A couple of days passed by since that last maverick incident in Delta city, which had fairly gotten all the attention from the media. As a result of that, world leaders from all sides of the planet were beginning to put into question Cain's leadership capabilities, to the point of even branding him as a 'soft-hearted' individual with a particular affection towards reploids in general. Still, X paid no attention to any of them. For him, the only thing that really mattered was the state of the city and the hundreds of lives that were put in danger, unnecessarily, during the maverick uprising.
Without nothing else to do for the time being, the blue reploid decided to make a quick visit to the Central Hospital, and see if he could be of any help for a change of pace. Though by the looks of it, it seemed that the medical staff had everything under its control this time compared to that other situation days ago.
"Mr. X!" a voice, well-known to the blue bomber, stated his name excitedly.
As he followed the source of it, he took note of the person at issue with huge satisfaction. It was the auburn, teenage human reploid-named Saito-who seemed to be in perfect shape, and very lively too.
"It's good to see you again, how are you feeling?" asked X with genuine interest for the young teenage robot.
"I'm great, sir" he quickly replied in a very straight polite way. "If it hadn't been for you, I don't know what could have happened to us three that day".
"To be honest, you did most of the job" insisted a modest X before giving further explanations to his statement.
"It was all thanks to your metal coated body that you three managed to leave the scene unscathed. By the way, how are the other two?"
"They're fine as well! Probably Netto-kun is giving Subaru-kun a serious headache by now, which is why I think I should find them soon" he chuckled lightly after mentioning this.
"Do you want me to help you?"
"It's ok, Mr. X. I know where they are" replied Saito with a nod. Still, he was grateful for his kind offer.
"Again, it was really great to see you, sir! Thank you for everything", then he politely bowed before him. Just as he left, Lifesaver emerged from a near hallway after having noticed X's presence within the hospital's limits.
"He's a nice pseudo-reploid, don't you think?" commented the medical reploid to X after he approached him.
"Pseudo-reploid?" he questioned the expert since he didn't exactly know what that term actually meant.
"Robots like him that are not made for any specific tasks. You can think of them as helpers or housework models designed strictly for the human needs".
"I see…" replied a thoughtful X, feeling that this didn't sound too unusual for him.
"According to his medical history, he was built by Dr. Yuichiro Hikari after his real son, Saito Hikari, died at birth from a heart disease problem" said Lifesaver, filling him in after having read Saito's clinical report.
"O-oh, I didn't know that" he answered a bit astonished, taken aback by this unexpected revelation to him.
"Anyhow, since you're here, I would like to know if you have given any thought about Colonel and General's proposal about joining the Maverick Hunters association" asked Lifesaver.
Unsure as to what to answer, X just remained silent. In all honesty, fighting wasn't the first thought that would cross his mind when it comes to solving a dispute-despite the fact he looked like a reploid made for combat-. True, he promised the good doctor long ago to use his powers for a greater good, but does that mean to live a life of endless battles?
"I…haven't really made my decision" he admitted sheepishly to Lifesaver.
"I understand" was his only reply, though he sounded a little bit disappointed of X's response.
"Well, just so you know, the two are really expectant to your answer. So far, only Zero has accepted the offer" he confessed him before leaving the reflective blue reploid pondering about the issue at hand.
Hunters Base
Having no place to stay in Delta City, Zero became a permanent resident within the highly-trained facility. In there, he decided to make some use of his free time by polishing his swordsmanship skills with enemy targets. It wasn't like he needed to, he just felt like there was no need for him other than defeating mavericks in his way. At least, that was what he was promised when he accepted the maverick hunter's job.
"You have a nice stance, and some good skills with your saber to back it up, cadet" stated Colonel after entering the training room.
"Thanks, I always like to be prepared for any type of situation" replied Zero with a hint of conceit that amused his superior officer.
"Hmhm, a forehanded warrior-kind of person. I like that" he commented just as the newcomer approached him with his z saber turned off.
"We haven't had the chance to speak face to face. I heard that you live up to your name" declared the young reploid with some interest for Colonel's long battle story.
"It wasn't an easy path to get here to be completely honest" he confessed him a little down, almost sounding remorseful to some extent.
"On a mission, in which the number of enemies is unclear, it's difficult for us to seize complete successfulness. Some of our finest men get to see the sun of next day, others don't have that same luck. Yet we must always strive on behalf of our organization and the people we're ought to protect" stated Colonel solemnly, hoping that his wise words could change Zero's belligerent behavior.
"Brother! Zero!" waved at them, happily, a young-looking female reploid with green eyes and very long brown hair, whose youthful expression beamed a colorful innocence. Iris was her name, and she was no other than Colonel's beloved little sister.
"How about you call it a day for today and join us?" insisted Colonel in an attempt to teach Zero a little bit of socialization, a quality that he was glaringly lacking. Not to mention the fact that his sister had developed a certain liking towards the young reploid. Because of that, he felt like he needed to know the newcomer more before even allowing their relation to go even further.
"I-I really don't want to disturb you two" he quickly tried to decline his invitation, feeling already out of place in the moment.
"Nonsense. Besides, that way I can introduce you to the division you'll be assigned to".
Later that day by the evening
After having explored the metropolis in its whole, X decided to return to his luxurious penthouse located in the western midtown of the city. It was a beautiful and comfortable place to stay, courtesy of his brothers' hard work through all these years and Master Cain's benevolent heart towards Light's sons.
"Watch your head!" announced Gutsman the moment X stepped inside the apartment. Luckily, the blue bomber managed to avoid successfully the tip of a sofa that was going straight to his face.
"Hey there, bro!" greeted him Bombman who was also passing by while holding the other sofa's end. As X assessed the situation inside home, he concluded that, maybe, this wasn't going to be a so quiet evening afterall.
"Come on, you lazy reploids! You work hard everyday in your facilities, and yet you can't clean this place for a day?!" complained an exasperated Luna Syrus, the newest member of the family and personal engineer of the eight industrial reploids after she voluntarily assigned her rights to avoid a jail sentence for life.
"Things have gotten pretty lively around here, don't you think, timey?" joked Oilman playfully while vacuuming the floor.
"This is degrading in so many levels. I'm a time researcher! Not a house cleaning robot!" complained the grumpy teenage robot, who was tasked with cleaning the windows.
"Heheh! You look pretty dusty, Iceman" teased him Cutman with a snicker after unloading some old boxes from the upper rooms.
"Oh, yeah?! Have you looked yourself in the mirror recently, Cutman?" retorted the Eskimo reploid to his older brother after putting his small load on the floor too.
"Welcome back, X. How's everything on the streets?" greeted him Fireman this time who, by the looks of it, wasn't spared from the house cleaning either.
"Good, the city seems to be in order after that attack" he told him pleased.
"That's good to know".
"I also visited the Central Hospital and found one of the children I saved on the highway. Lifesaver was there too and we talked about…. well, you know" he mentioned hesitantly.
"I can imagine" replied his brother concernedly.
"Hey! You, too!" yelled the black haired girl, scaring the two reploids on the spot.
"Don't think you can slip away from work, X" and she handed him a broom while Cutman and Iceman chuckled, deviously, at his expense.
"Just a few days here, and she already feels entitled" stated Elecman sarcastically after approaching his two brothers.
"Still, is better that she's turned over a new leaf" commented X with a smile before sweeping the floor diligently.
It was only when they finished that Luna got off their backs, not minding if they ended too much exhausted or fatigued after all that housework. However, for X, this was the perfect chance to go to the balcony and catch himself a nice breath of the cool air from the night. Maybe that way he could think more clearly about what to do in regard to the Maverick Hunters' invitation.
"The doubtful eyes of indecision. I can see that in your extinguished gaze, brother" pointed out Fireman.
"Fireman" said X surprised after seeing him.
"Want to talk about what happened this afternoon?"
"Yes. Like I told you, it's about General's offer to join the Maverick Hunters" he explained to the fire industrial reploid.
"You fear that by accepting the hunter's work, you may cause more damage than good?" he asked him.
"Something like that" answered X still doubtful before looking at his buster arm. "I mean, the doctor expects me to do greater things, but I'm not sure if battling is what he actually meant".
"We too have wondered that" commented Fireman after pondering in silence his brother's statement.
"You have?"
"Nod, our father created us for certain specific purposes. But that doesn't mean we're sometimes dragged to a problem out of our areas of expertise".
"You mean the mavericks" said X, bringing up the subject again.
"Indeed, they are a quite threat for everyone in general. That's why we, eight, are always vigilant of our reploid workers' actions".
"I didn't know it was that bad" murmured X thoughtful, then he gazed upon the dark streets filled with people and reploids alike. If only that relieving scene could be preserved in time, it would make a huge difference compared to what happened that gruesome day of the maverick attack.
"And all because Dr. Cain made them based on my design" he concluded sadly.
"Whatever you decide, brother, you will have our complete support" reassured him Fireman in hopes of easing X's unsettled heart.
Meanwhile, in a fancy hotel in the City Center
"Ohhh, come on, guys! Why I can't?" complained a spoiled Axl, pouting in a childish manner.
"Because we didn't come to Delta City for you to sign up for the maverick hunters. You should have told them you weren't from here in the first place" retorted Pharaohman while reading some reports, which made the teenage even more displeased.
"So, we're supposed to sit around and let Alisa deal with creep guys like that Mr. King man?" he confronted his brother with crossed arms.
"Sigh…look, by tomorrow we'll be taken a flight back to Nefterom. After that, you won't have to worry about seeing him again" replied the pharaoh-like reploid before continuing with his work in silence along with Brightman.
While that sounded relieving for Axl to some extent, he couldn't accept this decision so willingly. He liked this city and his welcoming citizens too. Sure, his homeland wasn't actually that bad. But because Nefterom was governed under strong management reploid laws, maverick outbreaks were almost nonexistent; reason why Axl sometimes felt like a rock on a big pond without nothing more to do, except bodyguarding, target practice, and staying in that old big manor. Once he felt the thrill of wiping out baddies and dodging incoming attacks, Axl couldn't see himself as a bodyguard unit anymore.
"I see. Yes, yes, I understand" said Alisa after talking to a hologram image in the palm of her hand.
"What happened, ribbit?" asked Toadman concerned the moment he saw Alisa's worrisome face.
"Mr. King wishes that I oversee an important development of a new generation reploid model, so, I'm afraid we'll have to extend our stay for more days now" she told them regretfully.
"Wait…does that mean what I think it means?!" asked Axl both distressed and anxious at the same time. Maybe his wish of a small vacation time was about to become true.
That morning, the following day, began as any other. The sun was shining brightly and there were no gray clouds in sight in the sky, which could probably be considered as a good sign to the faithful believers, and it was that way, for this day was going to mark the beginning of X's new life after many years of slumber.
All he had to do was enter the Hunters Base building and ask to have a word with General, which went fairly easy for him; like a walk in the park to be precise. Afterall, his display and courageous actions were already wide known by this point. And just like that, X was before the general commander of the maverick hunters in a matter of seconds.
"I take it that you're here because you have made your decision" said General with a stoic expression.
"Yes, I have" replied X determined.
"I'll join the maverick hunters" he finished, pleasing the old large reploid.
"Then it's settled" answered General before standing up from his big chair to properly invite the blue bomber to his facility with a friendly handshake.
"Welcome to the Hunters Base, X. It's a pleasure to have you working with us".
"The pleasure is mine, General" he replied politely, returning the handshake.
"Hey! Wait up!" called them an exasperated voice from across the room. There, at the very entrance, stood a clearly tired Axl (probably from so much running all the way to here).
"I want to join you guys too!" he stated, already decided to make a difference in his life.
Continues in the next chapter (special double-update today)