Note: The game is the creation of my own perverse imagination. For your edification, I'll describe it. It's a Halloween themed game where X is playing one of the kids from a school, trying to save all the other students from rampaging Halloween monsters that were unleashed during the yearly costumeparty. With each level, the girl's costume changes... sometimes she's a zombie, sometimes she's a vampire, a schoolgirl, an angel, a princess... XDD She defeats the enemies with weapons she finds in the levels, and the weapons are usually related to the monsters. (a flamethrower for the Marshmellow monster... smors, anyone?) She gathers up chocolate bars and other candies to gain health. XDD Don't you wish I was a real game designer? And yes, there are plenty of sexual references in the game for people who have dirty minds. Hehehehehe... now, on with the story!
Tambertail grinned, swallowing a chunk of beef. From the look on Zero's face, he would cheerfully have denied knowing her if he thought he could get away with it.
They were vacationing at a resort in Texas. Well, it styled itself a 'ranch', and it DID have horses, but Tambertail didn't think anyplace with a golf course could really be called a ranch with a straight face. She strongly suspected Zero had suggested a vacation in Texas both because he'd never been there before, and because the odds of meeting any other Hunters here were miniscule. The favored vacation spots for the Hunters were Hawaii and Vegas, with ski vacations in a dozen places being another recurring theme. Horseback riding was an interesting departure from the trend.
Right now, though, what was bothering Zero was the fact that she'd ordered the biggest steak on the menu… an enormous monstrosity, and if she ate it all, it was free. However, if she didn't, it was going to ding Zero's pocketbook severely. Tambertail was having fun satisfying her primal urges to tear meat apart with her teeth, ignoring the steak knife, which was probably another reason for Zero's put upon expression.
As far as she was concerned, though, that was just too bad. She knew Zero had done almost the exact same thing to deliberately embarrass X once. Turnabout was fair play. Tambertail chewed and swallowed, glancing around the restaurant. The theme was Wild West, and a perhaps a trifle overdone… the weathered cow skulls were nice, but she didn't much like the hay bales. Still, the food was good and authentic.
"So, Zero," she said brightly, making him wince. "What are we doing tomorrow? Golfing?" Her grin was vulpine. She couldn't picture him golfing, but it was bound to happen sometime this week.
"No, that's for Thursday. Tomorrow we're going to go horseback riding." Zero was actually somewhat looking forward to that. The horses all had cybernetic implants to raise their strength and endurance, so handling him and Tambertail would be well within their abilities. Well, as long as they didn't call in their armor. Zero briefly entertained himself with the thought of charging Mavericks on a horse… nah, the horse would be toast. Well, unless IT had armor. Hmmm. Maybe he should mention that to Cain. A robotic horse?
"Excellent. I love the smell of fresh horse." Tambertail grinned as Zero gave her a peculiar look, obviously wondering if she meant freshly killed. Tambertail downed her drink, a screwdriver. It was early in the evening, but her tolerance for alcohol was notorious.
"Hey, baby," came a soft voice from behind her. Zero's expression immediately changed to one of annoyance. Even if hadn't chosen to travel with Tambertail, really, he WAS with her and they were eating supper together. Who was daring to poach on his turf? He gave the interloper a deadly glare. "Want another of those?"
"No thanks." Tambertail said coolly, surreptitiously sniffing the air. She couldn't smell alcohol from the strange Reploid, which was odd… if he wasn't drunk, what in hell did he think he was doing?
Tambertail was dressed to be her most attractive, but that really wasn't saying too much. Skirts and dresses looked ridiculous on her, so she had decided on creamy slacks and a bright red blouse. Over that blouse, she was wearing a leather vest with beading and fringes that she had just bought at the nearest tourist trap. The way it was laced accented the few female attributes she had, and it suited her athletic build. Still, she wasn't the sort of woman men typically fought over.
So when he tried to put his hand down her shirt, it came as a shock. Zero catapulted to his feet with a snarl… but Tambertail reacted even faster, with instinctive viciousness.
CHOMP"Aaaaiiiiieeee!" Tambertail's teeth could penetrate armor… which no one was wearing in a resort/ranch. What they did to that unarmored hand was unspeakable, and even then she was being charitable. If he had been a serious threat, she would have clamped down harder and yanked her head. Given the pressures involved, there was a very good chance she would have removed half his hand. As it was, she just took a sizeable chunk. Blood splattered as she let go, and the Reploid fell back. Zero hesitated, nonplussed by the sudden disappearance of his opponent. Tambertail smiled at him, and picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth. Zero stared at her, and his expression suddenly changed to one that was fierce and… Tambertail blinked. Had the bloodshed, and her casualness about it, turned him on?
The answer was a definite yes. He stepped over to her, and knelt down, ignoring the puddles of blood. Blue eyes burning, he kissed her deeply, and Tambertail realized that he wanted to taste the blood in her mouth. That knowledge was as arousing for her as the bloodshed was for Zero, and she gripped the back of his head tightly, returning the kiss fiercely-
"What in hell is going on here?" Tambertail growled in disappointment as Zero drew away, turning to look at the owner of the drawling voice. They both recognized the man. He was a Reploid, wearing grey armor, cowboy hat and a vest similar to Tambertail's, and he worked in the stables as an assistant. Something about the way he moved and spoke told Zero that he could be quite dangerous, if he chose to be. Right now, he was regarding them levelly with cool grey eyes, and occasionally glancing at the crippled Reploid who was trying to hold his hand together.
"He tried to shove his hand down my shirt." Tambertail stood up, holding her head high. "So I bit him."
"Hm." The Reploid glanced around at the other patrons, whom were all watching in rapt fascination. "Any of you lot see this?" One girl tentatively put up her hand. She was a slender human girl, perhaps sixteen years old, with pale blond hair, glasses, and the very pale skin of someone who usually didn't see much sunlight.
"I looked up right when it happened. He asked to buy her a drink, she said no, and then he tried to fondle her." The girl said softly. He nodded, accepting that, then gave the crumpled Reploid who had started it a flinty look.
"And what do you have to say for yourself?"
"I don't… I… she bloody well BIT me! I want to press charges." Tambertail growled, and Zero stiffened, giving the man a look that could have scorched titanium. The ranch Reploid just smiled coldly.
"Well, you could do that. On the other hand, this is a respectable place, not the local bar, and the sheriff isn't likely to be too sympathetic with a man as shoves his hand down a ladies' shirt. And I do believe she could charge you for indecent assault." He shrugged slowly, then smiled again. "So maybe you should just leave and think it over a bit, before you do anything rash, eh?" Muttering something, the perpetrator pulled himself to his feet and stumbled out. The ranch Reploid eyed the puddles of blood with distaste. "Mirella, get a mop. And move these nice people to a new table." Soon, Zero and Tambertail had been moved to a cleaner area and the restaurant had proved a free drink to everyone in the room. Calmed and cheered, conversation slowly picked up again among the dinner crowd. Zero and Tambertail eyed each other for a moment.
"Are you really hungry?" Zero said abruptly. "For food?" Tambertail grinned slowly.
"Yes, but we can box it up for later." She was still hungry… her generator ran hot and burnt a great deal of fuel… but she was even hungrier for something else, and from the look in Zero's eyes, so was he. She gestured to the waitress, who hurried over to take care of any problems. "Could you box this up and bring the check, please?"
"Of course… I hope you don't mind the trouble?" That was an awkward way to put it, but the waitress was obviously worried they would hold the incident against the resort. Zero shrugged.
"It's fine, we just want to eat in our room," he said, and the waitress smiled, a little relieved. Soon, they left the restaurant, hand in hand. Tambertail almost felt like blessing the fool who had started all the trouble.
Maybe she and Zero were more compatible than either of them had thought.
The next day dawned bright and cool, with just a touch of frost on the ground. Tambertail adjusted her vest, working a few tangles out of the fringe.
Since they were going to be riding most of the day, she and Zero had both dressed with dirt in mind. Tambertail was wearing tight blue jeans that showed off her long, athletic legs and a plain white t-shirt beneath her vest. Zero was wearing similar jeans, but his shirt was a red polo, comfortably faded and stained. It left most of his neck bare, clearly revealing the bite marks she had left on his skin. Tambertail shivered slightly, reminded of last night. There was a matching set of hickies under her own shirt, if anyone cared to look hard enough. Zero put an arm around her, as they walked to the stables to join the other riders, and she leaned comfortably against him.
The ranch Reploid they had met in the restaurant was there, and they learned his name was Lucian. His eyes were dancing with laughter when he brought up a delicate topic.
"The front desk wants to know, would you two like to move to one of the private bungalows?" He asked. Tambertail blinked, and Zero frowned. The resort basically had three kinds of rooms… the ones done in Mexican décor, the ones in Texan décor, and the bungalows. The last were far more expensive to rent, and separated from the rest of the building so the occupants could enjoy complete privacy.
"Why? Our rooms are fine." Zero didn't see why they would want to move. Lucian grinned, amused.
"Oh, I'm sure they are… for you. But we got three complaints last night from the people near you, about the howling." Tambertail choked, flushing a brick red. Zero hadn't been quiet either, but she knew she was the prime offender. Zero grinned, amused with her reaction. "If you're in a bungalow, though, you'll be far enough off they'll probably think its wolves. Might add some color to the place. The change is on the house, by the way." That decided Zero. His bank account was a little lean, but if it was free…
"Sure, why not?" he agreed. Zero was willing to bet the resort was paying for this only because having a famous Maverick Hunter staying there was good for business, but he didn't really care. In fact, he was used to getting that kind of treatment. If nothing else, where he went, members of his unit were bound to follow. Lucian turned away slightly, speaking into a communicator that was tied to a local network. He nodded, then looked back at them.
"The maids are going to move your stuff, and the new key will be at the front desk. Bungalow 3, if that's alright?" They both nodded.
After ascertaining their level of skill… zero… Lucian found horses for them and gave them both a quick lesson on riding. Zero was a bit put out with his horse, at first… he wanted something with more fire, or at least a tendency to stay awake… but Lucian had a good argument.
"Think about Pokey here as a level one combat sim. You wouldn't put a novice in a level eight, would you? Or even a level three?" Lucian patted the horse on the shoulder, as it lowered its head and dozed. "Pokey's good for learning the basics, and we'll be going up some mountain passes. You don't need to get thrown down a ravine, believe me."
"Well, alright." Zero gave in with little grace. He had to admit that made sense, but he didn't have to like it. He eyed the shaggy white and brown horse, then sighed and mounted. Tambertail was already on her horse, a pony named Star for the white star on its forehead. There were a few other people going out with them as well, also amateur riders. To Zero's mild surprise, he recognized one of them… the girl who had spoken up for them in the restaurant. Her name turned out to be Pamela. The other was a cheerful old man who introduced himself as Al.
"Daft bugger!" Zero looked over with a blink as Lucian expertly took control of his own mount. It was an impressive black steed, elegant yet powerful, and quite a bit taller than any of the other horses. Also… difficult. Lucian glanced over at them with a grin, when he had the beast under control. "We call this one Demon. If you're doing well by the end of the week, maybe you'll get to ride him… but he's got quite the temper." The horse snorted, as if agreeing with him. "Let's go."
A week later, back at Maverick Hunter HQ.
"So, Zero, how was your vacation?" X frowned at the GameBoy, then quickly hit pause and looked up when Zero didn't answer right away. He tilted his head at the smug expression on his friend's face. "That well?"
"You know how I said she wasn't my type? I was wrong. She's a tiger in the bedsheets, and sometimes she can be so damn hot. X, is it weird that blood turns me on?" Axl looked over at that, surprised.
"Um… most people would say so, yes. But how does that have anything to do with Tambertail?" X asked cautiously. Zero's expression turned dreamy.
"A guy tried to grope her and she almost bit his hand off. It was just so sexy, especially when she wiped it off with a napkin…" X gagged, and Axl looked slightly sick.
"Okay, WAY too much information. How was the horseback riding?" X changed the subject firmly. Zero grinned.
"Pretty darn cool, actually. You guys should come with me next time… it was a whole lot of fun, going down a different trail each day and seeing those neat mountain passes, then going for a swim when we got back. On the last day, I got to ride Demon." Zero rubbed the back of his neck. "And the bastard tried to buck me off. That was something else."
"I'd like to go," Axl chimed in. "It sounds like fun. I've never tried to ride a horse before!"
"Hmm." X went back to his game, pressing the play button and getting down to business. Zero lifted an eyebrow at him.
"Haven't you finished with that thing yet?" He'd figured X would be done with his obsession by the time he got back. X shook his head, eyes glued to the tiny screen.
"There's one hundred and eighty-six levels," Axl said with a grin. "And then there's a sequel."
"Jeez, Axl, are you trying to get rid of him entirely?" Zero watched X play, and shook his head. "Nothing good will come of this."
"A complete failure?" Vivian frowned as she read through the report from Gregor's operatives. "My word. What kind of animals does he date?"
"Apparently, that animal is Signas' secretary." Gregor smiled at the expression of surprise on the chairwoman's face. She shook her head, bemused, and set the paper down.
"They really need to cut back on the raw meat, if that's how their secretaries behave." Vivian drummed her fingers against the table. "That leaves direct action. Have you tried to contact Lady Death?"
"I opened negotiations," Gregor's tone was regretful, though. "Unfortunately, she's refused the contract. Apparently, her aversion to taking contracts on high ranking Hunters extends to Signas."
"Hmm. It's probably not just pragmatism, then. Signas would be much easier than X or Zero." Vivian shrugged, dismissing the motivations of the assassin. Her reasons for refusing the contract didn't really matter. "Do we have any other prospects?"
"Hmm… yes, there are a few…"