Chapter Ten: Discoveries

"What's this?" the purple-haired navigator asked as Palette handed her one of the data chips used by HQ.

"It's everything that's on Zero's personal computer," the shorter reploid replied, her voice low and conspiratorial. "Everything you've ever wanted to know about your crush is on that chip."

"You can't be serious!" Layer hissed, though she kept her voice low as well. "That's against MHHQ protocols!"

"C'mon, Layer," Palette whispered, putting an arm around her friend's shoulders. "You've been chasing him for a long time. Now you have the chance to know everything about him, and you're going to tell me you don't want it?"

"H-How were you able to store all of it on such a small storage chip?" she asked, trying to distract herself from the ethical implications.

"Would you believe he uses a computer from the early 21st Century?" Palette snickered quietly.

"Wow…" Layer breathed as she noticed that, according to the device's readout, it was less than half full. "He must not use it much."

"He mostly has images," Palette remarked, then quickly waved her hands defensively at the taller navigator's shocked expression. "I didn't look at them all! I just checked a couple to make sure they copied over correctly, I swear!"

Layer swallowed hard as she studied the chip in her hand; it looked so innocuous, so…non-threatening. But if it had the answers she'd been looking for…"Th-Thank you, Palette," she said, closing her hand around the tiny storage device.

"Are you going to be okay?" Palette asked with a worried look.

"I will be…fine," Layer forced herself to decide. "Please excuse me…and thank you again."

"You're welcome," Palette replied as she studied her friend's face as best she could for not being able to see her eyes. "I really hope you find what you need."

The tall reploid could only nod as she turned away from her friend to head back toward her room, her purple hair swaying behind her. As she walked, she tried to justify what she was about to do, but… "Forgive me, Zero," she murmured as she stepped into her quarters, the door quietly sliding shut behind her.

"So, um…Max?"

"Yeah!" Max replied, smiling at his wife from across her quarters as he put his book aside. "What's up?"

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat at the table. "Do…? Have…?" She made a distressed face at her difficulty in forming a coherent sentence.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, getting up from his chair to cross the room and wrap his arms around her slim shoulders. "You okay?"

She snuggled into him and allowed herself to enjoy the sensation of his heartbeat. "Max? Do you want children?"

"Well, sure," he answered almost immediately. "Not yet, of course, but eventually."

Alia sighed resignedly. "You know I can't get pregnant, right?"

The newlywed human could feel his face heat up; even though Alia had the necessary equipment for the activity, mutual feelings of awkwardness had kept them from 'consummating' the marriage. "Well," he said, nuzzling the top of her head with his cheek, "we could always adopt; there are a lot of orphans left from that space elevator situation, right?"

Alia mulled over his words. It was true that there were many children in need of homes due to their parents' deaths at the hands of maverick reploids during the Jakob's Ladder disaster. "That's true," she conceded as she wrapped her arms around his. "But…how do I put this…?

"The best way you can," he murmured into her soft hair.

"Isn't…Isn't it true that humans want children of their own? I mean, children that are their…real, biological offspring?"

"That's…true," he acknowledged as he released her, only to smile at her when she looked up at him. "But I also understand your situation, so…it's not a problem."

"But it is!" she insisted, taking his hand into hers. "You should be able to see yourself in your own children."

"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" he asked softly.

"I saw a mother out with her baby…'Brandon' was his name," she said, her voice starting to thicken with emotion. "He was so cute, and I think that was what made me want to be able to have one. I want to be able to carry a life that looks like you…and like me."

"Like you?" he asked with an interested look. "Would that even be possible?"

"The skin overlay from my last upgrade uses DNA from my creator," Alia explained. At his puzzled expression she added, "Look at older pictures of me and I think it'll make sense."

"I'd really like that," he said softly. "I mean, being able to have a baby with you."

"It's hard, you know?" she said, starting to tear up. "When I was just 'Navigator Alia' I never thought about these kinds of things; I was content with my work and my friends. But now that I realize that I can't do something that human females can do…" She quickly drew the back of her hand across her eyes.

"Alia?" Max said, starting to sound concerned. "Are you saying that-"

"NO!" she cried, grabbing his hands and looking up at him again. "I'm glad I'm your wife! I'm glad we're together! And that's why I want to-" She cut herself off, unsure whether she wanted to tell him her plans or not, yet realizing that she had said enough to lead to…

"'Want to' what?" he asked, fulfilling a minor destiny. "Alia?"

"I've been thinking about finding one of Doctor Light's capsules and asking him to help me…to help us," she said, suddenly unable to look him in the eye.

"Capsules? I don't understand."

"Do you know who Doctor Light is?" she asked.

"Sure, I've read about him. He's the father of robotics. He created and built X."

She released his hands to clasp hers together tightly. "Well, he also made what we call 'Light Capsules'. X has found several of them during missions, where a hologram of Dr. Light appears and gives X different kinds of augmentations, to his armor or his abilities."

"That's cool," Max said softly. "It's like he gets to see his dad, even after so long. Do you know if the hologram's a recording or an AI?"

"We think he's an AI," she replied, calming down a little. "He's shown an awareness of current events, and… Anyway, I really hope he's an AI."

"Yeah, I guess you would, huh?" Max said sympathetically. "Well, if that's what you want, I'll support you any way I can."

"You will?" she gasped, her gaze snapping up to his again. "You're really okay with it?"

He ducked his head a couple of times with an awkward expression. "I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't worry about you; after all, you said that X found these capsules on missions, so they're probably in pretty dangerous places, right?"

Her face fell. "Yeah. And they don't always appear in the same place twice, so they're pretty hard to find."

"Well, here's what you do!" Max exclaimed confidently. "You get X to ask the good doctor if he'd be willing to take on another patient. If he agrees, then maybe you could set up to meet somewhere…safer."

The blond reploid's eyes widened as her disposition immediately brightened. "That…That's a wonderful idea, Max!" She hopped from her chair to hug his neck. "I'll talk to Commander Signas and see if he'd approve something like that!"

"S-Sounds like a plan," he stammered at the sudden display of affection; he liked it, but he still felt a little overwhelmed. "A-And ask him if there's anything I can do to help."

She pulled away from him, taking hold of his hands again, her eyes glowing with excitement. "I'm going to go talk to him right now!"

As she hurried from the room, Max chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I wonder if she even realizes that she'll be talking to her boss about our love life."

Layer drew in a deep breath to try to cool her overworking reactor as she sat before her personal computer. She had plugged in the data chip that Palette had given her, and was simply waiting for her nerves to allow her to open the folders on the external drive. "Here goes…" she said, licking her lips as she opened the first folder.

In it were hundreds of documents simply titled with dates. Opening them revealed his thoughts about the various missions he'd been on, similar to a journal. "Wow… He's done so much," she breathed, her eyes taking in every word to store into permanent memory while trying to not feel guilty for doing so.

The next folder contained videos, and she gasped as she realized that they were video backups of his memories from key points in his life. One video stood out in particular. "That's…Sigma?"

Sure enough, the video showed Zero fighting Sigma, but something was off. The main thing was that Sigma himself looked so…different. "He's always had his capes and been so bulky," she puzzled. "But here…he looks a lot thinner." What was also odd was that instead of his usual Z-Saber, Zero was wielding… "A pipe? When did he lose his weapon?" Still puzzled, she closed the file, only to realize that what she had just watched was his earliest recording. "What the…" She quickly checked the file properties, and gasped. "Oh, no… This was from when he was…." She quickly backed up to the parent folder, feeling like she had just seen something too personal for anyone other than the owner to see. "I'll…just go to the next folder…"

The next folder contained hundreds of image files, most of them dated very close together. "These look like they would have been during the Great Repliforce War," she thought out loud. "Well, here goes…"

Her mouth fell open as she saw image after image of Zero with a pretty young girl with long, brown hair partly covered by a red beret, and the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. "Wow…she's really cute," Layer breathed. "No wonder I can't get his attention. But why haven't I ever seen him with her?" she said as she continued to cycle through the images.

She blinked with a start when she suddenly found herself back at the first image. "That's it? Weird. It's almost like…she…" Acting on a hunch, she hurried back to the video folder and found the video file with the datestamp closest to that of the last image; she was hardly surprised to find that it was the last one on its respective list. "Please let me be wrong…." she shuddered as she started the video.

It showed the girl from the images lying on her back on a metal floor inside some kind of warehouse or equally large room. "Iris!" she heard Zero call out as, from his perspective, he ran up to the prone figure. The girl opened her eyes and looked toward him. "Zero…" she said in a weak voice. Layer watched transfixed as 'Iris' expressed her desire to live with Zero, safe from harm.

As the life left the girl's eyes and Zero cried out in his pain, the normally even-tempered navigator burst into tears as well. "That's why he's so cold…." she wept quietly. "That's why he doesn't care about relationships…" It all made perfect sense; to be hurt so deeply by the death of one so loved… "He's protecting himself. He doesn't want to be hurt again. He could never accept anyone again with that…with that kind of hurt."

Acting almost impulsively, she went back to the image folder and looked through every one of them again, seeing them as they were before the tragedy. "He looks so happy," she whimpered. "Oh Zero, can I take away your pain…?"

She knew that he'd never accept her the way things were, but what if…? She quickly dried her optics before shutting off her system, pulling the data chip, and hurrying from her quarters.

"Commander? May I speak with you for a minute?"

Signas straightened from his examination of the region's map and turned to face to the former Navigator with a small smile. "Ah, Alia; of course." He gestured to the double-doors across the room, and she followed him as he led the way into his office. Once inside, he gestured to one of the guest chairs as he moved to sit behind his desk. "What can I do for you?"

She had barely settled into her seat before she started squirming. "Sir? I was hoping…"

Signas waited patiently while the former navigator tried to put her sentence together. Of course he already had an idea of what she wanted to talk about, but he also knew that not only could he be wrong, but that she needed to say it herself.

Finally, she heaved s huge sigh. "Commander, I am requesting that the next time X or Zero makes contact with a Light Capsule, that they speak to him on my behalf."

"Indeed?" he said, steepling his fingers as he rested his arms on his desk. "May I know why?"

Alia blushed fiercely. "I think you already know, sir, but…" she raised her eyes to meet his. "If possible, I would like to consult with Dr. Light about an upgrade."

"The one we discussed recently?"

She straightened, trying to maintain her dignity. "If you are referring to the ability to carry life, then yes."

"Hm." The reploid officer studied her for an uncomfortably long time. Alia was starting to squirm in her seat again when he suddenly straightened and pressed a button on his desk. "Attention, please: Hunter Commander X, Hunter Commander Zero, and Hunter Commander Axl, please report to my office. I repeat: Hunter Commander X, Hunter Commander Zero, and Hunter Commander Axl, please report to my office. Thank you."

Alia watched the announcement with no small amount of interest: she'd always heard the commander give announcements over the PA system, but had never seen him doing it. It was an unimpressive thing, but interesting to her.

He finished the announcement, then turned his attention back to her. "None of them are on missions at the moment, so they should be here shortly."

"Y-Yes, sir," she stammered, wondering if he was planning what she hoped he was planning.

X and Zero were the first to arrive, followed shortly after by Axl. "S-Sorry, Commander," he said while rubbing the back of his neck. "I was having a hard time getting away from…well anyway, what's up?" he finished, saluting alongside the other two.

Signas rose to his feet and returned their salute as he moved to stand before them. "I need the three of you to find a Light Capsule."

"Sir?" X said with a puzzled look, then his eyes settled on Alia. "Yes, sir; I believe I understand."

"What?" Axl complained. "Someone clue me in, here."

"Do you recall the discussion we had shortly after Alia's…wedding?" Signas asked, albeit awkwardly.

"We talked about a few things, yeah," the next-gen reploid replied.

"Alia has requested an opportunity to speak with Dr. Light, and I would like the three of you to make that happen," Signas intoned.

"I'll check back in the area where I found Chase Cheetah," X offered.

"Thank you, X," Alia said warmly.

"I don't want to get your hopes up, though; I picked up the upgrade from him, so the capsule may not be there anymore," he added.

"Just do your best, gentlemen," Signas interjected. "That's all we're asking."

"We'll find one, Alia!" Axl exclaimed, raising a fist. "In fact, we'll make it a contest; whoever finds one first gets to have Alia's baby named after him!"

"What if it turns out to be a girl?" Zero quipped.

"And shouldn't the name of the child be up to the parents?" X added.

"Gentlemen, this is moot unless a capsule is found," Signas said, trying to get the conversation back on track. "I do not expect a 24/7 search; the chances are good that if a Maverick occupies an area, one of the good doctor's capsules will appear there. Simply ask him if he would be willing to hear Alia out and perhaps arrange a meeting place if possible."

"If it helps, I think he may already know about you," X said. "When I found one of his capsules during the Earth Crisis, he mentioned you by name."

"It'd help if a maverick appeared," Axl whined.

Just then the alert sounded. "Looks like you got your wish," Zero said as all five of them hurried out to the Situation Room.

A technician noticed Signas exiting the office and hopped to his feet to salute. "Commanders! Reports indicate two Mavericks have just appeared!"

"Details?" Signas prompted as he returned the salute.

"Nothing definite so far, sir!" the tech replied as he dropped his arm. "Early reports show that one is an infected sumo wrestler, but the other is currently unknown."

"Sumo wrestler?" Axl snorted.

"Since you find the idea of an infected, oversized member of our kind…amusing, you may find him and be amused to your heart's content," Signas said, leveling his gaze at the youngest Hunter.

"Y-Yes, sir," Axl replied, looking appropriately sheepish, touching the side of his helmet as he headed toward the exit. "Palette? Can you meet me at the Launchpad in five?"

"Where's the other one?" X asked as Axl departed. "I could take care of it."

Signas tapped a couple of button on the map display console; a large field of white covered the area. "Commander Zero; you learned a fire-channeling skill from your skirmish with Rage Lion, did you not?"

"That's right," Zero confirmed with a nod.

"Then you will handle…" Signas trailed off as the report updated. "Ah, here's the name… Avalanche Aardvark."

"On it, commander," the red Maverick Hunter acknowledged as he touched the side of his head. "Navigator Layer, meet me at the Launchpad immediately."

Alia winced at the distant and businesslike tone Zero used toward her friend.

"Don't worry, Alia," Signas said, laying a hand on her shoulder as the Maverick Hunters dashed form the room. "If there's a capsule out there, we'll find it. What you need to focus on right now is what you'll say to the doctor when you meet him."

"Y-Yes, sir," Alia replied, touched at her coworkers'…no, friends' support.

"U-Understood," Layer stammered after Zero briefed her in the Launchpad. As he teleported to the preset landing site, she grabbed her head and finally allowed herself to tremble violently; she had been on her way to see Douglas when the call from Zero had come in, and she had been far from ready to see him. "I'm…I'm a terrible person," she whimpered as she headed to her station. "How could I face him after seeing what I've seen? I feel like I've betrayed his trust." She fell into her seat, closed her eyes, and forced herself to take several slow, deep breaths before reaching out to her console to call up the information on Zero's target. "Avalanche Aardvark nee Stanley Frost…former arctic researcher, now retired…" her concentration faltered as one of the many images of Zero and Iris intruded into her thoughts. "Layer! Focus!" she hissed while smacking herself in the forehead. "He needs you right now!"

"Are you okay?" Palette's voice interrupted, causing the taller navigator to jump.

"I'm fine," Layer said almost reflexively, forcing herself to sit still.

"You looked at his stuff, didn't you?" she asked with clear concern.

"I did, but I'm fine," Layer replied, but the optical lubricant that from under her bangs told a different story.

Palette sighed, then leaned over to give her friend a gentle hug. "We'll talk after our boys' missions are done, okay?"

"O-Okay," Layer sputtered, squeezing the arm that lay across her chest. "Thank you."

Just then, Layer's console chirped, indicating a communication from Zero. Palette released her, patting her on the shoulder before heading back to her own station, and Layer quickly wiped her eyes before tapping the 'connect' button. "Layer here."

"Zero here. Awaiting maverick data."

She managed to give him the data, though she stopped several times as more of his ill-gotten information continued to distract her. "Y-Your Lion Claw sh-should be the most effective against him."

"Got it, thanks. Are you okay?"

She was somewhat taken aback by his question; Zero normally didn't ask about her well-being, so it took her several seconds to reply. "I-I'm fine," she lied.

Something about the pause on his end told her he didn't believe her. "Very well. I'm coming up on the signal source. Going silent."

"Good luck, Zero. Going silent." She muted her end and buried her face in her hands; had she more time, she would have been able to get her thoughts and feeling in order, but because of how quickly everything had happened… "How can he do this?" she cried into her hands. "How can he continue to function like nothing's wrong?"

"He buries it." To her surprise, X stood next to her chair. "He distracts himself with his work; that's why he's so agitated when there aren't any mavericks around. He needs them for the distraction."

She quickly wiped her eyes again as she stood from her seat to salute the senior hunter. "P-Please forgive my appearance, commander. I have no excuses."

"Easy there, Layer," X said, trying to calm the clearly agitated navigator. "Sit down before you fall down."

"Th-Thank you, sir," she said gratefully, lowering herself back into her seat.

"So, you've finally gotten to this point, huh?" he said with gentle humor.

"Wh-What do you mean?" she asked, alarmed. Did he know about…that…somehow?

X rubbed the back of his neck as he gestured at her console. "You've…really liked him for a long time, haven't you?" he asked, sounding uncomfortable with the concept he was trying to express.

"Since I first saw him, yes," she admitted as she gazed at the console where, on the other end, Zero was busy annihilating another Maverick.

"Maybe…" X took a deep breath; what did he know about relationships, anyway? The closest relationship he had was with the hologram of his long-dead creator. "Maybe you could invite him to go somewhere with Alia and Max? You know, the four of you?"

How Layer's face could suddenly pale and blush at the same time would probably become one of Earth's greatest mysteries. "I…I couldn't do that!" she exclaimed.

X looked puzzled. "I don't understand; you two work together, and you work together so well. What would be so hard about it?"

"I…I don't know," she lamented. "But…whenever I get near him…or he gets near me…I suddenly can't think straight."

"Well…" X took a moment to think about the problem the best he could. "What about having someone ask on your behalf?"

"I couldn't ask someone else; it's my problem."

"I don't get it," X complained. "Do you want to be with him or not? It sound like you're shutting down every solution-"

"I have an idea…sir," she interrupted as politely as she could. "It…should work."

X studied her for a minute. "Okay. As long as you've got it under control. Sorry for sticking my nose in your business."

"No, no," she replied, shaking her head and causing her purple lengths to sway. "Thank you for caring. I'm sorry for being so evasive; it's just…private."

"I think I understand," X said, not fully understanding. "Well, good luck then." His attention was then drawn to a beeping from her console. "Looks like Zero's calling. Take it easy," he said, raising a hand as he turned to walk away.

"Thank you, commander." She turned back to her console and pressed the 'connect' button with a shaky hand. "L-Layer here."

"Zero here. Maverick down. I've learned Snow Slash."

"Y-Yes, I see," she said, still distracted by her conversation with X, among other things. "I-It doesn't look like the Snow Slash d-does any damage, but it will freeze the t-target for a short time."

"Layer? Are you okay? It sound like you have a 'hiccup' in your vocalization processes."

"I'm fine," she lied, more easily than the previous time. "See you when you get back."

"Right. Zero out."

"Layer out." She cut the line, then slumped back in her chair, her normal cool, aloof demeanor gone as she trembled, thinking about what she planned to do.