From what little the on-site drones could pick up (as tracing such activity underwater often proved particularly challenging), things seemed pretty quiet in regards to Zero and Cody's mission from the Base's perspective…
That is, until Vile entered the picture.
The second everyone saw Zack tense up, they acted, expecting another freakout, with London and X in particular restraining him on either side.
"Has anyone, ugh, ever told you that you weigh a ton?!" London complained as she struggled.
"He's a reploid right now, so he can't exactly control that," Alia threw in while keeping a close eye on her view screen.
The shorter twin heard nothing of this banter, really, because his mind was pretty occupied with thoughts of how he was going to rip the heavily-armed buckethead apart with his bare hands for even getting within 50 feet of Cody.
Eventually, though, the boy was dragged out of his rather violent fantasy by a question of X's.
"Listen to me! Even if we were to actually let you go through with what you're most likely thinking of doing, you know that you'd be causing more harm than good by interfering, right?"
Zack didn't answer.
"You know I'm right."
Nothing. Then… "You...You wouldn't understand. I have to do this. I HAVE to!"
X wasn't the only one sensing the desperation In that statement. Bailey and Sapphira picked up on it too while London and Ruby just looked more generally worried.
The lighter blue Hunter's tone softened. He took a breath stiffly, as if in preparation to say something unpleasant. "You need to trust Zero."
The boy looked at him like he was crazy, but before he could answer, a duo of gasps sounded. They came from Alia…and Sapphira.
"T-That's…"
Before the pro navigator could finish the blue-haired girl's thought, Zero called in and she would wind up confirming the suspicions of those who knew during her transmission.
Looking towards the screen, Zero and Cody appeared to be fighting a discolored, crazed version of the former. Zack's prevously slowing protests and attempts sped up again. He needed to stop this thing, and it only proved his point as he saw his brother run from it like a child might run from a bully…
…only this one looked more like a crazed serial killer to him.
Then, in the midst of this, Zero swooped in and began to preoccupy the monster and began swordfighting with it.
The fight went out of the shorter twin yet again after this, he felt a little bit of actual respect for the ponytailed warrior bubbling up inside of him in spite of it all.
Maybe Zero wasn't quite as heartless as he'd thought…
After a brief skirmish, the thing fled, and little of note happened from then on. Zero even took on the Maverick himself, much to Zack's admitted relief.
Soon enough, the two active Hunters were back at the base, one looking significantly more frustrated and defeated than the other.
Seeing the taller twin's downtrodden state prompted mixed looks of worry from just about everyone, and especially from those who knew him best.
Before anyone could open their mouths to voice these concerns however, Cody cut any potential comments off. His fists seemed to ball up at his sides as he spoke.
"Don't. I…I don't deserve your pity. My performance out there was abominable. I was a total liability against that monster. Probably a disgrace to Maverick Hunters everywhere, and there's…there's no excuse for it. I need to be better. To get stronger…"
He looked at X. "To that end… X, can you teach me some of your moves after I heal up?"
The Azure Hunter nodded, although the look he gave the boy suggested that he had motives beyond a mere training session.
The studious boy began to walk away, but Zack caught up to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine. I just realized that I can't rely on you forever. Thanks for the concern, though. I know that's not something you'd normally show like you have been since we got here. It…it means a lot."
The smile he offered his twin didn't quite reach his eyes. The one he offered his girlfriend as he left didn't either. As he followed suit, X offered the group a look that spoke volumes.
I know something's up and I'm going to keep an eye on him.
An uncomfortable period of silence passed. Then London spoke up to the Hunters' usual navigator.
"Um… Aria?"
"Alia, and yes?"
"Can I go on a mission with Zack? I'm bored."
Something immediately felt off to the boy concerned. Normally, when London Tipton was bored, she'd make sure the entire world knew about it, and at as loud a volume as possible. Ms. Tutweiler, one of the schoolteachers on the ship, learned that the hard way along with the rest of her class the one time when she tried to physically chain her to the desk in a sadly futile attempt to get her to actually learn something for once.
Granted, he himself oftentimes wasn't that much better, but still…
"Um… Sure. Why not? In fact, Bailey, why don't you navigate? You know those two better than I do, after all."
She went along with it and Zack didn't exactly fight it. He wanted something else to focus on for once, anyway, other than certain thoughts swirling around in his head.
Soon enough the two were off to a derelict metropolis…
--BREAK--
Those back at Hunter Base weren't the only ones shocked by the appearance of the Zero Nightmare. A certain middle-aged reploid was too. He was busy pacing around his lab, his thoughts a mixture of bubbling rage and sheer terror.
"You sent that animal after him?!"
Things were different this time, as he wasn't alone. The Maverick he was enslaved to was finally far enough along to have a semi-functional body.
It was a white, almost seraphic frame lined by highlights of silver plating. Completing the look was what were clearly the beginning of wings sprouting on the reploid's shoulder blades. Of course, the wiring sticking out of the body at many points hinted at its unfinished nature.
"Of course I did," he said, the easy smirk dancing across his young features. He didn't appear that much older, in fact, than the group of outsiders. "What better to more quickly coax that bleeding heart X out should things go according to this little scheme?"
"By tormenting a CHILD?!" Black roared.
The response he got was laughter, as if all of this was an absolutely hilarious joke.
He stopped almost as abruptly as it started. "Let me ask you this: why would I care about organic filth wearing the skin of a superior race? The only reason why you even live right now is because you're useful to me. Remember that."
Almost as if by magic, a device materialized in his hand.
The programmer stumbled back. "W-What is that…?"
"Oh, nothing, really. Just a secondary means of ensuring I get what I want. Let me explain this to you in a way that even organics like you can understand. If I hit this button, it would send those two brats splattering all over the walls of what's likely Hunter Base. Same as it would be if I said a certain code string I know. I brought them back into this world and can take them back out again quite easily..."
Every second he saw the smug grin on this monster's face, he wanted to knock it off more and more. The explosion was always bound to happen at some point…
…and happen, it finally did.
The maverick dodged the first few swings casually, unmoved entirely before purposefully taking the fourth.
"What…so now you think you're some kind of combat reploid? You should really learn your place."
A knee to the gut and a headbutt sent Black sprawling on the ground.
"You really ought to have been more careful," the white reploid chided, button still in hand, and clearly loving every minute of this. "I could've hit this button by accident, you know…"
"I…hate…you…" Black growled in between groans.
"And I don't care. Now recover quickly so you can continue work on this body in particular. So says Lucien…"
He walked back in the direction of his pod. As Black's head continued swimming, an idea began to form in his mind.
Oh, I'll work on you, all right…and fix my mistake as well.
Not for the first time since his ordeal began did Black wish he'd just accepted his own death and those of his daughters.
Anything was better than this.