Chapter Four: Fandom
"No, ma'am; we do not have a Hunter by that name," the red-haired reploid at the front desk replied with an irritated tone as Alia entered Maverick Hunter HQ. "Yes, have a good day."
"What's wrong, Shortwave?" Alia asked as she approached the overwhelmed receptionist.
She waved a white-gloved hand at the phone, which had started ringing again. "It's been ringing off the hook this morning, with people – girls, mostly – asking about a Maverick Hunter named 'Max'."
Alia giggled in spite of a little jealousy. "He's the reploid who held off Seismic Sloth until X and the others arrived."
"So that's who they're talking about…" Shortwave said. "From what I've been hearing from these calls, he sounds like quite a guy."
"Yeah," Alia said, her eyes losing focus as a smile tickled her face. "He was really brave out there, fighting such a large Maverick while so inexperienced."
Shortwave shot to her feet. "Wait, you were there? You saw him fight?"
"Huh?" Alia blinked, jarred from her memories. "Oh, uh…yeah. I watched through the restaurant window."
"Pooh," the redhead pouted. "And I was stuck watching highlights at home."
"He felt really bad for the maverick," Alia told her. "Even though he wasn't the one to kill it, I could tell it broke his heart to see it die. He was there when it changed, and it was one of our fellow guests, after all."
"Aw, poor guy," Shortwave said sympathetically. "It's hard enough for veteran hunters, but for a civvie… Is he doing okay?"
"I'm not sure," Alia admitted. "I haven't seen him since then. After the battle was over, Commander Signas debriefed him, then sent him on his way."
"Alone?"
"That's what Max wanted," the pink-clad navigator said. "Layer, Palette and I offered to walk him home, but he politely declined."
"A guy with a big heart…" the receptionist mused. "Not many of those anymore."
"No kidding," Alia said. "Listen; if he calls, please let him through. And if he comes in, please let me know."
"Of course!" she chirped. "Hey, you said that the maverick was one of 'our fellow guests', right?"
"That's right; what about it?"
Shortwave gave her a catty look. "Were you on a daaaaate, Alia?"
"W-With Max, yes." Even though she hadn't tried to keep it a secret, it was still awkward to talk about. "Wh-Why do you ask?"
"Luuuuuckyyyyy…" Shortwave whined. "Palette has Axl, and Layer almost has Zero…we figured you'd end up with X."
"X? Wait, 'we'?"
"Of course! After all, all the other Navigators are so close to their Hunters, so of course…" she finished with a shrug and a knowing look.
"But…I've never really thought of X that way!" Alia exclaimed.
"Really?" the short reploid said, rubbing her hands together. "Then maybe there's still a chance…"
"Ugh," While Alia understood the desire to pair-bond, she'd never made it her central focus the way that Palette and Layer…and, apparently, Shortwave did. Even when she'd been interested in Gate, she wasn't the type to go all 'goo-goo eyes' about it. "I'm out of here; I've got work, anyway."
"Right!" Shortwave chirped as she waved Alia off. "Have a great day, and I'll let you know if Maaaax calls!" She then turned back to her perpetually ringing phone with her fists on her hips. "Humph; maybe I should just link in directly and answer all the calls at once…"
Alia chuckled to herself as she entered the elevator. As it ascended, she allowed herself to think about her admirer. He wasn't like other men, human or reploid, that was for sure. When it came to romance, "He just offers himself and lets the chips fall where they may," she mused. "It's like he's on an adventure, and he wants someone who'll join him on it." With her background in research, she knew that she could fill the bill. "But do I want to 'fill the bill'?" she thought out loud again, then giggled to herself. "That sounds like something Max would ask."
She stepped out of the elevator as the doors opened, only to nearly run into Commander Signas. "Oh! Sorry, sir! I was lost in thought."
"Are you all right, Navigator?" he asked with concern in his eyes. "You're four minutes and twenty-three seconds late."
"I was held up at the front desk just long enough. I'm sorry, sir; it's not Shortwave's fault."
"I understand," he replied. "Please take your station; X is already en route to engage another Maverick."
"On it, sir." Alia sighed as she hurried to her console, wondering if Sigma's presence would ever be truly wiped out. She quickly donned her headset and hit the 'connect' button.
"X here."
"Sor-" Alia briefly faltered as she remembered Shortwave's words of hope from earlier.
"Alia?"
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Alia finally managed as she shifted to her professional demeanor. "According to my information here," she said as she consulted the relevant feed, "you're in pursuit of the maverick designated 'Volt Jackrabbit'."
"Didn't I already fight someone with that designation? 'Volt' something?"
"Volt Catfish," the navigator replied easily. Allowing herself a slight grin she added, "What can I say? We only have so many words for referring to electricity."
"And water."
"And…Hold on, it looks like Zero's been assigned to 'Rage Lion', a fire-based maverick."
"That's new. Anyway, can you tell me anything about my target?"
"He used to be a courier for Repliforce, but quit when they rebelled."
"For all the good that did him. Anyway, thanks. Listen, I'm coming up on a spike-filled area, so I'll need some 'serious time'."
"I see it. Contact me if you need to, X. Otherwise, I'm muting my end."
"Understood. Going silent."
Alia leaned back in her chair and sighed. She turned the volume up from X's feed and allowed herself to think about Max. "I hope he's doing okay," she muttered, thinking out loud yet again. "I'd really like to see him again. Is he working on his research…?" She smiled softly as she imagined him working away at a computer or reading from a huge stack of books. Of course, she hadn't seen him study yet, but…. "I'd really like to see that," she sighed. "I'd like to do that with him…"
She leaned forward, resting her arms on her console, one of her fingers absently tapping away. "And the way he tried to help that poor maverick…and then had to fight it." For the first time in her existence, she sighed with a dreamy smile on her face.
"ALIA!"
"Wh-What?" she stammered, snapping out of her reverie to umute her comm. "What is it, X?"
"Would you please stop tapping the 'connect' button! My right audio receptor's starting to ring!"
She looked down and, sure enough, her finger had been absently tapping the 'connect' button. "I'm sorry, X! I was thinking about something else, and…"
"Max?"
"Y-Yeah…"
No response.
"X?"
"I'm coming up on what appears to be the door to the Maverick Chamber. Going silent."
"Good luck, X. And sorry about your receptor." Alia muted her end again and, giving the buttons on her console a wide berth, rested her hands on the console and allowed herself to replay the memory of Max fighting the maverick…
"Looks like you've got the Lightning Dash," Alia reported after X dispatched the unfortunate former courier. "We'll run a full analysis when you get back, but it looks like you'll be able to dash through enemies, damaging them as you go."
"Sounds good. See you shortly. X out."
Alia muted her microphone and leaned back in her chair. Other than her accidental overload of X's audio, the operation was a flawless success.
"So, how'd it go?" a voice chirped mere inches from her ear.
Alia nearly leaped out of her chair at the sudden intrusion. "Palette, you startled me!"
"Sorry!" the junior navigator said, her expression showing anything but regret. "How did X's mission go?"
"Well, other than a mistake on my part, everything went fine. Maverick defeated and weapon obtained."
"Mistake?" Layer asked, joining the conversation. "What did you do?"
Alia looked back down at her console with an embarrassed smile. "I…was a little distracted during 'serious time' and ended up tapping the 'contact' button repeatedly."
"Ouch," Palette said sympathetically. "That must have been awkward."
"And likely painful for X," Layer added. "Is he okay?"
"I think so," the senior navigator replied. "After I stopped, he didn't say anything more about it. I'll make sure he visits Lifesaver after he gets back, though. How about Zero?"
Layer's face turned scarlet in an instant. "He…did wonderfully, as always."
"Seriously, Layer; when are you going to ask him out?" Palette asked in an uncharacteristically non-teasing tone.
"I…I can't," the tall navigator shuddered. "I could barely speak to him when he returned from his missions during the Jakob's Ladder incident."
"Well, you might want to hurry," Alia warned. "I just found out this morning that Shortwave's looking for a partner. She'll probably put her sights on X, but…"
"…maybe she'll go after Zero!" Palette chimed in. "She's short, and cute, and redheaded… OOO! Alia! You think Zero might be into redheads? Red seems to be his color, after all!"
"P-Palette!" Layer stammered, her face starting to pale as one of her hands went to her chest. "P-Please…"
Palette's smile faded as quickly as her coworker's complexion. "Oh…L-Layer…? I…I'm sorry. I went too far, didn't I?"
"I think you've been 'going too far' for while, now," Alia remarked as she rose from her chair. "Let's cool off in the Rec Room while we wait for Zero and X to return."
"Y-Yeah…" Palette said as she dropped her gaze to the floor.
As they headed out of the Command Center and down the hall to the RR, Alia and Palette cast worried glances at Layer, as well as each other.
"Navigator Alia; you have a visitor at the front desk…" the three friends looked up at the sound of Shortwave's voice coming from the PA system. "I repeat: Aaaaaaliaaaaaaa, he's heeeeeere…"
"Max?" Alia blurted, bolting upright in her seat where she'd been drinking tea with the other navigators. "He's here?!" She quickly turned to her friends. "Do I look okay?"
Her friends shared a warm smile before looking to their friend. "You look fine," Palette said encouragingly.
"Besides, he's seen you in your work attire, remember?" Layer added, having calmed down considerably.
"Th-That's true," the senior navigator replied as she worked on her hair.
"Get out of here, chief," Palette said, nudging Alia's shoulder. "He's waiting for you."
"Y-Yeah." Alia rose onto anxious legs and hurried out the Rec Room door. She smoothed her hands over the front of her uniform as she speedwalked to the elevator. "I hope he's doing okay," she worried aloud. "Right, he must be okay or he wouldn't be coming here…"
She continued to mumble to herself as the elevator descended, taking her down to the ground floor and the main reception area. When the doors opened to reveal the entrance to Maverick Hunter HQ, she felt the artificial blood drain from her face.
Max was there, all right…with Shortwave barely inches from him. From the way she was talking as well as his posture, it looked like she was peppering him with questions.
Sure enough, as she got closer: "'So, what do you like about Alia? Are you going on another date with her? I know I've said this already, but you were soooo brave fighting that Maverick! I saw it on TV, and-"
"H-Hello, Max," Alia greeted; in spite of her quiet tone, it was still enough to shut up the hyperactive receptionist.
"Hey," he replied shyly. "Sorry for not talking to you for so long."
There was an awkward silence…until the receptionist piped up again. "Well, I'll leave you to your conversation. If anyone needs me, I'll be at my desk…four feet away."
Alia blinked, glancing at Shortwave before returning her gaze to Max. "Could we talk outside for a bit?"
He nodded with a sigh of relief. "That's what I was hoping for."
The pair was quiet as they left Maverick Hunter HQ and headed to a grassy area in front of the gigantic building.
They approached a bench but neither of them sat, Max leaning against the back of it while Alia stood before him with her hands clasped. "How…are you?" he started somewhat lamely.
"I'm…okay. How about you?"
"Better."
"That's good."
"Thanks."
They both stood there for what seemed like forever, Alia watching Max as he rubbed the back of his neck, scratched at his head and, finally, crossed his arms to look at her. "Look, I'm sorry for being gone for so long; I guess it hit me more than I thought it would."
"I think I understand," Alia said softly.
"I guess I feel bad partly because I didn't check on how you were doing after all that," he said, looking to the ground. "I don't think that's how a man's supposed to be."
"How is a man supposed to be?"
"I dunno. I keep turning it over and over in my head, replaying what happened after the fight, and…" He brought his head up to fix her with his gaze. "I think it's okay for a man to do what I did; I was pretty out of my league, after all."
"You were in shock," Alia said quietly. "I believe that you did your best, and many people were saved thanks to your courage." She paused to consider a thought. "In fact, I think that your courage was what made you a man in that situation."
"You're probably right," he admitted. "Thanks."
"Max, I don't think men are supposed to be perfect," Alia suggested. "You're supposed to be strong and brave, of course, but you don't have to be invincible or anything like that." She took a step closer to him. "The fact that you're concerned and wanting to learn from the situation says a lot about how good a man you are."
He looked up abruptly. "You really think so?"
She nodded solemnly as she tapped the ground with her boot. "I'll admit that I don't what it's like to be a man, but if men and women are supposed to complement each other, then neither of them could be perfect to begin with, right? Otherwise one would never need the other or even want to get together."
He barked a laugh as he clapped a hand against the side of his neck. "Man, I never thought of that; how embarrassing."
She was about to take another step toward him when he suddenly pushed himself from the park bench to put a hand on her shoulder. "You're an amazing woman, Alia, you know that?" He appeared to study her blushing face for a few moments, then: "Would…Would you be willing to join me on my journey? My journey for truth?"
"M-Max?" Her hands flew to her mouth as she took a stumbling step back, his hand dropping from her shoulder. "A-Are you asking me to be your g-girlfriend?"
"Am I?" Max seemed genuinely surprised by the question and took a minute to turn the idea over in his mind. "Heh… I never thought of it that way, but… Yeah, I guess I am." He took another step toward her and held out his hand. "So, what do you say?"
She looked at his hand cautiously, as though she had never seen one before. But…a hand wasn't just a means for holding onto tools or manipulate objects in time and space, it was…a means for bonding with another as well. After all, if one held hands with another, they had to stand beside the other, to come alongside each another. Did she want to come alongside Max on his journey for truth? Did she want to 'fill the bill'?
She reached out a shaky and laid it on his. "I-I'd love to, M-Max," she replied, wiping away an overflow of eye lubricant from her cheek.
"OHMYGAWD!" Palette squealed after Alia had finished telling her story. "That was better than any romance story I've ever read! Or dreamed about!"
"I'm so happy for you, Alia," Layer said as evenly as she could, but the emotion in her voice was still unmistakable. "I believed that the two of you would end up together, but…the way it played out was certainly…unique."
"I knoooowwww…" Palette crooned. "It's kinda cute how he didn't even realize that he was asking you to be his girl!" she giggled. "How like a guy!"
"Not necessarily," Layer said. "Max has shown to have a…unique way of looking at things. It's not unreasonable that he would fail to make the connection. He was thinking in terms of research, after all; it's just that it was clearly important to him that Alia be a part of that."
"And I'm sooooo happy for you!" Palette squealed again, giving her senior a hug. "Did you plan another date or anything?"
"We're going to the amusement park a week from Saturday," Alia informed them.
"Not to be rude, but isn't that geared more toward children?" Layer asked.
"No way!" Palette countered, in full Hyperdrive. "Amusement parks are for everyone, for all ages! You're never too old for the amusement park."
"I think I understand," Layer conceded. "I have seen families on their way to one; I suppose I unconsciously assumed that they were going for the benefit of the children. Thank you, Palette."
"Y-You're welcome," Palette said, surprised by the show of gratitude. "Wow, I never thought you'd be thanking me for something."
"Stranger things have happened," Alia quipped with an impish grin.
"Now we just need to hook you up with Zero, and we'll all be happy!" Palette exclaimed, starting to work herself up again.
"Y-Yeah," the tall reploid replied, delicately tugging at her collar. "I-I look forward to it."