Down below at centre stage, Commander Signas was observing with dismay the chaos around him. It was now a controlled chaos, at least, the order kept through sheer immobilizing terror, but Signas was dared not move so much as a finger. He could not act for fear of upsetting the delicate balance of the situation, but he couldn't just stand idly by and let his institution be overrun by miscreants.

The Reploid he'd just honoured, who stood a few feet to his right, had been trying to get his attention for some time now but to no avail. Finally, when Signas proved too absorbed in the unfolding scene, X gave up his bid to garner his attention, imperceptibly edging his way up to him.

X hadn't needed to be nominated for candidacy as a Maverick Hunter, only apply to enter the ranks as soon as he wished. Anyone with the slightest bit of historical knowledge knew that X was the famous Dr. Light's chef d'oeuvre, that X had been the prototype for all Reploids. At Maverick Hunter, they had been waiting a long time for X to arrive; X, however, ever the believer in peaceful resolutions, had been reticent to join.

"Psst", X whispered when he was finally within arm's length of Signas. "Commander."

Signas finally turned to face him, visibly surprised at the Reploid's current proximity. "X! Don't move any closer. They'll terminate anyone who causes a stir."

"Sigma only wants to terminate you", X intoned with a surreptitious glance towards the ringleader, "and I have a way to fool him into letting everyone go." He wrapped an arm around Signas' neck and put his blaster to his head.

"Just play along, okay?"

Before he could even answer, Signas felt a power surge ripple through him from head to toe, and knew that X had used a silenced stunner attachment. The shock, to his knowledge, was harmless, but totally paralyzing to its victim, who nevertheless remained conscious and aware.

X, meanwhile, had drawn some attention to himself. Many baffled faces took notice of his exploits, and soon, all were turned to observe the scene onstage.

"Fellow Mavericks", X boomed as loud as he could, "I have neutralized the Commander.

We are now free to install Sigma as the new leader of Maverick Hunter."

Zero, head still pulled back to face the ceiling, strained to see what was unfolding below. Would fooling them into believing another Maverick had emerged on the scene really work? Or had X really gone Maverick, too?

A murmur arose from the audience as Sigma evaluated this new 'Maverick'. With each passing moment that X's attempt remained unacknowledged, Zero thought it less and less likely that Sigma was falling for it. But Zero had no idea how often Sigma had conferred with his cronies, familiarizing himself with the newest additions. It stood to reason, however unlikely, that X had infiltrated his band of henchmen beforehand, just for this particular emergency.

Better yet, could X have gotten this far, unnoticed, if he hadn't done the preparations – earned their trust, proven his loyalty - beforehand? Zero felt a wave of relief sweep over him. If these ardent wishes proved true, then Maverick Hunter's newest acquisition was certainly crafty and competent.

Sigma's grip relaxed on Zero's ponytail ever so slightly, a lapse in his ongoing headache for which he was instantly grateful. "Very good, X. I'll be coming down shortly to make my first formal announcement as Commander."

The ruse was a success! Zero tried with all his might to maintain the sullen composure befitting of a hostage in light of this development, but in his mind he was already preparing for action.

A few moments later, Sigma had retraced his earlier steps with Zero, descending from the balcony down the spiral staircase, and stood poised at the door to the auditorium's stage. Although Zero could again no longer see him, the hesitation to proceed with his plan was clear in his very presence, although the reasons he hesitated were not.

Does he suspect anything, after all? Zero thought. As the seconds passed, Sigma's breath quickening, his grip relaxing more and more as Zero's hair rustled with his tremors, his hostage finally realized the truth.

He's got stagefright…even with such a captive audience.

After a moment's consideration of his earlier bungled hostage negotiations, Zero decided to employ a tactic of sympathy. "Hey, don't worry, you can do this", he offered in the most reassuring tone he could manage, then, sickened, wondered to himself if he was beginning to identify with his captor.

"I'm not so sure," Sigma warbled. His very words quivered with fright. "What will I say? I'm not a good public speaker."

Zero searched his soul for the patience to deal with this trivial delay in his freedom. "Just say whatever comes to mind. You've come this far without a hitch," he lied flawlessly, "and what with all the steps to your plan, that's really something. They're all gonna listen to what you have to say, so don't worry."

Sigma steadied himself, breathing a few long, mechanical breaths that reminded Zero of his injury. By now, he must have lost a lot of fluids, but his repair processes had probably stopped him from losing any more strength. Still, he was undoubtedly sapped to the point where he could easily be put out of commission.

"Okay, you're right. I don't need to worry, my plan can't fail… hahah…" He grunted his laughter between hacking coughs that reaffirmed the severity of his condition, then pushed open the doors, leading Zero through by the hair.

All eyes were on the two as they made their way across the velvet-carpeted floor of polished silver to the podium. It was the first time Zero had ever graced the stage himself, and he marvelled at its mirror-like qualities – the floor, the walls, and all the formations reflected his image, X's and Signas', and close behind, Sigma's. A bright green glow glinted back at him, every second step, from the far wall's surface – but it was not Sigma's energy unit that produced it. It was Zero's own shoulder that now trickled a stream of iridescent green, no doubt from the impact of Sigma's body blow on the balcony, and upon seeing it, Zero was reminded of the pain he'd incurred.

With pain and worry coursing like a whirlwind through his mind, the walk seemed to Zero like a prolonged death march. To regain his focus, he shifted his gaze, as much as his limited mobility permitted, to settle on Iris, whom he found easily in a bundle composed mainly of Reploids at the end of the eighth row. How small and far away she looked to him, kept in place by a roving animaloid Reploid modelled after a chameleon. Every few seconds, she rose to the tips of her toes to get a clear view of Zero, whose gaze unwaveringly remained fixed upon her.

Finally at the podium, X gave Sigma – or was it Zero? – a nod of acknowledgment, and moved the inert Signas aside. Sigma found and switched on the microphone, and took his place behind it. He held Zero off to one side of the tall, silver-plated structure, and with a final moment's hesitation, began a fear-fuelled oration.

"As your new Commander, let me congratulate you on the bloodless, non-violent restructuring of Maverick Hunter." He paused a moment, assessing the quiet reaction to his opening statement, then continued. "I'm sure once these initial, trying stages are over, you all will come to appreciate the order with which I lead us to the utopia we've all dreamed of."

Even as he stared longingly out at Iris, Zero could feel X's gaze urgently beckon his own. He turned his head right, and from the corner of his eye, saw X administer a shock remedy that would rouse Signas from his suspended state.

With his arms still raised in a show of surrender, Zero gave a subtle thumbs-up that he hoped only X would see. He did, and in one flowing movement, he raised his buster and let loose a shot of the same immobilizing agent as he had used on Signas. The shot hit its mark, and Sigma went falling to the ground, taking Zero down with him.

Thanks to the silencer, the Mavericks in the audience had heard nothing, and X's stealthy movements had also gone unnoticed. To all, it appeared as though Sigma had simply fainted. And while a clamour erupted from the crowd as Reploids and humans alike started fighting back against their captors, X sprang into action and began targeting the head Mavericks from the stage.

Zero sided-up from the floor and struggled to wrest himself free, hair now locked tight in the frozen grip of Sigma's hand, but found his effort next to impossible with the dead weight attached. He strained to painful lengths, grimacing as he swore his scalp and helmet might come clean off his head. No longer able to endure the pain, he collapsed back to the floor in a useless heap.

Suddenly, a new shadow came running across the stage, stopping to crouch down beside him.

"Oh Zero, not your poor hair again!" a female voice said, and Zero felt the fingers being pried loose from his ponytail. He smiled as he looked into the floor to see Iris' reflection, working busily and beaming a smile back at him.

"There you go! Now we're even, I guess," she lilted happily, and helped pull him to his feet. For a dumbfounded moment, his jaw remained open as he looked down at her waiting face.

"Thank you… I'm so relieved you weren't hurt." He took her in a warm embrace. "Let's get you out of here," he whispered.

The two slipped out the door that he'd come through earlier, and Zero sent Iris off to safety in a town nearby, with a wistful glance as she disappeared into the horizon. His mind replayed their last exchange as he charged full speed back towards the auditorium.

Will I ever see you again?

I don't know when, but you will, one day.

He barged through the doors to the sounds of gunfire and screams of terror, which refocused his mind on the task at hand. On this day, he would be more than just a destroyer, a defender of strangers known only as victims, more than a Maverick Hunter.