Long awaited dreams can only come to fruition if one strives to catch them.

A deep sense of this had settled along X's shoulders as he watched the neon glow of artificial lighting dance before him. He stood now in one of the large elevator capsules that littered throughout the central tower of Neo Arcadia's city perimeter. The city itself was a glowing emerald in the vast lakes of sand the world had become. Through years, nay, decades of work, the humans alongside the small Reploid population had taken up the means to create a haven away from the wastelands that showed no mercy to those who wandered its surface. The city, now complete, consisted of several sectors all heavily guarded and maintained even before the central tower and other sections were completed. The Council left nothing to chance.

Sectors that contained factories, businesses and other economic necessities spanned the northern border of the domed utopia, tall skyscraping a thing of the past. While much more squattier and rounded than their old cousins, the buildings were no less regal. The western sectors contained supply shipping bays and facilities, controlling what goods came in, and what and who would go out. The eastern most stretch of city was left with private housing for the head officials whose jobs were fulfilled in the Central Tower. Also here were laboratories, processing plants and centers for careful production of Reploids. Behind the tower itself and nestled in the southern boarders stood the housing for the populations residing within the city's walls.

X gazed over the glittering lights for a long moment, but a movement at his side averted his attention. A tall, lean Reploid fashioned in emerald green armor shifted there. His helmet swept back with wing like protrusions, but the rest of his body was streamlined and thin, perfect for his profession of aerial flight and attacks. This was Harpuia, General and Guardian of Wind and Air. His eyes were the same dark green as his armor, crimson slashes resided under his eyes, and at his hips were twin holsters for energy blades. Beside him, a female Reploid stood, crowding into the Elevator with two others. The female's armor was sprightly blue, finned projections on her head and body that gave her a sea-like quality. In fact, she was a duplicate of X's Gamma, but he would never say that, and he showed no pain at it. She was Leviathan, Guardian General of Water and Sea. She also possessed analytical skills surpassed only by X himself.

Next to this moody female stood two more male Reploids. One was thickly built with a powerful aura, his armor carmine red and his helmet like the fangs of a wolf's skull. This was Fefnir, lord of Fire and Earth and of all things gritty. A ways from him, standing at X's left side, was the final Reploid, a billowy figure, slight of body and sharp of eye. He wore the black armor of stealth, reminiscent of the ancient Shinobi, or Ninja, of the past. This was Phantom, ruler of shadows and hidden arts.

These were X's strong arms that would protect his new world. His hidden but soon to be revealed guardians.

X hardly noticed when the elevator came to a halt, a soft murmur of a hissing sounding as its doors slid open. He smiled. "Come, my friends. It is time you were introduced to the masses." He stepped out of the pale green glow of the elevator's confines, his now cleaned and long robes falling about his thin frame. His armor even had been polished, shining under the lighting. His guardians, freshly awoken and still quiet on their heavy burdens, were likely as grand. X expected them all to be fit for presentation, something he very seldom did himself, much less someone else.

With his entourage in tow, the blue Reploid walked through a long hallway that few humans milled, their eyes growing wide at the sight of the Lord and his vassals. Very few had ever seen X himself, and none had ever clapped eyes on the strange Reploids who strode at his side, and respectfully, they moved aside to allow them passage. X spotted hopeful stares and more than one frightened feature, but their worries would soon be put at ease, things would settle and a new age of peace would usher itself forward.

He hoped.

A pair of silicon doors stood before them now, in which he paused at. Harpuia's eyes narrowed. "Master… what are we to do? To say?"

X looked back at him, and gave a oddly cheerful wink. "Say what you wish to speak, my friends. People will ask questions, they won't show mercy. Make me proud." Without another word, he walked towards the door, and they opened on electronic belts automatically.

Into the gauntlet he stepped, unsure of the challenges they would face.

===xXx===

The Ceremony had gone smoothly enough. X had suspected no problems, and as he began to tire of the lengthy, boring speech about 'new beginnings' and 'the jobs all would have to undertake', he swore that the crowd below began to meld into one color, the lids of his eyes drooping. It was even more so a crawling annoyance due to the fact he was the one giving such a speech.

X gave a small shake of his head, which sent the joints in his neck and shoulder to pull against their bonds but allowed him to regain some composure. Just as he reopened his mouth to continue, a loud shout broke his concentration.

"Why should we entrust our safety in the hands of Reploids!"

A human male had pushed his way to the front, standing with his fists clenched to his sides and his eyes boring a hateful gaze to the Guardians and their Master. The guardians all shifted uneasily, and even Leviathan gave a snotty hiss. A small gesture from X's hand was enough to send them back into silent repose. "You may speak, sir, as you have that right. I will take no actions against you."

The man seemed a bit perplexed a moment, having fully expected to be dragged kicking and screaming from the assembly for his outburst, but when this did not happen, he stood to his full height. His bravado did not sit well with those gathered around him.

Many of the crowd glared or whispered towards this man, for they saw his logic, and began to question the sanity of letting an ancient Reploid and his created cronies lead the masses that took shelter under Neo Arcadia's protective dome.

Finally, the man found his voice, and his courage to begin to speak. "My family was killed by Maverick Reploids. Some of my friends too! How do we know its safe to let a Reploid run our new Utopia? It was built for humans, it should be given completely to them!" he stood taller at his words, as if feeling more powerful just by expressing them.

X only smiled during the questioning stares and the citizen's quick words. It never ceased to amaze him how loud and impulsive humans were and when he replied, X's response was soft.

"Ah… but you forget, dear friend… who built the place you now stand in. You forget the legacy of the Maverick Hunters, whose ranks once swelled and protected the human populations from any and all harm. You also forget how very fleeting a human's life sadly can be, my friend, and that Reploids possess the skills needed to better help humanity, as was our first design."

"If you so desire though, I would step down, and give the position to one you would deem fitting to do the things you so desperately want." Without hesitation, and ignoring one or two gasps that found his ears, X actually stepped down from the podium. His wide-eyed guardians flocked to his side before he could get very far.

Harpuia was the first to confront the situation, as X had expected. "What are you doing, Master? No human could fulfill your position. Its preposterous and-"

"Oh, I thought I'd give them a try! Humans are very tenacious beings." X's smile had some hidden quality that neither of the four Generals could decipher.

The expression confused them, especially the blunt Fefnir, who grumbled and crossed his arms. "Humans… pah!"

The old Reploid did not reply, having turned his attention to the gathered humans once more. They now clamored loudly, growing angry with the man for lashing out, shouting and shaking their heads as heated arguments went back and forth. Others remained scared and confused though, quieter in their mutterings and backing away from the podium and its Reploid hosts.

None dared to stand behind that pillar. It represented far too much for any of them to comprehend and too many responsibilities could fall upon shoulders unsuited to weight. X knew this. He knew that bit of information all too well and had it seen crush even the greatest of minds.

He sighed and moved back to that marbled stone, facing once more the sea of humans below him. For a moment he hesitated though, knowing he could very easily walk out of the room to let them fight amongst themselves. X could simply assert his power and scold the man for his transgressions.

Never would he have done any of these things.

X turned his gaze upwards instead, seeking for some kind of guidance. "I ask… only for your assistance. I am no ruler. I am no king, emperor or supreme commander. I am only the figurehead to guide and offer my knowledge so that we all can live as one community and strive for something greater than war and conflict. History is said to repeat itself… but we all choose our own destinies. Whether we choose to cause strife, or to bask in peace, I leave up to the those who do not wish to be governed by corruption. "

Silence followed his words, hundreds of faces turned to his single form. He had little to nothing to say now, and with only a faint lowering of his gaze, the elderly Reploid stepped down from the podium once more to return to his keepers.

As he walked from the steps, he placed a small hand on the arm of his General of fire. "Fefnir, I would like it if you and Harpuia would remain behind to make sure things stay quiet…"

"Yes, Master. On my honor!" Fefnir declared, twisting quickly on his feet and marching away with his fists swinging at his side. Harpuia hadn't made a sound as he quickly followed the fiery General, glancing back only once at their Master, who made his way along the thin path that wound from the podium to the exit. The men and women of the chamber quickly made room for him once more, Phantom and Leviathan trailing in his wake.

The moment the electronic doors whispered shut, X let go of his breath in one long sigh. "Think what they would say had they known we plan to rebuild a Reploid population…" Phantom made no comment or expression behind his mask-like helm, but Leviathan's expression betrayed her worry. The ceremony had not gone as planned, but it was time to retire for the day, as X had stated earlier. Things had to smooth over soon, or more violent results could occur, but it would wait until the next day.

"What would you have us do, Master?" Phantom questioned at once, but was waved away.

"No, no… I'm going to return to my quarters, I think." X had already began to walk back towards the elevator. "If you wish, you could assist Harpuia and Fefnir." Once he had stepped into the elevator and turned to them, smiling and waving, the two sputtered and tried to catch up. They, of course, were too late, and the doors slid shut, leaving their Master alone, as he appeared to want to be.

X felt only the slight tug of the elevator's movement that sent a jolt into his legs, once more sighing. Keeping up the persona of an positivist for some reason drained the old Reploid, and before too long, he was stepping from the doors and down another hallway of reflecting lights and bright baubles. All of it was lost on him though, finding only the entrance to his personal quarters at the end of the wide hall, where he could finally sit in peace.

It had taken a lot of fussing and fighting to get the quarters were he now stood, smiling at the low lighting that spread a blue blanket across the high walls. The architects of the main building insisted X should have built his room in a more… secure area. The very top of a high tower could easily be attacked in an air raid, (or so one councilor had huffily explained), but X was adamant. He not only pointed out air raids were highly unlikely, but stated this was his own choice, and he would be safe enough as long as his guardians were near.

His quarters themselves were large, but not intimidating so; Tucked along its sides, a long table covered in a soft, azul velvet cover held a small computer that's screen even now scrolled endlessly with hundreds of things for him to do. Also placed here were several very old books.

They were not literature or anything of that sort, but contained, oddly enough, drawings from an age X rarely wanted to reflect upon. Their pages were old and somewhat yellowed, but he kept them carefully stored, only taking a few out to look through it seemed. The rest of the room was unremarkable, containing a cryo-pod unit for rest, a small, but plush bed for some reason X could not have fathomed. Several feet away from him, placed near the left side wall, an old, comfy chair stuffed with goose down, a rare luxury was beckoning to his tired frame.

X moved to it a moment later, drifting until he stood at its side, the light from a high window falling over his frame and causing his helmet to glitter. He wasn't staring out the window, as he usually did, his gaze instead riveted to a device that rested in the seat itself.

A small white bar, it appeared to be, about a foot long and capped with a tiny glowing battery system. He slowly bent to retrieve it, his small hands not exactly fitting the hilt of the strange thing when they coiled around it and lifted it high. It was made for more sturdy, strong hands. The device felt cold to the touch, and X spent several long moments running his fingers down its length, as if familiarizing himself to its unpadded grip.

X remained standing where he was, staring for a long while before his thumb gently pressed the green indention at the hilt's head. Before his eyes, the item flashed, and a holographic slash of green expanded from the hilt. It morphed itself into the proper form of a V-shaped blade, sides sharp enough to cut through even the strongest, thickest armor. With the same awe he had always felt for more years that the old Reploid could count, X carefully swung the blade, listening in silence as it hummed and glistened in the room's unnatural lighting.

This was one of X's most prized possessions, and a gift from an old friend, irreplaceable for any and all reasons.

"Ah… You still work, don't you?" He chuckled to himself. "Z-Sabre… how many battles have you seen? Or will see…?" X's eyes finally drifted towards the windows once more, their tempered glass a soft blue sheen. Below him spread the splendor of his home, his Neo Arcadia, city lights aglow among the buildings tightly packed and carefully constructed to withstand the greatest of attacks.

X moved his eyes up higher, to the sky. He should have seen blue and white of air and clouds… but he saw only the faint shimmer of energy shields. As planned, the council and its workers had finally succeeded in bringing online the 'dome' that kept the city shielded against all attacks. "Even less likely of an air raid, eh?" He chuckled to himself.

Finally sitting down, X deactivated the Z-Sabre, letting its blade flicker and disappear before placing it onto the sill of the window. Even as his back and legs sank into the soft chair, he still winced, feeling the attached wiring and joints of his body strain. He began to wonder if this was what an old man, sick with age and fatigue felt like, but quickly dismissed such thoughts. He had so much to do, but the old Reploid was not looking forward to the next day. The self-pitying musings made him shudder, trying to assure himself they were pointless.

For now, he would focus on resting.