CHAPTER 13
THE END OF THE BEGINNING
"There you go, Sharon," Professor Smith said as he sealed the last tear in Sharon's armor. "You're as good as new!"
"Are you sure?" Sharon asked. "I kinda have a pain in my left arm..."
Smith glanced at Sharon's arm, then chuckled. "Maybe it'll feel better once Snake Man gets his butt off of it," he replied.
Snake Man, who was sitting and reading a newspaper next to Sharon, looked up and sheepishly scooted off of her hand. "Sorry," he said quickly.
"Here you go!" Darren said as he cheerfully plopped Iris's beret onto her head. "All fixed!"
"Thanks, Darren," Iris answered as she happily patted her cap.
"Ahh, don't thank me," Darren chuckled. "Krein's the one who patched your armor. I just fixed the itty-bitty tear in your beret."
"Yeah," Iris answered. "...But this isn't just any old hat, Darren; it's my favorite. Again, thanks."
"Well, when you put it like that..." Darren said with a grin. "You're quite welcome!"
"Your systems should be all right now, too, Iris," Smith said as he turned to Iris, who was sitting nearby. "You can leave whenever you want."
"Thanks, Professor," Iris answered. "I think I'm going to find Zero."
"Good luck with that," Smith said. "I haven't seen him since I finished his repairs..."
"Come to think of it, I haven't heard from X, either," Sharon piped up. "I wonder where they all went?..."
"I'll see if I can find them both, then," Iris said as she smiled and walked out of the medical room.
Zero looked out over the frosty St. Paul cityscape with calm, acknowledging eyes. "So, that's what's happened..." he said.
"Yeah," X replied. "It seems like the world has changed for the better."
"I suppose," Zero said as he glanced at the museum roof. "But still..."
The rooftop entrance opened and Iris stepped out. "Oh! There you two are," she exclaimed. "I was wondering where you went."
"Hello, Iris," X answered. "Good to see you up and about."
"Are you guys all right?" Iris asked as she approached the two Maverick Hunters. Zero turned and looked out on the city as the sun began to set.
"Professor Olson mended my armor, and Krein installed the syrum in Zero's main system," X replied. "We're as good as new!"
"I'm glad," Iris answered with a smile.
X looked at Zero, then back at Iris. "Ah... I guess I'll leave you two alone..." he excused himself as he closed the rooftop door.
Iris nervously approached Zero, who watched darkness overtake the city with his back to her. He looked just as she remembered him; he stood tall with powerful, broad shoulders and rock-hard torso under his fiery red armor. "Ummm..." she said quietly. "...H-hello, Zero..."
"Hello, Iris," Zero said as he slowly turned to Iris with his familiar blue eyes. "It's... good to see you."
"Yes..." Iris replied. "It's... really good."
"...X told me about your adventure," Zero stated. "You went through a lot for my sake. You've grown."
"Well, um, thanks," Iris said as she blushed a bit and scratched her head. "I didn't do it alone, though; my friends helped me..."
"But..." Zero said, ignoring Iris's words. "I shouldn't be here."
Iris stopped dead. "What?" she asked. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"Sigma... The Maverick Wars... You... It was all my fault," Zero said as he looked away. "The virus inside of me created all those horrible things, and millions died because of them... Now that I'm awake, those tragedies will happen again... I don't want that to happen, Iris. Not again."
"But..." Iris objected. "The syrum we built keeps that virus down! Both X and Professor Smith said so!"
"I don't care," Zero answered. "As long as I exist, so does the virus, and its potential to murder... You can't put the world in danger just to have me around, Iris."
"...But..." Iris started.
"And..." Zero said quietly. "The thought of risking hurting you again... That's too much. I won't stand for it. Please, seal me away again."
"Zero!..." Iris gasped as her eyes wavered.
"It's the only way to keep you safe," Zero pushed. "Don't forget about your friends, and the entire world to boot... It's only a matter of time before something awful happens..."
Iris just stared at Zero dumbfoundedly.
"Even a slight risk of my going berserk again is too high," Zero said as he shook his head solemnly. "I won't stand for it. Please, just put me back to sleep and forget about me..."
Iris's sad look drew into an angry frown. She walked up to Zero and brusquely slapped him across the face.
"Agh!..." Zero hissed as he clutched at the burning spot. "...I-Iris?..."
Iris's angry eyes were beginning to spill over with tears. "Dammit, Zero!..." she huffed. "When... when did you become such a big baby?!"
"...Baby?..." Zero asked.
"Back then, you fought with all your spirit!" Iris cried. "You were absolutely fearless, and you always had the world's best interests at heart! And now, you want to lock yourself away because of a slim-to-none chance?!"
"But Iris..." Zero started. "You don't understand..."
"I understand that you're afraid..." Iris said as she looked down at the ground. "You're afraid of what might happen... I was afraid too when I started on this adventure, not knowing where I was going or if I'd ever find you... I fought numerous battles against a sadistic businessman who's still after me for some reason... I learned to kill... I watched friends get hurt and die right in front of me... I even had to fight a sicko using my brother's body... Now I HAVE found you, and all you say is 'put me back!'"
"Iris..." Zero said.
"The Zero I know wouldn't whimper like this..." Iris continued. "The Zero I know would acknowledge the risk, but keep fighting for what he believed in... The Zero I know wouldn't let something like this stop him from living life to the fullest, and doing the best that he could do, and being the best that he could be!..."
There was an akward silence. A chilly breeze blew over the rooftop as the sun vanished.
"...That's the Zero I fell in love with..." Iris finished.
"Iris..." Zero whispered.
"Do you want to go back into stasis?..." Iris asked.
"No..." Zero replied. "But-"
"Then don't," Iris broke in. "You know what you want to do in life, and it isn't to hide in some cold capsule deep underground..."
Zero paused and looked away.
"Zero, the problem is that you don't trust yourself," Iris continued.
"That's kind of hard to do when you have the potential to level entire countries..." Zero grumbled.
"Will you shut up and let me finish?!" Iris snapped angrily.
Zero was so surprised that he immediately quieted.
"I know that you're afraid..." Iris said. "You don't say it, but you're afraid of this thing inside of you... But I know you, Zero. I know that you're good. You always want to do the right thing, and you wouldn't let some virus say otherwise... That's why, even after everything that's happened, I trust you."
"You... Trust me?..." Zero asked.
"Yes, I do," Iris answered. "I trust you and believe in you. So do X, and a lot of other people, even my brother... We believe that you always do what's right, regardless of circumstances... Zero, If we all trust you, can't you trust yourself?..."
"Iris..." Zero said quietly. He looked away for a moment and rubbed at his eye, then turned back. "...You really have grown," he said.
"So, please," Iris said. "Can't you at least try?..."
Zero thought for a moment. "...All right," he finally said. "I'll stay."
Iris's frown melted into a smile. "...You will?..." she asked.
Zero smiled at Iris. "After that speech, I don't think I could refuse, even if I wanted to..."
"Thanks, Zero," Iris answered with a sigh.
"We might want to, erm, take things a little slowly, to begin with..." Zero said as he fumbled with his fingers. "You know, err, if you wanted to... try this thing again..."
"Y-yeah..." Iris said as she blushed.
"So..." Zero finished. "...Now what?"
"Why don't we try this reunion again..." Iris said as she held out her arms and smiled.
"...Iris..." Zero said as he smiled widely.
"Zero..." Iris said as her eyes dribbled with happy tears.
The two Reploids met in a tender embrace in the center of the roof. "I missed you so much..." Zero whispered into Iris's ear.
"Me too..." Iris cooed as she stroked Zero's golden hair. "But that's all over now... Nobody's going to separate us ever again..."
Suddenly, Zero and Iris became aware of the sound of someone crying. "What the...?" Zero asked.
Iris suddenly blushed wildly and frowned. "Oh, boy..." she said.
Iris walked to the rooftop door and flung it open. Darren, Sharon, Snake Man, Professor Smith and X crashed out onto the snowy roof. "You guys!!!" Iris shouted.
"(SNIFF) That was so beautiful!!!..." Sharon sobbed as she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. "You two are the absolute best!... (HONK)"
"Wonderful," Darren agreed. "You two go so well together, just like Iris said."
"That was so sweet," Snake Man replied. "I'm touched, really. You guys are a credit to Reploids..."
"No kidding," Smith replied. "I've never witnessed such a touching display of compassion between two Reploids. This is going to benefit my research greatly!... In addition to warming the cochles of my heart, of course."
"Wonderful," X said as he nodded to Zero and Iris. "I'm glad you guys could sort things out... It's good to see you getting along again."
"Now that the meet and greet is over," Smith said as he pulled Zero and X aside. "Lissen, we've got to talk about your fiscal duties as members of this little museum group..."
"Fiscal duties?..." Zero asked.
"Oh, no," X gulped. "We haven't been hit with a hundred years of back taxes, have we?..."
"Nahh, sillies," Smith chuckled. "We just have to wrangle you guys some jobs if you want to stick around the museum. Can't have you panhandling off of the rest of us hard-working folks, can we?"
"Errrr..." Zero grunted.
"Don't worry," Sharon laughed. "The prof's weird like that."
"Weird?!" Smith asked. "Whaddya mean 'weird?!' I'll have you know, young lady..."
Smith cheerfully crabbed on as everyone descended the steps back into the warm museum.
Later on that evening, Professor Smith took everyone out to dinner at the Little Luna cafe. X, Zero, Iris, Darren, Sharon, Snake Man, Olson, Krein and he all sat at the counter, each happily munching on his or her own meal.
"Hey, I hear that Professor Smith got you guys jobs at the museum," Snake Man said to Zero.
"Yeah," Zero replied. "Apparently, X is now a tour guide, and I'm a security guard."
"Great!" Sharon laughed. "We'll be partners! Just between you and me, Red, 3:00 is Secret Donut Break Time!"
"Hmmph," Zero grumbled. "I don't know about this..."
"Come on, Zero," Iris said. "Give it a try; who knows? You might prefer an honest job to a dangerous one."
"Besides, you're a security guard," Smith piped up. "You still get to clobber anyone who screws with museum property."
"Well..." Zero sighed. "...I guess it wouldn't hurt to try..."
"Good," Iris said as she smiled and patted Zero's hand.
"But Zero's worries aren't misplaced," Darren said. "I mean, Ribosome's still out there, and chances are that he's plotting revenge even as we speak..."
"You read too many comic books, D," Sharon replied.
"I hate to admit it, but Darren has a point," X spoke up. "If Ribosome's anything like the enemies that Zero and I faced, he'll be back sooner or later... And he doesn't seem to care who gets hurt."
"That could be potentially dangerous," Olson answered. "If he launched an attack on you, civilians might be dragged into it..."
"And he'll probably use Mavericks again," Krein continued. "Those seem to be his weapon of choice..."
"So, you're saying that when Mavericks show up, Ribosome's sure to be nearby?..." Iris asked. "...That isn't good at all... I don't know why he's after me, but I don't want anyone else getting hurt..."
"So we'll make sure nobody does!" Darren exclaimed as he gave everyone a defiant smile. "I've got a great idea, guys!"
"What's up?" Smith asked as he chomped on a chicken leg.
"We should start our own crime-fighting operations," Darren said. "If a Maverick shows up, we'll take care of it before it can hurt anyone! We'll stand for truth and justice!..."
"...You've REALLY got to stop reading comics," Sharon sighed.
"...I like it," Iris suddenly said.
"...Iris?" Zero asked as he looked over at his friend.
"If we can stop the Mavericks before they can hurt anyone, it'll be all the better..." Iris said. "And if we're a group, we can end up making people feel safe and generally do good for the city... Yes! I'm with Darren!"
"Well, if anyone's gonna kick bad guy butt, it's gonna be me," Sharon laughed as she stood up too. "Count me in!"
"Why not?" Snake Man said with a smile. "I could use a part-time job."
"I'm always ready to protect the peace," X agreed. "I'll help in any way I can."
"I can't do much in combat," Smith said. "But I'll do my best to support the cause."
"To be thrown back into combat as soon as I awaken..." Zero sighed crossly. "It's a little irritating..."
"Zero..." Iris started.
Zero paused for a moment and took a long sip of his drink. "...But Ribosome seems adamant in continuing his war-waging," he continued. "If he isn't stopped, innocents WILL get hurt... And I'll be damned if I let that happen again." He turned to the others. "Iris, I will help. I'll protect this city, and its people... And I'll protect you, too."
"Thanks, Zero..." Iris answered with a smile.
"Whoo!" Sharon cheered. "We've got ourselves a crime-fighting superhero squad!!! Now all we need is a cool name! How about The 'Miraculous Seven?' Or the 'Justice Legion?' I know! I know! 'The Titans!'"
Everyone looked at Sharon strangely.
"...How about just 'the Maverick Hunters?'" X asked dryly.
"Heh. That works too..." Sharon chuckled.
And so, on a sunny, chilly evening in the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, a hundred years after their disbanding, the Maverick Hunters were officially reborn. Its seven members swore to its oath and pledged to preserve the peace and stop injustice wherever it may appear. After the ceremonies were over, the new branch celebrated by going out behind the museum and having a free-for-all snowball fight. It was a good day for the organization, although Peabody wasn't too happy about Sharon's smashing of a champaigne bottle over the museum doorway.
While the Maverick Hunters celebrated, a lone figure paced in the President's office at CONSTRICT, INC.'s central headquarters. He paced in a calm, collected manner, even though he had just been totally humiliated by the prey he'd been trying to capture.
"This day goes to you, Iris Thorne..." Ivan Ribosome said as he continuously walked across the velvet carpeting. "Even though I had the upper hand, you managed to slip through my grasp. Well, no matter. This is just a temporary setback, my dear... One way or another, I'll get what I want... And when I finally do have it, it'll be worth that much more... I'll see you again, Iris... Very soon..."
Ribosome turned his dark eyes up at the smoggy night sky and stared for the longest time.
Brilliantly glowing stars hung in the dark violet sky over Noonvale Apartments. At building GG, two figures stood out on the second-floor balcony and looked up at the twinkling figures.
"Beautiful..." Zero said as he stared at the stars. "I'd forgotten what they were like..."
"Well, you can see them all the time now," Iris answered. "I'm sure glad you were able to get a place here..."
"Yes, X and I were lucky that they had a lease open," Zero agreed. "What a coincidence that it would be right underneath you..."
Iris giggled. "That's good," she replied. "We can see each other any time and commute to work and all sorts of things."
"Yes..." Zero said again as he sighed and continued to look at the night sky. "I must say, they did a great job of fixing the world up since my time..."
"Yeah..." Iris answered as she looked at Zero. "It's like it was given a second chance..."
"Many things are worth a second chance..." Zero replied as he looked down at Iris. "Thanks for teaching me that, Iris..."
"Any time, Zero," Iris said. Just then, she stifled a yawn and stretched. "Oh, I'm so tired after all the excitement today..."
"We should both get some rest, I suppose," Zero answered. "Tomorrow X and I will go to the shops and pick up some furniture, but for now the carpeted floor looks very inviting..."
"OK, then," Iris said as she smiled happily. "Good night, Zero."
"Sweet dreams, Iris," Zero replied as he walked down the steps and into apartment GG102.
Iris walked inside her apartment and sat down on the couch to watch Darren make a fire in the fireplace. "Sounds like you guys are getting along well," Darren spoke up. "Well, another day down... I guess this is the end of our little adventure, huh, Iris?"
"I suppose..." Iris answered softly. "It's the end of one adventure... But... It's the start of a new one, too..."
"Yeah, I guess it is," Darren replied as he stoked the blaze. "Who knows what awaits us down the road, huh? Well, whatever's coming, I know I'll be ready. As long as I have friends like you, Iris, I feel like I can do anything." He stood up and pumped his fists excitedly. "Yeah, I'm ready for this next great adventure! How about you, Iris?... Iris?..."
Darren was answered with a snore; he turned around to see that Iris was curled up on the couch, fast asleep. She looked very peaceful and relaxed; a dreamy smile graced her unconscious face.
Darren chuckled quietly and grabbed a blanket. "Heh heh heh... Old adventures or new, some things never change..." he said as he draped the warm wool over Iris and rubbed her shoulder. "G'night, Iris..."
Darren turned the lights down, tiptoed to his room and closed the door.