Aya: Aya Brea Productions proudly presents: Gate.
*spotlight*
Gate: *enters* Hello fans! I'm making my Aya Fic debut here in chapter 2!
X and Zero: *Glare*
Aya: No worries guys, he won't steal the spotlight from y'all! :)
Skew Universe
Chapter 2: The Other Me?
X rematerialized in a large laboratory. The steady hum of machinery permeated the room. Two people stood across the room from X, one of them he recognized as Zero, and the other—whom X did not recognize—was dressed in a long white lab coat. The stranger was the first to realize X and the guard's arrival. At the sight of X the stranger's violet eyes went wide.
"Why… you are the splitting image of Commander X." The stranger gasped. Zero, who had been looking into a stasis pod when X arrived, now turned his head up to study X. While he did show some sign of surprise, he hid it better than his colleague.
"Un-cuff him." Zero ordered, and the guard complied. "Guard the door outside." X rubbed his wrists slightly and watched the guard leave the room. "So, you're the one who is impersonating X." Zero's blue eyes studied X darkly. "You really had me worried. I thought X jumped out of the stasis pod and was out wandering by himself…." Zero's eyes narrowed. "Now tell me who you are."
"I am X." The blue Hunter took a moment to study Zero. X knew he could be cold at times, but the Zero standing in front of him had a different chill. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"Joke? JOKE?" The Red Hunter started to laugh, then abruptly ended that with a frown. "If I weren't looking at X right now, I would fall for your little joke." Both the scientist's and Zero's attention turned towards the pod. From where X stood, he couldn't see inside the pod very well, so he moved forwards to get a better view.
What began as a soft whisper grew louder and louder as X approached the pod. No one else seemed to notice the voices. Is it only in my head? He could see the body inside the pod better as he got closer. X gasped as he saw his double sleeping inside. Oh my god…
"Zero…" A muffled voice came from inside the pod. X's double was speaking.
"X?!" Zero pressed up against the glass hopefully. "Gate, what's happening?" The scientist snapped out of his shock induced pause and toggled some switches on the pod. "X, open your eyes! Can you hear me?"
"Zero… it's good to hear your voice again." X could see his double's eyes opening as he spoke. "It's hard… to stay awake…"
"Gate, do something!" Zero barked.
X wrapped his hands around his arms as the room grew colder and the whispers in his head began to overwhelm his other senses. So tired. His body started to shiver from the cold. What's happening to me? Even thinking to himself was getting difficult over the alien whispers inside his head.
"It's hard… to stay awake…" Both X and his double inside the pod said simultaneously. With a loud metallic thud, X landed on his hands and knees, breathing raggedly. "Sorry, Zero." They said in sync again. Abruptly, the whispers stopped and X felt normal again. He pushed himself off the floor and met the bewildered looking Gate and Zero.
X noticed the one lying in the pod had closed his eyes again. He must be back in the coma.
"What was that?" Zero demanded as he marched up to X. "What did you do to X?"
"I didn't do anything." X stepped back from Zero's intense glare. "I don't know what's going on either."
"Guards!" Zero yelled as he gritted his teeth. A guard entered the room, followed by two other underlings. "Take him to an isolated cell. I will deal with him later." The guard bent X's hands to his back. Cold steel alloy clapped against X's wrist, but X was too busy shaking his head at Zero to notice.
"Hey! I want to know what's going on! You can't just drag me away!" X bend down and head butted the guard to his left, followed by a kick to fall the guard to his right. The third guard, surprised by the sudden attack, froze in place, giving X plenty of time to turn around and stomp on the guard's foot. The determined Reploid turned around to demand some more answers from Zero, only to meet the icy blue eyes inches from his face.
"I said I will deal with you later." X felt Zero's X-buster dig in his stomach emphatically. "I will personally take you down there if that's what it takes." The guards grumbled some choice words as they got up. Roughly they dragged X out of the room.
"What do you make of what just happened?" Zero asked when the guards left the room. Gate scratched his chin, deep in thought.
"This fake X's presence seems to have affected Commander X's coma. For a moment there, Commander X's readings were normal." Gate pressed a few more buttons on the screen. "I'd say that whoever this guy claims to be, it's definitely worth keeping him around."
"I agree." Zero sighed and walked over to the pod and rested his head on the glass. Strands of his long golden hair shifted from his shoulder to the glass as he closed his eyes. "X, there's hope for you yet. I'll get you back. I promise."
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The cell the guards dragged X into was cramped and dark. It was a cell with a steel door and a sliding opening at eyelevel and on the bottom, probably for meals for human prisoners. X never recalled seeing any cell like this a Maverick HQ. "At least they should turn on the lights a bit." X snorted as he sat down in the windowless cell. The air was murky from the lack of circulation, so X scrunched his nose, and turned his sense of smell down a couple of notches.
Without anything to do inside the cell, X laid down on the floor for a nap. I'm more tired than I thought. He let his arms and legs relax, then immediately slipped into a dream. Most of the images in the dream were blurry, but X could make out at least the figures.
"Are they dead?" X asked. Zero bent over the bodies of two Reploids, sprawled on the floor in an awkward pose.
"Yeah." Zero got up again and crossed his arms. "They're quite dead."
"Let's go." X turned to leave.
"X?" Zero asked, then looked like he half regretted it.
"What is it, Zero?" X looked over his shoulder at the Red Hunter.
Zero hesitated for a moment, and finally asked: "Did we have to kill them?"
X cocked his head slightly, and then started walking towards Zero. He looked down at the Red Hunter. "Zero…" X brushed Zero's lips with his fingertips, then leaned in for a kiss. He kissed Zero slowly, deliberately. It was a macabre scene, for only meters away from them were the still smoldering bodies of the dead Reploids. X finally pulled back and smiled sweetly at Zero. "I'm sorry." He pulled Zero in an embrace and sighed. "It's just the way we have to live."
The sound of the cell door opening rattled X from his dream. The blue Reploid sat up in time to see Zero stepping into the cell.
"I guess for now I'll call you 'Copy'…" Zero said as the door closed with a bang behind him. "So tell me what you think is going on."
"I already told you I have no idea what's going on." X sounded slightly annoyed. "You've locked me up without even processing the proper paperwork! I should be asking you what's going on."
"Processing? Well, one things for sure, you are missing some memories." Zero leaned against the nearest wall. "We don't do processing. We just lock up the bad guys, and you call yourself a Maverick Hunter?" X stood up at the latest insult.
"I am a Maverick Hunter! I'm X, class B, Leader of the 17th unit. I don't know who that other one is in the pod, but I know I'm me!"
At the mention of the other X, Zero rushed the smaller Reploid, who tried to back away but eventually found the confining walls prevented his escape. Zero boxed X into a wall and looked down angrily at the Blue Hunter.
"'That other one' happens to be X, class A, Leader of the Maverick Hunters. He is the only X I will acknowledge, Copy." Zero looked like he just realized something new. "Hey… you're shorter."
"What?" X said, slightly nervous.
"You're shorter than me." Zero took a step back to make sure. "Other than that, you look exactly like X."
X decided to give up trying to convince Zero he was the real X and just stayed silent. Hey, now that he mentioned it… my dream. The X in my dream is taller than Zero, and I don't remember any of those things happening in real life… X thought of the whispers in his head, and then of his strange synchronized speech with the other X. Could my dream be part of his memory?
Zero brushed his fingers against X's lips. Surprised by the touch and the similarity this had with the dream he just had, X jolted slightly. "Copy…" Zero's voice lingered on the word. Their lips met, and X allowed himself to be lost in Zero's sensual kiss. The blue Reploid closed his eyes and breathed in Zero's familiar scent when his lips parted.
"Wait…" X suddenly pulled back and looked away. Something's not right about this Zero. He thought to himself. That strange feeling about this Zero. Something's off.
"Hm?" Zero leaned in further, nudging X's nose with his own. "What's wrong?"
X looked up momentarily, and caught a strange look in Zero's eyes. "I… you…" He looked away again, unable to explain his feelings to Zero. Everything is wrong about this place. This is not my Zero. I wish he would take a step back…
"Are you being shy?" Zero laughed softy when X did not answer. "You are different from X…" Gloved hands brought X's chin up. "But you are somehow the key to bring him back. You will be a guest here until we revive X. I should apologize that this will probably not be a fun experience for you. Not fun at all." He paused for a moment, enjoying the surprised look on X's face. "Guards!" This time, five Hunters entered. "Take our Copy to the lab. Gate wants to see him." The five guards surrounded X. The Blue Hunter fought off the first of the Hunters, but the other four managed to get good grips on X and picked him up off the ground. X trashed wildly, but the four Hunters grips held tightly.
"Zero!" X looked at Zero, fear reflected from his wide eyes. "Zero! No! What are you going to do with me! Let me go! Arguh!" He continued to thrash as the guards carried him out of the room, leaving Zero alone in the cell.
"Copy is different." Zero mused. "But… he promises to be fun…" He touched his lips lightly, recalling the kiss he just had with X. "Fun."
"ZERO!" X's scream echoed down the hallway. Zero smiled.
"Yes. Fun."
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Aya: Anyone else's head spinning?
Gate Fan Club: Ano… when do we see some fun with Gate?
Aya: You know, they are taking X to Gate's lab… *grin*
X: Eek!
Zero: Wow, I'm still confused.
Mob Member 1: Will we ever move beyond kissy poo?
Aya: Uh.. not likely
Readers: *groan* *presses back button*
Aya: Wait! Come back! I can juggle! *juggles three tennis balls* Wheee!