I do not own Rockman X in any way shape or form. X, Zero, and Signas do not belong to me. The other characters in this chapter are made up by me and are non-canon. Reploid anatomical systems and capabilities as well as the recharging capsule design are my own creation. Please you and me to have no stealing.
Important:
Rating for this chapter is PG. There are a few mild curses used. Nothing too serious. If you have a problem with the rating, please let me know.
This story is not shonen-ai, regardless of what you might think. If you must take it as such, then do so, but don't get angry with me if you do.
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Reploid Anatomy 101 – Power Levels and Recharging
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It just keeps going, and going, and going...
Unless it just went a week without sleep and followed it up with a plasma firefight.
In order to function at peak capacity, reploids must maintain stable energy levels. Under ordinary circumstances, the plasma fusion generator is more than capable of maintaining sufficient energy levels to run at peak efficiency. However, during times of system stress, particularly extended periods of high-energy demanding activities, or extended periods of continuous activity without intake of food or entering a sleep cycle, the plasma fuel cells can become depleted faster than they can be automatically restored and power generation capacity will drop or fluctuate. Should power levels drop far enough to pose a danger, the reploid will enter an emergency shutdown mode, in which they lose consciousness and all remaining energy is redirected to maintaining safe temperatures, plasma particle collection, and fusion generator activity. The reploid will remain offline until sufficient plasma fuel levels have been restored to stabilize energy levels. There are several options available to restore sufficient power levels.
The method used most often for low-level energy depletion is also one of the more time consuming methods. Fuel cell recharging occurs continuously at a moderate rate as the plasma particle collectors filter plasma particles from the surrounding atmosphere and store them in the fuel cells. By entering a sleep cycle, lower levels of power are consumed. The motor functions go into a standby phase and power use is reduced significantly. Also, a reploid's higher processor functions enter a lower energy consumption state as the reploid enters a dreaming state. The reploid's energy levels are also focused on the plasma particle collectors during a sleep state. These particle collectors continue to function during the sleep state, gathering and storing plasma particles for use in the fuel cells. When energy depletion is of a low to moderate level, entering a sleep state will typically restore fuel cell capacity and when the reploid exits the sleep state, energy levels will return to normal stable levels.
A somewhat faster method of stabilizing energy levels is to eat. By eating, a reploid increases energy distribution efficiency throughout the combined arterial coolant and aqueous energy transfer system, as well as providing extra fuel for the plasma fusion generator. This method of replenishing fuel cells takes less time than a sleep state cycle; however, the amount of fuel restored through this method is less. On its own, eating is more of a stopgap measure than a complete solution to unstable energy levels.
The fastest and most efficient method of recharging is for the reploid to spend a period of time, usually no greater than one standard sleep cycle, a.k.a. about eight hours, in a recharge capsule. This method is most often used when plasma fuel cell depletion is severe. While within the capsule, the reploid goes into an offline recharge mode, in which higher processor functions shut down. This differs from a standard sleep mode in that the reploid does not enter a dreaming state and will not regain consciousness until released from the capsule, either from an outside source, a power failure to the capsule, or automatically once the pre-programmed recharge cycle is complete. During recharging, the capsule floods with a high plasma particle density field. The reploid's energy is directed toward the plasma collection systems that continuously filter plasma particles out of the surrounding atmosphere and store them in the plasma fuel cells. The increased power to the collectors, and high concentrations of plasma particles inside the capsule, increases efficiency and rate of collection, speeding up the normal fuel recharging process. The capsule monitors the fuel cell capacity, and when fully recharged, or when the pre-programmed period of time has elapsed, will clear the capsule's interior of the plasma particle density field and release the reploid.
Unstable or low power levels can cause malfunctions in multiple systems. Motor and sensory functions are usually the first to be affected by low power levels. This can result in loss of balance and equilibrium as well as slowing of reflexes and loss of motor control. Optical sensors as well as auditory and tactile systems can malfunction under severe power fluctuations, causing visual blackouts, blurriness, loss of sensation, and temporary loss of hearing or auditory hallucinations. Processor function can also be affected, causing faulty logic or memory lapses.
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Commander Rockman X groaned in relief as he flopped forward, facedown onto his bed, without even bothering to remove his armor.
"That can't be comfortable."
"Mmrph." X murbled into his pillow before rolling over onto his back and sending a half-hearted glare at the entirely-too-smug-looking reploid lounging carelessly in his armchair. "It's not, but I don't think I can stand up, let alone take my armor off."
"Now, you see, that's why you shouldn't push yourself so much. I bet you haven't even eaten since this mess started, I know you haven't slept." Zero frowned as he levered himself out of the welcome seat and headed for the mini-fridge in the corner.
"As if I had time to eat, let alone sleep." X moaned as he flung his arm across his eyes and winced as his gauntlet clunked into his helmet and bonked his nose.
"Now, that's where you're wrong, X." Zero pulled out a couple of cans of high-energy drink. "Bleh." Zero made a face. "Don't you have anything that isn't some fizzy fruit flavored drink?" He peered into the fridge.
"You drank them all, Zero." X sighed and let his arm slide off to the mattress under him.
"Hmm. You need to go shopping, man." Zero nodded sagely as he walked over and sat down on the mattress across from X.
"Mmph." X grunted noncommittally.
"Now, as I was saying. Sit up will ya." Zero nudged X's shoulder. X didn't bother moving. "You're wrong about that. You don't have to take everything onto your shoulders all the time, ya know. Even Commander X, hero of humanity, needs to take a step back now and then and take some time for yourself. Now, come on, sit up, I'm not pouring this down your throat, you'll probably choke and spit it all over me." Zero set down the cans and gripped X by the shoulders, levering him up to a sitting position and leaning him against his shoulder. "Now," Zero popped open one of the cans and wrapped X's hand around it, "drink up. You won't do anyone any good if you fall over from power depletion."
X grunted, but lifted the can and started drinking.
"I know the past week's been tough for all of us. But you've really been pushing yourself too hard. You can't blame yourself for the hostage situation. Besides, we got them all out didn't we, and our perimeter net made sure none of the mavericks got away. You can't beat yourself up about it. There's no way we could have prevented it, not with what Intel we had. You know that. But still, the whole time, you were blaming yourself. Ah ahh!" Zero cut X off before he had finished opening his mouth. "Don't even start. I know you. Why else would you be off food and sleep until we finished cleaning up?"
"Zero, the 17th was in charge of operations. I had to be there. I'm the commander, they needed me there." X set down his empty can.
"Nuh-uh. Don't give me that." Zero popped the top on the second and pressed it into X's hand. "Drink. There were five other units assigned to the situation, X. Any one of their commanders could have taken over for a few hours for you to get some sleep, or you could have had a sandwich at one of those assault strategy meetings."
"You expect me to be able to sleep, knowing that there were at least 20 humans held hostage at the whim of over 40 mavericks and a host of their battle drones?" X scowled at Zero as he set down the second empty can after draining it.
"No. I expect you to know better than to let your energy levels drop this low. Damnit, I expect you to be able to take care of yourself, X. If I hadn't finished my unit's mission ahead of schedule and gotten there before you confronted their leader, you could have been killed. You're this close to emergency shutdown, X." Zero held up his hand and held his index finger and thumb less than a centimeter apart.
X scowled. "I am not."
"Yes, you are." Zero scowled right back as he reached over and gave a nudge to X's forehead that sent him falling over onto his side to the mattress. X glared at him. Zero smirked back. "It's a good thing Signas ordered our units to take some down-time. I don't think you'd ever take some time off for yourself if someone didn't order you to."
"No."
"No what?" Zero replied looking innocently confused.
"No to whatever it is you're planning."
"I'm hurt! Really, I am. How could you think I would be planning something that would require such an emphatic 'no'?" Zero placed a hand over his chest and looked at X with wounded eyes.
"Because you're Zero, that's why."
"Oh come on, X. I mean, what are you going to do with your vacation time, huh?" Zero huffed as he dropped the innocent act.
"I have some paperwork that's been backing up all week. And then, I'm going to finally finish that book I've been reading." X replied with a scowl from where he lay on his side on the bed.
Zero scowled right back. "Paperwork! A book! Are you mad, man?! This is a vacation! You're supposed to vacate!" Zero threw up his hands in exasperation.
"Absolutely not. Whatever it is... Where ever it is... I am not going."
"But..."
"No buts, Zero. Vacations with you always end badly. I don't know how or why, but they do. I am not risking my health, or my sanity, on another one."
Zero huffed and crossed his arms. "Fine. But you're missing out. I can't believe you'd prefer paperwork and books to going on a vacation with your best bud." Zero pouted.
"Zero," X sighed, "I'll be fine, really. I enjoy reading. Unlike some people." X muttered under his breath, "The point of the down-time is for us to relax. I can do that just fine here. I don't need to be dragged halfway around the world to some resort to relax."
Zero scowled, then spun around to face him. "No paperwork." He leveled his finger between X's eyes. "It's a vacation, so no paperwork. You can do that when you're back on-duty. Promise, no paperwork."
"Zero..." X sighed in exasperation.
"Nuh-nuh-nuh! No paperwork, X. Promise. Or I'll make sure there is no paperwork." Zero leveled his best no-nonsense glare at his best friend.
X sighed. "All right. No paperwork. For the sake of the poor secretarial staff you'd terrorize, no paperwork."
"Promise." Zero insisted.
"I promise, no paperwork. Are you happy now?"
"Yup!" Zero grinned brightly. "Now, time for sleepies, X, my friend." Zero reached over and pulled X back upright before pulling his helmet off and tossing it aside.
"Zero!" X scowled as he ineffectually tried to swat him away.
Zero just grinned and caught his hand before pressing the release for the gauntlet and pulling it off. "Now, now. No need to be cranky." Zero grinned as he started on his other gauntlet.
"Zero!" X growled as he tried to pull his arm away. Then squirmed to try to avoid Zero tugging off his shoulder armor. "Cut that out!" X yelped as Zero grabbed a hold of his chest plate and tugged it off over his head.
"Now, now. Just for that I won't read you a bedtime story, young man." Zero scolded as he dodged X's weak fist and darted around to the other side of the bed to catch his booted foot.
"Young! I'm older than you!" X squawked as Zero tugged off his boot. "Damnit, cut it out!"
"Such language!" Zero scolded. "Just for that I'll tuck you in, but no kiss goodnight." Zero waggled his finger reprovingly at X before snagging his other flailing boot and pressing the release, before tugging it off and spilling a snarling X off the bed.
Zero stepped back and regarded his handiwork. A glaring X was sprawled on the floor, back against the side of the bed. Too low on energy to get up and throttle Zero, though he was mentally doing so. He was wearing only his light blue bodysuit that covered him from neck to wrist to ankle, and his hip armor. His hands and feet were bare and his black hair flopped haphazardly over his face, slightly obscuring his green eyes.
"Well, that'll have to do. I am not fighting you to get that off." Zero waved vaguely to indicate X's remaining armor and the bodysuit. X's glare increased a few threat levels. "Now come on, don't be like that. It's for your own good." Zero walked up to him and crouched to catch X's right arm and pull it over his shoulders. "Now come on, stand up. Time for your recharge." Zero straightened, pulling X upright with him. Without Zero's support, X's legs would have buckled.
"I am not recharging." X growled, tugging ineffectually at his arm. When his feet wouldn't brace, he couldn't get much leverage.
"Oh yes you are." Zero replied, all but carrying X across the room to the recharge capsule every reploid's quarters came equipped with.
"No, I'm not. I hate using them. It's like being knocked unconscious." X growled, squirming in Zero's grip.
"Yes, you are." Zero replied as he shifted X to hit the release button on the front panel. The capsule hissed open. "You need it, X. Seriously. You're wavering bad. You can't even stand on your own. Sleep just isn't going to cut it." Zero grunted as he levered a squirming X onto the recharge bed.
X growled and then sighed, slumping. "Fine. Get it over with."
"I knew you'd see it my way." Zero grinned. "Don't worry, it's only for 8 hours or so. You'll feel much better in the morning. Count on it."
X sighed. "Night."
Zero ruffled his hair. "Night. See you bright and early." Zero hit the close button and watched as the capsule hatch slid shut, sealing X inside. Zero hit the activation button and the panel screen lit up green as the recharge cycle began. X was oblivious to the world before the capsule chamber flooded with the plasma field.
Zero grinned and rubbed his hands together. "You'll thank me for this later X." Then he clicked on his comm. unit and switched over to the 0th unit's personal frequency. "Come in Hawke."
"Hawke here."
"The goose is in the pot." Zero smirked.
A sigh from across the channel. "Are code words really necessary Zero, sir?"
"Of course!" Zero replied indignantly.
The comm. unit clicked as another joined the frequency. "I can't believe we're doing this. With all due respect, Zero. He's going to kill us." Lt. Commander Mara, 2IC of the 17th sighed.
"Nonsense! X would never do that. It'd take too long to properly break in a new unit." Zero replied with a smile.
Another click. "Yeah, Mara. Commander'll just kill Zero." Dyne's grin was apparent even across the comm. line.
"Would not." Zero replied with a pout. "Now hurry up and get the generator down here."
Click. "Yeah. He'll just maim you, sir." Jax's voice smirked.
Click. "We're outside the door."
Zero hurried across the room to the door and pulled the door open. Outside stood Wolfe, Jynx and Donna of the 0th, and Echo and Radian of the 17th. Carried between them were three suitcases, a toolkit, and a portable generator. "Right, Wolfe, you're with me." Zero said as he took one of the suitcases. "The rest of you, you know what to do." They nodded affirmative before crossing the room to the capsule.
Zero and Wolfe headed to X's closet and proceeded to pull out clothes and other items and toss various pertinent things into the suitcases. The others gathered around the capsule and proceeded to splice into the power cables that led from it to the HQ power grid port in the wall.
"Jeez," said Jynx as she worked to connect the portable generator to the capsule without cutting off the power, "I can't believe Commander X actually trusts you enough to let you in here, Zero."
"What! Oh I'm hurt."
"I wouldn't trust you in my quarters." Donna snorted as she powered up the generator. "And you're my commanding officer. I'm amazed he's still alive and kicking."
"Hey! I'd never intentionally do anything to hurt him! He knows that!" Zero pouted.
"It's the unintentional part that worries me." Echo replied levelly.
"Hey!" Zero protested as he lugged one of the full suitcases over to the foot of the bed. "X is my best friend, he knows I've got his back when he needs it. Besides, this is for his own good. Paperwork! Books! Bah!"
"His own good huh?" Radian frowned. "Well, I agree with Jynx. I'm amazed he still trusts you."
"Of course he trusts me! Who else would he trust to guard his back when things go to hell in a hand basket? Same way I trust him." Zero scowled back.
"So what are we? Chopped tofu?" Donna frowned at her commander.
"Of course not! But I wouldn't trust the 0th on your own to make sure X comes back in one piece. You nutcases would probably run off and get drunk and throw a party, leaving poor X to fight off an entire army of mavericks and their bosses all by his lonesome." Zero replied airily as he waved his hand vaguely about.
Wolfe snorted.
"Yeah, we love you too, Commander." Jynx replied dryly, her eyes glinting with laughter as her mouth quirked at the corners.
"Of course you do!" Zero replied grandly with a grin and a wink. "So we all set?" He glanced around.
"Ready." Radian replied as he stood up. "Generator's hooked up and running, capsule's disconnected from the wall. All that's left is to carry it."
"Right-o." Zero thumbed his communicator. "The train is ready to leave the station. Are the tracks clear?" Zero ignored the groans of exasperation from around the room.
Click. "Halls are clear to lift shaft 29. Hurry it up." Hawke's voice came over the line.
Click. "Teleporter room's clear, but I don't know for how long." Mara's voice chimed in.
"Right. Let's get this show on the road! Before we go, did everyone remember to use the bathroom?" Zero scooped up two suitcases as Echo grabbed the third and the toolkit.
"Why?" Wolfe asked, blinking in confusion as he griped one end of the capsule.
"Because we're not making any pit-stops." Zero replied matter-of-factly as the others gathered around the capsule and, lifting together, picked it up, generator and all. Zero leading the way, they trooped out of the room, Echo closing the door behind them.
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The End
Owari
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MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
I managed to have Zero strip X, render him unconscious, and kidnap him! And its still PG! And believe it or not, its not shonen-ai either!
Mwuahahha! I can do ANYTHING!!
X: o.O Please review so she'll stop acting crazy.
Zero: Yeah, she even scares me when she gets like this. Plus, next chapter follows chronologically right after this one.
X: Please, please review. At least then she'll continue and I'll find out what happens to me next. I hate vacations with Zero. Best to get it over with quickly.