Maverick Hunter Potter
Part 3
Harry and Hermione were silent as the legend led them through the halls of Hunter HQ. X hadn't said anything yet and after taking them through a veritable maze they reached a corridor with a glass elevator at the end and two large guards.
"Halt! Identify yourselves!" The first guard ordered.
X spoke softly but everyone heard him and paid close attention to the blue reploid's words.
"At ease men. It's me."
The guard's eyes widened in surprise.
"Sir!" They saluted.
"It's alright. I need to go through here."
"But what about...?" The smaller of the two blue and green guards began hesitantly as he looked at Harry and Hermione.
"It's fine. They're with me."
The two saluted and stepped away from the elevator.
Harry and Hermione followed X closely but as they passed the two guards Harry couldn't help but feel nervous as he looked at the two nine and a half foot tall reploids.
Once the three of them were on the elevator the door shut and X pressed a sequence of buttons that Harry's eyes couldn't follow. Then the elevator jerked and began to descend.
"Where are we going?" Hermione asked nervously.
"Down to the Hunter Memorial Site. It's a massive Library and it's also a monument to those humans and reploids that have died." X replied simply.
Once the elevator finally stopped and the doors pinged open they saw what Harry could only describe as a garden. Everywhere there was greenery. The heat was comfortable and the lighting was just enough for a person to see easily with.
"This is the hall of heroes." X said reverently as he slowly moved forward.
"The hall of heroes?" Harry asked quietly.
Something about this area felt...sacred, and precious. He felt as though he shouldn't speak loudly, else he break the holiness of the ground.
"Yes." X said gently as he reached a small display and pressed a couple holographic keys.
The area dimmed and the precious scene vanished. Instead what they saw next was terrible. A ruined city. Smoke billowing from the shattered remains of buildings and the low whimpering of a rare survivor.
"This...this is what fighting brings." X said as he turned to them.
Harry was surprised upon seeing X's face. A few tears trailed down the reploid's face as he walked past Harry and knelt down next to a body of a little girl.
She couldn't have been more than five, her body was battered, and her badly burned face was barely recognizable as belonging to a girl. Harry felt his heart break as he looked at the child. Her brown hair was scorched and Harry could barely tell that it had once been frizzy and wild. Her brown eyes were dull, glassy and filled with pain. Harry couldn't help but feel that he was looking at a five year old version of his girlfriend and the pain truly hit home then.
Hermione and Harry approached the hunter carefully.
"So...I've often asked myself..."Why should I fight? What point is there to this? Zero...he never hesitates but...I can't help but..." X shook his head sadly.
"Then why do you fight?" Harry asked.
X laid a hand down on the unmoving girl.
"So I can make sure that this doesn't ever happen again." X said in a soft voice as silent tears trailed down his face.
"But...Isn't there another way?" Harry asked weakly as he surveyed the city.
"When was this?" Hermione asked suddenly.
"This is all that remains of the city under sky lagoon. It was the destruction of not one but...two cities really. It stemmed the destruction of so much...Repliforce was portrayed as being the ones who caused this...and since the tension between the hunters and Repliforce was so great...Well, the two were more than willing to attack each other..."
"So the political backstabbing by Sigma used the Hunters?" Hermione whispered in surprise.
"Yeah, and...Zero...Zero hasn't been the same since. Not that I blame him. It's hard losing a loved one." X added in a slightly bitter voice.
"Huh?"
"Zero lost Iris. He loved her. They were dating did you know? But in the end...He ended up having to fight her too. She didn't hold back and...it killed her." X said in a far off tone.
Harry was familiar with that tone. He'd used it too. He'd used it frequently after Cedric had died. Harry was shocked to see even more things that were similar to X that it was uncanny.
X blinked away the few tears that remained and then his eyes sharpened back to what Harry and Hermione had first seen.
"Right, I brought you here so that you could learn from what I've gone through and so...and so you don't have to suffer like I have. So you don't have to watch your friends die in front of you, so you know when to take a stand and when to talk. I'd rather that no one repeat my mistakes." The three of them sat as X spoke.
The terrain changed to a dull white room as soon as X had finally sat.
Some time passed as X shared stories with them until Harry had a thought, it was ludicrous but Harry felt that X could and should be trusted.
"Can I trust you with a secret?" Harry suddenly asked.
X nodded.
"I wouldn't betray someone's confidence." X replied.
"Well...I think the best way to do this is..." Harry slowly drew his wand from his pocket in a non threatening fashion.
"Harry! You know we aren't supposed to-" Hermione protested.
"There is no statute of secrecy here Hermione. Besides, how else...how else am I gonna get over...Cedric's...death." Harry whispered.
Hermione sighed before she answered.
"You're right." Her shoulders slumped in defeat.
"X, I'm unusual for a human and I don't mean it in just fighting but... Accio Hermione!" Harry said and Hermione was lifted into the air and thrown into his chest.
She flew several dozen yards and into Harry's waiting arms.
"Harry James Potter! You're not supposed to summon people!" Hermione glared.
"What else was I supposed to summon?" Harry replied innocently.
Hermione imitated a fish out of water for a good moment before she huffed and smacked him in the back of the head.
"How did you do that?" X asked in surprise.
"I know this might sound weird but...Magic." Harry replied.
"Magic? As in wizards and Sorcerers and stuff?" X asked.
Harry nodded as he took off his jacket and hit it with a very low powered reducto.
X stared at the hole in some surprise but it was nothing to when it turned into a rubber chicken.
"Hermione! That's my favorite jacket! I can mend it but..."
"Just use Finite Incantium Harry." She chided.
"It appears that magic is real after all." X finally said after he somehow accepted it and then X asked a question. "What does this have to do with your situation and...this Cedric?" X asked hesitantly.
"It has everything to do with it. You see I am a wizard, and not just any wizard." Harry then quickly told a part of his story to X who nodded at the end thoughtfully.
Harry was emotional, and hurting as he remembered Cedric.
"It seems that even magical people get into trouble." X said with a shake of his head before he spoke.
"Harry I know what it's like to lose a friend, it hurts. It hurts even more if you feel that you were the cause of it." X started gently.
"How would you know how I'm feeling? It's my fault that Cedric's dead!" Harry snapped in anguish.
X merely stared at him with a raised eyebrow for a long moment.
"I've watched my best friend die twice. Does that answer your question?" X replied before he spoke in a gentler tone.
"The first thing that I had to learn was that you can't blame yourself. It'll eat you alive. When Zero died...it tore me apart. He was my mentor, my partner, and most importantly my friend. I
thought 'It's because of me that he's dead', and 'if you had been faster Vile wouldn't have killed him', I even thought 'You were so weak that Zero had to die to keep you alive'. For months
afterward if I wasn't working I was breaking down. My heart had shattered at the loss of my only friend. Sure, Zero was resurrected, but it was a miracle to say the least and I didn't know
that I was going to see him again. Finally Dr. Cain snapped and slapped me silly and got some sense knocked back into me. Harry, I haven't met Cedric, but from what you told me Cedric
was a good, no great man, and a wise one for his age. Cedric wouldn't blame you. Shoot, Zero didn't even blame me and I was beside him when he died...twice! He still doesn't blame me.
So, why would Cedric blame you? Did you know that the...cup was a partkey?" X asked.
"Portkey." Hermione corrected absentmindedly as Harry stared at the white tiles.
X nodded gently.
"Well?" X prodded.
"No." Harry admitted.
"Did you know that Baldemart was going to use you to resurrect himself?" X asked.
Harry chuckled wetly at the butchery of Voldemort's name. He wasn't sure if X intentionally goofed up his name or if it was on accident. Either way, Harry liked it.
"No."
"Did you fire the killing blow at Cedric?"
"No But-"
"But's aren't accepted here Harry. Did you or did you not fire the killing curse at Cedric?"
"No." Harry admitted.
"Did you plan Cedric's death?"
"No-but."
"Harry." X warned.
"No." Harry whispered.
"Did you ever want Cedric dead?"
"No." Harry said quietly.
"I'd say it's pretty hard to say that you killed him. You didn't plan it, you didn't want it, and you didn't fire anything lethal at him either. So how was it your fault? Did you kick him do death somehow? Did you gnaw him to death? No! It wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself for this." X said and pulled Harry into an embrace.
Harry had felt a few tears stinging his face before X had given him the hug but with the kindness X was showing him it was like X was...a friend, an older brother, a guardian, or even...a father. Harry was touched by X's compassion and he felt the tears trail down his face.
A moment later and he felt Hermione's arms wrap around him too.
A short while later the three sat.
"Harry? I think it'd be best if you tell me your history. Who and why exactly is there someone hunting you?" X asked seriously.
Several hours passed as the three of them traded stories and X offered insights that Harry had only dreamed of receiving. Once Harry had finished telling X his past the famed hunter frowned thoughtfully.
"There are several oddities in your past Harry." X said as he mused thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"Think about it...You say that Dumbledore placed you in that home?" Harry nodded at X's question.
"That's not typical behavior. Maybe it's different for a wizard but that seems odd." X replied.
Hermione frowned thoughtfully.
"Apparently that is strange. We do have a ministry of magic after all." Hermione mused.
"Furthermore, that's not the only problem I have with him. Think about your first year. How were a series of 'traps' supposed to stop a Dark Lord of incredible might when you two and your friend Ron breezed past them?" Hermione and Harry exchanged a startled glance at X's question.
"Well that's a valid point..." Hermione muttered.
"Your second year Harry had me raising my eyebrows even more. First, how was it that three children found out about the chamber of secrets before anyone else. I'll concede that they couldn't open it without you, but I bet that things that turn people to stone are pretty rare after all. Furthermore, why didn't Dumbledore intervene when you were being verbally assaulted by the entire school? Or at least why didn't one of the teachers? But the reason I'm pointing a finger at your headmaster here is simple...Dumbledore knew you inherited some of Voldemorts powers. Parselmouth in particular. So why didn't he just back you? If he did the school would have calmed down and then people would have trusted you. If Dumbledore had backed you up...If he had, your year would have been easier. He claims to care for you, and furthermore, it wouldn't be outside his boundaries to show his support for a student." Dumbledore explained.
Harry and Hermione looked at each other in concern.
"Now, I don't know the full details in third year but I've got my senses tingling that something about Blacks imprisonment was a set up. I've been set up too many times to not have a sense for these things. Dig into Black's file when you get a chance. I sense that Dumbledore's hiding something here too." X warned.
Harry and Hermione reluctantly nodded. They didn't want to accept that Dumbledore might be not what he appeared to be.
"Fourth year...Who in the world thought that watching the top of a lake for over an hour was a fun idea? I thought that this was supposed to be a competition where the judges actually judge. If I was there I would have gone to sleep or read something. There was no reason to even go to watch that." X shook his head at the supposed 'fun' event.
Harry smiled at that.
"But then we get to the third task and the rise of Voldemort." X said grimly. "You made a mistake here." X's voice was gentle but serious.
"I-I made a mistake?" Harry choked.
"Yeah. But you can't blame yourself. You have never been taught how to properly handle a bad situation, even after all the garbage you've been put through too... So it's more of a...You did the best you could with what you had. When you saw Cedric and yourself in a situation you shouldn't be in the first thing you do is simple; if you can contact your support team, contact them. Then, either way...stay alert, and tell your subordinates what to do. In a situation like that just remember: everyone that doesn't have superior rank obeys you. You've been in enough dangerous situations that you have some basic knowledge on how to survive. Cedric had never been in true danger like that. In those times it becomes your responsibility to say 'dodge and counter' or 'take cover and attack'. I think you could use some basic hunter training." X mused.
"Basic hunter training?" Harry blinked in confusion.
"I hate to put it this way but you need it." X replied.
Hermione hesitantly nodded.
"If he goes you aren't getting out of that so easily." X smiled at Hermione.
"I'd never send Harry off alone." Hermione replied in a fierce tone.
X chuckled.
"No, I didn't expect you to. Now, you have two choices. You can go through the human Hunter 'boot camp' or you can have direct training from a Hunter. It's your call." X offered.
"If I go through this would I become an actual hunter?" Harry asked in a worried voice.
"No. You have to be at least eighteen to become a hunter except in unusual situations. But either way, with special permission you can still go through the training." X replied with a light shake of his head.
"What would boot camp teach?" Hermione asked.
"The basics on how to keep yourself fit on the field, when to say Aye-Aye sir and when to take action. It'd teach you some basic combat knowledge, and get you in top physical shape as well." X replied.
"What about learning from a hunter?" Hermione asked.
"That can be easier but shoddier or far superior to boot camp's training. For example, if you asked to train under Zero, and he accepted...well, you'd find yourselves run ragged and exhausted. Zero used to be the commander of the Maverick Hunters and he's a Reploid that pushes people to their limits, and sometimes beyond that."
"What if we asked to train under you?" Hermione smiled.
X blinked in some surprise.
"I don't think that-"
"After Sigma was first defeated Mega Man X became grand commander of the Maverick Hunters. In a mere six months he and his forces eradicated over ninety percent of the maverick threat. In that time commander X inspired his troops, and trained several personally. The soldiers that learned from him are frequently nicknamed 'the immortals' for their incredible survival rates. To this day there are a handful of those hunters that remain. Mega Man X has rarely trained any reploid or human since he resigned the position of grand commander and it is considered an honor to be trained by him." Hermione quoted as she interrupted the Azure hunter.
Harry nodded.
"I think that...I trust you. If I learned from anyone I'd like to learn from someone I can trust." Harry agreed.
X closed his eyes before he shook his head and chuckled lightly. Then the blue hunter's eyes flicked open and he smiled.
"I should warn you that I might be a nice guy normally you'll come to hate me during training." X warned.
"Why?"
"Because I'll run you ragged and beyond. You'll hate the daytime hours and cherish the nighttime. Something the records don't mention Hermione is that I've had entire companies of reploids that were learning from me pray things like: '...If I should die before I wake...Thank you Lord!' Do you still want to go about training this way?" X asked.
Harry nodded only after a moment's hesitation. Hermione then nodded her agreement.
"Alright. But you can't say that I didn't warn you. We'll start by the end of the week. Just be ready to get up at three in the morning." X warned as he stood.
"Where are you going?" Harry asked curiously.
"I have to let Commander Signas that I'm doing this don't I?"
"Will he be okay with that?" Hermione asked nervously.
The azure hunter smiled lightly.
"He trusts Zero and I. He knows that we might do things a little oddly but we have good reasons for doing what we do. There won't be any problems." X replied.
That Friday morning X woke them at 3 as he had promised but surprisingly, the first thing he had them do wasn't run or anything similar but Harry had already begun to hate his teacher.
"Medical?" Harry frowned in distaste.
"First thing first. While you are in training you will address me as sir, you will not speak without permission, and you will follow my orders; immediately, and unconditionally. Do you understand?" X said in a much more intense voice than Harry had grown accustomed to.
"Yes...sir." Harry agreed.
"Good. Since this isn't regular training and I don't have time for the 'shouting' bit I'll let that slide. You two are to go and see Lifesaver. If you're pregnant Granger then you can't participate in the training since it'll hurt the baby. If Lifesavor says you're okay physically, then you'll undergo immunizations and we'll get started. Enjoy your last few minutes of relaxation kids." X assured them before the door opened and the two teens were ushered into Lifesaver's quarters.
The scans were quick, (Lifesaver seemed surprised that Hermione was a virgin.) and before they knew it the two teens had been injected with a dozen different substances.
"Alrighty, you've been immunized against most threats that you'll be facing. Just remember to stay clean alright?" Lifesaver warned.
The two teens nodded before the door opened and X reappeared.
"Did you enjoy your long break?" X asked intensely.
X then led them to the mess hall, and had them eat...quickly. The two of them were given less than three minutes to eat their fill but somehow the two managed to wolf down enough to survive. Then they learned why X had called it a 'long break'.
For the next six hours they underwent some of the most intense activities that they could have imagined. X would teleport them to various locales and make them do things...like run up the side of a mountain, or climb over large amounts of rubble, swim through a clean lake...while fully clothed, and far more. Harry began to wonder why he had agreed to this. Hermione apparently agreed with him, if her face was any indicator.
After the six hours X allowed them a quick lunch break, and then they were back at it.
Another six hours passed before they were allowed dinner. Once they had had dinner they were put through it again, for another two hours. Finally, X put up a hand.
"Get over here kids." X ordered.
The two staggered over to him in that rush that X had ordered them to do at the beginning. They didn't want to relive holding eight pounds horizontally in front of them for half an hour again.
"You worked hard today...after some encouragement." X added as he glanced at the eight pound balls just a few feet away. "But, just remember you're just starting your training. If you want to make it in a dangerous situation you'll need to be able to move like you did today...all the time. My training is intense, it demands everything you've got physically, mentally, and emotionally. But in the end...if you can survive it you'll be two of the toughest kids out there. You'll be able to survive an attack from nutcases like that Voldemort fellow that was hunting you kid. Now, I am going to return you to HQ, and you are to go directly to bed."
Harry smiled weakly. Where else would he be going? It wasn't like he had the energy to run away.
That night the two collapsed tiredly in exhaustion. They didn't bother to change or anything. They just headed to their bed and slept. But the night ended all too quickly.
"Get up!" X shouted in a mighty voice the next day.
The two teens fell out of bed in an undignified heap.
"Granger, you've got five minutes to take a shower and change. After that I'm sending in Potter...If you're finished and dressed...good for you, if not Potter gets an eyeful."
Hermione's cheeks donned a rosy mask as she sprinted to the bathroom with her t shirt, pants and other needed supplies.
"Potter, You and Granger will continue your counseling with Weathers. Tuesday at three P.M. as usual." X told him.
Harry nodded at the slave driving reploid and felt a flicker of hate for him as he glanced at the clock's face and saw 4:01 A.M. Blink back at him.
"You hate me right now don't you?" X asked with a faintly wry voice.
"Yes sir." Harry admitted.
The clock switched to 4:06 and X spoke.
"Go you've got five minutes to get cleaned up and ready. If you're not I'll drag you to the training grounds in whatever condition you are." X ordered.
Harry blushed at the thought of being drug naked down the halls of Hunter HQ. So great was his mortification he rushed to the shower...Only to find that Hermione was only partially dressed. Her underwear was on, but she was having trouble getting her pants on because she hadn't had time to dry off, and so the pants stuck to her making progress slow.
"Eeep! Sorry Hermione! Get dressed in the main room please!" Harry squeaked as he tossed off his t-shirt and started to unbuckle his belt.
Hermione hobbled out, mortified at his intrusion and she began to finish dressing. Harry heard X and Hermione's voice's in the background as he furiously scrubbed.
"You didn't make it in time." X commented.
"I only had five minutes sir." Hermione replied sullenly.
"I had a platoon of humans learn to clean up, get dressed, and get their equipment on in two and a half minutes. They managed that a week into training. You're lucky I sent you in first. Those that are last have the more humiliating punishment." X assured her.
Harry jumped out of the shower and furiously dried off.
"What do you mean?"
"If Potter isn't ready in a minute you'll see." X assured Hermione.
Harry paled at the thought and hurriedly dressed. He had just pulled on his shirt when X opened the bathroom door.
"You made it. If only just." X nodded with a smirk.
Harry sighed in relief but felt dread arise from X's grin.
"Today is going to be just as intense as yesterday...even more so actually." X assured them before leading them to another grueling day of training.
Saturday passed with a sadistic X putting them through the most demanding training schedule that Harry had ever dreamed of.
On Sunday they heard that now hated voice wake them up.
"Now, Sunday's the day that religious services take place, and I realize that you will need a day of rest. For you Sunday will be your favorite day." X assured.
He then began with the same thing that had occurred the day before, they each had five minutes to get dressed, and they barely managed to dress in time. Then they were given a quick breakfast before their first deviation in their training session began.
"Granger, Potter I want you two to return to your rooms. Clean them up. It's starting to get filthy." X ordered.
The two teens nodded at X.
"When you get done with that you can go to church. I'll see you when it's time for lunch." X told them.
"Aye-Aye sir." They agreed.
Church passed with Chaplain Weathers continuing his services on the book of Daniel. Once the service had ended Harry and Hermione returned to their quarters and saw X waiting for them.
"Lunch time kids."
"Aye-aye sir." They intoned sadly.
Lunch passed as had their last several meals. Quickly.
Afterward, X led them to a room they hadn't seen before.
"Okay, since today is a day of rest I'm going to teach you instead of condition you." X told them.
Harry and Hermione were relieved to say the least and listened intently to X's teachings.
"First Aid is a critical aspect that any Hunter has a basic education in. Before combat training, before stealth training or any other type of training you need to learn how to keep your friends alive." X began.
Thus began his tutorial in basic first aid.
The next several weeks passed quickly, intense physical conditioning, combat related education, (situational awareness, stealth and tracking, hand to hand combat, weapons training, and much more.) and survival training to name but a few topics X covered.
By the end of the fourth month Harry and Hermione had come out of his demanding training, lean, cunning, and able to handle about any situation.
But then, they were told that they had one last challenge. The blue hunter spoke to them in that tone he had originally used, the gentle soft tone that Harry and Hermione had almost forgotten, and they knew..somehow that X was using even that to let them know that they were ready.
"Harry, Hermione. For your graduation from my training there is one last challenge."
"What is that sir?" Hermione asked.
"I like to call it the eternal summit challenge. Zero calls it Mount Hunter Killer." X replied with a thoughtful smile.
"That sounds intense." Harry admitted.
"It is, but if you can't pass that challenge then you're pretty much done."
"Will it require us to get past you?" Hermione grimaced at the thought.
X chuckled.
"It might."
The two teens groaned miserably as they remembered their stealth classes. Even when they were allowed to use magic to hide from him they still messed something up. Either they breathed too hard, or they stood on something that made the ground reveal their location. Once they had been given away by a mere scruff of Harry's shoe. Of course, that was merely a beginning to their problems, they had not once been able to sneak by X and his alert senses and complete their goal.
X didn't seem too surprised but had laughed when Hermione suggested that he was using his enhanced senses to detect them.
"Granger, in this world do you think reploid's wouldn't use their enhanced senses? However, I have been using basic human senses and I'm still finding you. Stop leaving such obvious signs kids." X chided them before putting them back to work.
Harry shook off those thoughts as X dropped a pair of large bags in front of them.
"You will need certain supplies which you will store in there." X said.
Harry and Hermione nodded before they followed X.
"Now, the Eternal Summit is unusual since it's also a reflection of the varying commander's abilities to train hunters. You've been registered as my trainees, and I expect you to reach the top. Zero, has a squad of reploids that will be competing against you as well as seven different commanders and the basic boot camp trainees. Zero and I designed this course after the end of the Doppler City incident. You'll get your instructions later but first...Pick up a uniform. Your normal clothes won't last out there." X pointed to a rack of outfits.
Harry and Hermione quickly found a uniform a piece.
"Take one more of those. You're going to want it...depending on how long the challenge goes." X added thoughtfully.
They nodded and stuffed their second uniform in a side compartment.
"You are going to want a tent. They're two man tents." X explained as they stuffed a tent in Hermione's bag.
"Next, grab four canteens. You're going to need those too." X ordered and then after a while their bags were filled with essential supplies.
Food, detonation charges, gas suits, sleeping supplies, boots, a set of Artic uniforms, and much more.
"Now...you'll need your weapons. All weapons in this challenge will be simulation weapons. They'll hurt if you get hit but they won't kill you, furthermore, getting hit in a kill-zone means that you lose. The detonation charges are simulated as well, so no one can be killed." X explained as he took them to the 'armory'.
They looked carefully before deciding on their weapons. Harry took a buster, and saber while Hermione took the same.
"Why did you choose those weapons?" X asked curiously as he led them back to their room.
"Well...a person we respect uses one of them...and...his friend uses the other." Harry admitted.
Hermione merely nodded in agreement.
"Thanks." X said quietly before he left them at their room.
The next day they stood at the double wide doors of a room they'd have never been in before.
"Well, Hermione, Harry I've taught you well, you know what to do inside and out. Now all that you have to do is believe in yourselves and pass the challenge. It's going to be tough. But, it's worth it. Believe me. The Eternal Summit can either make or break you. You'll have to work together, and watch out. There will be simulated maverick attacks at random." X warned as he pushed them through the door.
Harry felt X slip something into his pocket as he did so. That's when they finally understood why it was called the eternal summit. A mountain far larger than Everest loomed before them.
"Harry, Hermione this is X. I'm going to act as your spotter for this. I can for the first day only. Alright?" X said through their helmet system.
"Right!" Harry replied; he was cheered at the support that X was giving him.
"Now I slipped some Oxygen needles in your pockets. They're legal for the competition, but since reploids don't breathe I had to dig around to find 'em."
"Thanks X. We'll probably need them for this..." Hermione agreed as she stared at the massive mountain.
"Okay, the challenge is pretty simple: make it to the top. You're gonna face mavericks, and obstacles galore. Of course the cold's going to be a danger too. That's why I had you pack the Artic suits."
Harry nodded in understanding before he adjusted his bag and moved his weapons to an easier to reach location.
"Okay, Harry, Hermione. Now get up there and show me what you're made of!" X ordered.
"Yes sir!"
The first day was nerve wracking, they saw the other squads occasionally and there was the occasional distant explosion that kept them on guard. But thankfully they didn't encounter any mavericks as they trudged through the cool forests under the massive mountain. By the end of the day and when X suggested that they make camp and get some shut eye Harry and Hermione agreed.
"Now the last thing I can say before I end the transmission is this: Keep alert, and stay on guard." X warned.
"Okay. We will." They promised.
For the next week they slowly trudged up the lower levels of the mountain, dodging mavericks, and getting over the obstacles in front of them. Once they had to use one of their precious detonation charges to distract a large group of mavericks as they continued up the mountain. It took a full month. They had relied on foraging for the first part of the trip and thankfully they did so, because up in the upper levels of the mountain they found little to no life. But they still found mavericks. Those mavericks proved to become more and more dangerous as Harry and Hermione drew closer to the peak. Hardly a day went by that they weren't hiding from the maverick bands that roamed the cliffs and rugged trails.
Occasionally they did have to fight, and for the first few fights they got by without a scratch, but the mavericks got smarter; they began planning ambushes and other sneak attacks. They planted traps and other hidden dangers. Now, hardly a day went by where one or the other of them wasn't tending to a stinging body part. Yet, after the second month drew to a close Harry and Hermione staggered up the steep slopes and saw that the mountain had no more mountain to climb. All that remained was a the peak, a peak that was a large plateau.
"We've made it." Harry whispered proudly as he glanced around.
That's when a crimson maverick dropped down on the plateau.
"The Name's Magma Dragoon Hunters, and if you want to evac from this mountain-side you'll have to destroy me and my jamming device." Dragoon mocked.
He was essentially a humanoid dragon. His eyes were a golden color with snake like irises and his white clawed hands were massive. The Eight Foot Maverick stood in front of them; almost mockingly.
"Ready Hermione?" Harry asked quietly.
She nodded firmly and the two split apart, and began to fire plasma bolts at Magma Dragoon. However, Dragoon, proved that he wasn't just a minor maverick as he shot off fireballs from his open palms. Harry tumbled out of the way as a particularly large fireball was fired off at him; melting the snow on the plateau.
"If I could only..." Harry mumbled, but he knew that using magic here, in this place where people where observing him was a very, very bad idea.
With a shrug Harry rolled away from another fireball. He noticed Dragoon looking at him intently and instinctively brought his saber up to defend himself. Thankfully he did so as Dragoon had dashed up to him a moment later and had attempted a furious swipe with his vicious claws.
Hermione's plasma rounds managed to connect with Dragoon's back while the red maverick was occupied with Harry. However, while it did damage the maverick, it also angered him. And that's when Harry felt a blast of heat nearly take his head off. Magma Dragoon could spit fire too!
Harry ducked as Dragoon tried to roast his head off again and then, in one fluid motion stabbed upwards with his saber. He saw the blade ram through the maverick's chest piece and Dragoon stumbled backwards.
"Defeated...by...humans? I-impossible..." Dragoon groaned and began to spark.
Harry realized that his saber had penetrated Dragoon's internal nuclear fusion reactor and with only an occasional backwards glance Harry sprinted away from the dying maverick, saber in hand.
He barely managed to escape the explosion radius as he dove on Hermione, shielding her from the intense heat of Dragoon's explosion.
"Nice teamwork." Harry hugged his girlfriend.
"I couldn't have done it without you." Hermione agreed pleasantly.
Harry felt something cool caress his left cheek.
"It's snowing again." Harry noted as he got off of her and pulled her up.
"Well, we've made it to the top. Now what?" Hermione asked.
"CONGRATULATIONS!" A voice roared.
The mountain shimmered and a second later vanished. In that moment they saw that they were standing in a holographic display room once more.
"It was all...a simulation?" Harry asked in a dazed voice.
X rushed up to his students and pulled them both into a hug.
"It's the most difficult final we could create...and...you're the first humans to ever do pass. I'm proud of you." X smiled at the two exhausted teens.
"We're the first humans to pass? Then why would you have us as your trainees for this?" Hermione asked dazedly.
"I believed in you. That's why." X said as he picked her up and laid her on his left shoulder.
Harry was lifted onto X's other shoulder a moment later.
"Now, you two are going to rest. Then you're going to see Lifesaver to make sure you're okay, then after that we'll go celebrate okay?" X said.
"Aye-Aye sir." They agreed as they slipped off to sleep.
When Lifesaver assured X a day later that they were okay X took them to the Hunter HQ's 'bar'. The room was an oval base, with simple furnishings and the omnipresent white and blue color scheme of Maverick Hunter HQ. There was a small stage only a short distance away, where X later told them was for 'music night'. The bar reminded Harry of the bars he'd seen in the Star Trek show that Dudley had watched once when they were thirteen.
"This is where hunters gather and talk. You'll find Zero here quite often. Ah, speak of the devil."
X was staring at a reploid that Harry supposed was about as tall as Ron, maybe a little taller. He had red, black, and white armor with odd rectangular 'shoulder pads' and a beam saber holstered on his shoulder in an odd white metal 'backpack' like device. The reploid's armor was accented with a tint of gold. But the most defining trait of the reploid's back that Harry could see was Zero's long golden mane that would be the jealousy of most girls at Hogwarts.
"Is Zero...a girl?" Harry whispered.
X shook his head.
"No. He's the leader of the Zero Unit." X answered his questions indirectly; more for Harry's safety than anything. (Harry later learned that Zero was more than a little touchy about people implying that he was a girl.)
X approached Zero with Harry and Hermione in toe.
"Hey X, you got your trainees with you eh?" Zero said as he turned when X drew close.
Zero's cool blue eyes glanced over Harry and Hermione critically.
"They're decent." Zero finally said. "They probably could survive a sortie or two on the field."
Harry was seething internally, he had slaved away for months and he had just been dismissed by Zero... However, training with X had helped Harry get better control over his emotions and managed to stay calm.
Once their visit with Zero was over Harry went over to ask X some questions.
"What is his problem?" Harry seethed.
"Frankly, he doesn't like to get attached to most hunters. He's been more than a little antisocial but like I once said, he hasn't been the same since Iris died. Please excuse him." X apologized for his friend's behavior.
Harry forced himself to calm down.
"Alright. Thanks X."
"No problem. And Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"You two should take a day or two off before working out to keep in shape. You need to practice occasionally to remember all that I've taught you too. Since that's the case I'll ask Tom to arrange some training sessions. We'll meet during those times and if there isn't any maverick attacks then...We can talk afterward too." X said.
Suddenly the alarms flared. Red lights light up the halls and a woman's voice began to speak over the intercom system.
"Emergency! Emergency! Mavericks have been detected in quadrant Zero-Zero-One-One-Gamma! I repeat..."
"Who was that?" Harry asked.
X grabbed their shoulders and pushed them onto the elevator. He then pushed several buttons. X's face was abnormally pale.
"That was Alia. I'm going to drop you off on your floor. Go to your rooms, and rest up. I've got work to do."
Harry felt that he should go with X but one look at the blue hunter assured him that it wasn't his place.
"Alright." Harry bowed to necessity.
X was once more heading into battle, and only the two humans that trained under him saw a tear make it's way down his face as they were pushed onto their floor.
Harry felt that somehow, the two of them...born in different eras, with different miracles and marvels, but both had similar hearts. Both longed to live a peaceful life...and the world wouldn't give them that life.
Well, That's that for this story arc. I might make it a full fic but for now...that wraps that up. I've enjoyed working with Maverick Hunter Potter and I feel that eventually I'll have to come back to it...but for now...I've got about eight pure Harry Potter stories without any crosses shifting through my brain, accumulating momentum. (A couple humorous ones even...) And they should appear soon. I've got finals here this week so I won't be able to update but expect WOE and Radiant Chaos to have updates soon. (Maybe not this week though...)
20 pages, 7,630 words.