Looking back on it, his interest in becoming a Hunter probably started with the graffiti. Not the usual way of getting interested in Hunter HQ… but it had been one heck of a fun thing to do.
Zest capped his can of spray paint, and wiped a bit off his face. Normally, he bore an uncanny resemblance to Zero, but right now his long blond hair was spiky with paint. It would have taken a close scrutiny to make it through the accidental paint job.
"Zest... that is just beautiful." Zest's sister and lover, Angel, gazed up at the wall in awe. She was a slender, athletic girl with brown hair. Her midriff baring top revealed a serpent tattoo, twining on her belly.
"You think? Urf!" Zest sneezed, and wiped a bit more paint off his face. "Mmm, I think I'm high on the fumes. And it's a good buzz. The scent of victory." He gazed up at his creation again for along moment. "But, truly... is it good?"
"Dude." The guy with them, his brother Mort, said reverently as he stared up. "You just spray painted a two story tall, half-naked Reploid chick with the slogan 'Hunters rule' on the side of the new Maverick Hunter building. This is more than good... it is history."
"Aww, thanks."
"Yeah, we'll be hearing about this in the news for months!" Angel chimed in.
"I am so friggin' proud of myself. You guys make me feel great." Zest said, basking in his siblings approval.
"Let's make you feel better!" Mort slapped him on the back, grinning. "Celebration, and the drinks are on me!"
"Awesome!" The three walked away, chattering and enjoying themselves...
"...And our top story today. Unknown perpetrators spray painted obscene graffiti on the Maverick Hunter Headquarters today..."
"Obscene, but beautifully done, you asshole! Beautifully done!" A younger sister, a redhead with pale skin, called to the announcer.
"Shh! Shut up, we're listening." One of Zest's brother's chimed in. He was the oldest, almost thirty, and looked part something ethnic. And their "dad" was as Caucasian as their mom. But then, Zest vaguely remembered that she had made ends meet with porno flicks a lot, back when he was just setting up. She still did it now, of course, but it was for fun now. God knew how many of the kids actually belonged to their dad, but the thought didn't seem to trouble him.
A picture of the graffiti popped up, and the crowd burst into howls. The TV station had used strategic boxes to hide the most risqué features of the breasts, and covered up something that the hand was doing, lower...
"...police are still looking for the perpetrators..."
"Aw, our baby is wanted by the police! You're growing up!" Zest looked up at his "mother" with a grin. She was a slim lady, fair skinned, with dark red hair. And a figure that had only become more beautiful with repeated motherhood.
"Thanks, ma." Angel poked him in the ribs as the news continued.
"Maverick Hunter X was quoted as saying that this juvenile, obscene act will be punished..."
"Well, he's right about the juvenile part, anyway..." Angel said with a grin, as several of the others hissed and booed.
"... Maverick Hunter Zero is quoted as saying morale has never been higher in his unit..." Everyone burst out laughing and giggling.
"Dude! Your real father is pretty cool!" Mort exclaimed. "Kick ass!" Zest basked in the approval.
"So Zest, gonna go legit? Join the Hunters?" His sister Kumba asked, leaning over the seat and grinning. She was a slim girl, with a Japanese appearance. She was also a freelance assassin. "Or maybe learn what I have to teach you?"
"No thanks, Kumba. Maybe I'll join the Hunters, someday, but right now I'll just learn more of Drake's stuff." Drake was a sneak thief, and off sleeping right now after a long night's work. They were recording it for him, though.
"Oh well, if you ever wanna learn my stuff, he'll have already taught you half of it anyway. Useful. Well, looks like the programs over, I'm gonna go clean my guns." The group slowly broke up, and Zest just sat back, lacing his fingers behind his head. He felt just great...
Zest gazed up at the side of the Maverick Hunter HQ, vaguely sad. His sister and brother were with him, and his sister was angry enough to spit nails.
"I can't believe they're doin' that! You put so much effort into it! It's just so wrong!" She hissed. The picture was being painted over, and was half gone already. Mort just looked at his feet, hands stuck into his pockets.
Zest looked at his sister, and finally shrugged. "It's the nature of graffiti art. Ya know? It's a transitory art form."
"You... don't mind?" Mort said, a little wonderingly. For most graffiti, that made sense but this... was a real masterpiece. Climbing up the building to do it had been dangerous, too, even forgetting about the paint fumes.
"Hell, I mind, but I'm looking on the bright side. And the bright side is..." Zest suddenly grinned. "I'll get to do it again in a few months!" His sibs stared at him, then burst out laughing.
"Dude! Have I ever told you I like the way you think?" His brother clapped him on the shoulder, and Zest grinned.
"Lots, but you can tell me as often as you like." The three walked off again, laughing and chattering...
"Dad... it's getting too dangerous. They know I'm around here." Zest said, shifting uncomfortably. His father, a lean, middle aged man with blond hair going grey, was watching him expressionlessly. "It's time I went before they find out I'm with the family."
"I must agree." His father finally said, and Zest sighed, depressed and relieved at the same time. He was glad there wouldn't be an argument... but sad that his father agreed. It was just hard, leaving everything behind. "But son... we will always be here for you... and there's more than enough time to give you a proper send off."
And they did. Everyone available was gathered for the next morning... almost twenty family members... to say goodbye. Zest clasped hands with all of them, hugs, getting and giving well wishes and advice.
"Anytime you need a good gun, grandson, come to me and I'll set you up." Gram-gram, an innocent looking old lady, told him with a smile.
"Remember the stuff I taught you, in case the Hunter stuff doesn't pan out." Drake the sneak thief said with a grin, thumping him on the shoulder.
"Watch yourself out there, bitch." Angel said, eyes moist. "You too, street whore." And Zest had given Angel a kiss, to go with his kind sentiments.
"I'll miss you, man. Just stay safe." Mort said, giving Zest a quick hug. "You too, Mort." Leaving his childhood friends was the hardest thing...
"Gamble with your life, not your money. I've done both, and the second really sucks."
"Anytime you need someone killed, just give me a call, and I'll give you the special family rate."
"I'd give you advice, but I just got outta jail for the third time, so I ain't doin' so hot. Just learn for yourself, I guess."
The advice went on, and Zest tried to remember it... even the silly parts. The warm messages made him feel fuzzy inside, the expressions of caring. He finally reached his father and mother.
His mother was holding his little sister, and embraced him. "We'll miss you, son." She murmured, then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "And remember, we'll support you in your lifestyle choice-"
"Ma. I'm Zest, and I'm not gay. Your confusing me with Jordan again." Zest reached over to tickle the toddler. "Bye bye, sweetling." Then he went on to his dad.
Dad had a full pack in one hand, and a wallet in the other. "Here you go, son. Gramma and I packed this up for you. Don't use up the ammunition all in one place. And this..." He gave Zest the wallet. He could feel the thickness of it... at a quick estimate, he judged there was probably five hundred dollars in it. "Good luck, son."
"You too, dad." He gave his father a final hug, then began to walk away, to find the rest of his life...
Maverick Hunter headquarters was different from the inside. For one thing, the outer wall was mostly a shell... inside was a carefully kept plaza, full of green trees, grass, and a few concession stands. It sort of made sense, though, when he thought about it... the Maverick Hunters liked to keep their troops close to home, and that meant having certain amenities on the property.
"I always wondered why this place took up a whole block." He murmured to himself. But then, this was the headquarters, and with teleporters, the Hunters tended to make rather monolithic stations for themselves. It was cheaper than maintaining several smaller ones.
Not that Zest cared. He shrugged the backpack into place, feeling a few of the guns shift position. Gram-gram had outdone herself on it... it was full of some of the niftiest hardware possible to buy. And enough ammo that if he'd used it all in one place, it's be one HELL of a slaughter.
"Hmm..." He walked over to the building, gazing around as he did. Some of the hunters were giving him curious looks... not surprising. Except for the armor color, which was purple and black, he might have been Zero's long lost twin brother.
Zest walked in, and gazed down at the receptionist in the lobby for a long moment. The lobby was very spacious, with a set of seats. Several of them were occupied. Zest glanced over the occupants, quickly forming a "young Hunter wannabee's" opinion in his mind. Most of them were so shiny and eager that they glittered.
The girl was still typing something. Zest leaned against the counter, boredom getting the better of him.
"Yo, lady, can I like get some service over here before I die of old age?" He said, watching the girl start and look up. Then she blinked, and almost started again... then shook her head.
"Oh... I'm sorry! Um, what can I help you with?" She said, standing up and smoothing down her skirt.
"I just want to apply for the Hunters." Zest said patiently. The girl nodded, fishing out a piece of paper.
"It'll be about an hour for the interview... if you could fill this out while you wait..." She offered him a pen, then hesitated. "You... you look a lot like Zero. Um, why is that?" Zest grinned. He'd found a perfect explanation.
"My creator was like, a huge fan boy of the blondie." He said, shaking his head to send his blond hair rippling.
"Oh... just wondering..." Zest took a seat, looking over the application. He filled it in casually, with minimal real information. Some questions were a bit difficult, but he and his father had hammered out lies for everything before he left.
Then he just sat back, letting his mind wander, until...
"Hi! You're applying to be a Hunter, too?" A bright, chipper young voice sounded from behind him. He turned his head to look at one of the other newbies, in green and yellow armor, leaning forward in his chair. The newbie he'd been chatting to had just gone off for his interview, and now he'd switched targets, it seemed. "I'm Chip. Who are you?"
"Zest." Zest offered the kid a hand. He wondered how old Chip was. He had such a painful newness... "Yeah, I'm going to be a Hunter. You too, or are you here for the engineering corps?" Chip blushed. Zest absently noted that he had a fine dust of freckles across his cheeks and nose, and very, very fair skin.
"Oh, I'm here to be a Hunter. I hope I'm accepted! It's been my dream for months!" Zest lifted an eyebrow. Months?
"How old are you?" He asked curiously.
"Um... a year." Chip admitted. Zest closed his eyes for a moment, feeling almost pained.
"Shouldn't you be like, stealing cars or something?" Youthful, kiddish play... a confused look passed over Chip's face. "Nevermind. I must be about, oh, three years old now." Yeah, Angel had been fifteen when he met her at that party...
"Oh, you're an OLD one then." Chip said innocently. "One step away from the scrapyard?" Zest blinked, then laughed, a full throated, happy laugh that made people all over the lobby look at them.
"I like you, kid! So, what weapons you got?" He asked, grinning.
"Oh, I have the X-buster, of course, and a really neat laser whip!" Chip said proudly. "It's one of the newest models, and I'm pretty good with it. What do you have?"
"Oh..." Zest paused, forehead crinkling, as he thought about it. "Well, my Z-sabre, X-buster, my TP-340, Mandarine X-47, XK-594, Zeus-68, a Nova Starduster, and ammo for all of 'em... unh... Chip?" The newbie was looking at him with an awed, disbelieving expression.
"You're kidding! You got all that? Really? Where?" He almost whispered. Zest grinned, holding up his backpack and shaking it. It clanked.
"Got 'em right here." He set it back down, as Chip watched wide eyed.
"But... the Nova Starduster, that's a Maverick weapon, isn't it? How'd you GET it? How'd you get the others? Wow!" Chip said reverently. Those weapons were supposed to be unavailable for anyone outside the Hunters, and for good reason.
"Gram-gram. She's a black market arms dealer. The Starduster... she bought that off a Hunter who needed the money, I think. It was a trophy." Zest explained. Chip nodded slowly, eyes wide.
"Can I see it? Can I see the Starduster?" He asked imploringly. Zest frowned.
"It's at the bottom of my backpack, and I'd rather not pull everything out in front of everybody... how about the Mandarine X-47?" Before Chip answered, he pulled up his leg, carefully extracting something...
"You have a holster built into your LEG?" Chip asked, awed again, and Zest grinned, jacking out the clip before he handed the gun to Chip. It was painted in his colors, to match his armor perfectly. In a battle, it would be next to impossible to notice... until it was too late.
"Best way to carry it, and give someone a nasty surprise, ya know?" He watched, amused, as Chip examined the gun. A few of the other recruits had noticed, and started crowding over.
"Man, cool gun. Can I see?" A young girl in orange exclaimed.
"Got any more?" A big Reploid in grey armor asked. Zest grinned up at him.
"Yeah, but not for you baboons. You'll have to get your own." He meant it as a joke, but the big newbie looked on the verge of taking offense for a moment... until Zest fixed him with a malevolent glare. He backed down with a grumble. The other newbies, fixated on the pretty little gun, missed the interaction.
"GREAT paint job. Talk about concealed weaponry. I want to get me one of those!" An older looking newbie proclaimed, checking the gun over professionally. "Tiny little thing, though. How much damage does it do? What's the accuracy like?" He was right about it being tiny... the gun could fit neatly into the palm of his hand. If you didn't know better, it looked like a children's toy.
"Spitting's more accurate past fifty feet. Damage depends on the ammo your using, though." Zest opened his hand to display the small clip he'd jacked out before giving the gun to Chip. "This only has four bullets, but their armor piercing HE rounds." The older newbie looked impressed.
"I didn't know they made rounds like that so small. They must cost a fortune." Zest nodded. That was very accurate... he'd have to save up a lot to replace his bullets, even with Grandma's family discount.
"The best thing is, it's way underrated. A lot of people sniff at it as a "girly" gun." Zest took back the little gun, smiling. "But it's a great desperation weapon, especially against bad guys who like to be cruel and see you whimper. Act defeated, hopeless... and when they get too close..." Zest suddenly set the gun against Chip's head, startling him. "Bang. At point blank range, there wouldn't be enough of the brainpan left to scoop up with a teaspoon." Chip leaned back slightly.
"Okay... can you not point it at me?" He said, a little bit queasy, and Zest laughed.
"It's unloaded, silly." But he put the clip back in, and put the gun back into his leg. "Okay, playtimes over."
"But... the Starduster...?" Chip started, but Zest shook his head firmly.
"Not right now. After we get accepted, I promise, I'll show you guys everything." That satisfied most of the rookies, who settled back into their seats... although a lot closer to Zest, now. Chip sighed, but seemed to realize he wasn't getting a look at the Starduster today.
"Oh, I hope I get accepted..." He said, fretting. "I hope they like my interview... if only I can make it through this, I'll be a Hunter!" Zest turned around in his seat, giving him an incredulous look.
"Are you kidding?" He demanded, surprising Chip. "The interview's pathetic. You'd have to be a total nutjob or crackhead not to get past this part."
"You... would? I thought we would be Hunters after this." He said in surprise. One of the girls nodded.
"Yeah, me too. How do you know we won't?" She asked him, a challenge in her voice. Zest shrugged.
"My aunt used to be a Hunter, and she told me all about it. The interview is to weed out the nutjobs and the terminally stupid. Then they put you through the combat sims, and THAT'S where we get ranked and filed." Zest tilted his head at Chip. "I mean, think about it, you can be spiffy on an interview and still be deadly clumsy, or just really unlucky, one of those people who get nailed every time. And the combat sim's'll be used to give us a quick evaluation." Zest suddenly grinned. "I'm going to do my best to blow the top off them!" There was a slightly nervous laugh from the other recruits, who went back to chattering among themselves...
Except for Chip. He was looking pale and almost sick. Zest gave him a puzzled glance.
"Hey, you okay?" He asked, curious.
"I... I just thought I'd know for sure today." He said miserably. "I don't know how I'll do on the combat sims... I'm okay, but I'm not that good. You... you seem so confident." Chip bit his lip, looking at Zest. "Are you so sure you'll do okay?"
"Oh yeah, I'm sure." Zest sat facing forward, away from Chip, and laced his fingers behind his head. "Dad put me through the paces. I can fight with the best of 'em, Chip. I'm not worried a bit. If you want, once we pass the interview, we can go down to one of the training rooms and practice. I'm sure they'll let us."
"Wow... you'd do that? Thanks!" Chip said, eyes lighting up a bit. He was still worried... but a little less. "Oh... Zest? What's your aunt doing now? She quit the Hunters?"
"Got too badly hurt, actually. Now she directs porno movies." Zest said casually, his back still to Chip. So he missed Chip's eyes bugging out.
"She... directs... porno movies?" He managed to squeak out. Zest chuckled to himself.
"Hooo yeah. Ever seen any of them? Horny Teenage Sorority Sluts, Hot and Ready, Twice is Not Enough, and, my personal favorite, Biker Bimbo Chicks hit LA?" Chip looked even more horrified.
"N-no, I've never seen a porno movie..." He gulped. Zest turned around again to look at him, surprised.
"You haven't? I'll have to show you the Sorority Sluts one." Zest was about to tell Chip about how his mom and sister both starred in it... but then decided to take pity on the rookie, who looked to be about on the edge of a nervous spasm. "So, Chip, where you from?"
"Me? Oh... the Mitsaka Corporation made me." Chip relaxed again, as he talked about himself. Zest couldn't help but smile. Chip reminded him a little of his younger brother Kevin, who tended to be nervous and high-strung. It was probably just the stress of trying out for the Hunters, but Chip was acting a lot like him right now. "Then I was sold to a smaller company to work as part of the maintenance crew." Chip sighed, and not happily. "They... weren't too happy when I decided I wanted to be a Hunter, but I'd already submitted the forms, so they had to let me go when the payment came through."
"Payment?" Zest said, puzzled.
"Yes... didn't you know?" Chip said, surprised. "When a Reploid wants to join the Hunters, the Hunters pay back what their worth to the company who owns them. If it doesn't work out, that money is taken back... um... you didn't know that?"
"No, I don't think my family ever..." Zest trailed off, suddenly making several connections in his mind. "Hairy flipping gods, I think they did! No wonder Gramma packed me so much weaponry and high explosive rounds... and dad gave me so much money! I thought they were just being really generous." He suddenly laughed. "That's rich! It's not like I cost them anything to begin with."
"You didn't? How did they get you?" Chip asked, a little bewildered.
"Oh, I just showed up, kinda like a lost little kitten looking for a home." Zest explained, which was true enough... and the next part was a complete lie. He'd worked it out with his father before leaving home, and it was what he'd written on his application. "My creator was killed off in a Maverick attack, only a few weeks after he made him, so I didn't know up from down when it came to how the world worked. I wandered off, until I met Angel... that's one of my sisters... and she dragged me home. And that's how the family got their first Reploid member." Chip nodded slowly, wide-eyed.
Suddenly, a female Hunter in pink armor came out. Zest remembered vaguely that she'd came out twice before, but he hadn't really been paying attention. But now...
"Chip Chase." She announced his name, and Chip got up to follow her.
"See you later, Zest!" Zest smiled, giving him a friendly wave as he left. He really did like the youngster.
He settled back into his chair, just savoring the silence. A few of the recruits were talked, now, but most were just patiently waiting their turn. Zest closed his eyes...
"Zest McCoy?" Zest jerked awake at the sound of his name, realizing he'd slipped into a doze. He stood, picking up his backpack and slinging it over one shoulder. He followed her down the hall.
He was brought into a brightly lit room, with a sturdy table and two chairs, one in front of the table, one behind. There was a slim, short, grim looking Hunter standing behind the table.
"Take a seat." He ordered curtly, and after Zest took a seat, he sat himself. Zest regarded him curiously. As Reploids went, he looked old. Eternally youthful face, of course... but there was nothing innocent or young about him. A wicked scar traced a path up one cheek, across an eye. The eye had been repaired, but the scar left. He wasn't quite sure why.
"So, Zest." The Hunter gazed at him with a cool, opaque look. "I am Phase." Zest nodded slightly. Phase looked down, touching a paper in front of him. "I see you were a unique model, made by someone who was very... impressed with Zero?" His tone said he'd have rather put it a different way, and Zest suddenly grinned.
"Yessir. I think he was a bit potty." Zest said, and Phase actually smiled.
They quickly ran through the answers on his application, Phase asking for some clarifications. Zest answered... lying the entire time, of course, but he'd rehearsed the lies so carefully they felt natural. Then they got to the tougher questions.
"Why did you want to join the Hunters?" Phase asked, and Zest moved his shoulders uncomfortably. This question deserved an honest answer, and he thought about it for a moment.
"Well... I always thought the Hunters were pretty cool." Phase stayed expressionless, but Zest had the feeling that "cool" wouldn't cut a lot of ice here. "And I've thought for years that the Mavericks were full of crap. I'm part of the McCoy family, and its a huge family. The thought of someone hurting my sibs, my cousins, just because their human makes my blood boil. It's wrong." He looked down at the table for a moment, then up again. He thought he could sense real interest in Phase, now. "I still wouldn't have left home, but... it was time to go. I still miss 'em." There was a short pause as Phase considered his reply, then nodded somberly.
"Very well. You're accepted. And yes, you are NOT actually in the Hunters until you pass the combat simulations." Phase's voice was very tart, and Zest hid a grin. Apparently, the other rookies hadn't assumed he was correct.
"I already knew that, sir, and I was surprised to find out the others didn't." He said lightly, and Phase shot him a sharp glance.
"Ah. So you were the one who told them. How did you know?" He asked with a lifted eyebrow, and Zest smiled.
"My aunt. She was a member of the Hunters. Maybe you knew her... Abigail McCoy?" Zest asked. Phase looked quite surprised.
"I didn't know her. I do know OF her." Phase said, almost adding something else... then visibly decided not to. Zest grinned.
"That she took the virginity of a whole generation of Hunters, no doubt." He said with a laugh, causing Phase to cough for a moment, then shake his head.
Zest was ushered into a room, with about ten other rookies. Chip was there, and immediately gravitated to Zest's side. Phase gave a nod to a young Hunter supervising them.
"There's enough. Show them around." She nodded back, and immediatly started distributing papers.
"You were right, Zest. We aren't Hunters until we finish those combat sims..." Chip started, then was handed a sheet. "Hunh? Oh! The setup of the HQ!" Zest snagged one, and looked carefully at it.
It was a well done map of the recruit wing, where they would be staying. All the rooms were neatly numbered, the training facilities, mess halls, medic centres and recreational areas marked.
Once everyone had one, the female Hunter spoke.
"You will all be assigned roommates, then shown to your quarters. If any of you have preferences in who you wish to have as a roommate, please speak now." Chip suddenly waved. "Yes?"
"Urm... if Zest wants, can we be roommates?" Chip said, glancing at Zest hopefully. Zest blinked. He hadn't really expected that...
"Sure, I guess." He shrugged slightly. At least Chip was easy to get along with. The Hunter nodded, noting it down, and quickly assigned the others together.
"This way." She led them to the recruit wing, and saw all the recruits to their quarters. "You may visit any of the training or recreational facilities. Report to meeting room 1A at 0800 tomorrow morning." Then they were left to their own devices.
Zest regarded their room with slight disgust. It was just a little box, really, with two bunk beds and a small bathroom off to one side. No bathtub, just a shower. Still, at least that beat communal showers. Still...
"You want the top bunk?" He asked Chip, who was putting away his few things. Chip glanced up.
"Sure. Um... want to go to the training room now? And maybe test out your guns?" He asked eagerly, and Zest laughed.
"You never give up, do you?" He shook his head again. "No, not until I'm a Hunter. This stuff IS illegal, you know." Chip looked very disappointed, but nodded.
"Okay..." They quickly left for the training room. When they got their, it was already half full of recruits, practicing hard. Zest almost winced as he saw a pair trying to duel with Z-sabers. Clumsy was a charitable description.
"Okay Chip." Zest unsheathed his Z-saber, taking a combat stance. "Show me how you use that whip." Chip grinned, pulling out his whip and igniting it, a long line of white power. It was on a low setting, and so was Zest's Z-saber. They could still give each other nasty burns, but nothing more.
"Sure. Brace yourself, here I come!" Their fencing was tentative at first, circling around each other carefully. Zest had fought against a whip before, but only once, and it was as difficult to counter as he remembered. It tended to catch on the armor, when it hit, too.
But he caught Chip off guard when he tucked into a summersault, slamming into Chip's legs and knocking him down. A moment later, there was a sword at Chip's throat. Zest grinned down at him for a moment, enjoying his shocked expression, then stood back up.
"Try it again?" He said, offering Chip a hand. Chip accepted it gingerly, standing.
"Okay..." This time, Zest prolonged the match... and got a feel for Chips fighting style. He laid Chip on the ground with a kick to the face, then again with a choke hold, before calling a halt so they could sit on the piled up matts on the side of the room.
"Chip?" Chip looked up, discouragement on his face. Zest had laid him out three times, and he hadn't even come close. "I think I see what the problem is with your fighting style."
"I'm too slow." He said dejectedly. "I just can't seem to keep up with you." But Zest shook his head.
"No, not that. You're slower than me, sure, but that's just pracice. No, you can't seem to react to anything related to body contact. You were taught by a fencing master, weren't you?" He asked. Chip blinked in surprise.
"I... suppose so..." He said, uncertain. "But you don't fence with whips..."
"No, but its the idea. Body contact is a strict no-no in tournament fencing. But this isn't a game, it's real." Zest's expression was serious as he looked at Chip. "In real life, you'll get kicked, punched, bitten and choked. Because no one's giving points or enforcing rules... the only rule is, whoever comes out alive, wins. But you're still playing by the rules, so when I kick you or get you in a choke hold, you don't know what to do about it. You don't know hand to hand, right?"
"No... I didn't have much time, and I thought I'd need to know weapons more." Chip said with an embarrassed flush. "I've only really been training for three months." Zest blinked, then whistled softly.
"You're doing kick-ass good for three months, Chip. But would you like to learn a few hand to hand techniques? My dad always said, your body is your best weapon." Chip thought about that only for a second.
"Thanks, Zest, I'd really like that." He said shyly. Zest grinned, pushing himself off the matts.
"Okay, lets start with some basic moves." Zest worked on teaching Chip some very basic kicks, blocks and throws. They ended up having the most fun with the throws.
"Good one!" Zest staggered to his feet, massaging his shoulder. Chip had given it quite a wrench when he'd thrown him. "You did that perfectly."
"Yes, but you let me do it." Chip protested mildly. Zest shrugged, then grinned.
"So what? You took the opening. Someone else will give you it for real, someday. Hey... wanna learn some neat stuff for infiltrations?" Drake had taught him a few things... with the caveat to never, ever kill people when you were stealing. Theft was one thing, but the police got awfully intense about murders. These were non-lethal techniques that could easily BE useful for killing, if you had a knife or garotte.
"Sure!" Chip answered with a smile. He was having quite a lot of fun, although he'd need to practice all of these moves a lot, LOT more before he could use them.
"Okay, walk in front of me..." Chip did so, expecting a hit from behind... but it was still shocking, when a strong arm encircled his throat and was slammed to the ground. Zest let him go almost immediately, but it was still impressive. He coughed slightly.
"...Wow! Show me how." Zest grinned, and showed him slowly, demonstrating on him. They were attracting a lot of attention from the other rookies now...
"Would you mind teaching the rest of us, too?" An older, solemn faced rookie asked. Zest paused for a moment. Choke holds were actually something best taught in a group... it was hard for Chip to see the moves when he was the one being choked and thrown.
"Okay, gather round if your interested, then." Soon he had a group of around fifteen attentive rookies. "Okay, watch close now... Chip..." Looking a little martyred, Chip turned around again, and Zest slowly demonstrated the move. "Now, this move is a bit different between the girls and guys. A girl has a lower centre of balance, you need to throw from the hips. A lot of girls make that mistake, and if you do, you'll be the one thrown. Chip, remember that counter to a choke hold? Let's show them an incorrect example." Zest tackled Chip again... and Chip neatly flipped him over his shoulder, getting him down with a hand at his throat. Zest grinned at him, then sat up.
"Okay, now can anyone tell me what I did wrong?" The lesson was a lot of fun... Zest was a bit surprised at how much he enjoyed teaching them. He'd never taught anyone before... most of his family was older and more capable already, and those that weren't, had other teachers.
"Ready to try it? Line up..." The rookies found a makeshift order, and Zest grinned at Chip, who was still standing beside him. "You too, I get to be the punching bag this time. Okay! All of you are going to try to take me down, one at a time. Pretend I'm a Maverick sentry, and you want to get in this base quietly. If I can get off even one scream, you've lost surprise and might be massacred. Ready?" Zest turned around, walking casually, like a real sentry would.
A heavy tread... Zest turned around with a pained expression.
"And try to walk quietly, Mavericks aren't deaf you know." The rookie in question blushed, and the others laughed, but he was quieter on his next try.
Zest had a lot of fun with it. Most of the rookies messed it up the first time, of course, but he could give each of them advice.
"That was just too slow, too tentative. They won't wait for you to get an arm around their throats." He advised the yellow rookie he'd just thrown.
"Remember that mistake girls make? That's what you did. You're half my size, if you try to throw me from the shoulders, you're asking to die." Zest paused, looking at the diminuitive young rookie in front of him. "And, well, size really matters for this. You can still learn to do a choke hold, but you'll have to be even better at it than most." That was just a fact of life.
"Is there something wrong with your left arm?" Zest looked at the latest rookie he'd thrown with a puzzled frown. "You felt strangely weak." The youngster sighed, levering himself up... with his right arm.
"I was damaged when my owner was killed, a month ago. I was part of the property her sister inherited, but she didn't really want me, and it was never properly repaired." He said, his expression resigned and slightly sad. Zest winced. He couldn't imagine a life like that...
"That sucks. But, it's a problem." He rubbed the gem in his helmet thoughtfully. "You might be able to get around it in combat, a lot of people use weapons that only need one arm, but still... it'll show up as a weakness. And you can't do a choke hold with your left arm, period." The rookie stood, and nodded tiredly. "So... I do it with my left arm, because that's comfortable for me, but I know how to do it with me right." He motioned the next rookie in line forward. "Let me show you."
He helped that rookie, the next... and then...
He was tackled perfectly by the next in line. Zest grinned to himself, tapping his arm, the signal to let go. Then again. But the grip only tightened, even when he tapped for a third time...
Zest squirmed, eyes gone wide, as his lungs screamed for air. It took a tremendous force of will to carefully twist, just enough to...
Zest's knee slammed up, hitting the startled rookie in the crotch. He yelped loudly, and Zest managed to jerk free.
"You...!" The next part of what Zest said would have been one long, continuous beep if it had been on TV. He punctuated the creative curses with wide, expansive gestures. "What the HELL did you think you were doing? I tapped your arm three times, you shit!" The large, grey rookie who'd tried to choke him into submission stumbled to his feet, and the expression on his face was far from pleasant. Zest's eyes narrowed. He remembered this guy from earlier... but he turned to the class.
"Okay, Error type 3, the teacher has crashed... you guys know what to do now. You can practice on each other for a while." He wanted out, away from this rookie, before there was a fight. And he just wanted to sit down. His throat hurt, and he was feeling just a bit shaken.
"But...!" One of the others started, and Zest shook his head firmly.
"No. That's the benefit of not being a real instructor... I don't have to instruct you monkeys unless I feel like it." There was a chorus of laughter. "You can practice against each other." The group slowly broke up, and squared off in one on one pairs. Zest walked over to the matts, finding a seat again. He just stared away, caught in his own thoughts...
He was surprised when someone sat beside him, but not surprised at all when he looked up and realized it was Chip.
"Hey Chip. Don't you want to practice some more?" He asked, and Chip shook his head.
"Not really... I thought you might like some company." For a long moment, they sat silently, just watching the other rookies practice. "Zest? What do you think of them?" Chip finally asked, and Zest frowned again. He really shouldn't answer that... he was only another rookie, not a Hunter. But with a few notable exceptions, the other rookies were... treating him like a Hunter... if not quite as respectfully. He finally shrugged. There was no harm in telling Chip what he thought.
"Most of them are okay, but there's a few I don't think will make the cut tomorrow, and some that have real problems. That kid in the red, Alan... he's just too slow. I'm willing to bet he'll be gone tomorrow." Zest laced his fingers behind his head. "I wonder about Chalene. She's not that great, and just so tiny. And Maven will be gone, too. He's just plain clumsy. Kikana, the guy with the arm... I don't think he'll be cut, but I sure hope they can fix that. He might get away with it for a long time, but someone will take advantage of it someday and he'll be dead." Chip nodded solemnly.
"What... about me?" He finally asked, tentatively. Zest suddenly gave him a grin.
"Oh, you're easily the best of the lot, barring myself of course. All you need is training and time, and you'll be good." Zest said matter of factly, and Chip blushed.
"Thanks." They both watched the rookies in silence for a moment... "What about that guy who choked you?" Zest frowned, touching his throat. It still ached a little.
"I don't know... he's good, but I wonder if he might get cut. That's a bad attitude he's got." Zest sighed, and shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Or maybe it's just that he doesn't like me. I'm not universally loved."
"You aren't? How could that possibly be?" Chip said in mock horror. Zest laughed.
"I don't know, some people seem to manage." Zest grinned at Chip as he laughed. "I'm just glad I have a good friend." He really was. In his family, he'd almost been able to take that for granted... his sibs were his best friends... but away from everyone he knew, he'd been worried.
But now he had a friend. Life was definitely looking up.