Zero hadn't forgotten to tell X what was going on. He had sent a transmission to X just as soon as he had split from Bass. It had taken him far longer than he had expected to find the source of the signal, and he had to find his way through a maze of boring hallways (they definitely did it that way on purpose) while fighting the warrior mechaniloid Mavericks the entire way. But soon enough he found himself inside an interior bunker. From the roundness of the huge room, Zero guessed that he was somewhere in the center of the Maverick's building. And the three floors of it were all exposed here; Zero could see that he was on the second floor from the open center, and high above him he could see a little of the third floor's railing. And down below was what he wanted to see.

Dire Minuet was on the railing of the first floor, standing at a control panel and looking even further downwards, into a large, dark pit that Zero couldn't see the bottom of. But as Dire pushed some of the buttons, the large room began to rumble. A rocket emerged from the pit below, its white-painted metal gleaming as the lights of the compound hit it. Zero glared with horror at it only for a moment; he had to do something about Dire.

Zero cast himself over the railing of the second level, activating his saber and jamming into the armor plating of the rocket as he slid down, subsequently tearing a trail of damage all the way down to the first level. Jumping over the railing, Zero swung at Dire, who was just lucky enough to dash backward in time. He raised his own sword, poised to defend himself.

"Ha ha!" Dire laughed, everything about him growing more and more insane, not the least of which were his eyes. "Maybe you Hunters can destroy this base, and maybe you can even destroy me, but you can't destroy the rocket in time! You didn't hit any of its fuel lines, and it won't have to go far. Know what it is, Zero? It's a brand new way of spreading the Maverick Virus!"

Zero immediately froze. They couldn't do this to him. Not again.

The Maverick enjoyed every bit of Zero's terror. "Muahahaha! All the other Mavericks just wanted to create a reploid-only world, but they forgot that the 'virus' - it's really too much of a gift to be called that - is what enabled us to see beyond our creators' ludicrious ideals of serving or living amongst mankind. Not only will the blast of this rocket destroy human lives, but it will also send out a transmission that will spread the virus on a massive scale that has never been seen before! We've strengthened the gift itself!"

The rocket was still going upwards, and despite the damage Zero had caused it, he could still see that it was mostly operational. If he could only cut the fuel line, then he would be able to take it down. But there was still Dire, and he was ready to cause as much havoc as he could. Out of the corner of his eye, Zero could see the red LED timer on the computer panel - T minus 1:30 until the rocket would launch. That was all the time he had to figure out how to stop the rocket. And then Zero realized that he had no idea how many rockets could be in the facility.

" - X, come in! There is a rocket going to launch- - "

"You didn't really think that I'd allow your communications to work did you?"

"There was always the hope..."

And they fought.

Dire was an excellent swordsman, and despite the fact that his sword was of metal, Zero's plasma sword didn't immediately cut through it. The gashes that dulled the Minuet's blade as the fight prolonged meant that eventually his sword would break, but by that time it would be too late for Zero to destroy the rocket; Dire's madcap fighting was evidence enough that he was didn't consider his own life more important than the virus. He was a good fighter, and Zero was running out of time. Every chance he thought he had to break away and slice the control panel through only allowed Dire another strike, and this Maverick was surprisingly powerful.

That however, was when Zero began to think more clearly. He kicked Dire away, and the Maverick skidded across the floor.

"You can't spread the virus like that! It's such a complex virus that it can't even exist on normal computers." Zero insisted, holding his saber at the ready. "It has to be within a reploid because it manipulates AI. And how would a rocket transport actual Mavericks without destroying them in the process?"

"I was wondering what took you so long to decifer my little puzzle!" Dire got back to his feet, hissing in merry laughter. "Heh, you got me. It's just a regular rocket bomb. Had you there for a minute though. You should have seen the look on your face!"

"I don't care about your nonsense!" Zero was resolute. "I'll defeat you no matter what tricks you use!"

"Then defeat me then!"

"After I stop this rocket."

Taking advantage of the space between them, Zero equipped his buster and fired it off at Dire, making a mad dash to the control panel. Zero knew his fair share of mechanics, but the unfamiliar controls were proving difficult to interpret - at least when he was trying to keep a vigilant Maverick at bay at the same time. But finally, he figured that if he lifted this lever...pressed that key...hacked for the code...and there! The sound of the engine's rockets dulled and faded out as the machine powered down. Zero turned to finish off the Maverick. Where had he gone?

The answer was clear only a moment later. Bright red beams lifted up from the floor around Zero, and once these reached about a foot over his head, the beams bent inwards, sealing up every way out.

"Well, well, good job!" Dire jumped atop the railings next to the rocket, landing lightly without so much as a 'ping'. "You figured out how to shut the rocket down. But the bomb inside can only be shut down from the interior itself. So I should leave now. don't worry, you've got time before the bomb goes off. Just long enough for X to come in and find you. He's searching for you now, close by. Boom!"

Dire laughed, stepping down from the rail like a king. He sheathed his katana. "You know, it's funny, that antique of yours killed all my idiots, and yet nothing about the plan stopped. I'm still going to kill X, and you'll die too! I'm sure I'll get lots more zenny for that! Best of all, since my stupid accomplices are gone, I get all the profits! Isn't that funny?"

"Hilarious." Zero seethed.

"Oh, and don't bother with using your plasma sword. Anti-plasma beams, you know. I'm sure you've encountered them before. Goodbye, Hunter scum!"

Zero, his rage on the point of boiling over, touched the beams to test them. Just as he expected, the super-charged electrons resisted his movements, and they resisted even his most forceful punch. Snarling in rage that he would end up being X's doom, he smacked the bars. Dire was right, he did know what they were. There was no point in trying them. Zero's only hope was the control panel. If he could somehow hack into the Maverick's computer systems through it, then he could tell X to stay away. If he was lucky, he could get the anti-plasma bars down. As he plugged in his zip drive and worked at the control panel, he told himself that certainly Dire would have blocked this computer from the rest of the network if it was in the area trapping him.

Hey wait...this is easy. Is this a trick by Dire or is he just that idiotic?

Zero couldn't get the bars down yet, but he was able to access the power center of the Mavericks' computer and power up their own communications.

Yep, he's an idiot. Alright, I better warn the Hunters...I wish I knew how far this explosion would be.

The red Hunter suspected that the blast would wipe out the entire city. Zero gritted his teeth. Mavericks wouldn't have it any other way.

Zero sent a message through the computer's comm. " - X, there is a bomb at my location. I don't know how much time there is, but I can't reach it. Trace my signal, if you can, and send an ammunitions expert. - "

" - Is something wrong? Have you been hurt? - "

That was X for you. Always worried about others, especially Zero. " - I'm fine, just trapped. Send the expert. - "

" - I'm coming, Zero! - "

" - No! Don't come! The Maverick wants you to be destroyed! You can't risk it! - "

No response. Zero sighed. What point was there in arguing? Of course X would come - he did know how to defuse bombs himself. Didn't he have any sense? That was what Dire wanted! Zero worked harder at the console, trying to get rid of the bars around him. At this point, the samurai Maverick was not stupid: he had made it so that each bar was controlled by a different password. Zero swore. He'd been doing that a lot more lately since his brother had showed up.

Zero cursed again. He could hear Bass' voice echoing down the metal hall.

"I can still trace you, moron!"

Flying backwards, Dire smacked into the floor and slid at least five feet before he came to a stop.

"You surprised me, you obsolete gutter trash!" Dire snarled. "Any attempt at a real altercation will only result in your ultimate demise!"

"Yeah, he gets that reaction out of basically everyone." Zero muttered, still at work.

"You're such a supportive 'sister', Zero." Dire snapped, also distracted. "And you're also every bit as ugly as Forte says."

Zero didn't answer. He was too busy trying to get out. He already knew Bass' opinion of his looks.

"You've got me to deal with too, Maverick!"

That was Axl. Zero winced. He wanted as few people as possible to be here, and now it seemed like everyone was gathering. Zero forced himself to ignore all the buster shots as the fight with Dire recontinued.

"Do one of you guys know anything about defusing bombs?" he shouted, still working busily at the panel.

"I do!" Axl piped up. "I'm learning, but-"

"Then get inside that rocket and find the bomb! At least find out if we can afford to wait for an expert! Bass, tell me you can handle Dire!"

"Yeah, yeah. Stop your whining, Girly."

Would Zero ever stop gritting his teeth? If Bass didn't shut up with that stupid nickname then he would get the rematch he wanted, with the results he didn't want. He risked a glance upward, noticing that Bass was having trouble. It seemed like his power was less than usual. Had something hurt him? Moreover, when Zero fought Dire, he had sensed real competition, and that was for someone on his own level; Bass might be able to get away with fighting other Mavericks without getting seriously hurt, but Dire wasn't going to let him off so easily. Zero worked faster at the control panel. A blast from the side of the rocket erupted, and he guessed that Axl broke into it successfully.

"We've only got two minutes!" Axl shouted from inside the rocket. "I'll do what I can!"

Minuet growled slightly, slashing at Bass ferociously. It was difficult for Bass to fight, as all of his weapons were for long range fights. Dire's of course, were all close range. Any time the Maverick charged in, Bass would be forced to dash away, his only hope being the sheer number of his buster pellets. But Dire risked the danger and jumped back from Bass, putting his flute once more to his lips. Immediately weapons mechaniloids, about fifteen in number, appeared from...well, no one was really sure from where. But they were heading for Axl.

Bass cursed. "Kid! Watch out-"

And Dire returned, ready for more. He had already sent his soldiers to deal with Axl, and now all he wanted was for Bass to die. He charged in, and even with Bass' crystal busters, Dire still was able to get in close undeterred. Bass was forced to dash away at any convenient moment he had to shoot back. The fight caught Zero's attention - it was hard for it not to when Bass was smacked right up against the resistor beams. With wide eyes he knew that there was no one to keep the mechaniloids under control while Axl worked. Bass couldn't subdue Dire, not in his condition, in any case.

Bass knew it as well. More angry at his own weakness (or was it that Zero noticed?) than at Dire, Bass glared the the glowing red electron force beams, noticing that the red Hunter was having about as much success as he was. With a furious snarl, Bass slammed his fist through two beams, forcing himself to ignore the fact that one false move would sever his limb once more. But all Forte was thinking about was programming and hacking. He forced his way into the computer's controls, and all at once the beams disappeared.

"Go!" Bass shouted.

Zero didn't need any encouragement. His saber blinked into activation, and before anyone knew it, Zero's green saber slashed into Dire's katana. The Maverick himself shook, stunned and surprised at himself for actually getting his own weapon up in time to block. But that was the end of Dire's doubt. He had to fight for his life against one of the two most powerful robots in history.

Still concerned for the others, Zero managed a quick glance back. Dire was a good opponent, so he didn't have much time, but he thought he caught a glance of Bass' arm throwing half of a mechaniloid's shredded body out of the rocket.

At least he's good for something...

But the distraction, however momentary, proved to be trouble. It threw Zero off his guard; he didn't notice that while the Maverick was falling back, he was leading Zero into a trap. The blonde Hunter did finally realize this, but by then it was too late. Five more of the mechaniloids popped up out of nowhere, landing around Zero and attacking him with axes. These weren't too troublesome, if only they didn't distract Zero from the main Maverick.

Managing to decapitate two of the mechaniloids with one blow, Zero was unable to block Minuet's next attack. Before he knew it, there was a titanium katana sticking through his chest. Another sword appeared in Dire's hands, and he slashed one last time at Zero one last time before running off. Or that was what he intended to do. Just as soon as he lifted his katana, a charged shot hit him, knocking him to the side.

"No!" Dire shouted in his rage. "Not you!"

X barely gave him time to speak, but nothing more. His X buster tore through Dire before the Maverick even had a chance to attack. And with X's help, the mechaniloids still hassling Zero lasted only two seconds.

Zero's damaged armor was so frightening that X had to cringe. "Are you alright?"

"It's fine, but we -"

"Bass, get down!" Axl cried out.

Before X and Zero could see what was going on, an explosion shook the entire base, sending the heroes to the ground. But after only a moment, the shaking stopped. Nothing appeared to be very damaged, other than the hole in the hull Axl had made earlier to reach the detonator. Axl reappeared out of this same hole peering outwards.

"Hey guys, sorry about that!" Axl said as he jumped and hovered from the side of the rocket to where X and Zero were, thudding down to the ground. "I didn't have enough time to defuse the bomb, so I just disconnected the detonator. Since there's still explosive material on the detonator itself, I just had to throw it down the pit where the rocket came from. Everyone alright? Oh! What happened to you, Zero?"

Zero looked down where Axl pointed, and he had to admit that the katana hilt sticking out of his chest was rather scary looking. He pulled it out of his body, and a few sparks flew out before his automatic repair systems got to work.

"It's not that bad." Zero said calmly as he tossed the katana aside. "It just looks that way."

Somehow, Bass had managed to get out of the rocket on his own and he was approaching the others, limping and trying not to glitch. He glared over at Zero.

"Show-off."

Zero rolled his eyes.

"Alright," X began. "We have to scan to find out exactly how many Mavericks - advanced and mechaniloid - are still left in this base. Though I have a feeling that there aren't many. Our perimeter is still sealed, but we can't take any chances."

"I got some stuff from their computer earlier, but I didn't have a lot of time before hijacking their defenses." Bass said. "I'll hack some more on the computers down here."

"Are you sure? You look pretty bad."

"I'm fine."

X doubted that. Bass was doing his best not to shake, but there was clearly something wrong with his balance stabilizers. However, Bass had been the one to look at the main computer earlier, so he would know its defenses better.

"Alright, go ahead then. Axl, you patrol the surrounding area for any Mavericks remaining."

"Okay!" the young Hunter said, lifting a pistol. "I'll have this place cleaned out!"

"And make sure you keep their CPUs so we can discover anything extra."

"Sure will!"

To Bass it sounded like a clever way to make sure that he was being guarded from stray Mavericks (and in fact, this was something X had in mind), but he didn't question it. He just went his way to the control panel, trying to act like the clamp in his knee didn't need replacing.

"Zero, let's check the rest of the base. That is, if you're alright..." X couldn't help but stare at the jagged gap and cracks in Zero's armor, gritting his teeth from the ugliness of the injury.

And it was Zero's turn to object. "There's nothing seriously wrong with me. I've got plenty of fight left, and I have a lot of redundant systems in case anything malfunctions. It's fine."

"You're sure?"

"I wouldn't try to carry out the mission if I was a liability. You worry about me too much." Zero smiled somewhat, until he remembered something important. "But before I forget, I have bad news. Bass found evidence that Dire Minuet was not in charge of the eight Mavericks. And from what Dire himself told me, I have reason to believe that he was hired to kill you."

"You mean there's more of them?" X's face fell.

"I don't know what's going on, but we'll stop them." Zero comforted his friend as best he could. "We stopped these guys, and really, they weren't that bad. Whoever thinks that hiring these guys would have worked can't be all that serious a threat."

That did muster a slight grin in X's face. "That has to be true. Oh, did Bass learn anything else from the computer?"

"We didn't have time to talk. He'll have the data with him."

"Alright. You go ahead and start searching through the rest of this fortress and I'll catch up in a minute."

Zero nodded as X sent him a short range transmission with the layout of the fortress, or what of it the Hunters knew so far, and Zero went down the halls to get started. X went over to Bass, who was steadily engaged in evading the computer's failsafes and anti-hacking software to get to whatever important data he could. He looked like he didn't want to be disturbed. X took a deep breath (wondering why robots were built to breathe) and interrupted anyway.

"Bass?"

"Yeah?" the black and gold robot looked up at him, with a surprisingly low amount of annoyance.

"I'd like to see what you got from their main computer." X said. "If you found out that Dire isn't really the one in charge, then you must have found something that could be important."

"Oh yeah, I meant to say something about it. I found some communications from Dire to somebody called Spectral Saturnine."

"It's alright. It would have come up for the post-mission debriefing. I'd like to see them now, though."

Bass nodded, and he pulled a drive from out of his armor, sticking it in his neck. "I thought you might. I also found some communications with a bunch of businesses already, so yeah, you can have those too."

X was impressed. "Wow, you're really good at hacking."

Forte just shrugged, handing the drive to X and getting his focus back to the monitor screen. "Heh, most of these firewalls are designed for reploids, not first generation robots. It's easy. Since reploids are based off of you I guess engineers never realized that robots can be less complex and still work."

X plugged the drive into his own neck, uploading the information about Dire and his connections. As X watched the data fly through his mind, discovering corrupt businesses connections, plans for building another fortress in Okinawa, and countless other crimes, he felt a sadness rise up within him. He'd been fighting all of these things and more since he had been activated, and now, years later, nothing had changed.

"It's not over..." he found himself saying aloud. "Every time I finally think that it's over, more Mavericks show up and prove me wrong. I just wish this war would end...once and for all. This war has been going on for so long that I don't know if it will ever end..."

"What the crap?"

X found himself being stared at through cold and blood red eyes. Bass had stopped any pretense of working, and was fully, angrily focused completely on X.

"What was that crap you were saying?" the dark robot repeated. "I did not just hear you talk like that!"

The blue Hunter was completely dumbfounded. "Uh...what?"

"Look at you!" Bass snapped. "You're the last great creation of Dr. Light? Did that extra seventy years of testing mess you up or something? You may have all those new weapons and armor and crap, but what are you? Nothing! Dr. Light should have stopped after he built Rock! Rock had his hard times, but you didn't hear him whining like a little girl every time he had to fight a bunch of idiot robot masters! He was brave! He always just did some irritating rant about how he'll always 'protect the world from evil' and 'fight for peace no matter how long it takes'. As annoying as that was, it still proves that he's better than you. No matter what situation Rock was in, he never complained, never whined for it to be all over! And that's why you'll always be in his shadow." Bass turned back to the computer, a lot more foul than before. "Now go away. I'm trying to work."

X stepped back, shocked. No one ever said anything like that to him. Uncertainly, he took two steps back, looking incredulously at his best friend's brother. Were those two robots really related? Was this irrational Bass anything at all like Zero?

" - X, come in. - " It was Zero. " - The other Hunters managed to restore communications, and they say that most of the mechaniloids have been dealt with. The teleportation field is still down, because there's still several places in the fortress that need to be searched. Are you coming? - "

" - Yes, I'll be there shortly. - "

X cut the communication, mad himself. He glared at Bass. "You've got a lot to learn about being a Hunter. We always respect each other. You only get the respect you give."

Bass tried to ignore this, yet after a moment his eyes shifted in X's direction. X was already walking away.

-t-

"So we're holding all our post-mission briefings in the repair lab now?" Axl joked.

"If we keep getting serious injuries like these, then that's not unlikely." Signas replied.

And that was where they were. Axl just had a little armor damage, and X was almost fine, but Zero's injury still needed repair, no matter how much he assured them that it wasn't as bad as it looked. Bass, however, only discovered more and more damage the more that he was scanned. But Signas had wanted to know as much as he could as soon as possible, which was why he and the four Hunters, as well as Douglas and Alia, were all gathered into the private repair lab to talk. Both of its repair tables were being used by Bass and Zero, though there was a spare automated machine just in case. Alia pulled off his helmet and put it on a side table, revealing his pale blonde hair.

"I am so sick of being repaired every other second." Bass said, grumpily sitting up so that Alia could work on him.

"Well, if you wouldn't push yourself so much, then it wouldn't happen." Alia cheerfully said as she removed his chestplate. "Honestly, what isn't damaged on you? Your armor may be good quality, but there's still a lot on the inside of you that can go wrong. I'm not letting you out of Maverick Hunter HQ until you get some upgrades. And there's so much death spike damage - how in the world are you still activated?"

Zero looked over from his own repair table, where Douglas was finishing up some rewiring in his chest. "Oh, so you're immune to death spikes, then?"

"I'm partially immune to crystal-powered death spikes." Bass confessed. "But I wasn't going to say so in a Maverick base. Let them think I'm invincible, for all I care."

"Let's get to business." Signas said. "I have all of the data compiled from what we found on their computers, and from what I can tell that there is another series of eight Mavericks controlling certain aspects of corporate robot manufacturing all over the world. But there are a lot of innocent reploids tied into this, so we have to be careful: there is reason to believe that these Mavericks are the ones responsible for the renewed production of the faulty copy chips."

"Ah!" Axl exclaimed. "You mean the ones with Sigma's data in them! The ones he and Lumine put inside all of those third generation Mavericks!"

"Yes, I'm afraid so." Signas nodded. "The law decreed that all copy chip production was to be shut down, but there are still those that believe that copy chips can be made without Sigma's data. We're going to have to hold inspections of all capable factories to make sure that all regulations are being complied with."

"I can start on that right away." X walked up. "Japan and America will be the most open to our inspections, and I can go there while we talk to other governments about allowing Maverick Hunter patrols to check out their factories. Britain shouldn't be too difficult."

"Right. I've already lined up for you to check out Miyomoto Mechanics. I doubt you'll find anything there, as their reputation is one of integrity. They invited the Hunters to come inspect them at our leisure." Signas handed a small computer data pad to X. "These are the major companies in Japan that I would prefer your squadron to inspect."

"Alright."

X took the pad looked it over, and Axl couldn't help but look as well. He walked up behind X and they looked at the sites together. Zero wished he could see as well, but he was still being worked on by Douglas. The cheerful green repair-bot was a bit goofy at times, but he was a hard worker.

"I've got it!" Douglas announced. "That's all the wiring. I'll just need to get some armor to replace that panel, and you'll be finished."

"Thank you."

"Hey, it's my job."

Doug took a moment to recall what Zero's armor measurements were before waving at the others and departing.

"I wish you were as easy to deal with." Alia told Bass, tapping on his helmet. "Replacing this armor is expensive. I don't understand...this is the latest technology. How can you possibly have such modern armor?"

"Crystal Bot made this armor for me over a century ago." Bass shrugged. "She never told anyone about it. I guess it just took technology that long to catch up."

"I know!" Axl went over to Bass' repair table, leaning his arms on the table that held Forte's chestplate and helmet. "It was Dr. Inafune who first started producing this type of armor. She must have...er, stolen the design. The primary producer is Miyomoto Mechanics, now. One of her old friends works there."

"Gah." Bass hissed. "She stole it? Crystal worked on my armor for months before perfecting it, and now some company is making money from it like it was theirs? Why do I have to have all this legal crap to deal with...?"

"You're not going to sue them for the rights to produce it, are you?" Alia asked. "I don't think a robot could win in that case. Especially since it's not actually your technology."

"I don't know. There's no telling what Inafune stole from Crystal's mind." Burying his face in his hands, Bass groaned. "I'll have to figure something out."

"Hey, hands down, I'm still trying to work." Alia tugged at his arms, and he relented grumpily. "You'll have to figure it out later."

"Mmh. Oh, Signas, I know you want me to work here or whatever," Bass said. "But I want to go travelling for a while. Just get the lay of the land and figure out how things are in the world nowadays. I'll be back when Roll is fixed."

"Legally speaking, I don't have any authority over you." Signas replied. "And well, I don't think anyone does. There's no laws on what to do with oldstyle robots should they reappear. However, there are a lot of people who think you're a Maverick, especially after your scene in the junkyard. I recommend that you stay with us for a while and join the Hunters officially. Once you're recognised as one of us, you'll find that more people will trust you."

"Erg...I guess that makes sense. I don't have anything better to do than join you guys anyway. As long as you don't keep making stupid plans where I have to get beat up by stupid flying robot heads to infiltrate a Maverick base."

Signas smiled. That was only funny to him, and he could tell Bass wasn't that offended.

"Besides," X said. "Alia needs your help rebuilding Roll."

"What? I'm not a technician. What do you need me for?" Bass turned to her with confusion.

"You said that she would be fine, but I just don't know how to repair first generation robots." Alia said. "I'll show you the scans once I get you in decent condition. If you can get her to work, we can transfer her body into a better body."

"I'll try." Bass puzzled over it, trying to remember everything that Dr. Light and Crystal Bot had taught him about robots. The dark robot cringed, wishing he knew more about robot construction. "I hope you know how to work with A.I."

"I know plenty!" Alia smiled. "But hopefully her A.I. will be intact. If you activated her earlier, she'll be fine. And in the meantime I can get you some decent upgrades. I'm tired of replacing your parts every day."

Alia had to turn around to reach a screwdriver to remove a panel from Bass, and as she reached around to find her tool, her eyes met momentarily with Zero's. But Alia immediately forced her gaze downward, and her smiling lips faded down into a flat line. Zero hadn't been watching her, just looking that way because people were talking. Perhaps Alia thought he was staring, or perhaps she didn't care at all. The real mystery would be if she would ever speak to him again. And as she abruptly turned away, it seemed more and more likely that the answer was no.

\\\\\

Author's notes:

- Bah, I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. I rewrote the entire darn thing, so y'all better like it! Lol. It's way more dramatic and nice than the original. Hopefully y'all will like the next few chapters too. I can already tell you that this story will be shorter than my others, and far more emo.

- Fyi, the timer that was 1:30 was for the rocket launch, not the bomb explosion. Dire didn't set off the bomb until Zero stopped the rocket.

- Y'all remember Miyamoto Mechanics from Wily Ga Taosenai? Turns out they survived the apocalypse. They mostly worked on cars and mechaniloids until the X series when they were able to build reploids, but yeah, they're still around.

GlassSuicune

======Quartz Volkovoi

"Don't hurt yourself."

Quartz is a crystal wolf. He's very calm natured, but sharp-eyed. He likes anything valuable and he loves swimming and just generally being under water. Being made of crystal, most laser attacks will just reflect off the crystals of his body and likely hit the player again. He can send waves of crystals up from the ground with one slash of his paw, and if he gets his maw on the player's neck, he'll have a heck of a time getting out of his grip. Quartz also has an attack where his claws grow larger and slash at the player. If the player wins, he gets Quartz Paw, an attack where they get a large crystal paw that swipes out and also reflects lasers.

This one was hard, but since a 'suicine' is a wolf pokemon, I went with volkovoi - Russian for wolf. Quartz is kinda like glass.

Laryna6

======Clamorous Lynx

"I want to bite you! Can I bite you? I think I'll bite you! Tasty!"

This Maverick is small but ridiculously energetic, and she is quite noisy (not Flame Hyenard noisy, but still). She likes the jungle, and loves watching flowers grow - and then chewing on them. She's silly, but definitely very dedicated to creating a Maverick world because she thinks humans mess up the jungle. She roars in shockwaves, and she dives at the player relentlessly. The player that beats her gets the Clamorous Roar, which is a shockwave attack that bounces off the walls.

This one was really, really hard. "Laryna" got no results, so I went with "larynx" to get a noisy word, hence Clamorous. "Lynx" also sounded close, so that too.

XSDStitch

======Impede Variable

"No one has moves like me!"

Unlike most Mavericks, Impede is a humanoid, not an animal. He was designed by Sigma himself to destroy X, so he has never been a normal reploid. Unlike X, he is a black and red robot, but otherwise has very similar armor to the reploid. He has the Impede Buster, which is at a constant state of being half-charged (and he can charge it further). He is good at skateboarding, and he uses his skateboard to slide under X's shots while attacking. The player that beats him gets the Variable board, which can be used to jump further. When you land, the board shoots out and smacks the nearest enemy.

This one was also difficult. However, once I saw the "X" in the name, I figured that this guy would be the anti-X. So that's where the varible comes from. "Stitch" turned up some weird things on thesaurus .com, but one of the synonyms was "impede", and I like how that sounds.