Chapter 2
After the survivors loaded into The Phantom, it made it's way north, to Syracuse. The five of them sat in the cockpit, for a moment, before the questions started.
"So why are you not effected, at all, by Wily's programs?" Light asked, staring in disbelief.
"I was created before all of the others." Maverick replied, "Curtis programmed me to be his personal operative. I posed as him, going to various meetings, hacking sensitive intel. I often gathered information for him to use as blackmail."
"So no one knew about you?" Tracy asked.
"Humans, no. But his officers, as they became, all knew me. I was in charge of watching over them, monitoring their behaviors." He replied.
"Well, I'm feeling better about you already." Scott said, sarcastically. "So you've, what, been hiding all these years?"
Maverick sat forward, "I had began to notice some, disturbing, behavior in Wily as time went by. The night he started killing all those people, in the tower, I decided to stop him. I managed to corrupt his mainframe, stopping Directive Zero from initializing." He glanced to the floor, "That ultimately corrupted his Atlas program, as well, making it unusable."
"So you killed the Atlas?" Megaman asked.
"Inadvertently." He replied, "Gutsman had walked in, while I was finishing the virus, so I had to rush it. I had just finished sending the security footage to the press, when he got his hands on me." Maverick stopped for a moment, then shook his head at the thought. "Anyway, after he finished beating me to a pulp, he brought me to Wily, who said that I wasn't worthy of death. So they locked me in a stasis chamber, and sealed me under the Mechanical Room."
"Whatever Guts did, must have killed the power to it." Tracy said.
"When I got free, there were dead androids everywhere. So I found a working escape pod and followed the smoke, to the city." He said. "I had no idea that Directive Zero had been finished."
"It's not what you think though," Light stated, "Gutsman is running the androids, now. He double-crossed Wily."
Maverick was a little stunned, "So...Curtis is..."
"As a doornail." Scott finished.
He grinned, "Can't say I'm not glad to hear it. I spent the last thirteen years, unable to move, staring at concrete, thanks to him."
Light interjected, "Do you have a name, other than Maverick?"
"Curtis called me Darren, around the lab." He replied.
This may seem rude but, do you mind if I scan your core chip? Just to be sure you aren't an assassinbot or something." Tracy asked, picking up a piece of headgear.
"Sure. If it makes you feel better." He said, chuckling.
After a few hours of perusing data files, Tracy confirmed that what he told them was true. "Well, welcome to the team, Maverick." She said, taking off the device. "Your skill-set is phenomenal, by the way. I take it you will need gear?"
"It won't be an issue, will it?" He responded.
"Nah, you're practically Scott's size, I have some back-ups you can have." She said. "The helmet doesn't have a visor, like his, but that isn't a big deal."
The three androids entered the Engineering Room, where Metalman's body lay, sprawled out, on the examiner's table. "Friend of yours?" Protoman asked, eying the newcomer.
"Not in the slightest." He replied, staring at the corpse. "Most of Wily's creations were unstable, border-lining sadistic. I couldn't tell you how many I had to personally 'put down', due to their unpredictability." He looked to Megaman, after a moment, "So, what are we doing with him?"
Megaman picked up a jigsaw, "We have come up with a way to gather intel that an officer may have." He revved the blade, "We can also obtain it's access codes this way."
Maverick looked on, as the saw started it's task.
Back at the Command Console, Tracy and Light tried, unsuccessfully, to hack into Wily's files. "There has to be a way, to get into the Atlas program." She said, exhausted, "It can't be completely quarantined."
"It is." Darren said, as the three returned. "I'm sorry, but my virus destroyed the access files themselves, when it locked the processor."
They took their seats, Megaman tossing the core chip on the table. "So how did Guts access it?" He asked.
"All Gutsman did was kill the power to the main frame, causing everything to reboot. When everything came back online, the program completed itself, but the files remain corrupted." He explained.
"Well until further progress is made, let's see if we can find some people to help." Tracy said, as she popped the chip into the data port.
Directive Zero: Human Containment Facilities
Issuer: Ggut:perKZ. 7901
Chatham Harbor: Chatham, Massachusetts- .CST1248
Bellagio Hotel: Las Vegas, Nevada- .CST6859
Dallas Zoo: Dallas, Texas- .CST8971
Fisher Building: Detroit, Michigan- .CST2250
Human ages 15-45: Dispense to listed operatives, at nearest location. Terminate ineligible.
"Well three of those are up and running." Tracy said, toothpick flicking, nervously, in her mouth. "Take your picks, boys."
"I'll go ahead and call Fisher." Scott said, first. "Me and Rush handle heights, pretty well." Rush barked, and tilted his head.
"I got the zoo." Megaman requested, looking to Darren, "You gonna be up for Vegas?" He asked.
He shrugged, "I'm fine with that, me and Airman have an old score to settle, anyway." Darren said, smirking.
"Are you sure you're really up for a mission? You haven't been back long." Megaman asked.
Tron cut in, "Trust me, he'll be fine." She said smiling, then blushing, with embarrassment. "I mean, judging from his programmed data."
Light stopped them, as they walked out, "Darren, if it's alright with you, I would like to look into your data files some more, when you get back."
"Not a problem." He responded.
As they turned back around, Scott leaned to his ear and whispered, "Hey Darren, if it's alright with you, I would like to punch you in the face."
Turning to Megaman, he asked, "Was he like this with you, too?"
"No." Megaman grinned, "He actually did punch me in the face."
"How long was it, before the two of you started getting along?" He asked.
"Not sure," Megaman said, "that was seven hours ago, when we met."
After they were gone, Tracy glared at Light. "So, we're staring down an apocalypse, and you still insist on second-guessing me?"
He took off his glasses, "That's not it, at all, Tracy."
"So, you don't trust me, then?" She interrupted.
"No. What I mean is, he is modeled after Curtis, so what if there is some basic programming, that could help us repair or rebuild the Atlas?" He asked, "Not to mention, he still has a record of the virus that brought it down."
She nodded, "We can try and reverse it."
"Also, it may be wise to back-up his files, here at our console." He added, "Discreetly, of course."
Tracy clicked a key, smiling. The Maverick data files came up, on display.
Light cracked a grin, "Same old Tracy Bonne."
"Let's drop the civies off, and get to the fun stuff." She said, grinning over her shoulder. "Mayhem, to welcome the New King."