Chapter Eleven: Working Toward a Future

Douglas looked up from his work as the door to his workroom opened, a smile forming as he saw who his guest was. "Hey, Layer!" he greeted as he put down his tools and reached for something to wipe his hands. "Have you decided on your new upgrade?"

"Y-Yes," the tall reploid confirmed as she pulled out a set of schematics and hesitantly handed them to him. "Could…you do this?"

The reploid mechanic let out a low whistle as he studied the print. "Going for a full replacement, huh? You know an upgrade of this magnitude'll use up about three, maybe four of your upgrade allotments?"

"I…I understand," she replied, casting her gaze to the floor.

"Hm," he grunted as he continued to study the schematics. "You know, this design looks familiar for some reason…"

"Y-You don't say…" Layer managed before forcing her vocal subroutines to stop stuttering.

To her relief, he simply shrugged. "Oh, well; I guess I've worked with so many designs that they're all starting to run together." He placed the print on a nearby counter and started to rub his hands together. "Man, I haven't had a challenge like this in a long time!"

"How long do you think It'll take?" the tall navigator asked hesitantly.

Douglas crossed his arms and looked toward the ceiling. "Well, if I have all the materials…servos…pumps…" Apparently satisfied, he shrugged as he looked over at her again. "I could actually have it done by the end of the day."

"Are you serious?" she gasped, glancing at the print. "But it's so complicated, isn't it?"

"It is," he admitted, "but I've been working with Reploid construction for a long time, so I've figured out how to streamline a lot of the processes. Besides," he said, waving a hand at the schematics, "these measurements are so precise that they'll take a lot of the guesswork out of this." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Did you create this yourself?"

"Y-Yes."

"Hm," he grunted again. "Maybe you missed your calling; maybe I should ask Signas to transfer you down here."

"I'm not…very good," Layer said, unable to look him in the eyes. "I had my computer help me with the…with the proportions."

"Well, I've got nothing else going on, so I'll get on this immediately," he told her as he moved the schematics to one of his many workbenches, this one holding some kind of machine. "I'll keep you updated."

"Thank you, Douglas," Layer murmured. "This really means a lot to me."

"No problem," he replied, waving a dismissive hand. "Now get out of here; I've got work to do." He smiled to himself as he turned to his work, only to nearly jump as the purple-haired navigator suddenly bowed deeply before hurrying from the room. "That was weird," he muttered to himself as the door slid shut. "You're welcome, I guess."

Layer had barely left the Engineering Department when a high-pitched and overly hyper voice called out her name. "Hey, wait up!" The tall navigator took a deep breath as Palette hurried up next to her. "You ready to talk?"

"I…guess I am," she replied hesitantly.

Palette grabbed her friend by the arm, nearly dragging the taller reploid to her own quarters. "Hurry up and let us in!" she exclaimed. "I want to hear everything!"

"Shhhhh!" Layer hissed as she tapped the key code into the panel next to her door. "Do you want everyone to know about it?"

"Eep!" Palette made a 'zip-the-lip' motion as the door slid open to her friend's quarters. "Sorry."

They made their way into the living room, where Layer headed into the kitchen as her guest settled into her usual seat by the coffee table. "I-Is peppermint okay?" she asked.

"For tea? Sounds great!" Palette chirped as she squirmed in her seat, clearly excited.

A few minutes later, Layer entered the living room with a steaming mug in each hand. "Here you go," she said, placing a mug in front of her friend before settling into her own seat. She was dreading the upcoming conversation, but at least it wouldn't be unexpected.

"So, what did you see?" Palette asked eagerly as she leaned forward in her seat. "When I was checking the file integrity I just saw a couple of pics of him and X, but they looked like promotional pics for HQ."

The tall navigator sighed heavily. "There were… m-mostly a lot of journals of his missions. There were also a lot of pictures in there, and some video recordings."

"Mission reports?" Palette scoffed with a wrinkle of her button nose. "Booooring. What about the videos?" she giggled, leaning across the table again. "And the images? Anything steamy?"

"P-Palette!" Layer gasped as she tried to lean away from her friend's eagerness. "The videos looked like memory backups of different times in his life."

"Ooo, tell me one!"

"Well…" she reflexively thought of the death of Iris, but shuddered to something safer. "I saw his first encounter with Sigma, back when Zero was first found by the Maverick Hunters."

"Wooowww…" the shorter reploid breathed. "I bet that'd make an awesome movie…"

"I suppose…"

"What about the images?" Palette was nearly laying across the table by this point. "Were they of Zero?"

"They…were," Layer confirmed. "A lot of them were with a…friend of his."

"X?"

"N-No," Layer replied, looking down at the tabletop. "It…It was a female reploid."

"A female reploid?" Palette repeated as she noticed her friend's posture. "Were they…?"

"It…looked like it," Layer replied, cringing at the idea of lying to one of her best friends.

"Do you know what happened to her?"

"She…I think she died during the Great Repliforce War," Layer replied with another cringe.

"Wow…" Palette breathed. "No wonder he isn't interested in relationships."

"Y-Yeah…"

The blonde reploid studied her coworker and friend for a moment before suddenly perking up. "Well, if anyone can make him forget his pain, it's you!" she chirped, hopping from her seat to hug her friend around the shoulders.

"Th-Thanks…" Layer stammered, hoping that Palette would be able to forgive her if – or perhaps when – she found out the truth.

"No response, Commander," X reported. "As expected, the pickup of the upgrade likely caused the capsule to relocate. Sorry, Alia."

"Don't worry about it X," Alia replied over Shortwave's shoulder. "Thank you for checking; Max and I really appreciate it."

"No problem. Should I check out Rage Lion's area?"

"Zero has already revisited that area," Signas intoned. "If you are up to it, head over to the restaurant where you fought Seismic Sloth; even though the conflict was geographically limited, it may have attracted the good doctor's attention."

"Got it, commander. X out."

"Shortwave out," X's newest navigator replied before cutting the comm.

Alia took a moment to study her 'replacement'. "So, how do you like being a navigator, Shortwave?"

"It's really cool!" the redhead squealed with her fists under her chin. "Being able to be part of something awesome? I mean, I didn't mind being a receptionist; I know it's important too. But being able to gather information and give it to X and help him beat mavericks?" She blushed lightly. "It's…great!"

Signas laid a hand on her shoulder. "I hope, in retrospect, you don't feel that I strong-armed you into the position."

"Not at all!" she exclaimed. "At first you seemed harsh about it, but I was also pretty intimidated by you, so I may have misunderstood."

"Are you saying that I do not intimidate you now?"

"Well…yeah, kinda," she admitted. "You're a lot taller than I am, and that can be kind of scary in its own way, right?"

"I…suppose…"

"You are pretty tall for a Reploid, commander," Alia told him. "And Shortwave's pretty short for a reploid."

"Hey!" The navigator protested, sticking out her tongue.

"Well…" Signas found himself uncharacteristically surprised by their words. "It was never my intent to distress you; I simply gave an order and expected it to be followed. That is what I am used to."

"Understood, commander!" Shortwave chirped, hopping from her chair to salute him. "I'm sorry for my insubordination, however minor."

"It is of no concern at this point," Signas said. "You have executed your duties near-flawlessly and should be proud of your efforts."

"I'll second that," X's voice interjected as he entered the Navigation Room. "Not to knock you, Alia, but she's been doing a fantastic job. We work well together, actually."

"R-Really?" Shortwave squeaked at the sudden appearance of the object of her affection. "You really think so?"

"Well, sure," he replied, joining them to smile at his navigator. "You're brief and to-the-point, and that makes my job a lot easier."

"Th-Thank you, Commander X," she stammered with stars in her eyes. "Are you free Friday night?"

"I…" X took a step back, surprised by the sudden question, asked among mixed company.

"Navigator…" Signas intoned, "perhaps that is a question better asked off-duty."

Shortwave's eyes grew wide as her face flushed molten; apparently she'd forgotten that the others were around. "Oh! I'm…"

"I…I was able to locate a Light Capsule," X stammered, turning an interesting shade of red himself.

"Indeed?" Signas said as Alia gasped. "Excellent. Report."

X snapped to attention with a salute. "I teleported to the designated area, landing in a field near the restaurant so I wouldn't alarm anyone. I had only moved a few feet from my position when Dr. Light's capsule appeared."

"Did you…?" Alia asked, her eyes hopeful.

X gave her a warm smile. "I told him about your…situation, and he seemed to be very interested. He told me that he would contact you in the next two to three days."

"Me?" Alia gasped, to which X simply nodded.

"Did you collect the upgrade?" Shortwave giggled.

X presented his arm, transforming it to the X-Buster. "It's an improved version of his previous weapons booster upgrade," he informed them. "'Same song, different year' as I think Axl would put it."

"Still, every bit helps," Signas said.

"May I…?" Shortwave rose from her seat again, reaching for X's transformed arm.

"Navigator…" Signas warned.

"Eep!" she squeaked, falling into her seat again.

"Don't worry," X said, shifting his arm back to normal, "I'll show you on Friday."

"Oh. Okay," she replied, then her eyes widened. "Okay!"

Signas simply chuckled with a shake of his head as he turned to head to the doors to the Situation Room. "Alia, would you come with me, please?"

"Yes, sir," Alia acknowledged before turning to her former partner. "Thanks again, X."

"I'm glad I could help," he said as Shortwave nodded vigorously.

On her way out, she paused to study the two of them before continuing out the door to follow Signas. She sighed in response to a nagging feeling that she'd never work with X again.

A chirping from her terminal drew Layer's attention from her reading, and she hurried over to answer the call. "Layer here."

"Yeah, it's Douglas in Engineering."

"H-Hello Douglas," she replied nervously. "Are you c-calling with an update?"

"Yup!" he said cheerfully. "Just wanted to let you know that the work is going smoothly, but I wanted to talk to you about something that has me a little worried."

She swallowed hard. "Wh-what's the matter?"

"Well…" she could almost see him on the other end, trying to figure out what to say. "See, the thing is, this is an older body type, mechanically speaking. I could have this done in an hour, but it'd be a serious downgrade from where you are now."

"I see…" Was her plan not going to work?

"I just wanted to ask if it'd be okay for me to modify your plans as long as it doesn't change the appearance."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "That's fine, Douglas; thank you for asking."

There was an uncomfortably long pause from the other end. "Listen, are you sure you want this style? You're going from tall and mysterious to short and cute. You realize that, don't you? I know it's ultimately none of my business, but that's a pretty radical change."

"I understand," Layer replied evenly. "I am aware that this may have an effect on my work relationships. Just…" How could she ask without sounding suspicious? "…please don't tell Commander Signas. I haven't even told Palette or Alia."

"Keeping it a surprise, huh?" he asked in an amused tone.

"Y-Yeah."

"Okay, fair enough," he said, causing her to breathe another sigh of relief. "As long as you aren't doing anything too crazy, I don't have to tell the boss anything. I hope everyone enjoys your surprise."

"Thank you. Me, too."

"Well, that's all-Oh! Making the changes might add about a day to the job, just FYI."

"Understood, Douglas; thank you for your hard work," she said while trying not to stutter.

"No problem! Douglas out."

Layer ended the communication with a shuddering breath as it hit her; it was really happening. "Zero…maybe now you'll notice me…?"

"Please, sit," Signas offered, indicating the chairs in front of his desk as Alia followed him into the office. After they had settled into their seats he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk and his chin on his folded hands. "So, are you ready to meet up with the father of robotics?"

"Not really," she admitted as she shifted in her seat. "I'm excited but nervous at the same time."

"That's certainly understandable," he said with a sympathetic chuckle. "Meeting our creator, who usually appears in conflict-ridden areas and primarily only to X…? I can understand that."

"Yes, sir." She awkwardly glanced up at her former boss a couple of times. "But I'm assuming that's not what you wanted to talk about; am I right?"

"Indeed," Signas replied, his hands falling into his lap as he sat up fully. "I…hesitate to make this request, but…"

"You want me to give progress reports about my interactions with Dr. Light, as well as any upgrades that may result?" Alia said, feeling emboldened by his hesitation.

"That is correct, Mrs. Hannity," Signas replied, and Alia assumed that he was stressing her title to let her know that he would respect her position. "Even though Maverick Hunter resources have been used to assist you, these have all been at my discretion and due to my own interest, so it does not obligate you in any way."

"So, if I understand you correctly, that means that you'll respect my privacy?"

"That is correct."

She sighed heavily. "I would love to help, Commander, but understand that this also involves Max, so I'll need to check with him first. I'm sure he'd be okay with it, but…"

"I believe I understand," Signas politely interrupted. "Your life is no longer just your own; you have given him authority over you, just as he has given you authority over him. I suppose it could be said that the two of you are, in a sense, one person."

"I hadn't thought of it that way, but I think you're right," Alia giggled.

"I believe one of the humans' books speaks of such a concept," Signas mused, then caught himself. "But that is a discussion for another time, if such discussion needs to be had."

"Yes, sir."

"Anyway, I would be grateful for anything you would be willing to disclose," he stated in an attempt to bring the matter to a close. "Thank you for your time, Mrs. Hannity."

She blushed at the use of her still-new title. "You're welcome, commander. I'll help as much as I can."

"Dis-" He was about to say 'dismissed' but, considering that she technically wasn't his subordinate, instead opted for the more conventional closure. "Have a good day."

She blinked as she hesitantly rose to her feet. "Y-You too, sir."

She could feel his gaze on her back as she left his office and headed toward the doors from the Situation Room. From there she headed toward the elevator and entered, the doors closing behind her. "What if I don't go back to work?" she mused as the elevator descended. "Will I have to leave HQ?" The building had been her home for so long that she couldn't imagine living anywhere else. "Shortwave seems to be doing a great job; maybe they won't even want – or need – me back." She worked on pushing the sobering thought aside as the doors opened, revealing the hallway that led, among other places, to her quarters, where she knew Max would be waiting for her.

"Hey!" her husband greeted, turning from the computer as she entered her quarters; from the look of the screen, he had been reading something having to do with masculinity. "How'd things go at the office?"

"Max?" Alia started, knotting her fingers. "Commander Signas has asked me to tell him how things go with Dr. Light. I told him I wanted to talk with you about it first since…well…"

"I think I get it," he replied easily. "It's fine, as long as you don't give…you know…too many personal details. Tell him how your talks with the doctor go, the steps you go through if things work out, and…if you…we…mange to, uh…conceive."

"You don't think that last part's too personal?" Alia asked, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

"Nah," he said, waving a hand. "Most couples love telling their friends when they're expecting, so it's cool."

"Okay, Max," she said with a shy smile. "I'll take your word for it."

"Thanks." He studied her briefly. "Listen, I know that you know me as 'Max', but now that we're together do you think you could call me 'David'? That's my real first name, after all."

She blushed attractively. "It'll take some getting used to, but…okay…David."

He smiled fondly at her. "Man, I already like how you say it."

"W-Well," she said, blushing a deeper shade of red, "if everything's fine, then I'll head back and let the commander know."

"Okay. Do you want me to come with you?"

"N-" She stopped herself with a thoughtful expression. "Yes, you should; we're a couple, so we should do this together."

"You're right," he said, getting to his feet to offer his hand. "I should've thought of that. Sorry, that wasn't very manly of me."

She giggled as she linked her fingers with his. "It's okay; this is going to take some getting used to for me, too."

They gave each other awkward glances as they headed toward the elevator at the end of the hall, and Max released his wife's hand as they entered the elevator. "I don't know where we have to go, so you'll need to lead from here."

She smiled softly as she reclaimed his hand, reaching out to press the appropriate button with her free hand. "You can count on me," she said, causing him to smile.

The elevator took them up to the command level and the doors opened, and Max's mouth fell open at the sight before him. "Wooowwww…" he breathed. "It looks so…'computer-y'"

She simply giggled again as she led him out of the elevator and across the room to Signas' office door. She reached out to knock, only to jump as the door opened, seemingly on its own, to reveal the room's occupant. "Oh! Commander!" she squeaked. "You started me!"

"My apologies, Mrs. Hannity," the tall reploid intoned. "I must admit that I have been eager to hear your response. Mr. Hannity, a pleasure as always."

"Y-You too, sir," Max replied, also recovering from the surprise.

"May I assume that you are here with your response, then?" Signas asked as he stepped aside to let the couple pass.

"Yes, sir," Alia replied as she and her husband followed the commander to his desk, the three of them settling into the seats around it.

Signas showed an uncharacteristically eager expression as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk and his chin on his clasped hands. "What have you decided?"

The young couple looked at each other, then Alia ducked her head so Max spoke: "We're fine with it, sir, to a point. She'll give you an overview of how her talks with Dr. Light go, whatever things he has her do, and if the whole thing…succeeds."

"By 'succeeds', may I assume that you are referring to a successful pregnancy?"

"Sure," Max replied, unsuccessfully trying to keep his cool. "Understand, boss; this is a really personal thing you're wanting us to talk about, so…"

"I believe I understand," Signas said sympathetically. "Please believe me when I say that neither I nor anyone else wishes to invade your privacy."

"I believe you, sir," Alia said as Max nodded agreement.

"That being said," he continued, "please also understand that, if successful, this will be groundbreaking as far as human/reploid relations, as well as reploid evolution in general."

"I think we both get it," Max said, looking to his wife for confirmation. "That's why we're agreeing to what we are; we'd like to help as much as we can. Reasonably can, at least," he finished with an awkward grin and a single-shoulder shrug.

"Then you will have the cooperation and the gratitude of Maverick Hunter Headquarters," Signas said, rising from his chair to his full height.

"Yeah…" Max murmured as he looked up at the large reploid. "Glad to hear it."

"He is pretty tall, isn't he?" Alia giggled.

"Yeah…"

Signas briefly studied his guests before quickly sitting down again.

*chirp chirp*

Layer quickly hurried to her communications terminal. "L-Layer here."

"Douglas here. She's ready."

The navigator gasped, her hand unconsciously flying to her chest. "A-Already?!"

"Already! You can come in and transfer whenever you're ready."

Layer froze, nearly unable to speak. Was it really happening? Was she really going to have a new body? And…would it be enough to win Zero's affection? "I…I-I'll be r-right th-there," she managed. "Layer out."

"All right, see you shortly. Douglas out."

Layer ended the communication, her eyes open but staring at nothing as the weight of what she was about to do sank in. Palette's infiltration of Zero's quarters, her own intrusion into her crush's personal life and files…they all led to this.

Taking a deep breath she got up from her seat and, after one last look in the mirror, headed out of her quarters.

The journey down the many halls of HQ was a blur to her, and she found herself in engineering as lot sooner than she expected.

"Ah, there you are!" Douglas exclaimed as she entered the main room. "Right over here."

Layer numbly followed the master engineer to one of the many pods used for storing reploids. She watched as he went up to one in particular and typed on a keypad on the side of the pod and the cover slid open, revealing… "Oh." It was just like in the pictures…

"We can transfer whenever you're ready," Douglas said quietly as he indicated a pod next to the one occupied by the new body. He'd done several transfers in the past, so he knew how complicated it could be for the 'patient'. "Just climb in here, and I'll take care of everything."

Layer took another minute to study her future home before slowly heading to the pod where Douglas waited. After flashing him a timid smile, she carefully stepped into the pod and relaxed, her body naturally settling into the seat within.

"Are you ready?" Douglas asked; a final confirmation was required, and they both knew it.

Layer nodded before realizing that she didn't know if she would have the same voice. "R-Ready," she replied, knowing it would be the last thing she said in her old body.

Douglas smiled as he reached out to pat her on the shoulder. "Then see you on the other side." With that, he pressed a button on the side of the pod, and the cover slowly closed over her. Through the pod's window she saw him move to a console a short distance away. "Shut down all of your nonessential systems," he instructed her through a speaker mounted in the pod. After she had done so he pressed a few buttons on the console. "Connection confirmed." He looked over at her. "Are you sure you're ready?"

She knew it wasn't as though he couldn't move her back, but still… "I'm ready."

He gave her a nod before pressing a few more buttons. Then, with a flourish, he pressed one final button, and Layer's world went dark…