WOW! I'm so glad that people are enjoying my story! The next few chapters are going to include a sub-plot that I had in mind for this story as well as some answers to some questions. But those answers may simply lead to more questions.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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"Wow! So this is the Maverick Hunter HQ!" Aile was impressed. There was plenty of activity, a fact that vaguely reminded her of the Guardian Base back home. She could tell just from looking at Vent that he was thinking the same thing.

"I'm glad you like it. This is where you'll both be staying," said X. He and Giro were showing Vent and Aile around the HQ. X was relieved that the pair found the place satisfactory. For more reasons than one…

Vent looked at Giro, who gave him a knowing smile, "HQ is a lot like back at the Guardian Base. I'm sure you'll both be fine.

Vent returned the smile. Giro was the last person he and Aile had expected to see here. In fact, he was the last person they expected to see anywhere. They had for so long believed that he was dead…

After the encounter with Pandora and Prometheus, one of the first things that Vent and Aile had asked Giro was how he managed to survive after they had watched him perish before their very eyes. He had admitted that he himself didn't know; only that he remembered waking up in the Guardian Base after what had happened. The next question they had pondered was why Prairie didn't tell them that Giro was alive. They soon just assumed that she had her reasons.

When Vent and Aile had first landed in this time, they had found themselves right smack in the middle of a Maverick raid. They had quickly Megamerged and defeated the Mavericks. What had happened next was a bit of a blur but apparently the government had found out about them and had suggested that they sign on with the Maverick Hunters. How they had managed to explain how they could transform without revealing the fact that they were from the future was beyond them. After some consideration, they had decided that it would be a good idea for them to accept the offer to join the Hunters. It would serve as an excellent cover for them.

But of course, they hadn't expected Giro, who had explained to them that he had already told the three hunters, X, Zero and Axl, that they were from a different time.

"Ahem, excuse me." A voice from behind broke Vent's train of thought and the quartet turned around to find a middle aged man with raven colored hair behind them. He had icy blue eyes that seemed to freeze whatever they looked at.

"I apologize for not arriving earlier. I was held up by some complications." The man spoke in a smooth, polite voice.

"Um, who are you?" Aile asked, a tad bit confused.

"He's here to check up on the Hunter's newest recruits. Which would be you two of course." X spoke in a clam tone but Vent had enough experience to detect the undercurrent of resentment.

"Yes. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Draynor Cornelius. I trust that you were informed that you are going to be in the 17th Unit?"

"We were," said Vent.

"Good." Draynor turned to X, "I expect you to look after these two. Signas should have informed you of the recent…issues that have occurred." X nodded his affirmation that he did. Draynor nodded in approval, "Very well." He then turned to Vent and Aile, "May I have you two alone for a moment?" X took then hint and tugged on Giro a bit to indicate that they should leave.

After they had departed, Vent was the first to ask, "What's so important that you needed us alone?"

Draynor spoke in his usual polite tone, "Just to inform you two that I shall be checking in every so often. Make sure to tell me if anything…unusual occurs here. I shall be expecting a full report."

"Hold it!" The three turned to see Giro nearby.

Draynor raised an eyebrow, "You were listening?"

"Yes. I know what you're doing and I'm not going to allow you!" Giro was clearly unhappy. He had suspected that there was more to Draynor then met the eye and had lingered nearby to make sure he wasn't planning anything.

Draynor turned his back as he prepared to leave, "And what brought you into a position of power to stop me even if I am up to something, which I am not? You would do well to remember your place."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Aile snapped. How could he talk to someone like that?

Draynor looked over his shoulder at her and Vent, "Simple. It means that he is no more than a lowly reploid. He is no position to order me or any other human. He is not even your superior with the Hunters. He is nothing to either of you or to me." With that, he turned and left.

Giro sighed as Vent and Aile looked in the direction that Draynor had left in disbelief.

"I tried to warn you y'know." X came from down the hallway. He could tell just by looking at the trio's expressions what had happened. He had tried to tell Giro that it probably wasn't a good idea to listen in.

"How could he say all that with a straight face!? That's…" Vent's voice trailed off and he shook his head, trying to get a grip on what just happened. He turned to Giro, "I can't believe you just stood there and took that Sempai!"

"I'm afraid that's how reploids are treated in this time. I'm just starting to get used to it myself." Giro shifted a bit and looked down, "It certainly puts new light on things I took for granted back home."

Aile turned around to face Giro and X, "But that's unbelievable! I mean…"

X just shook his head sadly, "It's just the way things are here. There's nothing we can do about it."

The next day…

Aile entered the R&D lab and one of the first things she did was look around curiously. Most of the stuff in here was either ancient by her time's standards or the kind of stuff that the Hunters of her time, who scoured ruins for "booty" as they liked to call it, would love to get their hands on. It was mostly the latter.

"What are you here for?" One of the researchers in the lab had noticed her. Aile snapped to attention,

"Oh sorry! Pallette sent me here to ask you if you have the results yet," she shrugged, "She'd said that you would understand." It was her and Vent's first day on the job and since their weren't any missions that day, they had been given some errand duties instead. At least it was better, not to mention less boring, then what some of the other hunters had to do. Aile smiled a little as she recalled the image earlier of X practically dragging Zero in one direction so they could handle some of the paperwork that had piled up.

"Alright, just a moment," The researcher turned around and began to shuffle around some things. Aile noticed that some of the researchers were looking at her in a not-so-friendly way only to see them look away again to their work.

"Here's the results Pallette wants." The researcher practically shoved the papers into her, "Now leave." The tone was far from friendly.

"Jeez what's your problem?" Aile muttered as she left the lab with the papers. Aile wasn't dense, far from it actually. She was very well aware of the way the other hunters regarded her. And it puzzled her. She was sure that Vent was probably having similar thoughts. Why would the hunters regard her with such a cold shoulder? She understood that newcomers could have it rough. She had seen it many times with the Gaurdians. But as far as she had seen none of the rookies were being treated like she and Vent were. Her mind wandered to how that man yesterday, Draynor, had treated Giro. It had made her furious, but both Giro and X had said it was just the way reploids were treated in this time.

Something in her mind suddenly clicked, Wait a minute, if the way Draynor acted towards Giro is commonplace when it come to humans and reploids in this time, do the hunter here maybe expect me and Vent to treat them like that? It would make sense that that kind of continous treatment would make someone bitter. Her thoughts then took on a bitter tone, So that's the reason their treating me like this, simply because I'm human. It just doesn't seem fair.

"Most of the hunters felt it was a deep blow to their pride when Signas agreed to accept you two," Axl shrugged, "It's a personal problem for the most part." Axl was in the hunter's lounge with Vent and Aile.The pair had just finished up the last of their jobs and Axl had just finished with his paperwork. X and Zero weren't done yet though.

"You said most, when nearly everyone has been treating us like this. What's the other reason?" Vent asked.

"I never got X to completely explain it to me but some of the hunters are scared."

"Of what?" Aile asked

Axl shook his head, "There're afraid that if the humans find some way to fight the Mavericks themselves, they'll have no more use for us and then...dispose of us. I know better 'cause I know you two aren't from this time...but I guess some of the hunters view you two as a possible threat."

There was an uneasy silence.

"Hey! You two!" The silence was broken by a hunter who had just entered the lounge. Vent and Aile turned their heads to see who was talking as Axl groaned. The hunter in question was none other than Bomber Lizard, a crackshot B-class hunter who suffered from an attitude problem, at least in Axl's opinion. As the name implied, he was a lizard type reploid with red and black armor, and always carried an array of bombs around with him along his back and his front. These ranged from simple smoke bombs to ones that were...extremely destructive and usually only used as a desperate mesure.

"Excuse me?" Aile asked.

"Are you talking to us?" Vent asked as well.

"Of course I am!" Bomber Lizard growled. He then shook his head and growled, "What was Signas thinking? First he let's some reploid who could actually be Maverick for all we know and claims to be from another time join up. And now what do we get? A couple of humans!" The anger and hatred in his red eyes was very hard to miss.

"So, what do you want from us?" Aile asked, irritated.

"I want to see if you two are good enough for the hunters as Signas claims! I challenge one of you, I don't care which one, to a duel!"

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What do you think? Vent and Aile certainly got a cold slap in the face didn't they? We'll be seeing more of that Draynor character I can promise you that! Bomber Lizard is an OC of mine (He's the same character we saw in the shadows in the third chapter) so I own him (same goes for Draynor)!

In the next chapter, Bomber Lizard is hiding a secret. One that might hold the key to Pandora and Prometheus's plan. But what is that secret? And which one, Vent or Aile, is going to take up his challenge?

R&R