Chapter Nine: Accelerated Development

"Congratulations, Alia…I mean, Mrs. Hannity!" Palette squealed as the Maverick Hunters, Navigators, and Alia along with Signas relaxed in the Rec Room. "I can't believe it; you snagged yourself a man!"

"And a human at that," Layer added. "To be honest, I never thought that any of us would end up with a last name."

"Isn't that great?" Shortwave said as she tried to snuggle against X, who sat stiffly in his seat as he watched her out of the corner of his eye. "All you have to do now is wait until he's done healing, and you can start your life together!"

"Hey, Shortwave; give the man some room!" Axl scolded the newest Navigator. "Can't you see you're making him uncomfortable?"

"Huh?" She looked genuinely confused until she looked up at the face of the object of her affections. "Oh! Am…Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Sort of," he admitted with a distraught look. "Right now, though, I'm more worried about Mr. Hannity."

"I must confess; I am concerned as well," Signas added. "But Lifesaver and the human medics told us that he'll be fine in a few days. He just needs to recover from the accelerated healing."

"I know," X replied. "Looking back, though, I wish I hadn't accepted his challenge."

"Well, I'm glad you did," Alia said, surprising everyone.

"What?" Palette exclaimed. "Are you serious? Did you want him to get hurt or something?"

Alia shook her head with a thoughtful look. "No, it's just that…he needed to do this." She looked around the group with an awkward smile. "He needs to experience life to be able to fully appreciate it."

"I think I understand," Zero intoned. "It's one thing to read about something in a book, but quite another to actually experience it."

"Exactly."

"And that's one of the things you love about him, isn't it?" Layer asked with an understanding smile.

"Y-Yeah," Alia answered while squirming in her seat.

"Hey, that's right!" Palette chirped. "What is Max's first name, anyway? I mean, his full first name? Maxwell? Maximilian?"

"David," Alia said with an impish grin.

"Huh?"

"His full name is David Maxwell Hannity," Signas informed the group.

Alia sat up with a start. "How did you…oh, right."

"What?" Axl said. "What's the big secret?"

"There's no 'big secret'," Signas replied with a shake of his head. "It's my job to know about these things. I have known all there is to know about Mr. Hannity from shortly after the first time I saw him."

"Wow…" Palette breathed "And you kept it from us this whole time?"

"Yes."

Everybody waited, but Signas said nothing more.

"Well, I guess you have your reasons," Zero said.

"It's probably because he has high hopes for our relationship," Alia said with a faraway look in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" X asked with Shortwave still attached to his arm, though not as tightly.

"Sir?" Alia said while giving Signas a meaningful look.

"It is…" Signas started, then coughed. "As you all know, I have one of the most advanced processors of my generation; this allows me to nearly predict what will happen in the near future."

"Right…" Axl said. "And…?"

Alia smiled to herself, starting to enjoy the replay of her similar conversation with Signas just a few days prior.

"I have good reason to believe that their relationship will lead to the next step of reploid evolution," the commander explained.

"How so, sir?" Layer asked as she leaned forward with an expression of curiosity.

"Sigma tried to advance reploids by instigating conflict, particularly between human and reploids," he continued. "What is needed, however, is communion and cooperation between us, like we had in the beginning. Because of this, I believe that a close relationship between a reploid and a human would be good, not just for Mr. and Mrs. Hannity in this case, but for humankind and Reploidkind as well."

"That's…deeper than I can handle," Axl said, rubbing at his head. "But if the two of them getting together'll be good for everyone, then I'll help out in any way I can."

"Thanks, Axl," Alia said with smile that caused the younger Reploid to blush.

X got to his feet to stand before his former navigator. "If there's anything I can do to help, just tell me, okay?"

"I will," Alia croaked, her emotions causing her vocal processors to randomly spike. "Thanks, X; that means a lot to me."

"Well, I don't really care about all this relationship stuff," Zero grunted as he crossed his arms. "But count me in, too; call me if you need me."

Palette saw Layer wince and laid a hand on her back.

"We will all be at your disposal, Alia," Signas intoned as he gave Zero a puzzled look. "Within reason, of course."

"Of course," she giggled as she wiped at her eyes.

"Sir?" Shortwave said, timidly raising her hand. "If Alia's coming back, does that mean…?"

Her fearful expression was not lost on her senior officer. "The three of us – Alia, you, and myself – will have a meeting to discuss this after things have settled down. For now, you are to perform your duties as usual."

"Yes, sir!" she chirped, hopping up next to X with a salute, causing the latter to flinch at the sudden movement.

"As for you, Mrs. Hannity," Signas continued while giving Alia a meaningful look, "I believe you have a future to plan for, do you not?"

"Sir?"

"Your married life!" Palette cheered, leaping to her feet. "Where you're gonna live, who's gonna do what around the house…"

"That's true," Alia conceded, looking down at the floor.

"Are you planning on visiting him today?" Signas asked.

Alia shook her head. "He asked me to give him a couple of days to recover. I think he was embarrassed that I saw him like that."

"That does sound like Max," Layer said with a sympathetic chuckle.

"What about children?" X asked as he settled back in his seat, Shortwave settling down as well to snuggle his arm. "I don't know a whole lot about them, but I do know that humans value their young highly."

The mood of the room suddenly turned somber. "I…suppose…we could adopt…" Alia suggested, though she didn't appear to really like the idea.

"Max strikes me as the type who'd like to have his own offspring," Layer said, then winced at her thoughtlessness.

"Yeah…" Alia said sadly.

"You will not know for certain until you speak with him about it," Signas said carefully. "I would, however, suggest that he would have to know about our…limits…in this regard."

Alia sighed heavily. "Is he going to regret marrying me once he realizes…?"

"Wh-What about Dr. Light?"

Everyone's gaze snapped to Shortwave, who shrunk behind X at their collective intensity. "Intriguing, navigator. What are your thoughts?" Signas inquired.

"Well…" she started, trying to gather her courage, then popped up and took X's hands in her own as she looked him in the eyes. "He's given you a lot of upgrades, hasn't he? Armor and chips and stuff like that, right?"

"R-Right," X stammered, surprised by the sudden but not-unpleasant feel of her hands.

"Could he help Alia? Make it so she can have babies?"

"Are you serious?" Zero blurted incredulously. "Do you have any idea how complex the human reproductive system is?"

"No," she admitted, then whirled on Zero, giving him a start. "Do you?"

"Well, no…"

"So what's the harm in asking?" she demanded. "What's the worst that the father of robotics could say?"

"She has a point," Signas admitted. "X, you came across one of his capsules while pursuing Chase Cheetah, didn't you?"

"Yes, sir," X replied as his navigator nodded vigorously.

Signas turned to face Alia. "Then perhaps if you were to visit this capsule, you could petition him for assistance."

"M-Me?" Alia squeaked, her face starting to pale. "Talk to D-Dr. L-Light?"

"Sure," X replied. "He's human, just like Max. Or, he was, at least."

"We reploids venerate him due to his contributions that allowed for our creation but, otherwise, X is correct." Signas told her.

"I-I suppose…"

"Alia?" The blonde felt a pair of hands rest on her shoulders, and she looked up into the determined eyes of her substitute. "Would you like to be able to have a baby?"

"I…I don't know…" Alia said, then chuckled awkwardly. "I've never really thought about it, of course…"

"Then we should not press the issue further," Signas informed everyone. "Alia, I apologize if our words or actions have caused you to feel pressured. This is your life, and your relationship."

"R-Right," Shortwave agreed. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be pushy."

"N-No problem…" Alia said, her expression turning thoughtful.

"Well, if you'll excuse me," Signas said, getting to his feet. "I must return to my station. Alia, I congratulate you once again. Enjoy your time with your new husband, and we will discuss your return at a later date."

"Understood, sir," Alia replied, getting to her feet as well.

The tall reploid simply nodded before exiting the Rec Room.

"Hey, I just realized; He doesn't usually come in here, does he?" Palette remarked as the doors closed behind her senior officer.

"I've never seen him in here," Axl noted.

"Well, this is a special occasion," Layer pointed out.

"Especially to him," Zero added, and Layer had to quickly look down to hide her blush. "I've never seen him so interested in anything outside of work."

"Well, it's like he said," X said. "He sees their relationship as important to the advancement of reploids and humans. You know he'll grab onto anything that would serve that purpose."

Zero simply grunted in response.

Just then, the alarm went off, indicating the discovery of a maverick. At the same time, Signas' voice sounded across the PA system: "Maverick Hunter Zero and Navigator Layer: please report to the Situation Room."

"How'd he get up there so quickly?" Axl wondered.

"Let's go!" Zero exclaimed, tapping Layer's arm, causing her to yelp before bolting to her feet to hurry out of the room after him.

"Poor Layer," Alia said, feeling sympathy for her friend. "I know what it's like to feel rejected."

"Yeah…" Palette sighed sympathetically.

"What are you two talking about?" Axl asked, and the girls looked over to see the remaining Hunters watching them with puzzled looks.

"Don't worry about it, X," Shortwave said, tugging on his arm. "Come on; I want to watch you train in the Combat Room."

"Um…o-okay," X managed as he allowed the shorter reploid to drag him from the room.

"Layer needs to learn what Zero likes, right?" Palette asked Alia while ignoring Axl's curious expression.

"Of course."

"But she can't learn anything if she's too shy to talk to him, right?"

"Right."

"So let's get the information for her!" Palette decided.

"Huh?"

Palette put a finger to her lips for a moment, her eyes lost in thought until they settled on her boyfriend. "Oh Aaaaaaaaxllllll…."

"Y-Yeah?" the young hunter stammered as Palette approached him with an eager expression.

"Could you help us get into Zero's quarters?" she asked in a singsong tone, twisting her body side to side while looking up at him with her best 'doe eyes'.

"I…I can't!" he protested. "Signas'd kill me!"

"I understand," she pouted, then moved to whisper into his ear. "But if you do, I'll…" the rest couldn't be heard, but Axl's eyes widened considerably.

"L-Leave it to me!" he declared. "But I'll only be able to get one of you in there."

"I'll take care of it," Palette volunteered before Alia could say anything. "I don't want you to get in trouble so soon after getting some happiness."

"O-Okay," Alia managed, wondering what her friend had said.

"When did you want to do this?" Axl asked, still reeling.

"As soon as possible, of course!" she chirped. "And Zero's headed out on a mission right now…"

"L-Let's go!" Axl exclaimed, grabbing Palette's arm and causing her to squeal into giggles as he nearly dragged her out of the room.

That left Alia alone in the Rec Room. "Well, I guess I'll…go…somewhere, then."

Alia sat on one of the park's many benches, watching as people of all kinds walked by. Some walked by themselves, some with friends, others were obviously couples…Alia smiled at the memories of her own adventures as a girlfriend.

Her gaze was drawn to a young brunette woman just settling onto a bench across the path from her. With her was a stroller, and it was turned just enough that Alia could see the lone occupant, causing her to draw a quick breath. "A…A baby…" She was out of her seat and across the path before she realized what she was doing, and she found herself staring at the tiny human.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked, deliberately moving the stroller away from the newcomer.

"Huh? Oh! I…I'm sorry," Alia managed. "I just saw your baby, and…" she trailed off, unsure how to finish her sentence. "How…? Is it a boy or a girl?"

"He's a boy," she replied, beaming with pride at her little one. "Brandon here is six weeks old."

"I…I'm not sure what to say…congratulations?"

"Thank you," the young woman said, shifting her gaze to smile up at Alia. "Why are you so nervous?"

Alia looked back and forth between the mother and her child. "I've just…I mean…"

"Did you get married recently?"

"I…I did," Alia replied, wondering how she could tell.

"Well, congratulations!" the young woman exclaimed, getting up from her seat to surprise Alia with a hug. "I'm Alice. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Alia; Alia Hannity. Nice to meet you, too."

"What an interesting name," Alice said as she took a closer look. "Oh…are you a reploid?"

Alia took a step back as a hand went to her mouth. "H-How did you know?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest," the young mother said with a giggle as she sat down again. "Maybe it's how you felt when I hugged you."

"I…I see…"

"I'm sorry…" Alice said as she patted the seat next to her. "When you first came up to me, I was afraid you were going to try to take Brandon."

"I would never do such a thing!" Alia gasped as she accepted the proffered seat. "I'm sorry if I gave you any reason to think that!"

"It's okay," Alice replied as she saw Alia looking at her baby again. "You're really interested in him, aren't you?"

The reploid said nothing but nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry; I'm not comfortable with someone I barely know holding him, but you can look all you want."

"Th-Thank you," Alia replied. "It's amazing, how two humans can create another one."

"It's…a lot of work," Alice admitted with a blush as she looked back at the baby again. "But to see the little guy smile up at you for the first time…" she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "…it's just priceless."

"Why is that?" Alia asked.

"Because it means he recognizes you," the young mother replied with a voice heavy with emotion. "And…he's happy to see you."

"You connect…" Alia realized.

"That's…another way of putting it," Alice said as she continued to smile at the sleeping boy.

"Amazing…" Alia breathed.

Alice looked over at Alia's expression of wonder and laid a hand on her shoulder. "You want one, don't you?"

"Y-Yeah…" the young reploid admitted as she continued to stare. "I...acknowledge that I am not permitted to hold him, but…may I touch him? Just his face?"

Alice smiled sympathetically at the artificial woman. "He needs to wake up soon, anyway, so…go ahead."

Alia gave a look of gratitude before sliding from her seat toward the stroller, finally kneeling next to it. She carefully reached out and, routing extra power to her arm stabilizers, gently touched the sleeping baby on its face. "Amazing…" Alia breathed yet again. "He's so soft…"

"Isn't he?" Alice agreed. "I have to pry him away from Peter all the time."

"Who's Peter?" Alia asked quietly so as to not wake the still-sleeping infant.

"He's my husband," she replied. "And once he gets Brandon in his arms, it takes everything I have to get him away so I can feed him."

"Why not have your husband feed him?" Alia asked as she settled back into her seat. "If he's holding him…"

"Thaaaat wouldn't work," Alice said awkwardly. "Pete's a great guy, but that's just it; he's a guy. He doesn't have what's needed for the job."

"I don't understand."

The young mother stared at her for several seconds before a look of understanding crossed her face. "Oh. Okay, I get it." She flashed an awkward smile as she took a deep breath. "See…I breast-feed him," she explained, indicating her chest, "and Pete's not made for that. Human men aren't, in general."

"I see," Alia said, feeling a little self-conscious. "I guess I have some research to do, then."

Alice studied her with sympathetic eyes. "You…can't get pregnant, can you?"

"No…" Alia said heavily while staring at the sleeping infant again.

"I'm so sorry," Alice said warmly. "I don't know how this is going to sound, but…for your sake, I hope you'll be able to, someday."

"Thank you, Miss Alice."

"Just 'Alice', please. And…I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

Alia forced her gaze up to the young mother's face. "My name is Alia; Alia Hannity."

"Well, Alia…" Alice said, giving her another hug, "if I see you around, I'll be sure to say 'hi', okay? And Brandon should be able to say 'hi', too…eventually."

Alia's reactor briefly sped up as her systems recorded Alice's and Brandon's information to permanent memory. "Thank you very much; I…I look forward to it."

Alice smiled at her a moment longer before turning to pick up her bag. "Now, I'm sorry, but I have to go; I need to get him home to feed him. I'd originally just stopped here to rest a bit, but I'm glad to have met you." She got to her feet and took hold of the stroller. "Have a wonderful day, Mrs. Hannity…and congratulations again on your marriage."

"Thank you, Mrs…"

"Edwards."

"Thank you, Mrs. Edwards; you have a wonderful day as well." Alia returned, waving as the young mother pushed the stroller toward home. As she headed back toward the entrance to Maverick Hunter headquarters, one thought dominated all the others: "Baby…"