Chapter Thirteen: Rooftop Talk
Max wobbled as he left the vehicle depot after another ride from Outrun. The reploid's style of driving still took some getting used to, but Max wasn't sure he'd survive the effort. "Well, let's see what the commander has discovered." His gait improved as he reached the elevators, and he was able to press the button for the correct floor without a thought. "Guess I'm getting used to the layout," he murmured as he gazed at the button panel. "Maybe I should submit an application."
The car reached the Command Level and the doors opened, revealing Commander Signas. "Ah, there you are Mr. Hannity. Welcome back."
"Thank you, sir," Max greeted. "Were you waiting for me?"
"Outrun informed me of your arrival," he tall reploid explained. "I have been most eager to explain our situation."
"I'm…honored," the human replied, then shook his head in mild amusement. "Mr. Outrun told you, huh? Man, you guys have a pretty tight comm system, don't you?"
"'Tight'?" Signas repeated, confused by the human's use of slang. "We…like to ensure the smooth operation of HQ and believe an efficient communications system is critical to its success."
"For what it's worth, I agree," Max replied as he followed the commander across the operations room. "Seems like the rest of us could learn a thing or two from you guys."
"Thank you." Signas led his guest through the door to his office, where Alia waited in one of the guest chairs. "If you would take a seat next to your wife, then we'll begin."
"Sure thing," Max replied as he settled into the chair next to his bride, looking over at her with a smile. "Hey, beautiful."
"Hey, handsome," she replied with a warm smile of her own.
Signas nosily cleared his throat. "Yes, well… Thank you for your willingness to help us with this issue, Mr. Hannity."
"No problem," Max said, trying to drag his gaze from his wife's smile. "Alia told me a little bit about what's going on, but…"
"Of course." Signas rose from his chair and began tapping the previously-unknown buttons on his desk. "As I'm sure Alia has told you already, Layer now inhabits a duplicate of Zero's lost friend, Iris."
Max shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Yeah, she did, but what I'm wondering is: why are you so concerned about the love lives of your subordinates?"
"Two reasons: One, I am always concerned about the well-being of those under my command, and Two: All of the details regarding the Great Repliforce War, including Iris' involvement, were supposed to have been sealed, known only to myself. And, of course, Zero and X. Even Axl doesn't know, unless one of them told him about her."
"Even I didn't know about her until the commander told me about her earlier today," Alia added, drawing her husband's attention. "What bothers me – and what I'm hoping we can find out from Layer – is how she got the information regarding Iris. If there's a leak inside HQ, we need to find it and…seal…wait…" Her eyes widened as she remembered. "Palette asked Axl to get her into Zero's quarters…"
"She what?" Signas blurted as Max gave her a concerned look.
She snapped out of her thoughts to look up at her former commander. "I have an idea what might have happened sir, but I'll need to talk to Palette to confirm my hypothesis."
"Hm… While I am not entirely comfortable with what I am hearing, I will leave it to the two of you, as originally planned. In the meantime, to continue…" Signas intoned as he redirected his attention to his desktop, "…Iris was Zero's navigator up until partway through the war with Repliforce."
"They were declared maverick due to their refusal to stand down after the Sky Lagoon incident, right?" Max asked.
"Correct," Signas replied. "While it was later confirmed that Magma Dragoon had caused the disaster, the previous Maverick Hunter commander received the information too late for it to be of any benefit. X and Zero had already decimated much of Repliforce before X faced him, who quickly admitted to causing the disaster due to a desire to fight X."
"He couldn't do like I did?" Max asked, his expression a mixture of confusion and astonishment. "Just show up outside HQ and yell 'I want to fight X' or something like that?"
"We believe he had been corrupted by the Sigma Virus by that point, enhancing his aggressive nature while reducing his higher cognitive functions," Signas explained.
"So many lives lost…" Max mused, shaking his head, "…and all for some guy's ego."
"An interesting interpretation, yet reasonable," the reploid commander acknowledged.
"So what does Zero's girl have to do with all this?"
"She was the sister of Colonel, General's second-in-command. Zero fought him and was forced to destroy him due to the Colonel's pride as a warrior."
"See, this is why I try to be humble," Max said, turning to his wife. "If you see me acting all prideful or anything, call me out, okay?"
"I'll do my best," she replied with a fond smile.
He returned her smile before turning back the commander. "So she fought Zero to avenge her brother?"
"That is our best understanding," Signas replied. "According to Hunter Commander Zero's report, she had somehow retrieved Colonel's core and fused with it in order to fight him. To fight Zero, that is."
"Man, wars involving family are the worst," Max sighed.
"Indeed."
"Well," Max said, clapping his hands on his knees as he stood, "at least I can see why Zero exploded this morning. I'll go talk to him. Oh, wait; before I do… How's he been doing?"
"From what I understand, Hunter Commanders X and Axl were able to calm him down somewhat. X last reported that he was on the roof of HQ, looking over the city."
"Brooding, huh?" Max grunted as he motioned for Alia to join him. "I don't blame him one bit. Well chief, I'll…see what I can do." He spread his hands in a shrug. "I'm no psychologist, but I'll do my best."
"Thank you; our hopes will be with the two of you."
"We won't let you down, sir," Alia said reassuringly as she followed her husband to the office door.
Signas watched the young couple leave the room and, as the door closed behind them, he leaned forward with his elbows on his desk, his chin on his folded hands, and a small smile started to spread across his face.
"Alia?"
"Yes?"
Max looked over at his wife as they waited for the elevator to arrive at their floor. "Could we make a stop by your place for some coffee? I have a feeling this is going to be a late night."
She smiled sympathetically at him. "Sure. Good thing it's Friday, huh?" The elevator arrived and they got on, and Alia pushed the button for the floor that contained her quarters. "How was work?"
"Fine," he sighed. "To be honest, though, I'm getting tired of pushing papers." He sent an awkward glance her way. "I'd like to dedicate my time to research stuff that can help others, not crunch numbers for some guys who think about tomorrow solely in terms of how much money they can make."
"Sounds frustrating," she murmured as she laid a hand on his arm.
"It's getting there, that's for sure," Max quipped.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened, and Alia led the way into the hall. "Maybe I could talk to Commander Signas," she suggested. "Maybe the Maverick Hunters could use someone with your skill and…inclinations."
"Maybe," he grunted. "I wouldn't want him using valuable resources on a guy who researches whatever strikes his fancy, though."
She giggled as they reached her quarters, and she quickly keyed in the code to open the door. "Your receptionist is…unique," she remarked as they entered the living room.
"Riiiight," he said, rubbing his neck as he took a seat in the same place he had that morning. "Sorry about that; Bev's the daughter of one of the board members. She's 'fire-proof'."
"That's too bad," Alia said as she headed to the kitchen. "No one should be immune to correction." She then flinched slightly as she remembered what Max had said about Layer and admonishments. "I'll…have the coffee out in a minute."
"Thanks."
The coffee was made, the coffee was brought out, and Alia settled next to her husband on the couch. "Here you go," she said as she set a steaming mug in front of him. "This should help."
He accepted the mug with a grateful expression and brought it to his lips. "Aaaahhhhh," he sighed after taking a sip. "Just what the doctor ordered."
Alia giggled lightly before taking a sip herself. She enjoyed the bitter flavor that washed over her simulated taste buds; her prior body's sense of taste was nowhere near as refined as her current one. The wonders of modern technology.
She was distracted from her musings when Max grunted, placing his mug on the coaster before him. "I need to pull myself together; I don't want to coddle Mr. Zero and blast Miss Layer. I need to keep it fair, balanced, and just."
"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" she asked.
"More than it probably should," he admitted, then scratched his cheek with an awkward expression. "I've just…known of too many women who manipulate men into liking them, or just…to do whatever she wants them to do."
"Do you think I'm like that?" she asked, alarmed.
"No, and that's one of the things I like about you," he replied as he reached out to cover her hand. "I've always felt like you've always been a straight-shooter with me, and I feel respected by you because of that. I know we had our early…confusion as to our respective natures, but I understand that was because we were both operating under faulty premises."
Alia felt her face heat up; since she still had the heart of a researcher, she loved it when her husband talked like one. "Y-Yeah…I understand what you mean."
If he noticed her discomfort, he didn't show it. "Anyway, since Miss Layer did her body-transfer-thingy to get Zero's attention, it just kinda pissed me off."
"What do you think she should have done?" she asked. "She's always been so shy and nervous around him even though she's crazy about him."
"Well, of course she's going to want to impress him," he said matter-of-factly. "But if she wants to be with him, then she should be thinking about what she has to offer him, not what she can do to make him like her'." He shrugged with his hands. "Maybe they're ultimately incompatible personality-wise; what happens if she wins his affection based on falsehoods? He's going to feel lied to – which wouldn't be wrong, really – and it could cause him to hate her."
"Precisely what she wants to avoid…" Alia mused, her eyes losing focus. "Layer…you idiot."
"Is he her first love interest?"
"As far as I know, yes."
"So she's young, in a manner of speaking," he observed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think the first thing we'll need to do is get her back in her old body, assuming it hasn't been…disposed of or something."
Alia shuddered at the thought; how would her friend react if she found out she was stuck with a body that would only cause pain in the man she loved? "Then…we should talk with Douglas first; he's responsible for upgrades and the like. He should at least know something."
"Douglas, huh?" Max grunted as he retrieved his mug. "Yeah, I think I see what you mean." He quickly drained the last of his coffee and got to his feet. "We'd better clean up here and find him; I'll want to talk to him as soon as possible."
"Are you going to be okay?" Alia asked, worried as they entered the kitchen to clean their mugs. "You've just had some caffeine, but you're still coming up on the end of your diurnal cycle, aren't you? You'll need to sleep before long, won't you?"
"I'm not going to be able to sleep with this hanging over my head," he told her as they headed back to the living room after having set the mugs out to dry. "I'll get as much done as I can before I run out of gas. If I can at least talk with Mr. Zero and get some ideas about how to help Miss Layer, I can work on the rest tomorrow."
"If you're sure…"
"No, not really, but it's all I can do right now," he said matter-of-factly as they headed out into the hallway. "I have a basic plan of attack, but I'm going to have to improvise the best I can depending on how things go with the two of them."
"I'll support you to the best of my ability," she said softly as she took his arm.
He chuckled as he reached over to pat her hand. "I know you will, beautiful. Thanks."
She blushed slightly as they headed down the hallways, Alia subtly leading him by the arm to the Engineering section. She wasn't sure how late Douglas stayed in his department, but for Layer's sake she hoped that he would still be there.
Fortunately, Douglas was still at work: "Hey, Alia!" he greeted, grabbing a towel to wipe his hands as they entered the Engineering Center. "How's the new elbow joint working out for you? Is it working okay?"
"It's working fine, thank you," she replied, giving her husband an embarrassed glance.
"Yeah, sorry about that; I really didn't know it had a weak rotator or I wouldn't have installed it."
"Don't worry about it," she said before giving her husband's arm a squeeze. "Listen, Douglas; David really needs to talk to you; can you spare a few minutes?"
"David?" the engineering reploid asked with a puzzled look. "I thought his name was-"
"MAX! Yes, Max!" she interrupted. "It's just that-"
"Calm down, Alia, it's okay," Max said with a pat to her hand before addressing the engineer. "Good evening, Mr. Douglas. I go by 'Max' but I've asked my wife to call me by my first name, which is 'David'."
"Ah. Got it," Douglas replied with a thumbs-up. "Nice to meet you, sir, and thanks for taking care of Alia for us."
"No problem," Max replied easily. "Listen, could I bother you with a few questions?"
"Sure!" Douglas replied as he made his way over to one of the many workstations in the room. "The boss called ahead and told me you two'd probably be coming down and to help out in any way I can."
"I appreciate it," Max said with a friendly smile. "I'll try not to take much of your time. I guess I'll get the most unpleasant one out of the way: Do you still have Miss Layer's…old body?"
"Actually I do," Douglas replied as he moved from the workstation to one of the many pods that lined the walls of the room. "Why? Does she need it back?"
"She…might," Max answered as he exchanged a glance with his wife. "See, Miss Layer's gotten herself into some…trouble because of her design choice."
"What do you mean?"
Max exchanged another glance with Alia before replying. "Well, it turns out that her body design was that of one of Zero's old…acquaintances, which didn't go over very well."
"Damn," the engineering reploid grunted. "I thought the design looked familiar. Any idea where she got it?"
"Not yet," Alia replied with a shake of her head. "We've just started our investigation; we're here to see you to see what Layer's options are for remedying her situation."
"Well, it's in here," Douglas said as he patted the side of the pod. "She only transferred yesterday, so it's not like I've had a lot of time to do anything with it."
"O-Okay…thank you…" Max said, looking a little green.
"David, are you okay?" Alia asked worriedly.
Max held up a trembling hand has he leaned against a nearby table. "I'll…be fine. I'm just starting to feel a little nauseous at the idea of swapping bodies and referring to a body as an 'it'.
"That's right; you're a human, aren't you?" Douglas said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that, sir."
Max took a couple of deep breaths before straightening again. "I'll be fine; I married into the family, so I'll just have to get used to the way the family does things."
"David…" Alia giggled.
Max stepped up to the pod and looked in through the small glass window. Sure enough, Layer's former body rested inside, its eyes closed. If Max didn't know any better he'd swear that Layer herself was sleeping in there. "Is…? How do I phrase this…? Is Miss Layer's new body better than her old one, technologically speaking?"
"Quite a bit, actually," Douglas replied easily. "That's part of the reason I wasn't surprised she wanted an upgrade. Her wanting an entirely new body was a surprise, though."
"How many allotments would it take to get her old body current?" Alia found herself asking.
"Allotments?" Max asked.
"Because we have limited resources, we use an allotment system for any improvements," the blonde reploid explained. "How many allotments did Layer end up using?"
"Three," Douglas replied awkwardly. "She wouldn't have been due for a total replacement for about ten to fifteen years."
"And why wasn't Commander Signas notified about this?"
"I do have some discretion in my department," Douglas huffed as he straightened just noticeably. "She wasn't getting anything dangerous or excessive installed – to the best of my knowledge, at least – so protocol did not require that I tell him."
"I…I wasn't questioning your authority," Alia stammered as she unconsciously moved behind her husband ever so slightly. "I've only worked in Navigation, so I don't know what protocols you have down here."
The engineer's expression immediately softened. "Sorry, Alia. I guess I'm just feeling responsible for Layer's situation; if my work caused a rift between her and Zero, then I feel like it's my fault."
"I suspect the fault may lie…" Max interjected before cutting himself off with a shake of his head. "You received an order for an upgrade and satisfied it; you did your job to the best of your ability."
"Yessir."
"Thank you, Mr. Douglas," Max said with a polite bow before turning to his wife and gesturing to the exit. As they left Engineering he said, "I think the best next step would be to try to talk with Mr. Zero…provided he's willing to talk to me."
"Why do you say that?" she asked as they entered the hallway. "You seem to get along okay."
"We haven't talked enough to have much of a rapport," Max explained as they stopped in front of the elevator doors. "I'm probably gonna need to ask him about some pretty personal stuff, but I haven't proven myself as trustworthy to him just yet."
"I see…" Alia mused. "I could see that being a problem, yes." The elevator doors opened, allowing them entry, and Alia pressed the button for the topmost floor. "The elevator doesn't go all the way up, so we'll need to take a couple of flights of stairs to reach the roof," she told him.
"Al right," he replied as he crossed his arms. "Listen, I'm going to need some 'serious time' to think about how I'm going to approach Mr. Zero. I know a lot about him, but he knows next to nothing about me, so I'm going to have to figure out how to help build his trust while we talk."
"Okay," she said, briefly laying a hand on the side of his face before stepping away, giving him space as she leaned against the rail. She watched as he leaned his head back against the wall of the elevator and closed his eyes and took the opportunity to study her husband. Every so often his eyebrows would lower or his forehead would wrinkle, and she smiled as she wondered what he was thinking at those moments. She felt her reactor speed up as she thought about how fortunate she was to be so close to someone so open and honest, who wanted to be the best he could be and encourage those around him to do the same. She felt so close to him but wished there was a way to feel even closer…
She blinked out of her reverie as the car came to a stop and saw his eyes open at the same time as the elevator doors. "Well, I'm about as ready as I'm going to be," he announced with what sounded like resignation as he tugged on the sleeves of his black jacket. "Lead the way, beautiful."
She blushed at the nickname yet again as she led him out of the elevator and down the hall the short distance to the door to the stairwell. "Are you going to be okay?"
"I will be," he replied as they ascended the stairs. "I'm not stupid enough to believe that this'll be easy, but all I can do is…well, do my best to do right by Mr. Zero and Miss Layer."
She stopped him just before the door leading to the roof, cupping his face in her hands. "For what it's worth, David; I believe in you."
He smiled as he covered her hands with his before pulling them away to plant a kiss on each of her palms. "Thanks; that means more to me than anything." He then released her hand, his expression turning serious as he reached out to take hold of the door handle. "Off we go."
Even though he hadn't been expecting anything in particular, he was surprised at how quiet it was on the roof. It made sense, though; Maverick Hunter HQ was a very tall building, putting the roof far away from the hustle and bustle of life below. He couldn't see Zero anywhere, so he headed to the other side of the small structure that housed the stairwell to continue his search.
It didn't take him long to find X and Axl; they had their back to him, watching what he assumed was Zero. "Gentlemen," he greeted.
They turned as one. "Mr. Hannity," X greeted with a smile, while Axl opted to cross his arms with a grin.
Max saw Zero a respectful distance beyond the duo and gestured toward the red-clad hunter. "How is he?"
"He's been there all day," X said. "We've tried talking to him, but it's like we're not even there."
"Okay," Max acknowledged. "Would either of you object to letting me have a go at him?"
"Signas told us to help you and Alia out in any way we could," Axl said with a shrug. "If getting out of your way helps…well, it pisses me off since I'm a man of action, but…" he stepped aside, making a show of gesturing toward the brooding reploid. "…if it helps, he's all yours."
"Thank you, gentlemen; I'll do my best," Max promised as he fixed his gaze on his idol. "Excuse me." With that, he headed over to his 'client', making sure his steps were measured and purposeful and, when he got close enough, made sure that Zero could see him long before he sat on the roof nearby, his legs out in front of him and his arms rested on bent knees.
He sat there for several minutes, saying nothing but looking out over the city like the hunter next to him.
Finally, Zero spoke: "What do you want?"
Max thought about his answer for a moment. "Just here 'cause I'm worried about you."
"I see."
They continued to sit for several minutes, neither man saying anything but watching as the sun slowly slid behind the distant mountains, creating a hauntingly beautiful silhouette.
"Aren't you going to say anything else?" Zero asked.
"I'm not here for me," Max replied casually as he shifted his position to face Zero. "I'm here for you."
"I'm fine, but thanks."
"Okay." With that, Max returned to his original posture to watch the sun set.
Several more minutes of silence.
"How much do you know about the war with Repliforce?" Zero asked out-of-the-blue.
"Only that I lost my parents to it," Max replied matter-of-factly. "Beyond that, I don't know any more than what the media reported. I'll admit I learned a little more about it from your boss earlier today, though; he told me that a lot of the records about the war were sealed."
"Did he tell you about Iris?"
Max nodded slowly; he wanted to tread carefully from that point on. "He…did. To be honest, I was hoping that you'd be willing to tell me about her."
Zero snorted. "And what could I tell you that Commander Signas couldn't?"
"Your boss knows about Miss Iris," Max said, "but you actually knew her; that's why I want to hear about her from you."
Zero was slightly taken aback by the human's statement. "Why would you even care? She died a long time ago."
"She was important to you," Max replied matter-of-factly, casting his gaze over at the hunter.
Zero blinked a couple of times in thought. "To me…"
"What was she like, Mr. Zero? What was she to you?"
"She was…" Zero struggled with the question; he never really thought about his relationship with her. He knew that she had meant a lot to him, but he never stopped to think about why.
"Maybe a different question," Max said, reaching up to scratch his five-o-clock shadow. "What did she add to your life? How did she make your life better?"
"She…She made me happy."
"That's cool."
Zero shifted his position, sitting up to rest his elbow on his knee and his chin on his white-gloved hand. "She always had a smile on her face…when she wasn't getting on me about something, at least," he finished, a smile starting to spread.
"Sounds like a supportive woman."
Zero blinked, raising his head to look at the human. "She was my navigator, so yeah, she supported me."
"No no," Max said, shaking his head. "I'm not talking about professionally; I'm talking about personally. It sounds like she cared about the kind of man you were, or were becoming. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten on you about stuff."
"Yeah," the hunter replied, a little unnerved by the man's insight. "I was…closer to her than I'd ever been to anyone before. Even X."
"Would you say that she completed you?"
"Completed me?"
"Like…" Max licked him lips, trying to find the right words. "Like she was strong where you were weak and weak where you were strong."
"Y-Yeah… You know that she was the result of an experiment in trying to create a reploid warrior that was also peaceful, right?"
"No, I didn't know that," Max admitted. "How'd that turn out?"
"The scientists ended up creating two reploids; one to be the warrior and the other to be the peacemaker."
"I take it that Miss Iris got the peacemaker role?"
"And Colonel…" Zero started, but his eyes lost focus. "…he, uh…was the warrior."
"Did you end up having to fight him?" Max asked quietly, carefully.
Zero leaned back again. "Yeah, at the Space Port. His damn pride…" Zero thumped the roof under him a couple of times with his fist. "I know that Sigma was behind it all, but… and then Iris…"
"What about Miss Iris?"
"She somehow caught up with me on the satellite," Zero said, staring off into the darkened sky. "She had her brother's core, and fused with it, creating a power armor…"
"Did she attack you?" Max asked, still quietly.
The hunted bobbed his head several times in a nod. "She asked me to forgive her before we fought, but… I had basically killed half of her, so…yeah."
"That really sucks. I'm really sorry you had to go through that."
Zero barked a humorless laugh. "You know, everyone thinks I'm so strong and that I'm all better now that Sigma's gone… Even though I finally figured out what I was fighting for, it cost…way too much."
"I think I understand," Max said sympathetically. "A life, any life, has infinite value, so…any life lost is one too many. Even harder when it's someone we love."
Zero's eyes snapped over to the human. "What do you mean, 'someone we love'?"
Max smiled gently as he gestured to the hunter. "You loved her; it's as clear as day. She completed you. And you completed her."
"Completed…"
"And when that one who we're so close to is taken away, it takes a part of us with them."
"Yeah, you're right…" Zero stared blankly for a moment before rubbing vigorously at his face. "How do you know all this?"
"I read a lot," Max answered honestly. "But, more importantly, I live life. I've loved and lost as well, though I'll admit that I haven't lost as much as you have."
"I'd have to disagree," Zero grunted with a sidelong glance. "I'm sorry about your parents."
"Ah, yeah," Max replied, his voice heavy as he scratched the top of his head. "Thanks."
The red-clad warrior sighed heavily. "And then Layer pulls this shit…"
"Yup…" Max grunted in agreement. "Look, from what I can tell she didn't know any better; is there any way you could forgive her for it?"
Zero's expression darkened. "What the hell was she thinking, getting a body that looks like Iris'? And how did she get the information, anyway? Signas promised that all of her data would be sealed away!"
"That's what I'm hoping to find out," Max told him. "Your boss asked Alia and I to find out what's going on, but I wanted to see how you were doing before I talk to Miss Layer."
"Thanks." Zero looked back to the hills, behind which the sun had disappeared, before getting to his feet. "It's getting cold outside, Mr. Hannity." He reached out a white-gloved hand toward the human. "We'd better head back in."
Max stared at the proffered hand before accepting it with a look of childlike wonder, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. "Y-Yes, sir."
Zero gave him a lopsided smile before turning to head back toward X and Axl, who still stood waiting. "Sorry to keep you waiting, guys."
"Are you okay, Zero?" X asked with a worried look.
Zero stopped to rest a hand on the shoulder of his old friend. "Better, thanks."
"You ready to head back in, gramps?" Axl taunted.
An annoyed expression flickered across the veteran Maverick Hunter's face before resolving itself into a wicked grin. "I'm ready, but I haven't done my training for the day. How about we spar for a bit…sonny?"
Max made absolutely no effort to contain the grin on his own face.
"Uh…sure…" Axl replied with uncertainty at the look on Zero's face. "L-Let's go…"
As they parted ways at the elevator doors, Axl to his thrashing and X to his quarters, Max met up with his wife and took a deep breath as they headed down the hall toward Layer's quarters…and, hopefully, some answers.