne Ravens, waiting until all their fellow pilots were in the air before heading off to Seraph Castle in one big group.

            Raven 11 taxied onto the runway and its pilot began takeoff procedures. Waiting his turn, Alec Tremont went over his preflight procedure one final time before starting his bird up. Raven 12 should be going ahead of him, he knew, but Raven 12 didn't exist anymore. Someone would pay for that, Alec promised himself, watching Raven 11's engines flare up in blue bursts of flame. Tonight they'd avenge Delgado and all the others who this batch of Mavericks had killed.

            A flashing light on his dashboard caught Alec's attention. The pilot of Raven 13 switched his radio to the proper station and was rewarded with the sound of his commander's voice.

            "Everything all right, Alec?"

            "Yes, sir," he responded to Commander James Taggart.

            "Good. I'll see you up there in a minute."

            "Roger, sir," Tremont replied with a smile, switching off the radio and moving Raven 13 onto the runway. Taggart himself was coming up in Raven 15 to lead the aerial attack. It was great for morale to have the air boss up with them, all the pilots thought. 11 Ravens were operational, with one destroyed and three down for maintenance, but 11 should be enough. All they were going to do was take out as many of Seraph Castle's external defenses as they could before setting up a perimeter around the area and watching for Buzzbombs in flight…assuming they'd be in flight. There was always the chance that a Maverick would carry a warhead in a box, or something, but it was up to base security to guard against that.

            Alec switched on his engines and felt himself pushed back into his seat as his small jet gained speed. He pulled up gently and entered the air, leaving Hunter Headquarters behind him. Again, he was in his element, and he loved it. Tonight it was even better, he thought. Tonight he had a mission, a real mission, and he could shoot back this time.

            "You're dead, you bastards," he whispered, remembering Carlos Delgado going up in a fireball. Alec tilted his jet properly and flew carefully around the city, waiting for the order to congregate and head out to the Catskills.

            It was a little harder for Jimmy Taggart. He hadn't been in a plane for a while, and despite his enthusiasm it took a while to reacquaint himself with everything. He was confident, though, when he started his engines and headed down the runway. He knew his job, and he knew that he had the right people to pull the job off. It was up to everyone else to finish the job, and that was what worried Taggart the most. If the Hunters were too slow in defeating Seraph Castle, the Mavericks might get a Buzzbomb in the air. Then, it would be up to Taggart's crew to shoot it down, and if they failed…if they failed, the blood of hundreds would be on their hands. No, Taggart knew, they wouldn't fail, if nothing else because they couldn't. Much more than their lives were at stake this time.

***

            It was like stepping into the past. The inside of the ship reminded him so very much of his old baby, his pride and joy. He wondered vaguely if any of these parts were recycled from that now defunct airship. Perhaps, he decided, but not likely. That had been years ago, after all. Still, everything about Gallagher, inside and out, reminded Storm Eagle of his Death Rogumer, and the avian's longing for his old ship was almost too much to bear.

            "Something wrong?" a shorter Maverick asked of the tall, majestic, cerulean armored eagle.

            "Just memories," the nostalgic Maverick said to his comrade, a bulky Reploid patterned after a beetle. He was encased in deep, thick blue armor that curved out around his face and upwards, forming a large upturned snout of sorts that bore a twin set of blades at the end. This was a digger beetle, after all, and what good was a digger without his digging tools?

            "Is it always like this before a battle?" Gravity Beetle asked, looking at the Mavericks bustling around inside the ship, making their final preparations. He had only participated in one major battle: his defense of the Doppler Town airfield. That mission had cost him his life, but his brother Boomer Kuwangner had pieced him back together after the third uprising died down, and they'd both sat out of the fourth uprising, unwilling to put their lives on the line again just yet. It was said that Gravity was the only one Boomer got along with, and vice versa. Storm Eagle certainly didn't get along with Boomer. The creepy Maverick chilled the eagle whenever he talked. Gravity wasn't hard to like, though, so long as you were fighting on his side. Storm had seen Gravity mete out severe judgment to many a Hunter unfortunate enough to find himself in front of Gravity's blade.

            "Generally," Storm affirmed, remembering the nervous preparations that had preceded the Blackstar smuggling operation. He hadn't taken part in the one, but he'd sat in on the planning. The Team, as they were still called, trusted Storm's intellect, and often asked his opinion before going ahead with their plans. It vaguely surprised Storm that they didn't consult Cyber Peacock all that often. Perhaps that bird was just too devious for them?

            Gravity Beetle watched the Maverick soldiers fill the ship. There would be no spare room to move around in, for sure. At least they were in the command center instead of the cargo bay where most of the soldiers would be crammed. In addition to being a deliverer of Buzzbombs, Gallagher would also transport Maverick reinforcements to aid Boomer Kuwangner on the ground. Gravity Beetle and Storm Owl would help coordinate things on the ground and in the air, giving Boomer the help he'd need to manage so many troops. Gredam would command the whole operation from Gallagher's confines, at least until it was safe for him to come down. But the Commander wasn't here yet, Gravity realized. What was taking him so long? They didn't have all that much time left. In a few hours, Gallagher would be powered up for its first mission, and what a mission it would be! Gravity felt himself getting excited. Finally, he thought, he would get revenge on the Hunters who'd caused his destruction all those years ago. He would make the humans pay for what they'd done to the Reploid race. It was amazing how much power those little warheads had brought them, Gravity realized. Before the Buzzbombs, they were little more than thorns in society's side. Now, they were a real menace, and might actually succeed this time.

            Both Mavericks looked up when three new Reploids entered the control room. Revolver, the main pilot, grinned easily at the both of them as he headed towards his personal control panel to make the final system checks. He was flanked as usual by Chuck, the goofy looking woodchuck who was in reality far more dangerous than he appeared to be; and Barrier Greenback, the odd but curiously well-liked frog who had been responsible for the warhead activation on the Buzzbombs. It struck Gravity and Storm as odd that these technicians would be going on an actual mission, but they had constructed the ship, hadn't they? Who knew it better than they? Who could do a better job repairing the thing in midair, if it came to that? Yes, Revolver, Chuck, and Greenback were valuable members of this elite Maverick force, and they would be held in just as high regard as the fighters.

            "Greenback cannot wait," the frog said after hopping over to Gravity's side. "Greenback has worked forever on this big sky boat, and now Greenback gets to see it fly!"

            "More than that," Gravity pointed out, conversing easily with the amphibious Reploid. "You get to fly with it."

            Greenback bobbed his big, bulbous head enthusiastically. "Greenback is not sure he likes this new plan, though. Perhaps it was a better plan to just attack the Hunters when they were further away?"

            "I don't think so," Storm Eagle piped up. "We stand a much better chance of getting in place now than we would have if the Hunter Headquarters was still heavily guarded. We can still attack them as we pass, though."

            "The looks on their faces…!" Greenback was literally bouncing with anticipation. "Greenback can't wait to see the looks! Their stomachs will sink to their boots!"

            "Yeah, I suppose that will kick ass, won't it?" Gravity Beetle agreed. "Remind me to be near a window when we pass."

            Storm grinned with the rest of them but didn't allow himself to get all that lighthearted. In truth, he wished that they still had more time. This was half because he worried that Gallagher had been completed too quickly without time for proper testing, and partly because, he admitted to himself, he was still leery about using nuclear weapons to achieve his goals. The Mavericks had destroyed many a building in their day, but they'd never done something this destructive before, and it was a big, black line to cross. Once they did, they'd be hunted down like dogs by freedom loving humans everywhere. That was what Brazil was for, he reminded himself, but Brazil wasn't completed yet, and their mission began tonight. Too fast, he knew, it had all come together too fast. But what could they do about it? The Hunters were on their way, as the last intelligence report said. In a matter of hours, this whole area would turn into a battlefield. Would they be ready?

            And so, as Barrier Greenback and Gravity Beetle talked and laughed, Storm Eagle just stared up at the ceiling, wondering what fate awaited them tonight. The first strikes from the Hunters would be coming shortly, probably before the main artillery showed up. It wasn't his problem, he told himself. His problem was getting to Megacity 5 and making sure that no Hunter allies interfered via the sky. He could do that, he told himself. He could do that until he figured out how the battle would end, and then he could escape if he had to. He didn't like the idea of leaving his comrades, but he liked the thought of deactivation less. It had happened once, at X's hands, and he had no desire to repeat that episode. He'd just have to wait and see, he told himself, as Revolver powered up his new airship.

____________________

            "So…"

            "So…"

            "So…"

            The control room of Seraph Castle was fairly devoid of activity. The only one who needed computer access was Cyber Peacock, and he was managing internal base defenses from another room. Bit and Byte would be activating the castle's outer defenses now. That left four occupants in the room, standing in a cluster near the door. None were comfortable, and none bothered to hide it. This was the moment they'd waited for, the moment they'd spent a full year planning for, and yet now that it was here they wished it hadn't come.

            "This is it, then," Mortar said finally, looking up at Gredam, Malevex, and Teytha.

            "Indeed it is," Gredam agreed with forced enthusiasm. "We've done everything we can do. Now, finally, it's time to finish all this." He referred to more than just their year of Maverick employment. If they succeeded tonight, it would add closure to the greatest crime of the past, and that would provide them with the safety they wanted more than anything. After this night, they could all disappear. After this night, everything would change for the better.

            Still, the mission depended on on-site command, and that meant that someone had to lead the troops in Megacity 5. Gredam was the best man for that. Everyone knew him, and everyone trusted him. Malevex was better at site defense than battle tactics, anyway, and Teytha really wanted no part in this battle and they all knew it. Mortar, renovated though was, was still rusty as far as combat went, and would be better suited in the defense of Seraph Castle. So, Gredam would depart from the comrades he'd fought for and with all his life to embark on the most dangerous mission of his career. It was a goodbye that no one wanted to say, despite Gredam's reassurances that he'd teleport home if things fell apart.

            Malevex knew better. Gredam was a commander by nature. He'd stick with his men to the very end, no matter how badly things fell apart. Chances were fifty/fifty they'd never see each other again. True, that was hardly unusual, but the reality of impending doom for another good friend was not good for morale. Malevex had seen too many comrades die just before accomplishing their greatest mission. Gredam of all people knew how to take care of himself, but Malevex still sorely hoped that the man didn't get too attached to his soldiers, dishonorable as it sounded.

            Most of the moment had passed, and the time for speeches was over. It was time to begin their mission. Mortar stepped forward and shook Gredam's hand, looking up into the powerfully built Reploid's eyes and smiling with the calm confidence he'd displayed during their years as Terrornova grunts. "You know what to do," he said simply.

            Gredam nodded with his own confident grin, conveying his dedication through his eyes. Mortar saw it and knew then and there that this man had no qualms about anything he was about to do. He'd end this, he'd end all of this for them. The old Reploid nodded back and walked out the door, pacing down the hallway in quiet contemplation.

            Teytha was a bit unsure of herself. Gredam had helped her in so many ways, and she had never been very good at goodbyes. She walked up to her comrade and embraced him, hoping to convey with that what she doubted she could convey with words. "Thanks," she said, just in case. "For everything."

            Gredam smiled and ruffled her hair a bit. "Just don't get yourself hurt before I come home."

            "Right," she nodded, smiling as she, too, headed for the door. "See you soon."

            "Yeah," he agreed, once more with a confident grin to reassure his notoriously nervous friend as she departed. Then he looked towards Malevex and the grin died. "Too fast, man."

            "I know," the dark Maverick agreed quietly. "But there's nothing we can do about it. We've done our best up till now, Gredam. Now it all rides on you."

            "Not so," the camouflaged bot pointed out. "You're in charge of Seraph Castle. You have to keep the Hunters out of here until I get back."

            "I doubt that many Hunters will stick around."

            "We do have Zero," Gredam reminded him. "X may try something desperate. Watch your back, Malevex."

            "Zero…" He linked his fingers behind his head. "Ah, Zero. He responded rather well to my anecdotes. I think I might be getting through to him."

            "You hoping he'll think twice before attacking us?"

            "Nope." Malevex shook his head. "I doubt much of anything will stop him from attacking us, what with the Buzzbombs and all. But at the very least he'll have nightmares about it afterwards. He had one recently, you know? Kind of sad, really. A proud Reploid like that, humbled by some subconscious foe."

            "I know how he feels," Gredam said, nearly in a whisper, remembering the battle with Chartreuse in the Chancellor District. "No matter how strong you are, you can't escape your own mind." Malevex absorbed that. Gredam glanced around, almost nervously. "He asked for you."

            "Did he?" The haste was surprising. Malevex figured that he'd have wanted Zero to stew a little longer before this confrontation. "How long?"

            "Not very long ago." Gredam smiled sympathetically. "Just go in and do your thing, and leave when they start screaming at each other. All you have to handle are the introductions."

            "I'm bad at introductions," the dark Maverick pointed out. "I'm better at making people disappear than the other way around."

            "Adapt to the circumstances. You've never had a problem with that. Well, I can think of one thing," he added with a half grin, looking to the door where Teytha had just exited.

            Malevex blinked, a bit taken aback. "Wha…whoa, whoa—"

            His friend grinned. "Really, Malevex, it's hard to catch you off guard, but when it happens, it's great. Don't you think your dreary life would be improved by a little romance?" He had to laugh at the embarrassed look on Malevex's face. "At least take care of her, got it? And take care of yourself. She depends on you more than she does on the rest of us, even Mortar. If you get yourself killed, she may well choose to die right there with you. I can't always be around to cover your ass," he added with a friendly smirk.

            His comrade responded with an indignant hands-on-hips pose and an overly haughty facial expression. "I don't need a babysitter, thank you very much. I'll defend this castle without error! Assuming everything goes according to plan," he added, deflating.

            "Yeah," Gredam agreed with a somber nod. "Nothing ever goes according to plan. So, watch your back."

            "You too, man. It's a hostile place you're going to."

            They approached and shook hands, two friends committing themselves to a mission and to whatever fate had in store for them. Neither much liked fate, but both figured there wasn't much they could do to defeat her.

            Gredam saluted in the Hunter manner; a simple straightened back and a stomped foot. Malevex returned the gesture, one they used to do all the time. Now, though, while they conveyed respect for each other, the salute was a grim foreshadow of the vengeance that was to come upon the Maverick Hunters during the next few hours. Both Mavericks left the room together. Gredam started in the direction of Revolver's garage, where Gallagher was still boarding passengers and equipment. He'd done all he could, the camouflaged Reploid decided. The rest was up to Bit and Byte, who had managed security from the very beginning. Malevex, Teytha, and Mortar would do their best if things went wrong, but Gredam had the feeling that they'd avoid fatal situations—otherwise known as combat—if they could help it. Then there was 'him'…but Gredam doubted that last one would do much of anything until everything else fell apart. The acting commander of the Maverick forces entered Revolver's garage and beheld the assembled Maverick soldiers, all of whom were armed and ready for their field trip to Megacity 5. It was time, he knew. Finally, at long last, they were headed off to war, a war that would seal the wounds of the past in the most dramatic manner Gredam could think of. He pictured Peter Thornton, impaled on the lightsaber Gredam carried but never really used. Thornton had been maimed, mutilated, and left in a pool of his own blood…

            …And he was the lucky one, Gredam thought, looking at the Buzzbomb launchers under Gallagher's wings.

____________________

            It was harder for Malevex. Gredam was heading off to war, something that Malevex understood and did well at. He, on the other hand, was stuck inside this base with nothing to do but wait, something he'd never gotten accustomed to doing. He had things to do, he reminded himself. He just didn't want to do them.

            Just like right now, he reflected, heading down the hallways of Seraph Castle towards a destination he now knew very well. Despite the confidence he'd displayed when talking to Zero before, Malevex would in truth rather be facing a horde of Hunters rather than sit alone in a room with that crimson devil, behind bars or not. He might have confused Zero's motives, he thought, and maybe if the Hunter got away he might be satisfied with just killing Malevex, the head of the snake, and letting the body, Teytha and Mortar, slither away. It was wishful thinking, he thought, but wishes were granted sometimes. He'd escaped from Chartreuse all those years ago, hadn't he?

            He approached the door and inputted the code he alone knew…well, Gredam knew it, and so did one other, but Teytha and Mortar hadn't even wanted to know, and Malevex didn't trust anyone else with the code. His worst fear still remained to be Zero's escape. His lightsaber had been confiscated, of course, but many Mavericks who would be staying behind to guard Seraph Castle carried lightsabers, and all Zero needed was one of them and he could start wrecking havoc.

            With this happy thought, the door whooshed open and Malevex walked inside. Zero was sitting quietly, head down, obviously in some kind of deep thought. Or perhaps he was merely bored, Malevex thought as the door closed behind him. The dark Maverick walked across the room to an archive of interrogation manuals, among other things, and pretended to be looking for something. While shuffling through the documents, he reached to the back of the shelf and thumbed a switch. There was nothing for Zero to lock onto, but the person at the other end got the signal.

            Malevex took a handful of papers and recovered his pipe from the spot on the shelf where he'd left it last time. He moved over to a chair facing away from Zero's cage and had just sat down when the Hunter spoke without moving his head, somewhat to the Maverick's surprise.

            "Where did you get it?"

            Malevex blinked, but sat down as casually as he could while answering in a perplexed tone that was only half faked. "Get what?"

            "Your pipe," Zero explained after a few unnecessary seconds of silence that unnerved the Maverick. "I'm no expert, but it doesn't look like it's from around here."

            "Well, it's not from around here," Malevex agreed, examining the carved wooden device. "But it's not all that distinctive from any others, I don't think."

            A few more seconds of silence. Then: "Where did you get it?"

            "Oh, yes," the Maverick said absently, pretending to flip through the papers, wishing the steel door in the back of the room would open faster. "Yekaterinberg."

            "Yeka what?"

            "Yekaterinberg. A nice place, that." A small, distant grin appeared on the Maverick's face. Zero couldn't see it but he could vaguely hear it in the man's voice. "It's in north central Russia. I come from the Semyonov "Auratech" Robotics plant near Gorkiy…they invented the 'Vanguard' Reploid model. Mine was one of the early designs. They shipped me out of there—the European Commonwealth—into the Megacity System almost immediately, and the rest is history."

            "Who knew?" Zero remarked emotionlessly, still staring at the floor. In truth he really was bored out of his mind, and any conversation, even with this future mass murderer, was worth his time. The way he saw it, Malevex was just as uncomfortable speaking as he was, and if he could make the bastard sweat…why not? "You don't even carry an accent."

            "Not many Reploids choose to," he pointed out, still leafing through files. "Not the spies, at any rate."

            "Hmm." Zero conceded that point. "When did you go to Yekaterinberg, then?"

            "Years ago. On business," the Maverick added simply.

            "…What kind of 'business'?"

            "You don't want to know," Malevex answered, in a tone that left no doubt.

            Zero left it at that, somewhat surprised that Terrornova had even operated outside the Megacity System. Most of Russia and the surrounding areas were part of the European Commonwealth, a smaller but more militarily powerful group of nations that had opted to retain their national identities rather than integrate themselves into the Megacity System. Generally, and especially lately, diplomatic relations between the System and the Commonwealth were strained to say the least. A program like this operating out of the System's borders was…well, a bit creepy, Zero admitted.

            They were quiet for approximately two minutes before Zero found something else to talk about. "Well, Mr. Russian, sir…why exactly did you go through all the trouble of bringing me back here? I'd think it would have made more sense to snipe me to death on the street back there."

            "You and me both," the Maverick agreed in a monotone. "No, Zero, it's been decided that you're a VIP, and shall be treated as such. Well, except for the whole prison thing. Space limitations, and all that."

            "'Decided'?" the Hunter echoed. "But by who? Don't you guys decide everything?"

            "Wouldn't it be nice?" Malevex responded in a tone that wasn't easy to interpret.

            At this Zero's head raised and he chuckled lightly. "I don't believe it. So even after all this, even after killing Sigma in your secret coup and taking hold of the Maverick army, you guys are still taking orders from a third party? How in the world do you ever expect to get this freedom you say you want?"

            Malevex set both the pipe and the files down on a nearby table and swerved his chair to face Zero. "Really, Zero, you of all people must know that in all things there is a chain of command. When people think of the Hunter leadership, they picture you and X, not Cain and Signas. It is the same with us."

            "What, then?" the Hunter persisted, thinking he might finally be on the way to an actual answer. "You represent someone outside the Mavericks who wants to take control?" The Gold Serpent, perhaps? It had been a while since Zero had thought of him. Was that what this was all about? The Serpent, or someone like him, extending their hold to the Maverick army?

            But Malevex was laughing. "No, no, you're reading too far into this! It's so much simpler than that, almost even uncreative. There will be no big surprises for you, Hunter." At Zero's continued confusion, however, Malevex sighed and went on. "Perhaps, Zero, you need more time to think this through. I'd think that after all this time, you would have pieced everything together, but it seems that you still haven't memorized the behavioral patterns of certain individuals. The master plan here isn't a hard one to unveil. All you need to do is try."

            "I can help him there," said a new voice, and immediately afterwards the air in the room just crashed.

            While both Reploids had been talking, the steel door in the back of the interrogation room had quietly opened to admit the room's new occupant. He was still standing in the shadowy corner, but enough of his figure was visible that Zero identified him instantly. The Hunter stared with an expression of annoyance, frustration, confusion, and general hatred. The sight amused the newcomer, for he chuckled lightly as he slowly and purposefully strode towards the front of the room. Malevex stood and wordlessly stepped to the side, hiding himself in the shadows his superior officer had just emerged from.

            "I should have known," Zero whispered, shaking his head in somewhat of a daze. "I should have known… Don't you ever just give up?!"

            "Now, now, Zero," Commander Sigma replied neutrally, "that would be a defeatist attitude." His cold eyes narrowed, and his lips curled up in a smug smirk. "I think we all know that I'm just about the most persistent bastard in the world. How could I just quit? Why, what would mother think?"

            "You died!" Zero jumped to his feet and pointed an accusing finger at Sigma. "You died inside Final Weapon, and you died again in the quarry…they killed you!" He pointed to Malevex, who was still quietly leaning on a wall, cloaked for the most part in shadows.

            "Yes," Sigma agreed. "They killed me. My friend Malevex here shot me right in the forehead. A nice shot," he added, nodding respectfully to his underling, who nodded back, somewhat awkwardly. In truth, the dark Maverick was more than a little uncomfortable. Sigma was known and feared for his ego, and part of the plan or not, it had been Malevex who'd pulled that trigger, and if Sigma wanted to take someone out for killing him, Malevex would be the first one down.

            It seemed that those rumors were not true, however, and the greatest Maverick general looked back at Zero with a casual smile. "They killed me, and your guard dropped. Sure, you declared a Red Climate, but what good did that do you? You still were lax on the security, all because I was dead." His voice was spiteful, and he saw that Zero was more than a little embarrassed by this hard truth. "I was dead," he went on in a voice filled with gleeful venom, "and you assumed that all was well. While you beat around the bush and ignored Seraph Castle's presence, my Mavericks stole nuclear weapons, right under your noses! And you know the best part, Zero? It could happen again!" He laughed cruelly, seeing his enemy deflate at the verbal blow. "You Hunters will never learn from your mistakes! Sure, you've stopped me in the past, but I learn from every mistake I make, and who will deny that each of my attacks grow increasingly more deadly? I have nukes, for God's sake!" The Maverick King thrust out his arms, pushing his cape aside and displaying his new body. It was, for the most part, the first Sigma, with jade green armor and a long cape that was black this time, rather than red…virtually the same Sigma Zero had seen in his dream, and that was enough to force the Hunter to sit down.

            "Is something wrong?" Sigma asked with mocking sweetness. "Is the poor Hunter a little overwhelmed by his own stupidity? A pity. I'd think you'd be used to it by now." Zero's head began to slowly rise, knowing where Sigma was headed and starting to lose it. Sigma, encouraged, smiled and plunged onward into his scathing speech. "You set Dr. Doppler up in a virtual fortress nation, and gave him all the security guards in the world to preserve his 'Utopia' while I merely infected his systems and made the obvious move, spreading my Virus across the globe. You fools gave me the perfect base! But, of course, you managed to break inside. I managed, however, to put myself in the position I needed to be in. I was this close, Zero, this close! You interfered with my revenge," he said, leveling one of his jade armored arms in Zero's direction. "I had X at my mercy. He would have been my new host, and with that fool's help I would destroy all the Hunters. But you!" His voice was acidic. "You dealt with that double timing Doppler and attacked me with that countervirus…I bet it was a real thrill, wasn't it? I swore revenge on both of you that day…but it turns out that I didn't need to waste much effort on that endeavor. You did pretty well without my help." More laughter.

            Zero's head came up sharply, and his body tensed like a coiling rattlesnake. He was powerless behind these bars, but his mind wasn't registering that at the moment. All he saw was this devil in front of him, and he was about to open the big black door that Zero hadn't ever been able to go through, even after all this time, and now he was going to have to—

            "Was it a thrill then, too?" Sigma asked, suddenly low and monotonous. "Was it a thrill when you dismembered your Repliforce friends? When your sword lanced through Colonel's torso, did you relish his scream?"

            Zero shot to his feet, eyes wide and ablaze with hatred. Sigma just laughed at the sight and went on, hands on his hips and a huge grin on his face.

            "And Iris, Zero? What about her screams? She had a good one, I think. I heard it from my post, deep in the belly of Final Weapon. I didn't even have to interfere once! You got revenge on yourself for me! You're nothing but a murderer, Hunter, no better or worse than I am, and that revelation—which you must know—is greater than any death I could inflict on you!"

            Zero flew at the Maverick, his vision clouded in red, his mind registering only one thought: kill. Gradually he heard Iris's scream break through his rage, that long, agonized wail that Sigma had spoken of, and this only intensified his fury. He slammed into the bars and his left arm shot through, stretching out for the Maverick King, who merely stepped backwards, laughing with real humor at the pathetic sight. Immediately the bars came to life, sending large amounts of electricity through Zero's body. The charge had been carefully calculated not to kill, but to simply cause pain, and at first Zero's fury prevented him from noticing, but no Reploid could take this for long. In a few seconds Zero's outstretched claw wavered and fell, and he recoiled back from the bars with a sudden agonized howl, falling back against the crude bed and laying there awkwardly, shuddering and sparking, while Sigma continued to roar with laughter.

            Malevex jumped when Zero hit the bars. The Maverick's eyes widened, fixed on the scene, which rather horrified the former assassin. Still, he hadn't been able to look away, and his face bore a mixture of emotions as Zero's cry split the air and resonated through Malevex's head. Memories of similar devices sprang into action, and when it was over he was able to snap his head away, pressing himself against the wall he leaned on. He broke out in a cold sweat and found that he was shivering slightly, though he was too stunned by the moment to be ashamed. What power was in those bars, he wondered? Were they akin to the Surgers that had plagued him in his youth? It certainly appeared that way. No one deserved that, the Maverick told himself, not even this crimson killer. He continued to look away as Sigma got control of his laughter, praying that no one would look at him, hoping he wouldn't have to explain why he sympathized with a Hunter.

            "Yes, Zero," Sigma said to the shuddering Hunter, still gleeful, still scathing. "You failed to save your friends, and then you failed to destroy me, the one who put everything in motion. I escaped Final Weapon in a body unfit for combat. I had to occupy a new one, you know. So, I fashioned this body, making it similar to my birth form. Old ways work best, you know. Then, I thought, what better way to occupy it than to make it a public display? Lower Hunter awareness while my colleagues completed their mission! Yes, you failed there, too, Zero. You haven't learned, even after all your murders and sacrifices, and now you'll pay for it."

            "They're coming," Zero rasped, raising his head and speaking weakly to the hateful Maverick. "They're coming, and they'll kill you, and they'll kill your colleagues, just like all those other times…" He inhaled a few times, regaining his strength. "You're a failure, Sigma! You call me a failure, but you're no better! You'll fail at this, just like you fail at everything else!"

            "My dear Hunter," Sigma said, again low and calculating, "I'm afraid you don't quite understand the situation." He punched his fist into his palm, rubbing his knuckles and smiling coldly. He'd waited months for this confrontation, and he would relish every moment of it. "The Hunters are indeed coming. However, they will never make it to Seraph Castle. They will soon find that they have more…pressing business to attend to. In the meantime, you and I will have a little chat."

            "I have nothing to say to you," Zero spat with finality.

            "Sure you do," Sigma would not be discouraged. "You just don't know it yet." He turned towards the regular door that Malevex had used to enter, standing tall and proud. "I don't need to hide anymore. Let it be known, Malevex, that Sigma has returned! While my death boosted Hunter morale, word of my life will destroy it!"

            "Yes, Commander." Malevex was surprised that he'd kept his voice that neutral. He forced himself to start moving, walking as casually as he could past the bars without turning to look at Zero. He punched in a code on the door and it whisked open. A second later the door closed and Malevex was gone.

            Sigma turned back to Zero and let out a satisfied breath. "It's all in order, Zero. The master plan he spoke of is coming together as we speak."

            "It will never work," Zero insisted, forgetting already his pledge not to say anything.

            "Says you." The Maverick King was smug as ever. "I'll be sure to give you live updates as the plan proceeds. It'll all happen tonight, Hunter." He turned to leave, striding back to the steel door he'd entered through, his black cape flapping behind him and melting into the shadows with the rest of him. "Tonight, Zero," he said, turning his head. "Tonight, the world as you know it will change forever." Then he, too, was gone, leaving Zero to once again drown in his personal pool of dread.