A/N: I think I'm getting the hang of this crap again. I couldn't seem to make things sound very good to me until I started trying to write what was going on, like I didn't care how it sounded. That might just be working, so I'm gonna try it on for a while. Better bloody work or I'm gonna cry. This bitch's hard enough to write without blocks popping up every five minutes.

To the people who reviewed...

Kyogre: Ooo... You just keep reading. You might like.

arken elf: Actually, I haven't decided whether or not his rages were caused by hidden memories. Maybe it'll turn out to be a part of his personality. OO

Sunrise
Chapter 7: Betrayal

He'd been right to assume arguing would get him nowhere, and that was an understatement if he'd ever made one. By the time he got back to base, Forte was practically dragged off to the med lab. He allowed it, of course, but it still burned him. Jett no longer trusted him and that touched nerves, though he could understand why the commander would change his mind. The stink of it was that it was on basis of an assumption. That was what got to him. What was worse, Jett predictably followed protocols to the letter - he went straight to Ketsu about the matter. As if the medic needed another reason to dislike him.

Hesitantly, Forte admitted to himself he had been acting more aggressive than normal, but no matter how he looked at it, he still couldn't see where anyone would think the virus had anything to do with it. The memo specifically stated that Dokanru had been acting "insane" and "excessively violent" before his death. Where in the world had he ever displayed anything like that?

With a heavy sigh, Forte slouched down deeper in his seat, glaring daggers at the table top. Out of bordeom, he looked around and decided, hopefully, that the lot of them couldn't have hated him as much as he first thought. Why would they have told him to wait in sick bay where he could have easily destroyed valuable equipment and such instead of putting him in quarantine to wait for the scan results? Then again, he was almost willing to bet X had something to do with that part. It seemed the blue reploid was the only one who wanted to see the other side of the coin in this issue. Zero might have, perhaps, but Forte hadn't seen him since the funeral service.

Come to think of it, he wondered, Zero hadn't looked too terribly upset over it all, more or less hardened by the experience.

Something in the background caught his attention, and he was surprised he hadn't noticed it before. A familiar voice, from a room nearby. Desperate for a distraction, he decided to eavesdrop and moved quietly into another chair closer to the open door.

The voice was muffled, barely audible, but from its tone, Forte recognized it as Delta instantly. It sounded like he was out in the hallway or perhaps in the room across the way. The black and orange Hunter scoffed. He was probably speaking with Ketsu, deciding how to apologize to him or something now that they knew for certain he wasn't infected with the blasted virus.

But the other voice was not Ketsu's, Forte discovered with some interest. No, this person had a deeper sound to him and a smoothness that was almost sinister. All the more curious, Forte leaned a little closer to the opening, even venturing to peek outside. The small yellow reploid was nowhere to be seen, but his words came clearly enough that Forte could make out most of what he said.

"... subject didn't survive the infection," said Delta. Something was different about him though. He was too calm. He didn't sound... normal.

"I suspected as much," the other voice said severely, but it wasn't like a statement at all. It sounded like a command, and Forte furrowed his brows at it. He'd never heard that voice before, but he immediately didn't like whoever it was. Even Zero on his bad days didn't sound that arrogant. "Have you infected the other yet?"

Forte's eyes widened. "Not yet, sir, but I have corrupted his scans. Once they put him in quarantine, it'll be all too easy to take care of him. The rest will follow shortly after."

"Good. When you've finished your task, return to the LC 548 region. You'll find the base easily enough from that point."

"Your will be done, Lord Sigma."

The transmission obviously ended after that point. For a moment it seemed that Delta was going to go down to the other end of the hall, but the footsteps paused... and then began to grow louder. Forte didn't wait. Before Delta could enter the room, he was already halfway down a second hall through the other door. Much to his horror, the footsteps followed him, bolting down the hall behind him.

Forte didn't bother to look back. Instead, he broke into full speed, completely unaware of the reploid walking toward him around the next corner. He slammed full force into Ketsu before either of them could even react, both Hunters falling to the floor with mixed cries of surprise.

Something, perhaps Ketsu's knee, had been shoved into Forte's stomach during the accident, effectively knocking the wind out of him. So when hands grabbed him, roughly lifted him up and slammed him back against the wall, he could only flail helplessly. When he next opened his eyes, he found himself staring down the business end of Delta's cannon, the medic behind him slowly climbing to his feet, a look of pure shock on his face.

"Stay back, sir!" Delta ordered, edging a step closer to the doctor. "Forte's been infected! He might attack us!"

Ketsu sighed and rubbed the arm he had fallen on, regarding the black Hunter with a pitying gaze. Forte would have protested the accusation had he been able to catch his breath, but as it was, he could only shake his head vigorously, as if to say "No! It's a lie!" He was sure he had been the only one to overhear Delta's conversation with the other Maverick, but with the way things were going, Ketsu was almost certainly going to believe the yellow Hunter's word over his.

"I know," Ketsu sighed, shaking his head slowly. "We have to quarantine him until we can find an anti-virus."

Finally, Forte caught his breath, but before he could say anything, he found himself being dragged down the hall, most likely toward an isolation chamber. He coughed over his words violently at first, but even when he could finally speak clearly enough, Ketsu only hushed him, telling him it would be alright soon. More frustrated than ever, Forte struggled to be released so that he could try to convince the other Hunter, but the medic was surprisingly stronger than he looked. Ketsu had his arms quickly pinned behind his back and held him there until he stopped fighting, and by that time, Forte had become too angry to argue anymore.

"Fine!" he all but shouted, ignoring the stares of the one or two reploids who happened to pass by. "Let the Mavericks kill you! If you'd believe them over me, I'd rather die anyway!"

The quarantine room was just around the corner, but as he chanced a glance in that direction, Forte noticed something. Perhaps he had a way to get out of this situation yet. Keeping his head lowered, he made a quick scan of the area, silently allowing himself to be led to the waiting door. Ketsu released his arm for just a moment to punch in the key code, and that was when Forte took his opportunity.

Without a word, Forte balled his fist and heaved it savagely into the smaller reploid, sending Delta crashing against the wall in an awkward fashion. Ketsu spun around, hearing the other Hunter's cry, but before either Hunter knew what was going on, Forte was already racing down the hallway to the window at the end. Taking a flying leap, the dark reploid stretched his body out as narrowly as he could and lowered his head just as he crashed through the glass and began a sickening five story fall. Ketsu and Delta reached the window a split second later, but they were already too late. The last they saw of the black and orange reploid was a beam of purple light jetting toward the heavens.

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X shook his head in disbelief, then glanced with worried eyes over at Zero for assurance, but the crimson Hunter didn't seem to notice. His own gaze held Ryot's steadily, and at the moment it was hard to tell if the blonde was angry or contemplating something, so severe was his expression. The smaller Hunter thought to say something, but held his tongue. He realized, after a second's thought, that he truly had nothing to speak of.

Forte, one of their better Hunters, had gone Maverick and went awol, and that was as much as anyone could confirm. What they weren't certain of was his whereabouts, the most frustrating thing of all. Every reploid on base had a transmitter built somewhere into their body by default. Forte's new body had one as well, but his blip had yet to be found. Scans of the city had come up nill, and scans from the outer regious had turned up the same. It was just as well that Forte had fallen off the face of the planet for all anyone could tell, and it was buggering Ketsu to no end.

"It must be interference from the virus in his system," the medic sighed, typing commands furiously. "That's the only explanation I can think of, but we won't be able to get him back without that signal. He could be on the other side of the globe right now, for all I know."

Growing impatient, X groaned and paced in a small circle for a moment before staring back at the screen again. Behind him, he could hear Zero and Ryot talking about something, so he listened in on their conversation.

"Got it!" X jerked back around to face Delta, as did the rest of the room. The tech sat at a second monitor on which a map was displayed. He briefly gestured to a section that pulsed a pale green color. "He's in this area somewhere, LC sector." The yellow Hunter stared at a window near the bottom of the screen, furrowing his brows in confusion. "He just sent a message, something about the 548 region... and he's warning everyone to stay away from me." Delta cast a hurt glance back at the others, Ketsu in particular. The medic nodded grimly.

"He still thinks you're Maverick," he finished, then shook his head. "The virus must be tearing him up. I don't know how much longer he has at this rate."

"We need to bring him back as soon as we can," said Zero, finally entering the conversation. He nodded to Ryot, who returned the gesture in understanding. The crimson Hunter began to leave the room, but paused in the doorway and turned back as X called to him. He turned back to see the smaller Hunter walking up beside him, a determination in his emerald eyes.

"I'm going with you," the azure Hunter insisted. When the red reploid remained silent, X persisted. "I'm his friend too, Zero. Please, don't tell me not to go. You know I can't stay here."

Zero sighed and tilted his head slightly. For just a moment, his eyes softened. To any other reploid, it might have looked as though the blonde was going to protest. Instead, he nodded and continued on his way, X close behind.