Hey everyone and welcome to the second chapter of "Twist in Time!" First of all I would like to thank those that reviewed. I really appreciate it! As promised, this chapter is a bit longer than the first. I am going to try to update every week or every other week.
Disclaimer: Megaman X and Megaman ZX both belong to Capcom. Not me!
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At the Maverick Hunter HQ, two reploids teleported in.
"Phew! That was some mission, eh X?" The black reploid spoke in his usual cheerful tone.
X managed a small smile. Axl may be a kid at heart, but his optimism certainly helped lighten things up. And his immaturity certainly didn't stop his from being one of the best hunters there was. At times, especially considering how close friends he and Axl were now, it was hard to believe that X had nearly resented Axl at one point.
"I'm really glad to see you both made it back intact. The mission was a success." Both reploids turned to regard Alia, who was at a nearby computer terminal.
"Has Zero come back yet?" X asked.
"Er…" Alia suddenly looked nervous. X's brow furrowed. Zero was supposed to already be at base. What could possibly be holding him up?
Axl piped up "Why wouldn't Zero be back yet? He was probably bored out of his mind during that mission."
"Actually, we detected another signal right near Zero's." Alia stated.
"Another Maverick?" X inquired. Alia shook her head.
"No, not Maverick, it's…different…different from any other signal I've seen before…ah wait, Zero is teleporting in now."
X and Axl turned just as Zero warped in…accompanied by another reploid. What was strange about this reploid was that he looked so much different from any other reploid they had ever seen, yet at the same time he bore an uncanny resemblance to Zero.
"So this is the Maverick Hunter base, hm?" The reploid faced X and Axl, who were looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and caution. Zero cleared his throat,
"Ahem, everyone, this is Girouette or Giro as he apparentaly prefers to be called," Zero cast a glance at the reploid behind him.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all," said Giro very politely, "And ease up, you're all as stiff as Zero here when I encountered him!" He added as they all just stared at him.
"You're the source of the strange signal," Alia spoke.
"How do we know you're not Maverick?" X demanded.
"If I was Maverick wouldn't your friend here have fought me instead of bringing me here?" Silence met him at that logic. Zero wasn't normally the kind to drag someone home with him. Now everyone was wondering just why Zero had brought Giro to MHHQ.
X was the first to speak, "Zero the mission was a success, but why did you bring him," he pointed at Giro who flinched a little, "back to base with you?"
"He claims to be from the future. But I don't know how much of the crap he's told me to believe." Zero cast another glance at Giro, who had tensed a little. If the hunters decided not to trust him, it would not bode well for him at all.
"He looks so much like you though Zero!" Axl finally burst out.
"I know," said an exasperated Zero.
Giro meanwhile was starting to worry about his situation. True, he did resemble the crimson hunter to the point of possible suspicion. But he did not want that to keep him from attaining his goal.
"Excuse me," he finally spoke, interrupting their conversation, "I know my appearance may be cause for suspicion, but I must ask you if you would all please take me to meet with your commander. It's very urgent."
"Yeah, he's supposed to be on some kind of "mission" but he won't tell me what the hell that mission is!" said Zero. Giro was becoming starting to become more and more exasperated at the hunters treating him like he wasn't even there.
Alia turned to X, "Well, what do you think?"
"It's your call X," said Axl.
X looked down, deep in thought for a moment. When he lifted his head back up, he finally said, "We aren't sure how trustworthy Giro is, but if the mission is urgent, then we cannot afford to risk that a great danger may be coming. Therefore, we should probably take him to see Signas."
Giro breathed a mental sigh of relief as the blue hunter turned to him and continued, "We will personally escort you to the command room. And we expect a full explanation when we get there!"
As everyone began to file out, Zero thought he hear Giro mutter something, and then,
It certainly would have helped if they had cared to acknowledge you just a little bit more.
Zero blinked and turned to Giro, "Did you say something?"
Giro gave a confused look, "No, why?" Zero just shook his head,
"Thought I heard someone." It was strange really. It was like the voice had echoed inside his head. He hoped it had just been his imagination working up. If it happens again I'll have to tell X. Because he'll eventually find out anyway and I'll probably never hear the end of it.
Everyone could feel the tension in the command room. Only Signas was seated, with everyone else preferring to stand. X was eyeing Giro suspiciously. Zero was leaned against a nearby wall with an uncaring attitude. Axl looked curious and even felt a little bit sympathetic towards Giro. After all he knew what it was like to be scrutinized be X.
"So you claim to be from the future?" Signas asked.
"That is correct sir."
"Then tell us, what is your time like?"
Go ahead and tell him. Zero's brow furrowed. That damn voice he had heard earlier again.
"Now where do I start?" Giro muttered, half to himself, "Let's see, first of all I'm a battle reploid from a time period a few centuries ahead of this one. I'm part of a group that your time would probably refer to as Maverick Hunters."
"There are still Mavericks in your time?" Signas asked.
"Yes."
A silence fell in the room. It was a bit of blow to the hunters to learn that despite all their efforts, Mavericks would still exist centuries from then.
"What about you? Are you like a future version of Zero coming to warn us of some impending doom?" Axl asked, maybe just a bit too casually.
"No more sci-fi movies for you," was X's response. Giro simply laughed.
"Ha ha! But no, the fact that me and him," he nodded towards Zero, "Look so alike is a mere coincidence." He then smiled, "The only reason I recognized him earlier is because he looks so much like one of the reploids of legend. Same for you." He said looking at X.
"What about me?" Axl asked eagerly.
"No I didn't recognize you, sorry." Axl wilted a bit.
"But besides all that I'm here on an urgent mission. In my time, the Maverick problem isn't as severe as it apparently is in this time. In fact, my group is relatively small in comparison to the hunters of this time. But soon that may all change." H paused for a moment, and then continued.
"Two Mavericks from my time found a way into this time and now intend to alter it to their benefit. I must request the assistance of the Hunters of this time if I'm to be successful in my mission."
"Who are this Mavericks specifically?" Signas asked.
"I can't tell you that at the moment but when they decide to show themselves, you'll know."
"Well what do you think Signas, should we trust him?" X asked.
Signas thought for a moment, then finally said "If there is truly a danger and since he has given us no reason not to trust him, then yes, we should believe him."
Giro looked immensely relived, "Thank you."
"But until these Mavericks do show up, Giro, you are more then welcome to bunk with the hunters here."
"If I may, I would like to have my own private quarters. Personal reasons." He added.
Signas sighed slightly, "Very well then."
When Giro finally reached the room he had been assigned to, the first thing he did was turn off the lights so it was pitch black in the room. With any luck, the hunters would take it as a sign that he was not to be disturbed.
There was a flash of light in the dark, and then,
Well you certainly did a very good job with your cover-up.
"I can't afford to alter this time more than it already has been. I couldn't let the hunters know about what their future possibly is. It was too risky."
You know they are going to find out the truth sooner or later.
"I am hoping to return to our own time before it reaches that point."
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Phew! Finally finished the second chapter! ZX players may know who Giro was conversing with in that last scene. But just who was that voice Zero heard? And who are the Mavericks? I'll reveal the Mavericks in the next chapter (any guesses as to who they possibly are?) and as for the voice in Zero's head, that's for a much later chapter!
Make sure to review!